When Worlds Collide

“In all due respect, Your Highness, why wouldn’t I be bunked with the other guards?” Astro asked, as the chariot was soaring through the air, on its way towards Canterlot Palace.

Celestia and Luna exchanged glances, as if not sure that they wanted to share the actual truth. After a bit of tense silence, Astro finally got a response from Celestia.

“Well, you see Private, there is something peculiar about you that my sister and I have caught note of. While we are not sure as of yet what it is, until further notice, we will have you located near us, just in case another magical mishap occurs. And so we can keep a close eye on you so nothing happens to you,” She replied, looking down and smiling softly, like a mother looking down at her inquisitive foal.

Astro went silent, not sure if this is a good thing or not. He went into deep thought, wondering what his latest vision had meant, especially since this was the first time that anypony he knew was actually in it. Despite the Royal Sisters being present, they looked younger. And were simply unicorns at the time.

“We simply wish to understand your similarities to a dear friend of ours from centuries ago. We also desire to understand why you continue to have these flash episodes,” Luna added, also looking down at him briefly. However, her gaze was more analytical, and maybe a bit… hopeful?

Astro simply returned her gaze. “I am under the impression, Princes, that, given the fact that you’re able to see inside somepony’s dreams, you know that I don’t sleep as often as I probably should?”

Luna nodded, narrowing her eyes slightly. “Yes, of this we are very aware. If you’re going to be serving under our wings, you must learn to get much-needed rest.”

Celestia shook her head. “From what we’ve been told, you use this rare blue elixir to keep yourself from sleeping. Is this true?”

Astro nodded, averting his gaze from the Princess. He wasn’t entirely sure how to respond to them. It’s not like it was some deep, dark secret of his. But he had to admit, he was a little insecure about his issue. He knew that at some point, these two sisters would need to know the truth behind why at some point. However, just as he was about to voice his response, Luna cut him off.

“Nightmares are my specialty, Private. Even those spawned by memories. I cannot, unfortunately, remove memories, but I am able to soothe you in your sleep, as it is my primary job as Ruler of the Night,” she stated, her gaze not wavering from Astro. “You simply have not yet given me the opportunity to help you.”

Astro’s eyes had widened slightly, shocked that she had known exactly what his issues with sleeping were.

“We will discuss this matter with you later, but the most important thing we want to discuss involves your flashes. Are you seeing anything, or is it just a bright light?” Celestia asked, and by the way she asked it, it sounded as if she already knew the answer.

“Well, each has been different, but I do see things. They kind of seem like memories, but not my own…” He responded, noticing that the chariot was now coming up on the Palace. “They seem set in a time years upon years ago. This last one actually included you two, which was rather unusual in my opinion. However, you two were unicorns, with a third who seemed excessively old. You three seemed to be discussing something about some war. That is, until a mare entered the room, informing you three that there was a visitor, some pegasus stallion.”

Celestia and Luna shot each other alarmed looks. It was at that moment that the chariot began to descend into the castle courtyard.

“I was unable to get a view of the stallion, for whatever reason, but his voice sounded familiar to me. They said his name was Jagged Thorn.”

Luna’s expression was pure excitement, and Celestia couldn’t help but smile. Just as the chariot was touching down, Celestia seemed to have made a decision. “Sister, I’m ending day courts early today. It seems we have more to discuss with Private Wolf, and I’d like to show him a few things.” The chariot stopped, and the two sisters stepped out, watching as Astro also stepped out.

Luna nodded in agreement. “I shall send for his roommate, and have her escort him to his room,” she added, gazing over at Astro. “Private Wolf, in two hours, Lunar Shade will escort you to the throne room to meet with us once more.” Her horn flashed, and then she smiled. “I do hope you are fond of bat ponies, because you will be spending a lot of time with them here very soon.”

Astro looked up at the Princess, gulping silently. “Bat… ponies? I rather enjoy their company. I had a couple of… acquaintances growing up that were thestrals. But the mares tended to be rather flirty, what with me being of a darker color, and being more nocturnal than anything.”

Celestia was unable to hold back a giggle. “Well, relationships aren’t forbidden between staff here, including between the maids and the guards. However, you can’t let it get in the way of your job, understand?”

By now, Luna was giggling as well. Astro’s cheeks started to turn a bright shade of pink as he responded, unable to hold back a bit of a stammer. “Ah, w-well, um… I wouldn’t j-jump to any conclusions, Y-Your Highness…”

Luna and Celestia, once finished with their cheerful giggling, regained their composure and began to walk towards the castle, flanked by two guards each. Astro simply followed in between them. Up ahead, a bat pony mare, dressed in a frilly, black-and-white maid’s dress, trotted towards them, bowing before the Princesses. “You called me, Mistress?”

This mare was a deep, navy blue in color. Her mane and tail, which looked freshly brushed, were black with a single stripe of neon green down the middle. Her mane gently flowed over her right shoulder, and she certainly looked like she kept her appearance clean and sharp. Her dress flowed down her entire body, stopping just above her hooves on her hind legs. It had slits in the sides for her leathery wings to fit comfortably through. She also had what looked to be black heels on all four hooves. The sleeves of the dress stopped about halfway down her forelegs. All in all, the outfit fit her quite nicely.

Luna nodded. “At ease, Miss Shade. You are dismissed from your duties today.”

The mare promptly stood up, eyes widened in surprise, and partial fear. As the fear began to fill her eyes, she responded by saying: “P-Princess, are you certain? I’m willing to do whatever it takes to keep wor--”

“Oh, no, no! You’re not fired, young one…” Luna quickly interrupted, smiling as relief washed over the bat mare. “I have a more important task for you at this moment. This here is Private Astro Wolf, newest addition to the Royal Guard here in the palace. He also is now your roommate.”

Lunar Shade looked down at Astro for this first time in this encounter. With Astro looking back at her, Lunar replied, “Wait, you’re giving me a stallion for a roommate?”

Luna nodded, as Celestia said, “Yes, unless, of course, you’d prefer to be alone in that room of yours?”

“Oh, no! Of course, I am thrilled to finally have a roommate!” She quickly interjected. “I just, well, didn’t expect it to be such a handsome one!”

Astro snorts and takes a step back in surprise, immediately blushing, and covering her mouth, giggling. “I understand your surprise completely, Miss Shade. I think you two will learn to get along quite well with each other. We hope that this is true.”

Astro shakes his head, mumbling quietly to himself. “Of course, as soon as I show up here, I get mixed into love schemes. This isn’t what I wanted…”

Luna seemed to hear what he said, or simply read his mind. “Unfortunately, private, love is not our expertise. It is the expertise of our niece, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. All we can say, is that the heart wants what it wants.” Luna then shook her head, despite the grin on her muzzle.

After the blushing and giggling had passed, Celestia lets out a sigh. “Well, you two had better get a move on. Miss Shade, try not to get too attached to him just yet. At least until he’s more comfortable with your presence and personality. And Private Wolf, please do your best to listen to her as she gives you a tour. In two hours, however, Twilight should be here, and we can take care of a few things regarding your flashes. Understood?”

Both Astro and Shade bowed simultaneously, awaiting further command.

“Excellent,” came the princess’ response. “You are dismissed.” With that, the two Princesses accompanied by the four guards, left to take care of their own duties. Astro and Lunar Shade stood and glanced at each other.

After a short moment of awkward silence, Shade spoke up. “Well, I guess we had better get started, huh, Private?” She asked, smiling innocently and cutely at him.

Astro nodded, unable to look directly at the mare’s bright green eyes. “Yeah, might as well. I’d like to unpack and shower before this meeting, though.”

Lunar nodded, giggling softly. “Oh, you’ll have time for that. The tour I’m required to give is simple and doesn’t have much to it anyways.” With that being said, Lunar began to show Astro around the basics of the castle.

The tour was indeed fairly general. She showed Astro the barracks, where most of the other royal guards bunked. The throne room, where she said Luna and Celestia do most of their public and diplomatic handlings. She also showed him where the armory was located, saying that the ponies within were the ones who made and repaired the shiny armor they see on every guard. She also showed him several of the more casual rooms, such as the various lounges and dining areas the staff at the castle used. She stated that usually Princess Celestia and Princess Luna use their own private rooms, but on occasion, appear alongside the staff. The final hallway they walked through housed the entrances to the towers where the Princess’ chambers were located. One of the many rooms between these two towers turned out to be theirs. With a final speech, she took the two of them inside the room.

“Well, here we are. Your stuff arrived earlier, but at the time, I wasn’t told what it was,” Shade said. She began to slowly remove the maid’s outfit. “Your bed is the one by the window on the left. Bathroom is to the right, and you have a dresser and a small closet, for storing anything you might possibly have. I was told that an armor stand would be delivered soon.”

Astro silently listened to everything that the mare had to say. As he did, he began to unpack the items he brought with him: his toiletries, blanket, and pillow. “Why thank you, Miss Shade. Your help is greatly appreciated.”

Shade was suddenly right next to him. “Of course! I’m here to serve the crown, even if it means catching new faces up to speed!”

Astro jumped out of shock, due to Shade being close enough that their furs were brushing up against each other. His heart was racing, and he had landed a few hooves away, in a lowered position like he was under attack.

Shade couldn’t help but giggle. “Oh, relax, Mister Wolf! I understand we have just met, but as a bat pony, I tend to be a bit more physically interactive than most. I do hope you can understand. So close proximity will be normal.”

Astro stood back up, grabbing both bottles of shampoo, as well as his towel. “Believe me, I am very much acquainted with the habits of bat ponies. Despite what you might be thinking, I have interacted with numerous bat ponies in the past.” He begins his walk towards the bathroom. “However, I am not seeking out any forms of affection at the moment, so if you may, please refrain from physical contact.”

Shade pouted as the stallion closed the door to the bathroom, starting his short bathing process. When he came out fifteen minutes later, steam billowed out into the bedroom, quickly dissipating. The smell of chocolate and strawberries wafted into the room as Astro strode over to his half of the room, furthest from the door. Lunar shade was watching him silently from the comfort of her own bed. Her slitted, cat-like eyes watched his every move.

After spending a few minutes organizing the things he had, he turned and headed for the door. “I will see you later, Miss Shade,” he said without looking at the mare.

“You haven’t got time to talk to your roommate? Your meeting isn’t for another half an hour, and the throne room is a five minute walk away.”

Astro simply shook his head. “Arriving early is arriving on time, and arriving on time is arriving late. I need to put up a good impression.”

Lunar sighed. “You guards and your statutes. I sometimes wonder if you ever have fun.”

Astro didn’t answer, leaving the room without another sound. He headed off towards the throne room, and found it empty as he arrived. Save, of course, for the two guards standing at attention at the main entrance. The moment they noticed him, they gripped their spears and rushed towards him.

“Intruder!!” They shouted. Astro stepped back, as if ready to defend himself, but he didn’t have to. The two guards were suddenly enveloped in a purple aura, and were lifted up into the air. A female’s voice, authoritative, but also much different than Luna’s or Celestia’s, said, “Stand down, soldiers! He has permission to be in here!”

As the guards were moved back to their posts, Astro watched as Princess Twilight Sparkle, the newest alicorn in Equestria, stepped into the room, followed shortly by Luna and Celestia. Astro immediately dropped into a bow, closing his eyes. He heard the three sets of hoofsteps approach him, followed shortly by the sound of magic being used. When Astor opened his eyes, he had to blink a few times. The four of them were no longer in the throne room. Instead, they were in what appeared to be a lounge, but was much nicer than any he had seen. There were two sofas on either side of the coffee table in the middle, with two smaller chairs at either end. Celestia and Luna sat together on one of the sofas, and Twilight sat on one of the chairs. All three were looking at Astro expectantly, waiting for him to sit.

“Would you care for some tea or coffee, Private?” Celestia calmly asked, sipping from a pristine white teacup held by her magic.

Astro simply shook his head as he sat down on the vacant sofa. “No thank you, Your Majesty.”

Luna simply shrugged, sipping on what appeared to be coffee. She then turned to Twilight, who looked a little too excited. “Shall we get this started, Sparkle? I have to raise the moon soon.”

Twilight nodded eagerly, shifting in her seat with excitement. “Yes, yes, of course! I’ve only ever tested this spell once before, and I’m hoping it works!”

Astro snorted, looking at Twilight nervously. “In all due respect, Princess, but are you sure that this spell won’t have any other side effects?”

“First of all, Princess titles, please,” she stated, standing from her seat.” Normally, I don’t prefer them, but in this situation, they are required. Second, you can rest assured that no harm will come to you from this spell. All it does is trigger memories buried within your subconscious.”

Astro bows his head. “Forgive me, Princess. I seem to understand. I guess there’s nothing wrong with this, then.”

Smiling gleefully, the lavender colored alicorn stepped up to him and gently placed a hoof on his. “Just relax, and trust me, Private. It’ll be done as soon as it starts.”

Despite flinching slightly at her touch, he nods and closes his eyes, just as the flash of magic occurred.

It’s been a few years since Jagged Thorn joined Celestia and Luna in their crusade to unify the three pony tribes of the land. Their numbers have grown substantially, consisting of a coexisting society of all three primary races, as well as numerous hybrids.
Around this time, the sun had just come up. Luna was standing next to Jagged Thorn, on a hill in the center of their current campsite. “We’re so close, Commander. Negotiations with the Earth Ponies and the Pegasi are almost complete,” she was saying, smiling gently at the rising sun.
Thorn, who was adorned in his magnificent armor, nodded. “Indeed” he replied. “If only those unicorns weren’t so stubborn and prideful.”
What made his armor unique was the fact that it was enchanted. When he wore it, it fit perfectly. It also felt light as a feather, making flying a simple task, and giving him full range of motion and maximum mobility. However, if another pony were to attempt to wear the armor, it would become as dense as titanium, making it impossible for another to move around in it. With swirls of golden yellow and silvery blue all over the armor, it looked like the sun and moon got meshed together. As for the helmet, it matched the rest of the armor in regards to coloration. It also put his mane up and down the back of his neck in a crest. It did well to protect his head, without minimizing sight and hearing. It even came with complete wing armor. The armor, when completely worn, connected and covered every inch of his body. Save for parts of his muzzle, as well as his mane and tail.
“Well, considering our race is gifted in magic, and such magic has almost no bounds, one could only assume that that’s their source of pride,” came the voice of Celestia, who was approaching the two. “What brings you two up here so early?”
Thorn chuckles. “You know that this is my favorite place to be in times of rest. And,” he said, glancing at Luna as Celestia sat at his other side. “You know how your sister is.”
Luna gasped, blushing darkly. “Wh-What is that supposed to m-mean?! Am I not allowed to admire the sunrise?!”
Celestia giggled. “Sister, I don’t think that that is all you’re admiring. We both know how you feel about Jagged.”
Jagged couldn’t help but laugh in response. “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel happier when I’m with you two.”
Jagged then stood up and stretched. He slowly removed his helmet, his red and black mane now resting freely on his head. Piece by piece, the rest of his armor was removed from his dark grey body. At certain points, like his hooves, flanks, nose, and ears, were tinted to nearly onyx black. The tips of his wings also faded to black.
However, his most distinctive feature lied on his muzzle. Almost every single pony had a vibrant color for the irises of their eyes, that complemented the color of their coat. Jagged Thorn’s eye, however, was different. It became visible as he gave Luna a loving hug.
As the sun was rising, its light glistened off of his stormy grey eye, the other covered by an eye patch.