Guarded Emotions

by Alabenson

Aftermath

It took Twilight several minutes to relay what she had witnessed through the elixir, and by the time she was finished it was clear the story had had a definite effect on her friends. Starlight Glimmer and Rarity could only stare at Twilight in horror, struggling to find words that could adequately express how they felt. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy, meanwhile, had been brought to tears by Twilight’s recounting. Both mares were openly sobbing while clinging to Spike, who was struggling to hold back tears himself. For Applejack and Rainbow Dash, however, sadness seemed to be taking a backseat to another emotion; blind rage.

“What the hay kind of low-down rotten snake-in-the-grass could even think of doin’ somethin’ like that? To their own wife and foal, no less. Least now we know why Moonwhisper’s a little off, goin’ through somethin’ like that…” Applejack’s voice trailed off as she tried to fathom what an entire foalhood of horrors like that would do to a pony. “And that’s how Moonwhisper got his cutie mark to boot,” Applejack added, the weight of the recent revelations starring to wear on her, “land sakes it seems like the world really had it in for him.”

“It wasn’t the world that did all that to him.” Rainbow Dash snarled through clenched teeth. “I say we track down Moonwhisper’s dad and break every bone in his jerk body.”

“And just what the hay do y’all think doin’ somethin’ like that would actually accomplish?” Applejack snapped back. “Ah ain’t sayin’ Ah don’t see where y’all are comin’ from, believe me Ah do, but goin’ off half-cocked ain’t gonna do anythin’ to help anypony.”

“Well it’d sure as hay make me feel better.” Rainbow Dash retorted.

“Ladies, please! Arguing like this isn’t going to get us anywhere.” Rarity interjected, having mostly recovered from her initial shock. “Now, I think we can all agree that we should do something, the only question is what exactly we should do.”

“Well if y’all have any suggestions Ah’m all ears, but frankly Ah think we’re in over our heads on this one.”

“Yeah, well from what Twilight told us it sure sounded like Princess Celestia was pretty sure we could handle it.” Rainbow Dash replied, flying right into Applejack’s face.

“And if the only thing wrong was that Moonwhisper was just a bit moody Ah might be inclined to agree, but Ah wouldn’t even know where to begin with somepony who’s been through what Moonwhisper has.”

“Now, Applejack,” Rarity said, “do you honestly think that Princess Celestia would really have arranged for Moonwhisper to come here if she didn’t feel we would be able to rise to the challenge?”

“No, Ah suppose not,” Applejack conceded, “but Ah ain’t convinced the princess knew about everythin’ that happened, either. Or are y’all actually suggestin’ that Princess Celestia would know that somethin’ like that was happenin’ and not do anythin’ about it?”

“What if that’s exactly what happened?” Twilight said softly.

“Now wait just a minute, darling,” Rarity objected, “I can understand that you’re upset over what’s been uncovered, we all are, but you can’t really believe that-“

“I don’t know if she knew what exactly was going on at the time,” Twilight began, “but Princess Celestia did know Moonwhisper was suffering. And I’m pretty certain she knew why, too. Lemon Hearts said Princess Celestia had blacklisted Penumbral Dusk from the castle, and Silverstreak mentioned that there were a lot of nasty rumors circulating about him.” Twilight let out a frustrated yell before continuing. “Princess Celestia must have at least had an idea about what had happened and she never said a thing. She just set things up so I’d pick Moonwhisper as my bodyguard and let me make a fool of myself trying to help him.” As Twilight spoke she became increasingly agitated, pacing around the barn as she steadily worked herself into a frenzy.

“Easy there, sugar cube,” Applejack said in an effort to calm her friend down, “gettin’ yerself worked up like that isn’t gonna solve anythin’.”

Twilight, however, was in no mood to calm down. “She let him get away with it, Applejack. Penumbral Dusk beat his wife senseless, tortured his son, and his only punishment is that Princess Celestia won’t let him come to any royal parties! I have to know why she let this happen, why she didn’t do anything to stop it.”

“Twilight, just what the hay are y’all suggestin’? It’s startin’ to sound like y’all are planning to do somethin’ crazy.”

“I’ll tell you want I’m going to do, I’m going to go to Canterlot and I’m going to demand that Princess Celestia tell me what she knew!”

“Now just hold on there, sugar cube, let’s not get too hasty.” Applejack said, greatly alarmed by what Twilight was saying. “Maybe y’all should take a few deep breaths and calm yerself down before y’all do somethin’ y’ could wind up regrettin’.”

“Yeah, seriously,” Rainbow Dash chimed in, “I get that you’re majorly peeved right now, but maybe you want to dial it back from accusing Princess Celestia of letting Moonwhisper’s dad get away with everything. I mean, how would she have stopped it in the first place? It’s not like Princess Celestia knows absolutely everything that goes on in Equestria.”

“Besides, darling, you said yourself that what she may have heard were only rumors. You can’t really expect that she would throw somepony in a dungeon over a rumor, can you”?” Rarity added.

Twilight closed her eyes as she tried desperately to sort herself out. Logically, she knew that her friends were right, that there was no way that Princess Celestia could have known or stopped what was happening. But knowing that did nothing to stop the screaming that was still echoing in her mind. Nor did it suppress the nagging feeling in the back of Twilight’s mind that her mentor had once again chosen not to share everything she knew. The more that Twilight thought about it, the more she realized that it was the latter issue that truly bothered her. While Twilight had always been able to overlook Princess Celestia’s tendency to withhold information from her before, this latest instance was too much for her to take. If only for her own peace of mind, Twilight felt she had to confront Princess Celestia about what she knew. As she made up her mind Twilight felt herself a little, having at least settled one internal conflict.

Applejack, assuming that Twilight’s relaxing was an indication that she had decided against seeking out a confrontation with Princess Celestia, moved to put her hoof around he friend. “Don’t y’all fret none, we’ll figure this thing out together. For now, why don’t we-“

Twilight shook herself free of Applejack’s hoof, cutting her friend off. “I’m sorry, Applejack,” Twilight said, unable to look her friend in the eye, “but Princess Celestia and I need to have a talk.” Before anypony could stop her, Twilight vanished in a bright flash of magenta light.

*********

Twilight rematerialized with a flash in the foyer of Canterlot Castle, sending several of the palace guards scrambling to respond to the intrusion. As soon as they realized who she was, however, they promptly snapped to attention and moved out her way. Twilight barely paid the guards any attention beyond a cursory nod or two as she rapidly made her way to Princess Celestia’s throne room. Throwing the doors to the chamber open with her magic, Twilight stormed in to find Princess Celestia meeting with one of the palace functionaries.

“I’m sorry, Paper Pusher, but it would appear that we may need to continue this conversation at a later date.” Princess Celestia said mildly as she watched Twilight march into the chamber. While Paper Pusher quickly backed out of the room, repeatedly bowing deeply as he went, Princess Celestia turned to her former student. Smiling warmly as if she didn’t even notice the simmering rage in Twilight’s eyes Celestia cheerfully addressed the young alicorn. “Hello, Twilight, I wasn’t expecting you to visit today. Is there something you wanted to talk to me about?” The only aspect of Princess Celestia’s demeanor that even hinted at the fact that she was anything other than delighted to see Twilight was a slight, almost imperceptible edge to her voice as she greeted her.

Twilight, however, either didn’t notice the implicit warning in Princess Celestia’s voice or didn’t care. “Why yes, in fact there is something that we need to talk about.” Twilight replied through her tightly clenched teeth. “Actually, if you don’t mind there’s something I’d like to ask you in private.”

Princess Celestia’s pleasant expression hardly changed as she listened to her protégé. Only a careful study of her face would have uncovered the faint twitching at the corners of her mouth and the glint in her eyes that hinted at her mounting anger. Wordlessly, Princess Celestia nodded to the guardsponies and staff present, all of whom quickly scurried out. In moments, the two princesses found themselves found themselves alone in the cavernous chamber. “I certainly hope there’s a good reason that you’re acting this way.” Princess Celestia said sternly as she approached Twilight, her smile giving way to a serious expression. “It isn’t like you to act like-“

“Did you know what happened to Moonwhisper when he was a foal?” Twilight snapped, cutting her longtime mentor off.

Princess Celestia blinked several times in surprise at Twilight’s outburst. “Twilight, what are you-“

“The day you told me I was being assigned a bodyguard I overheard you and Cadance talking about how you had arranged things to guarantee that I’d pick Moonwhisper.” Initially annoyed at being interrupted a second time, Princess Celestia winced at the revelation that Twilight had heard that particular exchange as Twilight continued. “I want you to tell me if you knew what Moonwhisper had gone through when he was younger, what his father had done to him.”

Princess Celestia’s expression rapidly changed from irritation to concern at Twilight’s mention of Penumbral Dusk. “Twilight,” Princess Celestia softly replied, “what precisely have you found out about Moonwhisper’s father?”

“I found out he tortured Moonwhisper when he was little! I found out he beat his wife, and forced Moonwhisper to watch, and…and…” As Twilight spoke, the terrible images that the alicorn elixir had shown her came flooding back into her mind, reducing her to tears. Seeing Twilight break down sobbing Celestia approached her and enveloped Twilight in one of her wings, hugging her tightly. “I saw it happen! I used the alicorn elixir to look into Moonwhisper’s past and I saw what his father did to him!”

Celestia held Twilight close as she gave her a chance to calm down. Finally, after Twilight’s sobbing had given way to the odd sniffle, Celestia gave her the answer she had demanded. “I admit, I did suspect much of what Moonwhisper’s father had put him through by the time you selected him to be your bodyguard.” Celestia said quietly. “I didn’t tell you at the time because,” Celestia sighed mournfully, “because I had hoped you wouldn’t need to know.”

“But,” Twilight protested “if you knew about it, then why didn’t you do anything to stop it? There must have been something that you could have done.”

Celestia released Twilight from her grip before replying. “I’m afraid there really wasn’t anything I could have done, Twilight. I only realized what had been happening when Moonwhisper joined the Royal Guard; up until then Penumbral Dusk had kept both Moonwhisper and his mother isolated in Trotsylvania.” Celestia took a deep breath to steady her nerves before continuing. “I’m sure by now you’re aware of the fact that Moonwhisper was enlisted into the guard at an unusually young age. Have you ever wondered why that was?”

“Some of the guards who used to serve under him told me that you allowed him to join the guard after he overpowered some of the guard’s close combat instructors.” Twilight said.

“That’s technically true, but Moonwhisper’s fighting prowess wasn’t the real reason I decided to permit a colt of his age to enlist. When Moonwhisper sparred with the instructors he demonstrated his ability to use his armored augmentation spell, and I knew what that meant for him. At that point I interceded and permitted Moonwhisper to enlist as a way to get him away from his father.”

“I don’t understand, what do you mean by ‘what that meant for him’?” Twilight asked.

“You told me that you saw Moonwhisper being tortured by his father when you looked into his past. Tell me, did his father use a spell to create a runic circle under Moonwhisper? One that seemed to cause him intense pain?” As Twilight nodded in affirmation Celestia continued. “The spell you witnessed is called the seal of pain, and it was created for the express purpose of training ponies to be able to withstand the armored augmentation spell. For Moonwhisper to have been able to use that spell at his young age, it would have meant that his father would have had to have started training him with the seal when he was still only a young foal.”

“What? Why in Equestria would somepony need to be tortured in order to learn a spell? That’s just insane!” Twilight exclaimed.

“Knowing you the way I do, I’m fairly certain that you’ve already done some research on Moonwhisper’s armored augmentation spell already, am I correct?” More specifically, that virtually nopony has ever been able to successfully use that spell without causing themselves serious injury.”

“Well, yes, but I still don’t see why-“

“The secret to performing the spell successfully involves a combination of magically reinforcing one’s skeletal and muscular systems to reduce the damage the spell causes and continuous magical repair of injuries as they occur. Both of these aspects are horrifically painful. I’ve been told that the reinforcing feels like having red-hot wire running through your entire body, and the type of healing spells that have to be used…you would feel your body continuously rip itself apart and put itself together with every step.”

Twilight was left speechless by this new revelation as she silently recalled the state Moonwhisper had been in after his battle with the wyvern. “So, you knew what he had gone through to learn that spell, and you knew what using that spell does to him, and you just let him keep on using it?” She asked incredulously.

“I doubt very much that there would be much I could do to stop him. Moonwhisper takes his role as a protector very seriously, and there’s practically nothing he wouldn’t be willing to endure for that purpose.”

Grudgingly, Twilight thought it over and conceded the point. If there was one aspect of Moonwhisper’s character that was unquestionable it was his dedication to his duties as a guardspony. “I guess I can’t really argue about that, but what about Moonwhisper’s mother? Penumbral Dusk was almost as horrible to her as he was to Moonwhisper.”

“Twilight,” Celestia said sadly, “Moonwhisper’s mother, Forlorn Melody, died a few years before Moonwhisper joined the guard.”

“Are…are you saying that Moonwhisper’s father…?”

“I can’t say for certain. Supposedly Forlorn Melody died of an illness, and from what little I knew of her I understood that she was never particularly healthy. It’s quite possible that Moonwhisper doesn’t know for sure himself; I suspect that if he did he would have likely reported his father for the murder years ago.” Celestia paused for a moment. “Although…Moonwhisper has kept silent about the acts you witnessed, long enough to shield his father from punishment, so who can say.”

“So, after everything Penumbral Dusk did, he just gets away with it? There’s nothing anypony can do?”

Celestia reluctantly nodded in affirmation. “Legally my hooves are tied. Anything Penumbral Dusk may have done to Moonwhisper or his mother, short of actual murder, would have occurred too long ago for any charges to be filled. I’ve done what I can to render Penumbral Dusk a social pariah, but beyond that there’s little I can do.” Looking down at Twilight it was plain to see that this state of affairs had left her severely downtrodden. “Twilight, if it’s any small consolation I am truly sorry for pulling you into this misery. It was unfair of me to expect you to be able to fix Moonwhisper’s issues, especially without warning you about his past. And above all, I should have been upfront with you about what I was doing. I just hope you can forgive me for putting you in this position. In the meantime,” Celestia continued before Twilight could respond, “you can leave Moonwhisper to me. There’s no further need for you to force yourself to try to help him.”

“Wait, what are you saying? You’re not going to transfer him away from Ponyville, are you?” Twilight asked, alarmed by this new development.

“Doing so would likely be for the best, Twilight. Even you have to admit that friendship alone isn’t going to be sufficient to alleviate the trauma that Moonwhisper has endured. Besides, if you’re worried about not having a bodyguard there are plenty of other well-qualified candidates in the guard.”

“I’m not worried about losing a bodyguard, I’m worried about losing a friend!” Twilight yelled. “Even if friendship by itself isn’t going to be enough to fix everything he’s been through, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t still need friends. If anything, Moonwhisper needs friends more than almost anypony I’ve ever met. It doesn’t matter to me if it isn’t my responsibility as the Princess of Friendship or a task that you expect of me; Moonwhisper is my friend, he needs help, and that’s all that matters.” Out of breath, Twilight glared at Celestia as she concluded her rant, as though she were daring her to argue.

Celestia blinked several times in surprise at Twilight’s declaration before breaking into a warm smile. “I see, I hadn’t realized that you actually considered Moonwhisper to be a friend. Very well then, if you’re not willing to give up on Moonwhisper yet then I won’t stand in your way. That being said, are you sure you’re ready for this? Moonwhisper’s issues aren’t like anything you’ve dealt with previously.”

“I’m ready, princess. In fact, I think I may know the best place to start. There is one thing I have to ask, though; if you already had a pretty good idea about what Moonwhisper had gone through as a foal, why didn’t you do anything to help him yourself?”

Celestia cringed at Twilight’s question. “I will admit there may have been options available to me through my authority as princess that I could have used to force Moonwhisper to address his issues, but truthfully I always hoped it wouldn’t come to that. Honestly, I’m not even entirely certain how effective trying to force the issue would be. It’s unlikely that Moonwhisper will ever overcome his traumas until he’s ready.”

“That’s why it’s so important that Moonwhisper have friends to support him.” As Twilight spoke, it suddenly struck her that she truly did consider Moonwhisper to be her friend. True, he could be abrasive at times, and he seemed utterly determined to keep everypony around him perpetually at hooves length. But, beneath the surface there was a truly good-hearted stallion who deeply cared for those around him. “Right now Moonwhisper needs help realizing that he needs help. If I can get Moonwhisper to accept that other ponies care about him then he’ll finally be able to get better.” Her new realization about how she saw Moonwhisper had given Twilight newfound determination to help him. This really wasn’t about not wanting to disappointment Princess Celestia or about fulfilling her duties as the Princess of Friendship anymore, but rather about trying to help a friend who was in desperate need of being helped.

For her part, Princess Celestia recognized that trying to dissuade Twilight would be a pointless endeavor, a fact that left Celestia immensely pleased. “I think Moonwhisper is in excellent hooves, and I’d say he’s very fortunate to have a friend such as you to look out for him.”

“Thank you, princess,” Twilight said as she blushed slightly at the compliment. “I should probably head back to Ponyville now. My friends are probably all worried sick about me.” Twilight’s blush deepened as she took on a somewhat guilty expression. “I may have been freaking out a little when I left, and I think they were afraid that I was going to do something crazy.”

“I can’t imagine why they’d think something like that.” Celestia teased, well accustomed to her protégé’s tendency towards histrionics.

Twilight let out a nervous laugh at Celestia’s comment before suddenly pausing. “Actually, before I go back there is one thing I’d like to take care of first. Do you know where I could find a full collection of the rules and protocols for the Royal Guard?” Seeing Princess Celestia raise an eyebrow at her request, Twilight quickly continued. “Moonwhisper can be a little stubborn, but if I can show him that the guard’s rules say he needs to get help than I know he’ll listen.”

“Very well then, the most complete collection of the protocols for the Royal Guard would be in the Learned Hoof wing of the Canterlot Library. I should warn you, though, in addition to the general rules and protocols it has copies of virtually every legal case related to the guard, so finding specifically what you’re looking for may be somewhat difficult.”

“Don’t worry about me, princess, if there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s research.” With that, Twilight galloped off, the beginnings of a new plan already forming in her mind.

*********

It wasn’t until Twilight reached the Learned Hoof wing of the Canterlot Library that she truly understood why Princess Celestia had felt the need to caution her. On their own, the complete protocols of the Royal Guard occupied two entire bookshelves. Given that said protocols were an attempt to address the proper way for a member of the Royal Guard to handle themselves in literally almost any circumstance, though, this wasn’t all that surprising. What Twilight hadn’t considered, however, was the sheer volume of legal supplements dealing with the protocols minutia. At least a dozen additional bookcases contained every legal ruling and rules clarification that had been made over the course of the Royal Guard’s thousand-year history. It was certainly an intimidating mass of knowledge, and for most ponies pouring through it for specific rules and rulings could easily represent weeks of effort at least. Fortunately for Twilight, however, she most certainly wasn’t most ponies. A side benefit to having Starlight Glimmer as a student of both friendship and magic was that Twilight had made several advances in her own magical research. One particular discovery she had made recently was what could be accomplished if one combined Haycartes’ research method with the accelero spell Starlight Glimmer had unearthed. While Twilight hadn’t had a good opportunity to test the resultant spell before, in theory it would enable her to sift through mountains of data in mere minutes.

“Well,” Twilight said to herself as she looked apprehensively at the rows of bookshelves, “here goes nothing.” Without another word Twilight cast her spell, her horn glowing bright incandescent pink with magical power. Then, in a flash of light she vanished into thin air.

Several minutes later Twilight reappeared with a second flash looking, as Rarity would likely have put it, rather frazzled. Unable to hold herself steady on her hooves, Twilight drunkenly stumbled forward until she collided headfirst into what felt like a wall of steel.

“Why don’t you watch where you’re-highness!” Came a stern mare’s voice as the mass Twilight had ran into snapped to attention. Rubbing her head with her forehoof, Twilight looked up and saw that she had crashed into a tall mare clad in the armor of Captain of the Royal Guard. The guardsmare’s coat was an off-white color, although her face was nearly as red as her mane from embarrassment. “I’m terribly sorry, your highness, I didn’t realize that-“

“It’s alright,” Twilight interrupted as she tried to shake herself out of the daze her spell had left her in. “I haven’t had a cram session that intense since I though Princess Celestia was planning on testing me on the complete history of the levitation spell.” Her head finally clearing, Twilight realized that the guardsmare was still standing at attention. “You can relax now,” Twilight said as she cast a spell to straighten out her mane, “I really don’t need anypony to salute me like that.”

“Thank you, your highness.” The guardsmare replied as she allowed herself to relax slightly. “Please permit me to introduce myself; my name is Captain Fearless Blade, and Princess Celestia requested that I check in on you. If you’ll pardon my asking, your highness, what exactly were you doing in here?”

“Oh, just researching all of the protocols and legal addendums for the Royal Guard.” Twilight replied offhandedly as she levitated several volumes over to her. As she had suspected, her spell didn’t really allow for much in the way of retention of specific details, but it had enabled her to determine precisely where to look for the information she needed.

Fearless Blade, meanwhile, could only stare at Twilight in complete shock. “You can’t possibly mean all of them, the complete protocols alone comprise over a hundred volumes. It should take somepony weeks to go through all of that.”

Already deeply engrossed in her research, Twilight barley acknowledged Fearless Blade’s amazement beyond a distracted hum of affirmation. For several minutes the two mares sat in silence, Twilight pouring over the various volumes she levitated off the shelves while Fearless Blade stood nearby. Eventually, however, the awkwardness of the situation began to wear on Twilight, so she decided to break the ice a bit. “So, I’m guessing you’re the one who took over for Shining Armor after he and Cadance moved to the Crystal Empire.”

“That’s correct, your highness,” Fearless Blade replied, “I was promoted to the position shortly after the situation in the Crystal Empire was stabilized. My former commanding officer, Captain Moonwhisper, felt my background being raised in Canterlot’s high society left me particularly qualified for the position.”

Fearless Blade’s mention of Moonwhisper promptly grabbed Twilight’s attention. “You served under Moonwhisper?” Twilight asked incredulously. Along with Silverstreak and Sharpshooter this made three officers in the same city who had all served under Moonwhisper.

“You sound surprised.” Fearless Blade replied, noting the tone in Twilight’s voice.

“It’s just that I’ve met a few other guard officers her in Canterlot who had served under him as well, and-“

“And you find it unusual that there are so many of Captain Moonwhisper’s former subordinates in Canterlot.” Fearless Blade said knowingly. “There’s actually a fairly simple explanation for that. When Tirek attacked Equestria he demolished Captain Moonwhisper’s former posting. Afterwards it was decided to abandon the area entirely, and most of the guards there were subsequently transferred here to Canterlot.”

“I guess that makes sense,” Twilight replied halfheartedly as she glanced over a case brief.

A few more awkward moments of silence followed before Fearless Blade spoke up. “Speaking of Captain Moonwhisper, he was assigned to be your bodyguard, wasn’t he? How has he been doing?”

Listening to Fearless Blade, Twilight was struck by how the tone of her voice shifted when the subject of Captain Moonwhisper came up. Intrigued, Twilight closely watched the guardsmare’s face as she responded. “Moonwhisper’s been doing fine, why do you ask?” Seeing Fearless Blade start to blush Twilight’s eyes widened. “You have a crush on him, don’t you?”

Fearless Blade’s blush deepened as she coughed nervously. “No! Well, alright, maybe I did at one point, but so has almost every mare that’s ever served with him. Along with one or two of the stallions as well, from what I understand. In any event I’ve long since put that behind me.” Fearless Blade took a moment to compose herself before continuing. “Nothing was ever going to come of it anyway, you see. The Royal Guard has strict rules about fraternization between enlisted members and absolutely forbids relationships between commanders and their subordinates.”

“Interpony relationships, chapter 2, section A.” Twilight recited reflexively, that being one of the portions of protocol sections that she had paid particular attention to.

Fearless Blade nodded. “Captain Moonwhisper used to quote that section whenever anypony got up the courage to tell him how they felt. Usually he was fairly pleasant about it, all things considered, but every so often some ditz would decide that he was playing hard to get. That typically would end with Captain Moonwhisper chewing them out until they broke down crying, after which they would usually be transferred to another post.”

“He’d really yell at mares until they’d start crying?” Twilight asked in a horrified tone. Something like that sounded completely contrary to everything she knew about Moonwhisper.

“To be fair, your highness, by the time things would get to that point Captain Moonwhisper would have already had several conversations with them spelling out the fact that A, he wasn’t interested in a relationship and B, even if he was, a relationship would have been against guard rules. If things escalated past that it was because you had a guard ignoring their commander while actively trying to breach protocol. I can assure you, there are very few things that enrages Captain Moonwhisper quite so much as insubordination by a guardspony.”

Hearing this mollified Twilight somewhat, she knew enough guard officers at this point to understand that yelling seemed to be their preferred method of communicating when addressing the ponies under them. That being said, the conversation had raised another, very different question for her. “To tell the truth, I’m just a little surprised Moonwhisper had so many mares attracted to him.”

“Really?” Fearless Blade replied, apparently bemused by Twilight’s statement. You’re honestly surprised to learn that the stoic, devoted, trotting definition of tall, dark and handsome tends to inspire romantic feelings in the mares around him?”

“I’ve just never really thought of him that way before.” Twilight said. In truth, ever since Moonwhisper had arrived in Ponyville Twilight had been too preoccupied with solving the tangled knot of a friendship problem that he represented to even consider thinking about him in a romantic light. That said, Twilight had to admit that Moonwhisper was in fact a very handsome stallion. Not to mention brave, completely dedicated to everypony around him…Twilight shook her head as she tried to refocus herself. There were more pressing matters at hoof concerning Moonwhisper than his potential as a romantic partner. Mutter a few barely audible remarks as to how she had other concerns Twilight buried her face in the books she had selected. Sensing Twilight’s embarrassment, Fearless Blade maintained a respectful silence until Twilight finally returned the books to the shelves.

“Were you able to find what you were looking for, your highness?” Fearless Blade asked as Twilight levitated the books back.

“More than I expected, actually.” Twilight said, shelving the last volume. “At least now I’m fairly certain I’ll be able to get Moonwhisper the help he needs.”

*********

Given how draining the day had been thus far, Twilight opted to take the train back to Ponyville rather than fly or attempt another teleport spell. Fearless Blade insisted on escorting Twilight to the train station despite Twilight’s protests that doing so was unnecessary. The two mares spent most of the short trip trotting in silence and to Twilight it seemed as though Fearless Blade was quietly sizing her up. Whatever Fearless Blade’s reasons were, the scrutiny made Twilight distinctly uncomfortable and she was relieved when she was finally able to board the train back home to Ponyville.

Twilight spent most the train ride back going over in her head how she wanted to approach the subject of seeking help with Moonwhisper. It was easy enough to declare that she would be able to finally get Moonwhisper the help he needed, but Twilight grew increasingly apprehensive the closer she got Ponyville. Moonwhisper had done his best to hide his past from everypony around him, and now Twilight had magically unearthed some of his deepest secrets. Not only that, but now she was preparing to use that knowledge along with her own position as a princess to coerce him into facing his issues. Twilight honestly had no idea how Moonwhisper was going to react, all she could do for the moment was tell herself over and over again that she was doing what needed to be done.

As the train pulled into the Ponyville station Twilight could see Moonwhisper waiting on the platform. Moonwhisper appeared somewhat agitated, continually shifting his weight from one hoof to the other as he nervously eyed the train. When Twilight finally disembarked Moonwhisper rushed over to greet her, snapping to attention as he did so. “You high-pardon me, Twilight, I’m glad to see you’re alright.”

“Of course I am, why wouldn’t I be?” Twilight asked, somewhat confused.

“Your friends seemed to be concerned that you were planning to do something rash in Canterlot, although they wouldn’t tell me precisely what. Speaking of your trip to Canterlot, in the future I would prefer if you could give me some sort of notice before leaving Ponyville like that. It’s more than slightly difficult to ensure you’re personal safety if I can’t even be certain of which city you’re in.”

Twilight gave Moonwhisper a sidelong glance. “Did…did you just make a joke?” Twilight asked with a grin.

“No, I was being quite serious. It really is quite difficult to protect you if I can’t even be sure if you’re in Ponyville or Canterlot.” Moonwhisper replied, his tone completely sincere if slightly flustered.

“How did you even know which train I was going to be on?” Twilight asked, changing the subject. “Don’t tell me you’ve been waiting for me since I left?”

“No, of course not. Captain Fearless Blade relayed a letter to me via Spike letting me know which train to expect you on after you departed Canterlot. Which actually reminds me, since the commotion at Applejack’s party your friends, including Spike, have been behaving…oddly.”

“What do you mean by ‘oddly’?” Twilight cautiously asked, suspecting she already knew the answer.

“Well, how should I put this, ever since the party everypony who was present has been acting as though they’ve learned I’d been diagnosed with a terminal illness. You don’t think that it has something to do with my failure to mention my birthday, do you? I really didn’t mean to upset anypony by not bringing it up, it just-“

Twilight raised a hoof to silence Moonwhisper before he could continue. “I can pretty much guarantee that that isn’t the reason they’re acting that way. The real reason is…actually, could we get back to the castle first? I’d prefer to talk to you in private about this.”

“Of course. Is there something wrong?”

“No! Well, sort of. It’s…complicated.”

*********

If Moonwhisper held any suspicions about what Twilight wanted to talk to him about he didn’t show them, and it didn’t take long for the pair to reach Twilight’s castle. Twilight quickly led Moonwhisper into the castle library, thankful that they didn’t cross paths with Spike or Starlight Glimmer along the way. From what Moonwhisper had mentioned it sounded as though her friends were still affected by the revelations about Moonwhisper’s past and the last thing Twilight wanted was for things to be any more awkward than they were going to be already. Once the pair entered the library Twilight swiftly shut the doors behind them before motioning for Moonwhisper to take a seat. “Moonwhisper,” Twilight began once he was sitting down, “I don’t know if you know this already, but I’ve been looking into your past for a while now.”

“I had assumed as much, though I’m not sure why you felt the need for secrecy. After all, my time with the Royal Guard is essentially a matter of public record.” Moonwhisper stated matter-of-factly.

“Actually,” Twilight replied, “I’ve been looking a bit further back than that.”

The implication behind Twilight’s words seemed to have an immediate effect on Moonwhisper. His ears flatted back against his head, his eyes narrowed and his entire body seemed to tense up as he responded to his princess. “Twilight, I really don’t see how that part of my life is any concern of yours. Now, I don’t know what rumors about me that you’ve dug up so far, but-“

“I’ve ‘dug up’ more than just rumors, Moonwhisper.” Twilight snapped back before quickly regaining her composure. “I know what you went through as a colt, what your father put you through.”

At the mere mention of his father Moonwhisper shot to his hooves, eyes blazing and teeth clenched in rage. For a split second it looked like he was going to start screaming, but he quickly got his anger under control. “How in Equestria could you-no, it doesn’t matter. You’re not the type who would confront me if all you had to go by was some idle Canterlot gossip.” Closing his eyes, Moonwhisper took several deep breaths before continuing in his customary even tone. “Alright, so supposing you have somehow acquired accurate intelligence regarding my past, what do you intend to do?

“That really depends on you. What I want is for you to stay here in Ponyville, but,” Twilight took a moment to brace herself before continuing, “but I think you should start seeing somepony. A doctor, I mean, a psychologist.” Twilight added quickly with a blush.

“With all due respect, Twilight I think you’re overreacting a bit here. Yes, I will admit my father was, and remains, a cruel, sadistic bastard, but I hardly think my experiences as a colt warrant seeking psychological help.”

“I saw how you got your cutie mark, Moonwhisper.” Twilight coldly retorted. “I watched what your father did to you, what he did to your mother while he made you watch. And I can tell that you’re still suffering because of it.” Twilight’s expression softened as she approached Moonwhisper. “Please, I just want to help you, not just as your princess but as your friend. You need help, you need professional help.”

Moonwhisper trembled a bit as he glanced back at his cutie mark. “You saw…?” Shaking his head vigorously, Moonwhisper snapped himself back to the present. “Regardless of what you may or may not have seen, Twilight, I do not need help, either from you or from some psychologist, and quite frankly this really is none of your business.” As Moonwhisper spoke he pulled away from Twilight and started edging towards the library doors.

Twilight sighed inwardly at Moonwhisper’s response. She had fervently hoped that Moonwhisper would listen to reason, but Twilight knew Moonwhisper well enough to expect otherwise. Luckily, Twilight had had the foresight to prepare for Moonwhisper’s stubbornness. “I had really hoped it wasn’t going to come to this, but if you won’t agree to get help on your own, then I’ll just have to force you.”

“Force me?” Moonwhisper said with a snort, “Twilight, don’t be absurd. You can’t force me to start seeing a psychologist, even if you are a princess.”

“Actually,” Twilight stated matter-of-factly, “I can do exactly that. Under Royal Guard Protocol Chapter 3, Section 6, Article 32, I have the authority to mandate that you seek treatment for any condition that could materially impede your ability to carry out your duties. Furthermore, as a Princess of Equestria who directly oversees you I have near-complete discretion when determining what sort of treatment would be necessary.”

An uncomfortable silence descended on the library for several seconds as Moonwhisper digested Twilight’s ultimatum. “I see.” Moonwhisper finally replied through tightly clenched teeth. “It would appear I was mistaken, you can force me to seek psychological counseling. Very well then, if that is your order I will of course follow it. Will there be anything else you require of me, your highness?”

Twilight winced at Moonwhisper’s use of her title. While the tone of Moonwhisper’s voice might have fully settled back into its typical calm state, Twilight could see pure icy rage in Moonwhisper’s eyes. Wordlessly, Twilight nodded to Moonwhisper, and he promptly marched out of the library, firmly shutting the doors behind him.