The Golden Armor Part II: Lost chapters

by Comet Burst

Rules of Engagement

"I didn't say that!" came an obnoxiously loud shout from down the hallway. The stone walls seemed to amplify it, despite the layers of curtains and rugs. Comet, now a white pegasus with deep blue eyes and a blonde mane, cocked his head a bit and twitched his ear to face the direction of the shout. Normally, he would chalk it up to Princess Luna's normal way of addressing her subjects, her infamous Royal Canterlot Voice, but the lack of Old Equestrian in the statement told him it wasn't the Princess of the Moon.

Instead, Comet listened harder for anything else. Since he was standing outside the royal bedchamber of Princess Celestia, he had to remain vigilant. The wondrous white alicorn had not yet raised the sun, which led to why Comet was at her doors. All of his elite corps, the Goldencloaks, were fast asleep, just as Her Royal Majesty was. Members of the Zodiac, the elite Night Guards, were usually posted around the sleeping princess, but tonight there was not a pony in sight. As the white pegasus strained his ears, he heard some faint whispering he couldn't make out. It was hushed, rushed and short. After some incoherent whispering, Comet swore he could make out hoofbeats trailing off. His pulse rate and slight twinge of fear tapered off as he let out a breath he was holding.

It didn't last long, though. His guard sense told him he wasn't alone. He felt a set of eyes crawling over him, slowly and deliberately. Comet tried to ignore the sensation since he was used to thousands of ponies seeing him guarding the princess, but it wouldn't subside. A new sensation washed over him as his guard sense blared louder. It wasn't just eyes anymore, something or somepony was approaching him. Comet refused to turn his gaze to see what it was, but the dark sensations rising in his chest were slowly overpowering his will. Something bad was about to happen to him.

Breaking his code of a guard to ignore everything until something happened, Comet turned his head.

A pair of wicked green eyes appeared from the other side of the room. The enchanting eyes stared out at him from a swirling mass of black against a wall with a smile underneath. The smile wasn't ordinary either since it contained two overly large fangs at the front. Slowly, a hoof extended from the black, followed by another. Soon, a head of shiny black containing the wicked eyes and smile emerged along with a mane of sickly turquoise green split in the center with a horn that looked like a leaf bladed dagger.

"So, captain now?" came her voice. It was smooth and seductive, the voice of a seasoned escort. Her body was shiny and gleamed like it was wet, but her most prominent feature was the holes in her body. They littered everywhere around her, from her hooves to her wings. She was rather tall, about the same size as Princess Luna, so it took her only a few strides to reach the white pegasus.

Comet, for his part, was simply frozen. He neither responded or reacted to the pony that approached him from the magical portal in the wall. Instead, his eyes were fixed upon hers. The pony, a changeling princess, continued to grin at him and moved her face closer.

"Now you're my captain," she whispered to him seductively, "All mine."

Comet wasted no time in connecting his lips to hers. The two of them closed their eyes and passionately kissed, making some rather odd noises. When they parted, the changeling princess gave a small gasp and her eyes fluttered open. She took a couple breaths, but smiled again.

"Oh yes," she cooed as she slowly pushed Comet onto his back, "All mine..."

---

"NNNNNOOOOOOOOOOO!" Angel shouted as she woke. Her covers thrashed around her and her wings flapped violently, making a rather large ruckus. As she scrambled in her bed, the sound of ponies moving came from outside and her door burst open, blinding her with a brilliant golden light.

The bat pony mare hissed loudly and wound up falling over the side of her bed, landing on her left shoulder. The pain graced her for a few seconds as she grit her teeth, but it stopped as soon as she forced herself up.

"Captain Angel!" came a worried shout, hurting her ears, "Is everything alright?!"

The mare grumbled as she untangled herself from her sheets and mumbled, "Everything's just great..."

"What was that, ma'am?"

"I said 'everything's fine'!" she nearly shouted back, "Just bad dreams."

"Oh. Well, if nothing is wrong..." The guard spoke quickly and the two turned to leave. The door shut, plunging the room into total darkness again and Angel grumbled to herself.

"Stupid dreams," she muttered, "Why can't you just let me sleep?"

Angel hadn't been sleeping too well after the attack she, Comet and Valyrie had fended off a year ago. Now and then, dreams of the evil changeling that had seduced Comet popped up, causing her to become incredibly irritable and angry when she woke. Every time she dreamed of her, Angel felt powerless and vulnerable afterwards because, no matter what she could do in the dream, Comet seemed to accept the changelings advances. Angel was by no means insecure, but a nagging thought lingered in the back of her mind.

Was she not enough for Comet?

After the attack and the harsh realization he had gotten more physical contact with the changeling princess than with her, Angel had felt inferior to her. Comet had already sworn that he couldn't remember anything about his time with the princess, but Angel didn't buy that. His reactions spoke volumes to her, especially the momentary disappointment that crossed his eyes every time they kissed.

Comet always denied that moment, going as far as kissing her multiple times to prove she was all he wanted. Angel, however, knew that even though he wouldn't admit it, some part of him, deep down and far away, wished it was the changeling or Valyrie. Angel dug her hoof into the pillow, pretending it was the changeling's face. She bared her teeth a bit, but didn't push much harder. Determined not to let this rob her of yet another good day's sleep, Angel planted the side of her head on the pillow and shut her eyes. After some fitful moments of unrest, Angel groaned loudly and rolled over again.

Unable to sleep, she stared at the stuffed Princess Luna that Comet had won for her on their first date. It was by far her most prized possession and, feeling a little lonely, she reached a hoof out and brought the doll to her. Angel smiled at it and hugged the doll tightly, purring a bit as she did. Even when she had those dreams, this little toy comforted her. Comet had only won two of these, a Celestia and a Luna, and had given them to the most special ponies in his life. The fact Angel had one was enough to calm her down a bit.

---

Comet, for his part, stood outside the doorway of a room. He really wished he was back in Philomena's tower, but the familiar voice of a pony Comet loathed rang out.

"Oh, Captain?" came the fake dainty voice, "Could you please come in here?" Comet ground his teeth, but turned and marched in.

Inside were paintings of excruciating horridity. Paint was splattered incoherently on large white canvasses, making all sorts of nasty combinations. One in particular was a canvas containing a multitude of colors covered by an explosion of brown, reminding Comet of what he threw up when he last had the stomach flu. Standing before them was a white unicorn with a blonde mane, not quite as bright as Comet's though. The pony seemed to be examining the paintings with intensity, something Comet almost snorted at.

"Captain," he spoke in an official tone, "I require your opinion on something."

'Yes, you should let me go do my job.' Comet thought. "Yes, my prince?"

"I want a new look for my room. Should it be a neo-modern theme, or a traditional art deco with a slight modern twist?"

'It should be the local dump.'

"Captain?"

"I would suggest a vintage look with an art deco overtone," Comet spoke, wondering just what the hay he was suggesting.

"Ah," Prince Blueblood responded, seemingly losing himself in thought. Comet remained silent, but secretly wished he could walk away. The prince had been deciding for two weeks now on what his room should look like and had insisted Comet be his guard after the last one, a Goldencloak named Holly Stalk, suggested to him that he keep it the way it was. Blueblood was so appalled by that, he had recommended to Comet that he should dismiss her from being a guard. Comet bit back many insults at that and kept his composure. Holly was a rough guard with a callous exterior, but she was one of his best. The thought of dismissing her because she suggested what Comet thought was the most prudent choice was absurd.

Luckily for Comet, a guard popped his head into the room behind them and said, "Captain, you have been requested by Princess Celestia."

Comet sighed to himself, closing his eyes and thanking his lucky stars. "Excuse me, prince. My liege requires my presence."

"Hm?" Blueblood responded, "Oh, yes, fine. Away with you."

Comet ground his teeth, but thanked Blueblood and took his leave. It didn't take him long to fly to the magnificent golden doors to the throne room. Towering well above any conceivable creatures height, the gilded doors sparkled brightly today. Comet nodded to the guards stationed outside the doors and one proceeded to push the right side open slightly. The door, which weighed an estimated one thousand pounds, swung open smoothly and effortlessly thanks to the magical hinges forged specifically for Princess Luna's sleep schedule. Prior to her return, the doors rumbled to announce a visitor, but with the Moon Princess's return, Celestia ordered new hinges be made so her sister could sleep peacefully. Comet inhaled sharply and held his breath without puffing his cheeks. With all his dignity and confidence, he strode in.

Once inside, Comet expected to see the familiar sight of the Solar Princess sitting majestically on her dais, gently smiling down to him as he proudly walked in. Instead, he found a sight that troubled his mind. Her Majesty wasn't smiling. Rather, a look of concern was about her beautiful features and her wondrous magenta eyes focused on three figures standing before her.

The figures were tall, two about the same height as Comet and one wearing some strange armor stood even taller. All three had their backs turned to Comet despite his arrival and stared up at the great alicorn seated before them. Several features of them stuck out, two quite literally. All three of them had large wings, each one with a span longer than Comet's own set and feathers to match. Just below the imposing wings was a long tail, ending in a tuft of fur, leading back to a lion's body.

Comet didn't need to think about what they were. He had a gryffon for a friend.

As Comet approached, he cleared his throat and cut the silence that hung in the air. At once, the one in armor spun and tensed at the sight of Comet. The gryphon, a tall and muscular brown feathered male, glared at the guardspony with piercing pale green eyes and scratched his talons on the stone below. He had a rather long scar, starting from just above his right eye and snaking its way down to his neck. His beak was fixed into a snarl as he spread his wings menacingly, as if implying he was the dominate male in the room.

Comet, on the other hoof, merely straightened his back a little more and regarded the gryphon as if he was unimportant. Appearances were important in these kinds of situations.

"That's enough, Grimtalon," came a stern and gruff voice from next to him. The figure in the middle turned his very light gray feathered head to gaze behind him at Comet. His naturally deep sea blue eye lazily flicked towards Comet, but just as quickly left. He clicked his black beak and spoke in his overly tough voice again. "He's clearly no match for you."

It was Celestia's turn to clear her throat and her serene face became a scowl, something rare for her.

"I would appreciate it if you didn't insult my personal guardian. You are a guest in my court."

The light gray gryphon nodded his head and replied, "Of course. I meant no offense, your highness."

'Yeah, right.' Comet and Celestia thought at the same time, but neither voiced or reacted to the thought. Celestia let her scowl fade into her passive face and watched the three gryphons blankly.

"It matters not whether our guard is better than yours," the third one spoke up with a lighter, but still macho, voice. He seemed to be older than the rest since the tips of the feathers atop his head were changing from a glorious gold to silvery gray. He took a step forward to the dais and spoke with such conviction that Shining Armor could take notes. "We are here to ask you to return what is rightfully ours."

Celestia sat silently and her gaze drifted towards her hooves. "You mean the gryffon, Valyrie?"

The silence in the room caused Comet's stomach to turn to stone and fall down an endless pit.

"Yes," spoke the older gryphon, "My daughter."

Comet had to gnash his tongue to keep silent, but couldn't suppress a nervous twitch, something Grimtalon snickered at.

---

Midnight felt a tickle under his nose just before he sneezed violently. The sound was explosive and he woke with a start, along with another bat pony. After apologizing and hearing the whines of a full grown stallion, Midnight rolled over to see a pair of big golden irises staring into his own. Before he could utter a sound, a set of beaks was forced onto his lips, causing him to fall silent. It lasted for about ten seconds before the beak pulled away and the golden irises reappeared.

"What are you doing here?" Midnight hissed, "We could get in serious trouble for this!"

A small chuckle floated over to him as an invisible set of claws gently raked the side of his head. They drifted up into his slightly shorter mane, but the tips began to gently scratch his scalp, sending waves of pleasure down his spine. Midnight sucked his teeth a little and a new voice spoke up.

"I love seeing you relaxed like that," came the whisper of a female with a slightly nasal voice, "You look like an angel then."

Midnight swatted away the claws with his hoof even though his body protested and stared into the round pupils inside the golden irises. "Valyrie..."

The sound of his covers moving was loud to him, but his bunk mates just kept snoring. A large weight, along with a body, seemed to sidle and squeeze next to him despite Midnight's flinches.

"Valyrie!" he whispered sharply, "Stop this!"

The irises reappeared and stared at his eyes. "You didn't protest last time."

"That's because you were drunk. Again."

"But you still liked sharing a bed with me."

"That's because you... Well, you... and I..."

"And you loved every second of it."

Midnight couldn't argue that point. That night often invaded his dreams and he always woke up out of breath and wanting to see Valyrie afterwards.

"Okay, so what if I did? This is still against regulations!"

At that, Midnight felt a series of soft and firm feathers caress his face. Despite his protests, an intoxicating aroma of fresh cut wood, citrus fruit and chocolate wafted into his nostrils and Midnight Glow lost his train of thought. Valyrie had a distinct aroma about her at all times and Midnight couldn't get enough of it. He felt her back press up against his chest and Midnight slowly wrapped a hoof around her.

"Okay, you win." he sighed, "Just don't get me in trouble."

"Shhhh." Valyrie cooed, "You should get back to sleep. I will make sure you won't get caught."

Midnight didn't protest that as he yawned and buried his snout into Valyrie's wings again. He would fall asleep to that scent and hug his gryffon closer as she slept next to him as well. His dreams were permeated with random bits of laughter, a set of golden irises he seemed to fall into and that smell. When he woke, Valyrie was gone, but a note was left for him. She always did that when she snuck into the stallion's bunks, but why would Midnight protest? He had the finest mare/gryffon in the entire castle all to himself.

Comments

[Raul]

Angel is being contradictive. And damn Valyrie, she is clearly the dominant one.

[Guner]

Prince Blueblood? NOO NOOO NOOOO NOOOOO END HIM NOW!, and GOOD STARTER

[Olakaan Peliik]

I want to punch Blueblood in the face. Just waltz up to him and POW right in the muzzle. Then my life would be complete.