Matters of a Royal Guard

A warm breeze ruffled the manes and tails of an assembly of ponies on a cloudless late spring day. Stallions held their heads high with pride and mares eyes glistened with joy, both gazing adoringly at the small group of late teen fillies and colts sitting in rows behind the a podium on a wooden stage. Leaning into the lacquered stand, a fuchsia coated earth mare with a pink and white striped mane, smiling flowers upon her flank, spoke out into the crowd.

“And so, fillies and gentlecolts, with this last bit of ceremony, we cheer on our new graduates. Welcoming them as they take their first steps out into the world as adults, supporting them in their endeavors to become successful in their special talents.”

There was one exception however; back behind the crowd of proud parents, a lone slender legged pegasus colt with half lidded emerald eyes stood with his shoulder up against an old willow tree. He blinked slowly as he observed a giddy yellow earth pony filly with red hair step forward with unbridled confidence to address the crowd. Beaming brightly, she spoke with an endearing southern twang, “Gosh, it's sure been ah wild ride ain’t it? I'm sure plenty of y'all remember all mah crusadin' antics huh?” The parents chuckled softly, smiling in memories of the filly and her two friends efforts to find their special talents.

The ivory white colt by the tree tilted his head with a halfhearted smile as he too remembered the rambunctious fillies and their shared quest for self-discovery. He shifted his slightly larger than average wings so that they folded neatly at his sides as he listened to the filly continue with her monolog.

Applebloom glanced back at her cutie mark, a hammer with an apple blossom behind it, “Why, who'da thunk mah talent would be fixing all tha stuff I done gone and broke?” The crowd laughed a little louder, and Apple Bloom's smile widened. “So, now that school is finished, I plan ta open up mah own construction shop. Barns, houses, windows, yah break it, I can fix it!” The crowd gave her a polite cheer and she returned to her seat on the stage. Cheerilee thanked her and called the next pony.

On and on, each young filly and colt, stepped up and spoke of their dream and what they planned to do, now that they were officially graduates. Cheerilee continued to smile out at the crowd, “And now, our last graduate speaker. He was a new addition to our little town, his family moving in from the northern province of Equestria just a handful of years ago, but has long since become a welocome part of our community. Skylance, if you would please?”

An odd stillness settled over the gathering of ponies. The tall pegasus colt that had been enjoying the shade of the willow tree gave a small sigh and stepped forward to take his place on the stage in front of the crowd. Nopony besides Miss.Cheerilee knew he was even present at the gathering, so a few parents were taken a bit by surprise when they suddenly saw him striding down the walkway between the rows of folding chairs set up by the students earlier on. No longer hidden under the shade of the willow tree, it was hard to believe anypony could have missed him. Trotting with his head held high, it was easy to see that he was a good bit taller than most colts his age. He sported an unruly windswept white mane and tail tipped with natural dark crimson highlights. His shorn fetlocks revealed that his hooves where a duller red color and the marks on his flanks showed of a wild tempest of writhing flames. Quiet murmurs began to ripple through crowd of ponies as he ascended the stairs unto the stage. Some spoke soft words of encouragement to the young colt. Others were more sympathetic for him, while most just seemed to be wary of his presence and remained silent.  Skylance’s ears twitched at their soft words but he gave no indication that he’d heard them as he ruffled his red-tipped wings and stood before the podium. Brushing the bangs out of his eyes, he gazed stoically out at the assembly until the older mares and stallions became settled down again. At first he regarded them with a quiet repose before giving a small cough to clear his throat.  “Hello everypony.  I would like to express my deepest gratitude to you all for accepting my family into your quaint little town. It’s been a pleasure getting to know all of you. Oh, and Miss. Applejack, please accept my sincerest apologies for the fence.” His eyes flicked up to an orange coated mare three rows back with a stetson hat nestled on a blond mane between her ears. “I’ll be sure to resume repairs after the ceremony is over.” Despite their unease, the crowd shared a knowing laugh as the aforementioned farm pony nodded to the colt. He paused, for a moment to let the relaxed mood settle in; “Plus the fresh coat of paint for my carelessness.”

His half lidded eyes fell on Cheerilee, she returned his look with a reassuring smile, its infectious nature warming him enough to allow a thin smile of own. He nodded softly to the mare before turning his gaze back upon the waiting ponies. “As everypony here knows, there have been certain…events as of late that have taken a bit of precedence in my life.” Many faces fell at the mention of the tragedy that had befallen Skylance’s family.  As it was his own parents, that were only ones absent from the ceremony.  “But I urge you all not dwell on such unsavory matters” He dismissed the solemnity with a casual wave of a fore hoof that drew a few gasps from his audience.  “I’ve made arrangements at the capital and I shall not remain here in Ponyville after today.” The adults started to speak in hushed heated tones and even some of his fellow graduates whispered behind him until the white pegasus flared his large crimson tipped wings and gave them a few flaps to command their attention. “I’ve since decided to join the ranks of Princess Celestia’s royal guard.” He folded his wings back and nodded to a sky blue pegasus in the front row, “Thank you Commander Dash for the recommendation.” The prism maned mare only gave an approving smirk at his acknowledgement.  “It is a bit of a drastic shift from my aspirations in the field of physics but I do believe it will better temper my, other natural proficiencies.”  Some in the crowd chuckled softly at that. His slightly cold demeanor shifted to one of humble pride as he met the eyes of those in the crowd, a sudden hush fell over all those present as they awaited his next words.

Skylance’s eyes narrowed and he firmly stated, “I'm going to devote myself to the preservation of good ponies like the ones sitting in front of me and standing behind me. And in doing so, I shall gain favor with our fair rulers so that they may come to see me as one whom carries the hopes and virtues of the small town who so kindly took me and my family in.” He chuckled a little to himself then.  “Who knows, if I rise high enough, they may come to see me as more than just a little pony. Maybe even, a special somepony.”

At the implication of such a bold statement, Jaws dropped, eyes bulged, sharp intakes of breath the were the only sounds to be heard. Long moments passed, long, awkward moments. Skylance looked quite pleased with himself as he hopped off the stage and walked back down the middle aisle between the parents. As he passed the last row, somewhere, a pony began to giggle, followed by a couple more. Soon there was deep laughter from the stallions and colts and dainty chuckles from the mares and fillies. Skylance calmly made his way over to the shade of the willow tree and took a seat on his haunches with his back pressed against its smooth bark. He soon closed his green eyes to the world around him and took a deep breath. A soft hoof on his shoulder made him exhale. “Ah, Miss.Cheerilee.” His ears swiveled to the concerned face of the school-mare. “Come to consul a troubled former student?”

“No Skylance.”  Her soft reassuring words caused the colt to flick open his eyes to look at the fuchsia earth pony.

“Oh?” he arched an eyebrow.

“Skylance...”She gave a soft sigh and sat down next to him, leaning slightly against his streamlined pegasus body, “Dear...I know you're being serious. What you said to them, well, think about it. You just declared your intentions of possibly being a mate to one of our Princesses. An immortal being that moves the very cosmos we live in. Now you and I both know most ponies will brush it off as a graduate prank, and go about their lives without harassing you about it but…”

Skylance craned his neck, leaning back against Cheerilee, “aye, but as you said. I’m not one to make light of such things.”  Cheerilee reached up and put a hoof to his muzzle, stopping him.

“Skylance, I know you believe you can achieve this, whatever your reasons.” She touched her hoof-tip to his chest, “A final word of caution from your ex-teacher if I may?” he nodded and she continued, “Embrace your dreams, whatever they may be, but don't overlook the things in front of you. It's not always about the destination; the journey can be just as fun.” She smiled, and gave him a light peck on the cheek. “Good luck Skylance, I hope you find whatever it is you're looking for. I'll be around town if you ever need someone to talk to.” With that, she shifted her weight from his side and wandered off, leaving the colt to consider her words.

A year and a half later in Canterlot...

“ALL RIGHT YOU DONKEY DICK SUCKING TAIL LIFTERS! GET THOSE HOOVES MOVING BEFORE I TELL THE PRINCESS YOU LIKE BANANAS!”

Skylance chuckled at the drill Sergeant shouting at the new recruits. He could hear them through the open window near his post in the halls of the royal palace. The light of dusk had started to filter in, bathing the white walls in a deepening crimson- orange glow. He had very fond memories of his days as a fresh recruit. Well...they were fond to think about when not being chased around a track by an earth pony three times your girth, yelling things that would make a manticore blush. His guard partner at the door glanced over at his soft laughter, raising an eyebrow. He was fresh out of cadet training, but both were fully fledged Solar-Guards in service to the Royal sisters.

To the un-magically trained eye, both pegasi guards appeared as flat white, adorned with golden armor, crested with mock blue manes along the top of the helm. It was simply enchanted armor, designed so each guard could do their duty without being singled out. An old tradition from when there were still blood feuds between pony clans. This way, they were able to serve in the guard without worrying about old grudges hindering them in their duty. Once the helm was removed, the enchantment would of course fade, allowing them to resume their normal off-duty lives, free of hostilities.

Skylance's guard partner flicked his eyes up and down the hallway, searching for any eavesdroppers then whispered out the side of his mouth, “Sky, shhh, you're gonna get us in trouble.”

Skylance just smirked, but kept his voice very low, “No worries, nopony is near us. I was just thinking of our training with Drill Sergeant  Bloodspill. I swear that guy could crush a pony's head with his...”

“SKY, seriously, shhh, we finally got put on the castle guard roster and you're going to buck both of us over.”

“Starlight, you need to relax. We're guarding a door, a giant golden door that has to weigh, what, fifteen hundred earth ponies? Seriously, if anypony is able to sneak by us, they deserve a chance to open this thing and have a peek inside.”

A soft cough from behind them caused both guards to stiffen. Seconds ticked by, sweat trickled down Starlight's neck as he started to shake slightly. They were supposed to keep ponies from going in, not coming out. By tradition, they weren't supposed to look back at whoever was behind them. They both resisted the urge to sneak a glance; it was unnerving, knowing there was somepony scrutinizing him from behind. Soft clicking hoof-falls echoed in the white polished hallway as the mystery pony approached Skylance's flank. He flicked his eyes to the left, watching Starlight glance back at him. The other pegasi's eyes widened and he snapped his gaze ahead. Oh, that wasn't very reassuring.

“Skylance, was it?” A soft, almost angelic voice whispered in his ear, causing it to twitch. He nodded curtly to the voice's query, “Pray-tell, didst thou hear voices out here? Surely that cannot be, for there is no pony here but thou and thy partner.” The voice was slightly teasing, “It appears my sister's guard’s art becoming lax in their duties.” Clicking hoof-falls echoed again as the Princess of the night circled around to face the guard as he stood stock still. She studied him over, from the tip of is nose to his tail-tip. The armor's magic would not be affecting her eyes, and she could see him for who he really was. She smiled slyly at Skylance, lifting up her long alicorn leg to press a hoof against his breastplate, “Thou art fairly new in thy regalia, I....suppose I can overlook this breach of tradition. If...” Her mischievous grin widened, “Thou whilst tell me why dost thy guard partner tremble so?” She leaned forward, a knowing look in her eyes.

A muscle flexed in pegasi’s jaw, he clutched his wings to his sides but met her gaze coolly with his own.  So this was of the princess of the night; he truly understood why some could be moonstruck by her beautiful eyes. “My Princess…” he paused, he wasn’t going to lie to her.  Besides, he had heard a rumor that the princesses could detect such things anyway so there was little point in deception. That and he was quite certain if one made a habit to lying to either her or Celestia, their career as a royal guard would be over. Besides that, he had no tangible reason to lie to her, the notion was a passing one and discarded like a piece of trash.

This was one of the royal sisters, one of the reasons he’s enlisted his services as a guard. And so, he gave a small flick of his tail and opened his mouth to speak;“I believe it is because you are very beautiful.” His voice boomed out into the empty hallway, not really caring if his guard partner of anypony else had heard him.

A frown flickered across Princess Luna's face, followed by a faint look of confusion. Then she seemed to recall something that brought a thin smile to her lips. The dark blue alicorn leaned back her head, shook it for a moment then leaned back in with an arched eyebrow, “I am...afraid I didst not catch that.” She tilted her head, awaiting his response.

Skylance was resisted the impulse to roll his eyes. Now, he knew the princess of the night had ways of making new recruits, as well as hardened veterans squirm. It was one of her games she liked to play and now she was testing him.

“Your royal highness,” he cleared his throat this time.  “Princess Luna...” He started, thinking about the countless years of practice she would have had turning strong stallions into babbling fools at her whim. “Tis your great beauty, highness, that pales all in comparison. This is why guards tremble at your passing.” He leaned forward a little to stare directly into the endless pools that were the depths of her eyes. They were nearly nose to nose now and he knew  full well she had heard every word of that.

Luna blinked levelly at him, stunned for but a moment before her smile grew wide and she slid her crystal-shod hoof off his breastplate, “Well, tis been ages since a pony has been so honest about such.” She had heard of a rather brash pegasai  joining the ranks of her sister’s solar guard. One who’s special talent was a rather adept control of a particular aspect of pegasus weather manipulation.

“This does not… anger my princess?” Skylance queried, his brow furrowed in consternation.

Luna laughed delightedly and shook her head, “Heavens no. I welcome such honesty. I am well aware that there art those who enjoy looking at me and mine sister. We wouldst be fools to think otherwise. I suppose I am just shocked thou art the first since my return to admit as much.” She beamed a smile at him, “I had figured thou would also tremble so terribly due to thy fear.” A flicker of a frown crossed her muzzle, “I am glad to see this was not the case with thou. Now...” She turned and began to regally walk down the hallway, smiling coyly over her shoulder, “I must be off, please remember thy duties, and let thine eyes not be distracted by the royal form.” She rolled back her head and laughed giving a little rump wiggle before disappearing around the corner.

Skylance snorted roguishly at the departing princess, a small smile spreading across his features as he turned to his brother in arms. The smile then vanished as he noted Starlight was at stiff attention with his eyes locked on the opposite wall. Before the other pegasus was the white, regal alicorn Princess Celestia. Everything about the princess gave off an air of motherly affection, but also of a mother's tough love. She was intently staring at Skylance with a raised eyebrow. Now the pegasus fought the urge to smile for different reasons.