//------------------------------//
// Displeasure 
// Story: Loyalty to the Moon 
// by IFADEU337 
//------------------------------//

	The sun began to set over Everfree. A blue mare could be seen overlooking the horizon, awaiting her time to raise the moon. Down in the courtyard, the night guards took their places; ready for whatever came lurking out of the darkness of the forest. Two of them, however, weren't following routine like the rest. 
"I bet you couldn't sneak into the kitchen and take a piece of Celestia's birthday cake!" One of them challenged.
"Oh, really? Well I bet you couldn't eat the whole thing without getting caught!" The other one jeered.
"Yeah, well, um... I bet you couldn't-"
"I bet neither of you will ever become full-time night guards is you continue to not pay attention to the task at hoof." A grey unicorn guard stood before them, glaring disapprovingly.
"Uhh... hey, Starbeam. H-how's it going?" The first colt asked timidly.
She flared her nostrils. "It's going to be one of your last nights here at the castle if you don't stop gawking around like fools," she hissed at them. "I'd hate for your families back home to receive news that their sons wouldn't become one of the princesses' elite guards because they couldn't behave any better than a half-grown foal."
The two young stallions looked at each other nervously. "You... wouldn't really do that, would you Star?" The first one gulped.
"Yeah, we trained together in camp, remember?" The second one chimed in.
"What I remember is two slackers who always messed around and couldn't concentrate for one second even if their lives depended on it!" She took a deep breath, calming herself. "But to answer your question: no. I won't send you laggards crawling back home just yet... so long as you start behaving like grown stallions instead of immature colts. Now get to work!"
She began to trot back to her station, but then hesitated.
"One last thing... if I ever catch you two discussing anything that involves ruining one of the princesses' events or anything of the equivalent again, I WILL PERSONALLY MAKE SURE IT WAS LIKE YOU TWO NEVER EXISTED HERE IN THE FIRST PLACE!" she huffed, then turned around, flicking her tail.
Starbeam seethed with anger as she strode past a line of guards, each of them saluting her as she passed. She didn't take notice that a tall, blue stallion had taken place beside her.
"You know, you didn't have to be so hard on them. They may have been fooling around, but they didn't cause any harm." he told her. 
She blinked up at him. "They've been here long enough to know what's expected of them. If they'd actually focus for once, they would be of much higher ranking than they are now."
"True... but we can't all have the same devotion to our jobs as you." he said teasingly.
"It's not about being devoted to being a castle guard, it's about loyalty to the princesses. Everfree is dangerous, especially at night. One wrong move, and half the castle staff could be devoured or turned to stone or who knows what else."
"Relax. We have enough guards to keep everyone safe. Two less won't make any difference."
"If that's so, why are they even here?"
"Well, maybe they really do care about what they do, but they just get a little... sidetracked."
"Hmmf. That's one way to put it." she glowered.
"Lighten up. It's beautiful out here, you should enjoy it." He turned to the moon, which slowly began rising in the sky. It's beams cast everything into a silvery light.
Maybe Dusk Wind is right. Perhaps I am expecting too much of them. And it is lovely out... Erhhg! He knows me so well!
"Anyway, I need to go, you know, fulfill my duties." Dusk said.
"Right... okay then." Starbeam said awkwardly. 
"I'll see you later." he said, walking away.
She clopped into the Firefly Garden - a place enclosed with special flowers that only bloomed during nightfall and glowed majestically in the dark. Starbeam didn't know what kind of flowers they were; she isn't a botanist after all. Yet she found them mesmerizingly beautiful, especially once the fireflies came out.
The lunar rays gleamed directly down the path, and it was like walking on starlight. It brought her to a circular grotto with even more flowers. A large stone fountain graced the center, water gurgling peacefully out of it. No guards were posted here, since it was unnecessary. The tranquil space was in the middle of the garden, in a place where many ponies didn't come. But Starbeam loved it more than any other place in Equestria.
A tall shadow momentarily blocked out the moon, and the graceful, blue mare swooped down next to Starbeam. She was greeted by a swarm of tiny, glowing bugs that encircled her and danced through the garden. The fireflies zipped to-and-fro, a few stopping to play in the mares' manes. The blue alicorn giggled.
"Such alluring creatures, aren't they?" she said, turning to Star.
"Indeed." Starbeam replied, bowing.
"It never ceases to amaze me how such small, delicate things could communicate and show such emotion through flickerings of light. I wish that everypony could see it."
"Someday they will, Luna." Star reassured her.
The princess looked mournfully at the ground. "It doesn't seem that way... sometimes I think nopony cares about my night at all. They live and play all throughout the daytime, basking in the sun and praising it for its creation and growth. And then, they just sleep and disregard the night. It's like they don't even need me."
The grey unicorn's eyes widened. "What? Of course they need you! You're important, and you know that I love the night. That I need you!"
Luna sighed. "Yes, I know. I just want somepony else to, too."
The two sat in silence, the breeze grazing their fur. They had been friends for a long time now, ever since Starbeam had passed her evaluation in training camp and started working as a part-time night guard for the castle. She had been young then; weary, and cautious, and made every effort to pass the next stage of her training. Eventually she'd worked her way up to becoming of high ranking, taking her job very seriously. Through all that time, her acquaintanceship with Princess Luna grew to become something better: friendship. Her relationship with Celestia, however, stayed moderately professional. 
Luna smiled a little, and roughly nudged her shoulder against Starbeam's.
"You know, I'm really glad you're here, Starbeam Prism. I don't know what I'd do without you."
Starbeam looked up at her, smiling back. "I'm glad, too."