Return of the Lunar Guard

by DroshinNote

One more night at home

Boot camp was, in one short words, Tartarus. Dusky wisp, Or Dusky as his friends called him, shivered at the thought of going back to that damned camp. He knew that boot camp was a required part of being part of the guard, but that didn’t mean he had to like it. It didn't help that since the reformation of the Lunar guard Luna herself had been hoof picking the hardest, meanest, and all together scariest ponies to train her recruits. Dusky wondered if the training was as hard for the Lunar recruits who were trained after Luna’s return from the moon. Comparatively the Dusk guard, Princess Twilight's guard, had it quite easy. Well, as easy that boot camp could be anyway.The Dusk guard became Equestria’s newest version of Celestia’s Royal guard after the retirement of the sisters. Though Luna had decided that that retirement was not for her apparently.

The dusk guards were first and foremost trained in group exercises and techniques. And while this does make for a quite effective unit, they tended to do less training for the individuals body. This meant less push ups, less one on one sparing, almost no 10 mile sprints, and so on. Luna’s lunar guard on the other hoof specializes in this particular field. This means that while they do train in squad exercises, each lunar guard was trained to be a one pony army. His instructor, Sargent Wire, would often say “A well put together team is effective. But a team put together of ponies who are as effective as 3 teams can be down right destructive.”

Either way, it was over now and Dusky had completed boot camp, and had his little graduation. Tomorrow he was being shipped out to wherever the Guard needed him. He sighed as he reached his front door, glad to be home. Quietly he retrieved his house key from a pocket located on his belt that held the tight, light-weight metal armor onto his pelt. After some trial and error he finally got the key in the hole and twisted. After a soft click he slowly pushed the door open and stepped into his house, careful not to wake his mother who was probably fast asleep by now. At Least he hoped she was.

“There is still time to drop out you know... A lot of ponies decide not to go on their last night. I mean you’ll be fined but you can stay here, safe and sound.” He heard the voice of his mother, Evening Brew, coming from the kitchen as he closed the door. Apparently he wasn’t going to be that lucky tonight. “The guard is dangerous, you know. You're father wouldn’t approve.” Dusky couldn’t help but cringe a bit at the reference of his missing father. His mother never did tell him where his father was, just insisted that he didn’t abandon them. He sighed and entered the kitchen to find his mother who was putting the last touches on two steaming cups of hot cocoa, completed with a good amount of whip cream and some cinnamon sprinkled on top. Walking over to the table on the far side of the room, he took a seat and unlatched the helmet.

“Maybe not, though we would know for sure if he was actually here.” His mother stopped for a moment looking like she wanted to say something, but quickly let it go and sat on the other side of the table, sliding his cup over to him. He took a nice long look at his mother after slipping off his helmet. She was a dark blue unicorn, with a gray mane and eyes. Her hair wasn’t the longest and it wasn’t the straightest, curling slightly towards the ends. She was tall for a mare, but that was OK, that’s probably where he got his height from. Taking a good look he realized just how tired she looked. “Mom... You know I’ll be fine right? Equestria is safer than it has ever been thanks to Princess Twilight. Most of our surrounding nations are counted as friends, and those who aren't would dare attack a nation with so many allies. Crime rates have been going down for years. Besides all I’m going to do is fly around at night, using my bird's eye view to look out for trouble. And even if i DO see something I’m only supposed to alert the other guard in the area so that they-” he stopped dead in his tracks by an irritated glare from his mother.

“Dusky, don’t you dare tell your mother to stop worrying about her son. Besides... look at that” She pointed over towards a mirror hanging on a nearby wall. After a glance over at his mother he gave a small huff and looked into the mirror and stared. He saw himself, a dark blue pegasus with a light blue mane, freckles and eyes to match. His mane was chopped short so that his hair wouldn’t spill out of the front of his guard helmet. “That, right there is one of the most important things in my life.”

“The mirror?” He cocked his head and blinked a few times before he heard his mother sigh.

“I can’t tell if your joking or just overly tired from training. I mean you, you numbskull” She said with a small and sad smile. “Look, just... just be careful OK? I’m not going to stop worrying and I’m going to want letters whenever you get the chance.” She inspected the cocoa in front of her for a moment before blowing on it and lifting it with her hoofs, giving a small sip. As she lowered the cup he couldn’t help but wonder how she didn’t get any of the whip cream from the chocolate treat on her face “I won’t say I approve, but you are old enough to decide what to do with your life.”

Dusky couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. His mother had hated the idea of joining guard for some time. Even if the only reason he wanted to was the opportunity of free schooling offered to those who serve a few years under the service of the crown. A perk of the guard that was heavily advertised after Princess Twilight took the throne. After a moment he relaxed himself and picked up his own cup.

For now he wouldn’t question why his mother had come around. He wouldn’t question why she was so against it in the first place. Instead he would enjoy his last night at home, sitting here with his mother, enjoying a nice cup of hot cocoa with Luna’s moon shining through a nearby kitchen window. A nice moment to remember once he is sent away to serve his country.

Author's Note:

Welp this is a story now. Let's see if i can keep up some updates!