Ch. 2: The Routine Changes
Chapter 2: The Routine Changes
Alabaster Star gazed into the mirror. He wasn’t sure what he was looking for, what with his freshly showered body, and his silver and blue night watch armor. His tired eyes caught on his neglected stubble, but he merely blinked and exhaled. A neon blue aura formed over his horn and he drew his helmet to his head from its resting place on top of his cluttered dresser.
He stepped out of his bedroom and glanced at the clock. “7:30 PM…” he muttered. That left half an hour to get to his post on the castle walls.
Alabaster trotted down the hallway to the combination kitchen and family room. Moonblaze, her dinner finished and plate pushed to the side, was sitting at the kitchen table, her nose buried inside a book of Canterlot history. A few homework sheets were off to her other side, in varying states of completion. Hearing her father’s hoofsteps, the filly lifted her head from her book and smiled at him. “Looking good, Dad.”
“Thank you, sweetie…”Alabaster chuckled softly. He walked up to her and gave her mane a quick ruffle, along with a quick kiss on the top of her head. “You know the routine, hun...Octavia should be here in a couple minutes.”
Moonblaze pouted, placing both her forehooves on the table in protest. “Dad...do I really need a foalsitter still?”
Alabaster flinched. The truth was, she didn’t really need a foalsitter. He just didn’t want to leave her alone in their flat. His worst fear was one morning coming home and seeing the same horrible sight that haunted his dreams, but this time, with his precious daughter as the victim.
“Yeah...yes you do.” He finally responded after a moment. “Canterlot may be Equestria’s capital, dear, but it it’s not completely safe… you need somepony here to keep an eye on you and make sure you are safe.”
Moonblaze sat back down in her chair, huffing annoyedly. “I understand…”
“If you are good and get to bed at a reasonable hour, maybe she’ll play her cello for you before you go to sleep…” Alabaster gave a rare, small grin at his daughter before opening the front door.
Moonblaze perked up a bit. “I love it when she plays her cello!”
Alabaster was halfway out of the door when he turned to look back at his daughter. “Good night, Moonblaze. And you let me know if she feeds you anymore of that assassin rubbish you’ve been telling me about…”
Moonblaze giggled, “Will do Dad…I love you!”
“I love you too. Good night, hun…see you in the morning.” Alabaster said before he stepped outside into the hallway.
The door to his apartment closed behind Alabaster and he sighed. “Off to the old grind…” He muttered quietly to himself. He was beside himself with anxiousness everytime he left Moonblaze to wait for Octavia, but the cellist always showed up and kept his daughter safe, so his nerves were stayed after a while. He had met Octavia one evening at a party he was assigned to at the castle. Upon overhearing Alabaster say to his fellow guard he was looking for a sitter for his daughter, Octavia quickly signed on, and had became close friends with Alabaster and Moonblaze since. Why had she leapt at the opportunity so quickly? He had no idea, but Octavia was a good sitter and Moonblaze liked her, so she was fine in his book.
He trotted down the third floor dark hallway of the Canterlot apartment building in which he and his daughter lived. Slowly he descended the three flights of stairs at the end of the hallway, meandered through the lobby, and stepped outside into the rain. He shivered and sighed as the cold rain started splashing over him. Lightning flashed through the sky as he turned and looked up the street, towards the giant form of Canterlot Castle.
As he began his walk to the castle, he nodded at a ragged-looking Earth pony with a tattered jacket, huddled over a burning barrel in an alleyway next to his building, trying to keep the fire lit. “G’day Rusty…” Alabaster nodded at the poor Earth pony as he passed by. Rusty hardly spared a nod in response, his attention riveted to the fire.
Alabaster and his daughter didn’t exactly live in the best part of the city.
As the unicorn trotted up the cobblestone road, he kept his face down to avoid getting splashed by the rain in his eyes. As he did nearly every day, Alabaster wondered how his shift would go and if anything even remotely exciting would happen.
In the daytime, one could expect something to happen.
But guarding the night? Nothing ever did occur.
“You summoned me, Princess Celestia?” Twilight Sparkle entered the throne room of Canterlot Castle and gave a small bow, extending her wings.
The Princess of the Sun nodded briefly. “Yes, Twilight. Please, do come in. We have something important to discuss…”
Twilight nodded and approached the princess. She noted that Celestia and herself weren’t the only ones in the room. Celestia’s sister, Luna, was also present and looking very shaken for some reason. Princess Cadence and her husband, and Twilight’s older brother, Shining Armor, were also in attendance. Celestia had summoned the lot of Equestrian royalty for something, and judging by the looks on all their faces, it wasn’t good.
“Twily…” Shining Armor turned, gave his sister and quick hug and smiled at her, “It’s so good to see you again.”
“You too, Shining...what’s going on here?” Twilight returned the hug and cocked an eye at her brother.
Her brother released her from the hug and his smile turned into a frown. “Well…” He looked at Celestia, who nodded in her approval for him to speak. “Long story short, another attempt has been made on Princess Luna’s life.”
“What?!” Twilight’s gaze snapped over to Luna, who was looking down at the ground.”Where? When? Are you okay Luna?”
“I am fine, Twilight Sparkle…” Luna retorted bluntly. “I am just tired of this happening...I thought ponies would be...used to me by now…”
Twilight returned her gaze to her brother. “What does she mean by that?”
“My sister means…” Celestia spoke up. “That the ponies that keep trying to take her life away from her are ponies that are convinced she is still possessed by the evil spirit of Nightmare Moon…”
“Which is ridiculous, by the way…” Cadence trotted over beside Shining Armor and leaned her head on his shoulder, addressing Twilight. “We know Luna is free of such evil magic because of you and the Elements of Harmony.”
“Regardless, everypony else doesn’t…” Shining Armor raised a hoof up and scratched his head. “We caught the attempted killer and questioned her. It was the same as every time before. Obsessed with ending Nightmare Moon.”
Luna’s gaze fell even more. “‘Twas a Pegasus when we visited Cloudsdale...she looked so innocent until we passed.” Her eye twitched. “Truly, I am tired of having these ponies try to kill me and be taken away. They don’t deserve it.” She shook her head.
Twilight sighed in disbelief and then paused in thought. “Is this why we all have been summoned? Are we going to take action?”
Celestia nodded and gave a small frown. “Indeed, we are. Luna has been refusing to have personal Royal Guards since her return. But I have talked with her and we agree...now is the time that she be assigned personal Royal Guards. Two, to be precise. Guards with skill and proficiency. Guards with unshakable loyalty and resolve. Guards that know the palace inside and out and know how to handle themselves in a fight.” Celestia sighed. “Because this is most definitely not the last attempt on my sister’s life.”
“I already have a list of potential candidates…” Shining Armor nodded. “Who we pick is up to Luna.”
All gazes turned to the Princess of the Night, who looked up from the ground and stood up straighter. She stepped down from her throne and began to pace. “If I must have Royal Guards, they need be part of the night watch. They must be able to stay up through the night while I do my work.” She turned and looked at Shining Armor. “That is my sole condition.”
Shining Armor frowned. “That narrows it down…” He muttered sarcastically as he used his magic to levitated the list up to his face. Silence enveloped the room as everypony waited for Shining Armor to read from his list.
Twilight, on the other hoof, perked up, as she already knew the perfect pony for the job. The one pony she knew that knew this castle better than she did, was a very good friend to her and loyal to Equestria until the end. A friend who was down on his luck and could use something else to live for.
To strive for.
“If I may, Luna…” Twilight took a step towards Luna, who turned to look at her. “I would like to put somepony’s name forward for the job.”
“Oh?” Luna said, drawing everypony’s attention. “And who might that be?”
“He’s...a little down on his luck right now, but is one of the best guards I know besides Shining and graduated from the Academy at the top of his particular class…” Twilight winked at Luna. “And he is voluntarily part of the night watch.”
A small smile appeared on Luna’s face. “That is certainly rare, Twilight Sparkle. Most of our night watch members are conscripted...who is this pony?”
Twilight smiled. “His name is Alabaster Star. And I think he would be perfect for the job.”
Alabaster Star, now drenched from the rain, stopped outside the golden gate that lead to the courtyards of the castle. Even though the rainclouds still covered the sky, he could tell Celestia’s sun was still shining on the other side. Even though it was five minutes to 8 PM, Alabaster Star knew he was right on time for one of his favorite things to view: Celestia lowering the sun.
The guards on either side of the gates were day guards; white, Unicorn stallions with golden armor and armed with spears.
Alabaster looked at them and stood at attention. “Alabaster Star...Guard, 1st Class. Night Watch. Reporting.”
They acknowledged Alabaster’s presence, and the one of the right rose his spear up and tapped on the gate a few times.
“Opening up!” The voice of the gate operator called down from the tower above.
Slowly, the gates slid open. “Thanks, mates…” Alabaster acknowledged as he trotted through. As soon as he was on the other side, the gates slid shut behind him, a metallic clang ringing through the courtyards as they did so.
As he trotted to the front doors of the castle, he looked up, using a forehoof to shield his eyes from the droplets of rain that continued to fall. His gaze was upon the balcony at the top of Princess Celestia’s tower. Any second now, the Princess herself would emerge and use her magic to lower the sun for the day. The times he had seen it before gave him hope for a new day.
Faust knew he needed it.
He waited for a minute or two, rooted to his spot in the courtyards. A few guards passed by, their gazes going upward too, but after another minute they left, not patient enough to wait for the majestic sight Alabaster loved to witness.
A loud gong suddenly rang out from the clock tower on the castle. Alabaster’s gaze moved to the clock. It was 8 PM. “She should’ve lowered it by now…” Alabaster muttered as they bells rang out again.
He returned his gaze to Celestia’s balcony, hoping to see her, but it was for naught. The Princess of the Day was still absent as the clock tower rang out again.
And again. And again.
And again.
On the eighth ring, Alabaster noticed it was getting darker. He fidgeted. The sun was being lowered. Celestia must’ve been doing it from inside the castle.
Alabaster frowned and started trotting forward again, shaking his head. “A little rain never stopped her before…” He said with disappointment in his voice. “Maybe something bad happened…”
Slowly, but surely, he used his magic to open the castle doors, stepping past the two day guards who were nearing the end of their shifts, and through the doors to start his shift on the castle walls.
As soon as he was inside and the doors closed behind him, he shook himself off and looked around to see if everything looked okay. It was odd enough that Celestia wasn’t present to lower the sun, but everything and everypony seemed normal on the inside of the castle. Day guards removing their helmets and heading out for the day, councilors and dignitaries from all three races walking along calmly to their quarters; everything seemed in place.
“I guess everything is...alright.” He finally muttered as he slowly trotted his way through the ponies and to the staircase that led upwards.
On an ordinary night, Alabaster would make his way up several flights up stairs, down a long hallway, up through a parapet, and onto the castle wall, where he would make his rounds all the night long. Making his rounds wasn’t as exciting as he wished it was. He just stood in one place for a bit, then moved, and then stood in another place for a bit, checking for anything unusual along the way, for twelve hours until 8 AM. It wasn’t his favorite post he’d been assigned to. He’d once been assigned to the library and caught several book thieves. He’d even caught Princess Twilight snooping around in a Rigid Rattlesnake cosplay once. When he finally got transferred, he thought that being on the walls would help him see some more action on his part, but assassins these days knew how to get past walls quicker than a phoenix catching on fire.
However, this was not an ordinary night. Instead of being able to trot up the stairs like usual, he found his path blocked. His head was down, so all he saw were the armored shoes of another guard. “Hey, mate, would you kindly get out of my...way…” Upon looking up, his pupils shrank as he realized he was standing before the Captain of the Guard, Shining Armor, in his purple Guard armor.
The large white stallion narrowed his eyes and gave a small smirk. “Alabaster Star. Guard, First Class? Night Watch?”
The ponies around them stopped and looked in their direction. Alabaster gulped nervously. What was this about? Why was Shining Armor acting so serious? He and his sister, Princess Twilight Sparkle, were very good friends of Alabaster. Something was off. “Y-yes, sir, Shining Armor, sir. What are you doing out of the Crystal Empire, s-sir?”
Shining Armor nodded. “At ease, Alabaster. You aren’t in trouble. And I’m here on...Royal business.” Shining Armor turned curtly and started walking up the stairs. After a few steps, he stopped and turned his head around to look at the shocked stallion. “Come with me. We have something to discuss.”
Alabaster could feel sweat forming on his brow as he slowly nodded. “Yessir…” He muttered as he slowly followed the Captain up the stairs. Behind them, the various ponies returned to their travel routes, pondering what the Captain of the Guard and Prince of the Crystal Empire, Shining Armor, would want with lowly widower and Guard First Class, Alabaster Star.
Shining Armor trotted down the vast hallway that Alabaster Star usually traversed to his post on the wall. Following the Captain, a nervous Alabaster Star turned his head as he noticed they past the stairway that led up to his post through the parapet. “Um, Captain Armor sir? My post is back there, sir. And I’m late as it is.”
Shining didn’t even turn his head to address his fellow soldier. “You’re being reassigned, Alabaster. You won’t be on the wall anymore.”
Now this was strange. When he was reassigned from the library to the wall, the Platoon Sergeant came to his house and threw a scroll at his face informing him of his reassignment and new shift hours. Shining Armor himself didn’t come and take him to the wall like this.
There was no doubt now, something was amiss.
Alabaster turned his head one last time, and saw another night guard entering the parapet he would usually enter. He turned back around and steadily looked at the ground. His eye twitched slightly. This had never happened to him before, so he had no idea what to expect.
“Captain?” He spoke up.
“Yes, Alabaster?” Shining turned his head slightly.
“Where are we going?”
Shining turned his head forward again. “Luna’s tower.”
Alabaster’s blood boiled in an instant. Luna. That sorry excuse for a Princess. It was a well known fact that Celestia and Luna had their own towers, and Alabaster made it a point to stay as far away from the tower that creature inhabited as possible. Ever since her return, Alabaster didn’t trust her. Whenever he saw her in the news or occasionally around the castle, his face would heat up with rage.
The Diamond Dogs who took Constellation from him and Moonblaze were Nightmare Moon cultists. In his mind…
Luna was responsible for his wife’s untimely death that fateful day.
Despite his desire to yell out and stop where he was, Alabaster controlled his passion when Shining Armor stated their destination. He took a few deep breaths before sighing, relaxing, and looking back up at the Captain.
“Why?” Alabaster almost hissed at his superior.
Shining Armor merely gave a small chuckle. “Didn’t you hear me? You’re being reassigned.”
This time, the angry Unicorn’s blood turned to ice instead as realization dawned on him:
He was being reassigned to Luna’s tower.
Luna’s. Bucking. Tower.
He stopped cold in his tracks and looked down, trying to hide the mix of anger and fear in his eyes from his Captain. This time, Shining Armor did stop. He turned around and cocked an eye at Alabaster, who fidgeted as he stared at the ground. “You okay, soldier?”
Alabaster nodded, still looking at the ground. “I’m...I’m fine, sir.” He looked up and gave a fake smile that would’ve made little foals laugh. “I’m...being reassigned to Luna’s tower?” He asked desperately.
“Indeed you are, soldier.” Shining turned and started walking again. “And not just any assignment. A special assignment.”
“Special, sir?” Alabaster started to calm down. Maybe this special assignment wouldn’t have anything to do with Luna. “How special are we talking?”
“You’ll see, Corporal.”
Alabaster nodded. “Thank you Cap-” He paused. “Wait, what?! CORPORAL!?”
“Congratulations, Alabaster Star.” Shining said simply as he used his magic to open a big door with a crescent moon design on it. Spiral stairs were on the other side. “You’ve just been promoted.”
Alabaster’s eyes were wider than they had been in a long time. The routine he was so used to was crumbling before him, and he had no idea what to think.
After the long trek upwards and upwards, Alabaster Star and Shining Armor finally arrived at the top. Alabaster was sweating more than a pig. What was his new post? The higher they got on the tower and the closer they got to...her, the more nervous he got.
Shining Armor stopped before another door with a crescent moon design on it. He stopped and turned around, looking at Alabaster. “Now listen, Alabaster.” He narrowed his eyes. “The assignment you are about to receive is an important and possibly dangerous one. Either you retire from this post, or you leave it in a body bag.”
Alabaster gulped, but retained his composure. He slowly nodded. “I...I understand sir.”
Shining Armor gave a curt nod and pushed open the door. “Then welcome to your new post, Alabaster Star.”
Alabaster’s blood ran cold at the sight that greeted him on the other side of the door.
“Hello, Alabaster Star. ‘Tis a pleasure to meet you at last.”
There stood his old friend, Twilight Sparkle, smiling awkwardly.
Next to her stood Princess Celestia.
And next to her, the Princess of the Night herself.
Alabaster could only twitch slightly as Shining Armor trotted up from behind him.
“Congratulations, Alabaster Star.” Shining Armor patted the back on his armor. “You are now one of Princess Luna’s personal guards.”
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you and your god damn cliffhangers
he'll probably have to do it/it's gonna happen either way or this story will have a premature ending
but I say his reaction will be either enraged or calm on the outside (enraged either way on the inside)
after reading so many stories I expect him to try and murder her at one point
in the end if he accepts he gets more money
Now where did I put that- Ah, here it is.
BBC Equestria? Oh fuck.....damn humans making portals to other dimensions.
This is gonna be interesting.
On the one hand, Luna has genuinely changed and wants to show Equestria that. But on the other hand, the poor guard suffered personal loss, so he does have every right to doubt Luna's really reformed. I just hope the Princesses are willing to hear him out than immediately assume that he's just another hater. But, with all Luna has put up with, they might assume he's no different than the others.
4508305 theres also the fact that she still caused the death of his wife. Even if he believes she's reformed she still caused the death of his wife
Poor guy. Here's hoping he doesn't try to assassinate her himself. That would be very bad indeed, for him, Luna, and Moonblaze...
4548723
Maybe the author will disambiguate a bit, but it wasn't clear that NMM actually ordered the diamond dogs to kill anyone or perhaps that she was even in charge at all. Perhaps they were simply hoping to pacify her and/or make her leave them alone?
4559359 well NMM still had something to do with her death so he would be angry at her either way
Dan can you please continue on the return of the 7th element?, Did you stop cos you ran out of songs, well here is a song you might find emotional, PERFECT TO ADD!