Here is the next chapter for you all to enjoy. If you remember, I vaguely talked about an idea that I wanted to do for this story and I just wanted to let you know that I just got permission from one of the moderators to do it. So expect more information coming soon.
Chapter 12: The Generous Meeting
“How are we doing so far Spike?” Twilight asked her number one assistant who was riding on her back. He was currently holding one of Twilight’s famous check-lists in one claw with a quill in the other. Thankfully, this list wasn’t as large as it was usually, much to the relief of the dragon who would have to deal with carrying such a heavy weight of parchment.
Spike took a quick glance at the check-list and saw that they were almost done with everything on there. It gave him a sense of relief that they would soon return to the library and he could get back to his much desired nap. Casting thoughts about his comfy bed aside, he said in a rather proud tone “All we have left is to go and assist Rarity with a new line of clothes.”
Twilight gave a gentile smile and replied “That’s great Spike, we seem to be ahead of schedule.” Spike of course couldn’t resist a small chuckle and replied in a tone that sounded both mocking and joking “Well…that might be because I didn’t have to carry all of the stuff that you wanted to buy today.” Both dragon and pony turned their gaze behind them, where the reins were still somewhat lax, but at the same time firm to the struggling unicorn.
Trixie, who was currently carrying all of Twilight’s stuff in a mixture of saddlebags and boxes, was close to the point of just collapsing right there on the ground. It was common knowledge that due to their reliance on their magical abilities, unicorns were slightly weaker physically compared to an earth pony or a pegasus. The packages themselves weren’t that heavy, but the quantity was starting to override the light weight. It was around that moment that Trixie felt the reins connecting her to Twilight become lax, and she managed to pull her head up to find herself face to face with the purple unicorn.
Twilight looked into her blue counterpart and she could see the strain that Trixie was going through in carrying those bags. Trixie saw the concern in Twilight’s eyes and she felt her heart starting to swell with unknown feelings. Before she had a chance to come to grips with them, she heard Twilight say, “Let me help you Trixie.” Before Trixie could make any kind of protest that she was fine, Twilight’s horn began to glow in that familiar purple aura. In an instant, the weight she was carrying on her back was lifted. She still felt a strain, but it was now reduced to a tolerable level. She looked up at the purple unicorn and tried to convey her thanks with her eyes. Twilight saw that expression and returned it with a gentile smile.
Whether it was because of that act, or some other force, the air around the two unicorns started to heat up. Twilight was feeling her pulse race while Trixie could feel her heart beating like a drum. As the two unicorns continue to stare into each other eyes; unspoken communication was traveling between the two. Both of them felt lost in the other’s eyes and were starting to wonder what the other felt against their body.
However, Spike let out a forced cough and said “Can we hurry this up so I can get back to my nap.” Twilight and Trixie were both snapped out of their hypnotic state and shook their heads as if to restore their line of thinking. Both of the unicorns could feel the heat on their cheeks and noticed the blush that was forming on the other. Without a word, Twilight collected the reins and started walking towards Rarity’s shop.
The walk was both silent and non-eventful as each unicorn was trying to sort out what had happened the moment their eyes had made contact. It wasn’t the first time that their eyes had met but it was the first time that such an action had caused such a profound experience. Eventually the two unicorns and dragon reached their destination and made their way inside.
Inside, Trixie saw a rather impressive line of dresses out of display. They were located on what appeared to be some kind of stage, where Rarity was standing next to one of the dresses. She appeared to be doing a final check on it as she heard the sound of her front door opening, and looked up to see Twilight, Spike, and Trixie. She greeted her two friends and even surprised the former show-pony with a simple hoof-shake.
Trixie watched as Twilight and Spike started assisting their friend, leaving Trixie to cool her hooves on the floor. However, before she had a chance to settle down, she heard the sound of hoof steps approaching. With some mild hesitation and a bit of curiosity, Trixie opened her eyes to see Twilight standing above her. Twilight looked at the blue unicorn and said in a tone that was kind but firm, “If you promise to behave, I will allow you to be able to converse for a little while.” Trixie was a little surprised to hear that Twilight was going to allow her the ability to speak, if only for a short time. It wasn’t uncommon for ponies in charge of the guilty party to give them a mild respite from their binds, but these were only temporary and were usually the result of a situation that required the guilty party to act with a bit more freedom. However, total freedom was impossible until the time of service was over, which is actually kept hidden from both the guilty party and the owner to prevent abuse.
Trixie wasn’t totally uncomfortable with the gear at the moment, but the offer of a bit of a respite was too good to pass up. She nodded her head to the purple unicorn in agreement and watched as Twilight’s horn glowed with that familiar purple aura. Trixie, for a brief moment, was able to feel the magical energy that Twilight was emitting on the tack. Despite what most ponies might think, a magical aura actually does have a ‘taste’ to it that is unique to each unicorn. What Trixie tasted reminded her of fresh raspberry mixed with herbs to create this sense of comfort. However, there was also an underlying taste of static which would complement the raw magical power that Twilight had control over.
The moment had passed as Trixie saw the tack removed from her mouth. She started working her mouth around to try and get some of the feeling to return. She looked up at Twilight and managed to give a soft thank you before settling down in hopes of recovering some of her energy. However, Rarity and Twilight decided to include the blue unicorn in their conversations. The topics ranged from various arcane tricks to stories from their past to what they considered to be fashionable.
It was around that moment that Rarity decided to ask a question that had been bugging her for some time now. In fact, she had been pondering about it ever since she had been working on fixing Trixie’s cape and she now felt it was the perfect time to ask. Rarity also had a feeling that Trixie was still unknown about the condition of her outfit which meant that the fashion unicorn had to be more selective with her word choice. Rarity looked over at Twilight and saw her give a slight nod of acknowledgment before returning her attention to the blue unicorn. She cleared her throat a bit before asking, “Trixie, there is something that I had been meaning to ask you about for some time now.”
Trixie looked at the white unicorn, her mind racing through all the possible implications of what that sentence meant. Most of them ended up worse than others but given the situation; there was no possible way for Trixie to back out of the question without offending Rarity or Twilight. She was lucky that Spike was currently in another room searching for extra materials at the moment. No doubt Rarity convinced him so she would be able to freely ask what she was planning to ask. Believing that for the time being silence was the safer option; the blue unicorn simply nodded her head and motioned for Rarity to continue.
Rarity took a small breath and asked “I was wondering if I could ask where you had gotten that outfit of yours?” Trixie was both surprised by the rather peculiar question but at the same time she felt like she should have expected a question like this considering Rarity’s profession. Trixie looked over at Twilight and saw that she was also looking back at her, clearly interested in what she was going to say. This actually caused the blue unicorn to become somewhat suspicious about this line of question. As far as she could remember, her outfit in addition to most of her possession was lost when the Ursa Minor had destroyed her trailer. Still, she was unable to figure out a reason behind the question, and with the concept of being able to not have to wear the tack for a while longer; Trixie decided to give them the truth.
With that in mind, Trixie took a quiet breath and said “It was a gift from my mom actually. When I told her that I was going to become a traveling show-mare, she took me up to our attic and pulled out that cape and hat. She said that it had been in our family for as long as she remembers and that it was tradition to pass it down to the next daughter. She told me that it was a way to remember both her and the pride of our family. I had know that my mother use to be a magician before retiring and she told me that it was the same cape and hat that she wore during her performances. She then said that even though it was a precious heirloom, I had to alter it in some way. I asked her as to why I wanted to change the outfit as it was the most beautiful cape and hat that I had ever seen; but she merely smiled at me and said ‘you’ll understand when the time comes’. However, I was still reluctant to change the cape and hat until about my fifth show when a minor accident caused the old moonstone that was used to hold the cape in place to fall off. After that, I decided to replace it with that crystal. The strange thing was that the moment I had finished stitching that crystal in place, I felt a sudden chill down my spine and I also started to have a strange feeling that I was being watched and judged. The feeling was both swift and strong and I never felt that again.”
When Trixie had finished her story Twilight and Rarity were left somewhat awestruck by the sheer implication of what that cape and hat meant for her. They were also perplexed by the strange incident that happened when Trixie modified the cape and hat. They both knew that the outfit was made with the very rare Canterlot silk and there have been rumors that the silk was said to do strange things when met with the right condition. However, due to the unpredictable energy that forms Canterlot silk, it is almost impossible to be able to tell what would happen.
However, before they had time to question further, Spike had just returned to the main room with the supplies in paw. Feeling that it was better to leave the young drake out of loop until he was able to get used to Trixie, Twilight and Rarity decided to not let Spike know about what had happened while he was gone. Spike was stubborn about finding answers but before he could start pressing for answers, Twilight decided that it was time to head back to the library. Twilight went over to Trixie and returned the tack back into her mouth, once more able to taste the magical aura for that brief moment. Rarity helped with organizing the bags and boxes that Trixie was carrying and once everything was in place; Twilight, Spike, and Trixie made their way back to the library.
As they were walking back, the two unicorns reflected on the events that happened back at Rarity’s shop. Twilight was surprised to find out about the significance of the cape and hat and it gave her a sense of joy that she was able to restore the clothes back to Trixie. Although she was tempted to return them to her now, she felt that it might be better to give them to her as a parting gift when the service was over. Trixie, on the other hoof, felt a sense of relief in that one of the ponies that she had humiliated had forgiven her. Of course she was still worried about the earth pony and the pegasus, but for the time being she was both content and hopeful for the future. She was still curious about the rather strange question that Rarity asked and how it seemed to cause such an unusual reaction. She was also trying to figure out what the purple unicorn’s true feelings for her were, but it was still too hard to figure out. Believing that she would be able to figure it out in the near future, she pushed that train of thought to the back of her mind just as they approached the front door to the library.
Once they were inside, Twilight removed the bags and boxes that Trixie was carrying and led her back to the basement. Trixie located herself to her makeshift bed and settled down while Twilight went up to fix a quick dinner that consisted of a salad and some treats. After eating the dinner, Trixie settled herself down to regain her strength for whatever Twilight had planned for tomorrow.
Meanwhile…Canterlot Castle
Private Starheart was in a state of overwhelming awe. She had joined the Royal Guard because she had always wanted to be able to serve her country and the two regal Princesses. She had gone through the application and the basic training, and from all accounts she was considered an average pegasus guard. She wasn’t the fastest but she was able to keep up during drills. She understood basic strategy but was unable to grasp the finer details that were required in a tactician. She was of average build, having muscles in all the right places while still maintaining her female body. All in all, she would have been considered just another face in the guard.
So why did Princess Luna ask for her specifically?
When she had finished her graduation, she was assigned to become part of the Royal Night Guard, Pegasus Division. Though she would have like to be a part of the better known Royal Day Guard, Pegasus Division; she was still happy to be able to serve her country. She was then told that she was to report to the Commander of the Royal Night Guard to receive her orders. Despite her rather average record, the two things she was proud of was her natural sense of direction and her punctuality. She seemed to know where everything was located in the castle and was always arriving to drills and lessons on time or earlier. So, it didn’t come as a surprise that she reached the office where the Commander was located with time to spare. With her records tucked under her wing, she knocked on the door and heard a stern voice reply “Enter”.
Now, Starheart was curious as to what the Commander would look like. She was imagining a rather strong pegasus with powerful wings that were able to fly to the moon or a unicorn with knowledge of some of the most powerful spells like Solarshield, who was the overall Commander of the Royal Day Guard. So it came as somewhat of a surprise to find that the only other pony here was an earth pony.
The earth pony was currently reading something that was on the desk. Starheart guess from the physical appearance that it was a male earth pony. He had a rather simple blue color coat and his mane was brown and cut very short. He looked up at her and she found herself staring into those piercing blue eyes. She felt herself become nervous and weak in the knees as she tried to maintain her balance. Before she was close to falling, however, the earth pony removed his gaze from her and she felt the strength returning to her legs. Before she was able to ponder what had happened, the earth pony said “Are you the new recruit for the Pegasus Division?”
Snapping out the haze that was in her mind, Starheart replied in her best guard voice “Yes sir, Private Starheart reporting for duty sir.” She finished with a quick salute before saying “Sir, I was wondering if you could tell me where I might find the Commander of the Royal Night Guard? I seem to have taken a wrong turn somewhere.”
The earth pony narrowed his eyes a bit before removing himself from his chair and making his way to stand in from of Starheart. As he was walking, Starheart was able to get a look at his Cutie Mark. She saw that it appeared to be a sword pointed to the sky with a crescent moon replacing the cross guard and a pair of black dragon wings sprouting from the blade all over a gray shield. The earth pony turned his back to her and said “You’re in the right place recruit.”
Before she had a chance to stop herself, Starlight proclaimed “But surly you can’t be…” Before she had a chance to finish, she heard a rather fast but unfamiliar a sound piercing the air before she became aware of pressure on her neck. She looked down and her eyes widen in horror as she saw the pressure was being caused by a deadly but at the same time beautiful sword. Her eyes trailed the blade as it shined in the afternoon sun to find that the source of the earth pony. He was holding it with his tail and he appeared to be so at east with it that he didn’t even bother to look back at her. It was of course only how that Starheart was aware of the sheath that was strapped on his back, most likely where the sword was located originally.
The earth pony gave a tired sigh before saying “I understand why you were thinking such thoughts. I know that, compared to my counter-part, I appear somewhat…lacking. There have been rare times when an earth pony has assumed the position I have, mostly due to the fact that they lack horns or wings. However…” The earth pony tilted his head to look at Starheart before saying “don’t think for one moment that I am not as strong or as skilled as Solarshield. Understand?”
Starlight, feeling absolute fear, managed to choke out “Y…yes sir.” The earth pony gave a small smile and with a display or speed and reflexes, managed to return the sword back into its sheath. No longer feeling the pressure on her neck, Starheart managed to breathe a collective sigh of relief.
However, before she could regain her composure, the earth pony shouted “Attention!” Starheart, reacting instantly to the command, canceled all movements in her body and froze like a statue. She focused her eyes directly in front of her as she felt the earth pony commander’s eyes examining her. She heard the sounds of his hoof steps echoing on the stone. The earth pony then said in a slightly softer tone “Wings out!” Once again acting on instinct, the pegasus recruit extended her wings as far as she was able. Of course this caused the scroll that she was carrying to fall from her grasp only to be caught by the earth pony.
The room was silent with the only sound coming from the commander’s hoof steps. Starheart was starting to get somewhat nervous as she wondered if there was something that she had failed to do or wasn’t up to standard. She could barely hear the earth pony mumbling to himself so she was unknown as to what he was saying. Eventually, the earth pony returned back to her field of vision with the scroll being held by his tail. He placed the scroll on his desk before saying “At ease.” Starheart relaxed her muscles and let out a gasp of relief. It only lasted for a moment or two before she had recovered her composure and was back to looking at the commander. She saw him give a smile and say “Yeah…I think you’ll do just fine as part of the Royal Night Guard, Pegasus Division.” He lost the smile on his face, now replaced with a stern look before adding “Report to Lieutenant General Skystriker for your assignment.”
Starheart nodded her head and gave a salute before replying “Yes sir!” She was surprise; however, to find the commander starting to chuckle a bit and she couldn’t help but ask “Is…something funny sir?”
The earth pony shook his head to clear out the unexpected giggling fit and replied “It’s nothing. It’s just you may find that we of the Royal Night Guard are more…flexible compared to out counterpart.” He looked up at Starheart and she noticed a new side of the commander that she didn’t see before. He had an almost playful look to them as he replied “Besides, I can’t stand hearing ‘sir’ all the time. I would be rather pleased if you would just call me by my name ‘Moonsaber’.”
Starheart gave a quick nod of her head before replying “I understand, Moonsaber.” Moonsaber gave a quick motion with his hoof, signaling that the meeting was over with and that it was time to report to Skystriker. Starheart made her way to the not, but not without taking one last glace at the rather impressive but odd Commander.
That was only about a month ago and now she found herself standing in front of the door that led to Princess Luna’s chambers. She knew from some of her colleagues that it wasn’t uncommon for the Royal Princesses to request certain guards to perform various tasks. Most of them were pretty trivial in nature though there were rumors that Celestia would use guards to ‘release some tension’ while Luna would have them join her in a strange practice involving a strange box, another box that displays images that would have images that range from strange creatures that walked on two legs and wore armor and used loud ‘weapons’ to fight strange creatures to images that left guards in a state of petrified fear where they would babble on and on about something called a ‘Slender man’ and would panic at the slightest noise.
Now Starheart didn’t put too much faith in these rumors, believing that they were only used to scare the new recruits. However, that didn’t stop her heart from increasing in speed as the doors to the chamber started to open. Her body felt tense as her mind was racing through the primal ‘flight or fight’ option. So it was only natural that she felt a collective feeling of relief when she saw that the pony on the other side of the door was Commander Moonsaber. The only thing that was different about him compared to their first meeting was that he was now wearing armor.
Moonsaber looked at her for a moment with an expression that offered Starheart no hints as to what she was going to be tasked with doing. Still, she felt a lot safer knowing that Moonsaber was here. Since she had started her duty as a guard, she knew that Moonsaber was both a respected and fair Commander. He looked after the well-being of the other guards and he was fair in terms of both reward and punishment. Moonsaber said nothing but motion for her to come in. She responded to the gesture and went inside the chamber. She heard the door being closed before returning her attention back onto Moonsaber.
Her eyes must have given away her question as Moonsaber pointed to a set of stairs behind her and said “Top of those stairs is the door to Luna’s bedchamber. She is waiting for you inside.”
Starheart nodded her head and started to make her way to the steps. However, she was aware of the lack of hoof steps behind her and she turned her head to see that Moonsaber hadn’t moved from his spot. Her nervousness returning to her, she asked “Aren’t you coming Moonsaber?”
The Commander shook his head and replied “The Princess request to speak with you privately.”
Her nervous energy returning in force, Starheart couldn’t help but give an involuntary gulp of fear. Moonsaber heard that and gave her a warm smile to try and let her know that she had nothing to fear. Starheart saw the smile and started to feel better about what was going to happen. She returned her gaze back to the stairs and started to climb them.
Once she was no longer in sight, Moonsaber removed the smile that was on his face. He should have expected her to be feeling as nervous as she was and he wished there was more he could have done then just smiling at her to calm her nerves. She didn’t know what that Moonsaber himself was also nervous about what was going to happen to the young recruit.
After all, this was the first time in his entire career as Commander of the Royal Night Guard and Champion of the Moon where Luna had downright refused to give him any details.
I hope you enjoy this extra long chapter. Starheart and Skystriker aren’t the names of OCs, but rather they were the first names that popped into my head at the time. If they are in fact names of actual OC, please let me know so I can change them. Moonsaber and Solarshield, however, are in fact my OC. I thank you all for leaving feedback and watching this story. It’s a good feeling knowing that other people are enjoying the story so far.