And so, the numbers came forth.
"Six months...six months of training and I get the border duty. My life bucking sucks..."
The young 20 year old Unicorn stallion, known as Vigilant Shield, was currently on a train to Canterlot. He had a white coat, green eyes, blood orange mane, and a topical royal guard cut mane. For the past six months, he had trained and excelled in his endeavors to be a model Royal Guard. It wasn't easy, and while he had many doubts, he managed to graduate Basic and Advanced training. He had specifically joined to serve under the Solar Guard and as a Canterlot native, it was almost expected that he'd serve her Majesty Princess Celestia's forces.
And when it came time to enlist, he chose the obvious choice. On the other hoof, batponies usually joined the Lunar Guard and understandably, made up the majority of her Majesty Princess Luna's forces. That said, it wasn't unheard of for normal ponies to specifically request to serve in the Lunar Guard, but they were far and few between. Vigilant Shield was one of many new recruits to volunteer to heed the call of the Diarchy and for good reason.
Ever since the short, but intense Storm King War, the Kingdom needed more ponies to bolster it's forces. This was not only to help deter any other unfriendly species from taking advantage of Equestria, but to also meet a new, emerging threat. And that new threat was Humanity.
Humans were known to exist on Equus but that's as much as anypony or for that matter, any creature on the planet knew. They were a mysterious race from the eastern lands and very few of them traveled beyond their borders. Even more rare were the non-human creatures to visit and return from the human lands.
Their country had a small patch of land that connected their continent in the east to the mainland of Equestria. The Crystal Empire wasn't that far North but it was separated but a heavy mountain range. The Storm King had seized this sparse land and had used it as a launching point into the human territory.
Many humans were killed during the Storm King's rapid invasion and even to this day, the Royal Guard still was unsure of the total amount of casualties. While the Kingdom did have spies and intelligence specialists, this made little, if any difference to ascertain what the human casualties actually were. Not only that but any agent that attempted to collect information inside the human country failed. At best, they simply came back empty hooved or worse, was never heard from ever again. Equestria did manage to get a general layout of their borders and some cities from recon blimps at night.
However, those recon flights ended when the humans surprised Equestria with airplanes. Nopony was sure how the humans were able to find and intercept them at night, but their rate of detection soon reached one hundred percent. After the war had come to a end, the Princesses attempted to form normal relations with the HDR. They also attempted to reach an agreement with the new borders but talks went mostly nowhere. They refused to cede the newly controlled land and dug in trenches and fortifications in response.
As a result of this Equestria was forced to do the same, as humanity's no-so-subtle hostile attitude dictated such measures. All of this happened ten years ago and while some trade and sense of formal relations were made, the border remained hardened and closed. Some ponies attempted to sell or even smuggle in copies of the Book of Harmony in the belief that humans would see that ponykind meant no harm. These were seized and destroyed immediately and labelled illegal as subversive anti-human literature.
Not only that, but the few creatures, pony or otherwise, who managed to get travel visas, came back and told of military parades showcasing their might. They told of stories about humans driving strange armored carriages that move on their own with no ponies or creatures pulling them. This alarmed Equestria as they had no such vehicles of their own. Vigilant Shield had heard rumors among the guard that several of the wealthy nobility were attempting to build prototypes armored carriages, in the hopes of money and to serve Equestria's defense interests.
Vigilant Shield continued to stare at the view through window of the train cab. It was overcast and slightly raining, which lowered the mood of the graduates that filled the train passenger car. Most ponies were playing cards, having conversations of their own, or drinking hot tea from the snack trolley. Majority were solar guards a but a few lunar guards were present, albeit sleeping.
The stallion should be happy to return home for some R&R before his follow on assignment, but he wasn't. Something deep down inside gave him a foreboding feeling and he couldn't shake it. Suddenly, he was shaken out of his thoughts as a Lunar Guard suddenly sat next to him.
"Buck!" said Vigilant Shield.
This got him some looks from several of the other guards and a few "Shhh!" noises from the Lunar Guards attempting to sleep. The Lunar guard turned out to be a mare batpony, who had an unusual grin one her face. She had blue-gray coat, orange eyes, and two toned blue mane and tail with dark green highlights. Her mane had a slightly messy blunt cut with bangs style with her tail being just barely average in length. He was surprised she chose to come over and talk to him, seeing how he barely talked to anypony. Overall, her looks were decent, certainly worthy of a single stallion's attention in the service, but there were other prettier mares in Equestria.
"Hey, what's up? You look bored...I can fix that."
Before he could reply, she winked and giggled. He shook his head and replied, "Doubt that."
"The hay is her problem?"
Her jaw dropped at his attempt to ignore her before she pouted at him. He tried his best to ignore her but she wound up making goofy faces at him. He could see her reflection on the window due to the lighting in the car and that made ignoring her all but impossible. He huffed and turned his head back to the mare, who was smiling with her victory. He rolled his eyes and said, "Fine, I'll entertain you."
She snort giggled before covering her mouth and blushing. Vigilant Shield wasn't sure why, but he found the laugh infectious and chuckled himself.
"Okay, she's probably just bored like me. She seems okay."
He held out a hoof and said, "Vigilant Shield, nice to meet you."
She bumped his hoof and said, "Shade Sheen, same." The mare looked at the window and said, "Bucking crap weather, isn't it? It's as bad of a day as it will be for the night. Overheard the one of the Solar Pegasus guards talk about it's supposed o rain all day and tonight. So much for a casual night flight for me."
He nodded and remembered that night lights were the batpony equivalent for a simple day walk. The mare stretched out her wings and it was clear they were stiff. Vigilant Shield could only sympathize with her as his legs were stiff sitting in the car all day.
"Bummer. Looks like it will be an indoor kinda day."
"Eeyup, which means Tavern Time for me...so..."
"Wait, is she trying to ask me out...nah, I'm looking to far into it."
"Wanna join me for drinks? They're not gonna give us much time off. They're really big on sending us to the border."
That caught his attention before he turned his face towards her. She was rubbing her right foreleg leg with her left and sheepishly looking away, clearly nervous about his answer. Never before had he been asked by a mare to join him for anything. He shrugged his shoulders and said, "Why the buck not? My parents aren't home anyway, so I'm not gonna be able to visit them. I'm free and open."
"Not yet, anyway." whispered Shade Sheen.
He asked, "What was that?", unsure of what he heard.
"Nothing! Anyway, I know a cool tavern might like. Cheap night ale and awesome fried cheese sticks. We got thirty minutes left till we hit the station, tell me about yourself. I'm a Canterlot native and I'm guessing you are too?"
"Hmmm...couldn't hurt, I suppose. I'll play my cards right and see what happens."
Before he could reply, another batpony with a black coat and green mane tail, and purple eyes walked by. The armored mare, looked over and said, "Watch out, sunny colt, she's a heartbreaker."
Shade Sheen turned around and gave a rude gesture with her hoof and bore her fangs at her comrade, "Buck off and mind your own business, fart flank."
The other mare chuckled before a solar lieutenant and a lunar captain, who were playing cards, turned their attention over to the two mares.
"Settle down, you two." said the solar lieutenant while putting down a full house.
"Or else I'll have both of you doing latrine duty. No R&R before heading to the border." added the lunar captain.
The two batponies starred at each other before the other mare shook her head and walked away. "Flankhole" said Shade Sheen. "Anyway, ignore her. So where were we?"
"Any truth to what she said?" asked Vigilant Shield.
She shook her head fast and said, "Buck no! She and I don't like each other and my basic training in the mare's squad was tartarus because of her..."
She looked down at her hooves, avoiding his scrutinizing stare, "Look, I need to be honest with you. All of us are going to the border for a year, with no leave. I'm single, I'm gonna be bored at the border, and you look like a good guy. I wanna have fun. I know it's not exactly wise to date a co-worker, but I think you and I might-"
"Dear Faust, a gem fell into my hooves. Buck it, why the hell not? If it doesn't work out, I'll have experience. Besides, it's not like I'm gonna fall in love with her."
He interrupted her, "Buy me the first round of night ale and you have a deal. I've never had any and I've only ever had summer style ale. I hope this tavern rocks and those cheese sticks better be Faust's gift to ponies."
She nodded before she started blushing and smiling. Before today, he never met a mare cuter than her.
Vigilant Shield enjoyed the rest of the day and night with Shade Sheen. The tavern was as good as she promised, along with the food. Most of the customers were of the batpony kind, with a few griffons and even a dragon or two casually chilling in a corner. While everypony was welcome, the crest of the Lunar Guard underneath a large painting of Princess Luna was the first thing anypony would seen upon entering the tavern.
The message was clear, the Princess of the Night was loved by the loyal patrons. What Shade Sheen failed to mention was that the tavern was also an Inn and that her parents of all ponies owned it. He wasn't happy being caught off guard, but he was, in fact, rolling the dice on a mare he'd just met on the train. Surprises were to be expected, and was going to take the opportunities before him. The ominous feeling of the human/equestrian border still was in him and he was going to take all good things him home had to offer.
The stallion and mare that ran the tavern we happy to see their daughter before turning their attention to the single solar guard stallion. Both parents gave him the once over, neither of which saying a thing to him. Before he could say anything, the older but still tough stallion gave him a hoof bump of approval. Her mother gave him a warm comforting hug not to dissimilar from his own mother. The first thing her dad said to him was, "Don't hurt my daughter or lead her on. If it doesn't work out, no hard feelings. Knock her up, and you're never getting away from us."
His face went beet red before nodding in understanding, "Fair enough."
Before he knew it, ale and cheese sticks were served at special table for them. Her mother was very happy to Shade Sheen bringing a stallion home and happy that it was a royal guard. They didn't expect him to be a solar guard nor a non-batpony but they weren't gonna complain. It almost felt like his life was accelerating too fast but he always wanted a mare-friend. They enjoyed the ale and cheese sticks and he even felt brave enough singing in front of everypony for karaoke.
He wound up doing not bad, enough so that her parents started dancing and soon several other creatures joined dancing as well. That's what he remembered as he woke up the next morning. He moved about in the bed and yawned before a hoof ran across his chest.
"Too early, more sleepy time."
She smiled and kissed Shade Sheen as she cuddled up closer to him. Vigilant Shield enjoyed his night and after popping his batpony virginity, the two decided to be an item. His new mare-friend smiled as she felt his kiss on her cheek before saying, "Breakfast will be ready in an hour, and before you ask, my parent's work like a Trottingham clock."
"Who am I to argue?" said Vigilant Shield. "We both ship out in three days, and we'll be in separate barracks, so no more cuddles for us."
After kissing her on the lips, Shade Sheen said, "Boo, don't remind me. The border is gonna blow. The other lunars were telling me it's creepy there. Don't get me wrong, the night doesn't scare a thestral but that place...something just isn't right about it."
The solar guard couldn't disagree, and he was dreading the duty. While he was happy to get a mare-friend, and doubly happy to find out her unit would be in the same section, he couldn't shake the unease. He must have tensed up because his mare-friend opened her eyes and asked, "You okay?"
He shook his thoughts and replied, "Yeah, I'm just not sure what is gonna be worse. The fact we'll be at that Faust forsaken place or that we won't get many opportunities to buck each other's brains out."
She playfully punched his foreleg and said, "So, just because we had sex on the first date and got me as a mare-friend, you think it will be about sex all the time between us?"
He grinned and replied, "No, it will be about our love AND sex. I want it all, don't you?"
She giggled and threw her covers off and spread her legs, "Damn right, I do. Come and get it."
"I bucking love this mare."
Breakfast was served exactly on the hour as Shade Sheen predicted, with both having worked up a large appetite due to their morning activities. After cleaning up, both of them made the morning walk of sheepish embarrassment as her parents knew exactly what happened between them. They had a pleasant breakfast and conversation, with her parents asking more about Vigilant Shield and his life.
While that was going on, a magic radio was on in the background playing music. Her dad went over to adjust the antenna before a strange broadcast came through. All four ponies listened to the music before it ended.
Her dad shook his head and said, "There it is again, that strange human music. Well, at least I think it is. It comes and goes every now and then."
Both Vigilant Shield and Shade Sheen listened to the music and had no idea what to think about it. It almost sounded patriotic but there was something "off" about it. Neither of them could put their hoof on it and before anypony else could reply, the radio suddenly played a new and bizzare music.
After one minute of playing, Shade Sheen's mother was the first to speak up, "Turn that bucking radio off. That's creepy as buck."
He did as she asked and the radio was turned off. Shade Sheen asked, "What was that? It felt so...wrong."
"Our assignment, Shade. It's the humans and I don't think they're up to anything that Faust would approve.
The tone of the breakfast was awkward as all four ponies couldn't shake the strange broadcast from their minds.
"One thing is for certain, I have a bad feeling about this."
The three days came and went before the new couple were shipped out to the border. Despite the weather factory's best efforts, the weather over Equestria still remained overcast. Shade Sheen's parents gave the couple a sending off gift consisting of dry snacks, non-perishable food, and some mini games for them to pass the time. After saying their good-byes, the couple made their way to the train and were on their way to the border.
Despite the impending gloom, they had each other. Only time would tell if it was enough.
*6 months later*
"Wake up Vigilant Shield, I did your shift. You and your mare-friend need to get the buck out before the rest of the guys get here. You got about five minutes before they get through shift change."
His fellow solar guard, Copper Block, was a true bro and covered for him often so he and Shade Sheen could have fun. It wasn't without cost, as he often had to give away his cider ration in return. He wasn't sure if the other two guards that shared the room knew what was going on, but they never mentioned anything. It wasn't a secret that her and his unit knew they were dating, but mares and stallions were to not share a room together, regardless of their relationship. It was a standing order for a reason and while it wasn't unheard of it being broken, paperwork was issued no matter what.
The solar guard woke up with him mare-fiend still on top of him, gently sleeping away. He tapped her back and she grumbled but got up just the same. They quickly kissed before she bolted out of the dorm room. One minute after Shade Sheen left, Copper Block came back in and said, "Cider ration, now. I had a bad shift. Those bucking humans..."
Vigilant Shield understood his fellow guard's frustration as he used his magic and pulled out a cider ration from his storage box. The small paper token was enveloped in a red hue and hovered over to the pegasus solar guard. He took the token and put it in his small saddle bag. He wiped his brow with one of his wings and started complaining, "Those humans...they were at it again."
For the past six months, Vigilant Shield and the other guards had explicit orders to keep track of any HDR guard within their area of responsibility. There had to be at least a guard forever half mile of the border, in order to keep track of any HDR movement. When he got there, he learned more about the humans than most ponies knew in the Kingdom of Equestria. They actually spoke several languages but one of the main languages just happened to Germane. The humans called it German, but one of the few ponies in his unit, who happened to be from the mountains of Bavarneigha, almost got into a shouting match.
Her name was Luftkrieg and she was a very young Solar Guard, 18 to be exact. She had an older sister, who she had a picture of, and Vigilant Shield considered her to be very pretty. The young solar guard mare accidentally happened upon two human males doing something strange. One had a strange looking weapon while the other was checking a strange metal box on the ground.
She tried speaking Equestrian but they didn't respond. They simply starred at her before she cursed in Germane, to which they responded. Luftkreig didn't say what the curse word was other than it elicited a reaction from them. Long story short, they traded barbs before 4 more HDR Border Guards showed up in a strange vehicle.
It was then she realized she needed to leave as the newly arrived HDR Guards showed up armed with human weapons. The Royal Guard weren't sure how they worked but they were apparently some form of crossbows that could have knives attached to them. Only stories from surviving members of the Storm King Army would tell scary tales about how humans weapon was devastating. All guards, both solar and lunar, were explicitly told to withdraw if they felt there were in danger.
Because of this, every guard was equipped with a crossbow and a short sword. Unicorns were trained in specific projectile spells, Earth ponies giving steel battle shoes, and pegasus guards were given wing blades. Batponies were given wing blades specific to their thestral wings, along with crossbows specific to lunar duties. The only difference was that they were panted to prevent light from shining off. They were also equipped with a more quiet action to prevent their location being given away.
Many pones, after several negative interactions, wanted to be issued caltrops but this was seen as unnecessarily hostile and leadership was fearful of human equivalents being deployed. It also almost seemed as if the humans were deploying more and more strange devices and everypony was required to file a report once a new device or action from the HDR was observed. Unfortunately, the past two months, these kinds of reports were getting filed more and more. Strange noises, unusual patterns of patrols, and strange construction projects were observed.
And this meant more work, raised tensions, and very little rest for the Royal Guards. Vigilant Shield sighed and got his gear on before walking off to the staging area for his sector of assignment. He saw Shade Sheen with her unit and she smiled at him before she waked off to her assigned unit. There were times during the night he feared for her safety, especially when it was foggy or raining. Most of the lunar guards hid in trees or flew in the skies patrolling in the air.
They were forbidden from flying over the border or too close to the concrete and barbed wire fences. Initially, the humans didn't notice the thestrals but that didn't last long, as humans equipped themselves with very bright fog lights. They also weren't shy about using megaphones and aiming the light at ponies who ventured too close. Only one batpony was ever wounded and he was hit by the HDR guards' weapons. His wing was rendered un-flyable for 6 months and he was removed from service.
The excuses made by the humans were infuriating but nothing came of it, other than the Princesses making a formal complaint. Some ponies suspected they had either made or acquired night vision goggles, but such a thing was rare and expensive in Equestria. They usually only available via special magic manufacturers and as far as Vigilant Shield knew, humans had no magical abilities whatsoever.
One thing he did have was a mini-magic radio powered by the best unicorn enchanted gems in Canterlot. Not only was it capable of keeping in touch with his fellow guards, but he could pick up Las Pegasus radio programs. This helped pass the time when the border was dead, a time which seemed to be increasingly less common. After thirty minutes of walking, he made it to his sector and sat on his haunches underneath a tree. For the past two hours, the wall and razor wire fence was quiet, with no sign of HDR guards nearby. Unfortunately, the area was dark and foggy, adding to the ominous feeling Vigilant shield was feeling.
After doing his mandatory check in, he swapped to dual reception, which allowed him to listen to music and head the necessary calls to his radio. Just as he tuned to his favorite Las Pegasus station, Vigilant Shield took notice of the strange structure before him. He could only guess it was a radio tower similar in function to Equestria's towers but the shape and bizarre attachments made him doubt it. The design was simply too radical to the towers he'd seen back home
It simply stood there, with red lights glowing on and off slowly, with with a few white lights flashing quickly every three seconds. Everything about it just seemed off and the unicorn wanted to do nothing but topple the structure. Despite his ill feelings about the structure, he could do nothing but observe his sector and report in as required. He continued to listen to his program and only check in during the required intervals. This continued for another two hours before something strange happened.
His radio started getting static and the stallion that was spouting trivia over the radio was soon drowned out. He was replaced with the exact same creepy tones he and his mare-friend heard months ago. His blood went cold as the noise he heard with Shade Sheen same through much more clear. He listened to the strange and ominous broadcast before he heard strange Germane words coming through. From what he understood, from Luftkrieg's Germane lessons, these were numbers. He could hear the number 4 and 7, but that was about it. The voice was clearly feminine and was probably from a human mare.
"I think they're called women? Can't remember but why is this so spooky? I got a really bad feeling about this."
No sooner than one minute after the broadcast ended, he could hear a loud commotion coming from the fog. Several loud noises, not unlike firecrackers, rang out in the distance. He could see flashlights moving and bright fog lights frantically searching. He could also hear shouting in the distance, and it was getting louder and louder. He readied his crossbow and took a defensive position behind the tree he was resting under.
The noises kept getting louder and louder, which made his heart beat faster. He quickly radioed in the activity and requested back-up. After getting a reply that help was on the way, he braced himself for the on-coming HDR guards. What he wasn't expecting was to see his mare-friend, attempting to carry a pony through the air. Sure enough, his mare-friend was carrying a wounded unicorn mare.
Despite carrying the wounded mare, Shade Sheen spotted him through the fog, likely with her batpony eyesight. She shouted, "Shield! Cover me! The bucking humans are right behind me!"
Before he could react, he could see 5 HDR guards 100 meters behind her. One of them shouted, "Der Ponyspion ging diesen Weg! Lass sie nicht entkommen! Schieß schnell zu töten!"
Shade Sheen barely was able to stay above the razor wire and to make matters worse, the wounded mare's tail was caught. She struggled to clear the mare while the guards were getting closer.
"Buck! Buck! Buck!" thought Vigilant Shield.
Eventually, she was able to clear the mare of the razor wire but not until a quick succession of shots rang out. The wounded mare screamed out in pain before going limp. The unicorn stallion would forever remember that noise for the rest of his life.
The solar guard fired a bolt, which wound up hitting a HDR guard's steel helmet. The bolt made a direct hit and was reflected off while making an audible steel on steel noise. While it failed to penetrate, it made a dent and scratched the paint. The HDR guard staggered before regaining his foothold and was rejoined by his comrades.
Shade Sheen was over the border completely, which made the HDR guards stop on their side. She took cover with the mare behind the tree and Vigilant Shield powered up his horn, ready to to send a magic projectile their way. Soon, the same vehicle Luftkreig described from months ago showed up with 5 more guards, along with one human that clearly was a leader of some kind. Shade Sheen was checking the mare's wounds before 6 lunar and 5 solar guards showed up. Two lunar guards immediately took the mare away before his shift lead, Captain Cover Sweep, demanded a quick report.
He quickly explained what had happened and that he used force on the humans. The Captain sighed and ordered him to return to the staging area to be relieved and for a debrief. He saluted before starring back at the humans. He manged to spot the man he hit and the two starred at each other, with both declaring each other their enemies without saying a word. Once he made it back, he later found out that Shade Sheen had spotted the unicorn mare attempting to flee over the wall.
It didn't take a lot of brain power for the lunar guard to realize she was an equestrian spy and she went in to help the mare.
A dog wound up barking and giving away their position, which sparked the response they got. Sadly, the mare didn't make it and passed away from blood loss. Four agents arrived quickly within the hour and took her body away. After the both of them were debriefed, they found out the mare had manged to sneak into the HDR and steal a decoder card of some kind. It was apparently related to the numbers on the radio, which meant the unicorn's bad feeling came true. The numbers on the radio were an omen of things to come and come true, they did.
Vigilant Shield and Shade Sheen were given non-disclosure agreements, which they both signed. In addition, they were both sent home to prevent retaliation from the humans. This was also to ensure neither would carry out a revenge attack due to a fallen Equestrian. The diplomatic mess this was going to make was something neither of which wanted to deal with.
A few days later, they were back at Shade Sheen's parent's Tavern and Inn home, which her parents were shocked to see their daughter and stallion friend home early. She hugged her parents and cried due to the traumatic event, who held her dear for a few minutes. Vigilant Shield promised they'd explain in the morning and that they wanted to rest. Her dad understood and the couple eventually embraced each other in bed.
Neither of them made love and instead, they opted to hold each other for dear life. Their relationship survived it's first and serious test, which helped cement their love and eventual marriage a year later. Despite getting married and having foals, both of them would forever remember that dreadful event. As for Vigilant Shield, he would forever remember the bell chimes and the numbers on the radio. The cold war between Equestria and the Human Democratic Republic still persists to this day, with harmony struggling to win over paranoia.
And if anypony was brave enough, the numbers could still be heard on the radio. Whether somepony sought them out, or interference bled into a channel, the numbers still remain; always waiting, always broadcasting, and ready to be heard.
Author's Note
Oh boy, I was watching some documentaries on youtube and felt inspired to write a story. To all German speakers, if I butchered anything, my fault. I hope you all like it. All mistakes are my own.
