To Guard The Sun

III - A Slow Morning

Morning I couldn't have woke at a better moment I was up and in my armor already when Celestia rose from her bed and raised the sun. She didn't look all too pleased with having to get up at such an early hour in accordance with all the swears I heard leaving her mouth into the air, none meant to be heard by anypony. When she re-entered the room she gave me a blank look close to shock and froze in place for a few moments. "SunLight you surprised me, why are you here already?"

"Was I not supposed to be?" I respond a little nervous. The only reason I was still there was because the magic Celestia placed on the door was still active and I couldn't leave the room. I won't up and say that when I could have just as easily flew out the balcony completely ignoring the door dilemma. Then again, had I left off the balcony without magic I couldn't have locked the balcony doors without being inside.

"Good job Sunlight," Celestia smiled as she went over and began putting on her chest piece and tiara. "You are exceptionally good at being early and there just when I was thinking of you. Keep that up and you'll get promoted." Promotion? Well given how much I'm getting paid I could go without one but having extra bits to your name never hurt. "I need you to get something for me." She turned and faced me putting her golden slippers on. "I would like you to go down to the kitchen and bring up my breakfast. Normally I have the chief do it but he is out with a illness, a rather contagious one at that." She gives me a smile and goes into a room that I didn't notice when we entered the room last night.

Following her wish I turned to the door and go to open it. I try to turn the handle but it wouldn't budge. Then I roll my eyes at myself for being so stupid and forgetting that it was magically locked and I needed to go out the balcony. After making my way out by jumping off the balcony, spreading my wings gliding down to the castle entrance I'm stopped by two guards. In my armor they should let me though without stopping me.

"Just where do you think you're going recruit? You know that you can't enter the castle until you've graduated." I know I'm smaller than normal but that is just rude. "Go on get to the training grounds." The other guard who remained silent just nodded.

I tried to pretend that I wasn't at all phased by them mistaking me as a new recruit due to my size but somethings will just happen no matter what. "I have graduated sir. I was just ordered by Celestia to bring up her breakfast." The guards exchanged glances and then lowered their spears at me.

"You think us stupid boy? How could you be sent to get Princess Celestia's breakfast outside when she hasn't left the castle? Now get your rear-end back to the Training Grounds. Now tell us your name recruit so we can get you to the right grounds." The other guard just remained silent following the actions of the other guard nodding in agreement.

"My name is SunLight, the personal guard to Celestia." Both the guards dropped their spears on the ground. "Now if you'll excuse me I have a breakfast to retrieve." When I go enter both the guards picked up their spears and stood at attention. "Were you two on vacation yesterday?" Both the guards nod silently not willing to say anything else because they realized they almost fucked up royally. "Well I'm understanding enough, don't worry about it. You're just doing your job and I won't hold this against you." I pass by them and head inside hoping they don't make this mistake again if it wasn't me they might have been demoted because of a complaint. I had only been in this castle a select few times when I was young on a field-trip with my class I myself scrapped up the money for. It was exactly how I remembered it, at least somethings in this world seem ageless.

Pressing onward calmly down the marble halls towards the dinning hall which is connected to the kitchen I saw Princess Luna enter it. She must be eating dinner about this time before she goes to bed. Upon entering I spotted Luna again and she wasn't exactly acting very regal. Her hair was a mess, she looked exshausted, and she seemed not to have realized that her dinner was right in front of her. I thought for a second, how should I address her? It would be a huge mistake to make her upset, especially when shes sleepy. I finally thought of something when I realized she was staring at me.

"Good morning guard, what brings you here so early?" Luna asked her hair seeming to fix itself as it changed to the flowing darker verson. Personally I liked her normal hair it made her look cute.

"Me? I'm here to retrieve your sisters breakfast..." I replied looking around the room from where I was standing for it. I stopped looking when I felt a hardened look of judgement fall upon me. As if I was being judged by the great one above. I looked at the source to find it was indeed who I presumed it would be. Luna, looking me over. Sizing me up. It was embarrassing and rather scary at the same time.

"After all this time and so many other stallions and mares getting that position, she chose you? You aren't even one forth of the size of the last stallion she could have selected." She huffed softly, seemingly displeased. "I'll be having a talk with her later. Her breakfast is in there." She pointed with her horn, in the direction of a very restaurant like kitchen door. "The tray with the sun on it. Do be careful with it, you never know just what my sister told those cooks to make her." I nodded bowing to her and hastily moving to get the tray.

Stepping in the kitchen it was literally right there. On an island in the middle of the huge kitchen with a bunch of ponies moving from what part of the kitchen to another. I could tell this was going to be like a life-sized version of Frogger. I was never any good at that arcade game, I always died on level two. It sucked, but then they removed it for Galaga and I was kick flank at that.

Back to the problem at hoof, how was he going to get over there without bumping into anyone? More like how could he at his size do it getting back. I watched for a moment looking for a pattern, however their didn't seem to be one at least not one I could see. Then it struck me what did Galaga have that Frogger didn't... flight duh! I was such an idiot... first Celestia's door now this, man I am really not in the right mind today. Backing up a little bit and using my wings to pick up off the ground, successfully made it into the air above the ponies. Thankfully the ceiling in every room was around 20 ponies tall given the average pony is about 3'4" on all four hooves. I flew my way to the tray and not wanting to be rude didn't open it. Heaving it up on my shoulder and adjusting my body to fly straight up and down, it was difficult I almost lost my balance. That would have been a horrible failure, one I couldn't afford.

Getting out of the room was easy enough, although it would have been much simpler if the metal tray didn't weigh so much. I find myself struggling to stay in the air after getting half way through the dining hall. Giving in I placed the tray on the table gently and caught my breath stretching my wings to make sure they don't get over strained from the heavier weight they aren't used to keeping in the air let alone how I was flying. There's the feeling of getting stared at again, looking up it's the princess of the night once again seeming to judge my every movement. I didn't get it, why was she so judgemental of me? A question for another time perhaps I had more important things to do.

Getting a hold of my bearings with a deep breath, I heave the plate onto my back spreading my wings to keep the large dish balanced due to the dish's large size. If I were bigger this would be simpler, but every day has it's challenges. Even if that challenge is just the first of many in a long day ahead. That's when the worst part of the challenge was to come, my nemesis, the stairs. Oh stairs why must you exist? Shaking the new though process I was about to have from my head and steeling myself I started up the stairs using my wings like braces keeping the plate completely level all the way up.

Now when I say stairs, I don't mean a few stairs. No, I mean a lot of stairs. After the third flight my wings started to ache, I could already tell flying after this climb wouldn't be a very welcomed thing for me. I hope and pray Celestia doesn't make me do wing-ups are anything of the sort if I'm late. It has been at the least thirty minutes since I left Celestia's chambers. This was the last flight of stairs at least, but that doesn't bring my current task to an end. Next would be the door... Pony Feathers... The door. I hope it's not locked by magic still.

Gritting my teeth and pushing myself up the rest of the way up the last flight and to the door trying to straighten myself up to at least look presentable. A look of struggle is till clear on my face I could tell but it's not like I could hide it anyway I was in armor that weighed me down anyway, adding the heavy dish was just icing on the cake. Reaching out and pulling on the door it opened up to my relief and tiredly yet presentable I made my way inside to Celestia who had just sat down at her desk looking at a paper with a quill in her yellow magic embrace about to dip it in ink looked up at me.

"SunLight, right on time." She stated with a smile, however the smile turned into a slight look of worry. "Are you alright?" Hiding my clenched teeth I smiled and simply nodding and moving to her with the tray. Half way there I feel the tray lift off of my back and go over my head to the desk in front of her. Lifting the top off a bunch of bananas along with a fruit salad, and a quart carton of milk. "Thank you."

That huge platter, just for a bunch of bananas, a fruit salad, and some milk? You've got to be joking. "Your welcome." I simply reply sitting down where I was standing after the plate was removed from my back letting my wings drop to my sides. Oh, what I wouldn't give for a nap already. I just hope that the next thing she has me do isn't back breaking or as tiring as that was. My only hope now is that every morning doesn't play out like this one.