//------------------------------// // Inspection // Story: Lessons in the Moonlight // by Harmony Split //------------------------------// Chapter fourteen: Inspection Blinding light woke me once again, and I blinked before raising my head slowly. If it were up to me, I would just stick my head back into the cushion and continue to sleep. Sadly, today was the day that Princess Celestia would visit, and it darkened my mood. If I was afraid of one pony in the entire world, it would have to be that particular alicorn. Looking to my side, the bed was empty, causing me to sigh. I wanted to sleep at Twilight’s side, just cuddle with her the whole night, but I wouldn’t force it. If she asked me to or offered it, I would love to just sleep at her side. But until then, it was better not to go too fast. Last night, we just went into our own beds instead of a single one together. Of course, to say that I slept well without her would be greatly overexaggerating. Groaning, I got up and onto my hooves before leaving the room. Everything was quiet, so I made my way directly to the kitchen. I found Twilight sitting at the table, her head on it and a mug of coffee besides her. She raised her head as soon as I walked in. “Good morning,” she yawned. “Good morning. You look like you only managed to sleep for half the night,” I replied, raising an eyebrow. “Just like you, it seems,” she mumbled before levitating a mug over to me, “Coffee?” she asked, cracking a tired smile at me. “Sounds good,” I said, grabbing the mug and sitting down besides her. I took a sniff of my coffee as I sat and a small chuckle escaped my muzzle. Twilight somehow knew exactly how to make my coffee. Whether it was from simple observation or scarily accurate intuition, I’ll never know. But, I had to admit that it was kind of touching to know that my marefriend knew exactly how to make my coffee. I blushed into my coffee mug. It was so easy to call her my marefriend, yet it seemed a bit odd and really new. What if she felt the same way about it that I did? I really hoped it, and the thought made me smile. “What are you so chipper about?” Twilight grumbled from beside me, looking over at me through tired eyes and over the lip of her mug. The picture kind of screamed ‘tired librarian’, which I thought was pretty funny, considering how much time she spent in the library of the castle. “Just thinking about you,” I replied with a lazy wink before turning back to my coffee. It seemed to have the desired effect, because the next thing I felt was a pair of lips on my cheek, sending a slight jolt of excitement shooting through my body. The blush rose on my cheeks just as much as my grin. “Your blushing is really cute,” she replied, her mood seeming to raise by a mile. “Oh, is that so?” I asked her. She raised an eyebrow and I took that moment to plant a peck right on her lips. It was short enough to not force anything, but long enough to draw the cutest blush I’d ever seen on her cheeks. “You… you’re evil,” she said, giving a joyful grin, “Now, we should get ready. Celestia will be here soon,” she said, finishing off the last of her coffee in one long swig. “W-What? Already?” I asked in panic, only for her to giggle in response. “Calm down. I don’t care if Luna told her something,” she unfolded her wings and wrapped them around my barrel, “Listen, I won’t let anypony take you away from me. This might be early and new, but I don’t care. Even if I have to stand up against the other princesses, no one is taking you away from me,” she said with a strength I had only seen in her when she had stood up to Luna to save me. That made my heart melt and flutter. Before I could stop myself, I leaned in and pulled her into a long kiss full of passion. Her eyes widened in surprise, but after just a moment, she leaned in with at least the same effort I did. The kiss was long and deep, more passionate than anything we’d shared before, and it made my heart gallop like I had been facing down a hydra rather than actually kissing my marefriend. It was amazing. During the kiss, I noticed that her wings were slowly stroking up and down my back, taking longer at the joints of my wings. I’d never know if it was accidental or on purpose. What I knew, however, was that the touch made me shiver and feel better than before. The touch lighted my heart and coat, granting that I was hers. We held the kiss for a few more moments before she suddenly broke away, taking a deep breath to steady herself. Quickly kissing me on the top of the head, she whispered, “Go shower and get dressed, we only have about an hour,” she said before stepping away from me and heading up the stairs. I couldn’t help but notice the sway of her flank and the swish of her tail as she walked away, my eyes glued to her figure as she left. Wow. I blinked and quickly followed her, heading to the other bathroom to take a shower like she told me. It would also cool me down, because the small tickling down my stomach and my slightly stiff wings told me that it was a good idea. My marefriend is not only a princess and smart, she’s also pretty hot. I slapped myself for that thought, because it didn’t help, and only managed to make things significantly worse. Sighing, I stepped into the bathroom and quickly into the shower, turning it slightly cold. I shivered at the contact, but my wings relaxed and I could fold them properly again. I wonder if I have to wear my armor while Princess Celestia visits. To be honest, I would feel much better if I had to. The thought about having Princess Celestia here still freaked me out a bit.  But thinking about what Twilight said caused me to smile. And I thought it was the captain that should protect her princess. Of course Twilight would be the one to protect me, though. I had never known Twilight to sit idly by when one of her friends was in trouble, even in the short time that I did know her. I doubted that she’d be any different with her marefriend, so I’d probably wind up fighting a lot of the time to protect her when she tried to protect me. A knock at the door startled me out of my thoughts, “Hey, Night Glider! Hurry up, the Princess arrives soon!” Twilight exclaimed through the door, followed by the sounds of magic opening the door and something heavy getting set down just inside the bathroom. The door shut and the sounds of her hooves disappearing down the hallway quickly followed. That sounded like my armor... I sighed and quickly grabbed the shampoo, covering my coat with it before washing it down. It was only a quick wash, but better than just water at least. It still made me smell like Twilight, which was something I thoroughly enjoyed. Turning the shower off, I grabbed one of the towels and dried myself and looked beside the door. Indeed, there was my armor, set in a neat little pile of steel and silk. I just hoped I could actually put it on all by myself. It was a little difficult to do that sort of thing without magic. Grabbing the undergarment, I simply slid it over my head and then added the body plate over it. It just seemed natural and easy, plus my wings were some good help. It only took me a few moments to put everything on and I stepped out of the bathroom with a smile and down to the hallway. Twilight was already standing there, her princess dress and regalia on. She looked at me for a few seconds before her horn glowed and her magic pulled a bit at my armor. After she was done, the armor sat a bit more comfortably on me, and I shot her a thankful smile. She leaned in and gave me a gentle kiss on the lips, one I gratefully returned with a loving gaze. Our moment was interrupted by the sound of knocking at the front door. For a brief moment, a look of panic swept over Twilight. Then, she pressed her front hoof against her chest, gave a short breath as she extended her hoof, and looked about as calm as ever. Turning towards the stairs, she gestured with her head for me to follow before she trotted down to greet the other princess. Saying that I was nervous was an understatement. I shivered slightly, worried about what the other princess would say. I knew that after all that had happened in my past, she would be all but pleased to see me. I would be lucky if she left me at Twilight’s side, in my opinion. However, I had a job, so I followed Twilight and stood a few meters behind her when she stopped to open the door. Twilight opened the door, revealing the cause of our nervousness in all her glory. The abnormally tall alicorn stood there, her eyes first traveling to Twilight before snapping over to me. She didn’t say anything for a moment as I bowed at her entrance, though her attention was brought back to Twilight when she noticed the other princess starting to bow. “Twilight, what have I told you about bowing to me?” the elder asked in a patient and slightly amused voice, the slightest of smiles gracing her features. Using one of her forehooves to gently pull Twilight’s chin out of its bow, she fixed Twilight with her gaze, giving a little nod of reassurance to her. “Sorry, Princess Celestia, it’s still taking some getting used to,” Twilight replied, a blush crossing her features as she stood up properly. The two looked at one another for a few moments before Twilight lunged forward and wrapped Celestia in a hug, one which the elder was quick to return. They held the hug for a moment before breaking away, Twilight stepping aside so that Celestia could step in. When she did, Celestia’s gaze turned back to me, looking as if she were sizing me up. The gaze made me shudder slightly, but I didn’t let it show as I stood back into my proper position. She held her look for a while before smiling, “You must be Night Glider,” she said in a warm and patient voice, one that seemed to alleviate some of my nervousness. I bowed deeply, trying to not show her how nervous I was and that I feared her. Yet, I could still hear some part of my armor shake to the rhythm of my shivers. I could feel Twilight’s gaze on me as well, and the shivering stopped. “Night Glider, there is no need to sulk in the past. What happened, happened, and from Twilight’s letter, I know that you are a new mare now,” Celestia spoke and I looked up. “You never told me that you answered her,” I said to Twilight, who blushed in response. “I might have forgotten,” she mumbled, and I turned my attention back to Celestia. “I’m truly sorry for everything I did. I can remember part of it, but not everything. Maybe that’s a good thing,” I said quietly as I stood up. “There are things in this world we can’t control. You were formed and controlled by dark magic. I wouldn’t be much better than any villain if I would punish you for that now. You accepted the responsibility Twilight offered, and I’m thankful for that,” she gave me and Twilight a sincere smile which we both returned. “Now that this is settled, maybe we can discuss a bit more with some tea and those lovely small cookies Spike always makes,” Celestia giggled a bit before leaning in conspiratorially, “I just can’t hold onto myself in private. I’m a little sweet tooth, you must know,” she whispered into my ear. She’s… different than in my memories… Despite my surprise, I couldn’t suppress the grin that formed on my muzzle. My fears seemed to be unfounded, and this surprisingly silly princess was admitting to having a sweet tooth the same as anypony you could find around Ponyville. It was strangely humbling. We made our way towards the kitchen, and suddenly, Twilight stopped, “Oh… I don’t know if Spike is even back yet,” she rubbed the back of her head with an awkward hoof, “Spike!” she yelled out. I could hear it echo through the entire castle, bouncing around the thick crystals and amplifying her cry. “Something crystal is useful for,” she said in response to my questioning look. She did have a point. The crystal did make it easy for sound to travel, as made evident by the night Luna had been in the castle. We didn’t have to wait for long. After mere seconds, I could hear the dribbling patter of little feet, and soon Spike rushed down the stairs, “Yes, Twilight?” he asked, trying to catch his breath before noticing Celestia, “Princess Celestia!” he quickly bowed. “There is no need for that, Spike,” Celestia chuckled daintily, “Would you be so kind as to prepare us some tea and a tray of cookies?” she asked, giving him a patient and understanding smile.          He went off in a blink and we continued our way, just to reach the kitchen where Spike was already scrambling around the cupboards. Smiling, I joined the princesses at the table, but instead of sitting next to Twilight I simply decided that a Captain would just stand besides her. “What are you doing?” Twilight asked me before patting onto the chair next to her with her wing, “That’s the place you belong,” she said, a clear invitation that I wasn’t about to turn down. I smiled and sat down next to her. It wasn’t quite easy to do that with the armor, but I managed it after a bit. I kept a fairly rigid and formal posture in the chair, just to make sure that it didn’t look like I was slouching or anything in front of Celestia. “Now, Twilight. I assume that the last few days have been pretty… interesting?” Celestia started once we were all settled. That was definitely an understatement. “Indeed,” Twilight said and shot me a smile, “I got a wonderful Captain for my Guard,” she said, turning her attention back towards Celestia after a moment. Celestia nodded as she seemed to process the information, thinking to herself as she got settled in her seat. She turned her attention to me for a moment, looking me up and down for a second before turning back to look at Twilight. She gave a knowing smile, “Wonderful, you say?” she asked, her eyebrows going up almost imperceptibly in a suggestive manner. Twilight didn’t seem to get what the other alicorn was suggesting, but I couldn’t help my blush as I realized what the elder was hiding behind her words. I struggled not to shift in my seat or look away, instead choosing to bear the blush in silence. Twilight, on the other hoof, gave a proud smile and nodded, “I couldn’t ask for a better companion,” she said, clearly not realizing how much she had just implied to Celestia. A dainty giggle escaped Celestia’s muzzle, quickly stifled by one of her forehooves. I could almost see the gears turning in Twilight’s head as she tried to figure out what was so funny, and after a few moments, a blush bloomed onto her cheeks. She quickly shook her head, “I didn’t--! I mean… That’s not what I--!” she stammered, trying to figure out how to back out of the hole she had dug herself into. The giggles died off and Celestia waved Twilight’s concerns away with the same hoof she had used to hide her laughter, “It’s okay, Twilight, I understand what you meant,” she said, setting the hoof down at the same time that Spike came back with the tea and cookies. Giving the little dragon a thankful nod, she picked up her teacup in her magic and raised it to her lips, “But you two do seem very taken by each other,” she noted, as if she were spelling out the simplest thing in the world. Twilight huffed in irritation, her blush stubbornly refusing to leave, but she didn’t deny Celestia’s observation. Instead, she surprised me by reaching her wing out the few inches that separated us and slipped her wing tip between my wing and my armor. She held our wings together, giving a soft sigh as she seemed to relax at the touch. I couldn’t help but admit that it was a comforting presence. “I couldn’t imagine being with anypony else,” came the reply. Neither of us was entirely sure who had said it first, and it took a moment before I realized that we had said roughly the same thing at about the same time. The amused look on Celestia’s face was priceless, and entirely worth the nerves we had experienced all morning. Celestia hummed softly, “Hmm, is that so? Well, that alleviates any concerns I may have had before,” she said, giving a patient and understanding smile in our direction before she sipped at her tea contently. Giving a tiny sigh of contentment, she lowered the teacup and gave us a coy look, “Though, Night Glider, it’s your job to find more ponies to fill the other positions in the Guard. After all, Twilight can’t just make up a new guard force with just one guard,” she said, a grin pulling at the corners of her lips, as if she were already expecting me to do well. “I’ll make sure we get the best ponies around for the Twilight Guard, your highness. Though, we’ll need more armor made,” I replied, giving an affirmative nod towards Celestia. “I’m sure that you will. And I’ll have a shipment sent to Rarity. I have no doubt that she’ll be overjoyed to have more armor to work with,” Celestia said, an amused chuckle escaping her muzzle at the mention of Rarity’s work. All the while, she snacked on the cookies provided almost imperceptibly, as if she had never been without a stack of cookies since she had arrived. “Now, before we start catching up, I do have a gift for you, Night Glider. Something to go with your new position,” Celestia said after finishing yet another cookie. With a brief flash of golden magic, a thick, dark wooden box sat on the floor beside me. It looked old and worn, but well cared for and recently tended to. I glanced at the box for a moment before looking back at Celestia, “You may open it tonight, after I’m gone,” she said, giving a little nod towards me before she turned to start catching up properly with Twilight. *** The day with Celestia had actually been rather uneventful. The three of us talked, trading stories and catching up with the times. Celestia and Twilight had a lot to talk about, in particular about the state of Equestria and the disdain they had for politics. I was just happy that Celestia wasn’t about to banish me to the moon. Again. She had left when it was starting to get dark, giving Twilight a farewell hug and me a nod of what I hoped to be respect. And then, Twilight and I were alone again. As soon as the door was closed, Twilight turned and wrapped me up and a shaky hug, holding me tighter than I had ever thought her capable of. It lasted for a few moments before she pulled away, a slight tear in her eye and a massive smile on her muzzle, “She didn’t take you away,” she breathed, “You’re still here,” she said, her voice shaky and little more than a whisper. It was as if she were trying to reassure herself that I was still there, that I hadn’t been taken away. I leaned in and planted a kiss on her lips, a light and loving peck that told her that I was still there. I held it for a few moments before moving my lips up to her ear, “I’m not going anywhere, I told you that,” I whispered to her, wrapping my wings around her and pulling her into another hug. It seemed to do the trick. Instead of letting me pull away, however, Twilight held me close and kept me against her. She was still shivering slightly, light tremors reverberating through her body as the adrenaline left her system. After a moment, she finally spoke, “Could you… C-could you sleep with me tonight? Please?” she asked in a shaken whisper, “I don’t want to be alone,” she continued, her whisper dying off into little more than a dry breath. Blinking a few times in surprise, the best I could do was give a little nod, “Sure,” I said softly, nuzzling into the side of her head and giving her a little squeeze. To be honest, I kind of didn’t feel like falling asleep alone. I’d much rather be with her, especially if it would comfort her. We stayed embraced for a few more minutes, just holding one another in the entry hall, until Twilight finally pulled away and gave a little nod. We didn’t need any words, instead I decided to walk in front of her and head up the stairs, guiding her to her bedroom. I heard the sound of her magic behind me, but didn’t think much of it. I just wanted to make sure that she got to her bedroom alright, and then we could put the day behind us. I held the door open for her, and turned to look at her. To my surprise, she was carrying the box from downstairs in her magic, held out in front of her as she walked into the bedroom, giving me a little smile as she passed. I couldn’t help but chuckle slightly. Leave it to Twilight to remember something I forgot. I stepped into the room behind her and closed the door, following her over to the bed where she set the box down. Twilight sat down on the bed, “Well, are you going to open it?” she asked, giving me an encouraging smile as she gestured to the old wooden thing. I could have sworn that Twilight was more curious than I was. Nodding, I stepped over to the bed and used one of my wings to fumble with the old brass latch. I popped it open, then after a cursory look towards Twilight, I pushed open the wooden box. There was surprisingly no squeaking or dust from the box, it was as if it was perfectly oiled and tended to. Inside was what looked like a pair of metal wings, shining slightly in the light of the sunset beyond the window. They were about the same color as Twilight’s pelt, and the same material as the armor that I wore. The edges, where bones would be on an actual wing, were sharpened off to a wicked point. Armored feathers swept backwards from the tops of the blade sections, each one jointed in multiple areas so that the entire wing would likely bend into any sort of shape imaginable. Twilight peeked into the case curiously, looking at the armored wings for a moment before humming. She reached over and tilted the box slightly, the light of the sun catching a brass plate that was on the inside of the lid. It looked old, worn and very faded, but the engravings were still there. “Wingblade model eight, pegasus mare. Property of Centurion Night Glider of the Royal Lunar Guard,” Twilight read out loud, blinking a few times in surprise. She looked up at me after a moment, “These are from before Nightmare Moon was banished,” she said in a gasp, her eyes going slightly wider. Reaching a hoof out, I gently touched the ancient wingblades, vaguely remembering them. They used to be a darker purple, and each feather had been engraved with crescent moons and stars. I wondered when Celestia had gotten them modified to match the new armor I wore, and more importantly, I couldn’t help but wonder why she had decided to keep them in the first place. Wingblades were incredibly dangerous, and the newer versions had a tendency of being shortened and most of the plates were removed. I had seen in a book of military history that they had become unpopular because they were seen as unethical. Apparently the model eights were decommissioned the year after Celestia had taken full control of Equestria. Whatever her reason for keeping them was, I couldn’t help the slight smile that grew onto my muzzle, “They’re mine,” I replied to her, despite not needing the clarification. It felt good to get something from my past that didn’t bring me pain, something I could use in the present to help Twilight. A small and satisfied smile crossed Twilight’s features after a moment as she pushed the box closed, “And you’re mine,” she said in a soft, loving tone. There was definitely no arguing that.