"So... how do I look?"

"Calm down, Az. You already know that everything is going to be fine. And besides, you're wearing armor. You're always wearing armor."

Shining Armor and Azure were fitting themselves for the next leg of their duties. Their assignment was rather simple as it was to escort Princess Cadance, Princess Luna and Princess Celestia to the banquet. Shining Armor was dressed in a white and purple uniform clad with ribbons and medals. His cutie mark was shown on the collar. Azure was dressed in a silver-plated armor which was saved for instances of royal gatherings. But despite the fact that he was going to a banquet wearing armor that covered much of his body, hes thoughts on his self appearance had proved to be a worry on behalf of the fact that he would be in attendance with none other than the Princess of the Night. Meanwhile, Longshot and Poindexter sat on the other side of the barracks as they shared a laugh at the expense of their friend.

"Shining, this is Princess Luna we're talking about. THE sister to Princess Celestia. I may be a big flirt-"

"And if I remember correctly," Shining interrupted Azure. "You said back in high school that you had the abilities to please a princess."

"Did I say that? Because I don't remember saying anything like that." Azure said while laughing nervously.

"Oh, you said it." Said a laughing Longshot.

"You said, and I quote; 'If Shining can gain the attention of a princess, then I could easily fuck one into rolling her eyes into the back of her head. D game is so strong.'" Poindexter recited to his nervous friend. "Don't tell us that you were just bluffing."

"I'm not! You quoted me wrong!" Azure scolded Poindexter for being right.

"Be that as it may, you now have a chance to make yourself a legend." Shining began. "You have the chance to run around and tell every mare that you sleep with in the future that you could please that of one of the princesses, and the best thing about it is that it won't be a lie. You would go around with the confidence knowing that you have successfully dated a princess, no less the little sister of Princess Celestia."

Azure spoke as he turned to his profile in the mirror. "Yeah. But have you seen the little sister of Princess Celestia? Yeah, she a filly in comparison to her Marazonian-sized sister. Celestia's got legs so long you would need to climb a ladder to mount her. She's got the hindquarters of two, rounded mountains crushed firmly against one other. She's got the wings that could easily support the weight of ten stallions."

"And your point is?" Shining asked.

"That's it. Now look at Luna. She's smaller than your little sister. Her wings are so big that they can barely even fit to her body. Her frame is small and underdeveloped. She has the mentality of a foal to her first date. And not only that but she hasn't seen a stallion in a thousand years. If your first Estrus Season with Cadance went as how you said it went, then I can't even imagine the sexual tension that she must have bottled up from the past millennium. And Faust forbid that I can't even see to the fact that she's not even in season being that it passed two months back."

Longshot groans at the long list of discrepancies Azure continues to provide. "Complain, complain. She chose you and she is expecting you in ten minutes. There's n-"

"TEN MINUTES!?" Shouts both Azure and Shining.

Neither of them wanted to face the consequences of being late to a royal engagement that they were asked, or in Azure's case ordered, to attend. Shining and Azure immediately abandoned their mirrors and made a mad dash for the exit of the barracks. As the two took to the races, Longshot and Poindexter looked at each other in silence before they laughed at their friends who took an early exit from the conversation.

"I guess dating royalty must really be a pain, huh?" Poindexter asked as Longshot took a long sigh.

"Dating in general is a pain. Try being married to a sexually controlling mare that already has two foals, is still finding the time to masturbate and openly admits to wanting to have three more foals after the next one that she wants to have."

"Yikes. I didn't know Elaina was the breeding type."

"Well, we've already got two boys and now she wants girls. Lots of 'em."

"...So is that why her cutie mark is a heart and a baby bottle?"

"If the sex with her wasn't so awesome, I would've stopped her after the second foal. It's the only way I can have sex with her. When she wants to have a go at a foal, she will tease me until my dick becomes diamonds."

"Then have you ever considered getting gelded? You may not be able to have foals but you can still... you know."

"FUCK NO! I like my boys where they are at the moment, thank you very much... Aaaaand that would be the quickest way to a divorce in my case."

"Catch twenty-two?"

"Yup. But I wouldn't change that for anything. She is my wife and I will love her all the same, even if it means that our consummations do have the occasional walk-ins by either Trigger or Button."

"...Well that escalated quickly."

"With all due respect Princess Celestia, I don't see what is wrong with me wearing the ceremonial armor to the banquet."

"And I'm telling you, Sir Azure. You're overdressed. Lose the armor, wear a nice uniform like your captain's and keep a stiff upper lip."

"Ma'am?"

Azure's coat almost turned white at the sudden order from the solar princess. The princess determined that the armor, though used for ceremonial purposes, was a bit too much for the fact that he would instead be partaking in the banquet rather than guarding it. And also, she didn't want him to hide anything when it came to her little sister. Luna deserved the company of a guard. But in all honesty, Celestia wasn't so sure that she had chosen the right guard. She started to think to herself as she observed the guard before her.

"I already had enough problems with Shining Armor dating Cadance alone. Why was it that Luna had to choose his best friend who was considered a purebred womanizer? Oh, right." She finally realized what Luna was trying to do and opted to hold her tongue on the matter. "You're not here to be on duty. You're here to show my little sister the changes between the courting rituals of the past and modern dating practices of today."

Azure took a deep breath, realizing that this was indeed his biggest fear; this wasn't an escort assignment. "So this is literally-"

"A date. Though, it will be a supervised one under my discretion." Celestia finished as Azure dropped his head in response.

"Yes... *gulp* ...your highness." If Azure hadn't used the bathroom earlier, his sheath would be streaming with yellow fluids.

"Good. Now step in here. I already have a uniform that has been chosen for you by the best tailors in all of Canterlot."

Azure's ears perked up and his eyelids bounced open as the princess order him into the place that he never even dared to enter. "Wait. You mean... in your room?"

Celestia nodded. "Luna is waiting for you. Now hop to it. Tardiness is a sign of disrespect and I will not tolerate that show of immodesty against my little sister."

"B-But princess. It would be embarrassing to change clothes in front of you. I'll be stark naked."

Celestia finally let her regal composure break in front of her guard as she rolled her eyes unamused. She drew a soft sigh before she started to speak. "We're ponies. We normally don't wear clothes. I don't wear anything else aside from a choker plate, slippers and a crown. You don't need to concern yourself about this. Now hurry up."

"A-as you wish, your highness."

Azure walked into the chambers of the Princess of the Day followed by the aforementioned princess, who stared daggers into the backside of the armored guard. As he walked through the door, he was astounded by what he saw. The princess' room was as large as a two story home, complete with a balcony that led to an outside world that revealed nothing more than a scenery of mountains, waterfalls and plains in the distance. Her bed was as large as three of the largest beds in all of Equestria put together. Her bookshelves stacked all the way up to the top of the bedroom. And to his right was a large doorway that seemingly led to a bathroom. But time would not allow him to see any further than that.

"Hurry up. Your outfit is laid out neatly on my bed. Dress expeditiously."

His eyes traveled to the behemoth bed to find a similar outfit to what Shining wore on his bed. The only difference was that instead of the trim being purple, it was yellow. He assumed that the trim bore a similar trait to the armor that he and Shining wore, being that the captain wore purple armor and he wore gold. But there was no time to dwell on the matter, he had to disrobe himself... in front of the princess.

"Um, princess. If I may ask, could you turn around?"

"For the love of..." Celestia's impatience grew with the ticking minutes that passed. Each minute was another minute that her little sister had to wait. So with her magic, she pulled all of the armor off of Azure and laid the pieces of it on her bedside. Azure blushed as he felt the outside summer air hit his damp, sweaty coat. It was a bit of a cold surprise, though not as much as it was a refreshing release of his burden. But before he could get accustomed to the summer breeze, the princess magically slapped the white and yellow uniform on his body. It was a bit of a snug fit, but it was made to be comfortable while simultaneously revealing the muscle structure of the stallion's body. With a final tug, the uniform was set in place.

"...How do I look?" Azure asked as the princess' magic finally disappeared from his new outfit.

To Celestia's surprise, she can actually see exactly why Luna choose him to begin with. His muscles were firmly toned against the features of the uniform and his every line and crevice was as distinctive as the mountains in the far distance. His mane swept lightly in the wind as she caught herself in a stare. Her eyes traced his every inch as they began to wander to his hind quarters. Though Celestia had endured many years without mating, she knew how to control herself in the eyes of her subjects. But after over eight hundred years of being alone, she found it hard not to stare at her guards from time to time. This was one of the only times that she could get away with it.

"Princess?"

She blinked as her mind reset back to the current circumstances. "You look nice. Now make your way to my sister's door."

"Yes, princess." Azure acknowledged her request and quickly galloped to the door, leaving the princess alone in her room.

Celestia had felt the slightest sensation of her natural feminine urges surface after so many years. Her cheeks flushed to a rosy tinge. Her wings became partially unfurled as she tried to convince herself that her hormones had long since passed over. But she couldn't seem to shake the reality that this was the first time in many years that she was in such close quarters with a stallion. She undressed him and dressed him. Had she been as active as Cadance or as deprived as Luna, though her little sister had it easier with the lack of male attention, she would've forced herself on him. But there was the fact that she was the ruler of Equestria and that she couldn't afford any male attention at the moment.

The years of being alone without her sister and the years of not being with a stallion had both caught up with her. She sighed once more and closed her eyes.

"Why must I feel this? I've sworn off of my intimate desires long ago. Please don't let me become as feral as Luna is... or worse."

"HEAR YE, HEAR YE! NOW ENTERS THEIR ROYAL MAJESTIES, PRINCESS CELESTE DELANISE VALKYRIE, PRINCESS LUNESTE SELINE VALKYRIE AND PRINCESS MI AMORE CADENZA! ESCORTED BY SIR SHINING ARMOR AEGNUS SPARKLE AND SIR AZURE CADFAEL SWORD!

The three princess stand proud at the head table as Princess Celestia remains standing, centered of the five as the others take their seats. The room grows quiet before Celestia speaks.

"Fillies and Gentlecolts. I thank you for attending this glorious day, to which my dearest little sister has come back to serve as the Princess of the Night. And of course I cannot thank the current element bea-"

"So those foalhood bedtime stories are actually true? Well I'll stand corrected."

The ponies of the banquet turn their attentions to the hallway which the three princesses made their appearance from. As the elegantly dressed ponies look back to the doors that swung wide open with a bright yellow glow, Shining Armor facehoofs himself as Cadance holds his other hoof in hers underneath the table. Azure groans in disbelief as he hears the snobbish voice pierce his ears.

"Crier, will you not announce my presence?"

The crier rolled his eyes and begrudgingly complied. "Hear ye, hear ye. Announcing the entry of Prince Blueblood, the Prince of Magic."

"Well a little more enthusiasm is in order. Correct that, if you would."

"A-HEM! HEAR YE, HEAR YE! NOW ENTERS PRINCE BLUEBLOOD, THE PRINCE OF MAGIC!"

"Thank you. Now let the soiree commence."

Prince Blueblood, along with one of his personal maidens, walk slowly to the main table to which the princesses and their escorts were seated. As they walked, a series of murmurs and whispers interrupt the silence of the hall. Before he made it to the table, he saw that the seat that was normally set aside for him was taken.

"Sir unicorn fellow, may I ask why you are seated here at this table? And also, Aunt Celly, there is a young filly in my seat."

Cadance silently gasped as she held a hoof to her mouth while Shining just simply shook his head. Celestia cleared her throat as she restarted her previous statement.

"Fillies, Gentlecolts and Prince. I thank you for attending this glorious day, to which my dearest little sister has come back to serve as the Princess of the Night. And of course I cannot thank the current element bearers of harmony, for a job well done on the vanquishing of Nightmare Moon. Now we have come together in a ceremonial banquet in her honor. Let us celebrate her return with open hearts... And to my dearest little sister," Celestia turns her attention to the young alacorn sitting to her left.

"I... am so sorry, Luna. I couldn't save you from the evil that devoured you. To send you away for a thousand years has placed me in a place of guilt. A single hour with you has reminded me of the millennium that I had without your presence. I could never send you away again. Please... for..."

The hall softly rang with the sound of applause as their princess hiccups and sobs softly. Cadance starts to tear up in response to the moment that she knew was going to come for many years of her life. Azure and Shining remained silent as they took a moment to reflect on the reason why she was so protective of Luna and why she emphasized that her little sister needed to experience one of the best nights of her life. Luna rose from her chair and urged the cheering crowd to be silent as she answered her sister's apology for the first time in a thousand years.

"Celestia, my dear elder sister... Please do not apologize. You did what you could. You did what was expected of you while I... I let my personal feelings get in the way of my duties. I know that my desire of making the night last longer began to cause much grief for everypony. And for my selfishness... I... I'm..." Luna started to sob along with her older sister as she confessed her wrongdoing, her voice breaking with every consonant. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean what I said back then. I do love you dear sister, and I could never see myself alone knowing that I was the cause of your... I was just so bitter that the ponies didn't appreciate my night. I became so jealous that everypony loved your day and shunned my night that I wanted everypony to experience it a while longer... just so that they would appreciate-"

"Princess... Please excuse me for interrupting." Azure spoke out, disrupting the princess. Both princesses looked at the guard in uniform before Celestia instructed him to speak.

"Go on."

"If I may say, Princess Luna..." He began as he kneeled before the two teary-eyed alacorn mares. "I've always had a hobby that I followed since I was a foal. Every night I would look at the stars, watching the sky as I tried to find the falling stars. I would normally make a wish on them. So... if... I m-may ask." Azure grew nervous as he finally built the courage to ask her his request. "Would you show me how the stars are made?"

Luna gasped, holding both of her hooves to her mouth as the tears continued to fall from her eyes. Celestia held on to her little sister, more than happy to see that somepony is telling her that her night is beautiful.

"I love it when the stars shine in the night sky. I love how the moon shines so bright. It's not only mysterious but it is also elegant. I want to see the Princess of the Night's night sky. I know if Princess Celestia can satisfy me with her night, then I am sure that you can astound me beyond words with yours. I love the night... And I want you to know... that your night is loved by many."

Luna clenches her eyes at the news of her beloved night that she worked so hard to compose was being admired by other ponies. Her breaths shorten to soft hiccups and whispers as she slowly tightens her grip on her older sister's hoof. Celestia nuzzled her little sister as Azure continued to explain.

"There's this one holiday called Nightmare Night, where the foals come out and collect candy and a whole bunch of treats. There are the summer nights of the falling stars, where everypony stays up late to watch the meteor showers. Then there's the Eve of the New Year, where everypony counts down to midnight so that everypony celebrates the coming of the new year. And those are just the holidays. Outside of those, you have ponies who have parties, camping trips, sleepovers and even passionate moments in the waking of the night. I may not know of everything that happened between you two but if there is anything that you can take from this night, it is that your night is surely to be praised... Welcome to the age of the ponies who like to stay up past their bedtime... and welcome home, princess."

The hall once again erupted in a sea of cheers and hear-hears while Celestia and Luna hugged each other. Cadance started to bawl, producing tears that if gone unchecked would cause the room to flood. Shining Armor smiled and nodded his head in approval of his friend's speech. Azure raised a glass and merrily shouted.

"ALL HAIL PRINCESS LUNA, OUR PRINCESS OF THE NIGHT! MAY SHE FOREVER BE LOVED AND ADORED!"

"ALL HAIL!!!" The congregation called out in honor of their new princess. As they all took to their drink, Celestia spoke loudly.

"Before you all drink, I should have you all know..." The crowd looked at their tearing ruler. "Azure... What you spoke to my sister is most true. And I do believe that she needed to hear that after all these years. You showed to her the sincerity of your heart and also revealed to her that her gift was not one to be ignored... Thus, you shall now be placed under her sole command. You are now considered her guardian. Show her care and compassion as well as protection."

Azure's heart was beating at a million miles an hour as the princess made her decree before the mass of the ponies in the dining hall. His eyes glanced over to his best friend, hoping for some sort of reinforcement. Shining and Cadance guestured him to accept as they both did so with lively smiles. Seeing that his friends approved, he took a deep breath and accepted his position.

"Princess Luna... I am at your command. Direct me to do what you so desi-uuuurrrreeee."

Azure's voice droned as he felt the soft sensation of a pair of lips press firmly against his cheek, earning him a wink from Cadance and a laugh from Shining. His cheeks flushed into a deep crimson while he watched the small-framed lunar princess retreat from his cheek. As his eyes remained fixated on the princess, she smiled and whispered a 'thank-you' to her new guardian. Celestia chuckled at her little sister's antic and it's effects on the temporarily disabled guard. She walked closer to Azure in order to whisper in his ear while the crowd looked on and cheered for the newly appointed Guardian of the Night.

"You would do kindly to follow the three cardinal rules of a guardian. You must, first and above all, protect your princess. The second is to love your princess. And finally, you must serve your princess. You would do well to remember this or... you know what's coming."

"It will be on my life, princess." Azure responded without hesitation.

"Very good then. Now please continue to make my little sister happy... even if it means that you disobey my orders."

"Yes princess."

Celestia withdrew her muzzle and turned her attention to her nearly forgotten nephew as he stood with a disgusted look on his face.

"Please tell me that this pointless prattle has met it's end."

"Well to start off," Celestia spoke softly to where the other would not hear them but boldly enough to get her point across. "I didn't remember inviting you. So it was to be expected that my sister would be taking your seat for the moment. But please feel free to ask one of the others to provide you with a seat. And do not erupt into one of your tantrums or else I will knock that horn clean off of your head, do you understand me?"

"...Crystal, your highness." Blueblood said as he strained on calling her by her authoritative title.

He performed an about face and merely asked his maid to find him a chair and place it on the main table. Meanwhile, Luna turned to her elder sister and cleared her throat one last time to get her attention. When she saw that she had Celestia's ear, she spoke in a soft voice.

"You have always been a good sister to me, and I expect no less in the coming years. I forgive you, despite that there is nothing to forgive. Once again... it is I who should be apologizing to you.

"Luna, please. No more of this. Let us enjoy the rest of this night."

The group eagerly proceed to engage in idle conversation, all of them except the bitter prince who had to signal his maid to send over a common chair for him to sit on, rather than a specially-made dining throne. If there was one thing that irked Blueblood, it was that the comment that Shining had made earlier during the day about him losing his power to another was seemingly coming to pass.

Needless to say that Blueblood was not happy.

"Surely this was a most memorable night!"

"Yeah, I know right?"

Luna and Azure made their ways through the darkened halls of the Palace as the princess giggled and gasped for air out of the excitement of her first day back after a thousand years of being alone. Azure stayed true to Princess Celestia's orders and continued to make her little sister happy by any means necessary. Luna finally recovered from her laughter and spoke to her escort.

"First it was the grand feast, to which I merrily... or maybe found myself to overindulge upon." She admitted, remembering how quickly she packed away the food from the banquet. It almost took her a full six helpings for her to just simply slow down.

"Yeah, that food stuffed me pretty good. Then there was that traveling Thespian group. They did... I mean that Oedipus thing? Gosh, I thought I had problems." Azure recalled while causing Luna to erupt into another one of her giggle fits. Thankfully, this time it didn't take her nearly as long from the last time to recover.

"Yes. T'was a most entertaining spectacle. It is unfortunate that our dear captain and his princess had to depart upon it's better portions... where the misguided stallion began to advance upon his own mother. Are there many more plays like this?"

Azure did remember that Cadance and Shining did leave at that part. But in his mind, it was just merely the two taking an early leave to partake in a more physical activity. "Yeah. There's a lot similar to that one. And then there are some that are for the kids, some like the one we watched today which was for a teen audience and... well... there are the more-ahem... mature ones."

"Interesting... Speak more on these 'mature ones' please." Luna asked as she nudged Azure in his side.

"Maybe later." He said as he made his stop before the large twin doors. Looking at the blue and white twin, he spoke to the now-blushing princess. "Well princess, this is our final stop for the evening in what is considered my best night ever."

Luna played with her hooves, earning her a look from her escort. She looked away from him, feeling shy from what she wanted to ask. "There will be many more to come... Though, I don't think that it should end... just yet."

Azure quirked an eyebrow as the blue alacorn looked at him from a down-snout. "Princess?"

"Please escort me inside of my chambers." She asked softly. "I wish for you to spend this night with me."

The guard looked at his princess with shock that she would be so forward with her request. But being that she was in a powerful position, she would easily get whatever she asked for. Without hesitation, Azure telekinetically opened the door. He awaited the princess to enter the room before he followed her himself, shutting the large door behind him. When he entered, he saw a similar arrangement of how Celestia's room was set up. The difference was that not only the room was mirrored, but the decor was in contrast to her elder sister's room. But there was an unusual freshness to the room compared to her elder sibling's. Probably due to the fact that this was literally the first night that she would spend in here.

"What a marvelous room, princess." He complimented.

"My sister made if for me herself. She told me that every moment that she found the time, she would look for the supplies and the items necessary to make it as extravagant as hers. But of course there is the subtle differences of the theme."

"Her's being the sun and yours being the moon?" He questioned.

"How did you know?" She asked astounded that his answer was practically spot on.

"Lucky guess." He lied, not wanting her to know that her older sister invited him into her room first. Despite that it was for the fact that she wanted him to wear a uniform rather than his ceremonial armor, he decided that the better thing to do was not mention it at all. It would only make things awkward, more than they already were with Luna being unaware of the modern times.

"...Do you ever dream?" Luna seemingly asked out of nowhere.

"I...I do. But why do you ask?" Azure inquired.

"I wish to visit you within it." Luna said with a smirk.

The young guardian laughed at the princess' statement. "Wow. I didn't think that you were so into pickup lines."

"What is this... pick up line that you speak of?" Luna asked with a tilted head, earning a worried look from Azure.

"Oh... right. A thousand years means that you wouldn't know. Sorry for ever mentioning it."

"No! Please, tell me more. This is a practice of the modern courting. That means that I should know everything that you know now. I know I may be antiquated, but that doesn't mean that I am incapable of learning new things."

Azure looked at the princess, bewildered by a word that she used. "Antiquated?"

"Erm... Ye-olden?" She responded trying to find a phrase that he would understand better.

"Old school, Okay. Well princess, let's just say that it is a sort of... lobbying for the means of... well... premarital advances."

Luna gasped in shock over his answer. "Oh dear heavens! Fillies and colts have surely gone bold over these past one-thousand years."

"Don't worry. I won't shoot any your way, princess." He reassured.

"And why not?" Luna asked, sounding offended by his statement.

"Well, firstly out of respect." He quickly answered, not wanting to offend her but at the same time explaining the reason why he would refrain from using any pickup lines on her.

"...You know this isn't a simulated courting ritual in my eyes... or a play-date, as you would call it. To me, this is all real." Luna said with a bright blush.

"I understand princess."

"No! You don't!" She exclaimed. "I wanted to just merely choose a guard to help me restore my powers, but now... I think that I may have found something better; something that restored my heart. I-"

"I'mma let you finish, princess." He said while he raised a hoof in the air. "But that had to be one of the corniest lines of all time."

Luna scoffed at his opinion, folded her forelegs and pouted. "Well back in my day, those 'lines' were considered to be the most romantic."

"Try something else like this..." He said while thinking of something that would definitely grab her attention. Taking a deep breath, he said the words that he almost dreaded to even tell a mare. "I want to marry you."

Luna broke out of her shunning posture and into a look of surprise. Her face started to feel warmer while her heartbeat increased rapidly. She struggled to put her thoughts into words. "But... I... You... It is forbidden."

"Only if you make it so." He answered with his quick wit.

"Even then, I will age past your years." She argued while new emotions awoke deep within her. Her stomach swarmed with butterflies as her guardian stood before her, grabbing both of her hooves.

"And I'll be just fine with whatever you so choose." He closed in on her.

"Y... You don't even know me." She turned her head away from him, only to be brought back before him and his gentle smile. He placed a hoof on her chin and raised her to see him, offering no escape. His green eyes met with hers while he whispered to her, inching closer to her muzzle.

"Then I'll have the rest of my life to find out."

Luna's breathing destabilized as her exhales, while long, trembled in various pitches and volumes. Tears started to form in her eyes as a painful ache reminded her that this was all a practice. She wanted it all to be real, but she knew that he was still joking around. "Please... enough of these lies. They are too much for me."

He withdrew himself from her and relinquished his stare. He blushed profusely while looking away and rubbing the back of his head. "Okay. Romantic Dialog 101 is now dismissed."

"You speak with a buttered tongue." She spat out, annoyed that his antics were that persuasive.

"And yet I do so to make you happy." He admitted. Despite the fact that he was more nervous than anything, he did try to make her happy by any means necessary.

Luna looked to the balcony and saw the pale moonlight blanketing much of her room. She smiled as she looked back to the blushing guard. She closed her eyes and held a hoof to her still heavily beating heart. Her words left her lips like a song from a bird on a beautiful morning. "...Thank you. For this night that I could not create for myself."

Azure nodded and hummed in return, thinking of an idea. "Though the hour is late, do you wish to stay up?"

"Nay. *yawn* ...I do wish to spend more time knowing you in your dreams." She said while trying to keep her eyes open.

Azure chuckled at the sleepy princess. "I still find that hard to believe."

"Take me to my bed, lay asleep with me and you shall soon find that I tell only the truth." She muttered in a low voice. As she walked over to her bed, she used the last of her mental strength to magically push Azure into her comforter. His body sank into the comfortable fluff of her mattress. He felt his body sink into the bed, but at the same time he could also feel that it supported his weight and contoured to his bodily frames while the princess laid beside him, nuzzling herself deep into his chest.

"Your bed is really nice." He complimented once more. As he took a deep breath, she did the same. Her eyelids fell under their own weight as she listened to the sound of his beating heart as it ushered her into the realm of dreams. His signs of life had become her lullaby as she finally drifted away into slumber, while her touching words escaped her lips.

"Goodnight, my Azure prince."

The sound of the crickets outside soon found it's way into the ears of the young guardian as his eyes also felt the weight of the world upon them. His mind began to wander off to an unfamiliar land. A land that was far away from the reaches of reality awaited him. The slumbering princess would be his companion for the night, as he finally closed his eyes and let the darkness take him.

"Sweet dreams, princess."

An astral plane formed around the stallion. Stars were lit in every area while he wandered from left to right, trying to find out where he needed to go without being lost. As he searched, his voice echoed and phased into ambient sounds.

"Oh boy... this is a really weird place. I wonder if-"

"Teeheehee."

Suddenly, he turned around as he heard the sound of a mare laughing behind him. It was a playful laugh, yet it was strangely haunting and calming at the same time. He looked around his position and found nothing.

"Okay... nothing is behind me so let me just go on ahead and-BWAAH!"

Before he could retain his balance, he found himself laid out on the ground before a rather large-framed alacorn. Her coat was three shades darker than his own. Her mane was made of the night sky itself, including the various stars and it flowed like that of Princess Celestia's. Her wings became much more fitted to her body rather than being the awkwardly large appendages they were once before. As she approached, her lips released a smooth and elegant tone as she spoke.

"A hello to you too, my Azure prince. Do you find pleasure in your dreams this night?"

Author's Note

This chapter is a build up for what I have in store for the conflict of Luna and Blueblood as you can tell. Their battle will not be a physical one but rather a power struggle. Also it will show the dynamic of Azure's relationship with Luna (shameless ship ahoy). SPOILER WARNING: And yes, Azure will be more of a Chekhov's Gun as the time progresses.

Now to discuss a little something. It has occurred to much of the fandom that all of the events of Seasons 1-3 actually takes place in the matter of a year or so. So to accommodate, some events will transpire in accordance to time and seasons, meaning that Discord will appear after the Gala, which is sometime around early to late September (three months is still enough time to allow Twilight to send off her various letters to the princess, considering that she sends one or two every Tuesday).