We love you for who you are

Chapter 4: the guards of Day and Night, here to watch you in a non-creepy way.

Gabe sighs as he rest under the shade of the oak tree he’s been under for the past ten minutes, his left hand rub the eyes under the glasses as he pull them back to see the view before him.

The green maze over to the far left surprise him, seeing something so large manage to fit in a place like this make him wonder how much magic this entire place got. Some would scoff at this, saying that magic isn’t real, but when you have a few uncles who practice the magical arts and show proof to you in your face, you can’t exactly be skeptical of it at all.

His eyes look at the many statues of ponies, some are the ones wearing armor, another is a pony standing tall with a flag, but for some reason there’s one stand without a statue. He turn his head to his ‘guide’, a guard that’s been silent since the way, from what he can remember earlier during his thinking he recall the voice been female.

So his guard is a girl, honestly he can’t tell at sight with these new beings by him. Due to the lack of interacting and have no bloody idea how to tell except for the muzzles, its hard to know. If he just assume the gender by muzzle he might accidentally offend a guy that looks like a girl, or a girl that is a guy.

It happen one time back when he visit his uncle Grey, and well, let just say that he can still feel the pain time to time from the kick in his ribs.

“So, any reason why there’s no statue on that one?” he ask to the guard, she look at me with her eyes and turn to the empty stand.

“That use to be filled by an individual of the name Discord, god of chaos.” she briefly said.

His eyebrow raise in surprise.

“Use? What happen?” Before she said anything more something pop out under her helmet.

“Chaos!” the guard move back in shock as Gabe see a long strange being, mix limbs on the thing and red eyes looking down at him.

“I use to be in stone until chaos happen fellow!” said the being as he, the voice sound of a strange guy, one that has too many pot to inhale.

“Then I took a Element beam to the face afterwards, then I was brought back and became friends with Fluttershy,” He explain as he take out a puppet of six ponies using a rainbow beam at the creature who is now the size of the puppets, making him in stone, then disappears as the same six ponies revert back from stone and him hugging a yellow pony with wings and pink hair.

Gabe eyes look at the fellow and simply ask. “So, who are you?”

The creature revert back to his normal size and grab his chest with his left hand and place his right arm over his head. “Am I really such a forgettable fellow? Have my chaos really dwindle over the last few years? Have my reputation gone to smoke?”

And on cue he became smoke in the sky.

Gabe look up as a small flash of light appear before him, the creature wearing a suit give light bow. “Allow me to introduce myself, I am Discord god of chaos.” He disappear and reappear by Gabe left side.

“And who are you? I haven’t seen you before around here, are you some sort of ape or monkey that dear Celestia found?” ask Discord as he hold a giant magnifying glass and look around him.

“Well, I’m Gabe, and I’m pretty much staying here on this world for the rest of my life.” reply Gabe, Discord move around as he sniff something on him. He move his head around, cutting it off as the head move around him, while the body slouch by Gabe side.

“Hmm, I can smell magic on you. Even though you have no magic, I can smell it.” His head disappear as it went back on his body, except its on his chest. “How?” Gabe give a small chuckle as he glance to see the guard, getting her helmet on her head.

“Well that’s simple. You see a few years back one of my uncles, a magic user I may add, implant a powerful enchantment in me, he didn’t say where, but said it allow me to understand the language of the natives of anyone and speak it.”

“I don’t know how it fully works to be honest, but why bother explaining it when you know it can help you talk?”

Discord nod his head and sit down on a floating rock. “Well that explains one thing, but the other.” Gabe tilt his head. “What other?” Before Discord say anything more he decide to snap his fingers and present a floating cake.

“Want a piece? I hear cake is good for the belly!”

Gabe shrug and said. “Why not? Got any plates?” Discord grin as he snap his tail as plates appear, and for some reason they’re sitting in chairs, the table is short for some reason, and the cake is cut up in strange pieces, one in a circle, another in a zigzag, the pieces are set in random cuts, and honestly Gabe isn’t bothered by that.

“So Discord, no offense, but for a god of chaos, you seem a bit...Tame.” speak Gabe as he take a circle cake and bit into it, Discord sigh as he became flat on the table. “I’ll admit, I haven’t been up the chaos quo since I vow to use my chaos for good, and I hardly have the time to do any good old chaos.”

“Want my advice? Make time and ask for a vacation time to time. Otherwise you’ll going to be all work and no play.” Gabe suggest. Discord pop back up as he take a large slice of cake and take out a large scroll as he read into it.

“Hmm, well I could talk to dear old Sunny about that.” He roll it up and pop it in his mouth as he swallow it. “Still I’m surprise that you haven’t question my motives of meeting you, or the fact that you aren’t afraid of me.” Gabe shrug.

Out of the glance of his eyes he can’t see the guard, must of left the moment she had the chance.

“If I met you before meeting my uncles? Oh yeah I would be afraid and probably question your motives. Now? Well when you have eight uncles who do crazy things and one of them is an insane fellow you tend to be less afraid of things that are chaotic. Like the old saying goes, ‘When you meet with one crazy, you meet with all the crazies’. Less stress for the mind, as for the motive part?”

“Well, I would usually ask, but my uncle force one simple thing in my brain. ‘If your going to ask what they want, at least do it when you two are done eating.’ ” Gabe said as he mimic his uncle Grey.

Discord lean in. “Crazy you say? How crazy?” ask Discord as he take a leaf from the tree that’s over them and form it into a cup as he begins to drink from it.

“Well, that depends on the situation. One time my uncle Zero made an entire army run away from his terrible singing.”

“Ha! It can’t be that bad!” said Discord as he chew the cup. “It is, his singing is so bad that every time he might start in a musical number, one of my uncles get out a favor jar to put in a favor.” told Gabe.

“Favor jar?”

Gabe nod his head.

“Oh yeah, my uncles use this system where they owe favors to one another, sometime they ask for it, others they call in for it. Honestly I can’t remember all of the stuff they said about the favor system on the account they never explain it fully to me.”

“Something about, ‘reaching so high that we start over’. Whatever that means.” The cake disappear as it form legs and ran away as they hear the voice of Celestia.

“Discord, what did you do?”

Both of their heads turn to see Princess Celestia trotting up to them, the female guard from earlier by her side, seem like she decide to get extra help, Gabe can’t blame her if he was in her position, he probably get help to when facing with the guy who can control chaos in his claws, or paws, or whatever.

“Oh hello Celestia? How are you this fine morning?” ask Discord as he disappear and reappear by Celestia side leaning by her eating a rock. “Discord, what did you do to our new guest?” ask Celestia with a stern tone in her voice.

“Moi? Why nothing Celestia, me and Gabby over here,” he disappear by Gabe side hanging around him like a dead fox that is use for fashion. “Are just hanging around and relaxing, we were having cakes but it ran away while you came along, probably because it knows that you’ll eat it all up!”

Celestia eye twitch as she breaths in and out. “Discord, I must ask that you’ll stop bothering Gabe, and that you’ll,” Gabe however interrupt.

“He isn’t bothering me.”

All at once the chaos master, the ruler, and guard look at Gabe as he put Discord off of him and lean back on the tree. “In fact he’s actually quite a decent fellow, sure he’s strange but I handle worse.” Discord smile as he disappears and appear by Gabe side with a pair of maracas and a sombrero.

“Haha! You here that Celestia? Someone that isn’t bother by me! Oh the fun we are going to have my strange monkey!” Gabe roll his eyes. “Straight back at you, Paradox!” reply Gabe, Discord look at him with a confuse look.

“Paradox? Last time I check I don’t make something true.” said Discord.

“Well you don’t make sense and you don’t do order, so you’re a paradox.” told Gabe, the guard shakes her head. “But that doesn’t make any sense.” she mutters, Gabe turn his head to her.

“Exactly!” he said with a smile.

Discord then laugh his head off from Gabe response as his head flies away. “Oh, oh wow! You and I are certainly going to get along, tata!” Discord call out as his body wrap itself up and disappears.

Celestia came by Gabe side and speak. “I’m surprise that you haven’t ask me why I keep him around, better yet why aren’t you questioning a being like Discord.” And in response Gabe just shrug. “Like I said earlier, when you meet with one crazy, you meet with them all.”

***

“And thus you have learn all about, oh for Celestia sake!” cry out the elder unicorn stallion, gray mane cover his head, his eyes with bushy eyebrows, muzzle with a bushy big beard. His entire body cover in a long robe of purple, the room that surround him is a hexagon type room with books everywhere, a chalkboard by him, fill with a diagram of the three tribes and of their abilities.

Not to mention a thing call a window in sight. The desk before him has a few books open and close, and before that desk of books is one single student.

Gabe, who is sitting in a desk with his head on the wood with a small drool pool coming from his mouth. The stallion slam his hooves on the desk as Gabe head raise up, eyes widen, with him turning his head back and forth.

“What, what, what! Are we under attack? Is Zero getting sue?”

He then notice the stallion with what appears an angry look on his face. “Oh, is class over?” The stallion facehoof and give a big sigh.

“Well, it seem you somehow sleep through the entire lesson, how you manage that, I have no idea. But I do know that if you don’t pay attention and listen then you’ll,” his speech became short as there is a knock on the door.

He sighs. “Come in.”

Both the heads of the teacher and student turn to see the door open and with it sunlight coming in, the one who open the door is a Solar Guard, a pegasus mare with the same look as many, neutral all around.

“Professor, the lesson time limit is over now, I am here to pick up the guest.”

The stallion huff and shakes his head. “Fine, very well, go ahead and take him.” Gabe moves out of the desk as he walks by the guard, turn his head to the stallion with a smile on his face as he wave his hand to him.

“Take care professor!” The stallion sighs as he lay his head on the desk. “Just go.” He still wears that smile as he left the room, the guard by his side as the door close behind him.

“So, where to?” Gabe ask, his eyes glance at the sky outside as he see the sun setting down and the moon coming up. He move his eyes down to the guard as he decide to try and make a conversation.

“So, is it true? That Celestia and Luna raise the sun and moon?” ask Gabe as the two walk through the halls, the guard move her eyes to the human as she is quiet. Gabe look down with his eyes as he roll them.

“Ah I see, doing the ‘be a statue all the time’ tactic. Guess that means I have to talk to myself, which is a tad bit annoying. Still, I hope that I can be able to have a conversation with somebody, somepony,” Gabe correct himself, he still finds it a tad bit odd to say pony at the end of almost the same words he usually say, but hey different world, different rules.

“That’ll be able to just have an actual conversation with me.” finish Gabe.

“Well how about me?” Both heads turn to see something new, well new for Gabe at least. A stallion that’s a few head taller, about maybe a foot higher, or in the length of Gabe size, about the size up to his stomach.

Yellow cat eyes look at him, the muzzle on him show a smirk, the fur on him is of a gray color, tuff ears, batwings instead of the usual wing feathers, and the armor look of night time color.

Including a pair of fangs around his muzzle.

A minute pass as Gabe ask one of the simple, and honest questions of all time. “What, in the name of all that is Holy, Insane, and all of awesome are you suppose to be?”

A sigh came out of the being as he shakes his head. “And I lost ten bits, thanks a lot monkey.” He mutters to himself, sadly his sentence is loud enough for the two of them to hear. “My species have a name you know, human. And this human got a name as well. Gabe, and to be honest how else am I suppose to know what you are?”

“I haven’t seen anything like you for the past few hours, not to mention I only learn of the three tribes.” told Gabe.

The stallion ask about his lessons. “And speaking of them, I heard you snooze through it.” Gabe shrug. “Well after learning the basics why learn more? Earth ponies can do amazing thing with their strength, pegasus does weather stuff, and unicorns can do magic with their glowing horns. It isn’t that too difficult to remember.”

“Now if you give me a test about all the stuff I learn then I probably will fail it quickly.” A small laughter came from the stallion. “Ha! Don’t blame you,” he walks up and offer his left forehoof. “The names Thorja, part of the Night Guard. I would of introduce myself earlier, but you ran and all from last night.”

Gabe tilt his head.

“Ran? What are you talking about?”

Before the Night Guard said anything more a female shout interrupt them. “Hey!” Their heads turn to see a Night Guard mare coming up to them, but unlike Thorja her armor is color different, her eyes dark blue, her coat light gray, and an irritated look on her muzzle.

She trot up to Gabe and look up to him with that same irritated look, Gabe notice that she’s a few inches taller than the mares he sees around, her height is up to halfway to his stomach. She must of train hard to get up to the size, that or drinks much milk when she was young.

“Princess Luna request your presence in the Night Court,” she turn her head to the Solar Guard mare by Gabe. “You should go and rest up, we got it from here.” The Solar Guard salute with her right hoof. “Yes ma’am.” The Guard turn and left the three as Gabe look down to this new pony in his sight.

“So, your name?” ask Gabe.

The Night Guard scowl at him and turn as she walks away, Thorja move by Gabe and whisper. “She’s in a nasty mood, don’t know why though, her name is Janixe, and she’s part of the Elite Night Guard.”

“Elite?” said Gabe in confusion. “Hurry it up!” shout the Night Guard now name Janixe. Thorja roll his eyes. “Come on, otherwise my sister may drag you.” Gabe sighs as he follow the stallion, while the stallion follows the mare.

“So you haven’t really answer my question earlier, what are you guys anyway?” Thorja give small chuckle as he answer Gabe question as he move by his left side. “Well the Night Guard is basically made up of an entire species that are called bat ponies, or Thestrals in another word if you want to be fancy.”

“Thestrals eh? Didn’t really hear about you in the old man's class earlier.” Thorja snort as he shakes his head. “Yeah, we don’t exactly count as a main species, you see we fall under the category of Pegasi, or most of us that is. There’s Thestrals of the Unicorns but not many of Earth ponies. Which is understandable since most Thestrals are those with batwings.” explain Thorja.

“So is it genetics that are pass down in generations? Or you can turn anyone into Thestrals with those fangs?” Thorja give a short laugh as he shakes his head again. “As if, it’s all genetics. Despite so many stories that said we do, no we don’t turn other ponies into one of us,” a snort escape from his muzzle.

“I swear ponies these days, sometime can’t tell fact from fiction.” Gabe nod his head in agreement. “I hear that, sometimes I have to deal with that as well, it’s one of the downfalls of being with my uncles.”

“Oh?” said Thorja with a smirk, Gabe nod his head as he went on. “Oh yeah, the grapevines where I come from usually say that I’m the bastard child of Grey from some human whore or stuff like that, others say that I’m the unholy abomination to walk the world since I’m related to my uncle Dreamer, and don’t ever get me started with my uncle Sohm.”

“What about your uncle Zero?” ask Thorja, Gabe roll his eyes and made a ‘pfft’ sound from his mouth. “They say I’m his sane cousin from one of the worst place on my world.” Thorja ears perk. “Where?”

“New Jersey.”

During the conversation Janixe move her head a bit to listen in the conversation the two males are having, normally she just ignore them and keep walking on the path, but they way he talk about his uncles, it seem so strange. It’s like that he just doesn’t care what he say about them, even though their family and all.

She almost miss the part of his ‘uncle Sohm’ as she hear Thorja ask a question.

“So what about your uncle? The one name So-h-im?”

Gabe roll his eyes. “You got his name wrong, think of his first name as ‘so’, then add it with ‘oom’, the ‘h’ is somewhat silence. As for the rumors about him and me, you wouldn’t believe it.”

Janixe hear the challenging tone in her brother. “Try me.”

Before Gabe said anything Janixe interrupt him. “We’re here,” Gabe look ahead to see a large door and give a surprise ‘hmm.’ “Well time does go fast when you’re talking someone, or somepony in this case.”

Thorja nod his head as the doors are open and reveal the throne room. “Come on, the Princess is waiting.” told Thorja as he walk ahead of Gabe, the human follow the two Thestrals as his eyes look at the long hall, the many descriptive windows, and the long midnight rug coming all the way to the throne room.

Gold surround the rug with two small waterfalls on each side, a bush of flowers on both side of the rug itself, large banters of one blue, and the other yellow showing art of some kind, hard to see this far away.

But the windows shown different things, almost like history is being told in an artistic point of view. One show two ponies in a shape of a heart, another with six ponies with lasers coming out of them hitting an alicorn of black above them, another show Celestia and possibly her sister against what appears to be Discord, and another show Discord again, this time with the six ponies hitting him with the lasers.

At first I thought he was exaggerating, guess he was telling some truth, you can never tell if a crazy person is telling the truth or simply making it up and believe it’s the truth.

After a minute or two walking Gabe finally see the sister of Celestia, Princess Luna, unlike her sister she seem smaller, with the same wavy hair of course, but is full of the night sky. Her coat is dark blue, her eyes seem a sort of green, or blue? Hard to say.

The crown on her head is of black instead of gold color, same with the breastplate, yet the hooves are cover in light purple hoof shoes? Is that what they call it?

Gabe shrug inside his mind with a sigh.

Learning more about these ponies are tougher than it seems, well hopefully I won’t be any more confuse than usual.

The two Guards stop and bow before the throne five steps away. “Your Highness.” They both said in unison. Gabe just stand there behind them and give a light bow. “Hello!” he said in a cheery tone.

The look back in surprise as they turn their heads back to their Princess. “Greetings, it is nice we are finally introduce, I am Princess Luna, it is wonderful to finally meet you.” said Luna as she gets up from her throne and walk down to Gabe.

As she walk before Gabe, he notice that her height is up to his chest, that is without her horn, her head is right up to where the collarbone is at, but with horn she’s up to his chin level.

“Nice to meet you as well, so what’s the occasion? Just a simple meet and greet? Or something else?” Ask Gabe as Luna give a light chuckle. “I see you just get straight to the point of the matter, usually I have to go through the dance and move around the topic at hoof.” The two Night Guards look in shock of how Gabe can just speak to her normally and without a care.

“Well I learn from my uncle Sohm it’s better to go straight in for the heart of the matter and just don’t bother with the stupidity of the subtle dance of diplomacy.” reply Gabe.

“Your uncle Sohm must be wise.” said Luna.

Gabe give out a hearty laugh and wave his hand side to side as he shakes his head. “As if! He’s more straightforward and doesn’t give a damn of subtlety. Or doesn’t show respect if he thinks it’s not earn, now that I think about it he’ll probably won’t acknowledge you until you earn his respect or trust, and believe me that’s hard to do. Took me months to get a compliment from him.”

Princess Luna raise an eyebrow in surprise as she replies. “I, see...Well then me and my sister have news for you, we have discuss on telling the population of your arrival and that you’ll stay here, for the time being that is, in Canterlot. The reasons are that you are not ready to go out yet, due to the lack of insight of pony body language, history, economics, how to handle a situation of confronting a pony or another race.”

“Not only that, but you lack in departments of defense, which is why me and my sister decide to accompany two guards from both Solar and Lunar Guards.”

“I thought they are call Day and Night Guards.” said Gabe. Luna give a small smile. “I prefer to call them what they use to call them back in the day.” Before Gabe can ask what she meant, she went on.

“So that is why my sister chosen a guard from her own Elite Solar Guard, and I from my own Elite Lunar Guard.” She turn to Janixe. “Lieutenant Janixe, I order you to become his protector in the night and his own guide in Canterlot.”

Janixe nearly fall over as she discover this last minute news. “What? But my Lady,” Luna stomp her left hoof on the ground. “Do you take this order? Do you take it Lieutenant?” Princess Luna nearly glare at the Elite Lieutenant as she finally succumb and sighs, with a salute add with her right. “As you command my lady.”

Thorja try to hold back the laughter in his mouth as Janixe glare at him and turn to her ruler with a idea. “May I make a request? Private Thorja should be part of this order as well.” said Janixe with a smirk on her muzzle.

Thorja turn his head in shock as the Princess reply quickly. “Done, the order starts now.” Gabe chuckle as he rub the back of his head. “Two guards of the best of the best? Wow Luna, I have no idea you and your sister hold so high regard for me, I’m honor.”

“We merely wish to make sure you feel safe around us all.” reply Luna, while her mind said more. And to make your uncles know that we have you in our best interest, and to make sure that no unforeseen accidents may happen in the futures with one of the ponies who live in our lands. There are some ponies who may never change their way of thinking when you come around their path.

A smile is on her. “However we request that you will be apart of the news breaking in a week time, to gather the reporters who can be trustworthy and prepare you for the basic of information when they ask the questions that may make you..awkward.” Gabe nod his head. “I see, well then anything else Princess?”

Luna shakes her head.

“That will be all, take care Gabe.” Said Luna as she walk back to the throne room, Gabe decide to ask a question. “Not to be rude, but is it true that you and your sister can raise the sun and moon? That you can make the sky look, whatever it is?” The two Guards look at him in shock for asking such a thing, and the same as Luna, but she hid her expression well.

What an absurd question, but...It’s a reasonable one, he doesn’t know the things we can do, like everypony else. Best answer it.

“Yes I raise the moon, and my sister raise the sun, this doesn’t happen in your world?” Ask Luna, Gabe let his arms raise up and cross each other over his head. “No magic, my world is empty in it and we have to rely on technology to help us.”

“Yet you do not voice out that magic isn’t possible.” told Luna, Gabe scratch his nose with his left hand. “Well if you live my life with my uncles, that will quickly be killed in a manner of seconds. Trust me, the moment I saw my uncles do what they do...No words can describe it, perhaps one day you’ll find out what I mean.”

Gabe lower his arms as he went on. “The reason I ask is quite simple, I never seen anyone do anything with the sky and I’m curious, perhaps you can show me when you and your sis lower the sun?” suggest Gabe as he turn around and begin to walk.

Luna raise an eyebrow as the human leave her presence without a formal request on leaving the throne room, but decide to let it go in favor of thinking on the words he spoke today. Perhaps Gabe, I might let you see what wondrous works I can create in the night…

But the way he spoke about his uncles. Why does it sound like awe in his tone? Why sound so, so, so astonish of them? What does he see in them that we cannot possibly imagine? Only time will tell, and if Faust willing perhaps in the future we may see. Thought Luna as she see the lone human walking to the door with two guards coming up by him.

Two are shouting at him, one of telling him to give a formal excuse, and the other so surprise of what he did.

Thus the seeds are plant of the things that are to come.

Question is, how long till somepony screw it up?