Protectionby Demi-GryphonChaptersTwilight SparkleRarityKing MagnumTwilight Sparkle“The very purpose of a knight is to fight on behalf of a lady.” The words vibrated through her skull as she charged forward, her horn glowing as she held her sword close to her jaw preparing to thrust. Her opponent charging in return aiming his sword lower, aiming for Twilights forelegs. Focusing on the blade that was being aimed for her legs, Twilight forgot to be aware of everything around her. The young stallion grinned and took a chance as he cast a quick and simple energy blast. Hitting Twilight in the side and sending her into the dirt, her sword sliding across the ground to land a couple feet away from her. “Halt!” roared out a deep voice, a large stallion moving towards the two, his eyes shifting between them. “That was sloppy Twilight, you shouldn’t have focused only on his sword. You left yourself completely open to his attack. On the battlefield you can’t stare at your opponent's weapon, you need to focus on everything about him.” the captain explained as he walked around the stallion. “But you said this was sword practice!” Twilight protested as she pushed herself up from the dirt, dusting herself off as she turned to face her captain. “I did say that, but I never said either of you couldn’t use magic. You can’t use that as an excuse on the battlefield. He noticed that you were focused on his sword and he took the chance to hit you with another tool,” he replied as he cocked an eyebrow, the scowl on his face growing “You’re dismissed, I suggest that both of you practice your blade skills. A royal guard needs to be strong, fast and able to defend the royal family from anyone or thing that attacks them.” he grunted before turning and leaving heading towards his barracks Twilight just stared at her sword laying on the ground, her snout scrunching as her steely gaze landed on the blade. Her eyes traveling along the dulled edge as she rolled her violet eyes. “You didn’t say I could use magic, I was trying to focus on my swordsmanship!” she barked as her tail flicked back and fourth. The captain blinked and scowled as he turned around sharply “Are you questioning me Twilight? Do I need to remind you, You are the recruit here. My word is law. It’s allowed.” he barked as he stomped his hoof. “And for you insolence you will do twenty laps around the track! Tell the smith to get his apprentice to attach the weights to you, one hundred pounds this time. You are not to use any magic for the rest of the day either, since you’ve decided to complain about it so much.” The stallion ordered as he gestured his head towards the blacksmiths forge, knowing without magic Twilight would be busy for the rest of the day dragging the solid block of weight. Twilight’s eyes narrowed slightly as she opened her mouth to defend herself, quickly stopping herself as she looked away. “Yes Sir, Right away Sir” she replied, clenching her jaw tightly as she turned to make her way to the forge. She had been fighting the young colt for an hour or so. In that time her attacks had become more calculated and precise, she was sure she was going to win the battle, the colt had no defense for her more acrobatic attacks. But one simple magical blast had caused her to lose. If she had known she could have used magic she would have won the fight easily. Twilight was one of the youngest recruits on the training grounds; she had been born into a military family. Her mother the commanding general of the east coast and her father once the personal guard of the ruling king - although he was killed in an assassination attempt by the gryphons many years ago-her older brother rising through the ranks. Many claimed he would be the pony to replace his mother when she fell on the field or, heavens forbid lived to retire. Retiring was not the way of a warrior, the only honorable way to go was to die on the battlefield, at the hands of the enemy, defending the kingdom. Twilight was proud of her strong family line, she knew she had to make them proud and she had to be the best. When she’d arrived at the training grounds she had been the age of five, young, wide-eyed, and ready. Her parents had said one simple thing that day. “Be the best or die trying” From that day on, Twilight had thrown herself into her studies and training. Reading every book she could get her hooves on -and earning the title ‘Egghead’ at a young age- mastering every weapon that she could, and practicing her magic non stop. As she made her way across the training grounds her gaze drifted around. The grounds were rather expansive, able to train hundreds of recruits at a time. at the bottom of Canterlot Mountain, where the royal family lived in the castle that was built into the side of the tall peak. The grounds stretched and easily wrapped around a fourth of the mountains base. The first king, generations ago, claimed that no one would harm his subjects and a worthy army of ponies would be trained from a young age to protect their home. Stone walls enclosed the encampment, towering over the training grounds - a truly formidable sight - each stone carefully shaped and reinforced with a myriad of spells, made to last thousands of years, or through a fearsome attack. The grounds themselves were split into three sections, the first section was where young fillies and colts were trained and drilled, being shown the proper stances and fighting forms as well as the proper commands and orders by their Commanding Officers. It was a rather simple area filled with a few training dummies, a large area for archery and magical apparatuses in which to train the Unicorns in their special arts of Magic. The second section was were those fillies and colts who made it through basic training would move onto when they were ready. Here they would learn the different weapons and skills they would be using in battle, this where their level of skill would be tested and placed, many ponies were shipped from this area into the battlefield a select few being moved into the third area held the most promising recruits, one that were destined to be generals and even promoted to royal guards. The third area had advance magical training with advanced tactics: It was in this area soldiers were pitted against some of the wild dangerous beasts that inhabited the Everfree forest, from Chimeras to Timber wolves. Ponies had to find out how to best their foes, mostly without any advice from the training officers. This rule was only transcended in the event that the situation became too dangerous. On top of that ponies were taught about poisons and herbal remedies, in case a pony’s magic was weak or the pony was running on empty. The advanced trainers only wanted to work with soldiers who had earned and proven themselves worthy of learning such information. It was Twilight favorite time of day, where she would be able to do nothing but lay in the grass and read book after book of information, it was the one time she truly impressed all of her trainers. When it came to information about anything Twilight was a never ending river of information. Her knowledge ranged from simple things like the different kinds of swords to the chemical makeup of poisonous weapons and their remedies.. Another thing that was provided during advance training was have a solider craft their own sword under the watchful eye of the forge master. Many trainers claimed that a sword that was hoof made by it’s owner gave the pony more respect for the weapon they wielded. It would also help each soldier understand that with hard work and proper focus even the simplest of ponies could create something amazing. A soldiers day started as soon as the sun rose into the sky, they would run laps to wake up their muscles before they were allowed to eat their breakfast. The young recruits would spend three hours in schools learning the basic skills they would need like reading, writing, math and the main focus being history. The old recruits would start with magic practice, then move on to weapons practice and finally into tactics and formations. After supper most recruits were allowed to enjoy the rest of their day, but advance soldiers would started their secondary studying and wouldn’t finish till the sun had started to set in the evening sky. Unless one was like Twilight, who would constantly speak out of turn and have to work through a punishment before she could get to her studies. The grounds held everything needed to train ponies from a young age, a small school where they were taught to read and write, barracks to make their homes. Ponies they could always ask questions to, learn from and grow up with. Many foals learned at a young age that the group they trained with was the group they would be with for the rest of their lives and for many they found love in their groups. Like many who were in the military because of the heritage, Twilight stayed in the same barracks as her brother, her mother and father and their parents before them. Many recruits knew about her family line, and many more hated her for it. Because of her blood line no pony wished to be her friend, many knew that Twilight was destined to be a great leader and didn’t want to be compared with her. As she arrived at the smith’s forge she sighed as her ears drooped, if she hadn’t opened her mouth she wouldn’t have to do the extra round of training. she could have returned to her barracks and started the next chapter of her book. At this rate she was never going to get a chance to finish the book before she would be shipped away to some outpost to be trained as a protector of the land, hopefully she would be able to live up to her family name and become a master strategist like her mother. Lifting her head she cleared her throat, the forge’s heat warmed her face and chest. Looking around for the master of the forge only to have her eyes land on his young apprentice. The young grey stallion turned, grinning slightly as he trotted over. “In trouble again Twilight? What would your mother think if she found out you were kept having to drag the block around?” The young apprentice asked as he moved towards Twilight’s form, his coat covered with black ash. Pushing his tinted goggles to the top of his head, a black outline surrounding his eyes as soot fell from his body, lingering around him like a personal cloud of dirt and grime. Snorting softly as she rolled her eyes. “She would be quiet about it, just staring me down with her steel eyes. As if I should be able to read her mind when it comes to her level of disappointment.” Twilight replied as she sat down, letting the apprentice begin his work of putting the harness around her body. “True, she was never one for words was she? So how many laps and what block?” he asked when he finished tightening the strap around Twilight’s stomach, chest and neck. “He ordered one hundred pounds for twenty laps.” she muttered as her ears went flat to her head, she hated dragging weights around. She didn’t gain anything from it but sore muscles and balds spots from the leather straps chafing against her skin. Moving to towards the track she stood in front of the large block of stone that was a little smaller than herself, the edges rounds to making the stone move a little easier through the ground. The apprentice just chuckled and shook his head as he went to work attaching the straps to Twilight athletic form. “Sorry about the chafing. I keep trying to get around to tanning some new leather to make softer straps, but my master keeps getting me to work on more blades.” He muttered as he tugged lightly on the worn brown leather strap. Twilight just smiled “No worries, you need the practice with your metal work anyway. After all you don’t want to be an apprentice forever.” She grinned as she shifted on her hooves, trying to get comfortable with the annoying straps. “Right! An hopefully one day you will be able to give your captain orders and tell him to do this silly little task.” He teased as he finished attaching the straps, making sure they fit properly. Nodding her head she trudged forward, her hooves digging into the loose dirt as she started to move forward. At first, the stone refused to budge from it’s resting place, but with enough effort, it soon gave way to the mare’s pulling. One more week, one more week of listening to the captain bark, to his annoying orders orders. Then she would be sent off to her new assignment, she would finally be placed on the battlefield defending the lands of the Unicorn King. The only reason she was still at the training camp was because Princess Rarity was now reaching the age where she would expected to pick a personal guard, a single guard that would stand beside her for the rest of her or their days, which was supposed to be a great honor. To Twilight it was like getting a royal desk job, never getting a true chance to be on the battlefield. Never getting a chance to be a true warrior, If a pony was picked to be a personal guard they would become nothing but fat and lazy. She didn’t want to be like her father and die because he had grown weak as the king’s guard. When Princess Rarity arrived Twilight knew she had to do anything possible to avoid being chosen, she wanted to make a name for herself. She wanted to make her family proud. Being a glorified royal baby sitter was not something she wanted to do with her life. Looking up the side of the mountain her eyes landed on the royal kingdom, the kingdom that had been ruled by the same unicorn family from the start. The kings and queens who were born from that line had never failed to take care of their people and had easily gained treaties with the earth ponies and pegasuses. The kingdoms were united together and willing to come to each others defense, even though most ponies preferred to stay with their kind and in their kingdoms some had started to travel to the different kingdoms and taken up employe. Pegasi now lived in every major city and town handling the weather for each area, helping farmers and villagers alike with their daily work. Earth ponies had traveled across the land cultivating new areas for orchards and plantations, providing enough food to feed pony kind. Unicorns, with their strength and magic guarded the lands from enemies, true there were still earth soldiers and the Pegasi had their wonder bolts to fall back on in dire need, but neither had the pure brute force the unicorns wielded, it had made them the dominant breed of pony kind. Now, Twilight was ready to prove that she was one of the best her kind had to offer, she was ready to take her place in the unicorn army and ready to follow in her mother’s hoof steps to become a great and powerful general. All she had to do was fail at being picked… Author's Note Look it! I made a thing! But seriously, if you made it this far. Great! Please tell me what you think and ignore any grammar/spelling errors. I'm still in the works of finding an editor/proof reader. Rarity“Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another steppingstone to greatness.” As the sun started rising into the sky, large, purple-tinted curtains were pulled open by a yellow aura. The sun slowly filtering into the lavish room, the stone floors covered with large red velvet rugs with silver trim. A large vanity mirror that stretched across the majority of the left wall, three tall mirrors that curved around the large desk, giving a pony the ability to see themselves from several angles. A giant closet dominated the eastern wall, filled with extravagant gowns of all shapes, styles, and colors. In the middle of the room stood a large and slightly over sized bed, especially for the single form that was curled up into the middle of it. Every piece of furniture that decorated the room was made from the rarest wood in Equestria, Red Oak, a wood that could only be found in the Everfree forest, a place where few ponies dared to enter and even fewer ponies returned from. But Rarity’s mother had been smitten with the deep robust shine that came from the wood that she hired an expert team to fetch as much as they could bring back. It took several years and several teams to finally acquire enough of the rare wood to furnish several rooms of the large castle. But Queen Pearl had refused to give in until she had what she desired. ((I moved this as the original placement broke the continuity of the piece. Here is a better fit.)) Clearing his throat, Bitsworth made his way across the room. “Awaken Princess, your father is waiting to see you in the royal hall. He has an important matter to address with you.” He stated as he tugged back the veils that wrapped around the bed. The sleeping form whined softly as she rolled over, pulling the covers over her head as she tried to avoid the bright light that was filling the room around her. After a sigh, a white snout slowly poked out from under the silk covers. “Why would Daddy want me up at this hour, he knows that I need my beauty sleep. If I’m to be queen I must be presentable to all the ambassadors or other royalties.” She announced as she slowly moved to sit of the edge of the cotton soft bed. Bitsworth just chuckled and shook his head slightly as he pulled the covers back for the young princess. “He is very aware and even told me you would make such comments. But today is the day you go to the training grounds to pick your personal guard. An the travel distance alone is a few hours and knowing you, you’ll wish to bring Miss Fluttershy with you.” His horn still glowing as a large platter covered with a silver tray floated into the room. “I brought you some of your favorite tea to help you start the day, Curls will be here shortly to help you with your mane. After all we wouldn’t want to keep your father waiting to long.” He chuckled as he set the tray down on the large wooden bedside table. Rarity rolled her eyes as she stood up from her bed, her hooves glinting in the light and her white coat shining as her mane hung down the front of her face, lacking the curls and usual elegance she so often required for her appearance. Her mother had told her at a very young age that a queen had to be both beautiful, strong, and witty, claiming that if the any queen only focused on one or two of the three important points, her rule would be short and painful. Rarity dare not risk the families long-lasting name, she refused to be the one that let her family’s kingdom fall. So her looks were one of the most important things on her agenda. Moving towards the large vanity, her purple robe dragging on long the floor, she spoke. “Thank you Bitsworth, tell my father I will be down soon.” She yawned as her eyes fluttered open fully as she sat down in front of the large vanity. Rarity stared at the reflection, her sapphire blue eyes sweeping across the reflection, her ears standing at attention as she set her hooves on top of the vanity. Slowly, she ran her hooves along the edge. “Alright Rarity, let’s get this day under way. The sooner you get proper, the sooner you can face the world and all the challenges that lay ahead.” She announced to herself, her horn surrounded itself with a gentle blue glow. Soon every tool, instrument and object that had adorned the desk was in the air, hovering weightlessly with Rarity’s magic. Quickly, each item set to work, her mane being brushed down and her tail tamed. Curlers worked their way into her mane and tail, a small jar containing an ink-like substance floated in front of Rarity’s snout, a tiny thin brush dipping into the jar and slowly working along Rarity’s eyes and eyelashes. A light blue mare walked into the room and gasped when she saw Rarity as a loud gasp escaped her lips. “Princess! Please, allow me!” The mare cried out before quickly trotting over and trying to taking the beauty supplies in her own yellow magic. A soft musical laugh escaped Rarity’s lips as she shook her head and waved a hoof. “Don’t worry Curls, I just wanted to get started on my beauty regimen, after all, I did take my bath last night to save time this morning.” She said as she let the light blue mare take hold of the supplies with her magic, letting out a slow breath. “Today Daddy will instruct me on how to pick my royal guard, all I can think about is making the wrong choice. Can you imagine the consequences of choosing a unicorn that’s going to be nothing but a boring military trained hound? I want someone... unique, smart, talented…” She sighed as her eyes slowly opened to stare at her reflection as Curls worked at top speed to make Rarity perfect. “It sounds like you’re trying to pick a lover Princess.” Curls teased as a giggle escaped Rarity, the regal mare holding her head little higher for Curls as the mare worked on her mane. “No, I’m looking for a friend. Daddy had one of the best personal guards so many years ago. I was just a foal then, but I still remember the deep blue stallion standing by my father’s side. Chatting with him, laughing with him about the silly nobles. And the stallion always made sure Daddy had time for me, never letting my father miss a chance to spend a few moments with me...” Rarity smiled at the fond memories passing through her mind, the stallion always trailing behind her and her father as they explored the royal gardens. “I remember Princ-” “Rarity. When we’re in my chambers you are allowed to call me by my name. Just because I’m a princess doesn’t mean you have to address me as such. After all I do consider you a friend, even if your job is to do my mane every morning.” She interrupted as she gave the unicorn a smile in the reflection. Curls just nodded. “Of course Pri- Rarity. But, as I was saying I remember that stallion. Brave, bold and always there to keep you entertained if your father was dealing with a noble. It was a dark time when your father lost him.” “Yes it was and look at the guard he has now,” Rarity scoffed, “A stallion who stands there, says nothing, does nothing and even falls asleep on the job. The only reason father keeps him around is because he has stopped every assassination attempt. I don’t want that! I want a guard who will play with my foals while I deal with nobles, who will teach them the little secrets of the castle and will always be there when I can’t. That guard was like a second father to me growing up, something I wish Sweetie Belle could’ve enjoyed. Instead she got a stallion who can’t even add single numbers” Curls just smiled and shook her head “Your father needed a guard, it was a desperate time.. With the gryphons acting up in the east, your father didn’t want to risk anypony’s life by taking too long to make a choice. And I know you, you’ve gone to the training grounds every day for the past month just to watch and study the recruits, you’ve been concerned about this choice since you were little.” She chuckled as she pulled away and her magic laid down her tools. “I’m finished Rarity, and I think you will like what I did.” Rarity smiled as she stared into her reflection, her mane was done up in a high bun at the back of her head, while enough of her mane framed the side of her face. The end was curled, spiraling down to the base of her neck. At the end of her lion-like tail, it was curled away well, bouncing back into perfect form with each movement. Rarity just smiled. “Beautiful work as always, now.. let’s get my tiara and I will be off to see Daddy!” Curls smiled as she nodded her head, her horn instantly lightening up and retrieving the box. Soon pulling out a pure silver tiara that was decorated with several jewels that all had a radiant glow to them and to finish off the look. Curls quickly slipped a matching necklace around Rarity’s elegant neck. “I thought you would like to wear your mother’s necklace today, it is her birthday after all,” Curls smile as Rarity nodded her head softly as a slightly sorrowful smile appeared on her muzzle. Her mother had passed giving birth to her young sister, everything had happened so fast. The gryphons had been acting up in the east, demanding that trades be more in their favor since they claimed to have to work harder to keep up their end of the deal. They had refused to come to any meetings to negotiate changing or making the trade easier, demanding that the king just bend to their demands. Her father had refused to yield without proof of their claims, saying he wanted to know if the trade truly was unfair for them before giving in and send more supplies. When they had finally set a date for the gryphons to come to the castle and negotiate; they attacked. The force had come in without warning, taking out all the lines of defense. Breaking into the castle that had prepared to welcome guests, not ready to defend themselves. The gryphons had gotten into the royal court and had attacked her parents, both who were ready to welcome their guests. Her father’s guard had fought valiantly, only when one of the gryphons had stabbed him through and tossed him into the wall did the unthinkable happen. Her mother was nine months pregnant, carrying her younger sister and wasn’t due for several more weeks. Her father had tried to defend Rarity’s mother, but they had been overwhelmed. Her mother had been struck in the stomach and sent to the ground as her father was stabbed in the shoulder. Before the final blow could land General Twilight Velvet had come to the rescue, claiming she had been following the gryphons forces from the east. The general had received notice the gryphons would be going to the capital to negotiate trade, but when she had caught word of a military force moving towards the kingdom she took the risk of being court-martial for temporarily abandoning her post. She had received a medal and several awards for her decisive actions. By following the gryphons she had saved thousands of lives. But her mother.. the blow had forced her to go into early labor, and while her sister had survived her mother had not. The injury had cause a large amount of internal bleeding that the medics couldn’t heal. In one day Rarity had lost her mother and the unicorn that held off the gryphons long enough for General Twilight Velvet to show up. She had learned that day Twilight Velvet was the mate of her father’s personal guard; she had never seen Twilight Velvet cry. But when the mare had found her mates broken and cold body…the cry of pain shook the very heart of the kingdom. “Princess.. Rarity… Rarity…” Shaking her head and pulling herself from her thoughts Rarity returned her gaze to Curls. “Sorry.. I was just think about my mother, I don’t have many memories of her, and the only clear on I have in my mind is the day she passed away. The last time I saw her was just before the attack, when she sent me to spend the day with my nursemare Violet.” Curls nodded her head softly “I remember that day, I was learning how to dye and cut manes with my mother. She hid me under the floorboards as she stood in front of the door, ready to attack any gryphons that dared enter the room. Thankfully General Twilight Velvet was able to make it in time to save your father.” Nodding her head softly Rarity nodded softly as she got off of her comfortable cushion. “Thank you Curls, enjoy the rest of your day. I’m going to collect Fluttershy and go meet Daddy. I have a few choices in mind for my personal guard, but I would like Fluttershy’s thoughts on my choices.” As Rarity made her way down the hall her mind drifted back to that day, Sweetie Belle had been born into a world without a mother. But her father had made sure to never let either of them out of his sight until he felt they were truly safe. King Magnum always told them they were the two best gifts his mate had given him and he was never going to let anything happen to them. As Rarity made her way through the brightly lit halls she thought about everything she could to lift her spirits, she was going to pick a guard today and she was going to hopefully have a new friend to talk to and spend her days with. True, she had made friends with Curls and a few of the other servants of the castle. But many of them were uneducated and only knew interesting things that tied in with their skills. She could only hear about how keeping the edges of her mane trimmed helped it grow faster and kept it health for so long, or that one crack in her hoof could lead to a deadly injury later. She wanted - no - she needed so one who knew different topics and subjects and didn’t mind learn and exploring new things. All she had to do was make the right choice... King Magnum“Fluttershy darling, please explain to me again why my family has this silly tradition of personal royal guards? I mean the castle is full of guards at all times, who are all trained to protect the royal family. I don’t need a guard following me around all the time, especially if this pony is going to be quiet the entire time!” Fluttershy chuckled softly as she shook her at her friends over dramatic statement. “Because when Queen Platinum took the throne every kingdom panicked when a mare took the throne, thinking that everything would fall into disarray, which started dozens of assassination attempts on her life. So she sought out the best masters in the land to train the best soldier she had on hoof and when that pony finished their training he saved the queen dozens of times.” Fluttershy explained as the turned a corner, continuing their journey towards the throne room. “So while under the protection of the royal guard your great grand mother was able to make treaties with many of the rival kingdoms, such as the Minotaurs and Centaurs. Able to open trade routes that benefited all pony kind and the greatest thing she ever accomplished was applying royal funds into poverty stricken villages that now produce some of the finest silk in the land. The very silk you enjoy rolling around on when you get to one of the more…. juicy parts of your books.” The yellow mare teased as she nudged Rarity’s shoulder causing the white mare to blush and clear her throat. Rarity sighed softly as a smile graced her muzzle. “I forgot that you know the entire history of my family, but thank you for the short history lesson darling.” Rarity teased as she looked ahead. Fluttershy just smiled as a faint blush stained her own cheeks. “Sorry Rarity, but my family prides itself on knowing everything about your family. Since we want to keep the treaty strong I made sure to read your family history, twice.” “Darling, twice?! Half the history archives are about my family! You can’t have read it all twice!” Rarity was amazed, many of the earls from the pegasus clan only read a few of the books that informed them of the last two or three rulers. “Why did you put all that effort into it sweet Fluttershy, I understand you’re here to help me with the royal council and to be the voice for pegasus kind. But you really didn’t need to study that much.” Rarity explained as her ears flicked back as a frown appeared on her face, in truth Rarity had only studied the last two generations of the pegasus royalty not thinking she would need to know more then that. Fluttershy just shook her head and smiled softly. “Don’t worry about it Rarity, your family history is rather interesting and amazing at the same time. Every new king or queen always changes the land for the better. Your family has yet to fail to protect and serve pony kind yet.” “That’s what I’m afraid of..” Rarity sighed as her head hung low, she had so much on her shoulders. A family name to live up to and traditions to continue. Everyday she was reminded about the path she was walking and how one false step could affect so many lives. “You will be a great leader Rarity, you’ve done an amazing job helping your father raise your younger sister.” Fluttershy explained as the guards straightened up as the approached the doors. Soon the doors being opened by magic. The room was decorated with large tapestries, each one stitched with a story of the passed rules. From the first Hearth's Warming Eve, to the signing of the peace treaty, to the rise of the royal family, all of which were stitched into Queen Platinums tapestry. Every member of the royal family had done something during their rule, Rarity’s father had accomplished something many ponies claimed would never happen. Making a treaty with the Breezies, many ponies claimed they were nothing but a myth. But one spring the small fairy like creatures made an appearance King Magnum had been quick to make sure the creatures had everything they needed, an when he found out why they had travelled to out of their realm into the land of Equestria he set about making their journey a lot easier. He worked with the Pegasuses to create a gentle breeze for the to travel along, to bring the magic they had collected from the land to their own world. The Breezies had never been so happy to make a new friendship and an even greater ally. As they approached the throne, ponies stood in a line. Each approaching the throne one at a time to address the king with their problems and concerns. But when the king spotted his daughter approaching he held up his hoof to silence the young noble who was trying to get a solution to a farming problem. The king cleared his throat as he stood up from his throne “I would like a moment with my daughter, I shall continue court and any and all questions once I’m finished.” He announced as he waved his hoof at the door, the nobles nodding their heads as they all turned to leave as Rarity finishing her approach to her father’s throne. “Now Daddy, I already know what you’re going to say. So why bother bringing me to the royal court? I could have left already and headed towards the training grounds. The faster I pick a guard the faster I will be able to go shopping and enjoy the opera.” Rarity explained as she sat down near her father's throne. The king chuckled and shook his head. “It’s not that simple Rarity, this guard is going to go through months of training, learning the ins and outs of this castle. Memorizing each nook and cranny, anywhere an intruder could or would hide so they will know to check those places daily. On top of that, they must learn your daily routine by heart, and be able to follow it to the tee, as well as adapt to changes on the fly and knowing you this pony is going to have to be able to live with your busy and constantly changing schedule.” The king teased as he looked ahead. “When the crown is finally upon your head, it’s going to feel like the world is on your shoulders. Judging your every move and critiquing your every judgement. You can’t show any doubt in the choices you make and when the consequences arise from some of your poorer choices you will have to stand by the choice you made. Some; if not many ponies may disagree with you and some will go to the extreme to try and make you suffer for it. That’s why your personal guard must stand by you and never doubt your choices. So the more time your guard has with you will help the two of you gain a trust within each other. It’s why you have such issues with my guard, you didn’t get to develope a level of trust with him like you did with Night Light and so , you doubt him at every turn.” He explained as he gestured to the large stallion sitting off to the far side of the room. “I want you to go to the training grounds and study every pony there, I want you to think long and hard about everything these ponies do while you’re there. If the beg for your attention and show off for you it’s only because you’re the future queen. Look at the ponies more focus on their work and their training. They tend to be the best ones” he continued as he tapped his chin. “Did I ever tell you about how I picked Night Light?” He asked as he turned to face his daughter. Rarity thought for a moment, her mind running over the hundreds of stories her father had told her over the years, soon shaking her head. “No, surprisingly you have not.” She replied as the king chuckled. “I am surprised, it’s a funny story. Come, let’s get comfortable. Bitsworth could you please bring us some tea and biscuits?” “Right away Sir.” The stallion replied before trotting off towards the kitchen, Rarity still didn’t understand how the butler was always around when he was needed. “ I was a little younger than you when my parents told me I need to make my choice. I was twenty-one at the time when they sent me to the training grounds. I was a proud stallion, sure my father would live for at least another thirty years, for the simple reason that your grand father had already lived so long. I wasn’t worried about picking a personal guard, in fact, I almost didn’t want to. I was a bit too cocky for my own good back then.” He said with a chuckle he shifted and settled back in his throne in a less professional manner, softly thanking the butler stallion for the earl grey and chocolate biscuits. Levitating the cup to his lips, he took a sip before continuing, one eye watching his beloved daughter’s reaction. “Now, in order to understand this, I’ll have to give a bit of background. You see, NightLight had been a notorious prankster before he became serious with his training, and gained quite a few ‘enemies’ in the camp as a result of his foalish but brilliant pranks in his younger years as a trainee. The day of the selection, the stallions and mares he’d managed to tick off got together and decided to knock him down a peg or two, planting traps and pranking gags all around the training field he always used.” “O-oh my, why on earth would they do that on selection day!” Rarity gasped out, putting a dainty hoof to her lips as her eyes widened. “They could have gotten you caught in the traps!” She exclaimed, not noticing her father’s lips trembling with suppressed amusement. Clearing his throat, Magnum shot his daughter a wry look before continuing once more. “As I was saying...When I arrived, everypony was practicing in their own fields, to showcase their prowess to me. I spotted a mare or two, as well as a few stallions that would meet my father’s standards, but none of them seemed like a pony I could tolerate being forced to be with almost 24/7. That is, until I came to NightLight’s field. At first, it seemed like any other showcase, precise, skilled, and over all a cookie cutter presentation….until he set off the first tripwire.” The older stallion said, chuckling softly as his eyes glazed over a bit, remembering the hilarity that ensued once the first tripwire was hit. ~[Flashback]~ Metal glinted in the harsh sun as the soft whirr of blades slicing through the air became more prominent, a dark blue stallion going through a complex formation of thrusts, parries, sidesteps, and jumps. Multiple swords held up by a soft blue glow surrounded the stallion, arcing through the air at incredible speeds towards an invisible opponent. Just as the beautiful but deadly dance came to a climax, a strange ‘twang’ was heard and the nameless stallion’s ears perked up, his eyes widening. Before anypony could react, the flash of a timed teleportation spell went off over the stallion’s head and the stallion was suddenly covered from head to toe in viscous, sweet smelling honey. Stumbling a few steps forwards, another ‘twang’ was heard, followed by the angry symphony of a hive of bees. Blanching, the dark blue stallion took off towards the water troughs only to set off one last tripwire, this one being the grande finale. The field was quickly lost in a cloud of colored dust, flying pies, chicken feathers, honey, various neon paint colors, and glue. The ensuing chaos enveloped the nearby spectators, as well as the next field over. Thankfully, no pony was in the next field, but the spectators weren’t so lucky. When the rainbow of dust settled, a tied up, neon rainbow colored, pie splattered, chicken/pony hybrid rested at a regal spectator’s feet, groaning softly. Looking up, the former blue stallion blanched as he noted the patches of pristine white fur, royal garb, and silver circlet that signified a prince of the royal family. “I-I...I...u-umm…” The stallion stuttered out while everypony else held their breath. “I-I’m so sorry, I d-didn’t know the field was boobytraped…!” The stallion spluttered out as he tried to stand and brush himself off, failing rather spectacularly at the task and promptly faceplanting on the rainbow colored ground, his feathered rear sticking up in the air. Prince Magnum was in a quandary, he had absolutely no idea of what to make of this situation. He was covered almost head to toe in sticky, rainbow colored chicken feathers and pie innards with a tied up, rainbow chicken stallion hybrid at his feet, looking about ready to crawl in a hole and die. After a moment or two of stunned silence a soft chuckle echoed through the training field, the spectators going wide eyed as they realized just who was chuckling. Soon, the soft chuckle turned into a deep bellied laugh, the Prince’s left foreleg gripping his barrel as he let loose. “Bwaaahahahahaha!!! Oh sweet Celestia! Who in Tartarus did you piss off…?!” The formerly white stallion gasped out between laughs, ignoring the thunderstruck looks of his guards for the day and the nearby trainees. Sheepishly, the trainee looked up and gave a lopsided grin. “Ehh...just about the entirety of my first year barrack.” The stallion said as he slowly untangled himself and stood up, giving a rainbow feathered salute to the prince. “Trainee NightLight at your service Your Highness.” The stallion barked out, slipping back into his serious mask. Well, about as serious as one can be when looking like a pony shaped rainbow chicken with pie innards stuck in your feathers. Prince Magnum nearly went into another fit of laughter at the sight of a serious ‘rainbow chicken’. “W-well met Trainee NightLight, well met.” The Prince managed to chuckle out before slipping on his own ‘royal’ mask. ~[Flashback End]~ “And that, my dear daughter, was the first time I met Nightlight. After we were all cleaned up, I insisted that NightLight showcase his skills once more, this time without sabotage, and found that he was in fact, a cut above the rest of the trainees, and a perfect candidate for my personal guard. It was then that I made my choice. If I had to be stuck with an annoying shadow for the rest of my life, it might as well be one that could slip in and out of his ‘Guard’ mask and be a friend when I needed one. Someone I could laugh with to relieve stress, and what a better way to do that than to bring up the disaster that was his first try out every time I needed a laugh?” The king said, chuckling softly at his daughter’s thunderstruck expression. “Besides, once he married, ‘The Incident’ was the best blackmail material. I could get him to sneak me almost anything...of course I may have put on a few pounds from all of the ‘use’ of the blackmail material…” Magnum said, flushing slightly as he remembered the small gut he’d accumulated from all the late night binges on chocolate eclairs courtesy of his blackmail-whipped guard. “So don’t look for the fastest, the strongest, look for a pony that has skills the military doesn’t train. Some pony different then the cookie cutter design the generals have created” he explained, Rarity nodding her head as she turned towards the door. Fluttershy following behind without a word. Today, today was going to be the start of something very different. Author's Note Enjoy, I'm not happy with this chapter. So tell me what you think.
Twilight Sparkle“The very purpose of a knight is to fight on behalf of a lady.” The words vibrated through her skull as she charged forward, her horn glowing as she held her sword close to her jaw preparing to thrust. Her opponent charging in return aiming his sword lower, aiming for Twilights forelegs. Focusing on the blade that was being aimed for her legs, Twilight forgot to be aware of everything around her. The young stallion grinned and took a chance as he cast a quick and simple energy blast. Hitting Twilight in the side and sending her into the dirt, her sword sliding across the ground to land a couple feet away from her. “Halt!” roared out a deep voice, a large stallion moving towards the two, his eyes shifting between them. “That was sloppy Twilight, you shouldn’t have focused only on his sword. You left yourself completely open to his attack. On the battlefield you can’t stare at your opponent's weapon, you need to focus on everything about him.” the captain explained as he walked around the stallion. “But you said this was sword practice!” Twilight protested as she pushed herself up from the dirt, dusting herself off as she turned to face her captain. “I did say that, but I never said either of you couldn’t use magic. You can’t use that as an excuse on the battlefield. He noticed that you were focused on his sword and he took the chance to hit you with another tool,” he replied as he cocked an eyebrow, the scowl on his face growing “You’re dismissed, I suggest that both of you practice your blade skills. A royal guard needs to be strong, fast and able to defend the royal family from anyone or thing that attacks them.” he grunted before turning and leaving heading towards his barracks Twilight just stared at her sword laying on the ground, her snout scrunching as her steely gaze landed on the blade. Her eyes traveling along the dulled edge as she rolled her violet eyes. “You didn’t say I could use magic, I was trying to focus on my swordsmanship!” she barked as her tail flicked back and fourth. The captain blinked and scowled as he turned around sharply “Are you questioning me Twilight? Do I need to remind you, You are the recruit here. My word is law. It’s allowed.” he barked as he stomped his hoof. “And for you insolence you will do twenty laps around the track! Tell the smith to get his apprentice to attach the weights to you, one hundred pounds this time. You are not to use any magic for the rest of the day either, since you’ve decided to complain about it so much.” The stallion ordered as he gestured his head towards the blacksmiths forge, knowing without magic Twilight would be busy for the rest of the day dragging the solid block of weight. Twilight’s eyes narrowed slightly as she opened her mouth to defend herself, quickly stopping herself as she looked away. “Yes Sir, Right away Sir” she replied, clenching her jaw tightly as she turned to make her way to the forge. She had been fighting the young colt for an hour or so. In that time her attacks had become more calculated and precise, she was sure she was going to win the battle, the colt had no defense for her more acrobatic attacks. But one simple magical blast had caused her to lose. If she had known she could have used magic she would have won the fight easily. Twilight was one of the youngest recruits on the training grounds; she had been born into a military family. Her mother the commanding general of the east coast and her father once the personal guard of the ruling king - although he was killed in an assassination attempt by the gryphons many years ago-her older brother rising through the ranks. Many claimed he would be the pony to replace his mother when she fell on the field or, heavens forbid lived to retire. Retiring was not the way of a warrior, the only honorable way to go was to die on the battlefield, at the hands of the enemy, defending the kingdom. Twilight was proud of her strong family line, she knew she had to make them proud and she had to be the best. When she’d arrived at the training grounds she had been the age of five, young, wide-eyed, and ready. Her parents had said one simple thing that day. “Be the best or die trying” From that day on, Twilight had thrown herself into her studies and training. Reading every book she could get her hooves on -and earning the title ‘Egghead’ at a young age- mastering every weapon that she could, and practicing her magic non stop. As she made her way across the training grounds her gaze drifted around. The grounds were rather expansive, able to train hundreds of recruits at a time. at the bottom of Canterlot Mountain, where the royal family lived in the castle that was built into the side of the tall peak. The grounds stretched and easily wrapped around a fourth of the mountains base. The first king, generations ago, claimed that no one would harm his subjects and a worthy army of ponies would be trained from a young age to protect their home. Stone walls enclosed the encampment, towering over the training grounds - a truly formidable sight - each stone carefully shaped and reinforced with a myriad of spells, made to last thousands of years, or through a fearsome attack. The grounds themselves were split into three sections, the first section was where young fillies and colts were trained and drilled, being shown the proper stances and fighting forms as well as the proper commands and orders by their Commanding Officers. It was a rather simple area filled with a few training dummies, a large area for archery and magical apparatuses in which to train the Unicorns in their special arts of Magic. The second section was were those fillies and colts who made it through basic training would move onto when they were ready. Here they would learn the different weapons and skills they would be using in battle, this where their level of skill would be tested and placed, many ponies were shipped from this area into the battlefield a select few being moved into the third area held the most promising recruits, one that were destined to be generals and even promoted to royal guards. The third area had advance magical training with advanced tactics: It was in this area soldiers were pitted against some of the wild dangerous beasts that inhabited the Everfree forest, from Chimeras to Timber wolves. Ponies had to find out how to best their foes, mostly without any advice from the training officers. This rule was only transcended in the event that the situation became too dangerous. On top of that ponies were taught about poisons and herbal remedies, in case a pony’s magic was weak or the pony was running on empty. The advanced trainers only wanted to work with soldiers who had earned and proven themselves worthy of learning such information. It was Twilight favorite time of day, where she would be able to do nothing but lay in the grass and read book after book of information, it was the one time she truly impressed all of her trainers. When it came to information about anything Twilight was a never ending river of information. Her knowledge ranged from simple things like the different kinds of swords to the chemical makeup of poisonous weapons and their remedies.. Another thing that was provided during advance training was have a solider craft their own sword under the watchful eye of the forge master. Many trainers claimed that a sword that was hoof made by it’s owner gave the pony more respect for the weapon they wielded. It would also help each soldier understand that with hard work and proper focus even the simplest of ponies could create something amazing. A soldiers day started as soon as the sun rose into the sky, they would run laps to wake up their muscles before they were allowed to eat their breakfast. The young recruits would spend three hours in schools learning the basic skills they would need like reading, writing, math and the main focus being history. The old recruits would start with magic practice, then move on to weapons practice and finally into tactics and formations. After supper most recruits were allowed to enjoy the rest of their day, but advance soldiers would started their secondary studying and wouldn’t finish till the sun had started to set in the evening sky. Unless one was like Twilight, who would constantly speak out of turn and have to work through a punishment before she could get to her studies. The grounds held everything needed to train ponies from a young age, a small school where they were taught to read and write, barracks to make their homes. Ponies they could always ask questions to, learn from and grow up with. Many foals learned at a young age that the group they trained with was the group they would be with for the rest of their lives and for many they found love in their groups. Like many who were in the military because of the heritage, Twilight stayed in the same barracks as her brother, her mother and father and their parents before them. Many recruits knew about her family line, and many more hated her for it. Because of her blood line no pony wished to be her friend, many knew that Twilight was destined to be a great leader and didn’t want to be compared with her. As she arrived at the smith’s forge she sighed as her ears drooped, if she hadn’t opened her mouth she wouldn’t have to do the extra round of training. she could have returned to her barracks and started the next chapter of her book. At this rate she was never going to get a chance to finish the book before she would be shipped away to some outpost to be trained as a protector of the land, hopefully she would be able to live up to her family name and become a master strategist like her mother. Lifting her head she cleared her throat, the forge’s heat warmed her face and chest. Looking around for the master of the forge only to have her eyes land on his young apprentice. The young grey stallion turned, grinning slightly as he trotted over. “In trouble again Twilight? What would your mother think if she found out you were kept having to drag the block around?” The young apprentice asked as he moved towards Twilight’s form, his coat covered with black ash. Pushing his tinted goggles to the top of his head, a black outline surrounding his eyes as soot fell from his body, lingering around him like a personal cloud of dirt and grime. Snorting softly as she rolled her eyes. “She would be quiet about it, just staring me down with her steel eyes. As if I should be able to read her mind when it comes to her level of disappointment.” Twilight replied as she sat down, letting the apprentice begin his work of putting the harness around her body. “True, she was never one for words was she? So how many laps and what block?” he asked when he finished tightening the strap around Twilight’s stomach, chest and neck. “He ordered one hundred pounds for twenty laps.” she muttered as her ears went flat to her head, she hated dragging weights around. She didn’t gain anything from it but sore muscles and balds spots from the leather straps chafing against her skin. Moving to towards the track she stood in front of the large block of stone that was a little smaller than herself, the edges rounds to making the stone move a little easier through the ground. The apprentice just chuckled and shook his head as he went to work attaching the straps to Twilight athletic form. “Sorry about the chafing. I keep trying to get around to tanning some new leather to make softer straps, but my master keeps getting me to work on more blades.” He muttered as he tugged lightly on the worn brown leather strap. Twilight just smiled “No worries, you need the practice with your metal work anyway. After all you don’t want to be an apprentice forever.” She grinned as she shifted on her hooves, trying to get comfortable with the annoying straps. “Right! An hopefully one day you will be able to give your captain orders and tell him to do this silly little task.” He teased as he finished attaching the straps, making sure they fit properly. Nodding her head she trudged forward, her hooves digging into the loose dirt as she started to move forward. At first, the stone refused to budge from it’s resting place, but with enough effort, it soon gave way to the mare’s pulling. One more week, one more week of listening to the captain bark, to his annoying orders orders. Then she would be sent off to her new assignment, she would finally be placed on the battlefield defending the lands of the Unicorn King. The only reason she was still at the training camp was because Princess Rarity was now reaching the age where she would expected to pick a personal guard, a single guard that would stand beside her for the rest of her or their days, which was supposed to be a great honor. To Twilight it was like getting a royal desk job, never getting a true chance to be on the battlefield. Never getting a chance to be a true warrior, If a pony was picked to be a personal guard they would become nothing but fat and lazy. She didn’t want to be like her father and die because he had grown weak as the king’s guard. When Princess Rarity arrived Twilight knew she had to do anything possible to avoid being chosen, she wanted to make a name for herself. She wanted to make her family proud. Being a glorified royal baby sitter was not something she wanted to do with her life. Looking up the side of the mountain her eyes landed on the royal kingdom, the kingdom that had been ruled by the same unicorn family from the start. The kings and queens who were born from that line had never failed to take care of their people and had easily gained treaties with the earth ponies and pegasuses. The kingdoms were united together and willing to come to each others defense, even though most ponies preferred to stay with their kind and in their kingdoms some had started to travel to the different kingdoms and taken up employe. Pegasi now lived in every major city and town handling the weather for each area, helping farmers and villagers alike with their daily work. Earth ponies had traveled across the land cultivating new areas for orchards and plantations, providing enough food to feed pony kind. Unicorns, with their strength and magic guarded the lands from enemies, true there were still earth soldiers and the Pegasi had their wonder bolts to fall back on in dire need, but neither had the pure brute force the unicorns wielded, it had made them the dominant breed of pony kind. Now, Twilight was ready to prove that she was one of the best her kind had to offer, she was ready to take her place in the unicorn army and ready to follow in her mother’s hoof steps to become a great and powerful general. All she had to do was fail at being picked… Author's Note Look it! I made a thing! But seriously, if you made it this far. Great! Please tell me what you think and ignore any grammar/spelling errors. I'm still in the works of finding an editor/proof reader.
Rarity“Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another steppingstone to greatness.” As the sun started rising into the sky, large, purple-tinted curtains were pulled open by a yellow aura. The sun slowly filtering into the lavish room, the stone floors covered with large red velvet rugs with silver trim. A large vanity mirror that stretched across the majority of the left wall, three tall mirrors that curved around the large desk, giving a pony the ability to see themselves from several angles. A giant closet dominated the eastern wall, filled with extravagant gowns of all shapes, styles, and colors. In the middle of the room stood a large and slightly over sized bed, especially for the single form that was curled up into the middle of it. Every piece of furniture that decorated the room was made from the rarest wood in Equestria, Red Oak, a wood that could only be found in the Everfree forest, a place where few ponies dared to enter and even fewer ponies returned from. But Rarity’s mother had been smitten with the deep robust shine that came from the wood that she hired an expert team to fetch as much as they could bring back. It took several years and several teams to finally acquire enough of the rare wood to furnish several rooms of the large castle. But Queen Pearl had refused to give in until she had what she desired. ((I moved this as the original placement broke the continuity of the piece. Here is a better fit.)) Clearing his throat, Bitsworth made his way across the room. “Awaken Princess, your father is waiting to see you in the royal hall. He has an important matter to address with you.” He stated as he tugged back the veils that wrapped around the bed. The sleeping form whined softly as she rolled over, pulling the covers over her head as she tried to avoid the bright light that was filling the room around her. After a sigh, a white snout slowly poked out from under the silk covers. “Why would Daddy want me up at this hour, he knows that I need my beauty sleep. If I’m to be queen I must be presentable to all the ambassadors or other royalties.” She announced as she slowly moved to sit of the edge of the cotton soft bed. Bitsworth just chuckled and shook his head slightly as he pulled the covers back for the young princess. “He is very aware and even told me you would make such comments. But today is the day you go to the training grounds to pick your personal guard. An the travel distance alone is a few hours and knowing you, you’ll wish to bring Miss Fluttershy with you.” His horn still glowing as a large platter covered with a silver tray floated into the room. “I brought you some of your favorite tea to help you start the day, Curls will be here shortly to help you with your mane. After all we wouldn’t want to keep your father waiting to long.” He chuckled as he set the tray down on the large wooden bedside table. Rarity rolled her eyes as she stood up from her bed, her hooves glinting in the light and her white coat shining as her mane hung down the front of her face, lacking the curls and usual elegance she so often required for her appearance. Her mother had told her at a very young age that a queen had to be both beautiful, strong, and witty, claiming that if the any queen only focused on one or two of the three important points, her rule would be short and painful. Rarity dare not risk the families long-lasting name, she refused to be the one that let her family’s kingdom fall. So her looks were one of the most important things on her agenda. Moving towards the large vanity, her purple robe dragging on long the floor, she spoke. “Thank you Bitsworth, tell my father I will be down soon.” She yawned as her eyes fluttered open fully as she sat down in front of the large vanity. Rarity stared at the reflection, her sapphire blue eyes sweeping across the reflection, her ears standing at attention as she set her hooves on top of the vanity. Slowly, she ran her hooves along the edge. “Alright Rarity, let’s get this day under way. The sooner you get proper, the sooner you can face the world and all the challenges that lay ahead.” She announced to herself, her horn surrounded itself with a gentle blue glow. Soon every tool, instrument and object that had adorned the desk was in the air, hovering weightlessly with Rarity’s magic. Quickly, each item set to work, her mane being brushed down and her tail tamed. Curlers worked their way into her mane and tail, a small jar containing an ink-like substance floated in front of Rarity’s snout, a tiny thin brush dipping into the jar and slowly working along Rarity’s eyes and eyelashes. A light blue mare walked into the room and gasped when she saw Rarity as a loud gasp escaped her lips. “Princess! Please, allow me!” The mare cried out before quickly trotting over and trying to taking the beauty supplies in her own yellow magic. A soft musical laugh escaped Rarity’s lips as she shook her head and waved a hoof. “Don’t worry Curls, I just wanted to get started on my beauty regimen, after all, I did take my bath last night to save time this morning.” She said as she let the light blue mare take hold of the supplies with her magic, letting out a slow breath. “Today Daddy will instruct me on how to pick my royal guard, all I can think about is making the wrong choice. Can you imagine the consequences of choosing a unicorn that’s going to be nothing but a boring military trained hound? I want someone... unique, smart, talented…” She sighed as her eyes slowly opened to stare at her reflection as Curls worked at top speed to make Rarity perfect. “It sounds like you’re trying to pick a lover Princess.” Curls teased as a giggle escaped Rarity, the regal mare holding her head little higher for Curls as the mare worked on her mane. “No, I’m looking for a friend. Daddy had one of the best personal guards so many years ago. I was just a foal then, but I still remember the deep blue stallion standing by my father’s side. Chatting with him, laughing with him about the silly nobles. And the stallion always made sure Daddy had time for me, never letting my father miss a chance to spend a few moments with me...” Rarity smiled at the fond memories passing through her mind, the stallion always trailing behind her and her father as they explored the royal gardens. “I remember Princ-” “Rarity. When we’re in my chambers you are allowed to call me by my name. Just because I’m a princess doesn’t mean you have to address me as such. After all I do consider you a friend, even if your job is to do my mane every morning.” She interrupted as she gave the unicorn a smile in the reflection. Curls just nodded. “Of course Pri- Rarity. But, as I was saying I remember that stallion. Brave, bold and always there to keep you entertained if your father was dealing with a noble. It was a dark time when your father lost him.” “Yes it was and look at the guard he has now,” Rarity scoffed, “A stallion who stands there, says nothing, does nothing and even falls asleep on the job. The only reason father keeps him around is because he has stopped every assassination attempt. I don’t want that! I want a guard who will play with my foals while I deal with nobles, who will teach them the little secrets of the castle and will always be there when I can’t. That guard was like a second father to me growing up, something I wish Sweetie Belle could’ve enjoyed. Instead she got a stallion who can’t even add single numbers” Curls just smiled and shook her head “Your father needed a guard, it was a desperate time.. With the gryphons acting up in the east, your father didn’t want to risk anypony’s life by taking too long to make a choice. And I know you, you’ve gone to the training grounds every day for the past month just to watch and study the recruits, you’ve been concerned about this choice since you were little.” She chuckled as she pulled away and her magic laid down her tools. “I’m finished Rarity, and I think you will like what I did.” Rarity smiled as she stared into her reflection, her mane was done up in a high bun at the back of her head, while enough of her mane framed the side of her face. The end was curled, spiraling down to the base of her neck. At the end of her lion-like tail, it was curled away well, bouncing back into perfect form with each movement. Rarity just smiled. “Beautiful work as always, now.. let’s get my tiara and I will be off to see Daddy!” Curls smiled as she nodded her head, her horn instantly lightening up and retrieving the box. Soon pulling out a pure silver tiara that was decorated with several jewels that all had a radiant glow to them and to finish off the look. Curls quickly slipped a matching necklace around Rarity’s elegant neck. “I thought you would like to wear your mother’s necklace today, it is her birthday after all,” Curls smile as Rarity nodded her head softly as a slightly sorrowful smile appeared on her muzzle. Her mother had passed giving birth to her young sister, everything had happened so fast. The gryphons had been acting up in the east, demanding that trades be more in their favor since they claimed to have to work harder to keep up their end of the deal. They had refused to come to any meetings to negotiate changing or making the trade easier, demanding that the king just bend to their demands. Her father had refused to yield without proof of their claims, saying he wanted to know if the trade truly was unfair for them before giving in and send more supplies. When they had finally set a date for the gryphons to come to the castle and negotiate; they attacked. The force had come in without warning, taking out all the lines of defense. Breaking into the castle that had prepared to welcome guests, not ready to defend themselves. The gryphons had gotten into the royal court and had attacked her parents, both who were ready to welcome their guests. Her father’s guard had fought valiantly, only when one of the gryphons had stabbed him through and tossed him into the wall did the unthinkable happen. Her mother was nine months pregnant, carrying her younger sister and wasn’t due for several more weeks. Her father had tried to defend Rarity’s mother, but they had been overwhelmed. Her mother had been struck in the stomach and sent to the ground as her father was stabbed in the shoulder. Before the final blow could land General Twilight Velvet had come to the rescue, claiming she had been following the gryphons forces from the east. The general had received notice the gryphons would be going to the capital to negotiate trade, but when she had caught word of a military force moving towards the kingdom she took the risk of being court-martial for temporarily abandoning her post. She had received a medal and several awards for her decisive actions. By following the gryphons she had saved thousands of lives. But her mother.. the blow had forced her to go into early labor, and while her sister had survived her mother had not. The injury had cause a large amount of internal bleeding that the medics couldn’t heal. In one day Rarity had lost her mother and the unicorn that held off the gryphons long enough for General Twilight Velvet to show up. She had learned that day Twilight Velvet was the mate of her father’s personal guard; she had never seen Twilight Velvet cry. But when the mare had found her mates broken and cold body…the cry of pain shook the very heart of the kingdom. “Princess.. Rarity… Rarity…” Shaking her head and pulling herself from her thoughts Rarity returned her gaze to Curls. “Sorry.. I was just think about my mother, I don’t have many memories of her, and the only clear on I have in my mind is the day she passed away. The last time I saw her was just before the attack, when she sent me to spend the day with my nursemare Violet.” Curls nodded her head softly “I remember that day, I was learning how to dye and cut manes with my mother. She hid me under the floorboards as she stood in front of the door, ready to attack any gryphons that dared enter the room. Thankfully General Twilight Velvet was able to make it in time to save your father.” Nodding her head softly Rarity nodded softly as she got off of her comfortable cushion. “Thank you Curls, enjoy the rest of your day. I’m going to collect Fluttershy and go meet Daddy. I have a few choices in mind for my personal guard, but I would like Fluttershy’s thoughts on my choices.” As Rarity made her way down the hall her mind drifted back to that day, Sweetie Belle had been born into a world without a mother. But her father had made sure to never let either of them out of his sight until he felt they were truly safe. King Magnum always told them they were the two best gifts his mate had given him and he was never going to let anything happen to them. As Rarity made her way through the brightly lit halls she thought about everything she could to lift her spirits, she was going to pick a guard today and she was going to hopefully have a new friend to talk to and spend her days with. True, she had made friends with Curls and a few of the other servants of the castle. But many of them were uneducated and only knew interesting things that tied in with their skills. She could only hear about how keeping the edges of her mane trimmed helped it grow faster and kept it health for so long, or that one crack in her hoof could lead to a deadly injury later. She wanted - no - she needed so one who knew different topics and subjects and didn’t mind learn and exploring new things. All she had to do was make the right choice...
King Magnum“Fluttershy darling, please explain to me again why my family has this silly tradition of personal royal guards? I mean the castle is full of guards at all times, who are all trained to protect the royal family. I don’t need a guard following me around all the time, especially if this pony is going to be quiet the entire time!” Fluttershy chuckled softly as she shook her at her friends over dramatic statement. “Because when Queen Platinum took the throne every kingdom panicked when a mare took the throne, thinking that everything would fall into disarray, which started dozens of assassination attempts on her life. So she sought out the best masters in the land to train the best soldier she had on hoof and when that pony finished their training he saved the queen dozens of times.” Fluttershy explained as the turned a corner, continuing their journey towards the throne room. “So while under the protection of the royal guard your great grand mother was able to make treaties with many of the rival kingdoms, such as the Minotaurs and Centaurs. Able to open trade routes that benefited all pony kind and the greatest thing she ever accomplished was applying royal funds into poverty stricken villages that now produce some of the finest silk in the land. The very silk you enjoy rolling around on when you get to one of the more…. juicy parts of your books.” The yellow mare teased as she nudged Rarity’s shoulder causing the white mare to blush and clear her throat. Rarity sighed softly as a smile graced her muzzle. “I forgot that you know the entire history of my family, but thank you for the short history lesson darling.” Rarity teased as she looked ahead. Fluttershy just smiled as a faint blush stained her own cheeks. “Sorry Rarity, but my family prides itself on knowing everything about your family. Since we want to keep the treaty strong I made sure to read your family history, twice.” “Darling, twice?! Half the history archives are about my family! You can’t have read it all twice!” Rarity was amazed, many of the earls from the pegasus clan only read a few of the books that informed them of the last two or three rulers. “Why did you put all that effort into it sweet Fluttershy, I understand you’re here to help me with the royal council and to be the voice for pegasus kind. But you really didn’t need to study that much.” Rarity explained as her ears flicked back as a frown appeared on her face, in truth Rarity had only studied the last two generations of the pegasus royalty not thinking she would need to know more then that. Fluttershy just shook her head and smiled softly. “Don’t worry about it Rarity, your family history is rather interesting and amazing at the same time. Every new king or queen always changes the land for the better. Your family has yet to fail to protect and serve pony kind yet.” “That’s what I’m afraid of..” Rarity sighed as her head hung low, she had so much on her shoulders. A family name to live up to and traditions to continue. Everyday she was reminded about the path she was walking and how one false step could affect so many lives. “You will be a great leader Rarity, you’ve done an amazing job helping your father raise your younger sister.” Fluttershy explained as the guards straightened up as the approached the doors. Soon the doors being opened by magic. The room was decorated with large tapestries, each one stitched with a story of the passed rules. From the first Hearth's Warming Eve, to the signing of the peace treaty, to the rise of the royal family, all of which were stitched into Queen Platinums tapestry. Every member of the royal family had done something during their rule, Rarity’s father had accomplished something many ponies claimed would never happen. Making a treaty with the Breezies, many ponies claimed they were nothing but a myth. But one spring the small fairy like creatures made an appearance King Magnum had been quick to make sure the creatures had everything they needed, an when he found out why they had travelled to out of their realm into the land of Equestria he set about making their journey a lot easier. He worked with the Pegasuses to create a gentle breeze for the to travel along, to bring the magic they had collected from the land to their own world. The Breezies had never been so happy to make a new friendship and an even greater ally. As they approached the throne, ponies stood in a line. Each approaching the throne one at a time to address the king with their problems and concerns. But when the king spotted his daughter approaching he held up his hoof to silence the young noble who was trying to get a solution to a farming problem. The king cleared his throat as he stood up from his throne “I would like a moment with my daughter, I shall continue court and any and all questions once I’m finished.” He announced as he waved his hoof at the door, the nobles nodding their heads as they all turned to leave as Rarity finishing her approach to her father’s throne. “Now Daddy, I already know what you’re going to say. So why bother bringing me to the royal court? I could have left already and headed towards the training grounds. The faster I pick a guard the faster I will be able to go shopping and enjoy the opera.” Rarity explained as she sat down near her father's throne. The king chuckled and shook his head. “It’s not that simple Rarity, this guard is going to go through months of training, learning the ins and outs of this castle. Memorizing each nook and cranny, anywhere an intruder could or would hide so they will know to check those places daily. On top of that, they must learn your daily routine by heart, and be able to follow it to the tee, as well as adapt to changes on the fly and knowing you this pony is going to have to be able to live with your busy and constantly changing schedule.” The king teased as he looked ahead. “When the crown is finally upon your head, it’s going to feel like the world is on your shoulders. Judging your every move and critiquing your every judgement. You can’t show any doubt in the choices you make and when the consequences arise from some of your poorer choices you will have to stand by the choice you made. Some; if not many ponies may disagree with you and some will go to the extreme to try and make you suffer for it. That’s why your personal guard must stand by you and never doubt your choices. So the more time your guard has with you will help the two of you gain a trust within each other. It’s why you have such issues with my guard, you didn’t get to develope a level of trust with him like you did with Night Light and so , you doubt him at every turn.” He explained as he gestured to the large stallion sitting off to the far side of the room. “I want you to go to the training grounds and study every pony there, I want you to think long and hard about everything these ponies do while you’re there. If the beg for your attention and show off for you it’s only because you’re the future queen. Look at the ponies more focus on their work and their training. They tend to be the best ones” he continued as he tapped his chin. “Did I ever tell you about how I picked Night Light?” He asked as he turned to face his daughter. Rarity thought for a moment, her mind running over the hundreds of stories her father had told her over the years, soon shaking her head. “No, surprisingly you have not.” She replied as the king chuckled. “I am surprised, it’s a funny story. Come, let’s get comfortable. Bitsworth could you please bring us some tea and biscuits?” “Right away Sir.” The stallion replied before trotting off towards the kitchen, Rarity still didn’t understand how the butler was always around when he was needed. “ I was a little younger than you when my parents told me I need to make my choice. I was twenty-one at the time when they sent me to the training grounds. I was a proud stallion, sure my father would live for at least another thirty years, for the simple reason that your grand father had already lived so long. I wasn’t worried about picking a personal guard, in fact, I almost didn’t want to. I was a bit too cocky for my own good back then.” He said with a chuckle he shifted and settled back in his throne in a less professional manner, softly thanking the butler stallion for the earl grey and chocolate biscuits. Levitating the cup to his lips, he took a sip before continuing, one eye watching his beloved daughter’s reaction. “Now, in order to understand this, I’ll have to give a bit of background. You see, NightLight had been a notorious prankster before he became serious with his training, and gained quite a few ‘enemies’ in the camp as a result of his foalish but brilliant pranks in his younger years as a trainee. The day of the selection, the stallions and mares he’d managed to tick off got together and decided to knock him down a peg or two, planting traps and pranking gags all around the training field he always used.” “O-oh my, why on earth would they do that on selection day!” Rarity gasped out, putting a dainty hoof to her lips as her eyes widened. “They could have gotten you caught in the traps!” She exclaimed, not noticing her father’s lips trembling with suppressed amusement. Clearing his throat, Magnum shot his daughter a wry look before continuing once more. “As I was saying...When I arrived, everypony was practicing in their own fields, to showcase their prowess to me. I spotted a mare or two, as well as a few stallions that would meet my father’s standards, but none of them seemed like a pony I could tolerate being forced to be with almost 24/7. That is, until I came to NightLight’s field. At first, it seemed like any other showcase, precise, skilled, and over all a cookie cutter presentation….until he set off the first tripwire.” The older stallion said, chuckling softly as his eyes glazed over a bit, remembering the hilarity that ensued once the first tripwire was hit. ~[Flashback]~ Metal glinted in the harsh sun as the soft whirr of blades slicing through the air became more prominent, a dark blue stallion going through a complex formation of thrusts, parries, sidesteps, and jumps. Multiple swords held up by a soft blue glow surrounded the stallion, arcing through the air at incredible speeds towards an invisible opponent. Just as the beautiful but deadly dance came to a climax, a strange ‘twang’ was heard and the nameless stallion’s ears perked up, his eyes widening. Before anypony could react, the flash of a timed teleportation spell went off over the stallion’s head and the stallion was suddenly covered from head to toe in viscous, sweet smelling honey. Stumbling a few steps forwards, another ‘twang’ was heard, followed by the angry symphony of a hive of bees. Blanching, the dark blue stallion took off towards the water troughs only to set off one last tripwire, this one being the grande finale. The field was quickly lost in a cloud of colored dust, flying pies, chicken feathers, honey, various neon paint colors, and glue. The ensuing chaos enveloped the nearby spectators, as well as the next field over. Thankfully, no pony was in the next field, but the spectators weren’t so lucky. When the rainbow of dust settled, a tied up, neon rainbow colored, pie splattered, chicken/pony hybrid rested at a regal spectator’s feet, groaning softly. Looking up, the former blue stallion blanched as he noted the patches of pristine white fur, royal garb, and silver circlet that signified a prince of the royal family. “I-I...I...u-umm…” The stallion stuttered out while everypony else held their breath. “I-I’m so sorry, I d-didn’t know the field was boobytraped…!” The stallion spluttered out as he tried to stand and brush himself off, failing rather spectacularly at the task and promptly faceplanting on the rainbow colored ground, his feathered rear sticking up in the air. Prince Magnum was in a quandary, he had absolutely no idea of what to make of this situation. He was covered almost head to toe in sticky, rainbow colored chicken feathers and pie innards with a tied up, rainbow chicken stallion hybrid at his feet, looking about ready to crawl in a hole and die. After a moment or two of stunned silence a soft chuckle echoed through the training field, the spectators going wide eyed as they realized just who was chuckling. Soon, the soft chuckle turned into a deep bellied laugh, the Prince’s left foreleg gripping his barrel as he let loose. “Bwaaahahahahaha!!! Oh sweet Celestia! Who in Tartarus did you piss off…?!” The formerly white stallion gasped out between laughs, ignoring the thunderstruck looks of his guards for the day and the nearby trainees. Sheepishly, the trainee looked up and gave a lopsided grin. “Ehh...just about the entirety of my first year barrack.” The stallion said as he slowly untangled himself and stood up, giving a rainbow feathered salute to the prince. “Trainee NightLight at your service Your Highness.” The stallion barked out, slipping back into his serious mask. Well, about as serious as one can be when looking like a pony shaped rainbow chicken with pie innards stuck in your feathers. Prince Magnum nearly went into another fit of laughter at the sight of a serious ‘rainbow chicken’. “W-well met Trainee NightLight, well met.” The Prince managed to chuckle out before slipping on his own ‘royal’ mask. ~[Flashback End]~ “And that, my dear daughter, was the first time I met Nightlight. After we were all cleaned up, I insisted that NightLight showcase his skills once more, this time without sabotage, and found that he was in fact, a cut above the rest of the trainees, and a perfect candidate for my personal guard. It was then that I made my choice. If I had to be stuck with an annoying shadow for the rest of my life, it might as well be one that could slip in and out of his ‘Guard’ mask and be a friend when I needed one. Someone I could laugh with to relieve stress, and what a better way to do that than to bring up the disaster that was his first try out every time I needed a laugh?” The king said, chuckling softly at his daughter’s thunderstruck expression. “Besides, once he married, ‘The Incident’ was the best blackmail material. I could get him to sneak me almost anything...of course I may have put on a few pounds from all of the ‘use’ of the blackmail material…” Magnum said, flushing slightly as he remembered the small gut he’d accumulated from all the late night binges on chocolate eclairs courtesy of his blackmail-whipped guard. “So don’t look for the fastest, the strongest, look for a pony that has skills the military doesn’t train. Some pony different then the cookie cutter design the generals have created” he explained, Rarity nodding her head as she turned towards the door. Fluttershy following behind without a word. Today, today was going to be the start of something very different. Author's Note Enjoy, I'm not happy with this chapter. So tell me what you think.
