Chapters ~Chapter 1~ The Last Piece of Her
“Push! You’re almost there, Mrs Petals! He’s crowning, Mrs Petals. Push!” screamed the Nurse Joyheart, trying to get through to the soon-to-be Mother lying in the hospital bed.
“Hnnnn-Ahhh! Why is it so pahhhhh-painful? This is -hnnnng- meant to be a miracle! Then why does it feel like I’m being ripped in half!” Rose Petal yelped, panting and wailing in pain, “Ahhhhh!”
“Y-you’re almost there Honey, J-just push a little harder.” Her husband, Orion, stood at her side, clutching her hoof to his solid metal chest plate and weakly smiling at her. The normally rock-solid pegasus guard had been brought to his knees by the sudden rush of the evening. The foal hadn’t been due for two weeks.
“Easy for you to say! You’re not the one who’s trying to fit a watermelon out from between their legs!” Rose Petal gave him a deathly glare, scrunching her face up in a ball as she fought to get this baby out of her.
“Just a little more, Ma’am! He’s almo- wait…” the nurse retreated from her position, blinking wildly in disbelief, and called out the door “Somepony get Doctor Genepool! ASAP!” The mare ran back to ready herself for the delivery. “One more push, ma’am! You’ve almost done it.”
Rose Petal gritted her teeth, clinging to her husband’s hoof, and squeezed every muscle in her body. “Ahhhh!” she howled, as the last of the pain subsided. She gasped for air, desperate to block out the pain, as the room went silent. Two doctors rushed into the ward, and surrounded the nurse who held the small dark grey foal in her magic, and one by one their expressions fell flat.
“What- What’s wrong?” asked the guards pony, desperate not to be left in suspense about his son and unsure whether to be confused or terrified. His gaze shifted from his wife to the doctors and back. No pony moved, and the room was silent except for the slow paced beeps made by Rose’s heart beat monitor. “Doctors? Nurses?” Orion said softly, choking on the thick tension that hung about the room.
With a quick burst of movement, the Nurse turned to one doctor and whispered something in his ear. They walked side by side out of the room with the baby. Orion stared on wondering, invisible to everypony in the room except one. “W-where’s Sunshine gone?” questioned Rose Petal, still holding onto her husband’s hoof. He looked to her, seeing her smile weakly. In truth, he didn’t know where.
“They’ve gone to check your foal for any… complications” stated the remaining doctor. He was an older stallion, glasses pushed up his muzzle and looking very experienced. Yet even he look startled, shocked even, as though he’d never seen a new born foal. He appeared to be calm, trying to hide his suspicions, but his forced smile took any sincerity away from the gesture. Slowly, the second doctor left, unable to deal with the overhanging worry in the room. “Th-that’s nice. I hope Sunshine is alright…” muttered the pale looking mare. She’d been through a lot today. “Orion, honey. Are you okay? You looked worried.” She smiled to her husband, being very calm and very aloft. “Yeah” the guards pony replied weakly, “I’m not the one who just gave birth though.” He chuckled a little at his own joke, and soon his wife joined in with a faint giggle. Orion found himself smiling, awaiting his son’s return, but in the back of his mind, something niggled at him. Something was wrong. Rose’s hoof fell limp as a long monotonous beep sounded faintly behind him. It wasn’t going to stop. He turned to the source of the noise, the heart rate monitor. It took a second to register but it hit him like a ton of bricks. “Rose, honey? Rose Petal?” he whispered, afraid that he might actually be seeing the truth. “Rose Petal?!” he called, yet received no reply. He had frozen to the spot, helpless to do anything.
“Something the matter?” A nurse yelled a nurse from outside. He couldn’t reply. He was struck mute, and all that could be heard was the loud flat note that was played by the machine. Almost instantly, two nurses rushed in dragging a machine behind them. A defibrillator. They surrounded Rose Petal’s bed as the live-saving equipment was wheeled next to her.
“She’s not breathing. Grab the oxygen mask” shouted the younger looking nurse. The other simply nodded and ran out. Orion continued to find himself unable to move, looking one as the young nurse attached the defibrillator’s pads to Rose’s still chest. The nurse looked from Rose Petal to the machine that was meant to save her life.
“Charging… Clear!” shouted the nurse to no pony in particular. Rose’s whole body convulsed as the electrical charge flowed through her, but she didn’t respond. Her head flicked between the dying mare and the heart rate monitor. “No pulse” she muttered, “Charging again. Clear!”
Orion was left unable to do anything as his wife slowly disappeared in front of him. He could only pray for any sign of life. The defibrillator shocked his wife with no effect. It was charged and fired again and again to no avail.
The guards pony teared up as he watched the nurse’s pained expression. She stood staring at his wife, her head lowered. She stamped a hoof on the floor in frustration, but it wouldn’t bring her back. Rose was gone. The nurse lowered the machine onto its trolley and looked at the nearby clock.
“Time of Death: 11:52pm” she stated, just as monotonous as the heart rate monitor. The clipboard on the end of Rose’s bed was levitated towards her, and she scribbled something on it. The young nurse took a deep breath, replacing the clipboard. She couldn’t look at Orion, as she removed all the various cables attached to his wife and turned off all the equipment.
Slowly, she went to lift the sheet over Rose’s sleeping face, but left it just below her chin. She turned on the spot and began walking out of the room, giving herself as much space from Orion as possible.
Orion finally found his hooves unstuck from the tiled floor of the maternity ward. He shuffled sluggishly towards his wife’s side, tired from exhaustion. He slumped to his haunches as he came along side her, seeing his wife for what he realised would be the very last time. He was nervous and didn’t know what to say. He sat in silence, listening to the absence of his wife’s life, trying to think of something to break the surmounting tension.
“Hi, Honey” was the only legible words that came out before Orion hit the bed sobbing. Quiet and angry, his tears streamed wildly with no resistance. He had sagged over the side of the bed, his face panted next to Rose’s side. He cried on with no pony there to comfort him. He just sat there letting the emotions run out of him. No pony dared enter. Unknown to Orion, Nurse Joyheart stood in the doorway letting him grieve.
A good twenty minutes passed before Orion had been able to stop the waterworks. He hadn’t cried in near on two decades, not since his wedding day. Nurse Joyheart stepped in soon after, and laid a reassuring hoof on his shoulder. He didn’t react to the unexpected touch of a hoof except for moaning a little. He shuffled a little, turning his head towards the nurse. He hadn’t smiled at her nor had he frowned, but she knew that she’d been given pass to speak. “Sunshine is waiting for you,” she whispered, “He’s coming in now.”
The nurse retreated back to the door and wheeled in the cot. Breaking the silence with nothing but a few clicks, the cot was secured and the nurse left them to be. Orion, still drooped over the bed, rolled himself off with a sickening crack coming from his neck, his spine out of place due to the uncomfortable position he had been lying in. He took a few steps towards the cot and looked into it.
“S-sunshine?” he muttered, peering over the edge. Within was a small grey foal, wrapped in a dark blue wrap. He was asleep, sucking on his hoof and smiling. The guards pony had taken one look at him, and he no longer felt sad. He was peaceful, drawing in the colt’s innocence. Orion even cracked a smile for the first time that night.
With a wing, he scooped up the foal and brought it over to his wife’s bed. She looked like she was sleeping too. He laid the foal next to her and jumped up onto the bed himself. He sandwiched the baby between him and his wife’s cooling body, resting his head upon the pillow. He never wanted the moment to end, for his situation to hit him hard.
The small colt yawned, a high pitched squeak coming from him. Orion looked down at the cute foal and nuzzled its small head. But something underneath the wraps caught his eye. A small rustling by the foal’s back; something struggling to be freed. The guards pony took his took an interest to this and tugged it undone softly. The tiny foal rolled slightly, and his bindings came loose. The navy wrappings fell from his coat to reveal two tiny wings, stretching and fidgeting after being exposed. However, these were not normal pegasi wings.
“What are those?” Orion muttered, staring on at the glimmering black wings. Was it a mutation? Had they not fully developed? The tiny wings unravelled, and the tiny colt stretched. His rounded eyes fluttered half-open to reveal two glowing cat-like eyes. His ears, as fluffy as they were, were fairly large. This was obviously not a normal colt.
The little colt blinked as his narrow pupils adjusted to the unnatural light. His hooves came up to block the onslaught of light. His eyes began to water, and he whimpered. Orion instinctively shot out a wing to shield his newborn son. From under the new shade, the colt calmed down a little. He rocked from side to side, looking at anything he could see, taking in his new surroundings. Orion watched his child in all its innocence. His son yawned wide, and he found himself doing the same. Their eyes met and they looked at one another in silence. A few seconds passed as they shared the moment, then looking up on his father, the foal smiled and giggled.
“Sunshine Smiles… My son.” Orion’s tough day was catching up on him fast. His eyelids falling fast as he pulled his son close, the foal yawning wide as he too fell asleep. The midnight bells chimed as Orion’s resistance faded and gave way to the welcome feeling of sleep.
Author's Note
After finishing Little Luna and the Cookie Conundrum , I wanted to get straight onto something else. Something new.Equestria Daily's competition turned up, I thought Let's have a go .'why not?'
Also, I friggin' love the name Sunshine Smiles for a bat pony, especially a stotic, grumpy one (but i'm not planning on making Sunshine that... I can't write anti-heroes.)
“Sunshine Smiles! You should have been ready ten minutes ago!” shouted a frustrated Orion, his temper getting the better of him, “You are going to be late! On the first day, no less!”
Pacing up and down the hallway, Orion sighed. He shouldn’t have expected anything more of his son. The kid needed a constant eye on him to make sure he was doing anything right. It wasn’t that he had trouble with his work if the straight-As had anything to say about it. It was that his attention constantly wandered.
“I’m just finishing off!” called Sunshine from upstairs, his tone a higher pitch than usual. That could only indicate one thing.
“Are you lying to me, Sunshine?” yelled Orion. He was becoming impatient with his son, his hoof tapping away as the seconds ticked away. He didn’t receive a response, much less any indication that the colt had listened to anything he’d just said.
With another sigh, Orion made his way upstairs, the stair creaking with each step he put any weight on. At about midway up the stairs, a loud scuffle could be heard coming from Sunshine’s room, a sudden burst of movement indicating what Orion knew all along. He pushed open the closed door that muffled all noises from within, and was greeted by the sight of scattered laundry and untidy shelves but what annoyed him most was the loud heavy metal music that Sunshine had on.
Sunshine could be seen digging school work from under his bed, his flank waving around as objects were flung everywhere. Orion rolled his eyes, and just waited for his son to move out. Orion found himself looking around the messy room, with shutters closed and the lights on at their dimmest. Orion, with his aging eyes, could still see the majority of his son’s room, but the darkest corners kept secrets from him. Orion looked at the clock: ten to nine or, as he seemingly always had to call it, Late.
“Lost something, have we?” groaned Orion, much to the young colt’s surprise. Jumping in shock, Sunshine’s head made a solid connection with the underside of his bed, give a satisfying thunk . Mumbling a few choice words that didn’t involve swearing (since Dad was in the room); Sunshine carefully backed out, and turned to face his father, rubbing the back of his head in pain.
“Have you seen my sunglasses and grey hoodie?” asked Sunshine, his eyes darting around the room in an attempt to spot them. Orion, however, knew exactly where they were. He took a few steps towards his son and knocked the sunglasses down off the kid’s forehead. Sunshine just stared up at his father, sheepishly grinning. Orion wasn’t happy with the colt, but he couldn’t blame him. He’d done the same with his Guard helmet a number of times. Orion just brushed it off with a chuckle.
They looked round for the sweatshirt together, and eventually, they’d found it crumpled up on the floor. Orion didn’t look too pleased that his son had put it on, but it passed the sniff test so Sunshine had no complaints.
Quickly, Orion turned tail and made for the door, his son hot on his heels. They briefly split to find their respective equipment. Orion made his way to the store cupboard to get pick up his lunch and Sunshine made a dash to pick up his bag and shove a current bun in his mouth for breakfast. Reconvening at the front door, the pair made their way out of the house and began the walk to school.
Father and son walked straight to school, but not before long, Sunshine had found himself lagging behind, hiding himself from any colt or filly that might have seen him. His father just ignored the antic, expecting it to be some sort of ridiculous game that he’d come up with. It was only the whimpers when they could see the school in the distance that gave the anxiety away.
A few steps away from the school, Orion stopped and turned to his son, giving him a concerned look. The colt shrank into his shoulders with a pout and shaky breathing.
“Nervous?” he asked, well aware what the answer was. The colt slowly nodded, and Orion chuckled. “There’s no reason to be. You know a few ponies there, and the teacher seemed nice.” He received a murmur in response from his kid. “Look, Sunshine” sighed Orion, “I know you’re a… little bit nervous, but just forget about it, okay? I’m sure you’ll have no problems with the work.”
Sunshine stood awkwardly, avoiding eye contact and brushing his hoof along the cobblestone floor. “It’s not the work I’m worried about…” mumble the colt, “It’s just, what if the other foals don’t like me? What if they think I’m weird?” He gave his wings a flap just for effect. He held them tight to his body, and he’d never seen another pony like himself. He was self-conscious about his unique appendages.
“Come on, son. I’m sure you’re just overreacting. Now, go and be strong for me.” Orion gave a reassuring smile to his son, looking to encourage him that he was just being a little paranoid. The colt looked up at his dad, sensing his intentions. Sunshine eventually smiled back, and nodded.
“Sure thing, Dad. I’ll be strong like you.” With that, the colt turned tail and walked quickly, albeit cautiously, towards the door of Canterlot Pegasi School. His slowly disappeared into the building, ready for the day ahead of him.
He still worried about him, and couldn’t shake the feeling that the kid was right. As Orion walked away, he hummed a song that he’d never gotten out of his head. The song that his wife loved and sung to herself whenever life seemed to be at its worst. The song Sunshine was named for.
The belling rang loud as the class filed in through the narrow door. The hustle and bustle of the queue meant the doorway was congested, but slowly each student made their way through without much trouble. One-by-one, they sat down at named desks until none were left standing.
Sunshine slouched in his seat, his wings rustling under his sweatshirt. He looked about the class room with caution not to draw attention. Most were talking to one another about holidays and the like.
“Good Morning Class!” called the teacher, bounding through the doorway with a skip in his step that Sunshine doubted that would last very long. He was an off-white pegasus with dark sapphire blue eyes, which shone with eagerness and enthusiasm. “My name is…” he said quickly, having turned and picked up the chalk to write on the blackboard behind him, “Professor Point Dexter. I will be your tutor during the coming year for Biology.”
As the teacher continued to ramble on about the syllabus, Sunshine tried to listen, but found himself worrying. “I hope I don’t have to come up to the front…” he mumbled to himself, unfocused on the teacher’s speech. A few groans could be heard echoing around the small classroom.
“Now now, class. I don’t want anyone complaining about how much there is to learn. You have three years to learn all of it. That’s not even a page of the textbooks per lesson! You’ll have plenty of time to learn all about the cardiac cycle and how it is different to the cardiovascular system!” groaned Professor Dexter, rolling his eyes at the lack of enthusiasm from his pupils.
Another collective grumble rang out, and Sunshine lost his cool, chuckling louder than he intended to. He realised too late that the teacher had already had picked him out as a trouble maker. Sunshine caught the teacher’s glance mid-laugh, and froze. The disapproving look that he had been given made him immediately sit up straight and give a sheepish grin back, accompanied by a nervous squee.
“So Mister Smiles, if you think it’s so funny, why don’t you give us three examples of heart problems? I’m sure we’d all be enlightened by your superior knowledge” the Professor grumbled, a hint of a snarl on his face. With the whole class watching, Sunshine could only stammer and delay, trying to come up with something. He knew one, but he couldn’t get it out. He had to think of another.
“Well, Arteries can be blocked, impeding the flow of blood?” The teacher solely looked at the colt with raised eyebrows, hoping he would elaborate. Sunshine thought some more. “The heart can also have holes in it, and…” Sunshine cringed, knowing he wouldn’t be able to say the last. “I…I…I…”
Professor Dexter rolled his eyes, sighing, and with some disappointment in his voice, he grumbled “It seems we have the first casualty of the school year, and only three minutes into the lesson no less. See me after class, Mr Smiles.” The colt slumped over his desk in grief, annoyed he had already been caught out. He continued watching the lesson, whether it was so he didn’t have to learn it again or just out of boredom he didn’t know but what he couldn’t wait for was to be saved by the bell.
A few periods had passed and the time for morning break was close approaching. Sunshine, only a few lessons into the school year, was already wishing for the next holiday. He was hot and bothered in his sweatshirt. It didn’t help that he was stuck in the least interesting subject ever: Old Equestrian, a dead language that only applied to select scrolls in the Canterlot Archives for Unicorns to learn old magic. Last time he checked, he wasn’t a unicorn.
“I know it’s very early in the term but I want to see how much you can retain. Therefore, there will be a test scheduled for next Thursday” the teacher stated, almost threateningly. She was an elderly grey unicorn with half moon spectacles, and looked like she should have been a librarian. The entire class, including Sunshine, just exhaled with frustration.
Slowing down in the fresh air, he found himself in amongst a group of 9 bulky colts. At the front stood the large white colt from before, shouting in a voice seemingly too deep for such a young pony. “Alright, first day, first game. We all know that this’ll probably affect picking teams for the rest of the year” he bellowed, “so if you’re not trying, it won’t turn out so good for you this year. Any problems?”
With almost perfect synchronisation, everypony but Sunshine made some sort of gesture or noise to say no. The white colt smiled. “Good. Dumb Bell, Hot Shot, you’re captains. Pick your teams.” Two almost identical oversized colts walking side-by-side out of the crowd. They looked at one another once they were separated from the rest and one grunted to the other. Turning to the group and eyeing up every individual there. Eventually, one pointed and called out “Warden” and the white colt from before stepped out and stood with the colt who’d called him.
Sunshine stood amongst their ranks wondering what they were doing. Most probably a sport of some sort, but which sport was a mystery to him until it began. A few more colts were selected and the group began to thin out. Sunshine was obviously the smallest of all the colts and was hidden for the most part. Soon, Sunshine was the last colt standing.
Both teams began turning away, ignoring him, until one voice bellowed out “Wait.” Everypony stopped and looked around to see who had yelled. Warden stood tall amongst them, looking back at Sunshine. The colt looked sincere and asked “Hey, Sunset Smiles, right?” Sunshine just nodded, not wanting to make a fuss, while Warden just smiled back, “You’re with us. Come on, let’s go play some soccer.”
The group moved on with Warden, having left Sunshine wondering what had just transpired. He’d just been allowed into their game. So what was he doing sitting around? Sunshine sprinted off after them, following Warden to one end of the pitch.
As Sunshine arrived, the captain began. “Come on, you lot. I want to win so don’t mess it up. Sticky Hooves, you’re in goal. Brick and Warden, defence, don’t let anypony through. I’ll go upfront to score. Err, you, Sunny something, just try not to get in our way” instructed the Colt, giving Sunshine a brief glance before trotting away. Sunshine groaned, a little intimidated but mostly upset he was thought to be a burden.
Warden came over, sticking a leg over Sunshine’s shoulder, and bringing him close. “Don’t mind Hot Shot, he’s all bark and no bite. Just don’t be afraid to show off and you’ll be fine.” With a few words of wisdom, Warden fell back into position for the start of the match.
Within moments, the ball began moving towards Sunshine, and he gulped nervously. He went straight for the colt with the ball, knocking the ball out from the colt’s reach. However, it fell into the path of the other team once again.
Sunset chased back, watching Warden tackle the player and successfully hold onto the ball. He ran, unafraid to head straight into the next player, hitting the ball past him and running past too. Sunshine ran with him and soon, it was three against three. Warden passed to Hot Shot, who ran straight into a defender, losing the ball.
Sunset and Warden fell back, keeping up with the player. Warden took his opportunity and pushed the player off the ball, and knocked it over to Sunshine. Sunshine paused a moment, unable to decide what to do. He looked to Warden, who shrugged off the player and gestured to go forward.
Sunshine turned quickly and ran with the ball, keeping it close. He came across a player and tried repeating what Warden had done. He knocked the ball under the other colt, and ran around him to meet up with the ball again.
“Ha, nice nutmeg!” Warden shouted with some glee in his voice. Sunshine continued running into the open wings of the field and looked across at the goal. Hot Shot jumped and called for the ball, looking to get his head on it.
Sunshine obliged and took a big swing at the ball that floated into the penalty box at a good height. Hot Shot jumped too early and only brushed the ball, making it fly out of play. Sunshine stuck his hoof in the air, and called “Sorry”. He was ignored and Sunshine ran back into the middle of the pitch, ready to resume play.
Their goalkeeper, who had been the other captain, kicked it hard, and it flew over the heads of everypony but Warden. He controlled it and let it fall to his hooves. With no pressure, he knocked it to Brick who scooped it around and ran with it.
Sunshine looked up, and the defender looked back at him. With an invisible signal, both started galloping for the ball. Sunshine beat him to it and knocked the ball to the side, letting the player come through at it.
Yet the defender didn’t stop, and crashed straight into Sunshine. Groans of pain and cringing echoed around, as Sunshine rolled along the ground with a thud. Warden ran to his aid, but he was up before anypony knew.
“Are… Are you okay, Sunset?” Warden asked, seeing a few small red blots forming on Sunshine’s sweatshirt. Sunshine just shook it off and rubbed the wound. He gave a quick nod and smiled, not noticing that his sunglasses had come off. Warden stared, shocked and speechless. Sunshine wondered what was wrong but somepony had quickly called for the game to restart.
As Sunshine stepped away, he brushed off some dirt and carried on with a free kick. He could see Hot Shot in the penalty box, waving his hooves like mad. Sunshine had other ideas; he knocked it backwards to Warden, and ran ahead, putting his team at less of a disadvantage.
With two ponies against three defenders, Warden played the ball to Brick and followed Sunshine’s example, to make it even. Once again, Brick hoofed the ball up and over the middle of the field and it landed at Sunshine’s hooves.
Sunshine made the decision quicker this time, turning fast and having space to run into. He galloped with the ball into a more central position, and leaving a defender behind. He ran further up the pitch and repeated his method of getting past the defender, leaving him one on one with their goalkeeper.
The goalkeeper came off his line, shrinking the target that Sunshine had to shoot at. Sunshine looked to his left; Warden was standing still, watching this little colt run past ponies that were years older than him. He looked to his right; Hot Shot had been running with him, and was in a better position. He knocked the ball to the right, passing it into the path of Hot Shot.
Hot Shot looked surprised and ran faster to get onto the end of the ball. He was past the goal keeper and needed only to slot the ball into the goal. He looked nervous and gave the ball a hit. It pea-rolled along the floor but slowly, it found the corner of the goal.
Everypony stopped, and began to cheer on Hot Shot, who was revelling in his goal. Sunshine gave a look over to them, seeing their happiness. “Aw yeah, that was all me!” Hot Shot yelled, pleased with himself. All the colts surrounding him began chanting his name, “Hot Shot! Hot Shot! Hot Shot!”
Sunshine trotted over smiling to congratulate his team-mate. “Nice finish, Hot Shot!” he laughed, but silence hit with those words. Everypony stared at him. Some looked worried, other looked ready to fight. A few mutterings echoed from the crowd. Hot Shot turned to them and whispered something. Slowly, he turned back, a curious look in his eye, and walked towards Sunshine.
“What’s wrong with your eyes?” he asked, leaning into Sunshine’s personal space. Sunshine retreated and found himself stammering for an answer for the second time that day. He wasn’t given much time once again as Hot Shot followed up with more rapid-fire questions, “Why were you hiding your eyes? What’s with the sweatshirt? What else are you hiding?”
With a slight tug, his head disappeared, and soon his hooves followed suit until the sweatshirt fell to the floor. No reaction was made until Sunshine flexed his wings, stretching them after cooping them up all this time. Everypony took a step back and murmurs arose. Judging stares pierced through Sunshine and he cringed, awaiting the inevitable.
Everypony seemed to gather round him, and prodded his wings. The murmurs continued, but now Sunshine could hear the all their spiteful words, echoing around him. Sunshine’s head drooped, feeling betrayed by the friends he thought he’d made. Tears began to amass behind his eyes, and a few wept out.
They enjoyed his weakness and laughed at him, not concerned with the consequences. Overcome with regret, Sunshine’s tears started to flow more freely, but he never made a sound, as though he’d accepted it from the beginning. There was no point in denying it anymore. Why did he want to go to public school?
Humiliated, Sunshine picked up his belongings and dragged himself away. He only made it a few steps before somepony caught up to him. Bracing for a beating or more insults, he didn’t expect the off-white hoof that wrapped around his back and pulled him close. Out of strained eyes, he peek out at Warden, still looking shocked, but he was smiling nevertheless. Warden stopped him trudging away and gave him a warm smile. “What did you say your name was again?” he asked, sincere and curious.
“Sunshine Smiles” the young colt replied, sniffling and wiping his eyes. He held his head low, wary of the other pony that stood beside him.
“Sunshine Smiles, huh? Wow, that’s pretty… ironic for a dark grey bat pony” he laughed. Bat pony? It didn’t sound like an insult. “Y’know, your wings are pretty cool. They’re unique to you, not like these feather dusters” said Warden, giving his own wings a flap. He looked back to Sunshine’s wings and eyed them with what seemed to be some envy.
“Thanks…” replied Sunshine, a little nervous. His guard was still high, but slowly it was dropping as Warden continued talking. Sunshine looked up at the larger colt, his eyes drying up. Warden wasn’t keeping him at an unsure distance, getting close enough to even be brush alongside him.
Warden sighed, leaving Sunshine a little confused. “Look, you don’t need to act like a pushover. Just look at what you did in that soccer game. You shrugged of a tackle that would’ve put most colts out for the rest of the day, ran half of the pitch with the ball, and set up the goal.” Sunshine just nodded, remembering all the things he had done. “You’re better than most of them. Don’t let them get you down!”
Sunshine just looked down, looking guilty. Warden laughed a little at the younger colt’s anxiety. “Come on, you and me, let’s go get some lunch. I’m Warden by the way.”
“I can relate. I never got to know my father. He died in a training accident, but he saved his friend and a couple of his superiors in the process, so I suppose I can say he died a hero.” Looking out at the tree above them, they lay on their backs regaling each other with stories from their lives. Warden looked a little sad talking about his dad, but he pushed through it, smiling as he told the story.
“I’m sorry to hear that” whispered Sunshine, sincere and a little shocked. Warden just waved a hoof at him, dismissing his apology. He shook his head and chuckled a little.
“No need to be. It wasn’t your fault, was it? Anyway, you’re the one that came off a little worse. I can’t imagine how your father felt…” Warden said, curious about how similar the two colts were. Sunshine backed off a little, and squeaked, recalling his father’s emotions.
“He… I think he treats me like any other father would treat a son. He relates, we like each other, but he gets a little overprotective sometimes, more so than normal parents because, well, I think he sees me as the last piece of my mom he’s got.” Sunshine sighed, he knew that his father cared but he never could shake the feeling that he was only cared so much for because of what had happen to his mom.
The white colt chuckled a little, not at Sunshine, but with him. “You think too much, Sunshine! Your father loves you. That’s all you need to know.” A sympathetic smile was once again etched across Warden’s face, and Sunshine couldn’t resist returning the smile. They sighed in content and stretched out their backs. Laying and watching the clouds, both were relaxed. “Anyway, you said you’re father was a guard, right?” Warden said, looking to continue the conversation.
“Yeah. He’s an officer. He doesn’t do much training anymore because he’s getting on in his years, but he still leads some troops now and again. He assigns Guards their posts in the castle at the moment, but I think he wants to work with the new recruits.” Sunshine gave a bit of a smirk talking about his father’s age, but Warden didn’t give it much notice, excited to hear about Orion’s job.
“I’ve wanted to be a guard for ages. You’ve got to introduce me to your dad! Please?” Warden squeaked, buzzing with enthusiasm. Sunshine saw his dedication in his eyes and smiled.
“Maybe someday” Sunshine snickered, teasing his friend. He was given a pout in return, but he just laughed a little more. He gave a little thought to his father’s job, and what had got Warden so excited, smiling as it interested him. “My dad’s job is pretty cool, isn’t it?”
Author's Note
As a Brit, it hurt a little to call it soccer ...
~Chapter 3~ The Beginning
In the cold silent night, Warden’s armour clanged together as he shook in anticipation and anxiety. Sunshine just stood still, unable to help his friend, just as nervous. In a line, the two friends stood side-by-side, awaiting the superior officers’ arrival. The assembly of the 6th Pegasi Force had been an unexpected one, scheduled just an hour ago. Something was wrong. That was the only reason Sunshine could think of for such abrupt gathering of the troops.
That belief was only cemented by the tardiness of the two superior officers that had arranged it. With no words being spoken, very few guards knew who was late, even fewer knew one of their sons stood amongst the troops that had been gathered. Sunshine wanted to sigh, knowing who was holding them up. Warden knew too, and was shaking in his horseshoes as tension built in the atmosphere.
With a loud creak, the large wooden doors that led from the officer’s barracks were opened and out stepped a unicorn guard with full silver armour, wing blades and all. With a cough into his hoof, he began shouting. “Major General Silver Wing and Chief Orion have arrived.” He took a step back, and stood to attention, at the side of the doors.
With no delay, two guards walked out, chatting. Their conversation was inaudible, but both look under some stress and confusion. Both had Silver armour, stating their superiority to the gold-clad rookies that stood before them. The only differences between them were the colour of their eyes and gold insignia that was engraved on their chest plates. The General was a white pegasi, and looked just as young as Orion, but Sunshine knew he was a decade or two older. He was buff, well-built and looked much like any generic guard would.
Orion stopped a few meters before the General did. The General himself stood a few meters from his newest company. In a loud and expected deep voice, he briefed them on the reason behind this gathering.
“I know a lot of you will have been woken up for this, but I don’t want to hear any complaints. Besides, this is about some of your futures.” No murmurs were heard in the pause, as the General gave thought to what he was to say. “Tomorrow will be no ordinary day. In fact, it will be a day of trials, to see which amongst you will be part of new team being assembled at Princess Celestia’s request.” Now began a few murmurs. “It is- Highly unusual that such a request would come in. It is even rarer when the commands come directly from the Princess herself. But one thing I know, this means that the Princesses will be coming to overlook the proceedings.”
That is when the murmurs became more apparent. Although as rude as they were, the General let them die down before speaking again. “That means we need to be in tip-top shape when they turn up. So get some rest, and be prepared. Tomorrow, you will work harder than you ever have before. Dismissed.”
General Iron hoof saluted, turning tail immediately. He wasn’t going to answer any questions. He stopped quickly before Orion, and whispered something into his ear. Orion didn’t flinch but a curious look came across his face. The General glanced back to the retreating crowd, and tried to pick out somepony. Turning back, he saluted Orion and each went their separate ways.
Orion walked towards the crowds, looking at the awaiting Sunshine and Warden. He pulled a straight face but Sunshine knew something was behind it. The closer he came, the less Sunshine knew had happened.
“At ease, rookies” he instructed, nonchalant. “Private Smiles, I need to speak with you.” Orion, still emotionless, gave Warden a glance. Warden was just as deadpan as Orion, but got the message quickly. Warden left quickly with a salute, glancing behind and winking at his superior officer.
“Aye, sir” Sunshine replied, unwilling to risk calling him dad. Orion smiled at his son’s discipline, but let him carry on. “Sir, if I may be so bold to ask, what is going on tomorrow?” the younger stallion asked, curious but not breaking stance. Orion gave it some thought, and nodded.
“I can’t indulge you with much information, but what I can say is this. There will be two trials. The first of which will pick out the 10 guards from the rest. The second will be judged by Princesses Celestia and Luna, who will select their victors and all, will be done. That is all I can share, because that is all I know for certain.”
Orion smiled, perhaps having said too much already. “I hope you will be well prepared. You and your friend. Now get some rest, you’ve got a big day ahead of you, son.” With a reassuring smile, he put a hoof on Sunshine’s shoulder and gave it a pat. He stepped back, saluted and marched away, all without a word from the younger pony.
Sunshine eventually smiled, and whispered to himself, “Sure thing, Dad.” The colt walked away, back to the barracks to rest and prepare. He slowly disappeared into the building, knowing that something big lied waiting for him the very next day.
He lay in his bed, staring at the ceiling, questioning the coming events. After a while, he had drifted into the clutches of sleep.
The afternoon had come and the trials were to begin momentarily. Warden and Sunshine stood together in the middle of the pack. Warden’s breathing was deep, keeping himself calm. Sunshine’s was less so. He wasn’t concentrating and was scanning the spectators. Sure enough, the Princess sat in their own section, accompanied by the General and Orion. The two guards were focused on their jobs, trying to remain detached. Orion seemed to be struggling not to cheer for his son. They hadn’t met up before like he had hoped, and so Sunshine had been left with no advice whatsoever. Orion was sweating bullets.
The Princess both gazed out amongst the crowds, with smiles. They looked relaxed and rightly so. It was a day off for them. Princess Luna however looked concerned, scrutinizing the masses to pick out something, or somepony. Catching sight of Sunshine, she turned to Orion on her right, and asked a question. Orion replied quickly, and Luna smiled.
With a loud cough to silence the crowds, Princess Celestia took to her hooves and smiled. “Good Morning, my little ponies. Today is a day for you all to show off your skills as guards. I wish you all good luck” she said, smirking. She could really be cryptic at times. She’d been able to describe the day’s events without giving any more info, leaving Sunshine like the rest out in the dark. Taking a few seconds to breathe and relax, Sunshine felt ready for any challenge.
A pony clad head to hoof in ceremonial armour stood in the stands, drawing all the guards’ attention. “Guards of the Sixth, the first trial will begin. Listen carefully for she will only say it once” he called. He cleared the stage, allowing Princess Luna to take his place. Ponies began muttering, various questions being asked to one another about the Princess and the scroll she had been carrying. The Princess simply held out her hoof, awaiting the silence.
As it fell, she spoke soft and clear, but with power. “Guards. We shall now read thou thy challenge. It shall be a riddle of our own creation. Fair thee well.” With grace and poise, she cleared her throat, and unfurled the scroll.
“We’ve been there for millennia, but often felt neglected. We’ve always given all we have, even though it’s just reflected. As we lie above you now, know that you’re protected, and wish about thy self, that thou have been selected.”
The silence echoed around the place, everypony in deep thought but the smiling princess who stood before them. Quietly, she removed herself from the stage, her smile one of hope. Without his knowledge, the Princess had been watching Sunshine try to figure it out.
Ponies slowly split off with others, walking away to get some privacy. Sunshine did the same, walking away with Warden. “Why’d it have to be riddles?” he asked himself, a little unhappy that it hadn’t been an easier puzzle. Sunshine looked at him, smiling.
“Don’t worry. I overheard somepony saying it was easy” Sunshine laughed, poking his tongue out at Warden, who didn’t pay him much attention. He sat where he stood, and leant against a nearby tree. They were not too far from the stage, but nowhere near any other group; a good position if any.
“‘Been there for Millennia?’ It’s got to be something that’s always there, hasn’t it?” Warden mumbled, trying to give some thought to the riddle. Sunshine nodded, and began thinking about other parts. ‘Neglected?’ It had to be something that no pony pays much attention too.
“What if it wasn’t a pony or an animal? No pony but the Princesses lives for millennia.” Warden continued to think aloud, allowing Sunshine to piece it together in his own head. “It has to be something above us, that much is obvious.”
“So, not a pony, always there, ponies don’t acknowledge it much, reflects everything it has?” Sunshine summarized the points they had made. “Not easy, is it?” Sunshine stretched out, and looked around as if that would give him a clue.
With Sunshine not paying too much attention, Warden continued to think. “Only light can be reflected… so it only has light, and nothing else?” He was stumped, and he didn’t want to admit it. He looked to Sunshine who was staring back at the stage.
Orion was there, talking to the General and the Princesses. What could he be talking about? Sunshine tried to read his lips, but from the distance he was at, all he could decipher was “fight.” Orion was not alone in looking confused; the General too looked out of sorts.
Princess Luna looked as interested as the two guards, her sister rambling on. She glanced all over the place, trying everything to stay out of the conversation. She soon caught sight of Sunshine and Warden, and gave them both a look. She saw Sunshine looking over, and smiled.
Sunshine began piecing it all together. Luna had sounded like she was talking about herself. Millennia ago, Nightmare Moon happened because Luna envied the day, because it always got more recognition that the night which she put everything into… but Luna had never given everything away.
Sunshine’s realisation came accompanied by a wink from the princess. What was Luna, if not a Pony? Still staring at the Princess herself, she grinned at seeing all the cogs having turned in his head.
“Love? Is it Love? That can’t be reflected…” Warden groaned, still talking to himself, “What do you think, Sunshine?” Warden looked up into his friend’s golden eyes and saw enlightenment. “You’ve figured it out haven’t you? Well go on then... What is it?”
“The Moon…”
“How can there be only nine of us? We were all in pairs.” Warden whispered, as attentitive as ever. Sunshine glimpsed around to affirm Warden’s suspicions. There were in fact only nine guards left.
Once again, silence fell as the ceremonial guard walked on stage to address the situation. “Well done to all of you for getting this far. Unfortunately, only two ponies can pass this trial” he said, looking very serious, “you will all be asked to each draw a card. On each card will be a number. You are to find the pony with the same number, and he or she will be your opponent. First, Shooting Star.”
A golden pegasi with long blonde hair walked slowly from the back, making her way on stage, and looking at the ten cards laid before her. With a swipe, she collected a card. She looked at it, and then showed it to the guard. He nodded, taking the card and drawing on a board hidden from view, whilst she disappeared behind stage.
Two more ponies came and went before Warden was called. He was shaking, but he managed to get through it anyway. The guard nodded, and Warden disappeared too. Sunshine glanced around; all the guards that remained were all tall and bulky to the point of being intimidating. Sunshine took a deep breath concentrating.
Time stretched out before Sunshine was called. Cautiously making his way to the cards, he snatched one quickly, and looked. The number 5 printed on it in bold. The guard took the card and told him he would be last. With a nod, Sunshine moved backstage, seeing Warden in full armour.
“Pretty cool, huh?” Warden laughed, “Looks like we’re up for some duels.” Sunshine looked at his friend and thought. He was about to ask before Warden reassured him. “It’s alright. We’re not against each other. I’ve got Shooting Star over there.”
Warden pointed at the mare in the corner, practicing wing combat. She looked determined, as she hit a dummy. Catching Warden’s sight, she waved and smiled, but as soon as she’d done that, she went back to the dummy. “I don’t think she’s going to go easy on you” Sunshine joked, knowing that Warden might have a bit of a tough time.
“Look, Sunshine. I know who you’ve got, and it’s bad. You’ve got the replacement; the pony that is coming in as the tenth competitor. He’s an actual guard from what I’ve heard” Warden said, concerned for his buddy.
Sunshine just brushed it off. They were practically actual guards already. Training finished in a month or so. “I’ll be fine. It looks like you’re up now. Break a leg” Sunshine chuckled, wanting his friend to concentrate. As Warden made his way to the fight area, Sunshine broke off towards the only stall labelled 5 to get ready.
Guard Armour was already heavy without the wooden wing blades. Sunshine made his way to the stands, ready to watch Warden fight. Both competitors were in a chalk ring. It was a large circle, good enough for some space to manuver, but not enough to retreat.
“Warden, ready?” shouted a monochromatic unicorn from the stalls in a thick Scottish accent. Warden stuck his hoof up to signal the okay. “Shooting Star, ready?” he shouted again. Shooting Star, her mane hidden under her helmet, repeated Warden’s gesture. “3…2…1…” he chanted, a few spectators joining in, before he blew a whistle to signal the start.
Immediately, Star had bolted at Warden, going straight for his legs. She would have taken him clean off his hooves if not for a reaction block. Her momentum carried her forward still, and through Warden. The clang of armour connecting echoed.
Both were stunned by the hit, stumbling backwards a few steps. Shaking it off, Warden went on the offensive, pushing her back even more. She stood firm, and pushed back to no avail. Warden side stepped her push, and made a slight hit on her side.
She jumped at the hit, snarling. She leapt back at him, whipping him with her tail, before using her wing to hit Warden’s own wing and her back hoof to sweep him over, sacrificing herself by going to the floor.
Both fell, but connected helmets, another clang ringing around. Everypony held their breath, feeling the hard impact. The contestants rolled away and onto their hooves, stumbling a little but there was no doubt they weren’t done yet.
On instinct alone, Warden went straight for Shooting Star, tackling her to the ground again. She fell hard, and was unable to block as Warden put his wing to her throat in victory.
The whistle was blown, and Warden had triumphed.
The rest of the fights went by quickly; none were very spectacular or memorable. Even the victors hadn’t looked very good, and many hits were scored on everypony. Finally, Sunshine made his way to the ring, and saw his opponent for the first time.
“Dad?” Sunshine asked, seeing his father in full combat gear, “What are you doing?” He was glaring at Orion, his eye twitching. Orion smiled.
“Well hello to you too” he chuckled, “I drew the short straw and had to participate. I didn’t know I’d be against you though.”
The unicorn once again began shouting, “Sunshine Smiles, ready?” Sunshine sighed and signalled ‘yes’.
“Look, don’t go easy on me, alright?” he whispered, annoyed at the surprise.
“Chief Orion, ready?” the unicorn called. Orion threw his hoof in the air.
“You give me too much credit, son.”
“3…2…1…” and the whistle was blown.
Right off the bat, Orion head-butted his son, the hit disorientating the younger stallion. He smirked. “Papa loves you.”
Sunshine, adrenaline kicking in, regained his composition and began swinging at his father. A barrage of wing attacks coming down on him in a spectacular display of agility and persistence, Orion blocked all of them but was pushed backwards. Trying to stand his ground, he was unprepared for the quick buck to his chest.
With good connection, Orion fell backwards. He quickly got back up, seeing his son smirking. “I love you too, Dad” Sunshine growled.
Orion came straight back into the fight, jabbing and blocking as he was trained to do. Sunshine did the same, after all Orion had taught it to him.
The fight was back and forth for a few moments, blows being traded, not a single one hitting. Sunshine was panting, Orion was gasping, and both of them were tiring.
They were close together, moving in a circle, trying to regain some energy. They stared each other down, feigning attacks to draw the other out of their defensive postures.
Orion gave a shove, creating some distance. He turned and bucked, striking with all his might. Sunshine ducked it and came through with an uppercut.
The Warrant Officer flew with the blow, and came crashing down, as Sunshine trudged over. “Game Over” he whispered, as he brought his wing down.
Orion, with a burst of energy kicked out, sweeping Sunshine off his legs. Orion rolled up, and lay flat on top of his son. He pinned him to the ground by his throat, wing ready to strike.
The whistle blew. Orion had won.
“Sorry about that, Son.” Orion smiled, still catching his breath. Sunshine’s head had dropped, his pride diminished. “Look, it’s nothing. At least it means you’re still under my watch.” Orion should have known better. He had tried hard to cheer up his son, but it had been impossible from the beginning.
Warden had been selected for the task force, and had already disappeared with Princess Celestia. Sunshine’s seven year friend had disappeared in the blink of an eye, because Sunshine hadn’t been good enough. That was all Sunshine could think.
Silence drew the seconds out, Sunshine contemplating on what he should do now. He breathed, deep in though. It wouldn’t be an easy decision to make.
“I’ll stay. I want to be a Guard still. I’m not going to let this get me down” he said, thinking aloud. There was no reason to go back on three years training just because of a little mistake he made in a few seconds when he clearly wasn’t thinking straight.
“And why would thou want to do anything different?” called a feminine voice, from behind the father and son duo. Orion sat bolt upright upon hearing the voice, knowing who it was. He jumped to his hooves, turned and saluted. Sunshine, still slightly angry with himself, did the same but with less urgency.
He looked up into the face of the one pony he hadn’t expected to see. Princess Luna. She calmly gazed upon him, showing no emotion but curiosity. Like an electric shock, Sunshine shot up straight, and saluted too.
“At ease, stallions. We are not here with any bad tidings” she giggled, unable to hold it back after the sudden reactions, “In fact; we are here with good news for the both of you.” Interested, the stallions relaxed, and tilted their heads to the side.
“Orion, we would like to ask of thou to pick up the case that we brought with us, along with the pony that accompanied us. Could thou do that for us?” she asked, sincere with a bit of glee in her voice. Orion saluted quickly and galloped away.
As he disappeared over the horizon, Luna turned to Sunshine, a smile on her face. “Thy father has told us much about thou, young colt.” Sunshine’s eyes widened in shock, unsure whether to be happy or worried. “Thy story is fascinating to us, because it reminds us of our own.”
Seeing the colt’s obvious nervousness, Luna thought to break the ice. “We must say that we have never seen it stuck so much to a superior guard that thou did with thy father” Luna giggled, bring a smile to the guard’s face, “Thou have natural skill for guard’s work. Agility more so than many guards that have come and gone through our time could ever hope to possess.”
Luna smiled, as she so rarely did, with curiosity. She desired to learn more of this young stallion from his own mouth. “We shall let thou in on a little secret. This tournament was arranged so that we could examine thou with our own eyes. It is the reason thou father was to head this event with the good General.”
Sunshine listened to the Princess intently, believing he knew where this might be going. “We would like to offer you a place at our side. A personal guard as it were. Few are given this opportunity and we must admit that we have been impressed. So what do thou say, Sunshine Smiles?”
Sunshine didn’t have to think much about it. “I would be honoured, your Majesty” he chanted, saluting at the princess, much to her amusement. She giggled once again at the guard’s dramatic antics.
“Call me Luna, Sunshine. We will probably do the same for thou” she said, trying to establish so informality before he got the wrong idea. “Thou will act as our friend and not as our subordinate.” She smiled at Sunshine, caring and happy.
Sunshine did the same, a blush coming on. So soon after the loss of one friend, he had made another. The two began to talk about life, to learn more about each other. The sun had set and the Princess brought up the moon. Sunshine looked to the night sky, marvelling in its beauty.
Soon, a figure appeared over the horizon, coming closer with case in tow. “Luna, you called?” he asked, looking at the Princess with a smile. Sunshine glanced backwards briefly to see who it was. It was a dark grey pegasi, much like himself.
Something niggling at the back of his mind caused him to take a second look, and see that the newcomer was very much the same as him.
“You have bat wings…” Sunshine gasped, jumping to his hooves, “Why do you have bat wings?” Sunshine circled the newcomer, who smiled at the curious young stallion. He laughed a bit, knowing all too well he would have done the same.
He stopped Sunshine with a hoof, and held it out for him to bump. “Frolicsome Meadowlark, at your service” he chuckled. Sunshine gave him a curious look, trying not to smile as the thought came to mind.
“A bit ironic for a bat pony, isn’t it?” he asked, knowing fully that the same question would be thrown back at him. He was barely able to stop himself from going into hysterics.
“Yours isn’t any better, Sunshine Smiles…” Frolicsome said, teasing the younger stallion, “Named after the song I presume…”
Sunshine nodded, the song playing through his head at the mention of it. “No need for introductions then…” Luna snickered, laughing at her friends’ antics, “It is, however, getting late, and we must return to the castle for night court very soon. Frolicsome, if you’d please.”
Frolicsome nodded and turned to the case he had brought with him. With a flick of his wing, the locks undid, and the lid flew back. Sunshine took a few steps to peer inside, and saw something that shocked him.
Silver Night Guard Armour, glinting in the moonlight. His new armour. Sunshine gapped at it, overjoyed with it. He couldn’t thank the Princess enough. He turned to her and, unable to hold his glee in, pounced upon her, embracing her tightly.
“You’re welcome, my little pony” Luna whispered, blushing at the sudden but not unwelcome hug. She brought a hoof up to his back and held him back. “You’re welcome.”
Author's Note
So much got cut and added... and we were worried that we wouldn't get past 2500. Ha, what were we thinking!
Anyone who gets the reference to the old UK show, Gladiators , you're awesome.comic .You are my Sunshine's chorus
