“Finally, you’re awake. I was getting bored watching you drool.”
Belltoll awoke to find himself snugly wrapped in bed sheets on a clean mattress. The room was quiet, a stark contrast to the chaos he remembered passing out in.
He looked up to see a unicorn with a creamy yellow pelt and sunset orange mane at his bedside looking down at him like he was last week’s cafeteria leftovers. She wore golden armor and a huge, garish bowtie.
“Captain Sunny Day!” Belltoll squeaked. He scrambled to stand to attention, but the rush of blood to his head caused him to swerve dangerously on his hooves.
The captain raised a hoof and firmly pushed him back into bed.
“Easy there, fella,” she warned. “You took a real beating back there. Nurse said to keep your flank in bed.”
Belltoll moaned as his body flared with painful agreement.
Sunny leaned in. “I’ll be back soon. You stay right here, understood?” She poked his nose to emphasize the last word.
“Y-yes, sir,” Belltoll said weakly, trying to salute.
“Don’t. Move.” She pressed his nose two more times.
“Understood, sir.”
Sunny nodded, apparently satisfied, then turned and left the room.
Belltoll lay still for several minutes, blinking and thinking while the fiery ache in his muscles subsided. What had happened? And how exactly had he gotten here?
He turned his attention to the room. He was in a long chamber with dozens of beds lined up just like they were in the barracks, only these were covered in white linen. Overseeing the far end of the room, an old grandfather clock announced the lateness of the hour.
On the clock’s last peal, it finally dawned on Belltoll that he was in the Palace Infirmary.
He reached up to touch his head, and felt soft cotton bandages instead of steel. His helmet was gone! Panicking, Belltop lifted his sheets and saw that his entire suit of armor had been removed too.
Belltoll felt horribly empty. That armor had been entrusted to him by the Royal Palace. Now it was gone, and it had taken his pride along with it.
They had put their trust in him to protect the palace from danger, and instead he had set the Grand Galloping Gala ablaze.
He cast his eyes about miserably. They’d be coming for him. The sergeant, the princess, the nobles, and all the Gala ponies. He had ruined everypony’s evening. No doubt they’d have him strung up by his tail, or executed, or worse. He never should have pretended he could be a guard!
As his eyes raked across the room looking for any angry mobs in hiding, he noticed another pony lying on the bed next to his.
It was the mare. The mare who had stolen the candelabrum! She lay flat on her back, but one eye was peeking at him. She quickly winked it shut.
“You’re not asleep!” Belltoll yelled indignantly.
The mare stuck out her tongue. “Am too. Be quiet.”
Belltoll dragged himself out of bed. His body protested profusely, but he ignored it.
“Where’s the trinket you took,” he demanded. “You have to give it back.”
The mare opened her eyes to glower at him. “They already took it away. Now I’m stuck here with nothing but a bunch of bruises to show for it. So, thanks for that.”
“Oh.” Belltoll breathed in relief. “Well, good.”
The mare’s glare sharpened. “Excuse me?”
“The candlestick!” he hastily amended.“Not the bruises. S-sorry about those.”
The mare sighed and crossed her forehooves, sulking lower in her bed. “I guess I had it coming. I wasted my opportunity to escape by trying to rub my victory in your face.” She paused, then quietly added, “Sorry for the nasty things I said.”
Belltoll blinked in surprise. Then he averted his gaze to the floor. Now knowing that the theft had been properly dealt with, he wasn’t sure what more to say to the mare.
“I’m Belltoll,” his mouth eventually came up with. He held out a hoof.
The mare looked at it dubiously, then at him. “Shifty Shoes,” she replied after a moment’s consideration.
She was about to take the offered hoof when another pony, an elderly auburn mare in a white cap and coat, bustled into the room from a side office. Upon seeing Belltoll out of his bed, she gasped and immediately rushed over to him.
“No, no, no!” she cried, slapping her forelimbs against his chest until he fell back onto his mattress. “You are not allowed to walk about. You are an invalid and you need rest!”
“B-But I–”
She pushed a glass of water into his face. “Drink,” she commanded. “You must remain hydrated.”
Belltoll grappled with the glass and tried not to choke. Thankfully the nurse had already moved onto Shifty.
“I’m fine! Get off of me!” Shifty complained, but her voice gradually muffled as the nurse buried her under a mound of extra blankets.
The nurse hastened about them, tucking in their covers and fussing excessively over their bandages. “Now that you’re both awake, you need to regain your strength. I’ll be back shortly with some healthy nourishments.”
She disappeared back into the depths of her office. Once the coast seemed clear, Belltoll sat up and took a timid sip from his glass.
Then the door opened, and Belltoll spat out his water.
Princess Celestia strode into the room wearing a flowing gown of pure satin. She was a veritable sun amidst the backdrop of the dreary world around her, and her smile illuminated the room. She looked about expectantly, but her expression faltered as she watched Belltoll tumble out of his bed, mouth jabbering incoherently, limbs flailing, and sheets slowly tangling about him like a cocoon.
“Your highness!” Belltoll tried to stand upright but tripped over the bedsheets. He opted to sit.
Celestia smiled at him. “Good evening, Belltoll,” she said.
She knew his name! Belltoll gasped and bowed his head to stare at his reflection in the princess’ new shoes.
A large and incredibly ugly bowtie moved toward him from behind the princess.
“C’mon, rookie. Let’s get you out of that mess,” Sunny said, as if she were speaking to a beleaguered puppy, and began to tug the sheets off him.
Once he was free, Sunny moved to sit next to Shifty’s bed, leaving Belltoll to face the alicorn.
The princess looked him up and down. “How are you feeling?”
“Exanimate,” Belltoll said. “I mean excellent!”
Hiding a grin, Celestia looked to the bed. “And our little pegasus friend?”
Belltoll glanced back at Shifty, who had decided to resume feigning sleep.
“She’s fine.”
Celestia nodded. “Well, we all had a bit of an adventure tonight, didn’t we? Why don’t you tell me about it?”
Belltoll gulped. “All of it?”
“Of course.” Celestia sat down and lifted her ears attentively. “I wish to hear everything that happened since your superior officer left you at your post.”
So Belltoll told her. Celesia listened very carefully, without interrupting. Shifty remained quiet and still throughout the entire story.
“Forgive me, Princess!” Belltoll wailed when he had finished his tale. “I tarnished your dignity in front of the entire hall! I am utterly ashamed and I am prepared to pay a criminal’s sentence for my actions!”
Both the princess and Sunny looked at him, then at each other. Then they burst into uncontrollable fits of bright, giddy laughter.
Belltoll didn’t understand. Had they already unanimously agreed on a humiliating punishment for him?
Then Celestia’s magic enveloped him. Belltoll flinched but was soon set at ease as he was cradled and brought towards the princess who raised her forehooves up and around to trap him in a warm embrace.
“I admit you caught me by surprise at the Gala, but I don’t think something as silly as ruined shoes is enough to concern me about tarnished dignity,” she chided, “let alone brand you a criminal.”
Belltoll was squished against the delicate fabric of her dress and her pelt. He wasn’t sure which was softer. “It isn’t?” he asked, his voice an octave higher than usual.
Celestia nuzzled the top of his head as if he were a teddy bear. “Of course not. Where you afraid I would be angry?”
Belltoll was afraid he would be dead.
“I ruined the Gala,” he offered dully.
“Tonight was not the first time the Gala has been-” Celestia tilted her head as she sought for an appropriate word. “Enlivened. The commotion you caused was not as detrimental as you might think. On the contrary, the patricians are quite capable of carrying on their regaling regardless of interruptions. The Gala continues as we speak.”
“Oh,” Belltoll murmured, pressing his snout into Celestia’s fur. It was so unbelievably comforting being held by the princess. He only wished his insides felt half as good.
Celestia curled her neck to better view his face. “Something still bothers you?”
“I-I’m grateful that you’re not angry for what happened, believe me.” Belltoll nodded vigorously. “It’s just… it’s always been my dream to be a royal guard.”
His head sunk depressingly low into her arms. “But after tonight, I don’t know if I should be one.”
Celestia adjusted her grip so that Belltoll was forced to look up at her. “Tell me, Belltoll. Why did you become a royal guard?”
To protect you, Belltoll wanted to say. But as he returned her gaze, he saw in her eyes the love she sheltered for the many hundreds of thousands of ponies of Equestria. It was a vast, bottomless well that drained and refilled tirelessly with joy, worry, devotion, and grief day after day and Belltoll realized he wished his own heart could equal a mere fraction of that well.
“I want to protect others,” he said. “I want to see them smile because they know they’re safe.”
Celestia stroked his mane. “And protect them you shall, even me.”
“But-“ The princess’ assertion didn’t make sense to him. “But how can I if I’m a failure?”
Celestia looked thoughtful. Then she turned her gaze to the other bed and called, “Shifty?”
Shifty noticeably stiffened but did not open her eyes nor answer.
Sunny ignited her horn and Shifty yelped as her blankets were strewn aside and she was yanked by her mane into a sitting position.
“I’m awake! I’m awake!” she clamored, swatting the magic away.
She immediately fell silent when Celestia leaned forward and placed her face directly in front of hers.
“Tell me, little one: you’ve been sneaking your way into the Gala to pilfer trinkets for several years, correct?”
Shifty held the gaze for less than a second before blushing and averting her eyes. “Maybe?”
“And yet, this is the first time you’ve been caught, is it not?”
Shifty shot Belltoll a glare. “Yeah, I guess,” she mumbled.
Celestia beamed. “You see, Belltoll, you are not a failure! You accomplished what many capable guards before you could not.”
Belltoll’s mouth hung open for several seconds before it regained motor functionality. “But… but that was just a fluke! It-”
Sunny poked the side of him that was still visible under Celestia’s limbs. “Word of advice, rookie,” she said. “When an alicorn tells you to take credit for something, just shut up and nod.”
Celestia nodded in agreement. “I believe you have great potential as a guard. Your devotion alone is enough to make me feel safer already.”
She let Belltoll go, allowing him to stand upright.
Belltoll felt like he’d been clubbed over the head. “Y-you really, truly mean that?”
Celestia’s smile was more exquisite than a hundred sunrises. “We need guards like you, Belltoll. Now more than ever. Please don’t throw your dreams away when there are so many who need your help.”
“Be brave, my little pony.”
It was like the pitiful flame inside him suddenly had an extra share of kindling heaped upon it.
“I-I will. I will!”
Belltoll stood taller than he ever had in his life. “I’ll do my best! I’ll make you proud! By your glorious grace, Princess Celestia, just wait and see how brave I can be!”
Behind him, Sunny rolled her eyes.
Belltoll gave a stalwart salute, did an about face, and marched through the entry doors, out of the Infirmary, and into the promising world beyond.
. . .
When the stallion had gone from the room, Sunny Day trotted forward and poked her head out the door. She snorted back a laugh. “Pffft! He’s actually skipping down the hall. He’s like a foal that just earned his cutie mark.”
“Is he really?” Celestia hurried to place her head right above her assistant’s. Then she laughed and clapped her forehooves together. “He’s so precious! He must be protected. I want him in my house guard detail.”
Sunny vigorously shook her head. “Nope. Bad idea. No way we’re taking him! We don’t hire fresh recruits for the Day House Guard. We have standards, you know.”
Celestia pouted. “Just give him a few years. I’m certain he’ll grow into a most capable guard.”
“I doubt it,” Sunny muttered, eying the green stallion as he pranced out of sight. “You saw what he did to the Gala. I am not going to be responsible for him.”
“I am the princess,” Celestia huffed. “I reserve the right to choose my guards how I see fit.”
Sunny poked her superior’s chest in challenge. “And I’m you’re thankless assistant. I reserve the right to tell you when your ideas are terrible!”
Celestia glared back. “It’s your job to do as I command, which you never do.”
“I wore this boorish armor instead of a hot outfit to the Gala just like you said I should!”
“Along with that terrible bow!”
Sunny grinned, her eyes shining with glee. “That’s right. Not a single pony tonight was able to look at you without seeing my ugly, eyesore of a bowtie sitting right next to your flank!”
The argument would very well have escalated had it not been abruptly cut short by the nurse re-entering the room, now holding a tray of food, two cups of homebrewed herbal tea, and a few medical instruments.
She froze when she saw Belltoll’s empty cot.
“Where is my patient?” she demanded, eyes wide with alarm.
Celestia and Sunny exchanged looks.
“He just left,” Sunny indicated the door they were huddled around, the boldness that had filled her voice mere seconds ago suddenly giving way to a defensive smile.
The nurse flung the tray to the floor.
“He’s suffered a concussion!” she screeched, pulling at her mane bun. “He shouldn’t be traipsing about the palace!”
“I think that's my cue to leave,” Shifty coughed nervously, edging herself out of bed.
The nurse immediately rounded on her, shaking a threatening thermometer in her direction and gritting her teeth. “You. Will. Not! You are injured and you will stay until I give you leave. If you even try to sneak away before then, I will personally apply anesthesia to your head via a reflex hammer! Am I understood?”
Shifty was back in bed, pale-faced and clutching her covers.
Sunny was already halfway out the door. “I’ll go chase him down, then,” she offered. She quickly exited the Infirmary with Celestia right behind her, each sparing the nurse a concerned glance before the doors shut behind them.
It didn’t take long for the pair to find the stallion. He had collapsed not ten paces beyond the first turn of the corridor. His eyes were rolled back in his head and a small puddle of drool was massing under his gaping mouth. The neglected pain in his body had long surpassed its limit, and his brain, in earnest interest of protecting its host, had made the executive decision to shut down.
Sunny massaged an oncoming migraine. “What a hoof-ful, this stallion.”
Her horn flickered and Belltoll was delicately lifted into the air and pulled in the direction of the Infirmary.
Sunny trotted beside the unconscious body. “I keep forgetting how wild the new recruits can be, and we have so many now. Just last week I had to lecture a pair of guards for tackling a helpless grandmother who’d taken a wrong turn. You’d think we’d reverted to a daycare center here.”
“We’ll make do,” Celestia replied, following her assistant. “The recruits are new, but at least they’re passionate.”
Sunny gave Celestia a wary glance. “Speaking of passion, don’t you think you overdid it a bit with the pep talk back there? He seems like the type that takes things to heart.”
Celestia looked offended. “I meant every word I said!”
“Maybe, but when he crashes the next big social event, the blame’s going to be on you.”
Celestia frowned, a hint of doubt marring her perfect countenance.
“He won’t,” she said more to herself than to her retainer.
Belltoll’s limp body gave a sporadic twitch, and one of his back hooves shot out. Sunny only barely managed to duck beneath the powerful kick. A few seconds later, her helmet clattered to the floor at the far end of the hall.
“… probably.”