Moon and Stars

by keelekingfisher

Chapter 8 - The Changing of the Guard

“We had another proposal today.”

“Oh yes?” Eagerly, Luna encouraged her sister - it seemed like the first time in months that she’d heard a genuine, cheeky joy in her voice.

“Dominus, one of your Night Guard. He told us that we are ‘beautifully radiant, like the golden ocean beneath the sunset.’”

And the eagerness left, replaced by a pang of jealousy; since overthrowing the Spirit, Celestia had received dozens of marriage proposals from hopeful mares and stallions, all of which she’d turned down. And Luna would absolutely do the same, yet it still hurt that she hadn’t received one. And the idea that one of her hoof-picked guardians of the dark would ask Celestia over her? Honestly, that hurt.

“We considered accepting,” Celestia continued, apparently unaware of Luna’s poor mood. “To start a true dynasty, many foals to manage this new land. You could even retire then, sister, let someone else overtake your duties. But we decided that a thestral-alicorn foal would be a strange thing, so decided against it.”

That was her reason? And Celestia wanted her children to rule, with Luna ‘retired’? Luna closed her eyes and breathed deeply, only opening them again when she felt like her voice wouldn’t tremble.

“Forgive us, sister, the night is young and we have many duties to attend to.”

“What is wrong with you, Luna?” Celestia’s swiftly-changing tone made Luna pause. “What is it, jealousy that your thestrals prefer the sun to the moon?”

“We do not-”

“Sometimes we worry for your fitness to rule.”

Luna left the room at that, gritting her teeth and bucking the door closed with far more force than necessary.

---

The Equestrian military is a relatively simple system, with three branches. First and most prominent among them is the Royal Guard, those gold-armoured ponies who can be seen almost everywhere throughout Canterlot, and the closest thing to a true army in the peaceful land, with a few regiments stationed in areas of particular importance elsewhere in Euqestria. Next are the Night Guard, clad in dusky purple armour and the chosen soldiers of Princess Luna. They are few in number, but the very best of the best, each specifically selected by the Princess and trained to handle the most volatile and dangerous situations all throughout Equestria. And the third, much less centralised branch is the Town Guard. Each major settlement has its own branch, usually directly descended from a local militia, in armour of a different design, acting as a form of local constabulary. While they are overseen by the Royal Guard, and blessed by the Princess, each branch of the Town Guard mostly functions independently.

In truth, with the peacefulness of Equestria, the role of the Royal Guard is almost entirely ceremonial. Luna found herself watching one such ceremony from a high window of the castle, watching the Guards move like shimmering ants throughout their elaborate ceremony. It was the changing of the Guard, performed on the first Monday of each month, when the Guard were rotated to different positions around the city. It was all pomp and ceremony, all perfectly straight legs, polished uniforms, and almost-meaningless shouts, but it was an old tradition, and one that Luna didn’t overly mind.

Typically, promotions were also done during the changing of the Guard, but that wasn’t Luna’s duty - outside of special circumstances, Guardsponies would have their new stripes and medals pinned on by their direct superior, accompanied by a lot of salutes and shouting. No, Luna had something more important to do today and, glancing up at her clock, she realised that it was time to set off to it.

During major ceremonies like this, there were almost no Guards within the rest of the castle, only the barest skeleton crew to keep an eye out for any intruders, a duty which had become more prestigious in the few months following the changeling infiltration. It was among this skeleton crew that Luna found the one she was seeking, standing as the sole guard of the castle’s small southeast wing.

“White Star?”

“Ma’am!” The Guardsmare saluted smartly. She was a unicorn, on the shorter side, with a dappled, grey coat and a silvery mane. Her cutie mark was as simple as her name, a black-bordered, white, five-pointed star.

“At ease. And walk with me, if you please.” Luna had already set off by the time she finished that last remark, and the unicorn had to break into a trot to catch up to the Princess as she walked into the southeast wing. It was an area that was primarily reserved for diplomatic guests, small yet pleasant bedrooms and living areas lining the corridors. “I am informed that you’ve faced disciplinary action recently.” A moment of pause. “You may speak freely and without the reservations of protocol for the duration today, White Star.”

“Yes, ma’am.” The unicorn said, her ears drooping.

“I have to admit, the report in your file was rather more colourful than most. ‘A stunningly bold dereliction of duty’ were your commanding officer’s exact words. Can you tell me why you did this, from your perspective?”

“Would… you’re sure that I can speak freely, your highness?”

“I always appreciate honesty.” They’d reached the end of the wing, where it opened up onto the gardens. A pleasantly cool breeze and the distant sounds of the ceremony drifted through the open doors, and Luna gestured for the Guardsmare to sit on one of the benches beside it, the Princess occupying the other.

“Well… it was the day when the whole Guard had been dealing with the statue crisis. The Captain had me patrolling the south edge of Canterlot, overlooking the Everfree. Which meant that I saw you fly by, ma’am, and your student. And I saw the, well, the explosion. I’d already figured out that something was going on in Ponyville, and I didn’t join the Guard to let innocent ponies from small towns get caught in a crisis, so, uh, I went to help.”

“Why do I get the feeling that you’re leaving out a crucial detail there?”

Looking more ashamed by the second, the unicorn looked down at the floor. “I requisitioned a civilian sky-chariot taxi to take me to Ponyville to help. While my commanding officer was shouting at me to stay behind.”

“I see. And what was the aftermath of that?”

Her body drooped even more. “Four months unpaid leave, demotion, mandatory retraining, no chance of promotion for two years, and forbidden from all ceremonies for one year.”

“My, that is quite the punishment.” White Star nodded sadly. “Would you do it again?”

“If you want me to be honest, Princess?” The unicorn looked up, a sudden hardness in her light blue eyes. “Yes. No matter how many times I said I wouldn’t during the retraining, I would. I got into this career to protect ponies, and fighting monsters is better protection than looking for lost statues.” Luna’s expression was neutral, and the Guard sagged again. “And this is where you tell me that I’m a terrible Guardsmare and to hand in my armour. I’m sorry, Princess.”

A long pause, the distant shouts faded now, the pair only accompanied by the sound of the gardens’ birds.

“Would you like to join the Night Guard?”

White Star looked up, mouth agape and eyes wide, as the Princess’ face slowly split into a grin. “Would I what!?”

“Would you like to join the Night Guard?” Luna repeated patiently, before her tone became teasing. “You know, purple armour, spooky looking, those chaps?”

“I, uh, I’m banned from promotion.” Star sputtered out the first thing that came to mind.

“Well, that’s easy, it’s not a promotion, more of a lateral move. Of course, many ponies see it as a promotion, but that’s strictly untrue. So I’m sure that I won’t be getting in trouble with your commanding officers.”

“But I’m… you’re… this is… Um, I’m not a very good Guard.” Star finally managed to admit.

Luna looked around thoughtfully for a few seconds, watching a jay land just outside the door and look curiously up at her. “Perhaps not. But you are compassionate, caring, and protective, with a strong heart and sense of morals, and a greater love of protecting ponies than of ceremony. Which are not typically the traits of ponies I simply dismiss outright. They are traits of some of my favourite Night Guards, though.” Luna winked, and White Star’s head swam with confusion and a faint embarrassment. “Take as long as you’d like to think on it, the offer won’t be rescinded any time soon. Just knock on the door of my tower when you’ve made up your mind. Now, I’ve kept you for long enough, I should let you return to your post. Speak again soon, White Star.” With the effortless grace of near-infinite practise, Luna stood and stretched her wings in one smooth motion. She stepped out into the gardens, breathing in a lungful of fresh air as she readied to take off into flight.

“Princess!” White Star shouted, in a way that’d doubtless get her disciplined again if her commanding officers knew, but made Luna turn back to face her. “What, er, what if I’ve already made up my mind?”

A half-smile crept onto the Princess’ face. “Then I’d tell you to meet me at the castle smithy at sunset, White Star.” And with one last smile, Luna took off elegantly into the afternoon sky.

---

“I suppose my first question would be, um, what my responsibilities are?” White Star was standing in the stifling heat of the castle’s blacksmith, not helped by the warmth of this recent autumn. “I mean, I’ve, uh, seen Night Guard before, but they’re always so secretive.”

The Princess, who had reached the smith’s workshop not five minutes after White Star, smiled kindly. “Your duty, in short, would be to protect Equestria. How you think that can best be done is your prerogative.”

White Star frowned deeply. “I won’t be assigned a station?”

“Don’t fret, my dear, I won’t just send you off into the world with no idea what to do.” Luna touched her shoulder, and the Guardsmare flinched, unsure of how to react to such affection from her ruler. “You’ll be receiving specialist training, if you do wish to join the Night Guard, but what I mean to say is that you don’t stand on ceremony. You hear of danger in Manehatten? Go to Manehatten, without waiting to submit transfer requests to your commanding officers or anything like that. The Night Guard are my eyes, ears, and hooves, and I trust them to govern themselves.”

“Um, Night Guard don’t have commanding officers?”

“No, all of my Night Guard are equal, and answer only to me. Of course, I’d hope that you will cooperate with each other and treat the other Guards with respect, but it is a sign of the trust I’ve placed in you. Ah, and here are the ponies we’ve been waiting for.”

Star craned her neck around to watch the three ponies who walked into the room. A dark-coated unicorn and thestral, both mares, and both looking old enough to be Star’s grandmother, followed by a young thestral stallion (barely more than a colt), with a light pink coat and weighed down by a large, wooden crate.

“Majesty.”

“Highness.”

“Ma’am.” The three all greeted the Princess with a casualness that would’ve got Star booted right out of the Royal Guard, but Luna merely smiled at them.

“White Star, these are my personal smiths, Ember Light and Unyielding, and their apprentice, Alloyed Helm.” The mares nodded politely to her, the colt grunting something from under his heavy load, which he was currently carrying to the nearest forge and anvil with increasingly shaky legs. “White Star here is our newest prospective Night Guard recruit. I’d greatly appreciate it if you could make a start on her new armour tonight. I would love to stay and catch up, but I’m afraid Raven would have my head if I didn’t get started on our paperwork for tonight, so I shall have to speak with you later.” Flashing each of them another smile, Luna left the forge room, just as Helm was firing up one of the forges.

“You’re feeling a bit lost, aren’t you?” Unyielding, the thestral mare asked.

“It’s that obvious?”

“Don’t worry, we all feel that way at first - the big mare has a habit of dropping new recruits right in at the deep end.”

The big mare? That’s what Star thought, but she said; “You’re Night Guard?”

“Retired Night Guard.” She explained. “Once you reach my age, you can’t really run around saving the world any more. Come, we should sit down, save my knees. Helm, unpack the armouring kit and the measures.”

“Yes, miss.” The colt replied, still breathless, as the three mares sat on low stools around a simple wooden table, the smiths grunting and complaining about the seats having got lower as they sat.

“First things first, don’t worry: the Night Guard’s one big family, and you’ll definitely be looked after once you meet the others. It’ll be months of training before you’re out on duty, so you’ll do fine.” There was a colossal crash of falling metal, and Unyielding stood, raising her voice. “Curse it, boy! That equipment’s thrice your age!”

“He tries, bless him.” Ember Light, the unicorn, smiled after the other mare as she left, before levitating a book over and facing White Star. “Now, what my lovely Guard was going to say is that we’re going to measure you up for and start making your Night Guard armour tonight.”

“Can you not just use my old armour?”

“Oh no, this is much different, Night Guard armour has a completely different set of enchantments. That’s my speciality, the enchantments, Unyielding makes the actual armour.” She opened the book, a somewhat messy sketchbook, to a page detailing magical diagrams far beyond White Star’s understanding. “It’s as protective as Royal Guard armour, of course, but it should feel even more lightweight and it’s almost completely silent to move around in. You’re not a thestral, so I’ll enchant the helmet to give you night vision capabilities, and it can somewhat enhance your unicorn magic abilities as well as slightly increasing your physical strength.”

“Wow.”

“It took me a full two decades to refine the magical matrices to get all these enchantments in one suit. You wouldn’t believe the black market value of a Night Guard armour set. And I appreciate the practise - it’s mostly thestrals and pegasi in the Night Guard, so I don’t get to do the unicorn enchantments too often.”

“Excuse me, ma’am, I need to take your measurements.” White Star stood for the young thestral, letting him take her various measurements with some very aged, very specialist tools.

“Once we have your measurements, you can head off. It’ll probably take a couple of weeks to have the suit all ready. And I’m sure you’ve had a very long day.”

Star was inclined to agree and, once her measurements were taken, she went back to her dorm room and, though she hadn’t felt too tired, she was asleep the moment her body hit the mattress.

---

There were countless rooms like this one in Canterlot Castle, simple side rooms that nobody would ever think about unless they needed to be there, and it was in one of these that White Star found herself that day. It was like a miniature meeting room, a small table and two chairs, only really able to be used for small-scale, private meetings like this one. She had been waiting for about ten minutes, alone except for the distant ticking of a clock, when the pony she was meeting came in, weighed down by many a bag.

“Sorry I’m late,” they said, almost kicking the other seat over with a bulging saddlebag. “I got caught up at the station. The late trains never used to be this busy.” They were a thestral mare with a dusky blue coat and white-streaked mane, and noisily shrugged off their many bags in the corner of the room (really, they took up about a third of the room) and stretched out their bat wings. “And my carriage got stuck in the valley at Tall Tale, so I was already having to take a later train. Got slightly lost going through the city as well. But I am here now. So hello.” She smiled brightly, slumping into her seat, and extended a hoof.

“I’m White Star. You must be Argent Spear.” She said, shaking her hoof.

“That I am!” She had friendly, sparkling, silver eyes. “And you’re our new baby Night Guard! Always lovely to see.”

Argent Spear was a long-serving member of the Night Guard, and one who’d eagerly volunteered to help with bringing Star into the fold. She had her eccentricities, but it seemed that pretty much all of the Night Guard did, none of them acting anything like the professional, ceremonial members of the Royal Guard. This was definitely going to be a very different career path compared to her former one, that much was very clear, but she was very excited for it.

Her commanding officers hadn’t taken the news very well, she suspected - they’d all gone very, very quiet, and given her a look like she was about to get yelled at. The yelling didn’t progress beyond vague growls, before they hissed their congratulations and dismissed her. Technically, from what she’d read, she outranked them now, which would doubtless irritate the ponies who’d banned her from any promotions.

“So, to business,” the batpony rummaged in one of her many bags. “We don’t exactly have a standardised training regime for the Night Guard, but there’s a few points that I’d like us to cover in the next few months. You’re former Royal Guard, which is good, that training will serve you well, but there’s a few things that we’ll need to add onto it - some advanced combat training, stealth, negotiation. Do you have your armour yet?”

“The, uh, the smiths said it’d be ready at the end of the week.”

“That’s good, that’s fine, once it’s ready the big mare will want to take you to get measured up for your dress uniform herself, but you and I can work on getting used to it.”

“You’ll, um, you’ll be handling all my training?”

“If you want me to! This is the wonderful thing about the Night Guard, if you don’t want me to train you, you’re totally free to just walk away and find someone else. Or go off and try to figure it out alone, but I know you’re cleverer than that. But yes, I’ve volunteered to look after you and do all your training. I’m on castle duty next month anyway, so it all works out.”

“Castle duty?”

“One month out of the year, maybe every two years, her majesty will ask you to guard the castle overnight. It’s a lot less formal than the Royal Guard stuff, and it’s rare that anything ever happens, but it seems to put her mind at ease. And if you’re in the middle of something else, she’s always fine with you saying no. Any more questions before you get started?”

“Not, uh, not exactly, I’m just…” Spear apparently saw the nervousness in Star’s eyes, and gestured kindly for her to go ahead. “Erm, well, it’s all thestrals. I feel a bit… alienated?”

“Your family’s all unicorns?”

“Yes. We’re old Canterlot stock.”

“Family doesn’t care about tribe.” Argent Spear leaned across the table and patted White Star’s shoulder. “And the Night Guard’s one big family. You won’t be worried about feeling alone after a big reunion, that’s for sure. I understand why you’re worried, but I promise it’ll work out.”

Slightly reassured, White Star nodded. “Then I guess I just want to know when to get started.”

“That’s the spirit! Come on, I’ll take you through some of the literature, and then I can try and get a feeling of what you already know.”

---

“Come on, Star! Just a little more!”

White Star gasped, wheezing and so exhausted that she couldn’t think about anything other than the sheer ache in her bones. The rain was pouring, a welcome relief, and she was fairly sure that she’d been running for hours, Argent Spear flying alongside her. She had been trained hard by the Royal Guard, but several months in, the brutality of the Night Guard’s training regime still astonished her. She stared down at the ground, hoping that there was nopony in the streets to run into, and waiting for Spear to tell her that her run was done.

“Hold on there, girl!” The voice came through the ringing of her ears, and Argent stopped in the street in front of Star. It took a few moments for the unicorn to force her tired legs to stop and, once they did, she collapsed onto her side.

“How… I… Did I?”

Argent Spear helped the younger mare to stand, sheltering her with one leathery wing. “White Star, you’ve just run the entire circumference of Canterlot without stopping. I think it’s safe to say that you did.” She pressed a bottle of cold water to the unicorn’s face, and she drank greedily.

“I did it.” White Star wheezed, acutely aware of the ache in every one of her muscles.

“You’re at peak physical fitness. Tartarus, you’re better than I was when I was your age! Come on, let's get you back to the dorms and get some food in you.”

“Argent?”

“Yes, honey?”

“Hate you.”

“I did give you the option to say no!”

“Still hate you.”

The thestral supported the unicorn as they walked back to the castle, half-collapsing through the side entrance out of the rain, a patrolling Guard that White Star vaguely recognised moving to assist her.

“We’ll get you some food, honey, then you can get a good, long nap. We’re so close to the end now!”

White Star had been training with Argent Spear for just over two months now, and the kindly thestral had pushed her incredibly hard, several times dangerously close to a breaking point. As a Night Guard, White Star would be operating completely alone much of the time, so she needed to be completely self-sufficient, which meant that she needed to be able to fight several assailants or run an incredible distance with no guarantee of backup. That was in addition to deeper education in magical techniques, investigation, and diplomacy, that had left her feeling mentally exhausted.

But in the evenings (her body had gradually shifted to an almost entirely nocturnal circadian rhythm, the same as the Princess’ and common to most of the Night Guard), when she woke up and looked at herself in the mirror, she realised that she was strong, in a lithe way, and had a confident look on her face. Even her slight stammer had faded over time.

“Spear?” She whispered as they made it to Star’s dorm room, the unicorn resisting the urge to simply collapse.

“Yes, honey?”

“I’m ready.”

A slight pause. “You know what, I think that you are.”

She hadn’t started her service with the Night Guard yet - apparently, she’d begin after a special ceremony with the Princess, only when she felt that she was ready to protect Equestria. And after all these months, she felt ready.

“Tomorrow, first thing in the evening, go straight to the Princess’ tower, and knock on her door. Tell her that you’re ready. And we’ll get you inducted.”

---

Many ponies milled under the moonlight in the castle’s central courtyard. It was a common ground for Royal Guard ceremonies and rituals, but this wasn’t the kind of thing that it was used to: rather than standing in neat rows, they milled around in a friendly way, chattering and socialising, and, while some wore armour, and some wore dress uniforms, some were simply dressed like regular civilians. There were perhaps two hundred in that courtyard, a majority of the Night Guard, and the atmosphere was that of a quiet party, perhaps a family reunion, aside from with one pony.
“Calm down, honey, you’re not going to get into a fight.” Argent Spear soothed, but White Star hissed.

“This is the most important night of my life.” She had spent hours organising her Night Guard dress uniform, a deep purple, almost black garment with silver trim, making sure it was perfectly starched and neat, though it looked empty without the rank insignias or medals.

“I know. But that doesn’t mean that it has to be miserable, does it?”

White Star didn’t have a chance to reply, instead drawing herself up to her full height as a massive, winged figure came down into the courtyard, to a chorus of cheers and greetings from the gathered Night Guard.

“Well hello, my friends!” Luna exclaimed as the Night Guard quieted down, a genuine smile plastered onto her face. “Goodness me, it is good to have a reason to have you all gathered in one place. I look forward to this night’s celebrations, and the reunion with all of my beloved friends, but I think we should attend to the business of the night first. White Star,” the Princess’ eyes met the unicorns, and she tensed even more. “Step forward, please.”

Luna stood in the centre of the courtyard, and a fair clearing had emerged around her. Many Night Guard had taken to wing to get a better view of the Princess and the unicorn who stood nervously before her.

“White Star. Many months ago, I invited you to join my Night Guard, to become one of my most trusted soldiers. Do you still wish to take on this burden?”

There was no protocol for what to say now, like there had been in the Royal Guard. Still, she knew what to say. “Yes.”

“Do you promise to dedicate your life to the protection of Equestria and its citizens, against any threats from within or without?”

“Always.”

“Do you promise to be my eyes, ears, and hooves, to trust me and your fellow Night Guard with your life and wellbeing?”

“Of course.” These were tears in her eyes, and Luna reached out and placed one hoof on the unicorn’s shoulders. “It would be a great honour.”

“No, my dear, it would be an honour to have you as a friend and confidant.” Luna beckoned to the crowd, and the two old smiths stepped out, carrying a spear between them. “Since before the tribes became one, those who guarded the night have borne spears against the monsters of the dark. This is your spear.” It was custom made, a beautiful piece of smithing, dark metal decorated with white edges, the tip itself shaped similarly to her cutie mark. “It is a weapon, a badge of office, and a burden. Hang it alongside your cloak, and when the world needs protecting, it will call you to take it up. I hope that you will never need to touch it. Will you bear this burden?”

“I will.” Hesitantly, she took the strangely beautiful piece of artistry in her magical aura. It was heavy, though she didn’t know how much of it was its construction, and how much of it was the metaphorical significance. The smiths smiled widely at her.

“And now,” the solemnity vanished as quickly as it came, and the smile returned to the Princess’ face. “Let me be the first to say welcome.” An uncoordinated wave of welcomes travelled through the gathered crowd, and White Star blushed as they clapped and stomped their hooves. “And to all of my Night Guard, tonight is yours. Relax, eat, drink, be merry. The night is young, and I hope that we may spend it together.”

It turned out, White Star swiftly learned, that the Night Guard knew how to party. Alcohol was freely offered to her, and she was introduced to many individuals who were immediately friendly to her, it was like some odd family reunion, the kind where you met uncles and aunts who apparently knew you, but you couldn’t remember. She was sleepy and full, leaning on her new spear for support, despite the ceremony ending barely an hour ago, when the messenger came to the Princess.

“What is it?”

“Missive from the Sentinels, your majesty.” The pegasus wheezed, handing her the scroll and flying away again. The Princess broke the wax seal, and White Star saw her brow furrow as she read it.

“What is it, Princess?”

“Something interesting.” She rolled the scroll up tight, and raised her voice. “Friends, I am afraid I must call on your services sooner than I thought. The north has awoken!”

Comments

[ARandomLonelyDude]

The chad lunar guard vs the virgin king Sombra

I place my bets on the chads.

[keelekingfisher]

10993842
Thanks so much for all the feedback! I'm really glad you've found the fic and that you're enjoying it.

[KvAT]

10993032
Chad "I will send my soldiers against the Dark King" Luna vs virgin "Twilight can do it" Celestia