Chapter 7
The December night was cold, so cold in fact, that Luna couldn't even be atop the tower for fear of getting frost bite. Over a month and a half had passed since Emerald's arrival and since his job as her bodyguard had begun, and it hadn't gotten much easier. In the time Luna was awake, he would be conducting research on various things, pouring over scroll after scroll and book after book, to the point where his eyes were bloodshot from having to read so much small text. In the times she was awake, he would be standing guard just outside her room. It was painful to watch for her, especially since she had never seen someone push themselves so hard just for one cause.
On occasion, she would often find him passed out in his private quarters that they had given him, with a scroll draped over his face, or a book covering it. Judging by this though, it gradually became apparent just how hard he had been pushing himself, he was getting even less sleep than a month ago, at least then he would get twelve hours every two days, now, she didn't even know how much sleep he was getting.
Today was no different, as she sat in on a meeting with her sister to discuss a treaty with several foreign dignitaries. As they spoke of their terms, she listened in carefully, being sure to pay attention to even the smallest of details, that was, until she had heard something about emerald gemstones as a trading product, this is where her mind began to wander off to Emerald again, whom she figured was in the Archives again, taking more notes in hopes he could find something to stop Nightmare Moon. Otherwise he was most likely in his room, having probably fallen asleep reading a book or scroll. She found these concerns for him rather strange, while she showed them to others, it wasn't to this level. Even as Luna's thoughts wandered to Emerald she kept her stature in her seat, as to make a good impression on the dignitaries.
As a scroll was slid across the table, Luna turned to her sister with a nervous look on her face. She carefully mouthed a few words, which let Celestia know of the fact that she had stopped paying attention after a certain point. She only shook her head very slightly in response, turning back to the treaty.
"Most of the treaty is agreeable, however, we can't afford to give up too much of our gem reserve, we're already short on it as is." Celestia spoke up. "Is it possible that you could overlook that tiny little detail?" The dignitaries, who remained hidden beneath cloaks themselves turned to one another, exchanging whispers, before turning back to the princesses.
"I guess we could." one of them said. With this, Celestia used her magic to take up the quill, crossing out the aspect of the treaty that involved gemstones, before signing it very carefully. Along with her, came Luna's signature, after which she immediately stood up and left, giving a polite bow beforehand as so she wouldn't come off as rude to them. Celestia soon followed behind her, her curiosity having grown.
"Sister, what's wrong?" she asked as she trotted up to Luna's rather quick pace. At first she received no answer, getting a tiny bit of a brush off from her own sister, which proved to be a bit annoying. "Luna!" The volume of her voice caught the Lunar princess' attention rather quickly after hearing it.
"Yes?" She asked, stopping in her tracks.
"What's bothering you?"
"Its...Emerald..." she began, pausing, only to earn a bit of an unnerving grin from Celestia. "He's been pushing himself so hard so he can protect me...he's going farther than anypony has ever gone." Luna seemed to look away from her sister at this point, before letting out a soft sigh.
"Well, its his job isn't it?" she asked, "He's here to ensure your safety." She turned back to Celestia in an instant, with a rather malicious glare.
"So are the guards!" she snapped. "He shouldn't have to push himself that hard just to protect one pony, just to protect me." Celestia nodded with a smile on her face, the unnerving grin having vanished from her face for the time being.
"And you don't think he should be pushing himself that hard, do you?" Luna shook her head slowly, this response only brought back a hint of the unnerving grin that had been plastered on her face before. Luna failed to notice this however, as her focus proved to be on the ground as she was locked in rather intense thought. As Celestia watched the expressions change ever so slightly on her sister's face, her grin only seemed to widen. "Does someone like him?" the lunar princess' cheeks flushed the instant she heard this question.
"N-no, I don't!" she lied, her face telling another story.
"You're lying, Luna." Celestia teased, which made her sister turn away with a hint of shame.
"Am not!" she snapped back, pushing down the embarrassment for the moment against her sister.
"Are too." This response only proved to agitate Luna, bringing back the blushing on her cheeks.
"I am not sister, he's just..." she began, "A really good friend."
"At least for now..." she muttered to herself, this earned a glare from Luna.
"What was that?" The lunar princess asked, only to have her sister roll her eyes slightly to the side.
"Oh, nothing." Luna's gaze seemed to soften after a second, looking forward again. "If you're so concerned for his health...why don't you ask if you can give him a massage for all his hard work." Luna's attention shifted back up to her sister, however, her look was one of confusion rather than frustration.
"A massage?" she asked, befuddled. "What's that?"
"Well, its where you relieve the tension in somepony's back and muscles, allowing them to relax a bit better." Celestia answered, now avoiding meeting her sister's gaze as to hide the grin that had been growing on her face throughout the conversation.
"But, I..." Luna began.
"You could always ask the staff if they have anything about massage, or you could go to the Canterlot Archives to read up on them before you do anything." her sister suggested, which to Luna wasn't that bad of an idea, as it was still early, she wouldn't have to raise the moon for another five hours. With this, she nodded to her sister, before dashing off. Celestia brought her hoof up to her mouth for a second, giving a very soft giggle before walking off in the opposite direction.
A book or scroll may have been the best choice for Luna as she found herself sitting before the staff, watching them give a massage to another pony. They were very professional and even with hooves, they seemed to be able to get all the right points, causing rather loud groans from the mouth of the volunteer. She could hear the popping of joints and the cracking of the stallion's back, who seemed to rather enjoy the treatment, even if it sounded painful to her.
"Now, there are a few things you should remember, Princess..." a dark blue mare said, as she pressed one of her hooves to the stallion's back. "First and foremost, remove anything you're wearing on your hooves, wouldn't want to hurt them." Luna nodded to this, taking a moment to look at her own hooves. "Second, you want to be gentle on their backs, just apply enough pressure to feel out their muscles and loosen any knots or tight muscles they may have."
"Muscle knots?"
"Yes, they're points of pain that are often caused by stress, they cause discomfort to the one who has them, but are easily relieved." the mare explained. "Most common ones are around the shoulders and head, which is why you have to be very, very careful, use your magic if you have to." Luna gave a nod to signify that she was paying attention, while her focus remained solely on the stallion's body. She watched them press their hooves on every point, taking mental note on exactly where to put her hooves, before they gave her a gentle tap to bring her attention elsewhere.
"And a final note comes where you give them a massage...we'd recommend a solid surface, however, a massage can typically be done anywhere." the mare said, locking eyes with Luna, who once again understood.
"And please be mindful of where you touch their bodies too...you wouldn't want to make any unnecessary contact." This simply made the princess blush when they mentioned it, this in turn caused her mind to wander off to the possibilities of what could happen. These thoughts only made the red tint to her face grow brighter and more visible.
"Princess?" the mare asked, the simple sound of a voice was enough to snap her from the daze she was in. Images of Emerald flashing in her mind for a brief second after before she shook her head, and focused on the mare again.
"U-understood, thank you." she finally said. "This'll be very helpful."
"If I might ask, princess..." the mare began, taking a step closer to her. "Why the sudden interest in massage?" Here, Luna seemed a bit flustered, trying to think very carefully in the wording of what she could possibly say. A multitude of possibilities ran through her head, in one way she could come off as though she has some feelings for him, in the other she could also come off like she was in a relationship with him. These thoughts raced through her head before she finally took a deep breath to clear her thoughts, picking out the one that she knew would work perfectly.
"I'm helping out a friend of mine." This made the mare, along with the other female members of the staff nearby smile a bit.
"Is it that hot bodyguard of yours?" one of them asked suddenly, muttering soon followed the question, some of which seemed to make Luna rather uncomfortable. She didn't waiver though, inhaling before she cleared her throat.
"I don't believe that's your business." she stated, her tone very stern. This is where they took a step back, bowing politely as she walked from the room. Once the door closed she let go of a held breath, sighing in relief before she made a path straight for Emerald's room.
The unicorn's room was mostly darkened as he rested on his back with a book hovering just above his eyes. He only had one light on as he read through it, not relaxing even for a second. The circles beneath his eyes were very dark compared to what they had been, and his eyes were very bloodshot, as a testament to how hard he had been working. Even in his downtime, which included today, he didn't know the meaning of the word rest. This showed in his very messy mane, which was even worse than what it usually was, even his coat was a mess, which only expressed his stress level even further. He groaned in frustration, tossing the book aside as he slumped on the bed. Over a month of searching with little to show for it. Emerald wanted to shout in his frustration, yet nothing would come out, instead he turned onto his side, his eyes locked on the cerulean blue sky outside. The silence of his room was soon broken by a knock to the door.
"Door's open, come in!" he said, his voice a bit raspy from stress. Upon his response, the door opened slowly to reveal Luna.
"Emerald..." she whispered, as she walked in gracefully, removing the shoes she wore first.
"Yes, princess?" he asked, flipping his position so he would be facing her.
"Were you able to uncover anything else that could help us against her?" Luna first asked, he simply shook his head in response to the princess.
"I've been searching for over a month...and nothing." Emerald's voice cracked as he spoke.
"Emerald, you don't need to push yourself so hard for me." she spoke up, in attempts to reassure him. "Nightmare Moon hasn't attacked since that day as far as I can see, everything is quiet." Even if her words were true, Emerald brought himself up, sitting on the bed with a rather nervous look about his face. His eye twitched a tiny bit as he stared at the princess. Just as he was about to speak however, the princess found herself placing the very tip of her hoof on his mouth to silence him. This simple gesture proved to work as he didn't speak, instead, he simply exhaled his held breath. "Emerald, you've been doing a wonderful job over the past month, now its time you get the treatment you deserve." As this statement came from the princess' mouth, she gave a very polite gesture, one he seemed confused by.
"What do you mean?" His head tilted slightly as he questioned her, confused by her gesture.
"If you would please lie on your stomach, I can show you." The stallion complied with her request now, resting his head on a pillow. Emerald didn't speak a word as he felt her weight move onto the bed, unsure of what to really expect from this. What came next sent his mind reeling, it was the very gentle sensation of her hooves on his back, which felt simply heavenly to him. A very loud moan came from the stallion just as Luna began, just feeling out his muscles. It was astounding how tight his muscles were, and how he was still able to carry himself around so readily. Some of these were extremely tight, while very well toned, they were strained.
"Right there...!" he cried out as she pressed down on one of the tighter muscles, a few tears sliding down his cheeks in relief. She had begun on his lower back, slowly moving up. This proved to be a winning strategy for her as well, as he seemed to unwind with each muscle she worked on. "H-have you ever done this before?" he forced out through a moan.
"I just learned about it today actually." she responded with a smile.
"W-well...y-you're a n-natural!" he moaned out. This only egged her on to continue, Emerald only relaxing even further, becoming putty in her hooves. The pleasure he now felt shooting through every inch of his body was blissful, possibly the best he had felt in a very long time. It seemed neither cared that they were of two very different social classes, they just cared for each other at this moment as she worked her way up his body eventually to meet his gaze.
"You...have such lovely eyes, Emerald." she cooed with her hooves wrapped around his chin as if she was cradling him.
"As do you...Luna." he whispered back, ignoring the formalities, his mind swimming from what she had just done. She was transfixed on his brownish-green eyes, while filled with exhaustion, they were also filled with great strength. A strength she had never before seen in her life. This strength seemed to make her heart flutter as she gazed into them. The same also proved true for Emerald as he gazed back into her shimmering cyan eyes, a deep sense of caring radiating from them. One that seemed intoxicating to him. His heart began to race as their faces drew closer to one another, their eyes slowly closing before their lips met. Time seemed to stand still for both of them as they met in the kiss, neither gave anything a single thought from this moment, savoring every second of it while it lasted.
To their luck, it wasn't to last though as the door opened just enough to allow anyone to see inside. The two paid little mind to it, but, Celestia, who stood in the doorway was in shock at what she saw, a smirk slowly moving across her face as she saw it. Slowly, she closed the door, giving the two their privacy. Right as the door snapped shut it, it proved to snap the two from their daze, and pull away from each other with a bright blush across both of their cheeks.
"I'm sorry, I...!" Luna tried to say.
"No, don't apologize, I'm the one who should." Emerald said.
"Why?"
"Well, first off, I'm a simple commoner..." As he began to speak, a thought sparked across his mind, not even bothering to finish the sentence he was on when the idea struck him. "That's it!" The princess jumped back in surprise when he shouted.
"What is?" she asked as she caught her breath from the surprise.
"Since we're not having luck in Canterlot...why don't we head somewhere else?" he asked.
"Somewhere else? Canterlot has the most extensive archive, and one of the best libraries in Equestria." Luna argued. "I doubt we'd find what we need to anywhere else."
"Ahh, but therein lies the problem, Princess." he pointed out. "We have all this information, yet we know not where to look...instead of looking through books..." he seemed to trail off for a moment, as if hinting at something, this is where the princess smiled, understanding exactly what he was getting at.
"We need to head to Ponyville." was the princess' only response. "She might know something that we could use."
