As a young and impressionable filly, sheltered by the four walls of the cottage her family called home, she had always felt that Equestria was the perfect place. Everypony got along, nopony fought with each other, nopony would dream of harming Equestrian Royalty. As a grown mare and now a slightly seasoned paladin, Twilight Sparkle could safely conclude that her filly self had been extremely naive, and real life was rather different from the untarnished ideals of a filly. Right now, it was a wonder she was still standing. Her front right foreleg couldn't support her weight on that side. Her tail was almost non-existent, the relic of a thrown javelin. Her mane formed a fuzzy halo around her head, the cause of taking several lightning strikes and shaking them off. And, peeking out from the unruly mass of mane like a shy foal, was her left ear, its tip shorn off. Her right ear was missing entirely, cauterized so quickly it didn't even bleed. Running vertically across her right eye was a still fresh scar, puckered skin red and slightly inflamed. She had took an axe swipe that would have taken out the mare she was oathbound to protect. Had it not been for her helm, Twilight would have lost her eye completely.
Twilight's armor of office, once so lovingly cared for and gleaming like a gem, was almost as bad as her body. The chest piece had taken so many blows it had completely caved in right under the shoulders. Only the layer of magically compressed air between the thick plates and her undertunic had prevented metal from punching right through her lungs. And to think the blacksmith had believed such a failsafe was unnecessary! The armor on all four of her legs was dented thoroughly, as though a Timberwolf had been gnawing on them like a bone. Her hoofboots were the only part of her armor that was in decent shape, and even they had a fair number of dings. Her faithful longsword was notched all along its length, and the weapon managing to avoid snapping twain was a testimony to the skill of the weaponsmith. Lastly, the giant tower shield, the pinnacle of every paladin, was barely more than a rectangular lump of metal. The thing hardly fit into its clamps properly. The others had attempted to get her to leave it, but abandoning something that had saved her life more times than she could count felt wrong.
The most worrying thing, however, was the fact that her fellow paladins fared no better than she had. Granted, they understood what they had been chosen for. They all had. Even so, Twilight was directly responsible for the lives of the other three members of her fireteam. The moment that Twilight had discovered that their princess had been ponynapped and given immediate chase, her only three friends in the world followed their team lead. Any other paladin under Twilight's command would have balked; Celestia knows they did it enough during training sessions. Not even the threat of the King's only daughter being bodily harmed could have galvanised them to follow a unicorn paladin willingly. As this thought flitted across her weary mind, a small savage grin tugged at her lips. Twilight Sparkle had proven without a doubt that a unicorn could indeed be a paladin.
As the rescue party finally made it safely out of the Everfree Forest, Twilight couldn't help but imagine the strange sight they must have presented. First and foremost were the Misfits; Corporal Twilight Sparkle, followed by Privates Sunset Shimmer, Trixie Lulamoon, and Twinkleshine. Right on the hooves of the four paladins was none other than Princess Rarity Belle, a little scraped up and dirty, but otherwise completely unharmed. And next to the princess was Lady Fluttershy, the normally timid pegasus noble who quite literally chased after the Misfits to help rescue her childhood friend. Bringing up the rear were the two local Malitiaponies Applejack and Pinkie Pie. A shadow passed lazily overhead, and Twilight glanced up to see the Wonderbolt mercenary company still keeping overwatch. The multi hued mane of Rainbow Dash glinted cheerfully at the ground ponies as the pegasus commander flew lazy circles high above her lower altitude V formation subordinates. Some distance behind flew another flock of Wonderbolts, at Twilight’s insistence. She really didn’t want to deal with an unexpected attack while the ponies she was in charge of were weakened; scouts had reported an all clear when she had sent them out earlier, but after the harrowing time she’s had the unicorn wasn’t willing to take any chances.
The rescue party drew ever closer to the outskirts of the nearby village Ponyville. Sweet Apple Acres, the farm Applejack ran for a living loomed almost forebodingly upon the horizon. Twilight knew for a fact she was just being paranoid, and she struggled to at least tone down her apprehension. Even from this distance the Corporal could see an eagerly shifting mass of locals. Rolling her eyes slightly at yet another headache that needed navigated, Twilight cleared her partially dry throat to speak. “Helms up, paladins.”
There was a smattering of affirmatives from the rest of her fireteam before she heard the telltale click of full face helmets fastening into their armor brackets. Twilight lit up her horn, ignoring the sudden exhaustion and flickering magic haze to withdraw her own head protection from the saddlebags still bouncing along her flanks after all this time. She fitted the battleworn armor piece over her own head, using her magic to press it down until she heard it click. She hesitated for a moment, a forehoof raised, as she weathered a dizzy spell. She felt an oddly familiar warmth upon her side, and she turned to see Princess Rarity flashing her a dazzling smile. Twilight’s heart sped up uncontrollably and she blushed heavily, thankful that the helmet she had just put in managed to mask most of her reaction. Judging by the knowing smirk her princess shot her, the paladin was pretty sure Rarity knew exactly what had happened.
The next instant, Twilight’s attention was torn away from her conflicted emotions as her heads-up spell activated. All around her were familiar friendly green dots representing her allies, new and old. Ahead of her and steadily closing were a bunch of blue dots, signifying non-hostile creatures. Yet, the most important thing was the distinct lack of red dots; Twilight released a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. Even though they weren’t quite out of the woods just yet, so to speak, they were drawing ever closer to their destination: Home. And then medical attention. Definitely medical attention. Just before their party hit the first of Sweet Apple Acre’s buildings, Twilight muttered out of the corner of her mouth, yet another cantrip activating to make sure she could be heard. “Applejack, Pinkie. Are you two going to follow us back to Canterlot?”
Twilight swore she could feel the farmer shrug. “Ah told ya we’d see you through ta Canterlot, Sugarcube. Our help can manage a few more days without me.”
“Yepperoni!” Pinkie chirped in agreement. Twilight felt as though the baker was entirely too chipper to be a part of any militia; however, after the events that had took place scant hours earlier, it did make sense.
“Rainbow Dash? Are you going to follow us?” Even as high up as she was, the pegasus heard the unicorn clearly.
“Yea, we’ve got you covered, paladin. Canterlot probably won’t take kindly to mercenaries in their airspace, but they can go buck themselves. We’re returning a valuable hostage. The least they can do is be grateful.”
“Thank you, commander,” Princess Rarity spoke up now, her voice smooth as silk. “I’ll make sure you’re properly paid.”
“Don’t sweat it too much, your highness. If we’d only done this for the payout we’d be no better than those thugs pretending to be mercenaries. Twilight was clearly outnumbered, and we evened the score. Goddess knows nopony else was going to help a unicorn paladin. Ponyist featherbrains.”
Twilight had to stifle a giggle at that, and once more a word rang clearly through her mind: Loyalty. It filled her with an unfamiliar warmth that wasn't entirely unwelcome. Further conversation halted as they began the trek through one of Sweet Apple Acre’s simple dirt paths. Twilight struggled hard to ignore the oppressive silence she was suddenly faced with; there was no sound from the townsponies, making the chink of heavy armor and crunch of boots unnaturally loud. Then all at once, everything exploded.
Twilight’s weakened magic was clenched around her sword and had it halfway out of its sheath before her mind caught up to what she was hearing: cheers. All around her was the excited cries and eager hoof stomps of what felt like every pony in Equestria. Twilight could feel herself inching ever closer to Princess Rarity, and her display confirmed that the other three paladins were doing the exact same thing. This was why she had ordered helmets; the unicorn knew her expression was anything but calm right now. As the group continued onward, Twilight Sparkle took note of the princess’ shadow. The royal unicorn had a hoof in the air, clearly waving to the still ecstatic crowd of ponies surrounding them. A distant part of the purple paladin wanted to chastise her ward for encouraging the masses; a more rational area of her mind argued that this was a good thing for Rarity’s (and to a lesser extent, her paladin’s) public image. She had just decided to roll with it when she caught sudden movement off to her right, shortly before her eyes in the sky reported the same.
“Unicorn stallion to the right, unarmed. Probably harmless.”
Half of Twilight’s thought processes took note of Dash’s warning, while the other half moved to intercept the young stallion, body marching sideways as she kept herself between his eager attempts to get to Rarity. “Let me through!” He cried indignantly. “That’s the mare I’m going to marry!”
Twilight felt herself bristle. If not for her armor, her coat would have been standing on end. Her teeth were bared before she had even realised her reaction to the proclamation. The sudden spike of adrenaline laced fury caused her to forget about her numerous injuries for the moment, and her sword was fully out of its sheath and resting by her side now. How dare he lay claim to what wasn’t his! Her stance lowered, fully prepared to duel this upstart for the affections of a mare newly dear to her heart. But then, Rarity laughed. It was a restrained, tinkling sound, not at all like the genuine laughter the paladin had heard before. Even so, just the sound of it broke her trance, leaving her slightly dazed and wondering what she was doing.
“I’m sorry, darling,” Princess Rarity began in that melodious voice of hers. “I’m already accounted for.”
Twilight barely acknowledged the stallions blustering reply. She was staring straight ahead in shock, trying to piece together exactly what had just happened. That stallion had uttered that sentence, and then… she had reacted. Amidst her anger and internal outrage, she had been fully prepared to beat that civilian black and blue. She very nearly dropped her armament as the revelation hit her, and with now trembling magic she forced the unruly thing back into its scabbard. As she did so, she could feel another presence cautiously approaching her from behind.
“Corporal? Twi?” It was Sunset Shimmer. “Are you okay?”
Twilight considered those words for what felt like eternity, weighing them in her mind. “No.” Came her low reply. “No, I’m not. I don’t know if I’m ever going to be okay again. We’ve fought and bled on nothing more than my orders. I’ll be lucky if they decide to even let me keep my post, and if they wont court martial me for dragging you three with me, then they’ll certainly nail me for whatever this is between me and the Princess.”
There was a sharp staccato of hooves from behind. Twinkleshine blocked her commander with her body, and Twilight could feel the glare the other paladin was leveling at her. “For being such an intelligent pony, you’re not exactly bright sometimes, are you? You know none of what you said is going to happen. When we took the oath, we were sworn to keep her Highness safe. No matter the consequences. You were the acting officer on the scene, and we followed you gladly. You’ve done a lot of good during this fight, Corporal. You kept our charge safe, you earned the eternal gratitude of two Goddesses, and you reawakened six of the most powerful artifacts in Equestrian history. They’re not going to toss you aside for snap decisions that kept us alive. I mean, look at you. You’ve got so many wounds it’s a wonder you’re even standing. When I look at you, and see those signs of a battle, I see a hero. Don’t sell yourself short by second guessing actions.”
Twilight Sparkle stared at the younger unicorn for a long moment, before cracking a smile. “Yes, you’re right. Actions are so much more easy to criticize in hindsight, so they say. I’m not sure what I was thinking.”
As they started forward again, Trixie answered the rhetorical statement with her trademark bluntness. “You weren’t thinking. You’re exhausted. But you know, we’re in this together. That’s what we promised when we were still greenhorns. And it's not just us four now. It’s all of us. Princess Rarity. The Wonderbolts. Even Applejack and Pinkie Pie. I think… I think that’s what friends do. We stick together, like in training, but on a larger scale.”
Twilight could feel her heart warming. Despite everything that had happened, the paladin was glad events had brought her to these wonderful ponies. Her gait straightened despite her screaming muscles. Her head came up, held high. She was a Paladin of the Princess, and nothing was going to tear her down. However, her sense of accomplishment simmered away as her little army approached the Town Hall of Ponyville. Just as the greying Mayor Mare had promised, the portal she had set up before striking out into the Everfree was still right in front of the white steps leading into the building. To the left of the portal stood the equipment chest Twilight had set up, still magically locked. To the right stood Mayor Mare and all of her administrative staff. Her weary party halted a short distance from the portal, followed by landing pegasi mercenaries. Twilight continued on alone, swiftly undoing the lock on the equipment chest. Yanking her mangled shield from its clamps, she tossed the thing into the trunk before reaching in for her spare. This one had a few scratches and dings from practice sessions, but her cutie mark emblazoned across it was easily viewable. As she also grabbed a better longsword, she gestured her team to restock.
“Princess, are you up for a bit of cantering?” Twilight asked gently.
“I believe so, darling. Participating in some of my paladin’s training regime has already aided me more than I had expected.”
“Good. General plan, then: We’re going to go through this portal, and it’ll send us right to the outskirts of Canterlot. Sunset and myself shall take point, with Twinkleshine and Trixie behind us and to the left and right. We’re going in with fixed shields. You, princess, shall be in between Twinkleshine and Trixie; Lady Fluttershy, follow next to the princess, please. Applejack and Pinkie, I’d like you two to bring up the rear. Wonderbolts, I want you in the air keeping pegasi civilians away while we do the same for the unicorns and earth ponies.”
Rarity arched a single elegant eyebrow. “Corporal Twilight, do you honestly expect us to be attacked so far into our home?”
Twilight shook her head sharply. “I don't, but you of all ponies should know how civilians get whenever there’s a bunch of excitement going on. You’ve been gone for over a month, princess, and they’re going to instinctively want to crowd around you. If they box us in it’ll take us all day to reach the palace, and that’s with the Royal Guard trying to keep them back. All of us need medical attention, and the sooner we can get to the palace and debrief, the sooner our injuries can be taken care of. Any questions?”
A chorus of negatives assaulted her good ear. Twilight turned to Mayor Mare, still standing off to one side. “I appreciate all you’ve done to help us, Mayor. I’ll be sure to emphasis Ponyville’s involvement.”
“Bless your heart, paladin. Our community doesn’t need much in the way of a reward. We’re just glad our princess is back with us.” Twilight nodded again before turning back to her assembled ponies.
“Paladins, lock shields.” The din of ratcheting metal was deafening. After one last look, Twilight took a steadying breath and stepped through the portal. The usual array of color blindsided her. It wasn’t really bright, just a never ending stream of colors as she sped past the exits to other portals within Equestria’s military portal network. Experience had long taught her not to attempt to focus on any of the exits, as that would result in nausea. Instead she kept her gaze forward and unseeing. She had just enough time to wonder if she should have warned the Wonderbolts and militiaponies about the side effects of portal travel before, with a sudden jerk, she stopped.
The first thing Twilight noticed was the high pitched hum of several other portals. She had landed right in the middle of the portalwork field on the outskirts of the capital, just like she had planned. Several startled cries and grunts erupted behind her as other ponies came through the portal she had just vacated. Not for the first time, Twilight was glad that the magic had sense enough to not dump ponies on top of other ponies. Also fortunately for her, none of her charges were throwing up, although a few were wobbling shakily, Applejack in particular. Just as she was prepared to order them into formation, the first cry rent the air.
Her paladins reacted instantly. Sunset Shimmer darted to Twilight’s right side, aiming to shore up her commander’s bad eye. Twinkleshine took up the left and Trixie the right, quickly motioning Princess Rarity and Lady Fluttershy to follow. A flurry of beating wings signaled both seven pegasi squadrons of Wonderbolts taking to the air, adapting the usual V formations. Applejack and Pinkie fell in from behind, the orange farmer almost reaching for the giant hammer strapped across her back at the sudden noise. Even as fast as they were, they almost didn’t make it out of that field in time. Twilight had thought Ponyville had been bad, Canterlot was far worse. There was a sea of ponies as far as the eye could see, occasionally broken by the tall, bipedal form of a griffon or the antlers of a deer. The small contingent of Royal Guards that normally patrolled this area suddenly found themselves overwhelmed by the deafening populace, startled by the sudden appearance of their missing royalty in the midst.
Twilight lead them right up Canterlot’s main street, moving at as quick of a canter as her bruised body would allow. Thankfully, even though the masses of creatures were swarming towards the group, the four paladins in full battle armor and fixed shields seemed to be enough to deter them from getting too close. This left a nice little bubble around the princess, even as the Wonderbolts had to gently discourage several adventurous pegasi from hovering right overhead. Any type of small talk was pretty much out of the question; even with the speech amplifying cantrip nopony would be able to hear anything but the roar.
The thunder of armored hooves was almost as loud as the crowd, rolling off the buildings and drowning out the lighter hoofsteps of the others. Twilight could almost pick out individual questions and statements, but trying to focus on the perceived words was impossible. As they drew ever closer to the palace, they were joined by more Royal Guard, who were forming a two pony deep line around the princess’ location. A few Royal Air Corps attempted to chase off the Wonderbolts from their positions above, but the hardened mercenaries responded in kind by shoving the interlopers back into their own airspace. Dash barked an order lost to Twilight's ears, and her mercs abandoned their V formations to instead form columns of seven on the right and left sides. Dash settled down on point between the two columns, and Twilight could sense the pegasus glaring at RAC members who still lingered.
Twilight and Sunset executed a sharp right turn, boots shrieking on cobblestone as the two paladins fought to keep their hooves under them with the abrupt change of momentum. A few seconds later the same cry of metal on stone sounded from the other two paladins, and the ruckus reminded Twilight of the night all of this began. In fact, many of this struck a sense of deja vu; minus the sense of panic as she tore after the shadowy creatures who had grabbed Princess Rarity, this scene was almost identical to that fateful night.
Canterlot Palace was directly ahead now, and as they approached the yawning archway leading into the courtyard, Twilight signalled her exhausted party to slow to a more sedate pace. Sides heaving and her breath whistling through her lungs, Twilight again took point as everyone else fell into step behind. The guardsponies took up a blockade at the entrance, keeping the citizens at bay. Inside the courtyard, however, were a vast majority of Canterlot’s nobles; these ponies were decidedly more dangerous than the crowds outside. Even as the Misfits led the way, Twilight could hear the whispers and mutterings, even if she couldn’t tell exactly what they were saying. Calling upon her last reserves of energy, Twilight pulled herself to her full height, head held high. It didn’t matter that her party had just returned from a brutal campaign. She was not going to tarnish the image of her Highness. The soft fluttering of wings heralded the arrival of her mercenary allies, light pegasi bodies setting gently down upon the cobblestone. More than one noble actually wrinkled their noses at this development and leaned away from the battle weary Wonderbolts, but just as many actually leaned forward almost eagerly, intrigued by these soldiers cut from a different cloth.
Twilight finally stopped paying attention to her surroundings when she noticed who exactly awaited their arrival at the top of the steps leading to the great palace doors. King Magnum (otherwise known as Hondo Flanks to those who were privy to his real name) was the first the purple paladin noticed. He was dressed simply in a silvery grey tunic and slacks that merged magnificently with his off-white coat. His black cloak of office trailed a little way behind him, and his long chocolate mane was braided down his back. His crown rested jauntily upon his head, burnished silver and amethyst. His wife Queen Cookie Crumbles stood right next to him. Her rather pink fur was an odd contrast to her husband’s color, and unlike her husband she hadn’t bothered to dress properly. A simple red nightgown had been donned hastily, and her two-tone blue and dark blue mane was out if its customary bun. Both had been doing quite a bit of crying lately if their slightly red eyes were anything to go by, and they both looked like they had been missing sleep, too.
Time seemed to slow as Twilight came ever closer. The first warning she had was Rarity’s little sobbing gasp. This warning was more than enough for Twilight and Sunset to hurriedly flank their princess as she went dashing towards the King and Queen. The two paladins matched Rarity step for step, and then right before they reached the Royals the two paladins whirled about and moved to either side, letting Rarity close the last of the distance herself. Trixie and Twinkleshine mirrored the first two paladins a moment later, whirling to face the crowd slightly in front of and below their commander. The Wonderbolts quickly shifted into rows of three, and the two malitiaponies flanked the body of pegasi on either side. As Rarity collapsed sobbing into her father’s arms, Twilight cleared her throat gently and declared: “Paladin Corporal Twilight Sparkle and her allies have successfully completed their mission: Her Royal Highness, Princess Rarity Belle, has been brought home.”
The nobles seemed to all hold their breath. There was a few moments of almost complete silence before King Magnum finally cried in a voice choked with emotion. “My daughter has been returned!”
At this, the courtyard erupted. Every single noblepony below them started a raucous cheer. Twilight finally let herself sag a bit, exhaustion telegraphed through her entire body. She knew her friends were every bit as tired, but she dared not leave until she had been excused. Fortunately, Rarity came to her rescue. “Twilight, you and the rest need to get to medical. You can be debriefed after you can stand without nearly falling over.”
“Are you sure, your highness?”
“Quite sure, darling. I'm afraid you'll have to place your trust in the countless soldiers my father has on standby to keep me from further harm.”
It took all of Twilight's formidable willpower to not snort and release a scathing remark. “And what of the Wonderbolts?”
There was a brief flash of respect across the princess’ face. “I keep my words. They shall be given an unused guard barracks, and will likewise be offered the best medical attention I can offer. Applejack and Pinkie Pie will receive the same treatment. But you, you can stop worrying about them. Rest, and heal, so that you may return to your post.”
Twilight bowed low, one of the few times she's ever done so instead of saluting. Conscious of the eyes of the King and Queen, Twilight Sparkle turned smartly, gestured her battered paladins to follow her, and headed for the infirmary. The trip was made in relative silence, nothing more than the clank of armor and the steady staccato of hoofboots. The purple paladin considered heading to their quarters first, to divest themselves of their equipment, but ultimately decided against it. Her armor especially felt as though it was fused to her body in some places, and if the doctors had to literally cut it off her she wanted to be heavily sedated.
The palace doctors and nurses meet her in the corridor leading to the massive infirmary. Nurse Sweetheart was in the lead, and Twilight couldn’t stop a tired grin. “I'm back, Sweetheart.”
The nurse snorted lightly, her own muzzle curling into a smile. “I seem to remember telling the lot of you I'd refuse to help you the next time you ended up in one of my beds. Guess this time I get to eat my own words.”
Sunset chuckled. “Well we're not exactly here by choice. It just kind of happened.”
“Your sisters in Ponyville say hi, by the way.” Trixie cut in. “They miss their elder sibling.”
Sweetheart shook her head. “I swear, you'd think you four were quadruplets or something. And I miss them too. I'll have to visit sometime soon.” The paladins were herded into beds gently. As she finally sat down, Twilight felt her magic had recovered enough to send her saddlebags to their secured quarters; she'd rather not leave that powerful artifact unattended.
Sweetheart was replaced by a unicorn mare with a shiny white coat, shockingly blue eyes, and singleton straw yellow mane and tail cut into a nice, short cropped pixie bob and a simple long flowing tail, and a cutiemark of a silver star with a lightning bolt coming out of it. “My name is Azure Lily, but just call me Lily. I'll be your biomancer today.” Lily’s voice held a hint of a Germane accent despite near perfect Equestrian.
Twilight arched an eyebrow as she disengaged her helmet and removed it. Biomancy was an incredibly complex and intensive school of magic. The fact that the Crown was willing to get one in here was a testament of how grateful the royal family was. She finished her thoughts as Lily was studying the four paladins before her.
“Please hold still. I need to get a sense of how bad these injuries are.” Her horn lit and her eyes closed. Twilight felt unfamiliar magic probe her, and it took all of her training to remind herself that this was not some sort of attack. As quickly as it came the uncomfortable feeling passed, and the purple paladin assumed the biomancer was taking a look at her squad mates.
“Interesting. Well, good news is, your affinity to Celestia und her holy flame allowed your magic to heal enough of the damage to prevent you from dying.”
While Twilight was happy to hear this, something else required her attention. “What's interesting?”
“Celestia’s blessing isn't the only one you carry. All four of you are carrying a second blessing; one that's shadow und ice.”
“It must be Luna’s.” Twinkleshine supplied.
Lily's eyes visibly widened. “So it's true, then? You guys seriously brought back Goddess Luna?”
Twilight hesitated for a moment. Technically, she wasn't allowed to divulge such information until she had been debriefed; not to mention she had no idea what the Crown planned to tell the general populace. But the it dawned on the paladin that everyone would know what had happened sooner or later. “It's true. We cleansed her of the taint calling itself Nightmare Moon, and returned Luna to her true self.”
“Wow. Sometime you'll have to tell me the entire tale. For now, you can rest. The injuries you have sustained are numerous, und quite a few are severe. I recommend you allow us to put you to sleep und sedate you. Is that okay?”
“It would be preferred.” Sunset broke in.
“We could use the nap,” Twinkleshine added.
“You also have our permission to cut away our armor if it is needed.” Trixie sounded as though she was already half asleep.
Lily glanced between the four ponies before her. “Okay, I agree with Sweetheart. That is kind of creepy.”
Twilight managed a quiet chuckle. “I do have one request, though. I want my eye fixed, but could you keep the scar there? I want itas as a reminder of my trials.”
“I think I can do that.” Lily turned to a coal black doctor. “Can you hit them with a sleep spell? I'd really rather not use up my small mana pool before I have time to operate.”
The last thing Twilight remembered wondering was how small Lily’s magical pool had to be if the biomancer couldn't manage a simple sleep spell.
<<((*))>>
Comforting warmth. For the first time since that harrowing night, Twilight was relaxed. She slowly came to, realizing with distant surprise she didn't ache any more. Her hearing was clear, signifying her poor ears had been restored. Her breath was no longer wheezing through bruised lungs. And as she finally opened her eyes, her vision was no longer blurry on the one side. Whoever that biomancer was, she was very good at her job. As the corporal’s eyes roamed over her surroundings, she realized that she was not alone.
King Magnum sat directly across from her, watching her with those piercingly perceptive eyes of his. It took her a solid ten seconds for her hazy mind to realize who she was looking at. When it finally registered, Twilight struggled to sit up and salute, or bow, or anything. “Easy, Corporal Sparkle. Please, there’s no need to make yourself uncomfortable for a bit of formality. Lily promised me a quite dire talking to if I managed to upset her patients.”
Twilight quit trying to get her lethargic muscles to listen to her mental commands. “How long have I been out, my King?” She coughed as soon as she forced the sentence out, her voice scratchy. Magnum summoned a glass of water and handed it to the unicorn, who proceeded to drink it slowly.
“Almost a week. It took all of Lily’s bodily mana to heal you four, and managed to completely drain her reserve pools. She will recover in time. While we’ve been feeding you liquefied food, I imagine you’ll need some real sustenance soon, so I’m going to cut directly to the reason for my visit here: I need you to tell me your story. There have been an abundance of rumors flying about, made worse by that month of no sun. Your team awoke before you, and I’ve already heard their versions in addition to those of the Wonderbolts. Now I want to hear it from you, as the commanding officer. Start from the attack upon the capitol.”
Twilight dutifully nodded her head and began her story. She told of the shadows that had descended upon Canterlot. She told of the fight in the courtyard, the sudden premonition that led her to believe her Princess was in danger. She told of the race to the Royal Quarters, only to discover that the door to the Princess’ chamber was sealed. She told of the door breech, followed by the running jump out of the four story window to give chase. She told everything that happened in that month, from finding themselves lost in Ponyville, to Mayor Mare’s aid, to the trail eventually leading to the Everfree Forest and the Castle of the Twin Sisters. Whenever her voice started to get raspy with speech, her King would summon another glass of water for her to sip on.
When Twilight reached the battle of Nightmare Moon, the King finally interrupted her. “You took on a Goddess?”
Twilight nodded a tad sheepishly. “She had Rarity. I was going to bring our Princess home or die trying in the process.”
“Was this before or after you discovered the Elements of Harmony?”
At those words, Twilight had another bit of a freak out. “The Elements! Are they still safe?”
“The Elements of Harmony are indeed safe, locked inside your own secure quarters. No one has been down that hall since your return.”
Twilight heaved a sigh of relief. “Well, this was a little before we discovered the Elements. Those didn’t come in until a little later…”
Twilight resumed her tale, realizing as she did so this must be some form of debriefing. Even so, she left nothing out-- except one thing, that is. Twilight didn’t think it was a very good idea at all to tell her King that she now had a crush on his only daughter. When she finished her story, King Magnum was silent for several long moments, apparently deep in thought. When he did finally speak, he did so as he snapped his gaze back to Twilight’s own. “You have done this Kingdom a great service, Corporal Twilight Sparkle, a greater service than most others ever manage to accomplish. Rarity Belle is my one and only daughter, and her mother and I would have been devastated had she never returned to us. The Elements of Harmony, gaining the personal favor of Celestia and Luna… those are all simply icing on the cake.”
“Honestly, your majesty, I wasn’t even thinking about any of that. There were several times I almost let the fear win. Without my new friends, I’m not so sure I would have even made it back home, let alone with the Princess in tow.”
“And yet, the fact that you are here now is a testament to your character. You did not let your fear win. Even when on the verge of death, you still fought. And for that, you have my eternal gratitude. However, the evening is getting late. I imagine you are quite hungry. I expect to see you at the feast in another couple of hours.” And with those words, her King stood up and was gone. But before he had fully disappeared out the doorway, Twilight Sparkle caught the glimmer of tears upon his cheeks.
Twilight had spent the remaining hours until the feast lightly resting, and now she was glad she had. Most of the feast had been a hectic blur or reuniting with her friends and stuffing her face as full as she could. Even as King Magnum stood to make a final speech at the end of the night, the paladin was barely paying attention, laughing and joking with her friends where they sat near Princess Rarity. The Misfits, the Wonderbolts, Applejack and Pinkie Pie, they were all there in a loose ring surrounding their Princess. However, as the first of the King’s words echoed through the dining hall, all conversation ceased.
“Ladies and gentlecolts. I know I’ve made quite a few speeches tonight, but bear with me for a moment. This will be my last one, I promise.” There was a smattering of laughter before the King continued.
“Over the past week, I’ve been partaking in quite a few discussions with my family over our ordeal. Naturally, these discussions turned towards rewarding those brave ponies who brought my daughter back to me, at the cost of their own blood and sweat.”
The hall was so silent one could hear a pin drop. “Would the Ponyville Militiaponies Applejack Apple and Pinkamena Diane Pie, step forward.”
The two earth ponies did so, looking oddly self conscious of their lack of formal attire. Or at least, Applejack did. Pinkie looked as if she didn’t have a care in the world.
“From what I gather, the two of you were among the very first volunteers to join in the hunt for my missing daughter. Even though you had jobs that needed to be kept done, you were willing to drop everything and go partake in what might have ended up as a wild goose chase. Therefore, I hereby endorse both Sweet Apple Acres and Sugarcube Corner. In addition to the regular benefits an endorsement by the Crown pertains to, you can also expect free expansions into new cities and towns.”
There was a hefty amount of applause, and both earth ponies bowed low in thanks before resuming their seats. Even Pinkie looked more exuberant than usual, and Applejack looked as though she was about to fall over.
“Next, we have the Wonderbolt Mercenaries.” Magnum gestured towards Twilight’s group (which contained the two squads that had been on duty) and along the dining room walls, where the rest of the mercenaries stayed. “Commander Rainbow Dash. I am under the impression that you pledged yourself and your soldiers to Twilight’s cause after discovering she had no available allies beyond her paladins. Is this correct?”
Rainbow Dash stood and offered a smart salute. “Yes, milord.” Quite a few nobleponies frowned at the lack of what they deemed protocol, but Magnum looked slightly delighted at the thought of a pony not using some variation of a ‘kingly title’.
“Then let it be known that the Wonderbolt Mercenaries are hereby contracted by the Crown until such a time comes that the Crown terminates said contract. You will have access to the best supplies that can be offered like any other branch of the military. You are within your rights to accept other temporary contracts, but your primary duty shall be to the contract with the Crown. Further details can be discussed later, of course. Is this agreeable?”
Rainbow Dash hesitated only for a moment. She glanced at Rarity, and then at Twilight. “Yes. The Wonderbolts shall accept.”
The applause was a little more subdued this time; trying to get nobility used to the idea of mercenaries being hired by the Crown would take a while.
“And lastly, we have the four paladins instrumental to the successful return of our Princess. Twinkleshine, Trixie Lulamoon, Sunset Shimmer… And Twilight Sparkle. Effective immediately, you four are being promoted. Twinkeshine, Trixie, and Sunset shall hold the rank of ‘captain’, and likewise will be in charge of the larger security detail I plan on helping my daughter construct for herself. Twilight shall hold the rank of ‘major’, and will oversee said security detail. Furthermore, all four paladins and their immediate family are to be given baronies and shall be considered Upper Nobility, with places upon my personal council.”
The cheering and hoofstomps was nearly deafening this time, but Twilight Sparkle heard none of it. She was too busy staring straight ahead in shock.
<<((*))>>
“Milady, was this your plan all along?!” Major Twilight Sparkle demanded in a harsh whisper. She wasn’t even sure why she was whispering, considering there was nopony else around.
“Whatever do you mean, darling?”
“Having your father make me nobility so we can keep whatever it is we have going on!” Twilight was practically shouting at this point. She had cornered Rarity in the Princess’ quarters sometime after the King’s final announcement. It had taken a long time for the young unicorn to come to her senses, but when she did she discovered the dining hall was almost completely empty and servants had arrived to start their clean up duty.
Rarity sighed now. “Look, Twilight dear, this wasn’t my plan at all. Father came up with this all on his own. I just never bothered to suggest anything else. And after I told him about us, he had pretty much made up his mind long before the celebratory feast.”
Twilight grew very still. “You told him… about… us?”
“Of course I did, Twilight. I can’t keep a secret from my Father of all ponies. He really didn’t have a problem with it, and I quote: ‘That mare could ask me for my crown and I would be tempted to give it to her.’”
“That’s not funny, Rarity.” Twilight had to try really hard not to use her pet name for the marshmallow mare.
“It's not meant to be, Twi. That is very literally what he said. Bringing him his daughter alive and well was the single most impressive thing you could have done for my Father, Twilight Sparkle.”
“But what about us?” Twilight sounded as though she was on the verge of tears.
“What about us?” Rarity echoed. “I’m not sure what you mean, sweetheart. I mean, I realize we’re both really new to this, but I’m not sure why you’re hung up on that part.”
“Look, Rares, I shouldn’t be with you! Okay? I shouldn’t even be thinking of you that way. I’m just a paladin, and you… you’re the Princess of an entire Kingdom. You can find someone better. I’m not your knight in shining armor.”
Rarity let out a startling whinny-growl, causing the purple mare to glance up in shock. “Now you listen here, Twilight Sparkle, and you listen well. You. Are. More. Than. Just. A. Paladin.”
The princess punctuated each syllable with a half step towards her mare, until she was almost nose to nose with Twilight. “How many times did you almost die out there? How many times did you get right back up and tell death to go buck itself? You are a very remarkable mare, Twilight Sparkle, and you will eventually accept this fact, even if I must beat it into you myself.” Rarity suddenly whirled away from Twilight, ears suddenly drooping.
The paladin took several steps, unsure what to say or do, but Rarity continued. “And ‘knight in shining armor’? Is that what you’re still hung up on? Let me tell you something, Twilight. I’ve done a lot of growing up this past month. The world isn’t nearly so simple as I had believed for most of my life. The night I cuddled with you, and realized that the mare curled against me had swept me off my hooves, I came to an interesting conclusion: I don’t need, nor want, a Knight in Shining Armor. Why? Why would I want a champion like that? A Knight whose armor is unblemished, gleaming in the sun, the very picture of perfect is a Knight who has done nothing with her career. Her armor is unsullied by the vigor of war, unstained from innocence lost so other's don't have to lose theirs.” Here Rarity paused, as though mulling over her next words carefully.
“A Knight in Dented Armor, however, is an entirely different story. A Knight whose armor is unpolished, nicked and scraped, dented and dinged, is a Knight who has done much with her life. She has fought for what she holds dear. She has faced numerous foes in the name of protecting innocence. She is not afraid to fight the battles for loved ones, nor is she above letting those same loved ones fight her battles. You, Twilight Sparkle, are my Knight. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. Now, stop this nonsense and kiss your princess.”
This wasn’t okay. There was no way in Equestria any of this was okay. And yet, maybe it was. Perhaps it was time to stop worrying about every little thing and just enjoy the moments that popped up from time to time. And as Twilight Sparkle gently pressed her lips to her new marefriend, she was still filled with an undeniable joy.
Yes. She thought giddily. I am her Knight in Dented Armor.
Author's Note
So I end my extremely long hiatus with this. Why? Eh, not sure. Maybe having a little one shot marked as 'complete' will give me the desire to finish something like Valkyrie. Will there be a sequel? Probably, of a sort. There is a very high chance I'll go ahead and turn this into a multi-chapter thing, starting all the way back before Twilight decided to become a Paladin. I've actually got the start roughly outlined. Just not a super big priority at the moment. Not unless this blows up super big, anyway.
This was actually inspired by an interesting conversation I happened upon in World of Warcraft several nights ago. In fact, the entire ending scene with Rarity is roughly quoted from that particular conversation.
Now with a Patreon! Any little bit of spare coin helps me a great deal; it means I can focus on other bills that pile up with my paychecks, and then use Patreon to help keep me fed. Don't worry, I'm not going to gate my content behind something like a pay wall. You'll still get it either way.
The loud screech of an alarm clock yanked Paladin Major Twilight Sparkle out of the realm of dreams. A precise bolt of magic splashed upon the clock’s face, silencing the way too cheerful chime. The purple pony rolled over upon her back, staring up at the ceiling as she waited for her normally sharp mind to finish pulling itself out of the sticky mires of sleep. She couldn’t remember all the details of her most recent dream, but she knew it had been wonderful-- featuring Princess Rarity Belle, as they so often did. As her mind finished its boot sequence she made a mental note to thank the Goddess Luna should she ever meet the Divine Pony again. With the Goddess once more acting as the Steward of Dreams, sleep was much more restful than any Twilight had previously. Even better was the fact that all of Equestria and beyond seemed to be sharing the same effect of Goddess Luna being cleansed of the Nightmare.
With a soft puff of air released from her muzzle, Twilight rolled off her very comfortable bed and onto her four hooves. This mattress was far more comfortable than any she had slept on before; as a bodyguard of Princess Rarity she’d always had a soft bed to sleep on, but the four poster bed she had in her own private quarters now that she was a Major was even more mind-bendingly soft than her old one. It was said that the mattress she had now was made out of pegasus feathers donated after preening, but Twilight wasn’t entirely convinced about that particular rumor; nor was she about to tear apart the bed to find out, even if she could repair it. That was just rude. Deciding that she was now awake enough to start her morning routine, Twilight strode over to the coffee machine in the small kitchenette of her quarters. A relatively new invention, the coffee machine was one of the very first things she had bought with the small fortune she got paid in her new position. It was so nice to start the coffee, go shower, and finish in time for the dark liquid to be finished.
With the nectar of the Goddesses brewing happily before her, Twilight then turned to head for the bath chambers, hungrily sniffing the air as she did so. She was pretty positive she enjoyed the smell of coffee almost as much as the taste. Once inside the small chamber, she paused to look at the floor length mirror next to the ornate sink. She then performed a double take at the roiling muscles coiled under her skin. Twilight Sparkle wasn’t vain by any means, but there was a lot of mare staring at her in the mirror. It’d been so long since she’d bothered to actually look at herself, she’d never noticed all of the extra density she had been putting on. It wasn’t unpleasant, far from it. She was as sleek as ever, with willowy limbs despite being only a little bit taller than most unicorns. But the muscle mass was what really completed the picture-- it filled her out, gave something else for the eye to notice-- and subconsciously respect. She now understood why she could cause mares and stallions alike to fall silent at her approach, even without her armor.
Of course, she did concede that some of her effect on other ponies could be attributed to the wicked looking scar over her right eye. That biomancer Lily was extremely good at her chosen craft. Not only had she completely healed the wound, she had also made sure the eye itself was fixed. The only thing that remained was the scar, running diagonally across the top of her head near her horn down towards that same cheek. She made a second metal note of the morning to find out if Lily would be interested in joining Princess Rarity’s guard regiment as a part time healer. Twilight wasn’t about to pull the biomancer from her day-to-day life, but having one within easy reach would be very nice. Finally turning away from the mirror, she stepped over to the enormous shower situated along the far back wall. The shower could comfortably fit four or five ponies, and not for the first time Twilight wondered why they even made a shower so big.
With a well practiced motion Twilight twisted the knobs to just the perfect temperature; that sweet spot between almost hot enough to scald yet still cool enough it would relax tense muscles. The showerhead in this shower was of her own design, with holes big enough to cause the water spray to be fat droplets. After long days in her armor and dealing with all sorts of ponies, getting a nice little massage in her shower without the hassle of heading to the local spa was nice. Wasting as little extra time as possible (she did still have a schedule for today to adhere to), she lathered herself in her lavender scented soap and began scrubbing her coat. Even with her sheer endurance, most days since the return of the Princess ended with her too exhausted to bother with personal hygiene, so cleaning first thing in the morning was mandatory. Hopefully with her being able to delegate some of her workload to ponies assigned under her, she’ll actually have a little more time to relax with a good book here and there. Twilight then quickly rinsed herself off, reveling in the absence of the sweat stench. While she was used to it in part thanks to her occupation, she was still a mare and enjoyed smelling clean. Her mane was next, her magic expertly teasing out the knots and tangles that it always seemed to form into in the middle of her sleep.
That done she turned off the water and stepped out onto the tiled floor, dripping water everywhere. She paid it no mind; her personal cleanliness wards would take care of some droplets on the floor. While every other noble seemed to love having servant ponies constantly cleaning up after them, Twilight didn’t see why it was necessary when a few simple wards would do the trick just as well, and save the servant ponies some extra work. Completely ignoring the cabinet full of towels, a blast of heat from her horn quickly dried out her fur and mane. She then began multitasking, braiding her rather long mane up into its usual ponytail while simultaneously brushing her teeth. The paladin spit gently into the basin and side stepped to flash herself a rather dazzling smile. Then, giggling softly, the unicorn trotted from her bath chambers just as the coffee brewer dinged, signalling the end of its cycle.
She fetched her favorite coffee mug, a solid crystal little thing with the words Misfit scrawled across the front in loopy hoofwriting. The mug had originally been the result of a mean spirited joke, but Twilight had took it in stride by promptly naming her training squadron Misfits. The bullies weren’t entirely sure how to react to Twilight and the rest of the unicorn trainees completely ignoring obvious racial attacks, and while that instance wasn’t the last it was the only time Twilight had let them get to her in private. After the Misfits started breaking and setting records, the earth pony and occasional pegasi paladin cadets couldn’t really do much to drag the unicorns back down again. Three small teaspoons of sugar and a thick dollop of chocolate syrup went into the black brew, the clinking of the stirring spoon seeming to echo slightly in the spacious bed chamber. The unicorn mare took a long gulp of the beverage and immediately started feeling herself perk up even further.
She finished her cup of coffee in several swift swallows, just as she always did every morning. She set the mug in the kitchenette sink to be washed later and proceeded to grab her large purple thermos. The remainder of the pot of coffee went into this thermos, and she swiftly began preparing it just as she had her small glass. As she dedicated part of her mind to that task, another part sent her magic questing towards her walk-in armory that took up a good quarter of the far wall, facing the double doors of the chamber. By the time she finished with her morning drink, her magic had assembled her gear in neat little piles in front of the armory doors. Casting a critical eye over the equipment to make sure she wasn’t missing any pieces, the unicorn paladin began tugging on her symbol of office. The chain link undershirt went on first, the metal feeling cool to the touch as the charms held within the shirt adhered itself to her fur. Next came a necklace that housed the Element of Magic. Twilight had agreed that walking around with a crown on her head would be a little presumptuous, and so had turned the powerful artifact into a necklace to match its kin.
Yet, it also wasn’t just the Element of Magic. It was also her armor. The artifact was powerful enough and familiar enough with Twilight that it had all the makings of becoming a soulstone, which is exactly what the unicorn had turned it into. Now, instead of being forced to wear her full armor every day, she only wore Magic. The soulstone could deploy her full plate armor in seconds, ensuring it was there when she needed it. Only paladins of the highest caliber were ever allowed to carry souled equipment, and the fact that she could do so still boggled Twilight’s mind sometimes. Of course, since she didn’t have any other gemstones or magically inclined material her weapons could be souled to, she still needed to carry them on her person; luckily it wasn’t too taxing to keep her personal pocket space going all the time. Twilight stepped up to the mirror on the inside of her armory and touched a hoof against the Element gleaming at her throat.
Immediately her armor began to deploy, materializing seemingly out of nothing in a matter of moments. Her segmented body piece was first, clamping to her undershirt almost eagerly. Next came her legplates, snapping into place and increasing the strength Twilight felt in her legs substantially as the enhancements kicked in. She lifted her hooves one at a time, allowing her boots to flow out from the legplates. Lastly, her helmet settled over her head, hissing air as the armor filled with the compressed air enchantment. Before her heads-up display had time to calibrate, however, Twilight took the head piece off and clipped it to her right foreleg. She examined her reflection, the brilliant amethyst gemstone gleaming in her chest piece. Giving herself a small nod as she made sure everything was in place, Twilight then turned to the weapons still resting upon the floor. Her custom balanced longsword buckled at her left side flush with her body, stopping just shy of where her saddlebag could be clipped to her flank. Her tower shield, emblazoned with her cutie mark, went into the clips on the back of her armor. Its weight felt very comfortable as it settled there, and then with a well practiced flick of her left shoulder the defensive tool swung outward with a familiar series of clicks, locking into its ready position. Flicking her shield back across to its resting place, the purple pony gave herself a once over.
Gleaming lavender armor, check. Sword in scabbard, check. Shield across back, check. Helmet, check. Other forms of weaponry? Check. Even as she checked off that mental box she gathered up her auto-loading crossbow and stashed it into her pocket space. Several drums of crossbow bolts followed soon after. It wasn’t a weapon she was the most comfortable with, but Twilight had long since learned that having a ranged option aside from just her magic was mandatory. As heroic as she had probably looked throwing her shield around (and even though it made for a surprisingly effective ranged weapon), having a crossbow on hoof simply meant she would be better prepared in the future. She also made a quick review of the emergency equipment still in her pocket. Portable campfire, handfuls of gemlights, several coils of rope of variable thickness, a few brush knives and hatchets, some firesticks (on the off chance a non unicorn had to light a fire), and even a few replacement hilts for her sword and a two spare tower shields. Striking out with her squad with minimal supplies in an effort to rescue Princess Rarity had taught Twilight there was never such a thing as being over prepared. Lacking even maps to guide them, the four paladins had been lucky they even managed to make it to Ponyville without wandering around in circles for weeks or even months. Equestria was a pretty big nation, with swaths unsettled land; simply one of the side effects of ponies preferring to stick together. With Ponyville being a relatively small village off to one side of Canterlot, there wasn’t even a real road between the two locations.
Finally satisfied that she was fully kitted out, the paladin snapped the doors to her armory closed and snatched up her thermos of coffee. Taking a swift swallow from the container, she closed the lid and snapped it to the latches on her left foreleg. Taking a glance at the nearby clock, Twilight determined that she was running a full fifteen minutes ahead of schedule-- like always. With a small flicker from her horn, she eased open the doors to her bedchambers and stepped out into the main hallway of the palace. The two Xenith Guard stationed on either side of her door saluted as it opened, and Twilight returned the salute before turning smartly and trotting swiftly down the corridor. She no longer had to escort Princess Rarity to the Grand Hall for breakfast (even though she still did sometimes), instead relegating that duty to one of the new members of her Princess’ guard detail. Without fail, the new recruits were all rather eager for that particular job; even the Wonderbolt mercenaries Commander Dash had assigned to Twilight’s purview went at it with gusto. Twilight really couldn’t blame them; Princess Rarity was easily as well loved as her parents.
As the unicorn approached the end of the hallway, she noted that Trixie, Sunset, and Twinkleshine were also approaching the intersection of corridors directly across from her. The way all four of them arrived at the same time was a little creepy to most other ponies, and secretly the close knit group of friends enjoyed the air of synchronized mystery. With nary a word of greeting, the paladins fell into lockstep with Twilight in front, Sunset and Trixie to either side, and Twinkleshine bringing up the rear. The posse made a right, putting the corridor that lead to the renovated nursery to their backs; apparently the Royal Family was expecting another daughter. The quartet marched in quiet silence for a bit before Sunset spoke. “You reckon they’ll ever get used to us doing that?”
Trixie’s response was a soft snort. “I doubt it. Just the other day I overheard a couple of maids discussing the idea that we’re one singular pony split up into four bodies.”
Despite herself, Twilight snickered. The idea was ludicrous, but she couldn’t fault the serving staff for not knowing any better. “Well, we did practice this as a way to unnerve other cadets.”
“Sure, but I think what we have now is even more impressive than what we were originally trying to do.” Twinkleshine giggled a bit.
“Too true. So, oh glorious leader, what’s our agenda for today?” Sunset chimed.
Twilight Sparkle resisted the shockingly strong urge to turn around and glare at the amber mare. How in Equestria Sunset managed to sound utterly infuriating yet respectful of her commander’s station was something that likely wasn’t ever going to be solved. Instead, the major gave a reply. “We’ll swing by the kitchens to grab a quick bite while on the move. We’ve got our usual ten minute grace period since we weren’t escorting her highness to breakfast ourselves. After that, we need to head directly to headquarters for inspection. Princess Rarity finally has a moment to see how her new guards are doing.”
“Is the princess worried about a lack of discipline?” This came from Trixie in her usual blunt manner.
Twilight shook her head. “Far from it. This is her time to actually get to see most of the new ponies in charge of her protection. It’s not going to be just her, either. The King and Queen mentioned a visit with Rarity, and I seem to recall my brother muttering something about stopping by.”
The purple paladin could almost hear her three friends perk up a bit. “Your brother, Shining Armor? The battlemage?”
This time Twilight did turn to glare back. “No, I’m talking about Spike, the Royal Messenger. Of course I’m talking about Shiny, Spike doesn’t really have an interest in guard work.”
“Oh, I hope my armor is polished enough!” This came from Twinkleshine, and she seemed completely immune to the Deadly Glare of Death her commander was nailing her with.
“I wonder if I should keep my helmet on or leave it off…” Sunset, likewise, was equally undaunted in the face of wrath leveled at her. The only one who didn’t say anything was Trixie, but Twilight could still see the eager light in the powder blue mare’s eyes.
“Okay, look guys. I don’t care what you want to fantasize about in your free time. On the job, I do not want to think of my brother that way, and I’ll thank all three of you for remembering your discipline in front of the Royal Family. Am I clear?” Twilight never once raised her voice; she rarely had to, really. When she was this serious, she had a strange habit of appearing to be even bigger than she already was.
As one the three unicorns behind her stopped and snapped off a salute. “Commander,” they chorused, and Twilight new they would follow orders. She turned to continue their brisk trot.
“I hated pulling rank on you three, but seriously? Ew.” A full body shudder rolled through her frame, from the tips of her ears down to her hooves. “Ew, no thank you at all.”
“Sorry, commander. But seriously, that reaction alone was hilarious enough.”
Twilight released a long suffering sigh as her unruly subordinates giggled behind her. “Sometimes I wonder why I put up with you three.”
“'Cuz we get stuff done?” Sunset asked cheekily.
“One of these days, I’m going to put that theory to the test,” Twilight warned, but without any real heat to her words. From there, the rest of the journey was relatively silent, or at least as silent as sixteen hooves tapping out a rhythm could be. The kitchens were still busy with the breakfast rush, but even so one of those amazing ponies had put out four extra, extra large banana bread muffins for the paladins. Despite her best efforts Twilight had never been able to determine which one of the cooks took the time out of their busy work to make sure the four of them had breakfast on the mornings they had little time to sit down and have a proper meal; an even bigger mystery was how those ponies managed to memorize the paladin’s schedules almost better than Twilight herself did. Still, Twilight waved to some of the cooks in thanks and received grins and waves in return before she dug into the deliciousness before her; despite the muffin being almost as big as her entire head she’d finished the treat in a few large mouthfuls. The purple unicorn only paused in her gait to take a swift chug of her coffee before continuing on, and like clockwork her three subordinates followed.
“I think the only other ponies capable of matching our creep factor are those kitchens,” Trixie commented dryly. “I’d almost wager they were a part of the armed forces, with how oiled they are.”
“They’re certainly something,” Twinkleshine agreed. “You ever discover who is responsible for leaking our timetable to the kitchens, Twi?”
The paladin in question shook her head. “Nope, and after a while I quit trying. The only thing I did manage to figure out is that they seem to stagger who sets out breakfast for us, probably to prevent me from correctly guessing who it is. Sometimes it's infuriating, all I want to do is thank them.”
That comment got their commander a laugh, and shortly after silence reigned again. They were nearing the front doors of the palace; as such, the amount of creatures going to and fro increased substantially. The Misfits might not normally care about self image, but the sight of four renowned paladins moving with purpose, no words being spoken, was enough to clear a little bubble around the group. Other paladins in the throng even paused to offer brief salutes to Twilight Sparkle, and as she returned them she had to really struggle to keep the self satisfied smirk off her features. Her new rank as both nobility and a paladin major placed her on almost the same level as Sacred Shield, otherwise known as the Sword of Celestia, who oversaw each and every paladin in the realm. There had even been a rumor or two floating around of Twilight being called the Sword of Luna (okay, more than couple) but Twilight had done her best to stamp those rumors out as quickly as she could. The last thing she needed was ponies giving her titles for no reason. Even so, seeing as Twilight only answered to Princess Rarity Belle like Sacred Shield only answered to King Magnum, there were few other paladins who outranked her.
Shortly after the group was outside, hanging a right towards the brand new barracks that had been built explicitly for Rarity’s new guard detail. King Magnum had insisted on entirely new buildings after Twilight warned him that she would be considering applications from any branch of the armed services, and not just paladins. That discovery had earned her a bit of backlash from the public at large and even a few of the less educated paladins but Twilight had remained firm. As a general rule, paladins had one method of operation: Get in, do some damage, and get out, preferably keeping the attention of the enemy on you as long as possible. Twilight knew this well, and decided from the get-go that Rarity’s personal unit would be as adaptable as possible; to that end, Twilight had chosen soldiers from every branch of the armed forces. The Rangers, Royal Air Force, Medic Corps, Paladins, standard Infantry, several Equestrian Intelligence agents, and even a few promising pilots from the brand new Flight Mechanical Division who flew the fledgling airships Equestria had started fielding.
Voices emanating from the small courtyard of the barracks made Twilight pause right before reaching the opening. She could easily pick out the dulcet tones of Rarity inside, and a smaller murmur sounded like King Magnum. Checking the watch on her foreleg, Twilight confirmed they were still five minutes early. Glancing back at her friends, Sunset was the one to nod. As one the four unicorns lifted their helmets and settled them into place with muted clicks. Twilight barely gave her heads up spell the chance to activate before she was already marching through the open boundary of the small settlement. As she did so, an elegantly carved sign that hadn’t been there yesterday was staked just to the left that read Templars of the Generous Diamond. Twilight had enough time to marvel at the fact that their new name was visible for all to see before the newcomers caught the attention of everyone present at the barracks. It wasn’t just the Royal Family who was there. Every current member of the Generous Diamonds was there, as was Shining Armor, Spike, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie. Letting her eyes pan around, she could also see several Wonderbolt uniforms in addition to Rainbow Dash slightly hidden behind Shining Armor, the two of whom Twilight assumed had been holding a conversation.
With all the eyes on her specifically, Twilight blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “What is this, an interrogation?”
The tiny courtyard exploded into mirth, and Twilight was glad her helmet hid her embarrassed blush at completely ignoring protocol. Before she could attempt to fix her mistake, Rarity stepped forward to hug the purple mare gently. “Nonsense, darling.” The diamond princess proclaimed. “But… word got out that the famed Major Twilight Sparkle was going to be recounting her harrowing campaign to rescue little old me; turns out everyone who’s anyone wants to hear.”
Twilight removed her head piece so she could properly glare at her beloved. “And I don’t suppose you know who started those rumors, right?”
Completely ignoring the sarcasm, Rarity replied easily. “Of course I don’t, but… well, you’re here now, so what’s done is done.”
Twilight heaved a suffering internal sigh. She loved Rarity to death, but sometimes that mare… The major grabbed her coffee and took a long drought. Feeling the hundreds of eyes on her, she switched her glare to the creatures who were supposed to be her subordinates. Several ponies, griffons, and deerfolk met her gaze eagerly. Sighing aloud this time, Twilight realized she had little choice in the matter. She cast her voice amplification cantrip and began speaking.
“I suppose if I’m going to do this, it would be better if I start from the beginning. I don’t think you’re going to understand the determination I had in the Everfree Forest if you don’t first know where that determination comes from. I’m sure most of you know that there’s a pretty hefty racial stigma against unicorns becoming paladins…”
Author's Note
So yes. This does mean a sequel is in the works. I mentioned I might, well, this should be all the confirmation you need. However, I realized that I should probably set things up for the sequel to start, so... here's this tidbit. Quite a bit longer than I had originally anticipated, but this should set up the sequel nicely, with Twilight starting her tale all the way from the beginning. Long before she actually decided she wanted to be a unicorn paladin.
Let me know what you all think, and I'll be posting a blog post about the sequel once I actually have it ready to roll. Enjoy!
