Astro’s eyes returned to normal, and he gasped, panting softly. Twilight had a look of pure glee on her muzzle, clearly happy that the spell worked. Luna’s eyes were wide, tears welling up in them. Celestia, meanwhile, remained fairly neutral, a gentle smile on her muzzle revealing that she had already known the truth as she was sipping on her tea.

Astro looked around the room, eyes widened in disbelief. “That… Shouldn’t be possible… If these events did pass, then they would have passed over a thousand years ago. And yet, I saw a pony who looked almost identical to me, whose name was Commander Jagged Thorn.”

Twilight nodded. “We all saw what you saw, Private. Part of my spell allowed the three of us to share this vision with you.”

Luna wasn’t able to speak, all of her energy spent trying not to burst into tears. Celestia calmly wrapped one of her massive, snow white wings around her sister. “There are clearly two major differences,” Celestia began. “First, your personality seems to be a stark contrast to the Commander’s. Secondly, your cutie marks are obviously different. His was a thorny rose, while yours is a constellation.”

Astro nodded, staring down at the coffee table. He was utterly confused, unable to wrap his mind around this plausible concept. “So if you’re saying what I think you’re saying, then that means…”

“That Jagged Thorn, and yourself, are one and the same pony,” Luna finally said, smiling so gleefully that her wings were also twitching against her sides.

“There is one more thing we can do to confirm this possibility,” Twilight said, looking to Celestia. “We do still have it, don’t we?”

Celestia nodded. “We most certainly do, Twilight. I will have your brother bring it with him when they visit for Astro’s knighting and acceptance. Only then will we truly be able to tell if he is who we think he is.”

“Um, Princess…?” Astro asked, looking up in confusion. “What exactly are you talking about?”

“The legendary armor of the Commander, himself, of course,” Celestia replied with a gentle smile. “I will be having Captain Shining Armor bring it along when he and Princess Cadenza arrive. After all, the Captain has to be here for your knighting. Only then can we truly confirm if you are who we think you are, Private Wolf.”

Astro had to take a moment, looking around the room to avoid eye contact with any of them. If everything they were saying was true, then that means that he’s the reincarnation of a legend, one of the greatest military strategists to ever live. Which probably meant that, in turn, the princesses very well may expect more from him than he can offer right away. Astro was simply concerned that the Princesses would expect of him the same great things that Jagged Thorn had brought. However, even if he is the same pony as Thorn, Astro wasn’t sure why that made a difference in his life.

As if reading his mind, Celestia stood up and said, “Do not worry, Private. Just because you may indeed be the reincarnation of our late Jagged Thorn does not mean you are identical to him. The simple fact that your cutie mark is different should be evident enough that you’re not an identical recreation. You are simply whatever this world thinks it needed from a stallion of your nature.

“That being said, you will go through most of the normal processes any new guard goes through. There will be a few minor adjustments, however, due to your unique personality as well as your excellence in training. As a result, you will be trained to be a private guard for my sister, and, in time, we shall hope to promote you to a Lieutenant's position.”

Astro stared at her in silence, not entirely sure how to respond. Luna seemed to glare at Celestia, as if wanting to counter the idea that she even needed a private guard. A quick glance from Celestia, however, quickly turned her down. Twilight, also silent as well, watched Celestia intently.

Celestia, seeming content with his lack of response, continued. “As of right now, Mi Amore and her husband, Captain Armor, will be receiving a letter from me posthaste, requesting that they bring along the armor when they come. Meanwhile, Private, you will be working closely with Miss Lunar Shade to adjust to the nocturnal schedule, and will ideally be working alongside the Night Guard for the time being. The simple fact that you are not a bat pony does not mean you will be an outsider, for there are numerous mares and stallions on the nightly staff that are not as well. You are to memorize the layout of the castle, and adjust to the nightly routines.”

Luna smiled, adding: “I could not think of another pony better suited to work with you, Astro Wolf. Despite the vast differences in your personalities, you two should get along well.”

Astro couldn’t hold back a faint groan. “In all due respect, Princesses, it almost seems as if she wants to pursue a romantic interest in me. Whether this is accurate or not, I cannot say. What I will say is that I did not come here to pursue relationships. I came here for work and to protect. If I am simply going to be manipulated into a relationship, I will leave.” With that, he stood and turned to leave the room. “If there is nothing else, I request permission to leave.”

While showing signs of surprise, Celestia nodded. “Yes, you are dismissed, Private.” Luna looked purely confused, while Twilight was flabbergasted and horrified. “As is, there is nothing more to speak on at this very moment. Turn right when you leave the room, and you will know exactly where to go. Please be ready by ten o’clock this evening to work with Miss Shade.”

Satisfied, and mildly disappointed and annoyed, Astro left the room. Not long after the door shut behind him, he could hear Twilight complaining rather loudly, almost arguing with the sisters about how Astro had “raised an attitude” with them.

After spending a few hours exploring the castle alone, Astro started to make his way back to his room. Most of the guards didn’t seem to pay much attention to him, so Astro assumed that they had already been alerted to his presence in the castle. He did notice that a few mares on staff, however, kept eyeing him a little longer than they should have.

When he finally returned to his room, he found Lunar sound asleep in her bed, buried beneath three fuzzy blankets. The currents were closed over each of the windows, casting a dark purple shadow into the room, allowing the naturally nocturnal mare to sleep peacefully.

“Good,” Astro thought. “I can get some time to myself for once. In silence.”

With just a few hours to kill, one would think he would’ve taken a nap. After all, it wasn’t like he was officially on duty as of yet. He had to admit that it puzzled him slightly, why the Princesses were so laid back when it came to his involvement in the castle. Sure, he had just shown up, and they were planning on knighting him. He simply didn’t understand the big deal behind his identity. Shaking his head, Astro decided to pull out a book from his bag and read for around an hour, before he noticed that the sun was starting to set.

Sighing softly, Astro closed his book and left it on his pillow. He then reached under his bed and pulled out a small black bag. Opening the bag would reveal a dozen vials of a glowing, blue fluid. About three bottles were currently empty, and Astro pulled out one of the full vials. Shaking it up a bit, he pops off the top and quickly dumps it into his maw. It fizzed like soda upon contact with his tongue, and he couldn’t help but squirm a bit. No matter how many times he took this elixir, the taste and sensations would never get old. Once finished, he shook his body like a wet dog for a moment, before returning the empty vial to the bag.

Suddenly, a very chirpy, feminine voice rang through his right ear. “Ooh!! What is that?!”

Astro let out a startled yelp, jumping back and nearly colliding into Lunar’s bed. Given that there wasn’t much space between their beds, he very well could have, had he not quickly gained control of himself via his wings. Breathing heavily due to the adrenaline, he turns and notices that Lunar’s bed was empty. Whirling his head back around, he finds the bat pony staring back at him, giggling behind a hoof. It just so happens that she was currently standing mere inches to the right of where he had been moments before.

“You… You should have seen your face!! You looked like a colt who had been caught stealing a cookie!” The mare then descended into more giggling.

Astro, however, was not amused one bit. He let out a low growl and walked over to the window, kicking his bag back under his bed in the process. At first, he ignored her question, choosing to watch as Luna’s moon began to rise. After a moment, it sounded as if Lunar had finally maintained control of her giggling (which, in Astro’s mind, seemed to take quite a long time). Once settled, the mare began to approach him.

Astro immediately spoke up. “Don’t. You just get yourself ready, Miss Shade. We have a busy night ahead of us.” His voice was tainted with a bit of anger, and was very authoritative. It may not have been his place to speak in such a way to her, but he did. That’s just how he is.

“But…” Shade started, pouting just a bit. She stared at the back of his head for a moment, before eventually letting out a groan. “Fine, I’ll let you be. It’s as if you don’t know how to have fun.” She let her head hang low as she grabbed a few things, then trotted into the bathroom.

Waiting until the door had been closed, and the water of the shower could be heard cascaded into the floor, Astro sighed, closing his eyes and shaking his head. “If only you knew… Then maybe you’d be able to understand…”

“Hold on, time out. What you’re telling me is that Princess Luna really pulls pranks on her sister, as well as the Guard??” Astro was currently following Lunar Shade through the castle once more, albeit this time through newer corridors.

Lunar let out a giggle. “Indeed! Once, Celestia woke up with a black mane! She was not happy.”

Astro could only imagine what Celestia would look like with her mane dyed black. She’d look gothic, and like she was going through a stage where she didn’t want to be a Princess anymore. Astro couldn’t help but chuckle at the image. He then shook his head. “I can only imagine. Not that there’s anything wrong with the color black, of course.”

Lunar couldn’t contain her next bit of giggling. “Of course not, but just imagine how all of Equestria would respond!”

At this point, both ponies were chuckling or giggling, but their soft banter was abruptly interrupted by a loud screech, followed shortly by a blur of dark grey, speeding overhead. Mere seconds later, hoofsteps could be heard from around the corner behind them. As the two confused ponies turned around to identify the commotion, Princess Luna appeared from around the corner.

“Come back here you feisty thestral!” Her voice indicated she was angry, but the look on her muzzle seemed to say otherwise. In fact, it looked as if she was smirking. Laughing could be heard elsewhere as Luna ran past a confused Astro Wolf and Lunar Shade, who both turned to watch as Luna raced down another corridor.

For a moment, there was silence. Both Astro and Lunar were staring at where Luna had disappeared. When they turned to look at each other, they jumped, letting out similar yelps of shock. There, standing between them was a bat pony stallion, who, oddly enough, was an ear shorter than Lunar. He immediately started giggling, and Astro would have with him, had he not noticed Luna’s crown sitting haphazardly atop his dark orange mane. As he laughed, his different colored eyes shone in the light.

“Hiya! I’m Night Fang! I bet you’re wondering why I have Luna’s crown, so let me tell you! I took it from her!” His voice was fast and quick, and Astro could barely keep up with what he was saying. As it is, it almost sounded like it all came out in one breath.

“Brother!” Lunar cried, rubbing her face with a hoof disappointingly. “How many times have I told you not to take the royal regalia?! She needs that, you know!”

The stallion simply giggled again. “But, Shady! You know she likes to have some fun! She has said so herself! It helps her calm down! Besides, I’ve been playing around like this for weeks!”

Astro simply shook his head, and was about to walk away, but was abruptly stopped short by a scowling Princess Luna standing directly behind their group. She looked like she was trying hard not to smile behind her facade of anger.

“Night Fang! We will ask of you once more! Return my crown at once!”

The stallion pouted, removing the crown from his head with one of his black, leathery wings. “B-But, Lulu!! I’m just trying to have some fun!”

The nightly princess stared at him for a few moments, before letting herself relax. Using her magic, she lifted the stallion up into the air and pulled him towards her. She nuzzled his cheek, eliciting a giggle out of the smaller pony, before snatching the crown from his wing. She then set him on her back.

“Well, you know that I would love to continue! However, I really must get to my work. It’s already later than I normally start, and I do have some things I have to get done before my sister rises in the morning! But you shall accompany me!”

Night Fang began to prance in place with glee atop the princess’ back. With a roll of her eyes, Luna bid Astro and Lunar a good night, then trotted away. Astro simply shook his head, continuing to walk in their original direction.

“And to think I expected complete order and regulation in the palace,” he said, unable to hide a soft grin on his muzzle.

“Well you’re certainly incorrect. That is simply the perception the princesses wish to portray to the public. Besides, a lot truly happens here. If you thought that was crazy, you should meet the Security and Intelligence colt! Er… Stallion.”

“What’s so crazy about him?”

“Oh, just wait and see! I’ll introduce you right now!” She then bursts into a trot, leading Astro through a few more halls in the palace. “You just have to realize that he’s a bit… antisocial. You’ll understand when we get to where we are going.”

Astro shrugged and continued to follow her through the seemingly never ending turns inside the palace. After a few minutes, she stopped them in front of a large portion of the wall. This part seemed to be very little decorated, as this was a section of the castle scarcely used anymore. The windows also seemed to let less light in, casting low lighting over the corridor.

Lunar approaches this section of the wall, and knocks on it three times, pauses, then knocks again once. After another pause, she knocks twice. She then steps back from the wall, smirking a bit. ”Now watch this,” she says, glancing over at Astro.

For a moment nothing happened, but when Astro opened his mouth to speak his confusion, the wall began to hiss and spew steam out of cracks that made the shape of a rectangle. The rectangular section that appeared began to sink into the wall, before suddenly sliding off to the side, revealing a doorway into a massive chamber. Somehow hidden with the castle walls seamlessly. Inside was what looked like some kind of laboratory.

Two glowing, purple eyes appeared, attached to what appeared to be a metallic pony. Some sort of mechanized contraption perhaps. No matter what it was, Astro hadn’t seen anything like it before in his life. What made it even more entertaining was that it suddenly began to speak in a gentle feminine voice.

“Oh, hello, Miss Shade. What can we do for you?” The pony-like contraption paused, seeming to turn and gaze at Astro. “Ah, this must be Astro Wolf, the soon-to-be newest member of the Royal Guard.”

Lunar giggled. “Well, you probably know more about him than I do, Dusk! But I’m actually here to introduce him to Mister Volt!”

Astro was too busy staring at this weird talking contraption, whose name was apparently Dusk, to pay attention to the conversation. Dusk looked like a pony, but didn’t at the same time. Her eyes were purple, but glowed like some kind of light, and they resembled camera lenses. Her body was silver in color, but clearly cleaned up and made to the tiniest detail.

Other than the fact that she was obviously mechanical, she was nearly identical to a pony mare. Her joints stood out as metal plates that somewhat overlapped, and bent effortlessly. Her mane and tail, however, looked and moved naturally. Both were purple in color, matching the eyes.

“They’re made from synthetic fibers crafted from the softest of sheep wool,” Dusk stated, as if able to read Astro’s mind. “Master Volt’s mother helped create the thread and craft it into a mane and tail for my design.”

Astro stepped back with unease, clearly not liking how she knew what he was thinking of. However, before he could voice his concerns, a new voice called out from behind Dusk.

“How many times must I tell you not to call me that, Dusk?” An earth pony stallion appeared, with what appeared to be flight goggles over his eyes. He was a chocolate brown in color, with mint green markings on his hooves and flanks. He had a cutie mark of a 9-volt battery over a gear, but Astro was lost on what that even meant. He had a mohawk style mane, green in color, with red through the middle.

He stepped up next to Dusk, pushing the goggles to his forehead. “Hey there, Miss Shade. How’s the maid’s work?” The colt asked, seeming to ignore Astro at first.

Lunar snorted and rolled her eyes. “It’s kinda redundant when you see almost everything that happens in the castle, Thunder.”

The stallion, who’s name is apparently Thunder, laughs and shrugs. “Not quite. Dusk monitors all the feeds and gives me the important or questionable parts. Or the parts I ask for when I’m bored and decide to look at them.”

Lunar let out a giggle before hugging the stallion. “Thunder, we all know you like seeing mares in those maid uniforms. Don’t bother hiding it.”

This time it was his turn to roll his eyes. “Yes, of course. I just love to see all of the mares cleaning this massive castle. All while wearing those puffy, soft outfits. Cleary I am a total pervert.”

There was silence for a moment as Lunar and Thunder made eye contact. Astro began to wonder if one of them was actually offended. This thought, however, was quickly discarded as the two ponies began to laugh.

“Oh, Thunder!! You’re too much!” Lunar cried out in between breaths. “You need to get out more!!”

“Pfft! As if! I do more good here than anywhere else! Come on in, you two!” Laughing, Thunder stepped aside, allowing Lunar and Astro to head inside.

As Lunar followed Dusk and this Thunder character into the room, Astro was beyond confused. First of all, this stallion had a metal leg. Second, there was something about his voice (albeit cheerful) that was just off. Not to mention the odd hint of red in his right eye. After a moment’s hesitation, Astro reluctantly followed the group inside. At this point, he had no expectations, and didn’t know what to think of the new stallion he had just been introduced to. He followed them to a small, circular table with three chairs set up around it.

“Dusk, can you go get some coffee, please?” Thunder asked, pulling out a chair and sitting down.

Lunar sat down as Dusk walked off into another room. The setup was cozy, almost like a large condominium found in cities such as Manehatten, Fillydelphia, and Las Pegasus. The room they were currently in was rather cozy for what appeared to be a hidden hole in the wall. It was a conjoined setup; one half of the large room they were in seemed to be the dining area, while the other half appeared to be more of a living space. The room Dusk entered, Astro assumed to be the kitchen area. There was also a hallway that more than likely led to the bedroom and bathroom.

As Astro sat down, he glanced over at Thunder. “So, you must be Thunder Volt then, I presume?”

“In the flesh! My father is a retired royal guard, and my mother is a former Wonderbolt instructor,” came his rather chipper response, and Astro thought he detected a hint of pride. “Celestia heard of my talents, and invited me here. One thing leads to another, and I’ve got the entire palace, every nook and cranny, save for bedrooms and bathrooms, under video surveillance! Everything also has audio recording. I then started spreading to Canterlot, so now half of the capital is monitored from here!”

Astro’s eyes widened, mildly impressed. “But… I guess I don’t understand what your talent is…”

“Ah, right, of course. It’s the ability to work with a form of technology that uses electric energy, the same thing from lightning bolts, to run machinery, instead of magic from a unicorn! I even learned to manifest, charge, and duplicate the energy!”

Astro nodded, rubbing his chin curiously. “I see… So, does this have any explanation for your leg, as to why it is metallic?”

Lunar let out a gasp and stared at Astro in horror, just as Dusk re-entered the room and approached the table. Thunder went silent, looking away, as if his leg was involved with a very personal aspect of his life.

“Oh, um… Well, if you don’t want to talk about it, it’s alright. I mean, I was just curious about it…” Astro quickly added, looking around the room nervously, before settling his eyes on Thunder. Thunder continued to remain quiet. “... Did you lose it in a freak accident, or wh--”

Astro was cut off as Thunder began to speak. His right eye began to glow red, and his voice was different, and the language foreign. “Il y a plus dans un personnage que ce que pouvez voir. Ce n’est pas le moment pour mon histoire. C’est ton histoire, mon heure n’est pas encore venue.”

Astro immediately identified the language as Prench, but didn’t catch a lick of what the stallion had said. Astro wanted to respond, to voice his confusion, but didn’t get much of a chance to. Thunder was shaking his head, rubbing his head. He turned and gazed at Dusk, who’s eyes began to glow purple, and Thunder’s once more began to glow red. For a minute or so, it looked as if they had some silent conversation, probably through this foreign technology that Thunder was talking about. The silence didn’t end until Thunder’s eye stopped glowing, and he took a sip of his coffee.

“Ahem, sorry about that. I just, um… Well, you see, the thing is…” The stallion started, avoiding eye contact. He didn’t seem to want to share what happened.

Dusk stepped forward, giving Lunar and Astro a cup of coffee each. “What he’s trying to say is that he’ll tell his story when he feels comfortable doing so,” She then paused, turning to Lunar.

Lunar let out a sigh, nodding. “It’s far more gruesome than you could expect… The things he had to grow up with… It makes me hurt just thinking about it…”

Thunder nodded, setting down his coffee mug. “Let’s just say that my voice, leg, and eye are the way they are because of a terrible thing that happened to me a few years ago.”

Astro nodded. “Well, I’m terribly sorry for bringing the subject up. I, for one, can understand what you mean. Talking about my own past isn’t something I can easily do.”

With that, the three ponies began to chat, enjoying their coffee. Astro went silent, watching as Lunar and Thunder caught up, like two old friends who hadn’t seen each other in years. Then, Astro’s situation was brought up, and they began to discuss some finer details, including some that Astro had overheard through his surveillance systems. One being that in about two weeks, Astro’s official knighting ceremony would take place. Once Shining Armor and Cadence showed up with the armor.

The hours went by, and before they knew it, it was about time for shift change. That being said, Lunar and Astro stood and began to bid Dusk and Thunder farewell. As Lunar left the room, Thunder put a hoof on Astros shoulder.

“Hey, at some point, I’d like to introduce you to a group of good friends of mine. They’d love you a lot.”

Astro snorted, before looking at him curiously. “Is that so? Well, I suppose I’ll have to meet them at some point, won’t I?” That being said, Astro approached the doorway. But before he could leave, he once more heard that odd Prench coming from Thunder.

“Un moment viendra où vous devez prendre une décision dangereuse. Ne laissez pas la situation vous distraire.”

Author's Note

Sorry to any of you who know French. I did my best, but I'm sure it isn't perfect.

On another note, got to throw in the first of many of my characters. More to come in a later chapter, so stay tuned!