//------------------------------// // Chapter 8 // Story: Scootaloo: Princess for a Day // by RaylanKrios //------------------------------// Scootaloo was awoken from her nap by a soft knock on her door. The clock on her nightstand told her it was a little after seven o’clock.  Rubbing her eyes as she opened the door she was surprised to find Luna patiently waiting for her instead of Vanilla on the other side. “Good evening Scootaloo. I trust your nap was restful,” the Princess of the Night said accompanying her remarks with a slight bend at the waist in a measure of respect. Scootaloo was too flustered to say anything other than “Umm, yeah.” “Did you enjoy your day?” This time Scootaloo was lucid enough to offer a more coherent response. “Yeah.  Princess Ce- I mean Celestia is really nice.  I was worried that she’d be all formal, but she’s actually kinda fun,” she said with a tiny flutter of her wings. Luna smiled in agreement. “My sister is a kind hearted soul; it is one of her best virtues. But now the night has arrived and we are firmly in my domain.  How would thou like to spend thine evening?” Luna asked unconsciously slipping into old Equestrian dialect. Fortunately for Scootaloo, the context of the question made it clear what Luna was asking. “Can you teach me how to fly?” Luna considered the request with a tilt of her head. “I can try, though I should warn you that I possess no special aptitude in that area.” “So you can’t make me fly?” Scootaloo asked somewhat dejected. Mentally adding flight to the list of things that even a princess couldn’t control. “I can lift you up with magic, but I cannot “make you fly,” Luna said, making air quotes around the last phrase. “ That is a skill you must learn on your own.” Her plan rejected Scootaloo said the next idea that popped into her head. “Can we hang out with the Shadow Guard?” “Who?” “The Shadow Guard, ya know the super secret, ultra badass ponies, who go on secret missions and if you find out about them they have to kill you?” Scootaloo said, seemingly unaware that if what she said was true she was, in effect, signing her own death warrant.  One of the hallmarks of being a crusader was that you didn’t think too much about consequences. Fortunately for the ponies who believed that the world was a better place with Scootaloo in it, Luna quickly caught on to her request and it was not a fatal one. “I believe you are referring to the Night's Watch and have been misinformed about some of the details regarding that particular unit of the guards.” “But Pipsqueak told me that they were called the Shadow Gaurd, and that they were the best of the best and that he was going to join them one day so that he could go on secret missions and stuff.” “The Night's Watch is an ancient and honorable order, and though past companies have fought in wars, today they exist mainly to guard important institutions.  We do have a regiment housed in the castle if you would like to meet them.” “Do I need to wear my dress?” Scootaloo asked glancing back toward the dress she spent the day wearing that was hanging in her armoire. “Not if you don’t want to. I heard you made enough public appearances this morning.” “Sweet!” Scootaloo said with a pump of her foreleg. Luna led Scootaloo out through the backyard, if such an expansive piece of immaculately cared for landscaping could be called a backyard, and to a small enclosed encampment. Four pegasi flew around the airspace above the training grounds. Three of them circled one pony, refusing to allow him a chance to face all of his attackers at the same time.  Eventually the pony in the middle grew tired of the dance and lunged at one of his opponents, knocking her off guard and breaking the formation.  His back no longer exposed he turned to face the other two who had begun to charge at him.  Scootaloo watched with wide eyed fascination as the three ponies engaged in a tangle of limbs and feathers that she could barely comprehend.  Quickly two of the pegasi, the one and a member of the three began to plummet toward the ground; their limbs still a flurry of motion. As Scootaloo watched, she was awestruck that what appeared to be a chaotic flailing of limbs was actually a tightly controlled action and response by the two ponies. She had seen the Wonderbolts fly, but their actions were always a tightly choreographed dance.  This was wild and unrestrained, it was awesome!  Right before they hit the ground both ponies spread their wings wide, the action causing them to stop their rapid descent and instead level out for a rough, though eminently survivable landing. “If this had been a real fight, you’d be a plant food, private!” a voice yelled from somewhere in the crowd of ponies who had been watching the action.   “Three on one is hardly a fair fight, captain.” Luna called out as the pair of princess got closer. The largest stallion Scootaloo had ever seen answered, with the same voice Scootaloo heard moments before, albeit not as loud. “If you find yourself in a fair fight you’ve done something wrong,” the captain replied. As they approached Scootaloo could see what she thought was a helmet was actually a yellow mane that contrasted sharply with his black coat.  As was typical of many members of the guard his cutie mark was a shield, but unlike Shining Armors, this shield was round had a spike in the middle of it. The stallion turned to face the princess and bowed deeply. “Your Highness, your Highness,” he said, accompanying each remark with a smaller bow toward it’s intended recipient. “Scootaloo, allow me to introduce Captain Tempest of the Night’s Watch.” Luna said with a wave of her hoof. “Hi!” said Scootaloo, unsure of how a princess was supposed to act in this situation. “So you are the new Princess?” the captain said raising an eyebrow and playing along with the façade like the rest of the castle staff. “To what do I owe the honor of your visit?” “Umm, I’ve heard a lot about you and I guess I wanted to find out how much of it was true.” “I see. What have you heard?” the captain replied with a wry grin. “That to get into the Shadow-I mean the Night’s Watch you have to survive alone in the woods for a week, and that you guys are the best flyers in all of Equestria, even better than the Wonderbolts and that you train with Griffins and Minotaur’s so that you can fight Dragons!” “We do have wilderness survival as part of training, though it’s not a pre-requisite.  I like to think that any of my soldiers could fly with the Wonderbolts, though the Wonderbolts have their reputation for a reason. And yes we do a training exchange program with our neighbors, though nopony’s fought a dragon in actual combat in a few hundred years.” “Can you teach me how to fly?” Captain Tempest strained his neck upwards to get a better look at Scootaloo. “Haven’t gotten your wing growth spurt yet have ya?” Scootaloo glanced back at her still smaller than average wings, “No,” she said with a small flutter of said wings. “Flying isn’t all wings; if you really want to be an elite flyer it takes strong core and leg muscles, and also flexibility. If you want you can try your hoof at our obstacle course.” “Wow, really?” “A princess of Equestria is always welcome at the Night's Watch.” The obstacle course was meant to stimulate a variety of combat situations without being overtly dangerous. And while Pegasi were allowed to use their wings to help with maneuverability, simply flying over the entire course was discouraged.  Scootaloo eagerly took her place at the starting line, next to two other recruits. “Remember the last soldier to cross marks everypony’s time, you’re a team, act like it!” Captain Tempest shouted as he held the whistle between his teeth.  A shrill whistle pierced the air and the three ponies were off. Scootaloo did well on the crawling parts and agility parts of the course.  Her “teammates” however had to help her over some of the taller obstacles.  She crossed the finish line out of breath, but with a wide smile on her face.  She looked eagerly over to the captain to await her time but before he could say anything the two ponies she had been running with hoisted her up on their backs as the assembled crowd cheered. “A shade over seven minutes.  Not bad team.  You can fly with us anyday Princess,” the captain said above the roar. “That was fun!” Scootaloo exclaimed as she and Luna left the soldiers to continue their training. “Should I tell Pipsqueak that the Night’s Watch isn’t some super secret organization?” “That is up to you.  But perhaps there really is a Shadow Guard and I am merely keep their presence a secret,” Luna said with a twinkle in her eye. “Are you?” “No, but I am pleased that you enjoyed yourself.  Come walk with me Scootaloo.” Luna led Scootaloo into the Canterlot gardens, the same one she visited with her classmates. “The gardens look different at night,” Scootaloo observed as she got a better sense of her surroundings. It was eerily quiet, but the low dim of the lamps, augmented by the fireflies gave the gardens and other worldly feel that they lacked in the daytime. “They do. Most ponies only see them in the day time. I prefer them at night, it appears as though they are empty, but they are actually teeming with life.” Luna levitated a small blue caterpillar that was crawling across one of the leaves of a flowered plant that Scootaloo didn’t know the name of. “This is a nocturapillar, as the name suggest they only come out at night.” Luna gently set the creature back down on the leaf so it could continue whatever it was doing.  “They eat the tiny eggs that other bugs leave on the flowers.  It is due to their efforts that the flowers don’t get eaten by larvae. They play an important role in keeping the gardens beautiful and yet most visitors don’t appreciate their efforts.” “You’re talking about my mom aren’t you?” Scootaloo said listlessly. “In a manner of speaking, I do not begrudge your wanting to spend more time with her, but I also know what is like to focus on what you do not have, to the exclusion of that which you do.  Tell me Scootaloo, does your mom never show you any kindness?” “No,” Scootaloo admitted.  “The fridge always has food it, and she knows I like orange juice so she always makes sure we have a fresh carton.  And when she is home she likes to play games with me. I just want her to be home a little bit more.  That’s not too much to ask is it?” “It is not.” “I’m still a princess right? Can’t I do something about this?” “I suspect my sister already warned you about the dangers of using your powers capriciously.” Scootaloo wasn’t sure exactly what capriciously meant, but she guessed that it had something to do with doing whatever you wanted whenever you wanted to. “Yeah, she said that it’d be unfair to just order her boss to give her more time off.” “My sister is quite wise, sometimes insufferably so.” Scootaloo looked up, her eyes full of wonder and hope the way only a child can. “What should I do Luna?” “I think you should enjoy your remaining time as a princess and worry about this tomorrow.”