Of Villains and Heroes

Through the few years that both Aduro and Scutum trained together. They quickly became great friends with each other and taught each other valuable lessons. Aduro taught Scutum about the seriousness of the world; Scutum taught Aduro to be more carefree and how to be more friendly. They balanced each other. Scutum became more focused during his training and rapidly honed his skills. Aduro became more kind, and became less of a snobby noble. He that even if he was very important to the kingdom, he is not the center. Everyone from the common farmer, to the richest noble allow the kingdom to run smoothly.

As rivals, they spar with each other almost every chance they get. All the staff and soldiers know that when the two prepare to fight, move out of the way. None of the castle staff know who is actually better. For each time one wins, they'll lose the next. However, only the soldier who watch their sword spars know that it is actually Scutum who is more skilled. While Aduro became a very skilled swordsman, even among the royal guard. Scutum has more time than Aduro to practice, as well as having a great swordsman's' blood running through him.

Today was another spar between the two as their mentor, Ferrum, supervised. Ferrum has seen the skill of both the young stallions and builds on their strengths as well as help them fix their weaknesses. Ferrum was knocked out of his thoughts by a thud as Aduro landed on the ground."Oof!" Aduro sounded as he hit the ground. He looked up only to see Scutum's sword pointed at him.

"Heh, I win again Aduro!" Scutum stated with a smile. Aduro chuckled.

"You know I could have you sent to death for pointing a sword at the Prince?"

"Yeah, but I know you won't." Scutum continued to smile as he sheathed his sword and leaned to help Aduro up. "Now was that the 483rd win? Or the 484th?"

Aduro let out an exhausted sigh. "It was the 484th."

"Heh, then I guess we're even again!" Both stallions laughed at their continuous battles.

"Will we ever find out who is the better one?" Aduro asked.

"Sure! I'll just make sure to win from now on!" Scutum exclaimed.

"I'd like to see you try!"

"Oh? Is that a challenge?" Scutum drew his sword with his magic again.

"Well, let's see shall we?" Aduro picked up his sword. The two were about to lunge at each other before Ferrum intervened.

"Alright, enough you two. I know you guys want to spar more, but Aduro's Coming of Age Ceremony is tomorrow. And your mother the Queen would have me hanged if you injure yourself now."

"Alright Ferrum." Aduro sheathed his practice sword. "We can't have that now can we?" Aduro gave the sword to Ferrum. "I'll head back to my room before mother gets worried." He trotted off to the royal wing of the castle. "See you both tomorrow!"

"See ya later Aduro!" Scutum waved back. Aduro waved back, but continued to head for the exit.

As Aduro made for his room he thought of his Coming of Age Ceremony. Tomorrow was his 18th birthday and the day he would be able to head out into the kingdom and travel. Then he would start his task of making Lumin a better place. He enthusiastically walked on to his room, anticipation eating at him for tomorrow.

The next morning in Lumin Castle began frantically. The maids and butlers were running from place to place, making sure all the preparations were running smoothly. The cooks were working on making a feast for the ceremony. Guards were on hit alert for anything so the Prince's ceremony ran without trouble. Prince Aduro was just woken up by his servants and was being fitted for his ceremony. The outfit was pretty much a military outfit that was kight blue with golden shoulder frills and badges. His mane was trimmed and gelled back. "Must I be so gussied up?" Aduro asked.

"Yes Adurno, it's your Coming of Age Ceremony as well as your 18th birthday!" Adurno's mother answered. "You must be presentable. You are the Prince of Lumin after all." Adurno's mother backed up to see her son. "You look wonderful honey." His mother began to tear up.

"Mother are you all right?"

"I'm fine. It's just that.*sniff* you grew up so fast!" Aduro's mother broke into tears. Aduro knelled down next to his mother.

"It's alright mother. Captain Ferrum has been an amazing teacher. Besides, I'll always be your son." He exclaimed. His mother wiped the tears from her eyes, though a few still remained.

"Yes you will always by my Little Prince!" She grabbed Adurno and gave him a giant hug.

"Ugh, mother. Your suffocating me."

"Oh, I'm sorry honey." Aduro's mother let him go. "Oh no! your mane is messed up!" She used her magic to smooth out Aduro's mane again. Aduro just sat and sighed as his mother fixed his mane, again. Fortunately, there was a knock on the bedroom door.

"Hello? Aduro? Your dad- I mean the King is asking to see you now." A familiar voice said from the other side of the door. Aduro recognized the voice.

"OH! Uh. Looks like father needs to speak to me mother. I must be going." Aduro took the chance and rushed to the door and exited his room. Once on the other side of the door he saw a guard in the platinum white armor of the Lumin royal guard. "Thanks Scutum."

"No problem." Scutum replied. "I know how your mom, the Queen, can be."

"So, where to now?"

"Didn't you hear? Your dad needs you to rehearse the ceremony."

"What?! I thought that was just an excuse to get me out of there!" Aduro exclaimed.

"Sadly, no." Scutum turned and began to walk down the corridor. "Your dad really does need to see you."

"Oh. . ." Aduro followed his best friend to the throne room. They continued to walk through the castle's many corridors until they reached a large ornate set of double doors. A single royal guard was standing on one side of the door. Scutum walked to the other side of the doors and stood guard. Aduro casually opened the door and walked in to meet his father.

Inside was the throne room. The entire room was made of white marble with columns on both sides of the room. Tapestries showing past accomplishments hung on the sides. Going straight down the middle of the throne room from the door to two thrones was a red carpet. Sitting on the larger throne was Aduro's father, the King. The King seemed to be in the middle of a discussion with an adviser. "Dagun. Are you sure this information is accurate?" The King asked.

"Yes my King. The spy who brought the information is our best. This information regarding the north and south must be true! We must-" The adviser argued.

"Shhh." The adviser stopped as the King noticed Aduro had arrived and dismissed the adviser. "Aduro. You day has arrived. The day you have been preparing for!"

"Yes father," Aduro kneeled down on his front legs. "I won't let you or Alteria down." After a few seconds, Dagun reached the entrance of the throne room and the doors closed. Leaving both father and son alone.

"Ok, you can get up now Aduro." The King said to his son. Aduro gladly got up from his kneeling position, and with a smile gave his father a hug. "Today's really is the big day though Aduro." They released the hug. "You'll be able to go out into the kingdom by yourself."

"Yes, I can not wait to go on an adventure!" Aduro exclaimed enthusiastically. The King smiled as he looked at his son. The change he had gone through.

"It was a good idea to have Captain Ferrum handle your training. You have not only grown in skill, but in ideals as well."

"Yes. Ferrum is a great teacher."

"And I assume the Scutum is more than enough competition for you?"

"Yes, but one day I will get better than him!"

"HA!" The King let out a hearty laugh. "You better! Especially with you going out on your adventure! And about that Scutum. . ." The King turned to the entrance and used his magic to open the massive doors. As the doors abruptly opened, a pony rolled into the room wearing the white armor of the royal guard.

"Scutum!" Aduro exclaimed.

"Hey. . . " Scutum replied from the ground of the throne room. The King let out another, smaller, laugh and called Scutum over to them. Scutum closed the doors and proceeded up to the throne, standing next to Aduro. The King took a long look at both of them with an unreadable face, until a warm smile appeared in its place.

"You two remind me so much of Ferrum and I." The King got up from his throne and walked over to the two stallions. "Big changes are coming to Alteria. I can sense it. I want both of you to promise to protect not just Lumin. But all of Alteria. You two are the next generation and you will bring upon Alteria a new era. Promise me, here and now, that you will do anything, to protect Alteria." Aduro and Scutum stared at the old King before look to each other in surprise of the King's seriousness. Both of them nodded to each other, and with confident smiles, they swore to protect Alteria at all costs.

The ceremony had gone off without a problem. The music played as Aduro walked up the throne room. On the sides were the royal guardsponies and behind them were the many nobility and the occasional ambassador. He reached the throne to see his father, mother, and his mentor and Captain of the Guard, Ferrum. They all congratulated him and his father did the rites of the ceremony. After the rites, the King handed the family's holy sword Celestina. The sword was magnificent. Its blade was double-edged and was blessed with light. After the sword was attached to Aduro's side, he walked off to another door and headed to a balcony. There he was to unsheathe the sword and point it towards the sky. Once this was done, the sword would radiate a bright light, signaling the fireworks. Once this was all done, it was time for the party!

"You should definitely visit my villa out in the north border on your travels." Said an aristocrat.

"No, come to my estate by the beach front. It has a great private beach!" Another offered.

Once he had arrived at the grand ballroom, he was instantly swarmed by nobles suggesting to visit their households somewhere in Lumin. No matter where he walked the group of nobles would follow him. Times like these, he envied Scutum who was dressed in his guard armor laughing with other guards.

As the nobles continued their talking, Aduro's attention soon moved to the rest of the ballroom. The ballroom was rather large, easily able to fit about 100 or so ponies standing up. One half of the circular ballroom had large windows that showed the starry night sky outside and the nicely lit courtyard. The courtyard was, at the moment, being used as an outdoor area for some to talk in fresh air. Multiple kinds of ponies, nobility and common, we're casually talking. All around the ballroom were banquet tables lined with foods. Aduro looked off to his right to see Scutum, in his guard armor, talking and laughing with other guards. At times like these Aduro envied Scutum, being able to talk with friends casually. Aduro searched the ballroom for his parents. He soon spotted them talking with a crowd of ambassadors.

As he was looking around the nobles around him continued to talk to him. "Pardon me Miss Ahria, but I would like to get myself a drink." Aduro excused himself from the crowd around him. He indeed wanted a drink, but he also used this as an excuse to get away from the noisiness of the large crowds. He got a glass of wine and looked for a snack to eat.

"King Dexus, I ask you to do something about those raiding parties. They're raiding my town!" a noble from north Lumin complained.

"I will see what I can do Lord Barthlo." The King responded.

"What about my estate! Something is kidnapping my townsponies!" Another from the eastern border asked.

"I will do what I can Miss Kimsdale." The King again responded. Throughout the entire party some of the lords came to him with their problems. At first it was manageable, but more started to come, telling of their incidents. The King noticed one thing though, all the complaints came from the border-lords. He started to reconsider what Dagun had told him earlier. Suddenly the entire ballroom was filled with the sound of the main doors slamming open. Instantly the guards readied their spears at the pony silhouette.

"Put your weapons down!" The King ordered to the guards. The guards, still alert, lowered their weapons. "Who are you and what are you doing here." He called as the pony stumbled into the ballroom with all eyes on him. The King reconised the young pegasus stallion wearing a Lumin scout uniform. The scout kneeled before his king.

"Your Majesty, I come with urgent news from Commander Achivo from the northern defense army."

"Well spit it out then!" The King demanded. His thoughts returning to what Dagun had said.

"Our northern borders are being attacked by the Kludorians!" The scout cried out. Everyone that could hear him gasped in shock. The northern barbarians had never fought with their entire army since the dragons attacked years before! The King turned to the Kludorian ambassadors from the north.

"What is the meaning of this!" One of the ambassadors chuckled at the king's distress.

"It is as the scout reported King Dexus. This day will be the end of the Lumin Era! The time of North and South has arrived!" The ambassador decreed as the other ambassadors from both the north and south followed in suite.

"Guards! Apprehend the ambassadors!" The King ordered. The pegasus guards flew to corner the flying ambassadors, and the unicorn guards captured the others. The ambassadors were then taken away to be secured. "How long has it been since the invasion began?" The King questioned the scout.

"About seven hours Your Majesty, I flew as fast as I could." The scout announced. "The commander is doing all he can to hold the barbarian forces back, but he won't be able to last long." The King nodded, then dismissed the scout to rest. He called to gather his court, announced the party was over, and requested that everyone was to return to their respective homes until further notice.

After the King and his court left to discuss what to do in response to the barbarian attack. Scutum was ordered to bring Aduro to his room and wait until further notice. Aduro was pacing in his room. "Scutum, what could this be about?"

"I'm not all too sure. I sounds like the Barbarians have begun an invasion in the north." Scutum said.

"But from what that Kludorian ambassador said, the Republic is in on this."

"If that is true, then that means Lumin is going to be dragged into a two-front war. Lumin won't survive!"

"We must do something! I won't just stand here while Lumin is in danger!" Aduro went for the door. But as he reached for the door, someone knocked. Aduro's hoof froze as a butler's spoke through the door.

"Prince Aduro and Sir Scutum, the King has requested your presence at the meeting room." Aduro and Scutum looked to each other questioningly, then nodded to the butler. The butler walked down the hall and Aduro and Scutum followed him.

After travelling many different hallways and going up and down multiple sets of stairs, the three ponies arrived at a pair of steel doors with a lock on it. The butler took out a key and clicked it into the keyhole. The doors opened and the butler ushered the two in. The two entered into a single room with a long oval table in the middle, and the King and his court sitting around it. They apparently entered as two ponies were arguing. "I still say we must retaliate full force!" A moderately sized brown-spotted earth pony, known as the Adviser of War, Lugwinn. "We have to send reinforcements to the north and south borders!" He slammed his hoof on the table. The table shook as a unicorn with glasses lifting his cup of water from toppling over.

"Commander Lugwinn, please calm down." a pitch-black pegasus with a sleeked back mane spoke. "We can not be too hasty. We must take into account the repercussions of a war with the north and south."

"Yes, I agree with Adviser Gunningham." Another adviser joined. "We must stay calm and not make rash decisions." A fourth adviser stood.

"The other side is already attacking! If we do now act now we will lose our borders." As opinions were exclaimed, the advisers took sides and couldn't decide on an action. The King sat patiently at the other side of the long table. However soon enough, the King ordered them all to quiet down.

"I know we are in a crisis right now, but we must cool our heads. We will not get anything done if we continue to argue." He stated. "I have a plan. A dangerous one, but a plan nonetheless." He looked to Aduro and Scutum standing by the table. For the first time the 12 advisers acknowledged the presence of the two new ponies.

"King Dexus, what is the Prince doing here!" Ludwinn exclaimed.

"He should be in the safety of his room!" Gunningham agreed. The two were about to continue, but the King silenced them with a wave of his hoof.

"Aduro is no longer a child. He has had his Coming of Age Ceremony already and deserves to know what we know." The advisers muttered among themselves as King Dexus continued. "As you know Aduro and Scutum, the Kludorians have begun an assault on our northern borders. What we did not mention, was that the Republic had attacked our southern border at approximately the same time."

"So we are going to be engaged in a two-front war?" Aduro asked. Dexus paused as he stared deeply into his son's eyes, before nodding.

"Sadly, you are correct. With both our neighbors attacking us, we will have to split our army into two groups to defend against the other nations. It will greatly weaken our army, but it is the only way." Aduro's shoulder's slumped and downcast his eyes. Scutum stepped up to Aduro's side and spoke.

"But there has to be a way to protect Lumin! Is there not?" Dexus stared at Scutum and smiled at the young guard's reluctance to give up hope.

"You are correct, Scutum." Everyone's eyes widened in shock to the King's statement. "There is a way to ensure the safety of Lumin. However, it will require us to travel into the accursed badlands of the east." The advisers again murmured in response to this new information. "In order to save Lumin, we must acquire the Helm of Tantibus."

"But King Dexus," Gunningham interrupted, " wasn't the Helm lost?" Dexus nodded.

"Yes, it was. But I have been secretly been funding exploration teams to search the Badlands for the relic. And I had gotten a report from them claiming to have found a temple in the badlands said to hold the Helm."

"And you didn't tell us of this?!" Gunningham frustratingly asked.

"You of all ponies should know the dangers of one obtaining the Helm. The only ones who knew, were Captain Ferrum and myself."

"Wait father," Aduro called. His father and the rest of the room gave Aduro their attention. "This 'Helm of Tantibus', is this the relic of the stories?"

"Yes Aduro, the very same helm said to have belonged to King Aquitas Aduro Lumin I, first king of Lumin. It is said that this relic was used by the first king to protect the ponies of old and unite them to form Lumin. But was lost with the first King after the birth of his son."

"Then we must get the helm!" Aduro exclaimed, "We could stop the war!"

"Exactly, which is is why I am assigning this task to you and Scutum."

"WHAT!?" The advisers broke out into an outroar.

"This is absurd!"

"The Prince is the future of Lumin!"

"We cannot send the Prince on such a dangerous mission!"

"Silence! All of you!" Dexus raised his voice. The advisers instantly quieted and sat back down. "I have my reasons to send Aduro to retrieve the Helm. "Once Aduro obtains the helm, he will use it to stop the war. Thus raising the already low moral of the citizens." A few advisers began to agree with the Kings decision, but others were still reluctant.

"And how exactly will we get the expeditionary party to the Deadlands?" Ludwinn questioned.

"I have already thought of that." Dexus nodded to the butler and the butler brought out a map of Alteria. "We will take advantage of our positioning and escape through the east border, where the fighting hasn't started yet. The party will then slip through the opening before the enemies surround us." Ludwinn sat silently as he followed the King's plan. "Once Aduro goes to the dig site, and obtains the Helm, he will bring it back to the border and use it to stop the war from continuing. Does everybody understand?" Now all 12 advisers were nodding to the King's plan. "Then let this plan come into action. Aduro, Scutum. You two will meet at the eastern courtyard as fast as you can. When you get there, there will be a party of 16 royal guards. You shall head directly east and slim through before the borders are surrounded." Aduro and Scutum nodded, showing that they understood what they must do.

"I will not fail you father." Aduro bowed to his father. Suctum launched a front leg and locked Aduro into a headlock.

"You mean we won't let them down!" Scutum corrected. Dexus smiled at the two ponies.

"I know you two will keep to your promise. Now hurry, you have no time to spare!" He dismissed the two. Aduro and Scutum burst through the door and raced to the courtyard where their party of 16 was waiting to leave.

Once they got to the courtyard they saw the party all strapped up and ready to go. They gathered their already packed bags and swords and left the eastern gates of Akturo, where the combined armies of north and south have yet to arrive.