As he spoke Shadow rubbed near his wounds as he looked at the stallion in front of him.

“Why are you here Rock Buster? Shouldn't you be back Canterlot?” he asked with flat tone and look before continuing as he dropped his wing.

“Also how did you know who I was?” He asked to which Rock chuckled before answering.

“I'm here to over see the transfer of guards and supplies, among other things. Also, you're like the only pegasus I know that insists on wearing armor damn near all the time.” Rock answered with a warm amused gruff tone.

“Yeah, yeah, you just can't deal with the badassitude I have.” Shadow snapped before sipping his drink again.

“Getting to the point to why I came over, you do owe be a drink, or two. I'm here to collect.” Rock stated as he pointed at Shadow's drink with a hoof.

“Fine, might as well get it over with. Let's move over to a booth.” Shadow relented without a fight as he got off the stool to move to one of the few empty booths.

“So why do you have two meat shields with you and why were they smiling?” Shadow asked as they moved to seat themselves and pointed with a wing to the two earth ponies. Rock sighed before answering.

“Liberty policy, have to go out in groups of three at a min. Which brings up the point why you're out by yourself.” Rock told Shadow with annoyance. “Guessing they thought I was going to tear into you for the previous point.”

“Pfft.” Shadow responded as he slide into the booth as Rock sat across from him. When one of the unnamed guards tried to sit next to him Shadow narrowed his eyes and pointed across the booth.

The guard hesitated for a second before moving not knowing anything about Shadow.

After the four had made themselves comfortable Shadow provided his answer to Rock's point.

“The reason I'm alone is I no longer fall under the rules and regulations of the Solar Guard.” Shadow gave before finishing his bottle.

“Ah, so they finally drummed you out of the guard. Took'em long enough. So who was it?” Rock acknowledged before asking whom did Shadow in.

Before Shadow answered he flagged down a server to get drinks.

“Not so much drummed out as laterally transferred but yeah, I lasted longer than everypony thought.” Shadow stopped when a server arrived at the table and took the empty bottle.

Shadow signaled for another as he tilted his head to Rock to tell him he was next.

“Stalliongrad vodka with orange juice on the rocks please.” Rock ordered before holding a hoof up to stop the other guards from ordering.

“He's not going to pay for anything you order so don't get any ideas.” Rock told the stallion and mare with him as he dropped his hoof.

The two gave a sour face before placing their orders.

“Enough stalling Shadow, who booted you from the Solar Guard?” Rock wanted to know with a nearly demanding tone to which Shadow sighed before speaking up.

“Hear any rumors 'bout something going down in the Canterlot chow hall not too far back?” Shadow asked in reply as he rolled his wings gently.

“Please what guard in Canterlot hasn't? Some dumb ass mouths off to all four princ...” Rock started to explain what he had heard back in Canterlot before tailing off with the two guards with him becoming confused.

No pony spoke for a minute before everypony was given their drinks.

“Holy Harmony and Celestia's Crown, it was you?!” Rock borderline shouted after the server had left which Shadow gave a smug knowing grin behind his up turned beer bottle.

Rock gave a sigh before taking a sip from his drink and speaking.

“I'd like to say I'm completely surprised but I've known you long enough not to be.” He told Shadow as he placed his drink down.

“You actually told off all four princesses and came out alive, Harmony Damn! I should be paying for your drinks for life!” Rock bellowed with surprise and glee picking his glass back up.

“To Shadow Walker! The bravest or dumbest among all Guards!” He declared with good natured mocking tone as he raised his glass to Shadow laughing and smiling.

Shadow returned the smile lifting his bottle.

“It's the second for sure!” Shadow claimed with the same tone hitting his bottle against Rock's glass.

The two took a long sip from their drinks before lowering them.

The mare and stallion with Rock were stunned the two veteran guards were celebrating somepony insulting Princess Celestia along with the other princesses.

After Rock's and Shadow's brief celebration the two quickly shifted off the topic and began to catch up with each other.

Shadow filled in Rock on what he'd been through since the Badland incident up to tonight, leaving out the portal and trip.

Rock told Shadow what he'd been through since his CASEVAC from the Badlands leaving Shadow and the rest of the 3rd Heavy behind.

“How's the leg doing by the way? Been cleared for combat deployment?” Shadow interrupted before drinking to allow Rock to answer.

“Almost back to one hundred percent, still a little weak, been holding me up.” Rock answered as Shadow lowered his bottle.

“I know the feeling. I'm lucky I wasn't put on a med hold after my run in with a traitor horn head.” Shadow empathized pointing with his bottle to his eye.

Rock asked about it as he waved over the server.

“Not sure what I can say at the moment since the AAR hasn't been stamped but it was a former Celestia guard named Twisted Paths, heard of'em?” Shadow gave what he could before tilting his neck to crack it.

“Never heard of him, what you think I know every Solar Guard?” Rock asked with a smug smile.

“No, but probability and Harmony seems to be out to get me recently.” Shadow confessed with a small yawn as he looked at a clock over the entrance.

Before getting the latest round Shadow told Rock it was going to be his last as his curfew was coming up and didn't want to upset his boss.

While Rock and Shadow were talking the other two guards whispered between themselves doing their best to avoid attention.

Soon the last round of drinks was dropped off and Shadow dropped several hoof fulls of bits onto the table as he spoke to Rock.

“You going to be posted here Rock?”

“Yeah, I'll be helping Prince Armor modernize the Crystal Empire's military. Let me guess, you need a pen pal here.” Rock replied stressing pen pal in tone and with hoof quotes.

“Yep and what's wrong with waiting to stay in contact with an old guard buddy?” Shadow asked as he dropped one last hoof full of bits in front of Rock.

Rock gave a predatory grin as moved the bits closer to him with one hoof and pulled his bit bag out with the other.

“Nothing of course. Thanks for the stationary bits and I'll make sure to keep in contact. Where do I sent the letters?” Rock stated as he dropped the bits into his bag.

“Ponyville Golden Oak Library, and make sure you include a return address this time dumb ass.” Shadow gave with a good intention tease before drinking.

“One mistake, one little mistake and you never let me forget.” Rock replied with the same tone lifting his glass.

“To not losing touch again.”

“To keeping in touch.” Shadow stated clinking his bottle to Rock's glass.

For the rest of the round the four sat in silence and finished their drinks.

After power drinking the last quarter of his bottle Shadow gave his goodbye to Rock and excused himself.

Before leaving the bar Shadow told the bartender his payment was at the booth.

Walking out of the bar Shadow shuddered and shifted his wings to move them closer to his body.

A light cold wind moved through the empty street as Shadow walked back to the castle.

Giving a yawn that he didn't cover Shadow looked at the aurora in the night sky.

Shadow opened his wings to lift himself into the sky. He wanted to fly between the colors and forget about the ground world for a couple minutes.

With a small smile on his face he lifted his wings above him to start his flight, that was until his injuries made themselves known again.

Letting out a frustrated anger grunt Shadow lowered his wings and brought them back against his body as he grumbled to himself as he started walking again.

Soon enough Shadow was walking through the halls of the palace doing his best to remember how to get back to his room.

As he searched he tried to figure out what Ponyville would have in store for him when he got back.

Shadow was starting realize his new position was going to be a lot more interesting then any tour in the Badlands or along the Griffin border. If it was going to be safer in general he hadn't decided on and before he could he was interrupted.

His stomach was loud in declaring it was empty and demanded to be filled.

“I should have ate at the bar.” Shadow spoke to no pony as he changed direction to head to the kitchen.

Not for the first time getting lost in a new place was starting to pay off for Shadow as he was able to find the kitchen with ease.

“Now why can't I find my room this easy?” he asked aloud as he pushed the door to the kitchen open.

Pushing the door open revealed a faint light coming from somewhere inside that peaked Shadow's curiosity.

'We're not alone.' Other Shadow spoke up with a bit of a slur.

'Duh. What did you think some ancient evil just decided to pop in and get a sandwich?' Shadow said inside his head with a roll of his eyes.

'Well, knowing our luck, well yeah.' Other Shadow answered.

'Please, what are the odds of that happening?' Shadow asked as he rounded a tall shelf of baking supplies and found himself facing a row or refrigerators.

Shadow was able to see a somepony had the door held open with a wing as the poked around inside the fridge with their magic.

'Called it!' Other Shadow yelled out in a tone the would go well with a pegasus holding their hooves and wings up in victory.

Shadow again rolled his eyes as he took another step towards the alicorn before speaking.

“Anything good in there Princess Luna?” Shadow ask with real curiosity as he moved to stand beside the princess.

“Meh.” Luna replied with a twisting of her free wingtip as she stared harder into the fridge.

“Have you tried opening and closing the door repeatably? Legend holds a rare blue moon will cause food to magically appear.” Shadow asked as he stopped beside the Princess of the Night.

Luna looked up from the fridge to turn her head and look at Shadow before she spoke.

“Art thou being sincere? We hath not heard of this legend since our return.” Luna asked looking at Shadow before looking back into the fridge.

“Don't know never really been around these things.” Shadow offered using a hoof to point at the appliance in front of him before a devilish grin spread across his face.

“You'll have to tell me you're the one with the blue moon.” He told Luna with a tone to match his smile as he stared at an incredible interesting bottle of apple juice.

“Our moon isn't blue, tis silver Shadow. What would give you the idea our moon is blue?” Luna asked looking back to Shadow.

“Well, that's the color I saw walking behind you back in Canterlot.” Shadow answered replied before having to bite his tongue to stop himself from laughing as he stared ahead.

Luna gave a puzzled look that he saw in the corner of his vision before she spoke.

“How could thou hath seen our moon when walking behind....” Luna started to ask with confusion before trailing off when she realized what Shadow had been saying.

Luna took a second to think before she lower her head to whisper into Shadow's ear with a sultry voice.

“Would thou like to be on our moon tonight?”

Author's Notes:

How you doing? Great or better I hope. Thanks for giving another chapter of my story time from your day. All goes well I was able to gave a laugh or two.

Again let me state this isn't going to turn into a clop fic.