An Elite Guardian

I was outside the Throne room of Canterlot castle in a meditative pose. It was a few short hours before Princess Celestia and the army left, and she wished to personally show me the battalion I would lead. I had my helmet off, revealing my bare head to the few in the hall, and just my sword on my thigh, the rifles being in the room I was given. I had one of the few security mages that would be staying in the city with myself and whichever battalion I lead to put a spell on them so none but I could touch them without harm.

I was thirty minutes in my meditation when a guard from inside the Throne room said, "The Princess will see you now." I could detect only the slightest hint of disgust in his voice.

"My thanks," I said, standing up, and then entering the Throne room. Princess Celestia was on her throne, with Rainbow Dash, Pinkamena, Maud, and Fleur De Lis, each of the latter four wearing armor, flanking her. I quickly looked at them, and saw Rainbow, Pinkamena, and Maud looking at me with soldier-blank expressions. Fleur had one of, I do not know what, but it was similar to what I think of when it comes to curiosity and the like. "Princess," I said, kneeling.

"Hello, Ruso," Celestia said. "I was hoping you would be near by. It's time I showed you the battalion you will be in charge of."

"Thank you, Princess," I say.

"Then come," Celestia said, getting off her throne. "They are waiting outside in the training field."

"Of course, Princess," I say, getting on my feet. "If I may ask, will the other four be coming with us?"

"No, they will be preparing to leave. There are still some final preparations to undergo," she said.

"Of course," I said before she began to walk towards the door, me following her upon passing me.

"If I may ask, Princess," I said, "i have done some reading since my arrival here. I am curious: how were you able to bring your sister back from her corruption. If you do not mind me asking?"

Celestia sighed. "All I will say for now is that I used six artifacts that only I know the location of."

So, she found some way to use the Elements. Noted. Now I just need to find the Discord statue. "I thank you for answering, Princess," I said.

"Of course, Ruso," she said. "You are going to be one of my battalion leaders. You do need to know some of Equestrian history."

"I suppose so," I say, and I let the subject drop. We continued in silence as we went to the training grounds. Well, except for when I asked, "Which battalion will I be leading?"

"The 31st, which is what all the other guards call 'The Freakshow', as they have no issues with killing," Celestia said. "That, and as far as I even I can tell, they barely even respect me, if at all. I do not know why."

"Well, perhaps I will be able to find out why," I say.

"I hope so," she said.

It was shortly after that we left the castle proper, and were on the grounds. Of what I saw, quite a few statues had been removed from the gardens, though I did catch a glimpse of Discord in his first statue form. Odd.

When we made it to the training grounds, I saw a single battalion, yes, but I was able to tell that only because they wore their armor, and were lazily standing at attention. And by lazily, I mean it was obvious they wished to not be here currently. "They do not seem eager to be here," I observed.

"Yes, that is the case with them," Celestia said. "They wish to be out in the field. All of them lost family to Sombra's forces, and wish to personally make him pay in the most violent way possible, and are often like this when here in Canterlot, or any city that Sombra has not yet come close to."

"Well," I said, "it seems as if I have my work cut out for me," I said. "I'll need to make them want to act like actual soldiers before anything else. I shall do what I can."

"Thank you, Ruso," Celestia said. "And I had one of my aides fetch your helmet and weapons."

"I suppose, then, now's a bad time to point out one of the security mages put a spell on them that would cause any but me pain upon touching my weapons?"

Her eye twitched. "Yes, it is."

"Oops." She sighed at that.

"When did you plan on telling me this?"

"Honestly," I asked. "I had thought the mage would have told you. I guess he thought I would."

"Apparently," she said. "I suppose I will see you when I return to Canterlot in a month," she said after sighing.

"A month," I asked.

"That is the longest amount of time I can be out with the army while keeping a field, which I make invisible, around Canterlot," she informed me."

"Ah," I said. "Well, then I look forward to seeing you then as well, highness," I said with a bow. "And you need not worry about my weapons. So long as I have my sword and daggers, I am content."

"I will keep that in mind," she said. "Farewell, Ruso."

"Farewell, Princess," I said before she teleported away. I then turned to the "battalion" in front of me. "WHICH OF YOU WHELPS WAS THE RANKING OFFICER YESTERDAY?!" I had to yell to get their attention, as I saw a few just talking with one another, and me yelling made them jump, and stand slightly straighter. With what I know of them, I may be able to make everything work.

"I was," a mare said from the front row. "What's it to you?"

"Put simply," I say, walking to the left end of the line, and walking my way to the right, "I am now the commander of each and every one of you. If you have an issue with it." I pause. "Then too bad. Now, which ever of you replied, step forward."

"I don't see why we should have to listen to-ack," a stallion said before my hand closed on his throat.

"Because unlike everyone else, I have no issue with beating each of you senseless if that means you will follow orders,"I say with a growl. "Am I clear?" The stallion nodded. "Good," I said, releasing him. "Now, whoever it was who spoke up, step out of line so that I may know who my second is."

"Fine," the same mare said before she stepped out at the very end of the line, and, if I had eye brows, one would be raised, as the mare who stepped out had a familiar lavender coat, as well as purple and fuchsia hair, but that is where the similarity to canon Twilight ended.

Already, I could tell this one was more violent, as her armor had dents on it, her mane was cut short. Well, those and the sword on her back. "And just who, and what, for that matter, are you?"

"I could ask you the same," I say. "My name is Ruso Tafam, and Princess Celestia has put me in charge of each of you."

"Great," the mare said. "She thinks I can't handle this." She scoffed as she said, "Well, Ruso, my name is Twilight Sparkle, and I was the former leader of the 31st."

"A pleasure," I say. "And why is it you all seem not to care for normal conventions?"

"If you mean why we want to kill," Twilight replied, "it's because Sombra's forces killed members of our family, and we want payback. He killed my brother, and I want to make him pay."

"Then, if you want payback," I say, "then you must first act like actual soldiers."

"Please, and what do you know about that?"

"Quite a bit," I said. "My people are a warrior race, after all. Which is part of the reason I am in charge here, as of now. o make each of you an actual battalion of soldiers, not a group of vengeful ponies who don't stand a snowball's chance in Tartarus of defeating even an equal amount of Somra's forces."

"And what makes you think that ," Twilight asked.

My answer was me igniting my blade, and making it pass by her throat, to which she didn't even jump. "Because you should have jumped back there," was all I said. "Only a fool stands his ground by himself against an opponent such as Sombra, or even myself right now, for you all. Or at all, for that matter.If you do not believe me, then why not settle it now in a duel," I ask. "We use only what we have with us now."

"Then I'm going to win," Twilight said. "You're on."

I nodded, then back away. Looks like a few lessons will be taught sooner that I had thought. When I was twenty paces away from the mare, I set the elbow of my sword arm in my left hand, a stance meant to keep your arm from tiring before the fight starts, as she drew her sword, a rapier. Interesting, as those are meant for fencing styles, not outright combat. "The rules are simple," I say. "No killing or maiming, and the winner is the one who completely disarms their opponent, or the one who can still fight at the end."

"Agreed," Twilight said. She then galloped at me, her sword ready to strike. I closed my eyes, and took a single breath. When the sound of her hooves came close, and I heard a sound in the air, I stepped back as I ducked. This is not how you use a fencing sword. If you want an example, think Dooku from Star Wars, more specifically episode two. Precision strikes are how those types are meant to be used, not this way. I opened my eyes as she swung again, and dodged to the left as I back up again. Aggressive and angry. That's how she's fighting, I can tell already. Not thinking. I have already won.

As she prepared for a third strike, I braced my legs. When it came down, I attacked, slicing her sword in half before making attacks at her hooves, causing her to have to pull back, but I kept the pressure up. That is, until she blasted my hand with a numbing spell, I assume that's what it was, as I lost feeling in my sword hand and my weapon fell, the fail safes making it deactivate. "Looks like I won," Twilight smugly said.

"You would be incorrect," I said, activating my left energy dagger. "I still have my dagger."

"What," Twilight asked, shocked. "But your sword was the only weapon I saw!"

"One should not reveal all of his tricks," I say. "Now, you still have one arm to numb if you wish to win."

Twilight growled. "Fine. You want to play this way, so can I!" With that, she charged her horn, and fired off another spell, which I side stepped before moving closer, which is when I pulled my fist back before punching, stopping just before the blade hit her throat.

"Dead," I say, deactivating the blade, to Twilight's shocked face. After bringing my hand back to my side, I said, "You were too aggressive. You were using a rapier, which is meant for precision strikes, which is to say stabbing and parrying. I imagine you were the best swordsmare in this battalion?"

"Yeah, I was."

"Then it seems this entire battalion is in need of training in even the most basic."

"And why should we," a stallion said. God damn it, I was hoping to not to do a speech. Oh well.

"Why," I ask. "That is what you wish to know. The answer is one you already know: to avenge your friends and family who fell to Sombra's army! The only way to do so is to learn to be soldiers. Do you think those you are trying to avenge would wish you dead simply because you know not how to fight?! No, they wouldn't! They would want you to survive, of that, I am certain! If the situations were reversed, and you were dead, and your loved ones were here, would you not want the same? Dying in battle may be what you wish, but if you wish to make Sombra truly pay for what he has done to you, then learn to control your anger, and become actual soldiers, and take. The. Fight. To HIM!" I finished it with a finger pointing North, towards the Empire. "Which of you will do so? Step forward now if so, or leave if not." I looked at the ponies before me, and I could sense the debate in their minds simply from how they stood.

After ten seconds, the first pony, a stallion with a gray coat and mane and tail, stepped forward. This was followed, quite quickly, I was surprised by, most of the battalion. Only a small portion left. Good. The weak have been weeded out. "And what of you," I ask, turning to face the lavender mare beside me. "Will you leave, or will you learn and fight?"

She was quiet for a time before she sighed and said, "May as well. Shining would kill me again if i died because of my own anger, I guess."

"Good," I said. "Now, report to the blacksmith, and get a new rapier, then find somepony, I care not of they are military or not, to teach you how to use it. For the rest of you, get in formation! Time to march!"