Lithium adjusted her armor across her back, internally lamenting the fact she had to wear it today. It was cumbersome and restricted her movements, but it was intimidating, also useful in its own way, especially against what she was facing today.
New recruits to the Canterlot Royal Guard.
They came in a wave every year, fresh faced young mares and stallions with dreams of being a hero for Her Majesties. Her job was to thoroughly squash that desire, and instill instead a sense of true determination for righteous justice, so that they were able to work as a cohesive unit instead of dangerous lone wolves.
Tying her pastel pink mane back into a sensible bun, she secured the more stubborn tendrils with aqua coloured clips that contrasted well with her slate grey coat and cool purple eyes. Stepping into her stainless steel shoes, she was now ready to begin the day.
Lithium stepped out of the apartment complex, her hooves clacking against the paved streets of Canterlot. Her eyes reflexively scanned few ponies up at this hour, then turned to scan the sky for any threats. It wasn’t even a conscious thing, but one can never be too careful, attacks had happened before and would happen again. Her eyes picked out a dark shape lurking on a rooftop in the dim light, and her silvery white horn began to glow. The shape stretched a lazy, leathery wing and she relaxed, realising it was just a particularly oblivious Night Guard. Her horn glowed again, this time pulling a hair from the batpony’s tail. The Guard bolted upright into a combat stance, peering down at his tail. She cleared her throat, and the Guard finally noticed Lithium below him. Sheepishly saluting, he stood at attention, blending seamlessly into the shadows. Though she understood all too well how boring guard duty was, she also knew he had to be reprimanded when he got back to the barracks. Sleeping on the job was not protecting the citizens of their city.
She sighed, her breath steaming slightly in the cool morning air. The sky was still heavy with early dawn, Celestia only just beginning to raise the sun. Lithium gave a discreet slight bow towards the rising sun, her greeting to both the day and to the Solar Princess.
Setting off at a brisk trot, she made her way towards the castle, mentally running herself through the exercises she would run the new recruits through. Most of them would drop out within the first day, but those who persevered would be rewarded with her begrudging respect.
* * * * * * *
Lithium glanced through the window to check out the recruits before she arrived. The recruits shuffled in place, murmuring excitedly as they waited the arrival of the instructor. They stood haphazardly, some were even lounging around chatting. One particularly loud powder blue stallion was telling a rather crass story about a mare he had met. Lithium narrowed her eyes, instantly picking that one as a problem which needed special attention.
Her horn lit up like a beacon and Lithium smashed open the doors with her hind hooves, bucking them nearly to splinters with a loud crash. She trotted into the stunned silence, picking up each hoof and placing it very firmly and deliberately. It gave her a haughty, commanding gait and she knew it was effective by the sound of the excited breathing of over one hundred recruits.
Coming to a stop, she clacked her hooves together and pivoted on the spot, staring down her nose at each and every pimply faced young pony in front of her. Only her eyes moved, and her mouth was held in a firm line. The door slammed behind her, a slight crunching noise could be heard as they closed. Though her face betrayed nothing, she made a mental note to have the doors repaired and rebuilt again. If they couldn’t handle a good buck, they were failures as doors. Taking a breath, she began to pace before the group of spellbound ponies. It was time to begin.
“DO YOU CALL THAT GARBLED MAZE OF RATS A FORMATION? LINE UP, YOU VERMIN.”
The ponies jumped, scrambling to and fro as they arranged themselves into straight lines. Lithium walked between the lines, sharply prodding each with her horn until they stood exactly as they needed to, in uniform, straight lines. She walked back to the front, standing tall before them. Her voice was low and even, belying the dangerous power she had trained years to achieve.
“My name is Lithium. You will address me as ‘Ma’am”. My duty while you are under my charge is to bring you in to line with what is expected of the elite Royal Guards. You will obey me without question. You will sleep when I tell you to sleep, eat when I tell you to eat. You will not use the bathroom unless I give you permission.
I will turn you from the pathetic nobodies that you are into ponies worthy of working under Her Majesties. I will break you down, and build you into a better pony than you ever thought you could be. Look to your left and right. Most of those ponies will not be here by the end of today. If you are here to advance quickly, you will not do so through connections,” her eyes briefly met the pale blue stallion’s, “But through perseverance and dedication to justice. If you are here to be a hero, get out.”
Her eyes narrowed as she noticed the stallion from earlier had fallen out of line and was now leaning against a wall, his front hooves casually crossed, pointedly ignoring the meaning of her glance. Stalking over to him, she stared down at the young pup.
“Did I say that you could relax, Private?” her voice was quiet, and yet it reverberated throughout the auditorium.
“Did I say I needed your permission, peasant?” the pegasus arched his eyebrow at her, his very atmosphere condescending and dismissive.
“State your name.” her voice was like ice now, and the room felt like it had darkened considerably.
“I am Compass Star, heir to the Star fortune. I have been in weapons training for many years with a private tutor, and I am only here because Father feels it would be good for me to get to know the rabble such as yourself.”
“Well, Private Star. Please step to the front of the room. A stallion of your pedigree should be seen by all.”
Lithium led the smug stallion to the front of the room, he was practically skipping with the thought that his family name had cowed this proud unicorn. He strutted before his comrades, many of who looked disdainful and disappointed, having hoped that the Instructor's word about how there would be no preferential treatment to the wealthy upper class in the Guard would be true.
Lithium turned to face the stallion abruptly. “Private Star, in which weapon did you train for all those years?”
“The lance. The only weapon that a noble pegasus would ever hold. No one can beat a pegasi properly wielding a lance.” Compass Star boasted proudly.
“Indeed, having the aerial advantage is beneficial.” Lithium’s horn flashed, and a lance from the armory dropped in front of Compass Star. “Why don’t you give us a demonstration of the fruits of your private tutor’s labors?”
Practically preening, the stallion scooped up the lance and took a battle stance.
“I’d be delighted. Whom shall I duel?”
“Me.”
Lithium darted to the side, her movements as quick as lightning. Her magic forming a thin silver blade that whipped through the air towards the stallion. He flapped his wings in reflex, spinning into the air away from the blade, tucking the lance under his leg. He dropped through the air like a stone, arcing towards her from above. She barrel rolled to the side, landing on her hooves as she galloped across the auditorium to the wall. Her muscular legs flexed, leaping towards the wall, landing on it and using her momentum to gallop upwards, before turning and pushing off from the wall in a graceful spin. The over eager stallion had flown behind her, chasing her into what he had seen as a dead end for the flightless pony.
His eyes now widened in horror at the sight of Lithium’s dark form falling towards him, and he frantically flapped his wings trying to reverse his course, but it was too late. She landed upon his back, the weight of the attack forcing him to land in an ungraceful heap. Gripping his mane in her teeth, Lithium pulled his mane back, exposing his neck to her blade. She held it against his throat, the sharp magical weapon quivering.
“Never ever rely only on your wings. They mean nothing in the face of experience.” she spat out his mane and let Compass Star rise, his face flushed with rage and humiliation. “I ended that battle in less than fifteen seconds. Your tutor should be fired.”
Lithium turned back to the class, her breathing composed and not a hair out of place in her mane.
“This is what I will be teaching you. Every tribe has a weakness, and every tribe can overcome that weakness. Insolence will not be tolerated.”
Feeling the air move across her tail, Lithium reflexively bucked her back hoof, smashing it into the stallion who had just tried to attack her from behind. She looked down on him with pity as he lay gasping on the floor. She pressed a hoof to his head, forcing his muzzle down onto the floor before her.
“For the display here today, each of you will now run fifty laps of the training yard. You will not stop running even if your hooves begin to shed blood. Am I making myself clear?”
“Yes Ma’am!” came the resounding reply.
Lithium ground her hoof slightly into Compass Star’s head.
“Yes ma’am.” he muttered from the floor. She nodded, releasing him and hauling him up by the scruff of his neck.
“Oh and Corporal Witherwings,” Lithium’s head whipped around to the small window high above her, where a brown batpony was peering in. At being noticed, he squeaked and fell out of sight, the sound of his ungraceful crashing could be heard as he scrambled to open the doors. His small tufted head finally peered around the auditorium doors, his face flushed. “Since you must be so refreshed after your nap while on duty this morning, you may join the students. Show them how you can do one hundred laps in the time it takes them to do fifty.”
Corporal Witherwings groaned, his head hanging in shame.
“Yes ma’am.”
Author's Note
Written as a gift to a friend of mine, Bluekazenate. Lithium belongs to her.