//------------------------------// // We own the night // Story: Night and Day // by Tom Ink //------------------------------// The trip back to Canterlot was excruciatingly boring for everypony except Midnight and Golden, who never stopped thinking about each other. They eagerly awaited their reunion the next Saturday. The week would be long, they both thought, and the daily routine would seem vapid after that marvelous night, but they would make it through. When they arrived at the train station, a batpony approached Midnight. “Midnight Storm?” the pony asked. “Yeah, captain?” Midnight replied, turning to her chief to salute him. “In my office. At six. And be on time,” he commanded sternly, getting an awkward stare from Midnight. “Got it?” She answered after a few seconds. “Err… Yes, captain,” she said before he walked away. Starry Eyes noticed the harsh exchange and approached Midnight. “What have you done now?” he asked, frowning. “Is there something going on between you and Celestia’s guard that I should know about?” “Meh. Maybe I’m getting promoted. Moon Dancer must have been impressed with my professionalism,” she replied, trying to stay calm despite the worry that started to gnaw at her. Starry didn’t seem convinced, and a heavy silence fell between them for a few seconds before the stallion looked directly at her. “Listen, Midnight. I don’t know what you’re hiding, but I’ll discover it soon. You can be sure of it. You’ve been out of top form since the Ponyville incident. If it’s because of that royal guard, I’ll make him regret the day he was born,” he threatened with a killing stare. He resumed his walk, and Midnight followed him slowly, looking a bit darker and already thinking through several possibilities in her head. Had somepony seen them? No. She was sure of that, and they hadn’t seen any guards during their flight to the hill. Had Golden’s friend talk to somepony about them? No. He seemed too trustworthy for that. Did…? No. She needed to stay strong. Maybe it was nothing and Moon Dancer only wanted to see her for a special mission. Yeah. Just a special mission, she repeated to convince herself. Nothing more. Midnight must have looked to the clock at least a hundred times that afternoon, more and more anxious when the hooves of the clock approached six until it was finally time to meet her fate. The walk to her destination was the most painful trip she had ever made in her life, black ideas struggling to control her mind. As she walked towards Moon Dancer’s office, her hoofsteps grew heavier, and she knocked on the door with a shaking hoof. Knock knock “Come in!” roared the voice of Moon Dancer, his head never leaving the papers in front of him. The door opened and Midnight walked slowly into his office. She saluted and announced herself: “Midnight Storm, captain! You asked me to come?” Moon Dancer raised his head and reached out a hoof to a chair. “Sit down.” Midnight obeyed, a bit tense and slightly worried. Self-assurance had its limits. “Do you know why I wanted you to come here, Midnight?” The batpony raised an eyebrow and answered as calmly as she could. “I don’t know, captain.” Moon breathed deeply. “I asked you to come here because I received a report about an incident involving you in Trottingham. It seems that one of our soldiers saw you with a royal guard.” Midnight opened her eyes widely in surprise and started to feel the sweat rolling on her forehead behind her helmet. She tried to stay calm. “Captain, I can assure you: that report is totally false. The royal guards are our enemies, and you know that a batpony would never betray her kind, especially me. I’ve never spent time with a royal guard outside of the changing ceremony,” she defended herself with a calm voice. Moon didn’t flinch. He stood still for a few seconds, then sighed. “Midnight, I would like to believe you, but despite your service record, I can’t ignore this allegation so easily. I don’t have time to take care of it, but the case is serious enough to investigate,” he explained. “Do you have evidence? Who’s been spreading rumors about me?” she pressed him. Moon seemed a bit surprised, but he answered nonetheless. “Evening Glow brought this to my attention. And no, his word is his only evidence. But…” He paused.” This is a very serious charge, Midnight. I need to take a few administrative measures before I can investigate further. That’s why I command you to remain in our camp until further notice. You don’t have the right to leave except for your official duties. You will be watched until we can discover the truth. Am I clear?” Midnight opened her mouth to reply, and then closed it, knowing that talking back to her captain would only make things worse. She lowered her head and let out a small: “Yes, captain.” Moon leaned back into his seat and brought his two hooves together. “Good. I hope I won’t have to talk to you about this again,” he concluded, eyes furrowed. He saluted, and Midnight did the same, leaving the office without further words. The door closed, and the batpony stayed in the hallway for a long time, still thinking. Or at least trying to think. Shock. Wrath against Evening Glow. Talk to Golden? Keep it hidden? What if she wouldn’t be able to see him again? Accept the punishment? No. No. She had gone too far to step back, and she didn’t want to lose Golden, no matter the risks. Thinking of him made the days pass faster, and the changing of the guard was more exciting than it really should have been. Even when he wasn’t there, he made her happy. Happy… Since the deaths of her parents, Midnight rarely felt happiness in her life. The school for batponies, the work, writing reports… She rarely had occasion to celebrate. And Golden could offer her so much more. More than she had ever dreamed before that night in the cave. She knew she was playing with fire by continuing to see him. Until that night, she’d never really thought about being caught. She thought that she was too smart to be trapped so easily by… …Evening Glow. The wrath grew quickly inside Midnight. She bit her bottom lip until she tasted blood, and she made a decision. She walked with heavy steps and passed through the cafeteria, the training room, and the offices before entering the locker room with more determination than ever. Eyes furrowed and her look darker than ever before, she searched in every corner and found the batpony she was looking for as he was putting his stuff into his locker. Midnight faced his back. Quietly, she moved closer to him and jumped on him, without giving him a chance to defend himself. She pinned him on his locker, whispering to him with the most threatening voice she could muster: “Don’t you even think of saying anything. Listen to me, and open your ears, ‘cause I won’t repeat myself. I don’t know what you really saw at Trottingham, but let me give you a piece advice: think twice before opening your big mouth next time.” She released him slowly and tugged on one of his wings. “And if you tell anypony about what I just said, you’ll live the rest of your life as an earth pony. Get it?” Completely helpless, Evening Glow nodded, and Midnight let him fall to the floor. He panted quickly and turned his head towards the batpony, who glared at him with her eyes full of burning rage. This simple visual left him speechless. Midnight walked away, never taking her stare from him until she disappeared. On her way out, she punched a locker so hard that her hoof stung. Her look could have given nightmares to the most evil creature of Equestria. Starry waited for her at the exit, and he rapidly asked the worst question he could. “So? What did he tell you?” Midnight turned her head and glared at him. “None of your business, Starry,” she scoffed between gritted teeth. The batpony raised an eyebrow, surprised to see her like that. “You’re in a really bad mood today,” he noticed. “Cool. That makes two of us,” she scoffed again. Starry stopped and kept his eyes furrowed. “I don’t know what he told you, but I hope it won’t impact your work. You’re already giving me enough problems,” Starry explained. “Either way, I’ll figure out what’s happening soon enough. Mark my words...” Midnight resumed her walk without a word and did what she did best: her work. The changing of the guard got harder as the week dragged on. Every time her eyes met Golden’s, she imagined never being able to see him again, never being able to spend time alone with him. No more dates, no more burning kisses, no more mushy stuff that she’d learned to like with him. The thought made her heart tighten. This Saturday needed to be really special, and she knew they would reach a point of no return if they continued to see each other. She spent the week thinking of a plan to get out of her room without being seen. There was still a risk, but Golden was worth it. He would protect her. That was his motto, right? The stallion waited for Saturday, too, but with more worry. In just a few days, he’d learned that a simple look could say much more than words, and Midnight’s eyes had seemed concerned since they’d come back from Trottingham. Did she think she’d made a huge mistake? Did she have problems the she hadn’t mentioned? Did somepony see them? Did she still want to be with him? All these questions ran in an infinite circle in his mind. He wanted to have a time-traveling machine to make it Saturday and have all the answers to his questions, but nothing like that existed. He did his best to keep all his anxiety deep inside of him during the day, expelling it at night with long talks with White. White had never wished so badly to have a different roommate. Saturday finally came. With an extra blanket in hoof, White snuck into a different room. “At least one of us should get a good night’s sleep,” he snickered as he shut the door behind him, just in time to avoid another pillow salvo. That left Golden alone. Golden paced again and again around the room, waiting eagerly and with a bit of nervousness for the arrival of his marefiend. Marefriend… All his problems disappeared when he thought about Midnight in those terms. Thinking of her soothed his mind. Of course, he’d had marefriends before, but the life of a royal guard wasn’t usually compatible with a stable love life. But Midnight? His heart bounced every time he thought about her. Be in a relationship with a mare and stay a guard? Almost impossible. Be in a relationship with a batpony and stay a guard? Completely impossible. But he knew the dangers, and he knew he could handle them when the time came. Leave the guard to keep Midnight or lose Midnight to stay in the guard? Why couldn’t he have both? No. That only happened in stories for foals and fillies, he thought. And his life wasn’t a story for foals and fillies. The choice was hard, and all the possibilities played in his head. White, Celestia, Midnight, and Luna intertwined for better and worse in his mind. Was Midnight more important than his job, the dream he’d chased his whole life? He’d known her for a only short time, but waiting for even a few days to see her had become unbearable. The kisses they’d shared were replaying again and again in his brain. He wanted to see her so badly, stroke her mane with his hoof, breathe her sweet scent, cuddle her, say he loved her, that he was happy with her, that he wanted to feel her body against his in the morning, like their first night in the cave, but in warm sheets where they could curl together without caring about the time or about what the others would think. Golden daydreamed and hoped the reality would be even better. Was he going too fast? He didn’t know exactly, but he also knew that, when he saw her face again, the answer would clear. For the moment, he chose to let the future take care of itself, to let things flow, continue to see her secretly, and think of a solution. And to hope that things wouldn’t spin out of control too quickly. But if… ‘Stop with your stupid monologues that nopony cares about! Be a stallion and act like one for once!’ his inner voice shouted. Knock knock knock Golden quickly turned his head towards the window and met eyes with his batpony. “Midnight!” he rejoiced before quickly dashing to open the glass that separated them. He barely had time to step back from the window before she jumped on him, pinning him on the floor and kissing him greedily with all the desire that had built up during the week. Too happy to see her again, Golden returned the embrace and held his marefriend tightly. She released him slowly after a few moments, and he saw that her eyes wasn’t as playful as usual. “You want to sit on the bed? It’ll be easier to talk,” he suggested. Midnight nodded without saying a word. Golden stood up and climbed onto one of the beds, followed closely by a batpony that never let go of his hoof. They settled down, Golden’s back on the wall and Midnight reclining into his hooves with her head and back on his chest. Golden stroked her mane tenderly for a few moments, and the mare fondly stroked the hooves that wrapped around her waist. They were both silent for a few more minutes before Golden spoke reluctantly, sad to spoil their sweet moment. “Midnight, you haven’t been yourself these last few days. What’s happening?” he asked, calmly. After a long sigh and with a weak voice, Midnight answered. “Somepony saw us in Trottingham. I have to stay in the camp until further notice. I panicked and I hit somepony really badly, and…” She stopped. “I… I’m scared, Golden. I know it’s silly, but I’m scared of not being able to see you anymore. And I don’t want that. I… I care too much about you for that. I…” She stopped again. “I don’t know how to say it, I’m not really… good at this stuff…” Golden kissed her mane and tried to comfort her. “You’re scared and you still came here to see me. That means everything to me.” He leaned in and kissed her cheek, rocking her slightly. “We’ll take extra care next time.” Midnight smiled and turned back to return the gesture. “Promise,” she said while kissing him on the end of the muzzle. When she broke the kiss, her look went a bit darker, and the pegasus noticed it immediately. The mare lowered her head, and Golden lifted it with his hoof so they could look at each other. “Hey, you don’t have the right to be sad here, not when I’m with you. You’re much prettier when you smile,” he said, smiling. Her eyes softened a bit, and a weak smile appeared on her face. “Sorry, it’s just that… every time I think of what could happen without you… it hurts,” she admitted, eyes watering and heart tightening. “It hurts, Golden. I don’t know if I could handle it… I…” She laughed, somewhat forced. “Look what you made me do. I’m saying all this mushy stuff, and I hate it… Golden, things get so weird around you.” Her smile came back. “I never thought that, one day, I’d miss this kind of thing.” “What kind of thing?” Golden asked. “Compliments, the ‘I love you,’ the hugging, the cuddling…” she said, taking his hooves in hers. “And this,” she added, before kissing him on the lips. She smiled after she slowly broke their kiss. “Yeah, especially that.” Golden smiled and resumed stroking her mane, laying back and taking Midnight with him. “You’ll have all you want if you stay with me. I will protect you, I won’t let anything bad happen to you, and I’ll even leave the guard if I need to,” he explained. Midnight met his eyes. “You’re really ready to do that?” she asked shyly. “If I need to in order to stay with you, then yes,” he declared. She didn’t answer right away, instead drawing circles on his chest. Seeing her lack of response, he continued. “I know it would be difficult… for many reasons. But if I need to do it… yeah. I’ll do it without hesitation. Celestia be my witness,” the stallion announced. “If she hears you, she’ll grant your wish. By exiling you to the Moon,” Midnight replied. Golden turned his eyes to the window, staring at the white orb hanging in the sky. “No, not to the Moon. She did that to her sister once, and it was the biggest mistake of her life. She doesn’t want to repeat it again,” he explained. “But ending up in the guard’s jail? Yeah… There’s a big chance of that.” He paused. “Would you leave the guard to run away with me?” Midnight thought for a few seconds. “Yeah, if I need to do it, I’ll go with you. I don’t have friends here, and it’s not like they couldn’t replace me.” She paused. “For now… do you think this night can last forever?” Golden smiled and kissed her on the cheek. “Anything you wish for, my Princess.” Midnight rolled her eyes and smiled. “You’re never gonna change, are you?” “Not a chance,” he said, stroking her mane again. “I hit the jackpot,” the batpony sighed. Silence fell for a few minutes, only broken by the sound of the hooves stroking Midnight’s mane. “When do you need to head back to your camp?” Golden asked. “I don’t work tomorrow, but you shouldn’t be seen here during the day.” She raised her head. “I work tomorrow night. I’ll go back in the morning, when everypony’s asleep in the camp.” “Oh, so that means we…” the stallion started. Midnight looked at him with bedroom eyes and answered with a sultry voice. “Yeah. We own the night.” “That’s the motto for your guard, isn’t it?” Golden asked. Midnight nodded. “Yeah. And tonight, I’m finally going to live by it.”