Guards from a distant world

Prologue: (side story to “Five Score, Divided by Four”)

“EVERYPONY PULL BACK!!” Shining Armor bellowed. “RETURN TO CANTERLOT AT ONCE!!

After some minor confusion from the group of guards, I turn to Shining Armor, who turns to me.

“Twilight is under attack. I’m sorry, but I have to get back there now”

I don’t respond, I know his reasons, I’ve been his personal guard for several years. All he wishes is for his sister to be safe from harm, even if that means sacrificing himself to save her.

I see a colorful Pegasus guard salute Shining Armor. “Sir, I will fly there myself. I will arrive before the bulk of our forces, but I will find and protect Princess Sparkle with my life.”

Shining turns to the Pegasus “Your bravery is commendable, but there’s no need for that flight, I’m going myself. I’ll meet you all there when you arrive.” A faint blue aura surrounds Shining Armor’s horn as he prepares to teleport.

One of Shining’s personal guards step in. “Sir, please, you can’t go by yourself, you have to wait for some of your guards to arrive! It’s too risky to go there alone!”

Shining seems very stressed, “Damn it, we don’t have time for this! It’s going to take us over an hour to get back on hoof. That’s too slow! I need to teleport back now! If something happens to me when I’m saving my sister, well then that’s my problem.”

Shining’s guard speaks again. “No, that’s just it sir, this is more important than you! Shining, you’re the Captain of the Guard! With Celestia gone and Luna in her sacred slumber, command of the entire Equestrian armed forces falls to you! If Celestia really did fall in battle, this is an act of war! Don’t you get it? We need to get you to safety immediately! We can protect you from Discord and work to find and protect the other bearers of Harmony, but you have to stay with us! The next few hours will be crucial to the entire fate of Equestria! If something were to happen to you, the entire guard will be thrown into disarray, we would have no way to—“

I stand by, watching the scene before me unfold. Shining shoves the guard off of him. “Damn it, this is my sister we’re talking about! I’m sorry, but I can’t just sit around here and wait while she gets killed!”

Shining’s horn is once again surrounded by a blue aura. A Pegasus guard cries out for him to stay, but then the clearing is lit up in a blast of blue-ish light. Shining was gone.

I nervously look back at the castle, easily a few hundred miles away. I see a faint flash of blue, And after several moments another one, this one black and very powerful. My fellow Guard-ponies must’ve felt the shock of our captain disappearing. I stood up, walked to the front of the group. “As Shining Armor’s personal Guard, I believe it is right for me to take command if something were to happen to our captain.”

A few murmurs of agreement echo from the group of guards. “We need to go back to Canterlot Immediately! We can all feel that something happened to Shining armor, but Discord is there! We can go there and fight him!”

A guard pipes up. “But Sir Fury Blade! If something like Discord can easily take out Shining AND Twilight, I doubt we can even stand a chance against Discord.”

I sigh from defeat… “Well, you’re right…”

Right then, an evil murmur echoes from behind me, which causes a collective gasp to rise from the group of guards. “Yes, My Little Ponies, you can never defeat me without your precious ‘Elements of harmony’”

Discord…

I turn around right as one of my fellow guards throws a spear directly at Discord, Discord teleports away from it and laughs. “You ponies are nothing now, Nopony to direct you, Nopony to guide you. You’re NOTHING!”

I can feel myself being overtaken by rage. “WHAT DID YOU DO TO SHINING ARMOR AND PRINCESS SPARKLE?!” I draw my blades and I leap up into the air with my wings and I launch myself at Discord. All he does is laughs and grabs me in midflight with his magic, causing me to drop my swords in surprise. I try to wiggle free but alas, no success.

“My, my, Fury Blade. Mind your manners, I have a surprise for you. One you won’t remember for a long time.”

Admitting defeat, I shout: “Stop with the riddles and get on with it!”

Discord smiles and I get surrounded by dark energy, for a moment I don’t feel anything, then I can begin to feel my body being literally ripped apart.

The last thing I could remember was Discord’s last riddle.

“For Five Score! Divided by Four!”

“Your memories removed, your body confused!”

“For your insolence you must pay,”

“Cast off to a land far far away!”

“To scatter the six, just the start of my tricks!”

“Your mind shall be weak, your outlooks bleak!”

“Forgetting everything and living like a fool,”

“You have all lost, now no one can stop my rule!”