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// Building From Tragedy 
// Story: Establishing Luna's Royal Guard 
// by Zeck 
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	Shadow Echo stood in the middle of Hollow Shades and gazed up at the moon. It seemed wrong somehow for it to be fully visibly and shining it all of its glory. It was as if the moon was mocking the tragedy that had befallen not only the batponies, but all of Equestria. It should have been veiled behind clouds, mourning the events that had taken place, instead of being out in all of its splendor.
She looked away from the moon and at the faces that surrounded her. All of them were somber, eyes downcast or looking off into the distance. A few ponies were whispering to one another in hushed tones, or holding a loved one close under a wing, but none were making more than a few quiet sounds. Noise just did not seem appropriate. 
Shadow Echo pulled her helmet off and felt her dark blue mane spill down her neck. She held the helmet in front of her face. It had been the source of so much pride for her and all the others who wore it. It was a symbol that their kind had finally been accepted in Equestria, even if the general populace still shuddered slightly at their appearance and whispers of vampire ponies still hung in the air behind them.
Now, it may as well have been nothing more than a piece of scrap metal. She, and all the others who had worn the uniform with pride, would soon have no reason to wear it. The Princess was coming tonight to speak to them about their fate, and Shadow Echo doubted that she would still be wearing her armor tomorrow night. But she couldn’t bring herself to cast it off just yet. She had been Captain of Luna’s Royal Guard. The first Captain ever, because she had been the first pony to volunteer. The first pony to bring Princess Luna back to Hollow Shades and introduce her to all the other batponies. The first pony Luna had ever called friend. 
The armor held too much pride, honor, and happiness for her to simply peel it off and toss away. She would keep it tucked under her bed, even if all the others in the Guard threw theirs away. It was more than a set of armor for her, and it always would be. 
Smiling sadly at her reflection in the purple helmet’s shining metal, she placed the helmet back on her head and continued to stare at the sky to the west, waiting for the Princess to make her appearance. 
She didn’t need to wait long. 
When the Princess appeared, it wasn’t with trumpets, a flash of light, a golden carriage and an escort of pegasi. She wasn’t even flying. Shadow Echo didn’t even notice her at first, and probably would have missed her if she hadn’t heard the sudden pick up in whispering. She looked down from the sky and toward the edge of her village. A lone figure emerged from the woods, wrapped in a hooded cloak and walking toward the center of town. She was tall, taller than any other pony Shadow Echo had ever seen, and for a brief moment, hope returned to the batpony’s heart, but it was crushed a second later when the moonlight glistened off of the pony’s white legs.
Shadow Echo stomped her hoof once and all the ponies behind her immediately fell silent as they stood at attention. Even during such a depressing time, Shadow Echo still found herself filled with pride at the sound of dozens of ponies clad in armor clanked in unison. She and Luna’s Royal Guard had worked hard to be worthy of their title, and it showed. Another thing she would always take pride in, no matter what the outcome of tonight was.
As the tall figure approached Shadow Echo, the batpony bowed deeply, her chin touching the dirt as she closed her eyes. She heard the sound of all the other ponies making the same motion as their armor clinked. 
“Princess Celestia,” Shadow Echo said somberly. “It is an honor to welcome you to Hollow Shades, though I wish it was under better circumstances.”
“As do I, Shadow Echo,” Princess Celestia said. She did not speak like her sister had. Luna spoke using the royal we constantly, and while Shadow Echo had often heard Princess Celestia use the same speech during her time in the capital, the Princess of the Day rarely used it when she was outside of the castle and speaking with normal ponies. She was also much softer spoken than Luna.
“I believe I know the meaning behind your visit, Your Majesty,” Shadow Echo said, still kneeling.
“Do you now?” Celestia said. “Very well. I would like to hear your theory behind my visit, but not while your face in on the ground. You must rise and look me in the eye if you are going to tell me my business.” 
Shadow Echo swallowed once and picked her head up off the ground, along with all the other batponies. She had thought she knew why Princess Celestia had insisted on speaking with her and Luna’s Royal Guard, but now she wasn’t so sure. 
“Well?” Princess Celestia said. “I’m waiting.”
“After Luna’s, I mean, after Princess Luna’s…fall, the rise of Nightmare Moon, and her defeat and banishment at your hooves,” Shadow Echo hadn’t meant to sound so accusing, but she couldn’t help herself, “you are here to formally disband Luna’s Royal Guard and relieve me, and all of us, of our posts.” Shadow Echo did her best to hold back her tears, but she still felt one slide down her cheek. She blinked rapidly, hoping to push the others back. All the while, she continued to meet Princess Celestia’s gaze.
“And what makes you think I have come to do these things?” the Princess asked calmly. 
“We failed, Your Highness,” Shadow Echo said. It was like a knife had been plunged into her side and now somepony was twisting it. “We…we were suppose to protect Princess Luna, but we couldn’t. I was…I mean, we were her friends, but we couldn’t save her. And with her gone, there is no longer a need for Luna’s Royal Guard.”
“Very true,” Princess Celestia said. Shadow Echo’s heart shattered. A small part of her had hoped that Princess Celestia would show mercy and allow the batponies to keep their post. At the very least, she had hoped the Princess would have been…gentler in breaking the news, but that was not the case.
“As you say, Your Highness,” Shadow Echo said, hanging her head. Her helmet suddenly felt extremely heavy and her armor picked at her skin. She wanted to peel it off right then and stomp it into the ground, then go cry herself to sleep, but she couldn’t. She was still the Captain. “We will all hoof over our—”
“What I mean,” Princess Celestia interrupted, “was that all of you were my dear sister’s friends. You especially, Shadow Echo.” The batpony looked up and saw a face that wasn’t condescending and angry, but one that was just as heartbroken as Shadow Echo’s. “If there is any pony would can understand the pain I feel from my actions, it is you. Luna loved you dearly. She often spoke of the adventures you two went on, or the games you would teach her to play, or how you two would simply lay on a cloud at night and try to count all of her stars.”
Shadow Echo felt several more tears trickle down her face as she recalled her memories with her friend. “Thank…thank you, Your Majesty,” she whispered. “But…I, I couldn’t…save her.”
“Nor could I,” Celestia said. “Luna fell to a power than none of us could have foresaw. I tried to reason with her. I begged her to come back to me, but the Nightmare power was already too strong. I had no choice but to use The Elements of Harmony against my own sister. She must battle her own demons now, I fear, without our help.”
“I understand, Princess,” Shadow Echo said. She had heard the story behind how Princess Celestia had been forced to cast her sister down, but she had hoped they were just rumors. “Will…will she ever return?”
“Certainly,” Celestia said as she gazed up at the moon. “And when she does, I pray that Equestria will be able to save her, as I failed to do.” 
Shadow Echo looked to the moon as well. Was Luna up there? Could she still see Shadow Echo? Was she aware of how much her friend missed her? Was she lonely? Would they ever see each other again?
Shadow Echo pushed the thought from her mind. It was too depressing to dwell on such things when the wound of what had happened was still so fresh. “Begging your pardon, Your Majesty, but what is to become of us?” she asked, trying to change the subject.
“Well, that is the official reason behind my visit,” Celestia said, her gaze lingering on the moon for a moment longer before looking down at Shadow Echo. 
“Official, Your Majesty?” Shadow Echo asked.
“Yes. I was hoping that, after this matter is concluded, you and I could talk. I would like to hear your tales about my sister.” Again, Celestia’s gaze drifted skyward. “Though it has barely been three weeks, I feel as though she has been gone a thousand years already. I fear I may forget her face, or her voice,” she said softly.
Shadow Echo chuckled despite herself. “Oh, I doubt that very much, Your Highness,” she said as she recalled her friend’s constant use of the royal Canterlot voice.
Celestia looked down and smiled. “You’re probably right. But on to business. As you said, there is no need for Luna’s Royal Guard if she is no longer with us.”
“Then…we are dismissed?” Shadow Echo whispered.
“Yes, though I hope I can convince you to take on another responsibility.” Celestia bowed her head and Shadow Echo suddenly felt very, very uncomfortable. Princess Celestia bowed to no pony. Every thought in Shadow Echo’s head was on overdrive as she tried to process what she was looking at. 
“With my sister gone, and I using The Elements of Harmony on her, I fear Equestria has suffered a terrible blow to its defenses,” the Princess of the Day said, using her royal voice to speak so everypony could hear her, despite her head being bowed. “The Elements are no longer bound to my sister and I, and thus have gone dormant, taking away one of our most powerful forces against evil. Worse, with my sister gone, the night is now without its protector. I would be honored if you and your fellow ponies would take on the responsibility of guarding the night.”
Shadow Echo was stunned into silence. She was still grappling with the fact that Princess Celestia was kneeling at her hooves. “Do we get to keep the uniforms?” somepony called out and she snapped her head back to glare at the ponies assembled behind her. She would deal with whoever that was after her meeting with the Princess.
“Of course,” Celestia chuckled as she stood up. “Well, Captain Shadow Echo? Will you help me guard the land that my sister and I have protected for so long?”
“Princess Celestia,” Shadow Echo said as she closed her eyes to hold back tears. “I can think of no better way to honor my friend than to make sure her home is kept safe. Until the day she returns and resumes the responsibility herself. The batponies would be grateful beyond measure for such a task.”
“I am relieved to hear you say so,” Celestia said. Then, in a louder voice so that every batpony could hear her, she continued. “I hereby establish the Night Guard, and name my sister’s dear friend, Shadow Echo, as its first Captain.”
Cheers erupted throughout the village and Shadow Echo heard the sound of dozens of batponies clad in armor crashing into each other as they hugged. She even felt several hooves raise her into the air and being tossing her up and down. For the first time since Luna’s fall, Shadow Echo felt as though she could carry on with her life. She would miss her friend dearly, but she planned to spend every night staring at the moon, talking to Luna in hopes that she could hear her and know that Shadow Echo still thought about her every night. 
A warm yellow light enveloped Shadow Echo and she found herself floating away from the crowd of cheering batponies. She drifted slowly back down to the earth until she stood next to Princess Celestia.
“So, shall we get started?” Celestia asked with a sad smile. 
For a moment, Shadow Echo’s joy was tempered as she remembered the loss of her friend, but that just made her want to talk about her more. She didn’t want to forget her dear friend. She would keep Luna’s memory alive, and patiently wait for the day when they would see each other again. “Certainly. Come, I know a place that serves some excellent pumpkin spice juice. Are there any stories you want to hear first?”
Celestia and Shadow Echo began to walk toward a small restaurant. “I would like to hear them all, although I heard that you and she once stirred up an entire pack of Timber Wolves.”
“Oh, that one,” Shadow Echo said, smiling as she recalled the adventure. “Yes. Luna never was very good at learning when not to use the Canterlot voice, was she?”