The next two weeks were as uneventful as Dark Shadow expected them to be. To him, the only exciting part of his entire stay was the interview from the Solar Guard’s investigation board, who hoped to piece together the events by interviewing all key witnesses. But after they packed up and left, Dark Shadow was left alone and bored in his hospital room.
Bedridden for most of his stay in the Guard’s Hospital, Dark Shadow could do nothing but stay in his bed and stare at the wall. At most, he would entertain himself by chatting with the nurses who would trot in his room and check up on him. But these moments were rare and short, for many of the nurses were busy with their jobs. Being in the middle of training season, with many new recruits getting injured in the obstacles of basic training, the hospital ward seemed to be always filled with bruised and injured ponies who had made one slip in one part of the course or another.
Although the mattress provided for him was comfortable and the food he received surprisingly delicious, it still didn’t compensate for the fact that he was just lying there doing nothing. Never before had Dark Shadow thought that there would be something else more boring than standing on guard in Canterlot castle, but now it was apparent that waiting for a discharge has topped it. At least standing on guard took up only a couple of hours. But this, this went on for two weeks!
After waiting for day upon days and loosing every staring contest he had with his room’s wall, Dark Shadow was certainly glad and overjoyed when Doctor Red Cross came in bearing the news he was waiting for, that he was fit to finally leave the hospital.
By then, the wound he had received had healed completely and thanks to modern medicine and a hint of magic, it felt like that he hadn’t been injured at all. But that didn’t mean the stabbing didn’t leave its mark, as a deep gash and an evident mark on his fur was clearly seen on his chest. But with a piece of chest armor covering this area, the small mark was barely seen by anypony.
After leaving the hospital, Dark Shadow made sure that his first order of business was to report to his new Colonel-in-chief, Princess Luna. Reporting to her in her office, he was greeted by the Lunar Princess, who seemed glad to see him healed.
But a hint of worry and concern hit her to see that he was already out and about, worrying of the formation of the unit he was supposed to command and on all the other problems that may come with it.
“Stand easy, Dark Shadow, bother not of those problems right now.” Princess Luna said in a soothing tone. “As of now, the Lunar Guard is nothing but a name and a few pieces of paper work. Paper work which is our problem, not yours. You shall not be called upon yet to command or organize the guard until we our done with this paper work and have officially filed it. So till then, we suggest that you rest. We know that your wound has been healed, but we worry that you are still tired and drained from the encounter.”
Dark Shadow nodded as he listened, letting out an internal sigh of relief at what he heard. Ever since he had accepted her offer to command
the guard, he couldn’t do anything but worry about his decision. The feeling of failing the Princess had been circling over his head and he would have been lying if he said that he didn’t worry about it.
“It would take at least three more days before the papers have been processed and filed, three days in which we shall give to you for rest.” Then, pulling open a drawer, she used her magic to levitate a large envelope and a pair of old metal keys, which she smoothly gave to him.
“What are these, your highness?”
“That-“ Princess Luna said, gesturing to the envelop. “-contains the official documents marking your promotion to Captain. We believed that those papers were one of the most important and crucial documents, out of the many, in which we had to do, so we had decided to get that passed as soon as possible.” She said, with a hint of a smile before gesturing towards the keys. “Those keys on the other hoof are the keys to your new quarters. Although the guard has not been created yet, we have already managed to secure a place for its future headquarters and barracks.”
“And where would that be, your highness?” Dark Shadow asked, curiosity evident in his voice, for he knew that almost all facilities in Canterlot where already heavily used by the Solar Guard.
“It was not an easy find, but our sister has given to us an old abandoned area in which we can train and base our guard. Bastion 5, she called it, an old, unused complex with a barracks and tower, located at the southern edge of Canterlot Castle.” She explained to him, evidently pleased at her accomplishment. “The area in and around Bastion 5 has now been allocated for the future use of the Lunar Guard and I already had ponies work on it to fix and furnish the area. For the past week, Bastion 5 had been renovated by a company of engineers, making it suitable for use. Although most of the work is not done yet, we believe that they are still working on the storage house, many areas like the barracks and the tower are already done. The tower, which shall contain your office and quarters, shall serve as the headquarters of the guard and we have already had it fully furnished.
“Your quarters, you shall find, provides a great view of the surrounding area. We have been there ourselves and find it splendid. From now on, I believe that it would only be proper that you transfer your sleeping arrangements there and bring all your possession in it also for safe keeping. Although you have already healed from your wound, we believe that you shouldn’t exert too much effort in your body. So we shall be sending some ponies to help you carry your possessions to your new quarters.”
“Why…thank you, Princess. I appreciate your concern and kindness.”
Princess Luna smiled and nodded. “Think not too much of it, Dark Shadow. Now, let us not take much more of your time. You are dismissed, Captain.”
Walking past the gate that led to his barracks, Dark Shadow was met by the familiar site of parading ponies and old stone building. At the sandy parade square, he could see companies of ponies marching up and down and practicing drills, hoping to finely tone the skills that were already imprinted in their heads.
The Guard always wanted to keep everypony busy and, unless he or she were on leave, a guard would always be found doing something. Whether this something was drilling or patrolling the castle, whatever it may be the Guard would ask you to do it and would make sure that you do it with your best.
Right now, Dark Shadow was thankful that everypony was too busy to notice him, for he didn’t want to be bothered or pestered with questions about the attempted assassination of Princess Luna or the reactivation of the Lunar Guard.
He doubted it that the news of the recent attack had been kept quiet and treated coolly. Most ponies in the Guard must have heard about it by now and, with him being a prominent member on what happened, many ponies would have most likely wanted to hear his point of view of the events.
It also didn’t help his situation that he was the new Captain of the Lunar Guard. On that regard, he didn’t know how much information most ponies new about the reactivation of Princess Luna’s old guard. Did they know that Princess Luna was reactivating the Lunar Guard? Did they know that it was he that was supposed to command it? These were questions that can only be answered if fellow guards come rushing at him and interrogating him, and that idea was something Dark Shadow did not want to encounter.
So despite encountering only a couple of ponies who had the free time to possibly approach him, he still felt the urge bolt his way towards his barracks, hoping to get in and get out as quick as possible.
Entering the large cobble stone building and closing the door behind him, Dark Shadow was glad to see that the barracks he was in was completely empty. Remembering the schedule of his company, the ponies of his unit were most likely out and busy doing regular patrols around the castle grounds.
Wasting no time, Dark Shadow immediately headed towards his bunk, hoping to quickly extract the chest that contained all his personal belonging.
Compared to the beds the hospital provided, the ones at the barracks were a far cry from the comfortable bed Dark Shadow had spent the past two weeks on. Simple, uncomfortable, and sometimes compared to a slab of concrete, these beds made it seem like the guards were sleeping on nothing at all. But after getting used to sleeping on them and after a long day of duty, the though hard beds seem like heaven to a tired guard.
Removing his helmet and resting it on top of his bed, he gave out small stretches as he relaxed his muscles. Finishing the stretched, he then leaned down to grab something; placing his hoof underneath the bed and pulling out a fairly large chest which stored his personal belongings. These personal belonging weren’t much compared to most, for they were only his journal, some knickknacks, letters from home, and junk that accumulated over time, but it still made quite a weight for a recovering pony like him.
Normally, he would have easily been able to carry that chest without any question or difficult. But under orders from Princess Luna not to strain his body, despite it being fully healed, he decided to follow her orders, knowing that it was best to follow her advice.
Deciding to get comfortable as he waited for the assistance he was supposed to be provided, Dark Shadow removed and set aside his armor and lay down on the bed.
But as he began to wait the time out, his eye managed to catch a small irregularity in the room. He didn’t know how he didn’t notice it before, but now that his full attention was suddenly focused on it, it became as clear as day.
On the bed opposite to his, Dark Shadow took note of the large lump concealed under the bed sheaths. Rising from his bed and gently trotting towards it, Dark Shadow kept a steady gaze, already having a good idea what this lump could be.
Making sure not to make too much noise, he made his way towards the bed side, where he smoothly moved a hoof to gently lift the covers in order to get a peek on what it hid below. Once he saw what it was, he gave a quiet sigh of annoyance, as he immediately recognized the familiar blue mane and gray fur of the unicorn hidden underneath.
Shaking his head, he couldn’t believe that she did this again. From where he stood, he could hear her snoring as she shifted from side to side, beneath her sheaths, as her sleeping form tried to get a more comfortable position. When is she ever going to learn? He thought to himself. Well, I might as well teach her a lesson in order for her to learn....
Taking a firm hold on the end of the sheaths, he made sure that he had enough room, before forcefully yanking the sheaths off of the sleeping unicorn. Then, acting quickly, he gathered as much air in his lungs before bursting out in the loudest parade drill voice he can do.
“STOP LAZING AROUND AND GET UP, SILVER CREST!”
Silver Crest, who was quickly awaken by the sudden and surprising shouting, reacted appropriately as Dark Shadow watched her jump up in panic before rolling off the bed and hitting the wooden floor with a loud thud.
Hiding a snicker and looking down on the fallen pony, Dark Shadow held out a hoof as he watched her mend a sore spot on which hit the floor hard. “Nice to see you wide and awake now, Silver.”
“Yes, thanks for the wake-up call, Shadow…” She groaned, obviously annoyed by his little stunt. But as she laid there trying to rub off the impact, she suddenly went still as a certain pause hit her.
Looking up, she stared him directly in the eyes as a look of disbelief and uncertainty filled her own. Blinking a couple of times, she looked up at him as if she wasn’t sure if what she was seeing was true or not. Then, in a unsure voice that was free from the annoyance of earlier, she began to speak.
“Shadow, is that really you?”
“Well, last time I check, I was still me.” He said, in a light joking tone.
“Oh, it really is you.” She said, giving him a short hug of joy.
Revealing a small smile, Dark Shadow returned the hug as his friend expressed her happiness on seeing him back. “You must have missed me a lot, didn’t you?” He teased.
“What?” She said, suddenly taking by this and braking off the hug. “Of course not… I was just worried that you’ll end up dead and that we’ll end up as the honor guard forced to carry your heavy coffin.”
“Such morbid view, don’t you think?” Dark Shadow asked. “Besides, my injury wasn’t that bad, just look at me, fine as ever.”
Scanning him with her eyes, she gave a small nod seeing nothing but a small mark where the jab of the blade landed.
“I know, but the way Corporal Sun Blade described it, you were said to have been injured pretty bad. Most of us thought that either you would die from your injuries or survive but be too shaken and banged up to serve and would ultimately just be discharged from the Guard. I was really scared that you might never come back to us.” She ended up saying, as she looked down.
“Oh, so you did miss me?” Dark Shadow pointed out.
“What, of course not.” She exclaimed, glaring at him as she pretended to act that she didn’t care. “It’s just that, if you were removed, then they might send in a new sergeant who isn’t as forgiving and understanding as you.”
“So, you’re basically saying that you’re afraid that a replacement sergeant would not be as forgiving as I am to you now when they find you slacking around like this-“ He then gestured towards her messy bed. “-when you’re supposed to be patrolling the castle like the rest of the company?”
“Well yeah…” She said, trailing off as she shuffled her hooves. “…but I have a good reason for this.”
“A good reason?” Dark Shadow questioned. “And what good reason is that? You’re a member of the Solar Guard, Silver, your duty is to protect the Princess and her estates, there could be no good reason that could exempt you from your duty.”
“I know, I know…” She said, waving it off. “…but I really need to get this sleep, starting from now till the next couple of days. It’s all part of my preparation.”
“Preparation? Preparation for what?”
She looked at him with a slightly nervous and embarrassed face, but she soon shook this off of her. “Well, I have been keeping this a secret from the others, but I guess you’re somepony I can tell it about…”
Giving a pause, she looked at him straight in the eye as she pronounced that: “I am going to join the Luna Guard.”
“The Lunar Guard?” Dark Shadow asked, obviously surprised by this new piece of information on her plans. Well, he thought, at least I now know that the creation of the Lunar Guard is public and widely know. I guess it makes sense, seeing that Princess Luna would like to have the information pass in hopes of getting as many recruits as possible.
“Yeah, the Lunar Guard.” Silver Crest said, nodding eagerly. “After the recent incident you were sadly involved in, Princess Celestia has given Princess Luna the authority to create her own guard. Sure, right now it doesn’t officially exist yet, but rumor has it that in a couple of days they would be sending paper for possible recruits to fill out. And I’m going to be one of them.”
She then proudly placed her hoof on her chest as she continued. “The Lunar Guard is said to be an elite group back when they existed, even better and fiercer than the Solar Guard, they said. An elite group is just the perfect place for me.” She said in a boasting tone. “And besides, I heard that because the training there is going to be tougher and the jobs harder, the pay a fully-fledged Lunar Guard is going to be higher.”
Dark Shadow only nodded his head, having already heard most of this already when Princess Luna gave him the possible ideas she had planned for her personal guard. After having accepted the role of Captain, she couldn’t stop but talk about what she intended to do for her future guard. If it weren’t for Doctor Red Cross telling her that visiting hours where over and that he needed rest at the time, he would have doubted it that the Princess would stop talking. In fact, when he visited her earlier today, he could still see that glistening excitement in her eyes.
“So let me get this straight.” Dark Shadow said, trying to make sure he understood what she was trying to tell him. “What your saying is, you’re sleeping in today, and in the next couple of days, because you plan on joining the Lunar Guard?”
“Yup.” Silver Crest said. “I need to prepare my body for the sudden shift in sleeping pattern, so I’m practicing to sleeping during the day so my body would be prepared for working in the night.”
“Well that sounds like a sound plan.” Dark Shadow said sarcastically. “So while you prepare yourself for the Lunar Guard, you also risk the chance of getting caught by somepony and getting punished for what you are doing. You do know that if you get caught, it would destroy your hopes of joining the Lunar Guard?”
“The thought did occur in my mind…” Silver Crest said. “…but look, I haven’t been caught yet, except by you of course. But I doubt it that you would report me, after I have told you about my goals, right?”
Dark Shadow let out a grunt but nodded.
“And look, with you back, you’ll help me out, just like always.” She said, beaming at him. But before she or him could say anything else, the happy look on her face suddenly turned into a serious one as she stared at him straight.
Seeing this, he gave her a curious glance as she wondered what she was thinking about. “Okay, what’s in your mind now?”
“Well, it’s just, I suddenly remembered something I’ve been worrying about in my plan. Once I sign up in the Lunar Guard, then what would happen to us? You’ve been my greatest friend here and the best sergeant our unit could ever have. You’ve kept me out of trouble and I…well I just brought trouble to you, honestly. But what I’m trying to say is, we’re going to be separated once I put my plans into actions.”
“Yeah well-” Dark Shadow said, not really sure on how to explain his recent promotion to her. But before he could get another word, he waved him off as she continued addressing the problem in her mind.
“Now, when I first worried about this, I only had one solution. And that was, if you ever return in a fully fit condition after your injury, then I would ask you…I would ask you to join the Lunar Guard with me.”
“Silver I-“ Dark Shadow said, once more trying to speak, but like before, Silver Crest cut him off before he could finish.
“Alright, I know that it isn’t an easy decision to make, so I’ll give you time to think. Like I said earlier, they won’t be sending the paper till a few days from now, so I think it would give you ample time to think about the manner.”
Seeing that she was done and had said all what she wanted to say, Dark Shadow then began to make a move to speak. Having contemplated on what he was already going to say, he could only imagine what her reaction would be to the news he was about to tell her.
But before he can get out a word, the doors of the barracks suddenly slammed open and, as the two of them turned their attention towards it, they saw two large earth pony guards make their way through the barracks and stop just right by them.
From the stares Dark Shadow got, due to the easily seen wound on his chest, he could tell that these two ponies immediately recognized him.
“Captain Dark Shadow, sir.” One of them said, as the two of them straightened up and saluted him. “We have been sent here by Princess Luna to assist you in carrying your personal belongings to your new quarters.”
“Captain…Dark Shadow…” Silver Crest said, repeating those words and playing with them in her mouth.
Dark Shadow could see the evident confused expression on her face as she began to realize that what she just heard wasn’t just her imagination. Keeping silent, he let the though get into her mind as he watched as she imploded in shock, making the two other ponies to flinch in surprise at her sudden outburst.
“HOW IN THE NAME OF CELESTIA DID YOU BECOME CAPTAIN OF THE LUNAR GUARD AND WHEN DID YOU PLAN ON TELLING ME?”
“Now, now, Silver…” Dark Shadow said in a calm tone. “…if you plan on joining the Lunar Guard, then you must start swearing under Luna’s name.”