Night Guards: Epilogue
Most ponies these days believe that we can do no wrong. That is not true. We are mortal too, but we live on a different time scale. And the burden we bear is this – a mistake lasting only a moment in our lives can last a lifetime for somepony else. Our capacity to inflict suffering is vastly disproportionate to our capacity for self-control, imperfect as we are. There are times when –
“Luna, may I come in?” A single knock on the door followed.
Risen already? She glanced out the window and saw the rays of the sun reaching into her room. How long had she stayed up past sunrise? She hastily set aside the quill and ink and buried her journal under a copy of Canterlot: A Thousand Years of Tradition.
“You may,” she answered.
“What are you doing so late in the morning?” Tia asked as she trotted in.
“Preparing myself,” Luna replied. Nightmare Night was fast approaching, and she wanted to be ready before presenting herself to Ponyville. Since her first time there, after she had been restored by Twilight Sparkle and her friends, she had grown as she recovered from the magical regressing effects of the Elements. She hoped to at least carry herself in a manner more fitting of her current stature, especially since she was the one who had ‘invented’ the occasion for the festivities – if indirectly. It was somewhat absurd to think that anypony would make a holiday out of that night – she still had sleepless days when she recalled what she had done to Equestria. The memories were crystal clear, including the parts when she was Nightmare Moon. Still… if Tia thought it would be best for her to make an appearance on that particular night, she would do so.
Her sister chuckled. “Luna, this isn’t a diplomatic visit like the ones you’ve just been to. These aren’t griffons or dragons – they’re ponies like us. Just be yourself.” She looked pointedly at the thick volume on top of her journal and added, “And about that book…”
“Tia, you did promise to let me manage this on my own.”
Another chuckle. “Very well, if you wish it.”
Luna pouted. That smile was a little too knowing for her taste. Almost as if she was expecting her to make some blunder. It was probably a private jest amongst the palace ponies – she had been away from civilisation for too long. Well, she was going to brush up properly on local traditions to avoid any mistakes of that sort.
“Sister, do… do you have a moment?”
Luna could see that something was bothering Tia – she always shifted her wings like that when she had something weighing down on her mind. “What is the matter?” she asked.
“Can you walk with me to the old armoury? We will talk on the way.”
“Very well.” Luna set her books aside and trotted after her sister.
* * * * *
The first few minutes of their walk were filled with silence. Luna waited patiently – her sister would only speak when she was ready, and not before. She allowed her thoughts to wander instead, and her gaze shifted to the view outside, through the row of windows as they trotted past them. Rolling hills and green valleys lay in the land far below, with a little river winding its way through them all. An old view that she remembered from an age long ago, though the valleys had grown deeper since that time.
“Luna, I’m sorry,” Tia said when they were close to the armoury.
She rolled her eyes. “We have spoken of this before – I am the one who should be apologising, not the other way around.”
The white alicorn shook her head. “Not that. I was speaking of something else. I… I have been waiting for the right time to tell you, but it simply never came. It was too early when you were first restored to us, and then you were busy catching up with a thousand years’ worth of knowledge, and when Discord returned…”
Him. Luna’s mood soured at the very thought of the draconequus. It was too bad that she had been away when the snake broke out of his prison; she would have been eager for the opportunity to give him a taste of what she had put her subjects through in her time as Nightmare Moon. Still, she tried to put him out of her thoughts, as it appeared that he was not the subject of Tia’s concern.
“Do you remember Anv – ”
“Of course I do.” That was another thought she did not want to deal with. Not at the moment, anyway. It was… too painful.
“You’re not my friends.” – those were the last words she ever said to them. And Summer Cloud; she had cursed her own sister’s apprentice a sneak and a traitor… And they would have taken those last words of hers to their graves. Apart from Tia, everypony else she knew would be long gone by now – and even if they weren’t, she doubted they would hold her in high esteem. Asking after them would have been almost pointless.
“I know that it can be difficult for you to adjust – Equestria has changed much since you were gone, but you do not have to go through it alone.”
Luna blinked. That was quite a switch in subjects. Tia, what are you up to?
“We’re here,” her elder sister announced when they stood before a pair of great iron doors set in the inner wall of the palace. The doors parted, and they trotted into the darkness within. With a simple spell, they had conjured two sufficiently bright globes of light to hover by their sides. Rusty, worn sets of royal guard barding hung on the racks by the walls, along with notched blades and dented shields. Loose links of chains and old leather straps were piled up on a large table in a corner. The floor was rough and grainy with dirt and dust.
“It looks like nopony has been here in centuries,” Luna commented as she brushed aside a cobweb.
“Partly true,” Tia agreed.
She raised an eyebrow. “Partly?”
Her sister gestured forward with a hoof. “Deeper in.”
They navigated the piles of old armour and weaponry, past broken desks and racks, until they found a rusty old wooden door. Tia produced a key and attempted to unlock it, but there was a little creak and a sharp clink when the locking mechanism jammed. Her sister frowned at the key still stuck in there, then shrugged and simply covered the door in a golden aura and pushed. The door’s bolt and hinges groaned briefly before they snapped. Tia then placed the wrecked door by the side and beckoned Luna forward.
She trotted in, and found the room to be circular in shape, with plain stone walls leading up to a vaulted ceiling. There were no windows. Dusty old crates were stacked haphazardly around the room, and Tia indifferently swept them aside with magic to make space. There was a wide, round pedestal in the middle, just barely a foot high, and on it stood two statues of pale stone. They were shrouded in cobwebs, but she could tell from the bulges on the sides that they were both pegasi. Her sister stood before them, as if trying to recall some long lost memory.
“Tia, what is this about?”
“Let me show you.” So saying, the white alicorn conjured a wind and swept away they cobwebs and dust on the statues.
Luna blinked. Those folded wings – dragon-like. She wasn’t certain what exactly her sister had intended these for. In remembrance of her Night Guards? Unlikely. A reminder of what could happen when a princess succumbed to hate? Perhaps…
She tried to put on what she hoped was an appreciative smile, and said, “They are… very nice. But what are they supposed to be?”
And then she noticed the curve of their jaws and the set of their brows. Two names came to mind unbidden, like whispers on the wind; Anvil. Hammer. Well, that settled it – she would have to ask of their fates, now. Were these statues made to honour them? Or was infamy behind their making? Neither seemed to fit. The poses were too neutral – neither depicting heroism nor villainy. They were simply gazing ahead, like a pair of guards standing watch – they weren’t wearing armour, though.
“ – Never mind,” she added, turning to her sister, “I see them now. Tell me, what became of them after I was gone?”
“Look closer.”
She looked back at the pegasi and intensified her light globe – and noticed that the statues were a little too detailed. Nopony should be able to carve eyelashes or hair tufts like that. Then a horrifying thought struck her – would she? No, Tia would not. But then, she remembered where she had spent the last thousand years, and the doubts melted away.
Luna whirled round and stared at her sister. “You… tell me you did not…”
In answer, Tia closed her eyes and channelled a golden stream of magic at the statues. They began to tremble. Glowing, spidery cracks appeared on their surfaces, followed by a hard, grinding sound when one statue’s legs moved. Chunks of pale stone began to fall away, revealing the ashen grey coats underneath. Luna felt her jaw drop when they began to draw ragged breaths.
Stars above…
With a grunt and a mighty heave, Anvil shattered the remnants of his stony cocoon. He then dropped onto his knees and began coughing up dust and snorting tiny stone flakes out of his nostrils. Hammer’s breakout was somewhat less vocal – he simply twisted about and shook off the stone when they had broken into sufficiently loose pieces.
“That…” Anvil began, when he had caught his breath, “that was the most – ” the rest of his words consisted of a rather impressive series of expletives. Luna would never have imagined that her guard had such a propensity for colourful language. She stifled a giggle.
“Anvil…” Hammer warned, as he squinted against the light of their glowing orbs. The big pegasus was already aware that they were in the presence of royalty. He delivered a swift blow with his hoof to his companion’s head when he showed no sign of relenting in his tirade of obscenities. Anvil reeled, shook his head and blinked for a moment, right before he glared at his friend and growled, “Celestia’s flaming tits, what was that for?”
Then… he saw Tia staring wide eyed at him. His pose wilted and he grinned sheepishly. “Ah… my apologies, Your Highness. Wasn’t paying attention.” Anvil looked at the floor and shifted uncomfortably.
This time, Luna couldn’t contain her giggling.
Then, Anvil took notice of her. “Your Highness – you’re back.” His eyes widened and went up and down as he looked her over. “And… you’ve grown.” He then kneaded his forehead and turned to Tia. “How long has it been?”
“A little over a thousand years,” Celestia replied.
“That long?” Anvil turned around and took in their surroundings. “How – ”
He didn’t get to finish because Luna had rushed over and pulled him and Hammer into a tight embrace. Anvil returned the gesture wholeheartedly, Hammer, somewhat gingerly. The big pegasus still was unused to physical contact that did not involve fighting, apparently.
When they finally released each other, Luna realised that her eyes were a little wet. “Anvil, Hammer, I’m sorry,” she whispered. “Those words I said – I did not mean any of them. There is so much I need to say, I do not know where to begin – ”
“Well, you can take your time,” Celestia said, “We will first have to get these two fit for duty once more.”
Luna blinked. “Duty?”
Anvil looked confused as well, but started grinning a second later. “She’s right – if I remember correctly, you have yet to release us from your service. It would be unfitting for a guard to abandon his post.”
“But…” she protested, “It has been a thousand years!”
“My duty is eternal; never ending,” Anvil recited.
“ – until my liege release me,” Hammer continued.
“ – or death take me,” Anvil finished.
Celestia trotted forward. She was smiling too. “You chose your friends well, sister. And here, I have something for you two…” She flared her horn, and a large, worn chest floated over from its inconspicuous place amongst some crates. The lid popped open, and she lifted out metal plates and leather straps with various hues of silvery purple and midnight blue. She laid them down of the floor and said, “I believe it is time the Night Guards were reinstated, and I am charging you two with the task of learning to fit into this changed world, by my sister’s side.”
Luna felt her jaw hanging. She promptly rectified that and said, “Tia, after I am done thanking you, remind me to poison your tea and cake for turning my friends into stone.”
“Which reminds me…” Tia said with a pointed look at Anvil, “About that little thing you said about my… flaming parts…”
Anvil’s ears went flat. “I’ve just extended my sentence, haven’t I?”
“I am considering it…”
The look on Anvil’s face was that of utter dismay, and Hammer appeared to be thoroughly content watching his friend squirm under Celestia’s gaze. Luna allowed him to stew in that just a little longer before coming to his rescue. After all, it was not as if Tia truly meant him harm; she could tell when her sister was jesting – her ‘stern’ face gave it away.
“Well, if she does sentence you to further petrification, I will be there to grant you a royal pardon.”
Tia looked scandalised. “Luna, you can’t overrule me like that – ”
“Why not – we are co-rulers once more, are we not?” She gave her sister a smirk.
Celestia looked like she might argue, but relented and shook her head, smiling with mild exasperation. “Well, at least it is nice to see their influence reasserting itself so quickly. You haven’t been this impudent in ages.”
Anvil loosed a sigh of relief.
“But just so that you know – ,” Tia lifted a hoof to forestall his thanks, “We have a swearing jar now – it will be two bits for every foul word that leaves a guard’s mouth.”
“I can live with that.” The pegasus abruptly planted his haunches on the floor. He blinked and looked at his hind quarters in surprise. “Well… it appears my legs have stopped working.”
Luna realised what was happening and darted forward to catch him before he crashed face-first to the floor. Exhaustion was setting in – she could see it in the way his eyes were starting to lose focus. As she helped to prop him upright, she also noticed that Hammer was in a similar condition, though he appeared to be hiding it rather well – his legs were trembling only slightly.
Anvil grunted as he unsteadily got back onto his hooves. “Ah, you are making a bad habit of this, Your Highness. A guard should not have to be regularly saved by his princess – he would become the laughing stock of the palace.”
“You speak as if it hasn’t happened yet,” Hammer deadpanned. Anvil made a rude face at him in reply.
“Yes… I think you three will be just fine,” Celestia said. “I have had the last room in the west wing prepared for the two of you – once you are fit for duty, you can shift your quarters to the barracks. I will have your armour ready there.”
“Before we go – are there any more… surprises?” Luna asked. She wondered if there were any other bits of her past that her sister had hidden away through the centuries.
Tia shook her head. “No, no more surprises.”
“Horse apples, I knew I had forgotten something!” Anvil suddenly exclaimed. “We had meant to tell you; Discord – ” he paused uncertainly, as if the words were stuck in his mouth.
More of the old goat… “What of him?” Luna asked.
“It makes no matter. Luna has already been fully cleansed of his taint,” Celestia finished for him. “He did manage to break free recently – unsurprising, given the loss of our stewardship over the Elements. Still, he has been put back on his pedestal by the new bearers of Harmony. There is nothing more to fear of him.”
“We – ah…” he broke off with a thoughtful expression.
Luna sensed that he might have had more to say, but she decided to leave it for another time. She inclined her head to her sister in thanks and said, “Very well, then, we shall take our leave.” She took a second to conjure a magical field and then teleported the two pegasi and herself to the west wing.
* * * * *
Once they were in the well-furnished room, she locked the doors and drew them close for another embrace. A more gentle one, and this time, she did not hold back her tears.
“Ah, what’s wrong, Your Highness?” Anvil asked as she helped him to one of the beds.
Luna sniffed. “Were… were you aware the whole time? When you were trapped there?”
“Not exactly.” Hammer replied.
“It was like sleeping, mostly,” Anvil elaborated. “Dreamless. But I think there were times when I ‘woke up’ halfway and realised what had happened – those moments were… unpleasant.”
Luna could tell that he was keeping some details to himself. She could see a somewhat distant, almost haunted look in his eyes, and even Hammer had it too. Still, she hoped that they had a better time of it than she – every waking day on the moon had been torturous, even though she had been disembodied. Sleep, or the dormancy that was a feeble imitation of it, only came in short intervals, and had done nothing to lessen the utter quiet and loneliness she had experienced, completely cut off from the rest of the world. She embraced them once more and said, “I have missed you two.”
“Likewise,” they said in unison.
Just then, there was a little flash of light above one of the tables by the beds, and a tray laden with three steaming mugs appeared, along with a little note that read, “Hot chocolate for her Royal Highness Princess Luna and the Night Guards, with compliments from the royal kitchens.”
“Oh, this is something you should try,” Luna said excitedly, “Ponies did not discover the cacao plant until some centuries ago. This ‘chocolate’ that they make from the seeds is quite the delicacy.” She levitated the mugs over to her friends, who had mixed expressions of curiosity and caution. Hammer sniffed at the contents of his mug before venturing a sip; Anvil had far less reservations and took a quick swig. Luna felt a smile spread across her face when she saw their eyes widen upon their first taste of chocolate. It had been much the same for her. “What think you of it?” she asked.
“I have no complaints,” Hammer said.
Anvil rolled his eyes at his companion’s response. “Yes, very eloquently put. It’s so much more than that; it’s… well, let us say that I might not have become a smith if such a thing existed back then. I might have been one of your cooks instead.”
Hammer shook his head. “You would have poisoned the royal court on your first day.”
“You speak as if that is a bad thing,” Anvil waved a wing in dismissal. “The nobles could do with a bellyache every now and then. It might teach them to appreciate the ease of their lives a little more.”
“Even your own princess?” Luna asked with mock severity.
The pegasus took another swig of hot chocolate and nonchalantly replied, “Ah, Your Highness, I once saw you swallow Olive Swill’s ‘hay’ and ‘oats’ stew without bringing a single drop back up – if you could stomach his cooking, no meal of mine would upset your belly.”
Some things never change – and thank the stars for that. Luna chuckled and took a sip from her own mug. They spent the next few minutes in companionable silence, content to simply be in each other’s presence. Eventually, though, Luna yawned, and when she looked out the window, she realised that the day was already well into her sleeping hours. And she had no business keeping Anvil or Hammer up, either – they seemed quite ready to collapse at any moment.
“Get some rest,” she said as she cleared away the tray and empty mugs, “I will come for you at midnight, and if you are able, I shall show you around Canterlot.”
Anvil raised an eyebrow. “Canterlot? You mean…” he glanced out the window. “Well… small wonder I thought the view familiar. Canterville has changed quite a bit, hasn’t it?”
“Apparently,” Hammer said.
She stopped partly through the doorway and replied, “Yes, much has changed in the time since we last spoke.”
“What of Everfree? And if I may; how did you get back from…” he pointed a hoof skyward, “ – up there?”
Luna put up a hoof to forestall any more questions. “Rest first, history lesson later.” She then squashed the impending wave of protests by adding in her best imperious tone, “Your princess commands it.”
Anvil looked crestfallen. “Oh, very well.”
The colt-like disappointment on his face was almost too much. Luna chuckled and said, “You have my word – when you are rested, there will be a whole new world for us to learn about. Nightmare Night is in two days’ time, and I believe I have found the perfect ponies to escort me to Ponyville.”
“Good day, Princess,” Hammer said as he buried himself under the covers.
“Rest well, my friends,” she answered, and gently shut the door.