//------------------------------//
// The Lunar Herd 
// Story: The Princess and the Guard 
// by Dragonfoxgirl 
//------------------------------//

     The Flying room in the Night Palace was something beyond a day pony’s imagination. Deep down in the enormous cave laid a whole different ecosystem, there was blue soft grass, white gleaming flowers without sent, water that glittered like liquid diamonds and trees that had giant shards of crystals protruding from their trunks.
At first Twilight could not believe what she was seeing, she had read about the small encapsulated worlds inside the caves of Equestria but have never ever wondered about it more than just for curiosity, clearly now she understood that not wanting to investigate in a more sophisticated manner the existence of these encapsulated paradises was a mistake but she wouldn´t be as surprised as she was now.
White Fur sat next to her, calmly watching how her little filly played with a glowing firefly. The grass was so soft and fuzzy the moment she sat on it, she didn’t want to get up, fortunately Blue Rose did not go too far.
“Are your wings still bothering you Princess?” White Fur asked with a motherly concerned look in her majestic red eyes.
Twilight shook her head; she didn’t feel like speaking in here, this place was so peaceful and almost too good to be true to be corrupted with her voice. She lowered her gaze to the grass tucking her front legs under her chest she accommodated her body to a more comfortable position. It was beautiful in here, but like almost every room in the palace, it was rather chilly. She wrapped her tail around her body and unfolded her wings a little to cover herself.
“I know it´s cold in here but I think that it´s better for you to not be secluded inside my star chambers, after a while it gets quite boring.”  
White Fur drifted her gaze to were Blue Rose was, the Tiny Bat Filly was jumping a little stepping stone path through a calmly flowing stream. 
“Blue Rose has never been out of the Palace, Oni is too afraid that the daylight ponies would not accept her that he prefers to keep her inside until she is old enough to defend herself, so every time I can, I shift my sleeping hours so I can be with her, Oni does the same, but I don´t want him to strain himself more than he already is”
Twilight watched how the white mare´s face twisted in concern and then changed to sadness. She didn’t want to break the peace she was feeling here but she felt the need to speak.
“Why does he hurt himself like that? I mean I´ve seen other night guards here and all of them wear armors, yet I´ve never seen Oni wear one, he told me that he didn’t need one anymore, Why is that?” Twilight asked in a very sweet and low voice.
White Fur looked at her for a few seconds, then sighed and lowered her head so her long messy wavy mane covered her face.
“he considers himself not worthy of the protection of an armor, because of some things that he has done during his life” White Fur took in a long breath “As you had seen my beloved has more than one personality, the scars of his past are not just the ones you see in his body, His life has not been easy and that has left him with some problems in his state of mind, sometimes he can be calm and secure, other times he is vulnerable and paranoid, he can be gentle and caring…. And sometimes…. He turns in to a complete monster with an insatiable blood lust”
Twilight sensed the pain in the mares voice, she extended her wing and covered her thin frame; White Fur lifted her head and looked at her with a gentle smile. 
“It´s ok Princess, I´m more than used to it” White Fur rose from the grass and shook her mane to one side of her neck.
“I´ll get Rose to her classes now, would you like to join me Princess?” The white mare asked.
“I ´ll stay a little longer in here, it´ so peaceful.” Twilight said moving her head to all sides admiring the scenery.
“As you wish” Fur said before calling over Blue Rose. The blue berry filly ran to her mother with a happy smile in her cute face, he pink eyes shining like gems.
“Mama, do I get to fly today?” Blue Rose asked her mother as she fluttered with effort to her back.
“I don´t know moon pie, Maybe if you listen carefully this time you will fly even faster that daddy mmm?”
“Yea!!! I will I will!!!” The filly said lifting her front hooves in the air “Bye bye Princess!!!”
Twilight waved her hoof in response. The Chrystal doors opened and then closed. Twilight sighed in peace and happiness; she closed her eyes and listened to the sound of the flowing water, the shuffling of some bushes, the chirping of the birds and the musical flow of the place itself. She hummed in delight and laid her entire body in the grass, stretching her legs and opening her wings to their full length, brushing them against the grass, she giggled and hummed rolling on the grass like a dog, whipping her tail to the air and lifting her legs stretching them. She rolled to her side and felt in delight the strands of grass falling from her coat brushing lightly and tickling her; she let out a big and loud sigh and opened her eyes.
The entire minute she had dedicated her body to relax was wasted when every single one of her muscles tensed up at the sight she was given.
Flash was standing right in front of her, with a surprised and flustered look on his face. Suddenly she was not able to hear the discreet sounds of the nocturnal forest, everything just felt like complete and dense silence for her. She stared at the stallion, feeling her cheeks reddened.
“uuum uuhhh I was, I was … stretching a bit” she timidly said.
“I would say you were stretching … a lot” Flash said diverting his gaze of Twilight´s
“Please tell me you didn’t see everything” Twilight said feeling her embarrassment to its full extent.
“uuhh… I didn’t see anything?”
“You don´t mean it” Twilight said scrunching her face.
“That´s because I did” Flash said offering Twilight a hoof.
Twilight just groaned in embarrassment and took hold of Flash´s hoof to get up.
“Were have you been? Yesterday when I had to stay up all night you were not there, I was bored and White Fur had to take care of some of her work and Oni had to deal with some sort of quarrel in the training grounds”
“I had to take care of some things, my armor, documents and stuff. Now I´m done and I can continue to be at your service Princess”
Twilight frowned
“Don´t do that” she said moving her head to a side so Flash could not see her forming tears.
“Do what?”
“Treating me like I´m your owner or something… can´t you just call me Twilight?”
“You know I can´t do that Princess”
“But why? We are alone in here, sound does not travel through these walls, and there is nopony here”
Flash sighed in frustration.
“I would still be compromising my position, and you would be doing the same thing. Do not think that I´m doing this because I want to Princess” Flash felt his tiredness invade his body, he had been up the entire night to match his sleeping hours to everypony else and he was completely exhausted because of all the paperwork and arrangements he had to do. He sat on his haunches and stared at the mare in front of him.
She was a mess too, he could see that easily. Her tired eyes, her ruffled unbrushed main, her coat didn’t have the same gleaming look and the feathers of her wings were ruffled and disorganized. She looked like she needed comfort.
He unfolded his wings, reaching out to wrap them around her frame, but he decided not to do so. He was trying hard to keep a distance and touching her was not going to help to establish boundaries.
He gritted his teeth in anger, he hated this situation, Twilight was far away from her home and friends, she was facing a possible threat towards Canterlot and Equestria and she was tired and sensible. He did not need this guard princess boundaries crap right now, and he knew it. But he had to restrain himself.
He changed his face and regained his cool, clearing his voice he decided to try and make things right.
“Princess, what about we try and fly a little bit, this is the flying room after all” Flash said trying not to sound tired.
Twilight looked at him with sleepy eyes and a sad face.
“I don´t want to fly right now. I want to know what’s going on… I want to go see Princess Luna and I want my friends here with me… I miss them.   I… I used to be…. So used to being all by myself, but after 3 years and a half I can´t be alone anymore”
Flash winced at the sudden crack in Twilight´s voice when she finished speaking.
“I feel weird and tired, I want to sleep, I want my books, I want everything to be ok! I want this anxiety to go away!!!. Why… Why does something this bad has to happen now!!!, I just got from a trip to a different world, I have not even been a princess for a whole year and I already had to face so many things!!!!. I was ok with that, because I had my friends, but …. But”
Twilight´s voice rose in tone, her breathing became heavy and her eyes started flowing with tears.
Flash couldn´t take it anymore. He unfolded his wings and wrapped Twilight in them, he pressed her body against his and he rested his muzzle at one side of her neck. He squeezed her tightly and quietly thought to himself
“Buck boundaries crap; she needs a friend right now, not a guard”
“It´s Ok princess, calm down… ok? I know I am not one of your closest friends, and I´m not a mare either, so I can´t really understand you. But I am here for you, you are not alone, I am here ok[]? Soon your friends will be here too. You just have to hang on a little bit more; I know it´s tough I know you are tired. But You are  princess and a wonderful intelligent pony, show me the Twilight Sparkle I have heard so many times, the one that keeps her cool, the one that uses her intelligence and knowledge to face any threat” Flash whispered sweetly in Twilight´s ear, sending shivers down her spine.
“Tell you what Princess, we stay like this as long as you need, If you need to cry, cry, if you need to complain, complain all you want, you want to hit something, I can take it, yell, scream do anything you like” Flash lifted Twilight´s chin. “But promise me one thing, when you are done, when you have had completely lashed out all of your problems in whatever form you choose I want you to wipe your tears off, pick yourself up and face your challenges with pride and I assure you, I will be there to help you… Ok?”
Twilight looked at the stallions face with wide teary eyes, and then her face scrunched up and tears started flowing, she started crying, loud and long cries muffled by hick ups and gasps for air, she buried her face in Flash´s chest, she hugged him tightly and cried her eyes out, Flash just held her, in silence whispering gentle sweet words to her ear and rubbing his wing on her back to comfort her. When Twilight stopped crying she started complaining about everything, about how her hair was in the morning about the stench of old scrolls that were covered in moss, about Spike´s snoring… she complained about almost everything and Flash listened and nodded. 
When Twilight was finally done with her complaints and crying, she just sighed and rubbed her face against Flash´s chest for a while. She took a deep long breath straitening herself, she lifted her head and looked at Flash, she smiled and kissed his chin.
She backed away from Flash´s embrace; she wiped her tears away and rubbed her face.
“I´m ready, no more whinny Twilight, I can do this, I can do this, I am sure I can.”
Flash was still dumb folded. Completely red and with his wings extended he regained consciousness and cleared his throat loudly.
“Very well Princess” He said in a false authoritative voice.”
“Can we go meet Princess Luna now?” Twilight asked shaking her mane.
“She´s preparing the ponies and other individuals you will have to meet. The population in this Castle is very big, almost as big as Ponyville. She´s making sure every one of them is prepared. We will have a meeting tomorrow at sunrise; Princess Celestia will be there too.”
Twilight smiled, finally things were moving on. They got out of the Flying room and walked side by side.
“So what are we going to do now?” Twilight asked.
“We are going to see if the ponies responsible your training are ready.” Flash said in a calm voice.
Twilight stopped her tracks.
“TR…training!?... Why”
Flash stopped walking and looked at her in his guard mode look.
“A threat to Canterlot and Equestria could mean war, a complot from the inside a rebellion… anything, you have 0 fighting skills and you have to be prepared for anything possible”
Twilight understood, she nodded with a serious expression.
“You will train in body combat, flying combat, you will also perfectionate your attacking spells. Psychological training, meditation, everything.” Flash told her as they walked through the crystal lighted halls.
“Will you teach me something to?” Twilight asked with a little fright in her eyes.
Flash chuckled.
“I´m not an expert in anything Princess, I´m just a regular guard. Your mentors are experts in their particular areas.”
They reached another pair of crystal doors guarded by two night guards in full armor.
“We have been waiting for your arrival Princess Twilight, please enter.” The guards said, opening the doors and revealing a huge round table. Luna was sitting on a rather looking plane throne, her face smiling at the sight of Twilight.
“Young Twilight, you look tired, I´m sorry you have to change your sleeping hours, but there is now other way if we want to address this quickly” Luna said with concern in her eyes.
“It´s ok Princess Luna. You are right. This is just a small sacrifice I just need a little bit more of time to adjust and I will be fine.” Twilight said sitting in one of the chairs, Flash took his guarding stance a few steps back to one side of her, his face transforming in to the typical stern look of a guard in duty.
Twilight repressed a smile. Flash did not intend to make their relationship public. After all, he did confess he had feelings for her, and as he promised, there he was, standing firm and strong just a few steps away for her. But to the eyes of the rest of the world, he was her guard and nothing more. Twilight respected his wishes for she wanted the same.
Princess Luna realized Twilight´s flustered face, her messy mane and her ruffled coat. She glanced at Flash and noticed the same signs, the only difference was that the fur in his chest was soaking wet. She drifted her gaze back to Twilight and noticed her eyes were red and puffy. Luna smiled and eyed both ponies with a “I know about you two” look. Twilight ignored her look and tried to brush it off.
Luna chuckled and then straitened herself.
“I think your guard has already told you about our latest moves. This is the conference room, were we speak about everything political, economical and socially important to Equestria, involving the lunar herd of course, the solar herd is welcome to participates in the lunar matters in some occasions such as this one. We will have our meeting with my sister and her companions tomorrow at sunrise, but for now I want you to meet my officers in command, before they introduce themselves I want you to know that the lunar herd id diverse in creatures, some may seem… different but I assure you they are on our side”
Twilight nodded and gave Luna an understanding smile. Luna returned her gesture.
“You may enter” The lunar Princess spoke in a loud voice.
Four figures entered the room from different directions, a huge earth pony stallion with a jet black main and coat, grey sharp furry hooves and red eyes with white pupils covered by his long dark main, his cutie mark being to crossed swords. An elegant thin deer with a oriental cloak, one of her ears adorned with a golden hoop, her eyes sharp and lively blue. A dark tall figure hidden behind a hooded green cloak and a zebra stallion with his striped body painted in intricate and complicated patterns his neck wore a heavy gold necklace his ears pierced in many golden earrings, feathers entrusted in his main.
The figures took their seats at the table and bowed their heads in respects towards their night Princess. Luna smiled at them.
“Princess Twilight, I would like you to meet my officers in command” Luna looked at the black stallion sitting next to her.
“This is blade, he trains the guards in body combat, he´s an expert in fighting skills involving just the body, he will train you in combat”
The huge stallion bowed his head towards Twilight and stared at her with his frightening red eyes, Twilight got a little scared, that stallions stare made her feathers rise, he was handsome but very scary with that hypnotic red stare.
“This is Misa, will train you in weapons and agility, she will also show you some meditation skills” Princess Luna said, addressing the elegant deer.
Misa looked at Twilight with her beautiful eyes and bowed her head, then she smiled at her, Twilight felt a little bit calmer.
“This is Duma, he will teach you magical spells for combat, he will also teach you different spells that will come handy” The Zebra stallion bowed his head respectfully.
“It´s an honor Princess” Duma spoke.
Twilight discarded her old theory that all zebras spoke like Zekora, clearly this one was not going to rhyme all his sentences.
“And finally, this is thorn, he will teach you … different ways to fight and other things involving your spiritual self” Luna said addressing the cloaked figure.
Thorn bowed his hidden head. Luna frowned and sweetly spoke to him, something unusual for the moon princess to do.
“Thorn, it´s ok, I´m sure she will understand”
Thorn doubted for a few seconds, and then sighed.  He lifted one of his hooves to reveal his face and Twilight Froze, she gasped at the sight of a black hoof covered in a shiny furless plaque similar to a bugs exoskeleton, she had seen hooves like that before… hooves that belonged to a …
Thorn revealed his face, a sharp fanged muzzle, a long moss green mane falling over his face. His eyes were green with turquoise and cyan irises and slitted black pupils. He had no horn, but a ruffle in his cloak revealed big and beautiful translucent wings.
“As you can see, Thorn is a changeling. But he is in not part of Queen Chrysalis subjects, at least not anymore, he is an expert in changeling magic and hypnospells”
“I hope my appearance does not scare you princess, I assure you I am on your side” the changeling’s voice was husky and smooth, combined with those eyes and that exotic face would turn a lot of mares in to jelly, his whole essence exuded attraction. Twilight could not prevent herself from blushing lightly.
“NO! Not at all, sorry, I was just a little surprised, that´s all” Twilight said.
The changeling smiled at her reaction, then his gaze drifted to Flash, he was looking at thorn directly in the eyes, the changeling smiled.
Luna got his attention and shot a look at him, telling him to not say anything, the changeling stallion just smiled at her.
Twilight noticed this and kicked herself mentally. She had exposed her feelings right in front of a changeling, he smelled her feelings openly and obviously now knew her feelings towards flash and everything that involved affection.
“Great Twilight, you have exposed your entire self to a changeling, very smart”
Princess Luna cleared her throat getting everyone’s attention.
“This meeting was for all of you to meet each other and for you to get your tasks. I want you four to treat Princess Twilight with respect and patience; she is new to her title and needs to learn a lot of things. I hope you can learn from her as well. Twilight´s personal guard, Flash Sentry will also receive proper lessons if they are required; he will stay by Twilight´s side at all times possible.” Luna said rising from her throne.
“This meeting is over, you can return to your usual duties” Luna addressed to her officers  and both Twilight and Flash.
Thorn gave Twilight a quick glance with his sexy eyes and smiled. Flash instinctively stood in front of her, opening his wings defiantly. He glared at the changeling. He returned Flash´s glare with a bigger smile.
“Are you ok?” Twilight asked Flash, which was still glaring at the door were Thorn had already disappeared.
“I´m fine” he answered. “Let´s go”
Twilight picked up her pace to match Flash´s. She noticed his tensed muscled and his lightly scowled face. She quickly developed some theories for a reason, but decided to not ask. Instead she decided to let it pass.
“We have the rest of the night free, let´s explore the palace!” she said in a joyful voice. Trotting up ahead of him and standing on his path to stop him.
Flash looked at her with tired eyes and sighed.
“Two hours ago you were crying like a foal on my chest and now you look pretty lively and energetic. Are you feeling ok Princess?”
Twilight opened her mouth to protest but then a sudden realization struck her. She WAS feeling weird, she felt happy and energetic. Glancing at Flash, she noticed something a little alarming, he looked…. So handsome, his bright colored orange mane, his dark blue eyes, that spiky blue main, his defined chest and his powerful legs….. Something was not right.
“Princess, are you ok? You look sleepy and your face is flustered”
Twilight shook her head trying to clear her mind.
“I… I.. I´m ok, I may be just a little surprised by all the ponies and other creatures we met today that´s all… uuuhhm, why don´t we return to the flying room, maybe we can practice my flying again”
Twilight trotted a little faster making some distance between her and Flash.
“What´s wrong with me!, common Twilight control yourself!!”
It was Flash´s turn to feel weird. She started noticing the cute bounce that Twilight´s tail did as she trotted her way through the halls, the beautiful curve of her wings, the elegance of her legs and how her main danced with the winds she created with her pacing.
He felt his face red and his ears hot. As he followed his Princess he tried to ignore the weird sensation he was starting to feel.

Luna gazed at her night in one of her many balconies, she sighed in delight to the night breeze and tasted the seduction of the night´s atmosphere.
“It never gets old for you… doesn´t it?” Thorn´s sexy smooth husky voice invaded her ears; she smiled and turned her body to face him.
“The night will always be a time for resting, it´s normal to never get used to it”
The changeling stripped of his cloak revealed a tall slim body armored in a black shinny exo skeleton, his mane, strait and long covered part of his face, his big translucent wings shining in the moonlight. It was an exotic sight for any mare with a good taste for stallions.
“I must say, the new princess is very beautiful, but it seems that she doesn´t know that”
Thorn said joining Luna by her side.
“Indeed, she is not aware of her beauty” Luna said wile gazing at the moon.
“She is also inexperienced with her own feelings, she completely exposed her entire self to me” the changeling chuckled at the memory of Twilight´s flustered face.
“I noticed that… I also… happened to notice you uncovering your wings at the meeting… you mirrored your magic in to her didn’t you?” Luna said with an accusing smile.
The changeling grinned, revealing his jagger fangs and chuckled.
“Not just her” he said, his eyes glowing at the single moonlight touch.
“THORN!!, how could you!!!, they are young and totally inexperienced!!!” Luna pushed her hoof against the stallion´s chest.
“What! They needed a little help!!!” the stallion smirked and gave the princess an innocent look.
“Enhancing their feelings towards each other is NOT helping them, it´s merely giving them more problems that they already have.”
“They have to be true to each other about their feelings. You and I both now that they have feelings growing for each other”
“Yes… you are right, we creatures of the night are more in sync with our emotions” Luna said, closing her eyes and letting her main flow with the night winds.
“the night will forever be a time to rest as you say… but it will also forever be a time for lovers” Thorn said in a low seductive voice, reaching out to Luna and locking her body in a loose embrace. Luna chuckled in response.
“Originally it was just a time for rest, until you had to come and corrupt me” Luna said, lifting her front legs and locking them on the changeling’s neck.
“Corrupted you?... If I recall my dear, you were a pretty bad girl when I met you. The young tiny skinny Princess with short hair who thought she was not good enough” Thorn whispered as he lowered his head to match Luna’s height. “It was I who made you bloom my dear, as you did with me, no pony would have thought a changeling could be loved back in those days… even though, I cannot love you back in a proper way” Thorn´s gaze drifted to a side.
Luna smiled lovingly, taking Thorn´s face in her hooves.
“Share the night with me, my dear” Luna said gazing lovingly in to the changelings eyes.
“As you wish, my Princess”
Under the moonlight, covered by the night breeze, they kissed.