//------------------------------//
// Checkmate 
// Story: Guarded Emotions 
// by Alabenson 
//------------------------------//

“I am sorry if my reaction to the welcome party you and your friends had prepared upset you, your highness, I was simply caught a bit off-guard by it all. Also, check.” Moonwhisper’s horn glowed a dark blue as he levitated his knight into position.
“It’s alright, Moonwhisper, you’ve apologized enough already. Also, if you wouldn’t mind, I’d really prefer it you could just call me by my name instead of ‘your highness’.” As Twilight spoke, she intently stared at the chessboard in front of her. It had been several days since Moonwhisper had arrived in Ponyville, and Twilight Sparkle was still determined to help her bodyguard with his friendship problem, although she still wasn’t entirely sure precisely what that problem was. Therefore, Twilight had decided that her first order of business was to actually get to know Moonwhisper as a friend. Luckily, it had turned out that Moonwhisper was an avid chess player, and Twilight had begun challenging him to nightly games in the hope that he would open up to her. While the nightly games did seem to be helping Moonwhisper to warm up to her, in the process Twilight had learned something about her bodyguard that she hadn’t expected. Namely, Moonwhisper had proven to be an exceptional chess player, and the Princess of Friendship had been handily beaten every single night. 
“If that’s really how you would prefer to be addressed, your high-I mean, Miss Twilight-I mean, Twilight.” 
Twilight barely stifled a giggle at Moonwhisper’s discombobulated attempt at casualness. Having had a chance to get acclimated to the stallion’s perpetually serious demeanor, Twilight found him to be pleasant enough, she just wished that she could get him to open up to her. “I’m just curious, what about the welcome party made you so uncomfortable?” Twilight asked as she moved her king to safety.
“Well, I suppose part of it stems from the fact that I’ve never been entirely comfortable being the center of attention like that.”
“Really? I’d have thought you’d be used to that sort of thing. I mean, not only are you a Captain of the Royal Guard, but from what other ponies have told me you’re an outright hero.”
Moonwhisper visibly cringed at Twilight’s use of the word ‘hero’. “Being a captain, being a leader, is one thing, being held up as a hero is another entirely. I swore an oath to protect Equestria and its citizens; doing so is, for the lack of a better term, my job. I neither want nor expect special praise for doing my job any more then I would imagine your friend Applejack would expect it for tending to her family orchard.” While Twilight took in what he had said, Moonwhisper moved his bishop into position. “For what it’s worth, checkmate.”

*********

Early morning, right at the break of dawn, had always been on of Applejack’s favorite times of the day. There was something about the smell of the fresh dew in the air that just felt invigorating, and there were few sites more beautiful to the farm pony than the first rays of morning sunlight hitting her family’s prized apple trees. And, of course, there was always the profound satisfaction Applejack derived from getting an early start to the daily chores. As Applejack trotted outside, she mentally went over a list of necessary tasks for the day of ahead. Applebuck season was still a few months away, which meant that her responsibilities would be largely comprised of routine farm maintenance. It didn’t take Applejack long to settle on which of her responsibility needed to be tackled first, namely repairing a damaged section of fence along the southern edge of the farm. Apple Bloom had informed her older sister that the fence had been broken during the previous night’s dinner, and given the continued presence of timberwolves near that portion Sweet Apple Acres Applejack wasn’t about to take any chances.
It didn’t take long for Applejack to make her way to the portion of the fence Apple Bloom had told her about, and she could see right away that the damage was worse than she had feared. Sever sections of the picket fence that marked the edge of the Apple family farm had been smashed to pieces, with several of the rails reduced to little more than splinters. Moreover, as Applejack moved closer to better inspect the damage, it became clear that a ruined fence wasn’t her only problem. Deep claw marks had been gouged into the remaining fence posts and the grass around the area of the broken fence had been torn up, as though something had been fighting there.
“Consarnit, those dang timberwolves again! That tears it, somepony’s gonna have t’ do somethin’ about these varmints before they hurt somepony.” Fuming, Applejack decided to survey the damage once more, which did little to improve her mood. The upturned ground looked worryingly fresh, and it appeared as though there were drag marks leading from the fence back into the Everfree Forrest. Applejack was pondering the rather unpleasant implications of these marks when the air was filled with the unmistakable snarls of a timberwolf. Then, to Applejack’s surprise, the bone-chilling sounds were cut off by a high-pitched yelp of pain along with the sound of wood being snapped apart. The sounds of this continued to emit from the Everfree Forrest for several minutes before finally dying down. Filled with a mixture of concern and curiosity, Applejack carefully made her way into the Everfree, intent on discovering the source of the noises and it didn’t take Applejack long to find her answer. A mere ten yards pas the edge of the woods was a small clearing, in the center of which was Moonwhisper surrounded by the splintered remains of what must have been at least half a dozen timberwolves. Moonwhisper himself was covered in a number of deep cuts, and Applejack could see specks of crimson across the ground.
“Sweet Celestia! What the hay happened here?” Applejack exclaimed as she entered the clearing, carefully stepping around the wooden wolves’ remains.
“Good morning, Miss Applejack.” Moonwhisper replied casually while he pulled a bloodstained timberwolf fang from his shoulder and tossed it away. “I was able to intercept the timberwolf pack that was concerning you, and I doubt very much that they will be bothering you any time in the near future.”
“Never mind about the durn timberwolves, are y’all alright? Here, let me get a look at yah.” Applejack tried to move closer to Moonwhisper so that she could better inspect his injuries only for him to wave her off. 
“That won’t be necessary, Miss Applejack, I’m perfectly fine. My injuries are simple lacerations, easily dealt with and certainly nothing remotely life-threatening.” As Moonwhisper spoke, his horn flared with power and his wounds began glowing blue in response. To Applejacks’s amazement, Moonwhisper’s injuries began healing right before her eyes, soon vanishing without a trace beyond the bloodstains on his coat. “It’s a spell of accelerated healing,” Moonwhisper stated, noticing the surprise on Applejack’s face, “it enables me to recover from injuries like these without the need for medical intervention. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I still need to finish my morning patrol.” As Moonwhisper trotted past Applejack, she could see his magic had moved on from the wounds themselves to dissolving the bloodstains marring his coat.
“Ah, uh, thanks?” Applejack began, still a little dumbstruck by how the morning was playing out. “For dealin’ with the timberwolves, Ah mean, if those varmints had-“
“While I appreciate the sentiment, Miss Applejack, it’s really not necessary. Protecting the citizens of Ponyville is my responsibility, and dealing with the more aggressive flora and fauna of the Everfree Forrest is a part of that responsibility.” With that, Moonwhisper exited the clearing without another word.
Applejack stood in the clearing after Moonwhisper left, trying to process what she had just witnessed. After a minute or so, the farm pony was shocked out of her daze by the sound of a tree branch breaking, followed quickly by a loud thud behind her. Spinning around, Applejack was confronted by the sight of Pinkie Pie lying sprawled out on the ground, dressed entirely in camouflage. Before Applejack could say anything, Pinkie Pie brought her hoof up to her mouth in a shushing gesture and wordlessly slinked away after Moonwhisper. Applejack briefly considered following after friend, but decided that it would be best to leave things be. The expression on Pinkie Pie’s face had been uncharacteristically serious, and a serious Pinkie Pie on top of everything else was just too much for one morning.
And besides, Applejack still had a fence to repair.

*********

“You know, Moonwhisper, I’m honestly a little surprised that we hadn’t met before you came to Ponyville.” Twilight smiled as she put Friendship plan number 17 into effect; find common ground through mutual acquaintances. “I mean, the way Shining Armor talked about you I’d have figured that I’d have seen at at his wedding at the very least.” 
“I wasn’t invited.” Moonwhisper stated matter-of-factly as he levitated a rook into position. “Though, there is a distinct possibility that my exclusion was the result of the Changeling Queen’s interference. An investigation after the changeling invasion uncovered evidence that one of the Changeling Queen’s first acts following her abduction of Princess Cadence was to expunge every notable member of the guard from the guest list.”
“Well, I’m sure Shining Armor missed having you there.”
Moonwhisper shrugged in response. “I’ll admit there is a strong possibility that my presence would have altered the chain of events, but-“
“What I meant was that Shining Armor probably missed having one of his close friends at his wedding.” Grinning triumphantly on the inside, Twilight moved her queen to capture Moonwhisper’s rook.
“I’m not entirely certain that ‘friend’ would be the most accurate term to describe my relationship to your brother.” Moonwhisper replied, looking particularly uncomfortable. “Acquaintance would likely be a more accurate term, or ‘comrade’ perhaps, but friend…I’m not really certain that would be appropriate.”
“Oh,” Twilight said, crestfallen that her friendship plan was already falling apart, “I just thought that…with the way he talked about you…”
“Shining Armor has had a somewhat inflated opinion of me for years, and to be honest-“ Moonwhisper stopped himself mid-sentence and refocused his attention on the chessboard, capturing Twilight’s queen with his knight.
Hesitantly, Twilight completed Moonwhisper’s thought. “And to be honest, you don’t like my brother very much, do you?”
Seeing Twilight’s pained expression, Moonwhisper let out a deep sigh. “Your brother, Shining Armor…I suppose the best way to put it would be that he frustrates me. To be blunt, I’ve always seen Shining Armor as the living epitome of wasted potential.”
“Wasted potential? My brother, Shining Armor, captain of the Royal Guard, Prince of the Crystal Empire, the epitome of wasted potential?” Twilight’s tone was halfway between incredulousness and bemusement as she tried to make sense of what Moonwhisper had just said. “You must hold my brother to some really high standards if you think he hasn’t lived up to his full potential.” Twilight calmly moved her rook into position to capture Moonwhisper’s knight should he move it towards her king. 
“As Shining Armor is a Captain of the Royal Guard, I hold him to the same standards I hold myself to.” Moonwhisper affirmed, a defiant edge to his voice. “I would be the first to the admit Shining Armor is an accomplished stallion, and is a prodigiously talented unicorn as well. The problem I have always had with Shining Armor is that he has spent his entire career coasting by on those prodigious talents instead of actually working to improve himself. Frankly, it’s a problem I’ve seen with many prodigies over the years; they grow too accustomed to relying on their natural talent and wind up turning it into a crutch.” Moonwhisper moved his queen into position. “Also, checkmate.”

*********

Probably the best thing about cloudbusting, at least as far as Rainbow Dash was concerned, was that it was an excellent way to work out aggression. The last week or so had been particularly frustrating for the polychromatic pegasus. First, Moonwhisper’s arrival and his brusque dismissal of the welcome part that they had prepared had left bad taste in her mouth. Then, A.K. Yearling had announced that the next Daring Do novel was going to be delayed (a letter from her author/idol had assured Rainbow Dash that the delay was the result of an extended adventuring dry spell, which partially mollified her). Finally, just that morning Rainbow Dash had received a letter informing her that the upcoming Wonderbolts show in Fillydelphia she had been looking forward to performing in had been cancelled due to the stadium needing renovations. After all of that, Rainbow had taken particular delight in the opportunity to unleash her pent up frustrations on the clouds over Ponyville, and the skies had been left particularly clear that day as a result.
With her weatherpony duties completed for the day, Rainbow Dash decided to indulge in one of her favorite hobbies and take a cloud nap. Although Rainbow hadn’t left any clouds over Ponyville itself, there were still plenty in the skies outside the town proper, and Rainbow quickly settled on an especially fluffy cumulus over the Everfree gem fields. As Rainbow settled in, however, her efforts to sleep were disrupted by shouting coming from below, punctuated by the sounds of rocks being shattered.
“What the hay is going on down there?” Rainbow yelled as she peered over her cloud. Standing almost directly below her, surrounded by a number of boulders, was Moonwhisper. As Rainbow Dash spoke, the unicorn stallion let out a loud shout and delivered a powerful kick to a nearby boulder, leaving a spider web of cracks on its surface.
“Good morning, Miss Dash. I didn’t mean to disturb you, I was just going through my morning exercises.”
Rainbow Dash let out an aggravated groan by way of response and flopped back down into her cloud. The brash pegasus still didn’t particularly care for Twilight’s new bodyguard, despite Twilight’s entreaties to her friends to give him the benefit of the doubt. It wasn’t something that Rainbow Dash could entirely put her hoof on either. While Moonwhisper’s cold dismissal of the welcome party they had put together had certainly irritated Rainbow, it was something about his demeanor that she truly found off putting. 
“Then again,” Rainbow Dash thought to herself as she listened to the sounds of Moonwhisper’s training below, “maybe I should at least give him a chance. After all, he did apologize to Pinkie Pie about the party.” Flipping herself over onto her stomach, Rainbow Dash guided her cloud closer to the ground until it was just a few feet overhead. “So,” Rainbow Dash called out, poking her head out over the edge of her cloud, “do come out here to workout often?”
“Every day, given the opportunity.” Moonwhisper replied as he reared up and delivered a series of rapid blows with his front hooves to a nearby boulder.
“Huh. Anyway, Twilight says that you’re supposed to be on the toughest guards in Equestria or something.” When Moonwhisper failed to respond, Rainbow Dash added “I’ll bet you wouldn’t stand a chance against me in a race, though.”
“That is certainly a distinct possibility, given what I’ve heard about your capabilities.”
“So you’ve heard of me?” Rainbow Dash exclaimed eagerly before composing herself. “I guess it makes sense that you’d have heard of my awesomeness.”
“Winner of Cloudsdale’s ‘Best Young Fliers’ competition, one of the inaugural members of the Wonderbolts Reserve Unit, recently brought on as the latest member of the Wonderbolts proper, and the only pegasus known to be able to produce a sonic rainboom.” Moonwhisper listed off Rainbow Dash’s accomplishments in a bored tone, as though he were reading off a piece of paper.
As disinterested as Moonwhisper sounded, however, hearing anypony recite her accomplishments like that was music to Rainbow Dash’s ears. “Yeah, I’m pretty amazing alright. Say, you wanna work out together? We could make it a competition, y’know, see who the real top athlete in Ponyville is. I mean, I’m pretty sure it’s me, but still.”
“You’re welcome to join me for my exercise if you wish, Miss Dash, but I’ll have to decline you’re offer to make it a competition. To be frank, I’ve never had any particular interest in competing.”
“Wait, what? How come?”
“Honestly, I’ve just never seen the point. Proving that one pony is better than somepony else has always just seemed meaningless in and of itself.”
“Uh huh. Y'know what, I think I’m just gonna finish my nap somewhere else.” Not waiting for Moonwhisper to respond, Rainbow Dash took a firm grip on her cloud and soared off. As she left, it suddenly occurred to Rainbow Dash who Moonwhisper reminded her of; Maud Pie, only without the familial connection to her friend Pinkie.
In an odd coincidence, as Rainbow Dash flew up into the sky she found herself passing by none other than the resident party pony of Ponyville herself. Pinkie Pie had completely coated herself in flour, wrapped herself in what appeared to be cotton wadding and was floating in the air courtesy of a large bunch of white balloons that she had tied around her midsection. The end result made had the effect of making it appear that Pinkie Pie was attempting to disguise herself as a cloud floating through the air. Rainbow Dash briefly considered asking her friend what in Equestria she was doing, but then she noticed the telephoto lens camera that Pinkie was holding, pointed directly at Moonwhisper. It said something about Pinkie Pie that the only part of the scene that Rainbow Dash found confusing was where Pinkie Pie had been able to acquire the camera.

*********

“I can accept that you and Shining Armor aren’t really friends, but surely there has to be somepony that you can think of as a friend.” Tonight, Twilight had decided to take a more direct approach with Moonwhisper. If Twilight could at least get Moonwhisper to acknowledge his friendship with somepony, anypony, then she would have something that she could build upon.
“Honestly, I can’t really think of anypony that I would really call a friend, at least as I understand the definition of the term. I’ve always done my best to keep my relationships with my fellow guards strictly professional, and my interactions with civilians have been…limited until recently.” Moonwhisper’s horn glowed as he moved one of his chess pieces. “Check, by the way.”
Twilight stared down at the board as she collected her thoughts. “Alright, but what about before you joined the guard? Wasn’t there anypony you were friends with when you were a colt? Maybe even a brother or sister you were close to?”
Moonwhisper closed his eyes and took a deep breath upon hearing Twilight bring up the subject of his foalhood, shuddering slight as she mentioned hypothetical siblings. “I was raised in a fairly isolated area, your high-pardon me, Twilight, so I didn’t have any really opportunities to make friends, and I’m an only foal.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you,” Twilight said as she absentmindedly moved her king out of immediate danger “but it’s just a little hard for me to accept that you’ve never had any friends whatsoever. You’ve really never had anypony that you could call a friend?”
“To be frank, I can’t really say that I have. It’s not that I hold the concept of friendship in contempt, mind you, you and your friends have proven its power on multiple occasions. Truthfully, I’ve just always seen friendship as, how should I put this, as a vulnerability. Also, check.”
“What? You really see friendship as some kind of weakness? That-that’s crazy!”
“I beg your pardon, Twilight, but I very specifically did not use the term ‘weakness’. I described friendship as a vulnerability, and I meant that in the most literal interpretation of the word.”
“I’m sorry, but I’m not really sure I see the difference.” Twilight replied in a calmer but still slightly offended tone, moving her king once again.
“Well, when I used the term ‘vulnerability’. I meant it in the sense that friendship is something that makes one vulnerable. As I understand it, and as an expert on the subject please feel free to correct me if I’m mistaken, but the nature of friendship requires one to open themselves up to others on a certain emotional level.” Moonwhisper paused for a moment to allow Twilight a chance to interject before continuing. “The issue, at least from my perspective, is that leaving yourself open like that, caring about somepony else like that…it just leaves one too susceptible to being hurt.” Moonwhisper moved one of his bishops and looked Twilight squarely in the eye. “Checkmate.”

*********

If there was one thing that Rarity prided herself on when it came to her designs, it was her ability to predict emerging trends in fashion. And with the excitement following the birth of Princess Flurry Heart, Rarity was certain that neo-classical designs inspired by the Crystal Empire’s ascetic were the next big thing on the fashion horizon. The challenge, however, was the fact that the fashionista’s own knowledge on traditional Crystal Empire fashion was sadly limited to what little she had seen during her previous visits. Luckily, Rarity had a ready solution for when problems such as this reared their manifestly unfashionable heads; Twilight Sparkle. The studious alicorn had always been an excellent source of information when it came to historical fashions and, given all the research Twilight had been doing regarding the Crystal Empire, Rarity was certain that Twilight would have exactly the information she was looking for.
It was with these thoughts in mind that Rarity arrived at Twilight’s castle and knocked on the door. “Hello, Twilight darling, are you-Oh!” The posh unicorn let out a surprised squeal as the castle doors swung open abruptly, revealing the perpetually stone-faced visage of Twilight’s bodyguard.
“Good afternoon, Miss Rarity. I presume that you’re here to visit Princess Twilight.” Moonwhisper greeted Rarity in his typical frostily polite manner. “Please, come inside. Princess Twilight and Spike are currently occupied with some delicate magical research at the moment, but I will let them know that you’ve arrived. Would you mind waiting in the throne room in the meantime?”
“Not at all, Captain.” Rarity replied as she sauntered inside, fluttering her eyelashes at Moonwhisper as she passed by. Visiting Twilight may have been the primary reason Rarity had come to the castle, but Rarity was more than happy to use the opportunity to flirt with Twilight’s bodyguard. Moonwhisper’s tall, dark and handsome appearance coupled with his station as a Captain of the Equestrian Guard, made him very attractive to Rarity, his frosty demeanor notwithstanding. Rarity had already partially convinced herself that, deep down, Moonwhisper was in fact the noble, gracious knight she had been waiting for to sweep her off her hooves. All Rarity had to do was figure out some way to bright Moonwhisper’s knightly side out into the open.
Rarity had spent just a few minutes waiting within the throne room when Moonwhisper returned, pushing a teacart. “I’ve let Princess Twilight know that you’ve come to visit, and she will be with you in a few more minutes. In the meantime, would you care for some tea?”
“Why thank you, captain.” Rarity responded as Moonwhisper poured her a cup of tea. “So, now that you’ve had time to settle in, how are you finding our little town?”
“Thus far Ponyville has proven to be a fairly simple assignment.” Moonwhisper stated, as though he were reading off of a piece of paper. “There are relatively few security issues relating to the town proper, and securing the border of the Everfree Forest has proven to be easier than I originally anticipated.”
“That’s…nice to hear. You know, it just occurred to me that I’ve never asked what you did before you came to Ponyville.”
“Very well, if you really want to know, following Tirek’s assault on Equestria I was stationed in Canterlot, mostly writing new emergency protocols for the guard.”
“I imagine that must have been a frustrating experience for a stallion of action such as yourself.” Rarity said in a sympathetic tone. “But still, I can’t possibly think of a place I’d rather be frustrated in that Canterlot.”
“Personally, I can think of any number of other areas I would have rather been assigned to. That was a substantial portion of my reasons for twice turning down the position of Captain of the Canterlot Guard.”
A less poised mare might very well have sprayed her tea all over the Cutie Map upon having heard such a declaration. Rarity, however, managed to swallow her tea and calmly lower her cup before responding. “Pardon, but did you say that you turned down the Captaincy of the Canterlot Guard, one of the most prestigious positions in the entire guard…twice?” Despite Rarity’s best efforts, her voice was filled with horror at what she was hearing.
“Well,” Moonwhisper began, either not noticing or not caring about Rarity’s discomfort, “Shining Armor and I were promoted to captain at the same time, and he initially wanted me to take the Canterlot posting. Eventually, however, Shining Armor came to agree with my assessment that he was better suited for the position once I…voiced my strenuous reservations to taking the posting myself. I turned the position down a second time after Shining Armor transferred to the Crystal Empire. Shining Armor recommended me for the position once again, but I convinced him that my second-in-command at the time, Fearless Blade, was the more appropriate candidate.” Moonwhisper paused, a thoughtful expression on his face. “To tell the truth, in both instances the soldier who was assigned the position was far better suited to it than I would have been. The Captaincy of the Canterlot Guard is a position that requires a fair amount of diplomatic skill, and dealing with other ponies has never been my forte.”
Inwardly, Rarity breathed a sigh of relief. When Moonwhisper had said that he had twice turned down the most prestigious position in the Equestrian Guard Rarity hadn’t known what to think. But, she had to admit there was a certain nobility to the idea that Moonwhisper had put the wellbeing of Canterlot ahead of his own personal-
“And to be frank,” Moonwhisper added, “the Canterlot elite set my teeth on edge.”
-distaste for the high-society ponies Rarity delighted in hobnobbing with.
“I really don’t know what I find more stomach-churning about them,” Moonwhisper continued, his voice starting to betray hints of anger, “the dishonest way they treat each other or unfounded arrogance they display towards everypony else.”
Before Moonwhisper could work himself up further, however, Twilight Sparkle finally trotted into the throne room, Spike following close behind. “I’m sorry I took so long, Rarity, it’s just that I’ve been working on a long-range communication spell and I’ve almost got it working.”
Seeing Twilight enter, Moonwhisper took a deep breath to compose himself before addressing his princess. “Will there be anything else that you’ll need me for, Twilight?” Seeing Twilight shake her head in response, Moonwhisper began putting away the tea set before suddenly pausing. “Pardon me, Miss Pie, but was there something you wanted to speak with Princess Twilight about as well?”
Moonwhisper’s question was met with a loud squeak of surprise as a pink blur bolted down from the throne room chandelier and out the door, leaving a trail of confetti in its wake. The group shared a series of glances before silently agreeing to simply accept the occurrence as yet another example of Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie.
“So, Rarity,” Twilight finally said, breaking the awkward silence, “what was it you wanted to talk to me about?”
“I was wondering if you had any books on the traditional fashions of the Crystal Empire. I have a feeling that neo-classical is going to be big next season.” As Rarity spoke, she glanced regretfully at Moonwhisper, who was occupied with sweeping up the confetti Pinkie Pie had left behind.
“Is there something wrong?” Twilight asked as the two mares headed for the castle library.
“No, darling, it’s nothing.” If Rarity’s past experiences with Prince Blueblood and Trenderhoof had taught her anything, it was that sometimes it was better to cut ones losses with it came to infatuation. 

*********

Twilight Sparkle stared down at the chessboard in front of her without much enthusiasm. While her nightly chess matches with Moonwhisper had succeeded in getting him to open up to her to an extent, it seemed the more Moonwhisper opened up the less Twilight understood him. The way Moonwhisper had spoken about how friendship and caring for others makes one vulnerable sounded like something she would have expected Discord to say in his pre-reform days. Still, Twilight had dealt with ponies who had lost faith in the concept of friendship before, and if Moonwhisper was anything like those other ponies there was likely something hiding in his past that had made him the way he was. “If you don’t mind my asking,” Twilight began as she moved one of her pawns, “what happened to you to make so afraid of caring about anypony else? It must have been something pretty awful to make you want to give up on friendship the way you have.”
“I don’t recall saying anything quite that extreme, Twilight. All I indicated was that I wasn’t interested in the level of emotional vulnerability inherent in friendship. That’s a far cry from saying I don’t care about anypony else.” Moonwhisper countered in a slightly offended tone as he moved his rook. “The fact of the matter is I do in fact care very much for many ponies. The civilians I’ve been assigned to protect, for example, or the soldiers who serve under me. I simply draw a distinction between caring for somepony else’s well-being and out and out friendship.”
“Alright, fair enough, but why?” Twilight plaintively asked. “I just can’t comprehend why anypony would consciously choose to close themselves off to friendship.” Twilight slumped back in her seat and forlornly moved her pawn. “What are you so afraid of about opening yourself up to other ponies?”
Moonwhisper sighed as he looked down at the chessboard, unable or unwilling to look his princess in the eye. “I suppose what it comes down to is that I’ve personally never seen the benefit of friendship. I realize I’m in the minority in that sentiment, but…friendship simply never struck me as something that was worth the risk.” Moonwhisper finally replied, never taking his eyes off of the chessboard. Before Twilight had a chance to form a rebuttal Moonwhisper moved his knight. “Checkmate.”

*********

Ponyville’s farmers market was almost always bustling with noise and activity as ponies went about their daily business. Consequently, visiting the market ranked among Fluttershy’s least favorite activities. The shy pegasi was always terrified she might embarrass herself, or draw attention to herself, or (worst of all) draw attention to herself by doing something embarrassing. Still, taking care of her many critter friends necessitated maintaining a rather extensive pantry, which in turn forced Fluttershy to make frequent trips to the market despite her reservations.
Thankfully, today’s trip to the farmers market had proven to be largely uneventful. The usual crowds of shoppers were a bit thinner than normal, and few of the produce seller seemed to be interested in haggling. As such, Fluttershy had been able to quickly pick up everything she needed with a minimum of fuss. Just as Fluttershy started to head back to her cottage with her purchases, however, she heard a sound that stopped her in her tracks; the plaintive cry of a kitten in distress. In a flash, Fluttershy launched herself into the air and bolted towards the source of the cries. It didn’t take Fluttershy long to reach her goal, a kitten who had managed to strand herself in the branches of a large oak tree. Much to Fluttershy’s surprise, though, standing at the base of the tree was Moonwhisper.
Unlike her friends, Fluttershy hadn’t developed much of an opinion regarding Twilight’s bodyguard one way or the other. She had barely spoken to the taciturn unicorn since he had arrived in Ponyville, at least partly due to the fact that Fluttershy was more than slightly intimidated by him. On the other hoof, though, Moonwhisper had yet to give Fluttershy any specific reason to dislike him and the kind pegasus had always been of the firm belief that one should always give others the benefit of the doubt.
While Fluttershy briefly paused, wondering what Moonwhisper was doing, the stranded kitten let out another plaintive cry grabbing her attention once again. Before Fluttershy could react, however, a dark blue magical aura manifested itself around the kitten, gingerly detaching it from the tree branch. The kitten was then gently levitated to the ground, where a small earth pony filly ran up to it.
“Miss Whiskers!” The young filly exclaimed as she wrapped one of her forelegs around the kitten, the aura around it dissipating as she did so. “I was so worried about you, thank goodness you’re alright.” The filly then looked up from her rescued pet to Moonwhisper, who was already silently walking away. “Thank you so much for saving my kitty, mister!” The filly called out, to which Moonwhisper replied with mutterings about simply doing his duty. To Fluttershy, however, Moonwhisper’s actions carried a bit more meaning. As far as Fluttershy was concerned, anypony who would stop to assist a helpless kitten out of a tree almost certainly had to be a good pony at heart, regardless of how grumpy they might be. This small insight into Moonwhisper’s character was sufficient to convince Fluttershy that she should try to extend her hoof in friendship to the guardspony. After all, she thought to herself as she glided down to the ground, a little kindness, patience and compassion had been enough to convince Discord to open himself up to the magic of friendship. Next to that, convincing another pony to accept her friendship should be easy. Even if the pony in question was a perpetually unsmiling stallion who had beaten a pack of timberwolves so badly they wouldn’t be able to recover for weeks—Fluttershy let out a sudden terrified squeak and dove for cover as Moonwhisper pause to glance back towards her.
Granted, Fluttershy wasn’t upset about Moonwhisper’s thrashing of a timberwolf pack in and of itself. The vicious plant beasts were some of the only creatures in the Everfree Forest too savage for even her to safely interact with. What did bother Fluttershy, though, was the very idea that somepony could display that level of violence against anything, even a creature as dangerous as a timberwolf. It was even harder for Fluttershy to reconcile the idea that the same pony who could do something like that also was the sort to help small animals in distress. 
While Fluttershy hemmed and hawed in her hiding spot trying to work up the courage to approach Moonwhisper, a unicorn colt dashed around the corner levitating a large ice cream cone in front of him. Not looking where he was going, the youth collided with Moonwhisper, leaving the guard captain covered in ice cream and the colt sprawled out on the ground. Moonwhisper loomed over the colt, his expression devoid of any emotion as he cast a cold glare down at the terrified youngster. Finally, after a few agonizing moments, Moonwhisper addressed the young colt.
“Sorry about that, young stallion, I should have been watching where I was going more carefully.” Moonwhisper’s tone was surprisingly pleasant as he spoke to the colt, seemingly paying no heed to the melting ice cream dripping down his coat. Without waiting for the colt to respond, Moonwhisper took out a pair of bits and tossed them down to the colt. “Here, this should cover the cost of your ice cream cone. Have a good day.” Moonwhisper added curtly, nodding before he walked off, his horn already glowing with magic as he cast a spell to clean off his coat.
As Moonwhisper trotted off, Fluttershy peeked out of her hiding spot, her mind having been made up. The encounter she had just witnessed was not an example of a pony prone to anger or violence, and Fluttershy was now certain that reaching out to Moonwhisper was the best thing she could do. With her previous doubts having been silenced, Fluttershy quickly moved out into the open and trotted after Moonwhisper, catching up to him just as he finished eradicating the lasts bits of ice cream clinging to his fur. “Um, excuse me, Moonwhisper,” Fluttershy haltingly began.
“Ah, good afternoon, Miss Fluttershy. Is there something that I can help you with today?”
“No, well, not exactly. It’s just that I saw you help that kitten out of a tree, and then when that colt ran into you-“
Moonwhisper cut Fluttershy off with a wave of his hoof. “Oh, that.” Moonwhisper replied sourly. “Assisting the citizenry of Ponyville is part of my duty as a member of the Royal Guard, even if that assistance is for a relatively trivial matter. As for my encounter with the colt, it’s incumbent on all officers of the guard to convey themselves in a civil manner at all times. And to be honest, Miss Fluttershy,” Moonwhisper added before Fluttershy had a chance to respond, “I really don’t think that basic civility is something worth drawing attention to.” With that, Moonwhisper marched off, leaving a disappointed Fluttershy in his wake.
Fluttershy stood in the street for several moments, watching Moonwhisper until he was out of sight. It was a disappointing start, and Fluttershy wasn’t sure what to make of Moonwhisper’s dismissal of his acts as simply doing his duty. Pondering this, Fluttershy turned to find herself staring into a pair of light blue eyes peering out from a bush which had appeared behind her. Letting out a startled yelp, Fluttershy flew off in a fright, leaving the strange bush to sprout four pink hooves and trot after Moonwhisper.

*********

The Princess of Friendship watched as her bodyguard examined the chessboard before him. It was clear to her that there was something hiding in Moonwhisper’s past that had soured him on the concept of friendship, but talking to him about it directly had proven fruitless. Therefore, Twilight had decided that her best course of action now was to at the very least get Moonwhisper to admit that he was unsatisfied with his status quo. “I’m just curious,” Twilight finally began as she watched Moonwhisper move one of his chess pieces, “don’t you ever regret not letting anypony be your friend?”
Moonwhisper let out a deep sigh before shrugging in response. “I’m not certain that regret is the word I’d use, but I do recognize that there are tradeoffs regarding my stance on the subject.”
Inwardly Twilight practically cheered as she moved one if her own pieces, scarcely even paying attention to what she was doing. Getting Moonwhisper to acknowledge there were downsides to his general rejection of friendship may have been a tiny victory, but at least it was progress. “I only ask because you really don’t seem very happy.”
“I suppose not, although to be honest achieving happiness has never been a particular priority for me. What I would say I am, though, is content, at least for the time being in any event.”
“Content?” Twilight replied quizzically.
“Yes, well at least that’s probably the best word for it. You see, here in Ponyville I have the opportunity to do far more good than I would have behind a desk in Canterlot or even at my last real posting, and that’s what truly matters to me. To be perfectly honest, being useful has always been far more important to be than being happy. Checkmate, by the way.”

*********

It was the morning of Starlight Glimmer’s return to Ponyville following her extended stay in the Crystal Empire, and Twilight Sparkle was leaving her castle a predictable fourteen minutes before the train was scheduled to arrive. High up above Ponyville, Pinkie Pie watched from a hot air balloon as her friend rushed to the train station, her bodyguard marching by her side. Moonwhisper was, in fact the actual target of Pinkie Pie’s surveillance, her binoculars trained firmly on him so that she could read the reserved unicorn’s every facial expression. Pinkie Pie’s seeming obsession with Moonwhisper had hardly gone unnoticed by her friends, but for the most part they had simply dismissed it at more of Pinkie Pie just being herself. At most, they saw it as a manifestation of Pinkie Pie’s overwhelming need to befriend everpony around her and see everypony around her smile.
“But there's more to all of this than just me wanting to see Moonwhisper finally smile, Gummy.” Pinkie Pie declared to her pet alligator. “It’s not just that Moonwhisper doesn’t smile, it’s like he’s never happy at all, or even anything at all. Even Cranky had times when he didn’t seem so, well, cranky, but Moonwhisper…” Pinkie’s voice trailed off as she watched Twilight and Moonwhisper reach the train station. Even though she couldn’t make out what the two were talking about (it was too bad she couldn’t read lips, or had binoculars for her ears was well) she could guess that Twilight was trying to think of a delicate way to let Moonwhisper know about Starlight’s past, and Moonwhisper was telling Twilight how he knew all about that already.
“No, he’s NOT the same as Maude, Gummy.” Pinkie Pie finally stated irritably. “Maude doesn’t smile on the outside much, but that doesn’t mean that she’s isn’t happy. Moonwhisper doesn’t smile on the outside or the inside. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever met anypony as unsmiling as him before, ever.”
“Well, yeah I’ve met plenty of mean-meanie pantses that didn’t really smile before too, but Moonwhisper isn’t one of those either.” Pinkie continued. “Sure, he acts kinda grumpy, but I don’t think he really means it. Honestly, it seems like deep down he’s more sad than anything else.” By now, Starlight Glimmer’s train had arrived, and after making a round of introductions Twilight and the others were headed back to the castle. Based on what Pinkie Pie could see, Moonwhisper and Starlight Glimmer’s first meeting was going about as well as could be expected. For the most part the encounter consisted of uncomfortable conversation, with Starlight trying to laugh off her past and Moonwhisper responding with a mix of reassurances about it not mattering and blunt assessments as to how things would have played out had he been present. Pinkie Pie was so engrossed with watching the exchange that she completely failed to notice the cyan pegasus flying up to her balloon.
“Hey Pinkie Pie, what’s up?” Rainbow Dash cheerfully greeted her friend as she landed inside the hot air balloon’s basket. “Are you still stalking Moonwhisper?”
“I’m not stalking him,” Pinkie Pie replied in an offended tone, “I’m just secretly following him around and watching his every move without him knowing it.”
“Uh, Pinkie Pie, that’s pretty much exactly what…” Rainbow Dash’s voice trailed off as she looked at her friend. “What the hay are you doing now?”
While Rainbow Dash was talking, Pinkie Pie had flopped onto her back, her legs flailing about in the air. This continued for several seconds before the spasms finally subsided, at which point Pinkie Pie uneasily righted herself. “Oh wow, I think that’s a new combo. Let’s see, pinchy knee, then an eye twitch, then a leg wobble. I wonder what this one means?”

*********

Twilight let out a sigh as she walked through Ponyville, her bodyguard and student trailing behind her. Granted, Moonwhisper’s first meeting with Starlight Glimmer was going about as well as Twilight had dared hope, but her expectations hadn’t been particularly high to start with. While Moonwhisper seemed to be at least attempting to be personable, Starlight Glimmer was clearly terrified of him. Not helping matters were Moonwhisper frank assurances that he would have been easily able to ‘neutralize’ Starlight had he been present during her past misadventures.
“It definitely sounds like I’m lucky you weren’t around back when I was still evil.” Starlight said with a nervous laugh, eyeing Moonwhisper as though he were a hungry chimera.
If Moonwhisper noticed Starlight Glimmer’s discomfort he certainly didn’t show it, simply offering a “mhmm” by way of response. In fact, it seemed to Twilight that Moonwhisper was increasingly preoccupied, frequently glancing up towards the sky above the Everfree Forest.
“Moonwhisper, is something the matter? You seem a little distracted.”
“Something’s frightening the birds out in the forest.” Moonwhisper replied ominously, his attention now firmly fixated on the Everfree Forest. Before Twilight had a chance to reply, a thunderous roar echoed out from the Everfree Forest, accompanied by the sound of tree branches snapping in half. As Twilight watched in horror, a huge reptilian creature awkwardly heaved itself above the forest canopy, its bat-like wings flapping madly. As the creature lifted itself up into the sky, the town square erupted into chaos with ponies running in every direction and panicked screams of “Dragon!” filling the air. Moonwhisper, however, was rushing towards the edge of the Everfree, with Twilight and Starlight following closely behind. 
“I don’t understand, what’s a dragon that size doing this close to Ponyville?”
“That isn’t a dragon, Twilight, see how it lacks any forelimbs? That creature is a wyvern, a close cousin to dragons, but not nearly as intelligent.” Moonwhisper began picking up his pace, making it difficult for Twilight to keep up. “They’re also extremely dangerous and almost mindlessly aggressive. I can’t let it reach Ponyville, otherwise there’s no telling how much havoc it could wreak.” With that, Moonwhisper sped off, Twilight quickly losing sight of him in the crowds.
Almost as soon as Moonwhisper vanished, however, Twilight found her attention seized by yet another of her friends. A frantic Applejack rushed towards Twilight, her eyes wide in panic. “Have y’all seen Apple Bloom anywhere? She went to go visit Zecora this mornin’ and Ah haven’t seen her since. An’ now that thing…” Applejack’s voice trailed off, unable to voice the horrific thoughts clearly running through her mind. The wyvern, meanwhile, seemed to be trying to dive back into the forest without much success. The creature repeatedly flew up several yards into the air before crashing back down into the forest canopy, only to bounce off the tops of the trees and find itself forced to awkwardly flop back into the air. Twilight might have found the sight quite comical, in fact, were it not for the fact that the ravenous monster was steadily making its way towards the edge of Ponyville. As a matter of fact, it almost seemed to the purple alicorn that the massive creature was trying to chase something running through the forest.
As the terrible implications of what she was seeing slowly dawned on Twilight, a high-pitched scream echoed out from the Everfree Forest. Apple Bloom, scared out of her mind, tore out of the edge of the woods only to trip on an exposed tree root and be sent sprawling to the ground. In that moment, time seemed to slow down for Twilight as she and her friends leapt into action. Applejack burst into a full gallop towards her little sister while Starlight Glimmer fired off a blast of magical energy towards the wyvern and Twilight charged her horn to teleport herself close enough to the wyvern so she could immobilize it with her magic. The wyvern had other plans, however, dropping out of the sky like a meteor towards its tiny prey. As Twilight dematerialized, one single, nightmarish fact pounded in her mind; Apple Bloom was too far away and they weren’t going to be able to save her. As Twilight rematerialized, she heard a sickening crash as the wyvern landed. As if in a dream Twilight opened her eyes, her mind reeling at the scene she expected to see before her. Twilight’s field of vision was initially dominated by the wyvern, its leathery wings spread wide as it loomed over Apple Bloom. The creature’s slavering maw was partly open, revealing a set of razor sharp teen any dragon would have been proud of. As Twilight’s gaze drifted down past the monster’s mouth, however, she saw something that briefly made her question her sanity. Standing above Apple Bloom was what appeared to be a stallion completely encased in faintly luminescent dark blue armor, similar in style to the suits of armor that Twilight had seen in the Castle of the Two Sisters. More fantastically, the stallion had reared up on his hind legs and was holding the wyvern’s jaws back with his forelegs.
Twilight might have stared dumbfounded at the scene before her even longer had the stallion not turned and screamed at her and Apple Bloom “WHAT ARE THE TWO OF YOU DOING? RUN!” Not needing any further encouragement, Apple Bloom leapt to her hooves and bolted towards Twilight, who quickly teleported the two of them safely away. It wasn’t until the pair rematerialized at the edge of the town proper that Twilight realized that she recognized the stallion’s voice as none other than Moonwhisper.
Meanwhile, the sight of its intended meal running off and vanishing in a flash of magenta light had enraged the wyvern. The huge creature whipped its head to the side, breaking away from Moonwhisper then quickly lunging at the armored unicorn. However, as soon as the wyvern’s head moved to the side Moonwhisper launched himself upwards like a rocket. To Twilight’s complete disbelief, Moonwhisper smashed into the wyvern at the base of its neck with enough force to lift it bodily into the air. Letting out a cry of surprise and pain, the wyvern started desperately beating its wings in an attempt to take to the sky. Moonwhisper, however evidently had other plans and, in defiance of every law of physics Twilight could think of, the unicorn stallion kicked back in mid-air with enough force to somehow send him cannoning into the wyvern’s mid-section. Apparently not satisfied with this, Moonwhisper then repeated the maneuver, clipping one of the wyvern’s wings as he shot past it. As he reached the apex of his leap Moonwhisper flipped around and launched what looked to be a chain comprised of the same dark blue material as his armor at the wyvern, wrapping it around the monster’s neck. Once satisfied that the chain was secure, Moonwhisper proceeded to launch himself at the wyvern yet again while trailing the other end of the chain behind him, this time colliding with the base of its tail. The wyvern did its best to stop Moonwhisper, thrashing about madly in the air and snapping at the armored unicorn whenever it could. Despite its efforts however, it was powerless to do anything to stop Moonwhisper from repeatedly slamming into it from every direction, slowly wrapping the chain he had conjured around its body as he did so. The strange, one-sided battle continued in the sky for several minutes until finally Moonwhisper’s chain snagged one of the wyvern’s wings, sending both of them crashing into the Everfree Forest.
Throughout the battle, Twilight and Applejack had watched speechlessly from the edge of Ponyville. The sheer impossibility of what they were witnessing was mindboggling, Twilight never even having heard of magic capable of enabling a pony to perform the acts she was seeing.
“Sweet Celestia, Ah figured Moonwhisper was stronger ‘n zapp apple cider, but Ah didn’t think anypony could take on a dragon like that,”
“Wyvern. It’s actually a wyvern.” Twilight corrected her friend almost reflexively.
As Twilight tried to put her thoughts in order, a familiar voice called out to her from above. “Guys, did you see that? What the hay just happened?” Rainbow Dash asked as she landed next to Twilight and Applejack. “I was pulling Pinkie Pie and her hot air balloon away from that thing, and when I get back somepony’s kicking its rump. Who the hay was that?”
“That was Moonwhisper, and I’m glad you’re here.” Twilight replied, sounding much surer of herself then she did only moments before. “I’d like you and Starlight to come with me.” Twilight paused and turned to Applejack. “I’d ask you to come with use, but it would probably be best if you took Apple Bloom home.”
“Ah ain’t gonna argue with you there, but where are y’all goin’?”
“In there.” Twilight stated, pointing towards the Everfree Forest. “Moonwhisper could have been hurt during the fall, and besides we have to make sure that that wyvern isn’t going to try to hurt anypony else.” 
Starlight Glimmer, still in shock from the spectacle she had just witnessed, looked more than slightly apprehensive about the possibility of facing the wyvern herself. Rainbow Dash, on the other hoof…”Awesome!” The colorful pegasus practically cackled with delight at the thought of a potential fight with the wyvern. Differences in eagerness aside, both mares followed Twilight into the woods, the only words spoken being Rainbow Dash’s mumbled exclamations as she fantasied about battling the creature. It didn’t take the trio long to find the site of the wyvern’s impact. The reptilian monster lay motionless, sprawled over the wreckage of several trees. Nearby, Moonwhisper leaned against the broken stump of what had formerly been a large oak, one of the casualties of the crash. Moonwhisper’s dark blue armor was nowhere to be seen, and deep blue lights could be seen glowing under his skin, particularly along his limbs and the front half of his torso. 
“Twilight,” Moonwhisper gasped out, his voice labored as though he were having difficulty catching his breath, “are you alright? What about the filly, Applejack’s sister?”
“We’re both fine, I had Applejack take Apple Bloom back to Sweet Apple Acres. What about you, are you-“
“I’ll…I’ll be fine. Thankfully the same can’t be said for the wyvern, it would appear that it broke its neck during the fall.” Sure enough, as Twilight took a closer look at the wyvern, she could see that it wasn’t breathing. Seeing her horrified expression, Moonwhisper continued. “To be honest, this was probably the best possible outcome. Wyverns are known to be almost impossible to chase away once they’ve discovered a populated area, so there’s a very strong chance that if this one had survived it would have simply returned to attack Ponyville at a later date. In the end, it’s likely I would have been forced to terminate it regardless.” Moonwhisper staggered to his hooves, the glowing lights under his skin finally having subsided. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to get a message to Canterlot requesting a cleanup crew to deal with the cadaver, and after that I’m going to need to have a talk with the officer in charge of the guard’s recon division.” With that, Moonwhisper trotted off, leaving Twilight and her friends alone in the clearing.