//------------------------------// // Chapter 24: Summer // Story: Mother Celestia // by jl7895 //------------------------------// Life as a guard wasn’t as hard as I thought it was going to be. The first year, all they really had to do was stand around and decide if someone gets past you. Captain Iron Side promoted me as quick as he could. It wasn’t because of favoritism or anything. He, along with the other guards, said I was the best out of all the first years. I was promoted to a first responder after two years of serving. First responders are the ponies there to either stop crimes or get the area ready for detectives. I was again promoted after another four years to a personal guard. My new position was a combination of the other two with a few extra duties and a few more days off. My main duty is to be on call whenever a princess or a guest needed me. While Celestia was somewhat responsible with this power, Cadence abused it a little. She would usually call me when she wanted to hang out, but I was bound by duty and it really wasn’t allowed to act the way I usually would. This time, Cadence asked me to guard her room while she tried on dresses for the Summer Sun Celebration. She said that she was afraid of somepony teleporting in and raping her, which was almost completely impossible because the teleportation spell requires the pony knowing the location like the back of their hand. It also helped that she moved to a bigger room since graduation. But she asked for a guard, so I have to protect. “What about this one?” Cadence asked as she stepped out from behind a room divider, showing off a green, single-strapped dress. “That one looks fine, princess,” I said. “Golden, you’ve said that about every dress. Say something else.” “I must remind you, again. I am on duty and am forbidden to give my personal opinion.” Cadence looked depressed, like she wanted to hear something, but no pony was telling her. “But if I wasn’t on duty, I would say that dress is the best out of all of them.” Cadence smiled and hugged me. I figured there was no way that I would get caught, so I hugged her back. Cadence and I haven’t really seen each other for the past few months. It’s not like we didn’t try or anything. Since graduation, Celestia has been giving Cadence more responsibilities and has been busy most of the time. We tried to make plans, but she had to cancel due to her new responsibilities. At the same time, I had been working my flank off too. There were times when I would come home and find Octavia already asleep and I would have to leave before she woke up. I would look forward to my days off so I could spend time with my friends. “I missed you,” Cadence said. “I missed you too,” I said, finally letting go. “Why didn’t they ever tell us that being an adult is hard?” She sat down on the bed and I followed. “Because they didn’t know what we were going to do with our lives.” “What happened to us, Golden? We used to be such good friends who would drop everything for the other one, but now we can’t even free up an hour for lunch. I don’t want us to drift apart.” “I would never let that happen, Cadence. I’m going to let you in on a little secret. When you request for a specific guard, it gets ignored nine times out of ten. We send a random guard and they come up with some excuse why the one you picked couldn’t show up.” “But I get you or Shining every time.” “Because I asked Captain Iron Side to give me all of your requests, whether or not you ask for a specific guard. If I really miss you or I just want to see you, then I go. I drop everything I’m doing, just to see you.” “Thank you,” she said with a smile, “but I have to ask you something. Why would you risk your job just to tell me this? If any guard comes into this room for any reason, then you lose your job. “Because I have tomorrow off and the sun is setting. So, unless Captain Iron Side has been lying to me the entire time, I’m off duty. For what it’s worth, you looked good in all the other dress, but beautiful in that one.” “Thanks, but I’m sure I’m not even close to Octavia.” “You’re in the same ballpark.” “How are you two? I mean I see Octavia from time to time and she says you’re doing fine, but I want to know your side of the story.” “We’re doing great. I spend most of my days off with her and I like to take her out when I can. She took off the right though. She says she only wants to wear it on special occasions.” “What about…in the bed…” Cadence said while blushing. “Cadence!” “Sorry. It’s just that Shining and I have been so busy that we haven’t been intimate in a while. The most we’ve done is sleep in the same bed.” “Shining moved into the castle?” “No, but he likes to sleep here instead of his small apartment. Do you think it’s me? Maybe he doesn’t find me sexy anymore.” “Of course not. He still loves you very much. He said that you’re all he thinks about when he gets up and goes to sleep. He would die for you Cadence.” “Thanks Golden.” There was a knock on the door and Shining poked his head through. I was glad it was Shining because he knew that Cadence and I were just friends and nothing more. Anypony else, would have thought we were having an affair. “Golden, Captain Iron Side needs you.” “I’m off duty,” “He said it was a personal matter.” “Alright, but Cadence still needs a guard. Do you think you could…?” “Yeah, of course.” Cadence smiled when she figured out what I was doing. I got off the bed and Shining quickly took my place. I closed the door behind me and put a sound proof spell on the room, but that was more for the castle’s benefit. “You wanted to see me, sir?” I said as I walked into Captain Iron Side’s office. “Princess Celestia needs you to go to Ponyville tomorrow.” “What?” “She’s sending her protégé there tomorrow to help them get ready for the Summer Sun Celebration. Celestia wants to make sure that Twilight does her job.” “She doesn’t think Twilight can do her job?” “Twilight can get ponies to set that up in the blink of an eye. Celestia is giving her an additional task. You’re going to make sure she gets that job done.” “I have tomorrow off, she can’t do this.” “She’s the princess.” “Can’t we send someone else? We make up excuses all the time.” “Sorry son, but this is Princess Celestia. I we can make up excuses for everypony else, but not her. If we don’t do what she says, then she’ll have our flank.” “I was panning one taking Octavia to that new five star restaurant.” “I’m sorry son. If she didn’t ask for you by name, then I would have sent literally any other guard.” I walked out of his office with my head and went to the locker room to change into my street clothes. Octavia was going to be so disappointed. Octavia loves the Summer Sun Celebration ever since she was a little filly. She was having a really bad week and she thought it was never going to end. Then her mom took her to see Celestia to raise the sun and told her: “No matter how dark things look, there’s always another day.” Since then, Octavia would always watch the sun raise with someone she loved. She’s watched it with me for the past few years and I’ve tried to give her the best time of her life. I took a deep breath before walking into the apartment. When I finally did open the door, I saw Octavia showing off a dress and Coco watching her. It was a long black dress that hugged her curves, but was twirled at the bottom. The dress came with a pair of elbow high gloves “Isn’t it amazing?” Octavia asked me when she saw me. “I told Coco about our plans yesterday and she made this.” “It’s nothing really. I just thought you should look your best on your favorite holiday.” “I know I’ve said it before, but if you need anything, and I mean anything, please feel free to ask.” “Golden, there’s a suit for you in your room.” “Thanks, Coco.” “What’s wrong?” Octavia asked with some concern. She knew me so well that she could tell that something was wrong just by my voice. “Promise you won’t get mad?” “They’re making you work tomorrow, aren’t they?” “It’s not just that. I’m going to Ponyville.” “What?” “Princess Celestia gave Twilight a special task and she wants me to make sure that it gets done.” “So your mother put that responsibility on you?” “Apparently. Look, I tried everything and I couldn’t get out of it. I’m so sorry. If you want, I can put on the suit and we could go out right now.” “It’s not that I wanted to go out and have everyponies’ eyes on me. I just wanted to watch the sun raise with you. We could have been living in a cardboard box for all I care. So long as I get to watch the sun rise with you.” “Can I say something?” Coco said with a low voice. “Why don’t you go with him?” “It’s a nice thought Coco, but I have to play for the celebration here.” “So, there’s no way for you two to see the sunrise tomorrow?” “I guess not,” Octavia said while trying fight off tears. It always killed me to see her like that and I always try to stop her from crying. “Hang on,” I said as I rushed into my room. I went to the nightstand on my side of the bed. I pulled out a black felt box and went back to the living room and handed it to Octavia. “What’s this?” She opened the box and took out a gold bracelet with her cutie mark engraved in it. “I was planning on giving it to you tomorrow when the sun came up, but seeing how that’s not an option anymore, I thought now would be good. Whenever you wear this, I’ll be with you.” “I love it, Golden.” Octavia put on the bracelet and hugged me. We didn’t go out that night, but we didn’t leave each other all night. Coco did go out to give us some privacy. Dinner was a three cheese, vegetable lasagna with alfrado sauce. She played a few songs for me and we went to bed shortly afterward. I got to sleep in the next day and eat Octavia’s amazing breakfast. She tried to convince me not to go, but I didn’t have a choice. She walked with me to the landing area were we found Twilight and her baby dragon, Spike. I hugged Twilight and was amazed on how big she got. It’s when I realized that she wasn’t a little filly anymore, she was a young mare. “And, I have an even more essential task for you to complete:” Spike said, reading from a letter, “make some friends!” “That’s it?” I said. “I had to cancel dinner plans with my marefriend just to make sure Twilight makes friends?” “I don’t like it either,” Twilight said. “Besides I have friends. My brother, you, Cadence, Octavia, Vinyl.” “Now I get it. Twilight, you need friends your age.” “Why? I like hanging out with you and Cadence and all of you.” “To be fair, you haven’t really been hanging out with us. You spend most of your time in the library or off with Celestia. Sometimes, you have to stop reading those old dusty books.” “You sound just like her,” Twilight said with a bit of depression. “What’s wrong?” “It’s just that Nightmare Moon is returning and no pony believes me.” “I believe you.” “Really?” “A little. I mean those tales have to come from somewhere.” “So, you’ll help me get through my check list so I can get back to the library ASAP?” “Sorry Twi, but Princess Celestia gave me my own list. By the looks of it, he wants me to be in charge of Celestia’s visit. “Step 1: Talk to Twilight about her special task. Check. Looks like I’m already a head of you.” Twilight and I talked for a little while longer while Spike seemed to roll his eyes at everything we said. The chariot landed. Some pink pony freaked out when she Twilight and was gone in a flash. Step 2: Make sure Twilight makes friends. She seems like she’s got a good grip on things. Step 3: Investigate the area where the sun is to be raised. I took the two guards flying our chariot and headed to city hall. There was a mare in city hall when we reached there. She was deciding between two main color schemes, using her magic to switch between two banners. “Maybe if I…no,” she said, not realizing we entered. “Well this one works here, but this works so much better here.” “Excuse me, miss,” I said. “Not now, but can you tell me what you think? This one reminds me of the day and waking up to a beautiful day, but this one just screams royalty.” “They look fine, but miss-” “Look fine? These are some of the rarest materials outside of Manehatten. I spent months making clothing for free just to get enough fabric to make these banners and all you can say is they ‘Look fine’? Who do you think you are?” She turned to face me and she started blushing when she saw I was a guard. I found it a little funny that her pure white face turned red. I wanted to laugh, but I am on duty. “I’m so sorry,” she said, “I didn’t realize you were a guard.” “It’s fine miss.” “You can call me Rarity. To what do I owe the pleasure?” “Just a routine check for the princess’s arrival. These two guards are going to look for all doors, so we know where to post guards. They are also going to check for structural weakness and any possible entry points. We will only be a minute, but if you could give us any information, that will make the search go by a lot faster.” “Sorry, darling, but I was never concerned with how things were made.” I gave the guards a nod and they started their search. “So, are you some high ranking guard?” “No Miss Rarity. There are higher ranks, but I am in command of a few stallions.” “Well I always liked a stallion who could take charge.” Rarity had a seductive smile on her face. I knew that if I didn’t shut this down now, it would only get worse. Plus Octavia and/or Vinyl would probably kill me. “Ma’am, I am currently obligated to not talk about my personal or love life at this time.” “Oh I get it. I’ll just have to talk to you after the party.” I started to look around to make sure the other guards wouldn’t hear me as I told her that I have a marefriend. Unfortunately, one guard was quickly coming towards me. He told me that the search of the building was complete and he noted where the doors were. I didn’t have much time to complete the list, so I had to say goodbye to Rarity. I was kicking myself because she believes that something can happen between us, but I would never cheat on Octavia. The rest of the day was a little boring. It was mainly making sure none of the citizens were planning anything. Like they would. Ponyville is a nice little community. All the shops were family owned, most of the things here were made from scratch, and everypony knows each other. It’s a real nice place to settle down or just get away from the big city. Odds of one planning anything diabolical are exactly zero percent. Celestia raised the moon, meaning she was on her way here. I waited near town hall with the other two guards and the Mayor. I was wondering what happened to Twilight, but then I noticed a party at a library treehouse. Twilight wasn’t one for parties, but she couldn’t stay away from a library, especially if she gets to live in it. Celestia arrived with a few guards, enough to put one at each of the spots noted in the city hall. She introduced herself to the Mayor and the Mayor took us the city hall. Above the main room is a bedroom. It’s a VIP room used for the most important ponies. When we reached the city hall and I gave the guards their positions, while the Mayor, Celestia, and I made out way to the bedroom. “This room was made just for you, Princess,” the Mayor said. “I’m sorry this room isn’t big enough for the both of you.” “It’s fine, Madame Mayor,” I said. “I wasn’t planning on staying.” “Thank you, Madame Mayor,” Celestia said. “If you wouldn’t mind, I would like a moment.” “Of course.” The Mayor left the room, leaving me and Celestia. I was looking out the window to the Everfree Forest. “Beautiful, isn’t it?” Celestia said as she stood next to me. I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t respond. “You know I was looking out this window when I first saw that darkness in the forest.” “I still remember that day. Octavia says I still have nightmares and talk in my sleep.” “I’ve replayed that day so many times and thought about all the different things I could have done. I could have just gone to bed or decided not to go out in the rain. I would have hated myself. Plus, I would have never gotten the chance to be your mother.” “You know, I wondered what my life would have been like if you didn’t find me. I would probably would have been raised by somepony else or some feral creature living in the Everfree Forest. I would have never met you, Cadence, Shining, Octavia. That thought scares me a little, but I’m happy that it’s not reality.” “How much do you love her?” “More than anything in the world. I honestly don’t know what I would do without her.” “So, you’re probably want to start a family someday?” “Hopefully.” “Well then, a higher salary would help.” “Where are you going with this?” “Captain Iron Side is retiring soon. He’s been asking around for suggestions and your name has been thrown around.” “I’m not going to take the job because you told Captain Iron Side to give it to me.” “It’s not guaranteed. I’ve also heard Shining’s name being tossed around a few times.” “So you sent me here to give me the leg up?” “I asked for you because I trust you the most. Look Golden, all I’m saying is that if you really want this job, you have to really work for it.” “Thanks mom. I don’t know when’s the last time I’ve told you this, but I’m lucky to have somepony like you to watch over me. I love you, mom.” “I love you too. Now, go see what happened to Twilight. My hope is that she is at that party meeting new ponies.” I left the room, and headed down to the main room. I took a quick look around at Rarity’s handiwork. Just when I was about to leave, somepony tapped me on the shoulder. “Hey princy boy,” The voice said. I turned around and was immediately punched across the face. The room started to spin and then everything went black. ---------- “Guard!” A familiar voice said. “Please wake up!” My vision started to return to me. I saw Rarity shaking me violently. I was in the VIP room with a few other passed out guards and five other mares. “Oh thank goodness you are awake.” “What happened?” “It’s Princess Celestia. She’s gone missing and Nightmare Moon has returned.” “What?” “We can explain on the way,” an orange mare said. “Way to where?” “The Library silly,” The pink one said. “Why are we going to the library?” “Because that Twilight mare knows something,” a light blue pegasus said, “but Rarity insisted we have a guard with us.” “We don’t know what we’re up against, Rainbow Dash. He is sworn to protect us. Plus he might know something that we need.” “Fine. Can we go now?” “Give him some time to recover. He was unconscious for a few hours.” “I’m fine. I have to find the Princess and stop Nightmare Moon. You said that Twilight might know something. We need to go to her.” “How do you know Twilight?” Rainbow Dash said as she got into my face. “Are you a spy too?” “Um, I don’t think either of them are spies.” A yellow pegasus said softly. “I’m not a spy! I’m Golden Shield, a member of the royal guard. It’s my duty to make sure Princess Celestia is safe at all times. Now, I’m going to find Twilight. You’re welcome to come with me or not.” I got out of the bed and made my way to the library. The other five mares followed me. They introduced themselves on the way and filled me in on what happened while I was passed out. Princess Celestia went missing and then Nightmare Moon appeared. She promised everlasting night. I honestly didn’t care about that. I just wanted to make sure my mom was safe. We reached the library to find Twilight already looking through her books looking for something called The Elements of Harmony. Pinkie quickly found the book after looking under the E section. The Elements of Harmony are six magical objects that were used to banish Nightmare Moon to the moon in the first place. According to the book, the elements were found in the Castle of the Two Sisters, which was in the Everfree Forest. We had no other option, but to go to the castle and find the elements. “Are you okay?” Twilight asked me as we stood at the entrance of the forest. The other mares already went in, even after Twilight told them to stay in Ponyville. “My mom was kidnapped, I was knocked out, and there’s a very good chance that I’m going to lose my job.” “I mean about going into the forest.” “I’ll be fine. It’s been a while, but I think I’ll be fine.” I was lying. In fact, I had a nightmare last night, but I wasn’t going to let Twilight know that. Twilight and I caught up with the other mares and the seven of us made our way to the castle. The forest was exactly as I remembered it. The trees were twisted with grim faces, the darkness would retract when we approached it and retreat when we weren’t looking. Worst of all, there was a feeling that we were being watched. Rarity tried to keep next to me and would jump at the smallest cricket chirp. I couldn’t tell her that I was taken. If I’m protecting the princess, then I’m on duty. “So, what’s it like being a royal guard?” Rainbow Dash asked me. “It’s a lot of standing ma’am.” “What about the pay? Is the pay good?” “Rainbow Dash,” Rarity said, “Give the stallion some room to breathe.” “It’s fine miss. The pay is good enough.” “Apparently, they’re paying too much.” a hooded figure said. I recognized the voice as the pony that punched me. “Seriously, being KO’ed by one punch.” Instinctively, I put myself in between the mares and the figure, making sure Twilight was the safest. “Who are you?” I asked. “Nightingale,” he said as he removed his cloak. He was a very dark blue pegasus with a white mane. “I am Nightmare Moon’s right hand stallion. She gave me a very special task. She wants me to make sure that you’re out of the way.” He cracked his knuckles and gave me a menacing look. “We need to keep going,” Twilight said. “Oh, you ladies are free to go. I just need to make sure that his journey stops here.” “Go, Twilight. I have some unfinished business with him.” The mares looked at each other and decided that Twilight was right, they need to keep moving. The mares moved pass Nightingale, but Twilight was a bit hesitant. “You need to go, Twilight. Just promise me that you’ll find her.” “Promise me you’ll be careful.” Twilight hugged me and then ran off with the other mares. Nightingale and I faced each other. He had a cocky look on his face. I don’t remember who threw the first punch, but we were fighting. He was defiantly faster than me, but I had my spells and hit a little harder. I would throw a punch, he would dodge by flying and coming back with a punch, I would teleport and then launch a spell, and he would dodge again. We lost track of how long we’ve been fighting, but we did do some damage to each other. It wasn’t anything too bad, but we were going to feel it in the morning. Finally, I got the upper hand. One of my spells clipped his wing, making him fall to the ground. I took the chance and bound him to the ground. “There,” I said, out of breath. “I win.” “No you don’t. This isn’t over until my mom gets here.” “Wait, what?” “Good job, boys,” said a voice from behind me. I turned around to see Nightmare Moon standing right behind me. The second I turned around, Nightmare Moon casted a spell that bounded me to a tree. “Very entertaining.” “Thanks, mom. Now set me free.” “Sorry, Night. The only one that can free you is currently missing a princess.” “And I’m not letting go until you release her.” “Well, I’m afraid that’s not going to happen. Don’t worry, Night, his spell isn’t as strong as mine. You’ll be free in a few hours. Now you two play nice. I have some mares to stop.” Nightmare Moon turned into this black mist and she was gone. Nightingale and I just sat in silence. Neither of us knew what to say. To be honest, I was a little shocked to learn that Nightmare Moon had a son. “So, what’s your story?” He asked after a while. “What do you care?” “Nothing better to do, Might as well talk, I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours. Trust me, you want to hear my story.” “Alright, if your story is so good, then why don’t you go first?” “Oh no. I asked you first.” “Fine. When I was four, I was being chased by some darkness that I could never explain. Princess Celestia, found me and the darkness disappeared. She took me to Ponyville to find my parents, but they weren’t there. She had to go back to Canterlot and took me with her. Two years later, she adopted me. Your turn.” “Alright. I was lost here, in the Everfree Forest, during a storm when I was about six. I can’t remember why I was there, but I was just walking through. I found my way out and then the storm suddenly stopped. I looked by and saw the mare in the moon. I couldn’t explain it, but there was something about it that made me feel safe. I thought about going into the town, but I decided against it. I eventually found The Children of the Night, an organization who appreciated the night and wanted to bring Nightmare Moon back. I told them about how I felt a connection to the moon and they decided to take me in. Over the years, we worked to bring Nightmare Moon back. When she did return, she hugged me first and told me that she was watching over me the entire time. She said that she felt like she was my mom, so I became her son.” “Small world. Why are you being nice to me? An hour ago, we were killing each other.” “I’ve been watching you for a while, and I like you. You seem like a good stallion, loving coltfriend, strong guard. The only reason I had to fight you is because I couldn’t let my mom down.” “I’ve been there.” Nightingale and I talked for a little while longer. I decided to let him go, but he didn’t run off to try and help Nightmare Moon. Instead he tried his best to free me from the spell which kept me to the tree. The spell eventually faded when the sun started to raise. “Looks like your friend did it.” “Yeah. Are you going to be okay?” “I should be. I just have to stay away from major cities because of that whole treason thing.” “I’ll talk to my mom. You’ll be fine, but you have to come with me.” We walked back to Ponyville to find they were celebrating. I found out that Twilight was going to move to Ponyville. This was going to crush Shining, but I feel like it’s something that she has to do. I was a little proud of her, but that wasn’t important right now. Nightingale started looking around for his mom. Standing on a chariot was Princess Celestia and standing next to her was a smaller mare with a dark blue coat with a lighter shade of blue for her mane. I recognized her by the family tree as Princess Luna. Nightingale ran up to her and they stared into each other’s eyes. “Are you still my mom?” he asked. “Do you still want me to be?” Luna asked. “When you were on the moon, I made a connection with somepony. That’s who I want to be my mom.” “It was a little bit of Nightmare Moon, but it was mostly me. I may not be her anymore, but I still love you, Nightingale.” “I love you too, mom.” The two of them hugged and started to cry a bit. I stood next to Celestia, who was crying too. I have to admit, it was a touching moment and I started to tear up myself. “Beautiful moment, isn’t it?” I asked my mom. “I got my sister back, she gets to keep her son, and you gained a cousin. Are you okay? I heard that the two of you got into a nasty fight.” “I’ll be fine. It’s just a few scratches and bruises. What about you? What did she do to you?” “I couldn’t really tell. It was all dark, but the spell was broken when Twilight and her friends defeated Nightmare Moon.” “What’s going to happen to Nightingale? I mean, he did commit treason.” “Captain Iron Side is probably put him through a trial and lock him away.” “He can’t do that. He was just trying to help his mother. If the rolls were switched, I would do the exact same thing. He didn’t knock me out and fight me because he wanted to overthrow the government. He was doing it because he loves his mom.” “Golden, I know that and you know that, but no pony else does. I can try my best to make sure he spends as little time as possible in prison, but that’s about it.” “Okay. Thanks mom.” We spent some time celebrating with the ponies of Ponyville. Princess Luna and Nightingale went off to get to know each other a little better. After a few hours, Princess Celestia decided to go back to Canterlot. She, Luna, and Nightingale left in the chariot Celestia came in. Twilight wanted to stay for a little while longer and talk with her friends. I didn’t mind, although I was dying to see Octavia. We did eventually leave after about an hour. “So, you’re going to move away from Canterlot?” I asked her. “Looks that way. Do you think I’m making a mistake? If I leave Canterlot, then I’ll be leaving you, Cadence, Princess Celestia, my family, and especially my brother.” “I think you should do whatever makes you happy. It doesn’t matter if that means living in Ponyville or living in Canterlot. What do you think is going to make you happy?” “Well, I did like being with those girls, but I’m going to miss you guys. Plus, I’ve never even spent a night away from home. How am I going live?” “You still have Spike.” I looked over to the little dragon, who was asleep. The little guy loved sleeping, but he was a baby dragon after all “Yeah, but…” “You don’t want to be away from your brother.” “He’s my BBBFF. We share everything and I can trust him with my life. I mean, it’s not like I can’t trust you, but we have a bond that nothing can break.” “Twilight, I know how much you love your brother, but I haven’t seen you this happy since, well, since you got your cutie mark. Those five mares, bring out the best part of you and you bring out the best in them. I’m going to be honest, I’m going to miss you like there’s no tomorrow, but I want to see you happy. I love you like a sister, Twi.” Twilight was on the brink of crying. She quickly gave me a hug and I hugged back. Twilight told me that I was an honorary BBBFF and that she was going to miss me too. Most of the rest of the ride back to Canterlot was talking about what Twilight expects to happen. Octavia was waiting for me when we landed. She immediately ran up to me and threw her arms around me. She told me that she was scared when the sun didn’t raise, but then she realized that I would make sure that it would happen. I told her everything that happened to me and that Twilight was moving to Ponyville. Octavia started to come up with plans to make sure this was going to be Twilight’s best last night in Canterlot. I was about to walk off with Octavia, but then we were stopped by one of the guards. Captain Iron Side wanted to see me in the throne room. Part of me wanted to tell him that I was busy or just to screw off, mainly because last time I did I got knocked out. That would probably mean that I would lose my job, so I complied. The guard led me to the throne room, although I didn’t really need him because it wasn’t like I lived her for about fourteen years. I saw Celestia, Luna, Cadence, Iron Side, and Shining waiting for me in there. I wasn’t really sure what was going on. “Thank you for joining us, Golden,” Celestia said. “Now that we’re all here, Captain, what is it that you wanted to tell us?” “When the sun didn’t raise this morning, I started to get worried. My first instinct was to run to my wife and daughters and make sure that she makes it through this. When the sun did come back up, I realized something. The whole thing was a metaphor for me. My time as Captain of the Royal Guard is setting and a new Captain time is starting. So, I am officially retiring tomorrow. By this time tomorrow, there will be a new Captain of the Royal Guard. I believe I get to name my successor. After consideration I officially name the best damn guards we have, Golden Shield and Shining Armor, the new Captains of the Royal Guard.” Everypony was shocked. It was a lot to process, especially the part when he not only named me Captain of the Royal Guard, but Shining too. I was happy because it meant that the two of us didn’t have to compete for the title, but a little surprise that it happened. “Can he do that?” Cadence asked. “He can,” Luna said. “The Captain’s duty is to protect and serve Equestria and his princesses. Unless the policy has changed since I’ve been gone, then there is nothing that says that two ponies can’t fulfill that role.” “Are you sure you want to do this, Captain Iron Side?” “I’m sure. I want to spend plenty of time with my family and I can’t do that if I’m Captain. I know that these two stallions can handle the task. Shining, your main duty is to administer the guards to where they need to go. Golden, you’re going to make sure nothing happens to these three mares. At the same time, neither of you forget the oath you two took on your first day. Your first duty is, and will always will be, to protect and serve. As of tomorrow, I leave the safety of Equestria in your hands.” “Thank you, sir.” I said, trying to hold back a smile. “We won’t let you down, sir.” Shining said, failing to hold in a smile. Cadence, Shining, and I walked out of the throne room and found Octavia was waiting for us outside the room. She looked worried and I assumed that she thought I got fired too. “What happened?” She asked. “You’re looking at the new Captains of the Royal Guard,” Shining said. “Both of you?” “The Captain has two main duties,” Cadence explained. “Captain Iron Side just split the duties between them.” “That’s wonderful news! Aren’t you excited, Golden?” “Yeah, I guess.” “What’s wrong?” Octavia asked. “He’s retiring.” “Yeah, that’s how we got the job.” “No, you guys don’t understand. He’s a father figure to me. Everything I’ve done was to make him proud. I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for him. And now, he’s just going to be gone. “You have made me proud, son,” Captain Iron Side said from behind me. I turned around to face him and saw a big smile on his face. “Golden, you’re the son I never had and I am so fortunate to have met you. I’ve watched you grown up and I will go to my grave saying that you are one of the best guards this place has ever seen. Now, I wouldn’t have given you this job if I didn’t think you were qualified for it. It’s time for you to make me even more proud, son.” That was one of the last things Captain Iron Side said to me, besides all the ceremonial things. The first thing Captain Iron Side did was go visit his daughters with his wife. Then the two traveled around Equestria for a while, moving to Las Pegasus to settle down. I attended his funeral when his time came and I was told that he never stopped talking about me, but that’s further down the road. Octavia decided to throw a party for me, Shining and Twilight in our apartment. It was more of a little get together between the five of us, Twilight, and some friends that we made over the years. Octavia has been throwing parties like these at least once a month. She says it’s on opportunity for friends to keep in touch, which see needed because she was always practicing for concerts. Coco and I didn’t mind, but Vinyl was a different story. Most of the time, however, she was off either DJ-ing or partying. This wasn’t one of those nights. “I can’t believe this,” Vinyl said after taking a sip of beer. She was wearing a dress that Coco made for her, although she would rather be in jeans and a tank top. “The one night I have off and I have to spend it in a stupid dress. I just wanted one night to listen to my music, but no I have to act all frufru because you got a promotion. I can’t believe Tavi.” “At least she gave you your beer.” “Yeah, like two. I can’t even get a buzz going with just two beers.” “Besides, it’s not just for me. This is Twilight’s last night in Canterlot. Octy wants to give her a proper farewell. Besides, you look good in that dress.” “Don’t push it. So, how was your trip to Ponyville?” “Besides me being knocked out and my mom being kidnapped, it was pretty nice. It’s a small community that where everypony knows each other.” “So, no problems at all?” “Well…there was this one mare.” “What?” “She was all over me and I couldn’t get away from her. I wanted to tell her that I had a marefriend, but I couldn’t because I was on duty. It was nothing.” “Let’s hope you’re right.” “Just do me a favor and not tell Octy. I don’t want her to think that I cheated on her or I’m going to cheat on her.” “Okay, but hope that this doesn’t come back to bite you in the ass.” The rest of the party was what I imagined the gala would be like. Most of it was just ponies talking with classical music playing in the background. I loved Octavia’s parties because I feel like an adult. Of course I felt like an adult whenever I go to work, but that’s because I have to stand up straight and look like an adult. Here, I get to act like one with other ponies. I could barely sleep that night. I was way too excited to officially be named Captain of the Royal Guard. The next day, the first thing Captain Iron Side did was officially announce that today was his last day and that Shining and I were to take his place. There was a bit of a shock that he named two ponies captain, but if wouldn’t be able to choose between either of us if they were in his position. Princess Celestia invited every guard to a special dinner that night, with me, Shining, and former Captain Iron Side being the guests of honor. The dinner was amazing. It was the first time that I was allowed to sit at the main table with my mom and aunt. I was allowed to bring a guest, which was of course Octavia. She said that she could never repay me for bringing her, but it was nothing. After that main course, Luna came behind me. She looked completely different. She was much taller, her main was darker, and she had a more authoritative look. “Captain Golden, may I talk to you in private?” Luna asked me. “Sure,” I said. I gave Octavia a kiss on the cheek and then walked off with my aunt. I followed her to the tower and out to the balcony. “You did an amazing job with the stars,” I said as I looked up at the night’s sky. “Thank you, Captain. It has been a while, but it still looks like I have the touch.” “Can I ask what happened? Yesterday you were small and looked completely different.” “Yes, being on the moon for a thousand years froze my aging process. Once I raised the moon and put the stars in the sky, I aged to this. I had to make my decision to continue aging or live forever on the spot. I decide to live with my sister forever.” “What did you want to talk about?” “I make it a point to know the Captain of the Royal Guard. Not only that, but you are my nephew and what kind of aunt would I be if I didn’t know you.” “What do you want to know?” “Not much. I have been watching you for some time now. It was the one part of Nightmare Moon that I could control. There was something about you and Nightingale that almost brought me back. However, your dreams tell a different story. You still fear the darkness that chased you when you were younger.” “After what happened, I think I’ll be fine. More importantly, you were in my dreams?” “I am the princess of the night and it is my duty to keep you safe, even in your dreams. That’s why I sent that mare made of light.” “So, that wasn’t my real mom?” “Sadly, no. The mare made of light is an entirety I use to help rid ponies of nightmares. She does give off a warm feeling that most ponies associate with their mother. Unfortunately, I could not find your birth mother, but I know you are happy with my sister.” “I am, and I’m glad that you’re my aunt.” She hugged me and we talked a little more before returning to the dining hall. Most of the ponies cleared out, leaving only a few lucky ponies who got tickets to this dinner and Octavia and Celestia catching up. We decided to leave because Octavia was feeling tired and it would be best if I rest up. Tomorrow is my first day of being Captain of the Royal Guard.