//------------------------------// // Promises & Burnt Hoofs // Story: The Guardian (K)Night // by InfiniteBrony //------------------------------// Twilight Sparkle did not want to wake up. Even as her mind and body betrayed her and she drifted inexorably towards consciousness, she desperately clung to the last remaining vestiges of comfortable darkness and slumber that lingered at the edges of her mind. Uttering a half-hearted and half-awake moan of protest, she rolled over and pulled her blanket more tightly around her, the soft satin of the material hugging her body. Smiling in contentedness, she snuggled even further into the comfort of the bed. Why should she get up anyways? There was nothing that needed doing today. Her friendship reports had been compiled, her library re-shelved, her thesis on the application of camaraderie in academia was already sent off and awaiting approval, and the myriad of other day-to-day things that needed her attention could wait a little longer. She deserved to sleep in for once, to enjoy the soft silken sheets, the thick downy pillow, the smooth satin cover, the plush mattress, the— this wasn’t her bed. The thought hit her like a bolt of lightning. In an instant and before she had even realized she was moving she stood beside the bedframe, on edge as the blankets lazily drifted down from the spot near the ceiling where she had thrown them in her haste. Blinking rapidly, a perplexed frown tugged at the corners of her mouth. Confusion at both the speed and ferocity of her reaction – or rather over-reaction – colored her features and thoughts as she took in her surroundings. The room was large and spacious, as well as tastefully furnished if the many discussions about aesthetics Twilight had with Rarity were anything to go by. It was large and mostly open, with a large writing desk, an empty wardrobe, and a large canopy bed as the only furnishings other than several paintings of night-time landscapes of Canterlot and the surrounding country-side. The whole room seemed themed around a royal purple and midnight blue motif, decorated here and there with black or silver highlights. The thick drapes covering the room’s only window were a deep violet color, strikingly reminiscent of the color of her own mane, and cast the room into darkness, allowing only the most ambient of light through. The curtains and sheets on the bed were a similar color, although the blankets and pillows were a rather complimentary midnight blue. The center floor of the room was dominated by a massive rug, decorated with beautiful depictions of the night sky and intricate designs of silver filigree that caught her eye and flowed in a delicate and complex pattern that if she tried to follow the design she soon lost track of where one design started and another ended. Two thick cherry wood doors with inlaid silver trim, one placed one the wall opposite the window and the other beside the writing desk, completed the look of the room. The whole setting was strangely familiar. She didn’t quite know where she was, but she felt a nagging sense of familiarity, the sort of feeling one got from a well visited park or store, instead of visiting someplace new for the first time. Her frown deepening, she trotted to the window and cast the drapes to the side, allowing the soft (and for some reason still quite warm) beams of the evening sun’s light into the room. Immediately, she mentally face-hoofed for not recognizing her location sooner. Below the window was the entire city of Canterlot, spread out before her. The entire city seemed to be visible from where she stood, and if she squinted she swore she could make out the various individual denizens of Equestria’s capital trotting to and fro, some locking down their businesses for the night and heading home and some in the more seedy parts of town just now leaving to begin a night of revelry in the various clubs that dotted the downtown districts. The whole sight was tinted a deep red and pale orange tint in the light of the setting sun and for a moment Twilight felt a wave of nostalgia for the city that been her home all her life until just a few years ago. “Thou wouldst be remiss to continue standing there, young Twilight,” spoke smooth voice with a deep archaic accent from behind her. Twilight nearly leapt out of her skin, immediately turning around to face whoever had startled her and dropping to a crouch. Much to her surprise however, the Princess of the Night stood in the far doorway, a small, tight smile on her lips morphing to an amused one as she watched her reaction. “P-princess?” Twilight stammered, swiftly dipping into a bow from her crouched position. “I-I’m sorry I didn’t—“she began to apologize, but was cut off by Luna raising a hoof. “Do not fret over it Twilight Sparkle,” she said dismissively, still with a soft smile. “But as We said, thou should not said near yon window.” “Huh? Why not?” Twilight inquired with a tilt of her head. At this Luna’s smile became a little more forced. She was silent for a moment, but with a piteous and conflicted look in her eyes. After a moment she gave her head a quick shake and said, “Look at thy hoof in the sunlight, Twilight Sparkle.” A skeptical look colored her features as Twilight tentatively lifted her hoof. For some reason the fur and skin was darker than it should have been. Turning it over she saw much of the same. Placing the limb back on the floor she turned back to the Night Princess. “Um, Princess? What about my hoof?” she asked. And when did I get a tan? The princess grew silent. Her smile disappeared and her expression became contemplative. Her eyebrows furrowed in thought and after several seconds she changed the subject. “Tell us, Twilight Sparkle, how dost thou feel?” A bit taken aback by the jump in conversation and sudden concern, Twilight blinked several times before answering. “Well now that you mention it, I’m kind of thirsty,” she replied, licking her lips and noticing a very odd sort of faint hungry dryness at the back of her throat now that she thought about it. Luna’s expression fell. “We see. And thou art completely fine otherwise? There is nothing We can do to make thy stay here any more comfortable?” “Well, it’s a bit hot in here, but yes. I’m fine,” she answered. “Um, Princess?” she ventured a bit hesitantly, “what’s going on anyway? Where are we? How did I get here? And why am I even here anyways? What exactly happened last night?” Luna made no attempt to mask her surprise at the last question. “What!? Thou dost not remember the occurrences of last night?” Luna’s sudden outburst startled Twilight, causing her to back pedal rapidly and press against the window sill. “I-I… n-no I… I’m sorry!” Realizing her mistake, Luna tried to reassure Twilight, “No no, Twilight, it is alright. We are just… surprised, to say the least.” She sighed deeply, rubbing her hoof against her forehead. “This just… complicates things, Twilight Sparkle. Thou truly dost not remember anything of what occurred the night previous?” she explained, a slight tone of desperation in the question. Twilight shrank back, folding her ears against her skull and looked down at the floor, furrowing her brow in deep concentration and scoffing a hoof on the carpet as she answered sheepishly. “I’m really sorry Princess. I remember going downstairs to read over some books for that project you gave me because I was on the verge of a big break-through, but everything after that is a bit fuzzy. I think there was something about a letter, and running around outside and I remember looking at the moon but that’s about it. Why does it matter? What happened anyways?” she responded, raising her gaze from near her hooves to meet the princess’s as she spoke. Upon hearing Twilight’s words, Luna’s expression grew pained. She turned her head away, not willing to meet the unicorn’s eyes. “We… see,” she said after a while, her voice tense. Evidence of some sort of internal debate or conflict was etched clearly on her face. After several moments longer of silence, she seemed to have come to a conclusion. Turning to face Twilight, she spoke, “We see. If that is truly the case then there is much We must discuss with thee.” She turned to leave the room, Twilight starting to following, but stopped part way out through the doorway and raised a wing. “Wait, Twilight. Before we go… look at thy hoof in the light once more.” Had Luna been facing her, Twilight would have been able to see the expression of deep guilt and pity on her face. Tilting her head quizzically, she shrugged her shoulders and decided to just play along. She held up her hoof to the light of the window again, turning to look at it closely, but after only a single glimpse she froze in place. In just the short time she had spent talking with the Princess, her flesh and fur had darkened even further. Starting at her fetlocks, the skin and coat of her leg was becoming a dark, almost scorched-looking black and ashen gray respectively. Now that she was consciously thinking about it, she realized she no longer had any feeling near the hoof on that limb. Her eyes wide and breathing becoming faster, she tentatively reached out with her other leg and delicately touched it. On contact the skin and fur around her hoof cracked and crumbled to ash, drifting to the carpeted floor and a lance of accompanying burning pain shot up her leg. Twilight’s scream was loud enough to shake the glass of the window in its pane. *~-/^\-~* Celestia levitated the delicate porcelain cup into the air, closing her eyes and deeply inhaling the rich aroma of the masterfully prepared tea it held. A ghost of a smile tugged at the corners of her lips and for just a moment, she allowed the small piece of life’s pleasures in front of her to invade all of her senses, and drive away the constant worry of recent events from her mind, even if only for just a moment. With a soft and appreciative sigh, she decided to forgo formality in light of her present company and swallowed the entire contents of the small cup in a single gulp. As the expertly crafted blend of flavors hit her tongue, her smile grew even wider. Opening her eyes, she met the gaze of the earth pony across the table form her, and the only occupant of her private study besides herself. His smile was small, but no less genuine because of it. “I take it you like it than, your majesty?” he asked with a raised eyebrow. Celestia gave a slight, mirthful chuckle, sounding like ringing of crystal bells, and responded, “Of course. Your brew is exquisite as always.” At this his small smile grew into a full-fledged grin. “You’re too kind, but I’m glad you like it. You seemed like you use it anyways. I like to think I know you well enough to be able to tell when something is bothering you.” Celestia’s smile fell slightly, and for a moment she was silent. But then, with a soft sigh she said, “Ever observant as always. But I guess I should know better than to try to hide something from you of all ponies, shouldn’t I?” She smiled again, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. His smile fell as well. “It’s not that I’m observant. I just don’t like to see anypony hurting. Especially my friends,” he said, offering soft gaze with brilliant sapphire-colored eyes and an encouraging smile. At his words, the white mare’s unintentionally dark expression softened. “Thank you, Morning Star,” she said, laying a hoof on his shoulder and giving a light, fillyish giggle. “You can always say just the right thing to cheer me up.” “You’re welcome Princess, I do my best,” he said, patting her hoof with his own before she pulled it away. “Now why don’t we get to the matter at hoof? As much as we both enjoy it, I’m sure you didn’t invite little old me here just to drink tea.” Celestia gave a small chuckle, shaking her head. “As forward as ever I see,” she said, a look of benevolence on her face. Her expression fell as she continued however, “But you are right, as usual. Last night, despite the best efforts of both my sister and myself, something terrible occurred. I will spare you the horrid details, but suffice it to say dark shadows now roam Equestria freely, and strange and unexplained happenings have begun across the kingdom because of it.” “So the rumors I’ve heard of foals disappearing around Ponyville and the like are true then?” For a moment she stared evenly at him, before remarking dryly, “I don’t know whether to be impressed that you’ve heard that, or concerned that there are already rumors. I always forget just how well connected you are.” After a moment longer she nodded, her expression dark. “But yes, I’m afraid they are. What’s worse, I’m certain that this is only the beginning.” She closed her eyes, inhaling deeply and trying to exhale her some of her stress and tension. She was only marginally successful. She looked him in the eyes and continued, “But that’s not why I called you here. I need your help.” Morning Star nodded once, indicating that he was still listening. Celestia continued. “Somepony rather close to me, one I care about dearly, was caught up in the whole mess. This has created all sorts of… problems… for her. Unfortunately, due to the nature of her predicament, I cannot help her directly. That is where you come in.” She looked him in the eyes as she finished speaking, the look of hope and desperation clear on her face. Morning Star looked down at the cup of now lukewarm tea in between his hooves, silent for a few moments as he formulated a response. Finally, he looked back up at the princess and spoke, “What is it that you want me to do, Princess?” Celestia made no attempt to hide the look of relief that rushed across her face. “It is nothing much, really. I would just like you to keep an eye on her, and help her when she needs it, and if I am correct, she will definitely need you before everything is done and over with.” Her smile had once again left her face as she spoke the last sentence. Morning Star lifted the small tea cup to his lips, knocking it back and gulping the contents down before setting it delicately back on the accompanying saucer. “Alright. I’ll do it.” A frown tugged at the corners of his mouth as he looked over Celestia taking in her downcast expression and various tells he had learned over the years of knowing her. He hated seeing the solar mare in such a sad state, and he got a contemplative look in his eye as he thought about how to remedy the situation. Suddenly, an idea came to him, one he wouldn’t dare if it weren’t for the fact that he and Celestia were already so familiar with each other. A wide and mischievous grin spread across his face as he spoke, “I’ll do it, but what’s in it for me?” Celestia raised a delicate, inquisitive eyebrow. “What do you mean?” she asked. His grin only grew wider, and he began to trace small circles on the wooden table with the tip of his hoof. “Well here I am, sitting before the single most beautiful, powerful, perfect mare in all of Equestria, the very pony responsible for the sun each and every day, and she is asking me for help with something even she cannot do.” The princess’s eyebrow only rose further. She was well used to such praise and flattery from the pompous and foppish nobles in her court but not from the stallion in front of her. “Yes, I am. What is the point you are trying to make?” His grin grew from ear to ear. “Well, I was just wondering, what could the prettiest, cutest, most beautiful, most shapely mare in all of Equestria possible offer me in return for my… services?” Celestia recoiled slightly, a hot blush rising in her cheeks as she sputtered a response, completely caught off-guard for once, “A-are you… are you insinuating something, mister Star?” “Why?” he asked, rising and leaning towards the princess while bracing his forelegs against the table, waggling his eyebrows in a suggestive and most definitely insinuating manner, “Are you offering?” Celestia simply sputtered in response, her face feeling as hot as her sun. She opened and closed her mouth repeatedly, trying to formulate a proper response, only to end up resembling a fish. One look at the expression on the solar diarch’s face and Morning Star couldn’t help it any more. He fell to the floor, clutching his side and bellowing barely contained boisterous guffaws, striking the floor once or twice with his hooves. Celestia stared at him, aghast, before she finally realized what he had done. In only a few sentences he had completely dispelled any dark and negative feelings she had been carrying and utterly clearing the air of the thick tension that had seeped into since they began talking about the current predicament, allowing her to take her mind off of the situation, albeit however briefly, for the first time since the whole thing began (not to mention giving a great boost to her mareish self-esteem). A genuine smile spread across her face, before becoming mischievous in turn. Going over to where he still lay, she gracefully walked by, casually draping her flowing tail across him as she went. “Well… it has been quite a while. Especially with a stallion quite as handsome and… virile as you. I suppose that if you do this well…” she explained, trailing off at the last sentence, casually brushing a wing and a leg against him as she walked, gazing over her shoulder and blinking coquettishly. This time it was Morning Star’s turn to be embarrassed. The hot red blush spread across his face rapidly, causing him to resemble an over-ripe tomato. He began to sputter in a remarkably similar manner, before turning and catching the mischievous glint in Celestia’s eyes. For a moment, everything was silent. Neither of them moved, save for the ever-flowing nature of Celestia’s mane and tail, the latter of which was still draped across Morning Star’s face, neck and withers. And then, as suddenly as if somepony had flipped a switch, they both broke out into simultaneous but uproarious laughter. For a while both of them just laughed, enjoying each other’s company, and for the first time since hearing the dreaded news of the occult ritual Celestia truly felt relaxed. Everything seemed alright, as long as she had good friends and good ponies like Morning Star to call on then everything would be fine. As their laughter gradually died down, they both returned to their respective seats across from each other at the table. However, instead of sitting down, Morning Star stared at his seat with a thoughtful expression for a moment, before his face brightened as he had an idea. Gently, he grabbed the plush red cushion in his teeth, carried it around the table, and set it down next to Celestia’s. Taking her tea cup from her, he gingerly lifted the tea pot from the middle of the table, refilled it, and set it before her, doing the same for himself. Then he sidled up against the feathery side of the white mare as if he wasn’t invading the privacy of the most important mare in all of Equestria. Celestia just shook her head at his antics, a content smile on her face to match his own. Lifting up her cup in her golden aura she gently sipped at its contents, trying to simply enjoy good drink and better company. A single shriek, full of pain, fear, and confusion tore through the castle, instantly shattering the calm mood. Celestia’s face and heart fell immediately, a deep, overwhelming sadness filling her eyes along with the beginnings of piteous tears. Oh Twilight, she thought to herself, shutting her eyes tightly to hold back her tears, you do not deserve this. Not you. Never to even feel the warmth of my sun, never to… Her thoughts were interrupted by the pony beside her stirring. Slowly, Morning Star turned her face him as he gingerly wrapped his forelegs around her neck. He looked her dead in the eyes, his expression incredibly soft and yet still completely serious. “Don’t,” he said, his own voice touched with sadness that echoed her own. “It doesn’t suit you to cry. Ever. Your face was never meant to be marred by tears. There’s no need for it anyways, not now and not ever,” he said, giving her a soft squeeze. His smile was gentle and genuine, the look in his eyes softer than clouds. “I promise that no matter what, I will do everything I possibly can to make sure she is alright. You’ll get through this, and so will she. Everything will be fine in the end, I promise,” he soothed, ever so gently rubbing along the back of her neck. “So please… no more crying. Alright… Celestia?” Celestia sniffed lightly, running her hoof across her muzzle. Slowly, a small but hopeful smile tugged at the corners of her porcelain lips, and she wrapped him in her wings, encircling the smaller pony. “I promise,” she said, laying her head across his withers. “And thank you. You always know just what to say.” They stayed that way for a while, and not for the first time, Celestia felt grateful to have a friend like Morning Star in her life. *~-/^\-~* Twilight was – understandably – freaking the buck out. Upon discovering the damaged state of her leg in the sunlight she had immediately leapt to the side with a surprisingly cat-like hiss, out of the now harmful rays of sunlight. Fear and confusion had taken hold of her, and she was uselessly flailing on the ground, desperately scrabbling at her injured foreleg in a futile and instinctive attempt to dislodge whatever it was that had caused her pain. Luna leapt into action immediately, grabbing Twilight in her magic and lifting her off of the floor, swiftly closing the curtains over the window. Twilight still struggled, desperately scratching at her wound, only succeeding in making it worse. “Stop that!” Luna yelled desperately, a hint of panic in her voice as she pried Twilight’s legs apart with a surprising amount of difficulty. The panicking unicorn continued to trash desperately, tugging against her bonds and wailing in fear. “Twilight! Snap out of it!” Luna screamed, lightly slapping her across the cheek in desperation. Twilight stopped struggling and turned to the princess, her eyes blood-shot and her face stained with tears. Luna’s heart couldn’t help but break at the sight. This wasn’t her sister’s faithful student, element of magic, savior of Equestria twice over, and most magical unicorn born in the last millennium before her. This was a frightened filly, scared and in pain and not undestanding why. “What’s happening to me-hehehehe!?” she managed to choke out before breaking down into sobs. The lunar diarch gently set down the sobbing and frightened unicorn, walked over to her, and wrapped her in a feathery and comforting hug. Twilight instinctively leaned into the embrace, crying into the princess’s dark blue coat. “Hush, hush, Twilight, everything is alright,” Luna whispered, her maternal instincts taking over, and her horn beginning to glow a light blue. The panicking pony’s cries petered out as the sleep spell caught her unawares, and lulled her into a calm slumber. Lifting her gently, Luna whipped her tear streaked face off with a wing before levitating her back into the bed of her personal guest room. “Drahcir,” she called softly. The named bat-winged pegasus was at her side in an instant. “Yes, my liege?” he asked from a deep bow. She turned her head to regard him with an unreadable neutral expression as he rose from his bow. “Thou hast a filly of thy own, dost thee not?” she inquired in an even tone, her expression flat. “Y-yes ma’am. Two of them actually,” he responded a bit nervously, not entirely sure what his princess was getting at. Luna’s expression softened immediately, a gentle smile on her lips. “Good. Please, wouldst thou do us a favor?” “Of course, Your Highness,” he replied immediately, dropping to his knees and hiding the relieved look on his face. “Please, wouldst thou watch over Miss Sparkle whilst she slumbers? Her sleep should be restful, but We cannot help but fear that recent events may have been… a bit overmuch for her,” Luna explained, somehow looking both sheepish and guilty at the same time. One look and Drahcir saw the genuine concern on her face too, and his expression softened as well. “Don’t worry, Princess. I’ve comforted my fair share of scared fillies in my time. Besides, you have things to attend to now, the night is just about to begin,” he said, the gruff but fatherly aura he always seemed to exude coming into light. Luna smiled softly, nodding her head appreciatively at his understanding. “Our thanks. We knew that We could count on thee.” “Of course Princess, I’m always happy to help,” he responded, puffing his chest a little at having his pride stoked. Luna turned to leave, and said over her shoulder, “Please, when she wakes, send a messenger to let us know.” “I will,” Drahcir said, saluting as he watched the lunar princess leave to begin her duties. Shutting the door softly, he silently trotted over to Twilight’s bedside and looked down at her, a gentle fatherly smile on his face. Years of fatherly instinct getting the better of him, he reached out and brushed a loose strand of her mane out of her gently sleeping face with a dark gray hoof and pulled the blanket up to her withers. “You know,” he whispered softly, his voice light and careful, “you’re pretty lucky to have ponies like that who really care about you.” Even though Twilight couldn’t hear him, the pinched expression she wore in her troubled sleep began to ease. Indeed she was.