A Brand New Canvas

by Troutking

Rating: teen
Tags: Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Other, Original Character, Comedy
Length: 7450

An artist decides to join the royal guards.

Swift Strokes is leaving his job as an artist to join the guards of Cantorlot.
I'd like to thank Paw Print for his awesome editing and Articwarwolf for his awesome picture.

Published 2012-12-14 00:10:01 UTC
Last updated 2012-12-14 00:10:01 UTC

A Brand New Canvas

A Brand New Canvas

“Welcome new recruits! This is the first day of being a guard and your last day of being a civilian! I am head drill sergeant, Bulldozer! You are the newest batch of recruits that have been accepted into the Canterlot guard! During the next week you will face more training and punishment than you will for the rest of your career as a guard! Starting tomorrow you will...” I began to tune out the voice of pegasus mare.

I begin to look around the room. The envy of the artists who laid their eyes upon the fine details of the giant marble pillars spread across the room nearly radiated to those around them.. I could almost hear the laughter and joy coming from the tiny pony figures running across the pillars like a child skipping through the field. Colors of all sorts ran across the windows mixing and matching to create a masterpiece of ponies froliking in fields. The feel of Celestia’s sun glowed brightly outward from the spotless yellows in the window. Each window held pictures that could remind anypony of their childhood, especially mine.

My mind wanders back to my early ages. I had a knack for finding the best places to enjoy and paint. The feel of the grass underneath my hooves from when I climbed small hills, crossed great brooks or climbed up valleys was still on my hooves. I would always find the most beautiful spot, and when I did I would always be ready to find the next one.

My parents finally knew what to do with me when they noticed a strange new cutie mark on my rump. A single flower blooming in a barren and dead wasteland showed my talent of seeing the beauty of the world wherever it may hide. They took it as a sign that I was meant for the arts, and quickly took the chance to put me in an art school for gifted foals.

Over the years I spent in the school, I began to improve at the skills my parents thought I was meant for. When I had first started in the classes I could barely draw straight lines and the best I could do with a brush was a blob of colors that weakly resembled the places they were based off. The stroking of brushes soon became a second nature to me. With each day passing I developed the ability to draw and paint wondrous scenes. By the end of my school terms, I had become quite competent with a brush.

Once I was let loose on the world my career as artist began and was instantly stopped by the lack of painting jobs. Any work I did receive was either to paint a house or a family portrait, both of which paid incredibly low. I gained a little bit of publicity from winning an art contest held by some snooty noble pony. My business slowly declined even with the victory. Soon I barely had enough money to keep up my lifestyle, how little it was .

That was when I decided to try my hand at another profession. My first attempt at a job was blacksmithing. I thought it would be as natural to me as brush strokes. I was wrong, and was quickly fired after an incident involving a sword and giving a noble’s mane and tail a new style. Ironically, my third job was a hairstylist, that didn’t end well either. I won’t go into details. I’m not legally allowed to anyway. After many more failed attempts at jobs and a few lawsuits for ‘minor’ reasons I had nearly given up finding a new job, until one day I spotted a recruitment office for the guard. Good pay, lodging and health care made it a pretty good deal. That is what lead me here. In the middle of introductions of recruits being yelled at by a loud mouth pegasus that had more hot air than a blimp.

“Recruit Swift Stroke! Answer my questions or I will boot you farther than Luna’s moon! Do you understand me?!?” I was quickly jolted back to the real world.

I begin to stammer as I try to remember what she said, “Sir...” She glares daggers at me, ”I mean Ma'am, I understand!”

A bead of sweat trickles down my forehead as she leans forward, “Good, now does this armor make my flank look fat?”

“Wait, what?”

“You heard me recruit! Does. This. Armor. Make. My. Flank. Look. Fat?!?” Her glare reached to my very soul.

“I, uh... no ma’am?”

She raises an eyebrow, “Are you asking me?”

“I mean, no ma’am!”

She leans back, “Oh, so you’re saying I look skinny?”

“That’s not what I mean at all ma’am!” Oh sweet Celestia help me! The halted chuckles of my fellow recruits reaches my ears.

“What do you mean then recruit?”

I scratch the back of my neck, “Well, I... uh don’t know...”

A wide grin forms on her face, “Relax newbie! I was just messing with you. Now back to business.”

She walked away from the group and placed herself front and center. She made a quick look at each one of us. Indifference crossed her face and she shook her head side to side making her blue mane sway back and forth. I could vaguely hear her say something about ‘they keep getting worse.’ She looked back towards us, emerald eyes sizing each one of us up.

“As I was saying. You rookies are here to become the Canterlot guards. You will attend two training and testing exercises within a short period of time. How well you do will decide which part of the guard you enter.” Her voice had a solid but smooth texture to it.

A brown unicorn stepped out of the group, “Wait isn’t there only one guard?”

She chuckled, “No, that’s a rookie mistake. There are three guards. The solar guard , the lunar guard, and the royal guard. The solar guard is lead by Captain Flare, they protect the day while the lunar guard lead by Captain Dark Hour protects the night.”

“What about the royal guard?”

“They are the guard in charge of protecting anything the princesses deem needed to be protected. They are the best of the guard squads and are lead by Captain Shining Armor. Anymore questions, newbies, or will you return to the line?”

The stallion was clearly nervous, “No ma’am.”

“Good, now each one of you will complete a challenge set by the training sergeants during your days of training. From there the Captains will pick who enter. Those not chosen are rejected and sent home. Understood?”

“Yes ma’am!” The group shouted in unison.

“Your training starts tomorrow at O’ 500 hours! That’s 5 am for you rookies.” She shouted before we walked off to the barracks.

The rest of the new recruits were all piled into the barracks. The tiny space just barely had enough space to hold each one of the 15 new recruits. Apparently the newbies get the smallest room in the barracks to make sure they don’t have personal space issues. I scan the room for anything of interest. A few of the others were huddled near one of the beds talking about which guard squads they would make into. A few others were trying to sleep or minding their own business. A leather bound journal rises from my bag with a familiar light red glow encircling it. I bring out a quill from the same sack as the book. I bring the quill and book near my face and begin to write in the book.

Journal entry 1#

Today was probably the most calm of the days to come. The head drill sergeant, Bulldozer, is charming to put it nicely. She is kinda like a real bulldozer, nice and all to look at but can crush you in a moments notice. Huh, that last part sounded like I was complimenting her looks...

Anyway, after the tour, which I might add gave me some great inspiration if I ever get the chance to paint, there was an introduction. I may have gotten carried away with observing the beauty of the room that I didn’t notice the sergeant making me a target for a little prank that I won’t go into detail with. Never the less, I think it taught me one of the first rules of being a guard. Pay attention or else you will pay for it.

I think I’ll stop here. We have to get up at 5 in the morning for training. Tomorrow, if I have the time, I will write about my day again.

Signed, Swift Strokes.

I put the brown book back into it’s place. The quill quickly followed after the journal. I place my satchel back on it’s post. I push my head into the brick they call a pillow and close my eyes. My mind begins to drift off into dreamland, only hearing the voices of the few rookies foolish enough to stay up so late.

Sounds of a single trumpet could be heard off in the distance. With each moment the sound rose, taking me further out of the shadows of my dreams with each note. Suddenly the sound stopped, leaving me in a half awake and half asleep state of mind. I wonder what happened to the... My thought was halted when the sound of the trumpet blared into my ear sending me rocketing to the real world. I jolt upward, eyes wide open. I hear the thump of my heart racing faster than a mother trying to find gifts for her foals on Hearths Warming eve.

“Mornin sunshine. While you do need your beauty sleep just like the next colt, it’s time to get in gear for training.” I look to my left and see Bulldozer smiling at me with a trumpet in her hooves.

I shake my head to regain some of my senses, “Right...”

I roll over in order to get out of bed only to feel air beneath me. With a solid thump I crash against the ground. I hear a few of the others snicker a little as I stand up once more. The sound of my joints cracking fills the space around me as I take my first steps around. The clip-clop of hooves echoes around my ears as all the recruits leave the barracks.

A few minutes later we all arrive at the training grounds. Various dummies were scattered around a large oval shaped arena. The feel of the dirt showed how packed down it was from all the usage. Shadows of the wall behind casted a shade over us. Different tools to train your body were also spread across the land. Dumbbells for weight training, a track for cardio and even a few tires to drag. Wow, this may not exactly be premium gym equipment, but still, thats a lot of stuff.

“Come on, we got here on time. Why isn’t the sergeant here?” A red earth pony with a blue mane shouted.

Just then a small foal walked out from one of the doors leading into the stadium. He rose up to around the top of my legs. His grey mane bounced up and down on his brown coat with each step he took. I squint and see a cutie mark in the shape of a pony bucking a training dummy. An air of seriousness took up the area around him rather than the cheerful attitude of every other foal I’ve seen.

The red earth pony from before, who I think was called ‘Flip Side’ walked forward, “Hey who’s foal is this? I mean come on, it’s bad enough that the drill instructor is late, but sending in a little child in to replace him is just stupid.”

“Are you saying I look like a foal?” The small pony was irritated to say the least.

“Yes, you are little foal. Now please be quiet while I find your mother.”

The small brown earth pony turned around so his hind legs faced Flip Side, “Say that one more time for me please.”

“Aww, he is trying to threaten me! It’s so adorable! Alright I’ll do what you asked. You are a foa...”

He went soaring through the air before he could finish the last word. The extended legs of the foal landed on the ground. I look over to the landing site of Flip Side. Beneath a newly formed crater in the wall was the moaning mess of Flip Side. The little pony walked over to him, his face deadpanned. The dust settles as the foal stops and stares down at Flip.

“I am vice sergeant Small Stature, not a foal. You, recruit, will give me respect. If you call me short once more, I will boot your hiney so far that they will see you soaring over Fillydelphia!” The tiny sergeant yelled at Flip Side.

Small Stature walked over to the rest of us leaving the poor pony on his own, “Now that I have dealt with trash, we can begin. As you know, the guards are required to be physically fit. So today I will be training and testing you on your fitness. How well you do will change my recommendation.”

A blue pony with glasses step forward, “What do you mean recommendation?”

“You shall only speak when spoken to directly, recruit. Do you understand me?!?”

“Y-y-y-yes s-s-sir...”

Small Stature smiled, “Good, as for your question. Each instructor will give a recommendation to the captains as to where they go. Whether to the Lunar, Solar, Royal or even out on the street will be a partial decision by me and the other instructors. If none of you have any more questions.”

“Actually sir I have a ques...” The pony talking was quickly met with a buck to the chest sending him barreling backwards into Flip Side.

“I said do not speak unless I speak to you directly. Understand now?” The sergeant was answered with a moan.

“Now, today you have a simple test that will train both your patience and fitness. Do you recruits know how the guards stand still for so long with so little facial expression?”

Another pony stepped forward, “I think that they trai...”

The sergeant sent another colt into the new formed pile, “Little forgetful aren’t you? Now as I was about to say before I was interrupted. The guards train to get that much endurance and patience. So we're going to hold a little contest. Whoever can stay still the longest without showing emotion of any sort will get my top recommendation and also a pass from the training today.”

“Sir, isn...” The colt received a glare and a devilish smile from Small causing him to stop talking.

“Good boy, you don’t get put into the pile of misfits over there. Now as I was saying, in about 5 minutes we will have a contest. In the 5 minutes you will prepare. If there are no questions.” We all remain silent. “Alright, your 5 minutes starts now.”

All the recruits walk out into their own corner of the arena, even the ones that had formed the piled of misfits. I walk into the corner and begin to think of a plan for the contest.

The end of the five minutes is signaled by a large shout from Small, “Alright recruits, the time for preparing is over! Now is the time to test your ability to stand incredibly still for long periods of time!”

“Sir, I still don...” The colt that was about speak was quickly bucked into the wall behind him.

“That never gets old. Rookies, lineup! I will start the clock once everypony is orderly.”

The sounds of stamping hooves filled the area. Each recruit slowly made their way to the center while the sergeant watched intently. Soon a line with no real order began to form out of the ponies. There was no pattern, it jumped from tall to small constantly. The pattern of colors formed by the line would make any artist cringe. I stare forward at the Small Stature, his face retained a mix of a scowl and smile. He walked behind us for a moment but I could feel his icy stare still fixed on us. He returned to in front of us with a small brass stopwatch in his hoof.

“Alright noobies, the test starts now. The rules are; don’t talk, move, smile, sneeze, or any other movement besides breathing and looking around with your eyes. Any questions, and yes you can ask a question this time without being bucked for speaking when not spoken to.” He held a sinister grin while he spoke.

A moment passed before the opportunity of getting to ask a question broke one of the recruits, “I have a question sir.” He paused waiting for a kick which never came. He gave a sigh and continued, “How long exactly do we have to wait to get a decent recommendation?”

“You won’t have to worry about that since you already failed.”

“Wait what?”

Small was having a mini laugh fit, “I said the test started already. I tricked you recruit! Now since you failed start running laps around the track. If you stop then I will send you into the wall.”

“Um, how long do I run for?”

“Until the contest is over.”

“Bu...” He stopped talking after he looked into the stare of Small.

“Good, now get running.” The recruit took off to do his laps.

The sergeant smiled at his successful trick. Time begins to pass, seconds into minutes, minutes into hours, hours into days. Well, maybe not days, but quite some time passed. The minutes were only filled the stamping of the stallion running around the track. Eventually some of the others caved in and joined their comrade. I watched them still as a statue determined to get that recommendation. Just pretend you're working on your paintings, remain still to get perfect strokes... I repeated that thought to myself constantly. After about an hour there were 5 out of the original 15 that were still standing. The sergeant walked up to us after another ten minutes.

“Rookies, I will be stepping out for a moment to handle some business. I expect you to stay like that while I’m gone.” The small sergeant walked toward the gate.

A moment passes after we hear the last of his hoofsteps. “Thank Celestia he is gone.”

The four other recruits relaxed themselves and began to talk. “What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him. We take a small rest and then act like we were standing still the whole time!”

The group laughed and joked around. I remained still, knowing that there was a catch to the sergeant leaving. Minutes pass and the stallions begin to talk like teenage mares gossiping about colts. The thump of my heartbeat constant as I watched the recruits get back in line and resume to standing still or running laps. A few minutes pass and the sergeant returns. He walks close to us examining our faces for something. I feel the wet touch of sweat roll down my head.

“Heh, I didn’t expect you to stay this still for so long.”

He walks over to the other four and smiles. Are they seriously getting away with cheating? For a moment that thought passes through my mind until I see one of the colts fly backwards into the wall. Three more stallion shaped blurs zoom into the wall at high speeds.

“I may not be here at the time but that doesn’t mean I can’t hear you numbskulls.” He hollered at my fellow recruits.

He begins to walk over to me, “And it looks like you're the winner. I would say you did amazing but as you know I wasn’t here for sometime. Anyway you get the rest of the training day off and my top recommendation. Unfortunately for you the entire training day ends when the contest ends. So yeah sucks to be you at the moment.”

He turns away from me, “You mean this entire ti...”

I feel his hoof collide into me. The whistle of the wind blew in my ears as I soared. For a moment I felt some relaxation. The moment was quickly shattered by the wall I soon smashed into. I slowly peeled off the wall and fell to the ground with a thud.

“You broke the first rule and yes it was just a trick to get you motivated. Now shut your mouth and get to your bed. You get to meet Stacked Deck tomorrow.” He spoke with a sinister tone.

The sound of ringing signaling both the start of the night shift and midnight echoed through the air. I look up briefly to see the rookies following their same pattern as yesterday. A fairly large group of ponies which I labelled the ‘gossips’ were hidden away in their corner. The few recruits who weren’t apart of the ‘gossips’ were labelled as the ‘outsiders’ in my mind. Most of the outsiders were sleeping or attempting to do so while the annoying chatter of the gossips filled their ears. My magic extends into my bag until it finds it’s targets. Slowly the book and quill hover out of their places and in front of me.

Journal entry 2#,

Today started a little more abrupt than my last night of sleep. I can still hear my alarm playing decent music softly to bringing me out of my slumber. Today I was greeted in the morning by a trumpet on full blast into my ear. I can still hear the ringing.

The training started faster than I thought it would. We had about 20 minutes to eat breakfast before being rushed to the training grounds. The grounds were quite amazing, however, and during the little free time I had I tried to memorize most of it for later projects. Besides the training grounds there was the instructor, a little stallion named Small Stature. The name fit him perfectly since he looked no bigger than a foal. He was kind of cute really...

I brief shiver crawls down my spine as I wrote the little bit about our sargeant being cute.

Anyway besides the size of our instructor was the test he put us through. All we had to do is stand completely still and do absolutely nothing and my Celestia it was hard. We spent hours standing in single place, I watched as my fellow recruits slowly walk into the running lanes. The test persisted until finally the instructor left for a moment or so. During that time the gossips got into their group and began to chat. After they finished, Small Stature returned and swiftly bucked them all into the walls behind them.

I ended up winning the contest only to know that the training day ended when the contest did. So all I really got for all my hard work was a recomendation for being in the guards. So I guess the morale of today is two parted. Rule 2 of the guard, Do your job right or pay the price. And don’t comment on Small Stature’s size...

That was today’s events. I’ll write again tomorrow if I survive this pony named Stacked Deck.

Signed, Swift Strokes.

I shut the book and return both the quill and notebook into my bag. I release my magic grip on them then push my head back into my pillow. I slowly drifted off, the sounds of the ponies talking was drowned out by silence.

I felt the sensations of warmth travel through my half awake body. The cold silence of the night lulling me deeper into sleep. Faint sound of hoofsteps echo into my ear. It’s probably a nightguard walking through the barracks to get to his post. I ignore the sounds only for them to increase in volume. They sure are taking their.. Before my thought was finished I felt my bed tip over. TIME?!? I jolt awake in time to see myself fly out of bed along with the rest of the recruits. A great many thumps echo outward in unison as we all hit the ground. I quickly push myself up and look toward the bed tipper.

A large black stallion stood before me. He wore a dark blue plate helmet with bat wings on each side. I could see the outlines of the armor running down his neck to join with his main piece. Subtle changes in texture give the armor a much more frightening appearance then it would without it. I finished admiring the marvelous work of his armor and turn my attention to his face. A chill rushes down my spine as I find myself face to face with a snake eyed pony.

The stallion walks away, “Alright newbies! Time for your second day of training! Unicorns head to the training grounds, pegasi to the garden, and earth ponies stay here and wait for your instructor.”

All of the recruits took several moments to collect themselves. Zombified looks were spread throughout the room. We began our walk to the training grounds. The world of the night was much more mysterious than the morning. Faint moonlight radiating off the marble spires of Canterlot. Distant howls of wolves just barely reach my ears. The small ponds scattered around the area reflected the moons elegance in their calm waves. The training field looked the same as it was in the daytime, with the exception of lanterns lighting small patches of walls giving the illusion of a grander size.

The inside of the arena was the same with only the shadows of the stands casting down on the central area. I scan around for our instructor as did many of my fellow recruits. We were met with little success. A strange feature of the arena at the moment was the amount of mirrors spread around. You think in the military they would be on time for training..

“‘Ello gents, glad to see you all made it on time for training.” A mysterious voice shouted.

I turn around quickly in order to confront the new voice. On the arena stands where ponies would sit was a figure. His features masked by the shadows that encompassed him. The figure walked toward the end of the seats towards the dropoff to the field itself. Without hesitation the shape jumped down the small cliff. To avoid watching the painful event of him landing hard on the ground I firmly shut my eyes. I wait a moment and the look back at the shape.

Standing not too far from our group was a unicorn standing a little taller than myself. A black vest striped with white covered a bit of his silver coat. His golden mane was perfectly coiffed back onto his neck. A large deck of cards bulged from the pocket of his vest. Light reflected off the pearly white grin he gave and every single one of us. His blue eyes constantly watching us. To sum him up in a simple phrase would be, ‘Dang, he must be popular!’.

“Good day, or more appropriately, night. Anyways, tonight is the race specific training. Pegasi test to flight ability, earth ponies will be tested on their strength and we unicorns get to do magic tests. Now I’m sure by now you're all familiar with how this works? I will give you a simple task with simple rules. Each time a task is completed by a pony then a new test will be given to the others to avoid cheating.” His voice was rich and deep almost like he was singing a melody as he spoke.

One of the recruits stood forward, “Um.. sir, what...”

A card rose up from Stacked’s deck encircled in a grey hue of light. The card floated in front of the recruit and came to a rest about 3 inches from his face. The sergeant gave a sly grin as the hue increased from a brief moment. What happened next mimicked what would happen if you interrupted or spoke out of turn with Small Stature. The pony flew back at blinding speeds only to be stopped immediately by the stone wall.

“Please don’t speak kiddo. The adult is speaking right now.” The card floated back into the deck smoothly, “As I was saying, new test every time one is complete, yada yada yada. Now that instructions are over, we can start the first test. Who agrees?”

We remain deathly silent for fear of what he might do, “I’ll take your silence as a yes. First test, all you have to do is guess what card I pull out of the deck. You are allowed to use any magic besides sight spells. Alright, now when you're ready to take the test come up and tell me.”

The recruits went into their usual groups. Each one devising a plan to beat the test. I could hear the faint whispers of “moving” and “mirrors”. Why would he spread mirrors all over? It makes the test too easy... I walk over to one of the many mirrors. Oak borders around the mirror itself. It was held up by two sticks attached to wheels. I push the mirror back and forth and feel nothing strange about it. I scan every detail of it and see no difference of it between any other mirror.

I continue my search suspecting that one of the mirrors would have something wrong with it. About half way through my search, the first pony stepped up to the challenge. Stacked explained the rules and goal of the exercise once more before the pony started the challenge. A single card slid out of the sergeant’s deck and floated in front of his face. The challenging recruit has a creepy smile as a brown aura envelopes one of the mirrors. The clattering of the wheels running over the rubble fills the air as the mirror made it’s way over.

The mirror stopped behind the instructor showing the reflection of a 8 of hearts and the recruit smugly said, “The card you have is the 8 of hearts.”

The card turned to face the group revealing a ace of spades, “Sorry bucko, you guessed wrong. Now as for punishment you have to sing... a jolly tune about lemons while dancing on your hind legs.”

“What? Why should I do such a ridiculous task?”

“Because you chose wrong, and now you suffer the consequences. If you don’t want to do it you can leave the guards and never return. This goes for all of you. If you fail I will make you do a funny thing like that. If you don’t perform, then leave. The guards do not need those not willing to accept punishment.”

I was surprised to see none of the ponies leaving. Each one had their hooves firmly planted in the ground. Soon a catchy tune about lemons enters my ears. The thumping of the ponies hind legs fills the air. The rest of the recruits return to their business of strategy. The mirrors are all the same yet for some reason it showed the wrong card... wait. Maybe that’s the test. We have to follow the rules but all he said no sight spells... I wonder if...

“Sir, I would like to take the test.” I shout at Stacked Deck.

A chill is sent down my back as he smiles, “Are you sure? You know what happens if you lose my challenge right? You were paying attention when I was explaining, weren't you?”

I take a big gulp, “Yes sir, I was paying attention during your explanation. I am ready to take your test and accept the consequence of my failure.”

“Alright, test starts now. Rules are the same, no sight magic whatsoever.”

A silver glow swallows the sergeants horn. A glow that mimics the shine enveloping the sergeants begins to pull a single card from the deck in his vest pocket. The card rose in front of his face. I gulp as a single bead of sweat drips down my head. This is almost like the statue drill all over again.

I reach out my magic toward one of the mirrors. My magical grip grabs one of the mirrors and begins to drag it over. The sounds of rocks being crushed under the wheels fills my ears as the mirror approaches behind the sergeant. My eyes remain locked on Stacked Deck. As the mirror comes to a halt Stacked gives a devilish grin of a pony who just won the jackpot. I knew it. It was a trick the whole time.

I release my magic from the mirror. I check the mirrors reflection and see clear as day the 2 of diamonds printed on the card. I return my attention back to Stacked Deck who retained his smile. I hear the whispering of my fellow recruits as they question what is taking me so long to say the card. I begin to walk forward slowly. I test the waters to see how the sergeant would react to my approach and I am met with an even larger smile. Slowly I make my way to Stacked, while all of the recruits started talking to one another about what in Celestia’s mane I was doing.

I finally end up right beside Stacked Deck. I move to his side so that I could see the card. Printed on the card, as opposed to the mirror, was the king of hearts. So the mirror was made to show the wrong reflection..

“The card is the king of hearts.” I say proudly.

Stacked moves away from me a little. He stares at the card as if he were making sure it was what he thought it was. From the sheer look of concentration on his face I was surprised the card didn’t burst into flames. He looks up from the card and smiles. Slowly the card flips over revealing the king of hearts.

“Congrats amigo! You are the first one to pass the magic test. As your prize you get to go back to the barracks!” He laughed joyfully.

“Really? That’s all? No training at all just one test?”

He looks at me quizzically, “This was meant to test both magic and intelligence. You fulfilled all we needed so you’re free to go but if you want training I cou...”

“No no, that’s alri...” Suddenly a feel the pain of 10 Small Statures kicking me in the stomach at once.

I fall to the ground with omph, “Rules still apply kiddo. Do not interrupt a sergeant. Now off to the barracks with you! As for the rest of you, you will all remain here until you pass the test.”

I return to the barracks shortly after leaving the shadow of the arena. I look around the bunks and see a few of the other recruits already asleep or talking. They must have passed their tests first as well... A few moments pass and more of my comrades regroup in the small sleeping space. I give a swift stare around the room and then return to the journal placed in front of me. My quill was hanging mid air with the help of my magic.

Journal entry 3#,

This journal entry is being written sooner than I thought I would, but due to the events of training here I am writing once more. Today’s training was held at night, and by night I mean if it weren’t for the lights scattered all around the castle I wouldn’t be able to see my hoof in front of my face. Anyway, today’s training was for unicorns specifically, the other types of ponies were separated into their own groups so I don’t know what happened to them.

Unlike our previous instructor, Stacked Deck, was a full size stallion. He looked like he had way too much free time and hair gel with the way his mane was styled. Stacked was possibly the definition of high class and charm. His vest contrasted perfectly against his silver coat. His entire body looked like painting with perfect strokes each time. I am admiring a stallion based on looks and I pray my brothers never see this journal.

Beside a new instructor we received a new test. Rather than a test of endurance, we got one more based on our intelligence. The sergeant told us to follow the rules of the test and that after one of us completed a test he would change the test to stop cheating. The test I took was fairly simple and at first glance could easily be solved by a foal. We had to guess the card that he picked out of his deck. If we guessed right we could head back to the barracks if wrong then we had to do a humiliating task. At first I thought it was just a simple thing of moving one of the many mirrors scattered around the arena and look through the mirror to see the card. I was proven wrong when the first challenger and myself saw clear as day in the mirror a different card than what the sergeant had pulled out.

After some thought on what he said and the events that had transpired to the failure of the recruit, I suddenly had an epiphany as to what the test was truly testing. It was not a test of magic but instead a test of paying close attention and cunning. The mirrors had been set up to show the wrong card. I tested my theory by pulling one of the mirrors close making sure he heard it coming. His smile gave away that the mirrors were the wrong answer. After figuring that out I knew the answer to the puzzle. He said to follow the rules and the only rules were no sight spells. Rather than paying attention to what I couldn’t do I looked at what the rules allowed me to do. I was allowed to walk up to him and look at the card. Turns out I was correct, he did nothing to stop me from looking at the card or approach him. After that he sent me back here, to the barracks in which I am writing this journal entry.

So, what I learned from today’s (or tonight’s) test is that sometime the simplest of solutions is the most brilliant one. I’ll end this entry here, I most likely have training tomorrow and I don’t want to lose anymore sleep then I already have.

Signed, Swift Strokes.

I hide my journal back into my bag. I try to increase the comfort of my pillow by fluffing it. Instead of making it softer I could swear I heard it snap in half. Geeze, what in Celestia’s mane do they make these out of? Was my last thought as I drift off into unconsciousness.

How will they wake us up this time? Cannon fire? Maybe set our beds on fire? I nervously thought as I returned to semi consciousness. My eyes dart back and forth under my eyelids. I felt the slight movement of my ears as I wait for any sign of what could wake us up. After a while I hear the clip clop of a single set of hooves. I cringe slightly waiting for the blare of a trumpet or the tilt of my bed. But neither came, I wait a while longer but nothing happens.I prepare to get myself out of bed to ask the voice what it had said but I was quickly given an answer to my not yet asked question.

”AWAKEN NEW RECRUITS, AND RISE FROM THY BEDS! TODAY YOU SHALL ATTEND THE INITIATION CEREMONY!” A thunderous voice boomed that literally propelled me and several other ponies out of their beds.

I quickly collect myself off the floor and several ponies in order to view our booming guest. As I stare up I see a coat as blue as the ocean and a mane that flowed up and down in a ethereal breeze that was dotted by small star like twinkles. I quickly bow down to the majestic princess of the night, Luna.

She gave a small smile, “Arise young ponies, today is a day where your future is decided. Please meet the captains of the guards along with me and the sergeants in the training ground. The royal canterlot voice was a gift from my sister.”

The princess left all of the recruits dumbstruck and still in a pile. We all gather our wits and head out to the training field that we had visited a few times during our training. There was not much different about the exterior of the arena. The interior had a large stage with a podium. On the podium stood all my instructors along with a pegasus and an earth pony I had not seen before.

The earth pony looked fairly average. Nothing special about him really stood out. His mane blended nicely with the auburn of his coat. His entire expression was bored and uninterested. His mane was quite the opposite of Stacked Deck’s. His mane when shot out every direction making him look like a mad scientist who held onto a bolt of electricity a little too long.

The pegasus was a different story. Her mane and coat looked well groomed but not to the degree Stacked had. Her wings were folded tightly to her side blending in well with her light blue coat. The mixture of blue and yellow in her mane contrasted well. Her face was lowered to ground making her mane hide her face. I thought we were supposed to be the nervous ones, not the instructors...

The recruits all gathered to the area in front of the stage. The small talk of the groups behind me reach my ears. A few moments pass by before those on the stage looked ready to start the ceremony. Princess Luna stepped forward so that she was the main pony to see.

“Greetings recruits, I am glad to be here while my sister is busy with other royal duties. Today’s ceremony will be to congratulate those who passed the tests we have set within the last day. I hope those who do not pass today try once again next year.” She gave the same warm smile Celestia would give in these situations.

A single piece of paper enveloped in a blue aura came up to the princess, “I will now read off the names of those who passed and what guard they will be assigned too. Your assignment will be based off your attitude, performance and the personal recommendations of your instructors.”

“Those assigned to the solar guard are, Fast Track; Velvet Sheath; Wind Burn...”

She continued to list the names of each pony who made it into the solar guard. After the solar guard was the lunar guard which she took much more enthusiasm in saying. I can almost see the bias flowing off her... Each name passed and with each one I grew more and more worried that I had not passed the tests correctly. She finished the last name and cleared her throat.

“These lasts names will be for the royal guard, the protectors and last wall of defense for Canterlot. Whose ever name I do not say, I hope all of you keep your hope and try once more next year.” Next year? I don’t have enough money for next week!

“The names are Flip Side; Rose Thorn; Black Knight and lastly...” She looked hard at the paper.

The princess leaned back to Small Stature and I could vaguely hear her ask ‘how does one pronounce this name?’ She can’t pronounce the name? I can’t tell if this by accident or on purpose to cause dramatic scene... The royal mare leaned forward again and lifted her head high.

“The last name is Smith Strikes!” All of the recruits looked at each other with confusion until Stacked stepped up.

“She meant Swift Strokes. Congratulations to all the recruits who passed, can’t wait to see you all on duty.” They dismissed us all.

We all said our goodbyes to each other. The ones who had not passed left through the main gates each with a sad expression. I turn away from the recruits walking away and turned to the castle and smiled.

Today is the first day of the rest of my life.