What Now?

by Q-22

Conversation Prelude

Dear Twilight Sparkle,

I'm pressed for time and am writing this as I'm preparing myself for the rest of the day, so I do hope you'll excuse my tactfulness. I'm sure by now you've heard the chatter about the teleporting unicorn that allegedly launched himself out a window. I'm writing to you specifically to let you know that he is fine and the situation is under control. Luna has assured me that our unexpected visitor is merely lost and just needs some help finding his way home. I do apologize for being vague, but my own knowledge of the situation is limited. As such, it wouldn't be a bad idea for you and your friends to keep the elements at hoof, just in case. I'll send you word of how the situation develops when I can.

Wishing you a pleasant morning, Celestia

...

Well, it was crude, but it would have to do. Celestia had to admit, she didn't like sending messages so early in the morning. If Spike wasn't already awake, well, he was about to be. There was a puff of green flame and the rolled parchment sizzled away. With that out of the way, Celestia returned to brushing her teeth.

Luna suspected their mysterious intruder would be returning sometime around late-afternoon, and had planned to sleep until then. Or, until word of a tall, cloaked, pale unicorn reached the ears of the Royal Guard (and subsequently the Princesses). The Sun Princess herself had only heard the general summary from her sister before she went off to bed, and, while trusting of her sister, did not fully trust the word of a pony whose eyes she had yet to stare into.

If she were to forget Luna's account for a moment, two things seemed most likely. One: a locational mix-up in a botched teleportation spell, or two: an assassin with terrible timing. The cloaked intruder hadn't fought his way out, however, and had put himself in harm's way in order to simply escape. Additionally, the intruder bolted past her sister instead of engaging her in the hallway, after having directly appeared in the throne room after-hours. Any knowledgeable assassin would have seen the fliers and posters regarding Night Court's early dismissal that night, so...

Option one was the most sensible. In the case that the intruder really was an assassin, they weren't very good at planning. Despite the open invitation, Celestia was still taking precautions. More guards stationed and alert, special orders to specific units, hidden tunnels and such being employed, a secure meeting room being put into use, etc. All of that work had to go side-by-side with the rest of the day's duties, making things just a wee bit more stressful for those stuck organizing it all, Celestia included.

The hours whisked on by like a coastal breeze, constant yet wavering in speed. Some tasks took what felt like ages, others passed like tumbling leaves caught in a strong autumn gust. Such were the natures of her bureaucratic duties, equatable to wind speeds under varying conditions. Celestia mused over the analogies, finding renewed amusement in them. She made this comparison once every few weeks.

Every now and then, she'd find extra interest in her handlings regarding the setup and security of the speedily approaching meeting. It was just past noon and things were still being put into place. Certain guard positions needed review, some areas needed to be covered more thoroughly than others, refreshments had to be decided on, backup refreshments needed preparing, etc. Preparations for the best and worst outcomes had to be made, meaning things had to be both comfortable AND under close guard. Still, the comfortable aspect of things was just as important. In a cushy environment like Canterlot Castle, Celestia had found that friends were best made while cozy and relaxed. Well, most of the time. It was hit-or-miss sometimes.

Just then, there was the telltale sound of nervous hoofsteps just outside her study door, followed by a few hesitant knocks.

---

Luna was asleep, snoring under her blankets. Celestia loomed over her with a mischievous grin and a bucket of cold-ish water. Part of this was to wake Luna, the other part was payback for earlier.

---

aSilverTreeSwaysInTheWindsOfInevitability

thegardenneedstending,butthegardenerisverysmall,andthewinnowerisplayingthis

littlegame

ohsoveryseriously

He saw himself, far away, hands pressed like a pyschopath and walking closer.

flowersrustled,hushed,watching

His heels were on the edge of a cliff, an impossible jump, a familiarity. Heights stopped scaring him long ago.

stepscomingcloser,lifetrampled,deadanddyingflowerscrushedunderboot

He saw himself about to speak, about to say something. Head tilted upward, mouth opening.

awe,thegardengaspsinawe

He really didn't want to go through this again, and fell backward, two fingers- one on each hand -raised at himself in the distance. Down he went, expression blank, fingers flipped, and right back into his waking self.

The Guardian lifted his head, yawning slowly before rubbing his eyes with his hooves, opening and blinking them a few times before really processing anything he was seeing.

Still in the nice room with the nice guards and the nice blankets. Mmmhm. Still warm and cozy in one of said blankets, all tucked in on one of the few nice pillows. Mmhm. Ghost chattering excessively somewhere next to his head..? Meh, nothing new. Ghost was smart. He would never keep himself exposed unless he knew it was safe. Ghost was smart. He knew things and opened doors. Smart smart smart-

The Guardian then felt a little bonk on his forehead. It was Ghost, looking at him like he had done something silly.

Across from him (The Guardian, that is) was Luna, looking like she had just gotten out of the shower, and another alicorn of similar but contrasting appearance to the Moon Princess. The Guardian was guessing, on a whim, that the bright, shiny, rainbow-maned sunbutt in front of him was Luna's sister and co-princess, Celestia.

Was he asked something? Should he say hello? Did they really let him sleep???

He looked at Ghost with furrowed brows, as if wordlessly asking for a recap.

"You didn't hear a word of that, did you?", asked Ghost, his mechanical voice teetering between annoyed and amused. It was hard to tell sometimes. The Guardian shook his head no.

"Are you used to this whole 'sleeping' thing yet? Because I'm not used to you sleeping. You're less attentive when you're sleepy." A little sigh from a Little Light. "I could just repeat everything I just said- it really wouldn't be that hard -but I've been out for an uncomfortably long time and would like to return to 'the backpack', if that's possible. Do you two mind filling him in?" Ghost asked the Princesses. The sisters didn't immediately object, and Ghost whisked himself away, disappearing before any objections had the chance to develop. It wasn't meant to be rude, and wasn't taken as such. Ghost really was feeling quite antsy, despite the conversation having put him at greater ease.

Though, it was a conversation that The Guardian had missed thanks to how damned comfy he was. Not that he was complaining about it...

He had to shake himself awake before sitting with his neck straightened, as opposed to his initial sleepy slouchiness, leaning forward a tad since he was still technically lying down. Someone had drawn his hood up while he was out, apparently, and shaking his mane out of his face made it flop back. There was an audible poof when his mane fluffed up, streaking long and floofily.

It was immediately back down in his face, and he blew at it fruitlessly. Hmph. He never had to deal with hair before this, and now he was glad he hadn't. Hair was tricky. Too tricky for day-to-day Guardian-related misadventures. He could never guess how other Guardians went about managing all those complex, interesting hair styles while also constantly putting on and taking off sealed helmets. Blech, he didn't even want to think about it. Having fluffy hair with just a hood was starting to get on his nerves. A little. He did like how it bounced, though. He thought that was fun.

Regardless of his hair- er, mane, he supposed, he had some catching up to do, evidently.

Author's Note:

Some perspective shifts, a short dream, and some wakeup calls. Nothing much, but hopefully something worth reading.

Comments

[Fancy Fox]

black garden dreams? maybe? seems like the garden left an impression, that or his new found dreams are reminiscent of the garden. either way interesting read for sure!

[Dont Forget Me]

Really in love with this so far.

[Alfaridwan Setiabudi]

More please

[deadmemes]

OEM needs to get nerfed

[Professor Litmus]

9935597
# removelukesmith/eververse

[TheStoryWe-ver]

FEAR HIM! FOR HE IS THS SLAYER OF KINGS
FEAR HIM! FOR HE CANNOT BE STOPPED!
FEAR HIM! FOR HE HAS-

He had to shake himself awake before sitting with his neck straightened, as opposed to his initial sleepy slouchiness, leaning forward a tad since he was still technically lying down. Someone had drawn his hood up while he was out, apparently, and shaking his mane out of his face made it flop back. There was an audible poof when his mane fluffed up, streaking long and floofily.

...bead head...
He has bead head...
FEAR THE BEAD HEAD! BEWARE!
...beware...