Moonlit Romance

by Lux

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The next day flew by as you prepared to transition to your new home and job. You assumed that it would be long and boring not working like you normally did, but you had a feeling this would not be the case. Your morning attempts to pack started simply enough but quickly it became apparent how much stuff you acquired over the time you were a guard. Granted you weren't one to collect tons of things, as you barely had time to get a bite to eat away from the castle let alone have a whole day to shop for things. But this was what you wanted in your life, something that wasn’t cluttered by stuff. Still even the thing you had easily filled the top of your bed in the barracks.

Your attempts at packing were further hampered by several of your inquisitive friends in your barracks who saw you curiously packing. One in particular was your best friend Silver Streak, a Pegasus whom you met during basic training.

“What’s going on?” he asked with a concerned look, “You didn’t get kicked out, did you?”

“No, why would you say that?”

“Well you were kind of worried when you heard that the Captain wanted to see you, so I wondered if this meant the end for you here.”

“I’m not fired Silver,” you said as you tried to continue arranging your stuff into piles.

“Well that’s good. I’d feel pretty upset if I didn't see you in the halls. So what was the meeting for anyway?”

“I’m not sure I can tell you,” you said after thinking about what was revealed.

“Come on. We’re on the same team, remember? Have I ever spilled any secrets you asked me to keep?”

“What about the time that I accidentally went into the mare’s locker room?”

“Ok well you got to admit that was funny and I couldn't help but share it. But besides that you know if it’s something personal it’ll remain between just you and I.”

“Alright fine, I’ll tell you. I actually go promoted.”

“Wow, congratulations! You made Corporal?”

“Not exactly, that meeting was about me no longer being a normal guard but guarding somepony.”

“Oh really, who are you protecting? It’s not that stuck up pony Prince Blueblood, is it?”

“No, thank goodness. I’m actually going to protect Princess Luna.”

Silver looked at you for a moment while saying nothing as if he was trying to decide whether you were lying to him or telling the truth. You knew that your news would come as a shock to anypony that you told it to, one of the reasons why you wanted to keep telling it to a minimum so as not to repeat the same thing. Then he finally said something, not words but a laugh that almost sent him rolling on the floor.

“What so funny?” you asked the Pegasus.

“Oh you’re a funny one! I never pegged you as a joker, but this one is perfect! I love how you even kept a straight face to make it look like you were telling the truth.”

“But I am telling the truth!”

“Yeah, sure you are. Next thing you’re going to tell me is that you’re moving in right next door to Luna to watch over her.”

“I am moving there!” you said trying to convince him. The more you protested the more that you realized that this was a losing battle. It appeared that there would be no way to convince your friend the truth.

“You know, you almost had me fooled there,” Silver said, “But nothing you’re going to say to me will make you believe that you’re going to be Luna’s guard.”

You were about to admit defeat and change the subject as tactfully as possible when a group of stallions entered you room. They weren't the typical guards dressed in armor but ponies clad in matching uniforms as if they were from a company.

“Excuse me,” the one stallion replied, “We are here to assist in moving your things and to escort you to your new location in the castle by order of Princess Celestia.”

“Thank you,” you replied to the moving company as you looked over at your friend. For once in the many years you knew Silver he never was so silent and in shock as he did now. His mouth hung open as the moving company collected your bags filled with your things and began to file out the door of your former room. You were about to leave when you turned back, partly to bid a fond farewell to the place where you live ever since joining the military. But then you noticed the still shocked stallion standing there, and you couldn’t help but add one last remark.
“See, told you so,” you said as you gave a cheesy smile and closed the door behind you.

“Um… do you think that your friend will be ok?” one of the moving ponies asked you.

“Oh I’m sure he will. He just needs time to recover.”

The walk to the Princess’s private quarters was on in which you took many times, passing through familiar rooms and halls on your guard patrols. This time it felt different, like you were seeing the castle for the very first time. It was an exciting moment starting your new job any yet scary as well. You wondered if you had what it took to guard a Princess, not that Luna needed guarding. Guard duty was mainly ceremonial as both of the Royal Pony Sisters could dispatch enemies with ease. But guards were always there just in case, not to protect the Princess but to help with crowd control and to put everypony’s minds at ease that the Princesses were safe.

The question then shifted from whether you would be a good guard to whether Princess Luna would see you as such. Being a guard you have of course seen Luna from a distance, usually along with her sister. You couldn't help but admit that she was beautiful, more than any other mare that you knew and that was saying a lot considering that Canterlot had its share of beauties. But Princess Luna had the total package of flawless beauty, like a walking statue or a model. Strangely though it appeared that in all her times that she was out with her sister she never acknowledged this quality of hers and yet she still naturally flaunted what she had. You remembered the first time that she passed by you with her royal entourage and how your heart stopped for a moment at the sight of her beauty. Your eyes couldn't help but trace every curve of her body from her hooves to her horn. She of course paid no attention to your visual admiration, her face locked steadfastly forward. She probably saw this all to before with guards taking an interest at least in and even lust after her. Surely she wasn't blind to others.

You knew that the Princess wasn't just a pretty face. From your fleeting observations of her you could tell that she was very intelligent, filled with over a thousand years of knowledge. She also had a sense of compassion towards others like their concern and pain was hers. From your talks with other guards this Princess was also very mischievous, especially in teasing her sister. But there was something else about her, a dark mystery in this mare. It was like she wasn't comfortable in her own skin let alone this world she lived in. There was also a feeling like a dark cloud was always over her, darkening her world.

You of course heard what happened those many years ago, that same story that was told to almost every filly and colt on dark stormy nights by parents or relatives. It was inevitable hearing in Equestria’s capital the story about Luna becoming Nightmare Moon, her banishment, her return a thousand years later and her eventual reformation. Yet the story was just that, something that you heard and never connected to reality. That was until you actually saw Luna. You could only imagine what she went through knowing the evil that she did and being isolated from everypony else for centuries. But what could you do to help her as a mere guard, and more importantly would she listen?
“Um… sir?” a voice said to you, breaking you out of your thoughts, “We’re here.”

You look around to see that you are in a place you've never been to, the highest level of the castle where the Royal Sisters’ private rooms were. As a guard you ventured to many parts of the castle, but even this place was unknown, a forbidden section left only to your imagination. But even that couldn't prepare yourself for this. The halls still had their same simple but elegant design, but then you saw the two doors side by side each other. One was made of brilliant gold and alabaster and carves with images of the sun indicating that this was Princess Celestia’s room. The other, Princess Luna’s room, had black doors made of obsidian with silver accents of the moon and stars. Your mind eagerly wanted you to open those doors and glimpse into the Princess’s private sanctum, but your duties as the newly minted bodyguard held your curiosity at bay. So you left the mystery as just that, perhaps something to be unraveled in another time.

The mover then pointed to a smaller yet still ornate door that bore on it the words “Royal bodyguard of Princess Luna.” Below that a plaque was recently added bearing your name, something that you couldn't help but notice was easily removable without damaging the beauty of the door. It was in that moment you realized how just as quickly as your job began it could end. You wondered how many ponies in the course of Luna’s return to Canterlot walked up to this same door for the first time with the same wonder only to however long after leave that door for the last time in sadness.

“It’s your room now,” the one mover said as he handed you a fittingly ornate key to match the ornate door, “You do the honors.”

Holding the key in your hand you confidently placed it into the lock and turning it opened the door to your new room and new life. The place was slightly bigger than your bunk space as a guard, but it was certainly more beautiful. The furniture was all ornately hand carved with lunar and stellar designs and consisted of a very comfortable looking bed, mirrored dresser, and chair. The room glowed with a magical light that hung from the ceiling, lighting the place as bright as the moon. One door led to a closet where you could have easily fit your bunk bed in there. Another led to a bathroom, one that for the first time wasn’t one shared by an entire group or soldiers. But the most wonderful of things you saw was sitting right on your new bed. There neatly placed in a pile was your new armor, no longer the familiar gold that you wore but brilliant silver mixed with black and adorned with crescent moons like the Princess you were to protect. There by the armor was a note that read:

“May you wear this armor as a symbol of pride and faith that you will do what is best for my sister.
Princess Celestia”

It brought a smile to your face knowing that Princess Celestia put her trust and the safety and happiness of her sister in your hands. This however also put great pressure on your shoulders, but you were not afraid. For all you know you might like being with Princess Luna, and maybe, just maybe she would like being with you too.

“Well here we are,” the one moving pony said, “Would you like these to be put somewhere?”

“No thanks,” you replied holding back your excitement, “I’ll take this from here. Thanks for helping me move.”

“You’re welcome. Congratulations on your new job,” they said as the small group left you alone in your room. With the door closed you squealed like a little colt on Hearth’s Warming Day getting all those presents. That night would be the start of your new life, and everything would be great. At least you hoped that it would be.

Author's Note:

Never expected this part to be this long but that's fine. Next chapter the ever-present You gets to meet Luna for the first time.

Comments

[poisonflame616]

good chapter, little progress was made since all this chapter did was move 'us' from the guard barracks to Luna's private guard chamber

but that's the only bad bit, the good bits are aplenty...
'we' are now private guards for a very beautiful mare
'we' got promoted (happened in the last chapter, but expressed quite well here)
shiny new armour
Celestia likes 'us'
metaphorically, and somewhat literally, flipped of Silver Streak (I laughed and cheered at that bit)
Luna's in the next chapter

[Lux]

Yeah, story wise I imagines this part to be shorter, but once i was on a roll I couldn't just cut it. But chapter 3 will have Luna and the fun will begin.

Keep in mind the Anthro tag as I describe these characters like using hands or wearing clothes.

As for the "You" in the story, I left it vague as to the pony type which hopefully I can keep.

[Lux]

So in an effort to compress the time little I made a slight change to the end of Chapter 2. Instead of the main character starting his new job the next night it will start the night after moving to the new home.

[Lux]

Chapter 3 will be up if not today then this week.