The Greatest Forces of the Royal Army
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic © Hasbro & Lauren Faust
Pretty sure Hasbro owns Transformers too...
By: Blue Spark
I am writing this because I am bored and have nothing better to do... I mean, I know I should work on Follow Your Heart but I need to take a break, write a story that is 100% my idea. Hope this doesn't end badly...
/)\*Prologue*/(\
War Stories
It was a sunny day in Canterlot, the cool breeze that blew added a cool touch to the warm sun to those that gathered in the park for today was a special day. It was Veterans Day, and all the ponies of Canterlot were enjoying their time in the park as they sipped tea and ate sandwiches. A group of foals would run by here and there, running between everyone's legs and though most of the time parents would get annoyed and scolded their foals they instead opted to join them as several of said parents have came home from service for the first time in years. Many parents who were usually out of the country fighting or were busied with other military work finally had time to spend with their children, to try and catch up on all the memories that they missed.
Today was a peaceful day of celebration and prosperity.
Though while most veterans were talking with each other, comparing stories of past battles and missions, or playing with their foals/grandfoals, one old coot in particular stood out from them all.
Being followed by two young colts was an old, old, Unicorn in a worn tattered gray trench coat. He walked with a limp but stood tall, for his body may be old but his mind was still kicking flank. Though despite his commanding nature he looked like he casually made it out of Tartarus and back. His right eye was covered by a nasty scar, but both still contained their red fiery passion for battle that challenged those who looked at him. His coat was matted in several places and what once was a shiny metallic white was now an old faded gray. His mane was a gunmetal gray and looked withered and old.
The most striking feature though seemed to be the permanent scowl that was on his face.
"Grandpa, are you going to tell us that story again?" One of the colts asked, he was a Pegasus that had a white coat and a pitch black mane.
"But I thought Dad said we shouldn't listen to Gramp's old stories..." Whispered his brother, who was a similar color but was a Unicorn much like their Grandfather.
"Who cares what Dad says, Grandpa's fairy tale's are awesome." The Pegasus countered with a grin.
"Silence!" The old Unicorn commanded with an old but authoritative voice. This cause the to colts to close their mouths but they still exchanged glances.
"Now then, just a little further, until we... Reach that tree..." The old Grandfather replied as the made their way up a small incline till the reached a tree.
The grizzled Unicorn limped over and sat down with a sigh, leaning himself against the tree's bark and thankful of the cool shade against the warm sun. The two brothers soon came over and sat down across from him, not appearing to be as out of breath as he was, and got comfortable.
"You know Grandpa, you'd probably feel a lot cooler if you took your cloak off. I don't even know why you brought it out here in the first place." The Unicorn spoke.
"I can damn well do as I please, I've earned myself that much." The old Unicorn barked, causing the two foals to look at each other and shrug.
"Now then... Since we have ourselves a nice spot I'll-"
"But I thought-" The Unicorn tried to interrupt.
"Enough about what your father says! No matter how many times he denies it this is VERY important." He then turned to the Pegasus. "And I can guarantee you, this is no fairy tale, this is true historical facts!"
"Now... Where was I..." He began now that he had the foals 100% undivided attention.
"It was all long long ago. The Princess's army back then was weak, all they ever knew was peace so there was no real use for soldiers, but there were two fighting forces that they had under their command who were unstoppable."
"The Autobots and The Decepticons, we know Grandpa." Clarified the Pegasus. "You've told us all about them, how they were supposedly rivals on the battlefield. The Autobots were known for their compassion while the Decepticons were known for their strength, but what does this have to do with anything. You already told us everything!"
Instead of dishing out a verbal rebuttal the old stallion instead laughed at the young foals remark.
"Yes, I know I told you of all the 'adventures' the the two armies had but have I ever told you of their origins?" He said with an unusually sincere smile.
"You mean the Princesses didn't just gather the strongest stallions of Equestria and make the Autobots and Decepticons that way?" The young Unicorn inquired.
At this, the old Unicorn's smile turned into a smirk.
"No, that rubbish that they teach you in school is no wear as far from the truth as the possibly can be."
This got the foals curious and the leaned forward to hear the grand story he was about to weave.
"The origins of the Autobots and Decepticons all started on a planet far far away..." He began as he looked, the foals following his view.
"And that planet, was called Cybertron."
The Greatest Forces of the Royal Army
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic © Hasbro & Lauren Faust
Pretty sure Hasbro owns Transformers too...
By: Blue Spark
/)\*Chapter 1*/(\
A Simple Exercise
Two beings stared each other down, the sounds of battle around them, though that didn't seem to hinder the fact that they could easily hear each other's ragged breath.
"You're getting weak Prime, I can already see victory will be mine at long last!" Stated one of the fighters and he let bellowed out a loud laugh.
"Think again Megatron! While I can still breathe you will never win." Prime stated as he got back into a fighting position.
"One shall stand, one shall fall Prime. And this time I'm gonna make sure you stay down!" With that said Megatron charged, preparing to throw a right punch, grinning like a maniac.
Prime blocked the punch and returned it with a quick jab into Megatron's gut, knocking the wind out of him for a moment but only that much. Megatron then grappled Prime and tried to pick him up.
"Ngh!" He grunted as he threw him over head, turning around only to see Prime reorient himself before landing firmly on the ground.
"You're going to have to better then that Megatron!" He shouted as he rushed in for a left, expecting it when Megatron blocked and then going in with his right but was surprised when Megatron suddenly grabbed his strike and brought him close.
"Tsk Tsk Tsk, you're going to have to do better then that Optimus." Megatron whispered with a smirk as he brought his head back.
"What-" Optimus was cut off when suddenly Megatron headbutted him right in the face.
Megartron let Optimus go and stepped back as he threw out a random jab at him while rubbing his face.
"Hahahah!" Today Optimus is the day you-" Prime didn't let him finish as he suddenly tackled him, listening to the sound of Megatron's voice and they started to roll, every now and then one of them would throw in a punch or launch a kick.
Eventually they separated again, though this time they looked much worse.
"It's time to finish this, Optimus." Megatron challenged, growling as he readied all of his remaining strength for one more attack.
"Agreed." Prime stated solemnly as he too got ready for the final exchange.
Both fighters stared at each other dead on, waiting for the other to make a move. The sounds of the surrounding battle began to fade as well as all other signs of the outside world. Whoever made the first move loses, though if you wait too long then you loose your best chance.
Finally, as if an invisible signal was given, both combatants charged and reading to throw a punch with all their might.
*THWACK*
The sound seemed to echo as both warriors landed their punch, aiming for the other's face.
Both strikes hit their mark.
They stayed frozen for what seemed eternity, each others punches connected with their opponents face.Then, with a slight groan their fighting strength left them and they both fell on their backs, and they begin to register sound again.
"What is the meaning of this!?" Came a voice that was quickly drawing nearer.
With a glance the warriors looked up to see a white Unicorn stallion with an electric blue mane. He was adorned in purple royal guard armor rush over to-
"Uh... Grandpa?"
^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^
*Sigh*
The old unicorn glared at the foal who interrupted him.
"What is it High Octane?" Sighed the grizzled Unicorn in an exasperated tone.
"Well, uh... I don't mean to be rude but what happened to Cybertron?" He asked sheepishly.
"Yeah!" Continued the Pegasus. "You were talking about the planet Cybertron and stuff so I thought that you were talking about aliens but the Unicorn sounds suspiciously a lot like Shinning Armour, and he's a pony. Are you saying that this battle was in Canterlot?" The colt said confused with Octane nodding beside him.
"Yes Iron Bolt, the battle was occurring in Canterlot." The Unicorn said, throwing out the word 'battle' loosely.
"Then why even mention Cybertron in the first place?"
"To get your attention, why else?" The Unicorn replied a little agitated, obviously annoyed that he was having the conversation instead of telling the tale.
"So you mean to tell us that you lied?" The Unicorn said, sounding a little disappointed.
"Now I never said it was a lie." He said, getting the colt's attention.
"Then why don't you just tell us already..." The Pegasus replied, fidgeting a little.
"Well then, where would the fun be if I just out right told you what the secret was?" The old Unicorn replied with a smile that he hasn't shown in a long time.
"Now then, with out any further interruptions..."
^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^
Shinning Armour cantered over to the two ponies lying on their backs.
"Greetings Captain Armour..." Muttered Megatron as he struggled to get to his hooves.
He chanced a glance at himself to make sure that everything was in working order. His royal night guard armor wasn't that badly damaged. He had several dents and scrapes on it but it was mostly from previous battles that he and his company partook in. Checking his body his pure white coat was a little off-set from it's normal color due to the dirt that he got from the ground. His mane and tail also seemed fine despite the bit of dirt, though it didn't show very well since it was a very dark gray, if not black. On his flank was the mark that represented the army under his command, the Decepticons. A quick glance up and he also confirmed that his horn was perfectly fine.
Overall, a few bruises but he was otherwise unharmed.
Looking over to Optimus Prime in his day guard armor he looked to be in just about the same condition. The red Pegasus dusted himself off and ran a quick hoof through his dark blue mane to get the dirt out. A bright red symbol even brighter then his red coat adorned his flank that represented his own army, the Autobots.
He then turned to Shinning Armour and saluted, his cyan blue eyes starring off in front of him.
"Captain." Optimus stated in attention.
Megatron scoffed at him but begrudgingly followed his example.
"Captain." He grumbled, glaring at him with his fiery red eyes.
Shinning Armour shook his head and looked at the battle going on around him.
"What the hay is going on!?" He said in surprise.
When he didn't get a response he turned to the two commanders and realized he forgot something.
"Er, at ease..."
Both guards lowered their salute and Megatron stepped forward.
"This is just a simple training exercise Captain, nothing more." He spoke as he calmly looked over the carnage of fighting Autobots and Decepticons.
If Shinning Armour was drinking a glass of water he would have performed a spit-take.
"Wh- A- What!? A simple training exercise!?" He said in shock.
Megatron nodded but Prime stepped forward to clarify.
"I know it seems brutal sir, but the guards don't really have the training they need to fight properly."
"Are you saying that you think the guard training is inadequate commander?" The Captain glared.
"No, what I'm saying is that I'm sending my men to fight then I want to give them a better chance that they'll come back out alive." Optimus replied matter of factually.
Megatron smirked inwardly as it looked like the captain still looked angry but he sighed instead as he gave both of the commanders a firm look.
"I'll talk to you both later about how we train the guards but right now I want you to stop this fighting this instant." He ended with a stomp of his hoof.
Megatron frowned but reluctantly complied, turning to the two fighting factions.
"Decepticons, stand down!" He shouted, though only a few were able to hear him and tried to break it up.
With a growl his horn lit up and he took in a deep breath.
"DECEPTICONS, STAND DOWN AND FALL IN!!!" He shouted in, what most would say is, the royal Canterlot voice.
At the sound of this all of the Deceptions immediately either threw off who they were fighting and lined up in front of him.
"Autobots, fall into formation!" Optimus Prime called and the rest of the Autobots obeyed.
Eventually they had both Autobots and Decepticons standing at attention in front of them.
"You have all fought well and hard today, training is over. You are all dismissed unless you have other duties to attend to." And with that the soldiers all walked back to their respective bunks or started chatting with one another. More than a few though headed towards the infirmary.
"Alright, both of you, come with me." Shinning Armour said as he nodded towards the castle.
Megatron and Optimus Prime glanced at each other before following.
Author's Note
Well now, got quite a few fave's for this story already.
I'll be able to update this faster then Follow Your Heart since the chapter's will be shorter.
Anyway, happy Thanksgiving!!! :D
Furthermore, I have no idea about anything relating to military ranks.
To me, Commander sounds like a higher position than Captain though looking it up that is the rank of Shinning Armour when he was part of Celestia's royal guard, a Captain.
So if a Commander is actually a high ranking then Captain then I apologize and I'll have to figure out a different ranking to give Optimus and Megatron that still sounds cool...
The Greatest Forces of the Royal Army
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic © Hasbro & Lauren Faust
Pretty sure Hasbro owns Transformers too...
By: Blue Spark
/)\*Chapter 1*/(\
Insert chapter title here thingie
Megatron glared.
He glared at every corner of the hallway they walked.
He glared at the guards posted along the way.
He glared at the maids as they tried to go about cleaning the castle. (Or at least the ones with enough courage to move underneath his excruciating gaze.)
He even glared at the colored tiled windows that they passed by.
Quite frankly, it didn't take a genius to figure out that he was pissed.
Now, some would think that it would be obvious to tell, he always looked pissed, but despite his hardened gaze on the outside he was unusually more pissed than usual.
More pissed than a pregnant mare with irregular bowel movement after drinking a whole bunch of soda.
"I can't believe how much of a waste of my time this is..." He thought darkly as he glared at the back of Shinning Armour's head, who's ear would twitch every now and then to express his nervousness in the silent walk.
A glance to his right showed him that Optimus looked as impassive as ever, though once in a while he would grunt in greating to another guard or nod hello to a random maid.
"I doubt the Princess's will be glad to hear of your little 'training exercise' from earlier." Shinning Armour stated.
Megatron could just imagine the smug look on the captain's face and it just proved to infuriated him further.
Why did he, the strongest soldier in all of Canterlot, have to take orders from some colt who acted like he just came out of boot camp! By the book, always following the rules. The little runt probably kissed the Princess's royal plot to get the position.
Megatron was an experienced soldier! He's fought in battles to the death, lead his battalion to victory more times then he can count, and not to mention he's been part of the Royal Army for more years then the runt could walk.
He should be Captain, not him.
As Megatron fumed he was brought out of his train of thought by a tap on his shoulder from Optimus, which he replied with a flick of his ear. He then drew his attention to the large solid gold doors that stood in front of them.
They have arrived.
After the guards saluted, Shinning Armour gave his order to open the doors.
"Open the doors, I have brought the Commanders of the Autobots and the Decepticons to meet with the Princesses." The Captain said to the two Unicorns posted beside the large doors.
They both nodded and with a glow of their horns they slowly opened the golden doors.
A second later, Megatron found himself, as well as Optimus and Shinning Armour, bowing in front of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.
Heh, bowing, the action still felt foreign to him, especially if he's the one doing it. He's not sure why, but for some reason he dislikes the sense of following orders when given to him, despite how much he drills it into his own men on it's importance...
With a gesture from Princess Celestia they rose, Megatron and Optimus Prime stood at attention while Shinning Armour began to recount the event that just took place, both awaiting for him to finish filling in the Princesses in on what they did 'wrong' this time.
"... And then from there I found these two" Shinning Armour points an accusing hoof at Megatron and Prime. "Fighting it out in the middle of the training field, dragging their soldier in and calling it a simple training exercise" He laces heavy sarcasm in the last words "And expect to get away with it with absolutely ZERO casualties, which there were by the way!" He finishes with a stomp of his hoof.
At the news, the Princess's reactions were mixed, Celestia's face was adorned with a frown while Luna just closed her eyes and sighed, rubbing her hooves on her temple.
"Is this matter really of such importance, Commander Shinning Armour, that it requires our immediate attention?" Luna said with an exasperated tone.
Shinning Armour almost looked a little put off by the Princess of the Night's relaxed behavior, his bravado shattered, while Celestia looked annoyed.
"Luna, you must take these matters in more consideration." She tittered.
"We don't know why the fact that our guards were training would require us to awaken so early this afternoon." She grumbled before glaring at Shinning Armour. "We were perfectly content asleep a few minutes prior, we do not take well as to being interrupted."
"B-but, they were-!" Shinning tried to argue but Luna waved him off with a hoof.
"We see that there is no need for us to be here so we shall return to our quarters, and we hope for your sake Captain that we are not awoken." She glared at Shinning Armour as she added the last part and exited the throne room, the large door resounding a large crack when they closed.
Celestia sighed as the Captain of the guard fidgeted slightly. Megatron's lips turned up slightly in a smirk while Optimus remained impassive.
"You'll have to excuse her Captain, as 1000 years ago such practice of combat was a normal occurance for our guard back then." Celestia apologized.
"That doesn't mean that having a miniature war in the courtyard is okay either." She continued as she frowned again at Megatron and Oprimus Prime.
"What reason have you seen fit to start such a fight?" She asked.
"Your Highness, if I may?" Optimus requested and continued when Celestia gave a nod. "Our troops relaxed, always unprepared. Training is light and nowadays they are more of a symbol and no longer a force to be reckoned with."
"And what proof do you have of that!?" Shinning Armour challenged.
Optimus shook his head and sighed as he motioned to one of the stained glass windows, this one depicting the Changeling invasion that happened not 6 months ago.
"The Changeling invasion is a testament to that... A foreign force that, even despite their numbers, we couldn't last against for more then an hour" Oprimus stated before turning to the Captain and continuing. "You were also under the affects of mind control while several guards were impostors."
"We were caught off guard and were unprepared! If we fought a force of that size and were ready we could easily have defeated them." Shinning Armour replied hotly.
With a laugh Megatron stepped forward and decided to add to the conversation.
"And that, my dear Captain, lies your problem." He smirked as he walked around the captain slowly.
"And what problem would that be?" Shinning Armour glared, his eyes following him slowly.
And quick as a blink Megatron was upon him, hoof raised and threw a punch towards the unsuspecting Captain who flinched back, only for the hoof to stop mere centimeters before his nose.
"This one."
Shinning Armour gulped and could feel the beads of sweat roll down his face, tensed up as Megatron slowly lowered his hoof back down and continue his slow circle of the now shaken Captain, acting as if nothing at all happened.
"Captain, you say that your stallions are strong, can hold their own, but what would be the point of them if they cannot even face the unexpected." He eventually stopped behind him and glared at the back of Shinning Armour's head.
"When you are unprepared you break down, become unfocused. If one thing does not go according to your plan then almost everything falls apart. Yes you are a capable fighter I suppose, top marks for a Unicorn of you age, and your plans almost never fail... But there is always the one unknown factor..." He crept up behind him and almost whispered in his ear, sending shivers down the Captain's spine with two little words.
"What if?"
"You cannot prepare for every unknown out come, what if the Elements of Harmony weren't there for the invasion. What if Twilight Sparkle was trapped in the Crystal Caves below the palace forever?" Megatron continued until he was now nose to nose with the captain.
"What if Mi Amore Cadenza was killed instead of imprisoned?"
That's it, that was the last straw. With a quick intake of breath the Captain of the Royal Guard sagged onto the floor, verging on hyperventilating as how dangerous the situation really was, and how much danger his fiance and his sister was in finally dawned on him.
"That's enough, Commander Megatron" Celestia said as she stood up, walking down from her throne to her Guard Captain. "I think you have made your point, but there is no need to bring up past wounds. You are correct that the guard need to be better prepared, but, you cannot have you soldiers having these brawls unregulated. I ask of you both that from now on that you take better care in the future with your 'training exercises'. You are dismissed." She ordered, as she watched the two Commanders quickly bow and exit before kneeling down and comforting her Captain.
"They're right... It was all my fault..." Shinning Armour gasped as he hugged himself, barely registering that his Princess was there. "I never even saw it coming... The signs, the headaches, even when some of the guard would disappear and then suddenly re-appear a few days later..." He sobbed.
"It's not your fault, you cold never have saw that coming. Not even I foresaw an attack that organized." She admitted, draping a wing over his Captain's back for comfort.
"But we could've... What would've happened to Cadence if Chrysalis killed Twilight instead of sending her to the caves. Oh my god, Twilight..." He cried again but was gently shushed by the ruler of the sun as she gently rocked him back and forth, hugging him and giving words of comfort.
After a good 15 minutes or so, the good Captain finally regained his compose and stood up, though his eyes were still stained with tears and he was hunched over a little instead of standing at attention.
"I-I'm sorry, your Highness... I don't know what came over me..." Shinning Armour bowed but was shushed as the Princess raised a wing.
"It is quite alright Shinning Armour, for not only are you my guard Captain but also my nephew in law." She smiled down at him. "Know that I am always here for you if you need me."
"Y-yes... Thank you..." He drawled out.
"Princess, may I ask a question?"
"Please, call my Auntie Tia, and ask away!" She replied with a giggle.
"Um... Alright, Auntie Tia..." He started, the words slowly rolling off the tongue, almost seeming foreign to him.
"Why exactly did you make me the Captain of the Royal Guard?" Shinning Armour asked nervously, but his question was met by a confused look. "You see, there are other Ponies more fitting for the job. For example Megatron is very powerful and strong with his words..." He shivered at the last part but continued. " Another would be Optimus Prime, he's just as strong as Megatron and has a good sense of justice. Either would make a good candidate and there are others just as qualified as them."
"Do you really want to know why I selected you?" Celestia asked, Shinning Armour nodding quickly.
"Well, it's supposed to be a secret, but you have the one thing that neither of them have, neigh, no one in the entire army has!" She said, her voice becoming a whisper.
"What? What is it I have?" Shinning Armour asked, leaning in.
Celestia motioned him even closer and he now stood face to face in front of her, turning his head and raising an ear to hear.
"Potential."
He visibly deflated at the word and backed up, rubbing his hoof against his ear as if trying to clear it better.
"I'm sorry your Highness but I think I must've misheard you... Did you say that the one thing that nopony else has in the entire Equestria Royal guard was potential?" He asked, hoping he was wrong.
"That's right!" She smiled.
"Oh..." He said, a little down. "But Princess, everypony has potential. Hay, that's even what they taught us at the academy. 'Everypony has the potential to be something great'." He recited.
"Ah, but no one has the sort of potential that you have my little pony. You see, it is true, everypony has potential but it can only go so far. You on the other hoof, have limitless potential, the power to accomplish great things that no-pony else can... It's hard to describe but it's almost the same potential that I see in Twilight, do you get what I am saying?" She asked but he just shook his head no.
"Well then, take for example the Changeling invasion, despite how taxing your body was after being mind controlled, as well as having your emotions fed on by Chrysalis, you and Cadance were still able to push back the Changelings and save all of Canterlot." She explained.
Shinning Armour off in the distance for a moment, deep in thought.
"So you mean to say that I have great magical potential just like my sister?"
"Not quite, while you sister has the potential for controlling magic I think you have the potential for raw, unrefined magic. Your magical reserves run deeper then you know Captain, and even though you may never pull off any of the spells that your sister can cast, you'll be able to cast normal ones at an almost unmatched magnitude.
"And that is not to say that magic is not the only thing I see talent in, you also have the talent to be a great leader. At such an age that you have taken on the role of a leader and have used it well I have seen you grow into the guard Captain you are today. Despite the mistakes you have had in the past, you're learning from them and evolving you views because of them. You still have much to learn so I wish to see you continue your growth in the future." As she finished she smiled down at a Shinning Armour who was now swelling with pride, the dark thoughts from before now long gone from his mind.
"Now if you'll excuse me Captain, I need to go find my sister and have a talk with her about her behavior from before." And with a quick bow she left the throne room through the golden doors, but before they could fully close behind her the Shinning Armour called back.
"Prin- I mean Aunty Tia! I wont let you down!" He shouted, saluting with a grin as the doors slowly closed.
"I'm counting on it Shinning Armour." She smiled before the doors closed and then continued to trot down the halls to find her sister.
Author's Note
I haven't written in a while due to how upset my stomach as been, but also coupled with laziness and video games so I deeply apologize.
I hopefully will start working on a chapter for Follow Your Heart but I'm not sure when it'll be done.
Also, while helping a friend with his own story I have come to a conclusion.
My writing needs work.
I try to edit stuff myself and it sort of works out but there are errors and plot holes here and there that I never notice.
SO! I have decided to try and start looking for a pre-reader to help me, someone who can point out errors, find plot holes as well as bounce story ideas with me.
I've been hesitant with this idea as I don't like to give anything away with my story but if it'll make it better then I think it's worth a try.
Also, since people rarely read this section I am going to sum this up with large bold words to get your attention!
Also, it will be grammatically incorrect to draw you in.
Enjoy the chapter and I swear to god I hope someone comes by to save me soon...
I NEEDZ EDITOR, PLZ HALP!
