The eight mares, Guardians included, watched as their masculine company trotted off, leaving them behind to chat.

Clyde was talking to the few members of the 11th that weren’t recruits; he had made it clear earlier that he and few others survived the Battle of Canterbury Cove. The couple of stallions he was conversing with had to be those few.

Spike stayed at the table, but Brutus and Sebastian were out of sight, the black earth pony presumably in the bar with a group from the Infantry and the unicorn conversing with his former Special Operations comrades.

“So how long have you known Clyde?” asked Persephone, finding the only likeness between the two groups in their mutual friend.

“A little while,” responded Fluttershy quietly.

“And, what do you know about him?”

They recalled what he told them, beginning with Rainbow Dash; how she had first met him when he was using the sight in the mountains outside of Ponyville. The others chimed in, telling about how he used to be in the 11th Calvary, but became a Guardian when he was chosen. They told her how it was his job to watch over them, and about how he nearly died saving them from the manticore.

“But what do you know about him?”

“I think he has a split personality,” explained Twilight, “He seems to have different sides to his behaviors. He’s been chivalrous or sad or serious or happy, but never at the same time. I just can’t figure out which side is the real him.”

“Anything else?” asked Dawn, prying.

“He told me he was an orphan,” said Dash, her raspy voice cracking as she did.

The brown unicorn nodded, a few strands of her dark mane falling over her face. This fact was new to the other mares; only Dash and the Guardians had known.

“We’ve noticed it too, his different personalities. You said you can’t figure out which side is his natural side,” Persephone began solemnly, “Before tonight, it was sorrow.”

“How?” asked Pinkie Pie, “When we first met him, he smiled a lot. I noticed it for sure!”

Dawn said quietly, “The easiest way to hide pain is with a smile.”

The mares grew solemn as she continued.

“That boy there,” she said, her voice holding a reverent tone, “has known more pain than anypony I’ve ever known. His body used to be free of scars, he used to have dozens and dozens of friends, he wasn’t always an orphan; he had a family once.”

Shocked, Fluttershy looked across the room to her Guardian. Somehow, he was laughing.

“So, he only smiles to mask his suffering?” inquired Rarity.

“Yes, or to try and comfort others in suffering. At least, before tonight,” said Persephone, “The Clyde that came tonight isn’t the one I’ve known for years. I don’t know if it has anything to do with you all,” she contemplated, turning towards her newest acquaintances, “but when he smiles now, it’s because he’s genuinely happy. I think he’s rediscovered something in his life.”

The Guardian stopped speaking, anticipating realization.

“What is it?” asked Fluttershy, both intrigued and concerned over the answer.

After a long pause, Dawn answered for her sister in arms, “Love.”

“He loves us?” asked Dash, appalled by the emotional shift in the conversation.

“Don’t say it like that, dear,” advised Dawn, “Remember, there are different kinds of love other than romantic love,” she turned to the young purple drake seated at her left, “like brotherly love,” she looked to Twilight, “or the love that comes with friendship,” her gentle eyes landed on Dash, “a protective love,” she smiled as a thought hatched in her head, “or the love among family.”

“Ya think he loves us like family?” asked Applejack.

“You’re the closest thing to family he has,” reminded Persephone.

“He may love each of you in his own unique way,” Dawn smiled as she spoke, “as is normal, but he loves you all regardless; that much is obvious.”

All seven civilians turned in their chairs in unison to see Clyde, still on the opposite side of the room.

“You love him too, don’t you?” asked Persephone, and they slowly nodded, realizing that they, in fact, did.

They watched as Clyde looked over his shoulder at them, and somehow, smiled.

It was well into the night, and most of the ponies at the ball had already left the palace.

Clyde was outside on a balcony, his eyes glowing as he faced the east. Pictures of the serene night floated by, but he took note of a few ponies tossing and turning in their sleep. He was in the process of triple checking for anything with mal-intent in the region when he heard a soft step behind him.

He finished confirming the town’s safety before coming out of the trance, and turned around to see that Fluttershy had joined him on the platform.

“Nice night,” she said softly as she stood next to him.

“It is,” he agreed as they both sat beneath the face of the moon.

She began fidgeting, and Clyde knew she was uncomfortable about something, most likely something she was thinking about privately.

Then, she blurted out, “Do you like Rarity?”

“Oh,” Clyde was taken aback. He had danced with her, and if she had heard from Pinkie or Dash about the
incident in the boutique, it would make sense why she would think that.

“It’s fine if you do,” she added with a flat, almost depressed voice.

“No,” he said desperately, quickly recomposing himself, “no, we, um, were trying to teach Sebastian a lesson, that’s all.”

“Oh,” said Fluttershy, hope restored to her tone.

“I was going to ask you to dance when she asked me, and I knew she was trying to prove something to Sebastian, so I couldn’t say no. Everything after that, with everypony else was just for fun, until you came out.” he explained.

Fluttershy’s hoof went to the rose behind her ear as he spoke, and she smiled to herself. It was obvious that she liked him, everypony could see it, including Clyde.

There, together on the balcony, Clyde entered a dilemma; His duty, or his emotions, the same problem he came across every time the two of them met.

He didn’t notice the silence in the air; his thoughts seemed like voices all around him. His conscience told him that he had to stay true to his duty, and not let a love interest get in the way of protecting Equestria; his heart told him to forget his duty and tell her the way he felt, hoping it would turn into love; his brain told him to try and do both, but to stay true to his duty first and foremost. He decided to listen to his brain.

“Nights like these sure are beautiful from up high,” Clyde sighed in an attempt to sound charming.

Fluttershy hummed in agreement as her head bobbed a bit.

“I know a spot where you can see everything in Equestria. Maybe I could take you up there sometime?”

She smiled at him, “I’d like that.”

He hugged her, but she held him long after he meant to end the embrace. Then they re-entered the palace, and the group prepared to leave.

They said their goodbyes to their new friends as they prepared for the ride out of Canterlot. Sebastian apologized to Rarity, fabricating the excuse that it was the cider talking, not him. She forgave him, but denied him the kiss he leaned in for.

Clyde held the massive doors as his guests meandered back out into the crisp night air. Before he himself departed, he looked across the room to Celestia and Luna. Eventually, the two regal mares turned their intense gazes towards him. They locked eyes, and Clyde nodded to them, letting them know that he understood what was to come. They nodded back with straight faces, and then, he joined the others outside.

The same carriage that had carted them to the ball was set to take them home, and was waiting on the palace lawn. They silently boarded; Clyde knew they were all very tired, and the night was fitfully over.

“Did you have fun?” he asked after taking a seat, again, removing his beret and holding it in between his hooves.

Seven smiling nods replied, all of them too tired to speak from a long night of dancing, talking and laughing.

The carriage began the journey back to Ponyville with a jolt, and within minutes, the steady rocking of the carriage lulled most within to sleep; only Spike, his eyelids heavy, was still awake.

“You can go to sleep if you want to,” he offered.

Spike looked up at him through more than half-shut eyes, and then teetered over onto Twilight’s lap.

Clyde quietly chuckled to himself and waited for the trip to end. When they arrived in Ponyville, he directed the chauffeurs to each of the mares’ homes, and then carried the tired residents inside, setting them to sleep.

After he carried Twilight and Spike into the library and laid them in bed, he kicked off for the mountains.

When he landed on his perch, he closed his eyes and went into a trance. He felt slight pressure in his temples, and images of sleeping equines began to drift by his eyes.

Eventually, he turned his gaze towards Canterlot, just in time to see Luna and Celestia taking off from a tower balcony to begin the hunt for the source of the evil Luna had sensed.

He stayed up very late, until the moon began to kneel to the earth, and when he stopped the vision he drifted off to sleep under the twinkling stars.

The sound of terrified screams suddenly seized his attention. He recognized the sounds of battle; sobs and screams of the wounded, the clashing and clanging of metal and flesh, and the howls and cackles of the enemy.

He tried to get up, but he couldn’t. Only his head could move, and even then he could see little in the darkness. He craned his neck to see a burning town; Ponyville was in flames.

He tried to get up to help, to do something, anything, but his legs were pinned to the ground by some immense weight; only his head remained flexible. Suddenly, a shadow flashed overhead. Startled, he flinched and tried to turn to see the menace in the dark, but he saw nothing; nothing except for a pair of opaque cyan eyes.

He recoiled as the figure drew closer and closer to his face, and he shuttered when he heard it laugh; a heartless laugh laughing at him, at his powerlessness, and at his demise.
Then he woke up.

He shot upright, sweating. He was still wearing his uniform, and was on the cliff face in the mountains, the sun just starting to clear the eastern horizon.

“It was only a dream,” he told himself, “But it felt so real. This has to be what Luna was talking about, but I didn’t notice these nightmares before. It must be getting stronger.”

He picked himself up off the rocky ground and flew home, stressing over the ominous future.

Author's Notes:

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