Hello everyone, author here. I'm back with another chapter! Been really busy at work doing Army things, so don't expect another chapter for a bit. I hope you all enjoy and have a wonderful weekend! Don't forget to hit that like and follow button!
It had been a rather relaxing day for the two princesses and their newly announced fiancé. Aside from the greatest reveal in modern Equestrian history, the trio of individuals spent most of their day inside Luna’s abode. The occupants gorged themselves on freshly baked pizza, chocolate lava cakes, which Celestia seemed more than eager to devour, and delectable mozzarella sticks Luna was overly protective of. Though the two sisters rarely had one, it was a day of relaxation and no responsibilities. However, as night loomed closer, so did the coming responsibilities of the following day.
“So what time should I be at court tomorrow? I know it starts around nine in the morning, but do I have to be there earlier for a brief or…?” Eric asked. His question was mostly directed towards Celestia, who was sprawled out on the bed, wings outstretched, while Eric sat upon her lower back. He did his best to work his hands along the mare’s back, being mindful of her wings and other sensitive areas as sounds from Luna’s Ponycube echoed throughout the room.
“Y-you don’t need to arrive that early Eric. P-perhaps just a few minutes before the throne room is overrun by nosey ponies and nobility,” Celestia finished with a mewl of delight as Eric found a particularly tense spot along her back. Doing his best to knead out the offending pest, Luna was quick to comment on the situation.
“Indeed Eric. We will also join thee for an hour or so. It will give our subjects a good image of all of us and we can help answer any questions the ponies may ask.” Nodding his head in understanding, Eric couldn’t help but also feel another reason for the mare’s attendance in the morning.
“It’s alright if you don’t make it tomorrow morning Luna. I know your sleep schedule is offset from today, so I don’t want to screw you up even more.” It was at this moment that Eric heard Luna pause her game before getting up from her comfortable cushion and stretching out in a cat-like fashion. After the little display, the Lunar Princess made her way over to the bed before settling herself next to Eric as he continued to work on her sister.
“We will be fine Eric. Tomorrow is important and we don’t want to be away if something happens,” she softly spoke. The last few words gave Eric pause, as he thought about them more intently. He remembered his last encounter in the throne room with all of the nobles petitioning his selection. He also remembered what happened when they didn’t get their way. A shiver ran down the human's spine as he quite vividly pictured the lighting bolt headed straight towards him again. Reaching over towards Luna, Eric gently ran his hand along the mare’s cheek and up to her ear for a scratch. Luna couldn’t help but coo in delight and lean into her friend’s hand with a smile on her face.
“Thank you Luna. To be honest, I will feel a little more comfortable with you there tomorrow by my side. But if we all are going to be getting up early in the morning, it is probably a good idea to head to sleep. We have a big day tomorrow and I feel like I'm gonna need all the sleep I can get,” Eric added before rolling off of Celestia. To her credit, Celestia continued to sprawl along the bed, refusing to move for a few moments as she prayed her fiancé's heavenly hands would continue to work their magic. Sadly though, it was not the case as the mare began to sluggishly fold her wings back to her side.
“As much as I was enjoying that, you are right. I want to get up a little earlier than normal and make sure proper precautions are taken for tomorrow. Nothing too much, though I am going to add a few wards and extra guards in the throne room. I doubt the nobility will try anything with so many ponies around, though you never know,” she stated with a sigh. The thought did cross her mind to pay Prism Cut a visit, seeing as he was toiling away in the Canterlot dungeons turning big rocks into smaller rocks. It wasn’t like her to sentence ponies to hard labor, but he crossed a line. She knew she needed to make an example out of him to prevent some of the other rowdier nobles from doing anything stupid. And whether she wanted to admit it or not, she found a bit of solace knowing that a pony that tried to harm her future husband was getting what he deserved.
“Speaking of guards, did you ever figure out the whole situation with me? I know Blueblood was talking about having my own contingent of guards, and now that it’s official, should I start having some follow me around?”
“We agree, beloved. And please do not worry, Tia and I have already selected a top-tier list of loyal guards to assist thee,” Luna boasted.
“After court tomorrow we will introduce you to them. Believe me when I say that Luna and I interviewed each candidate ourselves to determine the best possible guards for you. They will always be around if you need them or when either Luna or myself are not with you. At a minimum, you will have three guards with you at all times.” Eric thought about the prospect of having three guards with him everywhere he went. For the most part, he didn’t really care and knew that he would be much safer in their presence. However, he also worried about his privacy, at least to a certain extent.
“Well, as long as they aren’t standing over me while I'm using the bathroom I don’t see a problem with that,” he retorted with a bit of a chuckle. Luna and Celestia both rolled their eyes from the comment, but couldn’t help but also laugh.
“I’m sure you will be just fine. Now come, it is late and we need to sleep.” Without so much as a warning, Eric was lifted into the air as the covers to Luna’s bed were pulled back. Getting in on either side Celestia and Luna waited a moment before lowering Eric down in between the two of them. With no way of escape, Eric resigned himself to his fate as he was sandwiched between his two loving friends.
“So, quick question. What happens if I get too hot in the middle of the night?” Eric asked. He was met with two strong pairs of hooves wrapping around him as both Luna and Celestia nuzzled his cheek. Luna was the first to pull away with a sly grin as she draped a wing over all the occupants in bed.
“Well, you will just have to suffer,” she quipped back before using her magic to extinguish the lighting in the room.
“Alright, how do I look?” Taking a step back from the mirror in Luna’s room, the Lunar Alicorn circled the human with a scrutinizing eye. It took the mare all of about three seconds to spot an unknown flaw.
“Thou shirt is not tucked in evenly in the back. Let us get it for thee,” Luna said as she used her magic to straighten out the back of his polo. It wasn’t royal by any stretch of the imagination, but Eric wanted to be somewhat presentable during his first day of court. He also didn’t want to overdo it, so he decided on a simple business casual look. He sported a plain, navy-blue polo shirt with a pair of khakis, brown leather belt, and casual dress shoes. And if Luna’s smile was anything to go by, he was looking good.
“We see nothing else that warrants our attention. We must also admit, thou looks rather dashing in that outfit,” she added, getting a few more seconds of eye candy before nodding her head.
“Well thank you Luna. I aim to please,” Eric teased with a chuckle. A few minutes later and the two were on their way to the throne room.
It didn’t take long for the two friends to navigate the maze of halls leading to the throne room. It was a walk the Lunar Princess had done thousands of times before, and would continue to do so into the foreseeable future.
“So, what should I expect when we arrive?” Eric questioned. Luna pondered the question for a few moments before responding in full.
“Well, Tia should already be situated in the throne room, or at least briefing the guards of what to expect. As for what thou are to expect, there will most likely be hundreds of ponies lining up to meet their new prince of Equestria.” The thought of a bunch of ponies crowding around to meet the human gave Eric a slight pause, though he reminded himself that it wasn’t going to be an everyday thing, and that the public just needed to get over the initial shock of their soon-to-be marriage. Eric didn’t have much time to dwell on his other thoughts as the two made it to one of the side entrances of the throne room before making their way in.
“And I want every guard to be vigilant. Prince Eric’s safety is your top priority. He has already had one attempt on his life so do not think they won’t try another. There will be no mistakes today. Is that understood?” A very grizzly voice spoke. A chorus of ‘Yes Ma'ams’ resonated through the room as Luna and Eric approached the mare giving orders.
“Good morning Withered Gaze. We see our sister pulled out all the stops for today’s court session,” Luna joked. The no-nonsense looking mare turned her attention to the Lunar Goddess before grunting out a reply.
“Tis hard to ignore a request directly from the Princess herself,” she responded, her heavy Scottish accent only adding to the visage of gruffness the mare embodied. Luna could only roll her eyes at the old mare before Withered turned and offered a salute to the human.
“Good morning Prince Eric. Tis a pleasure to meet you. My name is Withered Gaze, semi-retired Royal Guard,” the mare addressed. She held her salute for a good few moments before Eric realized that he was supposed to salute back. Offering the mare an unrefined salute, Withered Gaze dropped hers before continuing on the conversation.
“I just got done briefing the guards. We have triple-checked the area with a scanning spell to ensure no malicious entities or traps are lying in wait. These are some of the best hoof-picked guards I can personally vouch for. Every one of them is willing to lay down their life for your protection, sir.” The way that the mare stated the last part so matter-of-factly, gave Eric a small sense of inadequacy. Aside from the fact that he was Celestia and Luna’s fiancé, he didn’t believe he was noteworthy enough for such a sacrifice. However, before he could rebuke the claim of his worthiness, Luna stepped in.
“Thank you for your due diligence Withered Gaze. Court is about to start and we must get Eric situated on his new throne and run through the process of what will happen. Thank you for making it out here and helping with all of this. It eases our minds that we know our best Guard Captain is coordinating security for today’s court,” Luna added. Whether from experience or lack of caring, Withered made no change to her posture or attitude. She simply nodded her head with a grunt before assuming her position along the side wall near a side entrance to the room. Despite the fact that Eric had wanted to ask Luna more information about the mare, he remembered he was here for a reason.
“Come Eric. Let us get thee accommodate with thou new throne,” Luna spoke, as she nudged her finance forward with a wing. Walking up the large staircase, Eric noticed the three thrones situated perfectly along the top slab of marble. Celestia’s throne was easy to decipher, since the mare was currently occupying it as she floated several pieces of parchment in her magical grasp that held her full attention. Luna’s throne was similar in taste, with the exception of a dark blue color scheme to match her coat. Eric’s throne was similar to the previous two, expect the color scheme was a brilliant dark silver and without a cutie mark embroidered on the tapestries that clung neatly to the side of the throne. Still, it was no less impressive than the other two thrones in the room.
“Damn, that is one nice chair,” Eric commented, making his way towards his throne and admiring the work of art before Celestia lowered her papers with a smile.
“Good morning my love. I am glad to see you awake and well, as well as you Luna.” Luna and Eric wasted no time in giving the Alabaster Alicorn a good morning hug before she pulled away and cleared her throat.
“Eric, court will start in a few minutes. When it does, ponies will line up in front of us before asking for our advice or guidance. In today’s case, I'm sure many of them will be asking questions about our relationship. Please do not feel intimidated by these questions or feel that you are forced to answer any of them you do not wish too. Luna and I will be here next to you and when you no longer wish to participate in court, please let us know. Do you have any questions before we get started?” Celestia’s motherly voice asked. Of course, Eric had a thousand questions about court, though he knew most of them would be answered once court was open and he got to experience what it was actually like.
“I’m good for now. Let’s get this show on the road,” He added with a chuckle before positioning himself on his new throne. Not even a moment later, the throne doors began to open as hundreds of ponies pushed their way past one another to be first. Eric watched in awe as the guards managed to corral the rowdy ponies into an organized line, though held off on letting any of them towards the throne yet. With a nod from Celestia, the guards allowed the first pony through, a reporter by the looks of it, as the mare levitated a notepad and pencil in her magical grasp. She approached the bottom of the stairs before giving a respectful bow, seemingly having done this before. Her attention soon focused on Eric as a smile grew on her face.
“Good morning princesses and prince. My name is Starry Writer with the Canterlot Chronicle. I have a question for the prince if that would be alright,” she asked politely. Eric returned a small smile of his own to the mare as he nodded his head.
“Sure. I don’t mind you asking me a question.” The mare beamed another large smile as she flipped through her notepad before landing on a particular page.
“Thank you prince Eric. My question to you is, when can the ponies of Equestria expect royal foals?” The entire room fell silent as Celestia and Luna tried their damndest not to burst into laughter from the silly question. Eric, on the other hand, could only mentally face-palm that he had gotten one of those questions right out the gate. He thought about how to appropriately phrase his response, though only one thing came to mind.
“This is gonna be a long day.”