//------------------------------// // Since i laid eyes on you... // Story: Night and Day // by Tom Ink //------------------------------// “Soldier, state your identity!” “Midnight Storm, sir!” “It’s your first day here, soldier?” “Sir yes sir!” “You think you can handle this job?” “Sir yes sir!” “You think you can handle the daily pressure placed on you, which will make every day harder than the last?” “Sir yes sir!” “Do you swear to protect the life of our Mistress, even if it means your death?” “Sir yes sir! Hail Luna!” “Hail Luna! At ease!” The small office of captain Moon Dancer echoed with the voices of Luna’s Chief of the Guard and the young batpony in front of him: Midnight Storm, with midnight blue mane and dark grey coat, wearing armor that almost matched the color of her hair, recent graduate from the batponies’ school for guards and on her first day as Luna’s personal guard. “Let me brief you quickly, soldier Storm,” Moon Dancer continued. “See, the changing of guard is, unfortunately, something we cannot escape, us and Celestia’s soldiers. I will not repeat that. No words exchanged between you and the royal guards. A salute and nothing else. Same for the morning change,” the captain explained monotonously, revealing that he’d already had this conversation many times before. “Clear?” “As crystal, sir!” Midnight answered, raising her hoof to her tufted ears, the clinking of her armor echoing in the small room. “You may leave.” Thereupon, the batpony turned up, and left the office, awaited by her team member for tonight, a stallion batpony named Starry Eyes. Starry was an incumbent for years, even since Luna’s return. When the door closed, a snicker could be heard from him, and Midnight turned her head to the stallion. “Problem, lieutenant?” she asked while raising an eyebrow. “Newbies. We always need to teach them how to work,” he answered, approaching her new team member. “They think they know everything by having the piece of paper they call degree, but it’s always the same. They can’t handle the pressure. The last one stayed a month before he broke. You think you’ll be different from him?” he asked, using a low voice to intimidate Midnight. Starry had a reputation for making life impossible for his team mates. “Don’t be an asshole, Starry. We got a job to do, and I’ll do it the best way I can. It won’t work on me,” she replied almost immediately, turning her head to the clock in the opposite wall. “It’s almost seven. Let’s go.” The batpony started walking to the guards’ position in the castle, passing by Moon, who whispered in her ear. “Welcome to Tartarus, rookie.” **************************************************************************************** “What time is it?” “Five to seven.” Silence fell a few seconds between Golden Sun, pegasus guard in gold armor and mane and a white coat, and his friend and team mate since his teenage years in Canterlot, White Spear, almost the same except for the absence of a ponytail at the end of his mane. “Eeyup. Another day without trouble. That’ll get boring fast,” White explained, his hooves sore after a day or work with Celestia. “You got something planned for tonight?” he asked, turning to Golden. “Huh? No, nothing except getting some sleep to be ready for tomorrow,” answered the pegasus, stretching in his golden armor. “Really? That’s your plan?” White raised an eyebrow. Golden rolled his eyes – he already knew what would follow. “I know what you’re gonna say.” He cleared his throat, “Man, don’t you want to find yourself a mare or something like that? Seriously, you should think of yourself and let the pressure off from time to time. There are other things than your job in life,” he said while imitating the more high-pitched voice of his friend. “That’s it?” “Exactly. Hey, even you know what’s best for you! Come on, it’s been too long that since we’ve spent quality time as friends outside the barracks,” White said, his mind already turned to the following night and the pubs of Canterlot. Golden let out a tired sigh. “Another time, okay? I’m wrecked, and drinking shots won’t help me wake up fresh and ready tomorrow,” the guard replied. “And one of us should be up tomorrow morning. I’ll need to wake you up when you’re too drunk to put one hoof in front of the other,” he added, snickering. “Seriously? How many times you gonna say that? It happened once! Once!” White exclaimed, looking offended. “You sure? And the time when I had to drag you from the bar to our rooms on my back? You’re cool, but you’re heavy too, and I didn’t forget the time when you threw up on me. I swear, even Celestia smelled it!” he remembered, turning his head to White. “You’re lucky to have me, you know it?” White groaned, but answered nonetheless. “Yeah, I know, I know.” He raised his hoof, waiting for something from Golden. “But you promise we will get some mares soon?” Slowly, Golden turned his head and raised his hoof too. “I promise, buddy.” They did a hoof-bump, just before the clock rang for seven. Positioned at the entrance of the hallway leading to the royal throne and Luna’s observation post for the night, the two guards saw the relief team coming. “There’s a newbie with Starry Eyes?” “Okay, since it’s your first time, you open your eyes and you register everything I do. You shut up, you salute, you get in position, and everything will be alright. Get it?” Starry Eyes asked, eyes staring in front of him, with Midnight by his side. “Got it,” the batpony answered, the clinking of her armor echoed in the big hall, eyes glued to her goal: the guard position in front of her. The batponies walked until they came to a stop in front of their position. With his experience, Starry Eyes was the first to salute, followed closely by Midnight and then White and Golden. The moment was brief, but long enough for the blue eyes of Golden Sun and the golden ones of Midnight Storm to meet. No time to waste, though, and the furtive exchange disappeared soon with the batponies taking over for the night, while the royal guards departed for the entrance of the castle. Without a word, the night was theirs. “Hey, Golden?” White Spear asked in the changing room of the guards barracks, removing the golden armor pieces that hurt his body, one by one. “Hmm?” Golden Sun hummed, taking off the helmet that held back his long golden mane. “You saw the new guard?” “Yeah. And?” “If you want my opinion, she’s-” “Stop.” White’s head turned by his friend. “Your opinion. I will gladly avoid it, especially about mares. The last one you made me meet dumped me for a mule.” Just thinking about that sent shivers down Golden’s spine. “So this time, don’t say a word.” “Oh.” White went back to his locker, conscientiously ranking his armor. “I was just saying that if all Luna’s guard were like that, I would sleep with the enemy as soon as I could,” he said, ending with a wing in the mirror of his locker, which reflected Golden’s face. His friend involuntarily let out a laugh before continuing. “When you do that, it will be military court and you’ll end up on the Moon for your betrayal. And then, goodbye to all the mares and hello to your hoof… you’re right-hoofed, right?” They both burst out laughing in the loneliness of the changing room. “You’re such a dumbass, you know that, huh?” White asked, getting closer to his friend. “I have a knack for teaching,” Golden replied, finally finishing taking off his hoof-shoes. White breathed deeply before answering. “You’re really dumb. But that’s why I like you. Well, I’m out. If you’re asleep when I get back, then see you tomorrow, buddy.” They exchanged a bro-hoof before taking their separate ways for the night. “See you tomorrow, White. And don’t come back with a hangover!” he added when White closed the door, letting Sun alone with his thoughts in the cold and quiet changing room. The pegasus enjoyed this quiet moment to rest on a bench, thinking back to the batpony that exchanged a look with him. Yeah, it’s true that she look nice. But she guards Luna, and she doesn’t seem to be my type. And I don’t want to be sent to the Moon for this bullshit. It’s my job, and nopony will destract me from it. He rested a few minutes, thinking of the program for tomorrow, before raising himself and walk, silently, to the room near the castle when Celestia’s guards were staying. The camp had a cafeteria, a workout gym room, a meeting room and lot of rooms for all the guards sworn to the protection of Celestia during her trips, and for the security of Canterlot. He and White Spear were part of the personal guard of the Princess, the two never follwing her like her own shadow, in the capital or in the rest of Equestria. Arriving to his room, Golden fell on the bed before quickly preening, not waiting on the arrival of his friend to go to sleep and travel to Luna’s land (the only place where batponies and royal guards could be together without risking something). ******************************************************************************************** “… right hoof, left hoof, and then, you salute with your right hoof. Get it, rookie?” “Sir yes sir…,” Midnight sighed after the fiftieth demonstration of the protocol to use in Luna’s presence. “Fine. It’s your first day here, the Mistress will call you before the end of the night. Don’t play it all smarty and everything will be okay,” Starry ended before taking back his post. Square shoulders, fixed and threatening stare, gritted teeth and shiny fangs to show every visitor and potential traitor that they’d come to the wrong place. Midnight mimicked his posture, which she learned during her long years in the school for batponies. For a few hours, silence reigned, only stopped by the clinking of armors and some pony cooks, assistants coming to ask for a signature for an official paper and meetings planned since long at the Princess of the Night agenda. And at 3 AM... The door in the hallway where the batponies stood opened just a bit to allow a glimpse of Luna’s face. With a quiet voice, she asked, “Midnight Storm?” For a moment out of her still posture, the batpony turned to the Princess. “Yes, Mistress?” “Follow me. I would like to talk to you,” Luna continued. Without a word, Midnight left her position and saluted Starry, who did the same. The young batpony walked with a military rhythm and finally made it to the door of the Princess’s office, who was also used as a bedroom. Right hoof, left hoof and… SALUTE! She repeated in her head before stopping in front of Luna. “At ease, soldier. Please, enter,” the Princess commanded, blocking the door with her magic. The batpony passed her and made her way into the big room. The only light came from a small, glowing lamp on the table, letting the darkness in hide in almost every corner, which wasn’t a problem for a batpony like Midnight, more used to the night than the day. It was a small office where papers were piled up in a corner, the bed on the opposite side, while a balcony with a telescope faced the door. That was where Luna watched the dreams of her ponies. Midnight surveyed the room with her eyes before her eyes fell back on Luna. She made a gesture with her head to indicate the balcony. The batpony obeyed and sat by her side, where all of Canterlot was just in front of her, and even beyond, to the dimming lights of Poneyville far away. Luna finished sipping her tea before speaking. “Tell me about yourself, Midnight Storm. After all, it’s not every night that I can have a mare as my new personal guard,” Luna said, turning her head slightly toward her bodyguard. Almost instinctively, Midnight repeated the speech she had trained to say at her first meeting with Luna. “My name is Midnight Storm, Mistress. It’s an honor to be at your service,” she saluted. Luna gently smiled. “You can call me Princess. I think I can let you be less formal than Starry Eyes when it comes to protocol. But please, continue.” “Oh, I…” A bit destabilized, Midnight regained her composure and went on. “Yes… Princess. I’m twenty, and my parents are from Canterlot. From the suburbs, to be clear, where the batponies live. I was in the school since I was five years old, and from that day, my only goal was to be at your service in your personal guard,” she concluded. “Oh, so you’ve dreamt of this day for years now?” Luna smiled. “Yes, Mi… err, Princess,” Midnight smiled too, trying to maintain her posture. “Do you have any family? A brother, a sister? After all, even if I created the batponies, it’s been a long time, and your race has grown.” “No, sadly. I’m an only child, and my parents died soon before my entry into the school for batponies. May they rest in peace,” Midnight explained, with a bit of sadness in her voice. The quiet face of Luna darkened a bit during her story. Hesitantly, she raised a royal hoof and placed it on Midnight’s, making her shudder a bit. “I’m sorry,” Luna empathized. “No, no, Princess, you don’t need to,” the batpony explained. “To be clear, my parents saw you coming back just before they died. They left Equestria in peace. They knew I was in good hooves.” Silence fell for a few moments, and both waited for the other to talk, to break the heavy load that seemed to encompass the room. Luna finally spoke. “Do you have any children? A coltfriend? A marefriend? After all, the world has changed in a millennium,” Luna smiled knowingly. Midnight seemed to be a bit uncomfortable with the question, but she didn’t blush and kept her head high. “No, Princess. The life of a batpony guard doesn’t allow a lot of time for that, and we aren’t really known for being friendly to the Equestrians.” “I know that all too well.” Luna tilted her head. “And I’m the only one to blame…” She sighed and closed her eyes, as if she wanted to restrain the sadness that threatened to flow out of her every time somepony talked about the social condition of her children in front of her. This time, Midnight raised her hoof and placed it on Luna’s. “Don’t say that, Princess. We are all grateful for your return. We will need time, but you will see, everything’s gonna be alright in the end.” Her eyes fell on her hoof, and she pulled it back quickly. “Oh, sorry…” Luna laughed. “Don’t be. I rarely have this kind of conversation with my dear subjects. Things are changing, but sometimes, I would like to change them faster. I don’t want your race to relieve what happened during my… change of attitude,” Luna explained, recalling her dark days. Silence hung in the air again before Luna continued. “And how’s Starry Eyes?” “True to his reputation,” Midnight answered immediately. “I know why the others guards doesn’t stay long with him.” She blushed a bit. “Don’t tell him that.” “No need to worry. I know him well enough to know how he is. I hope you’ll be able to tame him.” Luna gave MIdnight a wink, and Midnight answered with a big smile. “And I hope I will see you stay in my guard for a long time. It’s so rare to see mares in it. Actually, I think you must be the only one… Well, I will not bother you any longer. Go back to your position. I will call you back if I need you again.” Luna got up and escorted the batpony to her door. “Have a good night.” “You too, Princess,” Midnight saluted her and came back to her position, where Starry Eyes didn’t waste any time. He fired question after question at her. “So? You did as I told you? You saluted? What did she ask you? She talked about me?” he asked without breathing. “Yes, I did as you said. And we talk about mare stuff. You cannot understand, Starry,” she snickered. “But–“ “In position, Starry! They didn’t teach you that in school?” she ordered to discourage him from asking other questions. The batpony mumbled something under his breath before taking back his position, and no further words were exchanged during that night. ****************************************************************************** “White? White?” In Golden Sun and White Spear’s room, it was time to wake up to get ready for the changing of the guard at seven. “Mmm… Touch my muscles babe… Hmm….” “White?” Golden get closer to the bed of his friend, still buried deeply in the sheets and in the land of dreams, contrary to of the white Pegasus, who was already up and in the middle of his stretching routine. Well, at least he’s here and he doesn’t smell like a drunken pony. That’s good, he sighed internally. “Mmm… Kiss me babe… Mmm…” Well, let’s do it the hard way, Golden thought. He brought himself close to the ear of his friend and shouted, “WHITE SPEAR, REPORT!” The Pegasus yelped and fell on the floor, taking the sheets with him. “CAPTAIN! SORRY, I–“ He fell silent when he found he was still in his room, with his friend laughing like mad. “Fuck, Golden, I was in the middle of an awesome dream!” “Yeah, yeah,” Golden managed to say between two laughs, “you’ll do a lot more dreaming if you get fired for not showing up. Come on, sleepy head, it’s time to get ready.” He stretched his hoof to help him, but his friend beat his wings, slapping his hoof. “Keep your hoof, I can get up alone. Besides you probably jerked off thinking of that batpony last night,” he said, staggering to the bathroom to freshen up. Golden Sun rolled his eyes. “See? That’s why I don’t want to hear your opinion about mares. If it’s listening to this kind of b–“ White Spear cut him off by turning on the shower. “Can’t hear you, I’m taking a shower! Hey, but you’re defending her, so you like her, right?” he smiled wickedly before sighing contently when the hot water fell on his coat, clearing the fog in his head. “White, another one like that and–“ His friend cut him again by shouting from the shower, “Oh, you really want to fight for her? Dude, you really like her!” he laughed. One facehoof later, and Golden knew the day would be a long one. “White, remind me, why am I still your friend with all the things you do to me?” he asked, making his bed. Squared, for sure. His friend pulled his head out of the shower to answer. “Because without me, you’ll be lonely, and because you know, deep down, that we can’t be separate?” he asked, turning off the steam. Golden finished making his bed and took his most high-pitched voice. “Wow, that’s almost a proposition! You sure you aren’t in love with me?” Golden laughed. White groaned and stepped out of the bathroom, just in time to launch his counterattack. “Man, if I was into stallions, you wouldn’t be my type. I couldn’t stand to be with a pony who still thinks ponytails are cool.” White smiled triumphantly and started to gather all his stuff for the day. Golden watched him for a few seconds, afflicted. “Seriously? That all you got? Originality: zero,” he whined. He sighed and also gathered his stuff. “I hope you’ll be smarter during work today. Come on, let’s go.” “Eager to work? Wow, you really want to see her again, don’t you?” the Pegasus concluded, adding kissing noises and some fluttering of his eyelashes. He hardly had the time to finish before White fell on the floor after a hoof-trip from his friend. This day will be very long. The rest of the night had been quiet for the two batponies. Except that Starry Eyes seemed more annoyed than ever after Luna’s and Midnight meeting. Seven o’clock approached, and so did the time of the takeover. “Midnight, you will go to see Moon Dancer for your report as soon as we will have finished. Understand?” Starry Eyes asked just minutes before the ringing of the clock. “Clear as crystal. “ She hesitated to ask more. “It’s still so… quiet?” Starry smirked before answering. “Wait till the next trip. You won’t ask me that question after that,” Starry replied, while White Spear and Golden Sun were coming from the end of the hall, the one giving a nudge to the other, who fought it off with a certain discomfort on his face. Salute. Exchange of position. Eyes crossing. Bodies closer than ever. See you in twelve hours. The pegasi watched the batponies disappear from the hallway. Today would be quiet after all. “Did you see how you looked at her?!” White shouted to Golden as soon as the batponies were out of sight. Almost quiet.