(special thanks to kartalthewriter for support and advice)
(this is not a self insert, the guards name is from the same source as my username.
check it out> http://egophiliac.deviantart.com/art/what-s-in-a-name-274326932 )
(if you dislike the story, i would appreciate a comment about why, and how i can improve it)
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The halls reverberate with a chime and I'm thrust out of my concentration. It was the signal of a ceremony ending, bringing my attention to the fact that my racing thoughts had distracted me for more than two hours. I look down the hall at the entrance and break a sweat. They’ll be coming through that door any minute now. I turn and walk the other way, stopping just around a corner. If I can hold off our meeting even a second longer. I begin pacing again.
Why am I so nervous? I just can't shake it. Not that I was expecting hours of pacing to cure that. I couldn’t even bring myself to go to the ceremony. I'm sure I can come up with a good excuse why I wasn’t there to welcome back the princess’s sister. Or rather, she is the princess too. I mustn’t think of them so dissonantly. What will she want me to call her? Will she be as casual as Princess Celestia? I mean, this is Nightmare Moon we’re talking about. No, I know she’s changed, the princess can attest for that herself and I have no reason to doubt Celestia. You don't exactly live a thousand years being a bad judge of character. I take a few deep breaths. I'm really overreacting to the whole thing. I just need to relax. It’s just that I never could have expected this. I never even wanted to be more than a lieutenant. So why did they have to suddenly make me a princess’s personal guard? I don't know if I can handle it. I hear hoof steps and my heartbeat begins to race.
“Calm down, it’s just me.” The familiar voice of my brother calls out.
“I'm calm. Why wouldn’t I be?” I quickly say, putting on the best poker face I can.
“Oh please, you always twitch your wings like that when anxious.”
I drop to my haunches with a loud sigh. “You do understand why they chose us as Princess Luna’s guards, don’t you, Sunshine?” I drop my gaze to my hooves, seeing the gloomy grey fur that had placed me as a night guard. I wrap one of my wings around and stare at its bare leather surface.
“You have more ability than you credit yourself with, Frolicsome. The reason she’s made you a personal guard is because she has a lot of trust in you. And remember, I just met Princess Luna at the ceremony, she doesn’t look any different than she does in the photos.”
“Attention!”
I scramble at the sound of the captain's voice. At the end of the hall I see Shining leading the princesses toward us.
“At ease Shining Armour, we can all relax in here.” Celestia entreats, waving a hoof.
Shining relaxes his stance but keeps his stern expression. He is an easy going enough pony but on the job, he's strict enough for two. He stops in front of us, turning to face Princess Luna. “Princess—”
“Call me Luna.”
Shining clears his throat. “Luna, let me introduce you to the night guards who will, from here on, be your personal guards. You’ve already had the pleasure to meet Lt Smiles.”
My brother kneels. “At your service princess.”
“And his brother, Meadowlark.” He continues as I quickly drop to my knee as well.
“I must be attending to the morning and so I will leave you to show my sister to her room.” Celestia announces, cutting short her appearance as she and Shining turn to part. “Oh, and Meadowlark, a word please.” She calls back, signalling me toward her.
Sunshine gives me a nod and starts down the hall with Luna. “Yes, Celestia?” I ask, approaching her.
“When you reach her bedroom, there’s a gift I've prepared for my sister. It’s in a box on her dresser.” She looks past me to Princess Luna, smiling nostalgically.
“I’ll make sure she receives it.”
“If you would. Thank you.”
I bow and trot after Sunshine and Luna, covering only a short distance to near them. They don't yet notice and I slow to follow shortly behind them, watching the princess as she walks. Her high steps and upturned nose give her a regal air about her, unlike Celestia who had taken on a much more informal nature.
I trot to her side and she turns to me with an acknowledging smile. “So then,” she starts, bringing my presence to Sunshine’s attention. “Tell me. What are your names?”
My brother stops and turns to face her, “My name’s Sunshine, you highness. Sunshine Smiles.” He bows briefly.
I quickly bow my head as well, “Frolicsome Meadowlark.”
She spends a moment in silence wearing a soft gaze of delight. “What lovely names. From now on, address me only as Luna, and I shall call you by your respective forenames.”
“Certainly, Luna.” Sunshine responds with a nod.
The princess giggles into her hoof. “Please don’t think of me as any different from Celestia. I want to be as much your friend as your charge.” She says in almost laboured casualness, betraying the stricter seeming appearance that I had formerly judged her by. She dawns her familiar soft smile that I could remember from so many photos. “Shall we go then?” she begins to walk down the hall again.
Several moments pass in silence, finally being broken by Sunshine. “We sleep in the room next to yours, Luna. We will sleep in shifts so one of us will always be available to you.” He continues to explain a couple more things and she just nods as she follows.
I continue to walk by her side and can’t help from glancing over at her. I am pleasantly surprised by her magnificence, unexpectedly different from the impression one got from a picture. Her star-speckled mane and tail flow continually, waxing and waning with the moons light. My attention is caught again by her large wings, envious of their feather-wealth, superior to that of pegasi’s and unknown to myself. I resolve to keep my eyes forward, managing only steps before feeling her magnetic pull again on my eyes. My gaze submits and one last time I allow my head to turn. I leap back startled, seeing her just inches from my face wearing a furrowed brow.
“Caught you!” she exclaims in a hushed voice. I scramble to find a distraction. “Why do you keep looking over at me, Frolicsome?” she whispers, grinning slightly.
“Uhh… oh look! Your room, princess!” I gallop ahead of my brother toward the door, still a good distance down the hall.
“I said not to call me Princess!” she shouts, galloping ahead to meet me. I place a hoof on the door, and Luna swings it open with her magic causing me to fall forward.
She trots past me. “I would like to resume my place in raising the moon as soon as I can, so I must get my rest. No need for my sister to continue my duties while I'm here.” She proclaims solemnly.
Sunshine stands at the entrance. “Until you’ve settled back in, allow one of us to accompany you during the day as you sleep. I'm sure even home can seem foreign after one thousand years.”
“You're right.” She admits, lowering her gaze to the floor.
He passes me into the room. “I will gladly stay with you for your first night.”
“No need.” She quickly answers. I'm suddenly enveloped in the glow of her magic and carried into the room setting me next to sunshine. “Frolicsome will be staying with me tonight.”
Sunshine nods, his expression unsure. “Well then, I will be going. Always available of course.”
“Thank you.” She calls to him as he exits the room. Once the door closes behind him she gives a tired sigh, taking her time to kick off her slippers and lift off her crown and necklace, placing them on the floor. She walks to her bedside and stands in place as her horn begins to glow. Her ethereal mane and tail give a few bright flares before quickly receding, revealing her light blue hair. Her body too takes on a lighter colour and shrinks to a size closer to my own. Once more, I find myself staring in astonishment as the beautiful monarch is replaced by a rather adorable little mare. To see a princess in her normal form, separated from her celestial body, is an impossibly rare opportunity. It’s not that it leaves her helpless, as she still has her ordinary alicorn magick, but regardless it is seen by absolutely nopony. The only acting guard who has had such an opportunity is Aquilinus, as Celestia’s personal guard. Even Shining had never seen Celestia in that state. Luna, however, makes no reaction to the situation, simply staring for a moment at the highly decorated bed. She takes the edge of the smooth silk sheets in her mouth and pulls them from their tucked creases, undoing the made bed. Poking her head under the loosened sheets, she crawls underneath them into it. After a moment of twisting and turning, she seems to become comfortable, remaining under the blankets.
I stare wide-eyed at Luna, who was now just a lump in the sheets, stifling a laugh at her endearing display. I shake it out of my head as I glance around the room, my eyes falling on her dresser. Celestia's request re-entered my mind and I approach it. I take from it a small wooden box with an engraving of Celestia's sun. I look a moment back to the bed, hesitating to disturb her. “Umm… Celestia wanted me to give this to you.”
Her head pokes out from under the blankets with a quizzical expression and her horn glows as the box lifts from my hooves. She floats it to the side of the bed and opens it, letting the box hit to the floor as she removes its contents. Her eyes glimmer as she tosses aside her blankets to sit up on the bed, her mouth slightly open as if caught by surprise.
“What are they?” I enquire, not attempting to suppress my curiosity.
The four matching items hang in the air in front of her and she allows one to unroll, sliding it onto a foreleg. It is black cloth with white shapes of stars and crescent moons decorating it. “They are socks.” She says in a lighter voice to match her smaller body. She continues to slide the other three over each of her legs.
“Socks?” I question, inquisitive about her attachment to the uncommon apparel.
“Yes. I used to own a pair very much alike these. They would help me sleep.” She holds her legs close to her body and smiles brightly.
I hold my breath, overcome by warmth emanating from her. She slowly returns to lying down, though seeming to be renewed with energy. I return a smile and take my stance at the end of her bed. “Have a pleasant rest, Luna.”
“Is it not so tiring, always to carry that extra weight?” She asks out of nowhere, casting an arched eyebrow at me.
“Pardon?”
“The armour, when is the last time you were without it?”
“I put on a cleaned set each evening.”
“That’s not what I mean.” She laughs. “Please, relax.”
My armour begins to glow, floating off of me and into a corner of the room. It feels strange. I'm only really without armour when sleeping, I realise. I take a few experimental steps, almost hopping at the new, much lighter feeling. She giggles at my child-like actions and I stop myself. A little embarrassed, I take my stance once again at the foot of her bed and prepare for the day.
“What are you doing?” she asks, resting her head on her hooves.
“I'm standing guard, for the day.”
“Hmm… Why not come get some rest?” she suggests, shifting toward one side of the bed.
“I wouldn’t imagine it. I have to stand guard.”
“Couldn’t you get some rest and still guard me?”
“Ofcourse not. I must remain vigilant.”
“Why?”
I pause a moment to think, not expecting the question “Oh, uhh. Well, say somepony were to break into the castle.”
“My sister would notify me immediately.” She nods her head, producing a spark from her horn.
“You would be asleep.”
“It would wake me.” She nods once more.
“Say they overpowered you.”
“I would wake you.”
“Well… What if she breaks in without notice?”
She pauses, raising an eyebrow. “Oh, I suppose you are right. If you were to fall asleep then somepony could silently break in and kidnap me without waking either of us, then escape the castle with me in tow, not to mention in midday when nopony would notice. We most certainly cannot allow such a thing to happen.” She returns her head to her pillow, the bedsheets next to her moving aside to clear room. I sigh in defeat and walk around to it. Climbing on to the bed, she lifts her head again and looks over at me with a smile. She giggles softly to herself and returns her head to the pillow. I quickly discover my drowsiness, and a yawn tells me that she too is tired. It’s been a long day for everypony.
Wow, this bed is soft…
…
…
…
I am suddenly jolted awake to find the princess out of bed, her eyes full of fear. I jump from the bed to her side, not knowing what to expect. “What’s wrong Luna?” My eyes dart around the room in search of a source of her distress.
She places a clothed hoof on my shoulder, her sock damp with sweat. She mumbles, trying to slow her sporadic breathing “No. I am sorry. It was just a… bad dream.” She drops her head and walks back toward the bed.
“Luna, would you like me to stand guard for the rest of the day?”
“No.” she quickly responds. “Please. Return to resting.”
I hesitantly return to bed and watch as Luna sluggishly crawls into place as well. I take a moment to calm my roused state, easily becoming again relaxed. This really is a soft bed. After several more moments I can tell the princess is calming down. I lay facing the curtained window, now noticing the relaxing patter of rain. My eyelids begin to fall and I feel her shifting in bed. She wraps a hoof around me and pulls me into a tight hug, reminiscent of a younger sister. “Thank you, Frolicsome.” She whispers, as I feel her quickly find slumber again, her warm breaths hitting my back. I follow shortly as her rhythmic breathing lulls me to sleep as well.
