Soldiers Among Shadow

by Pinehas

Rating: teen
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Alternate Universe, Rainbow Dash, Original Character, Comedy, Cutie Mark Crusaders, Scootaloo, Adventure, Twilight Sparkle
Length: 9893

Scootaloo never met her dad. Who is he? What happened to him? The answer goes back to the time when Equestria was not the peaceful nation we knew. This is his story.

Scootaloo never met her father. Her mother says that he is a worker travelling overseas, but she had her doubts. One day a mysterious stallion visits her home, claiming to be her father's friend. Who is her father? What happened to him?

To answer that question, one must go back to the time when the Equestrians knew more than just peace and harmony: the age of global war.

Published 2013-05-27 01:40:02 UTC
Last updated 2013-05-27 01:40:02 UTC

01 - Who Dares, Wins

01 - Who Dares, Wins

Scootaloo yawned. The today’s class did not interest her not one bit. History. What good was it anyway? To make things worse, today’s topic was warfare, one of her least topics. It wasn’t that she actively disliked the concept of warfare; in fact, she found few references to war in Daring Do novels interesting, although she mostly know about the books through retelling by Rainbow Dash. Real wars, though, tend to be less cool and more tedious and dirty, not to mention ugly. The worst part is that the warfare is one of the topics that went practically obsolete ever since the reactivation of Elements of Harmony and return of Princess Luna.

Because Ms. Cheerilee did not overlook sleeping in a class, the filly resorted to drawing doodles or staring outside the window to occupy her mind. She took a look at her friends, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. The latter seemed neither interested nor bored, while the former looked actually fascinated by all these. If she remembered correctly, the Apple Family had produced some fine veterans. If rumor was correct, Granny Smith was one as well. As if.

The uninteresting topic became only worse when combined with the summer sun that shined the hot sunlight that sapped the energy away of those under it. The luck had it that she was on the seat that, while did offer her a good look outside the class, was not covered by shade. The fact that she had to put up with the heat and rather boring classes for only few more days, provided her much relief. As she gazed outside, many plans of all the fun things she could do with her friends started to overflow her bored and easily distracted mind.

When the class, which happened to be the last of that day, ended Scootaloo was one of the first to leave the classroom. If there was anything said by Ms. Cheerilee that she missed, surely either Apple Bloom or Sweetie Belle would remind her. She did not quite left the building, though, since outside was a bit hot. Besides, she had to wait for her friends, after all.

“Hey, wait up!” Apple Bloom caught up with the orange filly, her gigantic ribbon looking as floppy as usual.

“You are not going to believe how much I am glad the classes were done for today. It was really boring, you know?” Scootaloo remarked.

“What, really? Ah’ thought it was okay, especially the last one.”

“I thought that was the most boring part of today.”

“Yer not exactly a history fan, are you.”

“Meh. I just don’t get the fun anyway.” Scootaloo shrugged. “Well, I guess if there was someone just like Daring Do or Rainbow Dash in our history, I guess I could be more interested.”

“I think there might be at least few figures just like that. Perhaps even better.”

“Well, let me know if you find any, I am not having any of that otherwise.”

“If you say so.” Apple Bloom shrugged. “Hey, where’s Sweetie Belle?”

“I dunno, I think she was talking to Ms. Cheerilee.”

“Oh. Wanna wait for her?” Apple Bloom suggested.

“Sure, it’s not like we have anything else to do right now. Well, we do, but we can’t do it without her anyway.”

After the fillies occupied themselves with small talks and cloud watching for few minutes, their other companion finally showed up.

“Sorry for keep you all waiting.” Sweetie Belle apologized.

“No probs. What were you doing there anyway?” Scootaloo asked.

“Oh, I was talking with Ms. Cheerilee. I don’t know exactly what was going on, but I think it had to do with my dad running some kind of training program during this summer.”

“And what does the school have anything to do with it?” Scootaloo asked.

“If I remember correctly, it will be happening in the school. Ms. Cheerilee gave me some papers for dad, something about paperwork.”

“Urgh, papers. Ah’m guessin’ it’s none of our business.” Apple Bloom remarked.

“If it involves papers, it’s almost always adult area. Come on, let’s go to the clubhouse. We gotta decide what we’re doing today for crusading.”

As they headed to their hangout, they exchanged few small talks. Naturally, it came down to the discussion of summer and all the funs that they will have during which.

“So, you guys got any plan for summer?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Nothing much, really. Probably givin’ Applejack some extra hoof.” Apple Bloom answered, mild contemplation on her mind.

“Maybe I can help Rarity. Ooh, ooh! Or maybe I can even ask her to teach me magic!” Sweetie Belle answered, glee plastered on her face and light hop on her steps.

“Yeah, I don’t think I have anything, maybe except hanging out with Rainbow Dash a little bit more.” Scootaloo said.

“Ah think ah’m seeing a pattern here.” Apple Bloom remarked.

“Hey, it’s not like there is anything wrong with it, is there?” Scootaloo said.

“No, not really.” Apple Bloom nodded.

“My dad wants to join this summer training program of his. I don’t really want, though, and he said I don’t have to join it. So yeah, that’s good.” Sweetie Belle added.

That reminded Apple Bloom of a question.

“Hey, Scoot?”

“Yeah?”

“Ah’m just wondering, is your dad coming home during summer?”

And just like that there was a short moment of silence, as Scootaloo did not quite know how to answer the question her friend dropped.

“Uhm…I don’t know. Probably not, I guess.”

“You told us he’s out for some kind of business, right? How long has it been anyway? I am pretty sure told us that last year too.” Sweetie Belle asked.

“You know…I don’t think I actually ever saw him.” Scootaloo simply stated.

“Since when?” Sweetie Belle asked again.

“Since like…never.”

Yet another silence.

“Uhm...say, Scoot, you said you have something new to show us yesterday, didn’t you? Did you bring it with you today?” Apple Bloom quickly changed the subject, as she understood the silence better than anyone else.

“Ri-right. Uhm…I actually forgot to bring it with me. I will go get it.”

“We…ehr…will be waiting in the clubhouse.” Sweetie Belle sheepishly said.

Without any further words, Scootaloo left for her home. When she were out of their sight, Apple Bloom turned to Sweetie Belle.

“Sweetie Belle?”

“Yeah?”

“Let’s not bring this topic up again.” Apple Bloom solemnly said.

“…Okay.” Sweetie Belle answered, hoofing the dirt. She did not need to ask further.

---000---

As hard as she tried, Scootaloo could not shake off the heavy feeling formed inside her heart. While she never thought about it often, once brought up she found it hard to just shove aside from her mind. Her father. Scootaloo recognized it as a topic that her mother refused to talk about. She wasn’t so young as to not to think of the worst. Has he passed away, just like Apple Bloom’s parents? If he was, why was her mother in such a denial? Or, maybe it was just like what her mother said; he was a worker working overseas. Surely it was nothing too strange, right? In that case, though, why has he neither visited home nor called home? He couldn’t have been that busy, could he?

No, no, there is no need to think about it too much. Whatever was the truth, there was probably a good reason for it! Besides, it wasn’t as if there was anything she can do about it, is there? Of course not! She just needs to focus on having fun. In fact, now she was going to have so much fun that she can just blow away any thoughts about it. Then it wouldn’t be in her mind for, well, as long as possible until the next time it gets brought up again, and then she will ignore it again! See, it was no rocket surgery (she was pretty sure that was the correct term) at all. With cheer in her heart (as insincere it may be) she headed home to get her stuff for today’s fun.

When she arrived at her home, though, she saw something she didn’t see very often. Someone was standing at her door. It was an average sized pegasus stallion, probably somewhere around his 30s. A dark brown coat, with a single strip of unkempt black mane from his forehead and just until the back of his head, covered his body. Upon closer inspection, he had a cutie mark of a lozenge made of chain containing a ball of fire, which then contained a single droplet of blood. His facial expression looked neutral, but had a rather unpredictable air around him. Scootaloo wondered if he was one of those debt collectors, as unlikely as it was.

When she stepped closer, the stallion turned toward her. Contrary to her expectation, she didn’t freeze up when she met his gaze. In fact, there was something disarming about him.

“Why, hello there, young filly. What can I do for you?”

“Uhm, I think that’s my line, mister.”

“Eh? Really? Do you live here?” The stallion asked, pointing his hoof at her house.

“I sure do.”

“You do?” He paused. “You do! Just to be sure, is your mother’s name Mari Gold?”

“Uhm…yes?”

At that point Scootaloo was conflicted about her feelings. Her instincts told her that when a stranger knew about her mom, it couldn’t be all good. On the other hand, he didn’t seem like a threat, to be frank. Maybe she should-

“Oh my Celestia, you must be Scootaloo!” The stallion was grinning like a young colt, his hooves on his cheeks.

“Uhm, yes. Why do you-whoooaaaaa!”

Scootaloo yelped as the stallion picked her up like a puppy. Luckily there wasn’t anyone around the house, sparing her from embarrassment.

“Good heavens, you grew up so much since the last time I saw you!”

“Wha-? Do I know you?”

“Do you know me? Well, young filly, I certainly know you, all right.”

“Uhm, mister, can you put me down, though?” Scootaloo asked.

“Oh, my bad!” Stallion immediately, but gently, put Scootaloo on the ground. “Sorry, Scootaloo, I just got a bit too excited.” The stallion apologized.

“It’s all right, sir. Who are you and how do you know me, though?”

“Right, that. My name is Roach, and I was your father’s…uh…friend. No, colleague. No wait, yes, friend!”

Despite the minor awkwardness from the stallion with a funny name, Scootaloo instinctively perked up at the mention of her dad.

“Do you know my dad?!” Scootaloo asked.

“I certainly do. Well…did…no, no I do, I do!” Roach fumbled.

“Uhm…I see. So…do you know where he is now and when he will be back?” Scootaloo asked, but with more suspicion.

“Well…about that…”

“Hey, Scootaloo!”

A cheerful new voice interrupted the conversation. Both ponies turned to the source of the voice, and saw a cyan blue pegasus with three colored mane leisurely flying toward their direction. Rainbow Dash landed right next to Scootaloo, completely unaware of the strange stallion standing only a couple of feet next to her.

“Hey, Rainbow! What’s up?” Scootaloo greeted.

“Oh, nothing much. I just wanted to get my Daring Do book back. Did you finish reading it?”

“I did, it was pretty awesome!”

“I know, right? I never considered actually buying any books, but this one? Totally worth the bits, I tell ya.”

“By the way, can I borrow this book for just few more days? I think I can actually use this as a guide for cutie mark crusading.”

Rainbow felt far from certain. So the Cutie Mark Crusaders were going to imitate the book? It didn’t sound very safe at all. Well, not for someone like her who was too awesome for safety, but not everyone could be like her. Jokes aside, some of the things Daring Do pull off are going to seriously hurt any lesser pony. Then again, the volume she rent to the filly was one of the lighter and softer volumes with barely any amount of violence.

“Oh well, why not, go ahead. It’s not like I need to book right now. Just don’t hurt yourself, all right?” Rainbow said, ruffling Scootaloo’s mane.

“Thanks, Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo smiled contentedly.

“Anytime.”

It was only then the pegasus finally noticed the strange stallion. She quickly took a look at the stallion and noticed some details that went unnoticed by Scootaloo and troubled her. The stallion was more muscular than average, but the muscles clearly weren’t developed by simple labor or workout in gym. Rather, the muscles were developed with a specific function and training in mind, neither of which she couldn’t quite guess. Also there was a faint scar over the stallion’s left eye and it didn’t look anything like an accident. Lastly, the way he looked at her felt…belligerent.

“And who are you?” Rainbow asked, placing herself between the stallion and the filly.

“My name is Roach, and I am an officer at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Pleased to make your appearance, Ms. Rainbow Dash.”

Scootaloo found it somewhat ominous that Roach’s previous pleasant and somewhat clumsy attitude disappeared like a mist on a field in a hot summer day, his grin replaced by a cordial and forced smile.

“Yeah, I am sure you are. What are you doing here anyway?” Rainbow spat, her hooves on her waist. Roach silently cursed himself, which fortunately unnoticed by both her and Scootaloo.

“I was supposed to meet Ms. Mari Gold, but apparently it is not meant to be. I will return some other time. It was a pleasure meeting both of you.”

Roach bowed, a small twitch on the edges of his mouth, threatening to break the forced smile.

“Yeah, likewise.” Rainbow half-heartedly answered.

“Good day.”

“Wait, Roach!”

Ignoring Scootaloo’s plea, Roach flew off in a haste and speed that Rainbow Dash never saw even among the Wonderbolts, covering her and the filly’s eyes vision with dust. She narrowed her eyes; there was something fishy about the stallion and she knew it.

“Hey, Scootaloo, did he do anything bad to you?” The pegasus asked.

“What? No, not at all! He was just my dad’s friend coming to visit my mom.”

“Oh, I see. Well, if you say so. Come to think of it, I don’t think you told me about your dad.”

“Well…I was actually about to ask him just that.” Scootaloo said.

“Oh.” Rainbow could tell where this was going. “Uhm…well, I need to get going. Don’t go around destroying things, okay?”

“I make no promises.” Scootaloo said, smiling somewhat shrewdly.

“Oh well, that will do. See you later.” With that Rainbow Dash took off.

Scootaloo pondered about what just happened in past few minutes. She was only a filly but she wasn’t a dunce either. As such, she picked up on her idol’s suspicion. What was once excitement and curiosity now had worry mixed in as well. How should she react to him next time he visits? He wouldn’t do anything bad to her mom, would he?

Shrugging, she just entered her house. It could be dealt with later. Now her fellow crusaders were waiting for her!

---000---

As she flew to her home, Rainbow Dash still couldn’t shake off the suspicion. Oh well, she was going to give him a benefit of doubt. Actually, she probably should. It wasn’t as if it was her duty to point her hoof at every stranger to the town, after all. Also, it was really none of her business. Maybe she was wrong, maybe he was actually a pretty cool pony. He didn’t seem to like her very much, though. She certainly didn’t remember seeing anyone like him before. She should just let this be. At least, that was what she kept saying to herself.

Oh, who was her kidding. Scootaloo was practically her little sister by now. Sisters look after each other! The truth was that no matter how she put it, she still had a bad feeling about all this. She couldn’t be too nosy, though, so she shouldn’t just tell Scootaloo to just stay away from that stallion or get involved directly. However, nothing was stopping her from making sure of things, was there?

She changed her destination. She knew just the one to talk to.

---000---

Roach chided himself as he flew. Although he acted cordial, he knew that he didn’t fool anyone. Rainbow Dash. He knew that he had no real good reason to hate her and her five friends. What they have done was noble and something that someone like him should have strived for. In fact, he should have been thankful for them, for protecting Equestria.

And yet, the way his world collapsing around him because of them kept filling his empty and bitter heart with sour resentment.

He sighed. Times like this he couldn’t help but thinking back to the one pony in his life who looked up more than anyone else. A stallion who shined brighter than anyone else in his field, but now forgotten to all but few.

Time has changed.

There were no more poems of bloodstained steel and tearful ashes.

Now, every breath and steps taken by every citizen of this world sang only of fruitful land and bright heaven, all possible thanks to the grace and wisdom of Her Majesty, who only became stronger with the return of Her Highness Luna and the Holy Artifacts.

It wasn’t too long ago when there were warriors, learning to use the tools of modern warfare for the prospering of their nations and prevention of utter destruction.

-----00000-----

18 years ago

-----00000-----

Hot sunlight seeped through the wide window of Captain Stalwart’s office. He has been stationed in the Royal Guards for nearly ten years, but the air just wasn’t something that he could get used to. Of course, being a colonel (Captain was merely a title for the chief officer of the branch), he could easily afford luxuries like getting his room air conditioned, preferably with something imported straight from Saddle Arabia. However, he knew that enlisted stallions never got anything like that. If they didn’t, neither did he.

One of the things he disliked the most about his position was the amount of paperwork he had to deal with. If he knew that there were so much of it involved in his career, he probably wouldn’t have entered the Officer Training Program. It didn’t help that most of the paperwork involved rather trivial (at least on the surface) matters like supply list and personnel management. When they weren’t, however, they involved something more unpleasant, like attacks inside the Everfree Forest or worse, near the borders. Headache out of boredom was so much more preferable to that out of anxiety, but the latter was far more frequent nowadays.

There was time when he was out in the field, leading some of the finest stallions Equestria had to offer, overcoming impossible odds and bureaucratic messes. Those days were gone, as his rank was too high for fieldworks and his body too old and broken. More often than not, he was the one causing said messes, whether he liked it or not, although he did a magnificent job in reducing them as much as possible. As such, he carefully looked the records, looking for anyone with passion and talent, who could possibly lead the next generation of warriors.

So far, he did not have much luck. Royal Guards were not what it used to be. The entire nation was under the illusion of peace, which deceived them more than any other branches, which made him constantly wonder if he should have just stayed in the Royal Marines.

A knock on the door broke is train of thoughts.

“Come in.”

The door creaked and entered a pony that Stalwart did not quite expect. He was a pegasus stallion, just about the size of fit Royal Guards (which were unfortunately rare). However, his dark blue coat hid a compact and wiry build, like a bowstring that held an arrow that could pierce the scales of a dragon, something that did not go unnoticed to a veteran like Stalwart. His grey mane was cut short, but not in a way that would clearly reveal that he was in military. In some way, he reminded the captain of a batpony.

“G’day, Cap’n.” The stallion greeted in a cheerful Austreinian accent.

“Good morning, Steppin. Or should I say, Lieutenant Night Step?”

“Ah, so you know.”

“Of course. It certainly is different from being a warrant officer, is it?”

“Ay. There certainly are more responsibilities. I’m havin’ regrets already, sir.” Steppin chuckled.

“You will get used to it.”

“Ah, yes, because I keep hearing nothing but compliments about your work from you. I am so reassured.”

“Cheeky as usual, aren’t you? Take a seat, why don’t you?”

“Thank ye kindly, Cap’n. I don’t suppose you have any tea too?”

“None for you.”

“Well, color me honored.” Steppin shrugged.

“So, let’s get to the business, I don’t have all day. How may I help you?”

“Oh, nothing much, sir. I just visited for the old time’s sake. I have some other business here as well, but they don’t really concern you.”

“Well, I suppose that’s a valid enough of a reason.” Stalwart chuckled.

“Of course, that’s not the only thing.”

The office became still as the flippant air disappeared from the lieutenant.

“Go on.” Stalwart responded in an appropriate tone.

“You see, as you know the world is in a great shape. Civil wars breaking out everywhere, slave trafficking, land flowing with blood and cry of orphans and widows, you know, the usual stuff. One of my teammate was lost a couple of months ago while trying to Redwing.”

“Redwing? You mean one of the Three Musketeers, right?”

“Right you are, sir. Those bloody wankers are giving us so much damn trouble it’s not even funny.”

“That’s what I heard as well. I am guessing Villiere did not take the loss very well?”

“If nothing else, he looks troubled. He doesn’t really speak of it.”

“That sounds about right. Would I be correct in assuming that you are here to find a replacement?”

“Aye.”

“And you come here of all places? You know how things are with soldiers here nowadays.”

“Well, this place was close. Besides, you worked here for nearly a decade now. Surely you should have found some diamond in the rough.”

“That doesn’t really seem like the case, unfortunately. Every day I am becoming more disappointed how stagnant this branch is becoming.”

“Ah, I see. Oh well, I didn’t have much expectation to begin with.”

“I really wish I can say something about it.” Stalwart sighed.

“I don’t suppose you can join us again?” Steppin joked.

“Believe me, I would love to but my back and knees disagree.” The captain chuckled. “Besides, I owe my family some time together.”

“I never thought of you as a family man.”

“I know.”

Then something came up in Stalwart’s mind.

“Wait, I think I got one.”

“Hmm?”

“There is one and only guard I can proudly recommend. I guarantee you, he is probably the best soldier I’ve ever seen in my entire life.”

---000---

“That should do it.”

A pegasus with white coat and red mane slammed his textbook shut. Having stayed up the entire previous night studying, Sunshine had faint black spots below his eyes and his mane somewhat disheveled. Even then, the light in his blue eyes was still strong. He drank another sip from his (roughly 20th) cup of coffee as his eyes scanned pages after pages of his textbooks, notes, and handouts.

A smile formed in Sunshine’s face, with a noticeable amount of exhaustion. He packed up his Royal Guards-issued saddlebags and left the door. In less than a minute, he trotted down the whole stairs and reached the checkpoint near the building’s entrance.

“Why, good morning, Sergeant.” The clerk greeted him.

“Hey, how are you doing.”

“Splendid. Destination, business, and estimated return time?”

“Royal Academy, recruitment and transferal office. Final exams and consulting. 1600 at the latest.”

“All done. Good luck on both of them.” The clerk smiled.

“Thanks!”

With that he flew off, with a very clear sense of destination, with only a slightest bit of wobbling. If there were any trace bit of sleepiness left, it was wiped away by the cool wind brushing against the edges of his coat and eyes. Luckily enough, air traffic in the Canterlot that day was surprisingly low. He went ahead and considered it a good omen; he would fly through the sky and the exams. For four years he has been giving all he got to studying, strenuously balancing it with his Royal Guard works. This year, this day, he would see the end of it.

What would come after that? After it perhaps he could-

“Sunshine!”

A smaller flyer tackling him midair interrupted him.

“Whoa, whoa, Mari, I told you not to do that while we are flying!”

“Sorry, sorry, I couldn’t help myself.” Mari Gold, a mare with light teal coat and bright orange mane that was tied into a braid stared at him, broad smile on her lips.

“You said it last time as well. You are going to hurt someone one of these days.” Sunshine groaned.

“Again, sorry. I just didn’t expect to see you in this time of the day. Aren’t you supposed to royally guarding the castle or whatever is that you are doing?” Sunshine chuckled at such a simple statement.

“I changed the hours for today. I have exams today, just like you.”

“Oh yeah, you told me that. Are you ready for them?”

“For once, I can say yes, although staying the whole night might have been a bit unnecessary.” He replied with a yawn.

“Ooh, that’s nice, I guess. I am not sure how well I would do...”

“Hey, don’t worry. This is your first year, right? You will have plenty more of opportunities if you mess this one up.”

“Yeah, I guess…”

“That is, if you do mess up. I know you won’t; you are a smart filly.” Sunshine smiled, ruffling her mane.

“Heh, thanks.” Mari smiled, blushing, responding to the ruffling like a puppy.

Within few minutes, they could see the towers of the academy. Although he saw the place nearly every day, it looked much larger than it actually was that day.

“Oh right, I am going to the North Wing. Good luck with the exams, okay?”

“Good luck to you too.”

“Okay, see you later.”

“Hey, Sunshine?”

“What’s up?”

“Uhm…after the exams, do you want to grab a lunch together or something? I mean…if you are not too busy…”

“Eh…well…uhm…okay, sure, why not.” He replied somewhat lacking in confidence.

“What, really? Okay, see you at the front gate!”

Mari’s eyes beamed behind her rather large set of glasses and she flew off. Sunshine could have sworn that she was repeatedly uttering something, but he couldn’t really tell. He merely shrugged and flew to his classes, taking series of deep breathes along the way.

---000---

Sunshine sighed as he flew out of the room where he took his last exam of the school and headed toward the front gate. He was certain that there was no way that he would get 100% on any of the exams. He could have done so much better! Maybe not getting any sleep wasn’t really a good idea. Even then, he felt satisfied; he was sure that he would get mostly A’s because of his consistently good work.

“Hey, down here!” Mari spotted and waved at him.

“How did the exams go?” Sunshine asked as he landed.

“Just a cinch. Maybe I overestimated the whole thing a little bit.” She replied with a very evident air of confidence.

“Well, good to hear that.” He smiled.

“What about you?”

“Well enough. I’m passing, that is for sure.”

“Okay, that sounds good, I guess.”

“Yeah.”

“So…well…about the…uhm…”

“Right, the lunch. Well…you have any particular place in mind, or…?”

“Do…you have any place you want to go?” Mari asked somewhat cautiously.

“I never concerned myself with what I am eating, so any place is fine, really. Just to let you know, though, I have to visit the recruitment office by 3.”

“What? That’s less than three hours from now! Why can’t you stay out a bit longer?”

“Sorry, but I have an appointment.”

“That sucks. I don’t like this, not one bit.” Mari pouted, not unlike a little filly who was denied of her favorite snack. Sunshine chuckled and ruffled her mane again.

“Sorry, Mari. When I made that appointment I didn’t think I would fly into you today. Maybe next time?”

“When will that be, anyway? You are always too busy ever since you became a sergeant.” Mari whined.

“As soon as you wish, my fair lady.” Sunshine jokingly bowed.

“Yeah, right. Okay, let’s just make the best of this time around. I know this place with good spaghetti. It is apparently a little expensive, but everyone says that it’s worth it.”

“Sounds good.”

“Everything is to you, isn’t it?”

“Mess hall foods will do that. But really, as long as you call it, anything is fine.”

“Okay, then let’s go.”

“Sounds good. It will be my treat.”

“What? No, you don’t have to do that!”

“Come on, I insist.”

“Okay…that would be…very nice.”

“Of course. Mari, lead the way.”

“Can we walk? I feel too exhausted.” Sunshine thought that she was a little overreacting and but decided to just smile and go with it.

---000---

Sitting in one of the outdoor tables, Sunshine took a good look around the place. Being lunch hour, the whole street was fairly crowded. Ponies of many colors walked along the smoothly paved path and some flied through sky, covered by clouds aesthetically placed by the Canterlot Weather Control Team to provide very appreciated shade, going on about their business, with completely no concern about threat on their lives. He no longer found it novel, not since by the time he became a corporal.

He turned around and across the street he spotted something he did not want to see that day – a pair of Royal Guards. They were most likely privates and were attempting to flirt with bunch of young mares. He narrowed his eyes and glared at them, although he knew that they wouldn’t be able to see him anyway. Judging from the fact that they had their (overly ostentatious, in his opinion) armor on, they were still in patrol. The sight of loitering and doing less than commendable acts while in duty, with the uniform still on at that (he remembered his corporal saying that “Fillies dig uniform”), made him grit his teeth. He regretted that they weren’t in the barracks and he was not authorized to take disciplinary measurements. Perhaps he could-

“Sunshine?” Mari Gold called out.

No response.

“Sunshine?”

Still no response.

Mari went ahead and pinched his cheeks. He yelped and instinctively pushed himself away, but ended up making his chair trip and he fell on his back. Other ponies in the restaurant stared at the spectacle for a short moment, some getting a laugh out of it, before acting as if nothing happened.

“Oh, I’m sorry, are you all right?”

“Yeah, I am fine. What was that for?” Sunshine replied, mildly annoyed.

“Sorry, but you were kind of out of it. You looked pretty angry too.”

“So you had to go ahead and pinch me, huh?” Sunshine dusted himself.

“I had to get your attention somehow.” Mari shrugged.

“Okay, fair enough.”

“What were you so angry about anyway?”

“Oh, nothing. Just a couple of Royal Guards not behaving themselves.”

“Was it something that bad?”

“Well, it isn’t a major offence or anything, but I expect some decency and dedication from fellow Royal Guards.”

“Is that why when you had that really hard cider—“

“I thought we agree that we will never speak of it again. Ever.”

“Oh right, oh right. Sheesh.”

“My point is…okay, I don’t even know what I am angry at.”

“Ah. One of those days, huh?” Mari said, taking a sip of water from her glass.

“Yeah.”

Sunshine sighed and looked again to the sky. Quite a lot of patches of clouds adorned the sky, glowing in mixture of white and dark blue, and shining the white buildings in several patterns. Near the edge of the cloud patch that provided him and Mari a nice shade, he could see the sun poking out. He stared at it for a several seconds and spoke.

“Hey, Mari?”

“Yes?”

“What do you think you will be doing once you are out of the academy?”

“Me? Uhm…uh…that’s…I never really thought about it just yet. I don’t know, my current plan is becoming a registered nurse. Maybe get a minor in literature as well, I am not sure. Why do you ask? What about you?”

At this Sunshine took a breath.

“Since I will be getting my bachelor this year, I am thinking about entering the Royal Marines Officer Training Program. Also, this is my sixth year here in Canterlot, meaning that now I have the opportunity to be transferred to other branches.”

Mari blinked a few times.

“Do…you understand what I am saying?”

“Uh…well, not really. Will you still stay in the Canterlot?”

“Most likely not.”

“……What?” Because she didn’t want to embarrass him again, she refrained from yelling it out loud. “But…but…why?”

“Well…”

He was not prepared for a reaction like that from her. Perhaps it wasn’t really a good idea to say it to begin with. Then again, he would have to go through it eventually. Of course, maybe he would have chosen a better time. But, since he opened the can, he might as well as go through it. If Celestia wills, it could possibly even go without making his best friend cry. Where should he start from?

“Where should I start from? You know what I’ve been saying about the Royal Guards?”

“Ooh, ooh, that it is the best job you ever had?”

“Well, not quite. Okay, I do have to admit though, I tried at least 20 jobs throughout my life and it really indeed is the best one I had so far. Unlike all the other ones, this is a fulltime job. It offers a lot of benefits too; I am probably getting to attend the same school as you because of it.” Sunshine admitted with genuine appreciation, smiling at the last bit.

“What’s the problem, then? Why do you dislike the Royal Guards so much?” Mari asked, with thinly veiled worry.

So it came to this. He better find a way to put it in simple terms so civilian like her can understand.

“It really boils down to one thing: Stagnancy. Your father is the current captain of the Royal Guards. Has he never told you how it used to be in his time?”

“Not really. He pretty much never told me anything about his time there. I learned it only recently.”

“Oh.”

“I don’t think he likes to talk about it that much. In fact, I think you are one of the few ponies he ever talks about it with.” Sunshine raised his eyebrow, somewhat flattered.

“The point here is they……used to be different.

“By the way, Mari, I apologize in advance, it is going to be a mildly lengthy rant that you might find a bit incomprehensible and petty.

“They used to be the sword of Her Majesty, the symbol of excellence, the avatar of Equestrian might, the name that quiets down the crying infants of griffins and diamond dogs. Only the most experienced and toughest soldiers, the best of the best, could dare to even think about joining these mighty warriors. Nothing could stand on their way; they brought down Emperor Grimjaw from his throne, destroyed all but one of the Changelings’ colonies, thwarted the dragons’ invasion, and closed Tartarus when it broke open.

“But look at them now, just…look at them. Any pompous fool who wants to look mighty and pretty can join and in fact, that is basically all what I am seeing, even among the squad I am leading right now. Gone are the finest warriors of this land, replaced by the pathetic underachievers who get more and more out of shape each day. They don’t know what hard-work is, they don’t know what excellence is, and I have a feeling that when things come to the worst and the call of duty comes, they don’t know what blood and battle is either.

“You asked last time we sat like this, why I joining the Royal Guards. There were obviously the convenience and benefits, I am not going to deny that. But those were not all, no Mari, they were not. Believe me, I could have gone to the Marines; they have their own benefits. The real reason is that I wanted to be part of something magnificent. I wanted to witness and be a part of the biggest might this land has to offer, to be a part of the glorious tradition of valor and stiff upper lip.

“But what do I get? I get surrounded by lazy and unmotivated weaklings, that’s what. There are barely any resolve or discipline among them, just a sad bunch who just wants to look pretty while getting paid decently. If what they want is looking pretty, I can think of some other places where they should have gone to instead. It shows up in the training too, I mean, what they call physical training…that’s just pathetic. I swear, I get more exercise in couple of hours in the gym. Hell, I think I got more when I was doing all the part time jobs before.

“Ponies think I got promoted really fast, but it really isn’t that hard when you are the only one who is willing to put some Celestia-damned effort and actually give a rat’s ass about being professional.”

“All I get to be is…just a FUCKING POSER!”

Sunshine slammed his hoof on the table as he finished his rant, cracking it and knocking the glasses and spilling all the liquid to the floor, and some on Mari’s laps. Although he didn’t notice, the restaurant briefly went so silent that even a drop of a pin would sound like a boulder dropping into a still pond. It took him a moment to notice and recover from a slight haze in his eyes and roughness in his breath.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to act so--” He apologized, reaching for a napkin.

“It’s okay, okay.” Mari said, wiping it herself.

“Sorry.” He said again. Normally he tried to watch his languages with the best of his ability; nowadays not even the drill instructors were allowed to use profanity. He looked around the place, hoping that no one heard, or at least was paying any attention to him. A moment of silence passed between them until Mari made an attempt to break it.

“Sun-”

The waiter took just that moment deliver their food; spaghetti with tomato sauce for Sunshine and a carbonara for Mari. Slick noodles glistened in olive oil, covered with steaming sauce and aesthetically sprinkled parsley. Keen noses would have noticed the pleasant fragrance of oregano and basil as well. The presence of others, especially that of Mari, was the only thing stopping Sunshine from salivating like a starved dog. Although the restaurant was indeed more expensive than the average, he already felt the bits were well worth it.

“Hmm? What is it?”

“Uhm…well…nevermind.”

“Okay. Oh wow, this…this is a real deal.”

“Yeah…it is.”

They ate their food, exchanging small talks. Although there were smiles and laughter throughout the lunch, both of them had an uncomfortable and intangible lump in their minds, barely melted away in the talkative and pleasant atmosphere.

After the lunch, they took a walk in the park near Celestia’s castle. Sunshine looked at a clock tower.

“Well, it’s 1445, uh…2:45 now. I better get going.”

“Okay…I guess…I will be seeing you next time…if there is any.”

“I assure you, there will be, many times.” He chuckled, ruffling her mane for the third time that day. “See you soon.”

With that he flew off to his appointment, his wings and heart considerably heavier.

It didn’t take him long to reach the office. He walked (since flying inside the building or entering it through the window was not permitted) up to the second floor and headed to the room, only to find a memo attached to the door:

‘Personal emergency, unavailable until tomorrow.’

“How nice…” Sunshine sighed. He should have just spent more time with Mari instead. Almost instantly, the exhaustion built up from staying up the whole night that didn’t manifest itself during his time with her flowed through his body. Without saying anything, he simply walked back to the barracks.

---000---

As Sunshine headed to his room, almost all the guards that met his eyes quickly had a look of mild fear on their eyes and stepped out of his way. Some ponies were coming out of their room and upon seeing him went back inside and shut the doors. One mildly inebriated guard, however, didn’t get the cue and staggered back to his room. Sunshine followed him straight inside. Inside the room, littered with empty bottles and leftover snacks, he spotted four guards in different state of drunkenness. Luckily enough, he couldn’t see any vomit, although the whole room certainly smells like someone did. The one just walked in turned to face him.

“Heyeeee….wat are ya doing hyer, get outta-”

“Attention.” Sunshine barely raised his voice.

At this the rest of them groggily turned to him. When they saw just who was addressing them, their eyes went wide, now overflowing with sudden terror. They immediately jumped right back onto their hooves and made (very poor) attempts to make themselves more presentable. The speed of their actions made Sunshine wonder as if the alcohol instantly banished from their blood. Somehow this transformed the exhaustion cumulated into his body into mild anger.

“Ser…Sergeant Sunshine!”

“It’s Staff Sergeant Sunshine, you It’s only 4 PM and you are already starting to drink.”

“Technically we returned at the dawn-”

“Did I ask you a question, Private Wood?”

“No-no, sir.”

“Then silence.”

“Ye-yes sir.”

“All four of you, I will see you all tomorrow morning. I will be handing out the appropriate disciplinary measurements. Consider yourself all lucky that I am not personally in charge of your behavioral records. Also, if any of you see Private Grass, tell him that he better show up in the next PT because my patience is running out and he is seriously pushing his luck. You all understand me?”

“Sir, yes sir!”

“And clean this mess, it is revolting.” With that he quietly shut the door and headed to his room, ignoring the quartets’ barely audible whispers, something about a certain part of his anatomy and a stick. He paused when he arrived at his door, one of the only ones without any nametag on it, leading to some more daring recruits to post sarcastic nametags on it. Luckily no one had enough guts to use permanent glue or carve anything on it. When he entered his room, ignoring every other thing in his sight, went to and collapsed on his bed.

“Just another day.”

Sunshine sighed, covering his face with his hooves. Being a staff sergeant in Royal Guards (he wasn’t entirely sure how it worked in other branches) he had some authority to enforce discipline to lower ranked guards, although not really as much as drill sergeants and sergeant first classes, the primary force of discipline in the guards. When he was in that room, however, it wasn’t about discipline but more about taking out his frustration on something, although he somehow managed to not to raise voice, use profanity, and dish out physical punishments. How could his mood have turned from eager and mildly cheerful to irritated so quickly? Surely it was more than just the sleep deprivation and having to miss out spending time with Mari.

During the first few months after he became a sergeant, he found himself pointing out at pretty much everything privates and corporals do, sometimes actively finding tiny mistakes and faults just to do that. He would internally justify his actions doing his job and maintaining the standard of the guards, but it was a cause that he gave up on pretty soon; he did not find much hope in them anyway. From then on he opted to do the minimal amount of interaction his position required him, attempting to just to turn a blind eye on trivial offenses, even though witnessing them left a bad taste in his mouth and gave him a strong urge to do otherwise.

As such, he didn’t exactly have very good relationships with other guards in general. He believed himself to be the only one in the whole organization with any sense of purpose and ambition. Although he never said this out loud (he never really said anything in general), his mannerisms sometimes reflected this. By then lower ranked guards viewed him as a cocky and workaholic killjoy who took everything, especially himself, far too seriously. More senior non-commissioned officers viewed him as a hardworking and honest, but delusional being obsessed with the ideals of a bygone era and wanted to unnecessarily enforce them to everyone the whole time. Almost nobody found him to be an amiable figure and over the years he made very few friends and a lot of enemies.

In spite of all these, he wasn’t entirely hated. In fact, he was also a quite respected figure, known for his overachieving nature. Firstly, he was one of the best athletes of all Royal Guards. The guards did not have the nightmarishly strict physical requirement as they did only few decades ago and it wasn’t rare to see few of them out of shape. Sunshine, on the other hand, didn’t just meet the requirements but went far, far, far, beyond them. Whatever was required, he did at least twice of it and regularly went to the gym inside the barracks. In his third year, when he was a private first class, he scored the perfect score in semi-annual GPET (General Physical Evaluation Test), something that wasn’t done for about a decade, and continued to do so in following years.

In addition, he was very proficient in unarmed combat with the record of 29-3, which was yet to be challenged. A couple of years ago when he was a corporal, some guards, in an action that almost got everyone involved in it kicked out, once brought Arm Strong, one of the best professional martial artists in all Equestria, disguised as a grunt, just to see what would happen. Sunshine spent 10 minutes utterly tormenting the fighter before bringing him down with a devastating kick to the liver. The fighter later even remarked that once he gets discharged he should consider the career at professional fighting, a suggestion which he politely dismissed.

However, what countered his negative reputation the most, and also helped him get promoted faster than others, was his attitude. He almost always got his job done, and when he didn’t or made mistakes - which were actually a lot more often than most would think; he wasn’t perfect, after all – he never, ever, made any excuses and took the full responsibility. He was also usually the first one to volunteer for hard tasks that no one else would, including extra training sessions. Lastly, for all his disdain, he did care about fellow guards; he tried (with various results) to act polite and helpful to everyone, overlooked faults if they had legitimate reasons, and sometimes even took blame for others’ mistake.

Sunshine sighed again. What a bunch of egotistical nonsense.

All said and done, he just wanted to live his life to the absolute fullest; he did not want to put up with any compromise in standards, stagnancy, and atmosphere that was not conducive to motivations. He could not wait to finish his appointment and get transferred. Some days he found himself hoping for a challenge to just knock on his door.

Then he heard a knock on his door.

“Yes?” Sunshine opened the door, wondering who it could be.

At his door stood an unfamiliar pegasus stallion. His posture and the muscles made Sunshine judge that he was definitely no Royal Guard; he would remember someone like that during training. Perhaps he was a commissioned officer?

“Why, g’day! I assume yer Staff Sergeant Sunshine?”

Awfully animated accent caught him off-guard.

“Uhm……yes?”

“Dashing! I will be Lieutenant Night Step. Very nice to meet ye.” He held out his hoof for a shake.

“Oh, my apologies, sir, I didn’t recognize you.” He honestly did not, not only he never met him, as he did not have his rank insignia so he had no way of knowing what rank he belonged to.

“Ey, no worries. Just call me Steppin. Yer never gonna take any order from me, at least not now, so no need for rank callin’ and other rubbishes, o’ righty?”

“Uh…yes sir.”

“Steppin.”

“Uhr…yes si-I mean, Steppin. If you don’t mind me asking…how may I help you?”

“Ah, got a teeny bitty business here in Canterlot. I asked for a lodging they sent me righty here. Do you have any complaint?”

Sunshine found this scenario highly unlikely; why would an officer be sent to share a room with an enlisted? Oh well, as long as he did not temper his schedule and discipline, he was not going to complain. Besides, since he was going to be a CO one day and might as well as learn from his newfound roommate.

“Well… I have no complaints either. I hope we find each other’s company pleasant, Steppin.”

It was only then he noticed that Steppin had been holding out his hoof the whole time. Somewhat reluctantly Sunshine held the hoof, which then was swallowed into a very enthusiastic hoofshake.

“Excellent, same sentiments here, mate.”

After the hoofshake that lasted almost a whole minute, Steppin entered the room and dropped his bag in the corner. All the messes of textbooks, handouts, and other papers reminded him that he did not clean his room before heading off to the academy.

“Sorry about the mess, I was in a hurry and did not expect anyone.”

“It’s cool, I’ve seen a lot worse. Hmm, these papers look academic. Yer going to college or sumthing?”

“Ah, yes. I attend Royal Academy in my off-duty hours.”

“A royal egghead, aye?”

“Well, if you want to think so, sure.” Sunshine chuckled. “But the truth is, when my contract is done, I am going to apply for the Officer Training Program.”

“A stallion of hard work and ambition, apparently what I heard about you is true.” Steppin nodded. “Shame we are not in the same branch, Sarge.”

“Yeah…I guess. Wait, how do you know me?”

“Ah…yeah, that’s an interesting story here.” Steppin chuckled. “You see, you are one of the business I have in this city.”

Sunshine blinked at this.

“Excuse me?”

“You see, one of the fellas in my team went, unavailable couple of months ago. So, we need a new member.” Steppin went ahead and took a sit on the empty bed.

“I…see?”

“I asked Captain Stalwart the other day, if there is any soldier good enough to be a replacement.”

The name immediately got Sunshine’s attention. To him, Stalwart wasn’t just his strict but fair commanding officer. Out of the uniform, Stalwart was his father’s friend who basically took him in after the latter’s death. It was him who taught young and rebellious Sunshine the history and benefits of the Royal Guards and persuaded him to join them, instead of continuing his self-destructive wandering of odd jobs and street fights. Most importantly, he introduced Sunshine to his daughter, Mari.

The captain was a good father who was responsible for everything good that happened to Sunshine’s life after the death of his parents.

“He spoke very highly of you, mate. He said you would make a good addition to the team.”

“He…he did? Well, I guess I am honored.”

“And damn right you should be. I know that he doesn’t just hand those kinds of words like a prawn on the barbie.”

Sunshine laughed sheepishly and placed his hoof behind his head. He did not remember getting any compliments from him while the captain was in his uniform.

“I see. Say, Steppin, do you mind if I ask you a question?”

“Shoot.”

“I’ve been wondering, what exactly is this team you speak of?”

Steppin just stared at him for few seconds. It went just long enough to make Sunshine wonder if he asked a question that he shouldn’t. Then Steppin slapped his forehead.

“Bloody Hell, I forgot to tell you that. How could I leave out such an important context. I have been just rambling on, haven’t I?”

Steppin then hopped back from the bed. On his face then showed a shrewd smile, slightly scaring Sunshine.

“Have you ever heard of the Praetorians?”

“……What?”

“You…never heard of it?” Steppin asked, looking very disappointed.

“I did hear about it, but…isn’t it disbanded?”

“You sure?” Steppin stepped closer.

“Yes.”

“Really?” Steppin stepped even closer.

“Yes.”

“Really, really?” Steppin’s nose was almost touching Sunshine’s.

“With all due respect, si-I mean, Steppin, I am pretty sure the regiment of that name no longer exists. Believe me, I asked Captain Stalwart himself.” Sunshine said, pushing Steppin away.

“Is that so?” Steppin raised his eyebrow. “YES! Thanks Celestia, we are doing our job correctly!”

Steppin cried, raised his hooves to the ceiling.

“Uhm…huh?”

“It’s good, because you are both right…and wrong.” The previous shrewd smile did not disappear. If anything, it only became even shrewder.

“……Sorry, you lost me.”

“Okay, I overheard you talking about the Royal Guards in that restaurant, so I assume that you know basically what the Royal Guards were.”

“Ah…well…” Sunshine did not expect any Equestrian military personnel to hear and even remember it. He hoped that the lieutenant did not speak of it to anyone else.

“They certainly were the best of the best, most powerful protection Equestria ever had, short of Her Majesty and the Holy Artifacts themselves.”

“Just to make sure, by the Holy Artifacts, you are referring to the Elements of Harmony, right?”

“Yes, what else could I be referring to?”

“Just making sure. Continue.”

“Now, among those Royal Guards, there was a small group made of the best of the best. If the Royal Guards was the spear and the arrows Her Majesty yielded to pierce the heart and shed the blood of the enemies of Equestria, they were at their tip. However, after centuries and centuries of Pax Equestriana, the Royal Guards as it had been known became unnecessary and started to become what it is now. The unit was disbanded, with only their name remaining as a legend-”

“Sorry to interrupt, but I already knew those much.” Sunshine politely spoke out.

“And that is, the cover story.”

“…What?”

“Here is the story that less than 0.01% know. The real story. And you are about to hear it. Are you ready, Sarge?”

“Uhm…yes.”

“The Praetorians?” Steppin leaned close to Sunshine. "They still exist." He whispered.

“…Excuse me?”

“The Praetorians were never disbanded, but just changed their name. They are now a modernized, covert group with mundane front, going by the name of the Special Assistance Service.”

“What kind of name is that? That doesn’t really sound that impressive.”

“And that’s precisely why the name was chosen. You do not want a special operations group with a fancy name. Personally, I would have preferred other suggested names like Studies and Observations Group or Army Compartmentalized Elements, but oh well, I wasn’t there when they picked the name so who am I to speak, but I digress.”

“So let me get this straight. There is this covert group, made of absolute the best that the Equestrian armed forces have to offer. And you want me to join it?” Sunshine pointed at himself.

“Well, apparently Stalwart said you are pretty damn good. How long have you been a Royal Guard?”

“Six years.”

“And already a staff sergeant, I didn’t even know that was possible. Even though the standard really isn’t that high here anymore, you must have some potential. Of course, a staff sergeant with six years of service… you only meet the very minimum requirement to try out for the Selection.”

“Hang on, I need to ask something. Something really important…why is SAS still needed?”

Steppin slowly walked to the window, which offered a good view of Canterlot and its citizens. Just like what Sunshine observed during the lunchtime, colorful ponies went about their ways, with no concern of threat to their lives. The lieutenant sighed and a bitter smile formed on his lips.

“Sergeant. Do you think Equestria is at peace?” Steppin suddenly asked.

“Uh…I think…so?”

“It isn’t. Most of us are merely in the illusion. We are living the lie, that nobody is powerful or stupid enough to even think about raising their weapon against Her Majesty’s might. But it is Her Majesty herself who knows better than anyone else that the world isn’t perfect, and that peace is merely an infant thrown in a jungle filled with predators, that it can’t maintain itself. There are monsters out there, waiting in the darkness and laying traps for the innocent, a force of nature that cannot be reasoned and persuaded.”

Steppin paused. Sunshine had his eyes became wider, comprehending the lieutenant’s revelation.

“That’s why us Assistants are needed. Darkness is our playground. They’re the food and we’re the hunters.”

“What are these monsters you speak of?” Sunshine asked.

“Sarge.” Steppin started to walk, circling around him. “To know that is to enter a whole new world. The real world. I don’t think you are cut out for it.”

Sunshine paused. For six years he soared through the ranks with almost no rival, with no concept of the unreachable. A whole new world. None could have comprehended what those words meant to him, how they set a new fire in his heart. Already the world he currently stood at started to feel like a mere shadow.

He had to enter it.

“What are the requirements?” Sunshine asked with resolution.

“The better question is, what will the SAS ask from you?”

“What will the SAS ask from me?”

“Everything you got." Steppin answered immediately.

At this Sunshine fell silent, but his heart screamed with joy. To push himself, to run just so he would not suffer from stagnancy was his aim for many years. Now the opportunity has showed itself, the opportunity to become what he joined Royal Guards for. When he learned about the Royal Guards, he also learned about the Praetorians. From the way they were described, they were beings above mortal soldiers, beings shrouded in myth and fear, a legend. Now he knew that the said legend was still breathing, treading secretly but large.

And he could be a part of it.

“I’m in.”