//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: The Eyes Are Blind // by Fe94Knight //------------------------------// Chapter one 500 years in to Princess Luna’s banishment. Golden Shadow looks out the open window, just outside of the Royal guard Captain’s office, at the night sky that she used to guard for the years she’s been in. Left to silently remember the good times that she had in the guard herself. While she also reminisces on the bad times that seemed to happen more often than not to a pony of her… type. As a Lunar Royal Guard, unlike her Celestial counterparts. Golden has been adorned sense birth with a strong pair of leather bat wings that protrude out of her shoulder blades, tucked neatly along her side. Just as a pair of fangs poke out of her closed lips, skimming down along her lower jaw. While at the same time her bat ears perk up at the sound of the secretary’s quill making contact with parchment and scribbling down the final details of her paper work. If it wasn’t for these things, many colts would be beating down her door to get a chance with the mare. Other than the oddities that other ponies are accustom to, why wouldn’t they? The grey coat that covers her body is kept in pristine condition. Cleaned and washed on the daily, just like her short cut purple mane is, so it can drape down her face, just the way she likes it. Only partially covering the attractive golden slit eyes, which she was given her name from. A deep sigh escapes past her soft lips. As the mare breaths in and out ever so deeply, the pure Canterlot air, ‘The night time breeze… I always loved these moments,’ Shadow lets herself drift in and out of the memories. Barely hearing the sound of the secretary call her. “Ms. Shadow? Ms. Golden Shadow?” She calls out again. Grabbing her attention finally as Golden twists her head around to look at the pony, “The captain will see you now. Bring this to him and he will sign you out.” The pony hoofs over her paper work, as Shadow takes it from the mare and heads in to the office to meet the Capt. Stopping just short of his desk as he leans back in the chair with his back to her, “Good evening, sir,” She snaps to attention after setting the paper down on his desk. “Oh please you don’t need to do that, Golden,” The Celestial guard captain turns around in his chair. Easing her salute down, as he returns the gesture from the comfort of his own chair, “You have served under me long enough for me to say, with confidence, that there is nothing that you owe me. When you consider this is going to be your last night here, I should be the one saluting you.” “If only I had the rank to deserve that,” The lunar mare chuckles at his joke. Captain Lurch isn’t wrong when he said that she has been here a long time. Joining only as a teenager, she surpassed many of the colts twice her age and even broke a few records in training, earning her cutie mark of a sword with five stars around it on her flank. Which impressed, and annoyed, many of her coworkers to no end. After making it in to the guard. She never moved stations out of Canterlot, and surely Lurch had been there ever sense she has, if not longer. “If you weren’t getting out I would promote you right now. You more than deserve it,” Lurch signs off the final line on her separation papers. Even though he knows Lunar and Celestial Guards haven’t gotten along for centuries. Especially after the banishment of the nocturnal princess herself to the moon. The captain has seen more respectful Lunar guards in his years, than ones of his own kind. This night guard in particular, has earned his respect when it comes to servitude of the crown, and that is something to be proud of in its own right, “It doesn’t matter what any of my fellow Celestial guards say. You are one heck of a soldier, Ms. Shadow, and I for one will surely miss you.” A sincere smile is passed between the two ponies as the parchment exchanges hooves once more and Golden Shadow tucks it in the satchel on the dark purple armor she still wears. Shaking Lurch’s hoof for the last time. A tear is almost shed by the mare when she recalls that many of the good memories that she had here in Canterlot, involved few ponies to begin with, but quite a few start off with Lurch. She too, will miss him. Before departing though, Shadow bids one last request, “Ahh… Captain?” “I’m not your captain any more now. You can just call me, Lurch,” He playfully reminds her with a snicker on his face. “Well, Lurch,” she fixes her mind trying to autocorrect her, “I know it is customary for guards to turn in their armor after they get out, and I was wondering-?” Golden tries to think how she can word this so that he will allow her to keep it. Though his generosity is far more than she could have guessed, and with the wave of a hoof he expels any of her worries on that matter. “My dear, it’s yours. I can do that much at least,” He rises up and salutes the departing guard, now just an ordinary pony to others, but to him, a friend. Shadow pauses for a moment before taking her helmet off from under her wing and slides it over top her head. Gladly returning the gesture to Lurch, before she parts ways with the colt and takes a stroll down the hall. Soon having the wafting smells of the galley fill her nostrils. The grill is still fired up for the late guards that have patrols to do, as the mare starts to pass by. Soon being reminded of her decision to skip lunch and dinner at a time like this, while her stomach starts to growl all the same and only encourages the mare to head in to the line. For which she is thankful that she is the only one there. ‘Well I’m not supposed to meet him for another twenty minutes, and I do need to eat given my… condition,’ she reasons as she picks up a tray and enters the vacant line. Stepping right in front of a chubby earth pony with a cleaver on his hind, “I’ll take a rack of Manticore ribs, bloody, and rare.” The cook simply glares at her for a second before looking over the guard in disgust. Mentally trying to figure out how he got stuck with the work of cooking for these red meat hungry ponies that the princess insists on keeping around here for whatever reasons she may have. ‘Seriously, why can’t Celestia just send them to the moon along with their princess?’ He asks himself while reaching down in to a barrel of marinating blood and meat. Pulling out a small rack, and puts it on the grill. “Will that be all?” he rolls his eyes at the mare, not even trying to hide his distaste in cooking this up for her. “Why yes it will,” the growl in her stomach kicks in as the saliva from her mouth starts to drip down her fangs while smelling the scent of the searing flesh. Though Shadow’s thought process shattering at the sound of another that she knows all too well. “So you’re really leaving us?” she looks behind the counter to see another cook there. A fellow Lunar Guard currently assigned to kitchen duty. Her friend walks up to the earth pony who set up the ribs, and thankfully relieves him from his duties of the red meat meal, “So soon too at that.” Even in his few words, Golden can hear the disappointment in the colt’s tone from her parting ways, “As much as I would love to stay and roam the castle walls, Night Stalker,” She muses over the idea for a second before dispelling it, “I can safely say I would rather enjoy myself outside of Canterlot for my retirement years.” “Still surprised you’re taking retirement so early,” He muses while rolling his eyes at his longtime pal, “Usually lunar guards are in till they keel over.” “And when have I ever been like a usual guard?” She raises an eye brow to him as he chuckles. Picking up the rack in a pair of tongs and places it down on her tray while bidding a final farewell. “You certainly are like no other, Shadow,” Stalker manages to put his long wing over the counter and give his friend a light embrace, “Take care out there, and do remember to write every so often, would you?” “I’ll be sure to, don’t worry,” Golden breaths the voice of false promise. Knowing full well that this is the last time Stalker and herself will share a word with one another, ‘But for now, it’s too dangerous for me here.’ The lonely mare takes her seat as she is reminded of the many fights, and almost riots, which have occurred between the Celestial, and Lunar guards over the years that she has been here. After all when you have one group that represents the sun princess, and one the moon princess, there is sure to be a rivalry. Knowing full well, that for one in her position, things could only get worse if the truth would get out. Ripping, and tearing the flesh away from the bone with a ferocious attitude. The thick, red, plasma soaked, cut drips its blood down along her cheeks as it runs out. Not having a meal sense this morning will do this to a starving pony, as she devours the plate and sucks the bones dry of any flesh in only a few minutes. Savoring the last bits of her meal, while she glances up at the clock. “Five after midnight. I’ll be there soon, don’t you worry,” Golden gets up and slides her tray off in to wash room, calmly walking out of the galley and in to the halls. After looking around her to see if a patrol is around, she breaks neck through the halls, making her way to the court yard. Sky Streak paces back, and forth. Almost digging a hole in to the ground as he eagerly looks at the clock counting down the minutes, ‘Come on, where are you?’ The Celestial Unicorn Guard that wears the traditional gold armor over his grey coat questions, while his brown eyes periodically check over his shoulder to make sure the courtyard is vacant. Just to be sure there aren’t any ease droppers. Thankfully hearing the light sound of soft hooves approaching in his ears. Sky turns around, only to be tackled by a featherweight of a guard compared to himself. Looking up from his position. He catches the glimmer of a pair of golden eyes above him, as they shine in the moon light, and twinkle like the stars above. “Well you have a way of making an entrance,” Sky leans up and plants a much needed kiss on the mare’s soft lips. Thankful that Golden tackled him behind a bush, so that no pony that may have heard the clank of armor and came to investigate, could see. “Oh you know me, besides you know I missed you,” Golden Shadow pulls back from the affectionate moment to clean off her lips from her earlier meal. Soon seeing in the light that some of her meal made its way to his face, “Sorry about the mess, I was hungry after all.” “Don’t worry about it, my dear,” Sky laps up the remains of blood that transferred to his face, “It happens, and I would expect nothing less of you. Do you have it?” Shadow reaches in to the satchel on her armor. Pulling out the documents, showing him the signature, and the many stamps that she had to get over the past few weeks, “You are no longer speaking to a guard under Celestia,” she answers, slightly disappointed that it is all going away soon, “as of less than an hour ago. I am just an ordinary pony.” A gentle hoof goes up under her chin. Lifting it up to meet his brown eyes as Sky admires the golden ones that struck the young colt the first day he met her, while being partnered up to rove the castle. “Golden Shadow, you are far from an ordinary pony to me. I love the guard, but I love you far more. I wouldn’t be going through with my own separation after all, if I didn’t,” A single tear comes up in the young mare’s eye as the truthful words fill her heart and soul, at the future that she hopes to share with her guard. Even in the early days of them working together, upon Luna’s banishment. Lunar, and Celestial guards didn’t take to kindly to the intermingling of the two. Whether as partners, friends or even something more. Needless to say, the many years that have followed sense then haven’t changed a whole lot on that matter. Leaning down in to her colt, she delivers a tender peck on his lips. Golden feels the rush of endorphins between them that even the simplest show of affection ignites, forcing the calm and cool night air to be held off for a few moments by their warmth. Sadly, she has to break contact once more. Knowing full well that he has his own things to attend to. “You, my love, have to go to your own captain and finish your check out process,” Shadow reminds him while getting off. “I know, dear. I’m heading there now,” she helps to pull him up from the ground as he finishes, “Though I wanted to make sure you were taken care of.” “I know you do, Sky,” With a peck on his cheek, she urges him on with a few words of encouragement, “Now do go finish up. I expect to make the morning train, and I would like to sleep with my stallion for the trip, and not be disturbed.” At the sound of that news. The stallion in question gives her a quick kiss, before taking off from the ground even without any wings to power him up, and leaves almost a trail of fire as he tears off in to the castle. Leaving his mare standing there only to giggle to herself at his actions while she trots off in to the night, heading to her quaint little apartment. Never being one for things that didn’t have a purpose. It doesn’t take long at all for the mare to pack for her one way trip. Toothbrush, toothpaste, brush, a sack of food that will keep, a few blankets, bag of bits from her savings, and a few photos neatly tucked away in an album. The mare manages to fit them all in one case, before hulling it up and on to her back. The only thing left for her to carry, is the sheath that holds the sword she has carried for years. “My dear friend,” Shadow admires the sheen of the metal as she watches her reflection in it. Knowing full well the amount of blood that has been spilled by this very blade, and rather thankful she can put that part of her life behind her now, “Hopefully, you will not be needed more than to clear a few bushes.” She tucks it away under her wing, and heads back out in to the night. Closing the door behind her for the last time as Shadow leaves a small note for her landlord, and the last month’s payment. Seeing as she’ll never see this place again. The ex-guard gracefully trots to the train station a few blocks over, to wait for the sun to break dawn, so her and her love’s new life can start.