The castle gates opened wide, and Dream Catcher has to shield her eyes for a moment from the afternoon sun. Beside her was the Princess of the Night, her royal regalia still in place but not covered by a black traveling cloak. The hood rested on her back so that her face was still in view, and upon it she thought she saw a hint of anxiety. The princess’ eyes caught hers and it instantly vanished, replaced with a noble a confident gleam.
“Our royal escort should be arriving momentarily,” she declared. Dream Catcher nodded in response. The sound of hoof steps drew her attention behind them, and the two guards that approached made her eyes go wide. They looked like normal ponies for the most part, save for a few key differences. The first was their eyes. The pupils were more like slits, almost like the garden snakes she had seen slithering around in the wheat fields back home. Their irises were the same yellow as her own, only brighter. Their ears were also different, with extra fur on the ends that stuck straight out. The big difference, however, were their wings. Instead of feathers they were one singular limb of skin. She could see the outlines of the bones even with them folded up by their sides and partially hidden by intricate light blue and black armor. In short, they looked like bat wings. Creepy, big, bat wings.
She realized that she was staring, and quickly drew her gaze away. The princess noticed.
“Thou should no be afraid,” she said, walking over to the strange ponies, “these ponies art my trusted guard, and shall accompany us on our journey.”
The guards stared down at her, and Dream Catcher did her best to stare back. She realized that they seemed just as curious about her as she felt about them.
“Hello little one,” the guard on the right greeted, giving her a smile. Dream Catcher half expected him to have pointed teeth, but much to her relief his were the same as any other pony’s.
“Hello,” she replied. She didn’t know what to do now, but just then the guard stuck his hoof out to her. With a little hesitation she took it in her own and shook it. He was gentle with his shake, much to her surprise. Turned out they really weren’t as intimidating as they looked. She let herself smile back at him.
The filly’s reaction to her guards left a small smile on Luna’s face. She did not fear them as she had expected. She watched as her second guard joined in the formalities and couldn’t help but chuckle as Dream Catcher marveled at the guard’s now open wings. The first guard looked over at the sound in surprise, a curious smile on his face. She quickly returned to her serious attitude.
“Come,” she commanded to the group, “we must depart, lest we arrive at thine home after dark.”
Dream Catcher walked over to the princess’ side as the guards took their places on either side of them. The four of them exited the palace together. The guards that had been at the door bowed respectfully to the princess, but Dream Catcher noticed their amazed faces as they spotted her next to their leader. She couldn’t help but smile to herself.
The reaction of the marketplace, however, nearly made her laugh out loud. Every pair of eyes, whether buyer or seller, landed on the small entourage. The shouts of the vendors in their brightly colored stands were all but silenced. She could have heard a pin drop on the other end of the cobblestone street. As they made their way through the stalls she saw the two fancy unicorns from earlier gaping at them in awe. She would have to thank them later for revealing how to talk to the princesses.
While she watched the ponies on either side of the street bow, a pair of hoof steps made her ears twitch. She took it as just another person running past the stands in as hurry, but as they grew louder she couldn’t help looking back. A guard in golden armor was approaching them quickly.
“Princess!” he called, and the sound of his voice made her ears drop.
“Oh no,” she murmured to herself. It was the same guard she had ditched earlier! She hadn’t been able to get a good look at him before – her hood had still been on, plus she had more pressing concerns at the time than memorizing what he looked like – but as he came trotting closer she could examine him more clearly. His coat was white, she had noticed that much before, but now she could see his straight light blue and orange mane sticking out of his helmet. He had a sturdy build, his snout was quite chiseled, and his green eyes were vibrant. She couldn’t quite see his cutie mark though, but she didn’t have time to worry about that. Right now those green eyes were dead set on her and he was obviously fuming.
“I’m so sorry your highness,” he rambled out, bowing low to the princess, “this filly got away from me earlier in the crowds. She won’t be of any more trouble to you, I swear.”
He reached out one of his hooves and began to pull her away, but then one of the princess’ guards slapped his hoof away. He recoiled, landing firmly on his rump in shock. The night guard stood between her and him, and Dream Catcher took the opportunity to stick her tongue out at him. His face contorted into a scowl.
“Enough,” the princess yelled in her Royal Canterlot Voice, causing everyone within earshot to jump. “What is the meaning of this intrusion?”
“F-Forgive me,” the golden guard managed as he stood back up and bowed again. “I was escorting this filly through the market earlier today. She slipped away from me when I tried to buy her something to eat, and somehow managed to lose me. I hope she hasn’t been causing you any trouble.”
“Nay,” the princess answered, “this little one came to see us in the royal palace at our own request.”
The guard’s eyes widened, and he looked back and forth between Dream Catcher and the princess.
“But she told me she was coming to meet someone in the city. I had no idea she meant you!”
“Address the princess by her proper title,” the guard bellowed, and her quickly saluted him.
“My apologies, sir!” he responded. “I meant only that I didn’t know the person she was to visit was the Princess of the Night, sir!”
“What’s your name soldier?” the guard asked, standing tall above the other.
“Morning Glory, sir!”
“And what is your rank?”
“Staff Sergeant, sir!”
“Ah. So you’re the new Staff Sergeant the Day Captain mentioned,” the night guard mused. Morning Glory’s chest puffed out a little with pride, making Dream Catcher snicker. She looked up at the guard in front of her and saw a sly smile spread on his face.
“Princess Luna, if I may suggest something?”
“Of course. What didst thou have in mind?”
“May I request that the new Staff Sergeant accompany us on our journey?”
Dream Catcher and Morning Glory’s mouths both dropped open. What?! They wanted him to come with them? Surely the two guards they already had were enough.
“Dost thou have a reason for such a request?” the princess answered, seeming as confused as Dream Catcher felt.
“As a test, princess. After all, the royal guard must be the best in the lands. We need to make sure he can handle anything thrown at him, so to speak.”
“Though it seems he can’t even keep up with a filly very well,” the other guard added with a chuckle. Morning Glory’s face went bright red.
Luna looked at the guard for a moment. He was still very young, younger than any other pony she had seen with his rank. Despite his apparent failure with keeping up with Dream Catcher, he seemed like a responsible pony. After all, he was still here, trying to find her. Her guard also had a point; a test might not be a bad idea. The filly would need a personal guard at some point. Perhaps this could be the one, given that he could learn to control the filly.
“Very well,” she decreed at last, “he shall accompany us.”
Dream Catcher whirled around to face her in shock.
“But princess…”
“Allowing him to come would be only fair after thine little escape earlier,” the princess continued with a knowing glance. Dream Catcher lowered her gaze, an embarrassed blush spreading across her cheeks.
“As you wish princess,” the night guard between her and Morning Glory answered, bowing his head. He turned back to the guard in gold.
“Go and get your travel pack. You have fifteen minutes.”
“Yes sir,” Morning Glory answered before running off through the market and out of sight. Dream Catcher sighed. This was going to be a long trip.