Chamber Guard

Enjoyable was not what Vigilant would have called the passing two days. The effects of the spell and what exactly he couldn’t say about his new job became evident the moment he returned to his quarters. He didn’t know what he went there to do, it was just something that every guardspony did when he got reassigned, but he realized that he didn’t have to clean anything out, or pack it up. His fellow squad mates bombarded him with questions. Stallions he never spoke to were suddenly very interested in what he reported for. He tried several times to sate their thirst for gossip but found that he was powerless to even say the name of the Chamber Guard. His voice would falter or an imaginary gnat would fly into his throat every time he tried to explain. He quickly made do just by simply saying he had been reassigned, that he had been given two days’ leave, and anxious to take advantage of it. All of it was the truth, yet he couldn’t help feeling guilty for keeping secrets from Argent, one of his few friends in the guards.

As soon as he could shrug out of his armor and stow it, he trotted from the barracks, eager to clear his head. A walk through the palace gardens didn’t help. All of the guards on patrol recognized him, out of the norm. He fled the castle grounds after yet another failed attempt to explain his new status. The grey unicorn wandered deep into the city, letting the flow of the other ponies around him guide his path. He didn’t care where he went. He didn’t even think about his old haunts, anxious to avoid more awkward conversations. He passed one or two of the several mares he had grown quite friendly with, avoiding their eyes and ignoring their invitations to join them for an early evening.

Vigilant knew what was happening. He had seen other ponies go through it before. He was in shock. The hours blended together, his mind in a haze. Nightfall found him stumbling back to the barracks, exhausted. He vaguely remembered grabbing something to eat while out in the city proper, but it was much less than his usual fare. Luckily the palace kitchens were always open for the guards. He must have looked a wreck because the cook’s aides fawned over him quite a bit when he finally navigated his stupor to the smell of food. He caught one or two thinly-veiled invitations from several of the mares to follow them to their rooms and make him feel better. He managed to decline, wonder of wonders, and wandered the grounds back to his quarters.

“The servants moved you out already, Vigil,” Argent was saying through a pillow, even though the other pony was wide awake.

“Wuh... whhuddayamean, moved, out?” Vigilant drawled.

“I mean they came and moved all your stuff. Are you alright Vigil?”

“‘M fine, fine,” he said, blinking bleary eyes at the dark barracks. He swayed in a circle, turning back to the door. “Yahmight wannaget thatdraft... uh, looked at, Argent. Walls’ a-whistlin’ like a changeling’sss, uh, legs... in a hurricane... don’t mind me, nottryin tatellyahhowta... do urjob or anythin...”

“Really?”

A hoof ran into Vigilant’s chest. He glared at it, dumbfounded.

“That’s just the other ponies sleeping. I don’t think you’re fine. You never get drunk, Vigil. What happened?”

The grey unicorn moved his glare from the hoof on his chest to the pony it was connected to. “Hey, I... I’m not drunk, atleast, I don’t rememmerdrinkin’... kinda thirsty actally.”

“Hookay, buddy. Here.” Argent sighed, shouldering the older pony over to his former bed. “You just have a little lay down, and I’ll get you something.”

“MmmMMummm,” Vigilant grumbled. He was out in an instant.

The next morning, Vigilant wished he was dead. It all came crashing back to him, the assignment, the oath, the uncertainty, the looming mystery test. He almost preferred the delerium. He might have wanted to die right then and there when the bugle sounded just before sunrise, but instinct told him to get up and join his squad for morning exercises. They seemed surprised, as he was, that he was there at all. It was supposed to be his day off. He ignored them and focused on the routine instead. Soon he was lost in the movements, working out the aches of having walked all night and sleeping on an empty stomach.

He ran his usual two miles on the oval in the training grounds, working up a pleasant lather and losing his troubles in the beat of his hooves. His muscles were sore but his head was clear and things felt right again. After his run, vigilant decided to be adventurous and try out the full-service ferrier that the guards had. He ever used it before, always more comfortable with doing his own grooming than leaving it to somepony else. He was sorry he hadn’t gone there sooner. He was greeted by two lovely mares, one a soft pink and the other a dusty blonde, and they gave him the best rub-down and curry he had ever had. They balanced, ruffed and shined his hooves and even reshod him with shiny new shoes. They brushed out his mane and tail, trimming them to length and taking out snarls. The best part though, was they didn't ask him questions. The two mares barely spoke at all, they smiled and complimented him, gave him soft instructions on how to care for his mane, but other than that, blessed silence.

Vigilant emerged from the ferrier a few hours later, happy to see that most of the day was already spent. He felt like a new stallion, no longer dreading the coming test. He looked forward to the challenge. Whistling a little tune, Vigilant went to his favorite secluded spot on the castle grounds; the hedge maze. It had been a few months since he wandered its verdant walks and the gardeners were good about changing it every now and then, aided by magic of course. The sign in front of the maze's arched entry described the course, the challenges hidden inside, and the estimated time to complete it. He smirked at the estimate, two hours. He could do it in one.

Bells tolled in the castle clock tower, echoed by others out in the city, farther down the mountain. The maze could wait. He joined up with his squad for their lunch rotation, enjoying their company for a time. Argent was wary at first, having been the only one to see him in his delirious state, but Vigilant put him at ease with a few jokes and friendly conversation. Another hour of daylight spent, Vigilant bade farewell to his squad as they left for their shift of the Watch. It was probably the last time he would see many of them.

Alone again, he trotted back to the maze. With plenty of daylight to burn, he decided to amble through and explore. No rush. His nerves surfaced again, however, as he walked the fragrant, twisting paths. He was already bound by this spell, but they wanted him to take some sort of test. No weapons, no armor, not even a uniform was needed. What sort of test was this? He was expected to be a personal bodyguard to the princesses. Wouldn't they want to see what he could do? Sharp Quill never mentioned what would happen if he failed.

On several occasions, Vigilant intentionally took a wrong turn. Walking through the maze helped, but not as much as he hoped it would. The sun began to set. Vigilant began to worry. He left the maze in a huff, trying to keep his nerves in check. He stopped by the kitchens for a quick bite, then forced himself to walk to the secondary dungeons. As he made his way to the entrance of the rough cut access tunnels to the dungeons, fewer and fewer servants passed him, the walls held faded tapestries, paintings disappeared and metals darkened.

Bright torches hung to either side of the narrow hall he turned down, alternating left and right and spaced to dispel any shadows. As the halls went deeper, the torches grew farther apart and the air turned stale. He thought that the secondary dungeons were only used for storage these days, but the princess had found another use for them apparently. He passed several stout wooden doors, locked with heavy iron latches. His hooves, with their fresh new shoes, rang out at every step, the echoes of his hoof falls bouncing down the corridor.

The narrow, dark passage suddenly ended in a huge vaulted chamber. His hoof steps thundered through the enormous space, nearly covering his surprised intake of breath. Sconces holding blue-flamed torches lined the wall to either side of the opening to the narrow passage and stood in straight rows of tall, wrought-iron stands to the center of the natural cavern. Tiny pinpricks of light winked back at him from the black expanse beyond the glare of the torches. He could make out the outlines of massive stalactites, growing out of a ceiling lost in darkness. Not at all the sight he expected to see.

“Right on time,” a soft voice mused in the gloom.

He looked around for the source but it was hard to tell where it came from.

“Over here, Vigilant.” Sharp Quill stepped into a pool of light from a standing torch to his left, in front of a wide double-door made of heavy timbers. “Your test will begin shortly.” She turned to the huge door and opened a smaller one, just wide enough for one pony to pass through, that was cut into the one on the right. She held it open with a little cloud of rose magic. “Just follow the instructions of your examiner, and everything will be fine.”

Vigilant nodded and ducked through. The door shut solidly behind him and he heard the rasp of metal on metal as Sharp Quill locked it from the other side. It took only a moment for his eyes to adjust to the change in lighting, but he didn’t need to see the room to know that it was special. The air was crisp and fresh, unlike the dry, musty air of the cavern and halls. It was flooded with a soft, ambient light that bathed the room in a glow like moonlight without the harsh shadows and seemed to just be there. The light and air were obviously the work of magic, it wasn’t hard to understand. What froze him and his brain to the spot, however, was the copious distribution of cushions, and satin sheets in the room. They were all different colors, he couldn’t find any two that shared the same hue, and they all looked terribly comfortable. What in Equestria was going on?

“Hello, Vigilant.” An earth pony mare, who had managed to blend in with the cacophony of color amidst the cushions, rose to greet him with a dazzling smile. Her coat was a startling light turquoise that was almost dimmed by her bright amber eyes. She smiled at him through a thin veil of long, blonde hair that fell gracefully over one side of her face like a waterfall of gold. “I am Love Knot, and I’ll be your examiner this evening.”

“Hm, I could have thought your were a unicorn,” he said under his breath.

“Oh? And why is that?”

Vigilant smiled. “I seem to be enchanted.”

Love Knot laughed, a dusky sound that made his ears tingle. “Ahh, what a charmer. Fits your reputation, I must say.”

“Reputation?”

“Yes. I know a lot about you, Vigilant and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t looking forward to our meeting.” She walked past him, giving him a little nudge in the rump with her shoulder. “C’mon, let’s go over here where it’s more comfortable, hm? I need to get a good look at you.”

He let himself be directed to what appeared to be the center of the room. A plush mat on the floor softened his hoofsteps. He was about to quip about how the light was the same in the whole room, but swallowed his remark when it gradually grew brighter the closer to the center they came.

“Hmm...” she said, circling him. “Very handsome...” She stopped at his flank and ran a hoof down his back ever so softly. “Good tone to the croup, excellent line on the back,” the hoof slid back to his tail, “firm dock and well-kept tail.” A pause followed but then she suddenly slipped her hoof under his tail, pressing against the base. He stiffened. “Hm, sensitive are we?”

Vigilant cleared his throat. “Nopony usually touches me there,” he said through his teeth.

“A pity they don’t,” Love Knot replied softly. The hoof slid down farther, then gently lifted one testicle and the other. “Oh, a very nice pair you have here. Good weight, and size, proper reaction to stimuli... a little firm though. Do you discharge very often, in the company of a mare or otherwise?”

Vigilant fought to keep his voice even. “Not as often as some of the other guards do, I suppose.”

“Hmm...” She circled around again, lightly touching him with the tip of her nose on his shoulder and neck. “Firm shoulders, powerful chest a graceful and somewhat defiant arch to the neck,” she got up under his chin, pushing his head up and lightly touching his throat the same way, “warm jaw, healthy sheen to the coat,” she took a deep breath, running her neck along his, “Mmmmm, a pleasant musk... no wonder the mares find you so attractive. But I wonder, how is it that you have managed to go so long without one coming along to put you in her saddle bags?”

Vigilant patiently endured her inspection, it wasn’t much different from physicals he had received from the court doctors, albeit this one was far more... thorough, but her last remark made him narrow his eyes. “When you say you know a lot about me, how much is that?”

She squared herself up in front of him and looked him right in the eye. “Vigilant, twenty-nine years old, cutie mark of an eye with a beam of light issuing forth, relative rarity, high. Guardspony of the Royal Guard for twelve years, member of the Red Banner squad for seven. Perfect record, exceptional scores on all physicals, even got a special note from Prince Shining Armor as being ‘an exemplar of military discipline’. Holder of three commendations and the Iron Shield for distinguished service. Single, was engaged to be married three years ago, but the relationship fell through. Your parents were disowned by their families due to their unsanctioned marriage and an ongoing dispute over their competing businesses. They struggled financially. You have two siblings, a younger brother and sister whom you see perhaps once every five years. You joined the Guard soon after your father lost his business, and still send three fourths of your pay home to help your father pay your mother’s hospital bills and other debts. Your mother died three years ago following a long illness. You are a workaholic, brooder, loner, and something of a hot rod for hire, according to my contacts at your favorite pubs like the “Dancing Bunny” and “The Frog Pebble” though you are nothing close to a heavy drinker. You like creamer in your tea and lemon poppy in your salad. You sleep predominantly on your left side. Your favorite kind of flower is a tulip; favorite color is blue. You are partial to the sound of a lyre, especially when playing the melody from Marezart’s fourth symphony, and when you think you are alone at night, you stare at the sky and recite poems from memory that you dare not put on paper. Have I left anything out?”

Vigilant sniffed, but he broke eye contact. “I don’t think I’m a workaholic, I just like what I do,” he said gruffly.

“Did you know you have left the castle grounds thirty-two times in the past three months?” she asked, tilting her head to the side.

“So what if I have?”

“The average guardspony leaves the grounds one hundred and twelve times in three months.”

“Maybe, but that does--”

“Why did your engagement fall through and why haven’t you sought out a companion since?”

“It didn’t work out, we had more differences than we could recons--”

“She hurt you.”

“What?”

“She hurt you,” Love Knot repeated, stepping closer.

He didn’t know what to say.

“I am a professional breeder, Vigilant. I have many years of experience with helping ponies prepare for, mend, and even recover from, relationships.”

“I don’t see ho--”

“Shhh, you will.” She started slowly walking around him again, a note of pity creeping into her voice. “Most of my clients are the concerned parents of young, eager colts. It is my job to teach them what having a mate means, how they are to behave and how to make love. Others are young couples just starting out who might be a little afraid of their first intimate relationship. I coach them through the process and help them break free of their uncertainty. But far too many times, for only once would be too many, I have helped rehabilitate abused stallions.”

“I’m not... wasn’t abu--”

“That’s what they all say," she whispered into his ear. Her turquoise neck slid along his again in a soft and soothing motion. “She used you, to satisfy her appetites. She led you on, made you think you had something special, when all along, she was waiting for another. She used you to make her real target jealous. She betrayed your trust, wrung your heart, then left you out in the cold. While she went on to a successful marriage, you turned inward. You went back to work, hurting, mortally wounded where bandages can’t bind.”

“She cheated,” Vigilant replied, trying to keep those memories from surfacing. “But I got over it.”

Love Knot sighed a rueful laugh. “No, Vigilant. You didn’t. You have felt your life slipping away. Nothing else seems to matter to you. You fill the void the loss of your mother left with determination, and you cope with the scars she left behind by losing yourself in your work. I know a thing or two about what makes a stallion tick, you know.”

Vigilant pulled away from her, taking a few steps back. “What is this?” he demanded. “Is this part of the test? Are you trying to get a rise out of me?”

She flicked one of her ears and gave him a smokey smile. “Eventually, that is the idea.”

He waved a hoof in front of her. “No, not that, I mean...” He sighed and squeezed his eyes shut. “I mean what does any of this have to do with being part of the Chamber Guard? What does my personal life have to do with protecting the Princesses?”

She blinked at him. “Everything, Vigilant.”

He growled in his throat. “How?”

“You are not to use that tone with me.” The rebuke hit him like a two-by-four to the face. A fire burned behind her brilliant amber eyes, intense and inexplicably terrifying. “The Princesses do not choose Guardians lightly. They have been watching you, thinking about you. They council for many hours about their Guardians. They care a great deal about you, Vigilant, even if you think nopony else does. By extension,” she stepped forward fiercely, making him step back in reflex, “I care about you. I will be more than just your examiner. Over the next few months, based on how you perform after this, I will be your counselor, coach, confidant and custodian. I will get you to a state in which you can best serve your Princesses.”

“That sounds fine,” he said stubbornly, refusing to be cowed by the beautiful mare, “but why go through all the trouble? It’s not like I’ll be making love to any of them. Why does it matter that I ‘recover’ from a bad relationship?”

The fire in her eyes was suddenly extinguished by a wave of mirth. “You notice all of the ants in a line, but fail to see your lunch running away. Open your eyes--open your mind, Vigilant. The Princesses are powerful and they may be nigh immortal, but they still have needs, just like any other mare. They eat, they sleep, they love. The bond you will share with them is what will make you a true Guardian. Love, compassion, loyalty, humility, courage... these are all things that you will need in order to be what you are expected to become. But you will not have them so long as you carry those scars in your heart. Fear, pain, distrust, anger, guilt... as long as you harbor those, you will not rise to your potential.” She reached up to his face, pleading with her eyes. “I want to help you, but you have to let me. I can’t force you to heal.”

He pulled back again. “So I am to join some convenient harem? What makes them different from the one who hurt me, then?”

The fire didn’t flare up as he expected it to, instead, Love Knot laid her ears back, wincing at his remark. “You can’t trivialize it like that. there’s more to it than just filling a physical need.” She tossed her head as if fighting with herself. “Look, I normally don’t tell anypony about what makes the Princesses notice certain stallions, but you should be grateful to them.”

“They have reason enough for respect,” he said, scowling at the wall, “they are our rulers after all.”

He caught her shaking her head from the corner of his eye. “No, Vigilant. This is different from running a country. The Princesses... they watch their servants, they know what goes on in their domain. I can’t really explain it, I don’t understand how they do it, but they do. They saw you were in danger, you were at risk of running yourself into the ground.” She paused, taking a deep breath. “You know what I’m talking about,” she said, not a question. “I can see it in your eyes, hear it in your voice and feel it when you breathe. I have a special talent, Vigilant, and no matter how crazy it may sound, I know when somepony is hurting. I can feel their pain in the same way others feel the warmth of a fire or the cold of ice. Sometimes I can see it like a cloud that hangs over and around them. It’s like a disease, it doesn’t always heal with time, usually, it gets worse. You have been strong and courageous...” She approached him again.

He let her come near, he could smell her scent wafting to him on little currents of air, feel the warmth of her body on his face and neck.

“...you don’t have to be alone,” she whispered, peering into his eyes. “If you don’t do something now, your pain will kill you. The Princesses want to save you, Vigilant. All that is expected in return, is a life. One to live, and if necessary, one that you would give for them. But with all of their powers and all of my gifts, we can’t help you until you want to live.”

Vigilant relaxed a little, lowering his head and letting her put her face up against his. “What do I need to do?”

She closed her eyes. “Love me.”

“I don’t know if I can.”

She nuzzled him just behind his cheek, sending little shivers down his spine. “I’ll help you.” She turned, running her side up against his neck, all the way down to her tail which she lifted to stroke his chest as she passed.

The stallion felt his heart quicken. His nostrils flared and he took an almost involuntary deep breath, drinking in the full of her scent. With her back to him, she walked to the center of the room, flicking her tail and giving him glimpses of her engorged vulva.

She turned her head to look at him through her golden mane. “I’m here for you, Vigilant.” A flick and a wink, and not with her eye.

Vigilant swallowed hard, his tongue suddenly dry. “I... it’s been a long time, since... I don’t know if I can really trust anypony again,” he babbled, stepping forward. He tried to control his breathing, but all he wanted to do was fill his lungs with her smell. She took a step backward, making him run into her, the heat of her vulva and expressed clitoris pressed into his chest. His eyes started watering and his head became light, so strong was her scent.

“You need this,” she told him, slowly bending her forelegs. “I can feel all that tension you have built up inside, the fear. I know it’s hard for you to trust me, we’ve only just met, but all I can do is promise,” she angled her hips up, ever so slightly, rubbing herself against him, “that I’m safe, that I won’t hurt you.” Down came her hips again, slowly stroking his chest. “You can do it, Vigilant,” she whispered. “Let go...”

He felt like his whole body was vibrating. If he didn’t release that tension, he was going to snap like a frayed rope. Vigilant reared up on his hind legs, catching a triumphant smile from Love Knot as she braced for his mounting. As he shifted his position, his member, fully extended, rubbed against her teats and clitoris, making her quiver with every movement.

“Don’t tease," she practically moaned.

“I... still don’t know... why mounting you, is supposed to help... anything,” he huffed.

She sighed. “It will help, and we aren’t leaving this room until I’m satisfied that you’ve worked out most of that tension, understand?”

“Yes ma’am.” He punctuated the last word with a hard thrust. Her gasp was deeply satisfying.