//------------------------------// // We'll meet again // Story: Night and Day // by Tom Ink //------------------------------// As soon as Celestia had raised the Sun, a group of royal guards and batponies took off – separately – from Canterlot for a rescue mission into the Everfree Forest. Celestia and Luna traveled back to Canterlot to keep their appointments, each having faith in the work of their respective guards and hoping the problem would be solved soon. Even though the two groups of guards searched the same places, they stared warily at each other, each one taking care to not cross the path of the enemy. Each team thought the other was the responsible for the missing soldiers, and they glowered at each other with every stare. The sun had been up for a few hours by the time the royal guards has spotted the discarded pieces of armor. Some dove into the water, thinking the missing soldiers could have drowned, but they floated back with nothing but some parts of a batpony’s armor. The search parties concluded that the missing soldiers had spent the night someplace dry. Each group headed towards the nearby caves, hoping find their team members quickly and unaware of what had really happened.. ***************** The first rays of Sun began to pierce through the cave and touch Midnight’s still-closed eyelids. Her eyes fluttered, still a bit dazed after that night. When they opened entirely, she looked at her surroundings and panicked slightly. “Hey, where am I? This isn’t my room, what the–“ She calmed down after turning her head to the left and noticing the presence of a Pegasus. She recalled the previous day: the changelings, the swamp, the hydra, the rescue, the feathers, the cold… Had he really done all those things for her? It struck her how much she had been through in the past day, much more than she’d realized at the time. Turning her head, she saw Golden’s white wing on her back, protecting the splint that tightly held her injured wing against her body. The pain wasn’t unbearable, contrary to what she had feared, and seeing this white feathery wing on her made her smile. In the sunlight, his golden mane shined, and she enjoyed that the quiet allowed her to stare at him for a few minutes. A small gust of wind passed through his mane and made him look majestic, and Midnight wasn’t able to take her eyes off this fascinating view for a long time. Something rubbed against her rump, and she turned her head. Golden’s tail covered a small part of her flanks, and their tails brushed together. Midnight smiled even wider – and blushed, too – but she didn’t move her tail from where it was. This guard really wasn’t the same kind they had learned about at her school. He didn’t care about who she was. He protected her, as his motto said. Golden started to wake up too, and his body shifted a bit. One eye after the other, he woke up and saw Midnight watching him. “Hi, Midnight. Sleep well?” he asked, yawning and already smiling. “Yeah, Golden. I’m still okay, so thanks for…” the batpony replied, searching the words. Golden folded up his wings, which brushed against her back and caused her to shiver slightly. Golden slowly started to stand and stretch.“Don’t worry, I get it. We will head back to Ponyville soon. Just let me… do my morning stretches…” he said between two movements. “How’s your wing?” Midnight needed a few seconds to answer, stunned at how the light of day outlined the Pegasus’ athletic body and toned muscles. “Huh? Oh, it’s okay. It doesn’t hurt so bad…” she said, uneasily shifting her eyes everywhere. “Sure?” Golden inquired. “Hold on, I’m gonna take a look.” He finished his morning routine and approached the batpony, who hesitated a bit and took a few steps back. He tried to reassure her. “Midnight, I’m not gonna hurt you, I promise. I just need to check if your wing is still okay.” Midnight thought for a few seconds, then finally let out a sigh and sat up, carefully unfolding her wing. Golden reached a hoof out and blushed a bit while stroking her back, then the base of the wing, while the batpony sighed contently, feeling Golden’s hoof massaging her sore back. Unconsciously (and encouraged by the batpony’s closed eyes and smile he started to go lower. He traced her curves, well-built by her training, and her dark grey skin that shivered with his touch. She reopened her eyes and turned her head to him. They both looked to each other for a few seconds, smiling. Unable to control his blank mind, his hoof got closer to her cutie mark, and– “HEY!! YOU!! HOOVES OFF!!” A scream jerked them back to reality, and they turned their heads to the source of the sound, which came from the entrance of the cave. “GET OFF OF HER, PEGASUS!!” The voice became even stronger, and Golden didn’t have time to react before getting pinned to the floor by another batpony, who showed his fangs, ready to bite. The two fought for several seconds before Midnight separated them. She recognized the stallion that attacked Golden. “Starry! Leave him alone! I’m fine!” she shouted. Starry roared and glared at Golden before turning to Midnight. “Are you hurt? Your wing! Let me see,” he said, seeing the bandaged wing. “Who did that to you? Was it him?!” he roared again, pointing to Golden. “Hey! I made that splint, but we were attacked by a hydra!” he answered, getting closer to Starry. “One more step, Pegasus, and you’ll regret it!” Starry barked, stomping. Behind him, Midnight seemed pained and asked for forgiveness with her eyes. “I won’t play your game, Starry, so calm yourself and let me…” he shifted to avoid Starry and to check Midnight, but he was blocked again. “Nothing! I knew it was a bad idea to work with you, Royal Guard! So. You. Stay. Back,” he spat, accentuating every word and punching Golden on the chest. The guard kept his eyes frowned all the time and strained to not punch this batpony, but he didn’t want to get angry in front of Midnight, not in front of anypony. Golden and Starry didn’t lower their gazes for a few seconds until both royal guards and batponies entered the cave. One of them shouted: “HEY! THEY’RE HERE!” Quickly, Midnight and Golden separated, surrounded by their respective team members, and they lost sight of each other. On Golden’s side, his friend White Spear quickly found him as soon as he was out of the cave. “Golden! Golden!’ he shouted, jumping on his hooves. A little surprised at first, Golden gladly returned the hug and patted his back while White started to sob a bit. “I’m so happy to see you again… I-I thought that..,” he said between two sobs. “Come one… It’s okay… I’m here. Wow, do you really need to cry that much? You missed me so badly?” Golden smiled, taking a few steps back to watch his friend and see his red and puffy eyes. White breathed deeply and wiped his tear before answering. “Hey, I wasn’t crying, I was just thinking of the hundred bits you owe me. I thought I’d never see them!” he laughed. “OUCH!” He received a punch in the shoulder, and Golden burst out laughing. “You’re really dumb, you know that? But that’s why you’re my friend,” Golden said, being the one who gave the hug now. The others guards started laughing, all happy to see their friend back and safe. Taken aback, the batponies watched the scene, less amused. “What a bunch of crybabies,” spat one of them. Midnight frowned but avoided answering, not wanting to create a scene in her company. “Midnight, can you fly?” one of her teammates asked. She unfolded a wing to show the spline. “I’ve only got one that workss, duh,” she replied, quite dryly. “We’ll fly in a trio formation to bring you to Canterlot,” Starry Eyes commanded. “On position!” Quickly, two batponies surrounded Midnight, and each wrapped a hoof around her back, beating their wings in rhythm to take off slowly. Midnight used her good wing to take off too. She turned her head back around to check the speed of her wing, and saw the guards take off with them towards the royal city. Golden stole a glance at her before following his comrades, who never stopped to ask him questions and forced him to avoid Midnight’s eyes. Midnight turned back and lowered her head, letting the other guards carry her all the way back home. Later on, Midnight found herself in front of Moon Dancer's door. "You asked for me, captain?" she asked as she stuck her head inside. Starry Eyes stood next to Moon Dancer, as serious as usual. “Ah, Midnight!” Moon exclaimed, raising his head from the papers. “Yes, come in. How’s your wing?” he asked, pointing to the chair in front of him. Midnight walked up and answered to his question by raising her bandaged wing, which had real bandages this time. “The doctor said I was lucky, and it was a good thing to have put a spline. It kept it from breaking further. It’s just a bit strained. A few days rest and it will be fine,” she detailed. “I owe Golden my thanks.” “Who?” Moon raised an eyebrow. “The royal guard who saved me from the hydra and made the spline,” Midnight answered with a broad smile, thinking back to what they’d lived through together. Moon’s eyes frowned a bit. Starry Eyes’ frowned even more. “Oh, yes, this… guard,” Moon sighed. Silence hung in the air for a few seconds before Starry loudly cleared his throat and pressed him to continue. “Midnight, do you know why I called you here?” A bit surprised, Midnight did not shirk and answered. “Err, you have some news for me, captain?” Moon sat back in his chair and scratched his chin with his hoof. “Yes, of course, but…” He breathed deeply. “I wanted to know what happened between you and this… Golden. What were you doing with him in that cave?” Midnight didn’t understand what her captain had asked. “What? Well, I was hurt when I saved him from the hydra, then he saved me when I was drowning, and then we took shelter for the night in that cave cause it was too dark and we couldn’t make it to Ponyville with the weather and my wing. Nothing more, that’s all,” Midnight explained. “Nothing more?” Starry got angry. “You spent a whole night with the enemy!” “He saved me from dying! And it’s not like I had a choice!” the mare answered immediately. “Who said it wasn’t his fault in the first place?” “What do you know about that? You weren’t there, and–“ “He put ideas in your head, is that it? Those bucking royal guards, you can’t trust them! You should have run away and let him–” Midnight couldn’t stand it anymore. “Let him die? Are you crazy, Starry?! I wasn’t gonna let somepony die, enemy or not! He didn’t act like that, either!” the batpony roared. “Is it really our policy to let somepony die when they need help??” “It was a royal guard, Midnight! A royal guard!” “And? Equestria is still here, so what do you have to be angry about?!” “SILENCE!!!” the third pony in the office shouted. Moon Dancer stomped his hoof on the table, making the walls shiver and instantly shutting down the two guards. He breathed out deeply and continued. “Midnight, what Starry is trying to say is that, even if the circumstances forced you, it wasn’t your job to get involved into his business. Do I need to teach you a history lesson?” he asked. “I don’t see the connection,” Midnight explained, a bit puzzled. Starry rolled his eyes. Moon Dancer sighed and stood up in his chair. “Midnight, you know very well that, for a millennium, we’ve been opposed to Celestia’s guards. We followed Luna after she became Nightmare Moon, and that led to the almost complete slaughter of our race after her exile to the Moon by Celestia and her royal guards. You know the whole story, right?” Moon asked, facing Midnight, who only nodded. “You also know that, during the exile, we were ostracized, marginalized, even sidelined in Equestria, every day facing the insults and the batponies hunts led not only by the guards and Celestia but also by the citizens,” Moon continued. “It took time before we were slowly accepted here, even if the rancor against us never truly ceased.” Midnight listened carefully, even if she’d already heard that story a hundred times before. Finally, Moon rose from his seat and turned around in the office, sitting in front of her. “Luna’s return helped us to recover our place at her side and to recreate a guard to protect her. And that made the royal guards jealous; they still didn’t accept our return to the Equestrian army...” “Yeah, yeah, I know all of that, but does that really forbid me from talking to them or helping when one of them is in danger? He did the same for me,” Midnight replied. Moon sighed again and massaged his temples, still under Starry’s stare. “Midnight, since Luna’s return, we’ve been engaged in a sort of… cold war with Celestia’s guards. The rules are clear: our exchanges are strictly limited to the take-overs, and a separation is made between us and them in the army. This is the first time that we’ve faced an incident like the one between you and that other guard. You understand that the situation is touchy, right?” Moon questioned, loudly setting his hooves on the table. Midnight thought for some seconds, then breathed deeply. “Yes, I understand. I won’t let it happen again,” she answered. “I hope so. Soldier, you may leave,” Moon concluded, saluting. Midnight rose up and did the same before leaving the office, all under Starry’s ferocious stare. Shortly after her departure, Starry spoke. “That’s all? She needs to be excluded from the guard for her betrayal!” the guard roared, getting closer to his chief, who massaged his temples again. “Starry, I know what you think, but under these circumstances, I can’t punish her. I’m sure she understands now,” Moon calmly explained. “Bullshit! I don’t trust her. This Pegasus must have filled her skull with his hatred for batponies,” the guard continued, anger rising at every word. The captain let out a long sigh and turned to him. “Starry, slow down, do you hear me? I don’t want to have a new war on my hooves, not without proof. So, you calm yourself, and everything is back to normal, okay? Midnight will still be your teammate, as soon as she’s ready again, get it?” he asked with his strict tone, frowning. “But, captain, it’s–“ “Lieutenant Starry Eyes, was I clear or not?” His tone left him no other choice. Starry stepped back and groaned. “Crystal clear,” he said between his gritted teeth while saluting. He left the office without a word. Meanwhile, Golden and White had been given the day off to recover, and neither of them had to report for guard duty. Each had had a separate, short meeting with the captain, and Golden was ordered to not talk about what had happened in the Everfree forest and to resume his normal routine. At the end of the day, Golden met White in their room. Just after he got in the door, he saw his friend with a smile showing his genuine joy from being reunited again, safe and sound. “You waited here all day for me?” Golden asked, stepping closer to White, who nodded. They hugged again, and Golden laughed. “Hey, two hugs in one day? Careful. What will the mares think?” White let him go and smiled wickedly. “How dare you say that to me? The guy who spent an entire night alone with a batpony? Come on, tell me everything,” he asked, slumping onto his bed. “And don’t forget the juicy details.” Golden rolled his eyes and sat more calmly on his own bed before starting his story. He talked about everything, from the changeling to that morning, not forgetting the preening session, the dive in the swamp, or the batpony flank against his so she didn’t freeze. When he was finished, White’s smile threatened to tear his face in two. “Seemed like a good night. You follow my advice?” his friend suggested, adding a wink. Golden groaned and tried, without success, to explain to his friend what had really happened between him and Midnight. “I did it so I wouldn’t have a dead pony on my conscience. It’s our motto; do I need to say it again?” “No need to,” White cleared his throat. “To protect and to serve, all the citizens…” “… from the smaller ones to the powerful ones…,” Golden continued. “… whatever the danger is,” White ended. “Admit it, you enjoyed it, huh?” “What do you mean?” Golden asked, constantly surprised by his friend’s insistence. “Well, there’s worse company for the night, right?” The Pegasus thought for a few moments and then spoke. “Yeah, she’s pretty, sure. It was nice to have her with me, to have her to preen my wings, to feel her body against mine, to touch her wings. And…” He opened his eyes, realizing that he had closed them before, and discovered White in front of him, two hooves under his chin in a position that left no doubt about his intentions. “What?” Golden asked. “You like her.” Golden choked. “What… h-how… she… Midnight…” “See? You even call her by her name. You like her. You’ve got it bad,” White insisted as he took a place next to him. “I hardly ever see you like this, especially when we talk about mares. Yeah, you’ve totally fallen for her.” “Not at all,” Golden replied, slightly annoyed. “Come on…” He threw his hooves around his shoulders and squeezed him. “Come on…” He squeezed him harder. “Come on… You can say anything to your buddy…” No response. “Golden, I’m serious. If you have something to say – and you clearly have something to say because my super-buddy-sense is tingling – you can tell me. Nopony else will know it…” He smiled, and Golden did the same. “I don’t know. Last time you said that to me, it was hardly a day before everypony made fun of the plushy I slept with,” Golden remembered. White rolled his eyes. “Yeah, but that wasn’t the same. We were young and dumb,” White explained. “You haven’t changed much,” Golden laughed. “And that was just a phase!” White didn’t answer and looked at him seriously instead. “Golden, I know we rarely talk about serious stuff, but now, I promise, I am serious. So, tell me what’s on your mind,” he said calmly. Golden thought for a few seconds, then said, “Pinkie promise?” the stallion suggested. White’s eyes beamed, and he answered right away. “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye,” he said, mimicking the gesture. “So?” Golden sighed deeply and slumped again on his bed. “Yeah. I really like her. She’s funny, she knows how to fight, she doesn’t mind speaking bluntly, she’s honest, and… you should have seen her last night. The wet mane, her eyes, her curves… Oh Luna, her curves… And when she preened my wings, well, I’ve never felt anything like that…” Golden closed his eyes and, without realizing, took White’s hoof to stroke it. When he opened his eyes again and let him go, he blushed deeply. “Err, yeah, she’s a really cool mare….” “Oh dang,” White said, getting off the bed. “You really, really like her. Does she like you?” he asked. Golden sighed loudly. “I don’t know… She seemed to like me, too, and she didn’t freak out when I asked her if she could preen my wings. I saw that she stared at me when I was trying to sleep but…” He hesitated. “I’m not sure. Yeah, she let me touch her wing, sleep next to her, and she didn’t seem to mind when I was lowering my hoof to her flanks….” “Her flanks?” White repeated, walking to the shower. “Shoot, you didn’t waste any time!” Golden blushed but continued nonetheless. “Wait, I don’t know what made me do that. I was there, checking her wing, and my hoof started to stroke her back and all, like I wasn’t able to control it!” Golden said, trying to justify himself. From the bathroom, White shouted: “Just answer the question: do you like her?” Golden didn’t hesitate. “Yes.” “You want to see her again?” “Yes, but she’s a batpony, and you know the rules,” Golden sighed. “We’d be taking a big risk.” White groaned and tried to comfort his friend, getting back to his bed. “Listen, Golden, I don’t know if it will work between you and her, but you can count on me if you need someone to help you.” Still lying on the bed, Golden smiled, happy to have a loyal friend like White. “Thanks, White. You’re a real pal,” he said before White went back to the bathroom. Golden closed his eyes and, before going to sleep, thought one last time about Midnight, the batpony with whom he’d shared more than just a night in a cold cavern in the Everfree forest. ‘I promise, Midnight. We’ll meet again.’