An Elite Guardian

"These are the only ones who volunteered?" I asked Twilight as we looked at three ponies, all unicorn stallions with next to no muscle and wearing rusted armor.

"Unfortunately," Twilight said. "The others are either a part of your plan, or didn't volunteer, if not doing other duties. These three are the only ones not doing anything."

I sighed. "Then I have no other choice," I muttered before saying at full volume, "Names and Ranks!"

"Sir," the unicorn on my right, colored steel gray with silver mane and tail, said with a salute. "Sergeant Spear Shield."

"Lieutenant Crossguard," the second, in front of me and colored red with green mane and tail, said.

"And Private Crest, sir," the last, colored black with a blue mane and tail, said.

"Names for soldiers," I observed. "I imagine your parents wished you to have a career in the guard?"

"Yes for all three of us, sir," Spear said. "We're brothers. I know we may not seem like much, but, well, there's more than one way a unicorn can become guards."

"As long as you can hold your own," I said.

"We can, sir," Crossguard said, to which I nodded.

"Then go to the kitchens, and wait outside," I said. "You will understand why later."

"Sir," the three unicorns said, saluting, just before going to wait outside the kitchens.

"You know, if you don't mind me saying, sir," Twilight said, "it's a little cliched for a hidden escape tunnel to be in the kitchens. Only place more cliched I can think of would be hidden behind a bookcase."

"On that, we agree, Sparkle," I replied. "Are the sharpshooters in position?"

"Yeah, they are, sir," she said. "Still, if I may ask, what exactly is your whole pan, anyway?"

"That, you will need to wait for, Sparkle," I replied. "Can't run the risk of Sombra or Luna's agents overhearing it. Really, the only ones fully aware of the plan are Fleur and myself. I will, however, say this: be ready to teleport me when I say that Luna will lose to her face."

Twilight looked t me with a hint of concern. "You sure, sir?"

"Very," I said. "So, how poorly do you think the princess not take the news of her sister? To be frank, as there's no stepping around the fact she'll be devastated."

"Honestly," Twilight said, "I wouldn't be surprised if she cries herself to sleep every night for a while and has either Fleur, one of her her lieutenants, or you if we survive this shitstorm in charge while she's getting a hold of herself."

"Perhaps," I said. "What do you think she's up to right now, anyway?"

Twilight shrugged. "No idea. Probably not in a life or death fight now, though."

Ten minutes later-With Celestia-1st person

This was, without a singular doubt, the hardest fight in my life, next to Nightmare. I had to face my own niece, a pony I thought incapable of killing for fun. but was freely cutting down ponies once sworn to protect her with a smile, an etheric reaping scythe in her grasp, and she was using dark magic. "How does it feel, auntie?" she asked in an insulting tone. "To know that you've failed so many of your subjects with this war that could have been prevented if you let Sombra rule in peace."

"He was preparing an army to conquer Equestria!" I yelled back, my own etheric weapon in my magic. Our fight had been not been a stalemate. I was too afraid of injuring Cadence, but she had no qualms about that with me, resulting in a cut above my left eye, causing blood to force it closed, a long but shallow cut on my barrel, and numerous cuts across my legs, front and rear.

"Yeah, maybe," Cadence said, shrugging. "But it was in response to what you did to him a thousand years ago." That last part gave a glare towards me. "Maybe the title and name Princess Umbra will remind you what you did to him and mother!"

No. She knows. "Cadence, I did that-"

"Why? Because you were afraid that knowing my heritage  would make me end up like my father?! Maybe if you had told me who I was, I could have stopped all of this! But no, you had to live in your fantasy world, where everything goes to your plans." She scoffed. "Sucks to be you now, auntie. That new leader of yours? He's not even a pony, what hope does he have against my mother's thestrals?"

"More than you think Cadence," I replied.

"I doubt that highly," she replied. "But let's see that, shall we?" With that, she cast a spell that showed Canterlot. More accurately, the area in front of the castle. "Already, my mother's forces are-WHAT!?"

Both she and I looked at the image shown, and were speechless, as were most ponies around us that had stopped to watch us fight, upon seeing Ruso, his helmet gone and armor burnt but intact, dueling my sister. And Cadence's mother.

Eight minutes earlier-Ruso

I stood in front of the northern kitchen wall, the three unicorn brothers behind me. "Uh, sir?" Crossguard said, "Why are we here, exactly?"

"The secrets hidden in the shadows," I said as I lit my blade and stabbed it into the wall in front of me before carving a square out of the wall, revealing the secret passageway. "Are you three certain you wish to join me?"

"Yes sir."

"Then stay behind me," I said before I entered the passage.

Inside the passage, the only light came from torches that I imagine were cast with a spell to be constantly lit. Even so, I lit my energy sword, providing some whitish-blue light.

"Wow," I heard Crest say behind me. "Didn't know the castle had hidden passages."

"Though it does make sense," Spear said. "I mean, hidden escape passage."

"Quiet, each of you," I growled in a whisper. "Does the phrase 'element of surprise' mean anything to you?"

"Sorry, sir. Won't happen again," Crossguard said.

"Good." From there, it was two minutes until we reached the end of the passage, ending in the alleyway I had seen earlier, with just about every thestral I could see at the end of it and facing the castle. "You three, stay back, and use any spells you can to neutralize them," I said as I ignited my left wrist dagger. "I will go in more directly."

"You can count on us, sir," Spear said.

"Then let us begin," I said before I made my way to the alley exit. Once I made it there, I cut off the head of one thestral with my sword, and stabbed another with my dagger, killing both instantly. "You know, I think something other than yells and sizzling flesh would be better for this fight," I muttered. "Access memory unit, subfolder, music. Play keyword Blow me away."

Youtube Video

"Let's go," I said before deactivating my left wrist blade, and drawing my left sword, igniting its blade as well, before I strode into the mass of thestrals, my actions, mainly killing thestrals, as well as my music, gaining much attention. Most kept their distance after seeing the corpses of their comrades, though a few did try to get me from the air, only to get cut in half as I sidestepped them, or just rose the blade edge to meet them  in the air, causing their organs to be on show for them all.

"So, my sisters newest leader reveals itself at last," I heard a voice from behind a mob of thestrals say before said bat ponies parted, revealing Luna, wearing now armor as black as night with a monsters visage on the pony equivalent of a chest piece, two etheric swords the color of her magic in the air next to her left and right side, as well as a squad of four thestrals wearing ornate but functional armor, so I assume those are her guard. "I wondered if the four jawed beast would show itself."

"Of course I would," I replied. "I swore to your sister that I would protect her subjects, and a personal oath to myself before I came here that I would not tolerate someone who betrays family simply for power, regardless of their status." This made the former princess now turned queen chuckle.

"It seems my sister still loves to keep secrets," she said. "You see, I haven't betrayed my family. "If I had, then my husband and daughter would be after me as well, but, instead, I am at my side, and them mine. If there is any that have betrayed a family, it is my former sister. She split me and my husband, made me think he was a tyrant after erasing my memories of him and my daughter, who she hid away with a stasis spell, and didn't bother to tell her of the truth after my return or her ascension!"

"And this why one should never monologue," I said calmly as I noticed her horn flash a little. "You just revealed what could have been your greatest mind fuck weapon in a rant, an angry one, mind you. Now, don't get me wrong, if you are telling the truth, I agree it is horrible, but is it worth a war? Especially over family matters. No side is right here, I'll admit, but right now, Queen Luna, you are my enemy, and I iwill treat you as my kind would an enemy."

"Then I suppose you will need to die, as all enemies of the Empire such as yourself must," she said, though from what I heard, there was something in her voice. Confusion, perhaps, but why? "Shame. Of what I've seen of you as well as heard, you'd be a valuable asset to my family. Kill him." That last part was directed toward her thestral guards, who charged me all at once, but fell to the ground just before reaching me, a white mist leaving their mouths. From Luna's expression, she was just as surprised as I was. "Impossible," I heard her say. "Only the most skilled unicorns could perform a soul stealing spell, and even then, not on four at once. Three maybe, but that would be pushing them close to death."

"Then I suppose it's a good thing he's got three capable of that spell, then," i heard Crossguard say behind me, making me glance back and see the three brothers, now noticeably with muscle, walking my way, thestrals laying on their sides. "Don't worry, they're just asleep and a hint of their souls missing. They still have their identities."

"And we'll explain later, sir," Spear said as the three stopped next to me. "For now, just know that Celestia knows of our ability, and put us in your battalion before you came here to ensure they didn't revolt."

"Noted," I said. "Can you handle the bats?"

"Easily," Crest said.

"Then the alicorn is mine," I said. But first-"ARCHERS, RAIN HELL ON THEM!!" At my signal, yes, that was it, windows in the castle opened, and just about everypony who could wield a crossbow, including a few nobles, fired bolts from their weapons and into the thestral mass, killing or injuring many. "That makes your job easier," I said.

"Thanks, sir," Crest said. "Good luck." And with that, the three teleported into the remaining thestral groups that could still fight, leaving me and the lunar alicorn to face one another.

"You do realize you can't defeat an alicorn, correct?" Luna said. "Only a suicidal fool would try."

"Then call me a suicidal fool," I said before I began running towards her, my left blade across my chest, flat edge facing it, my right trailing behind me. Luna braced her self by spreading her legs, and positioning her swords in front of her in an 'X' fashion.

Just as I reached her, I sidestepped to her left, causing a shocked look to appear on her face before I went in for a stab, but as she apparently had a fast reaction speed, she teleported out of the way of my strike, and, from my right, blasted me with enough force to break my shields and send me flying, my helmet coming off as I landed and rolled, ending my back. "That's going to hurt later," I said as I got up, and reignited my right sword, the left one having flown from my grasp as I fell. "Good. Then this wouldn't be an actual fight." As I got up, I also had what smile I could muster with my anatomy.

"And what makes you so happy?" Luna asked calmly. A masochist, perhaps?"

"No," I said. "If I didn't have difficulty, this would be boring. So far, you're the only one who has so far been a challenge. Now, can we no longer converse and actually fight? In any case, though," I said, raising my right arm and resting the elbow of it in my left hand, sword raised and pointing toward the horizon. "En guard."

"Fine then," Luna snarled. "If you wish to die, so be it!" With that, she unleashed magic blasts toward me, most of which I was able to dodge or block with my sword. A few did hit me, though, causing my armor to go black from the heat. Fortunately, though, nothing was injured or burnt under the armor from the blasts. However, those were simply a distraction, as they allowed Luna to get close, and begin to try and slice me in half. I was able to block one with my sword, the other just barely with my energy dagger, both of us snarling. Though, I feel mine was more intimidating to the average pony. Razor sharp teeth and all that, as well as not being one of their own kind.

"You won't win here," I said. "Even if I fall, your forces are defeated, and I will ensure to wound you as much as possible before I die. I am certain a wounded alicorn is no match for a city of unicorns, especially when three of them are those so called 'Soul stealers', or whatever the term is for them."

"Perhaps," Luna said, our blades still locked with one another, neither of us willing to give ground. "But even so, my husband and daughter will reach here eventually, and a city is no match for an army."

"Haven't you heard of something called a martyr?" I asked. "You'd be surprised what can happen when one occurs." With that last syllable, I twisted my sword to where the sword it was locked with fell into the gap between my blades and to where the blades came close to intersecting before I twisted it to where the points were toward the ground, and thrust it in to the hilt, catching Luna's blade with it as I released the hilt, spun, and delivered a kick to Luna's chest-or whatever the term is for ponies for that area of their body where their neck turns down into their body-sending her flying back and for the sword I had trapped to evaporate, the other staying close to her as I grabbed the hilt of my blade, and ripped it free of the ground.

"Plus, overconfidence can be a bitch," I muttered as I walked over to where Luna had landed, and was getting up, blood flowing like a small stream from her nose.

She simply snarled, which was enough for two combatants to exchange a speech in combat, saying, "You will pay for harming me," and charged me with a single blade. From there on, she was smart enough to avoid getting her sword locked between my blades, but I was able to still land a few strikes. More accurately, I was able to land multiple cuts on her chest, none too deep and all cauterized by the heat, as well as a single cut on her face when she carelessly came in for a heavy slice just below her horn base and just barely above her eyes.

I also obtained wounds. A cut on my right leg preventing me from putting much weight on it, a gash on my left arm preventing me from using it from where she threw me into a wall. Thank you adrenaline, as I currently didn't feel the sting of the pain from those wounds. Currently, the two of us were at a stalemate, our blades locked "It seems we are at an impasse," Luna said.

"I'd agree," I said. "If not for one thing."

"And what might that be?"

I simply smirked, and dropped down and kicked her forelegs out from under her before deactivating my sword and punching Luna across the street we were on to the other sidewalk, and placed my sword hilt on my thigh before grabbing a nearby flower pot, and running towards the alicorn before jumping in the air, and attempting to bring it down on her head to knock her out. Key word there being 'attempted', as I was quickly caught in an aura of light blue magic, followed by a "GET AWAY FROM HER!" and having me thrown into yet another building. Fortunately, my shields took most of the hit, and my armor the rest. I landed on my back, which allowed me to get a look at Cadence, picking Luna up in her magic before she glared at me, and teleported away.

"Well," I said. "Shit." Shame. I wasn't able to give the lesson of using everything you can as a weapon. So many fail with that concept. Oh well. Guess I'll have that opportunity later. You know, if I can still fight. Still, I'd say things just got interesting