Tears ran down his cheeks as the sounds of hooves trampling over fallen leaves reverberated throughout the forest. The mare’s red eyes struggled to see anything from a combination of his moist mane in his face, the tears that he shed, and the darkness of the night. The occasional beam of moonlight from the full, beautiful moon shone through the tall trees, but most of the moon’s generous light was blocked by interweaving tree branches and leaves. 

Jareth continued to run blindly through the forest, his mane flying wildly in the wind. He had no clue where he was going, but all he knew was that he had to get away. Get away from his lonely boring life and rules. Get away from the place he spent all those years, just to be stabbed in the back by the one he cared about most. The cold winter wind stung against Jareth's coat, but it was nothing compared to the sting of betrayal. The events of the day played over and over in his mind.

Finally able to break free from his memories, Jareth finally looked up to see where he was going. He had spent so long not paying attention to his surroundings, that he didn’t even realize a light fog rolling into the forest. The skunk pony stopped just for a moment to wipe tears from his face, when an odd glimpse caught the corner of his eye; the shape of another pony deep in the depths of the forest. Jareth squinted at the shape in confusion. Why would anypony be out this far from town at this time at night? Even though this made no sense, and he was always told to avoid city ponies, curiosity and some strange feeling of intrigue pulled him close. The closer he got to the figure, the denser the fog got, making it even harder to see than it already was with tear-filled eyes in the dead of night.

When Jareth finally arrived at the clearing where he originally saw the shape. He looked around to find whoever was there, but all he found was more rolling fog. It was so thick that Jareth could barely see a few inches in front of his own face. He felt cold, scared, and alone. He wanted to turn back and try to find his way out of the haze, but a thought occurred to him; Whoever he saw earlier would be as lost as he was. If he could find them and get out of the fog, he would be able to direct him back towards Manehattan. So with renewed courage, Jareth slowly trotted around the strange mist, keeping his head on a swivel for the lost pony.

With his sense of sight almost useless, every sound of the forest became as clear as ever. Every distant hoot of an owl, every rustle of the tree branches, and every rush of wind blowing bushes was heard by Jareth’s ears. He kept his pace as slow as possible, as he turned his head to the side, squinting his eyes for any sign of the shadowy figure he saw before. When he turned his eyes back to his front, what he saw made him freeze dead in his tracks.

In almost an instant, the fog cleared from the air, and standing in its place was a 7-foot-tall beast. It resembled a dark-pelted feline standing on 6 legs. Its fur was gray in color but was so dark it looked black in the darkness of night. Long, dark tentacles sprouted from its back, blowing wildly in the wind. Its huge, sharp claws left long gashes in the grass beneath its paws. Dark green drool dripped from its snarled maw as the moonlight reflected from the monster's yellow teeth. The feline had fangs that looked so sharp and strong that they would be able to chomp through solid bricks like a knife through butter.
Jareth's eyes widened, and his jaw dropped. His body shook, completely overtaken by fear. He began to take slow, steady steps back, but once the monster caught on, it started to walk forward with every step Jareth took back. It lowered its body to the ground, ready to pounce on its prey caught in its foggy trap. The beast looked Jareth right in his fear-filled eyes, and that's when the skunk pony remembered. This wasn't his first encounter with this beast.

“Hey jerk! Remember me?!” Jareth yelled to the monster. It responded with a loud growl, but Jareth stayed determined. “Well, let's see if you remember this smell!” The skunk pony jumped back and turned around, lifting up his black and white tail. The feline beast let out a loud roar, and went to pounce at his prey, but stopped dead in its tracks. Unknown to Jareth a dark blue aura grew around the beast, causing it to raise an eyebrow in confusion, and then roll its eyes in annoyance. It tried to fight the feeling that overtook its body, but the magic was too strong. Jareth closed his eyes, letting his natural accuracy make sure that his flank was aimed right at the monster’s face as the dark blue aura grew stronger around it. His scent glands revealed themselves, poking out as he stuck out his hindquarters. Jareth let loose with his secret weapon, firing a steady stream of vile, amber skunk spray at his target. At the exact same time, the spell around the monster activated, and in an instant, it vanished.

“That’s right, choke on that! And if you EVER show your face around here again, I’ll be sure to serve you up another helping of-” Jareth’s prideful rant was cut short when he turned around to face what he assumed would be the large creature gagging and turning tail. The grin on his face dropped into an expression of true horror, for what he saw instead caused his heart to drop lower than any monster could. Standing in the spot behind the monster, illuminated by the moonlight, stood a pony, the one that Jareth had seen a glimpse of in the fog earlier. The skunk pony’s attack of self-defense had flown past the disappearing monster and instead found its mark on the formerly fog-shrouded pony. Standing there, covered in skunk spray, was the raiser of the moon, the bringer of night. Jareth had just sprayed Princess Luna.

Jareth felt his legs shake with shame and regret as he gazed upon the Princess. Her eyes were closed to shield them from the vile fluid that landed all over her body. Her dark blue coat and beautiful flowing mane were stained with splotches of skunk spray. Her nostrils flared as the repulsive scent of skunk attacked her sense of smell. Her face remained calm as if she was focused. 

The skunk pony couldn’t believe what he had just done. He had no clue how it happened, what Princess Luna was doing there, or where the fiend he was aiming at went, but he knew what he was seeing with his very eyes. There was one of the two rulers of Equestria, now dripping with his very own gross spray. He was left speechless. First he was rejected by the ponies of Manehattan, then by his own best friend and brother, and now he would be rejected by all of Equestria after he would be punished for spraying the Princess of night herself. Defeated, he lowered his trembling legs into a low bow and sobbed to himself in silence as he awaited his punishment at the hooves of Princess Luna.

“Ugh… it was just another one of its illusions. I could have sworn it was the real thing this time. And it seems this one had a foul surprise waiting for me this ti-” The Princess mumbled to herself, shaking her body to sling droplets of skunk spray out of her mane. When she finally opened her eyes, she gave a shocked “Oh!” at the bowing, crying pony on the forest floor. Her annoyed expression softened into a lighthearted smile as she slowly stepped towards Jareth. “Don’t worry, my little pony, the monster is gone now, there’s nothing to be afraid of…” Luna stepped right in front of Jareth, the smell of skunk spray heavy on her coat. Jareth looked up, and his teary eyes met Luna’s “Oh! You’re a skunk pony! Well, that explains… the surprise.” The Princess extended a leg for the skunk pony to lift himself off the ground.

Jareth was somehow even more astounded. Luna’s voice was clear and strong, yet held genuine kindness. The tone of her voice somehow conveyed that she was alright, even though she smelled horrific from his spray. Still, she didn’t even seem phased by the stuff, and she was making polite gestures. She even knew what a skunk pony was! Reassured by the Princess, Jareth wiped some tears away from his eyes, before hooking a hoof around Luna’s leg to help lift himself up. Once he was standing, he looked at the Princess and blushed. She appeared as elegant and beautiful as he was told Princesses were by his parents. He never thought that at any point in his life, he would ever even come close to the vicinity of royalty, let alone meet a Princess face to face. Embarrassment flowed through him. He knew he was in no condition to be meeting a princess. He worried about everything about himself, how his mane looked, how his coat looked, how his breath smelled. He turned to the side, trying to use a hoof to wipe away the tear stains on the sides of his face. Once he was done, he turned his face back to Luna.

“Uh uh… Y-yeah a I-I’m… skunk pony… I’m so sorry about… spray and…” Way to go, Jareth. Your first words to THE Princess Luna and they’re a jumbled mess. The skunk pony mentally berated himself. His blush only grew in intensity as he grew more nervous. Princess Luna covered her mouth with her hoof as she smiled and giggled.

“Calm down, you’re fine! I’m the one who should be apologizing. I’ve been chasing that Mist Displacer Beast all night. Every time I think I have it cornered, it gets me with those dang illusions and gets away. I shouldn’t have let it get this close to civilization in the first place.” Jareth’s tail lowered at the mention of civilization. 

“No Princess, it is my fault. I shouldn’t be out here in the middle of the night anyway. Besides, that’s not an excuse to go spraying around without checking my target. If I looked behind me before I sprayed, maybe you wouldn’t smell… well, as bad as I do.” Jareth lowered his head in shame. Luna simply smiled before responding.

“Oh, don’t worry at all. It really wasn’t your fault. You simply were defending yourself from a monster. Although, If you don’t mind me asking… why are you out here in the middle of the night?” 

Jareth sighed, before starting to explain the events of the day. His attempt to enter the city of Manehatten, how everyone made fun of him for being a skunk pony, how he was run out of town, and even how even his own best friend and brother betrayed him to help the townspeople insult him just because he was afraid of being ashamed for being friends with a skunk pony.

“And so… I ran away. I was so hurt that I just kept running and running… until I saw a figure of a pony in the mist and I ran in to try and help… and now I’m here, talking to you.” Luna closed her eyes and nodded as she listened to the story, her face showing how ashamed she was of the ponies of Manehattan.

“Such a shame. You don’t deserve to be treated like that by anyone for your appearance. Besides, what you showed me today, is that you have bravery beyond belief. To stand on your own against such a mighty beast because you feared the safety of others is an admirable act of selflessness. Even somepony as old as I know very few individuals who would do such an act.” 

Jereth dug a hoof into the grass, blushing once again. “Well, your majesty, it's kind of… just happened. I just knew that if there was a pony as lost as I was, I would want to at least lead them in the direction that I came from, especially with how dangerous it can get. It was nothing, really, I didn't even give it much thought.” 

“It really was more than nothing, I’m sure of it.” The Princess started with a smile. She looked at the skunk pony with a surprised expression. “Where are my manners? I never asked for your name.” 

“Jareth. Jareth Gaurdstripe, Your Highness.”

“Well, it is nice to meet you, Jareth Gaurdstripe. Also, there is no need to call me ‘Your Highness’ or ‘Majesty’. You may call me Princess Luna, or even just Luna if you please. It would only be right for the one who would have saved my life if that were the real beast and if I were a less powerful pony. Now, I hope you don’t mind asking me, but why don’t you tell me a little bit about yourself? I would love to learn more about you if you don’t mind me asking.”


Luna lay down on the grassy floor of the forest clearing and gestured for Jareth to join her. He did and began to talk about himself. About his parents, about the peaceful, boring life they lived, about how he was forbidden from going to towns or spraying, and about the fun games and adventures he and his adopted brother would go on and play growing up. Occasionally, Luna would chime in with a joke or relate it to many of the stories she had to share as well. Eventually, Jareth began to tell her about the time he encountered the monster he now knew as the Displacer Beast as a foal.

“Wait, so you scared off the Displacer by spraying it in the face? That monster has been terrorizing ponies for almost 100 years now. I guess its sense of smell is much stronger than I originally anticipated.” Luna's expression and voice showed how she was impressed by Jareth's actions.

“Yeah, it seemed that way with how fast it high-tailed out of there once it caught wind of my spray. And ever since then, I've wanted to be a royal guard.”

Jareth turned his attention away from Luna for a second, looking up at the stars. They shone brilliantly in the night sky, gleaming like beautiful gemstones. “Wow. The stars sure are pretty tonight…” The princess smiled and sighed in relaxation as she looked up at the stars.
“They sure are. Strong, independent, inspiring…” She looked to Jareth, then back to the stars. “But when stars fly close enough to each other and form constellations… that’s when their brilliance shines the brightest, and their true stories can be told…" She exhaled quietly, turning her head to the side regretfully. "I’m sorry, it’s just that when you’ve spent as long gazing upon the stars as I have, those kinds of things just like to come out of nowhere…”

Jareth’s eyes lit up with child-like wonder when he heard the princess’s words. “No need to apologize, Princess. That was beautiful! You ever consider poetry whenever you’re not busy raising and lowering the moon?”

“Hehe, I’ll think about it.” Her soft smile returned, and looked back up at the stars. Her smile faded back to that calm, focused expression she wore when Jareth first saw her. She closed her eyes for a few seconds as if thinking about something, then she opened them again. “Jareth? I would like to make an offer.” Jareth cocked his head in intrigue, before nodding for Luna to continue. “In about a month's time, official training and classes will begin for those looking to become guards. I would like to formally invite you to attend, bypassing the application phase.”

Jareth’s eyes sparkled and widened. The entire world around Jareth seemed to disappear. The only thing he could think about were those words. Being a Royal Guard was something he had dreamed of countless nights, and now THE Princess Luna was offering him the chance to achieve his dreams. He dug a hoof harshly into the side of his stomach. Nope, he wasn’t dreaming! He felt like his heart was going to pound out of his chest from the excitement. He was utterly left frozen in awe. The many, many years of him wishing to be a guard all came rushing to him at once…

“...Jareth. Jareth?” The princess reached over and shook Jareth’s shoulder. The skunk pony shook his head, snapping himself out of his daze.

“S-sorry your majes- I mean Luna! It’s just, that’s been my dream ever since, well like forever!”

“Well, I haven’t finished the offer yet. Since you will need a place to reside that is close to Canterlot before the training begins, I offer you a small home. It resides in the Everfree forest, on the outskirts of a town called Ponyville.” Jareth let out a gasp of excitement. Not only would he get free training, but he would also get his own home as well. This truly sounded too good to be true. His heart and mind began to race, but before he could go back into excited shock, Princess Luna cut his gasp short. “But, in exchange for this, until your training starts, I want you to mingle with the citizens of Ponyville, and make friends. Try and find a job or hobby while you are there. Ingrain yourself in the culture as much as possible.
Jareth nodded along but felt nervous when he heard his task was to make friends. Not counting his parents, Jareth had only ever made one friend in his entire life due to complete luck, and that friend ended up betraying him. But he knew that he couldn’t let Princess Luna down.

“Know that this will not be an easy task. I am certain that your good heart and courage will lead you to naturally make friends, but the training for being a guard won't be so easy. It is a long, hard process that will bring you to your limits, physically, emotionally, and mentally. Few make it past certification to be Jr.Guards, even less any other guard, and only the best of the best are chosen to be royal guards, and even then it is still an ordeal to be appointed a guard anywhere else in Equestria. Are you prepared to go through this?”


Jareth paused for a moment to really think about it. He closed his eyes, and let it all sink in, and after a couple of seconds, he was sure of his decision. “Yes, Princess Luna. I am prepared. I will live in Ponyville, make friends, and train hard to start the process of being a guard, and I will hold nothing back until I have the title of being a royal guard!”

The dark-coated princess smiled at her subject’s determination. She stood up, and Jareth followed. “Very well. Now, I think we should go back to your home so you can tell your parents what happened here tonight. I know it may be hard after you have already run away, but it would be the right thing to do as to not keep them worried.” 

“Yes, Luna… Wait, we? As if you would come with me?” Jareth looked at the princess as the two began to walk.

“Of course. In case they don’t believe you. It’s not every day someone can tell a story like the one you’ve been through tonight. Now come along, Jareth. Besides, What if the real Displacer Beast shows its face again? I’ll need my ‘future royal guard’ to protect me, won’t I?” Luna giggled at her last sentence before looking to her side to find that Jareth had fallen behind her pace.

“Come on Jareth, you gotta keep up. Jareth?” She looked behind her to find the skunk pony with a huge grin plastered on his face, once again frozen from joy from being called “My future royal guard” by the princess of the night. “It seems you can be too nice to someone after all…” Luna sighed to herself as she went to nudge Jareth out of his starstruck state.