“Oft hope is born when all is forlorn.”
“Lock him up!” The warden shouted to his stallions at the door. Within less than a second, the thick, steel door slid into place and was barred shut. I was officially locked up inside my cell, with no seeable way of escaping. As the warden marched away, I could hear his mumbles through the door.
“Monster…” he uttered under his breath. Could anything be closer to the truth?
As I paced around my room, my mind wondered. It was a big room, 7.5 by 7.5 by 5 metres, with only a bed and toilet to serve as obstacles. It is very easy to lose your mind, especially if you are in there for eternity, as did mine.
Could it be? My young mind thought. No, I am not a monster.
But I did not refuse my fate. Rather, I was quite fortunate. The murders of the king and queen of Equestria, alongside dozens more, I was more than worthy of the noose and torture. But no, something, whatever the Tartarus it was, saved me.
However, that didn’t mean I was a graceful loser. I wanted to use this second chance to its maximum.
Aside of refusing the warden’s title place upon me, I had only one priority.
Escape.
Summoning the strength within my withered body, I rammed headfirst into the door. A loud clang roared throughout my cell as I bashed my skull into the iron. As I backed away, my vision was blurred, my ears screeched, and my head felt as if it caved in, which it probably did. I slumped over in pain, but the real kicker was when I looked at the door.
Not even a dent appeared on it.
My blood furiously boiled in rage. I quickly got up and bashed my head into the door again. Nothing. I swung my hooves at it in a fury. Nothing. I back up to the other side of the room, charged at the door, and delivered a diving punch right at its center. Nothing. The only thing I got from my efforts was a broken skull, a set of broken hooves, and a fractured sense of self-esteem.
I roared at the top of my collapsed lungs in defeated frustration which more than likely didn’t reach the guards on the other side of the door. I slowly dragged myself onto the bed, which was only a century-old mattress on the floor, and let my body regenerate itself for another beating. I knew it was pointless, but my spirit wouldn’t let up. I hoped that one day, after whatever bashings it would take, that that door would form a sizable hole for me to crawl out of.
My gaze turned to the toilet, as opposed to the walls or ceiling like the insane pony everypony else, and even I consider myself as. It wasn’t much of a toilet, just like every other luxury I had, just a tin washing basin, made for clothes and small foals. My mind drifted as I glared at the pathetic toilet, just as pathetic as I once was.
The hoof of the sergeant slapped me in the back of the head, causing it to nearly fall into my work. He was barely a year older than me, but he had a heck of a right hoof.
“You call that cleaning?!” He shrilled over my shrinking body. “If that’s how you also maintain your weapons, you might as well be fighting with fucking sticks!”
Another slap was delivered. My ears ringed.
“Do it again! And this time, don’t fuck it up!”
“Aye-aye!” I strongly whimpered. I was practically on the verge of crying as the sergeant left the tent. I looked over my mission, a stone box with a hole on the top, stained with urine and fecal matter. It was hard enough that the tent was completely dark even on a summer day, with only a candle to serve as a light, but having to use a toothbrush was too much for my pubescent mind.
My sorrow quickly turned to rage as I tightly gripped the toothbrush with my mouth and furiously scrubbed the immovable stains.
“You want this toilet fucking cleaned?” I madly whispered to myself. “Oh, I’ll fucking clean this toilet, as well as your fucking ass, your fucking hooves, your fucking wife, your fucking record, oh, and let’s not forget that fucking mouth!”
“Oohoo, you kiss your mother with that mouth?” The stallion right next to me asked. My narrow gaze turned to him, giving me a sly look in return.
Red Paladin, head soldier of the 42nd Battalion and my only friend at the time. He was my opposite in so many ways. His fur was black and his extremely long mane and tail were a vibrant shade of red with white highlights. He was friends with almost everypony in the army, in Canterlot, and was even once a bodyguard to the queen when she went out to sea. He was always so charismatic, able to come up with clever quips even in the darkest of times, my times anyways.
However, the most seemingly perfect ponies hold the most dreaded of dark sides and secrets.
“Not now, Red.” I replied, still mad.
“Dude, you got your ass given to you on a silver platter, the least I can do is lighten your spirits mate.”
“The least you can do is give me some bleach.” I tried to joke, fully knowing that I couldn’t use bleach in this training task.
“To clean or to drink?” He remarked, noticing my shaky handling of the brush.
I stopped scrubbing, tossed the brush aside, and slumped down against the toilet, rubbing my eyes to get rid of the developing tears.
“Hey, hey, hey, buddy.” Red comforted me, using his magic to grab a towel to pat down the sweat on me. “Relax. You only got six more months of training before the test. You can handle that.”
“I’ve barely managed a month with this new guy.” I sighed.
I picked up the brush and began scrubbing again.
Red talked while I worked. “Look, I know that he was part of your class and you two weren’t the best of friends.”
I grunted in attempts of shooing him, slightly speeding up the brushing rate as well to drown out his words.
He continued. “I know that you had a higher grade than him in everything.”
I grunted again, speeding up more, digging deeper into the stone.
“I know that he was promoted above you because his dad had ties to the queen, albeit illegitimately.”
Louder, faster, deeper I went.
“And I know that he deflowered your lifelong crush in a one-night-stand.”
“Damn it!” I hollered, spitting the brush out onto the stone floor. “Can you stop?!”
“’Least you got the stains out.” He remarked.
At first I was confused, but then I looked at the toilet to see most of the stains on the top of the toilet were completely gone. An underlying sense of joy and accomplishment fill me.
“Huh.” I silently cheered.
“Look, Relv,” he stated in a more serious tone. He locked his dull, red eyes onto my vibrant, grey eyes. “Life may seem like a shithole now, but that’s only skin deep. It is still whole, young… innocent…”
“…Red?”
His eyes began to look downwards, flipping through the pages of his memory. I gently nudged him on the shoulder and his slowly returned.
“…I need to get back to my group.” He said with a strain in his voice.
Quickly, he hurried out of the tent and ran off into the distance. I was left with so many questions that day.
What was he talking about? I was orphaned when I was six months old while his parents simply moved away well after he joined the army. What could be worse than getting slapped over the head by some prick that stole your mare? He was only two years older than me, so he couldn’t have seen much right? Right?
If only I knew then…
By the time I snapped back to the present, my body had recovered quite a lot. It wasn’t at its peak, but a lot better than when I was tossed in. I got up from the bed and attempted another running charge. For some reason, I thought this one would do the trick.
Nope, just another busted skull.
I was in here less than an hour at this point, yet already it felt like a full week had passed. I’m not even sure that the warden had even fully left my prison at this point. My powers were drained, my mind was in the gutter, and I had no orientation or sense of direction. That’s the power of this prison.
Created by Star Swirl the Bearded, the Interdimensional Containment Unit for Treacherous Enemies was a massive prison contained within pocket dimension constructed of the chaotic remnants of Discord. With the only exit being a portal to the underground chambers of Canterlot, this 10 by 10 by 5 kilometre super prison was a maze, filled with guards, traps, and barricades made of the strongest metals and magic of the world.
It would take a normal pony over a day to escape this prison in the run alone, without any resistance. How in the world was I going to escape within an hour?
I didn’t, but it took a hell of a beating for that to cross my mind.
A ruthless cycle took control of my body as time became an abstract entity. Bash into the door, destroy my bones, recover in bed, get up and repeat. I lost count of how many times I did it, or when I stopped. At some point, I lost the willpower to continue and just stood there, resting my head on the cold steel. It had only weakened a fraction of a percent.
My mind eventually returned to logical thought. Why am I continuing to do this, this is pointless? Am I insane? Am I a monster, a caged beast with no reason?
I could feel myself rejecting my own thoughts. I pounded my hoof into the door again.
“I refuse to accept this!” I hollered. I was lying to no pony.
I didn’t deserve this, not that it was too harsh, but the opposite. I retraced the steps that lead to this. The numbers didn’t add up.
Alongside my body, I tortured by mind with seemingly pointless endeavors. My mind processed thousands of logical equations, none of them working. Who or what would place me here rather than in the claws of death? Was it to torture me, or use me was a weapon for a future threat? I was too unstable, everypony knew that. I was the greatest threat to Equestria.
My answer came shortly as my ears picked up the extremely faint sounds of gold stomping on the metal floor. I recognized those steps near-instantly.
“Princess Celestia!” They saluted to her.
“Was Relv secured?” She asked them. Her voice was that of a young angel, but her tone was of a widowed mother.
“Yes ma’am, just an hour ago.”
An HOUR ago?! My jaw dropped. I walked to the bed and plopped down in defeat. I was plenty pissed off for the day and just wanted it to end, as well as my life. I had given up.
“Can I at least, see him?” She asked.
A moment of silence became present. I was used to it about now. Clearly, the guards were giving each other silent looks, mentally debating with each other.
“…Okay.” One of them nervously nodded.
My exposed ear twitched as the door slid open. It was only ajar however, impossible for me to slip through, but wide enough for the young princess to peak into and see me.
“Relv?” She whispered for not really much reason. I slowly got up and faced her. My face locked in this halfway scowl while hers was this remorseful look I could not find reason of. Why was she sad for me?
“…” I kept a quiet stance and continued to stare into her still teary eyes.
“I know you may be confused…”
You don’t know the half of it.
“I know you may feel confused, scared, or even angry at me…”
All three, Tia.
“But I want you to know something. I… I am sorry for you.”
“…What?” I almost silently mouthed. Her, sorry for me? If anything, I should’ve been sorry to her.
“I know you didn’t mean for this to happen, to me, Luna, our parents, or to you. Relv, I-I… I didn’t want you to die. I didn’t want you to get hurt.”
“…” I kept silent. I didn’t want to thank her. I didn’t want to burden her with debts, now that she and Luna have to take care of a kingdom without their parents’ full wisdom.
“I want what’s best for you, but I can’t let you go. Hopefully you’ll understand. Luna and I will still visit you. Just please, don’t try to escape, that’s all I ask of you.” She sniffled.
Upon backing away from the door, it immediately slid shut.
I was once again alone in the dark.
“Thank you Sir Lionhart, Sir Paladin.” She said to the guards. I heard her hoofsteps as she walked throughout the prison to the exit.
I was surprised at what she said to me, let alone entering the massive prison just to talk to me.
She forgives me?! I thought. After what I did? No…
As much as both Tia and I wanted such quick mercy, it was impossible. The blood of her parents still stained her hooves. The rage against was still a factor of her being, no matter how hard she tried to hide it. And what would follow next when she would meet me? We would do nothing but argue and bicker just like before my imprisonment.
Besides, is spending an eternity in prison an actual life? No matter what gifts of company you offer, it is still a cage.
I wanted to escape, be free, and continue my quest.
From the ashes of defeat, something arose, a missing cog that created a click within my mind’s cogworks. There was still an exit. Each step she takes and I hear, no matter how small, is one step closer to escape. If Tia can do it, it is possible for me to also leave this prison. It may take a while, but in the end, escaping will be worth it.
With a new sense of hope thriving within me, I approached the door. I pulled back my hoof, and I slammed it into the door with all of my might.
Nothing, but it was still progress.
Every day from then on, I practiced my technique on the door, bashing it harder, better, faster, stronger. Each strike was more powerful than the last, and each combination attack injured my body less and less. Until one day, a sound echoed from the door in which I had not heard of before. I pulled my hoof back and I saw it.
A dent.
It was a very small dent, but I leaped for joy. From not being able to last for an hour bashing into the door, to creating a sizable dent with an enormous amount of energy still within, I grew stronger. My hope had risen up ever more so than before. I was one step closer to Tia and the portal.
I found a new use for my prison. Instead of merely a cage, I used it as a training ground, to enhance my skills and powers to the maximum. By the time I reached that door, I would be ready for anything.
I would reach my maximum potential, just as I always wanted.
By the time I finished my toilet mission, it was already night. When I walked out of the tent, the training barracks looked as if they were abandoned, an ideal stealth tactic. The troops here were already asleep, as was I in terms of awareness to the world.
As I walked to my tent, I looked out to the Castle of Two Sisters, nearby of the camp. Although it was a sizable kilometre away, the glow of the castle’s lights still reached us. An old pony’s tale circulated amongst the soldiers in training that if the lights reached the center campfire, it means there is a party going on at the castle. I checked the fireplace in question to find the light of the castle faintly touching it.
A party was going on.
I found myself amused from this despite my exhaustion and continued to my tent. But just when I was about to open the flaps, I felt a poking at my right shoulder. I turned around to see Red, acting shifty. He had broken his curfew with his squad in another camp at the barracks to see me, probably to cause some trouble or something.
“Red?” I asked. “What are you doing here?”
“Relv,” He answered, in a quite peppy tone despite our earlier confrontation. “Let’s go to the waterfall.”
“I’m tired, Red, not tonight.”
“C’mon, you’re not going to get any decent rest covered in crap. A swim would be perfect.”
I knew I couldn’t shake him off, so I agreed and slowly followed him to the nearby falls, deep within the forest. We had been there dozens of times before, but Red always treated it like his first. It wasn’t a very big waterfall, just a small ledge a metre or two tall and an even smaller creek running over it, but there was something about its tranquility that always drawn us to it.
I peacefully rested in the small pool at the bottom of the falls while Red slid down them, only to climb back up and do it again. Time became irrelevant as I was mesmerized by Red’s never-changing cycle. The military training we were given often emphasized consistency and speed.
I had fallen half-asleep out of exhaustion when Red decided to mess with me. He ran into the forest without me noticing. He then began to scream as if he was being attacked. I quickly got to my hooves and called out to him. I waded throughout the pond, searching for him, confused of what was happening.
Behind my back, Red sneaked back into the pool and dove under. I turned around to the sound of splashing, only to see nothing by the moon and stars shimmering in the pool. Seconds ticked by, and my nerves were reaching their peak. Suddenly, a splash of water obscured my vision as Red leaped out at me and pulled us both under.
“Gotcha!” He proclaimed before taking on water.
I sprung out from below and beached myself onto the land, looking over and realizing what Red just pulled. A smile grew on my face, and I couldn’t help but to laugh alongside his coughing gags. He sat himself alongside me and decided to rub it in.
“Looks like somepony’s not ready for tiny creek monsters,” He cracked.
I simply rolled my eyes and remarked, “I’ll keep note of that. In the meanwhile, somepony doesn’t seem to be ready for payback!”
Instantly, I shoved Red back into the pool and dove in after him. We surfaced at the center of the pool and playfully splashed each other, each trying to best the other in both powerful and flashy splashes. As we were roughhousing through, we didn’t notice that a third pony had joined the party.
“Ahem…” The pony cleared her throat, loud enough to catch our attention. We stopped splashing each other and looked to where we were recently just sitting, seeing a pale mare standing there. She had a horn, a pair of wings, and a long mane and tail of pink.
We instantly recognized her.
“Princess Celestia!” We bowed, but keeping our heads above the water.
The mare just stood there, holding her shoulder in nervousness blind to us. We were told by our parents, elders, everypony, to respect the presence of royalty, as they are the example of perfection. My gaze shifted from the pool to the mare, and by sights alone, she was living up to the example. She had the body of a goddess, yet the youth of a mare only half a year younger than me. Her eyes and hair sparkled as bright as the golden sun, and I couldn’t help but to stare into them.
“Umm…” She quietly uttered. “Can I-I join you two.”
“Oh,” Red and I both instantly replied, still stunned by her appearance. “Sure.” We backed away and gave her more than enough room to settle in. Tia felt just as awkward as we were. She slowly slipped into the water, careful not to make a mistake of any kind.
She rested there while we quietly watched from the other side of the pool, with only the creek to break the awkward silence. Tia stretched herself out and patted the water surface, hoping for us to do anything rather than staring. Being a young stallion, I was stupid blind to these signs and continued to look at her. Red meanwhile, a well-known swinger, saw this and decided to toy with me, again.
As Tia closed her eyes and rested, Red nudged me and leaned in close to me. I already knew he was up to trouble.
“Talk to her.” He whispered to me, grinning.
“What?” I silently exclaimed. “She’s the princess and first heir to Equestria!”
“And she’s in the exact same puddle of water as we are, alone! That’s already like, what, the third rarest thing any stallion has done?”
“Please don’t…”
“C’mon bud, live your life to the maximum potential. There’s potential, now maximize it!”
Without giving me a chance to retort, Red pushed me across the pool and right next to Tia. Tia sprung awake and the two of us immediately created a nervous aura while Red backed away and watched in amusement. Either that or encouragement, I wasn’t paying attention.
“Uh…” I started, looking for an excuse, but at the same time looking to break the ice. “Hi.”
I could hear Red snickering with his hoof covering his face in hilarity and shame.
“Hi…” Tia replied.
As Red would put it, “That’s a step.”
Seeing as I had no other options, I built up my confidence and continued. “So, what are you doing here tonight? Isn’t there a party at the castle?”
“Yeah,” Tia replied, quickly easing. “But I needed a break.”
“A break?”
I didn’t get it. She has a life of royalty, where everything is given to you on a silver platter, yet she needs a break?
“Yeah,” She nodded. “My parents want to present the new castle to the nobles and newsponies before it's finished. I can practically hear my father going ‘this will be where our proud daughters will sit and rule over this great land when their time comes’. I’m barely fifteen Dad, and you’re giving me a castle and title to live up to.”
“You don’t want it?”
“It's… It’s a big shoe to fill. I don’t want that much responsibility thrusted onto me, not so suddenly. I still have my studies to do.”
“Pity,”
Tia’s face began to sink into anxiousness, the awkwardness was returning. My gaze snapped to Red, who had grown bored from the lack any real entertainment, but was still supporting me. I then looked back at Tia, looking droopier by the second.
I had to do something.
Without thinking, I splashed a hoofful of water into Tia’s face. At that following moment, Red and I became frozen. Red’s jaw had fallen a full inch, with a look on his face that could only be described as a combination of shock, hilarity, fear, and confusion. Guilt climaxed throughout my nerves, I awaited whatever terrible fate was in store for me. I close my eyes and prayed it would all go away.
Splash.
A cold wave of water struck me in the face. A mare’s giggle ringed through my ears as my eyes shot wide open. Tia was smiling and was already preparing for another attack. Red and I were surprised of this playful side to her, but decided to go along with it.
Within seconds, the silent pond at the bottom of the falls erupted into a noisy playpen. Red, I, and Tia, splashed each other and played for at least an hour. It was the time of our lives.
Chapter 2 : Determination
“You cannot swim for new horizons until you have courage to lose sight of the shore.”
A year has passed since the first dent I’ve ever made, and I was about the break through. The hole I’ve dug with my hooves had only one or two centimetres of metal separating me from the other side. I wasn’t used to my powers yet, but now was the perfect time to use them. I backed a small way away from the door and prepared my right hoof for an almighty punch.
I closed my eyes, focusing my energy to the blood flowing through me.
I felt the power, and released it.
“Unleashing Power #1, Strength!”
My hoof slammed into the door with all of its might. A tense, golden glow erupted from the impact. The door flew off and slammed into the wall, with a burning hole at its center.
“We have a breach!” The guards shouted.
I ran out of my cell in a flash. But I was stopped by the two guards ahead of me. They prepared their pikes and shields and charged. The first guard lunged at me with a jab. He only scratched my cheek, but it hurt like Tartarus. I kicked the weapon out of his grasp. He stepped back, but wasn’t done yet. Without thinking, I bolted forward at him. He slammed my face with his golden shield, launching me back to the doorway. My backside burned as I got up and saw the guard charging at me.
Thinking quickly, I used another power.
“Unleash Power #17, Electricity!”
I slammed my hoof into the ground between us. A golden glow lit the floor as electricity roared throughout the area. Lightning leapt from the floor to the guards shield and shocked him. He dropped his shield and I punched him in the corner of the jaw, knocking him out. The rampant electricity hit me as well, shocking my brain and stiffening my muscles.
The second guard then leapt over the first and attacked me. I attempted to defend myself and attack, but failed. The second guard’s moves were too quick for mine. Left and right, he jabbed at me with his pike. Blood quickly puddled the floor. To finish me off, we used his magic to swing his staff under my hooves. I tripped over and was then stabbed in the chest with full force.
Pain surged throughout my body. I grunted heavily before entering hyperventilation. Blood spewed from my mouth as I was dragged back in and set on the bed. I wasn’t going anywhere for a long while, so the remaining guard had no reason to rush.
He shouted out to the rest of the prison, “We need another door and medic here!”
He then yanked out the pike from my torso, a move that only brought more pain to me. He leaned down to look at my smashed face. At the moment, my eyes were almost closed and my dead jaw was trickling with red liquid. I could see in his big, dull, red eyes that he was sorry for what he just did to me. He wiped away the blood on the black fur around his lips, as if readying a speech.
He silently looked at me for a moment before saying only one word.
“Relv…”
“Red…” I croaked in return.
Ashamed, he turned his face away from me and returned to his post. I remained stiff, staring at the other side of my cell. Within minutes, I heard the metal clanking of a new door being set in place. It was just like when I was tossed in my cell the first time.
Another failed escape.
Personal evaluation of injuries this time; broken right hoof, fractured skull, broken ribcage, both internal and external blood loss, both lungs punctured, electrical paralysis, and a concussion. The amount of time I would recover from this is probably six to eight hours. My mind wandered without a body to restrain it.
What’s the point? I thought to myself, defeated after another failure. What I accomplished today was exactly the same result from last week, save for a few more seconds being out of this cell. Next week will be the same thing, with the same exact, minimal progress. I no longer care if it’s “progress”, it’s nothing!
I rolled over to face the doorway, fully repaired. My glance turned away from it and instead focused on the nightstand next to my bed, a gift from Celestia. It wasn’t anything special, just a short, steel table bolted to the floor. What was on top of it was a book on the history of Equestria, another gift, something I read several times over.
It may be a peaceful country now, but back then, wars were normal to Equestria. Hundreds of soldiers would march into battle, only to be killed off by the next morning. Only a few were strong enough to survive, make it back home, and live the good life. We had to deal with the way Equestria and the world was, and train for our turn to fight and maybe live on.
I maybe ageless now, but at one point in my life, I hoped to live just past thirty…
POP
The sound of a dislocated joint rattled across the barracks. I dropped the massive weight from my shoulders and fell to the ground. I whimpered in pain and discomfort as I cradled my left shoulder.
The powerful steps of the sergeant drew close to my curled body.
“Are you serious?!” He shouted. “You can’t even handle a dumbbell without popping a shoulder?”
“It weighs over 100 kilos…” I groaned. To be more accurate, it was 130 kilograms.
“I don’t care if it weighed a ton! You are an Earth pony, live up to it! You are going to lift these weights fifty times a day, every day. You got that?”
I gritted my teeth. I wasn’t going to let myself be told off by some stallion who couldn’t do the exercise himself.
But then again, I had no choice.
“Yes…” I barely spoke.
“Yes what?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Now get back to it!”
With that said, the sergeant left me to chew out some other poor soul. I stayed in the dirt however. I lost all will to continue. The end of my training was so far away, 100 days away, too far. I couldn’t see myself going through this torture for all of those days.
My body attempted to try again as it slid under the bar between the weights. But I gave up, and let the weights simply crush my shoulders.
And, as if by fate, my friend had come to save me.
“You sure gotta lot of weight on your shoulders.” A voice said behind me.
Puns, fantastic. Red knew that those were my most hated types of jokes.
“What now, Red?” I moaned.
Red replied zealously, “You’re not going to believe it, but I am going on a date with the princess-of-the-night-moon herself!”
“Princess Luna?” I turned my head to the side, looking at him in deadpan awe.
“Isn’t it grand my friend?”
“…”
“Relv?”
“I’m not really in the answering mood now Red.”
“Hmm…” Red scratched his chin, looking over my condition. “Well that figures, you head’s not in the right place.”
“I think you mean my shoulder.”
“Nope…”
With one swift move, Red kicked his hoof into my shoulder. A loud pop erupted from my joint as I hollered in pain. In that moment, I felt like killing Red. But in the next, I was in ecstasy.
Warmth and pleasure surged through my leg as the shoulder was relocated back in place. When that faded away however, I immediately became confused.
“H-how did you that?” I asked.
“Well, I just walked up to her balcony, made a few dramatic gestures and trips down memory lane, and boom, instant date!”
“No, I mean my shoulder.”
“Oh, that? I just simply kicked the sweet spot alongside the shoulder as I relocated it. Shuts it down at first, but quickly makes up for it with sweetness afterwards.”
“The sweet spot?”
“Right there,” Red pointed to an area at the top of my shoulder, very close to my torso.
“Where did you-”
“The library in the castle. I picked up that little trick when I was reading about biology, and those eastern tales about stallions who could petrify their foes with a single boop on the nose. It’s called acupuncture.”
“Fascinating.”
“I could teach you it later tonight, after a little… event we’re going to.”
“What do you mean by ‘We’?”
“Uh… Yeah…” Red scratched the back of his neck nervously before continuing, an obvious sign of trouble. “You see, remember when I said ‘dramatic gesture’?”
“Oh no…”
“What I meant by that was that I promised to go on a special dinner hangout with her, Tia, and…”
“No! Stop right there Red! Never in a thousand years!”
“Oh come on, you’re the only friend I know who, aside of me, has ever gotten close to her. You just engage in a little chit-chat, and you’re good!”
“I nearly passed out from that time at the waterfall!”
“But hey, you pulled through.” Red pointed out.
I couldn’t really deny it, after those first awkward moments with her, we had a great time afterwards. The joyous time of the three of us playing was worth it in hindsight.
Red then told me the lesson of this little talk, “Get your head out of the dirt and look to the sky. It may seem tough, and the dirt may be comfy compared to the strain of your neck, but once you enter the clouds, it’s heaven.”
Red stepped back, I knew what he wanted me to do.
“Just do the exercise, and it’ll the weight will be off of your shoulders.”
I took his word. I steadied my grip on the ground. My eyes looked up to the sky. The metal bar on my back shoved against my back and neck, but I didn’t let it get the best of me. I lifted myself up and down, never letting my sights off of the sky.
Ten, Twenty, Thirty, Fourty…
Fifty, I was done.
I slung the weights and bar off of my back and stretched. My bones and muscles sprung loose and eased. It felt euphoric to be free of the weight, almost as if I could fly with a simple jump.
Red stomped his hooves into the ground, applauding me, “Great job, bud. So, how about you clean yourself, meet me at the castle, and we’ll be dining with royalty-”
“Whoah!” I interrupted. “I never agreed to that.”
“Aw, come on! This da-hangout is already prepared. I can’t go without a good wingpony!”
“Grrr…” I rubbed my hoof against my forehead.
“Just do what you did at the falls, only instead of shoving water in her face, you’re shoving food into yours. Don’t do it for me, but for them!”
“…”
I reflected on his earlier words of determination. If this goes really well, after all the awkward stuff, what could come of it could be fantastic. How many ponies have simply hung out with the princesses? It was an opportunity I could not refuse.
“Please?” Red pleaded.
I silently shook my head with a smirk on my face before answering, “You better be able to keep up with me.”
“Yes! It’s on! Tonight is going to be the day when we rise from goodness, to greatness!”
But age is not a concern of mine anymore. However, I am not immortal. Nothing is, and nothing will be. It’s almost paradoxical, this forever fact.
A day had passed from my latest escape attempt, probably because I dozed off again. My body was more than ready for another try, but at the same time, it wasn’t…
“Well that figures, you head’s not in the right place.” The voice of Red echoed in my thoughts.
As my eyes opened up, I saw the history book.
Those wars Equestria had been in…
Each of those grand wars talked about to this day lasted several of years. The thousands of soldiers that fought took heavy tolls for fighting, some even included their lives. But that did not deter them, they pressed on. Even in the darkest moments, rather than surrendering, they pushed the limit and came out successful. The victory, the fame, the riches, the honour, the ponies and land they protected, that was worth it. Each life, no matter how small, made victory possible.
It may take a lot of steps, very small, almost pointless steps, but it’s worth it.
I slowly climbed from bed and approached the door. I clenched my hoof, and prepared to strike.
“Unleashing Power #1, Strength!”
I pounded the door with all of my might, creating a dent half as deep as the steel. My hoof bled, it hurt like Tartarus, but I remained determined. I punched the door again with the remaining power in my hoof, and it flung to the other end of the hall once more.
The guards shouted once more, “We have a brea-”
But I cut them off. I flicked my bloody hoof at the right guard’s neck and kicked the left guard, Paladin, in the jaw. The right guard dropped to the floor unconscious, and Red simply fell back. I ran away from them and proceeded throughout the prison.
I only got a small amount of distance however. My back legs snagged on a tripwire, which dropped a cage above me. In seconds, the guards ahead came in, beat me down, and dragged me back to my cell. They held me down until a new door was put into a place.
There I was again, alone in a dark cell and the prison back to perfection. But this time, I knew of one more trap, and I’ll avoid it next time. That may be pointless among the thousands of traps, but if I remained determined, and I did, those traps no longer posed a threat to my efforts. In fact, some of them help aid in my escape.
One day, over a decade later, as I was making another escape attempt, I encountered a new trap. When I turned a new corner, I came across a hall with five bladed walls that drop down from the ceiling and rise back up in rapid succession. They were too fast for my speed at the time, so I had to fight my way through them.
At the first blade, I unleashed my first power and dented the wall. It jammed in the floor and sealed me off from the rest of the hallway. The yelling of guards drew close from behind, so I had to act fast. I pounded against the wall continuously until a large piece broke off and fell to the floor.
But I was too late. The guards had turned the corner and are now only a few metres away from me. In desperation, I flung the large piece at them, only to have it caught by one of the Earth pony guards and thrusted through my stomach and out my back.
I was dragged back to my cell with the metal still piercing through my torso. At this point, they knew I could easily recover from it. But what they didn’t know was that I was very resourceful beyond my abilities.
Over the many years I spent in that prison, I sharped and shaped that piece of scrap metal into a blade.
I made my first sword, and named it Courage.
I named it so for what it takes to have determination, and what got me so closely involved with Tia in the first place…
“So… You two are related?” Luna asked, dabbing away the tea from her lips with a clean napkin. Just recently, we had finished dinner and have been chatting ever since. The round table in which the thirteen-year-old Luna, the fifteen-year-old Tia, Red, and I sat at for our hangout was covered in dirty plates and leftovers, but it was being cleaned up by servants as we talked.
Red and I momentarily glanced at each other in silent confusion of Luna’s question.
“No…” Red cautiously answered. “What gives you that idea?”
Luna, quite quickly, replied, “Oh, pardon me. I just assumed you two were related, given your similar hair colouration.”
We glanced at each other again to test her answer. She did have a point, one that I didn’t really think about until now. It was quite mind-blowing for the two of us to be honest.
“Huh.” Red simply answered. That was all he needed, a simple nod to acknowledge her, but also draw her away from the topic.
I kept quiet for the most part, fearing of what could happen if I said something wrong to either of the princesses seated in front of me and Red. My mind was still processing the situation I was in. I, a mere, orphan soldier in training, was dining with the princesses and heirs of Equestria on a “special dinner hangout” with my friend.
As one could tell, it put a lot of anxiety on me.
In attempts of coping with it, I looked up to the night sky that peaked through the open roof of the rotunda gazebo we were sitting under. Above us was a grand nebula that carried shades of purple, blue, and cyan, full of twinkling star. The moon was poking out from the side of the opening, shining its pale light onto Luna.
Fitting.
I would’ve lost track of myself stargazing if it hadn’t been for Red talking with the mares. I was so scared that he would do something stupid, that I couldn’t let him escape my senses.
“So tell me Selene,” Red talked in his natural, cocky tone. Selene was Luna’s pet name that Red often referred to her as. “How’s this new bodyguard of yours? Not as good as me, I presume.”
“He’s very… Tia, what word would you use for him?” Luna asked.
Tia gently rubbed her cheek, thinking of a good answer.
Upon hearing the word “bodyguard”, I snapped out of my gaze and looked around for the princess’ bodyguard. Surely as the name would imply, he would be here, guarding their bodies.
“He’s very, protective.” Tia put it lightly.
“Protective as in…” Red pried.
Luna continued, “He never lets us out of his line of sight. It’s kinda creepy.”
“But,” Tia interjected. “That’s what bodyguards do. They don’t get lazy, they don’t let them get hurt, and they don’t fool around with their clientele.”
“... I have a feeling that last one was aimed at me…” Red mentioned in a joking tone.
Red told me about his experiences as a bodyguard to the two princesses a while back, with special mentioning of his more, intimate moments with Luna. Occasionally, Red would convince Luna to “hang out” with him late at night, which often resulted in trouble, Luna in a drunken state, or both.
One day, something happened on one of these “hangouts” that somehow involved noodles, a skimpy dress, feathers, and tar. What resulted was Red being exposed, kicked out of the royal guard, and demoted to a regular soldier.
A new personal bodyguard was quickly hired afterwards, one that now is mysteriously absent.
“…Where is this bodyguard?” I asked, nervous about speaking up.
Tia seemed almost surprised upon my voice for the first time in a while, but in a happy way.
“He’s taking care of his own stuff.” Luna answered, running her hoof around the rim of her glass. “He considered it rude to interrupt the mood of this moment with his presence.”
Something clicked in Red’s head.
“Wait.” He stuck a hoof up in the air. “Are you saying that the only reason you and Tia agreed to this was to get out of this creep’s mane?”
“…Not, entirely,” Luna meekly smirked. “I did miss you, and Tia did want to see Relv again. What better way to settle these woes than a double date?”
A moment of silence brushed through the gazebo.
“…Well, can’t blame ya for that.”
The silent, proper mood of the earlier dinner was instantly shattered. Luna laughed on the spot. Heck, even Tia got a giggle from Red’s punchline.
Now something clicked in my head.
Slowly, I reached my hoof under the table for Red’s tailor coat he wore to this date. I grabbed the bottom of it and yanked him next to me. Tia and Luna were too distracted to notice it.
“Red…” I furiously whispered.
“…Yes.” Red nervously responded.
“I thought you said you needed a wingpony, not somepony to court the princess! I thought this was a hangout before the date, not the actual date!”
“I knew you would actually commit to not coming if I told you the truth. Tia wanted you specifically. If that wasn’t possible, this date wouldn’t have happened. I was hustled!”
“You were hustled?! What about me?!”
“It’s too late to talk about technicalities. Just keep Tia happy while I put the moves on Selene.”
“Red, you son of a-”
“Sir,” Tia called for me, I turned my gaze to her, but didn’t let go of Red yet. “Thank you for coming over tonight. I really appreciate it.”
Tia gave a little smile to me, and I returned with my own.
Despite his condition, Red continued to talk to Luna. Soon, the two of them broke off from Tia and me with their own conversation.
Tia noted this and asked me, “How about we go someplace private?”
I nodded almost too quickly and let go of Red’s outfit. Tia and I got out of from our seats and I followed her into the castle. It was still in its latter construction phases, and it showed. The walls were not polished, portions of the structure were missing, not many personal belongings could be found, and the only light inside were the dim torches.
Guards and construction workers were scattered throughout the area, which greatly differed from just the two that were outside next to the pavilion.
It isn’t really private… I thought, but something else was brought to my attention.
“Where’re your par-I mean, the king and queen?” I asked Tia.
“They had urgent business to take care of in the North,” she answered, almost sounding frustrated at my question. “They left me and Luna here, trapped in this place.”
“You don’t like it here?”
“No, I don’t like it here with her. She stays awake all night, ruining my sleep, and then she sleeps throughout the day when the chores need to be done, leaving me to do them.”
“That’s an odd sleeping schedule.”
“I know right, but apparently it’s justified due to her magic or some crap. I get all of the hard work, and she gets to fool around with that good-for-nothing boyfriend of hers.”
“…”
“No offense,”
“None taken,” I humbly nodded. “Red does have a knack for being troublesome, but he means well.”
“’Mean well’,” she scoffed at me. “If Mom and Dad saw him here, they would’ve ordered the guards to throw him out of here for the things he did.”
Wait, what was that first bit?
Tia quickly caught her tongue and quickly darted her head around. To her relief, no pony paid attention to what she said. I was initially confused of Tia’s sudden alertness, but slowly began to catch on.
We picked up the pace until we reached the to-be throne room, a room so large and tall, it required pillars to keep the ceiling up. She led me to the back wall and motioned for me to stay where I stood. She then pressed a hoof into one of the bricks, causing it to push into the wall. A loud click echoed and a portion of the wall and floor we stood at suddenly began to move. I nearly tripped over from the initial jolt, but Tia quickly caught me and steadied me against the turning wall.
When the wall and floor finished turning, we were in a small room on the other side of the wall. The room was almost pitch-black, save for a candle resting on a table in the corner of the room. We approached it to escape the darkness and to see each other’s faces. Tia’s face was especially lovely to look at in the candlelight.
“Sorry for that moment back there,” Tia apologized. “It’s just, my parents don’t approve of Luna and me acquainting with peasants. They’d rather have us put up with snot-nosed pricks from neighboring countries. This was the only way I could see you again, as well as getting away from our bodyguard. As far as the guards can tell, you and Red are simply more suitors chosen by my parents.”
“The waterfall… That was-”
“Me sneaking out, to get away from those jerks. I wasn’t expecting you or Red to be there at time. Glad you were through, you’re the only read friend I’ve had.”
“Me? No… We’ve only met once, and I’m not much of a friend compared to the other ponies in your life.”
“Sure you are. You aren’t rude or greedy for my body like my suitors. And unlike the guard, you don’t treat me like a little foal and actually talk to me. You’re also humble, and compassionate, and kind…”
Me, the only friend of Princess Celestia? Impossible! I thought, but in hindsight, not a bad thing.
“I can see it in your eyes.” Tia explained, looking deep into my eyes, as I did in return. “You are a good pony.”
“Thanks.” I replied. She expected me to say more, but that was it for my part.
Tia giggled. “Not much of a talker, are you?”
“I guess not.” I chuckled back.
“Say, when can I see you again?”
“How about next Friday night, at the waterfall?”
“I like that idea. Will Red be tagging along?”
“Most likely.”
“Then Luna’s going to want to come as well.”
“Another double date?”
“I guess so. See you there…”
“…what?”
“What is your name, anyways?”
“Relv, ma’am,”
“Relv, what a nice name,”
“As is yours, Princess Celestia,”
“Please, just call me Tia.”
I hesitated for a moment, “…Alright then, Tia.”
We soon left the hidden room and met back up with Luna and Red, both of whom were then messing around with the two guards when we first saw them. Tia told Luna off and the two began bickering quite viciously, bringing the double date to a mutually agreed end. Red and I left the castle and returned to our barracks, where we went to bed with a happy outlook on the day.
It was most certainly worth the pain Red put me though.
