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The princesses and the beast
The friendship is more important than you think 1
The next morning, Princess Twilight was to accompany you to Celestia Castle in Canterlot to clarify your situation and what was to become of you. Understanding that your future would be played out today, be the orders that the princesses would reveal to you, you didn't sleep last night like many others.
You are used to staying awake after a battle, that it was long, tiring to see that you were seriously injured, your nervous systems are always awake and force you to stay awake as well. You are not here to sleep, you had neither the time nor the desire.
That is why when the sun was just beginning to rise above the cloud on which you have been sitting for a few hours, contemplating the horizon of plains and green fields below you that you had never seen before, you decide to leave.
And while all the inhabitants of Ponyville have been able to sleep soundly thanks to your intervention, they are once again surprised to see you wandering the streets. Princess Twilight hasn't mentioned where she lives, so you set out to find her and set off on your quest, which you would have done if you knew where Canterlot was.
Unfortunately, last night's guards left as soon as the gate closed, you ordered them to transmit the events of the night to Celestia. Perhaps you should have followed them instead of staying on the cloud, but you didn't want to risk another one of those portals appearing in your absence.
So now you are walking on your hind legs, your trusty spear in your hoof, and would like to ask for the location of Princess Twilight's house. You don't see any castle here and you were wondering about her habitat, why won't she have a building like these equals, or is it because it's new? It's true that your father just told you about Princess Celestia and Luna.
So, when Twilight finally decides to get up, clean up, have breakfast and get back to her daily routine, she suddenly remembered that she had other plans than to put away the books in her library.
"Spike!" Call her, spanking the strap came quickly. "I have to go see Princess Celestia and Luna today, so I'm counting on you to take care of the library while I'm gone."
"Count on me Twilight," he nodded, letting his mistress go. And it was when he opened the door of her house that a shadow covered her as she expected to see and feel the sun on her skin. It is while looking ahead that she saw you, on your knees, with your spear straight and your hoof against your chest, as yesterday in front of Princess Celestia.
Is he was not alone, you noticed that many other ponies were present around you, staring at you strangely. Probably because of your posture, which most of them found unusual. Indeed, few ponies knelt before the Princess of Friendship.
"Good morning Princess Twilight, did you sleep well?" You asked politely, which only increased the number of glances at you, finding the question very rude indeed.
"Er... yes, thank you!" She says she's embarrassed that everyone's watching your discussion.
"Do you think we can get going, is Princess Celestia busy at this time of day?" You ask again.
"No, she'll be free for us, don't worry," she said before she went out and closed the door. "We can go, just follow me if I'm not very quick," she warned you.
"All right, Princess Twilight!" You nod before you stand up and spread your wings, each the size of a whole pony, casting their shadows over those around them.
Twilight still blushes with embarrassment as everyone watches you both take off, your hooves creating a vibration across the ground as you leave. You finally set off, without having to answer any more questions from him.
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It took you about an hour to reach the city of Canterlot, although it would have been much faster if you knew the way yourself. In fact, you memorized it perfectly during your trip, which will probably be useful if you have to make round trips.
The buildings are much bigger and more imposing than those in Poneyville, especially when you finally see the castle of Princesses Celestia and Luna. It almost rivals the mountain you've lived on all your life. Except that the climate there has been hostile compared to the soothing warmth of the sun on your body right now.
Twilight ends up landing on the ground in front of the front door, completely exhausted from the trip despite the good night's sleep, she's not used to flying so much in such a short time.
"Are you all right, Princess Twilight?" Ask yourself when you see her almost staggering around.
"I'm... fine... let's... go!" She says, blowing very hard between each word.
The gate guards let you through when they see who's with you. You can see them from the corner of your eye staring at you attentively, wondering how such a creature like you could exist.
You enter and are quickly led into the princess' quarters at the top of the castle by other guards who are also impressed by your stature. You hope they do not mistake you for a potential enemy simply because you are strangely taller than any of the ponies here, except for Princess Celestia, who is about your size of course.
You finally get to the last door that separates you from her and open it by letting Princess Twilight in first. You follow the step and see the Princess of the Sun lying comfortably on a cousin, with at her side the other princess your father told you about, Luna, the Princess of the Moon.
Without waiting for any orders from them, you knelt down as usual and cheered.
"Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, good morning, it is my great honor to converse with you today from your quarters!" Tell you first. "I hope we are not intruding!" Then say to yourself.
"Don't worry about it, Lance, there's nothing wrong with your visit," nodded Princess Celestia in reply. You're still on the ground when you hear a whisper, but with your head down, you don't know what it is. "Can you please come and stay here?" Then you propose to the Sun Princess.
You accept without further request and head for the red cousin Princess Celestia shows you, it's the same pillow as hers. You kneel on it and put your spear beside you and place your hooves on your knees. Your position brings some stunned looks from them.
"How do you get your joints reversed?" You asked the Princess Twilight who sat next to her fellow men, simply sitting on it.
Indeed, your front and hind legs have joints that work in the exact opposite direction of normal ponies. If even princesses are surprised by this, it is because you must be the first pony they see in this formation. Deciding to return to your usual chivalry, you answer them.
"I don't know why I'm any different from any of you princesses. My father has the same training, I suppose I must take after him!" Did you answer, hoping not to be too far from the truth.
"Well, that in addition to your size like the most imposing of minotaurs, you're a very unusual person, Lance," replied the Princess of the Moon.
You thanked her for her comment by nodding your head, and you couldn't help but notice the interested glances of the other two princesses. You seem to intrigue them very much, and since you are a strange specimen, you could understand their desire to know more about you.
"So, Lance!" Said Princess Celestia as she left her silence, "Where are you from?"
Without having to think more than that, you tell the Star Princesses what you told the Princess Twilight last night. Who you are, what your past was and how you ended up here, your father sending you for the first time out of the mountain you'd spent your life in.
"And finally, that scar was inflicted on me by one of those deformed, punctured creatures when I was very young, about five years old!" Finish your monologue.
The princesses, who until they listened to it attentively, took a face and eyes full of surprise. As it was in your last sentence, you deduce that it is this one that disturbs them. "Did I say something strange?" Ask yourself.
"Well, that's not what I would call a life personally," the Sun Princess tells you, her sister nods at once. "And so, you don't know what emotions are?" She then asked you.
"The Princess Twilight pointed me in the right direction, but I'm no expert," you said in reply.
"No, we're not asking you to be an expert on emotions," she clarified quickly. "Excuse us for a moment, please," she says next.
"As you wish," you reply with a nod.
You now see the three of them going out to the balcony to converse in the open air. You don't look at them once they are behind the window and look straight ahead, staring at the wall and waiting for them to come back.
You wonder if knowing your emotions would help you in any kind of combat, if your father never told you about them, it's good that they should be useless for this mission, to protect Equestria from all dangers. But on the other hand, the princesses of Equestria are your ultimate goal, to protect them at the risk of your life, you would do it without hesitation.
You hope that they give you the opportunity to protect not only their royalty, but also Equestria as a whole. You end up no longer wondering when you hear them coming back in your direction.
"We have thought about it Lance, and we have decided on many things," the Princess of the Sun told you, and then her sister spoke up.
"First of all, we thank you again for stopping Queen Chrisalice's attack, as my sister has done to me learned"
"I only did my duty Princess Luna, no need to thank me," you replied.
"Fine, but we've decided what to do with you," she said afterwards, spanking you to listen even more carefully if that was possible. "We understand your purpose and have decided to integrate you into the Royal Guard as a guard affiliated with Princess Twilight and Ponyville in its entirety."
At the understanding of this revelation, you prostrate yourselves as a sign of gratitude. "I can never thank you enough for the honor you have shown me, Princess Luna, Princess Celestia, Princess Twilight" with you says.
"The reason we have made this choice is also so that she and her friends can teach you the benefits of friendship and emotions, you will understand why they are indispensable for the protection of Equestria" Princess Luna tells you. No matter what one of her will ask of you, you will carry out your mission simply by thinking of fulfilling it. They are not the highest rulers of Equestria for nothing and you put yourself at their complete disposal.
That is your destiny.
"We have warned the captain of the Shining Armor Guard of your adhesion, he will visit you tomorrow, accept your mission, great warrior," Princess Celestia then says to you with joy.
"All your words are orders, Princess Celestia," you said again with your head bowed. Then you felt a hoof resting on your head delicately and decided not to move. Perhaps it was the moment of the oath that would proclaim me a royal guard to Princess Twilight.
"Come Lance, let's go back to Ponyville! I'll introduce you to my friends." Did you hear, acknowledging the sweet, shy voice of the princess you'll have to protect more than any other.
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The princesses and the beast
The friendship is more important than you think 2
After the meeting in which you had the honour of participating with Princesses Luna, Celestia and Twilight, in addition to being the subject, you return with the latter to Ponyville, where she lives. And where you will live from now on, your role being to protect her and all the inhabitants, ponies or not.
It was on the way that the Princess spoke in more detail about Equestria, for having only known the mountains of the North, you knew nothing about the rest of the pony empire. Your mission being to ensure the safety of all, you deduce that you will have a lot to learn before you can intervene in other cities. You listen to her attentively, seemingly forgetting every detail of the adventures she and her friends have experienced.
She tells you about her various feats of arms with five of her friends as bearers of the elements of harmony, a mysterious force that you will have to understand and deal with every day. She also tells you that the queen of the changelings that you almost defeated once and for all is called Chrysalis, and that she will surely come back, having a revenge to take against Twilight and her friends in addition to yourself.
The journey seemed much faster than before, you were so focused that neither you nor the Princess of Friendship had noticed you had arrived. You stopped thanks to your keen eye and landed right in front of her library and tree house in the center of town. You notice that Princess Twilight gently touches her wing on landing, which frightens you.
"Princess Twilight, are you all right?" You say as you kneel beside her, your face betraying no emotion because you had none.
"Yeah, don't worry Lance, I'm just not used to such long flights" she replied, stroking her right wing tenderly.
You took her word for it but couldn't help but take a look at the problem. You gently run your wing sized hoof over it, touching her purple feathers, to make sure she's okay. Your touch seems to soothe her, letting you do so for a moment.
Until she quickly retracts them, starts to blush furiously and turns her head to the ground.
"What is it, Princess Twilight, did I hurt you?" Ask yourself, you don't want to have hurt the person you're trying to protect, or hurt anyone else.
"No, I don't... Lance... it's just... my friends are watching!" She says it in a very low voice, but you still manage to understand her.
You turn your head and see five mares looking at you, all about the same age and size as Princess Twilight, approximately. They stare at you with various expressions.
The first one you notice is a cyan-skinned pegasus with a rainbow mane and tail, which you rescued yesterday morning and which was with Princess Twilight. She seems to be holding back from something, her eyes starting to shed a tear as she retracts her lips inside her mouth, her cheeks being abnormally swollen.
The second one you see is an orange earthen mare with a blond mane, all accompanied by a top of head with a very strange shape, your father never told you about such a model. She has slightly wide-set eyes, which reminds you of the first time you saw your father kill one of these monsters in the mountains.
Another earth mare of a colour you had never seen before, somewhere between the red and purple of the autumn leaves, you thought. Her tousled mane and tail are similar to her basic color. You don't know what's wrong with her mouth, but she can't help but lift each of her extremities to a height that seems impossible to you, you also wonder why she makes little goodies on her hooves while staying where she is.
A fourth mare, the only unicorn in the group, is pure white and healthy, glorified by a curly purple mane and tail. She seems to be staring at you, creating a star-like glow in her eyes. Her mouth is the same shape as the mare of unknown colour, while giving light, half-closed glances behind you to Princess Twilight.
The last mare is a cream-coloured pegasus with long hair of the same colour unknown to you. She hides her face behind this one precisely, preventing you from seeing hers as she steps back behind all the other mares in the group.
The situation makes you wonder why five mares are looking at you like this while you check the condition of the Princess' wings after a flight that is tiring for her. You end up standing on your hind hooves, casting your shadow over the group of mares as the sun illuminates the stage from your back.
"Hello ladies, why are you staring at me like that?" You ask after a long silence.
"Oh, and polite too, you've really found the right son-in-law Twilight!" Comment the white mare on your question.
"TWILIGHT, WITH A STALLION, HAHAHA!!" Exclaims the cyan mare insistently, before the orange mare cuts her off with a hoof over her mouth, not taking away her cheesy expression. You thank her inwardly.
"IT'S TOO AWESOME, TWILIGHT AT ONE STANDARD" finally bursts the earth mare by leaping several meters in one jump. Her abilities are impressive for a pony her size, you'd think, before you cut her off.
You manage to cut her off with your hoof as well, with your hoof completely wrapping her face. She doesn't move as she hangs two meters above the ground.
"That's not it, girls... come on, I'll explain everything inside" she said, quickly opening her door with her magic and rushing inside, out of sight for the moment.
As you are wondering if you are allowed in, the group of mares pass you by, staring at you with the same expressions.
"Lance, please come in too," you hear, and recognizing the sweet voice of Princess Twilight, you abdicate and bend down through the door that is twice too small for you.
You are in the library of Ponyville, which is also the current home of Princess Twilight. This is not the castle of Princesses Celestia and Luna, the available space is not as large as seen from the outside because of the omnipresence of several dozen rows of books, sorted by category you think.
You arrive with Princess Twilight and the five other mares in the centre of the room, where she sits in a circle. Twilight asks you to do the same, you obey and kneel down in front of her, placed between the cyan pegasus on one side and the white unicorn on the other.
"So Twili, why don't you introduce us to this charming young man?" Propose the unicorn and continue to stare at you insistently.
"That's what I was about to do, Rarity! But to do that, you'd have to listen to me," asked the princess.
Her name is Rarity? I'll try to remember it, you say to yourself. You put your spear at your side and place your front hooves in your lap as the Princess begins to sum up everything she knows about you.
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"And my brother Shining Armor will come tomorrow to meet him as he has become my personal guard" finally finishes the princess by catching her breath after her monologue that you listened to carefully in case she made mistakes, or more generally because she is a princess.
"Shining Armor is your brother?" Ask yourself without realizing you're asking.
"Oh yes, I forgot to tell you, sorry," she said, turning her head and bringing her hoof into her purple mane, combing her hair with her eyes away.
"THAT'S SO COOL! IT MEANS YOU'RE SUPER STRONG!!!" Then comment on the cyan pegasus next to you, her pupils like her white friend's earlier.
"I don't know your names" said to you without taking into account the comment that you don't understand anyway.
"Oh that's right, well, I'm Rainbow Dash, the fastest pegasus in all of Equestria," she said as she spread her wings and spun around in the confined space. Receiving no requests from the Princess, you do not intervene physically.
"Only from Equestria?" You say, however.
"FROM WHAT? Well, when I say that, I mean the whole world, of course, hey!" Nodding where she was sitting before with her strange mouth sound, she seemed insecure.
You can't pay attention to her anymore since a hoof is coming to you for attention. You turn to the white unicorn who is called Rarity next.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Rarity, a fashion designer who makes clothes and accessories, and I would need your measurements to make beautiful clothes for you," she said as she combed her hair and gave you an even stranger look, you will never see yourself making that kind of staggered look, not even in the mirror.
"Clothes?" You just say, not knowing what that word is. The unicorn then takes a relatively decomposed head like a wilting rose.
"Stop Rarity, you'll show him later, but not now" intervenes the stronger voice of the orange earth mare. "Hi, I'm Applejack, I'm a farmer who works at the Apple farm with my family, I could introduce you to them if you have a free moment" she suggests, giving access to her hoof.
Finally someone more normal, you say to yourself, or whose reactions you understand.
"Hello Applejack, it's a pleasure to meet you" she says to you accepting her hoof and being careful not to crush it under your force.
The next mare to challenge you is this earth pony hopping around again in the confined space of the library.
"OH YEAH, I'M GONNA BE ABLE TO THROW A WELCOME HOME PARTY JUST FOR YOU," AND MY NAME IS PINKIE PIE, BUT YOU CAN CALL ME PINKIE, THAT'S WHAT MY FRIENDS CALL ME. I'M GONNA HURRY UP WITH THE... " she screams.
Like a few minutes ago, you grabbed her by the hoof and stopped what you define as a spasm. It's when you look at the end of your arm that you finally ask her.
"What color is your coat and mane?" Ask yourself by showing her with your hoof free, bringing surprised looks to your person once again.
"What, my color's Lance pink, didn't you know that?" You answer her as you release her, judging that she's calmed down.
"It's the first time I've seen that shade of color," you explain. "You have the same light color for your hair, too," you then say, turning to the pegasus still hidden behind her mane.
"It's Fluttershy, she's quite shy" warns you the Princess Twilight as she sees her friend always taking precautions with strangers.
You've got to teach her to trust you, you don't want to scare those you have to protect.
"You don't have to have fear Fluttershy, my mission is to protect the people of Ponyville, you have nothing to fear now that I'm here" you say.
"Wait, you know the word fear?" Once again, the Princess Twilight intervenes. "Do you know what it means?"
"Of course, instilling fear in one's enemies is a very important factor before a battle, it can be won before it's even begun," you argue.
"Have you ever felt it?" Then you ask Applejack.
"No, never, it would be an affront for a soldier to feel fear when he is supposed to fight it," you say with conviction, still kneeling as the circle previously created began to re-form, the mares that had moved back to their place.
"That's right, fear is not cool!" Said Rainbow Dash, joining you, but not in the best way. What's "cool" supposed to mean?
"No Rainbow Dash, it's not about being cool or not being cool," said Twilight before going on. "Fear is an emotion and it's part of life. Even as a Royal Guard, it's perfectly normal to be scared, just like it's normal to be sad, happy or angry," she continues.
You don't know why, but Princess Twilight got up and started walking towards you, joining you in a few steps.
"And as part of friendship, we're going to teach you how to understand and control your emotions and make friends," she said, quickly followed by the other five mares nodding their heads in agreement.
"Friends?" Said you, recognizing a word you didn't quite know.
"Yes friends, Lance, that's the most important thing there is, the ones that make you smile," Pinkie pie tells you, even if you don't understand the word smile.
"They are the people you can confide in and who will give you good advice," Applejack continues.
"Those who will give you gifts and help you when you're in trouble," Rarity continued.
"The ones you can have a good time with and who make you happy," Fluttershy continued.
"And those you can trust and who will always be on your side," Rainbow Dash exclaimed triumphantly.
"That's right!" Exclaims right after Princess Twilight. "If you want to protect the people of Ponyville, you must earn their trust by becoming their friend," she said.
"I... think I'm beginning to understand!" Said you always kneel and look the Princess Twilight in the eye.
So now the princess has a mission for me too, you think. I have to protect her, and she and her friends will have to teach me to control my emotions, like being sad, happy or angry. These are concepts too vague for you, but if they are so important to your mission, you are willing to spend night and day experiencing them.
"Well, we're gonna start by introducing you to everyone, and for that we can count on..."
"I'M GOING TO HAVE THE BIGGEST WELCOME PARTY POSSIBLE!" Says Pinkie pie out loud.
"What's a party..." you try to ask.
Except that the pink mare had already left in a hurry when she broke down the front door, but without a scratch.
"I'm going to help her plan everything," the cyan pegasus informed the pegasus before leaving the room at the same speed as her friend, by air this time.
Her two mares are really fast, think you're impressed.
"I'd better get going, she'll need a lot of apple juice for the party," says the orange potato mare before leaving too, at a much quieter pace.
"Well, as for us darlings, we'll answer all your questions," suggests Rarity, capturing your attention, which is everywhere at the moment.
So you have three mares with you ready to answer your questions, and you start with the one you think is most obvious.
"Why do you have all the ends of your lips up when you're talking to me?"
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Rarity, Fluttershy and Princess Twilight herself have been taking care of your education in this library for the past few hours. After asking for some decisive definitions such as the word party, which followed the expressions fun, music, song and dance, you asked what was in the books that were there from the beginning and in great numbers.
At this request, Princess Twilight hurriedly exclaimed to the full shelves and began an account of all these books. You always listened carefully to what she was saying, even though you should have found the time long, not knowing much about the world you have to protect makes you concentrate, much to the Princess' delight.
You don't even see Rarity and Fluttershy anymore, only the Princess' explanations matter now. You ask questions about what you don't understand and flip through several books at the same time, realizing that this will be your favorite way to get to know this world. You will have things to read, apply and understand, but you will have to.
However, you are distracted by the library door opening with great pomp by two clogs, one pink and the other cyan, knowing to whom they should belong. The two mares entered with a bang and without any polite words in what you were described as joy and fun.
You're wondering if being a friend entitles you to this kind of inappropriate behaviour.
"IT'S OVER!" The two mares shouted really too loudly, forcing you to act.
Like earlier, you grabbed both their faces to shut them up. As Pinkie pieced himself for the third time, Rainbow Dash struggled to get out of the embrace between her face and your hoof.
"Throw 'em down, let 'em go!" Princess Twilight asks you fervently. You do it without question, putting them down as gently as possible on the ground.
"Hey, we did this for you, you should be happy!" This forbids the cyan mare to make a racket as soon as she enters the library, which is supposed to be a quiet place according to its inhabitant.
"I'll be glad when no one in Equestria's in danger," you reply without a shred of emotion, of course.
"Come on, everybody's waiting for you!" Pinkie pie replies, extremely anxious to get the party started that she's just thrown for you.
Twilight explained to you that it was a habit that she organizes a welcome party for every new face in Ponyville, with the desire to know everyone and make friends. It is true that having friends seems to be an advantageous relationship given the way it was described to you, especially for those who are protecting ponies you knew.
It is when you are lost in thought that you end up noticing that the two mares are trying to take you outside without your agreement, either by pulling you by your front hooves or pushing you from your back. Of course, none of this made you move, being physically much more developed than any pony here. You end up moving yourself to the exit, finding that the day is already well advanced and the sun is starting to want to set.
Then you notice the horde of foreign faces outside...
The princesses and the beast
A few hundred faces watch you coming out of the princess' house, stallions, mares, foals and fillies staring at you with various expressions. While almost all of them are amazed at how tall you are compared to them, some of the mares give you looks as strange as Rarity's. You forgot to ask her why she looks at you like that. You see in others still fear, being the only emotion you are familiar with, you hope to be able to make it disappear here.
You also hope that this fear is due to your scar on your left eye, realizing that it is not normal in Ponyville to have wounds exposed like this, and to have wounds at all. Finally, some of them simply smile at you, and as you now know that this is your goal, that everyone can smile without fear of seeing a danger coming, engraving in your memory each face happy to see you, wanting to make it a generalization on the scale of this city, and then of Equestria as a whole.
"Hum Hum, inhabitants of Ponyville, let me introduce you to the new pony that will live among us from today..." says Princess Twilight as she stands next to you.
You listen to her again as you continue to look at the unknown faces in front of you, seeing that many begin to smile more and more when she hinted at your defense against the changelings yesterday morning. Almost everyone here was aware of this, but your first appearance in the quiet little town must have created countless questions in their heads.
Many wanted you to answer their questions, but the Princess took it upon herself to clarify the situation while she had been talking for a long time, if we remember the whole day. When she finished, the first thing that happened was the impressive number of ponies that wanted to approach you.
Most of them were friends of the elements of harmony that were coming, such as Rainbow Dash's stallion, a black pegasus with a high mane called Thunderlane, with his little brother Rumble, followed by the ponyville weather team. Then came the Applejack family, from little Applebloom to old Granny Smith and finally her big brother, Bic MacIntosh, who was the closest stallion to your size, even though he was stunned to see an even bigger pony. Then came Mr and Mrs Cake, Pinkie Pie's family, Caramel, a friend of Applejack's, Ditzy, the non-straight-eyed postmistress, a nurse, the mares who took care of the spa, the mayor and many others.
Your memory has never been so badly tested as it is right now, trying to remember all those names and the connections between the ponies while you were learning the basics of this world a short while ago. You were even starting to forget things until Fluttershy came along with a creature you had never seen before.
She seemed to be a rather strange amalgam of several creatures, floating near the yellow mare. She approached and Fluttershy introduced her to you.
"This is my friend, his name is Discord."
"Hello you, you look like a big fellow, it's the first time I've seen a specimen like you in my life, and from experience I have!" He says to you, smiling proudly and raising his goat chin.
"Hello to you too, Discord. Your name rings a bell, but I can't remember it." Tell you. Your father has mentioned it before, but under what circumstances?
"Really, you've been told about me but you can't remember? How regrettable." Did he reply with a look that you've been described as unhappy, making his already strange face look bad.
"It's all right, you can get to know each other whenever you like." Asked Fluttershy to reassure his friend by putting a comforting hoof on his hind leg.
"You're right, well, here's a gift from me anyway." Quickly answered Discord snapping his fingers, spanking a dozen perfectly plucked black flowers and handing them to you.
"What am I supposed to do with these flowers?" Ask yourself cautiously as they appear, without changing your facial expression, however.
You heard about magic from your father when you were younger, but never saw a demonstration of it. Usually, only certain enemies such as changelings could transform, but the magic to create it is unknown to you. The princess told you that the magic was for unicorns, so being a Pegasus, you could never use it, so you wouldn't have to worry about it.
"If you prefer, I can offer you a shampoo. You seem to need it more." Says Discord with a chuckle and snapping fingers again, turning the flowers into a container of water, you think.
The amalgam hasn't had time to get it into your hoof that a sound resembling distant and irregular breathing can be heard throughout the village. The many ponies, the little dragon named Spike and the amalgam turn and turn around, wondering what it is and which direction the sound came from. You know what it is all about.
"EVERYBODY GET TO THE NEAREST SHELTER, WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!" Did you scream as you looked up at the sky, spotting your target.
A new portal had appeared, but this one was different from the first one yesterday. The present was gorged with a bloody red and shades of orange and yellow reminding you of the worst enemies you have ever faced in the past.
At your announcement, most of the ponies went into a state of panic, some shouted for no reason on the way, while others ran around in all directions. Few remained calm, and lucky for you, Princess Twilight knew how to keep her cool.
"STOP!!!!" She shouted, using her magic as a channel booster, spanking everyone and watching in amazement at her reaction. "Lance told you to take cover, listen to him and let her handle the situation!" Then she ordered all the locals to come forward.
Shocked at Twilight's behavior, the ponies obeyed anyway, and within ten seconds, they were all gone. Most of the ponies had crammed into the buildings nearby, while a few decided to flee further away to their own homes. Watching the gate and flying away at the slightest movement, you can hear that Princess Twilight and her close friends are still here.
"Up there, look!" Warn Applejack by pointing to the gate you're already watching.
"Oh, by Celestia, we should hide in the library, and quickly." Thrown Rarity in a frightened tone, quickly acquiesced by Fluttershy.
"It's those bloody changelings again, I've got a revenge on them!" Said Rainbow Dash in an angry tone, before flying off in the direction of the gate...
With a reflex that only you can master, you manage to catch her before she gets too close to the portal and stop her by grabbing her shoulder. You hold her firmly with your hoof, spanking her, turning her head towards your frowning gaze, a head that you only take out in emergencies.
"They're far more dangerous than the changelings, you must go into hiding with Princess Twilight before they come out!" You announce with confidence that the fierce Pegasus understands the message.
Your tone of voice is more serious than you've ever been before, but this is an emergency situation, and now that your father is no longer by your side, it's up to you to take the lead in any similar cases. Swallowing it all up, Rainbow Dash decides to let you do your part, flying in the opposite direction and leaving a rainbow trail in her wake.
Then, a sound like a cannonball hits your ears, giving the signal. You raise your head towards the first troublemaker that rises in Equestria. A blood-red dragon with scales and a thorny tail, developed black horns and large wings has appeared. The intruder is about your height, though thinner, and has a vicious, lurking look on his face as a bonus. It holds in its pointed hands two fang-like blades from an even larger specimen, as well as a stainless steel belt with a few places occupied by small blades.
This draconian people are well known to your father and you, the confrontations with them were by far the most difficult you ever had to fight two against a wave or two of over-trained soldiers. This nation lives only for war and conquest, and your father told you a lot about them before you first fought them.
You don't have time to remember the slightest reminder that the Draconian spots you and rushes towards you, blades forward. You stare at him and prepare a counterattack when he tries to impale you.
"LANCE, CATCH!!!!" Calls you a path from behind, which you recognize as Princess Twilight.
You don't have to turn around when you feel a movement in the air other than the draconian. Thin and slender, but sharp and sharp, you recognize the friction and the sound of your spear coming in your back, more precisely one meter to your left.
Your arm reacts on its own by catching it in mid-flight, only to drop it a few centimetres later, spanking it off course and adding your own strength. The spear hits the draconian with its movement, piercing his neck and causing him to lose control of his body.
"I am dead... as a warrior." He said before he fell, taking advantage of another of your reflexes to grab your weapon with a jerk, leaving almost no blood in the air.
You don't have time to warn the Twilight Princess to hide that two other soldiers are coming out of the portal at the same time. You fly towards them, but are not fast enough to surprise them. You deliver a spear shot that is blocked by one of them, the other one attacking you with his blades on the right. A quick blow from your right wing dodges the blow and you knock your spear into their back with a crash, impaling them with no problem despite their scales.
As he falls, you pull out your weapon and give another blow to the second one, this time he blocks it with a single blade, which does not follow. Your strength allows you to override his meager protection and stab him where his heart is supposed to be, in the chest. He only has time to put a smile on his face before he loses his life.
How to stop this portal, many will arrive soon, you think, reminding you of the assaults constituted by dozens of his warriors facing two Pegasus stallions, you and your paternal.
You again feel the friction of the moving air, and instantly move your head back accordingly, dodging two blades. You move a few meters away, leaving your spear in the body of the last deceased to fall. Four dragons have come out this time, two of them having struck the sides of your neck with a blade. You don't think your skin is thick enough to avoid being pierced by knives, so you suspect your head might have been cut off from your body if you hadn't moved.
"You're the famous pony who's stopping us from conquering your world?" You ask one of them with an unfriendly smile, since he is your enemy.
"Where is your teammate, our queen has told us about two warriors." Accepted to the other one while the last two take their positions.
The four draconians surround you in the air, one blade in each hand.
My father thinks they fight like true warriors, but they don't hesitate to go head to head if it means victory, you think. But I'm going astray, I have to knock them down as well as think of a way to close the gate, I don't think I'm going to face them when they're twenty against me.
As you glance through the portal for new signs of activity, something is coming through your field of vision. A flying creature heading straight for the portal, seemingly belonging to no species at all. It's, uh...
"DISCORD STOP!!!" Did you scream at the one you recognize before you saw it disappear, spanking itself into the portal.
The moment the last hair on his tail comes out of the land of Equestria, the portal dislocates on itself, creating a deafening sound. Then it finally implodes, creating a shockwave in the sky, reaching you and your enemies. It is even more powerful than the icy winds of your home mountain, forcing you to use your whole body to stay put without capsizing.
"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!" Shouts the dragon out in front of you.
Your enemies don't, as one of them is being propelled towards you against his will. You waste no time and grab his blade with your hooves and a knife from his belt. You take it out of its sheath and penetrate the skin of the draconian quickly. The blade in your other hand ends up being thrown to your left, aiming perfectly at another draconian carried by the wind, its trajectory taking it onto the blade of his companion.
The wave eventually subsides, causing your enemies to regain control of their bodies unhindered, both ending up a few yards away from you. The knife still lodged in the stomach of the dragonian on your shoulder and pulled out to serve again. You throw it on the head of a new victim of your sense of aim and air control that you have shown unlike his soldiers. And as the stabbed corpse of the dragonian begins to be hit by gravity, you take in another motion his second blade still in his hand and flap your wings towards the last enemy.
He tries to parry him but too soon, giving you the opportunity to fly behind him to bring the blade out in front of his eyes, crossing his belly. You bring your mouth close to his ear.
"I didn't touch any vital points for you to answer my question. What happens if a living being comes through the portal as it did?" Ask yourself hastily.
What the dragonian smiles at and doesn't put wings on anymore, staying up in the air by seeing it from the blade in his belly.
"Never mind, our queen probably already killed her for closing the gate!" He responds by staring at you with one eye from his position.
It's with a proud look that he ends up losing my life too, see if dragons are made like the horse race. You hold the blade in your hand and let him fall to the ground, join his companions.
Then you turn back to where the reddish and ominous portal was.
Ponyville's narrow escape, but what about Discord? You wonder, not liking the idea of having to report this attack to your princess and Fluttershy.
The princesses and the beast
"Why? Why did he do it?!" Asked aloud for a Fluttershy on the verge of tears when he heard what had just happened.
Night was falling on Ponyville, the draconian attack had been repelled by Lance and Discord. One had been busy eliminating the threat while the other... had thrown himself into the gate to close it, turning around to block the other side.
Telling you everything you knew about his portals, your father told you the specifics of each one and especially the universes from which they were created. The world of the draconians was described to you as stifling, this people living underground, in a city where magic did not exist and could not be used. There, only war was daily and all the inhabitants only responded to the desires of their barbarian queen, ready to kill any living being who got in their way for the control of other universes.
So you told the events and your knowledge to Princess Twilight and her friends. The rest of the Ponyville inhabitants could now sleep peacefully now that the few dragon bodies have been cremated and the door to this other world had been forcibly removed. Thanks to Discord!
"Don't worry, Fluttershy, I'm sure he made it through." Unsuccessfully tried to say Rarity to comfort her with a hug... "It's still called Discord, he can do what he wants no matter where he is."
You didn't want to look defeatist in the face of the weeping pegasus, but when your father told you no magic worked there, it meant no magic, no matter how much he wielded it and how much power he had here, was of any use. In the world of the draconians, brute force and the use of weapons was everything, it was their world that had built its rules. Either you complied or you died because you were too weak.
You hoped your father would have or would be wrong, but why would he be wrong, he was the kind of man to say out loud only what was worth saying. And even if not everyone liked it, he was always right, and you are living proof of that. He educated and trained you in the art of combat and survival, he was your only reference point, and you owe him everything from your ability to repel even highly-trained draconians to your ability to represent the protector of Equestria.
And a protector like you... can't let anyone else sacrifice themselves in your place.
"I will go into that world and I will save it, I promise you Fluttershy!" You say suddenly, bringing the mares' eyes to you.
"No Lance, you realize you're walking into a hangover saying that!" Applejack steps in. "You described this place as full of trained and skilled draconians." She goes on.
"But you got a good look at Applejack, Lance has single-handedly repelled this attack, he can do it." Said Rainbow Dash as she pulled to your side.
"Rainbow is no longer a game, he could die in it, and maybe for nothing, I still think Discord got away with it on his own." Confirmed Rarity, keeping Fluttershy in her hooves...
"But he would have come back by now and Discord could have done it." Pinkie Pie added, wiping her smile off her face as the situation no longer allowed it. "You'd better go, they've taken our friend and you're going to take him away from us." She then said with a blackened face, as if she was adding further drama to the situation.
"No, Lance, please don't." Affirmed Fluttershy upon hearing this. "Don't go, I don't want you to put yourself in danger again." Said she as she approached you with a sad look on her face.
She may have lost a friend, and she doesn't want to lose you now. She's only known you since this morning and she's already worried about you... this mare is too kind and benevolent. That could be a problem for her, being nice doesn't necessarily bring out the best in her. And that's why you're here, to look after all its inhabitants, especially its six mares.
You then stoop down by putting your knees on the ground and not daring to put your front hooves on her shoulders, she is already mentally fragile, better not to add more with what you are going to say.
"Fluttershy, I don't understand how you can worry about me when we've only known each other a few hours, but I want you to know I respect your choice." You nod. "I promise. Once I get there, I would never put myself in danger, but I have to go. It is my duty, entrusted to me by Princesses Celestia and Luna, to protect Ponyville and ultimately all of Equestria."
The yellow mare widens her eyes as she understands that you will not go back on your decision and only half listens to her.
"Besides, Discord didn't sound good to me at first, my father told me about it and not in a good way." you go on. "But he proved to me earlier that he was trustworthy. And being a resident of Ponyville today, I wouldn't leave him alone to his fate. I would bring him back, Fluttershy, for all that it means and because it's my job." End up never having left his wet eyes.
"Well, I guess we don't have a choice." Nodded quickly, Rarity. "Twilight, what do you think?" She then asked, remembering she was the only one around here who didn't give an opinion...
"I... the question is pretty complicated." She confessed. "But I trust you, Lance, and I know you'll keep your promise. But I can't help but doubt and fear for you, so I suggest you tell the princesses and Shining Armor tomorrow. I can text them and Spike and meet them tomorrow at Canterlot Castle." She finally answered.
"Thank you Princess Twilight for giving me this chance. I won't let you down." You say as you lift one knee off the ground and resume your pose with one hoof on your chest and the other on your leg.
"I'm not so sure, I still don't think it's going to work." Quickly inquired Applejack said.
"We'll see what Celestia, Luna and Shining Armor think tomorrow. Spike, write down what I say." Said Twilight to his wrist strap.
"No problem." He said as he hurriedly picked up a scroll and a feather.
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
The next day, after you had slept as well as you could as you looked back on the events of yesterday, you could only stand at attention as the first rays of Princess Celestia's sun rose into the sky. You learned to store up a great deal of energy to keep it in reserve forever, thinking that Equestria would have no use for a protector who could not be on every battlefield.
Twilight seemed as ready as you were to go back, smiling tenderly as you woke up, to which you responded with a formal head movement. By 6 o'clock, you had flown to Canterlot, with time running out.
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
You end up landing in front of the castle entrance and are greeted by Princess Luna who recognizes you.
"Hello Twilight, hello Lance, we weren't expecting you so soon." The Moon Princess answered you as she led you to the room where the Sun Princess and your immediate superior were.
As you opened the doors, you recognized Princess Celestia and saw a white unicorn with an azure mane sitting next to her. It must be him.
You kneel down without delay.
"Princess Celestia, Shining Armor, it is an honor to meet you today!" Plead it out.
"We met yesterday, Lance, there's no need to be so formal all the time." Princess Celestia asked you in a warm tone.
But the stallion next to her did not answer your greeting at once, you wonder why, but wisely waited for an answer from him.
"Get up!" He commands you. You nod, getting up on your hind legs and making first eye contact. Shining Armor looks about the same size as the Big Macintosh, which is the least you can expect from the Chief of the Kings-guard. "So you're Lance, the one the princesses assigned to protect my sister?" Does he ask you as he momentarily takes his eyes off you to greet Princess Twilight.
"That's right, Commander Shining Armor, my primary purpose is to protect Princess Twilight and her friends and all the people of Ponyville." Remember.
"And what is your purpose beyond that?"
"The protection of all of Equestria and all its people by myself!" Tell you what.
"By yourself?" He said he was surprised, then began to smile inexplicably. "You want the whole guard to go on layoff?" He asked, as he began to laugh at his own words.
You stood there for several seconds trying to understand his dialect and why he was laughing, but you couldn't. You ended up asking for help from the princesses who had sat around the table during this time.
"What does go on layoff mean?" Did you ask.
"It doesn't matter now, Lance, come and sit down, time is running out." Remind the Princess Twilight. You nod and sit between her and Princess Luna.
"So, regarding the setting of this meeting, another attack has taken place in Ponyville by Draconian and Discord has thrown himself into the portal to close it, probably getting stuck on the other side, right?" Luna quickly summed up by turning her head towards you.
"That's right, the world of the draconians is devoid of magic according to my father's words, so it's impossible for Discord to have escaped from it." Confirm.
"I didn't think to ask you this the first time, but, what's your father's name? I probably know him." Princess Celestia asked you.
"I'm sorry, but he never told me his name, his first rule was that I call him father and only father." Ask around.
"Too bad, we could have known who he was, well, it's not so bad." Said Princess Luna before we resumed our discussion.
"And so now Lance has volunteered to go to this world to find Discord is Freeing him. Does that sound feasible?" Said the Princess Twilight to her elders.
"Honestly, I've heard of your exploits as a soldier, and I'm very surprised at your strength and courage. We may not speak of the same draconians, but what I faced in the southern lands with the Kings-guard were fearsome warriors, and to have defeated so many between only you and your father impresses me." Said Shining Armor.
"I thank you for his praise, Commander Shining Armor."
"Oh and please call me only Shining Armor, I don't want to create a hierarchical barrier between me and the members of the Kings-guard. All this to say that if any pony can survive a stopover at home alone, it's surely you."
You didn't expect so many positive remarks about your past fights, they were your routine and your father's after all. You thank him again before the discussion continues.
"Only Twilight saw you at work, so I think she should have the last word. It's an extremely dangerous and unprecedented mission for the Kings-guard to enter such a hostile world. Princess Twilight, do you think your appointed guard is up to the task?" Eventually, Princess Celestia asked, slightly flinching at Princess Twilight calling her that.
"Honestly, it's going to be difficult, but I trust him, he swore he wouldn't leave any of the people of Equestria behind, and he's doing it by going. So for me, we should find a way to open a new portal to allow him to rescue Discord," she concluded.
The trust she has in you would almost make you kneel down again to thank her. You think that you have not yet proven yourself to be worthy of her, this is only one of the many reasons that will make you go to this land of another world to save a stranger under your protection.
"In that case, I agree, too, but there's something I need to show you before I go, Lance." Princess Celestia said to you as she stood up and walked outside.
"All right, Princess Celestia." Said you as you followed her with the others.
You cross part of the castle to find yourself facing a stairway leading down to a dark abyss for such a royal estate and supposedly to represent the Princess of the Sun.
"You're trustworthy enough for me to tell you about it." Does it start with her coming down and continue on. "This castle contains many secrets which Equestria unfortunately cannot know, so we have hidden them here, in this room." She says as she finishes the stairs.
You and the others find yourselves in a corridor with several closed steel doors. The aesthetic reminds you of what your father told you about a prison he kept when he was younger. A place where the wrong people are locked up. Princess Celestia continues on her way to a door marked "the biped".
You want to ask what the word means but prefer not to interrupt.
"Many ancient, magical and sometimes predestined objects are accumulated here, and you just reminded me of this one." Said she before she opened the door and walked in.
Everyone enters and you finish the walk, letting you see what Princess Celestia was talking about. A few yards away from you stands a metal plate armor, made up of several rows of forged plates, each ending in a point. The armor must protect the whole body from a glass-blower, since it covers the entire surface, the only space being in a visor to see something once inside. Even the wings and a horn are shown on it, showing that it is intended for this special type of ponies. The front hooves of this one seem to end in spikes resembling dragon claws.
But in this case, why show it to you?
"All the things kept here belong to Equestria, and therefore to the pony people, wearing, it seemed, this armour was not for us." She said as she continued her explanation, to which you remain attentive. "It is impossible for us to handle it because of its inverted joints in relation to any pony." She continues. "But we have met you, a pony with the same characteristics, allowing her to perhaps move in that heavy armor." She says, turning to you and smiling.
"You... you want me to wear that armor, Princess Celestia?" Ask yourself, finally, being greatly surprised by the possibility, your face not changing, unlike your tone of voice.
"In a world like the draconians, it seems the least I can do to get you out of it." She said.
Without saying another word, you move towards the metal plates in constant motion, its size close to yours. You begin to meticulously dismantle it so that you can pass it on to your body parts, and admire how it seems to match. The claws of the armor even react to your movements as if you really have them. From your legs to your arms, from your torso to your back, ending with the helmet looking like an open, growling mouth, which you put on your head. The vision is quite obscured, especially with your one eye, but you end up turning around to the princesses and your commander.
"It's... it's amazing, you're like a living fortress in that heavy armor." Shining Armor replied when she saw the result.
"Why do you say it's heavy?" Ask yourself.
"Well because it is, we can feel the weight of objects as we move them with our magic, and this armor has been difficult to move even for us." Princess Luna insisted.
"I find it so light that I feel like I'm wearing nothing at all." Said the princess, moving the claws of the armor and staring at them. "It's very strange."
"Anyway, we've tested it with various spells and shocks, and it's never had a single scratch, it will be a great help to you there." Princess Celestia said, smiling warmly at the moving armor that surrounds you.
You move towards them without the slightest difficulty, as if you were naked. The same goes for your wings, which lift your body as easily as ever.
"All that remains is to summon the portal and give you a weapon of better workmanship than your spear, and you will be ready." The Princess Twilight finally agreed, looking at Princess Celestia, confirming her words.
How is this possible? She must be imbued with magic or something, I hope she won't fail me once I enter the world of the draconians, you think.
The princesses and the beast
Princess Celestia had one last present to give you for the rest of your journey. It was a new weapon to replace your handmade spear and was certainly very well made, but was no longer worthy of what you were becoming. So she gave you another once-secret item, a double edged blade that could be separated into two short swords and matched your size to handle it to its full potential.
Now you didn't know if you could still be called Lance, as your father only gave you that name because it was your weapon of choice. A new style of combat will have to mean a new name for you.
But you decide not to think about it, focusing instead on your current mission. Princesses Celestia and Luna had not studied the magic of portals in detail, but they could still open them if they concentrated enough on the task. It was in another room of the castle that he would appear.
"I can create one and keep it for about an hour, but I can't close it while you're still on the other side. I need a full day's rest to open a new one, so we're limited in time and the portal will be visible to the other world." Princess Celestia explained, making everyone understand the risks.
"I'll be as quick as I can Princess Celestia, you have my word." Did you promise before you put your helmet on your head with a few squeaks of steel between them.
"I don't doubt that, Lance, but I don't control or invoke it. Luna, Twilight, Shining Armor, you should stay alert and act if a Draconian notices us."
"Count me in, sis." Nodded Princess Luna, followed by Princess Twilight and your Captain Shining Armor. "I just have one last thing to do first." She said before she approached you.
The Princess Luna lit her eyes in contact with yours, then closed them and admired the result.
"I cast a vision spell on you, so I can see what you see in this world." She explained.
You didn't know if it would work, or even if they could talk to you telepathically, but you might as well have the odds on your side. Taking the double blade in one of the clawed hands of the armor, you nodded.
"I'm ready to go."
"Well, in that case, good luck, Lance!" Says Princess Celestia.
She began to shine her horn intensely, invading the room with her burning light. After about fifteen seconds of effort, a small portal appeared in the center of the room, the same as the one from yesterday's attack. She made it grow until it could afford to accommodate you.
You decide not to waste any time and leap inside, passing your head and then the rest of your body into another dimension of reality. Once the last hair on your tail has passed through it, the first thing you notice is the heavy air in that place. You are almost struggling to breathe and the heat is already starting to build up in your armor.
You raise your head to see that you are in a gigantic cave, the sky being replaced by a thick layer of red rock a few hundred metres above you. Even as you look into the distance, you see no way out, giving you the impression of a prison thousands of metres in diameter. Then, buildings come in front of you, dark stone foundations of several storeys with dozens of holes dug inside. You deduce that one hole corresponds to a draconian den and notice that all of them are empty.
They must probably be training somewhere, you think, wanting to avoid direct combat as much as possible given your position.
Finally, the last thing you see is probably the most important thing, as it is the only structure that is not made of stone, standing out from the rest. In the distance, you can hardly distinguish because of your reddened vision a triangular shape, similar to those you saw in a library book called "pyramid". Its blackened and thin surface you must think that it was worked by hooves, or rather by hooked hands.
"Lance, can you hear me?" Suddenly you called out a path that you recognize directly in your mind.
"Yes, Princess Luna, I can hear you just fine." Answer you loudly, not thinking you can talk to her with your mind like she does.
"Well, this world is a very strange place, so be on your guard!" She said, seeing it all with your own eyes.
"Got it!"
After this immediate report, your first reflex is to lower yourself to the ground, the gate being several meters above it. This pyramid must be important, think about it when you decide to approach it, starting to fly in its direction. You can still see it thanks to its impressive height, overhanging all the other buildings.
"I'm heading towards this Princess Luna kind of pyramid, please advise Princesses Celestia and Twilight and Commander Shining Armor." Ask yourself as you begin to fly through the huge rock beams.
"I don't have to, we can all hear you, Lance. You can fly low as you do, watch your surroundings, no draconian must see you." Warns you she's warning you.
You know better than anyone how dangerous this enemy is, and you'd better keep a low profile. You almost graze the heated floor of this world as you move around with your armor covering you completely and the double blade in its claws.
Your metal casing makes no annoying noise as you flap your wings slowly but surely, bringing you closer to the monument.
"SPEAR, WATCH OUT!" You alert the Princess Luna.
Between two rocky buildings is a draconian patrol ready to land on your position. You must act quickly. Flying higher won't do you any good, and hiding behind one of its structures would only be temporary. You opt for a more effective solution until they notice you.
On the ground there is a fence along the road leading to what could be perceived as a sewer. You don't know why they would need it in this more than dry weather, but enjoy it anyway. You remove one of them and put it back behind you, enclosing yourself inside the lane wide enough to let your massive body pass through. You don't make a noise anymore, just lay gently on the hard ground waiting for a movement from them.
You don't see them but hear their aerial movement, which results in friction giving you the information they were just passing by, already moving away to another point. The princesses and your commander cannot know your situation without you talking, but taking that risk is probably not worth it.
"Are they gone, Lance?" Princess Luna asks you.
You choose to answer with a simple nod of the head confirming it, as Princess Luna sees it from your gaze. You continue on your way through the underpass, allowing more discretion in return for increased difficulty if you are spotted in that long cage.
You raise your gaze to review your objective, the pyramid is very close and this alternative seems to lead you there. Flying straight ahead, you see a stage in front of you, which is occupied by several draconians feasting. You also notice that one of them has four front legs, all equipped with a sharp blade, this one being larger than its fellow draconians.
"This dragon is weird, she looks like their queen I think!" Warns you Luna always in your mind.
You hadn't even noticed she was a woman, but the mention of Draconian queen is familiar to you.
You can see, just before the path takes you below this stage, a small transparent sphere with something inside. Something alive, struggling to emerge from its glass prison. It was a strange life form, made up of several species to form this...
...amalgam.
As the realization comes to you, the path you take opens onto a huge, empty room, corresponding to the inside of the pyramid. You stop by understanding where you are and in what situation your goal is: Discord.
"Princess Luna, Celestia, Twilight, Commander Shining Armor, I think I saw Discord, it was enclosed in a crystal sphere the size of a small helmet!" Tell you what, by controlling your voice count, the draconians are just outside.
"What? How could Discord get trapped and made smaller? I thought there was no magic here!"
"I think I get it, there's a type of magic that works here. The kind that's in the objects." Said you as you stared at your double blade that was starting to rattle in the claws of your armor.
"Really?! Then I think I've already figured it out!"
"I think so, too!" Acknowledged you as your blade shone.
If it started this phenomenon here, it must have something to do with the pyramid, it's not just a structure. It's the same with the Sphere, it must have magical potential, but it can only be activated here.
"Dear Subjects, thank you for coming in such great numbers!" Begins an unknown path outside. "We will now proceed to the sacrifice of our guest, and with his blood we will open a new portal to Equestria to take our revenge and satisfy his incapable ponies!" Growled the way as he used that last word.
She's the draconian queen, she wants...
"Sacrifice Discord to open a new portal from Equestria!" Princess Luna continued, briefing the others in the room. "Lance, you must stop them, use your weapon, the more powerful the bearer, the more effective it is!" she said without delay.
They seemed to know what was going to happen, so you nodded.
"Yes, Princess Luna!" Said while taking a blade in each hand and moving into position, your hind hooves firmly planted in the ground.
The magic that emanated from your blades eventually showed itself, enveloping your entire body and armor before storing up for good, to be released.
"I AM NOT TO BE SACRIFICED, ME, DISCORD, I WILL BE RELEASED!" Scream an angry Discord from the other side of the pyramid.
"TRY IT!" replied the amused queen.
"TO, TO THE HELP!!" he shouted next, giving you the signal to intervene.
Let's see what this weapon is capable of.
In a fraction of a second you drew your blades forward, striking into the void as hard as you could. The next second, the magic in your weapons was projected into the wall of the pyramid and pierced it with a deafening crash. Despite the thickness of the wall, a gigantic hole was dug inside, sending some of the debris to the stage and the draconians around.
"WHAT THE HELL?!" The queen reacted before a piece crashed into her face, spanking her back and taking out her blades in defense. Other draconians approach to protect their commander.
Now is the time.
"LOOK!" Alert one of them.
After reattaching your weapon in one, you lunged forward into the now-deep hole. The speed you were travelling at created a slight shockwave, pushing the debris close to you. You passed between the draconians attacked by pieces of their beloved pyramid and, with a movement of your right arm, had caught the sphere still containing Discord while flying away.
"I'VE CAUGHT DISCORD, I'M GOING TO THE PORTAL!" Did you shout to your teammates for this mission between the screams and the rubble.
"WELL DONE LANCE, GO FAST !" Princess Luna told you, informing the others of your situation.
"LANCE, YOU COME... to save me." Said in her sphere the imprisoned being for whom you had come.
"I leave no one in Equestria!" Did you respond by rushing at high speed to the position of the portal Princess Celestia held still open, being your only option now.
"FUCKING STALLION!!" Did you hear behind you, realizing you were not yet out of the woods.
"HAAA! Step on it, she's right behind us!" Warn Discord who was always locked up and helpless here.
You could have destroyed his prison with your claws, but that was not the time to do so, Discord might not know how to get out of your grip. And anyway, he seemed safe inside for now. You deduced this by hearing the arrows being shot behind you, the muffled air giving you the information that he was trying to shoot you down before even catching you.
"YOUR ARMOR'S SLOWING YOU DOWN, WE'RE GONNA GET YOU!" The queen grunted as she seemed very close.
You kept going straight ahead, until you saw the tiny portal, seeing the Twilight Princess on the other side. She seemed to be shouting something to you but you couldn't hear it. Your constant acceleration wasn't enough to get the Queen ahead of you and positioned herself in front of the portal, blocking your way out.
"YOU HUMILIATE US ON OUR OWN TURF, I'LL IMPALE YOU MYSELF!" Did she scream as she stood with her four blades in front of her, ready to do what she had just said.
"THROW, THEY'RE WAY BEHIND YOU, DON'T SLOW DOWN!" Discord warns you again, truly fearing for her life.
With the countless enemies, your only option was always the same, run through the portal, just solve the queen's problem.
"TWILIGHT, CAST A SPELL ON HER!" Ordered the Princess Luna you could still hear in your head.
The portal expanded to let you in, and you saw the Princess Twilight's spell being cast behind your enemy's back. But the spell dissipated as soon as you crossed the border between Equestria and this other world, leaving the horrified princesses to come to terms with it.
It was with only one free shoe and your gun in it that you moved forward, trying to figure out what to do now that you were within a few yards of her and the exit. The queen then rushed at you, thinking you couldn't dodge.
Now!
Stopping you abruptly, you changed your flight path by giving a further downward wingstroke, spanking you in a spin as the queen's attack passed beneath you. Once back in place, you took off one last time, towards your due.
"STOP IT!"
Turning around, the queen saw your silhouette and the sphere containing Discord pass through the portal in the colors of the Sun Princess. She and her henchmen rushed at you.
"PRINCESS CELESTIA, CLOSE IT!" Did you ask as you passed your last hoof to the other side.
Your request wasn't complete that the portal shrank so quickly that nothing could get through. The draconians on the other side, with their fury and blades blazing, disappeared in a flash of light, signifying the closing of this door between the two worlds.
You did your best to land on your hind hooves by scraping the floor of the room. Only with a partially destroyed tile floor at your feet did you straighten up, the sphere and Discord in one hand, your weapon in the other. You wanted to take off your helmet and destroy the glass prison of Amalgam, but Princess Twilight had already thrown herself at you, seeing that there was no more danger.
"LANCE, YOU'RE SAFE!" Did she scream before she hugged what she could without cutting herself with the many spikes at the ends of the metal plates.
"Wait, Princess Twilight, it's dangerous to come near me in this armor." You said, quickly throwing your weapon to remove your beast-headed helmet.
Once your head was uncovered, it came back to charge, taking it in its arms as it floated by you.
"When I saw that my spell was ineffective, I thought you couldn't come back!" Did she plead by sticking her cheek to yours.
"Twily, you don't have to worry anymore. Lance is back and unharmed as well. Soldier, it's a remarkable job you've done today and I gladly accept you to be my sister princess's personal guard. You'll do an incredible job, I have no doubt." Nodded Commander Shining Armor to your success with a military posture.
As Princess Twilight stepped aside, continuing to smile at you and you prepare to respond to her newfound praise, Princess Luna finally released Discord. Who seemed infinitely grateful for your intervention, having the same reaction to you as the Princess Twilight did.
"LUNA, THANK YOU, I DON'T KNOW WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED WITHOUT YOU! I NEVER THOUGHT I'D BE INDEBTED TO A PONY EVER!" He said as he wrapped your armor in his own serpentine body, changing his entire body structure so he wouldn't hurt himself by squeezing you.
"The most important thing is that Discord is well and the draconian pyramid has been destroyed." Did you answer, just before you straightened up by removing the amalgam from your armor. "I thank you for your praise, Commander Shining Armor, I was only doing my duty." And then you cried out...
"I think you should go back to Ponyville now, tell everyone the good news." Began Princess Celestia. "As for me and my sister, we're going to make sure you take your rightful place in the Royal guard." She promised you.
"If you need anything, do not hesitate to ask." The Princess of the Moon replied.
To this statement, you took the perilous mission you've just come out of out of your head and returned to another of your occupations. You had with you a new fighting style, new armor and a magical weapon. This required one last change according to you.
"Before I go back to Ponyville, there's something I'd like to know." You ask to the princesses. "Can I... change my name?".
The princesses and the beast
A meeting you wouldn't have imagined...
It was after your successful Discord rescue and the joy returning to the face of the tender Fluttershy that you felt you were still approaching your goal. In addition, your new weapons and your own armor have given rise to one final change. You now have a new name.
Your father never thought he'd have a son who'd change his weapon of choice, but he had to. Your old spear has been used throughout your upbringing to fight alongside him, and now that you've become a new emblem, it's time.
Your new name would fit your ideas and represent them. Your name today, with the blessing of the princesses:
Leonidas
And it was under this name that your fame began in Equestria. You would think that Shining Armor would remain your superior for a while, but Princess Celestia decided otherwise. She granted you the rank of captain of the field forces of the royal guard, implying to be a warrior respected by your men for the orderly battles you would have to fight. This new position created especially for you is thus equal to that of Shining Armor itself, spanking you as captains of the entire Equestria Royal Guard as well as teammates.
While he will be in charge of the kingdom's defence strategies, you will be in charge of its offensive strategies, and although Equestria is a peaceful land, you will be expected to develop a wide range of strategies for all types of opponents.
It is also thanks to this position that you have been granted a special audience to introduce yourself to the thousands of ponies discovering you for the first time.
With your prepared text and clear intentions, you announced yourself, orally or transcribed in the newspapers:
"It is a great honour to be able to address the whole of Equestria on this special occasion. My name is Leonidas, captain of the field forces of the Royal Guard and second captain of the Royal Guard, as well as the Shining Armor, which you already know. My long term goal is that the whole kingdom may live without fear of enemy attacks and that you may be happy. It's only been a few days so I'm not used to your society, but Princess Twilight taught me that smiling is a sign of happiness and prosperity here. That's why I'm opposed to this and would only smile when my mission is finally accomplished, when Equestria no longer has to worry about the dangers outside the kingdom. I solemnly thank you for listening to me and wish you a prosperous life."
Once his words were spoken, you put your hoof on your chest and closed your eyes, Shining Armor having advised you to pose for the newspaper photo. After leaving this important meeting with the civilization you swore to protect, you noticed that it only took a few minutes for the publishers to sell your statement in Canterlot, and then quickly, all the rest of Equestria.
As your influence began to be recognized, you hastened to begin your real first job.
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
"HEY, LANCE, DID I DREAM IT, OR DIDN'T YOU WATCH THE WONDERBOLT SHOW? WHILE I WAS IN IT !!!" You ask without smiling for the cyan mare known as Rainbow Dash in the middle of a hallway full of ponies drawn to your conversation by the looks on their faces.
"I did it at first, and I must say your abilities are quite exceptional, but I have a lot of work to do, so I had to..." You try to argue before you get cut.
"IT'S GOOD! It doesn't matter, after all." She said after exhaling air noisily out of her mouth, representing a sign of exasperation if you remember correctly. "Follow me, I'll introduce you to the other wonderbolts."
Despite your many responsibilities, you still had to learn under the tutelage of Princess Twilight and her five friends the concept of friendship and emotion still eluding you somewhat. You had to be with one of them every day to learn more, and Rainbow Dash chose to show you other real stars on that first day.
"You're becoming a celebrity with your status, so you absolutely have to meet others. And it's not just princesses that are important in Equestria, follow me and you'll see!" She had told you.
And although the concept of celebrity was still obscure in your mind, and you doubted that people were as important as princesses, you had to content yourself with nodding and following her.
You were astonished by its extraordinary air speed, having had difficulty following it yourself on this flight to the city of the Pegasus: Cloudstale.
She and her boyfriend Thunderlane, who you understood to be in a relationship close to marriage without really being married, had recently become wonderbolts. While the Pegasus defined them without argument as "the coolest ponies in all of Equestria", you were happy to get a more concrete view of her stallion with the original mane. Elite athletes specialising in high acrobatics, acrobatics and speed competitions and the way he described them, which already made more sense to you.
So you have just witnessed one of their many demonstrations of speed and aerial control, but still need to advance in your work in the Royal Guard, being your primary objective. So you kept your primary attention on the paperwork you were filling out in your spectator seat, a complex task with the unintended attention on you created. Many ponies stare at you during the show, creating a semblance of disorganization quickly arranged by your unfailing seriousness.
But this cost you a difficulty with the cyan pegasus, which instead liked to be in the center of attention. So now you were following Rainbow Dash with her tight aerodynamic outfit, in a corridor where all eyes seemed to be unable to turn away from you for the change. The many ponies must surely be worried about protecting their beloved kingdom, spanking you to work harder without looking ahead so as not to disappoint them. Or are they just astonished at my decidedly peculiar physique? You didn't know and decided to ignore it.
Until the cyan mare stops at a door.
"That's it, so you take her documents out of your eyes, you go say hello to everyone and learn how great they are, understand?" She says to you as she tries to open it.
You hardly understood any of the terms she usually used, but you couldn't help it.
"I'm sorry, but what does genius mean? Is it a synonym for "cool" given your similar use of it to talk to me about wonderbolts?"
Faced with your question, she just exhaled again and lowered her head before going in. You thought you'd answered just because of her lack of repartee, which is not unusual though, and unfortunately for you. You finally followed her, lowered your head so that you could pass through the wrong door your body, and were quickly stopped.
"Friends, may I present the second in command of the royal guard, Leonidas!" Did she introduce you before she was almost run over by a few of her comrades rushing at you?
"WOW!! IT'S REALLY TRUE, THEN!? A pony that big can exist?" It's exclaimed a white pegasus with a blue mane. The stars in his eyes puzzled you as to his condition, it was definitely not normal.
"It's a pleasure to make the acquaintance of such a shining stallion." Did you hear from a blue mare with a white mane spiked backwards. Her eyes and tone of voice sounded very much like Rarity's, which was a good enough indication that you should avoid her.
"Thus the great Leonidas honors us with his visit!" Said a third new voice to what sounded like a bar. "You may come and sit down if you feel like it!" She said.
A yellow-brown coat and a fiery mane, no doubt Rainbow Dash has repeated her name and title enough to remember it today. Spitfire, current captain of the wonderbolts and a seasoned sportswoman. She was the only one who no longer wore the academy's aerobatic outfit and, sitting on a stool with her arms on the table, she offered you the one next to her.
You just watched Rainbow Dash, who was next to Thunderlane, and they would nod to you to join her. You nodded, nodded to the other Wonderbolts present, and you sat in the place indicated, to the right of the Captain.
"You are Spitfire, the present captain of the Wonderbolts?" Did you ask, just to be polite.
"That's right, and I'm flattered that someone new like you should know me!" She said before she took a sip of a liquid you didn't know you had, but didn't smell like water.
"It's hard to ignore your reputation when Rainbow Dash is always telling me about you during my workouts." Did you clarify, unconsciously bringing all eyes to the now reddish mare.
You've arranged your documents about offensives against the minotaurs on the map in front of you, making sure that no trace of dirt would get on them. You even began to think about how to attack the southern flank of their territory as Spitfire continued.
"Well, Leonidas, I want you to know that Rainbow Dash also told me about you and your exploits. You've risen through the ranks quickly because of your dedication and skill, and I think that deserves my respect." Did she answer you by not looking at you the way you used to look at her...
Behind you, Rainbow Dash thought it was inappropriate for you to address her superior, but it didn't seem to bother her herself, so you ignored it. Wonderbolt discussions resumed as you had an open question in your mind.
"I only looked at you for a few minutes in all, but I noticed that your abilities are quite impressive. Why not join the Royal Guard of Equestria, you'd be more useful to the kingdom from my point of view!" Tell you what, by continuing to write on your papers.
You did hear that the background chatter had stopped and some ponies got up from their chairs and left their tables to turn to you. You didn't expect so much attention from other celebrities, but it was about their profession, so it concerned them enough to fix you seriously.
Except for Rainbow Dash's remark.
"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!" She got indignant before Thunderlane clogged her lips with his hoof. Before long, he even had to restrain her from rushing at you.
Your peripheral vision didn't bring any change in attitude from Spitfire though, being the only one who didn't at least turn her head. She still had her glass in her hoof, and you could see her reflection through the liquid. She was always smiling.
"That's an interesting question worth asking, so I'll give you my answer." Did she start to answer, giving you a chance to look at her for the first time and stop focusing on your papers. "That's a resounding no!" She said, bringing her gaze to meet your one eye, relaxing her lips.
"Why say no?" Ask yourself then.
"Defending Equestria may be a major concern, but from what you yourself have said, it is not your primary objective." she continued, spanking you to permanently drop the pen. "Your goal is to protect Equestria for the good of its people, and that's exactly what the Wonderbolts are all about. We serve to make them smile, to amaze them and to make them understand that anything is possible if you have the will to accomplish it. Our goal is common, but our ways are different. Do you think joining the Kingsguard would give us the same reputation as today, as a symbol of talent and determination?" She finally asked you.
Her argument and her question left you hanging, forcing you to stare at your almost completed papers and think about it. Is it not useful in a kingdom at peace to have only an army and commanders as popular ponies, would it not be preferable that in such a register, the society of entertainment and values be in the forefront?
It is true that Equestria has not suffered a major attack for a long time, with attempts to attack other worlds being repelled by only two ponies before, and now only by you.
Your father constantly reminds you how devastating the past attacks were for the kingdom, back when he was just another soldier. Thinking that the situation was as critical as he described it, you were trained to put an end to it. And today, when you have sufficient rank and influence to achieve that goal, you see with your own eyes that the situation is not as you thought it would be.
Equestria was already on good footing, the ponies and other races living there were happy even before your arrival. And that was thanks to models like the Wonderbolts could represent it. Should they be removed and made too busy people like you for extra protection from the outside world. It seemed like a bad idea in every way you could treat it.
"I think your fame would be different, but it's not the one Equestria needs most." Have you finally started to respond. "I understand your point of view better and thank you for that statement. I've only been here for a week, I still have much to learn in order to carry out my duties to the best of my ability."
Your answer seemed to satisfy many a pegasus who were returning to their seats, giving you the impression they didn't like your first request. Thunderlane loosened his grip on the cyan mare, who took on a calmness you rarely saw from her.
"Glad to hear it and to have enlightened you on the subject." Said Spitfire. "Take the time to learn more about how we walk here and everywhere else in Equestria. Speaking of which, you could use a drink, on the house." Said she as she looked at the pony across the table.
He went to work and probably concocted for you the same flavor that the yellowed mare was drinking again. He brought the drink to you next to your documents, forcing you to take them back under your elbow.
You smelled the unknown nectar with suspicion, it made you think of flavored coconut juice. If that was all you could do, you might well accept the offer, even though the food used was not common in the frozen mountains.
"Thank you for this." Did you say before you brought the glass to your snout and took a deep, controlled sip.
You shouldn't have done that.
"Why does it sting my lips and my throat?"
The princesses and the beast
One less problematic people
Today is a special day for you and for which you have worked tirelessly over the last few days, apart from the visit you made with the wonderbolts. You, along with a sizeable part of Equestria's Royal Guard, are visiting the peninsula of the Argate Lands, a vast, seemingly barren expanse of land east of Equestria.
To get there, you have to cross the sea, which you have favoured with a few heavy boats belonging to the Royal Guard and the princesses. And speaking of princesses, one of them has decided to join you on this journey, your greatest protégée, Princess Twilight. Even though it was only an additional danger for you to take her to a faraway and hostile land, you didn't question her word. She reassured her friends, as well as your teammate and her older brother Shining Armor, who had a hard time resigning himself to staying, before setting sail. She hoped to talk to the commander of the minotaurs and reach a peace or even a trade agreement with them.
The presence of this race was the only thing you knew about these lands, which was enough to prepare a defensive strategy. All you knew about their people was their impressive strength and their strange physique, a buffalo head with hind legs but front legs with five toes. Many have already remarked to you that your appearance could make you think of this species, which was another good indicator to settle this issue quickly.
Princess Twilight, like her friends and the people of Ponyville, lived in the least disturbed part of the world according to you, which makes you all the more cautious of her safety here.
It was when you ran aground on the coast that you launched your plan, sending a squad to each side of the ships. While some should stay to look after your shipping, the main squad, consisting of Princess Twilight, yourself and about 40 armed Pegasus, moored and lowered down to the burning sand at your hooves.
"Here we are!" Said the Princess Twilight as she landed beside you, not wanting her to come within three feet of your position from here. "You don't have to worry Leonidas, I'm sure the commander of his lands will be able to receive us, promise me you won't launch any attacks for the time being!" And then she asked you, not wanting to be in the middle of a battlefield, especially if she was in the middle of it, you thought.
"I already promised you, Princess Twilight, I'd keep my promise as long as I felt no animosity towards them." Did you confirm. "Squadron 6-7-8, airborne." You're calling loudly.
At your call, three rows of Pegasus in golden armor flew off at the same time as you and Princess Twilight, encircling you in a plan to protect the royalty present left, right and above her. You have placed yourself below her to protect her from any attack from below, even offering her not to get tired by landing on your massive back. Which she politely refused.
"Her land is barren, I wonder how minotaurs can live there without food problems." The princess agreed, noting inwardly to ask the commander for details.
Unlike the attacks you and your father faced in the past through portals, the minotaurs lived in the same world as yours, just hours from equestrian civilization. It was therefore essential to know what they were capable of, and if their physique corresponded to yours, was it as strong as you individually. That was the thing you feared the most.
"Commander, a structure is visible at 0300 hours." Informed a guard on your right, giving you an indication to turn your head.
In the vastness of this stifling sandy desert, a rock formation was the only thing that stood out from the usual landscape. It was not like what you had seen in the enclosed world of the Draconians, but rather at a temple of ancient civilizations of which Twilight knew some things.
"This looks a lot like Aztec structures!" She said she noticed. "We should check it out."
"Formation, movement!" Did you order by rising closer to the Princess to follow your movements, not knowing all the military dialect you use.
You and the entire formation moved to the temple by tilting your wings to the right, with the Princess Twilight in the center.
"Squadron 6 on lookout, the rest: land!" And then you say.
While the upper part of the squad stopped to watch the surroundings, the rest of the squad landed in front of the temple. The burning sand wasn't a problem for your armor or your men's armor. Only the Princess Twilight remained a few meters above the ground, still floating beside you.
"Princess Twilight, I'll go in first, and then you follow me once you've received the request, then the rest of the troops will close the march. Is that clear?" You inform him strictly.
You can't give orders to princesses from their position as the ruling royalty of the realm. You then stare at her with your eye and wait for her to nod. You notice that because of the overwhelming heat, her cheeks turn red as her eyes cross yours.
"Princess Twilight needs water!" Think highly of it, a guard bringing a canteen filled quickly. "Hold!"
"Oh t...thank you Leonidas, and I get the plan." She nods in agreement, turning her head and taking a few sips.
You just nod your head and walk up the ten steps to the main entrance. A long corridor descending and lit by lighted torches offers itself to you, giving you the indication that it is not abandoned. You sniff the fresh air that so clears and penetrates your lungs before inhaling it serenely, no poison on the horizon.
"Princess Twilight, stay behind me, and watch her back!" You've made your point.
You waited until the formation was in place before you moved inside. A few guards enjoy the air and coolness of this place as you move forward, listening carefully to the sounds around you. Apart from the many hoof footsteps, your ears can isolate a sound coming from your left, on the other side of the wall.
"Stop!" Order hastily, followed by a few clumsily clashing shards of armor.
"What's the matter Leonidas?" Ask the Princess Twilight as you see your gaze settle on the seemingly normal wall.
As you stop, sounds come to everyone's ears, sounds of pounding and low laughter.
"Princess Twilight, can you see through this wall?" You ask by detaching your double blade hanging from the waist of your prickly armor.
"Uh, all right!" Does she answer you before she lights her horn at the stones.
The princess reopens her eyes which now shine in the corridor, showing that she can now see through inorganic things. Only she can see what is happening on the other side, so you wait patiently for her facial expression to change or for her to start describing the situation to you.
You don't wait long, as the princess' lips separate and her eyes grow larger in an unquiet manner. This means she doesn't like what she sees. She ends up closing her eyes and covering her mouth with her clog, a sign of disgust as you remember.
"Princess Twilight, are you all right?!" Ask yourself, almost panicking at what she might have seen.
"I... minotaurs... can't argue with them!" Affirms her in a tight tone, as if saying her words was suffocating her.
"Princess Twilight, will you allow me to tear down this wall?" Then ask yourself, feeling that you had to act quickly, time to find the normal path surely too long.
Without changing her expression, she nodded her head and gave no further indication.
"Protect the princess, soldiers!" Order yourselves by turning to the wall behind which problematic things were happening.
The guard quickly surrounds the princess as you charge a magical attack with your blades, in the same vein as in the world of the Draconians. You waste no more time and nukes the wall with a sharp movement, the debris flying crashing through the new room.
The sun's rays are the first thing to appear, as the room seems to be made in a wide and deep crevasse, several dozen meters below the ground. Your vision clears up, letting you see the details of the scene that horrified the princess earlier. This place... is a prison. The rock walls on either side have dozens of holes blocked by iron bars, which imprison the non-Minotaurs. You see ponies, but also griffins, centaurs, dragons and all sorts of creatures reduced to slaves, some of them stopping their hard work to turn to you and your noisy entrance.
Then you see in the distance, about forty meters above you, the beings who were laughing here. Beasts of immeasurable stature and muscularity, with pointed horns and muzzles blowing at your coming. Finally, axes and hammers as utensils rest by their sandy throne. You physically resemble the minotaurs, the barbaric people who make fun of other races, capturing and killing them, judging by the bones in some cages and littering the ground.
So you have the same reaction as the princess, it disgusts you.
"HEY, WHO ARE YOU TO SMASH OUR CITY LIKE THAT!" You shout one of them and alert the rest of the crevice of your intrusion by ringing a bone as a loudspeaker, creating an echo throughout the temple.
Soon you see the horde descend the different floors built into the rock to form a group of nearly a hundred elements. Armed to the head and blowing aggressively in tens, you only pay attention to your troops for the moment, seeing that they were no longer approaching.
"All of you stay around Princess Twilight and protect her with your lives, understand?!" Order the battalion again from the corridor behind you.
"Understood, Commander Leonidas!" Confirm he's in unison by closing space and drawing their weapons, knowing their mission.
"What have we here?" Then a gruff voice reacts, giving you your attention now. "What exactly are you in your armor, a dragon perhaps?" He said as he stepped forward.
The mob of minotaurs fifty meters from your position let the speaker pass, another one of their fellows, even bigger than the others. His golden ring hanging from his snout as well as his various collars and rings show his posture as commander of this crevasse perhaps he is the prince of all his people.
That suits you, since killing him is your priority now.
"So, big fella, are you going to answer me or are you going to lose your tongue in front of me?" He then asks you, having never taken his eyes off you, though it's hard to tell in the massive armour that covers you.
"I don't talk to monsters like you!" You nod before raising your hind leg and striking the ground violently as you lay it down in front of you, a sign that you are ready to eliminate it by creating this slight jerk and raising dust.
"HAHAHAHA! You're lucky I love a good duel. I'll show you who's got the strongest hooves before I turn your guard over to my army." Is he laughing when he rereads the same gait you did.
Except that his hoof hits the ground with much more force due to his concentration, creating a crack in it, and shaking even the limbs of fellow hoofers. He probably wanted to intimidate you by showing the extent of his brute force. He then eventually pulled two bones out of his back, huge bones, much bigger than a pony, which must belong to a gigantic creature. He held them like hammers, spanking you wondering if they were that effective.
"Come on, boy! I'm waiting for you!" Is he taunting you with his despicable smile.
You don't listen to what he's saying and instead think of the countless lives this people have had to destroy in the past and right now. If you are fighting, it is also to free the many specimens still alive from this ordeal, all of them watching you from their cells or chains on their feet.
You soar with your wings, leaving a tornado in your wake and strike your blades at the Minotaur's rudimentary weapons, creating a wave by your simple brute forces colliding with each other. Your momentum gives you the advantage and makes him slide a few meters on his hind hooves before stopping so that he doesn't reach the horde of his species.
You only see his keen gaze for a millisecond before one of his bones leaves the impact to rise up on you, which is dodged by your air control. He doesn't seem to want to argue any more, nor does he seem to want to take you lightly or enjoy the fight to the death.
It leaps forward again and knocks down a swarm of quick blows that you always manage to dodge or parry more or less effectively. Staying close to your opponent will give you more opportunities to hit him, convincing you that taking to the air is not the best strategy against him, even if it means facing him on his ground.
As you stop backing up and put your hooves firmly on the sand, another shot goes off from the height. You only had the reflex to move your bust because of your subsequent movement, leaving your knee at its mercy. The bone eventually falls explosively above your knee, in the same position as a hammer beating a nail to drive it into the wood.
And the same effect happens, despite your armour. Your paw digs itself halfway into the ground more easily than expected, the blow even creating cracks in all four corners of your hoof and creating a deafening sound throughout the crevice. Neither of you reacts to this action yet, keeping your concentration steady.
All you hear is a vague call behind you in a broken voice, but pay little attention to it, concentrating instead on the new pain in your knee. You are not so lucky since the minotaur's other weapon is aimed at your head, which you block with your two blades without staggering a millimetre.
He loses his balance trying to attack me at all costs, deduce by seeing that your opponent is standing thanks to the support he exerts on his weapons.
You take the opportunity to aim at his own head with your left arm, only managing to cut his horn dry while he dodges. He brings his weapons back to him too slowly to parry your offensive, giving you the opportunity to take your hoof out of the ground with a bang, your blades finishing their run in his chest. Penetration makes him scream as he defends himself by striking in front of him, forcing you to drop your weapons too deep into his body to remove them quickly enough.
You are now unarmed and your enemy begins to bleed out through his rib cage and mouth. You just hope that the Princess Twilight isn't watching this scene with her harmless eyes, and you want to make sure she doesn't.
"Princess Twilight, close your y..." you try saying.
You regain your concentration as your opponent races towards you with the blades still inside his abdomen. He knocks his bony masses down on you and they are stopped by your hooves before crashing into his target.
He is enraged by this turn of the fight, think of it as having a close-up of his cruel bloody body and his eyes filled with glowing red veins. A fighter who loses his patience is a dead fighter, and you will prove it now.
Lacking strength now, you push the masses away from both sides of you before grabbing the Minotaur by his now unique shoulder and horn, and eventually sending him to the ground with a hoof on his chest and your other leg against his, preventing him from moving.
Never underestimating an opponent, especially one of this build, you quickly pick up your blades and force them out of their flesh sheaths, giving his body two huge gashes, the blood still coming out and soaking both weapons. You don't even take the time to see if the Princess attends this disturbing spectacle, hoping that the guards will keep her away from the scene, and shoot your weapons into her neck again.
You have been trained to respect powerful opponents, especially in single combat like this, but exceptions must be made. For all the abominations that her people have subjected countless creatures to to this day, you decide not to leave her any last words.
With a strong movement to cut the raw tendons and muscles, you separate the head from the rest of his body and let it roll a few times, representing for you the worst insult that can be done to a warrior.
You raise your head and see that the guards in front of you cover the princess, without being insensitive to it themselves. Some of them seem sick to this vision, almost ready to vomit, and you understand them.
"If you can't hold it, don't look!" You tell yourself when you see their faces not happy.
"HE KILLED OUR LEADER!! VENGEANCE WILL BE DONE !!!" Then shouted a minotaur into the crowd behind you, quickly followed by incessant hoofbeats destroying the earth and annihilating any attempt to be heard. They rushed towards you like a noisy, hairy wave, carrying dozens of heavy weapons brandished in the air or in front.
It was without further remembrance that you stood up, armed and determined to silence this herd that obeyed a tyrant. You respected a fair fight without using your magic, but it is a question of protecting the princess, and that calls into question this idea of bravery.
They are monsters, and they will die like this, did you express inwardly before gathering your weapon into a single double blade, carrying it with a hoof. With the still warm body of the leader on the ground, you shifted so that you could see the horde arrive madly with your one eye, not even spanking them in the face.
As the screams covered the area, probably heard throughout the desert above the crevasse, you raised your weapon to the level of your neck, your right paw. You tilted it towards your enemies, this one being as straight as your paw and ready to use all its power at the sight of the azure glow that was coming from it more and more.
"WE'RE GOING TO RIP YOUR HEAD OFF AND PLANT IT ON A SPIKE!"
You wouldn't let them finish that last sentence and unleashed all the magic you'd developed. Wanting to kill you and your guard is normal from them, but no evil spells should be peddled to your princess. It is to this extent that your movement of the right front paw has released a wave of colored energy as fine as a thread.
Due to the speed of your roll and the minotaurs' stubbornness in not giving up, the azure line eventually reaches the crevice wall behind them, before causing the expected damage. At the same time as the rocky word was pierced several meters deep, the dozens of heads and raised weapons separated from their owners. Body parts and the bits of axes, hammers and spears fluttered as the heavy masses of muscles lost their balance and fell on top of each other, stopping their advance definitively in a loud sound.
You wanted to see the damage you could cause on your own, as your guard and Princess Twilight could no longer rely on their eyes to understand what was happening. Being able to see your current power is an integral part of your training and function, and you had little expectation of such a result. You might have been shocked to see so much death by your front arm alone, but you were only doing justice to the victims.
Even if that meant you were the monster right now...
Soon the flying heads land on the tide of lifeless bodies, along with the weapons. The din ends and the guard gradually begins to open their pupils, swallowing at the new, even more chaotic sight. Some of its recruits are younger, some older than you, but none of them are used to such massive killing.
You fight to keep it that way.
"Go free the prisoners from this place, we're going back to the Crystal Kingdom so we can get them to safety and report to Princesses Celestia, Luna and Cadence, execution!" Did you order.
Your earnest and high gaze giving you the advantage, they listened to you and quickly flew off to the various non-empty cages. You too want to leave here as soon as possible, this place cursed by its inhabitants is not fit for a princess.
She had seen the only severed head of the head of the minotaurs rolling a few meters away from her. Leonidas reacted and hid his sight from his right hoof, the one he had not used to perpetuate his mass slaughter.
"I'm sorry, Princess Twilight, we couldn't properly negotiate with them!" Apologize, his hopes of cohabiting with this race going up in smoke.
All Princess Twilight could do was start crying, which soon brought her tearful face to your chest. You made sure to cover her with your arm without hurting her because of your many spikes.
"Why did you... Why does this kind of thing have to happen..." she managed to express before sobbing a little more every second, every minute that passed against the blackened steel of your armor.
"Not all people are good Princess Twilight, that's why the Kingsguard exists!" Did you respond by placing your hoof on her mane and stroking her slowly, doing your best to calm her down.
As all the soldiers helped the prisoners out and handed them the hoof towards the end of this nightmare with false smiles, the Princess realized that she would probably see this kind of action from her position, and that she had to take her role from another angle.
"Let's go home, we don't belong here anymore!" She said as she stared at you and dried her last tears.
"Yes, Princess Twilight!" Just answer yourself.
The princesses and the beast
Rising tension between two princess
It's been a few days since you, your soldiers and Princess Twilight returned with several dozen captives hitherto held captive in the crack, having to serve the minotaurs on pain of being killed or abused. This is what you heard from Shining Armor, who was the one who was in charge of interrogating some of them, proving once again the unparalleled cruelty of this people and the deep hatred that rightly feeds you.
Once you had finished dealing with the victims ponies, griffins, dragons, centaurs and other creatures, all you could think about was launching a real offensive on this land, now knowing your enemy to know that you had to put him out of harm's way.
That's why tonight, in a tower of Celestia castle, you are thinking about a plan of attack, imagining all the possibilities. Your father always told you that prevention is better than cure, especially in times of war. It is with this in mind that you write and draw while hoof-steps arrive on the other side of the marble door.
"Leonidas, may I come in?" Asked you a voice outside, this one belonging to the greatest ruler of Equestria.
"Princess Celestia, you don't have to ask me that, you're free to enter any room in your castle!" You answer her by dropping your pen and waiting for her to enter, turning to the door.
The wait was short and the princess appeared as you greeted her as usual, kneeling on the ground. As you get up, you see her changing attire. Instead of her royal effects, a long dress with many shades of cyan, mauve and white as her mane wraps her body up to her chest.
"You look splendid in that dress, Princess Celestia!" Acknowledged as you stood up, Rarity having taught you to always compliment a pretty mare when she's carrying something you're seeing for the first time.
"Well, thank you, I didn't expect as much from you." The princess says, not looking directly at you for a few seconds, keeping her warm smile on her face.
"Is it too much?" Ask yourself in view of her answer.
"No no, it's very kind of you, I assure you, I just didn't expect you to be the kind of stud to compliment on it."
"Rarity told me to do it, Princess Celestia." You confess, there's no point in hiding it in your mind.
"I get it! Speaking of Twilight and her friends, they're downstairs with lots of guests. We've decided to celebrate your success on behalf of Equestria, you should come!" She insists as she gets a few steps closer.
"I don't know, wouldn't it be better if I concentrated on a plan of attack on the Minotaur people?" Ask yourself, still not understanding the concept of partying as much as the other ponies.
"Leonidas, wouldn't it be pointless to celebrate your victory without you, don't you think? Besides, you deserve to loosen up a bit, I know you take this role entirely to heart, but even commanders of the royal guard have the right, and I would even say the duty, to learn to enjoy themselves and live beyond their function. Shining Armor participates with Princess Cadence as well, there are even some wonderbolts and great Canterlot entrepreneurs, everyone would be happy to see you having a good time, me and my sister too!" She said in closing.
You quickly learned that in order to protect Equestria as effectively as possible, you had to get closer to its inhabitants. This is the only reason why you would participate in meetings such as parties and other events. In any case, a request from Princess Celestia will sound like an order for you.
"All right, Princess Celestia, I won't work on her plans until tomorrow!" You say, sounding like a dazzling victory in her mind.
"Thank you, Leonidas. I would also advise you to wear something other than your armor in public. I have brought you a suit that should fit you!" She declared as she magically made black and white clothes appear to cover most of your body.
Without even having to say anything else, her magic takes effect and the costume ends up directly on your coat, leaving only your torso exposed.
"All you have to do is button it up, and I'll show you." Said the princess before getting even closer.
She uses her front clogs to tie your garment, button it up like she said. One by one, she passes the little wooden circles through the holes on the other side, spanking your torso so that it is no longer visible. You wonder if you could do this on your own, given your larger than normal front hooves, it would be a mistake to remove one of her hoops without doing it on purpose. She finishes her practice by straightening the tie that was now hanging from your neck, being a typical accessory of high society given the number of ponies being carried in Canterlot.
Although it is quite tight around your neck, Princess Celestia's delicate touch prevents you from asking her to loosen it, letting her do so delicately.
"Thank you, Princess Celestia!"
"There's no need to thank me, it's only natural. Let's go, many guests must be wondering where we are." She says to you before she takes your hoof from hers.
In an instant you were teleported across the castle, to the front of the main courtyard. You can see that the courtyard was largely filled not by the simple plain of grass, but by flocks of ponies, unknown or not, with tables full of food and drink and a space dedicated to a platform with several instruments placed on it.
You then feel that your hoof leaves that of Princess Celestia's, who retires and tells you.
"I'm going to say hello to some friends of mine, go and see whoever you like." She says to you as she spanks you with a hoof sign before she moves away to a random group of mares you don't know. You have time to give her back the hoof sign that means goodbye if you remember well and then go about your business.
Since the holidays are still a world of their own in your mind, it occurs to you to ask the only self-proclaimed connoisseur you know for advice. So you start looking for Pinkie Pie as the crowd disperses, giving you a little more room to move around.
As you walk past groups of ponies, ranging from ornate stallions with costumes such as yours to mares in various dresses, you see that many eyes are inclined towards you. It must be, as the princess told you, that this party is being held in your honour, so to speak. You must have gained further notoriety throughout Equestria, but your current problem is this tight tie.
Without paying more attention to the various looks, you try to loosen it by yourself, wanting to do it slowly with your gruff clogs. Your attempt ends with the accessory finally coming out of the suit and into your hoof, the well-dressed ponies taking their eyes off you distinctly, a sign of disinterest. Too bad, you'd like a little help with this, the tie of the other stallions seeming perfectly attached.
"Friends, there he is!" You can hear beyond a few chatter by the lavishly decorated table.
You don't have time for Rainbow Dash to twirl to your face. She's wearing a dress with her mane in it, evenly colored.
"Hey, Leonidas, why are you holding your tie in your hoof?" She asks you, pointing at the object.
"I was trying to loosen it, but all I did was take it off." She says to you shamelessly, but knowing that the pegasus could start laughing.
"Sounds like you need my help!" A new voice intervened as Rainbow, as guessed, muffled a sneer to your unprecedented distress.
You see your other friends arrive, all dressed in various shades of dress, greeting you. The one who gives you her expertise is Rarity, asking you to bend down so she can pull up your tie. As she does, you remember the polite greeting again.
"You look wonderful in her dresses!" You tell the group what you are to be thankful for, and Princess Twilight and Fluttershy look away, one out of shyness and the other for some reason.
"Thank you my dear Leonidas, I made her dresses, so your compliment means even more to me." Said Rarity, ending your request and giving you a kiss on the cheek in return. You might have found it inappropriate, only a couple would normally kiss, but it's common among some mares who have easy kisses like the white unicorn.
"Thank you for the tie." Send you away by standing up, not liking to stay in a crouched position any longer. You see Rarity seems disappointed that she didn't thank you with your lips as she did you, but you've already explained to her that you'd only do that to your wife the day you can worry about finding one.
"Leonidas, I wanted to thank you again for saving Discord, you put yourself in danger and I'd like to do something for you." Fluttershy told you once she remembered she had no reason to be shy of you.
"This is the twenty-fifth time you've thanked me, Fluttershy, and I'm telling you, I only did my duty." Tell you one more time.
"So, this party's especially for you, you must be having the time of your life, I bet." Then the pink mare reacts by jumping as usual between you and the other mares.
Then you remember you were looking for her for that.
"Well, since you know about parties, I wanted to know what I'm supposed to do, should I act differently because she's in my name?" Ask yourself, really envious to know the answer.
"Well, you should introduce yourself to everyone, so the ponies will know you and you'll become friends with them. Then you have fun dancing on the dance floor." She says to you, pointing her hoof at an open space.
In front of the stage there is a place with a strange floor, with grey patches covering the grass underneath. So it would be called a dance floor and would be used to mark out the ponies dancing from the others.
"Speaking of dancing, it's about to start, the musicians are coming!" Says Rainbow Dash, this time showing a few ponies coming forward.
You recognize them, they're the ones Princess Celestia went to see after bringing you here. Three mares and four stallions come up the steps and begin to want to stand on the various instruments present.
"Excuse me but I've got to find Thunderlane and get him to the track as soon as possible." Says the cyan mare then disappears in a multiple shade of colour through the crowd.
"Oh, Octavia's going to play, I should probably look for a stallion to enjoy it with!" Nodded after Rarity, pointing to the mare with the greyish coat and mane as neat as hers.
At the same time, you just watch the musicians getting into place, the one called Octavia sitting behind a bass that's much bigger than she is. You wonder how a normal sized pony can play an instrument that seems to be made in your image. The floor plates then begin to glow in a variety of colours, from purple to green to cyan, almost making it hard for you to look at them by irritating your eyesight.
You scratch your eye for just a few seconds and open it again to see a silhouette in front of you, less than a metre away. By the time you can see it clearly, she greets your friends and Princess Twilight.
"Good evening to you, it's so nice to see you here." Let her know.
"Hello, Celestia, I'm glad I'm here too." Answer the Princess Twilight to your left, you didn't even see her come closer.
"Well, that's good. Leonidas, you've never danced before, have you?" Ask her as she looks at you as you barely regain your sight.
"No, Princess Celestia." Answer cordially.
"Well, I can show you some basics if you wish." Does she offer.
"What? Would you like to dance with Leonidas?" The other princess reacts with surprise, raising her voice almost too much and making up for it immediately afterwards. "Uh, I mean, I didn't know you liked to dance." Then she says with a laugh that seems out of place, or embarrassed as they say here.
"I rarely give it a chance, it's true, but it's still nice. So, Leonidas, what do you say?" She says, stretching her hoof, which you know to be gentle, in your direction...
You didn't think dancing with two was possible, the few ponies you've seen move often uncoordinated with themselves, being more dangerous than elegant. Without wanting to leave her in this position indefinitely, you don't know what he is waiting for you and place your hoof on his.
Princess Celestia wastes no time and takes you with her on the shiny dance floor, leaving your friends behind, thinking only of what dancing together meant. You soon notice it, but this time there are even more eyes on you, surely because it is the dominant royalty of Equestria who proposes to be a kind of teacher for you at this moment. Most of them seem euphoric to see the two of you, perhaps Princess Celestia is dancing so well that it's a sight not to be missed, you think. You hope you don't spoil it.
When she stops in the middle of the track, and while a few other ponies are moving forward, Princess Celestia gives you the first piece of advice.
"First, posture. I have to be on my hind hooves like you, you're going to put your left hoof on my waist and your right one stays with mine." She always says it in a way that's pleasant to listen to and perform. Having no desire to see her fall because of you, you keep her hoof with yours and carry out her advice. She puts her right hoof on your shoulder and you're now close enough to feel her breath reach your snout.
"That's good. The music's about to start, just follow my footsteps with your hoof naturally, it's not complicated." She says when she hears the first notes of violin.
You keep eye contact with her by working on your hooves as she indicated, following her steps sparingly, going sideways, diagonally or backwards. You pay no attention to the many ponies staring at you, some you knew as wonderbolts or your friends who cannot leave this view that you and Princess Celestia offer. Many even end up taking your picture, but the princess doesn't react, so you stay focused only on your performance. You find yourself doing several tricks and a few dozen steps correctly copied before she speaks again between the instrumental notes that are pleasant to the ears.
"You're doing very well, Leonidas. Do you understand why you should take time for yourself? The ponies won't fear danger outside Equestria if they know who's protecting them." Does she inform you of her smile like all the other times.
"I understand Princess Celestia, I'll pay more attention to that in the future." You nod deftly, as if responding to a superior officer.
You can see her smile has changed slightly, as if your answer satisfied her in a way she hadn't thought of. At the end of the fourth orchestral music resonating in your eardrums, she gently places her head against your free shoulder, closing her eyes.
This alerts you and makes you stop all movement.
"Princess Celestia, are you all right?!" Ask if you're prepared to intervene in the event of a health problem.
"I'm fine Leonidas, can we continue dancing a little longer?" She says in the sweetest voice she can give you. She seemed to enjoy the moment more than you might think.
"All right, Princess Celestia." Did you simply respond by resuming your guided steps, and your heart beating normally again.
You can hear the cameras flashing again as the shots were taken.
You didn't want to take your eyes off her long, sparkling mane, but a certain couple of dancers destroyed that possibility. Not far away from you, Rainbow Dash had brought Thunderlane back on the dance floor, but their movements faster than anyone else made you look away to watch them.
And it was while staring at them that you saw between their two faces, in a slightly blurred way, the face of a princess in the audience, who was no longer smiling. The Twilight Princess is not looking at the scene, nor at another pony, she is actually staring at the ground, a face resembling the one you made when you first saw yourself in a mirror. You were waking up from a short night.
This sight sends you as a distress signal, as soon as a princess is not well, and especially the Princess Twilight who is entrusted to you, you must help her smile again, this is your mission. It is unthinkable to want to relax and have fun if the Princess Twilight needs you. Unfortunately, you're in the middle of a dance with another princess almost drowsy on your shoulder... and you end up seeing her drifting further away, out of your sight.
You hope you can catch up with her once she's finished!
The princesses and the beast
The drinks and famous dishes were consumed, and the atmosphere was provided by the musicians, other artists and guests who helped make the evening a resounding success. It's a pity that some had to wake up with an undisguised desire to return to their dreams.
This is particularly true of this kingdom's greatest royalty, Princess Celestia, who wasn't very analytical about her drinking that evening. She tried to open her eyes with difficulty and, after a loud groan, managed to raise her bust from her sheets before exclaiming.
"I... I'm in my room..."
"Of course, where else do you want to be?" a voice asked from the side of her bedside table.
She turned her head to see her little sister the guardian of the moon, her wry smile not immediately noticed because of the princess's headache.
"I... hello Luna." She said simply, trying not to fall back into her fluffy comforter and stay there forever.
"You had fun yesterday!" She confided directly, then threw the day's newspaper in front of her sister's eyes.
It took Celestia several seconds to catch sight of the close-up photo on its front cover, and it was ultimately the text of the article that caught her eye more. It was a snapshot taken last night, while the princess was giving a dance lesson to the commander of the Royal Field Guard forces: Leonidas.
"I... I... wait, what?" she declared in total incomprehension.
The newspaper spread the rumor that this rapprochement was anything but harmless, to which Celestia finally read the word "love".
"I....!" She turned blushingly to her sister, giggling at her sister's reactions. "That's got nothing to do with it, why do newspapers make up lies just about a photo?" She said, to which Luna returned a friendly smile.
"Honestly, sis, don't you really feel anything for him? Are you sure you want to hide it, from me?" She asked.
"I... that's not what I was thinking at all when I asked him to dance. And as for my... feelings, I don't know." The Sun Princess nodded, leafing through the article. "I may have fallen in love several times in my life, but I always find it hard to know when it's happening to me." she said grumpily, avoiding finishing the article, which was nothing but garbage.
"Just so you know, all of Canterlot has been talking about it since this morning, and soon all of Equestria will be. The ponies only want you to be happy, sis, they're simply delighted that you feel the love they do. It just goes to show that, beyond Equestria's Sun Princess, you're still a mare." Luna replied admiringly, sitting down beside her on the bed.
Celestia almost wanted to move away from her youngest daughter, but the bed, large as it was, wouldn't allow it. Inwardly, she remarked to herself that Luna was right, Despite her millennia of existence, she could still think of acting like a filly sometimes.
"I know Luna, I'm still just another pony despite my status. But I don't know if I'm really in love." Said the princess after a slight sigh replacing the laughter she would have had just a few days ago on the subject.
"In that case, I can help you find out, it just so happens that dear Leonidas is in the south tower right now concocting his plans. He's a VERY early riser, you know. We can pay him a visit if you like." She tossed out, confident as ever, and sure it was the right thing to do.
Things are really moving fast this morning, or is it last night's party that's still slowing me down...
"Since when are you the big sister of the two of us?" Asked the Sun Princess, genuinely attentive to the answer she would get.
"Uh, what do you mean since when? I also happen to have some good advice to give you from time to time!" Luna replied as best she could without showing an ounce of uncertainty. Celestia smiled at this, being able to count on her again was a real liberation.
"All right, we can go and see him, after all the paper does specify that it's just a rumor I'm not sure myself whether it's true or not." Celestia replied, deeming it pointless to say a word to the editors - they'd be in BIG trouble if they did.
With that, the two princesses and sisters headed for the south tower, hoping to be enlightened.
The princesses and the beast
On the other side of the castle, and about the same time.
"You must tell him darling, before he falls into the arms of our beloved princess and for whom we all want happiness of course, but you have the right to have yours too." Exclaimed a unicorn with polished white fur as she pulled her purple friend through the halls.
"Rarity stop, I don't need you for this, and what makes you think it can go any further? He's my bodyguard, not my innocent date." Said the princess of friendship not wanting to go any further.
After Rarity showed her the day's paper in the same way Luna had done with her sister, Twilight made some strange sounds and movements, the kind that shows the disappointment in love for the fashionista.
"None of that with me honey, I can see when a mare needs more attention from a stallion and you totally do with Leonidas. And don't talk to me about the bodyguard attention he gives you when you know exactly what kind of attention I'm talking about" the white mare said frankly and continued to hold Twilight's wrist with more insistence.
Fortunately or not for her friend, Rarity decided to take the lead and lead her to the room of the bodyguard who was dancing on the front cover, following as best as she could the steps of the princess while she was almost asleep on her giant shoulder.
Twilight saw that shoulder as anything but a soft, comfortable pillow on which to rest her head.
And she also saw that her unicorn friend would soon get her into trouble if she didn't stop her soon. Judging by the ornaments in this hallway, the paintings of former equestrian greats proved that Leonidas' room was not far away, and the embarrassment with it.
Twilight was forced to use her magic to stop Rarity's advance and made her levitate, and forced her to turn her head to look and listen to her.
"Rarity stop, I know you only want what's best for me but you don't have to do this. Leonidas is a great bodyguard and commander of the equestrian army, he has a lot on his plate already and finding a mare is definitely not in his goals. He doesn't even know what it involves, I have to bring it up with him next Monday, but as a teacher, not in the way you imagine." Narrated she, finishing by giving a light hoof on the red carpet decorated with golden threads on the sides.
Rarity believed everything Twilight had told her so far, except for one part.
"Love is not something you can write down on your calendar to get it like a session at the spa, the time and the way you will feel it is indefinable. This stallion may already feel it but doesn't know what it is, which doesn't ensure that he will be brought into this area in the right.
way in this area as I, you and the others are giving everything to help him fit in. And then don't you dare make me believe that you wouldn't be inwardly devastated if he was taken, by another princess, me or any other mare, or stallion, or whatever creature he might be interested in." Exclaimed the unicorn, crossing her hooves in the air in irritation.
Twilight had to bite her lip softly at this statement. As generous as she should be, the sight of another mare extremely close to Leonidas seemed to reach her own person. She lowered her ears without realizing it, and even looked away for a few moments, clues far too clear for Rarity and her sense of detail.
"Twilight, why are you floating Rarity in front of the door of Leonidas' room?" Asked a soft and equally surprised voice, belonging to none other than Princess Celestia, her sister of the moon a few inches away.
The purple mare blushed when she heard the last part. She quickly looked to her side to see the truth of what she said, and the sun princess never lied. The whole altercation with Rarity was taking place in front of the double door of about five meters high and three meters wide, which was the most important size for the passage of the Alicorn princesses, although one meter had to be added so that the stallion would not have to bend down.
Thinking that the stallion in question could have heard everything, she stopped her spell and let Rarity crash on the carpet of a small meter of distance only, which did not prevent her from complaining.
"Shh Rarity!!! He might hear you!!!" Warned Twilight wanting to scream, but forcing herself to look as calm and quiet as possible, all under the confused gaze of three ponies bigger than her.
"Who could hear it?" Asked the voice of the third tall pony, as he came out of his room surely alerted by the too audible whispers. Then he saw the sophisticated mare on the floor. "Are you okay Rarity?!" He continued as he walked over to her, offering his large hand to put her back on her four hooves, even putting a knee down to do so.
"Oh thank you Leonidas darling, your manners are always welcome!" Announced she by smiling greatly to her benefactor, hesitating even to offer him a kiss on the cheek, but restrained herself because it was not the objective of his visit.
This one was even diametrically opposed. But she did not have time to introduce herself that she was anticipated.
"Leonidas, Princess Celestia wanted to see you, she has something to ask you... in private!" Luna announced, which activated the stallion's instincts.
"Of course Princess Luna, my doors will always be open to you and Princess Celestia, the same goes for you Princess Twilight!" Said he while kneeling as he used to do, despite the number of attempts to break this habit. Luna, Celestia or even Twilight didn't like to see themselves being worshipped like that, especially coming from a stallion that they considered in many ways as their equal, starting with his size.
But Leonidas always came back to this practice, so they should get used to it, especially coming from him. Twilight had a hard time letting go of it before she was a princess, so she was more inclined to accept it, even if it made her very uncomfortable.
But in any case, Twilight was more concerned about the use of the phrase "in private" by her moon mate than the rest of the actions. She couldn't be sure, but the two princesses looked eerily similar to her and Rarity a moment ago.
"Thanks Leonidas, I won't be long." Celestia abdicated before entering the towering pegasus' room, passing by her humble posture as her sister, behind her, winked at her in encouragement.
"Just a moment!" Rarity threw in the middle of the moment, holding everyone's attention. "Twilight also has something to tell you Leonidas dear, couldn't you receive them both?" Sit she as she addressed him.
"I don't mind at all, do you agree Princess Celestia?" Leonidas continued as expected.
"N-No, not at all, you can come Twilight!" She replied, knowing that she would want to hide something else if she refused, though the "statement" will be rather strange.
"Uh, m-thank you Celestia, I-I'm coming." The princess of friendship began to walk with more than a little hesitation, not wanting to undercut her unicorn friend's efforts now. She had the opportunity to find out the truth about the relationship she had with her special bodyguard, and knowing Celestia's purpose could be one more reason, but she would take it to her grave.
So the three ponies moved into the large room full of scribbled maps and scrolls neatly arranged in the dressers at the sides, all depicting battlefields and battle formations. A rectangular table in the right corner of the room was still full of his writings, which the stallion was surely consulting before being disturbed.
Celestia sincerely hoped that her work would not be used one day, even though she reluctantly admitted to herself that the world around Equestria was not enchanting and magical. Her nation itself could be surprisingly uncontrollable in some corners of its verdant nature. It didn't take a Tirek or a Chrysalis to see that the world could be dark.
But for once, she could comfort her mind by thinking about one thing, how will she express herself now, despite her hundreds of years of existence, feelings are an almost impossible thing to understand.
And they are even more for Twilight, who is a very young alicorn, still discovering the capacities of her new status. She was almost disappointed to see that he could not help her in this case.
The last one to sit down at equal distance from the two alicorns was Leonidas, first gathering his
"Well, do either of you want to start?" He asked, not wanting to get ahead of himself, but taking the two mares in stride all the same.
"I'll start Twilight, I was the first one to ask her for this interview after all" said the sun princess almost instantly.
"No problem Celestia" answered really at the millisecond behind Twilight, who was already feeling too much here. Especially with what was going to follow.
"So, surely you remember last night," Celestia said, he remembered it very well given his absolute refusal to drink a drop of a beverage that was unknown to him, especially when the mare offering is Rainbow Dash. Leonidas tilted his head slightly, allowing her to continue. "Well, a lot of people remember that moment when we both danced for about an hour, and... the fact that we were very close during that time" she said, blushing and probably wanting to deflect. blushing and probably wanting to look away.
Twilight was sure of it, Celestia totally wanted to not have Leonidas' stare on hers, but she'd have to keep it that way to not lose face, especially in front of her former student. Let's just hope her sudden flushing didn't make Leonidas think Celestia had a fever and was getting sick.
"I remember Princess Celestia, I don't think I thanked you for that lesson, so thank you very much" he replied, bowing his head again, forgetting that he had already done it six times last night it seems.
"Well, I think that if I asked you to dance, it was not only for the purpose of... transmission of knowledge. It also had a more personal... desire." Celestia tries to take the discussion to something other than the dance itself.
To see what Leonidas thought of the more personal objectives.
For now not much, he still wasn't moving despite the sun princess' pause. However, he had already mentioned that having individual goals was not good for a pony, a species that only helped each other. Of course, he said this with his more closed-minded view of relationships, which was strange when Twilight thought about it, but Leonidas was definitely on the wrong side in wanting to help though.
Seeing no progress in the discussion, Celestia suddenly learned that there was no filly or foal present. At worst a recent princess who didn't know much about relationships beyond friendship. It was time to teach her two students something at the same time.
"I did it because I like you Leonidas, and I would like you to see me as something other than Princess Celestia." She sent directly, sending all the awkwardness of the beginning to the trash can. "I wanted to dance to get closer to you as an equal, I enjoyed it very much and that's why I'd like to ask you on another date."
"Me too!" Said suddenly the voice of the other mare in the room, feeling like she was let loose in a race against the sun princess and her teacher. "I've been intrigued by you since day one Leonidas, but I never had the courage to admit it to you, and seeing you with Celestia last night made me a little... jealous, I guess. I'd also like my chance to get to know you as a stud, more than I already know I mean." She would try not to see Leonidas as a trophy though, just as she did not want to see Celestia as a rival.
Celestia suspected that Twilight might have feelings for her new bodyguard and her hometown. Still, she was pleasantly surprised to see her take the initiative in a way she rarely does. The two didn't look at each other any further, waiting for the reaction of the stud who was the source of all this talk.
"Is it about the personal relationships Rarity already told me about?" He asked first, before thinking about his real answers.
"Well, so that means that, according to her, I'm supposed to choose?" He announced patiently, the two princesses looking at each other for a moment, then nodding.
Leonidas thought for a few moments, not knowing what decision to make, he then asked sincerely:
"What would you do if you were me?"
"I don't know." Twilight answered honestly.
"I would make the decision of my heart, Leonidas. I know it's a difficult thing to do, and I know you don't fully understand it yet, but I want you to know that no matter what your answer is, it won't change anything between us three. Jealousy and resentment have no place here." Celestia confided in Twilight and Leonidas, smiling at both.
"Then I don't want to choose yet, and I don't even know if I'll ever be able to." He declared. "Nor take any offense from me, there is no denying that princesses are very attractive to any pony, I just wonder if these relationships are a primary thing to learn in equestrian culture."
"You're not wrong about that." Declared the sun princess. "Some ponies never experience love in their lives, but this is the exception that proves the rule in my opinion. We are a kind people and falling in love is very common, I think you could learn more by talking to Cadence, you already know her I guess."
"Yes, she is the princess of love and the wife of Shining Armor, but our exchanges were not about her ability to teach me the basics of love." I replied.
"I think before you give us an answer, or not for that matter, you should see her and chat a little. Rarity is better than me on her subjects, but she's not Cadence after all." Twilight added with a nervous laugh.
At the end of this meeting, Leonidas decided to focus on his mission while waiting for the right opportunity to discuss this with Cadence, Shining Armor drastically speeding up things for his fellow warrior and friend. Twilight and Celestia both put aside their feelings for the same stallion and kept their own relationship intact.
The princesses and the beast
Cascades of snow crumble down the steep mountainside, fir trees are lifted by the icy wind and the ground is invisible beneath the crystalline white. Leonidas couldn't believe it himself.
He's back home.
The mountain has no name for the pegasus, only memories, and these are the reason for his coming, or his return. Dressed in leg-warmers, he kept his shirt off, feeling his surroundings as he always did, he thought. He didn't take a weapon either, just hoping a portal wouldn't show up now as he flew over the bleached, barely green forest.
Still knowing the way, it didn't take long for him to find what he was looking for, with a surface brighter than flakes and bark, the ice of his first home reflected back at him. A cave proof against cold, weather and unwary predators, for the top of the food chain sat inside, two stallions devouring any game against the impossibility of growing anything.
It was on entering that he discovered the place was still the same as the last time he'd left it, even the blood from his past meal had been washed away. It was so much the same as always that the most important thing was missing.
His father.
"To what do I owe your coming, stranger!" The familiar voice rang out from the cave entrance, along with the smell of a carcass. Leonidas turned to see him again, two extra scars on his legs were his only differences from the stallion who raised him, who gave him a purpose, a reason to fight and to be where he stood. But also his personal choices, ones over which he had no control.
"I've come back to ask you a few questions, Father!" The child affirmed, every child likes to ask questions and assert things without knowing it.
His father smiled as he set down the deer he'd shot and dragged onto his back, leaving his shoulder and dusty gray coat covered in the prey's blood. The bluish mane, ruffled by the weather outside, and the blackened tips of his hands made him incomparable to his son, who was now looking after his appearance. The missing wings are also a big part.
"I understand, you're finally making your own decisions, that means your stay among them went well I presume." He assured as he headed outside without giving a reason, Leonidas deciding to follow as he told him his facts.
"I'm a member of the Royal Guard, in a high branch of command because I'm directly protecting the new Princess Twilight Sparkle, I've stopped two portal attacks including one where I entered the dragon world to be able to save an inhabitant of Equestria. I've slaughtered over 3,000 pony enemies since that day..." he paused to leave the statistics for another time. "...I've also made friends." His father paused at this word, without changing his happy, tired expression.
"Of course you have, we're talking about ponies, the most peaceful people in these parts." he ruminated, Leonidas unsure whether the information disturbed or amused him. "In any case, good work, and I'm glad you came, this day promises to be special." He said without arguing before finding himself in the cold and snow, the latter reaching up to his knees which pushed it like a shovel.
"I've come to ask you about love!" Leonidas said bluntly, his discussion with Cadence would wait for another time.
The air becoming hot as his words were spoken, the father finally turned to his son, whom he now saw in a different light. Smiling, he began before receiving his famous question.
"So you're already there, it's much quicker than me at your age, but so be it!" He took out two sharpened sticks from a fir tree, similar to the ones they used to cleave the creatures that fed them, not to mention the incessant attacks from the kingdom's enemies. He threw one near Leonidas, who had the reflex to retrieve it with his right hand, asked nothing and let him continue.
"I knew your mother in my thirties, and she was cheerful most of the time when I made my rounds near her quarters. It was only after my victories in the games that we blossomed, and you were expected." He began by sitting down on the trunk torn from the ground, undisturbed by the cold just like his son, a mirror of his own youth who preferred to stand.
"I was assigned to the care of a wealthy noble heir from Canterlot, a little fool but I couldn't hate him, he'd known nothing of life, and he couldn't have known anything more." His tone didn't darken as he recounted. "He died on a cruise, under my protection, and I had become so mad not at his loss, but at my failure to carry out my mission, that when I got my hands on his murderer, there was nothing left of him in less than ten minutes." He watched the eagles circling above him. "My act of savagery terrified anyone who might have seen the body, and although the guard would always have accepted me, I chose to isolate myself alone from this world, I couldn't accept my failure."
Leonidas wouldn't say it, but he was certain he'd do the same to the person who would make all those under his protection suffer, especially the kingdom's princesses. If Twilight were to lose her life through his fault, he'd conclude that her life was worthless, and he'd end it right there and then. The realization that he'd never been afraid of failure when it was more than likely overcame him now, as his father noticed his posture but continued to narrate his past.
"Just before I escaped, I took you away, your mother must have suffered from the situation, if you ever found her alive again, tell her I'm sorry I didn't give her the life she wanted." His tone left no room for apology, he now seemed indifferent to this world and what could happen to it, as if it no longer concerned him. "Now that that part's in the past, let's get down to business. For a start, do you know what we are?" Asked the father, Leonidas understood the meaning though.
"Stallions!"
"Half right, half wrong." He announced with a smile and a sinister look. "My mother was a mare indeed, for the father on the other hand no chance, and what proves it is this!" He moved the joint of his legs, bending it with the point of the knee forward, the reverse of ponies. "This simple change in both our bodies proves that we're hybrids between two species, pony and maybe minotaur, that would explain our strength." He argued as Leonidas asked even more questions.
"Was my grandmother in love with a minotaur?"
"It's simpler to think of it that way, so do." His father replied, but he suspected the horrible truth behind his conception, Leonidas too in view of his answer.
"Know, however, that there is still hope that your children or grandchildren will be normal ponies, admire." He pushed back his mane and showed for the first time two spiky growths on his forehead, almost confirming the minotaur's theory. Leonidas couldn't keep his astonishment bottled up, his eyes widening under the revelation, his father who had raised him all his life had never shown such a physical anomaly.
Before asking, Leonidas checked for himself under tension that his own forehead was unmarked, even observing his reflection near the cave walls with haste. Still nothing new, except the panic of looking like those monsters one day.
"No need to panic, minotaurs get their horns early, you're spared. That should prove that your offspring won't get any either." He said although he had no certainty, their absence was indeed encouraging. "I've always hidden mine, my legs were already too weird for others to consider me normal."
"Are you hiding anything else like that from me?" Asked the stallion in anger, his own father whom he'd always trusted and given obedience to only seemed to, what Pinkie was already calling him, have fun.
"Actually yes, the biggest thing I've never told you is about that mark." He said without wasting any more time, pointing to a scar on his back, the only one present on that part of his body, resembling a deep blue lightning bolt.
"I've always wondered where that mark came from, I've had it for as long as I can remember." He looked up from his reflection of the cave to see the same mark or same place.
"That's because it appeared when you were born just like mine."
"What? How is that possible?" Leonidas asked.
"Magic, we unicorns never understand anything. You should know above all that its marks are the reason why portals have been appearing near us since we were born." He finally let go.
"You never tried to remove it ? You were in the royal guard after all." His son asserted after this new revelation, once again hiding his surprise, even as other new questions came flooding in.
"I've asked some competent unicorns in the guard but I've never been able to pull it off, so maybe you'll have a chance with the princesses." He quickly moved on to another subject, as if it were no longer important. "Anyway, I've come to the last part of our discussion." The elderly stallion stood up and brandished his staff as deftly as his son. "I want you to kill me."
"What do you mean, you're talking nonsense now." The mention of the word kill made Leonidas feel the wind freeze since his arrival, wondering what his father had in mind when he said such a thing. Almost feeling his breath escape and his heart beat at an alarming rate, he held on to his staff so tightly he'd break it in a moment.
"I'm asking you because I'm no longer in my prime, imagine the day when a portal opens and I fail to stop it, hordes of enemies could settle here and prepare an attack."
"I can ask to guard the place for as long as it takes, or better still, I'll take you to see the princesses, they'll find a way to remove this mark." Leonidas wanted to convince him, facing his father in a real fight seemed out of place.
His father felt anger at his solution.
"I didn't leave Equestria to go back, let alone to be watched, my place is here, and I'll die here because I've decided to, and by your hand because I want to witness what you've accomplished and what you still have to accomplish. You'll be the greatest hero this kingdom will ever know, and you'll bring the greatest peace a people could ever dream of, because I've taught you everything to that end." the low tone of his voice began to overhang the forest and the mountain's surroundings, creating like an echo on the cliffs.
"But why do you want to end up in this mountain alone when you can still come back and be part of this peace, see it built with me and all the ponies out there?" Leonidas replied, joining and amplifying the echo created.
"BECAUSE MY LIFE IS COMING TO AN END HERE, I'VE WORKED ENOUGH FOR THIS AND NOW IT'S TIME FOR ME TO REST!" He screamed with such force that his face and the rest of his body showed his veins frozen by the decades, all the surrounding creatures fleeing the ultimate predator of this mountain by air or land. All except Leonidas, who was pointed by his father's rudimentary weapon. "One last thing, be careful with love and feelings, I haven't taught you anything about them because I'm probably the worst person in the world at it, so far they've made me act the way I want like now, the exact opposite of an exemplary guard."
Leonidas didn't respond verbally, assuming his traditional training posture in front of his teacher.
"With your entourage, I know you'll manage, you're my son, my finest creation." he argued, taking up the mirror position of his opponent, a new smile taking place, he even allowed himself to laugh out loud. "Be the one I could not be Leonidas, never fail, remain blameless until your last breath, and now END MINE!" He howled in a final rattle before hurling himself towards his son.
Leonidas' ever-sharp reflexes made him parry the first blow, a fight to be fought without a second thought, father and son swinging through the snow and launching flurries of spear blows at each other, each parrying and dodging with ease as they had done all their lives, passing between trees and rocks. Their speed made them invisible to those still on the mountain, even though the oldest was just an earth pony, the scars on their bodies and the environment not slowing them down at all. The snow twirled with each stride, dazzling their opponents long enough to attempt an approach or a projectile throw, always unsuccessful on both sides.
These are two warriors at the peak of their art, with nothing left to learn in the field.
The earth stallion hurls himself at Leonidas with spear point and horned growths, missing but breaking a tree in two under his charge, his horns too small to stick into the bark. His son follows up by blocking his weapon with his own and a fist that lands on a rock, shattering it rather than the pegasus' hand.
Retaliating with another headbutt, Leonidas receives a new scar, the most conspicuous because his father's horn has hit his cheek with the straightest possible stroke, but this is how the confrontation ends.
For Leonidas' spear is now lodged in his father's ribs, Leonidas holding it so tightly that he shatters it with the realization that he will have no further answer. His opponent's weapon falls to the ground as his eyes meet his gaze, one last proud smile etched on his face before he falls to his knees, then to his stomach to let nature reclaim the mountain.
"I still had... so many things to ask you..." announced the member of the royal guard, scrutinizing the already frozen body of the man who raised him to his feet. "What should I do now, with what you've told me..." he concluded before finally falling silent, with the wind as his only company.
For the first time since he'd been born, Leonidas felt cold, Leonidas felt things he shouldn't feel, not after his father had revealed so much about his life, about himself, about what was him. Keeping his stance and stubborn face intact, it was then that a drop of water spilled from his eye and ran down his new scar, freezing on its way to the ground covered by a million other drops of water.
Today, the mountain was free of its predator.
The princesses and the beast
Author's Note
Sorry for my bad english, i'm french and i translate my stories for Fimfiction ^^
The first impression
Today is a seemingly normal day in Ponyville, in the morning this morning the ponies would follow Celestia's call and start their day. It seemed normal, on the surface, as danger was created under the gaze of the unconscious ponies.
Rainbow Dash made her morning flight, her wings performing the classic pirouettes and acrobatics she mastered to perfection. "Oh yeah, I'm really the coolest," she said with a satisfied smile on her face.
But she was noticing something in the sky, something... not so cool... Indeed, through two clouds hid a portal, dark and ominous, it seemed to be a bad omen. Not knowing vaguely what it was, she decided to tell Twilight about it, "She must surely have read a book about it" she thought to herself, landing in front of her door.
After asking her for more information, the two friends walked to the famous portal so that Twilight could find out for sure. Once in front of it, she couldn't believe it. "Rainbow Dash, look at the colors of the gate, does it remind you of anyone?" She asks her friend. The gate was a mixture of black and dark green, which let out many of her worries.
"Sorry Twilight, but I don't know who you're talking about..." she announced, a little lost in front of the Magenta Princess' request. "If Rainbow, with her dark colors and disturbing noises, reminds me of..." Twilight doesn't have time to express her fears that the portal is reacting, something is coming out of it, several things even.
Creatures well known to the elements of friendship come out in large numbers. Its insect wings, small horns and the holes in their skin leave no room for doubt. "CHANGELINS" is written by the two friends as a swarm of watches emerge from the portal. "THE PRINCESS CELESTIA MUST BE PREVENTED," says Twilight as she tries to escape. Rainbow Dash quickly moves away from the enemies but Twilight is not fast enough and quickly finds herself surrounded by changelings. "TWILIGHT, COME OUT OF HERE" shouted the pegasus with its multicolored mane.
But the changelins have formed a circle around the beetle, even hiding the sun. "RAINBOW DASH, GO AWAY FROM THE PRINCESS THAT WILL COME SOON!!" she asked, still surrounded by enemies. The situation seems lost for Twilight, who charges as quickly as possible with magic rays to eliminate a few changelings, without discouraging the rest of the trouble. "AAAHHHHHHHH!" she shouts as she closes her eyes so she doesn't see her enemies coming at her. She's expecting carnage, suffering, she just hopes Rainbow Dash can get away...
... Then... nothing, absolutely nothing, Twilight is still waiting but nothing seems to attack her.
She decides to open her eyes through her hooves to see what's going on, and she can't believe it again. Her eyes open to the maximum, showing her surprise, as something is standing in front of her, but the thing in question is much bigger and more massive than mere changelings. As she carefully examines the situation, she begins to spot some distinctive features of the silhouette: large wings, a dry whip-like tail and a mane that is illuminated by the sun, giving it a golden appearance. When she sees the sun again, she realizes something else, the changelins in front of her have disappeared. It doesn't take her long to see them again on the sides of the silhouette... cut in half.
The monsters that previously surrounded her were on either side of her, in two separate pieces, followed by a few drops of blood. It was then that, returning to the silhouette in front of her, the thing held in its right hoof a sharp spear, also gorged with blood. No doubt now, this thing is a pegasus and with its spear, it sliced half of the changelins in one blow. Its size is incredible, its muscular and massive body surely makes it even bigger than Celestia herself, no one thinks it possible.
"TWILIGHT!" said Rainbow Dash as she pulled her friend away from the rest of the changelings. "Wait, Rainbow, who's that?" she asks, trying not to get too far away from him. As other changelins move towards the two friends, the figure intervenes once again cutting the threat. He now stands in front of Twilight and Rainbow Dash, who see his face. In addition to the scar on his left eye, forcing him to let it close, his other eye is wide open and filled with a comforting sky blue. For the rest, his right jaw and those frowning eyebrows characterize his motivation to stop the attack.
His gaze then turns to the two ponies he is protecting, not knowing what to think, turns around without saying a word, wanting to finish the attack.
During his last escapade in front of the terrible changelings, which was not a problem for him, Twilight wondered a lot about his mysterious saviour and he intrigued him to the point. Once all the changelings were eliminated, a voice on the ground alerted all of Ponyville.
"THE PRINCESS CELESTIA, THE PRINCESS CELESTIA IS HERE" announced the voice. It was on this announcement that the Princess made her appearance accompanied by numerous armed guards. The first to move upon her arrival was not a pony on the ground, not even Twilight, no... it was this giant and mysterious pegasus and landed quickly in front of her while kneeling on the ground.
"Princess Celestia, it is an honour to finally meet you," you said, the spear still straight and your other front paw placed under your torso, like a knight in the Middle Ages.
Everybody was surprised, not to see you in this position although it is not common for ponies, but surprised by your still overwhelming size. Celestia herself could not believe that any other pony than her or her sister could reach such a mass. While the ponies bend down one by one to bow to their sun princess, many remain sceptical of you.
It was then that the Princess took the floor.
"You can get up," she asked the crowd, who did so, except for you, who remained on one knee on the ground. "You can get up, warrior," she asked you specifically.
"As a princess you must keep your greatness and being greater than you, I must stay down," you said, followed by a general misunderstanding. Princess Celestia finds herself slightly blushing at your words, which she takes to be a good intention, before continuing.
"As you wish, I would like to know more about you, as long as I am Princess of the Day, I have never seen a pony like you. I thank you on behalf of all of us for defending Ponyville from that attack, so I invite you to my castle, so we can talk freely there." She said.
The whole crowd is astonished that Princess Celestia is willing to invite a stranger into her castle. Although you've defended the city, some people are suspicious of you. You feel looks coming on you, but don't pay any attention to it. Always on the ground and with your eyes closed, you respond to this request.
"Your invitation goes straight to my heart and I would like to accept it, but this is no time for discussion Princess Celestia. The portal is still open and the demons that have come out are only scouts, a much larger attack is brewing and I must return to my post." Tell you what. You know his portals well, you've already closed some with your father not long ago, the two of you facing a small army of demons.
"You seem to know his portals well, I understand your common concern. I want you to know that every soldier here is ready to fight, we're going to shut down that portal and we'll talk later. I would just like to know your name." She asks you. You answer her without delay. "My name is Lance" the princess and all the ponies present will try to remember, even if it is only the name of your weapon.
"May I go back to my post, Princess Celestia?" You ask, not acting without her request.
"Go, Lance, and have all soldiers accompany him," she commands the troops present. While all the ponies are wondering about you, you fly to the gate, taking the role of lookout, waiting for the attack that may come at any moment. While the rest of the troops are resting on the surrounding clouds, you stay in the air, your wings continuing their incessant beating.
Night falls on Ponyville, you haven't eaten anything but stay in front of the gate, keeping an eye on it, while all the royal soldiers fall asleep one after the other.
The princesses and the beast
The strenght of the warrior
It is on this restful night that you watch at the gate in front of you, like Princess Luna, you are the eyes of Equestria on this night. As you prepared to watch alone until the fateful moment, someone came behind you. You feel it all too well, this person seems peaceful, he is not very threatening, and in any case, you saved him a short while ago.
"Good evening Lance" said the voice, which approaches your position and even ends up landing on the same cloud as you. It is Princess Twilight, who seems determined to talk to you.
"What do you want princess?" Ask yourself, too busy guarding the portal to bow down. This one sits right next to you, head full of questions.
"Thank you for saving me this morning, I'm Princess Twilight, but I have something else to tell you Lance, or rather to ask you," she says, hoping not to bother you during your shift.
"Can't this wait until after the attack?" Ask yourself, not bothering to turn around to face him, scanning for any anomalies through the portal beams.
"It won't take long if you answer all my questions quickly," she said, which then began her interrogation of you. "So to start with, I'd like you to tell me about yourself, everyone asks who you are, but no one dares to ask you," she says.
"If you tell everyone what I tell you, will they let me protect them without asking further questions if I understand correctly?" Ask yourself, a question she confirms, any story will be out by tomorrow morning and you won't have to answer again.
"Well, in that case, I've been living with my father for 20 years in the snowy mountains in that direction" you then point with your hoof in the exact direction of where you were born, but also where you've spent all your life. You continue your story.
"Since I was born, he taught me everything, mainly to prepare me for my destiny, to protect Equestria," you say. Intrigued by your formulation, Princess Twilight asks you what your destiny is.
"He told me that I was a special pony, that I had the perfect body to fulfil this role" you said, and indeed it is hard to prove you wrong, your body is built for battles if you can put it that way. "My father also has a body different from all of you, just like mine. He said that I had to make up for the mistakes he made in the past, but now I don't know what mistakes he's talking about," you tell yourself. You are becoming more and more intrigued by Twilight, as she wants to know more about you, but in the end she has more questions than answers.
"So, you're following your father's destiny and you've been training with him for 20 years in the mountains, right?" she asks. You confirm her summary and she starts again with another question.
"Aren't you... afraid of that destiny?" She asks, to which you don't know what to answer. "Afraid? What is fear?" Ask yourself.
"What do you mean, you don't know fear? The word fear?" She asks intrigued by your answer. "It's part of how we all feel, you must have said it at least once," she said, hoping your answer would make sense to her.
"Feelings?" You wonder, indeed, your father never used his words in his 20 years together.
"What, you don't know... what feelings are?" Says Twilight, shocked to learn that a stud in his prime doesn't know those words existed, much less what they express. "Feelings are all the emotions we express, fear, joy, sadness, happiness... you all know that, don't you?" She asks again.
You decide for the first time to take your eyes off the gate for a few seconds to look at her. She seems to be really worried about you, and she will probably be even more so after you answer "I'm sorry, Princess Twilight, I don't know any of your terms, my father didn't teach me them because they must be useless for the war," you nod, resuming your surveillance of the portal.
Twilight was stunned by your answer, you didn't look at her anymore, but you could feel her gaze almost filled with pity for you. A thought quickly occurred to her. She stood up and came even closer to you, slipping into your field of vision, without hindering you and always letting you scan the portal.
"Lance, my friends and I are what we call the elements of harmony," she began. "We represent the emotions and friendship in Equestria, would you like us to..."
You were half listening to her as the portal began to change, he's wrong about himself, as if he's going to implode. You react with a quarter turn, so you're up in the sky in a flutter.
"They're coming, Princess Twilight, go!" Be warned, the primary mission you have in mind is to protect the princesses first, they rule this world, what would happen to them if something happened to them?
"Wait, I'm not..." she begins, before you unintentionally cut her off, not listening to her anymore.
"SOLDIERS!!!" Say it out loud to wake up the dreamy battalion. Your call is answered by simple plaintive grunts. You don't pay any attention to it. "The portal is entering phase two, a legion of demons are preparing to emerge. Prepare yourself, we must stop them from reaching Ponyville" you warn.
At the command you just gave, the guards remember their primary missions and begin to rise one by one with difficulty. Most of them are still dreaming and can only stand thanks to their spear as a third leg.
Once again, you can manage on your own, you had done it far too many times with your father in the mountains. You look behind you one last time to see the Twilight Princess still standing there, not having moved a feather.
Before they arrive !
"PROTECT THE PRINCESS!!!!" You shouted up into the heavens for the guards, waking them for good this time.
You waited for no reinforcements and rushed at your enemies, who looked like ponies but with horns and holes in their bodies. You brandish your spear and start slicing through the waves of monsters coming out of the portal, none of them escape you. Your speed and strength are just one bite at the entire legion of deformed creatures that come out.
You are so effective that the guards are just watching you defeat the threat while surrounding the Twilight Princess to protect her.
"What are you doing, go help her!" The Princess protested as she saw their futility.
"But Princess, there doesn't seem to be any need for us" commented one of the guards.
"ROYAL ORDER !" She finally screamed as she gave her supreme opinion. The guards didn't wait for another recall to rush in, only a few of them staying close to the princess.
But the guards were right, you were too efficient to let them do their job, you did that all your childhood after all.
As no more monsters came out of the gate, the guards thought it was all over and they would be able to find their cozy cloud again.
But not you !
Suddenly, a monster much bigger than the previous ones came out of the gate, rushing at the first pony within its reach. Which was none other than you.
The creature with long, snake-like hair had two dark daggers with it, corresponding to him. It also had a vile viper's tongue that was out in the open. It tried to stick its weapons into your body but you retaliated by blocking them with your spear, moving only slightly backwards from your position.
The guards in the surrounding area became afraid of the violence of the attack and retreated, brandishing their spears as a sign of defence. You don't pay attention to this.
"What have we got here? A competent pony?" She asked you as her eyes tried to bewitch you.
You immediately understood her play and closed your pupils while answering her.
"How by Celestia can a creature of your kind be gifted with speech?" Did you say, seeing this type of specimen for the first time.
"We're far superior to you ponies, you'll soon find out" she whispered, bringing her mouth closer to your ear, and by extension her long tongue.
Realizing that her gaze was no longer focused on your eyes, she opened yours and immediately regained control of the situation. In a fraction of a second, you moved your spear in front of her abdomen, before driving it inside without any hesitation.
"HHHAAA" she screamed in pain, spanking her daggers to the floor of Ponyville. "How dare you pierce a woman, I dare not!" She would know as she looked at him again, her eyes full of hatred.
"Male or female I don't care, I'll eliminate anything that can harm my people" you replied, forcing her eyes, seeing that she no longer had the strength to try to bewitch you.
You thought you had impaled her, that she must be the queen of her creatures and that it was the end of the dead attacks that you had been fighting for ages. Except she used her magic to get out of your slaying with some difficulty.
"WE WILL MEET AGAIN!" Did she respond by staring at you until she returned to her portal, shutting it down in the process.
It was when you saw the last ounce of the purple portal disappear in the mist that you finally put your spear back in the compartment in your back, realizing that it was over for tonight.
The guards were stunned to see you in action, now understanding better why the Princesses Celestia and Twilight seemed to be taking an interest in you. He also wondered how a pony of your size and strength could exist, but once again you were not interested.
Instead, your first instinct was to go back to the Princess.
"Princess Twilight, are you all right?" Did you ask as you crouched down as you did with Princess Celestia earlier. Except this time, even if you were lying on the floor, you'd still be taller than her, so you only got down on one knee.
"Uh, yeah, I'm fine, but you... you're fine, too?" She asked you.
"It doesn't matter, but since you're asking me, no Princess Twilight, I have no injuries" you nodded.
"Well, thanks again for your intervention, Lance," she said shyly. "Tomorrow, first thing in the morning, we'll both go and see Princess Celestia and talk about how you fit in with the other ponies, okay?" She says next.
"Very well Princess Twilight, for the time being, I advise you to rest" you dared to propose, reprimanding yourself inwardly for this intervention.
"Very good idea, Lance" she nodded, "do the same" she said before leaving for her house on the floor.
"Have a good night, Princess Twilight," you said, your voice reaching through the clouds to her ears.
"You too, Lance, you too," she said as she flew to the tree that housed her bookcase, feeling a slight reddening on her cheeks.