Haysville, The Far North of Equus (Pre-Equestria)
24 BLB, Reap
The Calendar of Months is:
Storm - January
Rise - February
Gale - March
Thaw - April
Bloom - May
Warm - June
Heat - July
Cool - August
Harvest - September
Reap - October
Bounty - November
Frost - December
Days, Weeks, and Months in length proceed accordingly.
Constant Vigilance is 12. Celestia has been born for a year, and Luna is yet unborn for another year.
It’s getting quite cold.
The chill in the air was what woke Constant Vigilance that morning, and what a chill it was. It had been getting colder every day for three years straight, and it still showed no signs of stopping, not even for a young colt nestled in his bed.
Grumbling, shivering, tossing, turning and the like followed his awakening. All did little to stifle his discomfort, so in the end, he relented and pulled away his blanket.
Gazing quietly outside, Constant observed the gray grass and overcast skies. The weather, atmosphere, and scenery made it appear like the middle of (December) Frost’s winter. Although it was only (October) Reap’s fall.
Snow wasn’t scheduled (or so the Pegasi claimed) for a few more weeks, yet the clouds appeared to threaten a heavy snowfall despite this. Thankfully, no snow had come thus so far, and the temperature remained only mildly chilly.
If only those Pegasi didn’t always have to hurt our weather patterns, he thought to himself as he left the comfort of his bed, Don’t they know we can’t grow food if we don’t get enough sun?
His body responded with another shiver as he landed on the icy floor, and his leading forehoof recoiled at the touch before he settled on all fours properly.
Of course, they still say it’s our fault regardless.
He trotted over to the fragment of a mirror he had kept all those years ago, gazing into his lonely reflection. A quick inspection of the self told him that nothing was different about his navy-blue eyes, silvery hair, or lead-colored coat. His teeth were in an ordinary condition, and when he scrutinized his face for any discrepancies (or surprise facial hair), he concluded that nothing about him had changed overnight.
The only thing notable was the bags under his eyes, but that wasn’t exactly new. Ponies across their lands had developed the same phenomenon, worsening as it got colder, almost a reflection of the land itself.
Even the Pegasi and Unicorns weren’t exempt, though their habitual demanding of the crops Earth Ponies worked hard to grow ensured his pity well was near-bottomed out.
Not that they’d understand what it takes to grow crops, Constant thought irritably.
Once finished, his eyes wandered to the jagged edges of the mirror fragment, propped up against the flagstones that made up his bedroom wall, reminding him how grateful he was to have a bedroom when there were earth ponies who lived in tents or underground.
This contrasted heavily with the royal Unicorns, who easily used their magical abilities to construct their grandiose castles made of stone and built into the sides of mountains, filled with halls of endless revelry and cheer from their pretentious nobility.
Neither did this align with the militaristic Pegasi, who could quite easily build anything they put their minds to, and had no trouble at all, as they could make them out of thin air.
Or clouds, rather, but since Constant was an Earth Pony he knew naught of the finer points of cloud-craftsmanship. Everything to him, from the impoverished status of his species to the exploitation they constantly endured, was all nearly as biting as the cold winds that blew outside.
Constant Vigilance’s brows furrowed as his eyes locked firmly on the mirror fragment, his mouth curling into a frown.
“Why do the Unicorns and Pegasi always get to have nicer things than us?” Constant asked aloud, looking around as if expecting an answer.
The response he received was a creak from the wooden timbers, followed by a droplet of water pelting a wooden pail in the corner of his room. The thatched roof above him rustled with the wind outside, but that accomplished nothing helpful.
Constant Vigilance sighed again, turned away, and pushed open his bedroom door.
That’s enough thinking hard for one day.
He entered the main room of his household, circular in nature, with a table and chairs in the center. On his far right were the front door and some assorted furnishings. To his immediate left was the door to his parent’s room, and to the farthest left was the kitchen area where the fireplace stood.
There, also, was his mother bent over a burbling cauldron containing a sticky substance commonly referred to as ‘oatmeal.’ She scooped up a morsel and brought it to her mouth, smacking her lips as she tasted the concoction thoroughly.
“Needs more butter…” she mused with a flick of an ear.
She suddenly noticed her son standing in the doorway and turned toward him with a face full of motherly kindness as sweet as sugarcane.
“Oh! Good morning, sweetie. I made breakfast.”
“Thanks, mom.” Constant replied plainly, making his way over to the table. The wooden chair scraped against the floor as he pulled it aside to make room for himself, then sagged against his weight as he sat down.
His mother spooned a large helping of oatmeal into his wooden bowl and set it down, before re-filling the first one she had used. She sat down at the table with him, looking at them with a familiar sense of mild parental apprehension. The two took up their utensils and ate in silence.
“Your father’s off at the mill again,” his mother told him between bites, “We received another shipment of logs in from the east. He won’t be back for a few days.”
Constant grunted by way of understanding, his mouth full of oatmeal. After a few more moments of eating, the wooden bowl sat empty on the table, clean as a whistle. Constant stood up.
“I’m finished, mom. Can I go out?”
His mother glanced at the bowl in pleasant surprise, her mouth slightly agape. She took the bowl from the table at once and motioned towards the cauldron.
“Finished already? You sure you don’t want any seconds, hun?”
“Mom!”
“Alright, alright,” she conceded, with a smirk, as she waved a hoof at him dismissively. “Go on, then.”
Constant made his way for the door, snatching up a small cloth pouch and giving it a quick inspection. The bag rumbled with the noise of multiple small objects rolling around inside, Constant’s eyes particularly focused on the bottom, a patchy section taped over with multi-colored pieces of rough fabric.
“Yep, they’re all still there.”
His mother giggled delightedly at her son’s investment towards the receptacle he carried.
“You and your little friends have fun, sweetie.” She said to him, musically.
“We will, mom.” Constant added, with another mild groan towards her mother’s coddling. Mothers would be mothers, regardless of how old their little colts and fillies were.
“You sure you don’t want to take some oatmeal for your friends, honey?”
“Mom!”
Case-in-point.
The outside was even more bitter than the inside, but it was bearable with a stomach warmed up by oatmeal.
Constant made his way down in front of the cluster of homes that made up part of his village, examining the surroundings. Most of the earth ponies in Haysville lived on the same street, with all the government buildings and shops down the road at the ‘square’ of the town. Houses were made mostly from wood and cobbled stone, with thatched rooftops, a far cry from a Unicorn’s mansion or castle. Constant let out a sigh as he was doubly reminded of the poverty his species lived in.
“Constant!”
But it was then, with his face turning upward into a grin, that he made his way over to a group of ponies his age. They were gathered together only a dozen hooves away, standing in a small cluster, with their giddily foal-like faces to greet him.
First there was the young colt named Hardy Smith, child of the reputable Mister Strong Smith, the town blacksmith. He, like his papa, was always covered in ash and soot.
“Hello, Hardy.” Constant greeted, “Forge anything new today?”
Hardy Smith opened his mouth to speak-
“Achoo!”
-but instead sneezed quite loudly. After his eyes refocused themselves and he wiped his muzzle, Hardy resumed.
“Sorry… uh... oh yeah! We just finished a big batch of tools for next season’s farming! My dad even let me use the bellows while we were making them red-hot!”
Constant nodded with the sense of being impressed the same way any youngin’ was towards things like that, and he then turned over to his next friend, another young colt named Dig Deep. “Find anything this time, Dig?”
Dig reached into his saddlebag and showed off an old hunk of metal. It looked like nothing special to the untrained eye, but to the colts, it was a beauty upon their eyes as they were filled with dazzle and splendor, and absorbed by the wonder they saw in it.
“Whoa!”
“Amazing!”
“Nice!”
He looked at last to Golden Blossom, a pretty little pony, and the only filly in their group. Her mane shone like gold in the morning sun, and her coat was pale white. She lowered her head before Constant’s presence, but her cheeks lit up warmly, betraying a sense of familiarity and comfort.
“H-Hi, Constant,” she said to him, tripping up on her first word. She looked at him then, in the hopes that he wouldn’t judge her too harshly for the minor slip-up, likened to a lowly servant putting themselves at the mercy of a lord.
Constant Vigilance, despite his intimidating appearance, showed no animosity towards her minor mistake. If anything, he, too was self-conscious of himself while standing near her, though he couldn’t quite understand why. It was more like a feeling that hung heavy in the air.
He managed a slight smile, and greeted her with a pleasant, if nervous: “Hi, Bloss.”
Hardy and Dig exchanged glances at each other, grinning cheekily with the nature of a young one discovering something even a mite emotional. “Oooooooooooh!” they said in elated unison, “Constant and Blossom like each other!”
The two of them repeated this mantra in a singsong voice, always on the edge of mocking the pair, but never crossing it. It took only a single look from Vigilance, and the furrow of his eyebrows, to end their song abruptly. Their expressions melted away, replaced by looks of guilt.
Golden Blossom, now comfortable thanks to Constant’s actions, moved a bit closer to him and lifted her head a bit higher. Her blush increased in luminosity.
“Don’t listen to them, Constant!” she proclaimed to him defensively, perhaps as a way of trying to impress him, “They’re just being a couple of m-meanie colts!”
Constant’s smile returned with satisfaction as he looked down at her. “Thanks, Bloss.”
Blossom, ever bashful, leaned her head away but retained her glad expression. “Y-You’re welcome,” she told him contentedly.
The two stared at each other for a long minute before Hardy Smith spoke up, eager to swap topics.
“So, uh… what should we do, everypony?”
“We should visit the forest again!” Dig Deep suggested earnestly,
“Naw, we already went there yesterday.” Hardy Smith countered, “We should go up on the hills over to the south!” (“Why do you think I said ‘again’, Hardy?!” Dig Deep shouted, unheard by his peers.)
“I’m fine with anything, you guys.” Golden Blossom told them quietly, spurning her own tastes in favor of submitting to the will of the group. She, resultantly, went unheard as well.
Constant turned his grinning expression on the bickering group, and with a flourish, revealed the sack he had carried from his household. He overturned it and spilled out the contents onto the ground, revealing dozens of marbles in different colors and sizes. Most were made of different types of stone or rock, hewn into a spherical shape. “Wanna play?” Constant asked, to the awed look of his peers.
“Are you kidding?!” Dig Deep exclaimed, “You don’t need to ask us twice!”
The group of them sat down in the dirt and played all the while with the marbles. At first, they simply admired them for their appearance, but soon enough Constant and Dig Deep were entered into a fierce game of marble competition. All bets were off.
“We’re down to the final few marbles.” Hardy Smith commentated to the group, “Constant Vigilance has the shot, but if he misses, it’s game over!”
Constant Vigilance had his right hoof clamped down on the top of a particularly shiny marble, the special shooter one he used for games like these, and was eyeing up a mass of 3 marbles within the bounds of the circle. Dig Deep was anxiously biting the ends of his hooves, desperately hoping for a bad shot. Even a few other ponies milling around town had gathered to watch the intense showdown between marble and marbles.
Constant was so concentrated on the game that he only barely heard the sound of Golden Blossom, cheering him on. The urging noises of excitement and tension mostly blended together into one shmorgasborg of euphoric exclamation.
“This is it, folks! He’s taking it!”
Constant Vigilance applied a great deal of pressure to the marble he was pressing, and with practiced technique, used the friction to shoot the orb like a high-velocity peashooter. The shooter ball crashed into the three marbles, knocking them right out of the circle.
“That’s game!” Hardy Smith announced, to cheers from passersby, and a cry of anguish from Dig Deep. “Constant Vigilance wins!”
Constant, with a benign yet moderately arrogant smirk, scooped up Hardy Smith’s shooter ball along with some of the others. He gave each a quick examination of their notable features before carefully before depositing them into his bag. Hardy looked incredibly unhappy.
“Aw dang, that was my last shooter you just took.”
“Sorry, Hardy…” Constant said apologetically, before his friend’s lamenting got him to thinking. “Y’know what, here.”
Constant reached down, grabbed his shooter marble, and put it in Hardy’s hooves. “Keep it safe ‘till our next game, ‘kay?”
Hardy stared at the prized marble in his hoof, and sniffled a little at this gesture of friendship. His smile of joy washed over all of his prior grief. “Okay. Thanks, Constant.”
“Hey, don’t thank me yet, Hardy. You still remember the bet, right?”
Hardy stood up sluggishly, putting away the marble for safekeeping in his own bag. “Don’t remind me,” he groaned, as he proceeded to lean down and scoop up the marbles littered in the dirt, a long and arduous process in and of itself.
Constant couldn’t help but snicker.
After some time spent on cleanup, all the marbles were put away, and the ponies watching dispersed. The sun had begun to dip low into the evening sky, the colors red and yellow mixing into a fiery orange like a palette of wonder. The light of the sunset splayed all across the town, refracting into infinite shapes and spires.
Hardy Smith and Dig Deep waved and chanted goodbyes as they went home. Once the two had disappeared into their houses, the chill of the air deepened, and the two remaining ponies turned to face each other.
“I liked the way you played marbles, Constant,” Golden complimented cheerfully, “You did really well. In fact, you were amazing!”
“It was nothin’,” Constant replied with a look of pride, “I practice a lot in my free time.”
Constant then tilted his head towards the sky and dreamed for a moment of a brighter future. “Who knows,” he considered, “Maybe one day I’ll get one made out of solid silver. I’ll bet the Unicorns and Pegasi have those.”
“Wouldn’t they fall through the clouds?” Blossom wondered aloud.
“Oh, crud, you’re right. They probably would.”
A moment of silence passed between them. Constant rubbed his head again, and Blossom tucked a foreleg behind her other. Blossom took in a breath, and then let it out.
“I… I have to tell you something, Constant.”
“Huh? What’s that?”
Blossom hesitated, but only for a moment. “...You make me happy. When we’re together, I mean.”
Blossom blushed. Constant followed suit with a similar expression, and the both of them looked away for split moments.
“I- uh. You… you make me feel happy too.” He told her, the sureness in his voice wavering as the compliments washed over him.
Another awkward silence passed before Golden Blossom continued.
“The truth is… It’s not very nice at my home,” she confessed to him woefully, “My Mom and Dad support me… but they don’t make me feel happy. They’re really busy, and they never have time to see me, so I have to cook and clean all by myself.”
She stopped for a moment, if only to reflect on her troubles. “It wasn’t easy to keep going on; with each day…”
She steeled herself once more, her expression uplifting to determined optimism. “U-Until I met you! Y-You’re strong; and kind… and funny sometimes, and-and… and I’m glad that we’re friends. I really am.”
She lowered her head shyly, excitement building within her from her emotional display. Constant was in shock at her words, and a blush crept upon him.
“I don’t know what I would do if you and I were separated from each other.”
There was a silence.
“Wow, uhm. Wow.”
Golden Blossom’s expression fell, and she recoiled in the fear that she had said the wrong thing. She turned away from him as if the sight was too awful to bear.
“Oh no, I said it too soon… I’m sorry Constant, I didn’t meant to, I-”
She then found herself in Constant’s tight embrace, as he bashfully faced away from her. Her expression turned to surprise and confusion as she looked up at him. His blush burned fiercely, and hers matched his.
“N-No! It’s… well… I was just kinda… amazed by all the things you like about me,” he told her abashedly, “And I really like you, too.”
Golden Blossom returned the favor, and held him tightly. The two held each other for some time, until Constant turned to look at her.
“Are you… that unhappy with your family?” He asked, finally.
Golden Blossom fell into the comfort of the embrace, but her expression only became grim. “Yeah… it’s been happening for a long time. I couldn’t keep it quiet anymore, and- and I don’t know what to do, but… I know what I want to do. I wanna keep seeing you.”
“I do, too,” he told her shortly, his eyes seeming far away with astonishment.
Abruptly, a hollering met their ears, and they turned together to face it in one movement. Golden Blossom’s mother stood near their home not far away, waving her hoof.
“Blossom! Come home, sugar buns, we’ve got an important announcement!”
Golden Blossom looked with uncertainty at her mother, then at Constant. She swallowed.
“I- have to go now.”
“Yeah.”
Golden Blossom fidgeted slightly, before reluctantly breaking away. “B-Bye, Constant. S… See you later.”
“Yeah.”
She left. Constant stood there, in wonder.
“Wow. I can’t believe she thinks about me that way,” he remarked, bewildered, “I mean, I guess she is… cute. And nice. And she has a great laugh, and-”
Constant shook himself from his thoughts, alert to a sudden time and place he had to be. “Oh, no!” He exclaimed, “I’m late for dinner!”
Constant raced home, moving at top speed, and he proceeded to barge in the front door. His mother, now leaning over a pot of soup, turned to look at him with a mixture of shock and curiosity.
“Where’ve you been, honey?” she asked innocuously.
“I was busy,” he replied, sitting down to the hot bowl of soup placed on the table for him, and scarfing it down hungrily.
His mother eyed him with a squint before she bore that look of motherly playfulness at him. She stirred the pot, swirling the soup that filled it.
“Were you talking to that filly a few houses down? Golden Blossom?”
“Mom!” Constant cried in a mixture of terror and apprehension,
“Sorry, sorry!” she apologized spiritedly, “Just curious.”
Constant resumed terrorizing the beans in his soup with his hungry mouth and proportionately massive teeth.
That night, Constant Vigilance couldn’t stop thinking about Golden Blossom. He’d always liked her as a friend, but now whenever he thought about her, he found his face turning as red as a tomato. He cursed internally with words he wasn’t allowed to speak for fear of his mother’s wrath.
That morning, Constant quickly decided after his breakfast of oats and milk that he wanted to see Golden Blossom. Surely if he talked with her, these feelings of his could be sorted out.
When he got there, however, he instead found a large wagon and her parents outside their house. Furniture was being carried from the interior and placed around the wagon, in preparation to be loaded. Constant approached Golden Blossom’s father, a middle-aged stallion named Silver Blossom.
“What’s going on?” Constant asked, to the mild surprise of her father.
“Oh, hello young Vigilance. I’m sorry to say, but I and the missus are moving east towards the coast. We won’t be living here in Haysville anymore.”
The proclamation speared itself through his heart like a well-thrown javelin.
They’re moving?! But-But that means-! Constant thought fearfully,
“Where’s Bloss at- uh, I mean, where’s Golden Blossom?” he asked quickly, correcting his words to hide his affection.
“Inside, I imagine.” he told him, “Do you want to say your farewells? Give me a moment.”
Her father turned to the open doorway and cupped his muzzle with his hooves.
“Sugarbuns! Goldie, honey, your friend Constant’s here to say goodbye!”
No response. Her father tried calling for her again, and again, but to no avail. Constant was getting severely anxious.
“Shiny?” her father called, this time to Golden’s mother, Shining Blossom. “Can you let Goldie know her little friend’s here to say his goodbyes?”
“I thought she was outside with you, hubby!” Shining Blossom called, directed back to her husband.
Golden Blossom’s father contemplated the situation for a moment, and then shrugged. “I guess she must be saying goodbye to her other friends. Y’might be able to catch up if you run-”
Constant zipped away without another word.
“-Fast enough.” Her father finished, heavy with slight apprehension. “Sheesh, what’s gotten into that colt? Enduring and his wife surely weren’t so antsy, where they?.”
Constant ran all over town. He ran to Dig Deep’s house, the Smith residence, even to the town square and the post office. Nowhere was Golden Blossom to be found.
“Think, Constant, think. Where could she possibly be…”
He thought hard before a memory occurred abruptly to him, and all of the things she confided to him when they were alone together came rushing back.
“The truth is… It’s not very nice at home.”
“...but they (my mom and dad) don’t make me feel happy.”
“I don’t know what I’d do if you and I were separated from each other.”
Constant’s heart skipped a beat. He swallows hard, his head twisting look around even more closely than before, hoping it meant he would find her. “Does- Does that mean she’s run away?!”
He trotted in place out of nervous anxiety, and his teeth gritted. Where was he supposed to find her, and what was he to do? If she got hurt, then…
“Oh no, oh no, oh no… keep thinking, Constant, where’s the one place she’d want to-”
“We should visit the forest again!”
Constant, the memory unearthed from his subconscious, went wide-eyed. “The forest!”
Without a second glance, he was off.
The forest on the north-western edge of town wasn’t particularly scary, not like the stories he’d heard of the enchanted deadwoods full of the corpses of trees and thorny shrubs at the farthest-northern parts of the land, but it was still mysterious. The morning light glimmered through the tall treeline and spread their shadows in rows across the soil.
Constant, with no regard for their beauty, raced across fallen logs and overturned stones half-buried in the ground. He breathed heavily, almost hyperventilating, as he made a beeline for the place they had discovered the last time he and his friends had visited: the crevice at the heart of the forest.
At last, he arrived, to see Golden Blossom standing on the rocky outcroppings. Her eyes were locked with the woods beyond on the far side of the gap, far too wide for any earth pony to reach with a simple jump. Constant might’ve thought about how easy Pegasi and Unicorns had it when it came to crevice-circumventing, but his mind was on other things besides racial politics.
“Bloss!” He yelled at her errantly, upon finding her there.
Golden Blossom jumped at the sound of his voice, and turned around to face him, her eyes were slightly wet with already-shed tears. She looked a mess, with an unkempt mane and sorrowful eyes. No doubt she had skipped her brushing that morning when she was delivered the news.
“C-Constant?!” she exclaimed in astonishment, “H-How did you get here?!”
“Bloss, listen to me!” Constant begged her, “Please don’t run away!”
Golden Blossom absorbed the knowledge that Constant knew what she was trying to do, and she frowned, receding slightly towards the direction of the crevice.
“B-But I can’t go back!” she shouted at him, “M-My parents will take me away if I do, and I can’t leave home!”
“Bloss, I know it’s scary, but trust me!” he implored her, stepping closer as she stepped away from him. “You don’t have to leave! We can talk with your parents! You can stay home with me!”
She considered this for just a moment but denied it almost immediately thereafter. “I can’t! They’d never let me! They’ve never really known me!”
“Please, Bloss!” He beesched with fear and fright soaked in his words, “I’ll visit you! I’ll get a job that travels so we can see each other in town! We’ll send each other letters and be penpals! Anything for you, just please don’t run!”
Golden Blossom said nothing, and now she was pressed up against the ridge. Her eyes flickered towards the chasm below, and then to Constant Vigilance, who reached out his hooves to grab her.
“But… But then I wouldn’t be able to see you every day!” She told him, “I can’t live life without you!”
“I know how you feel, and I know it’s hard to be apart from you! I know it, because- because-”
At last, on the edge of his words, he understood.
“Because I love you, Bloss. I couldn’t stop thinking about you last night, and- and I realize it’s because I love you, and I… I want to be with you, too.”
Blossom gasped, her cheeks lit aglow with color. The sadness vanished from her face. “Y-You do?”
“Yeah. Yeah, I guess I do.” he decided resolutely, “But we can’t see each other ever again if you run away, and I think you know you don’t want that either!”
He breathed, pausing for a second as Golden Blossom shifted slightly.
“When I’m old enough, I’ll- I’ll marry you! Then we’ll be together forever, and we can always see each other!”
Golden Blossom’s smile was like the rays of sunshine lighting up the sky. It was the most precious, most glorious thing Constant had ever seen. How could he have never seen it before?
“Yes,” Blossom said at once, “I do. I love you too, Constant, and marrying you… would be the one greatest thing in my entire life. I… I…”
She conceded, defeated by how silly she had been, trying to run away from home for fear of losing Constant. How could she have run away from him of all ponies?
“I won’t- I’m sorry… for trying to run away.”
“It’s okay,” Constant told her, with the brightest smile in the world, “I forgive you. Because I love you.”
Golden Blossom’s next smile was even more adorable than her last. She reached out a hoof to him, and he reached to take it.
But then, at the last moment, a rock on the edge of the crevice loosened.
Constant didn’t know how long he screamed for her, but he kept screaming. Even after he watched her fall into the dark depths of the ravine, with one hoof reached out from both of them. In one singular moment, the hopes, dreams, and wishes of a lifetime vanished in an instant. In their place, was only heartache.
And after it was done, once it was all over and he could no longer see her fall, he found himself crying to an extent he never knew was possible.
But he didn’t care. Not about him or anypony else. Not even about the ponies who found him lying there, in the woods, alone and in tears.
Just her, Golden Blossom, the one he loved.
Constant Vigilance spoke with the soldiers that arrived that afternoon. He told them everything, and the scribe they brought wrote it all down.
Then her parents showed up, and they cried too. They cried as hard as he had, and they hugged each other. They hugged him and told him they were ever grateful that he’d tried to save her.
Others didn’t see it the way they did, not after that day of her death. The ponies rumored, gossiped, and told each other lies, and eventually most of the townsfolk agreed that her death was a tragedy. A tragedy that the now ‘uncouth and wild’ son of Enduring Vigilance, had gotten mixed up in, therefore being at fault.
Constant wanted to talk to his friends Hardy and Dig Deep, but when he went to their doorsteps, he only met their aggrieved parents. The only thing they told him was that he was no longer welcome at their house for what had happened. In the end, he complied.
Because he agreed with them, too.
Constant’s parents, at least, were loving in the same way that they always were. They dismissed some of the wilder notions and defended the integrity of their son’s account with all their might, but it did nothing to improve the general beliefs of the townsfolk. They called him names when he walked through town, like ‘poker’ for poking his nose where he didn’t belong, or ‘grim’ for his dark tones.
Eventually, they settled on ‘pusher’, after a particularly nasty rumor spread that he was the one to do it. None were true, but the rumor mill remained hard at work churning the deceit at-hoof. Those who didn’t bother with nicknames, usually old mothers, simply chose to never refer to him by name. They called him ‘that Vigilance boy’ as they went on with their day.
And Constant believed he deserved every title and every nickname.
Word even spread to some of the neighboring villages, and even the other tribes. They, naturally, propagandized the story to further their advantage. They called the earth ponies ‘weak’ and ‘disorganized’, and as a result; Constant was all the more hated.
It wouldn’t take long before it was forgotten under the blistering snow that came on the fifth year after the tragedy fell, and the far more light-hearted tale of Hearth’s Warming emerged to leave it forgotten in the pages of history. The efforts to relocate southward towards Equestria overshadowed the ‘Haysville Accident’. Within a few years, only former residents remembered that the village had even existed.
But Constant still remembered, even if they didn’t. He kept remembering, after the third year and beyond. And he would never forget.
Constant Vigilance sat on the side of his bed, on the second day after the tragedy. The pail that stood in the corner was full.
How… How could I have let this happen? If only I had… gotten to her sooner, or maybe I shouldn’t have gone near her at all. She’d probably have come back on her own, if I had given her time...
But no.
He slammed his own hooves against his face as if to punish himself for his failure, but there was no use in it. He fell back against the coverings on his bed and felt like crying again. Unfortunately his tears were spent, even if his sorrow wasn’t. The permanent look on his face was of extreme misery.
I’m worthless. I’m to blame. Everything that everypony in town says about me is right. It’s all my fault.
He tossed and turned in bed.
What should I even do anymore?
He thought about it. And then he thought about it some more. And then he came to understand one thing.
“I… I can’t let what happened… happen again. I can’t. I can’t. “ He stated to himself, before getting up off his bed.
With a glint in his eye, he stood tall in the center of his bedroom, as if facing an invisible foe.
“I won't!” he declared, “I won’t! I’m going to get stronger, and stronger, so I’ll… I’ll never hurt anypony else again!”
His resolve hardened, even at the slightly childish notions, but he would have none of it.
“I’ll never let anypony die because of me again. Never. I’m going to train- and, and-”
He paused for a moment, thinking it out with a tap of his head.
“-And I’m going to start right now!”
Then he marched, straight out the door, right to the nearest tree. His father had told him that there were apple buckers in some of the orchards to the far east, with strong hind legs that could knock apples off a branch in seconds.
“Well, I’m going to knock the leaves out of this tree!” he decided, as he approached, already turning around. He reared his legs back and slammed the trunk with all of his stored strength and pent-up frustration.
Unpracticed at bucking a tree, he only hurt himself. But the tree was shaken, and a few leaves did fall off. So he kept going like that, for the whole evening, until his mother and father (who had arrived home early due to the events of two days ago on leave) found him furiously working at the tree, not stopping for even a second.
Constant had made a vow to himself, and it was then he determined that he was going to keep it. He would be vigilant, so that never again would he ever fail as he did before. It was in his name, after all.
He would’ve kept going if his parents made hadn’t made him stop, but that didn’t matter, for all night long he dreamed of becoming so strong that there was nothing else that would ever stop him from keeping everypony safe.
He was certain, both for himself… and for her, no matter what it took. No matter the sacrifice.
He would be greater.
Author's Note
Thank you for holding out for me! It's been a while, but this installment has finally been released to start us off on our adventure. (Now hopefully it'll be easier for me to release more chapters)
The story begins. Please bear with me, but I'm sure it'll be a ride.
Fort Westhoof, Equestria
9 BLB, Gale
Constant Vigilance is 27. Celestia is 14, and Luna is 12.
It’s been 15 years.
Lifting up, lowering down. Heaving, sweating, working.
“Ninety-four… Ninety-five…”
Constant Vigilance was making considerable progress on his morning exercise routine, his set of pull-ups nearly completed. His top bunk made for a durable, if makeshift, pull-up bar.
There was only serenity within the room. At this hour, the barracks were deserted. No disruptions, no distractions-
“Hey, Sarge!”
Shit.
Constant Vigilance paused mid-lift, swiveling his head sharply to face them. The ‘intruders’ were several fellow guardsponies, with positivity evident on their faces. Constant formed such a stern expression that one could’ve cringed at the mere sight of it.
“Levie.” Constant replied stiffly, directed at the pony in front of the group. “Can I help you?”
The hopeful trooper stepped forward, clad in bronze Romanesque armor, signifying his lowly station amongst the ranks.
“We were wondering if you wanted to come with us for drinks later tonight, at the saloon. Sergeant Mead’s paying for the whole round.”
A rumble of accent came from the other soldiers present, with some excited chatter about the planned event burbling above the noise. After a minute, it quieted down.
“So,” asked the Levie, “Will you be joining?”
Constant paused just a touch…
“No.”
…but the Levie never stood a chance.
“If it was not apparent to you,” Constant scolded him fiercely, “I am currently very busy with my morning exercise routine. Need I remind you that I made it very clear that I was not to be disturbed?”
The levie wilted under Constant’s admonishing words and stern gaze, with the prospect of acceptance smashed into the dust.
“Oh… Well, if you change your mind, then… you… know where to… find us…”
The last few words died on his lips as soon as he realized Constant wasn’t even looking at him anymore. The stone-cold stallion had resumed his exercise without a second thought to the poor, dejected soldier that stood near him.
With prior happiness decimated beyond current repair and nothing more to say on the matter, the once-hopeful trotted slowly out of the room.
On the gracious side, his coworkers immediately moved in to comfort him. “Nice try, Barley. C’mon, let’s get out of here.”
The door shut closed behind them, leaving Constant in solitude. The room permeated with the noise of his labors, breath, and sweat.
There were things more important than friendship, after all.
Constant’s workout saw no further interruptions, and once finished, he carried on with his day as if nothing had happened.
By noontime, he had just completed the polishing of his arms and armor when the midday sound-off, the blowing of a horn, emanated through the compound. He immediately clasped on his armor and headed outside.
Soldiers were grouping themselves in a few rows of three-pony columns, the trained and experienced accomplishing this effortlessly, while the younger troopers scrambled to insert themselves. Chatter immediately took place between those adjacent to each other, as guardsponies shuffled about.
“Atten-SHUN!”
The noise died away instantly.
The Lieutenant, an intimidating pegasus stallion in her late-forties, approached the line with a grim demeanor. What the Earth Ponies had once lacked in formal military training, the Pegasi had more than provided with their traditional military values and warrior caste. Their assistance had been a great asset to the E.U.P.
“Alright, featherbrains, listen up! As you know from a few months ago, Starswirl the Bearded and his lackeys convinced the Council of Three Tribes to uplift two newly-found Alicorns to rulership over this country.”
The Lieutenant stopped for a moment as if she were still acknowledging this for herself.
“Furthermore,” she continued sharply, “We’ve just received word that the two of them are presently on a journey and will be heading our direction.”
Another murmur passed over the soldiers, now listening to the Lieutenant carefully, with curiosity peaked and ears alert.
“Since the Princesses have insisted they can manage themselves,
their protection is determined by whatever other forts and outposts are nearby their charted course.”
There was a grumble from some of the other troops, but only a few. The Lieutenant pretended not to hear.
“With that being said, I will be splitting you ponies into teams, and each team will position themselves at a specific base camp near the path, which are all located at key points around the trail.”
The Lieutenant then reached and unfurled a bright piece of parchment, clearing her throat vociferously.
“Sergeant Mead,” the Lieutenant stated aloud as her eyes scanned the surface, “You will be taking Rivers, Kiln, Mudd, and Barley. Your site will be the bridge over the river to the north end of the section of path we’re guarding.”
The five looked at each other before Sgt. Mead, a brown-coated earth pony stallion, nodded determinedly.
“The Princesses have also clarified that they do not intend to cut through White Tail Woods on their way through, so be sure to set up on the eastmost trailhead.”
The Lieutenant adjusted the parchment and continued reading.
“Sergeant Charge. Your ‘charge’ will be Prospectus, Flap, Bolt, and Gaze. Your team will be in our cloud camp overlooking the valley, and with your eyes in the sky, we should ensure our little pair finds their way through without interruption.”
Sgt. Charge grinned eagerly, his yellow wings twitching restlessly. His fellows each gave a small noise of acknowledgment.
“Sergeant Vigilance.”
The Lieutenant’s eyes flickered towards him, followed by a pause. Constant did not look back.
“...Your query will be End, Shields, Twig, and Bric. On the hilltop at the southern end of the trail, you and your group will be making sure the two alicorns don’t hit the door on the way out.”
Sgt. Vigilance affirmed him with a single, short nod. His assigned soldiers stared at him warily, but said nothing, out of a mixture of largely fear and a modicum of respect.
“If the Princesses don’t make it past a few minutes of their estimated arrival,” The Lieutenant added, “Then the team near their last known position will seek them out and notify the garrison before-hoof. If you think they might stop mid-trip, don’t count on it, as it’ll be dark by then and they’ll most likely want to hurry.”
The Lieutenant hacked out another cough. With a hoof to their mouth, they cleared their throat once more.
“Apologies.” They discarded the parchment. “As for the rest of you, you will be stationed here at the Fort, on standby and awaiting further orders.”
The remainder of the soldiers cried out in an uproar, some relieved for being excused from active duty, the others disappointed they weren’t assigned. A loud, clear whistle from the Lieutenant quickly quieted all of them.
“Quiet! Some of your flanks are lucky they aren’t on duty today. Remember, this task is on us, so if anything at all goes wrong then we’ll be the ones to pay for it.”
The Lieutenant glared at all of them. “Is that understood?!”
A smattering of “Yes, ma’am!”s were aroused from the rank-and-file.
“Good!” The Lieutenant told them with a smirk, “These lengthy debriefings tire me out, and I’m sure you’re all sick of being run ragged as much as I am. Now get your flanks in gear and move out!”
With the words spoken, the soldiers broke from their formation and began to cluster around their respective Sergeants, huddling into their teams whilst the remainder scattered around the Fort. Sergeant Vigilance immediately turned to face his own little outfit and stared them dead in the eyes.
“You heard the Lieutenant,” he commanded them fiercely, “Move out!”
The contingent, for fear of being yelled at further by their command, moved out.
By evening, Sergeant Constant Vigilance had whipped his team into shape.
They had set out and established their base camp as instructed. The hill made for a pretty little view toward White Tail Woods to the northeast, and was bathed in the waning sunlight of the hour.
Sgt. Vigilance, since it wasn’t crucial to the mission, regarded it not at all.
While his unit had pitched the tents and stoked the fire, *he* had been watching unblinkingly towards the trail off to their side, standing like a statue.
Now it was getting dark, and as the sun dipped low past the horizon to reveal the star-speckled sky, his gaze was fixed firmly at the north end of the path.
“5 minutes.” he told them, “The Princesses will be here around 1800 hours, remember that. Keep your eyes and ears open.”
One of the soldiers, Sharp End, sighed deeply.
Constant’s head snapped towards the noise, and Sharp End was pierced by an overwhelmingly firm gaze of judgment.
“This is your duty, soldier!” Constant shouted, “So *act* like it!”
Sharp End succumbed to the gaze and nodded weakly, his body arched as far away from the Sergeant as possible. Constant snorted hotly through his nose and turned away pointedly, muttering something about laziness. Sharp End exchanged looks with the others, who shrugged passively.
A few minutes passed in silence. Constant’s eyes had begun to alternate between the rising moon and the road, studying carefully. Waiting. Watching.
“It’s 1800 hours, now.” Constant said briefly, followed by nothing. A few of the soldiers moved from their spots to watch the path with him, wondering if the Princesses would be there.
They weren’t.
Not even a minute afterward, Constant’s expression grew dark, and he gritted his teeth. Two minutes, his eyes diverted toward the treetops. Three, and at last, he moved to face his troops.
“Who’s the fastest of our unit?” he asked, semi-rhetorical.
The soldiers looked at each other perplexedly, unaware of how they should respond. Constant grew angry at this.
“Short Twig, that means *you*! Hurry and sound off to the Fort!” he ordered, “The Princesses are off-schedule.”
An order was an order, and the thinly Short Twig stood up and skittered off. Constant directed his attention to the rest.
“Alright, grab your gear, and on me! We’re going out to search.”
“Are you sure you’re not overreacting, sir?” Sharp End asked him prudently, “This might be a false alarm. They might be coming around the bend any seco-”
“Grab your gear, Sharp End, that’s an order!”
Sharp End and his fellows complied, and Constant hurried them onto the path. The darkness made for low visibility, but the road ensured they didn’t get lost.
They took off at a coordinated dash northward, with their Sergeant in the lead.
“The Princesses should have some form of lighting, keep a lookout!”
The troops’ eyes immediately went to the far horizon, scanning for anything that resembled a light. At last, after a few hundred hoof-lengths, Constant saw a warm glow.
“There!” He yelled, pushing onward.
But upon another few hundred hoof-lengths, Constant stopped short. Immediately, he pushed them all off the road and into a bush, a feat relatively easy considering his strength.
Sharp End was indignant. “What are you-?!”
Constant shushed him forcefully, flicking his head in the direction of the road. Stranded in a ditch, with a wheel missing off the axle, was a royal-looking carriage. Little else could’ve been the Princess’s ride.
Voices could be heard from afar, in the form of harsh, greedy laughter. Constant craned his neck and swiveled his ears to listen.
“Alright your ‘majesties’, if you come quietly now, we won’t cut your pretty little eyes out. Be a fine shame if those royal coats got stained with blood now, wouldn’t it?”
“I’ve heard princesses are rich!” proclaimed a different voice, “We might never have to shake down anymore suckers ever again. We’ll live like Kings and Queens!”
There was a frenzy of elated agreement from multiple other voices. With that being said, they had made their intentions clear as crystal.
Constant had heard all he needed to hear, and dove out of the bushes, running onto the road at a full gallop.
The band of highway ponies, disguised in cloaks and hoods, was surrounding a tall white alicorn with a pink mane. She stood defiantly in front of a shorter dark indigo alicorn with a light blue mane.
The white one spotted Constant racing towards them, and she froze. One robber, hearing the increasingly audible sound of fast hoofsteps, turned around to find a helmet filling his vision. The sheer force of the blow sent him flying to the ground, narrowly missing the alicorns.
Six to go, Constant thought to himself.
The other muggers watched as their comrade kissed the dirt, and then turned toward the direction of the disturbance, filled with shock. A few of them growled in anger.
The mugger nearest to Constant went for their knife, but Constant plowed into him and served him a headbutt to the face, knocking them out of the fight. Five to go.
The third mugger raised a club and swung it at his head, but Constant ducked out of the way deftly and caught it, yanking it free from their grasp. What followed then was a heavy blow to the cranium, leaving the pony unconscious. Four to go.
A pair of them charged in unison at Constant, aiming to slam into him. He spun around and reared his hind legs. Next, they were sent sailing, smashing into the treeline. Two to go.
When Constant turned around, he saw that the last two had gone for the Alicorns with knives raised, eager to use them as leverage. Some quick thinking from Constant allowed him to chuck a sharp rock at one of their heads, the blow enough to stun the pony with a direct hit. They remained standing, yet barely.
This bought Constant enough time to charge in for his pal, who was still reacting to their buddy being hit with the rocky projectile. A quick, hard swat sent them down immediately, followed by a stomp of the head. One to go.
As the other pony recovered, they looked upward in a daze to find a stallion in armor standing over them. What they saw next was an iron-shod hoof, followed by black.
The battle, as short as it had been, was over.
The other guards stood there, dumbfounded, having watched him in action by the sidelines. He clearly had it handled, after all.
Constant then turned to the two princesses, who stood a short distance away and watched in fear, mouths open and eyes wide.
Constant stepped forward. “Come with me if you want to live.”
They didn’t need him to tell them twice.
The Lieutenant was waiting at the gate for Sgt. Vigilance, who was being followed after by the equally shaken princesses and guardsponies. She immediately badgered him with questions.
“Sergeant! Are the Princesses okay? Are they safe? They aren’t dead, are they?!”
“I have them here with me, ma’am.” Constant replied, showing the pair that were trailing close behind him.
The Lieutenant sighed with visible relief, wiping the sweat from her brow.
“Oh thank the stars, that already takes care of half of my problems. Turns out Charge and his unit chose to pop a few drinks rather than stay on watch, which means I’m in deep horseapples.”
The Lieutenant then turned to the princesses and put on the best smile she could afford for them.
“Your majesties, I sure am glad to see you two safe. Please, rest as much as you need. We’ll sort everything else out by morning.”
The two of them nodded silently, their eyes darting around the confines of the camp, though mostly lingering on the back of Constant’s head.
That evening was not a kind one for the Lieutenant, as she spent it yelling at the failed pegasi, sending out guards to retrieve the princess’s carriage whilst apprehending the criminals, and suffering from having to write a letter back to Canterlot. Somepony had to make a report on what in Tartarus was going on, after all.
Constant lingered no further once his duty was done, and spent his remaining time on an extra-long workout session, to make up for the lost time. Most of the garrison was asleep by now, which was almost as good as when it was empty.
Then, the door was pulled open from the outside.
“...Is he in here?” said a light, feminine voice. “Hello?”
Constant turned his head and found quite the sight to behold: two Alicorns, the proclaimed rulers of Equestria, had wedged their heads through the doorway and were forcing their necks through to get a good view inside.
With a sigh, he dropped from his second set of pull-ups and faced them both. They froze, unaware that he was in here, or that he had noticed them.
“Can I help you, your majesties?” asked Constant, attempting as much politeness as possible and blatantly ignoring their obvious eavesdropping.
The two said nothing, their eyes darting towards each other. The taller one stepped closer, a bit timid, and opened her mouth to speak…
…But, instead, the shorter alicorn spoke first.
“You’re quite handsome…” she said to him bashfully, “You were amazing, kicking the flanks of those ponies.”
“Luna!” the taller one cried, before looking nervously at Constant, whose expression was completely flat; save for a raised eyebrow. The younger one, reprimanded, cringed at the reaction.
“I’m sorry, sir.” the taller one apologized, returning her gaze to him. “What my younger sister means to say… is that we are grateful for your rescue. Without your efforts, we would’ve been robbed, maybe even worse…”
“I was just doing my duty, your Highness,” he replied.
The white alicorn blushed. “You did it very well.”
Then, an idea suddenly came to her. “If you don’t mind me asking, may we have the pleasure of knowing your name?”
“Sergeant Constant Vigilance.” he replied.
The one called Luna gazed up at Constant, her eyes seemingly filled with wonder and awe. “I love your name. It’s wonderful.”
Celestia’s face immediately changed as she looked toward her unabashed sister in abject horror. “Luna, *please*! Have some humility for heaven’s sake!”
Luna faced her sister and frowned sorely. “I’m just speaking my mind, Celestia.” she mock-replied.
Constant watched the two of them bicker for a moment, his eyes narrowed as he remained in silence. “If you two are quite finished,” he inquired of them dully, “Do you have need of me for anything else?”
Celestia & Luna halted mid-arguing, and considered his request for a moment.
“Well, no…” Celestia concluded. “But-”
“Then goodnight.”
The door was slammed in their faces. The lock clicked. Silence.
…
…
“Did he just-?” Celestia asked, appalled.
“-In our faces?” finished her sister, incredulously.
They stared at each other. The stallion who they had been lavishing praises at had not even been a tiny bit flattered or pleased. They both realized that he, as a matter of fact, hadn’t even been smiling.
A gloom fell over them. Celestia pouted.
“Well, fine!” she said determinately, “We’ll just go and talk with somepony who isn’t so mean, right Luna?!”
Luna gave a short nod, her eyes far away and her posture filled with dejection. As the two began to head back, she repeated the same phrase to herself.
“I called him handsome… I called *him* handsome.”
The two vanished into the darkness of their carriage.
Constant gave another sigh as he heard them go away. What a pain, He thought to himself.
When he turned around, he saw that the entirety of the barracks was not only awake, but staring at him gape-mouthed. Not a breath escaped any of them, there was only quiet.
After a moment; Sharp End approached him, and slowly moved his slackened jaw to say the thing that was on all of their minds.
“Sir… did you just slam a door in the faces of the princesses?”
Constant eyed them all wearily.
“I’m going to bed.”
Soon, word had already been sent back, thanks to the efforts of pegasi air-mail. The troops were assembled earlier in the day for the Lieutenant to deliver the verdict.
The Princesses, unfamiliar with military procedure, watched and examined the other soldiers inquisitively from afar. They did not make a move to leave the side of their carriage.
“The Council has ordered that we are to escort the royals back to Canterlot,” The Lieutenant said to them that morning, “So that they may convene over what has occurred yesterday evening. Sergeant Charge has been court-martialed, and any of those who were on his team will be on latrine duty for the next month.”
A chorus of groans came from those who either liked the Sergeant or had been on his team and been released from the brig.
“I am also inclined to tell you that I will be reassigned elsewhere within the next few weeks, out of my failure to discipline my troops.” The Lieutenant explained starkly, “This is my last order before Captain Lightwing replaces me.”
The Lieutenant’s gaze fell upon Constant.
“Sergeant Vigilance, please step forward.”
Constant did so without a word. Some of the guards stared at him, and others whispered to each other as he made his way. The Lieutenant looked at him with watery eyes.
“Regarding your success with rescuing the Princesses, *you* are the one who will be escorting them. The Council wanted me to send along whomever rescued the princesses… so, I recommend you depart quickly.”
The whispers grew louder, and many eyes were now fixed upon the Sergeant. Constant’s face grew contemplative.
“The rest of us will be going out and securing the countryside,” The Lieutenant added, “So we’ll see you on your way out…”
He gave a short nod. The Lieutenant returned him something like a grim smirk.
“I trust that I don’t need to say anymore, do I?”
“No, ma’am.”
“Good.” said the Lieutenant, “Carry on. Captain Lightwing will take it from here.”
It took only a few minutes for the Sergeant to prepare his things, and even less time for the Princesses. Soon, they were out on the road.
The journey back was uneventful, despite this. All three of them said nothing to each other, the Princesses out of ire from last night, and because Constant had no intent to say anything that didn’t have a purpose.
The duo, however, did whisper to themselves. Constant caught a few words from their conversation.
“...hope we’ll be able to keep traveling…”
“...what do you think they want us for?...”
“...oh, we are in so much trouble…”
Constant said nothing of this. Ultimately, he had a job to do, which was what mattered the most. Soon, the majesty of the Canterhorn stood before them, towering high into the clouds above.
Canterlot was a beautiful, if diminutive, city. A good deal of it was still being constructed, but the Unicorns, Earth Ponies, and Pegasi in power had dreamed of it being the capital of the equestrian world. A place to unite the three tribes in sheer harmony, decked out in marble and gold, as no race had spared any expense.
Personally, Constant thought it was too bright for his tastes. He’d rather be in and out.
The city, for the time being, was still being built. For that matter, many districts were closed off, and worker ponies were everywhere. At the very least, it made the journey from the front entrance to the palace easier.
Upon being directed inside, the trio trotted through the hall, where a secretary awaited them. “The Council has already convened upon word of your arrival,” she told them simply, “Please go on through.”
They did, into a wide antechamber with a high interconnected desk that bent in a circular shape. Three ponies sat centrally in the middle, with several others seated in various other spots, observing the proceedings.
“Welcome to the 102nd Council of Three Tribes convening,” declared a Clerk who was seated below the council members. “Thank you all for joining us.”
“The following Council Members will be presiding: Councilmare Smart Cookie.”
Smart Cookie, a deep-brown-coated earth pony mare with a white mane, nodded in acknowledgment. Constant vaguely recalled that she had held some role in the Hearthswarming of some years ago, but it didn’t matter much to him.
“Presiding: Councilmare Prominent Horn.”
A surly-looking unicorn mare with a violet mane and a scarlet coat was the referred Councilmare. She did not respond to her name being called.
“Presiding: Councilstallion Nimbus Droplet.”
A gray-coated pegasi stallion with a dark blue mane rustled his wings, with a clear desire to be outside rather than indoors.
The rest of the seats at the table were empty.
“The meeting shall now come to order.” Councilmare Cookie announced, “Your majesties, do you have anything to say to us?”
The two princesses stepped forward with severe anxiety. Celestia, shielding her sister once again, was the first onto the podium.
“We… my sister and I did not anticipate any significant dangers during our trip. We had fared well enough upon our lonesome, in the days before we had come to Equestria. Together, we figured we were capable of handling ourselves.”
“Well, clearly, that was false,” said Councilmare Horn gravely. “The two of you failed to keep yourselves safe, and it is clear to this Council that you are unfit to supervise yourselves.”
Celestia’s head drooped under the harsh words, and she stared woefully at the floor.
Councilstallion Droplet frowned, and went to their defense. “Cut them some slack, Horn. They’re still fillies.”
“That may be,” she acknowledged, “But that doesn’t excuse their lack of personal responsibility.”
“Enough.” Councilmare Cookie glared at both of them. “Now… who is the soldier who ensured their safety and dispatched their aggressors?”
Constant Vigilance stepped forward, taking the place of the Princesses on the stand and giving a salute. “Sergeant Constant Vigilance, ma’am. At your service.”
Councilmare Horn stood, lowering her spectacles and surveying the Sergeant. “*You* are the one who saved the Princesses?”
Constant nodded affirmingly. “Yes, ma’am.”
The Councilmare said nothing, but her expression only worsened. She sat back down.
“How did you do it?” asked Councilstallion Droplet, curiously.
“As soon as the Princesses were past their estimated arrival, I notified the garrison at the Fort and gathered a search party,” he explained. “When we arrived, we discovered the ongoing fillynapping of the Princesses.”
“I dealt with the highway ponies and escorted the Princesses back to the fort. The carriage was brought along afterward, as their safety was a greater concern than their transport.”
The Councilmembers took all of this into consideration, musing to themselves. Droplet spoke first.
“Well, considering how outnumbered you were, I would say that is very remarkable. How exactly did you take them out?”
“I ambushed them from behind, sir.” Constant told him. “Took them by surprise and finished them off while they were in disarray.”
Councilstallion Droplet smiled. “Impressive.”
“For an earth pony…” Councilmare Horn muttered, glowering.
Celestia sidled up next to Constant, with Luna close behind. “All of this being said, what about the journey we were going to go on?”
The three looked at each other. This time, it was Councilmare Horn who was first to speak.
“In my expert opinion, I would recommend that they shouldn’t even travel at all,” Horn adjusted her spectacles glaringly. “It’s too dangerous for them.”
Droplet, glancing at Councilmare Horn, disagreed.
“How else will they learn about the land? Or the other species native to it? Their status as Princesses allows us to formulate good relations on first contact.”
“What would you suggest, Councilstallion?” asked Cookie, with a curious eye.
He grinned brightly. “I would assign a permanent guardian to watch and protect them. Somepony skilled, capable, and knowledgeable.”
Horn gazed at Droplet warily. “What would that entail?”
“Well, they would be near the Princesses at all times, to watch over and the protect them. They’d be able to regulate their conduct and provide necessary deliberation, while also making sure the pair are unharmed. Actually, here.”
Droplet began writing down the responsibilities and privileges with a stray piece of parchment, to boot, including unrestricted access to the Princesses. He gave it to Cookie, who reviewed it, before passing it on to Horn. She eyed it suspiciously.
“This is quite the list, Councilstallion.” Horn pushed the paper back to him dismissively. “You surely think their guardian could handle all this?”
“They’ll be trustworthy enough, I assure you.” Droplet smiled.
“But whoever would we even find that fits such a description?” Horn asked, raising an eyebrow dismissively. “Starswirl the Bearded is out on his business, and the EUP guard is already of a limited scope, no further beyond the patrols and encampments we’ve managed to establish.”
Councilmare Horn pushed up her specs importantly.
“With our supply lines unsecured and our minimal forces, what are we supposed to do? You expect us to expend resources on scouring the land, in search of a worthy candidate?”
“I don’t.” Droplet leaned on his chair with a wry look in his eye. “In fact, I don’t believe we have to look that far at all.”
He gestured to the stand below them. Horn and Cookie looked to Constant, who stood there quietly with moderate curiosity on his stony face.
Horn flashed a look that could be interpreted as sheer disgust. “Him? The guard who just so *happened* to have rescued them only once? Droplet, have you taken leave of your senses?”
Droplet shook his head, still smiling. “You just said it yourself. He’s already kept them safe, so… who’s to say he can’t do it again?”
Horn scoffed at this. “Well, how do we know he’s even capable enough?! It could’ve been just a mere fluke!”
Droplet nodded and leaned back in his chair. “I thought you might say that,” he answered, “Clerk Inkwell? Please bring us the report on Sergeant Constant Vigilance, the one from Fort Westhoof.”
The report was hooved over to him, and he in turn hooved it over to Councilmare Cookie. She flipped it open and looked it over.
“Spotless record, no discrepancies whatsoever.” Cookie read aloud carefully, “Fantastic work ethic, dutiful, and capable. Ideal soldier noted for his drive and determination. I’m not paraphrasing, this is all quite literal, Councilmare.”
Horn became highly indignant. “But… but he’s just an earth pony!”
“So were Rockhoof and Mage Meadowbrook,” Droplet countered smoothly. “The stories of their deeds have been spreading pretty far. Starswirl already has them along with him, something pretty prestigious in and of itself. Constant has done nearly as much as they have accomplished recently in his entire career.”
“He’s right,” Cookie remarked, still examining the report. “Multiple accounts of notable missions executed flawlessly. High praise. His superiors have written that his capabilities are significant, and his success rate is high.”
Cookie closed the report, giving a resolute nod of approval. “Earth pony or not, he gets things accomplished, and that’s good enough for me.”
Horn sputtered in protest, but could not come up with a proper counterargument. She settled on turning away with a loud ‘hmph!’
“Let’s put it to a vote,” said Cookie. “All in favor?”
Droplet raised his hoof.
Cookie raised her hoof.
Horn initially kept her forelegs crossed tightly around her midsection, but upon her seeing the two votes, she relented. She raised her hoof with the others.
“Understood.” said Councilmare Cookie proudly. “The vote is in favor of appointing Sergeant Vigilance as bodyguard. Congratulations.”
The Princesses gasped. Constant dipped his head with contemplation before at last, he gave yet another firm nod. “Of course, Councilmare. I will carry out my duty as necessary. Thank you.”
Despite this, his face betrayed no overt joy at this assignment. The Princesses, unsure, piped up.
“So…” Celestia asked timidly. “Does this mean that…?”
“Yes, your highness.” Cookie smiled at her. “Your journey may proceed as planned.”
The two fillies shrieked with joy, prompting some looks. They danced around the room, held each other in their hooves, and chanted in excitement. Constant watched the whole affair silently.
The Councilmare, slightly mystified, errantly slammed her gavel against the desk. “Ahem… well… meeting adjourned!”
The ponies present began filtering out as they discussed the decision and their own going-ons.
The Princesses finally began to calm down, but then something suddenly occurred to them. The pair stared at each other worrisomely, uncertain as to what to say. They realized that the very pony that had been so rude to them on that night what with slamming a door in their muzzles… was *now* their assigned protector. It inspired no confidence, that was for sure.
Luna, looking back to her new bodyguard, swallowed hard before speaking.
“I have a bad feeling about this, sister.”
Celestia was certain of the same. “As do I, Luna.”
Author's Note
Whew, Chapter 1 is finally done!
But the story, as it is, is just beginning. The adventure continues! Stay tuned!
