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Dream of Sanity1,371 words
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Awaken to Friends

Awaken to 'Friends'
Lunar Reaper

Styx, Royal Protecter of the Moon glanced at his charge for a moment before haphazardly waving a clawed hoof infront of her face. The denizens of the room remained silent as he did so, The Princess of the Sun raising an eyebrow at him her face betraying no emotion. Luna had entered the room and had promptly frozen her eyes staring glassily ahead at some unknown horror. To say he was worried was an understatement, he was terrified that she would have a relapse infront of the entire room and start breaking shit.

He waved his hoof oncemore infront of her face before shuddering slightly, it had taken 11 guards to take her down last time while the other 5 held their spears to his neck (He may or may not have decked 4 of theirs before they subdued him, Luna had taken down more). Styx raised a claw to his chin sitting his flanks on the ground. Luna was a strange charge she barely even noticed his presence half the time and spent a fair amount of herself or someone she called 'Dream', whom he assumed was rather young from the way his Lady talked to her. The doctor called her an illusion but Luna seemed conivnced otherwise and Styx honestly didn't know what to think.

The way Luna spoke in a hushed tone to 'her' seemed far too similar to how he spoke to his first foal, barely holding it together and trying to do what was best for the foal. It was errie to say the least and made him doubt the good doctors words. Not that he would say that outloud though, it would probably gain the Princess of the Moons friendship but get him demoted at the same time. He had far too much to worry about to deal with a demotion at this time, so he would hold his tongue for the time being.

Styx snapped a claw infront of the princesses face, her ears twitched recognising the sound. Her eyes shut and then slowly opened staring at him blankly before a faint spark of recognition lit her face. Her eyes narrowed and she leaned in close to his ear speaking in a hushed tone.

"Tell me guardsman Styx did'st we enter the realm of unreality oncemore", Luna whispered in Thestrai, a gruff language used by the inhabitants of The Underground Thestral Empire. The Moon Princess stared at him expectantly before he gave a stiff nod to his charge, her eyes seemed to narrow further as she glanced at the other ponies in the room.

"How long Styx?" Luna growled in his home tongue. Styx didn't move, his eyes flickered to the clock on the far wall and at that moment he wondered if getting torn apart by an angry goddess was a good way to go.

"12 Minutes m'lady" His voice came out in a faint whisper, his posture slouched as he waited for her to start yelling... But she didn't her ears flicked backwards as if listening to something behind her before returning to their rightful place. Her eyes softened as she gazed at him with a spark of something in her eye.

"Thank you for thine help loyal guardsman, return to thine place at our side and stop slouching" She rolled her eyes at him a hint of a smile on her face "Tis rude to slouch in the presence of royalty".

Styx froze staring at his monarch as though she had gained a second head, The princess of the moon was unstable and often rude to Celestial guards. And given that the Lunar Guard had not been re-established yet left him as one of the few Thestrals currently in the royal guard and therefore the Celestial Guard. Princess Luna did not joke and he had only ever seen her smile on a sparse few occasions but he tried not to think about it too much as marched over to his position.

Thinking of such strange things was for professionals not Corporal's who followed presumed mad ponies was the conclusion he came too as he reached his designated position (About 3 meters away from the princess his back to a marble column). Where apon sitting on his haunches he sighed quietly and straightened his back, eyes focussed on the peculiar princess, clawed gauntlets ready for any dangers... Not that there ever was any danger.

In the length of time he had been here nothing, bar the lunar princesses return had happened that was remotely interesting. Perhaps a thief would attempt to get past the outer wall only to be stopped by magical wards before being dragged off or some teens would try and graffiti a nearby monument and they would be sent to scare them away. Cleanup work thats all it was, they were golden armoured janitors.

He rolled his eyes to himself and concentrated on his charge who had lost her happy composure for a more dour one. It seemed as though a noble at the table had crushed the princesses good mood with a thoughtless comment, this was not unusual at the weekly celestial dinner. And not unexpected either, in fact Styx was surprised that it hadn't happened earlier or perhaps it did and he missed it.

Either way Luna was in a dour mood and therefore close to the edge of erupting. Though as he observed her further she seemed to be distracted from the nobles glancing between her hooves at nothing whilst whispering in Thestrai... Perhaps a series of death threats was his first thoughts but he quickly dismissed it... Death threats rarely came out softly or quietly in Thestrai, it was a rather loud (and somewhat crude in other nations eyes) language. The way she spoke niggled at his mind with its familiarity but he simply shook his head and listened intently for foul words of the nobles to distract himself from niggling thoughts.

He closed his eyes and began to use his acute hearing to find an interesting conversation to take his mind off the moon princess. But in a room full of about 30 or so leeches you'll find it hard to find anything that isn't a plot, scheme, proposal or veiled insult. And so what he found was a room focused on a different goddess then usual.

"I hear she talks to ghosts or something like that..."

"... I do love her colouration such a shame she isn't very outgoing"

"Who does she think she is wandering in on one of Celestia's functions..."

"Is this who they call the madmare of Canterlot?"

"I hear she kicked the shit outta that pink alicorn and thats why she ain't here"

"I hear she's part bat like her bodyguard do you think she drinks blood?"

"Ugghhh part bat if she's a bleedin bat she should be underground with the rest of them..."

"A bat princess! No wonder she got sent to the moon damned useless batponies"

Styx held back a glower whilst Luna growled throatily and suddenly the room was quiet. Celestia put on a rather forced looking smile as she turned her gaze to her sister, who had oncemore glanced down at her hoove mumbling sweet nothings in Thestrai.

"Sister is something the matter?" The motherly tone screamed 'Don't do anything dumb' but Luna being who she was ignored it completely and instead clicked her tongue in a very particular way. Many who aren't Thestrals could see this as a simple defiant gesture and noise used to annoy others but to Styx it was a command that said 'Stand Before Me'. His luck had changed it seemed the moon goddess wasn't going to kill him but given how the sun goddess was flickering between the two of them he could safetly say that he may be ash as soon as he took that first step.

The Celestial Dinner was a weekly event where the Sun Goddess would gather a bunch of nobles, dignitaries or business giants to discuss various key things, the invites were sent out specifically every week to ensure she got the chance to talk with as many ponies as possible. Usually Princess Cadance and Prince Blueblood would attend but neither were available this week. It was a tradition by now that she would listen politely and comment when needed slowly guiding those at her table to a conclusion to a problem she had long since solved. Luna wasn't one for guiding or her sisters subtlety's, she was brash and opinionated.

Styx took the first step towards the princess and then another each step becoming easier with the addition of another until finally he was at her side with the entire room staring at him. He gulped nervously "What is your command my princess?" glancing at her now steely blue eyes clouded with a very violent rage and then she did something unexpected... She smiled.

"Useless aye?" Luna lifts herself from her seat "tis that what the peons and plebs of this world think of this noble race" some recoil at being called out other glower from the insult, Celestia nods to her guards glaring at Styx whilst still keeping the motherly smile. Luna had the entire rooms attention oncemore but this time they were not whispering harsh words or hairbrained schemes, they were inching towards the exit away from a wrathful goddess. Styx shivered as her eyes turned back to him.

"I would rather one of these monsters over a hundred of the filth that call themselves soldiers and nobles" She snarls before making another rythmed click the command 'Stand Ready' flashing into the young Thestrals mind. Styx was on autopilot his body lowered and his clawed hoof grasping the short sword upon his back, years of training prepared him for the fight to come and with over a thousand years of habits and instincts to guide his blade into any tiny chink in his enemies armor.

The guards where inching foreward, while the nobles where slowly slipping from their seats and two living goddesses where giving each other baleful looks all while Dr Tune observed with a keen interest. His gaze flickering between the soldier and the princess whose fangs where beginning to show.

"Luna that is enough if your just going to insult a room full of decent ponies I see no reason for you being here" The words came out frostly as she donned her 'motherly' mask once more talking as she would to a foal. Luna visibly recoiled and Styx shuddered, he swore he could hear a little whimper come from somewhere. And then her eyes turned on him she didn't say anything but motioned to the door leading to the captains quarters.

Styx knew what was coming next as he walked through that door, Luna tracked his movement with keen interest until he reached the door before turning to her sister with a mixture of rage, confusion and guilt in her eyes

"Do not threat I will help thou and you keep in mind that thou must not leave him." The princess whispered to herself just loud enough for him to hear. Styx didn't know who she was talking too and honestly from his perspective it wouldn't be his problem much longer

He sighed before following the other guards to what surely was his certain doom, looking back for a second he caught a heavy intake of breath from both sisters now that the nobles had finally fled the room... something bad was going to happen. And what happened next between the two sisters did indeed make the paper the next morning.

Author's Note:

Not Dead and not very happy with how this turned out but I've spent far too much time on this and with all the distractions and slight style changes... and rewrites I can't ponder this chapter much longer. There is a story to be told and I will get this from my head into a word document.

So Anyway...
Trophy Gained - An Ally? - Acknowledge your bodyguards existence!
Trophy Gained - The Filth of this World - Meet the Nobility!
Trophy Gained - Sibling Spat - Make your sister angry!

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