The path of a hero

The fillies and foals ran around with glee as they enjoyed their time outside in the desert sand, the sun only increasing the incredibly hot air.  Razor looked around, keeping track of the scattering ponies while Pure Flame and Wild Rose sat under an umbrella, shaded from the intense heat with some of the younger ponies, barely able to walk.  The two mare’s eyes kept glancing back at the lively Pegasus as he ran back and forth between ponies who asked for his attention, some actually screaming they wanted to play with the pony until he was covered in giggling joy.

“He has his hoofs full, doesn’t he?”  Pure asked Wild, giggling lightly as the overwhelmed pony attempted to break free from the small children that screamed his name.  The other mare’s gentle smile only grew as she watched Razor laughed with the happy young ponies that surrounded him.  “It’s not a problem with him.  Razz loves surrounding him with such happiness he practically radiates it.”  The mares returned their attention to the young babbling foals and fillies in their hooves, feeding the younger ponies with bottles or lightly mumbling to them.

“Mr. Breeze, play with me too!”  One of the many fillies called out, waving her hooves up and down frantically while Razor mentally lifted two foals in the air and two other tiny ponies hung on his back, giggling with joy.  I swear these kids are getting more and more energetic the older they get, the Pegasus thought while he ran over to the filly crying his name.  He slowly lowered the two floating fillies, hearing them moan in disappointment.  He looked to the filly and smiled lightly, feeling one of the foals pull his mane as if telling him to turn around.  “One minute Strong.”  He told the foal between his teeth, sipping air through his teeth through the pain.

The pony did as he was told, shyly moving away due to the feeling he was afraid he angered the helpful Pegasus.  “What is it, Moon Light?”  Razor asked, looking to the pony with an encouraging smile.  The filly giggled as she twirled her hoof around in the dirt, her light gray face glowing red as she looked up to him through her lashes.  “Umm, me and the other mares were talking and we are wondering…”  The watcher couldn’t help but smile a bit more, knowing the mares were just playing their little ‘who-do-you-like-more’ game.  “Who do you like more, Miss Flame or Miss Rose?”

Pure Flame looked up just in time to see Razor’s head suddenly jerk back in shock at whatever the grey filly said, his eyes visibly growing as wide and his yellow face turning red.  “I wonder what that little mare just said.”  She asked, raising an eyebrow to the stallion’s reaction.  Wild glanced up from the small pony in her hooves, keeping her hold on a bottle he was suckling on still.  She giggled lightly as she spotted his eye’s dilate.  “Probably something he didn’t expect, or something he took out of context.”  The two mares giggled as they began to draw their interest to the colt.

“W-What?”  Razor exclaimed in shock as he pulled away from the filly, the foals on his back rolling off of him and laughing as they left him with the curious young pony.  He was expecting a question more along the lines of the fillies and foals, to which he would have responded with a vague answer that would get the ponies off of his case.  The little mare glanced up at the gifted Pegasus as she waited patiently for his reply.  “Who do I like between Pure Flame and Wild Rose?”  He repeated the question, looking over at the mares, spotting them staring right at him.  “I-I like…”

Suddenly, the bell over the academy chimed and its loud bellows echoed throughout the small town.  Saved by the bell, Razor thought as he glanced up at the saving grace.  “Well, looks like it’s time to go in and you all to go to class.”  He could hear the disappointment in Moon light’s voice as she moaned and surrendered knew she shouldn’t attempt to drag the conversation on.  “Alright, but will you tell us later?”  Her voice resonating with hope as she looked up to him. The stallion couldn’t help but chuckle as he patted the filly’s flank lightly, pushing her to the stairs as he said “Maybe, but you should hurry, shouldn’t keep your teacher waiting.”

The fillies and foals galloped up the stairs, most of their energy spent from playing with Razor as he walked over to his fellow Watchers and said with a sigh of relief “I’m sure glad that’s over, I swear I think they just grow in numbers, or maybe I’m just getting too old.”  Wild Rose looked at the stallion and chuckled, putting the young foals and fillies in strollers “Your only 16, Razor Breeze.  If you’re getting old, than my parents must be ancient.”  Pure Flame couldn’t help but blink at what her fellow mare had just said her eyes wide as she looked from Wild to Razor.  “Your only 16, I thought you needed to be 18 to be a watcher?”

With a sly smile on his muzzle, Razor pulled the umbrellas up and closed them as he said “Normally, yes.  But I got a recommendation from the Count of the Windblade estate, which opened some doors for me.”  Wild rolled her eyes as she slowly pushed the strollers up the slope that lead to the front doors, knowing that Pure would be amazed at such a thing.  “Really, a count recommended you to be a watcher?  It sounds kind of odd for a count to do such a thing, even for a pony with your…gifts.”  The stallion’s smile only grew as he said “Not if the count is my father.”

“What!”  The mare exclaimed loudly in utter amazement, helping Wild with the ponies and using her magic to open the door for her.  “Yeah, my full name is Razor Windblade Breeze.”  Razor said flatly as he moved reached the door and put his hoof in the way so it couldn’t close on Pure.  “Why don’t you tell her you’ll be a Count when you come of age, that should really moisten her up.”  Wild blurted out in annoyance, thinking the stallion was showboating, and flaunting his gifts.  Razor looked to the mare with concern when Pure gasped in even more surprise.  “You will?”

“Well, I’m supposed to, but I have to prove I’m worthy of the title of Count, and I don’t think my father or the council are willing to let me take the place of Count.”  The stallion muttered, walking into the storage room to put the umbrellas away and obtain his saddle bag he kept for his second job.  Pure’s jaw had nearly fallen completely to the floor from all the news about her male watcher.  Wild Rose was right; Razor was far from your average pony, way far.  “So, what are you doing now Razor, seeing as how our shift as watchers is over now?”

Razor looked back at the mare with a smile and opened his mouth to inform her of his second job, but Wild Rose suddenly intervened as she said with a smug grin “Sorry, but Razor has a second job to help pay for the little trip he plans to take.”  She walked around the stallion, her eyes staring at him as if he was wounded prey.  She slowly pushed her head under his as she let his chin follow her figure, flicking it away with her tail.  “Our colt friend here is saving up to take a trip to Equestria so he can learn how to rule, taking notes from the great mares, Celestia and Luna.”

Razor couldn’t help but blush at the mare’s sudden display of territory, was he just marked?  Before anything else could transpire, however, he bowed to the two mares and said quickly “I have to go, sorry about this.”  Before Pure could ask any more questions, the stallion ran through the doors, out of the academy and flew off towards the post office.  He couldn’t help but sigh in relief as he felt the warm wind flow through his coat, letting the gently grip of the wind.  He slowly let his body go into auto-pilot as he relaxed his body, flying wherever the wind would take him.

His peace was suddenly disturbed, however, when he heard the sound of glass shattering erupt from the direction he was flying.  Razor’s eyes shot open as he glanced down at the source of the sound to see the post office under attack, the small group of guards the town had already busy trying to protect it.  Eyes widened with a mixture of fear and shock as he crunched his body up, and quickly extended it out to obtain a quick boost of speed towards the chaos.  Only a single thought ran through the pegasus’s mind as he dived down towards the post office.

Hope I’m not too late…