The Golden Armor

Chapters

Being Recruited
Secondary Training
Sour and Sweet Lunches
The Dreaded Day Off
Relaxation, Bat Pony Style
Socially Awkward and Comfortable
Fire and Feathers and Bat Wings
Three's a Crowded Mess
That Awkward Day After
Conflicts, Conflicts Everywhere
Parental Control
Past, Present and Future
Paradoxes
Truth In A Nightmare
Fractures (revised)
Moving Forward
Quality Time
Monsters and Gryffons
A Pegasus and a Changeling
Preparations
At The Gala (part 1)
At The Gala (part 2)
At the Gala (part 3)
At The Gala (part 4)
At The Gala (part 5)
Miracles Happen
Epilogue
Basic Beginnings
Valor and Excessive Celebration
Remaking Friends

Being Recruited

The sun hung high in a cloudless sky above Canterlot as ponies below lived their daily lives. Stores had their doors wide open and the best displays in the windows, hoping desperately to draw a customer or two, three if they were lucky. Ponies of all shapes and sizes trotted about the cobblestone streets, some stopping to gaze at windows, some arguing with a food stall owner about the price of cucumbers and the occasional one with a shopping bag. It was a world a pony could easily get lost in. One stall vendor sighed heavily as yet another nameless pony bypassed his stand.

The pony had bulging saddlebags on his hindquarters. His wings were tightly pressed against his side and he gazed up at the building facades, hoping to find a sign or something to lead him where he was going. He had a pale ochre coat and firey red eyes that glanced about under his dark brown mane. It stuck up in odd angles, giving him an almost feral look, but he patiently made his way through the city.

"Ugh, where is that recruitment station?" he said aloud, frustrated.

Canterlot was a huge city, much bigger than his native San Prancisco and three times as crowded. Every building looked the same and the roads never stayed in a straight line. Tired and lost, the orange stallion took a detour through an alleyway between a furniture shop and a mane salon.

The noise of the crowd quieted down and he sat on his haunches. Turning to his saddlebags, the pegasus pulled out a folded piece of parchment which, when unfolded, was a map of Canterlot. He studied the map for a few seconds before a rustling from the alley caught his attention. Curious, he looked up but saw nothing.

Returning his attention to the map, he got in a few more seconds of concentration before hearing the rustling again. Drawing his attention a second time, the orange pegasus scanned the alley, noting there were several doors, two dumpsters and four windows looking down into the alley. He shrugged again and returned to the map for a brief second before being tackled.

The stallion yelped in surprise and tumbled to his right, trying to not land on his wing. He landed with a hard 'flump' and took a second to gain his composure. Hysterical cackling came from his left, where he was tackled from and the figure pushed itself off of him and fell over backwards, laughing to itself. The orange stallion righted himself and cast a mean glare to the figure laughing at him. It was a dark colored pegasus with...

Wait.

"Bat wings?" he murmured to himself as he noticed her teeth and mane.

She had fangs unlike normal ponies and her mane was rather short and colored midnight blue. The pony rolled around twice on the ground, still laughing until the pegasus said something.

"Ahem, do you mind?" he grumbled to the pony.

The pony finally started to calm down, but still laughed as one eye half opened. "Y-y-your face! Priceless!" the pony exclaimed.

The ochre pegasus contorted his face into something of a scowl before retrieving his map and said, "Well, if you'll excuse me."

The laughing pony finally calmed down as the pegasus began walking away. "Aw, come on! It was just a bit of fun," the pony said.

The stallion didn't even look back as he said coldly, "Fun for you, maybe, but not for me."

He heard a sucking of teeth and the pony grumbled, "Ugh, nopony wants to have fun here. Okay, look, I'm sorry but you were just asking for it. If I was a mugger, you wouldn't have stood a chance, so consider it a lesson."

By now, the stallion had assumed the pony was a mare due to her voice, but still turned to face her.

"Oh, well thank you. I'll be sure to keep that in mind," he said in his best sarcasm.

The dark colored pony marched up to him and stuck her face in his, clearly not happy. She had golden eyes with slits for pupils instead of dots and she huffed at him. "You know, the least you could do is thank me for real."

The pegasus stallion narrowed his eyes at her and said "So now you're demanding a thank you? I could get you arrested for this."

Her eyes widened slightly, but she kept her angry stare. "You wouldn't and couldn't. There was nopony who saw me tackle you," she said and grinned slightly to him. "Besides, you wouldn't tattle on an adorable mare, now would you?"

The stallion narrowed his gaze even further and said, "Give me a reason not to."

The mare inched her face closer and moved to his right, towards his ear and whispered "Because you got tackled by one."

The stallion’s face turned red as the mare started laughing again. Finally irritated, the stallion turned and started walking off when he heard hoof beats follow him.

"C'mon, don't be such a stick in the mud!" the mare called as she followed him, much to his irritation.

She ran up next to him and said "Hey, just calm down. I'm sorry for tackling you."

The pegasus snorted and kept walking as she continued.

"Can you at least tell me your name? Mine's Angel, Angel Beats."

She trotted in front of him, blocking the exit from the alley and extended a hoof to the orange pegasus. She put on her best sincere smile and hoped he would at least be friendly as well. The pegasus considered for a second and reached out with his own hoof cautiously. "Comet Burst," he said in a matter of fact tone.

He gingerly shook her hoof and was suddenly hugged by her. "Yay, a new friend!" she said while at the same time squeezing the air from his lungs.

Comet frantically pried himself from her grip and furrowed his brow. "We are not friends," he stated plainly.

"Oh, are you embarrassed to be hugged by a pretty mare?" she giggled.

Comet stuck a hoof to his forehead and said, "No, but you are not going to hug me like that. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to find the recruitment center." He spread his wings and nearly jumped when Angel squealed.

"You're going to join the guard too?!" she asked excitedly and Comet froze.

"What do you mean by 'too'?" he asked and she beamed at him.

"What do I mean? I'm joining the guard too!" she stated with a happy ring.

Comet tilted his head and said, "Sorry, but I think they want real guards."

He took off as she cried, "What's that supposed to mean?!"

Spreading her bat wings, Angel leaped into the air and pursued the orange pegasus. The sun did hurt her eyes since she was a bat pony and was used to flying at night, but the common pony misconception was that bat ponies were purely nocturnal. While it was true they functioned better at night, bat ponies could go out in the day like any normal pony.

Angel stayed back from Comet a bit to let him lead her to the recruitment station since she had no idea where it was. It took him the better part of half an hour, but eventually Comet stood outside a gray stone building with a plaque facing the street saying 'Royal Guard Recruitment Center #4'. Comet took a deep breath and trotted inside.

The building inside was unremarkable except for the large posters of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna on the far wall and a desk placed in front of them. The guard sitting there had his head pressed against the desk and snored loudly, echoing through the entire room. Comet gave the guard an unsure look before walking up to the desk.

Before he could wake the guard, a voice from behind him shouted "So this is the place!"

Comet spun to see the annoying bat pony at the door, looking around in wonder at the room. At the desk, the guard woke instantly and sat straight up, ignoring the pool of drool on the desk.

"This center is for Royal Guard recruitment." he spoke, seeming not to even notice the two ponies "We do not sell food, we do not pet-sit and our restrooms are not for public use." He sat as straight as he could for three seconds, leaving a pegasus and bat pony to stare at him. The guard finally blinked a couple times and noticed the two.

"Oh, are you here to sign up?" he asked casually.

Comet quickly responded "Er, yes?"

Angel burst out laughing again and the guard adjusted his helmet.

"Well, then. Excellent! You are about to undertake the most important journey of your life and enter into the service of their royal highnesses, Princess Celestia and Luna." The guard said before leaning over to look at the laughing bat pony.

"Uh, is she with you?" he asked.

Comet flushed.

"That would be a no." he said flatly as she walked over.

"Oh, don't act like that, sweetie. What about all those nights you and I spent together? And when you proposed?" she said to Comet and his jaw stiffened.

The guard pony narrowed his eyes at the two and said "It is highly against regulation for both recruits to have a romantic relationship prior to entering the guard."

Comet made a face that was somewhere between a scowl and a grimace and said "We are most definitely not a couple."

The guard tilted his head, but Angel burst out laughing at his face.

As she laughed, the guard caught on and said "Right. Well, here in the guard, we expect the utmost effort from all of our recruits to make the guard as honorable as possible."

He rustled around in the desk and produced two packets of paper. "Take this and fill it out entirely, then bring it back to me." he said, handing Comet a packet. Angel finally finished her laughing fit and took the other one.

The packet was fairly simple with the first page being personal information questions, but the next page was all about ethics. Comet scrawled on the parchment with a quill he kept in his saddlebags, but Angel scratched her head as she read the test. The question she was stuck on was 'How long do you wait to interrupt a theft in progress?' and there were four answers ranging from ignore it to stop it immediately.

She leaned over to Comet and tried to sneak a gaze at his test to see what he put, but Comet moved to block her sight. The guard was still rummaging around in his desk and Angel tried to move Comet's hoof. Comet pushed her hoof away and wrote more furiously on his test. Angel tried again and Comet let out a loud sigh, but refused to move his hoof.

Angel smiled to herself since she knew he was getting annoyed and whispered "Hey, what did you put for number twelve?"

Comet slowly turned his head to her and stared. She offered him a sweet grin and he said "Are you really trying to cheat on an ethics test?"

The guard’s head snapped up to them, but he slammed his nose on the desk. A colorful series of words escaped his lips as he rubbed his nose and Angel fell over laughing. Comet ignored the incident and the guard grumbled. Luckily for Comet, the next thirty minutes passed without incident and the two ponies finished their respective packets. The guard took them and asked them to sit for a bit while he reviewed them.

Comet sat as far away from Angel as he possibly could, which was only three chairs away. He sat as still as he could with his eyes forward, unlike the fidgeting Angel who had found an interest in the noises her hooves made when they tapped against the wall. It was an attempt to annoy Comet, but his rigid demeanor prevented even a little emotion from exiting him. Angel decided she was bored and hopped down from her chair and trotted over to Comet.

"You know, you don't have to sit like that." she said to him.

Comet's eyes refused to even twitch as she tried to get his attention.

"Hello? Equestria to Comet!" she called and waved her hoofs in front of his face.

His gaze didn't move, so Angel tried some more cunning ways to pester him. She blew in his face, ruffled his mane, extended his wings and pretended to make him fly and even shook her flank at him, but Comet refused to even blink. Wearing her pouting face, Angel sat on the ground in front of Comet, stumped. The guard reviewing their tests thought the whole ordeal was rather funny and found it hard to concentrate on the exams.

Angel thought for a few moments and finally had an idea. She messed up her mane, gave Comet her best bedroom eyes and slinked up next to him. She gently rubbed his forelegs and slowly nuzzled his neck, but Comet's gaze didn't even twitch.

"Just so you know," she whispered to him, "I have a huge thing for guardponies in armor."

She saw his pupils expand then retract a bit and she knew she had his attention.

Angel decided to turn up the pheromones and gave a little purr. She rubbed her nose on his neck and felt him tense up a bit more. Clearly he was forcing himself to ignore her, but that made her even more determined to get a response from him. She then decided to move her hooves from his forelegs around to his back and gently massaged just above where his wings were located, the tensest and most sensitive muscles on his back.

She felt a slight shiver run down his back and leaned into his ear and whispered, "Got you."

He let out a huge sigh and shook her hooves off him. She saw his face for a split second, but noticed it was as red as his eyes. She laughed and fell back into the chair on his opposite side and Comet sulked. He was determined to ignore her, but she had gotten the better of him. Although he never would say it out loud, though, he admitted to himself that he rather liked that massage she gave him.

Finally, the guard called them both over. Once they arrived, the guardpony said, "Congratulations are in order for you two. You both have been accepted into the Royal Guard. If you will come with me, we will just finish some paperwork and you'll be off to basic training, cadets."

He gave them a salute which Comet returned crisply while Angel did so in her carefree manner.

Secondary Training

The sound of a trumpet, or fifteen, stirred Comet from his sleep. He opened his eyes and sat up, every fiber of his being protesting. Already the other recruits were up and getting outside, all except for one who was protesting loudly. A pillow flew after the last recruit and smacked against the wall.

"Keep it down!" came Angel’s familiar voice.

Comet yawned widely and pulled his still stiff muscles out of bed. After the fiasco of yesterday, Comet did not want to continue his string of bad luck by waiting for Angel. He trotted away and cast a glance behind him at the bat pony still wrapped up in the blankets behind him. The bat pony mumbled incoherently and Comet gave a snort of amusement before proceeding out the door.

Outside, the air was crisp and slightly wet, but Comet was proud to be there. The recruits formed a neat single file line and Comet took his place at the rear of the stoic ponies. He carefully matched their stances and gazes as a large pegasus in pristine gold armor marched along the ranks, hardly casting a glance over to the recruits. That is, until he reached Comet.

"Who in Equestria are you?" he demanded.

Comet gave a crisp salute and said "Recruit Comet Burst, sir!"

The guard gave him a puzzled look before continuing.

"How long have you been here, Recruit?" he asked in his gruff voice.

"Today is my first day of Basic, sir!" Comet stated proudly.

The guard, believe it or not, chuckled at that. He turned to the crowd and shouted, "Recruits, what day is today?"

"Graduation day, sir!" All the ponies shouted in unison.

Comet's salute faltered and he cast an odd glance at the others.

"Son, looks like you're with the wrong class." The guard said with a hint of amusement in his voice.

Comet felt himself begin to pale with embarrassment when a familiar voice rang out.

"Comet! Yoo hoo! Comet, where are you?" came Angel's high pitched voice from behind him.

Comet immediately dropped his hoof and ran towards her voice, but she was yet again right behind him and he wound up tackling her. She yelped in surprise, but immediately turned around and fought back. A swift hoof was delivered to his left eye and before Comet could react. He felt his right front leg twist around into a leg lock and he was thrown to the ground. He landed on his chin and several small but annoying rocks with a bat pony pinning him to the ground. He kicked his rear legs in an attempt to get free, but it failed since a new weight pressed his rump to the ground, right on top of some more uncomfortably small rocks. Comet tried to flap his wings while at the same time yelling for mercy, but his wings were pinned down together by what felt like one leg.

The other recruits watched the bizarre scene with their jaws hanging open as the bat pony beat the pegasus into submission in less than ten seconds. Angel, for her part, thought it was a combat exercise and kept the pony, who she didn't know was Comet, subdued by sitting on his plot, pinning his wings down with her left front leg and pulling his right with hers, holding him in a leg lock.

"Ouch! Dang it, Angel! Ow! Stop that!" Comet yelled, trying to pull his leg back.

Angel was in combat mode and said "Who are you and how do you know my name?"

"Angel, it's me, Comet!" he shouted in response. "Now will you please let me go?!"

She gave a soft growl from her throat and hissed, "You're lying. Comet never says please."

"Oh for Celestia's sake, you dense pony, let me go now!" Comet shouted.

It then clicked for Angel that this really was Comet and not a changeling. She hopped up off of him and gently fluttered down as Comet pulled himself up. His face was its now normal shade of red and he rubbed his hoof, casting his usual angry glare at Angel.

She simply shrugged her shoulders and said, "You could've been a changeling."

Comet growled angrily at the her. She was getting even more negative points in Comet's book. Then, as fate would have it, she noticed his left eye was turning a violent shade of purple. Unable to control the herself, Angel fell over again, laughing hysterically. Comet repressed his building anger as the guardpony trotted over, clearly impressed and slightly bemused.

"Wow. Just wow, you two." he stated "I've seen some fights between pegasi and bat ponies, but that was certainly the quickest pin I've ever witnessed."

He stifled a laugh as he saw Comet's face turn as red as a cherry and Angel wore a smile as wide as her face.

"However, you really should get that eye looked at." The guardpony said before snorting with humor.

He covered the visible grin on his face with his hoof and his cheeks turned red.

Frustrated, angry and bright red, Comet ground his teeth together and said "Thank you, sir," before turning tail and marching away.

Angel watched him start to walk away and decided it was best to follow him as the guard tried to force himself to get his straight face on. Angel spread her wings and flapped them noisily as she pursued Comet.

When the guard finally succeeded in returning to his stoic face, he turned to the graduating recruits and said, "That is why, soldiers, you never surprise a bat pony."

As Comet stomped over to the medical station, marked by a large conspicuous red cross, Angel followed him rambling off useless pieces of information he really couldn't care less for. His hoof and eye hurt, he embarrassed himself by not only joining the wrong class but also getting his flank kicked by a girl bat pony. Now she was apologizing in her own annoying way.

"Hey, I said I was sorry already! C'mon Comet, it was an honest accident!"

He was clearly fuming to himself since he refused to look at her, so she followed silently behind him, trying to think of some way to make him happy. Little did she know, when she finally got silent Comet started to calm down. Finally, she had an idea.

She landed behind him and said "Hey, Comet?"

Finally angry to the point of reacting, Comet turned to yell at Angel only to receive a wet sloppy lick to the face. The tongue passed over his left cheek and eye, causing his black eye to shock him with pain. He yelped loudly as Angel backed away, tongue still out of her mouth. She smiled innocently and with wide eyes as Comet rubbed his eye vigorously.

"What in the revered flank of Luna made you do that?!" Comet shouted, losing control of his anger.

His eye was starting to tear up from the residual pain of her rough textured tongue and he was worried some of her saliva had gotten into his eye. She just smiled at him with her tongue still hanging out, looking more like a dog than a pony at the moment.

"Bat pony saliva has healing properties," she stated happily, slurping her tongue back into her mouth, "Where I come from, doctors lick wounds to sterilize them so they don't get infected."

Angel beamed at him, hoping that would at least make him happy. Comet, on the other hand, had the sudden realization he was rubbing her saliva into his face. He pulled his hoof away and saw a thin trail of clear sticky fluid stretch from his hoof to his face.

Several shouts of anger and two references to Celestia's royal plot later, Comet sat in the medical station with a content bat pony. Comet pressed a bag of ice to his face while Angel happily sucked on a straw of a cup full of orange juice.

First day's lesson of basic training: Don't startle bat ponies.

It wasn't long before Angel tried again to get Comet riled up. She had started to hold her cup of juice up to Comet's ice pack, trying to keep the juice cold. Comet's face was locked into an immovable scowl when a guard walked past them. He strode several steps away from them and stopped, turning around to see the duo.

"You two are Angel and Comet, I presume?" he asked cautiously.

Angel nodded happily while Comet kept his scowl. The guard turned and approached them.

"My name is Corporal Feathermane and I will be your training officer," the guard stated happily with a smile.

Angel's eyes widened with excitement and she ran up to him.

Sour and Sweet Lunches

Comet stood in line at the mess hall with his head hanging low. His left eye was now swollen and he kept it only half open. The nurse had offered him an eye patch, but Comet was still resolutely angry with the morning's events when he said no. Now he wished more than ever he had said yes.

Corporal Feathermane and Angel had gotten along straight out the starting gate while he had sulked the whole morning. Their first lesson in being Royal Guards had been the correct way to dress injuries and was demonstrated at Comet's expense. The nurses had left his hoof alone, so he endured two hours on how to apply a proper splint to a broken hoof, even though his wasn't broken. Angel had been so giddy, she had forgotten the rule to not rub the piece of wood on the limb and left Comet with several splinters.

Now, at lunch time, Comet wanted nothing more than to just go home. So far, his whole ordeal with the Royal Guard had been nothing but pain and embarrassment. When he finally reached the point where he could grab a tray, he found out his favorite meal of roasted carrots and fresh oats was out and Comet dejectedly took a bowl of creamed spinach. He put the tray in his mouth and slowly trotted to an empty table in the far corner of the mess hall. Guard ponies all over talked to each other, forming some cliques. Comet, the social butterfly he was, sat alone at the table, visibly upset.

As he sat there and slowly chewed the repulsive slop, he heard the hoofbeats of other ponies behind him as well as their excited chatter.

"Hey, what's he doing at our table?" came an annoyed voice.

Comet sat there, using his incredible reserves of willpower to ignore the chatter of the guards.

"Hey, I'm talking to ya, stupid!" the same voice came.

Then, before Comet could react, he felt his face meet the creamed spinach and subsequent bottom of the bowl. His nose hurt, the spinach stung his black eye, causing him to cry out in pain. Laughter of all sorts burst out behind him and hoofbumps were made. Comet felt an unusual urge to cry perk up in his chest and he tried his best to suppress it.

"Just who do you think you are?!" came an unusually loud voice.

Comet automatically recognized that voice as Angel's and dread crept into his chest cavity. The fluttering of bat wings came from somewhere around him and then some hoof beats. Before she could say anything else, though, another voice rang out.

"Captain in the hall!" echoed around the building and all conversation ceased.

The room quickly filled with a tense silence as a set of hooves steadily approached where Comet was sitting. A couple nervous whispers echoed around Comet, but he couldn't understand them. The hoofbeats finally clicked to a stop and so did Comet's heart. There was only one captain in the entire Royal Guard.

"So, you think it's funny to mistreat a fellow guard?" came the commanding voice of none other than Shining Armor.

The ponies behind him didn't dare speak and Shining Armor continued.

"If you do, I will need to examine exactly what your training officer taught you. Who knows what will happen to him?"

One of the other ponies started to protest, but it faltered as soon as it started.

"Oh, so you also have no respect for rank as well? It seems there's a huge flaw in our training program. I will speak to him about that as well, but for now I want you four to go run eighty laps around the entire castle perimeter and then I want you all to remove those private rankings from your armor. You will restart Basic Training tomorrow. Understood, recruits?"

Shining Armor stressed the final word loudly and there was a shuffling of armor as the bullies ran off. Silence reigned for a few more seconds until Shining Armor said, "As you were."

The conversations slowly resumed and Comet felt a light hoof on his back.

"You okay, soldier?" came Shining Armor's voice again and Comet wiped some of the remaining creamed spinach from his face.

"I've been worse, sir," Comet replied shakily.

He was both nervous and mortified that the captain of the whole Royal Guard of Equestria was standing right behind him. Mustering all his confidence, he turned to face him. Shining Armor's eyes widened at Comet's face, but he didn't have his hoof on Comet. As it turned out, Angel did. He made a mental note to thank her later.

"Oh my," Shining Armor sputtered "Did those guards do that to you?"

Comet gave an embarrassed grin, but Angel spoke up.

"No, I gave that to him," she stated confidently, "He startled me and I accidentally slugged him." Shining Armor's gaze shifted to her and he nodded his head in understanding.

"So, a bat pony and a pegasus," he mused, "What are your names?"

"Recruit Comet Burst, sir."

"Recruit Angel Beats, sir."

Shining Armor smiled at them both and said, "Why don't you both come with me. There's two ponies who I think would like to meet you."

Not thinking of disregarding a request by their superior officer, Comet and Angel immediately left with Shining Armor. He led them through passageways throughout the castle, asking various questions to the recruits. Comet rarely answered, but Angel eagerly expounded on any subject he could think of. Before long, the trio found themselves outside an unfamiliar room on a spire. Two unicorn guards stood resolutely still and even crossed their spears in front of Shining Armor.

"State your business and passphrase," one of them said in a very gruff manner.

Shining Armor stared directly ahead and said, "I'm here to speak to the phoenix and nightingale. Passphrase is 'The only way up is down'."

The guards uncrossed their spears and Shining nodded to them. His horn glowed and the doors swung opened , revealing a spectacular room bathed in sunlight. Comet and Angel both had to shield their eyes, mostly due to Angel's sensitivity to bright lights and Comet's bad eye, but they followed Shining Armor inside anyway. The door swung shut behind them and the light adjusted to a normal level. Both Comet and Angel finally got a good look around the room and their jaws dropped simultaneously.

"Comet, Angel, I would like you to meet the Princesses Celestia and Luna," Shining Armor stated.

Two magnificent alicorns sat around an elegantly designed table, one pure white and the other a starry midnight blue. A set of magenta eyes, as well as a set of sapphire ones, turned to see their visitors and they both smiled.

"Dear me, this is quite a surprise, Shining," came the musical voice of Princess Celestia.

Comet immediately bowed his head in respect, but Angel's slack face tightened into a look of glee. The two alicorns stood up and trotted over to the trio.

"Welcome, young ones. I take it you are new recruits?" Celestia asked gently.

Comet gulped and before he could respond, Princess Luna spoke.

"WHAT HAPPENED TO THOU?" Luna shouted to them.

Comet recoiled in fear and Angel's grin faltered into a frown. Celestia's grin became an expression of horror.

She prodded Luna in the side and said, "Sister, there is no need for the Royal Canterlot voice here."

Luna gave an awkward grin and said, "My apologies. I'm not used to using a calm voice yet. If thou wouldest explain, though, why is your eye so dark?"

Angel gave the full explanation of events leading up to the black eye incident and both sisters couldn't help but laugh. Their laughs were in no way insulting and Comet even began to grin at Angel's animated explanation. Soon, the five of them were sitting around the table, eating lunch and exchanging stories. Luckily for Comet, the recruitment office fiasco stayed out.

An hour later, the bat pony Angel and pegasus Comet thanked the royal sisters and left their quarters. Shining Armor stood there with the two princesses and Celestia sipped her tea.

"I see why you introduced them to us," Celestia, spoke "They are quite a pair."

"That's exactly what the recruitment officer said," Shining Armor replied, "The pegasus possesses quite the solid temperament of an officer and the bat pony shows incredible social skills."

Luna sighed heavily before speaking.

"Tis a shame the training breaks those valuable skills. The guards used to be loved by everypony, not a symbol of iron."

Celestia smiled to her younger sister and said, "Well, Luna, if you like them so much, I do believe Shining Armor has a way to put their skills to use."

Luna turned to Shining Armor, giving him a quizzical look.

Shining cleared his throat and said, "I believe they are well suited as a pair to be trained as Corporals of your personal forces. Comet will bring a much needed stability to the Solar Guard while Angel will prove to soften the Lunar Guard's rigid standing. Your own Lunar Guard rather frightened the ponies of Ponyville during the last Nightmare Night."

Luna hung her head, rather not wanting to remember that night.

Celestia smiled to her and said "Dear sister, my own guard has been unorganized since Shining's promotion, which had allowed Queen Chrysalis to get close to Princess Cadance. Your guard is the example of sterness while mine is an uncoordinated mess. This will work out nicely."

She turned to Shining Armor and said, "How do you intend to get them to work together? The stories that delightful Angel told us often involved Comet being rather resentful of her."

Shining grinned to the princess and said, "Do you mind if I borrow Philomena for a bit?"

Later that day, Angel wouldn't stop talking about having lunch with the princesses, even though Comet was there as well.

"Can you believe it?! I never thought I'd actually meet them!" she shouted as she fluttered happily.

Comet rolled his eye and gave no response, feeling his usual annoyance of Angel returning. Until lights out, which was nine hours later, he put up with her nonstop talking as well as Corporal Feathermane's next lesson, hoof to hoof combat.

The Dreaded Day Off

In two months, things had changed dramatically for both Comet and Angel. The duo had progressed painfully from hoof to hoof combat to full contact weapon training. Along the way, Comet gained some inexplicable bruises in places he'd rather not mention.

However, while Angel surpassed Comet in combat, Comet shone in his ability to keep a straight face and fly. While nopony would ever guess, Comet got his skills from avoiding and ignoring Angel. She, for her part, learned to read even tiny signals in pony expressions, gaining full insight into a single blink or eye twitch. Altogether, they were both progressing superbly in their training. Corporal Feathermane was absolutely proud of the duo, as he shared in every one of his reports to Shining Armor.

Shining, for his part, was busy with the phoenix Philomena. 'A bit' turned into weeks of training, much to Celestia's, Philomena's and Shining's annoyance. The saying about an old dog and new tricks took on a whole new meaning with Philomena, who resolutely refused to cooperate and pecked the sense out of any Royal Guard who tried to teach her. Not one to be denied, though, Shining persisted with Philomena's training. He met some moderate success along the way, when he had enough treats.

As for dear Princess Luna, she was working on talking in a normal voice around common ponies. In Celestia's personal opinion, though, Luna arguing with herself in the mirror did little to help her volume, which remained twenty decibels too high.

So was life in Canterlot Castle.

Comet stood as still as a statue and so did Angel. Comet was convinced he was dreaming for the better part of three minutes until she let out a huge sigh and flapped her wings.

"Ugh, bat ponies are not meant to stay still!" she whined in an exasperated tone.

Comet kept his stoic face and Angel tossed a glance his way. It had been two full months since she tackled him in the alleyway and she had to admit, he was an impressive stallion. He put up with her without losing his temper, especially in the first day of Basic Training and even kept his cool under extreme pressure, such as when Corporal Feathermane launched him from a catapult while he was blindfolded. Angel wasn't sure why it was necessary for the blindfold since the exercise was about aerial maneuvers at high speeds. Still, Comet was just being Comet and Angel liked that about him. He was a good friend and training partner.

That didn't mean Angel had given up on annoying him. She had used every sly trick in her book to mess with him and had each time gotten successful results, like making him blush vividly before inspections. Corporal Feathermane still thought Comet had an improper magazine somewhere near his bed. Angel enjoyed teasing Comet, but she also knew if she pushed her luck too far, her fragile relationship with Comet would break quickly. She knew Comet had trouble making new friends, but nopony knew Angel did as well. She found it hard to retain friends after they saw her personality and was amazed Comet hadn't requested a transfer to another unit yet. She also thought that was really sweet of him.

For Comet's part, he received a letter for flooding the lead training officer's desk with transfer requests.

So here the two of them stood, waiting for Corporal Feathermane to make an appearance. He was unusually tardy today, something Comet felt in the pit of his stomach meant bad things for him. It took them another half hour of standing before another Royal Guard approached them. The shiny insignia of a Warrent Officer gleamed proudly against his golden armor, which contrasted heavily with his black pelt and platinum mane.

He stopped at the duo, who stood resolutely still and expressionless, and spoke, "Corporal Feathermane will not join you today. He is busy with other important matters and has given you both approval for a day off. At ease, recruits."

The unicorn Warrent Officer then disappeared in a burst of violet light, leaving an excited bat pony to talk the ear off the pegasus. Corporal Feathermane, for his part, was sitting on his bed, spit cleaning his armor and trying to hide the pictures of his marefriend back in Coltsburgh in preparation for inspection by Shining Armor. Still, for the two ponies down on the training field, the day was still young.

"This is just too cool!" Angel shouted excitedly as she and Comet trotted back to their bunks, "A whole day to do what we want! We could go into town, or go drinking, or go to a spa, or..."

She rambled on as they walked. Comet merely rolled his eyes as he always did when Angel was excited. He had no clue where she had gotten the idea he was going to spend a day off with her. He had formulated his own plans like going into town, finding a nice library and relaxing there all day. It wasn't much, but it was what Comet liked to do. Back at the bunks, Comet dug through his footlocker as Angel excitedly flew up and crashed on her bed, still listing off things to do.

Comet, who was adept at ignoring her now, pulled out his bag of bits from the locker. Keeping his money inside his locker seemed foolish, but he had long ago acquired a big lock to keep Angel and others out, particularly Corporal Feathermane who had tried long ago to get some bits from Comet to settle a bar tab. Money in mouth and a whole day to spend it, Comet headed silently for the door.

Just before he got there, a very audible "Hey!" came from behind him, followed by the familiar flapping of bat wings. Angel landed and trotted up behind him.

"Where ya goin'?" she asked sweetly.

Comet turned to her and said through his bit pouch, "Somewhere quiet."

"Oh! So we're going to a spa?!" Angel squealed as she bounced in the air.

"No, I'm going to a library. The whole point of a day off is to relax," Comet said with his bit pouch mashing his words together.

"I know! But libraries are boring, they make you be quiet. Spa's are so much more fun!" Angel said, still hopping.

"I didn't say you were coming with me," Comet replied.

Angel suddenly stopped bouncing and her eyes got wide.

"Wha?" she asked in a shocked voice.

Comet really was planning on going somewhere without her? She had figured he would try to, but she had been planning for this.

"What do you mean 'not with me'?" she asked in a heartbroken tone.

"What I mean. I'm spending my day off alone," Comet stated in a matter of fact tone.

Angel hung her head in her best sad impersonation and mumbled "Oh, okay then. I'll just let you get going then. Don't wanna spoil your day."

She sniffed loudly and turned to walk away.

Deep down, Comet knew she was faking it. She would just eventually find him with her weird tracking ability and force him to spend time with her. He knew this and told himself he should just leave, but his body failed to react. Then, in a corner of his mind he didn't know that existed, he felt a new sensation, one of pity.

He had never seen her socialize with any other pony except Corporal Feathermane and knew she had often said Comet was her best friend, followed every time by an uncomfortable hug. Then, while he grappled with this new emotion and tried to stifle it, another one popped up. This time, it was sympathy. He had never really had friends either and, although he never would say it out loud, Angel was the closest pony he had for a friend.

So, without being able to control his mouth, Comet said, "I do know of a nice spa in Canterlot. We could go there today."

The instant he said it, Comet mentally slapped himself. Why in Equestria did he say that? Angel instantly perked up and spun back to him with a wide grin on her face.

"I'll get my bits!" she shouted and ran back to the bunks.

While she dug around for them, Comet chastised himself for speaking those horrible words. He only knew of the spa because of an advertisement that got stuck on his face before he crashed into the castle wall. Now he was going there and taking Angel too?! Before he could work out an excuse, Angel bolted by him, somehow grabbed his hoof, and yanked him out the door.

"Let's go, Comet! This'll be the best day off ever!" she shouted and took off, unknowingly slapping Comet on his cheek with her wings.

Relaxation, Bat Pony Style

Angel contently sighed as she relaxed in the salt water bath. The warm water was soaking through her skin and soothing the long stiff muscles she had repeatedly used in Basic Training. However, a loud yelp broke her tranquility and she opened one eye. Comet was at the other end of the room laying flat on a bed while a pegasus mare pounded her hooves into his back.

Comet's face was contorted into a weird mixture of happy relief and excruciating pain. The mare was being gentle at the start, but a certain knot of extremely tense muscles that wouldn't go away had caused her to go forgo the normal massage. Angel giggled to herself at the sight and leaned back against the headrest.

The spa had been pretty empty when Comet and Angel arrived. The two were immediately upgraded to the advanced treatment upon the ponies learning they were Royal Guards and the day had just gone on like that. Angel was pampered beyond what she considered a day at the spa. She got a pedicure, a massage and a hot salt water bath. Comet got an elongated massage session since the spa was really meant for mares only. He had wanted to leave when he found that out, but Angel pleaded with him enough to make him stay. Plus, she had his bits bag and shed some fake tears as well.

Angel sighed again and tried to relax, but another loud shriek stirred her. The funny thing was, the shriek wasn't from Comet. The mare who was giving him a massage had apparently twisted her hoof on his back. Comet spent the rest of the time outside even though the staff said it was alright he could stay in.

While outside, Comet focused on his training, ignoring the now painfully obvious lump on his back, while Angel finished her spa session. He focused on keeping his face straight and eyes forward and found it was an easy thing for him to do. The whole sea of technicolored ponies before him simply disappeared as he focused. Despite having Angel constantly pestering him, he did enjoy the practice he got while ignoring her.

Comet lost track of time quickly, but soon Angel's voice was thanking the staff and the door opened. Angel trotted out and looked at Comet. Sitting there, he looked almost surreal. His orange coat gleamed in the sunlight and his mane carelessly jumped about with the gentle breeze. His blazing red eyes focused forward on nothing and didn't even twitch.

That was when, after two months, Angel finally noticed his cutie mark. It was a gray rock with a streak of white trailing it and a couple of starbursts around it. It struck Angel as odd she never noticed it before, but then again, she had never actually looked. Unsure why, her gaze followed Comet's muscular chest up to his stoic face. Something was different about him today.

Shaking her head, she licked her pristine hoof and stuck it in Comet's ear. His expressionless face contorted into a look of shock and he smacked her hoof away.

"For Celestia's sake, Angel! Why'd you do that?!" he shouted.

Angel found the timeless humor in his face and started laughing. He was still the same Comet Burst she was friends with, even when he was trying to be serious. The two trotted off with Angel still laughing and Comet rubbing his ear. It was a little after midday by then and the two went to a restaurant for lunch. Comet had just wanted to get a couple carrots from a vendor, but Angel insisted on going to a nice place. Realizing he wasn't going to win, Comet agreed and was now staring at a menu full of strangely named dishes.

Angel excitedly rattled off things that looked good. Interestingly enough, Comet noticed they all involved fruit. After they had gotten their drinks, water for Comet and cherry lemonade for Angel, Comet attempted to start a conversation.

"So, you really like fruits, huh?" he asked dumbly.

"Well of course I do!" Angel said, "It's a bat pony thing."

"Really?" said Comet, "So you're all like fruit bats instead of vampire bats?"

Angel rolled her eyes and said, "I don't know where anypony got that silly idea. Bat ponies don't drink blood anymore than normal ponies do."

"Maybe it's from those fangs of yours?" Comet suggested with a hint of a grin.

"My fangs are for biting fruit, not pony necks!" Angel almost shouted. She suddenly knew Comet was trying to rile her up, so she gave him a smug smile. Comet noticed and she said, "Unless, of course, a certain stallion is into that."

Comet just closed his eyes and shook his head, repressing a laugh but not a grin. That was typical Angel, turning his own prank on him. She had a knack for doing that to him, something he found almost endearing. It almost reminded him of a mare he used to like. She was intelligent as well. Comet's thoughts paused there. Did he just think Angel was intelligent? He mentally slapped himself for such a notion. She was annoying, loud and childish.

But there was a certain appeal to that, though. He was having fun with her, something he thought impossible. She had been by his side for two full months now and had annoyed him every step of the way, but he found it strangely reassuring. He enjoyed her company, particularly when she was serious. Not to mention under Luna's moon, she wasn't half bad looking. Her golden eyes were easy to stare at and her sincere smile had the effect of catching Comet's attention, even when he was in his guard mode. All in all, Comet admitted to himself Angel wasn't such a bad pony. She was loyal and friendly and even kinda cute.

Wait, did he just think she was cute?!

While Comet mentally argued with himself, Angel happily sipped on her drink. Today was so far a great day and she even suspected Comet was enjoying it too. Upon looking around, she realized many ponies were staring at them. Several mares in particular shook their heads and whispered to another pony. Angel thought it was odd, but her excellent bat hearing, which was not worth mentioning until now, picked up one of the whispers.

"Oh my, she's so lucky to be with him!" one mare whispered.

Angel twitched her ear and suddenly realized what this looked like. She was on a date with Comet. The whole situation crashed on top of her and she knew she was the envy of all the mares here. Tall, handsome stallions were a rare commodity in a city like Canterlot and she had one sitting at a table with her.

Grinning to herself, she said, "You know, I never asked. Are you single?"

Comet, who had just been arguing with himself, suddenly turned bright red and said, "You already know the answer to that, Angel," before burying his face into the menu.

The rest of the day was spent looking at shops and Comet paying for two broken vases. Even though he had spent most of his bits and Angel hadn't paid for anything, Comet had actually enjoyed the day. He smiled a lot more than Angel had ever seen, and she liked it. 'He is such a nice stallion and any mare would be lucky to land him,' Angel thought to herself as they trotted back to the castle. The day was almost over and they both had to restart training tomorrow. Upon reaching the barracks, Angel stopped Comet.

"Hey, I wanted to let you know, today was really fun," she said and gave him a sincere smile.

Comet felt himself blush and said, "Yeah, I had lots of fun too."

Without warning, their eyes locked and Comet found nothing to say. Angel's eyes were easy to stare at, at least for him, and soon she was less than a few inches away. Comet was unsure of what was going to happen when she suddenly headbutted him. He recoiled back and Angel laughed. Now officially annoyed, he rubbed his nose and narrowed his eyes at her.

"Goodnight, Comet!" she squealed happily and trotted off into the barracks.

Grumbling to himself, Comet followed her in and went to bed. As he lay there, he thought of the day and couldn't help a smile. Maybe Angel was starting to grow on him.

Angel lay in her bed above Comet, unsure of what she was thinking. Here was a friend who just so happened to be the envy of mares she didn't know and he was all hers for the day. She felt warm and fuzzy as she thought about Comet.

Any mare would be lucky to have him.

Socially Awkward and Comfortable

In the month following the impromptu day off, Comet's journal went from a report of the day to nonsensical ramblings of a pony named 'Meteor' and some odd thoughts he had about a mare. This is one such passage.

'Day 72

Meteor has been bugging me ever since he had that awesome day off. He can't seem to get the final part of the day out of his mind. Could he have changed the outcome? He says he supresses thoughts of that day in order to avoid an awkward conversation with the mare he was with, but when he tries to focus, she pops into his head. It bugs me to no end that he won't stop thinking about it, but what if he could've changed it? What if, instead of just waiting, he just did it? She sure wasn't protesting, but---'

Sadly, the rest of the page was covered with ink. Comet had spilled the vial when Angel had randomly appeared behind him.

The two of them were sitting outside on the training field, silent and still as Corporal Feathermane attempted to move a giant boulder on his own. He claimed every pegasus guard should be able to move it with just his wings, but made the mistake of taking Angel's suggestion to demonstrate. Now he was tethered to the rock with a rope, hopelessly flapping his wings in an attempt to get it to move.

Comet, who was trying not to crack a smile, noticed the name 'Tom' scratched into the rock. He wanted to ask what it meant, but the Corporal gave up trying to make the boulder 'Tom' move. Panting heavily, he untethered himself and trotted weakly over to the duo.

"And that, Anjel and Cometh, isth how you moof a bulder." he mumbled before falling over and passing out from exhaustion.

Angel couldn't help but fall over laughing again and Comet shook his head, grinning while he did so. This wasn't the first time the Corporal had passed out on them, but it amused Comet he passed out from doing actual work. As the duo reveled in the shortcomings of their superior officer, the rumble of thunder rolled across the field. Angel, who was not expecting it, gave a small gasp and immediately stopped laughing. Comet, who was unaware of the break in laughter, looked up at the sky and noticed the weather ponies gathering clouds and piling them into one big gray lump.

"Huh, I didn't know it was supposed to rain today," he mused as Angel got back up on her rump. She eyed the growing storm like it was a dangerous animal, but Comet paid no attention.

"Well, we'd better get him to his bunk before it starts raining," Comet sighed and walked over to the sleeping Corporal. Angel sat as still as she could, never taking her eyes off the gathering storm. Comet tried to lift the unconscious pony onto his back, but the added weight of his armor made him difficult to lift, even with Comet's strength conditioning.

"Hey, you wanna help?" he called over to Angel, which broke her attention away from the storm.

"Oh, er, yeah! Hold on a sec," she shakily got out before getting up to help Comet.

She grabbed his tail with her mouth and helped lay Corporal Feathermane on Comet's back so his hooves hung down. The Corporal was fast asleep as Comet and Angel returned him to the castle barracks where the graduated guards lived. They garnered extra special attention since their superior officer was unconscious on Comet's back, causing him to be shot by several energy bolts while Angel ran off to hide behind a tree.

Several accusations of being a changeling and four uncomfortably personal spells later, Comet had put Corporal Feathermane on his bunk and was escorted out of the castle. Angel was still by the tree, watching like a cat from the branches as Comet trotted over.

"Well, it looks like we have some free time until he wakes up," he offered to Angel. She slowly descended from the branches and landed next to Comet. He offered her a smile, but her eyes were focused elsewhere. Turning to see what she was looking at, Comet felt a bit of teasing was in order.

"First you have those eyes, then you climb a tree and now you're petrified by a storm? You must be a cat pony," he teased lamely.

He chuckled to himself and Angel replied, "At least I wasn't on the receiving end of those guards' spells."

Comet stopped laughing and sighed, "Whatever. Let's get back to the barracks before it starts raining."

The unlikely pair began to trot off to their bunks when the wind began to blow. They were about halfway there when the rain started falling and it wasn't a light drizzle either. Comet grabbed Angel by the hoof and led her to a big tree and some bushes by the edge of the forest as other guards took shelter inside the castle or the training compound.

A flash of lightning, followed almost immediately by thunder caused Angel to scream loudly and cover her ears, pulling her hoof away from Comet. She curled up on the ground as more lightning flashed around the sky, followed inevitably by more thunder and she screamed again. Horrible memories of the caves where she was raised terrorized her mind and she began to shiver. Outside, Comet stopped and turned back to Angel. He wrapped a leg around her and dragged her under the tree where the rain wasn't pouring down on them.

Comet placed her on the driest patch of ground he could find and left her be. He shook himself like a dog and flapped his wings weakly, getting most of the rainwater off. He turned back to Angel, who was now whimpering and couldn't help but wonder. He had never seen her scared like this before and the roll of thunder in the background wasn't helping. He cautiously approached her, like he would a wounded animal, and gently prodded her side.

"Hey, Angel? It's okay now, you're safe," he said gently to her and she opened one eye.

He couldn't tell if it was the rainwater, but her eye had a misty look to it. He slowly reached over and moved a lock of her wet mane away from her face. She allowed him to do that before jumping upwards and giving him another lung crushing hug. Comet stood there trying to catch his breath as Angel rubbed her face into his neck, crying weakly. Comet, unsure of what to do, gently began to stroke her wet mane to try and calm her down. The two stayed like that for two minutes before Angel finally released him.

The rain still came down heavily, but the thunder and lightning had thankfully subsided. Comet sat next to Angel silently, unsure of what to say or even think while Angel kept her gaze away from him. She was clearly embarrassed about her behavior around Comet, but she knew she had to explain it to him.

"You know, Comet, I've never told anyone this, but I'm scared of lightning," she weakly got out.

"You don't say?" Comet rebutted, smacking himself mentally after.

Angel sighed deeply and continued, "Back where I come from, bat ponies live in caves. My ancestors dug them out a long time ago, so generations of bat ponies have lived there. The design of the caves was flawed, though. They would make thunder echo through the caves and would sometimes flood. I nearly drowned when the caves last flooded. My parents were trying to leave and I was just a filly who couldn't fly yet. My father carried me, but the water made me slip from his grip. I was swept into the lowest part of the caves where the thunder continuously echoed and the water level rose. I screamed for help for twenty minutes and nopony heard me."

She began to tear up again and Comet instinctively tried to comfort her. He reached his hoof over and rubbed her back between her mane and wings.

She sniffed a couple times, but then continued, "I thought I was going to die. I wasn't able to swim very well, so I was sinking slowly into the water. My dad came back for me though and saved me, but now when I hear thunder, I think of that day."

Comet simply looked at the quivering bat pony mare who was the cause of his annoyance and for once, couldn't think of anything mean about her. She was sitting next to him, telling him about the closest brush with death she had and he felt nothing but sympathy for her. Without realizing it, he took his hoof and wrapped it around her, pulling Angel into a gentle hug. Her sparkling golden eyes widened, but she didn't protest. The water on her coat was making her cold, but Comet's chest was comfortingly warm. He gently held her there and said nothing. No words could convey what he wanted to at that moment.

The two stayed like that for several minutes and the rain kept pouring. Since it hadn't rained in Canterlot since two weeks after Comet and Angel started training, the weather ponies had made this quite the storm. Comet eventually released Angel and looked into her eyes, something that was so surprisingly easy to do. She wasn't looking at his, but he didn't care. She gave a large yawn and laid down on the grass, so Comet set himself down next to her. His mind was running rampant with all sorts of things to say, but he just said, "I never woulda guessed you would be scared of anything."

That finally got Angel to smile again and she nestled up next to him. He was warm and comfortable to be next to.

"Yeah, I would've thought you'd be afraid of a storm," she replied in her playful tone.

"Nah, not storms," Comet said, cracking a grin, "Dragons. Those are scary."

"Nuh unh!" Angel retorted quickly, "Dragons are sooooo cool!"

The two spent the next few minutes arguing about dragons before Comet conceded defeat. Angel, proud of herself for winning yet another debate with Comet, set her head down on Comet's hooves and fell asleep. Comet, who was hoping to Celestia nopony was around to see this, stayed awake until the storm passed and then some.

As he sat there with Angel snuggled up next to him and sleeping on his hooves, he finally forced himself to admit, not out loud, that Angel was indeed cute and that despite all the loud childish antics, she really was a good mare. 'I just hope she finds the perfect stallion for herself soon,' Comet thought to himself.

Angel, for her part, was dreaming of her dark memories trying to pull her down when a flash of orange light and a set of gentle yet strong hooves fended them away and kept her safe. Outside, she smiled contently.

Author's Note

Okay, I ditched some of the comedy here, but I felt they needed a real bonding moment. The comedy will resume in the next chapter which will include Philomena.

Fire and Feathers and Bat Wings

In the last three weeks leading up to their graduation from Basic, Comet and Angel were tested as never before. Everyday started the same, a thirty lap run around the Training Compound, but each one was focused on their specific shortcomings. Comet went through a more vigorous and detailed combat training while Angel worked on making herself more stoic and even in flight training.

Due to her bat wings, it made her far less agile than Comet in the sky. She could fly straight forward just fine, but the most basic obstacles forced her to almost come to a complete stop before she could turn. Corporal Feathermane even began to become less of an instructor and more of a drill sergeant, turning up the pressure for Comet and Angel to perform better, move faster and fight harder.

On the other side of the rankings, Shining Armor hunched over, blocking the door with his body. His horn glowed, making the windows unbreakable. He stared coldly at the phoenix in the center of the room who was cawing unhappily. He grumbled to himself as the phoenix turned away from him, acting like a stuck up filly.

"I knew I should've asked to use Peewee instead," he mumbled to himself.

Apparently phoenixes have really good hearing, because Philomena cawed angrily and flew over to Shining Armor, who for his part ran around the opposite side of the room, and tried to peck the living daylights out of him. Believe it or not, this was actually a successful training day for her.

Back in the barracks of the Training Compound, it was hard for Angel to sleep. Tomorrow was graduation day and she would become a real Royal Guard. She chewed on a lock of her mane as she lay there, wishing Celestia would decide to raise the sun early so it would happen. After about fifteen seconds of waiting, Angel got bored and peeked underneath her bed.

Below, Comet was sleeping soundly, as if tomorrow was nothing special. Corporal Feathermane had worn him out with the sparring matches, pushing him to mix both hoof to hoof and weapon combat. Angel knew from four months of being around him that Comet preferred to avoid conflicts, which led to him being very quiet and indecisive. She also knew his favorite meal was roasted carrots and fresh oats, he had one of the best Prodder faces ever, and he loved silence.

Deciding it was best not to wake him, Angel rolled back over onto her pillow and lay there, thoughts stuck on Comet. She knew him well, almost too well. Granted, the duo had spent the last four months almost glued together. Corporal Feathermane insisted that it helped them train when one recruit had a rival, but Angel never really saw themselves as rivals. No, they were more like friends, maybe even approaching a brother and sister relationship.

She had been thinking about Comet and how he had changed from their first meeting when he was mean, sarcastic and just plain unpleasant to be around. Although she would never admit it, Angel almost despised Comet's company at first almost as much as he did. The only reason she kept being happy was because she knew it annoyed him. However, after that black eye incident at the beginning of Basic, she had felt she was too harsh on her opinion of him and worked around that.

Then the incident in the mess hall happened. She had seen the guards mess with Comet, but only intervened after they had hurt Comet. She knew she could've stopped it before it got that far, but she didn't out of spite for Comet. Angel felt a sour taste in her mouth as she remembered that day.

It certainly stood as the meanest she had been to Comet and she was ashamed of that. Now he was her friend, quite possibly even her best friend. Plus, there was also a little inkling at the back of her mind that said he was more than that. He was strong, kind and now fun to be around. He had those blazing red eyes she loved the color of, he smiled at her almost exclusively and he even knew how to comfort her. Angel rolled over and closed her eyes. She had thought any mare would be lucky to have him, but now a new thought sprung from that. Could she have him?

Comet, asleep underneath her, was dreaming about winning a flying race against Soarin' and tons of mares screaming his name. Spitfire had even fallen for him for winning. It was a good dream.

The trumpets woke Comet and Angel, who was overtired from her night of introspective thought, and they both went out to meet Corporal Feathermane. He stood in his usual spot and wore his stoic face when the pair approached. "So, you both have gone through four months of training and you think you're guards now?" he asked rhetorically, "Then let's see how well I've disciplined you. We'll go for our usual run, but this time, we ain't stopping until the sun is behind that spire there."

He pointed a hoof over to the castle at what would just barely be called a spire. Comet and Angel immediately took off, running the usual course. Corporal Feathermane followed them, watching like a hawk as they ran. He was unusually strict today, but Comet knew this was a huge test not just for them, but for him as well. He had to prove he could train recruits. Angel was lagging behind, but Comet slowed down ever so slightly to help her keep pace.

Apparently, Corporal Feathermane had not noticed and soon Angel and Comet were side by side. Angel was tired, but she pushed herself to run. Soon morning had passed and so did lunchtime. It was the afternoon when the sun finally touched the spire Feathermane had referred to and he let them stop running. Both Comet and Angel were worn out beyond belief, so Comet collapsed on the dirt with Angel on top of him.

As the two recovered, Feathermane brought them each some water and a snack. When the two could finally stand, Feathermane grinned. "So, you think the hard part is over?" he asked slyly, "This is a two part exam. You have proved you have the toughness and stamina to be guards, but now you have to show off your flying skills. Come with me."

The trio walked over to the front of the compound, which hurt for Comet and Angel, but when they got there a rather large purple object sat in front of it. Corporal Feathermane walked up to it and said, "Here's your final challenge." He pulled off what apparently was a cover and revealed a spectacular golden cage and a fiery red bird inside. The bird cawed angrily and Feathermane continued, "This is Philomena, Princess Celestia's prized pet phoenix. She is very temperamental and likes to get loose. It's part of the pegasus and bat pony's job to keep an eye on her."

Without warning, Corporal Feathermane reached over and undid the clasp and the door swung open. As quickly as she could, Philomena bolted out of the cage and flew off.

"Your final test is to go get her before sundown. Dismissed!" he shouted.

Comet and Angel looked at each other before taking off after the phoenix who could fly just as fast as either of them could. Angel flew faster in a straight line, so she pulled away from Comet and bore down of Philomena. Philomena glanced back at Angel and cawed angrily. She tried to go faster, but noticed the castle rapidly approaching her. Philomena waited until the last second and broke off sharply to the left. Angel, for her part, flew by the turning point and frantically tried to stop her forward momentum. The castle wall rapidly approached her and she gave a small yelp of terror before she felt something grab her tail.

A swift and slightly painful yank later, Angel was being dragged parallel to the castle wall. She turned to see Comet pulling her along, a determined face etched on his. When Angel finally got her wings flapping again, Comet spit out her tail and flew next to her, never taking his eyes off of Philomena.

The duo continued to chase the phoenix around the castle spires, dodging and weaving around bridges, balconies and even the large telescope at the tallest spire. Try as they might, though, Philomena was somehow just as smart as both of them, forcing Angel to almost crash repeatedly and Comet to have to try and catch up. All in all, Philomena used their flying abilities against them since Angel couldn't turn too well and Comet wasn't very fast. To Comet, this was harder than the running. After about an hour and a half of chasing the bird, Angel set herself down to catch her breath and let her wings rest. Not sleeping a whole lot the night before was catching up to her and she watched Comet fruitlessly chase Philomena.

There had to be a way to catch her, especially if it was part of the guards job to watch her. Trying to watch Philomena's flying patterns was nearly impossible since she often changed her tactics to avoid capture. Maybe there was another way. Angel would have bribed her with treats, but she didn't know what phoenixes considered treats.

Finally, it looked like Comet had a breakthrough. He hid behind a spire, breathing heavily but keeping an eye on the bird. When she realized she wasn't being followed anymore, Philomena perched herself on a window sill near Celestia's tower. She sat there and happily began preening her feathers while Comet tried to sneak up on her. Philomena paid him little attention as he neared from behind. When he was about four feet away, Comet lunged for her, but Philomena easily dodged him and even got to peck him in the head a couple times.

She flew off in a huff to another window sill and this time kept both eyes on Comet, who was rubbing his head vigorously. Angel stifled a chuckle, but in doing do an idea hit her. The duo had only about an hour solid daylight before the sun would start setting, so they had to try it fast. Angel also knew it had to be done right since Philomena evidently made sure to fix her mistakes. She waved to get Comet's attention, and did.

He flew over and scowled at her. "Having fun watching?" he growled and Angel smiled at him.

"My dad always told me to take my time with problems. I think I have an idea on how to catch her," she stated happily. Comet rolled his eyes and let her continue before uttering a sarcastic remark. "Philomena thinks like us. She recognizes our tactics and prevents us from catching her by using them against us. She also remembers how we've tried to catch her and avoids that too. However, she can only focus on one pony at a time. If one of us goes and gets her attention, the other might be able to surprise her."

Comet narrowed his eyes and said, "I've been chasing that blasted phoenix for an hour and that's the best plan you've got?!" he hissed. Angel reached out a hoof and put it on his shoulder.

"It's a way we haven't tried yet," she offered. Comet grumbled in response.

"Then who's going to sneak up on her? Probably you, right?" he retorted sarcastically.

"Nope. I make too much noise when I fly. You are going to be the big strong phoenix wrangler," she said with a grin.

Comet groaned. He didn't like the idea, but he couldn't come up with a better one on the spot. He nodded and Angel smiled widely. She leaned over and gave him a small kiss on the cheek and said, "We had better hurry!" Comet sat there dumbfounded as she flew off to Philomena, who eyed Angel angrily. She knew that they were trying to capture her, so Angel did the obvious thing.

"Okay, Philomena, you win!" Angel called over to the phoenix. Philomena tilted her head to the side and Angel continued, "You've outflown both of us and you proved you are smarter. I can't catch you and neither can Comet!"

Philomena raised her head and puffed out her chest. It was about time she finally started getting some respect around here. Angel kept on flattering the proud bird as Comet quietly flew up the backside of the tower and landed on the tiles. He slowly leaned over and had a perfect view of the phoenix's back. Her eyes were closed and if she could grin, she would be right now.

Without warning, Angel dove towards Philomena, who in turn easily dodged her by flying straight up, right into Comet's line of sight. He lunged towards her back as Philomena glared down at Angel and easily caught her. Philomena, startled by the sudden grasp she was in, cawed loudly and angrily as she flapped her wings, trying to break free.

Comet, who was in control now, flapped his wings as hard as he could and bolted back towards the training grounds. Philomena protested loudly and began to peck at his forehooves. The cage, along with a surprised looking Corporal Feathermane, raced towards the pegasus and phoenix.

Comet managed to slow down enough to get Philomena in the cage, but the phoenix had anticipated that and nearly escaped again. A gray hoof shot out from behind Comet's head and slammed the cage door shut before Philomena could escape again. The phoenix cawed angrily and pecked at the door, but the latch clicked into place and the door was locked.

"We did it!" Angel shouted happily from behind and gave Comet another air crushing hug.

Corporal Feathermane simply stood there with his mouth hanging open and blinked twice. It usually took ten times the guards to catch Philomena than this duo, but they managed to do it. A steady clapping of a hoof broke the revel of Angel and Comet and they saw Shining Armor not too far away. The pair quickly took on their guard stances as he approached, but Philomena cawed angrily at him.

Shining smiled at them, but first turned to Corporal Feathermane and said, "Well done, Corporal. Your first recruits passed the final test." He then turned to the duo and said, "That was quite a performance. The guard usually need to overwhelm Philomena with numbers to catch her again, but you two did it with teamwork and logical thinking. I was a bit disappointed you decided to not help Comet for a while, recruit Angel."

He looked to her and she lowered her head, somewhat ashamed, but Comet cleared his throat.

"Permission to speak, sir?"

"Granted."

"If it wasn't for her observation of Philomena's behavior, sir, I doubt I would have been able to catch her," Comet said briskly.

Shining looked from Comet to Angel, who had now put her head back up and was slightly blushing, and grinned. "I suppose that is true. Commanders don't often fight with the troops, but they do provide a tactical advantage by looking for weaknesses. Still, though, Angel did quit on the test prematurely."

Comet, who felt a strange sensation to protect Angel, said, "If that means she did not pass, then I didn't either, sir. I only caught her after Angel suggested the tactic we used."

Shining Armor narrowed his eyes at Comet and said, "You're willing to jeopardize your promotion so she doesn't get left behind?"

"Sir... yes, sir," Comet managed to say.

Angel's eyes widened at that and a huge sense of incredulity flooded her senses. Comet wouldn't get promoted unless she did too? A twinge of an emotion stung her heart. It was a good emotion, though, one that made her want to squeeze him into a hug.

All the ponies remained silent as Shining stared at Comet who, in turn, never let his gaze falter. His future in the guard was on the line here, but Comet felt strangely calm. If Angel, his friend, wasn't there, then being a guard wasn't something he wanted to do. Finally, Shining broke a smile and said, "Congratulations, Privates. You have successfully passed Basic Training."

He held out a hoof to Angel first, who shook it and then to Comet who also shook it.

"In recognition of your amazing performance and the recapturing of Philomena," he paused as she cawed angrily in the background, "You both are hereby Royal Guards of Equestria and will report tomorrow for your first day guarding her royal highness's prized pet, Philomena."

He saluted the bat pony and pegasus, who returned it, and said, "The armory will be your first stop tomorrow so you may be outfitted with the golden armor. Dismissed."

That night, Comet and Angel spent the evening talking and exchanging happy emotions about graduating.

Author's Note

Now Basic Training is over, but there's still plenty of story to go on. Hope you all enjoy it!

Just so you know: Prodder is the Equestrian equivalent to Poker. Be sure to thank Lumina Rose for reminding me to add that.

Three's a Crowded Mess

That night it was Comet's turn to hardly sleep. He felt giddy, like a foal on Hearth's Warming Day who just saw the pile of presents. He tossed and turned in bed, anxiously awaiting on Celestia to raise the sun. Would the armorer custom fit his set of golden armor? How much would it weigh? Would mares dig it? So many thoughts ran through his head. Among them were of his parents. They would be sure to come and see him in his armor. Comet had missed them on his four month training spree, but he hoped to see them again. That's when his thoughts took a darker turn. How would she react if she saw him in armor? She'd probably smile and--

No, she wouldn't smile. She wasn't even able to see him. A dark expression overtook Comet's face as he tried to shove those thoughts aside. He was never going to think about her again. It wasn't his fault she... No, he had to stop there. That was not something to reflect on today. Comet dipped into his vast store of willpower to shove those thoughts back into the chained box they had leaked from in his mind. Those were thoughts that should've never been thunk. His good mood destroyed and his energy gone, Comet rolled over and shut his eyes firmly. However, to a trained eye, a single tear could be seen rolling down his cheek.

Angel, for her part, had a rather vivid dream of two bat ponies yelling loudly. So loudly, others from caves in the upper levels could hear them. Angel buried her hoofs into her ears and shoved her face into her pillow. They were at it again. She hoped this time it wouldn't result in violence. A loud yell of pain told her otherwise. They had begun to fight physically now. Angel felt the horrible sadness only found when parents fought tear at her chest and she began wailing into the pillow. The yells got louder, even as she dug her hoofs in deeper. She didn't want to be the center of the argument again. Finally, Angel thought she felt a hoof on her shoulder and she woke with a start. She spun her head around the empty barracks and found nopony was there. Suddenly scared beyond falling asleep again, she peeked under her bed and saw Comet laying there.

"Hey, you awake?" she whispered to him. She didn't expect a response, but Comet opened one blazing red eye and fixed it on her.

"Wha yu wan?" he mumbled through his pillow.

"I can't fall asleep. Can you?" she asked quietly.

Comet's eye rolled and he groaned, "Not wif yu tlkin ta meh."

Angel slowly flapped her wings and set herself on the floor next to his bed. As she did so, Comet's eye tried to venture somewhere he didn't want it to, namely her rump. He blushed and immediately looked away, but the image stuck in his mind. It was actually kind of nice, not big but not small either. Just the right size. Angel turned to Comet as he bucked and beat the living daylight out of himself mentally for even letting that thought happen, but all she saw was him looking up at the top bunk. She extended a hoof and put it on his bed and said, "You know, where I live, it's not uncommon for ponies to share beds, even when it's warm."

Comet's mind redoubled it's effort to kick the snot out of himself as he avoided making a snide comment, settling for just, "What's that got to do here?"

"Well, I kinda, well, I had..." Angel was unsure of how to say it and Comet prayed it wasn't what he thought it was. He knew of the bat pony reputation and didn't want to mess up his guard status. "I just, um, had a bad dream, so I was wondering," she took a deep breath before continuing, "Could I share a bed with you?"

Comet's eye never wavered from her head as she looked down, as if she was ashamed to ask. His mind raced with all sorts of terrible thoughts as he questioned what Angel's intentions were, so he managed to say, "Are you kidding me?"

Angel was worried Comet might've taken the question the wrong way and lucky the dark hid her blush. "Oh no, not like that. You see, my aunt and I used to share a room and bed together and I, well, when I had a bad dream, her presence always helped me go back to sleep," she said before giving a nervous but sincere smile. Comet hoped this wasn't another sinister prank, but as if she read his mind, she walked around the bed and said, "I'm not going to do anything but fall asleep. If I do, then I will report it myself and get thrown out. Bat pony promise."

Comet just stayed silent. Here was the worst possible candidate asking him a question that violated every personal space rule, but she was his friend and comrade, so he had to trust her. After twenty seconds of thought, he scooted forward and left a spot open for her. "Say anything and I will sleep in your bunk," he said and Angel smiled happily. Without another word, she settled into the bed, snuggling her back up against Comet's and sighed contentedly. In no time at all, Angel was fast asleep while Comet was too nervous to sleep. This really wasn't going to end well. Eventually, though, sleep finally found him and he rested happily.

The sound of the trumpets woke Comet again and he groggily pulled himself up. He turned over to find Angel missing from his bed and breathed a sigh of relief. Thank Celestia there were no other recruits around. Comet had learned that ever since the changeling attack, the Royal Guard was considered a joke by the ponies. Recruitment had dropped to nearly zero and the whole training program was being rebuilt from the ground up. Unknown to Comet, he and Angel were the first recruits to undergo the new pegasus/ bat pony guard training and had successfully passed it.

An hour later, after the morning run, a unicorn guard came and collected Comet and Angel and led them towards the castle. Angel was as giddy as she could be, bouncing up and down as she walked and blathering out excited nonsense. Comet, as usual, took his stoic face with him and trotted with the same demeanor as the unicorn guard. The trio finally reached the armory in the bowels of the castle, near where the dungeons were. The guard had explained to a very inquisitive Angel that when ponies were in the dungeons, part of their stay was cleaning up soot and garbage from the armory so they didn't lounge about all day. Comet was actually rather impressed by the thought process behind it, but Angel was vocal about hers.

Finally, the new guards reached the armory. The first thing to hit them both was the smell. Sulfur and the acrid smell of slag stung their noses and Angel protested it. "Ugh, it smells like a rotten egg factory!" she complained while scrunching her nose and face up. Comet maintained his straight face, but he couldn't help but agree mentally. The lead guard cleared his throat and a burly pony the color of burnt wood came up to them. He was a unicorn with cloudy silver irises and several large scars on his face and forelegs.

The guard nodded to him and the burly unicorn said, "So yer da newest graduates, huh? Well, c'mon. We ain' got ahl daee." He turned and started trotting over to a set of rather large anvils and several wicked looking tools. Comet obediantly followed and Angel gulped, but still trotted after Comet. A large wooden door was expertly cloaked with tools, specifically hammers, and the unicorn used his magic to swing it open. The hammers rattled in protest from their rude awakening, but Comet and Angel's eyes grew wide when they saw what was behind it. Several sets of brilliantly polished gold armor sat on several shelves, gleaming as if they were just made. On the opposite side, dark blue mythril armor sat in long rows as well, each trimmed with a brilliant purple. The golden armor sported a robin's egg blue star on the front while the dark blue armor wore an eye made of sapphire proudly on its chest.

"Ain' that ah purdy sight," the unicorn spoke, "Now less getcha ah set apiece." The armorer walked in and grabbed a chest piece and helmet of gold along with four sets of hoof guards, also gold. He levitated them over to Comet and said, "Here, try dees on fer size." Comet promptly started putting it on, but the armor was too big. The helmet sat over his eyes, the chest piece hung loosely about his chest and the hoof guards were three sizes too big. Angel laughed as Comet stood there awkwardly.

"Uh, sir? I think it's a bit too big," Comet said sheepishly.

"Oh, t'is, is't?" the unicorn mused, "Juss give't ah secon'."

Almost immediately after he spoke, the armor began to shift around Comet. He felt it start to shrink and soon the helmet fit perfectly, the chestplate was snug and the hoof guards fit so well, they felt like they weren't even there. Angel gasped and stared wide eyed at him before stuttering, "C-Comet, is that you?" Confused, Comet looked down to see his ocher coat had turned a brilliant and flawless white. He spun his head around to also see his tail was no longer long and brown, but short and brilliant blue.

"Da armor iz magically made ta fit anypony. It alsa changes yer coat an mane colors ta dose uh da Royul Gard," the unicorn explained. Comet was amazed by the radical transformation and even lifted his wings to see his cutie mark. It was still right there and almost blended in perfectly to his new color. About fifteen minutes later, Comet was admiring himself in front of a mirror. He was regal looking, tough and amazing. The unicorn was having problems trying to adjust Angel's armor to fit her snugly since mythril wasn't as easy to manipulate as gold. He had thrown the helmet out since it was really only meant for stallions, but the rest of the armor was genderless. Angel squealed and refused to stay still since she was so excited, causing the guard to have to wait to adjust the armor accordingly.

Fifteen more minutes of admiring himself, Comet heard Angel speak up and say, "That's real nice, Comet, but how about my armor?" Comet spun around, half expecting to burst out laughing at her disproportionate armor, but fell speechless as he saw her. Angel practically radiated toughness and beauty in her armor. She stood with her head held high, golden eyes fixed on him and armor gleaming in the firelight from the forges. Comet's heart skipped several beats as she took a couple steps to him and he tried to breath. Sure he had admitted Angel was cute, but in that armor she was positively beautiful, almost as much as Celestia and Luna themselves.

He was sure he was blushing as she strode by him and looked in the mirror. Comet tried to work out a sentance, but the unicorn thankfully saved him. "Now ain' dat a sight fer sore eyes. You two look mighty fine in dat armor," he mused and a huge grin broke across Angel's face. Several long squeals and three complete turn arounds later, Angel had finally calmed down enough to thank the armorer and left with a still nervous Comet.

Outside the armory, the unicorn guard was gone, but Shining Armor himself stood there and smiled at the two as they left. "Wow, you two look like real guards now," he mused, warming both ponies egos slightly. They both saluted them and he returned it before continuing. "Privates Angel Beats and Comet Burst, welcome to your first day of the Royal Guard. Usually we'd have a whole celebration for our newest members, but I have something far more special planned for you. Allow me to introduce..."

He turned and swept a hoof to the stairway and a gryffon stood there, clicking her claws impatiently. She had bright gold eyes with white feathers that covered one of her eyes in a downward style. the tips of her feathers were lined in black, giving her an almost scaly appearance. She had a black beak and claws with a brown rear half. her tail whipped around lazily and she regarded Comet and Angel with a listless look. "Valyrie. She's a gryffon sent here to help with her training in pony and gryffon relations and will be joining you in your duties."

Valyrie walked over to them slowly, keeping her bored look on her face but clearly on edge. She stopped within a hoofs reach and extended a claw. "How ya doin'?" she asked in a strange accent. Comet reached for her hoof, but Angel beat him by hugging her.

"Yay, a new friend!" she shouted happily and Valyrie's face contorted into one similar to Comet's first reaction to Angel's hugs, a mix of shock and repulsion.

Comet sighed as Shining Armor grinned awkwardly and Angel forced Valyrie to stay in her grip, even as Valyrie tried to pry her off. They were going to get along just fine.

That Awkward Day After

Comet took an extra hour to get out of bed. He really didn't sleep well at all last night, and upon waking up he found out why. Somehow, he had fallen asleep in a storage room. Boxes and strange unused furniture, along with a glowing bust of Princess Celestia, lay about the room in no particular order. Comet was wedged in between some boxes labeled 'PROPERTY OF PRINCESS CELESTIA' and 'FOAL PORTRAITS'. He tilted his head at the one box, curious. Was this a set of pictures of young Princess Celestia?

Unfortunately, Comet's mind caught up to him before he could look. A frightful image of a gryffon bounced around in his mind and he remembered why he was here in this room. Valyrie was drunk last night and had tried to lure Comet into something he didn't want to do. He shook his head to get rid of the memory, but a small voice spoke in the back of his mind. Sure he had only known Valyrie for a day, but she was willing to go somewhere with Comet that he had never been. He was slightly ashamed of it, but Comet prided himself on the fact he wasn't a tail chaser. He had respect for mares, but he had never had one offer like that before. He was curious, but he had to have self restraint.

Still, though, Valyrie was willing to go through with it. She was even a gryffon, an entirely other species! How often did any stallion in all Equestria receive that offer? Then there was her figure. She was just as fit as any mare. Comet shook his head and tried to repress those thoughts. What she did last night did in no way improve Comet's opinion of her. It was reprehensible, mean and... somewhat kinky. Comet reached up a hoof and smacked it across his face. He couldn't possibly be attracted to Valyrie, not after he admitted Angel was cute. Angel was his friend and he had thought there was maybe some attraction between them, but Valyrie had only known him for a day. Finally able to bring his thoughts back under control, Comet pulled himself out of the piles of boxes and trudged back to the bunk room.

Valyrie, in turn, was woken up by an unusually loud Angel. "Good morning, sleepy head!" Angel seemed to shout at a decibel way too high for her ears. Valyrie pulled her pillow out and shoved it on top of her head.

"Go away," she mumbled weakly. Evidently she had too much to drink last night. She only had, what? Like nine ciders? That was nothing for a gryffon like herself who had only felt this bad after twelve stouts. Was Valyrie a lightweight when it came to pony drinks? She never got to think of her answer since a hoof poked her in her back, right where the feathers became fur.

"Aw, c'mon!" Angel's outrageously loud voice rang out, "You can't feel that bad!"

"How're you not hungover?" Valyrie moaned.

"Bat ponies have naturally high metabolisms, which means we don't get hangovers for long," Angel said happily, much to Valyrie's annoyance. The gryffon groaned angrily and pushed herself up by her claws, but immediately fell back to the bed. Her head ached and pounded like never before, so she pulled her pillow onto her head, hoping to relieve some pain. Angel giggled to Valyrie and extended a hoof to lift the pillow. She caught a brief glimpse of her pale gold iris before a claw shoved the pillow back down. Angel giggled again. She was just like Comet when Angel wanted to play around, so she proceeded to annoy Valyrie until she got out of bed.

Angel lifted the feathers on Valyrie's midsection where her feathers became fur to see if she was stitched together, then played a game of tennis using her hoofs as rackets and Valyrie's tail as the ball. It was only when Angel had taken an interest in Valyrie's paws did the gryffon decide to turn an annoyed face to her. "Do you really have to force me to get up?" she asked in her groggy voice.

Angel gave a big grin to the irritated gryffon and nodded. Valyrie groaned again and shoved her beak into the pillow. It wasn't just the hangover Valyrie was contending with. Something horrible had crept into her mind and she was trying to figure out what it was. It was a sensation of warm lips against her beak, some laughing and a taste of feathers and fur. Valyrie dreaded what it might mean since her memory of last night ended at the tavern, but at the same time, the sensations her body remembered were pleasant.

About half an hour later of Angel pestering, Valyrie finally got out of bed. The two of them cleaned themselves and headed down to the mess hall for a rather late breakfast. Valyrie silently thanked Griffon, the god of gryffons, that today was another day off. Upon reaching the mess hall, Angel instantly located Comet, who sat by himself chewing slowly on a bite of oatmeal. Valyrie approached him and his reaction said it all. His eyes went wide and he turned his head from her. Luckily, Angel didn't seem to catch that.

After a breakfast of plain oatmeal for Comet, fresh sliced pineapple and two apples for Angel and granola mixed with sunflower seeds for Valyrie, the trio headed off to the recreation room of the castle, Angel happily chattering away to both Comet and Valyrie while they gave small responses. When they were about halfway there, a pegasus guard approached the trio and said, "Private Angel Beats?"

"That's me!" Angel singsonged.

"Captain Shining Armor has requested to speak to you," he stated briskly, "I've been sent to collect you."

"Okay, then! Bye Comet and Valyrie!" Angel stated with a happy bounce and grin. Comet gave her a smile and Valyrie waved, but neither said anything. That worried Angel, but she proceeded off with the guard. Comet and Valyrie stood there in awkward silence for a couple minutes after she left before Valyrie managed to work up the courage to say something.

"So, um, Comet... About last night, what happened?" she asked tenatively.

Comet clenched his jaw, wishing there was a way for him to get out of this. "We came back to the castle, I put Angel to bed and then went to bed myself," he lied.

Valyrie turned to him and stared straight into his eyes. Comet hadn't noticed, but Valyrie had a wonderful golden color to her eyes, just like Angel. He felt they were nice to look at, but they conveyed the feeling he was being examined while Angel's were just blank pools of gold. "You don't have to lie to me," Valyrie stated, "What really happened? You can tell me."

Comet gulped and looked down. "You were tipsy and we almost, uh, did something we'd regret," he stated plainly.

Valyrie stared at his downturned face and felt like he was hiding something. "If something happened, Comet, you can tell me. I will report myself if it's that bad."

"No, nothing happened," Comet said lamely before giving her a sincere, yet awkward smile. Valyrie gave him a confused look before continuing.

"I don't think that's all of it."

"Well, it is. You were drunk, you made a move on me and it shocked me. The end."

"Then, you're sure we didn't..?"

"Positive. I wasn't tipsy last night."

Valyrie felt a wave of relief wash over her and she relaxed. She hadn't realized it, but her claws were curled up and her muscles were tense. She relaxed and gave a nice smile to Comet, one he seemed to relax at as well. She walked up to him and said, "Why didn't you report me?"

Comet gave a sincere smile and said, "Everypony makes mistakes. We just have to learn from them." He had just finished speaking when he found himself with a face full of feathers and in a hug grip. Valyrie embraced him gently, but tightened her grip to let him know she was grateful. Nogryffon had ever been that nice to her except for her parents and she felt an odd swelling sensation in her chest. She thought Comet was just cute, but now she knew he was kindhearted as well, something she really admired.

On the other side of the castle, Angel skipped along happily as the guard led her. It was a long walk to Shining Armor's office, but she enjoyed the tour of the castle. She had tried to talk to the guard, but he wasn't a talker. It was pretty uneventful walking, but Angel managed to find something cool in every passage. One had several old suits of steel armor worn by knights back in the day, one had a magnificent stained glass window of Celestia and Luna imprisoning a weird creature made up of all sorts of animal parts in stone, and so on.

Soon, she was standing outside an unassuming door of solid wood and the guard nodded to it. He turned around and left the bat pony alone there to wonder what was behind the door. As she reached for the knob, a musical voice rang out, "Oh dear me, I didn't know Shining was expecting you." Angel turned to see a bright pink alicorn with a pale yellow and royal purple mane smiling at her. She had deep magenta eyes and seemed to smile through them too.

Angel yelped slightly and threw her face on the floor, landing with a thud. It hurt her snout, but she made no noise in the presence of Princess Cadance herself. Cadance's face melted to one of concern as her horn glowed. "Are you alright, young one?" she asked gently but with concern as Angel's head lifted up.

"Just fine, ma'am," Angel blurted out, nervous. She was unsure of what the princess of love wanted with her, but she did her best to keep a straight face.

Cadance grinned to her and said, "Silly pony. I am only here to see my husband. He's been under a considerable amount of stress since the changeling attack."

Angel wondered if she could read minds and reached over to open the door. It creaked open and Cadance smiled sincerely. "Thank you. If I may ask, what's your name?"

"Private Angel Beats, ma'am!" Angel blurted out again.

"Well then, private Angel Beats, will you check the room for me? It would be bad manners for a princess to ignore the usefullness of her guards," Cadance said with a small giggle.

Conflicts, Conflicts Everywhere

The first thing Angel noticed upon entering Shining Armor's office was how still it was. His desk sat all along, covered in papers of various scribbles, along with a mostly melted candle and a picture of two mares, one lavender and small and one bright pink. Angel assumed the bright pink one was his wife she was currently scouting the room for. Plaques and small trophies littered the wall behind the desk, offering commendation for exceptional service, exemplary behavior, Honor Roll and even Varsity Hoofball MVP.

Angel found it kind of funny as she went to examine the trophies that one of them, the exceptional service one, was from the famous fast food chain Sandwich Queen. There was also a picture of Shining standing proudly in his red officer jacket and Princess Cadance in her beautiful white dress.

Suddenly, the sound of hoof falls echoed over to Angel and she spun around. Three ponies all dressed in black were standing around the desk. Angel narrowed her eyes and whispered, "Ninja ponies. We meet again." Before anypony had time to blink, the three ninjas moved in on Angel, who was reacting accordingly. She leaned back and dodged a small silver shuriken as it spun by her head and buried itself into the wall. Angel swept a hoof out and caught one of the ninjas in the leg, causing him to fall over while the other two bored down on her. Angel quickly retracted the hoof and slid under Shining's desk as the two ninjas landed.

They made the mistake of spinning around to see her and she tackled one of them into the trophy wall. The ninja was stunned just long enough for Angel to deliver both rear legs to the face of the third. With one flying away, one in her grip and the other just now getting to his hooves, Angel had the advantage. She grabbed a large trophy of Shining's and stuffed it onto the head of the ninja she was holding on to, and then smashed her right front forehoof into the side of it. The trophy dented slightly, but range out a nice clear note loud enough to hurt the ninja's ears. She didn't even hesitate to throw the ninja into his friend who was staring at her, unsure of what to do. The two collided and fell to the floor.

Angel spun around and just barely dodged a hoof to the face. She leaned to her left to avoid the other hoof and countered with a kick. She landed right in the ninja's gut and he doubled over. She gave a quick spin to gain momentum and landed a particularly nasty hoof to the face, sending the ninja back into the wall. She spun around again to see the one ninja struggling to pull the trophy off of his head and the other trying to push him off. Angel ran to them and threw the trophy headed one into the wall of trophies again. The one on his head range out loud again as he struck the stone wall and the ninja collapsed.

Angel stopped and stared at the final ninja, who jumped up to his hooves. "Who sent you? Where's the captain?" Angel growled to him. The ninja responded by dropping a smoke pellet that caused Angel to cough. She cursed herself for being a bat pony then, as they were sensitive to smoke and dust, which is why they preferred damp caves. Once the smoke cleared, the ninja was gone. Angel stood there proudly and knew that she would not rest until she figured out what happened to her superior officer, the great Shining Armor.

At least, that's what she thought should've happend.

She had somehow thought up that whole scenario in the four seconds it took her to push open the door for Princess Cadance. Inside the room, Shining sat behind his desk, shuffling papers. A set of regal golden armor Angel had never seen sat in the corner on a ponyquinn. Four pictures sat on the wall behind him, one of him in the armor looking awesome, one of a brilliantly blue unicorn smiling with a pretty white mare unicorn who had streaks of purple in her mane along with a younger version of Shining and a small lavender filly. One was of both Shining and Cadance on their wedding day and a final one with the two of them overlooking a town from the balcony of a castle.

He looked up and smiled to Angel and said, "Oh, Angel! Just who I was looking for, please come in."

Angel gave an awkward smile and stepped aside, allowing Princess Cadance to stride in gracefully. "What about me?" she asked in a hurt tone. Shining immediately got out from behind his desk and trotted up to her.

"You never need permission to see me," he stated with a hint of playfulness in his voice. Cadance giggled sweetly and rubbed her nose against Shining's. Angel felt a little awkward standing there and Shining looked at her. "Oh yes! Angel, I have a special assignment for you. My wife, Princess Cadance," he started.

"Hi," Princess Cadance chimed in, waving a hoof at Angel.

"She wants to go into town tomorrow night to get to know the ponies in Canterlot better. I thought you'd be a perfect escort for her due to your amazing social skills," he stated.

Angel's eyes grew wide as she stared at the two ponies. She was being asked to guard the princess of love now? Angel cracked a huge grin. Sure, she liked watching Philomena, but how could she pass on that offer?

"Private Angel accepts this assignment, sir!" she almost yelled happily and gave a salute.

Shining nodded to her happily and Cadance smiled. "I'm sure you'll do fine, miss... Um, I'm afraid I don't know your last name," Cadance said, her nice smile turning into an awkward grin.

"Beats, ma'am! Private Angel Beats, but everypony just calls me Angel," the bat pony responded enthusiastically.

"Ah, okay! Angel, er, Miss Beats. I'm sure you'll do fine," Cadance said, her smile returning to one of happiness instead of awkwardness.

"Then it's settled. Report to my quarters tomorrow at seventeen hundred hours and I will brief you on the assignment. I would do it now, but I've got some more, uh, pressing issues on my plate," Shining said in his best official tone.

Angel saluted happily and trotted out the door. It shut, leaving Cadance and Shining alone and Cadance turned a sly grin to Shining.

"Pressing matters, huh?" she asked sarcastically.

Shining shrugged and said, "Hey, it worked when I was dating you." Cadance gave her sweet laugh that Shining could listen to all day and planted a soft kiss on him.

"It doesn't matter. Being around my husband is a most pressing matter," she cooed to him.

Up in the tall tower, Philomena cawed unhappily. Her guards were stiff and mean, ignoring the proud phoenix as she tried to play with them. She missed that one guard who had played with her, that one with really big golden eyes. Philomena was almost a thousand years old, but that didn't mean she didn't like to play. Being in a stuffy tower, stuck on a perch for days was really boring, not to mention Celestia was almost always too busy to see her phoenix. Philomena pecked at the perch she stood on and scanned the room again. Same guards, same place, same faces they had for the past four hours. She cawed loudly in frustration, hoping that guard would return soon.

As for Valyrie and Comet, the two sat down at a table and Valyrie made the attempt to teach Comet how to play Prodder. He was a quick learner, but he often forgot what the hooves were. He held out four nines and two princes and smiled proudly. "Straight flush!" he stated proudly and Valyrie buried her face into her claw.

"That's a Full House, and you're supposed to have only five cards," she repeated for the tenth time.

Comet looked back to his hoof scowled. "This game is too complicated," he mumbled to himself. He thought he was learning the game, but all he was really doing was annoying Valyrie. Cards were not Comet's strong suit since he had played board games when he was a colt. In fact...

"I've got it!" Comet shouted abruptly, startling the gryffon. He jumped up and dashed off to find something, leaving a bewildered looking Valyrie alone. She sighed and started gathering up the cards, humming a song to herself.

It took Comet a couple minutes, but he returned happily with a box in his mouth. He set it down on the table and Valyrie peered at it. "Checkers?" she asked out loud and Comet beamed.

"Yup! It's a fun game. It uses a lot of strategy and requires some trickery, like Prodder!" he said with a smile. Valyrie looked up at the oddball stallion and found herself starting to blush. She looked away and agreed to play.

After about half an hour, Valyrie was staring at the multicolored board of alternating red and black squares, intent on winning. Comet had two kings and three regular pieces left, but Valyrie had a single king of her own and five regular pieces. This game was intense as Valyrie thought of possible moves and their outcomes. Her king was back against Comet's side of the board, blocked by two of his normal pieces. His kings were in prime location to take most of her five remaining pieces, but she moved one anyway. Comet promptly jumped her piece, then another and another.

"Hey, that's not fair!" Valyrie shouted.

"As a king, I can take multiple pieces if they are within jumping distance from each other," Comet stated proudly. He had explained the rules beforehoof, but Valyrie must've not been paying attention. Valyrie grumbled to herself and looked back to the board. She was now down to one king and two normal pieces, but they were too far away from each other. Comet's pieces, however, had formed a nice line with her king near the far side. Valyrie studied the formation for a minute while Comet leaned back, stretching his spine. He was sure he was going to win.

Valyrie suddenly saw a pattern to his pieces and grinned to herself. She reached out, took her king and jumped one of the blocking pieces, then one of his kings, then another normal piece and then his other king.

She looked up and grinned evily to Comet and said, "Gotcha."

Comet looked down to see her make her move and watched as his pieces were wiped off the board. His eyes widened to the size of dinner plates as she removed his black tokens and he was left with one lone one on his side of the board. Valyrie leaned back as well and clicked her claws together, smiling smugly to Comet. Comet, for his part, was rendered speechless by her move.

It really didn't matter though, since Angel busted through the door and jumped around on the table, singing happily about an important assignment. After five minutes of that, she noticed Comet and Valyrie's game and wanted to play. The final score was Valyrie winning with seven victories, Angel with five and Comet with two. He sat there dejectedly as Angel and Valyrie rambled on about their victories. He was slightly mad at losing so much, but he wasn't going to be a poor sport. In fact, he was actually impressed both Valyrie and Angel had beaten him like that. They both were smart, really smart. Comet liked that in mares and found himself debating in his mind about who was cuter on his scale. Angel, the ever loving bat pony who spent a nice day snuggled up next to him, or Valyrie, the gryffon who was kind enough to apologize about being foolish and had a great personality.

Honestly, Comet thought they both had nice features. Angel had those eyes and the figure to match, since he had stolen a glance back in Basic he never forgave himself for doing. She was also his friend and had even opened up some of her personal information to him. Valyrie, on the other hand, was like a puzzle he had to solve. She revealed very little about herself, but that wasn't a bad thing. It kept him guessing about her. With his mind at war with itself about the two sitting at the table with him, he barely noticed a letter magically appear in front of him. Angel and Valyrie, though, did.

They both grabbed for it and soon Comet was trying to pry his own letter from a black claw and a gray hoof. It took some time, but he eventually did. He opened the letter and read it to himself. Valyrie and Angel watched with mild interest as his face grew from a stoic look to one of shock.

"MY PARENTS ARE COMING HERE?!" he shouted.

Parental Control

Sometimes life doesn't work out. Sometimes, it just seems to take any situation and make it ten times worse. Take the letter Comet received, for instance. The letter was written on parchment made from a cheap material so the manufacturer could make a seven bit profit on each piece in bulk. The inferior material therefore made it taste like an old sock wrapped in a smelly shoe. The local mailmare in San Pranscico took the letter from Mangrove, Comet's mother, about a week ago and made the mistake to trying to talk with it in her mouth. The nasty taste caused her to spit out the letter so she could throw up, and as such the letter was blown away. She gave chase after it and finally caught it twenty minutes later. However, she was now late delivering the mail, so she stuffed it into her bag.

So it stayed there. For two days. The mailmare had completely forgotten about the letter in her rush to deliver the mail and found it two days later when she accidentally delivered it to the wrong pony. When the letter finally reached the post office to be sent to Canterlot, the dejected mail sorter had just broken up with his long time marefriend because he was too afraid to pop the question and threw it into the non priority mail. There it sat in a bag as he cried in the corner, waiting for Comet to finally read it.

Two more days later, the bag containing the letter was moved onto a train bound for Canterlot, ironically the same one Mangrove and Sun Storm were on. The couple, blissfully unaware of their son not receiving the letter, chattered away about how much they wanted to see Comet in his guard armor. Mangrove also speculated that perhaps Comet had found a nice mare to be with and though Sun Storm agreed externally, internally he was think about what to say to Comet about mares. His son, who Sun Storm was as proud to have as could be, was inexperienced in dealing with mares and he hoped he wouldn't reach Canterlot to find his son married or with a foal prepping to be born.

The train arrived three days later on time, a first for the letter's brief existence. As the passengers, including Mangrove and Sun Storm, departed, the bag the letter was in was carefully unloaded. By carefully, I mean taken out and thrown into a wagon. A few letters spilled out, but luckily not Comet's. Upon reaching the post office in Canterlot, Mangrove and Sun Storm were admiring the city's many shops. The letter was organized into the Royal Guard pile by a disgruntled pony who complained the other post offices should at least organize the mail for him. When it was all sorted, the letter was magically transported, along with forty others, to Canterlot Castle. There, a staff member of the castle took her time organizing them, giving Mangrove and Sun Storm enough time to reach the castle and pass a security inspection. As they were led to the relaxation room, the letter was finally sent away to Comet, who shouted just as his parents reached the door.

Comet stared intently at the letter while Angel and Valyrie cracked huge grins. They were finally going to meet Comet's parents? Angel thought of all the fun they would be while Valyrie thought of what would make a good impression. They didn't get much time, though, since the door swung open to reveal a unicorn guard with a bright green earth pony mare and a tall and cool looking yellow pegasus. Comet spun around to see who it was and his pupils instantly shrunk to pinholes. "Mom? Dad? You're here?!" he asked in a shocked voice.

"Well hello to you too, Comet," the yellow pegasus spoke up. He gave a skeptical look to the orange pegasus, but his lovely green wife squealed happily and charged him. Comet managed a small yelp of surprise and the green mare hugged him tightly while planting about three kisses on his cheek. Comet panicked and frantically attempted to push her away before any more damage could be done, but hysterical laughing broke out from the other side of the room. Sun Storm looked over to see a set of gray hooves up in the air, kicking about wildly and a feathered pony's head buried into the table, pounding what looked like a claw onto it.

"Oh, my sweet pie, I missed you so much!" Mangrove cried as she squeezed Comet tighter, "It's been so quiet around the house without you there. I was even cleaning your old room and started crying when I found your old stuffed alicorn from our first family vacation!"

"Mom!" Comet shouted in a mixture of dread and fear. Angel and Valyrie started laughing even harder, but Mangrove continued.

"Oh, do you remember the first time you said you wanted to be a guard? You were only just a little colt and ran around the neighborhood, trying to stop littering and bullying! You came home covered in garbage. Now look at you, a full member of the Royal Guard! Wait 'til they see you back home!" she reminisced. A look of utter horror crept across Comet's face and Sun Storm decided it was best to intervene before Mangrove listed something really bad.

"Mangrove, I think you should-"

"Oh and that time we went to-"

"Mangrove."

"-you were so bent of getting a guard cutie mark-"

"Mangrove!"

"-you accidentally picked up the wrong sword and-"

"Mangrove!"

"-had to get your teeth fixed-"

"MANGROVE!"

The brilliantly colored green mare turned a confused face to the yellow pegasus and he cleared his throat before nodding forward. She spun her head again and finally noticed two sets of golden eyes watch her eagerly. One was clearly a gryffon due to the feathers and beak, but the other one had small fangs poking out from under her upper lip and an adorable look on her, Mangrove guessed it was a her, face.

Mangrove's eyes widened just like Comet's usually did and she gave a louder squeal. Her son was spending time with mares?! Unbridled excitement coursed through her body as she let go of Comet in favor of this new pony, whose face of glee quickly melted into one of fear. Sun Storm planted his hoof into his face as apparently his wife had not gotten the cue to stop.

She tackled Angel as well into a rather large hug and Valyrie started to laugh again. However, Valyrie soon learned that was the wrong thing to do, because when Mangrove heard her girly laugh, she realized the gryffon was a mare too and brought her into the hug. "My son had two friends now?!" she almost shouted happily, "I must be dreaming! Here I thought he'd only have one stallion for a friend, but he has two mares! I'm the happiest mother in the world right now!" She squeezed tighter on Angel and Valyrie, causing them to lose their breath. Valyrie struggled to get away from the crazy green mare, but Angel somehow managed a grin.

"Yeah, Comet and I have been friends since day one!" she stated happily, "Valyrie here just joined out circle."

It took two minutes of Comet and Sun Storm prying away at Mangrove's legs to finally release Angel and Valyrie. The two stallions apologized a lot to the bat pony and gryffon, but Angel didn't seem to care. Once the stallions managed to calm Mangrove down, the two mares finally got to introduce themselves. Mangrove instantly warmed up to Angel due to her bubbly personality, but Valyrie shied away, preferring to stand close to Comet like a scared animal. Sun Storm, Comet's father, trotted over and said, "So, son. Two friends now, huh?"

Comet gulped as Valyrie leaned in closer to him, clearly afraid of what Sun Storm would do, and he managed an awkward smile. "Uh, yeah, dad. They're really nice, especially Valyrie here." He gave the gryffon at his side a little push and she looked up at the yellow pegasus nervously.

"Uh, hi. I'm Valyrie," was all she managed to blurt out.

Sun Storm smiled warmly to her and held out a hoof, saying, "The name's Sun Storm. If you can't guess by now, I'm Comet's father." Valyrie reached out tentatively with a claw and Sun gave a small laugh. "Don't be shy. I'm not going to hug you or invade your personal space," he said brightly. Valyrie took his hoof and shook it before quickly returning it back to herself. She looked up at Comet, who smiled back gently and started to blush.

"I've, uh, got something I need to do," she stated quickly while looking away from him, "I'll be back." She walked off to the door and left a very confused looking Comet with a smirking Sun Storm.

"Wow, son," Sun Storm mused, "I didn't know you were a hot commodity among the gryffon mares."

Comet blushed furiously at that statement and said, "She's just a friend, dad."

"You know, that's how me and your mother met. We were just friends too," Sun Storm said with a playful hint in his voice. Comet shook his head, forcing the blush to go away and looked up at his father.

"It's not like that, dad," he said plainly and Sun Storm shrugged.

"Hey, she's waiting on you to make a move, my boy. If you like her, don't wait too long or she'll get bored," he said before letting the subject drop. He was very happy for his son to have a mare like him, even if she was a gryffon. As the two trotted over to an animated discussion between Angel and Mangrove, Sun mused at the idea of possibly having a gryffon for a filly-in-law. Mangrove had always wanted grandfoals, but could a pony and a gryffon even have a foal? Sun shrugged the thought off for another time as Comet cleared his throat, catching both Angel and Mangrove's attention.

"So, Angel, it appears you've met my mother. This is my dad, Sun Storm," he stated with apprehension in his voice. Sun beamed brightly and held out a hoof.

"Pleased to meet 'cha," he stated nicely.

"Oh. My. Celestia! This is so cool!" Angel shouted excitedly, "I never thought I'd meet both of his parents! You two are so cool and..." Angel began to ramble as she excitedly looked over Sun Storm. Mangrove seized the opportunity to trot over to Comet and give him a gentle motherly hug.

"So, how's my little Comet?" she asked in her sweet voice. Comet simply smiled in return and Mangrove gave her own. "I'm so proud of you for making it in. I always knew you'd be a guard, even after-"

"Mom, don't talk about that, please," Comet stated quickly.

"Oh, right. I just wish she was here to see you. She'd be just as happy as I am," Mangrove said with a hint of sadness in her voice. Comet's smile turned into a small scowl as he thought about her. She really would've been happy to see him like this.

Pushing that thought out and wanting to change the subject, Comet said, "So, what do you think of Angel?"

Mangrove's eyes widened dramatically and a huge grin split her face. "Oh, she is just a doll!" Mangrove stated excitedly, "She's so fun and energetic, just the kind of mare I think you need. Not to mention she's adorable as well." Comet grinned awkwardly and rubbed his mane with a hoof as his mother continued, hoping to Celestia Angel wasn't able to hear this. "She's a bat pony to boot. I'm really impressed you found a mare like her. Have you taken her out on a date yet?"

"Uh, that would be a no," Comet said flatly.

"Oh, then you really should. She's so adorable, I'm sure there are other stallions here just drooling over her," Mangrove happily mused.

"It doesn't work that way, mom," Comet said in a pleading tone. He really wanted her to stop before Angel could hear the conversation.

"Oh, do you have something special planned?" Mangrove asked with a sparkle in her eyes.

"What do you have planned?" Angel said, sticking her head in a little too close to Comet. His eyes shrunk horribly and Mangrove smiled.

"Why, a date, of course!" she stated brightly.

Angel froze, staring at Comet with her big golden eyes. His face was locked into a scared expression and behind the three ponies, Sun Storm buried his face into his hoof. Mangrove was a very forward mare, often projecting her own wishes upon Comet. Now she had just put Comet between a rock and a hard place. A huge grin so big, Comet was amazed it fit, spread across Angel's face and she tackle hugged him. "You were going to ask me on a date?!" she nearly shouted in his ear, "Oh my Celestia, Comet! Why didn't you ask me sooner? Of course I would love to go on a date!"

Outside the room, Valyrie paused. She had thought she'd overheard something about a date between Comet and Angel, but she shook her head and trotted off. While she'd never admit it out loud, Mangrove actually kinda scared her. However, it wasn't long after she started trotting away that an odd thought popped into her mind, one of she and Comet on a date. Valyrie laughed at the notion, but noted how nice the idea felt.

Inside Comet's mind, he was yelling in frustration. Sure he thought Angel was cute, but this isn't how he wanted to ask her out. He was still fighting with himself about Angel or Valyrie, so taking Angel out on a date before he was absolutely sure made things a whole lot more messy. I mean, yeah Angel outclassed Valyrie at almost everything, especially the cute factor, but he wanted his first date to be special. Having his mother set him up with his best friend was not special in any way.

But still, Angel was cute, and sweet, and nice, and cute. Comet cracked a small grin at the bat pony who smiled as brightly as she could. Maybe going on a date with her wouldn't be so bad.

In Angel's mind, she was simply throwing the biggest party she could imagine. The stallion she had a huge crush on just asked her out on a date. Maybe she could have him after all.

Past, Present and Future

"You know, that wasn't very nice of you," Sun Storm said. He was standing near the closet of a cramped room he and Mangrove were sharing while they stayed in Canterlot. The room was barely big enough for the two full grown ponies to walk around freely, but it had a large panoramic window to the south that had a spectacular view of Canterlot castle. Mangrove stood dejectedly over the bed, staring into a bag of clothes.

"I know. I was just so happy to see my little Comet spending time with mares, I just..." she trailed off. Mangrove reached into the bag and came out with a pale, but brilliant yellow dress and trotted over to Sun. She passed him the dress and, without opposable digits or magic, Sun somehow hung the dress up on a hanger. Mangrove trotted back to the bed sadly and sighed. "I want him to be happy. Does that make me a bad mother?"

"No," Sun replied, "But that doesn't mean you should try to control his life. He didn't ask that bat pony, er..."

"Angel," Mangrove said.

"Angel! Thank you. Yes, you shouldn't have forced him to go out on a date with her. Comet is a full grown stallion now and he can make his own decisions. If he didn't ask her out yet, he probably has a good reason. Now, if the date fails, that will probably ruin Comet's friendship with her."

As Sun stopped his chastising, he heard a slight sniffle come from the green mare standing over the bed and his chest instantly dropped. Mangrove was a very emotional mare, often bouncing between excessively happy to morbidly depressive in minutes. Sun rolled his eyes at the closet, gave a deep sigh and trotted over to her. She was sniffling more now and Sun offered a smile. He reached out his right wing and wrapped it around the gorgeous green mare and she looked up at him with big watery magenta eyes. "A-am I a horrible mother?" she asked, choking back tears.

Sun stared into her big magenta eyes with his own brilliantly deep blue ones and he planted a soft kiss upon her forehead. "No, sweetie, you are not a horrible mother. A stallion never really outgrows his mother. You may have been a little pushy, but Comet has always had a problem with mares," he spoke in his calming voice.

"B-b-but I, I might've ruined his relationship with her!" Mangrove almost wailed back.

Sun reached out his forehoof and put it around her neck. Mangrove allowed him to do that and set her head against his chest. He looked down as Mangrove looked up, and nuzzled her nose. "I highly doubt anything will be ruined," Sun Storm said gently, "Comet may not have any experience around mares, but there's only one way for him to learn." Sun lifted his chin and set it on Mangrove's head, gently holding her.

The couple stayed like that for a little bit before Mangrove finally calmed down. "Where would I be if you hadn't hit me with that hoofball?" she wondered aloud. Sun gave a small chuckle as he remembered the first time he had met Mangrove.

Sun was never really what you'd call 'popular' in high school. About thirty years ago, he was a skinny pegasus with an overbearing father who pushed him to be athletic. He went through endless days of training, wing conditioning and a strict diet to push him into peak physical condition. Sun Storm's mother was his savior, though, since Sun always went to the market with her and allowed him to have some sweets. That day, Sun was at school and, during his lunch period, was at the hoofball field, trying to perfect a long range kick pass.

Mangrove herself was no social butterfly. She looked very different back then than she did today. Mangrove had braces to perfect her smile, thick glasses and a saddlebag stuffed with large books. She preferred to read while other ponies spent their time making out, trying to start movements for equal equestrian rights or, if they were popular mares, making fun of her. Their favorite way to tease was to say Mangrove was still a blank flank. She had actually gotten her cutie mark already, a patch of several mangrove seeds, but the mares often tried to prove she stuck them on her flank herself.

So, with very few friends, Mangrove headed off to her favorite reading spot, the abandoned bleachers of the hoofball field. When Mangrove finally made it there, she sighed happily. At the same time, a hoofball flew awkwardly off of Sun Storm's rear left hoof. Mangrove smiled, but then felt a large impact against the side of her head and passed out.

When Mangrove finally came to again, she was laying on her side, staring at a horribly pale pink wall and felt the cold of an ice pack on the left side of her head. She blinked and gave a small moan, hoping to get the nurses attention. Instead, a violently yellow pegasus leaned into her vision and said, "Oh my gosh, thank Celestia you're awake! Just hold on, I'll get the nurse," he said in a voice laced with concern. He turned to leave, but Mangrove reached out a hoof and pushed his side. Why she did this, even she couldn't remember, but the yellow pegasus turned back and stared at the green mare. She looked at him weakly with her beautiful magenta eyes and he felt himself unable to move.

"Hey," Mangrove said in a weak voice, "What's your name?"

Sun gulped hard and said, "Sun Storm."

The green mare gave a cute smile and said, "That's a nice name." Sun never did go and get the nurse. Instead, he spent the last forty five minutes of school talking to Mangrove.

The two became good friends throughout high school and by the time their senior prom came around, Sun was almost inseparable from Mangrove. His other friends tried to get him to ditch her, saying she wasn't worth his time. When they both graduated, Sun had dumped his friends and had officially started dating Mangrove.

Three years later, he was standing at an alter, kissing a stunning Mangrove in a beautiful white dress. Seven years after that, Sun was holding a baby orange pegasus colt, smiling wildly at a gorgeous Mangrove laying on a bed, smiling weakly at him like the first time they met.

Sun looked back to the green mare now hugging against him and kissed her again. She really was the best wife and mother he could've asked for.

Back at Canterlot castle, things were less calm. Angel was excitedly trying to find Valyrie to tell her the good news, but the gryffon was nowhere to be found. Angel checked the bunks, the mess hall, the gardens, the mess hall, Philomena's room where she was assaulted by an overjoyed phoenix, the mess hall and finally the bunks again. Upon not finding her, Angel gave up and sat on her bunk with a roll of parchment and a quill. She spent her time trying to draw, but got bored and soon played Tic-Tac-Toe with herself, celebrating her wins and sulking at her losses. She had hoped Comet would take her out tonight and wondered just what he had planned.

Comet, in contrast, was sitting on his bunk, consulting a tourist's guide he had borrowed from his mother. He was frantically trying to find the right place to take Angel since he thought she expected the date to be tonight. He compiled nearly everything he knew of Angel and came up with some idea of what she liked. She ate fruit nearly all the time, she was loud and childish and she was afraid of loud noises, ironically. Comet narrowed down three ideas: a buffet, an outdoor restaurant and a permanent carnival. He mentally kicked the snot out of himself for thinking the first idea was any good. The second idea was a good one, but he could just see the other ponies staring at him and Angel, especially if she was trying to have fun, plus the prices were way too big for Comet. So, he settled on the carnival and hoped to Celestia this was the right idea.

Unknown to either of them, Valyrie sat atop a spire on the castle, thinking to herself. She had made the mistake of allowing herself to muse at the thought of her and Comet dating and wondered what it would really be like. Comet was nice, caring and sweet, but dating ponies in her homeland was strictly forbidden, as was free thinking.

Gryphons at home were heavily against gryffons like Valyrie doing anything but cooking, cleaning and raising a family. Her father even more so, drilling into her that she should be submissive to his leadership and she should be actively looking for a mate. Shortly before coming here to Equestria, a prospective mate had found her and tried to take her back to his place against her will. After beating the daylights out of him, it was agreeed that Valyrie would be banished as punishment while the gryphon would deal with the shame of getting his hide tanned by a gryffon.

Still, though, Valyrie was miles away from the Gryphon Kingdom. The idea of finding a mate here was slightly appealing, if only the stallions here were more like Comet.

Hours later, Comet and Angel trotted along, smiling happily at the carnival. Angel had attempted to win some prizes, but despite her amazing fighting skills, she hadn't won a single thing. Comet, however, had won several prizes of her choice and now she wore a fake gold ornate necklace, a plastic tiara in the style of the Element of Magic and carried a plushie Princess Luna on her back.

It was getting late, so Comet stopped by a food vendor and bought some caramelized pears for Angel and fried asparagus for himself. They sat at a picnic table and Angel ate her pears quickly while Comet fought with a tough piece of asparagus. Angel sighed contentedly and looked around at the carnival. Here she was free to be herself and she had Comet. He had won several prizes just for her and, although they were obnoxiously cheap, she wouldn't trade them for anything.

While looking around, she saw two ponies, one unicorn stallion and a pegasus mare, with three little foals, two unicorns and an earth pony, running around their legs. The three little foals made her happy as she watched them and she looked back at Comet. He was fighting with a piece of asparagus now stuck between his teeth and noticed her stare. He gave a terribly awkward smile and Angel laughed. It wasn't in her usual sarcastic tone, but one of just reacting to a funny situation.

She half opened her eyes and stared at Comet, who felt an increasing sense of embarrassment about the food stuck between his teeth. Angel was adorable, but looking at him like that, she was well beyond adorable. She was stunning, even if she was wearing those cheap props.

Angel began to lean across the table to Comet and he was sure he was blushing horribly. He stared straight into her giant pools of gold in her eyes and felt his stomach contort into several knots. He hoped to Celestia that she wouldn't headbutt him this time, especially with that tiara on, and he braced himself. She was less than an inch away when she rubbed her nose against his, beaming the whole time. Comet was fairly sure he was forgetting something, but when she leaned back, he realized he wasn't breathing. He took a deep breath and smiled to her, unsure of what to say.

When they had finally returned to the castle, Comet stood outside the bunk room with Angel. "Thanks," she said, "Tonight was definitely one to remember."

Comet gave her another smile and said, "Yeah, we should do this again." He mentally kicked himself for that boneheaded comment and Angel batted her eyes at him.

"Is that a request?" she asked slyly. Comet tried to work out a sentence, but felt his throat close up. Angel gave her soft laugh again and leaned in to the orange stallion. She planted a soft, but sweet, kiss on his cheek and bid him goodnight. Comet stood there, blushing as red as his eyes and when he was sure she couldn't hear him, began to celebrate.

"Yes, yes, yes, YES!" he squealed to himself and shot a hoof into the air. His wings fluttered happily as he trotted off to his own bunks. After all the stuff that had gone wrong in the guard, and by extension his life, taking Angel on a successful date made him view the next day more optimistically.Maybe, just maybe, his life would finally start moving in the direction he wanted.

Author's Note

Here's my salvaged version of the chapter. I changed a couple things, but I'm still pretty happy with it.

Paradoxes

Comet woke the next day feeling unusually refreshed. He happily hummed a random song to himself as he got up, cleaned up and donned his magnificent golden armor. He almost skipped down to the mess hall and even was happy to get some bubbling porridge that looked burnt. He grabbed a table and ate quickly, anxiously awaiting the arrival of Angel and Valyrie. After ten minutes, though, neither one showed up.

Comet looked around the mess hall uncomfortably, hoping to see the purple glimmer of Angel's armor or the pretty white plumes of Valyrie, but sadly saw none. With time not on his side, Comet hung his head sadly and left the mess hall, heading up to Philomena's room.

On his way up there, a familiar rustling of feathers and the sound of claws echoing through the hallways caught his attention. He spun around and smiled to see Valyrie rubbing her eyes as she walked up to him.

"Good morning, sleepy," Comet greeted with light sarcasm.

Valyrie threw him an amused look and replied, "I thought you'd still be asleep, lover colt."

Comet's face contorted into a confused expression, but he didn't reply as he and Valyrie headed off to the tower together.

"So, how was last night?" Valyrie asked.

"Uh," Comet replied with a stunned look on his face.

"That good, huh?" Valyrie replied.

"Um, if I may ask. Why are you so curious?" Comet weakly replied, unsure of where this conversation was going to go. Last time she did this, that scene in the dark room happened.

"Well, I'm always curious to see what pony relationships are like," Valyrie replied neutrally, "You see, where I come from, relationships are very different. Gryphons usually take gryffons like me and marry them on a whim, regardless of prior relationships. They are supposed to grow closer together over time and build a strong family of many hatchlings. Ponies, however, believe the opposite, where a stallion is supposed to woo the mare before marrying her."

Comet was unsure of how to respond to that. Gryffons just took their mares without any prior thought? Plus, there was that bit about marrage his mind seized up on. He was sure Valyrie was referring to Comet and Angel's relationship, but it was only one date. Who said anything about marrying her? Comet was still partially unsure of whether he wanted Angel or Valyrie, though Angel was winning by a longshot. "I, er, well..." Comet tried to sputter out, but no words came to him.

Valyrie gave a soft laugh and continued. "Don't worry about responding to that. I was just giving you some background of gryffon relationships."

She sighed and said, "It's kinda funny, actually."

"What is?" Comet asked.

"I think it would be pretty nice having a pony try to woo me," she slyly hinted and gave him a sideways glance. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Comet's expression go from comfortable to a 'Where did that come from?!' face. She chuckled again as they continued trotting over to the tower, enjoying at how uncomfortable she was making Comet.

After a day of watching Philomena, the trio ate their dinners and proceeded off to their bunks. Comet, being the gentlepony he was, walked Angel back with Valyire following closely behind.

Once he and Angel had said their goodnights, Comet breathed a sigh of happiness. Upon turning around, however, he accidentally ran head first into Valyrie. As if some cosmic joke decided to play out, the floor was wet from a leaky roof and Valyrie slipped, grabbing onto Comet as she yelped and fell to her side. Comet stumbled and, in order to avoid stomping on Valyrie, managed to somehow stand over top of her.

As the two of them looked at each other, Valyrie noticed how red Comet's face had gotten. Lying on the ground underneath him, she also felt a weird blush coming on. She actually kinda liked this.

Quickly, Comet scrambled to stop standing over her and, once he had moved, stood sheepishly about four feet away as Valyrie pulled herself up. Feeling her blush start to recede, Valyrie looked over at him and chuckled. He looked so big and strong a couple seconds ago, but now he was acting like a scared hatchling.

Feeling particularly brave, Valyrie slowly walked up to Comet, who fumbled with his words trying to wish her a goodnight.

"Hey, just so you know," Valyrie cooed to him, "I thought you looked rather hot standing over me like that."

If possible, Comet's face reddened even more and Valyrie chuckled. He was so shy and nervous, it was actually kinda cute too. She wondered just how far he'd ever gotten with a mare and decided to test it out. Completely forgetting the fact he had just gone on a date with Angel, Valyrie leaned a little closer to him and, when his head turned to her nervously, met his lips with her beak.

It was just a quick little kiss, but it was enough to tell Valyrie that he had no experience with mares. Comet jerked back after two seconds and blushed even harder as Valyrie gave another small laugh.

"My offer still stands, Comet," she whispered before disappearing into the bunk room.

Comet rubbed his head and trudged off to his bunk with a headache. As he walked, his mind continued to war with itself until he laid down on the bed. Today was a rough day, and Comet felt his newfound luck sour quickly. Maybe things wouldn't go his way anyways. Maybe it would go like it had for her. Comet immediately tried to repress those thoughts, but his conflicting feelings about Angel and Valyrie prevented that. He needed her advice now more than ever and he sorely missed her, his big sister Nova.

Outside on the castle grounds, two ponies were standing around by the forest. An earth pony had his flank in the air as he rustled about some bushes and a Royal Guard yawned.

"You almost done yet?" the guard complained.

The earth pony sucked his teeth and replied, "You know, asking me after we just started won't make it go any-- WAAAAH!"

The guard spun around, only to find the earth pony missing. "Ha ha, very funny," the guard sarcastically whined.

He barely had finished speaking when a black figure leaped from the forest and collided with the guard. He topped over, surprised, and landed on his right wing. It had been injured when he was younger and the guard wore a piece of steel over it to protect the weak spot. The metal scrapped across a rock and the guard thanked Luna he was wearing that. He thought it was the earth pony who tackled him and prepared to give a good tongue lashing at him, but a set of iridescent blue green eyes stared back at him. The guard gave a surprised yelp as he recognized what it was, but a bolt of green magic struck him, causing him to pass out.

"You fool!" came a raspy voice, "You shouldn't have let him see you!"

The dark figure turned its head around and bared two large white fangs. "Shut up!" he snapped back "You know this was going to be difficult."

"Gorgon, we need to be stealthy," came the voice again as several changelings cautiously exited the forest, along with the earth pony.

"If we want to get Queen Chrysalis to accept us, we need to do this right," The earth pony said in the raspy voice, "Now, hide him with the other, and do it quickly!"

Truth In A Nightmare

Comet rolled as he slept, unable to stay in one position. His eyes were firmly shut, but he was doing things a pony normally did while awake. He kicked and shivered, bit his lower lip and shook his head. Inside his mind, a dark storm was brewing. Old thoughts of his past covered the warm spot Comet so desperately searched for. Images of his parents, himself and a light gold mare with tangerine eyes and a verdant mane whisked around him, followed by several lines of speech Comet had long ago repressed.

"Comet! What did you do?!" he heard his mother shout.

"Wake up, Nova! Please wake up!" Comet heard a younger version of himself sob.

"There was nothing you could've done," Sun Storm gently whispered to him.

"Don't worry about me," chided a soft voice, "Go have fun."

Comet's mind silenced at that voice and he dreaded the sound of it. He hadn't heard that voice in almost fifteen years, but the words sounded like they were spoken just yesterday. The image of the gold mare slowly materialized before him. She was taller than Comet, but had a sickly look to her. Her wonderful tangerine eyes stared at him gently through her half lidded eyelids and the small smile she always wore was still upon her lips.

Comet felt everything melt away as he returned her gaze and whispered, "Nova..."

He felt himself start to move and his voice grew louder.

"Nova, Nova! NOVA!" he shouted as he neared her.

Just as he was about to reach her, her form glowed like the sun. Comet threw himself at her, trying to hang onto her, but she dispersed into small orbs of golden light and wafted around him in no particular order. Comet swung his head around at the lights and fruitlessly tried to grab them. The lights, one by one, faded away even as Comet protested. She had left him again and a feeling of dread mixed with a sadness that couldn't be measured wrapped around Comet's chest. It was suddenly very hard to breathe.

Way outside of the castle, another nightmare for Comet was taking place. Angel sat alone at the posh restaurant, slowly sipping some frozen strawberry drink. It was delicious, but her mood wasn't in the right spot. She wished that Comet was here, her favorite and totally awesome pegasus, but sadly she was a bat pony and therefore a night guard to Princess Cadance.

The princess was actually not too far away from Angel, busily laughing and talking to random ponies as they waited for Shining Armor to arrive. Angel wasn't her only guard, though. Several other bat ponies and two unicorns stood very close, but at Cadance's insistence they were all spread out among the restaurant, still within a quick dash's distance of her. Angel took another dejected sip of her drink and wished something interesting would happen.

"Wait, don't I know that pony?" came a vaguely familiar voice.

Angel spun her head with a look of mixed feelings and saw Mangrove smiling widely at her while Sun Storm had his snout buried in the menu. He peeked up from it in just enough time to see Angel before a dark gray blur assaulted his wife.

Angel wrapped Mangrove in a rather large hug and gushed at her. "Oh my Celestia! It's so nice to see you two again! How've you been?!"

After a few odd minutes of Mangrove and Angel exchanging some strange information, Angel was sitting at the table with them.

"So, tell me, how was the date with Comet?" Mangrove asked invasively. Sun shook his head again and was about to stop the conversation, but Angel spoke first

"Oh, it was absolutely awesome!" Angel nearly shouted, "He took me to the carnival here and won me, like, four prizes! I didn't know he was so good at ring tosses and bottle towers!"

Sun froze up there and Mangrove's smile seemed to sour. Comet had played the ring toss and bottle tower? A sudden feel of dread crept into Sun's chest as he renewed his interest in his menu and Mangrove gave an unsure gulp.

"He, he sure is, isn't he?" she responded in a shaky voice.

Now, Angel would never call herself the brightest pony, but she could clearly see something was wrong with that bit of information. She narrowed her eyes at the couple and slowly talked. "Yeah, he did. Was that bad?"

"Oh, nothing!" Mangrove replied over enthusiastically, "He always had an affinity for games like that, even when he was young!"

Mangrove's face paled as she spoke the last word and Sun's eyes shrank. Mangrove wasted no time in examining the table as Sun Storm raised the menu up farther. They were trying to hide something from Angel, and she hated being in the dark.

"What is it?" Angel asked accusingly. Mangrove snapped her head up and Angel leaned in a little closer to her, eyes still narrowed. "What's wrong if Comet took me there and played those games?"

Mangrove gave a shallow smile and said, "Oh, it's nothing." She didn't get to finish before Angel cut her off.

"Yes, it is. You two are acting like Comet did when I first met him. Evasive and unwilling to talk. What are you trying to hide?" Angel almost growled.

It was really not a good way to talk to his parents, but Comet was hiding something from her ever since he had those pictures out on their first day. She initially just thought it was him being defensive of her invasion, but the more she thought about it, the more she was sure he was hiding something. His parents were no better at hiding it either.

"What is he trying to keep from me and everypony else?"

Mangrove's weak smile finally broke into a frown and she sighed. "Angel, you must understand, Comet has always been protective."

"Dear," Sun cut in, staring straight at her magenta eyes, "Don't. Comet will tell her when he's ready," His tone was almost angry to Angel.

"Sun, Comet will never tell her on his own, and you know that," Mangrove said in her sad tone. Sun's face hardened and he returned to the menu.

"Well, make sure when he finds out, you tell him I had no part of this, Angel," he said, clearly angry.

Right then, Angel became scared of exactly what she was trying to uncover. It wasn't just a secret Comet was trying to bury, but it seemed to be one his parents wanted to forget as well. She suddenly felt a massive amount of apprehension as Mangrove turned her head back to her, but if his mother knew Comet wouldn't tell her, she readied herself for whatever was going to happen.

"Did Comet tell you he was an only foal?" Mangrove asked.

Angel nodded slowly and Mangrove continued.

"Well, that was a lie. He never wants to talk about it, but he had a sibling. His big sister and our daughter, Nova."

"Nova?" Angel repeated quietly.

"Yes, Nova," Mangrove responded and Sun tensed up, but still refused to talk.

"She was four years older than Comet and was also very sick from birth. Nova had a rare immune system disorder that caused her to produce next to no white blood cells, so she was always coughing and bedridden. Comet, when he was old enough, made it his goal to keep his big sister healthy. He took it so seriously, he even got his cutie mark caring for her."

Angel's eyes widened and she sat in silence. He got his cutie mark caring for his sick big sister?

"He must've cared for her a lot," she mused quietly and Mangrove's face soured again.

"She meant the world to him," Mangrove pressed on with sadness edging her voice, "Comet even refused to go to school so he could care for her. He only went because she insisted he go, but he never hung around with anypony afterward. Whenever we came home, he was always right at the side of the bed fluffing the pillows, moving the blankets or playing a game with her. He always did it with a smile, though. Nova meant more to him than even us."

"Wow," Angel said softly. She never imagined Comet would do that, especially with how distant he normally acted.

"What happened to her?" she asked before thinking.

As soon as the question escaped Angel's lips, she instantly loathed herself for it. If the subject hurt the two ponies to even bring her up, what happened to her must hurt ten times worse. She broke her line of sight and stared at the ground.

Somewhere behind her, Mangrove sniffled. Sun, who was resolutely against telling Angel this, reached out a hoof and rubbed Mangrove's. What happened to Nova had nearly torn their family apart and Mangrove took it especially hard. Somewhere deep in Sun's chest, the familiar feeling of guilt and self loathing began to rise.

Comet stood in his old house and looked around at the features. That ugly furniture his parents had used since they were married littered the room. The violent shade of blue on the walls seemed to glow and a creak echoed to him. The rickety staircase leading up to the second story creaked again and Comet's eyes followed it up to the series of doors that lined the upstairs wall. Two were wide open, one being Comet's old room and the other his parents.

Comet slowly walked up the stairs and the familiar creaking as he walked pushed him forward. His eyes jogged to the right as he searched the hallway. At the end, one door remained shut and a large knot formed in Comet's throat. He walked slowly to it and felt the knot begin to choke him. That door was supposed to remain shut forever, but why was it pulling him towards it?

Comet stood outside the closed door and stared at it, afraid of opening it. Going into this room last time had made him cover himself with water and sit out in the snow where he caught hypothermia. Still, the door called him and he extended a hoof, pushing it open slowly.

Inside the room, bright sunlight flooded the room, washing it in a yellowish glow. Stuffed animals of all kinds, including a stuffed version of Princess Celestia sat on a shelf on the far wall, each smiling softly. Comet let his gaze wander to the left where a dresser sat covered with crayon drawings of an orange colt and a gold pony, each bearing a large red heart. His lungs seemed to fail as he saw those drawings. They were supposed to be six feet under the ground.

His eyes moved over to a bed covered in multicolored quilts and, much to his surprise, a light gold pony with a verdant green mane smiled at him. Her tangerine eyes seemed to glow themselves and Comet's heart skipped a beat.

"Nova..." he murmured and he slowly walked over to the bed.

"Hey, Comet," she said weakly, "How was school today?"

Without thinking, Comet put his hooves on the bed and stared at her.

"The same as always," he said slowly, unsure of what was happening.

Nova reached out a hoof and gently patted him on the head and Comet inhaled sharply. This couldn't be real. No, this just couldn't. Nova smiled at him and gently pulled him into a hug, one Comet's body reacted to without his mind. He felt her gentle legs hug him and his mind was wiped of all thought. It all felt so real.

"Nova required a lot of medication so she could have us around her. The doctors often said she should be quarantined, but she adamantly refused to be. She always said that if she was isolated, there was no point in living. She never said it out loud, though, but Comet was the main reason for her medication. He always washed his hoofs and sterilized everything, but being a colt, he was prone to carrying diseases." Mangrove continued, squeezing Sun's hoof.

"Sun and I tried our best to care for her, but Comet insisted of being her guardian. He worked hard trying to keep her happy and healthy. He even spent six weeks learning how to play a carnival game, the ring toss you mentioned, so he could win Nova a gift for her birthday."

Mangrove paused there and thought for a few seconds before continuing.

"He won her a stuffed Celestia and Nova cherished it. She always kept it close at night and talked to it like she was related to Celestia. It was during that time Comet swore he'd become a Royal Guard so he could protect Nova better."

Angel sat there, shaken by what she was hearing. Comet had a big sister he loved more than anything and she had a horrible feeling she knew where this was going. It also impressed upon her why his parents reacted the way they did when she told them about the carnival. That plushie Princess Luna she had suddenly took on more of a meaning than a simple gift. Comet had won a Princess Celestia for Nova and a Luna for her, so she could only guess at how much she must really mean to him.

After a couple more seconds, Angel finally worked up what little courage she had to ask a question.

"What happened to her?"

Mangrove's eyes watered and Sun gave a small shudder.

Comet was suddenly at his house, bundled up in his coat and wool hat, stomping his hoof angrily on the ground.

"But you promised we could go today!" he whined to his parents, who were in turn getting ready to leave.

"Comet, we have to go. I'm sorry we can't take you to the park," his green mother said gently.

Comet felt a couple tears well up before a sweet and familiar voice called out "Go ahead. I'll take him."

All three ponies spun their heads to see a thickly bundled up pony descending the stairs. Her green mane poked out a different increments and Comet's eyes widened.

"Nova, what are you doing out of bed?!" he asked worriedly.

She smiled back to him and said to their mother, "I'll take him. After all, the doctors say being in the sun helps with my condition."

After several minutes of arguing and making sure they were all warm, Sun and Mangrove left the house feeling a huge amount of regret. Nova was going to take Comet to the park.

Twenty minutes later, Comet and Nova stood at the park that was covered with snow. Comet checked and rechecked her wrappings as she sat on a bench.

"I'm fine, Comet," she cooed softly, "Now, go have some fun. You're young and need to play." '

Comet smiled at her and said, "Be sure to tell me if you need something!" before he ran off. He trusted his older sister explicitly and enjoyed himself for an hour and a half before returning to her. She was fast asleep, her head slightly nodded forward and Comet nudged her.

"It's time to get you your medicine!" Comet called happily. Nova remained asleep and Comet prodded her harder. She remained asleep and soon Comet was shaking her violently, screaming her name to wake her up. She kept her eyes closed and the small familiar smile on her lips as he did so, frozen in time.

"Comet pulled her halfway back home before we found him," Mangrove said, now fully crying, "He was a wreck and tried to feed her medicine as we waited for the ambulance and doctor. She was pronounced dead at the hospital and Comet blamed himself for what happened. She really died from the irregular heartbeat the medicines gave her, but Comet refuses to believe that. He has always held onto the belief that he was the cause of death to his older sister and never forgave himself. He withdrew into the state you met him in where he had no friends and pushed everypony away. He twice caught hypothermia on Nova's birthday because he sat on the bench where she died all day."

Angel stared down at her plate, trying her best to hold back tears. No wonder it took her four months to get Comet to be friendly around her. She could only imagine what Comet felt that day, the day his sister he loved more than anything was taken from him. Sun gritted his teeth and Mangrove finished.

"Comet has been trying to suppress the memories of his big sister, our daughter, for as long as we can remember. When he's around you, he's like a different pony. It's almost like he can forget about her and be happy again," She looked up at Angel and smiled to her, tears streaking her cheeks. "You're so much like her that maybe Comet can finally move on."

Comet sat at his footlocker, having woken up from that nightmare. Thinking about Nova always did that to him, giving him terrible dreams about her. He sat with the moonlight illuminating an old piece of parchment and he silently cried while reading it. The beautiful script was etched into his mind, but reading it always helped him through the night when he couldn't forget her.

To my baby brother,

If you are reading this, then the inevitable has happened. I'm sorry I can no longer be there to see you grow up and reach your goals, and it makes me sad to know that. I do know what your cutie mark means now and I wish to tell you. An exploding comet doesn't mean destruction, it actually means beauty. From our perspective, a comet burst is a beautiful sight since it makes hundreds of new stars for us to gaze at and enjoy. In the wake of a cataclysm, hope can be found. It will hurt when I'm gone, just like a shooting star exploding, but you must not give up. In the wake of your greatest tragedy, new doors will open for you other than taking care of a sickly pony. Become the Royal Guard you always wanted to be and don't hold back on my part. You are a great pony at heart and one day, you will show the world that.

Always remember as well that, even though I can't say it to you with my voice, I love you more than life itself. You were my only friend and the best caretaker I could ever want. I adored every moment I was with you and missed you every second you were away. I know you will miss me, but remember that I will miss you more. Please help mom and dad to get through my death by being yourself since you will be their only joy in the world after my time comes. I don't know how it will happen, but don't ever blame yourself for whatever happens. I was never supposed to live even this long, but your care and love has performed a miracle by giving me hope and a reason to live. Don't ever forget that, my little star. Don't ever forget that I love you more than anything else.

Your big sister,
Nova

Author's Note

Wow, this is the longest chapter I've ever written for a story. Plus, I even teared up while writing this. That's two firsts.

Fractures (revised)

Comet woke the next day, more exhausted than before he went to bed. The memories of Nova still tormented him as he forced himself out of the bed, wishing just to have some silence. The shower of scalding hot water barely registered on his mind, which was pressed against the tile wall. After ten minutes of that, Comet was dejectedly putting on his armor, watching his orange pelt magically shimmer to a brilliant white. He grimaced, thinking of what Nova would say seeing him like this. The world he was in felt far away, like he was watching it through a telescope.

As he left the bunk room, he turned back to his bunk and subsequent footlocker and murmured, "Goodbye, Nova. I'll be back soon, okay?"

The mess hall wasn't the same today. Everypony was talking as normal, but Comet couldn't hear them. The food had no taste, which was no surprise, but it felt odd when he ate a ripe apple along with two sugar cubes and his tongue didn't register there was food. Once he finished, he walked away slowly to his post, guarding Philomena. The hallway was long and winding, but it just seemed to go by without catching his attention at all.

Soon, he was outside Philomena's door and when he pushed it open, Comet was greeted by several loud caws and a happy looking Philomena who nipped at his tail. Comet ignored it and went to his spot, planted his rump and waited. Philomena tilted her head at him and got off her perch, curious to see why he wasn't being himself. She cautiously approached him, half expecting him to startle her, but soon was less than a foot away.

Philomena often had trouble reading pony expressions, but even she knew what a tear on his face meant. She cawed to him, hoping to catch his attention, but Comet kept his eyes fixed on the ground. Philomena had seen Celestia like this before and did what she did to Celestia. The phoenix rubbed her head against Comet's shoulder and backed away, hoping to garner a reaction. Comet just stared sadly at the ground and Philomena left him alone after that.

On the other side of the spectrum, Valyrie was still half asleep. Her less than ideal kiss with Comet from the night before had started to leave a bad taste in her mouth. She knew Comet had taken Angel out on a date, but tried to suppress the thoughts. Maybe if she let it drop, there would be no reason for it to be brought up.

When the door to Philomena's chamber came into view, Valyrie took a deep breath. With an increasing sense of nausea in her stomach, the gryffon pushed open the door. Inside the room, she noticed the absence of Angel immediately, but saw the familiar golden armor and white pelt of Comet sitting on the floor along with a worried looking phoenix.

"Hi, Valyrie," came the clearly sad voice of Comet. The gryffon panicked and rushed up to Comet, half expecting him to be hurt.

"Oh my Griffin, Comet! Are you okay?" she asked worriedly. She reached out a claw to see his face, but a hoof shot up to block her.

"I'm fine," Comet said without meeting her gaze, "I just want some silence, okay?"

Valyrie gulped and nodded, even though Comet wasn't looking at her and withdrew her claw. She slowly backed away from him, worried he was going to lash out at her about yesterday. The horrible thought of he and Angel fighting climbed into her mind and Valyrie made the connection. Evidently, Comet had told Angel what had transpired and she reacted as expected. She had probably broken up with him, yelled at him and made him feel guilty. It also explained why Angel wasn't here at the time too. Valyrie gulped hard and sat at the opposite end of the room, leaving a very confused Philomena unattended.

Angel was actually snoring slightly as she slept soundly in the empty barracks. She had gotten back really late last night after Princess Cadance and Shining Armor's dinner and was now dreaming. In her thoughts, a young Comet sat there crying to himself as he sat near a headstone. Angel stood back away and tried to call to him, but Comet seemed not to notice. Angel then tried running up to him, but she never gained any ground. The young Comet just sat there, weeping to himself even as Angel tried to tell him it wasn't his fault.

The day passed with little happening aside from Philomena and Valyrie spending some time together. The gryffon wanted so badly to ask about what had happened, but the fear of him getting angry at her stayed her voice. Comet, for his part, sat on the floor, trying his best to push out Nova from his mind, but with little success. His beloved big sister stayed at the fore, torturing his already hurt spirit.

About half an hour before the shift ended, Angel woke up, determined to talk to Comet. She had to tell him she knew about his deep dark secret and she was going to help him with it. She sped off to Comet, who she could only guess was up in Philomena's tower.

"Well, uh, I'll be going now, Comet. Are you okay by yourself?" Valyrie asked, hoping to get a reaction from him. Comet just sat there in his usual silence and Valyrie smiled weakly as she left. It was still early, but she did have to use the restroom like all living creatures.

Angel darted up the opposite hallway and stopped at the door just after Valyrie turned the corner. It was then the bat pony realized she had not thought of a way to tell him she knew of his sister, but she barged in anyways. Philomena cawed happily at her arrival, but Angel's big gold eyes automatically locked onto the white pegasus sitting on the floor.

"Comet!" Angel exclaimed as she rushed over to him.

Comet just sat there, lost in the darkness of his thoughts before he noticed a gray hoof reach over and move his head. Soon, he was staring at the familiar gold of Angel's eyes and he yanked his head out of her grasp, returning his gaze to the floor.

"Yeah, what do you want, Angel?" he asked with no intention of hearing an answer. The bat pony backed up a bit, clearly flustered by Comet's behavior.

"I, uh, I kinda, um..." Angel said, unsure of how to tell him she knew about Nova. Clearly Comet was in no mood to talk, but Angel felt she had to say something.

"Comet, I met your parents last night," she stated flatly and Comet's head gave a slight shake.

"Okay. You want a medal or something?" Comet retorted with an edge.

Angel gulped and continued. "Comet, I... I know about her."

"Who?"

"Your parents told me about your big sister, Nova," Angel said, voice filled with uncertainty.

That caught Comet's attention as his head snapped up. Angel had pestered Comet before to when he was irritated, but the look he gave her was one well past the usual reaction. His eyes were full of sadness and anger and his face was locked into a scowl.

"Where did you hear that name?" he hissed, barely concealing his anger.

"I said your parents told me," Angel responded a bit defensively. Comet's face hardened even further than Sun Storm's had yesterday.

"Get away from me," he growled, breaking his gaze.

Angel took a step forward before Comet shouted, "Get away from me, now!"

A look of hurt crossed Angel's face as she stepped back once. Comet took several deep breaths and cursed under his breath at his parents. Nova was not something for them to tell Comet's friends, no matter the circumstances.

"Comet, why are you--?" Angel started to ask.

"I don't care what you're going to say, I don't want to talk about her!" Comet shouted, his angry gaze coming back to Angel. Her face registered more hurt, but that only fueled Comet's anger.

"Comet, if you just listen..." Angel tried to say before Comet cut her off.

"No, you listen," he growled, now baring his teeth, "You don't know what it was like. You don't know, my parents don't know, those stupid doctors didn't know! They've never had to pull the pony they love most back to their home, knowing each second they spend is one less for her to stay alive. They've never sat at a dying pony's bedside for days, watching them slowly die and feeling helpless. THEY DON'T KNOW!" Comet finished with a shout loud enough to scare both Angel and Philomena, as well as Valyrie standing outside the door.

Angel looked back at him with a couple tears starting to roll down her cheeks and tried to say something before Comet turned away from her.

"Don't ever think you can sympathize with me. My sister was in my care and I failed her. My failure cost her life and I've continuously been told it wasn't my fault when I know that's a lie. I could've stopped her that day, but I didn't."

Comet repressed his own sadness welling up by using his anger to drown it and pressed on. "Just, just get out, Angel. Don't ever talk about her again."

Angel stared at him, defeated and upset. This was not how she wanted this conversation to go and now Comet was furious with her, more than she had ever seen. Philomena gently got off her perch and approached Comet, but he aimed a kick at her and the phoenix cawed in terror and flew to the other side of the room. Angel wanted to give him a hug, but feared for her own safety after that.

Instead, she gave a sob and opened the door, bolting away from the room, past Valyrie who stared at her running down the hallway. Valyrie slowly turned her head to Comet in the room, who had his back turned to her. Unknown to Valyrie, Comet stood there, biting his lower lip as hard as he could stand, trying desperately to hold back the horrible emotions he felt. His anger had burned itself out at Angel's sob and now he felt a gaping hole in his chest. The sadness from the memories of Nova were mixing with his own feeling of hate to himself for yelling like that at Angel. She was only trying to help, but Comet had pushed her away like he did his mother and father.

Finally unable to restrain himself any longer, Comet gave several choked sobs and Valyrie stood there, unsure of what she was seeing. She had thought Comet and Angel were fighting over her, but it was starting to dawn on her that maybe they were fighting about some other pony. Philomena walked over to Valyrie, clearly wanting to leave him alone and Valyrie extended a claw. Philomena climbed up her claw and onto her shoulder, finding a good place to perch herself. The gryffon cast one last look at Comet, who was clearly in no state to see anypony/gryffon, and she slowly shut the door, leaving him alone. She walked off, cooing to an upset phoenix as she walked back to the bunks, hoping to comfort Angel.

Comet lost all track of time as he stood there, unable to bring himself back from where he had gone. Years of sadness and self hatred just gripped at him, unwilling to let go. He needed his sister now more than ever, but she was six feet under the ground back in San Prancisco. In his depressed state, Comet's mind flitted back to the memories after Nova's funeral. He remembered his mother hugging him tightly as she cried, his father standing outside with him, watching the sun set.

While he needed his sister now, he felt a longing for his parents, only to remember the arguments they had as well. He remembered the anger he erupted with when his parents were upset about him catching hypothermia, the hurt look of his mother as he yelled at her and his father's apologies for what had happened that day.

Most of all, he reflected on Angel. All she had done was profess knowledge of Nova, not offer sympathy. Comet was in no mood to talk about Nova today, or any day for that matter, but he had treated her unfairly. In truth, he knew next to nothing about Angel and reacted as if he knew what she was going to say.

The bitterness of his anger had left the worst sour taste in his mouth and Comet knew he had to apologize to Angel. However, the memories of all the arguments he and his parents had stuck to the fore of his mind. He shakily rose to his hooves and spread his crumpled wings. He did need to mend his relationship with Angel, but first he had to see his parents.

Comet pushed open a window and flapped his wings, disappearing into the night. He knew where his parents were staying, so he made his way into town.

Moving Forward

It took Comet several minutes to reach the hotel where his parents were. It wasn't a cozy looking place, but Comet had learned from them long ago that cozy was only as real as those next to you. Still in armor, Comet landed on the balcony outside their room and peered inside. His parents, Mangrove and Sun Storm, were busy doing various things. His mother was reading a book and his dad seemed to be cleaning up the room, particularly when he pulled up a blanket. Comet felt dread as he reached up and tapped on the door, getting their attention. His mother gave a huge gasp and ran over to the door, throwing it wide open.

"Comet, is that you?!" she asked in her usual gleeful tone. Comet managed a small smile and nodded before his mother wrapped him in a huge hug.

While she tried to make the armor fit even more snugly with some unimaginable amount of strength, Sun Storm walked up with a proud smile on his face.

"Hello Comet. I must say, that armor looks splendid on you," he said, happiness weaved into his voice. Comet offered another weak smile and when his mom let go, the smile instantly vanished.

"Sweetie, what's wrong?" his mother asked, her mom sense going off. Something was clearly upsetting her pride and joy and she hoped it wasn't what she thought it was.

Comet gave a large sigh before starting. "Did you two tell Angel about Nova?" Comet asked, confirming his mother's fears. The proud smile on Sun's face dropped like a rock and his mother took an interest in the floor. Neither one responded and Comet knew why.

"I thought we'd agreed I would be the one to tell anypony about Nova when I was ready," he said, feeling like he had to control his emotions again, though he felt empty inside.

"Son, we were only doing what we thought necessary," Sun said with no hint of regret in his voice.

Comet wanted to be angry with them for betraying his trust, he really did. Instead, all he felt was the hurt of his actions and the sadness of making Angel cry. Comet dropped his gaze like his mother and somehow found the power to continue.

"I was going to tell her eventually," he said bleakly.

"We all know that's a lie, son," Sun Storm replied firmly.

It irked Comet that he said that, but he let it drop. He wasn't here to argue with his parents.

"Look, I came to say something to both of you," Comet said through gritted teeth, "I wanted to say..." Comet clenched his jaw, knowing this would bring up raw memories better left forgotten.

He took a deep breath and returned his gaze to his parents, who were both staring at him with slightly wide eyes. To both of them, they were hoping he would say he was finally letting Nova go. They had secretly hoped for years Comet would one day come and tell them he was ready to move on.

"I just wanted to say... I'm sorry," Comet forced out, "I'm sorry for what I've said to you in the past. I'm also sorry... about Nova."

His mother gasped and held a hoof up to her mouth while Sun felt he had just been punched in the stomach. The moment they've wanted to have happen for years was finally happening. The first thing Comet registered was the sudden impact of two bodies against his. The second was the pressure they were exerting on the armor he wore. Both Sun and Mangrove held Comet into a powerful hug, one that almost brought Comet back to tears. The three ponies stood in silence and hugged each other, Mangrove silently teared up and Sun felt more pride in his son than seeing him in his official armor.

"I'm really sorry about her. I'm sorry I was okay with her leaving," Comet gasped, trying to hold himself together.

The two ponies let him go and Comet hung his head.

"Sweetie, you had nothing to do with her death," Mangrove started before Sun chimed in.

"Comet, look at me," he said in his assertive voice. Comet weakly raised his head and Sun put a hoof on his shoulder.

"It's not your fault. Nothing was going to prevent her from dying."

Comet snorted and Sun narrowed his eyes and continued, "Son, listen to me. It wasn't your fault. She died of an irregular heartbeat, and nothing you could've done differently, no medicine you could've given her, no amount of care was going to prevent that."

"Sweetie, she died smiling," Mangrove chirped up, "Nova was happy to see you being yourself. She loved you as much as you loved her, and nothing made her happier than seeing you smile."

Comet grunted and was about to give a rebuttal, but the rehearsed words got stuck in his throat at what his father said next.

"What could you have done to keep her heart from stopping? You didn't know CPR then and there was no heart medication for her. Comet, the doctors looked me and your mother in the eye and told us even if she was in their care, she would've died regardless."

Comet grimaced and knew he was right. He was only a colt when she died and only knew what she and his parents had taught him about caring for her. Still, the memory stung.

"I know, but if she hadn't gone with me, if she hadn't exerted herself..." he spluttered, trying to stop himself from crying like a foal.

This time, it was Mangrove who put a hoof on his back and spoke.

"Comet... Nothing would have changed. Whether she had left the house or not, It was just her time. Please Comet, take solace in the fact that she passed on happy because her loving little brother was there, being himself, and having fun. She wouldn't have wanted it any other way."

Comet ground his teeth, almost unable to stop from bawling until his mother said, "Comet, it was painless for her. The doctors said that all it felt like to her was a nap. She wasn't in pain with you."

That struck deep into Comet's chest and he couldn't hold back anymore. He felt he had caused Nova pain before she died, that if she would've stayed home, she might still be here, but his parents were right. Nova did die with a smile and she didn't act any different when he was with her.

"Comet," his father spoke, "I know no matter what we say, we weren't there when it happened. It will always sting when you think of her, especially those final moments, but you need to move on. It will hurt, but Nova's been dead for years and she would be so upset if she saw you like this."

"I know..." Comet said weakly.

"Why don't you just try talking to Angel?" Mangrove offered, "You looked so happy with her and she told us about the date."

Comet's throat tightened and he said, "She... I exploded at her. When she mentioned Nova, I just, I couldn't stop myself."

Mangrove and Sun Storm looked at their broken down son as he grimaced, evidently remembering the terrible way he had reacted to his new marefriend. Sun drooped his ears and tried to think of something to say, but it was Mangrove who spoke up after the brief silence.

"Comet, dear, if she's anything like we think she is, she won't stay upset for long. Apologize to her tomorrow and I'm sure she'll understand," Mangrove said in her best motherly voice.

At the castle, two guard unicorns stood still, almost as rigid as statues. As soon as one yawned, two bolts of green magic struck the two and knocked them unconscious. A set of black shiny ponies quickly ran up to them and shimmered before becoming matching gray unicorns. Two other guards walked by and took the two unconscious ponies away, leaving the changed guards to stand post.

After taking a long and winding journey avoiding any and all ponies, the two carrying the knocked out guards reached the armory. They walked up to a large wooden door and knocked twice before the big burly armorer opened it. He looked down at the odd sight and nodded quickly, moving aside to let the ponies enter. The door hidden by the rack of tools rattled open and revealed several ponies sitting in a trance while two changelings walked around, inspecting them. The guards dumped the ponies and the changelings hissed.

"Why don't you two do this while we prance around in armor?" one complained.

A guard glared at it and said, "You lost at drawing straws. You know the ancient code of ours."

"You made that up!" one shouted angrily.

"No, Queen Chrysalis made that official," the pony remarked before the door closed.

"Did she really?" the other guard pony replied.

"If you act that thick, we might think you're a pony too," the first guard replied.

Quality Time

To Valyrie, time seemed to have little meaning in Canterlot castle, particularly when she was with Comet and Angel. While she was sent to Equestria as punishment, it felt more like a vacation. Days of repetitively guarding the princess's prized phoenix, Philomena, just blurred together. It wasn't a job, it was fun. Angel made everything lively and entertaining, putting all her effort into making every other being happy. Comet, who had considerably warmed up to her, tried to maintain his stoic and cool demeanor while around them, which often saved the day when a superior officer came around.

Still, life wasn't all about work. Free time for the guards meant hang out time for the trio, often going into town together, playing card and board games, playing with Philomena or just a day of sleeping. As time passed, the other guards took notice of the trio and often made snide comments behind their backs, particularly about Comet. "Did'ja see that guy with the gryffon and bat pony? Can't keep his fetishes private, huh?" was a popular backbiting remark.

Being a gryffon and used to cruel remarks, Valyrie had easily shrugged off any comment made about them. Of course the other guards were jealous of Comet who got to hang out with a beautiful bat pony and a voluptuous gryffon like her every day. However, Angel often had a hard time dealing with the bat pony remarks she got, particularly those about foals. Comet merely shrugged off rumors, opting for his trademark silent mood, but secretly he did get upset about them, especially when one rumor went around that the only reason he was around Angel and Valyrie was because he couldn't satisfy a regular pony mare. That rumor quickly got quelled by Valyrie, saying if he could keep her happy, then he was four times better than the average pony.

Still, rumors eventually faded and life just kept moving onward. Soon, the warm sun began to set earlier and the temperature began to drop. Talk about the big event of the year, the Grand Galloping Gala, began to circulate in the castle around the same time. Almost every pony, including Angel, was bubbling over with excitement. For days, Angel went on about how it was the biggest party of the year, how she would polish her armor for the event and who she would meet. Comet just kept on being a guard, quiet and stony, but offered insight to Valyrie since she had never heard of the event.

As the weeks passed, Angel slowly became more of a night guard than a regular guard. She was sent out more often on escort assignments, posted at stations that lasted later into the night and pretty soon, she was even taken off Philomena guard duty, leaving just Comet and Valyrie to watch the tempermental phoenix. In her personal opinion, Valyrie absolutely loved spending time with Comet alone. Many conversations were had to pass the time, often about how gryphon culture differed from pony culture.

"So yeah," Valyrie said nonchalantly, "Most gryphons aren't considered adults until then."

Comet shifted uncomfortably as he contemplated what Valyrie had told him. Apparently, gryphons were a very barbaric group if they needed to fight a manticore to become a full adult. Comet couldn't imagine having to wrestle a manticore, much less hope to win, to simply become an adult in the culture. "Well, uh," Comet began unsurely, "Most stallions here are considered adults when they get a job."

Valyrie chuckled at that and smiled. "Oh yeah, it's also difficult for a gryffon like me to become an adult too."

"What do you mean by that?" Comet asked.

"Well, for a gryffon," she began.

"No, no. I mean weren't you just talking about how gryphons become adults?"

Valyrie tilted her head quizzically and said, "What do you mean?"

"You said 'that's how gryphons become adults.' Aren't you a gryphon too?" Comet inquired, scrunching his face up.

"Of course I'm a gryffon..." Valyrie worded slowly. Comet gave a frustrated groan and turned away, upset at the lack of communication. Valyrie shook her head in confusion, but Comet tried one last time.

"You said gryphons had to wrestle manticores to be adults, but then you said gryphons like you became adults another way. Aren't you a gryphon?" Comet asked, hoping what he said made sense.

Upon hearing that, Valyrie's mind clicked into place and she chuckled. "Oh, I get it! Yeah, I'm a gryffon, but not that kind. You see, male gryphons wrestle manticores. Female gryffons like me become adults another way."

"How's that?" Comet inquired.

Valyrie shot him a seductive look and cooed, "We mate," and Comet's eyes shrank at that. The gryffon busted out laughing and said, "No. Us females become adults when we reach the age and size to bear young gryphons."

"Oh, uh, that's good," he replied in a confused tone.

The rest of the day was spent avoiding another such conversation, centering mostly around what gryphon society was. According to Valyrie, male gryphons were drafted into military service once they had proved themselves adults and spent the next six years guarding against Wyvern and Ursa attacks, patrolling the borders of the Gryphon Kingdom or quelling worker uprisings. The king of the gryphons, Lord Bladebeak, ruled with an iron talon, commanding respect among the gryphons and even being rumored to have intimidated Princess Celestia during a border dispute when the Crystal Empire returned.

Comet found it fascinating to hear about a society not dominated by mares, but admitted to himself he couldn't thrive in such a place. At least, not at first. The day passed quickly and as the sun set, so did the temperature. It would start snowing soon and in the rec room for the guards, a magical fire had been lit. It produced heat, but required no wood and gave off no smoke. Valyrie marveled at the fire since gryphons forsook magic long ago in favor of a code of honor, Gryphido, which didn't allow for the trickery of magic, another tidbit she told Comet while examining the fire.

After the dinner of roasted oats and peeled carrots, Comet sat contentedly on a couch positioned near the fire. The other guard ponies had all gone off to bed and the room was silent. He had hoped to see Angel at some point tonight, but it was quickly becoming apparent to Comet that his bat pony wasn't going to be able to make it. He sighed heavily, wondering what she was doing when a voice broke the silence.

"Hey. Comet?" came a familiar voice. He spun his head around and saw a very timid looking set of gold eyes staring at him along with a glowing plume of white feathers.

"Oh, hey Valyrie," he replied, "I thought you'd be asleep."

"It's too cold in the bunk room, so I got up to get myself warm," she explained, "What're you here for?"

"Well," Comet started unsurely, "I was here to meet Angel, but she's probably not coming."

A tense silence permeated the room as Valyrie's gaze dropped to the floor and Comet watched her. Of course he knew she liked him, especially after that kiss they shared. He was wary of her, mostly because he was committed to Angel, but a small part of him wanted her to sit by him. Without even realizing he was saying it, he asked "Hey, you want to come and join me?"

Valyrie's head perked up and her beak kind of moved to the side, but she slowly started walking over to him. Suddenly very nervous, Comet scooted over to make room for Valyrie and she climbed up into the seat next to him. She sighed contentedly at the warmth that greeted her claws and paws, causing Comet to give a smile. The two sat there in peaceful silence, just enjoying the fire when Comet noticed Valyrie was shivering slightly.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Oh, I'm fine. It's just a small breeze," Valyrie responded with a smile.

"Oh," Comet replied, "Here, switch seats with me. There's no breeze over here." Valyrie protested at first, but another cold breeze washed over her and she reluctantly moved. When she took Comet's seat, she noticed how warm it was and thanked him for it. The orange pegasus smiled gently and the two sat in silence again. Nervous, but hoping to get somewhere with him, Valyrie slowly moved over to him. When she was close enough, she could feel the heat radiating from him and sighed. He would be a good pony to snuggle up with on a cold day.

Comet noticed her sigh and passed a quick glance over to her. The gryffon yawned widely and Comet extended a wing over her, wrapping her with it. Valyrie flinched at the initial touch, but stopped herself and enjoyed just being next to him. Soon, she had fallen asleep on the couch, leaning against Comet and dreaming about a warm color orange. Comet stayed awake as long as he could, trying to keep her comfortable before eventually falling asleep himself in her light and airy feathers.

Monsters and Gryffons

Angel gave a yawn as she stood up on the tower's balcony. Her newest assignments were bummers, standing all alone up on a wall or a tower where nopony went. I mean, who would want to sneak in the Royal Launderers tower anyway? Still, Angel was a guard and as such, it was her duty to guard stuff. By now, Angel was used to being awake during the day, so her readjustment to staying awake at night hadn't been easy. She was twice found asleep by another guard, thankfully not a superior officer, and really missed her friends. Her big golden eyes lazily scanned the sky above her, stopping at the big bright full moon. Angel loved looking at it and often wondered what was up there. She personally thought it was cheese because Luna had to have something to eat while she was banished.

A creak behind her caught her attention and a bright flash of green just barely missed her. Angel yelped loudly and spun to attack whoever it was, giving a loud snarl. The pony behind her, a dark blue one with a white and blue striped mane, backed away in fear and soon was the victim of a merciless bat pony beat down. Angel simply reacted as she brought a hoof up and under his chin, then landing a powerful kick to his belly as he rose from her first blow. The pony hit the wall and his image shimmered before melting away to reveal a pony almost as large as Angel, colored midnight black and full of holes. A sickly colored green mane wafted around a large crooked horn while a small buzzing could be heard from the translucent wings on its back.

Angel's face melted into horror as she saw what she was fighting and tried to jump away before a sharp pain caught her tail. She was pulled backwards and hit her head against the tower wall, causing her to get dizzy. The last thing Angel remembered seeing was a large set of green eyes boring down on her before she blacked out.

The changeling stood over the unconscious bat pony, silently cursing to herself about missing with her first spell. Her wickedly glowing green eyes scanned the pony who had gotten in two cheap shots on her and she half considered throwing her off the tower.

"Niccccce one, Gorgon," came a slightly hissing voice and the changelings head whipped up to see three Royal Guard standing in the doorway, each snickering.

The larger changeling bared her teeth angrily and hissed in reply, "Assss your future queen, I'm commanding you all to sssssshut up!" The guards faces immediately hardened and their snickers faded away. Gorgon hated it when her own charge of workers treated her like one of them. She was their leader and as such, demanded the respect of one. She wasn't a changeling princess just for show and she vigorously reinforced that to this group.

"Sssso, what are you going to do about thisssss?" one asked and Gorgon returned her gaze to the unconscious bat pony.

"Do we need to imperssssonate anypony elssse?" she queried.

"No, but that one issss ssssuppossssed to be at the Gala," a reply came.

Gorgon studied the bat pony and wondered what to do with it. She could just always leave her here and have her believe this was a dream. As a race born in darkness, changelings had a wide variety of ways to disappear. One was altering memories to make the pony believe meeting them was a dream or hallucination, another was eradicating the memory entirely. Being the future queen of the hive and Chrysalis's own daughter, Gorgon knew how to do both. However, her natural ability to sense the changeling's main food source, love, was perking up at the bat pony. Narrowing her green eyes, Gorgon inched closer to Angel, sniffing at her. Silently, she weaved a spell to look into Angel's affections to locate the source of this emotion.

Since it was the first spell she learned, Gorgon easily peered into the bat pony's emotions, trying to locate the source of love. Every changeling had to learn this spell and it was how they often changed into a specific pony without knowing anything about them. It was also how Chrysalis jumped into Princess Cadance's role without anypony knowing since she met Shining Armor first. Gorgon suddenly felt the surge of love within the bat pony and saw the image of a Royal guard who had an orange pelt, brown mane and vivid red eyes. She even saw the pony's cutie mark, an exploding rock with a white tail, and grinned to herself. While the changelings were feeding on the other Royal Guards who were entranced down in the armory, Gorgon herself was rather hungry.

"Get out of here," she whispered to her subjects, who looked at each other curiously. "I know what to do with this one," she continued, grinning wickedly at the sleeping bat pony.

Comet woke up to a pretty violent sneeze. He jerked back, wide awake and looked around. Outside of his vision, he felt something rather large shift next to him and slowly looked down to see Valyrie's white plume of feathers shift as they wiggled closer to Comet's chest. A sense of horror crawled up his chest, as well as one of caring. He had slept next to Valyrie all night and while it horrified him Angel might've seen this, he felt very refreshed, like one does after a very good sleep. He sat there, unsure of what to do before looking up at the clock. Well, it was more of a magically charged sundial than a clock. The sundial reacted to the rising of the sun since Celestia didn't raise the sun at exactly the same time everyday. It was very hard to tell time in Equestria, but some genious unicorn thought of a sundial that reacted to the sun's presence to keep time.

As of now, the dial read about nine in the morning. Comet silently thanked Celestia it was his day off.

After slowly waking up Valyrie, who protested by burying her face farther into Comet's side and nipping at him playfully when he moved, the two made their way down to the mess hall to get breakfast. It was a rather nice day outside to them, but that was before they learned the windows were magically made to let sunlight shine through the stained glass. In reality, it was a gray and cold day outside, one that sounded the alarm of snowfall. However, this didn't bother Valyrie since the Gryphon Kingdom was always cold with its location north of Equestria. After the two finished breakfast, they went to check on Angel but found her sound asleep with a nurse tending to a large bump on her head. Comet was visibly worried, but the nurse assured him she would be alright.

"It's actually quite common for pony's who are not issued helmets," she said as Comet stood over the sleeping bat pony, "Now go on. I will tell her you came by." As the pegasus and gryffon walked away, neither one noticed the nurse's eyes flare bright green.

"So, what'cha wanna do today?" Valyrie asked.

"Well," Comet scratched his head unsurely, "I was going to take Angel on another date, but I guess that won't happen. I even rented a boat to go out on the lake."

Valyrie stood there and felt an evil smile perk at the sides of her beak. "You know, you and I haven't just hung out," Comet's head turned to look at her and she pressed on, hoping he wasn't going to get mad at her. "I have the day off too. Why don't we just go out and relax? Me and you and nopony else."

Comet had the creeping suspicion Valyrie wanted to monopolize of Angel's absence, but she didn't hint at any ulterior motive. He contemplated the idea of just he and Valyrie spending the day together before coming up with an answer.

"Uh, sure. That sounds fun," he said with a nice, but awkward grin.

Several hours later, Comet and Valyrie were walking down a street in Canterlot, smiling and talking to each other. The day, even though it was gray and started to snow, was going surprisingly well for them. Comet wore a new scarf Valyrie insisted he buy to keep himself warm, a rather plain brown colored one to match his mane and tail. After acquiring the scarf, the two had gone to the train station and sat on a bench, watching the random ponies walk by. There the duo just talked about everything, including why Valyrie was here instead of the Gryphon Kingdom. She explained that since her father was a high ranking soldier in the kingdom, she was a prized gryffon since she probably carried future great warriors. She also told of how one gryphon got stone drunk one night before the Picking, the ceremony where gryphons competed for gryffons, and tried to force her into an alleyway. Valyrie, according to her own words, beat the daylights out of him so bad, he had to be sent to the hospital.

What happened next was a series of honor and pride based mishaps. The gryphon's father claimed that unless Valyrie's father either banish her or repay his family's lost honor, there would be a feud between the two families. Valyrie's father was very unhappy with her, but in no way got violent. Instead, after hearing Valyrie's side of the story, he made the claim the gryphon's own son had shamed the family by going outside tradition. Thus began a war of words that got heated to the point where the lord of the village, a gryphon by the name of Hookclaw, settled the dispute personally. Valyrie wouldn't be banished, but she would be taught her place by being whipped publicly. The gryphon's son had to live with the fact he had dishonored himself and his family and suffer the consequences thereof.

After the proclamation, Valyrie's father consulted with Hookclaw personally and, after much convincing and gifts, he finally agreed to let Valyrie not be whipped. Instead, she would suffer only a partial banishment to Equestria where she would learn what would happen should she undermine the gryphon's authority again.

Comet simply sat there, stunned at what he had heard. Apparently gryphons were more barbaric than he had initially thought. Comet, in response, spent the rest of the day doing whatever Valyrie wanted to try and make her punishment leass of one. The two ate in a fancy restaurant since the Gryphon Kingdom solely had taverns, they went to an art museum since gryphons felt weapons on a wall were art and so on. Eventually, the sun sank below the horizon and Comet, along with Valyrie, sat on the roof of a building, watching the sky change colors.

Comet sat still, marveling at the colors while Valyrie had a hard time concentrating on anything but him. She hadn't told him about one thing from her homeland, the rumor of Equestria being the safe haven for any gryffon like herself. Now that she was here with Comet, it felt like a dream. She had come to Equestria without cutting ties to her family, met a wonderful and caring stallion and almost didn't want to return home. Comet, although not a gryphon, certainly had the build of a full adult stallion, muscular and strong while gentle and caring at the same time. He was handsome to Valyrie in a way no other gryphon could match with his fiery red eyes, brown mane that moved slightly in the wind and a smile that she never wanted to leave his face.

Comet looked over to Valyrie, who had a dreamy look on her face and chuckled. "So, I take it you enjoyed today?" he asked.

Valyrie answered by pressing her break to his mouth yet again. Comet sat there, wondering just what he was going to do. He had a cute and fun bat pony on one hoof, but now he felt a strange force vying for control of his feelings.

A Pegasus and a Changeling

Comet sat alone in the rec room after coming back to the castle with Valyrie. He wasn't sure what to think as he stared at the magical fire. Images and sounds of both Angel and Valyrie bounced around in his mind in an unorganized mess. Little bits of previous conversations he had with both repeated endlessly in his mind and he felt his face tighten into a scowl. He knew the inevitable decision would happen soon, the one where he had to choose between Angel and Valyrie. As he thought about it, Comet's mind gave no forgiveness, showing him both the absolute worst reactions from either. If he wanted Angel, Valyrie would probably be distraught enough to hurt herself, or worse. If he chose Valyrie, well, Angel was another guard and would thrash him to within a couple inches of death, all while making him feel like he deserved it.

Comet eventually suppressed the thoughts concerning the mare and gryffon's reactions, knowing he first had to decide who he liked. He had known Angel longer and had even taken her on a couple dates. She was adorable to the point of almost too cute, was his friend and made him feel happy around her. Valyrie had a bit of an exotic and familiar feel to her. She was a gryffon, but her personality felt like she needed somepony to help her stabilize her life. She was also his friend, always wanted to spend time around him and just took on a different kind of persona, one of hope, when she was happy. Frustrated the answer didn't come to him, Comet buried his eyes into his hoof, wondering how he had allowed himself get into this mess.

"Hey there, Comet," came a voice from behind him. Comet spun his head to see a blue pony standing there who had a striped white and blue mane.

"Oh, hey Paradox," he responded, "What are you up to?"

Paradox sighed before replying. "Well, I'm here to relax. This is the rec room, isn't it?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Good, now it's pretty cold outside. You got some room over by that fire?" Comet nodded a reply and moved over on the couch, making room. Paradox walked over and planted himself next to Comet, sighing at the wonderful warmth. The two sat in silence, Paradox staring at the fire and Comet looking down at his hooves, still hung up about Angel and Valyrie. Paradox finally looked over to him and said, "Not very chatty today without your friends?"

Comet shook his head and replied, "No, just... kinda trying to figure something out."

Paradox grinned and said, "Figuring out stuff is my specialty. What's up?"

Comet avoided the topic, trying to dismiss it as a personal problem, but Paradox insisted on hearing it. Finally, Comet gave in and told him about how he felt for Angel and Valyrie and how he didn't want to hurt either one by choosing. Paradox listened quietly as Comet rambled on about both, stating all these things he thought that made each of them wonderful and how hard it was to pick one.

"Here's a thought, why not have both?" Paradox offered to the orange pegasus. Comet narrowed his eyes at the blue pony and ground his teeth at the thought.

"You must think I have a death wish or something," he replied tersely, "I would love to keep both, but even I know they wouldn't share. Plus, it wouldn't be fair to one of them if I did."

"Hey, you can always ask," Paradox said, his mouth hinting at a grin. "I'm sure they will agree."

"Then I evidently didn't explain it to you well enough," Comet grumbled before stepping off the couch and stretching his wings. "I'm off to bed. Goodnight Paradox." As he approached the door, it somehow swung shut just before he walked out of it. He jumped back, startled, and heard the lock click into place. "Hey! What the buck?" Comet yelped.

"I said, you just had to ask," came Paradox.

Angry now, Comet spun to face Paradox and yelled, "They both are way too special to do that! Now stop trying to convince me otherwise!"

"Oh, but having both isss sssso much more fun!" came Paradox again, but his voice had changed as he spoke. It went from Paradox to a weird hissing or buzzing kind of noise and Comet locked himself in place as Paradox got down, his eyes now glowing a sickly green. He turned to Comet and gave a wicked grin before saying the most creepy thing Comet could imagine. "I can get you both. All you have to do issss assssk!" After saying that and thoroughly creeping Comet out, Paradox erupted into green fire and Comet yelped.

The fire burned around him quite brightly and soon exploded outwards, along with a pulse of air that nearly knocked Comet over. Returning his attention back to Paradox, Comet suddenly realized Paradox wasn't here. Instead, a large black pony stood in his spot. The pelt of the pony was a shiny pitch black and was full of holes. Not missing patches, but actual holes that Comet could see through. A long and wispy bluish green mane hung down from the pony's head and neck, giving it an almost wet appearance. Splitting the mane at the dead center was an abnormally long and crooked horn that reminded Comet more of a dagger than a unicorn's horn. Finally, Comet stared in horror as two bright green glowing eyes opened and stared directly at him.

"You see?" came that weird hissing voice, "I can be whoever you want."

Comet found his voice at that and yelled, "Changeling!" before taking up a defensive stance. The changeling laughed at him and he frantically scanned the room for anything he could use as a weapon.

"How observant," mused the changeling, "No wonder you can't decide."

"Shut up, changeling!" Comet spat back, now very scared. Why in the world did he tell it about his mare troubles?!

"Oh, fiesty," it replied, grinning evily at him, "I like that."

Comet locked eyes with the changeling and gave his best scowl as he slowly circled it. The changeling lowered itself, grinning the whole time, and followed his movements exactly. Comet real objective wasn't to fight, but to get out of the room. Whoever this changeling was, it was bigger than the ones he had heard about. In fact, it looked almost as big as the one who attacked Celestia, at least, according to what he heard. Comet wasn't sure since there were no pictures or real ones to go off of.

"Go on," it hissed at him, "Make your move."

Comet kept circling, wondering what to do. He wasn't a very fast flier, but he was agile. He stunk at hoof to hoof combat, but specialized at weapons, particularly a spear. It didn't really matter though, since the changeling shot a green bolt of magic at him. Comet nimbly dodged it by jumping straight up and over it, flapping his wings as hard as he could and preparing to tackle the changeling.

Long story short, he did.

In what he felt was the stupidest move of his life, Comet's front hooves wrapped around the changeling's neck, much to the changeling's surprise as well, and his shoulder collided with its face. The changeling fell backwards as Comet folded his wings and tried to press down with all his weight. He barely missed landing on its neck and the two rolled a couple times, Comet delivering a couple quick kicks while trying to pry himself from it. The changeling cursed in its buzzing language and tried to get its own hooves around Comet, but luckily he was just slightly too small for it. He wriggled himself free, but landed on his back as the changeling skidded to a halt.

Comet frantically tried to get to his hooves, but the changeling had landed on its own and charged him. As he righted himself onto his belly, a shiny black hoof just missed his right cheek. Reacting instinctively, Comet rolled to his left and frantically tried to get himself up. Another green bolt of magic barely missed him again and Comet tried to run before feeling a set of hooves wrap around his waist. An impressive weight forced him to the ground and as he struggled, he heard laughing.

"Wow, you are a live one," the changeling mused as Comet missed with two kicks, "No wonder thossssse two like you."

Something must've sparked for Comet, because he did the second stupidest thing he could've done. Instead of kicking blindly, he spun himself over and managed to free one rear leg. He saw the changeling's grin and buried his hoof in it. The changeling howled in pain, releasing Comet's other hoof and he scrambled back over, trying desperately to get away in the couple seconds he bought himself. The changeling's smug grin quickly became an irritated pout as it tried to grab him again, but this time missed.

Finally loose, Comet spread his wings and bee lined for the window on the far side of the room. The changeling cast a spell instinctively, unwilling to let her prey escape, and Comet impacted with the window. It refused to shatter due to the changeling's magic and Comet fell to the floor with a nearly crushed snout. He yelped in pain, but managed to avoid yet another green bolt. Comet ran as fast as he could, hoping to dodge the changeling's attacks and wound up getting the table where he and his friends played cards blown up. Figuring his best way to win was to subdue the changeling, Comet ducked yet another bolt and ran straight to the changeling, who in turn was whining about him not staying still. When he was close enough, Comet leaped up and for a second, locked eyes with the changeling who was rearing up in response.

Just reacting, Comet brought a rear hoof up and kicked the changeling in the chest as a black hoof connected to the side of his head. The changeling's eyes went wide and it gasped for air as Comet was knocked off balance and collided with the ground. His left eye hurt and so did the right side of his body, but Comet managed to try and run away as the changeling wheezed.

"Oh, no you don't!" It shouted angrily and a hoof wrapped around his right rear leg. The changeling was strong and pulled him back to it. Comet slid on his belly, utterly terrified as he spun over to kick at it again, but a series of black hooves pinned down each leg as they moved. Comet tried as hard as he could to move, but the changeling was heavy enough to keep him immobilized. Fearful, Comet gazed up as the changeling lowered its head, growling and glaring at him. Two big teeth like Angel's fangs protruded from its mouth and the scary green irises of its glowing eyes seemed to bore into his own.

"You're..." it snarled and panted at the same time, "Going to LOVE me!" Comet's eyes went horribly small as he tried to scream for help, but before he could, a green bolt of magic hit him squarely in the forehead and he passed out.

Outside, Gorgon finally released the stubborn orange pegasus and wheezed, trying desperately to get her breath back. The little piece of meat was strong, really strong to knock the wind out of her. Before him, only her mother was capable of doing that. Still, though, she had her prize. She could taste the emotions he felt for the bat pony and gryffon just from looking at him. Like a satisfied hunter, Gorgon finally slowed her breathing and stood over him again. The sweet and delicious emotions were just pouring out of him and she felt herself salivate. That pitiful amount she got from the entranced guards was nothing compared to this one pegasus and she slowly allowed herself to consume the emotions.

The changelings had an odd way of consuming the emotions out of ponies, which was through physical contact. Unless a pony willingly fed it to them through magic, something only unicorns could do, changelings had to seduce ponies and siphon it out through acts ranging from holding hoofs to what happened behind closed doors. Only really strong changelings, like her mother, could siphon emotions from simple contact, something she used to her advantage with Shining Armor. Gorgon, however, was still a fairly young changeling queen and wasn't strong enough to just poke the pegasus and take the love from him. No, she had to actually be intimate with him, something she loathed.

Slowly, her head moved towards his and she licked her lips. The scent of his emotions got stronger as she neared him and she dove in. Her lips locked with his and a powerful surge of emotions raced into her. It was like a fire hose had just turned on full blast as she was assaulted by all sorts of emotions. Confusion, shame, terror and fear were in there, but they were overpowered by the sheer amount of other emotions. Joy, happiness, contentment and what she prized most, love, simply gushed from him and soon Gorgon had to pull away, gasping from the sudden surge. Her hive had been living off a pitiful amount of love for as long as she could remember, which is why her mother Chrysalis had lead an attempted coup of Canterlot, so the sudden amount of emotions she received overwhelmed her quickly. She looked back down at the unconscious orange pegasus and grinned wickedly.

"Oh, I'm definitely keeping you," she hissed with a small hint of eagerness in her voice.

In the bunk room, both Angel and Valyrie tossed and turned as they slept. Strange images of Comet entered their dreams, ones of him being attacked by a black mass and getting hurt. Angel woke up and bolted out of bed, straight to the stallions bunk room. A guard stood by the door and when she asked him to check on Comet, he went in and came out, saying he was just fine, sleeping away.

Angel returned to her bunk room, feeling slightly better but still upset by her dreams. Upon opening the door, she saw a familiar plume of white feathers bobbing up and down and Valyrie asked, "Bad dreams too?"

Preparations

Shining Armor sat in his office, yet again struggling to get through the endless stream of reports. His mood was dour, but he pressed on. Apparently, recruitment had started to pick up again, so that was some good news. Other than that, he was buried in odd little reports. A changeling detector spell going off here but no changelings were detected, some guards got sick from eating spoiled cabbage, a couple were late to their posts and so on. Nothing made his job any easier, no matter which way he looked at it. His primary view was this was all to protect his dear wife and her aunts, but even then it just seemed like too much work.

A slight knock on his door caught his attention and he looked up. Nopony was scheduled to see him today, so he narrowed his eyes, suspicious. "Come in," he commanded in his best authoritative voice. While the door opened, he mentally went over three separate telekinesis spells and braced himself to fight off an intruder. While he was probably getting worked up over nothing, he still had the lingering thought in the back of his mind that Chrysalis would return eventually to either force him to love her or to stage another, and probably more successful, coup. When the door swung open to reveal an normal orange pegasus, Shining gave a brief sigh and relaxed. At least his changeling spell didn't go off.

"Oh, hello Comet," Shining said in a somewhat friendly voice, "This is a little unexpected. What do you need?"

Comet seemed to stand there for a second before walking in and saluting. "Shining Armor, sir, requesting permission to speak."

"Granted," Shining responded, "Now, what can I do you for?"

"Sir, I would like to volunteer to be a guard at the Grand Galloping Gala, sir," Comet stated plainly.

Shining tilted his head at Comet and responded, "But you're already supposed to guard Philomena that day. Why do you want to guard the gala as well?"

"Sir, I want to protect Princess Celestia, Luna and Cadance as well, sir," Comet replied tonelessly.

"Is there a reason you feel you have to guard them?" Shining asked suspiciously. It was odd for a normal soldier to come and request a specific assignment unless there was an ulterior motive. Requesting to help with the protection of all three princesses was especially odd. Shining darkly suspected Comet was here for one of two things; to either get close to the princesses or to prevent something from happening to them. With Shining already being on edge, this wasn't helping to relieve him.

"Sir, I wish to become better than a Private, so I would like the chance to prove myself," Comet stated nonchalantly.

Shining sat there in a discomforting silence before sighing. "Comet," he started with a tone of concern, "I've been a soldier for a while now. I've had to deal with a lot of threats directed towards the princesses and keep them quiet. I can tell something is upsetting you and I want you to tell me," He paused, narrowing his eyes at the orange pegasus, "What is the real reason you want to protect them?"

Comet stared directly forward, looking at a blank spot on the wall before blinking three times in quick succession. "Sir, I..." he started before stopping again and blinking twice. Shining leaned forward, slightly concerned before Comet spoke again with more force than before. "Sir, I believe there will be an attack at the Gala." Shining stood up in concern and before he could say anything, Comet cut him off. "I do not believe it top be a big enough threat to merit cancelling the Gala, sir. I believe all that is required to stop it is just a larger guard presence and I am here to volunteer myself to increase the guard's number."

Shining spent the next few minutes trying to pry more information out of Comet, but the orange pegasus remained stalwart in keeping the perpetrators identities in the dark.

"Comet, as your commanding officer and captain of the Guard, I demand you tell me who has made this threat. I promise you they will not retaliate against you or your loved ones," Shining almost shouted in his best commandeing voice, mimicking Princess Luna's Royal Canterlot voice.

Comet blinked six times quickly and finally spoke in a sheepish voice, "Sir, it is... a rebel group who wish to overthrow all three princesses, sir. I overheard them while I was on my way to my patrol. They have obtained disguises as Canterlot nobility and plan on entering the Gala that way."

After giving Shining some more information, Shining thanked Comet and assigned him to watch Princess Celestia. His job would be to help Celestia find the impersonators and to be her guardian all night. Should everything go well, he would be promoted to Celestia's personal corps, known as the Solar Guard. Comet thanked Shining and left his office as the captain teleported to Celestia's chambers to inform her of the threat.

Comet marched through the halls of the castle, gazing at nothing as he passed guard checkpoints, being cleared of being a changeling, before entering a room in a remote part of the castle not too far from Shining's chambers. Inside, several ponies lay unconscious while several clones of them scurried about, each emitting an odd green magic. At the far end of the room, an amorphous black blob swirled against the wall. Comet moved swiftly between the ponies and approached the black blob when a green glow surrounded his red eyes. Two large green ones glowing slightly less than Comet's opened on in the dark void and a toothy evil grin spread wide across the face pulling itself out of the shadow. A long mane of sickly bluish green fell all around the eyes as Gorgon pulled herself out of the amorphous black shape and reached out a hoof, lifting Comet's face to her.

"Ah, how did my newest and best actor do?" Gorgon cooed while her horn glowed a villainous green.

"I did exactly as you said, my princess," Comet replied tonelessly.

Gorgon grinned happily as she peered into Comet's eyes. Her newest toy was certainly turning out much better than expected. After the events of the rec room last night, Gorgon had sent a changeling to impersonate this newest acquisition so nopony, in particular his little fillyfriends, would get suspicious. While that happened, Gorgon had spent most of the night feeding off of Comet, satiating her gnawing hunger by impersonating that odd little bat pony guard she had beaten. While she had wanted to get her fill of some more primal desires, Comet had adamantly refused, stating he wasn't going to do that to a pony as special as Angel, whoever that was.

Now, Gorgon was impersonating Princess Luna as she stared at Comet. When a changeling had a pony under a spell, they didn't need to modify their exterior appearence, as Gorgon learned after trying to sap emotions from some particular ponies brought back to the hive. She had spent several days being attacked by her own kind until her mother embarrassed her by ripping away her disguise and publicly chastizing her. Chrysalis was always a terrible mother to Gorgon, being very cold and distant from her protoge, but she was under a lot of stress trying to keep the hive alive when there was almost no love to feed on.

At least, that's what Gorgon reasoned.

Gorgon's tongue hung out hungrily as she moved closer to Comet, wanting to eat again. She had never been so satiated before and her colt toy was still oozing affection for those two whelps Gorgon was going to enslave anyway. It was just instictual, but Gorgon's eyes flicked over to the rest of her group, which was staring at her orange pegasus and drooling as well. "Get back to work, whelps!" Gorgon snarled, "You have plenty of soldiers to feed on!" Returning her attention to Comet, a greedy and almost lustful look entered her eyes as she began siphoning off emotions from the Royal Guard again. He didn't protest since Gorgon had put him into a trance right before feeding. Her hunger and greed overwhelmed by the sheer rush of emotions, Gorgon gasped and panted after breaking away, savoring all the sweet flavors of his emotions. Squeeing slightly, Gorgon reached out and grabbed Comet, yanking him through the black portal before it collapsed.

The other changeling grumbled to themselves after that display. "Jussst like her mother," one commented.

In another tower, Angel the bat pony and Valyrie the gryffon sat around in the royal gardens, hoping to catch some wind of Comet. The stallion had disappeared this morning and Angel was getting worried. "Oh no," she moaned unhappily, "What if he got hurt? Or what if he's upset again?"

"Just calm down there," Valyrie said cooly, "We don't know anything yet. For all we know, he could be on a special assignment for Shining or out on a trip for Princess Luna." Secretly, she was worried as well. If Angel couldn't find him, that was usually because he was with herself. If both of them couldn't find him, something was wrong. Steeling herself from a worried squeak, Valyrie told herself the pegasus was fine. Angel, though, was sitting on the bench unhappily and mentioned about checking the castle again.

"I wanna check Philomena's tower again," she whined, "I wanna know where he is!"

From then until sunset, Comet was trapped in Gorgon's clutches. The changeling princess had discovered that the pegasus's relationship with the gryffon, a species her kind hardly ever imitated, was much more physical than the bat pony's. While he gushed life sustaining emotions from the sight of the bat pony, he allowed more physical contact with the gryffon and, since Gorgon was still young, she monopolized on the contact. She siphoned off his weaker, but still strong, affection for the gryffon by getting more heated with him until she was on top of him, preparing to get very intimate with him. They only stopped because Comet's affections for the bat pony prevented the session from going any farther. Still, since he so radically switched between the two females, Gorgon simply switched tactics and continued to feed on his feelings.

When she felt she was overstuffed with his affections for both mares, she put him to sleep and had one of her whelps take him to his room. Gorgon stayed on the floor, enyoting the sensation of having her hunger sated. If all of this went as planned, she would definitely keep that orange stallion as her own feeding vessel, that is, if her mom didn't take him. But still, if this attack worked, Gorgon would be queen, not her mother Chrysalis. By taking control of the city of Canterlot, Gorgon would have the food source on her side, giving the hive a better reason to follow her than her mother. She would also have pulled off a successful invasion, something her mother couldn't do. As Gorgon's mind raced with the ideas of usurping her mother, she smiled wickedly and realized she would also have the princess of love, along with her little stallion, under her control as well. Her mother had been stuck on losing that stallion more than failing the coup.

For once, Gorgon felt content. She had an endless food source, power, a swarm at her command and the ability to become queen. If this invasion was successful, which she would ensure it was, she would become the most powerful changeling queen since their race's first and only empire. It was a long story, but the first changelings had successfully attacked and took over another pony kingdom far away and the queen became almost as powerful as Celestia or Luna. The only way she fell was when the legendary first alicorn overthrew her.

'Still,' Gorgon thought to herself, 'That was mellenia ago. The only two who can stop me now are no more powerful than they were against my mother, and they will soon be under my control as well.' The grin spread wider across her face and a chuckle from deep within her chest started to escape her lips. Everything was going better than she had thought possible.

At The Gala (part 1)

As the week drew closer to the biggest event of the year, the Grand Galloping Gala, Shining Armor got little sleep. He checked and rechecked placements of guards, spells to detect weapons of non Royal Guard issue, quick escapes for the princesses should things go awry. The lack of sleep also made him quite irritable, as Royal Guards who didn't want to be on duty during the Gala found out.

Comet resumed his normal routine the day after Gorgon had gorged herself on him, much to the relief of Angel and secretly Valyrie. However, when pressed for information, Comet couldn't seem to recall what he had done that day. Guarding Philomena was listless to the pegasus and gryffon, but they accepted their duty without complaint. As for the energetic bat pony, she was ecstatic to learn that her favorite pony, Comet, would be joining the guard on the night of the Gala after Shining posted a list of every guard on duty that night. Still, unknown to either of them, Comet slipped away at night, responding to the call of another princess. Nopony noticed this until Valyrie spotted him one night after using the facilities.

It took her several seconds to register the pony was Comet, mostly because of the glowing eyes. Curious, Valyrie stalked the stallion, avoiding any kind of contact or sight. The pursuit took her down to where she first met the stallion, the armory, which should have been devoid of life at this time of night. Instead, it sounded as if the guards were having a party in there. She watched from the top of the staircase as Comet shambled over to the door and knocked. What greeted him both suprised and scared Valyrie to the point of almost making noise. A rather large pony, about the same size as Princess Cadance, covered in a shiny black material with hideously large green eyes and an odd bluish green mane, stuck her head out and grinned slyly to the stallion, who remained stony.

"Ah, my favorite little toy," she cooed in a raspy voice, "Where have you been? I've gotten quite hungry." She reached out and wrapped her hole ridden hooves around Comet and pulled him inside, the door slamming behind them. Valyrie stood there, dumbstruck by what she just saw. Comet had another mare? One who he was meeting behind both Valyrie and Angel's back? A large sensation of anger and hurt welled up in Valyrie's chest, but she stifled it. There was no way Comet was a tail chaser, was there? Sure, he did like Angel and had allowed Valyrie herself to get somewhat physical with him, but he never seemed to notice any other pony or gryffon. That was when another idea hit her. His eyes were glowing the same color as the weird black pony's, so did she have him under some kind of spell? Feeling particularly brave, Valyrie marched up to the armory door and pounded on it.

"Hello?" she called as the noises fell silent. A sudden sense of intrepidation as a voice rang out.

"Go away!" called the armorer, "I don' care if ya didn' get an invite! Nopony'z allowed tah mah parteh!"

"I know a stallion by the name of Comet is in there!" Valyrie shouted in return, "I want to talk to him now!" Silence ensued for a couple of seconds before the armorer shouted a reply.

"Who'se dis?"

Valyrie took a deep breath and yelled, "His gryffon friend!"

Shuffling could be heard from behind the door as objects, no, ponies moved around and soon the door creaked open to reveal the familiar orange coat of Comet, along with his normal red eyes. Which were glaring at the gryffon. "Why are you here, Valyrie?" he demanded.

"Why are you here?" she retorted.

"I'm here with my friends, something you wouldn't understand," he rebounded with a trace of venom in his words. Valyrie grimaced at the last part, but kept her composure.

"I know you have no friends outside of me and Angel," she quickly responded, "You've been making me and Angel worry about you so you could come down here and pretend to have friends?"

Comet gritted his teeth as he worked out the next few words. "Why do you always force your way into my buisiness?" He blinked several times as he spoke and quite a bit more before continuing. "You show up out of nowhere, nearly rape me on the first day, force your way into my relationships and don't understand when to quit. Is it just some stupid gryffon thing to force yourself upon me because you have no life outside of fighting and dying?"

To that, Valyrie had no answer other than a small squeak of hurt. Tears began to form around her eyes as she said, "W-well, at least I'm not a baby over my dead siblings!"

Comet's eyes widened before narrowing into deadly arcs. "What did you just say?" he asked, almost hissing at her.

"You h-heard me!" Valyrie almost shouted in return, "I know you're still just a little foal over your sister, your sister who's been dead for years!"

Comet's angry face now became one of pure, unadulterated hate as he bared his teeth at Valyrie. "Don't you DARE speak of her like that again, you pathetic pile of feathers! You think your life was hard? Imagine never being able to leave your house, never eating a normal meal or never having any friends! You messed up your own life, Valyrie, don't try to mess up mine! I'm not a weak little pony who you can play the sympathy card with. I have my own life that doesn't revolve around you! Now get away from me!"

As the last word hung in the air, Valyrie lost all sense of composure. She lowered her head and started crying. As she sobbed, Comet clicked his tongue to the roof of his mouth and said, "Dear Celestia, you really don't know when to quit." Valyrie's hear whipped up and a look of anger peeked through her tears.

"Shut up!" she shouted at him, "You are a miserable excuse for a stallion! To think I even l-l-liked you was stupid!" Reacting instictively, she reached up and swiped a claw across his face, leaving him yelping in pain as he covered his left cheek. He fell to the floor, writhing in pain and when he reopened his eye, Valyrie noticed it was glowing again.

"Ah!" he shouted in pain, "V-Valyrie, why?" The gryffon was about to say something hurtful when Comet wailed in pain again and clutched his forehead instead of his cheek. He tossed and turned on the ground as his eyes glowed brighter and mumbled "Stop... telling me... what to do!" Suddenly, he stopped convulsing and stood up as if nothing happened. He turned and glared several daggers at the gryffon before walking back into the room. The door slammed shut before Valyrie could enter, leaving her with a lot of unanswered questions.

As the door started to open, Valyrie darted away and bolts of green magic followed her. The gryffon ran and flew at the same time, trying desperately to maximize her speed as bolt after bolt barely missed their target. One thing stuck in her mind as she ran back to the bunks; Comet wasn't himself. She felt incredibly sorrowful as she ran, hearing the words they exchanged in her mind. She should've known Comet wouldn't say such things to her, especially since she felt he did like her too. Her thoughts were interrupted, though, by a Royal Guard who tried to swipe at her with a spear.

Valyrie just managed to duck it and dug her claws into the carpet, trying to slow down. She spun to face the guard, who was glaring angrily at her before jumping with the spear tip pointed at her. Valyrie nimbly dodged it by spinning to her left and swiped at the guard with her claws. The golden armor gained several scratches and only one swipe found a piece of flesh, but the guard didn't bleed. Instead, several long black scratches stayed on his pelt as he swug the spear at her again. Valyrie, her years of training in the Gryphon Kingdom kicking in, ducked it yet again and reached out with her left claw to grab the weapon. She felt the solid wood in her palm and closed around it, swiping at the guards face with her right claw. She made her mark as three particularly long black tears appeared on the guards face, one passing directly over his eye. Underneath the eye came a light blue glow and a hiss came from his mouth.

With the spear still in her claw, Valyrie pulled it back to her, smashing the hilt on the back of the guard's helmet. His head recoilded forward and Valyriegrabbed his chestpiece with her right claw. She tugged at it and he began to flip over. His face collided with the floor and acted like a pivot point as he rolled over. Valyrie wasted no time by flapping her wings to get higher than the guard and landed on top of him, bringing her claw back to his face while she successfully pulled the spear away. She pulled the hilt up into her right claw and brought it down. The guard had just enough time to reach up and block her from smashing it into his neck by holding it up. Valyrie's angry gaze shifted down and met the eyes of the guard.

"What, *grunt* are you?" she hissed through her clenched beak. The guard simply responded with a hissing noice and kicked the gryffon off of himself. Vayrie monopolized on this and made a hasty getaway as the guard pulled himself up. He hissed angrily and put a hoof over his eye. Valyrie for her part was flying through the hallways, attempting to reach Angel. She had to tell her what she saw about Comet.

Down in the armory, Gorgon hissed angrily as she worked on the spell she had used on Comet. Apparently, it was flawed enough for that gryffon to overpower it. She could only wonder what the bat pony would do to it. As she worked, a changeling ran up to her and reported the gryffon had gotten away. She screeched at that and thought while she worked. "Get somepony over to Shining Armor right away and report that the gryffon attacked two fellow guards and is crazy. She won't get very far with us and the guard after her."

At The Gala (part 2)

Shining Armor sat with his head in his hooves, wondering what to do. As if the threat of the attack on the princesses wasn't bad enough, now he had a rogue gryffon to deal with. Apparently, this was some kind of cosmic joke, since all of this was happening before the biggest event of the year. He darkly wondered of the gryffon was in on the plot to attack the princesses since she attacked two key guards, Comet and Black Berry. Comet was supposed to guard Princess Celestia and Black Berry was to be near the royal table where the three princesses would be eating at. Finally, he put his hooves down and said, "No, we will continue as planned. If they are well enough, they can stay at their posts." The pony he was talking to, Paradox, nodded his head.

Angel bounced happily in her new armor she had been fitted for days earlier. It was now all dark purple with the blue eye on the chest, covered her entire back and even came with an awesome looking helmet and a new weapon, claws. With all of it on, shethought she looked rather awesome. As she sqealed with delight in her new garb, she heard the bathroom door open and slam shut. Curious, she spun to see a mass of white feathers and brown fur tackle her. Reacting instinctively, Angel brought her hooves around her assailant, effectively pinning the pony to her. She rolled in the air, flapping her wings to get upright and landed squarely on top of the intruder, bringing her newly forged claws to the neck of the body. A pair of brilliant gold irises looked up at her, along with a black beak contorted into a kind of angry look.

"Valyrie!" Angel shouted, immediately turning off her attack mode and hugging the gryffon underneath her, "Where've you been? I couldn't find you or Comet anywhere!" The bat pony squeezed the gryffon into a tighter hug, effectively wringing out what little breath Valyrie had. Before Valyrie could get a word out, Angel leaped up, giddy as a schoolfilly, and bounced in place. "So, what'cha think of my new armor? Isn't it sooooooo cool?! I got a new chestpiece, a helmet and claws! Look at these!" Valyrie grimaced at the set of purpleish claws thrust into her face by the goofy bat pony she called her friend. Any farther and she would've claimed at least one of her eyes.

"T-that's cool, Angel, but-" the gryffon tried to say before she was cut off by Angel.

"I KNOW!" the bat pony shouted again, "Aren't they amazing?! I can finally fight like you! The armorer said he was asked to make custom weapons by Shining Armor for the Gala to compliment each guard's fighting ability, but I never expected them to be this cool!" To accentuate her point, Angel took up two battle poses, one on her rear legs holding the claws above her head like a ninja pony, and the other standing on all fours, holding a claw up to her mouth like a cat. Valyrie did admit to herself it was rather cool, but she had more pressing matters than asthetic appearances right now.

"Angel, I really need to-" she tried again before Angel invaded her personal space. She reached out with one hoof and lifted one of Valyrie's claws up to her own face before lifting her own claw to examine them side by side.

"Yours are so much more longer and cooler," Angel stated with a hint of sadness in her voice before her happy mood kicked back in, "Still, you've got the coolest set of claws there is, bird claws! I've got claws that look like they're from some cool comic book, like Batmare or Spidercolt."

"Angel, I-"

"Or Superstallion."

"Angel,"

"Or even Green Torch!"

"Angel."

Angel gasped before continuing. "Wait, what about X-Ponies?! Isn't there that one stallion who-"

"ANGEL!" Valyrie shouted, breaking the bat pony's reveling. The large gold eyes she had darted up to meet Valyrie's own and the gryffon took a deep breath. "Angel, there's a serious problem with Comet." she stated seriously. Angel's eyes shrunk and before she could say anything, Valyrie continued, "Angel, he's in deep trouble with some really shady ponies. I saw him get up last night and wander down to the armory and-"

"Wait," Angel interrupted, "Why were you following him around at night? Why did you follow him?"

"I, well, he was acting suspicous!" Valyrie flustered. Angel narrowed her eyes at the gryffon, who clearly wore a nervous face there for a couple seconds before she returned to being serious. "That's not the point, Angel. Comet-"

"Why were you following him?" Angel almost growled, silencing Valyrie. Angel hated to be lied to and she knew Valyrie was hiding something. "What business do you have following my coltfriend?"

Valyrie's chest dropped into nothingness as her heart felt like it stopped for a second. She suddenly had the sneaking suspicion she had just revealed to Comet's marefriend something she should've never found out about. The silence quickly became tense as Angel's eyes narrowed, her slit pupils boring into Valyrie's own round ones. Valyrie tried to take a cautious step backwards, but Angel stepped forward at the same time. "What were you trying to do with him?" Angel snarled, now fully angry. She knew Valyrie was hiding something now, something big involving her and Comet.

"I was, uh, I was trying-" Valyrie stammered before Angel tackled her this time. It wasn't playful in the slightest. Angel quickly pinned Valyrie into submission and glared daggers into her eyes.

"What have you been doing with my coltfriend?!" Angel nearly shouted.

Now scared for her life in a way those black ponies couldn't have scared her, Valyrie began to tremble under the bat pony, who went from cute and adorable to downright terrifying in less than ten seconds. She gulped hard, trying to calm herself and barely managed to speak with a small squeaky voice. "C-Comet and I, we kinda, well..."

"SAY IT!" Angel shouted at her.

"We've kinda, uh, had a thing going on," Valyrie stated, utterly terrified.

Angel was quiet for a few seconds before she spoke again, hissing like a venomous serpent. "What do you mean by 'thing'?"

"We've kinda, well, we've kissed," Valyrie stammered out. A soft throated growl escaped Angel's throat as she began to raise her left front hoof, one of the two with a claw attached to it. Valyrie closed her eyes, bracing for the razor sharp material to connect to her face when Angel spoke again.

"How many times?" she choked out.

"Th-th-th-three!" Valyrie almost shrieked. Angel let loose a cry of frustration and Valyrie could hear the sound of her hoof coming down. As she waited for the pain, she instead heard the hoof collide with the floor and the sound of metal clinking against the stone. Valyrie opened her eyes to see Angel's face, pupils narrow with anger and fangs and teeth bared before a sharp pain struck her right cheek. Valyrie managed to see Angel's hoof pass away from her face as her other shook off the other claw. Valyrie didn't react as she struck her again and again.

"You stupid featherbrain!" Angel shouted in anger, "How dare you do that with my coltfriend!" Angel reared up to hit the gryffon with a fourth shot, but Valyrie's claw shot out and caught it, holding her hoof in place.

Valyrie panted, but she managed to talk. "There, you got three free shots. You hit me any more and I will hit back."

Angel cried out in anger and yelled, "You don't tell me what to do!" As quickly as she could, Angel brought her right hoof across Valyrie's face before a powerful kick was delivered to her stomach. Angel gasped as she lost her breath and realized her armor didn't wrap around underneath her. As she wheezed, a black claw shot up and scratched the pristine helmet the bat pony was wearing, causing her head to whip away. Seizing her momentary advantage, Valyrie pushed with both of her claws and paws to shove Angel from off of her. Angel flew backwards and landed on her back two feet away. The two females scrambled to their hooves/claws and Valyrie tackled Angel this time. Valyrie frantically tried to grab ahold of her hooves, but Angel's armor had spiny points on it, scratching the gryffon as she pressed herself against her friend, or rather, nemesis now.

Angel responded by roaring angrily and spun, attempting to best Valyrie's efforts to subdue her. She managed to deliver two swift strikes to the gryffon, one in the air and one after they hit the floor, before the gryffon clawed the front visor of her helmet. Angel just barely managed to close her eyes in time to feel the claw just barely graze her eyelid, not breaking the skin. If her eye would've been open, she might've gone blind. Angry beyond regular brawling now, Angel viciously headbutted the gryffon and while she was stunned, buried her fangs into the gryffon's neck, getting the disgustingly copper taste of blood on her tongue. Valyrie shouted in pain as she felt the teeth break into her skin and flailed with her claws, finding a weak spot in Angel's armor, her wing joint. As Valyrie's claw broke skin as well, Angel wailed in the exact same way, pulling her teeth out of Valyrie's neck.

With a final push, Valyrie shoved Angel away and brought a claw up to her neck, trying to stem the flow of blood. Angel landed in a heap on the other side of the room, unmoving except for her nursing her wing. Valyrie turned to face a mirror and examined the wound to her neck. It looked like something from that one monster movie, Vlad the Vampire Bat Pony. She had two pinpricks right near the base of her neck and it bled, not gushing but enough to worry her. As she tried to wash the wound clean, she heard a faint sobbing from the other side of the room. Spinning around, she realized it was Angel.

"Why?" she sobbed, "Why do you get to be so lucky? C-Comet has never kissed m-me, even on our dates. What makes you so special?" Angel broke out into louder sobs and Valyrie felt the pit in her stomach grow, threatening to consume her.

"Angel..." she tried to start, but Angel cut her off again.

"Tonight was supposed t-t-to be sp-special," the hurt bat pony cried, "Me and Comet at the Grand Galloping Gala, all alone. I was hoping h-h-he w-would finally..." Valyrie gritted her beak as she heard her friend talk. Why was she so special? Comet had everything he wanted with Angel, so why was Valyrie trying to take him from her? Tears began to form in the gryffon's own eyes as Angel continued. "Th-they say if you kiss the pony you love at the Gala, y-you'll be happy forever. I was hoping C-Comet and I would d-do that t-to-tonight." Angel broke out into full bawling at that point and Valyrie started crying to herself. Angel needed him just as badly as he needed her, so what was Valyrie doing? Trying to live a pipe dream to escape her own homeland? Regret, among other emotions, crashed down upon Vlayrie and she started sobbing louder than Angel.

Angel looked up at the gryffon, who had collapsed on the floor, and heard her speak. "I'm so sorry, Angel!" she shouted, "I'm sorry for trying to take Comet from you! I never wanted to hurt you, but being with him just... It just makes me so happy! I didn't want to lose that and I was a jerk. I'm so sorry!" The gryffon sobbed harder than she had ever done before, buried beneath her own guilt and self loathing. The bat pony, without any reason to, slowly stood up on shaky hooves and wobbled over to the emotionally distraught gryffon and put her hoof around her, laying next to her like Comet had done back on that stormy day. Valyrie flinched at her touch, but Angel persisted, hugging the gryffon close and trying to calm her down.

When Valyrie finally calmed down enough to look at Angel, the bat pony spoke up. "Valyrie, I know what it's like to be so happy you never want to lose it. Comet makes me that happy too, so happy I never want to leave him."

"B-but I'm a monster," the gryffon retorted, nearly crying again, "I'm no better than those pigs back at my home."

Angel gulped, but pressed on, "No, you're better than them, Valyrie. I don't know what your race is like, but I know you're nothing like them."

Valyrie sniffed at that and grumbled, "If you knew what they were like, you wouldn't say that."

Angel sat silently for a couple seconds, but steeled her will and said, "Valyrie, you are my best friend next to Comet and, while I may be angry at what you did, no amount of me hurting you or Comet will change what has happened. My father always told me it's easier to forgive and forget than to carry grudges with you everywhere. You're a good gryffon at heart and I know that, but Comet is my coltfriend. He asked me out."

Valyrie grimaced at that, but she didn't argue. She knew Angel was right. "But, why do you get to be happy and I can't?" Valyrie moaned.

"You can be happy too," Angel childed, "You just need your own dream stallion."

"But you have my dream gryph-er, stallion," Valyrie retorted bitterly.

"Valyrie," Angel spoke softly, "There is more than just one stallion in Equestria. There's one out there, just waiting for you to find him." Valyrie didn't respond to that, but continued to 'hic' for a while. Finally, Angel stood up and adjusted her armor, which had been knocked out of place in a couple areas, allowing Valyrie to stand. When the two of them were standing, Angel locked eyes with Valyrie, her best friend, and held out a hoof with a smile. "Friends?" Angel asked. Valyrie stared at the hoof, unsure of what to do. She was baffled by the ability to forgive this pony possessed, especially after what Valyrie had done, but she tentatively reached out a claw and shook it.

"Friends," she said a little less confidently than she would've liked. As she shook the hoof, Angel jumped to her and wrapped her in a nice hug. Valyrie stood there, unsure of what to do, but eventually smiled. While Valyrie had friends back in the Gryphon Kingdom, Angel was definitely better than them. When the two finally released each other, Angel grinned widely at her, just like her old self. "So, what do you plan of doing with--" Valyrie began, but stopped as she remembered why she had initially come here. "Comet!" she shouted.

Grabbing Angel's hoof, she pulled the bat pony along and said, "There's not much time! Comet's in a huge amount of trouble!"

At the Gala (part 3)

The music played softly in the background as Princess Luna shuffled uneasily around the countless ponies who all made a point of bowing at her and commenting about how lovely the moon was tonight. All the poor princess of the night could do was graciously accept compliment after compliment as she tried to make her way over to her sister. Luna was late to the Gala, her first ever, and cursed herself for taking the back entrance through the gardens. As the midnight blue alicorn tried walking at an even pace, she soon found it fruitless to go against the tide of incoming ponies. Sighing to herself, she turned around and trotted over to the grand ballroom.

The ballroom was done in a spectacular fashion. Large tapestries bearing the Equestrian Royal Seal and images of both Princess Celestia and herself hung in a wide array around the room. The brilliant full moon she had worked on raising shone like the sun through the three story tall windows. A magnificent fountain sat in the middle of the ballroom, glittering wonderfully. Up on the stage, several ponies played a soft tune as one brilliant white unicorn sat behind them. She had on a rather large set of purple hued glasses and had the most outrageous mane Luna had ever seen. Electric blue and spikey, Luna secretly wondered if she could do the same with her own mane. However, the pony seemed more enraptured by another one onstage, a gray pony with a long black mane playing a cello. Luna couldn't tell what the white unicorn was thinking, but she somehow didn't want to know. What ponies did with their lives didn't concern her.

Upon realizing she was staring at the band, Luna quickly blushed and moved over to her table, a rather large banquet table with a squishy chair in her favorite color, onyx. As she sat in the chair, she felt her rump sink in slightly and wiggled it back and forth, making herself comfortable. Once she was, several stewards came by and offered her various things. Luna graciously accepted a moon pie, her favorite treat, and a cup of sparkling grape juice. As she munched on her treat, her magnificent sapphire eyes scanned the crowd of ponies. Several night guards strolled up and took positions around the lunar princess, staying as rigid as they could. Hazarding a try at conversation, Luna cleared her throat and spoke in the Royal Canterlot voice. "HOW IS THOU TODAY?"

Apparently, every pony in a twenty foot radius thought she was talking to them and got a jumbled response from all of them, excluding the guards she was trying to talk to. Luna smiled awkwardly and gave a nice reply before sipping on her juice again. Celestia had insisted this was how Luna could connect to their subjects more, but the princess of the night had never felt more alone. She sat at the table, munching away at her moon pie and occasionally glanced back at her only real friend, the brilliantly glowing rock behind her. However, upon returning her attention to the Gala, she thought she saw a pony she recognized. He was a light blue unicorn with wavy white hair, brown eyes, an hourglass cutie mark and a red jacket. Luna blinked twice before he disappeared, sure she knew that pony.

On the other side of the castle, right near the entrance, Princess Celestia stood gracefully, smiling and personally welcoming every pony that arrived. Her guards, a unicorn and a pegasus, stood attentive at her side, glaring at each pony walking up. Celestia had not wanted them there, but Shining Armor had insisted at least two guards be there to protect her. He had said there was a threat against herself and her sister, as well as her niece, but Celestia tried to shrug it off. She was used to threats against herself and her ponies after a thousand years of dealing with the stiff necked Gryphon Kingdom, the proud tribes of the Marengeti and even the race of horses over in Saddle Arabia. Thankfully, diplomacy from the pony who raised the sun always won out, but there were several instances she had to martial the Royal Army to be sure. Celestia shook her head slightly, bobbing her beautiful flowing mane of green, pink, indigo and blue. She kept her regal smile and continued to greet the ponies, one by one.

Unknown to either princess or their niece and her husband, Gorgon licked her lips in anticipation. She stood in line to enter the Gala, cloaked as some rich pony she had knocked out. Without them knowing, her group of changelings had successfully infiltrated the Royal Guard. They had built up enough store of love to power them through the entire attack and were now in place. This was to be her shining moment, the day she had done what her mother, Queen Chrysalis, could not. Hopefully, by taking control of the royal sisters and all of Canterlot, the changeling princess could gain her mother's approval. She danced nervously in her disguise, slightly raising and lowering her hooves. The other ponies, the snobbish lot, sniffed at her and even asked if she could hold it in. Gorgon grumbled to herself, wishing she could retaliate. However, she needed to keep her cover, at least until she was at the princess.

After what felt like hours, Gorgon was next in line to meet the princess. Her newest little pet was right where she wanted him, next to the princess. Comet, what she thought was his name, stared off blankly into space, not even making eye contact with her. The other guard, Hilgrind, pretended to check another faceless guest for weapons. Gorgon had to admit, both of her pawns looked rather stunning in their armor, Comet in particular. He had a freshly forged spear that crackled every now and then with a small arc of electricity, wore no helmet but had on a new armor piece that had a larger collar, covered his entire back and held the usual turquoise star in the front. When the pony in front of her walked in, Gorgon gulped. It was now her turn to greet the princess. Trotting slowly, Gorgon reviewed the spell she had to use to subdue Celestia in her head, making sure she could cast it quickly. Her whelp, Hilgrind, flicked his eyes up at her and gave a small nod. He was ready.

"Hello," came the almost ethereal voice of the solar princess, "Welcome to the Grand Galloping Gala, Miss DeTrostky." The beautiful princess gave her sincere and serene smile to Gorgon's disguise and the changeling princess smiled back.

"I am well received, my liege," she droned in her best sarcasm. She knelt slightly and locked eyes with the princess of the sun. She saw the princess begin to narrow her eyes and knew it was time. Drawing upon her stores of love, Gorgon gritted her teeth and a bolt of green magic struck the princess between the eyes. A small sense of satisfaction came from watching the eyes of the solar princess widen before rolling up. Gorgon had practiced that spell for weeks for this very moment. As the princess began to slump, Hilgrind jumped up and grabbed the solar princess and Gorgon shot another bolt of magic. Celestia was too powerful for a simple stunning spell to work, so she began to recover as Gorgon worked on subduing her mind. Somewhere behind her, she could hear ponies screaming and running, but her focus was containing over a thousand years worth of knowledge in the princess's mind. Every time Gorgon felt she had the advantage, Celestia would push back with some mental discipline she had learned.The princess bucked wildly, trying to throw off Hilgrind as Gorgon slowly began to gain control over her. The princess was not invincible, though. Using her full stores of Comet's love, Gorgon finally gained the leeway she was looking for and the solar princess slumped to the floor.

Gorgon breathed heavily, trying to recover her own stamina. The princess wasn't easy to subdue, several hundred times harder than the average pony. However, subduing normal ponies minds was too easy. Panting, she nodded to Hilgrind who let loose a horrible screech, silencing the ponies inside. As they looked around, the guards all nodded to each other and at once, all the guards began firing off green bolts of magic, even the pegasus guards. Ponies began to fall over, stunned, while others ran around, screaming in panic. Luna barely had time to react as her own guards turned around and shot her with the bolts of magic. With her mind suddenly blank and an inability to move her own limbs, Luna watched as several more guards rushed over and jumped up on the table, firing more bolts. Being an alicorn, Luna had a strong resistance to magic, like her sister Celestia. However, she was not impervious and after repeated blasts without one of her own in return, the lunar princess began to feel sleepy. She could faintly hear Shining Armor's voice, shouting something unintelligible before she felt herself fall asleep.

Shining Armor gritted his teeth as he looked around. None of his guards were responding to his commands and he had no idea what was going on. Surrounding himself with a magical shield, he ran off to find the princesses before the situation got any worse. Upon reaching the front door, his already pearly white coat paled even further as he saw a pony erupt into green flames, shedding its disguise along with a guard. When the flames vanished, a changeling queen along with a worker stood there, grinning at each other as they walked over to the unconscious form of Princess Celestia. Feeling a couple of pings from behind, Shining turned to see a horde of changelings, each wearing the golden armor of the Royal Guard, charging at him. "No way!" was all he managed to shout before the horde descended upon him. Without releasing the shield, Shining fought back the changelings. He wasn't Captain of the Guard for nothing. He delivered several swift hoofs to the faces of the changelings, which had run through his shield. It was meant to deflect magic, not actual beings, so it was almost useless now. Drawing upon his store of magic, Shining felt himself float for a couple of seconds before landing in the ballroom. Luckily, his magical wards would not prevent teleportation spells, something he had in place in case of emergencies like this.

"Princess Luna! We have to go! Now!" he shouted anxiously, running over to the table to find her. He had cast a spell which allowed him to locate the princesses easily long ago, but to his horror he found her in the center of a circle of buzzing changelings, each in the Night Guard's armor. Cursing to himself, he charged the changelings, attempting to break their circle. Instead, more changelings seemed to pour out of nowhere, each trying to hit him with magic. Deterred by the sheer number of changelings, Shining backed away and shouted, "Cadance! Where are you?!"

A soft voice responded from over the loud buzzing and screaming. "AH! Shining, help me!"

Spinning around, he saw his beautiful pink wife backed against a corner while she tried to fend off the changeling's magic with the same shield Shining was using himself. Cowering behind her were several ponies, each too terrified to do anything. Reacting instinctively, Shining ran to his wife, determined to protect her. "Get the buck away from my wife!" he shouted with a voice that shook the room. The changelings spun around and frowned as he charged. The first few ducked out of his way, but he didn't part the crowd like he had hoped to. Instead, one rather clever one stood its ground and braced itself. By a stroke of luck or cosmic bodies aligning, the changeling shot a bolt of magic at Shining the split second its horn passed through his shield. The green bolt of magic flew forward and struck the captain in his chest, causing him to stumble and let go of the magic keeping his spell up.

"Shining!" Cadance screamed as he slid forward and the entire changeling crowd jumped on him. She watched in horror as her husband was mercilessly shot by bolt after bolt of magic, just like her aunt. Turtling behind her shield, a couple of tears fell from her big purple eyes as she watched them slowly form a circle around him, keeping him in a trance, just like Luna. The rest growled angrily as they shot a couple of bolts at her, but they bounced uselessly against the shield.

As Gorgon strode into the Gala, she noted all the unconscious ponies, as well as her soldiers saluting her. Her pet, Comet, followed behind her, lost in a trance with his eyes glowing green. Slowly, she began to laugh to herself as the full gravity of what she had done hit her. She and her whelps had surprised Canterlot castle, overpowered the princesses and now were feeding off of countless ponies, restoring their used up caches of food. Her laugh got louder and soon became a cackle as she stood near the glorious golden fountain. Her changelings buzzed in approval as four dragged in Princess Celestia by her mane and tail, eventually depositing her next to her precious sister, Luna.

"The time of Celestia and Luna is over," she mused to herself, "Now, the age of Chrysalis and Gorgon will begin." Turning to Comet, she extended a hoof and raised his chin to meet her face. "And it wouldn't be possible without you, my dear. You gave me so much food to defeat Celestia, I will reward you. You will be my pet, forever." The changeling princess slowly leaned over to kiss him and just before she did, a new voice rang out.

"I swear to Celestia, I will KILL you if you touch him again!" came an unfamiliar voice. Comet's eyes began to focus as Gorgon pulled away, searching for the voice.

"Angel..." he moaned softly.

Much to Gorgon's horror, a large group of ponies stood at the entryway, all glaring furiously at the horde of changelings. A bat pony in full armor stared directly at her, along with a rather angry looking gryffon. The loud cry of a phoenix echoed into the hall as the normally beautiful bird was literally on fire, staring dead at Gorgon. The tension in the room built to a breaking point in several quick seconds, just as the bat pony yelled one word.

"Charge!"

Author's Note

This may feel slightly rushed, but it's how I envisioned this chapter.

At The Gala (part 4)

It didn't take long for the ponies to reach the changelings.

Angel didn't seem to care what other ponies were doing. Her big golden eyes were locked on the only target she wanted to get; that large changeling who had almost kissed her coltfriend. As she ran, several shouts came from the ponies surrounding her.

"For the princess!" one rather weak shout came.

"Honor or death!" a scratchy voice shouted.

"Bugs!" a unicorn shouted next to her.

The two defining shouts, however, belonged to both Valyrie and Philomena, who let out piercing shrieks that seemed to paralyze several changelings. As the wave of ponies grew closer, Gorgon narrowed her eyes and growled. "Remember this day!" she shouted to her horde, "For today is the day you regain your honor as changelings!"

The sound of the collision was deafening. Bolts of magic flew everywhere, ranging in all sorts of colors from green to raspberry red to gold. Ponies and changelings alike shouted as they viciously began to attack each other. Philomena flew overhead, dodging the occasional bolt of green magic and raining down flames upon the mass of black. Several changelings screamed in panic and even ran around on fire, causing panic among them. However, since the changelings retained the Royal Guard armor, they seemed to have the edge in hoof to hoof combat. The ponies found their advance grind to a screeching halt as waves of changelings, some even on fire, returned their charge.

Angel, the only bat pony in full armor, did what she did best. Using her newly forged claws, she jabbed and swiped at the changelings, leaving long cuts on their hard shiny hides. Her whole focus was to get to that larger changeling, but if she had to wade through the weaklings first, then so be it. To her right, Valyrie was met with just as much success, having an almost feral look to her. Few things were as terrifying as an enraged gryffon clawing down three changelings in one swipe. She wreaked havoc on the horde trying to subdue the ponies.

Gorgon gritted her teeth as she fired off bolt after bolt of magic, attacking the ponies at random. One or two had managed to reach her, but if Princess Celestia was a match for her magic, these ponies were nothing. As one pegasus flew towards her, she locked her greedy green eyes with her. "Leeeeeroy Flankins!" the pony shouted as she dove to the changeling princess. Gorgon reared back, ready for the impact, but instead brought her hooves down on the pegasus, crushing it to the stone floor. As the pegasus shouted in pain, Gorgon delivered an over the top kick to the pony's face, silencing it instantly. Returning her gaze to the bat pony and gryffon, she fired off several more bolts of green magic at them, managing to only hit her own whelps who jumped in front of them. Screaming in frustration, Gorgon whipped around and pulled Comet over to her, who was somehow still in a daze from Gorgon.

As Gorgon neared him, a loud scream pierced the air and she looked up. She had only a split second to react to what was happening, but she could see a mass of fire descending upon her. Razor sharp claws met her face a second later, along with intense heat and the princess screamed. Philomena seemed to get a savage delight as she maimed the changeling's face, attempting to gouge out her eyes. Instead, her claws got mangled in her mane, ripping out parts with every movement. In full panic mode and now fearful for her life, Gorgon reared back, ignoring the searing heat with the intense pain coming from her scalp, and flailed in the direction of the mass of heat. Her hooves seemed to strike something and, with her eyes shut the whole time, felt the heat and claws try to pull away. It successfully managed to take another clump of her mane as well, making Gorgon howl in pain.

Recoiling from a shot to her wing, Philomena backed off slightly, knowing a wild animal is the most dangerous. Right now, that changeling was in survival mode and she would do whatever she had to. Her wing hurt, but she never backed away entirely. Instead, Philomena drew upon her own magical stores and shrieked again, unleashing a torrent of fire at the changeling. Unfortunately, that guard Angel, Valyrie and Philomena herself wanted to rescue, was in the blast radius. As the changeling screamed in fear, the pony seemed to wake up, panicking himself that he was catching on fire. His shout of terror caused Philomena to release the torrent, just as a bolt of green magic flew at her. It passed safely through her feathers as she flapped to gain altitude, but a body slammed into her, causing her to lose her balance. As the two plummeted to the ground, Philomena willed herself to erupt into more flames. At her command, she exploded into a huge fireball and crashed into the fray, fire exploding in all directions. Ponies and changelings alike had the fire wash over them, with only a lucky few dodging the massive wave of fire.

Gorgon managed to weakly cast a spell to protect both her and Comet as the wall of fire approached. The spell shielded them easily before dissipating, leaving the two on the ground. Comet's back was to the changeling princess, whimpering and nursing a whole side of his body as his armor glowed a dull red. Gorgon was in worse shape, though, weak and bleeding from the phoenix's assault. Burned strands of her mane lay on the floor next to her head, but the changeling managed to pick herself up, moaning weakly from the pain and numbness in her limbs. She bared her teeth, but cast a numbing spell on herself to ease the pain. She staggered over to Comet, collapsing on top of him as his watery red eyes turned with fear to her. Luckily, Gorgon's spell worked well, because she could hear her carapace sizzle as she lay on top of his faintly glowing armor.

Forcing herself to concentrate through her spinning head and cloudy vision, Gorgon shot a bolt of magic at Comet, muddling his mind. His gaze went slack and Gorgon dove at him. She felt her lips meet his and a surge of emotions washed over her like healing water. Drawing upon her newest reserves of magic, she felt her carapace begin to itch as she healed herself of the burns and quelled the bleeding from her scalp. Her head stopped spinning and soon, she got the feeling back in her legs. She broke for a split second to breathe and looked up at the fight. Her whelps didn't do so well at the fire wave, many of them lying weakly on the floor. The ponies now had the advantage since some of the unicorns had enough time to shield themselves and others. Her more intelligent changelings had also shielded themselves and were now engaged with the non burned ponies.

Returning her gaze to the pegasus below her, Gorgon dove in again. His breathing was weak and she could feel his heart racing. She knew unless she healed him quickly, he was bound to die. Feeling a sense of concern for him, she worked the same healing magic on him, soothing the burns and restoring his blood flow. She kept herself locked to him and felt a twinge of his thoughts. Normally, when under a spell, ponies thoughts were non existant since they had to have their minds blank to be controlled. However, Gorgon realized he wasn't under her control as she healed him. Instead, she felt his mind find an image that was connected to what seemed to be a deeper pool of love and regret. As she remained connected to him, an image of a tall golden pony mare with a green mane pulled around to one side and sparkling tangerine eyes manifested in her mind. Why he was thinking about whoever this was, Gorgon didn't know, but she welcomed the torrential flood of emotions from him.

Once she was sure he wasn't going to die, she released her lips from his and backed away. It was faint, but she could hear him moan, "No...va..."

Feeling an immense amount of an emotion she had hardly known existed, Gorgon reached over and rubbed Comet's forehead and shushed him. "Shh," she whispered, "It'll be alright, Comet. It will be alright."

As she comforted him, though, a swift kick was delivered to her face from a black claw. Gorgon howled in pain as she rolled away, bringing her hooves up to her face. Peeking through a hole in her hoof, Gorgon saw a rather angry looking gryffon glaring daggers at her.

"Don't you ever touch him again!" Valyrie shouted. Enraged, Gorgon leaped up at the gryffon, wrapping her hooves around her. Using her two big front teeth, Gorgon buried them into Valyrie's wing, snapping the joint. The gryffon shrieked in pain as she fell to the ground, on top of Gorgon. With her hooves still wrapped around her, Gorgon spun on over to get on top of Valyrie. Releasing her, Gorgon glared directly into Valyrie's eyes, ready to shoot lasers from them. Valyrie hesitated for a second in fear and Gorgon let her predator instinct take over. Hoof blow after blow pounded into Valyrie's face as the gryffon tried to claw at the changeling. Lost in her rage, Gorgon used her magic to pick up Valyrie and lifted her into the air. Unable to move because of the green magic, Valyrie had a second to react as she was thrown into the ground. Gorgon cackled gleefully as the gryffon shouted in pain and repeated it, a savage grin on her face.

After about the seventh time, Valyrie's shoulder gave a loud crack and she screamed in more pain than ever before. Her left arm and claw went limp and she felt herself fly at Gorgon, unable to do anything. The changeling reared back and impacted her hooves into the gryffon, cracking a couple ribs and knocking the breath out of her. Grinning like a mad pony, Gorgon stood over the gryffon, intoxicated with power over the weaker being. As she formed another spell, a small metal object struck her in the eye. Screaming in pain, she closed both and rubbed her face as a hoof collided with her cheek, knocking her off balance. She spun with the hoof, but bucked with her rear legs.

"Ha!" came a voice with a strong foreign accent, "You'll have to do better than that!" Opening her eyes, Gorgon saw a light blue pony with a wavy white mane in a red coat grin slyly at her. Growling, Gorgon brought her front hoof around to try and smack him out of the air, but he nimbly dodged it. Concentrating, she tried to trap him in her magical grip, but a sparkling blue aura shimmered around him.

"I already thought of that!" he replied confidently, but as he spoke, a changeling grabbed him from behind and his eyes went wide. "Didn't think of that," he said with a hint of fear in his voice and he was pulled backwards into a group of changelings. Gorgon grunted and turned around to finish the job with the gryffon, but her eyes shrunk in fear as a bat pony in full armor, minus her helmet, stood over her toy. Her big golden eyes were locked on the weak pony and Gorgon shouted in frustration. She had everything planned, everything! She had taken over the Royal Guard, subdued the princesses and the Captain of the Guard and even had her source of power completely within her grasp. Why did everything go wrong?!

The bat pony's head whipped up and locked with Gorgon. Suddenly, Gorgon knew why it had all gone wrong. She didn't kill this pony when she had the chance. Not willing to make the same mistake twice, she screamed angrily and began to charge the pony. Angel's eyes shrunk as she saw the rampaging changeling drawing closer and pushed Comet away. Bracing herself, she stared down the changeling and, just before she reached her, Angel ducked and rolled between her hooves, slashing at the hole ridden hooves that thundered around her. It wasn't much more than a scratch, but hopefully it would make her pause for a second. As she came out of the roll, Angel darted over to Comet, but before she could reach him, several changelings in armor jumped on her. She easily bucked off a couple, still weak from Philomena's fireball, which Angel and Valyrie had avoided by jumping into the fountain.

One, however, clung to her and grinned wickedly out of the corner of her right eye. Reacting based on pure instinct, Angel let her right legs give out and slammed down on the changeling as he fired off a bolt of green magic. It collided with her as her weight pressed down on the changeling. Instantly, Angel's vision blurred and her legs felt heavy, but she didn't pass out. The changeling, who hadn't finished casting the spell, rolled off of her, losing its grip. Staggering back to her hooves, Angel tried to find Comet in the mess of colors of her vision. As she looked around, she knew she couldn't find him. Behind her, Gorgon was pounding another pony into the floor angrily with her magic, a green unicorn. Unaware Angel was still up, Gorgon paused as she heard the bat pony shout, "Comet!"

The word rang out loudly around the ballroom as the white pegasus twitched. His thoughts were slow to return to him, but as he tried to think, they came back much quicker. He slowly opened his eyes, feeling unusually groggy. Comet tried to remember what had happened, recalling he was underneath a changeling, then felt like he was on fire. Pushing himself to his hooves, Comet shook his head, wondering if it was all a dream. Instead, he felt his stomach curl as he looked around. Ponies and changelings were laying on the floor while others still fought or were tending to their wounded comrades. Spinning around, Comet saw Angel in armor staggering around, right next to a weeping and clearly hurt Valyrie. Behind them, the large changeling roared in anger and began to run to them.

"Comet!" came an unfamiliar voice from behind him, "You have to choose now!" He spun to see a blue unicorn in a red coat grappling with a changeling. "Do it!" he shouted, "Choose one of them now!"

At The Gala (part 5)

"Comet, choose one now!"

That one phrase bounced around in his mind, echoing with varied intensity as time seemed to slow for him. He saw the larger changeling approaching Angel and wanted to go save her, but Valyrie lay in a crumpled heap on the floor, moaning slightly. Inside Comet's mind, instead of buzzing with the dilemma of who was more important to him or some rather large introspective view of both Angel and Valyrie, it was blank. There was no time to choose. Instead, there was only time to act. If he had to choose one or the other, that would be for later. Right now, they both needed help and as a friend and stallion, he needed to save both of them.

Instead of locking eyes directly with one of them, Comet's stunned gaze narrowed as his red eyes locked onto his target, the changeling. He felt himself start to move before he could think and soon, he was running directly at the changeling. As he ran, he extended his wings and flapped them furiously, hoping to gain more speed. As they both approached the bat pony, Comet leaped into the air, directly over the staggering bat pony and collided with the furious changeling, who seemed to be surprised by his counter attack. Comet felt he knew this changeling, but it wasn't until they had hit the ground did he remember her.

Gorgon landed squarely on her back, surprised by how hard the pegasus had hit her. The next thing she registered was several kicks directed to her midsection, a particularly sensitive area. Growling angrily, she returned a couple kicks and caught Comet in the neck, making him lose his balance flying above her and falling to Gorgon's left, gasping heavily. Gorgon scrambled back to her hooves, ready to attack, but two sharp razors scratched across her face. Screaming in surprise and pain, Gorgon turned and smashed a hoof into Angel's side, sending her backwards.

"ENOUGH!" Gorgon screamed at the top of her lungs, sending out a pulse of air that pushed back the unconscious changelings and ponies around her. Comet and Angel managed to hold up against the pulse, but Comet was still choking as Angel, tried to keep her balance, The spell was wearing off, but it was still hard for her to control all her motor functions. As Gorgon looked down, she glared angrily at the two ponies before her and cast some magic. A sickly green aura surrounded both Comet and Angel at the same time, yanking them off the ground and directly to her. Comet, still struggling to breathe but getting air now, managed a somewhat angry look that, to Gorgon, looked more like discomfort. Angel tried to do the same, but couldn't tell which of the three Gorgons to look at.

The changeling princess pulled them in closer and scowled, baring her rather large fangs at them. "I should kill both of you now," she growled, voice full of hate and malice, "But, luckily for you, Comet, I need you, This one, though," she said, shaking Angel," Is completely expendable." Comet desperately tried to work out a word or two, but he felt himself get smashed into the ground. As a pegasus, he had a naturally thicker and sturdier bone structure for impacts like this, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt. Gorgon's magic continued to hold him and he looked up helplessly at Angel, who was now directly in front of a wickedly smiling changeling. Angel's limbs suddenly snapped out in all four directions and Angel gave a scream. Comet wasn't sure what was going on, but he knew he had to stop it.

"Angel!" he yelled as he struggled. The changeling shot him a nasty look and returned to the bat pony, whose limbs she was trying to tear out of their sockets. Comet struggled like never before, feeling an intense amount of energy course through his body. The energy, in turn, seemed to amp up his muscles and he pushed even harder against his magical restraints. A wicked laugh began to come from the changeling as Angel's eyes shrunk in fear, staring directly into the changelings. With her concentration on Angel, Gorgon's magical hold on Comet weakened, enough to where he broke loose. Utterly furious and now able to do something, Comet leaped up at Gorgon, who turned to see his hoof collide with her. Gorgon screamed as the pegasus descended upon her, kicking her face and any exposed part of her body. Angel fell to the floor after the magic holding her up instantly faded, but picked her head up to see Comet mercilessly beating down the changeling.

Kick after kick blurred together for Comet. He had never been so furious in his life and now he was lost in it. It didn't matter what the changeling did, he was going to hurt her for what she had done to Angel, Valyrie and himself. She had a tough exterior, but he could feel it start to buckle under his repeated attacks. The changeling was screaming in fear now, desperately trying to stop the barrage by knocking away is hooves. Comet was not to be denied this time, though, as he continued. He bit down on the mane of the changeling while he kicked and pulled up, causing her to scream louder. As he did, though, he made the mistake of stopping his barrage, giving the changeling time to push him off of her. She kicked him directly into the air and made a mad dash out from underneath him, attempting to get away. Luckily for her, she did and backed up to the fountain, staring in fear at the white pony splattered in a turquoise liquid Gorgon knew was her own blood. The pegasus landed and trotted over to her, slowly but deliberately.

"P-p-please," Gorgon stammered in fear, cradling her wounded chest, "P-please. Mercy,"

Comet stopped at her voice and stared at her. Her pleading struck something inside of him, something that made all his rage vanish. He blinked twice and looked at the defeated earth pon-, wait, wasn't he just fighting a changeling? The earth pony looked up at him with sad tangerine eyes, partially hidden under a vibrant green mane. Her golden coat seemed to shimmer in the moonlight and Comet found his breath had left him. Nova was sitting in front of him, pleading for mercy. A cold shiver ran down his back as he stared at his deceased sister, part of him believing it was her. His eyes shrunk in fear and hate, knowing this was a fake. Nova had died years ago and the changeling was using her personage to shield herself from him. Part of him wanted to beat her until she dropped Nova's image, but another part stayed his hooves. He had sworn to himself long ago he would never hurt Nova in any way, living or dead. Paralyzed by the sight of Nova, Comet stood there, unsure of what to do. He ground his teeth, wishing it was just easy enough to shrug off his colthood promise to his dead sister, but he had lost Nova once and it devastated him. Hurting her, or rather the image of her, would scar him more than losing her.

Gorgon breathed a sigh of relief as Comet froze in place, allowing her some time to recover. She had only seen the image of this pony once, but it had to be more important to Comet than Angel. As she looked down and examined her wounds, a hoof shot out and grabbed Gorgon by the neck. The hoof was white and stretched back to Comet, who was glaring at her with tears in his eyes. Gorgon shuddered in fear as Comet stared into her eyes, knowing she would probably die if he attacked her again. Instead, Comet pulled her close and flapped his wings, rising into the air and smashing through the remnants of a broken window.

"Comet, what are you doing?!" shouted Angel as she took off after him. She pursued him, following him to the training compound and to the edge of the forest, where he set down the changeling. Angel dropped to the ground behind a bush not too far away and walked out from behind it to see Comet staring directly at the curled up changeling impersonating somepony.

As Comet looked down at the changeling Nova, he felt a loathing for himself. He should've just finished it by breaking the changeling's neck without looking. He shouldn't have done this, taking her out here. However, the big tangerine eyes that stared back at him told him everything the changeling was feeling since they did the whole quivering pupil thing the real Nova's eyes did when she was terrified. He had seen this twice when Nova was alive, once when she was scared of a lightning storm, the other when a doctor told her the disease was advancing rapidly and if untreated, she would die in two weeks. Ironically, she had died two months after the second incident due to the medicine she was on for the disease. Grimacing at the sight, fresh tears rolled down Comet's cheeks, but he kept his composure.

"Get out of here," he stated in a quivering, but authoritative voice, "Get out of here and don't come back. If I see you again, nopony you imitate will save you." Nova stared at him, unsure of how to react, but reached up a hoof to touch his cheek. Comet viciously knocked away the hoof, causing the Nova-ling to flinch. "Don't touch me," Comet growled, "I know what you are, even if you don't look like it." His eyes, which were a vibrant shade of blue instead of his usual red, locked with the Nova-ling's and she nodded. Picking herself up, she tried to hobble into the forest. Before she could get in, Comet said, "Wait."

Turning around, Gorgon expected another threat, but instead found Comet press his lips against hers. Gorgon was stunned, but she didn't fight back. All sorts of conflicting emotions washed over her like soothing water and fiery lava. She could feel the love he had for this pony pouring out of him, but also the anger he had over seeing her again. Regret, sorrow and contentment were also there, whispering into her mind what he was thinking. He knew he would never see her again, but he knew he had to forget her. Deep down, he had always wanted to do this before she died, to say goodbye his own way. The kiss broke as quickly as it had happened and Gorgon/Nova stood there in shock. Comet looked over the pony once more before looking down and turning around. "Goodbye, Nova," he whispered before trotting away from the forest, over to where Angel was. Gorgon wanted to say something, but the words were stuck in her throat. She had enough emotions now to heal and feed herself, so she limped into the forest without another word.

As Comet approached Angel, the bat pony stared at him in silence. She had seen everything and as Comet stood in front of her, she smashed a hoof into his face. Comet gritted his teeth at the pain, but didn't say anything or retaliate. Angel did it again, this time to the other side of his face. Again, Comet didn't respond. The bat pony looked down after that, trying to sort out what she was feeling. She was angry at Comet for what had happened and rightfully so, since they were dating, but at the same time, she didn't want to hurt him anymore. Seeing how he changed when she was being hurt by the changeling and returning to her after seeing what she assumed was his dead sister again, she knew he cared for her as much, if not more, than that pony.

"Angel," Comet started, "I'm sorry. Sorry for everything I put you through, sorry for being the cold and unhappy jackass I have been. Mostly though, I'm sorry for not being a good stallion for you." Angel perked up her drooping ears at that, but didn't meet his gaze. "I had, well, it's just, you and Valyrie, you both remind me of my sister. So much, for a time I wanted both of you. I know that was selfish of me, but being around you two made me the happiest I had been in years. I'm sure my mother told you that, but she wouldn't have told you this. It hurt me, losing Nova. It hurt because I thought I had killed her. Deep down, I knew that wasn't true. I was sad because she left and I didn't get to say goodbye. She was everything to me and then, she was gone. No time to say anything, or tell her I would miss her, or to remind her that I loved her one last time. She just fell asleep watching me, and I was too busy for her."

Angel was quiet as he spoke. Here he was, after everything that had happened, pouring out everything to her. She didn't want him to explain everything, but she felt it was all making sense now. His parents, everything with Valyrie, the first day they met, it was all making sense. Comet, she realized, had stopped talking and she looked up, meeting his vibrant blue eyes, which she knew was actually red. He stared at her, trying to work out things to say, but found himself unable to speak. Those big golden eyes of the bat pony looked back into his own and, as they did, he found his voice again.

"Can you forgive me, Angel? Will you forgive me for being so self centered?"

Her answer took a while, but her hug told him everything.

Miracles Happen

Following the touching moment Angel and Comet shared, they returned to the castle where the princesses Celestia and Luna were just waking up. Several ponies had gotten through the fight with little injury and were in the process of checking on other, more wounded ponies. One was a night guard by the name of Shutter, who had a peculiar limp he swore was nothing to be concerned about. Another was a pegasus named Moonshield, who had gone to the aid of Princess Cadence and had a rather large black eye from a magical bolt that impacted against a statue, dropping a big chunk onto his face. Several other ponies wandered around, tending as best they could to those hurt. It didn't take the Princesses long to summon doctors from the medical wing of the castle, as well as staff to move those hurt to the wing.

Comet and Angel found Valyrie, who was weakly breathing but still alive, and rushed her to the wing. As the doctors rushed about, both Comet and Angel took a crash course in medicine, setting Valyrie's broken limbs and stabilizing her condition under the watch of a nurse treating a badly burned pony next to them. All in all, nopony had died, but some were hurt or scarred for life from this fight, mostly those being burned from Philomena's fire wave. Shining came to the infirmary personally to collect both Comet and Angel while seeing his soldiers. The three of them marched along in silence, past the ruined ballroom which had become a temporary infirmary as well, up to the Princess's chambers.

The door was unguarded as they approached it, but before they could enter, a wave of blue magic washed over all three of them. Angel yelped and grabbed onto Comet, but the magic didn't hurt them. "It's a spell to ward off changelings," Shining stated tonelessly and they proceeded into the room. In there sat Princess Celestia, Luna and Cadence, all around a table. They all turned their gazes to the newcomers and Cadence squealed at the sight of her husband, whom she greeted with a large hug. The solar and lunar princesses, however, stared at the pegasus and bat pony like they were expecting them to turn into changelings at any second.

Luna was the first to speak up. "DOTH THOU KNOWEST WHY THINE ART HERE?"

Comet gulped hard and Angel found interest in her forehooves. Celestia sighed and said, "Sister, not the time for that."

Luna looked at her older sibling, but cleared her throat and tried again. "Ponies of the Guard, dost thou know why thy are here?" she spoke in a much less intimidating tone.

Neither Angel nor Comet responded and Luna continued. "Thou were part of the invasion this night, were thy not?"

Comet looked away and Shining spoke up. "I believe the bat pony here, Angel, was the one who rallied the real guard to rescue us."

Celestia's eyebrows raised at that and she mused, "Well, I never thought a pony loyal to my sister would save me."

"Yes, we can underst-- WAIT! WHAT DOTH THAT MEAN?!" Luna responded.

"I also seem to remember this stallion being posted to guard me at the entrance, were you not?" Celestia continued, ignoring her sister. Every eye in the room turned to Comet and he felt a shudder run down his back.

"Er, I don't remember, my princess," Comet stated with a quivering voice.

"WHAT DOTH THOUT MEAN, 'THY CANNOT RECALL'?!" the lunar princess demanded.

"Yes, I too am curious," the white alicorn agreed, narrowing her magenta eyes at the stallion, "My captain, Shining Armor, was under the control of another changeling queen, but he could recall almost everything that happened."

"If I may, auntie," Cadence chimed in, drawing both stares of the princesses, "I was with a guest who said he saw the changeling attack you. He says one of the stallions eyes were glowing green when it happened. If it was this stallion, then he would not remember any of it, just like Shining didn't."

"AND WHO WAS THIS GUEST YOU DOTH SPEAK OF?" Luna thundered without meaning to.

"That would be me," came a new voice, thickly accented. Behind all of them, a powdery blue unicorn with a white wavy mane and a red jacket stood proudly as everypony looked at him. Luna gasped, Shining tensed and Celestia chuckled.

"Oh dear," she mused, "It would seem you had a hoof in things again, Doctor."

"I REMEMBER THOU!" shouted Luna, "I SAW THEE RIGHT BEFORE THE ATTACK!"

The unicorn rubbed his ear and responded, "Er, yes, I believe you did. It has been quite a while, Luna, but I'm glad to see you too."

"Wait," Shining interrupted, "Just who are you?!"

"I'm the Doctor," the unicorn replied comfortably.

"Doctor who?" Shining demanded.

"Exactly," he beamed. At that, both Celestia and Luna burst out into laughter, catching Shining off guard.

"My dear captain," Celestia said between laughs, "He is a very trusted member of Equestria. Do let him speak." The white unicorn remained tense, but allowed the Doctor to continue.

"Yes, well, you see this stallion here," he began, waving a hoof at Comet, "Was an important part of the attack, but not in the way you think. My companion, Paradox, was temporarily knocked out by the changeling force. I tailed him since he had stopped giving me reports on Artron energy readings around the castle, and I found that the changeling was manipulating this stallion against his will."

"How can you be sure, though, Doctor?" Celestia asked with concern.

"I noticed, as I'm sure his gryffon friend will confirm, he blinked quite often when he was forced to do something he didn't want to. I believe he did so with you, Shining, when he told you of the threat."

Shining recoiled for a second, but thought back to the day Comet told him about the fake threat. "Yeah, he paused several times and blinked a lot."

The Doctor beamed happily and stated, "There you have it. This fine, upstanding stallion was forced to do things against his will, whether he remembers them or not. I have been helping investigate changeling magic since the first attack and I now have a theory as to their mind controlling magic. The victim of such magic has his memory wiped to erase any trace of the changelings. The way it works eludes me, but now we have solid proof of my theory. I do believe, however, the changeling can manipulate how the spell works, allowing the pony affected to remember certain things, like Shining Armor's case."

Shining blushed slightly, but kept his composure.

"So, I do not believe either pony here is responsible for aiding the enemy. In fact, since the bat pony here marshaled the real guard in time and the stallion drove off the biggest threat, I think they deserve promotions," the Doctor stated with a confident smile.

The princesses stayed quiet for a while and looked at each other before turning to Shining. "I would actually like to have the stallion as part of my personal guard," Celestia said.

"WE WOULD ALSO LIKE TO ADD THE BAT PONY TO OUR OWN GUARD!" Luna shouted.

Shining bowed his head and said, "It will be done, my princesses."

On the other side of the room, and what felt like the world, Angel's eyes widened and a large grin split her face. Comet stood there, completely dumbstruck. The solar princess, Princess Celestia, wanted him as part of her personal guard?!

"In fact," the solar princess continued, "Didn't you say you were considering them for a special role not too long ago?"

"Yes, my liege," Shining responded, "With your permission, I would like to make them the new commanders of your personal guards."

Comet literally thought he was going to throw up. Angel almost squealed with delight.

Celestia nodded and Luna grinned. "THOU HAS OUR PERMISSION!"

"Sister, please."

Shining returned his gaze to the two ponies near the door. "You are dismissed," he stated brusquely. The two ponies saluted and left the chambers, Angel exploding with delight and Comet attempting to understand what had just happened. Back in the chambers, Shining rounded to the Doctor.

"Okay, now tell me, who are you?"

Celestia laughed and said, "It's quite a long story."

In the days following the attack, Comet and Angel busied themselves helping wherever they could. As Valyrie recovered, Comet and Angel spent time with Shining Armor, going over various things they would need to know as the commanders of the princesses personal guards. Several others were promoted as well, namely Shutter and Moonshield to the Lunar Guard. With the Solar Guard lacking, Comet found a couple fresh guards who had protected several fallen comrades, Holly Stalk and Wild Fire.

The days melted into weeks as the guards recovered. The wounded changelings seemed to disappear once they got better, but thanks to the Doctor, the rest of the guard was sure they left the castle. Soon, with about eighty percent of the guard back to full health, Shining decided it was time to promote Comet and Angel officially. However, a lingering thought in the back of Comet's mind still tortured him. He still had to choose between Angel and Valyrie. On the day of the ceremony where Celestia and Luna would personally welcome them into their service, Comet sat alone in Philomena's Tower. The phoenix had burned itself to ashes in the attack, but had shown up two days later, full of health and vigor. The phoenix had warmed up to Comet considerably, now sitting on his shoulder as he sat in the silence.

He had much to think about as he sat in the stillness. Angel was a beautiful bat pony who had effectively ruined his life in a good way. He loved her big golden eyes, her bubbly personality and her obnoxious behavior. The only problem was, now he'd hardly see her anymore with her captaining the Lunar Guard. Valyrie, on the other hoof, was a wonderful gryffon who needed a pony to look after her, something Comet was good at doing. She had a wonderful personality buried beneath her hard exterior and had openly shared everything with him. However, as he thought about it, the answer slowly came to him. Once he told Philomena about his decision, the phoenix cawed happily and gave him a gentle peck on the head.

Angel shuffled nervously behind the stage, itching from her new dress armor. It was pretty much the same as the armor she wore at the Gala and subsequent attack, but just with more points and shine. As she waited, she heard hoof falls behind her and sighed heavily. "Comet, you know you;re almost la-"

She was cut off by a pair of lips meeting hers.

Utterly stunned, it took a couple seconds for her mind to register what was happening. Comet's eyes were closed with his muzzle against hers. Angel thought her heart had stopped as she slowly returned the kiss. Everything around them just seemed to melt away as Angel and Comet stayed together, enjoying the moment and each other. Finally, after what would normally be deemed an excessive amount of time, Comet and Angel finally broke away, staring into each others eyes. Angel wasn't sure how to react, but a white light from behind her drew their attention. Angel's flank was shining.

Gasping excitedly, Angel leaned over and pulled up the side of her armor, which was metal plated over a thick wool coat. On her flank appeared the image of a heartbeat line. Angel's initial excitement gave away to confusion as she turned to Comet.

"What does that mean?" she asked.

"You didn't have a cutie mark this whole time?" Comet asked at the same time.

Angel chuckled at that and said, "Bat ponies usually don't have cutie marks. When Luna was banished, Celestia tried to gain our loyalty by making us more like normal ponies. She lessened our vision sensitivity, made us Royal Guards and attempted to give us cutie marks. Instead, the spell didn't work well with our natural magic, so many never get cutie marks. Only those who know for certain everything about themselves get them. So," she paused, looking back at her flank," What's it mean?"

Comet laughed softly and wrapped his hooves around the bat pony. "Why don't we find out together?" Angel's gaze turned back around to him and she kissed him again. She loved his strong frame, his gentle touch and how he always distracted her from whatever she was doing.

"Private Comet Burst, Private Angel Beats!" boomed Shining Armor's voice from somewhere. The couple stopped and looked around worriedly, but realized he had just announced their names from the platform in the other room, "Report for duty!"

Getting promoted was the best feeling ever. Getting tackled by a happy bat pony as the crowd was cheering, however, was not.

Afterwards, Comet walked along with Angel to his new office, one only three doors down from Shining's. Comet was still embarrassed and mad she had tackled him, but it sparked a question he had wanted to ask her.

"Hey," he started lamely, "That day in the alley, why did you tackle me?"

Angel paused at that and thought.

"I dunno," she said happily, "But I'm glad I did!"

Author's Note

Here's the official ending to The Golden Armor. Hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did!

Epilogue

It took Valyrie a couple of times to try and open her eyes. The light was unusually harsh on her, causing her retinas to sting. Moaning, she reached up with her claw and rubbed her brow, hoping to alleviate the pain. It hurt in its own way, but worked enough for her to try and open her eyes once more. As the harsh light faded into more recognizable colors, she noted she was staring at the ceiling of a white room.

Valyrie blinked a couple of times, trying to recall what had happened. Her mind was foggy, but bits and pieces came back to her. The last vivid memory she had was her fighting a large and very angry changeling, all the while trying to reach Comet, who was apparently being held hostage. She remembered she wasn't doing too well, being lifted into the air and then...

Her left shoulder stung at the memory. Valyrie hissed slightly and tried to move it, but found she was unable to do so. Looking over, she saw not only her shoulder, but her whole left arm was bound securely with layers of white cloth and suspended in the air with a couple wires. Her mind went blank at the sight and a sense of horror washed over her. She knew the fight went badly for her, but she didn't think her entire left side was broken. Tentatively, Valyrie attempted to move her claws and found the tips of them wiggle out of the end. Valyrie breathed a huge sigh of relief and relaxed back against her pillows, knowing she could at least she could still move.

The dead silence of the room made her uncomfortable after several hours. Valyrie had never been so bored before, but she tried to pass the time as best she could. She experimented moving part of her left arm and shoulder, finding she had no pain from her elbow down. Upwards towards her shoulder, though, she could barely twitch without experiencing a mind numbing lance of pain. After that, she counted the speckles on the ceiling three times, confirming there were four hundred and seventy two in the three tiles above her head, meaning there were about one hundred fifty seven per tile, give or take a few. Once math bored her, she hummed to herself a couple songs from her home, wishing her mother was here.

A steady set of hoofbeats caught her attention as she looked to the door on her right. Standing in the doorway was a violet unicorn, levitating a clipboard. "Ms. Valyrie Coldclaw?" the pony asked.

"Uh huh?" Valyrie responded. She didn't particularly like the use of her last name, but she said nothing.

The pony lowered the clipboard and gave a sincere smile. "How are you feeling today?"

"Oh, uh, pretty good."

"I see," the pony said, "So, since you are awake, I gather you have some questions you would like to ask?"

Valyrie just looked over to her arm as the pony began to speak again.

"Ah yes, about your arm. Well, when you were brought to us, we did our best to splint it. Your clavicle had split and dislocated your humerous, meaning we first had to reattach your arm to your shoulder before we could fix what was wrong. We put you into a deep sleep and applied some very powerful pain relieving spells so you wouldn't wake as we maneuvered your arm back into its socket. On a side note, you had three ribs with rather large cracks in them as well."

Valyrie said nothing as the doctor rattled off item after item of problems she had. It took several more minutes for the doctor to leave and she sat in silence, wondering what her father would think. Here she was in Equestria as a form of punishment and she somehow managed to pick a fight with a powerful enemy, leaving her hospitalized with a completely messed up left shoulder. In the Griffon Kingdom, this was a sign of great honor as fighting off such an enemy and only getting one arm hurt was a rare thing. Many of those who fought larger beasts, like wyverns or chimeras, came back in an even worse state than she did. Plus, those monsters didn't use magic, unlike the changeling she fought.

About four days later, Valyrie sat alone in the same bed, thinking and staring at the ceiling silently. Comet had visited her in his new armor and told her of what had happened in the past few days. He relayed the promotion ceremony and told of his new rank, but saved the part about Angel for last. It made Valyrie sad to hear he chose Angel over her, but she wasn't bitter about it. She had accepted Comet wouldn't be hers after her confrontation with Angel before the attack, but that didn't mean she didn't shed a few tears after talking to Comet.

Now, all alone, she waited for the time to slide by. As she was nodding off, a couple of hoofbeats caught her attention. Looking over, she was rather amazed by what she saw. The familiar sight of a bat pony stood in the doorway, looking around as if lost. The pony was taller than Angel and had a more masculine appearence, showing off some larger muscles in his front legs and neck. He had a scar running across his right eye, almost like a wound from an encounter with a wild animal. His mane was shorter than Comet's, trimmed closer to his fur but long enough to tell it was a mane. His more feral looking eyes scanned the room and came to a dead stop on Valyrie.

"Oh!" He exclaimed in a voice that reminded her of a cello. "I'm sorry! I was looking for the head doctor and I got, uh, lost..."

"It's okay." Valyrie said automatically, not taking her eyes off of the pony. "What's your name?"

The pony watched her too and responded, "It's, uh, Midnight Glow. What's yours?"

The two wound up talking for a good long while, Midnight Glow totally forgetting who he was looking for. Valyrie found him likeable, more so than Comet when she first met him. He had apparently come to join the guard after hearing a sibling of his had, so he was hoping to find the said pony.

"What's the pony's name? I might know who it is." Valyrie offered.

Midnight Glow looked her straight in the eyes and said, "Her name is Angel Beats. She's my half sister."

Author's Note

FINALLY!

Thanks to TwitchaTwitch86 for donating to the Las Pegasus relief effort. Your OC has made his appearence.

Also, thanks to all my readers for making this as fun as it was!

Also, if you liked it enough to want more, check the sequel out.

Basic Beginnings

Shining Armor sat at his desk, shuffling through papers he really didn't want to read. All were reports on parts of the Royal Guard, letting him know of places that could use a guard to watch, recruitment drops and things training programs didn't cover.

Shining sighed and buried his head into his hooves, mentally tired. He had returned from his honeymoon with Cadence to take on this mess, the reconstruction of the Royal Guard at his suggestion to Celestia. He was horrified to learn the changeling queen Chrysalis had posed as his wife and even convinced him to distrust his own little sister, then beat Celestia in a dual due to Shining Armor's aid. Overall, it was the biggest embarrassment of Shining's career and the breaking point for the Royal Guard.

A knock at the door caused Shining to straighten up. He cleared his throat and said in his best authoritative voice, "Come in."

The door gently swung open to reveal a stunning pink alicorn with a purple and yellow mane. She smiled sweetly at Shining and he breathed a sigh of relief. Cadance's very image was enough to calm down Shining Armor, even if he was this stressed. He smiled back to her and she trotted over to him.

"Having fun, dear?" she asked sweetly with a hint of playfulness.

Shining sighed again and looked back at the stacks of papers.

"Yeah, loads of it," he said blandly, "This will be the biggest achievement of my career if I pull this off, but only to erase my biggest failure."

Cadance gently nuzzled his neck and said, "Don't worry about it. Chrysalis had you all fooled."

"But that's the point!" Shining said loudly and startled Cadence, "I was tricked! Celestia was tricked! The whole guard was tricked! We can't let that happen again. We were only lucky the elements and my sister were here to stop her."

Cadance put a soft hoof on her husband's back and said, "But we still thwarted her. That means we still won, even if the guard wasn't expecting it."

Shining looked down and Cadence gave a small smile, "Plus, we have the best Captain we could ask for."

Comet realized he had been holding his breath as he entered in through the gates of Canterlot Castle and let out a deep sigh. Oddly enough, Angel was having the reverse problem as she babbled.

"Oh, my, Celestia! This is sooo cool! That's the royal palace, and the gardens, and the moat and the..." she excitedly listed off.

Their escort, the guard from the recruitment station, kept silent and wore a hard face as he led the two ponies over to the left, past a set of pegasus guards. The two eyed Angel suspiciously, but let her pass without a word. It was indeed unusual for a bat pony to be out during the day, plus the added suspicion of changelings since the royal wedding, but their spells didn't stop her. Nor did they cause her to salivate uncontrollably; It seemed the castle grounds were doing that just fine. As the three walked to the Royal Guard training grounds, the escort found it increasingly hard to keep a straight face as Angel continued her rambling. Luckily, Comet saved him.

"Are you seriously going to name off every single blade of grass?" he grumbled.

"Oh, come on, Comet! You don't think this is cool?" Angel whined, her excitement suddenly dampered.

Comet rolled his eyes and said "We're not a tour group. We're future Royal Guards, and as such, we need to act like it."

Angel stuck out her tongue at the ground and mumbled "Party pooper."

Comet pretended not to hear it and kept trotting behind the escort. Angel slightly lagged behind, silent but with large sparkling eyes scanning everything. The trio approached a series of large square buildings and a rather long dirt path that ran into the forest at the edge of the castle grounds. Guard Ponies of all sizes were doing random exercises all around the compound. Pegasus ponies were straining to pull large boulders using just their wings while unicorn guards fired bolts of different colored energy at targets that popped up at irregular intervals. Several pegasi and unicorn ponies of many different colors did push ups as a large pegasus in spectacular guard armor shouted at them.

"Hey, why are all those ponies not white or black?" Angel said, pointing a hoof at the ponies doing push ups.

Comet clenched his teeth at the rather insensitive question, but the escort answered anyway.

"They are recruits like you two. When they earn the armor of the guard, spells bound to it forces the pelt colors to become either white or black."

Comet raised an eyebrow, but Angel nodded.

Soon the two were standing in the barracks. It amazed Angel who, of course, was promptly rifling through anything that didn't have a lock. Comet stood resolutely still next to the escort in stark contrast. The guard finally let out a smile and removed his helmet.

"You know, I did see what happened in the recruitment building." he said with a slight chuckle.

Comet felt his stomach drop and the guard watched Angel with a smile.

"She's a feisty one, that pony. I'm not shocked in the least you like her." he said and Comet felt a shudder run through his spine.

"I'm most definitely not interested in her." Comet replied quickly, giving the guard another reason to chuckle.

"You can say that, but you can't deny instinct. She's cute and obviously single, so you better claim her before somepony else does."

Comet didn't reply to that, opting for the stoic guard stare. The guard sighed and put his helmet back on and called Angel over. She ran back, excitedly explaining to Comet about the monotonous greenish gray colors, the nearly plywood tough beds and the views from the windows.

The guard cleared his throat and said "Alright recruits, this will be your new home for the next four months. Basic Training is not easy, but it will forge you into fine guards if you cooperate. Hopefully, next time I see either of you, I will be saluting you."

Angel gave him an impromptu hug and thanked him, causing him to give a grin.

She scampered away after yelling "Top bunk is mine, Comet!" and the guard gave him a wink.

"Remember what I told ya, soldier. Claim her or lose her."

At that, the guard saluted Comet, who returned it, and left the two ponies alone.

Comet remained in the exact same spot, unsure of what to think. The guard had evidently known next to nothing about Comet, thinking he had any interest in that screwy bat pony. She had every trait he loathed and then some. She was loud, childish and an expert at annoying Comet.

Granted, it wasn't like he wasn't into mares. Spitfire was probably the cutest mare he knew of, but he had also seen pictures of the Elements of Harmony wielders. The purple unicorn was supposed to be Princess Celestia's personal protege and as such she had to be smart, something Comet liked in mares. She also had a pretty purple mane with a pink stripe, a very modern style Comet also liked. All in all, he had thought the purple unicorn was the ideal personality of the mare he wanted while Spitfire had the body. That was when he felt a pair of eyes on him.

Swiftly turning his head, he noticed Angel was giving him a smug look and he felt his cheeks flush.

"Can I help you?" he asked in his best annoyed voice.

Angel scrunched up her nose and stared directly into his eyes with her slit pupils.

"What were ya thinkin' of?" she asked a little too innocently.

Comet scrunched up his face as well, but his expression was more like there was a foul odor in the room.

"It's none of your business." he stated.

"I think I know what it was." Angel said in her smug voice.

"I highly doubt you do." Comet replied.

"I bet I do." Angel said.

"I bet you don't," Comet argued.

"I bet it was a mare." Angel cooed.

Comet felt his eyes retract and his face flush, forcing him to turn away from her.

Angel, for her part, squealed in excitement and said "Oh, it is, it is! Who is it? Princess Celestia? Princess Luna? Oh, please, tell me, tell me, tell me!"

Comet adamantly refused to answer and Angel kept rattling off names, hoping he would react again.

Finally, she said "Oh wait! Is it me?"

Comet froze at that and turned around. His face was as red as his eyes, mostly due to Angel saying Spitfire at some point, but he was also annoyed. She had said that earlier that day and even the guard was in agreement. He was NOT interested in Angel.

"Stop asking me!" was all he managed to say without shouting at her.

He turned tail to her and marched over to the bunk beds he and Angel were supposed to share, leaving her speechless. Angel, of course, completely misinterpreted his words and began to blush herself.

"He... does like me?" she whispered to herself.

She felt a huge surge of energy from her excitement and ran to tackle him into a hug. She did and rolled with Comet on the floor, eventually stopping on top of him. Comet lay on his stomach and wore a very annoyed face as Angel resumed her signature laughing. These next four months were going to be the most difficult of his life.

Several hard fought minutes later, Comet was unpacking his saddlebags and storing a collection of odd items in the footlocker at the base of his bed while Angel peeked down on him from the top bunk.

"What's that?" She asked.

Comet was holding a book in his teeth and set it gently into the locker.

"Combat Techniques of the Marengetti." he stated flatly, knowing Angel wouldn't be interested.

It was actually a journal he kept for his mother, who thought it would help him open up more and make some friends.

"Boooooring." Angel lamented. "Do you read the Daring Doo series? That's a good book. Action, adventure, danger, ancient relics, romance."

She sighed happily, turning over on the bed and staring at the ceiling. Daring Do was so completely cool, thwarting ancient traps and putting amazing relics in museums while dodging a number of enemies. Comet thought the series was for children. Who could rightfully expect to go on some grandiose adventure every week and not require more bits that Celestia and an amazing doctor? Comet preferred to stay grounded to reality through biographies and history books.

While Angel was lost in her fantasies of Daring Do, Comet seized the opportunity to place several photographs into the locker. The topmost one was a picture of a wonderfully green mare with sparkling magenta eyes and a tall yellow pegasus smiling at the camera. His parents, Mangrove and Sun Storm, gave him the photo when he left San Prancisco, causing him to choke up. He missed his mother, the wonderful mare, but he had to start his own life. His father had reserves about him joining the guard, but allowed his son to make his own decisions.

"Who're those ponies?" came the familiar voice of Angel from behind him.

Startled, Comet tried to slam shut the footlocker, but his wing was in the way. He shouted in pain and wrenched his wing loose, tripping over Angel who crouched behind him, and sprawling on his back. His head smacked the legs of the bunk beds on the other side of the barracks, making his forehead lance with pain. He curled up, wincing as his head throbbed and a pony cleared his throat rather loudly. Comet opened his eye to see a stern looking guard glaring down at him.

So much for a good first impression.

Author's Note

I accidently published the chapter before it was finished. Sorry!

Valor and Excessive Celebration

It took several hours for Valyrie to get over the surprise hug by Angel. When the assault on her personal space was over, the group proceeded out of the armory and to their post; Philomena's tower. Shining had told them Philomena would still be upset about catching her and he was right. Comet was lucky he had on his helmet since she dive bombed him and pecked at it for two minutes straight, much to the amusement of Angel and Valyrie.

The two continued to laugh at Comet as he made some colorful insults at the phoenix, then at them when Philomena finally calmed down. Soon, all three oddballs were standing in silence, bored as bored could be. Comet stayed rigidly still, even as Philomena decided his back was a perfect place to perch herself and nip at his tail and mane. Valyrie tried her best to keep a straight face, but Angel's laughter eventually won out.

Finally, Philomena got bored of trying to get a response from Comet and flew back to her perch, looking sad. Angel watched as the phoenix hunger her head and approached the bird, saying, "Aw, poor Philomena. You just want to have fun, huh?"

Philomena cawed sadly in response and Angel gave her a smile. Valyrie tried throwing an annoyed look her way, but Angel clearly wasn't paying attention.

"Hey, Philomena," Angel whispered loud enough for Valyrie to hear but quiet enough for Comet to tune out, "Here's what you do. Go up to him slowly and quietly, then nip him between his wings. He'll respond to that."

Philomena gave her a sideways look, but glided down to the floor and silently walked over to the pegasus. She flew up and perched herself on his back again and cawed like before. Comet didn't even turn around to acknowledge the phoenix's presence and Philomena nipped him between his tightly folded wings.

Comet's response was immediate. A weird mix of both pleasure and excruciating pain shot through his back as the phoenix bit him. He immediately began to curl his spine and spread his wings out so quickly, it startled Philomena. She cawed in surprise and flapped her wings as Comet's left legs went numb and he toppled over. He hit the ground before finally getting control of his body back and quickly stood up to face the phoenix. Angel fell over laughing and Valyrie couldn't help but stare at Comet. It didn't take the gryffon long before she started to giggle as Comet angrily chased both Angel and Philomena around the room.

`The day generally went on like that, but after lunch Valyrie decided to join in on the fun. It started slowly at first, such as dragging a claw down Angel's armor to produce a rather annoying sound. It then graduated into a full blown female assault on the one stallion. Philomena, Angel and Valyrie all proceeded to try and annoy him in any way possible, but Valyrie seemed to have the most success.

Soon, Comet was soon sitting in the mess hall again with a plate of fresh lettuce and some sugar coated strawberries for dinner. Angel sat on one side of him, Valyrie on the other. Comet wondered why Angel wasn't on night guard duty yet, but kept his mouth shut as both girls talked around him.

"So, where ya from again?" Angel called over into Comet's ear, making it ring when she finished.

"The Gryffon Kingdom," she answered cooly, thankfully feeling no need to yell, "My home was in a place called Wyvern Pass."

"What's a wyvern?" Angel called over again.

"A big, scary creature with a dragon head, two big claws, breathes fire and lives in the rivers and lakes," Valyrie replied nonchalantly.

"Do they exist?"

"Well, duh! It's not called Wyvern Pass for nothing."

Comet tried to mentally picture such a creature, but all he got was a goofy looking dragon image stuck in his head. He chuckled to himself and Valyrie narrowed her eyes at him.

"What's so funny about wyverns?" She asked pointedly, "They're big creatures that level entire villages on a whim. They pop up out of nowhere, scare away all the gryffons in the area and take what they want before razing the place."

"Sounds like a typical dragon to me," Angel somehow said while sipping on the straw of a cup full of peach juice.

Valyrie switched her gaze around Comet to Angel and said, "Oh yeah? Well how big do they get? Wyvern's get up to about the size of a shipping boat."

"I heard a dragon that took over an entire mountaintop in Ponyville," Angel replied, "His smoke alone almost forced everyone in the town to leave."

Valyrie's face went from smugness to shock as she comprehended just how big the dragon had to be.

"No way," she said, backpedaling, "No way any creature gets that big."

"Uh huh," Comet finally chimed in, "Dragons here typically take over entire mountains. The one Angel was talking about was trying to sleep from what I heard. Celestia would've gone to the town herself if the dragon would've gotten violent."

Valyrie sat there, dumbfounded. If that was true, then dragons here in Equestria were typically twice the size of some of the biggest wyverns in the Gryphon Kingdom. She gulped and said, "Whatever. Wyverns are still scary."

After dinner, Valyrie suggested the trio go into town to celebrate their promotions. According to the forms the duo signed, guards were given two days off, but had to be on call at any moment. Since Comet and Angel were now officially Royal Guards and no longer recruits, they had found out their day off was tomorrow by asking how to find out from a unicorn guard, who materialized the shift list. Apparently Philomena guards were given two days off in a row since Celestia often spent time with her those days. Angel insisted to Comet they go with Valyrie, but he wanted nothing more than to go to bed. Eventually, he reluctantly agreed to go at Angel and Valyrie's combined pleas.

Soon, Luna's moon was high in the sky as the trio sat at a tavern known as The Shadowy Mug and chatted away. Valyrie had insisted on playing a couple games of Prodder, but had gotten very angry when Angel won all of her bits, as well as Comet's, who had no idea how to play. They each had mugs of cider they happily sipped on, but the barman had made the mistake of using hard cider on Angel and Valyrie's drinks after their fourth round since he was swamped by other ponies, so the conversation took some very weird turns.

"So what's up with you and Angel? Have you two done it yet?" Valyrie asked Comet while Angel was away getting another round for herself and Valyrie. It must've been the cider talking, but Valyrie was curious. Comet and Angel seemed practically made for each other, but they didn't act like they had anything between them. She had been keeping an eye out for a nice gryphon, but Comet was something new, like a toy. Comet utterly refused to answer that until she threatened to ask Angel.

"No, we are friends, nothing else," he stated tersely.

"Oh, so you're free?" she asked, moderately interested.

Valyrie gave a sideways grin to Comet that he pretended not to notice. Comet was a fuzzy mass of orange since he wasn't wearing his armor out in public, but Valyrie thought he was actually more gryphon like than anypony she'd met. Most ponies were loud and just too friendly, like somegryffon dumped sugar all over them. Comet was different in the way he didn't seem to care about her, and she liked that. Not to mention he was cute as well. If Angel hadn't claimed him yet, then there was no harm in Valyrie trying, now was there? Shoot, all she had to do was put a beak and claws on him and he was the striking image of a gryphon.

Angel returned in a haze and downed her seventh mug as Valyrie emptied her ninth. Comet had barely finished his second, which he felt was a good thing. Angel and Valyrie didn't realized it yet, but they were actually causing a scene. They laughed way too loudly, shouted to each other and even began to throw a couple cards out of the deck they played Prodder with. One managed to get in another ponies drink and Comet finally decided to take them back to the castle. After using Angel's winnings to pay for the drinks since it was Comet's and Valyrie's bits as well, he herded the two out of the tavern and back to the castle. Along the way, Angel somehow fell asleep while trying to get inside a shop window and Comet started to carry her back with a tipsy gryffon snickering at him the whole way.

"So, what's going on between you two?" Valyrie asked.

"I said nothing. We're just friends," Comet replied a little too quickly.

"Doesn't seem like it," Valyrie mumbled, "Seems like you take extra special care of her. I mean, look at you! Carrying her back like some sorta hero."

"Friends do that for each other," Comet answered defensively.

"Yeah, but dey usually don't put dem on dere back and carry dem," Valyrie had a sly grin slide across her face and Comet tried to ignore it. "You do like her, don't you?"

Comet didn't answer and Valyrie continued, "If you're nervous about making her happy, I could always... give ya some tips." Comet shot her a glare and she laughed loudly again.

It was only after they reached the castle did Comet finally set down the snoozing Angel. She looked rather happy wrapped up in her blankets and, despite the trail of drool running down the back of his neck, Comet was actually pretty happy to see her like that. She really was cute.

His mood almost instantly soured as he headed to his own bunks, though. A large claw dragged him into an empty room and, before he could ask what it wanted, a set of hard beaks met his lips. Comet almost shoved her away. Not only did it hurt a lot, but the claws wrapped around him and forced him to the ground. He lay on his back with a clearly tipsy gryffon on top of him, giving him a look he really didn't want to see. He saw the grin only through the slight moonlight peeking in through a window on the far side of the room.

"If she didn't claim you," Valyrie said in her best normal tone while tipsy, "Then why can't I have a little fun?"

Comet's face contorted into one of fear as he struggled to get loose from the gryffon, who now was leaning in way too close for comfort. He managed to spin over and try to push himself loose, but her beak nipped between his wings and he felt himself try to contort into a ball. Valyrie laughed like this was a game and Comet fought back harder. He dug his hooves into the stone, but they kept slipping, so he flared his wings in her face. That only made her laugh and earned each of them a slight, playful nip. Finally, as her beak approached his tail, he managed to slip out from Valyrie's grasp and bolted away from her.

She gave chase and tried to catch him, saying things like, "Come to mama, my brave stallion. Don't you wanna feel what it's like to be with a real gryffon?" Comet was in full panic mode as he darted around the dark room, listening to Valyrie's crazy laugh. Finally, he found the door and bolted out through it, much to the protest of Valyrie.

Comet didn't sleep well that night. Valyrie lay in her bunk several rows away from Angel and grumbled to herself about selfish stallions. Angel was fast asleep, but Valyrie could swear she heard her mumble.

"Comet."

Remaking Friends

Angel woke the next day unusually tired. It took her an extra fifteen minutes to get ready for the day, something the corporal of the bunks didn't like. As she trudged down to the mess hall to grab a piece of fruit, she couldn't help thinking about yesterday and how everything went wrong. She had gotten Comet more angry than she could remember, all because of her lack of tact. Of course just barging in and confronting him about his beloved sister wasn't a good idea, especially when Comet cared for her as much as he did. She gave a large sigh and kept her head down. Her eyes were still puffy from yesterday when she sobbed into her pillow, fully believing Comet now hated her. Valyrie had brought Philomena to the bunks, something she got yelled at for as well, to attempt to comfort Angel, but Angel was too upset.

When she was crying, it felt like tons of little needles were being stabbed into her chest. It hurt her to remember, but her parents used to fight like how she and Comet just did all the time. It would usually start with her mother wanting to save the bat pony race and her father arguing against it, saying she had a family to take care of.

"You can't just run off and abandon your family!" her father shouted from down the hall. Angel felt her heart freeze for a second as she played with a couple crayons and a piece of paper.

"I'm not going to run off!" her mother replied, "I'm going to help save our species!"

"We don't need saving, dear! Our colony is doing fine."

"Then why are we on the brink of zero increase? We need help and I can do that."

"Sweetie..." her father pleaded.

"You know this! Why are you arguing with me?!" her mother shouted angrily.

"Because of what you want to do! I don't care if you can help, you're my wife and Angel's mother! You can't just leave us!"

"You know well enough I should. Angel also needs to know why I have to leave because she will be needed for the same reason!"

"No," her father said in a deadly serious voice.

"What?"

"No, I will not let that future befall our daughter,"

"And why not? It's a glorious future for her!"

"To be the colony's whore?!" her father shouted.

"No, to be the mother of the next generation of bat ponies!" her mother yelled.

Angel wasn't the smartest pony, but even as a filly, she learned her mother was one of the last fertile mares of her colony. Bat ponies, after years of breeding in their own colonies, had developed a genetic disorder where most mares could not successfully have foals. It usually took a regular mare nine failed attempts to have one successful pregnancy. A lot of bat pony foals were miscarried, causing their population to drop to an insanely low number. Most fertile mares, meaning those who could have foals on one try, were often kept in the colonies to breed new life and were heavily guarded. By a stroke of luck, Angel's mother was one such mare and Angel was suspected of carrying her mother's fertility gene.

Angel snapped back from the mental replay of her parents argument and past to find herself holding up the line in the mess hall. She grinned awkwardly at the chef, picked up an orange and darted off. Angel staved off the urge to cry again as she approached Philomena's room, but with her head down, she didn't realize there was a pony in front of her. She ran headfirst into a piece of gold and her head made a loud ringing noise as the pony shouted, "Whoa!" and the two toppled over. Angel's head hurt as she lay on top of the other pony, so she rubbed her forehead. "Hey," came the other pony, "Watch where you're... Angel!"

Angel opened one eye as the pony twisted on the ground beneath her to see a white pegasus stallion reach up and hug her. "C-Comet?" she asked nervously and the hug got marginally tighter.

"Well, duh," he responded, "Who else would just randomly hug another pony who tried to run them over?" His tone was unusually happy and sweet, something Angel was not used to. She didn't really hug him back, so she just kinda stood there, feeling awkward until he let her go, smiling widely at the sullen bat pony. "Hey, what's wrong?" he then asked, his voice losing the happy tone.

Angel looked away, ashamed, and mumbled, "I'm sorry."

"What?" Comet replied.

Angel turned her head back to him, eyes red and puffy, and said, "I'm sorry Comet! I'm sorry about talking about Nova!" Angel's head dropped and a couple small sobs escaped her and Comet felt a horrible rotting sensation in his chest. He took his mother's advice and was cheerful to her, but apparently Angel didn't let it go.

Steeling his will, he said gently, "Angel. Hey, Angel."

"I'm sorry, Comet." Angel spoke, ignoring his words, "I didn't mean to make you so upset. I just, I didn't know how to tell you, so I just blurted it out. I know you probably hate me and you don't want to date me, but can we still be friends? I just, I can't..." Angel trailed off, sniffling and gritting her teeth. She was sure he was going to yell at her again, just like her first coltfriend back in the caves she lived in. Instead, a calm and gentle hoof reached out and placed itself on her own. Angel looked at it and still sniffled. However, she managed to follow the white hoof back to the white chest, neck and head of Comet.

He smiled gently to her, trying his best to keep himself composed as he spoke to Angel. "Angel, I'm the one who's sorry," he spoke as gently as he could, "I overreacted to you and I'm sorry for that. I treated you like a jerk and I feel horribly about it." He reached up with his other hoof and gently wiped away a couple tears off Angel's face, just like he used to with Nova and sighed. "You know," he stated tactlessly, "The sad look isn't one for you."

Angel managed a chuckle out of that, halting the flow of tears and Comet gently pressed his forehead against hers. "Angel," he said with a smile, "I promise you, I won't get angry at you like that ever again. I've always been touchy about Nova, but you are not just some other pony I can get angry to. If you want, I would definitely like to keep dating you." Angel's big golden eyes flicked up and met Comet magically blue eyes and they just sat there, staring at each other. Finally, Angel broke the silence and said, "Yeah, I would like that."

A huge grin broke out on Comet's face and he gave her another hug and this time Angel returned it. The sad and lonely pegasus and the loud and obnoxious bat pony just sat there, feeling happy that the little spat hadn't ruined their relationship. As Comet sat there, he could almost see Nova smiling at him. The odd pair didn't end the hug until a set of guards rounded down the hallway and the two bolted off for their post, happy to be friends again. Inside Philomena's room, they took up their usual posts as Valyrie stood there, clearly unhappy with their tardiness. As punishment, Comet agreed to clean the room while Angel played with Philomena. The trio of females resumed their assault on the only stallion in the room, playing pranks and passing the day, only resuming their stoic looks when a corporal popped his head in to investigate the noises.

Later that day, after the shift had ended, the trio sat in the guard relaxation room, playing a game Comet dominated the gryffon and bat pony at. "Luna to E4," he stated proudly as he moved his minuature black figurine of Luna to a white sculpt of Celestia. Angel's jaw dropped as she lost yet again and put on her pouty face.

"This game is too hard to play!" she complained, "I liked checkers better."

"Yeah," Valyrie chimed in while she was playing with a deck of cards, "I want to play Prodder. This game is boring."

"Aw, come on!" Comet whined, "I played both of your games and got my flank kicked. You both can stand losing a bit in chess."

"It's more fun when you lose," Angel piped up, causing Comet's face to redden as Valyrie laughed.

"That isn't very nice," Comet stated flatly. Angel just sat back on her hind legs and shrugged, tilting her head slightly to the side. "Whatever," Comet grumbled, "I'll get the checkers." Angel squealed happily and reached across the table to hug him, knocking over a lot of the pieces at the same time. Valyrie laughed as Angel squeezed Comet's neck to the point she began to choke him and Comet tried to force her hooves from his neck. Flustered, he went off and got the checkers game while Angel and Valyrie cleaned up the chess pieces.

A long while afterwards, the trio sat around the table, each clearly tired but staring at each other suspiciously. They each held a set of five cards and a deadly silence permeated the air until Valyrie said, "You both ready?" Angel and Comet nodded and at once, all three slammed their cards on the table. Under Angel's dark hoof sat three nines, a Princess Celestia and an ace. Comet's hoof was two fours, two princes and a seven while Valyrie's claw was a six, three Princess Lunas and an eight. "I win again!" Valyrie shouted happily as Comet's face soured. Angel narrowed her golden eyes at her, but smiled.

"I gave you that win," she stated smugly and Valyrie clicked her beak.

"Then you shouldn't have let me win," she retorted and Angel's smile melted into a frown.