Gallus wasn't sure where or when the idea first came to him. When he'd first come to Equestria to attend the School of Friendship he had assumed he'd just go back to Griffonstone after a semester or two and be done with it. He hadn't planned on actually making friends, yet a group of five very special creatures had found their way into his heart and now he could no longer imagine his life without them.
Because of this the young griffon began to feel like he had to do something after his inevitable graduation. And that something eventually took the form of a rather bold and unusual idea, an idea that he kept to himself for a long time. It wasn't until graduation for him and his friends rolled around that Gallus could no longer keep it a secret. At the party held at Sugarcube Corner to celebrate his class' graduation, Gallus was pressed by his friends about his plans.
"I'm going to join the royal guard!" Gallus told them as he puffed out his chest. This statement shocked not just his friends but everyone who heard him, including many of his professors and even Supreme Ruler Twilight (who had come to Ponyville to preside over the graduation ceremony, it was weird to refer to her as queen).
In fact, it was Twilight who expressed the most concern about Gallus' decision. "Are you absolutely sure that's what you want to do with your life, Gallus? The royal guard isn't a profession for the faint of heart."
"Yeah," Silverstream spoke up as she flew close to Gallus. "Besides, don't you wanna go back to Griffonstone and see if maybe there's a life for you there? It's not like we have to all go our separate ways now that we've graduated, we can still be together, right?"
The young griffon just sighed. He knew Silverstream meant well, but she couldn't understand and neither could any of his other friends. "Griffonstone has come a long way, but it's still changing. I know I can't deny my heritage and I do want to go back to my home land someday. But Equestria has become my home too, I feel like I have to do something to give back to the place that gave me so much. And what better way to do that than by serving with the very ones responsible for its protection?"
It soon became clear to all that Gallus was sincere about his desire. Nothing could persuade him otherwise. And so it was that Twilight had to take him aside and tell him. "If you really want to join the royal guard so badly, I can talk to my brother and see what he thinks. As captain, he has the final say on matters like this. If he doesn't think you're guard material then there's little I can do."
Gallus just boasted! "Who in their right mind could ever think I wasn't worthy of the royal guard?! I've faced down so many threats without batting an eye! I've shown my dedication and commitment! I guarantee you that I'll not only be joining them, but shooting up their ranks in no time!" Though under his breath he added. "I hope."
It took a few days for Twilight to write to Shining Armor in the Crystal Empire officially requesting permission for Gallus to undergo training. And for Shining himself to issue a reply. His formal response was brief but spoke volumes. He wanted a personal evaluation of Gallus before he made a final decision. So it was that Gallus headed for the Crystal Empire, the first time he had ever visited a place so far north. He was amazed by how beautiful the empire looked, reminding him of the many tales he'd heard of Griffonstone in its glory years with every building gleaming bright.
When Gallus arrived at the crystal palace to undergo evaluation, he was more than a little shocked to encounter Shining Armor in his official royal guard attire: Including a purple colored helmet and matching suit of body armor. "So, you're Gallus, huh?" Shining commented as he eyed the blue feathered griffon quite carefully. "I've heard about you and your friends. Equestria owes you all a great deal of thanks for your services."
Gallus tried to play it off by waving a claw. "You mean like standing up to Cozy Glow and helping take down the Legion of Doom? Please, that was child's play. I could do stuff like that in my sleep."
"Well, I admire your enthusiasm, kid," Shining somewhat ribbed as he kept eyeing Gallus, trotting around to inspect every inch of the griffon from top to bottom. "But being a royal guard isn't all fun and games, it's serious business. You are Equestria's first line of defense against those who would do it harm. It's a very high risk job, and even in this era of relative peace there's always the risk that you may have to lay down your life in service of the country. And that's just for ponies. I probably don't need to mention this, but if I agreed to let you join you would be the first non-pony member to join the ranks."
The young griffon blinked a bit in surprise. "Who cares if I'm a pony or a griffon? That shouldn't matter!"
Shining nodded his head. "It shouldn't, and I'm not one of those ponies who'd deny you a position just because of what you are. But there are going to be those who don't think the same way. Those who think that a griffon has no place in something that was previously only for ponies. I'll do my best to root out that kind of thinking, but I can't change attitudes overnight," And he warned. "You're gonna have to get used to having other guards mock you and pick on you for your griffon heritage. You're gonna have to get used to them calling you names and trying to provoke you into conflict. And you're going to have to learn how to roll with the punches and not snap or fight back the instant somepony does such things. Are you prepared to deal with all of that?"
Forcing back a gulp, Gallus firmly replied with. "Yes, I... am! Why would you even bring that up? Are you trying to secretly psyche me out or something? Is this part of some secret test to see if I'm ready?"
Shining chuckled a little. "That's not how I roll, Gallus. Trust me, if I really wanted to test your resolve I'd have you foalsit my daughter. She's not as much of a terror as she used to be, but you wouldn't believe much of a trouble maker she still is," Then he cleared his throat as he voice took on a more somber tone. "I told you all of this, Gallus, because I felt it was only fair to warn you. In a perfect world those sort of things would never exist, but we both know the world isn't perfect. I wanted to make sure you're prepared."
"Oh, I see," The griffon replied. "Well, so long as I don't get into fights or let my temper get the best of me, you'll give me a spot in the royal guard, right? Come on, just tell me what kind of test I have to pass to be inducted into the ranks and I'll do it! I'll be the best recruit you've ever seen!"
"Easy there, Gallus. There's a procedure that all new recruits must go through," Shining advised the griffon. "You'll be part of the newest batch of recruits. They'll be the ones you work with most often: Living in the barracks, eating meals, running drills and just getting to know each other. You'll start at the bottom of the totem pole like everyone else. And over the next several months you and the other recruits will undergo training. You'll learn the ins and outs of what being a royal guard is all about. If you impress me and show that you have what it takes, you'll rise through the ranks accordingly. And you'll have to get used to addressing me as your captain: Captain Armor to be precise."
Gallus immediately brought up a claw to give a salute. "No problem, Captain Armor, sir! I live to serve you and to serve Equestria! You won't regret letting me join the royal guard!"
"See that you don't, Cadet Gallus," Shining firmly declared as he saluted in reply. "I'd hate to see someone with so much potential fall so short of expectations. Fair warning though, I can't show you favoritism, because we in the royal guard don't play favorites. Do I make myself clear?!"
"Sir, yes sir!" Gallus firmly shouted.
Satisfied with the response from the newest recruit, the captain trotted away. "Excellent. Welcome to boot camp, Gallus. I expect you to report to training first thing in the morning."
The next day, Gallus was woken bright and early to the blare of a bugle. He soon found that he had little time to get out of bed, shower and get into his uniform before it was time to head to the mess hall for breakfast. Breakfast was in and of itself an uneventful affair, it seemed like there were other things occupying the minds of all the recruits since none of them seemed to pay Gallus much attention (aside from not so subtle glares).
One thing that the young griffon recruit overheard that struck him as odd was the mention of a "New Taskmaster" that supposedly trained various recruits.
It wasn't until he reported to a grassy field a good distance away from the barracks and the crystal palace, that Gallus found out that this "New Taskmaster" was actually real.
The taskmaster was a pony (obviously), a mare who seemed to tower over many recruits (Gallus Included). She appeared to be a unicorn, though where her horn should be there was only a small stub just above her forehead. Her coat appeared to be a dark blackish-purple, darker than even the night sky when there were no stars and no moon to illuminate it. Her mane and tail were a moderate rose in color and made up into stiff curls. Most noticeable of all were her moderate opal eyes, and a scar across her right eye. It wasn't possible to make out her cutie mark either, because it was covered up by the same colored armor Shining had been wearing.
Speaking of Shining, he appeared himself in the same suit of armor from yesterday. He stood next to the mare and issued a call to snap all the recruits before him to attention. "All right, cadets! Consider yourselves lucky," He told them all in a strong and stern tone of voice. "Today, you will have the privilege of working directly under the royal guard's news taskmaster: Commander Tempest Shadow. Let me be the first to warn you that she is far less forgiving than I am, so you'd better be on your best behavior. No funny business!"
None of the cadets said a word, not even Gallus. The mere presence of Tempest seemed to unnerve him ever so slightly, though he did his best not to show it for fear she would pick up on it.
Tempest trotted forward and walked back and forth along the line of cadets before her. But she spoke not a word as she did so, which did nothing to dispel the tension that lingered in the air. "I see my reputation preceds me, as usual," She thought to herself. "Well good. Everyone likes to think they're the best of the best where they come from, but sooner or later they learn that's usually not true."
Then the hornless unicorn noticed something about one of the cadets. Namely the fact that he seemed to be a griffon. "He must be one of those students Twilight always kept yapping about," She thought as she vaguely recalled conversations she'd had with the young alicorn before and after her ascension to the throne. "Don't think I'm going easy on him for that though, that's not how I roll."
At last, Tempest ceased her walking and cleared her throat, speaking in a voice so loud and clear it made some of the cadets before her jump! "Stop standing there like a bunch of loafs," She commanded to them. "It's my job to see if the bunch of you have what it takes. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link, and in the royal guard we don't tolerate any weak links! So I wanna see you all tackle this three tiered obstacle course I'm setting up for you. You may not like it, but by the time I'm done with you you'll either be able to do this course in your sleep, or begging to go home! Your mamas aren't here to kiss your boo boos, so get tough or you won't last five minutes!"
Shining proceeded to instruct. "You heard Commander Tempest! Start lining up for the obstacle course, newbies! Get ready to work til you drop and then some! And I don't wanna hear any buts!" He blew into a whistle. "Get yourselves organized single file and in alphabetical order. Commander Tempest will take it from there," And to the hornless unicorn he instructed. "Try not to have too much fun this time."
"No promises." Tempest replied with a smirk that Gallus could've sworn looked creepy if you squinted in just the right way.
To say that the obstacle course was challenging would be an understatement like nothing else. It felt like Tartarus itself come to life!
The course consisted of three "tiers", each more challenging than the last: The first "tier" began with a crawl beneath a mesh of wire that grazed the hairs of the manes of all who went through it (and forced Gallus to tuck in his wings and tail so they wouldn't get tangled up), followed by a rope climb up a wooden wall that seemed to stretch on for ages (and when Gallus tried to fly his way up to the top, a whistle blow from Commander Tempest made him stop). The second "tier" lay on the other side of the wooden wall, requiring some fancy hoof (or claw in Gallus' case) work to avoid stepping on some rocks that felt so hot it was as if they came from a volcano, as well as a maze of enchanted crystals set up to daze and confuse the participants. And the third and final "tier" was a huge track field with hurdles placed so close to each other you had to constantly be jumping if you didn't want to knock them down.
Many of the recruits never got past the first half of the first "tier", just climbing up the rock wall after crawling under the mesh of wire seemed to take too much out of them. Gallus felt quite proud for making it to the second "tier", but by the time he reached the third "tier" his whole body was aching and every ounce of his being screamed at him to stop.
Tempest blew her whistle quite loudly when she noticed Gallus stop for a second to catch his breath! "No resting, newbie! You can rest when I say you can rest, and not a moment sooner!"
"I have a name... you know..." Gallus panted as he used one of his wings to wipe the sweat from his brows. "It's Gallus."
The hornless unicorn nodded her head and replied. "Well, Cadet Gallus, I didn't say you could stop now did I?"
"N-no, ma'am, Commander Tempest!" The griffon nervously replied as he swallowed hard and audibly.
"Then get back out and keep going! Don't tell me you're gonna quit now when you've come so far!" Commander Tempest encouraged! "I was hoping for at least one recruit in this batch to make it all the way to the end. You don't wanna know what I'll do if it turns out I was mistaken in my belief."
So Gallus reluctantly rushed onto the track field, making sure not to use his wings to give himself an unfair advantage against the two or three recruits (he couldn't really be sure since he was so laser like focused on himself) running it alongside him. Already his vision began to blur. He had never run this fast for anything in his life, not even when he was fending for himself on the streets of Griffonstone as a young chick and not even when Spitfire of the Wonderbolts had been a substitute gym teacher.
By some miracle though, the young griffon was able to force himself through to the end even though he only just made it across the finish line before he collapsed.
"Not bad, cadets, not bad," Tempest remarked afterward. "But not exactly good either. Still, those of you who managed to complete a lap of the course show signs of promise. The rest of your fellow cadets could learn a thing or two from you."
"You're very hard to please, you know that." Gallus frowned at Tempest.
Tempest frowned right back. "Get used to it, newbie! I'm your taskmaster, not your mom! It's not my job to be easy on you. If you don't like it you're welcome to quit at any time! It takes a lot more than what you just did to impress me. I have high standards, standards that it'll probably take you a long time to get up to. That is if you don't chicken out first."
At that Gallus growled and snarled! "I'm no chicken!"
"You're darn right you're not!" Tempest roared back. "So get back out there and give it another go! I don't care if you're tired, work through the pain!"
Gallus wasn't sure how he managed to get through that first day of training with Commander Tempest. He wasn't sure how any of the recruits he was bunking with had survived.
As the small group headed back to their barracks that evening for some much needed rest, several of them were groaning quite audibly. "I can't believe this. To think, we were showed up by some upstart griffon from the middle of nowhere!" One complained.
Another one grumbled in reply. "I can't believe he actually managed to do two laps before collapsing. He's making the rest of us look bad."
"Griffons used to be proud warriors, of course a guy like him would outlast us ponies!" A third snorted. "I don't care what Captain Armor says, the only reason he let this griffon join the ranks is because the feather brain thought he was too good to go back to Griffonstone and fix up his home country. No, he had to come here and show us all up. And Captain Armor let him do it!"
Gallus did his best to ignore the comments. He was hopeful that the ponies didn't really mean what they were saying, that they were just lashing out because of all the pain they'd gone through. He'd sweated and toiled alongside them and had become certain that would draw them closer together.
But as the recruits reached the barracks and prepared to head inside, one spoke up. "Why are we letting this griffon think he's so high and mighty? He's probably already angling to replace our captain when he retires. And I'll be darned if I let myself take orders from some known nothing griffon!"
At that, Gallus felt something inside of him snap as he opened his wings and fluttered in front of the cadet who had made the remark. "For the record, I have a name. You could stand to use it," He said quite sternly as he stood his ground. "It's Gallus. And while I may not be the smartest tool in the shed, I had to grow up learning how to fend for myself because nogriff was willing to take care of me. If you think I'm making you look bad, you probably aren't very good yourself and blaming me is just your way of not coping with that fact."
"You think you're better than me?!" The pony hissed as he kicked up some dust. "I don't care what your name is, a griffon like you has no business being among ponies like us! And I'm not the only one who thinks so. Regardless of what our captain may think, we're not just going to welcome you with open hooves and let you walk all over us!"
Gallus was about to lash out and strike at the stallion, but before he could do so a familiar whistle sound split the air! Commander Tempest came rushing over in a heartbeat, her stub for a horn sparkling quite ominously. "That's enough, both of you!" She roared quite audibly. "And don't give me the whole 'He started it' routine! I don't care who started it, I'm finishing it here and now! You're both old enough to know better than to solve your problems with harsh words and violence. Such behavior is un-befitting of royal guards. You should be ashamed of yourselves!"
Both Gallus and the pony he had been preparing to fight gulped. It was clear to them that Commander Tempest was not someone you wanted to get on the bad side of.
"Now get back to your barracks, and if you're lucky I won't tell Captain Armor about this little skirmish," Tempest declared as she stomped a hoof down. "And Cadet Gallus, I wanna talk to you. Alone if you wouldn't mind."
The other cadets started to grin as they saw Gallus reluctantly walk towards Tempest. "Best of luck, griffon," The stallion from before taunted. "You're gonna need it. When Commander Tempest wants to talk to you privately, it never ends pretty."
Tempest responded by giving the cadet who had spoken up a good jolt to the behind. "Let that be a lesson to you the next time you decide to open your big mouth in my presence." She scolded and then led Gallus away.
The hornless unicorn led the young griffon to her private quarters, far from the fanciest accommodations but a considerable step up from the barracks Gallus had already started taking to as a home away from home.
The griffon's blue feathers bristled slightly as he was instructed to take a seat, and Tempest sat down in front of him. She had noticeably not removed her armor despite her choice of venue.
"Gallus," Tempest spoke up in a considerably softer tone than she had been using all day. "Why did you let that big blowhard get to you like that? If you're ever going to make it in the royal guard you have to learn not to let your temper get the best of you. If you do you'll be easily goaded into fights and will make careless mistakes."
"You seem to have no problem being angry and letting others know what you think of them," Gallus remarked in reply. "I was prepared for ponies not to accept me right away. But I never expected them to start lashing out just because I did a little better than them at one thing on my first day."
"Well you know what, that's just how the world works sometimes, kid," Tempest declared. "Life is often full of hardship, it's not all sunshine and rainbows."
Gallus nodded his head. "Trust me, I knew that for long as I can remember. When you grow up without a family you learn early on how cruel the world can be. But when I came to Ponyville and enrolled in Twilight's School of Friendship, I came to realize that the world wasn't always so cruel, and that I didn't have to be cruel and cold in response."
Tempest let out a long, drawn out sigh. "I wish I was lucky enough to have that kind of worldview, kid. But the truth is, even now I find it hard not to see the world from where I stand. I know my friend Glitter Drops has always said I need to smile more, but I can't pretend to be something I'm not, happy."
"So what, you're never happy?" The griffon questioned the taskmaster.
The hornless unicorn sighed again as she turned and shook her head. "I'm not saying that. But after everything I've had to endure, after all the hardships that life put me through, it's not as easy for me to look on the bright side and believe that the world is done dragging me down," She then gestured to the stub where her horn should be. "You've probably wondered by now why it is that I look the way I do. Where I got my scar and what happened to my horn. When I was just a filly, I lost my horn to an Ursa Minor, and I thought that my friends saw me as a monster because all I could do was spark. I ran away, turned my back on the world and served someone who was just using me to get what he wanted. It was Twilight Sparkle of all ponies who showed me a better way, offering me compassion and not rage in the face of my many mistakes."
The young griffon promptly asked. "That's how you ended up becoming taskmaster for the royal guard, isn't it?"
"I got used to living my life as if I were in the military, adjusting to the life of a civilian was difficult," Tempest explained as she turned back to facing Gallus and struggled not to cry. "But the hardest thing of all was realizing that I was wrong. Apologizing to Glitter Drops for the way I'd mistreated her and anypony else who wanted to get to know me, the true me. Heck, Tempest isn't actually my real name."
His curiosity piqued, the griffon inquired to Tempest. "So, what is your real name?"
The mare vaguely answered. "That's classified," If one looked closely, they might have seen her blush before she changed the topic. "My point is, I want to warn you so that hopefully you won't make the same mistakes that I did. Learn to open up your eyes to new possibilities, but accept that not everything you set to do will be a success. The world is going to knock you down more than once throughout your lifetime, and when that happens you gotta learn to get back up and brush off the dust. It doesn't mean you turn your back on the world, never allowing yourself to feel anything at all. Find what works for you and latch onto it. So long as you do that though, no one and nothing can ever truly stop you."
"Thank you, Commander Tempest," Gallus saluted when the speech had finished. "I'll be sure to keep your advice close to heart."
Tempest replied by saying. "Just Tempest will do, thank you. I'm not officially on duty while I'm giving you this advice," But then she added. "But don't think I'm going to change my approach with you because of our conversation. I expect you to work hard every day you're under my command. And that means I'd better see you bright and early for practice tomorrow. Is that understood?!"
"Yes ma'am, Commander Tem... I mean, Tempest." Gallus quickly but firmly responded.
"Good," Tempest declared as she flashed a genuine smile. "Now come on, let's get you back to the barracks for a good night's sleep. And remember, this conversation stays between the two of us."
Author's Note
Ever since it was revealed that Gallus joined the royal guard by the time of "The Last Problem" I'd always wanted to do something with that fact. Adding in Tempest and loosely tying in to her continued redemption arc in the IDW comics was just a stroke of personal taste.
Said comics arc is where Glitter Drops comes from, though it's my understanding that other expanded media also established her as a friend of Tempest's before and after the events of the movie.
