"MOMMY!!! DADDY!!!" a terrified voice screamed in fright.
Within seconds, hooves could be heard galloping down the hallway as a young colt cowered beneath his bed sheets The door swung open with incredible speed as a crimson pegasus stallion entered, followed closely behind by a bat pony mare in a way that looked like a well-practiced dance. However, the look in both ponies' eyes showed murderous intent. The stallion quickly crossed the room across the near left wall while the mare hooked right to check that nothing was in the far corner before scanning the rest of the room.
The room was filled with terrifying colorful objects with permanent expressions of fake smiles, each tempting the two adrenaline-pumped ponies' eyes to linger a split second longer before moving on to the next object to detect any threat. These objects would make sounds and movements when provoked that would terrify any sane adult. Some would even commence their creepy cycles of lunacy when they were not even touched. These objects were known as children's toys.
"Clear left," the stallion announced.
"Clear right," the bat pony responded.
They noticed a giggle coming from one of the beds in the room. On this bed they saw what looked like a shivering slug. This had happened enough by this point for them to know what was really there was their young colt, Echelon, hiding under the iron curtain of protection that was his bed sheets.
"Echelon, what are you screaming about?" asked Midnight Dasher.
"Mommy, there is a monster under my bed!" the colt replied in terror.
"A monster you say?" asked Fleethoof with a raised brow.
"Yes! I heard it. It said it's going to eat me."
"There is no monster under your bed," Fleethoof replied with a tired sigh.
"Is too! This time it talked to me instead of just bumping the bottom of my bed!"
The two parents looked at each other with unamused eyes rolling. They had done their best to make sure these late night antics would stop, but somepony just didn't want to cooperate and act mature.
"Kiddo, I promise, there is nothing scary under your bed at all," Echelon's father said to him in a reassuring voice. "Nothing scary at all."
"I'm not coming out from under the covers until you look," demanded the trembling voice.
"Ok, fine. I'll take a look." Fleethoof bent down to take a peek under the bedframe.
RAWWWRRR!!!
Two glowing eyes and as many pointed teeth lunged out from under the bed. Much to the creature's dismay, the reflexes of Fleethoof were too fast, and the beast quickly found itself being dragged out from its lair by an ear.
"Starlight Aurora, what have I told you about scaring your little brother?" Fleethoof yelled at his daughter.
"Ouch ouch ouch! Let me go!" Starlight Aurora wailed as she swiped at the hooves clamped down on her left ear.
Her father released his grip, but did not let up on the angry stare directed at his trouble-making daughter. Starlight Aurora flared her draconic wings as she ran to stand between the legs of her mother, who was by now having a fit of giggles at the antics of her daughter.
"You know, it would help for you to show at least a little discipline to your daughter, Mid. She already took most your genes in her appearance but that doesn't mean she has to behave like you do." Fleethoof groaned aloud.
"Hey, as long as she looks and acts like me, I know that you will love her forever too," the bat pony mare said before sticking her tongue out at her husband.
Rolling his eyes again, Fleethoof turned back to the top of the bed from which he was just ambushed.
"See? There was no monster, Echelon. Just your sister being a pain in the flank."
Slowly, the bed sheets rustled as the young colt swam his way out of his linen fortifications. When he reached the surface, he poked only his eyes out for a few seconds before completely emerging from the covers. He stopped shaking and just glared at his sister, who like her mother, stuck her tongue out at her little brother. This time Midnight gave her a quick reprimand by tapping her lower jaw causing her daughter to bite her tongue.
Fleethoof looked at his young son with now softened eyes. He was a scruffy-haired cream-colored pegasus. He has the same eyes as his father, but inherited little tufts of fur on his ears from his mother.
"I'm sorry, Dad. I thought there really was a monster this time..." the young colt said, ashamed of himself.
"Don't be sorry, buddy. It's not your fault when you have to share a room with a such a crazy sister," Fleet replied.
"It's funny the way you and Mommy come bursting into the room when he screams," Starlight Aurora said with a giggle
"It's not funny to your father and I, young lady," Midnight Dasher replied, her tone serious for once.
"Sorry, Mommy..." Starlight Aurora said, feeling guilty now that she realized that no one was defending her.
"Go get into your bed and I'll tuck you in again," Midnight said as she had used all of the shallow reservoir of punishment ability she had for her foals.
As his wife was busy with their daughter, Fleet went and sat down on his son's bed and stroked his mane. He too loved his children dearly. But there was a time for discipline and a time for compassion.
"This has happened five times this week, Echelon. Only twice has your sister had something to do with it. Is something wrong, tough guy?"
The young colt looked bashfully away before muttering something that was inaudible to his father.
"What was that?" Fleethoof said. "I'm your dad, you can tell me anything. I will always be here for you."
"But you're not always here, and neither is mom." The colt uttered a quiet whimper.
Fleethoof's eyes became gentle as he looked over at his wife. "I know, buddy, but me and your mom have to go very far away for work for a long time sometimes."
"Why?" the colt said with glassy eyes.
"Because...It's just what we have to do. Now why don't you tell me what you're afraid of to make us keep losing sleep like this?"
"I...I'm afraid of the dark," Echelon replied with a sad voice. "None of you are..."
"Being afraid of the dark is just silly," Starlight Aurora said before her mother silenced her with a not-so-soft boop to the nose.
"Your brother can't see as well at night as you can, Aurora. Try to understand. You should be your little brother's night light, not his nightmare," Fleethoof said with a stern voice. "And no, Echelon, you're not the only one. I can't see what's in the shadows either, but your mother is always right beside me. I know that nothing can hurt me when she is there."
With that, Midnight Dasher walked over to sit beside her husband and rest her chin on his shoulder as she looked at her son. "And I'll protect you too, honey, because I love you more than anything."
"I love you too, Mom," the colt said with a smile. "...But what if a Manticore or Timber Wolf or some other monster really is under my bed?" Echelon asked with renewed fright.
"They don't live under beds, kiddo, and they are not monsters. They are just another creature like us trying to raise their own families in the forest. I promise, you will never have to worry about them being under your bed. They are more scared of us than you are of them, believe it or not," Fleethoof tried to reassure his son
"Oh...ummmm, Dad?"
"Yes, Echelon?"
"Do you believe in monsters?"
Without hesitation, Fleethoof responded, "Of course monsters are real."
"But I thought you said all those creatures weren't monsters?"
"They aren't, but that doesn't mean that monsters don't exist."
"Where are the monsters then, Dad?"
"There are some here..."—he pointed at his heart—"and here..." He pressed his hoof to his son's chest. "And a whole lot of them over there." Fleet made a dramatic motion and pointed over to his pouting daughter, receiving an eye roll from his wife and a look of curiosity from his daughter. She rolled out of bed to go join the rest of her family.
"What do you mean by that, Dad?" Starlight asked.
"Well, you see, you two...the only real monsters are inside each and every pony. They come in many different forms, but they all want to take control and make you do what they want. Most ponies are able to keep their monsters caged up, where they can't hurt anypony. Some ponies never even learn what their monsters want. Others know exactly what they want and have to struggle to keep control."
"What happens when the monsters get out?" Echelon asked with a hint of trepidation.
"Well, the pony loses their control and find that they are doing what the monster wants and not what they know is right. Sometimes it hurts themselves, and sometimes it hurts the ponies around them. The really bad ones can hurt a lot of ponies..."
"But what about your monsters? Do you and Mommy have bad monsters?" Starlight Aurora pried.
"That's a question that's hard to answer, sweetheart. Your mother and I were able to find what our monsters wanted. When we found out what they wanted, we worked really, really hard to take control of our monster instead of them taking control of us. We are one of the few that can and choose to use our monsters to fight the bad monsters that have taken control of other ponies."
"Do you always have control of your monster?" Echelon questioned, fascinated with his father's tale.
Fleethoof went silent and looked to the floor. His mind wandered back to the past—to a house that had long since turned to ash. His morals usually had a firm grasp on the reigns of the beast that gave him the strength to do his job. But that night, he realized he didn't always have control.
Midnight saw the dark look in her husband's eyes. She knew the grim roads he had traveled in his lifetime. She nuzzled his neck and gave him a tender kiss to the cheek to offer some solace to the monster she knew was clawing away at his insides. "Sometimes it's hard to always make sure the monsters do what you want. We can only do our best to make sure that they never hurt a good pony."
"Mommy, Daddy, when do you get to lock up the monsters for good?"
Fleethoof turned a curious glance to his daughter. "Why would we lock them up for good when they help us keep you safe?"
"Well, when can you stop fighting other monsters far away? I want you to read me stories every night!" Echelon said in a pleading voice to his mother.
"And I want you to come to my hoofball games," Starlight whined to her father.
Fleet and Midnight looked at each other. Their faces appeared much older than they physically were. They both knew each other's bodies ached in ways that only older ponies should ache.
Silently and simultaneously, they both realized it was time to focus one hundred percent on what was undoubtedly the most important thing in their lives since they had fallen in love many years ago. They looked down at their beautiful children and knew that it was time; it had been for a long time.
"Your mother and I have one last job to do that we can't turn back from now, but we promise when it's over, that's it. This will be the last time we go away."
"Good, because Aunty Cadence is a lame foalsitter!" Starlight Aurora said with a harrumph.
"Maybe if you didn't drive her crazy and played nice with her, you wouldn't be in time out so much," Fleethoof remarked. Starlight made a dramatic sound of disapproval that got the pegasus smirking.
"But Dad, won't you miss working for Princess Luna?" Echelon asked.
With a sigh, Fleethoof said, "Yes, Echelon. There is a part of me that wishes I could do what I do forever. But there is another part of me that wished I never had to do it in the first place."
"That goes for me as well," Midnight Dasher replied. "But it's something that has to be done. Don't you worry though, Uncle Sharp and Aunt Echo will be able to take care of all the bad monsters with the rest of their friends from now on. They know what they are doing."
Midnight gave her husband a reassuring smile, as if to assuage his fears of passing a long-burning torch. Fleethoof scowled. He didn't want to leave the others to do what he felt was his responsibility. But even he could no longer deny that the unicorn had learned much over the years and was finally ready to lead, provided he could keep his big mouth shut when he needed to.
"Now get back in your own bed, Starlight. It's time for you two to go back to sleep," Midnight said to her daughter. "And it's time for me and your father to get ready for work."
"Mom, can I sleep with Echelon tonight?
"Why don't you want to sleep in your bed?" Fleethoof asked, eyeing the wily filly with suspicion.
"I want to make sure no bad monster can get to him while you and Mommy are gone." Starlight Aurora cuddled up to her little brother.
"Thanks, sis," Echelon said as he wormed his way deeper into her comforting embrace.
"That's my girl," Fleet said with a smile before he walked out, followed by his wife after she gave both her foals a kiss goodnight and made sure the blankets were tucked in tight.
* * *
"So this is really it, huh? No more 'one more for the Gippers'?" Midnight asked her husband as much in question as in statement.
"Yeah. I think it's time to move on. For our kids and our sanity."
"I thought you said you lost that when you married me," she said as she ran a hoof over his shoulder and down his back.
Fleet took a deep breath, closing his eyes while her hoof slid between his wings. He enjoyed his wife's affection before finding himself being flipped upside-down and thrown to the floor. He looked up to see her bouncing away, giggling like a foal. There really was no end to her torments, even after years of partnership.
"You still got the skills, Mid. Are you sure you want to call it quits?"
"Fleet...It's been time," Midnight said with a tone of sympathy yet seriousness.
"I know, I know. I just know I'm going to miss it, as much as I've hated it at times."
"Me too, honey. But we have the kids to think of, and they are getting to the age where they are going to start wondering what we are doing when we are gone. But they are too young for that innocence to be taken away by learning the truth of the way the world is. Just because we lost ours doesn't mean they have to lose theirs. That's part of why we do this. To keep the evil away from home."
"You're right. Let's let the monsters out one last time," Fleethoof said with a sigh. "Then we only have to deal with the two little monsters in our own house from now on."
The two ponies silently walked into their room and unlocked their lockers. With hard looks, they donned their work clothes. They put on matching sleek black uniforms, a patch on the shoulder inscribed with the insignia of the Royal Guard and a patch bearing the emblem of Skyfall. Over their outfits, they threw a second, much more heavy layer designed to protect their vital organs and carry the tools of their profession.
They spent the next few minutes looking each other over in silence. This was an act of both routine and love to make sure nothing was missing or damaged that could jeopardize the others and their safety. Midnight did a full turn for her lover, acting like a model on a Canterlot runway. Her demeanor before a mission always made Fleethoof smile. She was as carefree as if they were going for a stroll in the park. After years of practice, it was more or less what the job had begun to feel like.
Right on schedule, there was a knock on the door. Cadence entered quietly due to the late hour, knowing that the foals should be asleep.
"Thanks for watching the foals, Cadence," Fleet said with a crooked smile to his long-time friend.
"You don't have to thank me, Fleet. I could never repay you for all you have done for me and Shining. They are asleep, I assume?"
"They just went back to bed. Someone wanted to cause trouble." Midnight replied.
"Well, there is no way it could have been Aurora," Cadence remarked sarcastically.
"How did you guess?" Midnight sighed with equal sarcasm.
"Apple doesn't fall far from the tree, Mid," Fleet said with a wink at his wife. Midnight went to give her husband a punch, but he caught it before it landed with ease.
"You still can't get me when I'm in business mode." Fleet chuckled under his breath.
"Yeah, well, I don't have to worry about that for much longer. Your flank is mine after today."
A suggestive grin spread across Fleethoof's lips, his eyes sparkling with life. "Promise?"
"What do you mean?" Cadence asked with curiosity.
"This is our last mission. It's time for us to settle down and focus on the kids. The team is also ready. They can handle things without us."
"Oh, that's a relief! Shining has been meaning to ask you when you were going to retire, but didn't know how to bring it up. He knows how much you love your job."
"About as much as he loved his. Tell him that I won't be missing our guys' nights anymore."
"He'll be lucky if I allow him to go to guys' night after his behavior the last time you and Sharp took him out. There is something wrong with that stallion if you claim to be a professional."
"Oh, you have no idea," Midnight replied thinking back to the years she spent working with him along side her husband.
"Well, I won't hold you up any longer. I know how important punctuality is for work."
"Thanks again, Cadence. We will be back soon," Fleethoof said.
"I know you will, but please be careful." Cadence said with concern in her purple eyes.
"We will," the couple replied as they walked into the darkness to meet up with the rest of their fellow beast masters, ready to unleash their inner monsters upon the enemies of Equestria.
One last time.
