West was nervous. Being the only human in Equestria wasn't all sunshine and rainbows... Well, if he spent all his time with Celestia and Rainbow Dash, then it would be... but that's not the point.

He'd always get singled out on the street and hurdled insults by the barbed tongues of Equestria's... less understanding population. It was bearable for the first month of his time there, but it only got worse when he joined the Royal guard, and even more so when Celestia appointed West as her and Luna’s personal guard, the one who would accompany them to their meetings, no questions asked.

Most ponies were smart enough to not insult him in front of the Princesses, but he’s almost constantly harassed on the streets whenever he goes on patrol, alone.

And if it wasn’t harassment from ponies that hated him, it was complaints from his friends, mostly asking why he puts up with it and doesn’t tell the Princesses.

This led to West’s current predicament and the reason why he was literally sweating bullets.

It had been just another patrol through Ponyville and he’d been passing by Twilight’s new castle.

Well, look who it is, the hairless ape!” West internally sighed, but gave no outward sign he’d even heard the two stallions and one mare approaching. The mare had a curly green mane and a darker forest green coat. The stallion to his left had a short blue mane and a dirt brown coat, while the stallion in the lead, the one who had spoken, had a blonde spiky mane and a mustard yellow coat.

“Walking around all pompous like, like he owns the place, like he belongs.” The mare jeered, her green coat slightly messed up and matted.

“Go back to your own planet, monkey!” the second stallion yelled, his blue mane a complete rat’s nest. “Oh wait, you can’t.” He spat at West’s feet. “Get out of our country, ape. You don’t deserve to be here.”

It was due to the guard training that he was able to keep his face from showing any emotion, while sighing internally again. He really didn’t like these types of people, but they were citizens of Equestria, and even if they didn’t want him to, he was going to do his job and protect them.

“What do you think you’re doing?!” The first stallion asked angrily as West stepped past the three, seemingly ignoring him. "Running away?! And to think they allowed someone weak like you into the Guard!"

“What is going on out here?!” Twilight asked in a rage, throwing the front door of her castle open and glaring down at the three ponies harassing West. They balked and galloped away. She trotted up to West as he continued his patrol. “Why don’t you ever say anything to them?”

“That will only feed the fire,” he murmured, glancing down at the unhappy Princess of Friendship.

“But what if they had attacked you, what then?” she pressed, still seething at the thought of someone harassing her friend.

“They’d have to be able to attack me first,”

“What does that mean?!”

West glanced down at the armor he was wearing. He had to go to the forges and get a specially made suit of armor for himself, which to his thanks, the smiths were more than happy to make, once he gave them his measurements. “This armor does a pretty good job of blocking out most damage. The attackers would have to be able to damage me through my armor before I’d react to them.”

“What about a Unicorn using magic? Or an Alicorn using magic?”

“This armor is enchanted with magic resistance. They wouldn’t be able to touch me with their telekinesis, let alone their other spells. As for Alicorns… I’m friends with all four of them, so there’s no problem there.”

“How long has this been going on?!”

“Ever since I got here five months ago.” He shrugged.

“Why?” Twilight asked, disheartened, over her rage. “Why don’t you ever tell anyone about this?”

“Why worry others over something that isn’t a problem?” West asked softly before walking off. Twilight stood there with one forehoof in the air for several seconds before she turned and marched back to her castle and straight to Spike.

After that, he’d gotten on the train to Canterlot, having finished his patrol and switched places with some other guards. There was only one other pony on that train car, an earth pony mare with a periwinkle pink coat and a rose red mane that did not look happy. During the train ride, she only hit him once, on his left elbow, hard.

She apologized after realizing what she did and explained that she’d been having family issues and, more specifically, had a fight with her spouse about their kids, at which she’d hit him. She explained that she’d been thinking about what he said and it made her mad, so she lashed out at the nearest living thing, which was… West.

“It’s fine, just try not to think about it for the rest of the train ride.” He murmured. Internally, he winced, knowing that his arm was likely badly bruised. Earth ponies were strong, after all.

As the train arrived and he disembarked, his day got worse. The guard nearby notified him that he was summoned immediately to Celestia’s chambers upon his arrival in Canterlot.

West was worried as he broke into a jog towards the Castle of Canterlot. It didn’t take him long to reach the castle, only slowing when he reached the hall outside her chambers.

The two guards outside wordlessly opened the door as West approached, and slammed it shut after he’d passed through. West gazed across the room and saw Celestia standing with her back turned to him as she gazed out a window, a scroll held in her magic.

He cleared his throat. “Guard West, Reporting for Duty,” He said with a formal salute. She turned her head very slowly to the left until he could see one eye, narrowed in its glare. Oh, shit. He thought. Celestia didn’t have to say anything, her eye told him everything: She was mad, no, she was pissed at him, for what, he was probably about to find out.

This was why West was nervous. He was sweating up a deluge, his hands were clammy, his left elbow felt like hell, and Princess Celestia was stepping slowly towards him, nearly cracking the floor with each stomp. He stepped back and felt a wall blocking any further movement.

“Why. Did. You. Not. Tell. Me?!” She seethed with anger, starting quiet and growing in volume with each word until she was shouting. She thrust the scroll inches from his gold eyes; the words on the parchment making his blood freeze.

“Dear Princess Celestia, I regret to inform you that several ponies have been seen and heard harassing your guard West. I have been informed by him that this is not an isolated occurrence, but has actually been happening to him for upwards of five months-“

The scroll was ripped away from his eyes before he could read anymore and replaced by Celestia’s burning magenta eyes. He stared into her eyes for a few seconds before turning his head away. She placed a forehoof on the wall on either side of his head and glared down at him.

“Why. Did. You. Not. Tell. Me?!” She repeated. West opened and closed his mouth several times, thinking of what words to form.

The side door burst open as Luna entered the room. “Sister, what is taking so… long to lower… the sun?” She looked in confusion as West slowly slid down the wall until he was sitting on the ground as her sister stood over him. “What’s going on?”

“This,” Celestia snarled, floating Twilight’s letter over to her sister for her to read.

While Luna read, West held his left elbow in his right hand. With the immediate threat to his life currently distracted, his elbow was becoming much more of an issue. He looked up and groaned in his mind. Luna was still reading, but her wings had started to twitch. Damn it, not her too, he thought. He just looked at the floor, refusing to meet their angered glares.

Several minutes passed as West gazed at his hands while the two Alicorns glared at him. Luna sighed and turned to her sister, finding that being mad at him isn’t going to solve anything. “The sun is way past due for lowering.” She reminded her sister. Celestia turned and after one last glare, stomped towards the window. “Now then,” Luna looked over the guard sitting on the ground when she noticed several things. He was sitting in his full armor; something she’s been told on more than one occasion by the other guards, is not the most pleasant thing to be wearing all the time. He was also clutching at his arm, like he was injured. Something akin to her motherly instinct kicked in, and she found she couldn’t stay mad at West. “Are you hurt?”

The softness of her voice caught West off guard, so he looked up into her eyes in confusion. She indicated his arm and he just sighed. “Yeah,”

“Why did you not get it looked at?”

“I was summoned straight here. I didn’t have the chance to…”

“Show it to me.” he looked on in confusion. “Your injury.” Wordlessly, he pulled off the golden gauntlet on his left hand and rolled up the white sleeve underneath, revealing a nasty black and blue bruise around his elbow. “Who did this to you?!”

He shook his head. “No idea. I didn’t ask her name, and she already apologized for it.”

“And you think an apology makes everything better?!” Luna was mad, now. No one touches her personal guard. Luna shook her head as Celestia stomped up. The sun goddess was about to shout him into the ground again, when she saw his injury and heard Luna’s next words.

“Listen, West. I’ll give you one chance to explain everything that has to do with this,” she indicated his bruised elbow, “and this,” she held up Twilight’s letter.

West sighed. “I’ll start with the bruise…” he went on to explain how his patrol today went and about his encounter on the train. He then explained about how he’s been insulted whenever he’s been alone ever since he got to Equestria. He ended his explanation with, “I didn’t feel like it was that big of an issue to bring up. I’m sorry.”

Celestia rested her head on his shoulder, no longer mad. “We’ll forgive you, but only if you tell us whenever it happens again, every time.” They’d moved West to the edge of her bed while he explained and had been dressing his wound when he finished.

“Of course. Thank you for understanding. And before I forget,” He turned to Luna. “I believe the Moon would like its time in the sky.”

“Oops,” she said in a small voice, blushing slightly. “I forgot,” she trotted over to the window and used he magic to raise the moon from beyond the horizon.

Celestia and West chuckled quietly.

“I’m taking you off of patrol duty, at least for a little while.” West raised an eyebrow, so Celestia elaborated. “We will be hosting trade negotiations with the Gryphon Kingdom here for the next three days.”

“I see,” West murmured, trying and failing to hold back a yawn. He stood, rolling his shoulders. “I’d best be…” he lost his train of thought as Celestia rested a hoof on his shoulder.

“Please don’t leave,” she said in a small voice.

He sighed and sat back on the bed. “I can’t say no to you,”

She giggled and turned to her sister. “Come here, Luna. I want to cuddle.” Luna looked like she wanted to run away, but relented to her sister, climbing into her bed and wrapping her hooves around her shoulders.

They both rested on the bed, letting out contented sighs once in a while. Soon, they’d drifted to sleep.

A few minutes passed as West listened to the Princesses even breathing, before he stood and pulled a blanket over the two sisters. He leaned against the end of the bed and focused on his surroundings.

Luckily, it was one of the calmer nights at the castle. Luna’s bat pony guards had seamlessly exchanged places with Celestia’s normal guards, and the other staff members were quietly preparing for the next day.

Several hours passed by before Luna awoke, apparently done with her work in the land of dreams. She glanced around the room and settled her gaze on West, who was still facing away from her. He’d removed his helmet over the course of the night, to get the warm metal off his head. He had short, unruly black hair.

“West?” Luna asked quietly. He turned his head to gaze at her and watched in awe as moonlight reflected off the stars in her midnight blue mane.

“Yes, Princess?” he murmured in the same quiet tone.

“Why do your eyes seem to glow?”

“I don’t know. Maybe because they’re gold?” He shrugged.

“You could get comfortable, you know,” she pouted lightly.

“I am comfortable, Luna.” He reassured her.

“Don’t you need to sleep?” she asked.

“No,” he replied. “I’m using a special meditation technique that allows me to channel energy so I don’t feel as tired. Using that, I can go without sleep for upwards of a month.”

“...Do you not... want me in your dreams?” Luna asked in the smallest voice possible, rivaling even Fluttershy’s soft voice.

West walked to her side of the bed, knelt and held one of her forehooves. “It’s not that I don’t want you in there. How can I protect you and Celestia when I’m asleep?”

“Let the other guards do it once in a while,” Celestia murmured, sitting up.

“Sorry, Celestia, did we wake you?” he asked softly.

“No, I wanted to get up this early,” she replied.

“Well, to answer you… I can’t. I can’t risk your lives just for a few winks of sleep. Back on Earth, it was pretty common practice for assassins to sneak into their target’s bedroom at night, kill them, and escape, without alerting anyone else in the castle. Even the guards right outside the bedroom door.” He stood and walked over to the table, grabbing his helmet and planting it on his head. “I’ll be waiting in the meeting room for you two to arrive. Number three, right?”
“Yeah…” West bowed, and stepped out of the room; closing the door with a light, click, behind him.

Author's Note

The beginning of West's story. I hope you all enjoy.
(Yes, there will be clop, just... later. So, if you don't like that, there are many other stories right here for you to find and love.)
(comments are always appreciated)