Valor of the Vanguard
Here we are on the edge of the Badlands. Home of the changelings, and any scum that we haven't imprisoned in the royal dungeon. Luckily the Vanguard are watching the only entrance/exit to the Badlands. But you might be asking "who are the Vanguard." That's us. "Roll call!"
"Viper, reporting for duty!" My second in command shouts. He has saved my skin too many times to count.
"Phoenix One / and Phoenix Two." The Twins stand at attention. To think I picked 2 street rats to be soldiers.
"Warthog, combat ready!" I don't know why she picked such a ridiculous name.
"Alpha, at your service!" You should never leave home without a good tactician.
"Bravo is here too!" Bravo speaks timidly, but she can handle her metal in battle.
"Phantom, here." He speaks roughly, but a stealth operator doesn't need to speak.
"Hijack, operating." He's a walking radio. It's amazing how far we've come for magic bionics.
"End roll call." That would be me, Shining Valor, or just Valor as everyone calls me.
If you need a little backstory of who I am and the Vanguard, then I will be happy to oblige. I myself am over 5000 years old. I may not look like it and my own team doesn't know that, but I am the son of the great alicorn named Golden Sword. He ruled through The Golden Alicorn Ages. He had a servant mare who he grew to love. Lily Showers was her name. So now, I have my father's age immortality and my mother's dashing good looks. I may just be a pegasus but my father's alicorn magic still lives inside me. But they are long dead, and I am all that remains of their legacy.
Now we have the Vanguard. We are an elite group of Royal Guard commissioned by Princess Celestia herself. We are mostly tasked with scouting an enemy force and attacking any weakness we find, but right now we are on an interception mission. I may be thousands of years older than her, but after all, I am no king.
Enemy Spotted
"Do you see anything Bravo?" I say to Hijack. Unicorns can be set to a magic frequency where they can almost speak telepathically, only you still have to speak verbally, and you need a conduit. That being Hijack.
"Uhm... Nothing at the moment Valor, try checking with Warthog." Hijack speaks but Bravo's voice is heard.
"Warthog come in. Do you see anything?" I speak again to Hijack hoping the message gets through.
"I got nothing. Are you sure they are supposed to come through here anyway?" Hijack speaks again just with Warthog's voice.
I can't help but look at the ground and think. Were we given the wrong orders? Are we even in the right spot? Hijack's voice breaks my train of thought. "You seem troubled commander."
"Nothing you need to trouble yourself, Hijack. Stay on mission." I have to stay strong, or at least look the part. Just so the rest of them don't lose their edge. I salute off Hijack, which he then trots to the small tent next Viper we made at the base of a sand dune. I quickly shout to the twins if they see anything at the top of the dune above me. They reply with "nothing." It seems the waiting game is gonna get longer when Hijack comes back running up to me. "Sir, transmission from Bravo!"
"Um... Valor, we got a problem." She says in her usual timid fashion.
"What is it Bravo?"
"We got multiple hostiles. Changelings, 10 of them. They don't seem armed." Yet they still have their magic.
"Grab Alpha and get over here. That's an order."
"Yes sir."
"Do you want me to gather Warthog and Phantom too, sir?" Hijack asks.
I give him the signal then shout to the Twins and Viper to gather up. Within time the others gather up too.
Here's the plan as I tell them. The Changeling don't know we are coming so we have the element of surprise. That means we approach with few, flank with many. They will underestimate us and that will lead to their slaughter. Twins, you will be standing by my side. Alpha, Phantom, you will be coming in from the rear. Viper you will come in from the left flank while Bravo you come in from the right. Hijack I want you to stay out of this one. I don't need are radio to go down. Now take positions!
The twins and I stand right in the path of the Changelings. they will see us as weak. No doubt they will try to take us as 'love slaves.' I can hear the twins chatter behind me. "You ready, 'cause I'm ready. / Yeah I'm ready. Are you ready? / More ready than you." I wave my hoof for the to quiet. An order they get often. By now the Changelings are within a javelin's throw. Too bad we only have our swords. They stop a few yards in front of us, looks like they want to chat. Unusual as they usually attack their prey without a word.
The leader of the swarm walked towards us. "Oh look, it's a few lost boys. You'll be perfect for the queen." Before the Twins can even suck in air to give a rebuttal, I whisper them to keep quiet. "Aww, you seemed like the talkativ--" before the Changeling could finish his sentence I had pulled out my golden sword passed down from my father and plunged it into the leader's chest. They say the eyes are the windows to the soul. From where I'm standing, it seems the leader doesn't have one. Before anyone could react to what I've done I give the attack signal.
FOR THE VANGUARD!!!
The twins are next to me in an instant. Phoenix One going for an instant decapitation. While Phoenix Two goes for an eye stab. He nails it with precision. The rest of the Changelings focus on us. Worse move they could have made. Alpha and Phantom were right behind them. Alpha can't help but going for a cheap shot and stabs the first one he sees right in the ass. While Phantom goes in for a quick and quiet throat slit on two of them. They would cry for help but their vocal cords were cut as well. But that wasn't all, Viper and Bravo came from the sides. Putting the deepest of cuts right into their target's sides through the heart. In a matter of a second 8 of the Changelings died. The last 2 surrendered. Luckily we never pass up good information.
We held both of them at sword point. We asked them question such as "Who sent you?" "What was you mission?" but only one of them talked and only responded with "your mom." I told him I don't do games and I had Phantom paralyze him by stabbing him in the spine. After that the other one wanted to talk, but he didn't have anything useful. He then preceded to beg for his life. We paralyzed him too. They are rotting in the middle of nowhere now. The Vanguard completed their mission, now we make are move back to Canterlot.
Framed and Shackled
Not once in my life would I have expected to be put on a public trial from Celestia herself. Shackled in the center of a plaza, surrounded by spears and bystanders. They all want to see the criminal scarred do they? I know I'm not making this through unscathed, so I might as well put on a show. I think I might be getting ahead of myself. You want to know who I am, why I'm barred to the concrete ground, and maybe how I've gotten into this predicament. Well, my name is not important. What has and will happen is important.
It's no secret there is corruption within the royal guard. Even the princesses know, but they try to play it off. The corruption is all set on over throwing the princesses. "To make a better world." They say. But I've never believed that nonsense. The taxes are fair, the laws are reasonable. Yet they only want power. I may be a pawn in the ranks, but at least I know respect. Now I'm taking the fall for their failure.
It all started with the assassination attempt on Celestia and Luna. So I've heard, killing them in their sleep was the plan. I think they over looked the fact that Luna is the princes of the night. Those brutish dimwits couldn't pull it off. Especially with Luna on watch. Yet they lay the blame the little guy to cover their backs. The one who knows of the problem, but would be killed if he spoke up. I know everyone of the corruption's members. Word spreads fast in the guard. And so do spears.
"What have you say of the crimes you've committed?" Celestia bursts in, breaking the chatter of the crowd on her balcony over look of the plaza.
"What? No court? No judge? No jury?" I question jokingly.
"Court is for the ponies who don't attempt murder, criminal." Luna speaks up this time. She stands along side Celestia. With others who I can't make out other than princess Twilight, the captain of the guard, and the captain of the Vanguard.
I can hear them whispering to each other. Judging me. They're probably disusing how to torture me, how to make me talk. Put on a show and install fear for the corruption no doubt. They're in the public eye so I doubt it will be harsh. I just noticed how tight the shackle around my neck is. That's the least of my problems.
