To Be Your Knight
Written by FightorFlyT
Prologue
“Alter course twelve degrees south.”
The pilot slowly turned the wheel left, changing the dirigible's direction. The captain rose from her seat, giving her blood red wings a long stretch before she began to patrol the inside of her zeppelin. She stopped occasionally, looking deep into the eyes of whatever pony dared make contact with her. Every single one was foolish enough to.
Accept the last pony on the right wall. It was actually quite a shock when she focused on the pony. At first, every time she'd passed the soldier, she'd assumed that the pony was a mare. The body structure was dead-on and all, as well as the basic shape of the pony's head. However, she quickly learned that this was a stallion. He was a deep blue pegasus, young and lean. He kept his eyes shut, hooves firmly clenched against his harness. He was whispering mutters under his breath, quiet enough that not even the earth pony next to him could hear them.
“Soldier,” she said abruptly, garnering garnering the attention of every pony in the airship.
He didn't respond, instead flicking his head downward. His long Charcoal gray mane fell over his eyes, a single thick lock of white dodging to one side. Something told the captain that what he was muttering were not prayers that their mission would be successful.
The captain growled, irritated by the pegasi's lack of response.
“Soldier,” she repeated, trotting towards him. Each of her strides boomed with intent, he hoof-falls measured and heavy.
Still, the pegasus did not respond with words. This time, however, he gave her his attention. He looked up.
The first thing the captain noticed was that he had no iris, there was simply a small pinprick near the top of his eyes as he glared at her. She then realized that he was not glaring; he'd raised his head to face her. He simply appeared to be glaring.
Then she saw the light gray ring running around where the iris should have been. He did have colour to his eyes. That colour was snow white.
“Soldier,” she repeated, voice gruff and short.
“Captain,” he responded, nodding in respect. His voice was different then the deep, booming voices of her other warriors. He had a strained voice, still deep in core but sounding almost painful when spoken. It cracked lightly when he said the simple word.
“Soldier, would you like to share with us your mind? You seem rather focused on something, and I would be willing to guess that it is not the mission at hoof.”
The pegasus shook his head carefully from side to side.
“There is nothing of importance with my mind, captain.”
The captain rolled her brilliant gold eyes. “Very well. If that is the case, then I expect not to hear another word from this side of the ship.” The glare she then gave him could have pierced diamonds.
“Are. We. Clear?” she asked him, emphasizing each word with a menacing step towards him.
The pegasus dipped his head again, muttering a quick “Aye,” before closing his eyes once more. If anything, his grip on the harness had doubled.
The captain simply snorted as she turned around, returning to her seat.
“Oy,” the blonde earth pony next to him whispered, careful to keep his voice low enough that the captain didn't hear him.
“What's up with ya? You've been gripping that there harness like you're gonna fall out or something,” he breathed,
“It is none of your concern,” the pegasus muttered.
“Fair enough,” the earth pony relented. “So what's yer name, pal?”
The pegasus shifted in his seat, turning to face the wall more than the center of the ship.
“It's Knight, and I'm not your pal.”
The blonde earth pony shot him a glance, not caring that the pegasus wouldn't see it.
“Fine, have it yer way then.”
As the earth pony grumbled to himself about some ponies and being rude, the pegasus instead began muttering to himself again. Nopony else to hear him, he was free to speak his mind.
And on his mind were spells.
Audible spells, of course. Pegasi were unable to use physical magic, due to the lack of a certain horned appendage, but Knight had learned long ago that verbal spells were still quite usable by pegasi and earth ponies.
He could be killed for simply knowing that information.
He recited over and over the only spell he knew. It was harsh on his tongue, a language both foreign and ancient, but simply repeating it made him feel stronger, made him feeler faster, made him feel better.
“Oy.”
Knight grimaced as the earth pony interrupted him again. Knight slowly turned to face him, the white of his irises slowly flickering down a few shades until it was the lightest of grays.
“Yes?” he hissed.
“Are ye really here fer the invasion? Ya don' look quite, er... focused, eh?”
Knight sighed, flicking his eyes towards the captain. She hadn't noticed their conversation. Good.
“I'm not certain I should be telling you this, but I'm here on more... executive orders,” he explained.
“Oh?” the earth pony drew his breath excitedly. “What kind o' executive orders?”
“That's... confidential,” Knight informed him.
“Ah, I see...” the earth pony's demeanor vanished immediately as he visually deflated. Poor guy, Knight thought. He just wanted to hear some good news, surely.
“But,” Knight returned, the earth pony reanimating.
“I suppose I could tell you what my job is.”
“Really?”
Knight chuckled quietly. “Yes, I guess it wouldn't really hurt anypony if I told you that much. You see, I'm-”
He felt her eyes before he actually saw them.
His mouth shut instinctively as he lowered his eyes. The captain's hoofsteps boomed throughout the cabin.
“I do believe I told you to hush up, didn't I? Soldier?” she spat at him. Knight didn't so much as flinch as she tore the restraint from him, pulling him up to her level by the chains around his neck.
“Didn't I-” she looked down at the tags adorning his neck- “Knight?”
“Yes... Ma'am...” Knight choked out, barely able to breath as the chains cut into his throat.
The captain chuckled mercilessly.
“I shall not have disobedient soldiers on my ship, especially in a zone where these damn Equestrian brats MIGHT HEAR US-”
The ship suddenly rocked from impact, listing starboard.
“Captain, we've been hit,” the green pilot called out, struggling with the wheel.
“It seems we've been spotted!” he added helpfully.
“Oh really, dear?” she shouted, voice full of malice. “What gave you that idea-” she was cut short as another direct hit shook the airship. Through the windows surrounding the cabin, it was clear that the small craft was falling from the sky.
“This is your fault,” she hissed, glaring straight into Knight's eyes. She reached around and gripped him by his wings and swung over, smashing his face into the wooden flooring. He didn't cry out in pain, even groan in discomfort.
The captain hefted him up by the wings, looking at his face. His eyes were screwed up tight, and he was chanting under his breath very fast.
“What is it, dear? Any last words before I end you myself for sabotaging this mission?”
“Yes,” Knight drawled. “The king wants you to know... your request of invasion has been denied.”
The captain's eyes went wide.
“You were a spy from the royal house!” she screamed, throwing him headlong towards the pilot's hub. He crashed into the steering wheel, splitting it apart. Not like they needed it anyways; the ship was going down.
Still, not a single soldier on board noticed they were indeed going down. They were too enthralled in the enraged captain and the hopeless spy.
“I'm not a spy, I'm a relay-”
He felt a hoof collide with the side of his face, silencing him. Again, he didn't let out a sound, taking the punishment in silence.
“I don't care what you are,” the captain growled, “you have ruined this entire mission!”
“The mission was never approved!” he shouted back, gathering quite the shock from the crew and soldiers. Nopony ever talked back to the captain. Ever.
“You're right.” The captain took step after menacing step towards Knight, who held his ground. He tried flexing his wings to threaten her off, but he knew with a twinge of pain that his left wing was useless at the moment. She sure had a strong grip.
“I wasn't granted permission for this expedition.”
She closed the gap between her and Knight, and in one swift movement swung in a perfect uppercut, charging against the large window at the front of the airship's cabin.
She slammed him against the glass, feeling it crack beneath the pressure.
“Which is why-” she stopped suddenly, noticing something as Knight glared in rage towards her.
“Your eyes...” she whispered, horrified. His irises were glowing a soft white, pulsing with an ethereal energy.
Knight hissed the spell he had been repeating, and all of the magical energy he'd been storing was suddenly unleashed in a sudden deep bass note that exploded between the two ponies. The captain flew back, crashing against the remains of the steering hub. A splinter of wood gouged deep into her thigh, robbing her of the use of that leg.
She cursed at Knight as he fell back through the window, unable to hide the sinister smile as he fell into the black night sky.
He flapped his wings, but instantly regretted in as his back spasmed in pain.
“Right, my wing,” he gasped, sucking in the cold night air.
Then he realized how fast he was traveling. A thin jet-stream whipped behind him as he shot through the sky, traveling across the land his people had come to conquer. From their position to the south of the crystal mountains, his voyage through the sky barreled him halfway across the country, or so he thought. He could feel his latent magical energy forming a gentle sphere around him, preparing for the inevitable impact. Having no control over it, he made no effort to stop it. Not that he would, anyways. At the moment, he could barely think straight. He was falling horizontally for a good half hour before he blacked out, unable to breath as the oxygen was sucked from his lungs.
The last thing he saw before he was gone was a field of dead apple trees, some uprooted and long gone, and then he was gone.
All anypony else who happened to look up was a streak of white, almost mistakable for a shooting star. Then a crashing BOOM as it crashed into the southern fields of Sweet Apple Acres.
To Be Your Knighte
Chapter One: Make a Wish
The Golden Oaks Library was closing it's doors for the night just as the sky started to darken.
“Looks like the stars will be bright tonight, doesn't it?” a small purple dragon commented as he looked out a window sleepily.
“What was that, Spike?”
A purple unicorn raised her head from deep within a book, her eyes adjusting from the page to her number one library assistant.
“I was just saying, the sky looks like it might be a good night for seeing the stars,” he explained more thoroughly.
“Ah, I see,” the unicorn exclaimed, looking out the distant window into the dark golden sky. She could already see the twinkling of the brightest stars in the horizon.
“I might just have to observe them- ooh, I could even use my new telescope!” she said aloud while hopping up from her couch, magicking away the book in a purple glaze of energy.
“Oh, Twilight! Can I come, too?” Spike asked in excitement.
“No, you have to go to bed,” she informed him, much to his dismay. He deflated sadly, eyes drooping with anguish. Or he'd just fallen asleep, you never can tell with dragons, especially the baby ones.
Twilight Sparkle sighed with a smile as she picked up the snoring dragon with her magic, plopping him onto her back and making her way up the stairs to their room.
“Good night, Spike,” she cooed as she tucked him in to his small bed, giving him a motherly peck on the forehead before leaving the room, tiptoeing carefully. She made sure to close the door as softly as she could-
“TWILIGHT!”
Twilight jumped in panic, frozen to the spot. She turned her head in fury, recognizing the obnoxious voice from anywhere. She loved her friends, but there was one of them who didn't exactly know when to use her inside voice.
“Pinkie Pie!” she hissed, keeping her voice as quiet as she could. “Could you be a little quieter?! Spike is sleeping!”
“OH-” Pinkie Pie, a pink pony with a poofy mane that was a few shades darker than her hide, gasped loudly before throwing her hooves to her mouth comically.
“Oh,” she said again, this time in a whisper. “Sorry!”
Twilight carefully cracked open the door, glancing inside. Spike rolled over onto his side, but snored all the same, mumbling something about Rarity and her mane. Twilight let out a sigh of relief.
She turned around trotted down the stairs towards her friend.
“It's alright Pinkie, he's still asleep. So, what can I do for you?” Twilight said as she approached her ridiculously pink friend.
“Weeell,” Pinkie started while taking a deep breath.
“I was going to start planning out Rainbow Dash's YOU'RE HAVING A BABY party but then I realized that I don't know what you do at YOU'RE HAVING A BABY party beside party so I was going to ask Mr. and Mrs. Cake but they were too busy taking care of the twins to help so then I asked Gummy what I should do and he said that I should definitely definitely DEFINITELY ask you because you most definitely have read about them somewhere so I hopped on out of my room and headed over here and was going to knock but somepony left the door unlocked so I let myself in because I was sure you wouldn't mind and then I called for you because I didn't see you and then you were all like 'SHHH!' and then I was all 'Sorry!' and then-”
Twilight put a hoof to Pinkie Pie's mouth, effectively silencing her.
“I get it, Pinkie,” Twilight laughed. “But to be honest, I don't know all that much as to what should be at this party of yours, either.”
“Awww...” Pinkie Pie whined, ears drooping. “But gummy was sure you'd be able to help us!”
“Well, I appreciate that Gummy had faith in me,” Twilight said, “but I don't think I've ever read anything about... 'Having a baby' parties. Sorry, Pinkie.”
“Aw, well it's okay, Twilight!” Pinkie Pie suddenly bounced back, as cheerful as ever. “I could always ask Rarity- OOH! I bet she'd LOVE to help! I'll go ask her! Thanks, but bye Twilight!”
Pinkie Pie was long gone by the time Twilight had time to react to her sudden recovery. She shrugged it off; it was Pinkie Pie, she wasn't all that surprised after all.
“Oh well, at least I can still use my telescope!” she squee'd as she levitated the shiny new astrological observation tube towards her, rubbing it against her cheek affectionately. It wasn't every day she had an excuse to use her new toys!
She hummed along a tune to herself as she went about gathering a few supplies into her saddle bag: a notebook, a quill and bottled ink, a blanket, another blanket, a small but full water bottle enchanted so that it could hold more than twice it's normal volume, and lastly her shiny new telescope.
She looked over everything she had, then consulted a checklist she'd created out of nowhere, nodding as she marked each item off. When she was thoroughly convinced that she had everything, she smiled to herself and tucked the checklist away in her saddle bag. It was time to go star gazing!
Twilight rushed out of the library, carefully making sure the front door was locked behind her in case another rogue Pinkie decided to barge on by. She considered adding a ward over the door, just in case Pinkie Pie did happen to return, but figured against it. Pinkie Pie was probably having quite the heated debate with Rarity over Rainbow Dash's party, seeing as Rarity almost matched the hyper party pony in sheer excitement about Rainbow Dash's big news.
She smiled to herself as she trotted down the quiet roads in Ponyville, thinking about her friends. She was happy for Rainbow Dash, first being accepted as a Wonderbolt and then getting the news she was pregnant! While she definitely agreed that it was probably quite the shocker for her, she could help but feel proud for her cyan pegasus friend. For being the most unfeminine of them all, she certainly was ahead of all of her mare friends!
Her mind wandered as she crossed a small bridge that led over a slow-running creek.
Rainbow Dash was pregnant with Big Macintosh's baby. Big Macintosh was Apple Jack's older brother, so that meant that if Rainbow and Big Mac ended up getting married, then their little group of friends was going to be more and more like the big extended family they already considered themselves! How exciting!
But...
Twilight sighed as she continued down the path to her favorite hill to watch the sky, a shot distance from town and on the way to Sweet Apple Acres, the home of the Apple family.
It wasn't that she wasn't happy for Rainbow Dash, because she was. She was ecstatic that the pegasus was going to have this experience, but... It was with Macintosh. The big, strong, tough Macintosh. The same Macintosh who Fluttershy had been infatuated with for the longest time. The same Macintosh who, however softly and caring as he had done it, broke Fluttershy's fragile heart by revealing he'd been seeing Rainbow Dash.
The same Macintosh who made Twilight's own heart flutter when she even thought of him.
“It's not that I wish it was me and not her,” Twilight thought aloud as she turned a corner, rounding a row of trees near the path. “But... it would have been nice...”
She let her gaze fall to the gravelly road she traveled on. It definitely wasn't anger she felt towards the two of them. She was more happy for them than anything else! But she might have felt the slightest pang of... Jealousy?
“No, she whispered back angrily to herself. “I am NOT jealous of Rainbow Dash! How could you even think such a thing?!” she chided herself.
She let her thoughts wander a little bit, however.
“Well, I might just be a little, itty-bit jealous,” she admitted to herself. “I mean, he is the most handsome stallion around Ponyville, all strong and muscular,” she giggle at the last part.
“He even had Smarty Pants fixed up for me... Why did he do that, I wonder?”
Not that she was clueless. She'd seen the way he'd occasionally look at her before he went on the last cattle run. She wasn't certain, but she had the smallest inkling that he might have...
… Liked her.
“Bah, what am I rambling about,” she said, pulling herself together and resuming her usual gait.
“I need to stop looking into things so much, like Rainbow... Dash said...”
Rainbow Dash was the reason Macintosh didn't like her anymore. She'd noticed how he seemed more secluded to himself whenever he came to visit her. The last time he'd really needed Twilight's help, he'd been trying to translate an old locket of Rainbow's. The whole time, she had seen him trying not to let his eyes wander to her. Often, she might add.
Twilight began climbing a slowly rolling hill. She'd arrived at her spot.
As she reached the large oak tree at the climax of the hill, she took in the sight around her. The sun was just dipping over the horizon, sending the last few golden rays of sunlight across the land. Soon, Luna's beautiful night would wash over Equestria, and the stars would be at their best visibility.
Especially out there in the ope, away from Ponyville. Ponyville wasn't bad about pollution or anything that would seriously hinder her ability to watch the skies. It was actually a rather good vantage point. However, there was just something about heading out for her favourite hill, breathing in the crisp, clean evening air, feeling the gentle breeze tussle her deep purple mane, everything about that place just seemed so... calm.
She pulled out her first blanket, a thin one that was rather tough and stiff, and laid it out over the grass, resting her saddle bag atop it. She followed that by pulling out her tightly wrapped snuggle blanket, as she called it, setting it down next to the bag and laying out her notepad and quill, uncapping the ink while setting it beside those.
Finally, she excavated the telescope. It was a beautiful device, able to magnify the night sky almost twice as good as her larger telescope while maintaining a clarity like water. This was all advertisement, she was aware, and like all new telescopes she had to do one thing: test it!
She snapped open the tripod mounting and gently set it on the ground, taking care to make sure it wouldn't tip to one side once she let go. Once she was certain that it was stable, she looked to the sky, eyes lighting up. In that instant, all her worries simply melted away.
The night sky was beautiful. As soon as the sun had disappeared, the night opened up, spreading its beauty across all of Equestria. Twilight had to admit that Luna certainly outdid herself every single night.
Smiling to herself, Twilight laid down, picking up her quill and dipping it tenderly in the inkwell. Shifting her grasp from mouth to magic, she shuffled around on her stomach until she was comfortable, then began recording the heavens.
Twilight yawned deeply as she rubbed at her eyes from beneath her blanket, scratching in the final numbers for her recordings. Not much had changed from the what she'd expected, other than some stars being a teensy bit closer than what she'd calculated, but everything was within the allowances she'd prepared for. She was definitely getting better at her estimates than when she'd started.
It had been at least a few hours since she'd gone out to gaze at the sky, and that time had been well spent. The night sky was indeed beautiful, full of mystery and wonder. She wanted to document everything up there. If she kept up the pace she was at now, she might be able to do just that, it seemed.
Capping the inkwell, Twilight levitated her writing supplies back into her bag, then carefully and purposefully began taking down the telescope.
As she was resting it on the ground after folding up the tripod, she felt the sky light up.
Glancing up, she saw a marvelous light scorching through the sky. It was magnificent, like a comet.
“A shooting star,” she whispered to herself.
“Might as well make a wish,” she sighed. Images of Rainbow Dash and Big Macintosh played through her mind.
“It would... be nice to have somepony like that, I suppose,” she contemplated. Her eyes traced the blazing object as it grew larger.
“Yeah, I'd like that...” she whispered, observing how it seemed to be lower in the sky than it should be.
How it was actually dropping, not flying.
How it was heading right for her.
“Wha-” she stumbled backwards, eyes wide in fear. “That's no shooting star!' she cried, grabbing all of her gear in her magic and rushing down the hill, more falling than running at that point.
Behind her, a thunderous explosion rocked the ground as the mysterious object crashed into the ground.
She yelped as earth rained down of her, small twigs and branches from trees scratching at her hide. She hid under her hooves until the ground stopped shaking.
It was over as suddenly as it had begun. Silence blanketed the fields and the little hill, almost as if nothing had happened at all. Twilight gingerly rose to her hooves, surrounded by upset ground and bits of broken apple tree.
Climbing the hill, the damage was clear. A nasty scar had been dug into the dead fields, crushing the foliage and throwing decayed soil everywhere.
And at the end of the grisly gorge was a flickering white aura. A magical aura.
“What in Equestria is that?” Twilight breathed, slowly approaching the foreign object.
The closer she got, the more confused yet certain she became as to what had just happened.
The white field enveloping the object was indeed magic, but it was thin and vanishing fast. As the last wisp of it slipped from existence, she saw the small body of a crumpled pegasus, appearing to be a mare. Gasping, Twilight rushed right towards her.
“Oh my gosh, are you alright?” she cried, nearly twisting a hoof as she stumbled her way towards the mystery mare.
She received a rather deep groan in response.
Twilight paused once she reached the pegasus. Her hair was a deep gray, almost like dirty coal, with a brilliant streak of white towards the front. Twilight nervously shifted from hoof-to-hoof.
“Should I move her? Of course I should, but what if that ends up hurting her more?! Oh, why couldn't Fluttershy be here?!” she cried, before closing her eyes and rubbing a hoof against her temple.
“Think, Twilight. Think...”
She took in a deep breath. As she let it out, her eyes flared open as she sent a spell on the pegasus, highlighting her bones and blood vessels.
“Nothing broken, no tendons damaged... so she's... fine? After falling out of the sky?” she huffed. “Must be related to Rainbow Dash,” she decided.
“Alright, let's get you somewhere that you can get help,” Twilight said nervously as she lifted the pegasus in her magic.
A bright flash later, and the two were in the Golden Oaks Library, Twilight laying the mare out on the couch.
“Oh, please be alright,” Twilight pleaded as she rested the pegasi's head on a pillow, then flashed out of existence, returning a split second later with a frazzled yellow pegasus with a silky pink mane.
“Fluttershy! Help! Now!” Twilight cried, pointing at the unconscious pegasus on her couch.
“What- Twilight, I- Oh no!” Fluttershy gasped as she rushed to the pony's side.
“What happened?” she asked, resting her head against the pony's chest and listening for a heartbeat.
“I don't know- well, I mean, I DO, but- that's it! I don't know!”
Fluttershy raised an eyebrow at her friend. “Excuse me?” she asked, her usually timid voice flat and unrepentant.
“I mean- she fell out of the sky! I don't know how!”
“That's... odd...” Fluttershy said as she continued checking over the pegasus.
“But, did you say 'she'?”
“Yes,” Twilight said, too frazzled to understand the confusion in Fluttershy's voice as she hastily made a pot of tea. “Why?”
“Uh, Twilight? This is a... guy, actually.” Fluttershy said with a quiet giggle, resuming her work.
“Oh?” Twilight asked, almost dropping the pot of tea in her grasp. “Are you sure?”
“Well,” Fluttershy began, her voice a bit uncharacteristically teasing, “he's on his back, so I can clearly see that... yes, this is a colt.”
Twilight chanced a peek towards Fluttershy and the house patient before leaping back into the kitchen, face bright red. “Definitely a guy,” she whispered.
Finishing the instant tea, she filled up two cups and levitated one to Fluttershy, who was finishing up her diagnosis. Fluttershy accepted the cup gratefully, sipping carefully as to not scald herself.
“So... what's wrong with him? How bad is he hurt?” Twilight asked, pulling a book off her shelf and cracking it open, ready to investigate solutions in her copy of 1001 Common Ailments and Cures.
“Well, actually all he has wrong with him is a pulled wing. He won't be flying on it for at least three weeks, but- Twilight, did you say he fell out of the sky- that is, if you don't mind me asking,” Fluttershy squeaked out the last part.
“Yes, Fluttershy. He was encased in some kind of magic... shield, or something. I actually mistook him for a shooting star, at first.” Until he almost took me out, that is.
“Must be related to Rainbow Dash...” Fluttershy whispered to herself.
“What?” Twilight asked, not hearing quite what Fluttershy said.
“Nothing! As for him, I'd recommend plenty of bed rest and fluids. Who is he, anyways?”
“I have no idea,” Twilight said. “But judging from his body structure,” Twilight then held up a new book she was reading, titled Anatomy of Culture, “I'm guessing somewhere north-eastern. Further than Manehatten, somewhere high altitude with lots of air resistance. I mean, look at him. Obviously they've grown to adapt. Pegasi here aren't that aerodynamic, that's for sure!”
“A-huh,” Fluttershy whispered.
“But if that's everything,” Twilight said, and with a quick flash of her horn they were back at Fluttershy's cottage. “Thank you so much Fluttershy, especially out of the blue and all!”
“Oh, it's... no big deal, really,” Fluttershy assured her. “But make sure he gets to a hospital if he has any problems! I'm used to dealing with animals, not pegasi!”
“Will do! Thanks again!” Twilight enthusiastically agreed, and then she was back at the library.
She glanced back at the pegasus, then felt her face grow warm again. Quickly, she felt around through the downstairs closet for a blanket, finding a thin sheet and quickly tossing it over the buck, particularly covering his midsection and below.
On the subject of blankets, that reminded her...
“My supplies!” she gasped.
Author's Note
This was primarily based off of Bronius Maximus' "At Home on the Range" and "Breaking Barriers", but from here it delves off into it's own storyline. Thank you Bronius for allowing me to use your story as an anchor, and thank you to FreeLancerZENA for pre-reading my work! >u<
