Protect & Serve

Chapters

I Volunteer!
Training Day Part One
Training Day Part Two

I Volunteer!

The halls of the crystal castle were quiet as usual. The large, multi-faceted hallways were desolate and devoid of any activity. All of the four inhabitants of the large palace were grouped in a singular room, it was the library of course. The denizens spent most of their time in that particular room, it was a major time sink for the studious ponies that lived there.

Princess Twilight Sparkle flitted through the air on her recently acquired wings. She went from bookshelf to bookshelf, searching for some elusive tome that hid itself somewhere in the room. The alicorn paid no heed to the two individuals below her, she was too focused on the task at hoof.

“Did you find it yet, Twilight?” A pale pink pony called from the ground floor of the packed library. She wasn’t concerned about the missing book, not as much as Twilight apparently was. Then again, Starlight didn’t even know what they were really looking for, just that Twilight had deemed it important. Starlight just wanted to get on with the day, not get hung up in the library looking for something that may not even be in there.

“No… I can't find it anywhere!” The princess called back from her lofty position. “I could’ve sworn it was around here somewhere…” The last sentence was mumbled, almost inaudibly. The pony on the ground, Starlight, and the small dragon beside her both rolled their eyes.

“I told her it wasn’t here.” The little reptile standing next to Starlight grumbled, his arms crossed over his chest. “It was in the the old library, we couldn’t find it after it, y’know, blew up.” Spike seemed irritated, not at the fact that Twilight wasn’t listening to him, but that their old domicile had been obliterated in the past.

“What is it she’s looking for anyways?” Starlight questioned. “She wouldn’t tell me, like it was some big important secret or something.” She had nothing against ponies keeping secrets, Celestia knows she had her fair share of them, but being purposely obtuse was something that got on Starlight’s nerves.

“It’s-well…” Spike put a claw to his chin, thinking about his next words. “It’s a book.” The little dragon said confidently. Starlight only rolled her eyes at the number one assistant.

“Obviously.” The unicorn fired back. “What kind of book? Is it, like, a diary or an ancient spellbook?” Starlight’s mind started running wild with possibilities. Could Twilight be looking for the book that aided her ascension to alicorn status? Or was it that message book that linked to the human world? It could be anything!

“Did we really lose it?” Twilight’s expression changed from one of curiosity to worry. “We couldn’t have lost it!” The alicorn flew around faster and faster, taking books from the shelves, examining them for a split-second, and then tossing them back onto the shelf. Panic was obviously setting in now, and Starlight didn’t know if there was anything she could do to help the situation.

“Lose what, Twilight Sparkle?” Every head in the room turned to the new voice. All three pairs of eyes turned to see a very surprising sight, three more princesses were standing in the doorway, along with Captain Shining Armor. Starlight subconsciously backed away from the monarchs, as if fearing some sort of divine retribution.

“Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Cadance! What are you doing here?” Twilight descended from on high, landing gracefully on the ground next to Spike. “I didn’t get a letter that you were coming.” There was a moment of hesitation, one of barely contained fear. “Is something wrong?”

“No, Twilight…” Cadence raised a hoof to ease the panic in Twilight’s voice. “Nothing is wrong.” Starlight didn’t know why, but she trusted the pink alicorn. It was something about the sincerity in her voice, she thought. It was so reassuring and lovely.

Celestia was next to step forward. “We simply wish to discuss with you a matter of importance. There is nothing to worry about.” The elder princess said, wearing her warm, motherly smile. Though Twilight was set at ease, Celestia’s tones did not bring any amount of comfort to Starlight. It made a pit form in the bottom of the unicorn’s stomach, like each word was inching the conversation closer to something terrible.

Starlight had never met any of the royal family besides Twilight, so seeing them all of Equestria’s alicorns at once set off more alarms than Starlight thought possible. After the time travel fiasco, she had expected Twilight to rain righteous fury down upon her. To smite her, not forgive her and offer enlightenment in the form of mentorship. Now, Starlight felt that her reckoning was at hoof.

“Perhaps a library is not the best place to discuss these matters.” The princess of the night stepped forward, her demeanor cold and uneasy. Starlight had heard stories of the terrible things that Luna had done in her past, and even more about things that she might’ve done. None of the thoughts gave Starlight any amount of comfort. “Do you have a place where we might sit and discuss sensitive matters, Twilight Sparkle?”

“Of course.” Twilight nodded and shot a glance at her brother, who was standing resolute at the back of the crowd of monarchs. “The map room has enough seats, I think.” Twilight had seemingly calmed down and collected her composure. At least on the outside she had. Starlight had no doubts that on the inside the youngest alicorn was still panicking.

Twilight started walking, the other princesses matching her stride as the followed her. Shining Armor took up position directly behind his wife, leaving Starlight and Spike behind. Starlight wasn’t ready to face the proverbial music, she would rather wait here with Spike and never follow the crowd.

“It’ll be alright, Starlight.” A scaly claw patted the side of her barrel. She looked down at Spike, who gave her a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders. “I’m sure it’s nothing, probably just some royal decree stuff or something.” Starlight wished she could believe that, but all of the princesses in one place did not smack of small business.

“Starlight Glimmer, you should come with us as well.” It was the first time that Starlight had heard Shining Armor speak. It was commanding and authoritative, demanding her compliance. Who was she to refuse the order from the captain of the royal guard and prince of the Crystal Empire? Reluctantly, the unicorn trotted after the group of royals.

“We’re preparing for the delivery pretty soon.” Starlight caught up to the group in time to catch the tail-end of a conversation. Cadance was talking about deliveries, but without context Starlight could only guess at what it meant. “We don’t have an exact date yet, but we’re hoping we’ll be back in the Empire before it arrives.”

“Are you going to be in Equestria for long?” Twilight questioned her sister-in-law. It was odd how Twilight didn’t know the goings-on with her own family and fellow royals. Starlight thought that Twilight would be clued in on all of this, not left in the dark.

“A few weeks, I think. I have to be in Canterlot for a few meetings and Shining Armor has some… things he must take care of as well.” Everypony caught the hesitation in Cadance’s words, and it brought Starlight and Twilight to look at each other. There was worry and apprehension in their shared gaze.

The rest of the trip was filled with idle chit-chat between royals. Little things like laws, court, and some funny anecdotes about life in palaces. So things that Starlight had no input on. All in all, it was an uneventful walk that only left two of the ponies with a bad feeling in the pits of their stomach.

Once in the map room, Twilight took her spot in the chair bearing her cutie mark. Starlight took up a position standing behind her mentor and watched the rest of the royals sit in the seats belonging to the other elements of harmony. Celestia sat in Rainbow Dash’s seat, Luna in Applejack’s, Cadance in Rarity’s, and Shining in Pinkie Pie’s. It felt like a very strange meeting to say the least.

“So...what’s this all about?” Twilight asked, tapping her hooves on the table in an uneven cadence. “It’s not everyday we have a meeting with every single princess for no reason.” A nervous laugh punctuated the statement, reinforcing Starlight’s belief that Twilight was barely holding her composure.

“We’re worried, Twily.” Shining Armor spoke first, his usually hard voice softening. His facade broke, and in a moment Starlight saw a very tired and worried older brother break through. His eyes relaxed their glare, letting the dark circles under his eyes dominate his facial features. “Since you’ve become a princess you’ve-” The stallion closed his eyes and took off his helmet, setting it forcefully on the map. “-we’ve almost lost you, Twilight. More than once.” The other ponies around the table gave sad nods, but kept their eyes focused on Twilight. “We can’t do it again, Twilight. Especially after her.”

Starlight felt a chill run up her spine as Shining looked straight at her. It brought back every terrible feeling she thought she had left behind. All of the guilt from her past transgressions, enslaving a whole town, almost destroying Equestria in more ways than one… almost hurting Twilight... It all flooded back to her, pulling her heart into the icy grip of despair.

Starlight had never meant to be a bad pony. She just wanted to feel like she had a place, like nopony would ever leave her again. It was an ache in her very core, that feeling of loneliness and hopelessness that filled her in those dark times. It drove her to do such unforgivable things, to seek a community through force instead of mutual respect and friendship like it was supposed to be. It was not something she was proud of, and not something she needed to be reminded of.

“Shiny, she’s reformed now.” Twilight attempted to allay the fears of her older brother. “She wouldn’t hurt me again.Isn't that right, Starlight?” Twilight turned and gave a smile to Starlight, one that the unicorn just couldn’t return. She couldn’t help but feel that Twilight was missing the point rather spectacularly.

“We think you are missing your brother’s meaning, Twilight Sparkle.” Luna spoke now, putting a silver-clad hoof onto the table. “We all understand that Starlight Glimmer is your student now and that she is… reformed.” That word, ‘reformed’ it cut deeper than Starlight would ever care to admit. It was almost like they viewed her as some sort of villain, not just a misguided soul. “We are more worried about the next threat. What will happen to you then if it is something that none of us could ever be prepared for? What if it catches you off guard?”

That was exactly what Starlight had relied on with her last plan: the element of surprise. She had caught Twilight off guard and forced the princess to play by her own rules on her own turf. Twilight had overcome though, through sheer kindness and understanding she had beaten Starlight.

“Then, I’ll overcome!” Twilight said, emboldened by the implied challenge. “With my friends, I can do anything!” That kind of tenacity is what drew Starlight to Twilight’s line of thinking. That ideology of ‘no challenge it too big for me!’ was intoxicating as well as contagious.

“What if you’re alone like you were with Starlight Glimmer? What If it’s just you and Spike against a stronger opponent? What then, Twilight Sparkle?” Celestia spoke, her motherly tone dissipating with each word. This was now a mare who was letting a child know that she knew best. “We cannot allow you to be put in danger again, Twilight, not without precautions.” There was a pregnant pause where one could practically cut the tension with a knife. It clung to the air and brought the mood of the entire room down like a crashing blimp.

“What kind of… precautions?” Twilight laid her ears back flat, looking at Celestia uneasily. It was obvious that the purple pony’s spirit and independence was going to fight back on this. A change to her life would not be taken lightly, nor would it be accepted without thought.

“We propose a guard. A full station of them here in the castle.” Shining spoke again, this time slipping back into his official mannerisms. “It’s why I’m here, I’m going to be doing a recruitment drive here in Ponyville for your guard.”

“So you’ve already decided...” Twilight stated flatly. “You’re not proposing anything, you’re telling me.” There was no small amount of venom in the princess’ voice. It was clear she took no joy in having her life co-opted by those around her.

“We knew you wouldn’t be happy with it, Twilight.” Cadance spoke up again, trying to calm the newest alicorn with a smile. “We just thought it would be best to just do it and let you know, like ripping off a band-aid.” Twilight said nothing. “I promise that you won’t even notice that they’re here after a while. It’ll be like nothing’s even changed.”

“No.” The word was sharp and cut through any expectations. Even Starlight had expected Twilight to bend eventually, maybe after a verbal argument. But a flat out ‘no’ was completely unexpected. “I’m not allowing it, I don’t care how much you push. I can’t put other ponies in danger because of my life. I just… can’t...” There was that kindness again, that good heart that always shone through it all. Starlight had heard stories of Twilight’s selfishness when she first came to Ponyville, but she couldn’t believe it. That was not the Twilight she knew.

“Twilight!” Shining Armor started, but he was cut off by Celestia raising a solitary hoof. The captain clenched his jaw and held his tongue. Not even he would defy Celestia.

“Twilight…” Celestia said, a fair deal more calm than Shining Armor. “If you will not allow us that, then allow us at least a small level of comfort.” She gave Twilight a moment to rebuttal, but the younger Princess said nothing. “A personal guard. Somepony who will always be with you, somepony who will look out for you as a friend and protector.” The princess of the sun gave a moment for the words to settle in, then she went to drive the point home. “I will not back down from this, Twilight.”

Starlight could see the turmoil raging within her mentor’s mind. Twilight wanted to be independent, she wanted to take care of herself. On the other hoof, could she defy Celestia? It was like looking at a child who was trying to decide whether or not to yell at their parent. It was the immovable mountain of respect meeting the unstoppable force of a powerfully stubborn mare.

“Fine.” The immovable mountain won in the end. Twilight bowed her head, defeated by her mentor’s will. “One personal guard...” She raised her head, narrowing her gaze slightly. “Just one, though.”

“I’ll start looking for an acceptable candidate.” Shining Armor stood up and started to walk out of the room. He was on his own personal mission to protect his little sister, and nothing could stop him.

“I’ll do it!” A voice called out that caught everypony off guard, heck it even caught Starlight off guard and she said it! Whatever had possessed her to say that, she would never know. It had just been something that her heart had forced her to say, it had demanded to be let out.

“Starlight?” Twilight looked at her, mouth agape. The princess worked her mouth, trying to say words that wouldn’t come. “What?” That was the first word that her mind had latched onto and successfully pushed out, and it was the only question that anypony was thinking.

“I-I…” Starlight had to gather her thoughts, she had to think of why she said that. “I’m always with you anyways, right? So it wouldn’t really change anything, and it’s not like I’m not capable. I’ve been able to beat you in a magic duel, haven't I?.” Starlight sincerely hoped that sounded better than it did in her head. She didn’t mean it in a malicious way, she was just trying to prove a point.

“Twilight Sparkle, would you be against this idea?” Luna spoke, the edge to her voice dropped. “From what we’ve heard in your reports of Starlight Glimmer, she is indeed a formidable opponent to any that might face her. She would not be the worst choice. Perhaps with some training from Shining Armor, she could be honed into a fine guard.”

“She’s already your friend, Twilight.” Cadance chimed in. “Not much would change in your life, so that’s a plus.” Optimism was definitely helping Starlight come to terms with her decision. It was making her feel like much less of an impulsive mule.

“Are you sure you want to do this, Starlight?” Twilight looked up at Starlight from her seat. There was a look in the princess’ eyes. Starlight couldn’t tell if it was pride or sincere gratitude, but it made her heart flutter in her chest.

“Absolutely.” Starlight said, her mind made up. She was going to do this for Twilight. Starlight Glimmer was going to become a royal guard.

Training Day Part One

“Attention!” Starlight snapped her hooves together in response to the captain’s call. She didn’t know the proper salute to give, but she knew how to stand at attention. It was something that she had made her own followers do in the past… minus the forced smile of course.

Starlight mused on the similarities between her town and the military. When it got down to brass tacks, it was almost too close to not be funny in some sense. Strict living conditions, appearance mandated by an authority figure, a strict set of ideals to live by. Starlight had to admit that deep down, she craved that kind of order. It felt good. It felt like home.

“Do you know what it takes to be a royal guard to a princess, Glimmer?” Shining Armor towered over the smaller mare, his eyes narrowed and full of cobalt fire. “Do you?” The stallion barked. It was all a front, of course. Starlight knew this was just an intimidation tactic to get her to panic or show a mere hint of an emotion that he could latch onto an attack. Too bad for Shining, Starlight was one hell of an actress herself.

“No, sir.” Oh, Starlight knew what he wanted to hear. He wanted to explain, so she would let him. Behind a face of stone, she inwardly grinned. It would be an easy play for her, like taking candy from a foal.

Starlight snapped back to reality, out of the mindset of the manipulator. She couldn’t think like that anymore, she couldn’t allow herself to fall back into those old habits of lying and manipulating. She had to rise above her past now and be a better pony.

“It takes discipline.” Shining Armor started to pace in front of Starlight. “It takes vigilance.” Starlight followed the stallion with her eyes, trying to decipher the meaning behind the rhetoric. Was it supposed to be inspiring or was it just a declaration of what it truly meant to be a guard? “It takes constant, unwavering patriotism. When it comes down to it, a princess’ royal guard is the last thing standing between her and certain danger.”

Starlight opened her mouth, hoping to say how ready she was to do this. How she was proud to offer her services to a pony who so readily offered their own. Before she could speak, she was cut off by Shining Armor launching into a tangent.

“The year five hundred and thrity-six: Princess Celestia is on a diplomatic mission to Griffonstone. While trotting through the streets, a griffon dives from above with a sword brandished. If it hadn’t been for her guard at the time, Aegis, we would’ve lost Celestia and Equestria would’ve been plunged into a war we couldn’t win.” Starlight had never even heard of that story, not that it would be all that beneficial to teach young ponies. The last thing that Equestria needed was some sort of deep-seated resentment towards the Griffons. Probably for the best that it wasn’t told. “Year nine-hundred and ninety-three: the newly crowned Princess Mi Amore Cadenza is touring Equestria in celebration of her coronation. On a stop in Fillydelphia, an errant firework makes its way towards her, and would’ve certainly mortally injured her if it hit. Her personal guard, yours truly, produced a shield at the last second.”

A tad bit boastful, Starlight had to admit. She had to wonder if life-saving was one of the reasons that Shining Armor was now a prince. Surely that had to earn some major brownie points. How many personal guards had taken things further with a princess? Shining couldn’t have been the first in the entire history of Equestria, it was unlikely to say the least.

“But we’re not just protectors…” Shining continued. “... we’re not just ever-vigilant guardians. We’re confidants and companions.” Starlight heard Shining’s voice lose it’s edge ever so subtly. A wisp of wistfulness made it’s way in, but it was quickly quashed and the macho front was erected once more. “Being a monarch is stressful work, and at the end of the day their personal guard is one of the few ponies they can turn to. Somepony they can share their innermost frustrations and secrets with. We’re important beyond just safety, we’re an anchor for sanity and normalcy. Can you handle that, Glimmer?”

That was a hefty order. It was the weight of not just physical of well being, but of mental clarity. If what Shining was saying was true, it was a large deal of responsibility beyond just what it looked to be on the surface. Twilight was already a very anxiety-prone pony, and a overly stressful situation was likely to send her over the edge. Could Starlight salvage that? Could she bring her mentor back from the brink of a breakdown and help her stay stable? Starlight wasn’t even sure if she was stable at the moment.

“I don’t know.” Starlight sadly admitted. It was like admitting that you were wrong, that you had charged into a situation without thinking. She had just jumped at the chance to help Twilight, to repay her in some way. Was it too much?

“Good. You can never be prepared for this job, or the challenges it will present you with. You’ll never be certain if you can handle something. The best you can do is your best and pray to somepony that it will be good enough.” The stallion stopped his pacing, coming face to face with Starlight once more. “Cockiness is one of many roads that will lead to disaster, Glimmer. Remember that.”

“Yes, sir.” Starlight responded, taking every bit of information she had heard and committing it to memory. She would need to remember a lot of what he was going to say today, it would be nothing but help.

“Now I need to gauge your abilities as a vigilant protector.” The armored stallion stomped his hoof on the ground once, then Pinkie Pie seemingly materialized out of thin air. Starlight could’ve sworn that the pink pony had not been anywhere near the area. In fact, she should’ve been working at Sugarcube Corner. “In order to do this, I’ve asked Pinkie Pie to help.”

“Hi, Glimglam!” Pinkie chirped cheerfully, bouncing on her hooves in anticipation. “Isn’t this fun? I get to help you and Shiny be all official and stuff!” Starlight shot Shining a confused look, the stallion reciprocated with a very worrying smile.

“Your job is to escort Pinkie to Sweet Apple Acres safely. I’ll be shadowing you the whole way, attempting to impede your progress, and ultimately hit Pinkie with a immobilizing spell. If I succeed at my task, you fail. If you do not get her to entrance to the orchard within forty-five minutes, you fail. Am I clear?” Starlight could think of one-million and one reasons why this was a bad idea, and the majority of them started with ‘it’s Pinkie Pie and-’. This was not just going to be a task, this was going to be a chore.

“Yes, sir.” Starlight said once more. She didn’t want to ask any questions or complain, it would only allow Shining to pick her apart or reject her in some way. Now she was focused on the task at hoof. What route were they going to take? Where could Shining hide?

“I’m going to leave. In five minutes you begin.” No other words needed to be traded between the master and apprentice. Five minutes was all Starlight had to think of an easy way to do this. That was a tall order.

“This is going to be so much fun!” Pinkie exclaimed, drawing Starlight’s attention. “ It’s going to be like a super fun game of ‘protect the president!’ I’ll be all walking down the street and we’ll hear a spell go off and you’ll dive in front of me in slow-motion going ‘Noooooooo!’” The last word was drawn out in a overly deep and slow voice and Pinkie pantomimed leaping out in front of someone. “Then, I’ll hold you in my hooves and swear vengeance on the ones who did this!” Starlight found herself in Pinkie’s front hooves, lying almost on the ground. “I’ll get you for this! I’ll get all of you!” Pinkie shouted to the sky, shaking a hoof at some passing bids. “It’ll be super fun!”

“Well…” Starlight pried herself away from Pinkie and picking herself up off of the ground. “I don’t think it’s supposed to be fun, Pinkie.” Starlight was going to take this as seriously as possible, no matter how much Pinkie attempted to undermine it. “I have to prove myself. I volunteered, and now I have to show that I’m capable.” This was a matter of pride now, plain and simple.

“Okie doki loki!” Pinkie returned to her normal bouncy state from the ground. She didn’t question Starlight’s motivations or even ask any follow-up questions. The pink pony just accepted it at face value and went on with her life. Starlight wished that most ponies could be like Pinkie. It would make life a lot easier.

The next few minutes passed in relative silence. Starlight thought over her plan while Pinkie hummed a happy tune and looked around the area with bright eyes. How was Starlight supposed to keep the pink earth pony in check? That was going to be the hardest part out of everything. Starlight had no doubt that she could keep Shining at bay and protect Pinkie, but keeping up with Pinkie and keeping the hyperactive ball of energy on the right path? That was a bit more difficult.

“Time to go!” The party pony exclaimed with a smile. “Five minutes is up, Glimglam! C’mon, let’s go!” Before Starlight could say anything, or even react, Pinkie bounced off at high speeds. The unicorn sighed and ran after her charge.

“Pinkie Pie! I need you to slow down, alright?” Starlight tried to layer her voice with as much honey as she could, as she was sure vinegar would do nothing. “I can’t protect you if you just run ahead.” It seemed to work, because Pinkie stopped bouncing and instead slowed down to a manageable trot. Starlight sighed thankfully. “Now, I don’t think we should go through the center of town, I think we should cut around and go by Carousel Boutique, there’s a lot less hoof traffic that way.” It was reasonable to assume that Shining would have an easier time impeding or even succeeding in a crowd, and an advantage was the last thing that he needed.

“But I need to stop by Sugarcube corner.” The earth pony responded, her mannerisms deflating a bit. “Mrs. Cake just got back from her parents house with the twins in Whinneapolis, and I haven’t seen them in a whole week!” Starlight thought it over. It would be dangerous, and she didn’t even know how long that would take. Was it worth the risk? “Pwease, Glimmy?” The puppy dog eyes that Pinkie gave cut Starlight to her core, it would be like a kick to the gut if she denied that.

“Fine.” Starlight conceded. “We’re not going through town to get there, we’ll circle around by the old library and make our way through the back.” It was going to be a longer trip than just going through the town proper, but it would be safer in the long run. When they got there, Starlight would demand Pinkie be quick about it, and then they would be on their way.

“Yay!” Pinkie jumped into the air and then took off once more, forcing Starlight to keep pace with her.

The unicorn kept her head on a swivel. One eye always had Pinkie in its periphery and the other was looking in alleys and the windows of the passing cottages. She didn’t know exactly how much Shining had prepared for this, but she was going to put nothing past him. Could he get into a house? Probably if the ponies inside recognized him.

A flash of white caught her eye in an alley to her right. Starlight spun to face the possible threat, her horn fired and at the ready. The alabaster pony with the two-tone blue mane would’ve caught an immobilizing spell if Starlight hadn’t noticed that it was not a stallion like she was expecting. It was a mare. Vinyl Scratch was her name, some DJ that lived in town. Starlight had run into her a few times but had never noticed how much she looked like Twilight’s brother.

The gender-swapped doppleganger raised an eyebrow at the offensively stanced unicorn. Starlight gave the mare a sheepish smile and killed the magic surrounding her horn. That could’ve been very bad. The last thing she needed to do right now was attack an innocent pony.

Starlight turned and caught up with Pinkie once again.This part of town was dead, unusually so. A pony or two trotting to the center of town was expected around this time of day, but complete and utter stillness? That was not something that was normal. Something was wrong.

“Starlight…”

On instinct, the unicorn spun to locate the pony who called her name. Every direction was clear, though. There was no pony in sight, no one who could’ve called her name. Was this one of Shining’s tricks to throw her off? That was the only logical explanation.

“Not this time, Shining.” Starlight gritted her teeth and focused on the mission. Getting Pinkie to the orchards safe and sound was her only priority. She wouldn’t allow a little bit of magic telepathy to cloud her judgement now. She couldn’t allow it to happen.

The rest of the walk to Sugarcube Corner was thankfully uneventful, if not filled with tension. There had been no attempt on Pinkie yet, and besides the voice in her head, Starlight had seen neither hide nor hair of the captain of the guard. He was cooking something up, probably for right as they arrived at Sweet Apple Acres.

“Okay, Glimglam I’m just going to go in and say ‘hi’ to the twins, alright? I’ll be right back!” Starlight wouldn’t stop Pinkie. Sugarcube Corner was a safe space, and as long as Starlight was out here watching the entrance, it would be perfect.

“Make it quick.” Starlight ordered, taking post by the door. Pinkie bounded for the door and called for Pound and Pumpkin cake. Meanwhile, Starlight thought about the journey ahead. Who knew what Shining had planned, or if he had built some sort of elaborate trap to set Starlight up for failure. The possibilities were truly endless.

“AAAHHH!” Pinkie screamed, Starlight could hear it clear as day from outside. Without thinking, Starlight charged through the doors to find Pinkie Pie frozen solid, arcs of pink magic surging across her body. Starlight found Shining sitting at a table in the corner, looking at a menu.

“You just let her go off alone?” He looked up from the menu, directly at Starlight. “Not to mention discussing your plans aloud in public? I knew where you were going to go exactly.” Starlight cursed under her breath. It was a dumb mistake that cost her the entire exercise. She should’ve been more careful! “Sloppy, Glimmer. You failed.” Starlight was going to defend herself, but Shining raised a singular hoof. “Go home, tomorrow we do it again.”

“How’d it go?” Twilight was in her personal study, just as Starlight guessed she would be. Currently, her nose was buried in a book and a quill was errantly marking some notes with the help of magic.

“I failed.” Starlight sighed and collapsed on a couch that sat across from Twilight’s desk. “I made a dumb mistake and paid for it.” Starlight wasn’t physically exhausted, but her ego and self-confidence was drained to a point of almost non-existence. Starlight did not deal with failure very gracefully, she let it consume her thoughts and bring her entire mood down. It was a very bad habit.

Starlight saw Twilight glance up, then put her book down and sigh. “Are you sure you want to do this? Be my guard, I mean?” Nervous violet eyes zipped back and forth across the room, too anxious to come into contact with Starlight. “It’s a demanding job, and I don’t want it to interfere with your studies.”

“Twilight, I owe you this.” Starlight mustered up whatever determination was left in the pit of her being. “After all you’ve done for me, the least I can do is try to keep you safe.” There was no edge or fire in her voice, it was smooth and calm. “I can still study and keep you safe.” Starlight tried to be reassuring, but she didn’t know if it would work.

“You don’t owe me anything, Starlight.” Twilight stood up from her desk and strode across the room the couch. “I didn’t do any of this because I was expecting to be owed anything. I never want you to feel like you need to do something for me, because you don’t. You’re my friend, and that’s all I could ever ask from you.”

Starlight couldn’t help but smile, and her spirits lifted almost instantaneously with the words. Leave it to Twilight to bring a warm fuzzy feeling to Starlight’s stomach, that seemed to be the alicorn’s special talent.

“I want to do this.” Starlight reiterated, a sense of resolve filling her voice. “I want you to let me do this.” It was the truth, Starlight wanted no conflict from Twilight. She just needed the princess to give her a chance to prove this was a good idea.

“Okay.” Twilight said after a brief hesitation. “I just don’t want you to run yourself ragged over this, you know? I don’t want you to overexert yourself just because of me.” Before Starlight could respond, her mentor pulled her into a warm embrace. “Thank you for doing this, for volunteering. I appreciate it, I really do.”

Starlight returned the embrace, closing her eyes and resting her chin on Twilight’s shoulder. It was in that moment that every single doubt left and her self-confidence returned en-masse. It was like the hug recharged her very soul. If this moment could last forever, Starlight would gladly allow it.

“I think I’m going to go to bed.” Starlight said, pulling away from the hug. “It’s going to be a big day tomorrow, and I need all the rest I can get if I have to wrangle Pinkie again.” Twilight opened a wing and motioned towards the door, a smile still across her face.

“That’s too true.” She agreed with a smile. Starlight started towards the door, Twilight following close behind. “Goodnight, Starlight.”

“Goodnight, Twilight.”

“We’re not stopping by Sugarcube Corner again, Pinkie.” Starlight was adamant about that fact. Yesterday that had ended in disaster, and it was not going to go the same way today. “We’re going straight to Sweet Apple Acres, and that is that.” Starlight was going to put a hardline on the goal and not allow Pinkie to distract her.

“Okay…” Pinkie replied dejectedly, hanging her head in disappointment. Did Starlight feel bad? Of course she did, but it would pass eventually. Once she beat Shining Armor, that feeling would be replaced with victorious pride!

It was a very routine walk through Ponyville, for the most part. Ponies passed, saying ‘hi’ to both Pinkie and Starlight. Foals ran around, playing some made up game or looking for their cutie marks, and salesponies peddled their wares. All was right and there was no sign of Shining Armor.

“Starlight.”

There was that voice again, the same one Starlight had heard before. It was soothing and distant, yet crystal clear and right in her ear. A paradox of sound that she just could not place. Starlight spun on her hooves, looking for the source of the voice, only to find that as she spun the town changed. She wasn’t in Ponyville any longer.

A row of plain, nondescript buildings sat on either side of her. The rows ran for ten or so buildings, and a superior, two-story house stood at the end of the rows, looking over them. This was the town HER town.

Panic gripped Starlight’s heart and she began to hyperventilate. She didn’t want to be here, she never wanted to be here again. The unicorn backed away from the buildings, as if any of them could lunge out at her and swallow her whole at any given moment. Starlight saw each of these buildings as a wolf, and the entire pack was ready to pounce.

“Order”

As the voiced rasped out the word, every single door in the village flung open and filled the air with sharp sounds of slamming doors. Starlight closed her eyes, wishing that she would be taken away from this horrid place, that it would all just fade back into the recesses of her guilty mind

“Equality”

As the ghastly voice tolled once more, it brought forth figures from the now opened doors. Starlight knew every single one of them, their paled coats, similar manes and twisted grins still haunted her. They were the ponies whose lives she had stolen away. They were specters of a ruinous rule.

“Power”

This time, the word came from the mouths of the grinning ponies that now surrounded Starlight. They spoke in deafening unison and with no inflection other than malice. They took a step towards her.

“That’s all it’s ever been about.”

The ponies advanced on her, two phalanxes closing in on either side. Starlight saw no way out but to run to her old home, it was right down the middle of the advancing crucible. So that’s what she did, she ran.

“It was never about doing what was right… It was about control.”

The house wasn’t getting closer! The more she ran, the further away the house became. The two advancing lines of ponies simply seemed to stretch on forever as they continued their monotonous march towards Starlight.

“But you could have it all again. What once was could be yours once more…”

Starlight tripped, she didn’t know how. It didn’t matter, though. She was on the ground, and the ponies were speeding up their inevitable collision course. She was doomed, this was it. Starlight closed her eyes, waiting for the end.

“Twilight Sparkle is so close, all you would have to do...”

Starlight felt something raise her head. She opened her eyes only to find that she was looking at herself. An equal sign on her flank, her bangs split to either side of her horn, a sly devious grin on her face. There was a difference though, the eyes. They were pitch black and filled with poison that wanted to pervade the very fabric of reality around it. It terrified Starlight.

“...is let me in…”

The inky black eyes of her doppelganger started to melt into the air, sending the poison into the area around it. Starlight felt magic force her mouth open, and the poison was now being forced down her throat. It was a gag, a ball that kept her from speaking or screaming.

Tears welled up in her eyes as everything started to go black.

Starlight sat up in her bed, her eyes wide and sweat covering her brow. She looked around, making sure that the wretched town and its specters had dissipated. They had, she was back in her room in Twilight’s castle.

It was just a nightmare.

Training Day Part Two

Starlight trudged downstairs from her room, the weight of a near sleepless night slowing her trot to a crawl. Dark circles hung drearily from underneath her eyes, bringing down whatever countenance she may try to erect as a facade. Her mane, which was usually styled in an elegant coiffure that Rarity had helped her perfect, now hung loose down her neck and down to her shoulders.

“Eesh, you look terrible...” Starlight turned her head to the side, spotting a rather chipper looking baby dragon coming up beside her. A white bath towel hung around the dragon’s waist, signalling he had just gotten through with a shower.

Starlight didn’t even have the energy or wherewithal to explain to Spike how rude it was to address somepony like that. Sure,she knew that she looked like something a Timberwolf would drag to its den, but that was no excuse to be so blunt about it.

“Meh…” Was the only utterance that Starlight could muster at the insult. She wasn’t going to waste her energy on berating Spike, that could wait until she got some semblance of caffeine in her system.

The pair walked towards the kitchen that was housed deep in the bowels of the crystalline palace. It was in relative silence given the fact that Starlight didn’t want to talk and Spike had almost certainly picked up on that fact. That was good on his part, because Starlight could not be held accountable for her actions if the little reptile made her angry.

“Good morning you two!” Twilight called to Starlight and Spike as they rounded the corner. The princess was busy pouring a bowl of cereal with one cloud of magic, and holding a book in the air with another that she was seemingly focused on. Somehow she had also noticed them walk in, but Starlight couldn’t figure out how.

“Good morning, Twilight!” Spike responded as he strode over to the counter. Twilight absentmindedly floated the now prepared bowl of cereal down to the dragon, which he grabbed and went to the table with. “Careful around Starlight, I think she’s a bit grumpy this morning.” Again, that was rude but Starlight still lacked the energy to rebuke him.

“Spike, don’t be rude.” Twilight put her book down and shot the baby dragon a harsh look of disapproval, which he simply shrugged off. Starlight managed to laugh quietly to herself, despite her ruined state. Twilight rolled her eyes and turned her attention to Starlight, who was fiddling with the coffee maker impatiently. “Are you okay, Starlight?”

What a loaded question. ‘Okay’ was not one of the words that Starlight would use to describe her temperament on a good day, and today wasn’t even a good day. Aside from the constant aching guilt, now there was the image of solid black eyes staring into her soul and the feeling of poison blocking her throat that lingered from her nightmare. It had kept her up all night, making her look into the deeper meaning of the dream and the phantoms it had produced. Then, there was that voice… It had sounded venomous and sinister, and it terrified Starlight.

“I’m awake.” Was the rather deadpan answer that Starlight produced. It was the one fact that she was willing to admit at this point. She didn’t want to bother Twilight with her problems, the princess didn’t need to worry about her mental well-being. Now that she was training to be a guard, it was supposed to be the other way around.

“Well, if you feel like talking, I’m here.” Twilight smiled as she picked up her book and went to the table to join Spike. Did Starlight feel bad about snubbing Twilight like that? Of course, she did. The alicorn meant well and only wanted to make sure Starlight was okay, but frankly, Starlight didn’t know how to explain her problem without sounding crazy. Dreams, and by extension nightmares, were just a representation of abstract thought through a subconscious medium. It was supposed to give insight into what ponies really felt deep down, and Starlight didn’t like sharing with Twilight what she was apparently thinking deep down.

The coffee maker, after several minutes of sputtering and fighting, produced a pot of the glorious black liquid that brought joy to so many ponies throughout Equestria. Its aroma brought smiles to the entire kitchen, especially Starlight. The pale pink pony pried the pot from its perch and poured herself a pint.

The unicorn took a seat at the table directly across from Spike. At the moment, she wasn’t hungry enough to warrant any breakfast, so coffee would sustain her for now. She took a drink from her mug, opting to add nothing to the pitch black ambrosia. She preferred her coffee bitter to help her wake up, the sweet stuff that some ponies added to their coffee did nothing to help, it just improved the flavor. Nopony drank coffee for the flavor, though so what did it matter?

“So what’s on the agenda for today, Twilight?” Spike spoke, his mouth full of corn flakes and milk. “Gonna hang out with Cadance or something?” The dragon swallowed after Twilight gave him a scolding glare for his poor manners.

“No, she had to leave early this morning with Celestia and Luna to head back to Canterlot.” Twilight sighed, obviously miffed that she couldn’t spend more time with her mentor or sister-in-law. “Starlight’s going to be training with Shiny all day, so I don’t know what I’m going to do all day.” Starlight knew what Twilight was going to do for the day, something involving books. Her schedule always involved books. “I suppose I could look for that book I was trying to find yesterday…”

“Training, right...” Starlight mumbled, letting her head hit the solid oak table beneath it. She had forgotten all about the training session today in her nightmare haze. It was the absolute last thing she wanted to put up with today, but it looked unavoidable at this rate. She couldn’t just call it off, that would make her look uncommitted and weak to Shining Armor, and after yesterday’s disaster, that was something she just couldn't afford.

“If this is too much, I’m sure I can ask my brother to call off training for today.” Twilight was sweet and understanding, but Starlight already knew that. She couldn’t take that offer, though. Calling the training off would only prove her weakness in the eyes of Twilight and Shining Armor. Starlight couldn’t allow that.

“No.” Starlight lifted her head and took a pull from her mug, the sweet elixir pouring down her throat and into her awaiting stomach. The effects weren’t immediate much to Starlight’s dismay, but she could feel herself livening up already. “I can do it, Twilight. I just need to wake up.” She took another swig of coffee, this time nearly emptying her cup in one go. “I’ll be okay...” The unicorn mumbled halfheartedly, trying to convince herself of that fact more than anyone else.

“Spike, can you leave us alone for a minute, please?” The princess spoke with a gentle authority, a tone borrowed from Celestia. The dragon grabbed his bowl of cereal and hopped down from the table, taking it out of the kitchen. Now it was just Starlight and Twilight alone together. ”Starlight-” The young alicorn started, but Starlight cut her off abruptly.

“Have you ever felt tired?” The question hung in the air like a lead balloon. Twilight cocked her head to the side inquisitively. “I don’t mean the ‘I’ve stayed up all night studying’ kind of tired, either.” Starlight sighed and thought of her next words carefully. The sentiment had been weighing heavily on her mind for some time now, it was time to finally explore it with words now. “I wake up every morning and I’m tired, Twilight. I talk with you and I’m just-” The unicorn deflated, all of her muscles losing the will to keep her sitting up straight. “I’m tired, even when I’m not...”

Starlight sincerely hoped that this made sense. It was a maelstrom of emotions and pent-up negativity that had been swirling in her head since Twilight had showed up in her life. This oppressive weight had been holding her down, making even the most menial task feel sisyphean in nature.

“Ever since I broke in here and tried to change the past, I’ve just been feeling so… depressed.” There it was, that dangerous word that Starlight never wanted to hear or say, but it was the truth. Before all of this, Starlight was known as a very proud and verbose pony, but now she was meek and short with words. She just didn’t have the same spark that had once lit the fire in her belly, now it was but a dim flame she had to stoke carefully to keep alive daily. “But this, this guard position, it’s something to give me purpose. Even training yesterday, it made me feel more alive and awake than anything else. It feels like I have purpose again, Twilight.” That once oppressive weight lifted itself from her shoulders.

“Starlight, I-” Words caught in Twilight’s throat and then lost their way. What could she say to this? It was an impossible task to confront such a confession with mere words. How do you comfort somepony who knows they have problems? “-I understand.”

“Thank you, Twilight.” Starlight sighed and bowed her head. “I think I need to get ready for more training, now.” Again, Starlight’s words failed her. She could say more, she could tell Twilight how much she appreciated her understanding, how thankful she was for absolutely everything, but there was a gnawing in her gut that wouldn’t allow her to speak so frankly with the princess. It halted a lot of things that she wanted to say.

One day, she would get over it, she would find her courage, and she would tell Twilight how she really felt.

Starlight took several steps back as she observed her form in the mirror before her. From her hooves to the tip of her horn, Starlight was clad in silver and gold armor. Plate upon plate, the armor shielded her back, sides, legs, and other vulnerable parts of her body. To compete the entire set, she wore a shining helmet that bore an impressive plume, one that resembled the colors of Twilight’s mane.

Starlight couldn't recognize herself in the suit of armor. She turned her head to the left and right, watching the royal guard in the mirror do the same. Her day had done a complete one-eighty. Where before she had been depressed at the old wounds that the nightmare had stirred up, now she felt a sense of pride welling up. Starlight gave a smile, a small one, but it was still a smile.

“Better get used to it, Glimmer. You’re going to be wearing that armor for a long time.” Shining Armor put a forceful hoof on her back, making Starlight stumble forward a step. “Hopefully, looking like a guard will make you feel like a guard, and maybe you won’t fail this time.” Just like that, Starlight’s meager confidence evaporated once again in the shadow of Shining’s verbal jab.

Starlight turned away from the mirror to face Shining. She was going to say something, ask a question about the necessity of armor, only to find that she wasn’t alone with the captain anymore. There was a cloudy gray crystal pony standing just behind the prince, now. He wore a set of silver and seemingly glowing crystal armor. Starlight cocked her head to the side, trying to think if she had seen the crystal pony before.

“This is Sergeant Silvershield.” The captain explained, gesturing to guard by his side. “He's the recruitment officer for Princess Cadance’s personal guard staffed in the Crystal Empire, and he'll be evaluating your mission today, as my consultant.” That wasn’t an idea that Starlight was too fond of, at least she knew what Shining was looking for. The extra scrutiny would be more stress than she currently was under.

“Um… Hello…” Starlight offered the sergeant a simple, nervous greeting, but the crystal pony offered no such friendliness in return. He wore a cold stare, and his stature was unwavering. He gave a stale nod, then stared straight ahead.

Starlight was acutely aware that her armor was a symbol. It was more than just the final piece of a test, it was a symbol of power and pride for the thousands of guards all across Equestria. It was also the final test, her last shot to get this right. Shining would not give her another, if she failed.

“You aren’t looking too good, Glimmer. Didn’t get a lot of sleep last night?” Shining Armor stood in between her and the intimidating officer from the Crystal Empire as they exited the palace together. Starlight had hoped that Shining wouldn’t pick up on her lack of sleep, but she supposed that would be asking too much.

“I'll be fine…” Starlight assured him. “I'm ready this time.” Shining turned his head and scoffed, making Starlight wonder if he really wanted her to succeed. That had been the captain’s general attitude, though. Starlight was sure half of it was Twilight being his little sister and that he was an overprotective brother, the other half was just that he was an officer in the guard and, that’s just how they operated.

“We’ll see about that.” Shining said as they came to a stop down the road. He raised his hoof and pointed into Ponyville. “Rarity is waiting for you at her boutique. She has already been briefed, and is ready to move out. Your job is to get her safety from the boutique to the school house, where her little sister will be finishing her classes. You are to get them both back to the boutique in under forty-five minutes. I will be playing the same roll I did in our previous training session. If you lose either of them, or if you don't complete the task in time, you fail.”

Starlight swallowed what saliva remained in her already dry mouth in a nervous gulp. Her mission yesterday seemed like a walk in the park compared the the objective she faced now. Pinkie was strange and hyper, but she could be controlled by a stern voice of reason. Rarity was another beast entirely, she was independent and stubborn. Starlight couldn’t use forceful words on the prissy fashionista, if anything they would just embolden her to rebel.

“When do I start?” Starlight held back her fear. She wasn't about to let anypony bully her, especially Shining Armor. She knew what she was capable of. She knew what she could do. She knew what she had to do. All that was left was to prove her worth as a guard to Shining, and… the sergeant from the Crystal Empire…

“The timer starts whenever you are ready, Miss Glimmer.” Sergeant Silvershield spoke for the first time since he had appeared. His voice was deep and calm, though the cold look on his face remained. Starlight turned around, but Shining was already gone, likely to set up another trap for her. “I will be following you along the way, but only to watch your progress. You are to escort your targets alone.”

“Understood…” Starlight breathed heavily. The armor felt heavier than it had before. Starlight reminded herself again and again how powerful she was. She was a unicorn that could levitate herself as if she was flying, she could best Twilight Sparkle, whose special talent was magic, in a magic duel! She controlled the very essence of time and space at one time! “I'm ready.” The unicorn stated confidently, she was going to pass the test this time!

Sergeant Silvershield revealed a small pocket watch from his armor and paused for several seconds. “Starlight Glimmer, your mission begins… now.”

Making her way to Rarity’s boutique was an easy task. It got her about five minutes total, but Starlight hoped she could make that time up later. The unicorn raised her armor adorned hoof and knocked on the door urgently.

“Welcome to Carousel Boutique, where everything is-oh, Starlight! Hello, yes, please come in, darling!” The pearlescent unicorn smiled wide and ushered the new guard into her abode, the crystal sergeant followed closely. “And who is your new friend?” Rarity fussed with her already perfect mane with her magic when she saw the shining stallion. Starlight only rolled her eyes.

“Don’t worry about him, he’s not important.” Starlight stated flatly. “What is important is that we get going, we have a timetable to keep.” Hopefully Rarity was a punctual pony and would see things her way. It would make the whole ordeal easier.

“Oh yes, of course dear. A lady is always on time…” There was a hesitation, one that Starlight did not like in the slightest. “Just let me get your measurements first, perhaps?” Starlight leveled a glare at Rarity to let her know the answer to that question. “I’m sorry, but that armor just simply will not do. It clashes with the plume, and it’s just all wrong! I can whip up a garment that is both fashionable and functional, trust me. Twilight can enchant it to make it stronger than any old suit of armor could ever be.” Starlight stayed silent, the glare following Rarity as she busily hurried around the boutique, looking for something in the various drawers and piles of fabric.

“Rarity-” Starlight closed her eyes tightly and sighed. She really did not have time for this, not even a little. Any pushing on her part would only be met with the same amount of force from Rarity’s side, that was certain. So a compromise would have to suffice. “-what about if we wait until after this is done? Once we get back here with your sister, I’ll let you take whatever measurements you need.” Starlight opened her eyes to see Rarity beaming at her, the unicorn’s sapphire eyes sparkled with joy.

“You have yourself a deal, Darling!” Rarity grabbed a saddlebag in her magic and put it over her back. “We shouldn’t waste a second if we are to get this done on time!” Starlight smiled at her small victory. That little bit of incentive she gave Rarity should’ve been enough to propel this whole operation to go smoothly.

The pair, accompanied by Silvershield, exited the boutique and started on their way to the school house. Rarity attempted to engage Starlight in small talk, mainly gossip about some of her clients. Starlight did not reciprocate any of it, first and foremost because she didn’t care much for gossip, and secondly because she had to focus on their surroundings.

“-and I said to her, I said, ‘Darling, you simply cannot remain with that brute for a moment longer!’ I still stand by that, any stallion that treats Satin that way deserves nothing less than the Canterlot dungeons!” Starlight came in on the last half of the story, not that she cared about it all that much. She was just tuning in and out of Rarity’s ramblings to see if the unicorn had any objections about their path. Luckily nothing had come up yet. “Oh dear, what’s happening up here?”

“Hmm?” Starlight followed Rarity’s gaze. It was drawn skyward, where several pegasi were moving angry storm clouds into position overhead. “What in Celestia’s name? There’s not supposed to be a storm today.” Starlight always went over the weather schedule with Twilight every week. There was no storm planned for today or any day this week. Then Starlight spotted a familiar rainbow-maned menace flying amongst the busy pegasi. “Rainbow Dash!”

Less than five seconds later, the cerulean mare was hovering slightly above the group. “Hey Rarity, hey Starlight. Nice getup, working on your Nightmare Night costume early this year?” Starlight rolled her eyes and sighed.

“What’s going on? It’s not supposed to rain today.” Starlight got straight to the point, she didn’t want to start a banter with the pegasus. This was one of Shining’s tricks, that much was certain. It had to be.

“Sorry, Starlight. It came straight from the top, we needed to get this storm out yesterday.” Rainbow shrugged nonchalantly as she hovered. “I can’t really delay this anymore than it’s been already.”

“I thought you were the weather coordinator for the entire area.” Starlight coccked an eyebrow, looking for a tell that Rainbow was told to do this by Shining Armor. The pegasus rubbed the back of her neck and gave a nervous laugh.

“Yeah, I mean like the top. Like, a pony who’s so far above me that they’re my boss’ boss’ boss.” Rainbow sighed deeply. “It’s just a small storm, it’s not going to last all day or anything.” That did not help Starlight’s mood at all.

“Well if you insist on making it rain, then I need to go back to my boutique and fetch an umbrella.” Rarity started to turn around, causing Starlight to grind her teeth in frustration. She was losing Rarity, and it was going to cost a lot of time that they didn’t have!

“No.” Starlight reached out and stopped Rarity with a hoof. “We’re not going back.” The newly minted guard turned to Rainbow again. “Can you delay the storm just a little bit, Dash?” Rainbow turned back to look at the clouds, apprehension filled every one of her movements. “Fifteen minutes, that’s all I’m asking.” Rainbow made a sound that reminded Starlight of a distressed caribou, making Starlight sigh. “Twilight has a first draft of the new Daring Do book in her study, I can get you a copy if you just hold off the storm for like 15 minutes.”

“Throw in that sweet Wonderbolts blanket you got for your ‘welcome to the good side party’ and I’ll give you twenty-five.” Starlight tossed that idea around in her head. The blanket was a gift from Pinkie, and it was an awfully comfortable thing to snuggle with at night. Starlight reluctantly held out her hoof, which Rainbow took and shook at lightning speed. “It’s a deal! No takebacks now!” Without another word, the pegasus sped off

“That was terribly generous of you, Starlight.” Rarity said as she stood beside Starlight. “Seriously, darling, you didn’t have to do that. I will gladly make you another blanket, completely free of charge, after this.”

“Thanks Rarity, but it was nothing. I just don’t want to fail this test again, actually I don’t really think I can. I’m pretty sure if I do, then that’ll be it for me being Twilight’s guard.” Starlight sighed and let herself relax just a little bit. This wasn’t easier than yesterday, but Starlight felt like it was certainly going better.

“Well then we best be getting on with-” Starlight heard something in the distance. She tuned Rarity out and turned her ears to the source of the sound. It was faint, far away and growing. At first she thought it was thunder, then her mind picked up on what it truly was.

“Get down!” Starlight threw up a magical barrier at the last second, a volley of pink magic bolts impacted her turquoise shield. She listened for more shots being fired, but heard no charging magic or discharge. Hesitantly, she lowered her shield. “We need to move, now.” That was not a suggestion, it was an order to Rarity.

“What was that? Was that the ‘danger’ that Shining Armor alluded to?” Rarity was wide eyed, her nerves thoroughly frazzled. Starlight had not expected Rarity to be so easily scared of danger, after all her and the elements of harmony had faced down worse threats.

“Yes.” Starlight responded tersely. She began to trot towards the school house once more, Rarity following closely behind. “It’s also the reason we need to keep moving and try to not stop. The slower we move, the easier it is for him to get a bead on us.” Starlight was now heeding her father’s words he repeated to her when she was just a filly, ‘a good soldier never stays still.’

“The sooner we get this done, the better.” Rarity said. Starlight wasn’t sure if the element of generosity was talking to herself or Starlight, either way, she wasn’t resisting anymore. “Let’s just get Sweetie and get back to the boutique.”

The rest of the journey to the schoolhouse was quiet, if not insanely intense. Every snap of a twig, every sound of a distant horn firing up brought Starlight to attention and closer to action. This had to be part of his plan, stir up paranoia and let the rest take care of itself. It was working, and Starlight couldn’t help it. She hadn’t even seen him when he fired the shots earlier, so he was either hidden or one dangerous marksman. Both possibilities were not fun to account for.

“Hi, Rarity!” Starlight registered the high-pitched tones of Rarity’s sister Sweetie Belle from behind her. She didn’t turn to look, mainly because not even Shining Armor would be reckless enough to fire on a schoolyard full of foals. No, he would be waiting for them somewhere in town. “Why do you have guards? Is something wrong?”

“No, Sweetie.” Rarity cooed reassuringly. “That’s just Starlight Glimmer, she’s training to be Twilight’s personal guard, and we’re just helping her.” Starlight turned to give Sweetie a smile, but as soon as she did, a familiar crackling came to her ear. Another spell had been fired.

Starlight snapped her head to the source of the noise and saw a pink bolt flying towards her, not Sweetie or Rarity. She didn’t have the time to throw up a barrier, it would take too long to form with how fast it was closing in. Instead, Starlight decided to try something a little more dangerous.

The pink unicorn leveled her horn at the projectile and forced every bit of magic she could muster into the tip. Her appendage crackled with an almost blinding light, only growing brighter as the projectile approached.

The bolt of Shining’s magic impacted the concentrated energy of her own, as soon as it did, Starlight cast a simple dispel that got rid of the harmful magic. Then she followed it up with her own trick. Since it had impacted her horn, she could feel the path that the magic bolt had taken, she could feel the trail that it left all the way back it’s source. So she sent her own magic along the magical contrail left behind.

It took a few seconds, but there was a distant ZAP and a loud bout of cursing in the distance. Starlight had either hit Shining dead on or at least hit near him, either was good for her. Maybe it would make the captain think twice about attacking again.

“Hah!” The armored unicorn cheered gleefully. “Thought you could outplay me, huh? No chance!” Starlight wasn’t usually one for cockiness, but when she got the best of somepony who was supposed to be above her, well she let some slide.

“That was so cool!” The ivory filly standing behind Starlight cheered aloud. “You like made it go right back! How did you even do that?” Starlight felt her well of self-confidence grow exponentially in the light of the current praise. It wasn’t every day she was able to show off like that.

“Well-”Starlight started. “-I simply built up a large pool of raw magic at the tip of my horn, knowing that the incoming spell would have to burn through it to be effective. So, as it was pushing through my magic, I cast a little dispel to get rid of his magic, then sent my own back through the magical trail that his bolt of magic left behind.” Starlight was quite proud of the feat itself, it was a masterful stroke of quick thinking, if she did say so herself.

“Can you teach me to do that?” Sweetie Belle asked, bouncing on her little hooves impatiently. Rarity put a solid hoof on her little sister’s back, steadying her.

“How about we get back home, and then we can discuss this.” Rarity was as eager to get back to the boutique as Starlight was. She couldn’t really blame the fashionista, it seemed that she didn’t even know what she signed up for. “Let’s move quickly, hmm?” Rarity looked to Starlight, who nodded and motioned for the sisters to lead the way.

The walk to the boutique went absolutely smoothly. No holdups, no attacks, no hindrances. When they finally arrived at the Carousel Boutique, they found out why. Standing outside was Shining Armor, he looked fine except for the arcing turquoise magic coursing along his horn. Other than that, he looked very, very mad.

“What you did back there Glimmer…” The stallion growled out, seemingly doubling his height in a few seconds. Now he towered over the pale pink pony, glaring down at her. “...was impressive.” His voice lightened, and a barely visible smirk crossed his features. “Back-channelling my own magic back at me to disable my horn? I don’t think I’ve ever seen something like that.” The captain slapped Starlight on the back, causing the mare to lurch forward. “I think we might make a guard out of you yet, Glimmer.” He turned to the two white unicorns standing just behind Starlight. “Thank you for your help, ladies. We appreciate it.”

“Oh, it was no problem, Shining Armor. Our pleasure.” Rarity beamed back at the stallion. “If you ever need anything, never hesitate to ask.” Rarity then turned to Starlight. “Do not forget, Darling, you owe me a fitting.” Starlight gulped nervously in reply and nodded. She feared Rarity’s stitching more than she feared Shining. The sisters then went inside of the Boutique, leaving Starlight alone with Shining Armor and Silvershield.

“Sergeant, do you have any observations you would like to report?” That’s what Starlight was dreading, what Silvershield had to say. He had been studying her up close and seeing how she handled the situation on a microscopic level rather than Shining’s rather macroscopic view of events.

“She needs to work on her manner.” The crystal pony stated bluntly. “Interacting with her charge, she had no warmth, only annoyance and concern for time. Other than that, she displayed a deft talent at negotiating and compromise. She persuaded Miss Rarity to speed up by striking a deal, and delayed the incoming storm by making a trade with Miss Dash. Both instances she displayed a patience and understanding of their goals and interests quite well. As you can tell with the spell you caught to the horn, she’s creative in a pinch and a very talented magician.” Every sentence was delivered with such a calm sterility that made Starlight uncomfortable, despite the compliments. They didn’t feel like he was giving opinions, but spitting facts.

“She's very talented, indeed.” Shining Armor parroted. “We can work on the manner later. It takes time to get comfortable in this position.” The tonal shift in Shining’s mannerisms was another shocking thing about today. Starlight had never expected Shining to actually act normal around her, she had expected the drill sergeant facade to stay up at all times. “For now, how about we head back to the castle for lunch? We’ll talk to Twily about the exercise and see what she thinks.”

Starlight nodded and then looked to the sky, basking in the warmth of the sun’s rays before the storm clouds swallowed it up. It felt good, it felt warm and worthwhile. For the first time since she arrived in Ponyville, the whole town felt like home. She felt like a purpose had finally found its way to her.

Then she saw it, flying nonchalantly through the air. Her pupils dilated in fear and her heart seized for a fraction of a second. She couldn’t breathe, her throat was closing up and restricting anything from getting through. Panic had set in, and it was not letting go.

“N-Night Glider…?” That’s who was up there, in the sky. Her midnight blue coat and stark white mane gave it away. She flew towards the center of town, unaware of the unicorn who was below her. That didn’t make Starlight feel any better, though. “N-no, she can’t be here. That’s impossible.”

“Glimmer, are you okay?” A hoof touched her. Who it belonged to, she didn’t know. She didn’t care. For now she was focused on the specter from the past that hung in the air like a Damoclesian reminder of power that once was.

The armor Starlight was wearing had suddenly gotten heavier, much heavier. It made her knees buckle and body ache. Even the sun itself seemed to get brighter and hotter, beating down on her like a raging inferno.

Everything was closing in.

“Starlight…”

That was the final straw, the voice had come back now too, the voice she heard in her previous dream. It’s haunting tones sticking to the air and the inside of Starlight’s head. It was in there now, repeating her own name and taunting her. Starlight couldn’t take it, she couldn’t take another nightmare!

So she ran.