The Night Watch

by Alexander Bolt

Rating: teen
Tags: Princess Luna, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Comedy, Other, Adventure, Princess Celestia
Length: 1867

When Equestria's prime defenders have to give up their power, who makes sure that ponies stay safe? A nice little group named the Night Watch is the answer to that.

Though few know it, the Elements of Harmony have recently taken a bit of an extended leave of absence from protecting Equestria. Of course, those that do know this either are aiming to keep this a secret, or to exploit this would be weakness. Though the latter are in for a surprise when they find that Equestria's new "protectors" are all the bit capable as their six predecessors, and are far more discrete in their ventures as well. Of course, nopony would believe that a quaint little honor guard going by the name "The Night Watch" could find and root out villainy, but as Lieutenant Static Strike is soon to learn, things are not what they seem.

Published 2013-12-11 04:50:05 UTC
Last updated 2013-12-11 04:50:05 UTC

All The Wrong Questions

Lieutenant Static Strike wandered about Canterlot Castle on her usual route with a typical amount of boredom on her mind. It was another regular, sunny, Summer day, without anything really out of the ordinary. The unicorn was doing her rounds, checking on the positions of her subordinates as she usually did, and everything was just fine and dandy. Yes one had fallen asleep outside the kitchen, and the two stationed outside of Prince Blueblood's room were snickering at each other as they whispered insults and gossip about the certain piece of royalty they were protecting, but both situations were a regular accordance throughout the castle. The major highlight of the day was when Static Strike happened to cross paths with Princess Twilight, who was quite her regular self, though appeared to feel awkward when the lieutenant saluted her.

Static Strike was just about to begin her return to her quarters when she felt a sudden drop in temperature in the air around her. For a split second she felt a bit of cautious curiosity before she realized what exactly was going on. She turned around, and as expected a larger, light blue unicorn was standing behind her. He was fully armored, Night Guard standard issue, modified with a bit of extra padding on the interior that made him seem even larger. It was Captain Permafrost, who was a fairly rare pony to see during daylight hours as he shared his schedule with that of Princess Luna. This was natural of course, as he was her aide, as well as Captain of the Night Guard.

"Miss Static Strike, I presume?" The Captain spoke in a deep, slightly rough voice. The Lieutenant was not very familiar with her technical superior, having only seen him on ceremony, and even then barely. Despite the unicorn's large frame, he was still quite stealthy among others. His voice didn't surprise her, but she still didn't expect it to be as powerful.

"Y-Yessir!" Static Strike snapped to attention, giving a crisp salute. Permafrost was one of the few ponies that actually scared the Lieutenant. Not only was he her superior in rank, but she had also seen him in action. A group of Manehattan reporters had broken through the barrier of guards during the Grand Galloping Gala a few years back, and before they could get within 20 feet of Celestia they were frozen solid. And that was before he was Captain of the Night Guard.

"Hmph, I need you to walk with me to the upper gardens, as you are needed in a conversation," the large unicorn said, or rather unintentionally commanded. Static couldn't really say no, nor did she truly want to. The upper gardens were reserved for the royalty, foreign dignitaries, and three hoof-chosen gardeners. She had overheard multiple times of how Celestia would go there to relax after a day of the more 'robust' requests during her public viewings. When the Lieutenant responded with only a nervous nod, Permafrost gave a simple snort and turned around, beginning to walk down the hall. After a moment of dazed wondering, Static's mind caught up with the present and she began to follow him. They walked in silence for a few minutes, guards snapping to attention as they came into view.

"Your muscles are clenched. You're nervous, scared even. Calm yourself. This is not important enough a conversation to have a panic attack. She also does not particularly enjoy seeing subordinates in terror. Fear is a weapon she uses, but not on her own," Captain Permafrost quietly called over his shoulder to Static Shock, who noticed that her superior was correct. Her muscles were tighter than a spring, and sweat had begun to run down the side of her neck. It took her a moment to realize what else the Captain had said, and all it did was make her even more nervous. They were going to see Luna. It was the only She that he could be referring to. Celestia was busy with court, and Twilight was more scared of Static than the opposite.

"S-So that's why you're awake right now?" Static Shock asked, trying to pass her anxiety with conversation.

"Indeed. A matter of quite high importance has risen, and you are one of the few chosen to be spoken to on the matter," Permafrost obliged.

"Why would I be chosen for something important? I'm just a regular unicorn," Static inquired more, her mind easing a bit as the talking continued.

"It is not my place to tell you. If it was, then you would not be following me and the conversation would most likely have already ended," Permafrost responded with a blunt tone. As he finished speaking they came to a set of doors with a tad more decoration than others. "Alright. I need not tutor you on how to act around a princess, though Luna is somewhat different from her sister. She requested this meeting to be less formal than the norm, so you are not to use 'ma'am', or 'majesty', or any deviation of the sort. The Princess enjoys to keep a more casual stance in her meetings, as you may find out." He continued.

"Yessir. I'll try my best," Static Strike answered after a deep breath.

"Good. As time was on our side, our arrival is quite punctual," Permafrost noted as he opened the double doors and strode out. Static took a deep breath, then followed the Captain through.

...

The upper gardens were quite plain, primarily just an open grassy area with a topiary here and there, and a few wire table setups scattered about. One of these setups happened to be occupied by what most would see as an astoundingly beautiful mare. She was dressed in a dark red coat of a strange looking cloth, with opal reading glasses on her muzzle as a novel hovered open a few feet away from her face. Her mane appeared to be made of the night sky, though it was held in a mane clip with a talon shaped icon on the tip, making it form a neat ponytail flow from the back of her neck. This mare, of course, was Princess Luna. There was an umbrella propped up beside her chair that kept the sunlight off of her, though it seemed only to cast a shadow over her.

As the two guards approached, Luna set down her book and turned her head to get a look at the less familiar of the arrivals. Of course her aide was leading the grey mare to the table, but the mare seemed quite, well, bland. With one of her supposed reputation Luna was expecting a more rugged look to the Lieutenant. Her record told of how she was one of the most loyal and capable of the Day Guard's members, a candidate for the rank of Captain, even, had another not acted higher than their station during the Changeling invasion. Loyalty was not in question here, however. There were other things Luna was interested in. Some of them not on the record. As the mare sat down, Luna's aide took a position behind his employer, she noticed how the Lieutenant was nervous. Very nervous. Coiled like a spring. Oh the fun Luna was going to have with this one. After a moment of thinking, she had it. The perfect way to greet the frightened guard.

"BOO!" Luna bellowed, leaning her face in close to the Lieutenant's. Static promptly responded with a shriek that was louder than she would have liked, but this just made the Lunar Deity chuckle a bit as she leaned back, removing the opal glasses and placing them in a pocket on her coat. "My goodness, I swear you all make this too easy. As if I were really something to be afraid of. Please, Permafrost, be honest, do I ever scare you?"

"Only when furious, miss," the Captain answered with a small chuckle.

"Oh, well that's given, nopony can stand before an angered alicorn without their knees failing. But I digress. Miss Static Strike, I believe I have yet to truly meet you. I know quite a bit about you, however. Quite 'by the book', I believe the phrase goes, very much a role model, and quite good with electrical magic. But that's just what the records say. So tell me, how would you describe yourself?" Luna started, an eyebrow raising as she finished speaking.

"Well, I, ah, I was born her in Canterlot, uh, I'm 23 as of a few weeks ago, trained in-" Static began, but Luna was already bored with that talk.

"Lieutenant, I already know about your facts, what I mean to ask about is your personality, what you enjoy in your career, just tell me about you," She interjected.

"Uh, I, I guess I'm a little compulsive sometimes, ah, I don't like speaking to crowds, I suppose I'm good with a spear when magic isn't available. When it is, I guess you could say it's quite, heh, shocking," The unicorn chuckled, coaxing a smile from the princess.

"There we go, getting a bit more casual, silly puns and such. You're also being truthful. Good. If you had been lying I'd have sent you off right there. Trust is good. Now. For a bit of business. I'm going to tell you a secret. A few days ago,as you probably know, my sister and I were taken 'hostage' by a large number of vines. For all Equestria knows, the vines were given a good bit of trimming by the Elements of Harmony. Technically that's true. But there's more. To kill off the weeds, the six Element Bearers had to give up the Elements. This is good in the long run. The Tree of Harmony is strong, it will keep Everfree Forest in check, and Twilight and Company get a nice lesson in personal sacrifice. But that's short term thinking. This only protects the towns surrounding Everfree. Equestria is a large country, Lieutenant. Everfree is just a part of it. Even when the Elements were in play Equestria was in danger. And now that the Elements are gone, others are beginning to see flaws in our defence. So, I have a solution. I am reassembling a team known as the 'Night Watch'. I need ponies that can be capable of defending cities and being discreet while doing so. And you, my dear little unicorn, fit the bill. I expect to see you tonight, at 10 P.M., here. Bring necessities, as we shall be departing soon afterwards, and I know not when we are to return," Luna spoke in one long breath as she picked up her umbrella and turned, leaving Static speechless.

"Wait, you just expect me to show up with no information as to why?" Static responded, a hint of anxiety and disbelief in her voice. Luna simply turned with a smile.

"Why of course I do. You forget, Lieutenant. I know what you dream about. I know all about you. Welcome to the Night Watch."

Author's Note

Here. We. Go.
Edit: Grammatical and spelling errors checked by the wonderful Sagebrush, so many thanks to him.