More progress! · 2:01pm Aug 25th, 2022
Still working on it, but yay progress! 
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“Princess Luna?” Corporal Larkspur knocked on the door to the guest chambers, then slowly nudged it open. “Princess?”
“Yes, Corporal?”
“Where are you?” he asked, glancing around the room.
“Out here. What do you need?”
A soft breeze rustled the curtains over the balcony windows and revealed the nocturnal alicorn, who was framed perfectly in the middle of the recently risen full moon. Larkspur slowly crossed the room as he admired her sparkling, ethereal mane and her soft navy coat, which was reflecting a portion of the moonlight to give a glowing, almost ethereal look to the Princess. Her penetrating cyan eyes remained on him as he made his way to her, and a soft smile awaited when he stopped and saluted.
“Princess Luna, Ma’am, I have been asked by Prince Bean and Captain Armor to check in on you and see if you are well. With Chrysalis’ troubling announcement at dinner, the Princes are on high alert for some sort of plot or scheme.”
“I see.” Luna turned to look out over the crystal homes, each with small pinpricks of light coming from the windows as they settled comfortably into her eventide. “That was quite the shock, was it not?”
“I thought it was,” Larkspur said softly, then went back to perfect attention. “Ma’am.”
“At ease, Lark. You may report that I am well, and that I have seen no signs of disturbance. I shall be most vigilant tonight, if it will help to assuage their concerns.”
“Thank you, ma’am,” Larkspur saluted again, made like he would leave, but then stalled and remained in place. Luna turned her attention back to him, and the corners of her mouth twitched up.
“Is there something else, Corporal?”
“No, ma’am. It’s just…” he stalled again. “Well, it’s a nice night, and I don’t have to report back immediately. Would you mind if I stayed here for a few minutes?”
“It would be delighted to have you stay, even if only briefly. Is there something on your mind?”
“Too much, I’m afraid.” The dutiful guard relaxed and removed his helm. “I don’t know what to think of what’s happened today.”
“Will you share your thoughts with me?” Luna sat next to him, and he huffed.
“I guess I’m just worried about what Chrysalis is up to. She’s caused so much trouble and pain in the past that it’s hard to believe that she’s trying to ‘improve relations,’” he said while making air quotes with his free hoof. “I’d bet every last bit I have that she’s doing this as part of another invasion scheme.”
“I would not take that bet, if it were me,” Luna said in a cool, calm, and relaxing voice. “Yes, she has done terrible things in the past, but it is not difficult to see that she is not the same Queen that she once was. I do not believe her actions are part of some master plot.”
“You don’t?” he asked.
“Please, come sit with me,” Luna offered, and he did so. “I do not. Chrysalis has been changed by her time among us ponies, and especially by Sergeant Hokey Pokey. She would not do anything that would bring harm to him, or that would ruin the life she now shares with him.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Love.” Luna’s radiant smile lit up the night, and her gaze went to the moon with his. “You know of how powerful it is, how it can change our very natures. Chrysalis has felt true love, received from Pokey without coercement and without deceit. Now that she knows what she can have, she will not risk losing it again.”
“Forgive me,” he said as a breeze swept Luna’s long tail around his shoulders and over his back. “But my sister thought she had that kind of love, too. Being madly in love doesn’t magically solve all your problems.”
“I agree. To have a lasting love, both partners must be committed to each other, dedicated and unwavering. They must be willing to sacrifice, to compromise and to listen.”
“All things that Queen Chrysalis has a very hard time doing.”
“Perhaps, perhaps not.” Luna bobbed her eyebrows at him. “But from what I have seen, I am of the opinion that she, in fact, is doing those things. It is just not in the ways that we expect to see it.”
“If you say so,” Larkspur said with a small chuckle.
The two of them sat together in a comfortable silence for a few moments, each content to watch the moon as it slowly continued to ascend into the night sky. Luna’s words had given Larkspur something to ponder, yet he also found that he felt more at peace with what was going on with the world after hearing her insights on the matter.
“Larkspur?” Luna’s tender word gently broke into his reverie. “May I ask you something personal?”
“Of course, Princess.”
“How did you propose to your wife?”
Larkspur inhaled sharply. “I haven’t thought about that since…”
(Warms up editing pencil)
5681810
You're gonna need it. This chapter is 8k words at the moment and still growing.
I will relentlessly ship Larkspur and Luna and you cannot change my mind
5681811 (warms up editing scissors)
Irrespective writes a new piece of Nose's story. I scream like ostrich in a marriage period... Yeah, my neighbors hate me so much.