Regal Regrets

by Mewrilah

Rating: everyone
Tags: Self Insert, Slice of Life, Princess Luna, Drama, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Second Person, Alternate Universe, Romance
Length: 7279

A bat pony, you, meant to bring unity between your kind and Equestria must now suffer the consequences of your failed attempt… all the while, atoning for the sins committed by yourself.

After falling from Princess Luna’s grace, you, a simple Bat pony tasked to represent your race, are relocated to the castle walls. As part of your punishment, you encounter menial tasks such as cleaning of the barracks and various guard armors. Tonight was the first night in months your fellow guards have trusted you enough to do something beyond these simplistic chores. As the night passes and your head hits the pillow in the day, even in your dreams you find no peace.

Now, however, you will see that your chance for redemption has come in the form of the mare you hurt worst. Will you screw this up just as badly and lose the only pony who ever stuck by your side through your ordeals? Or will you rekindle your lost feelings for one another and finally atone for your mistakes?

Written for the 2017 CategoricalGrant’s CuddleFic Competition. Written in collaboration with Shadow Rift..

Coverart by Soulscapecreatives

Published 2017-11-30 04:30:07 UTC
Last updated 2017-11-30 04:30:07 UTC

Restless Nights

The dead of night, a sight you are all too familiar with as you stare over the wall surrounding the castle, shades of blue cascading down upon the small village just west of the fortress you guard. A spear clenched tightly in one hoof, you raise a telescope up to your eye, balancing yourself with the cold metallic rod as you stare out into the distance…

No sign of any trouble…. You confirm to yourself, lowering the weapon and continuing your patrol, moving down the walkway atop this massive wall as you occasionally glance towards the vast scene besides you. Any movement you detect being only that of a small animal or bird running across the landscape and towards whatever unknown destination it may be trying to reach.

As you continue your patrol, your tedious job often times leads your mind to wander to other places… A terrible thing for a soldier to do, but something you did to pass the time. Night watch was usually a boring slog. Most creatures, few and far between, were often times the non-threatening types you had just seen. A small bird or rodent passing over a field of grass, darting from one bush to another or just leaving the nearby trees and taking to the skies like any average pegasus.

With that, you take a seat and use the open meadows as a sheet for all of your thoughts. You lean your weapon against your body, it’s golden rod and sharpened end gleaming in the moonlight and reflecting some of the puffy blue clouds in the horizon.

Staring out at the open field, you see different scenarios play out. A changeling invasion where you battle against wave after wave of insect like beings, Timberwolves charging like mad animals as their wooden heads pound against the cobblestone walls, and many others play out in your mind. Throughout each of these battles, however, one thing is certain… You are declared a hero as Ponies from all over Equestria rejoice your victories and shout your name loud enough for ponies in Manehatten to hear.

Among the celebrating are ponies such as the Elements of Harmony, stallions of different sizes and appearances, and even the Princesses themselves as they bestow upon you medals and honors of high regards. One in particular runs up to you with her forelegs stretched out wide, spreading her wings as she envelopes you in a hug and takes to the skies. Her radiant blue eyes are soft as she whispers to you, “Congratulations, Royal Guard” and places her lips around yours.

Your eyes shoot wide open at the gesture as you wrap your own forelegs around her curvaceous form, blushing violently as you return her kiss with your own, moving in closer to her as your wings spread open-

“You!” shouts a guard similar to stature as you, though slightly larger, catching you off guard as you fumble about with your weapon and salute him, your helmet apparently gone loose as the portion that should be covering your jawline now lazily droops over your eye. “Soldier, didn’t you hear a word I just said to you?!”

You blush and bite your lower lip, fangs poking and threatening to tear into the skin. “I, uh…” you stammer, searching for the correct words to address this… You notice the colors he’s wearing. Oh crap, a Captain! “No sir…” You squeamishly reply, sinking into yourself in embarrassment while the Captain looks at you with an expression of both raging anger and disappointment.

“You are relieved of your duties tonight, Soldier…” the Captain tells you as he shuts his eyes and shakes his head, “Truth be told, your shift ended about two hours ago.”

Sensing his disappointment, you fire off a salute to your commanding officer. Spear at the ready as it leans against your body while you straighten out your helmet to reveal more of your face. The act isn’t even so much as met with the same salute, and as you begin to move in disgrace towards one of the corner towers of the wall, your commanding officer extends a leathery wing in front of you, blocking you from proceeding further.

“Understand this, Soldier…” He begins, catching your attention as you turn to face him and are met with peering, glowing golden eyes. “You’re lucky your dozing off was caught off duty, otherwise I’d be putting in a report right now to have you transferred to guarding duty of The Princess’ Nephew, Prince Blueblood!”

A shiver runs down your spine at the thought of having to escort that royal twit anywhere. Well known throughout the Royal Guard, being Prince Blueblood’s personal guard was seen as a mark of shame and downright embarrassment. Often times it was seen as the point of no return, where you were either used by the royal flush as a personal chauffeur, a bodyguard he used against those whom he wished to either impress or show off, like some amazing or flamboyant pet, or as a butler ordered to fetch him something because it was too hard for The Great and Powerful Prince Blueblood to retrieve himself.

You gulp a bit of vomit down your throat, the message well received as you go pale, a reaction that is quickly taken notice of by your Captain. He looks as though he suppresses a chuckle and adds on, “Keep your guard up, or I’ll send your guard down…” and lowers his wing, still peering at you as you offer another salute and nervous smile. You go along your way into the blackened castle, thankful to simply be let off with a warning this time.

Travelling down the corridors, however, you begin to think to yourself about the Captain’s words. Not the way he phrased it, which sounded much more like a threat than a warning, but their overall meaning. It’s true. Over the past few weeks, your mind has been wandering to different places, constantly trying to distract both itself and you from what had transpired between you and the Princess of the Night herself. As you trot past her room, a smile crosses your face as you think back to when things weren’t nearly as bad. You were a tad bit younger, probably by about a few years, when you first met her. You had just enlisted into the Royal Guard when the two of you first met… face to face that is…

Princess Luna was no stranger to media attention at the time, which was almost immediately after her return to ruling alongside her sister, Princess Celestia. As you were new at the time, the position to act as her Royal Escort was entrusted to you. You had no objections to it, as such an honor bestowed upon you was something met with the cheerful squeeing of your mother and slaps on the sides from your father, and the cheerful cries of your village as they all welcomed you home, inspired to see that a Bat Pony was once again in the eyes of the mainstream again.

Something to that extent anyways… such titles no longer mattered to you soon after you and the Princess began speaking to one another.

Small inquiry's about what had transpired during her absences from throne were what Luna and your conversations usually fell upon. It was understandable, seeing as how part of the title “Royal Escort” usually involved partaking in these discussions. Later on, however, things quickly began to develop, blossoming into a friendship when Luna returned from Ponyville after the celebration of Nightmare Night. Unable to attend with her due to celebrations of your own, two other guards were sent to escort her to the small town. When Luna returned the following day, you found that she was more open and easy going than before, even proving herself to be quite the comedian around others.

One of her jokes immediately pops into your mind as you chuckle a bit, your gaze remaining on her door the entire time and lingering on for a bit. The smile that crosses your lips doesn’t remain for long and quickly fades, along with the rest of your sudden energy as your gaze meets the ground and your expression turns to that of sadness. Those were the good old days… You think to yourself with a small huff of breath, shaking your head of the thoughts and continuing on down the long corridor.

As you reach the barracks, you’re unsurprised to see the sun beginning to expose itself upon the horizon, it’s golden beams shooting out in every direction as it slowly brightens up the skies and pushes back the moon. A yawn escapes your lips as you watch this with heavy eyelids. It’s often times like these you begin to wonder what your life would be were you not a nocturnal creature, but rather a daywalker. These ideas never last too long or even come to mind that often, but when they do, they’re interesting thoughts for you to close your eyes to and help lull you to sleep.

When you reach your cot, you instantly begin to remove your armor. Starting with your helmet, you effortlessly remove the piece from your head, with the assistance of your wings, before throwing off your hoof guards. Once done, you move onto the more difficult portion; removing the torso piece. A series of unlacing material and ropes that hugs the armor piece against your body later, and you remove the heavy armor piece with quite a bit more effort, all the while, metallic clinks and clanks of the plating of your armor causing other Bat Ponies to become irate with you and demanding that you keep the noise down.

All of that done, you finally manage to lay your head against the cot’s pillow, thin from use of a period of years, but still comfortable enough to do the trick. As you look up at the white ceiling, your thoughts go in every direction. Firstly it's with the Captain, then your fantasies… of being proclaimed a hero!

And then finally Luna. “Luna…” you breath out before shutting your eyes and turning your head to the side, being teleported to the realm of dream…

For as much as you’d like to say your dreams are of even more countless battles, such is not the case now. In your dream now, you imagine yourself on the golden sands of a tropical beach, a pair of glasses protecting your photosensitive eyes as you look upon the shimmering crystal blue seas, seated in a beach chair. Dully, you lift your arm and raise a fresh mango to your face, sink your teeth into the juicy, sweet flesh, savoring each bite at your leisure. This was actually a nice change of pace, allowing your mind to wander like it did on your previous shift.

Before you never really focused on life outside your job. It all revolved around being a guard. Since you worked so hard to get to this position, enduring the training academy, studying hard for entrance exams, you didn’t want to make any mistakes that would squander it all. It was actually because you were at the top of your class along with the timing of Luna’s arrival, that you were picked to be her personal guard. It was through protecting her that you let your guard down.

You let out a sigh as another wave rolls in. You’ve been thinking a lot about her recently. When you were discharged, you thought you lost your job, but it was simply a transfer. You knew the reasons behind the relocation, but you were just glad you didn’t get kicked out of the Night Guard. You had been at the castle walls for a few years now, and through that time, became apathetic. This was nothing like guarding the Princess, namely in the sense that there was nothing TO guard.

With the Elements of Harmony defeating most major threats, the only usefulness guards like you provided were if there was a mass invasion. Even then, the threat would probably have to be blatantly clear considering the fiasco that was Princess Cadance’s wedding. If you weren’t asleep at the time - no need to dwell on what could have been.

With the Mango finished, you indulge yourself further by sinking your fangs deep into it’s core, sucking out whatever juices still laid inside the imaginary fruit before haphazardly tossing it away into the ocean. You lick your lips before continuing your surveying of the landscape, no thoughts coming to your mind aside from admiration for the gorgeous landscape. If such a place ever truly existed, with its cool air, salty scent, and warm temperature, you could imagine yourself easily fitting into a scene such as this.

Before long, at least with respect to your dream, your sense of adventure begins to kick in. Usually you reserved this for dreams of grand scale battles, however here your curiosity begins to grow as you survey the surrounding area. It’s foreign to you and demands your attention. To your right you see nothing except the same sandy ground with fresh and green palm trees, and to your left you see much of the same. It'd probably take too long for you to walk either side around the entirety of wherever you dream placed you, and would probably yield no results for the better of judging your location.

Your wings flap a bit, and before long, your attention turns towards the skies. Maybe that's the better option... you think to yourself.

Naturally you take your third option and speed up towards the sky. As you hover high above, you discover the island you're on isn't very large, probably no larger than a few miles all around. What’s interesting, however, is that what takes up most of the island itself is a courtyard and toward, both of which are circular in shape and have an ancient look to them, draped in mossy, sickly fauna and weathered from years of exposure to the ocean. From where you were located, seeing such a place would be next to impossible… yet if you were to move down the left side of the island, it would eventually result in you coming face to face with an old worn path.

Curiosity soon takes over as you are drawn to the courtyard of this ancient place. As you descend down back towards the ground, you find yourself heading towards the courtyard. Upon landing, you take a bit of time to admire this place. For as abandoned and forgotten as this place is, even in a dream state, you can see just how magnificent this place must’ve been in it’s prime. Browns and greens took refuge in the cracks and lines in between bricks, adjacent pony sized rectangular archways lead into the structure’s walls.

The grey floor beneath you was made of cobblestone, dead leaves from long ago blanket the ground while fresh green weeds sprout in between the spaces between each stone and join with the newly sprouting patches of grass. You were thankful to find that here, the stones were cool, as oppose to the burning heat of the sand back down the hill and on the beach.

Further investigation of these surrounding buildings would be a priority later. For now, you move further on down the trail, your attention on the enormous circular structure of the courtyard that you had seen before. As you move closer towards it, you notice that the day begins to transition to night rather quickly, appearing from almost seemingly thin air as you reach the entrance of this place.

As you reach the entrance, you are unsurprised to see that inside it’s almost pitch black, save for the illumination of a dull blue that shines through two rectangular holes cut through the back walls. You squint a bit before blinking a few times, your nocturnal vision finally coming back to you as you are able to see deep into the darkness.

Moving inside, you investigate your surroundings. Nothing interesting could be seen in this place except for a spiraling staircase up that wound up from here to the top, where presumably there would be an entrance to the top of this tower…

It doesn’t take much for you to levitate right to the top of this place. The beating of your leathery wings echoes around you as you continue upwards, the shadow you reflect against the walls giving you the appearance of a monster and the accompanying sound accentuates it. You scare yourself as you see your own silhouette before shaking your head, forcing yourself to ignore it as you turn your head upwards, where the dark blue of the sky cascades down the tower’s staircase.

As you reach the top, you land on the stairs leading towards a wooden door. It’s shape is rounded at the top, yet flat at the base like most other doors of it’s time, encased in stone while a ring of iron hangs loosely from the middle right hoof side of it’s face. Presumably this means you have reached the top of the tower, and as you open the door, you are surprised not to see yourself on top of a stone brick structure, but rather a room that vaguely resembles a study.

To one end of this place stands a small fireplace, a deep blue roof looking over the fire to help radiate heat throughout the rest of the room. Said fire had seemingly already been lit, and even in this dream, you can feel it’s comforting warmth radiate against your skin and face.In front of this fire lays a large purple and black carpet with a large black pillow, each end of it bearing a white crescent moon against a similar black background.

You notice a desk off to the side. It has the standard contents such as quills and paper, but what catches your interest is a heavy, time-worn book. While ancient looking, it is by no means unused. Next to it there is a fresh jar of ink and official looking quill to its side, unlike any other you’ve ever seen. Looking over the cover you see an all too familiar symbol. The flapping of wings behind you ceases the thought of opening the tome.

“It’s about time you showed up.”

Author's Note

Here's an idea of the "island" you find in your dreams.

...and Cuddle Delights

The voice you hear from behind is completely recognizable, and before you know it, you instinctively snap a salute to the mare standing behind you. Her expression is dull as she looks down upon you, something you haven’t yet gotten used to… with her anyways…

“At ease, Lieutenant…” she replies in a similar tone to her expression, moving towards the fireplace. Your stance eases up a bit with the command as you follow her with your head, seated where you were before. She doesn’t say a word to you as she rests herself on the carpet in front of this fireplace, leaning up against the body pillow as she watches the flames devour the wood.

You debate with yourself for just a few moments on how best to address her. It’s been sometime since either of you spoke, and ever since your last endeavor with one another, you hesitate in greeting her in an informal way, such as a simple ‘Hi’ or ‘How’ve you been?’. The lump expanding in your throat doesn’t help much either.

Forcing yourself to bite the spear head you bow your head and question, “Your highness?”. The response she gives is still the same as before, dull and unimpressed as she turns her head to face you. You bite your lower lip, knowing you’ve gotten her attention but hesitant to continue on and either say something stupid or stare blankly at her. You begin to think of what exactly to say as the lump in your throat continues to grow in mass, threatening to prevent you from speaking at all. Forcing it down with a swallow, you shake you head and simply ask her, “Where are we?”

She also shakes her head as she looks out at the dreamscape behind her, snowflakes dotting the cold blue ground out on the horizon. “What you see now is my own personal sanctuary, a pocket Dimension I travel to whenever I find it difficult to sleep during the daytime.”

“You’re finding it difficult to sleep?” you ask before you facehoof yourself.

“Admittedly yes…” the Princess says as she continues to watch the fire. “It’s been persisting for quite a few nights…”

Silence reigns over the two of you for a short while as you bow your head and look at the dreamy aqua colored floor. “Because of me?” you ask.

She says nothing at first, seemingly debating her words a bit before turning to face you. “A Princess does not simply worry about the well being of one pony, but all… it is in her nature to do so and, above all, her responsibility.”

You smirk a bit to yourself after hearing this. Luna knew how to dodge questions well enough… it’s partially the reason why you admired her; her ability to offer blank statements that can act as both a yes and no response for any singular question.

“I’m aware of your duties, your highness…” you respond in a best royal guard tone as possible, “I just had no idea that they exceeded towards royal guards. After all, we’re trained to handle most situations in a… in a…”

She raises an eyebrow at you and immediately the clot in your throat rises back, preventing you from saying anything else that may inadvertently incriminate you. Both of you know what you’re trying to say and why you won’t say it, but you’d much rather avoid having to touch upon the subject now than continue on…

But Luna will clearly have none of it. “In a respectable and civilized manner…” she finishes for you, raising her head just a bit higher as she looks at you and causing your sight to return to the ground.

Luna’s words struck you hard, serving as a reminder of your inability to both amend with her what had transpired and serve your royal duties. Ever since you left, you wanted nothing more than to go back in time to stop all of it, prevent yourself from being so damned immature, or at the very least apologize immediately for your own foolish behavior…

But such a thing could not be done. And too much time had passed for a simple apology to suffice. What could you do now but pathetically admit to your own mistake?

“I’m sorry…” you whisper, hardly able to face her.

She doesn’t look at you. Instead her gaze immediately returns to the fire in front of her, which continues to crackle and pop off the top of three large and thick logs of wood.

You press your tongue up against your fangs before continuing on, a move made mostly to avoid saying the wrong thing immediately. “I’m sorry…” you say again, this time looking up at her a bit before going on, “I’m sorry I was so irresponsible to do something so… stupid and childish…”

Luna looks at you with the same blank stare, seemingly waiting for whatever else you may say. You look on, sweating as she judges you and the mass swells in your throat. With a sigh and a shake of her head, Luna recomposes herself before going on. “It was more than that, Lieutenant…” She begins softly, “Your actions were dangerous. Not only for your kind, but for yourself… You do understand that your kind has not yet fully become trusted by the entirety of Equestria, correct? How some still hesitate to speak to them?”

You nod and lower your head a bit.

“Your actions affected everypony around you, Lieutenant… Your kind, yourself as well as your importance…” She goes on before hesitating for a moment, “...and me.”

“You?” you ask timidly.

She ignores your question and goes on. “Lieutenant, you were already well aware of your species’ reputation in Equestria upon my own return. You were supposed to be the bridge Equestria needed so badly to reunite your species with the rest of Equestria… yet your actions created an even larger gap between Bat Ponies and Equestria…

“And what’s worst is that you left me…” she continues as you assume that this is when she will answer your question. “After your actions, you just turned and ran, completely leaving me to pick up the pieces of the shattered crystal you left behind. I trusted you…” she chokes that last sentence out as her eyes begin to become glossy, her expression still being of anger as she speaks but quickly shifting to genuine hurt. It’s an expression you aren’t used to at all… matter of fact, it’s one you’ve never seen on the Princess, let alone any Princess before. They prided themselves with upholding their stern yet kind image in front of their subjects…

“You were all I had… The first pony I could consider my friend… My [b[real
friend…” Luna said as a few tiny tears began to fall down her cheeks.

“I’m so sorry…” you whisper as you cautiously take a few steps towards her, “It was never my intention to hurt you. Please, I just… I was angry…”

“Anger is an expression we all feel, Lieutenant... “ Luna replies sternly as she sucks up a few tears, recomposing herself, “It’s how we suppress it that matters most.”

“It wasn’t any easier for me than it was for you, Luna…” You pick up as you speak in a tone of defense. “It wasn’t anymore a ray of sunshine on my behalf either. Already the Royal Guard associates me with my actions; Bestial, Unpredictable, and a loose canon, and ever since then I’ve been tasked with the most menial tasks imaginable. Tonight was the first time in months I hadn’t been tasked with something like cleaning a floor or organizing a bookshelf, or even pulling out a root.

“I don’t like it at all, but I know it’s what I deserve… maybe even more than that. What I did could never be undone, I understand that. But there’s only so long I can tolerate the intolerance of the upper class before-“

“It was never an option for you, Lieutenant, don’t you understand that?!” Luna snaps, clearly fed up with you as she leaps from the place she had been laying. “I know that kind of stress all too well, you know it… but I never let it affect my ability to rule, nor should you have allowed that to be an excuse to allow that Stallion to get the better of you!”

“He pushed and pushed and pushed! What was I supposed to do?!” You shout back as tears begin to fall down your face. Ashamed, you kneel and your hooves make contact with your eyes, immediately being soaked as the cold feeling of sadness enveloped you. It is here where months, maybe even years, of pent up emotions finally break open. You hate yourself for allowing this to happen and bite into your lower lip to stop prevent yourself from going on. A Royal Guard isn’t supposed to be these things, nor show any emotions like this… he must be stern and fierce, ready for any trouble that may come between him and those he swore to guard…

Yet as you remind yourself of this, your tears only continue to fall. It was all in vain, because you already knew that you broke that promise to everypony… your family back at home who depended on you, the rest of Bat Pony kind whose public image had just barely begun to shine through, and most importantly Luna. Your best friend, the mare you promised to stay by the side of, defend when necessary yet comfort when needed… failed…

The faintest taste of blood finds itself on your tongue and fangs. You must biting hard on your lips to do this, but it doesn’t matter to you. Nothing much does at this point.

“Endure…” You hear her say as she moves towards you, large beating wings flapping against the air as she levitates herself towards you. Through your stream of tears, you manage to look up and crack open your eyes just enough to see her face. Luna’s expression is soft and gentle as she leans towards you, taking you up in her magical aura and seating herself upon the floor, and wrapping her arms around you. The bottom of her maw rests itself upon the top of your head and the warmth of her body against yours comforts you and subdues at least a small portion of your pain.

“How…?’ You ask as you lean your head against her chest, listening to her heart beat rhythmically while the tears begin to dry.

“Patience, strength, and will.” She whispers. Unknown to you, Luna not only speaks these words to you, but to herself. Long has she seen the species of Bat Pony inadvertently fall victim to the ire of most of the citizens of Equestria, be it by fear or genuine hatred. This was what initially caused her to become the Nightmare and take on most of your kind as her own personal army… an army that had thankfully proven ineffective, yet still bear the reputation as marauders bent on the destruction of all that was good and bring about the age of darkness. Since then and upon her return, she was not surprised to see much change aside from even more discontent for the Bat Ponies…

“Just promise me…” she whispers, the bottom of her jaw still laying over your head. “Promise me, Lieutenant, that you will do everything in your power to continue the fight. I will join you, catch you as you fall, comfort when you may cry… but only if you can do the same for me and your race…

“I don’t want to see my adorable little subjects suffer anymore…” She sniffles, closing her eyes tightly and grasping you just as tight. “Please promise me that…”

“By my oath, pride, soul, and honor…” You begin as your feelings of discontent dissipate, replaced now by the strong urge to act from a thousand Royal guards, “I will never leave your side, my Princess…”

A small giggle later and Luna accepts this. Her head leaves yours and is replaced by the softest touch you have ever felt running its way through your mane and down your neck. You smile and purr ever so slightly as Luna continues this motion, your eyes shutting as you hear a small lullaby begin to escape her lips. The lyrics are hardly understandable as she continues on, the only thing you are able to hear being the rhythm in her voice, which is soft, comforting, and beautiful.

When your eyes open, your head immediately shoots up and takes in your surroundings. Where your body now lies is in a warm bed, with it’s frame resembling a crescent moon atop a small cloud, drapes of stars imitating the night sky as the hang loosely from the tip of the moon. All around you, the room is similar in color scheme to that of the dreamscape Luna and you had occupied, but of course lacks the same dreamy quality, instead trying it’s best to emulate it in the real world.

Lamps and oddly shaped lamp posts glow a dim color, enough to illuminate the room yet still provide the aforementioned dreamy quality. Drapes made of a fine material hang loosely all around the room, blocking out most of the sun’s glow.

Instantly, your mind associates this room with Luna and is able to put the pieces together with relative ease. Many questions come to your mind, including how and when you managed to get to her room, but the most important priority of yours at the moment is getting ready for your patrol… if you even have one tonight…

But as you open the door, you are shocked to see two other Bat Ponies standing in front of the doorway, finely oiled lances armed at their sides as they prevent you from going any further.

Immediately you ask what the meaning of this is. “Her Royal highness wished to see you and demanded both of us remain to prevent you from leaving.” One of the Stallions says with a straight face and firm stance.

“What about my patrol?!” You snap back, “It’s supposed to be my shift tonight and I need to get my armor treated and equipped.”

“That won’t be an issue…” says the regal voice of the Princess of the Moon as she moves forwards in between both guards, staring down at you with an unimpressed look. You stare at her quizzically. What is she doing?, you think to yourself, I thought we handled this.... “Guards, return to your posts…” she commands as the two quickly turn to face her and fire a salute to her, and with a quick couple of leathery flaps, they fly off into the darkness.

Luna peers into the darkness as you stand where you are, still confused and incapable of understanding what’s going on. “Princess Luna…?” You ask with an uneasy feeling growing in the pit of your stomach, “What's wrong? I thought…” you begin before immediately being cut off by a mouthful of Luna’s pearly white, shimmering slipper.

Luna offers no response for a little longer as she continues to watch the darkness and listen carefully to anything that may constitute as coming their way. It lasts no more than three or so minutes before she looks at you with a small smile and removes her hoof from your mouth, only to plant a kiss on your lips.

It isn’t a long kiss, by most standards it would be considered a peck on the lips, but it is one nonetheless. It leaves you dazed in confusion from the suddenness and the lack of knowledge of how to react to such a thing. How CAN you react to something like that?

You begin stammering like an idiot as your cheeks began to set a blaze to your face. You have absolutely no idea how to approach what has just happened, yet already, you can see Luna wants to break out into laughter. Instead, Luna substitutes her desire to laugh with a small giggle and moves on past you, playfully pushing you aside as she flops herself on the bed you had found yourself on and removes her attire.

You just sit where you were in the door-frame of the bedroom, paralyzed by whatever had just happened. Though you are unaware of it, Luna rolls her eyes and lets out another small chuckle at your extent as she envelopes you in an aura of shimmering blue magic. “Get inside…” she says in a hushed tone as she envelopes the door in a separate aura of the same colored magic, shutting it softly as to avoid much noise while you still levitate in the air. “I don’t want anypony to notice us…”

The phrasing of ‘us’ is what finally takes you out of your trance. With a shake of your head, you rub your eyes and find yourself staring into the icy blue eyes of Luna… at a distance that could be considered… less than simply friendly.

“What Why Why And What?!” You say all at once before Luna’s hoof finds itself, once again, pressed against your lips, this time lacking the cold metallic feeling from before and being replaced by a plushy soft, comfortably cool hoof. She shushes you as she raises the tip of her hoof to her maw before releasing your lips from the restraint of her hoof.

“Try to be as quiet as possible…” Luna says, “the guards during the day are practically just as nocturnal as you and the rest of Bat Pony kind, Lieutenant…” she jokes. Though it is good to hear her laugh, tell jokes, and see that infectious smile, your inability to coherently understand the situation still pesters you and sucks away at your curiosity like a leech.

“First of all, what and why?” You ask in a similarly hushed tone.

“What? Well… I kissed you and you had just about the reaction I could expect from one such as yourself…” Luna mocks before tapping her hoof against her head as she ponders your other question. “And why? Well… Because I wanted to.”

“But why?” You ask again like a foal.

“Because I never gave it to you before…” she answers with a smile, “and you more than earned it.”

“Even after all of my transgressions? Beating a noble like that and jeopardizing the entirety of my kind…?” You question ashamed, looking down at the base of the bed.

Before you know it, Luna’s hoof finds itself on your cheek to tilt your head up to face her. As your gaze returns to her, you find a comforting smile on her face as she moves closer to you, her limbs stretching out to take you up in your entirety to hold you close against her chest.

She’s soft to the touch. Her fine blue fur and warm chest comforts you as she presses you against her, a small tuff of the fluff on her chest rising up as you are pressed against her. Before long, you find her wings begin to drape down like a blanket and hold you in place, acting as a warm yet comfortable shield to protect you from any injustice or stress that once presided over you. Instinctively, and without much question, you find yourself press your head against her chest and allow the soft fur to tickle your nose and cheeks. You inhale the scent of blueberries and pie, freshly picked from a garden and cooked to just the right degree that it makes you think of home and solace. No pony to order or bark commands at you, no nobles to insult you to your face, no expectations set upon you by others… just solitude… and rest…

But most importantly, her…

Whether you want to admit it or not, you come to the realization now that what you’re feelings for Luna are genuine, and that of pure admiration. This admiration, however, is different. It comes not in the form of respect, but in the form of something greater… a need to be here, a requirement, something you wouldn’t want to give up for the largest amount of bits or fruit or respect…

Is it love? Perhaps. As the scent of blueberry pie continues to waft against your nose, you instantly become so warm and comfortable, the thought of more rest becomes a reality. Your gaze comes up from the meadow of blueberry pie and into the soft blue eyes of Luna, Princess of the Night, as she looks down at you with a loving gaze and accompanying smile. She tilts your head down and you feel her bury her own muzzle into your messy mane. The action causes you to giggle and begin to laugh as Luna does so, and before long, you begin to laugh hard as she refuses to give up.

“Stop it…!” You whine through fits of laughter, which in turn causes her to laugh and begin tickling you from head to hoof with her magic and hooves. You begin an assault of your own as you go easy spots such as behind her ears and near her withers. The battle goes on long and is fought hard, future generations shall forever remember this night as the greatest tickle fight ever had. Luna releases wave after wave of close quarters combat ready hooves against your sides and under just the right areas to prevent your squadron of Bat wings and hooves from being deployed at sites A and B… or… her ears and stomach.

Both of you laugh like crazy as you both manage to get just the right spots. In the end, however, the battle is won and you declare Luna the best of the best. “Indeed!” She beams with pride in her olden Equestria dialect, “We are the best in the tickles!!!” She proclaims as she dramatically stands on the bed, hoof at one side of her hip and the other raised high in the air. “All shall hail the Princess of the Tickles!”

“Hail to the Princess…” you gasp as you hold your sides, unable to stop laughing from her tickle fighting skills. Her pride manages to subside, however, and your laughter manages to eventually cease, leaving your throat absolutely mutilated by the rush of laughs. When Luna falls back down to the bed, she takes you up and in her arms and wings and presses you against her body. It’s still just as warm and smells of the Blueberry pie fields like before, but carries just a tad bit of perspiration to make the scent just a bit dank. Still, you dig your face into the crook of her neck, causing her to laugh and pull you back.

“The Princess of Tickles demands that thou not givest us the Tickles, as the Tickles are an act of war!” Luna mocks in the same olden Equestria way of speech, making you chuckle a bit and cough, rolling your eyes at the stupidity, yet deciding to play along.

“Can thou serve thee as thy royal Knight?” You mock in the same speech. Luna once again jokingly places a hoof under her chin and looks up above you, peering and puckering her lips dramatically while humming to herself. She drags this one for about fifteen seconds before she knows that it’s just the right time.

“Perhaps thou can find servitude in the role of Royal Jester?” Luna mocks. “Indeed! So it shall be henceforth, thou art thy Royal Jester!” She continues on as she taps your head, making a ‘bonk’ sound effect as she does so and begins laughing. You find her laugh just as infectious as before, and soon you find yourself laughing along with her.

Both your sides begin to protest causing a ceasefire in your “war” to catch your breath. Panting you catch your opponent’s disarming gaze. It’s the same one you saw after her first Nightmare Night, before all this drama began. And it was seeing her like this that made you think that, maybe, just maybe, things could return to the way they were.

“Come now my children, I’ll take thee away,”

You never heard her sing before and regret not doing so until now, her voice was as clear as the night she brought, and just as angelic.

“Into a land of enchantment.”

Her voice had the tone of a mother singing her foal to sleep, and you could feel it’s magic make your eyelids heavy. The warmth you shared with her and the soft fluff of her fur acting as a blanket contributed to your drowsiness. You didn’t want to sleep though, not knowing how long it would last or even if would. She wrapped her wing around you, pulling you closer.

“Come little children, the time’s come to play, here in my garden of shadows.”

When she thought you were asleep, she paused, leaning towards you and planting a kiss on your cheek.

“Sleep well, my little Lieutenant.”

Author's Note

Luna's Dreamscape respite

Luna's room

Thank you for reading our little cuddlefic. Hope you enjoyed it!