The shield of Equestriaby SenseisteelChapters(1) Beginnings (3) Loverbuck(2) Blunt force trauma and trains(1) Beginnings (1) Beginnings The day began as any other. The sun slowly emerging from beyond the horizon causing a beam of light to shoot through the barracks, first on the roof then slowly illuminating the rest of the grey chamber. Almost all of the other guards were catching all the shuteye they could get, while another stood proudly facing the large stain glass window blessed with the crest of both Luna and Celsestia. From under his eyelids he felt the sunlight rain down upon him, warming him somewhere deep within himself. After a few moments of pure happiness within his mind he snapped back to see a pair of exhausted, gold plated pegasi dragging themselves across the room.”Busy night?” He grunted in a plain but slightly sarcastic tone. He was met by a series of low pitched whines as the pair struggled to remove their armour. One of them stood head down with nothing but his helmet perched on the top of his head. His more conscious compadre, devoid of his armour trotted over to him, removing his golden helmet that shone in the luminosity of the sun’s rays and quietly nudging him until he collapsed onto his bed. He bounced once on impact, his face instantly recognising the material gave a sigh of relief as he began to stretch his legs and quietly snore. The other gave a respectable nod to the one by the window before collapsing onto his bunk, instantly dropping into a state of deep sleep. With a cheerful grin across his face the proud stallion cantered down the row of half empty bunks, the size of the royal guard has shrunk hugely over the last few years but those who remain are extremely proud of their work. Overcome with the profound sense of euphoria the guard slowed his pace, remembering a day of basic training where in this very room he first met the princesses. Around 5 years ago he joined the royal guard as a blank flank. He barely made it through the selection process, being constantly harassed by both the examiners trying to convince him that he is could be making a big mistake as well as the other candidates who were sure of their intentions to become soldiers of Equestria, unlike him. Not long after he had passed through the selection, his unit was given a surprise inspection from the royal sisters themselves. Celestia having heard the news of somepony who had not found their life’s purpose had decided to join her royal guard, which for most ponies was a lifetime commitment. The royal duo entered the hall and was met by a formation of trainee guards bowing with their chins pressed firmly on the floor; she in turn lowered her head in respect and requested that they rise. As their eyes slowly levitated their way from the ground they met with the kind face of her majesty who asked them all to remove their helmets. Overwhelmed with the princesses kind words that seemed to echo within each of the recruits heads like notes from a harp they all in perfect unison removed their enchanted helms, and in an instant all of their coats and manes had returned to their original colours, but only on their heads. Their body armour caused their body’s to remain the same pristine white. The princess scanned each of their faces and noticed one at the back with the look of insecurity hidden behind his stare. “You there” she calmly said with the look of concern clearly written across her face. As soon as he noticed the outstretched hoof was pointed directly at him he could do nothing but worry and think to himself “oh no, oh no this isn’t good” he began to break from the formation and march toward her while shivering within his armour. The princess with a keen eye immediately saw through his proud facade and began to worry herself that she may have been a bit direct with her approach and that the situation may be a bit much for the recruit to handle. The princess assessed the situation and believed that the best course of action was to separate the recruit from his unit to avoid any embarrassment. She turned her head to their staff sergeant and whispered to him “I think he might need some space, do you mind taking the recruits and keeping them busy?” the armoured pony bowed “of course my liege” before turning to the rest of the recruits and ordering them out of the door into the courtyard, they were shortly followed by Luna who was interested in learning more of the new training regime. With that she turned but didn’t see the recruit anywhere, his helmet was still laid on the floor where he was in formation not a minute ago. She continued to scan the room before she heard a small rattle coming from below her. She rolled her eyes as she took a step back and lowered her head down to his level, as she did so his nervous shake tuned into a shiver of fear that made his armour chatter like his teeth already where. He felt as if his entire world was collapsing around him as he shook uncontrollably he felt his heart beating like a tribal drum within his ribs launching waves of shock thorough his body. “There is no need to be afraid” His heart stopped, he opened one eye to see Celestia had lowered her head to his level and was staring into his eyes with one of the purest smiles he had ever witnessed. However He was still locked in his bowed position almost unable to move, but with some assistance from Celestia he was soon on his feet. With weak legs he stood in the mandatory formation position before her highness who was still stricken with worry about him. “May I be so kind as to know your name” she asked with her head tilted slightly, in an attempt to calm the recruit a little. The recruit’s lips shook “D...D...Dawn blade” his face gave way to a small smile as he felt something tick within that made him feel proud of himself for some strange reason. It was as if for once in his life he was happy with what he was accomplishing. Celestia sensing this continued to question him, asking why he had decided to join the guard. He responded in a tone of confusion saying “it was an act of impulse” and he had no idea why he signed up in the first place. She raised an eyebrow and stared blankly into his eyes, trying to make sense of his motives. But alas she could not even after 20 minutes of questioning; she decided not to meddle in Dawn Blades affairs, so she thanked him for his time and told him to get some rest after the earlier ordeal. After that day the rest of his training seemed to go as smooth as silk, every test he seemed to just glide through on instinct alone. During the graduation ceremony he was awarded with multiple commendations by his commanding officers saying he was almost perfect. But as soon as the princess came on stage and announced that officially they were now members of the royal guard Dawn blade felt a shock surge through his body as a blast of white light shone through every gap in his armour blinding him then knocking him unconscious. He awoke a few hours after the ceremony had ended in his bunk with the rest of his unit staring down on him, some with smiles and others looking absolutely dumbfounded by what they were looking at. One of them held a mirror up and showed him that he had two marks on his flanks, on his right there was a shield with the crest of princess Celestia, while on his left was another shield with the crest of the princess Luna. After seeing this he passed out for a few more hours, and was left alone to rest by his comrades. Dawn Blade was so caught up in the reminiscing that when he was brought back into reality he saw that he had walked straight out of the barracks and was now standing alone in the courtyard of the palace. He rolled his eyes and chuckled to himself as he turned back towards the door where he was met by around 20 half asleep pegasi and unicorns struggling to get their armour on “I say it time and time again, if you lot had woken up earlier you would not have to go through this rush every morning” he said leaning in the door frame. He was met only by a few sleep filled eyes drifting to him then back to their armour followed a few agitated sighs. After about five minutes of whining, grunting and overall displeasure the room had transformed from a rainbow of assorted coats and mains to an orderly line of blank faced guards awaiting inspection. “Morning guard awaiting inspection captain!” called a unicorn in the far left of the room. Dawn trotted slowly down the only occupied isle of bunks in the large barrack, carefully inspecting each guard. First checking their coat and main for any discolouration, then their armour straps, pulling on a few to check if they were correctly fashioned. But then something caught his eye. An empty space along the isle, the wooden footlocker overturned and empty with the engraving “BLAZE” on the side. “Anypony know where private blaze is?” he called along the isle “he was summoned to the throne room late last night sir” said the unicorn on the far side of the room Dawn Blade raised an eyebrow “I would have thought he would be back by now” he said while putting the footlocker back in its place. As he flipped it open he saw a small necklace sitting in the bottom “was he told to take everything?” he asked blazes bunkmate “I believe so” the Pegasus said struggling not to yawn before covering his mouth with a hoof. Dawn Blade then placed the necklace inside his armour pouch before calling out “Very well... dismissed!” (3) LoverbuckDawn stumbled through the tavern door wiping his hooves as he entered. Sky was already sitting at the bar when Dawn cantered toward him and took the stool next to him. “Nice place” Dawn said as he slowly surveyed the room. The walls were plain wood covered in ornaments while the floor consisted of rather rudimentary planks decorated by an assortment of rugs, the whole place had “wild west” written all over it. As Dawn brought his eyes back to the bar the pair was approached by the bar mare “What can I get y`all?” she asked, Sky, remembering who she was and threw his hoofs in the air “Applejack! It’s been too long” he shouted gleefully, her face lifted with a smile as the pair shared a hug over the bar before Sky introduced Dawn “This is Captain Blade of the royal guard” he stated proudly pointing to Dawn with his hoof. Dawn Blade had spent the last few minutes with his eyes glued to the orange earthpony. Sky gave him a nudge that snapped him out of it. “Ahem... Pleasure to make your acquaintance Miss Applejack” he said with a deep voice trying to hide his embarrassment. “The famed shield of equestria huh, thought there`d be more metal on ya” she responded. “He’s here on forced leave by orders from the royal sisters themselves” Sky butted in “Ah so y`all be the fellers who had the room reserved?” applejack inquired. “Indeed we are” Said Sky, a smirk slowly growing across his face as he noticed Dawn gawking at Applejacks golden mane “Celestia really needs ta find a way to warn ponies when she sends one of those fancy Dragon scroll thingies. The one she sent us earlier nearly took Big Mack`s eye out” She ranted as she served drinks to the ponies further up the bar. While she was preoccupied Sky leant over to Dawn and whispered in his ear “You like her don’t you?” Dawn scrambled to find his voice “I don’t know what you’re talking about” He argued, sinking back desperately trying to find something to change the subject of conversation. “Ha, there is many a thing your good at captain, but lying isn’t one of them” Sky snickered as he tilted a freshly filled tankard into his mouth. With little information of what they were serving at the bar, Dawn pulled the oldest trick in the book “I’ll have what he’s having” After a couple of hours (and around a dozen pints later) the dignified guardsponies had became sloshing drunkards barely able to stand, exchanging slurred stories of their past. “So... what’s the story with you and Princess Luna?” asked Sky as he stacked empty tankards clumsily using his telekinesis. “Funny story, around two weeks after first getting to the palace I got lost in the upper halls. Trying not to make a foal out of myself I pretended I was on guard duty, eventually coming across a giant door. Curiosity getting the better of me I peaked inside to find what looked like a mare having a massive case of the night terrors. It being my duty to ensure the wellbeing of everypony who lives in equestria I tried to see if I could wake her. Turns out her nightmare came to an abrupt end just as I stepped beside her bed. I saw her eyes open then all I can remember is waking up in the clinic with a broken leg and wing.” “You find out what happened?” “Yea, apparently when the princess screamed I got sent hurtling through the window and onto the cliff face about two hundred hoofs down” “How did you survive that?” asked Sky, his eyes immediately drawn to Dawn as he mentioned the great height. “After bouncing a few times I was caught by Luna, who took me straight to medical” Explained Dawn who flexed his right hind leg and wing. “How come the rest of us didn’t hear of this incident” poked Sky “We decided to keep it all on the hush hush, to keep up appearances’, plus it wasn’t all bad” “Besides you know the part where you nearly died” Said Sky as he returned to his structure, gently placing another empty tankard at the peak “Yea that was pretty nasty. Took weeks for some of those wounds to heal...” Dawn laughed as he ran his hoof along a barely visible scar that ran its way from the base of his neck to the bottom of his chest. Eventually Sky`s tower of leaning tankards toppled, one of the empty alcohol vessels hitting him square in the face. “And I believe that’s my cue to leave” slurred Sky as he began to stagger his way upstairs. Dawn remained at the bar to finish his drink (and to get another look at the bar mare) taking the last swig he saw her shoot him a glance, her eyes beaming through a crowd like they were on fire. Dawn began to freak out inside his head; he had never felt like this around anypony before and it was getting to him. He began to ponder if it was the drink effecting his judgement. Dawn continued to fret inside his mind until he felt something approach; he turned into the irises’ of Applejack, who had snuck up beside him. As soon as their eyes met Dawn`s mind descended into a swirl of bright colors and the taste of alcohol. ... ... ... Dawn forced one eye open. And immediately he had the biggest headache he had ever endured, it felt like there was somepony inside his head trying to smash its way out with a hammer, each pulse just as painful as the last. He sat up realising he was in a bed. “I am probably in one of the reserved rooms” dawn thought through the haze of sleep and pain. Mustering the energy, Dawn pushed himself off the side of the bed and slowly trotted out the ajar door on the far side of the room. When Dawn made it down a floor he found Sky drowning himself in a bowl of what smelt like a thoroughly spiced stew. “Morning loverbuck” Sky giggled, his voice muffled by the bowl surrounding his snout “Wha?” Dawn responded groggily barely able to think strait. Sky rolled his eyes and slid him a second steaming bowl to the closer end of the table “Get some of this down ya” urged Sky as he lifted his head. Dawn loomed over the bowl with suspicion. “It’s an old family recipe; knock the hangover right out of you”. The smell emanating from the liquid inside was rich with exotic spices and rich herbs. Just wanting to be rid of the headache Dawn took a hearty gulp of the mystery substance. The headache disappeared as fast as it arrived, however Dawn could feel a little burn on his tongue that suddenly spread all the way down his throat and around his mouth. He began to canter around the room, his tongue stuck out and his eyes watering. “Ny tongue, ith burns!” Dawn yelped through his gagging. “Hah, I bet it does!” Sky could barely contain himself; he was on the floor in hysterics for a few seconds before he levitated a tankard full of milk over to Dawn who was also rolling on the floor but for a totally different reason. After consuming the entire tankard of milk, Dawn could feel the burning sensation receding eventually disappearing completely. “What was that?” Dawn asked with a dry mouth as he brought himself to his hoofs. “Family secret” Sky said tapping the side of his snout with his hoof “you don’t get generation after generation of heavy drinkers without a cure for a hangover popping up somewhere along the line” “I can see the truth in that” Dawn muttered as he poured himself some oatmeal, turning he realised that the room had two separate beds. “Umm, Sky?” “Yea?” “Was this supposed to be our room?” “Yup” Sky answered with a quick nod followed by a smirk as he realised where Dawn was going “So where did i...” Dawn started before being cut off by Sky “Sleep?... follow me” Sky proceeded to quietly trot out of the room, up a small set of stairs onto a small landing where a door hung open, the sunlight beaming through illuminating the specks of dust that floated through the air. The room itself was larger than the one they reserved and was more... homely; Sky shoved Dawn back through the door while whispering in his ear. “Welcome to Ponyville”. The first thing Dawn saw was the bed. A large double, the same he woke up in earlier except this time he didn’t have a brain crippling headache. On one of the posts lay a brown cowpony hat. “Oh sweet Celestia” Cursed Dawn under his breath as he observed the other mass gently breathing beneath the sheets. It was Applejack. (2) Blunt force trauma and trainsFollowing the rest of the guards out of the barracks, Dawn Blade headed towards the throne room. Passing through the marble floored chambers he would always stop for a few moments to admire the rather prestigious collection of artwork that was on display all over the palace, he especially took interest on those of the night sky. Other guards would often say they would find him in a trance like state, staring into the painting like into a lover’s eye. Passing a large painting he kept pace while swivelling his head towards the fine artwork eventually the inevitable happened, he tripped on his own front leg and tumbled head over hoof into the throne room. Dawn rushed to his hoofs to try and avoid any oncoming laughs from the usual crowds of ponies here to visit the princess. But they never came, instead in his hazed vision he saw a small purple shape rushing down the steps toward him. As Dawn regained his vision he saw it was twilight sparkle, the student of Celestia. He bowed, flinching slightly as his grazed jaw hit the cold marble. “Please” she said worriedly “there is no need to bow to me” “Aye but there is” he said opening his eyes and raising from his bow. “The personal student of her majesty should be treated with all the respect she deserves” he explained proudly with his smirk hidden within the sides of his helmet. She began to blush as she turned and headed back up the stairs, followed by dawn. “Were you just passing through guardspony, or where you here for an audience with the princess?” she asked as she turned and ascended the stairs backwards. “Actually I am here looking for a guard who was summoned here last night” he explained as he climbed the stairs that seemed to go on further than normal. Twilight pondered to herself for a second or two before saying “ah yes I remember him, Private...Blaze was it” “Yes, that’s him” he breathed a sigh of relief, both for the missing private and the as well as the end of the stairs. The pair was then met by Celestia who was busy reading a large scroll inscribed in something nothing like equestrian. As twilight cantered to the side of the throne to continue filing through a large pile of old books, Dawn brought his head down, this time placing his front hoof under his chin to save staining the carpet. “Captain Blade, you should save the formalities” she said in a jolly voice as she lowered and rolled up the scroll using the telekinesis. “I can clearly see something is troubling you, would you mind sharing?”She said in the same tone, tilting her head slightly to one side “I can see you are busy my liege, I shall return at a better time” he said as he turned to head back down the stairs. But as he tried to descend he was levitated off the ground, bought back 10 hoofs and turned to face the princess. “Captain I can assure you that I am never too busy for my subjects, let alone a member of my guard” she stated with a reassuring smile. The captain Bowed once more, hissing in pain as his graze touched the fabric of the floor. “I am here in search of private Blaze. He was summoned to the throne room last night along with all of his possessions. However this morning I discovered he had left this” he reached into the small pouch under his armour to reveal the small gold necklace. Hanging it from his outstretched hoof Celestia lifted it to her eye level and examined it closely. “By the looks of it I would say this would be a cherished possession of somepony like blaze”. She squinted at the object before placing it on the side of the throne. “I will ensure it gets back to him” “Thank you princess” dawn blaze said as he began to back away. “However I have a more pressing matter I wish to discuss with you captain” she immediately caught the ear of Dawn Blade who stood to attention and asked “And what may this matter be?” “You” the captain jumped back a hoof with one brow raised, mouth agape. “Me your highness, whatever is wrong with me?” he asked in a surprised yet concerned tone. This had even caught the attention of both twilight and the guards standing beside the throne who all scanned him for any physical injury he was trying to hide, bedsides the graze that blessed his chin. “There is nothing wrong with you Captain” she said “It’s just the fact in all your five years, to this day to be exact of service, you have all but once set hoof outside the palace walls and even when you did was an accident”. The captain gave a small mischievous giggle from beneath his helmet. “You’re kidding?” said a voice from behind the throne, shortly followed by twilight trotting around to face the captain. “I most certainly am not, ever since he joined he hasn’t been on leave a single time, never taken day off, ill or otherwise, and I am pretty sure he has never been late to an event in his entire service to me and my sister” she began to show that look of concern, the same one she bore five years ago. The same could not be said for the guards and twilight that all had looks of complete disbelief plastered across their faces. They had never heard of somepony being able to withstand that much for so long. But Twilight was calmed by the Captain’s honest smile. “I, Luna and Blaze came to the agreement last night that you need respite. Whether you like it or not” the kindness remained in her voice but there was an undertone of seriousness like a mother advising her foal. “Well I guess it had to happen eventually. What is it you command of me your majesty?” his face remained with the same smile but his eyes dropped to the floor as if he was admiring defeat. “On the contrary Captain Blade I do not command you to do anything, I simply wish for you to take a long overdue break from your duties here at the palace.” She was met by the captains smiling face giving a nod of gratitude and in turn he received the same gesture. The Captain proceeded down the stairs and back the way he entered, quietly closing the large wooden door behind him. As soon has the door lock snapped shut, the princess re examined Blazes necklace. With a flick the centre piece popped open to reveal two very small photographs along with a tightly folded note. Overcome with curiosity but restrained by her respect for Blaze she decided not to read the note. Instead she passed the locket down to Twilight. “It appears I have underestimated the significance of this fine piece of craftsmanship” she added noticing the discoloration on the note that suggested it was years old. “Do we know where blaze is?” asked Twilight curiously as she slowly rotated the open locket in front of her face. “I believe Luna requested to see him in private after our meeting.” She said one eyebrow rose trying to make sense of the situation, before passing the note down, placing it inside the locket, then gently closing it to avoid damage. “Twilight would you be so kind as to ask Luna of the location of blaze, I’m afraid I need to attend to these translations before the midday hearings” she explained raising the foreign scroll once again. “Of course princess” Twilight acknowledged as she began to descend the steps towards the main entrance “oh silly me” she turned to face the princess with a blush of embarrassment across her cheeks. “It been so long since I last walked these halls, could you direct me to her chambers?” “Captain Blade will be able to direct you” she answered peering over the top of the worn scroll. “But didn’t the captain leave?” she asked furrowing her brows in a form of mild confusion. Celestia lowered the scroll and with a smile said “Knowing him he hasn’t yet left the main hall. If you hurry you can catch him” Twilight nodded and rapidly made her way down the marble stairs towards the towering doorway. As she left the throne room Twilight looked left only to see an empty hall stretching into the distance but as she brought her eyes across to her right she noticed not far off a Pegasus guard sitting on his hind legs staring blankly into a painting that was at least twenty times his size. As she approached she noticed his pupils had dilated and he was almost in a state of somnambulism. She was unsure how to approach the situation, when another darker coated unicorn guard passed. Taking heed of her frightened expression the guard approached. “Is there anything the matter Miss Sparkle? He asked “I’m not sure, is that guardspony alright?” she turned and lifted her right hoof in the direction of the seated Pegasus. The guard proceeded to sneak up behind the Pegasus before whispering into his ear “Aaaaaaaaand your back in the room” with that the unicorn gave a light tap on the back of his helmet that seemed to snap him out of it. After the unicorn finished his giggle fit he placed his hoof over his colleagues shoulder “I think that mare over yonder wanted to talk to you Dawn”. Dawn Blade wiped what looked like a tear from his eye, got to his hoofs and trotted over to bow to Twilight. “What is it you need Miss twilight?” he asked while re centring his helmet. “I was told by Celestia that you would be able to take me to Luna’s chambers”. As soon as she mentioned Luna his face seemed to lift, his stance became more loose and relaxed. “Of course Miss Sparkle” he leant sideways and called out to the other guard “Hey Sky! You up for saying hi to Luna?” Sky shrugged his shoulders “Sure why not”. The group continued through the twists and turns of marble, red carpet and stone until they came across a large door within a dark frame and plastered all over with symbols of the moon. “You two might want to stand back” Dawn said while searching his pouch for something “aha!” he pulled a small key out from under his armour and into his mouth. “Here we go again” he thought to himself as he placed the key in the lock and opened the door. As Dawn disappeared within the dark room Sky nudged Twilight who looked over and saw him holding a pair of earplugs in one hoof and already had a pair in his ears. Twilight could hear the captain’s voice inside the chamber while placing the plugs in, and in an instant the world went silent for a few seconds before a thunderous roar erupted from through the doorway shortly followed by the captain flying backwards, his armour tearing splinters out of the door, smashing against the far wall and slumping in a heap . The pair removed their earplugs just in time to hear him say “Yup she’s awake” as he rolled onto his front and found his hoofs. “OH MY GOODNESS, DAWN BLADE ARE YOU ALRIGHT?” A bead headed princess of the night galloped through the doorway towards the captain. “Yea, yea don’t worry I’m... I`m fi...” the captain collapsed. It was pretty obvious he was suffering from a heavy concussion and was deeply winded from the impact. From Dawns eyes the world the world had lost all its sense of structure. The walls and floor seemed to mould into themselves like they were made of liquid, the ponies that were once clear had begun to dissolve. The whole world span as he began to fade out of consciousness. The darkness was interrupted by a small flash of light that began to pulsate. First small then it grew larger and larger until h managed to force his eyes open, revealing that floating mass of multicoloured mane floating between him and a sunlit ceiling. Dawn sat up rubbing his eyes with his forelegs. “When I said take a break I don’t think I meant from consciousness” Dawn turned his head to see the silhouette of Princess Celestia standing between the large bed and the ruined door. He could make out from the small puddle of blood and the droplets that trailed toward him that he had been brought into Luna`s chambers and placed on the bed after being thrown from the room. “How long have I been out?” he moaned as he continued to survey his surroundings. The pitch black room had been transformed into what seemed like a marvellous piece of art. The floor was a ginormous crescent moon made of marble that was so clean you could see your face in it; the walls were decorated with large banners bearing the royal crest that rested upon a perfect re-creation of the night sky that surrounded the entire room. He continued his visual self tour of the room until his eyes fell on a very guilty looking Princess Luna, her eyes glued to the ground. Lieutenant Sky seated directly to her right, trying desperately not to laugh gestured with a hoof in the direction of a large mirror situated in the far corner of the room with his hoof. Within resided an image that even made Celestia feel uneasy, the Captains armour was scuffed and dented all over, all the perfectly crafted golden sequences had become a tangled mess of creases and cracks. To top it all off Dawn began to see blood pour from inside his helmet down his face, the same process felt like it repeated all over his body. While he was busy wiping the blood away Twilight cantered through the open door holding a small wooden bowl filled with a steaming hot liquid, Celestia breathed a sigh of relief to see her asking. “Is this the zebra concoction?” “Yes, sorry it took so long but Zecoras instructions were a bit cryptic.” answered Twilight. Dawn meanwhile was attempting to climb off of the bed, but as he stood on the marble floor he began to cough uncontrollably. Sky rushed to his side stopping him from toppling over. “Whatever that stuff is it better work” he said while helping the captain find his hoofing. As Twilight fed Dawn the strange mixture the royal duo approached closely studying the effects of the foreign medicine. Dawn struggled to swallow the liquid clearly in pain, but a few seconds later his eyes shot open releasing a blast of light that seemed to cover the entire room. When the light faded all the others saw was his broken armour plates strewn across the floor, the straps singed clean off. “Umm, you sure that wasn’t a potion for spontaneous combustion?” asked Sky. Twilight shook her head but before she could open her mouth she saw the princesses were looking up at something, as she brought her eyes skyward she saw what had become of Dawn. A dark brown Pegasus hovered in the centre of the room’s airspace, his short white mane bouncing with every flap of his wings. Celestia sensed something astray within the stallion and called out “Captain blade?” A silence filled the room as the “captain” slowly descended towards the baffled group of ponies; as soon as he touched down he opened his eyes revealing their blood red colour. When he remembered where he was he knelt for the royal sisters. “Yes Princess?” he said in a relaxed tone the others were taken back by this, a pony that seconds ago looked like he was going to die was now looking healthy as ever. Celsestia sensed the return of Dawn and in turn her smile resurfaced upon her face. She then nudged Luna who was still consumed with guilt over his previous bedridden state. She nervously approached Dawn “Are you alright” she asked flinching as if she was expecting some kind of outburst from Dawn Blade. But it never came. “Yes princess I’m fine, actually I think I came out of that with a few more teeth” he answered as he proceeded to rub his chin with his hoof before adding “and I think that damn graze has gone too”. Luna began t shake slightly “I cannot put into words how sorry I am for my actions earli-“. She was interjected by dawn who argued “There is no need to apologise Luna, the equestrian voice is an ability that you will only learn to control through experience. *sigh* even if the one on the receiving end is me” he stated proudly as stretched his legs. Luna looked over her shoulder at Celestia who shrugged swearing she didn’t put the words in his head. Dawn continued “ I've lived here long enough to understand how these things work you know.” Luna nodded before asking “I believe you were on your way here for something before the err accident?” “Yes, we were on our way here to ask of the location of a Private Blaze” forwarded Twilight. Luna with a smirk on the corner of her face cantered over to Celestia and whispered something into her ear, the pair shared a short giggle before facing the others. “He is currently running an errand in the town of Ponyville” Luna announced. Sky’s ears pricked up with the mentioning of his hometown “I believe we have a way that you can take your break while running an errand of your own” said Celestia picking Blazes necklace up of the small bedside table and hoofing it to Sky. “And what may that be you highness” asked Dawn, his voice slipping back into its serious tone from before. “I wish for you to travel to Ponyville and deliver that locket to Blaze personally” she said in her usual jolly tone. “As you wish your highness” Captain Blade said as he bowed for Celesta then Luna before leaving the chambers escorted by Lieutenant Sky. The last hours of the morning were consumed by Blade travelling back to the barracks, collecting his things along with a small part of his mountain of pay. He entered the main entrance hall with nothing but a saddlebag, the sun shining through the stain glass windows and the tiny crack in the center of the door. The door guards stood to attention as he approached “At ease” the captain shouted trying not to look like such a pansy without his normal attire. Before he could open the doors he saw movement out of the corner of his eyes. It was a white unicorn with a vibrant light blue mane and deep purple eyes. The mystery stallion halted before dawn and saluted “lieutenant Sky reporting for duty sir!” he said in a boisterous tone. “What are you doing here lieutenant, and out of uniform?” Dawn Blade asked while inspecting him seeing he too had a saddle bag ready for travel. “I’m here to be your guide of Ponyville sir” he stated excitedly. “Very well, shall we proceed?” asked the Captain as he drew closer to the ginormous reinforced door. Before he could open it the energetic Sky rushed past him pushing the door open before he could lay a hoof on it. He was about to say something but his eyes caught a glimpse of the outside and where in awe. It had been five years since he last set hoof outside the Palace and he had forgotten how beautiful Canterlot was. White towers shot into the blue sky tipped with red tiles; the streets were cleanly cobbled and were bustling with happy ponies going about their business. As they passed the local recruitment centre on their way to the train station a large line of applicants had formed outside. One of them saw the Captains cutie mark and began to chatter with the pony next to him. Eventually the entire centre was staring at him. The captain and Sky stood still for a few seconds before the orderly line of ponies saluted and shouted in perfect unison “Hail, shield of Equestria!” “What?” the captain asked in disbelief. Sky then leant toward him. “Yea you can thank the princesses for that” he said as he pointed toward a recruitment poster on the wall showing Dawn donning his armour with his marks displayed on large banners behind him. They continued cantering to the station. As they arrived Dawn saw more of the posters spaced out along the wall reading “BECOME THE SHIELD OF EQUESTRIA!” “You have become a bit of a celebrity around here” said sky as he scanned the station for the train. “I’m a little overwhelmed by all this” responded Dawn as he slowly paced back and forth on the wooden station platform. “They thought you might be” Sky responded as he saw their train and began to board. As they boarded the large train they entered a cabin with two benches on each side of a window surrounded by green painted walls and darker shade of green carpet. “How far away is Ponyville?” asked dawn as he set down his bag “It’ll take a few hours” answered Sky as he threw his saddlebag up onto the cushioned bench. The two jumped onto their benches and began rummaging through their bags for something to occupy them during the journey. First Dawn pulled a small piece of solid bread out of his bag and began to nibble on the edge “Rations really?” asked Sky with one eyebrow raised “your taking a break from all that, now here take this” Sky brought a ripe apple from his saddlebag and levitated it over to Dawn who caught it in his mouth, and began to slowly eat it. As Dawn began to clearly enjoy the apple, Sky lifted a large purple book out of his bag and began reading. “ALL ABOARD FOR PONYVILLE!” shouted the conductor repeatedly as he marched along the side of the multicoloured train. Not soon after the train jittered out of the station and began to glide across the landscape toward Ponyville. Suddenly a green flash appeared in the window and a rolled up note shot across the room, only to be caught by Sky telekinesis. He slowly opened it to reveal it was a letter reading “Dear lieutenant Sky and Captain Blade, We apologise for forgetting to grant you accommodation in Ponyville and we have messaged the local Inn of our predicament and have requested that you be lodged in one of their rooms. We apologise if this has been of any inconvenience. P.S. make sure blade meets some of the locals, he can be a little nervous around new ponies without his armor, yours faithfully Celestia. “What does it say?” asked Dawn as he finished the apple “It appears we are going to be spending our first few nights at the Apple tree” Sky responded with a broad smile. While he sank back into his seat and back into his book. Dawn had heard of the Apple tree, a small tavern on the edge of the town where sky had spent allot of his days before becoming a guard becoming so drunk he would fall asleep at the bar. He slipped into a trance of the image of his subordinate being unable to balance due to heavy consumption before opening his eyes to a dark cabin illuminated only by the light of the moon. He sat up rubbing his eyes realising he had just slept through the majority of the journey and could see the lights of a small village drawing closer through the window. He was about to wake Sky when a knock came at the cabin door. Dawn hopelessly stumbled toward the small sliding door, where he could see candlelight seeping through the creased glass. He slid the door half open where he saw a young ticket mare “Were approaching our destination, you may want to get up” she said gingerly. The captain was aware of his threatening stature and how much it was scaring her, he nodded and in the softest voice he could muster he said “Thank you we will prepare immediately”. His eyebrows lifted as the mare simply trotted off down the hall and out of the carriage. He thought to himself that this meeting ponies business might not be as hard as he first thought it would be. He trotted over to Sky who was lying flat on his back with his book balancing on his snout. Dawn moved the book back into his bag before lightly tapping him on the shoulder with his hoof; he was responded with a low mumble as Sky simply rolled to one side. Quite annoyed Dawn moved and stood in the centre of the cabin and began to flap his wings, the cold breeze eventually forced Sky to awake from his slumber with a disgruntled series of moans. “What...What? Are we here already?” Sky asked while rubbing the sleep from his eyes. As they gathered up their things the train slowed to a stop in a dimly lit station. They made their way of the train to see a quiet village sleeping under the glow of the moon, all for one building on the edge where music and laughter could be heard. Sky began to canter forth before shouting “I don’t know about you but I need a drink!”
(1) Beginnings (1) Beginnings The day began as any other. The sun slowly emerging from beyond the horizon causing a beam of light to shoot through the barracks, first on the roof then slowly illuminating the rest of the grey chamber. Almost all of the other guards were catching all the shuteye they could get, while another stood proudly facing the large stain glass window blessed with the crest of both Luna and Celsestia. From under his eyelids he felt the sunlight rain down upon him, warming him somewhere deep within himself. After a few moments of pure happiness within his mind he snapped back to see a pair of exhausted, gold plated pegasi dragging themselves across the room.”Busy night?” He grunted in a plain but slightly sarcastic tone. He was met by a series of low pitched whines as the pair struggled to remove their armour. One of them stood head down with nothing but his helmet perched on the top of his head. His more conscious compadre, devoid of his armour trotted over to him, removing his golden helmet that shone in the luminosity of the sun’s rays and quietly nudging him until he collapsed onto his bed. He bounced once on impact, his face instantly recognising the material gave a sigh of relief as he began to stretch his legs and quietly snore. The other gave a respectable nod to the one by the window before collapsing onto his bunk, instantly dropping into a state of deep sleep. With a cheerful grin across his face the proud stallion cantered down the row of half empty bunks, the size of the royal guard has shrunk hugely over the last few years but those who remain are extremely proud of their work. Overcome with the profound sense of euphoria the guard slowed his pace, remembering a day of basic training where in this very room he first met the princesses. Around 5 years ago he joined the royal guard as a blank flank. He barely made it through the selection process, being constantly harassed by both the examiners trying to convince him that he is could be making a big mistake as well as the other candidates who were sure of their intentions to become soldiers of Equestria, unlike him. Not long after he had passed through the selection, his unit was given a surprise inspection from the royal sisters themselves. Celestia having heard the news of somepony who had not found their life’s purpose had decided to join her royal guard, which for most ponies was a lifetime commitment. The royal duo entered the hall and was met by a formation of trainee guards bowing with their chins pressed firmly on the floor; she in turn lowered her head in respect and requested that they rise. As their eyes slowly levitated their way from the ground they met with the kind face of her majesty who asked them all to remove their helmets. Overwhelmed with the princesses kind words that seemed to echo within each of the recruits heads like notes from a harp they all in perfect unison removed their enchanted helms, and in an instant all of their coats and manes had returned to their original colours, but only on their heads. Their body armour caused their body’s to remain the same pristine white. The princess scanned each of their faces and noticed one at the back with the look of insecurity hidden behind his stare. “You there” she calmly said with the look of concern clearly written across her face. As soon as he noticed the outstretched hoof was pointed directly at him he could do nothing but worry and think to himself “oh no, oh no this isn’t good” he began to break from the formation and march toward her while shivering within his armour. The princess with a keen eye immediately saw through his proud facade and began to worry herself that she may have been a bit direct with her approach and that the situation may be a bit much for the recruit to handle. The princess assessed the situation and believed that the best course of action was to separate the recruit from his unit to avoid any embarrassment. She turned her head to their staff sergeant and whispered to him “I think he might need some space, do you mind taking the recruits and keeping them busy?” the armoured pony bowed “of course my liege” before turning to the rest of the recruits and ordering them out of the door into the courtyard, they were shortly followed by Luna who was interested in learning more of the new training regime. With that she turned but didn’t see the recruit anywhere, his helmet was still laid on the floor where he was in formation not a minute ago. She continued to scan the room before she heard a small rattle coming from below her. She rolled her eyes as she took a step back and lowered her head down to his level, as she did so his nervous shake tuned into a shiver of fear that made his armour chatter like his teeth already where. He felt as if his entire world was collapsing around him as he shook uncontrollably he felt his heart beating like a tribal drum within his ribs launching waves of shock thorough his body. “There is no need to be afraid” His heart stopped, he opened one eye to see Celestia had lowered her head to his level and was staring into his eyes with one of the purest smiles he had ever witnessed. However He was still locked in his bowed position almost unable to move, but with some assistance from Celestia he was soon on his feet. With weak legs he stood in the mandatory formation position before her highness who was still stricken with worry about him. “May I be so kind as to know your name” she asked with her head tilted slightly, in an attempt to calm the recruit a little. The recruit’s lips shook “D...D...Dawn blade” his face gave way to a small smile as he felt something tick within that made him feel proud of himself for some strange reason. It was as if for once in his life he was happy with what he was accomplishing. Celestia sensing this continued to question him, asking why he had decided to join the guard. He responded in a tone of confusion saying “it was an act of impulse” and he had no idea why he signed up in the first place. She raised an eyebrow and stared blankly into his eyes, trying to make sense of his motives. But alas she could not even after 20 minutes of questioning; she decided not to meddle in Dawn Blades affairs, so she thanked him for his time and told him to get some rest after the earlier ordeal. After that day the rest of his training seemed to go as smooth as silk, every test he seemed to just glide through on instinct alone. During the graduation ceremony he was awarded with multiple commendations by his commanding officers saying he was almost perfect. But as soon as the princess came on stage and announced that officially they were now members of the royal guard Dawn blade felt a shock surge through his body as a blast of white light shone through every gap in his armour blinding him then knocking him unconscious. He awoke a few hours after the ceremony had ended in his bunk with the rest of his unit staring down on him, some with smiles and others looking absolutely dumbfounded by what they were looking at. One of them held a mirror up and showed him that he had two marks on his flanks, on his right there was a shield with the crest of princess Celestia, while on his left was another shield with the crest of the princess Luna. After seeing this he passed out for a few more hours, and was left alone to rest by his comrades. Dawn Blade was so caught up in the reminiscing that when he was brought back into reality he saw that he had walked straight out of the barracks and was now standing alone in the courtyard of the palace. He rolled his eyes and chuckled to himself as he turned back towards the door where he was met by around 20 half asleep pegasi and unicorns struggling to get their armour on “I say it time and time again, if you lot had woken up earlier you would not have to go through this rush every morning” he said leaning in the door frame. He was met only by a few sleep filled eyes drifting to him then back to their armour followed a few agitated sighs. After about five minutes of whining, grunting and overall displeasure the room had transformed from a rainbow of assorted coats and mains to an orderly line of blank faced guards awaiting inspection. “Morning guard awaiting inspection captain!” called a unicorn in the far left of the room. Dawn trotted slowly down the only occupied isle of bunks in the large barrack, carefully inspecting each guard. First checking their coat and main for any discolouration, then their armour straps, pulling on a few to check if they were correctly fashioned. But then something caught his eye. An empty space along the isle, the wooden footlocker overturned and empty with the engraving “BLAZE” on the side. “Anypony know where private blaze is?” he called along the isle “he was summoned to the throne room late last night sir” said the unicorn on the far side of the room Dawn Blade raised an eyebrow “I would have thought he would be back by now” he said while putting the footlocker back in its place. As he flipped it open he saw a small necklace sitting in the bottom “was he told to take everything?” he asked blazes bunkmate “I believe so” the Pegasus said struggling not to yawn before covering his mouth with a hoof. Dawn Blade then placed the necklace inside his armour pouch before calling out “Very well... dismissed!”
(3) LoverbuckDawn stumbled through the tavern door wiping his hooves as he entered. Sky was already sitting at the bar when Dawn cantered toward him and took the stool next to him. “Nice place” Dawn said as he slowly surveyed the room. The walls were plain wood covered in ornaments while the floor consisted of rather rudimentary planks decorated by an assortment of rugs, the whole place had “wild west” written all over it. As Dawn brought his eyes back to the bar the pair was approached by the bar mare “What can I get y`all?” she asked, Sky, remembering who she was and threw his hoofs in the air “Applejack! It’s been too long” he shouted gleefully, her face lifted with a smile as the pair shared a hug over the bar before Sky introduced Dawn “This is Captain Blade of the royal guard” he stated proudly pointing to Dawn with his hoof. Dawn Blade had spent the last few minutes with his eyes glued to the orange earthpony. Sky gave him a nudge that snapped him out of it. “Ahem... Pleasure to make your acquaintance Miss Applejack” he said with a deep voice trying to hide his embarrassment. “The famed shield of equestria huh, thought there`d be more metal on ya” she responded. “He’s here on forced leave by orders from the royal sisters themselves” Sky butted in “Ah so y`all be the fellers who had the room reserved?” applejack inquired. “Indeed we are” Said Sky, a smirk slowly growing across his face as he noticed Dawn gawking at Applejacks golden mane “Celestia really needs ta find a way to warn ponies when she sends one of those fancy Dragon scroll thingies. The one she sent us earlier nearly took Big Mack`s eye out” She ranted as she served drinks to the ponies further up the bar. While she was preoccupied Sky leant over to Dawn and whispered in his ear “You like her don’t you?” Dawn scrambled to find his voice “I don’t know what you’re talking about” He argued, sinking back desperately trying to find something to change the subject of conversation. “Ha, there is many a thing your good at captain, but lying isn’t one of them” Sky snickered as he tilted a freshly filled tankard into his mouth. With little information of what they were serving at the bar, Dawn pulled the oldest trick in the book “I’ll have what he’s having” After a couple of hours (and around a dozen pints later) the dignified guardsponies had became sloshing drunkards barely able to stand, exchanging slurred stories of their past. “So... what’s the story with you and Princess Luna?” asked Sky as he stacked empty tankards clumsily using his telekinesis. “Funny story, around two weeks after first getting to the palace I got lost in the upper halls. Trying not to make a foal out of myself I pretended I was on guard duty, eventually coming across a giant door. Curiosity getting the better of me I peaked inside to find what looked like a mare having a massive case of the night terrors. It being my duty to ensure the wellbeing of everypony who lives in equestria I tried to see if I could wake her. Turns out her nightmare came to an abrupt end just as I stepped beside her bed. I saw her eyes open then all I can remember is waking up in the clinic with a broken leg and wing.” “You find out what happened?” “Yea, apparently when the princess screamed I got sent hurtling through the window and onto the cliff face about two hundred hoofs down” “How did you survive that?” asked Sky, his eyes immediately drawn to Dawn as he mentioned the great height. “After bouncing a few times I was caught by Luna, who took me straight to medical” Explained Dawn who flexed his right hind leg and wing. “How come the rest of us didn’t hear of this incident” poked Sky “We decided to keep it all on the hush hush, to keep up appearances’, plus it wasn’t all bad” “Besides you know the part where you nearly died” Said Sky as he returned to his structure, gently placing another empty tankard at the peak “Yea that was pretty nasty. Took weeks for some of those wounds to heal...” Dawn laughed as he ran his hoof along a barely visible scar that ran its way from the base of his neck to the bottom of his chest. Eventually Sky`s tower of leaning tankards toppled, one of the empty alcohol vessels hitting him square in the face. “And I believe that’s my cue to leave” slurred Sky as he began to stagger his way upstairs. Dawn remained at the bar to finish his drink (and to get another look at the bar mare) taking the last swig he saw her shoot him a glance, her eyes beaming through a crowd like they were on fire. Dawn began to freak out inside his head; he had never felt like this around anypony before and it was getting to him. He began to ponder if it was the drink effecting his judgement. Dawn continued to fret inside his mind until he felt something approach; he turned into the irises’ of Applejack, who had snuck up beside him. As soon as their eyes met Dawn`s mind descended into a swirl of bright colors and the taste of alcohol. ... ... ... Dawn forced one eye open. And immediately he had the biggest headache he had ever endured, it felt like there was somepony inside his head trying to smash its way out with a hammer, each pulse just as painful as the last. He sat up realising he was in a bed. “I am probably in one of the reserved rooms” dawn thought through the haze of sleep and pain. Mustering the energy, Dawn pushed himself off the side of the bed and slowly trotted out the ajar door on the far side of the room. When Dawn made it down a floor he found Sky drowning himself in a bowl of what smelt like a thoroughly spiced stew. “Morning loverbuck” Sky giggled, his voice muffled by the bowl surrounding his snout “Wha?” Dawn responded groggily barely able to think strait. Sky rolled his eyes and slid him a second steaming bowl to the closer end of the table “Get some of this down ya” urged Sky as he lifted his head. Dawn loomed over the bowl with suspicion. “It’s an old family recipe; knock the hangover right out of you”. The smell emanating from the liquid inside was rich with exotic spices and rich herbs. Just wanting to be rid of the headache Dawn took a hearty gulp of the mystery substance. The headache disappeared as fast as it arrived, however Dawn could feel a little burn on his tongue that suddenly spread all the way down his throat and around his mouth. He began to canter around the room, his tongue stuck out and his eyes watering. “Ny tongue, ith burns!” Dawn yelped through his gagging. “Hah, I bet it does!” Sky could barely contain himself; he was on the floor in hysterics for a few seconds before he levitated a tankard full of milk over to Dawn who was also rolling on the floor but for a totally different reason. After consuming the entire tankard of milk, Dawn could feel the burning sensation receding eventually disappearing completely. “What was that?” Dawn asked with a dry mouth as he brought himself to his hoofs. “Family secret” Sky said tapping the side of his snout with his hoof “you don’t get generation after generation of heavy drinkers without a cure for a hangover popping up somewhere along the line” “I can see the truth in that” Dawn muttered as he poured himself some oatmeal, turning he realised that the room had two separate beds. “Umm, Sky?” “Yea?” “Was this supposed to be our room?” “Yup” Sky answered with a quick nod followed by a smirk as he realised where Dawn was going “So where did i...” Dawn started before being cut off by Sky “Sleep?... follow me” Sky proceeded to quietly trot out of the room, up a small set of stairs onto a small landing where a door hung open, the sunlight beaming through illuminating the specks of dust that floated through the air. The room itself was larger than the one they reserved and was more... homely; Sky shoved Dawn back through the door while whispering in his ear. “Welcome to Ponyville”. The first thing Dawn saw was the bed. A large double, the same he woke up in earlier except this time he didn’t have a brain crippling headache. On one of the posts lay a brown cowpony hat. “Oh sweet Celestia” Cursed Dawn under his breath as he observed the other mass gently breathing beneath the sheets. It was Applejack.
(2) Blunt force trauma and trainsFollowing the rest of the guards out of the barracks, Dawn Blade headed towards the throne room. Passing through the marble floored chambers he would always stop for a few moments to admire the rather prestigious collection of artwork that was on display all over the palace, he especially took interest on those of the night sky. Other guards would often say they would find him in a trance like state, staring into the painting like into a lover’s eye. Passing a large painting he kept pace while swivelling his head towards the fine artwork eventually the inevitable happened, he tripped on his own front leg and tumbled head over hoof into the throne room. Dawn rushed to his hoofs to try and avoid any oncoming laughs from the usual crowds of ponies here to visit the princess. But they never came, instead in his hazed vision he saw a small purple shape rushing down the steps toward him. As Dawn regained his vision he saw it was twilight sparkle, the student of Celestia. He bowed, flinching slightly as his grazed jaw hit the cold marble. “Please” she said worriedly “there is no need to bow to me” “Aye but there is” he said opening his eyes and raising from his bow. “The personal student of her majesty should be treated with all the respect she deserves” he explained proudly with his smirk hidden within the sides of his helmet. She began to blush as she turned and headed back up the stairs, followed by dawn. “Were you just passing through guardspony, or where you here for an audience with the princess?” she asked as she turned and ascended the stairs backwards. “Actually I am here looking for a guard who was summoned here last night” he explained as he climbed the stairs that seemed to go on further than normal. Twilight pondered to herself for a second or two before saying “ah yes I remember him, Private...Blaze was it” “Yes, that’s him” he breathed a sigh of relief, both for the missing private and the as well as the end of the stairs. The pair was then met by Celestia who was busy reading a large scroll inscribed in something nothing like equestrian. As twilight cantered to the side of the throne to continue filing through a large pile of old books, Dawn brought his head down, this time placing his front hoof under his chin to save staining the carpet. “Captain Blade, you should save the formalities” she said in a jolly voice as she lowered and rolled up the scroll using the telekinesis. “I can clearly see something is troubling you, would you mind sharing?”She said in the same tone, tilting her head slightly to one side “I can see you are busy my liege, I shall return at a better time” he said as he turned to head back down the stairs. But as he tried to descend he was levitated off the ground, bought back 10 hoofs and turned to face the princess. “Captain I can assure you that I am never too busy for my subjects, let alone a member of my guard” she stated with a reassuring smile. The captain Bowed once more, hissing in pain as his graze touched the fabric of the floor. “I am here in search of private Blaze. He was summoned to the throne room last night along with all of his possessions. However this morning I discovered he had left this” he reached into the small pouch under his armour to reveal the small gold necklace. Hanging it from his outstretched hoof Celestia lifted it to her eye level and examined it closely. “By the looks of it I would say this would be a cherished possession of somepony like blaze”. She squinted at the object before placing it on the side of the throne. “I will ensure it gets back to him” “Thank you princess” dawn blaze said as he began to back away. “However I have a more pressing matter I wish to discuss with you captain” she immediately caught the ear of Dawn Blade who stood to attention and asked “And what may this matter be?” “You” the captain jumped back a hoof with one brow raised, mouth agape. “Me your highness, whatever is wrong with me?” he asked in a surprised yet concerned tone. This had even caught the attention of both twilight and the guards standing beside the throne who all scanned him for any physical injury he was trying to hide, bedsides the graze that blessed his chin. “There is nothing wrong with you Captain” she said “It’s just the fact in all your five years, to this day to be exact of service, you have all but once set hoof outside the palace walls and even when you did was an accident”. The captain gave a small mischievous giggle from beneath his helmet. “You’re kidding?” said a voice from behind the throne, shortly followed by twilight trotting around to face the captain. “I most certainly am not, ever since he joined he hasn’t been on leave a single time, never taken day off, ill or otherwise, and I am pretty sure he has never been late to an event in his entire service to me and my sister” she began to show that look of concern, the same one she bore five years ago. The same could not be said for the guards and twilight that all had looks of complete disbelief plastered across their faces. They had never heard of somepony being able to withstand that much for so long. But Twilight was calmed by the Captain’s honest smile. “I, Luna and Blaze came to the agreement last night that you need respite. Whether you like it or not” the kindness remained in her voice but there was an undertone of seriousness like a mother advising her foal. “Well I guess it had to happen eventually. What is it you command of me your majesty?” his face remained with the same smile but his eyes dropped to the floor as if he was admiring defeat. “On the contrary Captain Blade I do not command you to do anything, I simply wish for you to take a long overdue break from your duties here at the palace.” She was met by the captains smiling face giving a nod of gratitude and in turn he received the same gesture. The Captain proceeded down the stairs and back the way he entered, quietly closing the large wooden door behind him. As soon has the door lock snapped shut, the princess re examined Blazes necklace. With a flick the centre piece popped open to reveal two very small photographs along with a tightly folded note. Overcome with curiosity but restrained by her respect for Blaze she decided not to read the note. Instead she passed the locket down to Twilight. “It appears I have underestimated the significance of this fine piece of craftsmanship” she added noticing the discoloration on the note that suggested it was years old. “Do we know where blaze is?” asked Twilight curiously as she slowly rotated the open locket in front of her face. “I believe Luna requested to see him in private after our meeting.” She said one eyebrow rose trying to make sense of the situation, before passing the note down, placing it inside the locket, then gently closing it to avoid damage. “Twilight would you be so kind as to ask Luna of the location of blaze, I’m afraid I need to attend to these translations before the midday hearings” she explained raising the foreign scroll once again. “Of course princess” Twilight acknowledged as she began to descend the steps towards the main entrance “oh silly me” she turned to face the princess with a blush of embarrassment across her cheeks. “It been so long since I last walked these halls, could you direct me to her chambers?” “Captain Blade will be able to direct you” she answered peering over the top of the worn scroll. “But didn’t the captain leave?” she asked furrowing her brows in a form of mild confusion. Celestia lowered the scroll and with a smile said “Knowing him he hasn’t yet left the main hall. If you hurry you can catch him” Twilight nodded and rapidly made her way down the marble stairs towards the towering doorway. As she left the throne room Twilight looked left only to see an empty hall stretching into the distance but as she brought her eyes across to her right she noticed not far off a Pegasus guard sitting on his hind legs staring blankly into a painting that was at least twenty times his size. As she approached she noticed his pupils had dilated and he was almost in a state of somnambulism. She was unsure how to approach the situation, when another darker coated unicorn guard passed. Taking heed of her frightened expression the guard approached. “Is there anything the matter Miss Sparkle? He asked “I’m not sure, is that guardspony alright?” she turned and lifted her right hoof in the direction of the seated Pegasus. The guard proceeded to sneak up behind the Pegasus before whispering into his ear “Aaaaaaaaand your back in the room” with that the unicorn gave a light tap on the back of his helmet that seemed to snap him out of it. After the unicorn finished his giggle fit he placed his hoof over his colleagues shoulder “I think that mare over yonder wanted to talk to you Dawn”. Dawn Blade wiped what looked like a tear from his eye, got to his hoofs and trotted over to bow to Twilight. “What is it you need Miss twilight?” he asked while re centring his helmet. “I was told by Celestia that you would be able to take me to Luna’s chambers”. As soon as she mentioned Luna his face seemed to lift, his stance became more loose and relaxed. “Of course Miss Sparkle” he leant sideways and called out to the other guard “Hey Sky! You up for saying hi to Luna?” Sky shrugged his shoulders “Sure why not”. The group continued through the twists and turns of marble, red carpet and stone until they came across a large door within a dark frame and plastered all over with symbols of the moon. “You two might want to stand back” Dawn said while searching his pouch for something “aha!” he pulled a small key out from under his armour and into his mouth. “Here we go again” he thought to himself as he placed the key in the lock and opened the door. As Dawn disappeared within the dark room Sky nudged Twilight who looked over and saw him holding a pair of earplugs in one hoof and already had a pair in his ears. Twilight could hear the captain’s voice inside the chamber while placing the plugs in, and in an instant the world went silent for a few seconds before a thunderous roar erupted from through the doorway shortly followed by the captain flying backwards, his armour tearing splinters out of the door, smashing against the far wall and slumping in a heap . The pair removed their earplugs just in time to hear him say “Yup she’s awake” as he rolled onto his front and found his hoofs. “OH MY GOODNESS, DAWN BLADE ARE YOU ALRIGHT?” A bead headed princess of the night galloped through the doorway towards the captain. “Yea, yea don’t worry I’m... I`m fi...” the captain collapsed. It was pretty obvious he was suffering from a heavy concussion and was deeply winded from the impact. From Dawns eyes the world the world had lost all its sense of structure. The walls and floor seemed to mould into themselves like they were made of liquid, the ponies that were once clear had begun to dissolve. The whole world span as he began to fade out of consciousness. The darkness was interrupted by a small flash of light that began to pulsate. First small then it grew larger and larger until h managed to force his eyes open, revealing that floating mass of multicoloured mane floating between him and a sunlit ceiling. Dawn sat up rubbing his eyes with his forelegs. “When I said take a break I don’t think I meant from consciousness” Dawn turned his head to see the silhouette of Princess Celestia standing between the large bed and the ruined door. He could make out from the small puddle of blood and the droplets that trailed toward him that he had been brought into Luna`s chambers and placed on the bed after being thrown from the room. “How long have I been out?” he moaned as he continued to survey his surroundings. The pitch black room had been transformed into what seemed like a marvellous piece of art. The floor was a ginormous crescent moon made of marble that was so clean you could see your face in it; the walls were decorated with large banners bearing the royal crest that rested upon a perfect re-creation of the night sky that surrounded the entire room. He continued his visual self tour of the room until his eyes fell on a very guilty looking Princess Luna, her eyes glued to the ground. Lieutenant Sky seated directly to her right, trying desperately not to laugh gestured with a hoof in the direction of a large mirror situated in the far corner of the room with his hoof. Within resided an image that even made Celestia feel uneasy, the Captains armour was scuffed and dented all over, all the perfectly crafted golden sequences had become a tangled mess of creases and cracks. To top it all off Dawn began to see blood pour from inside his helmet down his face, the same process felt like it repeated all over his body. While he was busy wiping the blood away Twilight cantered through the open door holding a small wooden bowl filled with a steaming hot liquid, Celestia breathed a sigh of relief to see her asking. “Is this the zebra concoction?” “Yes, sorry it took so long but Zecoras instructions were a bit cryptic.” answered Twilight. Dawn meanwhile was attempting to climb off of the bed, but as he stood on the marble floor he began to cough uncontrollably. Sky rushed to his side stopping him from toppling over. “Whatever that stuff is it better work” he said while helping the captain find his hoofing. As Twilight fed Dawn the strange mixture the royal duo approached closely studying the effects of the foreign medicine. Dawn struggled to swallow the liquid clearly in pain, but a few seconds later his eyes shot open releasing a blast of light that seemed to cover the entire room. When the light faded all the others saw was his broken armour plates strewn across the floor, the straps singed clean off. “Umm, you sure that wasn’t a potion for spontaneous combustion?” asked Sky. Twilight shook her head but before she could open her mouth she saw the princesses were looking up at something, as she brought her eyes skyward she saw what had become of Dawn. A dark brown Pegasus hovered in the centre of the room’s airspace, his short white mane bouncing with every flap of his wings. Celestia sensed something astray within the stallion and called out “Captain blade?” A silence filled the room as the “captain” slowly descended towards the baffled group of ponies; as soon as he touched down he opened his eyes revealing their blood red colour. When he remembered where he was he knelt for the royal sisters. “Yes Princess?” he said in a relaxed tone the others were taken back by this, a pony that seconds ago looked like he was going to die was now looking healthy as ever. Celsestia sensed the return of Dawn and in turn her smile resurfaced upon her face. She then nudged Luna who was still consumed with guilt over his previous bedridden state. She nervously approached Dawn “Are you alright” she asked flinching as if she was expecting some kind of outburst from Dawn Blade. But it never came. “Yes princess I’m fine, actually I think I came out of that with a few more teeth” he answered as he proceeded to rub his chin with his hoof before adding “and I think that damn graze has gone too”. Luna began t shake slightly “I cannot put into words how sorry I am for my actions earli-“. She was interjected by dawn who argued “There is no need to apologise Luna, the equestrian voice is an ability that you will only learn to control through experience. *sigh* even if the one on the receiving end is me” he stated proudly as stretched his legs. Luna looked over her shoulder at Celestia who shrugged swearing she didn’t put the words in his head. Dawn continued “ I've lived here long enough to understand how these things work you know.” Luna nodded before asking “I believe you were on your way here for something before the err accident?” “Yes, we were on our way here to ask of the location of a Private Blaze” forwarded Twilight. Luna with a smirk on the corner of her face cantered over to Celestia and whispered something into her ear, the pair shared a short giggle before facing the others. “He is currently running an errand in the town of Ponyville” Luna announced. Sky’s ears pricked up with the mentioning of his hometown “I believe we have a way that you can take your break while running an errand of your own” said Celestia picking Blazes necklace up of the small bedside table and hoofing it to Sky. “And what may that be you highness” asked Dawn, his voice slipping back into its serious tone from before. “I wish for you to travel to Ponyville and deliver that locket to Blaze personally” she said in her usual jolly tone. “As you wish your highness” Captain Blade said as he bowed for Celesta then Luna before leaving the chambers escorted by Lieutenant Sky. The last hours of the morning were consumed by Blade travelling back to the barracks, collecting his things along with a small part of his mountain of pay. He entered the main entrance hall with nothing but a saddlebag, the sun shining through the stain glass windows and the tiny crack in the center of the door. The door guards stood to attention as he approached “At ease” the captain shouted trying not to look like such a pansy without his normal attire. Before he could open the doors he saw movement out of the corner of his eyes. It was a white unicorn with a vibrant light blue mane and deep purple eyes. The mystery stallion halted before dawn and saluted “lieutenant Sky reporting for duty sir!” he said in a boisterous tone. “What are you doing here lieutenant, and out of uniform?” Dawn Blade asked while inspecting him seeing he too had a saddle bag ready for travel. “I’m here to be your guide of Ponyville sir” he stated excitedly. “Very well, shall we proceed?” asked the Captain as he drew closer to the ginormous reinforced door. Before he could open it the energetic Sky rushed past him pushing the door open before he could lay a hoof on it. He was about to say something but his eyes caught a glimpse of the outside and where in awe. It had been five years since he last set hoof outside the Palace and he had forgotten how beautiful Canterlot was. White towers shot into the blue sky tipped with red tiles; the streets were cleanly cobbled and were bustling with happy ponies going about their business. As they passed the local recruitment centre on their way to the train station a large line of applicants had formed outside. One of them saw the Captains cutie mark and began to chatter with the pony next to him. Eventually the entire centre was staring at him. The captain and Sky stood still for a few seconds before the orderly line of ponies saluted and shouted in perfect unison “Hail, shield of Equestria!” “What?” the captain asked in disbelief. Sky then leant toward him. “Yea you can thank the princesses for that” he said as he pointed toward a recruitment poster on the wall showing Dawn donning his armour with his marks displayed on large banners behind him. They continued cantering to the station. As they arrived Dawn saw more of the posters spaced out along the wall reading “BECOME THE SHIELD OF EQUESTRIA!” “You have become a bit of a celebrity around here” said sky as he scanned the station for the train. “I’m a little overwhelmed by all this” responded Dawn as he slowly paced back and forth on the wooden station platform. “They thought you might be” Sky responded as he saw their train and began to board. As they boarded the large train they entered a cabin with two benches on each side of a window surrounded by green painted walls and darker shade of green carpet. “How far away is Ponyville?” asked dawn as he set down his bag “It’ll take a few hours” answered Sky as he threw his saddlebag up onto the cushioned bench. The two jumped onto their benches and began rummaging through their bags for something to occupy them during the journey. First Dawn pulled a small piece of solid bread out of his bag and began to nibble on the edge “Rations really?” asked Sky with one eyebrow raised “your taking a break from all that, now here take this” Sky brought a ripe apple from his saddlebag and levitated it over to Dawn who caught it in his mouth, and began to slowly eat it. As Dawn began to clearly enjoy the apple, Sky lifted a large purple book out of his bag and began reading. “ALL ABOARD FOR PONYVILLE!” shouted the conductor repeatedly as he marched along the side of the multicoloured train. Not soon after the train jittered out of the station and began to glide across the landscape toward Ponyville. Suddenly a green flash appeared in the window and a rolled up note shot across the room, only to be caught by Sky telekinesis. He slowly opened it to reveal it was a letter reading “Dear lieutenant Sky and Captain Blade, We apologise for forgetting to grant you accommodation in Ponyville and we have messaged the local Inn of our predicament and have requested that you be lodged in one of their rooms. We apologise if this has been of any inconvenience. P.S. make sure blade meets some of the locals, he can be a little nervous around new ponies without his armor, yours faithfully Celestia. “What does it say?” asked Dawn as he finished the apple “It appears we are going to be spending our first few nights at the Apple tree” Sky responded with a broad smile. While he sank back into his seat and back into his book. Dawn had heard of the Apple tree, a small tavern on the edge of the town where sky had spent allot of his days before becoming a guard becoming so drunk he would fall asleep at the bar. He slipped into a trance of the image of his subordinate being unable to balance due to heavy consumption before opening his eyes to a dark cabin illuminated only by the light of the moon. He sat up rubbing his eyes realising he had just slept through the majority of the journey and could see the lights of a small village drawing closer through the window. He was about to wake Sky when a knock came at the cabin door. Dawn hopelessly stumbled toward the small sliding door, where he could see candlelight seeping through the creased glass. He slid the door half open where he saw a young ticket mare “Were approaching our destination, you may want to get up” she said gingerly. The captain was aware of his threatening stature and how much it was scaring her, he nodded and in the softest voice he could muster he said “Thank you we will prepare immediately”. His eyebrows lifted as the mare simply trotted off down the hall and out of the carriage. He thought to himself that this meeting ponies business might not be as hard as he first thought it would be. He trotted over to Sky who was lying flat on his back with his book balancing on his snout. Dawn moved the book back into his bag before lightly tapping him on the shoulder with his hoof; he was responded with a low mumble as Sky simply rolled to one side. Quite annoyed Dawn moved and stood in the centre of the cabin and began to flap his wings, the cold breeze eventually forced Sky to awake from his slumber with a disgruntled series of moans. “What...What? Are we here already?” Sky asked while rubbing the sleep from his eyes. As they gathered up their things the train slowed to a stop in a dimly lit station. They made their way of the train to see a quiet village sleeping under the glow of the moon, all for one building on the edge where music and laughter could be heard. Sky began to canter forth before shouting “I don’t know about you but I need a drink!”
