Author's Note

Double upload for today. If you missed part 1, go back a chapter.
This also marks the halfway point of the story. I'm still amazed at how popular it has become. Again, thank you very much.

Chapter 7: Training Patrol (Part 2)

Two hours later, the group found themselves in the midst of their first patrol. The weight of the actual Canterlot Gold armour was a constant reminder of their new responsibilities. Following their lieutenant through the city was a mix of excitement and nervousness. They had only learned the theory of a proper patrol until now, and the presence of an actual guard did not help calm their nerves. Shining Armor wasted no time and put them to the test immediately. Their route would take them through the shadier areas, like the airship docks. For a city this large, Canterlot had a very low crime rate, but even here, it was not absent. Robberies and brawls were still a daily occurrence, and they had to be ready to deal with it.

"Sir, if I may ask, is it normal for the wealthier ponies around to look down on us guards?" Star asked when they walked through an alley with no other ponies around. It was a question burning in all of their minds after seeing Twilight getting treated so horribly.

"Ever wondered why the royal guard exists and why it has mostly unicorns in it?" He replayed, his tone flat and emotionless. "It's the noble's branch of the guard. A place where the Princess can dump all the wealthy sons and daughters who would otherwise not fit in the guard. Unfortunately, they still have a lot of influence in the higher ranks of the regular guard, something we are currently trying to fix."

"Is that why you already made lieutenant?" Twilight asked.

Shining stopped, looking around for anypony listening in on them. "Do not tell anypony." The intense look on his face made them nod. "It's a mess, and if the Princess goes through with this, we will lose more than half of the guard. The nobles are on the brink of revolt, and the Princess is determined to solve the issue without seeing the dangers. Something is bothering her, and it's distracting her from the actual problems." His expression turned into a brotherly smile as he looked at Twilight. "Be careful out there, sis. You are their enemy number one. Losing you would break the Princess and give them a clear way to the top." His concern for Twilight was evident in his voice.

"Is that why we take the patrol at the docks? So we're away from the nobles?" Bench asked. It made sense in his mind. What better place for recruits, who are the target of the nobles, than as far away from them as possible.

"Looks like you have some competition, Twily. He is clearly the smart one in your group," Shining said with a smirk, getting a deadpan look from his sister. He had to hold in his laugh at her expression and continued to answer the question. "Yes, most ponies down here are pro-guard. Heck, you're more likely to be insulted by a noble when walking down the streets than you are by a pony you just captured." Nodding his head down the street, he finished with a "let's get going," and they resumed their patrol.

Their first incident was when they encountered a ragged-looking pegasus digging through a pile of junk stacked on the side of the road. Turning towards his recruits, Shining said, "Let me show you how we do things. The next one will be yours." Getting a nod, he approached the pony. "Fixer, how are you doing today?"

His friendly approach raised a few eyebrows in the group. Wasn't he supposed to uphold law and order? A pony was stealing, and he greeted him so casually. Another surprise was when the pony pulled his head out of the pile and casually waved at Shining. "Hey, Sarge, what's up?" Looking past him, he saw the group of recruits. "Ah, teaching the new guys. Need me to play villain or something?" All he got as answer was a slight head tilt towards the pile he had sifted through. "Oh, that? It's scheduled to be trashed. I'm picking out a few things I could maybe fix up and sell."

"Got proof of that?" Shining asked, not raising his voice in the slightest.

"Oh, you wound me, Sarge. Come on, can you not trust your friend?" Getting a deadpan look in return, he relented and pointed at the door to the building next to him. "See, they put a note on the door. It says that they allow ponies to take stuff."

"Everything is in order, then. Let's get going. Have a nice day, Fixer, and good luck with the junk pile." He hadn't even looked at the note as he motioned the group to continue.

A few blocks further, Spear spoke up, "Sir, shouldn't we at least have checked the note?"

"If you are unsure about it, then yes, of course. But I already knew about the pile and the note. It's important to be aware of everything going on during your patrol. It might seem like a lot of extra work, but interactions like this make the ponies we protect trust us. They know they don't need to be afraid of us as long as they don't break the law."

"That makes sense," Spear said. "What would you have done if he didn't have any proof?"

"What's the punishment for stealing?" Shining asked, deciding to test their knowledge a little.

"Five times the amount they stole or at least three hundred bits. In severe cases, a stay in the dungeons may also be considered," Twilight answered without a second hesitation.

Letting the answer sink in for a moment and going through his memories of the actual punishment, Shining answered the question Spear asked to begin with. "I would have told him to leave and given him a warning. Stealing someponies trash is not that much of a crime after all. Doing things by the book is all well and good, but showing some leniency is always the better way, if possible."

The group continued their patrol through the city, with Shining greeting familiar ponies and engaging in brief conversations on various topics. This was not what the four recruits had anticipated a patrol to be like. Ultimately, they only had to intervene in a fight between two bar customers who had both drunk a bit too much. The two would spend the night in a cell to sober up, but that was the worst incident of the day.

The following two days went much the same. Their route through the docks only slightly changed every time, but their interaction with the ponies was the same everywhere. Seeing a massive earthpony dockworker have a pleasant conversation with a guard was a strange feeling, and the group expected him to throw a punch at some point, but it never came.

At long last, they were embarking on a new adventure during the second half of their training week. Their faces turned pale when Shining Armor's voice rang out, announcing that their next route would be through the upper city of Canterlot, something that was unfortunately necessary for their training.

"This sucks," came Spear's remark as soon as they took their first break of the day. "I feel like I'm the criminal here the way they look at us."

A loud scream echoing through the streets jolted them from their relaxed thoughts. Shining Armor was up and ready to go in an instant, his recruits only seconds behind him, and they exited the small diner to investigate. What they saw confused them. Three armed griffons stood in the middle of the street. Carrying weapons was not strictly forbidden, but their posture and aggressive stance told Shining they were up to no good. "Make sure the civilians stay clear. I will deal with them," he said to his group. A quick scan of their equipment told him that these griffons were mercenaries and likely hired to be here; why exactly, he couldn't say. Approaching carefully, he stood to his full height, making himself as imposing as possible, something griffon culture respected, and projected his voice through the streets, "How can I help you?"

"Oh look, a pony wannabe soldier," one of them sneered. This statement didn't seem right in Twilight's mind. Didn't they know what happened in the last war? Equestria's military was heavily outnumbered, and they were still able to beat them soundly. "It's nothing personal, but our client is paying a lot of bits to beat a lesson into a few of the 'guards'," he snorted, clearly having no respect for them.

All at once, they drew their swords and charged, only Shining Armor's training allowing him to react and create a shield in front of him, stopping all three attackers in their tracks. They impacted hard, disorienting them briefly, giving him enough time to prepare a stun spell. Blue shields flickered to life from a crystal embedded in their armour, blocking the attack. Back on their claws, they began circling the unicorn, occasionally fainting an attack to force him to spend his magic on shielding. Both groups knew time was on the pony's side because backup would soon arrive and force the griffons to flee.

With the last pony evacuated, Twilight could finally watch her brother. Seeing him surrounded almost provoked an irresponsible reaction. She caught herself before jumping in to help, allowing her to analyse the situation. Her brother was wasting their time, preserving his magic until backup arrived. It was a sound plan, but he didn't consider the nobles being behind this. They could block any support arriving for at least a few hours, a time Shining didn't have. Looking around, she made sure no pony was on the streets. He only ordered them to get them to safety, not that they couldn't engage after doing so. "I have a plan," she announced, getting the attention of her friends. "I'm going to distract them. Seeing a massive spell flying in their direction will force them to take their eyes off you and my brother. Help him to subdue them. Can you do that?" Getting a nod from all three of them, she got into position.

The first golden beam impacted not a hoof away from one of the griffons, the immense temperature enough to make him jump away in fright and breaking the concentration of all three of them. More pillars of light hit around them, scorching the ground and setting small fires that burned out a second later. They came from straight above, adding even more to the confusion. "The Princess... scatter, now!" One of them squawked. Right on time, three strong earthponies tackled them to the ground, their overwhelming strength too much for the griffons. The fight was over in seconds. Shining ensured all of them were secured before ordering the recruits to stand down.

Twilight was panting slightly as she emerged from her hiding place. Her horn had a noticeable red glow to it. "Told you this would work," she said between deep breaths.

"That was your magic, Twily?" Shining stammered. Seeing her on the verge of collapse, he approached and held her close, letting her rest against him. "Are you alright? That must have taken a lot of magic."

The beams were much weaker than the one she used against the timberwolves during survival training, but it still exhausted her. The words of the Princess soon flooded back to her. She had disobeyed an order from her and would be disappointed in Twilight's lack of judgment. Even worse was that she could feel the damage she had done to her magic, the stinging pain in her horn and the absence of any response to casting a simple levitation spell. "No... I think I messed up."