//------------------------------// // 9 Breaking Bonds and Looting Vaults // Story: The Night Mare's Guard // by Shadow Quill //------------------------------// It was a rather uneventful day, as it usually was, but as the night began to fall the peaceful silence was broken by a very disgruntled groaning sound. I smirked as Luna rolled over in her bed, her eyes screwed shut and her hooves pressed against the side of her head as she groaned once more. “Remind me to never let you take me out to have fun in the city again.” She muttered darkly as she rubbed the sides of her head with her hooves, “I think I would rather have my head pounded on by a mystic hammer than to go through this again.” I couldn’t hold in the contempt snort that escaped my lips, “Says the mare who had to try every drink available at the bar, when she knew that having that much alcohol would make her regret it.” She cracked one eye open to glare daggers at me, “Speaking about a pony in the third person is considered rude when they are in the room.” I rolled my eyes, “And yet I don’t see you doing anything about it. Must be something to do with that splitting migraine that drinking too much imparted on your unprepared skull.” She growled as her horn ignited, although it quickly sputtered out when she hissed in pain, “Mark my words, you will regret saying that once my head stops pounding like a drum.” I walked up to her and handed her the cup of hot coffee I had brought up from the castle kitchens, “I’ll be waiting for that beating. Until then, drink this, it will help with the pain.” She took the cup in her hooves and sniffed it suspiciously, “Not another magically enhanced concoction is it?” She lifted one eyebrow as she looked at me over the rim. I shook my head, “Just regular coffee, black as the night with no cream or sugar.” She grimaced as she looked at it like the dark liquid would kill her, “I think I would rather drink another of those electric brews then to drink this.” I chuckled as I placed a hoof on her shoulder, “It might taste horrible but it will help to make the headache go away faster. It will also help to soothe the stomachache that is no doubt turning your gut inside out.” She winced as she looked up at me, “You must have experienced something like this before. When did you learn of these cures?” I rubbed the back of my head sheepishly, “Let’s just say I had to have one of the regular guard carry me back to the barracks after a night on the town. We had training in the morning and we both knew Shining Armor would string me up like a piñata if I came to training nursing a hangover. So my buddy fixed me a cup of coffee so black I felt like I had to chew the damn stuff. It tasted terrible but it got me through the hangover in no time flat.” I noticed her disgusted expression as she looked at her own cup, “Don’t worry, I didn’t make yours that strong, but it still has enough kick that you should be up and ready to go in about twenty minutes.” She nodded, still looking rather unhappy with me, or maybe herself, as she swirled the drink around in the cup, “It would probably be best to take it in one go, correct?” I nodded, “Think of it as one of those shots, but with a lot better result after you drink it.” She nodded, tipping the cup to her lips and downing the entire thing in one gulp. She coughed as she lowered the glass, her face screwing up in discomfort as her eyes watered. “Well that was rather, invigorating.” She placed the cup on the bedside table and looked up at me, her eyes now at least clear of pain to the point I could tell what other emotions were running around her head. The primary one was a combination of gratitude and regret, although I figured the regret was probably due to the lack of memories the stiff liquor had caused. She wouldn’t remember most of what happened last night, but of what little her mind would be able to piece together, I imagined she would rather not know the rest. “You seem to be none the worse for our little venture,” she mused as she looked me up and down, “I take it you did not lose control of your drinking as I did?” I shook my head, “I had a feeling that you might get carried away when you found out the drinks actually tasted good. I limited my own drink so that I could at least keep you out of trouble. Do you remember anything from last night?” She winced as she placed a hoof against her head again, “Just bits and pieces. I can still feel the music pounding in my head, although that’s probably the drinks. I remember dancing and feeling more free than I have in a very long time. However,” her eyes darkened as she turned back to look me straight in my own, “there was a stallion that I remember taking me somewhere. It was dark and I think he was talking to somepony. I don’t remember what happened next, but then you appeared and spoke to me about something.” She closed her eyes and grumbled under her breath, “I wish my mind would clear so I could remember what happened.” I gently placed a hoof on her own, making her pause as she looked up at me, “Trust me Luna, it’s better that you don’t remember. That stallion wanted to take advantage of your suggestive state, and I put a stop to him before he could do anything. You needn’t remember something like that, for it would only sully the good memories of your first visit to a club. Besides the exes drinking that went on, did you actually enjoy our little outing?” She nodded, placing her hoof back on the sheets as she stretched her wings, “I did have fun, although I think next time I should skip the drinks and focus on dancing.” “There’s nothing wrong with having a drink or two Luna,” I assured her, “you just need to take it in moderation. Too much of a good thing and all that. Besides, a few shots can take away from of the nerves when it comes to having fun around ponies you don’t know, and can make the night more enjoyable for everypony involved.” She sighed as she pushed the sheets off of her body, “I guess you would know best, given I have no experience in such matters.” She rolled over and pushed into a standing position, stepping off of her bed as her horn glowed, “I must tend to my charge before sister has to take my duties upon herself again. I imagine she is not going to be very happy with me.” You would be correct in that regard dear sister. We both jumped as Celestia’s voice echoed around the room, her body appearing in a nova of light as it had the day, “Your carelessness and lack of foresight caused me great concern when the moon refused to set. Had I not checked your chambers with a far-sight spell I would have thought you were hurt or missing.” Her hard gaze bore into me as I tried to back up, “And you need to be more careful of where you take my sister. While you are her personal guard, do not think for a moment I won’t discipline you myself if you lead my sister astray. She is still adjusting to modern pony life, and as such is naïve to many of its dangers. See to it that you take that into consideration next time you take my sister on another outing.” I nodded, feeling much like a bug under the eye of an eagle. I might be powerful enough to trick Celestia into believing I was a regular pegasus, but I would rather return to the hive a failure than risk facing the solar diarch head to head. Even mother would not dare to challenge her, at least not without the power boost of true love backing her magic. Celestia nodded in turn, sending one last reproaching glare towards Luna before vanishing in the same flash of light she had arrived in. Luna an I stayed in place for a moment before she huffed and stomped one of her hooves in frustration. “Does she think me a filly?” She growled as she walked over to her vanity, picking up a navy brush in her magic as she smoothed her mane and tail, “I can take care of myself thank you very much. I don’t need her to look over my shoulder every time I do something outside the castle.” I chuckled softly as I watched her run the brush through her mane with firm and determined strokes, “You must admit your sister does have a point. Had I not been there to protect you, you might have been taken advantage of by that stallion. Then where would we be?” The brush paused mid-stroke as she glanced at me through the mirror, “I suppose you are right. It would have been bad if something had happened to me because of my own foolish mistake. Never the less, I still think she is too overprotective of me. I am almost as old as she is.” “And how much of that time was spent on the moon?” I covered my mouth and cursed myself as I realized what I had just said. Apparently Luna had heard me, because this time the brush slammed onto the vanity wood with enough force to crack it. “You think I do not know my own lack of knowledge concerning this new time?” Her voice had taken on a dark edge as she looked over her shoulder at me. Her eyes were murderous as she stood up and walked up until she was nose to nose with me. “Do you honestly think I could ever forget the reason that I am still distant from my subjects, nay, my own family? I spent a thousand years in isolation because of my own foolish pride and greed. Now I have a chance to start anew and yet I am still alone. While I was on the moon my sister lived a thousand years among the ponies, making friends, watching them die, leading a nation on her own when she knew I would gladly take her pain for myself. The mare that just left this room is not the same Celestia I remember, and every pony I cared about is so far beyond dead that I doubt even their bones remain in whatever forgotten graves they call home.” She sniffed as tears began to run down her face, “So don’t you dare believe you know my sister’s actions better than I. Don’t ever think you could possibly understand the pain we both undergo each and every day, knowing that the sister we once knew is no more, and yet we cannot forget the love we once had for each other. Oh yes, we still love one another, but compared to the inseparable bond we once had, the spark between us now is nothing.” I kept my gaze locked with hers, feeling the rage and pain radiating off of her like a bonfire. And yet, behind that, there was a deep sorrow that was so powerful I felt like I might drown in it if I fell to far. After a minute or two she broke our staring contest, her wings deflating as she turned and walked over to the balcony that led outside, “I will not be requiring your services tonight. You are free to do as you will, just so long as you do not leave the castle.” I took a step forward, hoping beyond hope I could salvage this disaster, “Your Highness, I didn’t mean to –” Her wings flared and her horn ignited as a set of ethereal swords materialized next to her head, “I would greatly advise you to leave now, before I lose my patience and do something we will both regret.” I needed no further prodding, spinning around and exiting through the double doors as fast as my hooves could carry me. While I knew all hope was not lost in winning her heart, I had just made my own job a lot harder. I smacked myself upside the head with a hoof as I walked down the halls, feeling like three kinds of an idiot for what I had said. “Nice work Silver,” I mutter under my breath, “you might as well kiss having Luna fall in love with you goodbye. You’re going to need a miracle to win her over now.” I was working my down the east wing when I overheard ponies talking. My interest sparked, I walked around the corner to see two members of the Night Guard talking with one another as they stood watch over the main hall. Their conversation was cut short as they spotted me, any they both threw crisp salutes as I walked up to them. “At ease you two,” I said as they lowered their hooves, “I’m just on a walk tonight and heard you two talking. Anything of interest?” They shared a look before the one on the left spoke up, “We were just figuring out either of us wanted to submit a song for the contest.” My ears perked forward, “Go on.” The other seemed to pick up his stride a bit now that his companion had broken the ice, “Yeah, Princess Twilight and her friends are putting on a contest for the Grand Galloping Gala. Anypony can submit a song for them to pick from, and the one they pick is going to be sung, by them, at the Gala itself.” His cohort nodded before adding, “It was an idea Princess Twilight came up with to make the Gala less of a bore. With all those nobles sticking their noses as high in the air as possible, it would be a nice change of pace to have one of us common ponyfolk contributing to the event.” “Are there any requirements for somepony to submit a song?” I asked, an idea already taking form in my mind. The guard on the left shook his head, “I don’t think so. It just has to be mailed to Princess Twilight at least three days in advance of the Gala itself. Other than that, I can’t remember there being any other rules.” “And the Gala is two weeks away,” I mused, “meaning there’s plenty of time to come up with something and send it to her.” “Is there anything else you need from us Captain?” The guard on the left asked. I shook my head, “No, that should be all, keep up the good work and I’ll keep this little discussion between us.” They smiled and saluted me once more, holding their position until after I turned the next corner. “So Twilight and her little friends are putting on a show?” I muttered to myself as I made my way back towards the main body of the castle, “This could be my chance to get back in Luna’s good graces. Although, since I have the night off, might as well get some business taken care of. I might not have a chance like this for a while.” I made my way to the throne room, hoping that Luna wouldn’t be holding Night Court this evening. That would put a major kink in my plans if she caught me snooping around a secret vault. However, my progress was halted directly in front of the great doors when a familiar peach-colored mare stepped up to me. “Hi there Silver!” Sunstreaker chirped as she removed her now Night Guard helm, “I’ve been looking forward to seeing you for a while now. How have you been?” “I’m sorry Sunny,” I said as I walked past her, “but I’m in a bit of a hurry right now. Can we talk later?” She grabbed me about the shoulders and spun me around, “No, I’ve waited for weeks to see you again, and I’m not going to let you just walk away from me without an explanation. Why did you leave me? I thought we had something special together while you trained in the Guard.” I rolled my eyes, I didn’t need this right now, “Because I’ve moved on to other things Sunny. I don’t have time to do stuff with you anymore. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have business I need to take care of and you are keeping me from it.” I spun around and was about to walk away when she spoke, “It’s her, isn’t it?” I paused mid-step, looking back at her with my eyes narrowed in confusion, “What?” “It’s Princess Luna that you like now.” She clarified as she walked up to me, “You don’t want to be with me anymore now because you think she’s better than I am. Well I don’t care! I love you Silver Shield, and I want you to love me back even if it kills me!” The pure need and raw emotion that washed over me was nearly enough to make me say yes, if only so I could drain her dry of the delectable love she was generating. And yet, I couldn’t. I had a mission to complete and I couldn’t delve into my own personal desires now any more than I could back in training. So, with a steadying breath to calm my nerves, I shook my head no. “But why can’t you love me?!” She cried, her voice going up an octave as she closed the distance between us, “I’m just as pretty as her! I’m just as available if not more so! Why can’t you return my feeli –” She stopped mid-sentence as her eyes began to glow green, my own holding her gaze hostage as I worked over her mind. I had no issues with controlling her, unlike Luna, but I didn’t have time to be arguing semantics with a love-struck mare. “You will forget we ever had this conversation.” I said with force as I overpowered her mind, “You will forget ever having feelings for me other than that of a close friend. You will return to the barracks and tell anypony you see that you are taking the night off because you feel sick. When you wake up tomorrow, you will switch back to Day Guard and never attempt to contact me again.” “O-Okay.” She whispered as she slowly nodded, “We’re just friends, nothing more. I will return to Day Guard and never contact you again.” I nodded, shutting off the spell as she shook her head to clear it, “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have business I need to attend to.” She glanced up at me and nodded, “That’s alright, I’m feeling a bit sick. I think I’ll take the night off.” I sighed as she walked back the way she had come, turning back to the doors of the throne room. Now that I had that mare out of my mane, I could get back to work. I pushed the doors open with my magic, making sure to close them behind me as I crossed the expansive space. Behind the thrones there was a tapestry that depicted the same design as the doors. However, it was what lay behind the tapestry that I was after. I shoved the cloth out of my way and draped it over Celestia’s throne. Where there should have been a blank wall was actually a magic seal, the design spiraling out from a central point in the shape of a starburst. In the middle of that starburst was a hole, and I knew from Luna’s memory that it was activated by sticking one’s horn inside the hole. I activated my transformation magic, giving myself an exact copy of Celestia’s horn before I pumped my wings and flew up to the hole. I activated the spell I had stolen from Luna’s mind, and stuck the horn into the hole. For a moment nothing happened, but then the design began to glow, and as I pulled my horn out, the wall began to fold in on itself, revealing a single doorway wide enough for a pony to walk through. Beyond the opening was a single room, no bigger than twice Celestia’s length and thrice wide. I stepped through the gap and looked around, seeing various ancient tomes and weapons hung in suspended animation magic. It was the item on the far left that caught my eyes, and I couldn’t help the grin that formed on my lips as I walked up to it. I removed my new horn, returning my disguise to its natural form, and flew up to inspect the trinket floating at about Celestia’s height. It was a necklace made of pure silver, the chain nearly too thin to see and yet assumingly indestructible. The metal formed a spiral design, encapsulating a glowing sapphire within its bindings like a seed in the roots of a tree. It was large enough that it would take up most of the space on my hoof, and yet seemed far too small to be something so powerful. Yet, that was the great trap of magic, sometimes it was the most simple of objects that could become the most dangerous. I snatched the necklace from the cylinder of magic that held it aloft, and hid it under my armor before quickly leaving the vault. I returned to my quarters once I made sure the doors had been sealed exactly as I had found them, the wall now just as unassuming as it had always appeared. My own room was a rather simple affair, stationed in the west wing of the castle directly below the tower that Luna called home. It wasn’t large or even fancy by any standard, and yet it was more than enough for the meager possessions I had. There was a birch desk on the left side, while my bed was stationed along the far wall under the single window pane, currently closed and shuttered to keep the wind out. There was a dummy that I could hang my armor on if I so wished, and a trunk so I had someplace to secure my valuables. It was within that trunk that I hid the amulet, placing it within my bag of bits so I could take it with me if the chance presented itself to use it. I had no idea when something like that would occur, but I felt it was better to be prepared just in case. With my spoils now stowed away, and with nothing else to do for the night, I climbed into bed and shut my eyes, feeling it would do me some good to metabolize the emotion I had just absorbed from Sunny and Luna. While negative emotions would provide me with sustenance, it didn’t mean my body would enjoy the experience. Kind of like Luna’s hangover, too much negative emotion could make me ill, although the effects wouldn’t be long-lasting. I closed my eyes after I removed my armor and climbed into bed, realizing as I began to drift off that this was the first time I had slept in nearly a week. “Need to work on sleeping like a normal pony.” I muttered as I rolled onto my side, “Can’t have ponies thinking I’m different because I never sleep.” With that I passed out, knowing full well that the rising sun would call me to duty guarding Luna once more, and would signal the beginning of my songwriting career. The contest could very well tip Luna’s feeling for me into actual love instead of the friendship we currently had, I just needed to come up with the perfect song to push her over the edge and into my waiting trap.