When all the plates were empty, Clyde cleared the table, carrying the entire payload of dishes to the kitchen sink in one trip. He then sat in his chair in the living room. The mares followed him into the room, still a bit uneasy, and spread throughout the quarters. Rarity took a comfortable spot on the couch alongside her fellow unicorn. Applejack leaned against the wall nearest the fireplace, with Rainbow Dash doing the same on the opposite side of the room. The vibrant earth pony stood near the coffee table, adjacent to Fluttershy.

Clyde sat in silence for more than a little while, thinking of what to say. His guests waited quietly as well, though some couldn’t help but to fidget a little. Eventually, he rose from his seat, stood before the mantle, staring into the fire, and began to speak.

“I’m sorry if I’ve been a bit…strange, but I’ve got some secrets I’ve been keeping,” he said apologetically, “Dash knows this already, but I’m not normal. I’ll get to that, but before you can understand me now though, you need to know my past.”

The stallion’s demeanor had changed; he wasn’t arrogantly confident or cryptic like he was at dinner. Now he was more pious, more serious; this side of him was much kinder, more humble, more refined, and the mares took a liking to it.

“About three years ago, I joined the Equestrian military. I was just old enough to make it in, practically still a colt. After basic training, they put me in the 11th Cavalry; it’s a unit only pegasi can join.”

Twilight interrupted, saying matter-of-factly, “I’ve heard of that unit; they’re famous for their defeat of the changelings at the Battle of Canterbury Cove.”

Clyde turned to her, his face glum and sullen. He glanced to all in the room, and then turned back to the fire. The realization hit Twilight like a train. Shocked violet eyes moved up and down the stallion’s body, finally noticing the nature of his scars. They were battle scars; burns, cuts, gashes, and puncture wounds that had since, though roughly, healed.

“You were there?” she quietly asked, her eyes wide in epiphany.

Clyde silently made his way to the glass armor case. He looked reverently into its interior.

“This is what I wore that day.”

The mares looked a little closer at the armor’s plating, and could see the dents and holes, the gashes and the warped sections, and knew that the damage had been done in battle. Clyde turned his attention to a perfectly round hole in the front plate of the armor, then looked down at his own chest. Coinciding with the hole in the metal was a circular scar on his breast, along with many similar lines and cuts matching the damage in the iron.

His heart felt heavy, like it was sinking in his chest. He looked into his reflection in the case’s glass, and saw a scarred, chiseled face staring back at him. The image’s eyes mimicked his own, holding all the pain and sorrow he had come to know. His memories flooded back to him like a wave. He could hear the terrified screams of the wounded and dying alongside frightening cackles and roars. He could smell the blood again, its thick pungent odor accompanying the stench of death and decay. He could see his brothers’ faces, contorted in fear and pain, as they died all around him.

He jumped back to the present when he saw a movement apart from his own in the reflection, and felt something against his side. He looked down; Pinkie Pie had come to his side. She looked up at him, smiling. Her baby blue eyes sparkled, eyebrows slightly raised in an expression of innocent compassion. She didn’t have to say a thing; Clyde could tell what she was trying to convey, and looked back to her without trying to hide his grief. Then, surprisingly naturally, she put both hooves around his neck and hugged him.

The stallion drew in a breath suddenly, recoiling at first, but Pinkie held fast. The other five could see this was unfamiliar to him as they approached the pair. Clyde looked around the room quickly and nervously, and then back down at the pink earth pony wrapped around the base of his neck, and felt something he never had before. He didn’t know what it was, but it made him feel warm and light, and the sorrow in his heart was routed by something new. He finally leaned into the embrace, his chin coming to rest on top of her head. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath accompanied by the faintest scent of cotton candy. He didn’t see them, but he felt five more bodies join them.

The group held him tightly, and he felt less alone. He heard a small voice say soothingly, “It’s okay.” He held them tighter, and tried to tell himself everything really would be ok.

Eventually, the embrace ended when Pinkie released her vice-like, yet somehow gentle grip. Clyde continued with his story as he made his way back to the mantle, the mares all taking a spot on the enormous sofa or the soft carpet around the fireplace. He cleared his throat and continued his story.

“Anyway,” he sighed, “I was promoted for my ‘actions’ that day. I won six medals for valor, and most of the unit had gone down; only three others made it through, and they were lower ranks than me. So, the brass saw it fitting to make me the 11th’s Captain. The unit’s basically mine now.”

He began to pace the room, his guests staying put.

“Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to stick around for long; the princesses had different plans for me. Less than a moon after my promotion, I was summoned to Canterlot by Princess Luna. When I arrived, I found out she had chosen me to become a Guardian.”

Six confused faces confirmed what he already assumed, but before he could explain, he needed something. He trotted to the back of the room to a large oak cabinet and opened its ancient double doors.

As the doors swung open on squeaky hinges, Twilight leaned to try and see the contents. She couldn’t really see much, but she thought she saw another set of armor. The stallion blocked most of the cabinet’s interior as he reached into its back, retrieving a folded crimson flag.

He shut the doors and returned to the center of the room. Standing before the fireplace, his silhouette contrasted from behind by the orange glow of the fire, creating an eerie balance between dark and light. He held out the neatly folded banner, letting it unravel to the floor, and placed it on the table. The flag’s foreground displayed a symbol all too familiar; his cutie mark. Though it varied in color scheme slightly, the image was the same as the one on his flank.

“This is our banner,” he explained, “Guardians are an elite group of warriors that protect the citizens of Equestria. There are five of us at any given time, and we each protect one of the regions in Equestria: Central, South, East, West and North. My region is the Central Region. We’re chosen from the military by one of the three princesses; like I said, Luna chose me. When we’re selected, we’re each given a special gift that allows us to better protect our regions. Luna gave me the gift of sight.”

“She cast a spell on me, and now, when I want to, I can see and hear everything in the region. That’s how I knew about of each of you so well; I’ve been watching you six specifically.”

The mares grew concerned, thinking him a stalker, but he explained himself shortly after. He shook his head, realizing how awkward his last comment sounded.

“When I was assigned to the Central region, Celestia gave me priorities. First and foremost, I’m here to protect you six; being wielders of the elements of harmony, you’re valuable assets to the crown.”

“So wait,” began Twilight, “are you sure it’s magic. I mean, I thought only ponies with horns could use magic.”

“I’m not the one using magic though. Luna cast the spell on me, so she’s the source, not me.”

“Well, could you show me?” she asked, her eyebrows working their way higher up her face.

Clyde sighed; he had anticipated doubt. He lowered his head, closed his eyes, sat on his flanks, and drew in a deep breath.

His eyes suddenly shot open, ablaze in white light. All in the room leaned in a bit closer, but closest of all was Twilight. She was giddy with excitement; this was the first time she had seen, let alone heard of magic like this. She inspected him with wide eyes, taking mental notes on miniscule changes in his being. Clyde seemed oblivious to his surroundings, until his head suddenly snapped in Twilight’s direction when she came a bit too close, causing her to jump back away from him.

He then lowered his head again and emptied his lungs. When he rose, his eyes had reverted to their original verdant state. He gauged the stunned faces in the room and then further explained.

“When I use the sight, I go into a trance, sort of like a lucid dream. I see hundreds of pictures floating by, and I can focus on the important ones. I see everything going on in my region. At night, I normally sit up where Dash and I first encountered each other in the Saddlebacks, and watch everypony in the region.Not many civillians know we exist, so during the day, it’s a little less suspicious if everypony sees me walking around and acting normal, so I’ll usually try to keep an eye on everything the old fashioned way.”

He looked out the window, which was filled with the bright face of the moon, its silver glow illuminating a section of the room.

“Night’s fallen. I need to get up to the mountains. It’s been a pleasure,” he bowed as he finished.
He walked with the mares to the door, and accompanied them about a hundred yards down the road, at which point he turned, bowed and said, “Until next time.”

He crouched in preparation to leap into the air, but before he did, he turned his head and said, “Thank you.”

Before the mares could ask for what he was thanking them for, he kicked off into the night sky, and disappeared among the stars.

The six mares were left standing on the road. They watched the stallion go until they lost him in the darkness, then they turned and began making their way back home.

Twilight lead the way, illuminating the path before them with horn aglow.

As they penetrated the darkness, slowly diminishing the distance between themselves and town, Fluttershy asked uneasily, “D-do you think there’s anything out here?”

“You’re not scared of the dark, are you?” asked Dash condescendingly.

“I just…I just feel like something’s watching us,” she whispered as she nervously checked behind her.

“It’s probably Clyde,” suggested Twilight without turning around.

Fluttershy seemed to accept the explanation, as she walked a little easier and checked around less frequently.

“It’s a creepy feelin’. Knowin’ he could be watchin’ at any ol’ time makes me kinda uneasy,” stated Applejack.

“Yes, it could be strange if you look at it that way, but another way of approaching it is to accept that Celestia trusts him to protect us,” explained Rarity, “He has power, but I believe he’ll use it responsibly. I get the impression that he’s honorable, and I think we can trust him as well.”

“Speaking of impressions,” began Twilight, “what do we all think of him now that we know him a bit?”

“He’s not so bad,” said Dash, hovering slightly above her friends.

“He’s surprisingly urbane,” Rarity added.

“I just wish he was a little more fun,” added Pinkie, seemingly dejected.

Twilight rolled her eyes, “Pinkie, we didn’t really have time to throw some kind of party. I’m sure he would be more fun if he came to one of your get-togethers, but tonight wasn’t really the time or place.”

Pinkie perked up, the gears turning in her head, and the group knew she was planning something, most definitely a party.

“I guess he’s alright. He was mighty kind to all o’ us.”

“I like him. He’s nice,” added a small voice near the back of the group.

“Yeah, especially to you, silly!” exclaimed Pinkie, as Fluttershy hid behind her mane.

“W-what do you mean?” she asked, lowering her voice.

“I mean he sure was eager to compliment you at dinner, and he couldn’t keep his eyes off you. I think he likes you.”

Fluttershy turned away, blushing, until her purple maned friend came to her side.

“Well that’s not very fair,” she countered, “He looked just as much at you as he did her. He has a sort of flirtatious personality, and he hugged each of us the same. Then again, I could be mistaking affection for chivalry but I think it’s just a part of who he is.”

She looked around at each of her companions as she continued, “Not that that’s a bad thing; I certainly wouldn’t mind if he were to start complimenting me more often.”

Dash looked to her, smiling a bit with an eyebrow raised.

“Oh come on,” challenged the white equine, “Don’t you dare tell me all you saw were his scars, Rainbow Dash. And I saw you, Pinkie; you were fairly eager to hug him, as were the rest of us once you started. I think we can agree that he is a very handsome stallion.”

The group all nodded or smiled a bit. He was easy on the eyes, and a war hero, but none of them accepted the possibility of wanting him. There just wasn’t enough time yet.

“There’s just somethin’ ‘bout him I just can’t shake,” started Applejack.

“What is it?” asked Dash.

“Well, he said he’s a Guardian, basically a soldier, and that he’s here to protect us, but from what exactly? What do we need protection from? I mean, Ponyville’s a pretty quiet place, so why would Celestia send one of her best warriors here? It jus’ don’ add up.”

The mares grew silent in thought, Dash replying, “Maybe he’s just here to watch over the region. I mean, Ponyville is pretty close to the center of Equestria. It would make sense for him to base here; he could get anywhere in the region fastest from the middle.”

“Maybe," agreed A.J., before adding, "Ah, I still don’ know.”

They continued into the darkness, following the road back home.

Clyde listened to their conversation as he watched from the mountaintop, making sure they returned home safely. He had turned his gaze towards them as soon as he set down on the high precipice, and heard most of what they had to say about him. When they reached the town, and he was sure they were safe, he refocused his gaze. Hundreds of moving images floated in front of his face, most of them depicting ponies in their sleep, and the soft sounds of mothers’ lullabies and quiet snoring filled his ears.

He stayed up well into the night, and after everypony in the region had fallen to dreaming, he double, then triple checked for danger. When he was sure that everything would be fine for the night, he retired to himself, and let his thoughts wander through his mind.

His brain kept coming back to the mares, and he began to think.

"They hugged me. They hardly know me, why would they hug me? Do they think I’m weak, like they needed to comfort me?”

“No, on the road they said they thought I’m good looking. Maybe they just wanted to be close to me for that? Or maybe, they saw right through me; maybe they saw my past, my memories, and felt sorry for me?”

“Or maybe, they were just trying to pick me up; trying to let me know I’m not alone, that they’ll be there for me? But it’s my job to be there for them, not the other way around.”

His heart felt light again when he remembered the feeling of the mares holding him, chasing his pain away with a kind embrace.

“Is this what love feels like? No, no, no, Clyde, you’re a Guardian now; you have responsibilities, duties, priorities. You can’t let some petty love interest get in the way of that.”

“But it wouldn’t be petty. This isn’t some kind of twitter pated feeling; it isn’t like a crush or anything I’ve had before. This is new, and it isn’t for any one of them in particular. Do they feel the same way about me? No, Stop! You’re here to protect them, not love them; don’t let your feelings get in the way. But maybe, that’s why the princess sent me here. No, that can’t be, you’re a soldier, start acting like it!”

He continued arguing with himself, trying to get his priorities straight until the coming of the dawn. The sun warmed his hide, and he went into another trance, watching pictures of the citizens of Ponyville as they started the day, heading off to work, to school, or to the day’s events, float by his eyes.

He decided not to go into town, and stayed on top of the mountain, watching, waiting, and thinking.

Author's Notes:

Hey guys! Cha! I think this is coming along nicely. Please comment on what you like and what you don't. I'd appreciate it. I hope you guys are liking it! Thanks!