Clop, clop, clop, clop, clop.
The sound of nervous hoofsteps clicking against Crystal floor was repetitive and tended to drone on and on in what seemed like an endless cycle.
Those hoofsteps created a stiff ambiance in the room as two ponies —a white male unicorn and a pink female alicorn— occupied the throne room of the Crystal empire.
The pony who was ceaselessly pacing up and down the room was none other than Shining Armor, prince of the Crystal empire and former captain of Princess Celestia's royal guard while Princess Mi amore Cadenza, otherwise known as Cadence, sat on a throne nearby whilst watching her husbands every move.
Shining Armor just continued his pacing with his head down, his blue mane with the electric blue streak dishevelled, his ivory coat was untidy and poked out from odd ends with his eyes wide and squirrelled while he contemplated his current predicament.
He had been used to training a lot of cadets in his time.
He had sparred with some who would eventually become strong ponies but none of them even came remotely close to besting him in battle. So when he heard from his younger sister, Princess Twilight sparkle, about a young student of hers wanting to try out for a position of becoming a knight/guard, he felt a tad apprehensive but intrigued at the same time.
He'd do just about anything for his little sister but he hardly considered himself much of a teacher.
Even though he was a bundle of nerves, that didn't mean he also felt this strange excitement bubbling beneath the surface.
"What's taking 'em so long?" Bemoaned the white unicorn.
Princess Cadence, seeing her husband wearing such impatience on his sleeve, started to slowly canter up to him.
She swore that sometimes being married to Shining Armor was like being married to a six year old colt in a grown stallions body. Don't get her wrong, she adored him with every single ounce of love that spread through her soul...but that didn't mean that she could not be annoyed when he displayed his tendencies in such a manner.
"Give it time, dear. They should be here soon."
She proceeded to gently fold a wing across his back to not only to make his endless pacing cease but to also give him some physical assurance. Shining stopped his pacing and slumped down to sit on his haunches, he glanced over at the love of his life with a slightly doubtful expression.
"Twiley said in her letter that one of her original students from that friendship school she started up wanted to train under me. But why?"
Cadence remained calm and composed.
"Shining Armor, from what I hear reading Twilight's letters, this is one of Twilight’s top students at her school who is a very good student but can be a slight delinquent at times. He needs some balance. Plus he apparently dreams of becoming a royal guard just like you did when you were a colt." The pink alicorn smiled and wagged her brows teasingly at her husband. "Don't you remember those days during our dates where you'd gush over Aunt Celestia helping you train to be a guards pony under the tutelage of one of her best knights?"
Shining nodded but the scarlet blush colouring his cheeks couldn't be helped (the white fur made said blush even more noticeable).
It was true. When he first started training to be in Celestia’s royal guards, he had been trained under the pony whom was captain at that time. He was a pony named “Shield Hoof” and he was one of the most influential ponies in Shining’s life and, after retiring from his position, he had passed it on to Shining Armour whom was more than grateful for this chance.
And now he was going to be some pony else’s mentor...
"...Y-Yeah..."
Cadence giggled at her husband's sudden shyness about the subject and gave him a quick kiss on the forehead. She felt as Shining Armor's brows raised under her lips and he seemed to relax a little bit when he felt her lips connect with his head, it was as if all the tension melted away like melted butter.
"So why are you so nervous? Since it's you whose training him, I'm sure that whoever this student is will be lucky to be training under you."
Shining shook his head.
"I haven't decided on whether or not I will ACTUALLY train them yet and, besides, I haven't trained or mentored any pony yet...I just sparred with them on the odd occasion and gave advice if they needed it."
Cadence smiled compassionately.
“And that is what will make you a fine leader, dear —your compassion and your wisdom.”
"AHEM."
The unicorn and the alicorn both paused when they heard that unnecessarily loud clearing of some pony's throat and they both simultaneously turned their heads towards the door to see where the source of said throat clearing came from. They both watched as a royal guardspony entered the throne room with a rather stoic expression crossing his face.
"Your majesties," Announced the guard "your guest has arrived."
Shining Armor bobbed his head in a single nod.
"Thank you. Let him in."
The guard nodded his head before slipping out of the throne room momentarily before popping right back in with a youngster at his side.
Shining's eyes widened as he was in mild disbelief at what he was seeing.
A griffon?
He recognised that young griffon from the Friendship school his sister started.
He supposed that he shouldn't have been too shocked since Twilight's friendship school was very inclusive to all creatures in Equestria and beyond, thus it was only natural for the pony he was meant to train to not be a pony but the whole thing still felt rather odd to him.
He had never trained a griffon before...
The stallion tried to pick his jaw up off the floor as he watched the younger griffon approach with the royal escort,
"I've got to go check on Flurry Heart. I'll leave you two be." Cadence announced.
The pink Alicorn gave her husband one last supportive and encouraging glance before she deftly cantered out of the throne room and left both griffon and unicorn alone. The silence was unsettling and neither pony nor griffon knew what to do or what to say; they just let the awkwardness sink in as they just stared at one another for what felt like an eternity.
"So, you wanna be captain of the royal guard?" Asked Shining as he decided to break the ice.
Gallus gave a nod of the head.
"Mmhmm."
Shining Armor quirked a brow at the young blue griffon. From what he'd been told, this young adolescent griffon had only recently graduated from Twilight's friendship school and had apparently gained some insight of what he wanted to do with his life...but why be a guardspony, or griffon?
Shining decided to just ask.
"If you don't mind me asking, why do you want to become a part of the royal guard?"
Gallus folded his claws across his chest in a mild huff, glowered at the reflection staring back at him from the crystal flooring and he started to explain himself.
"When I was a hatchling, I was left to raise myself since my parents just left my egg in some alleyway and didn't look back. I didn't have much and I stole my daily bread just to survive. Then, one day, Grandpa Gruff decided to send me to this school —I kinda think it was just to get rid of me— and I learned so much about the magic of friendship and Twilight, as well as the others, showed me how amazing it truly was!"
Shining Armor couldn't help but smile at that, Twilight always did have that affect on other ponies.
Gallus continued, sounding a bit more enthusiastic but he had yet to look up.
"Ever since Ocellus, Smolder, Yona, Sandbar, Silverstream and I saved Equestria, I felt like that protecting others was my calling and I wanted to personally thank Princess Twilight for, kinda, changing my life...so I thought about joining the royal guard and hopefully becoming a knight to hopefully repay her."
Shining couldn't deny it, this was a truly admirable aspiration.
He felt this strange sensation surge through his heart and spread throughout his chest, it was a sensation he was familiar with as he had felt it towards Twilight, Cadence and Flurry...but what made it strange was that he was feeling it towards this young adult griffon:
Pride.
He didn't think he'd feel this fatherly connection towards a creature that he'd only just met.
However, given that this griffon was an orphan, he'd supposed that the griffon needed some fatherly attention. He lifted a hoof and proceeded to give the youngster an encouraging pat on the back, right in between his wings, and he gave him a soft smile. Gallus finally looked up and gave a timid smile.
Shining Armor huffed through his nostrils as he began readjusting his stance and started to back away from the now-confused Gallus.
"Okay, Gallus. Let's see if you're guard material..." He declared.
Gallus gasped as he was taken by surprise.
"Wait a sec, right now!?"
The leader of the Crystal empire stalked towards him, his glare fixated and his fur standing on end. His horn was aglow with bright magenta magic, the electrical magic charge building in the tip of his horn while he watched for any sudden movements.
Then, in a split, unspoken second, it all broke loose as the pony and the griffon charged at one another and collided with one another as the situation spiralled into a furious bedlam.
There was barely enough time for Gallus to prepare himself!
The blue feathered griffon somehow managed to leap directly out of the way of a magical blast aimed right at him that fired from the ivory tip of the unicorn's horn. His heart was in his throat by now and was pounding a mile a minute.
"Gah!" The blue griffon cried in shock "Are you crazy!?"
Shining Armor didn't falter in the slightest.
"A warrior never stops fighting or plays fair. Stay focused!"
“Easy for you to say!" Gallus wanted to quip back but thought better of it.
The atmosphere suddenly had this electrifying energy.
It felt as though gravity itself was trying to crush not only the room but also Gallus himself and, for a brief instant, his claustrophobia hit him like a ton of bricks and he was rendered momentarily paralysed. His feathers bristled and his body stiffened as he tried not to let the feeling overpower him...but then he shook his head swiftly upon realising that Shining Armor was simply trying to cast a spell to amplify his mental focus.
The griffon was not a unicorn and was no expert in magic by any means but he recognised the spell from when he saw a couple unicorns (such as Rarity, Twilight, Trixie or Starlight) cast it to prepare themselves for a bunch of lessons and other such occasions.
Shining Armor picked a sword up with his magic and swung said blade but only for the panicked blue griffon to dodge it with ease.
He swung again but it ended with the very same result.
Gallus skilfully weaved his body to avoid being hit or sliced by the swords blade, utilising his wings to quicken his movements as he zipped around in every which way to avoid letting the sword touch him. His movements were swift and quick so he was able to dodge each attack with the most fluid of movements. Gallus didn't know whether his agile movements were due to a sudden rush of adrenaline or were based on a fight or flight instinct, but he decided to just go with the flow.
He found himself perched on one of the Crystal tables closest to the ceiling and sat hunched over like a gargoyle as he sat with a watchful gaze.
In a brisk moment of Shining Armor ceasing all fire, Gallus caught sight of a weapons rack and decided to take swift advantage. He leapt down from where he was perched and landed on all fours in a (surprisingly) lithe but graceful manner and tried to seize hold on one of the nearest weapons he could reach —key word being "tried".
Gallus grabbed up a sabre by the hilt but struggled under the weight of said sabre.
His knees shook and they buckled under the intense pressure as he attempted to swing the huge piece of metal clamped in his beak.
His back bent inwards as he tried to force himself to keep standing, minding his stance. He gripped the handle of the blade in his mouth and spread both wings out as he used them to propel himself into the air, using them as a shield for any possible attacks that could be landed upon him. Before he could move another inch, however, a magenta beam of light shot from the tip of Shining Armor's horn and Gallus' wings managed to deflect some of the attack.
However his wings didn't block all of the attack and even caused some bright blue feathers to part from his wings and then flutter to the ground below.
He was certain by the end of this, his own feathers were going to be scattered around the place.
He kept a tight hold on the sabre in his beak but, unfortunately, he struggled with keeping a good grip on it as he gripped it as tightly as he possibly could; his wings pressed themselves firmly to his sides and his claws dug in to the crystalline floor. He didn't even count on being knocked over and found himself laying on his back.
Shining Armor pressed one hoof firmly down on him to prevent him from getting up.
In a move fuelled by blood wrath, Gallus clamped the hilt of the sword even harder in his beak and proceeded to swing it, twisting his head violently in the process, as he managed slam the side of the blade right into Shining and caused him to back off whilst staggering off to the side in mild surprise.
He hadn't expected such a knock!
Gallus seized the opportunity to do a kick flip and propelled himself off of his back so he could land squarely on all fours, wings smoking and feather tips sizzling from the earlier burst of magic they had to withstand. The bright blue and yellow griffon scowled determinedly at the unicorn as he breathed deeply through his nostrils, his paintbrush-like tail flicking with agitation.
He didn't care what he had to do, he was going to prove himself!
The griffon rushed forwards and used the sabre gripped in his beak to aim at one of the weak spots on the white unicorn's armor. He made an attempt to knock away the unicorn's sword to try and gain some sort of upper hoof (or claw) but, unfortunately for him, Shining Armor had mentally prepared himself for such a strategy and used one of his defensive spells to block Gallus' continuous attempts to land a blow on him.
Gallus started to get tired as the adrenaline rush started to ware off. He wanted to step back to catch his breath but he knew he couldn't, not until his (probable) mentor decided that enough was enough...he shook his head stubbornly.
He couldn't give up!
Not now!
He persevered, though, and kept right on attempting to knock the sword away whilst trying to thrust the blade of his sabre at the sword Shining continued to wield in order to disarm him. He narrowed his eyes determinedly and let loose a deep-throated growl, even the fur on his back started to stand on end.
It took several attempts until he finally managed to collide the blade of his sabre (in spite of how heavy it was, he didn't even know why it weighed so much!) with Shining Armor's and as soon as the two blades connected the friction between them created a bunch of fiery sparks that fired in every direction that existed; the sword and sabre blades quivered and quaked due to the intense pressure.
Gallus keeled over as he had poured every last drop of energy into that final attack and was forced to back off.
It was after they had finally broke apart that Shining Armor and Gallus fell back and sat down on their haunches, breathless from the intense combat they had just been locked in. The griffon and the unicorn just silently (with the exception of their heavy breathing) stared at one another.
They had finally reached an impasse.
Shining Armor stared at the young griffon with an incredulous expression with his jaw on the floor.
He tried his best to comprehend what had just happened; back when he was captain of Princess Celestia's royal guard, he was well known for his dodging capabilities as well as his heroism and being so swift on his hooves despite his sturdy and bulky build. He had sparred with many a foe but never had any pony (or any other creature for that matter) managed to match his skill set and actually become his equal during their first dual together!
About five minutes of silence passed and Gallus had finally managed to properly re-inflate his lungs before they popped like balloons and regain his energy, although he was sure that his muscles were going to be excruciatingly painful due to the strain and pulling they had been through. He noticed the still yet bewildered look on the unicorn's face, he wasn't even sure if he was blinking anymore.
Worry started to overcome the young blue griffon and he hardly wasted time in pulling himself to stand on his fours, albeit gingerly, and limped over to the leader of the Crystal empire.
"U-Um, hello? Sir?" Gallus called out, anxiety leaking into his voice. "C-C-Captain Shining Armor sir?"
His eyes widened as he started to panic that he'd done something wrong and a billion thoughts spun in his mind like a corkscrew.
Had he broke the unicorn's mind?
Did he hurt him?
Did he accidentally give the princess of friendship's brother a concussion!?
Oh, he was going to be in sooooo much trouble...!
Shining Armor quelled his worries by finally blinking, standing up and stepping up to the young blue griffon.
He started to speak to him.
"You lack confidence. You gotta work on building your stamina and how to go about carrying yourself, we need to get you used to not only holding a sword but also to make it so your body can tolerate the weight of a sword and how to manage it in your mou-" He quickly amended his sentence "-I mean beak; these are important things to learn going up against an opponent and you are nowhere near fit enough to become a knight as you are now."
"Gee, thanks..." Gallus grumbled sarcastically and crossed his forearms huffily.
He had easily picked up on the authoritarian tone coating Shining's words whilst he scrutinised him much like an army general would with a new cadet.
Shining Armor smiled but he did quirk of his brow at the younger griffon's attitude.
"But you've got quite some potential there, Gallus. I am very impressed by how agile you were and how you were able to dodge my attacks. I noticed how light ya were on your feet."
Gallus didn't quite know what to say to that, but he did feel slightly flattered.
Due to having lived rough since he was a very young hatchling, he had honed his speed and agility long ago; he needed to in order to survive the rough town of Griffonstone. He needed to be fast and agile and, so, he had trained himself to make any fast getaways and spent his chick days struggling and fighting for survival.
It was hard then but he was glad that it would come in handy now.
"Ummm, errr, thanks, I guess..." He muttered bashfully whilst scuffing his right talon along the crystalline ground.
Shining Armor gave a nod of acknowledgment and stood tall and proud in front of the blue griffon.
"So, Gallus. How would you like the idea of me teaching ya everything I know about being a guard pony —or griffon?"
Gallus could hardly believe his ears.
"D-Does that mean...?" He dared to ask.
Shining Armor nodded his head with a big smile.
"I'll take you on as my student. Congratulations, Gallus!"
Gallus couldn't help but whoop and cheer. He felt as though his heart was doing backflips of joy in his stomach, he had never felt more joy then he did right then. All of the hardships he'd been through in his life and every single thing he had to do to get to this point felt entirely worth it if just for this one moment of utter and complete joy. His beak stretched into the biggest grin and his tail wagged just like a puppy dog, even his wings fluttered from energetic exuberance.
"But."
Gallus stopped celebrating and stared at Shining.
Shining Armor's strict tone and demeanour was back.
He started to slowly trot, taking deft steps as he circled the perplexed blue griffon but didn't take take his eyes off him as the two kept their eyes locked on one another —Gallus nor Shining Armor never broke eye contact from one another.
The captain of the royal guards spoke in a slow yet levelled tone.
"Now. You need to remember that you might possibly struggle every step of the way and this will be a very hard set of trails you will have to face. You'll need to claw, kick, crawl and drag yourself through everything. What I'm saying is that this won't be easy and I will have to be a bit strict with you at times."
"Are we clear, recruit?"
Gallus nodded his head with a determined smile on his beak.
It vanished when Shining Armor bent down a bit to get right in his face and repeated himself louder, sterner.
"I SAID: ARE WE CLEAR, RECRUIT?"
Gallus took an instinctive step back with wide eyes.
Why was Shining Armor getting into his face all of a sudden?! He felt his face morph into an expression similar to that of someone having sucked a really bitter lemon due to the surprise and was about to open his beak to inquire about why he was being yelled at all of a sudden when he looked into Shining Armor's eyes. The tall, lean white unicorn with the dark blue mane with the electric blue streak's face was as tight and stern as they come...but his icy blue eyes were soft and full of compassion with a small blend of firm authority.
"Well, he was the captain of the royal guard according to Princess Twilight..." He thought.
That was when the blue adolescent griffon realised that this was probably just his way of formally greeting new ponies, or, rather, new griffons into the battalion back when the unicorn was captain of the royal guard.
The griffon shook the shock away and re-steeled his facial expression.
He raised his right foreleg and used his claw to salute his new commander.
"Sir, yes sir!" He barked back in response, unfalteringly.
Shining Armor nodded with pure satisfaction but smiled at his new student whilst he felt a surge of pride brew within his heart and it widened his smile. He had trained many ponies under his tutelage during his time being captain of the royal guard but he had never trained a griffon before.
It was strange but he couldn't help but be excited about how this goes.
He got to his hooves and gave a gesture with his head to signal Gallus to follow him, his horn being an extra emphasis on the point, and the two made their way back into the Crystal tower.
Author's Note
Hi, everyone!
Here's a story of how I think Gallus became Twilight's captain of the guard in "The last problem" and I hope you like it. Sorry it's taken awhile since I've updated or written anything, I haven't been feeling too great but I'm better now. I'm not sure whether or not I should make this a full fledged story or a one shot yet.
You guys are awesome!