Conspiracy: Off the Record

The sun had barely risen and ponies were already going through their daily business.  Some were idly looking through store windows at some ridiculous outfit that was supposedly the latest fashion.  Others chatted endlessly at gourmet cafes while drinking overpriced coffee and wine.  All was peaceful and calm, except for the chestnut pegusus that was barreling his way through the city.

His heart beat viciously inside his chest. I'm going to be late! he frantically thought to himself. A group of posh ponies came from around a corner, right into the path of the rushing stallion.  Quick as the wind, he avoided the entire group,  knocking one of their hats off in the process.  He didn't look back, but he could feel their displeased glares following him.  I can't believe how early these snobby ponies get up, thought Storm Runner as he slowed his pace.  His heart was still pounding inside his chest, but more from excitement than the strain of running.

The pegusus trotted through the elegant city, his hooves clopping off the cobblestone road with each step.  The buildings seemed to go on forever, each one decorated in some obscene style that was supposed to impress somepony or another.  How can anypony stand to live here?  It's full of snooty ponies and weird house decorators, he thought quietly to himself.  He wound his way past the colorful houses and various haberdasheries and stores.  He was aware of how the high society ponies whispered about him when he passed, but he just kept walking on his merry way. They aren't ruining today.  Someday, they'll be calling me for help, and I'll be the one laughing at them, he thought, chuckling to himself.  After he passed through the end of the recreational district, he finally reached his destination.  A large white building on top of a hill stood before him. The sun ornaments that decorated the exterior glimmered in the morning sun.  He quickly trotted up the marble steps to the golden door that barred his entrance into the barracks of the Helical Guard.

He grabbed the ornate doorknocker and tapped it against the door.  He could hear grunts from within as somepony was working on undoing the lock.  The hinges of the massive door creaked as it slowly swung open, revealing a room of unparalleled beauty.  The walls and ceiling were decorated with a mural of golden clad ponies vigilantly standing watch over all of Equestria.  Water lightly dripped off the leaves of  the exotic plants that gently swayed from their perches high up on the ceiling.  The polished marble floor glistened , nearly blinding Storm Runner.  Golden chandeliers flooded the beautiful room with a magnificent light, adding a modest glow to the art work.  A circular desk, white as freshly fallen snow, sat in the center of the room flanked by two marble statues of ponies wearing the golden armor of the Heliacal Guard.  Their arms raised in a salute to whoever was privileged to walk these hallowed halls.

Storm Runner's heart felt like it was going to explode with joy.  "I can't believe I'm here," the awestruck pegusus whispered to himself, as he made his way into the room.   His green eyes darted from one end of the room to the other, admiring the mural that he hoped he would be added to someday.

He walked briskly to the desk, where a white mare in golden armor peered at him with watchful eyes.  She stood rigid as steel, ready to tackle the newcomer if he caused any trouble.  Her voice echoed authoritatively in the room, "Name?"

"Umm...Storm Runner," he said still in a joyous daze.  "I'm so excited to be here.  It was a long journey from...."

She held out a white hoof to his face. "I don't need your life story," she said with an annoyed tone.  He stopped and stared at the floor.  She relaxed and examined the clipboard that rested on the desk.  She looked back up at him, her expression unchanged.  "You are to report to the armory for weapons training with Lt. Blade."

Storm Runner lifted his head high and smiled the biggest smile.  "Oh sweet!  I get to do weapons training on my first day!," he exclaimed, jumping up and down like he just won a million bits.  "I just have to go to...to the...." He stopped jumping and looked at the armored mare.  He could feel the blood rushing to his cheeks as he asked,   "Where is the armory?"  She rolled her eyes and pointed to a hallway on the other side of the room.  "Thanks," he said trotting of towards the hallway.

She watched him walk out of the room into the dark passageway.  "Rookies," she sighed, shaking her head.

Grunts and war cries echoed through the hallway, making Storm Runner's black mane stand on end.  The aroma of blood and sweat filled his nostrils as exited into a dimly lit room.  Racks with bizarre weapons Storm Runner had never seen before lined the walls of the small room, ready to cut down any that threatened Equestria and its beloved princess.  Blood stained mats overlaid the floor, covered in chalk lined boundaries.   Four other armored ponies were busily sparring with each other in the center of the room.  Beads of sweat flew from their white coats with each swing of their sparring weapons.  With the ferocity of their swings, it seemed like they were fighting to the death rather than training.  Storm Runner watched in bewilderment, as one of the ponies fell to the ground with blood dripping from her nose.  She got up and, with a primal howl,  pummeled the stallion that injured her with an even greater ferocity.  She didn't stop until he was lying on the ground with a shining black eye and blood trickling from his ear.  She quickly helped him up off the ground.  They respectfully nodded at each other, before resuming their dance of brutality.

Frozen in disbelief, Storm Runner marveled at the discipline and ferocity of their workout.  A gruff voice quickly roused him from his daze.  "Hey you," said the armored pony as he walked over to the wide-eyed rookie.  "What are you doing here?  This room is for authorized personnel only."  The other ponies stopped their training and stared angrily at the strange intruder, waiting for the order to pounce.

Storm Runner's body stiffened as he stood at attention.  "Storm Runner reporting for weapons training, sir," he said, saluting the Heliacal Guard.

The guard examined the young pony for a moment with eyes as blue as the sky.  "At ease rookie," he said causally.  "I'm guessin you're the one I've been called down here to train. I'm Lt. Wild Blade, close range weapon specialist of the 3rd Royal Guard Squadron."  He looked the recruit over again with his pale blue eyes, taking note to Storm Runner's lack of a cutie mark.  "How old are you?" he asked with a concerned expression.

"I'm twenty,sir!" he replied, proudly pointing his snout towards the ceiling.

Lt. Blade shook his head in disbelief, "Twenty...and no cutie mark?"  Storm Runner blushed as he averted his eyes from the lieutenant's.  The other ponies snickered in the background, making Storm Runner blush even more.  Lt. Blade gave the four a malicious glare, stopping their childish laughter instantly.  He placed his hoof on the young stallion's shoulder.  "Don't worry kid," he said trying to comfort him.  "I didn't get mine until I joined up with the guard, and maybe the same will happen to you."  Storm Runner looked up and smiled at the veteran guard.  Blade returned the smile,  "Now, drop your saddlebags so we can begin.  We don't have much time, so I'd like to get this over with."

Storm Runner loosened his saddlebag straps and let them fall to the ground.  Lt. Blade walked over to an old weapons rack and picked up two wooden sparing swords in each hoof.  He tossed one of them to Storm Runner.  Storm Runner tried to catch it, but it bounced on the ground and smacked him in the face, bringing a fit of uncontrollable laughter to the senior guards.  Lt. Blade chuckled, "You've got a lot to learn private.  Let's get started."  He took an aggressive stance, but didn't bring his sword up.  "To be fair, I'll give you the first shot"

The other ponies moved to the far corner of the room, as Lt. Blade taunted Storm Runner with his free hoof.  Storm Runner picked up the blade in his right hoof and charged at the armored stallion.  Storm Runner's heart pounded as he brought the wooden sword down in an arch, aiming for Lt. Blade's head.  Blade dodged the blow with incredible speed.  He turned and brought his own sword down hard on Storm Runner's flank, making Storm Runner yelp.

"Don't charge in like that.  It only leaves you open for a counter," Lt. Blade advised, as the young stallion nursed his embarrassing wound.  "Come at me again,  unless you're giving up already."  Lt. Blade whipped his training sword on the ground, creating a loud smack that made Storm Runner cringe.

The four spectators watched attentively, as Storm Runner reared himself around and charged in again.  This time, he tried an underhanded swipe to Blade's legs.  Blade, not expecting that move from a rookie, awkwardly jumped and landed on Storm Runner's wooden blade, bringing his own down onto Storm Runner's exposed head.  Storm Runner fell to the ground, covering his head with both hooves.  Lt. Blade chuckled, "Okay.  That's enough for one day.  You still have a lot to do before the sun sets."

Lt. Blade turned and casually walked back to the weapons rack.  Storm Runner, seeing an opening, swiftly grabbed his training sword and jumped to his hooves.  The four armored ponies gasped, as he charged at the distracted earth pony.  Blade turned and parried the attack with one deft movement, stabbing Storm Runner's chest in the process.  Storm Runner fell to the ground again, this time cradling his chest.  "I like your fiery spirit," Lt. Blade said admiringly, "but charging at anypony will result in that.  You have to analyze their movements and pick the right time to strike.  Or else, you'll be lying on the ground like that...except with more blood and less breathing."

Storm Runner writhed in pain on the matted floor.  His lungs cried out for air that refused to enter his body.  Lt. Blade reached his hoof out to the golden stallion.  Storm Runner graciously accepted the help.  He felt the world wobble underneath him, as he fought to balance himself.  "Why are...why are we...finished?  I...I just...got here." he asked, still a little winded.

Lt. Blade chortled, "That's what we do to all of our fresh recruits.  We pick somepony at random to give them a welcome to the Heliacal Guard beating." He placed a kind hoof on Storm Runner's side before he had the chance to fall over again.  "You got lucky I won.  There's a captain here that would have beaten you so bad that your grandmother would have felt it.  I think he enjoys it a bit too much."  Storm Runner just nodded as his heavy breathing continued.  "Come on.  Let's get your armor.  I think you'll enjoy that."  He turned to the four idle guards, "Get back to training, or no supper tonight!"  Storm Runner could hear their grunts of exertion as Lt. Blade led him out of the room into a dim corridor.

Their hoofsteps broke the silence that lingered in the dimly lit hall.  "So, what's your story kid?  How did you get recruited into the guard?" Lt. Blade asked, trying to break the awkward silence that still followed them.

"I was walking through my hometown, Ponyville, when I heard a shriek come from a small alleyway," he replied, not hiding the joy in his voice from telling the story of his courage.  "I rushed in to see what was going on.  I found a huge stallion attempting to rape a very beautiful mare in broad daylight.  He saw me and produced a knife.  He rushed at me, but I was quicker than him."  raising his voice for emphasis, he continued, "I jumped on top of the idiot and bashed his head in with all my strength.  He fell to the ground, out cold.  A guard rushed in at some point and saw what I did."  Storm Runner rubbed the back of his neck as he continued, "I guess he was impressed with how I handled the situation.  He asked me to join and, well, here I am.

Lt. Blade smirked, "You charged in against an armed pony.  You are either very brave or very crazy.  Heck, you might be both.  I bet your parents are proud of their little stallion."  At the mention of his parents, Storm Runner stopped walking and felt his consciousness being pulled from reality.  He fought to keep from crying from the memory of his long forgotten fillyhood.  It wrestled within his mind, trying to overtake him. The memory persisted, but Storm Runner was able to push it back into the dark depths of his mind.  Lt. Blade watched the young filly curiously.  "Something the matter?" he asked placing a comforting hoof on Storm Runner's back.

Storm Runner shook his head, "Don't worry about it.  It's nothing."  Lt. Blade, not wanting to press the subject, continued to lead him down the corridor in silence.

In an attempt to bring the young pegusus' spirit up, Lt. Blade nudged him and said, "You know you do have a talent with swords.  I've never seen a rookie pull of an impressive underhand swipe like you did."

Storm Runner's eyes, regaining their eager shine, rose to meet the old earth pony's gaze.  "Really?" he asked, astonished at the compliment.  "You mean it?"

Lt. Blade's smile, warm and sincere, confirmed it was so.  "Yup.  You would have gotten me if you didn't twist your hoof at the last second."  Storm Runner's ears perked up at what the veteran guard was about to tell him.  "You have to keep your wrist locked when you attempt something like that.  If you don't, it leaves you open."  Storm Runner nodded, allowing the nugget of information seep into his mind.

The corridor ended into a room filled with golden armor.  Storm Runner had to shield his eyes from the glorious light the armor gave off.  "Here we are," announced Lt. Blade.  "This is where we store all the armor for the guard."  Blade gestured to a suit that hung on a copper hook towards the center of the room.  Adding a sense of regality to the armor was a blue star shaped gem that rested in the middle of the chest plate.  "Go on," he said, 'take that one."

Storm Runner took the shining armor off the hook and slipped it over his head.  It covered the entire length of his back and chest, but it felt lighter than air.  Lt. Blade helped tighten the straps, while Storm Runner put the hoof guards on.   Storm Runner felt the armor rub against his back.  "It feels kinda loose.  Is it supposed to feel like that?" he asked.

"Let me put the helmet on first lad, then you'll see it's a perfect fit," replied Lt. Blade.  Taking care not to bang the it against anything, Lt. Blade carefully placed the helmet on Storm Runner's broad head.  Blade took a few steps back, "Now give it a moment."

Storm Runner gave him an uncertain look.  His mouth began to form a question, but it was cut off by a strange tingling sensation creep throughout his entire body.  The once loose fitting armor now felt like a second skin, but the tingling didn't stop.  He glanced down at his hooves, shocked to see that they were as white as Lt. Blades.  It quickly ran up his hooves and consumed his natural chestnut coat, turning his entire body white.  "What just happened?" he asked, gawking at the sudden change of his coat.

Lt. Blade chortled at his reaction.  "The armor is magic," he explained.  "Being a member of the Heliacal Guard means you will make many foes as you carry out your duties.  The armor changed your appearance so no pony can hurt you or the ones you love.  Isn't it cool?"

Storm Runner eagerly nodded his head.  The excitement rang from his voice as he said, "Yes!  Yes!  This is so awesome!"

Lt. Blade thought, chuckling to himself.  "We have to go now," he told the young pegusus.  "We have to get ready for tonight."

"What's tonight?" asked Storm Runner, still very excited about the armor.

"It's the Summer Sun Celebration.  Everypony knows that," Lt. Blade replied, giving him a concerned look.

Storm Runner gave the veteran a blank look.  "The Summer wha?" replied Storm Runner.

Lt. Blade's concerned expression became more intense.  "You don't know what the Summer Sun Celebration is?" he asked.

"Not really," replied the confused pegusus.  "I never celebrated anything.  I just trained to be one of you, never taking a break for anything."

Lt. Blade gave him a warm smile, "Rookie," he said unable to keep the smile off his face.  "You have a lot to learn."