Ch. 4: Restless
Chapter 4: Restless
He couldn’t sleep. He just couldn’t. No matter how hard he tried.
There he was, Alabaster Star, the new Corporal and Personal Royal Guard of Luna, laying on his bed and staring up at the ceiling, his eyes showing a hint of red.
The poor night guard was restless. He had gone from being a simple night guard to being the personal royal guard of the she-demon Luna in an instant. His thoughts were flooded with questions like “Why me?” and “This can’t get any worse…” and “Why can’t I fall asleep!?”
The answer to that last question was simple: His mind did not know how to process what was happening. He stretched and gave a large yawn. “Buck me…” He muttered for the fifth time since he’s been home.
His stupor of thought was interrupted by the door to his flat opening and then shutting again quickly. The quick little hoof falls of his daughter, Moonblaze, signaled her return home from school. Usually, he’d be asleep right now, but today was different. He groaned, rolled off of his bed, and stood up. He wobbled a bit, steadying himself on his dresser, and then pushed open the door and stepped out into the hallway.
As he emerged into the kitchen, he was greeted by his daughter, Moonblaze, who stared at him incredulously. “Um...Dad?”
Alabaster blinked and coughed a little bit, itching his chin. “Yeah, love?”
“You’re...awake…”
He blinked again, tilting his head to the side. “Yeah...what about it?”
“Are...are you...ok?” Moonblaze slowly sat down in a chair at the table and gestured for him to sit down as well.
He stared into space for a moment before shaking his head and, still quite wobbly, moved to sit down across from his daughter and used his forehooves to massage his temples briefly before looking up at his daughter. “No…” He finally gave her an answer. “No...I’m...not…”
“Is everything alright?” Moonblaze began to panic. “Did you get fired? Did someone we know die?”
“Moonblaze…” He tried to calm her.
“Are we being invaded by space alien Templar zombies?!”
“What the bloody he-...Templar…has Octavia been feeding you more assassin nonsense?!” His bloodshot eyes popped out with anger before he shook his head. “Gah...I’ll have to have a talk with her...no…” He looked up at his daughter again. “No, nothing that drastic, I promise you, love…”
Moonblaze settled down and twitched uncomfortably under her father’s odd behavior. “Then...then what happened?”
Alabaster sighed. He never thought about how to tell Moonblaze about his new assignment. “Well...you see…” He scratched his chin. “Daddy...got a promotion…”
Moonblaze’s face lit up. “Oh wow! That’s awesome Dad! Congratula-” She stopped herself mid-sentence when realization suddenly dawned on her. This was obviously not a promotion that made her Father happy. “What...kind of promotion?”
“I’m…” He hesitated. “You...you have to keep it a secret, alright love?”
Moonblaze merely nodded in response as she leaned forward questioningly.
“I’m…I’ve been selected to...to…” He struggled to find his words because of how much he still refused to believe this was so. “I’ve been chosen to be one of...Princess Luna’s...personal guards.”
Silence enveloped the room for what seemed like an eternity to Alabaster Star. He fidgeted in his seat as he watched Moonblaze’s face slowly go from confused to happy to…
Well…
The next thing Alabaster knew, Moonblaze had leaped over the table and tackled her father to the floor, gripping his torso in an intense hug.
“OH MY GOSH DAD! That’s AWESOME!” She squealed as she gripped her father.
Alabaster didn’t share her joy. He slowly used his magic to lift his daughter off of him and place her back in her seat. She tilted her head in puzzlement as he slowly picked up his chair that had been knocked over and sat back down in it. “That...is...awesome…right?”
Alabaster sighed and placed his forehooves together in front of his head. “No...no it isn’t. You know how I feel about Nightmare Moon, love…”
Moonblaze scoffed. “Are we really back to this Dad? Everypony keeps telling you that she’s not-”
“Well, they’re wrong!” He barked suddenly, breaking the quiet mood. Moonblaze sank back into her seat a little bit, recoiling at her father’s sudden outburst. “It’s just…” He heaved an even heavier sigh, standing up and slowly moving into their kitchen. “I took the job for the money...not for the honor of being Nightmare Moon’s guard…”
Moonblaze narrowed her eyes. “The money…? I don’t understand.”
He turned to look at her, giving her a soft smile. “Twilight said that in a fortnight, I’ll have enough money for us to live...in the Cloud District…”
Moonblaze gasped and her smile returned. “Are...are you serious!?” She jumped in her seat, her spark of magic teleporting her to a barstool at the counter. “That...wow…” She sniffed. “I thought we’d never get out of this place…”
Alabaster only spared a nod as he turned back to the kitchen cupboards and appliances. “Righto. It’s not everyday your old man is awake at this hour. How about...I make you some dinner?”
“Right on!”
“Goodbye...Moonblaze…tell Octavia to...to not...” Alabaster Star yawned loudly as he pushed open the door to their flat.
“Yeah yeah. No assassin stuff. Gotcha. Love ya! And...try to have a good time?”
“I love you too...no promises.”
Alabaster Star yawned again as he stepped out of the door to head to work for the evening. He shakily made his way down the hallway, swaying back and forth a bit. His armor was equipped very sloppily, and his eyes remained bloodshot. His mane was similarly messy, unwashed and sticking to his head, as well as out from under his helmet. His neon blue stubble was more visible than the day before.
He hadn’t slept a wink since his last shift. He enjoyed his time with Moonblaze, but...he would’ve enjoyed some sleep more, guiltily enough.
Alabaster reached the staircase and took a few steps. With a tired grunt of surprise, he found himself tumbling down the stairs. With a painful groan, he became aware that he was on his back on the second floor landing. He huffed and rolled over, shakily standing up. He gripped the railing with a forehoof as he made his way down the final flight of stairs and pushed the doors in the lobby open, exiting the building.
He sniffed the air and gazed up at the dimming sky. He yawned heavily and began his long trot to the castle, this time looking more like a zombie than was healthy. Rusty, the old Earth pony hobo who lived in their alleyway, was huddled around his flaming barrel as usual. He gazed up at Alabaster as he walked by, expecting his customary “G’day,” but was shocked when the night guard just idly passed him by. He shrugged and returned his attention back to his barrel.
Rusty could tell Alabaster was in for a long night.
“One coming in!” One of the gate guards tapped his spear on the front gates to Canterlot Castle. As the gates screeched open, the day guard frowned at Alabaster. “Um, sir? The gate is open.”
“Huh...wha…?” Alabaster shook his head, trying his best to stand at attention. “Ri…right...thank you, Private.”
As Alabaster trotted sleepily by, the gaze of both gate guards followed him. The other one decided to speak up. “Are you alright Corporal?”
“Rack off, mate...”
“R-right. Sorry Corporal…” The gate guard turned around and stood at attention as the gates screeched closed.
“What’s his problem?” The one who had tapped the gate with his spear muttered.
In the courtyard, Alabaster stopped dead in his tracks, looking up at Celestia’s balcony. He gave a small, but half-awake, smile as the Princess of the Sun stood regally on her balcony, her horn glowing with brilliant golden energy. The sun, in the background of Alabaster’s vision, was slowly lowering itself. He was sad he missed the event the previous night, but his desire fulfilled, he returned to his walk towards the castle.
As soon as Alabaster made it to the top of the stairs of Luna’s tower, he wanted to collapse. Not just from the sheer amount of stairs that needed to be climbed, but he just...wanted to fall asleep, but couldn’t.
As soon as he pushed open the door into Luna’s antechamber where the Royalty convened with him the night before, his tired body finally failed him and he fell face-first down onto the floor.
He heard the sharp gasp of a female and the deep, throaty laugh of a gruff male pony. “Well, look what the manticore dragged in…”
“Alabaster…? Are you well?” The female asked.
“Mmmhfff…” Alabaster mumbled into the floor in response. He felt himself being lifted up be magic and, before he knew it, he was staring into the eyes of Princess Cadence of the Crystal Empire. “Oh...your highness, I...I’m so sorry…” He gave a quick bow before noticing the large forehooves of a Pegasus crystal pony trotting up to him. He looked up into the crystal pony’s cedar eyes. “And you must be-”
“Bladeheart.” The crystal pony interrupted him, staring the poor Unicorn down. “Corporal...Bladeheart.” He gave a crisp salute, then dropped it when he noticed Alabaster swaying from side to side. “You sure you’re in the right place, twinkle hooves? You don’t look like you can stay up all night.”
Corporal Bladeheart of the Crystal Empire’s night watch was a beefy Pegasus, yet younger than most. Alabaster was old enough to know a young one when he saw one. His see-through body was orange and his mane was red. His cutie mark was a simple sword and shield. His armor was the same as Alabaster’s...and it bore the same crescent moon symbol.
Alabaster narrowed his eyes at his new companion. “I’ve been staying up during night shifts since you were a foal, mate…” Alabaster muttered towards his unwanted compatriot. “Name’s Alabaster. Alabaster Star. I’m a Corporal as we-”
“Eh save it man…” Bladeheart turned around and walked towards the door to Luna’s chambers, interrupted Alabaster mid-sentence. “You’ll have all night to talk to Moonbutt in there…”
Alabaster couldn’t believe this new guard. This pony was top of the Night Watch in the Crystal Empire? Cadence must’ve not set the bar very high.
He gazed over at Cadence and gave the Princess a knowing look. A look, in short, that said. ‘Are you bucking serious?’
Cadence smiled cheekily and trotted over to Alabaster, whispering in his ear. “He may seem...standoffish, but rest assured, he gets the job done. He’s the best the Crystal Empire Night Watch has to offer.”
“If he survives the night without me slitting his bloody throat, I’ll believe you…” Alabaster scowled and gave another large yawn, teetering a bit.
“Stop standing around exchanging pleasantries with my Princess, Al…” Bladeheart gave a rude look in their direction. “You’ve got a Moonbutt to guard…”
It was Cadence’s turn to get slightly irritated at Bladeheart. “Please refer to her as Princess Luna, Corporal. We don’t want an incident.”
Bladeheart sighed then returned to attention. “Yes, Your Highness.”
Cadence winked at Alabaster and then turned around to leave. “Have a good night, you two. Remember, Luna’s life is in your hooves.”
The door slamming signaled Cadence’s departure, and Bladeheart suddenly snapped out of attention, walking up to Alabaster and scowling. “Alright, Unicorn. I don’t like you. I can tell you don’t like me. So here’s the deal. We stay out of each other’s way, and no trouble has to happen. Got that?”
Alabaster was again shocked. There was no way a rude, belligerent pony like Bladeheart made it through the Academy without some form of help.
Alabaster narrowed his eyes. “You’d best watch yourself, mate…” With that, he trotted past his new comrade in arms and into Princess Luna’s quarters, slamming the door behind him.
“I can’t believe I’m stuck guarding Moonbutt…” Bladeheart returned to his post next to the door, breaking his vow to Princess Cadence within a minute of her departure.
“Welcome back, Alabaster Star…” Luna said, approaching her in-room Night Guard as he entered. “Dost thou feel like speaking tonight?”
Alabaster’s stone cold glare answered her question. She could tell something was off about him, though.
“I see…” She muttered, scrutinizing her new guard.
Unkempt mane. Tattered hair.
Bloodshot eyes.
The poor guard was tired. An expert on dreams and the night, Luna could tell at a glance.
“Was thine sleep adequate, or mayhaps…?” Luna started to ask a question, but huffed and turned around. She forgot who she was talking to. “Nevermind...now if you’ll excuse me, Corporal, I have dreams to send out…” Luna stepped out onto her balcony and her horn started glowing. Dark blue beams of energy started getting blasted into the night to various locations.
Despite his still stone-cold silence, this part of Luna’s nightly routine fascinated him. He never knew how dreams reached the minds of ponies, and finding out was invigorating.
Still, the nightmares he kept having about Constellation’s death...he couldn’t help but wonder if she was sending them out on purpose, or if it was something out of her control or knowledge.
“Oh dear…” Luna suddenly said, snapping Alabaster out of his thoughtful stance. “What poor filly suffers a nightmare...I must intervene…”
Alabaster’s gasped slightly as Luna’s entire body suddenly lit up, her eyes becoming glowing, white orbs. A fantastic beam of energy blasted out of her horn and traveled into the night.
Then he understood why Luna needed a guard at night.
As she traversed the dreams of ponies, she was in a very vulnerable state physically. A state somepony could use to their advantage.
As much as he loved serving his country, he would much rather guard the dump than Nightmare Moon while she haunted the dreams of the ponies he protected.
The night wore on slowly, as Rusty predicted. Alabaster stood still, the same as last night, staring ahead into the night. Luna was in and out of her dream state quite often tonight. She must have had a lot of dreams to manage.
Alabaster found his eyelids fluttering shut occasionally and his body swaying back and forth uncontrollably. He blinked and let out a very large, and very loud, yawn.
Luna heard the yawn and turned around briefly, gazing at her guard. “Art thou in need, perhaps, of a rest, Corporal? I would refrain from my dream state for awhile, if it will help thou regain thine energy…” She winced. Sometimes she thought her Old Canterlot dialect was taking over again.
Alabaster did not respond, instead he sniffed and continued trying to stare ahead past Luna into the night.
Luna deadpanned. “Of course…how stupid of me...” She sighed before turning back to her work, peering an eye into her telescope and rearranging some star patterns.
How dare she try to offer him a nap! She would definitely take advantage of his sleeping state to…
To…
“Mmm...that breeze feels nice…”
“Moonblaze, I’m not going to ask again…” Alabaster stepped over the dog’s body and put a hoof around his daughter’s back and turned her around and gently pushed her upwards. “I’ll be up in a momen-”
“AAAH!” Constellation suddenly cried out from behind him.
“Mommy!” Moonblaze suddenly cried, looking behind Alabaster.
Alabaster whirled around and saw the first diamond dog, whom he had hit with a chair, was now up, and holding Constellation against his body and his knife against her throat. The dog had broken splinters in his face, and he looked none too happy about it. “Gives us gems, or we slice the girl pony open!”
Alabaster slowly reached a hoof forward and shook his head. “Hey, come on now, don’t do anything we’ll regret!”
“Silence pony!” He pressed the knife a little more into Constellation’s neck, drawing a little blood.
“MOMMY!” Moonblaze shrieked, clutching her dad’s hind leg like her life depended on it.
“Do not do this...I’m sure there’s something here you’d like to take...please…” A tear slid out of his eye. “Take anything you want, just do not kill her...please…”
“No gems!?” The dog growled. Constellation fidgeted as she struggled to breath with the knife pressed up against her throat. “We wants gems for Nightmare Pony’s return! She will not like anything else!”
“Please…” Alabaster had started to shake. “Please don’t kill my wife...please...I don’t have anything else to give…”
For a moment, it seemed like the diamond dog hesitated. Slowly, but surely, the knife was removed from her neck. Alabaster heaved a sigh of relief.
But it was for naught.
A scream from Constellation was silenced by the knife enter-
The knife didn’t enter her neck at all.
Alabaster opened his eyes mid-wince and looked around. “Wha-what?” He stammered, breaking out into a cold sweat.
The dog was about the plunge the knife into his wife’s neck and Moonblaze was crying but...they weren’t moving.
He collapsed onto the floor and breathed in and out slowly, panicking. “What...what is happening!?”
“I...I see now…” A familiar voice he didn’t care much for reverberated around the room, causing the house to shake.
“GAH!!!” Alabaster Star awoke with a start. He stumbled to his feet from the floor of Luna’s chambers.
He had fallen asleep on the job.
He found himself staring into the blue eyes of Princess Luna. “Alabaster...I…” She reached a hoof forward.
He stumbled backwards, falling over again and scooching backwards until he hit a wall, using his magic to draw his sword. “Stay. Away. From me.” He hissed.
Luna slowly put her hoof down as a tear ran down her face. “Alabaster, I can assure you...I had no control over my actions as Nightmare Moon, regardless of whether or not it was I who ordered the dogs to commit such a heinous crime…I-”
“That’s just what you’d want me to think, isn’t it?!” He growled, drawing his sword and advancing towards Luna, tears streaming down his face. “So you can kill me, too?! And my daughter!?”
Luna’s eyes widened as she took a few steps back. She was shocked. She didn’t know what to say. “I...I…”
Alabaster only snarled as kept his sword at the ready. “How dare you intrude on my dreams, you monster…don’t ever do that ag-”
“You are dismissed, Corporal…”
Alabaster paused. “What?”
Luna gazed into his angry bloodshot eyes with a suddenly sturdy resolve. “You are dismissed. You guarded me all of the night before, Bladeheart can guard me alone tonight. ‘Tis only fair, I would imagine.” She turned around, wiping the tear off of her face and strolling back onto the balcony. “Go get some sleep and report back tomorrow night.”
He twitched slightly as he slowly sheathed his sword. “I hate you…” He hissed once more as he turned around and slammed the doors to Luna’s chamber open, knocking down Bladeheart in the process and running by him.
“Hey Al! You forget something?!” Bladeheart rubbed his head. “You left your stallion-card in Moonbutt’s room!”
Luna shook her head as she stared into the night. Twilight Sparkle had picked a personal guard for her...and that guard despised her with every fiber of his being because he believed her to be responsible for his wife’s murder.
“Tia’s best idea...ever…” She blinked back another tear as she regained her composure and returned to work.
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Luna deserves it
and Celestia/Twilight should feel bad too
also what is a fortnight
I just realized I have no idea what a fortnight is
Why is he pausing in the middle of all his sentences? I ask as it reads like I'm listening to Jeremy Clarkson.
4701776
2 weeks.
4702050
He's super tired and I was trying to get that across through his dialogue.
I feel bad for both Luna and Alabaster. Twilight should cop most of the blame here, having known exactly what he felt about Luna and still pushing him to accept the job.
4701776
I think you're being too harsh. It's clearly never occurred to him that if Nightmare Moon == Luna then that means that Luna spent a thousand years alone on the moon without any friends or family. Compared to the small slice of tragic misfortune he endured... they don't exactly match up. He's also failing to see beyond the cover of the book. Alabaster is also leaping to assumptions that are ridiculous (I realize he's sleep deprived). The diamond dogs never said they'd been ordered to do anything and it's not clear that there was any special reason to target him.
If I had to guess I'd say that other people experienced similar events and that the diamond dogs had some kind of myth/legend not unlike Nightmare Night except that instead of candy/food their way of pacifying NMM (ostensibly) requires gems. They may have every reason to fear NMM depending on the canon here regarding what happened after/as a result of Luna turning into NMM and may even have been assaulted/terrified/etc in the original incident thoroughly enough to have passed such memories down. Not that I'm ruling out NMM actually showing up to them and demanding gems in exchange for their lives in recent times
For what it's worth he also doesn't seem to get that, unless I am mistaken, dreams are part of Luna's domain. She's not exactly an intruder, although she might in some sense be intruding.
Celestia should exercise more diligence in selecting guards for her sister than simply taking Twilight's/Cadence's advice at face value. Although that's not to say it might not have gone equally wrong.
A fortnight is a period of two weeks or fourteen days (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortnight). For humor's sake, check out the wikipedia page on furlongs per fortnight (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FFF_system).
4703411
I would agree, but I don't have sufficient information to expect Twilight to know the details of what happened. Knowing that diamond dogs killed his wife isn't the same as knowing why. Maybe he is the best one Twilight knows, and he did say that he'd experienced plenty of night shifts. Still, she suggested it so some of the blame is definitely hers. Still, both are in the dark in some respect, although Luna is less so now.
P.S.
Interesting chapter, write some more.
Additionally, why all the tags? Four tags seems a bit excessive for a single story. So far I feel like the tragedy one is unwarranted since the tragic event seems to have occurred before the story, but the sad one make sense. The adventure tag seems a little out there at the moment and I have, as yet, not definitively detected any large deviations from canon (edit: I just noticed the note in chapter one, I may have missed that the first time round. It doesn't seem all that significant as a change though). -- Any comments on when things might occur that would explain those tags?
P.P.S.
Going to be a difficult job apparently. Especially since it's not likely the story is simply going to take an about face and replace him with another character.
Loving it!LOVING IT! LOVING IT! LOVING IT!!!
Now Luna knows the truth. But Alabaster doesn't want to listen to reason.
Bladeheart is already annoying and I'm starting to hate him. Hope you do something to give this guy an attitude adjustment. Namely he makes a really stupid comment about Alabaster's family and winds up getting beat up for his trouble. Don't know what he's like in the Crystal Empire but the jerk needs to be taught a lesson.