Prolouge: Welcome to Boot Camp
Silver Lining sprinted down the cobblestone street that led up to the royal castle, his saddle bags threatening to fall off. The buildings passed were but a blur and the civilians shouted at him as he deftly maneuvered around them. He took a quick glance at the sun in the center of the sky and had one simple thought: I'm going to be late!
As he closed in on the castle he could see a pony walking into the gate, he couldn't make out details but he could tell it was the captain of the Royal Guard.
"Wait!" Silver shouted out. "I'm here, I'm here!" The Captain turned around as Silver Lining stopped, panting, in front of the gate, giving him a scrutinizing look.
The Captain was a pure white unicorn stallion with a long blue mane. He was wearing his purple guard armor, and gave off a strong, yet welcoming presence.
"It's about time you showed up, I was about to go in." He said once Silver stopped panting.
"Sorry about that, I don't have an excuse for being late." Silver confessed, hoping that he would still get a chance to interview for the Royal Guard.
"That might have something to do with you running, when you could have easily flew here." The Captain deadpanned, causing Silver to blush and shift his wings.
"Yeah, I can see how that could have gotten me out of this type of predicament." Silver replied scratching the back of his neck and gave a small, nervous chuckle.
"Well at least you arrived, but when your on duty, I won't be so lenient." Silver breathed a sigh of relief as the captain smirked. "Well as you can see, the other Cadets have already been sent ahead, and are now waiting in the barracks. I'll bring you there now, if you would follow me." Silver gave him a brisk nod before the captain turned around, and walked through the gate.
The castle grounds was wide and open, mostly filled with beautiful flowers and trees. The two stallions walked down a path that led towards the back of the castle. As they walked Silver noticed that the numbers of flowers and trees dwindled till it was only grass. He considered asking the Captain about it, but decided that it wasn't really important, and didn't want to waste the Captain's time anymore.
The back of the castle was a large boot camp, there were buildings against the castle walls and the walls surrounding the castle. There was a large space in between the rows of buildings that Silver assumed to be some sort of training grounds. He could also see another gate in the back wall that opened to a path that led up the mountain.
Well this'll be fun...
"Welcome to The Guard." The Captain said with a small smile on his face, before trotting to one of the buildings next to the castle, with Silver in tow.
When the Captain opened the doors Silver noticed that there was at least thirty other ponies in the building, and all had turned to look at the new arrivals. The building was obviously a Barracks, due to most of the ponies sitting on beds.
"Cadets, get into formation." The Captain ordered and all the Cadets formed a strait line, Silver included. "Now then, I want you to take a look around, because these ponies are your brothers and sisters for the next three months, so get along. You will be expected to be physically and mentally prepared for anything that comes your way. Your Drill Instructor has been instructed to test that anyway he can, however don't worry if you fail those tests, it is not required to complete your training. Now, if you have any questions, ask me now, if you ask your Drill Instructor you'll probably get your asses kicked." Only one pony raised her hoof, she was a white unicorn with a flowing mane of gold. "Yes?"
"If the physical and mental tests are not required, is there another reason for them?" The question made the Captain smile.
"Clever, that is true, however I can't tell you that reason. What is your name, Cadet?"
"Sparkling Sunset, sir." The Captain only nodded before turning his attention to the rest of the cadets.
"Any other questions?" No one else raised their hoof. "Alright, today you should get to know the other ponies you see here, tomorrow you will start your training bright and early." With nothing else to say, the Captain left the Barracks, and everyone broke off from the line and went back to what they were doing before. Silver went to the far corner of the barracks, where only a few ponies were, to find a bed that had not already been taken. Ironically enough, the only one not taken was the corner bed, but that was fine for him, he had always liked being in a corner.
Silver put his saddle bags down next to the bed and started moving things into his foot locker and small nightstand. He pulled a mirror out of the bags and placed it on top of the night stand, taking a quick look at himself.
Silver was half a head taller than most ponies, and sported a dark grey coat with a long, pitch black mane, the only color in it was a streak of silver down the length of it. On his head was a black fedora, which he removed with a sigh and put on the dresser, and he had dark red eyes that seemed to stare into your soul.
Finished unpacking, Silver took a look around the Barracks, the only pony he recognized was the unicorn who asked the question, who was surrounded by stallions. He snorted at how, even in boot camp, some guys were hornier than a minotaur. Not really caring to talk to anyone, he sat down on the bed, which he noticed was partially in the shadows, causing him to smile.
I really lucked out on this bed, wonder why no one wanted it. Maybe they're afraid of the shadows? Eh, not unjustified with recent events. Silver mused as he sat, not noticing the unicorn stallion approach.
"Hey man, why you sitting here alone? You should be mingling, I mean, you heard the man, were stuck with each other for three months." He said, pulling Silver out of his thoughts. The stallion was a light yellow color, with a wild mane of orange, that sort of looked like fire... sort of.
"Well I figure, if we have three months, I can get to know you better through training. Besides i sprinted halfway across the city this morning, I'm tired." Silver replied, causing the stallion to chuckle. "What?"
"You ran here when you could have just flown." He answered with a grin.
"That's what the Captain said!" Silver threw his hooves up in exasperation, causing the stallion to laugh harder. "I'm done." Silver deadpanned, and fell back onto the bed, his upper half in shadows.
"Come on man, don't be like that. I'm not laughing at you, I'm laughing with you." The stallion said, making silver roll his eyes. "C'mon man, come out of the shadows, its kinda creepy." Silver sighed and sat up again and gave the stallion an annoyed look. "Okay, good, how about we start over? My name is Burning Clash, but you can call me Burn." He held out his hoof, which Silver shook.
"Silver Lining."
"Good, maybe now we can be friends." Burn said with a smile.
"Sure, I guess having a friend in the oncoming shit storm would help."
"That's the spirit!" He said happily and jumped on the bed across from him. "Good thing I chose this bed, right?" Silver just rolled his eyes.
This'll be more interesting than I thought.
~-~
Silver Lining was awoken by a loud shout, but couldn't make out the word. Deciding to find out what interrupted his blissful sleep, he got up and saw the other cadets getting out of bed and getting into formation. Catching the drift, Silver hopped out of bed and took his position at the end of the line, next to Burn, shaking his head to get the drowsiness out. When he saw the large pony walking up and down the line, inspecting the cadets, he quickly got into the position of attention. The pony was a unicorn stallion who had a light blue coat and a tan mane, the stallion looked more like buffalo with his large build.
"My name is Drill Sergeant Heavy Hoof, but you will only refer to me as Sir, DO I MAKE MY SELF CLEAR!?" Everyone gave him a stiff nod. "You probably heard all the stories about the hard ass drill instructors always yelling, and always pissy, right?" Another series of nods. "I am not one of those guys, however I WILL NOT take and SHIT from ANY of you, DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR!?"
"Yes, Sir." The cadets replied.
"WHAT WAS THAT!?"
"YES, SIR!" They said again, louder.
"That's better. From now on you will wake at five in the morning, no complaints. If I have to come in and wake you, you'll be doing dishes for a week, DO YOU UNDERSTAND!?"
"YES, SIR!"
"There are alarm clocks on your nightstands, I suggest you use them. When you get up at five, you will go outside and run the course that has been set up. You will do that until I come to get you at seven, that's two hours for the meat heads in the group. Now, you will set the alarm on your clocks and then go to the course, I will see you in two hours." With that Heavy Hoof left the Barracks. Burn let out a sigh of relief and turned to Silver with a smile.
"Man, I'm surprised no one got chewed out yet, either the others know what their doing, or the Sergeant was right about being nicer." The unicorn said as they went to set their clocks.
"I dunno man, I feel like it's a ruse so that we let our guard down." Silver replied finished setting his clock and headed for the door.
"What makes you say that?" A voice said behind them. They turned around to find the beautiful white unicorn from before.
"Why are you here?" Silver asked.
"I live here too." She deadpanned.
"I know that, I meant why are you talking to us instead of heading for the course?"
"I am, we are both headed there. I just overheard what you were talking about and got curious."
"About my theory?"
"Yeah are you usually this slow?" She asked as they exited the Barracks together, following the group of ponies to the course.
"It would seem to be that way." Silver deadpanned, causing Sparkling Sunset to giggle.
"Anyway, what makes you think its a ruse?"
"Well when you asked about the whole random tests thing, I got thinking, what would they do. since it's purpose is secret i can't really know, but i can make educated guesses, and I think the tests are going to be subtle, such as what you would do in a situation. So if the tests are meant to determine your physical and mental states, it wouldn't be to far of a stretch for them to test our trust." Sparkling Sunset was quiet as they arrived at the course. It looked like something out of a military movie, tires, mud with barbwire, walls, balance beams, it had everything, and they were to run it for two hours a day, for three months.
"You really think they would do something like that on the first day?" Sparkling Sunset asked as the three ponies began to run the course.
"Can't say for sure, but it's a possibility." He said as they got to the tires.
"Well, I must compliment you on your apparent intelligence, I thought you were another dumbass like the rest of the stallions here, glad to see i was wrong." She looked over to Burn on Silver's other side, who looked completely lost in their conversation and was trying to block out their talk. "Though, it appears he falls in their category." She stated as they cleared the balance beams.
"Yeah, I never got that hidden genius vibe from him." He said making them laugh, Burn noticed this and got confused.
"Hey, wh-what I miss? Why are you laughing? I want to laugh too." He said causing the two to laugh harder.
"Nothing Burns, it's nothing." Silver said when their laughing subsided and then realized he never introduced himself. "Hey, I forgot to tell you my name, It's Silver Lining."
"Sparkling Sunset, but you may call me Sunset." She replied with a smile.
"Sparky it is then!" She gave him an unamused look but said nothing more as they continued their run.
~-~
Just like the Drill Sergeant had said, he had returned to retrieve them at seven, and had ordered the Cadets to follow him. The large guard led the ponies to a large building on the wall side of the grounds, a sign above stated that it was the Cafeteria.
"Alright, Cadets, I see that you have worked the last two hours so I will allow you all to have breakfast before we continue. You have twenty minutes, so get eating."
"Yes, Sir!" The Cadets said before forming a line at the service area.
Silver had gotten a plate of pancakes and orange juice, and sat down at one of the many tables. Burn and Sunset sat next to him, having mostly the same food except for the addition of two pieces of toast for Burn. They ate in silence so that they could be sure that they had finished by the time Heavy Hoof came back.
~-~
By the time the Drill Sergeant had let the Cadets off for the day, he had already kicked out seven ponies due to unending physical labor the stallion put them through. Surprisingly enough Sunset hadn't been kicked out and had been keeping up with the other cadets, and Silver had to commend her for breaking the sexist stereotypes. That did not mean, however that she wasn't tired, in fact the Cadets looked more like zombies. The only stallion with a smile still on his faces was Burn.
"Why are you smiling like an idiot, aren't you even a little tired?" Sunset questioned when they sat down in the Barracks.
"Meh." Burn said simply, preferring to lay down on his bed, and the two could soon hear snores coming from the unicorn.
"Seems he was more tired than he let on." Silver said with a small smirk.
"Yeah, well, I think we should take his idea. If we're going through this hell again tomorrow we need all the sleep we can get, so I'm going to turn in early, I suggest you do the same." She said standing up.
"Yeah, in a little bit." Silver said before getting up and leaving the Barracks. He looked around to see that the Drill Sergeant was walking in his direction. Silver approached the unicorn and saluted.
"At ease. What is it that you need?" The stallion asked with a bored expression.
"Sir, I was wondering if I was still able to run the course at this hour." As soon as the words left his mouth the Drill Sergeants eyes brightened in curiosity.
"And why would you want to do that? I would have thought you would have been tired out from what I've done to you today." He asked.
"Because, I feel that as long as I can train, I will train."
"Why do you feel that way, Cadet?"
"Because, I want to make sure the citizens of Equestria have the best defense they can have, even if that means subjecting myself to rigorous training." Silver said and the large unicorn grew a small smile.
"What is your name, Cadet?"
"Silver Lining, Sir."
"Well then, Silver Lining, let me tell you that is a very noble cause. However I am not able to let you tire yourself out, because if you do, then you wont have energy for tomorrow, do you understand?"
"I understand, Sir."
"Good, now I suggest you rest, won't be good if you get kicked out tomorrow, now would it?" He said with a wink.
"No, Sir, thank you for your consideration." With another quick salute Silver Lining turned and went back to the Barracks to get some sleep.
It had been two and a half months since training had started and the number of Cadets had dwindled down to a measly seven. Both Sunset and Burn, as well as three others, had been transferred to a separate platoon for some reason, leaving Silver with no one to talk to.
Silver and the other Cadets had gathered in the armory, a large building housing countless weapons, It had pistols, assault rifles, shotguns, swords, spears, axes, and so on. Drill Sergeant Heavy Hoof was stood before them.
"Cadets, as you can see you are going to be training in combat today. You know the drill by now, get your weapons, come to me for the spell, and head outside." The unicorn stated before the Cadets saluted and broke off to retrieve their weapons of choice.
Silver had tried almost every weapon in the Armory before settling on one of the few katanas in stock. He had been allowed to use it due to his incredible proficiency at the blade. Once he had grabbed the slender blade, Silver brought it over to Heavy Hoof to put the spell on.
Each weapon had to have a spell that would make a strike harmless except for blunt force. It was also enchanted to paralyze limbs so that it gave the feeling of when a limb is cut off.
Leaving the Armory, Silver noticed that a stallion was sitting off to the side of the circle they used as an arena. He recognized him to be the Captain of the Royal Guard, although Silver was confused, he didn't dare go up to him and ask why he was there. Instead, he sat down a little ways away from the other Cadets and waited for Heavy Hoof to explain.
"Alright, Cadets, I bet your wondering why the captain is here so I'll tell you. The Captain requested to observe your performance, and see how much you have progressed in your training, so show him how great you guys are!" Heavy Hoof said when he walked out, sitting next to the Captain.
"Yes, Sir!"
"The first cadets in the practice ring will be Silver Lining and Running Streak."
Standing up, Silver rested the katana an his shoulder and stepped into the circle that was drawn in the ground. His opponent was a dark purple earth pony stallion with a mane of blue, his weapon of choice was a rapier, held firmly in his mouth. The two ponies bumped hooves before putting distance between them.
"Begin!" Heavy Hoof Stated, putting both ponies in gear. Unlike most ponies Silver preferred to hold the blade in his hooves which had allowed him to use a more diverse move set. Using this way of combat to his advantage, he blocked his opponent's first strike, a simple slash, and locked both blades in a battle of force. Getting an idea, Silver used a back leg to kick his opponent, making him stumble backwards, giving Silver the perfect opportunity to strike. He quickly jabbed the sword forward and hit the earth pony in the chest, just over his heart, paralyzing the poor stallion.
"The victor, as usual, is Silver Lining." Resting the sword on his shoulder again, Silver approached the paralyzed pony and put a hoof on his neck applying a little pressure, releasing the spell. Helping the stallion get up, he returned to his spot outside the ring.
By the time the training session was pretty much over Silver had only lost twice in eleven mock fights, and he had thought that they were done for the day, until Heavy Hoof spoke again.
"Alright, Cadets, I know you all probably want to kick Silvers ass, right?"
"Yes, Sir!" All the Cadets, minus Silver, stated.
"Hey!" Silver exclaimed at them, but no one seemed to care.
"Well here's your chance, the Captain here would like to pit all of you against him, at the same time." Heavy Hoof said with a smirk that almost made Silver faint.
They want me to fight six ponies by myself!? What the fuck!
All the other Cadets cheered at the thought of kicking Silvers ass.
"Your all traitors!" Silver exclaimed at his comrades, making the captain chuckle.
"Alright, get in the ring and lets see who wins." Silver did not like the smirk that the Drill Sergeant was giving, it was thoroughly creepy, but he obeyed.
He's trying to kill me, I knew it!
Once he bumped hooves with the six ponies he stepped back and got ready for the pain he was about to endure.
Oh well, if this is going to happen, I'm not going down without a fight.
"Begin." As soon as the words left the stallions mouth the six ponies charged Silver, trying to use brute force to overpower him. Silver, however, was too smart for that, he deftly jumped over the ponies, and hit one of them in the head before landing, paralyzing him.
Wow, no teamwork skills, this'll be easier than I thought. Silver swiftly turned on his hooves and face the five remaining ponies just as two of them charged at him again. Ducking under their first swing, Silver blocked the next one, and kicked the other pony away before breaking away from their lock, just in time to see another pony had tried stabbing him, instead getting knocked down by the other blade. Silver swung at the two ponies who were in front of him, dispatching them easily. Taking a look around he didn't see any more ponies on the ground.
Huh, where did the other three go? Wait... shit!
Silver rolled to the side just in time to see a sword impact the dirt where he was standing moments before. He looked up to see the other three ponies were up in the air above him.
Is that even allowed!? Oh, whatever!
Launching himself forward, Silver paralyzed the pony who tried to impale him before flying into the air with the two others. The two, not learning from their friends mistakes, charged him, allowing Silver to fly around them and hit their wings, forcing them back to the ground. Before either of them could get up Silver struck them on their heads, ending the match.
... How the fuck did I not get hit? Oh well, not complaining.
"Silver Lining, come here." Heavy hoof ordered.
"Shouldn't we release them?"
"Don't worry I'll take care of them, but the Captain would like to speak to you." Silver nodded, put down his blade, and approached the Captain as the Drill Sergeant went to release the paralysis spells.
"Silver, walk with me." The Captain said, standing up, and walking away without waiting.
"What is it you would like to talk to me about, Sir?"
"Well, I don't want to beat around the bush here, I'll just say it. I have been observing this platoon for possible candidates for a special Task Force the princesses are creating. I'm sure you remember the five ponies that had been transferred, right?" He asked.
"Yeah, and I assume that they had been transferred into you Task Force, or am I mistaken?"
"I'm happy to see that you have a brain in your head. Yes, the five ponies have been put into the Task Force, so I'm sure you can figure out why I'm telling you."
"You would like me to join as well." Silver stated simply. "My question is why new recruits, why not older guards who have more experience?"
"That is because the task force would be dealt with in a different manner to the Royal Guard. The princesses find that it would be easier to train new recruits in this fashion, instead of, as i say it, trying to teach old dogs new tricks."
"Okay I can see the reasoning in that, but why me? I don't think I'm the right kind of guy for this."
"Oh, come now, your selling your self short. Did you not see how you took down six ponies single handed?"
"I just got lucky." Silver said modestly.
"No, I've seen lucky, that was not lucky, that was skill. I've had Heavy Hoof keep an eye on you after that first night, and each day you were more eager to train, not for yourself, but for the good of Equestria. The Task Force has been composed of ponies who are not only smart and strong, but of those with a good heart as well, and you Silver have a good heart. So, what do you say, will you join the Task Force?" The Captain stopped and looked at him expectantly.
"... Well, if you really think I'm cut out for it, then I'll do it." Silver said after a pause, making the Captain smile.
"Good to have you on the team." He said happily shaking Silver's hoof.
"Well, I have to ask, what does the Task Force do?"
"Don't worry I'll explain on the way." He said before waling off again, this time towards the castle.
"Wait, where are we going?"
"To see the Princesses." He said nonchalantly, making Silver stop in his tracks.
"Th- the Princesses?"
"Eeyup, now come on, we can't keep them waiting." With that Silver hurried to catch up to the stallion in front of him.
~-~
"The task force has been dubbed as the Elemental Task Force, or Task Force E, any idea why?" The Captain started as they entered the castle.
"Well, I can only assume that it has to do with elements of some kind."
"Yes, it is named that because the task force harnesses the power of six of the Natural Elements. The Elements in question are Light, Shadows, Fire, Water, Earth, and Nature."
"Wait, are you saying that the Task Force uses the Natural Elements like how the Elements of Harmony use theirs?"
"In a way, yes. The, lets call them bearers, the Bearers of these Natural Elements are able to use the elements to any advantage they have. For example, the Bearer of Water would be able to douse enemies in water and then freeze them, the Element of Earth can open a chasm that his enemies will fall into. The best part is that they don't have to be near each other to use their powers, do you understand what I'm trying to tell you?"
"Yes, I think I do, You are saying that the Bearers of the Natural Elements are able to use their Elements to effect the world around them, and use it for their own advantage."
"Precisely, the Task Force will be Equestria's greatest defense." The Captain said with a smile.
"Okay, question, how do we bond to these Elements?" Silver said after a moments thought.
"That is where the Princesses come in, they will cast a spell that will bond you to your Element."
"Okay, I guess, then what Element am I?"
"Shadows, you will basically be an infiltrator, using the shadows to your advantage to sneak into enemy strongholds."
"Oh, good thing I like darkness, then."
"Yup, anyways, we're here." The Captain said as they stepped up to large, golden double doors. The Captain nodded to the two guards standing outside before entering the room, Silver in tow.
The Throne Room was grand, it had high ceilings, a nice white and gold, color scheme, and many stained glass windows, depicting historical events. At the far end was two thrones, one a beautiful marble, the other was made of slate, the two princesses siting on them respectively.
"Shining Armor, is this the one?" Princess Celestia asked politely as the two walked in.
"Yes, he is, Princess."
"Please step forward, young one." The princess said, talking directly to Silver. With an encouraging nod from the Captain, he stepped forward. "What is your name?"
"S- Silver Lining, Princess."
"Well then, Silver Lining I hope Captain Shining Armor informed you of what is expected?"
"Yes, your Highness, he has."
"Good, then tell me what was your goal when joining the Royal Guard?"
"To protect, those who cannot protect themselves."
"That is a noble cause, but what about you, did you do any of it for yourself?" Princess Luna questioned.
"No, The only thing i wanted was to make sure the citizens of Equestria could live in peace for as long as possible." With that Princess Luna and Princess Celestia shared a look before turning back to Silver.
"Very well, Silver are you ready to become one with your element?" Celestia asked.
"Will it hurt?" Silver asked nervously, causing the Princesses to chuckle.
"No, my little pony, you wont feel a thing."
"Then yes, I'm ready."
Both Princesses stood up from their thrones and approached him, horns glowing. Silver started to feel nervous as he felt his hooves lift off the ground, suddenly everything went black.
~-~
For what felt like hours he waited, hearing nothing and seeing nothing in the black expanse around him, when he saw a figure start to form in front of him. The figure had the shape of a pony except that it was lacking a mane and tail, nor did it have pupils, its eyes were pitch black. The creepiest thing about it was that it had rows of teeth that were long and sharp, like tiny knives.
"Hello, Silver Lining." The creature said in a slow, whisper-like voice.
"H- How do you know my name?" Silver asked nervously.
"Because I have been integrated with you, Silver. I am the Element of Shadows, but you may call me Shade."
"Your, the Element of Shadows?"
"Yes, did I not just say that?" Shade smiled apparently amused by what Silver had said. "I bet you are wondering why I am talking with you, right?" Silver nodded. "Well, I am here to learn more about you. You see I will be in your head for a long time now. You seem to be a nice guy, and I would prefer if our relationship was... pleasant. However it seems the spell is finishing, so we can't speak face to face till you dream, I'll speak with you later." Shade faded as he spoke and his voice grew fainter and fainter until Silver couldn't hear him any more, then the black expanse dissipated and was replaced by a bright light.
