Recovery
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The Story of a Royal Guard: A Shield Contingency [OUTDATED/CANCELLED]

Recovery

I was never really taught about forgiveness. Training was always my top priority in my foalhood, hardly any time for school or learning good lessons for how to be a nice pony or how to really live. I wasn't given a choice, my dad kept me doing exercises, and right now it doesn't seem to have payed off. I am by no means a weak unicorn, sometimes I've even impressed myself with what I could do, but right now I might as well be a horse-fly with too heavy a stick to carry.

That stick is starting to feel like my sword. I guess I should explain it. When I first joined the Royal Guard, I forged a sword and used a few crystals in the hilt to give it a bit of a magic boost. I'm not the most talented with magic, that position belongs to Twilight Sparkle, but I was able to pull off a simple enchanting spell on the crystals. It turns out that they were crystals from the Crystal Empire, from hundreds if not thousands of years ago, and when you mix old crystals with new magic you get something unexpected. I learned my sword could be manipulated by very simple magic to do complex spells without much of a problem. Changing its size and shape, being able to fly on it with levitation regardless of the weight, even long range teleportation.

Yet it seems to be more of a curse than a blessing. I thought I could make a difference with it, do great things, save Equestria a few times, or at least help save it. But I couldn't, even with my sword I'm still as useless as any other guard doomed to sit at the sidelines while watching Twilight and her friends save Equestria time and time again by pure luck, and some old powerful trinkets known as the Elements of Harmony, of course.

I suppose I should introduce myself at this point. My name is Swordulan Thunder Shield, or more commonly known as Sword Shield, a Lieu- uh, I mean, unicorn of Canterlot. I'm no longer a Lieutenant in the Royal Guard. I quit. I guess my reason was kind of stupid now that I think about it. I needed a break and time to straighten things out, but now things are even more twisted and confusing than they were. Anyway...

So things had gone wrong. My dad was gone, I couldn't face my mother, I couldn't face my Captain or whatever friends I had left. Heck I didn't even feel I could face my home, there was hardly anything there for me.

As I woke up all I could think of was where I messed up. Images were spinning around me from past events. The day I joined the Royal Guard, when I had finished forging my sword, the day I quit the Royal Guard. Funnily enough it's still that same day.

"He's waking up," said a muffled voice.

"Is he going to be okay, mom?" asked another voice.

"I don't know. Go fill a glass of water, quickly!"

I slowly opened my eyes and tried to see my surroundings. There was a thin pink blanket on me and I appeared to be laying on a couch. I looked to my left, there was a table with a vase of flowers, beyond it was a window showing a number of tall buildings belonging to the city of Manehatten. A glass of water was soon shoved in front of my nose.

"Here, drink this!" said a young colt.

I looked at the glass and grabbed it with my mouth, throwing my head back and drinking the contents in a single gulp. I shook my head and tried to wake up more. "Thank you... what happened to me?"

"We were hoping you could tell us that," said another voice. I sat up and saw a stallion, maybe only a little older than myself.

Now I remembered. I had come to Iris's home, finding nowhere else to turn. The young colt was Aster, her son, and I guessed that the stallion was her husband, who I hadn't met. "I must have passed out," I said as I massaged my head.

"But how? Most ponies do not normally just pass out like that," said Iris. She was standing to the right of her husband, worriedly looking over me.

I couldn't think straight, my mind was processing at a snails pace. "I... can't say. Water, I need more water."

"Aster, get him another glass," said the father.

The young colt quickly took the glass he gave me and filled it again with water. I felt my strength coming back so I took it within my magic and drank it all in a single gulp once again. "Thanks... for everything," I managed to say. Everything? Why'd I say that?

"Whoa now, a Lieutenant who happens to stumble into our family and make it so much better, and he thanks us? I'll have none of that," said the father. "It's us who should be thanking you. You're the reason we managed to stay on our hooves. My name's Root Barkley by the way, it's an honor to finally meet you."

Root had a darker brown coat with a leafy green mane and tail, while Iris had a peach coat with a faded yellow mane and tail. Aster had a slightly brighter yellow mane and tail, and a light blue coat instead.

I slowly stood up on all fours, finding my strength slowly coming back. I stumbled slightly but managed to hold myself. I looked back at Root. "I'm no longer a Lieutenant."

"What?!" cried Aster.

"What happened?" asked Iris.

"I did something stupid, and so I quit," I said. "I came here to see my parents, but... things didn't go out as planned." A short wave of pain passed through my head and I stumbled again. Iris moved forward to help me, but I waved her off. "I'll manage." I grunted. "I should get going, I have some things to straighten out."

As I walked towards the door Iris came and stopped me. "No! No, you're clearly not well enough to get moving yet. Sit and stay for just a while, maybe we might be able to help. We owe you that much."

"You don't owe me anything, and I wouldn't want to be intruding."

"Nonsense! We've got some extra space, you're perfectly welcome to stay with us, whether you're a Lieutenant or not."

Aster came up to me holding a Royal Guard helmet. It was my old helmet that I gave him when I first met Iris and him. "Please stay, Mr. Shield," he said. "I'll even give you back your helmet."

I stared at my reflection in the helmet and sighed. "Fine, alright." I levitated the helmet up and put it over Aster's head. "Keep it for now. I'll stay for a while, maybe it will help, and I really don't know where else to go."

"Yay!"

"We'll help you any way we can," said Root. "But first, I'd like to hear about what happened with you in the Royal Guard."

I sat back down on the couch and sighed. "It's... complicated. I quit for a reason I don't really understand anymore. My heart told me it was the right thing to do at the time, but now my mind tells me it was a big mistake. My job seemed to take up the entire portion of my life. I was a workaholic. I would get up, do my job all day as best I could, and then go back to sleep. Nothing else seemed as important, but over time I learned there are other things more important. I couldn't find the time to take a break and work on more important things, I felt too obligated to the 'Guard. But then there was Twilight Sparkle-"

"Twilight? Did you hear she became a Princess?" asked Iris.

"Yeah... I was there when it happened. She..." No, no point in explaining why I didn't like her. "Nevermind. I just felt like, even for how much I worked, I still wasn't doing my job well enough. I could have prevented so many things from happening, but I messed up. Even when it seemed like I could be of some help, the choice was always taken from me. So I quit, I couldn't see what difference I was making."

Root nodded understandingly. "I see... well, I'll tell you that everypony, no matter what, makes a difference somewhere, somehow. You made all the difference to me and my family. Because of your generosity we were able to stay on our hooves. I won't tell you what you should do, but I think the more you believe a choice is being taken out of your hooves, the more it will happen. I was close to believing that at one point, but then you showed up. Sometimes all it takes is a friend or even a generous stranger to show you your choices."

I gave him a weak smile. "Thanks, again. I don't really know what choices I have right now... but I hope I might soon." I looked around real quick and noticed that my sword had been missing from my person for some time now. "Wait, what happened to my sword? I had it with me when I came in."

"I put it up high for safekeeping," said Iris. She walked over to what looked like the kitchen and brought back the sword in her mouth.

I took the sword into my magic and hovered it in front of me. It shined in the sunlight of the window, and was pulsing with yellow light every few seconds.

"Is it always pulsing like that?" asked Iris.

I looked at it confusedly. "No, I've never seen it do this before." I used my magic and shaped my sword into a small but thick wall of metal and put it over the window, blocking the sunlight so I might see it better. It continued to pulse once every five seconds, there was no doubt about it. "I don't understand. This doesn't make any sense."

"What is it?" asked Root curiously.

"I don't know. It's an enchanted sword, but it shouldn't be doing this."

I brought the sword back and changed it to its normal form, then lightly touched the crystal. Nothing. I reached and pressed down on the crystal a bit stronger, this time a sharp pain pierced through my hoof. I immediately jerked my leg back.

"Sweet Celestia, that burns! The thing is heating up like a miniature sun. Stand back!" I waved a hoof towards the others. They backed away towards the kitchen. I began to focus my magic on the sword again, tightening my grip around the crystal and pouring a continuous pressure of magic into it. The sword 'popped' and let out a small burst of magical energy, which flowed through the room and dispersed shortly.

"Whoa, that was cool," said Aster with stars in his eyes.

"What in Equestria did you do?" asked Root.

I looked at the sword curiously. It had stopped pulsing. I touched the crystal again, this time feeling no heat or pain. How odd. "I have no idea, but it seems to have returned it back to normal. Nothing to worry about, it's safe. If I were to guess... the enchantment properties I used a long time ago were coming loose, and began to heat up the crystal where the enchantment lies. I tried to condense all the energy back inside, and it seemed to have worked, minus one little burst of energy which escaped and flew out the windows. I remember reading something about that in an enchantment textbook, but I didn't know about the pulsing."

"Are you sure it's perfectly safe?" asked Iris, cautiously eyeing the sword.

I raised it in my magic and tapped it on my head a few times. "Safe as any other sword is, but it might be better to do this--" I shaped the sword around my back and wore it like a belt. "There. Should be out of the way for now."

"Good," said Root. "Now if you're going to stay a while, we should get you settled in." He motioned for me to follow him down the hall, showing me into a small room filled with cardboard boxes and other sorts of storage containers. "The den is our only spare room right now, which we use for storage. I hope it's enough. You're probably used to having a nice comfortable bed."

"Actually, this is fine. I used to sleep in a simple tent, so if you can spare a mat and a blanket I'll be all set." Now that I thought about it, I could probably be content sleeping outside with just a mat and a blanket. When a soldier needs rest, he'll take it anywhere.

"Oh, okay. We should have a spare or two somewhere around here. Hold on." Root walked back down the hall, shortly coming back with a thin mat and the blanket they had put over me before. "Will this do?"

I nodded. "That'll be fine, thanks."

Root smiled. "No problem. I'll uh, let you set up however you want. I'm going to talk to my family for a minute or two." He closed the door and left me to myself.

I looked down at the mat and blanket. Not as great as the one I was used to sleeping on, but it was good enough. I set it down next to the wall along with the blanket, even taking some time to rearrange the boxes in the room to look cleaner. I then took a moment to sit down and think.

What happened? What happened to me? What happened to my sword? What happened to my dad? I guess I let my emotions get the better of me. I let my pride overrule my rationality. Yes, I had been too prideful. Looking at my sword I now realized how proud I had been to be a Lieutenant of the Royal Guard, how proud I was to fight and defend for it. Or was it for the Guard? Maybe it was for myself. Maybe it was for my father. Ever since my foalhood it seemed I had been fighting for my father, but now he was gone. What was left for me to fight for? The whole time I thought I was fighting for Equestria or the Princesses, when that was blatantly not the case. I had just been too stupid to realize it.

I needed something new to fight for. First I needed to fight for myself. I needed to get out of this mess. If only it were so easy as simply taking my sword and cutting down the vines that were strangling my mind. I would have to unlearn everything I had been doing for my father, and instead learn to do things for myself. Yes, that is my plan.

A knock came at the door. The door opened and Aster walked in. "Sorry for disturbing you, but I wanted to know... how long are you going to stay?" he asked.

"As long as I need," I answered. The young colt only gave me a blank stare, so I quickly corrected myself. "Maybe two nights. After that I will head back to Canterlot."

"Oh, okay. Um... is it okay if I ask you questions? I've never gotten to talk with a Lieutenant before."

I smiled. It wasn't every day a young one wanted to ask me questions. "Sure, I guess. I'm not a Lieutenant any more but maybe I can answer a few things."

"Why did you stop being a Lieutenant?"

"Well, like I said before... I made a dumb mistake," I sighed. This was too difficult without telling the truth. "I'll be honest with you, one of the largest reasons I quit is because Twilight Sparkle became a Princess."

"What? Do you not like Twilight?"

"N-no... I like her just fine, it's just she... she got lucky, okay? As a Royal Guard, I was never the one who won the battles, I never saved Equestria or did anything worthwhile. It was Twilight and her friends, while I stood in the background. I don't think she's capable of being a Princess. I'm not even sure she knows the first thing about it."

"You saved the day for us, that's more than Twilight could ever do for us."

I looked at him skeptically. He really did believe I had saved him and his family. But he didn't know of all the times Twilight did save Equestria, where I had failed instead. She had still saved him and his family more times than I had, he just didn't know that. But... he was still right in some way. Though with all Twilight had done, without myself... they would not be here. I smiled.

"You're right," I said. "I may not have saved Equestria, but I shouldn't discount what I have saved. Thank you. You know, Aster, you'd make a fine Royal Guard some day."

He beamed. "Do you really think so?"

"As long as you keep practicing and exercising, I know so. Have you been working your wings like I suggested?"

"A little bit. They're just--" Aster tried flapping his wings a little bit, but struggled getting them in sync with each other and stumbled. "--so hard to control."

"You'll get it eventually, I'm sure you can."

Root came back through the door. "Aster, you shouldn't be bothering him. Come on out."

"No, it's alright," I called back. "Aster wasn't bothering me at all. I don't often get time to talk with the little guys."

"Alright, if you're sure. Have you figured how long you're going to stay?"

"Probably just this one night actually. Aster helped me to see some mistakes I've made, and now I feel I know how to fix them. I think I'll leave tomorrow afternoon, that should give Aster some time to ask me any questions he'd like."

"Really? I can ask anything?" asked Aster.

I nodded. "Anything. But you have to give me the helmet back, you're not actually supposed to have that. Royal Guard property."

"It's a deal! I don't fit into it yet anyway."

"Perfect," said Root. "We are making supper right now. Are you okay with a carrot heavy salad?"

My ears perked up. "You mean the stuff I practically live on?"

Overpowered
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The Story of a Royal Guard: A Shield Contingency [OUTDATED/CANCELLED]

Overpowered

Dinner sure felt good to have in my stomach. I couldn't remember the last time I had eaten a good meal. The four of us, Iris, Root, Aster and myself, all sat around the table. We ate quickly and talked about how life was going. How well Root's job had been going (I learned that he was a bio-engineer), how school had been going for Aster, what their plans were for the weekend.

“So what do you plan to do when you go?” asked Iris.

I took another large bite from my carrot salad. “Well,” I swallowed before continuing. “I need to go back to Canterlot and explain everything to the Captain of the Royal Guard. Secondly I’ll probably try to figure out what’s up with my sword.”

“What about your cutie mark?”

“Oh, that,” I glanced down at my nearly blank flank, showing only the sword for my cutie mark. “I don’t know. I’m hoping that it’ll just come back at some point.”

“You don’t know how to fix it?”

I shrugged. “I have a vague idea, but otherwise it might just disappear completely.”

“What happens then? Could you get a completely new cutie mark?”

“I don’t know. Maybe I lose my special talent, or whatever makes me me. I sort of like the idea of finding a new cutie mark, but I don’t think it works like that. I’ve always been good at magic sword dueling, and I doubt that’ll change.”

I glanced down at my sword which was still strapped around my backside. After staring at it for a few seconds it began to creep me out a little, like it was staring back at me. I turned back to my food and quickly finished off the rest.

“Thanks for dinner, it was great,” I said. “Where should I put my bowl?”

“Don’t worry about that, I got it,” said Iris as she scooped up my bowl along with the others and put them away in the kitchen.

“So I heard you say your sword was enchanted,” said Root. “How does that work? Does it make the material stronger or something else?”

I looked down at my sword again. “Sort of, I mean, the material doesn’t ever seem to chip away or wear down,” I took the sword off and began playing with its shape. “The main thing is it allows me to change the sword’s shape and size somewhat, and allows me to cast spells through it easier. Overall it’s just easier to use my magic on.”

I was about to put the sword away when it began to pulse again, though much more faster and brighter.

I waved a hoof at the others. “It’s doing it again, stand back!”

I focused my magic on the sword and tried to create a shield around the hilt and compress it. It seemed to be working, until the sword lit up from the crystals and fired a beam out the tip, hitting the wall and leaving a black mark, but the pulsing had stopped.

“Alright, it’s safe,” I said. “But… I think I should leave sooner than later. This is getting to be too dangerous, and I won’t be able to stay overnight if it’s going to explode in all our faces like that.”

“Aw, do you really have to go?” asked Aster.

“I think it’s the right thing,” said Root. “If your sword is doing strange things, I think it’s best if you left to find a way to fix it.”

I nodded. “Thank you all for your hospitality, it was very generous of you to let me stay for a while. I’ll definitely come visit another time, and you can ask me all the questions you want, Aster.”

“We look forward to seeing you again,” said Iris. “Stay safe, and if you’d like I can make you a quick meal to go.”

“No thanks, your dinner will keep me good enough for quite a while I bet. Sorry I had to leave so soon.”

“It’s alright. Do you need any bits for the train to Canterlot?”

I walked up to the door and opened it. “No, I’m going to walk. I don’t want anypony accidentally getting hurt if my sword discharges again, and I’m not sure flying is the safest thing either. I’ll be alright, I used to be a Lieutenant after all. Goodbye everyone.”

“Goodbye!” they said.

I put on my old helmet, for lack of a better way to carry it, and saluted them, then walked out and closed the door with my magic. As I walked out of the apartment building and to the darkening streets of Manehatten I could tell it was going to be a long night. I sighed and continued on until I reached a local garrison for the Royal Guard and returned the helmet. After that I quickly made my way to the edge of the city to avoid any possible accidents and began on the long walk home.

The first few miles were mostly flat lands. I kept to the train tracks and waved as trains came zooming by, but then the tracks went into a tunnel through a mountain. There was no way I was going to go through a train tunnel on hoof, so either I could go through the Hollow Shade forest and over Foal Mountain, or go over the hilly areas above Fillydelphia and go around Foal Mountain. Stopping by Fillydelphia didn’t sound so bad, but it would take longer than just cutting a straight path through the forest and over the mountain to Canterlot.

I guess I was going through the forest. I wasn’t overly fond of travelling under a forest roof that nopony ever came through, at least not that often. I had heard a few stories from my time in the Royal Guard of dangerous monsters or things out of nightmares in forests like the Hollow. Most of the time the stories were exaggerated, though often were true one way or another. Whatever was really in there, I’ll take my chances with, what with my sword going all super nova.

I entered the forest, and true to its name, it felt very hollow. The trees were thin and spread out, but the overhanging branches and leaves spread overtop created a thick barrier and shadowed every inch of the ground below. Little critters scrambled out of my way as I went deeper into the forest.

Now back to my sword going super nova. Discord had told me there was some kind of magical entity within the enchanted crystal, and that it was mad. The biggest suspect to the random outbursts of energy had to be whatever was inside was trying to break out, and me trying to contain it caused it to… well more or less explode towards something. Somehow I needed to destroy the entity or contain it, and as of right now I have no idea how to do that.

As I made it into the darker parts of the forest I used my horn to create a simple light spell, scaring off several nocturnal creatures. It helped me see better, but it created this wall of ominous darkness around me, so I quickly stopped the spell and continued on content with the darkness. I would rather see further in the dark than better in the short light. Goodness that sounded ridiculously metaphorical.

After a while longer my eyes began to grow heavy and I could no longer keep alert of my surroundings. It was time I got some sleep. I found a soft spot of ground between two trees and laid down, then transformed my sword into half a sphere with air holes and put it over top of me for protection in case some pony eating monster managed to sneak up on me. I doubted anything could get through that thing, but what worried me is if it began to pulse again. So far it hasn’t, so I suppose it was alright to get some rest. I made myself as comfortable as I could get while laying on dirt, shut my eyes and let my consciousness slip away from me.

Floating… no… flying. Yes, I was flying, on my sword. I was over Canterlot, no, Ponyville. Wait, Manehatten? I went from my old parent’s house, then to mine, then to my parents apartment. The doors to each rushed up to my face. I knocked.

Bang bang bang.

No answer.

Bang bang bang.

No answer.

The Royal Guard barracks in Canterlot

Bang bang bang.

No answer.

I stood in the middle of Ponyville. There was no one in sight, it had been abandoned. Twilight had to know what was going on. The library door rushed up to my face.

Bang bang bang.

The door opened, inviting me inside. I walked in, but no one was home. Just the books with layers of dust upon them. Second floor, there was my old tent I slept in. I went inside, but it was not the inside of my tent. It was the castle in Canterlot. Changelings walked to and fro throughout the halls, some stood guard outside doors wearing Royal Guard armor. They turned and stared at me, changing into different guards I knew. Captain Morningstar, the other Lieutenants, Shining Armor.

“What are you doing here?”

I turned back. It was Twilight, wearing her own set of purple and gold armor. Behind her stepped out Celestia, Luna and Cadance, also wearing armor of their own colors.

I looked between them confused. “I don’t understand. What’s going on? Why are there changelings everywhere? Where is everypony?”

“They left,” said Celestia. “You remain.”

“Join us!” said Luna with a hiss.

The Princesses moved in on me. I tried to fly away, but my sword had disappeared. I backed away to bump into a group of changelings, also hissing at me. Then they were gone. There was a door.

Bang bang bang.

“Who is it?” I asked.

I opened the door for a peek, and was met by an army of changelings with different faces appearing and disappearing. Twilight, Shining Armor, Cadance, my parents, my fellow guardsponies, Aster and his family, even Discord, but then it really was Discord.

“You cannot run anymore, Swordy!” he said with a chuckle. “You must face it!”

“Face what?” I asked.

Bang bang bang.

There was a second door behind me. I opened it and was greeted by Princess Luna.

“Follow me, Swordulan,” she said.

I backed away. “Are you really here, or are you just another changeling?”

“I am here as long as you want me to be. It is time for you to move forward, this way.”

She walked back through the door and invited me forward. I slowly stepped into the room with her, but it stopped being a room once I was inside. It was emptiness, an empty black forever.

“What’s going on, Princess Luna?” I asked. “Why are there changelings in the castle? What’s happened to everypony?”

“Be still, for you are dreaming, a most horrible dream. There are no changelings in Canterlot, they are only within your mind. You must choose, Lieutenant. You must move forward.”

I shook my head. “I don’t understand. What must I choose? I’m not a Lieutenant anymore either.”

Luna smiled. “Not if you continue to think like that. It is your choice who you want to be, and only your choice. You must choose.”

Whatever floor we were standing on gave away and I fell away from Luna, whose voice continued to echo towards me.

“You must choose.”

I felt something grab me and pull me up.

“I gotcha, cousin! Not letting you fall on my watch.” It was my cousin, Katana.

Her grip began to fail and I was slipping.

“Don’t let go! I won’t let you!”

My sword flew in out of nowhere and cut Katana’s hoof off. She screamed and I was falling again. The sword flew underneath me to catch me, but it transformed into a gigantic mouth with razor sharp teeth. It began to fly towards me, chomping its metallic teeth.

Bang... bang…

BANG!

I gasped, shaking my head and feeling the dirt beneath me. I looked around and saw that I was still encased in my sword, then breathed a sigh of relief.

BANG!

I jumped, nearly hitting my head. Something just slammed into my sword, and I saw it was pulsing again too, so bright I almost thought it was broad daylight. I used my magic and opened a small hole in the sword to see what was outside, and I was met with the roar a dragon. The dragon pulled its head back and was about to blast me with fire. I immediately sealed the sword to shield the blast. The temperature rose to uncomfortably hot levels. Once I felt the fire was gone I transformed the sword back to normal, carefully making sure it didn't touch me. It was nearly molten metal at this point.

I cast a light spell so I could see. The dragon roared and prepared to blast me again. I transformed my sword into a wall between me and the dragon. It confused him long enough for me to get behind him.

BANG! BANG!

I hid behind a tree while he was still distracted then teleported my sword back to me in its normal form and kept as still and quiet as I could, keeping my sword levitated in front of me. It was still pulsing brightly, but hopefully not enough that the dragon would notice.

The dragon roared again now that I had disappeared. It stomped its feet and began to knock over trees. I heard it stop and begin to sniff.

“Come out little pony, I know you’re still here,” said the dragon, taking another long sniff. “I can sssmell your fear. Your sword can’t save you forever.”

The dragon began inching closer to me. I looked around for some sort of escape, somewhere I could go the dragon couldn’t get me. My sword continued to pulse more and more rapidly. An idea struck.

“You’re right!” I yelled. “It can’t save me forever, but I’ll bet it can save me now!”

I flung my sword towards the dragon, but it missed and clattered on the forest floor. The dragon laughed and picked up the sword, not minding how hot it must have been. Then I heard it, the crystal cracked.

THOOOM!

The entire forest lit up like one of the craziest parties Pinkie Pie had ever thrown. There was a burst of energy that knocked me a few meters forward. As the light settled, I shook myself and looked where the dragon had been. There was nothing left but my sword, lying dormant on the ground.

That wasn’t what I expected to happen.

I slowly approached the sword, looking from side to side to see if the dragon was still around, but there was nothing. The forest had gone completely silent. I reached out and poked my sword. Nothing. I touched it again for a bit longer, finding it was no longer hot. I picked it up and tapped on the crystal. It didn’t look like anything had happened to it. I held the sword in my magic and transformed it into a surfboard. It took a bit more effort than I was used to, but I was still able to stand on the sword and fly through the air. I transformed the sword back to normal and tried to teleport it in one direction. It strained my horn somewhat, but I could still make it teleport wherever I wanted.

Something definitely changed, and I don’t think I’ll be able to teleport my sword on a moments notice anymore. I don't think I'll get anymore sleep tonight either. I transformed the sword into a surfboard again and levitated myself up above the treetops. It was only a few hours before dawn. I flew back to the ground and put my sword around my back, hoping it wouldn’t begin to pulse any time soon, but then I noticed something on my flank. The shield in my cutie mark had reappeared.

Whatever just happened to my sword... somehow had restored a part of who I was. Maybe it wasn't the sword? Maybe it was what I did, what I chose. I wasn't sure.

I shook my head and continued on through the forest, eager to get back to Canterlot to see if I could make sense of all that had happened.

Fly No More
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The Story of a Royal Guard: A Shield Contingency [OUTDATED/CANCELLED]

Fly No More

I guess nopony will have to worry about that dragon ever again, though I'm still not entirely sure what happened to it. I continued on my way through the forest, my heart still pumping full of adrenaline. I walked slowly though, making sure I was going the right way and not getting caught by any other wild creatures.

Another reason I went slowly is because I was still trying to process what had happened. My sword was weaker now, but not by much. I'm guessing that whatever entity is inside my sword either got out or just ended up damaging the enchantment spell. Either way, I had no clue what sort of consequences there might be.

And then there was the fact that part of my cutie mark reappeared, and when it happened I remember feeling… protected, yet vulnerable. It was the strangest thing. For a moment, I had a burning desire to put myself in the line of danger before somepony else and be their shield. Was that who I was? I remember… not remembering. I had forgotten that’s what made me special. I would put myself in risk in defense of others, making myself vulnerable, but protecting others. And I knew now that I would do it again, even if I were to fail every time I tried.

I just needed to find a way to get the rest of myself back.

That was probably the strangest thing I’ve ever thought.

As the sun rose and the feeling came back into my hooves, there was a snap of twigs nearby. I stopped and turned my head towards the snap, but there was nothing there. I turned back, when I noticed a large boulder with a door on it, along with vaguely familiar housing decorations. Strange looking masks and trinkets hung about.

Where had it come from? I never noticed it before, though perhaps the darkness was to blame. I began to walk towards the door. “Hello? Is anypony there?”

Some clattering come from within, as if a cooking pan had been dropped.

“No, no ponies here,” came a harsh voice.

I knocked on the door. “Are you alright?”

There was some grumbling, then hoofsteps came up to the door and it opened, revealing a zebra. An old zebra, wearing large diamond rings around his neck.

“Who are you? What do you want?” he asked with a frown.

I took a step back from the door, gaping at the zebra. “I… nothing. I’m sorry for bothering you. I’ll just continue on my way.” I turned around and began to walk away with my teeth clenched.

“Hold on now,” said the zebra. “Come back here for a second. You’re a unicorn, right?”

I looked back cautiously. “Yeah.”

The zebra nodded and looked at the ground. “I knew a few unicorns once.”

I wasn’t sure how to respond. “That’s… nice.” I cleared my throat. “What were their names?”

The zebra chuckled and looked back towards the door. “Why don’t you come inside, I’ll tell you a story about them.”

Strange old zebra living inside of a boulder in the middle of a strange forest offering me to tell me a story about some unicorns I didn’t know. Nothing could go wrong with that, right? Now, my parents taught me well, don’t trust strangers in strange places, but nothing about this zebra struck me badly. He was kinda creepy, but as far as I knew zebras were harmless.

I walked back towards him slowly. “Alright.”

He opened the door and motioned his hoof inside. “The name’s Valhalla by the way.”

That’s an odd name, but I won't judge. “I’m... Swordulan. Nice to meet you.”

I walked inside his home. It was dark, having no windows and just a few lanterns hanging on the walls. Assorted rugs and tapestries were strewn about, and multiple potions and plant life were scattered around on stone tables or counters.

I looked at the place and nodded, mildly impressed. “It’s a nice place, for being inside a boulder.”

Valhalla snorted. “It’s the next best thing from a tree. Unfortunately this forest doesn’t have many good trees. Sit down. Would you like some tea? Home made.”

“No thanks.” Truth be told I was rather thirsty, but I wasn't ready to risk whatever brew this zebra had made up. I sat down on a stone bench next to a table. Lots of clutter was on top of the table, potions, some empty, some full and some broken. “You don’t get many visitors around here, do you?”

Valhalla walked over to another table and began preparing something in a cup. “No, I don’t. That’s the idea though. Being alone out here, away from everypony else’s troubles. Hmph. Yeah, some worth they are, worrying about Princesses and whatnot.”

“You like it out here?”

“I like the peace, when there aren’t strange explosions occurring in the middle of the night anyway. I like the nature.” Valhalla paused and took a sip from his cup. “She liked nature.”

“She?”

Valhalla glanced back at me for a second. “Not the unicorns I was talking about earlier.” He took another sip of tea. “No, she was something much more special than any magic could ever show me.”

He was beginning to confuse me. “You don’t seem much like the zebras I know.”

Valhalla chuckled. “And how many zebras do you know?”

“Two, including you. The other's name is Zecora, she lives in the Everfree Forest.”

Valhalla put his tea down and turned around. “Ah, and what’s so different between her and I?”

“She rhymes everything when she speaks, for one thing.”

Valhalla waved his hoof aside. “Traditional stuff. I left that behind a long time ago. No point in the rhyme, it takes up too much time.” He chuckled at himself. “Guess that sort of stuff never leaves you.” He sat down across from me at the table and stared at his potions.

“So, you were going to tell me about those unicorns?”

His eyes looked up at me. “Swordulan, have you ever lost someone you loved?”

That was uncalled for. I searched the ground trying to think what I would say. “I… guess?” The image of my father’s face appeared in my mind. “Not really. I’ve lost a lot, but never someone I’ve loved. Why do you ask something like that?”

Valhalla scooted forward in his seat and made himself more comfortable. “Let me tell you a story. I’m sure it’s one you’ve never heard of. It’s about those two unicorns, a pegasus, an earth pony and myself. The unicorn’s names were Evening Flash and Star Swirl-”

I interrupted, recognizing a name. “Star Swirl? The bearded?”

Valhalla grunted. “No, not that Star Swirl. No more interruptions please.”

I nodded. “Okay, I won’t. Continue.”

“Evening Flash and Star Swirl, the pegasus was named Willow Leaf and the earth pony was named…” Valhalla paused and smiled, looking away towards a pink towel that hung on the wall. “Maboo. Evening, Star, Willow and Maboo. We were quite the adventurous group back in the day.”

He had my curiosity now. “What happened to them?”

Valhalla sighed. “It's... rather sad, especially so since it was my fault. I’ll start at the beginning, which happened to be in this forest, right at the base of Foal Mountain. For most of my life I’ve been a traveler, learning different things about different ponies and their cultures, and it started one day when I was travelling around this forest when an old pony friend of mine spotted me. Her name was Maboo, and she was a bundle of energy. She was travelling with a group, which were the rest of the ponies I mentioned. They were on an adventure and needed some medical help, so I decided to pitch in.”

I interrupted again. “You don’t strike me as the medical type of zebra.”

“What do you think all these potions are for? Many, if not all zebras are masters of alchemy, potion brewing and healing techniques. I learned even more about those things than most of my kin through travelling. Back to my story. Maboo, Willow Leaf, Evening Flash and Star Swirl were a small group just trying to make their way in Equestria, but times were tough back then. Equestria was on the verge of a war against the Griffons as they continued to threaten my homeland. They wanted to stop a war from happening, so I joined them.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Stop a war between the Griffons? I’ve never heard of any Griffon wars.”

Valhalla pointed to himself. “And you’re looking at the reason why. I’m sure that officials have kept that bit of history in the dark. Never happened, never needed to happen, so you don’t need to know about it. Don’t go telling anypony about this either.”

I nodded. “Right. So you stopped the war from happening? How?”

“I made a choice. I stayed with Maboo’s group for a very long time, and we all became good friends. Willow and I became... particularly close. We were running back and forth from town to town spreading news, running diplomatic missions for Celestia herself and doing our best to prevent conflict, and if conflict did occur, tend to the victims. One day we were stuck Manehatten, and I received word about my homeland being invaded. That’s when I made the choice to leave the group in Manehatten and go home to help.”

“What happened to your group?”

“I didn’t learn about their fates until long after the war was averted. I went back home and was able to talk with the Griffons and we found a resolution to the problems they were having with my people, everyone was content. As the tension began to disappear, I went back to Manehatten to find all my friends were gone.” Valhalla’s eyes drooped. “Forever.”

I glanced down at my sword. “Were they… killed?”

Valhalla nodded. “One way or another. Evening and Star went down fighting off a group of Griffon assassins that had been targeting our group for some time. They beat them all in the end, but it was too much for them. With their tragic loss, Maboo apparently became... psychotic.” Valhalla flinched at the word. “Her end was the most terrible. Being unable to cope with the loss of her friends, she killed herself. She was such a happy pony… smiling all the time, always laughing and having fun. With her and myself gone, Willow lost morale. She simply gave up, and eventually the Griffons got her too.”

A tear slid down my face. “That’s awful. I… I’ve never heard of anything like that, even with my time in the Royal Guard. It all just seems so safe. I mean, I’ve seen my share of terrors here in Equestria, but I always felt like everything was going to be alright, that everypony was going to make it. I never worried.”

Valhalla solemnly nodded. “Things are very different now than they used to be. There's no worry about war, everything is guarded and safe. The only reason is because of my friend's sacrifice.”

It was hard to believe that there was someone like Valhalla alive, someone who’s seen more than I ever probably could. I still had questions, though I didn’t like having to ask after him telling me so much already. “So why are you living out here then? Wouldn’t you want to be in your homeland?”

Valhalla stood up and put away his cup. “No, anywhere but there. I stay here to get away from my mistake, and rather stay close to one of the best decisions of my life. No point in going anywhere else.”

A strange thought occurred to me. “What if you could go back? To the time when you made the choice to leave them, change your decision. Would you?”

Valhalla snorted as he began to sort through his potions. “I can’t, so I don’t see your point.”

I shook my head. “I think you can. In fact, I’m sure you can.”

He turned around to face me. “And how do you think so? I know time spells exist, but I also know that even the most powerful unicorn couldn’t create one that would last, and you don’t look like any powerful unicorn.”

“I don’t have to, I have this--” I levitated my sword into the air. “--And if you’ve traveled all over Equestria, maybe you’ll recognize these sort of crystals.”

Valhalla stared at the crystals. “They look like ordinary enchanting crystals. Clever to use on a weapon I suppose, but nothing special.”

I rolled my eyes. “They’re from the Crystal Empire, over a thousand years old.”

Valhalla took a closer look. “That’s impossible, they should have all disappeared.”

“Not these ones apparently.” I poured magic into my sword and shaped it into various animals. “Ever since I enchanted them, I’ve been able to do incredible things with the sword. Long range teleportation, fly, unlimited Sight Seeing range, spells nopony should be able to do on a normal object. If I can do that, I think I can make a permanent time portal, or something like that.”

“And then what? You want me to go back and change my past, and in possibly doing so change the entire future? I may wish I had my friends back, but I’m not that naive.”

I shook my head. “You don’t have to change anything. I bet I can shift you into a parallel universe where you can choose to stay with your friends and save them. Once you go through, you’ll be yourself at the time of your decision. Stay with them, find another way to stop the war.”

Valhalla narrowed his eyes. “Will I be the same as I am now? Will I remember?”

“I can’t guarantee any of that, but you should still be you. Come on.”

I had no idea if this was going to work, but it was worth a try. After that story, I felt a little guilty. This old zebra has been through so much worse than I have, and I felt like I owed him something for it.

We came outside and I found an open space which to do the spell. I levitated my sword in front of me and transformed it into a wall with the rims jutting forward.

I looked over at Valhalla. “Are you ready?”

He nodded. “Do it. I'm ready to go back, if I can.”

I started the spell, pouring magic into the sword as quickly as I could. I didn’t know what sort of spell I was doing, but with whatever that was left in the magic of the sword’s crystals I was sure it would know what I wanted. It could sense my magic and understand the type of spell I wanted, and so I was sure the portal would work. However, it was taking nearly all the strength out of me. I was firing magic into the sword at my maximum power, and I could feel the spell starting to come out, but it wasn’t enough.

I had to put my heart into this spell for it to work. Let emotions get involved. Usually when unicorns cast spells they have a special lock that prevents their emotions from controlling their magic, like how our pipes automatically make sure we don’t swallow food down the wrong tube. Sometimes it fails and we make mistakes, or it happens while we’re newborns. For this I let it go freely.

Immediately as I let my emotions go I felt a need to do something for another. Whether it was from Valhalla’s story or not, I don’t know, but I had to do this now, as an act of kindness. My own worries were nothing.

A burst of magic flowed through my horn and continued powering the spell. A new feeling overcame me. I wanted to laugh, laugh and smile at everything that’s happened in my life. I was such a boring stallion, working all day long and doing nothing else. I remembered the time when I was helping Shining Armor’s proposal with Cadance and she thought I was proposing to someone else. How embarrassing that was, but now I couldn’t help but laugh.

Another burst of magic flowed through my horn. Immediately I wanted to give something to someone I cared about. Maybe give things to everyone I cared about. That list seemed very small right now, but I could still try to be more generous with others outside of it. I had so much more to offer.

A third burst of magic. I have to be honest with myself now, would I really go back to Canterlot and do all those things? Or would I just try to get back into the Royal Guard and continue working again? It seemed most likely that I’d just apologize and get back to work.

A fourth burst of magic. No, I had to stay loyal to my friends. I owed them all that much. Shining Armor, Cadance, Captain Morningstar and the other officers in the Royal Guard. I would fight for them to the end.

A fifth burst of magic. Now I knew what to do. My friends came first, work came later. I could make more friends too. It would take me some time, but I knew I could do it. I’m a Royal Guard, and all Royal Guards are known to be stubborn and persistent. It was our magical quality.

A sixth and final burst of magic fired into the sword and the portal opened. I clenched my teeth and looked back at Valhalla. “Go now!”

Valhalla walked up to the portal but paused. He looked back at me with a smile for a moment. He jumped through.

After he disappeared the portal faded and the sword exploded in a flurry of energy, knocking me back. As the dust settled I walked over where the sword had been. It had transformed itself back to normal. I levitated it up and tried to shape it, but failed. My magic wouldn’t go into it anymore. I looked at the crystal and saw that it had cracked in half.

At that point I knew that I would never be able to fly again.

By Sun, Moon and Sword
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The Story of a Royal Guard: A Shield Contingency [OUTDATED/CANCELLED]

By Sun, Moon and Sword

The rest of the trip back to Canterlot was long and tiring. I had to walk all the way around Foal Mountain and across half of Equestria. It was already after dark by the time I reached the city gates. The night guards patrolling the walls spotted me and let me in. Someone at the wall must have recognized me and said something because Captain Morningstar was the first one to greet me.

“Swordulan!” he said while running up to me. “Where have you been? What happened to you? You look terrible.”

There were definitely a few rings under my eyes. “Yeah… I’m sorry I just up and left like that. I feel horrible. I’ve been walking all day without a bite to eat just to get back to Canterlot.”

“Why didn’t you take the train?”

I motioned towards my sword strapped to my back. “That thing was causing problems. Didn’t want to risk anyone getting hurt. It broke along the way.”

I didn’t think telling anyone about the dragon, zebra or portal was such a great idea. Better to keep that to myself.

The Captain nodded understandingly. “I see. Do you need a place to stay? I can offer you an empty bunk.”

“I'd be very grateful for that, thanks. And, uh… It’s not too late to get back with the Royal Guard, is it? I’m so sorry about what happened before, I was not acting like myself and made a really stupid decision.”

“I’ll have to review some documents first, but I believe it’s a possibility to get you back in tomorrow. And hey, it looks like you’ve got your cutie mark back, congratulations.”

“I have?” I looked back at my flank in surprise. There it was, sword, shield, six stars, as if nothing ever happened to it. “I never noticed. That’s… interesting.”

“Interesting? I’d say it’s great! It’ll be good to have you back to your normal self. The Summer Sun Celebration is only a couple days away, I could definitely use the extra help. Come on, let’s get you a bunk, you look like you’re about to collapse.”

I nodded eagerly. It was about time I got some sleep.

As we made our way to the barracks my stomach wouldn’t stop rumbling, so we made a quick stop at a restaurant so I could get a midnight snack. I nearly fell asleep on my food. Once I finished eating we continued to the barracks and I was given a temporary bunk. I hopped in and went out like a light.

I was awakened with a shake.

“Sir? Sir!” I heard someone call beside me.

I rubbed my eyes and saw a set of guard armor and a helmet being pushed towards me.

“Orders from Captain Morningstar, Lieutenant Shield,” said the guard. “He needs you outside right away.”

I jumped out of the bunk and took the armor in my magic, strapping it all on in seconds. “Thank you.”

I ran outside to find the Captain issuing orders to squads of multiple guards, and the most peculiar scene taking place in the sky. There was the sun, and there was the moon, sitting side by side. It looked like it was the middle of the night, yet also a ways into the afternoon.

I walked up to Morningstar. “Captain, what’s going on? How come the sky is--”

He held up a hoof to silence me. “There’s a problem. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are both missing. We’ve been tasked by Princess Twilight to search for them. Meanwhile, the Everfree Forest appears to be invading Ponyville. Things are quickly getting out of control. I need you to fly down to Ponyville and see what’s really going on, then do whatever you can to help them. Evacuate the town if needed.”

“Uh, Captain, I can’t fly anymore. My sword broke, remember? It’s not much use other than being a sword now.”

“Yes, I remember, it’s not a problem.” He pointed to a chariot with two pegasus guards ready to fly. “I’ve arranged a chariot to take you there. Are you prepared?”

I held up hoof up in salute. “Yes, Captain. I’ll keep a look out for the Princesses too.”

“Good, I’m counting on your keen eyes. Get going.”

On the ride to Ponyville we encountered strange dark clouds with odd spikes protruding from them. As we approached one it fired a lightning bolt, which we barely managed to dodge. The cloud gave pursuit and I tried to swipe it away with my sword, to no avail. We were forced to land outside of Ponyville, and what a strange sight it was. Black vines with thorns were growing like crazy everywhere.

“Sir? What should we do?” asked one of the guards.

I watched as the vines grew and begin to entangle a house. I heard somepony within scream.

“Start cutting away the vines and rescuing the townsfolk, we’ll figure the rest out later!” I said as I charged to the house and began cutting my way through.

I managed to get through and help the ponies inside escape. Up in the sky I could see Rainbow Dash trying to clear away the clouds, or rather, the clouds trying to clear away Rainbow Dash. As I spun my sword around in my magic to cut away more vines my magic slipped away from my control and the sword went flying.

“What in Equestria?!” I cried as the sword nearly chopped off my head.

I zig-zagged as the rogue sword chased after me. I looked up at my horn and gave it a flick, shutting off its magic and causing the sword to fall to the ground harmlessly. I tried using magic on the sword again, but it only went haywire. I was forced to wield it manually.

I hate having to use things manually. Picking things up with my mouth, disgusting. The handle tasted like grass. Well, maybe that wasn’t so bad.

For the next hour I organized any Royal Guards in the area to cut away at the vines and help evacuate the town to the train station. I caught glimpses of Twilight and her friends in the background, no doubt trying to learn how to stop this chaos. As the remaining citizens of Ponyville reached the train station I noticed Discord waving goodbye as Twilight ran off into the Everfree Forest.

I walked up behind him. “Where’s she off to?”

Discord turned around and held his arms wide as if he were expecting me. “Ah, Sword Shield! What a delight it is to see you again. Your glorious leader Princess Twilight is off to find her friends and save the day. Why don’t you go after her and give a helping hoof? I’m sure she could use it.”

I rolled my eyes. “I doubt it. I’ve got a job to do here anyway, and this mess is only going to get worse. You wouldn’t happen to be the reason behind it?”

“No, of course not! Why ever would you think that?”

“I’ve got a couple of reasons. If you’re not responsible, why are you here?”

Discord chuckled. “Silly pony, it’s not important why I’m here, but what’s interesting is why you’re here. I see you’ve gone and gotten your cutie mark back, though for quite a hefty price. I honestly would have never made that trade, totally not worth it.”

I raised an eyebrow. “What are you talking about? What price?”

“Your sword’s power, obviously!” Discord snapped his claw and teleported my sword into his hands. He looked over the crystal with great interest. “I see the little rascal has escaped its crystal prison. How happy it must be to be free.”

“You’re saying I got my cutie mark back because whatever was in my sword escaped?”

“Well I’m sure that’s not exactly how it happened. However, it is odd that something of its raw power escaped my eyes. Do you perhaps know where the entity went?”

“Not really. It could be in some parallel universe for all I know.”

Discord sighed. “Of course… always a parallel universe. What a shame.”

“Right. Anyway, it’s been a pleasure talking to you, Discord, but I need to get back to Canterlot. If you’ll excuse me.”

He waved as I trotted back to the train station. “Farewell, mon petit cheval!”

What an uneventful trip back to Canterlot. Sure everypony on the train was worried what had happened to the Princesses, if they could ever go back to their homes, if Canterlot was any safer than Ponyville. Of course it was only half way through the train ride when Twilight and her friends finished cleaning the mess up, so once we arrived in Canterlot everyone just got right back on the train to Ponyville. Evacuation protocol got everyone free rides too. Some of the passengers even decided to stay in Canterlot for a while. Why not, I guess?

Celestia and Luna also returned and the sky resumed its normal, repetitive schedule. When I returned to the barracks I was informed that I was officially reinstated to my station at the wall as a Lieutenant. No new armor, unfortunately. I really thought I’d look good in blue, too.

Nothing had really changed since I left, but everything still felt different somehow. Perhaps it was different, a lot had changed in such a short time after all. My sword's enchantment breaking, my cutie mark coming back. I wasn't sure how much I had changed. Then again, who ever notices changes in themselves? Perhaps time would tell me one day.

I returned to my usual post on the wall for the rest of the day. It was good to be back, I had missed the wonderful views of Equestria from the wall. The forests, mountains, rivers, Ponyville. It was all as beautiful as I remembered.

The other guards on the wall welcomed me back with smiles and salutes, all ready to serve under my command. Not that there was much to command for now, all basic procedures and watch rotations. I just made sure it all went along smoothly and precisely. There were some preparations being made for the Summer Sun Celebration tomorrow, but I was mostly left out.

After my watch was over and was relieved of duty I headed for the train station and got a trip back to Ponyville. My old home stood patiently in wait for my return and gladly accepted me back inside. To my dismay, the fridge was empty and my stomach was growling at me.

Knock, knock, knock.

I looked curiously at my door, and it burst open before I was able to open it. Standing outside was my ever excited cousin, Katana.

“Heya there, Swordy!” said Katana with a wave of the hoof. “I happened to see you walking by and thought, ‘What the hay, my cousin’s back! Let’s pay him a visit!’. You don’t mind me poppin’ by, do you?”

I rolled my eyes. “No, not at all. It’s good to see you’re alright.”

She tilted her head. “Huh? What do you mean? Why wouldn’t I be alright?”

“I- oh, sorry. I was just thinking of a dream I had a while ago. Your hoof was cut off. Nevermind.”

She raised an eyebrow and chuckled. “You dreamt my hoof was cut off? Gee, cous’ you sure have nice dreams. Anyway, you wanna get a bite to eat? I haven’t seen you since you rescued me.”

“That was only three or four days ago.”

“How do you know? The way the sky was acting up today, it could have been weeks! There’s no way to tell! Anyway, it just feels like it’s been longer. Guess big problems like that get to you in weird ways. So you wanna come with me to Hay Burger, or do I have to go all by myself?”

I nodded. “Sure, I’m right behind you.”

Hay Burger wasn’t really my first choice for food, or my second, or third. It was pretty low in my list actually, but I was too hungry to care. The salads were alright.

Whoah, okay, maybe a bit of an overstatement on the ‘alright’, it was horribly average. Excessively mediocre. Definitely not alright. But at least it filled up the tank.

“So, Swordy, why do you think you were dreaming about me?” asked Katana as we ate.

I shrugged. “I don’t know, it’s not like I have any control over my dreams. I’ve been going through the motions for the past few days, so it’s been hard to collect my thoughts. I’m just trying to focus into getting back to my job for now.”

She rolled her eyes playfully. “Whoah there, you might poke somepony's eye out with that much excitement. You should really loosen up some more, make some friends, have some fun. You got that really cool sword still, right? I bet you could show off some awesome stuff with that and everyone would just love you.”

“I can’t, it broke.”

“It broke? How does… how does that even work? Can you fix it?”

I chuckled. “I wish it were that easy. The crystal cracked, enchantment exploded, power’s gone. The other crystals still have some enchantment left in them, but it doesn’t make that big of a difference.”

“Well that sucks. How are you going to be cool now? Without the sweet abilities of your sword you’re just an ordinary, stick-in-the-mud Royal Guard.”

“Why do I have to be cool?”

“I dunno, I thought all you stallions from Canterlot were supposed to be like that. I guess you could get all the mares with those good looks of yours but...” She snickered. “I dunno why anypony would go for you for your oh-so charming personality.”

“Gee, thanks for the confidence boost.”

“You’re not helping yourself you know.”

I huffed. “Well what am I supposed to do? Choose not to be myself? I’m not going to pretend to be somepony else, that’s stupid.”

“So you wanna be the same, stuck up and dull Royal Guard all your life?”

“No, that’s not what I’m saying--”

“So you DON’T want to be a Royal Guard? You’re starting to confuse me, Swordy.”

That was it, I couldn’t take her nonsense anymore. I stood up and tossed a few bits onto the table for the meal and turned to the door. “I’m going to bed. I’ll see you later.”

Katana shrugged. “Alrighty then, but you gotta choose to do something with your life, cous’. And try not to be so grumpy all the time.”

I… what!? I’m not grumpy all the time! Ugh.

Sleep. That’s all I needed. A good night's rest in my own bed.

A New Dawn & Shining Armor Gives Bad Romance Advice
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The Story of a Royal Guard: A Shield Contingency [OUTDATED/CANCELLED]

A New Dawn & Shining Armor Gives Bad Romance Advice

Forgetting what Katana had said, it was good to be back home. The next day all the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration were made, and it couldn’t have made me happier to have plenty of work to do hanging up decorations and setting up the castle courtyard.

The celebration went off without a hitch. With the Princesses returned and everything in order, the raising of the sun began, though not before Celestia had a few words.

“Citizens of Equestria! It is no longer with a heavy heart, but with great joy that I raise the summer sun. For this celebration now represents not the defeat of Nightmare Moon, but the return of my sister, Princess Luna!”

Luna flew up and began lowering the moon, and Celestia flew up and began raising the sun, and as they passed Twilight flew up with a sparkle to dazzle the crowd.

And with that the celebration was over.

Later in the day I found myself sitting at my desk in the barracks and staring at a document. I had a quill in my magic ready to write something on the document as though it were more paperwork, but there was nothing really to sign. I don’t know how long I was staring at it before I could accept what it really was.

STEADFAST SHIELD’S WILL: Concerning Swordulan Thunder Shield…

He was gone for good, and now I was to claim my inheritance. He left me with a small amount of bits, my grandfather’s shield and a letter, all of which would be waiting at my home.

I hadn’t given much thought to what happened to him, and now a pit was forming in my stomach. I left my mom, and though it seemed at the time she wanted to be left alone… I shouldn’t have left. And now I’m all alone, faced with what my dad’s left me. I don’t think I’m ready to face Equestria without somepony to go to for personal help. That’s always what my mom and dad were for. Sure I still have Shining Armor, Cadance and my Captain, but they have their own important jobs. I wouldn’t even get to see Shining Armor and Cadance that often.

I suppose now was the time to grow up and become as great as my grandfather had been.

After the rest of my patrols and paperwork were finished I headed home, and waiting for me outside my door was a package. My father’s will. I brought it inside with my magic and set it on the couch. On top was my grandfather’s shield, which had first been passed down to my dad, and now to me. It was a silver kite shield, and painted on the front was the head of a stallion, adorned with a diamond Royal Guard helmet. A valuable treasure, no doubt. The second item was a large bag of bits, which I had no idea what to do with. I wasn’t exactly a needy pony. Perhaps a new suit from Rarity would be nice.

At the bottom of the box was a letter addressed to me from my dad. I opened it up and began to read.

“Dear Swordulan, at the time I write this you are but a young colt in training. By the time you read this, I would expect you to be a fully grown stallion, strong and tall like your grandfather. If you are reading this, then I should be long gone. I just want you to know that I am proud of you, and I hope you live your life to its fullest. There is something I wish of you, though. Lately you haven’t had much time to be socializing and playing with the other young colts and fillies, and I fear such activities will not be in your interest as you grow older. If you’re reading this and still haven’t found that special somepony in your life, I’d like to convince you to--”

Dad, no…

“--go out there and search for the one--”

No, is he really going to make me?

“--that’s right for you. Love is a special thing that--”

He is…

“--everypony needs. It’ll get you through the roughest of times and keep you in the best of times. I may not be able to help you with this now, but I would like to make a suggestion. Do you remember the Dawns a few houses down from our home? They had a young filly, about your age, named Summer Dawn. I’m sure you remember her. I don’t want you going through your life alone, and I hope that you will take my advice and look her up, in your own time of course. If not her, then at least try to keep looking. Never forget that you have the potential to make somepony very, very happy. Live a good, healthy and loving life, son.”

I stared blankly at the letter for a few more minutes. How was I supposed to handle this? I suppose I could burn the letter, put its ashes in a container, put the container in a chest and lock the chest and attach a chained metal ball to it and sink the chest into the ocean, but… that might be too extreme. Ugh. I’m gonna have to do what he asks, aren’t I? If it was my dad’s last wish… I think it would be fitting to forgive him by at least trying.

Strangely enough, I did remember her. Summer Dawn, the cream coated, red-headed filly who I used to see playing outside in the streets every now and then. If I recalled correctly she was one of the librarians of the Canterlot Library. Hay, it was probably still early enough to head back to Canterlot and see herrr… blaugh, I’m not even ready to do something like this. Five years in the Royal Guard and I’ve faced plenty of the most terrifying villains to ever walk upon Equestria, and yet I can’t handle talking to a mare in an attempt to… I don’t even want to think about it. I was not prepared for this sort of thing.

Maybe I should take a run through the Everfree Forest. No, I’m not stupid enough to go looking for trouble. What sort of excuse was I trying to make up? Come on you flightless dweeb, it couldn’t be that hard. What else were my options?

Sleep on it?

Sleep on it.

Sleep on what? This shouldn’t be a contest, I should just do it. Shining Armor would want me to I bet. Maybe I should seek his advice beforehoof.

That could work.

Yeah, I’ll go see him tomorrow.

I woke up bright and early. Unfortunately that was due to a choir of birds outside my house refusing to shut up, so I blasted them with magic. Or I wished I did, but that would be a felony and I don’t need something like that on my permanent record.

Now that the Summer Sun Celebration had ended I was given the weekend off, if I so choose. Today I’d go to the Crystal Empire and seek Prince Shining Armor’s help for the epic quest to win a mare’s heart, and I would not fail this one! Well, I might, and in a way I want to, but being the stubborn stallion I am I refuse to slack off on the task.

I ate a quick breakfast and hurried out the door, only to realize the train to the Crystal Empire didn’t arrive until noon. I’d have to entertain myself until then. I decided to take a stroll through Ponyville to see if there were any issues going on, but all was relatively quiet beyond Pinkie Pie’s loud voice echoing in the distance.

“This is the most daring dare anypony ever dared dare another pony to dare!”

So somepony had dared dare another pony to dare them to a dare and it was quite daring. Yeah, I still don’t think I understand.

I headed for the library in the interest of finding something to read for a bit, but it was empty. No Twilight, no Spike, and there were dozens of books piled everywhere. You’d think a Princess living in a library would take care of it and have someone to look after everything when she was away, but no, not Twilight. Well, might as well grab something to read anyway. Some random book about Alicorn magic looked interesting, so I grabbed it and sat down.

I spent a little too much time in that book and nearly missed the train. Thankfully I was able to get on board right before it left. If I had thought about it I would’ve grabbed another book for the train ride, but I managed to catch a short nap along the way, so I was content.

It was only a couple of hours into the afternoon by the time I arrived. The Crystal Empire was alive as ever. The city and its citizens shined in a blaze of crystal light and joy. Talk of the Equestria Games coming to the empire was evident, and everypony seemed excited as ever. Most of the talk was about the Relay Race Qualifiers that were right around the corner, said to take place in Rainbow Falls. I might have to go see that, and it’d give me a good reason to finally visit Rainbow Falls. And maybe if this special somepony thing works out…

“Sir?” asked a guard in front of me who had been waving his hoof in front of my face.

I shook my head to snap out of the trance. “Sorry, what is it?”

I finally looked at the guard to see he had a bright orange coat with a dark blue mane and tail, and I swear I was almost looking at myself from a few years ago but with wings instead of a horn and… well, a blue mane and tail.

The guard reached out his hoof. “My name’s Flash Sentry, I’m one of the Lieutenants here and if I’m not mistaken you’re Lieutenant Swordulan Thunder Shield, right?”

I reached out my hoof to shake and nodded slowly. “That would be me.”

I couldn’t believe it, Shining Armor had replaced me already. Who did this guy think he was?

He smiled. “It’s such a pleasure to meet you, Shining Armor has told me so much about your valiant deeds for the Royal Guard! I have to admit, I’m a bit of a fan. You’re certainly an inspiration to the little guys here.”

I looked at him confusedly. “That’s a bit surprising. I had no idea I had an effect on the Royal Guard here.”

“Certainly! The Crystal Guards are particularly grateful for your service. We’ve all heard the stories how you and Shining Armor helped fend off the nasty King Sombra when the Crystal Empire was discovered again. It’s truly an honor to have you visit. Are you here to see Shining Armor?”

“I wouldn't say I helped too much with that, but thank you, and yes I am. Is he available?”

“Of course! Right this way, I’m sure he’ll be glad to see you.”

I followed Flash Sentry to the castle and insisted I could find my way around. I walked through a few halls and nearly passed Shining Armor as he made his own way through castle. He did a double take as he passed.

“Swordulan?!” he exclaimed. “You know you’re always welcome to visit, but maybe use a little forewarning in the future! Where have you been?”

I gave him a hoof bump. “Manehatten, Canterlot, Ponyville, and now here. Sorry about what happened at our last meeting, I was not acting myself. I’m getting things straightened out though.”

“It’s alright, and I’m glad to hear. Is it alright if I ask what happened?”

“My dad, uh… well he died, and paired with some other motions I was going through did not mix well. I got my cutie mark back though.”

“Oh, I hadn’t heard about that. I’m so sorry. But hey, you really did get your cutie mark back. How did you do it?”

“I’m still not entirely sure, but Discord said it had to do with my sword, which broke on my way back to Canterlot.”

“It broke?”

“Yeah, the crystal cracked and part of the enchantment was lost. Can’t do much with it anymore, though I haven’t been using it that much to test.”

“That’s a shame. Anyway, let’s walk and talk,” Shining Armor motioned me to follow. “I’m on my way to help supervise preparations for the Equestria Games. Maybe you can give me a hoof?”

I followed by his side. “Sure, but first I should tell you why I came here. You see, I got a letter from my dad which stated his last wish for me…”

“Go on.”

“And he requested that I try to find a special somepony. I have no experience in… anything like that, and no idea where to even begin.”

He laughed. “And so you came to me for advice?”

I sighed. “Yeah.”

“Well you came to the right place, but maybe not the right pony. Cadance is usually better at these kind of things, but I’ll still give my advice if you prefer.”

“For now, yes. Thanks.”

We walked to the stadium where the Equestria Games would be taking place. Dozens of crystal ponies were running about cleaning the bleachers, trimming the grass, organizing equipment and setting up various decorations and stages. Someone would approach Shining Armor every now and again asking what goes where.

“So what do you want to know first?” asked Shining Armor.

I spun my vision around trying my best to avoid eye contact with anyone. “I don’t know, maybe just… what do I do? Is there some kind of tactical approach I can take? Any specific strategies to use?”

Shining Armor laughed for a good minute, grabbing some strange looks. “Oh, Swordulan… I’m sorry, that was great. No, it doesn’t exactly work that way. You just have to be yourself, and be confident that it’ll be enough.”

“What if I’m not confident in myself?”

He paused to think. “Hmm. There’s always the corndog approach.”

“The corndog approach?”

“Yeah. Present yourself in a way that looks interesting and inviting, kind of fake it till you make it, and then once someone actually gets into you they’ll finally realize everything you have to offer, and who could refuse that?”

“So, pretend that I’m interesting when in reality… I really am interesting?”

“Uh, well, not exactly--” He sat still for a moment, the cogs in his mind spinning. He facehoofed. “Oh... and I thought that was such a brilliant plan for so long. Who cares, I still think you can do it. You’re a Royal Guard, some mares might find that interesting in itself.”

“But that’s all I seem to be. I’m a guard, and I’m really good at it! What else though!? I need some sort of depth, otherwise I don’t think I’m interesting at all! Do I just run around Equestria trying new things as if I were trying to get a new cutie mark?” I began imitating myself in a theoretical conversation. “‘Yeah! I’ve been all around Equestria doing new things. I scuba-dive, build bridges, fight monsters, explore dungeons, discover new plants and herbs and know every language from Equestrian to Gryphonian to Zebriac! I’m also creating my own language which I call Canadiac!’ ‘Oh my, Swordulan, you’re sooooo interesting!’”

“It sounds like you’ve got it figured out then.”

“I don’t though! I have no idea what I’m doing.”

Shining Armor patted me on the back. “Don’t worry about it. You should probably speak to Cadance though, I’m sure she would have better advice than I.”

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah… though I bet you’re only saying that because she’s your wife.”

“Ouch. Let’s keep that between the two of us, alright?”

I nodded. “I’ll go see her then. Main room, right?”

“It’s where she should be. I’ll catch you later.”

I walked away with a short laugh. “Yeah, it’s about time you payed me back for the hydra incident!”

“Oh come on, that was years ago! Let it go!”

I shook my head and continued on my way into the castle interior.

Mysteries of the Forgotten Emotion Called Love
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The Story of a Royal Guard: A Shield Contingency [OUTDATED/CANCELLED]

Mysteries of the Forgotten Emotion Called Love

After some winding staircases I arrived in the main room where Cadance sat, doing nothing in particular. Once she noticed me she stood in surprise.

“Swordulan! When did you get here?” she said.

“Your guards didn’t tell you about my arrival?” I asked, rather confused.

“No, they’ve been going through some rescheduling I think. Anyway, it’s good to see you again. You look great, and I see you got your cutie mark back. That’s awesome!”

I blushed, mostly out of embarrassment for why I was here. “Thanks, it took a lot of work to get back. It’s good to see you too. I, uh, came here for a bit of help with a personal problem. I was talking to Shining Armor for a while but… well he wasn’t much help, so I thought you could instead.”

She laughed. “And what exactly was Shining Armor unable to help with?”

I sighed. “The inevitable quest to win a mare’s heart.”

She raised an eyebrow (at least that’s the best I can describe it visually. Ponies don’t really have eyebrows). “Oh? Why does it sound like it’s something you don’t actually want?”

“Well, it’s… can we find somewhere to sit and talk? I don’t think I could stand here to explain everything.”

“Of course. I can tell this is important to you.”

She nodded to a couple of guards and they opened a door into a hall that led to a small lounge with comfortable seats and sofas. We found our seats and I was able to lay out my story.

“It started with my dad’s last will for me. In it there was a letter in his own writing telling how he didn’t want me to live a lonely life, because I had been so antisocial when I was younger. I still am, outside of my job. I don’t really talk to anyone, I had no practical need to. Lately I’ve realized that emotionally I need to, but I have no idea how to begin, and so I’ve avoided trying. Now in my dad’s letter he asked me to find a special somepony in my life, and even suggested one mare who used to live near us. I still remember her, and I know she still works in Canterlot’s Library.”

I paused, waiting to see if Cadance would say anything.

She kept silent for only a few seconds. “Well, I think it still comes down to what you want. Is this what you want? Is it something you think you need?”

“In some ways, not really. In other ways I really do want it and more especially need it. I just don’t know how to start, I don’t know what to do. Shining Armor’s advice wasn’t that useful.”

“If you really do want it then there shouldn’t be anything you need to worry about. You just need to have confidence in yourself, and also be yourself. You can’t give something from yourself that is not of yourself. What’s her name?”

“Hmm. Summer Dawn.”

“Oh, that’s a beautiful name, much better than the silly ‘Bellamare’ name you used for an excuse years ago.”

I blushed and facehoofed embarrassingly. “I can’t believe you still remember that. Ugh. I remember that from time to time and always slap myself for it. I was so stupid.”

She laughed. “That’s terrible! You shouldn’t be hurting yourself for something like that. Everything in the past is done, there’s no need to hurt yourself more now for thinking badly about it. Anyway, you really do just need to have some confidence in yourself and see what happens. You never know until you try.”

I nodded slowly. “Alright, thanks. But how do I try to meet her? I don’t want to make it seem super awkward or anything. I really don’t know what I’d say just going up to her.”

“How do you normally greet your fellow guards?”

I thought for a moment. “Hey, give me fifty laps around the walls, sign in on your reports and make sure you shine your armor?”

She rolled her eyes. “How about just a ‘Hey’, or ‘Hello’?”

I shrugged. “I guess I could do that?”

“Of course you can! And how about we pretend that I’m Summer, and you’re meeting me for the first time. What do you say?”

I stared at her in stunned silence for a moment. “Um, you know that sort of thing never works with friends, especially friends who are already married.”

“Oh, you’re right. I should show you an example instead. Guards! One of you go get Shining Armor.”

“Right away, Princess,” said one of the guards, immediately trotting away.

I sighed. “You really don’t need to-”

“Of course I do,” said Cadance. “I can’t have a friend go out there and start greeting mares improperly.”

Shining Armor arrived only a moment later.

“Is something wrong?” he asked.

“I need your help to give Swordulan an example how to greet a potential special somepony,” said Cadance. “I suggested we pretend before, but he said that doesn’t work.”

“Oh, well duh! That’s because it only works between us guys. I wonder why I didn’t think of that earlier. But yeah, I can help with that.”

At this point if I looked in a mirror I’m sure my entire face would be extremely red. I stared at the ground and muttered to myself. “They’re teasing me as if they’re my parents. Maybe that’s what happens when you don’t have foals of your own, you just start treating your friends like them. This is my own darn fault.”

“Please, no,” I said before they began acting silly. “I don’t need you to explain or give an example or anything like that. I think I’ll just go with the advice to be myself and have confidence that it’ll get me somewhere. I can do this on my own.”

“There you go!” said Shining Armor. “You’ve finally learned the trick. You shouldn’t need to come to friends for advice on this sort of thing. Yeah we’re experienced, but the real advice is to experience it on your own. We’ll support you in any way we can, but perfect advice can’t really be given beyond you ultimately deciding what to do.”

I heaved a sigh of relief and stood up. “Thanks, that’s all I need. Support. I guess there really is no way around beyond just doing what needs to be done.”

“Don’t worry, you’ve got this,” said Cadance. “You’re a nice and charming stallion, even if you don’t realize it. If that doesn’t count for something, then at least you’re handsome too.”

“Second to me, of course,” said Shining Armor.

“Hmm, I’m not entirely sure about that.”

“What? You mean he’s prettier than me?”

Cadance looked between us and smiled. “Eh, it’s debatable, but not right now. You should really get back to finishing the stadium.”

“Debatable? Oh, this is not over. Seriously though… is he really?”

She sighed. “For Celestia’s sake, no, I’m kidding. Go on already.”

Shining Armor chuckled and proudly trotted out of the room.

“Gee, thanks,” I said sarcastically as possible.

Cadance shrugged. “Sorry, but-”

“No, I’m joking, it’s alright. I’ll take second best to Shining Armor any day. I don’t really pay attention to how I look, so hearing that is nice, I think. Anyway, I’m going to head back to Canterlot and see her, if I can.”

Cadance nodded. “Alright. Good luck, goodbye and have a safe trip! Oh, and are you coming to the Equestria Games?”

I turned to the exit. “If I can get tickets, definitely.”

“I’ll send you two. Maybe you can bring a date.”

I chuckled. “Won’t that be a sight to see. Thanks. I’ll try to stop by again before then. See you later!”

When Things Are Bound To Go Well
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The Story of a Royal Guard: A Shield Contingency [OUTDATED/CANCELLED]

When Things Are Bound To Go Well

It was an anxiety filled trip to Canterlot. All sorts of questions were racing through my head. What do I say? Should I wear anything? Do I smell okay? Would flowers be appropriate? Actually, flowers sound pretty good right about now. I’m hungry and should’ve gotten something to eat before I left. Maybe I could ask her to dinner.

Yeah, dinner sounds good. I can ask her to dinner.

I arrived at Canterlot late in the afternoon and trotted to the library, which luckily was open for another hour. A pale, peach coated unicorn stallion with a dark copper mane and glasses stood at the desk stamping some books, but there was nopony else in sight.

“Is there something I can help you with?” asked the stallion without looking up at me.

I cleared my throat. “Yeah, I’m looking for Summer Dawn. She still works here, right?”

“Huh?” He looked up at me and jumped back with surprise. “Whoa, Lieutenant Swordulan Shield! I-I wasn’t expecting you. Excuse the mess, heh.” He swiped away the load of books on the desk. “It’s good, uh I mean, great to finally meet you.”

I tilted my head. “Ah-huh, and you are?”

“Oh, sorry, excuse my poor manners.” He cleared his throat. “I am Alfred Wright, one of the librarians. No you don’t have to make a joke about the puns, yes I love to read and yes I love to write, but it has nothing to do with my name and I know it’s a weird one! Oh, erm, sorry for yelling. I’ve been meaning to use that for a while, haha. Had it all written down here. Guess I got a little excited. Ahem, right, what was it you needed again?”

I looked around the silent library again. “I was just looking for Summer Dawn. I believe she works here, right?”

“Summer Dawn? But why would somepony like you want… uh, never mind, yes she still works here but she left about an hour ago. Heheh, I was gonna treat her to dinner, but I got the longer shift. Oh well.”

I grit my teeth. So it seemed there was a bit of competition. “I see. Do you know where she is?”

“She’s most likely at home by herself. Just a couple blocks down that way from here, the house with a mailbox marked Dawn. Um, she isn’t in trouble, is she?”

I shook my head. “No trouble, just something I needed to investigate. Thanks for the info.”

"Yeah, no problem. Cya later, I guess."

I nodded and trotted out of the library and in the vague direction Alfred pointed me to, all the while with butterflies forming in my stomach.

I took a deep breath. “Alright, you can do this Swordulan. You got this. You got this. Hoo hoo hoo, yeah.”

I finally came to a mailbox with the name Dawn. It was a cute little house, nothing too fancy, nothing too humble. Three shakey hooves forward, one stubborn hoof back. Repeat. I made it to the door, reached forward and paused.

“Um… hi. How you doin’? Good… uh… yeah. You look nice. Wait, no, ugh! Oh, ponyfeathers with this.”

Knock, knock, knock.

Silence. Eternal silence. Deep breath, hold it, hold it. Any second now. Okay, no holding my breath. That’s just stupid.

The door opened and I felt an electric shock go through my body. Summer came into the door and looked at me. Okay, I just need to focus.

“Oh, hi!” she said with a bright smile. “I wasn’t expecting to see you here Sword Shield, or rather Lieutenant Shield now, right? It’s good to see you! Been a while, huh?”

I must have been focusing a bit too hard, because all I was able to do was think: “Wooow she’s prettier than I remember.”

Summer Dawn. Soft cream colored coat, deep amber mane and tail with pale pink highlights, and even deeper amber eyes, all coming to a fine, sharp unicorn horn that could pierce a hydra's scales. I might be exaggerating a bit there, but I don't care.

“She’s prettier than I remember,” I thought again, only this time also mumbling it out loud by accident.

She looked at me confusedly. “What was that?”

I finally realized my mistake and shook myself back to reality. “Uh, nothing, I was just thinking half out loud for a second.”

“Ah. What about?”

The question sent my brain spiralling. I shall describe it in the only way I think properly represents what I was going through.

Boom, door. ‘What about?’. Boom, dark hallway. Teleport, teleport, teleport, teleport. Boom, three buttons. Lie, Avoid, Truth. Suddenly an army of Summer Dawn changlings assaulting me with the door and yelling at me to press a button. I look left and right over and over, faster than the speed of sound I’m sure. Pick one, pick one, pick one. Which one do I pick!?

“Truth!” said Cadance. “Every mare wants to know they’re pretty!”

“Avoid!” said Shining Armor. “It’s not worth the pressure!”

“Lie!” said Discord. “Come on, press it! Press it, press it, press it! Here, I’ll do it for you!”

I don’t know what happened next, but something pressed something, and the next thing I knew I was back in reality about to speak, when I felt a chaotic presence behind me.

“Why, strong and handsome Swordulan here was thinking about me!” said Discord.

I grit my teeth. “Oh no, you did not just do that,” I whispered.

Summer looked up at him with a mix of shock and confusion, then looked back at me. “You know him?”

I sighed. “Yes, it’s an unfortunate curse I bear.”

Discord pat me on the head like a pet. “Don’t be silly, we’re good friends, and good friends don’t let their friends make bad decisions! I’m here to help things along, like a good friend should. So, you two lovebirds, what shall it be for tonight?” He snapped his paw and suddenly we were all formally dressed and at a table in a fancy restaurant. “Table for two?” He snapped again and we were back to normal and sitting on a picnic cloth on a little grassy ledge on the mountain overlooking the sunset and nearly all of Equestria. “Romantic picnic spot?” He snapped again and we were rolling down the streets of Canterlot on skates. Discord rolled beside us going backwards. “Thrilling skate through the city?” He snapped again and we were soaring through the clouds on a pegasus pulled chariot. Discord popped up beside us as a bird. “Joyride through the clouds?” He snapped again, and we were back at Summer’s house.

Summer shook herself. “What. Was. That?”

Discord looked at her oddly. “You mean old Swordulan here didn’t tell you yet? He-”

“No, Discord, that’s enough!” I said. “Thank you for trying to help, but I don’t need any from you.”

“Are you sure? I’m quite the dating expert, I could help you with-”

“I’m quite sure, Discord,” I said, rolling my eyes. “Go on. Go… save somepony from a burning building or something.”

Discord pouted with a ‘hmph!’ “Fine, but I'll be back soon!” And he was gone.

“Okay, hold on a second, what did he mean by ‘dating expert’?” asked Summer, still quite confused.

Lie, Avoid, Truth.

Dear me, the butterflies are back. That was fast.

Alright, what would Cadance tell me to do? Well, not lie, not avoid, but she never said anything about telling the truth. Then again, it is better to be honest, even if it’s difficult. There was no point in making a lie for this. Truth it was.

I took a deep breath and looked her in the eye. “A couple days ago I received a letter from my dad… well, it was part of his will.”

Summer frowned. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I heard about him passing away. It must’ve been hard on you.”

“Um, yeah. It’s alright. Anyway, in the letter he expressed his desire for me to… well, to find a special somepony I guess. Jeez, I’m really bad at this, sorry. In the letter he mentioned you, and… well, here I am.”

She smiled and laughed a bit. “Aw, that’s sweet. But you make it sound like you’re here mostly because of the letter. Is that true?”

I shuffled my hoof. “Yes and no. Well… it was at first, but then I changed my mind when you opened the door and I mumbled something, um... what I really said was that you were a lot prettier than I remembered.”

“Oh,” she looked away slightly and blushed. “Thank you. Nopony’s ever said something like that to me before. Except maybe my mom and dad, but they don’t count. Anyway, the night’s still young and you know, a few of Discord’s ideas don’t sound too bad right now. I was just about to make dinner, so would you like to join me?”

“Oh… yeah, of course.” Why did every question she asked take a few seconds to process? “Maybe we could pack a basket and have an evening picnic at the park or something.”

“That’s a great idea! Come inside, please. I’ll grab a basket and picnic cloth and we can prepare dinner.” She stepped aside and let me in. “Does a salad and a few sandwiches sound good?”

I nodded, remembering just how hungry I was. “Sounds great.”

So we began making a picnic. I felt a bit odd and out of place at first, but I got over it, and it was rather nice, only it took nearly all of my willpower to stop myself from snacking. I made the sandwiches, Summer made the salad. We packed it all into the basket, which I offered to carry, and headed for Canterlot’s central park. After we left, if I had looked back I might’ve seen that Alfred Wright pony holding a rose and looking at us, then throwing the rose down and walking away.

What A Guard May Be
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The Story of a Royal Guard: A Shield Contingency [OUTDATED/CANCELLED]

What A Guard May Be

I could hardly believe this was happening, that I was going through with it. We were almost to the park when I made a last second decision to take a detour. We passed the park and headed down some stairways until we reached a grassy platform with no walls in the way of the view. We could see half of Equestria from here. A small stream ran through the center of the platform and fell off until it drained into the river far below the mountain. Nopony was supposed to be allowed on this platform, but I had the clearance.

“It’s beautiful,” said Summer, her eyes sparkling in the sunset. “I never thought I’d get to have a picnic at a place like this.”

I set the basket down near the stream and began unloading the picnic cloth and food with my magic. “Being a Lieutenant does have its benefits,” I said.

She sat down and began placing plates for the sandwiches. “I’ll bet. You’ve probably been all over Equestria. It must be wonderful to get to travel so much.”

I finished unpacking and took my own seat beside her. “Yeah, it’s pretty nice. I wouldn’t say I’ve been all over Equestria though, but I have been to a fair share of interesting places. I expect I’ll visit even more as the years go by.”

“Have you been to the Crystal Empire before?”

I nodded. “Yeah, as a matter of fact I was there just earlier today, and I was also the first one there with Prince Shining Armor and Princess Cadance when it was discovered.”

“Wow, that’s amazing! It must have been quite an adventure. Hay, I would’ve given anything to be there when it was discovered, or even just to go there.”

I took a bite of a sandwich and quickly swallowed. “You know, I’ve got two tickets to the Equestria Games directly from Cadance. If you want, I could take you.”

She looked at me wide eyed. “Are you serious? That would be amazing, I’d love to go.”

I smiled. “Great. It's not for a little while though, so maybe we could see the Qualifiers in Rainbow Falls between then as well."

"Yeah, definitely. That sounds like fun."

"Yeah. Anyway, why do you want to go to the Crystal Empire so badly?”

She began working on her own sandwich. “Well, there’s a few reasons. First one is because I’ve always wanted to get a picture of the real thing for my writing. I really like writing about different locations for stories, but I’ve been limited to just reading about them instead of visiting.”

I finished my first sandwich and picked up my second (we had two for each of us). “That’s a shame. Maybe I can help you with that every now and then. I can’t say I do much writing besides piles of paperwork, but I think I know some inspiring locations.”

“Wow, really? You'd do that for me? That would be great, thank you. That's very generous of you.”

I smiled but briefly turned away. I’m generous? I couldn’t understand that. Was I giving too much? Or was this sort of thing not common among others? I was just trying to be nice, and it’s of no loss to me. I didn’t understand.

“Hey, is everything okay?” asked Summer.

I snapped out of my short trance and looked back at her. “Huh? Oh. I’m fine, it’s just that I’ve never thought of myself as generous.”

“Really? Coming from a pony like you that’s rather surprising. How come?”

I gulped down the last of my sandwich. “I guess it’s because I don’t really pay attention to the things I give away. I’ve never considered myself to have that much, though others might not see it that way. Honestly, most of the time it just feels like I only have my sword, armor and duties.”

Summer had scooted closer to me as she listened. “I think you have a lot more than just that, and maybe more than you realize. There’s a lot more we have to show for beyond wealth or material things. For example, take a pony who has nothing. No home, no family, just barely enough to eat. Do you think they could be generous?”

I thought for a moment and looked down at my hooves. “I don’t know. How could they give generously without something to give?”

Summer finished her sandwich. “Well, there’s an old saying I know that says, ‘when all you’ve got is nothing there’s a lot to go around’, which means that even with nothing you can still give yourself, and sometimes that’s one of the greatest gifts. Giving others your love, care and kindness. Making them smile or feel safe and comforted. Maybe you think that everything you have is nothing and given yourself up to protect and serve others, but haven’t realized it yet. Hay, you even brought your sword with you. Doesn’t that mean you’re always ready to step up to defend someone if needed?”

I looked down at my sword lying silently at my side and sighed. “Of course. I’d always put myself before danger to defend those who can’t defend themselves. But this sword means more to me than that. It’s a… safety blanket. I’d never go anywhere without it, and I certainly wouldn’t be here without it.”

“Hmm. It sounds like you don’t give yourself enough credit.”

“Maybe. I don’t credit myself with much because I haven’t done anything very noteworthy as a Royal Guard.”

Summer frowned. “I don’t think I’ve done anything noteworthy as a writer or a librarian, but others have still appreciated my efforts for being who I am. Do you only define how much credit you get based on your career? Listen to me, it’s not about what you’ve done, it’s about how and why you’ve done it. You’re the first Lieutenant of the Royal Guard I’ve had the chance of talking to, having one of the most important and high ranking jobs of the city, and you’re telling me you haven’t done anything noteworthy. But who says what’s noteworthy or not?”

I stared into space for a moment, unable to find the right words. Everything I’ve ever been told said she was wrong, but something inside me knew she was right. What was everything I’ve ever been told? No, no, that wasn’t the right question. Who told me it?

“My father,” I said quietly. “He determined whether I had done something noteworthy or not, all my life. I had to live up to his expectations. He’s gone now, but the memory and urge to continue following his expectations is still strong in my mind. Everything he’s taught me would say you’re wrong, but I don’t want that to be true anymore.”

Summer put a comforting hoof on my back and smiled. “It’s only true as long as you want it to be. I can see it in your eyes that life’s been a constant struggle for you. It’s hard living under the shadow of someone’s expectations, but there’s always an escape, even though it might be through a maze. That’s why you have friends help you out, and if you ever need my help I’ll always be happy to lend it.”

I smiled and felt a lump form in my throat. “Thank you, um...” I looked her in the eye, feeling my eyes watering up. I didn't know what came over me, but it felt marvelous. “I can’t tell you how glad I am that you came here with me, and for everything you’ve said. It means so much to me.”

“You’re welcome. It makes me happy that you’ve been this open with me, I appreciate it.” Summer looked at me curiously for a second then leaned forward and planted a kiss on my cheek.

I wasn’t sure how to describe the feeling of that kiss. Something new. Something soft, warm and compassionate. A sentence from my father’s letter came into my mind. “Never forget that you have the potential to make somepony very, very happy.” I don’t think that I’d ever forget now.

Though I didn’t know it, right at the time I was crying there was another stallion across Canterlot in his home staring at the ceiling and silently sobbing himself to sleep.

By now the sun had set and the stars came out. A warm wind blew in our faces, so we relaxed and watched as the stars sparkled, completely forgetting about the rest of dinner. Summer leaned her head against my neck causing my hair on the other side to stand on end. We sat there for possibly hours. No more words needed saying, just simply enjoying each other’s company. At some point Summer fell asleep, and after a while I was close to dozing myself, so I lifted her onto my back and began packing everything away with my magic. I carried her back home and slowly put her down on her bed and left. I made it to the train station and got on the last train back to Ponyville. I napped on the way, woke when the train came to a stop, and began limping to my house. I arrived, went inside, threw down my sword, turned off the lights, climbed into my cold bed and sighed.

What Makes A Guard
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The Story of a Royal Guard: A Shield Contingency [OUTDATED/CANCELLED]

What Makes A Guard

It was difficult getting up this morning, and the only thing that seemed to work was remembering how hungry I still was. I ate a large breakfast, strapped on my sword and walked outside. Sunny day, Ponyville as usual, nothing interesting going on. It was a Sunday, I didn’t have to go back to work until tomorrow. Sometimes having hundreds of options sucks.

“Beautiful day, isn’t it?” said a voice above and behind me.

I looked back, and sunbathing on my roof was, unfortunately, Discord in shades. Why was it always him? Why wasn’t there somepony nice sunbathing on my roof every once in a while?

“What are you doing here, Discord?” I asked with a sigh.

He poofed beside me. “What do you mean? It’s my day off too you know. I go where I please. And I did say I’d be back last night, didn’t I?”

“Yeah… but why spend your time talking to me? Aren’t I just a little too boring for you?”

Discord let out a guffaw. “Boring? Of course not! Though maybe a little overbearing, as all of you Royal Guard types tend to be. So, how did the date with Summer go? Tell me everything.”

I rolled my eyes. “If you have to know, it went just fine, even without you.”

“And? What, no details?”

“I don’t have to report every detail of my life to you. I outrank you, remember?”

Discord scoffed. “Well, the legal documentation is rather vague on that part.” He snapped and out popped a long form of paperwork. “Article one, section one, paragraph six.”

I facehoofed. “I don’t care about the documentation. I’d just prefer that I can have a nice, normal day to myself without any spirits of chaos following me around.”

The document disappeared. “You wound me, Lieutenant! Don’t you remember that I was reformed? I’ve changed! I’m not the same evil spirit of chaos I once was.” He poofed in front of me on his knees. “Please, let me make it up to you, like a good friend should. Can I get you anything? Anywhere you want to go?”

“No, not really. I was only planning on going to Canterlot-”

“Done!”

Snap.

Next thing I knew I was at the Canterlot train station.

“My payment to you, Lieutenant! Now remember, you owe me! Ahahahaha!”

And with that Discord disappeared with his laughter.

Owe him? I didn’t even ask for anything. Ugh. I still didn’t know what to do for today. Perhaps I should just make a couple rounds on the walls and see how the guards are doing. Or I could go find Summer. The library was closed today so she wouldn’t be working.

Really my mind had been spinning ever since last night. I didn’t sleep well. It was the first time I’ve ever gone to bed and felt like something was missing. Like there was something I didn’t wrap up during the day, and if I left it be something terrible might happen. I still needed to talk to Summer about some plans.

No… not yet actually. Princess Luna, that’s who I needed to talk to. I still remember that horrible nightmare I had back in the forest. I want to learn what she meant about choosing.

I trotted my way through Canterlot, greeting any Royal Guards along the way. Some were giving me odd looks, though I couldn’t guess why. I ran into Lieutenant Arden Arrow near the castle, surprisingly on duty.

“Hey, good morning, Sword Shield,” he said. “You here to relieve me of duty or something? Please say yes.”

I cracked a smile. “Unfortunately not. I’m looking for Princess Luna, you know if she’s awake?”

“Ah, ponyfeathers. Yeah, pretty sure she is. You can always ask Princess Celestia. Oh by the way, congratulations on last night.”

I tilted my head. “Uh, what about last night?”

He chuckled. “Well, word spreads pretty quick among the Royal Guard. Let’s just say we’re all very happy for you.”

“Happy for me? It was only a date.”

“Oh, that’s all? Oh well, we’re still happy for you. The Captain is particularly glad you’ve made a friend. I just wanna say we’re all glad to have you back, we’ve been pretty worried the last couple weeks. The walls didn’t feel the same without you.”

“Thanks, I’m glad to be back too. Won’t be back on duty full time until tomorrow though, and I might actually take my time off when I have it. Anyway, I’ll see you later Arden.”

He nodded and gave a quick salute. “Have a nice day, Sir!”

I made it the rest of the way to the castle and entered the throne room where Celestia sat alone looking at some papers. She noticed me and lowered the papers. I bowed.

“Good morning, Princess Celestia,” I said. “Is there any chance that Princess Luna is around? I’ve been meaning to speak with her.”

“Good morning, Swordulan,” she said. “Yes, she’s in the dining room I believe. Go on ahead.”

“Thank you.”

I made my way through the hall and found the dining room with Luna staring angrily at an empty plate.

“Princess Luna?” I said.

She looked at me and back to the plate. “Greetings, Swordulan Thunder Shield. Is there something you need?”

“I wanted to speak with you. Mind if I sit?”

She motioned to a chair across the table. “Please. I am still deciding what to eat for breakfast, so I have plenty of time to talk. When you get to be this old such decisions become paramount.”

“I see.” I sat down across from her. “From what I understand you’re able to go into pony’s dreams to speak with them, right?”

Luna nodded. “Yes, I do so whenever there is somepony in need of my help.”

“Well, I had a nightmare a couple days ago and you were there, but I wasn’t sure if you really were.”

She tapped her chin. “Hmm, I do not recall being in any of your dreams the past few days. Do you remember what happened in the nightmare?”

“Parts of it. I was flying around Equestria. Ponyville, Canterlot, Manehatten. Different doors kept rushing up to my face. I went in one and suddenly I was here in the castle, but it was filled with changelings. They saw me and began changing into ponies I knew. I saw you and the other Princesses with them and wearing armor. Everyone began hissing at me, and when I tried to run I only ran into more changelings. Eventually another door appeared and you were behind it, the real you I thought. You said that I needed to choose, to move forward or something like that. ‘You must choose’ is what you kept saying, but I didn’t know what I had to choose. Then it ended with me being swallowed by my sword.”

Luna stared at me wide-eyed. “Truly, that sounds terrifying. I was not there, otherwise I would have remembered.”

“Do you think it means anything?”

“I am unsure, especially since there were no obvious decisions to choose from in the dream. Perhaps there is something you must choose from that you don’t know about, or perhaps you have already chosen without knowing.”

I shrugged. “Maybe. I feel different than I did a couple days ago, but it seems like hardly anything’s changed.”

Luna nodded. “Sometimes the world outside us does not change, but who we are inside and our perceptions of the world does. Perhaps that is why your cutie mark has reappeared. Perhaps the choice you made was who you wanted to be. Do you believe you are the stallion you are meant to be?”

I looked down and stared at the floor for a moment. Do I believe I am who I’m supposed to be? I’ve barely begun to figure out who I really am. I am a Lieutenant of the Royal Guard, yes, but I have to be so much more than that. What makes a pony who they are?

“I don’t know,” I said. “I’ve usually been so busy focusing on my job to figure that out. What makes somepony who they are?”

“I don’t think I can perfectly answer that,” said Luna. “However, I think that who a pony truly is comes down to friendship.”

“Friendship? But that seems so one-dimensional.”

“Friendship is more than just what it seems, Swordulan. It’s about honesty, loyalty, generosity, kindness, laughter and magic.”

“Those are all the Elements of Harmony.”

Luna smiled. “Indeed. The Elements have always been the greatest friends, and they go far down in history. Further than even I remember. But I believe there is one more thing to friendship, far more important than the Elements. It is love. Love is what truly holds the world together, and has always held ponies together.”

I took a deep breath. “Hmm. I don’t remember if I’ve really felt what love is.”

“I believe everypony has felt it at some point in their lives, but it can often be clouded by other emotions. What are the emotions you’ve had most in your life?”

I thought for a moment and frowned. “Doubt, I think. I’ve never been sure of what the future might bring beyond my daily routines as a guard. Things have been changing so much now, and I feel so... insecure about it. I’ve faced off against some of the most powerful beings in Equestria without a hint of fear, but outside of that… life and all… I just don’t know. I’m afraid. Ponyfeathers, I’m sorry Luna, I don’t know why I’m acting up like this.”

She nodded. “It’s alright, I understand. I think this time of change for you is good, and if you persevere through it you’ll come out better than ever. Don’t make the mistake I did in disregarding what you already have. If you accept darkness into your heart and forget all the values of love and friendship it will transform you into a monster, just as what it did to me.”

I sighed. “I know, I need to be more careful with my emotions.”

“No, you need to let them out more often. Having feelings is not wrong, and it is good to let them out. But do not let them build up inside and control you, or they will destroy you utterly.”

“Okay. Thank you, Luna, I’ll do my best to follow your advice.” I stood up and pushed my chair back. “I’ve got some things to get to, so I’ll see you later.”

“Goodbye, Swordulan. And good luck. Hmm… this has all put me in the mood for chocolate cake.”

“No, Luna, you know better than that!” said Celestia’s echoing voice.

Luna groaned. “Sister, please!”

I headed for Summer’s house. Slightly nervous, but I pushed whatever pessimistic thoughts I had to the back of my mind. I was almost there when a guard stopped me.

“Lieutenant Shield, Sir?” he said, saluting me.

“Yes, what’s up?” I asked, returning the salute.

“Uh, there’s somepony waiting to see you at the barracks. A miss Dawn, Sir.”

“Oh. Right, thank you. I’ll head there right away. As you were.”

He nodded. “Yes, Sir!”

That was surprising. She was looking for me. I can’t recall the last time somepony besides Shining Armor was looking for me specifically. I trotted on to the barracks a little faster than usual. Nearly bumped into others a couple times, but a minute later I was there. Summer was standing outside the barracks staring at the two guards who stood silently still at the entrance, most likely making faces. As I approached she turned around and smiled.

“Swordulan! I’ve been waiting here for nearly half an hour, and these fellows still haven’t moved an inch,” she said. “How in Equestria do they do it?”

I smiled and stepped up to the guards. “Lots of training. Here, watch this.”

I leaned in towards one of the guard’s faces and stared hard, closing one eye and squinting with the other. Neither flinched. I slowly pulled back and opened both my eyes wide.

“But can you handle if your superior officer is being silly?” I asked.

The guards glanced at each other.

“You’ll not get us this time, Sir,” said one.

“Won’t catch us alive, Sir,” said the other.

I nodded. “Good, but next time buckle your saddle armor correctly.”

The guards panicked and quickly looked back, finding their saddle buckled just fine. They grumbled and sighed.

“Ponyfeathers. Third time, Sir. Well played.”

I turned around with a chuckle. “Always a pleasure. Uh, anyways, it’s nice to see you, Summer. I was a bit surprised to hear you were looking for me.”

We began walking through Canterlot aimlessly.

“It’s nice to see you too,” said Summer. “I wanted to say thank you for bringing me home last night and that I had a great time.”

I wasn’t sure what to say. “You’re welcome I guess... wait, no, not I guess. Ugh!” Facehoof. “Sorry, you’re welcome. Not like I would’ve just left you there. Glad you enjoyed it. Um, is that all?”

She looked at me confusedly. “Are you feeling okay?”

I nodded and put on a smile. “Yeah, I am… just fine. Why?”

“You just seem a bit uncomfortable. I don’t want you to feel like you’ve got to behave a certain way around me. Just be yourself.”

I looked away. “I’m not uncomfortable or trying to behave a certain way, I’m just a bit…” It’s good to let feelings out, it’s good to let feelings out. Nothing’s wrong with having feelings. “Frustrated.”

“What’s the matter?”

“Nothing. I’m okay, really. Hmph… alright, that’s not totally true. I’ve been dealing with a lot lately and honestly I’m not very good at talking to others about it. I never learned how to properly talk to others outside of official stuff.”

She laughed. “What? There’s no proper way to talk to others. That’s silly. You just talk and they’ll listen. Come on, just forget about the frustrating stuff for a little bit. I wanted to talk to you about possible future plans. Your offer to go to the Crystal Empire still stands, right?”

I took a deep breath and cleared my mind. “Right, yes. Tickets to the Equestria Games. I could even take you there sooner if you’d like.”

Her eyes sparkled. “How soon do you think?”

I rolled my eyes. “I don’t know. Pick a date.”

“What about next weekend?”

I nodded. “Alright, done. Train to Crystal Empire Friday late afternoon, you can meet Prince Shining Armor and Princess Cadance, we’ll get castle accommodations and stay Friday and Saturday night and come back Sunday afternoon.”

She gaped. “Can you really do that?”

“I’ll have to check with my Captain if I can go, but it should be fine. Other than that I’m good friends with Shining Armor and Cadance. I’m sure they’d be happy to let us stay a couple days.”

“That sounds perfect! I’ll be home and ready Friday at four o'clock.”

“No,” said Captain Morningstar, neatly stacking a pile of paperwork on his desk.

“What? Why not?” I asked desperately.

“I need you here for basic evaluation. There’s a lot of new recruits that are going to be sent across Equestria, and I need your good eyes.”

I groaned. “Can’t Spotter take my place for that?”

“Nope.”

I planted my face into the desk. “Why… do you hate me… so much?”

“But I suppose I can make an exception. Just this once.”

“Huh?”

“I’m messing with you. I know you need this, so you’re good to go. But I don’t want to be seeing this happening all over the place, and I expect some extra hard work this week.”

I jumped from my seat. “Yes! Anything you say, Captain, and it’ll get done!”

He sighed. “Good. Say hello to Shining Armor for me. Dismissed.”

I saluted. “Yes, Sir!”

I trotted triumphantly out the barracks and carelessly threw my sword into the air. “Yes!”

The Promises We Make And Paths We Take - Part 1
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The Story of a Royal Guard: A Shield Contingency [OUTDATED/CANCELLED]

The Promises We Make And Paths We Take - Part 1

The rest of my day was spent making plans with Summer for our visit to the Crystal Empire, and it definitely took a while to figure it all out, but eventually we had everything settled. We’d take a tour of the castle, city, hike into the northern mountains and explore some of the crystal caves that lie within, and lastly explore the Empire’s huge library. Maybe even attend some social event if something like that comes up. Quite a lot to do in only two and a half days, but I believed it would go perfectly.

On my way back to Ponyville I repeated the plans in my head until I had them completely memorized. Every step was accounted for. I had a quick dinner and went to bed, continuing to repeat the plans. I knew the trip wouldn’t be for a week and that I had work to do until then, but I couldn’t help myself. A week felt too close. I couldn’t forget.

It was a beautiful Thursday afternoon. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, there was a gentle breeze and everything was as it should be. It had been an aggravating week, and tomorrow was the big day. I felt like I had been waiting forever for it. I stood at the wall overlooking Equestria, Royal Guards on either side and three meters apart. There was nothing particularly interesting happening today, so it had been going rather slow. I’d been throwing my sword off the wall and teleporting it back over and over to keep myself entertained, being careful not to let it fall too far, else I wouldn’t be able to teleport it back. The guards around me stood resolute, though I could tell they were slightly concerned of my repetitive actions.

“Sir, we’re not supposed to be tossing weapons off the walls,” one said.

I teleported the sword back again and dropped it to my side with a sigh. “You’re right, good form,” I said. “I’m just a bit anxious. Big day tomorrow, and... agh! What the-?!”

I jumped back and my sword fell on its side. It had suddenly heated up and nearly melted my coat off. I approached it and slowly gave it a poke, but I couldn't feel anything.

“What happened, Sir?”

“I’m not sure,” I said, picking up my sword. I touched the crystals, and they were warm. “The enchantment might have been acting up, so I’m gonna go put this away. Keep watch for me.”

“Yes, Sir.”

I left the wall and weaved my way through some tight alleys, but round one corner I had to stop. The undeniable shape of Discord was blocking the way.

“Again? What do you want?” I asked.

Discord turned around and raised his arms. “Well, if it isn't my favorite Lieutenant! I just happened to be in the neighborhood and heard you had a bit of trouble with that sword of yours again.” He floated over my head and pointed at my sword. “Mind if I take a look? Perhaps I might be able to tell you what happened.”

I levitated the sword up to him. “Fine, knock yourself out.”

He took it into his paw and stroked the surface with a claw.

“You haven’t been dusting this, have you? Shame on you, Sword Shield. Hmm. This is strange, enchantments aren’t supposed to do that.”

“Do what? What is it doing?”

Discord spun the sword on the tip of his claw. “I’m not sure, I may need to study it a while longer. Say, I also heard earlier that you were going on a date with that mare-friend of yours. I could hold onto this and figure out what’s wrong while you’re away, and I can promise no harm will come to it!”

“Do you think there might be a problem if I take it?”

“There’s no way to tell for sure, but you can never be too safe with enchantment magic. You do know most unicorns no longer use it because of the instability it can have in the wrong crystals, and these are very, very old crystals. You wouldn’t want to risk your mare-friend getting hurt, would you?”

I sighed. “Fine, as long as you also make sure it doesn't hurt anyone else with it.”

Discord scoffed and snapped his fingers, making the sword disappear. “Just who do you think I am? Why, I won't let it hurt a fly.”

And with that he vanished. I hoped I hadn’t just made a huge mistake.

The rest of the day passed very slowly, like a mule. I circled the walls over and over, scanning Canterlot for any sign of trouble, but there was nothing. I was bored out of my mind and had nothing to keep me busy.

“Where’s Pinkie Pie when you need her?” I mumbled.

Though no matter what I asked or wished into existence, nothing happened. The day ended with me taking the train home and collapsing on my bed.

Morning came around and I sat up groggily. Today was the dreaded day. I’d go to work, finish filing some paperwork, eat a good lunch, and be off to the Crystal Empire in the afternoon. No sword, no armor, just me and Summer with whatever we take with us. What a strange thought. Perhaps that was all just a dream.

A knock on the front door brought me back to reality, and I remembered it was no dream. I climbed out of bed and walked into the living room to answer the door. No idea who it could’ve been. I opened the door, and saw it was my cousin, Katana, looking fairly distressed. Strange for her.

“Swordulan, thank Celestia you’re home. Are you busy at all today?” she asked.

I’d never heard her use my full first name before. This had to be serious.

“Sort of,” I said. “But, uh, what’s up? Is something wrong?”

She nodded. “I think I found my brother, or at least found out where he is, but he’s in trouble and I need your help.”

I gaped at her. “Stonehenge? You found him? How in Equestria did you… where? How?!”

This had to be impossible, and right now of all times! Stone Shield, or rather Stonehenge as I called him, used to be a Royal Guard like me, but he was kicked out. I don’t remember exactly why, but afterwards he seemed to just disappear and nobody ever saw him again.

“He’s hiding somewhere in the Crystal Empire. I don’t really know all the details, all I know is he fell into a bad crowd then managed to tick them off, so now there’s some group after him. I need your help to find him. I have to know he’s safe. Can you come with me?”

I clenched my teeth. “Well… Sweet Celestia, why did this have to happen today? I can’t help just yet. I need to finish up my work for today, and I’ve also got a… date later.”

She looked at me with disbelief. “You have a date? Seriously, that’s the best lie you can come with? Why can’t you just tell me you don’t want to help? Which I thought you would, Stone is family after all. I thought you’d understand.”

“I do understand, I do want to help, and I am serious! I’ve got a date with somepony to go to the Crystal Empire for the next couple days. If you want I can bring you along so you can search for your brother. I bet Shining Armor and his guards can help too.”

Katana stomped her hoof. “To Tartarus with the guards! Most of them are idiots! I need your help, not theirs. I don’t trust anyone else.”

I sighed and rubbed my forehead. “I’m sorry, but I really have to get ready for work and everything. Maybe I’ll see you in the Crystal Empire later. Good luck with finding him.”

I turned around and closed the door on her. There was too much I was already dealing with, I couldn’t handle anything more. I'm sorry, Katana.

“Well fine!” she said, muffled by the door. “I guess you don’t care about helping your own family. I’ll find my brother myself! Good luck with your super-important date.”

I looked out the window and saw her fly off. I don’t know what just happened, or why I didn’t do anything about it. I was disappointed with myself. I’d just heard my old friend and cousin was still alive somewhere and in trouble, and I wasn’t immediately going to drop everything to help? Maybe I still couldn’t believe it, or that I didn’t want to believe it.

No, I just wanted to be somewhere else and with someone else. I’d been planning this day all week, and nothing could go wrong. I couldn’t be distracted. Work and the date had to come first, so that’s what would come. Everything else is to be put on hold. I strapped on my armor and prepared a meal for the train ride.

A short while later I was in Canterlot and doing my paperwork for the weekend, but I kept being distracted by my thoughts. What would Katana be doing right now? What sort of trouble is Stonehenge in? Why is he in the Crystal Empire of all places? Maybe I should have canceled the date, but what would Summer think? She’d probably understand, family usually takes priority, but Stone has hardly been an active member of the family for some time now. She’d definitely be disappointed, and I don’t want to let her down. The date will go on. I’m sure Shining Armor can help.

“How’s that paperwork coming along, Lieutenant?” asked Captain Morningstar from behind.

I looked back from my desk. “It’s getting there.”

He peered over me. “Getting there? It doesn’t look like it’s even got going yet. You’re usually very quick with this. Is something wrong?”

I slouched back in my chair. “Maybe. I’ve been trying to get this done but my head isn’t in the right place.”

“Flying through the clouds, is it? The date weighing on your mind at all?”

I shrugged. “Yes and no. Some family issues came up earlier, and I’m worried both of my cousins might be in serious trouble over in the Crystal Empire.”

“Both? I thought you only had one.”

“There’s Katana and also Stonehenge, brother and sister. You probably heard about Stone at some point, he’s an ex-Guard.”

“Yes, I remember him. I never knew he was your cousin. What’s the matter with him now?”

I sighed. “I don’t know, that’s what worries me.”

“If you want, I can send Shining Armor a message to look out for them. I’m sure he could help.”

I shook my head and turned back to my desk. “No, I’ll talk to him myself when I get there. Don’t worry about it. Anyway, I’ll get this paperwork finished as soon as possible.”

“Alright. Good luck.”

What should’ve only taken me half an hour to finish took two, but at least it got done. After a few rounds on the walls I retired for the day and put away my armor. The feeling of butterflies was already beginning to mount. I’d be away for a couple days, so I needed to pack. What did I need? A decent amount of bits, for sure, but I’ve already got that. Maybe something warm to wear, but that would likely be provided at the Crystal Empire, so I don’t have to worry about that. No worry about food. I don’t have my sword, and that was probably going to suck.

I guess I was ready, but I wasn’t supposed to get Summer until 4PM, and that was an hour away. Lunch sounded pretty good though, so I found my way to the nearest fast-food place and got a few fried carrots, meanwhile repeating the plans in my head over and over again.

My tuxedo! Buck. And it was probably too late to go get it. Probably could have used that at some point. Oh well. Maybe if the time comes for something like that, I could borrow Shining Armor’s, heheh.

I patrolled around Canterlot for a little while longer. The clock struck four, and I swallowed my fear. I trotted down through Summer’s neighborhood and up to her house. I raised my hoof to knock, but the door opened before I struck. Almost accidentally hit Summer in the face.

“Whoa, hey, you’re right on time,” she said. “You ready to go?”

I nodded slowly then quickly. “As I’ll ever be. Anything you need me to carry?”

“Yeah, hold on.” She turned around and a moment later two suitcases came out, one large and one small. The large one was as big as I was.

“Yikes,” I said, picking up the large one in my magic. “What’s in here?”

“Just a few of my things,” said Summer. “Be careful with it. I’ll carry the other, it’s got my camera and writing equipment. You got it?”

“Y-y-yeeaah!” I said, putting the suitcase on my back and keeping it steady with magic. The thing weighed a ton. “Whoah-kay, let’s go.”

“Excellent! I’m so excited.”

“Meee too.”

Honestly though, I was terrified. Everything had to go as planned, and I had no idea what might go wrong, especially with Katana most likely waiting for me in the Empire. But whatever fears I had I swallowed, and we made our way to the train station. The schedule worked perfectly, as we were on a train in no time with little hassle. We sat together and looked out the window as the land zoomed by.

“Equestria is so beautiful, I wish I got out more to see it,” said Summer.

“Yeah, but it’s also pretty dangerous in some places,” I said. “I encountered a hostile dragon in the middle of Hollow Shade forest not too long ago.”

She looked at me with shock. “Really? How’d you get out alive?”

I shrugged. “I’m not entirely sure. I nearly thought I was done for. My sword was acting up at the time, so I threw it at the dragon. There was a bright flash of light and burst of energy, and then… well, no more dragon.”

“Sweet Celestia, that must have been intense. Well, I’m glad that you’ll be around in case something goes wrong. And hey, I noticed you don’t actually have your sword with you.”

“Yeah. Some reason it was acting up again earlier, and Discord popped by again, and offered to hold onto and study it for me while I was away, so I gave it to him.”

“And you trust him with it?”

I laughed. “No, but what’s he going to do with a magic sword? I doubt he’ll get into any trouble.”

The Promises We Make And Paths We Take - Part 2
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The Story of a Royal Guard: A Shield Contingency [OUTDATED/CANCELLED]

The Promises We Make And Paths We Take - Part 2

We arrived in the Crystal Empire as the sun neared the edge of the horizon. I hauled Summer’s large suitcase out of the train, and a moment later half a dozen Royal Guards came to my assistance and took the load off my back while Summer gleefully looked around and immediately took out her camera to begin taking pictures.

“Welcome back to the Crystal Empire, Lieutenant Shield,” said one of the guards. “Is there anything we can help you with?”

I nodded. “Yes, please tell Shining Armor and Princess Cadance that I've arrived with a friend and am looking for accommodations for both of us.”

“Yes, Sir. My stallions will also safely bring your luggage to the castle.”

“Thank you, we’ll be at the castle shortly.”

The guards trotted off and I walked up behind Summer who was busy taking pictures of the castle, buildings and tourist stands. She looked at me with a smile then back to the castle.

“It’s more beautiful than anything I’ve ever seen before,” she said. “The pictures don’t do it justice.”

I looked up at the castle, taking in its full size and magnificence while shaking my head. “No they don’t. You know, every time I’ve come here it’s always been for help or my job. Never to just relax and appreciate the beauty of everything.”

I just hoped my cousin wouldn’t do anything rash to stop that from happening.

“Well now seems like a great time for that. Here, stand right there, I wanna get a picture of you with the castle.”

I walked over to the spot she pointed out. “Alright. Should I strike a pose or something? Maybe a formal salute, like this?” I stood up straight and held my right hoof at salute.

Summer laughed. “That’s perfect, hold still for a minute.”

“I’ve held still for hours, it’s practically my job.”

She chuckled and snapped a couple pictures. “Alright, let’s go see the inside now.”

I nodded. “Okay, follow me. Shining Armor and Cadance are probably waiting for us.”

We made our way to the castle, where the Royal Guards were waiting with Summer’s suitcase, safe and sound. We went into the castle and up the stairways with them slowly following behind. Shining Armor and Cadance were waiting for us at the end of the stairs.

“Hey, Swordulan! We weren’t expecting you to come back so soon,” said Shining Armor. ”Good to see you again.”

Cadance looked at Summer with a smile. “I assume you’re Summer Dawn?”

Summer nodded sheepishly and bowed. “It’s an honor to meet you both.”

“It’s our pleasure to have you here. Is this your first time visiting the Crystal Empire?”

Summer nodded again.

“That’s great! How about I show you around, and we can find you a room to stay? It’s been awhile since we’ve had company.”

“Sounds divine!” Summer followed Cadance off into the castle, enthusiastically asking questions about the castle and Empire along the way.

Shining Armor came up next to me and gave me a nudge. “She’s quite the catch. Seems you’ve got everything worked out nicely.”

“I guess so,” I said with a half-hearted shrug. “I’m still shaking off the shock of it all.”

He laughed. “Yeah, I remember feeling like that with Cadance. So how long are you planning to stay?”

“Just two nights. I’ve got work next week and there’ll be a lot of new recruits to train. And, uh, there’s something I need to talk to you about.”

“What? You’re not worried things will go wrong, are you?” He nudged me again. “Come on, you’re a Lieutenant, you’ve got this in the bag.”

“No, it’s not that, it’s Stonehenge.”

His eyes went wide and he took a step back. “Stonehenge? What are you talking about? I thought he disappeared.”

I nodded with a frown. “So did I, but my cousin Katana came to me this morning and said she knew he was here, and that he was in trouble. I don’t know anything else about it though, but I’m worried… about both of them. Katana’s bound to do something stupid, and Stonehenge might be in even more trouble.”

Shining Armor nodded. “I’ll have the Guard be on the lookout for both of them and do everything in my power to make sure they’re okay, don’t worry about anything. This is your time to relax and have fun.”

I sighed in relief. “Thanks, Shining. So, how’s the stadium coming?”

“We’ve just finished setting up the big torch. Everything’s set, there’s just some safety tests and maintenance left to do. It’s gonna be a great Games. But I’ll show you that later, you should catch up with Cadance, I have to make sure dinner’s coming along nicely. You’ll be joining us, right?”

“Wouldn’t miss it. See you then.”

I went down the hall and up some stairs (with the Guards carrying our luggage following of course) and found Summer and Cadance going down a row of spare guest rooms.

“Whichever one you’d like!” said Cadance.

“Oh my,” said Summer. “These rooms are just too beautiful. Um, I’ll take this one.”

I motioned to the guards and they speedily brought her luggage in.

“I’ll take the next one,” I said.

“Wonderful!” said Cadance. “So what will you two be doing while you’re here? I could recommend you a few places if you’d like.”

“We had planned to take a tour of the castle and city, and maybe go to the northern crystal caverns. Those still have expeditions, don’t they?”

“Of course, in fact they started a new one recently for one of the older caves. I haven’t seen it myself yet, but you should try it so you can tell us about it when you get back. Shining Armor won’t be busy tomorrow, so he can tour you around the place. I’d say he knows the castle and city better than anypony.”

“That sounds excellent,” said Summer. “I can’t wait to get pictures of all the best places. Oh, uh, excuse me, have to use the little filly’s room.”

She disappeared into her room.

“Well, I’ll leave you two to get settled,” said Cadance, walking towards the stairs. “Dinner will be ready in a few minutes, so come down whenever you feel.”

I nodded. “Thanks.”

I went into my room, crystal walls, closest, dresser, soft bed, bathroom. My curiosity got the best of my and I walked over to the dresser and opened a few drawers. I figured. There was a suit worthy of the Grand Galloping Gala inside one of them, red and white with a black tie.

“Even the bathrooms are huge!” echoed Summer’s voice.

I chuckled and closed the drawers, and instead jumped onto the bed and scooped up a clump of the blankets. So soft. I missed this place. It was strange though, I hadn’t brought anything with me beyond some bits. No sword… no sword for the weekend. I wondered what Discord was doing with it, and hoped he wasn’t getting into any trouble.

Oh, hellooo! I wasn’t expecting any guests here within my subconscious. Well, come in, come in, watch your step, don’t track in any mud, make yourself at home. It’s always such a pleasant surprise to have visitors. Unfortunate that it's such a rare occurrence...

Anyhow, you must be wondering who this is. Or if you've any stretch of intelligence, you’ve already guessed. But I shall introduce myself anyway. I am Discord, Spirit of Chaos, reformed! Daunting to meet me, I know, but don’t worry, I don’t bite. At least ever since I met dearest Fluttershy.

But let’s not make this about her. You know what this is about, I know what this is about, so let’s just set the record straight. Waffles are superior to pancakes, in every way! They cook faster, they can be soft or deliciously crunchy, they hold an exquisite amount more of syrup, and you can’t get much wrong with one. No, I won’t hear it, pancakes are no good in comparison! Why anypony would prefer them is a complete mystery.

Now, completely unrelated to what’s important, I have to take a moment to talk about this sword I got from Swordulan, the dullard of a Lieutenant. It is quite fascinating, and rarely do I have the chance to say such a thing.

The thing about enchantment spells is that they can be completely unpredictable, even more so when they are used on crystals as old as these. And these crystals have certainly been through a lot. It is known that some crystals can absorb magic from the world around them as time goes by. Crystals that get to be as old as these tend to form… consciousnesses, magical entities, deep inside of their structure. Some of them have enough power to influence the pony who wields them, for good or evil. Usually evil. This is not something casually discussed among the unicorns, it’s quite controversial, ethically and otherwise. Not well understood either, except by yours truly of course.

But with these crystals in the sword, it’s a different matter. The entity, or entities, have escaped, by which means I am not really sure. The effect it has had is something I have not seen before, and I was not aware it was even possible. There is still an enchantment within the crystals, but it is… well I have no way to put it other than undead. The magical entities have left, but there is still an enchantment remaining, but it is both alive and dead at the same time. Magic is not meant to act this way, it is in all its form meant to be alive. The magic of friendship, for instance, breathes more life than any other magic I’ve known. But this undead magic is something else. Previously I could tell that there was some amount of mood in the enchantment, but now there is nothing. It is empty, yet full. There are a thousand ways I could describe it, though I’m still not sure any of them do this phenomenon justice.

Every now and then the sword will begin to glow searingly hot. Dunking it in ice water does nothing to cool it down. It burns for a short time and is then over, like nothing happened. I brought it to Celestia one day and, after enough convincing, had her use Alicorn magic on it to see if it might stop it from burning, but still nothing. It was a puzzle to us both.

So there was only one option left, enchant the crystals all over again. It was not a complicated enchantment, I easily copied the same one that the Lieutenant had used on it. Contrary to popular belief, enchanting an item all over again does not increase the power, rather it kicks the previous enchantment out and replaces it. Strangely, it still made no difference. So I gave it a more powerful enchantment. Same result. So again I increased the power. Same result. No matter how much magic I decided to jam into these crystals, it made no difference. It always resolved itself to this state of undead. I tried removing the enchantment entirely, but again it did nothing. I could not change the nature of its enchantment no matter what I did to it.

When I had nothing else to do, I spent countless hours pacing around in the dream realm thinking of what else I might attempt to discover the source of the enchantment’s issue. How could such a thing as undead magic function without being utterly destroyed? Its mere existence seemed to deny all laws of magic. Unless… it was bound to something not in this world. Something beyond it, in a parallel universe, wherever. Yes, I remember now, Swordulan had said the entity might have been in a parallel universe. If it was still bound to that entity, it would reject anything except what the entity accepted as the default state. But then, the sword should still be much more powerful than it is. Although perhaps not, since much of that power left with the entity, while the remaining power is bound to it. Hmm.

I’ll have to discuss more of this matter with Celestia. Perhaps she’ll know what to make of it. If there’s a powerful entity loose somewhere among the infinitesimal of the cosmos, it will have to be stopped sooner or later.

It was getting dark. I began to wish I had the keen eyes of my cousin, mine would do me no good flying above the streets. I had to keep looking though, my brother had to be around here somewhere. He had to be.

“Come on, Stone, where are you?” I muttered to myself.

A glimmer of light flashed in the corner of my eye. One of the Crystal Guards, I automatically assumed. I dropped down into an alley and waited. I didn’t want to be caught snooping around, even if it wasn’t wrong. I learned long ago that even simple questions led to trouble.

I had a clear view of the Crystal Castle from here, still sparkling from the lights that were being hung all over the empire. I bet Swordulan was inside, schmoozing away with his new special somepony.

I growled. “And not out here, helping me look for a missing family member.”

I looked around the corners of the alley, seeing nopony around, and stepped out.

“Is there anything I can help you with, Miss?” called a voice.

I nearly jumped out of my hide. I spun around, being faced with one of the Crystal Guards. I immediately put on a coy smile, but avoided direct eye contact. “No, I’m fine, thank you. Just on an evening stroll.”

The guard nodded and continued on. I should’ve expected that they weren’t the suspicious sort. I walked down the street for another minute, looked around, then jumped back into the air, only a hoof grabbed me and pulled me down. I hit the ground with an ‘oof!’, then tried to flare my wings to fight back whoever grabbed me, but I found that I couldn’t move, nor get a good look at who was assailing me. A strong pair of hooves held my mouth shut and I was quickly dragged into another empty street, until finally I was held up and forced to stare at the face of who held me, there being just enough light left to recognize him. My eyes widened. Stonehenge.

“Shh,” he said. “Don’t yell.”

He released me, and I gaped. Then whalloped him on the side of his head with a hiss, though he barely flinched. “Where the buck have you been? I’ve been looking all over the Empire for you.”

He shook his head. “I can’t explain here, not while someone might hear. I can’t trust anyone.”

“What are you talking about? You disappeared!”

He grit his teeth. “Quiet, Katana. I don’t know why you’re here, but you have to leave, you have to get as far away from here as you can. It’s not safe.”

I growled. “You expect me to leave right after I find you? No way. Swordulan’s here too, over in the castle. Tell me what’s going on, or take me somewhere you can. You owe me that much.”

He groaned. “Katana, I can’t tell you how good it is to see you again, but this is serious. I don’t want you getting wrapped up in my trouble, or Swordulan. If the ponies after me find out you’re both here, they’ll come after you to get to me.” He turned away. “I can handle this on my own. Don’t worry, don’t get involved, and don’t follow. Stay safe, sis’.”

With that he galloped away. I wasn’t going to let him get away so easily, so I chased once he rounded a corner, but by the time I turned it he was gone, no where to be seen. I sighed and shook my head.

“You featherbrained idiot. What am I supposed to do now?”

I looked to the castle.

No, not yet. But I need help. Stone needs help. I have to make sure he’ll be alright. What if Swordulan doesn’t come to help? He didn’t earlier, why should he now? Ugh! To tartarus with that conehead.

I took back to the air, heading for the nearest bed and breakfast. “I swear by Celestia, if we ever get out of this, Swordulan, I’ll bash your head in and saw your horn off.”

The Promises We Make And Paths We Take - Part 3
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The Story of a Royal Guard: A Shield Contingency [OUTDATED/CANCELLED]

The Promises We Make And Paths We Take - Part 3

It was all so surreal. Being here, that is. Here at the dinner table with a friend... or rather, a date of all things, here in the Crystal Empire with Prince Shining Armor and Princess Cadance. Although I guess being with those two wasn’t that big of a deal, we’d been friends a while now. Still, as I was eating I couldn’t help but sit back and think. Is this really my life?

Dinner conversation snapped me back to reality, and I realized Cadance had asked me a question.

“Huh?” I asked.

“I asked if you were okay,” said Cadance, looking at me confusedly. “You’ve been staring at the ceiling for a while.”

“Oh.” I shrugged. “I’m fine.”

“He’s still shaking off the shock,” said Shining Armor with an amused grin.

“Shock?” asked Summer.

I felt my cheeks burning up. “It’s nothing.” It’s good to let feelings out. Bah. “It’s just I never expected to find myself... here, like this.”

Summer smiled and nodded like it all made sense now. “I see. I’m curious Shining Armor, are all of your guards like this?”

“Only the best ones,” he said. “Although I think with Swordulan it’s a more unique case.”

I grunted. “How so?”

“I thought I talked to you about this before. Must have forgot. Most guards are raised with a rather normal life, so when they join up they must be broken and then put back together so they have the ability to do their jobs. When you joined you had already been broken, though not put back together. You took to being a Royal Guard faster than anypony else I’ve ever seen. I’ve never known why.”

I poked at my plate and shrugged. “I guess I was just… I don’t know.”

Summer was staring curiously at me. “Was it because you were trying to get away from something?”

I grimaced. My father. “I…”

“Don’t worry, Swordulan, you don’t have to say anything about it,” said Cadance. She gave Shining Armor a cold look. “We don’t need to bring up these topics at the dinner table. Let’s move onto something more positive.”

Shining Armor flinched. “I’m sorry, Swordulan. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“Me too, I didn’t mean to offend if I did,” said Summer.

I sighed. “It’s alright, don’t worry. Life was crazy back then, I’m just glad to be past it all.”

Everyone nodded and dinner silently continued for a couple minutes, until Summer spoke up again.

“So how long have you all known each other?” she asked.

Shining Armor sat back and thought for a moment. “Three years? And I’ve known Cadance since Twily was a filly.”

“Twily? Princess Twilight?”

He nodded. “That’s Twily.”

“Twilight and I went to the same Magic School for a while,” I said. “Though I never knew Shining Armor until I began training a couple years after that. It was a while after that when I met Cadance, assigned as one of her guards. Feels like so long ago.”

“A lot’s happened since,” said Cadance. “Nightmare Moon, Discord, the Crystal Empire and King Sombra, Celestia and Luna disappearing.”

“The hydras,” I added.

“Ugh, you had to remind me,” said Shining Armor.

“What hydras?” asked Summer.

Shining Armor sighed. “Here we go.”

I rolled my eyes. “Not long after I had joined the Royal Guard, Shining Armor and I were sent to stop two hydras that were getting near Canterlot.”

“What happened?” asked Summer. “Did you…” She motioned a hoof across her neck. “You know…?”

I shook my head. “We drove them into a chasm. Well, Shining Armor actually fell into it and they fell after him. I had to save him, just barely too.”

Shining Armor grumbled. “It wouldn’t have happened if you’d kept that other hydra contained. I could have perfectly handled one hydra coming at me, but two was too much.”

Cadance stroked his head. “All that matters is that you came back safely.”

Summer looked at me wide-eyed. “How did you save him from falling down a chasm?”

“I flew down on my sword as fast as I could and snatched him before he hit the ground.”

Her jaw dropped. “You flew on your sword?”

I forgot that she didn’t know how powerful it was. Or used to be, anyway. “Yeah, it uh… it’s a long story.”

“Well, go on,” said Cadance. “I don’t think I’ve heard the whole story of that yet.”

I shrugged. “It’s a bit of a mystery even to myself.”

I continued to tell the story of me forging my sword, enchanting it and discovering the incredible uses it had, with the occasional question from Cadance or Summer. ‘Where did somepony get the crystals from?’, ‘What was the farthest distance you teleported?’, ‘How fast could you fly?’, ‘What was the most incredible thing you’ve done with the sword?’

I didn’t tell them the truth on that last one. I told them what I used it for when I rescued my cousin from Diamond Dogs, but the truth was when I’d, supposedly, created the portal to a parallel universe. I still had no clue how I did it, or if Valhalla, the zebra who went through it, was still alive. That was how the enchantment broke, but when they asked about it I told them it was only the dragon I’d encountered in the woods who broke it. Discord was the only one who knew anything close to the truth. What a strange notion that was…

Dinner concluded and Shining Armor and Cadance left to finish last minute business around the castle. Summer wanted to go to the balcony to take some more pictures of the Empire, so I escorted her there.

It was a magnificent view. Hundreds of lights sparkled off crystals, and the snowy mountains in the backdrop brought it all together. Summer took her pictures and stared at it a while longer, sighing.

“What’s the matter?” I asked concernedly.

“Oh, nothing,” she said. “It’s just nice to be so far from home for once.”

“Oh. You never got out that much before, did you?”

“When I was younger I did. Trips with my parents. Something always seemed to go wrong on every trip, always one thing at least. After a while I began to expect it. It makes me wonder if something will go wrong here.”

I shook my head. “I won’t let that happen.” I nearly jumped from how sternly I said that. I hadn’t meant it to sound like I knew something was likely to go wrong. Katana came to mind.

Summer didn’t seem to notice and only smiled. “Don’t worry about it. I doubt anything goes wrong around here anyway, it feels so peaceful. Can you imagine what it must be like to live here?”

I had to shake my head. “I don’t know if I could manage it. I don’t like cities much, outside of patrolling them.”

“Really? How come?”

I winced, remembering any social gatherings in Canterlot I had been at. “Too populated, which is why I moved to Ponyville once I had the bits. Never liked Canterlot’s customs either. Now that I think about it, I’m more of an earth pony at heart.”

Summer got a thoughtful look in her eye. “I never knew you moved to Ponyville. I heard it was attacked recently, shortly before the Summer Sun Celebration when Princess Celestia and Princess Luna disappeared.”

I nodded. “I was there. Black vines were growing like crazy and attacking from the Everfree Forest. I helped evacuate the town while Twilight and her friends dealt with the vines, as they usually do when disaster strikes.” I finished with an eyeroll.

Summer raised an eyebrow. “You don’t seem very fond of her.”

I opened my mouth to explain my dislike of Twilight’s luck and her becoming a Princess, but thought better of it. “It’s nothing. There are times I just felt like I could have done something more to help during the major problems Equestria’s had. Like when the Empire was discovered, I felt so useless. I was only there to bring back the train for Twilight.”

“And you wish you could’ve been the one to save it?”

“Yeah! Well, sort of. Every time some disaster troubled Equestria, I had to sit at the sidelines and wait until somepony else solved it. Even my sword, with all its amazing abilities, was no help. Do you know what it’s like to just sit there and watch helplessly?”

She nodded stiffly and gave me a cold look, as if I were guilty of something. “Every day. Every day I know there’s somepony out there who needs help, who needs their world to be saved. I’m no hero, I don’t know much magic, I’m just a librarian who loves a good story. But if I can make even one pony’s day better, or give them something to smile about in their life, I’m happy with that. Are you happy with what you do?”

I frowned. I wasn’t. I should’ve been though. It was my job to help others, to protect them, to save them. And I had. Many ponies knew me as a hero. I was a Lieutenant of the Royal Guard, after all. I was somepony who got invited to things like the Grand Galloping Gala, or escorted Princesses, or defended cities against monsters and invasions. Why wasn’t that enough for me? I wanted so much more, more than I should. I was selfish. Was that what she was trying to tell me? I couldn’t think about that.

I turned back to the castle and shook my head. “Not happy enough. I should know better, but… It’s getting late, I’m going to bed.”

“Swordulan, wait, I… I didn’t mean to come off like that. I didn’t mean to sound like I was accusing you of-”

“No, you’re right. I’m selfish.” I grimaced. “I don’t mean to be, but I am. I should know better, but I don’t. Shining Armor was right, I came into the Guard broken. I figured everything my father put me through could be fixed by them. It couldn’t. And now he has me here. Even from the grave he still controls me. I never wanted this life.” I looked back at my cutie mark. “I only wanted to learn magic. Where would I be if I had focused my life on that instead of being in the Guard?” I teleported myself around. “Would I have ever met Shining Armor, or Cadance? Would I have grown up with a more normal life, with friends?”

“You wouldn’t be here, with me,” said Summer. “Even if you could change the past, would you?”

I hesitated. I wasn’t sure, there were so many things to reason out. “I don’t know. But it doesn’t matter, I can’t. The laws of time and magic wouldn’t let me. I’d have to create an entire parallel universe, and nopony in history has ever done that, except possibly Star Swirl the Bearded.”

“Do you regret being here?”

Argh, so many questions! Is this mare ever satisfied? I was too tired to answer, so I only shook my head, hoping that was good enough. “I’m going to bed. Goodnight.”

Summer frowned and stared at her hooves. “Goodnight.”

Floating… somewhere. Not space… but not Equestria. A dark room, and a deep voice boomed from all directions.

“Have you made your choice?” it said.

It made me jump, however that worked while floating. I twisted and turned to find the source, but only pitch black stared back. I was terrified. I didn’t know why, I just was.

“What choice?” I asked, throat dry.

“Who are you?” The voice seemed to change direction on a whim. “What is your purpose? What is your direction? Are you soldier, or are you magician?”

“I’m not a soldier! And I’m not a magician either. I am...” My mouth and mind strained to get it out. “I am… I…! Swolrduierciaulan! Where are you!?”

Emptiness filled with screams.

I walked through the cave, something warm on my backside. A body, limp. I glanced back to make sure she was still alright. She was still breathing, at least. I could feel her soft heartbeat. Looking around, there was still no sign of a way out. This was all my fault. I shouldn’t have let her get caught in this.

“Katana? Can you hear me? Wake up.”

She didn’t stir. I kept on walking. The earth broke beneath my hooves, and I fell, unable to catch her again.

I stared at the dirt, a droplet of red falling from my vision and landing beneath my nose. My sword lay stabbed in the ground ahead, its shining hilt towering over me. It was gloating at me. I tried to move, but my body was stiff. Cuts scattered my legs, my cutie mark was only a large scab.

“Know when you are defeated,” said a booming voice coming from the crystals.

“I’m never defeated,” I panted. “Not until I’m down.”

A soft wind blew, and I toppled over. I no longer had the strength to stand or look up.

“Curse you,” I muttered. “Curse you to Tartarus, where you belong.”

The sword began chuckling. There was a bright flash, and the chuckling turned into screaming, then it was gone. I waited, wondering, listening. I felt something soft on my head for a moment, and I managed to turn my head, but there was nothing. The bloodied ground beneath me vanished, replaced with stars, and my cuts and scars were gone.

“Your dreams are most difficult to get into, Swordulan,” said Luna. “It is like you are barricaded inside them. Only now I have managed to break through.”

I looked up, and saw her standing only a few paces away. I tried my legs again, and managed to stand. I felt like I should be dizzy, but I wasn’t. I shook my head and gave her a confused look. “Princess Luna? Wha… this is… is this a dream?”

Luna nodded. “I have been trying to enter yours for some time, with little success.”

I shivered. “The first one… about making a choice again. I thought… I already had.”

“Already had? What choice was that?”

“To be a friend first, guard second. I’m still struggling with that, but… I didn’t think there were any other choices to make.”

Luna shook her head in an almost motherly fashion. “Oh, Swordulan, there are always choices to make, for good or ill. They control the flow of our lives, and a single choice may change one drastically, forever. What choices might have spurred these nightmares you face?”

I sighed. “Everything’s just falling apart. I don’t know where Katana is, she might be hurt or in trouble. Cousin Stone is still out there somewhere. I don’t know what I’m doing with Summer. I feel like something inside of me is breaking, something that hasn’t broken, and I don’t know how to fix it. What do I do?”

“It sounds like you are struggling with parts of yourself and the choices that lay before you. Conflict always brings out who we are in the choices we make in response to it. Many times it comes down to two outcomes: Doing what serves others, and doing what serves ourselves. There is always a right and a wrong, but harm and consequence can still come from either.”

“So what do I still have to choose? How do I know what’s right or wrong?”

“That is something you must learn for yourself. Think of what you want, it will help you take action.”

I nodded slowly. “I want this date to go smoothly… I want Summer to be happy. But I also want Katana and Stonehenge to be safe. I want to help them. I know I can’t have all of those things, though.”

“No. You must always sacrifice the other choices for one. It then comes down to one last question: What will you do?”

I frowned. “I will do what’s right. I am a Royal Guard, and Royal Guards always do what’s right. There is no other way. I’ll tell Summer the truth and go to help Katana. She’ll understand.”

Luna nodded. “Then I wish you luck, Swordulan. May your nights be restful and dreams peaceful.”

I woke up to a knocking on my door with a gasp. I looked to the door slowly, partially unaware of my grogginess..

“Come,” I said, a little bit slurred.

The door opened and a guard trotted in. “A letter for you, Lieutenant Shield.”

I nodded and the guard levitated the letter onto the bed and left with a bow. I took the letter into my own magic, opened it and read.

I know you’re here. I need your help. Meet me in the crystal caverns at noon. -Stonehenge

My eyes widened at the signature. He really was here, and going to be at the caverns. Maybe I wouldn’t have to leave Summer, or tell her. Did Katana know? Where was she?

Another knock came to the door.

“Come,” I said quickly.

The door opened to let in another guard. “Lieutenant Shield, Shining Armor requests to see you in the throne room.”

I nodded. “I’ll be right there.”

The guard bowed and left with the door closing behind.

I climbed out of bed and magically reached for my sword and… right, Discord has my sword. I looked around the room for my armor confusedly... I didn’t bring my armor with me. I was still in the Crystal Empire. I was not at all used to this.

I left my room and headed straight to the throne room, taking only a minute to get there. Shining Armor was standing to the side of the room, alone. His ears picked up as he saw me come in.

“Swordulan, there you are,” he said, walking up to me. “I got news of Katana last night, but you had already gone to bed and I didn’t want to wake you. One of my stallions found her staying at The Crystal Horseshoe bed-and-breakfast.”

I blinked in disbelief. “Is she safe?”

“Yes, as far as I know. Do you want me to bring her here?”

I rubbed my chin and shook my head. “No, she’ll only throw a fit. Just have an eye kept on her, make sure she doesn’t do anything stupid. I’ll deal with her later.”

“Alright. Breakfast is being prepared. I can show you and Summer around the Kingdom afterwards, if you’d like.”

“It’ll have to wait until later. I got a message from Stonehenge, he wants me to meet him in the crystal caverns at noon.”

“Really? Do you want me to have some guards go with you?”

“No, I doubt anything will go wrong. How long is it until noon?”

“About two hours. What about Summer?”

“I haven’t told her anything yet. We planned to go to the caverns together, so if she wants to come I won’t stop her. She doesn’t need to know about Stonehenge though, I’m sure I can talk to him without her worrying.”

“If you’re sure. Just be careful with her, I don’t want to see you make any big mistakes. I’ll see you at breakfast.”

I nodded and made my way back to the guest hall.

The Promises We Make And Paths We Take - Part 4
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The Story of a Royal Guard: A Shield Contingency [OUTDATED/CANCELLED]

The Promises We Make And Paths We Take - Part 4

I stared at my reflection in the mirror with a frown. I had acted like such a foal last night, talking to Swordulan as if he were… ugh! I couldn’t even think about it. It made me want to scream and bang my head against the wall. I didn’t deserve somepony like him. He was Lieutenant of the Royal Guard, I was just a librarian. He deserved better.

I shoved those thoughts out of my mind and finished brushing my mane. I’d hate to tour the Empire looking like a mess. I left my room and spotted Swordulan entering the guest hall. He still had his bed-head and looked troubled. No doubt thinking about last night. I took a deep breath and trotted towards him. He saw me and stopped.

He opened his mouth. “Summer, I—”

“Swordulan, I’m sorry,” I blurted. “Last night, I shouldn’t have said what I said. I was just…" No, stupid filly, don't try to justify it. "I’m sorry.”

He gaped in surprise for a moment, then his jaw tightened. “There’s… nothing to be sorry for. I should be the one apologizing. The way I acted… was not the way a Royal Guard should act. Will you forgive me?”

Now it was my turn to gape. He thought he should be the one apologizing? His humility was becoming infuriating. Or was it pride causing him to apologize? I always thought Royal Guards would be the proud sort of stallions. I could hardly tell with Swordulan, which infuriated me all the more.

Still, I kept my composure. “There’s nothing to forgive, Swordulan. Let’s just forget it ever happened.”

He gave a weak smile—if only he knew how my heart melted whenever he did that!—but went right back to looking troubled.

“Perhaps that’s best,” he said. “Anyway, I’d like to go to the crystal caverns at noon. Earlier than planned, and the tour will have to wait until after, but I heard noon was the best time to go.”

“Oh. Okay, well, that’s okay.” Stop mumbling, you’re not a filly! “Is that all?”

He looked confused. “Um… yeah. Are you sure you’re okay with that?”

I quickly nodded. “Yes, it’s fine. The tour can wait, but you seem a bit… on edge. Is everything okay with you?”

His face was blank, though I noticed a slight hint of surprise for a moment. “I’m fine. Still just a bit tired is all.” He cleared his throat. “Breakfast is almost done, I hear.”

I gave him a quizzical look. “Alright, but you first might want to get your mane fixed.”

He looked up at his hair and used magic to straighten it back to normal. “Thanks. So, breakfast?”

I nodded and made a small correction to his mane using my own magic. “Breakfast.”

I followed him to the dining room and we took our seats. Princess Cadance, Prince Shining Armor and breakfast joined us shortly after. The food was better than I expected, as usual. The conversation mostly centered around preparations for the Equestria Games.

“If you’d like,” Shining Armor was saying, “I can show you the stadium. It’s all finished, and you should have plenty of time before going to the crystal caverns.”

“I’d definitely like to see it,” I said, looking to Swordulan. He didn’t seem all that enthusiastic about it.

“Sure, I guess it wouldn’t hurt,” he said.

Breakfast was finished up and we prepared to head for the stadium, when a Royal Guard came in.

“Lieutenant Shield, Sir! A Miss Katana is here to see you.”

Swordulan looked surprised. He glanced at me for a moment—was that supposed to mean something?—and exchanged looks with Shining Armor, who nodded.

“Send her in,” Swordulan said.

The guard nodded and trotted out.

“Who’s Katana?” I asked curiously.

“My cousin,” he said instantly. “Just my cousin. I wasn’t expecting her.”

A moment later a light purple pegasus with turquoise eyes and a darker purple mane with an orange streak through it—a fashion statement if I ever saw—trotted in. When she saw me I swear she went red in the face.

“So you were telling the truth after all,” she muttered.

“What are you doing here, Katana?” Swordulan asked.

“Looking for you, conehead.” Rude! Who did this mare think she was? “I need your help. I found Stonehenge last night, but I lost him after he told me to leave and that you shouldn’t be here either.”

Swordulan blinked. Cadance and Shining Armor also looked surprised.

“Leave?” Swordulan asked. “I got a message from him this morning asking to—” He looked at me and sighed. “He asked me to meet him at the crystal caverns at noon.”

So that’s why he was acting all antsy. But who was Stonehenge?

“He did?” Katana asked, wide-eyed. “He must’ve changed his mind about you, then. And I bet meant for me not to get involved. Well, now I am, so you’re taking me with you.”

A little thought began nibbling at the back of my mind. Something always has to go wrong. Suddenly I desperately wanted this to be some horrible misunderstanding or simple accident. This couldn’t be going wrong, it just couldn’t be. Please let there be no real problem.

Now it was Swordulan who seemed to be going red in the face, though he kept a stiff posture. “Katana, if Stonehenge wants you to leave, maybe it’s best you leave. I can deal with him myself.”

“Would either of you mind explaining what’s going on?” Cadance asked.

Thank you, Princess!

Katana rolled her eyes and Swordulan reluctantly answered. “My cousin, her brother, Stonehenge, is somewhere here in the Kingdom and in trouble. I was going to meet him in the crystal caverns, hopefully without anypony else knowing, but I guess the cat’s out of the bag now.”

I frowned. No kidding. “You weren’t going to tell me?”

He looked at me apologetically. “I’m sorry, Summer. I didn’t think you really needed to know, that it would be simple to meet him at the caverns and find out what’s up. I didn’t want it to go this way. If you’d rather not go anymore, I’d understand.”

“No, I’m still coming with you.”

Katana rolled her eyes again. I glared at her, wondering where in Equestria she had learned her manners. If she had ever learned them. I wasn’t going to be dissuaded though, Swordulan was the whole reason I was here. I couldn’t let him go off with somepony as rude as Katana, even if she was his cousin.

“Alright,” Swordulan said, sighing. “I guess that’s fine. Nothing should go wrong, so long as Katana behaves.”

Katana went red in the face again. She was absolutely fuming. “You can bet your sorry hide I’ll do whatever it takes to get my brother back. I don’t care what I have to do.”

“Swordulan, can we speak with you privately for a moment?” Shining Armor asked.

Swordulan nodded, and he, Shining Armor and Cadance left the dining room, leaving Katana and me locked in a stare-down.

“So,” she muttered, “he really was telling the truth.”

“What was that?” I asked.

“You. You are his date, right?”

I gave her a sidelong glance. “Yes...?”

She seemed to be chuckling to herself. “You must have a strange taste in stallions to be with him.”

Was she trying to earn cold looks? Cause she got one. “And what do you know about him that makes you think so highly of him?”

She shrugged casually, apparently unaware of the stare I was giving her. “I don’t know what you’re thinking, but it’ll take a lot more than pretty looks to tame him. He doesn’t act like a normal stallion, if you hadn’t noticed.”

“So? I don’t mean to ‘tame’ him, I mean to be his friend.”

“Oooh, only friend, huh? Cause the poor guy seems head over hooves for you. He flat out rejected to help me search for Stonehenge because he’d rather go to this special date in the Crystal Empire. When were you going to tell him?”

I gaped at her and felt my cheeks growing hot. “That’s not…” Did he really do that? Choosing me over searching for a lost family member? That’s ridiculous, a Royal Guard like him would never… would he? Was I really that important to him? “That’s not what I meant.”

“Oh, so you do mean to be his special somepony.”

Sweet Celestia, this ill-mannered, feathered bird…! No. She’s only trying to rile me up. Oh how I wished I could bash her teeth in, but I did not have the need to act like some witless animal.

I took a deep breath and tried to compose myself. “I mean to be what I mean to be, and that is for me to know and you to mind your own feather-brained business.”

Now it was her turn to be outraged, and it felt oh-so good. Her wings flared, eyes bulged, neck stretched. She was such a filly.

“You don’t have a single clue about—!”

She was interrupted by Swordulan and Shining Armor returning. Princess Cadance apparently had to run off for Royal Duties. Shining Armor gave a sharp look at Katana, silencing her completely.

Swordulan looked between us then walked up beside me and whispered in my ear, “Remind me never to leave you two alone together.” He cleared his throat and looked at Katana. “Let’s get going, I'd rather not miss the next train.”

He left the room with us following, though not before Katana could smirk at me in a ‘this isn’t over’ sort of way. I returned it with a ‘I know, and I can’t wait’ sort of smile.

I could hardly believe the audacity Katana had. This was not the time for foalishness. Summer at least seemed to be taking this smoothly, thank Celestia for that. I nearly had a heart attack when she looked at me after learning the truth, though luckily I was quickly distracted by Katana.

She apparently couldn’t stand looking at either of us on the way to the train station, so she flew a ways overhead. I was grateful for that though, as I could talk with Summer without her overhearing.

“You know, the outcome of this might not be what I expect,” I said. “It could be dangerous. You don’t have to come. I don’t want anything to happen to you by accident.”

She seemed to shudder for half a second before putting on a smile. “I’m not worried. But I wish you had told me about Stonehenge earlier.”

I cringed. I was such an idiot for not telling her. “I’m really sorry. I’ve just been so…” I wanted to use the word ‘stupid’, but couldn’t bring myself to do so.

“In shock?”

“Ye— oh… shock? I guess...”

She sighed. “It’s okay. I have been too.”

I looked at her wide-eyed. “You? But… you haven’t—”

She gave me a wry smile. “Haven’t what? If somepony had told me two weeks ago that I’d be going on a date with a Lieutenant of the Royal Guard at the Crystal Empire, I would’ve thought they were crazy.” She came closer to me and leaned her head against my neck. “But I’m glad they would’ve been right.”

The fur on the opposite side of my neck stood on end and a tingling sensation shot down my spine. It was so strange it nearly made me jump. I opened my mouth to speak, but it was hard for anything to come out.

“I’m… glad too,” I finally managed.

If something goes wrong, if something happens to her, I’ll never forgive myself.

I quickly shut that thought out of my head. Nothing was going to go wrong, I wouldn’t let anything happen to her. I lo—

You what now?

I… what does it matter? There’s nothing wrong with that!

You’re a Royal Guard. You couldn’t have her even if you wanted, it would only put her at risk.

Says who? Being a Royal Guard doesn’t mean I’m always at risk, doesn’t mean I can’t have… no, my job isn’t in the way, there’s no risk.

And if another major issue arises? What then? What happens when there comes a new Nightmare Moon, or Discord, or changeling invasion?

If she survived through those before, my being with her won’t change anything. There’s no risk. Besides, no one would go after her to get to me. All the villains are always up against Twilight and her friends anyway.

And should they fail some day?

SHUT UP! You’re wrong! That won’t happen, there’s no risk! That doesn’t even make sense, since when does Twilight Sparkle ever fail? That’s my job!

So you’ll fail Summer, won’t you?

…

You don’t deserve somepony like her. She deserves better.

Yes… she does.

“Swordulan?” Summer said, snapping me back to reality. She was still leaning on my neck.

“Huh?”

“What was it that Shining Armor said to you?”

I winced. “It was nothing important, just something about some paperwork he didn’t want Katana overhearing.”

She didn’t need to know. A part of me wishes I didn’t know either, but it was better that I did. A backup plan, in case something went wrong. I only hoped it wasn’t going to be necessary.

“Oh. How much further is it to the caverns?”

“We have to take the train.”

And the station was just in sight.