Chapter 1

"And may your nights forever be peaceful, Ponyville!"

Princess Luna finished her speech to gratuitous applause. Smiling broad and waving to the cheering audience, she gracefully turned hoof and stepped backstage. With a content sigh, she began her walk to the 'green room', past stagehoofs and crew members. Coming upon the door, she pushed it open with a hoof. Stepping inside, she sighted her personal guard over near a small folding table, perusing a plethora of snacks set atop it. Her ears perked up at the sight, and her smile grew along with a slight tinge of red in her cheeks. With a slight flutter of her wings, she hurried over to where he stood. He turned towards the sound of her hoofsteps, grinning as he caught her eye.

"Hey Luna! Amazing speech tonight, you did wonderfully." Said Rick Kovoso, her guard and close friend.

"Pish posh! We did average."

He chuckled at her words.

"No, really. You were excellent. And that's final, you silly pony." He said, booping her on the nose.

"Oh, whatever." She said, sticking her tongue out at him. Luna had an interesting relationship with Rick, more so than most personal guards. The circumstances were a bit strange, as when he earned the position he and Luna had already been close friends for quite a while. As such, the two were constantly seen around the castle pulling pranks on some poor maid or Solar Guard, and in public he was never away from her side.

But Rick's job description was not to play around with the Princess of the night. That was simply a benefit. No, Rick was a bona fide badass. Or so he calls himself. He was, as previously mentioned, Luna's personal guard, which is not a position granted easily. Hand picked from the top of the top by Luna herself, being her personal guard was quite the honor, and also took a lot of work to achieve. Rick, however, was a bit different. After he and his squad car showed up in the middle of the Everfree, there was quite the commotion as he drove a white Chevy Tahoe with Sheriff written on its sides and a light bar on top into the smack dab center of Ponyville.

Oh by the way, Rick is Human. The only known in Equestria.

So one could say he's kind of a big deal.

After the initial confusion and hordes of angry, scared ponies were subverted, Rick and his vehicle were taken to Canterlot, where he would go before the princesses and his fate would be decided. A lengthy "trial" ensued, with many nobles present calling him a monster, a freak, and worse, but eventually he was able to make his case, explaining that he had no idea how he got here and was just as confused as the rest of them. The Princesses decreed that Rick would be kept alive and given a small room in the palace, for now. His vehicle would be placed into magical storage, but he could move his meager equipment from it to his room.

The nobility of Canterlot were less than thrilled at this development. To them, he was a threat to their culture and their status. Much like the Parisians of Earth, change was not a welcome concept among them. So much so that on the third night of his stay, they attempted to murder him.

Which was a rather poor choice for them, because Rick was not only a Sheriff's deputy, but also a senior member of his office's S.W.A.T Team. He practiced several martial arts, and had numerous years of dealing with riled up suspects and gangbangers.

In short, he knew his way around a fight. So after 4 comparatively feeble ponies of the nobility came into his room, not even bothering to send others to do their dirty work, and rudely attempted to drag him from his bed, there were some... unforeseen consequences.

4 beat-up ponies later, he was once again in front of the Princesses, patiently explaining why there were 4 ponies of the Equestrian nobility in the infirmary while he was practically untouched. Thankfully, Princess Luna had taken quite a liking to him. Once again stating his reasons, the story was confirmed by a Lunar Guard who was patrolling the hallways when he found 4 ponies in dark cloaks hurriedly making their way to the guest wing. Intrigued, he followed, and witnessed the fight that ensued.

The Princesses were not pleased. All 4 nobles were stripped of their status, thrown in jail, and an announcement was made that similar attempts would not be tolerated.

Princess Luna, captivated by this human and his antics, invited Rick to stay with her. He jumped at the opportunity, and thus his friendship with Luna began. Many other ponies of the general populace were over their initial fears, thanks to an royal announcement, and excited to see the new creature. There was much elation when he attended the Grand Galloping Gala with Princess Luna that December, finally revealing himself. The ponies were thrilled to have someone completely new in Equestria, and he made many important friends.

And yet, the nobility still hated him. Not his problem. He's friends with the Lunar Diarch, what the fuck are nobles going to do about that?

Either way, Rick had made an entrance, and he was accepted into Equestrian society with aplomb.

But a new problem came up: He needed a job.

After several months of bouncing between the odd job here and there, Rick was still unable to find a steady source of income. Not like he needed it, living with a Princess, but he did(much to Luna's disheartenment) plan on moving out at some point. So, the search continued.

Until Luna brought up that her personal guard was retiring and she was planning a new selection course.

Rick was instantly intrigued.

Casually bringing up pay and benefits in conversation, he was delighted to discover the very large wage that being her personal guard would pay. Six figures, and the pony version of a 401k and dental. Very agreeable. Not to mention the challenge!

And thus, the grueling selection process began. Hundreds of ponies, griffons and others of varying backgrounds turned up, but the standard was set high. It was not changed depending on physical fitness or status. No matter who you were, where you came from or what you did with your life, you had to pass the same test. Many of the ponies who were there were turned away, and by the end of the 9 hour day of testing only 20 of the best remained. The next tests were mental, with each candidate being evaluated on psychological fitness as well. Another 10 were kicked. The final 10 were the best of the best, and the last round of testing began. Each were interviewed by Luna herself, a scary prospect in of itself, and finally, they reached the final test. A mock-up scenario, in which they were to protect the Princess in a real-world situation. Each was different, completely random, and could end in any way conceivable. The candidate was given varying amounts of intel on the location and could prepare and equip in any way they thought would benefit the safety of the princess. The test could last anywhere from 1 hour to 3 days.

As stated before, Luna's personal guard was not a position granted easily.

In the end, a mere 3 candidates were left. A thestral, unicorn, and Rick.

Soon, one of them would be chosen.

Tensions were high.

However, because there were three of them, Luna set up something a bit different. The three were to spar with each other until there was only one left standing. Anything short of lethal injury was allowed.

The belief was that the Unicorn, Steel Strike, would win, as his magic gave him an advantage. However, when in the ring, it was quickly discovered that Magic had a significantly subdued effect on Rick, making the strongest combative spells merely a push to the man, and the strongest shields akin to thin paper. Steel Strike may have been a master magic user, but when faced with a experienced martial artist and hardened street cop, he quickly faltered and was knocked unconscious by Rick. The thestral, a stallion by name of Ace Fury, put up a valiant fight, but ended up unconscious as well. Rick was the last standing, and thus, earned the position of Princess Luna's personal guard.

The other two were sent home with congratulations on making it to the final test, and sour moods.

But only the best of the best could be Luna's personal guard.

Back in the present, Rick checked his watch. The G-Shock read 22:00. Luna was over schmoozing a few important Ponyville ponies, Rarity, Twilight and Fluttershy, and having a jolly old time. Rick wanted her back at the hotel in about an hour, and the walk there was about 30 minutes. He set a timer on the watch for 10 minutes, then they would begin the walk. Meandering over to where she stood, he listened in on their conversation.

"..And I am working on this new dress for Twilight that is simply to die for!"

"It's true, it is quite amazing. Rarity is an excellent seamstress." said Twilight.

Rarity blushed. "I-I'm alright, I suppose."

Fluttershy spoke up. "No, Rarity, your work is truly great. Every time I put on one of your dresses, I feel full of confidence. I-If that's okay.."

"Why, thank you Fluttershy darling, but you must know that you are always gorgeous, no matter what anypony else says."

Fluttershy blushed. "T-thank you, Rarity. You're very k-kind." She meekly hid behind her mane. Rarity smiled broad, and the three of them continued their chat. Rick sighed happily, shifting next to Luna and lazily placing a hand on her back. She smiled warmly at the contact, leaning into him as be began to rub her back. The other three snickered.

"Luna and Ri-ick, sittin in a tree..." Twilight singsonged.

"Fuck you, Purp," Rick said, flipping her the bird with his free hand while Luna blushed violently.

"Good lord, Richard, no need to be so vulgar," Rarity chastised. "Especially not to a princess."

Rick raised an eyebrow. "You do know what I do for a living, yeah?"

"Well, yes, but th-"

"Then kindly keep that pretty mouth of yours closed," Rick interrupted, flashing a pleasant smile. "When you know as much about Krav Maga as I do about embroidery, you can tell me how to live my life."

Rarity puffed up, annoyed. "Why you-"

"Let's not have a fight, please," Fluttershy meekly said.

"Yes, we are not sure if Miss Rarity could handle a fight, she may smear her makeup! Oh, the horror!" Luna added, giggling hysterically and comedically fainting. Rarity was embarrassed, sitting down and burying her face in her hoofs.

"Oh, chill out Marshmallow, I'm just poking fun," Rick said, ruffling her perfect mane. "You know I don't mean it." He smiled warmly.

Rarity looked up at him, adorable round eyes wide, before smiling herself.

"Thanks, dear. But even so..." She hit Rick in the peroneal nerve on his thigh. "That's for being, as you so say, a 'dick'." She smiled smugly, crossing her hoofs in front of her, regal style.

"Ow.." Rick said, rubbing his thigh.

Luna leaned over and whispered in his ear, "You kind of deserved that."

"I know, I know. And you were just as bad as I!" Rick whispered back, fiercely.

Luna giggled. "But we get away with it, because we are a princess."

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

Fluttershy, who'd been watching the whole exchange, spoke up quietly. "You guys sure are mean to each other..."

"It's just teasing, Fluttershy. Strengthens bonds." Stated Twilight. "I've read a lot about how teasing is actually very useful in certain situations. In fact there was this one study..." Twilight rambled on.

"Okay, Twilight, we get the idea." Rarity said, exasperated.

"But there's so much to lea-"

"Twilight, I don't remember you being the Princess of Knowledge, so zip it." Rick said, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Her ears flattened. "Okay..." she said, sadly pawing the ground.

Rick reached over and booped her, causing her to look up in mild annoyance. "What was that for?"

"Fun and profit, obviously." Rick replied, grinning.

Twilight was about to construct a suitably saucy response when someone coughed politely behind her. Peering over her, Rick said, "Can I help you, miss?"

Standing behind Twilight was a grey pegasus mare with saddlebags covering her cutie marks, dark blue eyes and a black mane. She eyed the group warily.

"Uh, yeah, can you tell me where the bathroom is?" She asked, shifting her weight from hoof to hoof.

"Down that hall, 3rd door on the right." Rick said, pointing.

"Thanks."

"No problem."

The mare wandered that way, carefully keeping herself away from the other ponies chatting and cleaning around the backstage.

Odd. Rick thought. Shrugging, he reinserted himself into the conversation, something about the nuances of Hearth's Warming. But no matter how he tried, he couldn't get the strange mare out of his mind.

About that time, his watch went off, snapping him out of this thoughts. He politely informed the group that he and Luna would be returning to their hotel. Bidding them farewell and giving hugs, they made their way towards the back door. Passing groups congratulated Luna on her speech. Finally, they were at the door. Luna saw Rick make the change between 'jolly and friendly' to 'guarded and dangerous'. Rick carefully opened the door, a hand holding her back, and checked around the exterior before waving her out. She stepped out and Rick was then at her side, where his eyes scanned the surroundings for any danger. One hand remained on her back, and the other down at his side, ready for action at any time. The two had practiced this hundreds of times, in many different scenarios. They had a special set of words and motions to cover a whole slew of situations, and each had a prescribed response.

In short, the two worked as a team. Although Rick was Luna's guard, she still knew how to defend herself and would not be seen cowering in fear should the shit hit the fan.

Rick protected Luna, and in turn she protected Rick.

It's a very interesting dynamic.

The two casually strolled through the dark streets of Ponyville, lit by streetlights. Luna breathed in the fresh air, enjoying the brisk nighttime walk. Rick, although still on guard, was also enjoying himself. The cobblestones beneath his feet, the beautiful stars, the moon, and the beautiful mare next to him.

"It sure is a beautiful night, Luna." He said, smiling warmly.

"Thank you, Rick. We appreciate your appreciation." She replied, leaning against him as they walked. They came to a 'y' in the road.

"So, you think Rarity took our teasing a little to ha-"

Rick abruptly stopped walking and talking, causing Luna to stop and look up at him in confusion. His eyes were fixed dead ahead, and his mouth was clenched tightly. He tapped her side twice.

That signal meant that something suspicious was coming their way, but they weren't in direct danger. Her attitude changed and she looked behind them.

"Four, pony, dark cloaks. Coming from left fork. Moving our way with a purpose. Eighty meters and closing. Spreading out, look like they mean business." Rick said.

"Course of action?" asked Luna.

"We go down the right fork. Keep an eye on our backs. If they follow, we stand ground. If not, we ignore. Clear?"

"Clear."

With that, the pair took the right fork and moved quickly, Luna occasionally looking over their backs and Rick scanning the front.

"Looks clear," Luna said. "Maybe they were going somewhere else."

"Maybe. Lets not take chances, though. We're taking a shortcut to the hotel."

"Got it."

Closing the door to their room and throwing the deadbolt, Rick exhaled heavily, relaxing.

"Who knew that four guys in cloaks could scare me so badly, eh?"

Luna sat down on her bed. "Agreed. This town is full of surprises."

"No kidding." Rick put his back to the door and slid down, exhausted. Reaching up to his neck, he untied his dark purple tie, the half-Windsor coming undone easily, being reverted to simply cloth around his neck. Pulling it off, he set it aside and unbuttoned his suit coat, pulling the tailored jacket off and revealing his white cotton dress shirt. His belt not only held his comfortable slacks up, but also kept a holstered Glock 23, a set of handcuffs, a Maglite flashlight, and two extra .40 S&W magazines aloft at his waist. Begrudgingly getting to his feet, he took his belongings past Luna, and into his room. The suite they were provided with was simple, but luxurious. Located on the top floor of the new Halter Hotel, it included two separate rooms and bathrooms, and a connecting kitchenette with a minibar. High quality woodwork on the furniture, and very soft beds completed the deal. Dumping his coat and tie on his bed, he began stripping equipment off his belt, and placing it on the small table near the window. His clothes went into a pile in the far corner, and soon he was in nothing but boxers and socks. Rick was in very good shape, the result of an active lifestyle and a healthy diet. As there was little meat(He knew of a very good griffon restaurant in Canterlot that served a killer steak, though), he ate far more greens and plant based protein, and as a result had very defined muscles and just enough body fat to keep himself warm. His 6'2 form was almost too tall for the buildings he frequently found himself in, but fortunately he fit. Sandy blonde hair cut short covered his head, and his Slavic features and bright blue eyes were frequently broken up in a good laugh. At the ripe young age of 25, his face was tanned from spending time in the sun. Being a third generation immigrant, he spoke unaccented English, but could also speak fluent Russian and a little bit of Spanish. Walking over to his luggage, he selected a pair of sweatpants with Luna's cutie mark on them(A gift from Celestia, she had a weird sense of humor) and pulled them on. Turning around, he spotted Luna standing in the entranceway, gazing at him with very inquisitive eyes. Smiling slightly, he struck up a ridiculous bodybuilder pose, flexing his biceps and kissing one.

"Enjoying the view?" He asked, an amused expression evident.

Luna snapped out of her daze, blushing heavily and looking away.

"W-we were not eyeing your, um, impressive musculature..."

Rick grinned wide, a idea forming in his head. "If you're on your best behavior, I'll let you touch them."

Luna was quiet, before very quietly saying,

"_{We would like that very much.}"

"What was that?" Rick said, his grin growing.

"We... we would li-like that very mu-much.." she said, turning redder. You could boil water on those cheeks.

"Oh? Well what are you gonna do for me, then? I did say best behavior, yes?"

Her expression changed, looking at Rick with the universal 'really?' look.

"Do not think that I have not noticed those subtle looks you have been taking at my backside," She stated flatly.

Rick's grin vanished. Oh shit! he thought. I'm fuckedimfuckedimfucked....

Luna slowly smirked, and said, "Not that that's a problem..."

His mind ground to a screeching halt.

What?

He was very confused, clearly, and it showed in his expression.

"Hello? Equestria to Rick, are you there?" Luna asked, chuckling.

"But I... But I thought you didn't..."

"'Like you in that way', as the kids say these days? Oh, Rick, you have been quite ignorant during our time together."

Rick had no idea what ponies did when they were flirting, so it was no wonder he hadn't noticed. He wanted to say something saucy, but what came out was "Uhhhhhhm,"

Luna giggled wildly, putting a hoof to her mouth in an attempt to stifle the laughter but ended up losing it. Rick finally shook off his daze and began cracking up as well. After the good bout of laughter, the two were still across the room from each other. Rick yawned loudly and flopped onto his bed unceremoniously, still exhausted from the day. Luna came over to the foot of the bed and stared at him, determined to get him to let her up there with him. He looked down at her, and with barely contained laughter said, "No girls allowed."

She rolled her eyes, sighing loudly.

"Seriously?" She said, annoyed.

"Nah, hop on up here. There's plenty of room." He said, patting next to him.

Luna smiled wide, excited, before extending her wings and giving a good flap, bringing herself onto the soft bed. She laid down next to Rick, placing her head in his lap, and looked up at him with adorable eyes.

"Aw, who could say no to that.." He began softly stroking her head, between her ears. She let out a content sigh, her wings fluttering out to the sides.

She felt him remove his hand from her head, and was about to make a fuss when she felt a hand stroke down a wing. She shuddered, letting out a very loud moan.

"Oh shit, that's like a pony no-no zone? My bad!" Rick hastily removed his hands, returning one to her head. Professional guard, ladies and gents.

Luna internally groaned at the loss of contact, but sleepily said,

"Next time warn us, you scoundrel"

"Alright, alright." Rick sighed happily, scritching behind her ears. "So are we like a thing now or...?"

She looked up at him. "Do you want us to be a 'thing', Rick?"

His brow furrowed in thought. In his year or so of being here, he had thought frequently about starting a relationship with a pony. At first he had thought it taboo, and a small part of his mind still thought that way, but as he looked deeper into it, he came to a conclusion.

Although ponies may look like the horses of his home, they aren't animals. Each is a intelligent being with thoughts and emotions. Not dumb beasts that act solely on impulse and instinct. Starting a relationship wouldn't be bestiality. It'd just be love.

Not to mention the fact that Rick really did like Luna, and had been thinking about a way to ask her on a date. Well, fuck it, let's just jump in head-first.

"I would be delighted." Rick said, smiling down at her.

Luna happily cooed, warmly smiling.

"But," he said, placing a finger on her nose, "I will first and foremost be your guard, and I won't let our relationship interfere." He lightly booped her, earning a giggle from the Lunar princess.

"Of course, we would expect nothing less from you."

"Good. Now that that's out of the way, lets get some well earned sleep, eh? I assume you'll be sleeping with me."

"Yes, our sleep schedule has been all over the place recently, with these speeches and all these festivities. At least the ponies are taking a liking to us."

"No kidding."

Rick pulled back the covers of the bed and slipped under, Luna following suit. She may have been the Princess of the Night, but she had been up all day enjoying the town of Ponyville. Even she needs sleep.

"So, uh, big spoon or little spoon?" Rick asked, blushing slightly.

Giggling, Luna said, "Little. It has been a long time since we've had a stalli-man that is larger than we are, and we fully intend to take advantage of that."

Luna rolled over, allowing Rick to wrap his arms around her barrel. She cooed, snuggling up against his body, her ethereal tail wrapping around one of his legs. Rick happily hummed, a free hand stroking her mane as he closed his eyes.

"Goodnight, Moonbutt."

"Goodnight, my silly human."

With that, the two drifted off to a comfortable slumber.

The grey mare carefully hovered outside the window, watching Rick and Luna snuggle up together and turn out the lights. After carefully following from afar, she had been watching the two ever since they left the town hall. She debated entering now and completing her contract, but figured that the room would likely have all kinds of wards and spells placed on it to prevent forced entry like that. Not to mention that human. Sighing in frustration, she turned and glided back to the street, alighting on the cobblestone and walking into the hotel. The spacious lobby was empty at this hour, save for one unicorn at the reception desk. The mare walked over, gaining the receptionist's attention.

"Can I help you, miss?" She asked, smiling.

"Yeah, I'd like a room for the night." The grey mare said.

"Certainly! Suite or regular room?"

"Regular should be fine."

"That'll be 20 bits, please."

Pulling out her bit bag, the pegasus took out a 20 bit coin and set it on the counter. The unicorn grabbed it with her magic, opening a register and placing it there. She then levitated a key to the counter and set it in front of the pegasus.

"Room 49, 4th floor. Enjoy your stay!"

"Thanks." The pegasus took the key in her mouth and made her way to the stairwell, ascending. The Halter hotel was quite large, and many pieces of art lined the walls. She admired several of them, enjoying the walk to her room. Arriving, the pegasus opened the door and stepped inside, closing and locking it. There was a small kitchenette to the immediate right, a bathroom on the left, and further in was the bed and a small table. Taking off her saddlebags, she set them on the bed. Her cutie mark depicted four feathers and a dagger, and her name was Light Step. Currently, she was on a job, and a ludicrous one at that. Four million bits. But the job definitely wasn't easy for the hitmare.

What was it, exactly?

Simple.

Assassinate Princess Luna.

Light Step carefully removed the customized crossbow from her bag, unfolding the limbs and locking them in place. Making sure the safety was still on, she gave the weapon a once-over before placing it on the table. Running a hoof through her mane, she exhaled heavily, thinking of what she was going to do. She knew that even without a guard Princess Luna was a formidable opponent, and with her guard it would be suicide to take them on in open combat. So she elected to take a shot from afar, hopefully catching the princess off-guard, and hopefully avoiding confrontation with the human.

She had heard stories of his combative prowess, and did not want to see if the rumors were true.

Standing up, she pulled the crossbow bolts from her bag, looking them over. Known as 'Spell-eater' bolts, they were illegal outside of the military, as they were designed to defeat shields and ignore magical influence. She managed to get ahold of hers via a black market contact. Completing her check, she returned them to her bag and hopped onto the bed. Curling up in the middle, Light Step closed her eyes, letting the sandman take her to a dreamless sleep.

Chapter 2

View Online

Sunlight streamed into the bedroom, the rays reaching out and caressing Rick's face, the heat and light threatening to wake him from his slumber. Scrunching his face, he attempted to roll away from the invasive beams, only to be made aware of a weight on his chest preventing his movement. Groggily opening his eyes, he was greeted with a large lump under the covers on his chest. Carefully moving a hand and pulling them back, he was greeted with an adorable sight.

"D'aww..."

The Princess of the night, in all her glory, was curled up on his chest like a housecat, snoozing away. Her light snores reached his ears and his smile grew. He chuckled at the sight, reaching out and stroking her cheek. She snorted once, then shifted slightly, resuming her sleep. Letting out a content sigh, Rick went over the events of the previous day in his mind. Remembering last night, his eyes widened and he looked down at Luna again.

Holy shit... Luna slept with me..

He lay his head back on his pillow, a content and happy smile on his face. Back on Earth, he had been single for 5 years, and spent many a sleepless night yearning for a warm body to snuggle up to. And now here he was, in magical pony land, with one of the Monarchs snoozing on top of him. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't enjoying every second of it.

But all good things must come to an end, and eventually the light from the window tracked it's way up onto Luna's face. Her snoring petered off, and she shifted again, laying her head between her forelegs. Letting out an annoyed groan, she rubbed her eyes with a hoof before opening them, the blue orbs focusing on Rick.

"G'mornin' Rick.." she slurred, her sleep addled mind barely functional.

"Good Morning, housecat." he said, snickering.

"We're no housecat, we are the princess of the night." she said sleepily.

"You're certainly acting like one."

"Quiet, you, or we'll banish you to places long forgotten to Ponykind!" she proclaimed, raising a hoof triumphantly.

"Uh-huh, sure. Care to tell me why you're up there instead of next to me? Pretty sure you wanted to be little spoon."

"Well, after waking up to lower the moon earlier this morning, around 6 am, we came back to you laying on your back as such. So, we decided that a new resting place would be required, and chose your breast to lay upon. We assumed you wouldn't mind."

"Well, you got that one right, missus." He said, reaching up and wrapping his arms around her. She smiled, leaning down and planting a kiss directly on his lips. His eyes widened, surprised, but slowly his eyes fluttered closed and he returned the kiss with passion. Her soft lips were perfect in his eye, and she was an excellent kisser. She broke the kiss after a few seconds, leaving Rick to lie there contentedly, eyes still closed.

"That was the first time you kissed me..." he dreamily said, smiling a dopey smile. Luna giggled, bringing a hoof up to stifle her laughter. For a few minutes, the two just lay there, enjoying each other's presence.

Checking his watch, the time read 10:23. Sighing, he put an arm over his eyes, groaning.

"Luna, it's 10 am. We should get up."

She sighed. "That would be in best interests, yes. What was on the agenda for today?"

"Well, we have the day free, but later tonight we're going to the party at Twilight's castle. Apparently it's a 'super duper amazing speech' party."

Her eyes brightened, and her smile grew. "Excellent! We look forward to this night!"

Rick chuckled, and he booped her on the nose. "Either way, we should get up. I'm starving."

Luna hopped off of Rick, alighting on the floor next to the bed, before trotting into his bathroom and closing the door. Rick sat up, yawning and stretching, then swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. He stood, yawning once more as he walked over to the kitchen in their room to begin breakfast. The stove and counters were very low, only reaching up to his knees. Sighing, he pulled a carton of eggs from the icebox, turned on the stove and set a pan on it. While he was waiting for the pan to heat up, he heard the sound of running water.

Hm. Luna's taking a shower.

5 minutes later, the bathroom door opened and Luna, still wet from her shower, trotted into the kitchen area. Smelling the cooking eggs, her mouth watered. Rick flipped an egg, and motioned to a plate already on the small table.

"Two eggs, over medium, just like you like 'em, and a glass of water." He said, smiling.

"Thank you, love." She replied, sitting at the table and taking a fork in her magic. Using the side of the fork to cut the eggs into pieces, she popped a section into her mouth, chewing thoughtfully.

"Mmm, delicious."

Sitting down across from her, Rick applied a liberal amount of salt and pepper to his eggs, before beginning to eat as well.

"You ponies and your unseasoned eggs. Weird." He said, looking at Luna's remaining food and the lack of salt or pepper. Preposterous!

"You're the weird one, seasoning eggs." Luna giggled. Rolling his eyes, Rick went back to his food, finishing it and his water in one fell swoop. Taking his plate to the sink, he rinsed and washed it, returning it to the cabinet where it belongs.

"You do realize we could have had a servant bring us breakfast, yes?" Luna asked, bringing her own plate to the sink.

"Yes, but I enjoy cooking, and you enjoy my food, so I thought this'd be better."

"But now we have to cleannnnn!" Luna complained, in mock annoyance.

"Oh, quit your whining."

She stuck out her tongue at him, placing the plate in the sink with her magic.

"Careful, stick that tongue out any further and I'll bite it." Rick coyly smiled.

"Don't you threaten us with a good time." She returned his smile coquettishly.

Rick laughed. "Ah, I love you, Luna."

"We-I, love you as well, Rick." Luna nuzzled his arm playfully.

"Anyways, How about a walk on the town? Get some fresh air, it's nice out today!"

Luna sighed, rolling her eyes.

"This blasted schedule is making our head throb. We are the Princess of the Night! And yet here we are, awake and refreshed at 10 o'clock AM. We can not wait for this tour to be over, and to return to being a night owl once again!"

"I feel you. Back on Earth I worked midnight shift at the office. Got more action that way, and got to see the beautiful night, even if it wasn't yours." Rick said, reminiscing on the memories. He leaned down and kissed Luna's forehead, before walking back to his room. Luna smiled after him, then went into her own room. Her bed was still made, as a result of sleeping with Rick, but she still had her luggage. Although most of the time she didn't wear clothes, today was rather brisk, so she decided to wear a jacket. Perusing her few clothes, a nefarious idea formed in her head.

She was going to steal one of Rick's.

Cackling quietly, she walked back through the kitchen to the entrance of Ricks room. Peering around the corner, she saw that he was in the bathroom. Quickly trotting to his luggage, she found a Black hoodie that read EPSO S.W.A.T on the back. Giggling, she took it and ran back to her own room. It took her a minute to figure out how to put it on, and when she finally manged to get it on it was rather large. Not that it mattered, she was content nonetheless. Her horn lit up and she levitated one of the books she was reading over in front of her, laying down facing the kitchen entrance way. She giggled once more, then opened her book and began reading.

Finishing his shower, Rick stepped out of the bathroom with a towel for modesty, and walked over to his luggage. Seeing as today would be more laid back, he selected a comfortable black t-shirt with an American flag embroidered on the left arm, and Luna's cutie mark on the other. This particular shirt was from Rarity, as she had been ecstatic to make clothes for a new species. Pulling on a new pair of boxers, he perused his pants for a minute before selecting a pair of jeans. Lastly, he decided on a hoodie, but his favorite was missing.

"What the fuck? Where's my SWAT hoodie?"

After frantically searching for a minute, he gave up and walked into Luna's room.

"Hey, have you seen my S-" He froze, jaw slightly open at the sight of her. She looked up at him, an innocent expression on her face.

"Yes, love? Something you need?" She asked playfully.

"That's my.. that's my hoodie!" He indignantly said, pointing.

She looked down, a look of mock surprise on her face.

"So it is." She stated simply.

Rick just stared.

She looked back up at him, retaining the innocent expression before slowly grinning. Unable to contain herself any longer, she burst out laughing, rolling onto her back and kicking her legs into the air.

Rick just stared.

Her laughing fit over, Luna stood up and walked over to him, nuzzling his hand and extending a wing to boop him on the nose. Snapping out of his haze, his look softened.

"Geez, here you are, acting like a girlfriend. Stealing my clothes." He chuckled, stroking between her ears. She giggled.

"This is rather comfortable, perhaps we should have Miss Rarity make one of our own... Or we could just keep this one" She said, admiring the black fabric.

"I think 'Mallow should make one for you," Rick said, "Because that one's special to me."

"Oh? How so?" She asked, curious.

Rick sat down on her bed.

"Well, it represents my time in my office's SWAT Team. It's the elite branch of law enforcement, for when the bad guys are really bad," He explained, "Though I do have some great stories from some operations we did."

She hopped up next to him, wrapping a wing around him and pulling him close.

"Do tell, we would love to hear one." She said, looking at him expectantly.

"Alright, alright," He said, smirking, "So no shit, there I was..."

Light Step awoke to find herself dangling off the bed, wings fully extended. Groaning, she shakily rolled off, carefully standing and giving a few experimental flaps.

"Great, another wet dream." she grumbled, her wings aching. Yawning, she checked the time. 10:54. Sighing to herself, she trotted to the kitchenette, opening a cabinet. Looking around, she found what she was looking for. A solitary apple. Taking it in hoof, she munched thoughtfully, thinking through the day.

The Princess wasn't going to have any meetings or appearances today, so trying to knock her off then would have to wait. She could wait for her to leave, if they left, then follow her and do it then, but she would likely have the damned human with her, and Step didn't want to get caught. Groaning again, she rolled her eyes. There had to be a better way to do this! Thinking it over several more times, a plan slowly made its way to the surface of her thoughts.

The Princess would be vulnerable during the raising and lowering of the moon.

Step had heard about Pinkie Pie throwing a 'super duper amazing speech' party.

The entire town was invited, and The Princess would likely be there. And she would likely raise the moon during the party. All she had to do was wait for the right moment, take her shot, and in the ensuing chaos she would make her escape! It was a foolproof plan! Smiling, she solidified it in her head.

All she had to do now was be patient.

After all, what did she have to worry about?

Twilight's Castle(Or the Castle of Friendship) Loomed above Luna and Rick, as they made their way up the steps to the door. Earlier in the day, Luna had been to Rarity's to take measurements for a hoodie of her own. Rarity was beyond excited, and had never made one before, much less for a princess. The throng of ponies entering the party parted for them, bowing respectfully. At the door, Pinkie Pie greeted them.

"Ohmygosh you made it! I hope you guys will like this super duper awesome speech party!" She squealed, bouncing in place.

Rick chuckled and Luna giggled.

"It looks great so far, Pinkie," Said Rick. "I cant wait to see what else you've come up with. I'm sure Luna will love it."

Pinkie smiled so wide that he was sure that her face was going to split open.

"I hope so! I hope it'll be so much fun for the two of you!" She said, giving a not-so-subtle wink to them.

Luna blushed, looking away, and Rick booped Pinkie. Her eyes crossing, she fell onto her back, and while she was distracted, Luna and Rick slipped into the party.

The main hall was littered with decorations, streamers and just about everything in between. The color scheme was dark blue and purple, to correlate with Luna, and there was a large banner above the entranceway that read "super duper awesome job, Princess Luna!"

The party had been going for about an hour when they got there, and as such there were many ponies standing around and talking, or sitting and eating some of the delicious snacks that Pinkie and Applejack had brought. When the pair walked in, the conversation stopped and all eyes turned to them. The ponies then bowed to the Princess respectfully, bringing a smile to her face.

"Please, no need for formalities, our subjects. Tonight we are but another partygoer, looking to enjoy the festivities. We hope that you all shall do the same." She said, giving the crowd a genuine smile. The crowd clapped and hooted, rising to their hooves and carrying on with their conversations. Luna glanced at the clock, taking note of the time she had until she was to raise the moon. 6:23. She would raise it in about 40 minutes, as she and Celestia had agreed. Until then, she fully intended to enjoy the party with Rick.

Rick, on the other hand, was slightly more nervous than he appeared. The party had hundreds of ponies, filling the halls. Trying to keep an eye on all of them would be impossible, but he was comforted by the fact that Luna planned on staying with him the entire time. Bumping him with her flank, she made her way through the throng of partygoers, stopping and chatting with them, and picking up numerous refreshments along the way. Pausing at a break in the crowd, Luna munched on a slice of cake floating in her magic.

"Careful, hon. Too many of those and you'll end up looking like your sister." Rick said, motioning to the cake.

"Oh shut up," Luna said around a mouthful of the treat. "You like my flank anyway."

She bumped him with her flank again, flashing a sultry smile.

"Maybe later tonight you can show me how much" She said, playfully flicking him with her tail.

Rick blushed, grinning sheepishly. "Maybe."

Luna giggled, and the two continued on.

Trying to follow the Princess and her guard had been nothing short of a nightmare for Light Step. Her saddle bags were bulky and cumbersome, and trying to move through the ongoing party was difficult. Growling in frustration, she sulked through the crowd, ignoring conversation. Along the way, she picked up a muffin. Eating it, she heard a voice through the crowd.

"I bet you I could make it out and around this castle in ten seconds flat!"

"Oh really?" said a second, southern voice. "Ah'm gonna have ta see this ta believe it!"

"Watch me!"

Without warning, a rainbow blur slammed into Light Step, sending her and her bags sprawling across the floor. Once she had stopped tumbling, she sat up and coughed, looking around for her assailant.

"Oh, snap, are you alright there?"

Looking at the source, a cyan pegasus with a rainbow mane looked at her, magenta eyes full of concern.

"Yeah, I'm alright. Just... please look where you're going." Light Step said, surprising herself with her calmness.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I, uh, didn't see you there." The rainbow mare said, rubbing the back of her head with a hoof and a sheepish smile.

"Don't worry about it." Step grumbled, looking around for her bags. Finding them, she walked over and was glad to see that the buttons held fast, keeping her crossbow and bolts from spilling out over the floor and getting her caught.

"What's in your bags, anyway?" The rainbow pegasus followed her.

"Nothing of your concern, just some personal effects of mine." Step growled, making the mare take a step back.

"Sorry, I've had a long day." She apologized, donning her bags.

"It's no problem, we all have bad days, eh?" The rainbow pegasus said.

"I guess."

"Anyways, I'd love to chat, but I've got some flank kicking to do. Later!" The pegasus flew off, leaving a rainbow streak in her wake.

Sighing, Step continued through the party, looking for a good vantage point.

Hmm. No, not there. Not there either. That could work... No, to many ponies. Dammit, is there any place here that isn't full of ponies?

While she was busy in thought, she failed to notice the large blue Alicorn directly in front of her.

"Oomph!"

Light Step stopped in her tracks as she ran face first into Princess Luna, stumbling back and falling onto her haunches. The princess giggled, and the towering form next to her let out a chuckle, before she spoke.

"Are you alright there, little one?" The Princess's voice was soothing, surprisingly so. Light Step was in shock for a moment at who she just ran into.

"Y-yes, I'm fine. I'm sorry, I didn't see you there." She eventually stammered, looking at Luna's bemused expression.

"No need to worry, we all make mistakes sometimes, don't we Rick?"

"Indeed we do, Luna." The human spoke in a deep voice, causing Step to look up, way up, at him. "Did you find the bathroom?" He asked.

It took her a second to realize that he was talking to her, about yesterday, and she stammered, "O-oh! Yes, thank you for showing me."

"My pleasure," He said. "Luna, we should get going, You raise the moon in less than 10 minutes."

"Ah, thank you for reminding us," She said. "It was nice to talk with you, miss...?"

"Um, Light Step." Step said, nervously.

"Miss Light Step. Until next time." The princess said, smiling and waving a hoof before walking off with the human.

Shaking her head for a moment, Step cursed her luck

I stop looking for one bucking second and run into motherbucking Princess Luna! How could I be so stupid!

Sighing explosively, she turned around and attempted to blend in with the crowd, making her way to a vantage point she saw earlier.

Hopefully she could pull this off without a hitch.

Hopefully...

Chapter 3

View Online

This spot is perfect!

Light Step smiled to herself as she alighted on a roof. The party had moved outside to the front of the castle so Luna could raise the moon with the town watching, and while this had screwed up her previous plan, she was quick to adapt and decided on a isolated rooftop about 130 meters from the balcony. She had thought about a cloud, but that would make her too visible. After all, nopony expects a pegasus near the ground! Taking off her bags, she pulled out her specialized crossbow and unfolded the limbs, once more checking it over. Happy with it's condition, she removed the bolts from the second bag. The Spell-Eaters glowed soft red in the dusk light. Choosing one, she pulled back the string, locking it back, and set the bolt on the barrel. She pulled out a combat harness from the other bag, slipping it over her upper body and securing the straps with a wing. The harness held her dagger, had slots for extra bolts and a pouch for miscellaneous items. Checking her scope, she turned a knob on the top, lighting the simple cross reticle via a charged crystal within the scope. The crossbow ready, she set it aside, sitting down and steeling herself for what she was about to do.

The rooftop she was on was far from the rest of the crowd, and she was sure that nopony would bother her here.

Sighing, she covered the crossbow with a blanket.

I'm about to kill the 'immortal' Princess of the night. What led me to do this? Was it the money? The feeling of taking power from her?

Step pondered these thoughts, unsure of what led her to this moment in time. Sure, she had done hits in the past, killing a Zebrican ambassador to the Griffin Empire, assassinating a Saddle Arabian businesspony, and a few others, but none had been on this scale.

She remembered the first time she killed, a 'simple' hit on a Minotaur that was getting 'too close' to her client's daughter. She remembered laying on a balcony, staring down the iron sights of the crossbow she bought specifically for the job, watching the Minotaur step out of his house, dressed in a suit and holding a bouquet of roses. She remembered slowly squeezing the hoof-trigger, launching the bolt at the Minotaur's head, but hitting its chest instead. The way he staggered, dropping the flowers and looking at the new one blooming on his dress shirt. Feebly reaching for the bolt, shock on his face before he pitched forward, jamming the bolt all the way through his chest and ending his life. Step had cried that night. She had taken a life, something nearly unheard of in the world, and had lost her innocence as well. She collected the payment the next day, a mere 2000 bits. That's what the Minotaur's life was worth. Two thousand bits.

After that, she stopped thinking of her contracts personally, but merely thought of it as exactly what it was. Her job. She stopped having nightmares after that. For her, the targets were no longer living, breathing beings, but just another target.

Opening her eyes, a single tear rolled down her cheek. She still remembered the look on that Minotaur's face. Pushing the thought away, she thought once more of how she was going to do this. When the princess was at the peak of her rise, she would take the shot. The Spell-eater would punch right through the magic, and with luck directly into her brain. After that, she wouldn't stick around. She would take off towards the hills, flying low to not arouse suspicion. When the night was over, she would be in Saddle Arabia, where her safe house was.

Nodding to herself, she lay down, waiting for the princess to make her appearance.

Princess Luna was distraught. In a mere 4 minutes, she was to raise the moon, but Rick was nowhere to be found. He had slipped out as they had walked into Twilight's throne room. After their 'meeting' with the mare Light Step, he had grown quiet, continuously looking behind him, uncomfortable. before he had left her in the company of the Elements of Harmony. The only thing he did was kiss her on the cheek, then he vanished.

"I'm sure he just wants to watch you from outside, Princess." Twilight Sparkle said, draping a wing around Luna.

"But he would have told us of this first! He always tells us where he's going beforehand." She said, despair evident on her face.

"I think you're overreacting, Princess," Rainbow Dash said, hovering above her. "He may be getting you something, like a present."

"Yeah! Maybe Rickey is getting you a super special present!" Pinkie pie said, her cheerful eyes improving Luna's mood slightly.

"We don't know... He said that he wouldn't let our relationship interfere wit-" She was cut off by a gasp from Rarity.

"You two are dating?! Dear Princess, you must tell us everything!" Rarity practically squealed.

Luna facehoofed, slightly annoyed.

"Yes, Miss Rarity, and we are raising the moon in a mere three minutes, so we will have to tell you some other time."

Rarity's eyes were filled with excitement as covered her mouth with her forehooves, squeeing.

"I apologize, darling, but I am most excited by this development!" She said, voice bursting with happiness.

In the corner, Rainbow Dash passed off a fifty bit coin to Fluttershy, who took it with a smug grin, unbefitting of her.

"I told you they were going to get together, Rainbow." She said, putting the coin away.

Rainbow crossed her arms, harrumphing.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." She said grumpily.

Meanwhile, Pinkie Pie was bouncing up and down, spouting words.

"Ohmygoshyouwtoaredatingimgoingtohavetothrowahappyrelationshippartyandahappyanniversarypartyeveryearandimsoexcited!!!!!!

Luna rolled her eyes, ignoring the pink pony's rambling. Looking at the clock, it was one minute to 7. Steeling herself, she prepared to step onto the balcony and address her subjects before raising the moon in front of them. Never having done this before, she was understandably nervous. She wished Rick was there to help her with her nerves, but he was off doing who-knows-what. Groaning, she hid behind her hooves, worried. But underneath the worry, was something else. Something she couldn't quite place. It felt like something was wrong, like something wasn't all that it seemed.

Her thoughts were broken by a purple alicorn placing a hoof on her shoulder. Looking up, she saw Twilight looking at her with a genuine smile.

"I believe in you, Princess. You're going to do great out there." She said, pulling the princess into a hug. Luna returned it, a tear falling down a cheek.

"Thank you, young Twilight. Your words mean much to us."

The rest of the Elements looked at her with reassuring expressions. Luna, filled once more with confidence, got up and strode to the door to the balcony, opening it and stepping out into the dusk.

Rick was pissed off.

That bastard Light Step really believes she can follow Luna and I around, essentially stalking us, and not expect repercussions? She has another thing coming!

Rick carefully made his way through the crowd of ponies, scanning each and every one carefully, just as he had been trained. He had left Luna in a rush, deciding that Light Step was a threat to her safety. Back on Earth, he had done the same thing hundreds of times in training, and dozens of times on live ops. Working undercover, or on intel runs, he had walked through throngs of people at rallies, protests and concerts looking for one or two suspects. Other times, he had been tasked to follow a suspect before they hit them with the full force of S.W.A.T.

He was very good at multitasking, keeping an eye on things while doing something else. That's why he consistently noticed Light Step following them on the way back from the town hall, staying far, far behind, but not far enough. His concentration was only thrown when the 4 ponies came from the fork in the road, requiring more immediate action. After returning to their hotel, he noticed the pegasus watching through their window. Ignoring it, he knew that anything she tried would set off the magical alarms placed by Luna on the windows and door, bringing the full force of the Royal guard to their room. So he slept, safe and sound.

Then, earlier at the party, when she had run into him, his hinky bell went off once more.

Why did she have saddlebags on if she was at a party? Shouldn't she have taken them off at the door?

There were surely a thousand other reasons for her carrying them, but coupled with the events of the previous day, his suspicions were roused.

Although he seems ignorant, he is more observant than most ponies on their most paranoid day.

As his Akido sensei had once said, "Ignorance can be the best offensive strategy, if employed properly."

In his years in Law Enforcement, he had more than his fair share of combative experience. He had fought dozens of opponents ranging from a ninety pound woman hopped up on methamphetamine to a retired MMA cage fighter. Each ended the same way: A suspect in cuffs, beaten and bruised. Rick won fights because he fought to win, not for honor. He won because he knew that there were no rules on the street. Rules are for competitions.

When he knocked someone down, he didn't wait for them to get back up. He jumped on them and beat them into submission, locking them in cuffs.

Honor is for the movies. Winning is for the real world.

A scowl on his face, he continued his search. Something nice about Equestria was the fact that the ponies had different colored coats, making identification easy. Very few had grey coats, so finding her should have been easy.

Except it wasn't

He couldn't find her anywhere. Checking his watch, it read 18:58.

Shit!

He had to find her before Luna addressed the crowd. Who knows what the pegasus was planning?

Steeling himself, he exited the crowd, skirting around the edge.

C'mon, think! Okay, she's a pegasus, so maybe she's in the clouds?

Looking up, he scanned the clouds, finding nothing.

Fuck!

He grit his teeth as he kept looking.

Alright, alright. Since the whole town is out here, she can't be attempting something close-range. Not to mention that Luna would see that coming a mile away. So she's gotta be using something long range. If I were a sniper...

He paused, brow furrowed. Looking up at the rooftops, he scanned them. The close ones had pegasi on them, sitting and chatting. None of them were Light Step. Looking further, he spotted a silhouette against the slowly setting sun, about 50 metres from where he stood. Squinting, he saw wings flutter out, before settling back against its body.

Gotcha.

He began his brisk walk towards the house, deciding to take a more secluded route to avoid arousing suspicion.

"Good evening, Fillies and Gentlecolts of Ponyville."

He heard Luna begin to speak. Shit! He thought, picking up his pace towards the house. Ducking behind a nearby cottage, he carefully looked around the corner at the target house. The silhouette turned, taking something behind it. Squinting, Rick watched as the figure brought around the unmistakable shape of a crossbow.

OH FUCK!

He took off, sprinting towards the house at full speed.

This is fucking bad. Why did there have to be so many ponies to look through! Why did I have to be a fucking idiot and not deal with her right then and there? FUCK!

Rick mentally cursed himself, reaching under his dress coat and pulling his Glock from his hip holster, racking a round into the chamber. Nearing the house, he spotted a ladder leaning up against the chimney, and a few chimney-sweep tools laying around the base.

Perfect!

He jumped onto the 6th rung, gun still in hand, before rapidly ascending. Reaching the top, he quietly jumped onto the roof, the shingles making little noise. In front of him, about 12 feet, the pegasus lay on the peak of the roof, crossbow in hoof, looking through a scope mounted on top, right at Luna. He saw a faint red glow from the bolt secured on the barrel.

Motherfucker has Spelleaters. She planned this.

He brought his gun up in a two handed shooters grip, pushing down on the switch mounted just in front of the trigger, turning on the 300 lumen light mounted beneath the barrel. It was Light Step, all right. Same mane, coat, and bags laying next to her. His right index finger found the trigger and it's cold embrace.

The pegasus froze, becoming completely still.

"Let's not do something we both regret." Rick said, coldly. His gun remained steady as a rock.

Slowly, the pegasus released her grip on the crossbow, carefully standing but staying turned away from Rick. In the distance, princess Luna's horn began to glow, the light illuminating the pegasus even more.

"Back up to my voice." Rick said.

"I don't think you understand what's going on here, sir." Light Step said, carefully choosing her words.

"Back. Up. Now." Rick said, spacing his words with punctuality.

"You don't understand! I'm just following my contract!"

Does this pony really think I'm gonna believe that shit? Dumbass.

"I don't give a flat fuck what you're doing. You are not only on a rooftop with a crossbow, you are in possession of illegal ammunition, showing intent to harm Princess Luna. You have a mil-spec combat harness on. You are well within range of your weapon, and you have been following her for several days. She already has a guard, so that narrows the possibilities down. I think it's best if you just do as I say and BACK THE FUCK UP!" Rick finished with a shout.

Light Step looked back up at the balcony. Princess Luna had reached the peak of her levitation, glowing brightly as the moon slowly rose from in front of her. Looking back down, Step decided on what she was going to do. She had no idea what weapon, if any, the human had, and so she carefully backed up, pausing to use a hoof to take something from her harness.

Rick watched her back up, and noticed her reaching for something on her harness. Tightening his grip, he spoke coldly.

"Drop it. Now."

Light Step froze. Carefully extending the hoof which held the small throwing knife, she set it on the ground.

But as soon as her hoof hit the ground, she rolled to the side, picking the knife up and hurling it at the human.

Rick saw her dive to the side, and followed her with his aim before the back of his left hand erupted into agony.

"Fuck!" He yelled, losing half his grip on his gun. The pegasus took this time to rush at him, a large dagger in her teeth.

Light Step knew that this human would be easy to kill. He was holding a small black 'L' shaped stick-thing, with the light coming from beneath it. She didn't care what it was, there was no way he would be able to do anything with it.

Or so she thought.

Rick, still standing, took a half step back, before unleashing a snap kick directly into Step's muzzle, knocking the dagger from between her teeth. She reeled back, falling onto her back. Rick brought his injured left hand up to his chest, painfully curling it into a fist and holding it tight against himself. At the same time, he pushed his gun arm out at a "Quarter-Homie" 45 degree angle and leaned slightly forward, bracing himself.

It was then that Rick made a choice that he had only made twice in his career.

The world's pace slowed to a crawl, and all ambient noise drained from the surroundings. The cheering ponies not 50 meteres away, the chirping of the birds, nothing was heard by the man. His right index finger slowly curled around the trigger, taking up the slack and slowly progressing beyond. Slowly, he saw the pegasus begin to sit up, the corner of its mouth dripping blood, its eyes angry and its face pulled back in a snarl.

He slowly squeezed further, the six pound custom double-stage trigger reaching it's break point. A few more ounces and that wall would break like a glass rod, releasing the firing pin. The pegasus filled the tritium iron sights of his gun.

The pegasus slowly attempted to launch itself at Rick, wings unfurling and giving it extra propellant.

Rick began to stop seeing it as a pegasus, a living being, seeing it as just another target.

The 'glass rod' snapped.

Rick didn't even hear the shot. He saw the bullet leave the barrel, the .40 S&W Hollowpoint flying uncaring towards the snarling pony. He saw the muzzle flare, and saw the slide slowly cycle, watching the ejected casing lazily spin off to the side, smoking. He felt the gun slowly push back into his hand and arm, the stout recoil blurring his sight picture. The slide returned to the front of the gun, a new round chambered. Lining up the sights once again, he pulled through the glass wall.

THATOW

He heard the second shot, loud, sharp and poignant, and once more watched the firearm go through the motions in his hand. As always, it functioned uncaring of the situation around it. Merely a tool, doing as it was designed to do.

On the other hand, Light Step had been sure she was going to kill the human, flying at him as fast and hard as she could, when the loudest two sounds she had ever heard in her life sounded out.

THATOW THATOW

With the sounds, she felt a loss of function in her wings, then in her legs.

It was as if Celestia herself flicked a switch, relieving her of her motor functions.

The thing in the human's hand had sent a jet of flame out the end of it, followed by another shortly after, corresponding with the sounds.

Step tumbled to the roof with the loss of her limbs, landing on her side, sliding a few feet down the roof and becoming aware of a burning sensation in her lungs, followed by what felt like a pony shoving a burning hot poker in between her ribs. Trying to let out a scream, the only sound she made was a soft wheeze. Straining to bring her eyes around to look at her chest, she saw two small red holes slowly leaking her blood. She struggled to move, unable to do so.
Trying to breathe, she had a hard time drawing air into her lungs, wheezing like she had just run a marathon. She could feel her brain starting to cry out for oxygen, and slowly her bodily functions began to slow down, her brain shutting down everything but the most essential of processes. She felt a sticky liquid running down the feathers of her wings, matting them together.
Trying to flap them, she merely twitched one of them. Letting out one final wheeze, she looked up at the Human, watching him come towards her, the firestick still in his hand, before her eyes closed for the last time, introducing her to a new darkness. She felt the pain leaving her body, the worries of mortal life drifting away, along with her tainted soul. Her final thought broke through the void:

Was it all worth it?

The world came back in full force to Rick. He could smell the cordite and gunpowder from his gun invading his nostrils, and a familiar coppery smell hit him as well.

Blood.

Keeping his gun on the pegasus, he could see the two 10mm holes, spaced about 3 inches apart on her chest. A wing twitched, almost causing him to fire again, but he refrained. The pegasus let out one final wheeze, her blue eyes focusing on his gun, before they fluttered closed and the wheezing ceased. Taking his finger off the trigger and laying it on the side of the trigger guard, he exhaled, quietly saying,

"Target down."

It was something he always did. Helped him cope with the stress of what he had done. Was he justified in shooting the pegasus? Absolutely. She had attacked him, and shown clear intent to harm the Lunar Princess. He did nothing wrong.

But he would still have some nightmares for a few weeks. It happened every time.

Blood ran down the shingles, dripping off the roof into the street. Rick pushed the magazine eject, using his left hand to painfully take the magazine and place it in his pocket, before racking the slide and quickly catching the live cartridge. Wincing as he did so, he finally noticed the small, three inch knife in the back of his hand. Hissing, he holstered his pistol and reached up to grip the handle of the blade. Slowly pulling it out, a torrent of blood ran down his hand.

Fuck. Musta burst a few capillaries.

Taking off his dress jacket, he tore off a strip of the dark silk fabric with his teeth, wrapping it around his injured hand and tying an awkward knot. Blood quickly soaked through the cloth.

Rarity is not going to like that. But given the circumstances, I think she'll forgive me.

A large winged shape alighted on the roof next to him.

"RICK! Rick, are you oka-" Princess Luna abruptly stopped talking, looking at the dead pegasus, the crossbow, and Rick's hand with wide eyes.

"Oh my..." Luna said, trailing off as she took in the grisly sight. She rushed over to Rick, looking at his hand with utter concern.

Rick suddenly pulled her into an unexpected hug, wrapping both hands tightly around her, slightly trembling as he did so. She felt his blood dribble onto one of her wings. With the hug, Luna felt all of his emotions, his worry, his sorrow, his righteous fury flow into her. Tears coming to her eyes, she drunk this in, returning the hug with empathy, her forehooves on his shoulders.

"Oh, Rick, I'm so sorry..." Luna said, the royal 'we' absent from her words. Rick merely held on, working his way through his feelings.

"L-Luna..." He stuttered. "She was- she was going to k-kill you." The normally austere man was starting to tear up, the notion of the one he loved being killed becoming too much for the hardened cop to bear.

He cried into her, bleeding the events of the night into her.

The stars dimmed.

The world became still for the two, sharing the hug together.

And inside her, Luna felt his sorrow.

And she wept for him.

And he wept for her.

Interlude: Shots Fired

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Two years before the Events of the Party

Rick Kovoso was the youngest Sergeant in El Paso County Sherrif's Office history. At only 23, he had been a deputy for a mere 2 years before his arrest count and notable performance in the Jail and Patrol division made him eligible for promotion very quickly. He had proven that although he may be a baby-cop, he could roll with the best of them.

However, on June 19th of 2016, he did something that many cops never want-or have- to do.

Rick rolled up on the scene in his white Chevy Tahoe. Flicking on his lights, he lit up the dark street-corner with red and blue flashes. Two silhouettes appeared, frozen by the lights. Stopping his vehicle, Rick keyed his mic.

"Sam-Adam 26, civilian contact. Two white male, one about six foot with a headband and blue flannel, the other about 5'9 with a dark duster and dreadlocks."

Sam-Adam 26, copy. Stay safe. Dispatch replied, giving him the go ahead.

Rick stepped out of his car, giving a wave to the men.

"Evening, gentlemen. How are you two doing?"

"We ain't doin nothin wrong, officer!" The one with dreads said.

"Care to tell me what y'all are doing on this street corner at 2 am?" Rick inquired.

"Uh, we jus' takin' a walk!"

Rick looked at the street sign. The southwestern part of Colorado Springs, B Street was just barely county jurisdiction. It was also arguably the worst street in the city. This was a part of the Springs where gunshots and sirens were a regular occurrence. In short, two men "just taking a walk" wasn't a very believable story.

Rick raised an eyebrow. "At 2 am? On B street?"

"Uhhh, yeh!" said the one with the headband.

"C'mon, guys, you know as well as I that that's bullshit. What are you two up to?"

"Nothin officer, I swear by Jesus Mary and Joseph."

"Where you boys headed?"

"Uhhhhh, the Corner Store!" Headband said.

The nearest corner store that wasn't closed for repairs was on South Academy, 4 miles away, across I-25.

"You plan on walking four miles, across I-25? Sorry, I find that hard to believe." Rick said, growing annoyed.

The men stayed silent. Slowly, Dreads unbuttoned his Duster.

"Hey, hands where I can see them." Rick ordered, laying a hand on the butt of his gun.

"Y'know, we don't really take kindly to people like you 'round here.." Headband said, looking at Dreads.

Rick keyed his mike.

"Sam-Adam 26, request backup."

Sam-Adam 26, backup is 15 minutes out from West Uintah.

"Shit." he muttered, keeping an eye on the two men. "Hey, let's not make any choices that we'll both regret" He said to them. They were slowly walking towards him, closing the distance from about 20 feet to around 12.

"Oh, I ain't gonna regret this!" Headband shouted, stuffing a hand into his waistband and pulling something out.

They call it taccie-psychie when everything slows down during a stressful fight-or-flight event. When Rick watched the man slowly pull the pistol from his waistband, he clearly remembered the gleam of the weapon in the light of his car, and could easily identify it as a chrome Beretta 92. At the same time, Rick thumbed down the holster safety strap that kept his gun in place, and drew his issued Glock 22.

During this, the only thought going through Rick's head was, Really? A chrome Beretta?

The mind sometimes says silly things when going through stress.

Slowly bringing his gun up in a two handed shooting stance, Rick began to move towards Dreads. The whole time, he could see Headband bringing up his pistol in a one handed grip.

Looking back on the event later in a Psychological Evaluation with the office Psychiatrist, he couldn't remember who shot first. It felt like the bullets left the barrels at the same time for him.

At this time, time sped up again. Rick pulled his trigger three times as he ran towards Dreads, who was fumbling to get his gun out. Headband's first shot went wild, hitting the light bar on top of Rick's car, taking out the red light. His second hit the ground 10 feet to the left of Rick. After that, Rick's first shot hit headband in the stomach, causing him to double over. His second hit the top of his head, spraying blood and brains everywhere, and the third missed. Headband was dead instantly. Seeing the suspect fall, Rick turned his attention to Dreads, who was still working on drawing his gun. Quickly returning his pistol to his holster, Rick lashed out with a brutal stomach side kick, causing Dreads to fold in half like a book. Wasting no time, Rick grabbed the back of Dread's head and pulled it down as he drove his knee up, causing blood to jet from his nose. Pulling Dread's arm away from the gun, Rick delivered a series of three punches to his face, before locking a hand around the back of his neck and his bicep, kicking out to the left of Dread's right leg, and pulling it back, hitting his calf and shoving him forwards. Keeping a hold on his arm as he fell, Rick quickly used his foot to kick Dreads onto his stomach before twisting both arms behind him, pulling out his cuffs and locking them in place. Pulling him up by the cuffs and the pressure point on the top of the shoulder, Rick all but dragged the kicking and screaming gangster to the back of his Tahoe. Slamming him against the side of the car, Rick thoroughly patted him down, pulling out a massive Desert Eagle pistol, and two small bags of methamphetamine. Checking the pockets of his jacket, Rick found two extra .50 AE magazines. Relieving the cursing gangster of those as well, Rick tore the jacket off of him, ripping the fabric and tossing the useless material on the street. Ripping open the door to his car, he essentially threw Dreads into the back, slamming the door and leaning back against it. Keying his mic, Rick said,

"Sam-Adam 26, Shots fired. I repeat, shots fired. One suspect dead, the other in custody."

Copy, Sam-Adam 26. We have multiple units running code¹ to your location.

"Copy."

Letting out a breath, Rick began to shake. Opening the front passenger door, he grabbed his water bottle, ignoring the threats and insults Dreads screamed at him.

Closing the door, he attempted to take a sip, but his hands were shaking too much. Putting the bottle down, he let out another explosive breath, looking out at the body in front of him. Slowly sitting down, Rick dared not close his eyes, opting to keep an eye on the surroundings.

No lights came on in nearby houses. The tenants were desensitized to shootings.

Rubbing an eye with a shaky hand, Rick heard the sirens of multiple units coming to his location.

Leaning his head against his car, he thought about what he had done.

I just shot someone. A gangster, yes, and he intended to shoot me, but a person nonetheless.

So why don't I feel remorse?

Rick pondered these thoughts, his analytical mind working through the facts presented.

The last clear thing he remembered were the CSPD and Sherrif's office cars pulling up on scene. After that, he had bits and pieces, but nothing clear.

He remembered giving a statement on what happened.

He remembered taking the screaming Dreads out of his car, and passing him to the other Sergeant on duty for processing.

He remembered being told by his Lieutenant to go home and relax, and to take the next day off.

He remembered briefly talking to the Psychiatrist to set up an appointment for the next day.

He remembered turning his gun in for inspection, and he remembered driving home.

He remembered the shower he took, where he thought long and hard about what he had done.

He remembered the look on the Gangster's face before it was turned into bloody pulp.

He remembered the recoil of his gun pushing into his hand.

He remembered.

He would never forget.

But he wouldn't let it be all he remembered.

¹: Code: When a police car uses lights and siren en route to a call

Chapter 4

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Twilight Sparkle was confused.

Shortly after the raising of the moon, just as Luna had touched down, there had been two loud 'boom' sounds that caused much of the crowd to recoil in panic from her, thinking that she had made them. There were shouts of "Nighmare Moon is back!" and worse that caused the crowd to all but run for the hills.

Twilight now needed to find a way to get the ponies to trust Luna again. She wasn't looking forward to that endeavor.

But Luna hadn't been as confused as the others when she heard the sounds, and she hadn't even cared that her subjects fled in terror. Instead, her face betrayed a look of fear and worry, and she had been quick to take flight towards the source of the sounds. Twilight followed her, curiosity replacing confusion, and was joined by Rainbow Dash. The other elements were following further back, unable to fly, and Fluttershy was nowhere to be found. Luna had landed on a rooftop a ways away from the castle, and Twilight could see the shape of Rick standing there as well, with another unmoving shape just in front of him.

What in Celestia's name happened? Twilight asked herself.

Gliding down to the roof, Twilight cast a light spell to illuminate the area, and her eyes fixated on something she thought she would never see.

A dead pony.

Her eyes the size of dinner plates, she nearly fell out of the air. Luna was in a deep hug with Rick, and Twilight could hear soft sobbing coming from him.

Rick? Crying? That's unusual, he isn't one to cry. Could he have....? No, Rick wouldn't have to do that. Would he?

Twilight was in shock. Shakily landing behind Luna, she looked down at the corpse, watching the blood trickle down the poor pegasus's feathers and onto the shingles of the roof. She recognized the pony as the same one that asked for directions after Luna's speech the previous night.

As she stared, she could hear another set of sobs begin from the pair in front of her.

Twilight looked up at the stars, as they dimmed. Something had seriously affected the Princess.

Looking over at her, she could see Luna holding Rick tight, and from Rick's closed eyes tears fell like rain.

What happened??? Twilight wanted to be angry at Rick, for she was sure that he had done this, before Rainbow Dash landed next to her.

"T-T-Twilight..?" She asked in a shaky voice. "I-Is that a p-p-pegasus?"

Twilight simply nodded slowly, a hard look on her face.

"A-a-and is t-that a c-crossbow?" Rainbow continued, pointing to their back right.

Huh?

Twilight whirled around, spotting the scoped crossbow set on a bipod on the peak of the roof. The bolt set in place glowed a dull red, and her pupils shrank to pinpricks.

Why is that crossbow loaded with spell-eater bolts?

Twilight turned to Rick in rage. He had done this. He was going to kill Luna.

Snarling, she looked once more at the dead pegasus, trying to fuel her rage, and her train of thought ground to a screeching halt.

Is that pony wearing a combat harness?

Confusion replacing her anger, Twilight considered the corpse, noting a dull red glow coming from the front of the harness.

Wait a minute, this wasn't Rick... it was This pony that was going to-

Twilight squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her head, trying to shut the thought out, but it weaseled its way into her mind and dug its tendrils deep.

Rick hadn't been planning to kill the princess. He was trying to stop this pony from killing her.

The thought of a pony doing such a deplorable act was too much for the young princess to bear.

Twilight burst into tears.

The sound of galloping hooves reached their ears, and Rainbow looked at the source, seeing Pinkie, Rarity and Applejack coming towards them. Steeling herself, she wiped her eyes with a hoof and fluttered down to the ground, meeting them halfway.

"Rainbow! What happ-" Applejack was cut off by the tears in Rainbow's magenta eyes.

"Don't-Don't. You don't want to see it." Rainbow shakily said.

"Is everypony okay?" Asked Rarity, concern filling her features.

"N-No. Every-pony is not okay. It'd be better if w-we just went back to the castle. I'll t-tell you everything..."

Pinkie's smile faded. She didn't like to see her friend this way. Judging by her tone and her actions, she was really hurt by something. Her mane and tail deflated into a flat, straight style.

"D-Do you know where F-Fluttershy is?" Rainbow asked, the tears in her eyes prominent.

"Last we saw, she was flying the direction of her house." Rarity said, pointing.

"O-okay. Applejack, go get her. The rest of us, let's g-go to the castle." Rainbow's voice was strained.

Slowly turning hoof, the Rarity, Pinkie and Rainbow made their way to the castle, while Applejack went towards Fluttershy's cottage at a full gallop.

She didn't know what had happened, but she hoped her friend was going to be okay.

The Elements had gathered up in the throne room, seated in a circle. Applejack had to practically drag Fluttershy back, as she refused to leave her home. The loud sounds had spooked her.

Twilight had come in shortly after they had gotten there, and told them that Rick was currently in hospice for a wound on the back of his hand. She and Luna had accompanied him, and along the way he had told the story of what happened. The Royal Guard was at the scene of the shooting, keeping it under wraps until Celestia arrived the next day to personally inspect the scene. Luna stayed with Rick, and Twilight returned to tell the girls what happened. Sitting on the floor, she looked at the ponies around her.

Rarity was concerned, and confused. Applejack was stoic, not ready to make a judgement yet. Pinkie Pie was somber, looking at the ground with sad eyes and a flat mane. Fluttershy was meek and afraid, and Rainbow Dash was on the verge of tears. Twilight let out a deep breath, composing herself.

"Alright girls. You are all familiar with Rick's background, right?" She asked.

They all nodded.

"Good. And you all understand the world he comes from, right?"

They nodded once more.

"Good. Okay. So Rarity and Fluttershy will remember that grey pegasus mare that asked for directions after Princess Luna's speech last light, yes?"

The two in question nodded. Rarity spoke up.

"Forgive me, dear, but could you please tell us what transpired tonight?"

"Yes, right, I'm sorry. Okay. This is... hard for me to say.

Apparently this mare, by the name of Light Step, had been following The Princess since she had left the town hall that night, and even watched the two of them through their hotel window. Then, tonight at the party, she had followed them through the party, and Rainbow ran into her."

"I-I remember that." She said, looking at the ground. "She was grouchy and touchy about her bags when I asked her about them."

"And then shortly after that, Rick and The Princess ran into her as well," Twilight continued. "She seemed like she was hiding something, and Rick drew some conclusions. Then, you all remember when he suddenly left. Well, it turns out that he was going to confront Light Step about following them. And well..." She trailed off.

"Twilight, what in tarnation happened? You're startin' to scare us here." Applejack said, crossing her hooves and looking a bit annoyed.

"I'm sorry, as I said, this is difficult for me to say."

"It's not like somepony died!" Applejack said, squinting at her and huffing.

Twilight looked away, drawing in a tedious breath.

"A-actually AJ, somepony did d-die."

The room was silent. Applejack's annoyace faded, replaced with chagrin and worry.

"Rick discovered Light Step on a roof, armed. She had a crossbow loaded with a very deadly type of bolt designed to penetrate magical barriers, like the one Princess Luna has around her when she's raising the moon. Rick confronted her, and she a-attacked him." Twilight started to lose her cool, pausing for a moment and breathed deeply, calming herself.

"Rick was stabbed in the back of his hand, and s-s-s-" Twilight had trouble finishing the sentence. "Shot Light Step fatally, k-killing her on the spot."

Everyone's jaw hung open.

"S-s-s-shot her? L-like with a c-cross bow?" Rarity stuttered her question.

"N-no, with something else. I'm sure h-he can tell you about i-it, if hes c-c-comfortable.." Twilight responded, her ears flat against her skull.

Applejack huffed again, rage boiling her her veins, before getting up quickly.

"Ah'm gonna teach Rick a lesson for doin' something so despicable in mah fair town!" She shouted, turning around and galloping out the door.

"AJ, no!" Twilight yelled after her, but it was too late. The orange pony was too far gone to listen to reason at this point.

Turning her attention back to the group, Twilight sighed.

"Look, I'm sure you all w-want to talk to Rick, and after he's recovered he said that he would be more than w-willing to talk to us all individually about what happened." Drawing in a deep breath, she chased the stutter from her system.

"This kind of thing just doesn't happen around here. Equestria is a peaceful nation, but as you all know, anything can happen anywhere. Although we try to strive for peaceful negotiation, sometimes that just won't work. I think this was one of those times. I'm worried about AJ, but I know she'll see the truth."

Surprisingly, Fluttershy spoke up.

"I've seen this in nature sometimes, when the animals have a disagreement. Although many of my nature friends are very nice to each other, sometimes being peaceful just won't work. I hate to say it, but force needs to be used sometimes to keep the peace, even if it sounds counterproductive. Oh, I'm sorry if I overstepped..." She hid behind her mane once again, shrinking into her spot on the floor.

The ponies all stared at Fluttershy.

"That really made a lot of sense, Fluttershy. Thank you for your input." Twilight said, giving her a small smile.

Fluttershy softly squeaked, nodding behind her mane.

"Does anypony else have any questions?"

Pinkie Pie raised a hoof.

"Do you know of anything that might cheer Ricky up? I think that that this may be harder for him than us, with all he did tonight." She said, starting to gain back her cheerful edge.

Sharing a small smile, Twilight said, "Maybe at another time, Pinkie. Right now he needs some alone time with Princess Luna, I think."

"Okey Dokey!" Pinkie cheerfully said.

Twilight smiled. Nothing could keep her friends down for long. Even Rainbow Dash had stopped crying and was smiling.

"Alright girls, let's go home and sleep on it. In the morning, we can visit Rick. Does that sound good to everypony?"

"Yeah!

"Yes, dear.

"Yeppers!"

"I guess..."

"Alright then. I'll see you all in the morning!"

"That's a nasty cut on the back of your hand, sir." Nurse Redheart stated, looking at the wound on the back of Rick's left hand.

"Yeah, no kidding." He replied.

Princess Luna was standing next to his seated form, holding his other hand in her hooves. Rick was enjoying the feeling, the strange grip that her hoof provided him, and was grateful for the contact. The events of the night had left him a mess for a while, crying like a little girl, before he had been able to relax. Afterwards, he had essentially returned to his former self, even cracking some-in Twilight's apparently expert opinion-poor timed jokes. But to him, they were a coping mechanism. Luna had thought them funny, but been too worried to laugh. At the moment, she was just trying her best to give Rick as much support as he needed.

Redheart pulled on hoof-gloves with her teeth, careful to not let the touch the floor, before removing a small bottle of Iodine from her first aid kit.

"This is going to sting a bit." She said, before dumping a healthy amount of the substance onto the cut.

Rick hissed, sucking in a breath through his teeth, but remained still.

Wiping off the excess with a sterile cloth, Nurse Redheart began to wrap the man's hand with bandages. Using a small amount of medical tape to hold the dressing secure, she removed her gloves and put them in the biohazard container.

"Now, when that does heal, you're going to need Physical Therapy. Thankfully, your hand anatomy is similar to a Minotaur's, so we can have you do some basic Minotaur hand exercises. Can we schedule you for a couple weeks from today?"

"I'll be in Canterlot then..." Rick replied.

"Hmm. We could give you the device and have you do the exercises on your own time, would that work?"

Rick nodded. "That'll work."

Giving him a smile, She said. "Great! I'll go get it."

The nurse left the room, leaving Luna and Rick alone.

The two sat in silence for a few minutes, before Rick broke the ice.

"Y'know hon, I'm really glad that you're safe.."

Luna looked up at him, a small smile on her face.

"Thank you for protecting us..." She uttered, a single tear rolling down her cheek.

"I did say that I wouldn't let our relationship get in the way of things, didn't I?" He shot her a saucy smile, releasing her hoof and wiping the tear away from her eye.

"Don't cry, honey. I'm still here, and the other guy is well... not. And you're still here, which means more to me than my life ever will." He lifted her chin and kissed her, pouring his passion and love into the union. She fought back the tide of tears until it was too much to bear, releasing the dam and openly crying. Rick broke the kiss and pulled her into a hug, comforting the Lunar Princess.

"We-I love you, Rick. I am more than thankful that you are alive, and that such a horrible, disgusting pony is no longer here to harm anypony." She said, her voice straining.

"Don't worry about it. I'm just doing my job." He said, pulling her closer and kissing her cheek.

Keeping the hug for a few more moments, Luna pulled away, a new look on her face. Licking her lips huskily, she said, "If you desire, perhaps tonight we can... enjoy the bedroom together." She flicked her tail, eying him with seductive eyes.

Rick laughed, saying, "Subtle, Luna. So subtle. And maybe, I'll just have to take you up on that offer..." He leaned in, and passionately kissed Luna, which she eagerly returned.

Their kiss was rudely interrupted by the door bursting open, ripping the two out of their tender moment, and switching their attention to the angry orange pony standing in the doorway.

"You! You think that you can strut into mah town, with mah Princess, and do somethin' despicable like up'n killing a poor pony? I bet that they didn't even do anything wrong!" She shouted, pawing the ground with a hoof. "You really think that killin' a pony like you did solved anything?!" Applejack was angrier than she had ever been in her life. Rick looked at her, his eyes cold and calculating, but his mouth closed.

"Well? Answer me, murderer!" Applejack yelled, shaking the room.

Rick's eyes narrowed. Gently pushing Luna aside, he stood up.

"You really believe that I wanted to kill that pony? You call me a murderer, yet you fail to look at the other party. Did you see her, holding the crosshairs of that crossbow on the Princess that I swore my life to protect? " His voice was soft, but cut into Applejack like a knife. With each sentence, he took another measured step.

"I've seen this before. You don't want to believe that your own kin could be held responsible, or even have the will to attempt such atrocities. Yet there they were. Not all problems can be solved peacefully, Applejack, and knowing when to break out the big stick is what defines your character."

Rick wasn't angry; to Luna it was like he was correcting a foal that stepped out of line. Applejack had deflated, and stepped back, but Rick wasn't done.

"You ever shot someone, Applejack? You ever had to deal with the crushing weight of taking a life? The weight that's only alleviated when you realize that if you hadn't killed them, they would have killed you? Or your friends? Or innocent people just going about their day? Taking a life is not something I do lightly, as you so flippantly stated. If I hadn't dealt with that threat right then and there, with lethal force, I would've been dead, and Luna would've been dead, and that pony would have gotten away to take more lives another day. Could I have just knocked her out and apprehended her? Yes. But this was not only more effective, it was also thoroughly justified. Why try to spare one who wouldn't do the same for you? It's not selfish, it's just the truth. My job isn't to apprehend criminals anymore. It's to keep Luna safe."

Rick was standing over the shaking Applejack, who was watching him with wide eyes.

"So next time you decide to come in here and spout half-assed ramifications and try to tell me exactly how I should have done something, remember that you weren't there, and you didn't see what I saw."

Applejack hung her head in shame.

"A-ah'm sorry, Rick. Ah just got really angry after hearing about that and... well I thought that you had done something wrong and... Ah'm sorry."

"It's alright, Applejack. I know what it's like to feel like you need to blame someone for something. Just after one of my fellow officers died, I was angry at the Sherrif's office and almost quit, but realized that they had done everything right, they had tried the best they could to prevent it, and what I really needed to do was accept that it happened." Rick's voice was soothing, and he squatted down and gave Applejack a scritch behind the ears.

"Thank you for forgivin' me, Rick. Ah know that Ah kinda overstepped there..."

"As I said, don't worry about it. Everyone makes mistakes. Ponies too."

Applejack scratched the back of her head with a hoof, avoiding eye contact.

"Plus, it's not hard to forgive one who's so adorable!" Rick said playfully, pinching her cheek.

"Stop that.." She mumbled, pulling away with a grin.

"Make me," He said, sticking out his tongue.

"Ah would, but ah think Twi wants me back at the Castle. Once again, thanks for forgivin' me for my outburst." Applejack said, giving Rick a quick hug and departing. After her came Nurse Redheart with a strange looking hand exerciser thing, much like ones Rick had seen on Earth.

"Okay, here's the exerciser. Once you remove the bandages, use it twice a day, every day for thirty minutes or more. After about two weeks, you shouldn't need it anymore." She chirped, ignorant of Applejack's outburst.

"Thanks, Nurse. Anything else you need from us?" Rick inquired.

"Nope! You're all set."

"Thanks," Rick stood, gathering his suit jacket, and turned to Luna. Redheart left the room.

"Ready to go?" He asked.

"You handled that very well. We thought you were going to be angry with her." Luna said in astonishment.

"Well, I had that same kinda thing happen to me after my second shooting," Rick began, taking steps towards the door and holding it for the blue alicorn. "I was in the hospital for a broken rib, and this lady comes in and starts spouting all this bullshit about how we murdered kids, and how everyone who was involved was innocent. I came really close to exploding on her, but my LT just starts talking to her in that same soft voice, absolutely demolishing her arguments. She stopped and tried some weak rebuttals, but the LT just kicked her out. It was amazing."

Stepping out into the night, the streets were vacant. The couple began their walk back to the hotel, softly chatting.

"Rick?" Luna asked during a break in the conversation.

"Yes, love?"

"If you do not mind our asking, what happened during your second shooting?"

Rick was quiet for a minute before answering.

"Well, It was one of my first few SWAT ops. We got called out at about 4 am, during which I was working, to this tiny little house in the middle of butt-fuck nowhere. Apparently some kid had run away and called 911 about his sadistic father and how he beat him all day everyday and other bullshit like that, right? Well we send a car out to it, and after about 40 minutes we get no reply from him. Dispatch hailed him like 10 times and got nothing. So they freak out and page SWAT, EOD and like half the fucking office about this deputy, yeah? SWAT assembles and we go out on this ninety minute drive to almost the edge of our county, and roll up on this tiny little one story house out there, no electricity, runs off well water. As we turn onto the road, we can see the deputy's car in front, with the door open, and nothing else. So we surround the house and start with call-outs, using the LRAD on our Bear to make sure that everyone and their mother can hear us."

Luna asked, "Whats an LRAD? and you guys have a live bear?"

Rick chuckled. "Well, an LRAD is a really loud speaker used for talking to ships at sea. We don't have a live bear, it's an armored vehicle."

"Oh."

"Yeah. Anyways, we get no response from the house, so EOD sends out their little robot to check out the house. It goes up to the door, and on the way notices a bloodstain on the porch. After EOD sees that, they're freaking out, thinking that our deputy is all sorts of fucked up. And honestly I was a little nervous myself, but I didn't let it show. So the 'bot pushes the door open, and starts looking around the inside of this house; it's freaky. There's like an altar at the end of the room, and there's weird newspaper clippings on the walls, it's like something out of a horror flick. So the 'bot finds this staircase like, leading to hell and goes down it, but when it gets there the signal gets fucked and they lose control. We also hear a gunshot, so we assume that they shot the 'bot."

About 10 minutes later, we make the decision to go in. We bring our shields, we bring basically everything. So we clear the first level, nothing too freaky, aside from the satanic altar and newspaper clippings, and we look at this staircase. It's dark down there, so the LT orders us to put on our night vision, and so we start going down this staircase as carefully as we can. We can't find the bot, but we can smell the cordite and gunpowder from the shot. Half the team is trembling at this point, but we keep going. So our shield guy rounds this corner and suddenly gets hit with a load of buckshot, right in the shield. He pulls back and the guy behind him sicks his rifle around the corner and just fucking unloads. I'm third in line and so when this guy empties his mag, I stick my gun around the corner on full auto and do the same, blind firing. While I'm doing this the guy behind me comes around behind me and pops off a few shots, taking out the guy who was there. The whole team is freaking out at this point, and there's still more to go. Fortunately, we didn't find anymore baddies at the house, but seriously, the whole damn thing was a nightmare." Rick finished, shaking his head.

"...Wow. That sounds... enjoyable." Luna said, incredulous.

"Yeah. It wasn't fun. But hey, we did find our deputy, still alive, in this basement. He was tied up and looked like he'd been to hell and back, but he was alright. After that, we got him out of there and let CSI do their thing. The whole thing was fucking crazy."

"Sounds like it."

The two came to the Halter Hotel, stepping inside and waving to the receptionist. Ascending the staircase to their room, Rick unlocked the door and gestured Luna inside. Once more looking up and down the hall, he closed and locked the door behind him once more.

"Jesus Christ," He breathed. "What a night."

Chapter 5: Warning: Light-ish Clop ahead.

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Snuggles.

A good relationship has plenty of snuggles.

Which is exactly what Rick needed, especially after the night he had.

He was glad that he didn't have to deal with the aftermath of his actions alone. No, he had a pretty blue pony princess to cuddle up with.

The two were laying in Rick's hotel bed, comfortable and content. It was quite the 180 from a mere 2 hours ago. The painkillers Rick had taken were starting to wear off, and his left hand was starting to ache.

Good thing I use the other hand for jacking off. He thought, the mildly raunchy thought causing him to chuckle softly.

"What are you laughing about, my love?" Luna inquired, lifting her head from Rick's lap, where it previously lay.

"Nothing, just a silly thought I had." He replied, shaking his head.

Luna raised her eyebrows.

"Oh? Pray tell, what might this thought have been?"

"Weeeelllll...."

"Come on, you know you may tell us anything."

"It's not exactly appropriate."

Luna gave him the quintessential 'really?' look.

"Are you being serious? We are not innocent, you know."

Rick laughed nervously. "Yeah, I know."

"Well then? Out with it!" She said, poking him with a hoof.

"Okay fine. So my left hand is all messed up, and I was thinking, 'Boy am I glad that I use my other hand for jerking off."

Luna looked at him curiously.

"What is 'jerking off'?"

Rick cocked his head. "You don't know what jerking off is? Y'know, beating your meat? Choking the chicken? Cranking the shank? Cuffing the carrot? Flogging the hog? Yanking the crank? Polishing the helmet? Roping the pony?"

Luna stared at him, confused as to what the words meant and slightly frightened.

"I am not familiar with these.... horrendous activities."

Rick sighed.

"Masturbating, Luna."

Luna instantly got it.

"Ah! Why didn't you just say so?"

Rick giggled. "Because that was more fun."

Luna rolled her eyes, laying her head back into Rick's lap and adjusting her body slightly. Letting out a comforting coo, she closed her eyes with a smile. Rick began to scratch and rub at her ears, to which her tounge lolled out and she softly groaned.

"Do not stop.... that feels divine...." she managed, nuzzling further into Rick's lap.

Rick began long, slow strokes down her back and through her mane with his other hand, despite the bandage, eliciting more contented moans from the alicorn.

"Mmmmm..."

Pausing earned him a sad look from the Princess.

"Why did you stop?" She asked.

"Can you grab my phone from my bag?" he asked in return.

Confused by the request, she complied, levitating the small black device over to Rick, who plucked it out of the air. Luna watched as he powered it on, a picture of an apple appearing on the screen. He had used it before, mainly to take pictures, but turned it off when he wasn't using it as a camera. His solar charger was too bulky to take with him, so it remained in Canterlot. Finally, a picture of Luna's smiling face filled the screen, along with the time. Swiping his thumb across the screen and entering his passcode, he navigated to the music app.

"What are you doing?" Luna inquired, moving around next to him to get a better view. She'd never seen this before!

"Puttin' on some tunes." Rick replied.

"Music?"

"Yup."

Swiping through the menus, he navigated to a playlist entitled "The journey within". Luna could read the names of several bands(at least, that's what she thought they were), and a few song titles as well.

"I was not aware that your phone could play music." Luna said, incredulous.

"Neat, huh?"

"Indeed."

Scrolling through the song list, he decided to just play the whole playlist from start to end. Tapping the first song, he turned up the volume and set it on the nightstand.

A strange ringing began to emanate, artificial in tone, steadily getting louder with slight fluctuations in tone, before a stringed instrument began to softly play in a three note pattern, occasionally elevating into six notes.

Luna listened in awe, the small device playing the song with astounding quality, far more than one would get with a modern phonograph.

"Wow..." was all she could say.

Rick chuckled.

"Good stuff, ain't it?"

"Astounding! We didn't know humans could make such excellent music!"

"Oh, this is but the beginning. It gets better, trust me."

Voices had cut into the music, what sounded like a nurse talking to a doctor. To Luna, the words were alien, yet familiar. She enjoyed hearing other human voices, if she closed her eyes she could almost see the two people talking to each other. The music itself seemed to be reaching a focal point.

"Look son, we want to help, in whatever way we can, but you need to talk to us. Can't help you otherwise. Now what's happened? Tell me everything.

Then, a loud feedback loop emanated from the device, heavily distorted, and the prior, softer ringing ceased. Luna was slightly taken aback by the noise, which wasn't pleasant to the ears. Then, four distorted notes, the last ringing out into another feedback loop, and then a voice.

"Alrighty, then.

Picture this if you will..."

The four notes played again, and then the phone exploded into hard rock music, with a voice talking faster than she could follow.

Rick grinned wide and bobbed his head to the music, mouthing the lyrics.

Luna began to feel the rhythm herself, amidst all the distorted guitars. A small smile creeping it's way onto her face, she began to tap a hoof to the strange time signature. The music was amazing, albeit a bit strange, and a little harsh on the ears(Celestia probably wouldn't like it), but enjoyable nonetheless.

"This is..." She began, trailing off as the music hit a particularly good moment.

"Amazing!" She finished, feeling the urge to get up and dance. She was feelin' the music.

Suddenly, and much to Rick's surprise, she jumped off the bed and did just that, while also singing along.

"How...?" He sputtered, in awe of the alicorn.

Luna had felt the magic of harmony course through her, allowing her to sing and dance like never before. Despite never hearing the song, her voice floated to Rick's ears, carrying the lyrics that he knew by heart. He began to sing as well, hopping off the bed and joining Luna in an impromptu dance party.

Their voices and movements surprisingly fluid, the two danced and sang their way through the entire 11 minute song. Finally ending with a flourish, Rick stepped over and paused the playlist. Turning back to Luna with a truly happy and joyful smile, he rushed forwards and bodily picked her up in a surprise hug, the alicorn squeaking as he did so.

"That was FUCKING awesome!" He shouted, planting a solid kiss on her lips. Giggling, Luna tossed her forehooves around his neck, kissing his cheek.

"I am glad you enjoyed it as much as I did. That was an excellent song!"

Nuzzling her, he squeezed her a bit tighter. Finally releasing her, he asked,

"How did you know the lyrics? You said you'd never heard it before!"

"One of the magic types here in Equestria is known as 'Harmony Magic'. I presume you've heard the occasional song in the streets?"

"Yeah, I always thought that ponies really liked flash mobs or something. That singing is magic?"

"Yes, and when one hears a song that they quite enjoy, or any song for that matter, the magic allows them to sing to the music. It is one of my favorite things about Equestria."

Rick blinked, a small smirk on his face.

"That is neat as hell."

"Indeed. Any pony within earshot can succumb to Harmony magic, providing they don't absolutely despise the song. Most of the time, they don't have much of a choice," She said, smiling warmly.

A wicked grin made its way onto Rick's visage.

"I just thought of some evil pranks we can pull on palace guards." He said, chuckling.

Luna laughed along with him, a smirk making it's way onto her face.

"Perhaps you can tell me about it tomorrow..." she licked her lips, eyeing Rick's body.

"Right now, I think I want something else." She lunged for Rick, tackling him onto the floor and straddling his body, before locking lips and softly moaning into the kiss, her tongue probing at his teeth, requesting entry. He obliged, deepening the union, and the two's tongues met in the middle, swirling and probing, giving and taking. Their lips slowly widened and shrank, the unfamiliar shape of Luna's mouth proving to be a bit of a challenge for Rick, forcing him to turn his head slightly to gain better entry. Either way, he thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

They were both a bit out of practice, but after a dozen or so hungry seconds, they became more familiar with the geography of each other's mouth.

Breaking the kiss, Luna gazed into Rick's eyes with a loving passion, a gentle smile alighting her face.

"I love you, Rick."

"I love you, Luna."

Nuzzling under his chin, Luna inhaled deeply, taking in his scent.

"You wanna move this to the bed?" Rick asked.

"That... would be a good idea, yes." Luna replied, going in for a quick peck before lifting herself off of Rick and hopping up onto the bed. Rick followed, grabbing his phone and resuming the playlist, but turning the volume down some. Hard rock would be the backer for what was soon to come.

Turning his attention back to Luna, who had taken up quite the pose; laying on her side facing towards him, forehooves crossed, tail swishing alluringly.

He let out a low whistle.

"Damn, that's nice." He said, taking in the view.

Smiling sensually, Luna said, "What are you waiting for? Get over here and show your princess what those hands can do."

Rick chuckled, getting up onto the bed and swinging his legs parallel with Luna's body. He softly caressed her cheek, before going in for another kiss. Once more, their mouths became abuzz with activity, and before too long they pulled away again to gaze into each other's eyes.

To Rick, Luna tasted far nicer than he had originally envisioned. Her saliva had a slight taste of blackberries, enough to be noticed but not so much that it overwhelmed him. He found it quite pleasant, far nicer than the flavor of a human woman.

He could only imagine what other flavors she had in store for him.

Later.

Sitting up, Luna used her forehooves to push Rick down flat on the bed, once more taking up her position atop him. Smiling down at her human, she leaned down for another kiss, but was interrupted by a long, slow stroke down the leading edge of her folded right wing.

Shuddering and gasping slightly, she bit her lip, almost preventing the moan from escaping.

"Mmmmm..."

Both wings unfurled themselves with a fwump!, extending to their full length over the bed, casting Rick into shadow.

He snorted, barely containing a chuckle.

"Got a bit of an, uh, erection there?" He said, stifling laughter.

Luna stuck her tongue out at him, huffing indignantly.

"It is perfectly normal for a winged being such as myself to experience an erection of the wings when they are aroused." She stated, brushing a lock of her erethral mane from her face.

Rick snickered.

Rolling her eyes, Luna leaned down and bit on the top of one of his ears.

Rick winced, and in turn grasped a bit of her flowing mane and gave it a tug.

Luna released his ear and moaned aloud, shuddering once more.

"Oh, stars!"

Rick raised an eyebrow.

"So, you like some of that hai-mane pulling action? Tsk tsk, how naughty." He said in mock disapproval.

Looking at him with an adorable pout, she stuck her tongue out again.

"Careful, stick that out any further and I'll grab it." He said, smirking.

Slowly smiling, she opened her mouth, revealing her silky tongue, before allowing the muscle to loll from her mouth and half-closing her eyes.

Rick, who had already gotten quite 'excited' by the whole situation, felt his own erection twitch a bit at the sight.

Goddess-damn, that was sexy as hell.

Not wasting any more time, he reached up with his good hand and pulled the alicorn's face to his, their lips connecting. Her tongue found it's way to his, and the war began once more.

This time, there wasn't any harmony in the actions. Rick wanted dominance over Luna's tongue, and god-dammit he was going to get it if he had to sit here and make out with her all night!

...That doesn't sound too bad...

However, resistance on the other front was steadfast. Luna's tongue was longer, but Rick's was more dexterous.

As the two made out, other parts of their bodies were not idle. Luna's hooves ran through Rick's hair and scalp(something which she had discovered-by accident- really turned him on), and her hips shifted and ground against Rick's thighs and pelvis. She was not being gentle, either. Each movement was powerful and rough, fueled by desire. A small part of her mind thought that they may be moving a bit quick, but Rick was being just as rough with his movements.

His good hand ran across the surface of her right wing, ruffling the carefully preened feathers out of alignment and drawing pleasured groans from the alicorn. His other hand stroked through her mane softly, the combination of gentle and forceful driving the mare mad. Occasionally his good hand would reach up to her mane and tug, eliciting more pleasured gasps from Luna.

During this, the battle within their mouths was ceaseless, their tongues gaining ground into the other's mouth only to lose it all to a bolt of pleasure, restarting the passionate tug of war.

For many minutes, this went on. Soon, Luna began to breathe a little harder, her movements less fluid and more desperate, before she pulled away.

"...G-getting close..." she managed in between pants. Rick already knew what she meant.

From making out only? Wow, either I'm good at this or she's a short fuse.

Rick smiled, before pulling her head to his and sitting up, allowing his hands easier access to her wings.

"Well, why stop then?"

Luna gazed at him with desperate, pleading eyes. Rick could feel a warm wet spot on his right thigh, which he grinned at.

Her mouth all but crashed back into his, resuming the crazy rhythm of their kiss.

Then, Rick began to caress her wings with his hands, the bandage making it difficult to do so properly, but not impossible. Luna's eyes fluttered, rolling back in their sockets as she was assaulted with intense pleasure. Breaking away from the kiss and moaning heatedly, she orgasmed.

Rick felt the wet spot grow, her liquid soaking the pants leg, and felt her grinding into his thigh. Throughout her orgasm, he continued to stroke her wings, slowing down as she rode out the first orgasm she'd had in a very long time.

When she had finally finished, she looked up at Rick, who was smiling warmly.

"That was......" she managed, before tilting forwards and pushing her head into Rick's chest. Bringing a hand up to rub at her ears, he chuckled.

"You alright there, Luna?"

"mmm..yes..." she mumbled, exhausted.

Letting out his own breath, he rolled the Princess off to his side, scratching at her ear before pulling back the covers and finagling the spent alicorn under the sheets. Letting out a content sigh, she opened her eyes and looked over at Rick, who was transitioning into his pajamas.

"Um... Rick?" Luna began, nervously.

"Yes, my pretty blue princess?" he replied.

"I apologize if you were unable to... finish." she said sheepishly, nervously biting her lip.

She was surprised when Rick waved a hand in dismissal.

"Don't you worry yourself, love. I wasn't planning on it anyways. I wanted that to be all about you. Besides, we'll have plenty of time back at the castle for more, yeah?"

"O-of course." She stammered, not ready for that response.

"I think the thing that should worry you more is how fast you finished. And from making out only too!" Rick said, grinning slyly and winking.

Feeling her cheeks turn red, she looked away.

"It has been a substantial amount of time since we last... relieved ourselves. We were... pent up, so to speak." She spoke quietly, quite embarrassed.

Rick softly smiled.

"No worries, Luna. I'm just poking fun. Besides, you're quite cute when you're all flustered and red like that." He said, playfully booping her nose.

Luna broke a small smirk, growing into a full fledged smile before she took hold of Rick's and dragged him onto the bed with her with a surprising amount of strength.

"C'mon, Luna, I gotta go brush my teeth and take a shower an-"

He was cut off by Luna voraciously jamming her lips onto his, locking him in yet another heated kiss. She ran her tongue over his teeth in back and forth motions, imitating a toothbrush. After a couple minutes, she broke the kiss and looked at him with a triumphant expression.

"Need not worry, my human, for I am your toothbrush!"

She giggled, and Rick chuckled.

"How on Earth did I score such a great mare?" He asked her.

"Simple," she replied. "You are wonderful yourself."

He smiled warmly, giving her a peck on the cheek. She pulled herself and Rick under the covers, then assumed her position in Rick's arms. She not-so-subtly wiggled her rear against his crotch, resulting in a few chuckles from the opposing party. Finally getting comfortable, the two lovers slowly began to drift off to sleep, quiet rock music playing in the background as a lullaby.

Enter night.

Grain of sand.

Off to never-neverland.

Faces flashed by faster than he could count. His mentor, high school teachers, fellow officers, his parents. more and more came and went, and then they changed.

From cherished memories into less brought up subjects.

School bullies. Rude drivers at a traffic stop. Less-liked fellow officers.

Then they changed again.

Suspects. Ones' he'd arrested.

Then.

Ones' he'd shot. There were only two.

He saw their last moments replayed a thousand times in one second. He felt the fear rising in his chest, but he pushed it down.

He analyzed each moment, looking deep into every second of them.

Yes, he thought, they happened.

And I made the right choice. In the end, life goes on and I must live with my decisions, but it is not the end of my life. They will not control me.
But it changed once more.

A grey face. Black mane. This wasn't human.

It was a Pony.

He saw her angry eyes in her last seconds before two .40 S&W hollowpoints tore through her chest and body, mushrooming into a fatal flower whose petals caused death.

He relived the steps leading up to it.

He remembered the hot smell of gunpowder and blood as it hung heavy over the scene, and how he had broken down inside and out, over shooting someone.

Sometimes, he reminded himself, Violence IS the answer.

As much as Celestia wishes for eternal peace, that's not Human nature.

Or pony nature, apparently.

Dream-Rick could no longer move.

The world lit up with fire and destruction, dead ponies and burning homes everywhere, as a small voice in the back of his head said,

"This is what happens, if you fail....."

He tried to close his eyes, but couldn't. He could only watch.

Rick rarely felt fear.

Rarely.

But this time, he was terrified beyond words.

He watched a foal see their mother die, rushing to her side only to be decapitated by a dark pony in battle armor.

Discrimination was non-existent.

But then, a light in the sky.

Blinding, powerful white light.

He felt the bonds release him.

He saw the images fade away.

And once more, he was peaceful.

Luna had awoken to her human shifting and muttering in his sleep, subconsciously squeezing her tighter. Instantly recognizing the nightmare for what it was, her horn lit up as she attempted to venture into his dreams, but she could not enter.

She nearly facehooved as she remembered his astounding magical resistance.

Pouring every ounce of power she had into the spell, she touched her horn to his forehead, directly bridging the gap and successfully entering his dream.

And she saw hell on Equus.

His nightmare was horrifying, dead ponies left and right, all ages, all sizes, all genders.

Not wishing her human-or herself- to view the atrocities any longer, she once more gathered her magical energy and cast a nightmare-purge spell, the white beams blasting the images away, and replacing them with happy memories and thoughts. No longer would he be plauged with the horror of what he had seen.

Gently exiting the dream, she felt Rick's breathing return to normal, and his heart rate calm down. He snuggled up tighter against her, tucking the top of her head under his chin and letting out a large breath.

Smiling softly, Luna kissed one of the arms around her, before quietly saying,

"Sleep well, my love."

And with that, she once more lent herself to the night, allowing the music that was still playing take her.

Before she slept, the last words of the song drifted across her head.

"Take my hand....

Off to never-neverland..."

Chapter 6

View Online

The hooded equine figure quietly made its way through the streets of Canterlot.

Careful to remain unseen, it dodged its way through the damp and dark streets of the poorer district.

It was late for a meeting.

Ducking into a nearby alley, the figure came up to a steel door. Smacking its hoof into the metal produced 3 clang sounds. Shortly after, a set of dark blue eyes was seen through a slot in the door. Scanning the figure stood there, it nodded before the slot closed and the door opened. The room within was small, barely big enough for the singular guard that remained. The guard opened a secondary wooden door and revealed a bustling 'warehouse', with ponies of all races and colors hustling about, carrying drugs, weapons, and files. several tables were set up within; atop them accoutrements for making and packaging drugs or weapons, and off to either side halls led to more areas of production and lodging. Steel racks were set up on the far end, for storage, and every twenty or thirty feet an armed pony stood, watching over the operation with careful eyes.

"Welcome back, Boss." A light blue unicorn said to the cloaked stallion.

Taking off their cloak, the black pegasus tossed it to a lackey nearby. His short grey mane and tail were cut roughly, and his red eyes shone with a fire of hate. On his flank was a silver sword crossed with a scythe. Walking around the tables teeming with activity, he made his way down the left hall towards his office. His lieutenant fell into step beside him, pushing the lesser ponies out of his way as they went.

"Talk to me, Firestorm." The pegasus said.

"Our drug operations are making us around 50,000 bits per month. Within about two or three months, our troops should be ready for the assault on Canterlot castle. Our mole in the Royal Guard says that the guards are incompetent, only good for show. They should be an easy battle." Firestorm, the unicorn, said.

"Good. Focus more on weapons systems. We need those spell-throwers ready for mass production by next week. Without them, even our hardened troops are going to have a tough time getting into the castle. We also need to make sure that we have enough troops to defend the castle from counter-attack once we've taken it. How's the enhancement serum coming along?"

"We've hit a snag, at this point it's more of a berserk rage potion than a proper combative enhancement drug. I estimate about a month until we get the mixture right."

"Get it done in two weeks. We don't have time for setbacks."

"You got it, boss."

Coming up to a heavy oak door, the pegasus turned to his colleague.

"Hey, Firestorm, you've been working damn hard recently. Go ahead and take tomorrow off. Get your thoughts in order. Alright?"

The unicorn was puzzled for a moment, but quickly one-hoof saluted and said,

"Alright, boss." and then he was gone.

Tainted Fury opened the door to his office, stepping inside. Around the large central conference table were four ponies, each representing one of the sponsors of their little operation. Walking around the table to his seat at the far end, Fury jumped up into it and looked over each of the others. After a moment, a cream-colored Earth pony spoke.

"We have information on Princess Luna and her ape."

Fury raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

The pony pulled out a thin file from their briefcase with their teeth, dexterously tossing it over in front of him.

Pausing for a moment, Fury looked down at the file before flipping it open to the first page.

A single, glossy photo print lay inside.

It was of Princess Luna and her human compatriot sharing a kiss at the party last night.

"My, my, what do we have here?"

"Tabloids are blowing up. Princess Luna has yet to release an official statement, but rumor has it that her and the ape are in a relationship."

"Speaking of the creature, what do we know about it?"

The pony which had given Fury the image pulled another file from his briefcase, this one not much thicker. Hoofing it open, the stallion sifted through a few pages, pulling out additional photos.

"We know his name and his occupation. That's it."

"Yes, I am aware that he completed the rigorous personal guard testing. Unfortunately, we don't know much about the testing past the first phase. Damned secrecy act. He may be a thorn in our side... Is he armed?"

"Yes. But we are unaware of how something so small can be dangerous." The pony passed a picture to Fury. It was poor quality, taken from afar, but showed the object quite clearly. An 'L' shape, with a hollow rectangle at the interior angle of the L.

"How do we even know that it's a weapon?" Fury asked, dubious.

A mare from across the table spoke.

"W-we don't. But as far as we're concerned, he is a weapon. You remember what happened when we tried to knock him off after his arrival," She shivered, "He tore through three Earth ponies and a Unicorn like wet hay!"

"They were also untrained and naive," Fury spat, "I can assure you, we will not have the same issues with my soldiers."

The mare shrank. Psh, Nobles.

"What about the assassin? Have we heard back from her?"

"She should complete her assignment within a day or do. Provided she hasn't been compromised."

"Yes, that would be... unfortunate." Fury said, a grimace on his face.

Murmurs of assent filled the room.

Clearing his throat, Fury spoke again.

"Alright. The soldiers are aching for a trial, and I'm inclined to give one to them. There's a small garrison on the far edge of the Everfree; we could have them raid it and cover our tracks by blaming Timberwolves. Make it seem like they got attacked from the forest."

The group nodded, entertaining the idea.

"All in favor?"

All hooves rose.

"Motion carries. We'll enact the plan tomorrow night."

Rick awoke to warmth and softness. Opening his eyes, he was introduced to the adorable Princess Luna, snuggled up next to him and snoozing with a cute smile on her face.

I am 100% okay with seeing this every morning.

Luna shifted a bit, groggily opening her eyes as well.

"Good morning, Love." Rick said, softly running his fingers through Luna's galaxy mane.

"Good morning, my human," Luna replied, "Do you have the time, per chance?"

"9:30," He stated, checking his watch.

"Agh! Earlier than usual! Blasted schedule!"

Rick let out a snicker. Sitting up, he stretched out his arms above his head and let out a yawn, cracking his back in the process. Giving Luna a quick kiss, he swung his legs over the edge of the bed and stood, scratching his lower thigh as he meticulously made his way to the bathroom, leaving Luna on the bed. Smiling slightly, Luna hopped off the bed as well, wandering over thru the kitchen to her room. On the bedside stand, her silver chestpiece and shoes lay glimmering. Over the past few days, she felt far nicer not wearing them, as they were quite heavy. Yes, she was an Alicorn, and even stronger than Rick(a drunken arm-wrestle had proved that, although he definitely had more leverage), but they still weighed down on her.

Her stomach rumbled.

"Hmm... what to eat..." She mused, putting a hoof to her chin in thought.

Sugarcube Corner sounded pretty good. She decided to bring it up with Rick when he came out of the bathroom.

Meanwhile, Rick was washing his hair in the shower.

Rinsing off, Rick stood under the showerhead for another few moments, enjoying the water, before turning it off and stepping out. Quickly drying off, he wrapped a towel around his waist before walking into his room. As he walked out, Luna called from the other room.

"Rick, love! Does Sugarcube Corner sound good for breakfast?"

"Absolutely! I could go for a bagel right now." Rick answered without hesitation, dropping his towel and reaching for his luggage. Luna walked into the room.

"Excellen-" she stopped her sentence short, cheeks turning red, at Rick's naked form.

"What-now?" Rick asked, turning around and looking at her.

Luna stared at Rick's crotch, jaw slightly open and eyes fixated on a certain part of Rick's anatomy.

Rick looked down at himself, then back up at Luna.

"Well excuse me if it's a little small! It gets bigger, I swear!" He said, crossing his arms.

Luna, who had been thinking some rather raunchy thoughts, snapped out of her zone.

"-Th-at is n-not what I was thinkin-g!" She stammered.

"Uh-huh. Look all you want, love." He said, pulling on a set of boxer briefs.

Luna took advantage of that statement, sitting down in place and watching Rick clothe himself. Even after all these months together, she still found his policy of constantly wearing clothing a bit strange. Yet another weird human custom.

Rick finished putting on his shirt, tucking it into his jeans. Grabbing a belt from his luggage, he took his magazines and began to slip his belt on, looping equipment on as he went. Finally, he put his empty holster on, fastened his belt, and picked up his gun.

Then dropped it right back on the table, reeling back from it and letting out a shout. Luna was instantly at his side, looking around vigilantly for anything that could have caused the reaction.

"Are you okay?" she asked sharply, concern evident in her tone.

"Yeah! Yeah, just... had a moment there. Sorry." He said, calming down and squeezing his eyes closed tightly, before opening once more. Luna was wary.

"Are you sure?" She said.

"Yeah. I just had a flashback, that's all. Happens from time to time. Uh, do you know of any psychiatrists that I could see in the near future? Preferably a combat psychiatrist, or something similar." He said, shaking off the moment.

"I'm sure we can find one. I believe there is one for the guard who may be able to see you. I'll make an inquiry when we return to Canterlot this evening."

Rick dropped to his knees and grasped Luna's head, pulling her close and planting a kiss on her lips. He held it for a moment, before breaking the union and embracing her.

"I'm sorry about that. It's one of the downsides of my job." He said, squeezing her.

"It's absolutely fine, my love. I love you all the same." She returned, nibbling on his ear playfully.

He pulled away from her, a genuine smile on his face, before returning to the table. Picking up his gun once more, Luna watched carefully as he removed the magazine, checking the capacity, before re-inserting it into the gun and racking the slide. Pulling back the slide slightly and seeing that a round was indeed loaded, he holstered the gun and grabbed his light jacket. Pulling it on, he zipped up the front and turned to Luna.

"Ready when you are, sweetie."

The walk to Sugarcube Corner was lovely, albeit a bit quiet. Even at 10 AM, there were very few ponies out, and many of them were avoiding eye contact with the Princess. Luna knew why, as the previous night probably had them shaken. Passing by a newsstand manned by a crotchety old stallion, she took a couple bits from her mane(Rick always wondered how she got them to stay there) and set them on the counter. The stallion looked up from his reading, looked back down, then jumped up with wide eyes at the sight of Princess Luna.

"Oh, my! My apologies, Princess, you caught me off guard!"

"It's alright, my subject. Would you mind handing me one of these papers?"

"Certainly, Princess!"

The stallion retrieved a newspaper and set it on the counter alongside the bits, then took the bits and put them into a small pouch.

"Thank you, Mr...?"

"Well Read, Princess."

"Thank you, Mr. Read. Have a lovely rest of your morning." Luna said, giving the stallion a gentle smile and passing the paper to Rick.

"You as well, Princess!" The stallion waved after them as they continued their walk to Sugarcube Corner. At least some of the populace wasn't terrified.

Finally arriving, Rick stepped forward to the door and pushed it open, the bell jingling as he held it for Luna.

Suddenly, a pink pony appeared at the counter, excitedly bouncing up and down in place.

"Hiya, Princess! Hiya, Rick!" Pinkie Pie said, a massive smile plastered on her face. "How are you guys?"

Shaking his head with a smile, Rick replied, "I'm okay, Pinkie. Better than I was last night."

"Well that's good! Anyways, what can I do you guys for?" the energetic pony asked.

"We'd like to get breakfast, please." Luna said.

"Super! What'll you have?"

Perusing his options, Rick settled on a cinnamon sugar bagel and a doughnut that looked too delicious to pass up. Luna picked a cheese danish. Pointing out their choices to Pinkie, she took them from the display case and went to warm them up. Rick set a ten-bit coin on the counter and grabbed a small packet of cream cheese, fresh made in-house. Luna had already found a booth. The rest of the small cafe area was empty, as it was past 'true' breakfast time. Rick slid into the booth next to Luna, draping an arm around her swan-like neck and bringing her closer to him. Luna snuggled in next to him, cooing softly. Rick used his other hand to pull the newspaper out of his jacket so they could peruse it together.

The first headline read Murder in Ponyville? with a poorly shot image of Luna taking flight minutes after the shooting last night. Rick sighed and set the paper on the table, rolling his eyes. Luna picked it up in her magic and scrutinized it, reading the first bit of the article.

"Well, there's good news here and bad news. The good is that the paper didn't implicate me as the suspect, but the bad news is that they're saying I didn't react fast enough. Like I even knew anything was going to happen anyways! Damnned journalists. Besides, they don't even have anything to say about your shots! It's as if-"

"They don't know that my gun exists." Rick finished for her.

"Exactly! They're saying that it was my magic!"

"Well, to them, it is. Keep in mind, only a few peop-ponies know about it."

"True..."

Luna settled in to finish the rest of the paper, as Rick played with her ethereal mane, reveling in the surprising softness of the fibers. Luna unconsciously leaned more into him, letting out a soft sigh of content. Rick began to softly stroke at Luna's withers and back, making sure to avoid the wings. Luna became less focused on the paper, closing her eyes with a dreamy smile, putting all her weight into Rick.

She was snapped out of her blissful relaxation by one Pinkie Pie, delivering their food with a smile. Thanking the energetic pink mare, Luna and Rick slowly ate their breakfasts, with Rick picking up the neglected paper, whilst continuing to pet Luna.

Despite the events of the previous night, things were starting to look up for the Lunar couple.

The Principles of Safety

by Kalashnikitty

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Interlude: Shots Fired

Chapter 4

Chapter 5: Warning: Light-ish Clop ahead.

Chapter 6