//------------------------------// // Dex and Celestia // Story: Days of our Dex // by StapleCactus //------------------------------// *Drip* *Drip* … *Drip* *Drip drip* … *Drip drip drip* *Drip* “AUGH!” Celestia’s human knight threw off his sheets in a fit of rage and rolled out of bed. He stumbled slightly before righting himself and stomping over to where the sound originated from, the nearby dresser. A small, bird-like object was dipping its beak into a bowl of water and then swinging back up, occasionally letting a drop fall back into the dish. Dex stared at it for a few moments as he put on his glasses and sneered. He looked towards a window with its curtains closed and saw the sun’s light just beginning to peek through. “Celestia,” he said with a shake of his head and headed over to let the light into the room. A quick draw back of the curtains, and Dex could see Canterlot just beginning to wake up. A few ponies were awake at the early hour, setting up outdoor stalls or trotting to their place of work. The fountain in the town square continued spewing water into the air, occasionally catching a tossed coin, and the grounds of the castle lay silent, morning dew resting on every surface. He spotted an early messenger walk towards the castle gates and be allowed entry without a fuss. Sighing in a mix of lost sleep and peaceful serenity, the man turned around to regard his room. He had left it quite a mess the previous night, having been up late and messing with one thing or another. Poorly drawn sketches and blueprints were scattered around every available surface and his clothes were thrown in a pile against his wardrobe. Candle wax had piled up upon the plates meant to hold it and had begun to seep over the edges on each piece of furniture that had candles placed. His workbench saw the worst of it though, over four melted candles and piles of paperwork strewn about covered every inch while tools and parts of various projects held the papers down. Dex walked back to his dresser with the water drinker still dipping away. He left it to its machinations and looked into his mirror, only to find scribbles written on his face. Little spirals of ink were on his cheeks and his nose was a solid black, while his forehead had the words ‘Morning sunshine’ spelled out. The knight’s growing red beard kept the remainder of his face from being dealt a similar blow. “Celestia,” he snarled. He didn’t like anyone messing with him while he slept, princesses included. Unable to get revenge against his foe, the man sighed for the second time that morning and was thankful that permanent markers hadn’t been invented yet. A large basin of water sat next to him to wash his face, just as he had done many times before. Having cleaned the ink off, he quickly got dressed from some clothes in his wardrobe and left his room quietly, making sure not to create any wind to disturb his mess. The standard blue jeans and t-shirt the knight’s usual outfit, but today, as he strolled through the large halls of the castle, guards and servants saw him in a loose fitting black robe with another white one beneath it. A belt around his waist held his ever-present katana as he entered a small dining hall. The smell of pancakes wafted towards him as he strolled through the room and seating himself next to the princess of the sun’s chair. Not a moment later, Celestia and Luna entered, the first for breakfast and the other for dinner. Only the sound of their shoes clacking against the marble floors, then the thump of them hitting carpet, filled the area as the two rulers took their seats on either side of the small table. “Good morning, Dex,” Celestia said as she settled herself for a meal. “I take it your sleep was restful?” How can she say that with a straight face? “Hmm, as restful as can be inside a castle with troublesome princesses,” the knight responded, turning towards her with a bored, yet irritated look. “A good morning to you as well, Your Highness.” He then looked over at Luna with a small smile. “Good morning, Princess Luna.” She nodded a reply, tired from the long night she had. Celestia looked to Dex in mock hurt. “Me? Troublesome? Whatever do you mean?” she inquired as a butler stepped out of the kitchens. Dex said nothing in return until the stallion had their orders and left them alone again. “Between the thirsty bird and the writing on my face, I could have sworn you had something to do with it,” the knight said, baiting the princess to crack a smile and prove her guilt. Instead, she looked across the table to her sister. The two rulers stared at eachother for a few moments before they broke eye contact, Luna looking towards the ceiling and Celestia smirking a bit at the kitchen door. “I see,” was all the man said at their actions. Still looking away from her knight, the princess of the sun spoke up. “Your room could use a bit of tidying up.” “Indeed. We hadst trouble navigating thine room,” Luna added, knowing the secret was out. Little moments like those always put a smile on Dex’s face. Most of the time, he was the brunt of the pranks pulled, but he was happy to oblige them if it meant they spent more time together and relaxed. So, with a small smile of his own, the man decided to get a little payback, psychologically. “How could you two? I don’t like it when someone messes with me while I sleep,” he said in an accusatory tone before putting on a more somber one and drooping his head. “I can’t relax or sleep if I know someone will do something. I’ll never be comfortable here at this rate.” It had only been a few weeks since Dex learned of his permanent residency in Equestria and became a knight, so the wounds of losing his family and all comforts from before were still fresh in his mind. The princesses knew that and played right into the man’s joke. “Ah! Dex, no,” Celestia stumbled to say. "Yes, what mine sister mean’st is...” Luna attempted to continue for her sister. They looked at each other and collected their thoughts, then turned to Dex and said in unison, “We are sorry.” “We did not mean to make you uncomfortable, Dex. Please forgive us,” Celestia said as she drew her face closer to her knight. “Indeed! ‘Tia assured Us the ‘pranking’ wouldst make thou feel better, not worse!” Luna added fitfully. “Heh. Heheh.” The man began to chuckle openly, stunning the two princesses. After a moment, his amusement died down when he realized the mares were looking at him with unreadable expressions. “Sorry you two. Had to get my revenge somehow,” he said, hoping to play off his actual feelings as the joke he intended. “You two are too good for physical pranks, so I have to resort to psychology.” An awkward silence followed the knight’s words until the kitchen doors opened. The same butler from earlier appeared, pushing along a small metal cart with three covered dishes, cups, and two pitchers, all made of silver. As the stallion set everyone’s selected food and drink in front of them, conversation started up about anything other than the prank. Breakfast went by with small talk and Luna bid the two good day. Celestia and Dex went their separate ways outside of the dining room a few moments later, her to the throne room and him to the training grounds. The knight decided to take his training easy for the day and practiced a few sword swings in front of, and on, a practice dummy. The katana left nicks in the thick wooden post as it cut through the hay shaped like a rearing pony. He didn’t bother to worry about dulling the blade on the hard beam, since the weapon seemed to never dull or bend in the first place. Halfway through his morning practice, he was interrupted by a castle messenger. The princess was requesting her knight’s presence within the throne room. Sheathing his blade and wiping the sweat from his brow with his sleeve, Dex followed the page back into the castle. As he crossed the threshold between the grounds and stone halls, a cling could be heard. A small golden coin, the standard Equestrian bit, rolled around the corner ahead and headed straight for the man and his escort. Upon reaching the two, in continued it roll in a circle around them before dropping to one side in front of them. It wobbled for a moment before laying still, with Dex waiting for the owner to come chasing after it. When no such person came, the stallion proceeded to reach for it as the knight stared on. The page bit the coin and placed it in a small pouch at his left shoulder before trotting onwards. The man said nothing as he followed, thinking the coin as a prank or lost by its owner that didn’t notice. The two made it through two more intersections without finding another soul outside of guards that spoke of no missing bits. Deciding that answering the princess’s summons was more important than finding the owner of one measly bit, the two continued onwards, reaching the large ornate doors of the throne room spread open for the day’s open discussion. Dex strolled forward, passing ponies in discussions and reaching the white marble and black obsidian thrones where Celestia stood. Her signature calm smile graced her features as he approached and knelt before her. “Sir Dex, how lovely it is to see you,” she said as he rose. “I have need of your input.” She turned and nodded towards an aged stallion next to a blackboard to her right. Mathematical equations surrounded chalk drawings that Dex couldn’t decipher in the middle of the board. He looked inquisitively between the unicorn and alicorn for a few moments. When no answer was forthcoming, he decided to take a step closer and speak. “What exactly am I looking at, Your Highness? I don’t see how my input could help in whatever subject you are currently on.” With another nod from Celestia, the old pony spoke. “These are preliminary plans for improvements to the castle and city walls.” He then divulged into technical information Dex could only gleam parts of while pointing out key features. “Shouldn’t this be taken to the captain of the guard instead of me, Princess?” the man asked when the engineer ended his lecture. “True, but I think there is potential in you, Dex. Tell me what you think.” The knight drew closer to the board, the basic premise of the information now known helped him understand more. Pulling all the knowledge he could of feudal eras on Earth, he scoured the data set before him for weaknesses and strengths. His basic understanding of technological advances and strategy helped him further in his pursuit. After an extended amount of time, he pulled away from the chalkboard and smiled at the princess. “These improvements cover several flaws and allow greater maneuverability and adaptability, but they create their own problems as well. They cannot be fixed with the current technology I have seen ponies use, but at the same time, it shouldn’t be a problem for a long time.” He kept secret the fact that the ponies were developing their technology at a much slower pace, for he would rather not see the horrors that could entail. “I see,” Celestia responded. “What of your people’s technology? Could it not improve upon the design?” “It could, but I would rather not introduce too much from my world into this one.” The princess nodded sagely. “Yes, it is best to innovate and evolve on your own.” There was a moment of silence where both of them were deep in thought. Dex’s mind was filled with the past from the mention of Earth, but he shook it off so as to not upset Celestia. “Is that all, Your Majesty?” He slipped into the stiff knight he was when something bothered him or the situation called for it. At that moment, he was concerned for his continued existence outside his world. The royal mare caught on to this, but hid it well. “Yes, you may go. Thank you for your input, Dex.” The knight bowed and turned to leave, but Celestia caught him before he took more than two steps. “Oh! Did you happen to find a coin on your way here?” Without turning around, he responded. “Yes, yes I did. Is it yours?” He reached into a sleeve. A small ‘pop’ sounded within the hall, confusing a few of the debaters. Soon, a green smoke began to waft into the air, starting near a young page attempting to throw his pouch off. At that point, Dex looked back at the princess with a smirk to match her own. “Well played,” was all Celestia said as she watched the ponies reactions. The man had learned from the morning that she was in a pranking mood and was keeping up his guard. He shook his head with the smile still on his face and walked out of the throne room, the smoke slowly filling the area and hiding more and more ponies. Dex continued his leisurely walk through hall after hall, lost in thought. He soon found himself in the castle gardens. The spring had set in fully, blooming a multitude of flowers and leaves on the trees and shrubs. Animals paid the man little mind, only scurrying away if he were to get too close. He roamed the gardens, inspecting the occasional statue or plant, until his legs got tired and he lay upon a bench within the garden maze. The sun had begun to set, casting the clouds in shades of orange, pink, red, and violet. Twilight set in as a few of Luna’s early stars shone through the waning sunlight. “What a perfect sunset for such an average day,” the man said aloud, letting his eyes close with the breeze. The smell of early bloom flowers danced across him and the occasional bird sang a late melody. “Sometimes,” Celestia’s voice only added to the serenity, “a beautiful sunset is all you need to make a great day.” She slowly walked next to the bench and sat down. The sounds of the twilight hours were all that was heard for a few moments. “How are you really, Dex?” “Hmm.” The knight opened his eyes and propped himself up on his elbows to view the sky once more. “I miss them.” “I know.” Another moment of silence passed. “The pain will fade, but you will never forget them.” “I know.” “...” “...” “...” “Can I ask you a question, Celestia?” “Of course.” “...” “...” “Will you be my family?” “...” “...” “I can be a friend.” “...” “Sorry.”