LunaSqueak: adventures of a Lunar Guardby Kaliann25ChaptersTraining and initiation ritesThis is the official uniform of the Lunar Guard. Wear it with prideThe first day of a Lunar GuardBetween being a soldier and being a friendComplications between a soldier and his PrincessSome help from the expertHow to be a coupleTheir first...The military gamesThe price to be with herYou’re mine and I’m yours. ForeverAnd they lived happily ever after (literally)A rookie called Piper SqueakOh, the family!Training and initiation ritesTraining and initiation rites That Monday Pipsqueak entered to the Lunar Guard’s training field, wearing his new rookie uniform with pride. It was a black and blue armor, almost the same as the rest of the guards. The only difference was that Pip’s armor didn’t have Luna’s emblem on its chest plate and its flanks. But he will have it soon, at the completion of the training. Soon, Pip found the other rookies, the other ponies who lacked the emblem of the Moon on their armors. They were just five. A small number, compared with the rest of the Royal Guards, but it that number was standard for the Lunar Guard. The standards set by Black Swordsman and Lightning Flash were too high for the majority of the ponies. The new members were, Cold Fusion; an earth pony like Pipsqueak. Quick Storm, the dark purple pegasus, Reality Slash, another pegasus with black fur and white mane. And last but not least, Acid Javeline; amber-colored pegasus with cyan mane. “Hey!” smiled Pip. “I guess you are my new comrades!” “A pleasure to meet you, pal!” greeted Quick Storm, in excellent mood. “Are you ready?” “As ready as I’ll be.” said Pip. “Everypony knows that the Lunar Guard is no joke.” Acid sighed. “I hear you man!” joined Acid Javeline. “You should saw my trial. I get one of my opponents there, right at the stallion’s weakest point. Then, when he bended in pain, I bucked his head. Then his friends got me and he had his revenge by smashing my head on the ground over and over. I was already defeated by them, but they didn’t show mercy no matter how much I begged them to stop.” “You realize that you did! They are our new comrades!” exclaimed Reality Slash. “Hey, a friend told me you used the very same trick, why are you complaining?” asked Acid. Reality blushed furiously. “Okay, well, yeah, but I panicked and…” Pip laughed happily. “Don’t worry! Black Swordsman have told me that the Lunar Guard don’t play by the rules. We play to win! The only tricks that are considered dirty are the ones that doesn’t help you.” Cold Fusion glared coldly at Pipsqueak. “Are you telling us that you, an insignificant pony, knows the Black Swordsman?” Pip rolled his eyes, but in the bottom of his heart he knew that he had three choices. To tell them that he was a close friend of Princess Luna since he was little, lie, or ignore Cold’s provocation. He chose to lie. “Yes! I met him at a ‘meet and greet’ event after the Military Games. So what?” Cold Fusion blushed, and turned away. “Hmpf, I came here to serve Princess Luna. Not to make friends. If I wanted to make friends, I would have joined the Guard of Friendship.” “Bad thing!” said Black Swordsman, approaching the rookies along with his wife. “Because no matter how far you get as a ‘solo-player’ there’s point where you’ll need the help of a friend you can trust.” “A lesson that even Black learned with time.” giggled Lightning Flash. The new recruits saluted their captains. “Good morning, Captain Black Swordsman, Captain Lighting Flash!” The legendary warriors smiled at the rookies. “It’s always a pleasure to meet a new generation of Lunar Guards, ready to begin their training.” “It is an honor to serve you and Princess Luna, sir, madam, sir!” said Acid Javelin. Lightning Flash made a small nod. “Good to see that enthusiasm! You’re going to need it. Now come on! We’ll get your weapons for today’s training.” The group of new recruits followed their captains to the official smithy of the Lunar Guard, ran by a vermillion-red earth pony with pink mane. “The rookies! Just in time!” smiled the blacksmith. Black Swordsman made a small nod and turned to the group, introducing the red earth pony. “Let me introduce you to the one and only ‘Blacksmith-scammer’, Liz.” Liz rolled her eyes, annoyed. “Yeah, right. Just ask me to fix your stupid swords again, stupid.” Black and Lightning laughed at this. “We know Lizbeth since we lived in Aincrad. We like to tease each other like this.” explained Lightning Flash. Liz winked an eye to her friends, and opened the doors of the smithy to the new recruits. “We’ll have more than enough time to know each other better, now its weapon time!” She pulled a small cart full of weapons, and began to give one to each rookie. “Hey, can’t we choose our own weapon?” asked Reality Slash balancing his war-hammer. “No.” said Lightning coldly. “”First you’ll have to train with all the weapons until you find the one you’re comfortable with.” “When you finish your training, you’ll have practiced enough with all weapons to make sure which makes you feel better.” continued Black Swordsman. “So I can make you your customized weapon.” finished Lizbeth. Quick Storm tilted her head in confusion. “A custom weapon? Just like that?” Liz nodded, proud. “Yes. A weapon is the extension of a warrior. All of us are trained to use all kinds of weapons, but there’s always one we are better at using. Once I give you your weapon, you must name it and take care of it as it was another part of yourselves.” With that the Black Swordsman guided his group to a door in the bottom of the training field. “This will take you to a dungeon, in the depths of Aincrad. This is a medium-ranked dungeon, so monsters won’t be as dangerous, and the traps are not lethal. You’ll get out of there only with some minor injuries.” Cold Fusion raised a hoof. “Question, how’s that this door…?” “A small favor from our beloved God of Chaos Spike.” explained Lightning with a small shrug. “One of his ‘Crazy Doors.’” Black Swordsman grinned at them. “From the bottom of my heart, I wish you the best of lucks and that you return in one piece.” “But what do we have to do?” asked Acid Javelin. “To get to the other side, where you’ll find another ‘Crazy Door’ that would bring you back here. You can work together, or act as ‘solo-players’ I don’t care. But I need you to come back safe, all of you.” With that the Black Swordsman opened the ‘Crazy-Door’ to his new trainees. And, after exchange nervous glances, they crossed the door one by one. They found themselves at a large temple-like structure made out of stone. The ground was covered in soft moss, where a six-headed hydra was slumbering peacefully. Gulping, the recruits tried to move quietly, but the Black Swordsman slammed the door closed, waking up the monster. The hydra looked at the group with its purple eyes shining in expectation, and the first thing it did was to send one of its heads to them. Pip raised his weapon, a large halberd, blocking the creature’s attack, but the impact pushed him back. Cold fusion jumped, and knocked the head unconscious with his assigned weapon, a war hammer. The hydra roared, and retreated its unconscious head with the help of the remaining five, and rethought strategy. Finally it decided to aim one head to each target. Unfortunately this time the rookies were ready. Reality Slash cut one head off, ad ran over the neck as it was a bridge to get to the back of the monster. Two heads immediately noticed and charged against the pegasus. Fortunately, Acid Javelin noticed and shot the monster with her ballista. The arrow went through the monster’s neck right before it could chow one of Reality’s back legs, giving her time to stab the creature’s back with his gladius. The hydra roared in pain, and sent one of its remaining heads to Reality, and this time no pony could help him in time, and her leg got caught on the monster’s jaw. “SH1T!! A LITTLE HELP!” Pip aimed his halberd’s tip to the hydra’s eye, killing the head, and freeing his partner, but he was down. The hydra took it as its chance, and sent another of its heads against the now helpless pony, when Quick Storm threw her spear through its head, killing it, but being careful enough to not to cut it. They already had two extra heads to worry about. One of the new heads have turned its attention to Pipsqueak, and opened its mouth to swallow the pony, when an arrow went through its back head, and went out of its open mouth. Acid recharged her ballista, and hot to the legs of the creature, before it switched from fangs to claws. Cold smirked lightly, and dodging the desperate attacks of the remaining two heads, he smashed the knees with his hammer, breaking them, leaving the hydra unable to stand or to chase them “What about we put it out of its misery?” suggested Quick Storm, flying in circles around the poor hydra. “Go ahead!” said Pip. She threw her spear again, aiming to the back, and being careful enough to get the heart. The hydra was dead. “Not too bad for being our first monster, but I wish I did more!” said Pipsqueak. Acid Javelin put her hoof on his shoulder happily. “Easy pal, you’ll have your chance to shine. Everypony will.” “This is a dungeon after all.” shrugged Reality Slash. Pip smiled. “You’re right. Now what?” Now that the hydra was dead, the group had the chance to examine the rest of the room. “There are two doors!” said Quick Storm. Which one shall we use?” “”Let’s take left!” said Acid. “Cool!” agreed the rest. Pip then turned to Cold Fusion with a smirk. “Cold, you take right.” “Yeah, you are the one who wants to play alone, we won’t stop you.” shrugged Reality Slash. Cold Fusion rolled his eyes. “Very funny, right?” “You were the one who didn’t want to make friends but to serve Princess Luna.” added Quick Storm. “Yes, dude, we won’t stop you if you want to become a solo-player.” Cold let them laugh, and stared at the door of the right for a minute before he joined his companions. They looked at him when he joined, but didn’t say more. Nine hours later the Black Swordsman and the Lightning Flash looked at their new recruits exiting the door. They were all covered with bruises and burns, and they all limped at least in one hoof. But they were smiling. At Black’s signal, a cadet brought them a tray with potions. “Drink this to heal your wounds for tomorrow morning.” said Lightning. “Something tells me that you’ll sleep well tonight.” “And you better because I want you out of your beds at four hundred!” added Black. All the new recruits drank the potions, instantly feeling better. “Now that you are all refreshed, privates Night Wing and Red Hood will take you to the barracks. Take a quick shower, and I want you at the dining room in twenty minutes. Okay?” “Sir, yes sir!” shouted the new recruits. Two pegasi stepped ahead, a male and a female, and proceed to guide them to their rooms, when Black Swordsman called Pip apart. “Wait, recruit Squeak!” “Yes?” asked Pip. He turned to his companions, who stopped waiting for him, but he waved a hoof to them. “It’s okay, I’ll be with you in no time!” “Are you sure?” asked him Quick Storm. “Of course, don’t worry about me.” They nodded and left him with Black and Lighting. “Okay, now what?” “You see, Princess Luna made special arrangements for you.” explained Lightning Flash. “You have a private room. Pip rolled his eyes, annoyed. “Aren’t private rooms for officers only?” “Yes, but you are very dear to Princess Luna. Her Nightmare Night’s special friend.” “And she wants you to be as comfortable as possible.” Pip face-hoofed, groaning. “Go tell her that thanks but no thanks. I’ll live at the barracks with the rest of my partners.” “But, because of Princess’ order, you don’t have a bed in there. Yours is in your private room.” explained Lightning. “Then put one and done, right?” asked Pip. “Is not like you can’t get one n Canterlot.” And he turned away, joining the other new recruits. Watching him leaving, Black couldn’t help but smile. “I’m proud of him.” Lightning nodded, giggling. “Yeah, Princess Luna’s little friend is not a spoiled brat after all. Good for him.” In the meantime, Pip have arrived to the barracks where he would share a room with Cold Fusion and Reality Slash. But, as the captains said, his bed was missing. “Hey!” greeted the other earth pony. “As you can see, we took the beds. One is missing and since you stayed behind…” Pip sighed. “That was what the captains wanted to tell me, that there was a missing bed and I may spend the night at a private room for tonight, but I refused. I rather sleep in the floor, so they said that they would do everything in their power to get a new bed for tonight.” “Hey, why didn’t you take the private room? That would be so cool!” said Reality Slash. “Obviously, because our partner knows that he is here to get the full military experience.” said Cold, with an approving smile. Still a tiny smile. “Exactly! We are now Lunar Guards, we have to be strong!” Cold aimed a hoof to his bed. “Well, in the meantime, you can put your stuff in my bed.” “Thanks!” said Pip. Cold nodded. “If we’re going to spend all our time together from now on, we better get along.” “Remind me who was the one who didn’t come here to make friends was?” mocked Reality. “He is our very own tsundere!” laughed Pip. Cold didn’t say a word, but both Pip and Reality could swear that they noticed a small smirk. Then they showered and went to the dining room. And, when they returned to their room, there was an extra bed waiting for Pip. The rest of the first week was pretty much alike. They never used the same weapon twice, and the dungeon they visited was always different, along with the monster they faced. And, at the end of each dungeon, their superiors were waiting for them with recovery potions from Aincrad. “This courtesy will last only for your first week of training.” they warned them. “Then, your combat skills have to be sharpened enough to face a dungeon without major damage.” “Sir, yes sir!” answered the rookies. With that, the first week of training came to an end. For the big finish, their officer in command, Blacked Night, took the rookies to the hallway that separated Luna’s wing from Celestia’s. “So today are we supposed to patrol this hallway?” asked Reality Slash. “No, we are here for our initiation rite.” explained Reality Slash. “Right now, her Royal Highness Princess Luna, is on her way here with her sister, Princess Celestia. Do you know what it means?” The Solar soldiers who were patrolling that hallways only groaned in annoyance, as the Lunar Guards smirked expectantly. “A Lunar Guard shows little to no respect to Princess Celestia.” explained Blackest Night. “And, the Lunar Guard is famous for making Celestia jokes right in her face.” “You don’t mean…” “Celestia joke!” said the well-trained Lunars in unison. The new recruits gulped. “What? But…” “Easy, we are under direct protection of Princess Luna, we can be as disrespectful as we want with the other Princesses, and legally, there’s nothing they can do about it.” “They are coming!” announced a Lunar. Blackest Night turned to the rookies. “Are you sure that no one wants to try? The timing is perfect, and you’ll have to do it at some point anyway.” Pip shyly raised a hoof. “I’ll do it. I know a joke, is not a Celestia joke, but I think I can adapt it.” Blackest Night smiled. “Go ahead, I believe in you.” Celestia and Luna turned and were getting into the hallway as they were chatting happily. “Did he really rejected the private room you prepared for him?” asked Celestia, surprised. Luna sighed. “Yes, can you imagine it? My little Pip have turned into a stallion now, but I don’t know how I feel about having him at my Guard. Is too dangerous.” Celestia nodded understandingly. “You cannot help but worrying about your little friend, especially since you know each other since he was little. But, from my experience, the best advice I can give you is to let him be.” “But I…” “Luna, you’re not his mom, neither his mentor. You are his friend, and as such, you have to support him.” said Celestia, wisely. “I, as a mentor, had to let my students meet lots of mistakes in order for them to grow up.” Luna smiled. “You are right, Tia, I have to stay at Pip’s side no matter what.” “Same goes for me with Twilight and Blue Blood.” “What worries me the most is that he doesn’t fit with my soldiers.” Then they heard Pipsqueak’s voice all over the hallway: “Okay, the thing is that Celestia gets into a bar, with her phoenix, and the bartender asks, ‘Does that animal talks?’ and the phoenix answers: ‘Yes, but she is so stupid that you better ignore her babbling.” The laughs from the Lunar Guards filled the hallway. Luna turned to her sister when she started to feel hot. As she thought, Celestia’s mane have turned into fire, and her eyes were burning flames. “Tia…” “Don’t worry, I see that he fits right in, I HATE THE LUNAR GUARD, I HATE IT, I HATE IT!” And she went to her wing, swearing. Pip raised an eyebrow. “Huh, it feels a bit odd hear the Princess saying those things.” “This is nothing.” said Blackest Night. “You should hear her when she is having a bad day.” “And you will kid, because you have guts.” Smiled a guard. “I think you deserve a drink.” “Yeah, did you see Celestia’s face?” “I have to tell this joke to my friend. Yeah, I’ll definitely buy you a beer.” “But I only told a joke, a really stupid joke.” Said Pip. “Yes, but you showed that you are brave enough to make fun of Celestia on your first week. This is a new record for the Lunar Guard.” “Yeah, let us buy you a few drinks, it won’t harm.” Pip looked at Luna, who was astonished. He winked an eye to her, and let the others take him to the bar, as his companions followed them. “Hey, is just me or we’ll have to carry him back to the room?” asked Reality Slash. “Maybe. All I care now is that we have to think in our own Celestia joke.” sighed Cold Fusion. Author's Note This is the second chapter, more focused in the Lunar Guard and its traditions. Again, this takes a lot of elements from my other fic, ‘Chaos: the Age of Spike’ like the Lunar Guard laughing at Tia, and the SAO references. But soon enough I’ll move to the romantic element. I promise. Read ya’ later!! This is the official uniform of the Lunar Guard. Wear it with prideThis is the official uniform of the Lunar Guard. Wear it with pride It was a beautiful Saturday morning. Morning light went through the windows of the shared dormitory of Pip, Reality Slash and Cold Fusion. Pip groaned, covering his head with a pillow. His head was killing him. “Damn Celestia and her damn sun! Right now I could use some eternal night…” Cold Fusion glanced at him from behind his book, and shrugged. “You finally wake up. Somepony came to remind you that you and she have plans for having lunch at the Tasty Treat today and she’ll not forgive you if you don’t show up. That she doesn’t care if you have the mother of hangovers, you better go.” Pip groaned. “I know, I know. Dang it, since when a bad joke is a ‘proof of bravery?’ But I couldn’t refuse the officers. And it was fun.” “We noticed.” Said Cold, cold and uninterested as usual, but with a small smile on his face. “Dude, why didn’t you mention you were a close friend with Princess Luna?” suddenly asked Reality Slash. “That’s so cool Pip!” “Yeah, why keep it as a secret?” asked Cold. Pip sighed. “First of all, I didn’t want you to think that I entered the Royal Guard because of her. And second, would you have believed me?” Cold Fusion thought about it for a moment, and nodded. “I guess you’re right. But also she doesn’t seem happy that you joined.” “And she also got upset when we told her that the officers spent the night inviting you drinks because of that joke.” giggled Reality Slash. “She acts like your mom or something.” “To Tartarus with her then!” complained Pip. “My head…” Cold threw him an aspirin. “Here, the best from Zecora’s pharmaceutics, courtesy of your second mom. So you see that she was serious about you not missing your lunch together.” Pip groaned, half because of the hangover, half because of the annoyance. “Whatever.” And then, right on time, Pip arrived to the Tasty Treat to have lunch with Princess Luna. But he was not in the mood. “Hi Pipsy! How was your first week?” asked Luna, sitting with him. Pip shrugged. “It was good, I think. I was the first of the unit who made a Celestia joke in her face. A dumb joke, but everypony was impressed.” Luna shook her head. “Yes, I was there, remember? Anyway, most of the rookies take the whole training before they lose all respect for my sister. Pip noticed she was annoyed, but didn’t say anything about it. After all, Celestia jokes were a tradition of the Lunar Guard. Pip laughed. “What can I say? After all that VIP meetings I’ve joined you, I knew I could get away with it. I’ve seen Black and Lightning mocking Celestia more times that I could count, and she haven’t done anything about it. Hey, I even remember that time when Trixie called Princess Twilight a c#nt and a b1tch in front of Celestia, and nothing happened.” “Something did happened.” Reminded him Luna. “Princess Twilight started to cry much to Trixie’s amusement. She complained with Celestia but…” “But she said that she didn’t have the authority to punish her because all of your soldiers are protected by some decree of yours.” finished Pip. “See? I knew I could get away with it!” “Okay, you had your reasons to make that joke like nothing.” admitted Luna. “Not exactly like nothing,” explained Pip, “I’ve been practicing in front of a mirror for the entire week.” Luna face-hoofed. “Pipsqueak, please, be careful. I don’t want you to become somepony you are not just because you want impress me. Alright?” Pip shook his head. “Luna, you are my best friend. I have no reason for trying to impress you.” “I know, that’s what I am trying to say Pipsqueak! I like you just the way you are.” Pip sighed in exasperation. “Luna, listen! This is not for you. I am not the kid who had a crush on the Princess of the night anymore! I am the kid who have admired the Black Swordsman and the Lightning Flash since I’ve heard about them for the very first time.” Luna couldn’t help but smile. “Alright, alright. I admit it was narcissistic from me to think you were doing this for me. But at least promise me something.” Pip shrugged. “Sure.” “That you won’t change who you are only to fit in the Guard. A few jokes, and going to drink with your friends it’s okay, just don’t change the Pipsy I love so much. Alright?” Pipsqueak nodded. “Of course Luna.” With that, they had their lunch and said goodbye until the next week. At least everything was fine between them now. The rest of that Saturday Pip spent it at his room. Luckily Cold Fusion was a silent partner, and spent his weekend reading. Reality Slash was a joker, and a bit noisy, but he also had a little too much to drink last night so he was quietly snoozing on his bed. “Hey Cold!” called Pip. Cold Fusion glanced at Pip from the edge of his book and made a small shrug. “I joined because I wanted to. Or you wanted to ask me something else?” “No. That.” said Pip sheepishly. “How…” “You are the only one of our partners that haven’t asked me yet. And, you have asked everypony except for me.” “Ok, cool…” said Pip. Truth be told, Cold made him nervous from the very first time he met him. “By the way, are you going to tell the girls you are Princess Luna’s friend?” groaned Reality Slash, just waking up. Pipsqueak sighed. “I guess I’ll have to. But I would like to keep it as a secret.” Cold Fusion raised an eyebrow. “Why? Confidence is vital for teamwork. Remember that story Black Swordsman uses to tell, of how he lost his companions for keeping a secret from them.” “Come on pal, hiding that the boss and I have been close friends since I was little have nothing to do with hiding my true strength or something.” Cold shook his head. “Still, confidence is vital for the teamwork.” Reality giggled as he covered his head with a pillow. “Who would say that the scary guy actually have a soft side.” Sunday the team returned to their training, and it had become more intense. “From now on you’ll have to be extra careful when you get inside the dungeons.” warned Lightning Flash. “Because once you’re out, you’ll have to fight your fellow Lunar Guards in combat.” “Seriously?” asked Quick Storm. “This is the Lunar Guard.” said Black Swordsman. “We did not became the strongest guard by being soft with the rookies. Now take care.” “Because a couple of you will have to face us when you get out of that dungeon. You have been warned.” said Lightning Flash. With that the recruits crossed the door that would take them to Aincrad. Pip looked at his weapon of the day, a rapier, like Lightning Flash’s. He gulped, and prayed for that weapon helped him to come intact from that dungeon. Cold looked at him and made a small nod. “Is not the weapon, Squeak. Is the soldier.” They all turned to see him. “Seriously, have any idea of how creepy you are when you read our minds like that” asked Pip. Cold Fusion sighed. “Is not my fault that you are so easy to read. Now, shall we choose our opponents?” Acid Javelin scratched her head. “But aren’t they who are going to attack us?” “The best defense is a good offense.” Said Cold. “We should take them as soon as we exit this dungeon, taking them by surprise.” “They are going to beat us in two seconds or something.” Cold nodded. “I know, but the goal is to take at least one of them.” Pip smiled. “Let’s do this!” Quick Storm sighed. “Okay, whatever. But we better make it to the end of the day in once piece!” “Yeah, if they kill us, we’ll kill you both!” warned Acid Javelin. And since there wasn’t more to say about it, the group went deeper into the dungeon. It wasn’t extremely complicate. A few monsters, traps, etc. At this point, the newest members of the Lunar Guard were pretty much used to this things. “Hey, look!” said Reality Slash looking to an open room. “An abandoned treasure chest!” “Or it’s a monster in disguise, or a trap, moron.” said Acid Javelin. “It’s common sense.” sighed Cold Fusion. “I know, I know, but if we beat the trap, we may get something good!” insisted Reality Slash. “I really need a new pair of boots.” “Then go get them. With Cold’s plan we have enough suicidal missions for the day.” complained Acid. “Oh, come on! Wanna trade suicidal missions?” “Any other day I would gladly join you pal!” smiled Pip, reminding of his adventures with Feather Weight, the CMC or Rumble (before they turned into agents of Chaos). “Buuut, our Captains said they are going to attack us personally so not today.” “Aw, what a shame!” complained Reality Slash. “Last week was your chance to activate traps on purpose.” scolded Quick Storm. The others nodded, knowing she was right. This time their officers won’t give them any healing potion when they exited the dungeon. Instead they would attack them. Suddenly, Pipsqueak stopped. “Hey, this is just a feeling, but any of you can lift me to the roof’s beams as soon as we get out?” “Dude, do you have any idea how much do you weight?” complained Reality Slash. “Yeah, but it’s all muscle!” replied Pipsqueak, kissing his forehooves. Acid chuckled. “I know. And don’t misunderstand me, but you look pretty great big boy. But, why do you want us to lift you?” “Because as soon as we start the fight, Sinon will greet us with her Hecate. We have to take her down before she even charge the ballista.” Cold agreed. “You are right. Do you think you can take her on time?” “Of course. I won’t beat her but at least I’ll make sure she doesn’t attack you.” said Pip. Cold grinned. “If I was a pegasus I would lift you myself.” “Okay, I’ll give you the lift.” sighed Quick Storm. “But you owe me a favor.” “And I’ll help you too!” said Acid. “You are too heavy for a single one of us to lift you on time.” “Okay, sure.” shrugged Pip. “You owe us a drink, and I’m serious!” insisted Acid. The rest of the dungeon was easy for the new recruits. And as it was expected from their training last week, they got to the other side with almost no damage. And as promised, they were greeted by their captains and a few more officers when they appeared back in the training field. “I’m glad to see you in one piece, rookies!” smiled Black Swordsman. “Are you ready for the next step on your training?” Without a warning, Quick and Acid lift Pip to the beams as Cold and Reality charged at Black Swordsman and Lightning Flash. When the two pegasus mares landed, they went to get the nearest soldiers they could get, Heart of Darkness and Blackest Night. They started a short battle that the most experienced soldiers easily won. However they heard a bunch of punches coming from above them and much to everypony’s surprise, the Cold-Hearted Snipper was thrown from the beams unconscious with a very visible bruise on her forehead. Black Swordsman caught her on the air as she slowly opened her eyes. “Are you alright?” Sinon nodded. “The Boss’ friend is fast. He managed to immobilize me before I could charge the Hecate or my support weapon.” “That’s what happens when you only focus in one combat area only.” reminded her Black Swordsman. “Shut up, most of the time my enemies don’t realize of my presence!” Black grinned “I know, and as a result, you grew overconfident and rookie Squeak won his first fight.” He looked up, where Pip was looking at them and then he turned to the defeated rookies. “Okay, who came up with the idea of attacking us as soon as you exited the dungeon?” Reality Slash saluted him. “It was Cold Fusion, my captain.” Black made an approval nod and turned to Cold. “And tell me, you told rookie Squeak to attack Sinon?” “No. that was all his idea.” said Cold. Black made another nod and turned to his wife. “What do you think, Lightning?” “I think we have found this unit’s new leader, and his second in command.” Cold bowed with a light blush on his cheeks. “I am honored, my Captains, Black Swordsman and Lightning Flash.” Then he looked up when Pip was still looking down at his group. “Hey, Squeak, did you heard?” “No, what?” asked Pipsqueak. Black Swordsman looked up, and smiled. “Cold Fusion is the new leader of your unit, and you his second in command.” “Is that so? Cool!” Lightning Flash aimed her horn to Pip, and levitated him down. “First let’s make this clear, recruit Cold Fusion, and recruit Piper Squeak. If you prove you’re not up for this position, it’ll be given to your comrades, is that clear?” The two earth ponies saluted and said in unison. “Yes, my captain!” “Also, this position is good only during your training. When it comes to an end, you’ll be considered just another soldier until you get promoted. Understood?” Pip smiled. “Of course!” Cold Fusion also smiled. “Crystal clear.” And since they have completed the task, the rookies were sent to their rooms. Reality sighed in satisfaction as he laid on his bed. “Well, we ended up beaten and humiliated but at least they gave us an early release!” Cold Fusion glanced at him from behind a book, and smiled briefly. “See how attaking first was worth it? And you wanted to waste everypony’s time by going after a stupid chest-trap.” Reality rolled his eyes. “Go to hell. Wait, I mean, sir! Go to hell, sir!” Then he sighed. “The problem is that I know I won’t be able to sleep thinking in what was inside.” Cold nodded. “Do as you please but you better be quiet.” Somepony knocked at the door. “Yes?” asked Pipsqueak as he answered the door. Quick Storm winked an eye at him with a playful smile. “I think certain co-captain owes us a drink to Acid and me.” Pip sighed. “I know, I know. Let’s pay my debt. Are you guys coming?” Reality Slash was already on his four hooves, ready to join Pip. But Cold simply shook his head. “You go if you want. Tonight I feel more like reading.” “Are you sure you don’t want to celebrate your new position?” asked Acid Javelin joining the group. “Drink something for me.” said Cold, uninterested. The group exchanged a look, but left without insisting more. From that point, the training continued with the same routine. After the rookies escaped the dungeon, a group of veterans were waiting to challenge them to a fight. Sadly, the trick of attacking first didn’t work again. After all, the Lunar Guard was formed by first-class soldiers. But finally, after four months of hard work, Black Swordsman and Lightning Flash agreed that the rookies were ready. They were a solid group that knew how to work together. And neither Cold Fusion neither Piper Squeak had to give up their ranks. One day they were called to Princess Luna’s office. She seemed abnormally serious, but also really proud of her new group of soldiers. “Young recruits, you have proved that you are worthy of my Royal Guard. According to your captains, you passed your training with honors. Am I right?” “Yes Princess Luna!” answered the rookies in the unison. Luna looked at them and called. “Cold Fusion, Piper Squeak, one step ahead!” Pip and Cold did as she told. “You two have proved to have initiative, bravery and the right amount of recklessness. Thanks to that you have earned the title of leader and sub-leader of your unit. I am proud of both of you. My Guard’s true strength comes from teamwork, despite one of the leaders claims to be a solo-player at heart.” Black Swordsman chuckled at this, but didn’t say anything. Luna winked an eye to him and continued. “Then it will be my honor to concede you my emblem. The proof that you two are, from now on, official Lunar Guards.” The blue alicorn’s glowed, and materialized the Moon Emblem on Pip’s and Cold’s chest-plates and flanks. The two new soldiers bowed in gratefulness. Then the Black Swordsman approached with a box on his back that he opened before blanthe two soldiers. It contained a rapier for Pip, and a war axe for Cold. “Have you decided the names for your weapons?” asked the pegasus. Pip nodded as he brandished his new sword. “Ice Pick.” “Can I ask why?” asked Luna. “Yes, because it was a rapier that I used to defeat the Cold-Hearted Snipper.” Luna raised an eyebrow to this but didn’t ask more. She turned to Cold Fusion. “What about you, soldier Fusion? What’s your weapon’s new name?” “Silent Death.” Reality looked at her friends and whispered. “It suits him.” They giggled. But then it was their turn to receive Luna’s mark and customized weapons. Acid Javelin received not a javelin but a ballista that she called ‘Shooting Star’. Then Quick Storm received a katana that she called ‘Ninjato’. “You’re aware that’s a katana, right?” asked Reality. “Yes, but she’s a rebel!” After a generalized face-hoof, Reality Slash was happily trying his brand-new war hammer. “We are ready for the big leagues, isn’t that right, Big Gun?” Princess Luna looked at her new Guards. “Soldiers, now you wear the official uniform of the Lunar Guard. Wear it with pride.” Author's Note Okay sorry for the delay but this month had been crazy. Anyway, I hope you liked it, and be patient. Soon we’ll get to the Luna X Pipsqueak part. In the meantime, Read ya’ later! The first day of a Lunar GuardThe first day of a Lunar Guard At the next day, the new cadets woke up and put on their new armors, recently invested with the Moon Emblem. It was almost the same that they did when they were still trainees but now, instead of heading to the training field, they headed to the bulletin board. The board had several lists with the names of the officers in charge and the soldiers they would have under their command for the day. They were really proud of themselves. This was their first day not as rookies, but as official soldiers. “It seems that I am part of the Sector C patrol.” read Cold Fusion out loud. “Sector D.” read Reality. “Cool!” The others found their assigned chores, and went to join their respective units. Now that they have finished their training, they won’t work as a unit on their own anymore. Now they would rotate every day with the rest Lunar Guard. It was a shame since they grew really close during that four months. But at least they still shared dorms, and a table during the meals. After saying goodbye to his companions, Pip joined his unit. The day’s assignment was the most boring of them all. But also the most important for the Lunar Guard. Princess Luna’s escorts. Once the unit was complete, they headed to Princess Luna’s room. Pip smiled nostalgically as he remembered all the sleepovers with his favorite Princess/best friend. When he was little he even stayed on Luna’s bed, and even bathed with her. Then when Pip grew older, he stayed on a sleeping bag and eventually, the castle’s guest’s rooms. But each time he visited he spent most of the time at the Princess’ room. They arrived to the door, and took positions in front of it. They won’t go any further. They respected the Princess’ privacy. Pip nodded and adopted a rigid position at the left of the door, but his companions laughed and invited him to relax with a gesture. “Easy pal, there’s no need to be so formal if the Princess is not seeing you.” “Are you sure?” asked Pip. His captain, a unicorn called Total Eclipse, smiled. “Of course, we are strong but not made out of stone, kid. Who do you take us for, Solars?” The rest of the unit laughed. “Yeah, they spend most of their days learning to stay still. What a waste of time!” “No wonder why we always kick their flanks when we fight!” celebrated a pegasus one, flexing his powerful wings. When they calmed, Total Eclipse gave an evaluative look to Pipsqueak. “Hey, now that I look at you closely, aren’t you that kid who used to follow Princess Luna everywhere?” Pipsqueak saluted. “Yes sir! Recruit Piper Squeak, sir!” Total Eclipse raised an eyebrow at this. “Don’t you mean ‘cadet’?” Pip blushed. “Oh, you are right!” Total Eclipse simply put a hoof on Pip’s shoulder. “Easy kid, it was hard for me to get used to that too.” “Yeah, just try to relax, okay?” advised an earth pony mare. “Just get firm when the Princess, or somepony else passes by.” “Except for Celestia. You can ignore her all you want!” added another earth pony. “I think he gets it!” joined the pegasus. “Remember that he was the one who made fun of Celestia on his first week!” Pip smiled. “Yeah, I’ve been with the Princesses plenty of times and I knew I could get away with that. It was fun.” The soldiers gave Pip a friendly slap on his back and then they recharged against the wall to pass the time. And most to Pip’s surprise, they weren’t quiet. No, everypony was telling jokes, exchanging opinions about the Hoofball League, or talking about their families. “There’s something wrong, Squeak?” asked commander Eclipse. “Eh, nothing. Is just that I’m surprised that we are allowed to talk during shifts.” “As long as we don’t bother the boss, we can talk as much as we want.” explained the pegasus, Flaming Ink. “And when she sleeps, there’s no power in Equestria that can wake her up. You should know better than anypony!” Pip giggled and finally was able to relax. Two hours later, the doors opened, letting pass Princess Luna. Immediately all the Guards saluted her, firm. She raised a hoof. “Rest, soldiers.” The soldiers bowed and said in unison. “Good morning, Princess Luna, your Majesty!” One of the voices called Luna’s attention. She quickly turned around, and smiled in delight. “Pipsy! It is you! Oh, this is so great. I can’t believe this is your first assignment!” She approached to hug the stallion, but Pip moved backwards and raised a hoof to make the Princess stop. “Princess Luna, please stop. I politely ask you to stop calling me by that nickname during my shifts. As long I am wearing this armor, I am Cadet Piper Squeak. But when my shift ends, feel free to call me however you like.” Princess Luna sighed. “I get it, this is not the time.” She couldn’t complain. It was Luna herself who told Pipsqueak that they couldn’t be as close as before if he joined the Guard. The Princess headed to the dining room, where she would have breakfast with her older sister. As they advanced through the hallways, Pip noticed that Celestia’s soldiers moved away to let them pass. Both the Princess of the Night and her Royal Guard were feared by the Solar Guard because of their combat skills. They arrived to the dining room, where once again, the soldiers had to wait outside while the two Princesses had some private time together. Princess Celestia opened the door to her sister, seeming really happy to see her. “Good morning, Luna.” “Good morning Tia.” But out of nowhere, Total Eclipse shouted. “Hey Solars, do you know the new one about Celestia?” Celestia cursed, and shut the door with her magic much to the Lunar’s and Luna’s amusement. “Damn it, they never fail!” “Tia, do you realize that if you keep reacting like this, they’ll continue?” asked Luna. “Just ignore them.” “I have a better idea, you nullify the damn royal decree that allows them make fun of me!” “It allows them to make fun of Twilight and Cadence too.” reminded Luna. “Then why they only pick on me!” “Come on! For example Beatrix Lulamoon likes to pick on Twilight Sparkle and she doesn’t complain!” Celestia frowned. “She complains. Last time she made her cry!” Luna better kept quiet. But yes, she had to admit that her captain of the Undercover Police always went too far when she insulted Twilight. Unlike the other soldiers at Luna’s command, she did not stop by making jokes about Twilight. She kept insulting her, saying how she would never be friends with somepony as naïve and dumb as Twilight and such. To the point Applejack and Rainbow Dash had to beat her up to make sure she wouldn’t cross the line again. But she was an especial case. The rest of the Guard limited to irritate Celestia. Luckily Celestia forgot about the joke and she and Luna had their breakfast without incident. In the meantime, Pip and his companions dedicated to mock the Solars, trying to brake their concentration or make them move with jokes, funny faces and even challenges to fight. When the Princesses finished their meal, Luna made a sign to her soldiers, and she returned to her chambers. The doors closed and the soldiers went back to their positions laying on the wall, and chatting happily. “This is what you do every day?” asked Pip. “You mean mock the poor excuse of a Guard Celestia haves? No, only when we’re escorting the Princess, or patrolling the hallway that connects both of the castle wings.” They didn’t have to move during the rest of the day. In certain point, a few servants broght Luna’s lunch. They got inside the room, left the food, and retired without saying a word. Finally, at four P.M. Princess Luna exited her room wearing her light blue armor and sword at her waist. It was training time. She leaded her soldiers to the training field, and unsheathed her sword. It was well-known by all the Guards that their Princess loved to fight. Of course the Black Swordsman and the Lightning Flash were much stronger than her, but that didn’t apply to the rest of soldiers. The veterans could give her a bit of a challenge, and even had a few victories but those times were rare. As for the captains, they were on their own league. Only Lightning Flash could defeat Black Swordsman, and only Black Swordsman could defeat Lightning Flash. “Who would be our first opponent?” asked Princess Luna looking around. Finally she aimed her sword to a certain young cadet. “How about you, cadet Squeak?” “I pass.” said Pip. Total Eclipse tilted his head. “Ehem, you know it’s a great honor that the Princess choses you as her first opponent, right?” Luna nodded. “Yes, cadet, why are you refusing me?” “Because I know, you, my Princess. And you will give me the advantage.” Princess Luna raised an eyebrow. “Why would I give you the advantage, cadet?” Pip gave her a blank stare. And he wasn’t the only one. Also Black Swordsman and Lightning Flash were giving her the same look. And all the soldiers who knew about Pip and the great friendship he shared with the Princess. Luna blushed. “Ehem, what if I promise to not being easy on you?” “You won’t fulfil that promise.” said Pip. “Yeah, you won’t.” said Black Swordsman. Pip smiled, as he made his case and turned to his commander for the day. “Commander Eclipse, would you make me the honor of being my first opponent for tonight?” “Of course, cadet. You have to have guts for challenging me!” Princess Luna looked sadly how Pip and Total Eclipse walked to one of the arenas, when sompeony dragged a sword right behind her. “Princess, I’ll be your opponent.” said a cold and emotionless voice. Luna turned, only to see one of the new recruits. “Hey, aren’t you one of Pip’s training partners?” “Cold Fusion at your service.” “Nice to meet you cadet Fusion. Let’s fight!” The two of them crossed swords. Luna was incredibly strong and an experimented fighter. With thousands of years of experience, she defeated Cold in less than a minute. As for Pip, he managed to entertain Total Eclips for five minutes. But in the end, the victory was for the veteran. Black Swordsman was looking at them, and made a small nod. “Next!” Another soldier came in, and challenged Cold Fusion, who despite being defeated not so long ago, accepted the challenge. In the meantime, the Black Swordsman himself helped Pip to get back on his hooves. “Thanks captain!” “Go look doe your next opponent.” “But I just lost.” “So? There are three fights per night. Per soldier. Go and choose somepony else, that’s an order.” Pip nodded, when he heard a pair of wings flapping right behind him. He turned to see his training partner Acid Javelin. “Hey Piper, I want to fight you!” Pip grinned. “Let’s do this!” Acid started to shoot at him with her ballista, as Pip began to dodge the constant attacks and block them with his sword. Pip was bulk, but that didn’t mean he was slow. He used his strength on his four hooves to make big strides making difficult for Acid to aim her weapon. The only problem with his technique, he was going to get tired soon. But suddenly, he jumped to get Acid’s backhooves, using his weight to make her fall. She tried to resist, and delivered a couple of punches to Pip’s face with one forehoof (she was holding the ballista with the other). But Pip was strong, and he resisted. He started to climb getting her wings to make her impossible to fly. She fell, over Pip, but he was ready for that. As soon as his back touched the ground, he pinned Acid to the floor and began to smash her head against the ground until she fell unconscious. Black Swordsman chuckled. “He’s becoming an expert in bringing down snippers.” Luna nodded, proud of her little friend. “He did managed to defeat Sinon, right?” “Yes. I expect great things from him.” Assured him. “Now, let’s go to our business.” He attacked the Princess if the Night with one sword in each hoof. Elucidator and Dark Repulser. She tried to block him with her own sword, but as soon as she blocked the Elucidator, Black waved around Dark Repulser cutting her sides. Luna groaned in pain as she started to wave around her own sword trying to block Black’s frantic attacks. His attacks kept Luna busy, making impossible for her to counterattack. After ten minutes, he finally finished the Princess with his signature attack. “STAR BURST STREAM!” And, as always, Luna ended up crashing against the wall. She groaned in pain. “Great job as always. Tomorrow I’ll fight Lightning.” Lightning Flash nodded. “I’m looking forward for it.” When they finished their training, everypony went to the showers and then to the dining room. “Hey Pip, how was your first day?” asked Reality Slash when they returned to their dorm. “It was fun. We picked on some Solars.” Reality Slash laughed happily. “Yeah, my group did that too. I didn’t know how afraid they were of us until today.” Cold Fusion glanced at them from behind his book but didn’t say a word. Author's Note So this is another chapter describing the Guard’s duties. Soon enough there will be more episodes like this but in the meantime, Read ya’ later! Between being a soldier and being a friendBetween being a soldier and being a friend The day’s assignment was easy: patrolling the streets of Canterlot. An assignment shared both by the Solar and the Lunar Guard. It was pretty easy, just walking around the streets and stop burglars, conflicts (if there were any) and mostly, make the citizens aware of their presence. The only problem they had was that they had to walk under the sun wearing heavy armors. Still, something that always amused Pip was the way how the Solars moved away each time they faced a Lunar patrol. And with the pass of time it was inevitable that Pip felt important each time he saw that happening. Not to mention he could make fun of the Princess of the Sun without being punished. His life was incredible. But some Solars were the exception to the rule. One day where Pip’s assignment was to patrol the streets of Canterlot, his group met with a Solar patrol who didn’t move to let the Lunars pass. Of course the Lunars didn’t mind, but suddenly, their officer in command groaned in exasperation. “What is it, commander?” asked one of the soldiers. “The moron of Ragnar.” explained commander Leafa form the Clan of Sylf. “Who is Ragnar?” asked Pip. “Somepony you know?” “Ragnar is an idiot who thinks he is stronger than anypony else because he trained with minotaurs and he can demolish a wall with his bare hooves.” explained Leafa. “And back when the Princess was freed from the moon, she named a few Solars as her provisional guards. And Ragnar had a high rank.” Pip tilted his head in confusion. “But I thought that the provisional guards were transferred to the official Lunar Guard when Black and Lightning took over.” Leafa sighed. “Ragnar refused to obey a couple of ponies who were younger than him. And he challenged them both for the title of captain of the Lunar Guard.” Pip chuckled. “They defeated him, right?” “Of course! It’s my brother and sister-in-law were talking about!” said Leafa. “But unable to accept his defeat, he challenged Princess Luna. He was defeated in seconds. But still, he couldn’t accept defeat and the Princess had no choice but expel him from the Guard.” Pip was so invested in the story that didn’t noticed when the Solars were walking right at their side. Close enough to hear what they were talking. But he returned to reality when the so-called Ragnar aimed his sword to Leafa. “Well, well, well, enjoying talking about me at my back, Leafa from the clan of Sylf?” Pip took a good look of him. He was muscular, like Pip, but he could say that he was also agile and fast. Just like him only that he was on his fifties. “At your back you say? You were right in front of me this whole time. Is not my fault you are so slow walking.” Ragnar pressed the tip of his sword on Leafa’s chest plate, but she didn’t mind. Despite him being taller and buffer than Leafa, who was thin and short. Her specialty was speed and agility. She was in her early thirties but still she was as fast as she was ten years ago if not faster. Also Pip could tell that Leafa was relaxed and in control. And Ragnar’s aura was explosive and violent, but he didn’t have Leafa’s confidence. Then Raganr looked at Pip. “And you, aren’t you a bit too much interested in war stories?” “Pal I was just asking. Don’t involve me into this!” “Too late!” said Ragnar. “Would you like to fight me, kid?” Pip shrugged. “Pass.” “Come on kid, I bet you are dying to see if I’m actually as weak as your commander is making you believe. Maybe…” Leafa pushed Ragnar away. “Ragnar, we’re on duty. If you keep bothering us you’ll give me no choice but throw you into a dungeon.” The Solar lieutenant grinned. “You would love to, right?” Leafa rolled her eyes as she dragged her sword, when a soldier came to stop Ragnar. “Lieutenant, we’re going to be late. Remember that Princess Celestia asked us to escort a few nobles.” Ragnar nodded. “Oh, right.” Then he turned to Pipsqueak. “Saved by the bell kid. Next time let’s fight!” The two units went to different directions when suddenly, Pip stopped. “Hey Ragnar!” The Solar turned to Pip. “What?” “I accept your challenge, let’s fight!” Before he could react, Pip unsheathed his rapier and cut him on the sides. Ragnar groaned in pain, when Pip pulled his mane and smashed his head against the ground for six times until he fell unconscious. Pip realeased Ragnar and went to join his companions. “Good fight, Squeak.” congratulated him Leafa. “But now he’ll obsess with you. He’s not the type of person who would go something like this.” And precisely at that moment, Ragnar went back on his hooves. “Hey, that wasn’t fair! I was not ready!” Pip raised an eyebrow. “What are you talking about? Lunar Guards don’t play fair. We play to win!” Ragnar mumbled something between his teeth as the Lunar Patrol moved away. After finishing their patrolling, the Lunar Guard began their combat training. The interesting thing was that their captains and most of the officers remained undefeated. But for the rest of the guard, their win-loss rank was more or less balanced. If a soldier wanted to get to the higher ranks, they’ll have to work extra hard in order for them to ascend in their rankings. And every day ended with the recruits going to the showers and then to the dining room For tradition, the units that trained together had dinner together. But one day, Pip noticed somepony was missing. “Hey, where’s Quick Storm?” “She went to eat out with her day Unit.” explained Reality Slash. “For real?” asked Pip. “Our shift ends when the training finishes.” explained Acid. “You always have the option to go somewhere else to eat. But here the meal is free.” “Didn’t you pay attention when they told us?” asked Cold. “It was back when they assigned us our rooms.” “Shall I remind you that the captains held me to give me some useless information?” asked Pip. “Why didn’t’ they told me that instead?” Reality Slash shrugged. “Well, now you know. As for me, I like the food here.” “It is cheaper than eating out, and the food is really good.” It was true. The salary of a cadet of Lunar Guard wasn’t too high, barely 500 higher than the minimum wage, but considering they didn’t have to pay for their meals or rent, it was large sum. “So, what are you going to do tomorrow on our free day?” asked Cold. “I’m going to have lunch with the Princess. Then, I have no idea.” said Pip. “Hey, what if we go out to a bar or something?” suggested Acid. “We haven’t hang out since the end of the training.” “Cool!” said Reality Slash. “My family is coming for visit tomorrow, but I am free for the night!” “And I’ll spend my morning at the library and maybe I’ll go to a museum. But I also have the night free.” “Okay, see you guys tomorrow night.” At the next day, Luna and Pip entered in one of the many restaurants in Canterlot. “Hey, I’ve been noticing that eating lunch together on my free day is getting more and more common.” said Pip when they took a sit. Luna smiled. “Yes, but consider that this is the first time we’ve been this close Pipsy. And I like to share this moments with you. Or does it bothers you?” Pip shook his head slowly. “Of course not, I like to hang out with you too, Luna.” “Then, there’s no problem, or is it?” asked Luna. “Now, changing the subject, I heard that you got into some trouble with Ragnar.” Pip laughed. “Yeah, that guy pissed me off, and I couldn’t resist.” “I guess so, he haves an especial talent to irritate people. But do you know he waited for you in the Solar’s training field until it closed? According to him, you two had an appointment.” “I defeated him on the spot!” said Pip. Luna sighed. “He will never accept defeat, Pipsy. Just promise me you’ll stay away from the Solars. For a while.” “Fine. Luckily, we patrol in large groups.” “Yes, stick with your partners. That’s an order!” They brought them their lunch and after a calmed meal, they exited the restaurant happily. No matter how many years passed, they enjoyed their mutual company. “Thanks for the meal, Luna.” “It was my pleasure Pipsy. Also, I have tickets for the theater tonight. It is the long waited premiere of The Lord of Avengers Episode Six: The Chamber of the Shape of Water. I need you to be ready at six.” Pip sighed. “Thanks but no thanks Luna. I have plans with my training partners.” Luna gasped. “What? But I thought you liked to hang out with me.” “Yes Luna, but I made my plans with them first. Sorry, but I cannot cancel just like that. But can always go another day. See you, Luna!” He gave Luna a kiss on the cheek, and left happily. Luna stayed at the entrance of the restaurant, looking him leave. “Why I am so upset?” “Because sompeony just ditched you away?” asked somepony. “I wasn’t talking to you, subject!” said Luna. “If you’re speaking out loud, is not only for you.” As for Pip, he returned to the barracks with the rest of his partners. “Hey Pip!” greeted him Acid Javelin. “How was your date?” Pip giggled. “Pretty nice, actually. She invited me lunch, and also wanted to have a date tonight, but I said her I already had plans.” Quick Storm raised an eyebrow. “For real? Are you dating a noble or something, Pip?” Pip and Acid Javelin had to hold back their laugh as they exchanged a look. “Of course! But I told her that as much as she wanted me at her side, I couldn’t let my unit down.” “Are you sure you did the right thing?” asked Quick. “I mean, she can get mad at you… and hey, weren’t you going to have lunch with the Princess? Don’t tell you that you two had already…” Acid and Pip began to laugh. “Just to clarify, she’s not my marefriend.” Acid Javelin hugged her friend. “Quickie, you’re a scammer’s dream come true!” “Go to Tartarus! Both of you.” complained Quick Storm. Pip shrugged. “Take it easy, we were just joking.” “Whatever!” When Cold Fusion and Reality Slash joined in, the group went to a bar and had fun together. Being with friends was the best. But at certain point, Pipsqueak felt that somepony was watching him. He looked to the sky, but in the end he didn’t say anything. From her observatory, Princess Luna put away her telescope. “Did he just sensed me? Oh, well, I am late for my job in the Dream Realm.” At the next day, Pip woke up with a light headache. Nothing he couldn’t handle with an aspirin. But apparently somepony had entered to the room and left him the best anti-hangover potion from Zecora Pharmaceutics at his night table. “And you say she’s not your marefriend.” mocked Reality Slash. “More like my mom.” sighed Pip. A small groan called the two friends’ attention. Cold Fusion had just woke up, and he seemed to have the mother of all hangovers. “You better have this!” said Pip, giving him the potion. “You need it more than I am.” Cold thanked him with a groan, and drank the potion. “Whoa! This is great! I need to buy more of these. Thank you, Squeak!” Reality scratched his head. “Hey, why do you have a hangover? All you drank was iced tea.” Cold Fusion robbed his forehead. “I never drink alcohol, but I got second-hoof hangover for that kiss Acid Javelin gave me.” Both Pip and Reality had a sweat drop on the temples. “Whaaat?” “I never had a drop of alcohol in my life, and Acid had too much when she kissed me.” The rest of the day was pretty normal. Pip’s assignment was to patrol that connected Luna’s and Celestia’s castle wings. But much to his surprise, he found an old acquaintance. “Well, well, well…” said Ragnar. “Not so, not so, not so.” said Pip. “How are you partner, recovering from your wounds?” Ragnar grinned. “We both know that wasn’t fair. Today we’ll settle this!” “Ragnar!” scolded his officer in command, Claw Shots. “We are on duty. You’ll challenge this Lunar later. Ragnar sent Pip a glance full of hate, but went back to his formation. “I warned you.” said Leafa, who was Pip’s commander again. “I don’t mind. Aren’t we on duty?” “Yeah. All of you, back to the formation!” And once again, when their patrolling shift ended, they headed to the Training Field, where Pip greeted Luna with a small nod, and went to train with the rest of the Guard. The training went normally, when Pip noticed that one of his companions was staring at him. And when Pip looked her back, she turned away. Weird, thought Pipsqueak. Didn’t she kissed Cold? Why is she staring at me? Well, they’ll talk it out at dinner time. However, there was another star that Pip noticed. Princess Luna’s. Unfortunately for her, she was fighting with Lightning Flash at that moment and the captain of the Lunar Guard defeated her faster than usual. “Are you okay Princess? Usually you last longer.” “I’m not in the mood Lightning.” said Luna, angrily. The Lightning Flash did not insisted. Finally, the training was over and the Lunar Guard went to the showers and to have dinner. Usually he Princess of the Night would have returned to her chambers at this point, but this time she found an excuse to stay longer saying she had to check some documents with her captains. Truth be told, she wanted to see what would happen between Pip and Acid. He and his group had taken a seat and were chatting happily, when Pip looked at Acid, who blushed, and hid her face behind her drink. Quick Storm looked at Pip, and then she turned to Acid with a warm smile. “Come on Acid, talk it out now that you have the chance. You’ve been distracted the whole day.” “Yes, we are here for you. That’s what it means to be a team.” added Cold. Acid blushed again. “Come on, what’s going on?” asked Reality Slahs. “You know you can trust us.” Acid sighed. “Nothing, you see, last night I did… I did something… and I wanted to know if Pip remembers…” Pip face-hoofed, as Reality Slash did his best to hold his laughter. As for Cold, he made a small sigh and rubbed his forehead. Acid hid her face behind her hooves. “I’m sorry Pip, but I’ve always thought you were so handsome, and…” From the captain’s table, Princess Luna moved her ears and glanced at the mare from the edge of her eye. And most to her surprise, she began to analyze Acid’s qualities. She was agile, strong, and mostly cute. A good party. Luna felt… strangely worried about her. Would Pip reject her? But then, much to her surprise, Pip giggled. “This isn’t funny Squeak! I am serious!” said Acid. “I know, Acid, I know, but it’s just that this is so funny. How drunk you were last night?” “What do you mean? I still remember that I kissed you and…” “We all make mistakes when we’re drunk, is not her fault. Don’t make fun of her!” said Quick Storm. Pip raised a hoof apologetically. “I know, but, geez! How drunk you were for confusing me for Cold Fusion?” Acid froze for a few seconds. “WHAT?” “Yep! You kissed Cold, not me.” Cold groaned. “And I still have the headache to prove it.” “What does he mean?” asked Quick. “Second-hoof hangover. Don’t ask.” Acid’s face turned redder than ever. “I’m terribly sorry, Cold. Truth is…” The stoic stallion made her a gesture to calm down. “Easy. I’m willing to forget all this if you do the same. Deal?” “Deal!” Luna was still watching them from the captain’s table, but she seemed considerably relieved, Something that didn’t went unnoticed by her two trusty warriors. “So everything is clear, Your Majesty?” asked Black Swordsman. “Oh? Ah, yes, yes my captains. Thank you very much.” “Thank you, Princess.” And the Princess walked away, strangely relieved for reasons she didn’t quite understood yet. “Hey Luna!” called Pip. She turned to him, with a big smile. “Pipsy! I mean… cadet Piper Squeak.” “Don’t worry, my shift is over so you can call me Pip again.” explained the stallion. “I was just wondering if you want to go to the theater one of these nights, since yesterday I wasn’t able to join you.” “I would love to, Pip!” said Luna. “Then it’s a date. See you…” Luna shrugged. “I have free tomorrow night.” “Okay, see you tomorrow night.” Pip said goodbye to his friend, and reunited with his group. “What was that all about?” asked Reality Slash. “Believe it or not, she is quite sensitive, and I wanted to cheer her up. After all, she’s my best friend.” explained Pip. “What do you expected?” Author's Note Another chapter, where Luna starts to show her interest towards Pipsqueak. Now let’s see how things go for this pair. Anyway, for those who now the main story of Chaos: the Age of Spike, you know how it’s going to end. Read ya’ later! Complications between a soldier and his PrincessComplications between a soldier and his Princess Pipsqueak and Princess Luna slowly walked out of Canterlot Great Theater, both so ashamed that they couldn’t see each other. Everything started off well, with the two friends going to see the new play that Blue Blood’s students presented. And everything went fine with the two of them having almost the entire theater for themselves, except for two couples on opposite sides. Luna and Pip preferred to sit at the center. The play was decent. It got them a couple of chuckles here and there, the action thrilled them, and the romance was interesting enough to keep them invested. But then, halfway through the play, they started to feel somehow out of place. They turned to the couples, but they have left. At least, it was what Pip thought. Luna, on the other hoof, had night-vision. And she found them right away, in the middle of an act of passion and love. The Princess froze because of the shock. And seeing how she reacted, Pip located the couples too, and gasped. “Luna, I swear I didn’t know! I’ve never had come to this theater at this time!” apologized the young stallion. Luna nodded. “I know, Pip, now, let’s get out of here!” They both exited the theater. It may be rude for the actors, but circumstances didn’t give them any choice. Pip just wished for the earth to swallow him. He invited Pip for having a good time as friends, but instead, they ended up in an awkward situation. They walked in silence for a few blocks until Pip looked back at the whole incident, and chuckled. Luna soon joined him, and before they realized they were rolling on the street, laughing. “It… was different.” said Pip, when they finished. “I’m sorry Luna. I just wanted to compensate you for ditching you last night.” Luna shook her head slowly. “Oh Pip, you don’t have to compensate me for anything. In fact, I owe you an apology for that.” “What?” asked Pip, as Luna gently stroked his mane with her hoof. “Yes Pip, I got jealous and with no reason at all. Is just that I must understand that you are an adult with your own life now, and that you have more friends other than me. I am sorry Pip.” The young stallion nodded. “I just… don’t know what to say.” “Is not necessary, Pipsy. Now, what about we get something to eat?” Pip checked on his wallet. “I think I have enough for two hayburgers with fries. You don’t have an issue with fast food, right?” Luna giggled. “Oh Pip! Don’t worry, the dinner is on me. Is the least thing I can do after you invited me to theater.” “And that didn’t go as we planned.” sighed Pipsqueak. “But don’t worry about that Luna. After all, you always invite me.” “But I do it gladly Pip. You are my very best friend, remember?” “You can’t do this forever, I’m not a kid anymore, alright?” smiled Pip. “But if you want, we can leave it here. Good night, and see you tomorrow at the training, my Princess!” He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, and waved a hoof. “Despite all the troubles, I had a great time. See you, Luna!” “Aren’t you going back to the castle, Pip?” “No, I do want a hayburger. Have a nice night!” And he walked away, humming the play’s main theme. The Princess watched him going, feeling upset out of sudden. Not because Pip refused her to buy him dinner, of course not. Luna considered that something good, her little friend was growing up. No, she felt uncomfortable for something she hadn’t identify yet. She was on a very bad mood all the way back to the castle, still trying to figure out what angered her. Then she got into the Dream Realm, hoping that doing her job would help her to forget what happened, or at least to figure out the reason behind her anger. It was a slow night. There were just a few dreams that required Luna’s intervention. In most cases she just had to create an element to help the pony to subconsciously regain control over his/her emotions. A subtle help. And, since she finished early, she decided to enter a dream where she wasn’t needed. Pipsqueak’s. It wasn’t a good or a bad dream, but the kind of dream that recapitulated the day’s events, slightly altering the details. Luna closed her eyes, allowing for Pip’s emotions to flow through her, allowing her to look inside him from a new perspective. She was looking for a specific episode. “Where are you?” Using her powers, Luna persuaded Pip’s subconscious to repeat the events of the theater. She had the feeling that the reason behind her anger was there. She revived the scene, having complete access to Pip’s emotions. She could feel his shame for bringing his friend to that theater specifically. She could feel the disappointment for not being able to compensate his best friend for ditching her. She could feel the guilt for disappointing her. She could feel everything, except for the feeling Luna found herself hoping for. Desire. Despite what happened, despite that they were really close, Pip did not wanted her. For him, she was just his best friend. Pip did not see her as a mare, only as his friend, and his boss. And that was what made her upset on the first place. When she realized of her own feelings, Luna rushed out of the Dream Realm, materializing back into her room. Agitated, she took a cold shower, and joined her sister for breakfast. But before that she checked on her assigned bodyguards. Pip wasn’t there, fortunately. She could not face him. Not now that she just realized her feelings. “Luna, good morning!” greeted Celestia. Luna looked at her sister and made a small nod. “Morning Tia. What do we have for breakfast?” Celestia offered her a plate with a mushrooms and cheese omelet. Luna thanked and began to eat as quickly as she could. But also trying to apparent normality. “Luna, are you alright?” asked Celestia, seeing her sister so agitated. “Did something happened to you at the Dream Realm?” The Princess of the Night gasped, almost chocking with a piece of mushroom halfway her throat. Celestia hurried to pat Luna’s back with her wing, and when the dark blue alicorn recovered, she just sighed. “Sorry Tia, I always had trouble hiding my emotions.” “Easy Luna, easy.” comforted her Celestia. “Now, can you tell me what happened?” Luna sighed. “Sorry Tia. Is just that… I abused of my powers.” “What?” Luna lowered her head. “Yes, I entered to a dream where I was not needed, and all because I wanted to know what he thought about me.” Celestia shook her head in surprise, until she smirked. “You did? Luna, don’t tell me you are in…” The Princess of the Night finished the rest of her omelet and left the dining room. “Forget it, Tia. Have a good day.” Celestia giggled. “Aw, isn’t that sweet? My sister’s first love!” “SHUT THE BUCK UP!” shouted Luna from behind the door. When Celestia was sure that Luna was gone, she smirked. “Let’s see, shall I help my sister, or let things happen…” she laughed. “Help Luna, of course!” And the first thing to do was doing some research. She went to the barracks of her own Guard, and called her captain. “Master Sword!” The Bearer of the Legendary Weapon that Sealed Evil appeared, saluting his Princess. “Your Highness! What can I do for you?” “Master Sword, I need you to call who was in charge of guarding the main door last night.” The captain nodded, and turned to his troops. “Boss Key! Biggoron Sword!” Two unicorns appeared, bowing to Celestia. “Did you called us, Princess?” Celestia nodded. “Warriors, I understand that you’ve guarded the castle’s entrance last night. Have you seen my sister doing something unusual?” The Solar Guards exchanged a worried look. “Is she conspiring against you again, Your Highness?” asked Master Sword. “You do not pretend us to fight the monsters she have for Royal Guard, right?” asked Biggoron Sword nervously. Celestia calmed them both. “Of course not! I just want to help her. She is too stubborn for her own good, and she may need a push from time to time. That’s why I need to know if she did anything especial last night.” “Okay, I can’t think of anything.” Said Biggoron. “Well, she did went out with one of her Guards but that’s not especial at all.” “Yeah, she hangs out with that rookie all the time.” Celestia smiled triumphal. “Is that so? Who was he?” “I do not know his name, I just know he is an earth pony…” Master Sword intervened. “You know him, Princess. Is that kid who used to visit the Castle all the time to hang out with Princess Luna. He is a whole stallion now, but they still hang out together a lot.” “And since he joined the Guard, they hang out at least once a week.” added Boss Key. “Almost every Saturday.” Celestia raised an eyebrow, and smirked again. “Good to now. You are dismissed.” The three guards bowed to their Princess, and went back to their duties, as Celestia walked through the hallways thoughtful. “Pipsqueak, huh? You like them young, sist.” Now, first thing she needed to do was to locate Pipsqueak. It wouldn’t be easy though. To locate a specific soldier was like looking for a needle in a haystack full of needles. And she couldn’t ask the Lunar Captains, since they won’t cooperate. The only thing she could do was to go to the common areas that were patrolled by both guards and hope to find Pip there since she wasn’t allowed at Luna’s castle wing. He wasn’t there, of course. And she was late for her Royal Duties. Well, being her sister’s cupid had to wait. Once Celestia finished, she decided to walk to her favorite café in Canterlot to have a cup of tea before resuming her duties. As usual, she spotted a few patrols both from Lunar and Solar Guards. It was easy to identify the Lunars because of their black armors, and because they used to ignore Celestia, or tell a joke about her loud enough for the Princess to hear it. “Hey guys, do you know that Celestia…” When it happened, Celestia used to walk faster, as she frowned. Damn Lunars, they were such an annoyance. But one of them stopped to say hi to her. Not as formal as she was used to, but he was still nice. “Hey Princess!” Celestia froze. “Pipsqueak.” Pip smiled kindly to her. “Princess, as I tell your sister, while I’m wearing this uniform I am cadet Piper Squeak.” His unit commander, Dark Side (of the Moon), scolded him. “Hey Squeak! What do you think you’re doing greeting that dumbass? Come on, we have to patrol!” Celestia grinded her teeth. “Do you actually train for combat, or just to be hateful? And what’s wrong with being nice to me, huh?” Dark Side snarled. “Ha! You are no one to talk Princess. If it was for you, I would be in jail right now. Thank Boss Princess Luna offered me a place in her Royal Guard.” Celestia sighed, yes, she got it. Luna decided to give a second chance to former bounty hunters, mafia executioners and thugs, and that’s why she was respected by her Guard. Because she believed in them. “I am not in the mood to discuss with you, Lunar Soldier. I just want to ask Cadet Squeak a personal question. Do you mind? You are the one delaying your patrol.” Dark Side (of the Moon) frowned, and shrugged. “Whatever. Be quick. Squeak, you know the patrolling area, right?” “Sir yes sir!” When Dark Side and the rest of the soldiers walked away, Pip turned to Celestia, confused. “So, you want to ask me something?” “Yes Pip, I understand that you spent some personal time with my sister last night.” Pip giggled. “Yes, I owed her for ditching her last time. She seemed really upset, so I invited her to theater. I didn’t go as we planned, but in the end we had a good time. Why? Did she said something?” Celestia sighed. “Is not what she said but what didn’t what worries me. Did something happened between the two of you? Because she was really upset this morning.” Pip’s expression changed as his face turned red. “Oh no! She’s furious, right? Yeah, and I was dumb enough to believe everything was fine between us. Of all places, I had to take her to the theater. The theater! Dang it… she may got the wrong idea about my intentions, right?” Celestia tried to calm him down. “Is not what you think my friend. Is just that…” Pip shook his head, joining his companions. “You don’t need to say more, I get it. She was just being nice when we laughed. Thank you for telling me, Princess.” And he walked away. “No, Pip, wait!” called the white alicorn. “I may help you…” “Thanks but no thanks. I don’t want to piss her more than she already is. Good day Princess.” Celestia watched Pip walking away. “Okay, now I really want to know what the hay happened between those two.” Back with Pip, his companions looked at him worriedly. “Hey dude, what’s up? You seemed so happy a few minutes ago.” Pip sighed. “I made a huge mistake, and now the Princess is angry with me.” Dark Side rolled his eyes. “Listen to me kiddo, you are a Lunar now. We don’t bucking care what the white dumbass thinks. Okay? Don’t let her trouble you…” “No, dude, you don’t understand. The one I pissed was Princess Luna. Princess Celestia only came to ask me what happened.” The others exchanged a look. “So, what did you do?” “Something really stupid. I don’t really want to talk about it…” mumbled Pip. They looked at his expression, and nodded in silence. Whatever that happened between the two of them seemed serious. By her way, Luna had some trouble sleeping, so she started to do some paperwork. It helped her to clear her mind. She understood that she had to talk to Pip as soon as she see him, and apologizing for invading his dreams without his permission. And maybe the conversation would lead her to confess her feelings… but she had to apologize first. “I owe him that much.” But when she arrived to the Training Field, and approached to talk to her friend, he looked away, and hurried to challenge the nearest soldier. She tried two more times, with the same result. Pip immediately challenged another pony to a fight. He was avoiding her. Luna looked down, hurt. He didn’t want to talk to her. He knew, he knew what she did and now he was avoiding her. At the next day, when she joined Celestia for breakfast, the white alicorn noticed something was wrong. “Luna, what happened to you?” “He know what I did. I don’t know how he figured it. I tried to apologize, to confess what I did to him… but then he started avoiding me. Do you realize, Tia? He know what I did to him, and now he can’t see me to the eye. Sorry, I’m not hugry.” With that Luna hurried back to her room. Celestia face-hoofed. “Okay, this is my fault.” There was no time to lose, this time she would call the expert. With her magic, Celestia wrote an urgent letter to the Crystal Empire. If somepony could help Luna it was her. Their niece. Author's Note Sorry for the delay, this is the next part of the story. This time, focusing on the romance. I hope you liked it and, Read ya’ later!! Some help from the expertSome help from the expert Luna was depressed. Of course she did her best to pretend nothing was wrong, and attended all her Royal Duties with a smile. But in the inside, she was hurt and knew it was all her fault. Her best friend in the whole world, Pip, have turned evasive and didn’t looked at her in the eye. He seemed to be afraid of her. “I can’t blame him, considering I abused of his trust.” As for Pip, his companions noticed him more quiet than usual. He seemed less cheerful, more serious and worried. He trained hard, and did his best to not to get distracted on duty, as he feared to get fired any time soon. “Dude, seriously, you’re worrying us!” said Reality Slash. “You’ve been like this for a week now.” Pip sighed. “Yes, I know. But that’s what happens when you screw up as badly as I did” He groaned. “I mean, everything seemed fine. She even forgave me, or that’s what she told me. But no, she is pissed.” Pip sighed. “Strange.” said Cold Fusion, looking away from his book. “According to your story, everything went fine despite the incident. And why did she told you she forgave you when she actually didn’t? It doesn’t make sense.” “I haven’t asked. I don’t have the nerve to do it.” “Strange, aren’t you two the best friends?” asked Cold Fusion. “I thought so, but she’s avoiding me.” He made a deep sight. “Now I can only hope that she doesn’t fire me.” The others couldn’t deny it. Just like Pip, they’ve been noticing that the Princess started to act weir around their friend. The two of them had been avoiding each other since the incident. “Hey guys, are we going to work or what?” asked Pip impatiently. The others nodded silently, as they followed their companion. But they were still worried about him. In the meantime, Princess Celestia was waiting for her sister in the balcony to have breakfast together, as usual. But today, she was not alone. And Luna did not disappointed. She showed up at the usual time, half asleep. “Morning Tia. Oh! Cadence, what a nice surprise!” The Princess of Love smiled at her aunt as she bowed. “Auntie Luna, it’s always a pleasure. How are things going? Good, I hope.” “Yes, thanks Boss.” said Luna. “What brings you to Canterlot, dear niece? Official or personal business?” Cadence exchanged a complicity look with Princess Celestia, and winked an eye to her. “A little bit of both.” Luna yawned. “I see. Well, forgive my lack of enthusiasm, but I worked all night.” “Of course, don’t worry auntie. We can talk after you rest.” Luna yawned again, and began to eat in silence. Celestia looked at her worriedly. After the incident with Pip, her night-patrolling shifts got longer, and more exhausting, as Luna was trying to overwork herself as a punishment for abusing of her powers. “By the way, where’s Shining Armor?” asked Luna. “At the Empire. We cannot leave the Empire without its two Monarchs at the same time.” explained Cadence. Luna nodded, and retired after a quick breakfast. Cadence and Celestia continued eating in silence, until they heard the sigh of relief coming from the Solar troops, both the Princesses and her soldiers were finally away. “So, who is the lucky stallion?” asked Cadence. “His name is Piper Squeak.” said Celestia. “You’ve met him. It was that kid who Luna used to hang out with. Now he have turned into a whole stallion, and a very handsome one if you ask me. Maybe a bit too short for my test, but whatever…” “Auntie, you are far taller than every one of us.” giggled Cadence. “But, I think I know. You mean that colt with white fur with brown spots… okay, interesting. I would’ve never guessed it would have end like this.” “Neither did I.” said Celestia. “Now, are you ready to help Luna?” Cadence grinned. “Of course, that’s my job! And auntie Luna deserve to be happy.” The two of them started working. First thing they had to do was to locate Pip. “Alright auntie, where can I find Pip?” Celestia frowned. “Well, it’s hard to tell. He is with a soldier of the Lunar Guard now and he could be everywhere.” Cadence nodded, very confident of her abilities. As Princess of Love, Cadence had an amble number of tricks under her wing. Tricks that she invented on her teenage years, helping other couples to form. Most of the time she did it only because a mare was looking at Shining Armor, but that’s another story. The important thing was that she had more than enough tools to take care of the current situation. “Princess of Love’s secret technique number 32. Perception blocking!” (Invisibility spell). And she infiltrated at Princess Luna’s personal wing, taking care to not to touch anypony to avoid suspicion. If the Guards found her there, there could be a problem considering they were allowed not only to insult, but also attack other Princesses in case they needed. But Cadence had to keep going. There was only one place she could find information about Pipsqueak, and that was Black and Lightning’s office. She began to look for him in the Guards’ records, when the Princess felt how a silent alarm activated, cancelling her invisibility spell. And, to make things worse, teleportation was also blocked. But Cadence still had her magic so she could defend herself, but now everypony around knew she was in Luna’s private castle wing without permission. “Buck…” said Cadence. The window opened, letting pass the Black Swordsman, unsheathing his trusty Elucidator. The agile pegasus made an elegant flip on the air, to finally land putting his sword’s tip on Cadence’s neck. Then, Lightning Flash teleported in, unsheathing her Lamben t Light. “Princess Cadence, what brings you here?” asked Black Swordsman. “What kind of business would you have here at our office?” Cadence slowly nodded. “I’ll tell you gladly, as soon as you lower your weapons.” “We will, when you tell us what you’re doing here.” said Black Swordsman. “All our documents in here contain private information about the Lunar Guard, and only us and Princess Luna can read them.” “Lower your weapons, please.” Cadence asked, nicely. Black Swordsman looked at his wife. “Have Chrysalis infiltrated again?” “No, the trap would tell us.” Cadence smiled, trying to relax the tension. “A truly impressive trap. Is it from Aincread?” “Yes. Now, what are you doing here?” The two wouldn’t lower their weapons that was perfectly clear. So Cadence gave up. “I know this is weird, but I am looking for information about one of your soldiers. There’s a love emergency and…” Black and Lightning sighed, and finally lowered their weapons. “Let me guess. Piper Squeak:” said Black. Cadence smiled shyly. “Is that obvious?” “From miles away.” said Lightning, chuckling. “Princess Celestia have decided to help her sister, that’s sweet.” added Black. Cadence nodded. “Yes she did, and the first thing we need to do to help Princess Luna is to brake this awkward silence between her and her stallion. I have an idea to do so, but in order to do it, I need to know where to find him.” “Tomorrow we’ll make him patrol the hallways that connect this wing with Celestia’s.” said Black, willing to help. “Thank you Black Swordsman, Lightning Flash.” said Cadence bowing before the warriors. Then she turned invisible again, and left the office. “This is not going to end well, right?” asked Lightning with a smile. “I can’t really tell.” Said Black. “I just hope that things go fine for the boss and cadet Squeak. They are adorable together.” At the next day, Pip went to join the group that would patrol the hallways. Under command of Leafa from the clan of Sylf, Black Swordsman’s younger sister. Pip greeted his companions, and began to walk, completely focused on his work. Half because he was worried to be fired, half because he needed something to distract him from his own thoughts. Unfortunately, patrolling didn’t distracted him as much as he wanted. Leafa in the meantime was watching the cadet’s reactions carefully. She had been given specific instructions by her brother and sister-in-law and she accepted immediately. The group passed in front of one of the empty rooms that the Princess used to storage books and other stuff. They heard the sound of a bookshelf falling, making the patrol to stop. “Now what?” asked a soldier, Silver Star. “Maybe a servant having a bad day.” said Leafa. “But, I think we must check. Cadet Squeak, do you mind?” Pip smiled, happy to help and got into the room. As he thought, it was a fallen shelf, but there wasn’t any servant. “Hello? Don’t worry, I’m not going to scold you or anything, I just wanted to know you were okay… hello?” Then the door slammed, trapping Pip inside. The colt sighed, still thinking it was a servant who didn’t want to be scolded. “I told you I wouldn’t, geez!” He approached to the door, but it was locked. “Great.” He began to struggle against the handle, but nothing happened. He was trapped. In the meantime, once she fulfilled her role, Leafa indicated the rest of her group to keep going. “Don’t worry about him. These are especial instructions from my brother, keep going.” Pip decided to kick the door opened, and only then he found it was sealed magically. “Come on, if the boss find out I got late because of a prank, she’ll fire me for sure!” He tried to force it open with his sword, but nothing. “Hey Spike! God of Chaos, this isn’t funny. Come on!” Princess Luna and Princess Cadence were walking around the castle’s hallways, as they joked and chatted happily. “Hey, auntie, now that I remember, don’t you have an old cooking book in this room?” Luna raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, why?” “You see, now that I am a mother, I want to try make something especial for my baby. I want to see my little Flurry Heart eating something I made.” “I see, I guess your daughter will appreciate the effort.” “Thanks, but before I try to give her something, I want to do some experiments in private.” Luna smiled at her niece. “Everything for our children, right? Let me get that book for you.” As planned, Princess Luna got into the empty room, and before she noticed the fallen bookshelf, Cadence’s magic pushed her inside and slammed the door. From a corner Pip ran to stop the door but it was already too late. “This is just great…” said Pip. “I’ve been here for an hour now! Come on!” “Pipsy?” asked Princess Luna. He looked at her. “Hey Luna, did you got trapped because of this stupid prank too?” “Prank?” “What else it could be?” asked Pip. “Also, what’s the big idea with locking us in here?” Luna shook her head. “Since I got free, I’ve learned to deal with a lot of things, but modern sense of humor is not one of them. I cannot believe my niece have what ponies call ‘a funny bone’.” “Princess Cadence?” asked Pip. “I thought it was Spike’s doing.” “No, no. Our little Lord of Chaos haves a very specific magic signature. I can recognize it from miles away.” Pip sighed. “Whatever. Hey, this is the first time we’ve talked in a while.” Luna blinked. “You’re right Pip! I haven’t noticed… but only because talking to you feels always so natural…” “I understand.” said Pip. “I’m glad you’re not mad with me anymore.” “Me too.” It was when they both realized. “Hey, mad with you?” they asked in the unison. They looked at each other, clearly surprised. “Pipsy, why would I be mad with you?” “After that adventure at the theater, why wouldn’t?” Luna rolled her eyes. “Pip, I told you already that I wasn’t mad, didn’t we laughed at the incident immediately after? It’s in the past.” Pipsqueak nodded. “I thought so, but at the next day Princess Celestia shows up saying you were mad because of something, and that something had to do with me. I don’t need to be a genius to guess what was going on.” Luna face-hoofed. “Dang it, Tia! That’s why I never tell you anything. No Pip, I wasn’t mad with you. I was mad with myself for what I did to you. I thought you knew and got mad because of it.” Pip tilted his head. “I’m clearly missing something here. What did you do to me?” Luna looked away. “Nothing Pip…” He looked at his friend to the eye. “Tell me, please, Luna.” Luna lowered her gaze, she knew Pip deserved to know. “I got inside your dreams, Pip. I was still mad for what happened at the theater, but not for what you think, no, I didn’t know why I was mad then, so I looked into your dreams looking for an answer.” Pip seemed confuse. “Okay, what did my dreams had to do with you existential crisis?” “What I mean is that I betrayed your trust, Pip. I thought you felt my presence in my dreams, and got mad with me for betraying you…” Pip was more confused than ever. “Okay, I still don’t get why you thought that looking into my dreams was a good idea… what does it had to do with any of this?” “Like I said, I had no idea what I was doing back then. I only knew that the answer I was looking for was inside your dream.” Pip nodded. “That I can understand, and, what was your answer?” Luna felt guiltier. Pip’s concern about her was genuine, and he was not a bit mad her getting into his head. As much as he grew up in the outside, in the inside was still the same cute little colt. “Is hard to explain, Pip. When I looked at your dreams I realized that I was mad because of all the emotions you felt back then, I didn’t find any… desire. I realized that you don’t want me the way I want you.” Pip gulped, and began to move backwards. “Luna, don’t tell me you…” “Pip, since you started to live under the same roof as me, I’ve started to feel… odd. I’ve started to look at you with another eyes. At first I thought I was just being protective, and I was, but there was something else. You were just following your dreams of joining my Royal Guard, not because of me… but because that was what you wanted since you were a child. I couldn’t help but admire the feeling and the determination you showed. That shows that the kid you were, my little friend, have turned into a righteous and good stallion. You’ve became such a great pony, because the things you’ve changed, and the things that you haven’t.” Pip nodded, more nervous than before. “So, you mean you still look at me as a child who follows his dream, okay, I like it. Now…” Before Pip could realize, Luna approached. “At the same time you’ve grown up to become such an handsome pony. So big and strong. I’ve seen lots of your female companions looking at you, and I couldn’t help but get annoyed by them. Truth be told Pip, I’ve fallen in love with you.” And she embraced Pip with her wings as she kissed him passionately. Right at that moment, the door opened, letting pass Princess Cadence. “Auntie Luna! Congratulations!” Pip gulped and smiled to Princess Cadence. “Excellent plan, my Princess! It was to die for… now, if you excuse me, I have to join my squad!” And then, he ran as fast as he could. “Pipsqueak…” said Luna, hurt. Cadence winked an eye to her. “Don’t worry, auntie. I don’t feel any rejection coming from him, is just that he needs some time to process what just happened. Give him some time,” “Thank you…” Then, she realized. “Hey, who asked you to intervene?” Cadence chuckled “Obviously, auntie Celestia.” Luna groaned. “Of course! If the moron dares to ask me to stop my Royal Guard from mocking her I’ll tell her that…!” “Easy auntie, it was just a misunderstanding between the two of you, and she was worried about you. You know I came to help, if you let me, of course…” Luna ended up smiling. “Okay, thank you Cadence.” “Now, for the next step I need something from you…” Luna looked at her niece intrigued. Now what? At the next day, Pipsqueak woke up startled, still shocked for what happened. He didn’t know how to react to what just happened. “Dude, are you okay?” asked Reality Slash. Cold Fusion nodded, worried as well. “Yes, yesterday you seemed off. Did something happened?” “Sorry guys, but I don’t think I can tell you yet. I still don’t get what happened.” “Come on Pip, you can tell us!” said Reality. “Shut up!” scolded Cold Fusion. “He’ll tell us when he feels like it.” Pip gave him a grateful smile. “Thanks Cold. Even if you don’t want to admit it, you’re a good friend.” Cold Fusion made a small nod, and exited the room, and Pipsqueak and Reality Slash followed him soon enough. After having their breakfast together, they went to the main board to see their assignment for the day. Pip was about to join the garden patrol, when the Black Swordsman himself interrupted him. “Cadet Squeak, I was looking for you.” Pip saluted his captain. “My captain, what can I do for you?” “Princess Cadence have solicited an escort for today, and Princess Luna was kind enough to offer the services of her trusty guard. I think the garden patrol won’t miss you for the day. Are you okay with this?” Pip saluted again. “Sir, yes sir my captain, sir!” “Thank you soldier, follow me then.” Pip began to follow, when he reacted. Princess Cadence, what the hay? He frowned, he had a bad feeling of what was about to happen. Cadence received him with joy. “Soldier, I was waiting for you. Sorry I interrupted your normal duties, but if you want high quality protection, you better call the Lunar Guard.” “I’ll do what I can, your Majesty.” said Pip, bowing. Cadence smiled at him. “I know I am in good hooves, considering you always beat up my husband at the Military Games.” “Your husband is strong, only not as strong as our captains.” said Pip. “But I just joined the Guard, I’m still far from their level. Or your husband’s.” “I see you’re humble too. I like you, cadet Squeak. Now, we have a long day ahead us. I hope you don’t mind carry my shopping bags.” Pip sighed. “I would feel like a Solar Guard, but whatever. Let’s go then.” He was surprised by the Princess’ simple request, but he couldn’t lower his guard. Not yet. After a day full of shopping and such, the two returned to the castle, where they left Cadence’s bags at her room. Pip sighed, and saluted the Princess. “Fine then Princess. I’ve escorted you on your walk through the city. Now, if you excuse me, I have to join my companions.” Cadence stopped him. “No, no, Cadet Squeak. As much as I admire your sense of duty, I especifically ask for your services the whole day. Those are my aunt’s orders.” Pip nodded. “Alright then. What do you want me to do? Should I guard your door?” “Oh no, Pipsqueak. It’s a beautiful afternoon. I feel like having a walk in the gardens. Join me, please.” Pip shrugged, and followed Cadence. What a day… The castle’s gardens were beautiful, and actually pretty big. So bit that there were several patrols, both Lunar and Solar, in the area. It was Pip’s favorite place in the castle. He was there, trying to focus on his duty, when Cadence suddenly stopped. It was a hidden spot, surrounded by two lemon and two orange tress. She turned to Pipsqueak, and offered him a smile. “Now, Pip, it’s time for you to tell me what you think of my aunt, Princess Luna.” Pip groaned, this was the moment he feared since his day started. “Your Majesty, with all respect, I do not speak of my personal life on duty.” “Is that so, Cadet Squeak?” asked Cadence calmly. “Because we both know that’s the reason I asked specifically for your presence today. Come on, talk to me. Auntie Luna is hurt after you left without saying a word to her.” Pip only sighed. “Okay, sorry I did that. But how was I supposed to react?” “I don’t know. Maybe happy. A beautiful have just offered you her heart. That’s more than enough reason to celebrate and be happy. Why don’t you tell me what’s in your heart, young Piper Squeak?” “Because is none of your business.” answered Pip. “My dear colt, love is my business. Come on, you and Auntie Luna feel comfortable around each other, you can be yourselves when you’re together, enjoying of each other’s company. Then, why did you ran away when she confessed her love?” “I’ve known Luna since I was little, and we got along fine. She invited me to sleepovers countless times, and babysat me every time my parents had to go away for work. She saw me growing up, like my second mom.” He blushed, as Cadence nodded. “I guess I get it, you don’t feel quite comfortable with the situation since you see Luna as a maternal figure instead of a mare.” Pipsqueak shrugged. “Is not that simple. Truth be told, there was one time I looked at her like that. I was thirteen, and I had a crush on her. I was stupid enough to confess my feelings to her, but she said she didn’t love me that way. That I was like a son to her, and after the tantrum, I ended up accepting it.” “Did it bothered you?” asked Cadence. “Of course, as any other teenager who was dumped. We were friends and that’s all what we would ever be.” “If it was so clear, what did you joined the Lunar Guard?” asked Cadence. Pip rolled his eyes. “Again? I joined the Lunar Guard because that’s what I wanted to do since I was little. Wanting to be a soldier have nothing to do with what I felt for Princess Luna.” “But Auntie Luna was your first love, right?” “Yes, she was!” said Pipsqueak. “I got rejected, it hurt when it happened, and I decided not to look at her that way again. Is that what you wanted to hear?” “But do you still love her? Because love is not a feeling you can just decide you don’t want to feel anymore.” “Yes, I do. But I can’t take another rejection form her. That’s why I’m happy just being her friend. If I start looking at her that way again, I’m afraid I’ll have to stay away for my own sanity. But friendships last forever, as her friend, I can be at her side and I know we won’t hurt each other that way.” He bucked a tree. “And then she goes and give me hope again. What’s going on? Since when our roles reversed?” “But young Piper Squeak…” Pip turned his back on Cadence. “Your Highness, I’m done with you. You can come out now Luna.” The Princess of the Night turned visible. “Was it that obvious?” “That’s why I said everything.” said Pip. “I guess you wanted to know what I think about you. There it is. Sorry I ran away, but it was a lot to process.” Luna nodded. “Sorry I asked her help, Pip, but I was nervous for your reaction. Cadence calmed me, but I was still so nervous. I’m sure you understand how hard it is for a pony to confess her feelings.” “You tell me!” said Pip. “Back when I was thirteen, I took two whole months to get the nerve to confess to you.” “You’re still mad about that.” said Luna, looking away. “No, I am mad because all the trickery. The prank of the library and now this, forcing me to stay with Princess Cadence the whole day. And then there’s the fact that after I got used to the idea that my feelings would never be mutual, everything changes. Luna, what changed between us?” Luna embraced Pip with her wings. “You did. I told you yesterday, I watched you growing up, and turning from colt to stallion. A very handsome one.” Pip blushed. “That’s why I don’t get it. You watched me growing up, since when you stopped looking at me as a child?” “Pip, remember when I rejected you?” Pipsqueak frowned, yes, the memory still hurt. “Pip, you’re cute, but you are still a child. But if you took that beautiful heart, and put it in the body of a handsome stallion, I would accept the feelings without a second thought. I am sorry Pip, but you are still a child. Still you are and always will be my especial friend. No matter what.” Luna smiled. “I sealed my own destiny when I said those words. Without noticing, you did exactly as I said, you put that beautiful heart inside a handsome stallion’s body. I can’t help but feel nervous around you.” Pip took a deep breath, and smiled. “If you’ve told to my past self that I would become your coltfriend when I grow up, I wouldn’t believed it. I guess you can never guess the turns of life.” Luna smiled full of joy. “Is that a yes?” “Honestly, I have no idea what to do now, but yes. I’ll go out with you… as your coltfriend.” Luna cried in happiness and embraced Pip with her wings, then she tried to kiss him but he moved backwards. “Pip?” asked Luna. “I am sorry, but this still feels weird. Give me some time, alright?” Luna giggled. “Fine, I’ll be looking forward for our first kiss, Pipsqueak. Thank you.” They embraced each other, for a while. “Hey, where’s Princess Cadence?” “She left us. I guess she wanted to give us some space.” Pip nodded. “Now I have no idea what to do.” “Neither do I, Pip. We’ll find it out together.” When Pipsqueak returned to the barracks, he was wearing a wide smile. “Now what?” Asked Reality Slash. “Your face is red.” Pip jumped to his bed. “I have no idea what just happened, but it seems that now I have a marefriend.” Author's Note A strange chapter to write, but fun in the end. Luna took the initiative, but I think is a good development. Still, remember this is a side-story from ‘Chaos, the Age of Spike’ and this story is only to fill one of the plot-holes created by the elven-year jump in time. Read ya’ later!! How to be a coupleHow to be a couple Pip’s heart was bouncing out of happiness. He still didn’t get how it happened, and he still thought the situation was kind of weird. But he couldn’t complain on the result. His inner child was cheering out of pure happiness. He was so excited and full of joy that he barely could sleep that night. But he did his best since he had to wake up early with his companions. “Morning guys…” said Pip, yawning at the next morning. The others mumbled their own half-asleep greetings as well, and together they went to the communal showers and then to have breakfast. The same old routine, but that day something changed. “Pipsy!” called a cheery voice behind the trio of soldiers. Pip turned, only to see a very happy Princess Luna, who ran to embrace him with her wings, much to everypony’s amusement. Not surprise. The Princess kissed him on the cheek, and then nuzzled him. Pip could barely breath under the surprise attack, but he was happy for it. “Good morning Princess Luna. What can I do for you?” “Come on Pip, don’t be so formal. I’m here to say hi to my coltfriend and taking him to have breakfast with me. Our first date as a couple, how does it sound?” Pip’s face turned red as the other Lunar Guards chuckled, and talked among themselves. Luna’s ears twitched, ready to react at the very first negative comment. But, instead, she heard some giggles and a lot of ponies counting money from the bets they made on them. “So what do you say Pipsy? I can hardly wait.” Pipsqueak raised a hoof. “Your Majesty, with all respect, I can’t.” “What? Why are you so formal, and, more important, why can’t you come with me?” “Because I am on duty, my Princess.” Said Pip. “When my shift ends, I’ll gladly join you as your… ehem, coltfriend. Dude, it feels so weird. Anyway, right here right now, I am cadet Squeak, a soldier at your service.” He walked away from Luna, shaking his head. This was what he needed to finally awake completely. “I must admit his work ethics are pretty high!” smiled Lightning Flash, walking to the Princess. “That would open a lot of doors here at the Lunar Guard.” “Yes but I’ll be anxious the whole day!” complained the Princess. “Was it this way when you met Black Swordsman?” “Each couple is different, Your Majesty.” said Lightning. “But yeah, when I realized my feelings, I couldn’t help but thinking about him the whole day. Luckily we could spend some time together after certain incident, but anyway, things like this happen all the time.” “I guess so. Well, I suppose I’ll see Pip at the end of his shift.” “Thank you Princess, now if you excuse us, we have assignments to attend.” Luna nodded and left. For that day, Pip was assigned to the gardens, right where his new relationship started. He had problems focusing on his duties all day, but fortunately almost no pony came nearby that area so his distraction was not noticed. Finally, it was time for training. That meant that his shift was almost over. Luna decided not to show up, knowing she won’t be able to fight properly. Unfortunately, Pip had no choice in the matter and he ended up beaten in all his combats. “I hope you have your date soon!” sighed Acid Javelin, after defeating Pip for the last fight of the day. Usually it was Pip who defeated her. “Seriously pal, is not funny to fight you in this state of mind.” “Sorry, sorry. You would understand when you have somepony you like too.” apologized Pip. “I do have… had…” Pip smiled weakly. “Oh, well, you had already beaten me. Next time challenge our boss and you’ll be happy again.” Acid frowned. “Really funny Squeak.” “Sorry it didn’t work for you, but hey! You are pretty and funny and a great friend. I’m sure you’ll find somepony when the right time comes.” Acid blushed but in the end she smiled, bumping hooves with Pip. “You better hurry, or do you want to keep your Princess waiting.” Pip laughed, and after dropping his armor at his room, he went to the castle’s main entrance, ready for the date. The guards laughed at him when he rushed out of the barracks, but in the end they only wished him good luck. After all, they were between friends. Finally, he met with Luna at the entrance. “Pipsy, you came!” said Luna, dreamily. “I guess I did.” smiled Pipsqueak. “Now what?” Luna shrugged. “To be honest Pip, I have no idea. Shall we go to eat or something?” “You mean do what we always do, right?” Luna nodded. “Yes, I don’t see anything wrong about it. You do?” “Of course not, as long as we are together, everything will be perfect. Then, let’s go find a place with tables on the outside. I like how you made this night.” Luna blushed. “It’s psychological. Our mood affects the color of the sky. Both for day and night.” “I see…” said Pip, blushing as well, when he was surprised by a kiss on his cheek. “I know you’re not ready for the next step, but at least let me give you this.” Pip’s face was redder than a tomato but he had a dumb smile on his face. “Very well then, but let me give you this in exchange.” And he gave her a kiss on her cheek. “I love your company, Pip. Since always.” “And I love yours… Luna… but I’m a bit worried too.” “What do you mean? Are you still worried because we were friends since you were little?” “No. That and the fact that the press would find out sooner or later. What if they bring you trouble?” Luna frowned. “Yes. The Fourth Power. Another aspect of the modern life I haven’t finished to understand. But don’t worry, tonight is all about us, don’t let your fears keep you from enjoying it.” And she hugged him tightly under her wings and forehooves. “Luna…” “Pst, let me enjoy this.” “Luna… I can’t breath…” “Oh, come on! You are one big and strong stallion, I’m sure you can handle some affection from your marefriend. Oh, I love being able to say that word!” “And I still think is kind of strange, but I think all I need is some time to get used to the idea.” The rest of the night went really well for the two of them, having dinner under the beautiful moonlight. They wished good night to each other at the entrance of Luna’s castle wing. Luna entered into the Dream Realm with a smile on her face, barely able to wait to see her coltfriend again. Unfortunately, when she woke up at the next day she found an unpleasant surprise. As soon as she opened her bedroom’s door, she saw her guards trying to hold back a crowd of reporters armed with microphones, cameras, notepads, and more cameras. Lots of cameras. “Princess Luna, Ink Kid from Canterlot Chronicle! What you say about the rumors that you’ve been seen romantically involved with one of your soldiers?” “Is it true you that you promoted him personally?” “Princess, Princess! Can you confirm or deny that you’ve met this guard since he was a little kid? A very trustable source…” Luna raised a hoof. “Please stop!” She asked patiently. But she was ignored, instead they continued taking pictures of her and insisted on their interrogatory. “Princess, we want answers!” “The public has the right to know!” “Don’t let your little ponies waiting…” Luna sighed, they wanted it this way. “Guards!” One of her assigned bodyguards, Acid Javelin, aimed her ballista and shot. A reporter’s camera blew up in a million pieces. The assigned commander, Inner Darkness grinned, and at his signal, the Lunar Guard prepared their weapons and began to destroy cameras, notepads, microphones and recorders. Everything that the reporters had was teared into pieces. “Princess Luna, you can’t do this! The ponies have the right to know!” Luna walked forward, calmed. “Mares and gentlecolts, this is my personal wing, and unlike Celestia’s, is not open to the public. I’ll count to five, and the one who remains here, would be escorted by my guards to the dungeons. Did I made myself clear?” “You can’t do this!” Luna moved a hoof, calling more guards. Including the Black Swordsman and the Lightning Flash with their swords unsheathed. And seeing them ready for battle was terrifying. The reporters gulped, and escaped as soon as they could. “Black Swordsman, Lightning Flash, I’ll need you to act as my bodyguards for today. I have a feeling I could use your assistance.” The two bowed before her. “At your service, Princess Luna.” “But your sister won’t like it.” “I don’t care, now I’m pissed off. And is either sending you or make sure they don’t have a good night in months.” Black and Lightning looked at the Princess in awe. “What? I have more than enough patience and good memory.” The guards didn’t dare to say more, and leaded the way to the breakfast nook. On the balcony where Princess Celestia and Princess Luna used to have breakfast together, the Princess of the Sun was doing her best to contain the mass of journalists and reporters that came to ask Princess Luna about her affair with the mysterious soldier. “Come on, Princess Celestia! You never noticed something strange? She’s your sister after all…” “And Princess Cadence was here not so long ago. Did she had anything to do with this? Did you realized about your sister’s feelings and asked for her help or something?” “And that soldier, Piper Squeak, where did he met Princess Luna?” And Princess Celestia just benevolently raised her hoof, asking them for patience. “My little ponies, please. Let’s be civilized about this. If you promise to calm down and ask just one at the time I promise Luna would be more than happy to answer all your questions!” The doors opened, and Celestia turned to receive her dear sister and ask her for some help to calm down the reporters. But instead of her, she faced the two Lunar Captains. And once again they unsheathed their swords, and destroyed all the reporter’s things. Cameras, recorders, notepads, microphones. Nothing survived to their especial techniques: “Star Burst… STREAM!!” “Mothers… ROSARIO!” Behind the captains there were more guards, all armed and ready to kick some ass. Once again, the reporters gulped, turned away and left. “Luna!” scolded Celestia. “That’s intimidation!” “So what? I have the strongest soldiers in Equestria, so I better give them good use.” Celestia did not insisted. Luna’s temper was calmed. She raised her voice from time to time but nothing else, but it was hard to make her angry. But when she actually got mad, even Celestia had to be careful. Last time she got truly angry, Celestia had to use the Elements of Harmony on her since Luna was the superior fighter. “Let’s pretend this nothing happened!” suggested Celestia. Luna smiled. “Thank you.” They ate in silence for a moment, when Celestia asked. “So, you and Pipsqueak?” “Oh, yes! We’re still figuring how to act as a couple but everything is going fine.” Celestia smiled happy for her sister. “I’m glad you found your especial somepony. I knew calling Cadence was the right decision.” Luna glared at her sister. “I haven’t forgive you for that Tia.” “For most of the ponies saying ‘thank you’ is enough.” said Celestia trying to keep Luna on her good side. “But you are right. I shouldn’t interfere. I am “Apology accepted.” Celestia enjoyed of her pancakes for a little longer until she addressed the biggest problem. “He is a mortal Luna.” “I know. But I’ve never felt this way before, and I don’t think I’ll feel it again.” Celestia smiled. “I know you all too well to notice. So, are you going to do it?” “Right now I plan to enjoy our thing just the way it is. But, if everything goes fine between us, I’ll ask him. And if he say ‘yes’, I’ll take her to Mister Boss.” Celestia raised an eyebrow. “The Boss? For real? Well, He’ll be happy for you, Luna.” “Thanks dear sister.” Place between worlds; the Other One’s central offices: Lucifer walked around the hallways until he arrived to the door. He looked at the secretary who gave him a small nod. “He is waiting for you Mister Lucifer. Come on in.” The Fallen Angel gulped. He was one of the most powerful and feared creatures in the multiverse, but the idea of seeing his boss simply terrified him. That horrible Being known as ‘the Other One’, or, the Source of all Evil. The One-True-God’s Twin Brother; the One-True-Devil. Lucifer pushed the door, and bowed, offering a document to the Other One. “The report, Boss.” The Other One examined the document, unimpressed. “Huh… apparently one of my Brother’s employees have fallen in love with a mortal. How sweet.” “It is a routine procedure, Boss. I’ll take care of it soon.” The Other One shook his head. “No, no, no, no… after you screw up the last time I can’t let you handle jobs that require subtlety. I’ll take care of this.” “Of course Boss! But I don’t see the point of you taking care of small business like this.” “There’s something I need to see for myself in that world, so doing a small errand on my way doesn’t bother me. Leave.” Lucifer ran as fast as he could. The Other One watched him leave and checked on the file again. He wondered if the kid would accept or not. It didn’t matter, there was nothing he could lose but time, and time was meaningless for Beings like Him or his Brother. Author's Note Hey! So there couldn’t be a ‘Chaos: the age of Spike’ spin-off without mentioning Mr. Boss and the Other One, right? Anyway, this fic’s strongest point is the shipping itself, not the eventual antagonist. I hope you liked it and, Read ya’ later!! Their first...Their first… At the next day Pipsqueak woke up wearing a huge smile. His date had gone wonderfully and now he had a whole new day to spend time with Luna. But a part of him still tried to figure out how did this childhood dream became true. It wouldn’t last, of course. But the little Pip inside him planned to enjoy it as much as he could. “The Princess and I, who would say that?” asked Pip to himself as he stretched out of his bed. Reality Slash and Cold Dusion glanced at him from their beds but didn’t say anything not wanting to pop his bubble of happiness. “Morning Squeak.” said Cold, stretching as well. “Hey Pip! Ready for another day of guarding and stuff?” greeted Reality Slash. “Stuff? What you mean by ‘stuff’?” frowned Pip. “You know, kissing a Princess.” mocked Reality Slash. “We haven’t kiss yet.” said Pip, blushing. “We’re not… I mean, I’m not ready for that.” “Oh, you poor thing.” continued mocking Reality. “Come on pal! If you think the Princess is the right one for you, then go for it. Is not like you have a chance like this every day, you’re dating Royalty. The only soldier who achieved such honor was Captain Armor from the Crystal Guard, and he ended up marrying his Princess!!” Cold Fusion rolled his eyes. “Slash, shut the buck up. This is Squeak’s life, is up to him. Right Squeak?” “Thank you, Cold.” smiled Pip. “Now, if you don’t mind, we have work to do.” He was right, so the trio of soldiers left the room to then go to check for their assignment of the day. “Patrolling the streets of Canterlot.” read Pip out loud. “Alright, see you later guys!” Reality Slash waved a hoof enthusiastically as Cold gave him a small nod. Pip smiled back at them, and joined his unit. Under command of a unicorn called Rolling Stone. The group left the Castle happily, but when they went around the corner, the group were surrounded by an army of reporters, journalists and photographers. “Cadet Squeak! Cadet Squeak! Is it true you know Princess Luna since you were little? Did she actually babysat you?” “Mister Squeak, Inquirer from ManeHattan Times. I heard that you met during the Nightmare Nights. What can you tell us about it? “At least can you tell us if it’s true that you joined the Lunar Guard just to be closer to your Princess?” Pip tried to put some distance between him and the media, but they were simply too many. He looked at his commander asking for help, not wanting to hurt the innocent. But they were not giving him an option. Finally, a journalist tried to call his attention by pulling his mane, and Pip had no choice but do something about it. He unsheathed Ice Pick, and with a precise move, he cut the journalist’s mane, his notepad, and his camera. Everypony around moved backwards as he aimed his sword at them. “Hey! What do you think you’re doing? This is a clear violation of the freedom of the press!” protested somepony. Commander Rolling Stone moved forward, making the journalists stalking Pip to increase the distance between them even more as he aimed his sword at them. “I’m sorry but we all saw clearly how this gentlecolt physically assaulted Cadet Sqeak. And attacking a member of the Royal Guard is considered a Federal Offense. You’re lucky Cadet Squeak doesn’t want to present charges against this pony. Or do you, Cadet?” Pip nodded. “You know? Yes I do. I’ll take this moron to the dungeons personally.” “Very well. You know which area are we patrolling today, don’t you cadet? Join us when you finish.” Pip saluted his commander, and dragged the journalist to a cell. The message was clear, nopony bothered Pip again for that day. That night, when he met with Luna, he noticed that she also was in a very bad mood. “Shall I come back later?” asked Pip. Luna smiled at him. “No Pipsy, it’s okay. The perspective of seeing you was the only thing that kept me from hurting somepony today.” “That bad, huh?” asked Pipsqueak. “Yeah, I had a hard day too. I always thought my first arrest would be different. Instead of protecting the public from a menace, I had to throw a moron who annoyed me to a dungeon.” “I’m sorry I dragged you to this situation Pip. I should know this would happen, I am a Princess, a famous pony and I wasn’t capable to think they would go after you too.” Pip sighed. “I saw this coming too, but I thought I would stand it better. I told myself that they’ll be bothering us only as they find us interesting. Then they would move on to the next ‘big thing’. But no, I lost my temper to a random reporter.” Luna sighed too. “I guess we should think in a better way to deal with them.” “Oh, I did!” said Pip. “We can talk to the God of Chaos and his Agents and ask them to make ponies can only speak with the truth for a whole day. Can you imagine the secrets the ponies would reveal?” “Come on Pip! I don’t think they’ll do what you say just because you went to school together.” “Luna, they’ve been accepting suggestions from fans since they accepted their new role.” “Huh… I bet I should tell Twilight Sparkle about this.” “As you wish.” Said Pip with a smile. “Now, what do you want to do?” Luna shook her head. “I can’t think in anything. If we go out, the reporters would annoy us again.” Pip nodded. “I know! What if we take a walk in the gardens? I’m sure we won’t be disturbed considering you scared every single reporter in the castle.” Luna agreed. “Good idea Pipsy. Huh, what a failure of a date night!” Pip smiled. “Come on, Luna!! As long as we’re together I’m happy! You know I am a simple pony.” Luna hugged him. “And that’s why I love you. You are right, as long as we’re together, we can have a date night wherever we want.” “And having a walk around the gardens every night sounds like a good start for us.” suggested Pipsqueak. Luna nodded. “Yes, it sounds wonderful, but Saturday is your personal day, so you’ll be mine for the entirety of it. But you can keep the night to have fun with your pals.” “Sound good.” “As long as you don’t get too close to that Acid Javelin, of course.” “You know Acid is a nice girl. Give her a chance, you’ll like her.” “She acts flirty around you and I don’t like it.” Pip better tried to change the subject, looking up. “Hey, I like your night.” Luna embraced Pip with her wings. “Thank you. I like your eyes.” She approached her muzzle to kiss Pip, but he broke the embrace and moved backwards. “Luna, it’s only been a day. I’m not ready yet. But I promise, when I’m ready, I’ll be the one kissing you.” Luna blushed. “My lips will be waiting for you Pip. Don’t make them wait for too long.” “I’ll do what I can. It’s a promise.” The rest of the week passed without major incident. But for the newly-formed couple, it felt really slow. The few hours they spent together weren’t enough, and the rest of the day felt like an eternity. But at least the gardens of the Castle became their especial place. They walked around then every night. According to Celestia, if they continued like this they would end up leaving a permanent mark on the grass. But whatever. Finally, Saturday arrived. Pip opened his eyes, only to find a pair of blue eyes too close to his. He screamed, and fell from the bed because of the impression. But Luna got him with her magic right before he touched the floor. “What is wrong with you, Boss damn it!” complained Pip, as Luna lifted and placed him back on his bed. Luna raised an eyebrow. “Pipsy! That’s no way to speak to your marefriend!” Pip shook his head. “You just gave me a Tartarus of a scare! Where are Cold and Reality?” “I sent them out early since I wanted to give my coltfriend a little morning surprise.” explained Luna. Pip stretched out. “You know? I wonder if Acid would make this kind of jokes.” Luna pouted. “Hey, that was low Pipsy!” Pip finished his stretching, and shrugged. “Sorry about that but that was a pretty big scare. Anyway, I’m taking a shower and then…” “You’ll be joining Tia and I for breakfast. Don’t take long.” Pipsqueak nodded and went to take a shower. Once he finished he dressed with his civilian outfit, and went to meet Luna and Celestia. He greeted the guards on the door to the balcony where the Royal Sisters used to have breakfast together. He could feel the glances from three of the four guards. And a death-glare. Ragnar’s. “Look who is here, the one who thinks he’s so cool because a Princess began dating him. What would she think if I tell her she’s dating a coward.” “Now what?” “Don’t play dumb with me! You owe a rematch and I won’t rest until…” A heavy dictionary fell on Ragnar’s head, knocking him down immediately. Pip looked up, and greeted Sinon who waved a hoof at him, and returned to her position, hidden in the beams. With a small shrug, Pip entered the balcony. Princess Celestia gave him a big smile. “Oh, hello Pipsqueak! It’s been a while since you have joined us for breakfast.” Pip smiled shyly. “Yes, since I was little.” “But the circumstances have changed a lot. Almost as you’ve changed.” said Celestia, winking an eye at Pip. The stallion gulped nervously as he sat with Luna. “You tell me!” Luna hugged him with her wing. “Yes, a lot have changed. But I can’t complain.” They started eating, when suddenly Celestia interrupted. “So, young Pip, I understand you yelled at my sister this morning.” “I did. She has a peculiar sense of humor and I almost die of impression. She says she doesn’t get modern sense of humor. Well, I cannot understand old sense of humor.” Luna giggled as she raised an eyebrow. “Hey who are you calling an old lady?” Pip shrugged. “Nopony. I just said that I, Piper Squeak, don’t understand old-fashioned sense of humor. I never mentioned you or anypony.” Celestia and Luna laughed at this. Pip joined them too. He have shared a lot with the Princesses back when he was just a child. That’s why he got used to treat them so familiarly without thinking. But still the whole situation with Luna seemed a bit odd for him. “So what have you planned for today?” asked Celestia. Pip shrugged. “I have no idea. Luna?” She sipped he cup of coffee. “For starters a small air show from the Shadow Bolts.” “Oh, great! I haven’t seen them since I was thirteen and my brother took me.” “Isn’t your brother a Wonderbolt?” asked Celestia. Pip shrugged. “He wanted to have closer look on the competition. And, being completely honest, the Shadow Bolt’s fame comes from captain Black Swordsman.” “He is an ace in the air, and he deserves recognition for that.” argued Luna. “And I don’t see what’s wrong with celebrating both his sword and his aerial skills.” Pip shrugged as he finished his breakfast along with Luna. They both stood and said goodbye to Celestia as they left. “Have fun!” wished them the Alicorn of the Sun. They rented a pegasus chariot to take them to Cloudsdale. Luna would have preferred to use her own chariot but Pip refused. Arguing that being carried away and guarded by his comrades would be awkward for him. They arrived to Cloudsdale where they headed to the Royal balcony to watch the presentation. And Pip couldn’t help but hide his face when he recognized two of his companions as their assigned guards at the balcony. But they simply joked with him and even gave him a friendly slap on the back. Pip nodded grateful and sat with Luna. Much to his surprise, two ponies were already waiting for them at the balcony. Captain Lightning Flash and her daughter Yui. “My captain!” saluted Pip. “Easy Pip, today is my free day as well.” assured the white unicorn. “Today just call me Lightning, alright’” Pip blushed. “Oh, okay then. And, what are you doing Princess? Cheering for your husband?” She nodded. “Yes, I love to see him flying. His aerial skills are one of the many reasons why I fell in love with Black.” “He is not as skilled as auntie Leafa, but he has talent.” assured Yui. “It’s always a pleasure to see him flying.” The demonstration was amazing, as usual. But Pip preferred the Wonderbolts. Faithful to their style, the Shadow Bolts took a bunch of clouds and modeled a structure where they got inside and moved it from the inside as they were puppeteers. They chose to represent an old adventure from Aincrad. When Black Swordsman and his friend Klein stopped a group of warriors trying to enter by force to a dungeon, as they won time for Lightning and her mentor Zekken to go and destroy the monster before the others. When it finished, Pip applauded as enthusiastically as the others but in the end it was okay. Not great, just okay. “Interesting but why do they insist in representing battles from Aincrad?” “Because Equestria it’s a peaceful land, and they haven’t lived that many adventures here.” explained Luna. “But they’ve lived a few. Like when they defeated you, or when the Bearers of Harmony, the Team of Chaos and them escaped from the Wolf-Pies.” “That one time Black was affected by the curse as well.” reminded Lightning. “But is not a bad idea, you should tell him when you see him.” Pip smiled. “I will, thank you.” After a lovely flight back to Canterlot it was finally time to eat. “Let’s eat something Pip.” “Sure, what do you want?” asked the young colt. Luna considered it for a fraction of a second. “Last time you mentioned a Hay Burger, remember? I want to try one!” “Okay, I hope you like them. Personally, I love them.” said Pip. “Especially at the end of a night of party with my friends.” By Pip’s suggestion, they went to the Lunar Guard’s favorite food-truck, which was as full as usual. And most of the customers were Lunar Guards enjoying their free day. Blackest Knight, recognized Pip. “Hey, look! Is cadet Squeak! Good to see you here, squirt, I was worried about you.” “Commander!” greeted Pip. “Good to see you too!” “Excuse me, Commander,” said the Princess, as she approached. “Why were you worried about Pipsqueak?” “Because we thought that you would end up spoiling the poor dude taking him to fancy restaurants, but in the end he brought you here. Good to see there’s still hope for the little guy.” The other guards laughed, and Pip joined them. Luna seemed hesitant at first but she quickly joined the laughs too. It was all harmless joking between companions. “Is not like she didn’t try to spoil me.” commented Pip. “Can you believe she actually wanted me to get into a chariot pulled by two colleges?” “Seriously?” Pip nodded. “I know! Is not like I’m an officer or something.” “Princess! What are you doing? You’ll ruin the poor bastard!” The comments continued like that for a while but Luna wouldn’t dignify those jokes with an answer. So she went to the counter to order her food and go find a table. A few moments later, Pip joined her with his own order. “Sorry for the delay.” “No problem, now let’s see why is this place so popular among my guards.” smiled the Princess. “Also, I prefer a few jokes with my guard than having to stand the constant harassing of the press.” “Anypony would prefer that.” agreed Pipsqueak. “Also, if they dare to show up, most of them are on duty so they better stay away.” Pip watched how a few trash cans moved out of sudden as sompeony was hiding behind. “How did you…?” “Alicorn senses.” They started to it, and Luna had to admit this was the first time she tried something that good. “Unbelievable! And the ponies have enjoyed this marvelous meal for generations without me or my sister realizing?” “Since my parent’s generation at least.” said Pip calmly, as he munched some onion rings. “Try your onion rings, they are great too.” Luna did as he said and she agreed that they were pretty good too. But she always preferred the hayburger. They finished and walked back to the castle. “It was wonderful Pip. I needed this for so long…” “Me too, Luna. I’m still surprised that I am living one of my childhood dreams.” Luna hugged him. “Oh, Pip.” The stallion smiled as he hugged her back, and before Luna could react, he kissed her. She was surprised at first, but she gladly accepted the kiss. They stayed with their lips pressed against each other’s until the need for air forced them to separate. “Tell me, Pip, was it all that you’ve ever imagined? Because it was for me.” Pip shook his head. “Nope. Honestly, I never considered that both of us would have bad breath. But considering we just ate onion rings, we should see that coming.” Luna stayed quiet for a second, and then she laughed happily. “True. As tasty as they are, I do not recommend them to kiss somepony.” “We’ll do better at our next day.” Luna blused. “Yes, you’re right. Our next date would be better.” Author's Note Okay a short chapter, centered in the romance between those two. I hope you liked it, and also I hope you don’t mind the comedic tone I put in the end. Read ya’ later!! The military gamesThe military games It was the moment of truth. Both Luna and Pip were standing in front of Pip’s home ready to talk with the Squeak family and introduce Luna as Pip’s marefriend. Luna looked at Pip, who shrugged as it was no big deal. “Nervous?” asked the stallion. Luna giggled and nodded. “Maybe a bit.” Pip sighed. “Huh, don’t be. Believe me, I just got the worse part. This is the easy stuff.” Luna gave Pipsqueak a quick kiss and hey knocked at the door. Dairy Squeak received the couple with a bright smile. “Piper! So glad to see you! Princess Luna, always a pleasure. Thank you for taking care of my little troublemaker. He can act crazy from time to time, but his heart is in the right place.” Pip sighed in annoyance but Luna just giggled and hugged Pip under her wing. “Don’t worry! That’s one of the many reasons why I love him so much.” Pip rolled his eyes but he smiled. He had a long day ahead, but he was with the ponies he loved. As for Luna, she was feeling at home. Back when Pip was a foal the family always welcomed her. She even foalsitted the young colt from time to time after they met the first Night Night. “Princess! It’s so nice to see you!” greeted grandpa Middle Squeak, offering a tray of cheese. “I hope you like it, we’ve been aging this for generations! We save this for especial occasions. And my grandson’s first marefriend is a very especial occasion!” Princess Luna thanked the grandpa and smiled at him. She tried it and it was delicious. “Oh Boss! This is delicious! I see that the dairy business is on fire!” “Oh it is!” assured Middle Squeak proudly. “Or at least it was before certain pony whose name I won’t mention come and decided to end generation after generation of…” Luna nodded awkwardly and took another piece of cheese. “I have to congratulate you Mister Squeak. It seems that your family puts your hearts and souls on what you do. If Pip puts half of the passion you put in your business into being my soldier there wouldn’t be more protected Princess than me.” That worked, Middle Squeak laughed proudly as Dairy sat on her sofa and invited the couple to join them. The two of them exchanged a look, it was the real moment of truth. “So Princess Luna, you and my son?” Luna nodded. “Yes Miss Squeak. I know it sounds strange and even inappropriate since he is practically a childe compared with me but I love Pipsqueak and nothing would change that.” Pip rolled his eyes “And you had to mention that.” “Well, you’re about to turn nineteen. You are a kid even for me.” Pip couldn’t help but look away. “Dear don’t be like that. This is something we need to address. Princess I am a bit worried of how you feel about Piper. He is barely becoming an adult, you even foalsat him when he was a little.” Princess Luna nodded. “Those are the same worries Pip had back when I confessed my feelings. The very same reasons he was not sure if he should accept my feelings. But in the end, I told him that I couldn’t help to notice how the sweet little child from yesterday became the handsome stallion of today.” Dairy could only smile. “Who would say that Piper would grow up to become such a playcolt!” Pip giggled nervously. “Well, I was able to gain a Princess’ heart and also a coworker was hitting on me until I started to date Luna officially.” Luna frowned. “Don’t remind me! If it wasn’t that she is my soldier I would send nightmares to Acid Javelin.” Pip calmed her down. “Take it easy. She ended up making out with Cold Fusion.” “For real? She can’t decide who she wants?” “Actually she was so drunk that she couldn’t tell who I was. But good old Cold liked it. I hope he makes the next move soon.” Dairy cut them off. “Come on you two! Don’t start fighting now that you’re visiting.” “You are right.” said Luna. “I am happier than ever with Pip and that’s all that matters.” “And me with Luna.” Dairy sighed happy that the discussion ended there and continued teasing her son. “So Pipsy, have you take her already to eat ice cream, and to your favorite hayburger chain? What about the date at the amusement park?” Pip’s face turned red but he accepted the teasing with the stoicism of the Lunar Guard. The Princess laughed as she answered Pip’s mother. “Two out of three. There’s no amusement park nearby Canterlot. But we we’ve been at the teather.” Pipsqueak sighed. “Don’t remind me!” Luna giggled as grandpa Middle Squeak cut them off. “I get it, I get it. You two are happy with each other. You know what would make you happier? To run the family business!” After that the family spent a nice afternoon together. But Dairy was still worried about the whole ordeal about Luna taking care of Pip since he was little. She did not understand how did she changed the way she looked at her old playmate just like that. But for the moment they seemed to be comfortable with each other. Pip was just Pip and Luna was only Luna. “I wish you the best.” said Dairy at the moment to say goodbye. “Thanks mom!” smiled Pip. “Thank you for everyone.” “Yes, thank you Miss Squeak.” said Princess Luna bowing to the earth pony mare. “Oh, come on! No need to be so formal! We are practically family now!” They all hugged and in the end the couple walked back to the train station. Luna wanted to use her personal carriage but Pip refused to be transported by fellow Lunar Guards. “Hey, is something in your mind Luna?” asked the soldier. “Is just that of all the things your family could ask they never mentioned the fact that you are a mortal and I’m a…” Pip raised an eyebrow. “Why would they ask that? You know my family, they won’t ask such thing. Why would they?” Luna nodded. “Yes I guess so. Your family has always been a bit peculiar.” “Did you wanted them to ask that?” “Is just that you and all your family seem to be really calmed about it.” “Do you want me to worry about it?” asked Pip. “No Pip, I don’t want you to waste your time thinking about it. But is not normal.” Pisqueak sighed. “Luna, as you said I don’t want to waste my time thinking about it. I just plan to enjoy our time together. My grandma always said that worry is a waste of imagination. If I am too worry thinking about things that don’t matter, how could I enjoy our romance?” Luna nuzzled him. “Thank you Pip! Thank you for being you!” The other day went as usual. After a quick shower Pip’s group went to check on the day’s assignment. But today things would be different. Today their captains the Black Swordsman and the Lightning Flash were in front of the assignment board before the anxious cadets. “What’s going on?” asked a nearby solder. The other soldier sighed, “You are new aren’t you? I wish I was in your place.” “Why?” asked Pip. Then the Black Swordsman called for everypony’s attention- “Hey everypony! I know you are excited but you must control yourselves!” Then the Lightning Flash advanced with her signature strength and grace. “It is time. In a month and a half the Princesses we’ll be having the Military Games. In ten years since we started this tradition we haven’t been beaten a single time and we have to remain this way. I’ve heard that General Armor from the Crystal Guard is doing the impossible to make sure he and his guards win this year, we can’t lower our guard. We have to train really hard in order to keep the victory.” The Black Swordsman nodded. “Remember we can only take so many guards. If you want to win the privilege to perform during the Military Games you have to prove yourselves in training.” The Royal Guard shouted in excitement. “Alright see you in training. Now go to your assignments, except for the new cadets. You come with us!” Pip, Cold Fusion, Quick Storm, Acid Javelin and Reality Slash followed their captains. “You are the only ones who have your place assured in the Military Games. This is the final rite of passage for the Lunar Guard. You have to prove you earned your place at the Lunar Guard in front of everypony at the military games.” “I hope that you’re ready because this is not going to be easy!” The new cadets saluted excitedly. “Sir yes sir Mister Black Swordsman, Miss Lightning Flash!” The two captains nodded pleased. “That’s the excitement we want. Now go to your assignments and see you in training.” With that the new cadets did as they told and waited for the night to train. Everypony was excited, warming up or preparing their weapons. Challenges were shouted all over the barracks. Everypony was prepared to prove their strength on the training arena. “You newbies are lucky! Last year I was there, and kicked lots of solar and crystal flanks. But then I was knocked by a crystal solider. Dang it, it hurt but it worthed.” And then it started. The ponies started their training, crossing swords with their partners. And this time their fights doubled the intensity. And after the first of many training days, all the soldiers ended up exhausted. As usual Princess Luna waited for Pip on the barracks but she couldn’t help but frown when she noticed e had a black eye and he was limping. “Pipsy! What happened to you?” “I was training. Remember that the Military Games are around the corner.” Luna sighed. “Oh, right. I really enjoy the event but I can’t help but worry about you.” “You know this is part of being a soldier.” “I know Pip, you are a soldier and this is part of the military life.” The rest of the days were as intense as the first one. All the guards in the castle waited anxiously for the training. Their assignments felt eternal both for Lunar and Solar Guards. Everypony just wanted to train and prove they were worthy to be on the games. The greatest honor among the Royal Guards. Then the group that would participate was announced. Following tradition, the guards who would take part on the Games would rest during the day before so they could be ready for the day. And of course Luna and Pip spent the day together. “You are going to do great on the battlefield Pipsy. I just know it!” “I’ll do my best. After all this is my first year.” “Yeah, it’s been a whole year already. I wish you the best. We’ll celebrate after the games okay?” Pip smiled to her. “I’ll be looking forward for it.” With that they kissed under the moonlight and Pip went to sleep. Also as an especial courtesy for her soldiers, Princess Luna made sure that their sleep was twice as repairing. Finally at the next day, Pip, Reality Slash, Acid Javelin, Quick Storm and Cold Fusion joined the other selected guards and headed to Canterlot Stadium. … As usual for the Military Games, Canterlot Stadium was full. The Four Princesses of Equestria entered proudly on their private seat box escorted by the only Royal Guard that didn’t participate on the Games because they were relatively new. The Guard of Friendship. The three Princesses have asked Twilight Sparkle if she wanted to get more members for her Royal Guard but she kindly refused. Then the two side entrances of the stadium opened allowing the Crystal Guard and the Solar Guard to enter. Captain Shining Armor and Co-Captain Flash Sentry were at the head of their squad, flanked by their lieutenants Pink Diamond and Rose Quartz. As for the Solar Guard, they were leaded by the legendary hero who carried the weapon that destroy evil. Captain Master Sword, and his right hoof Hylian Shield, famous for his unbreakable defense. They were flanked by their lieutenants, Majora and Skyward Sword. The two groups glared at each other ready for the challenge. But then the main entrance opened and everything turned silent. They were here. The invincible Lunar Guard. Both Crystal and Solar Guard glared at the newcomers, who smiled in return. Leaded by the Black Swordsman who carried his famous swords on his back, Elucidator and Dark Repulser. At his side was his wife and Co-Captain, the Lightning Flash who carried her famous weapon Lambent Light. Then flanking them were Leafa from the clan of Sylf and Sinon, the cold-hearted snipper who prepared her ballista Hecate ready to fight. Black Swordsman and Lightning Flash gave the other captains a quick nod and smiled. The other two captains grinded their teeth, but accepted the silent challenge. Today would be the day were they proved to the Lunar Guard that they were not invincible. Today would be the day when they would finally defeat them. Princess Twilight cleared her throat and announced the beginning of the event. “GUARDS YOU KNOW THE RULES! THIS IS A BATTLE ROYALE! ALL THE GUARDS WOULD FIGHT EACH OTHER UNTIL THERE ARE NO RIVAL GUARDS LEFT!” Finally the leaders unsheathed their swords and aimed them to each other. “LET THE GAMES BEGIN!” The Royal Guard crossed swords. The Military Games have started. And thanks to the magic mirrors prepared by Princess Twilight Sparkle the audience could see the battle from all angles. From the ground unicorns and earth ponies fought with all their might as the pegasi where fighting on the air trying to knock each other down. Most of the pegasi used swords, trying to emulate Black Swordsman’s signature move, the double blade. But there was a notable exception. Acid Javelin was flying around doing her best to evade Solar and Crystal pegasi, and shooting enemies with her ballista, becoming a great help for her fellow guards and a priority target for the other guards. She realized when she eluded a fierce attack from Shining Armor himself. “Somepony take her down!” he commanded. Pink Diamond aimed his horn to Acid Javelin when she felt a sword on her armor. She turned to see Cold Fusion aiming his sword at her. The veteran soldier grinned and used her horn to create a flash of light to blind the Lunar rookie. That worked and as Cold was disoriented she stabbed him right at the forehead and he disappeared. She didn’t kill him, of course. The weapons were enchanted to teleport the soldiers out of the arena after they received ‘lethal’ damage. Pink Diamond celebrated her victory by doing a small victory dance when she felt a blade piercing her right on her chest. She looked at the weapon. It was a long pink blade with an stylized scabbard that looked like rose petals. She knew this blade. Astonished Pink Diamond looked at Rose Quartz who seemed as shocked as she was. “Why?” asked Pink. Rose could only aim her hoof right behind Pink where she saw a Solar Guard who just dodged Rose’s attack causing her to accidentally eliminate her companion. “Sorry,” mumbled Rose as Pink Diamond started to fade away. “No one can ever find out we did this.” And she faded away. In the meantime, Hylian Shield have raised his shield trying to resist the brutal double blade combo from the Black Swordsman. Elucidator and Dark Repulser scratched the shield mercilessly trying to force an open-. “Star Burst… STREAM!” Hylian Shield responded with his signature move, the shield-attack. That made Black Swordsman to lose his balance and he fell on his back. Hylian Shield smiled, he would get rid of this pony once an for all when several arrows pierced him. Behind him Quick Storm was holding Sinon, who was holding her Hecate. She recharged and shot again eliminating Hylian Shield who already sighed resigned to his fate. Black Swordsman thanked the assistance and took his swords to continue fighting. Reality Slash was flying swinging his ninjato called Katana looking for targets. His fighting style was very simplistic, he stabbed and then flew away. He wasn’t sure if he eliminated ponies or not, all he wanted was to weaken the enemy. This also allowed him to have a general view of the battlefield, when he noticed something was wrong. A Solar was beating up a Lunar guard. But he wasn’t using his sword but his bare hooves and the other was doing his best to defend himself but he could not block the brutal attacks. He wasn’t competing, he was just torturing the poor soldier. Slash shook his head, he had to do something since the lunar guard being beaten was no other than his friend Pipsqueak. And the one beating him was Ragnar. “What’s the matter Squeak? I thought the Lunar Guard fight to win!” Ragnar was smiling. He wanted to teach this rookie a lesson since they met, and everypony was too busy with their own fights to notice. Acid Javelin noticed this too and after exchanging a look with Reality Slash the two of them charged to Ragnar and Pip. Reality stabbed Ragnar on the back of his head as Acid eliminated Pip so he could be sent to the infirmary. They were about to rejoin the main battle when Acid noticed the incoming attack and ducked. But Reality was not that fast and ended up with a spear on his stomach. He faded away and materialized right in front of Princess Luna, who was trying to reanimate the unconscious Pipsqueak. “Pipsy! What happened with you? Pipsy!” Reality sighed. “Sorry we didn’t realize earlier Princess. A solar had a feud with our friend and took advantage of the event to beat him up. We took care of him already but he was able to beat Squeak before we reacted.” “Thank you Slash. Thank you for stopping this on time. This solar would pay. Do you know who he is?” “Ragnar, the one you had to expel from the Lunar Guard.” “I know who he is. He’ll pay. Thank you.” … When Pip opened his eyes the first thing he saw was Luna. “Oh Pipsy!” cried the Princess. Pipsqueak tried to stand but he was forced back in the bed by Luna’s magic. “No Pip, you have to rest. The doctor said you can’t do any excessive effort!” The colt shook his head angrily. “No, no, no, no! I have to find Ragnar and kill him!” “No Pip, that counts as an excessive effort.” “I don’t care! I’ll shove my sword on his mouth now that the games are over!” “I understand your frustration. But this time I took care of him. He had been fired from the army and he’ll not sleep well in a long time.” Pipsqueak sighed in annoyance. “Damn it!” “Aren’t you happy Pip?” “No, I wanted to punch him at least once. But he caught me off guard and he is an incredibly good fighter. Dam it.” Luna kissed him on the forehead. “I was so worried about you Pip. Seeing you unconscious and bleeding was the worse that I’ve experienced so far. Thanks Boss you have such good friends that helped you when you were in need.” “I’ll have to thank them later. So how long I’ll have to stay in bed?” “A few days. I’ll take care of you personally.” Pip only smiled. “Thank you very much Luna. I love you.” “I love you too!” Then Pip asked, “Hey we won?” “Of course we won! Poor Shining Armor, but he’ll get over it. He always does.” Author's Note So this is another chapter with some references showing the greatest tradition of the Lunar Guard. This event is mentioned over and over on Chaos: the Age of Spike. I hope you liked it and as usual, Read ya’ later! The price to be with herThe price to be with her It was obvious that Princess Luna had put all her effort to help Pip recover from the beatdown that Ragnar gave him. He was given two weeks of medical leave which seemed suspicious. But Luna assured Pip that this was the usual for her guards. Whatever, Pip accepted it and didn’t ask more questions. Then Princess Luna arranged that Pip move to her private chambers during these two weeks. Since he was off-duty he didn’t have to sleep in the common chambers. “Okay I think you’re overdoing!” said Pip when Luna insisted in carrying his luggage. “Of course not Pipsy! You got quite a beatdown and the doctor said that you have to rest as much as possible. Or don’t you want me to do this little favor for you Pip?” Pip sighed. “I just say that you’re overdoing. I can carry my own luggage, I don’t have that many stuff! I mean, I’m not made of sugar!” “Oh come on Pip. Let me take care of you at lest for this time. Just like the old times! Or does it bother you?” “Actually yes. I mean, come on! I am a member of the Lunar Guard, the most powerful military in Equestria and I don’t like to feel like I’m a child. Especially with you.” Luna smiled at him. “Oh Pip you don’t have to play tough with me and you know it.” “I’m not playing tough, is just that… oh never mind. The thing is that I was given a bunch of healing potions, straight from Aincrad. I’m fine now!” Luna rolled her eyes. “I just want you to save your energy for what is coming. Don’t waste it on simple luggage. Okay?” They arrived to Luna’s private chambers and the Princess left Pip’s luggage on the bed and she started to put Pip’s stuff on her closet as she happily moved her hips much to Pip’s amusement. “Hey Luna! Is there a reason why you’re shoving your rump right on my face?” Luna giggled. “What? You don’t like it?” “Don’t misunderstand me, I could watch this all day!”” “Then don’t talk and just enjoy it.” said Luna blushing. “But answering your question, we’re alone together in my room and we are a couple. Do your math big boy.” Pipsqueak couldn’t help but smile. “Wow… I mean wow, I just don’t know where to start. This is the first time I have a partner.” “Always have to be this formal? I am your marefriend Pip, just say it!” They kissed. “I love you, Luna.” “I love you too Pip.” The two of them cuddled in bed without separating their lips. Luna walked to her balcony as she looked at the sky. She did not wanted to leave him alone but she had a work to do. Carefully she gifted her little ponies with a beautiful night complete with a meteor shower. That’s how happy she was. Then she went back to bed as she let her consciousness leave her body as she entered into the dream realm as she cuddled her physical form with Pipsqueak. Celestia was looking at the night and immediately noticed how the stars were brighter and more radiant. “I’m so happy for you sister. I’m glad you’ve found your other half.” Pipsqueak was walking on a small forest. He seemed lost but he wasn’t really worried. The whole place looked peaceful, and he had his trusty sword with him. Also the whole place seemed familiar. He looked around only to find a big oak with the initials PS engraved on the trunk. Then Pip recognized the tree, and the forest. He near the old family farm. “It had been years since I came here! Why here of all places?” He walked to the old hose that his great-great grandparents built. But instead he found a giant mansion. Something that nobility would build. “Now what?!door. It was big and luxurious. And for some reason he saw Luna’s emblem on the door. Also the door was guarded by two intimidating Lunar Guards who didn’t seem to notice him. Pip shivered, as he felt a dark presence. But the fear quickly turned into annoyance. “Great, now what?!” He went through the door as he was some kind of ghost. “Confirmed! I am dreaming. Whatever let’s get over this!” Inside the house he found Luna pushing a wheel chair. On the wheel chair was an old pony with white fur with spots that started being brown but time have turned beige. And his chocolate-colored mane was now silver. Pip looked at Princess Luna but she had her attention on the old pony. “Come on Pipsy, the sun is beautiful today. Some rays would do good on you.” The old pony looked at Luna and smiled. “Thank you darling. But who are you?” Luna grinded her teeth holding back her tears but she managed to smile at the old pony. “It doesn’t matter Pip. Let’s go outside so you can take a sunbath!” The old pony coughed as a response and Luna pushed the wheelchair to the outside. In the meantime the real Pipsqueak just looked at the scene with an annoyed look and then he started screaming. “Pipsqueak! Pipsqueak!” called Luna shaking her coltfreiend. Looking that he was back on the real world, Pip smikled to Luna. “Hey Luna, sorry I woke you up.” “It’s okay, it’s morning already. What happened?” Pipsqueak shrugged. “Nothing to worry about. Just a dream.” “I do worry Pip, you know the Dream Realm is under my protection!” Pip just smiled and tried to calm Luna. “I am sorry if I worried you Luna, but I am fine, okay? Your duties are especially with children. Focus on them, don’t waste your time with me okay?” “Pip you are my coltfriend, is only natural to be worried about you!” “Luna, this is conflict of interest. It’s okay. If I need help you’ll be the first one I’ll ask. That’s a promise.” “Okay, that’s enough for that, but you better keep your promise, Piper Squeak.” “I will Luna Selenity Galaxy.” “What now?” Pipsqueak shrugged. “Nothing, long names make it sound more official.” Luna ended up laughing. “Come on smart-flank, let’s go for breakfast!” After that they ended up having a wonderful day. They took breakfast with Celestia and then walked around the garden as usual. “When you get better we can go out to the city.” “It’s okay Luna, I love the garden, this is our official dating site. Right?” Then when it was time to rise the moon, Princess Luna gave Pip a cup of tea. “What is this?” asked the stallion. “Linden tea, it helps you sleep. Come on, do me this small favor.” “Okay, okay. But I can handle it, okay? If I need your help I’ll ask.” Pipsqueak opened his eyes to find himself back on his family’s farm. He groaned in annoyance. “Of course I’m back! Great, now what?” This time he did know where to go. He walked straight to his family’s old home, now turned into a huge manor heavily guarded by the Lunar Guard. And then he saw Luna pushing the wheelchair with the old version of himself who didn’t even remember Luna’s name. The old Pipsqueak had to be constantly reminded who he was or where they were. It was devastating looking at himself in this state. But the worse part was to see Luna always so patient and willing to attend him even if he had become a helpless old pony. But he could see how hurt she was by Pip’s incapability to remember her. “Excuse me miss who are you?” “I am your wife, Pipsqueak. I’m Luna.” The old pony smiled for a second. “Luna! Yes, Luna!” The old pony smiled at her and stared at Luna’s eyes with bright eyes. But then after a few seconds his expression turned blank and then he asked again. “Excuse me miss who are you?” And the circle continued over and over. Finally present Pip had enough and screamed in fear. Pipsqueak woke up aside Luna who seemed very agitated. “Pipsy! Are you okay?!” Pipsqueak smiled proud of himself. “Yeah, I’m perfectly fine!” Luna was not happy about it. “You had that dream again.” “If it makes you feel better is not a nightmare, it’s a really annoying dream.” “Talk to me Pip! What are you seeing?” “Luna is not worth it, let me handle it! I can do it!” “You woke up screaming!” reminded her Luna. “It was a lucid dream, I knew this was what I needed to wake up. It was on purpose I swear!” Luna frowned. “Luna, tell me about your dream!” Pip sighed. “Something stupid. I would tell you if I see it again, okay? But I swear I am not scared or worked. Just annoyed about this whole thing!” Luna did not insisted but she just glared ad Pip and then they had another peaceful day together. But the Princess was decided to peek on Pipsqueak’s dreams. She would not intervene unless it was absolutely necessary. But she really needed to see what was bothering Pipsqueak. Dream Realm: Pipsqueak appeared on his family’s property and shrugged. “Seriously, how many time do we have to go through all this?” He sighed. “Oh whatever let’s finish this already!” Pipsqueak screamed in fear but nothing happened. He rolled his eyes in annoyance. “I have to go see it, right? Damn it, why?” The sooner he finished with this dream, the better. … From her watching spot, Princess Luna was looking at Pip’s dream. She was amazed to see the vacation home she always dreamed to build. Strange… and unnerving. … Pipsqueak went through the door only to see Luna fulfilling her role as nurse for his old and deteriorated self. Pipsqueak rolled his eyes and screamed. Nothing. “Oh come on! I’ve seen this two times already, whoever you are let me wake up already. This is pointless!” He screamed again but nothing happened. “Okay fine, I can’t leave. But that doesn’t mean I have to stay to watch this!” Pip walked back to the door but when he went through it he ended up in the same room. The stallion face-hoofed. “Seriously?” … Luna felt a presence. The worse of the worse. She knew who it was but this was the first time she was anywhere near Him. Her Boss’ Twin Brother. The Other One. “Pipsy!” called Luna as she panicked. She tried to enter the dream but a powerful barrier prevented her to do so. Now there was no doubt who she was dealing with. “NO! PLEASE TAKE ME! NOT PIP!” … Inside the dream, Pipsqueak was bored watching the scene as Luna continued taking care of his old self. Then she pushed the wheelchair to a window so Pip could see the full moon. “Beautiful!” smiled the old pony, as he turned to Luna. “But not as beautiful as you are.” Luna blushed. “Who are you lady?” Luna seemed hurt but the old Pip quickly smiled at her. “Just messing with you, I would never forget my wife.” “Pipsqueak?” asked Luna. He was about to say something but he then coughed and closed his eyes. “Pipsqueak?” There was no response. Luna shook the old Pipsqueak. “Pip talk to me!” Nothing. “No… Pipsqueak… PIIIIIIIIIP!” Servants and soldiers rushed to see what happened. They only saw Princess Luna crying over Pip’s body. It wasthe end. The younger version of Pipsqueak just watched in confusion. “Can I go now?” Not yet. You haven’t see the worse. The door finally opened leading to a new scene. It was the forest, where lunar soldiers came to present their respects to the old veteran, as Princess Luna was crying over a coffin. Luna finally cried in pain as her sorrow slowly turned into a black substance that ended up covering her completely. Her mane turned darker, her teeth turned into fangs and her pupils turned cat-like. Nightmare Moon have returned over the sorrow of losing her significant other. The real Pipsqueak frowned. “Seriously, what’s the meaning of this? Who the hell are you?” The entire scene vanished as an Entity started to approach to Pipsqueak. He looked incredibly young but very old at the same time. Masculine and feminine at the same time. All the races that Pip knew but also none of them. A strange Being surrounded by an aura of pure Evil. But unlike the other enemies from Equestria, it seemed that Evil was an extension of this Being. … Luna screamed in terror. … The Other One walked to Pip, extending a hand/claw/hoof to Pip. “I’ll be clear kid. I can feel your fear, your insecurity. The emotional storm going on inside your heart. Is not easy to date a Goddess, one of my Brother’s Employees. You are a mortal, and sooner or later your mortal life would extinguish and what you just saw is just the inevitable.” Pip stayed quiet, looking at this being to the eye. “Your Brother’s employees? Who are you? Who is your Brother?” “My Brother is the one you call the One-True-God. So obviously I am the One-True-Devil.” “And what does the Devil want from me?” asked Pip, feeling unnerved but his creature. “Your soul. How much, kid?” “What? I’m not giving you my soul!” “Giving me your soul would turn you into your marefriend’s equal. An immortal being with power to bend reality at your will.” “A God?” “Not a God. A Demon. And with the immortality you’ll have lots of benefits like a salary higher than any mortal makes in thousands of lives. A good retirement program, and a complete insurance that would cover for petrification, sealing or even eternal banishment.” Pipsqueak looked at the Other One thoughtful. “So the choice is mine then?” … Princes Luna tried desperately to enter the Dream Realm and rescue Pip. “No Pip! EVERYTHING BUT THAT!” … Pip rejected the Other One’s hand and looked away. “No!” The Other One remained silent. “Wrong fear moron! This? This is nothing! This would never happen because what I have with Luna is temporary. We’re just too afraid to admit it.” The Other One tilted his head. “Temporary you say. So you don’t take your love seriously?” “I do, but in the end of the day I am just a kid compared with her. I am as serios as I can get about this relationship. But Luna would eventually wake up and would look at me the way I am. The kid she babysat and befriended back on that Nightmare Night.” The Other One blinked indifferent. “So why don’t you make yourself a favor and end it.” Pip looked down. “Because I am a child. A selfish child who wants to live his dream as much as possible. I love Luna, and I know she’ll wake up eventually. But I want to stay at her side until the time comes.” The Other One looked at Pip releasing an oppressive aura. “Then accept and become her equal. With the power you’ll get you would erase your old self from existence.” “Thanks but no thanks. I am sorry, but I smell a trap.” The Other One shrugged and turned around. “There’s no trap kid. The soul should have to be given voluntarily. I did planned to give you everything I was offering, but since you don’t want to, I have nothing to do here.” Pip was really confused. “Just like that?” “There’s an infinite number of worlds. That equals an infinite number of people willing to give me their souls. I wasted enough time here listening to your idiotic reasoning.” And He disappeared. (Line) Pipsqueak opened his eyes to find himself alone in bed. He looked around. “Luna? A cold wind made him realize the balcony door was open. “Luna?” asked Pip, going to the balcony. The Princess of the Night was looking at her work, and barely reacted. But Pip did noticed that something was bothering her. “Luna, are you okay?” asked Pip. “Are you okay? Pip, you just faced the Other One!” Pip raised an eyebrow. “Hey! I told you I could handle it!” “And you did Pip! I saw everything! The horrible dream that He forced to live, and you answering so bravely. Oh Pip!” Luna hugged Pipsqueak with hooves and wings. Pipsqueak sighed. “I am sorry for not telling you how I felt Luna, I am terribly sorry for not telling the how afraid I am that we you realize I am nothing but a kid, barely a legal adult. And you are thousands of years old. I am always waiting for the time when you open your eyes and realize you’ve been wasting your time with a kid. I am sorry Luna, I try to be a worthy stallion but I don’t know how to show you that.” Luna kissed him. “I love you Pip.” “I love you too Luna. But I cannot help but ask, why me of all ponies? Look at you! You’re crying because of me!” “Pip don’t you see it? You are a worthy stallion. You demonstrated how worthy you are by saying no to temptation. The Other One would gave you anything you wanted in exchange of becoming one of his demons like Tirek and Sombra did before. But you stayed firm and rejected him. You showed me how much you love me.” “It just didn’t feel right.” “I know Pip! Oh, I’ve never been so scared in my life. I’ve been near his employees but never Him!” “Hey, can you explain to me what’s with the employee thing?” “Later Pip! Now it is my turn to show you how serious I am about us!” She kissed him. “Luna?” asked Pipsqueak. “Tomorrow I’m taking you to the Central Office. There’s something I need to give you. But can only be done there.” Pip looked at Luna but in the end he nodded. “Alright.” He decided against ruin the moment by asking what the hay she meant with Central Office, but he would find out soon- Author's Note So the story is coming to an end. Only a small cameo from the Other One before Mister Boss enters the picture. I hope you liked it, and Read ya’ later!! You’re mine and I’m yours. ForeverYou’re mine and I’m yours. Forever Pip was walking behind Luna trying to make sense of what he was looking at. He was walking through what it seemed like a hallway. But it wasn’t a hallway because there was no floor. There were walls and cubicles, as he was in an office building in Manehattan. This whole thing was very bizarre. The strangest thing was that despite not being any floor, the floor and walls were standing perfectly. And the employees were just walking normally much to Pip’s disbelief. But Luna explained to him that it was okay. Since there was no floor there was nowhere to fall. Made sense, kind off. But the weirdest thing of all were the employees. Creatures of all shapes and sizes walking all over the hallways carrying huge piles of paper, making copies, telling jokes aside the water cooler, shredding documents, etc. Just a regular office. “So where are we?” asked Pipsqueak. “The main office.” explained Princess Luna. “What?” Princess Luna smiled at him. “I understand your confusion. Very few people get to know this is how the multiverse works. Only those who are hired to be the deities of our respective world and some chosen ones can see this. But is not that fancy. We have to come here from time to time to deal with paperwork and present our reports to Mister Boss.” “Deities have a boss?” asked Pip scratching his head. “And you get paid for being a Goddess?” “Of course I do! And my salary is great!” “And Celestia gets paid too?” “Yeah. Tia, Spike, Chrysalis, and the Dragon Lord get paid for being deities. Also Tirek, Sombra and the Storm King get paid, but they get paid by the competitor. We call him The Other One. You met Him, it was the one who tried to hire you in your dreams.” Pip shivered at the memory. “Yeah, we don’t talk about him here. It is a major tabu.” Pip nodded in understanding and continued looking around. The place was extremely interesting. Seeing creatures from all over the multiverse doing minor tasks was amazing to say the least. Then Luna got into a cubicle and entered. Pip followed her and once inside Luna showed him a chair as she started to fill in documents, sign them, make copies and then seal both the copy and the original. “Sorry about this Pip but since I’m here I have to do some paperwork. In the meantime you can go explore the office. If you get lost just ask an employee and they’ll show you the way back to my office. Just don’t go into the Chaos and Destruction department.” “Sure, how do I recognize it?” “You’ll know when you see it, trust me.” said Luna. Pip shrugged and since looking at Luna doing her office chores was really boring he decided to take her advice and go explore. There were lots of cubicles each one of them with some interesting surprises like the creature inside or the type of chore they were doing. Then he saw a large black door with a giant scythe engraved on it. Pip shivered from some reason. Then the door opened revealing a tall figure wearing a black hood, carrying a scythe on his right hand. But he worse part was his face. It was a skull. Pip gulped but didn’t say anything. Instead he looked at the sign on the door. “Department of Recycling. What the hay do they recycle? All the paper from this so called ‘paperwork’?” mumbled Pip scratching his head. “No. Souls.” said a cold voice right behind Pipsqueak. Pip jumped in surprised and looked at the strange being with he scythe on hand. “Eh… hello? No offense but, what are you?” “A Grim Reaper. As for what we do, we collect the souls of the dead then we clean it from all memories and recycle to create a new lifeform.” “Oh! Thank you… I guess.” The Grim Reaper nodded. “It is my turn to ask. What is a mortal doing here?” “I have no idea. I am dating a Goddess of the Moon and after certain incident she brought me here to meet her Boss. I don’t know what we’re here for.” “I see. She really loves you then. Good luck meeting with Mr.Boss.” And the Grimm Reaper left Pip as confused as before, but he shrugged again and continued exploring the offices. After a while Pip found himself in a large hallway full of small cubicles with creatures from all over the multiverse wearing headsets, and… seriously what they were doing? “Thank you for calling customer service, what can we do for you?” Silence. “Oh, I see! I am terribly sorry for the inconvenience. We’ll send an expert to fix the issue right away.” “Oh, I’m terribly sorry for your loss, but let me tell you your significant other is okay now. His soul is at peace now and you can focus on what he left with you. Your children are good men and women who would carry his legacy of kindness and bad jokes. I know, they were pretty terrible. Oh, I’m so glad I made you feel better. Please give us a call back if you need additional comfort or need help with anything.” Pip raised an eyebrow then he looked at the plaque in the corner. DEPARTMENT OF PRAYERS Pip face-hoofed. “Of course! Because, why not?!” Wandering around Pipsqueak noticed a door that kept open but something was not right. It seemed to change constantly. In the space and time, and also appearing at the same time. Also Pip could not make sense of what he was seeing. As the other employees the creatures were all from shapes and sizes, but they looked even weirder than the other creatures, like if the main gods had made them after a night of drinking. Also he saw all kind of wacky gadgets like a pencil with an eraser on each tip and you wrote by the middle. “What the…” “Hey, isn’t that Pip?” asked a known voice. Pipsquek turned. It was no other than the God of Disharmony and Chaos and his Agents of Chaos. Spike the dragon and the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Babs Seed and Rumble. “Spike! Guys!!” greeted the young guard. “Hey Pip, what are you doing here?” asked Rumble. “Luna brought me here for something. But she had paperwork to do so I am exploring the office. What are you guys doing here?” “Just finishing with paperwork.” shrugged Apple Bloom. “But now we’re to the ‘Employee Lounge’ to relax before going back to work.” “Wanna join us?” asked Scootaloo. “He can’t. only Gods of Chaos can enter into our department without suffering any side effects.” explained Spike. “Oh… what would happen to me?” asked Pip as Luna’s warn rang a bell on his head. “You’ll lose your mind. Literally. And it can take up to one eternity or two to find it.” Pip decided not to ask. “Oh well, nice to see you guys. I’m going to see the rest of the office.” “Have fun!” Pip continued exploring. He bumped into a group of employees telling jokes in front of the water cooler. And all their jokes were about the Boss’ Son for some reason. They called them ‘Christian jokes’. So the thing is that the Junior was hanging on the cross, and turns to the good thief. “Dimas, oh Dimas! Do you love me?” The good thief just cries and says. “Yes Master I love you.” Then the Junior turns to the bad thief and says. “Gestas, hey Gestas! Dimas is gay!” Pip shrugged and went back to Luna’s office. “This kind of reminds me the Celestia jokes we make.” Luna was just finishing her paperwork when Pip came back to her office. “Hey Pipsqueak, did you saw something interesting?” “Lots of things. I saw Spike and company too.” “Oh yeah, not even Gods of Chaos are free form paperwork. This is one of the few things that reminds you that being a God is a job.” “I see…” “Anyway, let’s see the Boss.” Luna guided Pip through another hallway where we stopped at beautiful cedar door with a golden plaque that said MR.BOSS. Also there was a small desk with a young cherub with four wings and blonde hair working on a computer. “Hey Gabriel!” greeted Luna. Mr.Boss’ personal secretary just looked at her, and smiled. “Oh yeah, Luna. You have an appointment, right?” “Yes Gabriel, thanks. Also…” She gave a folder to the cherub. “Here, I need you to seal this before I submit it.” Gabriel examined the document and sealed it. “Here you go. I can submit this for you if you want, I could use a walk.” “Are you sure?” asked Luna. “It’s a slow day, I was just playing solitary. Go on, Mr. Boss is waiting for you.” Gabriel put on a sign that said, BE BACK IN 5 MINUTES before heading to Registration and Statistics department. “Thanks Gabriel!” said Luna. The angel nodded and flew off. Finally it was time, Luna and Pip went through the door to finally see Mr. Boss. When Pip saw Him, he almost faints. He looked just like the Being he met in his dream. So young and so old at the same time. Feminine and masculine at the same time. All the races Pip knew and the ones he didn’t knew too. But unlike the Other One he did not emitted an aura of Pure Evil. But Peace. This was Luna’s Boss. Mister Boss, the One-True-God. “Oh Princess Luna, and Piper Squeak! It’s so nice to see you!” Pip smiled nervously. “Eh, yeah hello. My name… well, you already know my name. Piper Squeak, and still don’t understand what I’m doing here.” The Boss looked at the Princess. “Oh, haven’t you tell him Luna?” “Yeah, sorry Boss. But I was thinking that you could help me to explain this to him.” The Being smiled at him. “Oh, not a problem my dear Luna. So Pipsqueak, for your reaction when you saw me I guess that you’ve met my Twin. Don’t you?” Pip frowned and nodded. “Yeah, it was really scary.” “I can’t blame you. But I’m surprised that you did not accepted his offer.” “He was lying.” “He was not. He is unable to fully claim a soul if He gained it by deceiving the mortal. We both cannot mess with Free Will.” Pip shivered. “Still no. It didn’t feel right.” “I am proud of you young Piper, and I can see why Princess Luna loves you so much. So Piper, you were brought to me by your marefriend because she wants to spend the rest of her immortal life with you.” Pip raised an eyebrow. “Is that possible?” “Yes, it is Pip.” said Princess Luna. “You see, one of the rare benefits in my contract says that I can split my immortality with my significant other. Also my medical insurance would over you as well in the rare case you get ill. You’ll get attended by no other than Saint Luke, the Patron Saint of medicine.” The Boss smiled and nodded. “So would you like to be at Luna’s side forever, Piper Squeak?” Pip looked at Luna who smiled at him. “I love you Pip and couldn’t imagine being with somepony else. I haven’t feel this way for anypony, and I know I would never again.” Pipsqueak just hugged her and nuzzled her. “I love you Luna, and I want to be with you as much as possible. If you are willing to do this so I am.” The Boss snapped his fingers. “Okay, it’s done. I linked your life to Luna’s. You would be immune to must diseases but if you catch one, you can go with good old Luke and you’ll be as good as new.” “Just like that? This feels so weird.” “I know it’s weird but you’ll be happily ever after with Luna until the end of your world. But also keep in mind Pip, you may not age and be immune to diseases but you can still get killed so you have to be extra careful.” “Why?” gulped Pip. “Because your life is linked to Luna’s. And if you die, she dies too.” Pip just nodded. “If Luna accepts, I accept. I love her and I am glad she loves me back.” Luna kissed Pip with passion. “It’s done. You’re mine and I’m yours.” “Forever.” finished Pip. Author's Note And week this is the second to last chapter. The last would be the link to the main story, Chaos: the Age of Spike. Anyway I love the portrayal of the office, it’s really fun to write. I just hope you liked it and, Read ya’ later!! And they lived happily ever after (literally)And they lived happily ever after (literally) Princess Celestia jawed as she raised the sun to then go to the kitchen. As always her loyal servants had left her an entire coffee pot so she could regain her energies. And after emptying the pot in less than a minute Princess Celestia was as good as new. “Okay, let’s start another beautiful day!” smiled the Princess of the Sun. Then a portal came out of nowhere, and Luna walked through it happily. “Hey Tia good morning. Wow, ist that late already? We took longer than I imagined.” Princess Celestia raised an eyebrow. “Oh Luna! Are you coming from the main office? This reminds me I have to go to finish my paperwork before it piles up.” “Yeah you better hurry, you know it’s a pain but the longer you wait the biggest the pile would become.” Celestia nodded. As Luna said it was a pain but paperwork was a fundamental part of being a deity. Then Pipsqueak exited the portal right after Luna. “Hey Princess! Is it morning already? Whoa… time flies int hat place.” Celestia blinked surprised. “Pipsqueak? What were you doing in the main offices? Luna you know is forbidden to bring mortals to the main offices. Mister Boss doesn’t like mortals finding out how the multiverse works!” “There are a few exceptions Tia. Like when you meet your significant other.” Celestia took a while to process what she heard but then she smiled. “Sister! Did you split your immortality with Pipsqueak? Oh, I’m so happy for the two of you! Congratulations Pipsqueak!” Pip smiled. “Thanks! It was a surprise for me too!” Luna blushed as she hugged Pip. “Thank you, Tia. I hope you find your other half one day. Somepony who makes you as happy as Pip makes me.” Celestia shrugged. “I’m not in a rush but thank you for your good wishes Luna. Now how about we have some breakfast as you tell me how did it went?” “Sure! I am starving!” “Me too!” added Pipsqueak. “I need coffee.” They had breakfast together and Celestia constantly congratulated them for their decision. The two groups of soldiers watching the door couldn’t help but hear the news and of course it spread like wildfire. In less than an hour every soldier in the two Royal Guards knew that private Piper Squeak was Princess Luna’s immortal consort. When they finished breakfast, Pip could feel how all the guards and servants were staring at him and mumbling. Pip sighed, this was to be expected and he was too happy to care. With that the rest of his two weeks medical leave were like heaven for Pipsqueak, but the medical leave was about to end and it was time for him to rejoin the lunar Guard. “Are you sure you don’t need more time?” asked Princess Luna. “No Luna, I’m fine. Being a guard is not only my job, is my dream. Being with you is my dream too but you understand. It makes me feel complete.” Luna simply kissed Pipsqueak and he went to check on the assignment board. Today he had to patrol the streets of Canterlot. He joined to the group commanded by lieutenant Blackest Night who greeted him with a small nod and he went to patrol the city. Once in the city Pip mentally prepared himself to get ambushed by the media to ask him about his new status as an immortal but surprisingly enough nopony showed up. This was treated as secret by the Royal Guards and the servants. And then it was training time, but nopony wanted to fight Pipsqueak “Oh come on guys! I’m just out of medical leave I could use some exercise!” “But you are… you know, sharing your life with Princess Luna. I would not endanger my Princess because of training!” “Come on dudes! Is just training, nothing we aren’t used to! Come on, a small fight’” Only Cold Fusion walked toward Pip with his war axe on the hoof. “I’ll fight you Squeak, you’re right. You’re still a fellow guard.” Pip smiled relieved and he began to fight with Cold Fusion. They fell at the same time, with Pip extremely tired and Cold Fusion wounded. “I thought it would be easier to take you down after two full weeks in bed. My bad for underestimating you.” “Yeah, I still did my best to stay fit my friend. I’m a Royal Guard after all. And after all this time training you have to learn a thing or two.” “One year to be precise.” said Black Swordsman walking toward them along with Acid Javelin, Quick Storm and Reality Slash. Reality seemed surprise. “Already a year? Whoa, time really flies right?” Lightning Flash nodded. “Yesterday we had the tryouts, a new generation of recruits would join us soon.” “I can’t believe that barely a year ago we were nothing but fans of the Lunar Guard. And now look at us!” said Acid happily. The Black Swordsman saluted his soldiers. “You are and always will be Equestria’s finest. You are not rookies anymore so I expect you set a good example for the newcomers. Understood?” “Yes Mister Black Swordsman, Miss Lighting Flash!” said the soldiers in the unison. “Congratulations privates.” said Lightning Flash. And then the Black Swordsman presented a plaque to Cold Fusion. “Private Fusion, congratulations. Is a tradition to promote the best warrior of every new group after the first year. It is an honor for me to grant you the rank of lieutenant.” Cold Fusion accepted the honor in silence as his friends congratulated him. His expression was calmed and stoic as usual but his friends could notice the small blush on his face. After a year of knowing each other they learned to appreciate the little emotions on Cold’s face. “Pack your things. All officers have the right to a private room.” The young earth pony bowed respectfully and smiled. “Thank you very much my captains.” “Hurry up and move, and you hurry to be promoted. Especially you Piper Squeak. Don’t ask why.” “Sir yes sir!” said the others in the unison. When they left, Pip turned to Acid, Reality and Quick. “Hey guys I think we must do some extra training on our free time.” “I was about to suggest the exact same thing.” said Quick Storm. “We need to get promoted.” “We may not be in a hurry like you but I do want to get promoted as soon as possible.” said Acid Javelin. “Yeah let’s give Pip a hoof so he can share a private room with his marefriend.” joked Reality Slash. “I never thought about that!” said Pip in a tone that did not convinced anypony. The friends made a high-hoof and went to do some extra training in one of the empty areas of the gym. In the meantime the Black Swordsman and the Lightning Flash were walking to their private chamber to spend a night as a family with their daughter Yui when they walked into Princess Luna who seemed really worried. “Princess Luna!” saluted the two of them. “Black, LIghitng, have you seen Pipsy? We were supposed to have our walk through the gardens but he didn’t show up.” Lighting Flash shrugged. “He is doing some extra training with some friends.” “What? Why?” “We just promoted the most outstanding soldier of his generation. This happens every year.” Luna rolled her eyes. “Military! Okay I get it. At least he is alright.” “He is a capable soldier, Princess. He can handle anything.” “I know but I miss be around him.” Pip showed up an hour later seeming tired but happy. “Hey Luna, sorry for the delay. I had something to do.” “I know, Black just told me a friend of yours got promoted.” Pip nodded. “Yeah, I can’t believe it’s been a year since I joined the Lunar Guard.” “I know time flies when your living your dream, right? So wanna go to the garden now?” “Sure, let’s go!” … Pipsqueak was decided to keep with the additional training. His companions’ enthusiasm lasted only a couple of weeks but he wanted to keep going. If nopony wanted to fight him he would run a few laps on the gym and to some pushups and some abs. One day as he was doing his pushups, he noticed the white hooves walking toward him. He looked up, and saluted. “Capital Lightning Flash!” “Piper Squeak, get ready.” said Lighting Flash aiming Lambent Light toward him. “You would train with me, my captain?” “Yes. Consider this a prize for your perseverance. Instead of quitting like your friends, you continued with the additional training. That says a lot of you, private. Black and I use to do this little favor for those who show a strong will to improve.” “For real?” “Of course! Is our way to show our soldiers that we appreciate hard work and perseverance. That’s what helped us to survive in Aincrad.” Pip bowed as he prepared his rapier. “Thank you very much my captain!” “Your weapon is a rapier, like mine. Depending on your progress I may teach you my signature technique, the Mother’s Rosario.” Pip thanked her in silence and he began to fight against his captain. She ended up moping the floor with him, but he did not complained. It was an honor to fight side by side with one of the ponies who defeated Princess Luna in combat. The others watched them fight and continued minding their own business. Some of them have trained with the captain before. Their captains always made sure to help them with their training even on their free time. This was the reason the Lunar Guard was so strong. When Luna met Pip that night he seemed tired but happy. “Hi Pipsy good evening.” “Evening Luna, I’m so glad to see you.” The constant training under the tutelage of Lightning Flash made Pip to go up in the victory rankings. Quick Storm groaned in annoyance. “If I knew I would have to train with the captain I wouldn’t have quitted that early!” Lightning Flash gave her a stern look. “Yes, and this is why Pipsqueak is training with me an you’re not. Motivation should come from deep inside you. Not from a prize.” Quick Storm did not argue with her captain and continued mining hew own business. And finally, after a night of partying with his friends the captain came to find him. “Private Squeak!” “Yes, my captain?” Lightning Flash gave him a plaque with his new ranking. “Congratulations, lieutenant.” Pip looked at his captain in awe. “For real?” “Yes! Congratulations private. You achieved your goal.” Pip put on his new plaque with pride. “Thank you so much! But we’re still training, right?” “Of course! I still have to teach you the Mother’s Rosario!” Pip smiled. “Let’s do it!” “Not today kid, is late and you need to rest too. But tomorrow I’ll teach you, right after you lead your very first squad.” Pipsqueak nodded. “Oh, sorry I got very excited.” Lightning Flash smiled at him warmly. “I know, I would be excited too! Then after we train you can move to your new private room. Congratulations Pipsqueak, I am very lucky for having such a perseverant and brave colt under my command.” The rest of the guard celebrated that Pip was promoted. At the next day Pip and Reality Slash walked to the assignment board. Pipsqueak realized that now he had a small troop under his command. His mission? Patrol the Princesses’ private chambers. It was a quiet day. And after another session of practice with his captain, Pip was ready to move to his new private room. He said goodbye to his roommate, Reality Slash who happily slapped his back. “I’ll miss your company, but not your snores Squeak!” “Hey you won’t miss me for long. We’ll still see each other at the bar on Friday!” “I’ll drink more than you, Squeak! You’ll see!” After that Pip moved to the wing where the officers had their private rooms, but Lighting Flash stopped him. “If you’re looking for your new room you are at the wrong place.” “What do you mean?” Lightning Flash aimed a hoof to the opposite direction. Princess Luna’s private chambers. “You have to be kidding me.” “What were you expecting, soldier? Anyway don’t let that affect your performance as a Royal Guard, okay?” Pip smiled. “Will do my best, captain.” He then entered to his new room. Princess Luna’s room. “Do you like the especial arrangements I made for you, Pip?” asked Luna. “I’ve been waiting patiently for you to get promoted, but I decided not to intervene. I’m so glad that you managed to do it in such little time!” She then showed him her closet. “I emptied half of your closet for you, so you can hang your uniform. But keep it, I feel kinky tonight.” “I guess we have to celebrate.” said Pip with a great smile. … The time passed. With lots of hard work Pipsqueak mastered the Mother’s Rosario. Only a selected few on the Luna Guard were able to master such a powerful technique. Same for the Star Burst Stream. He kept doing his assignments like patrolling the castle, or the streets of Canterlot. Then when the night arrived he had Luna all for himself. Life was good. Equestrian was a pacific land and the Lunar Guard didn’t have too much to do other than completely annihilate the other Guards on the military games. But they had to deal with minor inconveniences from time to time, like the pranks of their young Lord of Chaos, Spike. But sometimes his pranks helped. After a prank that made everypony hyper-energetic and incapable to sleep. As a result he had one of the best nights of his life with Luna. And after the Bearers of Harmony used the Elements to fix everything, life came back to normal. Almost. After her yearly medical checkup, Princess Luna called Pipsqueak to her office. “Hey my Princess! Did you summon me?” asked the young lieutenant, saluting. “Pip, remember that night nopony could sleep and ended up in the two of us being extra passionate?” Pip blushed. “I do remember your Highness, but I don’t think we must discuss this as I am on duty!” “Pip, I know you like to act professional but you must make an exception for this. I am back from my medical checkup. In eleven months… you and I would be parents!” Pip almost fell from his chair. “Wait, what? For real, Luna?” “Yes, for real! I am expecting a foal from the pony I love.” Pip couldn’t resist and kissed Luna. “Oh, these are great news! I cannot wait to tell my family. Or better not since the would pressure the kid into being a milkpony.” Luna giggled. “Yeah, the Squeak family is especial on their own way.” Pip nodded. Luna then sighed. “And my family can be a pain too. My sister is a bit too old-fashioned and she’ll insist that we get married before our foal is born. To be honest I am old-fashioned too and…” Pip nodded. “Okay, I get it. Let me ask the question, okay?” He bowed before Luna. “I couldn’t buy a ring because of the short notice, but I do mean it. Luna, would you marry me?” The Princess kissed him deeply. “Of course I’ll marry you Pip! I love you!” 11 months later: The nurse placed the little foal between Luna’s wings. “Pip, don’t you want to meet him?” Pip gulped and slowly walked to his son. He had white fur with brown spots as his, and a mane that was made of a fragment of the night. His eyes were black as Luna’s. he was gorgeous, and Pip could feel his heart racing. “Hello there… Blue Moon. I am your daddy. And this beautiful lady here, is your mommy. And we are so lucky to have her.” Author's Note And this is it, the end of the story. Again this story takes place on the same universe as Chaos: the Age of Spike. During the time-skip on the original story I kind of just presented these two as a couple without a satisfying story. But here it is, I hope you like it and as always, Read ya’ later!! A rookie called Piper SqueakOn the city of Trottingham, two ponies ran as fast as they could from me. A great disappointment, since I wanted to fight. From the very first moment I heard the rumors about them, of how they slayed an Ursa Major without help, they intrigued me. Ponies always keep saying how strong they were, and I wanted to prove that strength. “But why, Princess?” asked Pipsquak. “Why were you obsessed with them?” “Because, I had never tasted defeat in over two thousand with five hundred years. As a swordsman, I mean.” I think they have heard about me too since I chased them for half an hour. Finally, I used my wings and cornered in an alley. I unsheathed my sword, and aimed it to them. It was the end. “This ends here and now, Black Swordsman. Lightning Flash. Turn yourselves in, or face the consequences.” The two looked at me, and she also unsheathed her sword. A light blue rapier. She exchanged a look with her husband, and he also extended his wings, raising from the ground, taking his two swords, one in each hoof. “Elucidator and Dark Repulser!” cheered Pipsqueak. Luna smiled warmly at the colt. “Yes, very well Pipsy. And, what about Lightning’s? Do you know the name of her sword?” “Lambent Light!” “Correct Pip! Shall we continue with the story?” Pipsqueak nodded enthusiastically, and Luna resumed her tale. The two warriors looked at me, ready to fight. I couldn’t find any trace of doubt in the glances they were giving me. “We didn’t want to get to this, Princess Luna.” said Black Swordsman to me. I hate to admit it, but he looked really cool with his black trench coat waving at the wind. His wife made a small nod. “Yes, Princess. We don’t want to be enemies with the Crown, but you’re not letting us any choice.” I smiled, sure of my victory. As an alicorn, I’m naturally stronger than the rest of the ponies. This would be easy. The three of us started to fight, and my sword impacted against the Elucidator. The strength of his attack forced me back a few steps. He saw it as a chance to complement his attack with his blue sword, Dark Repulser. It hurt, a lot. But I had no chance to counterattack because Lighting Flash moved to my left, cutting my wing with her rapier. Then, the next I knew was that the Black Swordsman made a deep cut in my chest. I dropped my sword because of the surprise, and they decided it was time to finish me. Black Swordsman started to move his swords rhythmically over my body, one after another a great speed. Without my sword I was unable to block him. Well, no, even with my sword there was nothing I could do with my sword neither. I felt cut after cut, increasing the pain. I heard him shout the name of his attack. Pipsqueak jumped happily, as he shouted as well. “STAR BURST, STREAM!” Princess Luna nodded happily, and let the colt cuddle under her wing as she continued with the story. And, at my side, Lightning Flash aimed her sword at me, and sent a series of attacks. Eleven consecutive attacks at great speed. She shouted the name of that horrible technique. An attack that she inherited from her mentor, Zekken. “The MOTHER’S ROSARIO!” exclaimed young Pip. “Yes, that one.” confirmed Luna with a sad smile. “I woke up at the hospital twelve hours later. Tia was at my side, seeming really worried about me. I took ten whole minutes to assimilate what just happened to me. I had been defeated! “Ten minutes?” asked little Pip. “Oh, yeah. Until then I was capable to defeat Shining Armor with no effort. Also, my sister’s captain, Master Sword, and practically the whole Royal Guard. I mean, vice-captain Hylian Shield was so proud of his unbreakable shield technique, but it was no match for my sword.” Luna laughed. “How could these ponies be so strong? Strong enough to beat an alicorn in less than five minutes! The shame of defeat didn’t last. I was mostly excited, I have finally found somepony to consider a rival. And it was a two-for-the-price-of-one offer!” Pip giggled, and Princess Luna continued with the story. Black Swordsman and Lightning Flash were dangerous mercenaries, and they had to be stopped before they were hired by someone dangerous. But I was no match for them. Not as long as they were together. That’s why I decided to investigate them as much as I could. Follow them, keep all the information I could before my move. I had to get them off-guard but I also had to know who I was facing. I learned a lot about those two. Of how they were husband and wife, who came to Equestria looking for a home after a lifetime in the dangerous lands of Aincrad. Also I made a research about Aincrad. Understanding the place they came from would help me to understand them. Aincrad had monsters more dangerous than the ones we have in Equestria, who lived in horrible places called ‘Dungeons’ that were also full of death-traps. Living in there for Boss-knows how long made them what they were. One day, I decided I was ready. I followed Lightning Flash. She went to a ‘girls-night’ with her friends from Aincrad. Silica, Leafa and Lizbeth. I disguised myself and went into the bar they were. I challenged Lightning on the spot. “Princess Luna, it’s been a while.” said Lightning Flash. “What do I owe the honor?” “You know what I want, Lightning Flash. I am here to capture you, in the name of the Crown.” Lightning raised an eyebrow, and aimed her sword to me. “Get ready!” I challenged. She jumped toward me with sword on hoof. Luna giggled. “A ‘Mother’s Rosario’ later I woke up in the hospital. I wasn’t able to block that technique of Tartarus. And let’s not mention the Start Burst Stream.” “What? Did you also faced the Black Swordsman on your own?” asked Pip, astonished. Luna raised her wing, and showed him a big scar she had. “I did. He was with his friends Egil and Klein and it ended as well as my fight with his wife. I had to admit that as much as I was the best swordsman in Equestria, I was no match for the swordsmen from Aincrad.” “Also, they were the best swordfighters in Aincrad.” added Pip. Luna sighed, but she was still smiling. “I learned it at the hard way. Finally I had no choice but using my magic. Such a shame, I wanted to win as a warrior, not as a Princess. But it was necessary. Tia was ready to use a large task-force in order to take them down, and lock them away for good. But I had other plans, so I had to act quickly.” One day I intercepted them in the middle of a family trip, on the red district. I aimed my sword to the two warriors, who did their best to protect their daughter with their bodies. Black Swordsman extended his wings, and stood between me and the unicorn filly. Lightning covered the filly’s back, but I threw them away with my magic. I looked at the child, she was barely six year old. I didn’t like what I saw. “Why? Why on earth are you exposing a filly as young as this to this kind of life? What kind of future she will have living with mercenaries as you?” Black Swordsman looked at me to the eyes. “Yui had no one when we found her, lost in the forest. Now we cannot imagine life without Yui.· Lightning “If you want to separate her from our side, go on Your Highness. But you will have to take her away from our dead hooves.” That made me think. I asked my soldiers to arrest them and took them to my private chambers without saying a word to my sister. If I let her take them to prison, not only she would interfere with my plans but also that would mean that she had to split their family. With the two of them in prison, Yui would never see them again. At the next day, I went to see them. “I’ll be honest with you. Equestrian Law won’t let you keep your daughter. What kind of future does your family have?” “But I want to stay with mama and papa!” cried Yui. I stroke the little one’s mane. “Yui, your parents are wanted criminals. They broke several equestrian laws, and they have to pay for their crimes.” Black Swordsman stared at me with a smirk. “Unless?” “Since my return, my Royal Guard had been formed only by the soldiers my sister lend me. But I need my own Guard. But I have really high standards. I need the best of the bests, and you’ll give them to me. I need you to become my Royal Captains.” The two warriors looked at me, without saying a word. So I continued. “In exchange, I’ll clean your criminal record, and make sure of your child’s safety and wellbeing. You can live here as a family, under my protection.” The two warriors extended a hoof to me. “For Yui.” “For Yui.” With that, Luna finished her story. “That’s how my Guard became the strongest in Equestria.” Pipsequeak smiled dreamily. “Princess, when I grow up, I will join your Guard, I’ll be a great soldier!” Luna hugged him. “Of course Pip, when you grow up. Everything would be possible when you grow up.” “Promise it!” said the colt. “You’ll accept me in your Royal Guard!” Luna simply smiled at him. “Of course, Pip. When you get big enough, there would be a place in my Guard waiting for you.” “And I’ll protect you!” “And you’ll protect me, Pipsy. No go to sleep, we’ll have some more fun tomorrow.” “Okay, Princess Luna.” Princess Luna put the young colt under the sheets, and then laid aside him, letting her consciousness to vanish into the Dream Realm to do her job. At the next day, while Pip was still sleeping in her bed, Princess Luna quietly exited her room to get some breakfast for the both of them. “You seem to be having fun, Luna.” smiled Celestia. “I am. Good thing that his parents allowed him to spend the weekend with me. I love his company.” “And his letters always make your day brighter.” added Celestia. Luna giggled happily. “I just love having him around.” “I’m glad for the two of you.” said Celestia. “Is good to see you’re getting closer with our little ponies. And seeing that you have an special friend to share with cheers me up.” “Me too! The kid would grow up one day, and maybe we couldn’t be as close as we are now, but I’ll always treasure this moments.” Eleven years later: Princess Luna entered to the training field of the Lunar Guard, with her two captains at both of her sides. The trio was there to evaluate the recruits who dreamed with joining the Lunar Guard, the strongest of Equestria’s Royal Guards. The Royal Guard that defeated the Solar and the Crystal Guard each time they faced in official competitions. As a matter of fact, the only ones who have defeated them were the Great of Friendship, but because they tricked them, but that’s another story. A stain in the history of the invincible Lunar Guard that time would never erase. Anyway, because they had to maintain their status as the strongest and most powerful Royal Guard in Equestria so they only accepted the best of the bests. The two warriors and the Princess sat on a small table, especially prepared for the occasion. “How many aspirants we have today?” asked Princess Luna. “Twenty five more or less.” said Black Swordsman. “I hope everyone passes, really. But we cannot lower our standards.” “Not everypony is material for the Lunar Guard.” Lightning Flash turned to the soldiers and called. “Blackest Night! Petra Oleum! Wings of Darkness, step ahead!” Three soldiers, an earth pony and two pegasi saluted their captain. They unsheathed their swords, getting ready for the recruits. Black Swordsman took a list. “Aspirant Silver Wing!” A light gray pegasus, with black mane entered to the battlefield carrying a short sword. With no warning, the soldiers that Lightning called to the battlefield jumped over her, with swords in hoof. They finished the poor one in three seconds. “Disappointing.” sighed Lightning Flash. “Very.” agreed Black Swordsman. “This won’t be different from the other years.” “There had been surprises.” said Luna. The fights continued. A couple of aspirants managed to hit the attackers once, or twice. When this happened, eveyrpony smiled at the probability of a new partner, but soon their hopes died. Then a young earth pony called Cold Fusion appeared. He had cobalt blue fur, and white mane. He not only was capable to defend himself, but he managed to defeat one of his attackers. Princess Luna, Black Swordsman and Lightning Flash exchanged a look and smiled, he was the chosen one. The next applicant also defeated one of the Lunar Soldiers, a dark purple pegasus with naval blue mane called Quick Storm. She was selected immediately along with Cold Fusion. “By the way, Princess.” said Lightning Flash at some point. “What happened with your friend from Ponyville? He used to join us FOR the trials.” Luna sighed sadly. Since they met that fateful Nightmare Night, little Pip and Luna were really close, and she used to take him to all kind of special events. Exclusive presentations of the Shadow Bolts, a seat in the Royal Balcony at the military games, Great Galloping Galas (recently), trials for the Lunar Guard, and of course, Nightmare Nights. Luna sighed again. “That what he wanted, but he had to do the entrance exam for the university. He’s becoming an adult. I’m glad, but also a bit sad about it. Anyway, call the next aspirant.” Black Swordsman looked at the list, and couldn’t help but chuckle. “What?” asked Princess Luna. “You won’t like this.” “Just call the next aspirant already!” Black shrugged. “As you wish. Aspirant Piper Squeak!” Luna almost fell of her chair, but Black and Lightning held her on time. With the pass of years Pipsqueak was still a bit short, but he compensated it with the well-marked muscles he got by working at his family’s dairy farm and the intense combat training from the Guard of Friendship. They happily trained Pip in exchange for him to clean the headquarters. Young Pipsqueak got into the training field, looking nervous, and avoiding Luna’s glance. Instead, he decided to focus in the three soldiers he had to defeat. “Have you received any form of combat training?” asked the earth pony soldier. Instead of answering, Pip threw a hooful of dirt to the soldier’s eyes, and before he could say anything else, Pip took him by the mane, and used him as a living shield to protect himself from the double charge from the pegasi. Pip threw the now unconscious earth pony to the charging pegasi, getting one. The other one however managed to cut Pip. He groaned in pain, but he ignored it, and smashed the fallen pegasus head to the ground three times to get him unconscious, when the remaining one cut him at the back. Pip grinded his teeth, and turned to face his opponent, only for an arrow to pierce his back. Pip screamed in pain, as the remaining pegasus knocked him down with a roundhouse kick to the jaw. Pip fell unconscious, it was over. Luna looked at the scene completely horrified. Then she looked up, to a beam, and shouted. “SINON! WHO GAVE YOU PERMISSION TO INTERFERE?” In the shadows, the unicorn known as the Cold-hearted Snipper, shrugged. “We did, Princess Luna.” said Black Swordsman. “He should be more aware of his surroundings.” Luna mumbled a cursed word, as Black smiled. “Still he passed.” “WHAT?” shouted Luna. “You cannot be serious.” “He got two down, one more than the others.” agreed Lightning. “He is the best so far.” Luna couldn’t believe it. “Pipsy… what were you thinking?” “Lightning and I can take care from here.” offered Black Swordsman. “Take him to the infirmary, and ask him in person.” Luna nodded, thankful. “Please do, and tell me if there are more ponies worthy of our Guard.” The two captains saluted, and Luna took the unconscious Pip to the infirmary. A couple of medics ran to offer her a stretcher but she refused. “I’ll take him myself, thank you very much.” When Pip woke up, he found himself at a hospital bed, with bandages covering his forehooves, and barrel. His whole body hurt, but he was in a very good mood. “This is going to leave a mark.” he said to nopony in particular. “Oh, yes it would.” said Luna, standing before his bed. “Do you mind to tell me what were you thinking?” Pip tried to stand, but Luna forced him back to bed with his magic. “Stay down, and answer me!” Pip rolled his eyes. “Come on, Luna, since I was little I always told you that I wanted to join the Lunar Guard. Now that I turned eighteen, and I’m enough to enlist, I’ll be following my childhood dream. By the way, did I pass?” Luna glared at him. “This is what you care about? If you passed? Yes you did, Pip. But the Lunar Guard is no joke.” Pip nodded. “I know, everypony knows what they’re capable of. That’s why I wanted to be a part of it.” “Pip!” said Luna, as patiently as she could. “You are and forever be my especial friend. But you must understand that being my friend and my soldiers are two completely different things. If you join my guard, things cannot continue the way they are now.” Pip rolled his eyes. “With all respect, how old do you think I am? I am a grown adult, responsible of myself. And yes, I am following my childhood dream, but yes, I do have an idea of what this means. Including the fact that I may take my distance from my best friend. But it’s worth it.” Luna frowned. “Pip, that hurts.” “Sorry.” apologized Pip. “What I was trying to say is that I probably won’t be able to write you as often as I use to. But, hey, I made it! From now on, I am a part of the strongest Guard in Equestria, and I’ll serve my best friend. Seems fine to me.” Luna sighed. “You have no idea what you’re getting into, Pipsqueak.” “Maybe not, but this is the right age to make mistakes. If this is a mistake, well, at least I will be living my childhood dream for a while.” Luna finally smiled. “Again, you passed, two votes against one. Who trained you to fight anyway?” “Captain Derpy of the Guard of Friendship.” Luna nodded. “Twilight Sparkle’s soldiers, former members of Tia’s Secret Service. Have they trained you in something else than combat? More like spy-stuff?” Pip shrugged. “There’s no lock, or safe that can resist me. Why?” “For real? Okay, as long as you don’t start robbing the safes around the castle, you are welcome to my Guard, rookie Squeak.” “It will be my honor to serve you, Princess Luna.” Author's Note So this little side-story is meant to show how Luna and Pip eventually fell in love in the Chaos: the Age of Spike universe. I hope you liked it, and, this is a semi slow paced story, trying to explore Pip and Luna’s relationship. I hope you liked it and, Oh, the family!Oh, the family! The routine was always the same for the family. The hard-working mare known as Dairy Squeak woke up early every morning to milk the cows. Once she finished she proceded to pasteurize the milk. Then and then sell it at the family store. It was a hard work that lasted for generations. First it was Dairy’s Etc.Grandfather. Then her Great-Great-Great Grandfather, then her Great-Great Grandfather, then her Great Grandfather continued with the legacy. Then her Grandfather took the family business until it was time to pass it to Dairy’s father who then passed it to Dairy. And now, it was almost time for her son to take over the family business. He went to Canterlot to study Business Administration in a prestigious college, so it was only a matter of time before Pip to take over the business. Yes it was a brilliant future. That day as always, Dairy finished milking the cows and went to have breakfast with her father Middle Squeak before opening the store. She found him yelling at the newspaper. He always did that criticizing the Government, the taxes, the art news, etc. Complaining to the newspaper was Middle Squeak’s hobby. But this time he was yelling louder and angrier than usual. “DAMN IT! HOW CAN OUR FAMILY HAVE COME TO THIS!! THIS IS IT! THE SHAME OF THE SQUEAK FAMILY! THIS GENERATION DOES NOT RESPECT TRADITIONS ANYMORE! THIS IS A MATTER OF FAMILY HONOR!” It was when Dairy Squeak entered the dining room. “Hey dad! What is it today? Did Celestia raised the taxes again?” Her father gave her an angry look. So intense that Dairy understood this was serious. He showed her the first page. THE NEXT PRINCE OF EQUESTRIA? ─ Princess Luna finds the love of her life in her Royal Guard ─ And right under the title, a picture of her son Pipsqueak with Princess Luna in a date in a restaurant in Canterlot. “Do you realize what this means?!” said the old stallion. “Your son, my own flesh and blood betrayed the family!” Dairy Squeak grinded her teeth. “You are right. The honor of our family is on the line. We cannot let this happen! Milk can wait!” “Yes, let’s go to Canterlot!” The two of them ran to get on the next train to Canterlot. This was an urgent matter. Pipsqueak’s day assignment was to patrol the streets of Canterlot. Under command of Leafa from the Clan of Sylf, sister of the Black Swordsman. And for the first time, since they became official guards he was on the same group with one pony from his promotion. Her friend Quick Storm. It was a beautiful and peaceful morning like every morning in Canterlot. The city was very peaceful and most of the issues the Royal Guards had to deal with were minor disturbances. And rarely they had to send a pony to the dungeons. And when they did, most of the time the ponies were just ponies who had too much to drink (ironically most of them were other Royal Guards when they were off-duty). For the Red Districts, Trixie’s unit would take care of. It seemed to be another boring day when two ponies charged at the patrol. A brown earth pony mare with a straight dark mane and hazelnut eyes. And an old stallion around his seventies but still strong and full of energy. His fur was white, with a short mane between brown and silver. His eyes were moss green. Their Cutie Marks were a big bottle of milk and a round cheese respectively. “There you are!” said the old stallion. “Well, well, well kid. You have a lot to explain.” said Dairy Squeak sternly. The guards exchanged a confused look. But Pipsqueak only rolled his eyes. “Before you two try anything funny, let me remind you that assaulting a Royal Soldier on duty is a federal offense. My shift ends at six, after training. Do you mind if we meet at the Main Plaza?” The two earth ponies looked at Pip, then at the patrol, and nodded walking away. “Ehem… Cadet Squeak?” asked Leafa. “My mom and grandfather. Long story, I blame tabloids.” Nopony said more. They understood. Or thought they understood. Truth be told, Pipsqueak’s family problems were a bit siller than anypony thought. And after patrolling and fight on the training Pip prepared to go out. Unfortunately Luna came to intercept him. “Hey, Pipsy! Just the pony I was looking for. Ready for our walk around the gardens?” Pip sighed. “Sorry Luna but my family came to visit.” Luna frowned. She was upset but not with Pip. She knew his family very well and also knew the kind of problem Pip was in. “I love modern times. But the concept of freedom of the press is something I can’t truly get used to.” Pip shrugged. “I know but at least you can call your Royal Guard and they will deal with your problems with you. But I, a commoner, can’t do anything about it.” “But I can. I’ll add a couple of weeks to their sentence.” said Luna remembering the journalists the Lunar Guard captured when they started to stalk Pip and her. “What?” “Extra official sentence.” Clearified Luna. “I know I can’t arrest them for publishing article about us. But between us they haven’t been able to sleep in weeks. I make sure they see the worse nightmares as soon as they put a hoof in my realm.” Pip didn’t say anything about it. “Anyway. I would invite you but this is a family matter. I hope you understand.” Luna nodded. “I do, Pip. See you tomorrow.” “Me too. I’ll miss you Luna.” “And I’m already missing you.” Pipsqueak smiled and Pipsqueak smiled back at him. “And tell me, how it went when they find you?” “They were lucky to find me while I was patrolling you. At least my companions didn’t ask too many questions.” “Respect among my guards is very important. More important than the respect toward my sister.” “LUNA! I heard that!” shouted Celestia from her castle wing. They giggled at this and finally Pipsqueak went to meet his family. Pisqueak looked for his family everywhere around until he found them eating at a café. “You were taking too long so we started eating without you, Piper.” said his grandfather coldly. Pip sat with his family and a waiter approached. “Good evening mister. Do you want something to eat?” “No, thanks. But can you bring me a beer? I have a feeling that I’m going to need it.” The waiter was used to this kind of things so he only nodded and went to get Pip’s drink. Dairy and Middle stared at Pip who patiently waited for what was coming. “So…” began his mother. But she was interrupted by Pip’s grandpa who exploded right away. “PIPER! HOW DARE YOU TO STAIN THE FAMILY’S HONOR JUST LIKE THAT? DO YOU REALIZE WHAT YOU’VE DONE?!” The waiter brought Pip’s beer who drank half of it at once. “Okay grandpa, continue.” “PIPER! DO YOU REALIZE WHAT YOU’VE DONE?!” Pipsqueak nodded. “I realize. I’m a grown pony, okay? I’ve always dreamed about becoming a soldier. A Lunar Soldier.” “This is outrageous! The rumors would spread like wildfire in Ponyville!” Pip shrugged. “I don’t really care. I live in Canterlot now.” Dairy Squeak sigued. “We had so many plans for you Piper… by joining the army you have ruined everything!” “You just missed the chance to be the eight generation of milk ponies!” groaned Middle. “Hey I wouldn’t quit my childhood dream for that.” “But you said you would study business administration so you could take care of the family store when you come back!” said Dairy. “Yes. Only if I missed the test to join the Lunar Guard. But I didn’t. And here I am almost completing my first year as a soldier of Princess Luna.” “The family business is over because of you!” “Then train an apprentice or something.” shrugged Pipsqueak. “This is a family matter!” “Then train my cousins or someone else. Or maybe a stallion catches mom’s eye. Who knows! I mean, she’s still pretty.” Dairy Squeak blushed at this but didn’t let that distract her. “When were you going to tell us son?” “As soon as I get promoted.” “Why so long?” “Because I wanted to delay this conversation as much as I could.” said Pip, taking a sip of his beer. “Oh, whatever!” Dairy Squeak sighed. “Yes whatever! However I am more dissapointed that you thought you would have to wait until you get ascended to tell us Pip.” “To be honest I was afraid that you would force me quit the Guard and get into college.” The grandfather grumped. “I am tempted to do it, but I guess it is your life.” Piper smiled, thankful. He knew how stubborn his grandpa was. “Thank you for understanding granps.” “Then are you sure you’re not even a bit interested in the milk business?” asked the old earth pony. “Nope, sorry.” “I see. But if you change your mind the family business would be waiting for you.” Pip smiled and made a toast with his grandpa. Everything was okay. Then Dairy asked. “So the Princess and you?” Pip couldn’t help but blush and smile.”Yeah, I don’t know what happened but I am glad it did.” Middle Squeak sighed happily. “This reminds me of your grandma and me. She was my first crush. After many years we tied the knott and continued the family business.” Pip sighed in annoyance. “Anyway, pretty much like you and dad, right mom?” asked Pip. Dairy frowned. “Don’t mention him again please. But back to you Pipsqueak, I still remember how you told us you’ll take her to your favority hayburger place, then a date on the park and end the night with ice cream.” Pip’s face was completely red. “Please stop mom!” “Aw, is my little Pip too ashamed? Come on, this is my job as a mom!” “Mom please this is not Ponyville. I don’t want to give them anything to annoy Luna tomorrow morning. They’ve had enough material with the two of you yelling. I don’t want to get angry and do something I would regret. I’ve sent a pony to the dungeons already, and I don’t want to be forced to do it again.” Mom and grandpa exchanged a worried look. “Oh, Pip is that true?” “Are you sure that you want to live here if you have to deal with it?” “This has just started. But I don’t mind as much. What I can’t stand is them bothering Luna, that I will not allow.” Dairy Squeak smiled. “Aw, aren’t you the sweetist thing?” With that they finished dinner and Pip walked them to their hotel and then he returned to the Castle. At the next day somepony gave him the day’s newspaper. Pip sighed in annoynace. “Of course! It never fails!” ─ A Prince or a milkpony? ─ Princess Luna’s new coltfriend mysterious origin finally comes to light. After breakfast Pip went to check his daily assignment. Luckily for him it was patrolling the hallways. He wouldn’t have to get out of the castle. Luna came to find him a later on. “Pipsy!” she called. Pipsqeak saluted. “Princess! We’ve talked about this, when I am on duty I am cadet Piper Squeak!” “Don’t give me that Pip, I’m not in the mood! Have you seen the newspapers? They said horrible things about you on the paper.” “They said I am coming from a family of milkponies, and it’s true. You’ve been in my house multiple times, and seen the family business.” “Well yes but the way they said it is wrong. Pip, they can say whatever they want about me but no one messes with my Pipsy!” “And nopony messes with my Princess.” said Pipsqueak. “I don’t mind they reveal I’m from a family of milkponies. But I will now allow them to say anything bad about you.” Luna ended up kissing him on the spot must of his fellow guards’ amusement. “Luna I am on duty.” “Yes I know, but today I had a hard time dealing with this, also I am the Princess and I demand a kiss from my knight.” Pipsqueak finally did as he was told knowing that if a reporter somehow made his way in, the rest of the guards would take care of them. “See you tonight Pip?” “I invited my family if you don’t mind. They want to formally meet you as my marefriend.” Luna smiled. “I would love to. Good job Cadet Squeak.” “At your service, my Princess.” Author's Note So here it is a new chapter in this story, sorry for the delay but I kind of forgot I was translating this story. Also next chapter will include an element from ‘Chaos the Age of Spike’ so I hope you enjoy it. Read ya’ later!!
Training and initiation ritesTraining and initiation rites That Monday Pipsqueak entered to the Lunar Guard’s training field, wearing his new rookie uniform with pride. It was a black and blue armor, almost the same as the rest of the guards. The only difference was that Pip’s armor didn’t have Luna’s emblem on its chest plate and its flanks. But he will have it soon, at the completion of the training. Soon, Pip found the other rookies, the other ponies who lacked the emblem of the Moon on their armors. They were just five. A small number, compared with the rest of the Royal Guards, but it that number was standard for the Lunar Guard. The standards set by Black Swordsman and Lightning Flash were too high for the majority of the ponies. The new members were, Cold Fusion; an earth pony like Pipsqueak. Quick Storm, the dark purple pegasus, Reality Slash, another pegasus with black fur and white mane. And last but not least, Acid Javeline; amber-colored pegasus with cyan mane. “Hey!” smiled Pip. “I guess you are my new comrades!” “A pleasure to meet you, pal!” greeted Quick Storm, in excellent mood. “Are you ready?” “As ready as I’ll be.” said Pip. “Everypony knows that the Lunar Guard is no joke.” Acid sighed. “I hear you man!” joined Acid Javeline. “You should saw my trial. I get one of my opponents there, right at the stallion’s weakest point. Then, when he bended in pain, I bucked his head. Then his friends got me and he had his revenge by smashing my head on the ground over and over. I was already defeated by them, but they didn’t show mercy no matter how much I begged them to stop.” “You realize that you did! They are our new comrades!” exclaimed Reality Slash. “Hey, a friend told me you used the very same trick, why are you complaining?” asked Acid. Reality blushed furiously. “Okay, well, yeah, but I panicked and…” Pip laughed happily. “Don’t worry! Black Swordsman have told me that the Lunar Guard don’t play by the rules. We play to win! The only tricks that are considered dirty are the ones that doesn’t help you.” Cold Fusion glared coldly at Pipsqueak. “Are you telling us that you, an insignificant pony, knows the Black Swordsman?” Pip rolled his eyes, but in the bottom of his heart he knew that he had three choices. To tell them that he was a close friend of Princess Luna since he was little, lie, or ignore Cold’s provocation. He chose to lie. “Yes! I met him at a ‘meet and greet’ event after the Military Games. So what?” Cold Fusion blushed, and turned away. “Hmpf, I came here to serve Princess Luna. Not to make friends. If I wanted to make friends, I would have joined the Guard of Friendship.” “Bad thing!” said Black Swordsman, approaching the rookies along with his wife. “Because no matter how far you get as a ‘solo-player’ there’s point where you’ll need the help of a friend you can trust.” “A lesson that even Black learned with time.” giggled Lightning Flash. The new recruits saluted their captains. “Good morning, Captain Black Swordsman, Captain Lighting Flash!” The legendary warriors smiled at the rookies. “It’s always a pleasure to meet a new generation of Lunar Guards, ready to begin their training.” “It is an honor to serve you and Princess Luna, sir, madam, sir!” said Acid Javelin. Lightning Flash made a small nod. “Good to see that enthusiasm! You’re going to need it. Now come on! We’ll get your weapons for today’s training.” The group of new recruits followed their captains to the official smithy of the Lunar Guard, ran by a vermillion-red earth pony with pink mane. “The rookies! Just in time!” smiled the blacksmith. Black Swordsman made a small nod and turned to the group, introducing the red earth pony. “Let me introduce you to the one and only ‘Blacksmith-scammer’, Liz.” Liz rolled her eyes, annoyed. “Yeah, right. Just ask me to fix your stupid swords again, stupid.” Black and Lightning laughed at this. “We know Lizbeth since we lived in Aincrad. We like to tease each other like this.” explained Lightning Flash. Liz winked an eye to her friends, and opened the doors of the smithy to the new recruits. “We’ll have more than enough time to know each other better, now its weapon time!” She pulled a small cart full of weapons, and began to give one to each rookie. “Hey, can’t we choose our own weapon?” asked Reality Slash balancing his war-hammer. “No.” said Lightning coldly. “”First you’ll have to train with all the weapons until you find the one you’re comfortable with.” “When you finish your training, you’ll have practiced enough with all weapons to make sure which makes you feel better.” continued Black Swordsman. “So I can make you your customized weapon.” finished Lizbeth. Quick Storm tilted her head in confusion. “A custom weapon? Just like that?” Liz nodded, proud. “Yes. A weapon is the extension of a warrior. All of us are trained to use all kinds of weapons, but there’s always one we are better at using. Once I give you your weapon, you must name it and take care of it as it was another part of yourselves.” With that the Black Swordsman guided his group to a door in the bottom of the training field. “This will take you to a dungeon, in the depths of Aincrad. This is a medium-ranked dungeon, so monsters won’t be as dangerous, and the traps are not lethal. You’ll get out of there only with some minor injuries.” Cold Fusion raised a hoof. “Question, how’s that this door…?” “A small favor from our beloved God of Chaos Spike.” explained Lightning with a small shrug. “One of his ‘Crazy Doors.’” Black Swordsman grinned at them. “From the bottom of my heart, I wish you the best of lucks and that you return in one piece.” “But what do we have to do?” asked Acid Javelin. “To get to the other side, where you’ll find another ‘Crazy Door’ that would bring you back here. You can work together, or act as ‘solo-players’ I don’t care. But I need you to come back safe, all of you.” With that the Black Swordsman opened the ‘Crazy-Door’ to his new trainees. And, after exchange nervous glances, they crossed the door one by one. They found themselves at a large temple-like structure made out of stone. The ground was covered in soft moss, where a six-headed hydra was slumbering peacefully. Gulping, the recruits tried to move quietly, but the Black Swordsman slammed the door closed, waking up the monster. The hydra looked at the group with its purple eyes shining in expectation, and the first thing it did was to send one of its heads to them. Pip raised his weapon, a large halberd, blocking the creature’s attack, but the impact pushed him back. Cold fusion jumped, and knocked the head unconscious with his assigned weapon, a war hammer. The hydra roared, and retreated its unconscious head with the help of the remaining five, and rethought strategy. Finally it decided to aim one head to each target. Unfortunately this time the rookies were ready. Reality Slash cut one head off, ad ran over the neck as it was a bridge to get to the back of the monster. Two heads immediately noticed and charged against the pegasus. Fortunately, Acid Javelin noticed and shot the monster with her ballista. The arrow went through the monster’s neck right before it could chow one of Reality’s back legs, giving her time to stab the creature’s back with his gladius. The hydra roared in pain, and sent one of its remaining heads to Reality, and this time no pony could help him in time, and her leg got caught on the monster’s jaw. “SH1T!! A LITTLE HELP!” Pip aimed his halberd’s tip to the hydra’s eye, killing the head, and freeing his partner, but he was down. The hydra took it as its chance, and sent another of its heads against the now helpless pony, when Quick Storm threw her spear through its head, killing it, but being careful enough to not to cut it. They already had two extra heads to worry about. One of the new heads have turned its attention to Pipsqueak, and opened its mouth to swallow the pony, when an arrow went through its back head, and went out of its open mouth. Acid recharged her ballista, and hot to the legs of the creature, before it switched from fangs to claws. Cold smirked lightly, and dodging the desperate attacks of the remaining two heads, he smashed the knees with his hammer, breaking them, leaving the hydra unable to stand or to chase them “What about we put it out of its misery?” suggested Quick Storm, flying in circles around the poor hydra. “Go ahead!” said Pip. She threw her spear again, aiming to the back, and being careful enough to get the heart. The hydra was dead. “Not too bad for being our first monster, but I wish I did more!” said Pipsqueak. Acid Javelin put her hoof on his shoulder happily. “Easy pal, you’ll have your chance to shine. Everypony will.” “This is a dungeon after all.” shrugged Reality Slash. Pip smiled. “You’re right. Now what?” Now that the hydra was dead, the group had the chance to examine the rest of the room. “There are two doors!” said Quick Storm. Which one shall we use?” “”Let’s take left!” said Acid. “Cool!” agreed the rest. Pip then turned to Cold Fusion with a smirk. “Cold, you take right.” “Yeah, you are the one who wants to play alone, we won’t stop you.” shrugged Reality Slash. Cold Fusion rolled his eyes. “Very funny, right?” “You were the one who didn’t want to make friends but to serve Princess Luna.” added Quick Storm. “Yes, dude, we won’t stop you if you want to become a solo-player.” Cold let them laugh, and stared at the door of the right for a minute before he joined his companions. They looked at him when he joined, but didn’t say more. Nine hours later the Black Swordsman and the Lightning Flash looked at their new recruits exiting the door. They were all covered with bruises and burns, and they all limped at least in one hoof. But they were smiling. At Black’s signal, a cadet brought them a tray with potions. “Drink this to heal your wounds for tomorrow morning.” said Lightning. “Something tells me that you’ll sleep well tonight.” “And you better because I want you out of your beds at four hundred!” added Black. All the new recruits drank the potions, instantly feeling better. “Now that you are all refreshed, privates Night Wing and Red Hood will take you to the barracks. Take a quick shower, and I want you at the dining room in twenty minutes. Okay?” “Sir, yes sir!” shouted the new recruits. Two pegasi stepped ahead, a male and a female, and proceed to guide them to their rooms, when Black Swordsman called Pip apart. “Wait, recruit Squeak!” “Yes?” asked Pip. He turned to his companions, who stopped waiting for him, but he waved a hoof to them. “It’s okay, I’ll be with you in no time!” “Are you sure?” asked him Quick Storm. “Of course, don’t worry about me.” They nodded and left him with Black and Lighting. “Okay, now what?” “You see, Princess Luna made special arrangements for you.” explained Lightning Flash. “You have a private room. Pip rolled his eyes, annoyed. “Aren’t private rooms for officers only?” “Yes, but you are very dear to Princess Luna. Her Nightmare Night’s special friend.” “And she wants you to be as comfortable as possible.” Pip face-hoofed, groaning. “Go tell her that thanks but no thanks. I’ll live at the barracks with the rest of my partners.” “But, because of Princess’ order, you don’t have a bed in there. Yours is in your private room.” explained Lightning. “Then put one and done, right?” asked Pip. “Is not like you can’t get one n Canterlot.” And he turned away, joining the other new recruits. Watching him leaving, Black couldn’t help but smile. “I’m proud of him.” Lightning nodded, giggling. “Yeah, Princess Luna’s little friend is not a spoiled brat after all. Good for him.” In the meantime, Pip have arrived to the barracks where he would share a room with Cold Fusion and Reality Slash. But, as the captains said, his bed was missing. “Hey!” greeted the other earth pony. “As you can see, we took the beds. One is missing and since you stayed behind…” Pip sighed. “That was what the captains wanted to tell me, that there was a missing bed and I may spend the night at a private room for tonight, but I refused. I rather sleep in the floor, so they said that they would do everything in their power to get a new bed for tonight.” “Hey, why didn’t you take the private room? That would be so cool!” said Reality Slash. “Obviously, because our partner knows that he is here to get the full military experience.” said Cold, with an approving smile. Still a tiny smile. “Exactly! We are now Lunar Guards, we have to be strong!” Cold aimed a hoof to his bed. “Well, in the meantime, you can put your stuff in my bed.” “Thanks!” said Pip. Cold nodded. “If we’re going to spend all our time together from now on, we better get along.” “Remind me who was the one who didn’t come here to make friends was?” mocked Reality. “He is our very own tsundere!” laughed Pip. Cold didn’t say a word, but both Pip and Reality could swear that they noticed a small smirk. Then they showered and went to the dining room. And, when they returned to their room, there was an extra bed waiting for Pip. The rest of the first week was pretty much alike. They never used the same weapon twice, and the dungeon they visited was always different, along with the monster they faced. And, at the end of each dungeon, their superiors were waiting for them with recovery potions from Aincrad. “This courtesy will last only for your first week of training.” they warned them. “Then, your combat skills have to be sharpened enough to face a dungeon without major damage.” “Sir, yes sir!” answered the rookies. With that, the first week of training came to an end. For the big finish, their officer in command, Blacked Night, took the rookies to the hallway that separated Luna’s wing from Celestia’s. “So today are we supposed to patrol this hallway?” asked Reality Slash. “No, we are here for our initiation rite.” explained Reality Slash. “Right now, her Royal Highness Princess Luna, is on her way here with her sister, Princess Celestia. Do you know what it means?” The Solar soldiers who were patrolling that hallways only groaned in annoyance, as the Lunar Guards smirked expectantly. “A Lunar Guard shows little to no respect to Princess Celestia.” explained Blackest Night. “And, the Lunar Guard is famous for making Celestia jokes right in her face.” “You don’t mean…” “Celestia joke!” said the well-trained Lunars in unison. The new recruits gulped. “What? But…” “Easy, we are under direct protection of Princess Luna, we can be as disrespectful as we want with the other Princesses, and legally, there’s nothing they can do about it.” “They are coming!” announced a Lunar. Blackest Night turned to the rookies. “Are you sure that no one wants to try? The timing is perfect, and you’ll have to do it at some point anyway.” Pip shyly raised a hoof. “I’ll do it. I know a joke, is not a Celestia joke, but I think I can adapt it.” Blackest Night smiled. “Go ahead, I believe in you.” Celestia and Luna turned and were getting into the hallway as they were chatting happily. “Did he really rejected the private room you prepared for him?” asked Celestia, surprised. Luna sighed. “Yes, can you imagine it? My little Pip have turned into a stallion now, but I don’t know how I feel about having him at my Guard. Is too dangerous.” Celestia nodded understandingly. “You cannot help but worrying about your little friend, especially since you know each other since he was little. But, from my experience, the best advice I can give you is to let him be.” “But I…” “Luna, you’re not his mom, neither his mentor. You are his friend, and as such, you have to support him.” said Celestia, wisely. “I, as a mentor, had to let my students meet lots of mistakes in order for them to grow up.” Luna smiled. “You are right, Tia, I have to stay at Pip’s side no matter what.” “Same goes for me with Twilight and Blue Blood.” “What worries me the most is that he doesn’t fit with my soldiers.” Then they heard Pipsqueak’s voice all over the hallway: “Okay, the thing is that Celestia gets into a bar, with her phoenix, and the bartender asks, ‘Does that animal talks?’ and the phoenix answers: ‘Yes, but she is so stupid that you better ignore her babbling.” The laughs from the Lunar Guards filled the hallway. Luna turned to her sister when she started to feel hot. As she thought, Celestia’s mane have turned into fire, and her eyes were burning flames. “Tia…” “Don’t worry, I see that he fits right in, I HATE THE LUNAR GUARD, I HATE IT, I HATE IT!” And she went to her wing, swearing. Pip raised an eyebrow. “Huh, it feels a bit odd hear the Princess saying those things.” “This is nothing.” said Blackest Night. “You should hear her when she is having a bad day.” “And you will kid, because you have guts.” Smiled a guard. “I think you deserve a drink.” “Yeah, did you see Celestia’s face?” “I have to tell this joke to my friend. Yeah, I’ll definitely buy you a beer.” “But I only told a joke, a really stupid joke.” Said Pip. “Yes, but you showed that you are brave enough to make fun of Celestia on your first week. This is a new record for the Lunar Guard.” “Yeah, let us buy you a few drinks, it won’t harm.” Pip looked at Luna, who was astonished. He winked an eye to her, and let the others take him to the bar, as his companions followed them. “Hey, is just me or we’ll have to carry him back to the room?” asked Reality Slash. “Maybe. All I care now is that we have to think in our own Celestia joke.” sighed Cold Fusion. Author's Note This is the second chapter, more focused in the Lunar Guard and its traditions. Again, this takes a lot of elements from my other fic, ‘Chaos: the Age of Spike’ like the Lunar Guard laughing at Tia, and the SAO references. But soon enough I’ll move to the romantic element. I promise. Read ya’ later!!
This is the official uniform of the Lunar Guard. Wear it with prideThis is the official uniform of the Lunar Guard. Wear it with pride It was a beautiful Saturday morning. Morning light went through the windows of the shared dormitory of Pip, Reality Slash and Cold Fusion. Pip groaned, covering his head with a pillow. His head was killing him. “Damn Celestia and her damn sun! Right now I could use some eternal night…” Cold Fusion glanced at him from behind his book, and shrugged. “You finally wake up. Somepony came to remind you that you and she have plans for having lunch at the Tasty Treat today and she’ll not forgive you if you don’t show up. That she doesn’t care if you have the mother of hangovers, you better go.” Pip groaned. “I know, I know. Dang it, since when a bad joke is a ‘proof of bravery?’ But I couldn’t refuse the officers. And it was fun.” “We noticed.” Said Cold, cold and uninterested as usual, but with a small smile on his face. “Dude, why didn’t you mention you were a close friend with Princess Luna?” suddenly asked Reality Slash. “That’s so cool Pip!” “Yeah, why keep it as a secret?” asked Cold. Pip sighed. “First of all, I didn’t want you to think that I entered the Royal Guard because of her. And second, would you have believed me?” Cold Fusion thought about it for a moment, and nodded. “I guess you’re right. But also she doesn’t seem happy that you joined.” “And she also got upset when we told her that the officers spent the night inviting you drinks because of that joke.” giggled Reality Slash. “She acts like your mom or something.” “To Tartarus with her then!” complained Pip. “My head…” Cold threw him an aspirin. “Here, the best from Zecora’s pharmaceutics, courtesy of your second mom. So you see that she was serious about you not missing your lunch together.” Pip groaned, half because of the hangover, half because of the annoyance. “Whatever.” And then, right on time, Pip arrived to the Tasty Treat to have lunch with Princess Luna. But he was not in the mood. “Hi Pipsy! How was your first week?” asked Luna, sitting with him. Pip shrugged. “It was good, I think. I was the first of the unit who made a Celestia joke in her face. A dumb joke, but everypony was impressed.” Luna shook her head. “Yes, I was there, remember? Anyway, most of the rookies take the whole training before they lose all respect for my sister. Pip noticed she was annoyed, but didn’t say anything about it. After all, Celestia jokes were a tradition of the Lunar Guard. Pip laughed. “What can I say? After all that VIP meetings I’ve joined you, I knew I could get away with it. I’ve seen Black and Lightning mocking Celestia more times that I could count, and she haven’t done anything about it. Hey, I even remember that time when Trixie called Princess Twilight a c#nt and a b1tch in front of Celestia, and nothing happened.” “Something did happened.” Reminded him Luna. “Princess Twilight started to cry much to Trixie’s amusement. She complained with Celestia but…” “But she said that she didn’t have the authority to punish her because all of your soldiers are protected by some decree of yours.” finished Pip. “See? I knew I could get away with it!” “Okay, you had your reasons to make that joke like nothing.” admitted Luna. “Not exactly like nothing,” explained Pip, “I’ve been practicing in front of a mirror for the entire week.” Luna face-hoofed. “Pipsqueak, please, be careful. I don’t want you to become somepony you are not just because you want impress me. Alright?” Pip shook his head. “Luna, you are my best friend. I have no reason for trying to impress you.” “I know, that’s what I am trying to say Pipsqueak! I like you just the way you are.” Pip sighed in exasperation. “Luna, listen! This is not for you. I am not the kid who had a crush on the Princess of the night anymore! I am the kid who have admired the Black Swordsman and the Lightning Flash since I’ve heard about them for the very first time.” Luna couldn’t help but smile. “Alright, alright. I admit it was narcissistic from me to think you were doing this for me. But at least promise me something.” Pip shrugged. “Sure.” “That you won’t change who you are only to fit in the Guard. A few jokes, and going to drink with your friends it’s okay, just don’t change the Pipsy I love so much. Alright?” Pipsqueak nodded. “Of course Luna.” With that, they had their lunch and said goodbye until the next week. At least everything was fine between them now. The rest of that Saturday Pip spent it at his room. Luckily Cold Fusion was a silent partner, and spent his weekend reading. Reality Slash was a joker, and a bit noisy, but he also had a little too much to drink last night so he was quietly snoozing on his bed. “Hey Cold!” called Pip. Cold Fusion glanced at Pip from the edge of his book and made a small shrug. “I joined because I wanted to. Or you wanted to ask me something else?” “No. That.” said Pip sheepishly. “How…” “You are the only one of our partners that haven’t asked me yet. And, you have asked everypony except for me.” “Ok, cool…” said Pip. Truth be told, Cold made him nervous from the very first time he met him. “By the way, are you going to tell the girls you are Princess Luna’s friend?” groaned Reality Slash, just waking up. Pipsqueak sighed. “I guess I’ll have to. But I would like to keep it as a secret.” Cold Fusion raised an eyebrow. “Why? Confidence is vital for teamwork. Remember that story Black Swordsman uses to tell, of how he lost his companions for keeping a secret from them.” “Come on pal, hiding that the boss and I have been close friends since I was little have nothing to do with hiding my true strength or something.” Cold shook his head. “Still, confidence is vital for the teamwork.” Reality giggled as he covered his head with a pillow. “Who would say that the scary guy actually have a soft side.” Sunday the team returned to their training, and it had become more intense. “From now on you’ll have to be extra careful when you get inside the dungeons.” warned Lightning Flash. “Because once you’re out, you’ll have to fight your fellow Lunar Guards in combat.” “Seriously?” asked Quick Storm. “This is the Lunar Guard.” said Black Swordsman. “We did not became the strongest guard by being soft with the rookies. Now take care.” “Because a couple of you will have to face us when you get out of that dungeon. You have been warned.” said Lightning Flash. With that the recruits crossed the door that would take them to Aincrad. Pip looked at his weapon of the day, a rapier, like Lightning Flash’s. He gulped, and prayed for that weapon helped him to come intact from that dungeon. Cold looked at him and made a small nod. “Is not the weapon, Squeak. Is the soldier.” They all turned to see him. “Seriously, have any idea of how creepy you are when you read our minds like that” asked Pip. Cold Fusion sighed. “Is not my fault that you are so easy to read. Now, shall we choose our opponents?” Acid Javelin scratched her head. “But aren’t they who are going to attack us?” “The best defense is a good offense.” Said Cold. “We should take them as soon as we exit this dungeon, taking them by surprise.” “They are going to beat us in two seconds or something.” Cold nodded. “I know, but the goal is to take at least one of them.” Pip smiled. “Let’s do this!” Quick Storm sighed. “Okay, whatever. But we better make it to the end of the day in once piece!” “Yeah, if they kill us, we’ll kill you both!” warned Acid Javelin. And since there wasn’t more to say about it, the group went deeper into the dungeon. It wasn’t extremely complicate. A few monsters, traps, etc. At this point, the newest members of the Lunar Guard were pretty much used to this things. “Hey, look!” said Reality Slash looking to an open room. “An abandoned treasure chest!” “Or it’s a monster in disguise, or a trap, moron.” said Acid Javelin. “It’s common sense.” sighed Cold Fusion. “I know, I know, but if we beat the trap, we may get something good!” insisted Reality Slash. “I really need a new pair of boots.” “Then go get them. With Cold’s plan we have enough suicidal missions for the day.” complained Acid. “Oh, come on! Wanna trade suicidal missions?” “Any other day I would gladly join you pal!” smiled Pip, reminding of his adventures with Feather Weight, the CMC or Rumble (before they turned into agents of Chaos). “Buuut, our Captains said they are going to attack us personally so not today.” “Aw, what a shame!” complained Reality Slash. “Last week was your chance to activate traps on purpose.” scolded Quick Storm. The others nodded, knowing she was right. This time their officers won’t give them any healing potion when they exited the dungeon. Instead they would attack them. Suddenly, Pipsqueak stopped. “Hey, this is just a feeling, but any of you can lift me to the roof’s beams as soon as we get out?” “Dude, do you have any idea how much do you weight?” complained Reality Slash. “Yeah, but it’s all muscle!” replied Pipsqueak, kissing his forehooves. Acid chuckled. “I know. And don’t misunderstand me, but you look pretty great big boy. But, why do you want us to lift you?” “Because as soon as we start the fight, Sinon will greet us with her Hecate. We have to take her down before she even charge the ballista.” Cold agreed. “You are right. Do you think you can take her on time?” “Of course. I won’t beat her but at least I’ll make sure she doesn’t attack you.” said Pip. Cold grinned. “If I was a pegasus I would lift you myself.” “Okay, I’ll give you the lift.” sighed Quick Storm. “But you owe me a favor.” “And I’ll help you too!” said Acid. “You are too heavy for a single one of us to lift you on time.” “Okay, sure.” shrugged Pip. “You owe us a drink, and I’m serious!” insisted Acid. The rest of the dungeon was easy for the new recruits. And as it was expected from their training last week, they got to the other side with almost no damage. And as promised, they were greeted by their captains and a few more officers when they appeared back in the training field. “I’m glad to see you in one piece, rookies!” smiled Black Swordsman. “Are you ready for the next step on your training?” Without a warning, Quick and Acid lift Pip to the beams as Cold and Reality charged at Black Swordsman and Lightning Flash. When the two pegasus mares landed, they went to get the nearest soldiers they could get, Heart of Darkness and Blackest Night. They started a short battle that the most experienced soldiers easily won. However they heard a bunch of punches coming from above them and much to everypony’s surprise, the Cold-Hearted Snipper was thrown from the beams unconscious with a very visible bruise on her forehead. Black Swordsman caught her on the air as she slowly opened her eyes. “Are you alright?” Sinon nodded. “The Boss’ friend is fast. He managed to immobilize me before I could charge the Hecate or my support weapon.” “That’s what happens when you only focus in one combat area only.” reminded her Black Swordsman. “Shut up, most of the time my enemies don’t realize of my presence!” Black grinned “I know, and as a result, you grew overconfident and rookie Squeak won his first fight.” He looked up, where Pip was looking at them and then he turned to the defeated rookies. “Okay, who came up with the idea of attacking us as soon as you exited the dungeon?” Reality Slash saluted him. “It was Cold Fusion, my captain.” Black made an approval nod and turned to Cold. “And tell me, you told rookie Squeak to attack Sinon?” “No. that was all his idea.” said Cold. Black made another nod and turned to his wife. “What do you think, Lightning?” “I think we have found this unit’s new leader, and his second in command.” Cold bowed with a light blush on his cheeks. “I am honored, my Captains, Black Swordsman and Lightning Flash.” Then he looked up when Pip was still looking down at his group. “Hey, Squeak, did you heard?” “No, what?” asked Pipsqueak. Black Swordsman looked up, and smiled. “Cold Fusion is the new leader of your unit, and you his second in command.” “Is that so? Cool!” Lightning Flash aimed her horn to Pip, and levitated him down. “First let’s make this clear, recruit Cold Fusion, and recruit Piper Squeak. If you prove you’re not up for this position, it’ll be given to your comrades, is that clear?” The two earth ponies saluted and said in unison. “Yes, my captain!” “Also, this position is good only during your training. When it comes to an end, you’ll be considered just another soldier until you get promoted. Understood?” Pip smiled. “Of course!” Cold Fusion also smiled. “Crystal clear.” And since they have completed the task, the rookies were sent to their rooms. Reality sighed in satisfaction as he laid on his bed. “Well, we ended up beaten and humiliated but at least they gave us an early release!” Cold Fusion glanced at him from behind a book, and smiled briefly. “See how attaking first was worth it? And you wanted to waste everypony’s time by going after a stupid chest-trap.” Reality rolled his eyes. “Go to hell. Wait, I mean, sir! Go to hell, sir!” Then he sighed. “The problem is that I know I won’t be able to sleep thinking in what was inside.” Cold nodded. “Do as you please but you better be quiet.” Somepony knocked at the door. “Yes?” asked Pipsqueak as he answered the door. Quick Storm winked an eye at him with a playful smile. “I think certain co-captain owes us a drink to Acid and me.” Pip sighed. “I know, I know. Let’s pay my debt. Are you guys coming?” Reality Slash was already on his four hooves, ready to join Pip. But Cold simply shook his head. “You go if you want. Tonight I feel more like reading.” “Are you sure you don’t want to celebrate your new position?” asked Acid Javelin joining the group. “Drink something for me.” said Cold, uninterested. The group exchanged a look, but left without insisting more. From that point, the training continued with the same routine. After the rookies escaped the dungeon, a group of veterans were waiting to challenge them to a fight. Sadly, the trick of attacking first didn’t work again. After all, the Lunar Guard was formed by first-class soldiers. But finally, after four months of hard work, Black Swordsman and Lightning Flash agreed that the rookies were ready. They were a solid group that knew how to work together. And neither Cold Fusion neither Piper Squeak had to give up their ranks. One day they were called to Princess Luna’s office. She seemed abnormally serious, but also really proud of her new group of soldiers. “Young recruits, you have proved that you are worthy of my Royal Guard. According to your captains, you passed your training with honors. Am I right?” “Yes Princess Luna!” answered the rookies in the unison. Luna looked at them and called. “Cold Fusion, Piper Squeak, one step ahead!” Pip and Cold did as she told. “You two have proved to have initiative, bravery and the right amount of recklessness. Thanks to that you have earned the title of leader and sub-leader of your unit. I am proud of both of you. My Guard’s true strength comes from teamwork, despite one of the leaders claims to be a solo-player at heart.” Black Swordsman chuckled at this, but didn’t say anything. Luna winked an eye to him and continued. “Then it will be my honor to concede you my emblem. The proof that you two are, from now on, official Lunar Guards.” The blue alicorn’s glowed, and materialized the Moon Emblem on Pip’s and Cold’s chest-plates and flanks. The two new soldiers bowed in gratefulness. Then the Black Swordsman approached with a box on his back that he opened before blanthe two soldiers. It contained a rapier for Pip, and a war axe for Cold. “Have you decided the names for your weapons?” asked the pegasus. Pip nodded as he brandished his new sword. “Ice Pick.” “Can I ask why?” asked Luna. “Yes, because it was a rapier that I used to defeat the Cold-Hearted Snipper.” Luna raised an eyebrow to this but didn’t ask more. She turned to Cold Fusion. “What about you, soldier Fusion? What’s your weapon’s new name?” “Silent Death.” Reality looked at her friends and whispered. “It suits him.” They giggled. But then it was their turn to receive Luna’s mark and customized weapons. Acid Javelin received not a javelin but a ballista that she called ‘Shooting Star’. Then Quick Storm received a katana that she called ‘Ninjato’. “You’re aware that’s a katana, right?” asked Reality. “Yes, but she’s a rebel!” After a generalized face-hoof, Reality Slash was happily trying his brand-new war hammer. “We are ready for the big leagues, isn’t that right, Big Gun?” Princess Luna looked at her new Guards. “Soldiers, now you wear the official uniform of the Lunar Guard. Wear it with pride.” Author's Note Okay sorry for the delay but this month had been crazy. Anyway, I hope you liked it, and be patient. Soon we’ll get to the Luna X Pipsqueak part. In the meantime, Read ya’ later!
The first day of a Lunar GuardThe first day of a Lunar Guard At the next day, the new cadets woke up and put on their new armors, recently invested with the Moon Emblem. It was almost the same that they did when they were still trainees but now, instead of heading to the training field, they headed to the bulletin board. The board had several lists with the names of the officers in charge and the soldiers they would have under their command for the day. They were really proud of themselves. This was their first day not as rookies, but as official soldiers. “It seems that I am part of the Sector C patrol.” read Cold Fusion out loud. “Sector D.” read Reality. “Cool!” The others found their assigned chores, and went to join their respective units. Now that they have finished their training, they won’t work as a unit on their own anymore. Now they would rotate every day with the rest Lunar Guard. It was a shame since they grew really close during that four months. But at least they still shared dorms, and a table during the meals. After saying goodbye to his companions, Pip joined his unit. The day’s assignment was the most boring of them all. But also the most important for the Lunar Guard. Princess Luna’s escorts. Once the unit was complete, they headed to Princess Luna’s room. Pip smiled nostalgically as he remembered all the sleepovers with his favorite Princess/best friend. When he was little he even stayed on Luna’s bed, and even bathed with her. Then when Pip grew older, he stayed on a sleeping bag and eventually, the castle’s guest’s rooms. But each time he visited he spent most of the time at the Princess’ room. They arrived to the door, and took positions in front of it. They won’t go any further. They respected the Princess’ privacy. Pip nodded and adopted a rigid position at the left of the door, but his companions laughed and invited him to relax with a gesture. “Easy pal, there’s no need to be so formal if the Princess is not seeing you.” “Are you sure?” asked Pip. His captain, a unicorn called Total Eclipse, smiled. “Of course, we are strong but not made out of stone, kid. Who do you take us for, Solars?” The rest of the unit laughed. “Yeah, they spend most of their days learning to stay still. What a waste of time!” “No wonder why we always kick their flanks when we fight!” celebrated a pegasus one, flexing his powerful wings. When they calmed, Total Eclipse gave an evaluative look to Pipsqueak. “Hey, now that I look at you closely, aren’t you that kid who used to follow Princess Luna everywhere?” Pipsqueak saluted. “Yes sir! Recruit Piper Squeak, sir!” Total Eclipse raised an eyebrow at this. “Don’t you mean ‘cadet’?” Pip blushed. “Oh, you are right!” Total Eclipse simply put a hoof on Pip’s shoulder. “Easy kid, it was hard for me to get used to that too.” “Yeah, just try to relax, okay?” advised an earth pony mare. “Just get firm when the Princess, or somepony else passes by.” “Except for Celestia. You can ignore her all you want!” added another earth pony. “I think he gets it!” joined the pegasus. “Remember that he was the one who made fun of Celestia on his first week!” Pip smiled. “Yeah, I’ve been with the Princesses plenty of times and I knew I could get away with that. It was fun.” The soldiers gave Pip a friendly slap on his back and then they recharged against the wall to pass the time. And most to Pip’s surprise, they weren’t quiet. No, everypony was telling jokes, exchanging opinions about the Hoofball League, or talking about their families. “There’s something wrong, Squeak?” asked commander Eclipse. “Eh, nothing. Is just that I’m surprised that we are allowed to talk during shifts.” “As long as we don’t bother the boss, we can talk as much as we want.” explained the pegasus, Flaming Ink. “And when she sleeps, there’s no power in Equestria that can wake her up. You should know better than anypony!” Pip giggled and finally was able to relax. Two hours later, the doors opened, letting pass Princess Luna. Immediately all the Guards saluted her, firm. She raised a hoof. “Rest, soldiers.” The soldiers bowed and said in unison. “Good morning, Princess Luna, your Majesty!” One of the voices called Luna’s attention. She quickly turned around, and smiled in delight. “Pipsy! It is you! Oh, this is so great. I can’t believe this is your first assignment!” She approached to hug the stallion, but Pip moved backwards and raised a hoof to make the Princess stop. “Princess Luna, please stop. I politely ask you to stop calling me by that nickname during my shifts. As long I am wearing this armor, I am Cadet Piper Squeak. But when my shift ends, feel free to call me however you like.” Princess Luna sighed. “I get it, this is not the time.” She couldn’t complain. It was Luna herself who told Pipsqueak that they couldn’t be as close as before if he joined the Guard. The Princess headed to the dining room, where she would have breakfast with her older sister. As they advanced through the hallways, Pip noticed that Celestia’s soldiers moved away to let them pass. Both the Princess of the Night and her Royal Guard were feared by the Solar Guard because of their combat skills. They arrived to the dining room, where once again, the soldiers had to wait outside while the two Princesses had some private time together. Princess Celestia opened the door to her sister, seeming really happy to see her. “Good morning, Luna.” “Good morning Tia.” But out of nowhere, Total Eclipse shouted. “Hey Solars, do you know the new one about Celestia?” Celestia cursed, and shut the door with her magic much to the Lunar’s and Luna’s amusement. “Damn it, they never fail!” “Tia, do you realize that if you keep reacting like this, they’ll continue?” asked Luna. “Just ignore them.” “I have a better idea, you nullify the damn royal decree that allows them make fun of me!” “It allows them to make fun of Twilight and Cadence too.” reminded Luna. “Then why they only pick on me!” “Come on! For example Beatrix Lulamoon likes to pick on Twilight Sparkle and she doesn’t complain!” Celestia frowned. “She complains. Last time she made her cry!” Luna better kept quiet. But yes, she had to admit that her captain of the Undercover Police always went too far when she insulted Twilight. Unlike the other soldiers at Luna’s command, she did not stop by making jokes about Twilight. She kept insulting her, saying how she would never be friends with somepony as naïve and dumb as Twilight and such. To the point Applejack and Rainbow Dash had to beat her up to make sure she wouldn’t cross the line again. But she was an especial case. The rest of the Guard limited to irritate Celestia. Luckily Celestia forgot about the joke and she and Luna had their breakfast without incident. In the meantime, Pip and his companions dedicated to mock the Solars, trying to brake their concentration or make them move with jokes, funny faces and even challenges to fight. When the Princesses finished their meal, Luna made a sign to her soldiers, and she returned to her chambers. The doors closed and the soldiers went back to their positions laying on the wall, and chatting happily. “This is what you do every day?” asked Pip. “You mean mock the poor excuse of a Guard Celestia haves? No, only when we’re escorting the Princess, or patrolling the hallway that connects both of the castle wings.” They didn’t have to move during the rest of the day. In certain point, a few servants broght Luna’s lunch. They got inside the room, left the food, and retired without saying a word. Finally, at four P.M. Princess Luna exited her room wearing her light blue armor and sword at her waist. It was training time. She leaded her soldiers to the training field, and unsheathed her sword. It was well-known by all the Guards that their Princess loved to fight. Of course the Black Swordsman and the Lightning Flash were much stronger than her, but that didn’t apply to the rest of soldiers. The veterans could give her a bit of a challenge, and even had a few victories but those times were rare. As for the captains, they were on their own league. Only Lightning Flash could defeat Black Swordsman, and only Black Swordsman could defeat Lightning Flash. “Who would be our first opponent?” asked Princess Luna looking around. Finally she aimed her sword to a certain young cadet. “How about you, cadet Squeak?” “I pass.” said Pip. Total Eclipse tilted his head. “Ehem, you know it’s a great honor that the Princess choses you as her first opponent, right?” Luna nodded. “Yes, cadet, why are you refusing me?” “Because I know, you, my Princess. And you will give me the advantage.” Princess Luna raised an eyebrow. “Why would I give you the advantage, cadet?” Pip gave her a blank stare. And he wasn’t the only one. Also Black Swordsman and Lightning Flash were giving her the same look. And all the soldiers who knew about Pip and the great friendship he shared with the Princess. Luna blushed. “Ehem, what if I promise to not being easy on you?” “You won’t fulfil that promise.” said Pip. “Yeah, you won’t.” said Black Swordsman. Pip smiled, as he made his case and turned to his commander for the day. “Commander Eclipse, would you make me the honor of being my first opponent for tonight?” “Of course, cadet. You have to have guts for challenging me!” Princess Luna looked sadly how Pip and Total Eclipse walked to one of the arenas, when sompeony dragged a sword right behind her. “Princess, I’ll be your opponent.” said a cold and emotionless voice. Luna turned, only to see one of the new recruits. “Hey, aren’t you one of Pip’s training partners?” “Cold Fusion at your service.” “Nice to meet you cadet Fusion. Let’s fight!” The two of them crossed swords. Luna was incredibly strong and an experimented fighter. With thousands of years of experience, she defeated Cold in less than a minute. As for Pip, he managed to entertain Total Eclips for five minutes. But in the end, the victory was for the veteran. Black Swordsman was looking at them, and made a small nod. “Next!” Another soldier came in, and challenged Cold Fusion, who despite being defeated not so long ago, accepted the challenge. In the meantime, the Black Swordsman himself helped Pip to get back on his hooves. “Thanks captain!” “Go look doe your next opponent.” “But I just lost.” “So? There are three fights per night. Per soldier. Go and choose somepony else, that’s an order.” Pip nodded, when he heard a pair of wings flapping right behind him. He turned to see his training partner Acid Javelin. “Hey Piper, I want to fight you!” Pip grinned. “Let’s do this!” Acid started to shoot at him with her ballista, as Pip began to dodge the constant attacks and block them with his sword. Pip was bulk, but that didn’t mean he was slow. He used his strength on his four hooves to make big strides making difficult for Acid to aim her weapon. The only problem with his technique, he was going to get tired soon. But suddenly, he jumped to get Acid’s backhooves, using his weight to make her fall. She tried to resist, and delivered a couple of punches to Pip’s face with one forehoof (she was holding the ballista with the other). But Pip was strong, and he resisted. He started to climb getting her wings to make her impossible to fly. She fell, over Pip, but he was ready for that. As soon as his back touched the ground, he pinned Acid to the floor and began to smash her head against the ground until she fell unconscious. Black Swordsman chuckled. “He’s becoming an expert in bringing down snippers.” Luna nodded, proud of her little friend. “He did managed to defeat Sinon, right?” “Yes. I expect great things from him.” Assured him. “Now, let’s go to our business.” He attacked the Princess if the Night with one sword in each hoof. Elucidator and Dark Repulser. She tried to block him with her own sword, but as soon as she blocked the Elucidator, Black waved around Dark Repulser cutting her sides. Luna groaned in pain as she started to wave around her own sword trying to block Black’s frantic attacks. His attacks kept Luna busy, making impossible for her to counterattack. After ten minutes, he finally finished the Princess with his signature attack. “STAR BURST STREAM!” And, as always, Luna ended up crashing against the wall. She groaned in pain. “Great job as always. Tomorrow I’ll fight Lightning.” Lightning Flash nodded. “I’m looking forward for it.” When they finished their training, everypony went to the showers and then to the dining room. “Hey Pip, how was your first day?” asked Reality Slash when they returned to their dorm. “It was fun. We picked on some Solars.” Reality Slash laughed happily. “Yeah, my group did that too. I didn’t know how afraid they were of us until today.” Cold Fusion glanced at them from behind his book but didn’t say a word. Author's Note So this is another chapter describing the Guard’s duties. Soon enough there will be more episodes like this but in the meantime, Read ya’ later!
Between being a soldier and being a friendBetween being a soldier and being a friend The day’s assignment was easy: patrolling the streets of Canterlot. An assignment shared both by the Solar and the Lunar Guard. It was pretty easy, just walking around the streets and stop burglars, conflicts (if there were any) and mostly, make the citizens aware of their presence. The only problem they had was that they had to walk under the sun wearing heavy armors. Still, something that always amused Pip was the way how the Solars moved away each time they faced a Lunar patrol. And with the pass of time it was inevitable that Pip felt important each time he saw that happening. Not to mention he could make fun of the Princess of the Sun without being punished. His life was incredible. But some Solars were the exception to the rule. One day where Pip’s assignment was to patrol the streets of Canterlot, his group met with a Solar patrol who didn’t move to let the Lunars pass. Of course the Lunars didn’t mind, but suddenly, their officer in command groaned in exasperation. “What is it, commander?” asked one of the soldiers. “The moron of Ragnar.” explained commander Leafa form the Clan of Sylf. “Who is Ragnar?” asked Pip. “Somepony you know?” “Ragnar is an idiot who thinks he is stronger than anypony else because he trained with minotaurs and he can demolish a wall with his bare hooves.” explained Leafa. “And back when the Princess was freed from the moon, she named a few Solars as her provisional guards. And Ragnar had a high rank.” Pip tilted his head in confusion. “But I thought that the provisional guards were transferred to the official Lunar Guard when Black and Lightning took over.” Leafa sighed. “Ragnar refused to obey a couple of ponies who were younger than him. And he challenged them both for the title of captain of the Lunar Guard.” Pip chuckled. “They defeated him, right?” “Of course! It’s my brother and sister-in-law were talking about!” said Leafa. “But unable to accept his defeat, he challenged Princess Luna. He was defeated in seconds. But still, he couldn’t accept defeat and the Princess had no choice but expel him from the Guard.” Pip was so invested in the story that didn’t noticed when the Solars were walking right at their side. Close enough to hear what they were talking. But he returned to reality when the so-called Ragnar aimed his sword to Leafa. “Well, well, well, enjoying talking about me at my back, Leafa from the clan of Sylf?” Pip took a good look of him. He was muscular, like Pip, but he could say that he was also agile and fast. Just like him only that he was on his fifties. “At your back you say? You were right in front of me this whole time. Is not my fault you are so slow walking.” Ragnar pressed the tip of his sword on Leafa’s chest plate, but she didn’t mind. Despite him being taller and buffer than Leafa, who was thin and short. Her specialty was speed and agility. She was in her early thirties but still she was as fast as she was ten years ago if not faster. Also Pip could tell that Leafa was relaxed and in control. And Ragnar’s aura was explosive and violent, but he didn’t have Leafa’s confidence. Then Raganr looked at Pip. “And you, aren’t you a bit too much interested in war stories?” “Pal I was just asking. Don’t involve me into this!” “Too late!” said Ragnar. “Would you like to fight me, kid?” Pip shrugged. “Pass.” “Come on kid, I bet you are dying to see if I’m actually as weak as your commander is making you believe. Maybe…” Leafa pushed Ragnar away. “Ragnar, we’re on duty. If you keep bothering us you’ll give me no choice but throw you into a dungeon.” The Solar lieutenant grinned. “You would love to, right?” Leafa rolled her eyes as she dragged her sword, when a soldier came to stop Ragnar. “Lieutenant, we’re going to be late. Remember that Princess Celestia asked us to escort a few nobles.” Ragnar nodded. “Oh, right.” Then he turned to Pipsqueak. “Saved by the bell kid. Next time let’s fight!” The two units went to different directions when suddenly, Pip stopped. “Hey Ragnar!” The Solar turned to Pip. “What?” “I accept your challenge, let’s fight!” Before he could react, Pip unsheathed his rapier and cut him on the sides. Ragnar groaned in pain, when Pip pulled his mane and smashed his head against the ground for six times until he fell unconscious. Pip realeased Ragnar and went to join his companions. “Good fight, Squeak.” congratulated him Leafa. “But now he’ll obsess with you. He’s not the type of person who would go something like this.” And precisely at that moment, Ragnar went back on his hooves. “Hey, that wasn’t fair! I was not ready!” Pip raised an eyebrow. “What are you talking about? Lunar Guards don’t play fair. We play to win!” Ragnar mumbled something between his teeth as the Lunar Patrol moved away. After finishing their patrolling, the Lunar Guard began their combat training. The interesting thing was that their captains and most of the officers remained undefeated. But for the rest of the guard, their win-loss rank was more or less balanced. If a soldier wanted to get to the higher ranks, they’ll have to work extra hard in order for them to ascend in their rankings. And every day ended with the recruits going to the showers and then to the dining room For tradition, the units that trained together had dinner together. But one day, Pip noticed somepony was missing. “Hey, where’s Quick Storm?” “She went to eat out with her day Unit.” explained Reality Slash. “For real?” asked Pip. “Our shift ends when the training finishes.” explained Acid. “You always have the option to go somewhere else to eat. But here the meal is free.” “Didn’t you pay attention when they told us?” asked Cold. “It was back when they assigned us our rooms.” “Shall I remind you that the captains held me to give me some useless information?” asked Pip. “Why didn’t’ they told me that instead?” Reality Slash shrugged. “Well, now you know. As for me, I like the food here.” “It is cheaper than eating out, and the food is really good.” It was true. The salary of a cadet of Lunar Guard wasn’t too high, barely 500 higher than the minimum wage, but considering they didn’t have to pay for their meals or rent, it was large sum. “So, what are you going to do tomorrow on our free day?” asked Cold. “I’m going to have lunch with the Princess. Then, I have no idea.” said Pip. “Hey, what if we go out to a bar or something?” suggested Acid. “We haven’t hang out since the end of the training.” “Cool!” said Reality Slash. “My family is coming for visit tomorrow, but I am free for the night!” “And I’ll spend my morning at the library and maybe I’ll go to a museum. But I also have the night free.” “Okay, see you guys tomorrow night.” At the next day, Luna and Pip entered in one of the many restaurants in Canterlot. “Hey, I’ve been noticing that eating lunch together on my free day is getting more and more common.” said Pip when they took a sit. Luna smiled. “Yes, but consider that this is the first time we’ve been this close Pipsy. And I like to share this moments with you. Or does it bothers you?” Pip shook his head slowly. “Of course not, I like to hang out with you too, Luna.” “Then, there’s no problem, or is it?” asked Luna. “Now, changing the subject, I heard that you got into some trouble with Ragnar.” Pip laughed. “Yeah, that guy pissed me off, and I couldn’t resist.” “I guess so, he haves an especial talent to irritate people. But do you know he waited for you in the Solar’s training field until it closed? According to him, you two had an appointment.” “I defeated him on the spot!” said Pip. Luna sighed. “He will never accept defeat, Pipsy. Just promise me you’ll stay away from the Solars. For a while.” “Fine. Luckily, we patrol in large groups.” “Yes, stick with your partners. That’s an order!” They brought them their lunch and after a calmed meal, they exited the restaurant happily. No matter how many years passed, they enjoyed their mutual company. “Thanks for the meal, Luna.” “It was my pleasure Pipsy. Also, I have tickets for the theater tonight. It is the long waited premiere of The Lord of Avengers Episode Six: The Chamber of the Shape of Water. I need you to be ready at six.” Pip sighed. “Thanks but no thanks Luna. I have plans with my training partners.” Luna gasped. “What? But I thought you liked to hang out with me.” “Yes Luna, but I made my plans with them first. Sorry, but I cannot cancel just like that. But can always go another day. See you, Luna!” He gave Luna a kiss on the cheek, and left happily. Luna stayed at the entrance of the restaurant, looking him leave. “Why I am so upset?” “Because sompeony just ditched you away?” asked somepony. “I wasn’t talking to you, subject!” said Luna. “If you’re speaking out loud, is not only for you.” As for Pip, he returned to the barracks with the rest of his partners. “Hey Pip!” greeted him Acid Javelin. “How was your date?” Pip giggled. “Pretty nice, actually. She invited me lunch, and also wanted to have a date tonight, but I said her I already had plans.” Quick Storm raised an eyebrow. “For real? Are you dating a noble or something, Pip?” Pip and Acid Javelin had to hold back their laugh as they exchanged a look. “Of course! But I told her that as much as she wanted me at her side, I couldn’t let my unit down.” “Are you sure you did the right thing?” asked Quick. “I mean, she can get mad at you… and hey, weren’t you going to have lunch with the Princess? Don’t tell you that you two had already…” Acid and Pip began to laugh. “Just to clarify, she’s not my marefriend.” Acid Javelin hugged her friend. “Quickie, you’re a scammer’s dream come true!” “Go to Tartarus! Both of you.” complained Quick Storm. Pip shrugged. “Take it easy, we were just joking.” “Whatever!” When Cold Fusion and Reality Slash joined in, the group went to a bar and had fun together. Being with friends was the best. But at certain point, Pipsqueak felt that somepony was watching him. He looked to the sky, but in the end he didn’t say anything. From her observatory, Princess Luna put away her telescope. “Did he just sensed me? Oh, well, I am late for my job in the Dream Realm.” At the next day, Pip woke up with a light headache. Nothing he couldn’t handle with an aspirin. But apparently somepony had entered to the room and left him the best anti-hangover potion from Zecora Pharmaceutics at his night table. “And you say she’s not your marefriend.” mocked Reality Slash. “More like my mom.” sighed Pip. A small groan called the two friends’ attention. Cold Fusion had just woke up, and he seemed to have the mother of all hangovers. “You better have this!” said Pip, giving him the potion. “You need it more than I am.” Cold thanked him with a groan, and drank the potion. “Whoa! This is great! I need to buy more of these. Thank you, Squeak!” Reality scratched his head. “Hey, why do you have a hangover? All you drank was iced tea.” Cold Fusion robbed his forehead. “I never drink alcohol, but I got second-hoof hangover for that kiss Acid Javelin gave me.” Both Pip and Reality had a sweat drop on the temples. “Whaaat?” “I never had a drop of alcohol in my life, and Acid had too much when she kissed me.” The rest of the day was pretty normal. Pip’s assignment was to patrol that connected Luna’s and Celestia’s castle wings. But much to his surprise, he found an old acquaintance. “Well, well, well…” said Ragnar. “Not so, not so, not so.” said Pip. “How are you partner, recovering from your wounds?” Ragnar grinned. “We both know that wasn’t fair. Today we’ll settle this!” “Ragnar!” scolded his officer in command, Claw Shots. “We are on duty. You’ll challenge this Lunar later. Ragnar sent Pip a glance full of hate, but went back to his formation. “I warned you.” said Leafa, who was Pip’s commander again. “I don’t mind. Aren’t we on duty?” “Yeah. All of you, back to the formation!” And once again, when their patrolling shift ended, they headed to the Training Field, where Pip greeted Luna with a small nod, and went to train with the rest of the Guard. The training went normally, when Pip noticed that one of his companions was staring at him. And when Pip looked her back, she turned away. Weird, thought Pipsqueak. Didn’t she kissed Cold? Why is she staring at me? Well, they’ll talk it out at dinner time. However, there was another star that Pip noticed. Princess Luna’s. Unfortunately for her, she was fighting with Lightning Flash at that moment and the captain of the Lunar Guard defeated her faster than usual. “Are you okay Princess? Usually you last longer.” “I’m not in the mood Lightning.” said Luna, angrily. The Lightning Flash did not insisted. Finally, the training was over and the Lunar Guard went to the showers and to have dinner. Usually he Princess of the Night would have returned to her chambers at this point, but this time she found an excuse to stay longer saying she had to check some documents with her captains. Truth be told, she wanted to see what would happen between Pip and Acid. He and his group had taken a seat and were chatting happily, when Pip looked at Acid, who blushed, and hid her face behind her drink. Quick Storm looked at Pip, and then she turned to Acid with a warm smile. “Come on Acid, talk it out now that you have the chance. You’ve been distracted the whole day.” “Yes, we are here for you. That’s what it means to be a team.” added Cold. Acid blushed again. “Come on, what’s going on?” asked Reality Slahs. “You know you can trust us.” Acid sighed. “Nothing, you see, last night I did… I did something… and I wanted to know if Pip remembers…” Pip face-hoofed, as Reality Slash did his best to hold his laughter. As for Cold, he made a small sigh and rubbed his forehead. Acid hid her face behind her hooves. “I’m sorry Pip, but I’ve always thought you were so handsome, and…” From the captain’s table, Princess Luna moved her ears and glanced at the mare from the edge of her eye. And most to her surprise, she began to analyze Acid’s qualities. She was agile, strong, and mostly cute. A good party. Luna felt… strangely worried about her. Would Pip reject her? But then, much to her surprise, Pip giggled. “This isn’t funny Squeak! I am serious!” said Acid. “I know, Acid, I know, but it’s just that this is so funny. How drunk you were last night?” “What do you mean? I still remember that I kissed you and…” “We all make mistakes when we’re drunk, is not her fault. Don’t make fun of her!” said Quick Storm. Pip raised a hoof apologetically. “I know, but, geez! How drunk you were for confusing me for Cold Fusion?” Acid froze for a few seconds. “WHAT?” “Yep! You kissed Cold, not me.” Cold groaned. “And I still have the headache to prove it.” “What does he mean?” asked Quick. “Second-hoof hangover. Don’t ask.” Acid’s face turned redder than ever. “I’m terribly sorry, Cold. Truth is…” The stoic stallion made her a gesture to calm down. “Easy. I’m willing to forget all this if you do the same. Deal?” “Deal!” Luna was still watching them from the captain’s table, but she seemed considerably relieved, Something that didn’t went unnoticed by her two trusty warriors. “So everything is clear, Your Majesty?” asked Black Swordsman. “Oh? Ah, yes, yes my captains. Thank you very much.” “Thank you, Princess.” And the Princess walked away, strangely relieved for reasons she didn’t quite understood yet. “Hey Luna!” called Pip. She turned to him, with a big smile. “Pipsy! I mean… cadet Piper Squeak.” “Don’t worry, my shift is over so you can call me Pip again.” explained the stallion. “I was just wondering if you want to go to the theater one of these nights, since yesterday I wasn’t able to join you.” “I would love to, Pip!” said Luna. “Then it’s a date. See you…” Luna shrugged. “I have free tomorrow night.” “Okay, see you tomorrow night.” Pip said goodbye to his friend, and reunited with his group. “What was that all about?” asked Reality Slash. “Believe it or not, she is quite sensitive, and I wanted to cheer her up. After all, she’s my best friend.” explained Pip. “What do you expected?” Author's Note Another chapter, where Luna starts to show her interest towards Pipsqueak. Now let’s see how things go for this pair. Anyway, for those who now the main story of Chaos: the Age of Spike, you know how it’s going to end. Read ya’ later!
Complications between a soldier and his PrincessComplications between a soldier and his Princess Pipsqueak and Princess Luna slowly walked out of Canterlot Great Theater, both so ashamed that they couldn’t see each other. Everything started off well, with the two friends going to see the new play that Blue Blood’s students presented. And everything went fine with the two of them having almost the entire theater for themselves, except for two couples on opposite sides. Luna and Pip preferred to sit at the center. The play was decent. It got them a couple of chuckles here and there, the action thrilled them, and the romance was interesting enough to keep them invested. But then, halfway through the play, they started to feel somehow out of place. They turned to the couples, but they have left. At least, it was what Pip thought. Luna, on the other hoof, had night-vision. And she found them right away, in the middle of an act of passion and love. The Princess froze because of the shock. And seeing how she reacted, Pip located the couples too, and gasped. “Luna, I swear I didn’t know! I’ve never had come to this theater at this time!” apologized the young stallion. Luna nodded. “I know, Pip, now, let’s get out of here!” They both exited the theater. It may be rude for the actors, but circumstances didn’t give them any choice. Pip just wished for the earth to swallow him. He invited Pip for having a good time as friends, but instead, they ended up in an awkward situation. They walked in silence for a few blocks until Pip looked back at the whole incident, and chuckled. Luna soon joined him, and before they realized they were rolling on the street, laughing. “It… was different.” said Pip, when they finished. “I’m sorry Luna. I just wanted to compensate you for ditching you last night.” Luna shook her head slowly. “Oh Pip, you don’t have to compensate me for anything. In fact, I owe you an apology for that.” “What?” asked Pip, as Luna gently stroked his mane with her hoof. “Yes Pip, I got jealous and with no reason at all. Is just that I must understand that you are an adult with your own life now, and that you have more friends other than me. I am sorry Pip.” The young stallion nodded. “I just… don’t know what to say.” “Is not necessary, Pipsy. Now, what about we get something to eat?” Pip checked on his wallet. “I think I have enough for two hayburgers with fries. You don’t have an issue with fast food, right?” Luna giggled. “Oh Pip! Don’t worry, the dinner is on me. Is the least thing I can do after you invited me to theater.” “And that didn’t go as we planned.” sighed Pipsqueak. “But don’t worry about that Luna. After all, you always invite me.” “But I do it gladly Pip. You are my very best friend, remember?” “You can’t do this forever, I’m not a kid anymore, alright?” smiled Pip. “But if you want, we can leave it here. Good night, and see you tomorrow at the training, my Princess!” He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, and waved a hoof. “Despite all the troubles, I had a great time. See you, Luna!” “Aren’t you going back to the castle, Pip?” “No, I do want a hayburger. Have a nice night!” And he walked away, humming the play’s main theme. The Princess watched him going, feeling upset out of sudden. Not because Pip refused her to buy him dinner, of course not. Luna considered that something good, her little friend was growing up. No, she felt uncomfortable for something she hadn’t identify yet. She was on a very bad mood all the way back to the castle, still trying to figure out what angered her. Then she got into the Dream Realm, hoping that doing her job would help her to forget what happened, or at least to figure out the reason behind her anger. It was a slow night. There were just a few dreams that required Luna’s intervention. In most cases she just had to create an element to help the pony to subconsciously regain control over his/her emotions. A subtle help. And, since she finished early, she decided to enter a dream where she wasn’t needed. Pipsqueak’s. It wasn’t a good or a bad dream, but the kind of dream that recapitulated the day’s events, slightly altering the details. Luna closed her eyes, allowing for Pip’s emotions to flow through her, allowing her to look inside him from a new perspective. She was looking for a specific episode. “Where are you?” Using her powers, Luna persuaded Pip’s subconscious to repeat the events of the theater. She had the feeling that the reason behind her anger was there. She revived the scene, having complete access to Pip’s emotions. She could feel his shame for bringing his friend to that theater specifically. She could feel the disappointment for not being able to compensate his best friend for ditching her. She could feel the guilt for disappointing her. She could feel everything, except for the feeling Luna found herself hoping for. Desire. Despite what happened, despite that they were really close, Pip did not wanted her. For him, she was just his best friend. Pip did not see her as a mare, only as his friend, and his boss. And that was what made her upset on the first place. When she realized of her own feelings, Luna rushed out of the Dream Realm, materializing back into her room. Agitated, she took a cold shower, and joined her sister for breakfast. But before that she checked on her assigned bodyguards. Pip wasn’t there, fortunately. She could not face him. Not now that she just realized her feelings. “Luna, good morning!” greeted Celestia. Luna looked at her sister and made a small nod. “Morning Tia. What do we have for breakfast?” Celestia offered her a plate with a mushrooms and cheese omelet. Luna thanked and began to eat as quickly as she could. But also trying to apparent normality. “Luna, are you alright?” asked Celestia, seeing her sister so agitated. “Did something happened to you at the Dream Realm?” The Princess of the Night gasped, almost chocking with a piece of mushroom halfway her throat. Celestia hurried to pat Luna’s back with her wing, and when the dark blue alicorn recovered, she just sighed. “Sorry Tia, I always had trouble hiding my emotions.” “Easy Luna, easy.” comforted her Celestia. “Now, can you tell me what happened?” Luna sighed. “Sorry Tia. Is just that… I abused of my powers.” “What?” Luna lowered her head. “Yes, I entered to a dream where I was not needed, and all because I wanted to know what he thought about me.” Celestia shook her head in surprise, until she smirked. “You did? Luna, don’t tell me you are in…” The Princess of the Night finished the rest of her omelet and left the dining room. “Forget it, Tia. Have a good day.” Celestia giggled. “Aw, isn’t that sweet? My sister’s first love!” “SHUT THE BUCK UP!” shouted Luna from behind the door. When Celestia was sure that Luna was gone, she smirked. “Let’s see, shall I help my sister, or let things happen…” she laughed. “Help Luna, of course!” And the first thing to do was doing some research. She went to the barracks of her own Guard, and called her captain. “Master Sword!” The Bearer of the Legendary Weapon that Sealed Evil appeared, saluting his Princess. “Your Highness! What can I do for you?” “Master Sword, I need you to call who was in charge of guarding the main door last night.” The captain nodded, and turned to his troops. “Boss Key! Biggoron Sword!” Two unicorns appeared, bowing to Celestia. “Did you called us, Princess?” Celestia nodded. “Warriors, I understand that you’ve guarded the castle’s entrance last night. Have you seen my sister doing something unusual?” The Solar Guards exchanged a worried look. “Is she conspiring against you again, Your Highness?” asked Master Sword. “You do not pretend us to fight the monsters she have for Royal Guard, right?” asked Biggoron Sword nervously. Celestia calmed them both. “Of course not! I just want to help her. She is too stubborn for her own good, and she may need a push from time to time. That’s why I need to know if she did anything especial last night.” “Okay, I can’t think of anything.” Said Biggoron. “Well, she did went out with one of her Guards but that’s not especial at all.” “Yeah, she hangs out with that rookie all the time.” Celestia smiled triumphal. “Is that so? Who was he?” “I do not know his name, I just know he is an earth pony…” Master Sword intervened. “You know him, Princess. Is that kid who used to visit the Castle all the time to hang out with Princess Luna. He is a whole stallion now, but they still hang out together a lot.” “And since he joined the Guard, they hang out at least once a week.” added Boss Key. “Almost every Saturday.” Celestia raised an eyebrow, and smirked again. “Good to now. You are dismissed.” The three guards bowed to their Princess, and went back to their duties, as Celestia walked through the hallways thoughtful. “Pipsqueak, huh? You like them young, sist.” Now, first thing she needed to do was to locate Pipsqueak. It wouldn’t be easy though. To locate a specific soldier was like looking for a needle in a haystack full of needles. And she couldn’t ask the Lunar Captains, since they won’t cooperate. The only thing she could do was to go to the common areas that were patrolled by both guards and hope to find Pip there since she wasn’t allowed at Luna’s castle wing. He wasn’t there, of course. And she was late for her Royal Duties. Well, being her sister’s cupid had to wait. Once Celestia finished, she decided to walk to her favorite café in Canterlot to have a cup of tea before resuming her duties. As usual, she spotted a few patrols both from Lunar and Solar Guards. It was easy to identify the Lunars because of their black armors, and because they used to ignore Celestia, or tell a joke about her loud enough for the Princess to hear it. “Hey guys, do you know that Celestia…” When it happened, Celestia used to walk faster, as she frowned. Damn Lunars, they were such an annoyance. But one of them stopped to say hi to her. Not as formal as she was used to, but he was still nice. “Hey Princess!” Celestia froze. “Pipsqueak.” Pip smiled kindly to her. “Princess, as I tell your sister, while I’m wearing this uniform I am cadet Piper Squeak.” His unit commander, Dark Side (of the Moon), scolded him. “Hey Squeak! What do you think you’re doing greeting that dumbass? Come on, we have to patrol!” Celestia grinded her teeth. “Do you actually train for combat, or just to be hateful? And what’s wrong with being nice to me, huh?” Dark Side snarled. “Ha! You are no one to talk Princess. If it was for you, I would be in jail right now. Thank Boss Princess Luna offered me a place in her Royal Guard.” Celestia sighed, yes, she got it. Luna decided to give a second chance to former bounty hunters, mafia executioners and thugs, and that’s why she was respected by her Guard. Because she believed in them. “I am not in the mood to discuss with you, Lunar Soldier. I just want to ask Cadet Squeak a personal question. Do you mind? You are the one delaying your patrol.” Dark Side (of the Moon) frowned, and shrugged. “Whatever. Be quick. Squeak, you know the patrolling area, right?” “Sir yes sir!” When Dark Side and the rest of the soldiers walked away, Pip turned to Celestia, confused. “So, you want to ask me something?” “Yes Pip, I understand that you spent some personal time with my sister last night.” Pip giggled. “Yes, I owed her for ditching her last time. She seemed really upset, so I invited her to theater. I didn’t go as we planned, but in the end we had a good time. Why? Did she said something?” Celestia sighed. “Is not what she said but what didn’t what worries me. Did something happened between the two of you? Because she was really upset this morning.” Pip’s expression changed as his face turned red. “Oh no! She’s furious, right? Yeah, and I was dumb enough to believe everything was fine between us. Of all places, I had to take her to the theater. The theater! Dang it… she may got the wrong idea about my intentions, right?” Celestia tried to calm him down. “Is not what you think my friend. Is just that…” Pip shook his head, joining his companions. “You don’t need to say more, I get it. She was just being nice when we laughed. Thank you for telling me, Princess.” And he walked away. “No, Pip, wait!” called the white alicorn. “I may help you…” “Thanks but no thanks. I don’t want to piss her more than she already is. Good day Princess.” Celestia watched Pip walking away. “Okay, now I really want to know what the hay happened between those two.” Back with Pip, his companions looked at him worriedly. “Hey dude, what’s up? You seemed so happy a few minutes ago.” Pip sighed. “I made a huge mistake, and now the Princess is angry with me.” Dark Side rolled his eyes. “Listen to me kiddo, you are a Lunar now. We don’t bucking care what the white dumbass thinks. Okay? Don’t let her trouble you…” “No, dude, you don’t understand. The one I pissed was Princess Luna. Princess Celestia only came to ask me what happened.” The others exchanged a look. “So, what did you do?” “Something really stupid. I don’t really want to talk about it…” mumbled Pip. They looked at his expression, and nodded in silence. Whatever that happened between the two of them seemed serious. By her way, Luna had some trouble sleeping, so she started to do some paperwork. It helped her to clear her mind. She understood that she had to talk to Pip as soon as she see him, and apologizing for invading his dreams without his permission. And maybe the conversation would lead her to confess her feelings… but she had to apologize first. “I owe him that much.” But when she arrived to the Training Field, and approached to talk to her friend, he looked away, and hurried to challenge the nearest soldier. She tried two more times, with the same result. Pip immediately challenged another pony to a fight. He was avoiding her. Luna looked down, hurt. He didn’t want to talk to her. He knew, he knew what she did and now he was avoiding her. At the next day, when she joined Celestia for breakfast, the white alicorn noticed something was wrong. “Luna, what happened to you?” “He know what I did. I don’t know how he figured it. I tried to apologize, to confess what I did to him… but then he started avoiding me. Do you realize, Tia? He know what I did to him, and now he can’t see me to the eye. Sorry, I’m not hugry.” With that Luna hurried back to her room. Celestia face-hoofed. “Okay, this is my fault.” There was no time to lose, this time she would call the expert. With her magic, Celestia wrote an urgent letter to the Crystal Empire. If somepony could help Luna it was her. Their niece. Author's Note Sorry for the delay, this is the next part of the story. This time, focusing on the romance. I hope you liked it and, Read ya’ later!!
Some help from the expertSome help from the expert Luna was depressed. Of course she did her best to pretend nothing was wrong, and attended all her Royal Duties with a smile. But in the inside, she was hurt and knew it was all her fault. Her best friend in the whole world, Pip, have turned evasive and didn’t looked at her in the eye. He seemed to be afraid of her. “I can’t blame him, considering I abused of his trust.” As for Pip, his companions noticed him more quiet than usual. He seemed less cheerful, more serious and worried. He trained hard, and did his best to not to get distracted on duty, as he feared to get fired any time soon. “Dude, seriously, you’re worrying us!” said Reality Slash. “You’ve been like this for a week now.” Pip sighed. “Yes, I know. But that’s what happens when you screw up as badly as I did” He groaned. “I mean, everything seemed fine. She even forgave me, or that’s what she told me. But no, she is pissed.” Pip sighed. “Strange.” said Cold Fusion, looking away from his book. “According to your story, everything went fine despite the incident. And why did she told you she forgave you when she actually didn’t? It doesn’t make sense.” “I haven’t asked. I don’t have the nerve to do it.” “Strange, aren’t you two the best friends?” asked Cold Fusion. “I thought so, but she’s avoiding me.” He made a deep sight. “Now I can only hope that she doesn’t fire me.” The others couldn’t deny it. Just like Pip, they’ve been noticing that the Princess started to act weir around their friend. The two of them had been avoiding each other since the incident. “Hey guys, are we going to work or what?” asked Pip impatiently. The others nodded silently, as they followed their companion. But they were still worried about him. In the meantime, Princess Celestia was waiting for her sister in the balcony to have breakfast together, as usual. But today, she was not alone. And Luna did not disappointed. She showed up at the usual time, half asleep. “Morning Tia. Oh! Cadence, what a nice surprise!” The Princess of Love smiled at her aunt as she bowed. “Auntie Luna, it’s always a pleasure. How are things going? Good, I hope.” “Yes, thanks Boss.” said Luna. “What brings you to Canterlot, dear niece? Official or personal business?” Cadence exchanged a complicity look with Princess Celestia, and winked an eye to her. “A little bit of both.” Luna yawned. “I see. Well, forgive my lack of enthusiasm, but I worked all night.” “Of course, don’t worry auntie. We can talk after you rest.” Luna yawned again, and began to eat in silence. Celestia looked at her worriedly. After the incident with Pip, her night-patrolling shifts got longer, and more exhausting, as Luna was trying to overwork herself as a punishment for abusing of her powers. “By the way, where’s Shining Armor?” asked Luna. “At the Empire. We cannot leave the Empire without its two Monarchs at the same time.” explained Cadence. Luna nodded, and retired after a quick breakfast. Cadence and Celestia continued eating in silence, until they heard the sigh of relief coming from the Solar troops, both the Princesses and her soldiers were finally away. “So, who is the lucky stallion?” asked Cadence. “His name is Piper Squeak.” said Celestia. “You’ve met him. It was that kid who Luna used to hang out with. Now he have turned into a whole stallion, and a very handsome one if you ask me. Maybe a bit too short for my test, but whatever…” “Auntie, you are far taller than every one of us.” giggled Cadence. “But, I think I know. You mean that colt with white fur with brown spots… okay, interesting. I would’ve never guessed it would have end like this.” “Neither did I.” said Celestia. “Now, are you ready to help Luna?” Cadence grinned. “Of course, that’s my job! And auntie Luna deserve to be happy.” The two of them started working. First thing they had to do was to locate Pip. “Alright auntie, where can I find Pip?” Celestia frowned. “Well, it’s hard to tell. He is with a soldier of the Lunar Guard now and he could be everywhere.” Cadence nodded, very confident of her abilities. As Princess of Love, Cadence had an amble number of tricks under her wing. Tricks that she invented on her teenage years, helping other couples to form. Most of the time she did it only because a mare was looking at Shining Armor, but that’s another story. The important thing was that she had more than enough tools to take care of the current situation. “Princess of Love’s secret technique number 32. Perception blocking!” (Invisibility spell). And she infiltrated at Princess Luna’s personal wing, taking care to not to touch anypony to avoid suspicion. If the Guards found her there, there could be a problem considering they were allowed not only to insult, but also attack other Princesses in case they needed. But Cadence had to keep going. There was only one place she could find information about Pipsqueak, and that was Black and Lightning’s office. She began to look for him in the Guards’ records, when the Princess felt how a silent alarm activated, cancelling her invisibility spell. And, to make things worse, teleportation was also blocked. But Cadence still had her magic so she could defend herself, but now everypony around knew she was in Luna’s private castle wing without permission. “Buck…” said Cadence. The window opened, letting pass the Black Swordsman, unsheathing his trusty Elucidator. The agile pegasus made an elegant flip on the air, to finally land putting his sword’s tip on Cadence’s neck. Then, Lightning Flash teleported in, unsheathing her Lamben t Light. “Princess Cadence, what brings you here?” asked Black Swordsman. “What kind of business would you have here at our office?” Cadence slowly nodded. “I’ll tell you gladly, as soon as you lower your weapons.” “We will, when you tell us what you’re doing here.” said Black Swordsman. “All our documents in here contain private information about the Lunar Guard, and only us and Princess Luna can read them.” “Lower your weapons, please.” Cadence asked, nicely. Black Swordsman looked at his wife. “Have Chrysalis infiltrated again?” “No, the trap would tell us.” Cadence smiled, trying to relax the tension. “A truly impressive trap. Is it from Aincread?” “Yes. Now, what are you doing here?” The two wouldn’t lower their weapons that was perfectly clear. So Cadence gave up. “I know this is weird, but I am looking for information about one of your soldiers. There’s a love emergency and…” Black and Lightning sighed, and finally lowered their weapons. “Let me guess. Piper Squeak:” said Black. Cadence smiled shyly. “Is that obvious?” “From miles away.” said Lightning, chuckling. “Princess Celestia have decided to help her sister, that’s sweet.” added Black. Cadence nodded. “Yes she did, and the first thing we need to do to help Princess Luna is to brake this awkward silence between her and her stallion. I have an idea to do so, but in order to do it, I need to know where to find him.” “Tomorrow we’ll make him patrol the hallways that connect this wing with Celestia’s.” said Black, willing to help. “Thank you Black Swordsman, Lightning Flash.” said Cadence bowing before the warriors. Then she turned invisible again, and left the office. “This is not going to end well, right?” asked Lightning with a smile. “I can’t really tell.” Said Black. “I just hope that things go fine for the boss and cadet Squeak. They are adorable together.” At the next day, Pip went to join the group that would patrol the hallways. Under command of Leafa from the clan of Sylf, Black Swordsman’s younger sister. Pip greeted his companions, and began to walk, completely focused on his work. Half because he was worried to be fired, half because he needed something to distract him from his own thoughts. Unfortunately, patrolling didn’t distracted him as much as he wanted. Leafa in the meantime was watching the cadet’s reactions carefully. She had been given specific instructions by her brother and sister-in-law and she accepted immediately. The group passed in front of one of the empty rooms that the Princess used to storage books and other stuff. They heard the sound of a bookshelf falling, making the patrol to stop. “Now what?” asked a soldier, Silver Star. “Maybe a servant having a bad day.” said Leafa. “But, I think we must check. Cadet Squeak, do you mind?” Pip smiled, happy to help and got into the room. As he thought, it was a fallen shelf, but there wasn’t any servant. “Hello? Don’t worry, I’m not going to scold you or anything, I just wanted to know you were okay… hello?” Then the door slammed, trapping Pip inside. The colt sighed, still thinking it was a servant who didn’t want to be scolded. “I told you I wouldn’t, geez!” He approached to the door, but it was locked. “Great.” He began to struggle against the handle, but nothing happened. He was trapped. In the meantime, once she fulfilled her role, Leafa indicated the rest of her group to keep going. “Don’t worry about him. These are especial instructions from my brother, keep going.” Pip decided to kick the door opened, and only then he found it was sealed magically. “Come on, if the boss find out I got late because of a prank, she’ll fire me for sure!” He tried to force it open with his sword, but nothing. “Hey Spike! God of Chaos, this isn’t funny. Come on!” Princess Luna and Princess Cadence were walking around the castle’s hallways, as they joked and chatted happily. “Hey, auntie, now that I remember, don’t you have an old cooking book in this room?” Luna raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, why?” “You see, now that I am a mother, I want to try make something especial for my baby. I want to see my little Flurry Heart eating something I made.” “I see, I guess your daughter will appreciate the effort.” “Thanks, but before I try to give her something, I want to do some experiments in private.” Luna smiled at her niece. “Everything for our children, right? Let me get that book for you.” As planned, Princess Luna got into the empty room, and before she noticed the fallen bookshelf, Cadence’s magic pushed her inside and slammed the door. From a corner Pip ran to stop the door but it was already too late. “This is just great…” said Pip. “I’ve been here for an hour now! Come on!” “Pipsy?” asked Princess Luna. He looked at her. “Hey Luna, did you got trapped because of this stupid prank too?” “Prank?” “What else it could be?” asked Pip. “Also, what’s the big idea with locking us in here?” Luna shook her head. “Since I got free, I’ve learned to deal with a lot of things, but modern sense of humor is not one of them. I cannot believe my niece have what ponies call ‘a funny bone’.” “Princess Cadence?” asked Pip. “I thought it was Spike’s doing.” “No, no. Our little Lord of Chaos haves a very specific magic signature. I can recognize it from miles away.” Pip sighed. “Whatever. Hey, this is the first time we’ve talked in a while.” Luna blinked. “You’re right Pip! I haven’t noticed… but only because talking to you feels always so natural…” “I understand.” said Pip. “I’m glad you’re not mad with me anymore.” “Me too.” It was when they both realized. “Hey, mad with you?” they asked in the unison. They looked at each other, clearly surprised. “Pipsy, why would I be mad with you?” “After that adventure at the theater, why wouldn’t?” Luna rolled her eyes. “Pip, I told you already that I wasn’t mad, didn’t we laughed at the incident immediately after? It’s in the past.” Pipsqueak nodded. “I thought so, but at the next day Princess Celestia shows up saying you were mad because of something, and that something had to do with me. I don’t need to be a genius to guess what was going on.” Luna face-hoofed. “Dang it, Tia! That’s why I never tell you anything. No Pip, I wasn’t mad with you. I was mad with myself for what I did to you. I thought you knew and got mad because of it.” Pip tilted his head. “I’m clearly missing something here. What did you do to me?” Luna looked away. “Nothing Pip…” He looked at his friend to the eye. “Tell me, please, Luna.” Luna lowered her gaze, she knew Pip deserved to know. “I got inside your dreams, Pip. I was still mad for what happened at the theater, but not for what you think, no, I didn’t know why I was mad then, so I looked into your dreams looking for an answer.” Pip seemed confuse. “Okay, what did my dreams had to do with you existential crisis?” “What I mean is that I betrayed your trust, Pip. I thought you felt my presence in my dreams, and got mad with me for betraying you…” Pip was more confused than ever. “Okay, I still don’t get why you thought that looking into my dreams was a good idea… what does it had to do with any of this?” “Like I said, I had no idea what I was doing back then. I only knew that the answer I was looking for was inside your dream.” Pip nodded. “That I can understand, and, what was your answer?” Luna felt guiltier. Pip’s concern about her was genuine, and he was not a bit mad her getting into his head. As much as he grew up in the outside, in the inside was still the same cute little colt. “Is hard to explain, Pip. When I looked at your dreams I realized that I was mad because of all the emotions you felt back then, I didn’t find any… desire. I realized that you don’t want me the way I want you.” Pip gulped, and began to move backwards. “Luna, don’t tell me you…” “Pip, since you started to live under the same roof as me, I’ve started to feel… odd. I’ve started to look at you with another eyes. At first I thought I was just being protective, and I was, but there was something else. You were just following your dreams of joining my Royal Guard, not because of me… but because that was what you wanted since you were a child. I couldn’t help but admire the feeling and the determination you showed. That shows that the kid you were, my little friend, have turned into a righteous and good stallion. You’ve became such a great pony, because the things you’ve changed, and the things that you haven’t.” Pip nodded, more nervous than before. “So, you mean you still look at me as a child who follows his dream, okay, I like it. Now…” Before Pip could realize, Luna approached. “At the same time you’ve grown up to become such an handsome pony. So big and strong. I’ve seen lots of your female companions looking at you, and I couldn’t help but get annoyed by them. Truth be told Pip, I’ve fallen in love with you.” And she embraced Pip with her wings as she kissed him passionately. Right at that moment, the door opened, letting pass Princess Cadence. “Auntie Luna! Congratulations!” Pip gulped and smiled to Princess Cadence. “Excellent plan, my Princess! It was to die for… now, if you excuse me, I have to join my squad!” And then, he ran as fast as he could. “Pipsqueak…” said Luna, hurt. Cadence winked an eye to her. “Don’t worry, auntie. I don’t feel any rejection coming from him, is just that he needs some time to process what just happened. Give him some time,” “Thank you…” Then, she realized. “Hey, who asked you to intervene?” Cadence chuckled “Obviously, auntie Celestia.” Luna groaned. “Of course! If the moron dares to ask me to stop my Royal Guard from mocking her I’ll tell her that…!” “Easy auntie, it was just a misunderstanding between the two of you, and she was worried about you. You know I came to help, if you let me, of course…” Luna ended up smiling. “Okay, thank you Cadence.” “Now, for the next step I need something from you…” Luna looked at her niece intrigued. Now what? At the next day, Pipsqueak woke up startled, still shocked for what happened. He didn’t know how to react to what just happened. “Dude, are you okay?” asked Reality Slash. Cold Fusion nodded, worried as well. “Yes, yesterday you seemed off. Did something happened?” “Sorry guys, but I don’t think I can tell you yet. I still don’t get what happened.” “Come on Pip, you can tell us!” said Reality. “Shut up!” scolded Cold Fusion. “He’ll tell us when he feels like it.” Pip gave him a grateful smile. “Thanks Cold. Even if you don’t want to admit it, you’re a good friend.” Cold Fusion made a small nod, and exited the room, and Pipsqueak and Reality Slash followed him soon enough. After having their breakfast together, they went to the main board to see their assignment for the day. Pip was about to join the garden patrol, when the Black Swordsman himself interrupted him. “Cadet Squeak, I was looking for you.” Pip saluted his captain. “My captain, what can I do for you?” “Princess Cadence have solicited an escort for today, and Princess Luna was kind enough to offer the services of her trusty guard. I think the garden patrol won’t miss you for the day. Are you okay with this?” Pip saluted again. “Sir, yes sir my captain, sir!” “Thank you soldier, follow me then.” Pip began to follow, when he reacted. Princess Cadence, what the hay? He frowned, he had a bad feeling of what was about to happen. Cadence received him with joy. “Soldier, I was waiting for you. Sorry I interrupted your normal duties, but if you want high quality protection, you better call the Lunar Guard.” “I’ll do what I can, your Majesty.” said Pip, bowing. Cadence smiled at him. “I know I am in good hooves, considering you always beat up my husband at the Military Games.” “Your husband is strong, only not as strong as our captains.” said Pip. “But I just joined the Guard, I’m still far from their level. Or your husband’s.” “I see you’re humble too. I like you, cadet Squeak. Now, we have a long day ahead us. I hope you don’t mind carry my shopping bags.” Pip sighed. “I would feel like a Solar Guard, but whatever. Let’s go then.” He was surprised by the Princess’ simple request, but he couldn’t lower his guard. Not yet. After a day full of shopping and such, the two returned to the castle, where they left Cadence’s bags at her room. Pip sighed, and saluted the Princess. “Fine then Princess. I’ve escorted you on your walk through the city. Now, if you excuse me, I have to join my companions.” Cadence stopped him. “No, no, Cadet Squeak. As much as I admire your sense of duty, I especifically ask for your services the whole day. Those are my aunt’s orders.” Pip nodded. “Alright then. What do you want me to do? Should I guard your door?” “Oh no, Pipsqueak. It’s a beautiful afternoon. I feel like having a walk in the gardens. Join me, please.” Pip shrugged, and followed Cadence. What a day… The castle’s gardens were beautiful, and actually pretty big. So bit that there were several patrols, both Lunar and Solar, in the area. It was Pip’s favorite place in the castle. He was there, trying to focus on his duty, when Cadence suddenly stopped. It was a hidden spot, surrounded by two lemon and two orange tress. She turned to Pipsqueak, and offered him a smile. “Now, Pip, it’s time for you to tell me what you think of my aunt, Princess Luna.” Pip groaned, this was the moment he feared since his day started. “Your Majesty, with all respect, I do not speak of my personal life on duty.” “Is that so, Cadet Squeak?” asked Cadence calmly. “Because we both know that’s the reason I asked specifically for your presence today. Come on, talk to me. Auntie Luna is hurt after you left without saying a word to her.” Pip only sighed. “Okay, sorry I did that. But how was I supposed to react?” “I don’t know. Maybe happy. A beautiful have just offered you her heart. That’s more than enough reason to celebrate and be happy. Why don’t you tell me what’s in your heart, young Piper Squeak?” “Because is none of your business.” answered Pip. “My dear colt, love is my business. Come on, you and Auntie Luna feel comfortable around each other, you can be yourselves when you’re together, enjoying of each other’s company. Then, why did you ran away when she confessed her love?” “I’ve known Luna since I was little, and we got along fine. She invited me to sleepovers countless times, and babysat me every time my parents had to go away for work. She saw me growing up, like my second mom.” He blushed, as Cadence nodded. “I guess I get it, you don’t feel quite comfortable with the situation since you see Luna as a maternal figure instead of a mare.” Pipsqueak shrugged. “Is not that simple. Truth be told, there was one time I looked at her like that. I was thirteen, and I had a crush on her. I was stupid enough to confess my feelings to her, but she said she didn’t love me that way. That I was like a son to her, and after the tantrum, I ended up accepting it.” “Did it bothered you?” asked Cadence. “Of course, as any other teenager who was dumped. We were friends and that’s all what we would ever be.” “If it was so clear, what did you joined the Lunar Guard?” asked Cadence. Pip rolled his eyes. “Again? I joined the Lunar Guard because that’s what I wanted to do since I was little. Wanting to be a soldier have nothing to do with what I felt for Princess Luna.” “But Auntie Luna was your first love, right?” “Yes, she was!” said Pipsqueak. “I got rejected, it hurt when it happened, and I decided not to look at her that way again. Is that what you wanted to hear?” “But do you still love her? Because love is not a feeling you can just decide you don’t want to feel anymore.” “Yes, I do. But I can’t take another rejection form her. That’s why I’m happy just being her friend. If I start looking at her that way again, I’m afraid I’ll have to stay away for my own sanity. But friendships last forever, as her friend, I can be at her side and I know we won’t hurt each other that way.” He bucked a tree. “And then she goes and give me hope again. What’s going on? Since when our roles reversed?” “But young Piper Squeak…” Pip turned his back on Cadence. “Your Highness, I’m done with you. You can come out now Luna.” The Princess of the Night turned visible. “Was it that obvious?” “That’s why I said everything.” said Pip. “I guess you wanted to know what I think about you. There it is. Sorry I ran away, but it was a lot to process.” Luna nodded. “Sorry I asked her help, Pip, but I was nervous for your reaction. Cadence calmed me, but I was still so nervous. I’m sure you understand how hard it is for a pony to confess her feelings.” “You tell me!” said Pip. “Back when I was thirteen, I took two whole months to get the nerve to confess to you.” “You’re still mad about that.” said Luna, looking away. “No, I am mad because all the trickery. The prank of the library and now this, forcing me to stay with Princess Cadence the whole day. And then there’s the fact that after I got used to the idea that my feelings would never be mutual, everything changes. Luna, what changed between us?” Luna embraced Pip with her wings. “You did. I told you yesterday, I watched you growing up, and turning from colt to stallion. A very handsome one.” Pip blushed. “That’s why I don’t get it. You watched me growing up, since when you stopped looking at me as a child?” “Pip, remember when I rejected you?” Pipsqueak frowned, yes, the memory still hurt. “Pip, you’re cute, but you are still a child. But if you took that beautiful heart, and put it in the body of a handsome stallion, I would accept the feelings without a second thought. I am sorry Pip, but you are still a child. Still you are and always will be my especial friend. No matter what.” Luna smiled. “I sealed my own destiny when I said those words. Without noticing, you did exactly as I said, you put that beautiful heart inside a handsome stallion’s body. I can’t help but feel nervous around you.” Pip took a deep breath, and smiled. “If you’ve told to my past self that I would become your coltfriend when I grow up, I wouldn’t believed it. I guess you can never guess the turns of life.” Luna smiled full of joy. “Is that a yes?” “Honestly, I have no idea what to do now, but yes. I’ll go out with you… as your coltfriend.” Luna cried in happiness and embraced Pip with her wings, then she tried to kiss him but he moved backwards. “Pip?” asked Luna. “I am sorry, but this still feels weird. Give me some time, alright?” Luna giggled. “Fine, I’ll be looking forward for our first kiss, Pipsqueak. Thank you.” They embraced each other, for a while. “Hey, where’s Princess Cadence?” “She left us. I guess she wanted to give us some space.” Pip nodded. “Now I have no idea what to do.” “Neither do I, Pip. We’ll find it out together.” When Pipsqueak returned to the barracks, he was wearing a wide smile. “Now what?” Asked Reality Slash. “Your face is red.” Pip jumped to his bed. “I have no idea what just happened, but it seems that now I have a marefriend.” Author's Note A strange chapter to write, but fun in the end. Luna took the initiative, but I think is a good development. Still, remember this is a side-story from ‘Chaos, the Age of Spike’ and this story is only to fill one of the plot-holes created by the elven-year jump in time. Read ya’ later!!
How to be a coupleHow to be a couple Pip’s heart was bouncing out of happiness. He still didn’t get how it happened, and he still thought the situation was kind of weird. But he couldn’t complain on the result. His inner child was cheering out of pure happiness. He was so excited and full of joy that he barely could sleep that night. But he did his best since he had to wake up early with his companions. “Morning guys…” said Pip, yawning at the next morning. The others mumbled their own half-asleep greetings as well, and together they went to the communal showers and then to have breakfast. The same old routine, but that day something changed. “Pipsy!” called a cheery voice behind the trio of soldiers. Pip turned, only to see a very happy Princess Luna, who ran to embrace him with her wings, much to everypony’s amusement. Not surprise. The Princess kissed him on the cheek, and then nuzzled him. Pip could barely breath under the surprise attack, but he was happy for it. “Good morning Princess Luna. What can I do for you?” “Come on Pip, don’t be so formal. I’m here to say hi to my coltfriend and taking him to have breakfast with me. Our first date as a couple, how does it sound?” Pip’s face turned red as the other Lunar Guards chuckled, and talked among themselves. Luna’s ears twitched, ready to react at the very first negative comment. But, instead, she heard some giggles and a lot of ponies counting money from the bets they made on them. “So what do you say Pipsy? I can hardly wait.” Pipsqueak raised a hoof. “Your Majesty, with all respect, I can’t.” “What? Why are you so formal, and, more important, why can’t you come with me?” “Because I am on duty, my Princess.” Said Pip. “When my shift ends, I’ll gladly join you as your… ehem, coltfriend. Dude, it feels so weird. Anyway, right here right now, I am cadet Squeak, a soldier at your service.” He walked away from Luna, shaking his head. This was what he needed to finally awake completely. “I must admit his work ethics are pretty high!” smiled Lightning Flash, walking to the Princess. “That would open a lot of doors here at the Lunar Guard.” “Yes but I’ll be anxious the whole day!” complained the Princess. “Was it this way when you met Black Swordsman?” “Each couple is different, Your Majesty.” said Lightning. “But yeah, when I realized my feelings, I couldn’t help but thinking about him the whole day. Luckily we could spend some time together after certain incident, but anyway, things like this happen all the time.” “I guess so. Well, I suppose I’ll see Pip at the end of his shift.” “Thank you Princess, now if you excuse us, we have assignments to attend.” Luna nodded and left. For that day, Pip was assigned to the gardens, right where his new relationship started. He had problems focusing on his duties all day, but fortunately almost no pony came nearby that area so his distraction was not noticed. Finally, it was time for training. That meant that his shift was almost over. Luna decided not to show up, knowing she won’t be able to fight properly. Unfortunately, Pip had no choice in the matter and he ended up beaten in all his combats. “I hope you have your date soon!” sighed Acid Javelin, after defeating Pip for the last fight of the day. Usually it was Pip who defeated her. “Seriously pal, is not funny to fight you in this state of mind.” “Sorry, sorry. You would understand when you have somepony you like too.” apologized Pip. “I do have… had…” Pip smiled weakly. “Oh, well, you had already beaten me. Next time challenge our boss and you’ll be happy again.” Acid frowned. “Really funny Squeak.” “Sorry it didn’t work for you, but hey! You are pretty and funny and a great friend. I’m sure you’ll find somepony when the right time comes.” Acid blushed but in the end she smiled, bumping hooves with Pip. “You better hurry, or do you want to keep your Princess waiting.” Pip laughed, and after dropping his armor at his room, he went to the castle’s main entrance, ready for the date. The guards laughed at him when he rushed out of the barracks, but in the end they only wished him good luck. After all, they were between friends. Finally, he met with Luna at the entrance. “Pipsy, you came!” said Luna, dreamily. “I guess I did.” smiled Pipsqueak. “Now what?” Luna shrugged. “To be honest Pip, I have no idea. Shall we go to eat or something?” “You mean do what we always do, right?” Luna nodded. “Yes, I don’t see anything wrong about it. You do?” “Of course not, as long as we are together, everything will be perfect. Then, let’s go find a place with tables on the outside. I like how you made this night.” Luna blushed. “It’s psychological. Our mood affects the color of the sky. Both for day and night.” “I see…” said Pip, blushing as well, when he was surprised by a kiss on his cheek. “I know you’re not ready for the next step, but at least let me give you this.” Pip’s face was redder than a tomato but he had a dumb smile on his face. “Very well then, but let me give you this in exchange.” And he gave her a kiss on her cheek. “I love your company, Pip. Since always.” “And I love yours… Luna… but I’m a bit worried too.” “What do you mean? Are you still worried because we were friends since you were little?” “No. That and the fact that the press would find out sooner or later. What if they bring you trouble?” Luna frowned. “Yes. The Fourth Power. Another aspect of the modern life I haven’t finished to understand. But don’t worry, tonight is all about us, don’t let your fears keep you from enjoying it.” And she hugged him tightly under her wings and forehooves. “Luna…” “Pst, let me enjoy this.” “Luna… I can’t breath…” “Oh, come on! You are one big and strong stallion, I’m sure you can handle some affection from your marefriend. Oh, I love being able to say that word!” “And I still think is kind of strange, but I think all I need is some time to get used to the idea.” The rest of the night went really well for the two of them, having dinner under the beautiful moonlight. They wished good night to each other at the entrance of Luna’s castle wing. Luna entered into the Dream Realm with a smile on her face, barely able to wait to see her coltfriend again. Unfortunately, when she woke up at the next day she found an unpleasant surprise. As soon as she opened her bedroom’s door, she saw her guards trying to hold back a crowd of reporters armed with microphones, cameras, notepads, and more cameras. Lots of cameras. “Princess Luna, Ink Kid from Canterlot Chronicle! What you say about the rumors that you’ve been seen romantically involved with one of your soldiers?” “Is it true you that you promoted him personally?” “Princess, Princess! Can you confirm or deny that you’ve met this guard since he was a little kid? A very trustable source…” Luna raised a hoof. “Please stop!” She asked patiently. But she was ignored, instead they continued taking pictures of her and insisted on their interrogatory. “Princess, we want answers!” “The public has the right to know!” “Don’t let your little ponies waiting…” Luna sighed, they wanted it this way. “Guards!” One of her assigned bodyguards, Acid Javelin, aimed her ballista and shot. A reporter’s camera blew up in a million pieces. The assigned commander, Inner Darkness grinned, and at his signal, the Lunar Guard prepared their weapons and began to destroy cameras, notepads, microphones and recorders. Everything that the reporters had was teared into pieces. “Princess Luna, you can’t do this! The ponies have the right to know!” Luna walked forward, calmed. “Mares and gentlecolts, this is my personal wing, and unlike Celestia’s, is not open to the public. I’ll count to five, and the one who remains here, would be escorted by my guards to the dungeons. Did I made myself clear?” “You can’t do this!” Luna moved a hoof, calling more guards. Including the Black Swordsman and the Lightning Flash with their swords unsheathed. And seeing them ready for battle was terrifying. The reporters gulped, and escaped as soon as they could. “Black Swordsman, Lightning Flash, I’ll need you to act as my bodyguards for today. I have a feeling I could use your assistance.” The two bowed before her. “At your service, Princess Luna.” “But your sister won’t like it.” “I don’t care, now I’m pissed off. And is either sending you or make sure they don’t have a good night in months.” Black and Lightning looked at the Princess in awe. “What? I have more than enough patience and good memory.” The guards didn’t dare to say more, and leaded the way to the breakfast nook. On the balcony where Princess Celestia and Princess Luna used to have breakfast together, the Princess of the Sun was doing her best to contain the mass of journalists and reporters that came to ask Princess Luna about her affair with the mysterious soldier. “Come on, Princess Celestia! You never noticed something strange? She’s your sister after all…” “And Princess Cadence was here not so long ago. Did she had anything to do with this? Did you realized about your sister’s feelings and asked for her help or something?” “And that soldier, Piper Squeak, where did he met Princess Luna?” And Princess Celestia just benevolently raised her hoof, asking them for patience. “My little ponies, please. Let’s be civilized about this. If you promise to calm down and ask just one at the time I promise Luna would be more than happy to answer all your questions!” The doors opened, and Celestia turned to receive her dear sister and ask her for some help to calm down the reporters. But instead of her, she faced the two Lunar Captains. And once again they unsheathed their swords, and destroyed all the reporter’s things. Cameras, recorders, notepads, microphones. Nothing survived to their especial techniques: “Star Burst… STREAM!!” “Mothers… ROSARIO!” Behind the captains there were more guards, all armed and ready to kick some ass. Once again, the reporters gulped, turned away and left. “Luna!” scolded Celestia. “That’s intimidation!” “So what? I have the strongest soldiers in Equestria, so I better give them good use.” Celestia did not insisted. Luna’s temper was calmed. She raised her voice from time to time but nothing else, but it was hard to make her angry. But when she actually got mad, even Celestia had to be careful. Last time she got truly angry, Celestia had to use the Elements of Harmony on her since Luna was the superior fighter. “Let’s pretend this nothing happened!” suggested Celestia. Luna smiled. “Thank you.” They ate in silence for a moment, when Celestia asked. “So, you and Pipsqueak?” “Oh, yes! We’re still figuring how to act as a couple but everything is going fine.” Celestia smiled happy for her sister. “I’m glad you found your especial somepony. I knew calling Cadence was the right decision.” Luna glared at her sister. “I haven’t forgive you for that Tia.” “For most of the ponies saying ‘thank you’ is enough.” said Celestia trying to keep Luna on her good side. “But you are right. I shouldn’t interfere. I am “Apology accepted.” Celestia enjoyed of her pancakes for a little longer until she addressed the biggest problem. “He is a mortal Luna.” “I know. But I’ve never felt this way before, and I don’t think I’ll feel it again.” Celestia smiled. “I know you all too well to notice. So, are you going to do it?” “Right now I plan to enjoy our thing just the way it is. But, if everything goes fine between us, I’ll ask him. And if he say ‘yes’, I’ll take her to Mister Boss.” Celestia raised an eyebrow. “The Boss? For real? Well, He’ll be happy for you, Luna.” “Thanks dear sister.” Place between worlds; the Other One’s central offices: Lucifer walked around the hallways until he arrived to the door. He looked at the secretary who gave him a small nod. “He is waiting for you Mister Lucifer. Come on in.” The Fallen Angel gulped. He was one of the most powerful and feared creatures in the multiverse, but the idea of seeing his boss simply terrified him. That horrible Being known as ‘the Other One’, or, the Source of all Evil. The One-True-God’s Twin Brother; the One-True-Devil. Lucifer pushed the door, and bowed, offering a document to the Other One. “The report, Boss.” The Other One examined the document, unimpressed. “Huh… apparently one of my Brother’s employees have fallen in love with a mortal. How sweet.” “It is a routine procedure, Boss. I’ll take care of it soon.” The Other One shook his head. “No, no, no, no… after you screw up the last time I can’t let you handle jobs that require subtlety. I’ll take care of this.” “Of course Boss! But I don’t see the point of you taking care of small business like this.” “There’s something I need to see for myself in that world, so doing a small errand on my way doesn’t bother me. Leave.” Lucifer ran as fast as he could. The Other One watched him leave and checked on the file again. He wondered if the kid would accept or not. It didn’t matter, there was nothing he could lose but time, and time was meaningless for Beings like Him or his Brother. Author's Note Hey! So there couldn’t be a ‘Chaos: the age of Spike’ spin-off without mentioning Mr. Boss and the Other One, right? Anyway, this fic’s strongest point is the shipping itself, not the eventual antagonist. I hope you liked it and, Read ya’ later!!
Their first...Their first… At the next day Pipsqueak woke up wearing a huge smile. His date had gone wonderfully and now he had a whole new day to spend time with Luna. But a part of him still tried to figure out how did this childhood dream became true. It wouldn’t last, of course. But the little Pip inside him planned to enjoy it as much as he could. “The Princess and I, who would say that?” asked Pip to himself as he stretched out of his bed. Reality Slash and Cold Dusion glanced at him from their beds but didn’t say anything not wanting to pop his bubble of happiness. “Morning Squeak.” said Cold, stretching as well. “Hey Pip! Ready for another day of guarding and stuff?” greeted Reality Slash. “Stuff? What you mean by ‘stuff’?” frowned Pip. “You know, kissing a Princess.” mocked Reality Slash. “We haven’t kiss yet.” said Pip, blushing. “We’re not… I mean, I’m not ready for that.” “Oh, you poor thing.” continued mocking Reality. “Come on pal! If you think the Princess is the right one for you, then go for it. Is not like you have a chance like this every day, you’re dating Royalty. The only soldier who achieved such honor was Captain Armor from the Crystal Guard, and he ended up marrying his Princess!!” Cold Fusion rolled his eyes. “Slash, shut the buck up. This is Squeak’s life, is up to him. Right Squeak?” “Thank you, Cold.” smiled Pip. “Now, if you don’t mind, we have work to do.” He was right, so the trio of soldiers left the room to then go to check for their assignment of the day. “Patrolling the streets of Canterlot.” read Pip out loud. “Alright, see you later guys!” Reality Slash waved a hoof enthusiastically as Cold gave him a small nod. Pip smiled back at them, and joined his unit. Under command of a unicorn called Rolling Stone. The group left the Castle happily, but when they went around the corner, the group were surrounded by an army of reporters, journalists and photographers. “Cadet Squeak! Cadet Squeak! Is it true you know Princess Luna since you were little? Did she actually babysat you?” “Mister Squeak, Inquirer from ManeHattan Times. I heard that you met during the Nightmare Nights. What can you tell us about it? “At least can you tell us if it’s true that you joined the Lunar Guard just to be closer to your Princess?” Pip tried to put some distance between him and the media, but they were simply too many. He looked at his commander asking for help, not wanting to hurt the innocent. But they were not giving him an option. Finally, a journalist tried to call his attention by pulling his mane, and Pip had no choice but do something about it. He unsheathed Ice Pick, and with a precise move, he cut the journalist’s mane, his notepad, and his camera. Everypony around moved backwards as he aimed his sword at them. “Hey! What do you think you’re doing? This is a clear violation of the freedom of the press!” protested somepony. Commander Rolling Stone moved forward, making the journalists stalking Pip to increase the distance between them even more as he aimed his sword at them. “I’m sorry but we all saw clearly how this gentlecolt physically assaulted Cadet Sqeak. And attacking a member of the Royal Guard is considered a Federal Offense. You’re lucky Cadet Squeak doesn’t want to present charges against this pony. Or do you, Cadet?” Pip nodded. “You know? Yes I do. I’ll take this moron to the dungeons personally.” “Very well. You know which area are we patrolling today, don’t you cadet? Join us when you finish.” Pip saluted his commander, and dragged the journalist to a cell. The message was clear, nopony bothered Pip again for that day. That night, when he met with Luna, he noticed that she also was in a very bad mood. “Shall I come back later?” asked Pip. Luna smiled at him. “No Pipsy, it’s okay. The perspective of seeing you was the only thing that kept me from hurting somepony today.” “That bad, huh?” asked Pipsqueak. “Yeah, I had a hard day too. I always thought my first arrest would be different. Instead of protecting the public from a menace, I had to throw a moron who annoyed me to a dungeon.” “I’m sorry I dragged you to this situation Pip. I should know this would happen, I am a Princess, a famous pony and I wasn’t capable to think they would go after you too.” Pip sighed. “I saw this coming too, but I thought I would stand it better. I told myself that they’ll be bothering us only as they find us interesting. Then they would move on to the next ‘big thing’. But no, I lost my temper to a random reporter.” Luna sighed too. “I guess we should think in a better way to deal with them.” “Oh, I did!” said Pip. “We can talk to the God of Chaos and his Agents and ask them to make ponies can only speak with the truth for a whole day. Can you imagine the secrets the ponies would reveal?” “Come on Pip! I don’t think they’ll do what you say just because you went to school together.” “Luna, they’ve been accepting suggestions from fans since they accepted their new role.” “Huh… I bet I should tell Twilight Sparkle about this.” “As you wish.” Said Pip with a smile. “Now, what do you want to do?” Luna shook her head. “I can’t think in anything. If we go out, the reporters would annoy us again.” Pip nodded. “I know! What if we take a walk in the gardens? I’m sure we won’t be disturbed considering you scared every single reporter in the castle.” Luna agreed. “Good idea Pipsy. Huh, what a failure of a date night!” Pip smiled. “Come on, Luna!! As long as we’re together I’m happy! You know I am a simple pony.” Luna hugged him. “And that’s why I love you. You are right, as long as we’re together, we can have a date night wherever we want.” “And having a walk around the gardens every night sounds like a good start for us.” suggested Pipsqueak. Luna nodded. “Yes, it sounds wonderful, but Saturday is your personal day, so you’ll be mine for the entirety of it. But you can keep the night to have fun with your pals.” “Sound good.” “As long as you don’t get too close to that Acid Javelin, of course.” “You know Acid is a nice girl. Give her a chance, you’ll like her.” “She acts flirty around you and I don’t like it.” Pip better tried to change the subject, looking up. “Hey, I like your night.” Luna embraced Pip with her wings. “Thank you. I like your eyes.” She approached her muzzle to kiss Pip, but he broke the embrace and moved backwards. “Luna, it’s only been a day. I’m not ready yet. But I promise, when I’m ready, I’ll be the one kissing you.” Luna blushed. “My lips will be waiting for you Pip. Don’t make them wait for too long.” “I’ll do what I can. It’s a promise.” The rest of the week passed without major incident. But for the newly-formed couple, it felt really slow. The few hours they spent together weren’t enough, and the rest of the day felt like an eternity. But at least the gardens of the Castle became their especial place. They walked around then every night. According to Celestia, if they continued like this they would end up leaving a permanent mark on the grass. But whatever. Finally, Saturday arrived. Pip opened his eyes, only to find a pair of blue eyes too close to his. He screamed, and fell from the bed because of the impression. But Luna got him with her magic right before he touched the floor. “What is wrong with you, Boss damn it!” complained Pip, as Luna lifted and placed him back on his bed. Luna raised an eyebrow. “Pipsy! That’s no way to speak to your marefriend!” Pip shook his head. “You just gave me a Tartarus of a scare! Where are Cold and Reality?” “I sent them out early since I wanted to give my coltfriend a little morning surprise.” explained Luna. Pip stretched out. “You know? I wonder if Acid would make this kind of jokes.” Luna pouted. “Hey, that was low Pipsy!” Pip finished his stretching, and shrugged. “Sorry about that but that was a pretty big scare. Anyway, I’m taking a shower and then…” “You’ll be joining Tia and I for breakfast. Don’t take long.” Pipsqueak nodded and went to take a shower. Once he finished he dressed with his civilian outfit, and went to meet Luna and Celestia. He greeted the guards on the door to the balcony where the Royal Sisters used to have breakfast together. He could feel the glances from three of the four guards. And a death-glare. Ragnar’s. “Look who is here, the one who thinks he’s so cool because a Princess began dating him. What would she think if I tell her she’s dating a coward.” “Now what?” “Don’t play dumb with me! You owe a rematch and I won’t rest until…” A heavy dictionary fell on Ragnar’s head, knocking him down immediately. Pip looked up, and greeted Sinon who waved a hoof at him, and returned to her position, hidden in the beams. With a small shrug, Pip entered the balcony. Princess Celestia gave him a big smile. “Oh, hello Pipsqueak! It’s been a while since you have joined us for breakfast.” Pip smiled shyly. “Yes, since I was little.” “But the circumstances have changed a lot. Almost as you’ve changed.” said Celestia, winking an eye at Pip. The stallion gulped nervously as he sat with Luna. “You tell me!” Luna hugged him with her wing. “Yes, a lot have changed. But I can’t complain.” They started eating, when suddenly Celestia interrupted. “So, young Pip, I understand you yelled at my sister this morning.” “I did. She has a peculiar sense of humor and I almost die of impression. She says she doesn’t get modern sense of humor. Well, I cannot understand old sense of humor.” Luna giggled as she raised an eyebrow. “Hey who are you calling an old lady?” Pip shrugged. “Nopony. I just said that I, Piper Squeak, don’t understand old-fashioned sense of humor. I never mentioned you or anypony.” Celestia and Luna laughed at this. Pip joined them too. He have shared a lot with the Princesses back when he was just a child. That’s why he got used to treat them so familiarly without thinking. But still the whole situation with Luna seemed a bit odd for him. “So what have you planned for today?” asked Celestia. Pip shrugged. “I have no idea. Luna?” She sipped he cup of coffee. “For starters a small air show from the Shadow Bolts.” “Oh, great! I haven’t seen them since I was thirteen and my brother took me.” “Isn’t your brother a Wonderbolt?” asked Celestia. Pip shrugged. “He wanted to have closer look on the competition. And, being completely honest, the Shadow Bolt’s fame comes from captain Black Swordsman.” “He is an ace in the air, and he deserves recognition for that.” argued Luna. “And I don’t see what’s wrong with celebrating both his sword and his aerial skills.” Pip shrugged as he finished his breakfast along with Luna. They both stood and said goodbye to Celestia as they left. “Have fun!” wished them the Alicorn of the Sun. They rented a pegasus chariot to take them to Cloudsdale. Luna would have preferred to use her own chariot but Pip refused. Arguing that being carried away and guarded by his comrades would be awkward for him. They arrived to Cloudsdale where they headed to the Royal balcony to watch the presentation. And Pip couldn’t help but hide his face when he recognized two of his companions as their assigned guards at the balcony. But they simply joked with him and even gave him a friendly slap on the back. Pip nodded grateful and sat with Luna. Much to his surprise, two ponies were already waiting for them at the balcony. Captain Lightning Flash and her daughter Yui. “My captain!” saluted Pip. “Easy Pip, today is my free day as well.” assured the white unicorn. “Today just call me Lightning, alright’” Pip blushed. “Oh, okay then. And, what are you doing Princess? Cheering for your husband?” She nodded. “Yes, I love to see him flying. His aerial skills are one of the many reasons why I fell in love with Black.” “He is not as skilled as auntie Leafa, but he has talent.” assured Yui. “It’s always a pleasure to see him flying.” The demonstration was amazing, as usual. But Pip preferred the Wonderbolts. Faithful to their style, the Shadow Bolts took a bunch of clouds and modeled a structure where they got inside and moved it from the inside as they were puppeteers. They chose to represent an old adventure from Aincrad. When Black Swordsman and his friend Klein stopped a group of warriors trying to enter by force to a dungeon, as they won time for Lightning and her mentor Zekken to go and destroy the monster before the others. When it finished, Pip applauded as enthusiastically as the others but in the end it was okay. Not great, just okay. “Interesting but why do they insist in representing battles from Aincrad?” “Because Equestria it’s a peaceful land, and they haven’t lived that many adventures here.” explained Luna. “But they’ve lived a few. Like when they defeated you, or when the Bearers of Harmony, the Team of Chaos and them escaped from the Wolf-Pies.” “That one time Black was affected by the curse as well.” reminded Lightning. “But is not a bad idea, you should tell him when you see him.” Pip smiled. “I will, thank you.” After a lovely flight back to Canterlot it was finally time to eat. “Let’s eat something Pip.” “Sure, what do you want?” asked the young colt. Luna considered it for a fraction of a second. “Last time you mentioned a Hay Burger, remember? I want to try one!” “Okay, I hope you like them. Personally, I love them.” said Pip. “Especially at the end of a night of party with my friends.” By Pip’s suggestion, they went to the Lunar Guard’s favorite food-truck, which was as full as usual. And most of the customers were Lunar Guards enjoying their free day. Blackest Knight, recognized Pip. “Hey, look! Is cadet Squeak! Good to see you here, squirt, I was worried about you.” “Commander!” greeted Pip. “Good to see you too!” “Excuse me, Commander,” said the Princess, as she approached. “Why were you worried about Pipsqueak?” “Because we thought that you would end up spoiling the poor dude taking him to fancy restaurants, but in the end he brought you here. Good to see there’s still hope for the little guy.” The other guards laughed, and Pip joined them. Luna seemed hesitant at first but she quickly joined the laughs too. It was all harmless joking between companions. “Is not like she didn’t try to spoil me.” commented Pip. “Can you believe she actually wanted me to get into a chariot pulled by two colleges?” “Seriously?” Pip nodded. “I know! Is not like I’m an officer or something.” “Princess! What are you doing? You’ll ruin the poor bastard!” The comments continued like that for a while but Luna wouldn’t dignify those jokes with an answer. So she went to the counter to order her food and go find a table. A few moments later, Pip joined her with his own order. “Sorry for the delay.” “No problem, now let’s see why is this place so popular among my guards.” smiled the Princess. “Also, I prefer a few jokes with my guard than having to stand the constant harassing of the press.” “Anypony would prefer that.” agreed Pipsqueak. “Also, if they dare to show up, most of them are on duty so they better stay away.” Pip watched how a few trash cans moved out of sudden as sompeony was hiding behind. “How did you…?” “Alicorn senses.” They started to it, and Luna had to admit this was the first time she tried something that good. “Unbelievable! And the ponies have enjoyed this marvelous meal for generations without me or my sister realizing?” “Since my parent’s generation at least.” said Pip calmly, as he munched some onion rings. “Try your onion rings, they are great too.” Luna did as he said and she agreed that they were pretty good too. But she always preferred the hayburger. They finished and walked back to the castle. “It was wonderful Pip. I needed this for so long…” “Me too, Luna. I’m still surprised that I am living one of my childhood dreams.” Luna hugged him. “Oh, Pip.” The stallion smiled as he hugged her back, and before Luna could react, he kissed her. She was surprised at first, but she gladly accepted the kiss. They stayed with their lips pressed against each other’s until the need for air forced them to separate. “Tell me, Pip, was it all that you’ve ever imagined? Because it was for me.” Pip shook his head. “Nope. Honestly, I never considered that both of us would have bad breath. But considering we just ate onion rings, we should see that coming.” Luna stayed quiet for a second, and then she laughed happily. “True. As tasty as they are, I do not recommend them to kiss somepony.” “We’ll do better at our next day.” Luna blused. “Yes, you’re right. Our next date would be better.” Author's Note Okay a short chapter, centered in the romance between those two. I hope you liked it, and also I hope you don’t mind the comedic tone I put in the end. Read ya’ later!!
The military gamesThe military games It was the moment of truth. Both Luna and Pip were standing in front of Pip’s home ready to talk with the Squeak family and introduce Luna as Pip’s marefriend. Luna looked at Pip, who shrugged as it was no big deal. “Nervous?” asked the stallion. Luna giggled and nodded. “Maybe a bit.” Pip sighed. “Huh, don’t be. Believe me, I just got the worse part. This is the easy stuff.” Luna gave Pipsqueak a quick kiss and hey knocked at the door. Dairy Squeak received the couple with a bright smile. “Piper! So glad to see you! Princess Luna, always a pleasure. Thank you for taking care of my little troublemaker. He can act crazy from time to time, but his heart is in the right place.” Pip sighed in annoyance but Luna just giggled and hugged Pip under her wing. “Don’t worry! That’s one of the many reasons why I love him so much.” Pip rolled his eyes but he smiled. He had a long day ahead, but he was with the ponies he loved. As for Luna, she was feeling at home. Back when Pip was a foal the family always welcomed her. She even foalsitted the young colt from time to time after they met the first Night Night. “Princess! It’s so nice to see you!” greeted grandpa Middle Squeak, offering a tray of cheese. “I hope you like it, we’ve been aging this for generations! We save this for especial occasions. And my grandson’s first marefriend is a very especial occasion!” Princess Luna thanked the grandpa and smiled at him. She tried it and it was delicious. “Oh Boss! This is delicious! I see that the dairy business is on fire!” “Oh it is!” assured Middle Squeak proudly. “Or at least it was before certain pony whose name I won’t mention come and decided to end generation after generation of…” Luna nodded awkwardly and took another piece of cheese. “I have to congratulate you Mister Squeak. It seems that your family puts your hearts and souls on what you do. If Pip puts half of the passion you put in your business into being my soldier there wouldn’t be more protected Princess than me.” That worked, Middle Squeak laughed proudly as Dairy sat on her sofa and invited the couple to join them. The two of them exchanged a look, it was the real moment of truth. “So Princess Luna, you and my son?” Luna nodded. “Yes Miss Squeak. I know it sounds strange and even inappropriate since he is practically a childe compared with me but I love Pipsqueak and nothing would change that.” Pip rolled his eyes “And you had to mention that.” “Well, you’re about to turn nineteen. You are a kid even for me.” Pip couldn’t help but look away. “Dear don’t be like that. This is something we need to address. Princess I am a bit worried of how you feel about Piper. He is barely becoming an adult, you even foalsat him when he was a little.” Princess Luna nodded. “Those are the same worries Pip had back when I confessed my feelings. The very same reasons he was not sure if he should accept my feelings. But in the end, I told him that I couldn’t help to notice how the sweet little child from yesterday became the handsome stallion of today.” Dairy could only smile. “Who would say that Piper would grow up to become such a playcolt!” Pip giggled nervously. “Well, I was able to gain a Princess’ heart and also a coworker was hitting on me until I started to date Luna officially.” Luna frowned. “Don’t remind me! If it wasn’t that she is my soldier I would send nightmares to Acid Javelin.” Pip calmed her down. “Take it easy. She ended up making out with Cold Fusion.” “For real? She can’t decide who she wants?” “Actually she was so drunk that she couldn’t tell who I was. But good old Cold liked it. I hope he makes the next move soon.” Dairy cut them off. “Come on you two! Don’t start fighting now that you’re visiting.” “You are right.” said Luna. “I am happier than ever with Pip and that’s all that matters.” “And me with Luna.” Dairy sighed happy that the discussion ended there and continued teasing her son. “So Pipsy, have you take her already to eat ice cream, and to your favorite hayburger chain? What about the date at the amusement park?” Pip’s face turned red but he accepted the teasing with the stoicism of the Lunar Guard. The Princess laughed as she answered Pip’s mother. “Two out of three. There’s no amusement park nearby Canterlot. But we we’ve been at the teather.” Pipsqueak sighed. “Don’t remind me!” Luna giggled as grandpa Middle Squeak cut them off. “I get it, I get it. You two are happy with each other. You know what would make you happier? To run the family business!” After that the family spent a nice afternoon together. But Dairy was still worried about the whole ordeal about Luna taking care of Pip since he was little. She did not understand how did she changed the way she looked at her old playmate just like that. But for the moment they seemed to be comfortable with each other. Pip was just Pip and Luna was only Luna. “I wish you the best.” said Dairy at the moment to say goodbye. “Thanks mom!” smiled Pip. “Thank you for everyone.” “Yes, thank you Miss Squeak.” said Princess Luna bowing to the earth pony mare. “Oh, come on! No need to be so formal! We are practically family now!” They all hugged and in the end the couple walked back to the train station. Luna wanted to use her personal carriage but Pip refused to be transported by fellow Lunar Guards. “Hey, is something in your mind Luna?” asked the soldier. “Is just that of all the things your family could ask they never mentioned the fact that you are a mortal and I’m a…” Pip raised an eyebrow. “Why would they ask that? You know my family, they won’t ask such thing. Why would they?” Luna nodded. “Yes I guess so. Your family has always been a bit peculiar.” “Did you wanted them to ask that?” “Is just that you and all your family seem to be really calmed about it.” “Do you want me to worry about it?” asked Pip. “No Pip, I don’t want you to waste your time thinking about it. But is not normal.” Pisqueak sighed. “Luna, as you said I don’t want to waste my time thinking about it. I just plan to enjoy our time together. My grandma always said that worry is a waste of imagination. If I am too worry thinking about things that don’t matter, how could I enjoy our romance?” Luna nuzzled him. “Thank you Pip! Thank you for being you!” The other day went as usual. After a quick shower Pip’s group went to check on the day’s assignment. But today things would be different. Today their captains the Black Swordsman and the Lightning Flash were in front of the assignment board before the anxious cadets. “What’s going on?” asked a nearby solder. The other soldier sighed, “You are new aren’t you? I wish I was in your place.” “Why?” asked Pip. Then the Black Swordsman called for everypony’s attention- “Hey everypony! I know you are excited but you must control yourselves!” Then the Lightning Flash advanced with her signature strength and grace. “It is time. In a month and a half the Princesses we’ll be having the Military Games. In ten years since we started this tradition we haven’t been beaten a single time and we have to remain this way. I’ve heard that General Armor from the Crystal Guard is doing the impossible to make sure he and his guards win this year, we can’t lower our guard. We have to train really hard in order to keep the victory.” The Black Swordsman nodded. “Remember we can only take so many guards. If you want to win the privilege to perform during the Military Games you have to prove yourselves in training.” The Royal Guard shouted in excitement. “Alright see you in training. Now go to your assignments, except for the new cadets. You come with us!” Pip, Cold Fusion, Quick Storm, Acid Javelin and Reality Slash followed their captains. “You are the only ones who have your place assured in the Military Games. This is the final rite of passage for the Lunar Guard. You have to prove you earned your place at the Lunar Guard in front of everypony at the military games.” “I hope that you’re ready because this is not going to be easy!” The new cadets saluted excitedly. “Sir yes sir Mister Black Swordsman, Miss Lightning Flash!” The two captains nodded pleased. “That’s the excitement we want. Now go to your assignments and see you in training.” With that the new cadets did as they told and waited for the night to train. Everypony was excited, warming up or preparing their weapons. Challenges were shouted all over the barracks. Everypony was prepared to prove their strength on the training arena. “You newbies are lucky! Last year I was there, and kicked lots of solar and crystal flanks. But then I was knocked by a crystal solider. Dang it, it hurt but it worthed.” And then it started. The ponies started their training, crossing swords with their partners. And this time their fights doubled the intensity. And after the first of many training days, all the soldiers ended up exhausted. As usual Princess Luna waited for Pip on the barracks but she couldn’t help but frown when she noticed e had a black eye and he was limping. “Pipsy! What happened to you?” “I was training. Remember that the Military Games are around the corner.” Luna sighed. “Oh, right. I really enjoy the event but I can’t help but worry about you.” “You know this is part of being a soldier.” “I know Pip, you are a soldier and this is part of the military life.” The rest of the days were as intense as the first one. All the guards in the castle waited anxiously for the training. Their assignments felt eternal both for Lunar and Solar Guards. Everypony just wanted to train and prove they were worthy to be on the games. The greatest honor among the Royal Guards. Then the group that would participate was announced. Following tradition, the guards who would take part on the Games would rest during the day before so they could be ready for the day. And of course Luna and Pip spent the day together. “You are going to do great on the battlefield Pipsy. I just know it!” “I’ll do my best. After all this is my first year.” “Yeah, it’s been a whole year already. I wish you the best. We’ll celebrate after the games okay?” Pip smiled to her. “I’ll be looking forward for it.” With that they kissed under the moonlight and Pip went to sleep. Also as an especial courtesy for her soldiers, Princess Luna made sure that their sleep was twice as repairing. Finally at the next day, Pip, Reality Slash, Acid Javelin, Quick Storm and Cold Fusion joined the other selected guards and headed to Canterlot Stadium. … As usual for the Military Games, Canterlot Stadium was full. The Four Princesses of Equestria entered proudly on their private seat box escorted by the only Royal Guard that didn’t participate on the Games because they were relatively new. The Guard of Friendship. The three Princesses have asked Twilight Sparkle if she wanted to get more members for her Royal Guard but she kindly refused. Then the two side entrances of the stadium opened allowing the Crystal Guard and the Solar Guard to enter. Captain Shining Armor and Co-Captain Flash Sentry were at the head of their squad, flanked by their lieutenants Pink Diamond and Rose Quartz. As for the Solar Guard, they were leaded by the legendary hero who carried the weapon that destroy evil. Captain Master Sword, and his right hoof Hylian Shield, famous for his unbreakable defense. They were flanked by their lieutenants, Majora and Skyward Sword. The two groups glared at each other ready for the challenge. But then the main entrance opened and everything turned silent. They were here. The invincible Lunar Guard. Both Crystal and Solar Guard glared at the newcomers, who smiled in return. Leaded by the Black Swordsman who carried his famous swords on his back, Elucidator and Dark Repulser. At his side was his wife and Co-Captain, the Lightning Flash who carried her famous weapon Lambent Light. Then flanking them were Leafa from the clan of Sylf and Sinon, the cold-hearted snipper who prepared her ballista Hecate ready to fight. Black Swordsman and Lightning Flash gave the other captains a quick nod and smiled. The other two captains grinded their teeth, but accepted the silent challenge. Today would be the day were they proved to the Lunar Guard that they were not invincible. Today would be the day when they would finally defeat them. Princess Twilight cleared her throat and announced the beginning of the event. “GUARDS YOU KNOW THE RULES! THIS IS A BATTLE ROYALE! ALL THE GUARDS WOULD FIGHT EACH OTHER UNTIL THERE ARE NO RIVAL GUARDS LEFT!” Finally the leaders unsheathed their swords and aimed them to each other. “LET THE GAMES BEGIN!” The Royal Guard crossed swords. The Military Games have started. And thanks to the magic mirrors prepared by Princess Twilight Sparkle the audience could see the battle from all angles. From the ground unicorns and earth ponies fought with all their might as the pegasi where fighting on the air trying to knock each other down. Most of the pegasi used swords, trying to emulate Black Swordsman’s signature move, the double blade. But there was a notable exception. Acid Javelin was flying around doing her best to evade Solar and Crystal pegasi, and shooting enemies with her ballista, becoming a great help for her fellow guards and a priority target for the other guards. She realized when she eluded a fierce attack from Shining Armor himself. “Somepony take her down!” he commanded. Pink Diamond aimed his horn to Acid Javelin when she felt a sword on her armor. She turned to see Cold Fusion aiming his sword at her. The veteran soldier grinned and used her horn to create a flash of light to blind the Lunar rookie. That worked and as Cold was disoriented she stabbed him right at the forehead and he disappeared. She didn’t kill him, of course. The weapons were enchanted to teleport the soldiers out of the arena after they received ‘lethal’ damage. Pink Diamond celebrated her victory by doing a small victory dance when she felt a blade piercing her right on her chest. She looked at the weapon. It was a long pink blade with an stylized scabbard that looked like rose petals. She knew this blade. Astonished Pink Diamond looked at Rose Quartz who seemed as shocked as she was. “Why?” asked Pink. Rose could only aim her hoof right behind Pink where she saw a Solar Guard who just dodged Rose’s attack causing her to accidentally eliminate her companion. “Sorry,” mumbled Rose as Pink Diamond started to fade away. “No one can ever find out we did this.” And she faded away. In the meantime, Hylian Shield have raised his shield trying to resist the brutal double blade combo from the Black Swordsman. Elucidator and Dark Repulser scratched the shield mercilessly trying to force an open-. “Star Burst… STREAM!” Hylian Shield responded with his signature move, the shield-attack. That made Black Swordsman to lose his balance and he fell on his back. Hylian Shield smiled, he would get rid of this pony once an for all when several arrows pierced him. Behind him Quick Storm was holding Sinon, who was holding her Hecate. She recharged and shot again eliminating Hylian Shield who already sighed resigned to his fate. Black Swordsman thanked the assistance and took his swords to continue fighting. Reality Slash was flying swinging his ninjato called Katana looking for targets. His fighting style was very simplistic, he stabbed and then flew away. He wasn’t sure if he eliminated ponies or not, all he wanted was to weaken the enemy. This also allowed him to have a general view of the battlefield, when he noticed something was wrong. A Solar was beating up a Lunar guard. But he wasn’t using his sword but his bare hooves and the other was doing his best to defend himself but he could not block the brutal attacks. He wasn’t competing, he was just torturing the poor soldier. Slash shook his head, he had to do something since the lunar guard being beaten was no other than his friend Pipsqueak. And the one beating him was Ragnar. “What’s the matter Squeak? I thought the Lunar Guard fight to win!” Ragnar was smiling. He wanted to teach this rookie a lesson since they met, and everypony was too busy with their own fights to notice. Acid Javelin noticed this too and after exchanging a look with Reality Slash the two of them charged to Ragnar and Pip. Reality stabbed Ragnar on the back of his head as Acid eliminated Pip so he could be sent to the infirmary. They were about to rejoin the main battle when Acid noticed the incoming attack and ducked. But Reality was not that fast and ended up with a spear on his stomach. He faded away and materialized right in front of Princess Luna, who was trying to reanimate the unconscious Pipsqueak. “Pipsy! What happened with you? Pipsy!” Reality sighed. “Sorry we didn’t realize earlier Princess. A solar had a feud with our friend and took advantage of the event to beat him up. We took care of him already but he was able to beat Squeak before we reacted.” “Thank you Slash. Thank you for stopping this on time. This solar would pay. Do you know who he is?” “Ragnar, the one you had to expel from the Lunar Guard.” “I know who he is. He’ll pay. Thank you.” … When Pip opened his eyes the first thing he saw was Luna. “Oh Pipsy!” cried the Princess. Pipsqueak tried to stand but he was forced back in the bed by Luna’s magic. “No Pip, you have to rest. The doctor said you can’t do any excessive effort!” The colt shook his head angrily. “No, no, no, no! I have to find Ragnar and kill him!” “No Pip, that counts as an excessive effort.” “I don’t care! I’ll shove my sword on his mouth now that the games are over!” “I understand your frustration. But this time I took care of him. He had been fired from the army and he’ll not sleep well in a long time.” Pipsqueak sighed in annoyance. “Damn it!” “Aren’t you happy Pip?” “No, I wanted to punch him at least once. But he caught me off guard and he is an incredibly good fighter. Dam it.” Luna kissed him on the forehead. “I was so worried about you Pip. Seeing you unconscious and bleeding was the worse that I’ve experienced so far. Thanks Boss you have such good friends that helped you when you were in need.” “I’ll have to thank them later. So how long I’ll have to stay in bed?” “A few days. I’ll take care of you personally.” Pip only smiled. “Thank you very much Luna. I love you.” “I love you too!” Then Pip asked, “Hey we won?” “Of course we won! Poor Shining Armor, but he’ll get over it. He always does.” Author's Note So this is another chapter with some references showing the greatest tradition of the Lunar Guard. This event is mentioned over and over on Chaos: the Age of Spike. I hope you liked it and as usual, Read ya’ later!
The price to be with herThe price to be with her It was obvious that Princess Luna had put all her effort to help Pip recover from the beatdown that Ragnar gave him. He was given two weeks of medical leave which seemed suspicious. But Luna assured Pip that this was the usual for her guards. Whatever, Pip accepted it and didn’t ask more questions. Then Princess Luna arranged that Pip move to her private chambers during these two weeks. Since he was off-duty he didn’t have to sleep in the common chambers. “Okay I think you’re overdoing!” said Pip when Luna insisted in carrying his luggage. “Of course not Pipsy! You got quite a beatdown and the doctor said that you have to rest as much as possible. Or don’t you want me to do this little favor for you Pip?” Pip sighed. “I just say that you’re overdoing. I can carry my own luggage, I don’t have that many stuff! I mean, I’m not made of sugar!” “Oh come on Pip. Let me take care of you at lest for this time. Just like the old times! Or does it bother you?” “Actually yes. I mean, come on! I am a member of the Lunar Guard, the most powerful military in Equestria and I don’t like to feel like I’m a child. Especially with you.” Luna smiled at him. “Oh Pip you don’t have to play tough with me and you know it.” “I’m not playing tough, is just that… oh never mind. The thing is that I was given a bunch of healing potions, straight from Aincrad. I’m fine now!” Luna rolled her eyes. “I just want you to save your energy for what is coming. Don’t waste it on simple luggage. Okay?” They arrived to Luna’s private chambers and the Princess left Pip’s luggage on the bed and she started to put Pip’s stuff on her closet as she happily moved her hips much to Pip’s amusement. “Hey Luna! Is there a reason why you’re shoving your rump right on my face?” Luna giggled. “What? You don’t like it?” “Don’t misunderstand me, I could watch this all day!”” “Then don’t talk and just enjoy it.” said Luna blushing. “But answering your question, we’re alone together in my room and we are a couple. Do your math big boy.” Pipsqueak couldn’t help but smile. “Wow… I mean wow, I just don’t know where to start. This is the first time I have a partner.” “Always have to be this formal? I am your marefriend Pip, just say it!” They kissed. “I love you, Luna.” “I love you too Pip.” The two of them cuddled in bed without separating their lips. Luna walked to her balcony as she looked at the sky. She did not wanted to leave him alone but she had a work to do. Carefully she gifted her little ponies with a beautiful night complete with a meteor shower. That’s how happy she was. Then she went back to bed as she let her consciousness leave her body as she entered into the dream realm as she cuddled her physical form with Pipsqueak. Celestia was looking at the night and immediately noticed how the stars were brighter and more radiant. “I’m so happy for you sister. I’m glad you’ve found your other half.” Pipsqueak was walking on a small forest. He seemed lost but he wasn’t really worried. The whole place looked peaceful, and he had his trusty sword with him. Also the whole place seemed familiar. He looked around only to find a big oak with the initials PS engraved on the trunk. Then Pip recognized the tree, and the forest. He near the old family farm. “It had been years since I came here! Why here of all places?” He walked to the old hose that his great-great grandparents built. But instead he found a giant mansion. Something that nobility would build. “Now what?!door. It was big and luxurious. And for some reason he saw Luna’s emblem on the door. Also the door was guarded by two intimidating Lunar Guards who didn’t seem to notice him. Pip shivered, as he felt a dark presence. But the fear quickly turned into annoyance. “Great, now what?!” He went through the door as he was some kind of ghost. “Confirmed! I am dreaming. Whatever let’s get over this!” Inside the house he found Luna pushing a wheel chair. On the wheel chair was an old pony with white fur with spots that started being brown but time have turned beige. And his chocolate-colored mane was now silver. Pip looked at Princess Luna but she had her attention on the old pony. “Come on Pipsy, the sun is beautiful today. Some rays would do good on you.” The old pony looked at Luna and smiled. “Thank you darling. But who are you?” Luna grinded her teeth holding back her tears but she managed to smile at the old pony. “It doesn’t matter Pip. Let’s go outside so you can take a sunbath!” The old pony coughed as a response and Luna pushed the wheelchair to the outside. In the meantime the real Pipsqueak just looked at the scene with an annoyed look and then he started screaming. “Pipsqueak! Pipsqueak!” called Luna shaking her coltfreiend. Looking that he was back on the real world, Pip smikled to Luna. “Hey Luna, sorry I woke you up.” “It’s okay, it’s morning already. What happened?” Pipsqueak shrugged. “Nothing to worry about. Just a dream.” “I do worry Pip, you know the Dream Realm is under my protection!” Pip just smiled and tried to calm Luna. “I am sorry if I worried you Luna, but I am fine, okay? Your duties are especially with children. Focus on them, don’t waste your time with me okay?” “Pip you are my coltfriend, is only natural to be worried about you!” “Luna, this is conflict of interest. It’s okay. If I need help you’ll be the first one I’ll ask. That’s a promise.” “Okay, that’s enough for that, but you better keep your promise, Piper Squeak.” “I will Luna Selenity Galaxy.” “What now?” Pipsqueak shrugged. “Nothing, long names make it sound more official.” Luna ended up laughing. “Come on smart-flank, let’s go for breakfast!” After that they ended up having a wonderful day. They took breakfast with Celestia and then walked around the garden as usual. “When you get better we can go out to the city.” “It’s okay Luna, I love the garden, this is our official dating site. Right?” Then when it was time to rise the moon, Princess Luna gave Pip a cup of tea. “What is this?” asked the stallion. “Linden tea, it helps you sleep. Come on, do me this small favor.” “Okay, okay. But I can handle it, okay? If I need your help I’ll ask.” Pipsqueak opened his eyes to find himself back on his family’s farm. He groaned in annoyance. “Of course I’m back! Great, now what?” This time he did know where to go. He walked straight to his family’s old home, now turned into a huge manor heavily guarded by the Lunar Guard. And then he saw Luna pushing the wheelchair with the old version of himself who didn’t even remember Luna’s name. The old Pipsqueak had to be constantly reminded who he was or where they were. It was devastating looking at himself in this state. But the worse part was to see Luna always so patient and willing to attend him even if he had become a helpless old pony. But he could see how hurt she was by Pip’s incapability to remember her. “Excuse me miss who are you?” “I am your wife, Pipsqueak. I’m Luna.” The old pony smiled for a second. “Luna! Yes, Luna!” The old pony smiled at her and stared at Luna’s eyes with bright eyes. But then after a few seconds his expression turned blank and then he asked again. “Excuse me miss who are you?” And the circle continued over and over. Finally present Pip had enough and screamed in fear. Pipsqueak woke up aside Luna who seemed very agitated. “Pipsy! Are you okay?!” Pipsqueak smiled proud of himself. “Yeah, I’m perfectly fine!” Luna was not happy about it. “You had that dream again.” “If it makes you feel better is not a nightmare, it’s a really annoying dream.” “Talk to me Pip! What are you seeing?” “Luna is not worth it, let me handle it! I can do it!” “You woke up screaming!” reminded her Luna. “It was a lucid dream, I knew this was what I needed to wake up. It was on purpose I swear!” Luna frowned. “Luna, tell me about your dream!” Pip sighed. “Something stupid. I would tell you if I see it again, okay? But I swear I am not scared or worked. Just annoyed about this whole thing!” Luna did not insisted but she just glared ad Pip and then they had another peaceful day together. But the Princess was decided to peek on Pipsqueak’s dreams. She would not intervene unless it was absolutely necessary. But she really needed to see what was bothering Pipsqueak. Dream Realm: Pipsqueak appeared on his family’s property and shrugged. “Seriously, how many time do we have to go through all this?” He sighed. “Oh whatever let’s finish this already!” Pipsqueak screamed in fear but nothing happened. He rolled his eyes in annoyance. “I have to go see it, right? Damn it, why?” The sooner he finished with this dream, the better. … From her watching spot, Princess Luna was looking at Pip’s dream. She was amazed to see the vacation home she always dreamed to build. Strange… and unnerving. … Pipsqueak went through the door only to see Luna fulfilling her role as nurse for his old and deteriorated self. Pipsqueak rolled his eyes and screamed. Nothing. “Oh come on! I’ve seen this two times already, whoever you are let me wake up already. This is pointless!” He screamed again but nothing happened. “Okay fine, I can’t leave. But that doesn’t mean I have to stay to watch this!” Pip walked back to the door but when he went through it he ended up in the same room. The stallion face-hoofed. “Seriously?” … Luna felt a presence. The worse of the worse. She knew who it was but this was the first time she was anywhere near Him. Her Boss’ Twin Brother. The Other One. “Pipsy!” called Luna as she panicked. She tried to enter the dream but a powerful barrier prevented her to do so. Now there was no doubt who she was dealing with. “NO! PLEASE TAKE ME! NOT PIP!” … Inside the dream, Pipsqueak was bored watching the scene as Luna continued taking care of his old self. Then she pushed the wheelchair to a window so Pip could see the full moon. “Beautiful!” smiled the old pony, as he turned to Luna. “But not as beautiful as you are.” Luna blushed. “Who are you lady?” Luna seemed hurt but the old Pip quickly smiled at her. “Just messing with you, I would never forget my wife.” “Pipsqueak?” asked Luna. He was about to say something but he then coughed and closed his eyes. “Pipsqueak?” There was no response. Luna shook the old Pipsqueak. “Pip talk to me!” Nothing. “No… Pipsqueak… PIIIIIIIIIP!” Servants and soldiers rushed to see what happened. They only saw Princess Luna crying over Pip’s body. It wasthe end. The younger version of Pipsqueak just watched in confusion. “Can I go now?” Not yet. You haven’t see the worse. The door finally opened leading to a new scene. It was the forest, where lunar soldiers came to present their respects to the old veteran, as Princess Luna was crying over a coffin. Luna finally cried in pain as her sorrow slowly turned into a black substance that ended up covering her completely. Her mane turned darker, her teeth turned into fangs and her pupils turned cat-like. Nightmare Moon have returned over the sorrow of losing her significant other. The real Pipsqueak frowned. “Seriously, what’s the meaning of this? Who the hell are you?” The entire scene vanished as an Entity started to approach to Pipsqueak. He looked incredibly young but very old at the same time. Masculine and feminine at the same time. All the races that Pip knew but also none of them. A strange Being surrounded by an aura of pure Evil. But unlike the other enemies from Equestria, it seemed that Evil was an extension of this Being. … Luna screamed in terror. … The Other One walked to Pip, extending a hand/claw/hoof to Pip. “I’ll be clear kid. I can feel your fear, your insecurity. The emotional storm going on inside your heart. Is not easy to date a Goddess, one of my Brother’s Employees. You are a mortal, and sooner or later your mortal life would extinguish and what you just saw is just the inevitable.” Pip stayed quiet, looking at this being to the eye. “Your Brother’s employees? Who are you? Who is your Brother?” “My Brother is the one you call the One-True-God. So obviously I am the One-True-Devil.” “And what does the Devil want from me?” asked Pip, feeling unnerved but his creature. “Your soul. How much, kid?” “What? I’m not giving you my soul!” “Giving me your soul would turn you into your marefriend’s equal. An immortal being with power to bend reality at your will.” “A God?” “Not a God. A Demon. And with the immortality you’ll have lots of benefits like a salary higher than any mortal makes in thousands of lives. A good retirement program, and a complete insurance that would cover for petrification, sealing or even eternal banishment.” Pipsqueak looked at the Other One thoughtful. “So the choice is mine then?” … Princes Luna tried desperately to enter the Dream Realm and rescue Pip. “No Pip! EVERYTHING BUT THAT!” … Pip rejected the Other One’s hand and looked away. “No!” The Other One remained silent. “Wrong fear moron! This? This is nothing! This would never happen because what I have with Luna is temporary. We’re just too afraid to admit it.” The Other One tilted his head. “Temporary you say. So you don’t take your love seriously?” “I do, but in the end of the day I am just a kid compared with her. I am as serios as I can get about this relationship. But Luna would eventually wake up and would look at me the way I am. The kid she babysat and befriended back on that Nightmare Night.” The Other One blinked indifferent. “So why don’t you make yourself a favor and end it.” Pip looked down. “Because I am a child. A selfish child who wants to live his dream as much as possible. I love Luna, and I know she’ll wake up eventually. But I want to stay at her side until the time comes.” The Other One looked at Pip releasing an oppressive aura. “Then accept and become her equal. With the power you’ll get you would erase your old self from existence.” “Thanks but no thanks. I am sorry, but I smell a trap.” The Other One shrugged and turned around. “There’s no trap kid. The soul should have to be given voluntarily. I did planned to give you everything I was offering, but since you don’t want to, I have nothing to do here.” Pip was really confused. “Just like that?” “There’s an infinite number of worlds. That equals an infinite number of people willing to give me their souls. I wasted enough time here listening to your idiotic reasoning.” And He disappeared. (Line) Pipsqueak opened his eyes to find himself alone in bed. He looked around. “Luna? A cold wind made him realize the balcony door was open. “Luna?” asked Pip, going to the balcony. The Princess of the Night was looking at her work, and barely reacted. But Pip did noticed that something was bothering her. “Luna, are you okay?” asked Pip. “Are you okay? Pip, you just faced the Other One!” Pip raised an eyebrow. “Hey! I told you I could handle it!” “And you did Pip! I saw everything! The horrible dream that He forced to live, and you answering so bravely. Oh Pip!” Luna hugged Pipsqueak with hooves and wings. Pipsqueak sighed. “I am sorry for not telling you how I felt Luna, I am terribly sorry for not telling the how afraid I am that we you realize I am nothing but a kid, barely a legal adult. And you are thousands of years old. I am always waiting for the time when you open your eyes and realize you’ve been wasting your time with a kid. I am sorry Luna, I try to be a worthy stallion but I don’t know how to show you that.” Luna kissed him. “I love you Pip.” “I love you too Luna. But I cannot help but ask, why me of all ponies? Look at you! You’re crying because of me!” “Pip don’t you see it? You are a worthy stallion. You demonstrated how worthy you are by saying no to temptation. The Other One would gave you anything you wanted in exchange of becoming one of his demons like Tirek and Sombra did before. But you stayed firm and rejected him. You showed me how much you love me.” “It just didn’t feel right.” “I know Pip! Oh, I’ve never been so scared in my life. I’ve been near his employees but never Him!” “Hey, can you explain to me what’s with the employee thing?” “Later Pip! Now it is my turn to show you how serious I am about us!” She kissed him. “Luna?” asked Pipsqueak. “Tomorrow I’m taking you to the Central Office. There’s something I need to give you. But can only be done there.” Pip looked at Luna but in the end he nodded. “Alright.” He decided against ruin the moment by asking what the hay she meant with Central Office, but he would find out soon- Author's Note So the story is coming to an end. Only a small cameo from the Other One before Mister Boss enters the picture. I hope you liked it, and Read ya’ later!!
You’re mine and I’m yours. ForeverYou’re mine and I’m yours. Forever Pip was walking behind Luna trying to make sense of what he was looking at. He was walking through what it seemed like a hallway. But it wasn’t a hallway because there was no floor. There were walls and cubicles, as he was in an office building in Manehattan. This whole thing was very bizarre. The strangest thing was that despite not being any floor, the floor and walls were standing perfectly. And the employees were just walking normally much to Pip’s disbelief. But Luna explained to him that it was okay. Since there was no floor there was nowhere to fall. Made sense, kind off. But the weirdest thing of all were the employees. Creatures of all shapes and sizes walking all over the hallways carrying huge piles of paper, making copies, telling jokes aside the water cooler, shredding documents, etc. Just a regular office. “So where are we?” asked Pipsqueak. “The main office.” explained Princess Luna. “What?” Princess Luna smiled at him. “I understand your confusion. Very few people get to know this is how the multiverse works. Only those who are hired to be the deities of our respective world and some chosen ones can see this. But is not that fancy. We have to come here from time to time to deal with paperwork and present our reports to Mister Boss.” “Deities have a boss?” asked Pip scratching his head. “And you get paid for being a Goddess?” “Of course I do! And my salary is great!” “And Celestia gets paid too?” “Yeah. Tia, Spike, Chrysalis, and the Dragon Lord get paid for being deities. Also Tirek, Sombra and the Storm King get paid, but they get paid by the competitor. We call him The Other One. You met Him, it was the one who tried to hire you in your dreams.” Pip shivered at the memory. “Yeah, we don’t talk about him here. It is a major tabu.” Pip nodded in understanding and continued looking around. The place was extremely interesting. Seeing creatures from all over the multiverse doing minor tasks was amazing to say the least. Then Luna got into a cubicle and entered. Pip followed her and once inside Luna showed him a chair as she started to fill in documents, sign them, make copies and then seal both the copy and the original. “Sorry about this Pip but since I’m here I have to do some paperwork. In the meantime you can go explore the office. If you get lost just ask an employee and they’ll show you the way back to my office. Just don’t go into the Chaos and Destruction department.” “Sure, how do I recognize it?” “You’ll know when you see it, trust me.” said Luna. Pip shrugged and since looking at Luna doing her office chores was really boring he decided to take her advice and go explore. There were lots of cubicles each one of them with some interesting surprises like the creature inside or the type of chore they were doing. Then he saw a large black door with a giant scythe engraved on it. Pip shivered from some reason. Then the door opened revealing a tall figure wearing a black hood, carrying a scythe on his right hand. But he worse part was his face. It was a skull. Pip gulped but didn’t say anything. Instead he looked at the sign on the door. “Department of Recycling. What the hay do they recycle? All the paper from this so called ‘paperwork’?” mumbled Pip scratching his head. “No. Souls.” said a cold voice right behind Pipsqueak. Pip jumped in surprised and looked at the strange being with he scythe on hand. “Eh… hello? No offense but, what are you?” “A Grim Reaper. As for what we do, we collect the souls of the dead then we clean it from all memories and recycle to create a new lifeform.” “Oh! Thank you… I guess.” The Grim Reaper nodded. “It is my turn to ask. What is a mortal doing here?” “I have no idea. I am dating a Goddess of the Moon and after certain incident she brought me here to meet her Boss. I don’t know what we’re here for.” “I see. She really loves you then. Good luck meeting with Mr.Boss.” And the Grimm Reaper left Pip as confused as before, but he shrugged again and continued exploring the offices. After a while Pip found himself in a large hallway full of small cubicles with creatures from all over the multiverse wearing headsets, and… seriously what they were doing? “Thank you for calling customer service, what can we do for you?” Silence. “Oh, I see! I am terribly sorry for the inconvenience. We’ll send an expert to fix the issue right away.” “Oh, I’m terribly sorry for your loss, but let me tell you your significant other is okay now. His soul is at peace now and you can focus on what he left with you. Your children are good men and women who would carry his legacy of kindness and bad jokes. I know, they were pretty terrible. Oh, I’m so glad I made you feel better. Please give us a call back if you need additional comfort or need help with anything.” Pip raised an eyebrow then he looked at the plaque in the corner. DEPARTMENT OF PRAYERS Pip face-hoofed. “Of course! Because, why not?!” Wandering around Pipsqueak noticed a door that kept open but something was not right. It seemed to change constantly. In the space and time, and also appearing at the same time. Also Pip could not make sense of what he was seeing. As the other employees the creatures were all from shapes and sizes, but they looked even weirder than the other creatures, like if the main gods had made them after a night of drinking. Also he saw all kind of wacky gadgets like a pencil with an eraser on each tip and you wrote by the middle. “What the…” “Hey, isn’t that Pip?” asked a known voice. Pipsquek turned. It was no other than the God of Disharmony and Chaos and his Agents of Chaos. Spike the dragon and the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Babs Seed and Rumble. “Spike! Guys!!” greeted the young guard. “Hey Pip, what are you doing here?” asked Rumble. “Luna brought me here for something. But she had paperwork to do so I am exploring the office. What are you guys doing here?” “Just finishing with paperwork.” shrugged Apple Bloom. “But now we’re to the ‘Employee Lounge’ to relax before going back to work.” “Wanna join us?” asked Scootaloo. “He can’t. only Gods of Chaos can enter into our department without suffering any side effects.” explained Spike. “Oh… what would happen to me?” asked Pip as Luna’s warn rang a bell on his head. “You’ll lose your mind. Literally. And it can take up to one eternity or two to find it.” Pip decided not to ask. “Oh well, nice to see you guys. I’m going to see the rest of the office.” “Have fun!” Pip continued exploring. He bumped into a group of employees telling jokes in front of the water cooler. And all their jokes were about the Boss’ Son for some reason. They called them ‘Christian jokes’. So the thing is that the Junior was hanging on the cross, and turns to the good thief. “Dimas, oh Dimas! Do you love me?” The good thief just cries and says. “Yes Master I love you.” Then the Junior turns to the bad thief and says. “Gestas, hey Gestas! Dimas is gay!” Pip shrugged and went back to Luna’s office. “This kind of reminds me the Celestia jokes we make.” Luna was just finishing her paperwork when Pip came back to her office. “Hey Pipsqueak, did you saw something interesting?” “Lots of things. I saw Spike and company too.” “Oh yeah, not even Gods of Chaos are free form paperwork. This is one of the few things that reminds you that being a God is a job.” “I see…” “Anyway, let’s see the Boss.” Luna guided Pip through another hallway where we stopped at beautiful cedar door with a golden plaque that said MR.BOSS. Also there was a small desk with a young cherub with four wings and blonde hair working on a computer. “Hey Gabriel!” greeted Luna. Mr.Boss’ personal secretary just looked at her, and smiled. “Oh yeah, Luna. You have an appointment, right?” “Yes Gabriel, thanks. Also…” She gave a folder to the cherub. “Here, I need you to seal this before I submit it.” Gabriel examined the document and sealed it. “Here you go. I can submit this for you if you want, I could use a walk.” “Are you sure?” asked Luna. “It’s a slow day, I was just playing solitary. Go on, Mr. Boss is waiting for you.” Gabriel put on a sign that said, BE BACK IN 5 MINUTES before heading to Registration and Statistics department. “Thanks Gabriel!” said Luna. The angel nodded and flew off. Finally it was time, Luna and Pip went through the door to finally see Mr. Boss. When Pip saw Him, he almost faints. He looked just like the Being he met in his dream. So young and so old at the same time. Feminine and masculine at the same time. All the races Pip knew and the ones he didn’t knew too. But unlike the Other One he did not emitted an aura of Pure Evil. But Peace. This was Luna’s Boss. Mister Boss, the One-True-God. “Oh Princess Luna, and Piper Squeak! It’s so nice to see you!” Pip smiled nervously. “Eh, yeah hello. My name… well, you already know my name. Piper Squeak, and still don’t understand what I’m doing here.” The Boss looked at the Princess. “Oh, haven’t you tell him Luna?” “Yeah, sorry Boss. But I was thinking that you could help me to explain this to him.” The Being smiled at him. “Oh, not a problem my dear Luna. So Pipsqueak, for your reaction when you saw me I guess that you’ve met my Twin. Don’t you?” Pip frowned and nodded. “Yeah, it was really scary.” “I can’t blame you. But I’m surprised that you did not accepted his offer.” “He was lying.” “He was not. He is unable to fully claim a soul if He gained it by deceiving the mortal. We both cannot mess with Free Will.” Pip shivered. “Still no. It didn’t feel right.” “I am proud of you young Piper, and I can see why Princess Luna loves you so much. So Piper, you were brought to me by your marefriend because she wants to spend the rest of her immortal life with you.” Pip raised an eyebrow. “Is that possible?” “Yes, it is Pip.” said Princess Luna. “You see, one of the rare benefits in my contract says that I can split my immortality with my significant other. Also my medical insurance would over you as well in the rare case you get ill. You’ll get attended by no other than Saint Luke, the Patron Saint of medicine.” The Boss smiled and nodded. “So would you like to be at Luna’s side forever, Piper Squeak?” Pip looked at Luna who smiled at him. “I love you Pip and couldn’t imagine being with somepony else. I haven’t feel this way for anypony, and I know I would never again.” Pipsqueak just hugged her and nuzzled her. “I love you Luna, and I want to be with you as much as possible. If you are willing to do this so I am.” The Boss snapped his fingers. “Okay, it’s done. I linked your life to Luna’s. You would be immune to must diseases but if you catch one, you can go with good old Luke and you’ll be as good as new.” “Just like that? This feels so weird.” “I know it’s weird but you’ll be happily ever after with Luna until the end of your world. But also keep in mind Pip, you may not age and be immune to diseases but you can still get killed so you have to be extra careful.” “Why?” gulped Pip. “Because your life is linked to Luna’s. And if you die, she dies too.” Pip just nodded. “If Luna accepts, I accept. I love her and I am glad she loves me back.” Luna kissed Pip with passion. “It’s done. You’re mine and I’m yours.” “Forever.” finished Pip. Author's Note And week this is the second to last chapter. The last would be the link to the main story, Chaos: the Age of Spike. Anyway I love the portrayal of the office, it’s really fun to write. I just hope you liked it and, Read ya’ later!!
And they lived happily ever after (literally)And they lived happily ever after (literally) Princess Celestia jawed as she raised the sun to then go to the kitchen. As always her loyal servants had left her an entire coffee pot so she could regain her energies. And after emptying the pot in less than a minute Princess Celestia was as good as new. “Okay, let’s start another beautiful day!” smiled the Princess of the Sun. Then a portal came out of nowhere, and Luna walked through it happily. “Hey Tia good morning. Wow, ist that late already? We took longer than I imagined.” Princess Celestia raised an eyebrow. “Oh Luna! Are you coming from the main office? This reminds me I have to go to finish my paperwork before it piles up.” “Yeah you better hurry, you know it’s a pain but the longer you wait the biggest the pile would become.” Celestia nodded. As Luna said it was a pain but paperwork was a fundamental part of being a deity. Then Pipsqueak exited the portal right after Luna. “Hey Princess! Is it morning already? Whoa… time flies int hat place.” Celestia blinked surprised. “Pipsqueak? What were you doing in the main offices? Luna you know is forbidden to bring mortals to the main offices. Mister Boss doesn’t like mortals finding out how the multiverse works!” “There are a few exceptions Tia. Like when you meet your significant other.” Celestia took a while to process what she heard but then she smiled. “Sister! Did you split your immortality with Pipsqueak? Oh, I’m so happy for the two of you! Congratulations Pipsqueak!” Pip smiled. “Thanks! It was a surprise for me too!” Luna blushed as she hugged Pip. “Thank you, Tia. I hope you find your other half one day. Somepony who makes you as happy as Pip makes me.” Celestia shrugged. “I’m not in a rush but thank you for your good wishes Luna. Now how about we have some breakfast as you tell me how did it went?” “Sure! I am starving!” “Me too!” added Pipsqueak. “I need coffee.” They had breakfast together and Celestia constantly congratulated them for their decision. The two groups of soldiers watching the door couldn’t help but hear the news and of course it spread like wildfire. In less than an hour every soldier in the two Royal Guards knew that private Piper Squeak was Princess Luna’s immortal consort. When they finished breakfast, Pip could feel how all the guards and servants were staring at him and mumbling. Pip sighed, this was to be expected and he was too happy to care. With that the rest of his two weeks medical leave were like heaven for Pipsqueak, but the medical leave was about to end and it was time for him to rejoin the lunar Guard. “Are you sure you don’t need more time?” asked Princess Luna. “No Luna, I’m fine. Being a guard is not only my job, is my dream. Being with you is my dream too but you understand. It makes me feel complete.” Luna simply kissed Pipsqueak and he went to check on the assignment board. Today he had to patrol the streets of Canterlot. He joined to the group commanded by lieutenant Blackest Night who greeted him with a small nod and he went to patrol the city. Once in the city Pip mentally prepared himself to get ambushed by the media to ask him about his new status as an immortal but surprisingly enough nopony showed up. This was treated as secret by the Royal Guards and the servants. And then it was training time, but nopony wanted to fight Pipsqueak “Oh come on guys! I’m just out of medical leave I could use some exercise!” “But you are… you know, sharing your life with Princess Luna. I would not endanger my Princess because of training!” “Come on dudes! Is just training, nothing we aren’t used to! Come on, a small fight’” Only Cold Fusion walked toward Pip with his war axe on the hoof. “I’ll fight you Squeak, you’re right. You’re still a fellow guard.” Pip smiled relieved and he began to fight with Cold Fusion. They fell at the same time, with Pip extremely tired and Cold Fusion wounded. “I thought it would be easier to take you down after two full weeks in bed. My bad for underestimating you.” “Yeah, I still did my best to stay fit my friend. I’m a Royal Guard after all. And after all this time training you have to learn a thing or two.” “One year to be precise.” said Black Swordsman walking toward them along with Acid Javelin, Quick Storm and Reality Slash. Reality seemed surprise. “Already a year? Whoa, time really flies right?” Lightning Flash nodded. “Yesterday we had the tryouts, a new generation of recruits would join us soon.” “I can’t believe that barely a year ago we were nothing but fans of the Lunar Guard. And now look at us!” said Acid happily. The Black Swordsman saluted his soldiers. “You are and always will be Equestria’s finest. You are not rookies anymore so I expect you set a good example for the newcomers. Understood?” “Yes Mister Black Swordsman, Miss Lighting Flash!” said the soldiers in the unison. “Congratulations privates.” said Lightning Flash. And then the Black Swordsman presented a plaque to Cold Fusion. “Private Fusion, congratulations. Is a tradition to promote the best warrior of every new group after the first year. It is an honor for me to grant you the rank of lieutenant.” Cold Fusion accepted the honor in silence as his friends congratulated him. His expression was calmed and stoic as usual but his friends could notice the small blush on his face. After a year of knowing each other they learned to appreciate the little emotions on Cold’s face. “Pack your things. All officers have the right to a private room.” The young earth pony bowed respectfully and smiled. “Thank you very much my captains.” “Hurry up and move, and you hurry to be promoted. Especially you Piper Squeak. Don’t ask why.” “Sir yes sir!” said the others in the unison. When they left, Pip turned to Acid, Reality and Quick. “Hey guys I think we must do some extra training on our free time.” “I was about to suggest the exact same thing.” said Quick Storm. “We need to get promoted.” “We may not be in a hurry like you but I do want to get promoted as soon as possible.” said Acid Javelin. “Yeah let’s give Pip a hoof so he can share a private room with his marefriend.” joked Reality Slash. “I never thought about that!” said Pip in a tone that did not convinced anypony. The friends made a high-hoof and went to do some extra training in one of the empty areas of the gym. In the meantime the Black Swordsman and the Lightning Flash were walking to their private chamber to spend a night as a family with their daughter Yui when they walked into Princess Luna who seemed really worried. “Princess Luna!” saluted the two of them. “Black, LIghitng, have you seen Pipsy? We were supposed to have our walk through the gardens but he didn’t show up.” Lighting Flash shrugged. “He is doing some extra training with some friends.” “What? Why?” “We just promoted the most outstanding soldier of his generation. This happens every year.” Luna rolled her eyes. “Military! Okay I get it. At least he is alright.” “He is a capable soldier, Princess. He can handle anything.” “I know but I miss be around him.” Pip showed up an hour later seeming tired but happy. “Hey Luna, sorry for the delay. I had something to do.” “I know, Black just told me a friend of yours got promoted.” Pip nodded. “Yeah, I can’t believe it’s been a year since I joined the Lunar Guard.” “I know time flies when your living your dream, right? So wanna go to the garden now?” “Sure, let’s go!” … Pipsqueak was decided to keep with the additional training. His companions’ enthusiasm lasted only a couple of weeks but he wanted to keep going. If nopony wanted to fight him he would run a few laps on the gym and to some pushups and some abs. One day as he was doing his pushups, he noticed the white hooves walking toward him. He looked up, and saluted. “Capital Lightning Flash!” “Piper Squeak, get ready.” said Lighting Flash aiming Lambent Light toward him. “You would train with me, my captain?” “Yes. Consider this a prize for your perseverance. Instead of quitting like your friends, you continued with the additional training. That says a lot of you, private. Black and I use to do this little favor for those who show a strong will to improve.” “For real?” “Of course! Is our way to show our soldiers that we appreciate hard work and perseverance. That’s what helped us to survive in Aincrad.” Pip bowed as he prepared his rapier. “Thank you very much my captain!” “Your weapon is a rapier, like mine. Depending on your progress I may teach you my signature technique, the Mother’s Rosario.” Pip thanked her in silence and he began to fight against his captain. She ended up moping the floor with him, but he did not complained. It was an honor to fight side by side with one of the ponies who defeated Princess Luna in combat. The others watched them fight and continued minding their own business. Some of them have trained with the captain before. Their captains always made sure to help them with their training even on their free time. This was the reason the Lunar Guard was so strong. When Luna met Pip that night he seemed tired but happy. “Hi Pipsy good evening.” “Evening Luna, I’m so glad to see you.” The constant training under the tutelage of Lightning Flash made Pip to go up in the victory rankings. Quick Storm groaned in annoyance. “If I knew I would have to train with the captain I wouldn’t have quitted that early!” Lightning Flash gave her a stern look. “Yes, and this is why Pipsqueak is training with me an you’re not. Motivation should come from deep inside you. Not from a prize.” Quick Storm did not argue with her captain and continued mining hew own business. And finally, after a night of partying with his friends the captain came to find him. “Private Squeak!” “Yes, my captain?” Lightning Flash gave him a plaque with his new ranking. “Congratulations, lieutenant.” Pip looked at his captain in awe. “For real?” “Yes! Congratulations private. You achieved your goal.” Pip put on his new plaque with pride. “Thank you so much! But we’re still training, right?” “Of course! I still have to teach you the Mother’s Rosario!” Pip smiled. “Let’s do it!” “Not today kid, is late and you need to rest too. But tomorrow I’ll teach you, right after you lead your very first squad.” Pipsqueak nodded. “Oh, sorry I got very excited.” Lightning Flash smiled at him warmly. “I know, I would be excited too! Then after we train you can move to your new private room. Congratulations Pipsqueak, I am very lucky for having such a perseverant and brave colt under my command.” The rest of the guard celebrated that Pip was promoted. At the next day Pip and Reality Slash walked to the assignment board. Pipsqueak realized that now he had a small troop under his command. His mission? Patrol the Princesses’ private chambers. It was a quiet day. And after another session of practice with his captain, Pip was ready to move to his new private room. He said goodbye to his roommate, Reality Slash who happily slapped his back. “I’ll miss your company, but not your snores Squeak!” “Hey you won’t miss me for long. We’ll still see each other at the bar on Friday!” “I’ll drink more than you, Squeak! You’ll see!” After that Pip moved to the wing where the officers had their private rooms, but Lighting Flash stopped him. “If you’re looking for your new room you are at the wrong place.” “What do you mean?” Lightning Flash aimed a hoof to the opposite direction. Princess Luna’s private chambers. “You have to be kidding me.” “What were you expecting, soldier? Anyway don’t let that affect your performance as a Royal Guard, okay?” Pip smiled. “Will do my best, captain.” He then entered to his new room. Princess Luna’s room. “Do you like the especial arrangements I made for you, Pip?” asked Luna. “I’ve been waiting patiently for you to get promoted, but I decided not to intervene. I’m so glad that you managed to do it in such little time!” She then showed him her closet. “I emptied half of your closet for you, so you can hang your uniform. But keep it, I feel kinky tonight.” “I guess we have to celebrate.” said Pip with a great smile. … The time passed. With lots of hard work Pipsqueak mastered the Mother’s Rosario. Only a selected few on the Luna Guard were able to master such a powerful technique. Same for the Star Burst Stream. He kept doing his assignments like patrolling the castle, or the streets of Canterlot. Then when the night arrived he had Luna all for himself. Life was good. Equestrian was a pacific land and the Lunar Guard didn’t have too much to do other than completely annihilate the other Guards on the military games. But they had to deal with minor inconveniences from time to time, like the pranks of their young Lord of Chaos, Spike. But sometimes his pranks helped. After a prank that made everypony hyper-energetic and incapable to sleep. As a result he had one of the best nights of his life with Luna. And after the Bearers of Harmony used the Elements to fix everything, life came back to normal. Almost. After her yearly medical checkup, Princess Luna called Pipsqueak to her office. “Hey my Princess! Did you summon me?” asked the young lieutenant, saluting. “Pip, remember that night nopony could sleep and ended up in the two of us being extra passionate?” Pip blushed. “I do remember your Highness, but I don’t think we must discuss this as I am on duty!” “Pip, I know you like to act professional but you must make an exception for this. I am back from my medical checkup. In eleven months… you and I would be parents!” Pip almost fell from his chair. “Wait, what? For real, Luna?” “Yes, for real! I am expecting a foal from the pony I love.” Pip couldn’t resist and kissed Luna. “Oh, these are great news! I cannot wait to tell my family. Or better not since the would pressure the kid into being a milkpony.” Luna giggled. “Yeah, the Squeak family is especial on their own way.” Pip nodded. Luna then sighed. “And my family can be a pain too. My sister is a bit too old-fashioned and she’ll insist that we get married before our foal is born. To be honest I am old-fashioned too and…” Pip nodded. “Okay, I get it. Let me ask the question, okay?” He bowed before Luna. “I couldn’t buy a ring because of the short notice, but I do mean it. Luna, would you marry me?” The Princess kissed him deeply. “Of course I’ll marry you Pip! I love you!” 11 months later: The nurse placed the little foal between Luna’s wings. “Pip, don’t you want to meet him?” Pip gulped and slowly walked to his son. He had white fur with brown spots as his, and a mane that was made of a fragment of the night. His eyes were black as Luna’s. he was gorgeous, and Pip could feel his heart racing. “Hello there… Blue Moon. I am your daddy. And this beautiful lady here, is your mommy. And we are so lucky to have her.” Author's Note And this is it, the end of the story. Again this story takes place on the same universe as Chaos: the Age of Spike. During the time-skip on the original story I kind of just presented these two as a couple without a satisfying story. But here it is, I hope you like it and as always, Read ya’ later!!
A rookie called Piper SqueakOn the city of Trottingham, two ponies ran as fast as they could from me. A great disappointment, since I wanted to fight. From the very first moment I heard the rumors about them, of how they slayed an Ursa Major without help, they intrigued me. Ponies always keep saying how strong they were, and I wanted to prove that strength. “But why, Princess?” asked Pipsquak. “Why were you obsessed with them?” “Because, I had never tasted defeat in over two thousand with five hundred years. As a swordsman, I mean.” I think they have heard about me too since I chased them for half an hour. Finally, I used my wings and cornered in an alley. I unsheathed my sword, and aimed it to them. It was the end. “This ends here and now, Black Swordsman. Lightning Flash. Turn yourselves in, or face the consequences.” The two looked at me, and she also unsheathed her sword. A light blue rapier. She exchanged a look with her husband, and he also extended his wings, raising from the ground, taking his two swords, one in each hoof. “Elucidator and Dark Repulser!” cheered Pipsqueak. Luna smiled warmly at the colt. “Yes, very well Pipsy. And, what about Lightning’s? Do you know the name of her sword?” “Lambent Light!” “Correct Pip! Shall we continue with the story?” Pipsqueak nodded enthusiastically, and Luna resumed her tale. The two warriors looked at me, ready to fight. I couldn’t find any trace of doubt in the glances they were giving me. “We didn’t want to get to this, Princess Luna.” said Black Swordsman to me. I hate to admit it, but he looked really cool with his black trench coat waving at the wind. His wife made a small nod. “Yes, Princess. We don’t want to be enemies with the Crown, but you’re not letting us any choice.” I smiled, sure of my victory. As an alicorn, I’m naturally stronger than the rest of the ponies. This would be easy. The three of us started to fight, and my sword impacted against the Elucidator. The strength of his attack forced me back a few steps. He saw it as a chance to complement his attack with his blue sword, Dark Repulser. It hurt, a lot. But I had no chance to counterattack because Lighting Flash moved to my left, cutting my wing with her rapier. Then, the next I knew was that the Black Swordsman made a deep cut in my chest. I dropped my sword because of the surprise, and they decided it was time to finish me. Black Swordsman started to move his swords rhythmically over my body, one after another a great speed. Without my sword I was unable to block him. Well, no, even with my sword there was nothing I could do with my sword neither. I felt cut after cut, increasing the pain. I heard him shout the name of his attack. Pipsqueak jumped happily, as he shouted as well. “STAR BURST, STREAM!” Princess Luna nodded happily, and let the colt cuddle under her wing as she continued with the story. And, at my side, Lightning Flash aimed her sword at me, and sent a series of attacks. Eleven consecutive attacks at great speed. She shouted the name of that horrible technique. An attack that she inherited from her mentor, Zekken. “The MOTHER’S ROSARIO!” exclaimed young Pip. “Yes, that one.” confirmed Luna with a sad smile. “I woke up at the hospital twelve hours later. Tia was at my side, seeming really worried about me. I took ten whole minutes to assimilate what just happened to me. I had been defeated! “Ten minutes?” asked little Pip. “Oh, yeah. Until then I was capable to defeat Shining Armor with no effort. Also, my sister’s captain, Master Sword, and practically the whole Royal Guard. I mean, vice-captain Hylian Shield was so proud of his unbreakable shield technique, but it was no match for my sword.” Luna laughed. “How could these ponies be so strong? Strong enough to beat an alicorn in less than five minutes! The shame of defeat didn’t last. I was mostly excited, I have finally found somepony to consider a rival. And it was a two-for-the-price-of-one offer!” Pip giggled, and Princess Luna continued with the story. Black Swordsman and Lightning Flash were dangerous mercenaries, and they had to be stopped before they were hired by someone dangerous. But I was no match for them. Not as long as they were together. That’s why I decided to investigate them as much as I could. Follow them, keep all the information I could before my move. I had to get them off-guard but I also had to know who I was facing. I learned a lot about those two. Of how they were husband and wife, who came to Equestria looking for a home after a lifetime in the dangerous lands of Aincrad. Also I made a research about Aincrad. Understanding the place they came from would help me to understand them. Aincrad had monsters more dangerous than the ones we have in Equestria, who lived in horrible places called ‘Dungeons’ that were also full of death-traps. Living in there for Boss-knows how long made them what they were. One day, I decided I was ready. I followed Lightning Flash. She went to a ‘girls-night’ with her friends from Aincrad. Silica, Leafa and Lizbeth. I disguised myself and went into the bar they were. I challenged Lightning on the spot. “Princess Luna, it’s been a while.” said Lightning Flash. “What do I owe the honor?” “You know what I want, Lightning Flash. I am here to capture you, in the name of the Crown.” Lightning raised an eyebrow, and aimed her sword to me. “Get ready!” I challenged. She jumped toward me with sword on hoof. Luna giggled. “A ‘Mother’s Rosario’ later I woke up in the hospital. I wasn’t able to block that technique of Tartarus. And let’s not mention the Start Burst Stream.” “What? Did you also faced the Black Swordsman on your own?” asked Pip, astonished. Luna raised her wing, and showed him a big scar she had. “I did. He was with his friends Egil and Klein and it ended as well as my fight with his wife. I had to admit that as much as I was the best swordsman in Equestria, I was no match for the swordsmen from Aincrad.” “Also, they were the best swordfighters in Aincrad.” added Pip. Luna sighed, but she was still smiling. “I learned it at the hard way. Finally I had no choice but using my magic. Such a shame, I wanted to win as a warrior, not as a Princess. But it was necessary. Tia was ready to use a large task-force in order to take them down, and lock them away for good. But I had other plans, so I had to act quickly.” One day I intercepted them in the middle of a family trip, on the red district. I aimed my sword to the two warriors, who did their best to protect their daughter with their bodies. Black Swordsman extended his wings, and stood between me and the unicorn filly. Lightning covered the filly’s back, but I threw them away with my magic. I looked at the child, she was barely six year old. I didn’t like what I saw. “Why? Why on earth are you exposing a filly as young as this to this kind of life? What kind of future she will have living with mercenaries as you?” Black Swordsman looked at me to the eyes. “Yui had no one when we found her, lost in the forest. Now we cannot imagine life without Yui.· Lightning “If you want to separate her from our side, go on Your Highness. But you will have to take her away from our dead hooves.” That made me think. I asked my soldiers to arrest them and took them to my private chambers without saying a word to my sister. If I let her take them to prison, not only she would interfere with my plans but also that would mean that she had to split their family. With the two of them in prison, Yui would never see them again. At the next day, I went to see them. “I’ll be honest with you. Equestrian Law won’t let you keep your daughter. What kind of future does your family have?” “But I want to stay with mama and papa!” cried Yui. I stroke the little one’s mane. “Yui, your parents are wanted criminals. They broke several equestrian laws, and they have to pay for their crimes.” Black Swordsman stared at me with a smirk. “Unless?” “Since my return, my Royal Guard had been formed only by the soldiers my sister lend me. But I need my own Guard. But I have really high standards. I need the best of the bests, and you’ll give them to me. I need you to become my Royal Captains.” The two warriors looked at me, without saying a word. So I continued. “In exchange, I’ll clean your criminal record, and make sure of your child’s safety and wellbeing. You can live here as a family, under my protection.” The two warriors extended a hoof to me. “For Yui.” “For Yui.” With that, Luna finished her story. “That’s how my Guard became the strongest in Equestria.” Pipsequeak smiled dreamily. “Princess, when I grow up, I will join your Guard, I’ll be a great soldier!” Luna hugged him. “Of course Pip, when you grow up. Everything would be possible when you grow up.” “Promise it!” said the colt. “You’ll accept me in your Royal Guard!” Luna simply smiled at him. “Of course, Pip. When you get big enough, there would be a place in my Guard waiting for you.” “And I’ll protect you!” “And you’ll protect me, Pipsy. No go to sleep, we’ll have some more fun tomorrow.” “Okay, Princess Luna.” Princess Luna put the young colt under the sheets, and then laid aside him, letting her consciousness to vanish into the Dream Realm to do her job. At the next day, while Pip was still sleeping in her bed, Princess Luna quietly exited her room to get some breakfast for the both of them. “You seem to be having fun, Luna.” smiled Celestia. “I am. Good thing that his parents allowed him to spend the weekend with me. I love his company.” “And his letters always make your day brighter.” added Celestia. Luna giggled happily. “I just love having him around.” “I’m glad for the two of you.” said Celestia. “Is good to see you’re getting closer with our little ponies. And seeing that you have an special friend to share with cheers me up.” “Me too! The kid would grow up one day, and maybe we couldn’t be as close as we are now, but I’ll always treasure this moments.” Eleven years later: Princess Luna entered to the training field of the Lunar Guard, with her two captains at both of her sides. The trio was there to evaluate the recruits who dreamed with joining the Lunar Guard, the strongest of Equestria’s Royal Guards. The Royal Guard that defeated the Solar and the Crystal Guard each time they faced in official competitions. As a matter of fact, the only ones who have defeated them were the Great of Friendship, but because they tricked them, but that’s another story. A stain in the history of the invincible Lunar Guard that time would never erase. Anyway, because they had to maintain their status as the strongest and most powerful Royal Guard in Equestria so they only accepted the best of the bests. The two warriors and the Princess sat on a small table, especially prepared for the occasion. “How many aspirants we have today?” asked Princess Luna. “Twenty five more or less.” said Black Swordsman. “I hope everyone passes, really. But we cannot lower our standards.” “Not everypony is material for the Lunar Guard.” Lightning Flash turned to the soldiers and called. “Blackest Night! Petra Oleum! Wings of Darkness, step ahead!” Three soldiers, an earth pony and two pegasi saluted their captain. They unsheathed their swords, getting ready for the recruits. Black Swordsman took a list. “Aspirant Silver Wing!” A light gray pegasus, with black mane entered to the battlefield carrying a short sword. With no warning, the soldiers that Lightning called to the battlefield jumped over her, with swords in hoof. They finished the poor one in three seconds. “Disappointing.” sighed Lightning Flash. “Very.” agreed Black Swordsman. “This won’t be different from the other years.” “There had been surprises.” said Luna. The fights continued. A couple of aspirants managed to hit the attackers once, or twice. When this happened, eveyrpony smiled at the probability of a new partner, but soon their hopes died. Then a young earth pony called Cold Fusion appeared. He had cobalt blue fur, and white mane. He not only was capable to defend himself, but he managed to defeat one of his attackers. Princess Luna, Black Swordsman and Lightning Flash exchanged a look and smiled, he was the chosen one. The next applicant also defeated one of the Lunar Soldiers, a dark purple pegasus with naval blue mane called Quick Storm. She was selected immediately along with Cold Fusion. “By the way, Princess.” said Lightning Flash at some point. “What happened with your friend from Ponyville? He used to join us FOR the trials.” Luna sighed sadly. Since they met that fateful Nightmare Night, little Pip and Luna were really close, and she used to take him to all kind of special events. Exclusive presentations of the Shadow Bolts, a seat in the Royal Balcony at the military games, Great Galloping Galas (recently), trials for the Lunar Guard, and of course, Nightmare Nights. Luna sighed again. “That what he wanted, but he had to do the entrance exam for the university. He’s becoming an adult. I’m glad, but also a bit sad about it. Anyway, call the next aspirant.” Black Swordsman looked at the list, and couldn’t help but chuckle. “What?” asked Princess Luna. “You won’t like this.” “Just call the next aspirant already!” Black shrugged. “As you wish. Aspirant Piper Squeak!” Luna almost fell of her chair, but Black and Lightning held her on time. With the pass of years Pipsqueak was still a bit short, but he compensated it with the well-marked muscles he got by working at his family’s dairy farm and the intense combat training from the Guard of Friendship. They happily trained Pip in exchange for him to clean the headquarters. Young Pipsqueak got into the training field, looking nervous, and avoiding Luna’s glance. Instead, he decided to focus in the three soldiers he had to defeat. “Have you received any form of combat training?” asked the earth pony soldier. Instead of answering, Pip threw a hooful of dirt to the soldier’s eyes, and before he could say anything else, Pip took him by the mane, and used him as a living shield to protect himself from the double charge from the pegasi. Pip threw the now unconscious earth pony to the charging pegasi, getting one. The other one however managed to cut Pip. He groaned in pain, but he ignored it, and smashed the fallen pegasus head to the ground three times to get him unconscious, when the remaining one cut him at the back. Pip grinded his teeth, and turned to face his opponent, only for an arrow to pierce his back. Pip screamed in pain, as the remaining pegasus knocked him down with a roundhouse kick to the jaw. Pip fell unconscious, it was over. Luna looked at the scene completely horrified. Then she looked up, to a beam, and shouted. “SINON! WHO GAVE YOU PERMISSION TO INTERFERE?” In the shadows, the unicorn known as the Cold-hearted Snipper, shrugged. “We did, Princess Luna.” said Black Swordsman. “He should be more aware of his surroundings.” Luna mumbled a cursed word, as Black smiled. “Still he passed.” “WHAT?” shouted Luna. “You cannot be serious.” “He got two down, one more than the others.” agreed Lightning. “He is the best so far.” Luna couldn’t believe it. “Pipsy… what were you thinking?” “Lightning and I can take care from here.” offered Black Swordsman. “Take him to the infirmary, and ask him in person.” Luna nodded, thankful. “Please do, and tell me if there are more ponies worthy of our Guard.” The two captains saluted, and Luna took the unconscious Pip to the infirmary. A couple of medics ran to offer her a stretcher but she refused. “I’ll take him myself, thank you very much.” When Pip woke up, he found himself at a hospital bed, with bandages covering his forehooves, and barrel. His whole body hurt, but he was in a very good mood. “This is going to leave a mark.” he said to nopony in particular. “Oh, yes it would.” said Luna, standing before his bed. “Do you mind to tell me what were you thinking?” Pip tried to stand, but Luna forced him back to bed with his magic. “Stay down, and answer me!” Pip rolled his eyes. “Come on, Luna, since I was little I always told you that I wanted to join the Lunar Guard. Now that I turned eighteen, and I’m enough to enlist, I’ll be following my childhood dream. By the way, did I pass?” Luna glared at him. “This is what you care about? If you passed? Yes you did, Pip. But the Lunar Guard is no joke.” Pip nodded. “I know, everypony knows what they’re capable of. That’s why I wanted to be a part of it.” “Pip!” said Luna, as patiently as she could. “You are and forever be my especial friend. But you must understand that being my friend and my soldiers are two completely different things. If you join my guard, things cannot continue the way they are now.” Pip rolled his eyes. “With all respect, how old do you think I am? I am a grown adult, responsible of myself. And yes, I am following my childhood dream, but yes, I do have an idea of what this means. Including the fact that I may take my distance from my best friend. But it’s worth it.” Luna frowned. “Pip, that hurts.” “Sorry.” apologized Pip. “What I was trying to say is that I probably won’t be able to write you as often as I use to. But, hey, I made it! From now on, I am a part of the strongest Guard in Equestria, and I’ll serve my best friend. Seems fine to me.” Luna sighed. “You have no idea what you’re getting into, Pipsqueak.” “Maybe not, but this is the right age to make mistakes. If this is a mistake, well, at least I will be living my childhood dream for a while.” Luna finally smiled. “Again, you passed, two votes against one. Who trained you to fight anyway?” “Captain Derpy of the Guard of Friendship.” Luna nodded. “Twilight Sparkle’s soldiers, former members of Tia’s Secret Service. Have they trained you in something else than combat? More like spy-stuff?” Pip shrugged. “There’s no lock, or safe that can resist me. Why?” “For real? Okay, as long as you don’t start robbing the safes around the castle, you are welcome to my Guard, rookie Squeak.” “It will be my honor to serve you, Princess Luna.” Author's Note So this little side-story is meant to show how Luna and Pip eventually fell in love in the Chaos: the Age of Spike universe. I hope you liked it, and, this is a semi slow paced story, trying to explore Pip and Luna’s relationship. I hope you liked it and,
Oh, the family!Oh, the family! The routine was always the same for the family. The hard-working mare known as Dairy Squeak woke up early every morning to milk the cows. Once she finished she proceded to pasteurize the milk. Then and then sell it at the family store. It was a hard work that lasted for generations. First it was Dairy’s Etc.Grandfather. Then her Great-Great-Great Grandfather, then her Great-Great Grandfather, then her Great Grandfather continued with the legacy. Then her Grandfather took the family business until it was time to pass it to Dairy’s father who then passed it to Dairy. And now, it was almost time for her son to take over the family business. He went to Canterlot to study Business Administration in a prestigious college, so it was only a matter of time before Pip to take over the business. Yes it was a brilliant future. That day as always, Dairy finished milking the cows and went to have breakfast with her father Middle Squeak before opening the store. She found him yelling at the newspaper. He always did that criticizing the Government, the taxes, the art news, etc. Complaining to the newspaper was Middle Squeak’s hobby. But this time he was yelling louder and angrier than usual. “DAMN IT! HOW CAN OUR FAMILY HAVE COME TO THIS!! THIS IS IT! THE SHAME OF THE SQUEAK FAMILY! THIS GENERATION DOES NOT RESPECT TRADITIONS ANYMORE! THIS IS A MATTER OF FAMILY HONOR!” It was when Dairy Squeak entered the dining room. “Hey dad! What is it today? Did Celestia raised the taxes again?” Her father gave her an angry look. So intense that Dairy understood this was serious. He showed her the first page. THE NEXT PRINCE OF EQUESTRIA? ─ Princess Luna finds the love of her life in her Royal Guard ─ And right under the title, a picture of her son Pipsqueak with Princess Luna in a date in a restaurant in Canterlot. “Do you realize what this means?!” said the old stallion. “Your son, my own flesh and blood betrayed the family!” Dairy Squeak grinded her teeth. “You are right. The honor of our family is on the line. We cannot let this happen! Milk can wait!” “Yes, let’s go to Canterlot!” The two of them ran to get on the next train to Canterlot. This was an urgent matter. Pipsqueak’s day assignment was to patrol the streets of Canterlot. Under command of Leafa from the Clan of Sylf, sister of the Black Swordsman. And for the first time, since they became official guards he was on the same group with one pony from his promotion. Her friend Quick Storm. It was a beautiful and peaceful morning like every morning in Canterlot. The city was very peaceful and most of the issues the Royal Guards had to deal with were minor disturbances. And rarely they had to send a pony to the dungeons. And when they did, most of the time the ponies were just ponies who had too much to drink (ironically most of them were other Royal Guards when they were off-duty). For the Red Districts, Trixie’s unit would take care of. It seemed to be another boring day when two ponies charged at the patrol. A brown earth pony mare with a straight dark mane and hazelnut eyes. And an old stallion around his seventies but still strong and full of energy. His fur was white, with a short mane between brown and silver. His eyes were moss green. Their Cutie Marks were a big bottle of milk and a round cheese respectively. “There you are!” said the old stallion. “Well, well, well kid. You have a lot to explain.” said Dairy Squeak sternly. The guards exchanged a confused look. But Pipsqueak only rolled his eyes. “Before you two try anything funny, let me remind you that assaulting a Royal Soldier on duty is a federal offense. My shift ends at six, after training. Do you mind if we meet at the Main Plaza?” The two earth ponies looked at Pip, then at the patrol, and nodded walking away. “Ehem… Cadet Squeak?” asked Leafa. “My mom and grandfather. Long story, I blame tabloids.” Nopony said more. They understood. Or thought they understood. Truth be told, Pipsqueak’s family problems were a bit siller than anypony thought. And after patrolling and fight on the training Pip prepared to go out. Unfortunately Luna came to intercept him. “Hey, Pipsy! Just the pony I was looking for. Ready for our walk around the gardens?” Pip sighed. “Sorry Luna but my family came to visit.” Luna frowned. She was upset but not with Pip. She knew his family very well and also knew the kind of problem Pip was in. “I love modern times. But the concept of freedom of the press is something I can’t truly get used to.” Pip shrugged. “I know but at least you can call your Royal Guard and they will deal with your problems with you. But I, a commoner, can’t do anything about it.” “But I can. I’ll add a couple of weeks to their sentence.” said Luna remembering the journalists the Lunar Guard captured when they started to stalk Pip and her. “What?” “Extra official sentence.” Clearified Luna. “I know I can’t arrest them for publishing article about us. But between us they haven’t been able to sleep in weeks. I make sure they see the worse nightmares as soon as they put a hoof in my realm.” Pip didn’t say anything about it. “Anyway. I would invite you but this is a family matter. I hope you understand.” Luna nodded. “I do, Pip. See you tomorrow.” “Me too. I’ll miss you Luna.” “And I’m already missing you.” Pipsqueak smiled and Pipsqueak smiled back at him. “And tell me, how it went when they find you?” “They were lucky to find me while I was patrolling you. At least my companions didn’t ask too many questions.” “Respect among my guards is very important. More important than the respect toward my sister.” “LUNA! I heard that!” shouted Celestia from her castle wing. They giggled at this and finally Pipsqueak went to meet his family. Pisqueak looked for his family everywhere around until he found them eating at a café. “You were taking too long so we started eating without you, Piper.” said his grandfather coldly. Pip sat with his family and a waiter approached. “Good evening mister. Do you want something to eat?” “No, thanks. But can you bring me a beer? I have a feeling that I’m going to need it.” The waiter was used to this kind of things so he only nodded and went to get Pip’s drink. Dairy and Middle stared at Pip who patiently waited for what was coming. “So…” began his mother. But she was interrupted by Pip’s grandpa who exploded right away. “PIPER! HOW DARE YOU TO STAIN THE FAMILY’S HONOR JUST LIKE THAT? DO YOU REALIZE WHAT YOU’VE DONE?!” The waiter brought Pip’s beer who drank half of it at once. “Okay grandpa, continue.” “PIPER! DO YOU REALIZE WHAT YOU’VE DONE?!” Pipsqueak nodded. “I realize. I’m a grown pony, okay? I’ve always dreamed about becoming a soldier. A Lunar Soldier.” “This is outrageous! The rumors would spread like wildfire in Ponyville!” Pip shrugged. “I don’t really care. I live in Canterlot now.” Dairy Squeak sigued. “We had so many plans for you Piper… by joining the army you have ruined everything!” “You just missed the chance to be the eight generation of milk ponies!” groaned Middle. “Hey I wouldn’t quit my childhood dream for that.” “But you said you would study business administration so you could take care of the family store when you come back!” said Dairy. “Yes. Only if I missed the test to join the Lunar Guard. But I didn’t. And here I am almost completing my first year as a soldier of Princess Luna.” “The family business is over because of you!” “Then train an apprentice or something.” shrugged Pipsqueak. “This is a family matter!” “Then train my cousins or someone else. Or maybe a stallion catches mom’s eye. Who knows! I mean, she’s still pretty.” Dairy Squeak blushed at this but didn’t let that distract her. “When were you going to tell us son?” “As soon as I get promoted.” “Why so long?” “Because I wanted to delay this conversation as much as I could.” said Pip, taking a sip of his beer. “Oh, whatever!” Dairy Squeak sighed. “Yes whatever! However I am more dissapointed that you thought you would have to wait until you get ascended to tell us Pip.” “To be honest I was afraid that you would force me quit the Guard and get into college.” The grandfather grumped. “I am tempted to do it, but I guess it is your life.” Piper smiled, thankful. He knew how stubborn his grandpa was. “Thank you for understanding granps.” “Then are you sure you’re not even a bit interested in the milk business?” asked the old earth pony. “Nope, sorry.” “I see. But if you change your mind the family business would be waiting for you.” Pip smiled and made a toast with his grandpa. Everything was okay. Then Dairy asked. “So the Princess and you?” Pip couldn’t help but blush and smile.”Yeah, I don’t know what happened but I am glad it did.” Middle Squeak sighed happily. “This reminds me of your grandma and me. She was my first crush. After many years we tied the knott and continued the family business.” Pip sighed in annoyance. “Anyway, pretty much like you and dad, right mom?” asked Pip. Dairy frowned. “Don’t mention him again please. But back to you Pipsqueak, I still remember how you told us you’ll take her to your favority hayburger place, then a date on the park and end the night with ice cream.” Pip’s face was completely red. “Please stop mom!” “Aw, is my little Pip too ashamed? Come on, this is my job as a mom!” “Mom please this is not Ponyville. I don’t want to give them anything to annoy Luna tomorrow morning. They’ve had enough material with the two of you yelling. I don’t want to get angry and do something I would regret. I’ve sent a pony to the dungeons already, and I don’t want to be forced to do it again.” Mom and grandpa exchanged a worried look. “Oh, Pip is that true?” “Are you sure that you want to live here if you have to deal with it?” “This has just started. But I don’t mind as much. What I can’t stand is them bothering Luna, that I will not allow.” Dairy Squeak smiled. “Aw, aren’t you the sweetist thing?” With that they finished dinner and Pip walked them to their hotel and then he returned to the Castle. At the next day somepony gave him the day’s newspaper. Pip sighed in annoynace. “Of course! It never fails!” ─ A Prince or a milkpony? ─ Princess Luna’s new coltfriend mysterious origin finally comes to light. After breakfast Pip went to check his daily assignment. Luckily for him it was patrolling the hallways. He wouldn’t have to get out of the castle. Luna came to find him a later on. “Pipsy!” she called. Pipsqeak saluted. “Princess! We’ve talked about this, when I am on duty I am cadet Piper Squeak!” “Don’t give me that Pip, I’m not in the mood! Have you seen the newspapers? They said horrible things about you on the paper.” “They said I am coming from a family of milkponies, and it’s true. You’ve been in my house multiple times, and seen the family business.” “Well yes but the way they said it is wrong. Pip, they can say whatever they want about me but no one messes with my Pipsy!” “And nopony messes with my Princess.” said Pipsqueak. “I don’t mind they reveal I’m from a family of milkponies. But I will now allow them to say anything bad about you.” Luna ended up kissing him on the spot must of his fellow guards’ amusement. “Luna I am on duty.” “Yes I know, but today I had a hard time dealing with this, also I am the Princess and I demand a kiss from my knight.” Pipsqueak finally did as he was told knowing that if a reporter somehow made his way in, the rest of the guards would take care of them. “See you tonight Pip?” “I invited my family if you don’t mind. They want to formally meet you as my marefriend.” Luna smiled. “I would love to. Good job Cadet Squeak.” “At your service, my Princess.” Author's Note So here it is a new chapter in this story, sorry for the delay but I kind of forgot I was translating this story. Also next chapter will include an element from ‘Chaos the Age of Spike’ so I hope you enjoy it. Read ya’ later!!
