Captain's Log

by SpiralWriter

Rating: teen
Tags: Derpy Hooves, Pipsqueak, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Sad, Princess Luna, Original Character, Cutie Mark Crusaders, Adventure
Length: 15692

Follow the legend of Pipsqueak, from foalhood to adventerous adult...

Pipsqueak has always been the smallest pony around, and thus the source of bullying. With a notebook and pencil in hoof, he chronicles his adventures as a child to an adult. Follow his tale from humble beginnings in Ponyville to becoming a legend of the seas, whispered in fear or admiration amongst seafaring ponies in taverns.

Also on Fanfiction.net.

Published 2012-03-04 12:14:01 UTC
Last updated 2012-04-09 14:54:08 UTC

The Moon as my Mother

ceptain-

kerptin-

kaptin's log,

hello! It's me, pipsqueak! miss cheerilee is teaching us all to lurn to spell beter, so she gave me and everypony in class this notebook to praktise in. don't tell her that I'm usin it for keeping trak of my adventers! im gonna be doing all sorts of stuff, like stopping bad ponies who kapture preenciss's, not our preenciss's celestia and luna, but preenciss's i made up for playing. maybe ill find buriyed treasure on a far away iland, or fight monsters like dragens or hydras or menotaurs and stuff. itll be alot of fun!

Pipsqueak finished the first sentence of his newly dubbed 'Captain's Log' with a stroke of a pencil, giggling mischievously at the thought of all the fun he was going to get into, closing the notebook, hiding it underneath the security of his pillow case alongside several other treasures he had accumulated; A small toy sword from his costume as a pirate, a compass that hardly ever pointed north, a shiny pebble he had found laying on the side of the road one day. Making sure his keepsakes were safely tucked away, he hopped off of his bed, his small hooves hitting the wooden floor with a tap, his light weight barely generating a sound. It was late afternoon, the sun about to make it's descent over the horizon and the heat of the day slowly fading away to give way to night's coolness. The young foal trotted over to the window at the other end of the room, passing by many other beds that aligned the walls of the room he shared with close to a dozen other boys. He gazed outside, watching the other children play together in the courtyard of Happy Hearts & Homes Orphanage. It's not that Pipsqueak didn't want to go outside and play, he loved running around, pumping his short legs and filling his lungs with sharp air, it was simply the fact he didn't want to go outside and play with any of the fillies or foals at the time. All day he had kept himself inside, either avoiding Miss Happy Heart, doodling in his newfound notebook, or napping. His usual playmates were off on their own schedule, so his only options were his fellow orphans, which suffice to say, weren't the friendliest bunch. Must be the fact that they were dismal and abandoned orphans, but that didn't stop Pip from being so cheery.

His thoughts wandered as he continued to watch the scenes outside, most of the others now leaving their toys and escapades of imagination to go inside and prepare for dinner. He wasn't that hungry, so he'd stay in the boy's dorm for a tad longer until bedtime. He had spent little over a year at Happy Hearts in Ponyville, the 'disaster' in Trottingham leaving him homeless and void of parents. He didn't blame anypony, just curious at how the event had transpired, and sad that he was alone most of the time now. He liked to think his parents were with him sometimes whenever he was alone, like now, and they were hovering over his shoulder to support him like they did whenever he tried something new. Good job son! Show that blighter who's in charge! His dad's thick accent cheered him on when he had defeated the Bogeymane in one of his pretend fights. Be careful now, Pippy. But, oh, have fun too! His mother's voice coddled him as it joined it's cohort in his mind. Sometimes though, the voices didn't make him feel any better. He just felt empty.

He was out playing in the yard as he always did, either fighting an invisible foe with a harmless weapon or pretending a tree was a far-off land to be explored. His mother had called him inside, and as a faithful child, he obeyed. Mom was in the kitchen, preparing him a sandwich for lunch, Dad was downstairs in the basement fiddling with their heater, trying to get the contraption to work. It had been on the fritz for little over a week, leaving their days fine but nights bundling up to fight back the bitter temperatures. So, Pip's father took it upon himself instead of hiring a repair pony for the job. Pip chuckled as he heard his dad shout a bad word. Seating himself by the table, Pip smacked his lips at a grass sandwich with a side of oatcakes laid out on a plate before him."Thanks mum."He smiled at her, then prepared to devour the meal, shouts from his father downstairs growing more frequent. Most of what happened next was a blurry smudge in his memory. There was smoke that began to pour in from the basement into the kitchen, the thick smell of it overpowering his senses. Then a blaze followed, erupting within his home with a terrible crash and heat. He panicked, ducking under a the table as he watched his mother fight her way through the suffocating screen of grey, calling out for him and her husband. A loud crack was heard overhead as the fire ate it's way into the upper story of the home, destroying the beams that supported the second floor. As chunks of the ceiling gave in, the last thing he saw was his mother scream before a great weight came down upon him and he was in the black drear of unconsciousness. He awoke underneath a blanket covered in soot and cuts, feeling quite sore, a large paramedic pony hovering over him, stark white with a red mane to match his profession, asking him if he was okay and could tell him his name.

At first, he was in a daze. Why was he laying out in his front yard feeling so terrible, and why was their a crowd gathering around him? He spotted several neighbors gazing down anxiously at him."C'mon kid, answer me. What's your name?"The Paramedic Pony asked once more in a deep voice fitting for a stallion of his stature."Pipsqueak."The small pony answered in a tiny cough."Where's my mum?"He added, his voice dry and crackling. He coughed again, feeling the smoke from earlier leave his throat.

The paramedic didn't look him in the eyes as he answered."She's...left, kid."That didn't make sense. Usually his mother was all over him when an accident happened, band-aids and kisses ready.

"What about pop?"

"He left too...sorry, kid."The Paramedic Pony's eyes wandered away from the child to the ambulance cart a few yards away, two singed bodies covered in tarp being hefted into the vehicle.

"Do you know when they'll be back mister?"

"...You'll see them again in a week."

It wasn't until later did Pip realize that he'd see them again at the funeral service.

At first, he didn't feel anything as he watched the two caskets be carried away by relatives and friends of the family. He felt...empty. Empty was the correct word.

He didn't like that feeling. Pushing it away, his thoughts returned to the present, figuring dinner must've been ending by now, given the sounds of multiple hooves clopping down the hallways. He hopped over to his bed, pulled the blanket up and wrapped it around himself in one fell swoop, getting as comfortable as he could in the quick five seconds before a stampede of young foals barged into the room, some going straight for their own beds, others seeking a chance to impede their inevitable rest. Eventually the sounds of shouting children and stomping hooves settled to the rustling of blankets and steady breathing. The lights had dimmed, leaving the room in a pale glow from the moonlight that shafted in through the windows. After several minutes of listening to the snores from around him, Pip unwrapped the large cover from around him, struggling slightly as the fabric was much heavier than he was. He lifted up his pillow and gave a quick sweep of the room, he was clear. Pulling the notebook from it's hiding place, he angled it just so that a sliver of light fell onto it, granting him permission to continue writing.

kaptin's log...again,

He started only a few lines down from the original entry.

i didnt do much today, all of my friends were buzy doing someting else. i culd tell you about them tou, notebook. appleblooms's really nice, for a girl anyway. she's yelow with a red mane, kinda weird figurin her family works with apples. i've never seen a yelow apple befour. sweetie belle's this white unicorn with a swirly light and dark purply mane. she's alot nicer than her big sister, who likes to yell at us when we play with her all of her clothes and fabrik and stuff liek that. scootaloo's this orange pegasus, tou i've never seen her fly befour. oh and she's really adventureous. dinky's a nice unicorn too, her mom derpy is really funny. lickety split is a regular pony like me that's really good with ball tricks, he can balance it on his nose and tale and everything. snips is a little chubby blue unicorn and he doesn't climb alot of trees with us, but thats okay because he's kinda funny. snails isn't the smartest pony around, but he's-

Pipsqueak was cut off as a hoof from the bed across from him snatched the notebook away just as he was about to finish writing. He spat the pencil out of his mouth and looked up to see a amber brown earth pony snickering at him, holding the notebook just out of the shorter-appendaged pony's reach."Rocky, give it back!"Pip whispered fiercely, extending his tiny forelegs as far as he could without leaving his own bed.

"Oh look at that, little Pip's writing about girls!"Rocky opened the notebook and read the first page, trying to stifle his dumb laughter to keep Miss Happy Heart from coming into the room and scolding them for being awake.

"Lemme see it!"A sharp, dryer voice called from the bed opposite across the room. Rocky tossed the book to a darker earthen-colored pony speckled with light beige across his body."...He's writing about guys too."The foal cackled. Pipsqueak was now standing up, still trying to convince them to return his log."C'mon guys, give it back!"

Most of the others were awake now, watching Pipsqueak's futile efforts at retrieving his possession. As with most acts of bullying, few volunteered to step forward and aid the tiny foal. Instead, they were at ease with simply watching the show unfold before them.

"Hey, Cineral, send it over here."A unicorn called out from the far end of the room. The grey pony promptly tossed the notebook through the air, only for it to be enveloped in a lightly-tinted blue aura and hover in front of the unicorn, whose body color and short-cropped mane matched the magic in various hues. He got out of his bed and walked across the dorm, stopping in front of Pipsqueak's bed. The two earth ponies joined him side by side."Pipsqueak,"The unicorn spoke in an incredibly high-pitched voice despite his male appearance."You really have to learn to spell better. I can't read any of this."He chuckled, hovering the book in front of Pip, only to make it rocket high overhead when he tried to grab it.

"That's not funny, Beryl Blast."

"What, this?"Beryl notioned as he lowered the book within Pip's grasp, only to yank it away again."It's pretty funny to me."He chuckled, but a obvious strain was beginning to show on his face. He was at the age where unicorn magic was beginning to manifest itself, and what child wouldn't jump at the chance of telekinetic powers? Albeit, since he was just getting used to his own magic, overusing it would be quite hard on him, but bullying Pipsqueak at the moment seemed much more important than a headache later on.

Pipsqueak jumped out of his bed and stamped his hooves as hard as he could on the floor, which suffice to say, wasn't very hard, and left a jab dull pain in his forelegs."I'm not joking, give it back you bloody buckers." A collective gasp could faintly be heard from outside the boy's dorm. Apparently the fillies from across the way had heard of the scrap about to happen.

"Ooh,"Beryl stepped forward, his two cohorts following suit."Just because you have a fancy accent and know some bad words, you think you can scare me?"The unicorn mocked, glaring Pipsqueak in the eyes. Pipsqueak wasn't worried about Beryl, the unicorn talked tough, but was barely any bigger than him, and couldn't do much in a fight. The two earth ponies however, Rocky and Cineral, were an entirely different matter. The two were too stupid to handle themselves, so they took to becoming Beryl's schoolyard thugs. They were easily a head taller than most foals their age, leaving them double the size of Pip, and much, much thicker. Pipsqueak had only been in a fight twice since his arrival in the orphanage, and he wasn't much of a scrapper back in Trottingham. The first time was on his very first day at the orphanage, it was just Beryl, and he sent the little blighter crying with just a few taps on the nose. The second time, Beryl had brought the terrible twosome with him, but luckily the Cute Mark Crusaders were nearby, and no young boy would risk the shame of hitting a girl. Now though, he was alone, and it looked like no other was willing to risk helping him.

"I'm warning you,"Pipsqueak stated with much false bravado packing behind the words.

"Go on, try and take it."Beryl hovered the notebook once more in front of Pip.

Pip smacked the book aside with one hoof and promptly tackled Beryl to the floor, who then began unleashing screams that didn't even belay pain, only fear."Get him off, He's gonna kill me!"Beryl shrieked as the white and brown foal pounded away at him with his small hooves. Rocky grabbed the scruff of Pipsqueak's neck with his mouth and yanked him away, while Cineral checked on the still shrieking unicorn."You okay Beryl?"He asked, which was only answered with more yelling. Pip found himself lying on the floor, feeling a dull pain in his side from where he landed. Before Rocky could advance and beat the living daylights out of him, Miss Happy Heart made her entrance with the slamming of a door and a loud "What in Celestia's name is going on in here?"

Every child looked up in horror as their caretaker entered the room. Miss Happy Heart was an older mare of a fuchsia shade, the image of a small home with a heart over it gracing her flank, age evident by the wrinkles of her face. She had been caring for abandoned children for quite a long time, her stern gaze and shrill voice giving an air of command over misbehaving foals and fillies."Well, go on then, explain yourselves."She continued, walking over to a sniveling Beryl, a nervous Rocky and Cineral, and an offset Pipsqueak getting back on all fours.

"Beryl took my notebook."Pipsqueak stated, walking over and picking up his prize that had been discarded in the tussle.

"I just wanted to look at it!"Beryl cried, tears streaming down his face.

"Yeah, we was just looking at it."Rocky added.

"Then Pipsqueak went all crazy on us! Started hitting Beryl and shouted bad words."Cineral emphasized on the word 'crazy' by waving his hooves in an exaggerated fashion.

"You guys started it!"

"Nu-uh!"

"Yes you did!"

"You said a no-no word!"

"Quiet!"They all snapped silent at the older mare's voice.

Miss Happy Heart's unwavering stare shifted between the four as she determined judgement with the evidence at hand."What about you all?"She motioned at the other dozen children occupying the room."What happened?"

Half-hearted mumbles and silence replied.

She sighed."Just get to sleep everypony, we'll settle this in the morning."

The four stared each other down as they retreated to their beds and tucked themselves in, the lights turning off with Happy Heart's leave. In a few minutes, the excitement had died and sleep returned to perform it's work. As Pipsqueak drifted off to slumber, he smiled slightly at remembering the feeling of hitting the self-righteous prick known as Beryl.

___

Their punishment was not as harsh as expected. They didn't get any extra helpings of oatmeal during breakfast, and they had all had to stay behind and clean up the 'dining hall' in awkward silence, glancing at each other with distaste in their eyes, but overall it was a light slap on the hooves. Miss Happy Heart had let them of easy, she was known for much more brutal punishments for misbehaved children.

That afternoon, Pipsqueak sat outside of the schoolhouse underneath the shade of a grand oak tree, it's towering frame offering protection from the heat that day. He and his classmates had just been released from a day of simple math and english lessons. Pip figured he could speak well enough, so he ignored the english lessons and only partly paid attention to the math. He was too busy doodling away in his notebook to really care, a visage of a burlier version of himself in a pirate's outfit with cutlass drawn, standing proudly over a pile of dead ponies with x's replacing their eyes, gracing the page he sketched. He giggled to himself, the dead ponies looked oddly familiar to Beryl, Rocky, and Cineral.

"Hey there Pipsqueak, watcha doing?"

Pipsqueak smiled at the sound of a farm pony's voice, looking up to see Applebloom, flanked by Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, approaching."Oh, nothing much."He replied, closing his notebook and setting it and pencil aside to greet the trio.

"Ah heard you got inta a fight last night...you okay?"

Pip shrugged to dismiss her worries."I'm fine, it was just Beryl again."

"And his goons."Scootaloo added."Those blockheads are way bigger than you Pip, you'll get hurt."

"I can take 'em any day."He puffed out his scrawny chest, not adding any intimidation to his physique at all. The three all simultaneously rolled their eyes."Anyway,"Pip went with a slight tone of annoyance at their lack of faith in his toughness."You guys wanna play today? I found this cool spot in the woods the other day. It's got a swimming hole and big trees and everything!"

Another simultaneous action as they all shook their heads."Sorry,"Applebloom started, honestly sounding dissapointed."Applejack and Big Mac are going ta start my tree buckin' lessons today. Maybe Ah'll get mah cutie mark!"

"Rarity wants to go on a shopping spree..."Sweetie Belle added her excuse with very little vigor, not looking forward to carrying all of the bags of clothing and accessories her sister was inevitably going to buy."Said it'll help our sisterly bond...or something."

"I'm gonna go hang out with Rainbow Dash!"Scootaloo looked ready to burst out of her orange skin with excitement."I finally convinced her to give me a training course in flying! It's gonna be so awesome!"

"Oh,"He cocked his head as he tried to think of something else."I'll just go ask Snips and Snails instead."

"Their families are off on a trip together. You didn't notice they were gone from class today?"

"Dinky then."

"Ah think she's following her mom on a mail route or somethin'."

"Lickety...?"

"Helping his dad run the ice cream parlor."

Pipsqueak's already miniature form deflated even further in defeat."Oh..."

"Ah'm really sorry Pip..."Applebloom said as she and the others began to trot away."Maybe tomorrow?"

"Sure..."He sullenly replied as he gathered his items and began walking in the opposite direction towards the orphanage. Instead of going inside, he kept on until he was in the woods nearby. He trotted through until he arrived in the locale he had explained to the Crusaders earlier. The foliage had opened up to reveal sunlight streaming onto a large pond surrounded by willow trees just waiting to be swung off of into the clear pool. He sat down on the shore of the pond, feeling the cool sand shift underneath to accommodate his weight. Pip sighed as he looked up at the sky, the clear blue expanse stretching out in all directions, the sun a steadfast orb radiating perpetual light and warmth, outlined by rolling swirls of clouds every once in a while. Pip thought the sun was nice, but what he really loved was the night sky. It was so much cooler than daytime, the stars were always twinkling in a vast multitude, and the moon-

He paused for a moment.

The moon. He had one last friend he could think of. Whipping out his notebook, he began to scribble furiously onto a blank page.

deer preenciss luna,

its been a long time sense nightmare night, but I hope yo still rememburr me. i've been wundering if you'd come back to ponyvile a bit soonur than the next nightmare night. i don't know if i can ask you this, sense youre a preenciss and all, and you probably have royul preenciss stuff to do, but could you please come visit me if you could? i've been lonely lately cause all my usual friends have been buzy, and maybe we could hang out and stuff. we could play games like tag or hide and seek or fight the bad guy, and i could show you all these fun places i found while exsploring, like a bear cave but with no bear and this nice swimmin hole. then i can take you to lickety split's dad's ice kream parlor, and if you dont like ice kream, thats okay cause we have sugarcube corner, and they have the bestest treats in all of equestria, i think. ive only been to ponyville and trottingham and once i think i saw your castle while on the train ride here. im looking forwurd to if you reply! but if not, thats okay too cause i know youre a very busy preenciss, probably having those big gala party things and keeping all of those bad monsters from other countrys away. anyway, im gonna stop righting now, sense this letter might get to long and youll get bored and wont read it.

sinser,

sincereli,

sincesily,

He bit his lip as his naive mind searched for the letters to spell 'sincerely' correctly. Instead, he favored a more simple option.

love,

pipsqueak

Carefully ripping the paper out of the notebook's pre-preforated edges, Pipsqueak leapt to his hooves and dashed off as fast as his stubby legs would take him back towards Ponyville. In a few minute's time, he arrived at his destination short of breath but quite expectant. He entered the Post Office, the door opening with a small ding of a bell. Inside, a small office counter greeted him, the walls colored a shade of navy with images of mailboxes and postcards painted on them, stacks upon stacks of packages and piles of equally opened and unopened letters littering the area behind the counter. Pip approached the counter and tapped a small bell, a mailmare's head immediately popping out from nowhere to greet him at the sound. Pipsqueak chuckled as he recognized her as Dinky's mother."Hello Miss Hooves."He greeted her through a muffled mouth still holding the page.

"Hello Pip!"She replied with her always slow if not never-ceasing cheery voice."Welcome to the Ponyville Postal Office, may we take your order?"

He craned his neck and placed the letter on the desk."I'd like to mail this please. Could I have an envelope and a stamp?"

Derpy nodded as she switched her crossing eyes from Pipsqueak to the letter, the foal not sure what exactly which pupil was staring at at any given time. He thought it rude to ask. In a flash, Dinky popped up right beside her mother, plopping a white envelope and a stamp bearing a symbol of the two alicorn sisters, a orb half sun, half moon."Hi Pip!"She squeaked happily. Just as quickly as she appeared, Dinky dissapeared back underneath the desk."How much for this? Two bits, right?"Pip asked, trying to remember if he had any change stored up.

"No,"Derpy shook her head."It's on us. Anything for a friend of Dinky's."

Pip smiled as he went through the process of folding the letter, placing it in the envelope, licking the stamp(cringing at the taste) and placing it in the top right hand corner. Using his pencil, he hastily scrawled'canterlot, preenciss luna', on the blank side. Derpy took the letter in hoof and chuckled. It wasn't exactly the correct shipping address, but she supposed that she would send it in the right direction."I'll make sure she gets it right away!"

"Thanks Miss Hooves!"Pip called out over his shoulder before leaving the building.

A few seconds of silence passed before Derpy ducked back under the desk, the sound of her and her daughter's giggling blending together within the confines of the office.

"He's kinda cute, honey."

"Mo-o-om!"

___

Pipsqueak entered the orphanage just as the sun was cut in half by the horizon. He happily trotted down the hallway, rounded the corner to enter the boy's dorm, only to get a faceful of hoof. The force of the blow knocked him flat on his back, and he found himself looking up at a sneering Beryl, a giggling Cineral standing right beside him, and a chuckling Rocky flexing the muscles in his right foreleg."That,"Beryl leaned in close, making sure Pip could almost taste the breath on his lips."Was for clean-up duty."He leaned back and began walking away, the duo of two brutes ambling down the hall behind the unicorn. Right before Pipsqueak could jump back up and get into a fight he probably couldn't win, Miss Happy Heart's voice echoed through the orphanage."Dinnertime, everypony!"

A stampede of children carried him to the dining hall. The next thing Pip knew was that he was in line for dinner, and sitting down at a table in the far back, gazing at the bowl of what he guessed was soup in front of him. He poked the bowl cautiously, as he was always that a tentacle might grow out of the chef's cooking and grab him. Fortunately, no sea beast haunted his food today. Looking around, most of the others seemed to be finding the brew somewhat palpable, while he caught others throwing quick glances at him, only to turn around and escape his gaze when his eyes met theirs. Peering down into the soup, he found the cause for their staring, his right eye had swollen to a purple mass, the skin sore and throbbing, the usual white of his eye tinted light pink. He raised a hoof and touched it tenderly, wincing at the sudden pain that shot through his face. He looked across the hall once more and stared at Beryl, the unicorn smiling sweetly and waving at him, Rocky and Cineral too busy guzzling down extra portions they had bullied away from others to notice the stink eye Pip was giving them.

That night, Pip layed awake in bed, writing slowly in his log, half cautious that it might get stolen again, half because his vision was obscured at the moment.

kaptin's log,

one day, when im strong and not as small as i am now, beryl and rocky and cineral are gonna get it. ill have a pirate ship and everything, and ill shoot canons at them and make them walk the plank or let a kraken eat them. or maybe ill get a sword and cut off beryls horn, he cant use magic witout a horn, then hell just be a regular old pony like me, only dumber and meaner. but i dont want to talk about them anymore, notebook.

His anger subsided as he went on writing about his day, ranging from his hours in school to what he thought about if it began raining ice cream.

i sent a letter to preenciss luna today. i hope she gets it. shes really nice, desspite what all the other ponies say about her. once you get to know her, shes not all scary as she looks. i think shes only scary on nitemare nyte, cause thats what the nite is about. maybe ill see her tomorow, or the next day, or

The sentence drawled off to a scribbled down as Pip drifted off to sleep, the notebook layed open on his slowly rising and falling chest, a small dribble of sleep-saliva falling on the pages.

___

A soft glow of blue emitted from Princess Luna's horn as she gazed out from the balcony of her room, the quiet and calm night receding to make way for her sister's sunny day. With a tilt of her head, the moon, her most precious possession, and the one that had possessed her for a time, sunk over the landscape, giving way for sunlight to creep over and erase all the darker shades that had once been cast. Luna had to momentarily shield her eyes as the upper portions of the sun exploded into view, granting the morn a glorious brilliance."Show off."Luna mumbled as she entered her private quarters, telekinetically closing the balcony doors behind her to block out the sunlight. Night Court, as per usual, had been boring, long, and uneventful. Few ponies hardly arrived at the wee hours of the morning to have assembly with the sister of the darker side, and those who did were either too scared to speak rather than stutter, or were completely off their rockers, apparently their was a small cult that still believed Luna wished to bring forth eternal night. With a sigh she would dismiss them and tell them that it was Nightmare Moon that wanted to enslave all of Equestria for herself and reign darkness. If they continued prattling on, she'd signal her personal guards, and the batlike-armored soldiers would carry the still raving cultist away.

The alicorn collapsed into her bed, bedsheets of stars and other astronomical wonders greeted her in it's warm and silky embrace. She would normally sleep through the day, only to awaken at sunset to resume her nocturnal hours of indifference. Just as she was about to enter the state between reality and cozy dreaming, a loud crash awakened her. Startled, the alicorn jumped to her hooves, looking about her room for any cause of the noise. Instantly, two guards barged into her room."Any problem, princess?"One asked.

"From what we can tell...none at the moment."

A small knock was heard from the balcony."Hello...? Is anypony in there?"An ungraceful female voice called out.

The two guards advanced to the doors, swinging them open and pointing spears at the intruder, revealing a cowering grey pony with a mailmare's cap and bag standing on the balcony."Just following my route..."She chuckled nervously at the sharpened weapons aimed directly at her vitals."Schedule called for a delivery to Canterlot Castle today..."

The guards withdrew their spears slightly."All letters, scrolls, packages, notes, scraps of paper, notecards and otherwise are to be sent through the Royal Courier, who in turn will belay any message to the royal family or castle staff if the message is deemed worthy or of no danger."One guard repeated the rule in monotone, as if he had been forced to remember it.

Derpy's wall-eyed expression became that of annoyance."I know that."She opened up her satchel and began rummaging around."I know everything about the postal system,"Her voice became muffled as she shoved her head deeper and deeper into the bag."It's just that this letter is special,"She had stuck almost her entire head and neck into the impossibly deep case. The guards had withdrawn their weapons, baffled at how this pony defied castle etiquette and if her bag was simply a gaping black hole with an infinite space of storage."It's for Princess Luna, and I promised to get it to her as quickly as possible."Derpy's voice was now a far-off echo.

Luna stepped forward, just as baffled as the guards."Thou art...Derpy Hooves, correct?"She asked. She had remembered the mare from her first Nightmare Night visit to Ponyville, the pony in question wearing a ridiculous costume of paper bags on her head and hooves."And thou sayeth there is a letter...for us?"

"Yep!"Derpy's head pulled itself out of the bag with a yoink, a letter in her mouth."For you, Princess."She bowed, laying the letter at her hooves. With a salute, Derpy took off from the balcony, crashing into a few pillars of the castle's architecture here and there before getting into clear air space.

The Princess and the guards shared a glance of confusion as they watched the clumsy pegasus dissapear into the distance. "Dismissed."She said to the guards with a nod of her head. They saluted and returned to their post outside of her room, closing the door behind them.

Luna picked up the letter, ripped it open, and unfolded it with her magic. She sat down to relax just as she began reading the childish scrawling of a greeting."Pipsqueak..."She mused as she quickly read the short paragraph. Another memory of the small foal peaked it's way into her mind. She remembered how... almost adorable he was, like a toy. He was much smaller than any of the other children that fled from her, but was the first to actually speak to her without screaming in terror. And when he quickly hugged her hoof, feeling his tiny body's warmth against her, just for that slightest moment, had melted her heart. He even called her his favorite princess."Take that, Celestia."She chuckled to herself as she lowered the page onto a nearby table.

After the almost mishap at Ponyville that night, she had spent the dark hours of Nightmare Night actually have fun with it's residents. It was the most delightful evening she had ever had, even besting her fillyhood. Afterwards, the festivities had died down around midnight, most of the decorations already put away, the candy gobbled, and the children tucked away for bed. Except for one. As Luna approached her personal carriage, the two stallions pulling her ride waited patiently."Fine evening, Princess?"One asked without even looking at her, only staring rigid-necked straight ahead.

"Very..."She paused to search for a word."...Fun."She grinned as the word rolled sweetly off her tongue."Very fun!"

"Glad to hear that, your majesty."Still rigid.

Just before she stepped on, for the third time that night, a small mouth had pulled at her mane. Turning around, she smiled softly as she looked down at the miniscule Pipsqueak looking up at her with wide eyes and a grin, another bag of candy in his mouth."Dearest Pipsqueak, we are about to leave, what is it?"She asked, bending down to reach him at eye-level. She didn't wish to sound rude or look as if she was rushing him, but she only had a few meager hours before she had to lower the moon. He plopped the bag right beside."More candy for you."He grinned.

"This is the third bag tonight,"She chuckled, raising it into her carriage alongside the other candy offerings."Where did thou possibly obtain it?"

"Lots of last minute searching. You wouldn't believe how much candy some grown-ups just throw away!"

"Well then, we thankest thou for your generosity."

"You're welcome!"Pip beamed, as if the compliment was the best thing in the world, as if he hadn't been terrified of her hours earlier."Now,"He said, entirely serious. Luna couldn't help but slightly giggle at his change in tone."You promise you'll come back next year, right? Promise? Like, really really really promise?"

"We already have, child. You can be assured that we will return next year."

As Luna shifted back to the present, her gaze fell upon the note. To be honest, she wasn't all that busy. Her sister would handle most of the affairs of the country, just as she always had, and things were getting very mundane for her since her return. Maybe she would play along with her subject. The castle was getting cramped anyway. Opening her chamber door, Luna stepped outside and regarded one of the guards from earlier."Please inform my sister and the staff that I will be on leave today."She stated.

The guard saluted, not even breaking his face of utmost concentration."Yes, your majesty."

___

Pipsqueak awoke with a loud yawn. As he smacked his lips and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, one of his hooves lazily felt around for the notebook that had stayed on him all night. The hoof only met empty air, and Pip was jolted awake. Panicking, he began to search all four corners of his bed, no sign of the precious log under the covers or it's spot underneath his pillow. In fact, most of the stuff from his hideaway place was missing as well. Looking around, it appears he had slept in, as he was the only one in the room. As he got out of bed and went into the hall for breakfast, he mulled it over in his mind, and came to only one conclusion.

"Beryl Blast."He spat out the word as if it left a terrible taste in his mouth. Then he figured it was simply morning breath.

After eating a bland breakfast of an apple and oatcakes, with no sign of Beryl and his lackeys in the dining hall, he stepped outside, greeted by fresh air and the dew of morning still plentiful on the grass. His naked hooves against the wet ground felt very refreshing. But he wasn't minding this pleasantry as he scanned the courtyard for his targets, the trio on the far side of the building. He approached them with as much gusto and courage he could muster. Beryl coolly summed the foal up as Pipsqueak stepped up to him."Where's my stuff?"

"Morning to you too, Pippy."

He cringed slightly as the bully used the nickname his mother had. Ignoring the thought, he returned to face the blue unicorn with angry eyes and a scowling lip, which looked positively ridiculous on his young features."I know you three took it."

"Oh, do you now?"Beryl began walking around Pip in a circle, Rocky and Cineral silently watching from the sidelines.

"How come you think we took it? It could've been Miss Happy Heart. You know how she's always confiscating things."

"I just know, okay."

Beryl chuckled as he stopped his circling, standing between the two of his cohorts."I'd check the trash can,"He pointed a hoof at a tin can on the other side of the courtyard, leaning against the orphanage wall."Tons of junk in there."

Pipsqueak gave the three one last staredown before huffing and turning around to go off towards the trash can. He approached it had to stand on the very tips of his haunches to see over the top of the can. The first thing that assaulted him was the smell. It positively reeked inside the confines of the trash container. The next shocked him. At the very bottom of the can, along with a few greasy banana peels and soda bottles, was his stuff. He knocked the can over and scurried inside, pulling what was left of his possessions out. His toy sword had been broken in two, his compass broken and the needle pointing haphazardly upwards. What hurt him the most was the state of his notebook. The entire thing was in ruins. The cover had been torn off, and the few entries he had written had stains on them, blotting out his words. The remainder of the free pages were either torn out as well, or had drawings of obscenities on them. Angry, Pipsqueak left the items in the trash can and turned around, only to come face to face with Beryl once again.

"I knew you did it!"He scowled, tensing himself up.

"I wouldn't start anything."Beryl nodded over his shoulder at Miss Happy Heart, who was watching them from a nearby window, her cold stare judging their every move. Pipsqueak slowly calmed down to somewhat of a simmering boil, still staring angrily at Beryl."You're a bucking jerk."

"And you really need to stop acting like you're somepony special. Those drawings of us? Not so great. Plus, I doubt you know Princess Luna."

This, Pipsqueak had to object to."I do know the princess! She was here last Nightmare Night!"

"Yeah, but you probably didn't talk to her or nothing."Beryl shrugged. He and the rest of the occupants were off on a candy-less, costume-less field trip to Canterlot that Nightmare Night. Pipsqueak had managed to sneak away for the festivities in Ponyville.

"I did so!"

"I bet you hid under your bed and peed yourself."Rocky guffawed.

"Yeah, probably too scared to even go to the bathroom!"Cineral added.

"You're nopony special. Just some weirdo from Trottingham who thinks he's better than us."Beryl growled at him, giving him one last maliciously toothy grin. The trio left Pipsqueak fuming with their laughter in his ears.

___

Luna arrived as subtle as any Canterlot pony would. Her chariot streaked across the sky in a flash of dark blue, the sound of thundering hooves and roars accompanying her swift arrival. She landed in Ponyville square, to the shock and wonder of the humble residents. She stepped off and nodded at the stallions who awaited her command."I will return here an hour before sundown. Be prepared to head immediately to the castle."

"Yes, your highness."

With that, she turned around to see most of the ponies staring at her. She awkwardly grinned to shy away any problems. She was an oddity during the daytime, and ponies noticed it. As she walked through the square, she calmed down as business of the ponyfolk slowly returned to normal. Some would send the occasional glance at her, but the rumors and whispers had died down tremendously. She was their princess, and acceptant of her once more. As she passed them, they would all bow, faces in the dirt for a minute or so, then stand back up. Some smiled at her, even a few gave a weak hello.

Princess Luna stopped as she neared the edge of Ponyville, a small building marked with the words 'Happy Hearts and Homes Orphanage' painted across a sign that dangled from the roof. She approached the door and knocked. No reply. She knocked thrice more, only to hear stomping hooves approaching her."What is it? This better be-"Miss Happy Heart opened the door quickly, her face enraged, only to fall flat as she stared up at the royalty before. She immediately dropped, almost quaking."Princess Luna! I'm so sorry for keeping you waiting..."

"Tis fine, madam."Luna motioned for her stand back up."I was informed that a friend of mine resides here."

"O-of course. And who would t-that be?"

"A young foal named Pipsqueak."

She stared at her uncertainly."Pipsqueak? Brown and white splotches? Thick Trottingham accent? Very small for his age?"

Luna nodded.

"Very well then...follow me."She turned around and Luna followed into the building. As they approached the boy's dorm, young fillies and foals stopped and gazed at the princess, mouths agape and eyes wide with wonder. She smiled sweetly at them, receiving different reactions from each, ranging from nervous to yelping fear. They stopped right before entering the dorm, the door closed."He's usually in here."Miss Happy Heart tapped the door with her hoof."If you need anything, call me, I suppose..."She turned around and left, shaking her head. What would the princess want with a troublemaker like Pip?

She opened the door gently to find the room empty. Stepping inside, her blue irises searched the room for any sign of the child. Her eyes fell upon a small lump bundled underneath a blanket on a nearby bed. "Hello...?"She nudged the lump gently with her nose, feeling a warm body hidden underneath.

"Who is it?"An accented voice asked, a few whimpers following.

"Oh, just the embodiment of all things night, the very bringer of moonlight herself."

The blanket was tossed up in a flash, revealing a grinning Pipsqueak that rushed to hug Luna's neck."Princess Luna! I knew you'd come!"

"Of course."She chuckled, her heart melting once more to see his tiny form hug her."Now, what would you like to do first? Maybe that waterhole you mentioned?"

"Really?"He released his hug and stepped off the bed onto the floor, hopping around her excitedly. She paused as her eyes fell on the black eye he now sported."I'll have to ask your caretaker first, though."She said slowly.

His excitement died down gradually."I don't think Miss Happy Heart will let me leave. She's mad at me for knocking over a trash can earlier."

"I'm sure I can convince her."

"Alright!"His hopping resumed.

"And Pipsqueak...if I may ask, what happened to your eye?"

The hopping ceased once more."Oh..."He rubbed the back of his neck, eyes slowly darting about to avoid the blue ones that gazed down at him."I ran into a tree the other day."

"...Very well."She began walking towards the exit."I'll go have a chat with her."

"I'll wait outside!"His happiness was back as he darted around her long legs and dashed into the hallway, expectantly into the courtyard to wait for his princess. Outside, all of the children stared at him in awe. Pipsqueak beamed as he walked through the crowd, enjoying the attention. He was the kid that the princess was going to spend the day with. In his daze of fame, he bumped into something solid and really big. He looked up to see Rocky scowling down at him.

___

"...I can assure you, Misses Heart, that Pipsqueak will be utterly fine in my care for the day."

"Are you sure? He's hasn't been the most well-behaved child...I'm afraid he'll be a hooveful..."

Luna chuckled."I think I can handle one little foal."

"Very well then..."

___

Pipsqueak tasted blood as his frail body flew into a tree, his face actually hitting the bark. Rocky had tossed him into the nearby woods, away from the prying eyes of any adult. Cineral had warned any other children from approaching them as the trio carried out their business with Pip in the bushes."You just had to be special..."Beryl said, nodding at Rocky. The big brown pony nodded in return as he approached Pip, holding him with one hoof, raising a hoof and promptly smacking him across the face. Pipsqueak's cheek stung from the blow."You just had to be a special little somepony..."

Another hit, this time much harder. Pip tried to regain his composure as his head rattled about in his skull.

"But you're not."

Rocky continued hitting him.

"You're not special, Pip."

The pain subsided for just a minute. Rocky held Pip out for Beryl to get in his face again."You're just a stupid, bloody bucker that's not special at all."

Pipsqueak's face was blank for a moment. It turned to defiance as he craned his neck back and slammed his head forward as hard as he could, headbutting Beryl dead center in the face. The unicorn recoiled from the blow, his nose busted and oozing a stream of thick red. Beryl's face went blank with shock for a moment as well before turning into rage."Cineral!"He shouted for the grey pony. Cineral came into the foliage and stood beside Beryl. Beryl pointed at the two as he gave his orders."Get him."

___

"Pip? Pip, where are you?"

Luna stepped into the courtyard, expecting the young pony to be be waiting patiently for her. Instead, she was greeted with over a dozen foals and fillies gazing at her, just as many had done before. She coughed, which sent some of them scattering."Would any of you know where Pip is?"

Silence was her reply as they continued to stare at her.

"Surely some of you might know? He said he would be waiting out here."

Slowly, a young filly pointed a hoof at the woods bordering the edge of the courtyard.

"Now why would he go in there?"

None replied once again."Oh, he must want to show me that spot he found."She said to herself, trodding towards the woods."Coming Pip!"

___

Pipsqueak couldn't really think at the moment. The beating he was receiving was too brutal for his mind to regain stability. One moment Rocky would be punching him, the next Cineral smashing him against a tree. All he could do was hope that it would end soon and that he wouldn't black out. The outcome of the latter was becoming more and more possible as Rocky's taunt hoof hit him with enough force knock his teeth loose and send splatters of blood flying from his mouth. The next thing he knew was his body flying through the air, only to meet hard ground with a sickening crunch. Through his dimming vision, he spottily saw Beryl approach him, only to whip around and kick him with both back legs in the stomach. His entire body felt tired and sharp as he gasped for air."There, not tho thecial at all."Beryl laughed through his broken nose.

He turned around and motioned at Rocky and Cineral, who were grinning from ear to ear. It wasn't every day they got to flex their strength for their boss."C'mon, let's get back to Mith Happy Heart. I'm thure we can convince her Pip tharted it."The unicorn said as they began planning their lies for the old mare."We can thay he attacked me first again, and you guys were just trying to pull him off of me. He had to get hurt in the proceth."

They stopped as the daylight began to strangely dim. Dark clouds were appearing in the sky, blocking out the blue sky and the yellow sun, an overhanging of grey covering all of Ponyville, sending it into temporary night. A powerful wind began to brew, whipping about the branches overhead furiously. In the blink of an eye and a small nexus of teleportation magic, Luna appeared before the trio, gazing down at them with slits for eyes. They bundled together in a shivering mass as they gazed up at the alicorn before them. Their fear began to build up to sniveling and terrified levels as the shadows around them seemed to take on a life of their own. Blobs of night slithered across the grass as they gathered around Luna's form, crawling onto her body, adding to her form. The already large alicorn doubled in height as she transformed from a midnight blue to a terrifying black, towering over the foals before her. With the transformation complete, Luna gone, the harbinger of every child's fear stood over them, seething with fury. Nightmare Moon looked down at them with fury, but her voice a whisper. She lowered her head until it met Beryl."Look at me."

He reluctantly met her soulless gaze."Now, you're going to do exactly as I say. Understand?"

He nodded slowly.

"You're going to go to Miss Happy Heart, and tell her exactly what you did to Pip. And then you're going to apologize, and take any punishment she gives you."

They all nodded quickly.

"And you're going to be grateful that I didn't eat you."She smiled, revealing sharp fangs that glinted so hungrily.

Another nod of fear.

"Now go."

They darted off in an instant, all three of them screaming. Luna sighed as she reverted back to her true self, the holds of Nightmare Moon's form leaving. With a thought, she willed the clouds to dissipate and the wind to die down. In a matter of moments, the glory of day had returned. She would have to tell Celestia why she had interrupted day later on. For now, turning her gaze to Pip, she gritted her teeth at what children do to one another. His small form was shivering violently, most of his fur ruffled and dingy, his mane and head caked in streams of drying blood. His breathing was heavy and slow, and his face was swollen with bruises. She approached him and knelt in the grass, tenderly nudging him."Pip..."She whispered softly."Please tell me you're okay..."She continued nudging him, feeling a pit of worry beginning to well up inside her chest. It felt heavy and painful as she gazed at his slight form. Slowly, his head lifted to look at her, his eyes in pain but still showing he was all there. Luna smiled at him, only for it to become a frown of worry as she saw springs of tears beginning to flow from his eyes."Now, it'll be alright..."She whispered, nuzzling him closer to her. He pressed himself tightly against her chest, curling up into a shivering ball that cried and sobbed. Luna was not disgusted by the sight or awkward. This was one of her subjects, and she had to calm him.

"Ssh...Are you going to be okay...?"She asked in an almost motherly tone.

"N-no..."He replied through sobs."It...it hurts!"He broke out into louder cries."No...I'm not going to be okay! They won't stop! When you leave, t-they'll just hurt me again, and I c-can't do anything cause I'm too small!"

Luna looked down at him with deep concern and worry. "I..."

"And I know you can't stay here forever to keep them away..."He looked down, his tears mixing with blood stinging his eyes.

"I'll make it better somehow..."Luna said, at a loss for words at what she could do. A threat of war from a foreign country, she could handle. Political problems, she could handle. Discord, God of Chaos, she could handle, but this, she didn't know how to solve. This was a small evil, an evil that hurt those weaker than them just because it could. A small evil fell through the cracks, unnoticed by the governing good, a small evil could hurt ponies more than any great big evil could.

"...Somehow."

___

"Luna, are you sure you want to do this?"

"Very sure, sister."

Celestia shook her head, and for once in her eternal life, was at a loss of words for her sister's actions."You do realize the repercussions for this? The newspapers are going to have a field day, and who knows how the rest of the noble houses are going to react?"

Luna stood solid in her choice."You weren't there Celestia...is that what goes on underneath us? Is that what our country does when we're too busy dealing with feuding nobles or what we're going to wear to the next gala?"

"You know very well I've seen the evil ponies can do to one another."Celestia's voice hardened."It saddens me that despite our image of peace...Equestria still has its faults that we can never fix."

"Then let me fix this one fault! If you have a chance to solve a problem, you take it!"

"But this is just one problem out of a thousand more."

"Then we solve this one while we can, and move onto the next. If you have a problem right in front of you, you can't just ignore it when you know it can be solved!"Luna replied.

___

Pipsqueak was absolutely ecstatic as he bounded around Luna, the two entering Canterlot Castle."Wow!"He exclaimed, gazing at the stone pillars that held up massive throne room."Your house is so big! Do you ever get lost?"

"Occasionally."Luna smiled at the little foal's excitement.

"And I get to live here now too?"

"You do, Pip."

It was official in headlines across the country the next day. Princess Luna Adopts Common Pony Into Royal Family one read, Nobles Outraged At Adoption another. The most popular one however, Princess Luna Helps Orphan Find Home.

That night, Pipsqueak had moved into his new room in the castle, gazing in wide-eyed wonder at the size of it. The walls had been painted with a massive ship, crashing blue waves around it, while the room held pirate memorabilia such as a shelf with conch shells and toy cannons, a black flag with a skull and crossbones hanging proudly from one corner. Pip was tucked cozily into a bed that resembled a rowing boat, Luna bidding him goodnight before she went off to night court.

"Now, in the morning, you're going to be introduced to most of the staff, and learn your way around the castle grounds. You are not to walk around unescorted by a guard, understood?"

He nodded sleepily.

"Good."Luna lifted the covers until it met his chin. He snuggled deeper into the bed, his hoof in staying awake slowly slipping away, his eyes lazily closing. Luna smiled and nuzzled her nose against his. As she turned out the lights, her frame silhouetted in the doorway, she looked over her shoulder and said "Goodnight, Dearest Pip."

As she entered the hall, she could faintly hear Pip's dreamy reply.

"Goodnight mommy."

To Fight For the Lunar Guard

Dear Diary-

Pipsqueak stopped writing for a moment to think of the words that began to appear on the empty page before him. With a flick of the pencil, he scratched out the previous line in favor of a more masculine choice.

Dear Journal,

Been a while since I've written my thoughts down like this. I had one of you as a kid, but sadly lost the notebook. Let's hope this one can stay undamaged and free of doodles of male genitalia. Mum wants me to start keeping records of all of my 'royal duties', or whatever these Canterlot ponies do with a notebook and tons of free time on their hooves. All I do around the castle is be bored, attend some boring meetings, talk about boring political stuff and all that exciting jazz. I'm not even allowed outside the castle without some stiffer of a guard breathing down my neck, so talking to some of those lovely mares at one of those boutiques in the shopping district is out of the question. The castle's really lost it's charm over the years. I'm only allowed in certain areas, like the throne room or the castle library, but Mum forever restricts me from areas like the dungeons or those hidden chambers I hear some of the more gossip-y servants whisper about. I'd go explore the garden, but I kinda got lost in the maze as a foal for a couple hours...I don't want a guard finding me whimpering again just a few yards into the blasted thing.

Pip looked up from his writing to see a servant peeking his head into the room."Sir, you're late for breakfast."

"Tell 'em I'll be there in a jiff, Quincy."

The servant nodded and withdrew his head, the sound of his hoofsteps echoing down the hallway.

Well, dear journal, looks like we're going to have to cut this first meeting short. Breakkers is a calling!

Setting the closed notebook and pencil down on a nearby bedside table, Pip tossed his covers off and jumped out of bed, stretching his taunt and lean body to work out the kinks sleep had brought to his muscles. In a mirror on the far side of the room, he caught a glimpse of himself briefly. Long gone was his diminutive form from ten years ago, now a young colt just a few inches shy of the average earth pony adult, albeit still sporting a blank flank. His mane had grown to a long length suitable for a teenager of his age, brown strands neatly falling over his neck and face. With a yawn followed by a loud smack of his lips, Pip left his room, trotting down the hallway towards the Great Dining Hall of Canterlot Castle. It was still early morn, fresh sunshine naturally lighting up the castle through crystal clear windows. On his way to breakfast, Pip nodded and greeted several guards and staff."Morning there Bighoof!"He quipped happily at one of the many ponies that bore Celestia's white fur and golden armor that patrolled the castle.

"Good morning Prince Pipsqueak."The guard replied, stationary and stoic, just as a guard should be.

Pip halted his hooves and turned around to give the guard a quizzical stare."Bighoof, we've been over this before!"He said with a smarmy grin."Just call me Pipsqueak, or Pip, maybe Pippers, never Pippy, or just Big Daddy P."

"I cannot do that sir, regulations between the guard and royalty and all that."

The pinto-colored colt rolled his eyes but retained the smile as he trotted off."Whatever. Tell the family I said hi!"

"Will do, your highness."

In a few minutes time, Pipsqueak arrived in the dining hall, a massive room with an overhanging chandelier, a wide open balcony that let fresh air flow in, and a table that arrayed many delicacies meeting his eyes."Morning Mum!"He grinned as he approached a midnight blue alicorn with a flowing mane of living stars, planting a quick kiss on her cheek as a greeting before sitting down beside her."Good Morning Pip."Luna replied with a smile and a nod at her son. Apparently she had been finished eating for some time and had just been waiting on Pipsqueak, her plate showing signs of crumbs from an eaten meal."Did you sleep well?"She playfully raised an eye at his frizzy bedhead jutting this way and that. He shook his head, the hairs falling back into their natural place and grinned back at her."Sure did."

"Morning Aunty Tia."He added as he waved a good-natured hoof at the alicorn that sat at the head of the table, her sleek, elegant form outlined by a chromatic flowing mane of her own."Good morning Pip, I take it that you're hungry?"Celestia asked as she dabbed a napkin at her mouth, the cloth wrapped with magical aura. Her breakfast was finished as well."Next time, I recommend that you wake up earlier for breakfast, but seeing as how today is special, we'll let this fifth slip-up go unnoticed."She chuckled.

"Yes ma'm,"He nodded eagerly as his hungry eyes fell on the spread before him. A mountain of scones, bushels of salad and fruits, a plethora of other pastries greeted his wide stare and salivating mouth, all awaiting to be devoured by the teen. Right before he was going to dig into the loaded up plate, a cough interrupted him just as the first bite entered the air space towards his open mouth. Pipsqueak looked up from his untouched food to see a very annoyed stallion gazing at him, the grown unicorn sporting golden locks and a prominent face of self righteous vanity. One of Pip's eyebrows shot up while the other lowered itself."Oh. Morning to you too, Bluebloke."He said with very little enthusiasm."Didn't know you'd be entertaining us while we ate."

"Blueblood."The Prince spat out the word through gritted teeth.

"Close enough."Pip shrugged as he resumed eating.

"I'm here to wish you a....happy birthday, dear....cousin."Blueblood forced the words out of lips, as if it physically ailed him to speak a pleasantry to another being other than himself.

"Aww...didn't know you cared so much."Pip swallowed a mouthful of strawberry-creamed scones before chuckling at his adoptive relative."I'll be sure to send you a birthday card when yours rolls around. You're what....forty something?"

"....Thirty-one."

"Eh, still pretty close there!"

"Aunt Celestia..."Blueblood turned with barely-restrained anger towards the princess."May I be excused now? I've delivered my bidding to Pipsqueak, and I wish to head back to my estate."

"You may leave, Blueblood."Celestia said calmly to him in all of her regality and grace."Have a nice day."

With a "Hmph!" and a nose in the air, Prince Blueblood left the room, creating an air free of his suffocatingly disdainful ego. For the next ten minutes or so, the only sound in the dining hall was the scrape of fork against plate and Pipsqueak inhaling his food, almost forgetting his table etiquette. With a bite of muffin halfway to his mouth, he looked up to see the two princesses staring at him with curious grins and raised eyebrows."Oh, sorry."He mumbled, slowing down, sitting up straight and carefully chewing the food. Once he was satisfied with the horde he had swallowed, he pushed the plate away and belched softly, wiping his mouth free of jelly and remaining bits of lettuce."So Mum..."Pip began in an almost innocent tone, smiling widely at her."I was wonderin'...."

"The answer is still no."Luna quickly cut him off as over a dozen servants entered the room and cleaned up the table in a flash, scurrying off with clinking platters and dirty silverware.

"You don't even know what I'm gonna ask..."Pip crossed his forelegs.

"It'll be the same thing you've asked me since the month began."

"No it won't."

"Yes, it will."

"You can't read minds!"

"I could if I wanted to."

Pip sighed, knowing full-well his adoptive parent was capable of such a power. He turned his head away from his mother for a moment before doubling back around, his face as downcast as possible, eyes wide and shimmering with imminent tears, lip protruding and quivering."Please...?"

Luna's eyes deadlocked on his, stern blue orbs meeting pleading brown ones in the battle of wills. A silent moment pass, outlined only by Celestia's delicate laughter at the matter."No."Was all escaped the night alicorn's lips.

"C'mon Mum!"Pip jumped from his seat, down on the floor in a mock stance of begging."I'm eighteen today, I'm officially a man now! You just gotta!"

The Princess of the Night left the room unresponsive to him, even as he held onto her hind legs and was dragged across the ground, every step Luna took was punctuated with a "Please?" from Pipsqueak, even as a blue aura appeared around his body and lifted him off of her to be set back down at the table. With an exasperated sigh, Luna returned to her personal chambers for a quick nap, the calls of her son's continuous pleas still echoing in the halls.

Pip groaned as he turned to see Celestia still sitting at the table, a cup of tea levitating to her mouth."It's not fair Aunty."He moaned, leaning against the table, one hoof supporting his face."It's my birthday today, and the one thing I want, Mummy won't give me."

"You're starting to sound like Blueblood a bit there, Pip."Celestia said after taking a quick sip.

"Sorry, didn't mean to come off as a pompous and self-centered unicorn."

"Sarcasm isn't helping your case either."

He sighed in defeat."I know, Aunty Tia. I'm sorry."

"It's quite alright Pip. But what you're asking for is a very...difficult matter, not something we can just gift wrap and hand right over to you. You're asking for something that could change your life."

"I know Aunty, I know..."

___

Luna just couldn't sleep. She snorted as comfortableness in her bed eluded her, cried in annoyance in trying to find the right position to sleep in amongst throw pillows and sheets of stars. A small celebration was to be held for Pip in the castle gardens that afternoon, and it constantly ran through her mind. No media was to be present, and only the closest family and friends were allowed to attend. It would have a nautical decor, a theme that had run through Pip's life, and even at such a maturing age, he still adored all things cutthroat and seaworthy. She was giving him everything he could ever want, just as she always had since his adoption. Why, why would he ask for the one thing he knows I cannot give?! She asked the maddening question to herself.

It had happened little over a month ago. Luna was overseeing the status of her personal guard, bequeathing ranks, accepting nervous newcomers, and honorably discharging those who had grown too old to wear the infamous black armor. Pipsqueak sat beside her during all of the military necessities, looking rather bored as he always did when attending business of the royal family."Having fun?"Luna whispered over to him after she had just granted the rank of Lieutenant to one pony that appeared the same as every one of her dozen other guards.

"A blast."He whispered back, barely able to keep the sarcasm from dripping into his words."No, seriously, we should do this more often Mum. What's next, watch paint dry?"

"You'd be surprised at what happens at these meetings, Pipsqueak..."The Princess half-smiled at him as two earth pony guards stepped side by side together and bowed before her."They're much more entertaining than you think."She finished as the guards stood back up and walked opposite of one another, only twenty paces apart as they solemnly gazed at one another through their helmets."With your permission, Princess,"One began."We would like to demonstrate how prepared we are for any combat scenario, just as you have instructed."The other finished.

"Permission granted."Luna said, looking at Pip, his eyes showing confusion at the sudden change of tone in the throne room. The air of stillness was still present, but absent of the awkward boredom. Now, more of the stillness of a storm right before striking. The guards slowly nodded at one another before standing up on their hind legs, approaching one another cautiously, their forelegs tensed and held up in somewhat of a fighting position. Quick as a flash, one guard struck out with his hoof, the other casually turning the punch aside and rolling into the body of his opposite guard, releasing a flurry of strikes on the midsection. Not even fazed by the blows, Guard Number One raised both hooves over his head before cracking down on the skull of Guard Number Two, a loud din of hoof hitting the metal helmet echoing through the court. Number Two quickly recovered from the attack as he had his helmet on, otherwise it would have left quite a nasty bruise. In a matter of seconds, they were striking at one another at a rapid pace, neither one making many scores of hits but blocking each other, as if they were in a rehearsed performance of fluid violence.

"Enough, you have proven how well trained my guard is. I congratulate you two for your impeccable skill in hoof-to-hoof combat."Luna's words, as if by machination, halted the process of the guards, both lowering themselves in a bow to her before returning to join the others of the Lunar Guard.

"So..."Luna giggled as she turned to face her son."How boring was that?"

Pip's eyes were wide with wonder, his mouth open into what seemed as a permanent jawdrop."That was bloody brilliant!"He exclaimed.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it-"

"Mum, could I learn to do that?!"

"No son, it was just for entertai-"

"Please Mum, you gotta let me join your Lunar Guard!"

Luna sighed with the half smile from before."Maybe Pip, maybe."

At first, she had just thought it was simple teenage hero worship, but when he began to ask her at least thrice daily, she began to worry. The Lunar Guard was a sanctity that had been upheld ever since the royal family had been established eons ago, and now her son wished to join it. It wasn't that she denied it to him out of parental indifference, it was because she was worried for him. For centuries before her banishment and since her return, she had been the personal overseer of the Lunar Guard, training them in battle techniques she had developed herself over countless years, ranging from earth pony combat to pegasi flight tactics to unicorn war magic specifically designed to emulate the terror and fear that came with the night. She had seen too many a young buck try to join her harsh regiment of training, only to falter and reconsider joining the Solar Guard of her sister instead. This is where Luna considered herself and her sister's military prowess came to a line, While Celestia's army of a thousand common foot soldiers was intimidating, Luna's personal guard of only a hundred trained specialists was awe-inspiring. And now, Pipsqueak unknowingly wanted to subject himself to the most strenuous and exhausting course in Equestrian history.

___

Dear Journal,

I don't know what's up with Mum and me trying to join her Lunar Guard. It's not like I'm going to get hurt or anything, right? I mean, I'm pretty fit, so all of that military grunt work I'll have to endure won't be too bad. Plus, I could probably just tune out any captain or somepony chewing me out for little mistakes, I've learned how to mute words I don't wanna hear ever since I began attending royal court with both Mum and Aunty Tia. Maybe I'll be able to convince her at the party this afternoon?

His mouth curled into a smile as he looked down at the words.

The party man, eighteen! Officially a stallion! It's just gonna be me, Mum, Aunty, and a hooveful of my closest friends way back from Ponyville. Fortunately, I've managed to keep from the hoity-toityness of this place and kept track with my pals. What can I say about 'em? First off journal, Snails. He's no longer thicker than that tasty zap apple jam, in fact, he graduated top of his class! Apparently he's some kinda 'recessive genius' or something or other. Heard he could be the next great scholar of Equestria...I'd pay every bit I have to see that happen.

Snips, given his name and cutie mark, is a wonder with scissors, so he took to the fashion business...I hope I can face him without a goofy grin when he mentions it. Looks like somepony's going to give Rarity a run for her bits once Snips gets his ideas out to those fashion designers....or producers...or whatever the term is. Speaking of unicorns, let's move onto Sweetie Belle and Dinky.

Sweetie's gotten a contract with one of Equestria's biggest record companies, so wherever you tune in a radio, eventually you'll be hearing her sweet, sweet voice gracing your ears. Maybe I could get her to hum us a tune at the party?

Dinky Doo, that silly little filly I had a crush on as a kid, has really grown up. She's taken over her own mum's business as a mailmare, using teleportation magic and all that fancy levitating to deliver twice as fast. I heard her mum, Derpy, hasn't been doing very well though. Seems like she's been sick for a while now...I'll have to send over one of these royal doc types just hanging around the castle to her, maybe they could help.

Next up, Scootaloo. Looks like she's going to be following the path of her idol, Rainbow Dash. The mare's gotten herself an audition with the Wonderbolts, and rumor is that she wowed them all. At the next show, I'll be sure to look out for a blue streak with just a hint of orange in the costume.

Lickety Split is the one I haven't heard from much. I think he's running his dad's Ice Cream Parlor now, best frozen treats in Equestria. I can still remember my first sundae from there...Sweet Celestia, so good...tops the small portions here any day.

Lastly, Applebloom. Heard she's a real wonder with a hammer, could build anything as long as it's held together by nails. So, she's a construction pony, building up and tearing town barns for all of them farmer ponies out there. I heard she still tries her hoof at apple harvesting, just not as talented as her siblings at it though.

Pipsqueak paused in his writing, just for a moment to slowly write down the end of the entry.

Man...I really miss them. It's true what they say, you never forget where you came from, that goes for both Trottingham and Ponyville.

___

"Can I take it off now?"

"Not yet sir."

"How 'bout now?"

"We're not there yet, your highness."

".....What about-"

"NO....I mean, no, Prince Pipsqueak. Just remain patient, please."

Pipsqueak groaned in agitation as the guard's voice served as his only guide through the blindfold's cover over his eyes."Fine..."He mumbled, his ears piquing up to follow the guard's heavy hoofsteps and gruff words. After a few more minutes of walking, light began to filter in through the thin fabric of the blindfold and the smell of fresh grass permeated into his nostrils, alerting Pip that he was outside now, more specifically, the garden."You may take it off now, sir."

As Pip lifted the blindfold over his eyes, a grin as wide as his face appeared as a loud "Surprise!" erupted from a group of ponies sporting party hats and surrounded by party decor. A blast of confetti fell from seemingly nowhere and doused Pip in it's sparkly and miniature magnitude. In a flash, Pip found himself on the ground, crushed by the weight of his friends all trying to hug him at once."Hey guys..."He winced, straining to free himself from their death grip for friendship."Long time, no see..."

Eventually they all let up, allowing the prince to return to his hooves. He looked at the main ones who had tackled him, all six of his friends from his foalhood that he had mentioned in his journal earlier that day. Others were present, such as gaurds he had grown close to during his years at the castle, and even Twilight Sparkle, adviser to Princess Celestia herself along with her own friends."Now that the birthday boy's here,"A pink pony from the group of Twilight's said, looking fit to burst with all of the energy exuding from her. Pip could faintly remember hanging out with her on his first Nightmare Night, her name escaping him at the moment, something related to cake...or pie, or another sweet treat."We can start the party!!"From seemingly nowhere and out of a cartoon itself, a cannon, brightly decorated, appeared behind her, shooting flashing streamers and tons of confetti everywhere.

Pip grinned as he raised his hoof in agreement with the pink pony."C'mon everypony, I'm only eighteen once!"He howled as he rushed into the center of the garden, music with a heavy bass beat beginning to play over a several large amps that had been set up around the perimeter of the party area. With cackles of glee, the others joined suit, dancing, some better than others, but all moving to the sound of joy and celebration that was that afternoon.

___

Two hours into the party, things had begun to die down. Pipsqueak, sided by his male companions, reclined against a table that had a buffet of junk food stretched out over it."So..."He began, strangely eying the group of mares giggling together just a few yards away. He titled his head, making sure he was seeing right what was in front of him. It had been only a year since he had last seen them all, and had mostly kept contact through letters. His kept kept darting back and forth between their feminine frames."So..."

"So what?"Snips asked, his voice had matured evenly with age, but still retained a bit of it's hoarseness in the undertone. The light blue unicorn leaned over, trying to follow Pip's gaze, and he snickered to himself once he realized what his friend was implying.

"When did they all get....you know..."Pip held up his hoof and absentmindedly pointed it at the group, vaguely switching between the four of them.

"Stupendous?"Snips said his piece.

"Elegant?"Snails interjected, his own voice no longer slow, but now something short of an upper-class pony's tone.

"Hot?"Lickety said bluntly, munching on an ice cream cone.

Pip nodded."Yeah...that one."

Lickety Split shrugged in reply, tossing his treat up into the air, only to catch it neatly in his mouth, followed by gulping it down."Always been that way, I suppose. We just never noticed it 'till now."

"I'm pretty sure I'd notice how..."Pip paused to search for a word that didn't make it sound like he was treating his friends like eye candy."...Pretty Dinky's gotten."

Snails raised an eyebrow mockingly, his orange mouth curling into a grin that looked silly on his elongated features."Why did you just say Dinky? What about Applebloom? All that construction work's really toned her..."

"Shut it."

"We're just saying, Pip."Snips chuckled."Scootaloo, flyer's grace..."

"I mean it guys."

"Sweetie Belle? Liked to ring her bell."Lickety had pulled another ice cream cone from a mysterious origin, chowing down on the frozen dairy treat as he spoke.

"C'mon guys, don't say that, we've known them since we were kids, gotta give them some respect."

"Castle life made you all chivalrous, Pip."

A moment of silence passed before the group exploded into laughter. When the group of females in question looked over at them curiously, Pip waved them off with tears nearly streaming down his face."Nothing to worry about ladies! Snails just said a really funny....smart pony joke...with smart puns and the like."

After giving them a second or two's gaze, the mares returned to their own conversation."So Dinky,"Scootaloo began, giggling with each word."Pip's sure grown up..."

The pale purple mare's eyes widened in surprise, her cheeks blushing slightly."Scoot, let's not get on this topic..."

___

Pipsqueak smiled with weary eyes as he entered his private quarters, collapsing into the rowboat bed that had cradled him to sleep many a nights."Best...night...ever..."His voice muffled through the pillow that obscured his face. As he crawled underneath the blanket, he turned out the lamp at his bedside and blearily waved at the guard standing watch at his doorway."Night Bighoof, see you in the morning..."

"Goodnight, Prince Pipsqueak."The familiar guard replied before closing Pip's door, ready for his watch into the hours of the night.

Right before sweet sleep embraced him, A knocking at the door jolted him back to the world of the awake. A disgruntled Pip shook himself out of bed and opened the door, revealing Princess Luna to gaze down at him solemnly."Oh...hey Mum."He said slowly, working his mind back to working order to stay awake."What brings you here....at midnight....when you should be in Night Court...?"

"It regards your birthday, Prince Pipsqueak."She spoke with regality and strict tone, a voice she had not used when speaking directly towards him in a long time.

"What's up...?"He asked, fully free from sleep's grip and curious.

"I have taken into consideration...what my present towards you is going to be."

The brown and white stallion laughed lightly as he remembered the party earlier, she hadn't been there to join in the festivities."If it's about you not coming, it's okay Mum. I knew you and Aunty Tia were probably busy."He closed his eyes as he held out his forelegs."Ready for my present now, whenever you're give."He said, expecting another pirate paraphernalia to add to his already prominent collection of eyepatches, doubloons, and other nautical collectives.

"Open your eyes, Pip. Your present isn't physical."

"Then...what is it?"He questioned."...You're not going to do anything magical to me, right?"

"Luna couldn't help but let a small smile slide onto her face."No, nothing of the arcane sort."She shook her eye, her mane billowing behind her, and for a quick moment, the stars matched the night sky outside a nearby window, giving the princess the visage of one with the night."It involves...the request you've been asking for..."

His heart nearly leapt right out of his chest and through his mouth."You don't mean...?"He said expectantly.

"I...do. After much consideration...you may try your hoof at the Lunar Guard."

"YES!"Pipsqueak yelled, rushing his adoptive mother with a hug that matched fabled earth pony strength. Through his suffocating squeeze, Luna smiled down at him."Just please...be careful."

He released her and nodded rapidly."I will! Thanks so much Mum!"

"I'm glad you're excited. Your training begins sharply at five in the morning, so I recommend going to sleep now."

"Alright, can't wai-....what?"

___

Pipsqueak stood in the commons square of the soldier barracks on the far end of the castle, a spot he had rarely visited. His mane was a matted mess, and his eyes half closed and glazed. The moon overhead was slowly lowering to allow it's brighter twin to arise, the sky in an equinox of dark of light. He raised a hoof to stifle a yawn as he waited, only for a giant blurry shape to appear in front of him and promptly begin screaming it's lungs out at him.

"Did I say you could yawn, grunt? Well, DID I?!"

The prince found himself staring wide-eyed up at a giant of a pegasus pony, making him feel like he was a child again as he was dwarfed to the pegasus that towered a head over him, only several inches shorter from an alicorn such as Celestia or Luna. The pony was a dark grey, as were all of Luna's guards, his eyes a strange, piercing green that would bore into any soul, his body clad in the usual armor of the night guard, but with several medals and symbols emblazoned up his breastpiece. Pip took this to be one of the higher ranking officers, so he gave a clumsy salute as he looked up to meet the larger pony's stare."No, sir, you didn't-"

"That's right! I didn't!"He interrupted, his louder voice booming into Pip's ears."Just because you're Princess Luna's boy, you think you're gonna get special treatment?"

"No sir, I-"

"That's right! You bet your sorry flank you won't! You're going to be subjugated to to most gruesome,"He began to circle Pipsqueak."Cruel,"He whacked Pipsqueak in the back with his hoof, forcing him to straighten his posture."Torturous,"Another crack on his shoulders."Physically and mentally exhausting months of training nopony should ever experience!"The officer was standing in front of Pip once more, his cold eyes boring down on him as Pip tried to maintain the stance he was forced into."But, if you should survive..."His eyes showed a hint of doubt within their pupils."You will join Equestria's elite amongst the Lunar Guard."

"Yes sir..."Pip nodded, still trying to recover from the fact how huge the pegasus was. Weren't they supposed to be smaller and lithe to fly better?

"...Captain Blackblitz."The larger pony said immediately after Pip finished his words.

"Excuse me?"

The pegasus shoved his face right into Pip's, snorting furiously."I am Captain Blackblitz, Princess Luna's right-hoof man, survivor of three wars on foreign soil with dragons, and most decorated leader the Lunar Guard has ever seen."

"Oh..."Pip gulped as Blackblitz removed his face from being so close, the smaller stallion still continuing his salute, the Captain eying him in annoyance."How long are you going to hold up that pitiful salute, grunt?"

Pipsqueak nodded and lowered it.

"Now, we're going to begin."Blackblitz resumed his pacing around the newly-instated rookie."Drop and give me fifty."

"....Fifty what?"

Blackblitz halted, his voice equal to that of a loud rock shattering."What kind of question is that, grunt?! Forget fifty, give me a hundred now!"

"A hundred what, sir?!"

"Two-hundred now! Two-hundred pushups, GRRRRR-UUUNT!"

___

Dear Journal,

The big night's finally here.

For three months, Pip had been put through hell on Equestria. He had been transferred from his comfy abode in the castle to a dingy bunkbed in the barracks with moldy thin sheets, no pillow, and a springy mattress that kept him awake many a nights with it's metallic hardness piercing into his back. He had endured sore muscles, bloody scrapes, an exhaustive mind, and most of all, Captain Blackblitz's constant shouting, berating, and insults in his ears through every course, one night particularly hitting him hard.

A powerful storm had been brewed specifically by Captain Blackblitz to torture the soldiers under his command. As angry clouds raged overhead with thunder, lightning, and rain pouring by by the buckets, Pipsqueak performed alone in the common square, trying to move through an obstacle course that pushed him through three walls ten feet high, crawling through mud and barbed wire, swinging over pits that if he fell into them, he would spend the night in, all the while Blackblitz's roaring voice overcame the noise of the storm and boomed into Pip's head."C'mon now grunt, you can do better than that! I've seen molasses move faster than you!!"He shouted, hovering overhead.

Pipsqueak ducked underneath a patch of barbed wire, crawling through it as fast as he could without rushing and arching his back upwards, which would send small lacerations over his back. He managed to escape with only a dozen scratches or so. He overcame the first wall easily, scrambling up the rope and over in a flash."Pick up those hooves, grunt! Good soldiers have fast hooves!"Blackblitz continued ranting.

Onto the pit, Pip paused as he quickly gauged how to approach the rope dangling over the deep hole. He moved back slightly, sprang forward, leaping into the air, his hooves wrapping around the rope just barely, his body sliding down several inches before friction slowed him. He swung back and forth twice before bounding off, landing with a harsh thud, gritting his teeth at the rope burn coming onto his hooves. Ignoring the heated pain in his forelegs, he dashed onto, moving over the second wall only a tad slower than the first one. He continued on, running a dozen more yards, rain pelting him heavily all over, stinging his body with every drop, his lungs feeling like they were ablaze, his legs numb, and he was pretty sure they weren't attached to his body anymore, he was just a floating phantasm hovering along. Before him stood the third and final wall, and as Pip hopped up and grabbed onto the rope, he climbed only five feet off the ground before he let out a gasp of surprise as springs of pain shot through his forelegs, and in another second, he was flat on his back on the ground. Blackblitz flew over him, shaking his head."You gonna fail grunt! I wouldn't recommend climbing that wall again!"

With heavy breathing, Pip got back up and tried his hoof at climbing once more, this time reaching the edge. As he steadied himself to leap over the wall to the other side, he found himself in the same position as before. His body gave out on him in the balance department and sent him tumbling backwards, slamming into the mud with a heavy splash and a shout of pain as his back wrenched with the feeling. For several long seconds, time seemed to slow as Blackblitz descended upon him, flapping his jet-black wings to hover only a few inches above the fallen stallion."You gonna cry, grunt?"He said, not shouting, only speaking in a dissapointed monotone.

He tried to heave out a reply, but only labored breathing was said to the captain."You gonna cry, grunt?"He repeated the question."Gonna cry and give up, knowing that you couldn't do it?"

Pipsqueak strained himself to stand up, but his body only replied with more shooting pain, forcing him to release a cry from his lips.

"Gonna give up grunt, knowing you're nopony special?"

His eyes jerked wide open."What..."He managed to croak out."Did you just say, Captain?"

Blackblitz grinned almost maliciously."Nopony special."He drew out the bitter words as if they tasted sweet on his tongue.

With another cry, Pipsqueak jolted back up to his hooves, trying to hold back tears through gritted teeth. He slowly crawled towards the wall, wrapping his hooves around the rope and ascending it at a snail's pace."You're trying again, grunt?! You know you're just going to fall again! Go on back to the castle!"Blackblitz flew up behind Pip as he tried to climb the wall again, screaming once again in his ears."Go back to the comfort, the luxury!"He screeched as Pip reached halfway up."You know you can't do it!! You know the pain's too great, and the task too hard!"

"Shut up..."

"What was that, grunt?"

"Shut up..."Pipsqueak whispered as he reached the eight foot mark."...Shut up you bloody bucker, and let me climb..."

"WHAT DI YOU SAY, GRU-"The captain came to a halt mid sentence as Pipsqueak whirled around on the rope, eyes wide and blazing furiously in reply."Let me climb, Captain Blackblitz."He rasped out, shaking violently as he reached the top of the wall, tumbling over it and landing with a crash on the other side. Slowly, ever so slowly, he climbed out of the mud, scraping himself towards the finish line ahead. He only fell once, but stood right back up, crossing the haphazardly-patched up goal and collapsing a few inches past it.

As he lay there, utterly exhausted in the pouring rain and bone-chilling cold, Blackblitz land in front of him. Pipsqueak expected another chewing out, or possibly discharge for cursing at a commanding officer, but received the opposite. A strong hoof helped him up, and Pip found himself autonomously walking towards the barracks."C'mon grunt,"Blackblitz's voice rang through his ears, sounding almost...fatherly."Let's get you to your bed. You've earned it."

Now he stood before his mother in her Night Court, the entirety of the Lunar Guard aligning the walls and saluting. Luna sat on her throne and gazed down at Pipsqueak, allowing a slow smile to spread across her face."Trainee Pipsqueak,"The smile vanished to be replaced by her powerful canterlot voice."Does your Captain acknowledge your hardship in joining the Lunar Guard?"

Blackblitz broke the line on the left side of the court, walking up to beside Pipsqueak, bowing and nodding."Princess Luna, Pipsqueak has undergone the full training for the guard, and deserves to stand amongst your loyal servants."

With another bow to Luna and a quick nod to Pipsqueak, he returned to line.

"Pipsqueak, do you promise to serve your princesses, both night and day, with your whole self?"

"I do."He nodded.

"And do you promise to uphold the services you are to provide towards Equestria and it's ponies, in both times of war and of peace?"

Another nod, and another "I do."

"Very well then,"With her horn glowing, three pieces of armor sparked and popped out of thin air, hovering in front of the blue alicorn."May the night make you swift of hoof and quick of wit,"She levitated greaves over to his legs, the armor clinking magically over them."May the stars forever sing their song of protection over you,"The largest of the set, full body armor adorned with spikes chinked over his torso."And,"She brought the helmet over and hovered it inches over his head."May the moon always show you it's favor."The helmet lowered over his head, fitting quite comfortably, as if it were made for him. Pipsqueak looked up and saluted as brave and stoic as he could appear, and he guessed he did, considering himself looking quite badass at the moment.

"By the power invested in me, I Princess Luna, do hereby declare you a warrior for the Order Nocturne,"

Pipsqueak turned around and saluted the ponies before him."I declare you a soldier for the Lunar Guard."