//------------------------------//
// What now? 
// Story: Beyond This Galaxy Of Ours 
// by bronystrongwing 
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	Two royal guards stood in front of Canterlot Castle, a blue pegasus with a golden shield for a cutie mark, and a grey unicorn with two crossed swords for a cutie mark."Hey Strongwing, do you see that in the sky?" asked the grey unicorn.

"I swear to Celestia, Flashpoint, if this is another bird I'll-" He interrupted himself as his eyes spotted what looked to be a shooting star over Ponyville. Now, shooting stars are a normal occurrence, except they mostly occurred at night. "What the hoof is that?" Strongwing inquires, squinting in order to get a better view of the mysterious object.

"I dunno, we better report this." Replied Flashpoint. They enter the large, ornate doors of the castle. As they traveled the halls of the castle, Strongwing decided to pick up a previous topic of discussion. "So, you still want me to ask him about it? I mean, you could just do it yourself." asked Strongwing.

"What!? No, I can't! I'm to shy! What if he doesn't like me? Or what if I mess up and say something stupid? I don't think I can handle this." Flashpoint was visibly worried as his breathing escalated and his voice slightly rose in pitch. "I'm sorry man, but you need to do this for me."

"It's alright, I'll do it, just relax." His pegasus friend replied as they reached the entrance to the throne room. "I hate these damn doors, they're so heavy."

Once inside, the two guards found it devoid of the sun goddess and her guards. The only ponies that were present were a simple servant and Princess Luna. As they approached her, she heard their hoof steps and turned around to greet them.

"Your highness," they both stopped to bow, then quickly returned to standing. "We are here to report something to Princess Celestia, do you know where we may find her?" Flashpoint asked.

"My sister has left for Ponyville, something about an object in the sky." The night princess replied. "What is it you need to report, anyway?"

Strongwing released a chuckle to himself. "That same thing in sky, actually, sorry for bothering you. Oh, and hi Starlit."
The servant spoke with a bored expression to his tone. "Greetings Strongwing, Flashpoint." Starlit was an earth pony who rarely showed emotion. He is frequently seen in the gardens, wandering the maze. Rumors speculate he lost an item of importance in it once, and scours it, trying to locate it.

"Well, I apologize for the uninvited appearance, we should return to our post." Flashpoint said, turning with Strongwing to exit the room. Before they could leave however, Luna called out to them.

"Wait, I was thinking of visiting Ponyville myself. As you know, that means I would require at least two guards with me. Would you two like to be my guards during my visit?" Luna asked, a pleading smile across her face.

The two guards released a sigh in unison. "We would be honored to."