Chapters The sun was blazing down upon the arena that hot afternoon. A body fell to the ground as blood seeped out as a sword blade slid out and another body fell on all fours to catch his breath. Up in the stadium there were three other ponies watching the cadet as one of them sighed and turned to a guard, "Call in a medi..."
"Have him do it again." One pony told the soldier.
"Sir?"
The other grinned, "You deaf son? Have him go through another exercise."
The soldier sighed as he looked at his young cadet panting but looking calm.
Come on, if you are wanting more I can give you more... the cadet thought to himself as he was looking up at the arena.
The pony nodded to the gate keeper who opened up a much larger gate. The ground already began to shakeas dust began to blow. The young cadet took a deep breath as he lifted his sword as a dark blue aura surrounded the handle his silver armor glared into the sun as he looked through his visor as he felt sweat go down his face. Standing before him was a beast, a minotaur with horns sharper than the blade it carried. The blade looked rigged and dull, but at any point he could get crushed with that blade. With a mighty roar the cadet grinned under his guard as he braced himself and watched the beast charge at him swinging the blade around its back ready to strike. The cadet waited a few more seconds and disappeared as it slammed the blade into the ground kicking up dust. It tilted its head.
Suddenly it roared as a stream of smoke rose from its back. The minotaur turned and saw the cadet swing his blade back and forth intimidating the beast. It gave in and slid its hind leg launching itself at the cadet. He raised his blade to block the hit and grunted as he felt the weight of the sword blade slowly come down. He was worried that his sword would break as it started to bend. he used his magic and teleported away with a big bang from the sword blade. The cadet appeared and fired another blast of his magic making it roar. The beast ran at the cadet as he sighed, "Just wont give up huh?"
He clashed his blade several times, the last time he was slammed into the arena wall. The cadet shook his head as he looked at his armor already dusty and dented he saw the minotaur roar as he readied himself to charge at the beast. He made a run for it as the beast started to slide and began to swing its blade. He jumped over the blade as he lunged at the minotaur's chest and disappeared again. After a couple more seconds the cadet appeared sliding and breathing heavily. The beast slowly turned around and looked down at its chest noticing a stab wound from the cadet's blade. It roared as it fell down on all fours scratching and pounding at the ground. He shook his head looking at his blade seeing blood drip from the stab. He took a deep breath closing his eyes letting the sweat roll down his face feeling the movement of the beast as he began to charge at full speed. Suddenly, he opened his eyes and fires a blast of magic to trip the beast. He jumped up and spun around aiming his blade at the minotaur's back. As he was ready to plunge the blade he got knocked back with a blast of magic being slammed into a wall.
The three ponies watched as they soon saw a white alicorn with a flowing pink mane walk over to the minotaur and examined its wound. Her horn began to light up a golden yellow as the wound slowly began to heal. She then calmed the beast and walked over to the cadet to check him for wounds then turned to the three ponies, "You call this training! It's nothing but pitiful! You two up there should be ashamed!"
The three looked frozen as the alicorn slowly picked up the cadet, "Get him to medical now! And you two need to see the queen!" She soon walked off leaving one of the ponies to walk off.
The other one sighed as he looked at another guard, "Get medical." He said as he walked off leaving only one more to watch the cadet. He grinned watching him lift his visor and guard and was limping. The pony sighed as he walked out.
The next morning Nighthawk was up on his hooves at the armory getting smoked by his supplier. "That's enough from you! This is the third set of armor that you, you destroyed in the last month."
"Cut me some slack Bones. It's not my fault that iv'e been through deadly training."
Bones picked up a folder signing a paper and threw it in Nighthawk's face. "And you blame your father for this?"
He raised his eyebrow thinking that was rhetorical.
"Oh you so do blame your father!"
"Bones please? I need new armor!"
"Forget it hawk! You wasted more bits on my armor than your father did on his first set."
"At least my father wasted his bits on those stupid flight adjustments!"
Bones looked at Nighthawk one last time and a few minutes later, Nighthawk was walking out rubbing his face from getting getting kick in the face. "Old stallion sucks with his armor anyway. I hope he dies in a hole?" Suddenly he bumped into another pony and knocked her over and made her drop her stuff. "Oh great. I'm so sorry."
The pony started grabbing stuff with her hooves and magic, "No, no it's my fault. I'm too focused into books."
"No, it's mine." He started to help her out and then stopped admiring the young mare. A beautiful blue mane with a small strip of her mane flowing down her lovely diamond colored eyes and white skin she looked up as she blushed and lit up her horn. The yellow colored aura reminded him of his mother as he lit up his horn and extended his hoof out picking her up. "N-Nighthawk."
She did her best to hide her face as she looked at Nighthawk again, "S-Starfrost Freeze."
He handed her the rest of the books as he started blushing, "Should. Erm. Do you?"
She chuckled, "Umm, I have to go."
With a lost and disappointed look he sighed watching her leave, "Right. A great way to blow yourself off like that." He got to his training class as they were practicing sword strikes. Mostly blocks and quick parries.
"Fighting with a weapon is more than just attack, it's a learning experience. With every block you learn the kind of tactics your opponent uses." The instructor looks at Nighthawk as he got smacked across the face with a training sword and falls over. "Cadet Nighthawk! I'd recommend you get your head out of the clouds and block your hits."
He quickly got back up readying his weapon and shaking his head, "No distractions sir!"
"You say that loverboy." The instructor mumbled under his breath as Nighthawk swung his blade.
Two sword blades clashed as Princess Celestia and another alicorn were fighting. She watched Luna come in from behind swing her blade downward but was quickly blocked by the alicorn as she put all of her weight into the blade and pushed Luna back while kicking Celestia back and left them frozen as the alicorn used her magic to form another blade.
The Queen smiled as the Captain walked over, "Very well done princess, I admire the form. Celestia and Luna, don't underestimate your enemy."
Luna lifted her visor, "We didn't underestimate our enemy. We just, didn't plan for her to be so."
Celestia grinned under her visor, "Skilled?"
"That's underestimating an enemy Luna."
She rolled her eyes and lowered her visor as the Queen chuckled, "That will be enough for today, girls. May you excuse us?"
The girls bowed as they walked out leaving them alone. "They have trained quite well, Captain Blaze."
"They learn from the best madam." Captain Phoenix Blaze replied with a smile.
She chuckled, "They do indeed."
"So what do you need to discuss your highness?"
The queen sighed as she lit up her horn revealing what looked like Nighthawk and the Captain already had an idea of what she was ready to talk about.
"Oh." The Captain replied.
"You are aware of the Great war, stated in the prophecy?"
"Oh, I thought you would be discussing something different. Perhaps about his training and armor."
"Well, that is part of it."
Phoenix sighed, "Oh...right."
The two talked late into the night but somehow Phoenix was so heated he marched out heading towards his office. he sat down and pressed a button on his pad as a dark figure appeared, "She speaks of the prophecy again."
The Captain nodded, "Seems like our little cadet is is one to hit big soon."
"Is he a threat to our plans."
"If what the Queen says is true. Then yeah, he'll be a problem."
The figure nodded, "Then we better convince him what to believe in while he is still young."
Phoenix nodded, "Leave that to me sir."
Thousands of years ago, before the mane six came to be, or even before Discord unleashed his chaos. There was a beautiful queen who ruled the land she called Equestria. Although her name is unknown, she ruled her land with kindness and compassion to her subjects alongside her two beautiful daughters who would take rule. As time went on however, her land was soon threatened by other regions and other kingdoms wanting to take control. Others wanted to kill the queen and her daughters due to their kindness and how she ruled. Finally, she had enough and decided to raise an army to help keep Equestria at peace led by her chosen officers of the highest rank. As time went on the land was at peace, but only for a short time.
There was word of a prophecy one that would jeopardize the whole fate of Equestria. A war so bloody, so dark not even the Defenders themselves wouldn't be enough to win the war. But there was hope. The prophecy spoke of seven legendary heroes, Guardians, wielding legendary elements that would be Equestria's only hope of bringing victory to the war. As dark as this prophecy was it soon died out over the years to many, although a select few believe that all six elements have been gathered, the seventh is unknown, and will never be known until the war begins...
Back in the med room the cadet was reading a book with an ice pack on his bruised side. There was a knock at the door as a medic walked in, "Are you feeling better?"
"Better than I can miss."
She checked his vitals and chuckled, "Well, you will be better tomorrow morning."
He smiled, "Can I go home?"
She chuckled, "Sorry, not quite yet. Need to finish up some more tests. Rest well." She said as she walked out handing a file to another pony, "Nighthawk wont be ready. Tomorrow."
He sighed, "He will be ready tomorrow. That's an order."
Nighthawk watched the door as he pulled out a picture and saw three ponies, one whose mane looked blue as the sea with a loving smile, another in a royal guard uniform, with a red mane, and a young filly with a red mane and blue eyes smiling upon his mother and father. He smiled and then remembered his dream of wanting to join the Royal guard, a young stallion with a mane colored as flames. lighting up his horn to raise his first sword blade. Suddenly he got another knock at the door as another alicorn in silver armor walked in. She looked so beautiful, with her dark blue mane flowing and blue eyes. Her voice was peaceful and soothing.
"Oh, erm, Princess Luna. What a surprise." Nighthawk said trying to get out of bed.
"As you were cadet, I just came to visit a friend."
He relaxed and sighed, "Just didn't expect to see you."
She chuckled, "Yes, this was kind of unexpected, but I would've felt bad if I didn't visit my favorite cadet."
For as long as Nighthawk's father wore armor as a guard, he stuck close to the two princesses as if they were the older sisters he never had. Even though they rarely see each other, he enjoys the small things they do for him.
"I was informed that you would be back in training tomorrow?" Luna asked.
Nighthawk rolled his eyes, "So stupid why they do stuff like that. After what I was through today."
"I'll admit, that isn't right, but you can't go against the General's orders."
"I bet he went against your mother's orders huh?"
Luna rolled her eyes, "He's a stubborn stallion, but perhaps having you in tomorrow might be something that you need."
"What about the Captain?" Nighthawk asked taking a sip of his water that he had on the stand.
With a sigh she smiled, "Let's just say that your father will be in a little late than expected tonight."
"Typical." Nighthawk replied as he laid his head on his pillow.
Luna opened the door as she gave a slight nod, "Get some rest cadet. Pleasant dreams." She closed the door as he shook his head and closed his eyes.
He rarely saw his father with how busy he was training new troops, or providing what protection he could give for the Queen and Princesses. But nonetheless Nighthawk always looked up to his father and trains his hardest to become a Captain just like his father.
