The night covered Equestria under its dark shroud. The regal city on the mountain, Canterlot, slept under the gentle light of the Moon and the flickers of the stars.
However, even if the city was sleeping, many ponies in it were not. The full Moon provided enough light for ponies to walk on the streets comfortably, without any risk to trip or need to be scared of the shadows. It also helped that the temperature was warm and pleasant, and the breeze cool. In summary, the perfect night for a walk under the stars.
And thus, all across Canterlot there were dozens of ponies enjoying the night. Lonely ponies just looking for some fresh air. Couples that strolled across the parks, or maybe scurried away, far from the view of any pony. Groups of friends, in search of a mixture of loud music, alcohol, and attractive ponies. And that rare pony that simply could not sleep and didn’t have anything better to do.
But even with all this traffic, the streets of Canterlot were not completely safe. True, it was possibly one of the cities with less criminality of all Equestria. However, this was not because of the closeness of the Princesses, – as many ponies believed – but thanks to the combined efforts of the Royal Guard and the Ground Guard.
The Ground Guard was founded by Princess Celestia after the Lunar Rebellion. It was originally meant to be the first earth pony professional army, an equivalent to the decimated pegasi clans or the unicorn armies. However, it quickly took in the task of guarding the streets of the cities at all times, in an effort to try to reduce the increasing criminality. With time, this became their main function, and the Ground Guard expanded all over Equestria. As the aversion between the different pony breeds disappeared and cities began to include more and more mixed families, the Ground Guard started accepting pegasi and unicorns in its ranks. In the present day, there was a station of the Guard in almost every city or town of Equestria.
And right now, two of those guards patrolled in silence the silent streets of Canterlot, their steps echoing into the night. They were wearing the standard leather armor with steel plating covering their chest, sides, flanks and hooves. It was comfortable to wear while still offering a small degree of protection, perfect for ponies that very hardly ever had to face anything bigger than a drunken griffon. They also lacked the charms and enchantments that the Royal and Night Guard armor had.
“So…” muttered the first pony, a pearl stallion with his light blue mane done in a braid. “how are you doing?”
“Good, good. All is good.” replied the other pony, a purple mare with long, pink mane. “You?”
“Good too.” he responded, repressing a yawn. It was something very strange. Most of days, he and his companion would talk for the whole night, jumping from one topic to the next, and never being quiet for more than a few minutes.
But tonight, with so many ponies on the streets, they continuously ran into somepony. Every few minutes, they crossed paths with a passerby, and felt obliged to shut up and act like a proper Guard, also straightening their backs and walking in a determined tempo. And when you´re trying to keep a conversation, all those little distractions made it very hard to actually do so.
The stallion let out a sigh and looked at his comrade. “I don’t really know what we’re doing here, honestly. I mean, look.” he nodded to a group of friends that was walking on a perpendicular street. One of the ponies saw the guard mare, and let out a low whistle. She raised an eyebrow, but continued walking. The stallion smiled in amusement. “See? Nothing is going to happen, everything is calm. I’m sure they can manage without us.”
The mare frowned, still looking to the front. “Are you suggesting to leave our posts?”
The stallion looked at her with a smirk. “I don’t know. Maybe?”
The mare smiled as well and let out a chuckle. “The Captain won’t be happy if she discovers us, Starwaltz.”
He shrugged. “I know, but you just said it, Candle Light. If she discovers us. I mean really, what are the odds? Come on, don't you want to go somewhere else?"
Annoyed, Candle Light shook her head, making her forelock wave in front of her eyes. She heard the pegasus let out an ‘aww’ of disappointment, but didn’t say anything. The pair of guards continued walking in silence for a while.
‘I mean, what are the odds?’ Starwaltz’s words resounded on her mind. As much as she didn’t like it, he was right. She was usually a very dutiful mare, but this night…Candle’s eyes followed a couple of pegasi that just passed by walking, with their wings interlocked. Then they flickered to the closed wings of his companion. She bit her lip. ‘What are the odds?’
“Waltz?” she muttered, looking down to the cobblestone of the street.
“Hm?” the pegasus turned his head to her.
She bit her lip again and looked to him. Or to his hooves, more precisely. She didn’t dare to look to his face. “Let’s go.” she said in an inaudible whispers.
Starwaltz’s ear flickered. “What now?”
“Let’s go.” she repeated, at an audible volume this time. She felt her cheeks burning and her heart pounding. But what she felt wasn’t embarrassment. It was more like a mixture of excitement for breaking the rules and for spending some time with Waltz.
The white stallion blinked. He knew how seriously Candle Light took her work as a guard. In the few years he had known her, she had never left her post. Ever. He really expected his suggestion to fall on deaf ears, as usually. “Really?” he asked in disbelief. When he saw Candle nodding her head, his face split in a grin. “Really! Marvelous! Come on, let’s go!” And with that, he broke into a gallop.
“Hey!” called out Candle, before bolting like an arrow after him. She caught him some seconds later. “Don’t go storming like that! What if somepony sees us?”
Starwaltz laughed. “They will think it’s an emergency!” he replied without stopping. If anything, he increased his pace. Candle kept up perfectly fine. Waltz had never been a good runner and Candle was a strong mare. However, the race stretched for a while, and she started feeling ache on her legs and her lungs.
Starwaltz suddenly stopped on his tracks. Candle reacted a moment later and managed to hit the brakes a few meters beyond. “Waltz?” she said, looking back. The stallion was standing still on the middle of the street, looking to his left. Confused, the mare walked next to him and followed his eyes.
The stallion was looking into a very particular street. It was very broad, enough to hold four chariots at the same time. The sidewalks were wide and decorated with a pair of rows of carefully trimmed cypresses. The rich houses and mansions on the sides had fantastic gardens, but paled in comparison with what was at the very end of the street: The Castle of Canterlot itself.
Candle Light looked to the castle, and then to Starwaltz. He hadn’t moved at all since he had stopped running. “Uh…Waltz? Are you okay?” she asked, giving him a gentle prod on the ribs.
“Yes. Yes, I am.” he said with a dreamy whisper. Something in his voice made Candle shudder. “Hey, Candle? Do you fancy a visit to the Royal Gardens?”
Candle’s jaw dropped. “Are you nuts?!” she said louder than she intended. She covered her mouth, looked around, and then spoke more gently. “Are you nuts? We can’t go into the gardens of the palace!”
“We can’t?” asked the stallion, crooking an eyebrow.
“Of course not! We can’t go there.” replied Candle, turning around to leave.
“Says who?”
That simple question made Candle stop.“W-well…” she started, insecure. There were no a real law, norm or anything similar that said you could not visit the gardens of the palace. But at the same time… “Because it’s wrong.” she said, hoping it would be enough to convince the stallion. “It’s the Princesses' garden.”
“True.” agreed Starwaltz. “But no one says we can’t enjoy it ourselves. Come on!” He shook his head towards the castle. “Let’s go, it will be fun.” Without another word, the pony started trotting to the open gates of the gardens.
“Starwaltz!” hissed Candle under her breath. “Waltz, we can’t! It’s…it’s dark!” she blurted out. Only after the words had left her mouth she realized how silly they were.
“As if that was a problem for you.” chuckled the other pony, without stopping for a second or looking back.
He was just casually walking into the garden! Candle gritted her teeth. He would get into trouble! She looked back to the street they had came from, and then to Starwaltz again. “Waltz!” she called out in a whisper. She took a step forward, then stopped and looked back once again. Then again to the stallion. “Waltz! Wait for me!” she said under her breath, galloping after her comrade.
When she finally picked up with him, he was already by the doors. He was looking at her come, with a hoof lifted just above the green grass. He put it down and stepped on the grass. “Oh noooo!” he said with a smirk. “I’ve broken into the gardens! Celestia is going to banish me into the Wastelands!”
“That’s enough, Waltz.” insisted Candle as she frowned at him. Of course, the stallion paid no attention to her, and trotted into the garden. Candle rolled her eyes but followed him, taking one last look behind her. The street was empty and the blinds of the houses shut. No one could have seen them, right?
Right?
Starwaltz was waiting for her on the top of a small hill. The mare hurried and stopped next to him, panting. “I hope you’re happy now.” she muttered between breaths. “We’re in trouble.”
“Perhaps. But I think it may be worth it.” he replied. “What do you think?” He nodded to the field before them, even though the mare wasn’t looking at him.
Candle looked up. For most of ponies – including Starwaltz – the terrain before them would be a dark, featureless field with a cobblestone path cutting through it and ascending to the castle, with some lumps here and there that could be trees or bushes.
However, Candle could see the patterns the grass drew, swirls and shapes created by flattening the blades in a specific direction; the trees of colorful flowers and leaves, the well-trimmed bushes that decorated the sides, shaped like ponies, griffons or other creatures; and the rare statues, so perfect that they may come alive at any moment.
After all, seeing in the dark was her special talent, as signaled by the small white flame that was her Cutie Mark.
Candle took in the view before her, unable to close her mouth. It was plainly beautiful. And that was an understatement. It was the first time she had ever crossed the gates of the Palace of Canterlot. And, being an earth pony, she never had the chance to view the gardens from the sky.
Maybe Waltz was right. Maybe there was no rule against being here. The Princesses didn’t seem to Candle as ponies who would keep something so amazing for themselves. “It’s beautiful.” whispered the mare. Starwaltz smiled, opened his wings and took off, going deeper into the gardens. “Hey!” she called out. “Where do you think you’re going!”
“Just follow me!” he replied with a laugh. The sound made Candle tremble. Waltz had a charming laugh. The kind that was infectious, that made you smile so widely that your mouth would hurt.
Candle caught herself watching the stallion part with a very goofy smile. She shook her head and galloped after him. Any other pony would just see a dark lump against the starry sky, but Candle could perfectly see him, as if it was the middle of the day.
Starwaltz didn’t have a casual name. He was a very skilled sky dancer before he joined the guard. That made him an extremely agile and maneuverable flyer, able to do quick turns and avoid obstacles with ease. Those were very useful skills as a guard, but ever since he had enlisted, he didn’t have much time to practice. However, it was obvious to Candle that he hadn’t lost a bit of his expertise.
Or, most likely, Candle Light was extremely biased.
By the time Starwaltz landed, Candle had completely lost the sense of time and direction. She wasn’t sure for how long she had followed the zig-zags of the white stallion, or where they were at this moment. She walked to him, and took a moment to study their surroundings.
The castle was much closer now, iluminating the are in a gentle glow. It seemed they were I the west gardens, usually considered as the most private area, with its many statues, fountains and small monuments, and the high hedges that formed a complex, almost maze-like, pattern.
Waltz made a gesture and trotted to a circle of shrubs that surrounded a statue of a unicorn mare, some important archmagus from an old age. Candle followed his steps, and found an unusual sight.
Besides her was what seemed to be a picnic. A tartan tablecloth with a stone on each corner so the wind wouldn’t blow it away. A wicker basket, that Waltz had already opened and pulled out some goodies, such as an apple pie, some candies and a few flower cupcakes. And then the stallion himself, who was unclasping the belts of his armor.
Words didn’t come to the mare for a moment. “You…you set this up?” asked Candle weakly.
“Y-yes.” choked out Starwaltz, blushing slightly. With one last tuck, he took off his armor and put it aside.
“But…but why?” Candle needed all her willpower to lock her eyes on his, and not let them wander over his body.
“Well…” started Waltz, looking to the moon. Candle mimicked him. With her eyes, the night sky was covered in a legion of glimmering spots, and the Moon was just as bright as the Sun. It was such a pity nopony else could see he night like she did. “It’s just that I’ve heard the news about you.”
Candle looked back at him. His expression was both sad and remorseful. “Oh.” she muttered. “So you know.”
“Yes.” he responded, his voice just as gentle. “I suppose you’ve made your mind and there’s nothing I can do to make you change your decision, right?”
Candle had to look down. “No, sorry.” A week ago, she had asked her Captain to be switched to a different city or town. “It’s too late to change back. And I am determined.” she lied. Actually, she could still tell the Captain to cancel the transfer, and she wasn’t determined at all. She was scared. But she didn’t want to back now. She wanted to start anew.
Starwaltz let out a sigh. “Listen, if this is because of what…” he started to say, but his voice faded off. He just stared at her for a minute. His ears perked up and he grinned, and almost instantly Candle smiled as well. “Doesn’t matter. I threw this together very quickly because…well. I wanted to have a special detail with you.”
Candle felt her heart flutter in her chest, but she forced her face to be expressionless. Instead, she looked up at the statue. The time had weathered down the stone, but the smug expression of the mare could still be half-guessed. Was she doing the right thing? Leaving Canterlot, where she had spent her whole live, to move into a different place, with different ponies? Maybe…maybe it would be wiser to stay.
“So…do you want to sit?” suggested Waltz, doing as so. The sound of his voice made the mare react. She looked at him, and remembered his rejection. He had his reasons, yes. And there was absolutely nothing she could do to make him love her. In fact, just doing this was enormously nice of him. But at the same time, every time she looked into his eyes, she felt so warm inside and miserable at the same time. Yes, moving was the best she could do. Maybe she would be too busy to think about him.
“Yes, yes. I’m sorry, I dozed off for a moment.” she apologized as started taking off her armor. Only when the fresh air touched her back, she realized them both had just undressed themselves. She looked at Waltz, feeling the heat on her cheeks, but he was just looking at the moon. She bit her lip and walked to him, not really sure of how to proceed. But Waltz solved the issue by just extending his wing and smiling.
Candle sat down and snuggled against his chest for a moment, letting his soft feathers tickle her back as he covered her in a wing embrace. She brushed her head over his neck and nuzzled his cheek. Then she stopped as she noticed he had gotten stiff. “Sorry.” she muttered, scooting away and looking away. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have done that.”
Starwaltz let out a tired sigh and pulled her close again. This time, the mare controlled herself, happy with just being next to him. For the next hour, the pair ate the meal Waltz had brought and chatted about unimportant things. Candle enjoyed every single moment, appreciating how much work he had put on this. It was like the date they would never actually have. It was weird, yes, to be doing this. But ah, it felt so good.
“Leaving my post, the best choice I’ve made today.” muttered Candle, leaning on his neck. After a moment of hesitation, the stallion rested his head atop of hers.
“Told you.” he replied.
“The Captain is not going to be happy when she finds out about this.” she added with a chuckle.
“If she finds out about this.” corrected Starwaltz. “Don’t worry about that. There’s nopony here to tell Brickface we’re here.”
“I don’t like calling ponies names.” commented Candle. “But if I am completely honest, she deserves that one.”
Waltz grinned brightly. “I know, right? I think she should pull out the stick she has up her flank. She has never smiled, and her expression barely ever changes. It’s like she was made of stone!”
“Who is this Brickface you speak so fond of?” asked a monotonous voice behind them. The two ponies froze, feeling a chill go down their spines. Slowly, very slowly, they looked behind them. There stood a gray mare, wearing the very same armor they had taken off at the beginning of the night, but with a badge on the chest that identified her as a Captain of the Ground Guard. Her purple mane fell in a curtain that partially hid her blue-green eyes. She didn’t look angry or annoyed at the two guards. She had the same bored expression as always, accentuated by her eternal black eyeliner. “I hope she doesn’t hear you referring to her like that. I don’t think she would be happy.”
Starwaltz and Candle Light stared at Captain Maud Pie, completely unable to articulate a word. Candle’s mind raced. She had caught them, not only out of their posts, but calling her names. How long had she been there? Maybe they could say they had just arrived. But the leftovers of their dinner would make the lie shine clear as the Sun. There was not much point on lying. Candle opened her mouth, but was cut by Waltz.
The stallion stood up and bowed his head. “I must apologize, Captain. It was my idea to leave our posts and come here. Candle tried to stop me, but I left and she didn’t have any other option but follow me.”
“And you forced her to have dinner with you.” continued Maud. It has obvious she knew he was just trying to cover Candle, but her tone suggested the opposite. It was sort of unnerving for the ponies under her command, as they could never tell if she was being sarcastic or not. “I thought you swung the other way, Starwaltz.”
“Well yeah, but…” Waltz stuttered as he tried to find a good answer. “I…suppose you always have to try new things, right?” he asks, with a hopeful smile. Candle facehoofs.
Maud just looks straight at him. His smile quickly dissapears under her stare. “You’re dating a stallion, Starwaltz.” she said.
Candle decides to interfere before Waltz managed to mess things up even further. “Actually, he just trying to do something nice for me.” she mutters, getting up and walking to his side. She has to make an effort to not brush against his wings. “You know, because I am leaving in a couple of days and all that.”
The Captain nods. “I know. I signed the paperwork myself.”
Silence reigns for a moment. Candle traces a circle on the grass with her hoof and nervously looks around. “So…” she started. “If you could overlook this little slip…that would be grand.”
“It sure would.” replies Maud.
Candle waits for her to continue speaking, just to make sure she will spare Waltz of any sort of punishment. But when the words don’t come, she bites her lip and tries again. “Would…would you do it?” she mutters.
“No.” flatly responded the Captain.
Candle was taken aback by her fully negative response. “Please?”
“No.” repeated her. “He has left his post, coerced another guard to do the same, and disrespected me.” she enumerated. ‘When she puts it that way, it did sound like a big deal’ though Candle. “Although I imagine ‘Brickface’ has been going around for a while, I also suspect he’s the one responsible for it appearing on the first place.” She looked then at Waltz. “Ground Guard Starwaltz. You are ordered to go to the barracks and wait for me there. We have to talk.”
Waltz opened the mouth to protest, but for once his brain was more powerful than his tongue, and parted without a word. After that, Candle just stood there awkwardly, suddenly realizing she should be wearing her armor.
“He left his armor.” stated the Captain. Candle looked behind her. It was true, there it was.
‘And the picnic basket, and the tablecloth.’ mentally added Candle, though she knew the Captain wouldn’t care about that. He had left his armor, and that would cause him even more problems.
“Candle Light.” said the Captain. Candle’s head whipped back to the front and she looked to the other mare, now realizing she may be in trouble too. “Please, sit.” The mare obeyed, planting her bottoms on the ground, perhaps a bit harder than necessary.
The Captain stood there for a minute, staring her, before finally sitting down and stripping out her armor. Candle looked at her agape as she tossed her leather armor to a side.
“You´re still going to leave.” said Maud. Candle nodded. “You know, it doesn’t matter if Waltz is gay and what you feel for him could never work. You don’t have to do this.”
“I am not leaving just be-”
“We both know I just said the truth.” interrupted Maud. “There is no point on trying to hide it.” As always, her words were plain true and devoid of tact. Candle bit her lip and looked away, both because she wasn’t sure of what to say, and because she couldn’t stand those expressionless eyes of the Captain. “But don’t worry. I have reassigned you to a place where you will have no time to think of Starwaltz.”
“W-why you say that?” asked Candle, with a sudden feel of dread. Where had her Captaint sent her to? She didn’t mention anything like that when she suggested to move into Ponyville.
“I assure you won’t have a moment to be bored.” replied Maud. It could be her imagination, but Candle could swear there was the slightest movement of the corner of her lips. The faintest ghost of a smile, perhaps? “Make sure to meet my sister.”
“Is…is she like you?” adventured to ask the lavender mare. The least she needed was another stone captain in her life.
“Not at all.” replied Maud, not giving any more information. The pair just sat there for a few more minutes, one pony almost completely still save for some rare blinks, and the other feeling terribly awkward.
After a while, Maud stood up and grabbed her armor. Then, a new question emerged in Candle’s mind. “About Waltz…What is going to happen with him?”
“Starwaltz will have to face the direst of punishments.” replied the Captain as she pulled the belts of her armor. Candle felt her knees weak. What was going to happen to Waltz? Then the other mare continued. “He will have to sweep the training yard for two weeks.”
Candle Light let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you.” She extended a hoof to shake, and offered her Captain a small smile. Maud looked at the hoof, then back to her face. The mare was starting to believe she had done something wrong, when the other pony took two steps to her and threw her forelegs over her neck, embracing her.
At first, Candle went as stiff as a plank. A gesture like that was completely unseen from a pony like the Captain, both because of her rank and her personality. But then she relaxed and gave her Captain a little squeeze. “Stay safe, Candle Light.” muttered the other mare. “I hope to see you around again.” Then she broke the hug, took a step back and saluted the guard. Candle returned the gesture, a small smile decorating her face.
“Now go.” the Captain nodded her head to the gates of the gardens. “I will take all of this back to the barracks. Go home and have some rest. Tomorrow you can visit Starwaltz one last time before you leave.”
Candle Light nodded. “I will. Thank you, Captain. Thank you for all.” she said weakly. There was nothing else to say. The mare slowly turned around and walked to the gates, just in case the Captain had something else to say, but no word left her mouth. Once Candle crossed the doors of the gardens, her slow walk broke into a full gallop.
A strange mixture of feelings weighted her heart. Sadness for leaving her friends and acquaintances, excitement for the new life ahead and, oddly enough, a new connection with the Captain, who seemed to understand her so well despite always being so distant.
There were tears streaking down her cheeks. Were they tears of sadness or happiness? She couldn’t tell. But whatever fate waited for her, she would face it without any hesitation.
Author's Note
Look, I made a thing!
This looks like the beginning of a new story...but it is meant to be a simple one-shot.
I may use Candle Light again, though. I like her too much to let her rust forever.
Pictures!
Starwaltz: [Link]
Candle Light: [Show-Accurate] [Alternate Style]
