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// The thousand years collection 
// Story: Short stories about ponies and whatnot 
// by shutaro 
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	Good Drop could hear the clip-clop of hoof on stone for minutes before the two princesses rounded the corner and stepped into the corridor that led up to his little desk. Well, little in comparison to the huge doorway that towered over his workplace. These doors had not opened since the cellar had been build a thousand years ago. Since the first guardian had been appointed, since this order had been established. A little bit of sadness tinged his pride. They had fulfilled their mission, but now it was his task to end this. To open the doors meant that there would be no forty first guardian of the gates. Nopony to take on his mantle. He sighed and for the first time in thirty years he felt his old bones and his aching knees. He looked at his old wrinkled coat, the gloss long gone from his former bright red hair. At least his silver mane had not suffered, it would still shine brightly in the sun, maybe even brighter than before. But now it was time to look smart and alert, the princess was almost here. And the new one, too. He sighed again, this would take some getting used to.

“I simply don’t see the point in this, sister,” Luna said with a pout and a bit of defiance in her voice. “I should be learning about the history I have missed and study the changes in law, science and society.”

“You will, my sister, and you can return to the privacy of the royal archive as soon as you have seen this.” Celestia turned her head and smiled at Good Drop. “Good evening, my faithful guardian. I trust the cellar is undisturbed and all is in order.”

“Of course. Good evening to you too, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna.” Good Drop bowed as low as his knees allowed. He wheezed a bit as he braced for the pain that he knew would come on his rise. But it didn’t come, instead a gentle touch like a soothing wind cooled his aching joints. He opened his eyes: a dark blue energy played around his legs and while he shuddered a bit at the thought of being touched by her magic he couldn’t deny that he hadn’t felt so good in years.

“I am honored by your years of service, citizen.”

Good Drop finally realized why he felt so strange in Luna’s presence: the princess had the stature of a young mare, the wings and horn of a princess and the attitude of a general. Her sweet and alluring appearance clashed with the edge in her voice and the glint in her eyes. Yes, this would need some getting used to.

Celestia’s voice cut through his thoughts. “Guardian, tonight you will give me one last report and then my sister and I will open these gates and relieve you of your duty.”

Good Drop saluted as sharp as his old bones allowed and almost lost his ceremonial cap in the process. “Right, Princess, at once, Princess.” He stalked back to his desk and opened a huge tome, flipped to a page and read, “The cellars hold ninety two thousand four hundred and seventy three bottles in chrono-stasis chambers and eight thousand five hundred two bottles in regular chambers. It has been one thousand years and two days since the cellars were established.”

Princess Luna’s mouth stood open in wonder. “You collected wine for a thousand years?”

Good Drop was almost offended by this. “We didn’t collect wine! We collected the best vintages of every province of Equestria for thousand years and two days!”

Celestia smiled at both ponies, “Please, be calm, both of you. Luna, I think you will catch up with official history fast enough, but if you’d like to learn what really happened in those thousand years... What do you say, shall we have a bottle of wine and watch the moon?”

Luna seemed to mull over this idea for quite some time. “Any time I get to spend with you is time well spend, big sister,” she finally conceded. “Let us open this cellar.”

“Just a second!” Good Drop opened a little door in the gate and stepped through. The sisters heard him rummaging around for a minute, then the door opened again and the old pony returned with a little bag. “I don’t want to lose my old thermos if you open these.”

Celestia and Luna looked at him, then at each other and nodded. Each sister touched a wing of the enormous door with her horn and the gates swung on their hinges silent like a morning breeze.

Celestia had never looked behind these gates and had half feared, half hoped to see a labyrinth of cobwebs and dimly lit stairs. Instead tidy rows and rows of shelves with bottles greeted her. Some glittered in a field of temporal stasis to keep the wine from getting too old. She looked over to Good Drop and nodded. “Excellent work!” She walked to a shelf and took one of the bottles out of its place. “Oh, 1043, a fine year. We will have a lot to talk about tonight, sister.”

Luna still had not walked into the vault, her eyes lingered on Good Drop. The old pony had collected a few personal things from the desk and put them into a box with his old thermos. “You have watched over this place for decades, am I correct?”

The stallion looked up from his box, “Eight years as an apprentice and thirty seven as the guardian of the gate, your Highness.”

Luna looked at the old stallion once more, at the huge gate and the deep chambers beyond. “It would be a shame to break with a tradition like this. Would you take on a new apprentice and train him so we can continue to enjoy this fine product of Equestria in the future too?”

Good Drop grinned and bowed. Maybe this one wouldn’t need that much getting used to after all.