Heroes travels

Time: During Ashley’s slumber Location: outside Twilight’s library

“COME ASH WAKE UP!” Callum shook his friend by the scruff of his neck. Twilight was crying as spike was standing next to her, trying to calm her down.

During his nightmare, Ashley would scream in pain which woke nearby residents. They grew angry and knocked on Twilight’s door to see the crying mare pointing to Callum and Ashley.

The citizens watched in horror at the pale human who was sweating a lot.

“FUCK! GET OFF ME!” Ashley pain filled scream filled the silence.

Fluttershy was called upon to try and ease Ashley but her attempts were effortless. No one could wake him up. Callum kept trying but wasn’t breaking through to his friend.

As time grew on, more and more ponies were woken up by the commotion. Eventually word got to Rainbow Dash who was sleeping on a nearby cloud so she rushed towards Applejack’s and told her what she heard. Applejack ran as fast as possible towards the library, followed by Big Mac.

The cyan pegasus then flew towards Pinkie’s and told her the same news before doing the same for Rarity. As the group gathered at the library, there was already a crowd outside. Some of the crowd were medical staff from the hospital. Rainbow Dash and the others barged through. A grey pegasus mare who told them that she knew Ashley and wanted to see him as well as Captain Shockwave. Several guards were keeping the library’s crowd under control. Callum motioned both Shockwave and Grey Ink to come inside.

They stared at the horror before them. Ashley’s eyes were closed tight as he squirmed around. Sweat pooled around him as he screamed in more pain.

“What’s wrong with him?” Shockwave asked, approaching the panicking humans side.

“I don’t know but he’s having one hell of a nightmare. He can’t be woken and he keeps crying out.” Callum replied sadly. He hated not being able to help Ashley when he’s in pain.

Twilight, Fluttershy, Pinkie (Whose mane was deflated and straight) and Rarity were crying around Ashley. Applejack was tearing up while Rainbow was standing above Ashley’s chest, trying effortlessly to wake the human up. Tears rolled down her face seeing the faces of agonising pain occur in front of her....

“Witch...” She heard Ashley whisper before he cried out in more pain. She quickly got off him to avoid being hit by a flailing limb.

Spike blew his green flame on a letter to Princess Luna, being the princess of the night. She was capable of looking into the dreams of those asleep. Shortly after sending the letter, two lights took form in the library. As they faded, Princess Luna and Celestia looked over at the human who was still crying in pain.

“What’s wrong with him?” Celestia asked worryingly as both princesses rushed to the human’s aid.

“It must be a nightmare but we can’t wake him up. He’s been like this for a quite as while now.” Callum kneeled down next to his friend.

Luna put her horn against Ashley’s forehead, trying to look into his dreams. As soon as she made the connection, Ashley’s eyes shot open as he woke up. He gasped for air as he looked at the faces around him looking worryingly towards him. His heart was beating hard against his chest as he rubbed the side of his head with his left hand, covered in sweat. He was still shaking slightly from his ordeal.

“Ugh...”Ashley groaned as he stood up “I need some fresh air.” He stood up to leave the room but was blocked by Rainbow Dash. He saw dried tears that had stained her cheeks.

“Y-you’re n-not going a-anywhere...” She struggled to speak.

“Why are you crying?”

“You were screaming in pain a lot while you slept. We tried to wake you up but we couldn’t. We could only stand there and watch...We all really wanted to help but...” Rainbow tears started to begin forming again in her eyes.

“Ssshh. I’m fine now...As far as I can tell.” Ashley said soothingly as he lowered himself next to the Pegasus, holding her towards him in the attempt to calm her down.  He pressed her head against her chest. She heard his heartbeat slowing down as he gently stroked her mane to soothe her.

“Uhhh...Ash?” Callum spoke up, ruining the moment “You mind telling us what was going on in that dream?”

“No. Not now.”

“But why not?”

“Because I don’t want to speak about it right now.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. Now drop the subject.” He said with hostility, gritting his teeth.

“Ashley...”Luna spoke gently “You will need to come to Canterlot with us so if this happens again, I can try to stop it.”

“Sure. Let’s go then.” Ashley slowly let go of the cyan Pegasus as he stood up to leave. As he walked towards the open door, he looked at Rainbow who was still crying. “...Only if Rainbow can come with me though.”

“I’ll come too.” Callum stepped forward but Celestia blocked his path.

“I’m sorry Callum but we still need you to stay here and do your duty. This is a direct order and I know you care deeply for Ashley’s well being. We will contact you as soon as you, Twilight and the others are capable of visiting.

Callum look Celestia in the eye with burning anger but she didn’t show any signs of intimidation but returned a stare of her own. A stare that pretty much said ‘Don’t you dare tell me what to do. I’m the mother fucking princess of the sun, bitch.’

“Fine...”Callum sighed in defeat, taking a step back from the sun goddess.

Ashley grabbed his bag, grabbing his knife, pistol and MP3 player from inside it before throwing it next to where he slept. Grabbing his hooded robe, he gestured Rainbow to stand next to him which she did, slowly.

“Grab hold of my wing.” Celestia opened her wing towards Ashley hesitated at first but done it anyway.

“Rainbow Dash, grab my hoof.” Luna spoke. Rainbow done what she was told.

Both of the princess’s horns grew brightly, causing everyone in the room to look away. As soon as the light faded, the only thing left in their presence was a mixture of a white and dark blue mist. The blue mist sent shivers down the spines of those it breezed past while the white mist gave welcoming warmth to their bodies.

Callum clenched his fist. “There’s not much we can do for him now. We’ll have to wait until we can see him.” He stepped outside to the crowd “The situation has been handled. Please return to your homes.” A few ponies split from the crowd but the others remained. Callum sighed before Shockwave stepped outside.

“You heard him. Leave now.” He spoke, causing everypony to file back to their homes.

“Thanks.” Callum said as he watched the ponies going back home, talking about what just happened most likely.

“No problem.” Shockwave nudged the human’s leg with his elbow “Y’know. We have bunks at the station if you want to sleep there.”

Callum looked back towards Twilight who collected her composure. You could still tell she was a bit worried but it was a vast improvement from earlier. She smiled weakly, nodding.

“Go ahead.” She gestured for him to leave.

“Alright. But first things first.” Callum grabbed both his and Ashley’s bags, strapping them across his shoulder. He walked over to Twilight and embraced her “Thank you. For everything.” He broke the embrace as he left. Leaving five ponies and a baby dragon alone in the library since Grey Ink decided to go back home.

As they entered the station, they both made themselves some tea in the mess hall. There were still some guards dotted around the mess hall. Most likely having their lunch breaks during their night shift.  Shockwave couldn’t help but ask some questions to break their awkward silence.

“So...How long have you known Ashley?”

“Almost my entire life.”

“You guys like...Best friends or something?”

“Yeah...Always have been best friends but to ourselves. We were brothers. We’ve been through a lot together even if one of us didn’t want the other to get involved.”

“How old were you when you met him? And how old are you now?”

“I first met him at three years of age and I’m twenty five years old.”

“Dang...Twenty two years?” Shockwave took a sip of his beverage, giving a sigh of relief after swallowing.  “Can I ask you something else?”

“You can ask me anything. I may hold back some details but that’s for your benefit.”

“Alright...What was it like in your army?”

“It was the most stressful, agonising time of my life. Ashley and I done many things. Saved many people and yet killed many.   We’ve watched teammates die. Watched close friends die. I joined because I wasn’t going to let Ashley go by himself. It’s tested our friendship, resilience, physical and mental strength and we always came out on top. Sure we came out with a few scars but that’s what shaped us into the men we are today.” He sighed, staring into his drink before taking a long sip.

“You’ve been through a lot as far as I can tell...What was your life like before you joined the army?”

“It was fun as hell. Pulling pranks on friends, partying like made. Getting drunk. Getting ladies. Getting ladies while drunk. Doing things with them if you catch my drift.” He smirked

“Oh trust me. I know that lifestyle but taking the role of a guard shaped me up nice and proper. What about Ashley? What was he like?”

“He partied like me. Pulled the pranks with me but when it came to the ladies, he didn’t do anything. He’d always turn them down if they wanted him. Sure he likes to have a good time but not THAT sort of good time.” Callum laughed a bit as he finished off his drink.

“What?!...He’s a fool!” Shockwave chuckled a bit.

“I thought that at first but I still respected his choice.

Location: Canterlot royal castle

Ashley sat in a room. A small room to be exact with all walls the same width and height. The tiles on the ground were spotless as were the walls. The room had a window to allow fresh air to flow around the room. Sitting next to him was Rainbow Dash with the faint look of worry on her face. Ashley’s belongings that he brought with him were wrapped in his robe that lay on his lap. Across the table, Luna had several blank pieces of parchment ready with a couple pots of ink and several quills. All ready to take notes of Ashley’s dream. Celestia was sitting next to her sister since she’d be asking most of the questions.

“So...Shall we begin Ashley?” Celestia asked.

“...Let’s.” He replied quietly.

“First question. Where did this dream take place?”

“Ponyville.” As he spoke, Luna used her telekinesis to write the question and answer on the parchment.

“Were there any others involved in the dream?”

“Callum, Pinkie, Applejack, Rarity, Twilight, Rainbow and Fluttershy.”

“What did you do in your dream?”

Ashley was silent, thinking what to say to the princesses “Running...panicking...burning...being torn apart...” His stared at the table, not blinking once.

“Do you know what was doing those things?”

“Not really but I knew who they were...”

“Who were they?”

“The names I said before...It was them...”

“Wait...What?” Rainbow said shockingly “What do you mean it was US?”

“Their appearance...their voices...” His voice trailed quieter, barely audible “They resembled you all...but your appearances...they were slightly different...deformed.” Ashley felt his heart rate increase slightly.

“What do you mean deformed? I hate to ask you this Ashley...” Celestia spoke in her soothing voice “But we need you to tell us their appearances and what they did.”

Ashley looked at Celestia’s eyes, then at Luna’s before turning to Rainbow Dash’s. He sighed in defeat “Alright but I’m not too good with descriptions.”

“Just describe to the best of your ability. If it gets too hard for you then stop if need be.” Luna spoke as she gave a faint smile to Ashley.

“...Fine. We’ll start with Callum. He’s been in both of my dreams. The second dream being the worst, his left arm was a large black claw while the right arm was a mass gathering of worms-like things that appeared to be his flesh. He had multiple large slash wounds over his face as dark red liquid which I thought was blood, flown out of his eyes and into those slash wounds. He was the first to appear. The dream started out with balls of fire coming from the sky and smashing down onto Ponyville while he came out of this large bubbling pool of black liquid. I’ll explain what I found out about that stuff later. As he emerged, he came straight after me, destroying buildings in his path.”

He took a deep breath and exhaled I could really go for something to drink right now “When he forced his claw into the ground, some large sharp things came out of the ground and started to attack me. They too were black but the sharp tips were green with blood stains as far as I could tell. Onto that liquid, I was hit near a pool of the stuff and noticed my left hand went into it.” He looked at his left hand and brought it to his eyes, examining it. “It felt like my hand was in a tub of acid, burning through the flesh until I was thrown into a flaming building which made the liquid fade away quickly.”

“That sounds horrible!” Rainbow gasped “Did you feel pain?”

“Every. Damn. Bit.” Ashley replied, putting his hand back onto his lap, he continued his story “After I was smashed into that building, I ran as fast as I could. I could actually feel myself getting tired from my sprint so I took cover behind a building. I checked the side and saw Callum’s figure searching for me in a pile of rubble. I turned around and saw Pinkie.”

“What did she look like? What did she do?”

“I don’t want Rainbow to listen to this. I’m sorry Rainbow Dash but I need you to leave the room for a moment, I don’t want you to-“

“Nu-uh.” Rainbow interjected “I’m staying with you.”

“This isn’t a negotiation Rainbow Dash.” He looked her in the eye with a small grin “I’ll be fine.”

“I’m not leaving.” Rainbow scowled “You were there for me earlier so I’m here for you now.”

“...Fine.” He turned to Celestia and Luna “Can you make it so she can’t hear me?”

“I can try.” Celestia’s horn started to glow as did Ashley. He felt a small tingling sensation in his throat “Say something to Rainbow Dash, preferably something you’ve never said to her.”

He turned to Rainbow who was looking him in curiosity “I hate being at Sugarcube Corner.” She watched his lips move but no sound came out.

“Repeat what he said Rainbow.” Celestia asked.

“I...I can’t. I couldn’t hear him.” She said honestly.

“Then it worked. Continue your story Ashley.” Celestia gestured to the human to do so. Luna was waiting eagerly for the next installment of his story to write down.

“Pinkie didn’t do much. She screamed at a very high pitch which shattered my ears. Her eyes were emotionless but then her jaw extended beyond a normal pony is capable of. Her teeth grew sharp and turned black as the skin around her mouth tore open which revealed more of the teeth. Three dark pink...It’s better if I draw what it looked like. Pass me some paper and a quill.”

Luna levitated the items next to him as he draw the basic shape of the tendril. Labelling the sharp end. He slid the parchment over to the princesses who inspected it carefully

“That...looks like a tendril.” Luna held a hoof to her chin “Yes that’s exactly what it is.” She continued with her notes. Rainbow Dash was able to see the drawing briefly from her angle before Luna slid it into her notes.

“At least we know what it is. Anyway, Her eyes turned black and I noticed that Callum noticed her screech so I ran as fast as I could. I noticed they were going much slower than me but then I was tackled by Applejack. I landed on my back as she stood over my chest. Her eyes held no emotion but then her body shook violently as she held me against the ground. Her teeth turned sharp as blood dripped onto my chest. She smashed her hoof into my jaw saying and I quote ‘What’s the matter Ash? Y’all seemed to be able to take care of yerself!’.” He said the quote in his best country voice. He chuckled a bit at his impressive attempt.

He watched Luna smile a bit at his impersonation as she continued her notes.

“Anything else?” Celestia cocked an eyebrow. Even in dire times she would keep her posture.

“Ah yes. She tried to hit my jaw again but I blocked it and smacked her in the eye with my fist which made her get off me. She hissed, her tongue was black and the black liquid dripped of its end. Three dark orange tendrils came out of her back with blood dripping from them. I ran as fast as I could...”

The discussion went on for almost an hour. Rainbow was bored since she couldn’t hear what Ashley was saying but stayed in the room as support. Ashley looked over at Rainbow Dash when he was talking about her part in the dream with a faint look of sadness. He tried to hide it quickly from Rainbow but she saw it.

After the discussion, Celestia went back to sleep since in a few of hours she would have to raise the sun. Luna was looking over the notes of the dream while Ashley was walking around the Castle with Rainbow Dash, weapons in his pockets while he wore his hooded robe. Guards were giving the human suspicious looks but realised his emblem on his shirt when he shown it to them. Rainbow started to grow tired and yawned which grabbed Ashley’s attention almost immediately.

“You’re either bored or tired or both. Which is it?” He asked in a cheerful tone.

“The second one, I woke up because SOMEPONY made me worry about them again when I was sleeping.” She nudged him the leg with her hoof playfully.

“I do make you worry about me too much, don’t I? I promise to make it up to you sometime alright?”

“What did you have in mind?”

He shrugged “Whatever you feel like, it could be another race or grab something to eat or whatever. It’s your choice.”

Rainbow brought a hoof to her chin as she thought of what they could do but came up with nothing. “I’ll get back to you on that.” She replied.

“Fine, but you should get some rest.”

“Yeah…I should but what about you?”

“Well…I can risk having another nightmare or I can stay awake for a few days. Most likely the second idea unless I can get the princesses to sort something out.”

“What did you have in mind?”

“Well…I’m hoping for the princesses to make it so my body doesn’t require sleep but I doubt they could make that happen.

“If they could do that, imagine all the things you could do with that time!” She gave a small smile then it struck her. She knew what she wanted to do with Ashley but wanted to keep it secret.

Both human and Pegasus approached a large set of doors which had two guards guarding it. These guards were different from the others, these had bat like wings and darker coats and armour. Different shades of dark blue and black which Ashley guessed that these were two of Luna’s personal guards. Both Ashley and Rainbow Dash approached the guards.

“What is your business here?” one of them asked

“I’m here to see Luna about a personal issue she has been looking into for me.”

“Hmm…” The guard looked over Ashley “I’m not letting you in, not with verification that you’re allowed to.”

“Oh really? If you don’t let me in, you’ll end up like either the diamond dogs that invaded Ponyville or like the pile of guards in the hospital. Your choice.” Ashley grinned evilly.

“You don’t know who you’re messing with…” The other guard spoke up, clenching his teeth.

The door opened, gaining everyone’s attention. Luna stood in the doorway and looked bitterly towards the guards.

“This is the guard I was telling you about. He is allowed to see me whenever he feels like it unless I say otherwise. Do you understand that?”

“Yes princess.” Both guards bowed down to the princess in apology.

“Good.” She motioned Ashley and Rainbow into her quarters “Please, come in.”

As Ashley and Rainbow Dash entered the room, they saw a mass pile of books thrown across the room, some open while some were still covered in dust. The moonlight shined through the stain glass windows as the cold breeze flown into the room through the doors to the balcony. Rainbow shivered slightly as the breeze ran through her coat while Ashley walked onto the balcony and stared at the star filled night sky. A small smile appeared on his face.

“Do you like it?” Luna’s voice came from behind him.

“The night?” He turned around, seeing Luna nod “Yes…Actually I love it. The night is my favourite time since the air feels cool when you breathe. You’re capable of seeing things that are a huge distance away as the moon reflects the light from the sun. The night tends to calm me and staring at the sky just…makes my mind go blank. Luna, you do a very good job at making the night this beautiful.”

“Oh…Well uh…” Luna blushed slightly. Nopony has really said that they admired her work like this. “Thank you Ashley, for the compliments. I don’t have many who admire the night.”

“Heh, no problem. I like to give compliments when they’re due. I must say one more thing Luna.”

“Oh? You do?”

“Yes. Rainbow has fallen asleep on your floor.” He sniggered as he pointed towards the cyan pegasus who was curled up in a ball, shivering from the cold but was sound asleep.

“She shouldn’t be sleeping on the cold floor like that. She can use my bed for tonight.” She levitated the sleeping Pegasus above the bed. Ashley pulled the quilt so Luna could place Rainbow on the mattress. He gently put the guilt over the majority of her body when she was placed on the bed. They both quietly returned to the balcony, shutting the door to prevent more cold air going into the room.

Ashley looked through the door’s windows, staring at the Pegasus. “She looks cute when she’s sleeping.” Mumbling quietly to himself.

“You care for her don’t you?” Luna stepped next to Ashley, also looking at the sleeping Pegasus roll over into a more comfortable position.

“Yeah…” He replied, quickly realising what the alicorn could’ve implied “But as a friend.”

“Really? Are you sure?” Luna cocked an eyebrow with a mischievous grin.

“I’m sure. She worries about me a lot so she must think that I’m a close friend…Well, that’s what she is to me.”

“I see…” Luna grew silent and looked towards her night sky “Do you…” she went silent, trying to ditch the question but Ashley had other plans.

“Do I what? Do I like syrup? Do I floss regularly? Do I write with my left or right hand?” he smiled as he shot random questions.

Luna rolled her eyes and giggled lightly “None of those…Do you ever think about going home? Would you go if you had the chance?”

“Let me tell you something that not even Celestia bothered to find out about when she had the chance.”

Luna’s ears perked up “Go on.”

“Me and Callum were on our final mission before we would go back home from the army. It was all going well until the guys we were working for betrayed us and used as guinea pigs for their experiment. Something went wrong with the power and sent us here. To be honest…I’m glad we did.”

“Why?”

“Because…This world is a utopia compared to ours. Everyone is understanding and helps each other even if they don’t expect anything in return. Our planet was filled with hate and greed but there were some people who are like the ponies here. I didn’t have much back on my planet…Only my mother, Callum and a few friends that I lost contact with ages ago. But hey, I’ve got a new set of awesome friends who I wouldn’t trade anything for.”

“Do I count as your friend?” Luna gave him her best puppy dog look (You know, looking sad with wide eyes and pouting. That sort of thing), she was obviously teasing him.

“Two things. Number one being that puppy eyes don’t work on me and two, of course you’re my friend.” He smiled at the alicorn “I would be a fool to even object.”

“Good to know.” She smiled back. Both human and alicorn continued to stare at the night sky for a couple of minutes silently.

“I have to ask you this Luna.”

“By all means ask away.”

“Are you capable of making it so someone does not require sleep?”

“What?” She looked at him confused “Why would you want to know?”

“Because I’d like it if I couldn’t sleep to prevent from having any more nightmares.”

“Well...I’m sorry but even if I could, your body would still require the rest.”

“Oh that’s right...My body needs sleep to detoxify.” Ashley face palmed “How could I have forgotten that? Thanks anyway Luna.”

“Glad to help.” She replied “You know quite a bit about your body. Why is this?”

“I studied this sort of thing in school years ago and it helps a lot for training and medical situations.”

“I see...”

“You can ask any question you want by the way, except for the touchy subjects.”

“Okay...Ummm, how about you tell me some of your hobbies?”

“I enjoy cooking a bit, training, hanging out with friends, walks during the night and a bit more.” He turned to Luna “I want to ask, what did you say when you told those guards earlier?”

“Oh uh...I can’t say right now. It would ruin a surprise.”

“Fair enough, as long as it isn’t a party then I’m okay with it.”

“Why don’t you like parties?”

“Personal story of close friends being kil...Passing away.” Ashley sat down on the cold, stone balcony floor with his legs crossed.

“I see, I won’t ask about it then.” She took a seat next to him and patted him on the shoulder with her hoof.

“Thank you. I was told at a young age that true friends respect your decisions and support them.” He smiled weakly. “I’d like to steer away from this type of conversation now.”

“Well...What do you want to talk about?”

“I don’t know.” He stood up and slowly opened the door to Luna’s room, trying to be as quiet as possible not to disturb Rainbow Dash and her snoring. He noticed she was still shivering even under the bed covers. He removed his hooded robe and gently placed it over Rainbow, watching as she snuggled up to it.

“I swear she does that thing on purpose.” He whispered, loudly enough for Luna to hear but not to wake up Rainbow Dash.

“Does what?”

“Being adorable when she sleeps.”

“I…I don’t see what you mean.”

Ashley shrugged “Whatever, I think we should let her rest in quiet.” He slowly opened the door to leave Luna’s private quarters (Motioning Luna to go through first).

The two guards looked in the corner of their eyes at the human following the princess. They hated him with a passion but Ashley could sense their hostility, it amused him. As they both walked past the guards, Ashley looked back and flipped them the middle finger with a grin on his face. They didn’t know what the gesture meant which made it more amusing for him.

As both of them walked down the halls, the moon had already gone down as the sun rose. Its light beamed through the windows, lighting the castle’s interior effectively. Caretakers and guards could be seen doing their jobs. Through the window, you could see gardeners and animal caretakers in the castle gardens. As they continued on, Ashley noticed a white unicorn stallion with a blond mane.

“Who’s that?” He nudged Luna lightly and pointed towards the unicorn.

“That’s my nephew Prince Blueblood. Ponies tend to not like him because he is…How can I put this…”

“I’m guessing he is a snobby, selfish pony who uses his powers to get what he wants and treats everyone below him like common dirt.”

“Actually…That’s exactly what he is like. How did you know?”

“Because he just made a pony cry because she done something wrong by accident.” Ashley glared angrily towards Blueblood who was currently yelling at a cowering mare. Turns out she accidently tripped and spilt something near him but didn’t get any on him.

“I’ll have a word with him.” Luna said as she started to move towards the prince but was blocked by Ashley’s arm

“Let me handle this. I’ve dealt with his type before.” He shifted his neck to the side, making a cracking noise “Watch me work my magic.”

“You can perform magic?”

“It’s a figure of speech, although I wouldn’t mind trying it out.” He walked up to the prince and tapped him on the shoulder.

“Ugh. Who dares touch me?” He held his nose high as he turned around, his eyes met Ashley’s “What is this disgusting thing doing in here!?” He yelled out, grabbing the attention of several guards and ponies.

Ashley folded his arms, shaking his head “That’s not a good way to say hello now is it Blueblood?”

“This is the most horrid thing I have every laid my eyes on!...It's probably a uncivilised hairless ape.”

“Hairless ape? Okay...I'll give you that one. Uncivilised!?" Ashley clenched his dist as he got closer towards Blueblood "If I was uncivilised, how come I am communicating with you? How am I not beating the shit out of you right now? Because I'm holding back but don't fucking tempt me because I'm not a guy you want to call bluff on a threat.Go ahead. Insult me again and see where it gets you. I think a bit of manual horn removal would do just fine...Maybe a few broken bones and make you go into a coma.”

“You wouldn’t even be able to get near me. My guards will put you down before you could even say ‘stop’.”

“Oh really? Did you hear about the Diamond dog incident in Ponyville?” This guy is a douche, might as well have some fun with him.

“As a matter of fact I have.” He said smugly.

“Did you hear about the guards in Ponyville being beaten up and sent to hospital? Did you hear about Night Wing have his horn ripped from his head?”

“Yes, of course I have. Why are you asking me such trivial things?”

Ashley chuckled to himself quietly like a madman “Because I’m the one who done it.”

“Wha-? You’re obviously lying.”

“Oh am I now? I’m sure I can get Night Wing to tell you. I’m sure that MANY ponies in Ponyville will vouch for me. I’m certain that even…” He gestured to Luna who was watching the scene take place from a distance “Princess Luna AND Princess Celestia can confirm what I did. Now I’m going to tell you a nice little story to why I’m not going to make your skull make a nice acquaintance to the floor for being a generic asshole to that poor pony.”

Blueblood stared at him in silence. His heartbeat increased, being in the presence of a killer animal and being spoken to in such a manner…Only one pony has ever treat him with disrespect was a white unicorn he met at the Grand Galloping Gala once.

“You see. A couple of years of me being in the army, we had a new recruit. His name was Chris. He was just like you. A self centred person who thought that because his parents had power, he could tell others what to do and treat them like dirt on his shoes. You know what we did with him?”

“W-what?” Blueblood replied in his shaken voice. Rainbow Dash was already awake and was watching the scene take place, far behind Luna.

“Easy. We made him do one of our training sessions. Stripping him of all titles and made him do hard work. We kept yelling at him, firing weapons near him, putting him under A LOT of stress both mentally and physically. He asked his father, who was a General, if he could quit but even he wanted us to change his son’s asshole attitude so he made his son stay. The kid refused help from teammates, always thinking he could do things himself. I swear that kid must have played too much Call of Duty.” Ashley chuckled to himself, obviously knowing only he would get the joke “He actually thought he could order what Callum and I do and he was only a private! At one point, Chris got fed up of me and Callum treating him like he would do to other soldiers and he challenged one of us to a fight…”

“What…What happened next?”

“Let’s just say that Callum went easy on the kid. He broke both his arms, one of his legs, a few ribs and a broken jaw and almost killed the kid. Oh and Callum is my best friend so if you say anything bad about him…” Ashley grabbed Blueblood by the jaw, pulling his face towards his own as he stared at him with pure anger. his body was dangling at least a foot off the ground as he tried to get Ashley to release his jaw with his hooves

“We’re going to have some problems.” Ashley let go of his jaw. Blueblood landed on the floor with a *thud* and scrambled back to his feet. The look of terror in his eyes was amusing to Ashley.

“Now. The reason why I’m not going to beat the crap out of you today is that I’m in a good mood and I’m going to give you a second chance. Apologise to this pony for your behaviour and treat EVERY SINGLE PONY with respect. You got that?” Ashley scowled

“Y-yes sir.” He quickly looked at the mare who was still cowering “I’m sorry for my actions. It will not happen again.”

“Good. Oh and by the way. You’ll be seeing me more since I’m a guard as well but I don’t give a crap about you being a prince. For me to even say that title near your name, you have to earn my respect.”

Everyone in the room was watching Ashley in shock. Luna was actually pleased that someone was putting their foot down at her nephew’s behaviour while Rainbow (With Ashley’s robe over her back) was holding her laughter. The mare was starting to clean up her mess but was stopped by Ashley doing it for her.

“Remember Blueblood. If I hear you treat someone like that again. Welcome your horn when I shove it up your ass.” Ashley gestured the mare to follow him as he looked at everyone giving him looks of surprise. He grinned in return as he walked away.

Rainbow flew up next to him with a beaming smile “DUDE THAT WAS AWESOME!” She laughed hysterically “I can’t wait to tell Rarity what you just did!”

Luna had taken her place next to Ashley “I must say that was quite the show. Much better than me telling him off although I think you went too far with that threat.”

“Maybe…But I will do it if I find out if he does it again.” He looked over at the mare next to him “What’s your name?”

“Oh…My name is Green Mint but my friends call me Minty.” She smiled.

“Nice to meet you Green Mint, my names Ashley Cook but you can call me Ash or Ashley. Whatever suits you.”

“Oh…Okay then, thank you Ash for doing that back there.”

“No problem. I hate people with his personality, always think they know best and think they’re better than everyone at everything.” Ashley looked behind himself and saw Celestia walking up to him, her face had a small smile to it. He immediately bowed.

“Good morning Celestia. How did you sleep?” both Rainbow and Minty bowed when they saw Celestia approach.

“I slept well Ashley, thank you for your concern, you may all rise.” They rose “I just heard that a certain somepony just gave my nephew a piece of their mind.” She glanced at Ashley.

“Yep.” He replied with a beaming smile “He was being a jerk so I put back in his place, threatened him too.”

“What did you say?” Celestia asked with a concerned tone.

“Nothing much…” Ashley shrugged “Just that I will shove his horn up his ass if I hear he treats another pony badly.”

“Well...Let’s just hope it doesn’t come to that. Will you be joining Luna and I for breakfast? This includes you Rainbow Dash.”

“I’d never want to miss the chance to eat with the princesses.” Rainbow replied with a smile.

“I will gladly accept your invitation Celestia, I would be a fool not to.” Ashley replied in his posh voice, getting a couple of laughs from Rainbow and Luna, Celestia rolled her eyes and smiled.

“Well, I should get back to work.” Minty said, she was about to move but Ashley tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around as Ashley put his mouth next to her ear and whispered.

“If you see Blueblood act like a jerk to anyone, tell me and I’ll come and sort him out.”

Minty nodded as she left the group, returning to her duties. Rainbow, Ashley and the princesses walked towards the dining hall. The princesses were talking to each other, ahead of Ashley and Rainbow who were talking to each other. Rainbow gave back Ashley his robe with a faint blush.

“Thanks for letting me use this.”

“No problem, you seemed to enjoy hugging it at night.” He put on the robe, it had a couple of her feathers on the inside. He removed them “A little keepsake I think.” He put them into his pocket.

First person: Callum

Well...Ain’t that a load of shit. Celestia always orders me to do something when it involves Ashley greatly...A downfall of accepting this guard job.

After my talk with Shockwave, I went to the stations bunk room. The beds weren’t that soft but they beat the wooden floor of Twilight’s house any day. I immediately went to the shower room which when it came to me having a shower...Was quite difficult. For starters, the shower heads came up to my chest which resulted me having to kneel down on the floor. Second problem was that I had to borrow one of my co-workers soap since I didn’t have any myself. He didn’t mind but asked if he and a couple of his friends could watch me and Ashley train when he gets back. I had an idea for a little surprise for when he gets back. Hopefully he can still speak some Russian.

I Grabbed breakfast from the mess hall at around 9:15am before heading to Shockwave’s office. I stopped by the reception briefly to see Grey Ink since I had plenty of time. She was still a bit shaken from the ordeal earlier. Poor dear...She could use some cheering up soon. If I could find a bar that serves alcohol here then I would invite her, Shockwave and my other friends to come drinking...I could try out that club Dash mentioned but I don’t have a clue what it was called. I’ll have to wait when she gets back.

...Although I don’t think I would like to be drunk around ponies...I doubt they would be able to handle me and my sexiness not to mention the pranks...Oh god the pranks...I seriously need to get back to speed with that. It’s been a few years and I’m sure Ash could use the cheering up.

I visited Shockwave who told me I would be patrolling the town centre. Easy enough. All I did was walk around the town, getting a bit of chit chat with the locals. So many asked about last night but told them that the matter was none of their concern. Most of them nodded and changed the subject or left while some tried to pry some more information out of me. Didn’t work out for them though since I put on hard ass mode which is basically me saying one word answers and not really giving a fuck about what they had to say. Reminds me of Ash when he gets troubled...or is annoyed.

Before I even knew it, my shift was over. It wasn’t so bad and was easy money.  I went back to Shockwave’s office to get my days pay. 160 bits...I have no idea if that was good or bad but I was pleased with a days work without trying to not get killed in the process. Things were finally turning alright for me but it would be better if Ashley could get his dreams sorted out.

Location: Canterlot Castle   First person: Ashley

Okay...Rainbow must be freaking out a bit...

We were all having breakfast. Simple enough right? Not in this case. I could tell that Rainbow was panicking a bit since she noticed that the rest of us were eating with utensils. Celestia and Luna their magic of course. Rainbow just continued to stare at me and then her food.

“What’s wrong Rainbow?” I asked.

“Huh...Oh...Uh nothing. Everything’s cool.” I could tell that she was freaking out a bit. Out of all the ponies I know, she ACTUALLY was concerned about how she was going to eat in front of the princesses.

I took another spoonful of my oatmeal. It was blistering hot so I blew on it of course to cool it down a bit. I was getting fed up with Rainbow worrying about her breakfast so I did what a good friend would do.

I held spoon out to my side and dropped it, hearing the several *clings* (or whatever sound metal makes when it hits marble tiles) as it bounced on the ground upon impact. The princesses immediately look towards me, as did Rainbow, all with looks of confusion on their faces.

“Ashley...What are you doing?” Rainbow asked.

“Oh you’ll see.” I gave her my cocky grin. I placed both my hands on the side of the table, leaning myself backwards slightly. I rushed my head straight into the bowl of blistering hot oatmeal. I grabbed as much as I could in my mouth before pulling my head out of the bowl. My face was burning like hell. Luckily I didn't get any of the stuff in my eyes but I didn’t show weakness.

“Ashley...Why did you do that?” Luna asked.

I grabbed a nearby napkin and wiped my face, swallowing my mouthful “Man that’s hot.” I looked towards Rainbow, her facial expression was more of shock than confusion but you could tell she had both emotions going through her right now. I looked towards Luna who was confused while Celestia gave a light giggle as she took another bite of her breakfast.

“Breaking the tension by the way. I noticed Rainbow was worrying about how she would eat her breakfast. Can’t blame her since she only saw us using the utensils.” I looked at Rainbow who gave me a faint smile “Didn’t hurt much. I’ve suffered worse.” I gave her a smile as hers grew a bit more before she lowered her head down to eat part of her sandwich.

Both princesses smiled and rolled their eyes, continuing with their own breakfasts. Luna levitated her napkin and wiped my cheek

“You missed a spot.” She giggled a little as she said teasingly. I rolled my eyes and suppressed my smile.

“Gee, thanks mom.” I mocked as I brushed the air with the back of my hand.

Celestia watched the little moment of Luna and I and said in a mocking tone...

“You two would make a cute couple.” I deadpanned. That was uncalled for.

“...” Both Luna and I were silent.

Rainbow was laughing a lot in the background and I mean A LOT. She was loud and fell onto the floor, clutching her sides. Celestia was laughing as was Luna but it sounded a bit fake, trying to be part of the joke I guess. I decided to have some payback.

“So you would you and Callum, Celestia. I can imagine the child being a half human, half pony with horns and wings and flowing mane.” Yeah...I went there. Threw in my cheeky smile with a wink just for fun.

“W-w-what!?” She started to freak out. I either hit a nerve or it’s mostly from shock from my comeback. It was my turn to go into hysterical laughter with Rainbow. I swear she wouldn’t be able to breathe if she kept it up. Luna was trying to hide her giggling behind the hoof over her mouth but you could see her wide grin.

She needs to learn I hold no bars when it comes to comebacks.

Celestia kept on denying which made it even funnier for me. I could tell she would try to counter my comeback.

“Actually I take back my joke...” Celestia said, an evil grin found its way onto her face “It’s obvious that you and Rainbow Dash would make a MUCH cuter couple.” Luna burst out in laughter.

Rainbow and I ceased laughing immediately. I was gave Celestia a mischievous wink but in the corner of my eye, Rainbow’s face was beet red as she started to object.

“Ewwwww.” More laughs from the princesses “He’s not even a pony!” Ouch...That stung a bit. I’ll have to admit that. She flailed her hooves to emphasise her point.

These princesses man...Didn’t expect them to be so laid back...

I had one more weapon in my comeback arsenal. This will probably be a game ender.

“You know Celestia...” I leaned back on my chair, putting my hands behind my head with my cheeky grin “...You and Twilight would make an even better couple than my other suggestion.”

Celestia was silent, jaw wide open. Awestruck at what I just said. Luna, Rainbow and I were in hysterics at her face.

“Don’t think this is over.” She gave me an evil grin as she said in serious tone. Oh fuck... I will admit, I’m scared. Goddess of the sun wants payback but I didn’t show any signs of being intimidated.

I remained calm. Both Rainbow and Luna were anticipating my reaction, as was Celestia who was looking quite smug but I didn't let her get any satisfaction.

To be honest...These are some pretty damn awesome princesses to hang out with.

"Bring it on..."

Authors note

Celestia confirmed to be a bit of a troll in this story: Check

Ashley confirmed to know how to counter troll: Check

Callum and Ashley to perform pranks: Pending.

So I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I just had to finish with a bit of comedy in there. And yes Celestia WILL GET REVENGE!

So keep an eye out for that. You're probably wondering what Rainbow wants to do with Ash. It's a surprise which will be done in a couple of chapter hopefully. Same with the small reveal of the surprise that Luna spoke of to Ash.

You're probably wondering "When will Ashley and Callum BOTH get to do their guard job together?" That my readers, shall be done shortly. There will be pranks in this story and I can't wait to write them up. Don't forget to comment and stuff fillies and gentlecolts! I sell that stuff to fuel my caffeine addiction!