After arriving at the train station, Myst and Luna stowed the weapons in a luggage car. Once they embarked on the train, Luna and Myst began searching for a good car to ride in. Most of the cars had a few ponies in varying stages of wakefulness. Wanting a little privacy Myst continued walking until she found an empty car at the end of the train. Seeing a large seat that looked soft Myst jumped on it bouncing slightly as the springs pushed back. Despite not being as comfortable as she had hoped Myst stretched out her wings reveling in the sensation of tension leaving her muscles. Turning her head she saw Luna trying to get comfortable without stepping on Myst, a task made difficult by the way she had sprawled over as much floor as she had seat. After Luna managed to sit down Myst asked her, “So, why are you being so casual about this whole thing? I would expect learning that an interdimensional being was in Equestria would inspire trepidation, and formality. I can't complain about being accepted here, but it just seems strange.”

Luna took a moment to try and find a more comfortable position on her seat before responding, “Well I can't speak for my sister or Twilight. But, as far as I am concerned I must admit my motivation is somewhat selfish. As I am sure you know, I was banished to the moon for a few years.” Luna chuckled before looking down and pausing.

Luna thought back over the time since she had returned from the moon. She felt an ache in her chest as she remembered all the thinly veiled abuse she had received since her return. Luna remembered what it was like to be cared about, the memory merely increased her pain since she was so vividly aware of how little she was currently loved. Her heart beat faster, as she nervously decided to lay bare her heart to the expectantly wating Myst.

“No matter what my sister and the other ponies say, they haven't really accepted me back. My sister has been the best, but most other ponies are still nervous around me. The Royal Guard are the worst. They treat me with the utmost respect, but when they think I can't hear they call me a usurper and a demon. Some even have a bet going to see how long I can refrain from becoming
Nightmare Moon or try killing my sister.”

“We are deeply hurt that such statements are made about our self,” Luna lapsed into her old way of speaking.

Luna sighed before continuing, “The worst part was that when I returned, several of my Night Guard offered to help me overthrow my sister. I had to execute several who had actually managed to poison some tea intended for my sister. It was not pleasant... in more ways than one.”

Luna relived her sorrow as she remembered the faces of the ponies she had executed. All of them thought they were doing the right thing. The pity in their eyes as she incinerated them had nearly shattered her resolve. She knew they thought she was just misguided and wanted to help her once again become Nightmare Moon. She wanted so badly to offer them some way out, to give them another chance. But she couldn’t, not as long as they believed she was destined to rule all of Equestria.

Shoving her memory aside Luna continued, “I see you as a new chance. Eventually, other ponies will only see me as Luna and not Nightmare Moon. But that will not come to pass for a generation at least. You are the one pony in all of Equestria that has not seen me as either a menace or an idol. As such, you will be the most open to accepting me for me. You can see me for what I am and not the Nightmare I once was. Also, if everything I have heard about you is true, you can relate to me in a way other ponies can't. Even if you were not evil by choice, you did terrible things and are sorry to have done them. I guess...I just hope that we can be friends.”

With that, Luna looked up, a pleading look written across her face. Internally, she felt no better. She had laid her heart bare to some pony she had just met. She had given her power to completely crush her hope of acceptance. It was the most excruciating thing she had had to endure since she returned. The uncertainty of what would happen was worse than either rejection or acceptance.

Myst was unsure just what to think about everything that Luna had told her. Then she remembered how she had felt when she had attacked the little filly—the rush of regret and sadness that had filled her. At that point, Myst realized how hard this must be for Luna. She also thought back to when she first saw Luna and the feeling that she was like a mother; she realized that there was no question as to what she would do. Myst met Luna's gaze and said warmly, “Friends.”

The smile Myst received from Luna meant more to her than she would ever have expected. She felt warm inside as she let the word ‘friends’ run through her mind again. After that, the two mares were content to sit in silence, as they drifted off to sleep.

Myst was awoken by the train lurching to a stop. “Los Pegasus!” the conductor called. Myst nudged Luna awake. Still half asleep, Luna mumbled something about fish and a cow. After being prodded again, Luna came fully alert. After that, Myst and Luna left the train and took their cart down to the docks. There they found the ship that was sailing for Broken Paw: the Star Flier.

As Myst approached the ship, she deeply inhaled the salty air, enjoying the clean, crisp smell. A slight breeze teased the ends of her mane and tail. The Star Flier loomed ahead of Myst. It seemed as though its purpose was to absorb all the happiness that surrounded it. On most parts of the dock there were ponies working cheerfully, but all around the large ship there was hardly any pony to be seen. Those who were there seemed tense and rushed.

The exception was found in the form of two guards standing at the foot of the boarding ramp. At first Myst thought they were just unusually dark-coated pegasi. However, as she neared the ramp she could make out that there were a few small differences. Instead of the feathered wings that Myst had, they were endowed with leathery wings; for all the world they reminded Myst of a bat.

As Luna and Myst approached, the strange ponies silently slid apart. They didn't move like most of the other ponies; they were quieter and smoother in their motions. Myst couldn't help but think of a cat. The whole effect was slightly eerie. That feeling was amplified when Myst saw the slit pupils of their eyes following them as they boarded the ship.

Myst noticed the ship swaying slightly as she walked across the deck. The effect was comforting and left Myst with a small smile on her face. Luna managed to fit all the weapons in the hold of the ship. After loading the ship, Myst felt her stomach rumble. Luna, hearing the noise, turned to Myst and said, “Well, we are done here, let’s go get some food.” With that, they left to go eat and look around town for the rest of the day.

As dusk fell, Luna and Myst returned to the ship. Myst’s stomach was full as she boarded the ship for the second time. She wanted nothing more than to roll into bed and rest her weary hooves. However, as she wandered below deck to find a bunk, her nose was assaulted by the stench of sweat and grime. As her eyes adjusted, she could make out dim figures lying on bunks. Most looked a little downcast, but a few were talking excitedly.

As she looked for an empty bunk, she was treated to a few catcalls from a couple of unruly looking stallions. Ignoring them, she moved on to try to find a free bunk. She stopped when she felt a tail flick along her side. Turning, she saw a light red earth pony mare. “Hey there, want to share my bunk?” The sultry-voiced mare intoned.

When she tried to continue, the mare placed a hoof on her chest to stop her. Myst’s heart beat faster as she contemplated dislocating the offending limb. Before she did so, a deep and melodic voice interrupted, “Really now Maven? You know it’s impolite to harass a newcomer.”

Myst turned to see the source of the voice. Her eyes roved over a pure white coat, lingering momentarily on some impressive wings. She noticed that her would-be protector had magenta eyes below a light blue mane. Myst was deeply impressed that he was able to maintain such a good appearance despite the filth all around him.

He moved between Myst and Maven. As he did so, he bumped Myst slightly. Myst’s heart fluttered slightly as she noticed that he had a very pleasant scent. On an impulse, she didn’t shove him out of the way, instead letting him play the gallant hero. He shoved Maven’s hoof out of the way and escorted Myst to a free bunk.

“What is the name of the pony who decided to show me a little kindness?” Myst said with a small smile.

“Klep. What is the name of the distressed mare I have the pleasure of helping?”

“A beautiful name to accompany a beautiful mare. While I would love to stay here and make your acquaintance, I think there is a bunk calling my name.”

With that, Klep settled on a bunk across from Myst, and within seconds a quiet snoring could be heard emanating from him. Myst didn’t find sleep as easily. For some reason she had the sudden urge to write a poem, so she looked through her bag and found a quill and some parchment. She wrote of her life. She couldn’t say why; she had never been much for poetry or writing in general. But for some reason, she just felt it was the right thing to do. After a while, she hit a mental block and drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

“On a misty morning bleak and dreary
I pulled my boots from feet so weary
A long night it had been
As I stalked the night from home to glen
In that night so black and cold
I slew a noble so rich and old
I was told it was for the best
But it was lies that led him to his rest

I was the blade that struck him down
As such I could never return to that town
I had been tricked ‘tis true
But my action I will forever rue
After all, there is no chance
That I can ever pay recompense”

“Well that’s a rather negative view of things! You really should try to be more positive.”

Myst had been slightly groggy while her poem was being read, but once she was alert enough to realize what was happening, she snatched her unfinished work from the nosy pegasus. Rage began to build towards the pegasus who wasn’t quite the knight in shining armor he had seemed.

“What on earth possessed you to look through my stuff? Seriously—that is unacceptable!”

The white pegasus looked down and rubbed his hoof nervously along the planking of the ship.

“Well you came with Luna, and are kinda cute. I just couldn’t help myself. A tendency to collect things that aren’t mine, might sorta be why I am here. I may have wandered off with the vast majority of the stained glass windows from Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. Before that I might have just managed to collect all of the princesses’ royal gems. Though I ended up here after failing to get Celestia’s throne. Some guard pony got off duty just a few minutes too early. You would think that Celestia and Luna would be a little more understanding. It seems really unfair to banish someone for using their special talent, even if it is theft.”

“After reading that poem, I am fairly sure I know why you are here. But things can’t be that bad, you’re here and not a statue after all.”

“I don’t need your opinion about my life! You should remember I am an assassin before you do something like this again.”

“If you really were going to kill me you would have done something already. Though you really should stop scowling; you aren’t as cute when you scowl.”

After that, Myst’s allowed her rage to burn through her. She wanted nothing more than to end the irritating pegasus’ life, but the thought of an orange filly cowering made her think better of it. Instead, she tried to pour all her rage through her eyes into the white pegasus. It was quickly clear that he didn’t care, so Myst decided to escalate things in the hope of scaring some sense into her antagonist.

Klep broke down laughing when Myst tackled him to the ground and tried to intimidate him with a fearsome glare. Eventually Myst gave up all hope of reforming the pegasus. When she got off the white nuisance she realized that she was being watched by at least ten of the other ponies who were also bedding in the hold of the ship. Her mood was not improved when some of her fellow travelers broke out into song: “Myst and Klep sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G, First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes a foal in a little carriage.”

Myst felt her heart start beating faster, her face started burning. It didn’t help that despite her dislike of Klep she did find him attractive. Myst bolted out of the hold to try to escape the unruly ponies. As she walked up on deck, her nose was greeted with fresh salt air. On deck she found Luna looking sadly at an upcoming fog bank. Myst took a seat beside her. Luna acknowledged her presence with a slight nod, then went back to looking at the fog.

After a few minutes Luna spoke, “I know from personal experience that Klep can be a little frustrating. But really, you should think a little more carefully before you act. He obviously has a crush on you. Unless you wanted to lead him on, pinning him to the floor was not the best solution.”

“How did you know…? Never mind. What would you suggest to deal with his tendency to put his hoof where it doesn’t belong?”

“I am sure I don’t know, especially since you started off the way you did. You should have seen yourself when you came on deck. Despite your dark coat, your cheeks were visibly red. Before, just ignoring him might have worked. Now, though, I am suspicious he will try to follow you to the end of the earth. Whatever else he is, he is very persistent. Once he sets his sights on something, he doesn’t give up, not even when it is clear that he is going to lose. When a guard mentioned that a throne repairman had taken my throne, I was a little shocked. I flew out to confront him. Even when he knew the game was up, he played his part to the bitter end. I am surprised he told you about everything he stole. Even after being convicted, he was insisting that this was all a misunderstanding and that he really was an ‘honest throne repairman’. He must find you really attractive. That, or your poem intrigued him.”

“I hate to ask, but could you try to keep him in line? You are the only pony he has shown any inclination to respect even slightly.”

Myst sighed, as a wash of different emotions ran through her. She hoped that she would be able to resist both the urge to kill him and the urge to kiss him. It didn’t help that she knew all the other ponies on the boat would be harassing her about him for the remainder of their trip.

“No, he isn’t. He is supposed to join the weather detail in some small out-of-the-way place.”

At that information, Myst sighed gratefully, content to sit in silence and watch the wall of fog approach. As they entered the fog, the atmosphere changed slightly; the fog seemed far more oppressive than fog should. Myst shivered and had the feeling that she was being watched. When she turned around, she saw several bat ponies looking intently at her and Luna. They were muttering among themselves about something. Myst looked at Luna questioningly.

“Ignore them, Myst. They always act a little odd when we pass through the Wailing Barrier.”

Myst shifted nervously positive the bat ponies’ eyes were focused on her. After they passed through the bank of fog, she felt much better. The bat ponies bowed to Luna saying “Princess.” As they took wing, Myst could have sworn she heard the same voice whisper “Sister” in her ear. She shook her head and ignored it. After all there was no pony close enough to have whispered to her.

After passing the Wailing Barrier, the trip to Broken Paw was unremarkable. Myst did her best to avoid Klep, and it worked most of the time. However, she was concerned about the way he smirked whenever they did meet. She knew he was up to something, but could not discern what.

After they arrived at the island, all the ponies were told to head to a small office building to be sorted out. Myst was about to follow the others when a large hoof gently tapped her shoulder. She turned to see Luna hovering in the air, beckoning Myst to follow.

Myst took wing to follow Luna as she winged further west across the island. It felt good to stretch her wings after being limited to thirty minutes of flying a day on the ship. She enjoyed the sensation of power she had as she flapped her wings speeding over farmlands. It had been too long since she had been able to fly as fast and far as she wanted.

Breathing heavily, Myst stopped to admire the view. The small rivers and houses seemed insignificant from her altitude. She could see a few ponies moving around like ants on the ground. She heard a heavy flapping as Luna approached, then hovered with her. Myst had to adjust her wings slightly to compensate for the small gusts the princess created.

Luna didn’t offer any explanation beyond that, content to hover for a minute. After a time, Myst grew tired of the view. She dove for a small town. Luna followed. They landed in the town square where the few ponies there looked at them curiously. Myst headed for a building that looked like a restaurant. The smell of food wafted out of the door, Myst’s stomach growled in anticipation of a good meal.

When she walked in, several ponies looked at her, then stopped talking. Soon the entire room was silent. When Luna followed, the conversation resumed a little uneasily. After being seated and ordering their food, the room sounded more like it had when Myst first came in. The difference was that she was now the object of attention. She heard some muttering about her combination of horn and wings. It wasn’t hostile, but Myst definitely felt out of place, and was glad when the meal was over.

During the week it took to reach Marescow, that scene and feeling became commonplace. Every day flying, then landing for dinner. There was never a sense of hostility, but Myst was almost always the center of conversation. It bothered her that she was always talked about, but never talked to. Myst hoped that this wouldn’t be indicative of her time in the guard.

Finally, Myst and Luna arrived at Marescow. From the air, the city appeared impressive. But it was only when Myst looked up at the large walls, after the gentle jar of landing, that she really appreciated the city’s magnitude. The stone walls dwarfed all the castles that Myst had seen. As tall as Luna was, she still seemed like an ant in comparison. There were various siege weapons mounted on the walls facing the ocean west of the city. Despite the small cracks running along the aged gray of the walls, the wall looked impregnable. This was definitely a testament to the skill of the craftsmen who had shaped it.

Looking up at the arch over the gate, a small shiver made its way down Myst’s spine. She realized that if the portcullis were to fall, she would be crushed with no more trouble than an insect. Passing through the gate, a scene of stone buildings with thatched roofs spread before her. Unlike many similarly-sized cities she had seen before, Marescow was extremely neat. The smell of sewage was nowhere to be found. The cobblestone streets were kept neat and tidy.

The inhabitants of Marescow moved with a precision and purpose that was unmatched by any other settlement in Equestria. Several of them wore light leather armor with insignias sewn to the shoulder and chest. It was quickly apparent that Marescow was more a military base than a civilian center. Myst turned to Luna and asked, “Are there any ponies here who aren’t members of the Night Guard?”

“Not many. The families of the enlisted live in the heart of the city. Everything else is either a shop or a building of the Guard.”

Luna left Myst to explore while she took care of some business that needed her attention. She instructed her to meet at the Deep Flagon Inn in two hours. Myst wandered around aimlessly for a while. Finally her hooves led her to a large stone building. It reminded her of a cathedral.

Myst pushed open the large wooden door and found a maze of tapestries. The cloth muffled the echo of her hooves on the tile floor. When she looked at the tapestries she realized that they appeared to be in sequence. On the first tapestry she saw a large, blood red alicorn with a light blue mane and tail. He seemed to be happy. Celestia and Luna were there too, sitting on thrones while the other alicorn romped on the grass with little ponies. For a cutie mark, the red alicorn had eight arrows pointing outwards—the symbol of chaos.

It was odd she had never heard mention of a prince—just the princesses, especially since this tapestry suggested that there was another alicorn. As she walked along examining the pictures, it seemed as though life had been quite happy at the time they were depicting. But it didn’t stay that way. The colors of the tapestries became darker when a strange figure made an appearance. He seemed to be part dragon, bird, lion, goat, and a number of other things Myst couldn’t identify. A small plaque under the tapestry read: “Discord, corrupter of Pandem.”

Myst wondered who Pandem was, until the next tapestry answered her question. Discord sat on a throne in the center of indescribable chaos. Seated next to him on a fluffy-looking mushroom was the red alicorn. Myst inferred that he must be Pandem. In this picture he seemed darker than before. Something about his eyes and expression had changed. He no longer looked nice; instead he seemed half-crazed. It was a very disturbing image.

There were a few more tapestries of Discord and Pandem. In a final tapestry, Pandem was seen fleeing from Luna as Celestia turned Discord to stone. There were a few tapestries after that of ponies celebrating the end of Discord’s reign.

Myst had expected that to end the series of tapestries, but that was not the case. Instead, Pandem returned leading an army of felines. They overran Broken Paw. The slaughter depicted made Myst shiver. She had seen more than her share of death, but never had she slaughtered droves of children. The sight made her sick.

A lone ship with tattered sails and a shattered mast was loaded with refugees and being pulled by pegasi. Myst could almost hear the wood groan in protest as it cut through the water. She tried to imagine what it would have been like on that boat, fleeing from certain death. She couldn’t imagine it. She knew she would have stayed behind to slow the flood of enemies. Giving refugees a chance would be an honorable way to die.

Myst continued on. She let out a sigh. With that sigh she felt the anger she hadn’t noticed building up slip away. The gentle click of her hooves in this place seemed somehow hollow. Myst wondered what she could do about the Isri. A hoard of barbarians is not easy to defeat.

As she continued, the ship stopped dead in the water. The plaque beneath the tapestry read: “Final stand of Kal-im, the dragon child.” Myst assumed that Kal-im was the green unicorn standing proudly on the bow of the ship. His eyes looked like they held a depth of knowledge that Myst could never hope to fathom, much less have.

Myst wondered what it meant that this was his final stand. A refugee boat could hardly put up any kind of a fight. The next tapestry showed the boat slowly dissipating into mist. It became a cloud that expanded across the water. The Isri ships entered mist but never came out. Instead, bat ponies emerged. The final tapestry was a golden eye with a slit pupil held aloft by the wings of a bat. Beneath this were embroidered the words: “Thus the Night Guard was born. Tremble all ye who would threaten Equestria, for the guardians of night know not the meaning of mercy.”

This chilling statement seemed fitting. Myst would like to believe she was merciful, but as she thought about Mercy, the only definition that offered itself was killing someone quickly instead of slowly. She knew that most ponies would think of it as not killing at all. With this realization, Myst knew she was home. The Night Guard appeared to protect everything that Myst felt was worth protecting. She looked at her kukri and wondered how many lives it would take, and more importantly how many it would save.

A soft flapping caught Myst’s attention. She glanced at the cool reflective blue of her blade. In it she could see the reflection of a bat pony approaching her. The pony landed about six feet behind her, its hooves making almost no sound as they connected with the stone.

Immediately after saying that, she wondered why she had said ‘sister’. After all, she didn’t even know this pony. A small tingling in her horn told her magic was at work, but she could not discern what it was. It felt vast, almost as if it were part of the universe itself. Myst’s attempt to figure out what was happening was cut short by the other pony’s reply.

“Night is timeless. When all stars fade, nothing will be left but night. What are a few minutes to the princess of night when she will outlast even her sister, ruler of the sun?” The same tingling sensation returned when Myst said these words. It was really bothering her that she had no control over what she was saying.

Her companion, However seemed overjoyed at that statement. She bowed to Myst and said, “Elder Sister, what you say is true.”

“It will be as you say, Myst. You spoke the words of the prophecy, which were given to the bat ponies nearly two centuries before. We are forbidden to speak it to those who are not of our kind. But if it is true and you are the Elder Sister then you will know all in time. It would be best if you meet Luna now, and speak not of our conversation.”

Myst flew slowly to the inn where she was to meet Luna. During her flight, she tried to make sense of her conversation. Remembering the strange tingling sensation, she decided that there might actually be some sort of prophecy. It was too much for her to figure out, so she decided to follow the bat pony’s advice and not speak of it.

Myst landed, feeling abashed for losing track of time. Luna, however, did not seem to care. Instead she greeted Myst in a very un-princess-like manner. With her mouth full she said, “Please sit down and have some salad. It is really really good.” Luna drove the point home by gesturing emphatically at the food.

The gesture turned out to be a little too emphatic. Her hoof connected with the table and turned it into a lever. As a result, salad flew everywhere. As the small leaves floated to the ground it was Luna’s turn to be embarrassed.

Sheepishly trying to clean up after herself, Luna replied, “Well it turns out that things are not as dire here as I was led to believe. About two hundred years ago we lost contact with Broken Paw. It was a full decade before contact was reestablished. Apparently, they had decided to stop training ponies for the Night Guard. The reason there was no word was because they were scared of what would happen if they told Celestia. Even after they told her, there was apparently no training happening until a decade ago.”

“Obviously this news concerned me. It is one of the reasons that I was counting heavily on your experience to try to get the Night Guard back in shape. Fortunately, the bat ponies remained true to their calling. They trained any who were willing to fight. After a small landing party of Isri was repelled by them, the Night Guard was officially started again. As it turns out, it wasn’t being run by completely clueless ponies as I had feared was the case. Instead, the bat ponies and their trainees were placed in charge.”

“Anyway, to make a long story short, I think it would be best if you went through basic training instead of starting off as an instructor. The next wave of recruits arrives today at three. I want you in that group. I also want you to talk to our smiths about forging clouds, so you will probably be run a little ragged the first few weeks doing both.”

Myst replied, “Sounds fine to me. It shouldn’t be that bad. I am in better shape than anypony else I have seen here. Couple that with my fighting experience, what could go wrong?”

At four in the afternoon, Myst found out exactly what could go wrong. Instead of the expected physical training, Myst found herself in a suit of heavy metal armor. As a human this would have just been irritating, but as a pegasus it was unbearable having her wings stuck against her side. She felt feathers getting pulled out as she dodged attacks. She was certain she would never get her wings back into shape after this. A blow to the side of her helmet brought her out of her self-pity session.

The unicorn facing her was similarly covered in armor, but unlike herself actually had the magical reserves to use a sword telekinetically in combat. This was extremely frustrating to Myst. Right about now she wanted to strangle the drill sergeant who had paired her with unicorns instead of pegasi. After all, she was a pegasus with a horn, not a unicorn with wings.

Another sharp blow—this one to her torso made her focus carefully on her opponent. She noticed his key weakness: instead of twirling the sword to gain momentum, he would swing it like he was physically holding it. This meant that there was a moment when the sword was behind him, leaving an opening. Tired of sweat dripping into her eyes, she took the offered opening.

Lunging in, she knocked the unicorn back onto his haunches. From there, she placed one leg on the outside of her opponent’s right foreleg. Shoving her right shoulder into his neck, she felt him fall since he was unable to move his hoof for balance. Pulling her practice knife from the sheath on her armor, she held it to the eye hole of the unicorn’s helmet. “Do you yield?” asked Myst.

Before she could get a reply, an old light purple unicorn interrupted: “What was that recruit? Do you think your shoulder and knife are a sword? Half rations to help you learn the difference between sword practice and grappling!”

With a frustrated grunt, Myst let her opponent rise. Before she had to try again to wield her sword, the mess bell rang. Myst was too tired to pay much attention as she marched back to the armory with the rest of the unicorns to remove her armor. After removing it, she stretched her wings gratefully, though it was all she could do to avoid grimacing as she saw her damaged feathers.

She followed the others to the mess hall and was really looking forward to a hot meal after her afternoon. The food smelled excellent as Myst neared the front of the line. It was only when she saw her drill sergeant that she remembered the reduction to half rations.

Despite that small setback, Myst determined to enjoy her meal. After collecting her small plate, she wandered over to an uninhabited table in hopes of having a moment to think. However, all hope of making the best of her situation was ruined when a white wing brushed along her ruined feathers.

“Tsk, tsk. You really should take better care of your wings.” All the rage Myst had thought was gone came rushing back at the sound of that familiar voice.

Smiling, Klep replied, “Well there was this pegasus who was slated to join the Night Guard. Somehow our orders got mixed up right before we were supposed to show them at the sorting facility for new arrivals. I can’t imagine how that could have happened,” Klep winked.

Kelp took a seat next to Myst and raised his hoof to his face mimicking a fainting mare as he said, “Oh well. Guess I will just have to face the horrors of war.”

After everything Myst had had to put with that day, this was just a little too much. Myst struggled hard to try to suppress the fire of rage flowing through her, but to no avail. Disregarding all of her common sense, Myst took her plate of hot oats and shoved it into Klep’s face. It was oddly satisfying to rub the food across his smug face, at least until he came to his senses and retaliated punching Myst’s chest. With that, Myst felt a surge of adrenaline and lost the last shred of intelligent thought she possessed.

In a brief scuffle, Myst subdued Klep easily. She stood triumphantly on his wings, enjoying the way he winced in pain and tried to squirm free. However, her enjoyment was short lived. Standing nearby was a purple unicorn looking less than impressed. Fear washed thorough her when she realized that he was sure to come up with some awful torture for her as a result of her actions. Myst let her ears droop as she released Klep and looked at the ground in shame.

“Well, well. It looks like you two don’t get along very well. But here in the guard you need to be able to trust each other implicitly. Everyone needs to have everyone else’s back. Otherwise, there is no way that we can function. So you two will be buddies at least until the end of training. Furthermore, you will have to feed each other for a week. After that, perhaps you can find it in yourselves to get along, and not bother each other.”

Myst accepted the judgment quietly. She knew he was right. Knowing she was wrong didn’t make the situation any easier to accept, and neither did she start liking Klep. Instead she resolved to control her temper, and become a pony that could be counted on.

With the rebuke still ringing in her ears, Myst moved to refill her plate. This time she was given full rations, but it was a bittersweet victory. Never had Myst felt so ashamed as when she saw all the ponies looking at her and knowing she had failed every last one of them. An outburst like that could easily have gotten them killed if there had been an enemy present.

Myst and Klep looked at their food unenthusiastically. Neither relished the idea of being fed like a baby. But then, Myst had been acting like one. So, grudgingly, Myst scooped some of the oats onto her hoof and offered them to Klep. Klep awkwardly licked them off her hoof. It didn’t help that Myst kept twitching, making it difficult to eat. Klep discovered the reason Myst was twitching when, in turn, he felt her tongue dart over the frog of his hoof. It tickled so much it was all he could do to avoid pulling his hoof back.

Klep, for his part, was less than satisfied with the arrangement. He finally took the hint that Myst was not even remotely fond of him. He began to second guess his decision to come here. He never wanted to be in the guard. The only reason he had come was trying to feed him, after deliberately crushing his wings. He knew that he would be justified in feeling bitter, but he couldn’t bring himself to do so. Something about the mare made him decide that even if she didn’t like like him, he at least wanted her to like him.

After their meal, Myst was informed that she had been reassigned to the 23rd pegasus division barracks. They walked back to the barracks in silence. Myst steadfastly ignored Klep while she tried to gather her thoughts. After she finished preening her wings she got into her assigned bunk, right above Klep. Before going to sleep, Myst sorted through all her emotions and thoughts. Right after the lights went out Myst said, “Klep, I am sorry.”

Klep had been worried about his newly assigned buddy’s silence. He wasn’t sure if she was planning some creative way to kill him, or was just trying to ignore him as much as possible. Right after the lights went out Klep heard three words that gave him hope, both for his life, and at least a friendship with Myst. With those words rebounding in his mind Klep fell asleep.

Price of Life

by Myst Ninja

Night Guard