Sentinel of the Sun

Chapter Five

“And that is how Bat Ponies use sonar to help navigate in low visibility.” Nighting Gale finished, walking next to a nodding Sun Guard, as the two of them. “It feels so weird being the only one talking. Not to mention, how Bat Ponies are different from normal ponies.”

Before they left the war room, Luna had given her specific instructions to explain the anatomy and other aspect that set the Bat Ponies apart from other ponies of Equestria. Her words were, exactly. “We wish for Sun Guard to learn more about our children of the night. In doing so, this will increase your skills, in both as generals and a tag team.”

The next part, the very last bit of information, is a curse every bat pony faces. Nighting Gale never had to act on the curse, thank Luna, but it is something Sun Guard has to know about. “Now, you’re probably wondering, if Bat Ponies drink the blood of other ponies.” His response was a simple nod, as the two of them headed towards the training room reserved for any High General or one of the Princesses. “Bat Ponies… Do drink the blood of other ponies.”

This caused the honor guard to halt dead in his tracks. The moment his helmeted gaze went to her, Nighting Gale’s ears folded back on to her helmet. While he didn’t say anything, the mare felt like she was being stared down by some righteous crusader. Almost like, at any moment now, Sun Guard would draw his weapon and smite her like some monster in a fairy tale.

But it never came, and she noticed he wasn’t staring at her like some righteous crusader, her fear induced thoughts making the mare’s mind run wild, but only gave her an inquisitive look. Nighting Gale summoned up what courage she had left, and finished explaining. “W-We do not need to drink blood, to sustain ourselves. Fruits can do that for us. To drink blood, is a bat pony’s last resort. In all honesty, if a Bat Pony drinks somepony’s blood… It is because they have suffered a near fatal wound, or are dying from a fatal one.”

Sun Guard contemplated such a thing, and understood how one would think in such a situation. After all, if it was a last resort, and he knew it was the only way for him to keep doing his duty, the stallion would follow up too. He had more respect for the Bat Pony race, now. To restrain such an easily obtainable urge as a last resort.

With an approving nod, Sun Guard continued into the reserved training grounds, with Nighting Gale n hoof. When a rack of, blunted, training weapons appeared, the mare gained a confident grin. “So, how are we going to do this? Target practice, agility courses, obstacle course, maybe skill demonstrations?” She asked, taking a training lance in hoof.

Her answer came, when a gold glow appeared around a training spear and was pulled away. She watched it float over to Sun Guard, his Guardian Spear being placed on to an empty rack. Nighting Gale’s eyes went wide, as he walked over to a large training circle. There was magical damage all around the circle, the kind that only an alicorn could do, when cutting completely loose.

The realization of the honor guard facing off with either princess, without restraint, made Nighting Gale’s confidence shrink. “Y-You want to spar with me, huh?” She asked, the unicorn nodding and taking a combat stance within the circle. She shook her head, smirking while flying over towards the Sparing Circle. “Well, I am going to be your partner, might as well show you what I can do!”

Her confidence shot back up, the mare making herself realize that this was her chance to show off what she can do. A chance to spar with Equestria’s legend himself, and possibly be considered his equal. Nighting Gale lowered her lance, taking a basic combat stance for polearm wielding pegasi and bat ponies.

Sun Guard lowered his training spare, watching Nighting Gale flare her wings out. He knew that tactic, it was a winged species attempt to look larger than they really were, to intimidate their opponent. Captain Barricade explained that such a thing had become second nature to the sentient species, that they automatically do it without knowing. Despite this, the two of them began to circle around the ring, preparing for the “dance” to come for them both.

Without a display, from either combatant, the two lunged at the same exact time! Lance and spear collided, glancing off one another, as the two warriors moved closer. Though, before they could collide into one another, the mare used her wings to explode up. This caused Sun Guard to stagger forward, no longer having the opposing force meeting his charge.

Nighting Gale, using her unexpected disengagement, quickly spun around and dived bombed towards her opponent. Using the lance like a pointer, Nighting Gale flew towards Sun Guard at a high velocity. She smirked, no pony had ever dodged this attack, when she used it, and wanted to show the more experience general her skills at taking out a foe quickly.

Though, before the tip of her lance could even nick his armor, Sun Guard vanished! “Crap! Teleportation!” Her mind screamed, as her hooves dug into the dirt and tried to stop. She slid about twenty meters, before finally coming to a halt, and started to look around herself, trying to figure out where her opponent had gone. “Where could he have-!” When she looked from right to left, the towering unicorn appeared on her left side, spear raised. “CRAP!”

Nighting Gale only had a split second to dodge his attack, the blunt edge only a millimeter from her snot. But his attack didn’t end there, and Sun Guard quickly followed up with a flurry of thrusts towards the mare! She was now on the defensive, doing everything ponyly possible not to be struck by the spear point.

After another thrust, the mare quickly ducked before the next came. Without a second thought, she quickly threw her hoof up and actually struck the gorget of Sun Guard’s helmet! This caused the stallion’s head to jerk up, and actually come off his forehooves… Before Nighting Gale could celebrate her success, and follow with another attack, he quickly brought both armored hooves back down on to her shoulders!

With a pained filled screech, Nighting Gale hit the ground, hard. When Sun Guard aimed his spear down, and thrust it forward, the mare quickly rolled to the side. Her lance flung up, and struck the side of his helmet. This caused him to stagger away, while she rolled to the opposite direction and recover.

The mare tried to stand back up, but a sharp pain shot down from her shoulders, and she topped forward. Her eyes widened, when her forehooves weren’t responding correctly. “Damnit! He dislocated them both, in one hit!?” Her mind realized, the unicorn stopping after noticing that she fell forward. Even though he still held a combat stance, it was obvious the stallion was waiting for her to forfeit. “No way am I walking away, without pushing him to the limit.”

With that thought, Nighitng Gale spread her wings and flew up. She could barely move her forehooves, without pain, but it was enough to position the lance just right. The fact that she was still willing to fight, seemed to have excited the stallion. His spear readied itself in a form the mare wasn’t familiar with. His front lowered itself closer to the ground, forehooves spreading apart, while his flank moved off to the side. The shaft of his spear laid across his spine, while the blade remained pointed up.

It seemed like a stance of some finishing move, the kind to end a duel. “He thinks this will end in one last move?” The mare pointed her lance at him, a smirk on her muzzle. “He’s right… But I’ll be the victor.”

She shot forward, trying her high velocity attack again. Only this time, Sun Guard did nothing to stop it… Despite seeing it coming straight for him!
Nighting Gale began to smile wider, seeing the tip of her lance begin to push into his armored side. “Yes, got hi-huh?” A quick golden flash occurred around his horn, a single word appearing within the mare’s mind, realizing what she just walked into. “TRAP!”

Faster than the blink of an eye, the blade of Sun Guard’s spear crashed into Nighting Gale’s side. She could feel her armor bend, the training weapon biting into her side. When it fully collided with the meat of her body, the mare shot straight into the wall! When Nighting Gale crashed against the stone, her fanged mouth jerked open, and caused her to spit out blood.

The mare hit the ground hard enough to kick up dust around her. Her sides were on fire, pain being the only feeling overcoming that burning feeling. She knew that the stallion’s attack, and hitting the wall, she had broken at least three ribs. Even her wings were on fire at the moment.

But, when the stallion appeared beside her, his showed overlapping her smaller frame, the mare tried to get back up and continue their duel. Though, she fell right back down on to the ground. Nighting Gale could taste the blood in her mouth, along with feel the blood on her lower jaw, and falling out both nostrils. “I-I’m n-not beaten y-yet.” She managed to say, but the stallion shook his head.

Sun Guard raised the spear up, tip pointing at the mare. Both of her eyes shut, when he threw it forward… But the sound of stone cracking caused both of her eyes to open back up, seeing the spearhead in front of her face. The dull metal being reflective enough for her to see the bad shape she was in, blood coming out of her mouth and nose.

This was his way of telling her, now she was beaten. Nighting Gale closed both eyes, disappointed that she was only able to land two hits on the other High General. When she felt a soothing feeling throughout her body, fighting back the pain of the broken ribs, her eyes reopened to see that her body was glowing, along with Sun Guard’s horn! The pain slowly washed away, enough for her to be fit for duty still, while both of her shoulders were popped back into place.

The moment they did, Nighting Gale screamed in agony, before falling unconscious. One’s threshold for pain could only take so much. Sun Guard knew the mare’s adrenaline masked most of it, but resetting her shoulder joints exceeded it.

Summoning up a first aid kit, the honor guard levitated the mare up and removed her armor. He then had the bandages wrap around her shoulders and sides, making sure she couldn’t reinjure those places. Once done, the stallion had his unconscious partner float over, and laid her across his back.

He wanted to spar with her, and admittedly took it a bit too far. However, fighting the mare impressed him, greatly, and she proved to be a far greater challenge than any other… Even the princesses. The least he could do, right now, was take Nighting Gale back to her quarters. Everything else can wait, until she’s fully rested.

-The Next Day, Luna’s Chambers-

The Moon Princess smiled, as Nighting Gale made her way inside. She was wearing her spare armor, the other being too damage from the spar and her new set still being made. Though, one could still see the bandages under it, which even Luna heard about her brother scolding the mare for dropping her guard and flying right into an obvious trap.

“High General Nighting Gale, how are you feeling today?” She asked, the Lunar Guard Commander stood at attention. “Better than last night, we hope?”

Nighting Gale nodded, feeling strange how she reports directly to Luna now, instead of her fellow Captains. “Still sore, my lady, but I will live.” She admitted, the Moon Princess giggling some.

“Understandable. It was High General Sun Guard you were facing. Last time we faced him, or body was sore for three weeks straight.” Luna said, nodding a bit. “Anything to report, High General Nighting Gale?”

“Negative, my lady, all Captains report everything going smoothly… Though, uh, may I ask something?” Luna nodded, smiling still. “If I am to be your personal guard, do you not think it would be better to call me ‘Nighting Gale’ or just ‘Gale’, instead of using the rank with it?” She asked, the princess raising an eyebrow. “Would minimize the calling, but I can understand if you wish to keep things formal, between us, my lady.”

Luna thought on this, and remembered something that was recently taught to her. “Yes, Twilight Sparkle taught this too us, as well, during Nightmare Night.” Luna admitted, nodding with a smile. “Fine, we accept. Things shall be less formal between us, until the situation calls for it. Until then, we shall refer to you as ‘Gale’, while you may refer to us as ‘Luna’.”

Nighting Gale, not really asking for such, nodded with a bow. “As you wish, my lad-… I mean, of course Luna.” She smiled.

The two mares smiled at another, before the question that the alicorn wanted to ask reappeared. “Please, Gale, tell us how it was? Did you enjoy yourself?”

The bat pony tilted her head. “What do you mean, Luna? Enjoy doing what?” She asked.

“Sparing with Sun Guard, of course! Fighting such a powerful pony, holding nothing back.” Luna instantly remembered all her battles with the honor guard, smiling. “Thrilling, was it not?”

Realizing what her princess meant, Nighting Gale nodded. “It was, Luna! Never before did I think sparing could be so challenging, and fun at the same time.” She chirped, feeling more relaxed, knowing that she and the princess shared a love for sparing. Though, the bat pony frowned, remembering yesterday’s outcome. “However, I was only able to score two hits on him.”

Luna’s eyes went wide. “Y-You struck him t-twice?” She stuttered.

“Yes, it was all I was able to do, and one felt like more of an accident, really.” She answered, noticing the alicorn’s growing discomfort. “Why do you ask, Luna?”

Luna blushed, looking at the ground. “Our sister has only managed to score a single hit on him, while we?” She started to shift around on her hooves, obviously embarrassed. “We never managed to even touch him.” This revelation caused Nighting Gale to go wide eyed and slacked jawed.

The new High General of the Lunar Guard became more confident in her skills… That’s for sure.