Year 6, Week 14, Tuesday
Heather paced around the room, her nostrils flaring occasionally. Everything smelled right, the cleaning staff was very punctual and efficient. Not a thing was out of place either.
It was all so boring.
The room itself had nothing to do with it. Located a mere two floors down from the Royal Chambers, she’d been flabbergasted by how opulent the room was. The bed was a four-poster, easily large enough for two or three humans to sleep comfortably in. The carpet was thick, which thankfully had helped alleviate the worst of the stonesense.
The boredom came from everything else. She’d tried to go out into the city on her third day, and had to be escorted back to the castle under guard as the nobleponies had very nearly thrown a riot at the sight of her. She still got a surge of anger at the memory of the one haughty unicorn who’d called her a cur. She’d nearly snapped her teeth at him before she caught herself, shocked at her own display of violence. Once back in her room, she’d remained there for the past two months, and it was finally starting to wear on her.
She’d tried striking up conversation with the staff ponies that came and went, but they offered little more than a few nervous words before excusing themselves. The guards assigned to her weren’t much better, which surprised her given how talkative the ponies who flew her here had been.
“Okay. Definitely going out of the castle.” She paused in her circuit. She didn’t want to go out with the guards, they drew too much attention. But there was no way they’d just let her walk out without them. So that only left her with one option: sneaking out.
She stopped next to one of the chairs and practically fell into it. Was she really contemplating doing this?
Not so long ago she wouldn’t even think of sneaking out like this, but now, between her strange new surroundings, pregnancy, the related hormones, and being an entirely different species she found herself doing things she wouldn’t even have considered before. Would her old self even recognize her new self, now? What about her friends, her family? She was even beginning to miss Albrecht’s tempestuous nature.
However, despite her misgivings, she did have to admit, the idea of trying to sneak out was beginning to become more attractive, her new instincts growing stronger as time went on. However, the obstacle of the guards remained in place, and would take some thought to work around.
“Ugh, I really need to get some fresh air,” she muttered, before her eyes locked onto the rug in the center of the room. As an idea began to form, she smiled toothily.
“Ms Douglas? Your dinner is ready,” the guard said as he pushed the cart into the room. He glanced around, seeing the bathroom door closed firmly. “Ms Douglas?” He trotted over and rapped a hoof on the door. “Well, I’m going to leave the cart here for you, just let the guards know when you’re finished with it.” He turned and trotted back across the rug, only to cry out as he half-fell, the rug sagging into the floor. The other guards rushed in and helped him to his hooves.
“What happened, Private?” One of the unicorns barked.
“I don’t know sir,” Javelin replied, flexing his leg to alleviate some of the pain. “I was just walking across the rug when I fell in.” He pointed to the obvious sag in the rug.
With a snort, the unicorn yanked the rug aside, scowl deepening as he saw the hole bored into the marble floor. “Horseapples, this isn’t good. I want you to go to the barracks, shake all of their lazy flanks loose, we need to find her right away.”
“That won’t be necessary.” A new voice came from the doorway, smoothly dangerous as a moonless night.
“And just who are you to tell me that-” the unicorn froze as he saw the pony standing in the doorway. Instantly bowing his head and falling to a bow, the assembled guards refused to meet the eyes of the newcomer. “Then what are your orders, ma’am?”
“See to fixing the floor. Discreetly. I’ll personally locate our wayward guest and bring her back.” The newcomer turned and trotted silently down the hall.
Once they were sure they were safe, the guards sagged in relief. Javelin looked at the others in shock. “Just what is she doing here?”
Sergeant Rain Kicker snorted. “Bit of advice, if she’s here, best do what she says and keep our heads down.” He glanced nervously to the door, and muttered, “Celestia take mercy on the dog, she’ll need it.”
The side street was quiet, a few birds picking through the crumbs around the dumpsters. One spotted a chunk of bread squished between two paving stones and hopped closer, only to take off in a flutter of wings as the stones suddenly bulged upward. A furred paw pushed free, followed by the rest of her as Heather pulled herself free of the tunnel. She glanced around as she shook the dirt off.
“Okay, looks like I’m good for now.” She looked up to the castle, a deep purple glow surrounding it as the sun slid behind the mountain. Her ears folded back as she realized how much trouble she was going to be in when they found her. Shaking her head, she took a deep breath. “Well, might as well get a look around, see a few of the sights.” She walked out onto the main street, eyes wide as she examined the buildings all around her. As she started to walk down the sidewalk, she froze, her nose twitching as she turned around. A pony couple stood there, staring in shock at her. It was the same pony couple from her last excursion into town.
“Oh, you have got to be kidding me. That’s just not fair.” She tensed and took a few steps back as the two unicorn’s eyes widened.
“Do something, Jet!” the mare shrieked as she skittered away.
“Get back, I’ll call the guards on you!” the stallion said angrily. The idea took a second to sink in, then he started shouting at the top of his lungs, “Guards! Guards!”
Heather spun around and ran, claws digging grooves into the stones as she took the next corner at speed.
“What do we do now Jet? We can’t let that beast run loose like that!” Upper Crust whispered nervously.
“Is something the matter? I heard you calling for the guards, thought I might offer assistance,” A soft voice asked from behind them.
“Thank Celestia, a punctual response for once...” Jet Set trailed off as he turned around. “Y-you’re...”
“There’s no cause for alarm, citizen,” The voice’s owner lightly trotted past them, “I can assure you the situation is well in hoof.”
Jet Set and Upper Crust barely waited for the voice to finish before bolting, galloping towards their home.
The owner of the voice snorted derisively. “Nobles.”
Heather finally stopped to catch her breath. She couldn’t really remember what turns she’d taken, but she’d managed to avoid the silver-trimmed unicorns patrolling the streets. What had surprised her was that they seemed to not be searching for her. She was certain that by now, somepony should have heard the shouting from those two ponies. She glanced around a corner, seeing the road sloping up toward what looked like an open space. Even better, there were no guards in sight.
She quickly made her way up the street, ears pricked forward despite her optimism. As she entered the open space, she saw that it was a large courtyard, with nothing beyond it but the night sky. She walked forward slowly, resting her hands on the cool marble wall as she looked out over the view.
Slightly to her left in a broad valley, she could see a few dim points of light grouped together, maybe a small village. On the other side, the plains ran on to the horizon, where a dim glow could be seen. Lifting her head, she could see the stars in the sky shining brightly and smiled, not remembering the last time she’d just stopped to look.
“This is nothing, you should see it when Lady Luna is in charge,” a voice from right next to her suddenly chimed in.
Heather practically jumped out of her skin, instinctively moving to put some distance between herself and the voice. However, the wall got in the way of that, and she nearly fell over it but for a pair of hooves that pulled her back onto her rump.
“You had best be careful. The winds up here can get pretty intense at times.”
Heather just stared, trying to process the pony that had just saved her. It was obviously a mare from her shape, and the wings a clear giveaway as to what tribe. What she did not expect to see was the purple and silver armor, the slitted yellow eyes, or the leathery wings instead of feathers. “You’re a... a....”
The pony snorted. “Think we can skip the whole ‘You’re a bat!’ thing for once? I’m a pegasus, much as you’re a diamond dog, Heather Douglas.”
“H-how’d you know my name?” Heather asked as she pushed herself to her feet.
The pegasus tilted her head. “Well, where should I start? You’re not only a diamond dog in Canterlot, which is rare enough in itself, but we all studied your profile as part of the project.”
“We? Who’s we?” Heather asked curiously.
“It’s not important. Now, if you don’t mind, I think you’ve had your fun, and should come with me back to the castle.” It was clear from the pegasus’ tone that it wasn’t a request.
“A-alright.” Heather followed the pegasus as she led her down the sidewalk toward the castle. As they walked, she tried to avoid it, but ended up staring anyway, trying to make sense of her appearance. She remembered the various talks and briefings she’d attended as a member of Project Thesan, and before that on the serum refinement teams, but none of them had mentioned guards like these. It was right on the tip of her tongue though, she knew she’d seen this somewhere before.
It hit her as they passed a small bookshop. “You’re one of the Nightguard, aren’t you?”
“What was that?” The pegasus asked noncommittally, though Heather picked up a change in her scent, which raised a question on it’s own.
“I read a bunch of Equestrian books a while back, including a few foal’s books. One of them had a picture of Princess Luna with two pony guards who looked like you.”
“Is that so?” The sarcastic tone wasn’t lost on Heather, who decided to take a different direction of conversation.
“How come I couldn’t smell you back there?”
“Sorry, that’s classified.”
“Oh... alright.” Heather took another few sniffs, each time getting the usual scent she’d come to associate with ponies. She filed that away, and quickened her pace to walk beside the pegasus. “Well, since you know my name, is it alright if I ask yours?”
The pegasus sighed. “If I tell you, will you stop with the questions?”
“S-sure,” Heather replied.
“It’s Eclipse, Ms Douglas.” The two walked in silence for a little while more before Heather finally couldn’t stand it.
“You can call me Heather, if you like.” She tried not to flinch as the slitted eyes swung up to meet hers.
“If you want, Ms Douglas.” It was hard to see, but Heather could practically smell the mild amusement coming from her.
“So, and I know I said I would stop with the questions, but how come the guards here aren’t like you? I’ve had better conversations with the bathroom door,” Heather remarked with a short laugh.
Eclipse let out a laugh of her own. “Well, the Dayguard have their way of doing things, we have ours.” The two continued on, though the silence was a lot less awkward this time around.
“So, you were following me the entire way out here?” Heather asked suddenly.
“Of course. You’re far too important to have anypony other than the best keeping an eye on you. Although, I may have to have a word with my superiors about your escape. I will admit, we did not account for your idea to tunnel out. What made you think of it?”
“Well, while we were developing the serum, we talked with some of the native diamond dogs about their physiology. So, I remembered how they can burrow through solid stone, figured why not marble, and let my instincts do the work.” Heather paused for a few minutes. “I’m in a lot of trouble, aren’t I? I mean, for sneaking out and ruining the floor.”
Eclipse nodded. “Oh yes. But I suppose, given the circumstances, we could consider a stern warning about the dangers of sneaking out and a promise from you to behave in the future sufficient enough. Equestria is a nice place, but ponies are still fallible, and tend to be nervous of the unknown.”
Heather nodded, remembering the two ponies from before.
“If it was a chance to see the city you wanted, why did you not simply ask?” Eclipse asked. “You know that it would have been granted.”
“Well, I tried that when I first arrived, but I just... I felt like...”
“Like something on parade, ponies staring at you like you’re something in an exhibit.” Eclipse said with a wry snort.
“Y-yeah.” Heather agreed. “I’m sorry if I said something I shouldn’t.”
“Don’t be, it’s just something I’m familiar with.” Eclipse flexed her bat wings a little as the pair came into sight of the castle, the guards stationed at the entrance trotting forward. “Relax boys, I’m in charge of Ms Douglas’ safety. Just going to take her back to her room now.”
“Yes ma’am.” The guards returned to their posts as Eclipse and Heather walked through the massive double doors.
Heather stared at Eclipse as she was led down the halls toward her chamber, mind racing a mile a minute at the revelations she was given. Obviously Eclipse carried a lot more weight around the castle than she’d thought. Finally, they stood before the open doors to her room, Heather avoiding the reproachful stares of the ponies who were finishing the repairs on the hole she’d dug. “Well, Eclipse, thank you for everything, I’ll... see you around, I guess.”
“Perhaps... Heather.” Eclipse turned and trotted off down the hallway, as Heather stared blankly after her. After a moment she shook her head in resignation and walked into her room. The tunnel that she’d dug had already been filled in, and she made a note to apologize to the guards and staff for the stunt. She closed the cover on the lantern, crawled under the sheets, and after a few minutes to get comfortable was fast asleep.
Eclipse trotted down the quiet hallways, not acknowledging the ponies who crossed to the far wall to avoid her. As she’d said, it was just something that came with the job. She arrived at her destination, a set of heavy doors bearing the simple motif of the crescent moon, and pressed a hoof to it. The door easily swung open, well-tended hinges offering only a whisper of protest. She trotted in and took a moment to let her eyes adjust to the darkness within as the door closed behind her.
“Welcome back, Eclipse,” a voice called from farther in the room, “I trust that you were successful?”
“If I hadn’t, I would not be here,” Eclipse whispered as she sank into a bow.
“Come now, there is still no need for such formality in this room.” There was a faint ruffling of wings as a figure rose from behind a massive desk.
“As you wish, my Lady.” Eclipse did not rise from the bow as Luna walked around the desk, other shapes rousing themselves and following her.
“And what did you think of Heather Douglas? Is her adjustment to life here going well?”
Eclipse nodded as she rose from the bow. “She’s still unsure of herself, but her adjustment to her body is progressing quicker than the Dayguard planned. Her tunneling out of the room was not accounted for, and I would recommend that the security be... adjusted.”
Luna tilted her head. “You know that we cannot simply increase the guard, the rumors are already flying about her presence.” She glanced to another shadowed figure. “Umbra, do you have any update on the operation to discredit those rumors?”
The unicorn shook his head. “Right now we’re continuing to simply drown them out with more of our own. Thus far, nopony has shown any indication of coming close to guessing why Ms. Douglas is here, though we remain vigilant.”
“Very good. All of you continue to perform above and beyond your station, and I remain proud of you all.” Luna turned to make her way back to her desk, but stopped when Eclipse spoke up.
“Lady, we may not be able to increase the number of guards, but perhaps we can change who is guarding her.”
Luna glanced back. “Explain, please.”
Eclipse took a breath, though she had a suspicion Luna already knew what she was going to say. “Assign me to guard Ms. Douglas. Any increase in rumors caused by my assignment can be mitigated by Umbra, and you know that I am more than capable of protecting her better than another squad of Dayguard can.”
“Be respectful of your brothers and sisters, Eclipse,” Luna said sternly, though the corner of her mouth twitched upward. “And you are aware of the enormity of the task you lay claim to? Failure is absolutely not an option.”
“I understand, my word is my oath. I will not allow anything to happen to Heather so long as I draw breath,” Eclipse replied instantly.
“Oh, so it’s Heather now?” One of Luna’s twin shadows spoke up with a chuckle.
“Oh, shove it up your backside, Starstruck,” Eclipse grumbled.
“Now now,” Luna smiled with the patience of a parent watching her children squabble, “there is no need for such behavior. Your request is approved, Eclipse. Go with my blessing.”
Eclipse bowed to the floor again. “Thank you, my Lady.” She turned and trotted out of the room, blinking as her eyes had to re-adjust to the glare of the outer hallways.
Behind her, Starstruck glanced up at Luna. “So why did you approve Eclipse’s request, really? There’s dozens of Dayguard as talented as her.”
Luna smiled down at him as she walked back to her desk. “Because, you know as well as I do of her ambition. So, I felt it reasonable enough to humor her and allow this chance to prove herself.”
“If you say so,” he muttered as he followed after her and settled back into his usual spot.