The Star Guard

by Car Cloth

Teams of Two

Chapter 11
Teams of Two

On their final day, Mist trotted over to the paper on the wall and wrote the last name. Whisper, the Soothsayer of Hollow Shades. With that name, the Star Guard had helped a grand total of… forty-three ponies. Pip held in his urge to sigh.

“Not bad,” Rumble said, nodding to the others.

“Yeah, we’re gettin’ the hang of this,” Scootaloo added. “Slowly but surely.”

Pip didn’t bother trying to correct them. Marble, on the other hoof, had no problem shaking her head in disgust.

“We’ve been here nearly a month,” she began. “Twenty-five days. There are eight of us walking through the dreams. If we had each helped one pony a day, we would have helped two hundred ponies. We’re woefully far from that number.”

Specter snorted. “It’s not that easy, and you know it! Some ponies take time and effort!”

“Is that why you spent a week in one dream?”

“Y-yes,” Specter stammered. “I never trained as a therapist! I’m not an expert on dealing with personal problems! I’m an expert at fighting things! And seeing in the dark! And being stealthy!”

“Excuses,” Phantom Shade said accusingly. “Are you a stallion or some spineless jellyfish? You agreed to be part of the Star Guard, did you not? So do your job or find a different one!”

Everypony in the room became quiet. Specter slowly nodded and turned his gaze to the floor, obviously embarrassed.

Pip took a step forward and shook his head. “Hey, we don’t need to be fighting amongst each other. We have bigger things to worry about.”

“You’re right,” Phantom Shade sarcastically replied. “I shouldn’t be doing your job for you.”

Still silent, the group of ponies turned to Pip. He held his breath, uncertain of how he should respond. “Look,” he finally said, exhaling. “All I know is that we can’t be bringing more problems into other ponies' dreams when we help them. That’s why we’ve been taking as long as we have. None of us are perfect… I’ve been thinking about this for the last few weeks, and I think I have a solution that will speed up the process.”

“What is it?” Equinox asked.

“I want us to work in pairs. With two ponies it will be less likely that something will get out of control. I’ve already thought of the teams and-”

“I call Scoots,” Specter immediately interjected.

“W-well, I call Pip!” Mist chimed in.

“Hey!” Rumble barked. “I think Scoots-er, Scootaloo should decide for herself!”

Specter smirked. “Come now, Bumble. I already called dibs.”

Suddenly, everypony started talking at once, their voices creating a cacophony that Pip could barely discern.

“I don’t need a partner,” Equinox huffed. “I’d rather work alone.”

Marble shrugged. “Does Sebastian count as a partner? I think he and I have been doing rather well.”

“Is it really wise to double us up?” Phantom Shade said with a roll of his eyes. “That effectively cuts our numbers in half.”

“What is going on in here?!” Thunder Clash bellowed from the door. Everypony turned and stared. The old pegasus flew in and landed near the group, a look of confusion and disappointment on his face. With a contemptuous snort, Thunder Clash focused his attention on Pip. “Well? What’s all this ruckus?”

Pip took a deep breath and held his head up high. “I was just about to assign everypony to a team of two.” He'd known the moment Thunder Clash showed up that he had allowed the arguments and conversation to go on too long. Pip sighed to himself. I have to be on top of this.

Turning to the others, he was determined not to let this conversation get derailed. “I’ve given this a lot of thought and paired you all in accordance with what I think would be the best for the ponies you are helping, not because of who you want to be with.”

“But-” Specter began.

“This isn’t up for discussion,” Pip barked.

Specter looked momentarily surprised before closing his mouth.

“As I was saying,” Pip continued, “I have analyzed your strengths and histories and matched them up with others who will cover your weaknesses. Marble, I want you to team up with Specter.”

Marble, unfazed by the assignment, nodded. “Yes, sir.”

Obviously discontented with his partner, Specter crossed his forelegs over his chest. Pip narrowed his eyes and the bat pony forced himself to nod. “Yes, sir.”

In Pip’s mind, Marble was very mellow and unenergetic. Specter, on the other hoof, was a prankster and delighted in life after he got to know people. They were practically opposites in every way, right down to their gender. The problems they could handle together would be greater than if they were left alone.

“Rumble,” Pip said, turning to face the larger pegasus. “I want you to work with Equinox.”

Both of them nodded.

“Yes, sir,” Rumble said as he trotted over to stand next to Equinox. She didn’t reply.

Equinox refused to talk about her injury and the problems plaguing her, but that wouldn’t stop Rumble. He was a determined pony, and he would keep them both on the right track, even if Equinox was only functioning at half capacity.

“Phantom Shade,” Pip reluctantly turned to the older bat pony. He knew that no matter who he sent Phantom Shade up with, the bat pony was going to be disappointed. “You’re with me.”

Pip could practically hear Phantom Shade’s teeth grinding. “Yes, sir.”

“Which leaves Mist and Scootaloo,” Pip said, turning to the last two mares. Mist was calm in all matters that didn’t involve fighting or blood. Scootaloo was extremely confident in all situations involving fighting, she just wasn’t very calm. Pip hoped that Mist’s friendly attitude could equal out Scootaloo’s brash temperament.

Mist briefly looked hurt, but it quickly disappeared as she smiled. “Yes, sir!” she sang.

“Yes, sir!” Scootaloo said, nodding.

Pip then turned to Thunder Clash. “Make sure they have everything packed and ready to go. We’re going to take the east exit out of town and march along the roads toward the train station closest to Manehattan. I want everypony ready to go in less than two hours.”

“Sir, yes sir,” Thunder Clash replied with half a smile.

Relieved to have Thunder Clash around, Pip trotted from the room. He had one final thing he wanted to complete before leaving Hollow Shades, and fortunately, he was going to be able to do it.

Weeks ago, Pip had sent a letter to Featherweight, a Canterlot journalist. The reply he had gotten stated that the thin pegasus would be arriving tonight from the western gates. Pip was determined to have the pegasus photograph the mystic beauty of Hollow Shades and bring it back to Canterlot.

As he galloped through town, Pip was amazed at how functional his shoulder was. The lily pads Equinox had given him were working wonders, but he knew he still couldn’t push himself.

“Look! One of the Star Guard!” a random citizen exclaimed as Pip galloped by.

“I’ve heard they are excellent warriors!”

“And really good at gambling!”

Pip almost came to a halt at that last comment, but decided against it. He couldn’t control how ponies perceived the Star Guard, he was just glad they were accepting of them now instead of being hostile. But still… I guess Marble’s awesome ability with numbers got around town faster than our exploits.

It wasn’t long before he made it to the house of the soothsayer. Pip knew he should have asked for permission long ago, but he had been much too busy trying to fight off the Nightmare Forces. Much to his surprise, the soothsayer was already outside, flying around to the side of the building.

“Soothsayer!” he called out.

The old bat pony turned to him. She smiled and nodded, but continued on her way around the building. Pip trotted after her. Once around the side of the building, he spotted a small strawberry garden. The older mare had picked up a watering can and was very slowly watering the fruit.

“Soothsayer,” Pip muttered as drew closer. “I need to ask you something.”

“First I should thank you!” she said with a tune in her voice. “I had been worried about Mist for some time when she was younger. She was directionless in life, always being doted on by her father… Her sister, on the other hoof, she always had such drive. I knew Equinox would be okay.”

Pip nodded, but he had no idea where this was coming from. For a brief moment he was reminded of visiting his grandfather in the Trottingham nursing home. Sometimes older ponies just talked about random things…

“Mist sure is driven now,” the soothsayer continued, never even noticing that Pip was only half paying attention. “Wants to make something of herself. That’s a good trait. It’s hard to teach.”

“Um, Whisper,” Pip said as gently as possible. “I need to ask you a question.”

“Well, ask away, boy. I wasn’t stopping you.”

Pip held back a sarcastic response and instead focused on being civil. “I was hoping you would allow one more pony into Hollow Shades. His name is Featherweight. He was a friend of mine in elementary school. I was hoping he could take a few pictures.”

The weathered old bat pony stared at Pip for a long time. “Something is troubling you.”

Pip was silent for a moment. “What? No. No, I’m fine. But my friend-”

“You’re a terrible liar.”

“Okay. That’s true.” Pip refused to talk about it. Ever since he had spoken with the darkness, he had felt worried. Worried about things had had never worried about before. Like what would happen when he died. Was there nothing but oblivion waiting for him? Shaking his head to dispel the morbid thoughts, Pip ignored the soothsayer’s push. “So is Featherweight welcome?”

“Yes, boy. You needn’t worry about your friend. I will see to it that he is allowed to wander through Hollow Shades.” The soothsayer turned her attention back to the garden and meticulously watered each and every plant.

“Thank you,” Pip said with a bow before turning to trot to the gates of Hollow Shades.

“Good luck, Guardian of the Night,” the old bat pony murmured. “I think you shall need it.”

---

“The worst nightmares are the ones from foals,” Specter declared as though that were the ultimate conclusion. “The monsters from those dreams are insane! Kids have active imaginations. Too active. This one colt thought his bed was going to eat him, so-”

“Nah, I really hate those creepy voice nightmares,” Rumble said, cutting him off. “They give me nightmares.”

“C’mon, Bumble. Voices are scarier than an undead bed with fangs? I don’t think so.” Specter lazily turned his head over to Scootaloo and smiled. “You agree with me, right? Weren’t you afraid of that nightmare with giant alligators in it?”

Scootaloo turned to him with a lifted eyebrow. “How did you know I was in a nightmare with alligators in it?”

“Er, uh…” Specter nervously shrugged. “You must have… er… talked about it at one point. Yeah! You mentioned it.”

“I don’t remember ever talking about it…”

The eastern road out of Hollow Shades was lined on both sides with giant redwood trees, though they were further apart than in the city itself. It had still taken them an hour of walking before the canopy of leaves above them was thin enough to see the sky.

With the Fragment of the First Night, Pip could see far into the distance despite the darkness. Before them was a field of rolling hills, but the road curved to travel along it. The road itself was interesting to look at, and Pip found himself staring downward for most of the march. It was a cobblestone path, but the stones themselves had small pictures etched onto them, though they were faded and sometimes hard to discern.

“Hm! Do you smell that?” Mist perked up. “It smells like fruit!” She flapped her wings and began flying over the group. The silver and black Star Guard armor made her look like a professional soldier, but the gleeful smile on her face made her look like a foal in a candy store.

“We’re marching,” Thunder Clash snapped.

Mist ducked her head and landed back on the road with a nervous smile and laugh. “Right! Sorry, sir! I was just hungry!”

“Here’s another lesson for all you soldiers,” he said with a snort. “Your body is stronger than you think it is. You can go a long time without eating. You don’t need to bend to your body’s every desire.”

The longer they marched, the further Pip fell behind. He didn’t mind. His shoulder felt fine, but his mind was wandering. For most of his life, he'd wanted to help and serve Luna, but he knew he was buckling under the pressure of helping everypony. Doubt was eating him alive.

Everypony was now ahead of him except for Marble. The dark gray mare kept at his pace no matter how slow he went. She was silent, never asking him to explain, and Pip appreciated it. When they were a few pony lengths away from the rest, Pip decided that now was the time to seek her counsel.

“Marble. I need to tell you something.”

She remained silent.

Pip took a deep breath. “I thought that… ya know, if we ever failed, it would still be okay. I thought the Nightmare Forces combined with a pony to make an entirely new being that wanted a very specific goal. Like Nightmare Moon wanting to create an eternal night.”

Marble nodded.

“But… it turns out the Nightmare Forces fuse to the host, give them what they wanted, or help them achieve it, and then they take over… This new being that is born… It doesn’t want something as simple as an eternal night. It wants to rid the world of all light. It wants to bring about oblivion.”

Pip wasn’t even sure if Marble was listening anymore. She wasn’t talking, and he was too focused on the road ahead of him.

“I figured, there would always be a backup plan, ya know? Even if a pony became a nightmare creature, we would have the option of just defeating it. But… what if we fail and the Nightmare Forces actually bring about the end? There’s no recovering from that! Do you see what I’m saying? I… I didn’t know things would be so serious. Failing wasn’t really an option before, but I thought I had a safety net, metaphorically speaking.”

“Is that what’s been bothering you lately?” Marble suddenly asked, startling Pip.

He slowly nodded. “Yeah… I dunno. I feel a little shaken. I’m really worried I can’t live up to everything everypony wants.”

“This isn’t like you, Pip. You were so sure of yourself when you joined the Night Guard, remember? Your speech and determination inspired Rumble, Scootaloo, Snips and Snails to join the guard, that’s how confident you were.” Marble turned to him, glaring. “Where has that gone?”

Pip shook his head. “I don’t know. I guess I keep getting reminded that I’m not actually that special. That I’m just a nobody. I… want to transcend myself, but doubt keeps holding me back.”

Marble continued to glare as they marched. “Pip. Don’t get emotional on me. You’ve never failed before, just keep that in mind. You succeeded so much they promoted you to captain halfway through your training. What more could you possibly want?”

Of course, I nearly died, lost hearing in one ear, and barely held it together, and Equinox was actually the one to defeat Nightmare Moon… Pip sighed and shook his head. No! Marble is right! Marble has never lied to me or sugar-coated the truth! “I’m going to make this work,” he said aloud. “That’s just how it’s going to be.”

Reinvigorated, Pip felt a weight lift off his shoulders. Everything was just a little bit brighter. Mable knowingly nodded.

“Hey! What’re you doing?!”

Pip glanced around in panic. That was Mist’s voice!

He galloped up the road and around the bend, pushing his way through the other members of the guard until he stood in front of them, next to a turnout on the road for carriages. Mist was hovering there, next to a beautifully decorated wooden vardo, and talking to a group of Diamond Dogs.

However, they weren’t any Diamond Dogs that Pip was familiar with. Some had sandy gold fur, while others had jet black, and they all appeared jackal-like in features. Long pointed ears, longer fluffy tails and narrow muzzles.

“What’s going on here?” Pip asked as he burst onto the scene. If something came of this situation, Pip was already wearing his armor and claws.

“Squeaks! Look what they’re doing!” Mist pointed to a Diamond Dog on the side of the road. He was bruised and bleeding, with three other jackal Diamond Dogs standing over him. Pip quickly surmised that they had been recently beating him.

“This is none of your concern,” a black furred Diamond Dog stated. He wore a gold collar, gold bracers, and rough white linen belted around his waist.

“You made it our concern when you decided to do this on a public road,” Thunder Clash immediately huffed.

“Tradition states that failures have their punishment known,” the jackal Diamond Dog replied.

Pip didn’t recognize the articulate and refined accent of the Diamond Dog. The Diamond Dogs he had known were… not the sharpest tools in the shed.

“This isn’t allowed in Equestria. Leave him alone, by order of the Captain of the Star Guard,” Pip said, though he wasn’t entirely sure how much authority he had in such matters.

The odd Diamond Dogs all turned to the one that had been talking. The beaten Diamond Dog, however, looked up at Mist and Pip with one good eye. He could barely move, and it looked like one of his legs was broken.

“We aren’t citizens of Equestria,” the jackal finally responded.

“Well, you’re on Equestrian lands,” Pip retorted. “I don’t know what kind of traditions you have, but they aren’t acceptable here if you’re going to just savage one of your own.”

The other Diamond Dogs started to inch forward, claws extending from their paws and fangs bared. Their “leader” snarled at Pip. “Our master has given us powers, pony. Leave us to our own and we’ll allow you and your bat ponies to go!”

For a brief moment, Pip was confused. Why specifically make a point of letting the bat ponies go?

Phantom Shade stepped forward and shook his head. “We should leave them. If they aren’t Equestrian citizens, we don’t have a duty to protect them.”

Thunder Clash shook his head. “Coward.”

Pip looked from the broken Diamond Dog to the others. He counted over twenty-five of them. However, when he glanced back to the injured one, he gave Pip a pleading look. Pip glared back at the leader. The Star Guard didn’t just have a duty to Equestria. It had a duty to help all beings.

“I’m not leaving until this Diamond Dog is safe.”

Comments

[Chibalt]

Oh bloody hell, they've been given powers by the nightmare creatures, haven't they?

[pahnazd]

And an epic battle will commence! Halfway trained soldiers (and two fully trained ones) in full armor versus a pack of enemies with unknown combat readiness.
Who will come on top? We'll see next!
Damn you cliffhangers! Now I'll be antsy until the next chapter releases

[Soniclink137]

Hey, to be fair 43 might not be bad compared to how many there actually are. There could only be like 50 or so that need help, which means they got somewhere around 90% of them (I know not exact but I'm too lazy to do the math right now).

Going on teams of two is actually a pretty good idea. As people stated in that chapter where Scootaloo and Rumble both failed with their kids, if they just switched kids they probably would have helped them both much easier. Now they have backup just in case they aren't able to solve the problem in front of them while the other can. The pairings themselves were fairly reasonable, since most of them let the other person's strengths to cover their weaknesses and vice versa.

And finally the Diamond Dogs. 20 bits says the nightmare got to them and the next fight is going to be a tough one.

[SageBrony07]

I wonder. Has the nightmare's affected the Diamond Dogs as well. Interesting idea. Good luck with the next chapter. This is going to be good.

[Doctor Derpin]

I'd always wanted to see a nightmare version of equestria's nonequine denziens. I love the idea of a nightmare dog, perhaps even a nightmare griffon will make an appearance?

[doorcf]

hohoho Pipsqueak is feeling the preasure good to know Thunder is there to help

also good idea about the teams but I hope the opposites attracts idea works

[Manaphy]

Great chapter as usual. I'm liking the character interactions a lot, so keep up the good work!

[Hanh17]

cool keep up the good work!!

[Trevdevdash]

Great chapter as always!