Working For Her

Okay Shining here. I'm here to share what I saw from this point. You'll see why. Ryder's memory is all weird now but I got this. We just got to Sugarcube corner and I just let Ryder out. I could tell he was scared out of his mind. What he didn't know was this was an easy job. Twilight has been in Ponyville since Nightmare Moon attacked and nopony messed with her. She's friends with everyone in Ponyville. I didn't want him to know that. We sat outside, I was on my phone trying to keep Princess Celestia in the loop about what was happening. "Ryder's really nervous doing this Princess." I said. "I didn't give him a gun. He's unarmed and in Sugarcube Corner."

The princess sighed. "I still don't trust him." She said. "His mental breakdown in the shooting range was enough to convince me that he wasn't fit for this job! What if he goes crazy again and hurts your sister? He's going to jail for a long time if he does that and there wont be any more chances! At least tell me you're inside with him!" I gave a sigh.

"No princess I wanna show its an easy job!" I replied. "The Urban Force Guard is different from the Royal Guard. Protecting you and Luna is like protecting a nine inch thick glass vase made by StarSwirl himself. Nothing will harm you at all and if someone tries which is a rare occasion they will be taken down by the guard that protects you. He needs to learn on his own. It's how I learned with you and how I learned with Luna. You must keep him with this task. " Just out of the corner of my eye I saw Big Mac coming out of Sugarcube Corner. "I've gotta go Princess. I'll contact you later to inform you on any changes in Ryder's mood."

"Okay but know I'm waiting for him to mess up..."

I hung up my phone after the harsh words of Princess Celestia. Big Mac approached me with a bottle of iced coffee and a donut. Just a plain glazed. "Here." He said. I took the donut and gave him a nod before taking a bite out of it. "Y'know we might have to think of a better thing for Ryder to do. He obviously aint lookin too good..." I sighed.

"Had a feeling..." I sipped from the iced coffee. "He at least holding it together as best he can?" Big Mac nodded. "Well that's good. You maybe wanna get Pinkie and head back to the castle? With Rarity in Manehattan with your sister and his sister it could be a time for a little tour of where he'd be working."

"Maybe even put together a little sleepover for Twi and her friends?" I shrugged unsure. "C'mon he needs some familiar faces in an unfamiliar place. He goes on a tour he's just gonna lose it all thinking of things that could go wrong. Keep him in one place with his cousin to smack some sense into him, keep me there to hold him down if he gets a bit violent, Pinkie incase he's cryin' cuz of his parents and well... Fluttershy and AJ just to keep him feeling calm. Ya think you can try that?" I huffed sipping the coffee again.

"Fine... We're gonna do that but one rule!" He looked at me confused. "No booze! He has to be sober to watch over Twilight in future days. I know he can do this but he needs to do it without us holding his hand. You and I have been bringing him food and you've been paying him a little of your profits every few weeks or what have you so he can keep his phone on and his car up and running. It's time he starts moving on his own! So he asks you to work on the orchard say no. But that's ONLY if he fouls this up which is a slim chance! Now.... Just get him. Do you know if he got a good sleep last night? I wanna say this freak out of his is due to lack of sleep but I don't wanna seem like Cadence with a foal sitting job." Big Mac leaned against the truck and scratched his chin.

"Well... Now that ya mention it I went up to check on em last night and he was tossin' fer a bit until AJ held him in place. I almost woke his ass up with a smack of his chest. Of course.... That'd get worse if I had accidentally smacked AJ lord knows I aint ever doing that again after last time... Still cant believe she whooped my ass..." I shook my head eating my donut again.

"Just go and get them... I'm not getting paid to eat a fucking donut..." He gave me a nod and hurried back inside.

I waited outside for only a few short minutes until Ryder came out with a box of a dozen donuts, a plastic bag of soda cans, Applejack on his arm and a little frown on his face. He sighed taking a soda from the bag as Applejack took the box of donuts. "...Don't worry..." Ryder said cracking the can open. "Twilight is up with Big Mac and Pinkie grabbing a bag for Pinkie.... She told me it was okay that I just come back out here... I objected but Applejack bought the donuts and brought me back out here... That.... That doesn't mean I've failed does it?" I sighed and shot him a smile.

"Nope. But don't you see how easy this is?" He nodded as he sipped his soda. "Do you wanna know something that'll make you want this job even more?" He nodded again. "Twily tries every month to get a gift for a guard and his family to enjoy. If that guard is alone she might go with him, takes me and one of the guards choice of friends. Of course the newer guards always get the gift after they are brought on that month but the next month is just a grab bag of guards. You'd wanna hit up that Gems concert don't ya?" He nodded again. "That's this months gift. She gets the tickets for that thing you're going and Big Mac could go too!" He brought the can down from his lips letting out a huge burp almost in my face. Stunk. I don't know if he even brushed that morning.

"But... What about Scootaloo? I cant just leave her at home alone." He replied. "I had to stop drinking a lot just to know what the fuck I was doing! That first night I came back home I spent the whole night drinking from a bottle of wine and the morning Dash found me hugging the toilet bowl, sitting in a puddle of my own piss and the empty bottle next to me... Do you know how fucked up I felt when I sobered up? I felt like I just fell from the top of the Foal Mountains straight down and survived... That concert is going to push me to drink while rocking out... I don't wanna drive home that night, get killed or kill Big Mac..." I saw tears in his eyes. Probably should've stopped him after he mentioned Scootaloo. Applejack hugged him after I took his soda.

I saw how bad he felt just by looking into his eyes. This guy had it hard since his parents were killed. I had to get Cadence to come to Ponyville and use her magic to have him stop crying when he was back in his house. She even had to do the same to Scootaloo as well as change bed sheets and a pant load. Scootaloo thought she saw someone outside when she got up to get a drink of water and messed herself screaming. I nearly punched Ryder going down the stairs that night. Cadence and I had to sleep inside their parents room. Anyways before I get lost I saw Big Mac come out moments later with Pinkie Pie and my sister at his side. Pinkie had a pack filled with spare clothes, a pillow and a blanket, and a stuffed toy. Adult on the outside just a kid at heart and... Sometimes the outside... Don't ask. She shoved into Big Mac's chest and hurried over to Ryder and Applejack. "Ryder! No don't cry!" She said. But he just kept crying. I huffed.

"Big Mac get him into the car and follow us. He's gonna fall hard. I can tell." Big Mac nodded and walked Ryder and Applejack back to Ryder's car. He had to lie them in the back seat just because Ryder didn't wanna be separated from Applejack. I turned back to my sister and Pinkie. "I swear he's like a baby sometimes...."

Twily sighed. "Shining he had his parents murdered in cold blood!" She said. "I've read in one of my books that if someone loses their parents they will act like a child thinking that their parents would come and comfort them. In other words he has a regressed state of mind."

Pinkie tilted her head. "...I thought that regressed state of mind made him act like a baby all the time." She said. "Shouldn't he be wetting his pants or speaking gibberish?" Twily huffed.

"I don't think that's how it works but.... That only happens when that somepony gets scared so bad. Now just hop in and call everypony BUT Rarity up. Remember she's in Manehattan with the Crusaders." Pinkie gave a nod and I opened the door on the truck allowing my sister and her friend to get in. All the other guards around rushed to the trucks getting into their assigned vehicle. I looked to the guard getting into the drivers seat of my vehicle.

"You must let the recruit's car into the parking garage. We may need to get a room ready for him and Miss Apple. Understood?"

He stood in attention and saluted me. "Yes sir!" He said. He climbed in along with me getting into the now almost empty back. I sat next to Twily and sighed.

"Don't worry Shining Ryder should be fine if he just lets it all out." Pinkie said lying back on the seat across from me and Twily. "Pound Cake cries and he's all better after a nap! Of course he needs a change after a nap but.... Hopefully nopony needs to change a full grown stallion."

Luckily nopony did. When we got to the parking garage Big Mac had Ryder on his shoulders sleeping like Twily when I had to carry her upstairs when we were younger. Riding piggyback, arms wrapped around the neck gently and head off to one side. He sighed approaching me as Applejack walked off with Twily and Pinkie. "Brings back memories don't it?" He asked almost whispering. I gave a smile and nodded. "You wanna show me where I can put him? I don't just wanna keep him in his back seat the whole time..." I sighed.

"Just.... I don't know put him in Applejack's personal bedroom. Have your sister show you where it is." He nodded and we walked together after our sisters. "AJ! Twily!" They both stopped just before the elevator. Something I know Ryder hates. He doesn't hate them he's just afraid of one getting stuck with him inside of it. "We're going to put Ryder in AJ's bedroom. Either that or we put him in Rarity's bed. Which would you rather have?"

Applejack sighed. "Just put him in my bed." She said. "Any foreign oils or somethin' in Rarity's three hundred count sheets or some shit she's gonna blame each and every guard in this damn castle and I don't think she'd shut up about it until the truth came out. Not to mention I'm feelin' that boy just needs someone there to wake up to so he don't freak out wonderin' what fresh hell he's in."

"Well it's settled then... Get him in AJ's bed." Big Mac nodded and Ryder moved his head to Big Mac's other shoulder as his wings ruffled a bit.

He basically slept for a few hours, a lot longer than how Cadence's 'bring homes' go. A special filly(or colt), like my sister, gets chosen to come spend a night at the castle, sometimes the little ones that need naps only stay out for a half hour or even forty five minutes top. I was just walking around with Pinkie. She was going downstairs to meet with her friends while I just checked on Ryder but it was on the way towards the stair case. "So Ryder wont wet him self while in this state he's in?" She asked. She kept asking my sister the same thing. I sighed.

"He wont and better not." I said. "May I ask why you keep asking that? Are you really hoping he's going to piss himself?" She blushed and nodded a bit. "Well I'd stop that if I were you. More guards that hear that the more he's gonna be made fun of and we do not want a remake of that time he spilled his beer at the Apple Family reunion Big Mac brought him to... Damn his cousins are dicks sometimes..." Pinkie sighed.

"...I-I should just get going to check if Fluttershy and Dash made it here alright... If they're here....." She ran off feeling a bit embarrassed or at least that's how I saw it. I stopped outside of Applejack's door which basically had her cutie mark on it. I knocked.

"Applejack, Ryder. You guys awake in there?" I said before putting my ear up to the door.

I heard rustling around inside. "Yeah just give us a minute!" I heard Ryder call out. "Just uh.... Just come in we're covered!" I sighed and took a deep breath before opening the door. Inside I saw Applejack and Ryder covered by the sheets blushing, Ryder looking a tad ticked.

"I interrupted an intimate moment didn't I...?" Ryder nodded. I pinched the bridge of my nose and grunted. "Okay! This is unacceptable. If you guys want to do this try to start a little earlier... Right now it's time to take the tour so get dressed and I want YOU to take control of the night shift to serve Twily so that means no running off without a replacement guard for Twily to be protected by. You sneak off with Applejack while on duty you can kiss your job goodbye! Understood?" He huffed.

"Well since you've ruined the mood I guess I've got no choice... Just as punishment I'm going to you to replace me so don't go to sleep!" I admit I deserved that. Didn't even say another words to push him. He just got up and got dressed. Had to look away. His cutiemark was something I didn't want to see.... Fucking gears and two crossing wrenches are awesome but not on a grown stallions bare ass.

The tour took a bit. It was dark when we came out of it. I had him get into a bullet proof vest but still no gun. I had to stand with him inside of my sisters TV room while the girls watched TV in their pajamas. I saw Ryder watching the TV not even paying attention to everything around us. I couldn't help but take a few glances myself but I still had to keep watch over my sister. I saw Fluttershy look back at me and Ryder. "Uh... Would it be too much to ask to have some snacks and some drinks? Please?" She asked. I glanced at Ryder.

"Ryder. Snacks. Drinks NOW!" I snapped. He sighed and hurried to the door rushing out. I looked back to the girls in the middle of the floor. Mostly fixated on Twilight. "Say girls why don't we have a little fun with Ryder since he made me feel like an ass earlier?"

Twily looked back at me. "Shining you better not cause Celestia to jail him!" She snapped.

"No no it's nothing like that!" I replied. "I want to play a prank on him." Pinkie gasped getting a big smile on her face. "Pinkie I might need you to leave the room and distract Ryder just... Don't say anything about this okay?" Pinkie nodded. "This prank requires EVERYONE to keep composure. Any other guards that get word of this are going to get panicked and a panicked guard means complete and utter chaos. Not Discord 'Haha' chaos but scary no one knows what's going on chaos. Understood?" Everypony nodded. "Okay good. What I'm gonna do is make him think my sister went missing during the night. We're going to hide her away in a safe room this and every castle is equipped with. Sure uh... This was made artificially with the help of that box you girls found but... surprisingly it came standard. Pinkie, you have distraction duty, AJ, you and Fluttershy need to walk around the halls and act like you just went to find a bathroom. Dash uh..." Dash looked at me waiting my command but I knew what she could do. "Dash you're with me on escort duty. I'll pretend Twily just went to bed okay?" My sister blushed hard.

"...Shining... Call me Twily one more time in front of my friends and maybe Ryder will have your job!" I gave a sigh.

"...S-sorry Twi-" I stopped myself. "Sorry princess..." Twily gave me a smile.

"That's better! So lets get to work!" I held up my hands as everyone tried getting up.

"Stop! I hear him coming. We'll do it later okay?"

The girls nodded and got back into position watching TV. Not even a second later Ryder walked back in with a cart with tea, a bowl of potato chips and a few six packs of soda's. "Okay sorry if that took long I had to ask another guard to help me find the kitchen..." He said. "Sorry again if this wasn't what you girls wanted but this is the best I could think of." Twilight stood up and surveyed the cart. I looked to Ryder's face and saw he was nervous.

"...Wow... You actually got everything right... I could tell Fluttershy wanted chips and tea is perfect to wind down after a busy day. And maybe the guard's watching over us needed a soda? There's nothing wrong with that!" Ryder sighed feeling relieved. I gave a smile.

"See Ryder not as hard as you think it is!" I said. I put a hand up. "Toss me a cold one!" Ryder took two cans from one of the six packs and tossed it over to me. I flicked it a few times and cracked open the can knocking it back. He did the same but sat in a chair. I didn't say anything because I didn't expect him to stand in place for a few hours. Only time I saw that was when he was waiting in line for the new Alley Brawlers game.

After about an hour Twily just fell asleep on the floor, Ryder in the chair half asleep (Perfect right?). Applejack woke Fluttershy up and had help from Pinkie who still was wide awake surprisingly. Although she did have four sodas. But then again she's always that hyper... I think... Anyways I went and picked Twily up and put her on my back. She clung to me just like old times which made me smile. "Y'need help there Shinin'?" Applejack asked. I nodded a bit trying to get Twily to stay on my back but she just was out of it.

"Just wrap her arms around my neck, she'll cling on to me!" I replied. Applejack nodded and let Pinkie help Fluttershy out of the room. She helped hike Twily up and put her arms around my neck. She instantly cuddled up to me. I didn't know whether to take her to the safe room or just walk around with her on my back like that. Big Mac was right... I did miss that. I took my phone from my pocket with my magic and gave it to AJ. "Here... Before you leave I need a picture of this..." She gave a nod taking my phone and she took the picture. I looked at the picture and saw a little smile on my sisters tired face. Gave me a smile as I walked with her over to her study, which was where that saferoom was (Say anything to anyone and yours truly is out of a job and my sister is somewhere else biting down on a rag while being tied to a chair.) and it was just long walk for me bringing her there. I left her there and sighed going to my com. "All guards on this channel the new recruit Ryder is about to be 'initiated' into the royal guard for Princess Twilight. Her friends and I are faking a kidnapping so no matter what you hear do not raise the alarms. Now I need a few guards to be inside Princess Twilight's study for when I give the word to bring her out. Shining out."

I stepped out of the study and almost immediately there were a few guards rushing me before going inside the study. I love it when they listen to me otherwise its more fun for me or Princess Celestia to fire them. Mostly Celestia. Anyways I went back to Ryder and saw Applejack sitting next to him just waiting for me. Pinkie too. "Hey Shining we ready for fun?" Pinkie asked. I nodded. Applejack got up.

"We may or may not have a slight hitch in the plan there Shinin'." She said. "Fluttershy had to be carried to her room and Dash cant really do much with an upset stomach so uh... All ya got here is me n Pinkie then..." I sighed.

"Shit... Well I got distraction duty. You two just start wandering near Twily's room. And... tomorrow morning don't tell her I said that. Okay?" Pinkie and Applejack both nodded getting up. I let them pass me going out the door as I approached Ryder. I nudged him. "Ryder! C'mon wake up your shift isn't over yet!"

Ryder groaned a bit shifting. "....Cant I just pet the puppy grandpa...?" He mumbled. I snickered a bit.

"No Ry! No petting the dog its got rabies!" He groaned again. That's when I just punched him in the arm. "RYDER!" He yelped and nailed me in the face. I do admit I deserved it again. (What don't I deserve for doing shit to this guy?) I rubbed my cheek as he looked up at me.

"Oh! Shining! I am SO sorry! You should know I wake up swinging..." He said. It's true he does. I had to wake him up a few times after he went back home. I had to wear my armor just to do it too. One time he grabbed me and tried to headbutt me. Face first into my armor. I grunted.

"...Dude it's fine I should've known I'm sorry!" I replied helping him up. "Your job isn't over yet. We have to get in place for the night guard to come and take our place. Twily just went off to bed not even fifteen minutes ago and we gotta guard her door until the night guard gets here alright? C'mon you can take a few sodas with you to stay awake until then!" Ryder yawned and nodded grabbing what was left of a lemon lime soda six pack. It was five cans left and... Well in that hour I did sneak one. He followed me out the door stretching. "You're lucky Twilight is going easy on you tonight. That little nap you had should be good for you. Anymore like that and you actually might have to answer to Celestia but don't worry... That's a low chance of that happening!" He nodded before cracking open a can and chugging it.

We looked back forward and saw Applejack and Pinkie looking scared. "RYDER! SHINING!" They both said. Pinkie nearly tackled me while Applejack hugged Ryder.

"Whats wrong?!" Ryder asked looking a bit worried.

Applejack looked into Ryders eyes shuttering. "T-twilight... Sh-she...." She said.

Pinkie looked over at Ryder and AJ. "TWILIGHT'S MISSING!" She yelled.

"WHAT?!" I said acting like I had no clue. AJ looked back at me.

"W-we went to her room to see if she's got extra blankets but.... She wasn't in her bed... Pinkie checked the bathroom, the dining room, I checked the throne room but she wasn't in any of em!" Ryder suddenly shoved the cans of soda into Applejack nearly spilling the open one all over her and just booked it. I grinned and gave the thumbs up to both of them soon following Ryder. I followed almost closely but he used to be on the hoofball team back in highschool (and where he got his cutie mark in shop class. Wanna guess where his car came from? He won it in the end of the year raffle the teacher held. Lucky him huh?) and I could barely catch up. We got to Twily's room which was just a few doors past her study. The door was opened a little bit by Applejack (Smart mare) and Ryder checked it open. I followed and stopped at the door seeing Ryder drop to his knees in the messy room. Applejack and Pinkie didn't ransack it Twily just never cleaned... And Spike? He's in Canterlot helping Celestia write since she got carpal tunnel and it hurts when she writes. Don't ask how she got carpal tunnel... Too uh... Confusing.

"..Sh-she's not here... I.... I'm fucked..." I went to his side and tried helping him up but he blacked out and smashed his head on the floor.

"Fuck fuck FUUCK!" I said lying him out on his back. I checked his head. No bleeding, no open skull but he did have a big bump. Now you know why I'm talking and he isn't. I went to my com a bit panicked. "Bring the Princess out of the safe room and get a stretcher! The rookie is down! I repeat ROOKIE DOWN!" I couldn't believe it. I'd've thought Ryder would've taken control of the situation or pissed himself but instead he slammed fainting AND pissed himself. I noticed just before Applejack, Pinkie and the two guards in Twily's study showed up. I had to stop them at the door. I looked to the guards first. "You two get a mop and bucket!" I looked to AJ and Pinkie. "You two. You guys just... Just follow him into the infirmary. I'll call Big Mac see if he can bring Ryder something to be changed into when he wakes up." They all nodded and split up. I pulled my phone and instead of calling Big Mac I texted him four times. That's how his notifications wake him the hell up.

'Big Mac you've got Ryder's keys and he needs a change of pants! Drop by his place and pick up some stuff for him I'll be downstairs to let you in.' I texted. Thank you copy paste action.

Hours later I had to stay in the infirmary with Ryder. I had his clothing next to me. A pair of jeans and the shirt he had wearing with a change of boxers. My sister came in looking tired and pissed. "...Shining I told you this would go wrong!" She said. "You had to go and pull this fucking prank!"

"Twily I'm sorry!" I said looking up at her. "And you didn't tell me it would go wrong! Just... Please don't tell this to Celestia! You still want your BBBFF to be the head of the Royal guard... Don't you Twily?" I smiled nervously. I actually was afraid of my little sister who loved the fuck out of me since we were little. She huffed.

"Look keep your job but I want you to do something special for Ryder! Now carry me back to my room! You're going to PERSONALLY serve me until Cadence gets back. Got it?" I nodded before getting up lowering myself allowing her to get on my back. I had to walk out my head hung in shame and my sister pulling on my mane a bit. Even worse it felt like she was trying to crush me with her legs.

Thinking of some way to apologize. That was going to be my real trouble but it had to wait till morning.