For a Thousand Years... (CableZ) (Finished)

[CableZ]

Aero and Stygian slowly descended to the ground, still holding each other as close as they could, Their wings working in unison to float them to the floor. As they landed, they let go of each other slowly so that they could land on all fours. When they landed, there was a small moment of peace between the two, as they pressed their noses against each other softly, with their eyes closed. However soon they stepped away from each other to grin sheepishly at the rest of the room, they realized that their little display had grabbed their attention. Soon though the room returned to its quiet state, and the two love birds thought it best to talk to each other.

"Wow...I can't believe a princess loves me...you know they tell you this very thing will not happen in the academy, they tell you that you will not be saving princesses and winning their hearts...shows what they know"[/color] Aero laughed at the situation.

Stygian giggled for just a moment, before going back to blushing at the very idea that the pony she had been in love with for the past few years actually loved her back, and they could actually be together! She sighed happily, looking out toward the setting sun, seeing her brother talking to that strange pony with the hair tentacles and his apparent marefriend. Smiling at the room full of partnerships, Stygian looked back to her new coltfriend, planting a soft kiss on the tip of his nose, giggling at is confused reaction, the two just pressed their noses up against each softly, and stood in the peace and happiness of it all.

(MEANWHILE AT THE SUPER BEST FRIE- I uh...mean on the balcony)

Dread Lock didn't entirely know what to make of the scene that was going on indoors, they looked...happy he thought, then again he'd been wrong about these things before. All this love and stuff in one day was a bit overwhleming for Dread, he didn't know if he even felt the emotion and he now seemingly had a mare trying to help him discover this feeling...he'd read about what this was before, but he was struggling to remember what it was called, ah well, he'd remember at some point. However he didn;t have time to really think on it as he had the prince talking to him.

Dread frowned slightly when Caelum assumed he knew what love was, most ponies assumed that some pony knew all there was to know about emotions, it made it hard for Dread to know if he was not the only one. Still, now was not the time, it seemed most social interactions were not the time to think about stuff...he wondered if that was just a coincidence. Anyway, he listened to what the prince said and looked at Hasta for a moment.

"Well...I um...suppose that it would be...good to see the...fruits of our labour.....right?" He asked Hasta, not sure if it was or not, he'd just heard the phrase before.

[Xelliea]

If it's ok, I'd love to stay! I mean, apart from royal weddings, aren't the crowning of kings and queens the most amazing of events? Sure, we won't be living under you, or your sister, but to be able to look back in the history books at our time, to read about the first ever crowning of two monarchs at the same time... and to know we were there? Maybe all this was worth it just for that. So... um... that's a yes. Hasta smiled, trying not to sound like she was begging, but even at the mention of such a wonderful event, her whole body almost buzzed with excitement. Hard to read as ever, but it seemed like Dread was interested in the coronation too.

Absolutely wonderful! I will make sure our land's saviours have the best seats in the house, as it were. Soon after Caelum had finished, it seemed that around the room, the general feeling was that it would be nice to get some rest after the day's... unique events. With the sun having set, darkness began too creep over Equestria. Hyperion, standing still, gazing into the moonlit sky, felt a brief shot of sadness from deep inside her mind. Perhaps it was from the part of her that was birthed from Electrum, but she could only think that once upon a time, that star-filled night was the deep passion of the black king, the one who now lay in the cold void.

Thinking about Noctis, she could only ponder that, in the end, was anyone truly good or evil? Noctis had killed, even in front of her own eyes, but he had been one of Equestria's greatest rulers. Halcyon had saved them, but while on the throne, she probably committed just as bad acts as Noctis. And then there was Vowz... the creature that seemed like the entire incarnation of evil... and yet, the creature that lay on her, so sweet and quiet... how could that be birthed from pure evil? And Vowz was the Sentinel of good things too. Oh she wished she could have talked to Vowz more... to learn why he hated ponies, why he turned against what even his own kind had built.

______________________________________________

Having asked her brother's permission, although now they were to be equals she really had no reason to, Stygian wanted Aero to stay the night with her. Perhaps it was a little forward, having only admitted their love for each other a short while ago, but they had both had that love for much longer, and Stygian's heart was so alight with love, she wanted to hold Aero all night long. On the other hand, Hasta and Dread had the room that they had slept a few nights before. Utopia was given a room next to Caelum's. Perhaps it was that he wanted to be sure his pseudo-daughter was all right on her first night, or perhaps it was only that he wanted a good room for who was, technically, a princess.

This left Hyperion. She was offered her own room, but refused. Still being chronologically very young, she felt slightly scared alone. Originally wanting to share a room with Hasta and Dread, the room wasn't really big enough for three. In practice, this left only one pony's room. Um... Lux... could I maybe stay the night in your room? I'll sleep on the floor, and I won't bother you or... Lux put his hoof on her shoulder, chuckling slightly that she would be so nervous in her request. Of course you can. At least, as long as your new pet won't be ripping the room up at sunrise. Hyperion grinned, giggling at Lux's joke a little. Virtus? Oh no! He wouldn't hurt a fly.

[CableZ]

Dread simply listened as Hasta spoke to Caelum, he didn't have much to weigh on the conversation so he kept quiet, which was pretty common for him. Well it seemed that tomorrow they would be witness to history, together, Dread didn't know what to make of that. In his mind, he and Hasta were not a couple, it's sad to say but Dread just didn't consider that concept, to him Hasta was helping him understand some more..intimate emotions, but that was it, he didn't consider that the intimacy might come from them actually being together. He couldn't deny however that he felt comfortable about Hasta, which was very rare for Dread indeed.

Normally, he stood tense, not moving, thinking over every solitary action that he might be doing wrong and why he was doing. With Hasta, he was relaxed, he was out of his head, he was almost normal. He didn't know it, but he needed that, after all of this he really needed that. Dread looked back over his shoulder, and saw moon in the sky, he mouthed something and then with a little yawn he turned back to face the prince.

"Um...If you'll excuse me, I think its time...I..uh, we? retire for the night?" Dread didn't know if he could speak for Hasta, but seemed perfectly ok with it, because she began walking with him as they made their way to their room.

Hasta stuck close by Dread's side as they walked, pressing her side into him, letting his support a tiny bit of her weight. Dread looked down at her with a slight smile, she looked so...contended, at least he thought that was the word. Anyway, they walked toward their room, sort of winging the directions they were heading in, they still didn't have the layout of the place down yet, but they arrived soon enough, and by the time they did, Hasta was almost fully asleep.

Dread stopped for a moment to open to the door to their shared room, and the moment he did, he felt a weight resting on his side. It seemed Hasta was so tired, that when they stopped she had immediately fallen asleep. Dread looked down at her, and then back into the now open room, wondering what exactly to do. He couldn't just stand there all night, and he didn't want to wake her up, she seemed so peaceful, and he knew what it was like to have peace interrupted. He didn't know if it was ok, be he lowed himself slightly, letting Hasta fall into him a bit more, before using his hoof to hoist her up onto his back. Carrying her into the room, as she snored light, sprawled over Dread, the dark pony walked over to her bed, pulled back the covers, and began the slightly tricky task of...well for lack of a better word, depositing her into the bed.

After 5 minutes of struggling, Dread had finally managed to get Hasta into bed, and had her tucked under the covers and she was softly sleeping. Dread looked at her for a moment and a tiny smile creeped onto his face. Yawning slightly himself, Dread turned to face his own bed and leapt into the softness of his covers. Resting his head on the stupidly soft pillow, he faced Hasta for a moment, before letting his eyes close by their own volition.

~~

Stygian and Aero had left the group soon after she had invited him to stay with her that night, Aero was more than a little nervous, mainly because he'd spent the last 16 years of his life sleeping in an uncomfortable bunk bed in his company's barracks, so going from that to a princesses bed in one night was a little...hard to believe. As they two walked by side Aero looked at her with a slight smile, laughing nervously, but he could tell she wanted him to speak her mind.

"Sorry Stygie, I'm just a little nervous, I'm not used to this sort of thing, I'm just a little nervous" Aero chuckled slightly, but he stopped laughing, feeling kind of bad about it.

[Xelliea]

Lux and Hyperion had left shortly after Dread and Hasta. Despite being perhaps the only one without new love, Lux wasn't at all sad. In truth, he was perhaps the most excited. By the end of tomorrow, he'd be in an entirely new world. Love might be an emotional world, but to actually see a new world, that brought anticipation. On the other hand, Hyperion had some of Hasta's memories, her thoughts of the future were a little different. She could remember bits about the future, but it still would be a whole new experience, and for that she shared some of Lux's excitement.

As they walked, they found themselves talking about the very subject. They made speculations about the land of many years later. Perhaps it was this great land of peace. where there was no huge conflicts, no deaths. Maybe it was different from that. Maybe it still had conflict, but it was a better world to stage such conflicts, and as such the conflicts themselves weren't so bad. At least that was what Lux was thinking about. For Hypie, it was all about what new ponies, new places and new technologies the future would bring. She wasn't all to worried about thoughts of philosophy, although she did in many ways have a child's mind. She speculated endlessly about Skyships, halls of gold and even lasers, although perhaps she was being too hopeful with the last one.

By the time they go to the room, Hypie had run out of steam. She was perhaps even more tired than Hasta had been, and by the time Lux had levitated rugs and cushions together to make the closest thing to a bed he could, Hypie fell asleep at the second. She lay still, cuddling with Virtus, their chests moving lightly up and down at the same time. Thinking about how peaceful they looked, Lux got into his own bed, looking back at the two for a moment, before he blew out the lamp.

In Hypie's mind, things weren't so peaceful. In a dream, she stood in rolling hills of green under bright sunlight. Virtus flapped around her, having much more energy than she had seen him with before. Eventually, he calmed down, perching on her shoulder, as a strange haze appeared in front of the pony, like heat waves. Then, slowly appearing as if it was reverse dissolving, a figure appeared. Its body was seemingly non-existent, only a cloak hanging from its neck, and with no shape underneath. Its head however, was more physical. It was almost insectoid, but had the beak of a bird and three eyes that formed a triangle.

For a moment, it was still, not even its eyes moved. Then, its beak opened, and it spoke. Its voice was like the most soothing music, but it still sounded authoritative and strong. As it spoke, there was an echo in the hills around, even though it had just said one word.

Hyperion!

_________________________

Utopia and Caelum had waited till everypony else had left before they even started to move. Both of them looked up at the sky, their eyes glancing into the aether, only moving to blink. Eventually, they turned to look at each other, yet neither of them, for a long time, said a word. How can you forgive me? After all I've done? Caelum smiled, briefing embracing Utopia, before sighing. You're my daughter. So many times, the father's role is that of a punisher, one who shows their offspring right and wrong, but, maybe its also the father's role to forgive. Maybe that shows what's right and wrong more than the harshest punishment. Kindness breeds kindness, eh?

After trading smiles, the two decided to finally leave the library. Utopia still couldn't understand Caelum's reasoning, but she felt happy with it. She couldn't even forgive herself for all this, but he could. It was close to miracle. She knew some of the others wouldn't be so accepting of her remorse, but hopefully, with time, they would. She had a new heart now, and she wanted to show the world that it was a heart of kindness.

The two reached their rooms rather quickly, and, after Caelum showed Utopia her own room, he wandered over to the door. Turning, he smiled to the her. He found it hard to believe he was looking at the same pony who he had this morning been fighting against, but he was happy none the less. Others might see them as siblings, or only related by the magic of a now destroyed artefact. Still, she was his daughter, and with that thought, he shut the door, slowly walking across the hall and wandering into the adjacent door, his heart filled with joy.

[CableZ]

Well, here we are again I suppose. The forest with the never ending tree's, rising above to the point that the eye can no longer process them, and stretching further than you could ever run. Dread was walking through his dreamworld of nothingness once again, going at a strolling pace this time. This dream had been the same for the past couple of months, until recently. He'd seen Hasta in this dream once, tried to run through it, all in all only slight differences, but they were huge for Dread.

This time it was the most drastic of changes, normally Dread might stop walking, sit at the base of a tree, which was always the same tree mind, and just let the dream fade away. But no, he was just walking along, not even caring that this place never ended, which used to really frustrate him. It could be that for the first time, he wasn't alone in this dream, or at least, he wasn't walking along. By his side, was Hasta, walking right along with him, with a smile on her face. Dread didn't really react to this, it was that weird dream thing of thinking everything that happened in your dream was normal.

In the real world, Dread was smiling

[Xelliea]

Who are you? Hypie found the strange form of the being to be slightly unsettling. Its three eyes met with her two, and for a while nothing was said. Then, almost as if it was satisfied with exchanging looks, the thing spoke once more.
I shan't stand on ceremony,, for it is not why I am here. I am Maaseffakenis, the first light and sovereign of the Sentinels. The last pony I have spoken to was that one who called himself the Herald, all those years ago. It was his connection with Vowz that allowed me to do so, and it is your connection with him, or what is left of him, that allows me to speak to you now.

But I don't speak to you out of wish, more out of requirement. We Sentinels see time differently than you, we look up while you only see forward. Vowz is gone, but another will take his place. The other Sentinels have been sleeping for so long, and in that sleep, they grew resentful. Where Vowz was in the past, he will be replaced. I'm telling you this because... I care for the pony kind. What now rests at your side, it is what was good in Vowz. It was valour and order, before those things sided with hate. But, listen now. Your fight may be won, but the businesses of Pony and Sentinel together are not done.

The Sentinel's cloak-like body blew in the wind, a harsh gale moving everything around Hypie, except that stationary head, and those unblinking eyes. Know that, whatever happens, your future will be bright. Look not to the stars, nor at your hooves, but instead straight ahead. This darkness has passed, and now you see light. But look to windward, for one day that light will turn harsh.

Hypie jumped awake, her body shaking slightly and covered in a cold sweat. In the pitch darkness of the room, she could only think of those three eyes, looking at her, a much more disturbing sight, now that the green hills and warm sunlight had disappeared. But she was not afeared, for when she looked to Virtus, then to where Lux lay, her heart felt like it sat upon a cloud. Smiling, she lay back down, and, holding her dragon tight, fell asleep once more, only this time, to a much more peaceful rest.

[CableZ]

Aero woke up with a yawn, stretching out his legs and wings, his bones cracking slightly as he did so. He was still pretty sore from yesterday's...events was the only word he could come up with for what happened yesterday. His eyes had some sleep still in them, so he rubbed them to try and get his vision back, which was still very blurry. As he tried to move and get up he felt another ponies leg around him, which caused him to jump out of the bed in fear and alertness (he was a soldier after all)

Looking to the bed, his vision clearing up now, he saw Stygian laying there, her legs tucked into her body , her wings wrapped around her self, looking absolutely freaking adorable. Aero gulped slightly, he had forgotten about that, and suddenly it all came flooding back.

~~

After they after had they left the group the previous night, Aero and Stygian had retired to the princess' room. One they were in the room and they had closed the door, they just sort of stood there in silence with each other. They looked at each other for a moment before breaking out in laughter with each other. What were you supposed to say after announcing to each other that you loved each other, everything else just didn't feel as important. They wiped the tears from their eyes and walked into the room properly with eachother, Stygian hopped up onto her frankly monolithic bed and Aero tentatively hopped up himself, being slightly amazed at how soft it was.

Stygian giggled at he site of Aero make sure the comfiness of the bed was actually real, he had always been able to make her laugh. Aero walked over toward Stygian, having a tough time of it as well, as his hooves sunk into the soft mattress as he put his weight down, again causing Stygian to giggle. Aero plopped himself down against the mountain of pillows at the end of the bed, next to Stygian. They looked into each other's eyes for a moment, and they just sort of naturally leaned forward to kiss each other.

They kissed for around 7 minutes, before they both decided to pull away, it was like they shared each others thoughts. They both laughed again, and layed back into the pillows together, looking into each other's eyes. Aero had a question that he had be wanting to ask, but not sure if it would break the mood, Stygian knew this however and smirked.

"oh just ask the question you big goof" She smiled, to which Aero just chuckled nervously

"Sorry...so, um...how long have you known you love...me?" He still had a hard time believing that he could even ask that question, that the circumstances allowed for that question to be asked.

"Oh...hmmm, well I guess...it was back when you were my personnel guard for those 2 months, at the end, when you left to go back to your platoon...I missed you so much, i dreamed of you at night...I couldn;' deny that i loved you after that, but I couldn't say because i knew my brother would never approve, and I was afraid of what he might do to you if I told him"

"Yeah...well I can't deny that I'm happy you kept quiet, I really liked my head being attached to my neck back then" [/color]He laughed, causing Aero to giggle again.

Stygian let out a cute little yawn, and edged closer to Aero slightly, shimmying into the bed a bit more, getting ready for sleep. Aero wrapped his wing around the princess, which she just smiled at.

"I..*yawn* love you...Aeroooo" She fell asleep on the last word, which just made Aero smile

"I love you too Styigian...sweet dreams" He leaned in and gave her a kiss on the forehead, which made her smile in her sleep, he then rested his head against the pillows as well, and drifted off to sleep himself.

~~

Aero smiled softly, as he walked back over to the bed and hopped in with Stygian once more, the shaking of which caused her to wake up witha cute little tired groan. Aero layed down and looked into her opening eyes.

"Morning cutie" He smirked, planting a kiss on her cheek, which made her smile as she stretched out her wings and limbs as he had down earlier.

"Morning" She smiled.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dread Lock stirred in his bed, something felt slightly wrong, he couldn't quite place his hoof on it though. He groaned at the feeling of waking up, his muscles not wanting to move, he moved his limbs ever so slightly just to get used to the feeling. It was at this point that he felt something...else, in his bed. This worried Dread slightly, he was fairly sure it wasn't common to wake up with something in your bed that wasn't there to begin with, and if it was common, he still didn't like it.

He was slightly hesitant to pull back his covers, not exactly sure if he wanted to see what was with him in his bed. It felt soft, it was clutched to him, he could feel its warm breath on his side. He looked over to Hasta's bed, and saw that she wasn't there, he covers throw back revealing the empty bed. Dread raised en eyebrow, and then looked back down at his covers. An idea came to his mind, but he thought it ridiculous, so he just decided to get on with it and throw back the covers.

Seemed his idea wasn't as daft as he thought, in fact he turned out to be right on the money. There, with her hooves sprawled over Dread, resting her head on his chest happily, was Hasta. Dread looked down at the mare, wondering what exactly to do in a situation like this. He had learned it was rude to wake somepony up unless it was an emergency, but he felt that invading someponies bed was a bit strange. So he thought about the situation, trying to figure out what to do

[Xelliea]

Caelum had woken up early that morning. Very Early. There was a lot to get done for the days events, and he didn't have any wish to disturb his sister. This meant the entire duty rested on him. He wasn't irritated though. Soldier, servant and knight alike were all given their own part to play by the prince in the coronation’s preparations. Slowly, it all came together. There was no doubt it was a rush. Normally, Equestrian coronations took a week to plan at least, and here he was doing it in a day. But having spoken to High Noon, he had been informed that the time device was rather rapidly draining of power, and that if it wasn't activated by sunset that evening, it would take another year to create another one, if another could be created at all. After all, the device was built on a one-of-a-kind ancient relic.

But Caelum wasn't willing to let half of those who saved Equestria be absent for its rulers' coronation, so the events of the morning were force-marched to say the least. So there he waited, in the castle's main hall, every so often giving directions to those who needed them. He hoped that maybe the others would join him before too long, and his rather worn-out face lit up when he heard a voice call to him.

You really weren't joking when you said you were going to have the coronation in time for everyone, were you? Lux briefly wandered across the room and sat next to his soon to be king (at least for the short time he planned to further stay in this time for). Anything I can do to help, sir? To this, Caelum only chuckled to himself. You can enjoy yourself.

At that moment, there was a loud screeching sound through the hall. In a blur, followed by an out of breath and worried Hypie, the speeding form of Virtus darted around the room, almost ripping a banner in two. At last, when the creature settled on a nearby table, Hypie managed to grab him and keep him still. I-I'm so sorry. I think the whole excitement of today may have worked him up. Caelum raised a hoof, and both Hypie and her dragon too sat down at the table, both marvelling at the sights around them.

___________________________________

The night before...

In a basin with naught but a weed growing, Hasta stood. The air seemed heavy, and her limbs felt beyond sluggish. She remembered being with Dread in the castle, but where she was now or how she'd got there she had no clue. She heard a growl, or more like a roar. Turning, she spotted a towering beast, its form like a mockery of the Sentinel that had fought the day hence. It was made from a black goo, and constantly dripped the stuff all over the pale ground. Hasta started to back away, but there was a sickening crack, and the beast began to fall. It soon was nothing more than a tidal wave of goo, and, moving faster than she could run, it engulfed her.

Hasta woke up, her breaths rapid and short. It had only been a dream. Still, it scared her none the less. She tried to close her eyes and once again drift to sleep, but the nightmare was only playing again through her conscious eyelids. She slowly pulled the covers back, and stood up, taking a series of deep breaths. She'd never felt this way about a dream since she was a filly. Spotting the other bed in the room under the moonlight, she stopped. The bed was easily big enough for two ponies, and perhaps being close to her love would give her the comfort she needed to get back to sleep.

Hoping that he wouldn't mind, she slowly crept over to the bed, and, trying as hard as she could to not wake Dread up, lay down under the covers. Oddly enough, as her eyes closed, there were no visions of fear, and, when she did once again get to sleep, it was only to pleasant dreams.

[CableZ]

Dread had been thinking for a few minutes now, he already knew that waking somepony up for no reason was rude, but he figured that he had a reason...he wanted to get out of bed. Dread was never one to laze about, it was not in his nature, because when he just sat around, he ended up thinking too much. So he wanted to get moving, the coronation was today, and after that he could finally get home. So he decided to try and move, and not disturb Hasta in the process.

Shimmying slightly, Dread thought about the best way to proceed. He came up with the idea that he should move while holding Hasta still. He lifted Hasta's head off of his chest, while he tried sliding out of the bed. However Dread was not graceful, and the next series of events went like this.

1. Dread lifted Hasta's Head.
2. Dread slid off toward the side of the bed.
3. Dread lost his grip of Hasta's head, and gravity would slam her head into the matress of the bed.
4. Dread then panicked, and quickly turned to see what had gone wrong.
5. This movement was too close to the edge of the bed, and Dread fell out of the bed, and slammed into the floor.
6. Dread was in pain.

Dread slowly got up off the floor, and looked at Hasta with a blank expression, if he could sheepishly smile, he would

[Xelliea]

Before too long, Utopia joined the others in the hall, leaving only Stygian, Aero, Hasta and Dread absent. The unanimous decision was to allow for them to take whatever time they needed, but even then, the whole event would need to begin relatively soon. Caelum considered sending somepony to get them, but decided delay for another 20 minutes. Instead, he opted for talking to Utopia, outlining various events of the day. He and his sister would be crowned in the throne room, then there would be a huge parade through the city streets before they would return to the castle to give a speech on the balcony. The only thing was that this event would be different. There were two monarchs being crowned. It had never happened before, but if anything that was just another reason why that day would be a day to remember.

A short way away, Hypie sat with Lux. Having managed to get her dragonic pet under control, she'd decided to talk to Lux about the dream that had haunted her sleep the night before. Although he found the recollection very intriguing, he was as clueless as she was about the dream's purpose. Why, after Vowz had fallen and the Sentinels passed, was she being spoken to by one in her sleep. It made little sense, but then again, who's to say it wasn't just a dream. Just her mind playing over the events of the day before. It was interesting, but either way, they saw little reason for concern.

___________________________________________

It wasn't all that longer before Hasta began to stir. Her eyes fluttered open, and, after blinking a couple of times, she rolled her head to the other side to turn to Dread. After noticing her wasn't in the bed, she slowly shuffled up the bed so that she could sit up slightly. Again she blinked a few times, before her eyes accustomed to the light. Morning... A wide smile spread over her face when she caught sight of the pony she loved. Running her hoof through her mane to straighten it, she sat up a little more. Sleep well?

[CableZ]

"sleep well?"

How do you sleep well? Is there a right and wrong way to sleep? Can you sleep in any sort of measure? Dread's mind began to smoke at this sort of thing, it was a common social question but it just perplexed him, it was only because they had somewhere to be that Dread snapped out of his mind. He swept his dreads to either side, putting them behind his ears so that his face was visible, probably one of the view times that Hasta got to see his face.

"Um...I think we are late for the coronation" Dread said looking at a nearby clock "Yep...we are late" Dread didn't really know what time it started, but he knew that after it was done, they got to go home, so the sooner he got Hasta there, the sooner he felt they would get to go home. Now normally Dread was terrible at lying, the subtleties and emotions that one had to put into it he just lacked, but since he had no idea of WHEN it started, it was not a lie, more of an assumption, so really there was nothing for him to get confused by....he would later think about this and get confused by it. He however did have one thing on his mind, a question he felt he was slightly entitled to ask, he could be wrong though.

"Um...Hasta?...why are you in my bed?" Dread didn't want to seem rude, maybe it was normal for friends to share a bed?

~~~

Aero and Stygian were finally out of their room, they had spent the morning talking about..just what exactly they were classed as, was Aero a technical king..prince...whatever. He was the first non alicorn in history to be a partner of an Alicorn, and this was the first time there would be two rulers, so the classification would get a bit confusing. They had spent a certain amount of time kissing and waiting for Stygian to find a dress that befitted the ceremony. A long time ago her brother had demanded she be ready for when he were to be crowned king, so she had a dress made for that occasion, it seemed only fitting that now she would wear it for his crowning...and her crowning.

They walked together down the corridors of the castle, talking about what the day and very much their futures held for them, Aero was insistent that he stay part of the military, and Stygian was not about to argue with him on this, Aero was adament when it came to his career, even before they declared their love, ponies told stories of his exploits, there was a reason he was the commander of a special squad at his age, he was just damn good at what he did.

"So...nervous?" Aero asked with a smirk

"Are you kidding? I'm about to be named" she gulped for a moment "the co-ruler of an entire nation...of course I'm nervous!" She did look a bit out of sorts, stressed would probably be the word.

"Come on, it'll be fine, if all goes badly, I'll just rule in your place" Aero laughed, to which he got a hoof punch to his side

[Xelliea]

Hasta smiled as Dread seemed to worry about the time. There was an odd streak of what could be described as cuteness in the usually emotionless pony. It seemed that perhaps after all he... they had been through, maybe his emotions were finally starting to develop. Then again, he could just be worried about the time. Either way, it made Hasta smile. However, after he'd asked about the reasons for her being in his bed, she found a wave of embarrassment wash over her. Her smile changed to one of nervousness as her cheeks went a little red. I-I... Sighing to herself, she realised she probably could convince Dread of a falsehood, but really had no wish to. I... didn't sleep well. I thought I'd sleep better if I...

She stopped mid-sentence, clearly her throat a little and hopping out of the bed. You're right, we're probably late for the coronation. She didn't try to change the subject because she had been in his bed, guessing that Dread probably wouldn't see anything wrong with it anyway. Instead, she was worried of being judged for acting as she did to a bad dream. She hoped that Dread would too see no problem with it, but it still worried her slightly. So she moved to talking about the coronation. She zipped to the doorway, feigning a smile.

Well... shall we see if we can find the others? She beckoned for her partner (if he could be called that, even now) to follow her out of the door, as she too began to worry about the time and that they would be leaving the other ponies waiting. It was never wise to leave a king, or soon-to-be king, waiting.

_____________________________________________

Before long, Aero and Stygian had appeared in the main hall. The princess's nerves amplified her normal shyness, but she still attempted to be social. Looking to Aero for confidence, she walked to her brother's side. Sister, you look... perfect. In almost complete contrast to Stygian's dress, Caelum wore a set of ceremonial armour. It was made of a silvery, slightly blue metal, shinning along with the golden trims. It certainly looked fit for a king. However, on seeing his sister's dress, he thought perhaps he should have worn something more... civilian. Still, it was too late now. Perhaps it would contrast with her dress, rather than clash with it.

Lux and Hypie had been talking amongst themselves, but upon the princess's arrival, they fell silent. Virtus didn't follow suit, however, and Hypie tried her best to keep his squawks down. Once Dread and Hasta get down here, we should be all ready to start. He turned to his sister. Don't be worried, Stygie. Having not heard him call her that in many a moon, she couldn't help but smile.

[CableZ]

As Aero walked down with Stygian he saw Caelum and suddenly thought of something...his ceremonial armour! Officers of his rank were given special armour for occasions such as this, to not wear it would not only dishonored the royals but his entire regiment. With the new rulers it might now have mattered as much, but to Aero it was serious, it was like not wearing a suit to a funeral. Luckily he had left it in the castle barracks from the last ceremony, as most officers did, so he would be able to get it in time. As they descended the stairs side by side, Aero was slightly nervous himself, while he could see the change in the prince, some habits just don't die so hard. Aero was the first public non alicorn partner to a royal, it was something never before seen, and while this would certainly be overshadowed by the double coronation, it would certainly be talked about. Not only that, but Aero was a little wary of Caelum because he was Stygian's brother, and it didn't matter if Alicorn or no, prince or commoner, pony or god..the brother always looked out for their sister. And considering he and Stygian had spent the night together, he was on his metaphorical toes. Luckily the prince was too busy talking to his sister, go figure. He stood next to Stygie for a moment before seeing Lux and Hyperion sat over on a table. Smiling, he walked over to them, leaving the royals to do their thing.

"Hey guys" Aero smiled, seeing the little dragonic thing held in Hyperion's arms, Aero leaned in. Giving the creature a little scratch under the chin, Aero seemed to get the thing to calm down, and pur...or near enough. "Hehe, hey cutie" he smirked before looking back to Lux. "Did we miss anything?"

Aero then realized that he had no time to start chatting, he went wide eyed for a moment, this was a fairly typical thing of him to do, he was a bit of an airhead sometimes. He started flapping his wings, building up a thrust, like pressing on the accelerator while the handbrake was on. "Oops, sorry, can't talk" with that he shot off, all of his built up energy launching him down one of the nearby hallways...he always loved to do that.

~~

While Hasta's diversionary tactic would probably have never worked on any other pony, Dread was not any other pony, and he fell for it hook line and sinker. Still it was probably inevitable, Dread would have accepted anything she said really, it was not like he had a point of reference for anything. He looked around for a moment, before seeing that Hasta was at the door, waiting for him...when did that happen? Still he gave a weak little smile and followed after her. It was slightly awkward, for Dread at least, he didn't know exatly what he'd gotten into with Hasta, he kissed her...was that normal? He had to get out of his head, so he tried to think of something to say.

"Do...we need a gift..or something, I remember...reading, that..you're kind of meant...to bring a gift?" Once again speech came about as naturally as astro psychics to dread.

[Xelliea]

No no, we just... Lux went to talk to his friend, but was interrupted by Aero's rapid dash away. The speed he flew down those corridors... and Lux thought his speed going against Vowz was fast. Inevitably, Lux's thoughts drifted to his friend and his relationship of the to-be queen. It kind of removed any hope of Aero coming to the future with him, and this sense of finality left him with a slightly empty feeling. Then again, maybe one day he'd look in a history book, and see 'prince' Aero, and smile. While he felt friendship with both Hasta and Dread, it was in Hypie that he found the closest camaraderie. It was hard to say why, but he just related to her, on some levels. Maybe it was that, while Dread and Hasta had seen the future all their lives, neither he nor Hypie had. He may be a knight, but he that sounded like the biggest adventure ever. Still, at least he had a friend to face it alongside. Shaking his head, he realised he was too caught up in his thoughts. He turned his attention back to the others.

Most of the party present were surprised by Aero's departure, and Stygian thought for a moment about following him. Perhaps he could calm her a little further about the coronation. Caelum had kind intentions, but Stygian found her brother's support only further made her worry about the day, worry that she'd some how end up spoiling the event or just disappointing him. This may have been irrational, but then again many pony's were. Still, she stayed where she was, realising that it took her quite a lot of courage to come to the hall in the first place, and, if she left, she might not have the guts to come back. So she stood still with her brother, but if she could have crossed fingers for Aero to return soon, she would have.

Utopia found herself feeling a little lonely at this point. She knew most of the ponies present still held some hate for her after all she had done, and Caelum, perhaps the only one willing to give her a chance, was all to caught up between his sister, the rest of the party and preparing the event. She took the time to think to herself, retreating into her mind, as it were. Maybe the ponies would learn to accept her with time, when she proved she was truly sorry for what she had done, but maybe they wouldn't. Then again, she'd committed treason, they had every right to hate her. After a time, her thoughts turned to Noctis. From what memories she had inherited, she could tell his life had been full of loneliness, yet it had never made him sad. However he had dealt with it, whatever memory he had held onto... maybe she could find them too. What she didn't know, was that those memories were her.


________________________________________________________________________

A gift? Hasta looked puzzled. Yeah, it may have been usual to bring gifts to things like weddings, she'd never been to a coronation, since the last one was over a thousand years before she was born. Plus there was the fact that they'd nowhere to get a gift from, especially at this point. So she just chalked it up to Dread being Dread, and tried to beckoned him to keep up with her increased pace. Maybe, but there's not really enough time to pick out anything... we really should get downstairs. Despite navigating them a couple of times, Hasta still found the labyrinthine layout of the castle to be extremely difficult to navigate. She'd bumped into a servant or two before she could even find the stairs. The fact that she saw they were preforming tasks to prepare the coronation only served to hasten her further.

Eventually, however, the two made it to the room that directly lead on the the castle's main hall. Despite the sounds of familiar voices, nothing sounded that celebratory, so Hasta sighed in relief that they weren't too late. She couldn't help but feel a little excited about the day's events, and she would have been crushed had she missed any of it. As they began to walk up the few stairs that lead to the main hall, Hasta turned back to Dread for a moment. Ready to enter another history book? She quickly kissed his cheek, hoping not to set off too much of a 'Dread freak-out'. A moment later, she made a mixture of a smile and grin, continuing to trot up to the hall proper.

[CableZ]

Aero was searching all around the barracks for his armour, damn those recruits and their stupid drill sergeants. Recruits are often ordered to perform menial tasks to get a sense of what its like in military life, one of them being the clean and organize the officers barracks meticulously. However the Officers are constantly telling the drill sergeants to stop this, because they keep moving all of their stuff around. Because there was no way of knowing specifically which armour belonged to which officer (no names written on them you see) The recruits often just put it all in one place. After lots and lots of searching, Aero desperately began checking in really stupid places just in the hopes that he would get onto the thought process of mindless recruits.

A broom closet...A BOOM CLOSET?! He was going was going to kill those drill sergeants and their annoying recruits.
"How do they think this is a good idea? It says one the door what is meant to go on here, brooms..BROOMS!" Aero cried out to nopony.

Quickly donning the brilliant golden armour adorned with various medals and sashes, Aero made sure it was all secure, and hooked up with his wing places, before placing the wing armour on itself, and walking out of the now completely trashed barracks. He wasn't going to fly back in his armour, he didn't want to strain himself. It'd be a few more minutes before he got back to the others.

---

Dread was nervous to say the least, this was his first big social event and he had no idea what to do or what to say, was he meant to be wearing a suit or something? Dread had yet to get to the high class sections of his social guides so he was flying blind, and hating it. As they walked up the steps, Dread was gulping a lot and generally just a bit of a mess. Somehow to someway, Hasta being there calmed him slightly, but not much, frankly he was dreading this (wahey) The kiss on his cheek did little to stem his worry, he was so nervous that he didn't over think the kiss like he normally would. As they ascended the stairs he heard the voices getting closer, with one final gulp they crashed the threshold into the room that would define the history of their nation.

Dread Lock avoided eye contact with the royals, instead choosing to scurry over to one of the nearby pillars and hide in its shadow, the dark calming him somewhat. The pillar in question was near the table that Lux and Hypie were sat at, Dread peaked his head around the pillar to look a them every so often.