Under the midnight skies of Equestria, Canterlot Castle was mostly empty and dark. A few maids and guards roamed around the halls and locked up a few of the more important rooms. The castle was more or less dead, that was except one massive room on the first floor. The room was the longest in the whole castle and quietly bustling with life. The second largest dining room table in all of Equestria and eighth in the world was filled from end to end with most of the castle staff enjoying the evening's meal.
Maids and guards quietly flirting around the table, others gossiping about the others, but at the head, two regal ponies sat enjoying their own bit of entertainment at the expense of others. Mainly the ones on either side of them. Three unicorns and four pegasi sat on either side of the two crowned ponies. The two unicorns closest to the princesses were the ones causing most of the laughter towards one another.
The blue unicorn with four prosthetic legs and a black mane rolled his eyes as the brick red unicorn with his fire-blond hair told a story about tofu in a glow belt during guard duty.
"And to this day I'm still not sure how that happened." the red unicorn finished as everypony started to calm down. The blue one hadn't been laughing. He'd heard the story enough from the old warrior that he could speak it by heart.
"Oh come on Nexus." the red one said. "I thought you loved my stories."
"Brand, I've heard 'em all." Brand opened his mouth and- "Even the one about the monkey in the helmet."
"Yet another thing I have no idea how it happened."
"And I'd prefer not to know."
"Please Colonel!" the young navy blue pegasus sitting next to Nexus said. "I wanna hear that one!"
"Some other time Kid." Brand told the pegasus.
"What does he mean by in the helmet Mr. Firebrand?" the younger pink maned bat pegasus asked Firebrand.
"He was in it, not wearing it. I'll leave you to figure out the rest."
"Please!" The children pleaded.
"Astral." the light brown pegasus mare next to the navy blue pegasus colt said to the colt. "Don't pester him."
"Your mother's right son." Nexus said nudging his son with his mechanized leg. "It's if he doesn't want to bore everypony else with his story then I can tell it to you later."
"Really Uncle Lunar!?" the bat filly asked eagerly.
"Night n' Gale." the red unicorn with black stripes said motioning for her to lower her voice.
Nexus chuckled at his "niece". "Yes I can. I'll tell you and Astral tomorrow at breakfast."
"Promise Dad!?" Astral asked.
"Cross my heart and hope to fly; stick a cupcake in my eye." Nexus said going through the school yard promise.
The children clopped their hoofs together and the princesses giggled. "What's so funny?" Nexus asked knitting his brow.
"It's quite hard to see you in your reputation when I see you do such things." Celestia said still giggling.
"My reputation?"
"Ponies in the guard and even some chroniclers of Equestria have been calling you many things Lunarus." Princess Luna added to her sister's statement. "Some have started calling you The Iron Hoof of Canterlot."
"That better not stick."
"Why not let it?" the bat pony's mother, with a pale purple mane and yellow eyes, asked. "Really kind of flattering if you think about it. Like you're some kind of Emperor."
"Then what does that make me?" Firebrand asked. "I'm in almost the same spot."
"You can be the Grand Vizier."
Nexus knit his brow again and started looking around the room puzzled.
"What is it?" Firebrand asked.
"I'm wondering if I'd trust you or not." Nexus said trying to fill the awkward silence the followed; he sadly failed.
Luna picked up on it and shot a quick glare at Ephialtes. He unwillingly caught it and slumped down into his seat.
Nexus finished off his steak and glanced at his wife's salad and saw that there was still some left. He resisted the urge to sigh and walk out without her. The rest of the time at the head was spent in nearly absolute silence from the adults. The children laughed and giggled at one another but the rest were silent; even the Princesses kept their mouth shut. Once Nexus' wife had finished her salad, Nexus excused himself from the table and prompted his wife to follow.
She didn't hesitate to leave and their son wasn't too far behind them as they left the dining room. Luna did have to take a few more bites of her meal before attempting to catch the family at the elevator. She was able to just stop the doors from shutting as the Nexus family walked in. The elevator wasn't very large but with the little five year happily hopping on Luna's back there was more than enough room.
The doors shut and Luna broke the evening silence. "I apologize for bringing that up." She said genuinely as the elevator started to rise.
"It's fine Luna." Nexus said blankly.
"I didn't know it wou-"
"I said it's fine Luna. We can leave it back there and forget about it."
"Agreed. Happy early birthday Lunarus. Thirty-three?"
"Yup." Nexus responded.
Having left an awkward silence, Dust attempted to break it before they reached the next floor. "You're coming to his party tomorrow right?"
"Of course. I wouldn't miss it for the world. Will your mother be in attendance?"
"More than likely. Can you make sure Discord stays away though?" Nexus replied.
"I cannot promise you anything Lunarus. But I will do what I can. You know him."
"Sadly I do." Nexus said as the door came open.
The group walked out of the elevator doors on the second to highest floor in the castle and began the short trek to the two story apartment where Nexus' family resided. The door opened automatically and Dust reached for their son on Luna's back.
Astral shied away from his mother and held strong to Luna's neck. "Can I go and play with Auntie Luna, Mom?"
"Well… Lunar?" Dust asked her husband who was half way through the door.
"If it's fine with you Luna. Have him down before bed time this time though." Nexus answered to Luna.
"I would love to play with your little one. What game would you like to play then?" she asked as she made her way towards her bedroom on the floor above theirs. Dust and Nexus waved as Astral named off as many games as he could think before they hit the stairs.
The couple walked into their room and Dust shut the door behind them. "What the hell was that!?" she asked before Nexus could sit down.
"What'd you mean?" Nexus asked attempting to act confused.
"You know what I mean. Why did you make it so awkward? It was just a joke."
Nexus let out a sigh and took his seat. "Just don't like hearing that I have a reputation."
"Why's that an issue? Of course you have an reputation! I've heard a few maids call you the Slayer of Darkness."
"See that's the thing!" Nexus said standing up. "Reputations are never good, especially when you're hailed as a hero."
"Isn't that why you became a guard? Glory for Equestria and all that shit?"
Nexus stammered not having heard Dust curse in so long. "What makes you think I want to be a hero! Do you even know who you've been married to!?"
"Why don't you enlighten me then?"
"When was the last time I wanted to be the center of attention? That's what comes with being the hero. I didn't ask to be a hero Dust! Shit just happened to me, I didn't ask go through all of that bull shit!"
"Then why did you accept it if you didn't want it!?"
"Because I had to!"
"Bull shit you did!"
"Oh yeah? You know the guards in this castle, how many would volunteer to most likely not come back besides me and Firebrand? So you tell me if I had a fucking choice!"
"If we can get back on topic Lunar, why don’t you like the nicknames?" Dust asked again trying to calm down.
"I… It's the pressure of having to live up to them. When you've a hero's reputation, you're expected to either come back a winner or die trying. Be the first into a fight and last standing." Nexus sat down again. "It's a lot of pressure being a hero. Especially a soldier."
"But that's not you anymore." Dust said putting a hoof around her husband's shoulders. "You're not Colonel Lunarus Nexus, Savior of Equestria. You're the one who makes the hero's now."
"Not much better. It's just passing the pressure onto another person. Sometimes I wish I wasn't in this position. That I could just live my life unknown and unnoticed."
"Don't talk like that." Dust sighed before continuing. Look, how about I ask Luna to tuck Astral in for us and we can turn in early. Sound okay?"
"Yeah…" Nexus replied nuzzling his wife. "I'll get A.L.I.S. to shut down and get washed up."
"Good. I'll be back down in a minute." Dust said flaring her wings and starting to hover off the ground.
She flew to the balcony doors and they opened automatically. "Safe travels Mrs. Nexus." An electronic mare's voice called from hidden speakers.
"I'll be back in a sec' A.L.I.S." Dust said before shooting up the outside of the tower they lived in.
"A.L.I.S., start shutting everything down. Dust and I are turning in early tonight."
"Yes Commander. How would you like your room temperature tonight?"
"Sixty if you can manage. And Astral's spending the night upstairs so don't worry about his room tonight."
"As you wish Commander. There is a message from the doctor's office for Mrs. Nexus. Would you like to relay it to her rather than I?"
"If it's about anything but the baby then no." Nexus said as he started to make his way up the staris.
"It is Commander. He says that Mrs. Nexus is progressing normally despite the abnormally small size at her current stage. No harmful effects should come if she continues down her current path."
"That it?"
"You have four more messages of lesser importance from Manehatten. Would you li-"
"No. They can wait until tomorrow." Nexus said cutting off his own creation.
Not a few moments after he reached their bed, Dust hovered down from the top floor of them. She trotted in and kissed Nexus on the cheek before going to the bathroom to tie her mane back. Nexus followed her in and surprised her by wrapping his forelegs around her as she tried to get her mane to cooperate.
"Doctor sent today." Nexus said.
He quickly informed Dust of the doctor's message and she smiled as she finally got the hair tie and her mane to cooperate. She turned in his forelegs and gave him a peck on the lips.
"I know you hate to hear this too, but you're such a teddy bear." Dust said slipping out of her husband's grip.
"I don't mind hearing it from you."
Dust flicked her tail at his nose before she left the bathroom. As Nexus stepped out of the bathroom and the lights in the room turned off. The two lumbered into bed and took their respective sides of their bed. Nexus sighed as he nestled into his bed next to Dust. She of course rolled over and put her forelegs around him.
"You know in a few months I won't be able to do this." she said laying her head above his chest plate, where she could hear his powerful heart beat.
"I'll be glad to be here for it this time around." Nexus said glad to have dinner's conversation behind them.