//------------------------------//
// 10. Awkward breakfast 
// Story: Longma 
// by JeckParadox 
//------------------------------//

	Oscuridad rose from the block of amethyst with a disgruntled groan. He would have to request a mattress from the Princess. Sooner rather than later, he preferred. His eyes squinted as he walked into the hall, the sunlight passing over him. The sudden light made him feel sleepy again. But he was in solar country, and his Princess was accustomed to sleeping at night, waking in the day. 
He went back inside and picked up his armor, a metal face cover that slid over his horn and slid through his mane, his neck guard, his boots, his purple cape. 
"Alright... I think I'm ready." He said to the mirror. As he looked away it changed back into featureless Amethyst. 


~~~~


Twilight woke up slowly, her wings unfolding instinctually and lifting her somewhat out of bed. She stretched but found that that was exactly the wrong thing to do, her wings pushing her off the side and into the floor next to her bed with a crash. Six rumblings and soon there were six Longma standing near her, helping her back into bed. "I'm fine! I'm fine, I just fell... sheesh..." then her thoughts turned to the obvious question. "Wait... were you all up here, watching me sleep again?!"
"No. Just me." Jaeger said. "And since we're not in Canterlot anymore, and you don't have a door for me to stay behind, I figured that I would just stay in the stairwell or sit down here." He gestured to the floor below Twilight's bed/cliff. 
"Well..." Twilight wondered at where a good distance would be. She felt kind of creepy, knowing they could see her when she slept. "Maybe the stairwell is a good border... now that I have guests here everyday... I should probably put a door in..." it occurred to her. The idea that she should start making changes to her house to accommodate the Longma haunted her the entire morning. When Spike made her breakfast, as per usual, she noticed that the Longma all said they weren't hungry. She realized the only time she actually saw them eat was at the party. Spike of course had his own collection of gems, and generously offered peppering their meals with them, a sentiment Twilight rewarded with a hug, but even then the Longma respectfully declined. When were they eating? Were they eating? Where were they sleeping? She had noticed a few of them fluttering around the room, subtly fixing books back in the nooks higher up on the walls. Were they sleeping on the library books? Were they even sleeping? 
She could barely eat her breakfast. She realized none of them had beds. None of them had changes of clothing, none of them have asked to take a shower. She realized it had only been a few days, but still. Even just a few days without any kind of physical care would have a big effect on them. 
"Are all of you really not hungry?"
"We would never impose on your hospitality, Princess."
"Then if you like the food, I order you to eat it. Spike, please fix them all breakfast, and prepare something for Captain Oscuridad in case he comes as well..."
The Longma looked at each other nervously before sitting down at the table, each quietly thanking Spike when he brought them their pancakes covered with tiny crystal shards mixed in with the syrup. They ate quietly and quickly, Twilight had barely finished a fourth of hers before they were all finished. Spike ate along with them, forking his food awkwardly in the silence. 
"Well..." Twilight began. "I was thinking maybe we could try to get to know each other... I'll start." She put a hoof to her chest and smiled. "My name is Twilight Sparkle, my special talent is magic, and.. well, I was formerly a librarian, and now I'm a Princess. I like reading, keeping organized, and most importantly spending time with my friends, I dislike... unexpected things, and when there's disorder." She motioned for Spike to continue.
"What? Me too?" the dragon shrugged. "Alright, I'm Spike, I'm a dragon. I don't really have a special talent like a pony, but I'm Twilight's number one assistant! I like gems and Rari-....and I dislike bullies.." 
The six Longma looked at each other nervously. Finally Jaeger began to speak. "Princess, as your guards you don't have to be familiar with us. You don't have to let us eat at your table or even sleep in your house."
Twilight smiled and shook her head. "How am I supposed to trust you with my life if I don't know anything about you?"
Jaeger blinked a few times before clearing his throat. "Alright, if you wish to know. My name is Jaeger, it means hunter in Dülmen. I've been a regal bodyguard since I was sixteen. I've been doing my job for twenty four years. My special talent is protecting ponies. I'd show my mark, but it... well, it's not visible any more. It was a black shield with a crescent moon over it... I like doing my job and drinking, I dislike sunrises."
Twilight blinked. That was something odd. Kalt smiled at their leader and decided to go next. "My name is Kalt, it's Dülmen as well, meaning 'cold'. I'm thirty-six, I've been a regal guard for sixteen years. Before then I was an escort. My special talent is sniping. I like sleeping and looking at the moon, I dislike heavy weather."
"Sniping?" Twilight asked. 
Kalt smiled. "Shooting accurately over a long distance, with cannons, crossbows, throwing spears, and even slingshots. I managed to sink a moving pegasus from two miles away with a crossbow once." she showed her mark, a crosshair and a target, halfway over each other. 
Jaeger rolled his eyes "You're awfully proud of that shot. I'd think you'd be more proud of when you hit Princess Celestia with a cannon from three miles."
Kalt's smile disappeared. "She didn't sink."
Twilight looked back and forth nervously between the two. Sanguine was next. "My name is Sanguine, it means red, because of my reddish coat. I was an escort before I joined the military two years ago. This is my first time being a regal guard. My special talent is..." She sighed. "...playing games." She showed her cutie mark, Twilight wasn't really sure what it was. It was a grid, two tall eight wide, and surrounding it were either black or white bars. "I like gambling and drinking, I dislike idiots."
Crow gave a short laugh and ducked as Sanguine glared at him. "My name's Crow Moon. Originally just Crow. My special talent is fighting." His mark was two swords crossing over a full moon on a purple splotch. "I like fighting and racing, I dislike showponies and Wonderbolts. I was a Regal Guard for two months before now, and only a soldier two years before that. I'm Eighteen years old." He said in a quick breath. 
Twilight frowned. What do you and Jaeger mean when you started when you were sixteen?"
"That's when everypony can first join the military." Den said. "Could I go next?"
"Sure..."
"I'm Den. I'm twenty-three years old. I've been a soldier for four years. This is my first time being a Regal Guard. My special talent is learning. And I know how silly that sounds, I just have a way of understanding situations from little clues. I was actually switched from being a strategist to a Regal Guard because I'm only good at realizing what the other guy's strategy is while he's doing it. I like reading, I dislike dra....umming. I can't stand the sound of drumming." He glanced at Spike, the dragon didn't look any different, so he must have not guessed. He let out a silent sigh of relief.  His mark was simply a scroll with a feather behind it. 
"Hm." Twilight nodded. "But this just leads to a few new questions... what's an escort? Why do you start in the military when you're so young?"
Sanguine smirked. "An escort is a popular job for young mares with strange coats." 
Twilight raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
Sanguine gestured to herself and Kalt. "You may have noticed, but us Longma don't come in all the shades of the rainbow like you solar ponies, er..." She stopped, not meaning the insult, but Twilight didn't seem to notice. "...I guess it's kind of symbolic... light can be a variety of colors, but dark is always just dark. It just depends on the shade. My red coat and Kalt's white made us good candidates because we stand out."
"Candidates for what?"
"For being escorts. An escort's job is pretty simple actually, wealthy single stallions pay us to come to parties and other gatherings with them." Twilight gaped. Sanguine frowned, but continued anyway. "It's kind of an honorary job, it's considered embarrassing when a stallion goes to a party by himself, so they'll hire an escort to stand with them during the party. It's a sought after job. It pays well, it's honorable, and it's easy. It helps that I had a red coat."
"Uh... well... that's an.. interesting job." Twilight began. "What about joining the military at sixteen thing?"
Den decided to elaborate this one. "Most Longma are required to spend eight years in the military, sixteen is the earliest age we're able to be accepted in, but we can join whenever we want." Den sighed inwardly. Leaving was the difficult part. 
Twilight frowned. "Why would they have to? What Longma don't have to?"
"Mostly farmers. That and joining certain guilds can get you out of having to do military time." Den gave grim smile. "The solar ponies had a similar system back then, but they changed it when we declared war. Suddenly every healthy solar stallion in mainland Equestria was marching North."
Twilight frowned. Most of their lives revolved around military. She didn't have much in common with any of them, she didn't know anything about their culture... and somehow, it made her more curious than put off.
There was a knocking at the door and Den quickly got up. "I'll get it Princess." He cast a split-second glance back at Spike before moving even faster back to the front door. He opened it and found Oscuridad. "Hello Captain." He saluted. "The Princess was serving us breakfast. It would be impolite to refuse, correct?"
Oscuridad nodded. "It would not befit a Shadhavar to insult somepony's hospitality."
Oscuridad and Den sat at the table and Oscuridad gave a long declaration of thanks before digging in. The others had finished a few minutes ago, and waited patiently for the Shadhavar to finish. "So, Captain. Princess Twilight was asking a little about our personal lives..."
Oscuridad frowned. "Oh?"
Twilight nodded. "I was hoping you could tell me a little about yourself as well.. like your special talent, what your likes and dislikes are... that sort of stuff."
Oscuridad nodded. "If m'lady wishes to know." He shifted slightly. "I was born in the heart of the Castle, like most Shadhavar, both of my parents were relatively wealthy, so I worked as an apprentice merchant in my father's store when I joined the military. They saw my talent and I rose to the rank of Vice-Captain. I fought my Captain in a duel and became the Captain of the Royal Guard. I like fighting and building, I dislike annoying things. My special talent is dark magic." An eight-pointed star, a purple-blue four-pointed star with four more black points coming from behind it. 
Twilight smiled. There was a lot to learn about the Night Empire.