It wasn’t often, that Sunlight Blade got time off. In fact, he usually insisted on never taking time off. He spent more time in his job than he did in his own home. Without doubt, he remained one of the most dedicated Royal Guards Celestia had in her corps. However, lately, Sunlight had found himself in a bit of a mental predicament. Mental, and emotional in fact. And so, when he’d heard of the Harvest Festival being held at Sweet Apple Acres, he’d decided it was exactly what he’d needed. Some time away from Canterlot. Time away from his employer. His crush.

Time away from Princess Celestia, and her influence over his emotions.

And, on the twenty-sixth, he’d taken the Friendship Express down to Ponyville, and spent the night in a small inn on the outskirts of the little town. A pleasant place with a lovely garden. This festival was meant to run for three days. The twenty-seventh, eighth and ninth. He just hoped this was going to help him.

But hell, what could it hurt?

It had begun. The event was being held at Sweet Apple Acres, in their barn and outside of it. There were stands everywhere he looked. Funnel cakes, Apple Cider, curiously being served by a unicorn with... were those cardboard pegasus wings? Sunny, narrowly moving his long lion’s tail out of the way of a rambunctious filly he could only assume was one of the Apples from her accent, had to wander over to the booth to get a closer look at this... this... Well, Cardboard Alicorn. And, after purchasing a glass of Cider from him, a glass of what he had to admit was the best Cider he’d ever tasted (Beat the heck out of Canterlot’s), and deciding it was clearly just a strange pony’s ‘thing’, he continued to wander the festival grounds.

Deciding he might as well enjoy the food as well, since if the Cider’s this good, how could the food not beat Canterlot, He also bought a Funnel Cake, something he’d never had before, from a blue unicorn stallion with a curved horn, blonde mane. A pretty stallion to be sure. He rather liked the Funnel cake. It was hilariously unhealthy but... hell, it was tasty! And it’d been a long time since he’d treated himself.

Unfortunately, as he walked around... Well, his trained Guardspony’s eye had never been easy to turn off. And seeing everyone was a curse. His trained eye caught most everything.

He saw the familiar face of another guard he knew by Pearl Strike, with her face painted and dancing like it was her last night on Equus. He saw a gothic mare hanging out with another mare of green who was wearing a dark, hooded cloak. Something his guard instincts all but demanded he un-hood to check if she was recognizable as having a warrant behind her. He saw another hooded mare who looked like a pegasus, hiding her face much better than the green mare, like she was practiced at it.

He sat at a table he found, with his Funnel cake and Cider, and unfortunately couldn’t stop himself noticing ever more. A large stallion lounging in a corner with a much smaller mare. Something was off about the stallion, but Sunlight resisted the urge to go over and talk to them. He saw a few mares drawing a lot of attention though, one of them a country gal herself, and very pretty.

Worst though were the ponies that were kissing. And they were around too. Many of them on the dance floor area, some had found more secluded areas. Most of them had either not met each other, and thus were looking at flings (it was different in accordance to how they acted around each other), or had known each other for a long time. And those ponies? Those ponies affected him the worst. He tried to keep his attention on his Funnel Cake and Cider, but... He couldn’t help but notice them all. All of them. Hugs. Kisses. Clear shows of affection. And it couldn’t stop reminding him of her. The way she sat there, and her lips begged to be kissed. The way she smiled, the way her mane waved through the air, like how theirs were as they danced...

“Hey? You okay?”

That voice startled him out of his reverie, and he blinked, looking at the source of the voice. Said source was a familiar face, and voice. He’d once asked her about eating Pomegranates. He smiled his trademark smile, though something seemed to be missing from it, “Hey... Romancedy right? It’s lovely to see you again.” Romancedy smiled, “Lovely to see you again too, Sunlight Blade right?” He nodded his answer, “Good. But I’ll ask again, are you okay?” Sunny went to answer, but the little red unicorn held up a hoof to silence him, “I’ve seen the look of a stallion with a broken heart. I’ve seen it lots. Let me help. It’s what I do. Like, for a job.” In her magic was a glass of red wine. And Sunny hesitated. “Look..I appreciate that you’re trying to help me, but...” He smiled at her, “I’m afraid this is a bit beyond your pay grade.”

With a polite nod to her, and wanting to get out from under her adorably judging eyes, Sunlight quickly left, taking his Funnel cake, but leaving his cider. Romancedy watched him go, with a concerned frown on her face.