Guards: The untold story

by Joseph_Tanner

Chapter 11: Something in the air

Okay, so… To avoid confusion, this chapter tells what happened to Blossom the same day as last chapter, while that focused on Blaze, okay? Same thing applies to chapters 9 and 8.

[Wednesday]

Blossom woke up the usual time, now only having a week or so before returning to school. She looked to the side, the message was there.

“Hey Sis!

I’m okay. If only you knew how tired I am… I’m fine, there’s nothing interesting for me to say…”

Wow… That was brief of him. “Well, at least he’s fine…” She muttered. Leaving her room she went to the kitchen, and put away a small part of her breakfast into small, plastic containers in her saddlebags. The first thing she did was see her new friend again. She took the same route as the other day, soon coming to the collapsed entrance of the mines. “Should be around somewhe-”

“Hey,”

“Motha-” Blossom jumped, almost right onto his back.

“Gee, sorry. Here so soon?” He wondered.

“I wanted to see you. I even brought you some breakfast, look,”

“Oh… You shouldn’t have. I have plenty of food. More nutritious than delicious for sure, but I do have a lot of it…”

Blossom grinned and waved the boxes around. “All yours…” She said. Her friend was in on the joke, and threw himself on the boxes, emptying then in the blink of an eye. When he was done he brushed his head against her forelegs and even barked as a joke. “I see you still have your sense of humor. How was your night?”

“A nightmare, nothing more,”

“How come? Doesn’t Princess Luna make sure nopony has them?”

“She can’t do anything about mine…”

“The crystals... “

“Exactly... You know what I saw on my morning forest walk?”

“What?” She wondered.

“The Night Guard… Marching in large masses. They had weapons I never saw them use before…”

“Really? Where were they going?”

“I chose not to even address them. One thing for sure, is that I feel bad for whoever they go against…”

“That we agree on…”

“What do you plan for today?”

“Nothing yet. Maybe a name for you… I came up with one last night, actually,”

“Have you now?”

“Yeah. How about… Daar?”

“Daar? Not what I expected… Well, not that I would be hearing it a lot, expect from you of course. Sure, be it,” He replied with a grin.

“Good news, Daar,”

“What?”

“I wrote a letter to my brother and asked him a favor. He agreed, so until he comes back you can live in our room, and sleep in his bed. He seemed pretty approving. Sure, it was only in writing…” She exclaimed.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea…”

“Come on! It will be fun!”

Daar sighed in response, and agreed.

“Great! Come on!” She said, bursting of excitement. They soon got back to the castle. On their way, Daar managed to pull the crystal spiked back under his skin without Blossom noticing.

“Who’s that, Blossom?” Asked one of the guards.

“A friend of mine, why?”

“I feel something’s off with him…” Replied the other guard.

“What should be? He’s an average pony!” She assured them.

“Right…” Came the response as they were allowed through. They didn’t stop, until they got to the throne room.

“What’s this? I remember this place…” Daar muttered.

“You didn’t think you can drop in without saying hi, right?” Blossom asked.

“Well…”

“Come on…”

“Fine…” The doors opened. They went in, the sisters were surrounded by a circle of reporters.

“Princess! Is it true that you gave the Night Guard the Last Stand order?” Asked one from Princess Luna.

“No, that is only for our last resort,”

“Princess! Who will be in charge of the troops overseas?”

“I appointed Lieutenant Shadow Mirror for the Night Guard,” Luna replied.

“I chose Mayor Blight for the Ascendants,” Celestia joined in.

“And what of the Royal Guard?”

“They are not involved,” The sisters replied in unison.

The reporters continued their onslaught, overwhelming the sisters with questions, until Daar stepped in. A spike grew out of his left forehoof, which he jabbed into the floor. A faint green line made its way toward the crowd, where a large and thick wall of crystal separated them from the sisters.

“Guards!” Blossom yelled. A couple walked in, and asked about what had happened. “Escort them outside, or have them arrested… They are simply harassing the sisters,” She explained.

“Right away miss,” One of them replied, and the two asked the crowd to leave.

“Enough questions for today. Leave at once, or face the charges,” One of the guards informed the crowd. They all understood and headed for the door, except one.

“I will not leave without my answers, I demand them!”

The guards sighed, and dragged him away while he was still shouting his nonsense. “Quiet already!” One of the guards said, hitting him in the back of the head.

“Do they always do that?” Blossom asked the sisters, while Daar dispersed the wall, pulling the spike back inside.

“Unfortunately so,” Celestia replied.

“Wait… Y-You’re still alive?” Luna asked about Daar.

“Long time, no see, Princesses,” He replied as a greeting.

“Daar?” Blossom asked.

“Yes?”

“Just how long ago was your accident and last visit here?”

“A brief… 538 years ago?” He replied.

“WHAT?!” Blossom asked out loud.

“Yeah… I guess that makes the advisors all the more eager to have a sample of the crystals…” Daar replied with a grin.

“What brings you back?” Celestia wondered, still surprised.

“Blossom,”

“What of her?”

“She asked me to,”

“I see… Well, it’s a relief to know you’re still alive and well. I see you have learned control over your… Illness…” Luna continued.

“Indeed I had. I figured I had enough time. I’m glad to see you had returned as well. I was worried you would never do so. Well, not the way you DID when you came back, but… You get the point,”

“Indeed I do,” Blossom and Daar returned to the room.

“Now what?” Daar wondered.

“Well… We could go to Ponyville…”

“Why there of all the places?”

“According to the sisters, that’s where my parents are buried,”

“Damn… Well, sure,”

The two managed to catch a train just in time, and found seats. “So… We have an hour or so to talk… Or… Do whatever…” Blossom noted.

“What do you want to talk about?” Daar wondered.

“Maybe our past? If you’re in, that is,”

“Why not… Who starts?”

They chatted the time away. Before they knew, they arrived. “Final stop! Ponyville!” Yelled the conductor. The pair left the train, the station, and headed for the graveyard. Having arrived Daar stayed behind, while Blossom found a grave she looked for.

“Is he?” Daar wondered.

“Our supposed father… Yes, Ardent Blaze… The sisters said he died to an accident of some sort,”

“Sorry to hear,”

“For some reason… They told me my mother’s name too, I just couldn’t find her grave yet…”

“That’s… Strange,”

“I guess she’s either buried somewhere else, or…”

“Or is alive?”

“Or is unburied…”

“Geez, have some optimism!” Daar replied with a grin.

“Probably…” Blossom returned, placing a bouquet of flowers on her father’s grave.

“Let’s go, have something to eat… I’m paying,” Daar exclaimed, hoping to cheer her up.

They walked around town, until they settled at a small outside restaurant. “Can I have your orders?” Asked a waiter.

“I’ll have some hay fries,” Daar threw back.

“How about you, miss?” Asked the waiter.

“I’ll have the same… Double it,” She replied.

“I’ll bring it soon,” Came the response, minutes passed, the food arrived. “Enjoy your meals,”

“Thanks,” They replied, and paid in advance.

“So… What should we do while we’re here?” Blossom wondered.

“I don’t know… Never been here before,” Daar answered.

“I heard the Elements of Harmony live here… At least the bearers,”

“Do they? I have a few news to catch up with… 500 years in that forest got to me a little…”

“Well, let’s finish this and go, see,” They sat in silence, eating away at their foods. Once finished, they threw the paper plates into the recycling bin and left.

“Question is… Where are they?” Daar pondered.

“Princess Celestia told me to look for Twilight Sparkle in that regard… A tree library I think,” Blossom explained.

“You sure do talk to the sisters a lot, don’t you?”

“Somepony has to…”

“Yep…”

“What?”

“Nothing…”

“Daar…”

“What?”

“Come on…”

“What? I just asked…”

“Right…”

“I did!”

“You have a grudge or something on them?”

“No… I told you, I was asking,”

“You said you don’t blame them…”

“And I’m not!”

“Or do you…”

“Blossom…”

“What?”

“Is it that tree?” He asked, pointing at one with windows and a door.

“Probably, c’mon,”

*Knock* *Knock* “Coming…” Said an exhausted voice from the other side. “Yes?” Asked the lavender mare they looked for.

“Hello. If I’m not mistaken, you should be Twilight, right?” Blossom wondered.

“Indeed. Who am I fortunate to meet?” She replied.

“I’m Blossom, Blaze’s sister. My friend and I were wondering if you can tell us a few things about the Elements,”

“The ones of harmony? Why do you care? If I may know, that is,”

“Curiosity,” Daar threw back.

“Sure, come in…” The two walked in, briefly glancing all over the shelves. “There, sit if you will,” The Unicorn offered.

They sat down, all three of them. “Lovely place. I see everything’s in perfect order… Books in alphabetical order…” Blossom started with a compliment.

“Thank you. Spike, a friend of mine, and I spend a lot of time keeping the library clean, and reorganize the shelves every Saturday,” Twilight replied. “So, is it the Elements you want to hear about?” She wondered.

“Not necessarily. If you have other topics, they will do just as well,” Daar pointed out.

“Well, I have plenty of time, and sure do love some company…” Their host replied.

“So… Where do you know my brother from? No offense, I just want to know,” Blossom asked, trying to be polite while doing so.

“Remember when he had food poisoning?”

Blossom nodded in reply.

“He and his friend… That Night Guard pony went for a walk. After his friend, and mine, called Rainbow Dash, a Pegasus, who is also the bearer of the Element of Loyalty had a set of races, I found a spell, and cured his illness,” The lavender pony explained.

“I see… Has he told you anything in messages since he left?”

Twilight looked slightly off, as if she wasn’t looking at them, but something behind them. “N- No, why?”

Hesitant, are we? “Nothing at all?”

“Nothing I’m sure he hasn’t told you as well…”

“For example?”

“He arrived safely, he had a hard day of work, etc…” Twilight replied truthfully, and Blossom could only confirm, yet she seemed nervous.

“I just hope he’s fine,” Daar threw into the mix.

“So do I…” Blossom replied.

“Me too. I don’t know him well, but my brother told me good things about him,” Twilight explained the reasons behind her concern.

“Who is your brother? I didn’t know you have one,” Blossom asked, surprise in her tone.

“He’s Shining Armor. Captain of the Royal Guard,”

“I guess that makes Armor and Blaze Brothers in Arms… That makes them stepbrothers… Making you step sisters…” Daar pondered out loud. The two mares looked at him in confusion, then realized he was joking. In the end, his pun managed to force grins out of them.

“Well, I doubt there’s anything left to tell about our siblings… What about you?” Twilight inquired.

“Me? I myself study at Celestia’s school for gifted Unicorns…”

“Do you? I also did! How’s the curriculum? Did it get any harder?”

“I can’t tell. Not without knowing the old anyway…”

“Have you learned about the Incident yet?”

“That’s the only reason I knew where to look for you. Princess Luna came into class, and told us her side of the story herself,”

“Nopony can tell what, how, and why happened that day… Except that nopony had seen Starswirl the Bearded from that day on…” Twilight pointed out.

“I heard of him… But not a whole lot…”

“I have a few books about him too… Right, what of your friend?”

“I’m Daar. Strange name, yes, Blossom came up with it… I had forgotten mine after being alone in the forest at the hooves of Canterlot Hill.

“Just how long, and why were you even there?”

“I used to be a miner. In the crystal caves.... [...]” After having told her the same story as he told Blossom, she understood why he got his name, and why his eyes looked different than that of anypony else.

“Sorry to hear…”

“Don’t be… It doesn’t help…” *Chuckle* “I tried,”

“Well… Let’s change the subject to something more cheerful...”

Their conversation had went on longer, the time had grown noon by the time they noticed. Having said their farewells, they parted ways, as the two boarded a train back to Canterlot. Their seats happened to be in a cart with cabins, instead of the open air seating, allowing them some unwanted privacy. They leaned back in their seats to relax, perhaps even sleep to pass time… *Growl*

“Hmph?” Daar asked, having returned from a state of half sleeping.

“Lookie lookie, someone’s hungry…” Blossom said with a grin, offering a clover sandwich from her bag.

“Thanks,” He replied. Taking a few bites, he looked back up, only to see Blossom lean onto the small cup holder right under the window. Celestia’s Sun shone bright that day, the window was opened just ajar. The breeze sneaking in as the train moved on brushed through her mane. Daar had no chance… He was defeated by a foe he never thought he would encounter, and contracted one of the most pleasant diseases… Love...

He managed to hold back a burp, and swallowed to make sure nothing leaves unauthorized. Following that, he grunted a little. “Are you okay?” She wondered.

“I think I have butterflies in my stomach…” He replied.

“Does it hurt?”

“No… No… It’s just…” He replied, unavoidably looking into her emerald eyes. Their glances met, and they could say not a single word.

“Uuhh…” She tried to speak, but the two were mesmerised.

“Yeesss?” Daar asked, as the two slowly drew closer and closer to the other. They didn’t know what they felt, until their lips met. They lost control of themselves for a while. When they managed to regain it, they threw themselves away from the other, almost disappearing in the padding of their seats.

The two only stared at the other with mixed emotions… Confusion and embarrassment. “What was that?” Daar asked.

“Iiiiiii Don’t know… Why did we do that?” Blossom replied.

“Well… Did you enjoy it?” Daar gathered the nerve to ask.

Blossom blushed, her coat turned purple as the blue of her coat and red of the blush combined, replying with an unsure “Yes,”

“So… What does that make us?”

“Well… I guess we’re a pair now…”

[End of Chapter 11]