Chapter 5: Of hangovers and half-avains
In the middle of the dark night, Princess Luna slept peacefully. Dreaming of happier times and of her wildest fantasies.
Suddenly, a chill overcame the princess as she began to toss and turn in her sleep. Gone were her fantasies and happy illusions. They were replaced by nightmares of her imagination and the re-living of several horrible moments in her past.
Several of these hellish visions concerned a unicorn mare. All of which tormented and pained her to no end. This mare’s predicament affected Luna greatly, as she directed her anger, frustration, and confusion at Luna.
“How could you do this to me!?” The unicorn mare screamed.
Unable to compose a response, Luna sat there silently while looking upon the pitiful creature.
“Why!? Why!? Wasn’t that what you wanted? Isn’t it enough to show you my loyalty!?”
Again, Luna remained motionless.
The unicorn’s tone changed now, to one of intense anger and hatred.
“I hate you! You shall burn for what you have done! You are nothing but a monster!”
Tears began to form in Luna’s eyes as the insults were hurled at her.
“Mark my words and heed them well! I will have my revenge upon you, and I will repay you tenfold of my suffering! No matter if it takes a millennia, I will be waiting for you. I will have my revenge, and I will make you suffer dearly!”
Luna awoke with a start, a cold sweat running down her body. Breathing rapidly, she checked around her room, searching for any signs of danger. Finding none, she calmed down somewhat and laid back down on her bed. Sighing, Luna contemplated her visions and nightmares.
“It seems that no matter how long or fast I run, my fears and nightmares always catch up with me. At least I can finally nail the coffin shut on one of these anyway.” Luna finished as she wrapped herself back up in her covers, drifting back into sleep.
The rest of her sleep was void of dreams or visions, but the emotions from the previous dream lingered. Fitfully, she tossed and turned as the unicorn’s last statements rang in her mind one last time. “No matter if it takes a millennia… I will have my revenge!... I will make you suffer dearly!”
The next morning, Luna was awoken by an argument outside her bedroom doors.
“Make way you Lunar scum!” A loud and pompous voice called out. No doubt belonging to some officer born into nobility and thinking he was entitled to everything, Luna thought.
The sound of spears crossing sounded as her two Lunar Guards did so outside.
“I said move!” The officer shouted again. “As an officer I command you!”
Luna chuckled to herself as she heard him say this. While none of her current soldiers held a higher rank than Sargeant, she explicitly ordered them to disregard orders given to them from anypony other than Thunderbuck or herself. This pompous snob of an officer was no exception.
“No can do.” One of the Lunar Guards responded.
“Why not!?”
“Orders.”
“From who!?”
“The Lunar Princess herself.” Her other guard chimed in.
“When was that? Days ago? This is now, and I’m demanding you to step aside!”
“We don’t take orders from you or your lot.” The first guard responded coolly.
“This is an outrage! You will grant us access or we will force our way in!”
“Try it.” The second guard stated. “Just don’t cry when we hand you and your subordinates your flanks back to you. That would be embarrassing of an elitist snob such as yourself in your position.”
“How dare you!” The officer screamed, becoming incensed. “You shall pay for that!”
“What is all the commotion?” A soft and gentle, but firm voice that Luna instantly recognized as her sister spoke. “I would like to know what all of the fuss is about, since it is probably disturbing my sister.”
“My dear Princess,” The officer started, all anger in his voice replaced by disciplined grace. “We came here to allow you access to your sister’s chamber as you requested. But these ruffians dare to impune us of our duty and you of your access.”
“Oh, Is that so? I see two Lunar Guards doing their job, following their orders.”
“But your highness... they won’t stand aside...”
“Did you ask them?”
“I ordered them, but they would not listen.”
“Therein lies your problem. They have been ordered to only obey their own superiors, not even I have command over them.”
The officer gasped upon hearing Celestia say such a thing. “They will not obey you!? But you are the ruler of Equestria! Surely you hold some sway over them!”
“Co-ruler.” Celestia corrected firmly. “And no, I have no sway over them at all. The best we can do is ask them for access, and hope their orders allow it.”
Celestia turned to the two Lunar Guards and addressed them. “Good morning sirs, I trust you both are doing well?”
“Indeed we are, Princess.” The first responded.
“Does the same bid for you Princess?” The second one asked.
“It does, thank you for asking. May I have the ability to visit my sister at the present time?”
The two guards looked at each other, nodded, and uncrossed their spears. “Of course your majesty, go right on in. We shall alert Princess Luna of your arrival.” The first one spoke as he pulled on a rope next to the door, ringing a small bell on the inside of the room. It’s purpose to let Luna know that a visitor was about to enter.
“Thank you.” Celestia said as she walked between the two guards and slipped through the doors alone.
The guards crossed their spears again as the officer tried to follow Celestia. “Not you. Only Princess Celestia is allowed to enter. You and you troops will wait out here.”
The officer began fuming again as Celestia closed the double doors behind her. The sight of Luna’s room made the mess in her throne room a day ago look like foal’s play. It looked like Discord had escaped and ravaged the entire room and left nothing undisturbed or askew.
Boxes, wrappers, and bottles of various alcohol brands and types littered the room. Paintings hung on the wall had either fallen to the floor or were dangling precariously. A dresser was tipped on its side, its contents scattered about the room. The bed was no different. A tangled mess of blankets and pillows covered with crumbs and candy wrappers, while a lone pony lay sprawled underneath the twisted mass.
Approaching the bed slowly, Celestia called out to her sister softly. “Luna, are you awake?”
“No.” A muffled voice from under a pillow responded.
Celestia sat on the edge of the bed and nudged her sister gently. “Come, the day is young and there is much to be done.”
“Why do you need me? The day is your realm, not mine.” Luna wearily spoke from under her pillow.
“Today is a very important day, and I’d like to have you at my side.”
“Bah!”
“The griffon ambassadors are arriving today, and I need your help.”
Luna shot upright, becoming rigid and shouting, “What!? The griffons are coming!?”
“Yes, and I’d appreciate it if you could be there with me. After all, this is the first time hosting guests of such importance since your return.”
Luna groaned as she rubbed her temple with her hooves, her head pounding from her killer hangover. “Why today? What’s wrong with tomorrow? I still need to recover from that wild night out last night.”
“Last night? Luna, that was the day before, you’ve been asleep for over thirty hours.”
“What?” Luna asked, confused. “I slept through a whole day?”
“Yes.”
“Crap.” Luna said as she flopped down on her pillow. “When are they set to arrive?”
“Within an hour.”
“Buck.” Luna blurted, before she could stop herself.
Laughing lightly, Celestia asked, “I trust you can be ready in that time?”
Letting out an exasperated sigh, Luna replied, “I suppose, I will meet you in the reception hall shortly.”
“Alright. I will see you later, Luna.” Celestia said as she exited the room.
Alone in her room, Luna lazily pulled herself off her bed and started to prepare for the meeting. All the while she talked to herself.
“Why? Why today of all days? Maybe it won’t be so bad, maybe they’ll have forgotten by now. After all, a thousand years is a long time.”
She swayed dizzily as she moved to her door.
“Curse this hangover, I hope it won’t bother me too much today.”
Luna ran down the castle hallway, racing towards the reception hall. She was late, late by 15 minutes to be precise. A migraine had developed on her way there, causing her to lessen her pace as she became much more sensitive to light and sound. That is, until she realized she was late.
The light in the hall was way too bright she thought. And the sound of her two guards trotting after her, made her head pound with what seemed to be an avalanche of sound. Gritting her teeth, Luna powered on through the pain in her skull. “This is a bad start to a bad day.” She mumbled to herself.
Shortly thereafter, Luna arrived at the doors to the reception hall. Six guards stood outside the doors, two Solar Guards and four griffons. The Solar Guards were leaning against the wall, conversing with each other, while the griffon guards were in a small circle chatting and doing tricks with their knives.
Upon seeing Luna, the two Solar Guards became silent and stood at attention. The griffons looked at her wide-eyed, as if struck. One of them even dropped his knife to the floor. Luna mentally cringed as the sound of metal hitting stone reverberated into her migraine afflicted mind. She gave a curt nod to the Solar Guards, and completely ignored the griffons. Her guards opened the doors for her and bowed while doing so. As soon as she passed through, they closed the doors behind her, giving her and Celestia privacy to deal with the griffon emissaries.
The room was rather plain and boring, not much adorned it. A few golden chandeliers hung from the ceiling, swaying above the ridiculously long table that occupied most of the room. Dozens of vacant chairs rested on both sides of the table. The table itself was covered with the finest tablecloth that could be bought, several pairs of silver candlesticks spaced every so often, and four sets of silverware placed in the center of the table, two on each side. The room was also very white, and much too bright in Luna’s migraine affected opinion.
Sitting at the the two silverware sets on the far side of the table were two griffons. The first one had bright blue plumage, similar to what a bluejay would look like. He wore a finely tailored vest ornamented with several ribbons and small medals. A monocle rested upon his right eye and a thin mustache above his beak.
The second looked like your average griffon, having brown and white plumage like an ordinary eagle. The only distinguishing feature about this creature was her mismatched eyes. One was red, the other a dark green. She wore a red and gold silk sash around her torso.
At the near side of the table sat her sister, Princess Celestia, and an empty chair. Presumably, it was for herself, and that assumption was indeed correct. The two griffons appeared displeased, and were vocalizing it to Celestia.
“Princess, please, we’ve wasted enough time waiting for this other representative. I demand that we proceed at once.” The blue griffon spoke.
“Yeah, quit stalling already. Let’s get this over with.” The female griffon added.
“Please, just wait a moment longer.” Celestia pleaded, her voice starting to show some strain. “She will be here shortly, I know she will.”
“That’s what you said fifteen minutes ago.” Retorted the female griffon. “Stop stalling and talk already!”
“Is that any way to address the ruler of a nation?” Luna chimed in, her voice stern and reverberating throughout the room.
Celestia whipped her head in the direction of Luna’s voice. “Luna! You’ve arrived!” She said as her expression and tone of voice turned into one of relief.
The same could not be said for the griffons however. The blue one looked terrified, his eyes wide as dinner plates. The sash wearing griffon was also surprised, her jaw dropping and a stupefied look glazing itself upon her features.
“Y-Y-Y-YOU!” The blue one screeched, pointing a talon at Luna.
“Yes, me.” Luna cooly replied.
“The Butcher of the Night…” The female griffon remarked in half fear, half awe.
Luna smiled upon hearing that remark. “Come now, that title is long outdated and inaccurate. I never butchered anypony.”
“You wanted to wage a war and genocide against us!” The female griffon screeched suddenly.
“I never stated such a thing.” Luna gracefully countered. “It was my underlings, who of their own volition, acted independently and came up with such a plan. I had nothing to do with it. As you know, all were dealt with and punished accordingly all those centuries ago. Take comfort in the fact they are all now long dead.”
Starting toward the chair beside her sister, Luna began taking slow deliberate steps. Not to intimidate, but rather to be sure of her own footing. With her head swimming from a hangover and a migraine, while standing in front of dignitaries from another country, it paid to be careful. Or at least Luna thought so, as she felt a bout of dizziness overcome her, then she slipped.
Putting her right foreleg down quickly, Luna managed to catch herself and avoid falling. Unfortunately, the momentum of the near fall was still carrying her forward. She teetered and tottered from side to side as she made for the chair at Celestia’s side. Reaching it, she grabbed it for stability as the room spun before her eyes. She suddenly felt nauseated, and closed her eyes, hoping the dizzy spell would pass.
A snicker from across the table painfully interrupted her attempted relaxation. Luna’s eyes snapped open and made eye contact with the offender, the female griffon. After giving an icy and deadly glare towards her, the griffon withered and hastily broke eye contact, much to Luna’s amusement.
“Luna, are you alright?” Celestia asked, a tone of concern lining her voice.
“I’m well enough, shall we proceed?” Luna said as she deliberately and slowly placed herself into her chair, disregarding the immense pain of her migraine and the room spinning dizziness.
“Why… yes.” The blue griffon said, calm now from the initial shock of Luna’s entrance. “Let us proceed.” He said as he adjusted his monocle. “The first order of business is—”
“The first order of business is giving us what is ours!” The female griffon yelled, slamming her fist on the table, forgetting her fear of Luna.
“Grenhilda! Contain yourself!” The blue griffon shouted at her. Turning to the two sisters, he said professionally, “I apologize for the behavior of my compatriot. She is a warrior, not a politician.”
Hearing this information, Luna could not help but give out a slight guffaw, before covering her mouth with her hoof. This Grenhilda, looked much too thin and frail to be a warrior in her mind’s eye.
“What’s so funny!?” Grenhilda shouted towards Luna.
Smiling, Luna said, “Nothing, please continue.” As she motioned with her hoof.
Glowering, Grenhilda continued in a calmer tone. “As Jayfeather was saying before I interrupted, we wish to claim what is rightfully ours.”
Celestia and Luna turned towards each other, sharing a confused glance, before turning back towards Jayfeather and Grenhilda.
“I’m sorry,” Celestia said. “What is it that you claim is rightfully yours?”
“The last two islands of the Whimsical Archipelago.”
At this, Luna lost it. She began laughing uncontrollably as the other three inhabitants of the room stared at her strangely.
“I’m not much for jokes, but that is a good one!” Luna said as she wiped away a tear of laughter. Calming slightly, she continued in a more serious tone. “The Whimsical Islands have always been under the domain of Equestria, saying you demand the last two would insinuate that you had obtained the rest of them.”
Three pairs of eyes stared back at her, being serious and sincere.
“What? Oh for the love of… Celestia, did you…?”
Celestia fidgeted nervously as her sister looked at her, unable to make eye contact.
“I’m sorry Luna…” Celestia muttered pitifully.
Groaning, Luna rubbed her temple with her right hoof.
This really is a bad day. She thought as her migraine intensified.
“May I see the documents that resulted in our country losing the majority of the Whimsical Archipelago?” Luna asked, hiding her mental discomfort.
With a small poof, a huge stack of treaties and documents appeared in front of her, summoned by Celestia. Upon seeing how large it was, Luna wondered how many deals Celestia made with the griffons, with the most probably being a loss for Equestria.
As she flipped through them and skimmed their contents, Luna’s frown gradually increased. Seeing what these treaties were about, such as; military reduction, resource sharing, reparation for ludicrous claims, giving of land and resources, and what were basically appeasements or extortions, angered Luna greatly. She could not believe her sister would agree to these rubbish documents, but Celestia’s ornate and flowing signature at the end of each document was proof enough.
Finished with the stack, Luna took a deep breath. “Where’s the rest?” She asked emotionlessly.
“The rest of what, Luna?” Celestia asked, fearing the impending reply.
“The rest of the treaties you made with the griffons over the past one-thousand years.”
Giving a sigh of defeat, Celestia summoned several more stacks of documents of a similar or larger size than that of the first one. Skimming through those, Luna saw much more of the same. Either the griffons demanded Equestrian military reduction, monetary or resource payments for so called “restitutions” or “reparations”, or the forfeiting of territory.
Finished with this mountain of paperwork, Luna began to converse with Celestia telepathically.
“I was wrong.” Luna flatly said.
“About what?” Celestia timidly asked.
“You! I foalishly thought you handled everything perfectly while I was gone, fat chance of that.”
“I did what I could.” Celestia replied, becoming defensive rather quickly.
“You sure did! You rolled out the welcome mat and said: Step all over me! Great going.”
“Hay! You wouldn’t know anything about the talks, they threatened war!”
“Pfft. So? They’re across the ocean, they’d have to come to us. Not to mention that our army from that era would have been able to crush any attempt at an invasion. You knew that.”
“I didn’t want to risk anypony getting hurt…”
“Typical. You are such a marshmallow. Unwilling to take risks or make sacrifices. Do you remember all those years ago sister? How you basked in the love and admiration of our subjects? How you sat upon your cushioned throne, eating sweets and receiving all the credit and glory for making our country succeed?” Luna’s tone steadily grew angrier as she continued. Nightmare Moon began to re-emerge, pushing Luna to go on further.
“Luna, calm down!”
“While I worked my flank off, laying down all the groundwork for our country! Rebuilding our economic system, establishing the representative body, and raising one of the most respected and feared armies our world has ever known! I built up this country and you repay me by chopping it up and throwing it to those feline-assed bird-brains!”
“Luna!”
Finally sensing Nightmare Moon’s presence, Luna tried to force her back into her subconscious. “GET OUT OF MY HEAD!” She mentally shouted, before pushing her away and back into the depths of her mind.
“Are you okay!?” Celestia asked, frantic with worry.
“I’m fine.” Luna replied, calming down a good bit. “She keeps getting out… I can’t wait to be finally rid of her. Regardless, it’s time that we stood firm and showed some backbone. Equestria shall rise again, and I shall do all in my power to make sure it succeeds.”
“But how? I got us buried rather deep with the griffons, as you could see. I’m sorry, Luna, but you are right. I’ve become such a pushover after you left, I really wish that you were at my side all those years.”
“As do I, dear sister. But fret not, a revelation has made itself known to me. Perhaps we’re not as deep in this quagmire as you think.”
Exiting their mental discussion, the sisters found the two griffons talking amongst themselves as well. Luna cleared her throat, getting their attention.
“Pardon me, but where were we again?” Luna asked.
“Our claim on the Whimsical Archipelago.” Jayfeather replied.
“Oh, you mean this claim?” Luna said as she levitated the ancient piece of parchment in front of him.
After examining it for a moment, he nodded, and replied, “Yes, that agreement.”
“Well isn’t that curious… According to the last clause of the document, this document is now null and void?”
“What!?” Jayfeather shouted in disbelief.
“And since this clause is on every single treaty and document here… they are all null and void as well.” Luna continued.
“How!? That’s impossible!” Jayfeather screeched, making the glass in the room vibrate from the pitch of his voice.
“Oh but it is, I shall show you.” Luna said before clearing her throat. “And I quote; By signing forthwith, all leaders of both nations affirm that the terms set herein these documents shall be legally binding and accepted as law.”
“But the documents were signed! Celestia’s signature is right there, along with our past ruler’s on the other side.” Jayfeather huffed, “They are still legal and in effect.”
“Note how it is worded. It says ALL leaders of both nations, not to mention the blank line right under Celestia’s signature.”
“So what?” He countered nervously, starting to realize the implications of this revelation. “There was an extra space perhaps?”
“On every single document? Seems like a rather common and poor mistake then.” Luna said.
“Why do you dwell on this? It means nothing!” Jayfeather suddenly shouted, enraged.
“But it is significant. The second line wasn’t a mistake, it’s the place where my signature would have gone.”
Jayfeather suddenly stopped dead, fully comprehending what Luna was getting at. “No… you don’t mean…”
“I do. All of these agreements were made after my… placement... on the moon. As such, I was not here to emboss these agreements with my signature or seal. Hence, they were never truly legal. They were void the day you drew them up, and they have been up to today.” Luna finished with a grin.
Jayfeather sat there with jaw agape, opening and closing it soundlessly in shock. Grenhilda was also stunned by this, staring ahead blankly before shaking her head.
“Then sign them!” Grenhilda yelled. “We demand you ratify these agreements into law!” She shouted angrily, shaking her clenched talon in the air while leaning over the table.
Luna countered by spreading her wings to their full size while scowling, making her look rather intimidating. “You have no authority to demand such a thing! Mind your place and your company, griffon!” She shouted. A clap of thunder sounded, punctuating her last statement.
Grenhilda winced from the intensity of Luna’s countering and shrunk back. Meanwhile, Luna calmed herself and took a deep breath before she spoke again.
“I will not sign these offensive papers that you dare to call treaties. From this moment onwards, these pacts are null and void, and shan’t be recognized by Equestrian Law. All tribute to your country in any form shall be stopped immediately, as well as all military restrictions imposed on us being lifted. However, we shall let you keep the land you have illegitimately acquired, so as to avoid a potential war.”
With that, Luna used her magic to set fire to all of the documents, burning them to ashes.
“I hope you learned your lesson today, you two brutes. What would your mothers think, giving birth to such manipulating and deceiving griffons? I’m sure they’d be ashamed to learn of such a thing.”
The two griffons sat there fuming, angry expressions stuck on their faces.
“Now, is there anything else that you wished to discuss?” Luna finished with a sly grin.
Jayfeather and Grenhilda stormed out of the castle angrily, their four guards following closely behind. Ignoring the pony journalists and reporters, they stepped into their carriage and rode off towards the coast.
Shortly thereafter, Celestia herself emerged from the castle. The reporters and journalists swarmed her, bombarding her with questions as her guards barely held them back.
“Celestia! Why were the griffons angry!?”
“Have you finally shown backbone in dealing with them!?”
“Have they threatened war!?”
“What does this mean for Equestria!?”
Not wanting to deal with this, and seeing a perfect opportunity to rekindle somepony’s popularity, she said, “If you want to know what really happened, ask my sister. It was Luna who took the reins during this meeting, and righted some horrible wrongs.”
The crowd of news-ponies looked towards the castle entrance just as Luna emerged, her two guards in tow.
As one, the crowd of reporters and journalists left Celestia and descended upon Luna. Or rather, to be more precise, formed a circle around her with a yard or two of distance from her or her guards.
As their cameras flashed and the questions sailed through the air, Luna looked toward her sister for guidance. Celestia was nowhere to be seen, and she nervously swallowed as a sensation of dizziness and her migraine came back in full force. Closing her eyes to take a few breaths and calm herself, Luna prepared herself to address the press mob.
“One at a time, please.” Luna firmly stated to the crowd as they quieted down.
“What just happened?” A unicorn reporter asked, levitating a pen and pad next to him.
“We just had a meeting with representatives from the Griffon Empire. As you could tell, they did not like the outcome of our meeting.”
“And why is that?” A pegasus mare asked.
“I discovered a clause on all of the pacts made with the griffons over the past one-thousand years that made them all null and void.”
The mob gasped as one, shocked by this ground-breaking news.
“All of them!?”
“Every single one.”
“What does this mean for Equestria? Have the griffons threatened war?” A camera mare asked.
“It means we are free from griffon oppression and the rebuilding of our military will become a chief focus, as the ludicrous limitations imposed by the griffons has been lifted. And no, they did not threaten war.”
“Will Equestria try to reclaim the land that the griffons took from us?” An earth pony stallion asked.
“Not currently. It is my hope that we will try to negotiate for or purchase back our former holdings in the near future. We did not demand them to be returned by force, as we did not wish to start a war.”
“This will surely strain relationships between the two countries.” The unicorn reporter said. “What will you do to handle tense situations that could arise from this?”
“My sister and I shall do whatever we deem necessary to defend our subjects and our country. No matter what the cost may be.”
After stating this, Luna received a telepathic message from Celestia, telling her that was plenty if she wished to stop. Thinking that she had spoken enough, Luna executed her escape.
“I’m sorry, but I have no more time for questions. I must take my leave now.” Luna said as she turned to leave, entering the castle as the crowd went into a fervor, trying to ask more questions. Luna ignored them as the castle doors closed behind her, silencing the mob.
A light blue-purple pegasus laid asleep in his cot, snoring and twitching idly. That is, until his cot was turned on its side, spilling him onto the floor. He gave out a sudden cry, as did a few other nearby voices.
Thrashing his limbs about like an insect caught in a web, he somehow managed to throw off the blanket wrapped around him. Jumping upright, he assumed a fighting stance as he teetered, ignoring the horrible pain making itself known inside his head and the feeling of nausea.
Glancing about either side of him quickly, he took in his surroundings. Four of his comrades seemed to have been in the same predicament as him. All of them had assumed a fighting stance, as wobbly as they must have seemed.
“ATTENTION!” Somepony shouted nearby.
Deafened, he staggered and almost fell. When he looked back up, his fellow soldiers were facing toward him, standing at attention. Perplexed, he sat idly for a moment staring off into space, trying to figure out what was going on.
The voice shouted into his ear from behind. “I SAID ATTENTION, SARGEANT DARKFURY!”
The last shout cleared his mind somewhat, and something clicked. He remembered where he was and who he was.
DarkFury wheeled around, facing Colonel Thunderbuck only inches from his face, stomped his hooves, and assumed the salute of attention. Afterwhich, he shouted, “Sir, yes sir!”
“That’s better.” Thunderbuck said as he put some distance between himself and DarkFury. Turning to address all five of them, his face contorted with disgusted rage as he yelled at them.
“What the buck was that!?”
“Sir?” Coaldust questioned.
“That bucking spectacle that you five dumb-asses pulled two nights ago! And in Celestia’s bucking throneroom no less!”
All five soldiers sat for a moment, recalling their foggy and hazy memories of their outing. Upon remembering some of what they did, they froze in terror.
“Sir? That was two nights ago?” FireMane asked.
“That’s right numbnuts! You all slept through the past day like a bunch of fillies getting their beauty sleep. Did you get enough sleep cupcake!? Did I wake you up too roughly!? This may be the Royal Castle, but you’re not a bunch of princesses, and I’m sure as hell not your damn butler!”
Thunderbuck then began pacing in front of them.
“You are all in deep shit! You’d all be in even deeper, if not for the intervention of her majesty.”
“Princess Luna, Sir?” FireTail asked, still half-asleep.
“No! The other Princess of the Night who we’ve pledged our undying loyalty and admiration towards! Of course it’s Princess Luna!”
Feeling like an idiot, FireTail remained silent.
“Upon her explanation of what had transpired, I was ashamed to hear that you, professional soldiers of our great country, could do such a piss poor job of keeping your drunken antics to yourselves! Keep your drunkenness in line next time, or not even the Princess will be able to save your asses from my wrath!”
“Sir. Aren’t you going to punish us?” Frostburn asked nonchalantly.
“Thank you for bringing that up Corporal, I was just getting there.” Thunderbuck replied in a sarcastic tone. “If it were up to me, I’d have had all of you court-martialed and put in a very dark hole in the ground. However, due to the great generosity and benevolence of our Princess, you get off lightly this time. You will all be on permanent KP duty until further notice, as a punishment for soiling the reputation of our glorious division and its heritage. Consider yourselves lucky.”
Thunderbuck began to leave the barracks building, but nopony dared to break attention. Upon reaching the doorway, Thunderbuck said, “Princess Luna has summoned all current members of the 13th. I expect you all to be there in five minutes, in full gear. Dismissed!” He finished, leaving the five alone with themselves.
Finally allowed to rest from attention, they did so with groans of pain from their memories and hangovers. They quickly assembled their armor and donned it, along with their other gear.
While finishing with donning his equipment, DarkFury’s mind began to wander. It wandered back to two nights prior and to a particular memory in the bar. He remembered watching Luna win the drinking contest, remembered her sitting next to and talking with him, then remembered them kissing.
His face turned red upon remembering this moment, struck in awe as he actually kissed the Lunar Princess. He could not believe it, but he saw no reason to doubt that memory. He thought he must have been the luckiest stallion alive that night. That train of thought led him somewhere else, although it was still related. The abrupt cut-off of his memory after the kiss didn’t help his thought process either.
He was suddenly afraid as this train of thought reached its station. He was alone with Princess Luna at a bar, at night, while both of them were drunk, and they were kissing. His mind and pulse began to race frantically. Did they stop there? Or did they go further and get… more intimate?
“Oh no.” DarkFury said aloud, realizing the implications of the possible predicament he might have gotten himself into. “I kissed her, what if… what if it got more involved… what if we actually… Does she know? What if she can’t remember either… Oh no! No! No!” DarkFury shouted, noticing he was the only one in the barracks.
Sprinting out the door unsteadily and swaying, DarkFury’s mind reeled as he prayed that what he was thinking about didn’t happen those two nights ago.
“I need to talk to her… to ask her… Oh Goddess, please tell me we weren’t that stupid or foalish while we were drunk!”
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My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
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This just updated and it's already back in the feature box. suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/24768489/images/1368307977322.jpg
Most of th' chapter is italicized.
Grear chapter, but it looks like your italics broke their wall...
3669245
3669206
It is? oops.
I'll try to find and fix that now. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.
Oh I found an error, but I think you know what I'm gonna say
Just started following this and I gotta say I'm really loving it!
3671489 Thanks, I'm glad you're enjoying it!
I started today reading the Fanfic, ended today loving it! Great work!
omg This is an amazing story!!!!! Has just enough feels, laughs, and romance but doesn't take anyone direction to far... SUCH a satisfying read.Your Luna is perfect and just how I would imagine her. Please keep up the good work.
3674762 3675092 Thanks for the compliments, both of you. I'm glad you're enjoying the story and looking forward to more.
Hey an update!
3675157 I really love this story. PLEASE take your time. As much I wish you could fart out chapters like an a-10 warthog armed with a fic cannon I don't want you to feel rushed. Don't let others pressure you!!! You upload when you feel its ready.
3685714 Thank you.
I loved how Luna kicked Griffon butt.
3758807 Thank you.
I've received numerous comments from many different readers saying, and I quote, "Your story sounds/reads like a history book."
When I first heard that, I thought I was doing something wrong. I tried to change that, but I apparently failed as I kept receiving those kinds of comments. After trying to change my writing style, I said, "Screw it. People like how it is and that is how I write."
It's nice to know that some people actually like my writing style, however strange it may be. With that said, the first parts of my story are quite old (Save the prologue, as it was rewritten a couple of months ago). Don't be surprised if the style changes, as my writing may have gotten better/ changed a bit as I went down the road.
Again, thank you for your comment, and I hope you continue to enjoy my story.
3759177 So after reading the rest of what you have, I'm even more impressed!
I love what you have so far and look forward to seeing more 
Speaking of the future, is there a possible griffon war on the horizon? 
I promise to not tell
3759781 You'll have to wait and see.
Also, thanks for the favorite!
I love Luna and of how she deals with things.
How appropriate that I'm reading this and also taking a college course on Contract Law.
You have to read the WHOLE contract/clause.
avians
millennium (both times)
Sergeant (each time)
You don't seem to be using quotes with commas when proper.
impugn
your troops
saying this to a gryphon calling her a butcher, I'd think they'd call her out on it.
i remember thinking that there previous night out had all the warning signs of D.N.S( drunken one night stand) and thought this story is really good!