Rank & Full Name: Swift Wildshadow, F.O.S.
Letter’s Date: 1x/x9/2xx3
Address: North Solar Boulevard, Bldg. 0123, District 001, Canterlot, Equestria
Contents: Letter

“Good afternoon, Mom and Dad.

I do have some good news and bad news when it comes to my new role.

First, the good news concerning my role as First Officer Specialist. This role in the Royal Guard signifies a guardspony who has shown exemplary and tactical prowess and stands out from his peers as a class act. They go above and beyond what is expected of them daily. The job entails: a) standing at attention and guarding doorways; b) greeting and assisting dignitaries, and; c) fighting battles against oppositional forces.

In addition, a First Officer Specialist is assigned a creature of significant importance in Equestria. We accompany them as a personal guard throughout the day, advising them on how to proceed in specific locations and being serviceable individuals. We are a shining example of what the Canterlot Royal Guard represents, and that is what is asked of the job title.

I was given this role but not immediately assigned to anycreature due to my extenuating circumstances…or so I thought.

And that’s where the bad news comes in. I took the rest of the day off and decided to hang out with my fellow guardfriends in the barracks. We were all having a good time with back-and-forth banter before an unexpected event cut that short.”

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“...and from there, the dragons ensured I was well taken care of after that horrible day. Later, Princess Celestia arrived with a dozen guards and the High Command, saying they were there to take me back home,” I said, finishing my retelling of the events from that dreaded mission.

“Really?” a guardsmare asked. “And the Legionnaire didn’t bother to show up?”

“Weren’t you there?” I rhetorically asked, tilting my head to the right while smiling. Everypony else in the group started chuckling as the mare began sputtering for a response.

“Y-yeah! I-A-I KNOW I was there!” the flustered mare replied, throwing her hooves up. “I-I just wasn’t paying attention that much, that’s all!”

“Aaahh, rookies,” one of the newer pegasi guards said, shaking his head. The entire group looked up at the floating stallion as he grinned. “So naive and inattentive….”

“Who are you calling inattentive, Don Madenn?” the mare snapped, an evil grin creeping onto her face. “Don’t talk about that when you are guilty of it too. I seem to recall you in a similar situation last week, eyeing that mare’s fla-”

“SSSHH!!” he shushed her, zipping over to her as fast as he could. His eyes went wide, and his face beamed a bright red, causing a raucous amount of laughter to sweep over us. Madenn stared at us before attempting to defend his actions.

“Wh-What?” he said, stammering. “She had an interesting cutie mark, that’s all!”

“Really? So what was her cutie mark then?” one of the younger unicorns retorted, grinning. “We’re pretty sure you were staring at something other than tha-”

“That’s it!” Madenn said, diving over the table towards the unicorn and tackling him to the ground. As the group sat there, laughing up a storm from the tussle happening before us, I reminisced on how much spirit I would have as a young colt.

Playing tag with the other colts in the village, chasing each other up and down the hills. We would have so much fun when we were younger, I thought, a smile growing on my face. Not having to worry about the burdens of life but living in the now.

I sighed in contentment, turning my attention back to the table. I looked up at the other guards in the barracks and took it all in. I honestly do belong here, my mind said with pride. This place, this city, this region…‘This’ is where I want to be for the rest of my life.

slam!

“HEY!! EVERYPONY!!” a guard shouted from the doorway, causing everypony to turn their attention to the stallion. “COME TAKE A LOOK AT THIS!!”

“What is it?” one of the guardsmares said lazily from the back of the room.

“The Royal Sisters and High Command are transporting an unidentified creature through Cante-”

rumble! rumble!

The guards in the barracks cleared out, leaving me all alone at the table. My head tilted as my smile faded. Hmm…interesting, I thought. A new creature shows up, and we all clear out. I drank the rest of my cup and set it on the wooden table before getting up. I stretched my back slowly before exiting the barracks and into the streets of Canterlot.

“Welp. I should see what this is all about then.”

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“I haven’t heard much about the creature yet, but I recently listened in on some gossip. Some are comparing it to a minotaur. The only problem was that it didn’t look like a minotaur and was REALLY tall. Some were more fortunate to see the creature up close, and they later theorized that the thing may have been taller than the Princesses themselves!

However, I don’t have all the details. I will let you both know as soon as I get more information on the creature. But for right now, I wish you nothing but great health and safety.

With tons of love and care,

Swift Wildshadow, F.O.S.”

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“Humph,” I said, raising my eyebrows. “So the Princesses took him and paraded him through the streets of Canterlot like a fish captured for sport. That’s…that’s so wrong in so many ways.”

I shook my head. “Well, at least I know ‘when’ he arrived. It seems this guard was in the right place at the right time to witness his story.” I hummed to myself, prodding my goatee.

But that still leaves one thing unanswered, I thought as I grabbed the next envelope with the label SIX on the front. The message on the back flap stood out more than the last, allowing me to read it without the magnifying glass.

“Where were you when I first met that strange creature? Bet you 10 bits I know exactly where.”

I chuckled to myself at the sarcastic message. “Yeah,” I playfully told myself. “I know where. In fact, I wasn’t even born yet, let alone thought of as a concept for existence. So checkmate!”

I disregarded the message as playful banter before two thoughts shoved themselves to the forefront of my mind. Firstly, I needed to understand how these two met each other. But two, and more importantly, I internally thought while pulling the letter out and opening it.

Where did you go?

Author's Note

How embarrasing! He got caught!

As always, feedback is appreciated in the comments below. See you in the next one!

-Harpy