Day One

“Corporal Rose!” The booming voice echoed through the courtyard. Everypony turned to face the irate looking earth pony stallion who called out as he trudged across the open space. His golden armor gleamed in the sunlight, as did the bright white coat the enchanted armor granted him. The only thing that truly set him apart from all of the other Royal Guards that were drifting around the courtyard was the crimson sun emblem that settled on his chest. It was the Lieutenant.

“Lieutenant Golden Star, sir!” Corporal Rose Wreath snapped to attention and looked straight ahead as the officer stalked over to her. She was a taller mare and could almost see eye-to-eye with every stallion in the service, but Golden Star still towered over her. He was an earth pony that could only be described as ‘solid’. There was a joke amongst the guardsponies that he could stop a charging bull moose simply by planting his hooves.

The reflection of a stone gray pegasus mare with a plume of blue-almost white-mane sticking out of her golden helmet stared back at her. That wasn’t really her reflection. It belonged to her, yes, but that wasn’t the pony she was. It was the guard she became when the armor was put on and it was time to do her duty to Equestria.

“Corporal, would you mind telling me why in Celestia’s name you are not on the duty roster for the next week?” Lieutenant Star leaned down to look straight into Rose’s eyes. He furrowed his brow and flared his nostrils. “I don’t remember approving any leave, and you don’t look dead or dying to me.”

“I received approval from Princess Celestia, sir!” Rose kept looking straight ahead. Not even into the Lieutenant’s eyes, but through them. She had to keep from swallowing or licking her lips, any sign of weakness. It had to be suppressed.

“And is going over your commanding officer’s head for leave standard operating procedure, Corporal?” He was talking loud enough that everypony could hear him so he could make an example of her faux pas without outright yelling at her. “Last time I checked the manual, you were to go through the chain of command for such requests. Am I correct or did something change?”

“I-”

“Because I was not informed of any changes!” Golden Star cut her off before she could even get a word out. “Was anypony else made aware of changes to how we request leave around here?”

A chorus of ‘No Sir’ rained down around them.

“I did not request it from Princess Celestia personally, sir.” Rose replied, still as stone-faced as she could possibly be. “Her Majesty overheard me talking with Private Picket about my father’s illness and offered me the week off, sir.”

The thought of that moment when Princess Celestia herself approached her in the hall lingered in her mind still. Never had she been so close to the regent before, and now she couldn’t get it out of her head. The warmth rolled off of her body in waves, soothing and nurturing like the light from her sun. A shiver ran up Rose’s spine as she thought of it again. She wished she could stay in that aura forever.

Instead the Lieutenant stayed in front of her, shooting an ice cold glare into her eyes as he searched for any hint of a lie. Not that she was telling one, but he didn’t know that. After a few moments of the towering stallion staring into her soul, he huffed and backed off.

“I will confirm this little story with Princess Celesita herself.” Golden Star growled out as he moved away from the mare. “If you are lying to me, expect to spend the next week in the dungeons scrubbing the grout until it shines, Corporal.” He gave her one last scrutinizing glare then stalked back across the courtyard towards the entrance of the castle.

Once she was sure that he wasn’t coming back, Rose let out the breath she had been holding in. Getting grilled like that was never easy, but when it was done by Golden Star it was another level of bad. He was known for being especially thorough when it came to punishments. Thankfully, she wasn’t lying and didn’t have to worry about that. Well, as long as Celestia remembered that little conversation.

“Don’t worry, I got your back.” Another stallion, this one the same height as her, poked her flank. By the voice she knew it was the aforementioned Private Picket. Just like most other stallions, the armor gave him a bright white coat and a royal blue mane and tail. A white horn poked through his helmet and shone in the light of the clear day.

“Why would he believe you?” Rose quirked an eyebrow and ruffled her wings against her armor. “He was the one who demoted you, remember? It’s why he went to go as the Princess instead of you.”

“Maybe, but still. I’ll vouch for you.” Picket grinned at her and nodded his head towards the wall. “Come on, it’s a nice day. Let’s enjoy it before we have to spend the rest of it inside.”

Shift change wasn’t until noon, so they still had a few minutes to kill. Might as well spend it with a view. Mustering in the courtyard was a nice way to spend the morning before going to your assigned place, but getting away from the rabble there was even nicer.

The two ponies trotted up the nearby staircase towards the castle’s wall and when they arrived at the top, they took position against the stone crenelations. The view from the Royal Guard barracks courtyard was unmatched. It was one of the higher points in the city that wasn’t in a tower and was on the southern side, so it overlooked vast swathes of the country. The rolling hills of green stretched out to the horizon, only really interrupted by the patch of untamed wilds known as the Everfree Forest.

Rose closed her eyes and lifted her chin up towards the sky. Even behind her eyelids she could see the bright majesty of the sun as the warmth beat down on her. Her wings spread out slowly and she absorbed the heavenly light openly, ever grateful for the opportunity to find herself in its presence. All of the worries, the panic, the shame that the encounter with the Lieutenant had brought found themselves washed away by the powerful waves of light that cascaded down from the clear blue sky above.

“Any news on your dad?” Picket’s usually smarmy but cheerful tone dissolved into genuine concern. “Wing Rot is nasty from what I heard. How is he handling the diagnosis?” Rose frowned as the relaxing reverence she had been engaged in was broken and the comforting warmth of the star above was replaced with the creeping dread of her parents and the correspondence they shared.

“He’s handling it better than my mom is.” Rose muttered. Her eyes followed a little colorful train in the distance as it wound its way towards Ponyville. ‘The Friendship Express’, if she remembered the name and livery correctly. Smoke billowed from its smokestack and rose into the air to mar the clear skies the pegasi worked so hard to cultivate. “My dad just wants to spend time outside in the sunlight, but mom just fusses over him all day.”

“From what you’ve told me, he’s a tough old stallion. I’m sure he’ll make it through.” There were a few awkward moments of silence before Picket spoke again. “Magic is amazing, y’know. Us kooky unicorns can fix anything if we put our minds to it.” He tapped his hooves against the stone. “I had a buddy that had-”

“I really appreciate the concern, Picket.” Rose took a deep breath and patted her friend on the back and forced a smile. “I really do, but let’s not talk about it. I just want to get through today…”

So the two ponies stood there in silence and enjoyed the morning, waiting for the bell to ring and send them all to their posts. A more natural smile crossed Rose’s features as a breeze washed over the mountaintop castle and caught her plumed mane. She took a deep breath of the fresh air, probably the last peaceful moment she would have until after her vacation back home was done.

RAAAAAAAAUUUUUOOOOOOOOOOO!

A cacophonous noise shattered the beautiful morning. It sounded like a scream which devolved into an animalistic howl and seemed to bleed into the air. The birds that loitered around the castle all took to the skies to escape the noise and far below flocks of avians did the same. Even Rose’s instincts told her to take off and flee, but training overrode that primal need of flight over fight.

The bells across Canterlot began to ring in concert, a chorus of warnings telling the populace to shelter in place. It also meant that it was time for the guard to go to work, whether they were officially on duty or not.

The ponies that had been loitering around the barracks’ courtyard all lined up in formation, Rose and Picket quickly descended from the wall and joined them. All of the assembled guards had formed up just in time for Lieutenant Golden Star to burst out of the doors and look them over.

“Possible monster attack!” The commanding officer called out as he addressed them. “We are now in charge of securing the city gates and making sure every single stallion, mare, and foal are safe out there!” He went down the block of gathered ponies and separated them into thirds, Rose and Picket being in the last of the three sections. “One, you’re in charge of the southern gate! Two, you’re going to the train station! Three, we’re heading to the northern gate! Move out!”

There was no argument or discussion as the three columns of armored ponies moved out into the city. The Lieutenant stayed still, watching them march as they passed his spot until the end of the third column. When Picket and Rose came by, he locked step with them.

“You’re lucky, Corporal. I caught up with Her Majesty and she confirmed your story.” Golden growled out over the din of armored hooves against stone. He then looked away for a moment, a rare and brief moment of his facade faltering. “I am sorry to hear about your father though, I hope he recovers.”

“Thank you, sir.” Rose responded with a nod. “The noise, though.” That drew his attention back to her. “It came from Ponyville, I’m sure of it.” If there was one thing the big ears atop her head were good for, it was locating sounds. “Private Picket and I were up on the wall and it came from that direction.”

“Of course it was Ponyville, Corporal.” Lieutenant Golden Star fell back into character and glared at his subordinate. “Where else does any of this crazy stuff kick off? Use your head. Everypony from here to Whinnyapolis knows it came from Ponyville.” He then picked up his pace to head to the front of their column.

The march through the city was quick and calm. Anypony with an ounce of sense was holed up in their homes or one of the disaster shelters that dotted the more affluent parts of the city. Every once in a while they could see pairs of eyes peak through windows to catch a glimpse of the passing column of armor, but that was the only sign of life as they marched through the winding streets of the capital.

It took them about fifteen minutes at a brisk pace to get to the northern gate of the city. The guards who were usually stationed there had already shut the wrought iron gate and pulled up the wooden drawbridge on the other side. They were here to simply secure it and wait until something else happened.

“Tacks, Brass, Redoubt!” Lieutenant Golden called out the three names. “You three, take to the skies and keep an eye out for anything!” Three pegasi all left the formation and flew into the air, just high enough so they could see over the wall and nearby rooftops. “Rose, you’re my runner! Tell Captain Galea the northern gate is secured!”

Rose gave a brief salute and launched herself into the sky and set off back towards the castle. She wasn’t the fastest flier in their little company, no that would’ve been Redoubt the local Wonderbolt Washout. She was, however, the endurance flier. In her youth she had participated in long distance flying competitions and could fly all day if need be.

The flight back to the castle was much shorter than the march, about ten minutes shorter. She landed at the steps of the castle’s main gates and saluted the guards on duty. One of them raised his hoof to indicate for her to stop, while the other lit up his horn and shot a beam of magic at her. It did nothing of note, but a field did linger around her for a second before flashing green. The spell to detect shapeshifters was a nuisance during lockdowns, but it was now needed. The doors opened for her and the guards waved her inside.

“Runner from Lieutenant Golden Star at the north gate.” Rose told the attendant just inside the doors. He was a wiry little unicorn by the name of Pusher, he was one of the administrators that worked with the Royal Guard but was not formally part of the organization. He looked at her through coke bottle spectacles and nodded towards the door that led to the throne room.

There was another checkpoint before entering the throne room, this one with yet another duplication check and with an added patdown to make sure no weapons were smuggled in. Once she was clear of that, she was ushered inside.

The throne room was, as always, astonishing. The room was tall, imposingly so, and was lit by the myriad of stained glass windows that depicted moments throughout the country’s history. A red carpet ran from the door and up to the dual thrones of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, who were sat in their places and talking to various ponies.

Guards were littered around the space, all wearing the black armor of the elite personal guard of the royal family. Most of them were unicorns with but a smattering of thestrals, batponies, amongst them in the armor of the Night Guard. They all eyed Rose warily as she began to trot towards the throne, where the armored pony she needed to speak with was.

“Your Majesties. Captain Galea.” Rose bowed as she stopped just before the ramp that led up to the thrones. The armored mare that was in front of the princesses looked down at her with cold gray eyes. The set of shining black armor that donned her figure did not change her appearance, but it did stand in great contrast to her baby blue coat and shockingly white mane through which a blue horn poked through.

“Corporal Rose Wreath.” Princess Celestia was the first to address her. “Please rise, my little pony.” Rose did as she was asked and looked up at the regents. Princess Celestia, in all of her glory, was smiling down at the guard pony. A certain kind of motherly warmth radiated from every little part of her, from her lily white coat to her pastel main that flowed in a nonexistent breeze. “What can we do for you?” Even Celestia’s voice was like butter through the air, so smooth and just calming.

“I came to speak to Captain Galea.” Rose stood up straight and did her best not to stare at Princess Celestia too much, so she focused on the captain instead. “Lieutenant Golden Star sent me. He wanted to inform you that the city’s north gate is secured.”

“Good.” Whatever warmth Celestia’s voice injected into the room, Galea’s sucked right out. She was flat, unnerved and unmoving as she looked down the dais. “Inform the Lieutenant that I want-”

The Captain of the Royal Guard was interrupted by a wisp of green smoke coming through the window and making a beeline straight for Princess Celestia. It seemed like everypony in the chamber stopped breathing when a scroll materialized from the smoke and landed in Celestia’s magical grip. Even Princess Luna watched on as her sister opened the scroll and read the contents.

Never in her thirty years had Rose Wreath seen Celestia look scared, but that was the look that crossed the face of the regent. It wasn’t there long, but it was there long enough for more than just Rose to take notice. The ambient temperature of the room seemed to plummet as the once sole ruler of Equestria read the note again, and then again. The sight of Celestia swallowing nervously was all Rose needed to know that it was bad, whatever it was. The scroll was then passed to Luna, and it turned in the air just enough for Rose to catch a glimpse of the big panicked letters etched across its surface in ink.

“SOMETHING’S WRONG WITH TWILIGHT”

Author's Note

You know how I said tomorrow? I lied. Bad day and just wanna get this out lol. Sorry everyone