Solid Strike

Sol Star stood in front of the door to the Princess’s throne room. The silver furred unicorn sighed through his helmet, which was modified to cover his face completely. His gold plated armor clattered lightly as he shifted his stance. Although the armor was actually made from bronze, it had been plated with a golden metal for purely aesthetic reasons. This guard was the current Captain of the Solar Guard, the youngest in fact, promoted at age 25. The loyalist had served Princess Celestia all of his life, despising the infidels that followed her rebel sister, Luna. He glared at the earth pony guard that stood on the opposite side of the door; one of said infidels. It was ludicrous that both members of the Solar Empire and the Lunar Republic be allowed place in the Canterlot Castle, the structure so rightfully entitled to Celestia.

“You got a problem?” The Lunar guard caught his gaze. His purple armor covered portions his grey fur, and his long white mane hung down through his helmet. That was against regulations in the Solar Guard.

“The only problem I see is your kind dirtying these halls with your moondust hoofsteps!”

“Yeah? Maybe I’ve got a problem with your stuck-up sun-kissing attitude, but I keep my trap shut.”

“Watch your speech to a superior, grunt!”

“I’m a Major, thank you very much,” the Lunar officer snapped, “And I think I’d deserve a bit more Luna-damned respected from somepony like you.”

“What?” Sol was taken by surprise not only at the stallion’s rank, but also his insane request. He, a proud, upstanding member of the Solar Guard, respect some dirty, insignificant Lunar rat? “Why should I respect anything you’ve done?”

“Perhaps,” he began, his voice low and annoyed, “taking the time that I normally use for throwing knives at portraits of Empire scum such as yourself to, oh, I don’t know... guard your Princess’s throne room while she does her job for this world?”

Sol Star was quiet, not knowing what to say. He couldn’t allow himself to be bested by this rebellious scoundrel.

“And,” The stallion continued, growing louder with each word, “not beating you over the head the moment I laid eyes on you for the atrocities committed by others in the Empire you represent!”

This was all it took to spark Sol’s anger. All of his life he had been taught that the Lunar Republic was a group of thieves and manipulative types, and this one right here seemed to be just that. As the Lunar Guard shook his head in disgust, Sol swung his armored hoof around, catching his unruly victim in the side of the head. The extra plating in his foreleg armor transferred extra weight into his target, denting his armor and sending him to the ground.

“Oof!” The stallion coughed, picking himself up, “What the hay was that all about?”

“You shall pay for your crimes against the Empire!” Sol breathed, his face-covering helmet causing his voice to come out as a raspy echo.

“You need to get your head on straight,” The Lunar guard only received another hoof to the face. He grunted. “Or maybe I could straighten it for you...”

Nightblade set down the hallway of the Castle at a brisk pace, before he heard Tinker Tock call out to him.

“Hey, save your energy. Do you even know where you’re going?”

He stopped, looking around the long chamber and realizing, every wooden door, every smooth white wall, and every supporting pillar all looked the same to him. Tinker caught up with him, and pointed a hoof at the the first hallway branching off from their current one.

“Celestia’s throne room should be down that hallway,” Tinker said.

“How do you know?” Nightblade shot him a confused look. Tinker simply raised his hoof a little, and was now pointing at a banner displaying an intricately designed sun and an arrow, pointing down said hall. “Oh...”

As they turned to walk down the hallway, Nightblade caught a noise with his good ear. It sounded almost like... metal banging together? That couldn’t be good. Tinker looked over at him. Without saying a word, they both rushed down to the end of the hallway to find the source of the noise. They were surprised to find two Royal Guards engaged in hoovesticuffs in front of the doors to the throne room of Princess Celestia. They didn’t seem to notice the two contestants approaching.

One of them was apparently a Lunar Guard. The other, a unicorn, wore armor typical of the Solar Guard, with the exception of the full on face-covering helmet. Sure, they had their differences, but had they really stooped to fighting in the hallway? This foalish behaviour is why Nightblade wanted Equestria to be unified instead of divided...

“I don’t suppose it’s a bad time to ask an audience of Princess Celestia?” Tinker asked, stepping forward and getting the two guard’s attention. The two guards looked over at the same time, seemingly forgetting that it was their job to keep Her Royal Privacy secure.

“I cannot allow that.” They both said in unison, and glared at each other.

“Why not?” Nightblade queried.

“Because,” The Solar Guard replied, in a much more collected tone than before, “We were told not to let anypony in unless it’s urgent.”

“Well, this is urgent, so let us talk to her,” Tinker took a step forward.

“Who’re you to decide what’s urgent or not?” The Lunar Guard scoffed, taking a stance to back the Solar Guard.

“You stay out of this,” The unicorn dismissed the other guard, “This is a matter concerning my Princess, not yours!”

“I’m just trying to help...”

“We’re contestants in the Mortal Kombat tournament,” Nightblade replied to the Lunar Guard’s question, much to the other guard’s dismay.

“Princess Luna is holding the tournament in the courtyard,” The Solar Guard told them, putting a disgusted emphasis on Luna’s name. The Lunar Guard stared not daggers, but a full sized battle axe at him. He sighed, brushing a bit of his white mane out of his golden eyes and back under his helmet.

“This is something that we need to talk to Celestia about,” Tinker said, “We can’t bother Luna with this, she’s holding the tournament.”

“What, is she too important to interrupt? Surely whatever Celestia is doing is far more important than what that rebel is doing.”

“Hey,” Nightblade interrupted, taking an assertive step forward, “What gives you the right to speak about the Princess like that?”

“What, are you taking her side now?” The Solar Guard taunted.

“No, I’m just not sure how much you respect your own Princess if you’ve got the guts to talk about her sister like that, right in front of her throne room!” Nightblade had now pushed his head against the Solar Guard’s helmet, looking straight into his eyes. His left eye was covered by an eyepatch, something that he didn’t notice from a distance.

“How dare you challenge my loyalty to Princess Celestia! I am Sol Star, Captain of the Solar Guard!” Sol swung his hoof to slap Nightblade, but the dark grey pegasus extended his wings and quickly jumped back. Nightblade landed on his back hooves, balancing perfectly as his raised his front hooves to challenge Sol Star.

“You do not want to start a fight with me, pal,” Nightblade warned darkly.

Sol turned and motioned for the Lunar Guard to join him. “You! Help me out here!”

“What? This is... You know what? Fine.” The grey stallion trotted up next to his fellow guardspony. “And my name is Delta, just so you know.”

“You want to go, too? Come on...”

“On second thought...” Delta said, taking a few steps back, “Just uhh, tag me in if you need me?”

“Last chance... let me through...” Nightblade demanded.

“I don’t take kindly to demands like that...” Sol Star leaped forward, and thrust his foreleg towards the standing pegasus. He couldn’t possibly balance himself on two legs, right?

Nightblade pushed himself up into the air, and brought his hoof down on Sol’s head. His armor took the impact as he hit the ground, and he picked himself back up to tackle his slippery opponent. He was now on top of him, and had him pinned down. His heavy armored hooves struck his face in rapid succession, until he felt a sharp pain in his chest. A cold piece of metal spun into his body, slipping right through the slit in his chestplate. Sol readjusted his stance to take on the brown, hooded stallion that accompanied this rowdy pegasus, but his focus was broken again by a buck to the jaw.

“Let me take him,” Tinker called, as Nightblade went in for a combo. Before he even got close, his body caught fire, courtesy of a fire spell from Sol. Nightblade rolled back, allowing Tinker Tock to leap over his burning form and teleport behind the Solar Guard. As he prepared to fire his lazer, Sol too had suddenly teleported behind him, and bucked his hind legs straight into his back. Tinker felt his body bend in an unnatural way, as well as the bones in his spine cracking and breaking.

As he tried to readjust his body, Tinker felt something cold go through his back, a small sword, breaking his rib cage and crushing his spine even further on its way out. Blood gushed profusely from the wound, but a searing pain in his back quickly stopped that as Sol lit him up with a fire spell. Tinker lifted himself up, and fumbled in his hoodie. Nightblade, who had extinguished the fire on himself, jumped back into the fight. Sol Star had already rolled out of the way though, allowing the purple armored Delta to join the battle.

Delta quickly delivered three quick jabs to Nightblade’s exposed belly, but didn’t expect him to swing his wings around. The feathered appendages were well trained, held stiff as a wooden board, and threw Delta back a bit as they collided with his head. Hearing hoofsteps behind him, he ducked. Sol stood behind him, and threw his head forward. A white-hot fireball jump from his horn and into Nightblade, setting him ablaze.

While they fought, Tinker had found what he was looking for in his hoodie. The smooth black surface of his pistol. Taking aim at the unicorn, he pulled the trigger.

“This... spirit, you say, is around Canterlot Castle?” Celestia wanted to make sure she understood the situation. A strange giraffe by the name of Malaki had requested her audience, saying that he had sensed a disturbing presence about one of the contestants. She now sat on her throne, hearing his claim.

“Yes, her presence is bothering me... ” Malaki answered, his accent reflecting his heritage from the Giraffe Empire of Kameelperd, just south of Equestria. His naturally long neck allowed him to speak to her at an even level. He wore a white robe over his sand colored fur, typical of the land he hailed from. Gold spots were common in his family, and covered most of his body from head to hoof. His muscles indicated that he had trained well in the strength department, a trait not commonly seen amongst giraffes. Most of them were faster, but this was not the case with Malaki.

“I do remember my sister creating something very similar to what you described when she first rebelled, but I don’t know of their exact purpose, or how to deal with them. All I can tell you is that this one is very old, and probably wishes the same things that Nightmare Moon did.”

“May I speak with your sister?” Malaki asked, keeping a respectful tone.

“I will speak with her myself, right now I-” Celestia was cut off by a thunderlike crash that sounded off just outside of her throne room. The entrance was enchanted with a sound reduction spell; there wasn’t anything Celestia could think of- outside of her sister’s traditional Canterlot Voice- that she could hear through those doors. The spell ensured complete tranquility within her chamber.

“What was that?” Malaki turned, lowering his gaze to inspect the door’s locks. Celestia, taken aback, caught herself mid-gasp and approached the doors. She swung them open with her magic, and scanned the hallway outside to see what caused such a sound. The first thing she sensed was the smell of smoke.

Of course, it had to be a firearm. The unconventional weapons made more noise than a pack of manticores, or a single Luna. She looked on, unamused with the two ponies, two contestants in the tournament, fighting Sol Star, one of her most loyal guards, and Delta Zulu, the Lunar guard who had so graciously offered to help keep her throne room secure. A wounded, brown, hooded stallion held the gun, and Delta was in a heap on the floor. The usually grey pegasus had been charred black, and Sol Star simply stood, unsure of what to say to his absolute ruler.

“What’s going on out here?” She looked directly into Sol’s eyes, through his empty eye socket, and into his soul.

“This... These two ruffians attempted to stronghoof their way through us to you,” He said, his words shaking and faltering.

“I see. For what purpose did they feel they needed to do so?”

“What?”

“Did they tell you why they needed to get to me?”

“They... they said they had an urgent matter to speak to you about.”

“Oh?” Celestia sarcastically asked, “And did you ask them what it was?”

“Uhm... Not exactly... Delta got offended, you see, and-”

“Might it have occurred to you that there actually was something urgent that they had to tell me?”

“Well... no.” Sol slapped himself internally. Delta had gotten him riled up, and he lost his cool. This was all his fault. “I apologize, I won’t-”

“I don’t want you sorry, Captain,” Celestia said, casting a restoration spell on the wounded. “Let’s not have this happen again.” She sighed.

A tall sandy colored giraffe appeared behind her. “Is everything okay, your highness?”

“Yes, Malaki, there was just a... a misunderstanding...”

Nightblade, having recovered completely from the Princess’s spell, knelt before her before presenting his issue.

“I apologize for beating up your guards,” he began, warranting an annoyed look from Sol Star. Celestia rolled her eyes, but gently smiled and nodded for him to continue, “But there’s a spirit around the castle, it’s a danger to all of us contestants.”

Celestia nodded again, a grim look on her face. “Yes, I just had been informed about this particular issue from Malaki. It’s nice to see that other contestants have noticed, though. Captain Sol,” She called to the gold plated guard, “Go and alert your guards to keep an eye on the contestants. Don’t let anypony in on the details, we don’t want to cause a panic.”

A spirit, huh? Sol Star nodded, rather aggressively pushing past Nightblade. He was normally polite, but that particular pegasus had rubbed him the wrong way.

“What’s his problem?” Nightblade asked nopony in particular, watching Sol turn down the hallway.

“Sol Star is a bit... rough,” Celestia sighed, “He’s stuck in the old mentality of my sister is evil. His father was the same way, and his grandfather... His family has never been open to change... That aside, we need to make sure this spirit doesn’t possess anypony else. Major Delta,” She turned, addressing the Lunar Guard still standing at attention.

“Your majesty?” He replied.

“Alert your guard as well, same idea, we don’t want a panic.”

“As you wish,” He turned and trotted away.

“He’s rather formal with you,” Nightblade noticed, “He’s not a part of your guard, is he?”

“No, but he’s always shown an utmost respect for me and my guard, even though we’ve had a rough history,” Celesta frowned for a moment, as if realizing something. The look vanished though, adjusting back into her standard serious face. “Now, do you two have any information on the spirit?”

“Yes,” Tinker said, having recently recovered from the fight as well, “The spirit’s name is Morukee. I was her first host as the tournament began, or at least that’s what she told me.”

“Odd,” Celestia mused, “I didn’t sense any strange presence within you when I first saw to the contestants.”

“I didn’t know what she wanted of my body, but she jumped over to Nightblade here during our last match.” Tinker continued, “I believe that her possession is achieved through the weakening of one’s perception, through an emotion such as anger. I was frustrated myself when she first took influence of my mind.”

“Yeah, that makes sense,” Nightblade added, “She jumped from you to me after I got mad when you... well...”

“Yeah,” Tinker cut him off, “but she didn’t just jump from me to you, she was ejected from my body after you hit me hard enough, and the same happened when I hit you. She looses her grip on her victim if they receive physical trauma.”

“But she also made you stronger...”

“It seems we have an adequate amount of information between the two of you,” Celestia said, “And Malaki here took notice of her as well. All I can tell you is to continue the tournament, and keep an eye out.”

“Yes,” Malaki stepped in front of the Princess, “I believe it is time for us to return to our place.”

“I agree,” Celestia conceited, “I will be out shortly.”