> Luna's personal guard
>  by Wonder
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> A surprising mare
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Please Tia, can I please have one? I promise I'll take care of it." Luna jumped on the spot while she begged her sister. Celestia rolled her eyes. She hadn't seen her sister this excited since she was a filly. It was just past five in the afternoon at Canterlot castle, and already Luna was up and about, pestering Celestia for the twelfth time this week. A surprising large number, seeing as it was only Tuesday.

"You already have enough guards, why would you need a personal guard." Celestia sighed. "I'm pretty sure you can make do without you're own personal guard."

"But everyone else has one. Blue Blood has one. So does Cadance. Even Fancy Pants has a personal guard and he isn't even royalty." Luna whined. "It's only fair that I get one."

"He doesn't have a personal guard, he has a body guard. There is a big difference." Celestia had explained this to her sister already but Luna was persistent, bordering on ignorant.

"This is so unfair. Why do you get one and not me?" 

Celestia rubbed the bridge of her muzzle. "Having a personal guard is a big responsibility. You have to train them, feed them and make sure they stay out of trouble. It's not an easy job." Celestia spoke from personal experience.

"What if I choose one from the royal guard? Then it won't have to be trained." Traditionally personal guards were raised to serve royalty. While not impossible in modern society, it was quite difficult to find a suitable candidate. It was rare for guards to raise their young in the military a century ago, now it was practically unheard of. Cadance herself had to break tradition in order to receive her guard.

"I... suppose, but-" Celestia had to admit, her sister had made a good point but that still didn't mean it was an easy job. 

"So I can get one!?" Luna's face lit up like a hearths warming tree. Celestia's face darkened. Perhaps that was a poor choice of words. Well, she couldn't back out now. Once Luna saw hesitation, she wouldn't stop until she had won.

"If you think you can take care of it and keep it out of trouble, then I guess there is no harm in it." Celestia smiled at her sister, but it was dwarfed by Luna's smile, which somehow continued past her face. Even Pinkie Pie would be envious of such a smile. 





Meanwhile in Ponyville, a bright pink baker bounced upside-down three times, barked like a fish and flopped onto the floor. The normally happy mare narrowed her eyes and glared towards where she assumed the camera was and glowed. "Challenge accepted."





Celestia almost fell over as Luna tackled her, gripping her sister in a vice-like hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She nuzzled her sister's neck affectionately. "Oh, thank you so much!"

"Luna, I need to b-breathe." Celestia wheezed, tapping Luna's shoulder to get her attention. Luna reluctantly let go of her sister before running off. 

"You won't regret this, sis!" Luna yelled over her shoulder before turning a corner.

"Why do I get the feeling that I will?" Celestia chuckled before walking off to the kitchens. She didn't know why but she suddenly had a craving for cake. She usually stayed away from such things. she didn't want to get fat after all. Well... there was that one time where she went a bit overboard but how was she supposed to know they was a cameramare spying on her? While Celestia's mind was elsewhere, Luna was galloping towards the royal guard barracks, her mind filled with the happiness of a thousand fillies. Finally, she would have her own personal guard.





The Canterlot barracks were pretty standard. It consisted of four rooms on the first floor and a large shared sleeping quarters on the second story. The front door opened into a large main room with a few tables scattered around the place. The tables were mainly used for card games and on occasion, dancing. Scattered around the foyer along the walls were a few weapon stands, but they were mostly for show. Since the barrack's foyer was technically open to the public, the weapons in the racks were ornamental. 

Left of the barrack's entry was a smaller room for storing personal belongings. In addition there was also a back room, adjacent to the front door, where ponies and batponies could... relieve themselves. Finally on the far right, there was another large room, though not as large as the main foyer, where all he enchanted armour and weapons where stored. The real stuff, not the fancy stuff like in the foyer. There was rarely any violence in Canterlot so most of the weapons were only used for training.

The barracks were full of batponies this time of day, ironically. Unlike the royal guard ponies, batponies tended to be more relaxed and favoured playing games and given the choice would play tag instead of standing guard. Around a few of the tables, groups of batponies were telling jokes and generally having a good time. Another way batponies differed from their guard pony equivalents, is the fact that they mostly consisted of mares, which means around certain times of the year, made it very dangerous to be a male guard, especially in the barracks. But that's another story for another time. 

Soon their shifts would start, so they had to be wide awake, even if that did mean losing a few hours of sleep. A few of the guards were already adorning their armour, signalling that it was time to begin another boring night, or so they thought. Even if they were fully awake, none of them would have been prepared for what happened next. It may have just been a case of terrible luck, actually it was more like the universe had decided to royally screw him, but Nightshade had chosen that particular day to sit at the table next to the barracks entrance. So when the front door exploded off it's hinges, along with part of the wall, he was flung across the room and right into the toilet. Not into the toilet room, I mean Right. Into. The toilet.

Many of the ponies near the door dived for cover, hoping to evade whatever had attacked the barracks. The batponies that were relaxing up until then flew in to action and got into their battle stances. The few guards that were in already armour drew their weapons, prepared to face whatever was brave enough to launch an assault on their barracks, only to find it was their boss who had caused the... mayhem seemed like an understatement. Many of the guards shared confused looks with each other, not sure what to think.

Without warning, Luna leaped onto on of the guards near the door, examining them all over, all the while grinning like a school filly. "Oh, who will I choose? Who will it be? This is going to be so much fun!" With each word, Luna was holding another batpony excitedly. One moment she was at the front door, next she was at the corner table, then off to another innocent batpony. Each one as surprised as the last that their princess was practically snuggling then. "Oh, you're cute." She said, pinching one mare's cheeks, who was blushing profusely.

Now, some may call it rotten luck, others may call it bad timing, but every single batpony in the barracks, and I mean every batpony, in the barracks called it divine intervention. It was as if Celestia herself had willed it. Don't get them wrong, Luna was their favourite princess, but this was just getting weird. But it was at that exact moment that Breeze decided to waltz into the room.

"Hey guys. What did I miss?" She only just finished her sentence when Princess Luna tackled her to the ground. Luna placed her hooves on Breeze's cheeks and looked over her entire body. "I'm flattered your highness, but it's a bit early for this isn't it?" She chuckled. The rest of the batponies facehoofed. Of course she would make  sex joke to the princess. Luna either didn't hear her, or was just ignoring her and continued to examine the mare which she was currently straddling. The scene actually looked extremely... compromising, to say the least. "Um, princess? You're kind of," She coughed, slightly embarrassed. "arousing me." Everypony offered her a silent prayer, hoping her death would be quick. Breeze could be unorthodox, even rude at times, but this was on a whole new level.

"You'll be perfect." Everyponies jaw hit the ground. 'What the hay is she talking about?!' was the thought that ran through most of their heads. Without another word Luna left, leaving over one-hundred and twenty batponies completely and utterly bewildered. Every single one of them was staring directly at Breeze wondering what had just happened, and Breeze in her finite wisdom decided to speak again. "You hear that!? I'm gonna get laid!" She was then tackled by over half of the mares there. Some in jealously, the rest just wanting to shut her up.

> A surprising night
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Breeze was patrolling one of the many streets of Canterlot, accompanied by one of her many fellow guards. They had just passed by Donut Joe's and Breeze wished that the shop of delectable treats was open in the early hours of the morning. Eight hours she had been on duty and for eight hours she had gone without eating. Why in Equestria did she skip breakfast?! 

Next to her, was her acquaintance Hidden Step. She had light blue hair and like most batponies, her fur was light grey. If you had to describe Step in one word, active would be the most appropriate. She would never stay still for more than a minutes. Even while she slept she was active. Sneaky, a batpony who had the habit of stalking her fellow guards, said she saw Step once while she was asleep and said it was like watching a clock. As the clock turned, so would she. She went to sleep upright and by midnight she would be upside down. Occasionally during her sleep she would even get snack and once she actually walked into another guards house and snuggled with Easy Night.

Step looked at breeze. "I kind of feel sorry for him, It's not like it was his fault he got blown down a toilet."

"How the hay did he even fit down the toilet? The hole it only a hoof wide, if that." Breeze raised her hoof in front of her and tried to imagine a pony squeezing down to that size.

"Same answer as everything else. Magic!" Step had an amazing ability, to laugh at the misfortune of others. And that's exactly what she did. "I'm just surprised he popped out of Blueblood's toilet. He must have swum through a mile of crap. I think he deserve a promotion just for that."

"I think he needs a bath more than anything else." Step chuckled at Breeze's remark. Breeze let out an involuntary yawn. "To be honest I think I need a nap more than anything."

"A nap! It's only three in the morning. If anything, I would be content with a good meal, I'm starving. All I had was some oats before starting my shift"

"Well looks like you'll get your wish, our replacement is here." Breeze grinned. Two other batponies were heading towards them, from the direction of the castle. "About time you showed up. You were meant to be here an hour ago." Breeze yelled in a hushed whisper. A rule of the Night Guard is that they can never yell, otherwise they risk waking up the city. One pony made the mistake four years ago and Luna got a complaint from practically every noble in Canterlot. So Luna made a new rule to avoid any future paperwork. On top of that, she also put a severe penalty on any guard that earned her more paperwork. 

"Sorry to tell you but you have more work to do Breeze. You're to report to the castle immediately." The pony speaking turned to Breeze's companion. "Step, you can go home."

"What!?Why does she get to go home? Oh, that's right. My fun-time with the princess. I almost forgot." Breeze smiled.

Step rolled her eyes. "You need to get over yourself. I doubt she wants anything like that. You're probably just there to clean or something."

"Hate to leave you alone but I have a special job to do." Breeze flicked her tail at Step's nose. "Don't worry. I'll tell you how it all went, even the juicy bits."

"You're disgusting." Step rubbed the bridge of her muzzle in an attempt not to strangle her friend. "Is sex the only thing on your mind?" 

"Jealous much? Well, while you have fun with your hoof. I'm gonna have fun with the princess." Breeze grinned smugly as she walked to the castle.

"Lucky bastard." Step pouted. 





Luna sat in her room, going over the requests of tonight's nobles. Four had come to her court that night.  Just simple things really. A complaint about a disruptive neighbour, two offers of a business partnership with the crown and one odd man who had attempted to court her, before she literally threw him from the castle. Fool. Courting day is next month. Luckily he was a pegasus or he might had broken something from the fall.

Luna's chambers were quite nice, which was to be expected since she was royalty. It was a large circular room with faded blue carpet. The walls were painted Midnight blue which both Celestia and Luna thought was quite humorous. Various pieces of furniture were lining the walls, their wood carved to fit perfectly against the curved walls, including her bed which had sheets that were bright red, which stood out in the predominately blue room.  Woven into the fabric of the floor was the symbol of the moon. The very same symbol was also emblazoned upon Luna's flank. The roof however was the highlight of the room. Painted on the domed roof was the night sky in all it's glory, but this was not just a simple painting of the sky Luna loved so much, it showed an ever-changing pattern of the night. As you watched, you would see the stars slowly move and even planets as they rotated around there very own Celestial body. It had cost Luna over sixty thousand bits to get the roof enchanted, but it was worth every single bit. 

Adjacent from the door, on the other side of the room was another door, which led to Luna's 'special' chamber, where only she was allowed to enter. Not even her sister was allowed to enter that room. No pony knew what was on the other side of the door, but that didn't mean there weren't rumors.

Luna looked up from her desk when somepony knocked at her door. "What is it?"

"Your highness." One of the Solar guards opened the door. Normally she would have a batpony guarding her chambers but it was her sisters idea to show trust. A batpony guard would watch Celestia's door and a normal pony would watch hers. It was an odd custom in her opinion, but it was tradition. "Your new guard is here." Luna was on her hooves in a second, a smile already on her face. 

"Bring her in!" She practically shouted. Thankfully she hadn't used the 'Royal Canterlot Voice.' "I can hardly contain myself!"





Breeze was waiting in the castle foyer. It was a large room with an incredibly high ceiling. Enough room for a pegasus to have a lot of fun. The foyer had a few doors leading to other parts of the castle, and a large set of stairs where Celestia would greet the many guests for the upcoming gala. All-in-all, it was fancy. Breeze would have to save up for half her life, just be able to afford the stairs. Breeze turned and notice that at the main entrance was a large pot with various flowers and orchids. They were so pretty and colourful that she couldn't help but be drawn to them.





"I can hardly contain myself!" Constant Vigil saluted the princess and left to collect the new guard. He didn't want to be gone from his post too long, so he ran. It was a reasonably short run to the castle foyer and the trip only took a minute. Vigil skidded to halt as he entered the foyer and went to speak, but all that came out was. "Uh?"

Breeze turned around to face the guard that had entered, her ears pointing straight up. She had a content smile on her face. Her mouth was filled with the delicate flowers that normally were housed in their pots. "Sup!" She spoke with her mouth full.

"Uh, t-those aren't for eating, Miss." He spoke as though he had just witnessed a murder. His voice was shaky and dry. Hopefully nopony would notice. 

"Then why did you leave them in plain sight." Is this mare serious!?

Vigil shook his head and refocused on his goal. "The princess is ready to see you. Come with me." He began a fast paced trot back to Luna's chambers. Breeze followed, her hips swaying as she walked.

"About time. I've been waiting for this all night. I don't usually swing that was, but she is a princess after all."

"Swing this way?" What is this mare talking about? Vigil frowned.

"Oh right, she probably doesn't want many ponies to know."

"I see... Then I will not inquire further." He didn't know what this mare was talking about and he didn't much care. Vigil focused his eyes ahead.

"Fine by me. Just don't come in if it gets loud in there." This is one odd mare. Then again, all mares are odd. They came up to a pair of doors, with various constellations etched into the wood. It was a marvellous door. Vigil went up to the door and gave it a solid knock.

"Your highness. I have retrieved her, as requested."

"Send her in!" Luna's voice sounded excited.

"Huh, she must really be excited about this." Breeze spoke.

Vigil nodded as he opened the door. "She's been going on about it all day. She's been making plans and everything. Keeps going on about how fun it's going to be."

"Well I'll try not to disappoint her." Breeze smiled before trotting in. "Wish me luck." The door closed behind her.

Luna stood in the middle of the room, a large grin on her face. Breeze smiled back, but was thrown to the ground as Luna tackled her, before nuzzling Breeze's neck. "Oh I am so happy you came." She kept on nuzzling.

"Hehe, hope not, I was thinking I would last a little longer than that." Luna didn't hear her.

"I was so happy that sister said yes to this. I have always wanted to have one of you to myself and now I can."

"I'm flattered Princess." Luna stopped nuzzling her. Again ,Breeze noticed, the princess was straddling her again. The princess' dark legs were on either side of the batponies barrel. Breeze could have sworn she could see Luna's-

"So what are we supposed to do first. My sister never taught me the ins-and-outs about owning one of you."

"You don't know how? So this is your first time?! Really?!" Luna nodded shyly. She didn't know why, but she was embarrassed about not knowing the basics of owning her own guard. Maybe she could ask her sister for some tips. "Wow... this is unexpected."

"C-could you... show me what the procedure is?" Luna mumbled. Oh, I am so going to rub this in their faces when I get back to the barracks.

"Sure thing, just lie on the bed." Breeze grinned. It's not everyday you get to teach a princess how to 'do it'.

"Bed? Pray tell what purpose this will serve?" The princess frowned.

"It will just make things more comfy." The princess nodded. Comfort was a nice thing to have.

"So do we upgrade your armour? Perhaps form a sercet code?"

"Usually we take our armour and stuff off." 

"How odd, but if you insist." Luna jumped onto her bed and sat on her haunches, waiting until Breeze had her armour off. "What now?"

"From here I'll guide you, and you just follow my lead." Luna slowly nodded. She would have to ask her sister about these traditions later. Breeze jumped onto the bed, which was slightly taller than the ones she was used to. Breeze sat on her haunches, facing Luna straight on. "Ok, to begin just put your hooves on me. Anywhere you like, shoulder, flank. anything that feels right."

"I'm sorry. I think I misheard you. You said 'flank', Correct?" This is very odd indeed.

"Yeah. It doesn't have to be, but it helps." 

"I suppose if it's tradition." Luna put her hooves on Breeze's flank. Breeze put her hooves on Luna's shoulders.

"Okay, from her we'll just do something simple. Some light foreplay."

"Okay... Wait! Forepl-" Breeze kissed her. Luna's eyes shot wide open in surprise. 

Breeze's eyes were closed, so she had no idea what was coming right towards her face, until Luna's hoof made contact. Breeze went flying off the bed, spinning in the air multiple times before crashing into the wall. Everything was hazy. She saw Luna on her bed, covering herself with a blanket, as if it were a shield. There was a shocked expression on her face and then the guard burst in, but that was all she saw. Everything went dark.
> A surprising morning
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

First she heard noises. It sounded like two ponies arguing, but she couldn't' make out any words. It was merely a jumble of noise. The she felt something, like a wet tail being rubbed on her face. It certainly wasn't the weirdest thing she had felt but it was definitely up there. Then her sense of smell returned. Nothing interesting though. Finally she attempted to open her eyes but all she got was a bright light and a lot of blurs. She blinked a few times and tried again. This time the image was clearer. She was in a room. There were two mares and a stallion clad in armour. One mare had alabaster fur and the other one had a dark blue coat. They were talking to each other. Breeze noticed the guard next to her was pressing a damp cloth the head. Did she faint?

"Your highness'. She's awake." The guard spoke, taking the rag off Breeze's forehead. Both princess' turned towards her, both with worried looks on their faces. Celestia was the one to speak.

"I am deeply sorry for my sisters actions, Breeze. This is partly my fault." She turned to her sister and sent her a small glare. "And partly her fault."

Breeze barely understood the princess. Her head was still spinning. "W-what happened?"

"You were knocked unconscious by my sister." Celestia said matter-of-factly. 

"Wow, she must have one hell of a punch." Breeze rubbed her jaw, which was throbbing lightly. "Wait? Why did she hit me?"

Luna spoke this time. "I may have had the wrong idea of what was happening and got startled." Luna bowed her head. "I'm sorry."

"But, you're the one who..." Celestia could practically see the gears turning in Breeze's head. "So if I'm not here for that, then why am I here?"

"It is a funny story actually." Celestia let out a small chuckle. "My sister has wanted her own guard for a while, so when I said yes, she ran off before I could tell her about the formalities and procedure she was meant to go through. Although I didn't expect something so awkward to happen. Let me guess. She stormed into the barracks and chose you without explaining what, before leaving?"

"Something like that." Breeze shook her head to clear the blurs from her vision. "I don't really remember it to well."

"Could you tell me what happened before my sister hit you. I'd like to hear both sides of the story." Celestia leaned closer to the batpony.

"There's not much to tell. I came to her room like I was told. She said she had never done it before and wanted me to show her what was supposed to happen, so I did. Then she hit me." Celestia smiled.

"I see. Well I can see the confusion. Well, you won't be laying with my sister, Breeze, but you will be by her side for a long time."

"I don't get it." Breeze said.

"You are to be Luna's new personal guard. You are to be with her when she eats, when she holds court-"

"When she sleeps!" Breeze interrupted, she had large grin on her face.

Celestia sent an evil grin at her sister. "Yes, and if necessary, while she bathes." Celestia headed for the door. "Come with me Breeze. I think Luna may need a moment alone." Luna's eye twitched. "I will prepare you for your new duties. Now before we begin Breeze, what is your favourite colour?" Celestia left with Breeze in close pursuit. The door closed with a thud behind them. 

Luna was left alone in her room. Her mind was now racing. She now had a personal guard who was infatuated with her. She would always be around and always be watching. Why hadn't her sister warned her? Why was her sister always right? While the Breeze was unconscious, her sister had explained a few things to her, which made things even worse. Breeze couldn't be replaced due to old traditions and other such laws. Luna was stuck with the perverted batpony until it died, however long that may take. Maybe she could have it kil- no! You are not like that anymore... I guess I'm stuck with her. A frown appeared on Luna's face. "I'll get you for this, dear sister."





Breeze stood in the royal armoury, her eyes glazed over. Before her were rows upon rows of immaculate weapons and armour. "And I can choose any one I want." Breeze asked in disbelief. Celestia nodded. 

"Since this is your new job, you might as well have equipment to suit the role. Just don't be too rough with anything. Each weapon is worth hundred if not thousands of bits. Each piece has it's own enchantment meant to assist the user in some way. For example, my guard's sword increases his agility and perception."

Breeze ran to the nearest sword stand. "Why have I never seen this stuff before?" She picked up a steel sword with a golden handle. 

"Very few are privy to this room. My current guardian has only been in here twice himself." Breeze replaced the sword and went in search of another item.

"So if you have your own guard, where is he now. Shouldn't he be with you at all times."

"He is still sleeping. I sometimes like to sneak out, without him. He will probably hunt me down once he awakes." Breeze picked up a dark purple cuirass with black trimming. "Do you like it?"

"Yeah, it's pretty." The armour was sleek and reminded Breeze of a frozen river. It had small swirls in the pattern that were barely noticeable. At the front, above where the sternum should be, was a small chain, which probably connected to a matching helmet somewhere. Hopefully it wouldn't be too hard to find. Breeze began putting the armour on while Celestia watched. "So you mentioned enchantments. What ones does this have?" 

"I'm not sure to be honest. When Starswirl enchanted everything, he did it in private. For all I know that could enhance your taste."

"That wouldn't be so bad." Breeze did the last clasp in the armour which shone brightly for a second before returning to it's original colour. "Maybe this will make me faster. It certainly looks like it's build for speed." Celestia summoned a mirror for Breeze to check the armour out. It looked pretty good. It followed her curves nicely and protected her back pretty well, although it left her tummy vulnerable. Three buckles kept the armour firmly in place. Two around her barrel and one connecting the two armour plates together on her chest. The neck piece of the armour was nice and snug as well. It fit her perfectly, as if it was meant for her. Just under the neck piece, above the chest plate, dangled the chain. It didn't really suit the armour, but as soon as she found that helmet, it would. "Not too shabby. I could get used to this."

"I'm glad you like it. Anyway, now to choose... your... weapon?" Celestia looked at Breeze confused. Breeze looked behind her then back at the princess. Nothing looked out of place, so what was the princess looking at? Breeze heard it before she saw it. It was a small clinking noise. Like someone searching through a cutlery draw. Where was it coming from? She looked down and got her answer. The chain on her armour was moving wildly like a snake. 

"Uh, is it supposed to do that?" Breeze tapped it with her hoof. In response the chain jumped forward, pulling her with it. "Whoa! What's going on? Is that supposed to happen?"

"I'm not sure. I can't tell without knowing the enchantment." Celestia looked worried. None of the previous armours had done anything like this. Actually, now that she thought about it, none of the other armour had looked like this one. She had never seen it before.

The chain was now straining against the armour, pulling Breeze towards the armoury doors. Breeze was trying to resist but failing, her hoofs slid across the floor. "Princess, what do I do?!"

"You have to fight it. Perhaps it is testing your strength."

Breeze pulled back with all her strength but the armour compensated and pulled her further. "Yeah, that's not helping. Got any better ideas?"

"Hold it still. Maybe I can destroy the chain-" Celestia didn't get to finish the sentence. The chain gave one final tug and Breeze was pulled off the ground and through the door.





Breeze had no idea what was happening, but all she knew was that she was going really fast. The poor mare was flying through the castle at mind numbing speeds, taking turned so sharp, she was surprised she hadn't got whiplash. In front of her she could she the chain glowing bright purple. Where as it taking her? Celestia was going to be so mad at her if she damaged the armour on her first day. The armoured batpony made another sharp turn. Ahead of her was a door with constellations etched into it. The armour picked up speed. Great! Just perfect. The armour was going even faster now. The door opened and a dark blue alicorn walked out, and instantly regretted it.





Luna was sitting on the floor of her room. "Maybe it wont be so bad. If I can keep her occupied then she won't have enough time to bother me." Luna's stomach growled. "Hmm, perhaps some breakfast will help me think." Luna stood up and walked to the door and opened it. She instantly regretted it. Breeze came flying at her and tackled her to the ground. The duo rolled across the floor into Luna's room before coming to a stop. Luna shook her head and glared at the infernal batpony. "What is the meaning of this!?" 

Breeze shook her head. She was getting dizzy a lot today. Too many hits to the head, probably. "I am so sorry. It was an accident." She blurted out clumsily. 

"Hmph. You had better hope it was." Luna pushed Breeze away from her. "Why did I have to choose such a perverted, clumsy mare." Luna got up to leave. She only got two meters before something was holding her back. "Will you let go of me! I have some breakfast that need devouring." She spoke without turning.

"Uh oh." She heard Breeze say.

Luna turned to face Breeze. "Uh oh? What do you mean?" Luna looked at Breeze and saw a chain connected to Breeze's new armour. Luna's eyes followed the chain coming from Breeze's chest piece as it snaked across the floor and then abruptly stopped at a shackle which was connected to her hoof. The chain had come to her right hood and formed a shackle. "uh oh."

Celestia was running around the castle searching for where Breeze has disappeared to, but so far was having no luck. Where had the armour taken her? Celestia got her answer when she heard Luna's scream. "This can't be good."
> A surprising breakfast
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Canterlot kitchen hosted the finest chefs in Equestria and contained the best utilities and equipment. No kitchen could compete and no food could compare. Except desserts. Pinkie Pie had stolen that achievement from them, and the head chef still hadn't forgiven her. The kitchen busy as usual, hurrying to prepare break for Equestria's diarchy. Already the chef had turned several dished down. Only perfection would be accepted in his kitchen. After numerous attempts had he deemed the meal acceptable and allowed it to be serve.

The dining hall wall reasonably sized. In it's center was a large table measuring seven meters in length, with nine chairs along each side and one chair at each end. Celestia and Breeze sat on the left side close to the door. Luna sat opposite Breeze, the chain from her armour laying across the table then disappearing under the table again on Luna's side. Luna was busy staring daggers at Breeze. The room was completely quiet. Fluttershy would have been envious... before apologizing for being envious. 

Faultless, the head Chef, enter the dining hall from one of he various doors lining the room, with pride in his step. He was sure the princess' would love the meal he had provided. He adjusted his toque so it rested on his horn. Faultless stopped at the head of the table. "Your highness'." He bowed deeply. "Breakfast is served." Two additional stallions appeared behind him, each holding a silver tray. With practiced care, the trays were set down in front of the each princess. On each tray was a pile of whole wheat pancakes drizzled with maple syrup with a pair of lemon poppy scones on the side. 

"This looks delicious. Would you mind preparing a third meal for our guest here?" Celestia gestured to Breeze and smiled. Faultless looked to the mare in question. Now Breeze was receiving glares from two directions.

"Of course, your highness. I shall prepare an additional meal right away." The three stallions return to the kitchen. When Faultless was sure he was out of earshot he spoke. "I can't believe the nerve of that batpony. I spend hours making a meal fit for royalty and she thinks she can come in unannounced and eat the food that I prepared for royalty! I will not allow it." The two apprentices rolled their eyes. Why did they have to get stuck with a crazy chef? "You two, fetch one of the failed meals out of the trash. Our guest is hungry." They obeyed without question.

Back in the dining hall, Breeze was looking around the room, doing anything she could to avoid Luna's gaze. She could practically feel the heat from her glare. Celestia seemed completely oblivious to this. "So what happens now?" Luna turned to her sister as she spoke. She wasn't glaring anymore, but she still sounded annoyed. 

"I suppose Breeze does her job and you do yours. Simple as that." Celestia responded calmly.

"I mean the chain. What do we do about the chain?" Luna picked up the chain with her magic and shook it violently.

"We can't do anything about it for now. I will have the royal enchanter check it out later."

"And in the meantime?" Luna dropped the chain onto the table.

"You should get to know your new guardian." Luna turned to Breeze. Breeze was smiling for some unknown reason. 

"So princess, looks like we're stuck together for a while." Breeze said, completely ignorant of Luna's current mood.

"So it seems." Luna growled at the batpony. Breeze's stomach growled back.

Celestia slid her tray over to Breeze. "Eat. You're going to need your strength." Breeze didn't argue and dove into the stack of pancakes, not caring for the utensils provided. A door behind them opened.

A door behind them opened as Faultless entered the dining hall carrying another silver tray in his magic. "I apologize for the delay your highness."  

"Ah, thank you Faultless. I've given Breeze my meal. You can give that one to me." 

Faultless froze in place. "B-beg pardon?" He looked at the table and saw two silver trays on the table. One in front of the lunar princess and one in front of... the batpony!

"I decided to give my meal to Breeze." The princess repeated. "She seemed awfully hungry. I'm just glad you prepared another so quickly."

"O-of course." Faultless moved shakily over to Celestia and set the tray down in front of her. "I-I apologize for the presentation. I-I... Didn't have much t-time." He was visibly shaking.

"Are you alright? Do you need a lie down?" Celestia asked. She had never seen Faultless so shaken before. Perhaps the stress of such a large kitchen was getting to him.

"No, your highness. I am just a little worried. Maybe I should make a fresh meal for you. This one is probably getting cold." He went to take the platter, but Celestia moved it out of his reach. "Nonsense. I am sure you did a fine job. But I want you to go take a rest, you don't look too well."

"Of...course. I apologize." He ran off as fast as he could. As far as he was concerned, his career was over.

Celestia picked up her fork with her magic and stabbed it into a pancake. She took out a small chunk from the stack. The food quickly disappeared into Celestia's mouth. "Hm... odd. Usually his food is a lot better." She chewed her food slowly. "He must be under-" Celestia froze mid-chew. A golden aura surrounded her muzzle as Celestia searched her mouth for the object she had felt. After a few seconds of searching, the alicorn pulled out a hair from her mouth. "Luna, remind me to enforce a hairnet rule for the kitchens." Luna nodded. "Now where was I?"





"If you are going to be attached to me all day, try not to stare so much." Breakfast has just finished and Luna was heading back to her room to sleep. It had been a long night.

"Can you blame me for staring? I mean you are a princess after all."

"Yes I can." Luna glanced at breeze over her shoulder.

"Harsh." Breeze winced. "But if you think about it, it is my job to watch you."

Luna grimaced. "I suppose. But if I catch you dreaming about me, I will tear off your wings." She had already been taken advantage of once, she wouldn't let it happen twice.

"Oh yeah, I forgot you could go into ponies dreams. But ponies can't control their dreams. How do I stop myself dreaming about you?" Did that sound weird?

"Find a way." They arrived at Luna's room. Once inside, the princess took off her regalia and crept into bed. "Curse Starswirl and his ridiculous enchantments." Luna shifted in bed until she was comfy. It was difficult but she finally managed. She was about to fall asleep when she felt a hoof come around her barrel. "What do you think you are doing?" She said in a deadpan voice.

Breeze shifted under the blankets. "Going to bed. What does it look like? Not how I was intending to in bed with you, but it's close enough."

"Get out of my bed!" Luna kicked behind her, sending Breeze from under the covers and onto the floor.

"Where am I supposed to sleep then?" Luna threw a pillow at her face.

"On the floor, where else?" Luna growled

"Can I at least have a blanket?" Breeze whimpered.

"No! Why should you get my blanket?" Luna turned to face her, sending the poor batpony yet another glare.

"But I'll get cold." Breeze's ears went limp and she shrunk back.

"Deal with it. I had a thousand years of cold. You can survive a single night." Luna fumed. "Now go to sleep and don't make a noise. I'm tired enough as it is."

"Y-yes, I'm sorry your highness." Breeze whispered. The batpony rested on the pillow Luna had thrown at her. It didn't make her warm, but it was comfortable none the less. Why does she hate me so much? Why is she so angry? Breeze closed her eyes and cried silently until she fell asleep. This is every batponies dream, so why am I so sad

> A surprising dream
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Breeze opened her eyes slowly, her azure eyes adjusting to the light, or more appropriately, lack of light. She didn’t really see much because the sun had set. The room was nice and dark. Slowly, Breeze's mind woke up. Dark? Dark... Dark! “Oh no! I overslept!” Breeze was on her hooves in seconds and checked her surroundings. “I'm late! New Moon is going to kill me. Where did I put my armour?! Wait, I slept in my armour?" Breeze looked down and saw her new armour Celestia had given her. "This isn’t my room...” Breeze looked around her and found she was in a large circular room. "Oh that's right." The memories of the day returned to her. Breeze looked to the bed next to her and found that the princess was still asleep. "Huh. She must have raised the moon and just gone back to sleep... weird." 

Breeze thought of going back to sleep but decided against it. It was hard enough getting to sleep when she was tired. Now it would be impossible. She couldn't exactly go very far either, what with the chain and all. Just a meter from her was a large mahogany shelf, filled with books. Maybe she could read while she waited. It was better than nothing. Breeze reached over to the shelf and grabbed the first book she saw. It was a light green hardcover. "Elusive Illusions and Arcane Aegises? Sounds magicky." Breeze was about to put the book away, but something stopped her. She felt oddly compelled to red the book "Might as well I guess. What harm could it do?" Breeze opened the book to a random page and was instantly confused. There were words on the page but at the same time... there wasn't? "Definitely unicorn stuff. How do they even read his junk?" Breeze tilted the book at various angles but still the words morphed and changed as if they weren't even on the book at all. For a moment she thought she saw a word, but it as mostly unintelligible gibberish. "How would a pony even read this?" Breeze paused for thought. "How would a pony even write this?" 

Breeze heard a shuffling behind her. Oh shoot! I woke the princess. Breeze spun around, bowing her head slightly. Hopefully the princess wasn't still annoyed at her for the whole kissing thing. "I'm sorry if I woke you your high...ness?" The princess wasn't there. The bed was empty. "Huh? Must have gone to the bathroom." The batpony looked to the rooms door. "Strange, I didn't see her leave." Breeze returned the book to the shelf and turned to leave the room. She could hear a small clinking noise. "Stupid chain. I'm never gonna get used-" Breeze froze in place. Wait a minute. How is Luna gone if we're connected by a chain? Breeze turned her head slowly, but nothing was there. The chain was still there, but Luna was nowhere to be seen. It just ended. "Princess? Are you still here?" No response. If Luna wasn't there, then she had to be somewhere else in the castle. 

Breeze pushed open the door to Luna's room and walked out into the hallway. It was empty. "I thought there was meant to be a guard at Luna's door." Breeze looked around, but there was nopony in sight. Both hallways to her left and right were clear and the one in front of Luna's door was empty. Breeze looked down each hallway, wondering which one she should take. She knew for a fact that the middle one led to the armoury. The route burned into her memory thanks to the adrenaline rush. The hallway to her left led to the kitchen and dining hall. Luna would probably be there. The path to her right was a mystery though, and she felt herself being drawn to it. Almost as if it was calling her. She was most likely getting a snack. But then again, the other path looked so inviting. Maybe Luna was over there.

Breeze felt herself walking down the right hallway. Wait? But the kitchen's that way. Breeze tried to stop herself, but her hooves would not obey her. What going on? She couldn't fight against her own body? What was going on? She was being drawn deeper into the castle. She passed by a few places she thought she knew, but it as hard to tell. Most parts of the castle looked the same. 

She could have been walking for only five minutes or even five hours, but either way it felt like she had walked to Manehatten and back. How big was this castle?! She was just glad that whatever was controlling her legs had decided to stop. Only problem was that whatever it was, seemed to enjoy making ponies uncomfortable and had plonked her right in front of the creepiest door she had ever seen. She couldn't be sure, but it seemed as if the door was smiling at her- Scratch that. It was definitely smiling, in only the way that a door without a face could. Ominously. Maybe it was enchanted, that would help explain it. What if the door had absorbed someone's soul? That would definitely make... no sense.

Breeze didn't get to ponder the idea of a sentient door for much longer, as it had decided to open all by itself. Now when a door opens you would expect to see a room of some sort. Maybe you enter a bedroom, or even a ballroom. Well today wasn't one of those days, and what Breeze saw was nothing. Absolutely nothing. A pure, unadulterated abyss of complete nothingness. It was like staring into the eyes of a drowning fish... okay, not the best example, but you can see her predicament.

"Umm, hello?" Breeze called hesitantly into the abyss. "Is anyone there?" She called again, but all she got in reply was silence. To elaborate, there are three types of silence. First, there is the 'Awkward Silence' which is commonly found in family atmospheres, particularly when a mare brings her coltfriend over for the first time. The second type of silence is 'Calm Silence', which is very common in places of meditation and any job relating to accounting, which by coincidence, also fall into the subcategory of bored silence. The last and final type of silence is the dreaded 'deafening silence' which can only be broken by either an extremely brave pony, or an incredibly stupid one. Symptoms of a deafening silence include slight amounts of fear, dry throat, momentary loss of logic and intelligence, minor levels of awkwardness and other various symptoms. Somehow though, Breeze had contracted none of these symptoms. So either she was one of the bravest mares alive, or one of the most imbecilic ponies in Equestria. 

"Hello? Someone? Anyone?" Breeze took a tentative step into the room, or more accurately, the void. "Does anyone know where Princess Luna is?" The door slammed shut behind her, leaving Breeze in pure darkness. Breeze almost screamed in fright, but she thought better of it. "Well this is just great." Breeze slowly walked back the way she came, her left forehoof extended in front of her. "Where the hay was that darn door?" Breeze moved her hoof around as she walked, hoping to grasp a door handle or something similar. 

"Door? But why would you want to leave?" A voice echoed from the dark.

"Luna? Princess Luna, is that you?" Breeze asked hopefully. The voice sounded like the lunar princess', but it was hard to tell.

"Of course it's me, who else would it be." The voice replied, slightly louder than before.

"Where are you? I can't see a thing." 

"Maybe I can help with that." A spotlight shone down on a lone figure. It was Luna. "Better?"

"Yeah, much better. So umm, where are we?" Breeze looked around, but there was still only void surrounding them.

"Somewhere private. I didn't want anyone to see this." A large smile crept across the dark mares face.

"You're not still mad at me are you?" Breeze's ears flopped down onto her head.

"Oh, how could I stay mad at you. No one could stay mad at such a cute lovable mare." Luna stepped forward and pinched Breeze's cheeks with her hooves. 

"You think I'm cute?" Her ears instantly shot up again. 

"Well of course I do. With those big beautiful eyes." Breeze smiled as Luna got closer. "And those perfectly curved thighs." Luna brought Breeze in for a hug. Breeze could feel herself blushing. "Your sweet kind voice." Luna leaned in and whisper in the batponies ear. By this time, Breeze's cheeks were burning bright red. It was obvious what was on her mind. This was probably one of the best moments of her life. "And your tender delicious flesh."

"Aww, that's- Wait, what?" The moment of happiness disappeared. Breeze pushed Luna away, and what she saw, would scare even the most daring of Colts. Luna's smile was gone, and had been replaced with a malicious grin. Although that was nothing, compared to what had become of her face. Her grin had grown larger than her face could handle and tore her cheeks apart, so that her smile literally went from ear to ear. Her eyes, instead of their normal soft blue, were now devoid of all colour, save for the small pinpricks of red in their centres. To top it off, her teeth had elongated and sharpened, so that she looked like a horrific imitation of an angler fish, except with more teeth. Adding on to all of that, was the way the demonic imitation of Luna was eyeing her, like a timberwolf would look at a look at a rabbit.  "P-p-princess?" Breeze was shaking like the aforementioned rabbit.

"Shhh, it's alright, I'm here." The mad mares smile grew. "I'll take care of you." The princess lunged for her prey.





Luna sat on her bed, barely moving. She had been watching her new guard sleep for the past few minutes, and what she had seen had been disturbing, to say the least. Dreams aren't random occurrences, so they usually relate to a ponies frame of mind or whatever they dwell on the most. Most of the time it was just something small, like forgetting something at home or leaving the stove on. Dreams have a strong connection with emotions and these emotions are reflected in dream. So if that was the case, then... had this mare really been that scared... of her? Had she really done this to the poor batpony? Luna continued her watch over the pony as she slept. A few times the mare would whimper or fidget, but it wasn't until Breeze had screamed in her sleep that Luna felt she had to step in.





Breeze couldn't move. All she could do was watch and scream, as the demon-Luna lunged at her. As the mad mare got closer, visions of Breeze's life flashed before her eyes. To be completely honest, she found it kind of boring. Is that all she had done in her life so far? The dark alicorn was only inches from her face, then she transformed again, this time being replaced by Luna. Regular Luna, she noticed, not the scary one. That still didn't stop her from getting tackled by an alicorn. Breeze felt the wind rush out of her lungs, much like ponies would flee a burning building. This was made even worse when they hit the ground, which forced whatever air remained to evacuate from her body, leaving her literally breathless. Her vision blurred. Needless to say, it sucked. 

Luna was lying flat on top of Breeze, her full weight pressing down on the poor thing. Luna looked down at the bat-pony beneath her, as she struggled to breath. Maybe she should get off her? Luna decided to listen to her conscience and lifted herself from on top of Breeze and onto her hooves. Breeze finally managed to swallow down some air, and soon began to feast on the invisible substance. Luna thought to herself for several seconds before deciding her next course of action. Breeze obviously had a lot to deal with and wouldn't be receptive to Luna at the current time. It would be best to talk later, when she was awake and not being attacked by faux Luna's. Luna's horn lit up momentarily as she cast a spell. Breeze's dream realm blurred and swirled as it changed, slowly being replaced by a scene that Luna believed the mare would find much more comfortable. With a final glance around, Luna nodded to herself, satisfied, and left.

Breeze remained on the ground for a few minutes more as she got her breath back, in the most literal sense possible. Soon her vision returned back to normal and what she saw could not have been any better. Breeze got to her feet as quickly as she could and began looking around. She was no longer in the void but now in what appeared to be a tavern. She could easily say, without a doubt, that this was the best tavern she had ever seen. She had no idea what had just happened, but she wanted to forget it as soon as possible. Breeze ran off to the bar and proceeded to have the best dream she had had in years.
> A surprising change
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Breeze chugged down what must have been her fiftieth cup of beer and slammed the wooden tankard onto the oak table. This was now officially her favourite tavern in Equestria. Not only did it look awesome, but the ponies here where awesome as well. The bartender, a mare by the name of Mirror Jane, always bore a smile and had a cute little voice that would make even the most muscly of colts say 'Aww'. The manager, a small old stallion, was always on the move. He was never still for long and was going from table to table and having small chats with each customer. Mostly the mares for some reason. The patrons of the bar were like something she had never imagined. A way to describe them would be 'lively'. There never seemed to be a dull moment, and at one point two of the stallions engaged in a friendly fight, one had a light red coat, while the other had an ice blue coat. They continued to fight until a tall mare with a blood red came up to them and knocked them both unconscious. Yes, lively was definitely the right word.

On top of the friendly atmosphere, was the quality of the beer. It was way better than anything her usual bar served, but there was also something odd about the beer. She didn't know why, but somehow no mater how much she drank, she wasn't getting drunk. Tipsy maybe, but not drunk and frankly she was thankful for it, otherwise she'd be face down on the ground having another crazy nightmare. Either the beer here had next to no alcohol, or none at all and her tipsiness was just a placebo effect.

"So I just have to ask, where did you get the sweet gear?" Breeze put her elbows on the table and rested her head on her hooves. "I mean seriously, where does a pony even get a glove like that?" Breeze was currently sitting at a table chatting idly to a random stallion she had met. He was also 'lively'. While he wasn't rowdy like some of the others but he had other odd things about him which made up for that. For one, he had a sword made from what appeared to be diamond and a glove with fingers. The pegasus on the other side of the table frowned at her. He didn't know who this mare was. She had waltzed up to his table and plonked herself down and no matter what he said she wouldn't leave, so he just decided to indulge her.

"For the last time, it's a gauntlet, not a glove. There's a big difference." He rolled his eyes at her. The pegasus in question had blood red fur with black wings, which was an odd thing to see, but then again, considering what some of the other patrons looked like, this was normal. His mane was black and shiny, with a red line of hair going down the center. He also wore a vest and scarf the same colour as his fur. All in all he looked bad flank. If there was ever such thing as dragon slayers, this is what she imagined they would look like.

"How so? They both go on your hooves don't they?" Breeze smiled smugly. She had been talking to Zero for the past half hour, trying to get him to drop his guard, but he stood firm, not falling for any of her ploys or tricks. She got the feeling that he was trying to get her to leave.

"Gloves, for one, are more for comfort. Gauntlets are build for durability and strength. Plus gauntlets are cool." Zero grinned.

"Can't argue with that. But they still look funny. Especially the claws."

"These are digits, they're not claws. They. Are. Digits." He tapped the table with every word, to add emphasis. "Much more useful." He flexed the fingers of the gloves. She had no idea how he did that, but she assumed it was some sort of magic.

"yeah, whatever." Breeze tipped her head back and took another swig of beer. It was nice and cold, and had a slightly sweet taste to it that others beers lacked. When she put the tankard back down her vision started to get blurry. About time! I thought I would never get drunk. Breeze thought to herself. This must be some weak stuff, but at least it taste good. Breeze went to grab another cup but her hoof missed and she almost ended up falling off her chair. "Okay, maybe not so weak." She looked up at Zero and frowned. "Did you put something in my drink." She mumbled. 

"You okay? You're not looking to good." Zero looked at her funny. Her vision continued to get blurrier until the bar completely disappeared, and the roof of Luna's room appeared in it's place. What the hay?

Before she could take in her surroundings, a large dark blue shape filled her vision. "Oh good. Thou art awake. Did you have a nice sleep?" The voice sounded nervous, like when a filly was trying to be nice to cover up breaking a vase.

"Huh? What's happening?" The shape receded and Breeze could finally make out what it was. In front of her sat princess Luna, who was looking at her expectantly, like a puppy.  "Oh, hi Princess." Breeze sat bolt upright, eyes wide open. "Oh no. Please tell me that bar was real, and not a dream. Please, I beg of you!" 

Luna chuckled to herself. "I could say it, but that would not make it true. Sadly it is merely a fantasy tavern, only existing in the realm of dreams. It is a nice place though, is it not?"

"Dammit!" Breeze slammed back onto her pillow. "That place was so awesome."

"That it is. Maybe one day I'll send you back there." Breeze rubbed her eyes to clear the last remnants of sleep.

"Yeah, maybe. Hey, Princess." Breeze's expression quickly turned solemn. "About last night. I didn't mean to upset you. I'm sorry that I'm not the guard you wanted... and sorry about getting us chained together."

Luna looked down at the filly before here and frowned. "It was not your fault. Anypony could have made the same mistake. Besides, the armour got us stuck together, not you." The princess smiled. "Don't worry about a thing. From now on we'll both do our best. You protect me and I'll protect you. Deal."

Breeze looked at the princess for a while before nodding, a large smile now on her face. "Deal."

"That is good to hear, and maybe if we ever find who made this armour, we can punish them together, yes?" The princess let out a small giggle which seemed to brighten Breeze's mood a bit.

"Sure thing, princess. Just one question though..."

"Yes?"

"Can I sleep in the bed tonight? The floor doesn't agree with my back." The batpony stretched her back in an arch and sighed in relieve as her spine popped and her muscles stretched. The princess flinched with each crack. She looked very uncomfortable with the question but replied quickly.

"Of course." Luna smiled, letting out a nervous laugh. "With the condition that as long as you are in my bed you wont try anything funny. Before we can speak further on this, we have work to do. Come on. Up you get." Luna nudged Breeze in the ribs with her nose.

"Okay, Okay." Breeze whined. Breeze slowly got onto her hooves. "Just a sec. I need to pee." Breeze trotted towards the toilet but was suddenly yanked back. "Aww c'mon. I gotta go." Breeze looked behind her and saw an amused expression on Luna's face. She was looking at Breeze's chest. Out of reflex, she followed Luna's line of sight. It took her a moment to realize that a chain was still attaching her firmly to the princess of the night. "Oh, right... do you need to go as well?" The batpony asked, blushing slightly. 

"I am fine. But how do you suppose we do this." Luna lifted up her hoof and shook it, making the chain jiggle. 

"I guess you could look the other way." The smaller pony chuckled.

"I fully intend to, but if I ever catch you watching me while I am relieving myself, you will learn how cold the moon can truly be." 

The batpony looked at her for a moment before speaking, tilting her head slightly. "I can't tell if you're joking or not."

"Would you like to find out?" Luna grinned. Breeze shrunk back slightly. She definitely didn't want to gamble on it. 





Luna sat on her throne, watching and listening silently as yet another noble pony came to her for advise or to request something that her sister had probably already said no to. That was usually the only reason they even came to night court. It had gotten so bad at one point that she had to get her sister to make a list of ponies she had denied. The pony currently in front of her was a stallion called Solo Act, who was asking for a loan to start up his own theatre. Luna was becoming tired of his seemingly endless 'reasons' for her to support his claim, and decided to cut it short.

"Have you considered applying for a loan at one of the banks in Canterlot?" Luna asked in such a tone that hid a majority of her annoyance, but allowed a small hint of malice to slip through. It had the effect she had hoped for. Solo froze in his tracks, his argument forgotten. 

"Well... yes, I have but they have been less than reasonable in their response." He swallowed nervously.

"So you believe that I will grant your request when many others have not. Is that correct?" Luna's face betrayed no emotion as she watched the noble pony squirm.

Solo felt his throat go dry momentarily. "Um yes, your highness. I was hoping you would see reason."

"Do you travel through the city often?"

"Pardon?"

"'Twas a simple question. Do you explore the city often?"

"N-not really, your highness." Solo had no clue what Luna was trying to say and neither did anypony else listening.

"Would you be able to give an estimate on the number of theatres located in Canterlot?" Luna was staring intently at the stallion now.

"Five maybe? I'm not too sure. I've never really counted."

"I can tell you right now how many there are. seventy-eight, excluding the one you wish to open. So tell me, with so many theatres already spread around Canterlot, why should I fund yet another?"

Solo looked like he was about to argue, but hung his head in resignation. He couldn't think of an answer for this. "I apologize your highness. I'll show myself out." Solo left without saying another word. As the door shut behind the saddened pony, Breeze let out a massive yawn.

"Since when have there been that many theatres in Canterlot?" Breeze asked. She had only actually ever seen a few theatres around, mostly on the main streets, but she would never have guessed there were that many hidden around.

"There aren't." Luna replied matter-of-factly. Breeze froze.

"But you just said-"

"To put it simply, I lied. He wasn't going to leave unless I gave a definite answer, so I gave him an answer, even if it was build on fabricated facts." Breeze suddenly gained a lot of respect for the princess, which was minute compared to the mountain of respect she already held for the lunar princess.  Breeze didn't talk for a while after that.

A few more noble ponies came in, each with a similar but unique request. Luna turned down most. There was even a suitor who arrived, which Luna physical blasted out of the room. Breeze was guessing that meant 'no'. For the next hour or so, more business ponies showed up. It was boring and Breeze finally decided to voice her opinion. 

"This sucks. Is this what you do every night?" Breeze yawned yet again. She could hardly handle this for one night. How was she supposed to remain alert if she had to sit through this every night?

"Not every night. Perhaps once a week. More if necessary. Night court is more of a formality than a requirement." Breeze leaned in further so that she could whisper without the other guards hearing.

"Do you want to ditch?" Luna didn't move but responded in a whisper as well.

"Ditch, as in abandon my duties, or ditch as in the hole?" The batpony stared at Luna blankly. She couldn't tell if the princess was joking or not.

"You definitely need to get out more." Breeze grabbed Luna's hoof and dragged her out of her thrown. Luna didn't gave any resistance, she was always looking for an excuse to cancel court and this was as good a reason as any. "C'mon, we're going to have some fun."  As they were leaving, the batpony guards around the room looked at each other confused. The batpony guards opened the large doors to the throne room as they approach and then closed them again after they had left. After a few silent moments one of them decided to break the silence. "So did any of you see the hoofball game yesterday?"





A few days passed and slowly but surely Luna and Breeze were getting more and more comfortable around each other, but Luna still insisted on having a pillow wall between them when they slept. They were currently out in the royal gardens. Luna was apparently giving Breeze a tour, detailing the aesthetics of the castle and anything else that she thought Breeze might be interested in.

From the balcony of her tower, Celestia eyed her sister and her new guard suspiciously. Luna was acting very differently to how she had the previous night and seemed to go out of her way to make the young batpony happy, even to the point that she had cancelled night court because Breeze looked bored. At least, that is what she had been told. Celestia was happy to say that she knew her sister better than anyone and she knew for a fact that her sister was quite stubborn, almost as much as Applejack, so something big must have happened to sway her opinion of Breeze and she had a pretty good idea of what it might be. At least she hoped she did.
> A surprising outing
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"No one ever told us such a divine treat could taste so good!" Luna squealed with glee as she licked at the gift Breeze had given her. She had never tried this before and she could say without a doubt that she loved it.

"You've really never had ice cream before? How is that even possible?" The young mare looked at her master in confusion. "It's one of the best things ever made!"

Luna removed her tongue from her mint ice cream, leaving the dessert floating in her magic only inches from her muzzle, in case she had to lick it suddenly. "I did spend a thousand years on the moon, in case you had forgotten, so I wasn't around for the invention of the iced cream." Luna stated.

"Ice cream." Breeze corrected.

"That it was I said, was it not?" Luna asked, slightly confused.

"Meh, close enough for now. We can go over all the details later." The batpony waved her hoof dismissively. "So anything else that you missed while you were... away. Anything that looks like fun that you want to try?"

Luna taped her chin in thought. "Hmm, many things come to mind but nothing that I would go out of my way to do. Perhaps the magic moving images that I have heard about. That sounds like something worthy of my attention."

"Magic moving images? Oh, You mean a movie. Awesome choice. I've itching to see Kung Fu Pony, so let's see that. If I'm remembering this correctly, then there should be a screening in an hour or so. That's plenty of time to buy and smuggle snacks in."

"Is smuggling confections into such venues a common tradition these days?" Luna asked inquisitively. Last time she had attempted to smuggle something, it had almost caused a war with the gryphon empire. Then again, it was the kings throne she had tried to take. Thankfully her father had managed calm the king down in time buut she did get grounded for a few decades which sucked.

"Sure, ponies do it all the time. A mare named Pinkie once smuggled in a whole sugar stand and sold candy to everypony in the cinema. To this day, no pony knows how she did it." Luna nodded in agreement.

"When it comes to Pinkie Pie, it is best to ignore her actions and let things run their course. Trust me on this. I have plenty of experience on the matter." Luna shuddered, remembering the waffle incident. She would never see the innocent breakfast the same way ever again.

"I suppose, but it was still surprising. So anything in particular you want to sneak in? I usually sneak some caramel bars under my wings, but you would be able to hide bigger snacks with those wings." Breeze gestured at the princess' feathered appendages.





From her tower, Celestia watched the duo through her telescope and each thing she saw only confirmed her suspicions. A small smile crept onto the solar diarchs face. The look on her sisters face when she confronted her sister would be priceless. She would have to make sure she had a camera ready for the occasion.



 

"Okay, just bring your wings in a bit more. A bit to the left... a bit mo-perfect!" Breeze beamed when Luna managed to conceal the delicious goodies. "Now you just have to keep your wings still until we get to our seat. You can do that right?"

"Of course, an easy task." Luna fidgeted uncomfortably. "I hope."

"Well I guess we'll find out soon."

Luna and Breeze walked slowly to the cinema. It was one of the newer cinemas in Canterlot, with lots of bulbs surrounding a sign which displayed the names of all the current movies. Under the sign was a single booth ticket stand with a small hole at the base of the booth's window where tickets and bits would be exchanged. On either side of the booth was an entrance to the cinema which housed a total of eight screens. When they got to the window they saw a middle aged stallion sitting on a swivel chair and reading a news paper with his hind legs up on the counter. 

"Hey, two tickets for Kung fu-" Breeze began.

"Thirty-six bits" The stallion said without looking away from his paper."

Luna tilted her head slightly and spoke to Breeze. "Is that the normal cost for this activity?" The stallions ears twitched. Why did that voice sound familiar?

"Yeah. This is actually one of the cheaper cinemas in Canterlot. The one near the castle charges thirty bits for a single ticket." 

"Do you want me to pay? It would certainly be easier." Luna offered but Breeze waved a hoof dismissively.

"No thanks. I'm the one taking you out so I should pay." The stallion lowered the news paper to see who was wasting his time and got the surprise of his life.

"P-p-princess Luna! I-I'm am so sorry. I didn't know it was you. Here!" The stallion forked over two tan tickets. "The tickets are on the house. In fact, you can see movies here anytime you want, free of charge!" The stallion beamed. This could be a huge business boost. If ponies saw the princess of the night attending his venue, the place would instantly become he talk of the town.

"And my friend here?" The stallion turned to look at the batpony.

"Of course, any friend of the princess is welcome here." 

Breeze grabbed the tickets with her mouth and walked to the theatre and soon found their seats. Luna sat down with a heavy thud and stretched her wings with a sigh of relief, allowing her collection of treats and lollies to fall to the ground.  Among the collection was two chocolate bars, one bag of gummy worms, a hoof full of lollipops and a bag of cookies. Breeze whistled in admiration. "Your wings are awesome."

"Thank you, now what do you suggest we should eat first?"





The two left the movie with slightly distended tummies and huge grins on their faces. "I must say, for my first movie it was quite enjoyable. A lot more fun to see it for myself than to read it from story books." Luna clapped enthusiastically.

"Glad you liked it." Breeze grinned. "So we have a few more hours before sunrise so what do you want to do?"

"Well, if you don't mind, I would like to get back to the castle. I am rather tired." Luna let out a perfectly timed yawn. "Maybe a nap before lowering the moon."

"Sure why not. I always liked getting to sleep more." The two walked back to the castle in silence, unaware that they were being watched by the princess of the sun.
> A surprising Court
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Several days passed and once again Luna reluctantly commenced night court. Granted she now had somepony she could pass the time with but it was hard to have fun and look civil at the same time. She had toyed with the idea of using magic to play cards with Breeze from a distance but decided it would take up too much of her attention and would distract her from her duty. She needed something fun while also not demanding her full attention. She had asked Breeze for idea's earlier before sundown, but the poor mare was too tired to think. The last few days had been rough for her, having to get accustomed to her new sleeping habits. As princess Luna was up at all hours of the day and night, sometimes both, and she neglected to tell Breeze about this, leading to the batpony being dragged out of their shared bed during the middle of the day and then brought back when she would have originally been waking up.

Luna looked to her right, leaning over the edge of the throne to see the mare in questions swaying dangerously on her hooves, threatening to fall over at any second. She was already drooling slightly. It was only a matter of time before she collapsed altogether. Whenever Luna wasn't watching, some of the guards began whispering to each other, just out of her vision at the rear exit of the throne room. Tilting her ears slightly, she was able to make out parts of the sentence.

"...seven bits in five minu..."

"...I reckon four..."

"...today's pay says she'll fall off the dais..." Luna's eyes opened in surprise. They're betting on when she'll fall asleep? Well at least they're having fun I guess. It's not against the rule... I think.

"...I think the princess would stop her from falling. She'll probably even let her go to sleep on the throne. She's nice once you get to know her. Just don't mentio..."

Sleep on the throne? Hmmm, perhaps. But that would look odd to anyone seeking my council. Oh, that's it! "Breeze?" She instantly heard all the guard stop talking. "Come here for a moment." Luna gestured to the floor next to her. Breeze went to walk forward but stumbled over her own hooves and almost face planted against the arm of the throne. She managed to stop herself by putting her left hoof in front of her and using the throne as a support.

"Yes, your highness." Darn, so close. What now? Luna thought to herself for a moment. Maybe that could work.

"I am feeling awfully anxious about something and need to relax. Lean forward for a moment, if you can." Breeze obliged, more out of curiosity than anything. Out of the corner of her eye, Breeze noticed the other bat ponies watching her intently, just waiting for her to fall over. Her attention was snapped back to Luna when she felt a hoof brush through her mane. "Yes, this would do nicely. Sit next to me so that I may pet you." Half the guards fell over in shock, while one of them had the hugest grin. He obviously won whatever bet they had made.

Breeze complied with her order without question, glad to be off her hooves. As she sat next to Luna and received her petting. She felt her eyes droop and before she knew it, she was sleeping peacefully.  Luna smiled down at her personal guard calmly. This might not be the most respectable thing for ponies to see her doing, but it certainly wasn't boring and it did in fact make her feel more relaxed. If questioned, she could just say she was helping a friend. Yes, this would be perfect. 

At the rear of the throne room, the guards were handing over small bags of bits to the lucky guard that won. One particular guard was crying to himself, realizing he had bet an entire days pay. "Told you she's a nice pony." The winner chuckled.

The guards quickly snapped to attention as the doors to the throne room opened to allow an earth pony entry.  He was average sized, for an earth pony, with a light brown coat and a dark grey mane. He walked up to the throne slowly. As he walked, the first thing that drew his attention was the guards. The usual stoic expression they held were gone, replaced with looks ranging from mild disappointment to full blown despair. In one corner he could spot one guard crying into his helmet which was half full of tears. What could have caused such sadness. He looked to the throne and saw the princess of the night who was caressing what appeared to be a dead batpony, that was lying limp across the throne. The princess was staring about the pony in question wistfully. Something terrible must have happened here. Thousands of ideas raced through the stallions mind in the matter of seconds. None of them good. He stopped in front of the throne.

"Um, I apologize, I didn't mean to interrupt. My condolences."

The princess looked at the pony surprised. "Condolences? Has something happened." She looked worried.

"The umm..." The stallion swallowed. "Batpony?"

"Batpony?" Luna looked down at Breeze and giggled. "Oh yes, sorry. She's just sleeping. Did you really think she was..."

"My apologies." He spoke quickly. "An honest mistake.

"Do not worry. She does sleep quite still sometimes. Oh, and don't worry about them," She gesture to the guards. "Many of them have just lost a wager bar one who is off counting his money. Anyway we're off topic. What is it you have come to me for?" 

"Of course, your highness." He reached behind him and brought out a rather large scroll. This was going to take a while.





After a few more ponies and a rather interesting piñata which had somehow developed sentience, she would have to have a long talk with Pinkie Pie about that later, she levitated Breeze to their room and placed her on the bed. Luna yawned before slowly crawling into the bed hoping not to wake her. Breeze moved around slightly, but didn't wake. Not too surprising seeing as she hadn't slept for a while. Luna closed her eyes and reflected on the night. probably one of the most peaceful night in a while. Maybe she should pet Breeze more often. It was strangely therapeutic. Luna was just about to fall asleep when she felt two hooves wrap around her barrel. She opened her eyes and looked down to see her guard was nuzzling her affectionately in her sleep. 

Luna considered moving Breeze away from her but decided against it. "Just this once." She said to herself. It wasn't uncomfortable at least, in fact it was the exact opposite. Luna kind of liked the feeling of extra warmth.

Breeze giggled. "Not there, that tickles." Luna's eyes shot open. What she didn't like was the incredible feeling of awkwardness that she was now feeling. Lighting her horn, the princess of the night had a peek into the mares dream. She was greeted with a view that could make any stallion have a nose bleed. Screw having a pillow wall, I'm building a brick fence. Luna tried to dislodge the perverted mare from her barrel but she had somehow attained the grip of a god and would not budge. Just perfect! I have to sleep with a mare that's dreaming about sleeping with me. "Hopefully I can forget this by morning, otherwise things are going to be very awkward in the morning.

Little did Luna know, someone had heard here and decided to grant her wish. As soon a Luna closed her eye, a soft voice spoke. "As you wish, you highness." A deep laugh filled the room before it grew quiet again.
> A surprising surprise
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So soft." Breeze mumbled, still half asleep. She squeezed harder on her pillow and nuzzled further into it. Breeze had no idea why but she felt amazing. She had never slept so well before. I'm going to have to find out where Luna gets her pillows. I've never slept on something so soft and fluffy and- The pillow yawned. "Alive!" Breeze screamed as she jumped to her hooves. She looked down to see the surprised face of Princess Luna, who had been woken by Breeze's scream.

"It would appear I am." Luna spoke again after a few seconds. "Why? Were you planning to 'off me'?" 

"No! But... the pillow?" Breeze paused, suddenly realizing that she had just been sleeping on top of Luna. "Did we... you know?" Breeze shrunk back a bit, obviously shy.

"Don't be ridiculo-" Luna froze, something was wrong. "um actually... I don't remember anything from last night. Did we?" That's odd. I usually have a perfect memory. How does a whole night disappear from my memory? Luna looked over to Breeze who was grinning at her. "You speak a word of this to anypony and I'll throw you from the balcony." 

Breeze giggled and shook the chain connecting them.  "You'll be throwing yourself off as well." Luna flinch imagining the scenario. She had all but forgotten about the chain connecting them. She had gotten so used to it.

"We don't actually know what happened so until we do, we'll just assume that has nothing happened. Okay?" Luna said, rubbing the bridge of her muzzle.

"I don't know. I think I would prefer the alternative."

"Nothing happened! Okay?" Luna said a bit more forcibly, placing both her hooves on Breeze's withers.

"Fine, fine... for now." Breeze added with a smirk. "But in exchange for my silence, I get to use you as a pillow from now on.  You just too soft~" Breeze sung the last word. She was... actually pretty good at singing. Luna weighed her options. Either she let Breeze use her as her own personal pillow or allow Breeze to tell everyone what they may or may not have done. It was an obvious choice. 

"You have got to be the most evil mare I have ever met." Luna glared at Breeze playfully. "Fine! But if your using me as a pillow, make sure to that no one finds out." 

"Too late." A deep chuckle filled the room. Breeze's ears turned to try and find the location of the voice, but it was no use, it was coming from everywhere at once. "Oh the horror! What a scandal! How ever will the public react? What would poor little Celly think?"

"Oh buck."

"Now, dear Luna. Do you talk to your mother with that mouth? How rude."

"What do you want Discord? Name your price." Luna said, resigned. Discord appear in a bright flash of light.

"Oh please. I would never dream of black mailing you." Discord stepped forward and leaned against Luna's side. "Besides, you of all ponies should know that anything I want, I can just pull out of my metaphorical hat." Discord snapped his fingers and a shiny black top hat appeared atop his head. The spirit of chaos removed the hat and reached in, only to pull out a white rabbit by the name of angel. Angel looked around in confused. Upon seeing Discords face, the rabbit thought of the best course of action, which happened to be fighting. Before Discord could react, Angel threw a left hook which connected with Discords jaw. "Oh it. is. on." The spirit of chaos growled. Luna and Breeze watched as Discord and the rabbit had an improv boxing match, complete with boxing gloves and a boxing ring which had inexplicably appeared where Luna and Breeze's bed used to be. Just for the record, Angel won. 

After making sure Discord would not interfere with his affairs any more, Angel returned to the hat and jumped inside, disappearing to wherever he had been originally. Breeze didn't know how to react to this but one glance at Luna told her that she disliked the intruder.

With the rabbit gone, Discord limped over to the duo with one claw covering a black eye. "I hate that rabbit." Breeze couldn't help but fall over laughing. "I like this one." Discord grinned before snapping his fingers yet again, fixing his appearance and bringing the room back to normal. "It's always nice to meet somepony that appreciates my chaos."

"Discord!" Luna shouted. "If there is no point to this intrusion then could you please get out of our room."

"Our room? Hmm, interesting." Discord mused. "Very well. I would have preferred to sit down and talk about this but I guess I can just get the the point... sadly. This is for you." Discord pulled a scroll out of his ear and threw it to Luna, who caught it in her magic. "A message from Celestia. Something about the chain you two are wearing." Discord slivered forward and grabbed Luna's ankle. He inspected the manacle around the mares leg and shook it slightly, causing the chain clink. "A bit kinky for my liking but whatever makes you two happy." 

Luna paid the spirit of chaos no attention as she read the letter. "Is this true Discord? This isn't some prank."

"My dear Luna, I would never joke on the topic of kinkiness." Discord stated, still holding Breeze's leg.

"...What?!" Luna frowned in confusion.

"Oh, you mean the letter. Yes of course. No forgeries or anything. Trust me, I tried. Celestia put a protection spell on it." Discord let go of Luna's leg, opting to take off his horns which turned into meter long blades, and proceeded to have a sword fight with a second Discord that had appeared from thin air.

Luna decided to leave Discord to his own devices and began walking towards the door but was stopped soon when the chain around her hoof went taut. Luna turned and saw that Breeze was lying on the floor, her head resting on her hooves, her back legs splayed out behind her. Her attention was fully focused on the sword  fight going on between the spirit of chaos and himself.

"Breeze, come on. Get up." Breeze stayed where she was. "Breeze?" Luna nudged The bat pony with her magic. Breeze flinched but she didn't move. "Breeze!" Luna yelled over the sound of the sword fight. She didn't like yelling, but sometimes it had to be done. 

Breeze shook her head in surprise. "Huh, wah? Oh right, sorry Luna. He's just so funny." Luna continued toward the door, this time Breeze was following. 

"Yeah, funny. Right." Luna rolled her eyes. "Give it a while and you'll learn. He's just a nuisance." Discord didn't notice them leave and continued his fight with himself.

"I really don't see what is so bad about him. He didn't do anything wrong. I just think you have a bad sense of humor." Breeze smiled.

"Humor?! I have a great sense of humor. That is not humor, that is just being silly." Luna grumbled.

Breeze remained quiet for a moment. "Hey... Luna? Do you think... I'm silly?"

Luna turned her head so she could look at Breeze. "Of course I don't. You're not silly, you're vibrant. Just because you act ridiculous at times and seem to hit on me every chance you get, doesn't mean you're silly, although I would appreciate it if you toned it down a bit." 

Breeze chuckled.  "Sure thing. Just how much do I have to tone it down anyway?" Breeze looked at Luna skeptically.

"We can start with the winking. I can handle a few suggestive remarks but the winking is just creepy." The princess shivered.

"What?! But stallions love it when I wink at them."

"Well I don't like it. Wait?  Did you just compare me to a stallion?" Breeze giggled in response. "Seriously, why do I even bother. You're lucky we're chained together."

"Do you mind if I ask you a personal question?" Breeze slowed down forcing Luna to as well.

"I don't see why not." Luna sighed.

"I was just wondering. Am I a good guard?"

"Well I'm not dead, am I?" Luna let out a small laugh but Breeze only stared at her.

"I'm being serious. The only thing I've done is help you have fun. I haven't done anything to protect you."

"It isn't that simple Breeze. It's not like I'm going to get attacked anytime soon. In fact half the things than can threaten me have already been defeated by the elements of harmony. The main duty of a personal guard is for companionship. Kinda like the relationship between a pet and it's owner." Luna thought about her explanation for a few second before continuing." Okay, that probably wasn't the best example but you know what I mean. While at first I was upset when we got chained together, very upset in fact, but after getting to know you, I can proudly say that I am glad that it happened." Luna placed her hoof on Breeze's cheek and looked her in the eyes. "As long as this chain connects us, you will always be there to protect me and I will always be here to protect you." That sounded kinda weird. Luna thought to herself.

"And when it's gone?" Breeze asked with a hint of sadness in her voice. "Will I still be your guard?"

Luna smiled and pulled Breeze into a hug. "Of course you will. You will always be my guard." Breeze broke from the hug and stared Luna in the eyes. 

"Always?" Breeze moved closer to Luna and when they were only inches apart Luna whispered back.

"Always." Luna moved forward, her eyes closed, and planted her lips on Breeze's. Breeze's eyes fluttered and soon she was returning the kiss passionately. Breeze was dumbstruck. She had joked about this for a long time, but for it to actually happen? It was incredible. Breeze felt Luna's tongue enter her mouth and did nothing to stop it, why would she? She had wanted this for as long as she could remember. There tongues circled each other, exploring every inch of their partners mouth. Breeze was just about to take it further when they heard somepony gasp.

They both froze mid-kiss with their eyes wide open and saw standing only a few hoofs away was princess Celestia. Celestia's mouth was wide open and an expression of surprise was clearly visible on her face. Luna just stared at her sister, to shocked to move. She couldn't even remove her tongue from Breeze's mouth. Breeze on the other hoof was too scared to move. Her mind kept going over all the torture techniques she had ever heard of. What would Luna's sister do to her. Would she be thrown into an iron mare, or maybe they would use a hoof screw? Did they even torture ponies anymore or were they just thrown in the cells? She was so worried that she barely registered Celestia's laughter. 

"You two look so silly." Celestia burst out laughing. "That was priceless. Where's a camera when you need one." Discord popped into existence, carrying a fancy looking camera and an impaled version of himself. "Not to worry your highness. I got a video of the whole thing." He turned to address the frozen pair. "Oh and I won the fight against me, just in case you were wondering. I was no match for me. I didn't stand a chance." Discord dropped the body to the floor, which then disappeared with a flash.

Celestia looked at Discord confusedly. "Video?"

"Lots of photos placed in order so it looks like they move. I invented it myself." He smiled proudly, hefting the fancy camera onto his shoulder.

"Can we watch it later?" Celestia asked enthusiastically. 

"Of course! We can show the whole city if you'd like." Discord spread his arms wide in the air as if he was presenting a piece of art to the world.

Luna pulled herself away from Breeze, leaving a string of saliva between their mouths. "You will do no such thing!" Luna yelled. Celestia and Discord looks at her in silence for a moment, before launching into another round of laughter. Luna's face went red as her anger grew. "This is not funny!" Luna screamed. "How would you feel if I told everypony of your personal affairs."

"Like what?" Celestia smiled cheekily. "I have nothing to hide from my subjects."

"Bu- you... that's not fair!" Luna whined, kicking at the ground in distress. "Why do you always do this?! Every time I do something fun you have to ruin it!" Luna pointed an accusing hoof at Celestia. "It's not enough that your the oldest? You have to ruin my reputation as well? I-I-I HATE YOU!" Luna screeched, before falling to the ground and began sobbing into her hoofs. Celestia and Discord moved back in surprise. 

The spirit of chaos leaned over to Celestia's ear and whispered. "Maybe we took it a bit too far." 

Celestia relied sarcastically. "You think?" The eldest sister went to console Luna, but was stopped when a clawed talon grabbed her by the withers. 

"I would advise against that. It was us after all that upset her and in case you had somehow forgotten already, she 'hates you'." Discord added quotation marks with his paw and claw. Celestia mouth opened in shock. I messed up. 

The solar diarch  felt a hoof tap her. She looked down and saw Breeze staring up at her. "Hey, princess. I think you should leave this to me." Celestia stared at the mare for a few seconds before sighing in recognition and sadness. 

"Of course. Tell her I'm sorry... please." Celestia hung her head low and walked away with no direction in mind. She needed time to think.

"And Discord?"

"I'm innocent here. All I did was-"

"Could you please get rid of that pho-"

"Video." Discord interrupted.

"Yeah, whatever. Could you get rid of it."

"What? But why?"

"Please, just do it. For me." Breeze fluttered her eyes. Discord cross his arms and starred at her. If she thinks I'm going to do her bidding because she said please, she's got another thing coming. Just because she appreciates my humor and didn't judge me by looks like everypony else doesn't mean anything. Not only did she think I was funny, she actually was willing to argue against Luna about me. I could have sworn I was arguing against this. All these points are in her favor. Darn chaos magic.

"Fine." Discord snapped the camera in half. "It's gone, you happy?" Breeze gave Discord a quick hug. 

"Thank you, Discord." Discord shrugged before disappearing in a cloud of chickens, because reasons? With both Discord and Celestia gone, Breeze approached the trembling form of Luna. Breeze didn't talk for a while and just stroked Luna's mane, occasionally patting her on the back.

"My sister's a jerk." Luna stated through heavy breaths. "She always does this. Whenever she gets the chance, she embarrasses me." Luna lifted her head and looked at Breeze. "Why? Why would a sister do that?"

Breeze gave Luna a smile. "Maybe she's just jealous."

"Jealous?! What is there to be jealous of?" Her breathing had calmed but there were still tears trickling down her face.

Breeze looked at her incredulously. "What isn't there?! Can she enter a ponies dream? Can she connect to every filly and colt in Equestria on a personal level? Sure she knows every ponies name, but she doesn't know anypony. She only has one holiday dedicated to her while you have two?! The winter moon celebration as well as nightmare night, the coolest holiday of them all. On top of that, you have the most awesome marefriend in all of Equestria. Who wouldn't be jealous of that?"

Luna giggled, wiping the last of the tears from her eyes.. "So your my marefriend now?" 

"Well we were just kissing." Breeze shrugged. "I think that makes me more qualified to be your marefriend that anyone else."

"I guess you're right..." Luna hesitated. "marefriend." Breeze shivered.

"oooh, say that one more time."

Luna rolled her eyes, but obliged. "Marefriend."

Breeze flapped her wings in excitement and smiled widely. "I can get used to that. Now, how about we get revenge on your sister."

Luna grinned evilly. "What do you have in mind?"





"Discord, Am I a bad sister?" Celestia asked the spirit of chaos. She had been silently staring at the city of Canterlot from her balcony for the past hour, thinking what she could have done differently.

"Yep! Definitely." Discord threw a handful of popcorn into his mouth. "You are without a doubt the worst sister of all time. Ponies will sing songs of your unsisterlyness for years to come."

"Gee, thanks." Celestia responded sarcastically. "In any case, it looks like I may have to hold off on telling her what I found out about the armour. It's not like she's even listen to me at the moment."

"Probably not." The spirit of chaos dropped his bucket of popcorn and watched it as it grew legs and ran away to safety. "It's best if we just leave them alone for a while. On a side note, I suggest you be on the look out for booby traps for the next couple of weeks.
> A surprising cliff hanger
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Maybe if we set up some sort of spring trap on the throne and sent her flying off." Breeze suggested. The chained duo were sitting on their bedroom floor going over the plans they had made and were coming up with new ones. They had been working on pranks for the past three days, barely leaving the room at all. They had food delivered to them and night court had been cancelled until further notice. Luna was determined to get her revenge on her sister and Breeze was inclined to help her anyway she could.

"You seem to be forgetting that she has wings. Not to mention you'd need a pretty strong spring to move her stubborn flank." Luna huffed and threw her hooves in the air. "This is going nowhere. Every idea we think of has some major flaw and everything that could work would be easily detectable." Luna shuffled through a pile of paper detailing multiple plans for pranking her sister. Most had large red crosses on them. 

"Well maybe we're just not thinking big enough." Breeze scratched her mane in thought. "We could get the help from some of the guards, Perhaps they'd have an idea."

"They would be more likely to tell her what we're planning. It is their job after all."

"Fair point." The bat pony slumped to the ground. "It's not like they have a sense of humor anyway."

Luna picked up one of the plans in her magic and set it on fire. "This is ridiculous. I used to be great at pranks. Exemplary in fact. So why can't I think of anything."

"Maybe you're just distracted or something. How about we go for a walk and get some food delivered for when we get back."

Luna smiled expectantly. "Can we have ice cream again?"

"Anything for you, your highness." Breeze bowed dramatically. They both shared a laugh. Luna grabbed every piece of loose paper she could find and stuffed it into one of her desk drawers. 

"Shall we go then?" The princess asked. Breeze nodded and walked out the door, Luna following not far behind. They had learned that the most comfortable distance to walk from each other was just over a meter. That way, the chain was pulled of the ground slightly and wasn't getting in the way of their hooves. "So where will we be going? I really enjoyed that market you took me to. Maybe we could go back? Or maybe we can check out the club of night, I hear such a place is filled with light even at midnight. This new age truly is wondrous." Breeze turned her head to look at Luna, but kept walking, having memorized most of the palace layout. 

"You mean a night club? No, I've got something even better in mind. Although it may not be as 'new' as you would like."

"Unless you have something a millennium old to show me, then I highly doubt it."

"It's not that old, but you have been there a few times since your return."

"I do not understand." Luna tilted her head.

"The gardens, dummy. Where else in the city can you relax? Everywhere else is too noisy."

"I hardly think the garden are the only place to relax, but I must admit, I do think it would be nice to spend some time there. When I was young, my father would often take me around the old castle's garden on his withers and tell me about the history of the kingdom. He always enjoyed showing me the statues. I wonder what statue is replacing Discord's one." Luna looked out one of the many castle windows. Below she could see part of the castle's hedge maze and a bunch of guards huddled together inside, talking. They appeared lost, which was odd. All guards were required to memorize the layout of the castle, including the maze, so it was odd that they would not be able to find their way out.

"Probably just another symbolic thingy. I remember seeing one statue somewhere around here of a pony playing the tuba. Apparently is was a representation of pride. I swear they just make it up on the spot." Breeze was about to crack a joke about the sculptor when she noticed Luna was acting strange. 

"You okay, Luna? You seem kinda... rigid." Breeze slowed down a bit so that Luna was closer. The chain clinked on the ground as the distance between them shortened. "You still upset about what happened?"

"Hmm? No, nothing like that. I was just... observing something. Breeze, I want you to keep an eye out, okay?"

"Sure, but why?"  Breeze looked at the princess with concern. Something was wrong. Luna looked worried.

"It is not something I can explain." They passed by a group of Solar guards who nodded respectfully at the princess, and slightly less so to Luna's guard. "Something feels wrong. It feels familiar. I do not like it."

"This is exactly the reason why we are going to the gardens. Your stressed, anxious and apparently paranoid as well." They reach the door to the gardens. "You'll feel better soon. Don't worry."

"Perhaps you are correct, but I would still appreciate it if you kept watch."

Breeze sighed. "If it makes you happy, I'll keep one eye on our surroundings and one on your flank." Luna face hoofed. "What? I got to keep an eye on you. I was never told what part." Breeze smirked

"You're never going to change, are you?" Luna rolled her eyes.

"Never."





Deep within the castle dungeons a group of eight guards sat around an old wooden table. No other ponies frequented this section of the castle so they had recently taken to have their meeting there. It was the perfect place to discuss their plans. 

"So you are absolutely sure about this? If we mess this up, we will never get another chance. Everything must be perfect if we are to succeed." The leader of the group spoke. He was an impressive stallion with toned muscles that showed through his light grew fur. His black mane was cut short which had been swept to the side. Soul Cast watched idly as his disciples deliberated amongst themselves. They spoke for a short time before nodding to each other in agreement. "Then let us continue with our preparations. From here on, there is no turning back." He turned towards one guard in particular, Night Eye. "How many do we control?"

"Roughly thirteen percent, sir." Night saluted. "I believe we can double that number within a few weeks."

"That is good to hear." Glade nodded. They were ahead of schedule. "And what of the lapdog?"

"Regrettably we won't be able to do anything with her. She is chained to the princess and would be impossible to capture without being detected."

"Such a shame. What of the rest of you? I trust you are all on schedule with your tasks." The others all replied positively. "Then we have work to do. By the end of the year, Equestria will be ours!" He thrusted a hoof in the air. His fellow guards did the same as they cheered.

TO BE CONTINUED...