Chapters It was a sunny day at Canterlot. The streets were bustling with ponies. Shops lined the streets and picnic tables were scattered around Canterlot's parks. A train had stopped at the station and let out several ponies. There were many that came out of the train. But, there was one pony that caught some of Canterlot's eyes. He was a silver colored unicorn who looked quite fit. He had a jet black streaked hairstyle and had a short tail. But those details weren't the ones that were focused on. It was his mechanical wings. They matched the color of his fur and other than that, they were unique.
"Are those mechanical wings?" a pony asked. "Yes," replied the unicorn trying to rush out without attracting anymore attention. It didn't seem to work. It actually drew a crowd.
"That is amazing! Can I touch it?" asked a pony as he and several others chased the unicorn down Canterlot. He ran through alleyways and through narrow areas. The crowd still didn't let up. Of course they wouldn't give up that easily. They had never seen anything like the unicorn's wings. Luckily, he managed to lose the crowd by hiding in a shed. "Phew. Glad that's over," said the unicorn as he continued to the castle.
As he entered the castle, he looked at the towering windows and their beautiful designs. He continued walking until he ran into the captain of the Royal Guards, Shining Armor. "Excuse me sir," said Shining Armor. "What business do you have at the castle?"
"I wish to become a Royal Guard," replied the unicorn.
"What is your name?"
"I am Silver Lance."
"Well, becoming a Royal Guard isn't as easy as signing a job application. I'm gonna need to see your skill. Come."
The two ponies began to walk down the hall. Shining Armor was telling Silver Lance about the rules and responsibilities of being one of them. "So, you have to always be watchful not only in the castle, but with your surroundings. Always check what is going on because there could be trouble close by," explained Shining Armor. "But I have to ask, where did you get those wings?"
"I made them myself. I wanted to experience how it felt to fly," replied Silver Lance.
"That is interesting Silver Lance."
"Please. Call me Lance. I never did like 'Silver.'"
"Alright. We're here."
They had arrived at the training course. There were exercises on speed, agility, and strength. "Get on the speed course. I want to see how fast you can run," said Shining Armor. Lance gave a nod and went to the starting point. There were obstacles that he had to dodge. But nothing he couldn't handle. "Alright! Get ready," shouted Shining Armor. "Go!"
Lance bolted from the starting point. He ran past each obstacle and reached the end point in a matter of seconds. Shining Armor stared in amazement. Lance had finished the course in record time! "Fifty-three seconds! A new recruit record," said Shining Armor. "Alright, let's head over to the agility portion of the test." Both ponies moved to a ring where Shining Armor grabbed a wooden sword and shield. "Alright rookie, let's see how fast you can dodge."
Shining Armor swung the sword back and forth trying to hit Lance. Shining Armor may have been fast, but Lance was faster. He bobbed and weaved dodging every incoming sword slash. After a while, Shining Armor thrust the sword down with enough strength to get it stuck into the floor. This was Lance's chance. He kicked Shining Armor who stumbled back. "Great job rookie. Ouch... Alright, let's head onto the-" Shining Armor was interrupted by a guard who burst through the training room doors. "Sir, we have a problem," said the guard. "What is it?" asked Shining Armor.
"There is another crazy prophet outside. He's scaring the citizens again."
"Not this fool again. Alright."
Shining Armor turned to Lance and said, "I have to go deal with something. Your in, recruit. You can have the room down the corridor. You'll get your armor and other equipment later. Your official training will start in two days."
"Yes sir," replied Lance. Both of them left the room going in different directions. "Awesome! This really is a dream come true," said Lance talking to himself. "Wait 'til Logan hears about this!"
Lance entered his quarters and began to settle in. His room was medium sized. It wasn't as big as he hoped it would, but it'd have to do. He walked around in his room and opened the windows to let the fresh air enter his room. The wind felt good. He looked out the window to see the view of Canterlot. He smiled and went over to his desk and began to right a letter.
Dear brother,
Looks like what I thought would only be a dream actually came true! You heard me, they let me in! The entrance test was pretty easy. Shining Armor, the captain said I broke a speed record. I am really excited to see what would happen. If only my parents were here to see me now. I wish I could see those murderous bandit bastards myself. Well anyways, hope to see you here in Canterlot one day.
Signed,
Silver Lance.
Lance placed the letter in a small envelope and saved it for later. He wanted to explore the castle himself. He walked out of his room and began to walk down the hall. But as he did so, somepony's eyes were locked on him. He didn't seem to friendly. In fact, that pony didn't even seem friendly.
Lance walked down the halls looking for key locations that he would probably need to go to. He managed to spot the armory. He entered to discover a wide variety of armaments. There were bows ranging in different sizes and blades long and short. Lance was amazed. He hadn't seen this many weapons all in one place. "These are amazing," Lance said talking to himself. He walked down examining the weapons in hopes to find something he would later use. "Hey," said a pony from behind him. "What is a newbie like you doing in the armory?" Lance slowly turned around. The pony was a Pegasus who had the color of blood tainted on his fur.
"I was just looking through the armaments," replied Lance.
"You have no right to be in here."
"Who are you?"
"Who am I? Heh. I'm Sparking Blade, an officer of the Royal Guard. You address me as 'sir' and only sir. Got it newbie?"
"Yes, sir."
"Now get out. Now."
Lance nodded and quickly walked out. "Also," said Sparking Blade. "If I give you an order. You'd better obey it." Lance, once again nodded and left the armory and headed back to his room. There he began to look over a book he had brought along with him.
The Emozian was the title. It was written about a long lost sword. It was said it held great power. It could defeat any evil creature. Unfortunately, it was broken into multiple shards and spread all over Equestria. Most people wouldn't have believed the story. Lance himself did. He and his brother Logan were cultivating a neighbor's backyard for bits when they uncovered the hilt. It had a silver coloring and had a small yellow crystal being held at the bottom of the hilt. That's when it hit him. He had a flashback of when he was still a colt with his brother. Back when his parents were still alive.
"Whoa! Lance this looks beautiful," said Logan. "I know brother," replied Lance.
"What shall we do with it?"
"Well of course, we shall keep it. Come on, we need to finish our job."
"Right, we'll take it back to mom and dad. Maybe they'll know what this is."
"Daddy! Look what we found," said Lance and Logan almost in unison.
"That little hilt you have in your hooves is the hilt of the great and might Emozian," said their father.
Both of the children were amazed of what they had found. But Lance's flashback was interrupted when he heard a knock at his door. "Come in," he said. The door opened revealing Princess Celestia and Luna. "Oh! Princesses," said Lance who was fumbling to bow. Celestia and Luna laughed. "Save your formality Silver Lance," said Princess Celestia. "Shining Armor said you would be in your room. May we come in?"
"But of course," replied Lance.
They all sat down. "So Silver Lance," said Princess Celestia. "Please, call me Lance," said Lance.
"Of course. Luna and I had come to see who our latest recruit was. But, what fascinated both of us the most was-"
Princess Luna cut in. "Your wings! We have never seen anyone craft such a piece."
"Yes. My brother helped me make these. We traveled all over Equestria to find the right parts to create this. It may have taken us longer than expected. But I wish not to bore you both with unimportant details. Please, ask me whatever you like Princesses."
"I do have one question," said Luna. "Why did thou craft these?"
"Well, my father was a Pegasus. So was my brother. My mother and I were both unicorns. I would always watch my fly with my brother. I myself wanted to experience flying myself. So when I became old enough, I went out with my brother to find parts and help to craft the wings."
"That is truly amazing. How one would create wings."
"Come," said Princess Celestia. "Let us go for a stroll down at the garden."
As they walked down the hall, they met with Sparking Blade who seemed a bit irritated in Lance. "Lance! What do you think you're doing? You're wasting the Princesses' time," said Sparking. Princess Celestia sighed. But, Luna responded instead. "We asked him to come with us. Now please officer. Return to your duties." Luna herself was a bit irritated. She had already known that Sparking Blade had a crush on her. "Yes Princess," replied Sparking who shot a look at Lance. He was indeed jealous. "Sorry Lance," said Princess Luna. "That officer dislikes others coming close physically close to me."
"Any reason why?" asked Lance.
"I believe he likes me." They both gave a little laugh and the three of them continued out to the garden. Lance stared in amazement. The garden was huge. "Amazing isn't it," said Princess Celestia. "Luna and I come here for peace and quiet. We sometimes get tired of our work."
"We never get to communicate freely with ponies such as you, Lance," said Princess Luna.
"What do you mean?"
"Most of the time, we are forced to chat with guests at parties rather than acutally enjoy."
"To me, it feels crazy that I actually got to talk with princesses. Thank you for giving me this opportunity."
The three of them stayed at the garden for a while. The sun began to go down. "Well, it is best if we head in now. Princess Luna needs to raise the moon," said Celestia. Luna turned to Lance and said, "Maybe all of us can have this type of day again next time," said Luna. Lance nodded and all three of them went back to the castle. Lance went to his room and the two sisters went back to their throne room. Lance shut his door and began to read his book.
That was when his door bursted open. Lance looked up and met eyes with Sparking Blade. "Alright newbie, listen up," said Sparking Blade. "What do you want?" asked Lance.
"I told you to call me sir."
"Okay, 'sir'. What do you want?"
"I don't want to see you hanging around with the princesses anymore."
"And why is that?"
"I gave you and order, so you'd better obey it."
"You may over rank me, but that doesn't mean I take orders from you. I only take orders from anypony else who actually knows how to lead. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to reading."
"Why you little..." muttered Sparking. "Alright maggot, if your gonna play it this way, I'll play your little game."
Sparking Blade walked out of Lance's room and slammed the door shut. As soon as he did that, Lance went over to his opened window and stared out at the night. It was beautiful. Though he has a new found "hostility" in the castle, he's still happy to be in the castle.
It was two days that passed since Lance settled in. Before his training began, more recruits were shipped in so he wasn't going to be alone. The trainer called the recruits out. Lance was the first one who sprinted out to the yard. The others trailed behind. They formed a single file line. The trainer came out and stood in front of the recruits. "Alright recruits. I am your trainer, Grey Skin." His name complimented his fur. It was also grey. "Today, you will be showing me your speed and your strength. Now get to the track!"
The recruits ran over to the track. They all stood at the starting point. Everypony was ready. "Alright, on your marks," said Grey Skin. "Get set. Go!" With the words said, Lance flew out of the starting point leaving the others in the dust. None of them could catch up to Lance. He ran across the track and finished in a matter of seconds. He wasn't even panting. "Amazing job recruit," said the trainer who was a bit surprised. "Now we just have to wait for the others."
It took a few minutes for the other recruits to arrive. Some of them were panting and trying to catch their breath. "Come recruits! Follow me to the arena," said Grey Skin. They went to the field where they found an small wooden platform. There, the trainer sent up two recruits to have a hoof to hoof battle. First to fall would loose. Then Grey Skin said a few words before they began. "No pushing or kicking. Only use your front hooves. Oh, and for Celestia's sake, don't go too hard. We don't need any injured recruits. Alright, Shimmer Dust and Bolted Justice, your up!"
The two ponies went up to the platform. Shimmer Dust readied up and Bolted Justice had a bragging look on his face. The trainer yelled begin. Both ponies clashed. A punch came after another. But Bolted Justice's look faded when he got punched in the stomach. Shimmer Dust finished him off with a punch to the face. He fell off the platform. "Great job Shimmer Dust. Alright Lance, you're up against-," Grey Skin was interrupted. "I want to face him," said the officer, Sparking Blade. "Well recruit. Looks like your against an officer."
Lance proceeded to the stage. Sparking Blade was cocky. But his strength made up for it. As Lance examined him, he noticed the look on Sparking's face. He looked overly confident. He had a smirk on his face. Lance readied himself and so did Sparking Blade.
Princess Luna, Princess Celestia and Shining Armor walked out and saw the training take place. "Looks like Grey Skin is at the strength test again," said Shining Armor. "Strength test? Pray tell," said Luna.
"Well, each match is a one on one. A pony must knock off the other off the platform. The only means of attack is punching. Hard, but not too hard."
"I wish too see how this will go. Big sister, I will meet up with you later."
As Celestia nodded, Shining Armor and Princess Luna proceeded to the arena where it was Lance against Sparking Blade. "Grey Skin," said Shining Armor. "What is Officer Sparking doing there? I thought you were doing a recruit only training session." Grey Skin answered, "Well he just came here and said he wanted to go against Lance. So, I let him." Luna began to think. Had Sparking Blade been trying to prove something? She guessed it was to prove superiority. She and the rest of the ponies sat back and watched.
"Begin," yelled Grey Skin. Both ponies stepped forward, circling each other. Sparking Blade still had that look on his face. Lance just watched him closely. Ready for him to strike. Sparking Blade threw his left hoof at Lance who dodged and came in with a blow to his side. Sparking Blade stumbled back. He used his recoil to charge up a small tackle. He leaped at Lance and managed to pin him down. At this point, Sparking Blade began to punch Lance. It didn't seem like Sparking wanted to knock Lance off the platform. He just wanted to beat him up. But before anyone could say anything, Lance kicked him off and got back up. "C'mon Officer. That all you got?" intimidated Lance. He thought that if he could make Sparking angry, he would make mistakes. Lance just continued to dodge and taunt him. "I've seen rabbits more fearsome than you!" Sparking growled and started throwing wild punches. Lance was correct. If Sparking Blade were to get angry, he would make mistakes. When Lance blocked a punch, Sparking Blade had lost balance. Lance took advantage by punching him in the face. That dazed the officer and he walked off the edge. There was a silence. But then there was clapping. Luna and a few other recruits were surprised to see Lance defeat someone of higher ranking.
"That wasn't fair," yelled Sparking Blade. "He taunted me!"
"There wasn't a rule against that," replied Lance.
"Grrr..." Sparking threw an unexpected punch at Lance who wasn't prepared. But the punch was stopped by Princess Luna who pushed his hand away. There was a light gasp from the recruits. Then Luna spoke. "He won fair and square. Anger isn't the way to fight. You should know that already, officer. " With those words spoken, Sparking had bowed his head down to hide his anger. He walked away back to the castle. The others watched him.
"Is thou alright?" asked Luna to Lance. "Yes princess. Thank you," Lance bowed his head.
"Again, save thy's formality. I'd rather wish for a friendly one."
"Alright everypony. Training dismissed. Head back to the castle and get some rest. Anyone with wings are to meet me here for flight practice," said Grey Skin. The other recruits walked back with Shining Armor while Lance had walked with Luna.
"Lance, so I recall you had a brother," said Luna.
"Yes."
"Were you fond of him?"
"Of course! If it wasn't for him, my life would be different."
"Hmm?"
"Well first off, he's my older brother. I always looked up to him. He always helped me with my schoolwork."
"That is wonderful. What about your parents?"
"Oh... Well... They had always been there for me too. My father especially. He would teach my brother and I moves and how to dodge and all that."
Lance's voice had become a bit shaken. Luna knew there was something wrong with his past. "You don't have to say more Lance," said Luna before he could say anything else. "We should head back to the castle. It is getting late. I will be in my chambers I'd you need me," said Luna. Lance nodded and both of them headed to their place. Lance took off his fatigues and layer in bed. He slowly closed his eyes and fell asleep.
Lance was running through the fields. It was a sunny day. Looks like Princess Celestia made it extra beautiful today. "Come on brother! We have to hurry! We're leaving for Fillydelphia," said Lance. Lance was just a small colt. Logan and Lance arrived back home where theirs carriage was already prepared. "Where have the two of you been?" asked their mother. Lance was about to speak until his brother cut in.
"Sorry mom, we wanted to say bye to some of our friends before we left for our vacation," said Logan.
"Okay. Both of you, go inside! Your father is waiting."
The carriage left their small little abode. Lance and Logan looked back at it for one last time. Then they both turned around and began to talk about Fillydelphia. "I heard there are a lot of toys there! Oh! Also how their are beautiful parks and homes," said Logan. "I can't wait to come to Fillydelphia," said Lance who was very excited. "I also found out that Princess Celestia is coming! We finally get to see our first Princess!"
They had just crossed a bridge and now were going around a mountain.Their excitement had slowly come to and end. There was yelling and a sudden explosion. Their carriage had flipped to its side. Lance slowly woke up to see his father fighting off bandits. His mother had already died from the crash and Logan was nowhere to be seen. His father turned to see Lance. The one word Lance had heard was run!
Lance ran as fast as he could. He turned a rock. But he was stopped and pushed down by a bandit. "You're not going anywhere little colt," yelled out the bandit. Lance curled up into a ball with tears running down his face. Before the bandit could grab Lance, an arrow shot through his head. The bandit fell to the ground with blood coming out of his head. Lance turned his head to see Royal Guards fending off the bandits. He saw the carriage of Princess Celestia. He was joyful to know that they were somehow close by. Then a shadow of a guard towered over Lance. A hoof reached out. Lance grabbed it and as he stood up, the original pony who saved him had become Luna. Her face was grim and had watery eyes. "Princess?" Asked Lance. He had become his current age. "Where are we?" "This is your dream," replied Luna with a shaken voice. "The last memory you shared with your parents..."
Lance bowed his head. He remembered everything so vividly. When it happened, how it happened. Everything. "I am sorry Lance. If they had known, they could've saved your father," said Luna.
"How did you get into my dream?"
"I am the Princess of the Night. It is my duty to overlook Equestria's dreams."
Lance began to wipe his tears. "I'm sorry you had to see this... But after you mentioned it, I couldn't stop thinking about it."
"Lance, you have the right to hide it. Everyone has something that they hold secret. This, my eyes accidentally saw. Now I understand what happened. I'm sorry for this, Lance. I truly am."
"This wasn't your fault. It is nobodies. We should've just been more careful."
"I will leave you to rest. Thank you for allowing me."
Lance's dream faded away. He woke up staring at the wooden ceiling. He looked around to be sure this wasn't a dream. It was reality. He walked over to his window and looked at the night sky. He saw the moon shining and the stars sparkling. He knew his parents were watching over him. He knew Logan had survived. He smiled and went back to bed.
It was another sunny day. The clouds were clear and the sky was blue. Lance woke up to see the beauty of day. He remembered what happened in his dream last night. His parents and Luna. He shook his head trying to forget his parents' death. He got up and dressed into his training uniform and left his room. As he left, he saw Sparking Blade watching him. His face was full of anger. Lance wasn't sure if it was jealousy, or was it being embarrassed. He just quickly walked passed him.
Lance passed the Armory and the Royal Library. He was about to open the door when he heard his name being called. It was Luna. "Lance, I wish to talk more about, what happened last night." Lance replied saying, "That is fine, we may talk after my training-"
"That will not be necessary. I told Shining Armor to inform your trainer that you have an important business to attend to."
"Okay. Where shall we talk?"
"We will talk in my quarters."
Lance followed Princess Luna as they went to her room. They both sat down next to a table. "What's on your mind?" asked Lance. "If you don't mind talking about them, I want to know more about your parents," replied Luna. Lance looked down. His face looked a bit saddened. But he still went on.
"Well, they were a loving bunch of parents. They did whatever they could to put food on the table."
"What did your father do?"
"He was a guard. He always wanted Logan, my brother, and I to become tough. So he went on teaching us a thing or two about weapons and that kind of stuff."
"Your mother?"
"She worked as a Librarian. She loved books. Heh. She would always make me read."
Lance laughed. "But then, my parents wanted a vacation. Just to get away from their stress. So we went to Fillydelphia. We had also heard that Princess Celestia would be there. It was the first time that my brother and I would see a princess."
Luna was listening contentedly.
"But then, it happened," continued Lance. Princess Luna knew it was getting hard for him. But Lance still continued. "We crossed the bridge and were in a mountain pass. My parents were weary of the path already. My brother and I sat their talking with each other. Then there was an explosion and I felt the carriage tip over. My vision was blurry. But I still managed to get up. I hadn't realized I was thrown out of the carriage until I saw my father fighting some bandits. I had seen no sight of my brother. I thought the bandits had already taken him or worse, killed him. I turned to see the carriage tipped over. Then..." Lance voice had gotten shaky. "Then... I saw my mother. Just... Laying still..." Lance was looking down when Luna saw a tear come down from his face. "I didn't know what to do. I just turned to my father. He yelled at me to run. I wanted to stay... But there was no other choice. I ran as fast as I could. But I was stopped by a bandit. He pushed me down and grabbed his sword. I thought it was the end. But an arrow shot through his head and I saw soldiers, or Royal Guards. They went for the bandits who scurried away. Then I heard a voice. I turned to see a guard standing over me. He told me to follow him. I did and he brought me to safety. But before I he took me, I saw a carriage. I hadn't notice the second one though. I took a guess and thought it was Princess Celestia."
Luna had decided to break her silence. "Was it actually my sister?"
"I don't know. The guard hadn't taken me there. He took me the other carriage and told the pony operating it to take me to Fillydelphia and bring me to the guard outpost. There, I sat exhausted even to think about what had happened. I just fell asleep. I was later awoken by a guard who had Logan. Both he and I were happy to see each other. We hugged each other for a while. When we came to, we realized what had happened. We both knew our mother was dead. We thought about our father. I already knew he was dead. Even if I did not see his body afterwards. To get my brother and I off the subject of our parent's death, I asked him how did he make it out. He told me he ran when he saw the caravan of two carriages. with a bunch of guards. He explained to them what happened and they rushed over."
"Where did you live afterwards?" asked Luna.
"I lived with an aunt. She was nice to both my brother and I. Then when we were old enough, we moved out. But before that, my brother and I created my wings. He was happy that his unicorn brother could fly with him. We did that a lot." Lance smiled to himself. "Well, after that, everything was a blur. I took care of myself and ended up as a Royal Guard."
Luna had been listening. She did want to know what happened in his life. She could feel something in him. She wasn't sure. But she could feel something. "Well Princess. That's all that I have to tell you," said Lance. "I will be leaving."
"Wait," said Luna. Lance stopped. Luna put a hoof around his back. She said, "This may not matter but, I'm sorry about your parents. I'm sorry that the guards hadn't come sooner. I'm sorry for everything."
"You don't need to apologize Princess. None of this is your burden. It is mine and my brothers. But it does mean a lot that someone other Logan cares about our life. Luna hugged Lance. He was a bit surprised. But he still hugged her back. He left the room and shut the door." Sparking Blade had been standing across the hall. He still stared at Lance. Lance passed by him. Even if Sparking Blade had heard his story by eavesdropping, he was still heartless towards Lance. He didn't want to lose his pride, nor Luna. Sparking Blade had some weird feeling that Princess Luna liked Lance. He was unsure. But he wanted to keep an eye out.
It was another training day. But Shining Armor was the one leading this lesson. He thought he would have a day out in the yard. Lance and the other recruits were outside practicing swordsmanship. Princess Luna was on the balcony watching the recruits. But the one person she was watching was Lance. After hearing the story, she couldn't shake a weird feeling of her. Did she like him? Or was she just feeling her sincerity towards him. Suddenly, Sparking Blade joined her on the balcony. Princess Luna asked, "What do you want officer?"
"You looked alone on the balcony so..."
"We wish to be alone. Now if thy would excuse himself."
"Listen Princess, is this about Lance?"
"No."
"Then what is it?"
"We- I just want to be alone."
"That's not the answer."
"Yes it is."
"No it isn't!"
The two began to yell at each other. Luna didn't want Sparking Blade being there. She was already irritated with him. He had always tried to talk to her and hit on her. Boasting about his adventures and victories. She didn't like that in a pony. "Princess, I like you," yelled Sparking.
"Well, I don't like you! You always brag and boast. You always push anyone under you around and you always want to hurt anyone that gets close to me!" With those words said, Sparking Blade walked back into the castle. He was furious. Not about being insulted. He knew the truth. She liked Lance. Or that's what he thought. Though he was unsure, he had made up his mind. He was going to try to kill Lance. Even if he regretted it afterwards.
Lance's training had finished. He thought of going out to see Canterlot. He went back to his room to clean himself up. Before he could go anywhere, his door burst open. It was Sparking Armor. He had a wicked smile streaked across his face. He was holding a steel dagger. Lance backed up. Suddenly, Sparking Blade thrust his blade at Lance. Slicing the air and trying to hit Lance. "What are you doing Sparking," yelled Lance. "What has gotten into you!" Lance was clueless. All he could think to do was dodge. He continued doing an excellent job at it. That was Sparking Blade threw something at Lance. He stumbled back. That was Sparking's chance. He thrust the blade and managed to cut Lance. It was big enough for Lance to let out a yell. This yell alerted a guard not far from his room. "What was that?" wondered the guard. He ran to find that the officer was trying to kill the recruit. Even if he yelled stop, Sparking didn't let up. He was still trying to get Lance. The guard was forced to get help.
"Captain," yelled the guard. "What is it?" asked Shining Armor.
"It's Officer Sparking Blade! He's gone berserk! He's trying to kill Lance!"
Both ponies ran for Lance's room. As they got there, they saw the dagger stabbed into Lance's side. The guard tackled Sparking Blade, subduing him. Shining Armor ran to Lance. "Lance! Stay with me recruit."
Lance may have been bleeding slowly and in pain, but he managed to keep himself conscious. "I'm going to get help," said Shining Armor. He ran outside calling anyone he could. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna had heard him yelling. "Luna. We must see what this is," said Princess Celestia. They paced themselves quickly and followed a small crowd of guards. In the crowd, they noticed a medic. That worried them.
The crowd took them to Lance's room. There they saw a subdued Sparking Blade and an injured Lance. Luna ran pushed through the crowd. As did Princess Celestia and Shining Armor. The medic continued to do what he could. He kept pressure on the wound and bandaged him slowly. "Lance," yelled Luna. "Lance!" His consciousness began to fade. The amount of blood loss had sent him into a deep sleep. "Don't worry," said the Medic. "He's fine. He only lost consciousness." Luna turned to Sparking Blade. Her eyes full of malice and hatred. "Take him to the dungeon," said Luna hastily. Three guards grabbed Sparking who still had a wicked smile across his face. He had enjoyed every second of what he had done. His only regret was not killing Lance.
The recruits Lance had been training with waited anxiously outside of Lance's hospital room. So did Shining Armor, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna The doctor came out of the room. He said, "The recruit is fine. He suffered a minor blood loss but will recover quickly." They were all relieved. "He is open to visits. But I don't think he needs any flowers." The doctor winked and left to his office. The recruits had also decided to leave. They just wanted to be sure he would be alright. "Let's head inside shall we princesses?" asked Shining Armor. Both of them nodded. The three of them proceeded in. They saw Lance looking out the window.
"Look what this Recruit got himself into," said Shining Armor. Lance turned his head to see both Princesses and the Captain standing in front of him. "Or should I say Private?" Lance smiled. Other than the fact he officially was promoted, but the fact that two princesses and his captain came to visit him. "Thank you sir, but may I say, I am surprised to see all three of you here," said Lance. Princess Celestia responded by saying, "We wouldn't just leave anypony in the hospital without visiting. Especially one who is a Royal Guard." Lance laughed but grunted a bit.
"Please don't make me laugh. It hurts because of this stab wound."
"Well Lance, we shall be back at the castle," said Princess Celestia. "Come now Shining Armor. Come sister."
"I will meet you back at the castle," replied Luna. Shining Armor and Celestia gave a nod. They shut the door. "Is there something on your mind?" asked Lance. "Yes," replied Luna. "There is. I have to apologize. This time, this is my fault."
"What?"
"Sparking and I had... an argument."
"About?"
"Well about him, you and I. I just wanted to be alone on the balcony. But he came and started trying to talk to me."
"Continue."
"I told him to leave me alone. But he wouldn't. That's when he told me, he liked me."
Lance stared with a bit of confusion. "He liked you? Okay. Continue."
"I told him I did not like him. He thought it was because of you. But really, it was because he is a cocky fellow. He always boasts and brags about everything. How he came from a wealthy family. His skills. Everything. I told him it wasn't because of you, but he didn't believe me. So he went and tried to kill you."
Lance was a bit stunned by the back-story of why this happened. But he decided to ignore it. "Well, I'm fine now. There's nothing to apologize about now."
"I know, but..."
"But?"
"I have... a crush on you."
Again, Lance was stunned. But he displayed a smile and said, "Well, I do have the charms. I'm just kidding." He laughed and grunted again. Luna laughed also. "You should get going Princess. You probably have better things to do than stay with a pony all day. I'll be back tomorrow. The doctor said it'd be fine."
"Alright."
Luna got up and left the room leaving Lance alone. Lance thought it was amazing. He thought of finding someone, but he didn't expect the Princess of the Night or even any princess to have a crush on him. He thought he should get some rest and just left the idea in his head.
It was a great day. Lance had finally gotten out of the hospital. He was really bored. Even if it was only for one day. He then made his way back to the castle. He then came in and saw no sight of Sparking Blade. He already knew about of his fate. He continued to his room. There he sat around organizing his room after the incident. That's when he started thinking. If Princess Luna liked him, then maybe he should take her out. He had rarely seen her go out at all. That's what he decided to do. He put on his formal uniform and proceeded down to the throne room. Surprisingly they she wasn't there. He thought she could only be at one place. Her room.
Lance stood at her door. Wondering if she was in there. He decided to open the door. There, he saw Luna trying to put some dress on. Luna looked a bit awkward trying to get it on. As if she didn't know how to. Luna turned and saw Lance. She yelled in surprise and ducked under her bed trying to hide her dress. "Does thou not know how to knock?" yelled Luna. Lance just laughed. "What are you doing?" asked Lance.
"N-nothing. I just thought I should try on this... dress? I look terrible in it."
"Nonsense. Let's see it."
"No. Thou will not like it."
"C'mon. It's just a dress."
Lance walked over to Princess Luna to help her up. She looked awkward. She had put a part of the dress on wrong. "Oh, that's why you seem to be having trouble. You put this part on wrong," said Lance. He adjusted the strap and fixed her dress. "There."
"How did thou-"
"When my brother and father were out flying, I would help my mom with her clothing and stuff. See? You look beautiful."
Luna blushed. She didn't know what to say. It had been a while since she had any interest in people. "Thank you."
"Luna, I have a question."
"Go ahead."
"I was wondering, now that I know you like me, I was hoping that we could go out for the day. I know I just came back from the hospital. But..."
"Sure."
With that said, Lance brought Princess Luna out of the room. "My dress?" said Luna. "Leave it. You look lovely in it," replied Lance smiling. Luna smiled back and they continued out of the castle. Both of them walked side by side. Luna had begun to think. Them she said her question out loud. "Lance, wouldn't both of us attract a great amount of unwanted attention?" Lance responded by saying, "The Canterlot Ponies will just wonder who am I and why you are with me. No worries, if we start getting chased, well that's another story." Both of them laughed. They continued down to the city.
Princess Luna was right. Ponies began to stare at Princess Luna and Lance. She could hear their chatter. Some said, "What is the princess doing in town?" Or she heard, "Who is that man the princess is walking with?" Luna felt uneasy. As for Lance, he was just staring back at the ponies. That was when he spoke. "People of Canterlot," he said. "I am Lance, a royal guard. I am here with Princess Luna. No need to watch us. We just wish to walk around amongst you all like regular Canterlot Citizens. Please go back to what you were doing and treat us like you would to anypony else!"
Surprisingly, the crowd turned back to what they were doing. "See," said Lance. "The people of Canterlot understand. C'mon, let's go have some fun. Lance grabbed Princess Luna and brought her to a park. There they ran around and chased each other. Though some of the ponies were surprised, they continued with their daily life. Lance and Princess Luna collapsed onto the grass. "I had never had this much fun in quite some time," said Princess Luna. "This feels great," said Lance.
"Let us continue our merriment Lance!"
Lance felt his body ache a bit. He may have been strong, but that doesn't mean he still can't fell pain. "Hold Princess, I think my injuries had caught up to me. Give me a moment to rest."
Luna nodded and said she would take a small walk along the park. Lance layed back and slowly breathed in and out. He thought it would help. It sort of did. That's when he hatched an idea. He opened his eyes to see that the sun was slowly coming down. He thought of taking Luna to dinner. It was the perfect plan. So he got back to his hooves amped looked for Luna. He found her sitting down looking up at the sky. "Luna," said Lance. She turned to him. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine. But, I have an idea. Lets have some dinner here in the city."
"I don't know..."
"Trust me, you'll enjoy the food."
That's when both of them walked to the nearest fancy restaurant. There they mingled and ate for a few hours. They enjoyed themselves. That was when they decided to head back to the castle. "I had a fun time Lance. Thank you," said Luna. "We should do this again soon," said Lance smiling. As they were about to open the castle door, Princess Celestia had beat them to it.
"Where have you been?" she asked. "What's wrong sister?" asked Luna.
"Sparking Blade has escaped! Someone broke into the castle killing to guards and freeing him."
Lance was shocked. Now he knew that him and Luna were in danger. He knew that Sparking Blade and whoever rescued him would seek revenge. "This is terrible. I know he will try to kill me or worse, take Princess Luna."
"We need to increase security. Sparking Blade and his accomplice could strike at anytime," said Princess Celestia. "Might I ask, was there any evidence left behind?" asked Lance.
"What do you mean?"
"Did whoever broke in leave something behind."
"There was the dagger that struck both guards down."
"Okay. I suspect whoever this is was working in the castle or managed to somehow slip passed us."
"Lance, please inform Shining Armor to recruit more people."
"Recruits? Are you sure about this Princess?"
"Yes. We will need more men guarding the castle."
"I know one person who would join. My brother."
"Good. Now please, tell Shining Armor now. Luna will stay with me. Come back once you have told him."
Lance ran around trying to find Shining Armor. He finally found him. He was outside helping bring in more recruits. "Captain. Princess Celestia told me to tell you to keep letting in more recruits," said Lance. "That's going to be hectic! We won't have room to train all the recruits," replied Shining Armor.
"She wants to up security. With Sparking Blade out, she believes he could strike at anytime. I personally agree, but getting more recruits won't help."
"I guess I'm gonna have to start placing up flyers again."
"I know my brother will join. Don't worry, he is a fine pony. He has been trained by our father."
"If you say so. I'll come with you to test out his strength."
"But don't you need to coordinate the arrivals and everything?"
"The others can handle it. I need to get out of this stressful situation anyways."
Lance and Shining Armor managed to get on a train and travel to Manehatten. "Your brother lives in Manehatten?" asked Shining Armor. "Yes. But I haven't seen him in years. I do wonder how he is doing," said Lance. They arrived at the train station. But once they got off, Lance saw a man watching him closely. He couldn't make out his face because of his coat and hat. Lance ignored it and continued on.
"Wow. This is where your brother lives? It's pretty nice," said Shining Armor.
The house was a green painted two story house. It was larger than most homes in the area.
"I'm quite amazed he could afford this. I mean we were sort of poor back then."
Lance knocked on the door. Both he and Shining Armor could hear hoof steps coming toward the door. The door unlocked and opened. A grey Pegasus pony with pompadour hair, wearing formal attire stood at the door. He looked like an average pony. "Yes?" he said. "You really don't remember me?" said Lance.
"No I don't... Oh wait. Lance!"
"Jesus Logan, you scared me for a second there."
"It's been quite a while since I've seen you! Come in, come in. I also see you've brought a friend."
"This is Shining Armor, captain of the Royal Guard."
"It is an honor to meet you," said Logan talking to Shining Armor. He nodded in agreement.
The three ponies sat in the living room. There was a fireplace and the hilt of The Emozian stood atop of it. "So, what brings both of you out here to Manehatten?" asked Logan. "We need you to be a part of the Royal Guard," said Lance.
"Me? You're kidding right?"
Logan began to laugh.
"Logan, this is serious."
"Oh this is serious? Listen brother, I am here to support you. But joining up? For what? I mean that would be a waste of time..."
"Your brother is in danger," snapped Shining Armor. "Might I mention, so is Princess Luna and you want to sit here laughing and wasting time? You obviously don't know that, but at least have politeness!"
"Oh yeah? What's he 'in danger' of?"
"He could be killed."
Everything had suddenly gotten serious. Lance told Logan the whole story. The small love triangle between Luna, Sparking Blade and Lance. Also what had happened ever since Lance had gotten there. "Listen Silver Lance, I know I'm your big brother, but I mean I don't even know if I can make it past the simplest of tests," said Logan. "Well that's why the captain is here to personally test you," said Lance. "Let's go out to your yard brother."
The three of them went to the backyard. It was a pretty large one. It was big enough to accommodate the training. There were simple flight, agility, speed, and strength tests. Most of which were simple enough. Logan got passed them and managed to get the same spot as his brother. "We'll, you've surpassed standard recruitment trainings, so I guess I'll just make you a private then," said Shining Armor. "Captain, I will come with you now, but tomorrow, I will need to comeback to the house to pick up a few things."
"Why not now?"
"It's gonna take me a while to dig through my stuff. Trust me, Ike my brother, both of us always do research and study."
Shining Armor nodded and they headed back to the train station. As they left the house, Lance saw that same pony from the train station. He was sitting at the cafe shop across Logan's house. The pony saw the three come out and he quickly looked away. Lance thought in his mind asking himself questions. Like who was this pony? Why was he staring at them? Lance, yet again ignored him and traveled to the train station.
They arrived back at Canterlot to see more ponies not just patrolling the castle, but patrolling the streets. There were many new faces. Lance could tell that the majority of them were recruits. The three colts traveled back to the castle. "Logan, you can have the room next to Lance's. settle in and get some rest. God knows that I need it'" said Shining Armor. "We'll talk again Later Brother. I a, getting tired," said Lance. Logan nodded and both of them headed down the hall and into their rooms.
Lance changed his clothing to something lighter and laid in bed. He began to think about what would happen to Luna and him if Sparking Blade were to come back. He also thought about that pony back at Manehatten who had followed him. With these ideas in his mind, Lance slowly fell asleep.
Lance and Logan boarded a train back to Manehatten. "Thanks again for coming with me Lance, I could really use the help," said Logan. "No problem," replied Lance. "What are you going to get anyways?"
"Well, I'm gonna get a few books on the Emozian. I also need to get the hilt and a few other things. It shouldn't take long. But I also wanted to talk to you about something."
"About?"
"How in the name of Celestia, did you get her sister to actually go on a date with you?"
"My manly charms big bro, my manly charms."
"Pfft. Yeah right. Come on, seriously."
"I have to say, if it wasn't for your help, she may have not have been interested in me."
"How?"
"If you hadn't help me get these wings, she wouldn't have noticed me. I mean personally, I didn't have any feelings for her. But then after a while, I started thinking. She went into my dreams."
"Went into your dreams?"
"She's the Princess of the Night. She overlooks Equestria's dreams."
"Oh. Got it."
A few hours passed and they had finally arrived at Manehatten. They walked to Logan's house and began to gather some things. They picked up a few books, bits and bobs. They also grabbed the Emozian's hilt. "I can't believe you actually got me into the Royal Guard," said Logan.
"Well, your my brother and these are desperate times. The Princess of the Night is in danger, and that puts Canterlot at risk. If they find out about what would happen, everything would go to hell. You got what you need?" "
"Almost, can you help me find my journal? I remember I put it somewhere in the room on the second floor."
Lance nodded and proceeded up the stairs and down the corridor. He searched every room. Nothing. He finally searched his brother's bedroom and found it. "Found it," yelled Lance. But as soon as he grabbed it, there was an explosion. Lance fell back. When he came to, he realized the house was on fire.
He ran outside the room and tried to run for the stair case. It had been blocked by some debris. He ran to a room, opened a window and jumped out. He ended up in the backyard. He yelled out for Logan and knew he was still stuck in the house. He dashed inside the burning building. He could hear the voices of other ponies that were outside. He looked around and found his brother stuck under a large wooden plank. He ran to his brother and tried to get him out. Lance tried everything but it was not good. Thpphe vp began to cough. The smoke was thickening. He looked down and saw his brother trying to talk. Lance had finally heard the words come out. "Leave me Lance. Take the saddlebag and go! You need to take that hilt to safety."
Lance's heart had suddenly sunk. He didn't want to leave him but he had to. "Goodbye Logan..."
Lance broke through a weakened wall and ended up on the streets. He was covered in ash and had cuts and bruises. Lance saw the same pony again who had been following him. He was walking away from the scene quite quickly. Lance knew he had done it. He looked up to see ponies trying to put out the fire. Bystanders stared at Lance until a firefighter helped Lance up brought him to the sidewalk. The firefighter questioned him about what had happened. Lance could spare only a few details. They finally realized Lance and he travelled back to Canterlot. They had asked him to stay and wait for his brother, but Lance already knew he would be dead. Shining Armor and a few other guards saw him. They asked him what happened. But he just walked passed them. Lance walked to his room and closed his door.
Lance stared out his open window. His face was emotionless. He had lost his family. His parents and his brother. He knew it had only begun. Then Lance's door opened slowly. Lance continued to look out the window. "May we come in?" Asked Princess Celestia. "Yeah," said Lance. His voice was cold and emotionless. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna walked in. Both of them walked to the sides of Lance. There was a training going on. Lance and the two princesses watched. "You know Lance," said Celestia. "Life is like road. There are always twists and turns that occur. With bumps along the way." Lance continued to look at the recruits but still listened. "But in the end, that road will take you to where you have wanted to be." Lance felt Luna leaning on him. He felt her care like he did in the dream. He put his hoof around her and slowly hugged her. A few tears rolled down his face. He had always looked up to his brother. He had always loved him.
Princess Celestia walked out of the room. Luna still stayed by Lance. Eventually, they both layed in his bed. It was small, but Luna made it work. "I love you Lance. You haven't lost everything," said Luna. "I know," said Lance who was smiling. He slowly closed his eyes and fell into his dreamland.
There was a beautiful sunset. Also, there was a grassy field. Lance had been sitting next to Luna under a tree. They watched two fillies playing in the grass. "Crescent, Shimmer, lets go home now. You're father has work tomorrow," said Luna. Both fillies ran to their parents. They all walked back to Canterlot. Everypony already knew about Luna and Lance. So they were free to roam the streets without being disturbed. They entered the castle and went to their room. There, Lance layed in bed and Luna was preparing to raise the moon. Suddenly, there was a yell down the hall.
Lance and Luna ran down the hall to discover Sparking Blade trying to kidnap their child. Lance tackled Sparking Blade down who proceeded to stab Lance. Lance's adrenaline kept him from feeling to much pain. He grabbed hold of Sparking. He broke out and pushed Lance against a window. He stabbed him again. Lance managed to kick him off. But he came back with a tackle. The window shattered. Lance and Sparking Blade were freefalling. The last words Lance could hear was Goodbye Lance.
He woke up with a gasp. Lance turned around to see it was morning. Everything was just a dream. He was glad. He looked down to see Princess Luna asleep. He had just realized he slept with a princess. Though he was happy, he felt it was wrong. They may like each other, but he thought this might have been a bit too early. He had also realized that he was still a bit ashy from the incident. He decided to take a shower.
He stepped out of the shower room and was dressed normally. He proceeded to his room to get his armor. Before he could enter, he was stopped by a guard. "Sir," he said. Lance thought he was still a recruit. "I have a message for you. Here." The recruit handed Lance an envelope.
"Did whoever give this to you say who he was?"
"No sir, someone in a large jacket gave it to me."
"Could you make out some of this pony's features?"
"We'll, the only thing I could make out was that his hooves had some holes through them."
"Holes...?"
"Yes."
Lance slowly began to think. It had to be the same person. Could it? Lance also began to wonder. Holes in this pony's hooves? He started to think. Then it hit him. A Changeling! He ran inside his room. The recruit looked in but left. Lance grabbed his armor, put it on and began to look through books. With all this ruckus, Princess Luna had woken up. She blinked and yawned until her vision cleared. She saw Lance looking through books and mumbling. She got up and walked to him. Now Lance's mumble was clear. He was saying, "Changeling."
"Lance," Luna said. "Are thou okay?" Lance continued to look through the books seemingly ignoring Luna. He finally flipped to a page about Changelings. "Changelings?" Luna asked. "Yes. One of the recruits came here and gave me this envelope. He said it was given by a pony with holes in his hooves," said Lance.
"What did the message say?"
"I haven't read it yet."
"I'd recommend thy to read it now."
Lance nodded and opened the envelope. He read through it. He dropped the letter onto the table. He yelled, "We've got to tell Princess Celestia!" Before Princess Luna could respond, Lance had already ran out of his room and headed to the throne room. "Princess!" he cried out. But it was too late. Somehow, the Changelings had broken through the magical barrier and began to invade Canterlot. Ponies ran frantically through the streets. they all tried to get to safety. Guards and soldiers desperately fought to keep Canterlot. But failed. The Changelings began to swarm the castle.
"Protect the Princesses!" yelled Shining Armor. The guards swung at the Changelings. They were outnumbered. Lance and a few other guards tried to keep the throne room safe. Princess Luna and Princess Celestia were to be kept there until further orders. Suddenly, the door burst open. Shining Armor was tossed through it. He landed on Lance. He was critically injured. He was bleeding from his head down to his body. Amazingly, he still had strength to talk. "Lance, whatever you do, do not let them take the princesses. Keep them safe, Captain." Slowly, Shining Armor faded away. His last words to Lance was to command the troops and keep the Princess safe. But then two Changelings walked in.
One looked like the queen. The other was male. But he seemed familiar. "Sparking Blade," said Lance. "So, you finally caught me," said Sparking.
"How did you change into such a vile creature?"
"Vile? How dare you!"
Sparking Blade shot a bolt of light at Lance striking him in the head. The blow didn't kill him but caused a minor amount of bleeding. As soon as that happened, the other guards tried to help but were blown apart by the powers of Sparking Blade and the Changeling Queen. "Chrysalis," said Celestia. "You may have defeated our guards, but my sister and I shall not let it fall to your hands!" Luna and Celestia sprang forward both using their combined powers. But at the same time, so did Sparking Blade and Chrysalis. Lance layed there, dazed. All he could do was watch. Somehow, Sparking Blade and Queen Chrysalis managed to overpower the two and blew them back. "We are even powerful together than I thought, husband," said Chrysalis. Sparking nodded.
Celestia slid back and hit her throne. But Luna wasn't as lucky. She was thrown through the window. Lance saw this happened and sprang into action. He jumped out the window and spread his metallic wings. He dove for the unconscious Luna. He managed to catch her. But he was moving to fast. He tried to slow himself. He managed to slow himself enough. But he was still going to impact the ground. He flapped his wings in an attempt to crash land. He hit the ground hard. He rolled through the ground and stopped. Luna flew off his back. Lance was breathing hard. If it hadn't been for the armor or his metallic wings, he could've been killed. He could feel he had broken something. He also has ripped most of his silver armor and his right wing. He slowly got up and felt the pain. He shrugged it off and went to Luna. He saw she was only scratched and bruised. He carried her on his back and travelled on. He looked back up and took one last look at Canterlot. He would have to help. He was their only hope. He turned his head and limped on. It wasn't over yet. Not while Sparking Blade was still breathing.
Lovers of the Night: The Emozian
There was a howl.
Lance turned and looked to spot nothing. He continued limping and carrying Luna on his back. She was still unconscious from the fight. Lance heard another howl and ignored it. He thought the timberwolves wouldn't get close. He put Luna down for a bit to catch his breath. But suddenly, a pack of timberwolves rose from behind the bushes. Though injured, he attempted to get up. He couldn't fly nor did he have the strength to fight. But he stood his ground. A timberwolf leaped towards Lance with his claws aiming at him. There was a yell.
This is just a small line in the upcoming sequel to Lovers of the Night. It is called Lovers of the Night: The Emozian. Yes, that sword does have meaning. I just wanted to place it farther into the series. Please note, that I do take FAIR CRITICISM. Plain out rudeness shall not be tolerated and will result in the comment either being deleted or responded to with hostility.
Enjoy the small wait! You are still allowed to view the story as it progresses. Thanks for the support and reading the full story. Hope to see y'all reading the sequel!