CH 1
Chapter 1
--Prologue--
The royal guards. The protectors of Equestria and the country's Princesses, the source of authority for thousands of ponies.
For many, being in the royal guard is an honour, a privilege.
For others, it is a passion, a sense of national duty.
For one family, though, it was a long, ancient tradition spanning many generations. A tradition that started with a pony named Dark Star.
As far as public records went, Dark Star was accused, found guilty of, and hung for treason to the state. But what exactly happened? What had he done that was so threatening to the country that led him to being the first pony accused of such a thing in hundreds of years, and the last for a thousand more?
Alas, the records stop there. Not much is known about what exactly happened to Dark Star; at least, not much is known outside of the mind of the family. For Dark Star was the first of a long line of guards to the Princesses, a tradition that still continues to this day.
The truth was passed down from generation to generation, from one pony of each to the next. Bright Protection was the last to have it, an exemplary royal guard, one of the finest. But fate was not kind.
The night that his nephew was to be born, the next in line to learn the truth, he was struck down with a nasty curse, a fatal illness. He knew he would not survive to tell his nephew of the old legend, nor could he pass the information on to anypony else. So he made a request. One final request, with his dying breath.
A name.
And thus Dark Star was born.
The deep magic of names is a tricky one, a sorcery none have been able to figure out yet. But fate plays no sides in the eternal war of the universe. It can decide to assist just as it does destroy...
This is the story of Dark Star.
--Monday, 10:12 AM, Day Shift--
“The Royal Gardens are awfully relaxing,” Dark Star thought to himself as he completed yet another round on his patrol of the mazes. Every day, like clockwork, he found himself pacing about the gardens for a full half-hour, beginning at ten o'clock on the dot. Today was no different.
He took a deep breath in, smelling the clean air. It was so peaceful in the gardens. He was alone, just as he preferred. Life in the guard, well, he didn't get a lot of alone time, just to himself. He liked alone time. He wasn't a particularly social guard, but that suited him just fine.
And it was times like these, out in the garden, that he could appreciate his job. Just him and his thoughts, nopony in the word to distract him from-
“Sergeant Dark Star,” the divine Princess Celestia said behind him, causing him to panic. He stopped in his tracks, automatically saluting as stiffly as he could.
“Ma'am!”
He was... paranoid around the princesses, to say the least. He never could figure out why, he just-
“Come with me. There is a matter we must discuss.”
Dark Star was surprised first, shocked second. “What does she need me, a lowly guard, for?” he asked himself as he hurried to catch up with the princess.
“Y-yes ma'am!” he practically shouted as he hurried along, falling in step with her. Her strides were far longer than his, so he tried his best to compensate. In the end, he just settled for trotting along as best he could along her; she didn't seem in the slightest bit worried about his lack of step. She was definitely worried, however. It was quite apparent on her face as she scowled ahead. Dark Star was concerned as to her mood, but it was not his place to question her. He was but a guard.
“Dark Star,” Celestia said suddenly, snapping Dark Star from his thoughts. “You have proven over the years that you have excellent independent skills, and have quite the talent for figuring out challenges on your own.”
“I-I wouldn't say that, princess,” Dark Star chuckled nervously. “I'm just another guard-”
“Your uncle was Bright Protection, correct?” Celestia asked him seemingly out of the blue, letting her gaze drift to him.
“Y-yes, ma'am!” Dark Star confirmed, surprised by her knowledge. “I... I never knew him, though.”
“He was an exemplary guard, and a personal friend of mine,” the princess said evenly.
“Ma'am,” he said, nodding. He hadn't known Protection had been friends with the princess.
“And it is with the hope that you are even half the stallion that he was,” Princess Celestia said before turning to face Dark Star, “that I give place an important mission upon you. You are familiar with Ponyville, of course?”
Dark Star nodded. That was where Bright Protection had been born and where he'd been lain to rest.
“I have my personal student there, learning the magic of friendship. I-”
She paused, looking suddenly to the right. Dark Star followed her gaze to see... nothing.
Celestia shook her head, brushing off whatever she'd felt.
“I am hereby assigning you to watch over her. I have set up a home for you to stay in during your mission. While you are there... keep an eye on her. I feel trouble on the horizon.”
“Ma'am?” Dark Star asked, raising a brow.
“That is all,” Celestia said. “See Captain Shining Armour before you leave. Dismissed.”
With that, the princess took her leave, leaving the quite confused Dark Star standing in the middle of the hall, ears cocked in different directions.
“Wha-what just happened...”
Dark Star was confused. The princess had given him a mission.
The princess had given him a mission!
Dark Star let a huge smile cross over his face. Finally, he had a mission!
"See you, gardens! I'm off!" he hollered excitedly as he tore off to find Shining Armour.
He had a mission.
Author's Note
Thanks editing by Waldo The Digital_Hex
