The next day, we woke up to see the others all talking.
“So, it looks like there's been a little mix up in who's dating the princess,” one said.
“No, looks like a proper love story,” another said.
I looked at them.
“How about you shut yer gob before I really show my explosive temper,” I growled.
They made mocking noises. I growled again, my eyes narrowing.
“So lover colt doesn't want to admit he's fallen for the...” a third said when the room went cold.
I looked towards the door, to see my commanding officer standing there.
“That is enough,” she hissed. “Rose Luck, Cloud Chaser, Coconut Cream and Sunset Shimmer, I want you four on scout detail. I have gotten hold of intelligence that states that there is to be a full assault on the Castle and Celestia. One of you shall report back, should there be anything suspicious. Lance Corporal Brighton Radstock Phoenix and Battery Sergeant Major Skyla are to stay with Luna and protect her from harm.”
They saluted and once the others were out, Nightmare Moon faced us.
“I have requested that Staff Sergeant Elite Sentry and Colonel Flash Sentry bring three more guards, privates, to help you with safe guarding Luna,” she said. “I am ordering that you all protect her.”
“Yes, Ma'am,” we said, saluting.
After she left, I looked at Skyla.
“I'll go for breakfast,” I said. “Be back in a few.”
Skyla saluted as did I and I ran for breakfast. 25 minutes later, I was walking back, with a small breakfast trolley. As I entered the room, I saw Luna sitting up and reading one of the books I kept in a drawer in my night stand.
“Good morning, Your Grace,” I said, bowing. “Breakfast is ready.”
I pulled the covers off the breakfast services. Pancakes, hash browns, coffee, juices, fruits, eggs cooked in different varieties, toast, jam, butter, marmalade, milk and cheeses. However, something felt off. I looked at Skyla and she ran a test on the food.
“Okay, some pony's spiked the food with love potions. Illegally gotten from the stores of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza,” she said.
I felt like wanting to strangle some pony right now. Of course, I returned the breakfast services and ordered a fresh lot made and stayed in the kitchen to watch them prepare it. I noted that there were bottles of love potion over by the exit and watched as one of the chefs reached for one. I cleared my throat.
“Oh, Lance Corporal, what a surprise,” the chef squeaked.
“Tell me, how did you obtain this love potion?” I growled.
“Uhhhhh....Private First Class Cloud Chaser obtained it,” he squeaked again. “Told Princess Mi Amore Cadenza it was to ensure that two ponies, who were secretly in love fell in true love.”
“Yes, and who are these ponies she said were in secret love?” I asked.
“You and Luna,” he said.
I grunted. After taking the trolley from him and putting a shield on it so it couldn't be spiked, then took it to our room. After shutting the door, I sat down and grunted in irritation.
“Those little so and so's,” I grunted.
“What are they up to now?” Skyla asked.
“Spiking our breakfast with love potion because they see me and Luna as secretly in love and wanted us to fully admit our love for one another,” I said. “Cloud Chaser obtained the love potion on that pretense. In other words, she lied to Cadence.”
“If she finds out, then we're going to all be in the soup,” Skyla said.
On cue, Cadence and Nightmare Moon stormed in, both looking like they were going to rip out a few souls and consume them after seasoning them and serving them on toast.
We saluted Nightmare and bowed to Cadence. Nightmare was the one who spoke.
“Your mother here has found out that she was lied to by some pony calling herself Cheesecake. Do you know anything?” Nightmare asked.
“Private First Class Cloud Chaser is the pony you want to ask,” I said. “She's the one who's bonehead idea it was to spike our food. I had to stay in the kitchen and watch them make us a brand new breakfast and then took it after a few...words. I am not exactly happy to hear that our own troops are blind to reality, and that's coming from a thestral.”
Of course, seeing mom pissed was beyond scary. You think Cadence slightly ticked off is anything? Wait until you see the perfect storm of rage in her eyes. It is downright terrifying. I could literally feel my soul running towards my stomach and zipping all exits shut.
“Mom, Captain,” I said. “If anything, we need to find a way to make sure this never happens again. I'm seriously going to have words with her and there maybe some unfriendly words here and there. I recommend staying here and soundproofing the door. I wouldn't want my...er...marefriend to hear anything unsuitable and unbecoming of an officer and a gentle colt.”
“Yes, Lance Corporal,” they said.
We saluted and after leaving, I found Cloud Chaser. It's kind of easy to miss her, because of her pale Persian blue coat. Cornering her, I was feeling my anger boil over.
“WHAT IS YOUR MAJOR MALFUNCTION?!” I shouted. “LYING TO CADENCE, SPIKING OUR FOOD! ARE YOU EVEN THINKING OF HOW DANGEROUS LOVE POTION IS?”
“Well, no,” she said.
Saying no more, I turned and stormed off. Upon reaching the barracks, I opened the door and banged it shut.
“Jackass,” I hissed.
“I take it everything went well?” Cadence asked.
“To tweak a quote from a series I watch- “Well then Clever Mares, who's bright idea was it to go and lie to Cadence”, and to add to that, we have- “It's not my fault!”. If you can't tell, I'm just so happy,” I growled, sitting down and breaking a chair in the process.
I didn't care that I had broken a chair, or that I had just let my temper run away. The only damn cares I had was that Luna and I were nearly forced into a false relationship and that my mother had been lied to. If anything, I would have drank bleach and then eat a match and basically blow up. Skyla, being the calmer mind in the room, cleared her throat politely.
“Excuse me, but I may have an answer to our problem here,” she said. “A “discharge” of me and my brother for “being in love with a princess” and then find another pair of ponies to fill our roles.”
While Mom, Nightmare and Luna liked it, mom made it better.
“Why don't you two take an “extended” holiday to Horseshoe Bay and let the others carry on without you two to guide them,” she said.
Nightmare and Luna agreed. However, it was Luna who came up with a much more fool proof plan. Me and Skyla were to stay in her office, having time off and we were not to be bothered with such trivialities. Luna was to be transferred to another place of residence until fit to travel to Canterlot, which was only in two days time.
We took her into Skyla's office and let her sleep on the couch. Skyla had ordered another couch and had it set up in another corner, but the couch had a hide-a-bed in it. After we got it out and did some moving around, Luna was moved to the bed and Skyla stayed with her and acted as a sister while I stayed up and filled out some delayed paperwork before crashing on the couch. I will say that sleep never felt so lovely.
Can somepony turn off the sun? Seriously. I have only had 2 hours of sleep over the entire week with all the paperwork needing filling out and it felt good to catch up. Then again, I had only been running on 2,458 cups of coffee and sparse amounts of food. Now I want to make up for lost normal routines.
Skyla and Luna were already up and eating breakfast. I yawned and joined them for apricot omelets, coffee and toast. To say it felt good to eat a full meal would be an understatement. My shriveled stomach started to expand back to it's original state. Honestly, if I wasn't an herbivore, I would have downed seventy five packs of hotdogs, sixteen steaks, forty five glasses of wine and whatever else I could get my hot little horn on.
Luna was chuckling as I downed my breakfast, ready for the day. After that, we went out to Ponyville. The shopping we did was a basic stock up for Battery Sergeant Major Skyla's cabinet. Luna enjoyed helping shop, as she hadn't done that for years. When we finished, we had fruits, vegetables, spices, eggs, breads, pasta, pasta sauces and many other office supplies, which filled half a cart. I then had Luna and Skyla climb in the cart and I hitched up to said cart and headed back to the castle.
Upon returning to the castle, we got to see the other guards in pure misery. I looked at Skyla as we unloaded the cart, then pointed to the others.
“Barma, Kitch,” I said.
Skyla laughed and we went into Skyla's office and put away the goods. However, sitting in the office were the ponies me and Skyla went to college with. I had to raise a brow until I cast my mind back and listened to the bantering. They had stayed out of it, but that didn't answer my question as to why they were there until Private Echo explained that Nightmare had assigned them to help us with protecting Luna.
“That makes it easy,” I said. “I'll have to thank her.”
“True,” Echo said.
“Oh and Inkwell's been promoted to Sergeant,” Echo said.
“He deserves it,” Skyla said. “He's been hard working and needed some promotion and yes, while doing oddjobs in the background, he's only complained once and that was because of the lack of intelligence the others showed.”
“Thanks,” Inkwell said.
The sergeant's badge shone on his chestplate. As for the others, their armor shone and made Luna smile happily.
“Reminds me of my old guards,” she said.
That got me to think about something I saw in the castle in Canterlot, in passing. The Night Guard were Thestrals. Something made me look over at her.
“Luna, were your guards Thestrals?” I asked.
“Yes.”