Luna's Shadow
Chapter One
Buckin' Around
"Get back here!" The unicorn shouted at the fleeing thief.
"You'll never catch me alive!" The fleeing bast- thief, shouted back.
"That... ah... can be arranged if you don't STOP!" The unicorn paused mid-sentence, gasping for air.
By Luna's Grace this stuff is heavy! He thought, his Royal Canterlotian Lunar Guard Armor clanking loudly as he galloped after the thief. The fact that the thief was faster as a whip didn't help. Also, every time he had tried to use his magic, the thief had simply cancelled it out with his own. The two had been weaving through the back alleyways of the city for the better part of the night, neither of them keen on giving up. Their chase had them slowly approaching the now silent construction yard which was soon to be the new Canterlot Museum of Modern Art, and the thief was quickly making his way up one scaffolds. The guard wondered as to why he would come to such a place to escape. He soon saw it. A thin plank leading over a huge gap in between the construction and the residential rooftops of Canterlot.
Can't.... Let... Him..... Get away! The guard mentally chanted, putting on a boost of speed.
The guard arrived right as the thief was halfway across the board. He slowly extended a hoof, and winced as the board gave a low groan in response. I could just knock the board down... He thought, and then dismissed the idea. The captain would be angry if he hurt somepony. Ah well.... Just have to tempt fate... He thought, as he extended his hoof and placed it on the board, ignoring the protests of the wood itself.
Blitz groaned every time he took a step. Maybe that wasn't the best idea... He thought. Sure he had caught the thief, but the fall had still been painful. While his armor had cushioned his fall, it had done nothing for the thief that had almost crushed him. Said thief was currently trussed up, and being dragged behind Blitz. Unconscious, of course. Needless to say, he got a few stunned stares as he limped through the castle towards the dungeon. Thankfully though, he had managed to return the stolen item to it's proper owner. The item in question? Some hat that belonged to a pony that wasn't even from Canterlot. She did give him a basket of apples for his troubles, though. In his book, that made up for it. What was her name again.....? Turnipback? Nah... He attempted to remember. She wasn't even from Canterlot, so it's not like it matters... He shrugged as he finally dragged the Thief's body to his cell, where Blitz managed to summon up enough energy to chuck the him inside. He groaned, a familiar pain growing in his forehead, right behind his horn.
And a headache. Could tonight get any worse? He thought.
"Blitz! There you are! The captain wants to speak with you." Blitz spun, just to see another of the nightguard standing at the bottom stairs that led out of the dungeon.
FFFFFUUU-
"Now get out of my sight you miserable excuse of a Guard!" The captain shouted, before shoving the unicorn out of the room. As if that wasn't humiliating enough, the door slammed into his flank, propelling him farther into the hall. Blitz rubbed at his right eye with one of his hooves, already feeling the area swell.
Was it necessary to hit me? Hall Duty's bad enough! He thought glumly, as he limped away from the door. What was even causing him to do that? Had he sprained something? Anyway, Hall Duty. He groaned. Even if he did have a sprain, it was nothing compared to.... that. You see, Hall Duty was exactly what it is called, and is normally saved for punishment of a guard who had screwed up. Usually he had Hall Duty every two weeks, less than that if the Captain was in one of his moods. It was where the guard in question was to stand all night in front of the Princess Luna's Room. All night. Standing there. Nothing else.
You can't even have snack breaks! Blitz thought, making a mental list of everything that was wrong with Hall Duty. The next few days were going to just be terrible.
He soon returned to his small home, his leg beginning to feel much better than it had, but he still felt sore and tired. Blitz sat upon his doorstep and looked back at the castle. His home might be slightly lacking, but this, this made up for it. He watched as the morning sun and it's plethora of colors began to peek above the massive structure. He sat there for a while, simply enjoying the rays of the sun, before smiling and heading inside. Once inside, he used a small amount of magic to get his armor off, letting the heavy pieces of metal simply clank upon the wooden floor. He would pick them up later. Maybe. Probably not.
A quick nap.... Then maybe some breakfast. He thought, the idea of food very much appealing to him. A low growl could be heard throughout the room, emanating from his gut. Maybe breakfast now... He decided, turning towards his kitchen. He fixed a meal as fancy as his drooping eyelids would allow, ending up with....
"Why is the lettuce on fire?" He thought aloud, staring at the meal he had prepared. Which was on fire. His stare slowly drifted from the plate to his stove, which was entirely across the room, and then back to the plate. Using his magic he slowly slid the plate into the nearby sink, and slowly backed out of the kitchen.
My house has been invaded by lettuce-hating-fire-spirits. Good to know. He thought as he made his way to the stairs that lead to the second level of his home. He really needed some sleep. As he passed a mirror in a hallway, he stopped to examine his eye to see if the swelling had gone down any. It hadn't. He backed up several steps and looked at himself in the mirror. He was average size for a unicorn, he thought, his black coat shining due to the nearby light. His gaze drifted lower, towards his flank, where an image of a bright blue star with streaks of red and orange coming out of one side of it, giving it the appearance of a shooting star, was depicted. His head jerked back up, to his mane. It was almost the exact same color as the star that made up his cutie mark, as was his tail, yet there was a bit of black mixed in here and there.
I need to get out more... He thought, shaking his head as he continued down the hall to his room, and eventually, his bed.
