The Princess and I: Moon

by Eggtaro

You, Me, and the Moon (Part Three)

Before I knew it, night was already upon me.

There was still about half an hour left before midnight. My heart was racing and I was feeling nervous for some reason. I guess being called out by a princess could do that to you. It's not everyday you'd get the chance to spend some time with royalty in the middle of the night, right? How often does that happen anyway? Especially to someone like me?

Seeing that there wasn't much point to remain in my room any longer, I decided to leave early. Besides, I needed time to get to the royal gardens. I wasn't exactly well-versed with all the corners and passageways found within the stone walls of Canterlot Castle. The last thing I would want is to be late for my date with Luna.

As I gave my room one last glance before closing the handleless door behind me, I wondered what tonight's little rendezvous with the princess was going to be about. I never really gave it any thought before, but, now that I was, it only occurred to me that Luna's message didn't exactly mention the reason why she wanted to meet up with me.

It could just be about anything, really. Maybe she just wanted to hang out? To have a nice, proper chat with the human? Whatever her reason may be, I personally see it as a great opportunity to get to know the princess better--- an opportunity for the both of us to get to know each other better. Celestia did ask me to befriend her sister, and what better way to do that if not by hanging out and chatting with each other?

Getting to the royal gardens should be simple enough. There were plenty of guards standing around to ask for directions, and most of them were kind enough to point me down the correct path. I tried going off on my own for about five minutes before realising that I had past a certain hallway twice in a row. Or was it four times?

But even with the detailed instructions from the guards, I kept on getting the feeling that I was going to be late--- and very lost. The latter became true, as the realisation slowly dawned itself upon me after asking the same guard the same question some five minutes ago. Was I walking around in circles? The guard certainly thought so. He clicked his tongue at me when he saw my mug, and looked like he was about to scream in my face if I dared to ask him for directions to the royal gardens again.

There were no clocks hanging around the castle's walls, so it was next to impossible to know how much time I had left before the meet-up with Luna. I didn't had my watch with me, either, so that didn't help much to improve the situation, too. I would've asked for the time from the guards, but, I decided against it.

As I made my way down yet another familiar looking hallway for what I believed could've been the third time in a row, I spotted Sword and Shield at the far end of the hall. They were both carrying buckets of soapy water on their sides and they were both armed with wooden mops and old rags. Luna wasn't kidding when she told me that cleaning every single hallway in Canterlot Castle wasn't going to be easy; it's nearly midnight and they're still at it!

Sword looked up at me as I approached the both of them, a brown rag hanging around his neck. He wiped his brow with his hoof and let out a tired sigh. I waved at him as I got closer. He gave Shield a nudge on the elbow to get her attention and pointed at me with a dirty hoof.

"Aren't you guys finished yet?" I asked. Shield turned around to glance at me. I tried to greet her with a wave but she quickly looked away before I could do anything.

Sword shook his head at me. "We're only left with this one, thank Celestia." he said with a happy but exhausted tone. "After we're done, I'm never touching a mop ever again. My body is aching all over, my hooves smell of soap and floor wax, and I feel like my eyelids just might shut themselves at any given second."

"I never knew that there will be that many hallways."

"Neither did I." said Sword, giving his body a stretch. "I never really cared, to be honest." he sighed. "Wish I did."

"Did Luna came down to check on you guys like she said she would?"

Sword shook his head. "Never saw the princess herself--- but she did send her guards to check up on our progress."

"The entire time?"

"Just every few hours or so." Sword replied. "In fact---" he jabbed his hoof behind his shoulder. "---that's one of them right there."

My eyes followed where his hoof was pointing and, sure enough, one of Luna's guard was there standing... guard. I was surprised that I never even noticed the guard's presence before. It was as if the guard was never there to begin with. Even though the hallway I was in was pretty well lit, Luna's guard would have remain invisible to me if it were not for Sword.

"He's been hiding there for the past hour now." said Sword with a roll of his eyes. "Been keeping his eyes glued onto our backs ever since he arrived, as if he's scared we might suddenly drop our mops and disappear without a trace." He scoffed.

I stared at the guard as Sword talked. His yellow eyes with slit pupils were exactly like Grim's. This guard eyes, however, had neither the warmth or cheekiness found within Grim's. His looked deadly, alert, and extremely dangerous.

The guard's eyes suddenly shifted and I found myself having an unscheduled stare-off competition with him. Goosebumps instantly surrounded my entire body when his eye's pierced mine, and I had the unyielding feeling that he doesn't like me at all. Not one bit.

"Where are you headed at this hour, anyway?" Sword asked, staring at me curiously, leaning on his mop. "Isn't it pretty late to be out for a walk? Unless, you're doing it because it's a tradition or ritual you humans perform back in your world."

Coming back to my senses, I laughed at Sword's comment, dropping my stare and thoughts of Luna's staring guard. "No, Sword. There ain't any ritual of the sort. Besides, taking a walk in the middle of the night isn't exactly the sort of thing most humans would do." Which is true, mind you. Especially where I come from. Going out in the middle of the night would and always mean either two things: Either because of your job, or, because it's for your job. If you catch my meaning.

Sword just stared at me, his face giving away his confusion. "I'm headed for the royal gardens, actually." I said quickly. "Princess Luna wishes to speak with me."

Sword's eyes widened. "The princess is looking for you?" Shield turned around to look at us.

I nodded my head. "Yeah. I think she wants to have a chat with me." Seeing that I had a chance, I tried giving Shield a little wave, but she quickly turned back around and continued with her mopping. Right there and then it became rather clear to me that she was avoiding me on purpose. Was she mad for what I did? Could be. I mean, I would. Considering.

"A chat with the princess?" Sword said with an astonished gasp. "Why?"

I shrugged back at him. "Heck if I know." I would also like to know why. I was practically dying from curiosity. "Guess I will find out when I see her."

"You hear that, Shield? He's off to have a chat with the princess!" Sword gave Shield a hard nudge on the side--- which made her jump--- which also made her drop her mop with a loud THACK! onto the marble floor. "Sorry about that, partner." he apologised with a sheepish grin.

Shield just gave Sword an annoyed look before bending down to grab her fallen tool. I instantly moved forward, as I wanted to give her a hand--- and maybe to also give myself an excuse to talk to her face to face.

But so eager was I in wanting to help Shield I nearly snatched the mop right off her hooves. I reached for the mop so fast out heads bumped into each other on my way down. Turns out even without her helmet, a pony's head can be nearly as solid and hard as stone. Or perhaps like steel?

I cursed silently as my head throbbed from the impact. The mop that was in my grip fell back once more onto the floor. Blinking my eyes, I looked up, wanting to apologise, and saw Shield's own eyes staring right back at me. I'm not even talking like at a proper staring distance; we were so close to each other my nose was literally touching the tip of her muzzle.

"Hi." I said awkwardly. At the time, that was the first and only thing that came into my mind. I wanted to back off, to put myself in a more suitable distance, but, strangely enough, I wasn't able to. It was like she was a magnet, and I was a piece of iron that was easily attracted to her.

Shield blushed, which caught me by surprise, considering how she seemed to deliberately ignore my first two attempts at saying hello. Before I could say anything else, she pulled herself back, picked up the mop that was next to me, and hastily turned her body away from me. I was disappointed at first, as I thought I may have been wrong to think that that brief moment we had could be like a small step forward in the proper direction.

That was, of course, until she suddenly stopped to glance back at me.

With her mop in hoof and her red ponytail mane resting behind her neck, Shield gave me a tiny smile before uttering very softly:

"Hello."

She's adorable.

Sword seemed to be irritated by everything that had transpired, for he kept on poking me on the shoulder during the duration of which my eyes rested on Shield's retreating back. I stood back up, dusted my knees and looked at Sword with a furrowed brow.

"What." I said irritably, looking at him in the eye.

"Aren't you supposed to be somewhere?" Sword said with his eyebrows raised.

That was when I slapped my forehead with the force and strength of a speeding elephant. "Crap! You're right!" My eyes darted around the hallway, but quickly stopped as I remembered there weren't any clocks around to tell me the time.

"Er...any chance you have a watch with you?"

* * * * * *

I wondered if stupidity was inherited or obtained. The reason why I was asking myself that question was because I was late for the date. Like by ten minutes. How did I not realise my lateness was beyond me.

Some of you might be thinking "Oh, it's only ten minutes--- it's not like the world's going to end!" or something closely resembling that sentence. But, let me tell you, it is never wise to leave a lady waiting. Especially if that lady's an alien (pony, in this case) princess that can kill you with sheer intimidation alone.

Fortunately for me, Sword was there to point me in the correct direction. I was even more fortunate than I was before because as it turns out, the royal gardens was just right at the end of the hall I found Sword and Shield in.

One could only imagine how dumb a person must be to have not notice that sooner. Then again, it wasn't as if the entrance to the royal gardens was adorned with pressed flowers and neon signs saying "Royal Gardens This Way!".

There were no guards standing at the doorway. Which was surprising, considering that almost every other door in the castle I've passed will at least have a single guard. I stepped into the gardens, expecting to see at least one of Luna's guards on the other end of the doors, but, there were none to prove me right.

The royal gardens really stood up to its name. Describing the place as simply being beautiful would be a grand understatement, and a mockery. It was magnificent, mesmerising, and marvellous.

What instantly caught me off guard were the flowers. Flowers of every kind were planted there. Flowers which, strangely enough, can be found back on Earth as well. I may not be a botanist, but there were a few flowers which I could recognise: Baby’s Breath, Bleeding Hearts, Cornflowers, Irises, Lilacs, Roses, Tulips, and Windflowers, just to name a few.

There were no walls surrounding the gardens, just neatly trimmed hedges which only reached up to my elbows. Marble benches and chairs can be found every few feet or so inside the gardens, which would be useful in case your legs get tired. There were small square tables too, which were also made of marble. Probably for the ponies to play chess?

As I went deeper into the gardens, I scanned around the area to see if I could spot Luna. The royal gardens was huge. Huger than what I expected. But since I could see the door which I came in from, I wasn't worried of getting lost. In the distance, I spotted a rotunda which I guessed was sitting directly in the middle of the entire garden. Setting that as a point of interest, I made it my goal to reach there.

I stared up into the open sky above me, where I was greeted by countless stars, shining brightly in the night's sky. The moon was full that night, and its glow plus the stars were more than enough to illuminate the gardens. And my path. Though it was past midnight, I felt very warm and fuzzy, like I was wrapped up in a blanket that just came out the dryer.

The flowers that decorated the gardens were getting fewer and fewer as I got closer and closer towards the rotunda. A large variety of hedge sculptures took their place instead: there were the usual ones like circles, and squares, and triangles. Then there were the weird ones where a bunch of shapes get mashed together, creating puzzling and distasteful objects which somehow managed to get called "Art".

There were sculptures of ponies as well, mostly in the form of the princesses they worship. Some depicted them as standing figures of gracefulness and beauty, while others portrayed them with their wings spread wide open, probably meant to describe them as powerful and unstoppable. Kinda unsettling, now that I think about it.

As I passed the hedge sculptures and ever more closer towards the rotunda, marble statues invaded the vista; these statues were no joke, some stood at eight to nine feet tall, including their respective plinths. Each of them were carved with such care and detail I just had to stop and stare at a few of them with my mouth wide open.

The statues were the regular ones one would find in a royal garden (I guess). There were a few which were just plain old ponies, without the manes and tails, bald and naked. Then there were carved statues of the royal guards; these were carved with extreme detail; from the armour they wear, to the sharp, vigilant eyes they possess. It almost felt like I was staring at the real live ones standing in the castle.

I never really was a fan of statues, the last one I remember seeing way back when was just a huge naked dude with his genitals hanging. You could say I never really knew how to appreciate them. But the statues in the royal gardens--- they showcased a certain beauty to it. I cannot really explain the feeling--- they just kinda leave you in awe.

But the one statue that really caught my eye was the one standing directly in front of the rotunda. Eighteen feet tall, and wider than two of any of the other statues combined, it was clearly the main statue inside the gardens. The main attraction you might say.

It was a statue of the two royal princesses, Celestia and Luna. They stood side by side on top of their plinth, their wings outstretched, with their rocky heads staring skywards at different directions; Celestia's head was pointed towards the east, while Luna's was at the west. Whatever significance it was meant to show or tell me, I can't really say. Like I said--- I just don't get statues.

But the statue was breathtaking, nevertheless. Though colourless and dull, the attention to detail never failed to amaze me. These ponies really know how to create works of art. Using nothing but their hooves! And tools of course.

Underneath the princesses stony hooves, plastered on the front side of the plinth was a gold plaque:

Princess Celestia & Princess Luna
Rulers of Equestria
Bringers of the Sun and Moon
Guardians of the Kingdom
Advocates of Peace
May They Live Long and Prosper

I rubbed my eyes, as the last part reminded me of something familiar. But just as I was about to re-read the plaque, someone interrupted me.

"You're late!"

It was Grim. She approached me from behind the statue, glaring at me with a disapproving look. She must've noticed me staring at the statue from the rotunda.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, standing back up straight.

"My job." Grim said, rolling her eyes, as if the answer couldn't be anymore obvious than it already was. "You were supposed to be here ten minutes ago!"

"I got lost."

Grim smacked her forehead. "Really?"

I nodded my head. "Yup." I tilted my head to look behind her. "Is she mad?"

"I don't know." Grim said, nervously looking behind her. "I can't really tell what her highness is thinking at times. And I'm supposed to be her personal guard!"

"I'm pretty sure we'll know if she's mad."

"Never mind that, come on! We've wasted enough time standing here!"

Grabbing me by the hand, Grim pulled me, escorting me towards the rotunda like a mother and her child.

"I guess it was luck that brought me to the rotunda." I said as we headed for the building. Grim turned around to look at me.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, no one told me where to meet up. I just made a shot in the dark and decided to head this way."

Grim suddenly stopped in her tracks, again, slapping her forehead as she does so. "Oh, shoot! I totally forgot to tell you about that."

"You what?"

"It's all your fault you made me forgot about it!" she cried, giving me a frown.

"Me? What did I do?" I immediately cracked my brain to figure out when and what I did to make Grim forget such an important information. Do you know how much time I would have saved if she told me about the exact meeting place earlier? If I knew about this earlier, I wouldn't have been walking around staring at flowers and statues.

"It's must be because of this morning!" she said. Even under the moonlight, I could tell she was blushing.

"This morning?" I repeated, looking her in the eye. "What happened this morn--- oh." Oh indeed. "I...uh...I-I see what you mean."

We stood there in silence for a while. "Well, you were the one who wanted it in the first place." I argued. "It's not my fault you got lost in the...er... heatof the moment."

Grim said nothing and continued walking, her hoof still pulling on to my hand. "I liked it." she whispered, the words barely reaching my ears.

"Oh." was the only thing I could say.

"Anyway!" she said. "What's in the past, stays in the past, right?" she glanced at me. "You wouldn't mind not mentioning this to the princess, right?" she asked hopefully. "We wouldn't want her highness to know that I accidentally forgot to tell you where to find her, right?"

I stared at her. "Why? Are you afraid of eating something nasty again?"

"I am!" she cried. "But..." she gave me a small smile. "At least I know you'd be there to save me."

"No." I said bluntly. "Never again."

"But...you promised!"

"I most certainly did not!"

We continued arguing all the way towards the rotunda. I gave the rotunda a look as we stopped in front of it. The building was large, but only large enough for maybe five to six people. Five tall marble columns supported the dome that was atop it. On the tip of the dome, stood a small statue of a winged horse (yes, yes I know it is most definitely a pony, or pegasus or whatever it is you call them).

The whole structure was made of white marble, and it shined with such radiance under the moon and stars it looked like as if someone just finished waxing the whole place moments ago. I couldn't clearly see the interior of the rotunda just then, but I could see that it was illuminated from the inside with candle lamps, hung on the side of each available column.

Grim gave me a nudge with her head. I did not even realised she had let go of my hand and gotten behind me.

"Get in there, Ron!" she said, nudging me even more. "Do not keep her highness waiting!"

Allowing myself to be pushed, I stepped into the rotunda, looking around me as I did. The first thing I did was to scan for Luna, which really wasn't all that hard. For she was just standing directly in front of me, glaring at me with a frown on her face.

"You're late."

Author's Note:

That was the next chapter folks! I tried using a more different writing method for this chapter. I wanted to see how this style fairs compared to the one I'm normally used to. Hope you folks find it much more tolerable!

Comments

[Fw 190-A8]

It is Better.

[Fluffy-Boi]

Nice. It was worth the wait

[HIEfan]

Next time Princess it would perhaps be for the best if you were to tell one of your subjects to simply fetch the human with a poor sense of direction for you.

[Silentwoodfire]

I suspect that even if he left a hour or so early he still wouldve been late.

[Teslakana]

7731545 Fixed it.

[Zepher]

7581310 in his defense, he is unfamiliar with the lay out of the castle and he wasn't told exactly where in the garden to meet her.

[Scarce]

oh no. OH NO! NOOOO

[Thunder--Clash]

I loved reading this story it was a fantastic read, I hope that more will come out soon because, as I said, I REALY loved reading it

[TheDullKnight]

Can't wait for the next one

[Marmo]

fic dead or are there possibilities around that you are going to continue it? (seems like a good read)