Chapter 1
Fire crackled over infant Equestria, trees fell down as a lone pony walked a road. His back faced the doors of the Royal Palace, steeling himself against the foreign onlookers that approached below. As the pony refused to move by the foreign attackers, his wings flared. His horn glowed. This was the end of the Great War, and the beginning of modern pony dom as we know it. But, his wings weren’t organic, neither was his horn. His wings resembled that of a eagle, but it was a solid golden color, shining in the fire.
The enemy came closer.
The horn was that of nobility, but it glowed as well.
The enemy approached.
His eyes were closed, tranquil. He took a deep breath. And opened his eyes.
“To protect thy kinship, a pony must learn sacrifice.” He spoke, his eyes shone with bravery. “And to sacrifice, one must give all possession he has, for the better of his species.” His crimson helmet shone as light danced off his body. The attackers were close as he peered over the edge of the palace. “To protect... is to live in the glory of it all.” Dewford Dawn, the last guardian, leaped from the great height, onto the swarm of the foreign attackers, the final moments of his life.
Battle ended with the triumph for the ponies, successfully pushing back and defeating the enemy empire of long ago. Dewford Dawn laid on his back, his life slipping away. Princess Aria, trotted over to his body, crying her eyes out. Dewford smiled, his grasp on life, fading.
“D-Dewford! Please, don’t go!” She choked out. Her tears fell on his face, making him close his face. Aria clasped her hooves over his, praying he wouldn’t die. But she knew.
“Princess... have I served you well?” Dewford trembled, but his eyes were full of life. The Princess nodded, sniffling.
“You did good, Dew. You did good.” Aria leaned closer and kissed Dewford on the lips, collapsing into his body, crying. His body was matted with her tears as he smiled.
“Princess, don’t cry. You’re more beautiful when you smile...” Dewford’s eyes started to close. This is the end, Princess. I’m sorry I can’t be by your side... The princess withdrew, staring into his eyes. The life started to escape, his eyes losing their brilliant color.
“No, no no no no no! NO!” Aria propped Dewford up, bringing him closer.
“Goodbye... Aria...” Dewford had stopped moving. His hoof dropped from Aria’s hooves, dangling off the side of the bed. Aria’s life had just been destroyed. Her lover, her knight... her friend, gone. His corpse in her hooves. She bit her lip.
“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” She screamed into the sunset, the fires consuming the trees and her cries of help... unheard.
Twilight Sparkle, dearest protegee of Princess Celestia smiled joyfully as she took her routine trip to Canterlot for official business. Princess Celestia requested that the rest of the Elements of Harmony come as well, as it concerns the lot just as it does for Twilight.
“I wonder what the Princess could be so urgent to have us come to Canterlot.” Twilight said aloud. Applejack munched noisily on her apples, a good chunk of it coming out of her mouth.
“Ah suppose it must be mighty important if she sent a fru fru, fancy carriage for us.” Rarity winced in disgust.
“Applejack, must you eat like a slob? A lady eats quietly and with her companions in mind.” Rarity flipped her mane. Applejack rolled her eyes.
“Oh, um... I hope Princess Celestia makes it quick, Angel bunny is grumpy when he doesn’t get his milk.” Rainbow Dash patted Fluttershy from outside the carriage, flying backwards.
“Don’t worry, Fluttershy. Being the fastest flyer in Equestria, I’ll get you back to Angel in 10 seconds flat!”
“I bet you could, Dashie!” Pinkie Pie added, jumping in the carriage. As Canterlot grew closer, the palace always took the group’s breath away. Snapping back to reality, Twilight informed the girls that they were close to their destination. The carriage landed with a soft clunk, hitting the ground. The door flung open as the girls made their way to the entrance of the Royal Palace.
“Welcome, my little ponies, it’s been such a long time since I had saw you.” Celestia smiled warmly. Twilight ran to her mentor and nuzzled her, Celestia returning it motherly.
“Princess! What did you call us for?” Twilight asked after she finished. Celestia’s face went serious for a bit, before going back to a small grin.
“There has been a disturbance in the Royal Gardens. I fear it might be Discord again, trying to break free.” Celestia said, sternly.
“So ya want us ta watch over tha’ statue?” Applejack titled her head, slightly.
“Yes, Applejack. And should he escape, you’ll be ready. The girls nodded, and went to the gardens.
“These gardens always looked pretty in the Spring.” Fluttershy said, happily. She trotted over to the flowers as birds sung happily around her. Damn nature pony. And her cuteness. Twilight trotted over to Discord’s statue, his face plastered with fear. It always gave her the creeps. Horror, washed over his mismatched body, it looked like his soul was being tortured within the stone, but Twilight moved on. The rest of the girls stayed around Discord, especially Rainbow Dash, giving the grey statue the stink eye. Twilight continued onward, now noticing the other statues around the garden. A statue of a minotaur, a statue of a regal pony, very pretty, despite it being stone. There was one that caught her eye though...
The statue was that of another pony, next to the pretty one. It looked very serious yet also kind. A lance in one hoof, a shield in another, it had its legs on top on a rock, giving it a very heroic pose, over seeing something.
This is new... Twilight thought. She trotted over to the plaque under the statue. Dewford Dawn it read. Dewford Dawn? I’ve never heard of this name before... Twilight pondered. She continued to read the inscription.
In Memory of Dewford Dawn, Light Guardian of Princess Aria of Equestria. His valor and glory will go down as legend in tales of his life, may he find eternal rest and peace.
This made Twilight even more suspicious. How come I’ve never heard of him? I remember all the history textbooks that I read in Canterlot and Ponyville... Maybe his legend is stowed away in the Royal Archives... Twilight continued to think about the Knight, when a piece of stone fell from the statue, startling her. She was scared, but kept her composure. She looked up and saw a light from where the piece of rock fell. Wanting to investigate, she quickly ran to her friends, who were still surrounding Discord’s statue.
“Girls, I need you to follow me.” Twilight urged.
“What’s the rush? DId something else happen over there?” Rarity flipped her mane.
“There’s a statue, and a strange light is coming from it. I think that’s part of what the Princess said.” Twilight sounded more paranoid, wanting to find out what’s happening. “Let’s leave the statue for a second, we have to go check it out.” Twilight looked at her friends, who looked confused.
“What’s so interesting about and a little light?” Rainbow Dash said, lazily. “Maybe it was just the sun’s reflection.”
“Yea, Twilight. T’ain’t nothin’ speshul ‘bout a light on some statue.” Applejack added, nodding. Twilight sighed.
“If you’re not gonna follow, I’ll just go by myself then.” Twilight sped off back to the statue, almost tripping when she got back. The rest of the girls followed, not far behind.
“Twilight, wait up!” Rainbow called after her. The statue was dropping in large chunks, the lance fell, broken and so did the shield. The rest were in ruin, mudded and turned to cobble. Only the lance and shield remained pristine. On the altar where the statue once laid had a small dent in it. The girls finally caught up, and noticed what Twilight was looking at.
“It’s a dent.” Rainbow said lamely. And quite a dent it was. A puff of air came out of it, catching the girl’s attention.
“This is why I was calling you, there’s something here. Statues just don’t fall on a whim.” Twilight stated. She went around the altar, searching for something.
“Twilight, what are you looking for, you silly goose!” Pinkie bounced, as she does.
“I’m searching for an entrance.” Twilight continued to search when the lance and shield shook, slightly. It made the girls jump, eyeing the pair suspiciously. The lance and shield started to shake more and more, until it took a dive into the altar, making a hole on top. A visible staircase was shown as the lance and shield went about deeper inside.
“Let’s go after it.” Twilight said plainly. The other girls murmured but followed Twilight down the staircase. Torches lit up the walls and ceiling, as it got colder and colder into the crypt.
“This must be centuries of years old!” Twilight said, happily. It excited her to find some historical secret.
“And quite filthy in here, if I do say so myself.” Rarity said.
“And...scary.” Timid Fluttershy replied, shaking slightly with each step. Pinkie patted her head, smiling.
“Don’t be scared, Fluttershy! When you’re scared, just laugh!” Pinkie said with a chuckle. Fluttershy felt a little better, and her walking stabilized a bit.
“I bet it’s a super secret hideout! For spies!” Rainbow exclaimed, her eyes scanning the room as they moved.
“Don’ be such a nut, Rainbow. Ain’t no spah in this here crypt.” Applejack stated firmly. Rainbow was about to retort when she bumped into Twilight, who stopped.
“Hey, what’s the problem, egghead?” Rainbow poked Twilight. Twilight just looked up, bug eyed. The rest follow suited, and did the same thing. A large, dome shaped room stood high. Stained glass windows lined the dome, pictures of Dewford and the very pretty pony, Princess Aria, as well. Statues of massive knights surrounded the walls as well, and in the middle was a grave. The girls sensed the importance of the place and slowly made their way to the grave. The lance and shield floated slightly above it, their stone color made it more intimidating.
“What is this place?” Rarity said softly. She felt that if she spoke to loudly, the place would come crashing down.
“The resting place of the final guardian, my little pony.” A female voice came from behind. Instinctively, they all whirled around, but met were shocked to see Princess Celestia standing before them.
“Princess! What are you doing here?” Twilight said surprisingly, but still kept her voice low. The Princess smiled.
“This is the final resting place for one of my ancestors.” Celestia walked elegantly, her hoofsteps tapping against the smooth, cold stone. She touched the crest of his weapon and shield on his grave, affectionately.
“He help save Equestria during turmoil while my grandmother was Princess.” She smiled, sadly. The rest of the girls didn’t say a thing, not wanting to disturb the family reunion.
“She was a beautiful Princess, and she caught the eye for many suitors. But she only opened her heart to her guardian, Dewford.” She pointed to one of the stained glass windows, a picture of Dewford and Aria. “When I was still young, my mother and father, the King and Queen of Equestria, disappeared. Aria was still around and she treated me like my mother.” She closed her eyes.
“She was my caretaker, as I was her beloved granddaughter. But our relationship went to that of mother and daughter.” She walked again, touching the shield.
“When she died, she tasked me with running Equestria with Luna, and it affected us greatly. Luna was just a filly, but she knew what was going on.”
“So... how does Dewford play into this, Princess?” Rainbow said, tilting her head. Celestia smiled, motherly.
“He was my grandfather, and it was looked down upon, but he braved through it with my grandmother. Soon, it wasn’t a bad thing, as they had a healthy baby girl.” Celestia started to tear up, a long tear fell from her face. The girls were shocked, seeing their ruler cry. And it affected them deeply. The love of a relative was great in the Royal bloodline, as Celestia showed it perfectly. Things were silent as Celestia went into a silent prayer, wishing her grandfather a farewell. As she finished, a loud rumbling came from the grave. Celestia’s eyes widened as she saw the grave shake a bit. The girls noticed too and pulled the Princess away a bit, giving the grave some space. More rumbling came, louder and and louder. The stone lance and shield started to break apart, cracks running through it. The lance and shield floated once again, and a bright flash of light blinded the group. When they opened their eyes, the lance and shield glowed, looking white and pristine, yellow engravings ran up and down the lance, and the shield bore the crest of the last guardian. They floated down neatly, resting upon the grave. The rumbling stopped, ceasing all sound.
“What... what just happened, Princess?” Twilight looked up to her mentor, who was at a lost of words.
“I’m not sure... dear student. This... is very new to me...” Princess Celestia said quietly. She didn’t move, fearing what might happen. She got her answer when a sudden loud crack came from the grave. A white hoof. A fleshed hoof. The Princess gasped, and so did the others. Another crack, and another hoof. The lance and shield slammed onto the grave, breaking the cover. They went to each hoof, as they were clenched tightly. A crimson helmet rose from the grave, followed by a head and a body. As the pony stood over the grave, The group didn’t dare say a thing.
The pony’s head rose upward, slowly. It’s eyes glowed a bright white, looking at the group. The white light slowly faded and green irises took their place. They danced around the ponies, looking at each one.
“Who are you?” Dewford spoke, for the first time in 3000 years since his death.
The Last Guardian
Snow fell from the grey sky as a lone pony sat on a bench in the empty Canterlot park. His white coat was matted, and his orange mane covered with little specks of the white fluff. He sat, idle, his hooves lay tired on his sides. A black streak X’ed out his cutie mark, a orange orb with a pair of wings adorned on the side. The pony’s red cape and gold encrusted overalls lost their color, a bit of rips here and there. And the blood, covering his weapons. And the snow. And the other ponies, foreign and ally alike. All were stained with the red liquid, oozing into the snow, turning it into a sickly color. Only the circle around his bench was white, the snow had stopped snowing. The pony didn’t move, but remained looking at the snow, his eyes lost of emotion.
No more... The pony thought. His brain stumbled over the blood, especially on his hooves. No more blood... no...
The pony weakly lifted his forelegs up, and propped them on his lap. It shook as the blood ran down to his lap, staining his coat. Another pony joined him, coming from seemingly up high. He didn’t move.
“Dewford... I’m so sorry...” The pony sighed, her mane free of the white snow. She looked down at Dewford, blood now running down his legs and onto the once pure area of snow.
“Celestia...?” Dewford looked up. His green eyes... lost of their original vibrant color after the battle. Now, just empty shells.
“Yes, Dewford. The battle is over. We won.” Celestia said, quietly. She knew the horror of what had happened in the battlefield.
“...What am I fighting for?” Dewford asked, dropping his hooves. The blood continued to trickle. Celestia was slightly taken aback, taking a moment to think of an answer.
“For the betterment of Equestria, Dewford.” She tried to smile, but Dewford’s sorrowful eyes prevented that. A sense of guilt washed over her body as she continued to look down at the broken soldier.
“Is that really it, Princess? For a better Equestria?” Dewford’s voice had a small hint of anger, but it went unnoticed.
“Yes. Think of all the ponies that would be safe from the war against the Talots.” Dewford could only bite his lower lip, unsure as to what to say.
“My friends, my allies...” Dewford slumped again, his neck hurting. He took a deep breath before looking back at Celestia. He stood up and put his hoof over his chest, gripping tightly onto a medal.
“Princess Celestia. I, Dewford Dawn, resign as the Guardian of Light.”
It had been 20 long years since the Last Guardian had disappeared from the official files in Equestria. The textbooks in the Canterlot library held no records or disclosed any information regarding the Elemental Knighthood Program, the EKP. Only officials that have already died and the two Princesses know of its existence...
The day want joyfully for Applejack, the young orange farm pony. Humble and hardworking, she finished her daily round of chores for the early morning. Big Mac and Applebloom were getting up while Granny Smith remained in bed.
“Time ta’ get down ta’ work!” Fashioning her iconic stetson onto her head and a small band around her hair, she went to work out on the field.
“Another beautiful day, Ah must say so mah self.” The farm pony said proudly, taking in a deep breath of the morning dew.
The same type of deal for rest of the elements in Ponyville, save for Rainbow Dash, who slept like a log. The girls prepped their days for the upcoming work they needed to do for that day. Twilight needed to categorize books, Pinkie Pie baked cake like no tomorrow, Fluttershy took care of her animals, Rarity needed to make new dresses for a High School prom and Rainbow Dash... needed to do what she did best. Flying. The day went by swimmingly, and was pretty lax, until Applejack noticed something in the distance.
“What in tha’ hay is that...” She squinted her eyes from under an apple tree. A small ball of orange and yellow was coming from the sky. Her eyes widened, realizing what it was.
“Ah space rock! Ah needa get Twilight, she’ll know what ta’ do.” And so, Applejack ran off towards the library, and fetched the purple unicorn.
“Hi Applejack!” Twilight said, donning a set of glasses. “What brings you by to- Woah!” Applejack grabbed her hoof and plopped her on her back, already slamming the door and running back to the farm.
“What’s going on!” Twilight said, adjusting herself on Applejack’s back.
“There’s this orange space rock comin’ to mah farm and ah need ya ta protect it! Can’t have th’ farm damaged before the Zap Apples!” Applejack continued to power through the run until they reached the spot Applejack was before. The meteor was getting closer and closer, as Applejack nudged Twilight.
“Alright, I’ll see what I can do.” She crouched into a stance and her horn started to glow. A giant purple dome covered the farm as the meteor got close enough to the sphere before breaking apart into chunks of debris. Space rock got sucked into the dome, which landed gracefully on the fertile soil of the farm. All was well until a small figure fell, a large crack coming from near the barn. Catching Twilight and Applejack’s eye, they raced off to where the figure landed.
“Ah think ah saw the thing land near here, Twi’” Applejack said. They searched around the barn before opening the double doors. A beam of light came from a broken ceiling as it shone down on the figure before them. A pony laid unconscious in a bale of hay, the light illuminating his orange mane and white coat, which seemed to glow with the same intensity as the sun. It was hot, dangerous, but at the same time warm and calm. The girls approached slowly to the pony.
“A colt? What’s he doing here?” Twilight asked. She looked at Applejack, who propped her stetson in place.
“This is mah first time seeing this colt here too, Twi. Don’t get no funny ideas, ya’ hear.” She deadpanned. Twilight chuckled, nervously before looking back at the stallion. His mane swayed with the gentle breeze, his sleeping face making Twilight and Applejack blush.
“A handsome thing o’ work, ain’t it Twi?” Twilight jumped out of surprise, hearing the mare’s voice. She had been too concentrated on the young colt.
“W-What are you talking about, Applejack? I wasn’t staring at him.” Twilight said hastily. Applejack chuckled, shaking her head. She walked over to the colt and motioned Twilight to follow.
“We needa’ get him outta here b’fore Big Mac gets any funny ideas.” Applejack made a face, imagining the reaction from her older brother. Twilight nodded and surrounded the pony in her purple aura. Walking out of the barn, the farm pony waved to the departing bookworm. After the purple tail of hers disappeared from the corner, she sighed.
“Ah gotta fix the darn roof now...”
The door to the library opened as Twilight eased her way into the Library, setting down the stallion onto the couch. Clanking were heard from the kitchen and Spike emerged, carrying a plate of pancakes.
“Hey Twilight. I saw you weren’t here in the morning so I made a plate for you.” Spike looked around and saw Twilight putting the colt on the sofa. Easily intrigued, Spike raised an eyebrow.
“Who’s that.” Spike set the plate down before taking a good look at the colt.
“He’s a mystery pony Spike.” Twilight said nonchalant. She went over to her desk and rummaged about before pulling out a clipboard and some paper.
“Orange mane, white coat, average pony height...” Twilight continued to list out the miniscule details of the pony. Spike left to enjoy his pancakes in the kitchen table, leaving Twilight alone. After she finished, she set the clipboard down and sighed. She stared at the handsome colt, who slept wistfully on her couch. She blushed a bit, the warmth rushing to her face.
Suddenly, the colt started to move. Squirm, mostly. Twilight yelped and she fell backwards, but quickly regained her balance. The colt squeezed his eyes and started to pant. He started to gasp for air, sending Twilight into a panic. Without thinking, she bolted out the door and ran to Fluttershy’s cottage.
Twilight returned with the butter mare wearing a nurse hat with a big red cross and a First Aid Kit. Having running a long distance, Twilight was pretty tuckered out. Fluttershy flew into the room with the colt and quickly got to work. Twilight waited outside. Her mind exhausted, she slumped onto the couch, her eyes slowly closing.
Author's Note
Since I decided to reboot this piece, which prologue do you think is better?
I'll check back in an hour for responses. Cheers!
