Three Wishes

Sunlight strikes my face, and my eyes struggle to open due to the intense light. I raise my hand up and out from under my blanket to block the sun’s rays, and I am struck with the sudden realization that my shift is about to begin. I throw the blanket off of my body and hop out of bed. I hurriedly dress myself in my thin, chainmail leggings and armor, shivering from the cold touch of the tiny, metal rings on my skin. After slipping into my pointed, reinforced boots, I proceed towards my armoire. With my hands gripping tightly onto the doors’ knobs, I pull them open to reveal my required attire. I fit my hands into my sleek, golden gauntlets; tightening the straps to keep them from sliding down my arm. I get down to one knee, and do the same with my golden shin-guards. I then stand and reach up to shoulder-guards conjoined with my golden chest plate. Lifting it up and off the hook mounted onto the back wall of the armoire, I stick my head through the opening, and rest the armor gently onto my shoulders.

The sunlight beaming from the nearby window reflects off my chest, causing the glassy emblem of the sun to glisten. I take in a deep breath as I stare down at the palms of my hands, and clench them into fists as I listen to the cloth of the gloves stretch and strain. I can feel myself starting to drift off in thought, and my eyes are growing weary. Suddenly, I am snapped out of this daydream-like trance by a loud knocking at my bedroom door. “Hey! Hey, Two-Legs!” A stallion’s voice follows after the knocking. “You know just about ‘everypony’ else is just about ready to get to their posts! And you’re still uhh . . . dreaming!” A smile spreads across my face upon realizing whose voice it is. “You don’t want the Princess breathing down your neck again, right?”

“You know,” I begin. “I’m starting to think you only check up on me just to make ‘yourself’ look better in front of Her Majesty!”

“Hey! You think I’ve got a shot?”

“You, and the Princess?”

“No, a cactus—yes the Princess!”

“Well, sounds possible to me.” With myself now properly dressed, I walk over to my bedroom door and pull it open to meet up with my friend, Heinrick. He’s dressed in his proper guard attire as well. He’s even gone so far as to tidy up his short, black mane and amber coat of fur, something he rarely does. He raises an eyebrow as he stares up at me with his piercing, blue eyes.

“You really think so?”

“Well, with a mane like that, what Princess wouldn’t?” Heinrick chuckles at my sarcasm as we head down the hallway to make our way to the main hall.

“I’m telling you, we are going to have one hay of a wedding! Just imagine it. Her and I in the altar—”

“And her having to sit down just to meet eye to eye with you. That’ll be an awkward kiss.”

“You know, I could always get a stepstool. Maybe even a ladder!” Both he and I burst out in laughter at his comment. “But in all seriousness.” Heinrick calms himself. “I worked extra hard on my appearance today because guess what lucky guards get to stand beside Her Majesty during the ceremony?”

“No way.” My jaw drops.

“That’s right, my friend! You and me!” Heinrick playfully punches my forearm with his hoof.

“We’ve never gotten to guard to main hall! Let alone Her Majesty’s side!”

“And guess where the ceremony’s being held?”

“Canterlot?”

“Oh, no.” Heinrick hooks his foreleg around me, and pulls me in. “Ponyville, Two-Legs!”

“Say what?!”

“You heard me right, Ponyville!”

“Are you saying that we might actually see The Elements of Harmony themselves?”

“Forget just ‘seeing’ them, we might even get to meet them!”

“That’s insane!” I exclaim with excitement bubbling up inside me.

“And get this, I’ve heard that all six of them are absolutely beautiful mares.”

“So, you’re hoping to connect the dots with one of them, huh?”

“Never heard it be called ‘connect the dots’ before, but yes! Think about it. We get to join the Princess’s ceremony, we get to leave the castle and head down to Ponyville of all places, and actually have a bit of fun for once! This is destiny, my friend. It’s all been leading up to this moment, and I am not going to let it pass me by.”

“Makes sense to me.”

“Right? And, I mean, there’s ‘six’ Elements of Harmony. I’m bound to connect the dot with at least one. . . What about you?”

“What about me?”

“You should try and ‘connect’ with one of these mares as well!”

“You’re joking, right?”

“I can even be your wingcolt!”

“Heinrick . . . that’s just silly. Come on, let’s just get to the main hall.”

“Look, Two-Legs, just because you’re different doesn’t mean that—”

“What are you talking about? It’s all because I’m different that I could never connect with a mare. Did you forget that I walk on two legs, not four, and have no hooves? No tail, horn, wings—nothing!” I halt in the middle of the hall, and Heinrick stops as well. I can feel anger uncontrollably building up inside me, and I continue to allow my mouth to express it. “Everywhere I look, there’s nothing as . . . ‘strange’ as me. All of you are the same, so why do I have to be ‘this’?”

“. . . Two-Legs—”

“And please stop calling me that! It was funny before, but right now I’m just not in the mood anymore.” I lean against the wall, taking several deep breaths to calm myself.

“Listen, I’m sorry, alright? I didn’t mean to get you all worked up.”

“It’s fine. Just . . . forget about it.” I continue walking down the hall with Heinrick, and it has become uncomfortably silent. I should know better than this. He’s always trying to keep the mood bright with his jokes and light-hearted conversations, and who am I to keep him from just being himself? Feeling guilty from my outburst, I try to relieve the awkwardness that’s fallen upon us. “Besides, I’m not as confident as you. You’ve got a better chance than anypony in our brigade; maybe even the entire Royal Guard.”

Heinrick snickers. “Well, I wouldn’t say I’m ‘that’ good, but what I was trying to say is that both you and I need somepony special in our lives. When we’re not on duty, we’re cooped up in here just staring outside our windows like birds in cages. We need somewhere to go, and somepony to go to. You know, just stretch out our wings and fly freely.”

“. . . I suppose you’re right.”

“Now, you have a point. You are different, but you know what? I’ve seen pegasi go with unicorns. I’ve seen griffons go with earth ponies. I’ve even seen birds go with fish.”

“You’ve seen all that out your window?”

“Well, maybe not that last one, but do you understand what I’m saying?”

“Hmm . . . no, not really.”

“I’m saying that ‘what’ you are isn’t important. It’s ‘who’ you are that really counts.”

“Sure, Heinrick.” I falsely reassure as I roll my eyes.

“Don’t believe me? Wait until the ceremony. You and I are going to take a little trip around the town, and experience something we never could behind these walls.”

“And that is. . ?”

“Life, my friend. Life.” I can’t help but agree. Heinrick’s always been a bit of a dreamer. Wondering what a day in life would be like where we don’t have to wear this armor, and walk streets far away from Canterlot. To be honest, I’ve had the same thoughts. It makes me wonder why I decided to take on this duty as a guard. I guess after what Her Majesty’s done to help me, I suppose I only saw it fit to return the favor by serving her. As for Heinrick, I can only assume he felt the exact same way. Only now it seems that level of dedication has faded, and he strives for something else. I can’t blame him, this job can get rather tedious at times. It’s not every day that an army decides to attack Canterlot Castle and give us some action. It feels like we’re just a safety net for the off-chance something happens.

Heinrick and I open the double-doors at the end of the hall to the castle’s main hall. We descend down a set of red-carpeted stairs to meet up with the rest of our brigade. “Sorry we’re late guys,” says Heinrick. “Sleepyhead here decided to catch a few extra winks.”

“Yeah, my fault,” I submit. “I’ve been having trouble getting a full night’s sleep lately.”

“Don’t worry about it,” says one of our brigade members. “In fact, you two are just in time.” The guard points his hoof behind us, and we both turn to find the Princesses approaching us. Upon seeing both the Princess of the Night and Princess of the Sun, I am awestruck by their regal appearance. The Princess of the Sun, formally known as Princess Celestia, with her pristine, white coat and elegant multi-colored mane. Beside her, the Princess of the Night, formally known as Princess Luna. Her ocean-blue eyes stand out amongst her dark coat, and her sparkling mane always reminds me of the night sky with its twinkles of light. I, along with the rest of our brigade, drop to our knees and bow before them.

“All of you, please, rise up,” says Princess Celestia.

“Yes, Your Highness,” we all say in unison.

“Your Majesty,” Heinrick begins. “I’m still wondering what exactly this ceremony is about.”

Princess Celestia giggles. “All in due time, Heinrick.”

“I mean, if it’s for something so special, then how come we don’t know anything about it?”

“Heinrick,” says one of our brigade members sternly. “Perhaps it isn’t best to pester Her Majesty with questions.”

“Now, now,” Princess Celestia defuses. “Heinrick, as well as the rest of you, have the right to be curious. However, it is something that I feel should be kept a surprise.”

Heinrick groans. “You’re killing me, Your Highness!”

“Well, I’m sure you’re all eager. How’s about we head on over to Ponyville right this instant? Sister, won’t you join us?” Princess Celestia turns to Princess Luna.

“I would love to,” says Princess Luna. “But, I feel I should stay behind. One of us should stay at the castle to watch over the prisoner.”

“I have a feeling we’ve been making good progress with the prisoner. I would say that it wouldn’t be too much of a risk to take our attention away for just one evening. However, I will not stand in the way of your judgement. If you feel it’s necessary, then by all means, keep watch. . . Then again, if you were to change your mind, feel free to join us.”

Princess Luna smiles. “I will be sure to keep that in mind. Now, go on and celebrate. I know you’ve been waiting quite some time for this day to come.”

“I truly have.” Princess Celestia then turns to us. “Our carriage is just outside the main gates. Wont you fine knights lead the way?”

“With pleasure,” says our brigade member. All of us follow the long, red rug outside of the castle to the beautiful morning. A flock of robins peck at the concrete after the two, big double-doors leading outside. We take our first steps into the sunlight, and the robins immediately disperse and flutter into the air. The warm, summer air is soothing, along with the lush, vibrant grass that surrounds the castle grounds. Heinrick stretches out his legs, and takes a long, deep breath.

He sighs, and turns to me. “Now ‘that’ is air meant for royalty!”

“You can say that again,” I add.

“Hey! I just got an idea.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“You still think you’re faster than me?”

“I don’t need to think, I know.”

Heinrick laughs. “Then how’s about a race to the carriage?”

“In all this armor? You’re crazy.”

“So, you forfeit?”

“I never said that.”

“Then let’s get a move on!” Heinrick dashes down the path toward the carriage, and I, not ready to let him have his false moment of glory, chase after him. My ears are clouded with the sounds of my breathing, and the clanking of our armor. I catch up to him as he and I are both neck and neck and the front gates are getting closer. Glancing out at the castle walls, I catch many other guards already on duty staring us down. Simultaneously, we struggle to slow our momentum and grab hold of the metal bars of the gates. “I think I won that.” Heinrick tries to regain his breath.

“What?” I gasp for breath. “That was definitely a tie.”

“Well, let’s see what our audience thinks.” The rest of our brigade strolls down the concrete path, and finally meets up with us with disgusted and disappointed expressions on their faces. “What do you guys think? A tie? Or did I indefinitely win?”

“I think you two are perhaps the most childish knights I’ve ever laid eyes on,” says one of our brigade members.

“I’ll take that as a complement.”

“Why Her Majesty even bestowed the privilege of knighthood to you two is beyond me.”

“Isn’t it obvious? We’re not a couple of sticks in the mud like the rest of ya . . . no offense.”

“A childish knight gives a childish remark, of course.”

“Well, somepony’s upset they don’t know how to have a bit of fun, eh?” Heinrick nudges my side.

“No, I’m upset that you two are actually going to tarnish the Royal Guard’s good name with the way you act.”

“Personally, I think we’re improving it.”

“You know. . .” The knight gets in Heinrick’s face, showing his impatience. “I’ve kept my composure since you joined our brigade, but now, you’re really starting to get on my nerves.” Heinrick, unfazed, holds his smile.

“Hey,” I say as I step in between them. “Let’s not do anything stupid now, you hear?”

“It’s already too late for that. Your friend seems to be the embodiment of stupid.”

“I think you might want to shut that muzzle of yours.” I glare into the guard’s eyes.

“And what happens then?” He threatens.

“Then you deal with both of us,” says Heinrick stepping by my side, as the rest of our brigade stands by the irate guard.

“Looks to me like the odds aren’t in your favor, kid.”

“That’s fine, I prefer it that way. Makes it more fun.”

“Must I split you two apart like a couple of colts in the schoolyard?” Princess Celestia asks.

“Sorry, Your Majesty, we just don’t appreciate being bullied.”

The guard chuckles. “Truly pathetic.”

“That’s enough, knight,” Princess Celestia orders. “You might find it wise to silence yourself now before uttering another word.” The guard glares at the both of us, then backs away.

“Yeah, you heard the teacher!” Heinrick mocks.

“Heinrick, please don’t.”

“Sorry, I couldn’t help it.”

“This is supposed to be a day of celebration, not petty quarrels.” She then looks to Heinrick and I. “You two, stay here with me for a moment. The rest of you, please enter the carriage.” As directed, the rest of our brigade steps into the carriage as Heinrick and I say behind. “Firstly, Heinrick, it wasn’t right for you to worsen the situation.”

“Right . . . you’re right.”

Princess Celestia turns to me. “And it wasn’t right for ‘you’ to threaten your fellow knight.”

“My apologies, Your Majesty,” I say.

“Secondly, I’m impressed.”

“Say what now?” Heinrick asks baffled.

“You two defended each other when the situation grew worse. I can tell you two must truly value the meaning of friendship when it comes to loyalty. With that, as opposed to what our fellow knight believes, I feel that you two are indeed fine knights to be the faces of the Royal Guard.”

“Well . . . thank you, Princess.”

“Thank yourselves, knights. Now, on the Ponyville! I’m sure you two must be the most eager of all.”

“You know it!” Princess Celestia steps into the carriage, and Heinrick looks to me with his face full of glee. “You hear that? ‘Impressed’. You know what that means?”

“Tell me.”

“It means the wedding is on!”

“Guess I’d better look into getting you that step ladder.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.” Heinrick bumps my fist with his hoof, and we hurriedly make our way into the carriage.