You awoke to the sun hitting your face. It was as if Celestia herself wanted you to wake up as the sun peaked over the horizon and shined through a perfectly placed window. You groaned to yourself and pulled a blanket over your head to shield yourself from the unwanted rays. When that didn’t help, you pulled a pillow over the blanket that was over your head. Unfortunately, you couldn’t breathe. Sighing in defeat, you decided that the only way to rid yourself of the unwanted light was to close the curtains. You began to get up, but felt the presence of somepony next to you.
“Wait, what?”
You shook your head out of your sleepy state to think clearly. You definitely weren’t in your room or your house. You were in the house of Twilight Sparkle. Instead of somepony, there were multiple ponies that circled around you in the abnormally large bed Twilight had. The whole gang was here: Twilight, Pinkie, Rainbow, Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy.
What the heck happened last night? Wait…
Last night…that wasn’t right. You did go to work last night, didn’t you? You searched deep within your memory bank to try and find a suitable explanation of last night’s events and how you ended up in Twilight Sparkle’s abode with all of her friends. When nothing came up, you started to freak out a little. You lay back down and tried to calm yourself. If you skipped work, you would never hear the end of it from the Royal Sisters. They trusted you and skipping out on work for whatever reason was like a slap in the face. They always had your back you repay them like this?
In the midst of your panicked state, you failed to realize one of the girls beginning to stir next to you. It wasn’t until you felt a warm sensation on your chest. Looking down, you saw Rainbow Dash snuggling close to you. She probably felt you move because she tilted her head up to you, filling your vision with her beautiful magenta eyes.
“Morning,” she said in a silent and calm voice that could rival Fluttershy’s. Her gentle voice had calmed your chaotic mind and you could feel the oxytocin release in your brain by staring into those eyes. It felt a bit alien to you how she was acting right now. It was definitely a luxury to not see her so…brash, but it was a refreshing sight. You hoped you could see more of this side of Dash in the future.
“Morning,” you responded in the same way she did.
She yawned a bit in response. “Sorry if I snored. Applejack told me I snored like a horse.”
You chuckled a bit. “Don’t worry Dash. I don’t remember anything that happened last night. Speaking of which, can you fill me in?”
“Hehe, well long story short, Pinkie decided to throw a party for the seven of us and Applejack brought over some of her signature cider.”
This caused you to blush slightly. You were never one to drink, especially if mares were around. It’s not because you didn’t trust yourself around them; you just didn’t want to act like a fool and not remember what happened the night before.
“So what’s the damage?” you asked.
“Well, everything was pretty fine. You were definitely the life of the party.” She snuggled a bit closer to you.
“I didn’t do anything embarrassing did I?”
She giggled. “If you count dancing on top of Twilight’s coffee table and then knocking half the books off the shelves of the library, then yeah.” You felt all of your blood rush to your face, causing you to glow a bright red. “Hehe don’t worry, bro. We were all a bit tipsy last night. Well everyone except for me. I know how to handle my liquor.”
Her comment causes you to smile unintentionally. Sure, the rumors were true about her boastful and egotistical behavior, but she definitely had a soft side. You only saw a glimpse of it, but it was there. You wondered if she ever showed her soft side with her closest friends.
“Oh Rainbow darling, you know full well what happened to you at the party last night.” You turned your head adjacent to where Rainbow Dash was and found Rarity snuggling up to you. Normally you didn’t freak out with mares being close to you. After all, ponies did show more affection than any other species in the world. However, you knew Rarity as a pony that valued personal space and modesty. Her actions bewildered you.
Cocking an eyebrow, you returned your gaze to Dash. “So what exactly happened last night?”
“Rainbow Dash here would never admit it, but she was acting a bit crazy herself,” Rarity continued. “She had gotten a bit out of hoof and started showing off more than usual. If I have learned one thing about my friends, it’s that they can’t handle their cider. You were pretty mellow compared to everypony else.”
“It’s not like you were a princess yourself your highness,” Dash mocked with slight agitation in her voice. “You are the biggest drama queen when you’re on that stuff.”
Before Rarity could respond, you intervened before things got out of hoof. “Alright ladies, I think it’s time to get up. You two are starting to get a bit restless.” You began untangling yourself from Rarity and Dash’s grasp, only to face another obstacle. At the foot of the bed lay a sleeping Applejack, Twilight, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie.
“Why am I in the same bed with mares?” you asked. You didn’t care, you were just curious.
“I haven’t a clue either, darling. It’s probably all of the cider we drank last night. I usually don’t sleep in the same bed with other ponies unless I trust them, even if I do drink more than a mare should. I guess that means we trust you. Or at least I do.”
You couldn’t argue with that, but you couldn’t help how these mares were so trusting. You had won them over at the party when you first met them. They had welcomed you with open arms without knowing who you were or what you did in life. For all they could have known, you could have been a thief (thank goodness that isn’t the case, though). You had remembered when you travelled to Manehatten a few years back for some training. Everypony in that place was skeptical of each other, closely holding on to their belongings from pocket thieves. In contrast, Ponyville was quite the opposite. You were literally innocent until proven guilty in this small town. Everypony gave you the benefit of the doubt, which is fine, but it was a bit naïve on their part. Even Fluttershy was starting to warm up to you.
“I totally trust this guy! He is a Royal Guard after all,” Rainbow interjected. “He wouldn’t try any funny stuff with us.” She looked at you for confirmation. “Right?”
“Right,” you replied. “I treat a mare with the utmost respect. I wouldn’t force her into anything she didn’t want to do.” You wormed your way out of the bed and stretched. “Well the other girls are still asleep, so I’m going to go freshen up in the bathroom.”
Both Rarity and Dash nodded at you as they too got out of bed. Before you headed out of the bedroom, you reminded yourself about work. “Hey guys, did I go to work last night?”
Rarity was about to say something, but Dash interrupted her. “Don’t you remember? Princess Luna said it was okay. She said you had been working a bit too hard lately, so she gave you the night off.”
Did she really say that? You had already had two nights off last week. It seemed unlikely that she would give you another day off just to spend time with them. You would have to talk to her later about it. Nevertheless, you felt a huge relief when they said that.
“Oh, okay,” you responded.
You exited the bedroom and went down the hall which led to the bathroom. Upon entering, you noticed how clean and organized everything was. On the counter by the sink, you noticed six towels folded up and stacked. They had all of your friends’ names on them, including one for you. You would have to make sure everything was in the same place after finishing your business, or else Twilight might go crazy. After taking a shower, you noticed your own tooth brush (which was neatly organized by six other brushes) on the counter, or at least it looked like yours. Apparently you had planned to stay the night if it was here at Twilight’s. Regardless, you were happy you could sate your oral obsession.
After brushing every nook and cranny in your mouth, you placed the toothbrush back on the sink and walked out of the bathroom. You heard multiple voices downstairs in the kitchen, probably the girls getting breakfast ready. Upon walking down the stairs, you noticed the library was clean and picked up. You had expected it to be destroyed according to was Dash and Rarity had told you. The girls probably cleaned up the place while you were in the bathroom, and you couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty for not helping them.
Up until now, the chatter going on between the mares was indistinct, but you did catch the last part of a sentence as you walked in a made your presence known.
“-wants more?”
“Hey girls, what’s up?” you ask.
“Good morning,” Twilight greeted. “Did you sleep well?”
“Better than ever, although the sun gave me a rude awakening,” you admitted. “I hope I didn’t move too much in my sleep last night. I’m not used to sharing beds.”
Your comment elicited giggles from the mares. “Don’t worry about that. You slept like a baby,” Twilight replied.
The rest of the morning consisted of idle chat and a nice home cooked meal from Twilight and Rarity. It was a bit ironic that the two ponies that made breakfast were unicorns. The earth ponies were more renowned to be great cooks and bakers such as Pinkie Pie and Applejack. Speaking of Pinkie Pie, she kept bringing up your little mishap from last night, which caused the girls to laugh. You didn’t even remember anything that night, but you laughed along too (even though you were slightly embarrassed). After breakfast, you excused yourself and said you needed to go and talk to Princess Luna. You just needed to know why she let you have the day off. Waving your hoof you bid them farewell.
It was only an hour flight to Canterlot. You weren’t the fastest pegasus, but you weren’t slow either. You could definitely hold your own in a race, thanks to the training you had back at the Academy. Not anypony could just join the Guard. It took a lot of personal training to even be considered for recruitment. One major requirement was a round the world endurance flight trip in two days. It was a brutal journey, but you came out in the end. In fact, now that you thought about it, it was a miracle that they actually recruited you. Before joining the Royal Guard, you were a highly unmotivated individual. According to the world renowned pony psychologist Sigmane Freud, you had a weak ego compared to the id. You preferred to procrastinate and indulge yourself in whatever you found pleasurable in you. Unfortunately, training for the Royal Guard wasn’t in your “pleasure queue,” so to speak. It wasn’t until you started taking Physical Education classes in Cloudsdale. It was expensive, but you needed to motivate yourself somehow. The academy changed you, however. They taught you things that you could never learn through the general education system. Though they did toughen you up a bit, your personality was still intact.
As you approached the massive city that housed the Royal Sisters, you banked slightly to angle yourself properly to your destination at the top of the castle where only members of the Royal Guard could enter. As you landed the first pony to meet you was Shining Armor, Captain of the Royal Guard.
“Hey, I haven’t seen you in a while! How have you been?” he greeted happily. Good ol’ Shining Armor treated you as a friend even while on duty. You weren’t exactly part of his squad per se, but he did make major decisions that influenced the Guard as a whole.
“Likewise, sir,” you stood at attention. Even though he talked casually, you didn’t want to act out of line.
“Relax soldier. You are off the clock right now, after all. No need for formalities. How’s Twi been?”
You immediately relaxed your body. “She’s doing fine. I spent some time with her last night along with her friends. I haven’t spent much time with her one-on-one, though.”
“I heard. According to the Sisters, they enjoy having you around. Twi has mentioned you a couple times in her letters to the Princess. I’m just glad we have somepony that’s stationed out in Ponyville.”
“Really?” you asked surprised. That was interesting. You barely spoke a word to Twilight this whole week, not including yesterday (which was still much of a mystery to you).
“Yeah, apparently she asked if she could teach you the Magic of Friendship, or take you under her metaphorical wing. I found it weird that she would ask you that, though.”
“Why is that?”
“Well, you seemed to understand friendship during the academy. You socialized with your comrades’ quite well. You seemed to have a firm knowledge about Friendship.”
You let out a laugh, but immediately changed the subject. “Yeah, but is Princess Luna still awake? I would like to request an audience and meet with her.”
“Oh, sorry to keep you waiting,” he apologized. “Unfortunately, Princess Luna has turned in for the day. Would you like to speak with Celestia instead?”
Well this trip turned out to be pointless. Princess Celestia did handle your paperwork, though. Maybe it was worth speaking with her. “Sure, that would be great.”
About two hours have passed and you still haven’t met with Princess Celestia. You didn’t have anything to do, but you did want to take a nap before going to work. You just sat there with a bored expression. Princess Celestia was the co-ruler of Equestria, after all. She had to maintain everything from the budget to negotiating with foreigners. You couldn’t blame her, but you did want some time to yourself before heading to work.
Finally, a pair of guards came forward. “Princess Celestia would like to see you now.”
They escorted you to the throne hall, which is where she sat.
“Ah, my faithful subject! It has been a while since I’ve seen you. How goes your stay in Ponyville? I heard you made some friends,” she greeted.
You bowed to your Princess before responding. “It’s good to see you as well, your majesty.”
Every time you were in the same room as her, you felt calm. Her regal and motherly voice washed away any fears and insecurities you had. Her white coat and majestic flowing multicolored mane left you in awe. Despite the pleasant aura she emitted, she contained powerful magic. You definitely didn’t want to get on her bad side, despite never seeing her harm another being.
“I am so sorry to be short with you, but I must ask you to be quick with your visit.”
“Well,” you began, “Last night I had spent some time with Twilight and her friends and apparently Princess Luna said that I could have the day off. I was just wondering why she has been generous with giving me time off.”
“My little pony, you have been protecting the Elements of Harmony for so long. Do you not think you deserve time off? You have even made friends with them, which surprised me to be honest. Even though it is your duty to protect them, friendship is what keeps this country strong. In fact, Twilight has recently asked to teach you the Magic of Friendship.” You lowered your head, while she continued. “I know you have been lonely, my little pony. I think it’s time I told you the real reason I stationed you in Ponyville.”
You looked back up to her. “There was an alternative reason?” you ask with surprise in your voice.
“Yes. It saddened me to see you in such a lonely state. I have been keeping an eye on you for a while now. It was quite strange that you didn’t have your cutie mark when I met you. As far as I know, you are the first stallion to not get his cutie mark. So I took it upon myself to watch closely over you. I know that some of my subjects can be a bit judgmental sometimes and can cast out ponies that don’t quite fit in. As I observed you, I noticed that you didn’t have any friends, nor had you made the effort to make any. You see, the real reason I sent you to Ponyville was for you to make friends, especially with the Elements of Harmony. They embody the meaning of what friendship is. If anypony can do it, they can. At first I was worried that you wouldn’t want to make any friends. I didn’t want to force you, but now I can see you are much happier.”
Wow…she really is like a mother. She sent you there because she cared for you. She had many things to deal with, but even with all of these distractions, she still found ways to help her subjects. You felt like crying at that moment. You had such a wonderful leader and she supported you to the fullest.
“So now to answer your question, we gave you more time off to be with your friends. It is important to form strong bonds with the ponies you love.”
You look down for a few moments to digest the information. You look back to your Princess. “Thank you so much,” you say quietly.
“You’re very welcome, but you still have much to learn. I will send a letter to my faithful student letting her know that you will be learning the Magic of Friendship along with her and her friends. Do you accept your new assignment?”
“Yes, your majesty! I accept.” You couldn’t tell whether to be excited or nervous.
“Very well, I hope to talk to you again soon. You will still be a guardian to the Elements of Harmony, though your duties will be more lenient. I do expect friendship letters from you as well. I received your first on a while back and I’m proud of you to say the least.” She paused for a moment. “I’m glad you made friends,” she said mentioning your name.
You thanked her again before bidding her a farewell.
“Wow,” you said as you entered Ponyville. “Princess Celestia and Princess Luna never cease to amaze me.” You were still replaying what happened in your mind as you landed by your house. “I feel so lucky to have them as Princesses.”
Before you entered, Twilight came up to you in a panic. “There you are! We were looking everywhere for you! We need your help! It’s an emergency!”
“What’s wrong Twilight?” you asked.
“It’s Rainbow Dash…”