[CYOA]Custos Luna #5

>>27768671
>>27768692
"What's the best thing about the Lunar Guard?", you manage to ask in between breathing
>Night Rider, who was about to walk away already stops and turns around to look at you
>He then proceeds to put a hoof on his chin, "the best thing you ask? Hmmm..."
>"I don't know about the others, but I'd say it's the action, you'll never get bored here. Between training, fighting and... other things..."
>He seems a bit... uneasy about the last point he brought up. Maybe you should press further?
>Although, there is also another question that has been irking you for some time
"I see.... and what... what is Chase like? Not as a superior, but as a pony?"
>The bat stallion's face grows soft as he smiles warmly. "She's... breathtaking, amazing, some even say she's perfect"
>"She's one of the fastest and most sneaky members of the entire guard, and clever too. But her most impressive talent", he continues
>"Must be the fact that, no matter what, she always keeps her calm, she's always collected and nothing can break her cool."
>It's about to get dark and slowly a few lanterns are lightened all around you by various guards
>From inside, you can smell food already and you could swear you could hear ponies laugh and sing
>Night Rider is still waiting for you, do you have any more questions? Want to head to dinner? Or maybe you have something else in mind?

>>27992326
Dinner can be next.

What other things do you mean?

>>27992393
>You start to head back into the direction of the mess hall, Night Rider closely following behind
>The silence between both of you doesn't take long as you find another question to ask
"What... what other things are you talking about?", you ask weakly to which he just gulps in response
>"I... I am not sure if you are read-", he tries to think of an excuse, clearly, but you interrupt him
"H-hey, I'm not a baby anymore! You can tell me!", you gleefully tells him to which he just seems to start sweating
>Weird, it isn't even that hot out here and he didn't train as much as you did today
>"I.. Chase would totally kill me if I told you, so nu-uh, young lady", he gives you a noggie for emphasis
>You hang your head low with a faked "Awwww", but keep walking
>It doesn't take you long to reach the mess hall and with a bit of help from the batpony, you open the door and enter
>You are overwhelmed: Compared to this morning, the mess hall is filled with a lot of ponies, a real lot
>Bats so far the eye can see, most of them kind of tired looking and nomming on their breakfast while talking to their seat neighbours
>In the far corner is a table where you can see most of the foals of your age.
>Chase seems to be sitting on the opposite end of the hall, together with Styx and a few other guards. You recognize them to be the foal's guardians
>A voice from a nearby table makes you perk your ears: "Isn't that the foal that lead the group of foals against the servants earlier? Should we ask her to sit with us?"
>Would you like to meet with any of them? Maybe see which food there is first? Talk to someone?
>Or is there anything else you want to do?

>>27992673
It would be much better to sit with the foals that are in our training group.

Grab some food then grab a seat with them so we can meet more of them. Hopefully our bully problems are about over.

>>27992700
>Probably best to sit with foals your training group. Strengthen bonds maybe?
>Making your way over to where the food is given out, you take a few pieces of bread and a bowl of... whatever that is
>The smell almost makes you gag but you manage to avoid puking on the floor
>Making your way over to the table of your team, they all greet you with a smile
>Sorbet immediately jumps up and takes you into a big hug as soon as you put down your meal
>"Silver, where have you been all day! We all got to play and we had a bath and some of us got shown around the castle but you were just gone!", your friend complains and pouts
>The others all agree, asking you where you have run off to. Would it be a good idea to tell them the truth? Or should you hide the fact that you were training
>They also warn you about the tast- too late, you already took a spoon full into your mouth and immediately regret it
>It tastes like what you can only describe as already eaten and the gooey feel doesn't help much
>"I tried to warn you", one of the colts says as the group starts laughing. "But hey, it didn't go much better for us either", they all admit
>Well, it's probably best to just go through with it, so you start carefully eating without breathing, you heard that should help.
>While you all sit together, is there something you want to talk about? And do you want to tell them where you went?

>>27993092
I don't see any reason to hide the fact that we were training.

But tell me about what the castle, what did you get to see?

>>27993117
"I... I've been training? Yeah. I practiced fighting, I wasn't really able to do a lot hoof-to-hoof combat earlier", you scratch your neck as you take another spoon full
>The table goes silent and most of the fillies and colts give you disapproving looks
>Sorbet is the first to speak up: "But... but you told us to take it easy for the day? You should have too!"
>Another colt cuts in: "Yeah, why would you push yourself that hard? And why didn't you want us to come with you? You could have at least asked!"
>You are quite unsure on how to respond to that and try to defuse the situation with another question
"So... what... what did you see when they showed you the castle?", you ask them
>Sorbet shakes her head but smiles quickly after. "Well, we saw these huge bathrooms out of Marble and they were amazing!", she exclaims
>"Oh, and don't forget that they brought us to the eastern tower and we could see sooo far!", a pegasus colt adds
>The bunch starts to tell you about their tour but soon the conversation dies down
>You are about done with your food as well and also kind of tired
>It seems like your friends aren't going to leave soon
>Will you stay with them? If so, what will you do? Talk to them about something?
>Or you could go back to Chase's and your room and turn in early?
>Maybe there is something else you want to do though?

>>27993512
H-hey, I'm sorry for training without you guys. I thought that you all deserved to take it easy, but you guys all saw me as a leader already, so I guess I thought I needed to live up to that by working harder.

>>27993543
This is good. Also we should mention that we trained on our own so that we can train together later. As a leader we can show them all what we learned.

>>27995179

>>27993512

I call for snuggles with Chase the cute batpony.

Later though, depending on how my fellow brothers decided to do things.

But snuggles are mandatory.

Mandatory snuggles bump

>>27995771

>>27999456

>>27993543
>>27994305
>>27996432
"I... I'm sorry for training without you. But I thought that you deserve a rest after today!", you try to apologize to them
>They seem to listen to your words closely and are expecting an explanation
"You just kind of... saw me as a leader type of deal. And I thought I had to grow up to these expectations and train!"
>You scratch your neck again. Seems like you do that often when you're nervous, you think to yourself
>"You know that a leader doesn't have to be all brawns", a unicorn colt lectures you, "some leaders are just the stay back and give orders cup of tea!"
>All around you, the foals are nodding thoughtfully and you hear a few "right" or "I agree"
>You can't help but smile as you think about what they are saying. Should you really be staying back as leader?
>While thinking, Chase comes over to your table: "Hey little trooper, looks like you made a bunch of friends already!"
>She gives you a wink as she gestures at the others with her hoof
>"I just wanted to say that I was going to turn in for the night and wanted to ask if you'd join me", she yawns
>Your friends still seem to be staying for a bit, although some sleep might do your exhausted body good
>Would there even be anything to talk about with them? Maybe you have some more questions?
>Although snuggles with Chase do sound very nice too.
>Decisions, decisions...

Not gonna have a full session today, gotta write letters of applications (and play Beard's D&D game at 2 in the morning), but I'll see about getting a 2nd update out at least

>>28001204
Let's spend time with chase, we're tired and a chance at snuggles seems rare.

>>28001204
Yeah, I'm pretty tired. I'll see you tomorrow guys.

>>28001345
*Chase

>>28001345
>>28001348
>>28001357
>Snuggles seem like an incredibly rare chance so the answer here is probably quite obvious
>Enthusiastically you nod your head, "Yeah, I'll come back with you! Sorry guys, kinda tired but I hope you unders-"
>Sorbet waves her hoof, "Of course we understand, Silver. Now go, enjoy your sleep with your guardian!"
>You're glad that they are so accepting and quickly stand up, following Chase past the many batponies and out of the mess hall
>By now, the corridors are almost entirely dark, apart from a few spares torches hanging on the wall quite a bit apart from each other
>It's eerily silent as the only thing that can be heard is Chase's and your hoofsteps on the cold stone floor
>Additionally, a chilly wind is blowing through the halls that makes you shiver, but Moon Chaser seems to be entirely unphased by this
>The walk to your shared room is quickly over, fortunately, and you hurriedly enter, glad to be out of the dark
>Chase chuckles at you. "Scared, little trooper?", she asks as she ruffles your mane
>"Come, sit down", she points to the chair in front of the mirror and picks up a brush
>You kind of want to brush her mane, but getting it brushed might be nice too
>And maybe you should talk to her about something? It couldn't hurt to just enjoy the brushing in silence though
>Oh, and you totally weren't scared.... right? Should you tell her?
>Maybe there is something else you want to do before bed too...

>>28001204
"I appreciate what you are saying, and I know that there are many kinds of leaders, but all of us are going to need to know at least the basics of how to fight. I wanted to make sure that as a leader I would know the basics well enough to help you train. On the front lines or not, a true leader needs to be able to support their team."

Triumphant hoof point into the air.

>>28002295
Nope, I'm definitely not afraid of the dark, no sirree. What kind of lunar guard would be afraid of the dark?

>>28002295
"Could I brush your mane? I am going to be a mighty leader, and that means doing things for others. I will brushie your mane SO WELL. Also, I wasn't scared of the dark. Luna gives us the dark, and I like it. If anything, it's the light that worries me."

Guess I was too slow with, >>28002301, huh?

>>28002295

To be fully honest, it's not actually being scared of the dark.

It's being scared of what unknowns lurk IN the dark that actual terrifies me.

Unknowns that you cannot see are terrifying, both as a pony and a leader.

A good leader should have as much information as possible before making a judgement call, but you can't do that to something you know absolutely nothing about.

So fear's a pretty logical danger response.

Also, what part of mandatory snuggles did you not understand.

They're mandatory.

Now do the snuggles.

have a good night buump

>>28004773

(Also, you accidentally swapped your name from QM to GM)

>>28005459

Hump

>>28007583

>>28008222

>>28002313
>>28002432
>>28003479
>No, you totally aren't afraid of the dark! Not at all, no sirree! You shake your head at Chase
"Can I... maybe brush your mane instead? I will be a mighty leader and that means doing things for others...", you quietly ask your guardian
>Her face lightens up considerably and she hooves you the brush, sitting down in front of the mirror herself
>She's closing her eyes and contently hums what you recognize as a very well known lullaby
>Gently you go through the mare's mane with the brush, making sure not to hurt her in the process
>Soon, you also begin to hum the song while keeping the brush in your mouth to which you can see Chase smile in the mirror, her eyes closed in bliss
"I... I wasn't scared. Not of the dark that is. I mean what lunar guard would be", you nervously joke as you lay down the brush onto the floor
>Moon Chaser turns her face to you, visibly interested in what you are about to say
"Lady Luna, she gives us the dark, and I really like it. If anything it would be the light that should worry me", you try to prepare your words carefully
"I am not actually scared of the dark. What terrifies me, is what lurks IN the dark. The unknown scares me, which I think is the logical response to danger"
>Moon Chaser started looking at you with an open mouth and seems quite surprised
"A good leader should have information to make judgement calls... which is hard if you know nothing about what lurks in the dark!", you try to explain
>Your friend is speechless. She just looks at you what you can only assume to be awe. "You have been the right choice", she mumbles to herself, before dragging you into a hug
>It feels good, very good as a matter of fact. But you want more. Making your way over to bed, you drag Chase with you on her hoof and flop down
>You pull her onto bed to which she doesn't really object and start cuddling up close to her. She takes you into your hooves and brushes your mane and you quickly fall asleep
(1/2)

>>28008614

>A voice is waking you up and you rub your eyes. The voice seems to be talking to someone, rather commanding
>Chase is not next to you anymore but you are sure that the sun still hasn't risen
>Blinking a few times, you see a unicorn mare standing in front of Chase, smoke rising from her mouth and nostrils
>Moon Chaser seems to stand still and listen, but what will you do?
(2/2)

>>28008619
Get out of bed and stand. Respectfully ask her who she is.

Anything on her or about Chaser''s mannerisms that would make it obvious that she's our superior?

>>28008658
>Sleepily you crawl out of bed and hop jump down on the floor slightly clumsily
>Both ponies' heads immediately turn to you, the unicorn glaring at you and Chase fidgeting nervously
>"S-silver why don't you... why don't you go back to bed?", she almost begs of you
>Seems that the third pony in the room makes her quite uneasy, might be her superior?
>Although you haven't heard of a unicorn being in control of the lunar guard, so this is news to you
>The mint green unicorn with brown hair also doesn't look especially... powerful. More like one of the servants around the castle
>"NO!", the mare shouts through the room angrily at Chaser, "This mare, she might be a nice addition for this beautiful night"
>Moon Chaser responds with a shocked face. "B-but your grace, you can't be serious! She is so young, still"
>'Your grace'? Could this be? Is this really who you think it might be? And what does she mean by addition?
>And why would Chase not want you to be with her and sent you back to bed?
>Maybe you should listen to her and go back to bed. Or maybe you could try talking to her and the mare?
>Maybe there is something else you want to do instead, though?

>>28008876
If her grace asks for me, then I shouldn't defy her, or am I mistaken, Chaser?

>>28008936
>You are not sure, but something draws you to the mare, something about her is mesmerizing, it feels quite strange to you
"But Chase, if it is her Grace's request, who are you or I to deny it to her? Is it not our duty to serve her Grace in every way possible"
>"Silver Smith", Chase speaks calm, but in a commanding way. "You may be right with serving her Grace, but this is something I can not allow"
>The unicorn mare huffs in annoyance. "It is unfortunate, but I shall accept your wish, Moon Chaser."
>With a smirk the smoking pony adds though: "But in return, I demand that you do the work of two ponies tonight. I shall not settle for less"
>"Tonight? B-but my Grace, this is one of the few nights that I have the chance to spend with Sil-", Chaser tries to argue
>"SILENCE!", the mare shouts at Chase again. "I already accepted your wish of your trainee not joining us. You will come with me, and that is an order", the unicorn hisses
>You swear the black smoke seems to be intensifying as the edges of the room started disappearing in a cloud of it
>With a sigh, the batpony guard gives in. "So it will be, my Grace", her head droops a bit as she looks back to you with sad eyes
>The other mare seems satisfied and nods. "I'll await you in my tower in a quarter of an hour"
>With that, the smoke coming from the mare completely vanishes and the pony collapses on the floor with a "W-where am I? How did I get here?"
>After a moment though, she seems to understand where she is and with an "Eeep" she rushes out of the door
>Moon chaser turns around, a frown on her face. "S-sorry that you had to see these, lil' trooper and sorry, but I need to go. Behave, will ya?"
>She turns around and starts walking out of the door.
>Should you talk to her before she leaves? Do you have any questions? Or should you just go to bed and hope that you'll be fine alone.
>Or do you have something else in mind?

>>28009197
Ask her what Luna wanted us to do that she was so worried about us doing.

After that, we should be fine on our own.

>>28009218
"Chase!", you call out and she turns around, looking you in the eyes, her disappointment apparent
"What did... what did Luna want from me? And what made you so worried about me joining you?"
>She quickly trots up to you and holds a hoof to your face. "Oh, Silver.... you're real sweet, but there are things you aren't ready for just yet"
>You could almost swear you saw a tear in her eyes, but she turned around too quickly and left you alone
>Well, guess you should get to sleep yourself, you doubt there is a lot more to do
>It doesn't take long for you to drift off to sleep, but your dreams are restless
>You could also swear you heard someone say "I have already taken quite a liking to you", but maybe that was just you imagining things
>The rays of the sun wake you up and you can't help but yawn
>Unfortunately, Chase has not returned while you slept and you feel a bit sad
>Can't let that bother you though, you've got training today, so you quickly brush your teeth and hurry down into the mess hall
>As soon as you enter the door, a glass of water is emptied over your head
>Looks like your 3 friends have returned, two of them loving while their leader just looks at you in anger
>"So do you really think you're a big thing because you managed to capture a few lousy servants?"
>Back from the table where the rest of the foals are already seated you can hear someone shout "Leave her alone, she did do nothing to you!"
>The lead colt just rolls his eyes and taps on the floor 3 times, causing one of the other 2 colts to walk up to the table and hit the pony who said that on the hat, shushing them
>"Do you expect you have a chance against me? Just accept it and start listening to what I say.... otherwise your friends might not have a fun time in the future"
>He smirks and points at the table, the other colt joined his friend, deviously smiling at the group
>How do you respond? What do you do? Submit to his rule? Tell him to screw himself?
>This is bad...

And stopping here for the night. Thanks for playing, Linkeh

>>28009773
Are you going to act like this the whole time? Cause I can tell you, if you keep making enemies of your allies, you're going to be the first one dead when we step onto the battlefield.
My friend, if you think you'll get away with attacking me again, you're dumber than I took you for. You know why? Because now we have a squad backing each other up. That's not a threat, it's a statement.

So, you can realize that we're all under the same banner and stop acting like an edgy twerp, or you can try to hit me and see what happens.

If push comes to shove, we learned some neat new tricks yesterday that may come in handy. Also don't fall for the monologue interrupt again. If he looks like he's going to hit us, don't let him. Remember our training. Jab, retreat out of reach like we were taught, space them out.

>>28009786
No prob, friendo.

>>28009773
He just wants to be in charge no matter what. He's just a coward that hides behind his "friends" muscle and wants to delude himself into thinking he's in charge. Rather than facing him head-on, we should focus on breaking up his little group so he'll have to face his own problems.

>>28012131

>>28009773

Strategic Anon is here. Now, the first problem with our troops, is that they lack the initiative and courage to back us up, the spineless wusses. That's one thing for later consideration.

Now, however, would be a good time to draw the two ponies to our side, if they work by intimidation, we will intimidate their leader in return. Do not be the instigator, but once the punches are thrown, strike back as hard as possible, showing that we are calm and in control of the situation, should he escalate, we have cause for self defense.

A leader can rule by fear or respect. If we are to rule by respect, we must show that we seem to have a plan in mind. Do not be intimidated by him, stand up to him, but never look like you lost your cool. This should inspire our foals and intimidate them.

pg10

>>28015006

>>28016029

>>28017133

>>28015006

getting away from page 10 is important.

>>28020009
very

>>28021134
Incredibly