"Dad?"
I stop what I'm doing to look over at my son. The little colt is watching me prepare to go to work. He has a unique coat pattern: pink spots on baby blue, with a mane and tail a golden color with pink and blue streaks in it. His eyes, a lavender color, are full of curiosity that only a child so new to the world can possess.
"Yes, son?" I answer him, turning a bit to face him properly.
"Why did you become a guard?"
I chuckle. Most guards were asked this question by their foals. It didn't surprise me that he was asking this one now.
"Come over here and sit on the bed," I tell him, and he runs up and jumps onto the bed, turning around and sitting down like a dog. I walk over and put a hoof to his mane, tousling it and earning an annoyed snort from my child.
"You're in school now," I begin, "and I'm sure you've noticed that not everypony is the nicest, right?"
He frowns a little but nods.
"Some ponies are downright mean, aren't they?"
Again, he nods.
"Well, there's mean ponies outside of school too. In fact, there's all sorts of mean ponies and creatures in the world. Now, most of the time, you won't run into these mean ponies and creatures, but on occasion, sometimes you do. When that happens, it can be trouble."
"So you became a guard to stop trouble?"
"Not quite. While I do deal with ponies that cause trouble, my job is to try and stop trouble from happening in the first place. For instance, I stopped at a tavern last week after I finished my shift, and while I was there, I saw a pony who looked really drunk. Apparently, the pony had a lot of bits and the bartender kept giving them drinks to make him so drunk that he passed out, and then he would steal the heavy bit bag for himself. I stepped in and made sure that the drunk pony got to his home safely, and I made sure to give that bartender a scolding for doing what they planned on doing to that poor pony."
"Is being a guard like being a parent?"
I have to laugh. "Yes, it can be at times, but it isn't always. Besides keeping ponies from doing bad stuff, I also have to make sure the princesses and everypony else stays safe."
"You mean Princess Celestia and Nightmare Moon?"
"Yes, but Princess Luna isn't Nightmare Moon anymore, and I have Princess Cadance to protect as well."
"So you protect all three of them?"
"Not all by myself, but I do have to protect them."
"Aren't they immortal?"
The question catches me off guard, and I don't have an answer ready for it. "I honestly don't know, son. Perhaps even the alicorns themselves don't know. All I do know is that there are ponies and creatures that know of ways to harm them, and that it's my job, as well as the job of all the other guards, to keep them from the princesses."
"So you're a guard because you wanna protect the princesses?"
I let out a sigh. "You've seen my cutie mark, right? What is it?"
"It's a shield, with a sword overtop of it."
"That's right. A shield with a sword. I have that because, when I was a colt not much bigger than you, there was a timberwolf attacking a friend of mine. Everypony was too afraid to help, but I couldn't let him die, especially in such a horrible way. I decided to act and I looked all around for a way to help him, and that's when I saw the sword."
"I grabbed that sword and charged straight for the timberwolf, not caring about my own safety. I took that sword I had in my teeth and I cut that timberwolf down until it was nothing but a pile of sticks. Once I had finished, I spat the sword out and rushed my friend to safety. When it was all done, my parents pointed to my flank and there was my sword and shield, shining brightly in the sunlight."
"Wow! Could I get a cutie mark like that too?"
"Maybe. Sometimes the same type of cutie mark runs in a family. Your grandpa's was a shield with a mace."
"What happened to grandpa?"
I pause for a moment. Whether he had meant to or not, my son brought up an unpleasant memory for me. I had my cutie mark for nearly a year when my father was called away to settle a border dispute between Equestria and the Minotaur Kingdom. The bull-like people wanted to go to war, and the princesses had done all they could to ensure peace won out.
Unfortunately, their efforts failed, and they sent a battalion of guards, which included my father, to secure the border and drive the minotaurs back into their kingdom.
My father never made it back. My mother was presented with his valor cross, an award the princesses give to guards who perish while in service to the crown. He was buried in Canterlot in the Elysium Fields Cemetery, where we go to lay a wreath on his tombstone each year.
"Your grandpa gave his life to keep Equestria, and everypony in it safe. He went to battle with honor and fought to make sure you grew up in a world that was free from tyrants and other kinds of evildoers."
"Was he brave?"
"You have to be brave to do something like that."
"Wasn't he scared?"
"Of course he was."
"But how could he be brave if he was scared."
I chuckle. The same old childish thinking of colts when it comes to bravery.
"Son, being brave means doing something you're afraid to do. Even the bravest stallions and mares in the world probably wanted nothing more than to run home to their moms and dads and avoid whatever terrible thing they faced. They didn't, because they knew that if they did, then all of the evil things out there would win."
"But they could've died."
"Sometimes they do, but their deaths have helped build this kingdom we live in, and allowed us to enjoy the life we do. They knew that their efforts were to make this great kingdom a reality, and that though they may die, they would be remembered for all of their hard work and bravery. That's why guards call giving their life in service 'The Ultimate Sacrifice'."
A see some tears begin to form in my little colt's eyes. "Would you die too? If it meant keeping mom and me safe?"
I really didn't want to answer his question, but I also had the idea that he would end up asking it anyways.
"I would never want it to happen, but if it came to my life versus the safety of you and your mother, then I would sacrifice myself to make sure the both of you stayed safe."
He proceeds to jump off the bed and wrap his legs around me tightly. "I don't want you to die!"
I put my hoof on his withers and rub them in an effort to calm him down.
"You don't have to worry about that, my son. I plan to live a very long life, long enough to see you find your own special somepony and have a family."
"Y-You mean that?" he asks while looking up at me with watery eyes.
"I do," I answer while tousling his mane again. "Now, you should get going and let me finish getting ready. The captain has enough on his plate without one of his guards showing up late for his shift."
My colt rubs his eyes as he smiles and leaves the room. I return to putting my armor back on, fitting my hooves into my horseshoes and placing my helmet upon my head.
Once fully dressed, and I say goodbye to my wife and son, then leave to get to the chapel.
"I'm glad that the captain is finally getting married," I reflect as I look at the large bubble protecting the city from the mysterious threat that surfaced a few days ago, "but why do I still have this strange feeling that something is off about Princess Cadance?"
Author's Note
I decided to write a piece for US Memorial Day this year. Hopefully you've enjoyed reading it.
Special thanks to theOwtcast for proofreading this story.
EDIT - 5/30/2023 7:51 PM EDT - I edited the story to include corrections that theOwtcast made during proofreading. Something happened to the original file that the edits I made did not save. Also marked the story as complete as I forgot to do that originally.