Guarded Emotions

by Alabenson

A New Friend?

It was early spring in Equestria, a few short weeks after winter had officially been completely wrapped up, and the initial snow-melting sunlight had given way to slate grey skies and cascading rain. While the rainstorms may have been a boon to any freshly planted crops, they had the unfortunate side effect of grounding any pegasi without experience flying in unfavorable conditions. Or, in one instance, of forcing a certain alicorn princess and her number one assistant to take the Ponyville-Canterlot Express.

“Hey, Twilight, why do you think Princess Celestia wanted you to come to Canterlot?”

“I’m not really sure, Spike. All the letter she sent said was that she needed me to come to Canterlot immediately about urgent royal business.” The lavender alicorn paused and let out a worried sigh. “To be honest, I’m a little worried that it has something to do with Starlight Glimmer. I know what she tried to do was horrible, but I really think that she’s changed. I just hope Princess Celestia feels the same way.”

“Oh come on, Twilight,” the diminutive dragon huffed as he stood up on his seat, “this is Princess Celestia we’re talking about! She’s the most forgiving pony ever! She was even willing to forgive Discord for crying out loud!”

Twilight smiled at her assistant’s outburst, realizing that he was absolutely right. Princess Celestia was hardly the sort that would punish somepony if there was a chance that they could be reformed. “I guess you’re right Spike. It’s just that I’m a little nervous, it’s not like Princess Celestia to summon me to Canterlot out of the blue like this unless it’s something important.” Letting out another sigh, Twilight leaned against the passenger car window and looked out at the soggy Equestrian landscape rushing by. Twilight spent the remainder of the trip in melancholy silence, despite Spike’s best efforts to coax her to talk. Between the gloomy weather and her growing concern for her friend, Twilight simply couldn’t muster any interest in conversation. Moreover, by the time the train finally pulled into the Canterlot Station Twilight’s mood had soured considerably, due in no small part to her belated realization that she had left her umbrella in Ponyville.

While most of the ponies on the rain slick train platform were rushing towards whatever shelter they could find from the rain, there was one notable pair of exceptions. Two guardsponies, a pegasi mare and a unicorn stallion, were standing in the center of the platform in the pouring rain as though they were waiting for something. Sure enough, as soon as Twilight and Spike disembarked from the train, the two guardsponies promptly dashed forward and snapped to attention in front of Twilight.

“Welcome to Canterlot, your Highness,” the pegasi mare barked as she brought her right foreleg up in a salute. “Lieutenant Silverstreak reporting for duty.”

“An’ Lieutenant Sharpshooter, y’Highness, reportin’ fer duty.” The unicorn stallion drawled as he saluted her as well.

“I…um…thank you?” Twilight stammered, taken somewhat aback by this unexpected display of overt deference. “We weren’t really expecting anypony to meet us here.”

“We’ve been instructed to escort you and your assistant to Canterlot Castle, your highness,” Silverstreak replied as she stepped to one side.

“An escort, seriously? Since when have we ever needed an escort just to go to the castle?”

“Well, Mister Dragon, Ah’ll admit there probably ain’t much need fer us to escort y’ an’ the princess, but those’er our orders. ‘Sides,” Sharpshooter grinned as his horn flashed with a burst of pale green energy, creating a hemispherical barrier of magical force above the four, “just because y’ don’t strictly speakin’ need us doesn’t mean we ain’t useful t’ have around.”

Twilight gave Spike a sidelong glance, who simply shrugged in response. While the presence of the two guardsponies was unexpected, their company, or at least Sharpshooter’s umbrella-like shield spell, was far from unwelcome. Unable to think of anything left to say, Twilight nodded to the pair, indicating that she was ready to go. As the four headed off to Canterlot Castle, Twilight tried to take stock of the pair marching in front of her. Their armor, nearly identical to her brother’s aside from the fact that the enamel was light blue instead of violet, clearly marked them as lieutenants of the Equestrian Royal Guard. Apart from their armor, however, neither pony possessed the uniform look that most ponies typically associated with members of the royal guard. Lieutenant Silverstreak, for example, was the first guardsmare that Twilight Sparkle could ever recall meeting. That said, Twilight had to admit that Lieutenant Silverstreak certainly looked the part. The dark-maned, silver-coated pegasi had a physique like a Wonderbolt, and she carried herself with the same stern bearing that most ponies associated with members of the Royal Guard. While Lieutenant Silverstreak may have seemed like something of an oddity on account of her gender, Lieutenant Sharpshooter was an oddity on account of almost everything else about him. Sharpshooter was a decidedly averagely built stallion with a navy blue coat and an unfortunate pea soup green colored mane. Moreover, the stallion seemed far more comfortable to be in the presence of an alicorn princess than virtually any guard Twilight had ever met. It was Sharpshooter’s face, however, that truly captured Twilight’s attention. A set of three parallel scars, each roughly the width of the tip of Twilight’s horn, stretched from the center of Sharpshooter’s forehead just below his horn, under an eye-patch covering his left eye, and terminating at the base of the stallion’s jaw.

As the group made their way through the streets of Canterlot towards the castle, Twilight noticed Lieutenant Silverstreak frequently shooting angry glances towards Sharpshooter, her ears bent almost completely back. At first, Twilight tried to ignore the guardsmare’s obvious irritation, but as the minutes dragged on Twilight’s growing discomfort with the situation finally prompted her to say something.

“Pardon me, Lieutenant Silverstreak, but is something the matter between you and Lieutenant Sharpshooter?” As Twilight spoke, her countenance brightened considerably as an idea popped into her head. “As the Princess of Friendship, I’d be happy to help resolve any friendship problems that the two of you might be having.” The palpable glee in Twilight’s voice elicited an eye roll from Spike, who had been too engrossed in a discussion with Sharpshooter over the respective merits of Canterlot’s various donut shops to notice Silverstreak’s irritability.

Lieutenant Silverstreak paused and thought for a moment before answering. “Permission to speak freely, your highness?”

“Of course,” Twilight replied, already mentally sorting her list of friendship problem solutions.

“Thank you your highness. I’d just like to ask the Second Lieutenant why, if he’s able to cast a partial barrier spell, did we have to spend over a rut-, excuse me, over an hour standing in the pouring rain?” Silverstreak snarled as she glared at the other guardspony.

Upon hearing this, Lieutenant Sharpshooter burst out laughing at his companion’s outburst. “What’s the matter, Silverstreak? Don’t tell me th’ top flier in th’ guard can’t take gettin’ a little wet. Anyways, Ah was jus’ followin’ orders; Captain Fearless tol’ us t’ stand at attention on that there platform ‘til th’ princess arrived, an’ that’s what Ah did.”

“Are you-since when in your entire miserable career have you ever cared about following protocol?” Lieutenant Silverstreak sputtered, before pausing for a moment to try and regain her composure. “Besides, the only reason we were stuck on that platform was because you decided to make that stupid joke about Princess Luna.”

“Wait, he what?” Twilight exclaimed, more than slightly scandalized by the two guardponies’ exchange. Both ponies were nothing like the disciplined soldiers that she had grown up associating with the Canterlot Royal Guard.

“It weren’t nearly as bad as Silverstreak’s makin’ it sound, yer highness. Truth be told, Ah meant it more as a compliment than anythin’ else.”

“Sharpshooter, you said that, and I quote, it makes sense that the Princess of the Night has a heavenly body. That might not have exactly been an insult but…ugh.” Silverstreak let out an exasperated groan, unable to bring to respond further.

“T’ be fair, it wouldn’t ‘ve been a big deal if Captain Fearless Blade and Princess Celestia hadn’t ‘ve snuck up behind me when Ah said it. And, fer what it’s worth, Princess Celestia thought it was durn funny.”

“Princess Celestia thinks Discord is funny, Cyclops.” Lieutenant Silverstreak retorted reflexively, before promptly turning beet red as she suddenly remembered precisely who she was escorting. “Er…not that there’s anything wrong with…I mean, um…”

“It’s alright, lieutenant, to be honest I’ve never really understood that about the princess myself.” By now, Twilight had gotten over her initial shock over the behavior of her escorts, and she found herself considerably more at ease with them. It helped that the way the pair bickered reminded Twilight of the verbal sparring of her friends Applejack and Rainbow Dash. Satisfied that there was no friendship problem for her to solve, Twilight decided to simply take a deep breath and let the matter drop. It wasn’t long before the group finally reached Canterlot Castle, and by then all four were glad to finally be out of the rain.

“All right, your highness,” Lieutenant Silverstreak began as they entered the castle foyer, “Princess Celestia will be waiting for you in the castle’s west meeting room. So, unless there’s anything else you need us for…”

“It’s alright, Spike and I can find our way there ourselves. Thank you for escorting us.”

Lieutenant Silverstreak relaxed visibly as Twilight excused her. “Thank you, your highness. Now I just need to find somewhere to dry off.” The silver pegasi shot a venomous glare at her one-eyed counterpart. “I swear to Celestia, you’d better start hoping that this armor doesn’t end up rusting.”

“Oh stop yer bellyachin’ already, yer armor ain’t gonna rust and y’ know it. An’ Ah also know durn well y’ been through a lot worse than a little rain water.”

Twilight watched the pair as they made their way off to the castle barracks, letting out a barely stifled giggle once they were finally out of sight. As much as Twilight may have hated to admit it, she also thought Sharpshooter’s joke about Princess Luna’s ‘heavenly body’ was pretty funny.

*********

Years of studying under Princess Celestia as her personal protégé had left Twilight Sparkle very familiar with the layout of Canterlot Castle. As such it didn’t take long for her to find her way to the castle’s west meeting room. As Twilight approached the room, she could hear familiar voice arguing from within.

“-a complete waste of time. We should just assign him to Ponyville now and get it over with.” Twilight instantly recognized the voice of her older brother Shining Armor. Wondering what in Equestria her brother was doing in Canterlot, Twilight magically threw the doors to the room open. Sure enough, sitting at a table in the center of the room was Shining Armor, along with a visibly pregnant Princess Cadence and Princess Celestia herself. Shining Armor was propping himself up on the table with both front hooves planted firmly on the tabletop, scattering several of the files which covered the table’s surface and staring daggers at Princess Celestia. “Twily! You finally made it!” Shining Armor exclaimed happily as he saw his beloved younger sister in the doorway. Whatever Princess Celestia had done to upset the stallion was momentarily forgotten as he leapt up to greet Twilight.

“It’s great to see you too, BBBFF, but what in Equestria are you and Cadence doing in Canterlot?” Twilight turned to Princess Celestia. “For that matter, I’m not even entirely sure what I’m doing here. All you said in the letter you sent me was that you needed me to come to Canterlot for royal business.”

“I asked Shining Armor to come to Canterlot because I felt that having his perspective on the matter at hoof would be particularly helpful.”

“The matter at hoof? I’m sorry, princess, but I still don’t think I understand.”

Princess Celestia gestured for Twilight to take a seat before responding. “Ever since you took on the responsibilities of the Princess of Friendship, you’ve been putting yourself at risk time and time again. Starlight Glimmer’s village, the feud between the Hoofields and the McColts-“

“Not to mention the fact that Starlight Glimmer came after you again in your own castle.” Shining Armor added.

“Starlight Glimmer’s changed, I know she has.” Twilight Sparkle’s mind raced as she readied every argument she could think to bring up in her new friend’s defense.

“And we trust your judgement on that matter, Twilight.” Princess Celestia stated, cutting off Twilight before she could protest further. “But if something like that were to happen again you may not be so lucky. As such, we feel that the time has come to assign you a bodyguard.”

“A bodyguard?” Twilight asked, not sure how she felt about the turn the conversation was taking. “Are you sure that’s really necessary?”

Princess Cadence, who up until now had been quietly nursing what looked to be a tan milkshake of some kind, finally spoke up. “To be honest, Twilight, this is something that we really should have taken care of when you first became a princess. If it makes you feel better, I’ve actually had a few bodyguards over the years, and I’m still good friends with most of them. Stormy Skies…Fearless Blade…” Cadence gave a mischievous grin as she placed her front hoof over her husband’s “…and of course, Shining Armor.”

Blushing slightly at the implications behind the look Cadence was giving her brother, Twilight moved her attention to the files littering the surface of the meeting room table. Levitating the one closest to her, Twilight opened it to reveal the personnel file of a member of the Royal Guard. “So, then all these files are…”

“Potential candidates for the position.” Princess Celestia responded, while Shining Armor let out a dismissive snort.

Twilight, however, paid little attention to her brother’s outburst as a thought had suddenly leapt into her mind. “Um…there wouldn’t be a guard by the name of Flash Sentry in here, would there?”

“Flash who?” Shining Armor asked. “Wait, pegasi guard, orange coat, dark blue mane, right? Twily, Flash Sentry’s a rookie private who isn’t even a full year out of basic training yet. He might be a decent guard, but he’s just not qualified for an assignment like this. Besides, I’m not even sure he’d be interested in accepting the assignment.” Shining Armor turned to Cadence. “Isn’t Flash Sentry the one who started dating one of the local librarians? I think her name was Amethyst something or other.”

“Amethyst Shine. I think they met during our last Hearth’s Warming Eve ball.”

“Oh, I see…” Twilight felt a twinge of sadness at the news, although after taking a moment to think about it, it occurred to her that she wasn’t nearly as upset as she would have expected. After all, Twilight realized, it had actually been Flash Sentry’s human counterpart that she had bonded with; Twilight couldn’t even recall if she had even spoken more than five sentences to her own universe’s Flash Sentry.

Sensing his sister’s discomfort, Shining Armor brought the conversation back to the task at hoof. “Look, Twily, it’s important for you to understand that whoever we assign is going to be responsible for more than just protecting you, they’re going to protecting the rest of Ponyville as well. The thing is, we’ve been considering setting up a small garrison near Ponyville for years now, mainly because it’s so close to the Everfree Forest. We’ll almost certainly be bringing in more guards eventually, but at first your bodyguard will be in charge of protecting the whole town.” Princess Celestia started to open her mouth as if she wanted to add something, by Shining Armor quickly cut her off. “And while I’m sure that these candidates are all excellent guards, there’s only one pony in Equestria who I’d be willing trust with your safety, Twily, and that pony is Captain Moonwhisper.” As he spoke, Shining Armor shot a glance at Princess Celestia as though he was daring her to disagree.

Princess Cadence greeted her husband’s passionate declaration with an exaggerated roll of her eyes. “Shining, I know how much you respect Captain Moonwhisper, but he’s not the only qualified candidate.”

“When it comes to my little sister’s safety, Moonwhisper is the only pony I trust.” Shining Armor levitated one of the files over to Twilight. “Here, Twily, take a look for yourself. I’ve known Moonwhisper ever since basic training, and I’ve never met another guard with his level of ability or his dedication.”

Twilight opened the file and looked through some of the guard’s records and she had to admit that, at least on paper, this Captain Moonwhisper lived up to her older brother’s praise. “Graduated top of his class from the Equestrian Officers Academy…multiple commendations for bravery beyond the call of duty,” Twilight’s eyes widened a little as she read further. “He was awarded the Royal Shield of Honor?”

“The Royal what-now?” Spike asked, looking up from another of the personnel files. The small dragon had only been disinterestedly half-following the conversation thus far, but the audible shock in Twilight’s voice had finally gotten his attention.

“The Equestrian Royal Shield of Honor is the highest honor that can be awarded to a member of the guard.” Shining Armor replied. “They only give it out for really incredible acts of bravery, and I mean really incredible. I think it’s only been awarded a couple dozen times in Equestria’s history.”

“Twenty nine times, to be exact.” Twilight added almost reflexively, still slightly dazed from this new revelation.

“Right, well, Moonwhisper earned his during the last major gargoyle migration.” As Shining Armor continued, his tone became much more serious. “Moonwhisper…he saved my life during that…he saved a lot of ponies’ lives during that.” Screwing his eyes shut, Shining Armor paused and took several deep breaths before he continued. “Trust me, I wouldn’t be pushing so hard for Moonwhisper if I wasn’t absolutely certain that he was the best pony for the job.”

Twilight spent the next several moments in silence as she absorbed everything that her brother had just told her. It was clear that Shining Armor held Captain Moonwhisper in extremely high regard above and beyond the stallion’s impressive record. Furthermore, the revelation that Moonwhisper had saved Shining Armor’s life left the young alicorn more than somewhat shaken. Twilight could vaguely recall Shining Armor having been hospitalized for several days following a mission shortly before he had been promoted to captain, but the notion that he had almost been killed had never even occurred to her. “Well, if you really think he’d be the best pony for the job, then I’ll take your word for it.”

“Awesome, trust me Twily, you won’t regret this. It’s just too bad Moonwhisper’s out of Canterlot right now on official business; otherwise I’d introduce the two of you myself. In the meantime, why don’t I take you over to HQ so we can get some of the paperwork taken care of? And, after that, why don’t we hit up Doughnut Joe’s and catch up a little before you go back to Ponyville?”

“Alright,” Twilight replied, happy to have an excuse to not only spend a little time with her BBBFF, but also to delay having to trek through the pouring rain outside. As Twilight started get up to leave the room, she turned back to address her sister-in-law. “Cadence, are you going to come, too?”

“Actually, Twilight, I think I’m going to have to pass this time. I need to stay here and have a chat with Princess Celestia.” Twilight couldn’t help but notice a definite edge to Cadence’s voice, and the way that Cadence seemed to snarl the word ‘chat’ made Twilight a little uncomfortable, though if Shining Armor noticed he didn’t show it. “Although,” Cadence added, her face softening, “Shining, if you’re going to Doughnut Joe’s anyway…”

“Another peanut butter milkshake?” Shining Armor asked with a chuckle, to which Cadence responded with a sheepish nod. “Sure thing, hon.” Noting his younger sister’s quizzical expression as they left the room, Shining Armor offered an explanation. “Cadence has been having cravings for those for the last couple of weeks. Just a normal part of having a foal, I guess.”

“I guess…Oh, that reminds me, Pinkie Pie wanted me to ask Cadence a few questions the next time I saw her. So, why don’t you and Spike go on ahead and I’ll catch up with you. Once I’ve asked her the questions.”

“Are you sure you don’t want me to-“

“No! I mean, no, it’s a…a surprise. It has to do with a surprise that Pinkie’s planning, and you know how Pinkie is about surprises.” Twilight gave a nervous laugh as she practically shoved her older brother down the hall.

Deciding not to press the issue further, Shining Armor simply shrugged and levitated Spike onto his back. “Alright, whatever you say, Twily. Come on Spike, why don’t you tell me how you’ve been doing with the ladies out in Ponyville.”

Twilight waited for a few agonizing moments as she watched her bother and assistant disappear down the hall before slinking back towards the meeting room. As much as she hated lying to her brother, something about Cadence’s demeanor towards the end of the meeting bothered Twilight, as though there was something she had wanted to say but couldn’t. Determined to find out what was going on, Twilight crept towards the closed doors of the meeting room, her horn briefly flashing with power as she cast a spell to augment her hearing.

“-least now I know why you were so insistent that Shining Armor come to Canterlot.” Twilight could immediately pick up the voice of her former foalsitter, uncharacteristically seething with barely contained irritation.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Cadence. I simply thought that Shining Armor’s familiarity with both Twilight Sparkle and the available candidates would give him valuable insight into who might be the best pony for the job.”

“Please don’t treat me like I’m an idiot, princess, you know as well as I do that Shining Armor has been hero-worshipping Moonwhisper for years. You knew exactly how inviting him here would play out; Shining Armor would gush about Moonwhisper to Twilight, and of course she’d take her big brother’s advice.”

“Captain Moonwhisper is an exemplary member of the Royal Guard…”

“I’m not saying he isn’t a good soldier, it’s just…well, you know how he can be.”

“I’m well aware of the deficiencies of Captain Moonwhisper’s personality, and to be honest that’s why I had hoped that your husband would convince Twilight to select him as her bodyguard. I think Twilight may be able to help Moonwhisper overcome some of his…issues with friendship.”

*********

“Help him ‘overcome his issues with friendship’? What the hay was that supposed to mean?” Rainbow Dash grumbled as she hung a welcome banner across the pillars in the foyer of Twilight’s castle.

“I’m not sure exactly, but it definitely sounds like Princess Celestia believes that Captain Moonwhisper needs my help somehow.” Several weeks had passed since Twilight had returned from her niece’s crystalling, and the day had finally come for Moonwhisper to arrive in Ponyville. Twilight was particularly curious to find out precisely what sort of stallion Moonwhisper was, particularly since her efforts to investigate that had proven surprisingly futile. Shining Armor, for example, had been more than happy to talk at length about how strong Moonwhisper was or how brilliant he was, but he became distressingly evasive whenever Twilight questioned him about Moonwhisper’s personality. Most of the other ponies that Twilight had spoken to offered her even less insight, either only knowing Moonwhisper by reputation or not at all.

“So, let me make sure I have this straight,” Rainbow Dash groused, snapping Twilight back to the moment, “from now on, you’re going to have some strange stallion following you around all the time, and nopony will tell you anything about the guy? Something about this whole thing just doesn’t feel right.” Rainbow Dash had frequently voiced her misgivings over the news that Twilight was being assigned a bodyguard ever since Twilight returned from Canterlot. Personally, however, Twilight suspected that at least some of Rainbow Dash’s objections stemmed from the fear that she might miss out on the opportunity for any fighting in any future adventures.

“Come on, Dashie, Shining Armor wouldn’t have suggested Moonwhisper if there was anything really wrong with him. It’s just too bad that Starlight Glimmer picked this week to spend catching up with Sunburst in the Crystal Empire, she’s going to miss out on the party.” Pinkie Pie bounced around gleefully as she readied the last details for the ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ party she had insisted on preparing for Twilight’s new protector. True to form, the cheerful pink pony was giddy with excitement over the prospect of making a new friend.

“Then why did Twilight say that Princess Cadence sounded angry when she was talking with Princess Celestia?” Dropping the banner that she had been holding, Rainbow Dash flew right up into Pinkie Pie’s face. “It sounds to me that Shining Armor and Princess Celestia know something about this guy that they’re not telling. Besides, since when does Twilight need a bodyguard anyway?”

“For the record, I actually don’t think that it’s a bad idea.” Fluttershy, struggling to keep herself airborne after catching the banner that Rainbow Dash had dropped, quickly continued before Rainbow Dash had a chance to respond. “I mean, the map does send us all over Equestria, and, what if it sends Twilight to somewhere dangerous without you with her?”

Rainbow Dash paused for a moment to think before simply grunting in reply, Fluttershy’s subtle appeal to her ego having mollified her for the moment. “So,” she began after taking another few seconds to calm down, “where the hay is this guy anyway? I thought he was supposed to arrive today. And for that matter, where the hay are Applejack and Rarity?”

*********

At that very moment, Applejack and Rarity were at Ponyville Station, patiently waiting to greet the town’s new guardian.

“You know, I have to admit I’m a little jealous of Twilight Sparkle. Getting a handsome stallion to watch over you day and night, ready to charge to your defense at a moments notice…” Ponyville’s resident fashionista let out a dreamy sigh as she pictured being swept off her hooves by some imaginary knight.

“And what exactly makes y’all so sure that this Captain Moonwhisper is gonna be some great handsome stallion? All Twilight was able t’ tell us about what he looks like was what was in his file. ‘Unicorn stallion, black coat, white mane, green eyes.’ That ain’t exactly a detailed description.”

“Oh come now, Applejack, surely you’ve noticed that virtually every stallion in the Royal Guard is, how should I put it…”

“A might easy on the eyes?” Applejack quipped with a grin. “Yeah, Ah’ll admit y’all have a point there, but frankly Ah won’t care if this Moonwhisper fella looks like he was walloped with an ugly stick as long as he can keep the nastier critters in the Everfree under control.” The smile on Applejack’s face faded as she leaned in closer to Rarity, lowering her voice to a whisper. “Truth be told, me an’ Big Macintosh have been findin’ timberwolf tracks at the edge of Sweet Apple Acres recently.”

“Oh my, I can see why you’d be concerned. Although, aren’t the timberwolves one of the signs for your zap apple harvest?”

“The timberwolves howlin’ might be the first sign of the harvest, but usually they keep t’ the edges of the Everfree. Them slinkin’ out t’ the edges of the farm like this is somethin’ new, and Ah’d hate t’ even think about what might happen if the get up th’ nerve t’ head into town.”

Before Rarity had a chance to voice her agreement, the air was filled with the high-pitched squeal of the Canterlot-Ponyville Express pulling into the station. As the passengers disembarked, both mares began scanning the sea of faces for anypony who matched the description they had received. After a minute or two, Rarity began excitedly nudging her friend.

“Applejack, look, over there by the baggage car, it’s him, it must be!”

“Uh, Rarity, are y’all sure about that?” Applejack replied glancing over the stallion her friend was gesturing towards, who was busy unloading a large stack of boxes from the train. “Ah’ll admit his coat and mane look about the right colors, but Moonwhisper is a captain of the guard, and that fella looks like he’s about the same age as mah brother, if that. Besides, Ah’d think Moonwhisper would be wearin’ at least some sort of armor and all he has on is that little hat, so what makes y’all think he’s even in the guard t’ begin with?”

“I assure you, Applejack, that stallion is most assuredly Captain Moonwhisper. And, for what it’s worth, that ‘little hat’ of his is called a beret.” Grinning broadly, Rarity trotted over to the stallion in question. “Oh yoo-hoo! Pardon me sir, but would you happen to be Captain Moonwhisper?”

The unicorn stallion carefully put down a box that he had been levitating and turned around to face Rarity before responding. “Yes, that would be me,” the stallion responded in a measured tone, “is there something that I can help you with, miss?”

“My name is Rarity, and this is my friend Applejack, and we were asked by our friend Twilight Sparkle to meet you here at the station.”

As Rarity made the introductions, Applejack used the opportunity to take stock of the captain. Moonwhisper was a large stallion, roughly as tall as Big Macintosh and almost as heavily built. His bone-white mane was pulled back in a simple ponytail, topped off with a simple black beret. And, as Applejack had to admit, Rarity’s primary prediction about his appearance had proven accurate; Moonwhisper was an exceptionally handsome stallion.

“Pardon me, miss Applejack?” Moonwhisper asked, snapping Applejack back into the moment. “Would you happen to have a wagon available? If at all possible I would like to bring my personal effects to my quarters before I present myself to the princess.”

“Don’t worry, Ah thought y’all might need somethin’ like that, so Ah brought a wagon with us that y’all can use. Are y’all gonna want any help with yer things.” Applejack gestured towards the pile of boxes Moonwhisper had assembled.

“Thank you, miss, but that won’t be necessary.” With that, Moonwhisper turned towards the pile, his horn glowing a dark blue. A magical aura of the same color enveloped the pile, which Moonwhisper seemingly effortlessly levitated into the air.

As Moonwhisper headed off to the back of the station, Applejack sidled up to Rarity. “All right, Ah have to know, how the hay did y’all know that he was our pony?”

Rarity smirked as she responded. “Well, darling, to be honest the proof was his beret. Or, to more precise, it was that lovely badge he has pinned to it.” Rarity paused for a moment, until she noticed Applejack’s quizzical expression and realized that recognition of her brilliance wasn’t immediately forthcoming. “You didn’t even notice he had a badge pinned to his beret, did you?” Rarity let out a resigned sigh before continuing. “In any event, I assure you there is in fact a badge pinned to the headband of his beret. It consists of three horizontal bars, lavender ones on the top and bottom with a gold bar in the middle.” When Applejack yet again failed to respond to the significance of this revelation, Rarity continued in a somewhat exasperated tone. “That badge happens to be the insignia for a Captain of the Royal Guard, and I thought it safe to assume that there weren’t going to be two Captains of the Royal Guard matching his description on board the same train.”

“All right, all right, there’s no need t’ get all worked up about it. I guess Ah just weren’t expecting somepony so, Ah dunno, young.”

“That would be perfectly understandable, miss Applejack, given that I’m currently the youngest actively serving captain within the guard.” Applejack started as Moonwhisper emerged from behind the train station, having apparently finished loading the wagon. “Now, could either of you kindly direct me to the home of a pegasi named Bulk Biceps? I’ll be staying with him instead of at the castle while I’m stationed in Ponyville for the sake of propriety.”

“We’d be delighted to show you the way there, Captain.” Rarity replied, giving her friend a chance to recover from her surprise.

“We sure would, an’ once y’all get yer things delivered, we’ll take y’all t’ meet Twilight.”

Nodding with approval, Moonwhisper hitched himself to the borrowed wagon. “Excellent, please lead the way.”

“So…where are y’all from originally?” Applejack asked as they started off, hoping to break the ice a bit.

“Trotsylvania.” Moonwhisper replied simply.

After a few moments, it became clear that Moonwhisper wasn’t going to offer any further elaboration. In an effort to alleviate the silence, Rarity spoke up. “So, I understand that Twilight’s older brother Shining Armor is an acquaintance of yours. How ever did the two of you meet?”

“Shining Armor and I attended basic training together.” Once again, Moonwhisper replied in a neutral, matter of fact tone, not offering any additional information.

As the group made their way through the town proper, Applejack and Rarity continued to do their best to incite some form of conversation, pointing out various place of interest around Ponyville. Unfortunately, this failed to elicit anything from Moonwhisper beyond the occasional ‘Duly Noted’. Applejack soon gave up, and began to instead pay closer attention to Moonwhisper himself. The stallion trotted through the town pulling the heavy wagon behind him without the slightest sign of strain or effort, his eyes ceaselessly darting back and forth as he did so. To Applejack, it seemed as though Moonwhisper expected somepony to leap out and attack at any moment. Eventually, to both mares relief, they made it to the home of Bulk Biceps. While Moonwhisper unloaded the wagon and brought his things inside with the enthusiastic help of Bulk Biceps, Applejack took Rarity aside to speak with her.

“Is it just me, or is there something a might off about that stallion?”

“Well, I’ll admit he doesn’t seem to be much of a conversationalist, but…”

“Ah ain’t bothered that he ain’t chatty, Rarity; mah brother’s not much different on that account. But, with Big Macintosh Ah can at least generally tell what he’s thinkin’. This fella, though, Ah jus’ can’t read him.” Applejack paused for a moment as something occurred to her. “Y’ know, Ah think part of it might have somethin’ t’ do with the fact that Ah haven’t seen him smile since he got here.”

“To be fair, Applejack, we’ve only just met him. I’m certain he’s just a bit stressed at the moment, what with his moving to a new town and all, not to mention the fact that he’s about to meet the princess that he’s going to be protecting. He’ll most likely open up a bit more once he’s had time to settle in.

“Ah guess y’all have a point there,” Applejack conceded, not sounding particularly convinced. “Well, let’s get him over t’ Twilight’s and see what she thinks about him.” Applejack took a deep breath and turned back towards Bulk Biceps home. “Hey, do y’all need any help in there?” Applejack yelled at the top of her lungs.

“No, miss Applejack, I would say that everything is settled here for the time being.” Moonwhisper replied as he calmly walked back outside. “Now, if you wouldn’t mind, could you please show me to Princess Twilight Sparkle’s castle?”

“Sure thing, and don’t worry about the wagon, mah brother can swing by and pick it up later.” Applejack tried to manage a smile as she spoke, trying to take Rarity’s advice and give the strange unicorn the benefit of the doubt. Inwardly, though, the farm pony had to wonder just what Princess Celestia was thinking sending this stallion to protect her friend.

*********

The three ponies spent most of the short journey from Bulk Biceps’ home to Twilight’s castle in relative silence, Rarity and Applejack unable to think of anything else to say and Moonwhisper continuing his closed-mouthedness. Finally as they approached their destination, Applejack made one final effort to coax anything out of the reticent stallion.

“So, y’all said yer from Trotsylvania, right? Y’all have any family back there?”

Upon hearing Applejack’s question, Moonwhisper froze in place and winced, as though the question caused him physical pain. “If you don’t mind, miss Applejack, I’d rather not talk about that particular subject.”

“If y’all say so, Ah didn’t mean to upset ya’ none.” Applejack apologized quickly. On the one hoof, this the first real bit of emotion she had seen Moonwhisper exhibit, but on the other the last thing Applejack wanted to do was upset him.

“I’m not upset, it’s simply not a subject I care to discuss. I presume that this is Princess Twilight Sparkle’s castle?” Moonwhisper added quickly, apparently eager to change the subject.

“Sure is, sugarcube. Here, let me get the door for y’all.” Before Moonwhisper had a chance to object, Applejack through the doors and she and Rarity ushered Moonwhisper inside. The castle foyer had been decorated in typical Pinkie Pie party style, with balloons, streamers and confetti everywhere. Furthermore, a large banner declaring ‘Welcome Captain Moonwhisper’ had been hung between the foyer’s two front columns.

As Moonwhisper looked around the room, taking everything in, his gaze fixed on Twilight Sparkle, who was trotting over to greet him. Before she could speak, however, Moonwhisper snapped to rigid attention. “Captain Moonwhisper of the Ponyville Garrison reporting for duty, your highness!”

Several seconds of awkward silence followed, broken only by the sound of one of the balloons spontaneously deflating. Throughout the silence Moonwhisper stood perfectly still, not moving a single muscle. Finally, Twilight realized that Moonwhisper was waiting for her to say something and cleared her throat. “At ease, captain,” Twilight began, returning Moonwhisper’s salute, “I’d like to introduce you to my friends-“

“Miss Pinkie Pie, miss Rainbow Dash and miss Fluttershy, if I’m not mistaken. I’ve already had the opportunity to meet miss Applejack and miss Rarity.”

“Now just wait a durn second, how in tarnation do y’all know everypony’s name already?” a flabbergasted Applejack sputtered.

“Before coming to Ponyville, I made a point of reviewing every bit of information regarding Princess Twilight Sparkle that I could access, including her close associates. Admittedly, though, I didn’t initially recognize miss Rarity or yourself until you introduced yourselves. Now then,” Moonwhisper said turning back towards Twilight, “if your highness doesn’t mind, I’d like to begin by examining the perimeter of the castle to identify any potential points of egress. Afterwards, I would like to be shown the rest of the castle interior so I can familiarize myself with the layout.”

“But, what about your welcome party?” Pinkie Pie asked, giving Moonwhisper her saddest puppy-dog eyes.

“While I do appreciate the gesture, miss Pie,” Moonwhisper said, glancing about at the room’s colorful decorations, “it really wasn’t necessary.” With that, Moonwhisper turned and walked out the door, closing it behind him.

Comments

[Hope Is Never Lost]

I love it. Please sir.

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[Silver Inkwell]

“Flash who?” Shining Armor asked. “Wait, pegasi guard, orange coat, dark blue mane, right? Twily, Flash Sentry’s a rookie private who isn’t even a full year out of basic training yet. He might be a decent guard, but he’s just not qualified for an assignment like this. Besides, I’m not even sure he’d be interested in accepting the assignment.” Shining Armor turned to Cadence. “Isn’t Flash Sentry the one who started dating one of the local librarians? I think her name was Amethyst something or other.”
“Amethyst Shine. I think they met during our last Hearth’s Warming Eve ball.”
“Oh, I see…” Twilight felt a twinge of sadness at the news, although after taking a moment to think about it, it occurred to her that she wasn’t nearly as upset as would have expected. After all, Twilight realized, it had actually been Flash Sentry’s human counterpart that she had bonded with; Twilight couldn’t even recall if she had even spoken more than five sentences to her own universe’s Flash Sentry.

Thank goodness.