Night Watch

by Almasy

Chapter 1

The morning. I hate mornings. The sun blasted down upon me and I awoke with my eyes desperately trying to adjust to the new light. I sat forward from whatever I was laying on as I rubbed my eyes. I could hear birds chirping and the sound of rushing water in the distance. I brushed my hair out of my face and I opened my eyes and was greeted with the site of trees surrounding me on every side. I blinked a few times before my brain clicked and I realized that I was totally awake. I stumbled to my feet haphazardly as I tried to find sighs of another person.

“Hello?” I called out.

I was greeted with the sound of flapping wings and the sight of birds flying off into the distance. I looked around the nearby woods for a moment before looking myself over. I didn’t really remember what had happened last night but all I knew was that I was wearing a long leather trench coat, a pair of jeans, an old grey t-shit with Gothic Cross on it and a set of blackhawk boots. I brushed some of the dirt off of my chest and scanned the area ahead of me.

“This isn’t funny, Laney!” I called out to a nonexistent friend as though he would appear when I called his name.

I felt my eyebrows lock into an angry position and I took a few steps forward and spun around. There was absolutely no noise in the distance, just dead silence. This confused me on the account that I lived in a bustling city. There was always jet noise and car engines or at the very least, the hum of the streetlights. I walked for a few minutes before the sound of moving water grew and a trail appeared before me. I peered down both ends of the trail before I wished that I had bought a cell phone. Never really had a need for one so I never invested in one.

Both ends of the trail tapered into darkness, so I was going to have to take a wild guess. I decided upon right and started down the trial. The sound of birds returned a few minutes later as the sound of water grew ever closer. The trail flared out into a small clearing with a stream flowing down the center of it. I stumbled over towards it and knelt down. I peered into the crystal clear water and saw my reflection in an instant. A pale white face with long black hair stared back at me. I pushed the thought out of my head and cupped some water in my hands. I splashed it in my face and felt immediately revitalized.

I climbed to my feet and jumped over the steam. My foot slipped and almost fell into the stream before I caught myself. I stumbled forward onto my hands and knees. I skidded forward, still disorientated from the rude awakening. Then I heard voices in the distance, of course I followed my instincts and progeseed towards them...what I saw shocked me.

There were...white horses in golden armor, but no people, I knew I heard voices. "Heeyyy, anyone there?" I called, they turned to me, still no people, then one of them talked, well yelled would be more appropriate. They pulled spears and swords and charged me. I raised my hands in defeat, I had no idea what was going on. But this is one hell of a dream.

One of them approached me and said "Can you understand us creature?" I nodded, shocked. He put away his weapon but kept the others pointing their weapons at me. "If you agree to go into custody willingly, there will be no harm done to you. Will you come peacefully?"

I placed my hands on my hips and brought my head down 'This is one hell of a trip..what did you do I do last night' I sighed heavily and placed my hands in front of me in a gesture of surrender, and they looked at me strangely. I looked back to the leader eye to eye "What, no restraints, isn't that how it's supposed to go?"

He chuckled half-heartedly, "No creature, we have spears trained on you and you don't seem hostile to us yet, you have no wings or horn, so we know even if you ran you wouldn't get very far." I shook my head and laughed.

I scratched the back of my neck "Well, if you say so, I won't protest." 'Damn..what the hell is going on? Keep cool, Almasy, keep cool. Even if you were drugged, it should wear off in a while, just ride out this..dream, trip, whatever and you'll be golden' I thought to myself. We had started walking now, unsettled glances from all the other guards. I spoke up about twenty minutes later, "Hey, I know it might not be my position to ask and all, but where are we going?"

The captain looked at me and smiled lightly "You've been compliant with us this long, so we're taking you to the princess, maybe she knows what type of creature you are, other than that we'll see from there, and we've been walking for quite some time, you thirsty creature?" He pulled out a canteen and handed..hoofed? It to me, I took it hesitantly and drank slowly with a refreshed gasp, he smiled and nodded. "You certainly looked thirsty." I laughed taking another long gulp.

I brushed the rest from my lips. "Thank you..Umm, my name is Almasy by the way, I think it sounds a little better than 'creature', Dont'cha think?"

He nodded and smiled "I'm sure we can handle that crea-uhh.. Almasy, you can call me 'Storm Blade'. It's not much, but it's a name." We looked forward towards a mountain with a well- traveled trail leading up, he grinned and looked to me. "Well, looks like we've hit the home stretch, let's be on our way shall we?"

I sighed inwardly. 'Something tells me this is going to be a long day.'

Storm Blade looked at me "It's a glory to behold isn't it, Almasy?" I nodded and shivered "What's wrong, you look like death."

I turned to him with a half-smile "Well...it's not every day I wake up in the woods and get introduced to a Princess...you sure this is wise? What if I just get the death penalty for existing? That's been wracking my brain for a while..heh..heheh.." I bit my lip, but he just laughed and shook his head.

"You've nothing to worry about." said Storm. "Our Princesses are quite fair, and by you being sentient and not giving us trouble she'll be quite lenient, I can assure you." He patted my back and we approached the gate, nodding at the guard who opened it right after. "Welcome to the city of Canterlot, Equestria’s capital and home of the Princesses of the Day and Night."

I stopped slack-jawed at what I saw...ponies…everywhere, and in all sorts of color combinations. I rubbed my eyes 'A trip shouldn't last this long or be this vibrant...' I took a step behind him and walked slower than the trip here. He looked at me concerned.

"Is there a problem, Almasy?" I recomposed and shook my head.

"I'm...alright, I suppose." We walked through numerous cobblestone streets, getting glances from everyone there, occasionally getting a stare and a shuffled run out of the way by the guards. Hell,
I'd probably do the same if I saw some armored guards escorting some "thing" around town.

I looked ahead and saw the gates to the castle. It was at that point that I think my heart jumped into my throat. I'm sure my hands were sweating but I couldn’t tell through my leather gloves. I think I mouthed the word 'wow' but I'm not sure. I looked to Storm and he just chuckled.

"I take it you're not used to something like this, Almasy." He nodded to the guards and the gates opened, my heart dropped and gave another shiver. Storm looked at me. "Remember what I said, calm yourself, you'll be fine."

Yeah, easy for him to say. I'm so out of my element right now...”Yeah...yeah, let's go.” We stepped through the gate and into the castle, it was...awe-inspiring to say the least. Stained glass windows with pictures of what I guess are heroes to them at one point in time or another. Everything was radiating to say the least. No matter what hallway we went through, everything was furnished the same, but in a completely different way. Yeah, wrap your head around that.

We stopped in front of a large door with a Sun emblem decorated by many intricate designs. "Here we are." Storm looked up to me as he said this. I nodded and he pushed open the doors.

It…was…amazing! The halls, the foyer had NOTHING on this! Gilded cloth everywhere, more art than you'd see in any museum and the room was big; bigger-than-my-old-house big.
Then I saw her, what I guessed to be the Princess, sitting on her throne across the room. When the door opened she looked towards me and beckoned me over. 'Alright bud, one foot in front of the other. She's just a princess, royalty, who could have you killed for probably anything, just keep cool…no stress.'

Storm stepped out in front and the guards moved to the sides of the room, I stood motionless and quiet.

He started off "Good day, Princess Celestia, we have brought back a creature found in the Everfree on one of our patrols. He is sentient and seems rather well-mannered; we come seeking if you know what he is and what would become of him."

I bowed and kept quiet, she approached me slowly, a warm smile on her face laying a hoof on my shoulder. I froze. Celestia gave a light laugh.

"Please, don't be so fearful, boy. You have a name, do you not?" I nodded and told her my name.

Celestia withdrew her hoof from my shoulder and motioned for me to rise. "I hope you don't mind, but since we don't know much about you, we will have to hold you here and ask a few questions to see if you can be allowed to stay. Please understand Almasy, by what I've seen you seem to be an alright pony, but I cannot risk the safety of everypony until I can be certain that you would harm none of them.

I nodded. "Alright Princess Celestia, I can do that." As I said that she pointed me towards a door with a guard on either side of it.

"Please wait in there, I'll join you shortly Almasy. Do please relax, the tension around you is so thick that I can hardly breathe." She grinned warmly and I approached the door. The guards opened the room and I gave a curt nod, the doors closed slowly after I entered the room. 'This could either be really good or really bad...let’s hope for good.' The room was a luxurious red color with full furnishings to match the throne room. I didn't trust it, so I leaned against the wall and closed my eyes.

Not a few moments later the door opened to reveal Princess Celestia keeping the same warm look to her features. To anyone else it would probably be relaxing, but it just made me feel unnerved. "I will not ask you to sit if you do not wish it, but please, let us talk. Tell me about yourself Almasy; I have never seen a creature of your likeness in any book I have ever read, nor heard any reports on. What are you?" She asked tenderly, not hostile at all...I was surprised.

"I'm a human, your Majesty. We are...well, what I am. Not much different than me physically. We all have different views on how life should be lived." She nodded for me to continue. So I gave her the rundown of Humanity and how things worked, sliding in a few jokes she failed to get here and there. After discussing war, her expression changed into one of shock, then slowly back to docility, I finished the history lesson and sighed. "Yeah, lovely isn't it?" I scratched the back of my neck nervously and she put a hoof on my shoulder.

"Now, tell me about you, young Almasy. Surely you have a story, don't you?" I must have looked like a clueless idiot because she was trying her hardest not to laugh, failing terribly at that.

"Umm..I understand the whole rundown of Humanity, but why me, Princess?" I asked

"Well, you're the only human here, Almasy. I'd like to get to know you and not the general idea of you. So please, tell me everything you can bring to mind that would be significant." She finished with the same warm smile.

I proceeded to tell her about myself, the city in Florida where I lived, the trouble I've gotten into, even my time in the Army…she seemed slightly taken aback by that but insisted I keep going.
I told her about my family, or what I had left, just an old uncle, she nodded again and I sighed, There wasn't much more to tell, but I finished it up with a sweet closed case.

She cleared her throat and nodded. "Well, Almasy, that is quite a tale. You seem rather docile for one who has seen that much combat. You must be truly resilient, I commend you for that. And by everything you've told me, I'm sure I can trust you, and, I was wondering…" 'Shit, here it comes.' "If you could allow us to train you as a guard, since you have nowhere to go, I'd able to compensate you with a room here in the castle and give you a salary if you accept." I sighed and nodded, she frowned slightly. "Do not worry, Almasy, this world is not like yours we don't have that much conflict and it's hardly ever in a lethal way like in your world."

"If you say so Princess… How long will I be trained? What about the rest of the populace? I'm sure I would unnerve all of your subjects if I just aimlessly wandered around, especially in armor while carrying a weapon." I sighed

"Worry not, Almasy. My sister and I will take care of that while you train. Judging by what you’ve already told me, the only things left to be done are to fit you in some armor and teach you how to use a close combat weapon. Speaking of which, what would you most prefer?" She looked at me concerned, like this was a test for me in its own way.

I shrugged "If you could give me a long-sword I'm sure I could make it work." My eyes trailed away from her and she tilted my head back to her gaze.

"Well, that can be arranged. Now let’s get you started, shall we?" She walked through the door and I saw her talking to Storm once again, he trotted over to me and smiled.

"I told you it wouldn't be that bad." He laughed and I chuckled cracking my knuckles. "Well, We're going to start off early, get ready for your first sparring match. I'm your partner for this one."

"Sparring? And I just got here, too. You ponies move pretty fast about something you don't know too much about. I could have been lying the whole time, you know." I looked at him coldly and he laughed harder than I thought was appropriate.

"Oh...oh, that's a good one kid, but Hahaha, you can't lie to the Princess, she'd catch it in an instant." I face-palmed 'Ehhh, I guess honesty is the best policy, but either way, that was still an intense talk.'

I faked a smile, and shrugged "So, when do we get started, Storm?" I looked down at him to see a smirk cross his face. "Whoa, not in the throne room man, that wouldn't be cool. At least I don't
thi-" Before I could finish he charged and tackled me, I flung him off and got into a crouched stance. the servers and Princess looked towards us and shook their heads. Storm charged at me again, but I caught him this time and flipped him over me. "Really Storm? I don't feel like getting in trouble right after getting a chance!" He laughed as he recovered "Oh don't worry, this is just good ol’ horseplay, not to mention a nice initiation for you. Gotta see what you're made of, right?" He ran towards me and turned around. I lowered my guard....huuuggeee mistake. I got bucked square in the chest and got sent flying. I grumbled trying to collect myself and got back into a stance, cracking my knuckles.

"If that's how you want to be about it, fine, come at me!" I growled and grinned. Damn, I don't think I've had this much fun before! He charged me and I swept is legs from under him and dropped my heel on his back. He grunted and slammed to the ground before I wrapped my arm around his neck and trying to put him in a choke hold. Before I could get a good lock, he squirmed his way out and sent a hoof into my chest as I sent a fist into his face. Both of us were smiling like idiots. The onlookers, including the princess, started forming a circle chanting praises at both of us. This was way better than I could have imagined.

We delivered blow after blow to each other. Both of us growling and laughing, deflecting blows here and there, and then I took a hoof to the side of the face, blood spilled from my mouth and I grinned. Storm looked shocked, so I took my chance and gave him a full force side-kick to his body, he went down and out. I stood over him trying to catch my breath and he stirred slightly, I extended a hand towards him and he slapped his hoof in it. "So, am I good enough for you to make an accurate judgement Storm?" I pulled him to his feet...err, hooves and he gave a sly smile and chuckled, I matched his chuckle and the princess came towards us.

"Storm, I don't believe anyone's ever beaten you in hoof-to-hoof combat before. But Almasy, are you alright, you're bleeding?" She looked at me with genuine concern in her eyes and I shrugged and wiped the blood from my mouth on my sleeve.

"Oh, I'm fine Princess, just a little blood." I looked to the small puddle from the initial blow and ran my tongue across my cheek. Luckily it had stopped bleeding already, just a little split remained.

Storm looked to me and smiled "I didn't think I got you that hard, Almasy, I'm sor-" Before he finished I laughed and patted his shoulder after swallowing the blood in my mouth and gave a small smile.

"It's fine, but like I asked before; do I pass?" He nodded and laughed as did the Princess.

"You're the only one to ever put me through the wringer, I say you passed with flying colors, not to mention you still fought even when you saw your own blood, not many recruits can say that they can do that. That ability usually takes training."

I looked at him slightly puzzled "Blood shouldn't be that big of a deal, it happens all the time in combat I imagine, right?"

"Well, yes, but things are usually peaceful, we're the only ponies, us of the Royal Guard that is, that ever come close to combat. Things are usually settled peacefully, so we don't see much of it. It's only usually on patrols like when we found you that blood is occasionally drawn. Sorry if we frightened you with that. But you know, seeing a creature in the woods with clothes and is sentient, we didn't want to take a big risk, you understand." I nodded.

"Well, now that that's out of the way, we'll call that your initiation, Almasy. Welcome to the Royal Guard, your training starts tomorrow morning. Storm will show you to your personal room to get washed up. There's a larger robe in it so we can clean your current clothing. Judging by how you're covered, I would guess that's how you'd like to stay, so please go get washed up and rest, food will be delivered to you at an appropriate time, if that's alright." I smiled; a bath and some food sound prettttyyy nice right now.

"That would be lovely Princess, I thank you." She smiled and nodded to Storm and we began walking down the hallways all adorned with fine art and a bench here and there, stained glass the works, I mentally mapped my way through the hallways from the Throne room to my own so I could find it easily, after a good five minutes of walking he led me to a door and tossed me a key.

"And this is where you'll be staying, Almasy. I'll come by in an hour or two after I clean up and see how you're adjusting." I nodded and put the key in the lock turning the knob and opened the door.

Apparently my face was once again in a shocked state because I heard him chuckle.

"I take it you like it then?" All I could do is nod, he chuckled at me again and ushered me in. "Like I said, I'll be back in a little while, and from your 'initiation', I'd say a good 90% of the castle residents know you're alright. If you need something just stop someone and ask; we don't bite." He smiled at me and a chuckled.

"Alright, time for me to get clean and all. I'll catch you later Storm." He nodded and walked away, I stepped through the door to my new room. It was better than anything I've ever seen; the walls were a royal purple as were the drapes on the windows and the bed furnishings. There was a desk in the corner and a couch across from the bed, all gilded in gold. There was a note on the bed, I flipped it open and read it:

' My newest guard, Almasy.

I hope you find this to your liking, We'll pick up your clothing promptly, just place it in the hamper outside of your room and it will be cleaned within the hour.

The washroom is on the far side of the room and is fully stocked with everything you would need. Please enjoy your stay here, we are happy to have someone of your skill join our ranks during this time of peace. You may stay as long as you'd like. I have also given you a small forward payment of 100 bits in the satchel on your desk. If you ever leave the castle, let Storm or myself know, whether by a note on the door or in person. The ponies of Canterlot will be quite pleasant after they warm up to you, I assure you.

~Your Princess,

Celestia.

I folded the note and put it on the desk as I made my way to the washroom, as she said it was stocked with everything I'd need, the robe hanging on the door, once again a dark royal purple, on the back was that same sun design as I saw on her and the door. I stripped down and tossed my clothes in the small basket and made my way into the shower.

After the warm shower, I felt rejuvenated and patted myself dry before slipping into the robe and brushing my hair in the mirror so it was tame; that shampoo worked wonders, I tell you.
After I was done and walked back into my room I looked towards the desk to see a bowl of salad and a large cup of water, my stomach growled at me, didn't think I was this hungry.
I sat down and ate the salad slowly, didn't even need dressing, everything was fresh and well proportioned, and for a salad; filling. I walked back to the washroom and grabbed the basket and slid it outside.

"Heyyy, you clean up pretty well, Almasy!" Storm shouted down the hall, I struck a pose and flicked my hair, he laughed as did I.

"Sorry, too good to pass up, come on in Storm." I opened the door and he walked in smiling.

"Looks like you warmed this old room right up! First time I've ever seen it used in years, you alright with it?" He looked around and turned back to me, I nodded and chuckled.

"You kidding? This place is great! I’ve never seen a room so nice, ever. I feel a bit like royalty myself with this place to call my own, temporary or not." I said to him with a grin.

"Good on ya, Kid." He sat on the couch and I took the corner of my bed, we chatted about training. Apparently, due to what I showed him it'd only be a week to teach me the basics of a sword and how to deal with unruly ponies. He patted me on the shoulder and said it could go quicker depending on how receptive I could be on the matter.

"Oh, and you'll be on a separate grid of the Royal Guard. You'll be stuck by yourself, but I'm sure you'll be alright with that." I nodded and laughed. "Yeah, until I get lost Storm, that's gonna suck" I shook my head and smiled, he looked over to me.

"Oh don't worry about that. We'll give you a map of wherever you gotta go, should be no problem with your background. Don't worry, the Princess told me everything. If you ask me, it only helped me get you in here that much easier. Not many ponies here have combat-level training. As I said earlier, it’s just us in the Royal Guard." He nodded and we just chatted around about ourselves, my same story and learned about him, apparently he had two foals and a wife in a city called Cloudsdale. It sounded nice I suppose, kinda like an Equestrian version of the ‘American Dream’. In the middle of our conversation there was a knock at the door. A pony poked her head through smiling gently. Storm called her in and she set my outfit on the bed and left with a curt nod. I thanked her and turned back to Storm.

"Well, I think it's about time I head to my own room, Almasy. It's been nice getting to know you. I'll be by in the morning to get you started on your training tomorrow if you're up to it." I nodded and he walked through the door.

I hung my clothes on the chair and rolled into bed, sleep coming quickly for once; must have been tired. I drifted off and slept better than I have in a long time.

***

I was awoken by a knock at the door accompanied by Storms voice "Up and at 'em, kid! Today's the start of your training." I hopped into my jeans and slid my shirt on, draped my coat over it and slid my gloves on fastening the clips on them and finally sliding into my socks and boots, and walked through the door and closing it behind me. I looked over and saw Storm with a smile on his face once again.

"Well, good to see that you can get up in the mornings, that's a good start." He tossed a sword towards me, sheathed of course and grinned. "And that's your new weapon, It's going to be at your side until it breaks or you die. The blade is silver as is the hilt. It's nicely decorated to suit a fighter of your style and personality. No, no, we don't know your personality in depth, it’s the sword that does. It's been enchanted to reflect you. Go ahead and let’s see what it says about you."

As I unsheathed the blade there was a faint glow about it before it changed color and form. As I pulled it out the blade turned into a mirror polished black with and red line through the middle. The hilt definitely matched the blade. And the adornment along the blade and hilt looked like an old text with fine blue radiating the marks. Glowing almost. The sheath changed to a solid black color. I looked towards Storm who was grinning widely. "Whoa...didn't see that happening." I said in amazement, he chuckled and nodded.

"Well that's one I've never seen before, but if that's who you are, then it's who you are." He nodded as he said this, I motioned for him to wait as I strapped the blade to my back over my coat and nodded when it felt comfortable. We walked down the same hall that lead to the throne room but we turned down another hall and I mentally mapped our way down once again. I hate getting lost if you couldn’t tell by now.

We exited to a courtyard with training dummies all around. There was no one else but us. I looked to him slightly confused and he smiled. "Oh, don't worry. I reserved it for us for the whole week. No one has joined the guard in quite a while, so it's mainly used to help shake the rust out, it's all ours until your training is complete. Let’s begin shall we?" I nodded and we went towards the dummies.

***

The week passed quickly and it was alright. I learned thrusting, slashing, jumping, dodging and even a few different styles of blocking and parrying. We always went out with a small sparring match. He always seemed to best me until the last night of training when I finally scored a win. He was thoroughly impressed and congratulated me as I helped him up. He grinned as we walked back to my room.

"Oh, and your armor is finally complete. We'll be having your ceremony to the Guard in the morning." He grins and gives a small laugh. "You should feel honored. You're the only non-pony to ever be granted this honor, do me proud, Almasy." I smiled and gave him a nod.

"I won't let you down, Storm." He then left my room leaving me to myself, I took a shower and tossed my clothes back in the basket, same routine but for dinner there were a few apples and a carrot. Haha, small changes make a difference once you get complacent I suppose. I sat and daydreamed until I heard a knock at the door, it was the same maid as always. We talked a bit until I found out her name was Cherry Blossom, it suited her red and pink coloration if you ask me. She shortly left and I crawled into bed sleeping soundly until the next morning, I felt rather proud of myself, that’s for sure.

I was awoken a bit earlier than normal, but this time it was from Storm jumping on my bed and knocking me one in the shoulder. "Today's the big day kiddo! C'mon, we have to go put you in your armor and get ready for the ceremony!" He then hopped off and scurried out of the room poking his head through the door. "You coming or not, Almasy!?" I groaned and got dressed and followed him out.

We headed down to the training area and took a large iron door to the Armory, there in a case was the most intricate armor I'd ever seen. The base color was white with trims of black and red, it was to reflect me I suppose. Not the usual armor I've seen any of the other RG wearing, but he then motioned me towards it and I pulled off my coat and slid into the armor. I noticed that Celestia’s emblem was over the heart and it made me feel more welcomed. I finished putting on the rest of the armor; gauntlets, greaves, boots, and leggings. He threw the helmet at me and I shook my head. ”Sorry Storm, no matter what, I never keep anything on my head, limits visibility, ya know." He nodded and accepted it rather easily. Hmm, didn't think it'd go that way. After I had the armor on, I slipped my black coat over the back and strapped on my sword earning a look from Storm "What? I'm not losing the coat no matter what I wear. It's been a trademark for me for many years."

"Alright, alright. Let's get to the throne room and get this underway. And you pull the look off nicely by the way, not bad for a nearly hairless monkey." He said chidingly.

"You coming onto me now storm? What kind of guy do you think I am?" I tried to keep a serious face as his turned to horror...I couldn't hold it, I lurched over and began busting up laughing. He followed shortly after. "Alright, ha-ha, that was pretty good, you gotta admit." I said.

"Yeah, you had me going. But let’s get a move on, you even have a mission waiting on you, it's small so don't worry, I'm sure you can handle it." He smirked. "Princess Celestia will fill you in after the ceremony." Storm then started walking down the hall and we approached the door, I took a deep breath and he opened the door, ushering me through.

This was apparently a big deal. The whole hall was draped with golden cloth and lined with members of the Royal Guard standing at attention as I slowly made my way towards Princess Celestia, and someone who I didn't know standing next to her. I imagined it would likely be her sister, I haven't been introduced to her yet, maybe that will happen afterwards. For now, Storm and I walked slowly down the hall and stopped before the thrones holding the Princesses. I kneeled as Storm did and were told to rise.

"Almasy, this is the day you shall be inducted into the prestigious Royal Guard in service to my sister, Princess Luna, and I, Princess Celestia. You will serve us and all the ponies of Equestria that are in need of aid. You will be granted citizenship and you can always call this castle home. You have shown yourself to be knowledgeable and quite fierce in combat. Although your training was short, you seem more than qualified and ready for this. So I ask you Almasy; Do you accept this duty, to protect my Sister and I, and all of our little ponies and uphold the justice and the law of this land, to help wherever you see fit and to stay true to the Throne?" She finished with a serious look, her sister matching her expression.

I bowed once more and spoke up "Princesses, it would be my honor to accept this position. I shall do all I can, on this you have my honor."

The other princess stepped forward now "I am Princess Luna of the Night. My Sister and I have found your words today to be true and honorable. So it is with this, we hereby name you Almasy of the Royal Guard."

Celestia stepped forward now "Please, present your weapon, Almasy." I unsheathed the blade and presented it. It was taken by a golden glow, and as Luna stepped forward, a mix of a dark blue. "Kneel, please." Celestia nodded to me and I kneeled down. The sword was brought down to touch each of my shoulders and held out to me the blade pointing down towards the floor. "Rise, Almasy, you are now a member of the Royal Guard, we congratulate you. Take your blade and with it, your new title." I nodded and reached for the hilt, the magic dispersing as I gingerly grasped it and sheathed it. All of the onlookers cheered and congratulated me.

Celestia then turned to me with a stern look on her face. "Now, it is time to prove yourself. There have been reports of disappearing ponies in the Everfree Forest. You are to go there and see if anything unusual is happening and you will be going alone. Do you accept the mission, Almasy?" I clutched my hand into a fist and placed it over my heart and bowed. "Excellent, you will leave as soon as you can see it fit to. It would be better if your departure was sooner, rather than later." She finished.

"Then I'll leave at once, Princess if that is alright with you." She nodded to me and I smiled. "Well, point me in the right direction and I'll be off." I was escorted to the edge of the city and given directions to where the largest part of the problem was, the forest I apparently woke up in. Alright, I'm sure I can handle that.

I sighed and stretched after what felt like hours of walking. I looked toward the sun; it looked to be late afternoon...yep. Hours of walking and nothing to do. How boring. I heard a few voices in the distance, female by the sounds of them. I decided to walk towards where I had heard the voices.

"Hello, is anyone here?" I asked out loud. "I'm a member of the Royal Guard sent to this area. Please say something if you can hear me." I heard some rustling in the bushed and checked around intently, there was a gasp as I turned around to see a small purple unicorn looking at me with a sense of subdued shock. When she saw Celestias seal on the front of my armor, she asked "You're the human Celestia told me about, aren't you?" I nodded, not sure how to respond. She smiled at me and continued "Don't worry, I am Celestia's most faithful student Twilight Sparkle, She told me about you in a few of the letters recently. My friends and I are the ones who sent the report of the missing ponies. I suppose she wanted to keep us safe by sending a guard."

I scratched the back of my neck and smiled. "Well I'm just glad you didn't totally freak out by seeing me, I must be pretty unusual to see around, especially in these woods. You're not alone are you? I was told it was dangerous in this place." She shook her head and smiled.

"I came with all of my friends. We make up the Elements of Harmony. There's nothing too dangerous or scary that we can’t face if we're together. Let me introduce you. Girls?" She called over to the tree line as I saw five other ponies come out. All together it was two pegasi, one with a blue coat and a rainbow mane and tail, a butter colored one with a pink mane and tail. Who I learned were Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy.

Next were two earth ponies, Applejack and Pinkie Pie. Let's just say Pinkie was a bit...tooo ecstatic about the meeting. After them, was Twilight and another unicorn pony with a white coat and purple styled mane and tail with a posh accent. Rarity.

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you all, I am Almasy, sent by Celestia to check out this area. I am sworn to protect any and all ponies I meet. I hope you don't mind me escorting you as you proceed." I bowed and smiled cordially. They all accepted whether by a hoof-shake or in Rainbow's case a shoulder punch. I took it as a small confirmation. "Alright, so what do you know about the current state of affairs? I was only told about some missing ponies and not much else." We all sat and got comfortable before the conversation proceeded.

Twilight started off. "Over the past month, we've had close to twelve ponies disappear that tried to travel from Ponyville to the outlying towns. Some ponies from the other towns known to be traveling between other towns or to Ponyville are included in that number. We were worried and decided to organize a search party but only we decided to go through with it. It's good to have you with us Almasy" She nodded.

"Yeah, it's cool. We also got some bait for the monsters that live around here." Shot a grinning Rainbow. I laughed. "Oh, don't be so brutish Rainbow Dash. I apologize for that dear; she just likes to have fun with new ponies." Rarity chimed in. "Would y'all simmer down? It's nice ta meet ya' Almasy, we hope to not scare ya off just yet." She laughed heartily
Pinkie kept jumping up and down spouting off so many words I couldn’t keep up until Twilight shoved a hoof in the mouth muffling it all. "I'm sorry, it's just Pinkie being Pinkie, you’ll get used to it." She smiled and removed her hoof and Pinkie approached me and hugged me.
"We'll DEFINITELY have to throw you a party for being a Royal Guard and coming to help us out here in the spooooky foooorest! It'll be great!" She continued hopping around and planning the party out.

Yeesh! That one's got some energy. The small yellow pegasus just stood back and looked away from me, not saying a word. Twilight looked toward me and smiled gently "Don't worry about Fluttershy, she's just going to have to take some time to warm up to you, she's very shy around new ponies."

"That's alright. I understand. I used to be that way myself. Fluttershy can you stay close so I can keep an eye on you? We don't want you getting hurt or separated, alright?" I added a comforting
smile and she nodded slightly catching up with the rest of the group.

We stopped for the night and I started gathering materials to make a fire as they pulled out bedrolls and situated themselves around where it would eventually be set up. I returned to hear them chatting and laughing in their sleeping bags. It warmed my heart to see it. I won't lie. I placed the wood in a small pile and lined it with rocks for some safety. I reached into my pack and pulled out some flint and sparked the fire after a few strikes, breathing into it a few minutes later we had a nicely sized fire to warm up to, they gathered round and warmed their hooves and I chuckled. "Not a bad start to my first mission, I’d say."

Twilight looked at me and smiled. "Well I'm glad you're enjoying yourself. Hopefully there won't be a need for your skills in combat for this, though it's always nice to meet a new friend." All the others nodded accompanied by a several yawns, I chuckled. "I think that's a sign for us to go to bed. Where are you going to sleep Almasy? You don't have a bag to sleep in, do you?"

I shook my head and smiled. "Don't worry about me. I can just lean up against a tree. It’s no bother to me. You guys go ahead and get some rest; I'll be up a little while longer." She nodded and went to her roll, the rest of them fast asleep. I smiled and leaned against a tree taking my sword off my back leaning it next to me. I sat and listened to the sounds of the Everfree; the shuffling of small animals, owls, the wind blowing through the trees. After a while of listening, I was slowly lulled to sleep.

I awoke in the middle of the night and looked over to the girls. They were still sleeping peacefully. In spite of this, my hair stood on end. Something was missing. I closed my eyes and tried to listen...that was it, the owls were quiet and the crickets had stopped chirping. Hell, I couldn't even hear the wind. It was an eerie silence, then I heard a twig break off to my side. I stood up slowly and strapped my sword on.
I looked over to see a pony, it was a grey color and had its eyes closed. Then it opened them to reveal piercing red eyes and a devils smile. Seconds later a few more appeared, seven in total. I spoke up. "Who are you and what are you doing out in the forest at this time of night?" No response. It leapt at me and I batted it back towards the tree line with a crash. I heard the girls scream and yell "Vamponies!" I shook my head and chuckled thinking it was a joke until I saw them cowering in fear.

"Almasy! Get away from them! They're vamponies, they'll kill you!" I looked back towards the red eyed ponies and they grinned at me revealing large fang-like canines. I drew my sword and pointed it at them. "You're not going to scare me that easily. Leave now or I will fight back."

They didn't heed the warning and came after me, I swung my sword at the first and it was split in half. There was no blood, it simply burst into small embers and turned into ash. The next one tried to sink its teeth into me. Luckily it was stopped by the armor as I slung it off of me and back to its group. One down, six to go. Twilight shot a beam into one of them and knocked it back dazing it. I nodded to her and slashed at another one, it wasn't deep enough, it just hissed at me in pain and retreated, but it came back healed. "How the..." Twilight cut me off "They're Vamponies, they can heal at astounding rates and are pure evil! If you get bitten, you'll be infected! We've gotta get out of here!" I shook my head and slashed at another turning it to ash and one latched into my coat before I slung it off. "Sorry Twilight, but I have a duty to uphold and these might be what's causing the anomaly, I must to get rid of them."

She nodded and the girls formed a circle around the fire as I tried to hold my own. Two were down, five to go. They all rushed me at once and I kicked one away, one bit into my armor again and two met my blade as I did a wide slash. Twilight and Rarity blasted the two off me and I thanked them. Four down, wait five, Twilight as I thought that blasted another one in the chest and it turned to ash.

"Nice one, Twilight, make sure the other two don't get near you." She nodded and crouched eyeing the other two as they began circling me. One jumped at me and I punched it back to the ground. The other ran towards the girls and I threw my sword at it skewering it into the ground as it screamed turning to ash. I turned to the last one and cracked my knuckles. 'Well, this could have gone a lot worse, better wrap this up.' It leapt at me and I head-butted it back away from me and ran to grab my sword. I turned and cut it down mid-air, finally dispatching the last one as it burst into flame and ash.

Satisfied, I sheathed my sword and took a look around. The girls were still in a circle ready for anything. "Girls, gather your things, it's time we leave. I'll escort you back to your town." They nodded and gathered their things hurriedly as I snuffed out the fire.

"Almasy?" Dash looked towards me. "I've just gotta say, that was awesome! Even though I could have handled it myself, I thought I should let you take over since this is your first mission and all." She smiled warily and I laughed.

"Well thanks for that Dash, makes me feel a little better. But let's get out of this forest in case anything else decides to show up. How far away do you live?"

Twilight chimed in at that point. "We live in Ponyville, it's not too far only maybe an hour walk this way. By the way, thank you Almasy. We don't know what would have happened if you hadn't been there."

Rarity continued from Twilight "Yes, Almasy, it's quite a miracle that we made it out of there unharmed. Vamponies were always thought to be some old mares’ tale, but in the Everfree I suppose anything is possible. As for your coat...it got ripped up a bit, I hope you would let me fix it for you, darling, it just isn't becoming of a gallant knight, such as yourself, to be walking around in tatters." She smiled warmly at me.

"That would be great Rarity, thank yo-" Just then I heard a growl and felt something sink into my neck. I looked over my shoulder horrified to see that one of the vamponies had latched onto me. The pain was unbearable as it sank its fangs in deeper and deeper. I yelled and tried to pry it out of me to no avail. 'Damn...damn...damn. This is bad.' I felt a rip as it was blasted off of me and looked down at my armor in the moonlight to see blood starting to coat my white armor. My vision was turning black as I clutched my neck.

"Almasy!" They all yelled in unison and they ran to me. Damn, I didn't wanna go out like a wimp. I held up a hand and drew my sword as I turned to the vampony, as it leapt at me I skewered it with my blade. I released it from my hand as my vision went black and I couldn't feel anything anymore. I heard Twilight say something about the Princess. Then I went under.

I had a dream...no not a dream, more of a nightmare, I was there with those six, but I wasn't myself, as they talked around the fire. I proceeded to kill them all. I drained them of their blood as I drank it...It felt sickening and natural at the same time. I woke up with a start. I wasn't in my room anymore, but in a cell. 'Oh shit, what happened, what did I do...' I tried to talk but nothing came my throat was dry and burned furiously. I ran to the bucket in the corner and saw it was full of water, I took a few gulps, but my body forced it back out immediately. Shit, what's wrong with me! Did I drink too fast? I tried again at a slower pace. I only kept it down for a minute before my body rejected it again. Then I heard a familiar voice; it was Storm. Who was he talking to? I listened harder while closing my eyes. Celestia...I couldn't make out what was being said, so I waited. I thought I heard my name but I couldn't tell. A few minutes later a guard came by and saw me. He immediately ran from the dungeon and up the stairs. Moments later I saw Storm walking down with Princess Celestia, good, maybe they can tell me what's going on.

"Almasy, can you hear me, do you understand me?" Storm asked with an uncertainty in the way he did, I tried to say yes, but all that came was a choking cough and the same burning, so I nodded. He sighed, relieved that I could; I wonder why though?

Celestia came towards the cell but kept her distance slightly, I kneeled and bowed. "Rise Almasy, how do you feel?" I shook my head and pointed at my throat, then pointed to the water bucket and made the throat slashing sign so she could see it didn't help. She nodded and I met her eyes. She gasped at me, I didn't know why. I grabbed my neck, the wound was closed. There was nothing more than a dry patch blood. I felt fine other than being extremely thirsty.
How long was I out? "Almasy... What happened to you, did something bite you?" She asked hurriedly with a look of shock on her face, it was extremely unnerving. I nodded a few times and she turned her head. Whispering something to Storm, he looked disgusted but still nodded and left.

I looked at Princess Celestia with pleading eyes, she met my gaze and talked slowly "Don't worry Almasy, He went to get you something that could help you talk." I nodded and sat in the corner a short while later Storm came back with a cup, I smelled it from there and it smelled amazing! It must be some medicine by the looks of it, especially with how squeamish the both of them were when they looked at it. He placed it on the ground in front of the cell, motioning for me to wait until he was done. He set it down and took a few steps back. I went towards the door and slid the cup through the bars and smelled it. It smelled extremely sweet. I looked at the Princess and she nodded, I gave the medicine a test sip and my body didn't reject it, so I drank the rest slowly and cleared my throat. The burn was manageable now, so I tried to talk.

"Thank you Princess for the medicine, it was what I needed although the burn still hasn't gone away." My voice cracked here and there but they didn't laugh, not even Storm. I looked at them perplexed. "Princess, what happened? I remember fighting something. Your student, Twilight Sparkle, called them vamponies. I dispatched them but one got to me. I know I took a hit and I went down pretty hard. I was in the forest, how did I get here so quickly?" Her face was shocked, twisted with horror.

"Almasy...did you just say you were bitten...by a Vampony?" I nodded and she bit her lip. "But you're not unruly, and you can think for yourself. Do you have any urges to hurt anypony?"

"What? No Princess, I would never dream of that..." She looked slightly relaxed and I looked at the cup and tossed it to Storm, he caught it and nodded.
"I know I must’ve been knocked out, but what happened after that? How did I get here Princess?"

She approached the cell and opened it ushering me out. "After you were out, I received a message of distress from my student Twilight telling me of the events that had transpired. When she got to the point where she said you were bitten...I had teleported to your location to see you on the ground bleeding out. But your wound was closing quickly. The rest of them were escorted home by four of my guards and I teleported you here, to this cell. I'm sorry, but we couldn't take any chances. I did not have you executed just in case humans could be...rational, if you will. It seems you are, but we'll have to run some tests. I'm sorry Almasy, but it is not something you can argue with." She finished with a look of sorrow in her eyes.

Storm came back through the door and hoofed me the cup with the same sweet smelling medicine in it. I took it gently and took a few swallows. "Are you alright Princess? Did anything happen in my absence?" She shook her head and he nodded. I looked towards him, hurt.

"What, did you think I was going to hurt her, Storm? I thought you knew me a little better than that..." He looked at me with disbelief

"You can talk, Almasy? That's at least some good news." I nodded for him to continue. "I'm glad you're able to listen to reason. Nopony else that was bitten could have this happen...they were changed. Then they were executed because they were proven to be a great threat to Her Majesty and the nation of Equestria." He shuddered.

"What kind of medicine is this Princess? It seems to be working wonders, my throat has stopped burning and I'm not thirsty as I was."
As I took another mouthful she started. "It's blood, Almasy..." I choked some of it back up and looked at her horrified. "No, no, it's fine. Those are kept in supply in blood pouches donated from other ponies in the medical wing. It's alright." I shook my head.

"But Princess...you just fed me blood. Are you saying I've turned?" She nodded I felt dread well up within me. "The girls! None of them were bitten, were they?" She shook her head and smiled. I sighed. Tha was the most relief I've felt in a while. "Good..." I sighed. "I'm glad to see that you're thinking of others even when you've just been told you've been infected with vampirism. It does say a lot about your mental strength." I looked back to the cup of blood and set it aside. She shook her head. "Please finish it Almasy. Don't feel bad about it, please." I sighed and finished the rest of the...blood.

I looked towards my sword sitting on the wall across the hall. "Princess, if I changed, would the blade change also?" She put a hoof to her chin and thought.

"I suppose it might. Storm, would you fetch his blade? This could be a useful test, just to be sure." He nodded and brought the blade down from the wall and passed it to me. I unsheathed it and...It was the same, but cleaner. Celestia nodded. "Well, I suppose that settles that, but we still have to test you to see what is different in a human undergoing vampirism. Please follow me.”
I nodded and stood, strapping the blade to my back looking down to see my armor still tinged in blood, I sighed.

As we were walking through the hallways, a beam of the morning sun broke through and caught my exposed arm where my sleeve was torn off. I immediately reeled back in pain and hissed, the others looked at me with horrified expressions as they looked at my arm; it was burned horribly. I clutched it tightly and went back into the shadows of the corner of the hall.

"Almasy!" Celestia ran over to me and inspected my arm, the burn slowly and painfully healing before our eyes. "Well at least you're alright now. I'm so sorry Almasy! I didn't know that would happen."

I held up my hand and shook my head.

"It's alright, Princess. No harm done...I just didn't know I'd flip out like that, I apologize." She extended a wing over me as she guided me through the hall and through the castle into what looked like a laboratory, I shuddered lightly.

Celestia felt me under her wing and smiled warmly to me "Don't fret, Almasy. We just need to see how you react to certain things." I nodded and sat on the cold chair in the middle of the room. I didn't expect what happened next. Through the door came the Elements I had met the other night. They looked at me warily and I smiled as warmly as I could, causing them to gasp as they looked at me. I sighed and looked down to the floor, then a hoof came under my chin picking my head up, "Almasy, don't worry, they're here to help you. No, you didn't hurt them the other night, they're all just fine. I asked them to come see you in fact." I nodded to Celestia and she left the room.

Twilight approached me with a book. It had fangs with a drop of blood dripping off one of them. I shuddered and she hid the book and had a sheepish grin on her face. "I'm sorry, Almasy. But we're going to have to run some tests on you. All we have to go on are some old mares’ tales stuff, please don't be mad." She lowered her head and the rest of them came up to me, Fluttershy probably being more scared than ever ducking behind Rainbow.

Twilight came closer to me the rest keeping a small distance. "Open your mouth please." I nodded and opened my mouth she gasped slightly and wrote something down on a scroll.
"Alright next, have you had anything to eat or drink Almasy, it's very important." I explained to her my attempts, feeble as they were, to hold down water, and told her how Celestia had given me two cups full of blood that I was able to stomach. She wrote it down and nodded a few times.
"Now here comes the harder part, if you can't help yourself push me away quickly, please, and girls, if he can't help himself, please pull me back quickly." They nodded while I sat there perplexed.

Then she jammed her neck in my face, my throat burned ferociously and I pushed her away and jumped back." She looked towards me stunned, but with a look of approval. "It seems you can still control yourself. Can you please tell me what you felt when that happened?" She put her quill back to the scroll.

I gasped a few times and breathed out but no relief came. Taking breaths did nothing for me now, not even sate my need for air! I collected myself and tipped the chair back up, motioning for her to take a few steps back, she did. "My throat burned. Horribly. Why would you put yourself at a risk like that...it was stupid and extremely dangerous!" I sank my face into my hands, slowly realizing what happened.

Twilight nodded. "I'm sorry Almasy, but it was necessary. I knew it would make you uncomfortable but it had to be done." I sighed and nodded.

"So what else is there Twilight? At least a warning might help me not flip out so much." I said as I leaned back in the chair.

"We need to test what happens if you come into contact with sunlight, fire, and..." She gulped. "What happens if you get...hurt." I nodded and told her about the sunlight, she nodded slowly before writing it down. "Then that leaves the other two." She went to a desk and brought over a candle, I placed my hand on it and it immediately caught fire, she extinguished it quickly and apologized, but gasped as the burn healed itself. It was slow but healed none-the-less. I grit my teeth in pain."And finally, if you get hurt." She put the candle back on the desk and came back with a scalpel. I grimaced and turned away. I felt the coldness of the metal trail down my arm and heard her gasp. I looked expecting to see large bloody gash. But instead of rather large and bleeding cut, the wound bled very slowly as the skin was slowly patching itself up, not even leaving a scar. She wrote down the results and nodded. "There's one last test...and it will be the hardest for you, I'm sure. But you won't be alone this time." She nodded to the group and Rarity came forward.

"I looked at Twilight perplexed and she sighed. "We need to see what happens if you bite som-" I cut her off.

"Whoa, no, No, NO! I can't do that! What if you get turned? I would feel horrible! I won't do it!" I tore my face from the both of them.

"Almasy darling, it has to be done. But if it does happen, please be gentle, alright dear?" Rarity stared into my eyes, I felt scared. More scared than I have ever been in my life. It was like holding someone’s entire life and fate in my hands. I nodded and she bit her lip hesitantly.

"I'm sorry Rarity." I hesitantly sank my fangs into her neck feeling her lull down as I drank slowly and then pulled her off. The holes in her neck closed immediately and she looked to be in a daze...and she drooled some. Twilight came over with a scroll and gave an interesting hmm. "Is this what normally happens, Twilight?" She shook her head and Rarity went limp in my arms, I held her to my chest and bit my lip."Twiliiightt...I don't know if what I did this right, what if I just ruined one of your best friends’ lives?"

Twilight nodded after she finished writing down. "It was a risk, we know. But she was willing to go through with it." I sighed.

Rarity started stirring in my arms and looked up towards me dazed. "Oh my...That was...odd." She shook her head and looked to see she was in my arms, a blush crept across her face. She climbed down back from the chair and looked at Twilight whispering something. Twilight blushed slightly but wrote down everything she said.

"Well, Almasy." She cleared her throat. "It seems your bite doesn't change one into a vampony, which is great news." I nodded and sighed relieved. "But it does have some...interesting side effects."

The blush reappearing on her face, "It seems...you put whoever you bite into a euphoric state...a very euphoric from what I was told." I tilted my head and shrugged.

"Well, there's definitely some good news. Anything else we have to test?" I stood up and threw my coat back on. Rarity gasped seeing it tattered. I looked at her and laughed. "I guess it needs some mending, huh. Alright, I'll give it to you before you leave, is that okay?" She nodded still blushing and I walked through the door, the sunlight poured in from the hall burning me instantly. I hissed and slammed it closed burns covering wherever it touched. "I think I'm going to wait here for a while. Is that going to be okay?" They nodded and we talked, Fluttershy even came out of her shell a bit even if it was a word or two here and there. I interrupted the conversation. "Twilight, is there a mirror in here anywhere, I want to see how horrible I look."

Twilight trotted over to a corner of the room and pulled out a full length mirror and set it to the wall, I walked to it cautiously and opened my eyes slowly. I didn't look too bad other than the blood that was dried on my armor, but I'm sure it would come off, I ran my hand through my hair to see it was still the same, what came next though I wasn't exactly ready to see. I had red eyes. Not just a subtle rusty shade of red; but bright blood-red eyes! They appeared to glow in the dim light of the room. Then I opened my mouth only to be greeted by fangs. I shrugged to myself in the mirror. At least I knew why Celestia and Storm were so unnerved. As well as the reaction of the girls at first sight following the attack.

"Are you okay darling? You seem to be taking this quite well if I do say so myself, I would be positively shocked if I were in your hooves." Rarity chimed in behind me, I looked at her and looked at her neck, there was no blood and no wound left. She looked at me and smiled "See darling, no harm done! Please don't feel bad for what had to happen, alright?" I sighed and nodded.

I went to the corner of the room and slid down the wall, The only ones left with me were Twilight and Rarity, the rest had left saying they were needed for their jobs. I couldn't keep them there, but it was nice to know that they had come by. I looked to Twilight and Rarity and hugged my knees. "I'm sorry I didn't keep my promise to you girls the other day." I sighed.

They looked to me perplexed and Twilight spoke up. "What do you mean, Almasy? You didn't do anything wrong, you protected us. And...well, look what happened to you. I'm so sorry!" She looked away I saw a tear in her eye. I pulled her up to me by her chin and she opened her eyes, I smiled which made her flinch a little...not helping, got it.

"Twilight, Rarity, before all that happened I took an oath to protect everyone even if it cost me my life, and I'm still alive, so don't feel bad. Yeah, this might take a little getting used to but I'm glad you're all safe. You had no idea what would happen." I finished with a nod and she nodded back wiping her eyes.

She hugged me and thanked me as did Rarity, but Rarity was still crying. Damn, this made me feel terrible. Then the door opened and they broke their hug from around me. Celestia and Luna walked through and looked towards us. Celestia walked over to Twilight and whispered something, Twilight handed her the scroll. Celestia began reading it to herself quickly and nodded. "Well Almasy, it seems that there is nothing keeping you back from your old job, save for sunlight, but I believe we can help you with that somewhat. She nodded to Luna who took a step towards me.

Luna slowly walked towards me and studied my image, her horn began to glow and she touched it to me, I felt a strange sensation flow though my body and it ended as she took her horn back.
"There Almasy, that should keep you protected from the sun as long as you keep yourself 'maintained' on your thirst. Which means if you ever have the urge to feed, do so... just not on ponies of course. We'll have blood stocked in an ice box in your room. It's the least we can do for you. You've done us a great deal in a short time. I'm sorry that this had to happen to you." She nodded solemnly and took to her sisters’ side who then stepped forward.

She picked me up to my feet and spoke softly. "We're going to have to test the spell now Almasy, please step outside so we can see the effect. Slowly, please." I nodded and headed towards the door all of them looking at me intently. I reached for the handle and closed my eyes opening it slowly. I felt warm and opened my eyes, the sunlight was hitting my exposed skin and it didn't burn. I only felt a slight warming sensation. I looked towards them and they nodded. As they got closer however Celestia looked towards me and gasped. I looked behind me to see nothing. I looked back at her with a confused look. "Forgive me, it's just...your eyes are glowing red, it's unnerving to say the least. I'm sorry if I made you feel more out of place like that." She lowered her head and turned to see me chuckling to myself lowly. "What's so funny?" She asked.

I regained my composure and slowly responded. "I'm sorry Princess, I was shocked when I saw them too, but I figured since you've seen them once you would have noticed." I scratched the back of my neck and apologized once more.

She sighed, "Yes, of course, but let’s get you to your room, I'm sure you're exhausted by now." I shook my head and she looked at me perplexed. "But you've been up since early morning and recovering from such an ordeal must’ve been taxing on you." She said lowly.

"Actually I feel fine, what time is it, Princess?” she nodded to Luna who began bringing up the moon, the coolness instantly washed over me, I looked back towards Twilight and Rarity who yawned sleepily. I smiled inwardly. "You won't send them home this late, will you Princess? I would feel better if they could stay in the castle or a hotel nearby." Celestia shook her head and sighed.

"I'm sorry Almasy, but there's no room in the castle as of right now, and all the hotels are booked, we are due for a court session in the morning." I sighed and she looked towards the two of them, then back to me. "I'm sorry girls but-", I stopped her

"Why don't they take my room, Princess? I can stay in here. It's not exactly a bother to me." She looked to Twilight and Rarity and they smiled slightly. Celestia then gave a chuckle and a nod. "I'm taking that as a yes, Princess?" I said with a smirk causing the four of them to laugh.

"You're sure we won't be a bother, darling? I would so hate for you to be without a room if you did come to sleep later in the night" I nodded and the Princesses' took their leave of us.
"Really, I would hate to impose on you dear." She said bashfully, looking down.

"Yes, are you sure, Almasy? We would hate to bother you." She yawned followed by Rarity, I laughed lightly causing them to blush.

We chatted for a bit before we headed to my room, Rarity had already passed out so I scooped her up in my arms, Twilight stifled a giggle as we went through the hallways and ended up in front of my

room, I was about to reach into my pocket for my key when Twilight stopped me and pointed to Rarity. I nodded and she grasped the key from my pocket with her magic and opened the door slowly; the room was clean as always and the new fridge was over in the corner. I sighed and looked down at Rarity; she was smiling in her sleep. I chuckled lightly hoping not to wake her up, she stirred a bit but settled right back down. Twilight opened the sheets to the bed and I tucked her and Rarity in and smiled to both of them.

"Sweet dreams girls, have a good night. I'll be outside of the door if you need me." Twilight nodded and thanked me. Rarity just rolled over and sighed in her sleep. It was cute, I won't lie.
I grabbed a pouch of blood from the fridge and slipped it in my pocket. I peeked over to see if Twilight was still up, but she was out like a light. I walked out of the room blowing out the candles and closing the door as quietly as possible. 'Well, this isn't too bad, let's just hope it stays this way.'

I sat on the bench outside of my room, as the hours passed I figured It’d be better to be safe than sorry and looked around. Great, no one in sight. I pulled the pouch of blood from my pocket, I removed the plastic covers from one of the tube and pressed it to my lips I took a small gulp and placed the cover back on the tube slipping it in my pocket. I sighed and saw Princess Luna approach me. I stood and bowed. "Good evening Princess." She smiled and sat across from me.

"Are you alright Almasy, are you not tired?" I shook my head and she nodded. "I'm sorry such a fate has befallen you so shortly after entering our land. If there were any way to reverse it, you know we would." She looked down at the floor and I frowned.

"Princess, don't worry about it. I'm just glad it was me and not some other pony. At least I was able to maintain being me, correct?" She nodded and I smiled. "So to me, there's no harm done, and with the spell you put on me I'm sure I can return to my job soon, if I'm still hired that is." I ended with a warm smile and leaned back to the bench.

"Thou would really want to continue working with the danger you have already faced? I do not know how to rightly thank you for this Almasy, we would be honored to have you continue in our guard." She smiled warmly and I smiled back. "Thank you for not hating us, all of us, Almasy, we truly mean it."

"Think nothing of it Princess. I'm the one who made the pledge to serve you and protect all of your subjects." I nodded to myself and stretched. "So like I said, no harm done. I am still in your
services, although I believe I'm a bit spoiled now. I mean, a room, a set of armor, a weapon of my own, and you accept me even after you find out I was infected with vampirism? You even gave me blood after the fact. I'm just happy you’ve given me a second chance." I finished strong and sighed.

She stood and started down the hallway. "Well it's about time for my sister to raise the sun now, Almasy. I'm going to go sleep, I hope to talk with you again soon." She nodded and I gave a curt nod with a smile.

"Of course Princess Luna, it would be my pleasure." I watched her leave and looked to the window watching the sun rise.

I placed my hand in a beam of light and felt the warmth on my skin; no burning, good sign. I pulled the pouch of blood out of my pocket and finished it quickly burying it in a nearby trash can. As soon as I did, I heard stirring in my room and knocked on the door gingerly, I was greeted by Twilight poking her head out and smiling sheepishly.

"How did you girls sleep last night, any trouble?" She shook her head and yawned.
"I slept quite well for not being in my own room for once. Did you get any sleep Almasy?" I shook my head and she looked at me sadly. I stopped her, "Hey, hey, don't worry about me, I don't feel tired at all, guess that's one heck of a perk, huh?" I smiled and she nodded slowly not taking it to heart, I could tell.

"Is Rarity awake? If so I'll take you down to the hall, I'm sure you can grab some breakfast there." As I said that I heard Rarity yawn a stretch. "Breakfast sounds amazing darling, I'm famished! You honestly don't mind escorting us, Almasy?" I shook my head and laughed lightly.
"You act like I'm doing something amazing. I'm just getting two friends breakfast, no big deal." I said with a smile. They nodded and began following me, I walked through a wave of sunlight and they gasped, but stopped short when they saw it didn't hurt me.

I turned to them and chuckled, "Luna’s spell, remember? I should be golden as long as I keep up with taking my...err...let’s just call it ‘medicine’. That makes it sound a little better." We continued walking and chatted on the way to the dining hall where I opened the doors for them, Rarity giving a nod and Twilight smiling as they walked through. I closed the door after them and took a seat at one of the tables. I guess we’d gotten there early enough to beat the breakfast rush seeing as it was mostly empty, good. I don't feel like making too big of a scene yet.

The girls came and sat across from me and started on their breakfast happily conversing between themselves and finishing quickly. It wasn't a bad way to start a morning. They both thanked me for the meal and I waved them off plucking the bill from both of them. 20 bits, alright, not bad, I reached into my satchel and deposited 20 of them on the table before I gathered their trays and placed them inside of the kitchen.

"So Almasy, how are you feeling today? Are you alright?" Rarity looked up at me with a genuinely caring look. I nodded and smiled and she smiled back. "So what are you girls going to be up to for the rest of the day, anything fun?" I looked towards them and they giggled.

"What...?"

"Oh yes, so fun, Almasy, we're going to be heading home to Ponyville and go back to work." I laughed and they joined in.

Comments

[Wubsy]

Sweet it's finally up. I liked the fact hes not incompetent that's a plus.

[All American]

All American approves of this. Hell, I did the pre-approval, so of course I do.

[AethersLight]

Great beginning for a story.I love it.Thumbs up :).