The crowd around us began to disperse as some of the ponies moved over near the DJ and started dancing and others went to the picnic table full of cake and punch and every sugary treat imaginable. Storybook Heart gave a cheer and threw her hooves into the air "Lunar Sweets parties are the best!" She almost fell off Princess Luna's back and Princess Luna spread out her wing so Storybook could slide down to the ground and she took off into the fray.
The Princess and I began walking around. A few ponies would come up to us and ask Luna questions. A few of the ponies were bat ponies with special talents related to fighting or guarding and asked for positions on the Night Guard. The Princess answered by telling them to come to the castle in Canterlot and speak to the Captain, who had set up a bi-monthly boot camp to train new guards.
At one point a light brown earth pony with a golden yellow mane and a golden apple cutie mark came trotting up and kneeled before Luna before being told to stand. "Princess, may ah I ask if y'all are planning on takin' us back to Equestria common?" he asked.
Luna looked at him with a kindly smile. "What is your name my little pony?" she asked. "Are you by chance related to Applejack of Ponyville?"
"Yes ma'am I am. Mah name is Alderman Apple at yer service, I run the apple farm on the north side of town. Applejack is mah third cousin twice removed. I don't get to see her very often though what with the difficulty organizing a re-entry outside the full moon but every few years the family reunion is on just the right day as to not cause too much difficulty," he replied.
"Well Alderman, I am sure Applejack will be quite happy for the chance to see you again. We will decide what we are going to do at the town meeting tomorrow night, but no matter what the Children of the Night will always be welcome in Equestria. I'll make sure of that," said the Princess in reply.
"Thank ya kindly Princess," said the stallion. "I'll be right happy when I can visit my family again."
As the stallion excused himself to rejoin the party, we continued our walk around the park. Everything here was so serene. There was a lake in the center of the park that glittered in the moonlight like a brilliant sapphire, fireflies filled the air around us like earthbound stars. I looked over at the Princess and saw a smile on her face. "These ponies," she started, "They made quite the life for themselves, I almost find it difficult to believe that so many looked up to me, that they were waiting for me."
"I don't think it's so hard to believe," I responded. "You're an amazing princess. I can't even look at the night sky without thinking of how much it reflects the beauty of its creator."
The Princess looked down at me and I realized what I had just said and blushed. "I-I-I mean..."
The Princess chuckled and said "I understand Cloud. I work hard to make the night as beautiful as it is. The night sky didn't hold so many stars at first, I put them there in an effort to get ponies to notice, though they never seemed to take much notice at all. I feel like I was so blind." She stopped walking and looked at me, "I want to thank you Cloud Twist. None of this would have happened if you hadn't started it."
"I only did what had to be done Princess. I do regret that so many died, and then I just abandoned the few survivors. All of this..." I waved a hoof at our surroundings, "It wasn't me. I had a campful of followers and I led them to their deaths while I got to live and return to your side. The few survivors of that attack were the ones who did all the work in making this place as amazing as it is."
"You give yourself too little credit Cloud," she replied. "None of them would have even gotten together in the first place if not for you. Even if you only played a part in starting it, you were still a key figure in their history. As for leading them to their deaths, don't imagine for a second that you are the first or the last leader to lead ponies to their deaths." The Princess got a misty gaze in her eyes for a second before shaking it away. I look at her curiously, wondering if...
Seeing my look she said, "It's a story for another time Cloud. Just know that you're not alone, you may have made some mistakes, but you did a lot of good too. With time you were forgiven, now you must forgive yourself."
"The same can be said for you, Princess," I replied. "Just look around, they're throwing a party to celebrate your long awaited return. Your loyal followers waited a thousand years for you to come back to them, they never lost hope."
"You're right, Cloud. It makes me happy to see that through everything, these ponies never gave up on me. At the same time it makes me feel sad that I gave up on them." A tear sparkled in Luna's eyes and I wiped it away as it fell.
"Didn't you just tell me that I had to forgive myself?" I asked. "I think it's time you forgave yourself, just as these ponies have forgiven you." Luna looked at me with surprise at having her words thrown back at her. "You're right, Cloud." she giggled. "To think you have become so wise, you've come a long way since the day you first joined my Night Guard all those years ago."
"That was a very long time ago Princess. Many lifetimes have passed since then."
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"Atteennntion!" called out the General as he paced in front of our lineup of recruits. "Congratulations, you have endured a full year of the most grueling, spirit-breaking, mind-numbing training in all of Equestria! You have all earned a place in the Royal Guard. This is where you part ways, as some of you go to the Day Guard and others will choose the Night Guard. The best of your comrades will given a rank increase. The rest of you, pay attention! These are the best of the best and they will be your superiors!"
Myself and four unicorns stepped forward. Only we 5 had the skill to be given an automatic rank of Sergeant upon graduation. I was proud of what I had accomplished and it brought me one step closer to my ultimate goal, the Captain of the Night Guard. I knew from the moment I first saw the Princess of the Night that there was no other career for me. Boot camp even helped me get my cutie mark. I looked back to see the picture of a cloud wrapped in the eye of a tornado on my flank and smiled before looking forward again.
"These 5 ponies will receive an automatic rank of Sergeant..." the General stopped and looked off to the side as both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna walked onto the training field. We all bowed as the Princesses approached the front of our lineup.
"WE ARE VERY PROUD TO HAVE SUCH A WONDERFUL GROUP OF SOLDIERS JOIN OUR RANKS!" said Princess Celestia in the Royal Canterlot voice. "WITH EACH PASSING YEAR THE RECRUITS BECOME STRONGER AND THIS GROUP IS NO DIFFERENT, YOU ARE SOME OF THE MOST SKILLED PONIES TO JOIN OUR RANKS IN MANY YEARS. YOU WILL ALL MAKE A FINE ADDITION TO THE ROYAL GUARD!"
As Princess Celestia was speaking, Princess Luna was walking among our ranks. As she approached me, I could not hide the look of awe and adoration from my face as I looked at her. When she got to me, she stopped with a curious look on her face, before continuing down the line.
When Princess Celestia finished speaking, we were all asked to line up and register for either the Night Guard or the Day Guard. Of course I did not even hesitate to sign up for the Night Guard. I was on my way and nothing would stop me now.