Sky of Storms: A New Dawn

Skystorm burned with a fire that couldn’t be quenched, the wind rustling his black, cyan tipped and gold accented mane as he barked out orders to his fellow Dawn Guards. They were not an ordinary breed of ponies, gifted by the princess of the night with unnatural abilities and

perks that would have made the Wonderbolts jealous. For one, they could use the mighty royal Canterlot voice to cower just about any sentient creature into submission, as well as the ability to use some magic spells without being Unicorns, such as weak levitation and short teleportation, however not as easily as a Unicorn.

The Dawn Guards were also a special breed within their own type. Their wings were extended longer than a normal Pegasi, giving them more average speed and power per wingstroke. Interestingly enough, their wings are big enough to allow them to carry another pony in flight, doubling their effectiveness. All Dawn Guards are Pegasi, with armor specially designed to be light, but resilient. Also, they were gifted with technological marvels, far ahead of their time such as armor that could create a shield of magic by simply raising a hoof, as well as being propelled through the air by jet boosters.

At each shoulder, one MK- 3 Magic Penetration Cannon sits, powered from the magical aura that resonates throughout each guard. As an afterthought, the armor also had special wing enhancements such as the ability to lock the wings stiff, so as not to have them ripped off by high speeds. The helmet on each suit was equipped with radar, night vision, thermal imaging, a minimap, and magic sensor, not to mention the perk of monitoring heartbeat, gauging fuel levels, providing clean oxygen in any environment, and administering pain killers. The helmet’s lower half was one solid piece with the exception of the disengaging muzzle guard and detatchable back plate to remove the helmet. The visor could be remotely disengaged, causing it to split down the middle and lock rearward. The helmet has a flashlight, and laser targeting system, and had a small opening in the top to allow the occupant’s mane to poke through, thus preserving the mane style. These suits were not commonly used on the ground because the pilot’s movements were somewhat restricted.

Skystorm was lucky to be the Alpha, the leader, of the Dawn Guards. His duty was the most honored and sacred of duties, to personally guard Princess Luna, while she dove into the realm of dreams. Dawn Guards were also considered another species altogether, because the rights and power of the Dawn Guards was passed on by the fathers into their son’s and daughters. The way it was passed on, is quite interesting. The power in the stallion is shared with his mare, making her a dawn guard as well, however, if a female Dawn Guard marries a normal pony, her power is withdrawn and she becomes a normal Pegasi.

Princess Luna created the Dawn Guard to be her personal army of supersoldiers, to destroy any traces of evil which festered in the night. Yes, Skystorm’s heart burned with a fire that could not be contained, a fire that burned against the cold night air as he began his protection of the Princess. He had dismissed his Dawn Guards to different parts of the kingdom to watch for signs of evil. Pacing back and forth he circled the apparently sleeping princess as he had done every night for the past five years. He thought about a certain Wonderbolt’s air show he had

seen a long time ago as a filly. Imagining them diving, banking, and swooping cause his elegant royal blue wings to unfurl and flap

experimentally. “Not right now” he thought to himself, focusing back on the task at hand.

Allowing his internal fire to burn brightly as he recalled the night his youngest brother was slain mercilessly by a changeling. He had just

got back from his training and was settling down by his sister on the couch in his cloud home’s living room. The fire was warm, casting its

bright orange glow throughout the humble room. All of a sudden, he shot into action as he heard his younger brother scream from up the

stairs. He had quickly unsheathed his curved, serrated moon knife from its sheath and charged up the stairs. What he found still made his

blood run cold. His brother was lying in a large puddle of blood, his face a mask of agony, with a changeling bloodthirstily licking his lips.

Seeing Skystorm, the changeling fled out into the still night air on insect-like wings. Sky dove out the open window after it when his wing

caught on the curtains and he was flung down onto Cloudsdale’s quiet streets.  Grimacing at the thought, his mind continued to wander,

glancing over one particular memory burned into him like the cutie mark on his flank. The memory still bothered him from time to time. His

mind continued to wander to the one time he had seen a certain beautiful cyan mare in Canterlot, the day of Princess Cadence and shining

armor’s wedding. Ever since, he failed to remember what he was doing at the wedding, and why he was even there, since he had to get up so

early that night for his watch. The only other pony who knew about his crush on Rainbow Dash was Princess Luna herself, who happened to stumble upon him dreaming about the cyan mare.

The next night, Luna inquired about it, and Skystorm truthfully confessed to her about his secret. In the 5 years he had been diligently

watching over her, Princess Luna and Skystorm had become good friends. She was always there to listen to him and he could share his

thoughts with her freely, and in turn, he always was there for her, providing council and help when needed. Suddenly, his train wreck of

thought exploded when he saw what appeared to be a changeling smashing at the window directly in front of him. Drawing his sword with his

power, he leveled the steel capped titanium tip at the changeling outside the window when he felt an impact smash him from behind, sending

him flying onto the Princess’ bed. Quickly countering, he summoned a lunar launch pad right where he was going to land. Seeing the magic

white rune-encrypted pad appear, he used his wings to angle so that his back would land on the pad and launch him forward into the

changeling. His mind racing, he managed to remember to pick up the sword with his power, silently cursing because Unicorns were able to use levetational magic without having to think about it.

By now the second changeling had joined the party hitting the ground and rolling with a thud. The pad launched Skystorm forward, his sword impaling the changeling’s armor and slicing through its tough skin with its sharp, rigid point. The dark blue and black tones of the room

disguised the changeling’s horn until it is mere inches from his face. He ducks, caching the sharp appendage on the crest of his helmet. The

changeling screamed in agony as Sky’s blade penetrated deep into its chest. The second changeling began to move in from behind in an

attempt to catch Sky off guard, but he was ready. Sky lashed out with his finely toned hind legs, hardened from years of athleticism, and

bucked the changeling clear across the room. Turning around, he summoned another pad and launched his sword into the changeling’s face,

spiking him to the wall like a dart, before the changeling had a chance to hit the ground. Summoning his sword from the skull of the departed corpse, he turned and got hit strait in the face by an unforeseen third changeling.

He hit the ground hard, his head spinning in a multi-colored array of stars. The last thing he sees before he blacks out is his sister, Skybreeze, burst in and swing her axe at the changeling. He cursed himself for not remembering to watch his back. This was his first time he had ever been taken down. A tear slowly rolled its way down his cheek as he perceived that his dreams of ever having a chance Rainbow Dash were ruined, his life force gifted to him by Princess Luna ebbing away into the void of death. Then all went black as he slipped into oblivion…