Chapters A Nobles Path
It was a warm, summer day in Canterlot. The sun was shining from high up in the sky, hanging above all like a great chandelier. It spread its golden gaze across the city. Ponies moved all about in a great bustle, each trying to reach their own destinations. They jostled and pushed one another, each with some appointment unknown to the others.
Through this great commotion came two pegasi. One was a full grown stallion, with a bright white coat and a hazel mane. He carried himself with great pride, standing straight and towering over those around him. His very appearance seemed to command respect from all, and in his eyes gleamed a certain intelligence of one who had seen much in their life.
By his side was a small foal, wings tucked into his side, staring all around him as if he couldn’t take in enough sights at once. He walked with a small skip in his step, and excitement seemed to emanate from him. He had a rich grey coat, with a mane the same color as his father. His flank was still bare, showing to the world that he had not yet found his place.
These two travelled through the streets with seemingly no destination in mind, content to meander about aimlessly. After a while, the foal finally looked up at the stallion and said, in a slightly exhausted voice, “Father, what are we doing? We’ve been walking for almost an hour, and I still can’t tell where we’re going!”
His father looked down at him. “Asteroid,” He said, “It is very important for you to travel around the city. You are of noble birth, and with that comes much responsibility.” He waved his hoof around, indicating the area where they now stood, a bustling market full of commotion. “The commoners need to see you out here, among them, not surrounded by guards or riding in a carriage, but walking as they do, and showing them that we are not above them.”
The foal’s face grew puzzled. “But father,” He asked, “Cousin Blueblood last night said that we’re above all the commoners. He said that we’re the noble class, and that they should respect us and fulfill our every wish. Was he lying?”
“He was only saying what he believed to be true,” His father replied. “Many nobles believe that we are superior to the commoners. But I fought in the Royal Guard, and in my time there, I saw commoners fighting just as valiantly as nobles. I agree with the princesses, that we should not hold ourselves above anypony else.” He closed his eyes for a minute, recalling his time in the service of the the princess. Asteroid looked at his father, waiting for the speech to continue.. After a while, his father opened his eyes and looked straight at Asteroid. “Asteroid,” the older pony resumed, in a much more serious tone. "Look around and tell me what you see."
Asteroid let his gaze wander. He saw a gilded carriage being pulled by two enormous ponies. He saw market vendors with stands set up, calling out their wares. He saw ponies sitting by the side of the street in derelict clothing, begging for coin from passers by.
"I see the same stuff I see when I look out my window," he said. "Just ponies doing what they always do."
His father shook his head. "Look again," he instructed his son. "I want you to find one pony in the crowd, and I want you to tell me what you think they're doing."
Asteroid turned his head back to the crowd. After a while he turned to his father, pointed at a market vendor, and said,"That one."
His father looked at the indicated pony. He was a shorter pony with an orange coat and a green mane. He was selling carrots. "Okay," he said," now what can you tell me about him?"
"He's been working for a long time now, and he probably didn't get much sleep last night. He's been trying to sell his carrots for a while, and he doesn't seem to be having much luck."
His father nodded. "Why do you suppose he's still doing it, then, if he's having no luck?"
Asteroid thought for a moment. "Because he can't give up. If he did, then he would have to return to his home empty handed, and he would be seen as a failure."
Father turned to Asteroid, and said to him, "When I look at these ponies, I see lives. I see lives that mean something, and I see ponies not willing to let go of those lives without a fight. These ponies fight harder than any nobles I've ever seen, myself included, and they do it everyday. Yet still we tell ourselves that we are better than them, because if we don't, then we must accept that we would not survive in their place." He grew silent for a moment, before turning back to his son."Asteroid, one day you will have to take on responsibilities, and when you do, I want you to remember something. You are not better than anypony because of your birth, but because of the actions you do to prove your own worth.”
“Recruits, fall in!”
The drill sergeant’s voice cut through the chill morning air like a knife blade. The recruits quickly raced over from the fire they had been huddled around for warmth in the cold winter air to form a line by the older, grizzled pony. He had a coat the color of mud, and a mane of deep red. His stare alone was enough to subdue a manticore, let alone a handful of freezing young mares and stallions. They stood out in the Royal Guards camp, about a days walk from the capital. Around them, soldiers milled about, performing their duties, paying little heed to yet another small band of new blood.
“My name is Apple Core, and I will be leading you through these, the worst days of your miserable lives!” He barked out. “Make no mistake! Just because Equestria has been enjoying a time of peace, by no means will your training be any easier! You will suffer, you will break, and by the end of this year, you will each be reforged as a weapon of the kingdom, able to accomplish any task given to you, by either the princesses or one of your commanding officers! Do I make myself clear?”
“Sir, yes sir!” The recruits called out in unison.
Apple Core continued his speech. “You twelve will be in one squad. Your leader has already been chosen for you. You will be relying on each other for the rest of your service. All squads are formed based on different skillsets. No pony in this squad is useless unless they decide to be.” The recruits all nodded along. Apple Core nodded as well. “Good,” he said, “Now, will the designated commander please step forward?”
The recruits all turned to look as one of the ponies in the line took a step forward and saluted the drill sergeant. He was a Pegasus of average height and build. His face betrayed no hint of emotion, and he carried himself with calmness. His cutie mark was that of a circular shield with two spears crossed behind it, each with a flag blowing on the top.
The sergeant turned to look at him. “State your name, private!” He bellowed out.
The Pegasus turned to face his squad. They stared at him with mixed emotion, ranging from silent judgement to utter boredom. He opened his mouth. His voice carried an air of command to it, and his words broke upon his squad in a manner which demanded to be heeded, and all the ponies immediately straightened up and stared at him.
“My name is Asteroid. I will be the squad leader for the remainder of our training.”
Dawn.
It is the time of day when a sleepy stillness hangs over the air, enveloping all in its warm embrace, urging all to curl up and fall asleep with happy dreams. It is the time of day when no worries can find a root in the minds of anypony.
For recruits, it was a rush to devour their breakfast and report to the training grounds for yet another grueling day of exercise.
A pale blue pegasus with a pale green mane quickly grabbed a roll and an orange from the lunch line and grabbed a seat by a small section of the rest of his squad. He slid in next to a black unicorn with a purple mane, quietly sipping some milk. A brighter blue earth pony with a massive smile on his face which seemed to hang there perpetually glanced up at him.
"Hiya there, Breeze! Ready for some more training that will one day save Equestria?"
The pegasus returned the smile. Aquamarine, the squads deadly swordspony and so called mares stallion, could always brighten anyponys day.
"Yep, I'm thrilled," he chirped in a slightly high pitched voice. "What do you suppose we'll do today?"
"Don't know," came the reply. "You know, maybe our commander will actually do something to, you know, earn his position?"
The rest of the ponies seated looked over. Asteroid's leadership had been a tense subject since training had begun a week ago. The unicorn adjacent to Breeze looked up.
"Maybe you should give him a little more time, Aqua. We all need some time to settle into our habits. After all, I seem to notice you haven't managed to pick up a single mare yet," He spoke in a raspy voice.
Aquamarine grew slightly red at this remark, yet held his tongue. Although the unicorn appeared unassuming at first glance, everypony knew that Nightshade had raised himself on the streets of Canterlot, providing only from theft. There was a rumor that he was a conscripted prisoner, brought in to serve his sentence as a soldier, but nopony wanted to risk a dagger across the throat finding out.
"Still," cut in the fourth and final pony sitting at the table, a gruff looking earth pony. "You have to admit that he hasn't shown too much leadership. I mean, we all now that he's only commander because his family has 'pure blood'."
"You know what, how about we drop this topic, finish our breakfast, and get out there because I think we're about to be late." Interceded Breeze before any remarks could be made. All the ponies looked up, suddenly glanced at the clock, and instantly began finishing their meals as quickly as they could.
...
The squad all gathered on the training grounds, quickly falling into line. The training grounds were in truth just a marked off section of the planes where the camp was located. They had targets and weapon racks for combat training, as well as a course which could be run. A light frost covered the ground. The ponies stamped their feet to keep their hooves warm.
Apple Core came marching over after a minute, after conferring with the camps quartermaster.
"Listen up, you maggots!" He bellowed at the top of his lungs. "Our quartermaster has just informed me that all weapons have been signed out for another squads training, so we're gonna have some...special practice." He grinned maliciously. The rookies shivered, only partly because of the cold.
"Here's the drill," he called out. "You will each run the loop four times. Your total time must be under thirty minutes. Anypony who fails to accomplish this will be forced to run laps until they either achieve the time, or get sent to the infirmary!"
The group of young ponies all gaped at him. The loop was nearly a mile long, and it was coated with ice in patches. He grinned at their expressions. "Oh, what's the matter? Is it too tough for you?" He said, exaggerating his words into baby talk, mushing up his face. "Well guess what! You all signed up for this, and you can be sure that your enemies would sure never back out of something like this!"
Grumbling, the squad trotted off to the starting line. Once they all arrived, Apple Core began to countdown.
"On your marks...get set... GO!"
...
The squad began fairly bunched up, but as time went on, they began to separate. Breeze and another pegasus by the name of Cloudy Day quickly pulled into the lead. Behind them, the ponies slowly moved into a more line like formation.
The earth pony who had complained about command at breakfast was in the middle. Suddenly, he felt his hoof set down on a piece of ice and slide out from underneath him.
"Wooooaaaahhhh!" He cried out as he fell to the ground. BAM! He struck the ground hard. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he pulled himself to his feet. He began to push forward again. However, he had only gone a few steps when he felt stabbing pain cut up through his front leg. He collapsed to the ground in a heap.
He looked in front of him. The rest of the squad had pushed on ahead. "Help!" He called up to the rest of them. "I think I twisted my hoof!" He saw a few ponies turn their heads, but none of them went back, driven on by the fear of their drill sergeants promise. Scowling, the pony attempted to regain his feet. He managed to lift himself halfway when he began to fall. He braced himself for the jarring pain. Suddenly, he felt somepony catch him and pull him to his hooves. He looked up. Their commander, Asteroid, had caught him midfall.
"Get on your feet, soldier." He said, and pulled the ponies injured leg over his shoulder. "We're finishing this run."
With that, Asteroid began to run forward again, half carrying his injured companion over one shoulder. Recovering from his shock, the earth pony used his remaining legs to help propel the duo forward as they slowly made their way along the course.
"I don't believe I've actually caught your name."
The earth pony snapped out of his trance and turned to look at the pony who was now half carrying him.
"Name's Rubble, sir. Squad sapper."
...
Panting, Breeze crossed the finish line well within the time limit. Shortly after him, ponies began to trickle in. Pretty soon, everypony had returned. Except for two.
"Where are Rubble and Asteroid?" He asked Aquamarine.
The blue pony looked up, gasping in deep breaths of air. "Don't know," he said. "I saw Rubble fall, but I think he got up."
Suddenly, one of the earth ponies, a brown colt with a white mane and a scope for a cutie mark gave a shout. "I see them!"
The squad raced to the finish line. Jogging at a decent pace was their captain, half carrying Rubble, who was making a valiant attempt to run with just three legs. There was silence for a moment. Then Breeze piped up. "C'mon, sir! The ends just up here!"
With that, the rest of the ponies began to shout encouragement. Asteroid looked up, and urging Rubble onward, the pair made a final sprint. They crossed the finish line just a few seconds later. Everypony turned to look at Apple Core, who was holding a stopwatch.
"Thirty minutes and ten seconds." He called out. All the ponies groaned, empathizing with the bad fortune of their two comrades.
"All of you, I want another lap. Right now. Except you two."
The recruits opened their mouths in shock. Silence hung in the air. Then they all began shouting their protests.
"Shut up you lot!" Bellowed out Apple Core. "One of your squad mates was injured. You all left him behind! Your captain was the only one with the common courtesy to help him. You never leave a pony behind on the battlefield!"
The squad shut up, and sullenly trotted off to the starting line. Rubble turned to face his leader.
"Thanks, captain. I guess I owe you an apology."
Asteroid looked at him. "For what?"
"Well, a lot of us, we thought you just got your position 'cause you're a noble and all. But what you did back there, putting your flank on the line for me? That alone makes you nobler than any high born I ever met."
Asteroid thought about this for a moment, then sighed. "No, you're all right. I did only earn this position because of my family's influence. I might not be the leader this squad needs."
Rubble cocked his head. Then he looked at the ground and closed his eyes. "When I was just a colt, my father was in some debt. He owed some money to a noble who had given him a loan to buy some land for mining which turned out to be about half as profitable as promised. To pay it all off, he had to go work in the gem mines for that noble. One day, he didn't come home. We received word the next morning-A cave in had crushed him, as well as several others. But the family still owed that debt. So I had to go work. My mother was too sick, and I was the oldest child. I was only ten."
Asteroid opened his mouth, then closed it and looked away. "I'm sorry to hear that."
Rubble continued. "But you, sir, I can tell that you would never do that. You ARE the leader we need. Some of us just need a little more convincing than others."
Asteroid silently pondered this. "I guess you're right. Now come on, let's get you to the infirmary."
A chilling fog hung over the camp like a wet blanket. Everywhere, soldiers scurried about, packing gear and loading wagons. Into this chaos walked a white earth pony, with an electric blue mane. A short sword hung at his side, and a traditional circular shield hung over his back. He approached the commander of his squad.
"Asteroid, sir!" He called out. The pegasus turned to face him. "The men are ready to move at your command."
Asteroid looked past the pony, a soldier named Thundercloud, and caught a glance of his squad. Over the past few months, the ponies had acquired a grudging admiration for him, and were finally willing to take orders. He turned back to Thundercloud.
"Good," he said before turning to address his men directly. "Listen up, you lot!" He called out. The ponies stopped fidgeting about and snapped to attention. "You all know what's going on. We're being shipped out to Canterlot. A threat has been made, and we're to ensure that the royal wedding goes on without a hitch. This will be our first real assignment, and we will be in public. So remember, be professional, and don't forget your training."
"Yes, sir!"
"Alright then, let's move out!"
...
Rubble reached up to swat at a fly that had been bothering him for the past few minutes. Nightshade, the guard next to him, moved his eyes to watch. Without adjusting his gaze, he muttered out of the side of his mouth, "You know that we're not supposed to move."
"What difference does it make? No pony is here to see us. They're all at the ceremony!"
Nightshade grunted, then resumed his position. Just then, a mare strode through the front door.
"Excuse me, sirs," she said in a slightly slurred tone. "Is this where the wedding is?"
"Yes, ma'am." Replied Rubble. Nightshade stared at her for a second, then his eyes narrowed. Rubble didn't notice this."I need to see an invitation for admittance."
The mare nodded. "Oh yes, my invitation, it's right he-GLCCCKKK!"
Her eyes went wide as a curved, shining dagger ran across her throat. Her eyes rolled up, and she crumpled to the floor. Rubble's mouth opened in shock, and he turned to his partner, whose horn was glowing the same color as the dagger.
"Nightshade, what did you do? That was-" he trailed off as the body of the mare in front of him began glowing a sickly green, then transformed into a hideous insectoid creature.
"It was a changeling," Nightshade calmly said. He then used his magic to pull out a second dagger. "C'mon, where there's one, there are always more." With that he ran off. Rubble took one last look at the body, then drew his sword, muttered a curse under his breath and ran off to join his partner.
...
Longshot hated changelings.
Ever since he had been a foal, the images in school books had always frightened him. The insectoid wings, the curved fangs, the holes in the legs: They were the creepiest things he'd ever seen.
And now there was a whole army of them.
He loaded his crossbow, held in one hoof while his mouth loaded bolts, took aim, and fired. Another changeling fell out of the sky, it's head impaled by a solid metal spike. Suddenly, he heard a buzzing behind him. He turned around. A changeling had snuck around his rear, and was lunging towards him. He held up his crossbow in front of himself.
THWACK!
He lowered his crossbow. The changeling had been decapitated by a halberd. He turned to the source. Another earth pony, almost identical to himself with the pale orange coat and deep blue mane, had decapitated his enemy. He grinned.
"Thank's, sis." He said. His younger twin sister, Pole Arm, nodded in reply, then spun around, chopping up another changeling. Satisfied that his back was guarded, he turned around.
"Hey!"
A voice cut across the battlefield, and both twins turned to look. Racing toward them was Breeze, nimbly flying around incoming changelings. He landed neatly next to them. They both raised their weapons.
"Easy, it's okay. I'm the real deal."
Longshot's eyes narrowed. "Prove it."
Breeze grinned. "You threw your plate at me back in training. It hit me right in the face, and I earned the nickname 'Spaghetti mane.'"
Longshot and Pole Arm lowered their guard. "So, what brings you here?" Longshot asked.
"The squads regrouping over on 32nd street, in the hospital. We've got some other survivors in there. You two are the last one's I found."
Longshot grinned. "Sounds like a party. What are we waiting for?"
...
Across the city, in a house that appeared to have seen better days, a small group of ponies were gathering. Many refugees had fled, taking refuge in the house. These ponies were now crowded into the kitchen, a small room at the center of the house. Throughout the rest of the house, Asteroid and his squad had set up defenses and were trying to beat back the furious changeling offensive.
With a loud bang, another small group of changelings burst into the house through the front door. They quickly found themselves face to face with a massive golden unicorn. Gritting his teeth, Bright Shield raised a wall of magic in front of himself and charged. The changelings tried to push back, but they could not hold back the stallions wrath. He slammed them out of the door, sending them flying down the street. Bright Shield slammed the door shut and pushed a couch in front of it just as another wave of changelings began their assault. One of their horns stuck through the door and stabbed his hoof. Growling, he pulled back.
"We're getting nowhere with this!" He shouted. "We need to go on the offensive, and push them back!"
Bandage, the squads healer, a short little unicorn, raced over to him. The medic's horn began to glow, and Bright Shields hoof healed. The healer seemed worn out from keeping the rest of the ponies on their feet.
"We've got a plan, but we need a little more time," He panted. Hold them off just a little longer."
Bright Shield gave an exasperated groan. "Great," He moaned.
"Quit whining," scolded Bandage. "Just do what you do best, and keep being an angry wall of meat."
Giving a scowl that could rival Celestia's, Bright Shield turned back to the door and lowered his head in preparation.
Meanwhile, in the basement, Asteroid, Rubble, and Arcane Sigil, a hot headed mare and the most magically adept of the group, were digging a hole. A few refugees had begun helping as well.
"How soon till we hit that sewer line, Rubble?" Asked the commander.
Rubble mopped his brow and looked up. "Just another inch or so, sir. I think we should call the squad down."
Asteroid shook his head. "First, we evacuate the civilians. This can't look like we're retreating until we're long gone. Otherwise, the changelings will just push in." He turned to Arcane Sigil. "Sigil, get the refugees down here. Rubble, you break open the tunnel. As soon as we have an opening, we'll fall back. Then, you know what to do."
Rubble saluted. "Understood, sir."
...
The changelings were gathered outside of the house. The ponies inside had put up more resistance than they had expected, and their numbers were cut. But they could no longer see the ponies, and the house was quiet. Finally, as a group, they began to slowly creep up on the house. The ponies within would taste sweet.
"Three, two, one, NOW!" Called out Rubble, as he kicked away a support and leaped through the hole after his companions.
Upstairs, the changelings felt a sudden shift. For a moment they were confused, then one of them looked up and gave a shout. The house was collapsing all around them. Frantically, they scrambled towards any exit. Only a few made it out.
...
In the palace, Chrysalis was eagerly awaiting news of her victory. This was the hour she had spent her whole life waiting for. And now, it was within her grasp!
A changeling entered. Chrysalis frowned. He looked quite beaten up, despite the minimal amount of resistance encountered in the city.
"You," She snapped out. "Where were you? What happened?"
The changeling looked up. "My queen," He said. "I was with the force in the lower east quadrant of the city. We encountered heavy resistance. We were about to destroy the guards responsible, but they collapsed the house where they were hiding. Nearly my entire squad was buried."
Chrysalis frowned. "What happened to the guards?" She asked.
"We didn't find their bodies, but it seems as though they were caught in the building as well."
Chrysalis grinned. Those guards may have killed her children, but they had suffered just as much. "I hope they burn in the afterlife."
...
Down in the sewers, Asteroid and his men regrouped. They had been split up, and it had taken a while to find each other. The refugees were safely hidden in a completely drained section. Asteroid looked around. It seemed that his whole squad was there, but they looked-
Scared. Helpless. He looked down. Many of them had likely lost family, and many more didn't know where there family was. He knew that his parents were out of town, but he thought back to his childhood. When his father was in the guard, and he spent every day wondering if he would come home.
And now these ponies looked to him for guidance.
It was a burden he wasn't sure he could bear.
"Do we know of any other survivors, anywhere else in the city?" He asked.
The guards looked up, shook their heads, then looked down, each lost in thought. He sighed. Then, he heard a small, high pitched voice.
"Um, ex-excuse me?" He looked over. Standing nearby was a small filly. Her coat was filthy, and she looked scared.
"M-My mommy isn't here, and I-I was wondering if any of you saw her."
Asteroid turned to the child. "I'm sorry," he said. "We don't know. We don't really have any idea what's going on." The filly bit her lip, and it looked as though she were about to cry.
"Wait." Every pony turned to the voice. It was Arcane Sigil. "I can cast a scrying spell. It should be able to show us where your mother is."
She walked over to the filly, and her horn began to glow blue. A second later, an image was projected. It showed a mare being led in chains, along with a line of other ponies, out of one of the city gates. The squad started.
"They're...They're taking ponies out of the city?" Said Aquamarine. "Why would they do that?"
"In case they lose." Said Asteroid. He looked up. "If they take those ponies back to their homeland, then even if we somehow defeat them, they still get what they came here for." He began to pace. "But if we go after them, then we would be oath breakers. We would likely be charged with desertion, and put to death. But if we stay, then those ponies get condemned to a life of slavery."
He sighed, then looked up. His eyes were set, and determination seemed to radiate from him. "I'm going to free those ponies." He said. "If any of you want to stay, that's fine. I'm not ordering you. You can stay in this city, wait until there's chance to free it, then take it. That's fine. But I took an oath to protect Equestria, and we're the only ones who know what's happening. We're the only one's who know that those ponies are being taken." He looked at his squad. "If you do come, it is very likely that you won't be coming back. History won't remember us-Nopony will ever know what really happened." He turned down the tunnel. "If any of you do come, we will be hunted outcasts. We won't have any heroes welcome, or celebration. At the end of the day, it will be just another event in a dark day. But if you want to, then come. Come help me free those ponies."
His squad looked at each other. None of them said a word. Then, suddenly, Rubble spoke up. "I said I'd follow you, sir, and I meant it. You can count me in." And he walked over to stand by the pegasus. One by one, the rest of the squad moved over to stand by their leader. When they were all standing there, Asteroid turned forward.
"C'mon, then. Let's go do our duty."
