//------------------------------// // Seven: An Unintentional Surprise // Story: Celestia's New Student // by Art Inspired //------------------------------// Repeating himself again, Druid Shield explained to Trixie, “It’s simple. Twilight had a posted stallion as well when she was learning under Celestia’s wing here in Canterlot. Princess Luna and Celestia have one, too. Now, you get to have one. It’s a security precaution to have a guard stationed in the quarters of the most important ponies, at practically all times. Does that make sense?” Trixie nodded. “Okay…” “I’ll basically be, as they say, your shield and sword, as well your… personal servant.” He took a deep breath, and resumed, “Anything you need that’s within reason, I’ll do for you. This is the task I’ve currently been assigned to do.” “But,” Trixie protested. “But what about the gates? Who’s going to allow civilians entrance, and all that important stuff?” “Yes, my old post is being taken over as we speak. Last night was my final standing, and then Celestia sent me to get your caravan. It’s down in the chariot houses, below ground level. I believe Celestia plans to use it as one of your performance and testing stages, too. Probably the one right outside the palace itself.” Trixie’s hoof rose to pet her puppy that sat comfortably in her lap, but then sat him down on the sheets while standing. “Alright… Give Trixie a good list of what you’ll do. Details and all!” He huffed while his cat-like pupils looking directly up at the ceiling, not wanting to say the next line. “I suggest you feel me out. Tell me what you want, and see what I won’t do, that is.” “Ah, Trixie was about to say… Umm, well…” She looked at her bed, and then got an idea for her first command. “Well, you disturbed Trixie’s sleep, and now look at her! She’s in the nude!” her hoof placed itself on her torso while a sarcastic roll of the eyes occurred. “Seems only fitting you remove your armor to compensate for this outrageous violation of privacy!” He gasped at this, backing away, vertical slits for his eyes widening. “Wh-what? Trixie, absolutely not! This gear protects me from all sorts of attacks and harmful… err, stuff and things! A-and, besides, I didn’t mean to embarrass you. Honestly, I’d never think of such a thing!” “Take off the armor,” Trixie chimed. “Helmet and hoof shoes, and all!” He breathed as if trying to find the right combination of words, but after hesitating, he sighed in defeat. One pauldron came off with a bit of difficulty, and then another, followed by the untying of loose string. With the shoes that once reached all the way to his knees being slipped off reluctantly, the stallion now stood before the giggling mare unarmored and thoroughly embarrassed. “There... C-can I put all this back on now?” Trixie didn’t answer, but instead, began rounding him much like Luna had done at the entrance downstairs. “If you’re going to be Trixie’s loyal guard, Trixie shall need to see you in full. For the rest of the day, by the way, she wants you to stay like this as punishment for such insubordination. You may stay in this room if you so desire, but when I come back from my teachings with the princess, Trixie expects you to still be unclothed for her.” “Hrmmm…” He blushed that much more while the eyes of this mare focused in on his entire frame. He watched as she observed his cutie mark specifically, something not everypony gets to see of him. A half moon, curving along the edges of his flank followed by a star in front. The rays touched the white tips, telling her that the star for some reason wasn’t behind Luna’s crescent orb. “Explain this… I thought you were Celestia’s guard.” “No…” His head began to bow at the inevitable. “Then, you belong to Luna?” Druid turned his head, his fluffy ears lowering. “Technically yes, but the orders came from Celestia. Luna made the recommendations, and then told me to see her sister. Afterwards, I was sent to retrieve your belongings, and to serve you as well.” Trixie returned to him, looking deeper into his eyes. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t seen this before, but they resembled that of a wild snake. She gasped at this, backing up. “S-show Trixie your teeth this instant!” He became that much more agitated, but obliged. The first thing Trixie saw was so stunning, it struck fear into her very heart. Fangs as white as dense snow and sharper than beast claws protruded beyond the normal sets most ponies had, but they were hastily put away while his muzzle scrunched up. “You’re… scared of me. I just knew you would be, which is why I wished not to remove my armor. Sure enough, one thing lead to another, and thus, here we are.” “You’re… a batpony?!” Trixie’s mouth hung ajar while she came closer, taking in more of his features. “Yes, I’m… a terror of the night, and surely, you wish to now have me replaced for another, more normal pony. So long as I hide these fangs, and the ears, nopony could tell, but now you know…” He motioned for his armor, and voiced, “I’ll let Celestia know to have me replaced at once, I suppose.” “That’s so cool!” He looked up, a puzzled look crossing his face. “What?” “You! Your fangs, the ears… Trixie’s only heard of your kind in fairy tales! Never has she ever thought it’d be real! How do you eat? No! What do you eat? You don’t gobble ponies, like the stories say, do you?” “Wait…” He adjusted himself more appropriately, his eyes blinking. “First, I suppose… I mainly eat fruit, but Trixie… You’re… not scared of me?” “Oh, petrified!” Trixie admitted. “Although, also bedazzled! Taken aback, even! Surprised, even… a feat you should be proud of. Only one other pony has ever fooled Trixie so! That’s Twilight Sparkle, but this. Mmmh, such a stunning turn of events, and here Trixie was thinking you were nothing more but just a regular unicorn, like herself. Although, where’s your wings? Don’t you have wings? Big, gnarly bat wings?!” He glanced at his back, and then back at her. “Well, not all batponies are born with wings. Never has there been a winged unicorn batpony. We come in three varieties much like normal ponies do, which are earth bats; the most common are pegasus, and then unicorns like myself. So on and so forth, but we keep to ourselves due to the fear we unintentionally strike into normal ponies. Luna was so kind, too, to give us something meaningful to do.” “Yes, yes,” Trixie hoofed. “I can assume the rest of the story, but this is simply astounding! Look at you! A real, live batpony! Then, the rumors of Nightmare Moon… That is, Princess Luna… her arriving to Ponyville via carriage, and the fliers being batponies themselves… They’re true?” Druid Shield nodded, smirking at last, flattered by her reaction. “Yes, they were.” “How. Cool. Is. That. I ask you!” He chuckled, “Pretty cool, I guess… Oh! Celestia! S-she’ll be wondering where you are! The training?” Trixie even jumped at this. “Oh, you’re right! Err, Trixie was only joking, then. As a reward for simply and utterly amazing Trixie this morning, you may make yourself decent by refitting yourself, but never again are you authorized to wake me in the flesh. Simply knock on the door, and she’ll be awaken guaranteed! I’ve never been one to sleep through somepony doing just that. Or, if you must, get Dingo to get me up. Just… never do it where you might be able to see the great and powerful Trixie naked. Understood?” He raised an unentertained eyebrow at this. “We’re… always naked, Trixie.” “Wrong,” Trixie began correcting him. “Trixie is never, ever presentable until Trixie has her cape and hat. One or the other, a-and her mane done, too. Make-up as well. Why, right now, even. Trixie feels somewhat humiliated by you seeing her like this! Bedhead is so unattractive! Get out!” He was starting to instinctively follow her instructions, but just before exiting the room entirely, Druid asked, “Why does it matter? I’ll be seeing you everyday from now on. Meaning every once in awhile, I’ll end up seeing you worked by Celestia, or tired, or in some form of exhaustion. Makes little sense to-” Trixie cut him off then and there. “Not if Trixie can help it! Now, out please! Trixie has much to do, and you’re slowing her down!” Without her even listening to what he had to say, how was Druid to make her understand? So, with very little choice, he left her in privacy to do all those feminine things she would insist on doing every morning from here on out. While waiting for her to finish up, and re-equipping the armor he was wearing earlier, the batpony wondered, “It’s going to be like this every day, isn’t it? Her being so, unbelievably stubborn and demanding?” The wait seemed like an hour; maybe longer considering how he’d began to fall asleep, but nevertheless, he’d show his new master to her destination without so much as a fuss. Even though the whole way there Trixie would complain about how hungry she’d gotten from the long walk, he had his orders from Celestia herself. Hopefully, he wouldn’t be the one to receive the backlash of Trixie’s tedious first day of training.