//------------------------------//
// Chapter Four - Small Steps, Long Journey 
// Story: Shadow Of Night 
// by AmethystProtector 
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	“Day break.” Starless finds himself once again in the Cakes’ kitchen covered head to hoof in flower and other debris. Just like the night before he had no recollection of the night’s passing. He loves working for the ponies who have need him, but he really missed spending the night enjoying it. He takes a look around the kitchen and was satisfied with the work he had done and moved upstairs to see if he found his work thereto be of the same caliber. He realized that he had done more then he had expected on the upper level, but he also realized that there was a room he had not noticed before. At first glance he thought it was a storage room for the party supplies the Cakes keep for their catering service, but upon closer examination he realized that it was some-pony’s bedroom. “To each their own, I guess.”
Returning to the lobby, he grabbed his bag and retrieved the card Shining Armor had given him. “Shining Armor, Canterlot Castle, Captain of the Royal Guard.” Simple and straight-forward, just like the pony who gave it to him. This was the opportunity that he was just thinking about. As a guard, he would not have to push his mind and body to the limit as he has been just to get the bakery ready for inspection. If he was lucky, he could be in an outdoor position and be paid to enjoy the night. True, there would be drawbacks such as paperwork and being under a chain of command. Since he had left the Crystal Empire all those months ago, he has enjoyed the freedom of being a pony for hire and traveling from town to town.
But like he told Shining Armor, he will be on his way again and won’t be held down to just one town or job. Starless gathered his things and left the bakery, securing the door behind him. He took position at his cart and began heading to the hotel. Although not far, the trip seemed to take ages as the weight of the rising sun took its toll on his body and mind. He will need to meet with Shining quickly so he can return to the Everfree Forest and rest in its shade. Once he arrived, Starless parked his cart near the entrance to the hotel and went into the lobby and walked up to the stallion manning the counter and showed him the card Shining had given him. “I’m here to see Shining Armor.”
The clerk looked over Starless before checking the guest registry. “Captain Armor is in room 203.”
“Thank you,” he said, ignoring the discourteous treatment he was given and proceeded up the stairs to the second floor. Reaching the door marked 203, Starless knocked briskly and awaited a response from inside. It did not take long before he heard hoof-steps approach from the other side of the door and the door opened.
“Good morning, Starless,” Shining Armor began. “It look likes you’ve had a rough night, please come in.” Shining showed him into the small living room and gestured to the couch which he quickly accepted. “I’m guessing you’re here because you’ve reconsidered my offer.”
“Your right, but before I can accept, there are a few things we must discuss.”
“I must admit that when I considered asking you to work with us, I knew I would have to make some compromises to our standard contract. As long as your demands are reasonable, I feel we can work with you,” he said as he grabbed a chair and brought it to face Starless.
“I assure you, Captain, that my requests are simply to ensure my ability to work for you and my overall health.” Starless struggled to get comfortable in his seat, he rarely sat down and he now found it to be a strange sensation. “The first thing is I must sleep out side under the shade of foliage near my cart. This is non-negotiable.”
“A strange request, but one in my power to grant. The guards’ barracks has a large yard behind it, complete with trees and shrubbery of various types. It remains quiet due to its proximity to the sleeping quarters of both the night and day shifts.”
“That is excellent, I’m sure that I can find a place there to suite my needs. The other non-negotiable condition I have is I only work from sun-down to sun-up. It does not matter if it is the shortest night of the year, or the longest. Even staying up to speak with you is taking its toll on my body.”
“That too is alright. That is our standard shift. Although you will need to partake in a weekly meeting with the Lunar Guard, but they are quick and happen during twilight hours. Is that acceptable?”
“As long as it lasts less then an hour after sunrise.” Shining Armor nodded in response. “Then its on to my final condition. I work alone and I’m no-pony’s servant.”
Shining looked grim at this demand. “I will not lie about the conditions you’ll be expected to work in, it will be tough and you’ll be working under a chain of command. While I cannot guarantee that you’ll be treated kindly, you will be given the respect that any member of the guard is given.” Shining leans in as he says, “It is really up to how you view working in a military structure that will determine how you feel about those conditions.”
“I would not of taken any other answer,” Starless said with a grin. “When do you need me to start?”
“As soon as possible.”
“My work with the Cakes will be done by tomorrow morning. You can arrange for transportation as soon as I receive my payment for services rendered.”
“I’ll arrange for you to take the train...”
“You’ll have to make sure that I can be with my cart so I can rest.”
“Not a problem. Just leave your cart outside of the Cakes bakery and I’ll handle everything else.”
“Then I’ll get going now. Good day Captain Armor.” They shook hooves and Starless left. He wouldn’t be able to graze for food as he normally did going from job to job and his supplies were light as it were already, so he’ll stop by the Cakes and arrange a couple of meals for the trip, then he’ll get some rest for the night’s work ahead of him.

Princess Luna was surprised when her sister walked on to her balcony. “Do you have news for me Celestia?”
“Yes, I do, dear sister. I have come to a course of action,” Celestia said with very little enthusiasm.
“You sound as if your not happy with what you are going to suggest.”
“I’m indeed not. Please let us sit.” Luna took her normal seat by her telescope while Celestia sat on a chair she had brought with her. “I am not happy with what must be done because it would mean that I have lost trust in Shining Armor. He has held his position with honor and pride for many years now. So to cast doubt on his work now also cast doubt on his work since he started.”
“You don’t plan on dismissing him from his duties, are you?”
“Not as yet. I’m going to have Twilight Sparkle take over the investigation for now. I’ll tell her to act as if she is just helping until she has had time to investigate Shining Armor.”
“Do yo think it is wise to have her investigate her own brother?”
“We have trusted her in far more dangerous and important tasks than this. It will not be for long either. I will have her tell him to return by day’s end, so he should be on his way back by tomorrow morning. “Celestia stood and looked into the distance before continuing. “I hope that upon his return, we can determine if our doubts are valid. For now, lets start the day.”

Shining Armor watched the streets come alive as he looked out of his hotel window. Nearly an hour had passed since he spoke with starless and he was still basking in the sense of relief that he felt knowing that one problem was now crossed off his list. So he was surprised by a knock at the door, he was not expecting any-pony else today.
He opened the door and found his sister, Twilight Sparkle, looking at him. “Well, good morning sis, come on in.”
“Good morning Shining,” she said as she passed by him and took a seat on his couch.
Pulling up a seat to face her, Shining asks, “So whats up, Twilight? I was not expecting to see you today.”
“I received a letter from Princess Celestia this morning asking me to help you with your investigation. It seems that Luna has decided to tell her why you were sent here.”
“That’s great news! I was hoping that I wouldn’t be going this whole time aski9ng ‘Have you noticed anything strange recently’” Twilight smiled weakly. “But obviously the new piece of information must be dire if Celestia thought it would be best to bring you on board the investigation..”
“Maybe not dire, but important none the less. Celestia wrote that Luna says she has seen an Alicorn in Ponyville.”
“Wow, that is news.” Shining stood and started pacing around the room. “How are we to ask questions around town about an Alicorn and hope to maintain a low profile? As it is, it seems like no-pony has seen anything out of the ordinary, and I’m sure an Alicorn in town would count as unusual at the very least.”
“Well, Luna thinks there might be magic masking his presence from every-pony, that’s why I’ve been asked to help. But we also cant overlook the possibility of a conspiracy.”
Shining Armor froze in his tracks at the words. “A conspiracy? This is far graver than I thought. I am at a loss Twilight. What action would the princess suggest?”
“We go through town and while you ask questions, I’ll use my magic to determine if magic was used on them to alter their memories or perceptions. We’ll have to rely on your skills and instinct to see if they are lying.”
Shining thought about this and knew that it was their best option. “OK, Twilight, lets get started.”

Starless awoke more hungry then usual. The late day he spent with Shining Armor must have taken more out of him then he had thought. He rummaged through his cart and grabbed enough food for two ponies and ate rapidly, anxious to get going. This being his last night working for the Cakes, he wanted to put as much time and effort as he could muster to make their shop shine.
He finished eating and quickly packed his things, leaving the Everfree forest before the sun had finished setting. Having finished so quickly, he entered Ponyville as its residents and shop keepers were still out and about, drawing some curious stairs as he passed. The stairs were nothing unusual, it was only after he spent a bit of time in a town and ponies began asking questions about him did things become troublesome. He hoped that his new position with the royal guard would prevent such issues from arising.
Starless arrived at Sugarcube Corner and found the lights still on in the lobby. After parking his cart, he peered inside and saw a pink Earth pony sitting at a table. Once he opened the door, the pony bounced up to him with tons of energy, more then he ever seen in even the most up-beat ponies.
“Hi there! You must be Starless. I’m Pinkie Pie. Welcome to Ponyville!” she said rapidly in a cheery tone. “I like your name, Starless, it suits you. Why don’t you have a cutie mark?” she asked as she bounced around him, once he stepped through the doorway. “Oops, Mrs Cake told me not to ask that. She told me ‘Your only allowed to thank him and don’t bother him’” she said imitating Mrs Cake’s voice. “So I wanted to thank you for cleaning my room last night. You made it so much easier to find all of my party things! I was going to throw you a party but Mrs Cake said you wanted to work, not play.”
She stopped speaking and moving so suddenly that the silence was deafening. It took him a moment to realize that she was leaving him room to reply. “Um, your welcome?” he said, unsure of what to say after being caught off guard by her exuberance.
It was so wonderful to have you here and I’m sorry to see you go so soon. But I really want to throw you a party, so next time your in town let me know and I’ll throw you a real doozy! But I have to go, I’m staying with my friend Twilight while you work, I’m sure you’d like her, but she’s expecting me and I don’t want her to worry. Have a nice night, Starless!” And with that she bounced out the door.
Starless stood motionless for a moment, trying to process the encounter. But finding no rhyme or reason for it, he simply logged it as another strange thing to add to his list of strange things he has encountered on he journeys. So he secured the door and found the food the Cakes had left for him on the counter, still warm from the oven. He made a mental note to thank them in the morning and then he put the food in his bag.
He worked until sun up and found himself dirty again. So he washed up in the sink and looked over his work. Everything from the smallest utensil to the biggest pot was squeaky clean. Every shelf and cabinet was cleaned meticulously. Even the living quarters had received the same quality of care. So he waited for the Cakes to return, which didn’t take long.
“We love the job you did,” Mr Cake exclaimed after examining the store. “We’re really happy you came into our lives when you did.” He went behind the counter and removed a bag and placed it in-front of Starless. “Your worth every bit and more.”
“Thank you,” he said. “It was a pleasure to help you. And thank you for the treats, even though I won’t eat them until tonight, I appreciate that you left it for me fresh.” They said their goodbyes and Starless went outside to his cart, climbed in and fell asleep quickly. 

Shining Armor had spent the day working alongside his sister Twilight and found himself wondering if she would be willing to join the ranks of the royal guard, but quickly found that he was worried about her safety. Equestria was relatively safe and quiet, but when something went down it tended to be very serious. He knew his worries were illogical since she done very dangerous deeds at the request of her mentor Princess Celestia, but he would not want to be the one giving her the orders that might put her at risk.
But for tonight, he need not worry. Since Princess Celestia saw fit to relive him of his duties on the investigation and leave Twilight in charge, requesting his return for a debriefing. The train to Canterlot had already left for the evening so he made preparations for Starless and himself for the next train in the morning. He pondered the reasons why he was removed from the case while he packed. He could only think that Princess Celestia had lost faith in him for not finding the Alicorn hiding in Ponyville when he was searching on his own, or or with the aid of his sister's magic. He felt horrible that something so big had snuck by. True, he didn’t have all the information he had now, but the fact that he couldn’t come by it on his own only served to prove his failure in every ponies eyes. So once he finished packing his gear and presents he laid down to sleep, thoughts of his failure still running around his mind.
When Shining Armor awoke in the morning, the feeling of failure that haunted him through the night were foremost in his mind. His only consolation was the fact he had Starless coming with him to Canterlot today. He quickly gathered his things and headed to Sugarcube Corner.
When he arrived, the Cakes had already opened and Starless' cart was still outside the bakery, so he hitched himself in and pulled the cart to the train station. He left the cart with the cargo handling ponies and went to the passenger section of the train. He stayed quiet during the ride, politely turning town conversations with other passengers in order to sort out his thoughts and try to dig himself out of the mess his failure had gotten him into. But the day had come quickly to its end and soon he was back in Canterlot.
He got off of the train and went to the cargo section to retrieve the cart and began walking to the barracks. His heart was racing as he reached the barracks, for soon he would have to see Princess Celestia and answer for his failure.
“So this is the exciting barracks you've told me so much about.” Shining jumped at the voice. He looked up at the cart and saw Starless leaning on the side, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes yet still looking very tired. “You want me to take over?”
“Just sit tight, we're almost there,” Shining answered.
Once they arrived, Starless jumped down and said, “Let me find a place to park this, then I'll follow you.” Shining nodded as he ducked out of the harness and moved to let Starless in. In a few moments Starless returned, “I found a sweet spot not too far from the building.”
Shining motioned for him to follow and lead them to Princess Celestia's meeting hall, where he was expected. He wanted to take Starless directly to Rocinante, but he knew that he was usually with Princess Luna higher up in the castle and he did not want to leave Celestia waiting. So upon their arrival, he left Starless with the guards outside Celestia's court.

Princess Luna sat with her sister Celestia in the royal court, awaiting the arrival of Shining Armor. She had hardly slept because of her anticipation. All she could think about was the Alicorn and what it would mean to have another of her kind around. Although she felt that this Alicorn was a bad omen, she still couldn’t help but feel wishful at having some-pony similar to herself around, maybe one who understood her better than her sister.
But she knew the possibilities of a pleasant relationship with this Alicorn was remote. It was up to her to protect the ponies of Equestria and she would not allow her hope for a companion to put them in danger.
She was interrupted from her thoughts by a guard entering the hall. “Princess Celestia, Princess Luna,” he acknowledged them in turn, “Sir Shining Armor has arrived.”
“Please send him in,” said Celestia.
The guard left and a moment later Shining walked in carrying some bags. He walked up to the base of the stairs leading up to the dais where they sat and greeted them. “Princess Celestia, Princess Luna.”
“Shining Armor,” Celestia began, “you have been called here today to answer questions related to your investigation of an Alicorn sighting in Ponyville. Firstly, what made you decide to take charge of the investigation?”
Shining answered without hesitation. “I needed a break from my normal duties. I saw it as an opportunity to spend some time doing light legwork, asking questions and to spend some time with family.”
Celestia responded, “Did you ever slack on your investigation in order to get the rest that you felt you needed?”
“No. I put my all into it. Just because I felt that it was simple doesn’t mean that I felt it was any less important.”
Luna got upset by that statement and said, “So you didn’t go to meet the Alicorn?” Celestia looked at her with great displeasure.
“No. I had not known about the Alicorn until my sister Twilight had joined in the investigation.”
Now Luna stood, shaking with anger. “then why did I see you not only speaking with the Alicorn, but handing him something as well?”
Celestia positioned herself between them and shouted at Luna, “Calm yourself, Luna!” She turned to Shining and in a calmer voice asked, “Did you speak with the Alicorn or give him anything?” She silently cast a truth finding spell on him, regretting having to do so on the head of her guard.
“With exception to yourselves and my wife, I have not encountered, spoken to or given anything to another Alicorn,” Shining said, evoking as much pride and honor as he could muster.
Celestia nodded approvingly and moved to Luna, putting her hoof on her shoulder until she sat back down, then sat again herself. “So tell us how your investigation had gone while working on your own,” she requested while keeping her spell active.
“The investigation had started when I arrived in Ponyville when I had arrived in Ponyville. I had asked hotel staff where I could get a bite to eat in town, I found out that the owners of the shop they recommended were staying in the same hotel. This was unusual since they live in their bakery.”
Celestia interrupted to ask, “Who are these bakers?”
“Mr and Mrs Cake, owners of Sugarcube Corner.” Celestia only nodded so Shining continued. “I found out from them while I was having breakfast that they had hired on a pony to help clean the bakery at night, so they could keep the store open during the day. I heard similar stories from other shopkeepers, although the others were not so lucky to find a pony to work at night, so they hired on staff for the day.
“When I spoke to the towns folk regarding anything they might of found unusual, I asked them questions best suited to each, in addition to their general feelings. So I asked Pegasus ponies if the weather was odd, Unicorns if they felt strange magic and shopkeepers if they had strange customers or witnessed odd behavior. Every pony had told me that the Summer Sun Celebration had gone quite well and there were no problems or odd occurrences.”
“Tell me more about the pony working for the Cakes,” Luna asked.
“He is a pleasant Earth pony who travels from town to town, working for ponies who need help. He only works at night but he comes with references from ponies he has worked for in the past.”
“So,” Celestia said with doubt creeping into her voice, “that would mean that you met with him at night.”
“Yes, at the bakery.”
“Princess Luna had seen you talk to the Alicorn at the bakery at night. We need to know why,” Celestia demanded.
Shining's chest tightened at the accusation. “I did not meet with any Alicorn there and I can prove it.”

Starless sat outside the doors to what he assumed was the royal court. If he had known that Shining Armor would leave him waiting for so long, he would of brought one of the many trinkets he had in his cart and spent the time trying to decipher it's mysteries. But for now he could only look at the paintings that lined the hallway walls, namely the one he now sat across. He stared at the landscape painting as if all of his life's mysteries were imprinted on its surface.
The doors opened and Starless stood, expecting it to be Shining Armor, but it was another guard. “Princess Celestia wants to see you,” she said sternly. Starless followed her through the doors.
When he walked through, a beautiful dark purple Alicorn stood and gasped before jumping down from the dais and running through a side door. “Wow,” he thought, “that’s a new record. Just being seen now blows my chances with the ladies.” So he stood next to Shining and bowed to the remaining Alicorn.
“Starless Night, did you meet with Shining Armor a couple of nights ago at Sugarcube Corner?” Celestia asked with demanding force.
“Yes I did, Princess. He had offered me a position with the Lunar Guard. At the time I turned him down, but as you can see, I later changed my mind.”
“Did he give you anything that night?”
“Yes, his business card. I brought it with me, but I left it in my cart at the barracks.”
Celestia seemed pleased by his answers. “At any point, was there an Alicorn with or around you?”
“No, there was only Shining Armor and myself.”
At that moment, the main doors to the hall burst open. Shining and Starless turned to see Princess Luna enter, followed by several Lunar Guards.
Celestia stood in defiance and shouted, “What is the meaning of this Luna?”
Luna ignored her sister and turned to Shining. “Did you really have the nerves to bring the Alicorn to the castle and think nothing would happen?”
Shining and Starless looked at each other and Shining said, “What Alicorn?”
“Yes sister, what Alicorn?” Celestia again demanded.
With an exaggerated sigh, Luna pointed her hoof at Starless. “Him!” she cried out with disgust.
The guards looked at each other in confusion. They were not sure if Luna was crazy or saw something they couldn’t.
Celestia walked up to Luna and in a calm, even tone, said, “We'll talk about this later.” She turned to Shining, and added, “Take Starless and start his training.”
Shining and Starless bowed in unison and wordlessly walked past Celestia, Luna and the guards, heading to the armory.