Deceitful Royalty

by Thunderblast

Mishaps & Misfortune

"Specialist Stellar Star?" Night called on his way into the break room.

Stellar shot up from his chair, hooves clicking together as he immediately snapped to attention posture. "Yes, Ca-Captain?"

Night's golden gaze steadily met the mint of the specialist's, his tone even as he said, "My quarters in five. I would like to have a word with you."

Initially, the young stallion wasn't sure of what to make out of the captain's request. His heart raced, mind set on the possibility that he had done something wrong and was not aware of it. For months prior he worried that a mistake, on his part, whether great or minuscule, would come back around. Now he assumed this was that time.

"Y-yes... yes, sir!" he threw up a shaky salute, which Night returned before heading out.

Once the door closed, Stellar looked over his shoulder at his fellow squad mates, all of whom at an equal level of bewilderment as him.

⚔

Two knocks, followed by the call of Night's voice, saying, "It's open!"

Ever so gently, the door cracked open, creating just enough space for the nervous thestral stallion to slip inside and close it behind him, shifting to face the superior approaching from the center of the room. Before he had any chance to do anything else, Night asserted, "At ease."

"Y-you requested to speak to me, Captain?" Stellar said, stepping cautiously inside.

"Yes, of course." Night nodded once. "Thank you for coming on time, by the way," he remarked.

"I couldn't disobey a direct order, sir," the younger bat pony smiled sheepishly, head and ears low out of concern. "What was it you wished to speak with me about?"

"I am temporarily demoting you back to private," was Night's response, as flat out as possible and the most serious Stellar had ever heard come from him.

Stellar's eyes shot wide open in utter shock, neck immediately straightening and ears stood attentively atop his head. He sputtered for a moment, taking a good few seconds until he could at last articulate. "W-what?! Captain, I—"

Night promptly raised his hoof, a gesture to halt the young pony from rambling. "Hear me out. I would like to experiment a bit with you. Nothing bad, but, I've noticed for quite some time that you are having trouble."

"Trouble... w-with what?" his ears folded back.

"From what I can make out, anywhere between simple tasks to being on time for your shifts. Those are only prime examples out of a list I have."

"How... how long?" Stellar stammered, his body notably trembling.

"Since your graduation from the academy," Night firmly stated, retaining an even tone in his voice.

Stellar rubbed along his forehoof gently, head tucking into his neck, his heart throbbing away in his chest in a small panic. "I-I'm... I'm sorry, Captain. I-I try my hardest, I promise!"

A nod of understanding came in response from Night. "I trust that you are, and I can see that perfectly. That said, your best falls short of what we here in the Zodiacs are looking for. Since two and a half years ago when we lost Lance Corporal Shieldhunter, things have not been the same around here, and there have been countless and constant rotations for everypony to make up for his absence."

He then gestured the small stallion over to a rounded table in the kitchen, where the two sat beside each other, Night turning his chair to directly look Stellar in the eye. For a time, eye contact was particularly difficult with Stellar's mint irides constantly darting away, as if purposely avoiding Night, who chose to ignore it and went on.

"It has been extremely stressful, I know that much. Stressful for everypony, especially me. A lot of that pressure has been loaded on everyone's shoulders, yours particularly. It's to my knowledge that some of my seconds and thirds—Sergeant Lodestar and Corporal Skye Racer, for instance, have even been going to the lengths to test your boundaries like they did yesterday with the cart."

"Yeah, that... I'm sorry it took so long—"

Night raised his hoof again, stopping Stellar a second time. "I have spoken to both of them personally, and they should no longer be all over you. I believe they were doing it for a couple of reasons that you yourself may understand. As such, I expect some changes on your part as well as theirs, and what I wish for you to understand is simple."

"Call it creepy as you may, yes, I have been observant of your behavior. I have made it my peripheral duty as a captain to ensure my subordinates are comfortable with what they do, both here at home or wherever we go next. But, our duty as Zodiacs is plain and simple: to protect Princess Luna, and the citizens of Equestria."

"So long as you continue this track of yours, the possibility rises of another catastrophic incident that could end with you or somepony else gravely injured, or worse."

Stellar knew the captain was right. The young bat pony swallowed heavily at that, maintaining attention toward him even as his own ears continually lost their perk and pinned to his head. He was a ticking time bomb, he understood that much, and he craved adjustment.

"There needs to be a change, Stellar, or else I am afraid your time with us could soon come to an end. That is why I am temporarily demoting you."

A brief silence followed, before a hesitant reply came, "Y-yes, sir," he slowly nodded comprehensively. "And... w-what do you mean by 'temporarily'?"

"To figure out a line of where you can start. The lower your rank, the less of a workload you will endure. Meeting that qualification means we can build you up, and you may earn your rank back. Is that clear?"

Straightening his back just a bit, taking in a deep breath, Stellar nodded confidently. "Crystal, sir."

Night nodded once in return. "Good. So, beginning tonight, light duties for you. Nothing serious, perhaps a few mail runs across the palace, what ever there is for you to get done that is simple. Tomorrow morning I will have First Sergeant Stormfire accompany you on the training field for some minor exercises. How does that sound?"

"That sounds fine, Captain. I-I will not let you down."

"I trust you won't. Apart from that, have you had any trouble with your fellow squad mates?"

Stellar cocked his head to the left a little. "No, sir. J-just... never know how to approach most of them is all."

"Do elaborate." Night requested, easing into his chair.

"W-well..." Stellar's eyes darted away briefly, hoof tapping on the edge of his chair cushion's wooden frame. "I-if I need help with something, I do not know who to ask. That, o-or I'll... turn them down politely because I want to accomplish something on my own. The right way, for once."

"Would any of this have to do with your, erm..." Night paused to briefly contemplate his word selection. "...condition?"

A small gasp escaped the stallion. "N-no, sir!" he shook his head, "...well, m-maybe, just a little bit. But I have not had any troubles regarding it. Not lately, that is."

"That is good to hear at least," Night nodded again, before asking, "What is it you needed help with?"

Stellar blinked twice, relaxing his muscles and folding his ears back gently. "Where do I begin, Captain?"

"Anywhere you like. I am all ears," answered Night, offering a comforting smile.

The two stallions stared at each other in silence for a few lengthy moments. Stellar, after that time, took in another deep breath, parting his maw to begin, when the door threw open and abruptly ceased his words.

"Captain, there has been an incident!"

⚔

Glowering at the cyan earth pony before, for the third time, Night brought his hoof up to his face and shook his head slowly in minor irritation. "How. How do you dislocate your shoulder while stretching?"

"That might be a question for the medic, Cap," chuckled Lodestar, only to wince mildly afterward. His entire left shoulder bone had shifted forward two inches, leaving that entire arm hanging limp beneath it.

"But how? How is that even to a degree possible?!"

"Well, I... you know. I've been trying out some, uh... yoga routines. Stretching backwards was, um... one of them." Lodestar provided an innocent yet contrite smile. Night simply rolled his eyes, grousing in a low volume.

Only a few moments later, the door opened, and in strode a blonde-maned draft stallion with a red medical cross centered above a silver shield for a cutie mark. In one of his trimmed hooves he carried a patient form on a clipboard, and around his neck hung a stethoscope.

The calm emerald green of his eyes raised to meet the Lodestar's copper cores. "All right. What are we in for this time, Sergeant?"

Lodestar grew a guilty smile across his muzzle. "Ehehe. I might have... dislocated my shoulder."

"So I have noticed," responded Rescue Sunstreak after a quick glance, placing the clipboard down on the counter beside the bed-like table. "Might I ask how?"

"Yoga," Night answered sneeringly, hooves crossing as he eased back into his seat.

"What is it you have been doing that compels you to take to yoga exercises?" Rescue inquired.

"That's precisely what I asked!" Night threw his hooves up in exasperation, tossing another dirty look at the injured earth pony.

"You are perfectly healthy as it is. Well, apart from this," groused the medic pony, taking Lodestar's limp arm in his hoof carefully and lifting it to study its movement without causing him any pain. "Hmm..."

"How's it look?" Lodestar glanced down at his hoof, still unable to move it at all under his own power.

Rescue looked up at him. "Don't conceivably understand how you have managed to accomplish this, Lode. Regardless, it is an easy fix."

Lodestar nodded, letting off a low, deep breath. He knew what had to be done and braced for the medic's word.

"My advice?" Rescue raised his hoof to Lodestar's shoulder and grabbed it suddenly, shoving it backward with an audible crack that had Night cringing from head to tail.

As soon as the entire shoulder bone snapped back into its rightful position, a near-bloodcurdling, pained scream unlike any Night had ever heard coming from Lodestar pierced the air until his lungs had emptied fully from both the wail and the agony that gripped him after the fact. This was followed by deep, groaning breaths and a few grunts. Miraculously, his arm had feeling once more and he could pivot it about with a sharp pain that toned down per movement.

"...No more yoga." Rescue backed off, removing his hooves from Lodestar's shoulder and chest.

The dark cyan pony winced audibly with tears in his eyes, but managing to retain a smile on his muzzle. "Th-thank you," he huffed out, rubbing along his still-tense shoulder vigorously with his right hoof in attempt to try and relax it.

Rescue smiled warmly, patting the back of his unperturbed opposite shoulder. "Not a problem. Be sure to go easy on that hoof for today and tomorrow, and then there should be no pain after that."

"W-will do," Lodestar responded with a shaky breath, nodding and easing himself down from the table with care. He had a faint limp to his stride on his way out of the room to work off the aches.

Night faintly grinned, turning to the large stallion after Lodestar had gone. "You made it painful for him on purpose, didn't you?"

"I could have given him warning." Rescue shrugged. "I chose not to. Besides, the process would have been painful nevertheless. You could see him tense up before I did it because he knew what was coming."

"Oh, yes." Night nodded firmly. "First thing I noticed," he added, rising to his hooves and lightly stretching on their tips.

"One other thing," Rescue turned to him, having put on a far more serious look on face and stating sternly, "Yoga or no yoga, that was not from stretching. Not any kind of stretching I have ever heard of. Should it happen again, he may not be as lucky to have it pop right back in."

"Well, let us hope that does not come to pass. For your sake, and his." Night's ear twitched. "Thank you, Rescue."

The dark brown draft stallion returned a firm nod, giving a brief flick of his head to bounce a tumble of his blonde mane out of his eye. "Just doing my job, Captain. No necessity for formal gratitude."

"Right." Night nodded once back. "I'll leave you to your responsibilities."

The two exchanged dutiful salutes and parted ways from the exam room, before Rescue peeked his head out after Night and called out to him. "Hey, one more thing."

Stopping halfway to the ward exit, Night peeked over his shoulder, swiveling himself somewhat to directly meet Rescue's stare. "What is it?"

"Checkup, next week. Ten sharp!" the medic reminded aloud.

"Eleven!" Night insisted, proceeding to the hallway, garnering an incoherent grumble from the draft stallion, who soon returned to his work.

Always having been mindful of his personal health, as well as his schedule, Night's choice of time for such appointments remained consistent. Never were they remotely a minute early or later than the ones preceding them. There was something about these bi-monthly checkups where he preferred them at eleven o'clock that not even he knew the reason behind it, nor did he find it important enough to call it something other than a harmless habit of his.

⚔

A ring of three keys clinked against one another, fumbling in Night's hold when he plucked one of the trio and strolled up to the door leading into his quarters. It slipped into the slot smoothly, the lock clicking quietly as it twisted with his hoof's motion and the door swinging inward with a genial nudge of his shoulder.

Hues of gold and orange inundated his suite-like palace apartment from the expansive floor-to-ceiling windows and balcony doors, glimmering atop the cold grey of the cobble floor. A cozy, mid-evening atmosphere filled the room as a result, once more reminding the stallion of his gratefulness to spend the recent six years of his life in such a position; one far from his mind within possibility's reaches those seventy-two months prior.

It hit him as a strange feeling, comprehending that time ago that he was a part of the lowest, most frowned upon class in all of Canterlot; a beggar. No money, no food, no shelter from the elements accompanying the season spent out in the open.

He flicked a glance to one particular white knit blanket of his during that time, one rediscovered merely a year and a quarter before, spending its time long washed and folded atop a wooden trunk at the foot of his bed, serving as a reminder to greatly cherish life as it is presently, and what it once was. It even saved a friendship of his in hard times, and thinking on it almost never neglected to bring a warm smile to his muzzle.

What did, however, was the pile of work still on his desk at the end of the day. He noticed it only halfway through kicking off his hoof guards and undoing the barrel strap holding his main piece of armor to him. A grimace swiftly replaced his relief of coming home to relax for the evening, realizing then that he could not simply leave the neatly-stacked tower of envelopes to themselves. At least some of it needed to be looked over before the night settles to give a moderate sense of satisfaction to himself for having accomplished something other than bark at a pair of incompetent guards in the palace for deserting their adjacent posts unwarranted for Luna knows what reason, one neither of whom gave. Not truthfully, anyhow.

Grumbling incoherently whilst smacking himself mentally, Night stripped the rest of his purple and navy uniform, abandoning the pieces where they had dropped on the floor while he strolled over to his desk to get started. He plopped down on the seat of his chair and took the most recent of reports from the very top of the stack, tearing a neat slit through the sleeve with the help of a fang as opposed to an envelope knife, what all average ponies used for opening mail.

A large portion of the paperwork involved the coming Summer Sun Celebration—three months in advance. Of course, with such a momentous event as it was, early preparation quickly became routine for him and his one superior; but the weight primarily fell on Night's shoulders. He was, after all, Head Captain of the Zodiacs, only second-in-command of the unit under the Captain of the Lunar Guard, Commander Fallen Star. For soon to be Night's fifth year, this event will only be one more added to the list of countless events and trips under his supervision.

Arguably, it may not have been Princess Luna's greatest notion to raffle the location of the festival, especially so late. These were typically determined in the weeks following the celebration before it. Night's instinct told him that this will be Luna's first—and last—decision regarding the Summer Sun Celebration and its arrangement. He only chose to wait for Celestia's agreement before advancing his opinion.

In fifteen minutes, Night made it through nine of what he presumed to be fifty, sixty, or more of heaping envelopes casting a rectangular shadow over his desk. Miraculously the tower seemed to hold steady, even with him plucking letters impetuously from the top like an automated machine. Despite this, each glance he took toward the stack brought any type of quiet, unintelligible mumble or grouse out of him, knowing no matter how much he managed to complete tonight that it would remain as his first priority tomorrow morning.

But, as he drew a tidily-folded report from his eleventh envelope and began to set his focus on reading, a loud, repetitive banging startled him. He impulsively crammed his hooves together, consequently crumpling the paper between them and ruining any chance of neatly compacting it as a latter result.

Groaning in annoyance, Night swiveled his chair, looking at the door and raising his voice for whomever on the other side to hear, "It's open!" before returning to his work.

After a minute or so, no one had entered. His gaze lifted from the desk until a second, softer knock came. He turned over his shoulder, repeating himself, "It's open, come on in!"

Again, silence. Then, a third knock.

"Oh, sugar honey iced tea!" Night promptly slapped the wrinkle-riddled report on his desk and went straight for the door. In the three seconds the journey lasted, he spent that time mentally preparing himself to whack somepony into next Tuesday, or refrain himself from it.

He took the latch in his hoof and twisted it, pulling open the door. With but a moment's notice, Night ducked below a blur of grey and blue that landed some five feet behind, skidding to a halt on the cobble on her hooves, all while laughing like a maniac.

"Scarlet!" Night yelped, standing up and kicking the door shut. "What have I told you about entering like a normal pony?!"

The dark grey thestral mare, still cackling a good few moments later, now faced Night and meandered over to the fuming pegasus. "Oh, c'mon! You know how much I love to buzz the tower. Lighten up a bit!"

He rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath. "If I get any brighter, I'll be able to blend with snow!" To him then, that was not too shabby of an idea.

"Hey." Scarlet Iris took a gentle jab at his chest with her hoof, sporting a toothy grin. "I'd hate to have to throw lamp at ya, but if it comes to it..."

"There will be no lamp throwing. Not in my house," Night stated firmly, unexpectedly returning a little poke to Scarlet's nose that had her wrinkling her muzzle instinctively.

"C'mon, not fair!" she whined, flailing her hoof and purposely missing with her swats. Her attention shifted to the pile gathering on Night's desk, perking immediately. "What on earth is going on over there?"

Sighing, Night replied with, "Trying to catch up on work. Missed out an entire day," strolling back to the chair and taking a seat.

Scarlet followed, posting up off to the side, between his bed's nightstand and the desk itself. "If I didn't know any better already, I'd say you're pursuing a secondary career in architecture."

"Oh, please," Night jokingly scoffed. "The Guard is my lifelong career. At least, that's what I expect it to be. Thunder felt otherwise a little over a year ago, though. Turned in his resignation papers to find something else to do," he then chuckled. "Didn't last very long. Besides, architecture sucks!"

The thestral mare gasped sharply, holding a hoof to her chest. She looked as if Night had offended the gods without remorse. "I beg your pardon?! I'll have you know—" She was silenced by another swift boop to the nose, causing her to flail around some more. "Stop it!"

"Or what?" Night countered, smirking deviously. "You'll flirt me to death?"

"Or... or..." Scarlet stammered, hunting for a somewhat tenable parry. "Or I'll do this!" she finished, nudging the stack with the gentlest of touches.

"Please don't..." Night reached out, gently pushing a flat hoof to the tower's side to stop it from toppling over. "...touch that."

"Ha!" Scarlet drew back, puffing her chest in victory. "Gotcha!"

A grin curved the stallion's lips, leaning over to tenderly nuzzle the smaller mare. "You suuuuure did."

"Mmmh," Scarlet closed her eyes, returning his nuzzle with her own, followed by a quick peck on his chin. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you, too." Night smiled warmly. "When are we going to have our second evening?"

"Second date, you mean?" Scarlet corrected with a sly grin. The difference between her old colony and Night's were evident, especially with certain terms. "Well, you know, I was thinking..."

While listening to the blue-maned thestral, Night returned to his work. "Mmhmm?"

"How about we do it tonight?" she offered.

Night's eyes widened a bit, ears perking attentively. "Tonight?" Scarlet nodded eagerly. "I'm sorry, I have a little bit too much to do around here. Maybe, uh... this weekend?"

"Well, we don't have to go anywhere..." she added, blinking a few times with a tone of pink warming her cheeks.

"What do you mean?" Night cocked his head, genuinely puzzled.

"I think there are a few things around here that we could do." Scarlet suggested, mounting up on his chair and looping her hooves around him from behind, pecking the side of his neck affectionately.

Thin heat spread on Night's cheeks, caught moderately off guard by the flirtatious mare's sudden tenderness. His ear twitched, given the impression that she might have been leading on to something. With Scarlet, he knew it could be anything from tracking down a karaoke night at a popular watering hole or spending time at some of her favorite shops downtown—too much time in the mind of the average stallion. But those were all beyond the palace borders.

The problem was, this time, he could not put his hoof on it. "What are you thinking?"

"We coooould... hang out for a bit, order in, a movie," she cooed, demonstratively nuzzling his neck.

"That sounds good—wait a minute. We can't watch a movie in here!" Night glanced back at her, his eyebrow arching with bewilderment.

A wily smile grew across the mare's muzzle, her deep red cores meeting the fine gold of Night's. "I never said watch, dearest."

He blinked a couple of times in confusion, only to come to the realization around a minute later, after a lengthy silence. Night swiftly rose from his chair, facing the mare when she let her somewhat tight grasp around him lower. The grin on her face grew wider, exhibiting one of her fangs that flashed at him and brought a profuse blush to his cheeks.

Scarlet spun for the bed, gently flicking her tail at the stallion. Halfway to it, she glanced over her shoulder to stare at the motionless pegasus and gestured her head. "Well, you coming?"

Red burned hot on Night's cheeks. His jaw hung slightly parted, watching the mare of almost his precise coat color sway herself toward his bed. The first strides he took were gradual, but picked up to almost a gallop in the brief distance separating himself and Scarlet.

By the time she reached his bed and began to work her way up, Night had leaped airborne, intent on harmlessly tackling the bat pony mare completely onto the bed. A loud squeak broke from her gape, unanticipatedly rolling in center with the help of Night's strength that landed him above her. Their wide-eyed gazes locked immediately, sharing the torrid sense of embarrassment accompanied by pure, untapped fervent desire for one another in that very instance.

Comments

[SageBrony07]

I'm happy to see yet another installment for this series. Thanks for the notice. I"ll be in for the long hall.

[Thunderblast]

8460079
Hope you enjoy! Sadly, I must announce that this is the final installment, but I still have plans for the future!

[SageBrony07]

8460094
I understand. As they say all good things must come to an end. At least this one won't unexpected.

[HolyCross9]

Good grief. Reminds me of a scandalous event in US history called the Watergate Scandal, which landed President Richard Nixon in so much trouble that he was almost indicted forcing him to resign.