One brisk, breezy night in the Royal capital city of Canterlot, very few ponies still made their way about town at the late hour. Most were in bed, warm under their blankets and slumbering the night away with Princess Luna herself guarding their dreams. The moon hung high in the pitch black of the night, surrounded by the meager white stars that made up the rest of the sky in every direction.
That night, not everyone in the city was asleep. At the Palace, many members of the Royal and Lunar guard kept their watch up in the massive halls, as well as outside the sleeping Sun princess' chamber. As they did, one armored unicorn walked slowly through the lantern-lit halls, his destination set for the office of the Lunar Guard captain. The white unicorn stepped up to a wooden door and knocked delicately.
"It is open," said a deep, stern voice from inside.
The unicorn's horn glowed in a light pink aura, and he took the horseshoe-shaped handle in a magical grip, then pushing the door open and walking through, and stopping halfway inside. The white unicorn raised his hoof to his head in a salute, staring forward at attention to a light brown pegasus wearing navy blue armor who stood up from his polished wooden desk and saluted back.
"Captain Star," the unicorn lowered his hoof and stepped further inside, shutting the door quietly with his magic.
"Captain Armor," the brown pegasus lowered his hoof as well and seated himself at the desk. "Have a seat, what is it you need?"
"You know why I am here," Shining Armor seated himself on a red pillow across the fine wooden desk, he eyed the pegasus with a blank expression.
The pegasus glanced up to the unicorn, staring him back. "I see. Its that time, isn't it?" He pulled open a drawer with a hoof, then picked up a piece of cloth, and a small bottle of polish. He dipped the cloth into the bottle, then wiped it on the light blue serpent eye emblem on his armor.
"I am afraid so. But, I know who I would like...and you do too," the white unicorn replied.
The pegasus stopped polishing the armor on his chest and looked back up to the unicorn with an eyebrow raised. "I do not follow, captain."
"Yes you do. We made this decision a while ago, so, I'd appreciate if you would stop the act, Fallen Star."
Fallen stayed still, then slowly put away the bottle of polish and the cloth, then put his hooves together on the desk and leaned closer. "Very well. Do we know where he is?"
"He still resides in Ponyville," Shining Armor levitated a closed folder, then set it on the desk gently.
"And, what else do we know about him?" Fallen asked, looking over the folder as Shining Armor opened it.
"He works for security at the town's hospital now. I know he said he would return when he felt it was necessary, but we need him now. The Shadow guard can't stay without a captain for much longer."
"I agree," Fallen Star stopped, adjusting himself in his seat. "Although, don't you think it would be a bit ... expensive ... to recruit and train him this time of year? Many of our trainers are on holiday leave."
"I will do it myself, and you can help too. We can teach him everything we know. He isn't the best soldier we have, but he's up there. He deserves this promotion more than anything, and he's been on the docket for it for six months. We've never in the history of the Royal and Lunar guard kept somepony on the waiting list for promotion for this long," Shining Armor replied, watching as Fallen Star read through some of the paperwork in the folder, then holding a small picture in his hoof.
"Hmm... I still do not know, do you actually think he is ready?" Fallen glanced back up to the white unicorn sitting across from him.
Shining Armor nodded twice. "He's been more than ready for years, my friend. He is completely capable of leading his own team of highly trained soldiers on missions."
Tis the Season to be Guarding
In the snow-blanketed capital city of Canterlot, ponies frolicked the streets dressed to keep warm against the freezing temperatures, wearing heavy coats, scarves, hoof-mittens and beanies, some made especially for the upcoming holiday that would mark the founding of Equestria. Many of the city's residents and tourists spent their day going between stores to shop for presents to give on Hearth's Warming.
Meanwhile, the Royal Guard was in its busiest season. During holidays, especially major ones, security was increased and more guards were put out on duty. The ponies of Canterlot were used to the heavy guard presence and went about their everyday lives.
A passenger train chuffed into the station around noon, screeching to a halt in front of the platform and opening its doors, allowing its occupants to disembark. The conductor, a light blue earth pony with a black beard and small, rounded glasses smiled and welcomed ponies to the city after getting off himself.
One of the ponies exiting the train was a tall, well-built grey pegasus wearing a dark green military-style jacket. The velcro spots where patches normally sat were completely empty except for one, which sat on the left side of the pony's jacket and had his name on it. The pony also wore a matching forest green beanie, and same-colored hoof gloves on his forehooves. If one pony had to guess, he looked like somepony who was in the army.
The pegasus walked through the station's hall to the front door, and out onto the street that was busy with ponies of all race and gender. He looked up and around, and with a faint smile, he sighed contently and continued towards the palace at a gentle pace.
He walked two blocks from the train station through small crowds lined on the streets, some looking to go into a warm cafe to get a steaming cup of hot chocolate, others waiting for stores to finish counting down on new products to release. Though the air was cold, vibes were warm in Canterlot.
The pegasus soon walked up to the main entrance to the palace, a large gate surrounded by white stone walls that could be seen from the mountainside to the cliff. He stepped up to one of the gate's guards and pulled out a Royal Guard badge. The guard nodded and lit her horn in a yellow aura and opened a side door made especially for guards looking to enter the palace.
"Thank you," the pegasus said to the mare and walked to the door and through it. The small cobble path turned and went back into the main path which led up to the Canterlot Palace, a massive white building with numerous towers of different but at the same time similar architecture.
He walked up to the main door that led into a great hall with a black and white tiled floor, complete with red carpets that led straight to different hallways. Above hung a massive chandelier that looked as if it weighed two tons, and in front, a stair case that split off onto the second floor in three directions; straight, left, and right. The pony stopped and peered around, spotting an earth pony standing beside one of the many doors in the hall. He trotted up to the guard and nodded to him.
"Excuse me...er," the pony looked at the guard's armor. "Corporal. I wish to speak with the captain. Its been a while since I was last here and I kind of forgot my way around. Would you mind showing me?"
"Who wishes to see the captain?"
The pegasus pulled the badge back out of his jacket and showed it to the guard. The earth pony looked over the badge, then up to the pegasus.
"First sergeant Thunderblast, it has been a while since you've been here," the guard raised a hoof and saluted. The pegasus, Thunderblast, saluted back then lowered his hoof. "The captain's office since the last time you were here moved to the other side of the palace from where it used to be. I'll show you the way."
Thunder nodded, then walked alongside the guard upstairs and into one of the long hallways.
"How has life been?" The corporal asked.
"It's been interesting to say the least," Thunder looked around as he walked.
"Oh?"
"Been kind of bouncing between jobs, things I like, but I think its time to return to my home job."
"Nothing like the ol' guard, eh?"
"Nothing like it at all. My wife doesn't seem to like it because I've been injured a lot in my past, but hey, its a good job. Something I like while also good paying."
The corporal chuckled. "The pay grade's changed a bit while you were gone too, but nothing too drastic. There was a bit of a riot a few weeks ago trying to get the pay up by a couple of bits. It didn't work and pay went down a couple of bits, and its apparently hurting our economy."
Thunder looked at the guard. "You're kidding, right? The pay was good even as a private, what the hell is their problem?"
The guard shrugged. "Dunno, but with the way everything is going these days, its hurting a little bit."
Thunder grumbled. "You see why I think privates should earn their pay now?"
"Mmhmm. Buuut, that won't change," the two rounded a corner and soon up to a wooden door at the end of the hallway. "Here's the captain's office. Would you like for me to stay out here?"
"No, that's alright. Carry on," Thunder smiled politely. "And thank you."
The corporal nodded once and patted Thunder's shoulder. "Good to have you back," then left.
Thunder stood at the door for a moment, then nodded to himself. He raised a hoof and removed his beanie and slipped it into his saddle bags, then knocked on the door and waited for a response.
"Just a second," came a voice from inside.
The quiet thumps of hoofsteps approached the door, following the click of the lock being turned. The door swung wide open, revealing a taller white unicorn standing in gold and purple armor. The unicorn cracked a faint smile, then saluted Thunderblast. Thunder saluted back, but didn't smile.
"Come on in, first sergeant. We've got a bit of catching up to do."
***
"So, security guard at Ponyville General hospital, huh?" Shining Armor said as he shuffled through some papers in a pink magical aura.
Thunderblast nodded. "That's correct, sir. Before that, I took a job working for the railroad as an engineer. One of my friends who's also an engineer helped get me settled."
Shining Armor looked up from the papers and tilted his head a bit. "Railroad? I had no idea you were into that kind of stuff."
Thunder shrugged. "What can I say? Trains are cool. But, it wasn't the job for me. Then I found the security guard position open at the hospital, and I thought, why not?"
"Did you have to shave your mane?" Shining Armor grinned a bit.
Thunder's look immediately faded into a frown. "Yes, I did! It was so ridiculous. I mean, my wife said I looked good with a buzz cut, but I like my regular mane better, you know what I mean?"
"I'm surprised you didn't get a buzz cut when you were at Fort Fetlock."
"I am too now that you have me think about it, about everypony else there did. Maybe since I was a pegasus, they didn't want to?"
"Earth ponies are still afraid of pegasi?"
Thunder froze a bit and raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
Shining Armor set down the papers neatly and looked back up at Thunder. "Some earth ponies and unicorns are still afraid of pegasi, because way back before the Royal Guard was even thought of being formed, pegasus ponies were the warrior tribe. And when Equestria was founded, they remained to be the military force of the unified tribes. Pegasi were...dangerous, to say the least. Even today, most of our best stallions don't match up to millennia-old warriors."
"I still don't really see how that has anything to do with a manecut."
"What I'm saying is, maybe they were afraid of you. Even if you were, let's say, a needle in a haystack."
Thunderblast shrugged. "I doubt that's the reason. It could have been anything, really."
Shining Armor sighed softly. "Quite possibly," he then shifted in his seat and moved over to another set of papers. "Alright, now that I'm up to speed on how you've been doing in the life of a civilian, since not many guards settle in that easy," he mumbled at the end. "I've got your assigned patrol routes right here, as well as your new station. But, as a friend, I'm giving you the option of going back to the way it was before you left."
"Hmm," Thunder thought for a moment. "Nah, its time for a change. What have you got, cap?"
Shining Armor levitated three papers in neat order in front of Thunderblast. "Patrols in the residential parts of town, occasional courier deliveries, and your new station will vary from time to time. But, captain Cloud Skipper is in need of a personal guard outside of his quarters. Now that you're back, you fit the bill. Besides, he prefers familiar guards to be protecting him at night."
"With all due respect sir, if he needs a guard while he's sleeping, why not have Fallen Star hire a Lunar guard to do it?"
"A Lunar guard protecting a Solar guard is...strange...to all of us," Shining then leaned closer. "If you ask me, I think it should be allowed, but it is and always has been against regulations." Shining sat back in his seat. "But, since us high ranks are under constant threat of being attacked day and night, I guess that means we could use a daytime guard to watch over his quarters, whether he's there or not."
"That I can do," Thunder nodded. "I don't know about you sir, but I really hate night shifts."
"Most of my men don't like them either, but we're all getting paid in the end," Shining shifted through more papers. "Still have your first sergeant's armor?"
Thunder nodded again. "I do, sir. Its back home in Ponyville though."
Shining nodded once. "That is fine. But, the fitter has an extra set of the same type of armor that he needs to get rid of. Brand new, and even though it has the collar, you can get a helmet to go with it too. I hear he's trying out a new helmet style for our next wave of armor to come in the next few years or so."
Thunder thought for a moment, then shrugged. "Sure, why not? It beats a long trip back home just to up and leave again."
Shining nodded again, then smiled warmly. "It is good to have you back, soldier. You are dismissed."
Thunder stood up from the red cushion he sat down on on the floor and turned to the door. "Thank you sir."
As Thunderblast opened the door to walk out, "Actually, there is one more thing."
***
"Lieutenant, huh?" Said an auburn pegasus to Thunderblast.
Thunder nodded. "No idea why, I've been gone for over half of a year."
"Hmm," Shuriken thought. "Well, there must have been a good reason behind it. Perhaps it was because you fought off all of those thugs in the slums?"
"Could be," Thunder added in. "I didn't take them all on. I took them on with help. I may be a guard, but I'm not strong like an alicorn. I may have the powers of a lightning elemental, but that doesn't make me any stronger. It makes me more likely to win a fight, but everyone is strong in their own way. In short, I'm just like everypony else."
"If you say so," Shuriken rolled his eyes a bit. "How have things been?"
"Hectic," Thunder said. "First I got a job as a railroad engineer, didn't like that, then I went and got a job at Ponyville General."
"As a doctor?" Shuriken tilted his head.
"Security guard at night."
"Only at night?" Shuriken chuckled.
"Well, mostly. They had somepony else for the day time. Actually, it was half and half. Me and the other guard—Vigilance I think was his name—swapped shifts a lot. He took night guard, I took day guard. He took day guard, I took night guard. Aaaand, I had to shave my mane," Thunder grumbled.
Shuriken burst out into laughter. "Seriously? For a security guard position, they made you shave your mane?"
Thunder nodded, angered at the thought. "Yes! Can you believe that?!"
"That's nuts. But, I hear this thing saying that stallions with buzz cuts tend to get mares faster—or even stallions."
Thunder's cheeks turned red. "You know I don't swing both ways, right?"
Shuriken grinned and leaned his head closer. "Are you suuuuure?"
Thunder recoiled back a bit and blushed harder. "Yes."
