//------------------------------// // Appreciation // Story: Admiration and Admission // by Scribe of the Nightwings //------------------------------// Astral Ink’s eyes shot open as his head whipped up from its resting position on the desk. The stallion shook his head a couple of times to ward away any remnants of sleep in his mind. After blinking a couple times, he quickly looked around to confirm that he was in fact in his room. The candle on his desk had longed burnt out, leaving his quarters to be barely illuminated by the moonlight filtering through the window. Astral then casted a simple light spell to better confirm that everything as what it was. Seeing that everything was in order, the unicorn slumped by into his chair and sighed. He looked down at his desk and felt thankful that he didn’t spill the nearby pot of ink onto any of the documents he was working on before he fell asleep. At the thought of sleep, Astral instantly remembered everything that had happened in his dream. His rendezvous with Princess Luna, the alicorn sharing the memory of their first meeting,…the kiss. He unconsciously moved his hoof to his face to gently touch his lips. Despite it being in the Dream Realm, the kiss with the alicorn felt real to him. He also then remembered the proposition she had offered him about sharing a bed to help with an alternative to achieving sleep without needing to charm himself. Astral swallowed a lump in his throat at the memory of how relaxed Luna was about it. Even if they did now consider themselves special someponies, the gentlecolt within him thought rather fast to take such step so soon. Then again, another more hopeful side of him called out that technically the two had already known each other for years, so it wasn’t as if he was bedding with a complete stranger. Slowly, the unicorn got out of his chair and walked over to his bedside table and checked his alarm clock. It read that it was 12:30 at night, meaning that the stallion had been asleep for three hours based on what he remembered last before he clonked out. Astral swore that more time had passed in the dream when he was talking to Luna and viewing her memory, but he knew that time was rather finicky in the Dream Realm. The princess once told him that keeping track of time in a dream was like counting the grains of sand packed in a small bottle: technically feasible with enough effort, but ultimately a pointless endeavor. Nevertheless, the current time meant that Astral could in fact walk to Luna’s chambers and enjoy a blissful night’s sleep before having to wake up again. Astral’s head then drifted over to his own bed. At that moment, it looked cold, uninviting and rather lonely looking. Now that he thought about it, the stallion had lived somewhat of a solitary life up to this point. It wasn’t that he was total misfit growing up, rather he merely found more contentment in spending time with an introverted lifestyle rather than spending it with other ponies. He didn’t think himself superior to others, nor did he envy the ponies that seemingly had whole entourages of friends back in school. Despite the isolation, Astral felt like he had an enjoyable life with little regrets. Although now, he was starting to have a few doubts. For the past few moons, him and Luna had spent more time together then he had with any other ponies outside of his direct family or within a professional atmosphere. The pair weren’t spending time with each other out of obligation or commitment, rather they were together because they simply wanted to. Spending that time with her only expedited the feelings he had for her that had built up slowly within his heart. And now, after Luna had so lovingly demonstrated just how important the stallion was to her. It made Astral wonder if there really was something that he was missing out on all the years by not forming such a bond with another pony. The way he saw it, Astral had two options. He could either climb into bed now and face another night of nonconstant sleep, further accelerating his isolation. Or…he could take the plunge and make his way to Luna’s chambers to consummate the shared feelings that they both admitted to one another. The latter of said options could undoubtedly change the course of both their working and personal relationship that could either be for the better or for the worse. Despite that risk, the latter option was also the most appealing one for the scribe. With a deep breath, Astral went ahead and switched off the alarm on his clock. He wasn’t going to be needing it for where he was going. Silently, the stallion opened the door to his quarters and slipped out into the hallway. While the occasional chandelier was still lit, the exceedingly tall windows allowed for more moonlight to bath the corridors in a soft glow that allowed the castle to be still visible. Noting that he wouldn’t have to worry about fumbling in the dark, Astral made his way to the tower that Luna’s chamber resided in. He knew the path by heart by now, so he knew that it would be a mere ten-minute walk before he reached his destination. Canterlot Castle had a different feel to it at the dead of night. There wasn’t that big of an eerie feel to it, granted, but it was certainly less busy than it was during the day or early evening. The hustle and bustle of dozens of staff, guards and other bureaucrats that hurried down the halls to get to their destinations was absent as the echoing sound of Astral’s hooves hitting the polished floor. It wasn’t completely abandoned, however, as there were a few guards, mostly the night platoon, patrolling the hallways for any potential intruders. Being a long-time resident of the castle, though, made sure that there was little suspicion about the scribe’s presence. There were a few curious glances as to why a pony not normally active at this time of night was out and about. However, it was nothing that a courteous nod couldn’t dismiss such attention. Eventually, the stallion arrived at the tower and made his way up the spiraling staircase to make it to his destination. When he reached the top, slightly out of breath, Astral was finally behold to the grand double doors that were the portal to the residence of the Princess of the Night. At the front of those doors, however, were two faces that Astral instantly recognized. Vesp Azure and Noctis Wings, the two personal guards of Princess Luna. Hoof-picked by Commander Murk Rider himself from the Lunar guard. The two thestrals were donned in their traditional armor and standing at attention. Well, mostly at attention. Astral new from experienced that despite being some of the best of the Guard, they were slightly less disciplined when compared to the standard guard. “Well, look at what we’ave here, Vesp!” the thestral on the left announced, his accent thick as was standard for most thestrals hailing from the Northern Mountains. “Looks like good’ole Night Raven decided to pay us a wee visit in the dead o’night!” The one on the right with blue eyes held back a small chuckle. “Doubt he’s here tae see us, Noctis. This lad never seems tae enjoy our refined sense of comradery! Ha!” Astral let out a small huff of frustration. Being essentially the personal aide to Luna also meant that it was quite often that he crossed paths with her personal guard, their superior included. This gave plenty of opportunities for the two thestrals to poke fun at the stallion with teasing that range from ignorable to borderline annoying. One especially being the nickname “Night Raven” they gave him, a jab at how he was just the nighttime equivalent of Raven inkwell. “Well, out with it, now! What’s a prissy scribe such as yerself doing up here, eh?” Vesp questioned in a sterner fashion. “Hope ye weren’t planning on havin’ yer way with our fair princess, else we just might have to castrate ya here and now.” This caught Astral off his guard. Throughout all of the revelations and romantic thoughts tonight, he had completely forgot that he would have to deal with Vesp and Noctis before even thinking about entering Luna’s chambers. What exactly would he even say? Despite their antics, the two guards were extremely loyal to Luna. So he doubted he could just say that Luna herself invited him to sleep in her bed and they would accepted it at face value. Not to mention he would have to explain the sudden swirl of feelings they both had that the scribe considered highly private. “Um…well, gentlecolts. I was merely…er, that is…” Astral struggled to word. He suddenly became aware that the nerves were getting to him, causing his legs to get a bit shaky. The stallion swallowed a lump in his throat as he mentally pathed out what he could say to get out of this mess. Before Astral could get another word in-wise, both Vesp and Noctis broke their composure and started to laugh. The stallion was rather thankful that Luna’s room had a one-way sound cancellation spell so that the alicorn would be disturbed. “Oh shit! Are ya seein’ this, Noctis?!” Vesp wheezed in-between laughs. “The lad looks like he might just wee himself!” The yellow-eyed thestral merely laughed in response. “I’m tellin’ ya, mate, he never gets old to fuck around with!” Eventually, the two guards finally got control of their laughter and retained their casual attitude. “Alright, alright! We had our fun there, Nighty. Ye can head on through now.” “Wait, what?” Astral said in astonishment. First they questioned him, then they ridiculed him and now they were letting him through? “Yeah, go on then.” the blue-eyed thestral reiterated. “Princess told us to keep an eye out for ye one of these nights and informed us to let ye inside if ye bothered to show up. Me and Noctis were betting on when ye finally move ye arse up here one of these nights.” Now the stallion was even more perplexed. Was Luna…expecting him to come up to her room late at night? Did she…plan for this? Astral figured that the next best pony to ask other than her was her guard. “Why did Princess Luna tell you to expect me this late at night?” “Don’t rightly know, really.” Noctis replied. “When we asked her, she told us that it was a for a personal matter between the two of ye. We certainly have our…theories. But we know than to blabber on about the Princess’s nightly rendezvouses to any ol’soul.” “Besides, we figured ye had enough sense in that noggin of yers to know that if yer tried anything not to the Princess’s likin’, we’d be in there to stick yer head up on a pike.” Vesp added. “So, go on now! Princess’s awaiting for yer scawny keester, best not to keep her waiting!” As the two thestrals parted to each side of the hall, Astral was left in a bit of shock. Normally, Vesp and Noctis weren’t usually this easy on him. Even under the direct orders of Princess Luna, the pair usually took pride in their playful teasing of the stallion. This time, the teasing had only lasted for a brief moment before they stopped giving him a hard time. That left the unicorn a bit suspicious. No doubt, the two would pester him later with questions, jabs and an unholy amount of innuendoes over tonight. However, Astral decided to just count his good blessings and accept their kindness. “I…thank you, gentlecolts. I bid you two a good evening.” he respectfully replied before making his way to the doors. As he grabbed hold of one of the knobs with his magic and gently cracked the portal open, Astral heard the guards muttering to each other. “Looks like ye owe me the next round at the tavern, mate.” “Aye, shove it up yer shit hole, ye bastard.” Astral entered the boudoir and silently closed the door behind him. The room of the Princess of the Night was a bit less ornamental than one would expect from royalty. The elegant mixture of dark blues that made up the walls gave a nocturnal sense of atmosphere appropriate for the alicorn. Aside from that, though, simple furniture ranging from a bureau, a grand desk, a sizable couch next to the fireplace and a table with some chair made up the rest of the room. Luna once told the scribe that she wasn’t a big fan of over extravagance. However, what really caught the stallion’s attention was the large bed nestled at the other side of the room. The imposing frame was carved into the shape of a crescent moon with the queen-sized mattress tucked cozily right in the center. The small lantern that hung off the top tip of the crescent that the alicorn used as a reading light was shut off as the pony-shaped lump under the covers had no need of it at the moment. Astral instantly recognized the lump in the bed and carefully made his was closer. As he approached the side of the bed, Astral felt his breath leave his body. There Princess Luna, the real Princess Luna, was sound asleep in her bed. Her ethereal mane continued to undulate while she slept, though he noticed that it seemed to move slower than usual. Her crown and other royal regalia were absent from her body and instead were placed on the nearby stand. That, however, mattered little to the stallion as it gave him the chance to truly appreciate the beautiful features that were presence even while the mare was sleeping. Moving mane aside, Luna looked like any other pretty mare fast asleep. And you’ve been staring her while she sleeping…like a creep. Astral thought as he chastised himself. Then again, he wasn’t exactly sure as to what to do next. Was he supposed to shake her awake? Tartarus, he really should have asked for more details before Luna had woken him up. Just then, Astral saw Luna shift a bit in her sleep. The alicorn had rolled onto her side and snuggled deeper into the sheets. When she had settled down again, there was some extra space next to her on the bed. The perfect amount of space for a pony to get in the bed with her. She had to be awake. There was no way in Astral’s logical thought process that the princess would just fortuitously move around in her sleep to leave room for somepony to slip into bed just as he had arrived. This had to be an invitation from the alicorn. But what if it was just a coincidence? Would Luna be taken aback or even angered if had decided to get in the bed without waking her before? The stallion found himself at a crossroad that he was sure what was the right path to choose. The final words that Luna told him before the end of the dream then rang in his head. “Follow my heart…” Astral muttered under his breath. If Luna truly meant every love-filled word that she said to him, if she truly wished for his best health and comfort just as much as he wished for hers, then Astral finally felt enough confidence to gently lift the covers with his magic and climbed into the bed. The mattress was very soft, definitely fit for a princess. He had never had the luxury of getting to sleep on one of those mattresses made of clouds, but he had to imagine that this had to be similar. Next, he noticed how comfortably warm it was under the covers. Though, this was probably not from the sheets themselves and more due to the fact that two ponies were sharing the same bed. Speaking of which, Astral then finally noticed that him and Luna were very close to one another. The stallion considered scooching back a little towards the edge, but something in the back of his mind was stopping him from doing so. Astral turned to his side and saw that Luna was still facing away from him. Her waving mane slightly tickled his nose; however, it didn’t feel as annoying or unpleasant as he thought it would. He felt the urge to gently extend his forelegs to wrap around the mare’s barrel, but he managed to suppress such an urge. He figured it a bit inappropriate to make such physical contact while she was asleep. Instead, the scribe settled into the covers and slowly closed his eyes. Before he could even attempt to obtain any sleep, though, something jolted him awake. “How bold of you, my faithful scribe.’ a sleepy voice suddenly said. Astral watched on in shock as he saw Luna turn her body so that she was facing him. Though sleepiness was still present in her eyes, the soft smile that she had on seemed to enhance her already radiant beauty. “Climbing into the bed with a sleeping mare in the middle of the night? Wherever did you acquire such a risky idea?” Panic should have filled Astral to very core at the mare’s insinuating question. However, the casual smile the alicorn had along with the dreamy-like state of her eyes told him that this was likely just some light teasing. After reassuring himself that he wouldn’t be spending the rest of his life in a dungeon, Astral thought about how to best respond to Luna’s prodding. “I…suppose I listened to your advice and followed my heart.” Astral answered. He could see by the small glint in the mare’s eye that she greatly appreciated the newfound confidence he was projecting. Wanting to see if he could impress her further, Astral continued. “And now…it’s telling me to do this.” The stallion then quickly pulled the alicorn closer and press his lips to hers. Luna did nothing to pull away from the kiss and gladly embraced it. The kiss was just as magical as it was in the dream, only now Astral felt that this time is was better. This kiss was real; a kiss between two ponies with feelings for one another that was in waking reality. The stallion could now fully confirm in his heart that his princess cared for him. Not just as a boss, not just a friend, but something far greater. As the two finally pulled back, the gleam in Luna’s eyes had evolved into full-on sparkles. Astral then decided to strike again while the iron was hot. “Luna…we’ve known each other for quite a while. And even though we’ve only recently become…an idea you could say, I feel no hesitation in my heart to tell you that I love you.” “My thoughts exactly, Astral.” Luna conferred as she pulled the stallion into a soft embrace. The stallion couldn’t help but nuzzle further in the alicorn’s neck. Luna continued to softly speak to him as she gently stroked his back with her hoof. “It is through your company that drives me to continue my best to serve our kingdom. Knowing that you are now closer to my heart brings me joy that you could never imagine. I look forward to what the future brings us.” While Astral was greatly enjoying being in the embrace of the alicorn, the mention of the future caused him to frown. “Do…Do you think it would be wise to keep this secret…for now, at least?” The alicorn hummed in agreement. “Doubtful that the nobles will take a relationship between a public servant and a princess. Fret not though, Astral. I need not the public opinion to know that my heart is in the right hooves.” Though the princess’s reassurances were helpful, the scribe still contained doubt and worry. “I have a feeling that Vesp and Noctis may know about this.” “To be expected, of course,” Luna replied. “however, their loyalty to me knows no bounds. They know how to keep a secret. So long as you can tolerate their endless teasing on the subject.” A small huff of annoyance aside, Astral knew that she was right again. The worries in his mind were about to be put to rest only to then be reignited immediately when he remembered one more scary thought. “What about…what about Princess Celestia?” Luna said nothing for a while, content to continuing to stroke the stallion’s back. Eventually, she gave what sounded like a tired sigh. “My sister has long since accepted that I am my own mare and that I can make my own decisions. I’m confident that she’ll accept you so long as it means the benefit of my happiness. That being said, I don’t feel it necessary to tell her right away. And under the miniscule chance that she doesn’t accept our love…I suppose she’ll have to send me to the moon again.” Astral could tell by the disheartening tone of the alicorn that she was saddened by the latter thought. As highly unlikely as it was that her sister would disapprove of them being together, the stallion knew all too well that the most unlikely possibility left the most wear-and-tear on the mind. Astral thought hard and decided to try and cheer the alicorn from her melancholy. “Do you think she would also banish me with you?” Astral asked in a hopeful voice. The unicorn felt immense satisfaction when he heard the alicorn softly laugh. “Are you quite sure about that? A thousand years is an awful long time to spend with just one pony.” “A thousand years with you sounds less like a punishment and more like a dream come true.” the stallion replied back. The Princess of the Night tightened her embrace around her scribe. “You truly are the one for me, my beloved.” Luna said, happiness brimming from her voice. Just then, Astral let out a tired yawn and felt his eyelids grow heavy. A surprising occurrence to the stallion since it must have been only a couple minutes since the two ponies have been talking. Perhaps Luna was correct in the theory that contact with another pony helped with achieving sleep. Astral figured that he would worry about the logistics for now and simply nuzzle deeper in the embrace. “Get some rest, my sweet scribe.” the alicorn soothed her bedmate. “I must return to the Dream Realm myself, however I have a feeling that your company here will make my duties a more pleasurable experience.” “Luna, this…” Astral said before another yawn interrupted him. “This means…a lot to me. Thank you.” For the first time in months, sleep finally crept upon the unicorn with ease without the assistance of a spell or charm. More than that though, a comforting sense of joy washed over him as he realized how fortunate he was right now. For years, his feelings for one of the princesses of Equestria steadily grew into something he felt was unachievable for such a common pony like himself. However, here he was now, cuddled up with said princess who had mirrored his feelings for almost as long as his own. He thought back to when the two of them had started their friendship in earnest and here they were about to begin a romantic relationship. No doubt, there would be hard times as with any relationship, but Astral was mostly looking forward to all of the good times him and the alicorn would eventually share. Secret for now, but hopefully there will be a day where him and his marefriend can announce their love to the whole of the kingdom. Just as the stallion closed his eyes to enjoy the sweet relief of slumber, he heard Luna whisper one more thing to him. “Sleep well, my beloved Astral. May your dreams be sweet. And…thank you for making mine come true.”