Molimentum

The hallways were dipped in a dull grey, with the walls a lighter shade than the floor. The distant sound of hooves echoed through the palace, the march of guards on duty. She caught sight of Quick Quill of foreign affairs, although he had turned around before he had even glimpsed her. These were busy days for everypony, she knew and considering how she had found a dislike for the remaining politicians, she could not deny that she was glad that she wouldn’t need to talk to Quick.

Her barding made clanking noises and the rings of her maille rubbed against each other, the metal weighing down on her back. She was glad the days of the old uniforms were over. Everything that had to do with the old military was gone and she wasn’t going to serve on any front line anytime soon.

Twilight be blessed, Ribbon Spear thought, as she stopped on a crossing of hallways, looking to each side. It was still dark outside, she knew and the palace wasn’t faring much better. The construction had predated the Republic, dating back to the age of the sun and moon princess and a time where the palatial structures outside the parts guests would see were grim, dull and easily defendable. The cream colored mare sighed, a few more windows would help her more right now than cold stone walls. She blew a strand of indigo hair out of her face and moved on, but not before adjusting her burgonet.

The armor of the royal guard was something to behold, dark blue enamelled steel with pearl inlays on the sides that made it look like a starry sky. From what she had heard in the tavern the people’s name for the royal guard was the ‘Star Company’. It was probably meant as a mockery, but she could easily take pride in serving the Princess of All Magic.

As she walked through the halls she enjoyed the relative darkness and quiet of the palace, although the memories tended to haunt her even now. Until two years ago, Equestria had been a republic and all magic had left the world. Then the black beast had appeared and brought fear and darkness with it. At first it had only destroyed Canterlot and the government had wanted to use it as an excuse to wage another war against the griffons. She had been sent to put witnesses to the actual happenings down. Things had escalated quickly, she remembered, as clouds of cotton candy with chocolate moustaches had suddenly started attacking them. After seeing her own fiance being dismembered by one of these creatures she had never touched sweets again. Her trusty lance was all she had left of him.

Most of her squad had quickly taken the hint and run away, the black beast at their tails. Ribbon and two others, however, had decided to take up arms against the Nightmares and defend what remained of Canterlot. They had acted as a guerilla unit, or at least tried to. First the sky turned black, then the dreams had begun. She had forgotten how much time had passed. A week, maybe two, but it was a slow dying. The situation had only been resolved when the alicorn emerged from deep underground and slew the beast with one stroke. At first it had looked like a candle, and then like the sun had returned to them.

Six fillies had gone beneath the city to awaken the alicorn. Ribbon still knew their names: Trixie Lulamoon, Lyra Heartstrings, Octavia Quarternote, Derpy Hooves, Firefly and Twilight Sparkle. The latter’s sacrifice had awoken her.

She stepped into another corridor, one with a fence to the left side and a view to the garden. The sun was slowly creeping up the horizon and its light troubled itself through a thin layer of grey clouds. The garden was green grass, with trees as white as snow in it. They had blue leaves and golden blossoms. Ribbon didn’t know their name, but she knew they were magic. By the trees stood flowers of many colors and kinds. There were roses and lilies and more, though the guard couldn’t differentiate between any of them. Not that they really catched her attention anyway, what did that was something else entirely.

The wings were folded onto her lavender back, her mane was glowing in violet and white lights as she sat there, back turned to the guard, her head lifted towards the moon. The Princess Of All Magic, the one who had taken the last filly’s name, Twilight Sparkle. Ribbon felt shivers running down her spine every time she saw the alicorn. She couldn’t quite pinpoint why she felt scared of her majesty, but something felt horribly wrong whenever she looked at her. It’s probably just me being stupid, she thought, Her Grace is kind to us, unlike the old government. Her Grace is a god, too. There’s nothing wrong with being afraid of a god, she told herself.

All magic in the world had belonged to Magia, as far as Ribbon had heard. She would’ve liked to read a book about it, but she couldn’t handle the letters and asking the princess wasn’t a possibility, because, well, Ribbon was a mere guard and Princess Twilight was Princess Twilight. She leaned on her spear, watching over the garden and her princess, but she found nothing unusual. Her Grace went often to the garden at night, she wasn’t even secretive about it. Nopony ever asked her about it, too. Nopony questioned a god. So she just sat there, on her own with her thoughts. Like me, just without the sins to bear. Ribbon smiled sadly at that.

She knew that soon the palace would be swarmed with ambassadors, bureaucrats and politicians. Until then, the halls were grey and dull, that was why she altered her route a bit. She was meant to guard the princess, anyway, so she walked past the fence and towards the royalty, although she halted at a distance, both out of respect and fear.

A slight wind was playing with the leaves of the wood and another strand loosened itself, falling over her eye. As she made to remove it, the princess’ hair stopped to glow, falling down as a mane of long purple with two small streaks of violet. The princess looked at her guard with eyes that seemed to have no color and yet all known colors. Those eyes were what the earth pony was most afraid of.

“What brings you here,  Ribbon Spear?” The princess knew the names of every guardspony.

“I-, I just thought that, in case of an assassination plot I should stay close to you, your grace,” she answered faithfully.

“I doubt there is anypony that bold in the palace, but yes, I assume it is right,” she said and gestured Ribbon to move closer. She did, slowly but steady.

She seated herself by the side of the princess, looking over the garden, while the princess looked up. She’s watching the stars, as they vanish, Ribbon noticed. “Is there something wrong, your majesty?”

Twilight smiled, “I am figuring myself out, still. Two years and I feel like I only cracked the surface of myself.”

She was a god, Ribbon reminded herself, what the Princess couldn’t understand, she shouldn’t even bother with. Yet she found herself asking: “What do you mean?”

“It is complicated, really. Let’s just say that I am not yet used to this world, to my role and to my circumstances. It is only a matter of time until I figure that out, though. Until then, I simply have to give my best.”

“Yes, your majesty.” Ribbon found herself understanding those words more than she cared to admit. They were her sins and she needn’t forget.

“It is good to see that you continued your service, despite your initial misgivings about continuing the military.”

Ribbon halted, looking at the princess, whose eyes belonged to the sky above. “Your grace?”

"Magic and harmony are linked together, in their own way. Magic is more than casting spells, too. It is the bonds you share, it is the friendships you choose. These things create harmony and without them, there could only be strife. You regretted your actions before my power took hoof in this realm. I just want you to know, Ribbon, you are a special pony and I am thankful that for everything you are doing, no matter how big or small it is,” the princess said with a soft voice. The fear had left Ribbon’s bones then.

“Thank you, your majesty,” she answered and looked up to, as the stars vanished and the sky was slowly overtaken by the breaking clouds and the light of the sun.

The princess soon made her way back to the palace and to her duties, leaving Ribbon to finish her patrol. She walked the grey corridors, meeting some servants and other workers on her way. She had to be the only pony on night duty who was never tired in the morning and as she ended her patrol route, she found herself not looking forward to the barracks. Not that they were bad, per se, but she couldn’t stand White Feathers snoring during the first morning hours. Still, she made her way back through all the corridors of the Canterlot Palace, the grey ones as well as those whose colors were adorned with frescoes and pictures, with golden vines moving up walls of purest white. The palace could be wonderful, when one kept to the right parts. As a guard, though, she hardly ever saw those, especially now, since most of it was still in shambles. The throne room still hadn’t been given a proper roof. Resources were spent elsewhere than the seat of royalty. Princess Twilight wasn’t one for presentation through architecture. Well, maybe she knew just how squirmish her presence made those around her.

She walked out of the palace, greeting Grey Sword and Lightning Arrow. Their presence indicated that most other ponies of the night guard had to have left their posts by now. That meant she would have to endure the bloody snoring. Wonderful, Ribbon grimaced.

She moved through the Great Garden, past the elevator that lead to the seapony city. A year ago the earth pony still had not been able to believe that they had actual seaponies beneath Canterlot, but she had escorted the princess down once. She had made two vows: Never step onto that elevator again and keep a penmanship with that one-eyed pony called Whitecap.

The barracks were a small building by one of the old walls. Another unremarkably grey and dull structure that served its purpose and nothing more. Ribbon opened the door and entered swiftly, finding the shutters of the windows closed and the area enlightened by a singular candle on the table in the middle of the room. It wasn’t much, she could barely make out the beds by the walls, but it would suit her well enough. She couldn’t sleep with lights on anyway, although she quickly noticed the absence of any noise. More darkness, more silence, she noted grimly and sighed. The others were probably out drinking again. Maybe it was for the better. With a bit of luck, she might even catch some sleep today.

She closed the door behind her and let the darkness go over her, she closed in on the table, where Dusk Leafs’ mirror lay beside the candle. Ribbon removed her helmet and stared in the mirror for a moment. A pair of sky blue eyes looked back at her, a loose tumble of hair falling to cover them. Indigo it was, with rose colored streaks and it looked horribly. Ribbon found herself a bit horrified at how much she had sweated under the armor, despite it being only so early into summer. It wasn’t even the warm season, yet. Well, at least she knew she would spend most of july standing at the front gate, cooking in the sun. The consolation was that she would probably faint in the fourth week or so and be sick for the rest of summer.

She positioned her weapon, her trusty spear by the table and moved through the darkness towards her bed. She had lived in this barracks for a good two years now, so she knew the position of about every single thing. By her bed she opened the chest for her armor and slowly undid the leather strips, humming one of the songs her father had often sung. He’d been one of the sky-sailors, a mate aboard one of the finest wyvern-hunting vessels that had ever been built. It was a sad tune, in the slow way she hummed it, not the lively beat her father had used. Nevertheless, she put the plate in the chest and slowly undid the maille, too and let it slide off her and tumble onto the ground.

She took in a deep breath, closing her eyes and throwing her head back. The air in here was cool enough, but she was still sweating. Still, the nakedness felt relieving. Almost like she could grow a pair of wings and fly off to the pegasus city. She took in another deep breath and then felt something grabbing her hair. Her eyes widened as she was pulled back on her hind legs, for a second she wanted to scream, but before she could something was jammed into her neck. Teeth?

She couldn’t find her voice, felt her hair ripping and something warm trickling down her shoulder, while the remaining arm of her attacker was slinging itself around her chest, holding her steady. She still felt her arms, though, and quickly made to grab her attacker, so she did, but before she could actually throw him the teeth left her neck and suddenly she felt his grip shifting, a moment later she felt herself flying, then crashing into the table. She felt the candle in her back, the heat stung and she wanted to scream out, but no noise came. Poison, she knew, as she tried to roll around on the stone floor to extinguish the fire on her back. In the fire she saw the assailant, standing there, staring at her with an emotionless visage.

She immediately gathered her strength to stand up. She was a royal guard, she couldn’t die here. As she positioned herself on her hooves she felt the blood trickling down from her neck, her back felt like it was still ablaze and her whole body was aching. Still, she had been in worse situations, she told herself and made herself looking at her attacker.

She saw into the thing’s eyes as it rammed her trusty lance into her neck, she felt the pain, she knew the blood was spilling, but it was too late for her. Ribbon Spear fell down and the changeling simply stared at her for a second longer.