Author's Note

I said it in the description, I'll say it here and in the author's notes of ever chapter if I must. Leave the negativity at the door please.

The First of Many

Celestia watched her student pace the length of the room. It wasn’t far, her castle was much smaller than Canterlot castle, but the throne room was still large. The stallion seated next to her stared stoically straight ahead, ever the dutiful one. The object of today’s frazzle-ment was the small scroll sitting in front of Twilight’s seat.

“You know how nobles are Twilight. You and your family are nobles yourselves. They are always locked in paperwork and bureaucratic nonsense. There is nothing I can do this time.” Twilight didn’t hear her. So lost in her own thoughts, Twilight wouldn’t have heard an explosion going off right behind her. Celestia continued to watch until Twilight was behind her. A sigh escaped her, and she glanced at the stallion next to her. He simply stared straight ahead. She could see only his silver eye, the other covered as it was by the mask he wore.

She once asked him about the mask, during his training under Captain Bulwark and Lieutenant Steel Hammer. He wore it to hide his own parentage, something he wasn’t entirely proud of. At her insistence, he’d revealed why, but he’d only done so in private. Bulwark had been as frazzled as one could expect. A guard in training all but demanding to join Celestia in her private chambers, with no other guards present.

She had to admit the boldness had been refreshing. Once in her room, he removed his mask, revealing the golden eye behind the eye-patch… and the sharp canine teeth. At her insistence, he revealed his parentage, and his past. His mother was a relatively well-known songstress, Violet Aria. A pegasus with a voice like no other before her, Violet had sung once or twice at the Grand Galloping Gala. She was a lovely mare. His father was some unknown stallion who had managed to seduce his mother at a bar. Only it wasn’t the stallion he’d met.

His mother had revealed to him later in life that his father was a Changeling. A scout from Chrysalis’ hive that had been in Canterlot for months, scouting for potential entry routes. Long before Princess Cadance’s wedding to Shining Armor. The Changeling had seduced, impregnated, and fed on Violet’s love for years before a curious friend, wanting to finally meet this “new husband”, had come to investigate while Violet was at a concert. The friend discovered the father’s identity and alerted then captain of the Canterlot Guard, Stalwart Shield.

After revealing to the Princess that he was at least half changeling, he tested the waters with her. “If you tell anyone, I’ll have to kill you.” his tone had been dead serious, the look in his eyes free of any mirth or humor. Celestia had found it humorous anyway and his smile told her that he’d been joking.

When Twilight came back around to his line of sight, his eye snapped to her and Celestia cursed that he had to wear that stupid mask. It didn’t hinder his breathing, but his eyesight wasn’t perfect with it on. He could only see out of one eye while wearing it. “At least consider the alternative, Twilight. If you don’t accept a guard from myself, Luna or Cadance, the nobility of Canterlot will assign you a guard. A guard that will be under their hoof, on their payroll, and report to them any time you do anything that might seem… out of character for a Princess.” Celestia said and Twilight finally stopped pacing, now just staring at the stained-glass window that had been transferred to her castle.

Her first victory with her friends, and the restoration of Princess Luna. “With Guard Arcane Sigil as your Captain of the Guard, you will retain the autonomy to do as you please, go where you please, and continue to teach at your school. If you are assigned a guard by the nobility, it is likely they will find some reason for your school to be shut down by the EEA.” she said and Twilight continued to stare at the window, but now Celestia could see the wheels turning.

She’d known Twilight Sparkle long enough to know when the little purple mare was considering all of the options.

1: Accept Arcane as the Captain of the Guard in Ponyville. Retain her autonomy to continue teaching at the school as well as go off on crazy adventures when the map called her.

2: Don’t accept him and be assigned some random pony from Canterlot, who will likely be given orders by the nobles of Canterlot to keep her in Ponyville, where she will be a Princess and nothing else.

3: Do nothing and hope it goes away.

She didn’t want to consider option four… but marriage was always on the table. If she didn’t want a guard… they’d accept a husband with military training. She knew that. She also knew that even if he wasn’t a guard, they’d have no choice but to allow her to keep her autonomy and do as she please, if her husband was trained as a guard.

“How long do I have to consider my options?” she asked and Celestia smiled.

“We can give you a week, safely. Any longer than that, and somepony will send guards to you to report on your actions.” the elder Princess said, and Twilight nodded then looked at Arcane.

“Aren’t you going to say anything?”

“What would you like me to say, my Princess?” he asked, and she felt her entire body shiver. That voice… it was like honey on silk. Smooth, flowing, beautiful and sweet and powerful all at the same time. She knew why he’d kept quiet now. Celestia’s smile widened, and one eyebrow quirked upwards.

“Anything. You must have thoughts on the matter.” Twilight said and Arcane paused for a second, the one eye she could see closing in thought.

“I’m sure you considered your options, my Princess. Accept me as your guard, continue to live as you have with no further problems from the nobility in Canterlot. Refuse and be assigned a guard who will report back to nobles such as Hoity Toity or Upper Crust. Ignore the situation at hoof and hope it just goes away eventually because the nobles will get tired of trying to force your hoof.” he said and she blinked. It was like he could read her mind.

“There is always a fourth option.” Celestia said and Twilight’s eyes went wide as Celestia smiled. “If becoming her guard is out of the question, as the reigning High Princess of Equestria, I can order documents be written up proclaiming the two of you married and all I would need is a signature from him.” Twilight blinked. A forced marriage? Would Celestia actually do that?

“I want time to think about it.” Twilight said, looking at Celestia. It seemed to take the wind out of Celestia’s sails, and she could almost see the tiny Celestia in her mind dropping the string she was about to tie around the pin on the “shipping board”. “However… to appease the nobles of Canterlot… I accept Arcane Sigil as the first of my guards and as acting Guard Captain.”

“I will have the paperwork drawn up and sent via dragon fire once I return to Canterlot. In the meantime, I shall leave Arcane Sigil, Captain Sigil, here so that he may familiarize himself with the area he will be guarding.” Celestia said and Twilight nodded. “With that settled, I’ll be on my way. Congratulations on the promotion Captain. Be sure to inform Shining Armor you’re the same rank as him now so he can’t push you around.” Arcane saluted Celestia as the Princess stood, his salute flowing easily into a bow as Twilight escorted her mentor to the door.

She walked in silence while Celestia went on about potential changes to entry into the Guard that she could implement, as well as the odd suggestion or two that she add more ponies to her own guard, so Arcane doesn’t have to protect the entire town on his own. Something Princess Celestia said caught her off guard, however. “I am certain a stallion of his overwhelming magical capacity could handle it, but it’s still too much for one pony.”

“Princess, what do you mean by that?” Twilight asked as they reached the door.

Celestia smiled as she turned to her former student. “Why, just that he’s the most powerful unicorn I’ve ever met. Magically speaking… he makes you look like you’re still in Magic Kindergarten. And you’ve handled all of the magic of the four Alicorns on your own.” Celestia said and Twilight’s eyes went wide. “I shall see you and your friends, and your new captain, at the up coming Grand Galloping Gala, Twilight.” She said as she turned and walked away, climbing onto the chariot she’d arrived on and flying back to Canterlot.

Twilight watched her leave then turned to look at her new Captain, who stood behind her, just far enough back that he wasn’t in her personal space. “Magically speaking he makes you look like you’re still in magic kindergarten.” Was it really possible that a single stallion, a pony who was an unknown quantity entirely, could have so much magic that he dwarfed the Elements of Harmony? He caught her staring and just stared back at her for a moment.

“What?”