//------------------------------// // Date with Destiny // Story: The Night's Knight // by The Dragon Warlock //------------------------------// “Let’s go over it again, shall we” Luna inhaled as she stood before Silver, having already performed her disguise spell. “Hi, my name is Moon Lily. I’m here for Philip Brave. He’s my date for tonight,” she said to him in the softest voice Silver had ever heard from her. Silver beamed as he chuckled. “Brilliant!” He exclaimed as he walked to the window and looked out of it. He squinted his eyes to see four of the guards at the entrance. “Right, now we get to the difficult part...” Luna approached the window and grinned slightly. “You forget, alicorns teleport too Silver,” she said to him as she looked at his surprised face. “I must be getting old,” he muttered to himself before turning to his princess. “I will hold the fort here, to make sure none of the personnel here get suspicious.” “What about Princess Celestia?” Silver laughed softly as he lowered his head. “You forget, I was her adviser before you Princess. I know how to evade her long enough.” Luna sighed with a smile. “That’s a relief at least.” Silver smiled softly and placed a hoof to Luna’s shoulder, who was now shorter than he was. “Forgive me for the momentary disrespect, but, you must enjoy yourself Luna,” he said. Luna giggled and looked back at Silver. “Its not disrespect. Since you are my friend, Silver,” she said softly and decided to hug him. Silver looked to Luna with shocked eyes before smiling and returning the hug. “Now I suggest you go forth, you have a stallion waiting for you.” “Has he left the castle yet?” She asked as she released him. “I saw him leave the castle nearly ten minutes ago. Before he left though, I informed Philip to meet you at the entrance of the carnival instead of outside the castle. It was to help draw away suspicion.” Luna chuckled and said, “Always thinking ahead, aren’t we?” “Part of my job is to think ahead,” said Silver with a wink. “Now you better hurry before the poor colt gets cold hooves.” Luna concentrated her magic and gave one last wink to Silver. Her horn shined brightly before there was a flash, and she was gone. Silver sighed as he looked out of the window again, and saw the carnival in the distance. He chuckled to himself as he remembered how he and his husband had a date there so long ago. “I just hope that colt doesn’t mess this up...” Near one of the large red ticket booth stands, Philip was looking around for Luna. As he waited, he took a few deep breaths and looked at himself in a reflection of a puddle of water. Although his brown mane was cut short, he still did his best to comb it back and make it look more presentable. He was wearing a dark blue bandana around his neck, which looked similar to Luna’s fur color. “Okay . . . you can do this Philip,” he muttered. “This is your once in a lifetime chance to finally impress her. Just act smooth, calm, and charming around her and show her how much she means to you.” “Philip?” The brown spotted stallion turned to see Luna in her disguise and felt heat rising up in his face as he marveled her beauty. “Um . . . hello Princess Luna,” he said as he bowed. “Shh!” She whispered and looked around to see nopony was paying attention to them. “Do you wish to alert all of Canterlot to my presence here?” “M-my apologies Princess,” said Philip. “I . . . I was just entranced by how beautiful you look.” She blushed a little and smiled. “We . . . I mean, I’m glad you think I look that way.” “Shall we go in your highness?” “Stop calling me that Philip, otherwise these ponies will get suspicious about me. Don’t refer to me as ‘your highness’ or ‘Princess’. Please refer to me as Moon Lily, a pony who’s recently moved to Canterlot and studies the stars at night.” “Yes Prin-um. . . Moon Lily,” said Philip. Luna smiled softly and grabbed his hoof. “Come along then Philip, we’re missing out on the fun here.” The spotted stallion smiled and followed Luna, or in this case Moon Lily, to the ticket stand. He tried to buy the tickets, but Moon Lily already paid for the admission and led him through the entrance gates. When they both got past the gates, Philip and Moon both looked around in awe at the carnival. The usually orderly and pristine city had colorful ribbons, banners, and balloons hanging along the lightposts and roofs of the stands that filled the streets. The small stands along the streets were bunched together tightly and each one had a different purpose. Some stands had various games such as knocking over milk bottles with a ball, a Whack-a-Diamond Dog game area, and some squirt guns lined up to shoot into the mouth of a clown and pop a balloon. Each game stand had some teddy bears, some small pony dolls, and a lineup of Wonderbolt plushes that included Soarin, Spitfire, and Rainbow Dash among them. There were other stands such as ones that allowed you to have a cartoony portrait painted, a couple of food and drink sellers that was selling various treats and some of the Apple Family’s own apple cider. Amidst the stands, there were several tall buildings in the city including a giant ferris wheel, a drop tower, and a roller coaster. “My goodness, where should we begin?” Asked Luna. “Um . . . how about a game first?” Inquired Philip. “We could try one of those Whack-a-Diamond Dog game.” “Do they have any games involving launching pumpkins from a catapult?” “No, they don’t.” Moon frowned a little. “Very well then, we shall take part in this whacking game.” “I’ll give it a shot as well. It’ll make me feel like I’m back in the Badlands and fending off Diamond Dog Nomads,” he said as they were walking off to the stand. Luna grimaced as she drew her head back, circling her lips slightly. “Ooh! I heard they were dirty opponents. Suffocating the guards by pulling them underground.” “Yes, t’was so.” Philip nodded but then smiled slightly. “Luckily those muppets had no idea of strategy. Their attention span is that of a teaspoon’s.” Moon Lily giggled as she placed a hoof to her mouth. “Indeed.” They made it there and saw the platform before them. It was a board with 9 holes in it and a hammer to the side. The vendor at the stand looked up to the two ponies. “Excuse us, but we would like to partake in this... challenge,” Luna said, with her voice as soft as possible. “Well then step right up and whack the dogs as fast as you can within one minute. Who of you will try first hey?” The vendor asked Philip and Moon. Philip cleared his throat and scooted away from Luna. “Ladies first in this case,” he said as he gave Luna the hammer with she gladly accepted. “Knock them out Moon Lily.” “With pleasure.” Luna positioned herself and when the timer started the first dog’s head popped out. She hit it with the hammer but was too slow to attack the other one that popped out he moment she made contact with the first one. By the end of the game, she only reached a measly twelve hits. “Awww, better luck next time little miss,” the vendor told Luna as he took the hammer from her. Luna pouted as she pushed her lower lip out and huffed slightly when she turned back to Philip. “Tis harder than w-I thought,” she quickly corrected herself. Pip smiled softly and walked past her, taking hold of the hammer and cracking his neck slightly. “Watch me,” he said to her with a wink and gave a nod to the vendor who activated the machine. By the end of Philip’s turn, he reached a record of fifty one points. “Well well well, looks like you get a prize for the lady,” the vendor said as he reached over the prizes and gave Philip a pony sized Ursa Major plushie. “Nice to cuddle up when you are cold in winter,” he said with a wink. Philip took hold of the plushie and presented it to Luna. “A gift for you,” he said as he presented it to her and smiled. Luna blushed slightly as she took hold of it and felt a tingling in her stomach. “T-thank you.” “Y-you’re quite welcome,” said Philip with a similar blush. “So . . . what do you want to do now? Play another game? Grab some candy apples?” “Actually, we-erm . . . I was thinking that maybe we try something else.” “What did you have in mind?” “I would love to try that tower, at least I think it’s a ride. I’m seeing something rise and then drop. Unless that’s some elaborate elevator design that I’m not aware of.” “That’s called a Drop Tower, Lu-um . . . Moon Lily. You’re basically strapped into a chair on a platform, which rises up to the top of the tower. When it reaches the top, it drops to the bottom very fast, but not so fast that the platform crashes into the ground. If you’re not feeling comfortable with this, then maybe we should-” “Challenge accepted.” “Wait, what?” “We shall both be on this ride and take part in the amusement of this attraction. Now come along now Philip.” Before the spotted stallion could respond, Moon took his hoof and dragged him to the tower. Blimey . . . I knew she wanted to have fun, but I didn’t think she’d be acting like this, he thought to himself. He looked at her face and saw the excited look in her eyes. I can’t blame her though. She’s been stuck in that castle for so long doing royal duties that she forgot about how to have a good time. It wasn’t long before both Philip and Moon were both in line for the tower, which was called Sky High. As the line moved along, Philip could see Luna looked eager to get on it as she saw the platform dropping and the ponies screaming. Much to Moon’s delight, some ponies got cold hooves and decided to get out of line before it was their turn, making her and Philip get closer. After waiting for nearly half an hour, Philip and Moon were finally at the entrance of the ride. “Step right up everypony!” Shouted the ride operator. “Experience the feeling of being up in the clouds like other pegasi! Feel the wind as you’re dropped down quickly! Experience the thrill that is Sky High!” Philip and Moon Lily waited in line until they were told where to sit in the ride. Moon Lily looked up as a large brace from above secured her to her seat with the same happening to Philip. “This is so exciting!” Moon Lily said as she looked around the ride and felt the ride starting up. “Now sit back and scream!” The conductor yelled out as he lowered the lever and the ride went into the air. As the ride went up slowly, Philip looked back the disguised alicorn and started laughing a bit. “You’re about to feel a rush soon.” “What do you mean by that?” Moon Lily asked him as they went even higher and finally stopped. She dared look down and saw how tiny the ponies were from where she was now. “W-I never expected it to be this high...” she whispered as she suddenly held Philip’s hoof. “Now that I’m here, I’m beginning to have second thoughts on-” The ride dropped down at top speeds with everypony screaming in ecstasy. Moon Lily was screaming at the top of her lungs as the ride went down and as it reached bottom it ricochet back and forth with the crowd of ponies still screaming. Though Moon Lily’s scream had become the loudest that ponies around her started covering their ears and the windows started shaking. The said windows shattered in unison, alerting Moon Lily that the ride was over and the ponies were all staring at her. Only one word escaped her mouth. “... Oops.” Philip looked around and started laughing. “What do you know, looks like you win the bet! See if you could break the window with just a scream!” he said hastily and got out of his seat and dragged Moon Lily with him. “What? But w-I never-” “Drat! Looks like I lose fifty bits! Though its going to you, sir,” he said to an angry ride conductor who accepted the bits and pointed to the exit. “Bye!” Philip shouted out as he and his unicorn date ran off to where ponies didn’t notice them. Once they caught their breath, Moon Lily looked up with drooped ears to Philip. “I’m sorry about that, I didn’t know what came over me...” “That was actually quite impressive of you.” Moon looked up at Philip with a dumbfounded expression. “But . . . but I nearly gave myself away and angered some of these citizens.” “That’s okay Moon, you were just caught up in all the excitement. It happens to all of us, even a Princess.” Moon smiled a little and said, “Thank you for those kind words Philip. Maybe we should-” The sound of trumpets playing suddenly echoed and a loudspeaker crackled to life. “Fillies and gentlecolts, may I have your attention please?” Asked a voice. “Our sponsor for this carnival has arrived as a guest here at the Canterlot Carnival. If you are interested in seeing this guest, please come to the courtyard near Sky High to see this pony!” Moon looked at Philip. “Ooo this sounds like fun. Can we see who this guest is?” “Well . . . if it means no screaming, then that’s fine,” he joked. The two ponies slowly made their way to the courtyard, along with a large crowd of ponies wanting to see the sponsor. While they made their way through, Moon made sure to hide out of sight of the Sky High’s ride operator, who was still looking rather angry about what happened. Philip kept an eye out for Moon until they passed the ride and the operator before letting her know the coast was clear. They pushed their way through a crowd of ponies until they managed to get a good glimpse of the courtyard, which had a large brown stage on it, a podium used for speaking, and a large red curtain. After a couple of minutes, a blue pegasus stallion wearing a white suit and top hat on him, approached the stage. The crowd went silent as the pegasus cleared his throat. “Fillies and gentlecolts, thank you for coming to greet our sponsor,” he said in a thick Manehatten accent. “I am Dazzle Nights, the owner and host of the Canterlot Carnival.” He waited for the crowd to stop applauding before speaking again. “This carnival wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for the help of our sponsor, who generously donated enough funds for this carnival to last nearly a decade. Without further ado, please welcome our guest, Prince Blueblood!” At the mention of his name, the ponies in the crowd began to whisper amongst each other. Some of the comments were not in favor of the suppose sponsor. One pony in particular laughed at the name. “Tis rich, Blueblood!” Moon Lily laughed as she whispered to Philip’s ear. “My nephew is not prone to any sort of charity work. He loves to spend the bits on himself as it were,” she said as she looked to everypony in the crowd. “There’s no way that-” Her words were cut off when when a white stallion with golden blonde mane walked out onto the stage. He wore the largest grin that anypony could ever muster, as though he had struck gold from a deserted mine shaft. The ponies were all silent when he took to the podium. “I am so pleased to see so many subjects here today. As you have already heard, I myself have placed a worthy sum of bits towards this carnival that will last for more than a decade to come. A decade I am sure will be with fortune to you and others,” Blueblood spoke to a crowd that was dumbstruck and silent, all the while he had that grin on his muzzle. Moon Lily’s brow furrowed as she tapped her chin in thought. “This is most odd, unless...” she walked to the front, with Philip following her lead. When she finally made it past the number of ponies blocking her way, she was a stone throw away from Blueblood. “Excuse me Prince?” Blueblood’s turned sharply to the mare that called to him with a sight of disgust before it turned into yet another pleasing smile. “What can I help you with miss?” “I am Moon Lily of the Society of Orphaned Foals, or SOF for short. About a month ago, we have requested donations from the Canterlot fund under your name specifically. Do you remember?” Blueblood’s smile turned when he bit his lower lip, as he began sweating a few beads from his forehead. “Yes I do Miss Moon Lily, I’m sure that the funds I send-” “The only thing we received from you Prince was a letter telling us you can’t waste bit on, and I quote, ‘filthy unwanted brats’ who were, I quote again, ‘a blight on the society of Equestria’.” The crowd gasped and turned their heads to Blueblood, with their eyes narrowed with furious outrage. They started booing him and one pony even dared throw a toffee apple his way. Blueblood glared at the mare and pointed a hoof to her. “How dare a ungrateful mare such as you mock royalty publicly!?” “How dare you lie about being a sponsor?” Retorted Moon. “I guess those tabloids were right after all. You will never change your selfish ways, even after your true colors were shown at the Grand Galloping Gala a decade ago.” “Now you listen here you-” Blueblood then noticed a pony trying to pull back Moon. “You there!” He pointed to Philip. “I recognize you, you’re one of Princess Luna’s royal guards. What’s a guard doing slacking his duties while they could be protecting royalty such as moi?” “For your information, I’m on a date with Moon Lily here,” said the spotted stallion. “And I don’t like how you’ve been talking to her like that.” “Do you know who I am you fool?” Sneered Blueblood. “I am Prince of Equestria and a-” “Royal pain in the flank,” finished Philip. The crowd chuckled as Blueblood gritted his teeth. “I’ll have you arrested for this!” “For what? Last time I checked, insulting somepony wasn’t against the law.” “You insulted royalty though! A pony such as myself demands respect by the rest of these commoners!” “After all these years and your attempt to salvage your image, I’m surprised you are considered royalty. Tell me, what kind of Prince hides in a closet while holding a stuffed bear during a Changeling Invasion and calling for his mom instead of helping out?” Blueblood staggered back a little. “H-how the hay did you get that information!?” He quickly put a hoof over his mouth and looked around. Everypony immediately started bursting with laughter and rolled on the floor. The Prince shot a cold glare at Philip as he felt his world fall apart around him. “Well at least I’m not dating some irritating, uncouth, commoner mare who’s most likely a whore!” At that moment, Philip stopped laughing and felt his anger suddenly rise up in him until he was seeing red. Before Moon could say anything, he charged at the white stallion and slammed into him and sent him to the ground. Philip started delivering one punch after another as he wailed on Blueblood, who was desperately trying to get away. The crowd watched in both shock and horror as Blueblood’s pristine white body become stained in blood and bruises. Moon though had enough of this and quickly galloped over to pull Phillip off of him. Philip’s eyes dilated slightly when he saw the sight of Blueblood and he turned to Moon with a sheepish smile. “I think I might have gone too far...” “You think?” Moon and Philip’s ears perked when they heard the whistle of the guards and they made their way past the crowd, who did not bother blocking their path for their escape. Though once on the other side, they noticed guards posted at the exits of the carnival and Moon was prancing on the spot trying to find a way out. “Psst!” Philip and Moon turned to the voice and they saw a teal stallion with a yellow mane calling over to them. “This way! Hurry!” He called over and they followed him. They were lead to the back of a stand, where an opening was found. The three ponies made their way out of the carnival and ran to a field a safe distance away from the scene. Philip looked back and smiled as he huffed. “Thanks sir, you really helped us out,” he said to the stallion who was straightening himself once they were in the clear. “Oh please! That was quite a performance back there. What with that teddy cuddler stealing my spot on the stage tonight, you, my colt, had the right to give him a thorough beating. Whereas he would most likely get a spanking from his mare,” he chuckled as he check his hooves for dirt. “So you are the true sponsor for the carnival?” “Correct my little Moon Lily! My name is Teal Illuminate! I run the Stage Illuminate Studios! Fabulous to meet you!” He pointed out his hoof to Moon who shook it slowly. Moon’s eyes widened slightly. “Wait! Isn’t Silver Storm your-?” “My hubby yes! Oh, he such a dazzling gentlecolt!” He leaned into Moon’s ear. “And a real pleasure-giver for me~” He laughed when he saw Moon’s cheeks burn. “Oh, he told me to look out for you two tonight. May I say that is a fetching costume you have on my Princess Luna.” Luna’s eyes widened and she dropped her costume right there, returning to her size and the appearance of her wings. “W-I suppose Silver planned for this?” She asked Teal who nodded. “Indeed!” He then gave a thorough look at Philip and nodded as he hummed. “May I also say, you got yourself a real stallion here with you princess. If i wasn’t married, he would be mine~” “Um . . . thanks, but I’m not into stallions,” replied Philip. “No offense to you sir.” “Oh, you’ve done nothing wrong at all!” Laughed Teal. “I know you have your heart set on another pony, somepony very close.” Philip put a hoof over his mouth and chuckled. “Um . . . I think we better get out of here. It seems more guards are looking around for us.” The trio turned to see that there were indeed a few guards patrolling nearby. In the distance, Philip could barely see Blueblood getting patched up by medics and looking vivid. “FIND THAT GUARD AT ONCE!” He boomed. “I WANT HIS HEAD ON A PIKE FOR THIS!” While medics tried to restrain Blueblood, Luna turned to Philip. “I think this is our cue to head home.” She then turned to Teal. “Can you make your way home on your own? Or do you wish for me to teleport you home?” “I think I can handle it from here,” said Teal. “Tell Stormy I’ll be waiting at home with his favorite dessert, apple pie.” “I shall tell him,” said Luna. “Farewell Teal Illuminate and good luck.” With that, her horn glowed and both Philip and Luna were gone in a flash. A bright flash illuminated for a second in a room, but Philip and Luna couldn’t tell where they were. The alicorn used her horn to create a glow and saw that the room they were just outside the tower where the night princess resided. “What do we do now your highness?” Asked Philip. “I’m sure the other guards will soon hear about what I’ve done to Blueblood and will arrest me for treason. I can’t just go walk in the castle all nilly willy.” Luna poundered to herself about her guard’s predicament for a few minutes. “Hmm . . . I think I may know what to do, just trust me on this Philip.” Philip nodded, his ears perked when he heard shouting at the bottom of the castle. “Seems like that spoiled brat is back.” Luna rolled her eyes and made her way to the door. “Wait here, okay? I think I may have come up with something,” she said with a smile as she walked out, leaving Philip alone in the room. “And then he assaulted me in front of how many eyewitnesses!” Blueblood pointed to his blackened eyes and to his swollen lips. Celestia sighed as she rubbed a hoof to her temple with her eyes close. “Blueblood, you know perfectly well that I cannot enforce punishment to the Lunar Guard. That is strictly my sister’s domain and-” “You condone having your own family being beaten to near death!?” Blueblood yelled out to Celestia as he slammed a hoof to the ground. “Luna doesn’t care about family and you know it first-” “Ahem!” The color of Blueblood’s face lost its potency when he heard the voice of Luna. He turned his head slowly to the back and saw Luna’s unamused face looking at him. “Not care about family do I?” Blueblood gulped and dared to glare at her. “W-well if you don’t decide to punish that vermin-” “Philip Brave has been given a week’s worth of solitary confinement for assaulting a royal family member,” Luna said deadpanned as she walked past Blueblood and faced him. Blueblood smiled slightly. “Well, to be frank it should be a lifetime but-” “Though we have heard some disturbing news from some eyewitnesses of your poor behaviour nephew,” she chimed in as her gaze never left his eyes. “W-what do you mean by ‘my poor behaviour’?!” Luna closed her eyes and held her head high. “Impersonating a sponsor for an event, insulting a member of a welfare foundation, calling the said member foul names... need I say more? We thought you were better than this.” Princess Celestia furrowed her brow and looked at her nephew. “Blueblood, as a fellow member of the royal family, I expected far better behavior than this. You have been causing nothing but trouble ever since the Gala a decade ago and I’m at the end of my rope with you.” “But . . . but Aunt Celestia!” Protested the white stallion. “That guard was the one who-” “He is of no concern to you Blueblood,” scolded Celestia. “Since you provoked a fight, lied about being a sponsor, and insult a charity foundation’s representative, I will be sending you somewhere where your rotten attitude will be welcome.” “What do you mean by that?” “I shall be sending you to do septic tank cleanup work across Canterlot,” she said. “You’ll be forced to clean every one of them with a toothbrush only, including the ones in the castle. Maybe some time doing some hard and smelly work will make you rethink your life.” “You can’t be serious!” “Guards!” “Aunt Celestia, I-I-” “Take him away this instant!” Ordered the white alicorn. “And place him in a holding cell instead of his room!” Blueblood protested all the way as the guards dragged him down the hallway and then rounded a corner. His yelling could be heard all the way, but it soon faded out when the sound of a door slamming echoed across the castle. Princess Celestia let out a sigh and rubbed her head. “Sometimes, I wonder when he’ll ever learn.” “How about we give him his own castle on the moon?” Asked Luna. “He could literally have the world to himself.” Celestia chuckled a little and shook her head. “And you won’t feel disgusted that he’s on your moon and desecrating it?” “Good point.” Celestia let out a sigh and looked into her sister’s eyes. “Still, this ‘Philip’ must still be punished for harming a royal,” she said softly. “Else it would send a bad message to the populace of Equestria and-” “I’ll make sure he will be punished sister, mark my words. But I personally think he should be commended for being a true knight and weeding out a bad seed as it were...” Luna chimed in as she began to walk of the throne room. “What do you plan to do Luna?” Luna stopped and turned slowly to her sister, wearing a rather large grin. “Something you may find... radical.” Philip waited patiently in the room, starting to count the tiles on the floor out of boredom. I hope things turned out alright... Suddenly, the door of the room opened wide and two Lunar Guards came walking in and stopped before Philip. “Princess Luna requests we accompany you to her quarters right now,” one of the guards said in a gruff voice, stoic as ever. Philip sighed and stood up, standing at the guards’ side. “Right, let’s go,” he said to the guards and they began to walk. Philip started hearing murmurs from each side, some from other guards and some from the castle’s staff. When they finally reached Luna’s doors, the guards knocked on the doors hard. “Enter.” The doors opened to reveal Luna sitting at her desk, filling out what appeared to be forms and filing them in her collection. She looked up to the guards and stood up from her seat. “Leave us. We will suffice.” The guards bowed and turned to leave their princess alone. As soon as the door was slammed shut, Luna locked the door with her magic before turning back to Philip. The spotted stallion knew that the princess had a plan, but it didn’t stop him from shaking from the intimidating stare of the alicorn. Luna softened her glare and smiled at Philip. “Why are you looking so nervous? I thought I told you that I had a plan set up,” she said. Philip let out a breath of relief. “Forgive me your highness, it’s kind of hard to stay calm after what I did. So what’s going to happen to me now? Am I going to be discharged? Am I being reassigned?” “No, Princess Celestia decided not to pursue any other criminal charges against you since I exposed Prince Blueblood’s treachery. She still says though that you need to be punished for what you did.” “Do whatever you need to Princess Luna,” he said in a defeated tone. “I deserve the proper punishment after how I acted in front of you tonight.” “Philip Brave, you assaulted a member of the royal family and fled the scene to avoid being arrested.” The stallion lowered his head in shame. “However, since you valiantly defended me from his rude actions and helped expose his devious plot, I have something else in mind for you.” Here it comes... “We- . . . I mean, I am now making you my personal bodyguard.” Philip’s jaw nearly dropped as he couldn’t believe what he heard. “Wha . . . what did you say?” “I said you would be our personal bodyguard,” repeated Luna. “You may not look it, but you’re quite stronger than you think. I believe somepony like you is perfect for being my bodyguard. You think fast on your hooves, like you did at the Sky High ride, and you’re more than capable of putting up a fight.” “Princess Luna, I mean no offense, but I’m not not sure about this. I don’t want to come off as some brute thug to you.” “Come now, I’m sure you want to accept this job. Besides, wouldn’t you want to spend more time with your favorite princess Philip? Or should I say . . . Pipsqueak?” The stallion’s eyes widened as he did a step back. “I-I! How-?” Luna smirked as she stepped forward to the retreating guard. “I am the Dream Guardian, Pipsqueak. I merely have to go inside a dream to find out who that pony is exactly.” Pip looked down on the ground, not daring to look at Luna’s eyes. “Now I wish to know one thing, why lie about your name?” He looked up and furrowed his brow slightly. “Philip Brave is my real name. Pipsqueak was just a nickname for me because I was the smallest pony in the class at that time.” Luna nodded as she gazed at his body. “Well you certainly have grown quite a bit in height,” she said plainly. “I suppose...” “And looks too...” Luna whispered as she stepped back. “Beg yer pardon?” “Never mind!” Luna chimed in and again looked Pipsqueak in the eye. “Just do u-me a favor from his day onwards.” Pipsqueak turned his head slightly. “What may that be your highness?” he asked Luna and saw a glint in her eyes. “Be honest with me from this day forward, Pip.” Pip smiled and nodded his head. “On my word, Princess Luna.” Luna’s cheeks burned slightly and she cleared her voice a little. “Also, in private, call me Luna.” It was Pip’s turn to have his face turn red when Luna told him so. He gulped slightly and his lips quivered a little. “Alright, L-Luna...” Luna smiled softly when he said that and motioned him closer. He etched a little closer to her, to see that he was on par at height as she was. “Thank you for the wonderful night Pipsqueak,” she said in a gentle voice. “I haven’t had this much fun in a long time. I’m looking forward to spending a little more time with you, Pipsqueak.” Luna leaned in and gave a small kiss on his right cheek, causing the stallion’s face to blush and his eyes widen. The alicorn giggled a little at his expression and nuzzled his cheek for a couple of seconds. “How was that for a way to end our night together?” She asked in a bemused voice. “Duh . . . ugh . . . blargh . . .” Philip tried to say something, but his tongue felt like it was twisted and could only blabber like an idiot. He shut his mouth and tried to hide his blush from Luna. “We, erm . . . I mean, I think you liked it.” Luna’s horn glowed and the door was unlocked. “Now then, I think it’s time you make your way back to your quarters. Be ready by tomorrow morning as soon as the sun rises, understand?” Pipsqueak gave a nod and saluted the alicorn. “Dismissed then, and remember, this whole thing must be kept a secret.” The stallion gave another nod as he opened the door and walked out of the room. As quickly as Pipsqueak left, the door opened up again a few seconds later. Luna looked up to see Silver Storm, who had a smile on his face. “I take it things went better than expected?” He asked. “Oh, you can say that. And I can tell that you once again planned everything thoroughly,” said Luna. “You can never be too sure your highness. Teal was meant to act as insurance in case anything went wrong. Like, for example, your scream being so loud, it nearly shattered some of our windows here.” Luna blushed a little and rubbed her head. “I was merely expressing how much I was having fun.” Silver cocked his brow slightly. “I can see that,” he said as he chuckled. “Also, nicely done with catching Blueblood in his scheme.” Luna smiled as she walked back to her desk and sat at her seat. “You know how I can’t condone liars, and to think that scum is related-” “Yes,” Silver chimed in. “Honestly though, I need to give my thanks to Pip for what he did. If I was in his shoes, that prince wouldn’t be considered a stallion anymore.” Luna grimaced at the images that flashed before her, had Silver been there. “I can imagine so.” Silver began to walk out of the room. “Well this is where I bid thee good night princess. May you have pleasant dreams and see pleasant dreams of others too... who knows?” He added in and gave Luna a sly look. “Maybe that colt is having a dream of you right now.” “To you as well Silver,” she said as she went to her bed but stopped midway. “Oh yes!” She said as she walked to Silver. “Teal says he has your pie ready for you.” Silver rolled his eyes as he laughed. “My hubby knows my favorite..” Luna grinned. “Well good night, Stormy,” she said as she closed the door. Silver stood there with a blank look before snorting a little. “Oh Teally, I’m coming for that pie now...” Luna lay on her bed and with a rather large smile on her muzzle as she looked to the ceiling, recalling every moment of the night. She began to roll endlessly in a fit of giggles and and she closed her eyes when she stopped rolling. Goodness! What is happening to me? She focused her mind and magic as she felt a pull and she was back inside the Realm of Dreams. She stood in the hallway of the realm and began looking through each window to find the one she was looking for. “Here we are...” Luna stepped in the window and found herself in a clear, grassy hill, with the moon shining down brightly upon the land. She heard some laughter and turned to see both Pipsqueak and another version of herself lying in the field. She ducked below the high grass and crawled over to hear the conversation. “What a beautiful night sky you made tonight,” said Pipsqueak. “Though it’s not as beautiful as you are.” Luna blushed and said, “I . . . I’m glad you think so. Although all of Equestria has come to love my nights, hearing you say that sounds wonderful.” “It’s very true though. Lying next to you and staring at the endless night sky is something I’ve dreamt of doing with you. In fact, it’s something I could do with you for the rest of my life.” Luna chuckled a little and pecked Pipsqueak on the cheek before they both turned back towards the night sky. The other Luna, who was blushing from what Pipsqueak said about her, suddenly came up with an idea. She slowly crawled away and left his dream to himself and the imaginary Luna. I think I have a good idea on what to do now, thought Luna. The old saying goes ‘dreams do come true’. I intend to make that dream come true for you, Pipsqueak.