Bolt of Love

Chapters

Chapter 2: Ponyville
Chapter 3: Apples and Oranges
Chapter 4: Cutie Marks
Chapter 5: The Challenge
Chapter 6: Family
Chapter 7: Spa
Chapter 8: Kisses and Beatdowns
Chapter 9: Answers
Chapter 10: The Instigator
Chapter 11: Familiy Issues
Chapter 12: Date
Chapter 13: Speech
Chapter 1: Overwatch
Chapter 14: The Harbinger's Return

Chapter 2: Ponyville

Chapter 2

Ponyville

“Last stop Ponyville!” The conductor said over the speaker. Splinter got to his hooves and saw that it was fairly early in the morning. He walked out of the train, threw on the dark cloak he had packed and threw it over his white body. He threw the hood over his head and made his way through the small town undetected.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Inside the Golden Oaks Library Twilight Sparkle was working at her desk until her dragon assistant Spike came up to her with a letter in his claw.

“Twilight, I just got this letter from the Princess.” He said as the mare took the letter from him.

“Thank you Spike.” She unraveled the parchment and skimmed the message. “Spike get the girls, they need to hear this.” She said in a stern tone.

“On it!” He said as he raced out the door. Twilight looked back at the message with a raised eyebrow.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Splinter and noticed that a small purple dragon was running towards the library with five mares in pursuit. Shinning mentioned that Twilight had a dragon assistant. He followed the mares to a hollowed out tree in the center of town. He took of the coat and stuffed it inside his bag. Splinters horn glowed and his body and items became invisible. As the mares made their way inside he snuck in right behind the cyan mare and stood as still as a board. Splinter saw five multi colored mares standing in front of a lavender unicorn.

“What’s going on Twi?” The orange one asked in a southern accent.

“I’ve just been informed that my brother has commissioned a guard to.....well, guard us.” She said as the cyan mare let out a groan.

“Why? We don’t need some babysitter.” Rainbow said as she rolled her eyes.

“I don’t know why either, but he says it’s important.”

“Does it give his name?” Pinkie asked.

“No, nothing. Just says that it’s only one guard.” She said as she looked at the letter.

“We don’t need some stuck up Canterlot dweeb, I can take care of myself just fine and I can see a threat coming a mile away.” Rainbow boasted.

“Oh really?” The mares looked at one another and jumped back as they saw the white stallion appear beside them.

“Who are you?” Twilight yelled as her horn flared.

“The stuck up Canterlot dweeb as your friend put it.” He said as he stared at the mares who looked at him in confusion. Rarity’s eyes shrank as her brain made the connection.

“Splinter?” Rarity said in wonder.

“Rarity? What are you doing here?” The stallion asked in confusion.

“You two know each other?” Twilight asked.

“I bumped into him while I was leaving Canterlot. I didn’t know that Twilight was the VIP you were talking about.” Splinter looked at her and then over to the purple mare.

“I take it you’re an element of harmony then.”

“Correct.” The stallion let out a sigh and looked at the mares.

“My name is Splintered Lance and I’m under direct orders from the Princess to protect you in anyway I can.” He said with a nod. The orange mare trotted forward and shook his hoof.

“Nice to meet yah Splinter. Ah’m Applejack.” She said with a smile.

“I’m Pinkie Pie!” The pink earth pony said as she popped up in front of the stallion.

“I’m F-Fluttershy.” The yellow mare said in a timid voice.

“So you must be good if you’re the only one they sent.” Rainbow said as she eyed the stallion.

“I’m the best soldier the Princess has.” He said in a flat tone.

“Thanks for the offer pal, but we don’t need protection.” She said in a cocky tone.

“I agree. I’m sure this is only a formality to reassure Shinning.”

“Why would he need reassurance?” Twilight asked.

“Shinning is your brother. It’s his job to worry about you. Since he’s the captain of the guard and the Princess being your teacher, it makes you a prime target.” The ponies looked at him in shock. “Just imagine if you were to fall into enemy hooves, you would be one hell of a bargaining chip.” Twilight looked at the stallion at the realization.

“I see, anything else?” Twilight asked.

“One last thing, hold still.”

“Why should-” Twilight was cut off as six streams of light shot out of his horn and connected with the mares foreheads. Causing the mares to recoil their heads in pain. “What was that?” Twilight asked as she rubbed her head.

I opened a telepathic link with you six. If you need my help just think it and I’ll be there as quick as I can. The voice echoed through the mares heads and looked at the stallion in fear. “Relax, I can’t read your minds. I can only hear things you want me to hear.”

“How do we turn it off?” Rainbow asked.

“All you have to do is say my name and a private channel will open. Only use this in an emergency!” He said in a stern tone. “This spell causes a lot of stress on my brain.” He said as he rubbed his head. “Now, any questions?”

“Yeah, how long is this guard thing gonna last?” Rainbow asked.

“Until I get orders from the Princess that tell me otherwise.”

“What about Twilight’s brother? Don’t you work for him?” Applejack asked. Splinter let out a laugh at the statement.

“No, I don’t take orders from Shinning. I’m here because I’m his friend and he trusts me.” Twilight looked at him in confusion.

“He never mentioned you to me.”

“Then he was doing his job.” He said with a smile. “If you need me I’m going to go find a place to stay.”

“I have a spare room you can use.” Rarity chimed in. The other ponies looked at her in confusion.

“You don’t have to do that. I can-”

“I insist. Think of it as a thank you for helping me in Canterlot.” She said with a warm smile. The mares looked at their friend in surprise at the offer.

“Well....okay. If you don’t mind that is.” He said as he raised an eyebrow.

“It’s no trouble at all. I’ll show you around after we’re done here.” Rarity looked back at the mares who had looks of surprise and shock strewn across their faces. “What?”

“What happened in Canterlot?” Twilight asked as she raised her eyebrow.

“Nothing, I just helped your friend out of-”

“He defended me from two unsavory stallions while I was on my way to the train station.” The mares looked at the white stallion.

“I was just doing my job.” He said in a flat tone.

“I still feel that I owe you something.” She said in a light hardy voice.

“Suit yourself. Thank you.” He said with a nod.

“So you have to do what we say?” Rainbow asked with a smirk.

“I’m not your butler, I’m your bodyguard. Call me if you’re in danger and I’ll be there to help you out. That’s it.” He said in a stern tone. Splinter looked over at Pinkie who could barely control her excitement.

“Neat! A new pony! This calls for a party!” She zoomed towards the exit, only to have the door being slammed in her face. “Hey what gives?”

“Nope, no parties for this stallion.”

“Why not?”

“The key in this mission is stealth and a party is sure to draw attention to me.” He said in a stern tone. Splinter looked back at the Pink mare who had a sad look on her face. “However, Shinning told me about your party habit. So it would seem strange if somepony noticed me and I didn’t have one. Throw one, just don’t tell them who I am or why I’m here.” Pinkie grinned and gave a slight nod.

“So you want us to lie?” Applejack asked.

“Don’t worry I’ll handle the details.” He said in a calm tone.

“Before we go any further how about we get a little back round on you.” Twilight said in a stern voice.

“Worried about my qualifications?” He asked as he raised an eyebrow

“I just want to see what you can do. How long have you been in the guard?”

“About as long as your brother.” He said in a flat tone.

“What kind of missions have you done?” She asked as she raised an eyebrow.

“Classified.” Splinter said in a blank tone.

“Why?”

“That’s the way it is.” His face was devoid of any emotion.

“Why can’t you tell us?” Rainbow asked.

“It’s one of those ‘If I told you then I’d have to kill you’ deals.” The ponies looked at him in shock. “I will say this, theres no one in the guard that can beat me.” He looked over at Twilight who’s eyes began to narrow. “Your brother can get a few good hits on me, but I always won when we sparred with one another.”

“What type of spells can you use?” Twilight asked.

“Mostly offensive spells, some protective spells and a few of my own personal ones.”

“Like?”

“Invisibility.” He said as his body vanished from their sight. “This is my personal favorite, allows me to sneak around without being noticed.” The stallions said as he reappeared

“Cool!” Pinkie said with a smile.

“I can also make other things invisible too.” His horn flared and the orange mare disappeared.

“What in tarnation?” She yelled as her image returned.

“Not to shabby.” Rainbow said with a raised eyebrow.

“Anything else?” Splinter asked as he looked back at the mares.

“N-no. I think we’re good for now.” Twilight said in a shaky voice.

“Splendid. Follow me Splinter and I’ll show you to where you’ll be staying.” Rarity said as she walked to the door. The white stallion gave the group of mares a nod and turned to follow the mare. Twilight trotted over to her desk and withdrew a quill and paper.

“What are ya doing Twilight?” Applejack asked.

“I’m going to get some more information on him. My brother would surely know more about him.” She said as she began to write.

“Good idea, I don’t know about you girls but I don’t trust him.” Rainbow said as she looked at her friends.

“He doesn’t seem so bad.” Fluttershy said in a timid voice.

“Yeah, he probably needs to get settled in.” Pinkie chimed in.

“I dunno sugar cube, something felt...off.”

“I got that vibe too.” Twilight said as she finished the letter. “Spike send this to Princess Celestia at once.” She said as she handed it to the dragon.

“On it.” The dragon said as he breathed a ball of green flames that enveloped the parchment.

“I’m sure Celestia will be able to explain” Twilight was cut off as Spike burped up a rolled piece of parchment.

“See, I knew she would-” Twilight’s jaw dropped at the message.

“What is it Twi?” Applejack asked. Twilight showed them the message and their jaws hit the floor.

Twilight,

I understand that you want to know more about Splinter, but for his and your protection he must remain secret. Splinter may seem a little....extreme, but he is without a doubt the best we have and will protect you with his life. I know that Rainbow Dash is rolling her eyes at this whole situation. This is so that Shinning will feel reassured about your safety.

I will say this, Splinter has had a long hard career. Please do not ask him about things he doesn’t wish to talk about, and DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES MENTION THE CHANGELING ATTACK! He lost some friends and it’s a VERY sensitive topic to him. It’s why I assigned him to you, he needs to relax and unwind. I’m sorry, that is all I can tell you about him. I will see if I can find anything else from Shinning. Until then, help him feel welcome.

~Princess Celestia.

Twilight read the letter again in confusion. She looked at her friends in bewilderment who shared the same expression. “Not even the Princess can tell us about him.” Twilight said as she sat down. “Who is he?” She asked as she made the letter vanish.

“I say we find out the old fashioned way!” Rainbow said as she cracked her hooves.

“Ah don’t think that’s a good idea Rainbow, he’s a Canterlot guard. I’m sure he can handle you without breaking a sweat.” The orange mare said as Rainbow let out a grunt and calmed down.

“I still think we should confront him.”

“We’ll talk to him after he gets settled. Maybe he’ll tell us when he’s ready.” Pinkie said with a smile.

“Maybe you’re right, until then I suggest we at least try to help him feel welcome.” Twilight said with a sigh. “Who knows? He could be useful.” Twilight said with a shrug.
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Splinter followed the white mare to a very posh shop filled with fabric thread and gowns of almost every color. “I take it you’re a tailor then?”

“Yes, I make custom suits and dresses for ponies all over Equestria.”

“Nice, did you design anything for famous ponies?”

“Yes, I made a custom outfit for Sapphire Shores.” She said with a smile.

“Ah, I recall her mentioning a dress maker from a small town that designed her jeweled outfit.” Rarity’s jaw dropped at the info.

“You know Sapphire Shores?”

“Yeah, I was hired to guard her while she was on a fashion tour a few years ago. Very nice mare and always had a funny story up her sleeve.” He said with a laugh. “Nice to know some famous ponies that aren’t complete jerks.”

“Like who?”

“Blue blood.” He said as he let out a groan. “I’ve wanted to clobber him so many times I’ve lost count.”

“I understand your feelings.” She said as the Gala memories came rushing back.

“You’ve met him?”

“Unfortunately yes. I have never met such an inconsiderate stallion in all my life!” She yelled.

“I’m with ya on that one, you couldn’t pay me enough to guard him again.” He said as he narrowed his eyes. “Once in awhile I would ‘accidentally’ sneeze in his food.” Rarity let out a giggle at the thought. “You don’t even want to know what the chefs did to it.” He said with a laugh. Rarity was in hysterics as she approached the boutique.

“Here we are.” She said as she opened the doors to the posh boutique. Splinter noticed the large rolls of fabric and outfits put on display. “Sorry about the mess. I had to get started on an outfit for a client.”

“No problem. I’m no neat freak.” He said with a shrug. The door opened to reveal a small white unicorn filly.

“Hey Rarity I was wondering if-.” She stopped when she noticed the stallion.

“Sweetie Belle, it’s rude to barge in like that.” Rarity said as she looked at the filly.

“Sorry.” She said as she rolled here eyes.

“You have daughter?” Splinter asked as he looked at the two ponies.

“Oh no, Sweetie is just my little sister.” She said with a small laugh.

“Sorry, I just assumed.” He said as he looked away from the mare.

“It’s alright darling. You’re not the first pony to assume that.” She said with a warm smile.

“Who’s he?” The filly asked.

“My name is Splintered Lance and I’m a friend of your sisters from Canterlot. She’s allowing me to stay here while I get my new business up and running in town.” He lied with a smile.

“Oh that makes sense.” She said as she continued on her way. Rarity looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

“What?”

“You just lied to my sister. Why?”

“The less she and you know, the safer it will be while I’m guarding you.” He said in a flat tone.

“Still, I’m surprised how you can do it so easily.”

“Let’s just say I’ve had a lot of practice at it.” He said in a flat tone. Rarity gulped and led the stallion up the stairs and into a fairly large room with a pristine white desk, large bed, a large dresser and a massive window that let the sun in.

“Here we are. Home sweet home.”

“Looks great, I really appreciate this Rarity.” He said with a grin.

“Think nothing of it darling.” Rarity said with a smile.

“Mind if I use one of these mannequins?”

“Of course darling. Whatever you need.” Splinter smiled and his horn began to glow. A suit of armor appeared on the mannequin. Rarity inspected the armor with a raised eyebrow. The armor was deep red with white trim. Unlike the traditional golden armor she had seen so many Canterlot guards wear. “Why is your armor a different color?”

“I’m a different branch of the guard.” He said in a flat tone.

“So a special guards man?”

“Sort of.” He said with a shrug. The armor vanished from the mannequin with a small poof of smoke.

“Where did it go?” The stallions horn flared showing the armor on the stallions body. “You always wear it?”

“Yeah, but I usually keep it invisible. I don’t like to draw attention to myself.” He said as the armor vanished.

“Why?”

“I won’t be able to guard you if ponies are asking me questions every minute of the day.” He said with a sigh. Rarity smiled and left the stallion to continue unpacking in peace. Splinter rifled through his things and levitated a small photo with him and two other ponies in it. He set the photo on the night stand and let out a sigh. He instantly felt a small pain rip through his body. He quickly found his toiletry bag and pulled out a small bottle of pills. The stallion put one in his hoof and popped it into his mouth. The stallion let out a sigh and made his way over to the bed and laid down to rest.

Splinter awoke hours later and let out a yawn. He trotted downstairs to see the filly coloring in a children’s book. The filly smiled at him as he gave her friendly nod. Splinter walked out of the boutique and back onto the street. As he made his way down the dirt path he was approached by the cyan mare from before.

“Hey!” She yelled.

“What?”

“Just making sure you’re not trying anything funny.” The mare said as she eyed him.

“Like what?”

“I don’t know. We know nothing about you and we’re just supposed to trust you?”

“You’re cautious.” The mare nodded. “Good, better to be safe then sorry.”

“So what do you do for Celestia?” The mare asked.

“Like I said-” The mare suddenly jumped in front of the stallion and narrowed her eyes.

“Are you a spy?”

“I’ve been called that yes.” He said with a smug grin. Rainbow instantly took a few steps back. “I’m usually a Recon pony.”

“A what?”

“I scout out the area before Celestia’s main army gets there.” He said in a flat tone. “So what can you tell me about this town?”

“Quiet for the most part.” She said with a shrug. “So how do you know Rarity again?”

“She was cornered by two stallions in Canterlot. I intervened and walked her to the train station.”

“What were the two stallions doing?”

“They were upperclass plot holes mostly berating her. How she was unfit to walk in Canterlot or some stupid reason like that.”

“Jerks.”

“Tell me about it. Most Canterlot stallions are like that safe for a few.” He said with a shrug. The two then made their way into a pink colored building that smelled like frosting. The inside was dark and silent. The guard pony got in a defensive stance. The lights flicked on to reveal a group of ponies.

“Surprise!” The group yelled. The stallion relaxed his stance and let out a sigh. The pink mare appeared in front of him with a wide grin on her face.

“Are you surprised?”

“I wouldn’t have this job if I was.” He said with a deadpanned look on his face. The Pink mare grumbled but let out a sigh.

“Oh well, can’t surprise them all I guess.” She said with a smile. The white stallion trotted over to where the six mares were sitting. Splinter gave them a nod and sat across from the dressmaker who gave him a smile. The pink mare trotted up to them with a platter of drinks on her back. “Here ya go guys, six sarsaparillas.”

“Thank you Pinkie.” Rarity said as she took her glass.

“Want anything Lancey?” Pinkie asked. The stallion looked at her with a blank expression on his face.

“Let’s get a few thing straight here; One, NEVER call me that. Two, don’t try to surprise me. The last stallion who did ended up in a body cast for six months and had to eat through a mechanical straw. Three, I’ll just have a cranberry juice.” He said as he sat back. The pink mare gulped and gave him a nod. The other five mares looked at him in shock.

“You hospitalized a stallion?” Twilight asked.

“It was his fault for trying to jump me.” He said in a relaxed tone.

“What happened?”

“I was working with this hot headed guard. Thought he was better then everypony else. Idiot thought he could catch me by surprise when my guard was down.” He said as Pinkie handed him the drink. “He tried to prove that he could take me. That’s what you get when you mess with a fully trained guard stallion.” Splinter said as he sipped his drink. The ponies looked at him in amazement.

“So you’ve been in a lot of fights?” Rainbow asked.

“Yeah.” He said as he sipped his drink. “You can’t be in the guard if you don’t know how to fight.” The mare then eyed his glass.

“Why don’t you order a real drink?” Applejack asked.

“I don’t drink while I’m on duty.” He said as he looked at the mare.

“We don’t mind.” Rainbow said as she pushed a glass over to him.

“I said no.” He said in a flat tone. The mare looked at him in confusion.

“C’mon partner. Loosen up, have some fun.” Applejack said with a smile.

“No. Even if I wanted to I can’t.” He said as he pushed the drink away.

“What do you mean you cant’t?” Twilight asked.

“I’m on medication for an injury I got in sparing practice.” The stallion rated the fur in his chest to reveal a healing wound. The ponies cringed back at the sight of the scar. “That’s what happens when the new recruits spar with swords.” He said as he let go of his chest. “I come off the med’s at the end of the week.” The mares nodded and started to talk amongst themselves. Splinter noticed that a cream colored mare with a grey mane made her way over to their table. “Can I help you?”

“I’m Mayor Mare and I just want to welcome you to our town.”

“Nice to meet you I’m Splintered Lance.” He said as he shook the mares hoof.

“Likewise, tell me what is your occupation?”

“Farmer.” The mares looked at him in surprise. “I’m from the mid west and I figured I’d try farming out here.”

“I see. So you must be working with Applejack.”

“Ummm....well.” The orange mare tried to say as she put on a sheepish grin.

“Yup, she was kind enough to offer me a job while I’m in town.” He said with a smile.

“I see. Well, if you need anything feel free to ask.” She said with a smile before returning to the party. He looked at the six mares who looked at him in surprise.

“Yer pretty good at lying. Even ah couldn’t tell if you were telling the truth.” The farmer said as she sipped her drink.

“Comes with the territory.” He said with a shrug.

“I’ll see ya bright and early then.”

“Why?”

“No way, no how am I gonna let you make a liar out of me.” Splinter rolled his eyes and let out a sigh.

“Fine. I’m up by 5:00am anyway.”

“Why so early?” Rainbow asked.

“I like it early.” He said as he got to his hooves and trotted out the door. The mares looked at one another in surprise.

“He seems.....interesting.” Fluttershy said in a timid voice.

“I don’t know. He seems...off.” Rainbow said.

“Settle down Sally. He seems genuine.” AJ said with a shrug.

“Let’s just keep an eye on him.” Twilight said as she sipped her drink.

Splinter entered the boutique and made his way up to his room. He trotted over to the bed and turned off the light.He took one lat look at the photo and drifted off to sleep.

Author's Note

Sorry this took so long.

Chapter 3: Apples and Oranges

Chapter 3

Apples and Oranges

Lance waited in the recruitment office in Canterlot for what felt like hours. He sat as still as a statue making sure nothing broke his concentration. The guard behind the window was watching him like a hawk. The door opened to reveal a white unicorn stallion with a long blue mane. The stallion took a seat next to Lance and was breathing heavily. Lance then felt a small tap on his shoulder. “Excuse me. Is this the guard recruitment center?” He asked.

“Yeah, just got here myself.” The stallion said as the door opened again to reveal a dark grey mare. As she walked in over tot he main desk Lance looked in surprise as he noticed that her wings weren’t feathers and were like that of a bat. She had spliced pupils that were in the middle of her bright blue eyes, which were partly covered by her snow white mane.

“This the recruitment center right?” She asked.

“Yup.” The blue maned stallion said. The bat pony looked at the two of them and gave a small grin.

“Let me guess, you guys are twins?”

“What? No.” Lance said as he looked at the unicorn. The three looked at the far side of the room to see a Pegasus guard in white armor approached them. The stallion’s coat was grey and his mane was bright yellow.

“Alright maggots! Line up!” The three instantly stood in a line as the guard looked them over. He stopped in front of the blue maned unicorn first. “Name!” He demanded.

“Shining Armor sir!” He said with a salute.

“Armor eh? I heard about you. Some fancy stallion from Canterlot right?”

“Yes, sir!” The guard then moved onto the bat pony.

“Name!”

“Midnight Star.” She said with a salute.

“Where are you from half breed?”

“Shadowlands sir!” She said as she held back her rage. The stallion looked at the mare and gave a scoff.

“How about you sissy boy? Impress me.” He said as he eyed the white stallion.

“Splintered Lance sir!” The stallion looked at his clip board and scanned the names.

“Right you’re from some back water town out in the middle of nowhere.” The stallion remained silent. “What the buck are you doing here then? Go back to your farm ‘cause I’m pretty sure that’ll be the only field you’ll ever plow.” Splinter still holding his composure.

“CORPORAL! WHAT THE BUCK ARE YOU DOING?” The armored stallion looked behind him to see a taller white Unicorn stallion in gold plated armor glaring at him. The stallion’s eyes were a bright red and his mane was a dark swamp green.

“Sergeant! I was just-”

“Just what? Doing MY job?” The stallion said as his glare intensified. “Latrine duty NOW!” The white armored guard saluted and quickly made his way into the restrooms. The three new comers looked at one another and gave a gulp. “Sorry about that. His ego’s skyrocketed ever since he got promoted to Corporal.” He said as he rolled his eyes. “I’m Sergeant Bunker. I’ll be your exam proctor.”

“Exam?” Midnight said in confusion.

“Yes, an exam to see where we put you. IF you pass the test then you get a psych evaluation before you’re assigned anywhere. Understand?” The three ponies gave him a nod. “Good, you’ll take the test and then I’ll call you in to review your score and the psych administer will see if you’re fit for duty.” He said as he levitated them each a packet. “When you’re done put it in the door slot.” He said as he trotted over to the door and pointed to the small opening. The guard closed the door as he made his way back to his office.

The three sat down away from one another and started to fill out the test. Lance noticed that the other stallion had finished within thirty minutes and was waiting patiently. Lance double checked his work and submitted it. Soon the bat pony was finished and she did the same. The three sat in silence as they waited for their names to be called. “So....You’re from Canterlot?” Midnight said trying to break the silence. Shining gave her a nod. “What about you?” She asked as she looked at the other white stallion.

“Missourneigh.”

“You’re a long way from home.” She said in a surprised tone

“I could say the same thing about you.” He said as he looked at the mare’s wings. “I don’t mean to cause offense, but what are you?”

“I’m a bat pony.” She hissed.

“Sorry, never seen one before.” He said with a shrug.

“What are your names again?” She asked.

“Splintered Lance.”

“Shining Armor.” The other one answered.

“Midnight Star.” She said in a flat tone. The door opened and the guard stepped out holding their packets.

“Shinning Armor. You’re up.” The white stallion let out a sigh and followed the guard inside. Leaving the other two ponies alone in the lobby. The bat pony walked over to the white stallion and sat next to him.

“So what did you do in Missourneigh?” Midnight asked.

“I was a farmer. What about you?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.” She said in a low tone. The two then saw the unicorn stallion walk out and raise his hoof in the air.

“YES!”

“You got in?” Splinter asked.

“Yup, see ya at the academy.” He said with a small wave. The Sergeant then trotted out of the room and let out a sigh.

“Alright you two, in my office.”

“Both of us?” Midnight said as she raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah, our Psychological evaluator has some important business to do and doesn’t have the time to do you individually.” The stallion said as he shrugged. The two looked at one another and trotted inside the office. The interior had two chairs on the other side of a wooden desk that sat in front of a leather chair. The armored stallion sat across from the two and looked at their packets. “You two passed the entrance exam.” The two let out a small sigh. “However we still need to give you a psychological evaluation.”

“Who’s the evaluator?” Midnight asked.

“That would be me.” The two ponies looked in surprise as they saw Princess Celestia standing in the doorway with a smile. The two immediately bowed to her. “I’m terribly sorry for rushing things like this, but I must return to the castle on official business.”

“It’s no trouble Princess. I can come back tomorrow if you want me to.” Lance said.

“No need. I just want to ask the two of you a question.” The two moved their heads in closer and waited to hear the Alicorns question. “Tell me, why did you want to join the guard?” She asked with a warm smile.

“I want to serve the kingdom in anyway I can.” Midnight said in a bold tone.

“So you thought the guard was your best option?”

“Yes, I want to show the kingdom what I can do and that it can rely on me.” The Princess looked at her and smiled.

“What about you?” She asked as she focused her gaze on the stallion who scratched his chin.

“I want to protect what matters most.” He said in a calm tone.

“You wish to protect me?”

“No.” The ponies looked at him in confusion. “While you are the Princess you’re not the heart and soul of this land.” He said in a flat tone. The other ponies let out a gulp as he looked at the whit Alicorn.

“I’m sorry your highness he’s new and-” The armored stallion was stopped as she raised a hoof.

“No, I want to hear this.” She said as she raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“The public. The ponies that make up this country of ours is what make this land great. What is a kingdom without subjects?” He said as he let out a sigh. “I don’t want glory or recognition. I just want to keep the ones I care about safe from harm.” The alicorn looked at him with a raised eyebrow. The armored stallion and bat pony were watching with anticipation. The Alicorn closed the gap between them so that they were standing a foot away from one another. Celestia’s stature towered over Splinter’s height.

“I can honestly say that I’ve never heard that response before.” She said in a flat tone. “You will make an excellent soldier.” She said with a warm smile. The ponies looked at one another in surprise and smiled. “Welcome to the Canterlot Royal Guard.” She said as she shook their hooves.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Splinter woke up in a cold sweat and was breathing heavily. The stallion got to his hooves and looked at himself in the mirror. He gave a small scoff and quietly made his way out the door. The white stallion made his way towards the edge of town. He smelt the damp morning air as it mixed with the dust from a faint breeze.

The stallion quickly made his way down the road and found himself face to face with hundreds of rows of apple trees. Splinter cleared his throat and approached the house to see the orange mare conversing with a large red stallion. “Morning Splinter.” She said as she tipped her hat.

“Morning.” He said with a nod. “Who’s this?” He asked as he looked at the red stallion.

“This here is my brother Macintosh.” She said with a smile.

“Just call me Big Mac. Everypony does.” The stallion said in a deep, calming voice.

“Will do. What are we doing?”

“We’ll be apple bucking.” She said with a grin.

“Alright, where do I start?” He asked as he looked at the vast orchard.

“Do you know how to?”

“Yeah, I’ve worked with fruit trees before.” He said as Applejack led him to the row. Splinter positioned himself in front of the tree and kicked it with his back right hoof. All but one apple fell off the branches. Splinter gave it another light tap and the final fruit fell into the basked.

“Golly. Yer a natural.” The orange mare said in amazement.

“Thanks.”

“We’ll do this until it’s lunch time then ah’ll see what else needs to get done.” She said as she left the stallion alone. Splinter continued to work as his mind drifted off to memories of his training.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Splinter walked beside the other ponies that were with him in the registration office. The trio each had a saddle bag with them and were led by a stallion in gold plated armor. As they rounded the corridors Splinter noticed that the rooms had three numbers on the door.The stallion pulled out a clip board and stopped to face the three ponies. “Okay, what are your numbers?”

“116, sir.” Midnight answered.

“119, sir.” Shining said.

“117, sir.” Splinter said as he looked at the stallion who was scanning the board.

“Okay, follow me.” He said as he continued down the hallway. The stallion stopped in front of a door that had their three numbers on it. “This place will be your home for the time you are with us. We break you up into teams of three based on the time of your entry.” He then looked at the two stallion. “I shouldn’t have to remind you about protocol between bunk mates.” He said in a flat tone.

“No sir.” The two stallions answered back.

“Um, shouldn’t I be in the mare’s barracks sir?” The stallions looked at her in confusion.

“All the barracks are co-ed. There are separate showers and bathrooms at the end of the hallway.” The stallion said as he pointed with his hoof.

“May I ask something sir?” Shining said.

“You may.”

“What happened to recruit 118?”

“He dropped out at the last minute and we had to fill the opening. Any other questions?” The three trainees looked at one another and shrugged. “Good. Dinner is served at 6:00pm sharp. So don’t go belly aching if you don’t get your food. Breakfast is served at 5:00am. We expect you to be ready by 6:00am for the day’s training.” The stallion gave the three a salute which the three returned. The stallion gave them each a key and trotted back down the hallway. The three entered the room.

There was a bunk bed and a single bed on either side of the room. That rested flat against the white concrete walls. There was a massive window that showed the practice field where ponies were running laps. “Dibs on the top bunk.” Midnight said as she flew up onto the bed. Splinter looked at Shining who had a blank expression on his face.

“You want the single bed?” The blue maned stallion asked.

“Doesn’t matter to me.” Splinter said as he took the bunk underneath the bat mare. The white stallion threw his bag on the bed and started to unpack. He taped a photo of his family to the wall. The photo showed himself, four smaller Earth Pony fillies, an elderly blue Earth Pony mare and a Maroon Earth Pony stallion all smiling.

As he continued to unpack his belongings he came across a small mahogany box with an orange imprinted in the lid. He opened the box to reveal an old wooden pipe. As he picked up the pipe a note fell from the box. The stallion picked it up and read it to himself.

Lance,
There comes a time in every colt’s life where he must become a stallion. My dad gave this to me when I took over the farm. As did his father before him and so on. I’m giving this to you so it’ll help bring you luck. Your mother sends her love along with the rest of your family.

Sincerely,

Rusty Scythe.

Lance smiled and carefully put the pipe back into the box and slipped it into a drawer. After he set his bad down the bat mare got off the top bunk and trotted out of the room. Lance looked over to see that Shining had a photo stand holding himself a small purple filly. “Is she your daughter?” He asked.

“Nah, that’s my little sister.” He said with a chuckle.

“Sorry, I just assumed.” Splinter said as he nervously rubbed the back of his mane.

“It’s fine. What about you? You have any family?”

“Oldest of five.” Shining whistled at the amount. “Yeah, I get that a lot.” He said as the bat mare walked back into the room.

“What are you guys talking about?”

“Lance here is the oldest of five. What about you?” The mare’s expression turned stagnant.

“None of your business.” She said in a flat tone. As she walked by Lance eyed the mare who’s ear twitched and she immediately lunged at him and pressed him up against the wall with her hoof to his throat. “Let’s get one thing straight here cowboy. If I so much as even feel you stare at me, then so help me I will beat you like a drum. Are we clear?” She said as she pressed on his throat.

“Y-yeah. Crystal.” He said as he gasped for air. Midnight let go of the stallion and flew up to her bunk. Shining stood there stunned at the mares reaction time. Lance regained his breath and laid down on the bed.

“This is gonna be a great squad I can already tell.” Shining said as he face hoofed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lance snapped out of the memory as he looked up in the sky to see the sun hanging over head. He looked ahead to see Applejack trotting towards him with a smile on her face. “Woo doggy. You sure know your stuff.”

“Thanks.”

“It’s lunch time. Come by the farm house when yer done with that last tree.”

“Got it.” He said as he kicked the last tree and made his way towards the farm house. As he trotted inside he saw a small yellow filly waiting at the table, along with Big Mac and Applejack sitting across from her. An elderly green mare was busy serving the food. The stallion sat down next to the filly who looked at him in surprise.

“Who’s he?”

“This here’s Splintered Lance. He helped us today in the orchard.” Applejack said. The yellow filly looked at her brother who gave her a nod.

“I’m Applebloom.” She said with a smile.

“Nice to meet you Applebloom.” He said with a grin. The ponies dug into their lunch and engaged in some small talk. Lance managed to steer the conversation away from his job.

“Hey Lance, how’d you pick up apple bucking so quickly?” AJ asked.

“Well, I did it for the first eighteen years of my life so it all came back to me.” The mare looked at him in surprise.

“You worked on a farm?”

“Yup, my family owns a farm. You guys probably have their product your fridge right now.” He said as he got to his hooves. He walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out a carton of orange juice. “Here it is.” The family’s jaws dropped.

“YOUR FAMILY OWNS CITRUS ORANGE FARM?” The filly yelled.

“Yup, of course that’s not our only product. We sell potatoes, strawberries and whole bunch of grain.” He said as the ponies were still getting over the shock. “I take it that you know them?”

“We sure do! They’re our biggest competition.” Applejack said with a grin.

“Oh....well this is awkward.” He said as he levitated the juice box back int the fridge.

“Nah, it’s a friendly rivalry. They’re not mean about it. They actually buy a large portion of our apples.” Applejack said with a smile. “How come ya didn’t know about that?”

“I haven’t been home in a while.” He said with a shrug. “When you have a job like mine you get moved around a lot.”

“When was the last time you were home?” The filly asked.

“Five.....Six years ago.” He said as he sat back down.

“WHAT?”

“Yeah, like I said I get shipped around a lot.” He said in a flat tone.

“Why don’t ya go and visit them?” The filly said.

“I just can’t go whenever I want.” He said as he got to his hooves. “Thanks for lunch. I’ll get back to it if that’s alright with you.”

“Ya done a fine job Splinter. We can handle the rest.” Applejack said with a smile.

“You sure?”

“Eeyup.” The red stallion said with a smile.

“Well, okay. Just remember if you need anything just holler.” He said as he looked at Applejack who gave him a reassuring wink. The stallion waved goodbye to the farmers and made his way back into town. He saw the busy streets of Ponyville filled with different colored ponies. As he made his way through town the white stallion felt a kink in his back legs. Remember rule number one; stretch before bucking trees. He thought as he made his way through town.

The white stallion took in his surroundings. The small town seemed to come to life like a flower coming into bloom. The stallion made his way down the dirt road and found himself in the massive library. He saw the lavender mare sitting at her desk behind a pile of books. “Looks like Shining was right. You are addicted to books.” He said with a smile. Twilight looked up and rolled her eyes at the stallion.

“Ha, ha. Very funny.” She said in a sarcastic tone. “What are you doing here? I thought you were working with Applejack.”

“I was. She relieved me for the day. I figured I come here. Seeing as how I was instructed to guard you specifically.” He said as he sat down on the couch.

“Me specifically?”

“You are the most well known out of the elements.” He said with a shrug.

“So I’m the main target?”

“In a way, yes. While the others are just as important, you are the most valuable.” He said with a sigh. Twilight shrugged and returned to her studies. The stallion levitated a book over to him and read the title. ‘Pegasi and Demons.’ He stared at the cover which was a statue of a pony half bat pony and half Pegasi.

“You read?” She asked.

“Yeah. I’d always try to squeeze in some reading time between assignments.” He said as he opened the book.

“So you and Shining went through the academy together?” She asked.

“Yep. The academy, boot camp, the whole shebang.” He said as he flipped the page. “We were a force to be reckoned with back then.”

“How so?”

“Let’s see. You’re brother is an expert in shield spells while I take the offensive route.” He said in a flat tone. “We were the perfect team.”

“What about your folks?” She asked.

“Farmers.” He said in a flat tone.

“Really?” She asked in a surprised tone.

“Yeah. Why?”

“Just surprised. I figured that you grew up in Canterlot or something like that.” She said in a flat tone.

“Nope. Born and raised on a farm.”

“What do your parents think about it?” The stallions eyes shrank and closed the book with a hard slam.

“THAT is none of your business.”

“Sorry. I was just curious.” She said in a low tone. The stallion let out a sigh and looked at the mare.

“Look Twilight, there are things you shouldn’t know about me. Things I deem ‘sensitive’ and ‘fragile.’ Understand?”

“I get it. Can I ask one last thing?”

“Depends on the question.”

“Have you ever.....Killed anypony?” She asked in a hesitant tone.

“Yes, but I never killed unless provoked or the target had it coming.” The stallion said in a flat tone. “Anything else?”

“N-no thank you.” She said in a concerned tone.

“You don’t have to like what I do. Only that I do my job well and I’ll protect you with my life from anypony or anything. Even if it means I end their life.” The mare looked at him with fear in her eyes. “That’s the burden of a soldier.” He said as he got to his hooves. “If you need me then just call out my name.” He said as he walked out of the library.

The stallion mad his way through the small town until a familiar cyan mare flew up to him. “Hey.”

“What’s up?”

“Nothing, just wanted to see what you were up to.”

“Just looking around.” He said as the mare landed beside him.

“Why?”

“Getting a layout of the town.” Lance said with a shrug. “Don’t you have weather duties today?”

“I got.....Wait, how do you know I work for the weather team?” She asked as she looked at the white stallion. Splinter’s horn glowed and a folder appeared before them.

“I’ve got a file on all of you guys.” He said as his eyes danced over the papers. “Rainbow Dash; Weather manager for Ponyville. Hospital visits; twenty-six. You have a subscription to Wonderbolt’s Monthly and your middle name is-”

“DONT YOU DARE!” She yelled as she glared at the stallion. The guard shrugged and made the file vanish. “Dude that’s creepy.”

“What is?”

“How you know so much about us.”

“It’s my job to know everything about you. While I’m guarding you at least.”

“Yet we know nothing about you.”

“That’s how it works. Trust me you don’t want to know.” He said in a flat tone. The mare started to glare at him with an intense look in her eyes. “Fine ask away. Although most of my work history is classified.”

“Where did you grow up?”

“Missourneigh on a farm.” The mare blinked her eyes twice.

“Really? I figured that you were from Canterlot or Manehattan.”

“Nope. Born and raised on an orange plantation.”

“Orange? You’d better watch out for AJ then.”

“Nah, turns out my family is one of their biggest customers.”

“No way.” She said in surprise.

“I was as shocked as you are.”

“You didn’t know?”

“I haven’t been home in over five years Dash. I’m not exactly ‘in the loop.’” He said as he made quotation marks with his hooves.

“Five years? Why?”

“When you’re in the guard you get moved around a lot.” He said with a shrug. “I hope my sisters are okay.”

“Sisters?”

“I’m the oldest of five.” The mare’s jaw dropped. “The only stallion too.”

“Dude. Bummer.”

“Nah, we all got along for the most part.” He said with a smile. The stallion then felt his back leg clench up. “Crap.”

“What?”

“Is there a massage place in this town?”

“There’s a spa. Why?”

“I pulled something while bucking apples with Applejack today. Better take care of it now. Where is this place?”

“Seriously? A royal guard going to a spa?” The mare said as she laughed.

“Laugh if you must but it’s better to get a professional look at it.”

“Down the road, Second building on your left. You can’t miss it.” She said as she flew off. The stallion nodded and made his way down the street. He found himself in front of a bright pink building with several fragrances in the air. Splinter walked into the lobby to see a light blue earth pony mare with a pink mane at the desk.

“Hello.” She said with a smile.

“Hi, this is the spa correct?”

“Yep what can I do for you?” She asks in a cheery tone.

“I pulled something in my leg while I was working and-” The mare giggled and raised her hoof.

“Say no more. Aloe! We’ve got a customer.” Splinter looked to see a similar looking pink Earth pony mare with a light blue mare come out from the other room.

“Hello, I’m Aloe.” Splinter looked at the two mares and put the pieces together.

“I take it you guys are twins?”

“Yes, I’m Lotus by the way.”

“Splintered Lance.” He said in a flat tone. As he shook the mare’s hoof the door opened up to reveal a familiar white Unicorn mare and a yellow Pegasus mare.

“Splinter?” Rarity said in surprise.

“Hey Rarity.”

“What brings you here?”

“I pulled a muscle working with Applejack this morning.” He said in a flat tone.

“Ah I see. Girls two usuals and put Splinter’s visit on my tab.” She said with a smile.

“You don’t have to do that Rarity.”

“I insist.” The mare said with a smile.

“Well, okay.” He said with a shrug. The stallion followed the bright blue mare into the massage room and laid down on the table. The white stallion let out a groan as he felt the mare’s hooves dig into his back. “Oh that feels good.” He said with a smile.

“Thank you. Might I ask how do you know Ms. Rarity?” The blue mare asked.

“She’s letting me stay with her while I’m in town.”

“Are you two...together?” She asked in a hesitant tone.

“No, she’s just a friend.” He said as the mare started to dig into his shoulders.

“What do you do?” She asked.

“I’m freelancing right now. What about you? Always been a masseuse?”

“That’s right. My sister and I opened up this shop a few years ago.” She said with a smile. The ponies then heard a crash come from the other room.

“I told you to stay away!” The two heard the other spa pony yell. The guard quickly got to his hooves and the two trotted down the hall way to meet up with Rarity and Fluttershy.

“What’s going on?” Lotus asked.

“I don’t know. Fluttershy and I were sitting in the sauna when we heard a crash.” Rarity said. The stallion poked his head out and saw the pink mare with her back against the wall. The spa pony was being cornered by a black Pegasus stallion with a yellow mane. “Who’s that?”

“My sister’s ex.” Lotus said as she narrowed her eyes. “He was abusive so we filed a restraining order.” She said as she let out a sigh. Before anypony could react the blue mare trotted forward with a cross look on her face. “Hey get away from my sister!” She yelled.

“What the fuck do you want bitch?” The stallion asked in a rough tone.

“Scram before I call the police.” She said in an angered tone.

“Yeah......no.” He said as he slammed his right hoof into the blue mare’s face. Lotus’s head collided with the desk and she fell to the floor.

“LOTUS!” Aloe yelled as the stallion grabbed her by the throat and forced her against the wall. Rarity and Fluttershy let out a gasp. Rarity looked to her left and saw that the white stallion had vanished. The Pegasus then withdrew a knife and twirled it in his hoof.

“Now then I think you deserve a nice acupuncture treatment.” He said with a wicked grin. The pink mare had fear in her eyes. Something hit the black stallion sending him back away from the pink mare who started to regain her breath. “What the hell?” The stallion aid as he looked around the room. The Pegasus felt something collide with his face. “Where are you?” The stallion yelled.

“Here.” The black stallion turned around to be met with a pair of bright green eyes and a white hoof slamming into his face. The dark stallion felt blood come from his nose as it broke. The black stallion swung the knife wildly at Splinter. The white stallion caught the Pegasus’s hoof holding the knife and started to squeeze. The black stallion was soon screaming in pain as Lance applied pressure to his wrist and forced him to the ground. The white stallion delivered a quick jab to the Pegasus’s face knocking him out.

Splinter and Aloe hurried over to the unconscious mare and loomed over her. Rarity and Fluttershy quickly made their way over to them with worried looks on their faces, “Is she alright?” Aloe asked with tears in her eyes. Splinters horn glowed and a horizontal line appeared on the mare’s body. The line then moved up and down her body.

“She’ll be fine. Just a concussion.” He said as his horn flared and a bottle of smelling salts appeared in his hoof. He opened the bottle and put it under the mare’s nose. The blue mare’s eyes fluttered open to see the ponies looking down at her. Splinter offered his hoof as she sat up. “Easy.”

“What happened? I remember that plot hole coming back and then-” She was cut off as the black stallion’s eyes shot open and he leapt to his hooves. With the knife drawn he charged at the white stallion. Splinter backflipped over the Pegasus and grabbed his wings as he turned one hundred and eighty degrees in the air. As his back hooves landed he tightly gripped the Pegasus’s wings and used the momentum to send him crashing through the window and out into the street.

A group of ponies crowded around the unconscious stallion and looked inside to see Splinter walk out the door and step on the Pegasus’s back. His horn flared and a magical rope wrapped itself around the stallion’s hooves and wings. Lance walked back inside to see the four mare’s staring at him in amazement. “You guys okay?”

“Y-yeah. Thanks to you.” Lotus said as she got to her hooves.

“Cop’s will be showing up soon.” He said as he looked towards the group of ponies. “Sorry about your window.” He said as he rubbed the back of his neck.

“It’s no problem.” Aloe said with a smile.

“Still I’ve made a mess of the place and I aim to fix it.” Before the mare could protest the white stallion’s horn started to glow and the glass shards started to rise from the floor and street. They came towards the stallion and were fuzed with one another until the window was fixed. “There we are. Good as new.” He said with a smile. Splinter watched as the authorities dragged the stallion away. The white Unicorn let out a yawn and started to exit the spa.

“Wait!” Lotus yelled. “Who are you?”

“Just a stallion who likes helping ponies.” He said as he gave Rarity and Fluttershy a nod. Lance made his horn glow and he vanished from sight as the paramedics arrived and a group of ponies entered the spa, being led by Dash and Twilight who quickly hurried over to their friends.

Author's Note

Sorry this took so long.

Chapter 4: Cutie Marks

Chapter 4

Cutie Marks

A month had passed and the ponies were adjusting themselves to the training and routine. Each recruit was issued a grey vest that could be adjusted to different weight settings. The red mane’d stallion levitated his lunch tray as he walked away from the food line and sat across from the bat mare who was sitting alone. The mare rolled her eyes at the stallion and let out a groan.

“What do you want?” She spat out.

“We’re teammates aren’t we?” He asked.

“Yeah, but why aren’t you over there with the other unicorns?” She asked. Lance looked around the room to see that the races were in sections. All the Pegasi were sitting with one another as were the Unicorns.

“I hate social group like that.” He said as he sipped his coffee. “What did the corporal call you before in the recruitment center? Half breed?” The mare gritted her teeth at the name.

“Just drop it.” She said in a cold tone.

“Look, like it or not we’re on a team. Is it so wrong that we get to know each other?” He asked.

“Just leave me alone.” She said as she ate her food. Splinter let out a sigh and ate his meal in silence. After they finished the recruits all trotted out onto the training course. The Sargent from earlier trotted in front of the squads and looked them over.

“Cadets! Attention!” The ponies instantly saluted. “At ease. Today we will be doing a ten mile gallop. The pony that comes in last place will go without dinner. Do I make myself clear?” He yelled.

“Sir yes sir.”

“And If I see any of you use your wings or horns then you’ll be doing latrine duty for a month!” The ponies shuddered at the thought. The Sargent blew his whistle and the ponies all stared off into a trot and soon went into a gallop. Lance was ahead of the pack with Shining by his side for the start of the exercise while Midnight was struggling to hold her position at the back.

As they reached the halfway mark Lance dropped back to the middle to conserve what energy he had left. He looked behind to see Midnight struggling to keep up. The white stallion slowed down so he was right beside her.

“What.....the buck......are you.....doing?” She said between pants.

“Making sure you’re okay.” He said in a flat tone.

“I’m fine now buck off!” She yelled. The white stallion let out a groan and made his way back to the middle of the pack. As they reached the last mile the white stallion was near total exhaustion. He could see the finish line from the top of the hill and let out a sigh of relief. He took a moment to collect himself and started down the hill when he heard a gut churning crack followed by a scream.

Lance looked behind him to see that Midnight was on the ground grabbing her hoof in pain. The other ponies paid no mind to her and simply went around her. Splinter took a moment to weigh his options. On one hoof he could smell victory and the stew coming from the kitchen and on the other he had an injured bat pony that probably wouldn’t even give him the time of day.

I know what I gotta do, but I’m gonna hate myself for it later. The stallion turned back and started to run against the flow of ponies causing them to shout at him.

“Hey idiot, the finish line is the other way!” Splinter ignored the Pegasus’s remark and made his way to the injured bat pony.

“What are...” Before Midnight could finish, the stallion had grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and threw her onto his back. “What the hell are you doing?”

“Finishing the exercise. What’s it look like?” He said as he felt her weight being added to his. Midnight wasn’t heavy, but she wasn’t light either and in his exhausted state her small frame seemed like he was carrying a ton of bricks.

“What’s the point? If we cross together then neither of us will get dinner.” She yelled.

“That’s not going to happen.” He said as he saw the last of the group cross the finish line. The stallion squinted to see that Shining was still waiting for them. He smiled and increased his speed a little, causing the bat mare to squeeze around his neck harder. Once he was within earshot he raised his head. “Hey Shining, think fast!”

“Uh-oh.” Shining said aloud.

“What are.....Don’t you dare!” The mare yelled as the white stallion jumped causing the mare to let go of his neck. Lance spun in mid jump and gripped the mare’s tail between his teeth. He whipped his head to the side and let go of Midnight’s tail making her fly towards the finish line. As she crossed it, she felt Shining catch her. Causing him to fall onto his back. Lance crossed the finish line completely out of breath and collapsed from exhaustion. The Sargent walked up to him and let out a sigh.

“Valiant effort kid, but you are the last one to cross. Sorry.” Lance shook his head as he got to his hooves.

“It’s okay Sarge. I knew that.” He said as he walked by the ponies and into the locker room. After his shower he deviated from the group and returned to his bunk. He withdrew a piece of paper and started to write with the quill enveloped in magic. As he finished the letter the door opened to reveal Midnight and Shining Armor.

“Sup?” He asked as they entered the room.

“Why did you throw me across the finish line?” Midnight asked.

“It was the only way for you to cross.” He said as he put the letter in the desk.

“I mean why did you come back for me? You could have crossed and gotten dinner, but you chose to go back for me. Why?” The stallion looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

“We’re teammates. Duh.”

“I still don’t get it.” She said in confusion.

“We look out for each other and help one another out.” He said with a smile.

“But....you didn’t eat.” She said in a guilty tone.

“It’s fine. One day without dinner won’t kill me.” As the words left his lips his stomach let out a violent growl of hunger. The white stallion blushed at the action. “That was just.....gas.” He lied.

“Sure it was.” Shining said in a sarcastic tone. The blue maned stallion then threw him an apple. Lance looked at the fruit in shock.

“Do you realize what the Sargent will do to you if you get caught?”

“So shut up and eat it before somepony comes snooping around.” Midnight said as she gave him an orange. The stallion looked at the fruits and smiled. The other two ponies got in their bunks and sat in silence.

“Thanks.” He said as he scarfed down the apple. The white stallion then turned his attention to the orange. As he took it in his hoof he started to peel it in a spiral fashion. Once he was done the skin was in one coiled piece and not a trace of it was on the orange fruit.

“How did you peel it like that?” Midnight asked.

“When you grow up on an orange farm you tend to learn a few things.” He said with a smile. The mare then eyed his Cutie Mark which was a pair of crossed swords with an orange in between them.

“Hey, how’d you get your Cutie Mark?” She asked.

“This thing?” Lance said as he looked at the mark. “Don’t remember, it was just there one day.” He said as he laid down in his bunk and stared up at the bat mare’s mattress. “What about yours?” The mare looked back to see a white lightning bolt in front of a black cloud.

“Same, just there one day.” She said with a gulp.

“I got mine for protecting my sister from some punk colts.” The two ponies looked over to the single bed to see the white stallion sitting upright. “I just thought.....Since she asked you and you asked her.” The two continued to stare at the Unicorn. “I’m going to bed now to prevent further embarrassment.” He said as he turned over in his bed. The two ponies in the bunk bed looked at one another and chuckled.

The next day the recruits lined up in front of the Sergeant with blank expressions on their faces. “Recruits! The powers above have instructed me to assign a squad leader.” The ponies looked at one another in confusion. “I’ve observed you all for the past few weeks and I’ve made my decision on who the squad leader should be.” Everypony remained quiet and waited to hear their names. “Splintered Lance, step forward.” Every one looked at the confused white Unicorn stallion. Lance gulped and trotted forward in front of the Sargent. “Congratulations.” The guard said as he shook his hoof and pinned a gold badge in the shape of a shield on his Uniform.

“Thank you sir. May I ask a question?” Lance asked in a hesitant tone.

“You may.”

“Why me?” He asked as a few ponies nodded in agreement.

“Yeah why him?” Another recruit shouted. Soon other ponies started to join in.

“Enough!” The Sargent yelled as he slammed his hoof on the ground causing a small cloud of dust to rise. The ponies instantly fell silent. “I chose Lance because of the training exercise yesterday.”

“But he came in last!” A Pegasus yelled.

“That’s correct and do you know why?” The ponies looked at one another in confusion. This stallion went back for an injured recruit while the rest of you bypassed them without a second thought.” He said in a rough tone. Moth of the ponies adverted their eyes out of guilt. “He refused to let a fellow comrade down and would rather sacrifice his own well being for them.” He said as Midnight lowered her head. “That is a sign of true leadership and I refuse to have it squandered.” Bunker yelled. “From this moment on you will treat him with the same respect as you would treat me or any other superior! Is that understood?”

“Sir yes sir!” The ponies said with a gulp.

“Good. You are all dismissed. Report back here in three hundred hours.” The ponies saluted and started to exit the training ground to go back inside. Splinter remained on the field taking what just happened.

“Dude congrats!” Shining said as he high hoofed him.

“Thanks. Not sure what to do now though.” He said with a shrug.

“I suggest that we head to lunch.” Midnight exclaimed.

“I second that.” Shining said as he raised his hoof. The three ponies went inside and entered the lunch room. The three took their trays and stood on line.

“Hey you.” The three looked to the right to see a red Pegasus stallion with a gold badge on his uniform.

“Me?” Lance said as he pointed to himself.

“Yeah, what are you doing on that line?” He asked.

“Waiting to get lunch.” The Pegasus let out a sigh and trotted up to him.

“You’re a squad leader. Squad leaders get the quicker line.” He said as he pointed to the line with only ten ponies on it. The white stallion shrugged and followed the grey Pegasus over to the line. Shining and Midnight exchanged blank expressions and held their places in line.

After getting his food the grey Pegasus led Lance over to a large table where other ponies with golden badges were sitting. Lance walked over and took a seat next to another Unicorn.

“So this is the rookie?” Lance looked up and noticed that it was the corporal from the recruitment office.

“Yes, sir.” The Pegasus answered. “He’s the one the Sargent selected.”

“I see. How long have you been in the guard?” The grey stallion asked.

“One month sir.” Lance said with a gulp.

“One month?” The Corporal said in surprise. “You must have some massive connections in the guard then.”

“No sir. I have no connections in the guard.”

“What about your parents?” He asked. “You’re from Missourneigh correct?” The white stallion nodded. “Your parents must be the only Unicorns in town then.”

“No sir, both my parents are Earth ponies.” The other ponies looked at him in shock. “Genetics can be very tricky.” He said with a shrug. The Corporal’s eye twitched.

“So you’re half Unicorn then?”

“I guess so.” He said with a shrug. “Hey why don’t you all sit with your squad mates?”

“Why would we want to when we can eat better food and be served first?” The Corporal answered.

“Doesn’t seem fair.” Lance said as his expression hardened.

“Who cares? We’re the superior officers and they cant do anything about it.” The grey stallion then picked up an apple and hurled it through the crowd. Lance watched as the apple collided with the back of Midnight’s head. The bar mare felt the blunt object hit her head which caused her face to hit her food tray. Lance gritted his teeth as he looked at the Pegasus.

“Why did you just do that?” Lance asked in an angered tone.

“Fun of course. It keeps the half breeds and low ranking guards in their place.” The grey stallion said with a laugh. He then picked up another apple and hurled it at the bat mare. Midnight let out a groan as she heard the piece of food flying towards her. She closed her eyes waiting for the object to collide with her head. The bat mare felt nothing. Midnight turned around to see a white hoof clenched around the fruit.

“So disrespecting your comrades is fun?” Lance said as he crushed the fruit in his hoof.

“They’re beneath us!” The Corporal yelled.

“Rank has nothing to do with it.” Lance said as he sat down beside the bat mare.

“I order you to stand up!” He yelled.

“Who are you to order me?”

“Corporal Thunder Wind, commands you to-” He was cut off as the doors burst open and three ponies in dress uniform wearing stars pinned to the front of their shirt. Everypony stopped what they were doing and saluted. The black unicorn stallion in the center was wearing aviator sunglasses. The stallion also had a bright yellow mane. The two ponies on his side were in full armor and had a menacing look about them.

“At ease.” The middle one said. The ponies all returned to their meals and sat in silence. The bat mare leaned over to Shining Armor who was as stiff as a board.

“Hey who’s that old geezer?” Shining immediately covered her mouth.

“That’s General Brass Star. One of the most decorated officers in the guard.” Shining said with a gulp. “Rumor has it that he took down an entire battalion of enemy troops with just one spell.”

“No way could an old geezer like that take down an entire battalion.” The bat mare said in a doubting tone.

“You’re right. It was actually three battalions.” The bat mare gulped and noticed that all of the color had drained from the white stallion’s face. She turned around slowly to see a pair of golden eyes behind the pair of aviators staring at her and the other two ponies. “I just don’t like to brag.” The dark stallion said with a grin. Midnight gulped and felt a bead of sweat form on her head.

“S-sir! She didn’t mean anything by-” Shining was stopped by him raising a hoof.

“What did you call me before?” He asked in a serious tone. The room became silent and focused in on the conversation.

“I-”

“And don’t try to lie to me.” He said as he narrowed his gaze. The mare could feel her hooves shaking.

“I called you an old geezer.” She said in a fear filled tone.

“I see.” He said as he removed his aviators. The two armored guards both gulped and had nervous look on their faces.

“Nice knowing you Midnight.” Shining whispered to the mare. The dark stallion’s eyes narrowed on the bat mare and then shifted to the white stallion donning a golden badge.

“You there are you a squad leader?” He asked

“Y-Yes sir.” Lance said with a gulp.

“Why aren’t you eating with the other squad leaders?” He asked.

“I prefer the company of my teammates.” He said in a worried tone.

“Don’t you mean subordinates?” The dark stallion asked.

“No sir.”

“So you’re telling me that you treat your soldiers with the same respect they treat you with?” Brass said as he cocked an eyebrow.

“Yes, sir. Although I can’t speak from experience, I was only assigned to this position a few hours ago. I do believe that anypony who looks down on their teammates have no right to be in the guard.” The black stallion glared at the three ponies and cracked his neck. The three ponies felt fear starting to dwell in the pits of their stomachs.

“Would that include me?” He asked.

“Yes, sir.” Lance said with a gulp. The black stallion’s body started to shift and a low chuckle could be heard coming from the stallion. The chuckle soon burst into a loud laugh.

“You have some real guts talking to me like that.” He said with a smile. “I like you three. What are your names?”

“Shining Armor sir!” He said with a salute.

“Midnight Star.”

“Splintered Lance.” The dark stallion pulled up a chair and sat with the three. The grey Pegasus stallion from before trotted over to him.

“Sir wouldn’t you rather sit with the other officers?” He asked.

“They’re all a bunch of stallions with poles shoved so far up their flanks that whenever they open their mouths I can see the end. I prefer sitting with these recruits.” He said with a laugh.

“Surely you can’t be serious.”

“I am serious and don’t call me Shirley.” He said with a laugh.

“But, they’re only subordinates and-”

“Now that’s why you’re only a Corporal.” The grey stallion looked at him in surprise.

“If it’s so unbearable for you, then just promote me to Lieutenant and-” The black stallion suddenly grabbed him by his collar and glared at him.

“You listen here you ungrateful little runt. I merely gave you the option of entering the guards because you’re family. You have to earn your place.” He said as he let him go. “Furthermore, you could learn a thing or two from these ponies.” He said as he pointed to the three recruits. The Corporal gritted his teeth and stormed out of the mess hall. “That nephew of mine. He’ll never learn.” The stallion said with a sigh.

“He’s your family?” Midnight asked.

“Unfortunately yes.” He said with a sigh. “Anyway, back to you three. Tell me your tales.” He said with a warm smile.

Author's Note

Sorry this took so long.
If you got the Airplane reference then you're awesome!

Chapter 5: The Challenge

Chapter 5

The Challenge

Lance woke up with a bead of sweat on his forehead. He looked around the room and saw that he was in the guest room of Carousel Boutique. The stallion heard a faint knock on the front door and left to investigate. The white stallion trotted downstairs to the front door getting ready for whatever may be on the other side of the door. He looked out the peep hole and saw two ponies. A white Earth pony stallion with a brown mane and matching mustache. A straw hat sat on top of his messy mane. He was accompanied by a pink Unicorn mare with a purple done up mane. Lance shrugged and opened the door for them. The two looked at the stallion in surprise.

“Can I help you?” Lance asked.

“Y-yes. We’re here to see Rarity.” The mare answered.

“Last time I checked she was still sleeping and-” That was all Lance got out before his face was met with a white hoof. Lance took a step backwards and cracked his neck as he shook off the punch.

“You’ve been fooling around with her?” The stallion yelled.

“Now dear let’s just calm down and-” As the stallion went to land another blow his hoof was caught by the guard who quickly put him in a head lock.

“WHAT IN THE NAME OF CELESTIA IS GOING ON DOWN HERE?” The three ponies looked up to see Rarity in a white robe with purple trim glaring at them. “Lance, why do you have my father in a headlock?” She asked as she glared at the guard

“These are your parents?” He asked as the white mare nodded. Lance released his grip and let the stallion go. “Sorry Rarity, he surprised me and-”

“WHAT?” Rarity yelled as she galloped down the stairs towards the guard. She saw a small bruise form on his right cheek. “Father, did you do this?” She asked in a rough tone.

“Well, yes, but I thought-”

“How dare you hit my guest! Of all the things that you could do to embarrass me you go and punch my friend!” Her father gulped as he looked at his daughter.

“I thought that you and he were...you know...together.”

“So you punch him?” The pink mare asked as she face hoofed. The stallion remained motionless. The white mare face hoofed and let out a sigh.

“I’m terribly sorry about this Lance.”

“It’s okay and for the record your daughter and I aren’t romantically involved.” He said in a flat tone.

“So why are you here then?” The pink mare asked. Lance looked over at Rarity who gave him a nod. The stallion’s horn glowed and a set of golden armor formed around his body.

“My name is Splintered Lance. I’m a guard sent by Princess Celestia herself to guard your daughter and the other five Elements of Harmony. Your daughter was kind enough to open her home to me while I guard her.” He said in a flat tone. The two visiting ponies looked at one another and gulped. “Relax I’ll overlook that small incident, seeing how you didn’t know my reason for being here.” He said as his horn flared and his armor vanished.

“Forgive my father Lance. He has a tendency to jump to conclusions.” Rarity said with a sigh.

“It’s okay.” He said with a shrug. The guard’s right ear twitched and he turned around. “Sweetie Belle, you can come out now.” The ponies looked up the stairs to see the small white filly poking her head out.

“Heh, heh. Sorry, I heard all the noise so I came to investigate.” She said with a weak smile. “Are you really a royal guard?” The white stallion nodded. The small filly let out a small high pitched squeal of delight. “So cool.” She said with a smile. The stallion lowered his head so their eyes met.

“Listen Sweetie, it is really important that you don’t tell anypony that I’m a guard. Otherwise I won’t be able to guard your sister anymore okay?”

“I promise.” She said with a smile. “On one condition.” The guard cocked an eyebrow at the filly. “You help my two friends and I get our Cutie Marks!” She exclaimed.

“Sweetie Belle, you can’t ask Lance to-”

“That seems like a fair trade.” He said with a smile. The other ponies in the room looked at him in surprise as Sweetie smiled.

“Are you sure you’re alright with this?” Rarity asked.

“Let me just take care of something real quick. Then we’ll go okay?” He said as he looked down at the white filly who smiled back. After Lance ascended the stair case. The pink mare looked at her daughter with a smile.

“Wow nice catch dear.”

“MOTHER!” Rarity yelled as her cheeks glowed bright red.

“Oh there’s nothing to be ashamed of Rarity. The stallion seems like a Gentlecolt and he’s a guard no less.” She said with a smile.

“Honey stop it.” The white stallion said with a grunt.

“Oh calm down Magnum. Our daughter is an adult.” Rarity rubbed her temples trying to calm herself down.

“Let me clear this up for both of you. There is nothing, I repeat, nothing between Lance and I.” She said with a blush on her face.

“Who are you trying to convince? Us or yourself?” Sweetie said with a giggle. The fashionista turned towards her sister with a twitching eye lid. “I’ll.....just.....go and see how Lance is doing.” The white filly quickly ran up the stairs. The white stallion stood in front of the mirror with his hoof over his right eye. He let out a sigh as he opened a case and retrieved a bright green contact and placed it on his eyeball. Lance blinked as the contact rested on his eye. “Lance?” The white stallion turned around and saw the white filly peeking at him through the cracked door.

“Hey Sweetie. I’ll be out in a minute okay?” The white filly nodded and waited outside the white stallion’s room. Lance double blinked and made sure that his contact was in place. The stallion trotted down the stairs to see the white mare chatting with her parents and the filly waiting patiently by the door.

“Are you sure about watching my sister and her friends for the day Lance?” Rarity asked. “They can be quite the hoofful.” She said as she looked at her younger sister who was smiling innocently.

“Rarity, I grew up with four younger sisters. I’m more than qualified to watch three fillies for an afternoon.” He said with a smile.

“Well....alright. Good luck.” She said with a smile. Sweetie and the guard ventured out into the small town and were soon approached by the orange farmer.

“Howdy Lance.” Applejack said as she tipped her hat to him. “What are ya doing with Sweetie Belle?”

“He’s gonna help me get my Cutie Mark.” The white filly squealed in delight.

“Really?” The farmer asked as she looked at the guard. As the white stallion nodded he noticed that the farmer had bags with her.

“Going somewhere?” He asked.

“Yeah. I have business out of town. I’ll be back in two days.”

“When were you planning on telling me?” Lance asked in a flat tone.

“Didn’t think I needed to.”

“Ugh, hang on a second.” The stallion said as his horn flared and he vanished from sight. When the stallion returned he was holding a red crystal in his hoof. “If there’s an emergency. Whether it’s bandit’s, hydra’s or anything like that, smash this crystal on the ground and I’ll be there in a flash.”

“How in that hay does that work?” She asked as she took the crystal.

“Magic.” He said with a shrug.

“Good enough for me. Though I doubt ah need something like this. Ah’m a might good fighter.” She said as she raised her front hooves and punched the air.

“Where’s your brother?”

“Somepony has to stay behind and keep an eye on the farm.” She said with a nod.

“Okay then, have a safe trip.” He said with a grin.

“You be safe with those fillies. Trouble always seems to find them one way or another.” She said with a warm smile.

“I’ll be fine.” He said as he and the Unicorn trotted towards Sweet Apple Acres. As they made their way along the dirt road the filly kept looking up at the white stallion.

“So Splinter, how’d you end up as a guard anyway?” She asked.

“Well, I always liked helping ponies and I figured that it’d be the best way for me to do that was to join the guard.” He said with a shrug.

“Applebloom told me that you used to work on a farm.” The white stallion nodded. “What was that like?”

“Can’t complain. Hard work, good food and a good family.”

“Sounds like fun.” She said as they reached the door. Lance knocked on it to see the elderly green mare with a smile on her face.

“Well, howdy there sonny boy.” She said with a smile. “Applebloom yer friend is here.” She hollered up the stairs. Soon a small yellow filly came bounding down with a smile on her face.

“Howdy Sweetie Belle.” She then noticed the white stallion. “What are ya doing here Lance?” She asked.

“He’s gonna help us get our Cutie Marks!” Sweetie answered.

“Really?”

“Yup, is this everyone?”

“Nope, we still gotta go get Scootaloo from the chariot stop.” Applebloom said as the trio walked back towards the town.

“Why do we need to go to the chariot stop?” The guard asked.

“Scootaloo’s a Pegasus, but she can’t fly yet. So she takes a chariot from Cloudsdale to go to school with us.” Sweetie answered. Lance nodded as a large carriage being pulled by two Pegasus stallions stopped on a street corner and a hoofful of foals exited the chariot. The two fillies ran up to an orange Pegasus filly with a maroon mane.

“Hey Scootaloo.” The white filly said with a smile.

“Hey guys. Who’s he?” The Pegasus asked as she saw the stallion.

“Lance here is gonna help us get our Cutie Marks.” The farmer said with a grin. The orange filly looked at the Unicorn and connected the dots.

“Oh! You must be that Canterlot guard Rainbow Dash was complaining about the other day.” The white stallion face hoofed as the farmer looked at him in shock.

“You’re a guard?” She yelled.

“Shhh!” He said as he put a hoof over her mouth. “Yes, I was ordered by Celestia to guard the Elements of Harmony and I’d appreciate it if we kept this to ourselves. I don’t want to attract attention. Promise me that you won’t tell anypony else.”

“Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” The three fillies said while doing a series of hoof gestures.

“What was that?” He asked.

“That was a Pinkie Promise. Once you make it you can’t break it.” Applebloom said in a serious tone.

“Fair enough. Might I ask who told that I was guard?” He asked as he looked at the Pegasus filly.

“Rainbow Dash mentioned something.”

“Figured. Hang on a second.” He said as he walked behind a building and his horn flared. A familiar cyan mare holding a bowl of cereal appeared before him.

“What the hay?” Dash yelled causing her to drop her bowl.

“Rainbow, did you tell Scootaloo about me being a guard?” He asked as he narrowed his eyes.

“It may have slipped out.” She said with a sheepish grin on her face. “I still don’t see what the big deal is.”

“I need to remain undercover and I can’t have you blabbing it around town.” He said in a rough tone.

“Or what? I don’t need your help.” She said in an angered tone.

“You will if you want to be a Wonderbolt.” The mare froze at the words.

“What are you talking about?” Dash asked.

“Let’s just say that Spitfire and Soarin owe me a few favors. I can use those favors to either get you in or keep you out of the Wonderbolts.” He said in a stagnant tone. Rainbow felt a wave of fear creep up her spine.

“Y-you’re bluffing!”

“Sure you want to take that risk?” Lance said in a flat tone. Dash could feel her dreams almost being crushed.

“P-please don’t. It’s my dream.” She said in a weak tone.

“That depends on your behavior. By the time I get reassigned I’ll see if I think you deserve it.”

“Wh-what do you want?”

“To do everything I tell you to do and to not anypony else about my real job. Do that and I’ll throw in a good word for you next time I see Spitfire or Soarin, deal?” He asked as he stuck out his hoof.

“Deal.” Rainbow said as she shook his hoof. “I gotta go to work. See ya round.” The mare said as she took flight. Lance let out a sigh and trotted back to the fillies who had an impatient look on their faces.

“Sorry girls. I had to handle something real quick.” He said as he cracked his jaw. “What do you girls want to do first?”

“Not sure. Why don’t you tell us how you got your Cutie Mark?” Sweetie Belle asked. The stallion scratched his chin and let out a sigh.

“Sorry girls. I don’t remember how I got mine.” He lied. “It was just there one day.” Lance said with a shrug.

“Oh. That stinks.” Scootaloo whined.

“How about we grab some grub before we get started? My treat.”

“Cool!” Sweetie Belle chimed. The four ponies made their way towards Sugar Cube Corner with the morning sun hitting them Lance saw the two spa ponies walking towards them with smiles on their faces.

“Morning ladies.” Lance said with a nod.

“As to you.” Aloe said with a smile. The three fillies trotted ahead and entered the establishment.

“What are you doing with the fillies?” Lotus asked as she tried to hide her blush.

“I’m watching them while Rarity is talking with her parents.”

“Oh that’s sweet of you.” The pink mare said as she gave her sister a nudge.

“How are you two doing?”

“A lot better thanks to you. It’s reassuring that that plot hole will be locked up for the next twenty years.” Aloe said with a smile. She then side stepped the stallion and continued towards the spa. The blue mare rubbed her arm with her hoof in a nervous matter.

“I want to thank you for helping us out the other day.” She said with a weak grin.

“That’s not necessary.” Lance said with a grin.

“Please? Allow me to at least buy you a drink.” The mare then put on a pouting face. Lance grinned and rolled his eyes.

“Alright, fine. When?”

“How about tonight at around six?” She asked.

“Sounds good. See ya then.” As the white stallion walked away the azure mare started to giggle as she galloped after her sister. Lance entered the bakery shop and sat down across from the three fillies.

“There you are! What took you so long?” Scootaloo asked in an annoyed tone.

“I wanted to see how Aloe and Lotus were doing.” He said as he picked up the menu.

“Oh yeah! Rarity said that you stopped some stallion from hitting them right?” Sweetie Belle answered.

“Yup. I just wanted to make sure that they were alright.” He said as Pinkie came out with a note pad in her mouth.

“Hey guys what can I get you?”

“I’ll have a cranberry muffin and a cup of coffee.” Lance said with a smile.

“Banana muffin please.” Sweetie Belle said.

“Blueberry for me.” Applebloom said with a smile.

“I’ll have a cinnamon one.” The orange filly said with a grin.

“Okay I’ll be back in a second.” The pink mare trotted away with a spring in her step. The four ponies waited patiently for their food.

“So Lance, do you know Twilight’s older brother?” Applebloom asked.

“Shining Armor? Yeah, we went through the academy together.” He said with a smile.

“Really?” Scootaloo said.

“Yeah we go way back.” He said as their food arrived. The four ate in silence. When they finished an idea hit the guard. “Why don’t we go see Twilight? She might have a book on Cutie Marks.” Lance suggested. The three fillies shrugged and followed the white stallion towards the large tree building. As they entered the group saw the lavender mare sitting with a familiar white stallion and a pink Alicorn mare.

“Splinter!” Cadence said with a smile. “How are you doing?” She asked as she trotted over to him and gave him a hug.

“I’m good. How goes the ruling of an empire?”

“Very, very boring.” She said with a groan. The Alicorn then saw the three fillies. “Oh you’re the three flower fillies at my wedding.”

“You know the Princess?” Sweetie Belle said in amazement.

“Yup.” He said with a nod. Shining then trotted over and hoof bumped the stallion.

“How’s the quiet life?” He asked.

“Good, how’s the officer life?” Lance said with a shrug.

“Same as ever. I-” He was cut off as a bright red Phoenix came swooping through the window and landed in the windowsill. The stallion walked over to the bird and removed a letter from it’s ankle. The red bird then noticed the other white stallion in the room and cawed. Philomena flew over to Lance and perched herself on his head.

“Hey Philomena, been a while hasn’t it?” He said as he scratched the bird’s head. The large creature let out a caw of comfort. Twilight and Cadence’s jaws dropped.

“Why isn’t she trying to peck your brains out?” The pink mare asked.

“I’ve only seen her act that way with Fluttershy.” Twilight exclaimed.

“Lance here is the only pony in the entire guard that Philomena likes.” Shining said as he walked over to the bird. The Phoenix then pecked at the guard captain’s head as he came into her proximity. “See.” He said as he rubbed his head.

“How in the name of Equestria did you achieve that?” Twilight asked. Lance looked over to Shining and grinned.

“Sit down everypony. This is gonna be good.” Lance said with a smile.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lance and the Corporal were standing at attention side by side with less than pleasant looks passing between them. The two gulped as a familiar white Alicorn accompanied by General Bronze and the Sergeant.

“At ease.” Celestia barked. The two stallions relaxed their posture. “I trust you know why you’re both here?”

“Yes ma’am.” They answered.

“There have been several acts of violence between you two.” The Sargent barked.

“He’s the one who-” The Pegasus was cut off by the Alicorn’s icy glare.

“Enough! We will settle this with a challenge.” She said in a stern tone. “The victor’s entire platoon will receive three weeks of R&R.” The two stallion’s jaws dropped. “Report to the court yard at noon for the challenge.” The two stallions bowed and exited the meeting room.

“Stay out of my way half breed.” The Pegasus said in a rough tone. Lance let his anger go as he entered his room to see Midnight on her bunk and Shining reading a letter from his sister.

“How’d the meeting go?” Midnight asked as she sat up.

“They’re pinning me up against Thunder Wind.”

“WHAT?” They both yelled.

“I don’t know what the challenge is, but the winner's platoon get’s three weeks leave.” The two looked at one another in shock. Lance walked over to his bed and laid down as he stared up at the bottom of the bunk above him.

“Thunder Wind is the best out of the recruits! The chances of us beating him are a million to one!” Midnight yelled.

“Then there’s still a chance.” Lance said with a smile.

As noon crept around the bleachers were beginning to fill with the other recruits and high ranking members of the brass. Lance stood at attention next to Thunder wind. The white stallion looked in the stands and saw that Shining and Midnight were in the front row. The two gave him a nod as Princess Celestia walked up to the two guards with a cloak over a large cage.

“Recruits. Today you will be given the challenge to test your training so far.” She said with a blank expression on her face. “The challenge is simple.” She said as she pulled the cover off the cage to reveal a large red bird. “ I need one of you to catch my pet phoenix.” She said as she unlatched the cage and the massive bird took flight. “You have one hour. BEGIN!” The Princess yelled as she teleported off the field.

Thunder Wind immediately took flight after the bird while the white guard remained still as a statue. The grey Pegasus stallion was gaining on the large bird. Thunder grabbed at the bird with his two front hooves. The large bird increased it’s speed and rocketed towards the grand stands only to pull up at the last second. Thunder veered up straining his wings, only to hit the top of the stands.

“Hey Lance get your sorry flank in gear!” Midnight yelled at the Unicorn who still refused to budge. Lance flared his horn and summoned an orange in his hoof. “What in the name of Celestia is he doing?” Midnight asked as she looked at Shining. Lance split the fruit in half, took out the seeds and planted them in the ground. Thunder had collected himself and chased after the bird that was taunting him. The stallion let out a groan of frustration as he took flight after the large bird.

The phoenix cawed and flew towards the other stallion. Lance squinted and saw the Pegasus charging towards him Lance waited for the right moment. As soon as the stallion was in proximity his horn flared. Thunder felt something grab him. The stallion looked in shock as a massive tree sprouted from the ground and wrapped around his body.

“What the hell?” He yelled in surprise.

“Now if you’re done I’d like a chance.” Lance said with a smile. The stallion grunted in his restraints. Lance walked over to a branch and plucked an orange from the tree. The stallion walked out from underneath the tree holding the fruit in his hoof up towards the bird with a smile on his face. The bird looked at the guard in confusion and hesitantly flew towards the guard.

The Phoenix landed on the ground in front of the stallion with a skeptical look on her face. The bird walked towards the stallion and sniffed the fruit in front of her. The mare watched as the stallion split it in half and levitated it over to her. The bird dove her beak into the fruit and cawed in delight. The stallion smiled and gave her a nod. The bird flew on top of his head and started to preen herself.

“Mind if I ask you a question?”

“Of course.”

“How did you grow a tree?” She asked as she looked at the large tree.

“I didn’t. I transported it. Which reminds me, I should really get this back before one of my sisters find out it’s gone.” He said as his horn flared and the tree vanished releasing the Pegasus.

“No fair! He used magic.” The corporal protested.

“You used your wings.” Celestia said in a flat tone.

“But he didn’t even catch her!”

“He used the unorthodox. An admirable trait that we could use in the guard.” Celestia said with a smile. She then turned back to the Unicorn. “Splintered Lance you are the victor and you along with your platoon will receive three weeks of R&R.” She said as several ponies came charging out of the stands and picked the stallion up.

“Put me down!” He yelled at Shining.

“Not a chance!” He said with a wide smile. The group carried the stallion off towards the barracks while the Pegasus was fuming with rage.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The white stallion looked back at the ponies with a grin on his face. Twilight, Cadence and the three fillies looked at the stallion in shock.

“So that’s why Philomena likes you?” Twilight asked.

“Yup.”

“You gave her an orange?” Cadence asked.

“That’s right.” He said as he got up. “I learned a long time ago that if you’re nice to something first then it’ll be nice to you.” He said with a smile. “Now that’s enough of that story. C’mon girls let’s get a move on.” He said.

“Are you nuts? That story was awesome!” Scootaloo said with a smile. “Got anymore?”

“Well...” He said as the three gave him the puppy dog eyes. “Oh no, that won’t work on me. My sisters used it on me all the time.” He said in a flat tone.

“I hate to interrupt but Celestia needs Cadence and I to return to the castle.” Shining said with a smile.

“What purpose?” Splinter asked.

“It doesn’t say.”

“Right, but before you go.” Lance said as he walked over to the kitchen table and put his right hoof in an arm wrestling position.

“No.” Shining said in a flat tone.

“You know you want to.”

“Why would you suggest that of all things?”

“I’m curious to see if all that pencil pushing has made your hoof wrestling skills improve.” Lance said with a smile. The Captain let out a sigh and walked over to the table and mimic’d the motion. The two stallions applied pressure to the other’s hoof and pressed against the other. Shining struggled to maintain his position. “Really Shining is that all you can muster?”

“Can it!” He said as he pressed harder. Splinter’s hoof wasn’t budging. Twilight noticed that the table they were using was beginning to crack under the pressure.

“Time to end this.” Splinter gave a final push and slammed Shining’s hoof onto the table just as the table broke apart. The guard captain flipped over onto his back and let out a groan. “Score stands forty-nine to zero.” Splinter said as his horn glowed and the table was repaired. Lance offered his hoof and helped his friend back up on his hooves. “You lost Shining. You know the rules.” Splinter said with a grin.

“Oh come on man, there are fillies here.” Shining whined. Splinter’s horn flared and a large dome enveloped the two stallions and the two mares.

“Sound proof bubble. They can’t hear a thing. Now say it.” Splinter said with a grin. The guard captain grumbled and let out a sigh.

“I’m your bitch.” Shining said as he hung his head in shame.

“Yes, yes you are.” Splinter said as he lowered the dome. Cadence and Twilight looked at the embarrassed stallion with a raised eyebrow. Lance looked at the clock and his eyes shrank. “Sorry, but I have to go too. I have to meet Lotus at the bar.” Shining and Cadence looked at him in confusion. “I helped her and her sister out of a jam the other day and she wants to thank me.”

“What jam?” Cadence asked.

“Oh Rarity told me about that! You sent Ms. Aloe’s ex flying through a window.” Sweetie Belle chimed. The Princess and the guard looked at him in shock.

“I thought you were gonna keep a low profile?” Shining asked.

“Aloe’s ex came in and was going to kill her if I didn’t do something.” He said with a frown.

“Ah....I see.”

“Hey can I ask something?” Scootaloo said as she looked at the adults.

“What?”

“Since you’re in the guard, what did you do when the Changelings invaded?” The stallion’s eyes shrank as he heard the words. Shining and Cadence both gulped as the color from their faces fled. The lavender unicorn felt a very cold shiver creep down her spine. Lance’s right eye twitched as he threw on a fake expression.

“I was out on a mission when all that went down.” He said in a flat tone. “Sorry girls but I have to get going and I’m sure your sisters are wondering where you all are.” He said as his horn flared and he vanished in a puff of white smoke.

“C’mon girls let’s head home. Nice seeing you again Princess Cadence.” Sweetie Belle said with a wave. The pink Alicorn gave them a warm smile as they walked out the door.

“Shining. What was that?” Twilight asked.

“What was what?”

“That magical pressure I felt coming from Lance. It felt.....wrong.” She said with a gulp. Shining looked at his sister and let out a sigh.

“I can’t give you any details, but I will say that Lance is extremely strong. He’s been through more than you can imagine and most of it wasn’t pleasant.” The mares looked at the guard captain in shock. “Sorry, that’s all I can say.”

“I get it. I don’t want you to get in trouble with the Princess.” Twilight said with a nod.

“Thanks for understanding Twiley.” He said as he gave her a hug. “Sorry sis but we’ve got to go.” The guard and the Princess said their goodbyes and vanished in a flash of pink light.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Across town Lotus stood outside the pub waiting for the white stallion to appear. Her face turned red as she saw the white stallion appear a few feet away from her.

“Sorry I’m late I got caught chatting with an old friend of mine.”

“It’s no problem. I just got here myself.” She said with a smile. The two walked inside and sat at the bar on stools. “So who was this friend of yours?”

“Shining Armor.” He said in a flat tone. The spa pony looked at him in confusion.

“As in Captain of the royal guard?”

“The very same.”

“No way!” She said in shock. “How do you know him?”

“One day the guard was touring my town and I met him. we hit it off and we’ve been friends ever since.” He lied with a smile. “By the way, that accent sounds familiar are you from Prance?”

“No, my mother and father were. They taught us the language to preserve our family heritage.” She said as their drinks arrived. “How did you know?”

“Coup de chance.” He said with a grin.
*Translation; Lucky guess.

The mare looked at him in shock and wonder.

“You speak Prench?”

“Oui!” He said with a smile.
*Yes.

The two continued to talk for hours until around eleven o’clock. The stallion noticed that the light blue mare had become quite drunk and was barely balancing on her stool.

“Okay I think you’ve had enough for tonight Lotus. Time to head home.” He said as he paid the bartender.

“Oh you’re no fun.” She said making pouting face. As the two walked outside the mare tripped over her hooves and started laughing hysterically. The white stallion’s horn glowed and he levitated her onto his back. The mare clumsily wrapped her hooves around the stallion’s neck and started to rub her hooves on his shoulders. “Si forte.” She cooed in a seductive voice.
*So strong.

The stallion ignored the comment as he came to a bright yellow door. He looked back at the mare who had a goofy grin on her face.

“Are you sure that this is your house Lotus?” He asked. The mare gave him a reassuring nod. Lance shrugged and gave the door a knock. The door opened to reveal a cream colored Earth Pony mare with a red mane and tail.

“Can I help you?” She asked in confusion.

“Sorry for disturbing you ma’am, but I’m having some difficulties finding out where Lotus lives.” He said with a shrug.

“Can I ask why?” The stallion then pointed to the drunk mare on his back. “Ah I see. Two houses down, second door on the left.” She said as she pointed down the street.

“Thank you Miss.”

“It’s no trouble. My name’s Roseluck by the way.”

“Nice to meet you Rose. I’m Splintered Lance.” He said with a nod.

“Likewise. See ya around.” She said as she closed the door. The white stallion continued his journey down the road with the ever growing frisky mare on his back. Lotus had sat upright on the stallion’s shoulders and was resting her head on top of his.

“Do you know what the most sensitive part on a Unicorn’s body is?” She purred as an idea came to her mind.

“The horn right?” He asked.

“Correct.” The mare said as she leaned forward and licked the tip of his horn.

“Lotus! What the hell?” The stallion said in an annoyed tone. Despite his protests the mare kept licking the length of the horn and started letting out moans. Lance was using all of his discipline training to prevent himself from kicking the mare off his back and into the wall. He silently praised Celestia as he reached the door. He gave it three hard knocks as the light blue spa pony started moving her tongue in circular motions around the base of his horn. The door opened to reveal the pink Earth pony mare with a surprised look on her face.“I think I have something that belongs to you.” He said trying to keep a straight face.

“Mon diue! Lotus get off him!” Aloe said as she pulled her sister off the stallion’s back and put her on the couch. “I am so sorry about this Lance. She never acts like this normally.” Aloe said as she held her head in shame.
*My God.

“It’s fine everypony acts weird when they’re drunk. Do you have a towel?” He asked The mare nodded and quickly gave the stallion a towel to wipe his face with. “Thank you.”

“Again I am so sorry.” The stallion gave her a nod and teleported away from the house. Lance found himself in front of Carousel Boutique with a frustrated look on his face. As he opened the door he saw Rarity reading a fashion magazine and sipping some tea.

“Oh Lance you’re back.” She said with a smile.

“Hey Rarity.” He said in a flat tone.

“Something wrong dear?”

“Apart from my horn being used as a lollypop I’m fine.” He said with a grumble.

“What?”

“Lotus offered to buy me a drink fro helping her out the other day with that plot hole. She got drunk and I took her home. On the way there she started using my horn as a pacifier.” He said as he sat down next to her.

“Oh....I see.” She said with a gulp. “So what happened next?”

“I brought her home where Aloe apologized for her behavior and then I teleported back here.” He said in a flat tone.

“May I ask something?” The stallion nodded. “It sounds like you didn’t enjoy it. Why?”

“Why? I don’t even know her for Celestia’s sake!” He said in an angered tone. “I’m not some sleaze ball who sleeps around with a bunch of mares and it’ll be a cold day in hell before I take advantage of a mare who’s obviously drunk.” He said as he glared at the mare.

“I’m sorry dear. I wasn’t insinuating anything.” She said as she lowered her head. “It’s just that from what I’ve heard most of the guards are stallions and when you spend a large amount of time with the same gender most stallion would jump at the chance to spend some time with a mare as lovely as Lotus.”

“Despite what most mares think of the royal guards I’m not the type of stallion who hooks up with random mares just for a good time.” He said as he got to his hooves.

“I see. I’m sorry and you acted like a true Gentle colt.”

“Coming from you that means a lot.” He said with a smile. The white mare felt her cheeks blaze up at the compliment. “Goodnight.”

“Yes, to you as well.” She said as she hid her face from the guard. The mare bit her lip as hundreds of thoughts raced through her mind.

He is a Gentle colt!

He’s strong, kind and remarkably handsome. Her face turned bright red as she thought of the stallion holding her close with his big strong hooves. The mare snapped out of the daydream and shook her head.

“That is no way a lady should act.” She thought to herself as she trotted upstairs into her room. As she laid awake in her bed the thoughts came rushing back, only stronger now. She thought of the stallion ravishing her with kisses and laying her down on her Queen sized bed. He eyes snapped open and she ran towards he calendar. She scanned the days until she came to a date with a big red circle marked on it. Her heat cycle had just started.

Chapter 6: Family

Chapter 6

Family.

Shining Armor and Princess Cadence made their way into Princess Celestia’s office with concerned looks on their faces. As they entered they saw Princess Celestia sitting at her desk with her sister by her side.

“Ah Captain Armor, how good of you to join us.” Luna said with a smile.

“Sorry about that ma’am. Lance and I got talking and-” The white Alicorn held up her hoof.

“It’s quite alright. How is Lance doing anyway?”

“Hard to say ma’am.” He said with a sigh. “You know how good he is at hiding his feelings.” Shining said with a shrug. “So why did you call us here Princess?”

“We have a serious problem on our hooves.” Celestia said in a stern tone. The sun goddess levitated a sheet of paper in front of her. “Two days ago a riot occurred at Canterlot Maximum Security Prison.” The white stallion looked at her in shock. “All but three criminals are accounted for.”

“Should we get Lance? He is the best tracker we have.” Cadence suggested.

“No. Lance is still in recovery as far as we’re concerned and should he catch wind of this it could make him.....unstable.” Luna added.

“Why? Who escaped?” Shining asked. The white mare let out a sigh and levitated the paper over to the guard captain. Shining’s eyes shrank and he gritted his teeth as he read the names. “Oh...him.”

“Now do you see why he can’t know?” Celestia said.

“Completely. Creator knows what would happen if he met that stallion again.” Shining said with a sigh. “I doubt that we’d even get him back in one piece.” The pink Alicorn had never seen her husband so grim.

“Correct. We will entrust you with this matter.” Celestia said as the captain nodded. After exiting the room Cadence looked at her husband in confusion.

“What’s wrong Cadence?” He asked as he looked at her.

“Mind telling me what THAT was about? Who escaped?” She asked as she cocked an eyebrow. The white stallion saw that his wife had no intention of backing down.

“Remember that trial that took place back when I was in the academy involving Midnight?” He said in a low tone.

“You mean the bat mare that was part of your's and Lace’s squad?” She asked. The stallion nodded as the Alicorn thought for a moment. Her eyes shrank as the memory came rushing back. “Oh, him.”

“Yeah. Lance can’t know. Who know’s what he’ll do.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rarity laid on her bed in the early hours of the morning trying to control her ever raging hormones. The mare was trying desperately to force thoughts of the white stallion from her mind. The fashionista was turning over constantly in her bed covers and biting her lip hard enough to draw blood. The mare let out a moan and her eyes rolled back in her head. She started moving her hoof in circular formations in her nether region.

As she climaxed she let out a loud moan of pleasure. The woke up to the sound of a large crash. She immediately sat up and saw the white stallion with the door broken down.

“Are you okay?” He asked. The mare quickly tried to hide her blush.

“Of course! Why wouldn’t I be?” She yelled.

“I heard you scream so I came to check on you.” He said as he walked over to her bedside causing the white mare to blush. “Are you okay? You seem kind of warm.” He said as he put his hoof against her forehead.

“I’m fine!” She snapped. “I’m sorry dear, I’ve just been on edge lately because this client of mine has made such an impossible order.” She said as she got to her hooves.

“Well, if you’re sure. Just remember that if you need me then just call me.” He said with a nod. The stallion walked over to the door and repaired it with his magic. “Sorry about the door.”

“It’s fine darling.” She said with a gulp. The stallion nodded and closed the door behind him. Lance let out a sigh and made his way out of the boutique and out into the quiet streets of Ponyville.

Great, I just walked in on her ‘finishing’ He thought with a groan. The stallion walked down the street to see Applebloom sitting by herself on the swing set. The white stallion trotted over to her with a concerned look on his face. “Hey Applebloom.”

“Oh, hey Lance.” She said in a low tone.

“What’s wrong?” He asked as he sat on the swing next to her.

“Applejack is off on business and I’m bored.”

“What about Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo?”

“Scootaloo went with Rainbow Dash to a Wonderbolt show and Sweetie isn’t up yet.”

“What about Mac? I’m sure he can play with ya.”

“Mac? Yeah right.” She said in a sarcastic tone.

“Why would you say something like that? He loves you right?”

“Of course he does! It’s just that....” The filly lowered her head in sadness.

“It’s just what?” Lance asked as he walked in front of the filly and crouched down. “Applebloom, I’m not just your sister’s guard I’m your friend.”

“Okay fine. Mac has been acting weird lately.” The filly said as she looked at the guard.

“Define weird.”

“He’s been working really, really, really hard around the farm.”

“Nothing wrong with that.” He said with a shrug.

“Not just at the farm, he’s been taking extra jobs around town too and when he finally comes home he’s to exhausted to talk much less play. Ah guess I just feel lonely.” The filly said as she hung her head in shame. Lance scratched his chin as he put the pieces together

“I see.” He said as he stood up. “I’m sure he’ll come around.” He said with a smile. “He loves you with all his heart.”

“Ya think so?”

“I know so.” He said with a smile. “Believe me, older siblings will do whatever it takes to make sure that their younger brothers or sisters are happy.”

“Thanks Lance. Ah needed to get that off my chest. I’m gonna go see if Sweetie Belle is up.” The stallion nodded at the yellow filly and vanished in a flash of light. Lance appeared in front of Sweet Apple Acres. The white stallion walked up the dirt road and saw the red stallion kicking the trunk of an apple tree.

“Howdy Lance what can ah do for ya?”

“You can stop working while I tell you something.” He said in a flat tone. The red stallion looked at him in confusion. “Applebloom says you’ve been acting weir recently. Taking up extra jobs around town and giving everything you have here at the same time.” He said in a stern tone.

“Ah don’t see how that’s any of your concern.” He said as he was about to resume kicking the tree. The white stallion caught his hoof inches from the bark with his own.

“I wasn’t finished.” He said as he let the stallion’s hoof go. “Applebloom is worried about you.”

“Ah said ah was fine!” He bellowed as he narrowed his eyes at the stallion. Mac pressed his forehead against Lance’s. The white stallion was just a little shorter than Mac and looked like he could do some damage to him.

“Alright Mac, I’m done beating around the bush. When did you meet the mare?” He asked. The red stallion’s eyes shrank.

“A-ah have no idea what yer talking about.” He said as he tried to lie.

“Fine, when did you meet the stallion? I don’t know your preference.” Big mac glared at the guard with anger in his eyes. “When did you meet the pony that you’re going to pop the question to?” The red stallion’s expression changed from angered to confused. “Don’t try to lie Mac. I can smell one from a mile away.”

“Teach ya that in the guard?”

“Applejack?” Lance asked as he cocked an eyebrow.

“Eeyup. She can’t lie to save her hide. Ah haven’t told anypony yet.”

“Thank you. Now back to you, who is it?” The red stallion let out a sigh and looked back at the guard.

“Her name is Cherilee. She’s Applebloom’s teacher.”

“How did you two meet?” Lance asked as he leaned against a tree.

“A few years ago Applebloom and her two other friends decided to set us up on Heart’s and Hooves day. They got carried away and drugged us with a love potion.” Lance raised an eyebrow at the stallion. “Their intentions were good and Cherilee and I went back to normal after the potion wore off.”

“Uh-huh. So how did you two become a real couple?”

“Well, we kept in touch. Found out we had similar interests and dislikes. Things just sort of clicked.” He said with a smile. “We’ve been a couple for three years now.”

“Does Applebloom know?”

“No, we decided to let her find out on her own. Granny knew right away, she may be old but she’s as sharp as a nail. Applejack found out after the second month and was happy for us.” He said with a grin.

“And you want to marry her?”

“Eeyup.”

“Look Mac, having somepony special is great, but so is family and right now Applebloom feels like you don’t want to spend time with her.” The red stallion looked at him in shock.

“What now?”

“I know it’s not intentional. You care for your sister like an older sibling should, but there will come a time when you WILL be too busy to hang out with her.” He said in a flat tone. “All I’m saying is cherish the time you have together before it’s gone. Take the rest of the day off.” The red stallion stared into the guards light green eyes and let out a sigh.

“Fine, just tell me one thing.”

“Sure.”

“How do you know all this?”

“As the oldest of five I can pick up on when a younger sibling is sad and a friend of mine was doing the same things you’re doing now before he asked his mare friend to marry him.” He said with a grin.

“Ah see.” He said as he picked up the barrel and threw it on his back. “Ah’m just gonna bring these to the barn then ah’ll head off.”

“Good, oh and Mac-” He started to say.

“What?”

“I was about to say that if you just ditch her then I’d break your legs but I’d just have tell AJ when she comes back.” The red stallion shuddered at the thought of his sister beating him to a pulp. “I think that’s enough motivation.” He said with a grin.

“Eeyup.”

“Don’t worry about the work. I’ll handle it. What did you have to do today?”

“Clear the South orchard. Think you can handle it?” The white stallion looked at him with a blank expression on his face.

“Relax, I got this. Go spend the afternoon with your sis. Believe me Mac you don’t know how good things are until you loose them.” He said in a serious tone.

“Ah take it ya learned that the hard way?” Splinter only gave him a slight nod at the remark. “Ah won’t ask.” Mac said as he started to trot down the road towards the small town.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Applejack arrived in Dodge Junction mid morning and stepped off the train platform. The orange farmer yawned and cracked her neck as the light from the setting sun hit her face. The mare made her way through town and entered the salt saloon.

“Hey barkeep. Get me something cold.” She said with a smile. The old bartender nodded and pushed her glass across the bar.

“By Celestia’s beard! Applejack?” The orange farmer turned around to see a light green Earth pony mare with an orange mane and tail. She also had an orange with a quill across it as a Cute Mark.

“Do ah know you?”

“It’s me! Florida!” The orange mare’s mind connected the dots and face hoofed.

“Ah’m so sorry! Ah barely recognized you.” She said as she hugged the mare. “What brings you here?”

“I’m here to talk to Cherry Jubille about a cherry shipment that never reached our farm.” She said with a shrug. “I never thought I’d see you here. This’ll give us a chance to catch up.” She said with a smile.

“Order another round. This is gonna take a while.” Applejack filled in the mare on all the things that had happened ever since Twilight Sparkle came to Ponyville. It was around three o’clock when the orange mare had finished her tale. “That pretty much sums it up.”

“Wow, you weren’t kidding when you said that it was gonna take a while.” The mare said with a smile. “So Mac is back running the farm then?”

“Yeah although I’m pretty sure our new employee would give him a hoof.”

“Who’s that?” The green mare asked as she put eh glass to her lips. The orange mare face hoofed hard enough to leave a mark on her forehead.

“Ah completely forgot! Your older brother is working for us.” Florida’s eyes shrank and spat out her drink in surprise.

“What did you just say?” She said as she glared at the orange mare.

“Your older brother, Splintered Lance is working for us.” She said as she cocked an eyebrow.

“That’s what I thought you said.” The green mare calmly put the drink down on a coaster and punched the apple farmer in the cheek, knocking her off her stool.

“What in the hay was that for?” She said as she rubbed the sore spot.

“Don’t EVER joke about him!” She said as her eyes turned to daggers and clenched her hoof for another punch.

“Ah ain’t joking!”

“Yeah right, I doubt that you can resurect the dead!” She yelled as tears formed in her eyes.

“What?”

“He vanished two years ago and we haven’t heard from him since!” The orange mare trotted up to the saddened orange farmer and put a hoof on her shoulder.

“Look Florida, ah ain’t lying to ya. Ah can’t tell a lie to save mah skin.” She said in a saddened voice. The mare looked at the clock and let out a sigh. “Look, ah got some business to take care of with Cherry. Meet me back here around seven and I’ll prove to you that he’s still alive.” The green mare was gritting her teeth. “If ya still don’t believe me then you can beat me to your heart’s content. Deal?” She asked as she stuck out her hoof.

“Deal.” She spat out. As the farmer started to leave the green mare grabbed her tail. “If this turns out to be some sort of joke then you’re going back to Ponyville in a matchbox.” She said in a rough tone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Up in Cloudsdale Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo exited the arena with smiles on their faces. “That was so cool!” The orange filly said with a smile on her face.

“Yeah, those ponies are awesome!” Dash said with a smile.

“Not as awesome as you Rainbow Dash.” Dash blushed at the comment and rolled her eyes.

“True.” The two stopped as two blue suited Pegasi landed in front of them. The mare took her mask off to reveal her golden colored coat while the other was light blue. “Oh my gosh!” Dash said in a fan girl voice.

“Hey Rainbow Dash thought we saw you in the crowd.” Spitfire said with a nod. THe blue Pegasus then noticed the small orange filly.

“I didn’t know you had a sister.” He said as he looked at the filly who was barely containing her excitement.

“Scoots isn’t my sister.” The filly felt a little disappointed by the words. “She’s my....student. Yeah, I’m teaching her how to fly.” The orange filly’s jaw dropped.

“Really? That’s cool.” Spitfire said with a smile.

“So what did you two need?” Scootaloo asked.

“We were wondering if you wanted to hang out.” Soarin said. The cyan and orange ponies looked at one another in shock.

“YES!” They both chimed.

“Cool, follow us.” Spitfire said with a grin. The two ponies giggle silently to one another as the Wonderbolts led them inside. The two ponies followed the Wonderbolts back inside the stadium and into a well furnished room with the other Wonderbolts. The orange filly stuck by Rainbow Dash’s side as she talked to Spitfire. “So what’s new with you two?”

“Not much.” Dash said with a shrug. An idea hit her and she grinned. “Hey the Wonderbolts are a branch of the armed forces right?”

“Yeah, we’re a different branch of it though. We’re mostly used to boost moral.” Soarin said as he sipped his glass. “Why?”

“You see I’ve got this friend who’s in the guard and I was wondering if you guys knew him.” Dash said with a smirk.

“Sure who is it?” Spitfire asked as she raised her mug to her lips.

“His name is Splintered Lance. He’s a white Unicorn stallion with a dark red mane and light green eyes.” The two Wonderbolts spat out their drink in surprise. Dash looked at them and saw that the two were literally shaking in their hooves and the color had drained from their faces.

“Dash, are you positive that that’s what he looks like?” Soarin said with a gulp.

“Yeah why?” The blue stallion’s teeth were chattering.

“Soarin, why don’t you go introduce Scootaloo to the other Wonderbolts.” Spitfire said with a gulp. The blue stallion took the orange Pegasus and walked over to the other Wonderbolts. led Dash out of the lounge and into her office. The captain sat down behind her desk and pulled out a bottle of Scotch.

“Why did you and Soarin freak out?”

“Dash, if what you’re telling me is true then you know the most dangerous stallion in all the guard, possibly all of Equestria.” Rainbow looked at her in confusion.

“What? He seems like a normal guard to me.” Dash said in confusion.

“The Lightning Hoof a normal guard? Yeah right!” She said in a scared tone. “I saw an entire army of changeling turn around in pure fear of him.” Dash looked at her in shock.

“The Lightning Hoof?”

“Lightning Hoof, The Impaler, Harbinger. The list goes on and on. Bottom line; that stallion is extremely powerful. The only pony that I’ve ever seen that got close to beating him is Captain Shining Armor and even he couldn’t beat him.” She said with a groan.

“How do you know all this?”

“I saw him once on the battle field during the Changeling war.” She said as she took another swig.

“What happened at the battle?”

“Battle?” The golden mare let out a small laugh. “It was no battle it was a bucking slaughter! He took down twelve battalions of Changelings with a single spell.” She said as she took another swig. “I’ve never seen a pony so strong.”

“But, he acts like he’d never hurt a fly.”

“That’s what makes him so scary! One minutes he’s the nicest stallion you’ve ever met, then the next he’s a monster on a war path.” The golden mare had no color in her face. “That’s all I know about him.” Dash looked at the time and saw that it was getting close to dinner time.

“Thanks Spitfire. I should grab Scoots and get home.”

“Good idea, the team and I have to get up early to get to Canterlot.” She said as she got to her hooves. “Oh and Dash.” The cyan mare turned around as she reached for the door knob. “Don’t tell him that I told you any of this. Ya’ know military secrets and what not.”

“No problem.” Dash said as she walked out of the office and collected the orange filly who was starting to fall asleep. “C’mon Squirt. Time to go home.” The cyan mare said as she put the filly on her back and took flight towards Ponyville. As the wind whipped at her mane her mind drifted back to the white stallion.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Back at Sweet Apple Acres Lance had finished the last row of trees and put the apples away. Ash he looked towards the road he saw the large red stallion and the small yellow filly with smiles on their faces.

“Hey guys. You two have a nice day?”

“Eeyup.” They said in unison. The yellow filly mouthed the words ‘thank you’ as she walked past the white stallion. Lance gave her a friendly nod and made his way back towards town. He saw a familiar white mare gallop up to him. He tried to hide his embarrassment.

“Oh.....hello Lance.” She said as she hid her blush.

“Hey Rarity. What’s up?”

“I was just going to get Sweetie Belle from Zecora’s”

“Who’s Zecora?” Lance asked.

“She’s this zebra that lives in the Everfree forest. She went there this afternoon when Applebloom went off to play with Big Macintosh. Never thought I’d see that happen.” She said with a small laugh.

“Yeah that was my doing.” He said with a smile. “So you’re headed there now?” The white mare nodded. “Then I’ll go with you.” Rarity’s face turned scarlet.

“Y-you don’t have to do that.”

“I’m your guard it’s my job to ensure your safety. Besides that place is dangerous especially at night.” He said as the two walked towards the forest edge.

“Just because I’m a lady doesn’t mean I can’t handle myself.” She said as she narrowed her eyes.

“I wasn’t insinuating anything. My father always taught me to be a gentle colt to mares.” He said with a nod.

“He sounds like a great stallion.”

“Yeah.....he was.” He said in a flat tone. The mare connected the dots and her eyes shrank.

“Oh, I’m so sorry dear.”

“It’s fine it happened years ago. He went peacefully.” He said as the two made their way through the thicket. “So what does this Zecora do?”

“She’s a potion maker.”

“Rare to see a Zebra outside their homeland.”

“You’ve been there?” Rarity asked.

“Yup, saw the world, ate the food, had a foal with a local. The usual.”

“WAIT WHAT?” Rarity yelled.

“I’m just kidding.” He said with a laugh. Rarity let out a sigh of relief. The two stopped in front of a hut made out of tree. The two trotted inside to see the familiar white filly standing next to a cauldron being stirred by a Zebra mare.

“Hey Rarity! Hi Lance.” Sweetie said with a smile on her face.

“Hello Sweetie, you as well Zecora.” Rarity said with a smile. The zebra smiled with a nod. “Time to go home Sweetie it’s almost supper time.”

“Okay, see ya Zecora!” Sweetie Belle said with a smile. The three Unicorns made their way back towards the small town. “So what did you do today Lance?”

“I took over Mac’s shift so he could spend the day with Applebloom.”

“Why?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“He hadn’t hung out with Applebloom for a while so I volunteered to take over his workload for the day so he could hangout with her.”

“Well that’s nice of you.” Rarity said with a smile. “It’s nice to see that he’s not only socializing with his mare friend.” The white filly looked up at her sister in shock.

“Big Mac has a mare friend?” Sweetie yelled. “Why didn’t Applebloom tell me? Who is it? Who is it?” The filly chimed.

“I believe that it’s Cherilee.” Rarity said with a nod as Lance face hoofed.

“NO WAY! Why didn’t Applebloom tell me?”

“She doesn’t know.” Lance added. “Mac and Cherilee want her to figure it out on her own. Granted she’d better do it quick.”

“Why?” Rarity asked.

“Let’s just say Cherilee might need you to make her a white dress in the coming months.” Rarity took a moment to connect the dots and sgiggled in delight. “That’s why he’s been acting like a textbook workaholic the past few weeks.”

“What’s he talking about?” Sweetie asked.

“You’ll find out soon enough and don’t tell Applebloom or anypony else about this. That’s Mac’s and Cherilee’s job.”

“Do you have a special somepony Lance?” Sweetie asked. Rarity focused all her attention on the stallion as he stopped moving. His ears twitched and narrowed his eyes. “Lance?”

“Rarity, take Sweetie Belle and run.” He said as he got in an attack stance.

“Why?” As the words left her lips a large beast with a scorpion tail leaped out of the bushes. “Ah! A Manticore!”

“Rarity go!”

“You’ll die!” She protested

“DON’T ARGUE WITH ME! GO!" He yelled. The white mare picked up the small filly and ran down the path. The white stallion faced the beats and smiled. “Okay fur ball, your move.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Back in Dodge Junction, the green mare sat at the bar with an impatient look on her face. The mare turned her head to see the orange farmer enter the establishment.

“Sorry ah’m late Florida Cherry wouldn’t stop talking.” She said with a sigh.

“Let’s just see this proof of yours.” She said in a stagnant tone. The orange mare gulped and got to her hooves.

“Follow me and ah’ll show ya.” The two left the establishment and circled around back.

“Hang on a second.” Florida said as she walked across the street and into a hotel room. Five minutes later the green mare came back with a wooden bat in her hooves. “Okay show me.”

“What’s that for?” Applejack asked.

“This is the ‘punch line’ of the joke.” The orange mare gulped and removed the red crystal the white stallion had given her the other day.

“You’d better stand back.” The mare threw the crystal on the ground and a cloud of red smoke appeared.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rarity and Sweetie Belle made it out of the forest to see Fluttershy trotting along with Twilight. The two ran up to them with worry in their eyes.

“Oh thank goodness Fluttershy! Lance needs your help.”

“What’s wrong?” Twilight asked.

“We were walking back from Zecora’s when a Manticore attacked us! Lance stayed behind.” Sweetie Belle added.

“Oh my! We’d better hurry.” As the mare’s took a step forward the white stallion appeared in front of them.

“What’s up?” The white mare quickly hugged the stallion. “Did I miss something?”

“You stayed behind and fought a manticore!” Sweetie yelled.

“Oh that thing? Please, if I can handle a battalion of drunk guards then a Manticore is no problem.” As Rarity broke the hug she saw a patch of red liquid on his chest.

“Blood!”

“Who’s bleeding?” Lance asked.

“You are!” Twilight yelled.

“I am?” He then looked down at his chest to see the bleeding wound. “Oh how about that. I am.” He said with a shrug. The stallion froze as his horn started to blink red. “Uh-oh!”

“What’s wrong?” Twilight asked.

“Applejack is in trouble! I’ll be back soon!” He said as he threw down a piece of paper with a seal on it. The stallion vanished as he stepped on the seal.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The smoke cleared revealing a seal on the ground. The green mare stared at the seal with an unimpressed look on her face.

“Um, that’s not supposed to happen.” Applejack said.

“Well, it’s pulverizing time.” She said as the she picked up the bat and twirled it in her hoof. The green mare stopped as the seal started to glow and a cloud of smoke covered her. Applejack opened her eyes to see the white stallion.

“Are you okay Applejack?”

“Ah’m fine. A bit startled, but fine.”

“So why did you call me here then?” The stallion then heard a banging noise come from behind him. He turned around to see the green mare staring at him in shock. Lance’s eyes shrank as he looked at the mare.

“L-Lance?” She said with a quivering lip.

“Florida?” He asked in amazement. The mare slowly trotted up to him and slapped him in the face.

“JERK! WE THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD!” She yelled with a river of tears running down her face. As the mare raised her hoof to hit him again Lance caught her hoof and wrapped her in a tight hug.

“I’m sorry. I’ve been out of Equestria for the past few years.” He said with a sniffle.

“Why didn’t you write? You used to!”

“I know, I was about to send one with Philomena when I got back.” He said in a saddened tone. The mare then noticed the blood on his chest.

“Lance! You’re bleeding!”

“Oh this? I had a run in with a Manticore. No big deal.” He said with a shrug.

“NO BIG DEAL?” Applejack yelled.

“I’ve been through worse.” He said with a shrug. The green mare looked at him with tears in her eyes. “I still can’t believe how much you’ve grown sis.”

“You should see Hazel.” She said with a grin. Lance let out a sigh and looked back at Applejack.

“Look, tell mom I’m okay. I have to go back to Ponyville.” The mare held her head in sadness. “I’ll talk to Celestia about getting some off time so I can come down and visit. Okay?”

“What if we come to you?” She asked.

“That could work so long as you don’t tell anypony I’m a guard.”

“Yeah, why are you working for Applejack anyway?”

“Part of my cover. My mission is to protect Applejack and her friends, so I’ll be there for a bit.” He said with a smile.

“O-okay.” She said in a weak tone.

“I’ll send Philomena a letter as soon as I get back. I promise.” He said with a smile. “Are you done here AJ?” He asked as he looked at the orange mare.

“Y-yeah why?”

“Then hang on.” He said as he and the mare stepped on the seal. “I’ll see you soon sis.” He said before he vanished in a flash of light. Florida felt the tears run as she watched the stallion leave.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The two ponies appeared just outside of Ponyville. The night air hit the mare as Applejack took a moment to collect herself. The farmer threw up on the side of the road and coughed.

“Sorry. Figured you wouldn’t be used to that.” He said with a shrug.

“Don’t do that again.” She said in a rough tone. “So what did ah miss?”

“Well, Mac spent the day with Applebloom and Rarity and I went to Zecora’s hut to pick up Sweetie Belle.”

“Mac did what now? How’d you get him to do that?”

“I can be very persuasive.” He said with a grin. “Now if you’ll excuse me I need to go heal this wound before I pass out from blood loss.” He said as he teleported in front of the boutique. As he walked inside he aw the white mare asleep on the couch. Lance rolled his eyes and looked at the mare.

I have to admit, she does look cute like this.

Smack

Damn it! She’s the one you’re protecting idiot and don’t forget about-

I haven’t forgotten. He thought as he pulled the mare onto his back and walked up the stairs. As he walked he felt the mare rest her head on his shoulders and wrap her hooves around his neck. As he laid the mare on her bed she wrapped her hooves around his arm. Lance slowly slid his hoof out of her grip and walked back to his room.

The guard walked over to his bag and withdrew a bottle of red pills. Lance made his way into the bathroom and turned the hot water on in the bath. Once the water was as a desirable temperature he slipped one of the pills into the steaming water. The liquid started to bubble and turn a dark red color. Lance crawled inside and slid himself into the water. After a minute he gripped the side of the bath tup in pain.

The water felt as though a thousand claws were slashing him. The stallion fought through the pain and looked down at his wound to see it fully healed. Lance got out of the bath tub and waited for the red water to drain completely. With the water gone the stallion collected the pills and made his way into his room. He pulled the satin covers over his body and let sleep take him.

Chapter 7: Spa

Chapter 7

Spa.

Lance, Shining and Midnight dragged themselves in to their room and let out a sigh as they flopped on their beds completely exhausted.

“My everything hurts.” Midnight said with a groan. Lance let out a groan and stared up towards the mattress above him.

“So Midnight, where are you going to go for your three week vacation?” He asked.

“No idea. Anywhere but here, or home.” She said with a grunt.

“Why don’t you want to go home?”

“Let’s just say that my parents weren’t really....supportive of me becoming a guard.” She said with a groan.

“Yeah, mine were the same way when I told them.” He said with a sigh.

“Really?”

“Yeah, I’m the only stallion in the whole family who’s left the farm.” He said as the bat mare poked her head out from over the side.

“So why’d you leave?”

“We had a bad harvest and we might have lost everything unless we came into some serious money. The guard was my only option.”

“So that’s where all your money goes?” Midnight asked as she hopped down on the other edge of the bed.

“Yup. What about you? Why didn’t your folks approve?” The bat mare’s blue eyes shrank at the memory of her parents.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” She said in a low tone as she hopped off the bed.

“What? C’mon give me something to work with here Nighty.” The stallion teased. The bat mare looked at the stallion with blank expression on her face. Before Lance could react the mare pounced on him. Using her hooves she pinned his front hooves to either edge of the bed. Lance gulped and looked up at the mare who had a look that could kill a manticore on her face.

“You. Are. So. De-” She was cut off as a small wave of pain rippled through her body. Her front hooves slipped and she fell face first. Lance opened his eyes to see a pair of crystal blue spliced eyes. He felt the mare’s nose press against his. Lance felt his face turn red as they stood frozen in time.

“Well, I was hoping to find you here.” The white stallion tilted his head back to see a familiar black unicorn stallion standing in the door way with a smug grin spread across his face. “Maybe I’ll come back in five.....ten minutes pending.” The two trainees immediately got to their hooves.

“It wasn’t what it looked like sir.” Lance quickly said.

“Sure it wasn’t.” He said with a chuckle. The bat mare let out a groan and flew up to her bunk. The General laughed and looked back at Lance who was trying to hide his blush.

“You wanted to talk with us sir?” Shining said with a gulp.

“Just Lance specifically.” The General said as he looked at the stallion.

“What about?”

“I’ll tell you over lunch.” He said as he started to walk down the hallway. Lance looked at the other two ponies and gulped. The white stallion hurried after the officer while Shining pulled out a quill and parchment.

“What are you doing?” Midnight asked as she turned on her side to look at the stallion.

“Just writing a letter.”

“To who?”

“Does it matter?” He said in a rough tone. The mare rolled her eyes as she turned over. There was another knock on the door. Shining got to his hooves and answered it to see a bright red unicorn mare with a purple mane. The mare felt her face blush brightly at the sight of the young trainee. “Can I help you?”

“Y-yeah, is Midnight here?” She asked as the bat mare perked up and looked at the mare.

“Hey Comet, what’s up?”

“Some of the girls and I were gonna hit the town, wanna come along?” Midnight was taken back by the offer and looked at Shining who gave her a shrug.

“Um....sure.” She said as she trotted down the hall with the red Unicorn. Shining let out a sigh of comfort as he closed the door and sat back down at his desk with the quill wrapped in a magical aura.

“Alone at last.” Shining said as he started to write down on the parchment.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“So where are we going?” Lance asked as he and the dark stallion made their way through the streets of Canterlot.

“Theres a bar not to far from here. I could use a drink.” Bronze said with a smile. Lance reluctantly followed the officer to a wooden tavern. The interior was mahogany and had a nice finish to it. The General took a seat in a booth across from the recruit. “I looked through the test results from todays exercises today.”

“Something wrong sir?”

“Okay first off, drop that sir shit. We’re not at the castle or on duty.”

“Sorry si-....Bronze.”

“Much better.” He said as a waitress came by and handed them each a menu and a glass of water. “ I was reviewing your test scores today.” The white stallion looked at the officer with a nervous look in his eye. “Your strength is superb is good, stamina is even better.” Lance felt a ray of pride come from inside as the stallion said the words. “However, your combat spell are shaky. Worse in the class.” Lance bit his lip at the comment. He knew that if it was one thing he struggled with it was the combat spells. Even the basic ones were difficult to cast.

“Sorry, I’ve spent hours practicing them, but every time I try I get magic backlash.” He said with a sigh. Bronze held up his hoof and waved the waitress over.

“Can you get us two glasses of Applejack Daniels?”

“Sure thing.” The mare said as she trotted away from the guards.

“I’ve talked it over with Celestia and the other members of the brass, we all agree that we can’t have a guard that isn’t able to use some form of combat spell.” Lance could feel panic welling up inside of him. The money his family depended on to keep their farm afloat through the winter. Lance dug deep and kept his cool.

“Which is why you’re kicking me out of the guard?” Lance managed to force out.

“Kick you out? Where did you get that idea from?” The General said with a laugh. “I’m not kicking you out son, I’m gonna train you.” Lance blinked twice at the dark stallion.

“I think my ears are still recovering from the artillery exercise because it sounded like you wanted to train me.” Lance said as he scratched his ear.

“No, you heard right.” The officer said as their drinks arrived.

“Why me sir?” The officer frowned at him. “Why me Bronze? I thought that you’d want a genius like Shining.”

“Oh please, everypony knows that Shining is a prodigy. A once in a millennium guard. He doesn’t need any help. You on the other hoof are just an average pony.” Lance felt his pride take a critical hit from the words. “Not to mention that you and I are alike in that department.”

“Huh?”

“I sucked at combat spells. Still do.” He said as he sipped his glass.

“But, you’re a guard legend! A General for Celestia’s sake. How could you become a General and stink at combat spells?” Lance said in confusion.

“There’s only one way your gonna find out.” Bronze grinned as he raised his glass in his hoof. Lance picked up his glass and clinked it against the dark stallion’s. “I’m warning you; if you think the training you’re in now is hard, then just wait till I get my hooves on ya.” He said with a wicked grin on his face.

“This is gonna hurt, isn’t it?”

“Welcome to my world.” Bronze said as he slammed his drink back.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Midnight and Comet were walking down the street with two other mares from the guard. One was a teal Pegasus mare with a dark blue mane, while the other was a light green Unicorn with a bright yellow mane and tail. The group stopped in front of a bright pink building and smiled at one another. Midnight’s sense of smell kicked in and smelt a large amount of perfume coming from the building.

“Where are we?” Midnight asked.

“The spa of course.” Comet said with a smile.

“No thanks Ivy. I’d rather- HEY!” Midnight yelled as the mare levitated her off the ground and the group walked into the shop. The bat mare tried to run away but found that she was stuck in the magical aura. The four mares were greeted by a light orange Unicorn mare.

“Ah hello Comet. I see you brought the girls along as well.”

“Yeah, just add Midnight to the tab.” She said as she looked at the suspended bat mare who hung her head in defeat.

“Splendid, right this way.” The orange mare said as she led the group of mares to a hot tub. Midnight kept her head lowered and muttered under her breath.

“Oh don’t be such a downer. You might actually enjoy this.”

“Doubtful.” She spat out. The group of mares got into the hot tub and let out a sigh.of comfort. Even Midnight was pleased with the feeling of the water jets hitting her aching wings. “I stand corrected.” She said with a sigh. The mares conversed with one another while Midnight remained silent. The green mare nudged Comet who nodded.

“So Midnight, what’s it like rooming with the two hottest stallions in the guard?” Comet asked as Midnight looked at her in confusion.

“Lance and Shining?”

“Duh!” Ivy said as she rolled her eyes.

“What I’d give to have those two for just five minutes.” The teal Pegasus said as her wings stood on end.

“Um Misty, your wings are showing.” Ivy said as she pointed to her friend’s appendages.

“Sue me. He’s hot!” The mare said with a blush. “So tell us! What’s it like?” Midnight gulped and never really gave their appearances any thought.

“They’re.....nice. Can’t really complain. Shining writes these letters that he never tells us about and Lance.....frankly I don’t know much about him other than he’s from an orange farm in Missourneigh.” She said with a shrug. Ivy giggled at the words.

“I hear that they grow them ‘big’ down south.” The green mare said.

“Oh behave!” Comet said in a flat tone.

“What? I can’t have dreams?”

“What about that coltfriend you had back in Manehattan?” The Pegasus asked with a cocked eyebrow.

“So? Does that mean I can’t have a little fun?” She said as she waggled her eyebrows. Midnight couldn’t explain it, but a small bit of rage welled within her.

“I’m pretty sure that Lance is too innocent for what your thinking of.” Midnight said as she rolled her eyes.

“Oh come in Midnight, you have to admit that they’re kind of cute.” Comet said with a smile. Midnight bit her lip as her mind went back to the incident that occurred between herself and the white stallion.

“Nope.” She said in a flat tone.

“Are you not into stallions?”

“NO! I just don’t find either of them that good looking.” She lied.

“You’re lying! Lance has got to be the strongest stallion I’ve ever met. He’s huge!”

“Probably because he’s half earth pony.” Midnight clarified. The mare let out a sigh and got out of the bath. “See you girls later I got to get back to the barracks.” She said as she walked away from the mares. The three trainee’s looked at one another and shrugged.

The bat mare made her way out of the salon and back out onto the streets of Canterlot. The mare rolled the thoughts around in her head as she trotted down the cobble stone road. She looked out her peripheral vision to see several ponies looking at her in shock and disgust.

Right. These ponies always judge on how you look.

What about Lance?

He wouldn’t be interested in a mare like me.

You never know, plus he is kinda cute.

NO! I can’t.....I just....can’t.

This isn’t the Shadowlands and I doubt Lance would do that. The mare let out a groan and continued to make her way through the city streets. The mare’s ear twitched and heard sounds of a scuffle. She looked down a dark alley and saw a stallion with his hoof over a mare’s mouth. The mare had tears running down her face and tried to break free from the stallion’s grip. Midnight’s eyes shrank and hurried down the alley.

“HEY! What the buck is going on here?” She yelled. The stallion looked at the bat mare with a frown. The mare managed to wiggler his hoof away from her mouth.

“Please help me!” She yelled. Before the stallion could react Midnight spread her wings and launched herself at the stallion. Midnight pulled up and kicked the stallion in the face with her back right hoof. The stallion let go of the mare and fell on his back. Midnight didn’t waste any energy as she lumped on top of the stallion and started caving his head in with her hoof.

Midnight let loose a barrage of punched up and down the stallion’s body. She felt his bones crack and teeth shatter from her hooves. After the tenth punch, Midnight stopped the assault and let out a heavy sigh. Her right hoof was covered in blood and the stallion’s face was all but pulverized. She got off the stallion and trotted over to the mare who was shaking in the corner.

“Are you okay?” Midnight asked.

“Y-yes. Thank you.” The mare said before running off. Midnight looked at the beaten stallion who groaned in pain. The bat mare looked down at her blood stained hooves and bucked a trash can while letting out an anger filled shout. The mare took flight and flew back towards the castle. The mare flew up to her room and opened the widow to see Lance in his bed, rolling in hysterical laughter.

“What’s got you in such a good mood?” She asked as she flew into the room.

“Oh Midnight! You’ve gotta see this!” He said as the stallion’s horn glowed. A small rectangle showing Shining and a small Unicorn filly chatting in a yard.

“C’mon BBBFF. Please?” The filly whined.

“Only you and Cadence can do that.” He said with a smile. The filly stared at the white stallion with puppy dog eyes. The large stallion let out a sigh and hung his head in defeat. “Only for you Twily.” The small filly smiled while making a squee sound. The two crouched down so that their eyes were level and started to chant.

“Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake, clap your hooves and do a little shake!” The two said in unison. Midnight’s right eye twitched as she saw the spectacle before bursting out in laughter. The two rolled on their backs with their heads across from one another.

“My ribs!” Midnight said through the laughs.

“Am I glad my sisters never made me do that!” Lance said as he took a few deep breaths. The stallion then noticed the bat mare’s bloody hoof. “What happened to your hoof?” He asked with concern in his voice.

“I got into a fight.”

“You’re bleeding!” He said as he held up her hoof.

“That’s the other guy’s.” She said in a flat tone. Lance gulped and looked at the mare in surprise.

“Remind me never to get on your bad side.”

“Mind giving me my hoof back?” She said as she looked down at his hooves holding her own.

“Sorry!” He said as he let go and tried to hide his blush.

“Where did you even see him doing that?” She asked with a giggle.

“Okay, so I was walking back from the bar after talking with General Bronze. When I heard Shining complaining about something. I looked over a fence and the rest is history.” He said with a smile. “So what did you do?” He asked as he looked at the bat mare.

“Oh...I just....went around town.” She tried to lie.

“Nighty, don’t lie to me.” He said in a teasing tone. The bat mare blushed at the name.

“Promise not to laugh?” She asked. The stallion gave her a reassuring nod. “I..went to the spa.” She said with a gulp. Lance struggled to keep his mouth shut from the mare’s words. “Don’t. You. Dare.” She said in an icy tone.

“That’s just-” The mare got in a pouncing position. “A-

“Don’t say it!”

“-Dor-”

“I’m warning you!”

“-A-”

“Shut up!”

“-Ble! Adorable!” He said with a laugh. The bat mare’s face turned crimson and jumped on the stallion and bore holes through his eyes.

“You are gonna pay!” She said as she pressed her forehead against his.

“Jeez, are you two at it again?” The two looked up to see Shining standing in the doorway shaking his head. The two ponies on the floor then started laughing as the memory of the dance came back to them. “What’s so funny?”

“Oh nothing, BBBFF!” Lance yelled through the laughter. Shining’s eyes shrank at the words and rushed over to him. Shining grabbed him by his shoulders and stood him upright.

“WHERE DID YOU HEAR THAT?” Shining yelled.

“I have to say that was an interesting dance you did.” Midnight said with a laugh. Shining’s face turned pale at the words. Lance’s horn glowed and the recording played. Shining felt the color from his face and a bit of his pride drain away.

“Who else did you show?” He asked as he let Lance go.

“Just Midnight. I swear.” Lance said with a smile.

“Oh don’t be so down Shiny. We’re not gonna show any pony else in the guard.” She said with a giggle.

“You guys are never gonna let me live this down are you?” Shining said in a defeated tone.

“Nope.” Lance said with a smug grin.

Chapter 8: Kisses and Beatdowns

Chapter 8

Kisses and Beat Downs

Back in Ponyville, Rarity was working away at her newest design. The tailor wiped the sweat from her brow as she reached the halfway mark. The seamstress heard a knock on the door and a familiar voice coming from the other side.

“Rarity? Mind if I come in?” The guard asked.

“Not at all darling.” Rarity said as she collected herself. The door opened to reveal the white Unicorn guard with a smile on his face. “Where’s Sweetie Belle?”

“I just dropped her off at AJ’s for a their ‘Cutie Mark Crusader Sleepover at Applejack’s.’” He said as he made quotation marks with his hooves. The white mare giggled at the words.

“Thank you darling.” She said before cracking her wrist and letting out a groan.

“Something wrong?” Lance asked as he walked over to the white mare.

“Nothing darling. I’ve just been working so hard on this design and I’m not even halfway through.”

“Wait, you’ve been up here for five hours straight?” He said in confusion.

“Yes, things like this take time and a lot of energy.” She said as the stallion walked up behind her.

“I think you need a break.” The white stallion put his hooves on Rarity’s shoulders and started to massage her aching muscles. The seamstress was a bit shocked at the stallion’s action but let it played out as she felt the stress melt away from her. Rarity was fighting her urges to spin around and tackle the stallion. “You know, I heard some weird noises coming from this room earlier today.” He said in a smug tone.

“Weird noises? Like what?” The mare said as she let out a small moan.

“It sounded like grunting, mixed with some moans.” Lance slowly moved his hoof down her back and next to her Cutie Mark. “Along with my name being shouted.” He said in a soft seductive tone. The mare was too consumed by pleasure to formulate a response as the guard started to rub her Cutie Mark in circular motions.

“I..I don’t know....what....you’re talking...... about.” She said as she tried to form a proper sentence. Her lower region was on fire and she felt her face burning up from the massage.

“Are you sure?” The stallion cooed. Rarity looked up towards the stallion and slowly started to stretch her lips towards his. She could feel his breath on her face and the heat radiating from his cheeks. The mare heard a faint noise in the back round. The noise was similar to an alarm clock. She looked at her lover’s head and saw that it was shaking rapidly.

Rarity’s eyes snapped open and saw the clock ringing and shaking in unison. She looked to her left and saw that she had her body wrapped around her pillow. The mare looked at the still ringing alarm clock and threw it against the wall, silencing it forever.

“Just when I was getting to the good part too.” She complained. The mare rolled out of bed and threw on her white robe. Rarity perked up when she smelt something cooking. She poked her head out of the door to see Sweetie Belle doing the same thing. “Do you smell that Sweetie?”

“Yeah, it smells great.” The filly said as she trotted downstairs. Rarity followed the filly downstairs to see the white stallion cooking over the oven.

“Ah, good morning.” He said with a smile.

“You’re healed?” Rarity said as she looked at his chest.

“It’ll take more than a manticore to kill me.”

“So is Applejack okay?”

“Oh yeah, it was a....false alarm.” He said as he served the pancakes on a plate. “You hungry?”

“Yeah!” Sweetie said as she sat down. Lance served her the flapjacks as Rarity sat down.

“You can cook?” Rarity asked.

“Of course.” He said with a smile. “When you’re on the road a lot you need to learn how to cook.” He said with a smile. The two ponies smiled as they ate.

“Well, this is quite good.” Rarity said with a smile.

“Thank you.” Lance said as he trotted towards the door. “Enjoy your meal.”

“What about you?” Rarity asked.

“I already ate.” He said with a smile. “I’ll catch you guys later if you need something than just call me.”

“How does that work Sweetie asked.” Lance trotted over to her and smiled.

“I set up a telepathic link with your sister and her friends. So long as you’re within range I can either teleport to you or reverse teleport.”

“Reverse teleport?”

“I can bring you to me rather than me going to you.”

“Oh.” The filly said with a smile.

“I can also use it to talk to you without speaking.”

“That’s so cool! Can I try?” The filly asked with a grin.

“Well....alright. Hold still.” Lance said as he touched his horn to the filly’s forehead. A small spark of magic made the filly grab her head in pain.

“Ow!” She said as she rubbed her head.

Sorry, the pain will wear off. Sweetie heard the guards voice inside her head and grinned.

“That is so cool!”

“Yeah, listen Sweetie, only use it in an emergency. It uses a bit of magic and gives me a nasty headache. Okay?”

“I promise.” The filly said with a smile. The guard patted her on the head before walking out of the boutique. Sweetie looked back at her sister who was watching the stallion leave. “Rarity?”

“Hmm? Oh what is it Sweetie Belle?”

“Do you like Lance?” She asked as she cocked her head. Rarity gulped as she tried to give her an answer.

“Well, I will say that he isn’t bad looking and he seems like a gentle colt.” The white mare said with a sigh. “It’s just...he’s a guard and he won’t be here forever.”

“Why don’t you ask Twilight to send a letter to the Princess so he can stay?”

“I can’t ask Twilight for that. Lance has a job he has to do and I can’t keep him from that.” The mare said in a low tone.

“What if we convince him to stay?”

“I don’t know. He’s a soldier Sweetie.” The mare argued as she held her face in her hooves. “Look, I have at least a dozen orders to fill today and I need to focus.”

“Okay.” The filly said as she held her head. “I just like Lance.”

“I know Sweetie. I know.” The mare said as she levitated the dirty dishes into the sink.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lance made his way through Ponyville keeping silent as he neared the strange forest. The white stallion made his way through the thicket and his mind started to wander off.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lance and Midnight were making their way through the busy streets of Canterlot with their heads held high. The two constantly felt eyes on them as they spotted several posh ponies whispering and giggling to one another. Midnight turned her head back towards a stallion who was donning a top hat and monocle.

“Wanna run that by me again pretty boy?” She asked in a threatening tone.

“Mind your place half breed.” He said in a refined tone. Midnight snarled and raised a hoof.

“Why I ought to-” She was cut off as Lance put a hoof on her shoulder.

“Easy there Midnight. Don’t cause a scene.”

“Keep that pet of yours on a leash.” The stallion said in a rough tone. Lance’s eyes narrowed and approached the stallion. The posh pony gulped as he saw Lance towering over him.

“Look, pal I’m in too good a mood to beat the living snot out of you right now.” He said in a menacing laced tone. “But I will if you don’t give my friend the respect she deserves for enrolling in the Royal guard.” Midnight looked at Lance in surprise.

“R-royal guard?” The stallion said as he shook in fear.

“Damn straight. Top of her class too. So I suggest that you drop the attitude before I get angry.” Lance said as he cracked his neck. The Canterlot pony gulped and looked over at Midnight who glared at the stallion with her spliced eyes.

“T-terribly sorry ma’am.” He said as he nervously tipped his hat to her.

“N-no problem.” She said as she returned her gaze to the stallion.

“Good.” Lance said as he returned to his happy go lucky nature. “Have a pleasant day, sir.” Lance said before he and the bat mare walked away from the caffe. As the stallion took a sip from his water the waitress and surrounding ponies all had the same look of shock strewn across their faces.

“Damn, she’s lucky to be with a stallion like that.” The waitress said as she let out a whistle. Midnight’s face flushed red as she managed to make out the mare’s words as they left the area. As the two trotted along the road Lance saw an envelope sitting in the middle of the road.

The white stallion picked it up and cocked an eyebrow. “No return address. Weird.” He said with a shrug. “And the house isn’t too far away.”

“So?” Midnight asked in confusion.

“So, let’s go drop it off. It could be important.”

“Why? It’s not our job.”

“It’s called being nice. You should try it once in a while.” Lance said with a grin on his face as the two walked down the road. The mare silently grumbled to herself as the ponies made their way through the clean streets.

Lance double checked the address and saw a large bright pink building with a balcony above the entrance which had a massive golden gate in front of it with the letters. P.C. in the center. There was a small island of trees in the middle of the front lawn, surrounded by mulch.

“I’m gonna wait here.” Midnight said as she sat down in front.

“Why?”

“So that it’s only you that gets their flank kicked and thrown out.” She said with a smug grin.

“Ha, ha. Very funny.” Lance said as he trotted up the steps. The door was painted white and was in between two marble pillars. The white stallion knocked on the door three times and waited for a response. The stallion shrugged and lifted the door slot and was about to slide the envelope in when he heard a rustling noise coming from one of the trees.

He turned around only to be met with a bright pink wall of fur crashing into his face. Lance’s back hit the ground and groaned in pain.He looked up to see a bright pink mare with a tricolored mane and tail. Her mane had two shades of purple running from right to left while the final strand was butter yellow. Both mane and tail were set in place by a light blue bow. Another thing he took note of was the pair of wings that were folded against her sides.

“Got you this time!” She said in a playful tone.

“Um....what?” Lance said in confusion.

“Now for your reward.” Lance froze as the mare pressed her muzzle against his. Lance felt his lips come into contact with her’s and his face went scarlet. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Midnight, wide eyed and jaw hitting the floor in astonishment. The white stallion regained his senses and pushed the pink pony off of him. The mare looked at him in surprise. “I....I thought that’s what you wanted.”

“WANTED? I DON’T EVEN KNOW YOU LADY!” Lance said as he glared at the mare.

“But, all those letters you wrote.” She said as she pointed to the envelope laying on the ground. Lance face hoofed and connected the dots.

“Look, I’m not the pony who wrote this.” He said as he levitated the letter up to her. “I just found it in the street and brought it here.” He said as the pink mare looked at him in confusion.

“So you didn’t write this letter?”

“Pretty much.” The mare’s expression shifted from sad to enraged.

“Pervert!” Lance cocked his head in confusion at the mare’s outburst. “How dare you steal a kiss from me!” She yelled in rage. The Alicorn summoned a pink plastic bat and started hitting the stallion on the head. Midnight burst out in a fit of laughter as she saw the stallion trying to defend himself from the onslaught.

“Why-

whack

-are you-

whack

-hitting-

whack

-me?” Lance said as the mare continued the assault. “Midnight-

whack

-help!”

“Nah, I’m good.” She said as she sat in the far tree with her front hooves behind her head. The mare continued laughing as the helpless Lance cringed.

“Then go-

whack

-get-

whack

-Shining Armor!” The mare stopped the assault as the words left the stallion’s lips.

“Wait, you know Shining Armor?” She asked in confusion. All Lance could do was nod as he blacked out. Midnight then flew up to the two trying to contain her laughter.

“Yeah we know him, he’s our roommate.” She said with a giggle. The pink Alicorn face hoofed and groaned as she made the pink bat vanish.

“Ugh! I’m so stupid. He mentioned that he had two roommates. You must be Midnight.” She said as she looked at the bat mare.

“Yup and the stallion you just beat up is Splintered Lance.” She said as she pointed to the groggy stallion.

“Oh my gosh! Let’s get him inside.” She said as she levitated the white stallion inside and rested him on the couch. Lance opened his eyes to see the bat mare and pink Alicorn staring at him. The bat mare had a smug grin on her face while the pink mare’s was sick with worry. Lance’s eyes shrank and got into a defensive stance with his horn glowing.

“Stand back! Just because you’re a mare doesn’t mean I won’t fight you if I have to.” He said in a stern tone.

“Splintered Lance? Midnight Star?” The ponies all turned their heads towards a doorway. Lance’s eyes shrank as he saw the familiar outline of Princess Celestia. “What is going on here?” She asked as she saw the stallion’s battered state.

“One minute I’m delivering a letter, then this one is using her tongue to explore my mouth.” He said as he pointed to the pink alicorn. “She then proceeded to use my head for batting practice. So frankly your highness, I have no bucking idea what’s going on right now.” The white stallion then put a hoof to his black eye. Celestia cocked her head in confusion and looked at the mare’s who had a guilty look on their faces.

“Is this true?” She asked in a stern tone.

“Yeah, sorry Auntie.” The pink mare said as she held her head.

“AUNTIE?” The two guards said in surprise. Celestia then walked over to the pink Alicorn.

“Splintered Lance, Midnight Star I’d like you to meet my niece. Princess Mi Amore Cadenza.”

“You can just call me Cadence.” She said with a small smile. Lance rolled his eyes at the mare as he rubbed his head. “I am SO sorry about that! I’ve just been REALLY, REALLY stressed lately.” She said in a saddened tone. “Can we start over?” She asked with a hopeful smile. Lance groaned and rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, I guess.” He said with a groan.

“Thanks. Would you guys like some tea?” She offered.

“Thanks for the offer, but-” Midnight was cut off as the white Alicorn took a step forward.

“I insist.” She said with a warm smile. Lance and Midnight looked at one another and shrugged.

“Okay, if it’s no too much trouble I mean.” Lance said with a shrug.

“It’s no trouble at all. Come let’s eat.” The sun goddess said with a grin. The two guards followed the two ponies and sat down as they poured them each a cup of tea.

“So, Cadence was it?” The pink mare nodded. “How do you know Shining Armor?”

“I foal sit his little sister Twilight.” She said with a smile.

“Small purple unicorn filly?” Midnight asked.

“You know her?”

“We know of her from what Shining has told us.” Lance said as he sipped his tea.

“She’s actually going to be my personal student.” Celestia said with a smile.

“WHAT?” The two guards said in shock.

“Yes, she’s quite powerful in magic. Why just the other day she turned a small newborn dragon into a fifty foot monster.” Celestia said with a small laugh. Lance ginned and looked over at Midnight who grumbled. The white stallion stuck out his hoof towards the bat mare.

“I told you I saw a dragon the other day. Now pay up.” Midnight hissed and gave him a small bit bag. “Thank you.” The white stallion then shifted his attention back towards the Princess. “So you’re telling me that a filly did that?” Lance said in confusion.

“Yeah, thats Twilight. She’s full of potential.”

“Not to mention she’s so cute.” Cadence chimed. “I taught her the sweetest little dance last month and now she can’t get enough of it.” Cadence said with a giggle.

“Does this dance involve ladybugs?” Midnight inquired.

“Yeah, why?” The two guards grinned and started laughing. “Am I missing something?” Cadence said in an annoyed tone.

“Should we show em?" The bat mare nodded with a laugh. "We did promise Shining that we wouldn't sho anypony else in the guard.” Lance said as he looked at Midnight.

“Well, technically they’re not in the guard.” The bat mare said with a smile.

“Good enough for me.” Lance said as his horn flared and showed the memory. Celestia spit out her tea in surprise and started laughing. Cadence was immediately on the floor holding her sides trying to control herself. “It’s even better the eighty-sixth time!” Lance said with a laugh.

“Oh my Celestia! That was hilarious!” Cadence said as she collected herself. The white Alicorn wiped the tears form her eyes and looked at the clock.

“I’m terribly sorry everypony, but I must return to the castle. This has been a very....humorous afternoon.” She said with a giggle. “Goodbye. I’ll see you all later.” The ponies waved goodbye and watched the Princess leave.

"So Cadence, you said that you were stressed out?” Lance inquired. “If you don’t mind me asking, by what?”

“It’s all those letters!” She said in an irritated tone. “Every singe week fro the past three months they’ve been showing up on my doorstep.”

“Are they threatening you in any way?” Midnight asked.

“No, they’re very sweet and heart warming.” She said with a sigh. “I just wish I knew who was sending them. That’s why I kissed you when you dropped the letter in the box.” She said with a guilty laugh. “Are you sure you didn’t write this?” She asked as she levitated the letter over to Lance. The white stallion read the letter and chuckled.

“Nope, not my hoof writing. Furthermore I’m not one for the romance scene.” He said in a flat tone.

“Then how are you and Midnight a couple?” The two guards looked at one another in surprise as their faces turned scarlet.

“We are NOT a couple.” Midnight said as she hid her blush.

“Sorry, it’s kinda my job to assume stuff like that.” Cadence said in a guilty tone.

“How so?”

“I’m the Princess of Love.” She said as she pointed to her wings. The guards let out a collective ‘oh’ and nodded in agreement. Lance looked at the clock and his jaw dropped.

“GAH! Sorry Cadence, but I gotta go!” He said as he got to his hooves.

“Say hi to Shining for me!” Cadence said as Lance stormed out the door. The two mares looked at one another in confusion. “Where’s he going?”

“No idea.” Midnight said as she sipped her tea. “Hey why did you assume that Lance and I were an item?”

“Well, you two looked kinda cute together and I saw how you reacted when I kissed him so I just guessed.” Cadence said with a small blush. Midnight’s face turned bright red at the words. “So...do you like him?”

“NO!” Midnight said in defensive tone.

“Don’t try to lie to me. It’s written all over your face.” Cadence said in a sweet tone. The bat mare’s cheeks were a deep reddish hue and she immediately stood up.

“I’m out of here.” She said in a rough tone.

“When you take the plunge don’t hesitate to ask me for advice.” Cadence said as Midnight exited the door with a grunt.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The white stallion dismissed the thoughts as he came to a clearing in the forest. He scanned the area and gave a satisfied nod.

Perfect spot. He thought as he eyed a large rock. The stallion’s horn flared and he focused on the massive boulder in front of him. His horn flared and charged towards the rock.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rarity was walking towards the library in a less than enthusiastic manner after being ripped away from her work by her cyan colored friend. As she entered the library she saw that her other friends were there as well.

“Okay Dash, ya brought us here for some big important reason. Let’s hear it.” The farmer said with a sigh.

“Okay, so while Scoots were leaving the Wonderbolts show we started talking to Spitfire and Soarin.” The cyan mare said as she sat down. “They wanted to see if we could hang out and you can’t ignore an offer like that. I mean they’re only the most awesomest ponies ever!”

“Rainbow, stay focused.” Twilight interjected in an annoyed tone.

“Right sorry, so I asked Spitfire about Lance. Ya know, since they’re in the military and what not.” The other mares then moved their head in to hear.

“Find anything out?” The lavender mare asked.

“That’s the thing, when I told them who it was they got super scared.”

“How scared?” The cyan mare thought for a moment as she tried to find a way to explain it to the purple mare.

“Imagine Celestia decided to confiscate all the books on that Star swirl guy you like so much.” The lavender mare’s eyes shrank and went into the fetal position as her eyes twitched.

“Wh-why would she do that?” She asked as she rocked back and forth on the ground.

“That scared.” Rainbow said as she pointed with her hoof. “They also said that he’s got a lot of nicknames.”

“Like what?” Fluttershy asked as she brought Twilight back from her near comatose state.

“Lightning Hoof Lance, Harbinger, which I’m not sure what that means and the Impaler.” She said with a shrug. The mares looked at one another in shock.

“What about the Oncoming Storm?” The cyan mare gulped as she heard a familiar voice. She slowly looked behind her and saw the white stallion cancel his invisibility spell. “That’s my personal favorite.” The Pegasus instantly jumped back and gulped.

“Wh-when did you get here?”

“About three minutes ago.” He said with a shrug.

“I didn’t hear you come in.” Twilight said.

“Looks, like I still got it.” He said with a smirk. “Now what else did they tell you?” He said as his eyes focused on the cyan mare.

“That’s it. I swear!” Lance narrowed his gaze on the cyan Pegasus and his horn flared.

“Looks like I need to have a chat with those two about confidentiality.” He said as he turned to walk away. He was then stopped by Twilight teleporting in front of him.

“Hold it right there.” She said in a bold tone. “You’re not going anywhere until we get some answers.” The white stallion chuckled a bit at her words.

“You really are Shining’s sister.” He said as he walked past her. The mare’s horn flashed again and appeared in front of him. “Look Twi, I’m in charge here so I’m asking you to kindly step aside.”

“Not until we get some answers.” The lavender mare’s horn glowed and a dome shield enveloped the group. Lance walked over to the edge of the shield and tapped it with his hoof.

“Looks like Shining’s Omega Shield.” He said in an analytical tone.

“That’s right. Completely impenetrable from-” The mare was cut off as the white stallion’s right hoof had a small bit of electricity crackling around it. He lightly tapped the shield and it started to crack and break apart. Twilight watched in shock as the dome seemed to evaporate. Lance looked at the shocked mare and smirked.

“This is foal’s play compared to your brother’s. I actually had to work to break it.”

“Y-you broke Shining’s shield?” Twilight said in shock. “That’s impossible! Nothing can get through there.”

“Except me.” He said in a calm tone. The lavender mare’s eyes twitched and her mane started to stick out in all directions.

“That’s impossible.....how did...when...” She was cut of as Applejack put a hoof on her shoulder.

“Settle down there sugar cube. Getting all flustered ain’t gonna help the situation.” Twilight let out a deep breath and looked at her friends.

“I just can’t see how he’s able to break Shining’s shield.”

“Well, no offense Twilight, but the Changeling’s got in.” Pinkie said in a soft tone.

“That’s only because he was under the Queen’s control and his magic was weak!” She said in a defensive tone. “Other than that, there’s no way Shining can lose!” Hearing the words, Lance made the connection and let out an ‘oh’ sound.

“I see what this is. Older brother god complex.” Lance said in a flat tone.

“Pardon?”

“Twilight is convinced that her older brother can’t lose to anypony and now that she’s met someone who can. She’s trying to deny it even though her brain knows that it’s true.” Lance said in a flat tone.

“That’s a lie!” She said in an aggravated tone.

“Is it?” Lance said with a smirk. “Your outbursts are only proving my point and it’s perfectly natural for the younger sibling to look up to the older, but there has to be a limit.” He said as he started to walk away from the group. Twilight’s horn flared and she fired a bolt of lavender magic at the stallion. Lance swung his tail at the orb of magic, knocking it off it’s path and making hit the far wall. “I’ll give you that one.”

“Huh?”

“Try to attack me again and I won’t hold back.” He said as he turned around and shot the lavender Unicorn an icy stare. “I don’t care who you are. I will defend myself from a possible threat, even if that threat is the pony I’m guarding.” The mares all gulped and looked at one another in shock. “Understand?” The mares all gave him a nod. “Good, now if you’ll excuse me I’ve got a letter to write.” He said before he vanished in a flash of light. The mares all gulped and looked at one another in pure worry.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was the late afternoon in the city of Canterlot. The sun was starting to set as Midnight sat alone in the park. Her mind was at war with itself over the white stallion. She gazed out to the field and let out a sigh.

He is cute.

I don’t know anything about him!

Only one way to find out.

I doubt he’d be interested in a mare like me. The bat mare got to her hooves and took flight towards the barracks. As she passed over the training field she looked down to see a familiar white stallion limping along the road. The bat mare started her decent. The mare landed next to the stallion and saw that some of his fur and bits of his mane were scorched and burned. “The buck happened to you?”

“Don’t.....talk to me.” He said in a rough tone.

“Sheesh, what crawled up your flank?” She said as she rolled her eyes. “Look, I’m sorry I laughed at you this afternoon and-”

“I don’t care that you laughed, I’m used to it.” He said with a sigh. “I’m pissed because you didn’t help me out when I needed it.” He said in a cold tone.

“Not my fault Cadence beat your flank.” Lance glared at her with daggers in his eyes.

“Which YOU could have stopped! If you stepped in and explained the situation. I’ve stuck my neck out for you more times than I can count and when I needed YOUR help you just sat back and relax.” Midnight narrowed her eyes and stopped in front of the stallion.

“Hey, I never asked for your help in the first place! I can survive just fine on my own.”

“What about during the day of the ten mile trot? I’m sure you would have turned out just fine if I hadn't interfered.” He said in a sarcastic tone.

“Well-”

“What about that whole mess hall thing?”

“I would have-”

“Not to mention last week when you sprained your back hoof and I had to carry your sorry flank five miles back to the barracks.” Lance took a deep breath and regained his composure. “So tell me, when didn’t you need my help?” Midnight processed the words and hung her head in shame. “That’s what I thought.” He said as he side stepped the mare. Midnight stood frozen as the gears clicked and realized that he was right.

He’s helped me more than anyone has and he’s never asked anything in return and when he finally does I just let him get pummeled? Her eyes shrank at a sudden realization. I’m becoming my father. The mare took off and galloped after the stallion and stopped in front of him again. Lance rolled his eyes and groaned as he looked at the mare with a look that could freeze a volcano.

“Look, you’re right and I’m sorry.” She said as she hung her head. “It’s just that..” The mare took a deep breath and looked at the stallion. Lance noticed that her spliced eyes which were usually cold as winter had softened. “Back in the Shadowlands, no pony helps each other out. They all carry their own weight. When I was a filly and I broke my leg while I was learning how to fly, no pony raised a hoof to help me. Not even my folks.” Lance’s eyes shrank at the mare’s story. “I’ve never received or given help, so I’m not used to it.”

The mare slumped to ground and tried to keep herself from crying as she opened up to the stallion. The mare was taken by surprise as the white stallion wrapped his hooves around her and brought her into a hug. Midnight’s face turned bright red and her mind seemed to stop.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know.” Lance said as he rested his head on her shoulder. Midnight hesitantly wrapped her hooves around him and felt her heart beat a million times a minute. As Lance broke the embrace Midnight quickly hid her blush under her snow white mane.

“Still, I feel bad about that eye.” She said as she pointed to his swollen left eye.

“It’s no to bad. It looks a lot worse than it is.” The stallion was about to say something else as Midnight stuck her tongue out and licked the stallion’s face from his chin to his forehead. He felt the mare’s tongue touch his own only for a second before the forked muscle reached his eye. The stallion felt a burning sensation as the mare took a step back. “Midnight....what....the.....buck was that for?” He said as he wiped the spit from his face.

“Bat pony saliva has healing properties.” She said as she hid her blush. “Whenever one of us get’s cut we spit on the wound to disinfect it.” Lance blinked and felt the burning fading. The white stallion walked over to a puddle and saw that the swelling had vanished.

“Thanks.” He said with a warm smile. For some reason the bat pony had a very wide grin on her face at the words. She then regained her composure and cleared her throat.

“Let’s just get back to the barracks I’m starving.” She said as the two walked down the road in silence.

The two ponies made their way into their room and laid down on their bunks. Lance noticed that the light over the desk was on and a sheet of paper was lying on top. He levitated the parchment over to himself and started to read. He instantly sprang up and laughed as he finished the letter.

“What?” Midnight asked as she poked her head out from her bunk.”

“Read this!” Lance said as he levitated the page up to her. Midnight blinked twice and read the letter.

My dearest Cadence. How long I wish to hold you in my hooves and rock you to sleep. For you are the lullaby that graces my dreams and your voice is the melody that I fall asleep to. You are the sun that wakes me up in the morning and what I look forward to seeing every chance I get.

Sincerely, your secret admirer.

Midnight burst out in a fit of laugher as she rolled on her back. “Oh man! Shining sure knows how to pick em!” Lance was laughing uncontrollably as a thought came to him.

“I just had a beyond brilliant idea!”

“What?”

“We should totally hook them up!” Midnight cocked her head in surprise.

“Why?”

“C’mon Nighty, even you can see that they’re perfect for one another.” Lance said in a serious tone.

“I don’t know the first thing about that junk.”

“How hard can it be?” The bat mare was not backing down. “Help me out an I’ll call us officially even for all the times I’ve helped you out.” The bat mare’s ears perked up at the deal.

“Fine.” She said as she spat in her hoof and shook the stallion’s out stretched one. “The question is how? From what I’ve seen, Shining is to chicken shit to do anything like that on his own.” Lance thought for a moment and perked up as his mind hatched a plan.

“I’ve got an idea. It’s crazy, but just crazy enough to work.” He said as the bat mare sat down next to him. “We’ll need Philomena, a forged letter and a little creativity.” He said with a mischievous smile.

Chapter 9: Answers

Chapter 9

Answers

“No bucking way is this going to work.” Midnight said as she walked with Lance through the marble hallways of Canterlot castle.

“Have some faith Nighty. It’s fool proof.” He said in a convincing tone.

“How are you even going to get Shining to the Cafe?”

“You let me worry about that. Just go find Cadence and tell her to meet us there.” He said with a reassuring smile. “I’ll handle Armor.” He said with a wicked grin.

“Okay fine, but I still think that this is a bad idea.”

“Less talking, more fetching.” He said in a hushed tone as they neared their room. Midnight rolled her eyes and flew out a nearby window towards the pink Alicorn’s home. Lance smirked and let out a deep breath. He looked through the key hole and saw Shining writing another love letter to Cadence. “WHAT’S UP SHINING?” He yelled as he kicked in the door.

“Holy Celestia!” Shining said in a shocked tone. The recruit spun around to see the door open with his roommate standing with a smile on his face. “Why did you just do that?”

“Felt like it.” Lance said with a shrug. He then noticed the piece of parchment sitting on his teammate’s desk. “What’s that?”

“Nothing!” Shining said as he started to sweat. The blue mane’d guard quickly held the letter to his chest.

“Can I see it?” He asked in an innocent tone.

“No!”

“If it’s nothing then why can’t I see it?” He asked with a smirk.

“It’s just...” Shining tried to find a reasonable excuse as his friend’s eyes bore holes through him. “Promise not to tell anypony?”

“On my soul.” Lance said as he put a hoof over his heart.

“I...I have a crush on somepony.”

“Really? Who?” Lance asked in an innocent sounding voice.

“You wouldn’t know her.” Shining said with a sigh.

“You’d be surprised who I know Shining.” He said with a smug grin.

“Fine.....her name is Cadence.”

“You mean Celestia’s niece?” He said in a shocked tone.

“You know her?”

“Oh yeah, Midnight and I ran into her the other day.” He said with a smile. “Good choice. She is really nice.”

“I know.”

“Not to mention beautiful.” Lance said as he slowly walked towards the doorway.

“That’s her.” Shining said with a sigh.

“She’s also an excellent kisser.” Lance said as he got into a running position.

“Yeah I-.....Wait what?” He yelled as he glared at the white stallion.

“I said nothing!” Lance said as he broke into a gallop and ran away from the room. Shining bolted up from his seat and gave chase. Lance looked back to see an enraged Shining Armor gaining on him. As he cleared the Castle gates Lance hoped to Celestia that Midnight would be on time. Otherwise she’d be scraping him off the side of the wall if Shining ever caught up to him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The bat pony and the pink Alicorn trotted along the streets of Canterlot with smiles on their faces. “So Midnight, why did you want to eat out?”

“I just figured it would be nice to have some girl talk.” She lied with a smile. “Shining and Lance are cool and all, but it’s nice to have some time away from the stallions.”

“Tell me about it.” Cadence said as they arrived at the cafe. “So have you made a move on Lance yet?” She asked with a smug grin. Midnight’s face turned red at the question.

“I’m not into him!” She stammered.

“Your face says otherwise.” Cadence said with a giggle. Midnight groaned and hid behind her menu.

“What about you Princess?” She spat out. “You have your eyes on somepony?”

“Other than the letter writer?” Cadence said as a small blush appeared on her face. “Maybe?” She said with a coy smile.

“Really? Who?” Midnight asked. Cadence looked from left to right and motioned with her hoof for the bat mare to come closer. Midnight leaned her head and smiled.

“Shining Armor.” Midnight let out a sigh of relief at the name.

“Why?”

“Well, he’s kind, strong not to mention cute.” She said with a giggle. “Plus-” The two were cut off as they saw a familiar white stallion galloping towards them. “Is that Lance?” She asked as she squinted.

“Get back here!” A voice yelled from behind. The mares looked to see a white stallion with a blue mane chasing after him. Lance stopped in front of the two with a smile on his face.

“Hey Cadence!” He said as he looked at the pink Alicorn. “Sorry, but Midnight and I have to meet with the Sargent about something!” He said as he put a hoof around the bat mare.

“Wait what?” Midnight said as Lance’s horn flared and the two vanished just as Shining arrived in front of the table. The white stallion took a moment to catch his breath and realized that he was standing in front of his crush. He quickly stiffened his posture and gulped.

“H-Hey Cadence. Wh-what are you doing out here?” He asked in a nervous tone.

“Midnight and I were about to have lunch, but it looks like that won’t be happening.” She said in an annoyed tone.

“Oh...I see. Sorry to hear that.” He said as his hooves started to shake. “I-I’ll see you around then.” He said as he turned to leave.

“Wait.” Cadence said as she held up her hoof. Shining froze and turned back around to see the mare blush a little. “Do you want to stay for lunch?” The gears in the guard’s mind stopped as the words left her lips.

“Um.....sure. I guess.” He said as he took the seat that was previously occupied by the bat mare. Across the street and up on the roof of the building across from the cafe. Lance had a smug grin plastered on his face as Midnight’s eye twitched.

“I don’t believe it. Your idiotic plan is working.” She said in amazement.

“I amaze myself sometimes.” He said with a laugh. Midnight rolled her eyes and sat on the roof with the stallion.

“Don’t count this as a victory yet pal.” She said as she poked his chest. “They’re just talking and anything could happen.”

“Exactly.” He said with an evil smirk.

“What did you do?” She asked as she cocked an eyebrow. Lance put an arm around her and stared at the couple. Midnight’s face turned scarlet red at the motion and felt her heart beat rise.

“The universe works in mysterious ways my bat winged friend.” He said as his horn flared and a familiar red Phoenix was teleported onto his head. The bird let out a caw and looked at the two with it’s head cocked. “Sorry about this Philomena, but I need you to deliver this message to the pink pony down there.” He said as he pointed to Cadence with his hoof.

The Phoenix let out a caw at the rolled up piece of parchment that the stallion had in his hoof. Lance rolled his eyes and summoned an orange. He quickly cut in half and gave one to the bird. Philomena quickly devoured the fruit and set her sights on the other half. Lance held up the sliced fruit and stared at the phoenix. “You’ll get the other half when you finish the job. Deal?” The bird picked up the parchment and took flight towards the couple. The bird landed on the table and caw’d at the pink Alicorn.

“Philomena? What are you doing here?” Cadence asked as she looked at the bright red bird. The bird outstretched it’s talon that was holding the parchment. Cadence took it from her and the bird quickly flew back towards the building and devoured the other half of the fruit before flying away.

“What was that about?” Shining asked.

“Looks like a letter.” She said as she opened it up. The mare read the letter to herself and cocked an eyebrow.

“What’s it say?” Shining asked as he took a sip of water.

“It’s a letter from my secret admirer.” She beamed. The white stallion’s eyes shrank in surprise and spat his water out.

“What?” Shining said in shock. The pink Alicorn looked at the white stallion in confusion.

“Yeah, I’ve been getting these love letters from some pony for the past few months.” She said as her face turned red.

“Really?” Shining said as he felt a bead of sweat form on his brow. “Wh-what do you think of them?” He asked with a gulp.

“At first I thought they were kinda creepy.” The white stallion held his head in shame. “But, as they kept coming I found that it was sweet and the pony is just too shy to come out and say it to me.” The guard looked up with hope in his eyes. “And this last letter just proves my point.”

“But I didn’t send-” He quickly slammed his hoof over his mouth. Cadence’s ears perked up at the almost sentence.

“What did you just say?” She asked as she cocked an eyebrow.

“Nothing!” He said as he felt a wave of panic take hold of him. Cadence’s face turned from intrigued to cross as her eyes bore holes through the stallion.

“Shining what did you just say?” Cadence’s tone was sharp enough to cut through hardened steel. The guard knew that he’d been found out and let out a heavy sigh in defeat.

“I was the one who wrote you those letters.” He said with a gulp. The pink Alicorn’s jaw hit the table in surprise. “I always thought you were cute and when I really got to know you, I started to like you.” The pink mare was beside herself. Shining looked into her eyes only to me met with a slap by a pink hoof. The guard held his cheek in confusion and felt sadness welling up inside his heart.

“That was for being so sneaky!” She said in a cold tone. Cadence raised her hoof again. Shining closed his eyes and waited for the pain. He felt the mare’s hoof grip the back of his mane and pull his head forward. Shining felt a warmth touching his lips. His eyes shot open and he saw a view of pink fur. His mind short circuited as he felt the mare’s tongue starting to explore his mouth. As she broke the kiss Shining’s mind was starting to recover. “That was for being so cute.” She said with a giggle.

“Y-you’re not mad?”

“Well, I’m a little irritated that you’ve been hiding from me this long.” She said as she put a hoof to her chin. “However, I am willing to look past it if you do something for me.”

“What?” Shining asked as his teeth chattered.

“Will you be my date for the rest of the day?” She asked with a small blush on her face. Shining’s brain clicked as he put the words together.

“Y-yeah. I’d love to!” He said with a massive smile on his face.

“Great. Just one thing.” The Princess’s horn flared and Lance along with Midnight were teleported in front of the pair. Lance and the bat mare had a guilty grin strewn across their faces. “Enjoying the show?”

“A little.” Lance said with a smug grin. Shining then face hoofed and smiled.

“Now I get it. You just told me that you kissed Cadence to lure me out here.” He said with a chuckle. “Man, you really had me going there.” A long silence fell over the ponies. “That was just a lie right?”

“Um....I gotta go see Bronze!” Lance said as he vanished in a flash of red light.

“I gotta go see Comet about.....something.” She said as her wings flared and she took flight into the bright sky. Shining then shifted his attention to the blushing Alicorn.

“So....where should we go for that date?” She asked trying to change the subject.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Back in Ponyville Lance woke up early and heard the sound of a sewing machine coming from the other room. He let out a yawn and trotted over to the door and gave a series of knocks. “Come in.” Rarity said in her usual singsong voice. Lance entered and gave the mare a nod. “Sir guard.” She said in a stagnant tone. Lance cocked an eyebrow at the mare who narrowed her eyes on the stallion. “Do you need something?”

“No I was just checking-”

“I’m perfectly fine.” She said in a stagnant tone.

“Okay, where did that come from?” He asked in surprise.

“What?”

“You’re usually not this....harsh.” He said in an annoyed tone.

“Well, considering as to how you told us off and scared us half to death yesterday, what do you expect?” She said as she trotted up to the white stallion and glared at him.

“Oh, that.” He said as he rolled his eyes.

“Yes, that.” She said as she adjusted her glasses on the tip of her nose. “Honestly, I thought you were a gentle colt and then you go and threaten not only me, but my best friends? The same group of ponies you were sent to protect.” She said as she scrunched her nose in disapproval. Lance let out a sigh and hung his head.

“You’re right.”

“And another thing I.....Pardon?” The pretty seamstress blinked twice and looked at the guard in surprise.

“I’ve been out of Equestria for a long time on a mission and I’m still having trouble....adapting to being back.” He said with a sigh.

“How long are we talking here dear?”

“Two years.”

“What?” She yelled in surprise. “Two yeas on the same mission?”

“Yup. During that time I was half expecting somepony to try to slit my throat every time I turned around.” He said with a shrug. The mare coked her head in surprise and sat on her hind legs.

“What exactly happened on the mission.”

“It’s-”

“Classified?” She said with a groan.

“That and difficult to talk about.” He said as he shivered. Rarity put a hoof on his shoulder and smiled. “Look, at least let me try to apologize to you and your friends.”

“I suppose I can give you that since you’ve saved my life twice now.” She said with a coy smile. Lance nodded and his horn flared.

Hello? Twilight you there?

Who, what, where?

It’s Lance. Look, I want to apologize for my behavior yesterday.

.....I’m listening. The voice said in an agitated tone.

Not now, get everypony at the library. I figured that they’d listen to you better than me at this point.

Good idea.

I’ll open up a five way channel. The stallion thought as his horn glowed brighter. Hello? Is everypony there?

An just what do you want? A familiar souther accent ran through his mind.

Look, I don’t have a lot of time before this spell wears off. Just meet at the library and I’ll explain there.

Why in the hay should we? The cyan Pegasus thought in an aggravated tone.

Just give him a chance Dash. Twilight interjected.

Fine. Rainbow’s voice said before cutting out. Lance’s horn stopped glowing and the stallion started panting heavily.

“Are you alright dear?” Rarity asked as she looked at the stallion.

“Yeah, that spell just takes a lot of power to use.” He said as he let out a breath. The stallion got to his hooves and made his way out the door with the seamstress following close behind. As the two walked through the doorway to the library They saw the other five mares patiently waiting for them. The guard could feel the glares coming from the Wonderbolt enthusiast and apple farmer.

“Well, we’re here.” Applejack said as she sat down.

“Right.” Lance let out a sigh and looked at the six mares with a blank expression on his face. “Look, I’m sorry for how I acted yesterday. It was unprofessional and extremely impolite.” The mares all cocked an eyebrow at the stallion. “As a peace offering, I will allow you girls as a group ask me a question.”

“That’s it?” Dash spat out.

“Not just a question Rainbow. You can literally ask me anything. Classified or not, I will answer with complete honesty.” The mares looked at the stallion in surprise. Applejack glared at the stallion and let out a sigh.

“He ain’t lying.”

“Anything eh?” Dash said with a wicked grin.

“Bear this in mind.” Lance said as he narrowed his gaze on the cyan mare. “If the answer is classified, then you can’t discuss it ever again or else we all will face criminal charges.” He said in a flat tone. “Also, if I deem something that is too personal then you have to chose another question to answer. Does that sound fair?”

The mares got into a huddle and talked it amongst themselves. Lance excused himself from the room and waited outside with an old pipe in his mouth. His horn flared and lit the heirloom his father had given to him. The guard only smoked it to calm his nerves. The door to the library swung open to revel the lavender mare. Lance looked at the mare and let out a smoke filled breath.

“We’ve talked it over and we’ve made our choice.” Lance extinguished the pipe and made the implement vanished. The white stallion nodded and followed the librarian back inside. He faced the mares who all held a blank expression on their faces.

“Hang on a second.” He said as his horn flared and a massive red bubble enveloped the group. “This is a soundproof bubble. I don’t want any wandering ears to hear whatever it is I’m about to say.” The mares all nodded and gulped. Lance walked over to a chair and sat down. “So ask away.” Twilight let out a sigh as she and the others sat down.

“You said that you’ve been out of Equestria for the past two years on a mission.” Twilight said as the white stallion nodded. “What happened during those two years?” Lance bit his lip and let out a sigh.

“After the Changelings invaded Canterlot during your brother’s wedding. I managed to find an injured Changeling soldier and capture it.” He said as he summoned the pipe. “Can I smoke in here?”

“That’s not healthy.” Dash said as she narrowed her eyes.

“It helps.” He said in a flat tone. Twilight rolled her eyes and nodded. Lance lit the pipe and drew in a hearty breath and exhaled a cloud of smoke. “After I ‘persuaded’ him to talk, I had found out that they had taken a few hostages with them.” The ponies all looked at him in shock.

“So you went to go find them?” Applejack asked.

“Yes, I had to go through quite a few guards and a lot of Changelings to-”

“Wait, what do you mean guards?” Twilight asked. Lance let out another sigh.

“You see, when I found this out I wanted to go and find them. Celestia on the other hoof wanted to wait and secure our borders first.” The mares looked at him in surprise. “That would take over three months. I wouldn’t wait. So I went out on my own to find them.”

“You went AWOL.” Twilight said.

“AWOL?” Applejack asked.

“It stands for Absent With Out Leave. Meaning I left without getting the green light from above.” Lance said in a stern tone. “Celestia was very upset with my little stunt. She even went as far to send my best friend after me to try to stop me.” The white stallion cast a glare at Twilight. Her eyes shrank as she put the pieces together.

“Shining Armor.” Lance gave a reluctant nod.

“Yes, we fought one another harder than we ever had.” He said in a flat tone.

“So who won?” Dash asked.

“If I had lost then we wouldn’t be having this conversation.” He said in a flat tone. “I wasn’t about to let my comrades suffer at the mercy of Changelings.” He said in an angered tone. His horn flared and the bubble vanished. “There. Now you know.” He said with a sigh. “Remember that you can’t tell any-” He was cut off as the room filled with light and the blue maned Captain stood before them.

“Oh good you’re all here.” He said with a smile. Twilight immediately rushed up to her brother.

“Shining, did you and Lance ever fight? Like for real?” Shining cocked and eyebrow and looked at the other white stallion.

“How much do they know?” Shining asked.

“Just enough for them to grasp the situation.” He said in a flat tone. Shining looked at his little sister and sighed as she glared at him.

“Yes, we did. It was a long time ago and I’ve regretted it ever since.”

“Likewise.” Lance said with an apologetic look on his face.

“How bad did he hurt you?” Twilight asked.

“N-not that bad.” Shining lied as he threw on a fake grin.

“Shining I know when you’re lying to me!” Twilight yelled. Shining looked over at Lance who gave him a nod. Shining let out a sigh and removed his armor so his broad white chest showed. His horn glowed a faint pink color and his image started to alter.

The girls all let out a gasp as they saw the center his flawless white chest break apart. The illusion cracked like a mirror to reveal a massive scar that dug deep into his flesh. Twilight slowly put a hoof on her brother’s old wound and started to cry. Shining wrapped her in a hug and comforted her.

“Hey it’s okay Twiley.”

“How is that okay?” She yelled. “How can you still trust him after he did that to you?” Twilight asked as she casted a death glare at the other guard.

“It was a long time ago and Lance was in the right.” Shining said in a sad tone. “I should have gone with him.”

“Then you wouldn’t have been able to be Captain of the royal guard.” She said with a sniffle.

“I actually owe Lance for that.” The mares’s jaws dropped in surprise.

“What now?” The farmer yelled.

“When the former Captain retired, the brass approached me for the position.” Lance explained. “I turned them down and recommended Shining for the job.” He said with a grin. “I also gave him the idea of making you his best mare at his wedding since you got the late notice.” Twilight blinked and tried to process all the information she had just received.

“Wait, so if he’s a Captain. Then what does that make you?” Dash asked.

“Colonel.” Lance said with a shrug. The ponies all looked at the white stallion in shock. Rarity almost fainted as she realized that she had been fantasizing about such a high ranking officer.

“So, what happened on your mission?” Pinkie asked. “Did you save them?” Lance held his head in shame.

“You see-” He was cut off as the door burst open to reveal a frightened baby dragon. Spike’s eyes were filled with fear as he raced over to Twilight and the others.

“Twilight! You gotta come quick.”

“Why what’s-” She was cut off as she heard a gut wrenching roar echo through the library. “Was that what I think it was?”

“Majorly.” She gasped and quickly galloped out the door with the other ponies right behind her. The eight ponies looked ahead to see a very large and hungry Ursa Major. Lance inhaled long breath from his pipe before speaking.

“Well buck.”

Chapter 10: The Instigator

Chapter 10

The Instigator

The entire town of Ponyville froze as the massive bear let out another deafening roar. The force made several windows crack and ponies fall on their backs. Lance stood still as a statue. His horn flared and made his pipe vanish. The white stallion cracked his neck and looked over at Shining.

“So, how do you want to handle this?”

“I’ll call for back up and-”

“Be serious.” He said in a flat tone. “It’ll take too long for Celestia to send reinforcements. We gotta take care of this thing now.” Lance said in a flat tone. “We have two options; either convince it to leave us alone or get ourselves completely involved and kick some serious ass.” Lance said in flat tone. “I vote for the latter.”

Before either of them could react the butter yellow Pegasus mare flew towards the massive beast. The mare gulped and poked the bear on the nose. The Ursa squinted and saw a small yellow dot hovering in front of him.

“Um, excuse me Mr. Major?” Te large mare looked at the small yellow speck and let out a low growl. “I was just wondering if it would be too much trouble for you to not destroy our town? It would be very much appreciated.” She said with a weak smile. The beast roared and tried to swipe the mare like a fly. The beast’s paw hit nothing but air.

Fluttershy felt an odd sensation around her and found herself sitting next to the group of mares. Lance let out a sigh and his horn stopped glowing.

“So much for diplomacy.” Shining said with a chuckle.

“The we do this the hard way.” Lance said with a grin.

“You’re not going to fight that thing are you?” Rarity asked.

“That’s the plan.” He said as he began to stretch. “You want in Shining?”

“Um...I don’t-”

“Come on. It’ll be just like the old days.” He said with a smile. The guard Captain looked at his friend who was giving him his version of the puppy dog eyes. The stallion let out a sigh and nodded.

“Fine. How do you want to play this?” Shining asked as he cracked his back. The mares looked at Shining in surprise.

“You take care of the town folk while I deal with this thing.” He said as he looked at the massive bear.

“Always the instigator.” He said as he rolled his eyes. Shining’s horn flared and his armor appeared around his body. Lance grinned and the two stepped towards the massive beast. Lance’s horn flared and his right hoof started to glow and crackle with electricity. Shining’s horn flared and a large dome shield surrounded his body. Twilight watched as the crackling magic concentrated in Lance’s right hoof started to spread and encircle his body. “I’m going to need everypony to stay back! Get to safety!” Shining yelled.

“What about you?” Twilight yelled.

“Relax, I’ll watch his back for ya.” Lance said with a smirk. “Now go!” The mares nodded and started to round up the towns folk one by one. The Ursa Major was then focused on the two glowing stallions in front of him. Lance smirked and charged forward. The group of mares all stopped and watched as the beast swung it’s claw at an alarming speed.

The beast could almost feel the stallion’s fur on it’s claws. The next thing it knew the stallion vanished from it’s sight. It then felt something small and hard connect with it’s jaw. The beast’s eyes moved and saw the small glowing pony from earlier. The force knocked the massive beast onto it’s side. The massive bear’s body landed with a loud thud and shook the ground.

The group of mares looked in astonishment as the white stallion landed in front of the guard captain. Lance was panting and looked up to see a few familiar blue suited flyers racing towards them. The golden haired flyer stopped with the other group of ponies.

“Captain Spitfire, Lt. Soarin and Second Lt. Fleetfoot reporting for duty sir.” She said with a salute.

“Good, help round up the town folk and get them somewhere safe.” Shining said in a commanding tone. “We’ll deal with-”

“No, Shining. You throw up that shield of yours.” The ponies all looked at him in shock. “I’ll deal with that thing.” He said as his horn started to glow.

“Are you insane?” Spitfire yelled.

“You’re going to use ‘it’ aren’t you?” Shining asked. Lance gave him a sturdy nod.

“I need you three to lure that thing away from the town and keep it busy.”

“How are we supposed to do that?” Soarin yelled.

“You guys are performers! Improvise!” Lance yelled. “I need at least two minutes before it’s ready.” He said as he sat down and his horn started to glow.

“When what’s ready?” Spitfire asked.

“Just do it!” Shining barked. His eyes shrank as the massive bear got up and let out a massive growl. “That’s an order!” The three Pegasi looked at one another with nervous looks before nodding and taking flight towards the beast. Shining’s horn glowed and fired a few spell volleys at the massive beast. The salvos hit the massive bear’s face. The Ursa then saw three blue blurs flying in front of it’s face like flies.

Soarin broke from the V formation and slammed his hoof on the large bear’s nose. The combined force form his wing power was enough to get the beast’s attention. He then dodged one of the bear’s claws. He rejoined the other two Wonderbolts and the group started to fly around the bear’s head. The large bear lashed out randomly at them.

The group scattered as the beast swatted at them. Fleetfoot banked right. The Pegasus was then met with a large blue paw that sent her flying towards the ground. Soarin and Spitfire both raced to their comrade’s aid. The two managed to slow her down as they hit the ground. The two able bodied ponies looked up to the beast with a raised paw. The large Ursa slammed it’s paw down, hellbent on crushing the small blue flies.

The three flyers gulped and comforted one another as they waited for the pain. The three heard a loud crashing sound and thunder booming in the sky. Spitfire opened her eyes to see Shining Armor standing in front of them with his horn glowing and a massive dome around them. The blue stallion then saw several bolts of lightning strike the massive bear, stunning it. The red maned stallion the appeared next to them.

“Spitfire, get yourself and these two back to Ponyville.” He said as he threw her a red crystal.

“What about-”

“That’s an order!” He yelled. The Pegasi gulped and smashed the crystal on the ground as Shining stood next to them. The four ponies then vanished in a puff of smoke. When Soarin reopened his eyes he was surrounded by a group of ponies that were huddled together in the middle of town.

“Where’s Lance?” Rarity asked in concern.

“He stayed behind to deal with that Ursa Major.” Shining said in a flat tone. The mares all gulped and started to run towards the edge of the town. The guard Captain’s horn flared and he teleported in front of them. “Don’t go any closer or you’ll get caught in the blast!”

“What bla-” The cyan mare was cut off as the large beast roared and the white stallion was flung a good kilometer away from the beast. Lance regained his composure and landed on the ground just outside of the small town. Lance let out a long breath and focused his magic into his horn.

The lavender mare and guard Captain then felt a massive pressure coming from the stallion. The ponies watched as lightning started to crackle around his body. The swirling bolts of lighting then followed as he raised his right hoof. The bolts then started to combine and grow longer. The magic then seemed to form a bright blue spear that was radiating magic at an incalculable level.

“Here it comes! Everypony take cover!” He yelled as his horn flared and a massive wall made of pink magic appeared in front of the town. As Lance stood up he focused what magic he had left into his hooves. A small crater then appeared below the white stallion as he crouched.

As the beast roared Lance took action. He launched forwards at an alarming rate with the lightning spear raised. As he reached a few feet in front of the beast he jumped up so that his body was eye level with the Ursa. The bear’s eyes shrank as Lance pushed forward and rammed the weapon into the monster’s hide. Lance then used his remaining magic to jump off the animal’s pelt and launch himself back towards the town.

The guard Captain made a hole for the stallion’s body to slip through and caught him before he hit the ground. The ponies then heard a deafening cry and looked up to see the small blue spear starting to expand. The electric bolts seemed to wrap around the massive beast and shock it. The smell of burning fur could be smelt for miles. The spear then enveloped the massive beast in a sphere of light.

“Here comes the blast!” Shining yelled as the blue sphere shrank and expanded one last time to create a massive explosion. The force knocked down several trees and beat against the large magical wall. Shining concentrated and focused his magic to reinforce the wall that was starting to crack from the magical force. The ground underneath the ponies shook violently and started to crack.

The mares watched in amazement as the sphere vanished the Ursa Major was no more. Shining panted heavily and dropped the shield. The golden and cyan Pegasi flew up and saw a massive smoldering crater where the beast once stood. Lance chuckled as he laid on his back and stared up at the clear blue sky.

“Heh, looks like I still got it.” He said as he slowly sat up. The six mares and the Wonderbolts both ran up to him.

“What did you just do?” Twilight asked.

“That spell I used electrocuted every cell in the Ursa Major’s body. That scorch mark is all that remains of it.” He said as he panted heavily.

“Are you alright dear?” Rarity asked as she walked up to the stallion.

“I will be. Once I rest for a bit.” As the words left his lips the town ponies then crowded around him and started cheering. “Oh great.” He said in a low tone. “Hey Shining.” The guard Captain looked at his friend who was pointing to his own eye.

“Gotcha.” He said as he summoned ten pairs of dark sunglasses. He quickly levitated a pair to each of the elements, the two conscious Wonderbolts and to the red maned guard. “Put these on and don’t take them off until I say.” Shining said as he put a pair on. The other ponies shrugged and put them on as Lance summoned a small green crystal in his hoof.

“I will answer any and all questions if you all could just look right here.” He said as he held the crystal up. The crowd all focused on the gem as Lance’s horn flared. A bright green flash then blinded the ponies. The flash only lasted a second.

“What are we all doing out here?” One of the ponies from the crowd said. The six mares all looked at one another in shock and surprise.

“Not sure.” Another said with a shrug. The crowd then dispersed and went about their day. The ponies then removed their sunglasses and glared at the stallion.

“Explain. Now!” Twilight yelled. Lance nodded and held out the crystal.

“This is a memory crystal. I used it to erase the last five minutes of their memory.” He said in a flat tone. “No pony, except for us will know what happened here today.”

“Why did you do that?” Dash yelled.

“My mission is to remain undercover while I guard you. I can’t do that if everypony in town knows that I’m a guard.” He said in a hushed tone. “The mission cannot be jeopardized.” He said in a flat tone. As he took a step forward he felt a massive amount of pain rip through his body. Lance staggered for a moment before being caught by Shining.

“You okay?”

“I just need a bath.” He said as the guard captain rested him on his back.

“Um I think that a bath is the last thing you need right now.” Spitfire said as she looked at the officer.

“Just get me to the bucking spa.” He said in a rough tone. “Bring her too.” He said as he pointed to the still unconscious Fleetfoot.” The ponies rolled their eyes and obeyed. Soarin lifted the mare onto his back and followed the group towards the spa. As they made their way through the busy streets they were catching a lot of attention from town folk.

They entered the shop to see the spa sisters sitting behind the desk. The two immediately got to their hooves and bowed to the celebrities.

“W-welcome to our Spa Captain Armor. I’m Aloe.” The pink mare said with a smile.

“I’m Lotus. It's an honor to meet a stallion such as yourself.” The blue one said with a smile. Lance raised his head and got off his friend’s back.

“Hey girls. We just need two hot baths. Plain water.” He said with a pant. The two sisters looked at one another in surprise and complied. The two sisters led them back to the bath area and filled tow baths with water. “How badly is Fleetfoot injured?” He asked as he looked at Spitfire.

“She’s been out for a while now. I don’t think it’s life threatening.” Shining’s horn glowed and he scanned the Pegasus mare.

“She’s got a minor concussion and a sprained wing.” Shining said with a sigh. Lance’s horn glowed and bottle of red pills appeared in his hoof. The Colonel then looked at the Wonderbolt Captain.

“She’s your soldier. You can either wait three weeks for it to heal on it’s own or I can speed up the process and she’ll be flying by tomorrow.” He said in a flat tone. The Wonderbolts looked at one another in shock. “I’m warning you. It will be extremely painful.”

“Do it.” Spitfire said in a commanding tone. Lance nodded and threw one pill into each bath. The water started to bubble and turned a light pink color. The two Pegasi put their comrade into the water. The liquid around the mare started to bubble and fizz. The mare’s eyes snapped open and she cried out in pain.

“Hold her! If she leaves the bath then it’ll backfire!” Lance yelled. Shining’s horn glowed and he restrained the mare. Fleetfoot felt her bones move back into their proper place. The pain ripped through her body and the mare grunted in pain. After her bones had finished healing the mare relaxed and panted as she rested her body against the bath’s edge.

Lance then stepped into his own bath and held still as he submerged his entire body in the pink liquid. The water started to glow a bright pink and the stallion started to thrash around in the water. Lance’s head slowly emerged out of the water. The ponies watched in amazement as the burns that covered his body seemed to heal on their own.

“What in the name of Celestia is that?” Twilight asked.

“I just changed these two baths into Lazarus pits.” He said in a flat tone. Twilight’s eyes shrank at the words.

“The royal guard has a Lazarus pit?” The mare yelled.

“Correct. I took the potions that are used and converted them into pill form.” He said as he levitated the small bottle containing the red pills. “Portable Lazarus pits.”

“Okay, I’m lost here.” Dash said as she rubbed her temples. “What in the hay is a Lazarus pit?”

“A Lazarus pit is an ancient potion.” Twilight clarified. “It can heal any injury. Even if the pony is half dead it will bring them back to one hundred percent efficiency.”

“That sounds awesome!” Dash yelled.

“Yes, but there is a price.” Shining said. “For what ever the reason you use the pit for you get ten times the pain in return as you use the pit. I’ve heard of some soldiers dying after they were healed because their bodies couldn’t handle the pain so they started to shut down.” The guard Captain said in a low tone. “Which is why we don’t use them on a regular basis. Unlike Lance here.” He said with a grin as he looked at the stallion.

“Buck you.” Lance said in a rough tone. “I can handle the pain, unlike most ponies back in the guard.”

“What are you talking about?” Applejack asked.

“It’s not that Shining doesn’t want to use it. It’s that he can’t.” Lance said with a smug grin.

“I’m not following.” Applejack said as she scratched her head.

“Unicorn and Pegasus bodies aren’t built to handle that amount of pain and would break under the strain.”

“So how can you handle it?” Dash asked.

“I’m half Earth pony. Earth pony bodies are a lot stronger and can take a lot more punishment. I’ve also endured more pain than anyone else has.” He said as he narrowed his gaze. The stallion then sat back and let the water heal his wounds. The room was then filled with a white light and the ponies all closed their eyes.

As the group opened their eyelids they saw the three Princess’s standing before them. The white stallion gave them a nod as the other ponies bowed. Celestia scanned their faces and smiled.

“I’m glad to see that you’re all alright.” Celestia said with a warm smile. “Spike sent me a letter about the Ursa Major and I came as quick as I could.”

“We’re fine Princess.” Twilight said with a smile. “Thanks to Lance and Shining.” She said as she looked at the two guards.

“We saw that explosion from Canterlot.” Luna said.

“Overkill is underrated.” Lance said with a smug grin. The white goddess looked at him with a blank expression on her face. “Anyway, why were you here in the first pace Shining?” He said as she shifted his gaze back to the Captain. “I doubt that this was s simple ‘hey how ya doing’ type visit.” Shining chuckled and summoned an envelope.

“I wanted to personally invite you to the grand galloping Gala.” He said as the ponies looked at him in shock.

“I don’t know Shining. Cadence might get jealous.” He said with a smirk. The ponies all giggled at the white stallion blushed in embarrassment. “But seriously, why in the name of Celestia’s royal flank. No offense Princess.” He said as he looked at the goddess who had a look of surprise on her face. “Would I want to go back there?” He said in a rough tone.

“We need somepony, other than myself to represent us.” Shining said.

“Find some other stooge.” At this Celestia frowned at the stallion.

“It’s very important that you attend and I won’t be taking no for an answer.” She said in a rough tone.

“It’s also important that you keep a certain Operation; Black Talon under wraps isn’t it?” Twilight heard Celestia gulp and a look of fear and anger creep across her face. Celestia gritted her teeth and cracked her neck in frustration.

“I see. Perhaps I should look elsewhere.” Everypony in the room looked at the white Alicorn in surprise. Lance bit his lip as an idea came to him.

“Hang on second Princess.” He said as he held up his hoof. “I’ll agree to go without a fuss if you give me five more tickets.” The ponies all looked at him in surprise.

“Why do you want five more?” Celestia asked.

“I recently had a run in with one of my sisters and they’re anxious to see me.” He said with a sigh. “Send them invitations and I’ll agree to go.” Celestia let out a sigh and smiled.

“I will send them immediately.” She said with a smile. The Alicorn then turned towards the six mares. “I will also extend invitations to you all as well.” She said with a smile.

“Us?” Twilight asked. “After what we did last time?” The mare asked in confusion. “I thought we ruined the party.”

“Ruined it? Ha! I haven’t had that much fun in years!” Soarin yelled. The mares all looked at the Wonderbolts in surprise.

“Yeah, you guys know how to party. The only reason we went last year was in hopes of you guys there again and really show those Canterlot dweebs a party.” Spitfire said as Fleetfoot gave a reassuring nod. Twilight looked at her friends who all had uneasy looks on their faces.

“We’ll talk it over.” Twilight said in an unsure tone.

“I will await your response.” Celestia said with a smile before vanishing in a flash of light along with her sister. Lance then got to his hooves and climbed out of the bath.

“I’ll see you all later. I need to rest.” He said as he dried himself off and vanished in a flash of red light. Spitfire looked over at Fleetfoot who flexed her wing and smiled.

“We gotta get going too.” She said with a shrug. “Hope to see you all at the Gala.” The flyer said with a smile. The three Wonderbolts left and gave a wave.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lance walked into Carousel Boutique to see three familiar fillies race up to him. The three tackled him toe the ground and smiled.

“Dude that was awesome!” Scootaloo yelled.

“What was?” He asked trying to sound innocent.

“That crazy lightning thing ya did!” Applebloom said as they got off him and he stood up.

“Wait, you guys remember that?”

“Duh! We didn’t miss any of it.” Sweetie Belle said.

“Well, we missed one part when everything went green. Then everyone started to leave.” She said in confusion.

That explains it. They didn’t make eye contact with the crystal. I should probably do it to them now and- He was cut off as Sweetie Belle gave him a small kiss on the cheek.

“Thanks for saving us from the Ursa Major.” She said with a giggle. Lance gulped and looked at the three fillies.

“Listen girls. It’s for the best if we don’t talk about the Ursa Major thing.”

“Why not?” Applebloom asked.

“I need to keep a low profile and if I can’t then I’ll have to leave.” He said with a shrug. “Sorry, but rules are rules.” The fillies looked at one another and let out a sigh.

“Okay.” Sweetie Belle said with a sigh.

“Thanks.” He said as the filly hugged him. He returned the gesture and smiled. “Now if you three will excuse me. I need to get some rest. Saving the day is hard work.” He said as he trotted upstairs. “You guys might want to go check on your sisters and Dash.” The fillies nodded and galloped out the door in search of the mares. Lance let out a sigh and crawled into his bed and let the sleep he deserved take him.

Chapter 11: Familiy Issues

Chapter 11

Family Issues

Shining Armor, Midnight Star and Princess Celestia waited patiently for Splintered Lance to arrive. Several other ponies were all in attendance and waited. Shining was nervously tapping his hoof while Midnight was biting her lip hard enough to draw blood. The ponies all sat in grand stands that surrounded the arena that Lance had claimed his victory over the corporal in.

Celestia was about to speak before seeing a bright flash of lighting strike in the center of the arena. The light faded to reveal a heavily bandaged Splintered Lance. Celestia could see several burn marks on the young stallion’s body.

“Sorry, I’m late Princess.” He said with a pant.

“Are you alright my little pony?” She asked in a concerned tone.

“I’m fine.” He said with a smile. Celestia cocked an eyebrow and looked over to General Brass Star who gave her a reassuring nod.

“Very well.” She said as she stood up. “Recruit 117.” Lance stood at attention. “You are here to see how the past months of training have treated you. Your objective is to fight and subdue your opinion. Do you understand?”

“Yes, ma’am.” He said as he relaxed. The door on the far side opened to reveal a large Unicorn stallion in bright golden armor. Lance cracked his neck and removed several bandages and showed a few odd gauntlets strapped on each of his legs and a large black vest that was on his chest.

“You may begin!” The golden stallion immediately let loose a barrage of spells that Lance easily dodged. The white stallion charged at the Unicorn and ignited his horn. As he got into proximity, the stallion’s own magical energy acted like a shield for him. Lance immediately backed away and analyzed the situation. Lance charged forwards once more and tried to land a blow, but was either blocked by the enchanted shield or the guard’s own hooves.

The trainee panted and weighed his options. He looked up towards his teacher who grinned and gave him a nod. Celestia caught the notion and narrowed her eyes on the trainee. Lance cracked his neck and started to remove his garments. Midnight and Cadence looked at Shining as his eyes widened.

“What are those things?” Cadence asked.

“Training weights.” He said as he eyed the training equipment. “Standard issue.”

“Does he honestly think that he’s gonna be faster by dropping a few pounds of weight?” Midnight asked. As she looked back she saw that Lance had removed the vest and was holding it in his hoof. He threw it up into the air. The vest landed behind him and created a three foot deep crater. Everypony’s jaws dropped in shock except for the General who had a massive grin on his face.

“Ready?” Lance said as he looked at the nervous Unicorn. The stallion charged forward and smirked. The stallion raised his magical shield and waited for Lance to slip up. As Lance got within four feet of the stallion he turned on his hoof and vanished from his view.

The stallion was then met with a white hoof that came from the right. The punch sent the stallion back a good ten feet and he rolled on the ground. Shining and the two mares looked at Lance in shock. The blue maned stallion heard the General chuckling to himself. Lance and the two mares made their way through the crowd until they were next to him.

“Ah Shining, good match yours was.” He said with a smile.

“Thank you sir. Mind telling us what that was?”

“It was a flash step.” The ponies looked behind them to see Princess Celestia watching the match. “It’s a way to speed up one’s movements utilizing magic and physical stamina.” She said in a flat tone.

“How come I’ve never heard of it?” Midnight asked.

“Due to the fact that it’s too dangerous.” Celestia said as she glared at the officer. “Normal Unicorn bones can’t handle the strain it puts on the body and the test subjects we had testing the theory either broken almost every bone in their body or became deformed.” The ponies cringed at the words. “Out of the seventy-two candidates, only one was able to use it.” She said as she glared at the General.

“With Lance being half Earth pony, his bones are a lot thicker and more stable than an average Unicorn’s.” Brass explained. “It was far from easy, but he managed to pull it off.” He said with a smirk.

“His improvements are impressive,” Celestia said in a flat tone. “but it takes more than just speed and strength to pass this test.”

“Oh trust me Celestia, you haven’t seen anything yet.” He said with a confident smirk. The ponies then turned back to the battle. The armored stallion was doing everything in his power to avoid one of Lance’s hits having very little succession as he was hit with another jab to the stomach by the white stallion.

The guard grunted and his horn flared and launched a barrage of magical spears at the stallion. As Lance finished dodging them he stood still and panted. The armored opponent’s horn glowed and a set of massive steel shields appear on all sides. The white stallion grunted and picked up a nearby rock and hurdled it at the shields. The rock was instantly turned to dust as it got within range of the shields.

Lance let out a sigh and looked at his mentor who nodded. Lance closed his eyes and focused his magic. His horn glowed a bright red color and the skies above started to turn dark. Celestia watched closely and saw that the ground around Lance was being struck by lightning. Celestia’s eyes shrank as she glared at the General.

“Bronze. You didn’t!”

“Oh I did.” He said with a smirk.

“So that stallion, who isn’t even a guard yet is able to use 'that?'”

“Correct.”

“Okay what are you talking about?” Midnight asked.

“You all are in for a treat.” Bronze said with a smile. The lightning around the stallion started to converge and it struck the white stallion. The crowd gasped and shut their eyes. The ponies heard a crackling sound and saw that the lightning was arcing around Lance’s body. The white stallion grinned and charged forward with his horn blazing.

“Is he...wearing lightning as armor?” Midnight asked as the stallion rocketed forward.

“That he is.” Bronze said with a smile.

“This is extremely dangerous Bronze!” Celestia barked. “How is he able to handle the strain?”

“The fact that he’s got earth pony in him and that he’s use to pain helps.” He said with a sigh. “But, there’s something else that’s driving that boy, something that I haven’t seen in a long time.” The red maned stallion charged forward and broke through the first line of shield with ease. The armored guard looked in fear as the massive steel shields started to crumble away one by one.

Lance reached the last shield and poured whatever magic he had left into his legs. His opponent lashed out at him wildly. Lance dodged the blow and delivered a final punch to the stallion’s gut. The crowd looked in surprise as the stallion was sent crashing back against the wall. Several cracks formed around the body and reached up the larger wall until it crumbled away.

Lance staggered for a moment before steadying his breathing. Celestia then teleported next to the stallion and the crowd remained silent. The Alicorn looked at the trainee who had received many burns from his spell.

“Splintered Lance,” The crowd waited in anticipation. “welcome to the Royal Canterlot guard.” She said with a bow. The ponies erupted in cheering and stamping their hooves. Lance smiled and saluted the white Princess. Lance then felt his strength leaving his body and started to collapse, only to be caught by two familiar white and black Unicorns.

The two shrugged and carried the stallion back into the locker room as Celestia chuckled. Back in the stands, Cadence looked at Midnight who had a look of relief and admiration strewn across her face. In the locker room, a barely conscious Lance laid on his back and let out a sigh. He could hear the still cheering crowd and the smell of smoke.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The dream collapsed and the guard’s eyes snapped open. He looked around the room to see a thin layer of smoke filling his room in Carousel Boutique. Lance quickly galloped out of his room and down the hallway. As he reached the top of the stairs he hit something soft and fell down the stairs with the object landing on top of him.

He opened his eyes again and through the smoke he saw a pair of familiar sapphire eyes looking at him. Lance then noticed that something was touching the end of his nose. As he ignited his horn he saw that he and the designer were touching noses. Even through the smoke the white stallion could see the blush on her face.

“Um, Rarity. There’s a fire in your kitchen.” The mare immediately snapped out of the trance and got off the stallion. Lance and Rarity raced into the kitchen to see Sweetie Belled fumbling with a fire extinguisher. Lance quickly ran over to her and used it on whatever she was trying to cook as rarity opened up the windows and the smoke started to funnel out.

Lance finished putting out the flames and set the empty fire extinguisher aside. The two Unicorns then turned towards Sweetie Belle, who had a guilty look on her face. “Sweetie, what happened?”

“I was just trying to thank you for saving us yesterday by making you breakfast in bed.” She said in a defeated tone.

“I appreciate the gesture, but leave the cooking to the adults okay?” Lance said with a small grin.

“Okay.” She said as she hung her head. Lance lightly patted her on the head and cracked his neck.

“I’ll show ya how to cook one of these days. Okay?” The filly smiled and gave him a nod. “Good, now if you two would excuse me. I have some business to deal with.” He said with a nod. Sweetie Belle smiled and trotted back up to her room. Rarity bit her lip as an idea came to her.

“Lance, hold on a second.” She said as she trotted up to the stallion.

“Yes?” He asked.

“While my sister’s plan did go wrong, she did bring up a good point.” The guard cocked an eyebrow. “I still have to thank you for all you’ve done for not only me, but Ponyville as well.”

“It’s not-” He was cut off as Rarity gently put a hoof on his lips.

“I know it’s not necessary, but I want to thank you.” Rarity smirked as she thought up the final nail in the coffin. “Unless you’re not as honorable as you claim to be.”

“Excuse me?” Lance said as he narrowed his eyes on the fashionista. “Care to run that by me again?” Rarity smirked. He had taken the bait and the trap was set.

“Well, it’s just that I was going to ask you to accompany me to dinner tonight and here you are rejecting a mare’s generosity.” She said in a dramatic voice and putting on her best puppy dog eyes.

“I never said I wouldn’t!”

“Splendid!” She said changing her tone to an almost high pitched squeal. “Meet me at the Violet Rose tonight at six and don’t be late.”

“Fine. I will.” He said with his head held high.

“I’ll be looking forward to our date~” She said in a sing song voice. As Lance closed the door behind him he froze.

“Date?” He then replayed the conversation in his mind. He took the bait, sprung the trap and was now caught. If he stood her up then he would break his moral code and if he did go....

Well played Rarity, well played. The stallion groaned and walked around the streets of Ponyville with a blank expression on his face.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The white stallion woke up in the hospital portion of the barracks and saw Shining, Cadence and Midnight looking down at him.

“Look who’s up.” Shining said with a grin. The two mares smiled as the stallion sat up.

“What happened?” He said as he rubbed hi head.

“Well, after Bronze and I dragged you inside your magic level was pretty low. So we called the medic.” The white stallion said with a smile.

“How long have I been out?”

“Three days.” Midnight said.

“What?” Lance yelled.

“Just kidding.” She giggled. “It’s only been an hour.” Lance frowned at the mare.

“Why do you torture me like that?”

“It’s fun.” She said as she stuck her forked tongue out at the stallion.

“Hard to believe that just a few minutes ago you were nearly in tears over him.” Cadence said as the bat mare shot the Alicorn a death stare. A tan unicorn pony wearing glasses and a white coat walked up to the group.

“Excuse me sir, but there’s a mare with four fillies waiting outside. Should I send them in.”

“By all means.” Lance said with a smile. The doctor trotted away and opened the door. The white stallion was then tackled by two small earth pony fillies that looked like twins. both had dark brown coats with a blonde manes. The other had the same color scheme only a her mane was styled in a ponytail. The next two mares seemed to be a year apart from one another.

The younger of the two was light red and had a chestnut brown mane. The other was light green and had a light orange mane.

“You always jump the gun.” The green mare said with a groan.

“You know me Florida.” He said with a grin. A stunning light blue Earth pony mare with a deep red mane then trotted into the room.

“I swear you have your father’s stubbornness.” The mare said as she face hoofed.

“Sorry mom.” The family all rolled their eyes and hugged the stallion. “Hey, where’s dad?”

“Oh he wanted to come sweetie,” The blue mare said with an apologetic smile. “but he got sick a few days ago and the doctor put him on bed rest and medicine.” Lance gave her a nod. “Knowing him he’d never listen.”

“I still don’t.” The group all turned their heads to see a maroon Earth pony stallion with an orange mane, tail and beard.

“Dear, you really shouldn’t-”

“Did you think that I was gonna miss my son’s graduation?” He said with a smile. Shining then let out a cough.

“Oh right. Guys this is my dad, Rusty Scythe.” He said as he pointed to the stallion.

“Ya can just call me Rusty.”

“My mom, Stringed Corset.” The blue mare gave a friendly wave. “The scary one is my younger sister Florida.” He said as he pointed to the cross green mare.

“Watch it!”

“See what I mean by scary.” He said as the mare pouted. “Next is Pomegranate.” He motioned to the red mare who was avoiding eye contact.

“H-hi.” The mare said in a shy tone.

“She’s just a little nervous around new ponies. Finally we reach the end with these two.” He said as he pointed to the twins. “This is Hazel,” He said as he pointed to the filly with the ponytail. “and this is Willow.”

“Hi!” The two said in unison.

“Sheesh, you weren’t kidding when you said you had a big family.” Midnight said as she looked at the group.

“Aren’t you going to introduce us to your friends?” Corset said as she looked at the three ponies.

“This is Shining Armor.” He said as he looked at the white stallion.

“Nice to meet you.” He said with a nod. Florida and Pomegranate giggled to one another as they looked at the stallion.

“His mare friend. Princess Mi Amore Cadenza.” He motioned to the pink Alicorn. The two giggling mares then let their ears droop in disappointment.

“You can just call me Cadence.” The pink pony said with a smile.

“Princess?” One of the brown fillies said.

“I’m Celestia’s niece.” She said as she flared her wings out. The filly’s eyes boggled with wonder at her beauty.

“Last, but not least is Midnight Star.” He said as he looked at the bat mare. The farmers all gulped and smiled at her. Hazel then trotted up to Midnight and examined her closely. Midnight put on a weak grin and gulped.

“Why do you look so funny?” The filly said.

“Hazel!” The blue mare said with a frown. “My apologies Midnight, she’s still learning her manners.” She said as she glared at the filly.

“It’s cool. I get that a lot.” Midnight said with a weak smile.

“Midnight.” The green mare said as she scratched her chin. “Oh! You’re the mare Lancey writes to us about.” Florida said with an evil grin on her face. Lance’s face turned bright red. The twins saw their older brother’s red face and laughed.

“Lancey?” Shining said as he burst into laughter.

“I’m gonna get a lot of milage out of this one.” Midnight said with an evil smirk.

“Lancey’s got a mare friend~ Lancey’s got a mare friend~” They said in a mocking tone.

“I do not!” Lance yelled as his blush brightened. The twins continued to sing. “Both of you stop or face my wrath!” He said as his horn flared and two feathers appeared out of nowhere. The fillies continued to taunt the stallion. Lance grinned and instructed the feathers to brush against the fillies’s small bodies making them cry out in laughter.

“Is it like this all the time?” Cadence asked with a chuckle.

“Pretty much.” Florida said with a snicker. “Never a dull moment at our place.”

“Alright ya nut jobs.” Rusty said in a flat tone. “We’re here to celebrate, so let’s head out to eat.”

“Dad are you sure about-”

“No but’s boy, now get off yer sorry flank and lets go.” He said with a chuckle. “You all can join us if ya want.” He said as he looked at the group.

“No thanks. I have a little sister of my own to contend with.” Shining said as he snickered.

“How about you Midnight?” Corset asked. The bat mare gulped and thought for a moment.

“N-no thanks. I have some plans of my own.” She said with a weak smile. Lance cocked an eyebrow at the mare. “I actually have to go right now. See ya later Lancey.” She said with a laugh before zooming out of the room. Shining and Cadence both stifled their laughs.

“I swear she’s never going to let that go.” Lance said as he face hoofed. “Thanks a lot Florida.” He said in a sarcastic tone.

“Any time bro.” She said with a grin. “Now come on, I’m starving.” The stallion rolled his eyes as he got out of bed and led his family out.

Midnight trotted down the deserted hallway of the castle holding her head up high. She walked into her room that she shared with the two stallions and locked the door behind her. The mare flew up to her bunk and laid down with her face in her pillows. Soon the pillow became damp as tears poured from her eyes like a cascading waterfall.

Damn tears. She thought as she buried her head in her pillow and waited for them to stop.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lance trotted into the library to see Twilight sitting at the table with Shining and Princess Cadence. The two saw the white stallion and smiled.

“Hey Lance.” Cadence said with a grin.

“Morning.” He then looked at the stallion. “Still here Shining?”

“Thought I’d spend some time with my sister.” Lance gave a nod. “So what’s up?”

“I need some info from Twilight.” The lavender mare perked up.

“On what?”

“Your friend Rarity.”

“Why?”

“If she’s anything, then crafty would be the word.” The group cocked an eyebrow at the words. “She managed to trick me into going on an outing with her tonight.” Cadence and Shining looked at him in surprise. “What?”

“Just surprising to hear that you’re going on a da-”

“It’s not a date. It’s a social engagement.” Lance said in a flat tone. “That’s why I came here. What’s Rarity’s angle?”

“Excuse me?” Twilight asked.

“What does she hope to gain from it?” He asked in a flat tone. Twilight looked at the stallion in shock.

“Um, not too sure.” She lied with a shrug.

"Thanks anywat Twilight." He said with a sigh. "Did you sent those invites yet Shining?"

"I will after I return to Canterlot." He said with a smile. The white stallionnodded and decided to head back towards the boutique. After he got to the clothing store he heard a bunch of different voices inside. As he opened the door he noticed that the white mare had a table set with three places. The stallion then saw the white mare trot out of the kitchen.

“So Sorry, but Carousel Boutique is closed for...Oh Lance this is a surprise.” She said with a coy smile.

“Sorry, just came by to get something. You have company?” He said in a flat tone.

“Oh yes some friends of mine from Canterlot.”

“I’ll be out of your mane soon-”

“Lance?” He looked passed the mare to see a white stallion with a blue mane and mustache. He was accompanied by a stunning Unicorn mare.

“Buck.” Lance muttered under his breath.

“I’m sorry, do you two know each other?” Rarity asked. Fancy trotted over to him and sighed before he slapped him across the face. “Fancy!” The fashionista said in a surprised tone.

“Honestly boy! Your mother thought you were dead!” Fancy yelled.

“I was out of Equestria, couldn’t really keep in touch.” He said with a shrug.

“That’s no excuse!

“Before you go and get all upset I was in the hospital.” He said with a sigh. Lance could see that Fancy wasn’t backing down. “Look, I ran into Florida while I was on a job and I talked with her.” Fancy raised an eyebrow. “I also arranged for my mom and sisters to come to the Grand Galloping Gala.”

“She’s coming back?”

“Hopefully.” He said with a shrug. Fancy let out a sigh and hung his head.

“I suppose I see your point. Sorry about the hit old boy.” He said with a shrug. “You know, family duties.” Lance smiled and shook his hoof.

“Relax Uncle, I get it.” He then turned towards Rarity who’s right eye was twitching. “I suppose you’ve got a lot of questions?”

“Yes, but I’ll ask them while we’re at dinner.” She said with a smile.

“Wait you’re taking Rarity out to dinner?” Fleur asked.

“Yes.” Lance said in a flat tone.

“What about M-” The mare was cut off as Fancy quickly covered her mouth.

“So Lance, why are you in Ponyville anyway?” He asked in a worried tone.

“I was ordered by Celestia to guard Rarity and the Elements of Harmony.” Lance answered. “Sorry, but I need to pick up something and head back out.”

“Of course my boy, you have a job to do.” Fancy said as he hugged the stallion. Lance smiled and trotted upstairs to his room. Fancy let out a sigh and turned towards his wife. “Um, Rarity I need to have a word with my wife for a quick second.” Rarity nodded and left the two alone.

Fancy whispered in his wife’s ear. Fleur put ahoof to her mouth in shock. The mare fought back the tears as they heard the door from upstairs close. The three Unicorns looked to see Lance wearing an old vest with several weights attached to it.

“I’ll see you later tonight Rarity.” He said with a nod. The white mare smiled and waved him off as he exited the boutique. The white stallion trotted down the streets with the weights moving with his body. The stallion cracked his neck and broke into a trot. As he neared Sweet Apple Acres an odd sight caught his eye.

Several dark barked apple trees were donning grey apples and electricity seemed to move down the bark. The stallion walked over to the orange mare who was putting barrels underneath the trees.

“Howdy there Lance.” She said with a smile.

“Morning, mind telling me what’s up with your trees?” He said as he pointed to the odd fruit tree.

“These are our Zap Apple trees.” She said in a proud tone. “These babies make our world famous Zap Apple jam, cider and all sorts of other things.”

“Are you bucking kidding me?” He said in a flat tone.

“Pardon?”

“My family has these back home in Missourneigh.” The mare’s jaw dropped.

“Say what now?”

“Well, except ours is an orange tree.” He said as he scratched his chin. “I call them Citrus Shock trees.”

“No way! How many do you have?” She asked in a surprised tone.

“Just one.” He said in a low tone. “It only grows in the most fertile and best soil we have.” The mare then noticed his odd attire.

“What’s with the get up?”

“It’s a training vest, you can put different weights in it and it helps keep you in shape. I was just about to go for a trot.”

“Well, don’t let me keep you, have a good day.”

“Thanks, you too.” He said before trotting back down the road.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lance walked his parents to the train station and said his goodbyes. “Are you guys sure can’t stay longer?” Lance asked.

“Sorry ma boy, but we gotta get back to the farm.” The farmer said with a smile. Lance gave him a nod. The farmer checked his corners and waved for his son to come closer. “Look here ma boy, ah saw how you looked at that bat pony friend of yours.” He said with a smug grin and waggled his eyebrows. The white stallion’s face turned a bright scarlet.

“Dad! Its not like that!” He protested. “We’re just good friends.”

“That’s how all relationships start son.” He reached into his back pocket and handed him something wrapped in a dark plastic bag. “Had to sneak these by your mom. Don’t tell her or she’ll tan my hide.” Rusty said as he looked over his shoulder. The final whistle started to blaze and the farmer sighed.

“You should probably get on board dad.” Lance said with a smile. “I’ll see you guys at Hearths warming.” He said as he outstretched his hoof. The farmer gave him a hug and patted him on the back.

“You’ve made us all very proud my boy.” Lance smiled and returned the hug. As the stallion got on the train he poked his head out the window. “Use them when the time was right.” He said as the train pulled away. Lance looked into the bag and his jaw dropped in shock. His father had just given him a box of condoms.

The white stallion face hoofed and made his way back towards the castle. He looked at the night sky and saw a few flurried of snow beginning to fall. He made his way through the barracks and sighed.

Shining must still be with his folks. The white stallion entered his room and quietly trotted over to his bag and hid the box in his bag. As he laid down to sleep he heard what sounded like sniffling coming from the top bunk. The stallion turned on the lamp near his bed side and peered over the bunk edge.

“Midnight?” He said in a soft tone.

“What?” She said in a spite filled tone.

“Are you-”

“I’m fine! Now fuck off!” Lance flattened his ears and frowned. Midnight had always been grouchy before, but never cruel. The stallion’s horn flared and picked up the mare in a telekinetic grip. “Put me down!” The bat mare yelled as she thrashed.

“Not until you tell me what’s wrong.”

“I said I was-” She was cut off as the stallion turned her around. The white stallion’s face lost all color as he saw the iron tough bat mare’s facial fur stained with tears. Her eyes were bloodshot. “I-I’m f-fine.” She said in a shaky tone.

“No, no you’re not.” He said as he set her down in front of him. The mare hung her head and hid behind her snow white mane. “C’mon, talk to me. I can help I can-”

“What would you know?” She yelled as she glared at the stallion. “You don’t know what it’s like to not feel wanted! You don’t know the looks ponies give me every time somepony sees my eyes or wings!” She yelled as she pointed to herself.

“Is this about what Hazel said?” He asked.

“No! This isn’t about your fucking sister!”

“Then tell me what it’s about and I’ll help you!”

“You can’t!” She screamed as tears flowed down her face. “How could somepony like you who came from a happy family possibly understand how I feel?” Lance stood frozen as she shook. “In the Shadowlands you either do what you’re told or you get the life beaten out of you.” She cried as s a few tears hit the floor. The mare hesitantly reached up towards her chest and parted her fur.

The stallion’s eyes shrank as he saw a massive scar on her chest. “This is the only thing my father ever gave me!” She cried. “I ran away! I’m an outcast there and I’m one here!” Lance reached to put a hoof around her, but she quickly backed away. “Don’t touch me! You don’t know what it’s like to have ponies look at you like some kind of freak!”

“You’re wrong on that note.” He said in a flat tone. The stallion’s horn flared and he levitated over his family picture to the bat mare. “Look at this picture and tell me what you see.” The mare rubbed her eyes and looked at the picture with a deadpanned expression. Her spliced eyes glanced at the group of happy ponies and scoffed.

“Are you trying to make me feel worse?”

“Just tell me what you see?”

“I see the happy family that I never had!”

“Look closer!” Lance said practically ramming the photo in her face. Midnight looked closer at the photo and something stuck out. Her eyes shrank as she made the connection. “You see it now?”

“You’re the only Unicorn.” The stallion nodded. “Wait, the Unicorn gene is-”

“A dominant trait,” He finished. “while Earth Pony is recessive.” The mare gulped and put the pieces together. “Rusty isn’t my biological father. I’m a bastard child.” Midnight’s ears flopped down hearing the words. “My mom got pregnant at a young age and her parents disowned her. Luckily she had friends like my Uncle Fancy to help her out.” He said with a sigh. “She took a train to Missourneigh, met my dad and the rest is history.”

“Sweet story.” She said as she rolled her eyes.

“Midnight,” He started. “I’m not the only Unicorn in my family, I’m not the only one in my graduating class,” He said with a gulp. “I was the only one in the whole town.” The mare’s eyes widened at the words.

“It was an Earth Pony village and a lot of them didn’t like Unicorns. I was labeled the neighborhood freak and whenever I tried to make friends they would shoot me down and yell at me. Calling me things like pin head and Uni-terd.” He said as he hung his head. “Those icy glares you’re talking about,” He said as he did an almost perfect impression of the stare. “I got everyday for the first eighteen years of my life.” Midnight hung her head in shame.

“L-lance. I’m so sorry.” She said in a weak tone.

“I lied to you.” He said with a sigh. “Six.”

“What?” She asked.

“I was the oldest of six.” The stallion said in a flat tone.

“But I only saw five sisters.”

“There was one before Florida.” He said as tears formed in his eyes. “I was six and she was five. She was my first real friend.” The two sat on the bed and sat in silence for several minutes. “One day while I went into town to get some flour for a pie my mom was baking some punk colts in my class started making fun of me. The adults just pretended that they didn’t hear it.”

“I told my sister, Citrus to go home.” He said in a flat tone. “She was just so damn stubborn!” He said as a few tears formed in his eyes.

Many years ago

“Sup pin head?” A tan Earth pony colt said. A young white Unicorn stallion stood still and rolled his eyes. The earth pony also had a grey colt and a tall dark brown colt beside him.

“What do you want Crusher?” He asked with a groan.

“Just wondering what you’re doing on my turf!”

“You don’t own the store.” A light orange Earth pony filly with a light green mane piped up.

“Shut up squirt!” A grey colt said.

“Hey, don’t talk to my sister like that plot hole!” Lance yelled as he got in the colt’s face.

“Or what?” The chestnut colored pony asked. “There’s three of us and only one of you, you Uni-terd.” Lance let out a heavy sigh and motioned for his sister to follow him.

“C’mon Citrus, let’s go.”

“But we still need that stuff.”

“We can get it later. Let’s just go.” He said as he took his sister by the hoof and practically dragged her out of the store. Lance ignored the hate filled glares he was getting from the older stallions. Citrus looked back and saw that one of the colts had emptied out a glass bottle and filled it with sand, dirt and a few small rocks. The grey colt twirled it in his hoof and threw it right at the back of the Unicorn’s neck.

Citrus broke from her brother’s grasp and jumped up to intercept the object. She spun in the air hoping it would hit her back. The bottle spun off course and struck her right at the base of the skull. The bottle shattered and the filly dropped to the ground like a ton of bricks.

“Citrus!” The Unicorn yelled as he looked at hi sister. “C’mon sis, wake up!” He shook her and the filly coughed.

“I’m sorry big brother.” She said as her eyes started to close. “Wh-where are you? I can’t see anything.”

“I’m right here Citrus.” He said as he held her hoof. “I’ll always be here.”

“Forever?” She asked.

“Yes, please hold on!” He said as a crowd started to gather around the two.

“I...love you...big...brother.” She said with a smile. The filly’s head fell back on the dirt, lifeless. Lance shook his sister again hoping to see her eyes open. Several ponies around him put hooves to their mouths in shock. Over the sounds of grief Lance heard three voices of laughter.

The three colts that had hated him for just being different. The three that had beaten him up almost everyday after school were now laughing at what they did to his sister. Lance felt something snap inside him. He gritted his teeth as tears flowed down his face. The three stopped laughing as they saw the colt’s horn glow a magnificent red color.

As Lance screamed the grey colt was grabbed by an unseen force and was smashed several times against the side of the building.the crowd heard several bones creak and break. The other two colt’s ran away but were soon caught by the unseen force. Lance threw his head back and the tow were sent fling high in the sky. As Lance brought his head down the two soon felt themselves falling at an alarming rate.

Something then knocked the white colt on the head making him lose his concentration. The two colts then felt themselves wrapped in a white aura ad were gently put on the ground. Lance looked to his right to see a Unicorn stallion wearing golden armor. He had seen royal guards in the newspapers his dad reads but never one up close.

“Royal guard!” The stallion yelled. “What’s going on here?”

“Th-that monster just tried to kill those three.” A stallion yelled. Lance paid the crowd no mind as he walked back over to his sister’s body and cried his eyes out. The guard put a hoof on Lance’s shoulder and slowly led him towards the police station. Several police ponies broke up the crowd and covered the filly’s body.

The white Unicorn colt remained silent as the guard led him inside and brought him something to drink. “I sent a police pony to find your parents. They’ll be here shortly.” Lance kept his head low. The guard nervously scratched his mane and sat next to him.

“Why?” Lance said. “What did Citrus do to deserve that? Why does everypony look at me like I’m some sort of freak?” He said as tears flowed down his face. The guard sighed and put a hoof around him.

“I honestly don’t know.” The stallion said.

“I..I almost killed those guys.” He said as he started to shake violently.

“You’ve got strength in you kid. What matters is how you use it.” He said with a sigh.

“I...I want to prevent stuff like this from happening.” Lance said with a sniffle. The guard gave him a small pat on the back as the door burst open to reveal two Earth ponies.

“Lance!” The mare yelled as she galloped over and hugged her son. The guard got to his hooves and walked over to Rusty.

“I’m sorry for your loss sir.” He said as he pulled off his helmet and held it against his chest. Rusty just gave him an emotionless nod. “I’ll fill out the report for self defense. Your son won’t face any charges.”

“Thank you sir.” Rusty said in a low tone. The soldier saw tears forming in the farmer’s eyes and he left the family to grieve. A funeral was held for the filly. Some of her friends and teachers were in attendance. A white Unicorn stallion with a blue mane and light mustache were also amongst the group. Even after the group had left the white colt sat in front of the grave. The grave was just underneath a freshly planted Orange tree sapling.

“I..I suggested this spot.” He said to the tombstone. “You always did like this tree, it was the first one we planted together.” Lance said as some drops of rain started to land on him. The colt couldn’t hold the pain any longer and laid down in front of the grave. “I’m so sorry sis!” He yelled in agony.

“It’s not fair!” He yelled as his horn glowed a bright red. His eyes glowed white and a bolt of red lightning came down from the clouds and struck the tree. The shock knocked the colt back a good three feet. When he looked back at the tree he saw that the oranges were crackling with electricity and changed to a reddish color. He was so distracted by the odd fruit that he didn’t notice the crossed swords with an orange between them appear on his flank.

Present

Midnight sat next to the stallion with tears running down her face. Lance sat motionless as a few tears formed in his eyes.

“That’s what made me want to become a guard.” Midnight put a wing around him and cried into his chest. “After that, no pony messed with me or my family. Either out of decency or fear.”

“I-I’m so sorry Lance.” She sniffled. “I didn’t know.”

“It’s fine.” He said as he got up and pulled out a small silver locket. He opened it up to show a small white colt and a light orang filly in a picture.

“Is that her?” Midnight asked as she held it in her hooves.

“Yeah, that was taken a week before....” He stopped himself before he burst into tears. “I’m gonna...hit the hay.” The bat mare nodded and slowly flew up to her bunk. The stallion turned the lights off. Midnight laid awake in her bed staring up at the ceiling. Her ears twitched as she heard some sniffling sounds. The bat mare gulped and silently flew off her bunk.

She slowly crawled into bed next to the stallion and draped a wing over him. Midnight rested her head on a pillow and eventually fell asleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lance forced the memories from his mind and quickly wiped the tear that had formed in his mind away. He looked towards the clock tower and sighed.

Better take a shower before I meet Rarity. He thought with a groan. The stallion teleported back in front of the boutique and made his way inside. He took off the training vest and set it in his bag. The stallion trotted into the restroom and turned the shower head on. He sat in the bath letting the water wash over his body. He turned the water off and quickly shook himself dry before laying down to rest.

Author's Note

Sorry for the long update.

Chapter 12: Date

Chapter 12

Date

Midnight’s eyes slowly fluttered open and let out a yawn. Her pupils shrank as she saw a wall of white fur fill her vision. The mare’s spliced eyes looked up and saw the stallion’s sleeping face just across from her own. Midnight’s face turned bright red and her heart started to skip beats. Her first thought was to get out of the stallion’s bed and possibly scream. Something held her back.

A part of her wanted to be close to the stallion. She then realized that Lance had somehow in his sleep, wrapped his hooves around her. The sudden realization caused her wings to stand on end, causing the mare to blush harder. The bat mare started to squirm as she felt an odd warmth come from her stomach area. The mare also saw that her hooves were wrapped around the white Unicorn’s body.

Lance groaned as he opened his eyes to see a pair of blue spliced pupils looking at him. His face immediately turned bright red and he was frozen in place.

“Hey you two~” The two ponies looked across the room to she Shining sitting on his bed and grinning ear to ear.

“This isn’t what it looks like!” Midnight yelled.

“That blush of yours says otherwise.” The two blushing ponies groaned and quickly got out of bed.

“Did you need something?” Lance spat out.

“Yeah, they’re going to be fitting us for our armor this afternoon and-”

“What the buck?” Midnight yelled as she raced towards the window. The two stallions looked out to see white flakes falling from the sky.

“What? Its snow.” Lance said.

“Snow?” Midnight asked.

“Jeez, did you grow up in a cave or some-” Shining was cut off as the mare flattened her ears and growled. “Never mind.”

“You have seen snow before right?” Lance asked.

“No, its always humid in the Shadowlands and it rarely gets below sixty degrees.” She said with a sigh. “What about suits of armor?”

“We’re getting fitted for our suits of armor today.” Shining said. “C’mon, I hear the chef has a love bird special going on.” He said before the two ponies started to chase him down the hallway. After a quick meal of oatmeal the three ponies made their way towards the barracks. Lance and Midnight refused to make eye contact and kept their heads forward.

“So what did you two do last night?” Shining asked with a smug grin.

“Nothing. I went to bed after I got in.” Lance said in a flat tone.

“With Midnight right?”

“Just shut up before I break you.” The bat mare said with a hiss. The three stopped talking as they entered the armory. Hundreds of suits of armor were on display. An old grey Unicorn stallion with a black man came up to them.

“You three must be the trainees Bronze told me about eh?”

“Yes sir.” The three said.

“Okay, then lets get your armor.” He said as he levitated three suits off some mannequins.

“Um shouldn’t you take our sizes first?” Midnight asked.

“No need. This here armor is enchanted, One size fits all.” Lance was up first and he stepped into the horse shoes that looked to big for him. The armor and helmet were three sizes too big and started to slide off his body. “Give it a minute.” The metal armor started to shake and shrunk down to the size of his body. Lance looked at himself in the mirror and felt as though the armor was made for his own body.

Midnight’s jaw dropped as she saw the stallion in Uniform. Her face turned bright red and felt the room becoming warmer. Shining was up next and the same effect happened. Midnight’s armor was the same but it changed her mane to a dark purple color and her coat grew to a darker grey. Lance gulped as the armor clung to her body.

“Nice to see you all got fitted.” The three turned towards the doorway and saw Bunker grinning. Lance looked back at the mirror and saw that his mane was now a light blue. “The armor changes your coat and mane color to the default white and blue.

“What about me then?” Midnight asked.

“For bat ponies its grey and purple.” He said with a sigh. “Now, that you’re official members of the guard I’m here to assign you today’s duties.” The three stood waiting in anticipation. “Take the day off.”

“Excuse me sir?”

“Everypony that passed yesterday has the day off.” He grinned. “You all earned it.” The three smiled and started to walk back to their room.

“Bucking shit!” The three stopped as they saw a familiar grey Pegasus stallion with a blonde mane yelled. Midnight walked over to Comet and whispered.

“What crawled up his flank?”

“He just got rejected for officer training.” Comet said. “Best stay clear of him for a while.”

“Good idea.” Midnight said as the three slipped inside their room as he walked past. Shining laid down on his bed and sighed.

“So what do you guys wanna do?” He asked.

“Don’t know.” Lance shrugged. Midnight raised an eyebrow and noticed that he was still wearing his armor.

“Why keep that thing on?”

“I want to get use to it.” Lance said with a shrug. Shining grinned and got to his hooves.

“Well, I’m off to see Cadence. She said she wanted to see me in uniform.” He said before vanishing in a flash of light. Lance shrugged and looked at Midnight who was avoiding eye contact.

“So what do we do now?” Lance asked.

“I don’t know.” Midnight said. Lance then blushed at what he was about to say next.

“Wanna go walk around Canterlot?” Midnight’s heart skipped a beat and her face was flushed. “I’m just gonna browse the shops and stuff. If you don’t then-”

“No, I’ll go.” She said with a bright blushing face. The two made their way out into the streets of Canterlot and started to look around in several shops. Lance chuckled as he looked at the usually gloomy bat pony who’s eyes were wide as saucers as she watched the snow fall. Her ears would occasionally flick a piece of snow that had tapped the edge of her ears. Lance grinned and thought of an idea.

“Ya know there’s another way to use the snow.”

“How?” She asked with wonder.

“Snowball fights.”

“What are those?” Midnight asked with anticipation.

“Watch.” Lance scooped up a hoofful of snow and packed it into a white ball. “This is a snowball.” Before Midnight had any more time to admire the white ball she felt a cold object hit her head. “That's the fight part.” He chuckled. Midnight shook her head and glared back at the stallion with a growl.

“You are gonna die!” The mare yelled as she made a snowball of her own and hurdled it at the stallion. Lance chuckled and ducked the first ball. As he turned around the mare had already launched another and it landed right on the stallion’s horn. The sudden cold caused the stallion to shiver and freeze on the spot. Midnight grinned and tackled the stallion before shoving his face in the snow.

“Uncle! Uncle!” Lance said through the snow. Midnight got off the stallion and smiled in victory. The stallion got up and frowned at the mare. “Little overboard don’t you think?”

“Let me think.” The mare said as she put a hoof to her chin. “Nope.” The ponies heard a crashing sound followed by a stallion screaming. The two galloped towards the noise to see a Pegasus stallion holding a Unicorn to the wall with a knife in his hoof.

“Royal Guard!” Lance yelled. The Pegasus grunted and threw the knife at the stallion. Lance ducked as Midnight charged forwards and landed an upper cut to his jaw. Knocking him out.

“Thank you!” The Unicorn stallion was dark grey with a black mane.

“No problem sir, just doing our job.”

“My name is Tombstone. I run the morgue down on the corner. If either of you two need anything just ask.” Midnight looked at Lance who shrugged.

“Thank you for the offer sir, but we can’t accept-”

“Please! I have to thank you somehow.” Lance sighed and rolled his eyes as midnight started to drag the unconscious pony out of the alleyway.

“We’ll let you know once we think about it.” Lance said as he saw a few Police ponies arrive. Lance addressed the cops who took away the Pegasus.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lance’s eyes shot open and groaned. The stallion looked at the clock and saw it was almost time for his date with Rarity. The stallion walked over to a suitcase and withdrew a white suit with dark red stitching. The stallion trotted out of the room and walked downstairs to see the mare wearing a stunning dress.

“Ah there you are. I was just about to wake you up.” She chimed.

“Sorry, I napped longer than I intended.” He said as he scratched the back of his head.

“Oh its quite all right dear. I sometimes need a rest after finishing a big project for a client.” The two walked out of the boutique and towards the restaurant. The two grabbed a table and waited for the waiter to bring them some water and gave them some menus.

“So tell me, how did you get in the fashion industry?” Lance asked.

“Well, I’ve always had an eye for fine things.” She said with a smile. “One year when I was a filly I was put in charge of designing costumes for the annual school play. I really wanted to show what I can do so I went all out.” Lance sipped his water as he listened. “When I was working my horn acted on its own and led me to a large rock.” Lance raised an eyebrow at the mare.

“A rock?” He said in an unimpressed tone.

“Yes, that was my reaction at first. Then thanks to a certain cyan filly’s sonic rainboom the rock cracked open showing several gems. I incorporated them into my design. They really showed and thats also how I earned my Cutie Mark.” She said as the stallion looked over the edge of the table to see the three cut diamonds on her flank.

“Interesting. Never took you for a gem hunter.” He said as he closed his menu. “That usually involves getting dirty.” Rarity scrunched her nose at the stallion.

“Just because I’m a lady doesn’t mean I can’t handle myself in a sticky situation.”

“Right.” He said as he rolled his eyes. Rarity’s cheeks were red as she pouted.

“I’ll have you know that I handled a pack of diamond dogs without breaking a sweat.” Lance almost choked on his drink at the words.

“Diamond dogs? This I gotta hear.” Rarity smirked and described in explicit detail how she outsmarted the three dogs with her constant whining and managed to walk away with a massive haul of gems. By the end Lance was awestruck. “Well, I’ll be damned. Even by my standards thats crafty.”

“Thank you dear.” She giggled. “Of course my first inspiration for fashion came from an ingenious designer.” She said as she sipped her water.

“Who?”

“You probably don’t know her. She hasn’t produced anything in years.” She sighed.

“You’d be surprised who I know.”

“Her name is Stringed Corset.” Lance almost did a spit take at the name. “Something wrong dear?”

“I’ll have to let my mother know you’re a fan.” Rarity’s jaw dropped.

“Your mother knows her?”

“Oh the two are very close.” He said with a chuckle. Rarity narrowed her eyes.

“You’re bluffing!”

“Nope.” He said as his horn flared and he summoned his family picture. Rarity took it in her telekinetic grip and looked at the photo. Rarity’s eyes shrank and looked at the stallion. “Looks like my mom still has fans.” He grinned.

“Your mother is THE Stringed Corset?”

“Yup.” He smiled. Rarity looked at the picture and focused on one aspect. Lance heard a gulp from the mare. “Noticed eh?”

“Pardon?”

“C’mon Rarity, even Rainbow Dash could figure out whats wrong in this picture.” He said as he pointed to the younger version of himself.

“You’re the only Unicorn.” She said with a sigh.

“Yup.” He said with a shrug. “I’m the reason why my mom isn’t a famous designer.”

“What do you mean?”

“Long story short, my mom got pregnant with me at a young age and skipped town with Fancy’s help after her parents disowned her.” Rarity put a hoof to her mouth in shock. “She met my dad and settled down with him. Rest is history.”

“Oh dear I didn’t know.” Rarity said as she levitated the picture back to the stallion. Lance shrugged as he made it vanish.

“No big deal. Rusty was a great father and looked after me like I was his own.” Rarity smiled at the story.

“When did they tell you?”

“That I wasn’t his biological son? They didn’t. I figured it out when I was teenager.” He said in a nonchalant tone.

“Did you ever find out who your real father is?”

“No, never bothered to look for him or asked my mom for that matter.”

“Why?”

“The stallion wasn’t there for me growing up, so why would I want to meet him while I’m an adult?” He grunted. “If I ever do meet him then I’ll be able to give him a present I’ve been saving for him.” The stallion raised his right hoof. Rarity gulped as she saw his wall of muscle bulge against his skin and some electric bolts radiated off it.

“Lance! What a coincidence!” A familiar voice chimed.

“Oh Celestia no.” Lance grimaced as he heard the familiar voice of the guard Captain. Shining walked up behind him along with Princess Cadence.

“Hello Princess.” Rarity smiled.

“Oh please you can just call me Cadence.” The Alicorn giggled. “What are you two doing here?”

“I thought that it would be nice to treat the stallion who has done so much for us.” Rarity giggled. Shining grabbed a a nearby empty table and slid it next to each other.

“Shining.” Lance said as he looked at the captain. “A word.” The two stallions trotted away from the girls. “Okay Armor, what are you doing here?”

“What? A stallion can’t take his wife out to a nice dinner once in a while?” He said in an innocent tone. Lance glared at the stallion.

“Don’t bullshit me. I know that you don’t do something without some sort of ulterior motive.” Shining sighed and looked at his comrade.

“I just wanted to make sure you were having a good time.”

“I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not.” Shining said. “Twilight told me how you snapped at her and her friends.” Lance grumbled. “Look, I don’t know her friends that well, but Rarity wants you to have a good time.”

“Why should I be concerned with that?”

“Because Midnight would want you to be happy.” Lance froze and shot daggers through the stallion with his gaze. “Look I know what happened and she was my best friend too. You need to learn to let go.”

“What the buck would you know about it?” He said in a hushed tone. “Could you really say that if it was Cadence?” Shining gulped at the thought. “That’s what I thought.” Lance said as he trotted back to the mares. The two stallions sat down in silence. Cadence noticed her husband’s grim expression and thought of a way to ease the tension.

“Did you know that these two have a criminal record?” The two stallion’s blushed brightly at the words.

“Really now?” Rarity said in astonishment.

“Please Cadence. ANYTHING but that story.” Lance begged.

“Cadie please not that.” Shining groaned.

“Oh well now I really want to hear this.” Rarity said with an evil smile.

“Okay, so back in the day Shining and Lance had a third teammate named Midnight.” Lance gritted his teeth. “One night she and I decided to have a little get together.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lance laid on his bed as Shining flipped through a book his siter had given him for his birthday. The clock showed that it was ten o’clock at night.

“Where’s Midnight?” Shining asked looking up from the book.

“She said something about hanging out with Cadence tonight. A mare’s night out or something like that.” Lance said in a bored tone. Shining shot up in bed and grinned.

“They’re having a slumber party!”

“So?” Lance said. “My sisters had plenty of those when they were younger.”

“Dude, filly slumber parties and mare slumber parties are extremely different.” Shining stated.

“How?” Shining put his arm around his friend’s shoulders and grinned.

“Think about it, two grown up, attractive mares thinking that they’re all alone. Pillow fights, girl talk maybe even they’ll practice kissing.” Lance let the idea cook in his mind and he blushed brightly.

“Bullshit.”

“No, trust me. I know this from my high school days.” He said with a smile. “Now there’s only one logical thing we can do.”

“Which is?”

“Spy on them.”

“Are you crazy?” Lance yelled. “Cadence will kill us both if there’s anything left of us after Midnight gets her hooves on us.”

“Only if we get caught! C’mon I don’t wanna miss this!” Shining said before running out of the room and down the hall. Lance rolled his eyes and chased after the stallion. After ducking from building to building and grabbing a pair of matching dark hoods, the two found themselves on the pink Alicorn’s property. Shining and Lance hopped over the fence and made their way towards Cadence’s window.

“I can’t believe we’re actually doing this.” Lance said as he face hoofed.

“Oh lighten up.” Shining said with a chuckle. The two hugged the wall and saw a guard approaching. “Crap.”

“Relax I got this.” Lance grabbed Shining’s hoof and his horn glowed. The two then turned invisible. The guard looked at the spot the stallions were occupying and shrugged before continuing his rounds. Lance waited until the stallion rounded the corner of the house before releasing the spell.

“Nice trick.” Shining said.

“Something Bronze taught me.” He said as the two looked up at the window that had a light on. “Okay now hold still.” The stallion’s horn glowed and Shining was levitated off the ground and was raised so he was level with the window. Shining peered through the curtains till he saw the two mares talking.

“You know I was never much for this green muck.” Midnight said as she put some of the green mud on her face. “Now I see what I’ve been missing out on.”

“Don’t knock it till you try it.” Cadence said as she put sone on her own face. Shining was stifling his laughter. “So Midnight, Shining told me he saw you and Lance in bed together.” She said as she waggled her eyebrows. Even with the green muck the pink mare could still see the bat mare’s blushing cheeks.

“That was a fluke!” She protested. Her blush intensified. “I accidentally fell asleep on his bed.”

“Why were you on there to begin with?” She asked.

“He was telling me about his family.”

“Oh really? What did he say?” Midnight sighed and started telling the alicorn Princess about Lance’s first sibling. Cadence put a hoof to her mouth in shock. Even Shining gulped and felt a tear form in his eye. He looked down at the white stallion who was on the look out for guards. “Oh my Celestia.” Cadence said as she wiped a tear away.

“Yeah, so thats why I was in his bed.”

“Pity sex?”

“No!” Midnight yelled. “I was just comforting him. The poor guy just relived probably the most traumatic experience in his life.” She said with a blush. “For the record, I’m not the type of mare to give something like that away so easily.” Midnight crossed her hooves and glared at the young Princess.

“Sorry, I just assumed that thats what happened.” Cadence said with a guilty smile. “So you’re a virgin then?” Midnight rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, not sure why that matters. I’m not exactly the best looking mare out there.”

“Not true. I think you’re very pretty.” Midnight rolled her eyes as she wiped the crumbling mud off her face. “Lance does too.” Hearing his name, the stallion tried to listen as best he could to the conversation. Midnight’s face was bright red.

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.” The bat mare blushed harder.

“Hun, I’m the Princess of love for a reason. I can tell these things from a mile away and Lance is definitely interested in you.” The white stallion’s face was turning bright red.

“R-really?” Midnight asked as her blush increased.

“Oh yeah. Now the real question is, do you like him back?” Midnight’s eyes shrank to the size of pin tips and was looking for a way to stone wall the pink mare. Cadence’s gaze were like laser beams locked onto its target. Midnight hung her head and sighed.

“Y-Yeah I guess.” Lance tried to listen but was spooked by a nearby acorn falling off a tree and making a loud snapping sound as it broke.The white stallion jumped at the noise and his concentration snapped. The next thing he felt was the blue maned guard falling on top of him and pushing him into the rose bushes they side stepped in order to get to the side of the house. Midnight’s ears twitched as she heard a muffled cry of pain and she rapidly flew over to the window. “Who’s out there?” She bellowed. The next thing she saw was a hooded pony scampering over the fence.

Shining and Lance had made it over the property line. The two ducked behind a building and panted heavily.

“Whew.” Shining said as he wiped the sweat he had accumulated on his forehead. “See, told you we’d be fine.” Lance’s eyes shrank as he saw a light pink aura wrap around his tail and back hooves. The aura started to drag him back towards the house.

“Nice knowing you Shining!” Lance said as his friend started to be dragged away.

“Good luck my friend! May we meet again in the next world!” He yelled as he was dragged back inside the property. Lance was filled with fright and activated his invisibility spell.

He stopped moving and ducked int an alleyway as he saw a familiar bat winged shadow pass overhead. He froze against a wall as Midnight landed and started to look around the alleyway. Lance dared not move as the bat mare trotted close to his position. She thought she saw a shimmer and stared at the empty space. Lance was screaming so loudly in his head that he thought that she might be able to hear.

Luckily a flower pot in the adjacent alley broke. The mare’s ears twitched and she took flight towards the sound. Lance waited until the mare was gone before exhaling his held breath and raced back to his room. The stallion dared not take down his invisibility, for fear the spliced sapphire eyes of death would catch him. The stallion stormed into his room and sighed.

“Yes!” He said as he took down his disguised. “Made it!”

“Where were you?” The stallion’s ears flopped down and he felt ice form in his veins. He slowly turned his head to see Midnight silently closing the door. The mare slowly walked towards him and cracked her neck. The stallion panicked and activated his invisibility as his telekinesis hit the lights. The mare frowned and slammed her hoof in his gut. The illusion flickered and the stallion clutched his gut as he fell to the floor.

“H-how did you know?”

“Oh little Lancey.” She said in a tone a mother would use if she was joking with her child. The mare put her hoof on the downed stallion’s throat. “Did I forget to mention that Bat ponies not only have perfect night vision, but eyes that cut through low level illusion spells?” Her words were like barbs dipped in honey. Before he could scream the mare bound his hooves with the blue maned stallion’s bed sheets and put a gag over his muzzle. The mare pulled out a small pink crystal and smashed it on the floor.

A pink seal formed and the bat mare slid the frightened stallion over it with herself on it. A flash of pink light enveloped the two. Lance opened his eyes to see a fluffy pink room and an equally frightened Shining Armor tied up and gagged in the corner. “Caught the little sneak back at the room.” Midnight said as Cadence walked over to them.

“Nice.” She said as she high hoofed the bat mare. Lance looked at Armor who was shaking in his restraints.

“I could have caught him when I saw him in the alleyway, but then I would have missed out on him running like a scared little filly.” She laughed.

“I would have done the same thing.” Cadence chuckled. The two stallions then felt themselves wrapped in a light pink aura and were pulled in front of the mares. “Now about you two.” The stallions gulped. “What were you two doing out there?” The two stallions tried to speak but their cries were muffled by the gags. Cadence rolled her eyes and removed the gags.

“It was his idea!” Lance said as he looked at Shining.

“Traitor!”

“Hey this is life or death man. I choose life.”

“Enough!” Cadence yelled. The two had heard of the rumored Royal Canterlot Voice from some of the older guards. The force was powerful enough to knock them on their backs. “Now there are two things we can do.” Cadence grinned. “We can either call the guards and have you two arrested for trespassing.” The stallions gulped. “Or we keep quiet about this in exchange for your services. What do you think Midnight?” The bat mare looked at the squirming stallions.

“I think both.”

“Both?”

“Both is good.” The stallions were about to scream, but felt the gags wrap around their faces. A few minutes later two guards showed up and teleported them into a jail cell. Their ties were removed and they saw a bunk bed. Lance looked at Shining who had a guilty grin on his face.

“You just had to find out what they were saying huh?” Lance yelled.

“Oh man, my dad is gonna kill me.”

“You think you have it bad? Just wait till Bronze gets a hold of me.” He said as he shivered. The two took their beds and laid down to rest. The two awoke to the sound of one of the guards banging on their cell bars.

“Get up. Your bail’s been paid.” He said in a stagnant tone.

“By who?”

“Does it matter?” The two Unicorns shrugged and made their way out of the police station.

“You know, I thought prison was gonna be way worse.” Lance said.

“How so?” Shining said in a surprised tone.

“Those guys in there were nice. They said I was handsome.” Lance grinned.

“Yeah we’re gonna talk about why that's a bad thing as soon as we get back to-” The two stallions froze as they saw the familiar mares. “Oh crap.”

“Hey boys. Have a good time in the slammer?” Midnight cooed.

“Ha-ha Midnight.” Lance said. “Oh great Cadence is here too.” He said in a sarcastic tone.

“You didn’t think you two were getting off the hook that easily did you?” Cadence said as she poked Shining in the chest. The two confused stallions looked at one another and looked back at the mares

“Um, yeah.” Lance said. Midnight then let an evil grin spread across her face.

“We just needed some time to think up your real punishment.”

“R-real Punishment?” Shining said as a bead of sweat formed across his forehead.

“Makeover time!” The two yelled.

“Shining, I’m scared.” Lance said as the two stallions hugged one another.

“Me too Lance. Me too.” He said as the two were wrapped in a familiar pink light. The two opened their eyes to see that they were back in Cadence’s room. The pink mare smiled and walked over to the two.

“I’ll have you know that we’ve managed to keep this incident quiet.”

“For now.” Midnight said with a smile.

“We’ll keep our mouths shut about it and drop the charges if you two agree to be our personal slaves for the rest of the day.” Cadence giggled.

“What if we refuse?” Shining said.

“Then I tell Celestia and you two get a one way trip to the moon.” The two stallions gulped and looked at one another in fear.

“Deal.” They both said.

“Nice to see that you’re not completely brainless.” Midnight said as she tossed some fabric on his face. The two stallions looked at the odd fabric and their faces turned red. The black fabric had white lace on the edges and was frilly.

“Whats with the maid outfit?” Lance asked.

“Those will be your uniforms during your servitude.” Cadence chimed. The two stared at the mares with fury in their eyes. The pink Alicorn summoned a piece of parchment and a quill. “Dear Princess Celestia, you’ll never guess who paid us a visit last night-”

“Okay, okay.” Shining said with a sigh. A few minutes later the two white stallions were in the maid outfits.

“That’s a good look for you.” Midnight teased.

“Ha-ha Midnight.” Lance groaned. “Enjoy this while you-” He was cut off as the mare pulled out a water pistol and sprayed him.

“I don’t remember telling you to be sarcastic.” She said with a frown. “For the remainder of the day you are to address Cadence and I as ma’am or mistress. Is that understood?”

“Yes, Mid....Ma’am.” Lance said.

“Good.” Midnight said with a smirk. “I’m thinking of a nice hooficure. Cadence?”

“Read my mind.” Cadence grinned. The two stallions gulped and followed the mares down to a room that was made of glass and the snow could be see falling outside. Cadence levitated two hoof files over to the stallions who sighed. “C’mon boys, you know the drill.” The two sighed and started to file their hooves. Cadence and the bat mare clinked their glasses together.

“This is the life.” Midnight said in a relaxed tone.

“You can say that again.” Cadence said.

“Cadence!” Shining whined. “C’mon this is embarrassing.”

“Oh quite being a baby.” The red maned stallion kept his mouth shut.

“Lance don’t tell me you’re actually enjoying this.” Shining said.

“I grew up with four younger sisters. This has not been the first time I’ve been forced to play dress up.” He said in a flat tone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rarity was stifling her laughter as Cadence chuckled. The two stallions hung their heads in shame. The two guards ordered some drinks and the four started to chat. A few hours passed and the friends parted ways. Rarity was a bit tipsy and Lance was having trouble handling the drunk Unicorn mare.

“C’mon Rarity, your house is this way.” He said with a sigh.

“I...I know where I’m going.” The mare said as she started walking in the opposite direction. Lance rolled his eyes and levitated the drunk mare onto his back. “Wha? The ground is moving and when did snow make it white?” Lance kept silent as he made his way into the boutique and put the mare in her room.

After tucking her in the stallion washed up and laid down in his bed. Hoping that sleep would claim him.

Chapter 13: Speech

Chapter 13

Speech

The white stallion opened his eyes to see Celestia’s sun breaking through the window. Lance got to his hooves and yawned. The stallion smelt something cooking and made his way down stairs to see the white Unicorn mare at the stove. Sweetie was munching on a piece of toast and smiled at the stallion.

“Hey Lance.” She chimed.

“Morning Sweetie.” He smiled. “You too Rarity.”

“Morning darling.” Rarity chimed as she served him and herself a plate of fresh eggs.

“How’s your head?” He asked as he sipped his coffee.

“Much better. I guess I had a bit too much to drink last night.”

“You know you shouldn’t drink too much sis.” Sweetie teased. Rarity pouted. The three Unicorns were then interrupted as a familiar red Phoenix swooped in and perched itself on Lance’s head. “What’s that?” Sweetie asked as she pointed at the bird.

“This is Philomena. She’s Princess Celestia’s pet phoenix and acts as my personal messenger from time to time.” Lance said as the bird got off him and cawed. “What is it girl?” The Phoenix opened it’s beak and a red flame escaped her mouth. The flame swirled and turned into a scroll.

Lance levitated it in front of himself and unrolled it. His green yes went over the parchment and he groaned. “Tell her I’ll be there.” The stallion then summoned an orange and tossed it towards the bird. Philomena caught the fruit in her beak and flew out the window that she came in.

“What was that about?” Rarity asked.

“Celestia needs me in Canterlot for the day.” He grumbled.

“Are you gonna stay there?” Sweetie asked.

“No, I just have to give a speech to some new recruits. The guard always has some officer do it every year and since Armor is busy I’m the next choice.” He said as he stood up and he summoned his saddle bags. “I should be back by tomorrow at the latest.”

“Have fun and I’ll tell the girls that you’ll be away.” Rarity smiled.

“Thanks Rarity.” The stallion trotted towards the door. “See you all later.” He said with a wave. The stallion trotted out of the boutique and into the busy town. As he neared the train station Lance spied a familiar lavender mare and purple scaled dragon.

“Hey Twilight.” The mare turned around and saw the white stallion.

“Oh hello Lance. What are you doing here?” The mare asked as she looked at his saddle bags.

“I got a message from Celestia and I have to give a speech to the trainees.” The stallion grumbled. The stallion then noticed the mare’s bags. “What about you?”

“Celestia and I are going to have lunch.”

“So a tea party?” He asked as the two picked up their tickets.

“Sort of. We’re going to be talking about my next few lessons.”

“Still a student of hers? I remember the day Shining told me that his little sister became Celestia’s pupil.” He chuckled.

“So you two are tight?” Spike asked.

“Well, we’re close. In terms of actual tightness I can only speak for myself.” Twilight shivered in disgust. “Oh lighten up Sparkle.” The stallion said as he ruffled her mane with his hoof.

“Hey!” Twilight frowned as she straightened her mane again.

“Sorry, force of habit. I always did that to my sisters when they’d get too serious.” The stallion chuckled. The trio took a train booth and sat down across from one another.

“So how did things go with Rarity last night?” As the words left the mare’s lips the baby dragon perked up.

“Things went all right. Up until your brother and Cadence showed up.” He groaned.

“Why?”

“Cadence retold not one our best moments.” He said with a small blush on his face. “Hopefully Rarity will forget that part.” The stallion shivered. Lance leaned his head back and decided to catch a few Z’s.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It had been a month since the two stallions endured Cadence’s punishment and things seemed to get back to abnormal. The white stallion and his two friends were sitting in their room idly chatting with one another. Lance had to admit that things had become...awkward with Midnight. Often times he’d find himself alone with her and the two just held an awkward silence between them, until either Shining or another pony would join in on their conversation.

The ponies stopped when they heard a knock on their door. Lance opened it up to see a tan earth pony stallion with a messenger bag.

“Hello, I’m looking for Splintered Lance.”

“You’re looking at him.” The stallion gave him a letter and Lance threw him a bit. The stallion sat on his bed and opened the letter. His eyes scanned over it and the other ponies saw fright in his eyes and a gulp come from him.

“You okay?” Shining asked.

“Uh....yeah. I just gotta see Bronze about something.” The stallion said as he quickly made his way out of the room.

“What was that about?” Midnight asked. Shining gave a shrug and returned to his reading. Lance hastily made his way towards the General’s office. He gave a hard knock and waited.

“Come in.” A familiar voice said. Lance walked inside and saw the black stallion neck deep in paperwork with an aggravated look on his face. “I tell you boy, when you get to be my age, never get assigned to be an administrative-” The dark stallion then noticed that Lance had a grim look on his face. “What’s wrong?”

The stallion levitated the letter over to the dark stallion. Bronze’s golden eyes ran across the page and the stallion’s eyes shrank. “Lance I’m-” The white stallion held up a hoof.

“Mind if I take two weeks off?”

“Take three. Celestia knows you’ll need it.” The dark stallion pulled out a form and quickly scribbled a few things on a piece of paper. “I’ll send this form in and you can leave this afternoon.” Lance gave a salute.

“Thank you sir.”

“I told you to knock that sir shit off.” Bronze said in a flat tone. Lance made his way towards the door. “Are you okay?”

“No,” He said as he opened the door. “but thanks for asking.” Lance left the office and made his way back to his room. He cracked open the door and saw that Midnight and Shining were out. Probably doing rounds.

Lance grabbed a duffle bag and started packing his things. The white stallion quietly made his way out of his room and towards the train station.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lance stirred as he felt the train pull to a stop. He opened his eyes to see Twilight putting a book away and stretching her hooves in the air. The stallion cracked his neck and yawned. Lance got to his hooves and followed the mare towards the castle. Lance made his way towards the barracks and waved back towards Twilight who continued onward towards the main castle.

“So what happened between him and Rarity?” Spike asked as he looked at the mare. Twilight gulped as she tried to think of how to word it. The mare knew about the tiny drake’s crush on the dress maker and nervously scratched her chin.

“Rarity thought that it would be a good idea to take Lance out for dinner as a thank you for all he’s done since he arrived in Ponyville.”

“Just what has he done?” He said as he folded his arms.

“Spike!” The mare said as she glared at the dragon. “Lance saved the entire town from an Ursa Major and Rarity from a manticore. He deserved a little thank you.” The mare narrowed her eyes at the drake who sighed.

“Whatever.” He said as the two made their way into the main hall. Twilight smiled as she saw her mentor sitting on her throne with a long scroll in front of her.

“Twilight Sparkle, my prize pupil.” She said with a smile. Twilight quickly made her way up to the Alicorn and smiled. “A pleasure to see you as well Spike.” The dragon gave a small nod. Celestia raised an eyebrow and looked at Twilight who shook her head. “Let me just finish these last few reports up and then we’ll get to it.”

“Not a problem Princess.” Twilight smiled and waited for the Princess to finish the last few pages. The Alicorn sighed and quickly sat up and cracked her neck.

“The downsides of being a Princess.” She chuckled. “Now let’s get out of here and find a more relaxing place to chat.” The Alicorn smiled and led the two visitors out of the main hall. Twilight perked up when she saw a dark Unicorn stallion with a faded yellow mane. The stallion had a few wrinkles and looked like he was in his mid to late forties. Beside him was a white guard in gold plated armor.

“Ah General, how did the meeting go?” Celestia asked.

“Bout as well as you might expect.” He sighed. The stallion looked at Twilight and smiled. “This must be Twilight Sparkle.”

“That’s right.” Celestia said with a grin. “Twilight, this is General Bronze Star.” Twilight’s eyes shrank as she recognized the name.

“It’s an honor to meet you sir.” Twilight said with a small bow. The dark stallion face hoofed.

“Ugh, I hate that sir crap. Just call me Bronze.” The stallion then tapped him on the shoulder.

“General, the Colonel will be speaking any moment.” The General gave a nod and looked back at the Princess.

“Sorry your highness, duty calls.” Twilight perked up.

“Colonel? You mean Lance?” Bronze froze and looked back at the lavender mare.

“How do you know him?”

“He’s been stationed in Ponyville for a little over a month now.” Bronze bit his lip and slowly casted a dark glance at the Princess.

“Interesting. Well, if either of you want to watch, its free and let me tell you that his speeches are.....entertaining to say the least.” The dark stallion turned and continued down the hall.

“Lance mentioned that he’d give a speech.” Twilight said as she thought.

“Do you wish to watch?” Celestia asked.

“Sure.” Twilight said as they went after the dark stallion. The trio found themselves over looking the courtyard and a few rows of ponies standing in line. Each had the word ‘Trainee’ on their uniforms.

“Twiley!” The lavender mare looked to her right to see her older brother trotting over to her.

“Hey Shining. Here to watch Lance?”

“Yup, this year he drew the short straw.” He chuckled. The group quieted down and saw Lance coming out with a normal gold armor set on. Twilight raised an eyebrow at the normalcy of the attire.

“Cadets Attention!” The drill instructor yelled. The ponies all became rigid as statues. Twilight then noticed a table with four picture frames on it.

“You all wanna know how big my balls are? My balls are bigger than two of your heads duck taped together.” Lance walked in front of the first row with a stern look on his face. “I have been in the middle of shit that would make you all piss yourselves right now. Equestria, Griffonia, Shadow lands. But you don’t see any medals on my chest ass holes. Cause I ain’t no hero, I’m a soldier.” The group all gulped.

“We’re not in the business of making heroes, we’re in the business of discovering cowards and that’s what you are if you can’t take the heat. There ain’t no room for cowards in the Canterlot Royal Guard.” A brown Pegasus stallion looked back at the stallion behind him and chuckled. When he turned around he saw the emerald eyes of death glaring at him.

“What are you laughing at hot shot?” The Pegasus felt his blood run cold. “Huh? What’s so Celestia-damn funny?”

“I-”

“Shut up!” The officer bellowed. “Speak when spoken to.” The stallion shut his mouth and stood still. “You whelps better pray that you never get put under my command because I have seen it all.”

Lance walked up to the table and stood next to the framed photos. “I knew sixty guards that gave their lives in the Changeling attack.” The stallion cracked the vertebrae in his neck. “Sixty. Four of them, were part of my old squad.” He pointed to the first picture. A bright red unicorn mare with a purple mane. “Comet Shooter. Found her almost whole.”

The next was light green Unicorn with a bright yellow mane and tail. “Ivy Wintergreen. Found her almost whole, hugging a civilian foal.” The third picture was of a teal Pegasus mare with a dark blue mane. “Misty Breeze. Found her head.”

The group all held their heads low. The final picture had a grey Pegasus stallion with an electric blue mane. “Sky Shooter. Wanna know what I found of him? What I was able to bring back to his wife and parents?” The group was on edge hoping for something. “A feather. That’s all. A feather.”

The recruits felt their heart sink and Twilight felt a tear form in her eyes. “These four were better ponies and guards then any of you will ever be! Their names are forever engraved in greatness and now the guard has you. The fresh meat.” Lance said as he bit his lip. “It brings me to shame to see that you all are going to try to replace them. So if you think that you can then prove it! Work hard and maybe, just maybe you’ll be half of what these ponies were.” Lance stepped down from the stand.

“Say thank you recruits!”

“Thank you Colonel Splintered Lance.” The white stallion rolled his eyes and continued to make his way towards the exit. The lavender mare gulped and looked at the guard Captain who had a grim look on his face.

“D-did all that stuff really happen?” Twilight asked.

“Afraid so.” The white stallion sighed. “Lance told me after you all had left to go back to Ponyville.” Shining hung his head. “I went through the academy with a lot of those guys.” Twilight put a hoof on her brother’s shoulder.

“It wasn’t your fault. You couldn’t have known what would happen.”

“No pony saw it coming.” Celestia said.

“Trust me son,” The ponies looked to see the dark stallion walking up to them. “in all my years in the guard, I’ve never seen anything like what happened.” The stallion sighed. “Believe me missy,” Bronze said as he looked at the mare. “no pony knows that better than Lance.”

“Sounds like you know him well.” Twilight said.

“I should. I taught him everything he knows.” Twilight looked at the stallion in shock. “Now if you need me, I’ll return to my paper work.” He grumbled. “See you later Armor.”

“Sir.” Shining said with a salute.

“I told you I hate that sir crap!” He said as he walked away from the group.

“Sorry Twiley, but I gotta go.” Shining said before he teleported away from her. Twilight looked up at her mentor and felt a silence come between them before celestia smiled.

“Well, now that that’s out of the way, how about that tea?”

“I’d love some.” Twilight then accompanied her mentor back towards the main part of the castle.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shining and Midnight made their way down the marble hallway leading towards Bronze’s office. When they had gotten back from their shift they found that their roommate’s stuff was gone and he was nowhere on the base. It had been three days since then and after asking the sarge countless times they decided to go straight for the throat. Shining gave a hard knock on the door and the two waited.

“I’ll be just a minute.” Midnight snarled and opted for the direct approach. She kicked the door down and looked to see the dark stallion with a blank look on his face. “Okay.” He rolled his eyes and folded his hooves over one another. “So how can I help you two today?” He asked in a cheery tone.

“Sir, we’re wondering where Lance is.” Shining said as he fixed the door with his magic.

“We came back from our rounds and the idiot is nowhere to be found? The LT said he was last seen with you.” The bat mare said as she glared at the stallion. Bronze blinked twice in surprise at the words.

“You mean he didn’t tell you?”

“Tell us what?” The dark stallion sighed and sat back.

“Lance received a letter the other day from his mother. His father passed away.” Both ponies felt their blood run cold. “The stallion had a heart attack and he didn’t make it. Lance is down with his family for the funeral and a bit after to make sure his family will manage.”

“Holy Celestia.” Shining said with a sigh. “Is he okay?”

“Bout as well as you might think.” Shining bit his lip. “I gave him three weeks leave, hopefully he comes back.”

“What are you talking about?” Midnight asked.

“I’ve seen this before. Father dies, so the pony leaves for the funeral. Ends up staying to help the family. Doesn’t come back.”

“Couldn’t he get in trouble for that?” Shining asked.

“Oh yeah. Big time.” Bronze said. “If he ain’t back here in three weeks then I’ll be forced to tell Celestia and he’ll be arrested for desertion.” The privates looked at him in shock. “Hey I don’t want to do it anymore than you do. He’s a good stallion and a hell of a guard and I’d hate to lock him up.”

The two looked at one another and sighed. Midnight bit her lip and looked at the stallion.

“What if someone makes sure he comes back?” The two stallions looked at her in confusion. “Look, if he doesn’t want to come back then you’re gonna have to send somepony down there anyway.” Shining had a smug grin on his face.

“Look, we don’t want him to leave,” The bat mare said as she pointed to herself and Shining. “and you don’t want him gone. So what if you send somepony-”

“And when she say’s somepony she means-” The mare discretely slugged him in the ribs. Midnight gave him the ‘talk and I’ll kill you' look. Bronze bit his lip and shrugged.

“Makes sense. But who to send?” He said in an innocent tone. “I’ve taught Lance a lot of things. He knows how to get out of a bad situation if he feels threatened. We need to send somepony he trusts and knows him.”

“Sorry, I’ve got officer training coming up.” He said as he glanced at Midnight.

“Right, I think Lance was thrown in that too. So that leaves you.” He said as he looked at the bat mare. Midnight felt her face blush.

“Me?”

“Well, he has been your roommate for over two years. Granted I’ve also seen you kick his ass.” The group chuckled. Midnight was hiding behind her white mane. “Well, if you won’t go then I’ll send-”

“No, I’ll go, but how are we going to explain it?”

“The brass owes me a few favors.” He grinned. “Go pack your stuff. I’ll find the address.”

“Thanks Bronze.” She said with a salute. The bat mare quickly ran out the door.

“See? She gets it.” Bronze said as he sat back in his chair. “She likes him doesn’t she?”

“Oh yeah.” Shining grinned. A little while later the bat mare took her armor and a saddle bag before boarding the train to Missourneigh. The mare looked out the window and gazed at the changing scenery before nodding off to sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Twilight and Spike sat across from Celestia and the three started to chat about recent events.

“So Twilight, how has Lance been doing in Ponyville?” She asked with a smile.

“Well, he’s done a very good job.” Twilight said with a smile. “He saved one of our local spa owners from her crazy ex and the Ursa incident.” She then scratched her chin. “His methods are a bit...extreme to say the least, but he means well.” The two then saw the door opened to reveal the yellow maned General.

“Afternoon Princess.” He said with a nod. “You too Ms. Sparkle.”

“Hello general.” Twilight said with a smile.

“Please call me Bronze.” He said as he walked over to them.

“We were just talking about Lance.” Celestia said.

“I figured. That’s why I’m here.” The general sat down and sighed. “What in the name of the moon were you thinking sending him to some back water town to play babysitter?” He said in a rough tone. Twilight was taken back by the stallion’s words. “If he stays there then all that anxiety is going to collect and explode!”

“Why do you think I sent him there? I sent him to heal.” Celestia said.

“Come now Tia, do you honestly think that sending him to a quiet peaceful town is going to make him feel any better?” He said as he looked at Twilight. “No offense to Ms. Sparkle, but sending him to play bodyguard is possibly the worst idea ever, of all time.” Celestia frowned. “We both know what he’s capable of or have you forgotten when he came back from-” He stopped when he remembered Twilight was in the room.

“You mean when he went AWOL.” The two looked at the scholar in surprise. “Lance told us that he went against orders to rescue some hostages that were taken by the Changelings during the attack.”

“Yes, he did.” Celestia stated.

“Why didn’t you send anypony to go get him?” Twilight asked. Bronze sighed and bit his lip.

“During his escape he grabbed a few ‘sensitive documents’ and held them for ransom.”

“He blackmailed you?” Spike said in shock.

“I taught him too well.” Bronze said with a shrug. “But upon his return he gave them back and he didn’t tell anypony anything.”

“How can you be sure?” Twilight asked. Bronze leaned in with a blank look on his face.

“If he had then we’d be neck deep in a war with the Griffins.” Twilight gulped at the words. “Sorry Princess, but I’ve still got mountains of paperwork to sift through.” The stallion groaned. As the dark stallion left Celestia looked at her still stunned student.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Midnight awoke as the train came to a stop and yawned. She looked out the window to see a small town with a lot of open land around them. As she stepped off the platform she immediately felt eyes on her. She ignored them and made her way through the small town. Her spliced eyes winced in the sunlight and she made her way into the a saloon.

The bat mare made her way through the swinging doors and the entire room was filled with ponies chatting with one another. They all fell silent as they saw Midnight enter and approach the bar. Some looked at her in fear and others in shock. She sat herself on the stool and got the bartender’s attention.

“Hey barkeep.” She said as the stallion grunted. “Got a question for ya.”

“Why should I answer it?” He asked.

“Cause if you don’t then I’ll jam you into that glass you’re pretending to clean.” She said in a rough tone. The stallion put the glass down and glared into her unwavering eyes.

“You got some nerve. You come into my bar and demand information?” He chuckled as a few stallion’s stood up and got behind the mare. “I think you need to learn some manners.” One of the stallion’s charged and the bat mare’s ears twitched. Midnight dodged the blow and grabbed the stallion’s mane and smashed his head into the bar before kicking him back.

The other one was bigger and looked a lot stronger. Midnight dodged his blow and delivered a powerful punch to the stallion’s snout. She then wrapped her tail around his back hoof and pulled his leg out from under him. The third managed to get the bat mare in a headlock and started to apply pressure. The bat mare slammed her back hoof into the stallion’s gut and he grunted in pain, but still held onto her.

Leaving no other option Midnight opened her mouth and bit down hard on the stallion’s arm. She tasted blood in her mouth and heard the stallion scream in pain as he let go. Midnight grabbed his hoof and flipped him over her back and into a nearby table. As a few other stallion’s get up she takes out a gem that looked like a spliced eye. She pressed it on her chest and bits of purple armor sprouted out and ensnared her body.

“I am Private Midnight Star of the Equestrian Royal Guard.” The crowd gulped. “If you all want to go to prison you’re welcome to take another swing.” She said in a menacing tone. The bartender gulped and the other stallions sat back down. “Now I’ve got a question for all you dumb hicks and I’m only gonna say it once!” The mare’s eyes scanned the crowd. “I’m looking for Splintered Lance, white Unicorn stallion, red-”

“We know him.” The bartender said. “They’re pa passed away a few days ago. Good stallion.”

“I’m well aware.” She sighed. “Now where is their farm?” The bartender fell silent. Midnight rolled her eyes and rolled her eyes. “We can do this the easy way,” The mare raised her right armored hoof and two large claws came out of the armor and a few sparks arced between the claws. “or the hard way.” The bartender sighed and pointed towards the door.

“Make a right, end of the road you’ll see the sign. Can’t miss it.” Midnight nodded and stepped over the knocked out stallions.

“Sorry about the mess.” She said as she pressed the jewel and the armor retracted back into the gem. The bat mare cracked her neck and took flight. The mare felt the warm air blow her white mane as her eyes scanned the area. She found the sign and a long dirt road stretching up to a barn house surrounded by orange trees.

The mare touched down and walked up the wooden porch and knocked on the screen door. The door opened to show a green mare. “Florida right?”

“Y-yeah, Midnight Star right?” Midnight nodded. “Um what are you doing here?”

“Looking for Lance.” She said in a blank tone. Corset then came from the kitchen and looked at Midnight. A look of worry came over her face.

“Please, he said that he had weeks and-”

“I’m not here to take Lance back,” The two let out a sigh of relief. “yet. He still has two weeks and I need him back then.” The two mare’s raised an eyebrow at the words. Midnight blushed when she realized what she said. “The guard needs him back or he could face serious charges.” The two gulped. “I’m just here to accompany him or drag him back.”

“I see.” Corset said. “He’s out in the South field. Been working non-stop since the funeral.” She sighed.

“I heard. I’m sorry for your loss.” Midnight said with a sigh. “I’m not just here to take Lance back when his time is up. I’m here to make sure he’s doing okay.” The bat mare stated.

“How are you going to drag him back?” Florida asked. “I’m not doubting your abilities of a guard. I’m just saying that Lance is strong.” The group heard the door that lead out back open and hoof steps against the tile floor. Midnight put a hoof to her lips and walked out of the doorway and hid on the outside of the house.

The white stallion walked into the room and saw his mother and sister.

“Who’s at the-” The door burst open and a grey and white blur tackled the stallion with a rope. After a quick scuffle, the bat mare came out on top and had successfully hogtied the stallion, taped his mouth shut and put an anti magic ring on his horn. Florida was on the ground in laughter and was holding her sides. Even Corset gave a giggle.

“That answer your question?” Midnight said as the stallion muffled something.

“Oh this is too perfect!” Florida laughed. “You just got your flank kicked by a mare!” Midnight trotted over to Lance and ripped the tape off him.

“Ow!” Lance said as he licked his lips. “What in the name of Celestia are you doing here Midnight?” He asked as he glared at the bat mare.

“What I can’t drop by and say hi?” She said in a sweet tone.

“I hate you.”

“No you don’t.”

“Mind getting me out of this?”

“Wait a second.” Florida said as she grabbed a camera and took a few pictures of her tied up brother. “Just for when you get smart with me again, I’ll have something to use.” She giggled. Lance growled at his sister as Midnight took the ring off his horn and undid the rope. Lance rubbed his wrists and cracked his neck.

“You’re a peach Flori.” He then turned his attention to the bat mare. The other two mares quickly made themselves scarce. “Now why are you really here Midnight?” Midnight let her ears flop down.

“I-I heard about your dad.” Lance sighed. “Sorry to hear, he seemed like a cool guy.”

“Yeah well, what’s done is done. He went peacefully.” The white stallion said with a shrug. “Just staying so that my family has something to live off of for a while.” The stallion said as he looked at the mare. Corset then poked her head out of the kitchen doorway.

“Will you be staying for dinner Midnight?”

“Nah I’m sure I could grab something in to-” The bat mare then remembered the group of stallions she beat up. “I don’t want o be a burden and-”

“Oh hush now. It’s no trouble at all. Any friend of Lance’s is welcome here.” Midnight smiled at the warm words.

“Thanks. Let me just wash up first.” The bat mare then looked at Lance. “Wheres the bathroom?”

“Upstairs end of the hall.” He said as he pointed towards the staircase leading to the upper level. Midnight nodded and made her way down the hall. Lance took a seat at the dinner table and saw Pomegranate walk through the door. “Hey sis, what’s up?”

“You didn’t hear? Some crazy pony came into town and beat up the three stallions that work on the railroad.”

“Crazy pony?” Lance said as he squinted and thought for a moment. “Did they say who it was?”

“Nope, but they said it was some weird monster.”

“Would it look like a bat?” The red mare’s eyes shrank.

“Yeah! Thats what Whiskey said.” Lance face hoofed and sighed. “How’d you know?”

“Call it a hunch.” He said as Midnight trotted into the room. The red mare squeaked in surprise and put the pieces together. “Nighty, did you cream three stallions on your way over here?” The mare blushed in embarrassment and sat down next to him.

“Maybe.” The stallion groaned. “Hey, they started it. All I wanted was to find out where this place was and I asked nicely.”

“Wouldn’t it have made more sense to spot this place from a cloud?” Lance suggested. Midnight opened her mouth but found no argument and crossed her front hooves. The group sat down to eat and started to chat with one another. Midnight grinned and told them about when she and Cadence caught them outside her home. Lance put his front hooves over his head as the group roared in laughter. After dinner had ended Lance made his way up to his room and sighed.

He looked up at the ceiling and started to doze off when he heard a knock on his door. The stallion used his magic to open it and he saw the bat mare with a cot and a pillow. “Need something Midnight?”

“Just getting ready to go to bed.”

“Why in here?” Lance asked.

“I’m pretty sure that I’d give your sister’s a heart attack if they saw a bat pony sleeping in their room if they woke up in the middle of the night.” She said as she put the cot down and threw the pillow on top before crashing. “Goodnight.”

“Night.” The stallion said as he turned off the light with his magic. A n hour later the stallion stirred and looked around the room. A soft snore got his attention. The stallion looked down and his mind froze. Midnight was happily using his chest for a pillow and had her wing wrapped over him along with her hooves. At first the stallion wanted to nudge her awake, but then remembered what happened the last time he woke up the bat mare in the middle of the night. He still had the scars.

Lance sighed and felt the mare snuggle closer so her muzzle was close to his chest. Lance hesitantly put a hoof around her and fell asleep as he heard the bat mare’s steady breaths.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Twilight trotted towards the train station and saw the familiar white Unicorn waiting for the next train.

“Hey Twilight.” Lance said with a nod. “How did the tea party go?”

“Good.” She said with a gulp.

“Nice to hear that you don’t think I’m so bad after all.” Twilight and Spike looked at him in surprise. “I suppose you’re both wondering how I know?” The two gave him a nod. The stallion put his hoof in Twilight’s mane and started to dig around.

“Hey!” Twilight said in an annoyed tone.

“Hold still I’ve almost got it.” He said as he continued digging. “Gotcha!” He said as he withdrew his hoof and pulled out a small gem.

“What’s that?” Spike asked.

“It’s a bug.”

“Then kill it!” Twilight said as she cringed back. Lance face hoofed.

“Not that type of bug purple smart.” Twilight’s face flushed at the nick name. “The kind you use to listen in on ponies. When you told me that you were meeting with Celestia I figured that I’d be brought up eventually.” He shrugged as he made the gem vanish.

“You bugged me?” She yelled. Lance rolled his eyes as the train pulled into station.

“Oh calm down. Anything that doesn’t concern me I don’t care about. I know that sounds bad, but its how I do things. I’m sure that Bronze knew anyway. He could see something like this coming from a mile away.”

“What did you hear?” Twilight asked.

“Only the stuff you, the Princess and Bronze talked about over lunch.” Twilight let out a sigh of relief. “Why?”

“I just wanted to make sure you weren’t listening in on anything else.” She said as she scoffed boarded the train. Lance followed behind her and sighed.

“Look I’m sorry okay. What do you want from me?” He sighed. Twilight raised an eyebrow and looked at the stallion.

“Why did you go so far to get back some hostages?” Lance looked at her in surprise. “I know that it’s your job to do stuff like that, but to go against Shining who’s your best friend? To go that far means that the pony was very important.” Lance bit his lip and let the silence bake between them for Celestia knows how long. It seemed like an eternity before Lance got up and broke the silence.

“If your wife was taken by Changelings wouldn’t you do everything in your power to get her back?” Twilight’s blank expression faltered and looked at the stallion. To the untrained eye, Lance’s expression would just be like normal, but for someone who’s seen him every day for weeks, Twilight could see that for the first time Lance was hurting inside.

“Lance I didn’t-”

“No, you didn’t.” The stallion said as he went to find another seat. Twilight sighed and hung her head in shame. She rested her head against the window and let the rocking train car lull her to sleep.

Author's Note

SO SORRY this took so long.

Chapter 1: Overwatch

Changing of the Guard

Chapter 1

Overwatch

Shinning Armor made his way through the large castle until he reached the Princess’s meeting chamber. He looked to his left to see his wife giving him a reassuring smile. The guard captain let out a long sigh and opened the doors to see Princess Celestia and Princess Luna sitting behind their desks covered in a mountain of paperwork.

“Captain Armor reporting for duty ma’am.” He said as he saluted the mares. Celestia looked up at them and waved them inside. She set her quill down and pulled out a red file from her drawer.

“Hello Shinning Armor. How is he doing?” Celestia asked as she signed another form.

“Average.”

“I see. Is he making progress?” Luna asked.

“Very little, I think the doctors have done all they can for him.” He said in a low tone. “Which is why I want to assign him a mission!” The white Alicorn looked at the stallion in confusion.

“What? After what he’s been through the last thing he needs is another mission.” She said in a stern tone.

“Just hear me out, I want to assign him ‘Overwatch.’” He said in a strong tone. Celestia’s mind began to race as she tried to remember the operation. Her eyes shrank as she made the connections.

“Oh, I see. Are you sure about that? We don’t now how he’ll react being out in the world unsupervised.”

“He won’t be unsupervised!” Cadence interjected. “The doctors here have tried their best, we have to focus more on the emotional wounds and being stuck in a hospital bed surrounded by guards is a poor atmosphere to heal in.” She said in a concerned tone.

“He’s been wanting a mission for some time now and I want to help him.” Shinning said as he took a step forward.

“He is our best soldier.” Luna interjected.

“May I speak freely?” The two Alicorns nodded. “He’s my friend and I want to do everything in my power to help him.” The two royal sisters looked at one another, Celestia bit her lip as she pondered the thought.

“Very well, but should anything happen I will hold you personally responsible.” The white stallion saluted and smiled at them.

“Thank you Princess.” He said as he and the pink Alicorn walked out of the study. As they walked down the hallway Cadence glanced at Shinning Armor who had a nervous look on his face.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m beginning to think that this might be a waste of time.” He said in a low tone.

“You’ve been a guard all your life and I have never seen you doubt yourself. I know you value your friendship with Splinter but-”

“It’s more than that Cadence. Splinter and I went through the academy together and fought together. He’s my best friend and like a brother to me. But when I saw him.....He looked like.....like a completely different stallion.” He said as he held his head in shame. Cadence put a hoof on his shoulder and looked at him.

“I know how you feel, I barely recognized him myself. He’s made good progress these past few months.” She said as she wrapped him in a hug.

“Only on a physical level, he’s still refusing to talk to anypony about the incident.” He said as he broke the embrace and continued to walk through the castle.

“Can you blame him?”

“Of course not, but I’m still worried.” He said as he stopped outside the infirmary. Shinning gave a final breath and walked inside. The room had a sterile feel to it and the doctors were adding to the atmosphere. The two walked to the end of the hallway where two royal guards stood at attention outside of the door. The stallions saluted the Captain as he walked inside. The captains eyes fell upon a white Unicorn stallion with a deep red mane and vibrant green eyes doing push ups on the hospital floor. The stallion quickly got to his hooves and saluted the two.

“Sir!” He said.

“Drop the formalities Splinter.”

“Fine, what’s up Shinning?” He asked as he sat on the bed.

“Today’s your lucky day, I have a mission for you. X-Class.” The stallions face lit up in delight.

“FINALLY! I’ve been going crazy here!” He said as he raised his hooves over his head. “So what am I doing? Recon? Infiltration?”

“No. Guard duty.” Shinning said in a blank tone.

“WHAT?” He yelled at the two ponies.

“This order is coming from Celestia herself. She needs the best for this mission.” He said ina stern tone.

“So who am I guarding? A stuck up council member? If it’s Blue blood then I am OUT!” He said in an irritated tone.

“It’s not Blue blood. It’s somepony far more important than him.”

“Who?”

“My sister.” Shinning said in a stern tone. Splinters right eye twitched at the information. A long silence fell between the ponies.

“You want me to protect your sister?” He said as he raised an eyebrow.

“That’s correct”

“Last time I checked your sister is Princess Celestia’s personal student and the element of magic.” The guard captain nodded. “Why would she need MY protection? She could flay me alive if she wanted too.” He said as he raised his hooves

“I just want to ease you back into missions slowly and Ponyville is a nice quiet town to spend have some R&R.” Shinning said in a kind tone.

“I still don’t see-...Wait a minute! This is about ‘her’ is it?” The captain looked at him with a nervous look in his eye. “I bucking knew it!” He yelled as he stared down the two visitors.

“Look all we want is for you to cope with-”

“I’m fine!”

“No, you’re not!” Cadence interjected. “I’ve heard you screaming in your nightmares and the more you repress them the more damage they’ll cause.” The white stallion was about to protest but found no argument. “I All we want is to help you and the only way to do that is if you LET us help you!” She said as her eyes narrowed on the bedridden stallion. “You can either do that or stay in this hospital room for the next three months.”

“Three months?”

“Yes, those are your choices.” Shinning said as he pulled his wife back. Splinter let out a groan and laid his head back against the pillow.

“When can I leave?” Shinning and Cadence smiled at the stallions answer.

“After the Princess briefs you on the mission.” Splinter nodded and got to his hooves and cracked his neck.

“I’ll get my stuff and meet you in Celestia’s study.” The three ponies walked out of the hospital room. The two guards standing outside gave him a nod as he walked away. Once the group got outside the hospital room the stallion bid farewell to Cadence and made their way towards the barracks. Splinter walked through a set of double doors to see a small room with a neatly made bed, a small kitchenette and a small closet. Splinter walked over to his bag and began packing his things. Shinning looked around the room and found an old photograph of two stallions and mares. Shinning felt the photo being ripped from his hooves and saw it being packed into Splinters bag. Shining let out a sigh and walked over to his friend.

“You still have that thing?”

“Why wouldn’t I still have it?” He said with a grunt.

“You need to let go and-”

“Watch it Shinning, you may be Captain of the Royal Guard but those protocols don’t apply to me!” He said as he pointed his hoof at the stallions chest. Shinning looked at him in astonishment. “Sorry, I’m still getting used being back.”

“How are your injuries?”

“Same as ever.” He said in a flat tone.

“The doctors-”

“I know they tried everything, but not all wounds heal.” He said as he finished packing his bag. Shinning tried to protest but couldn’t find the words. The two stallions made their way out of the barracks and back to the Princess’s study. Shinning and Splinter gave a salute to the royal sisters.

“Good to see you Splintered Lance, I trust that captain Armor has told you of the mission?” Celestia said with a warm smile.

“I am to protect Twilight Sparkle.”

“Yes, and the other elements as well.” Luna added.

“Six Mares? Why send only me?”

“You are the very best we have, unless you have some-pony else in mind.” Celestia said in a cold tone.

“No ma’am.” He said in a flat tone.

“Excellent, your train leaves in an hour.” Celestia said with a warm smile.

“May I ask something your highness?”

“You may.”

“Do they know about-”

“No, your file is confidential. No pony knows about.....the incident.” Celestia said in a flat tone.

“Thank you Princess, I’ll keep you updated.” He said as he saluted the two Alicorns. He and Shinning turned to leave the office, as Splinter exited the room Shinning looked back at the Princess’s with a nervous look in his eye.

“Something wrong Captain?”

“I’m worried, what if he has a relapse and-”

“I’m sure that Twilight can handle him if he gets out of hoof and I will dispatch you and your guards to calm him down.”

“You do remember what happened the last time a guard tried to jump him right?” He said as he raised an eyebrow.

“Yes, I heard that he is getting out of the hospital soon. We should send him some flowers.” Luna said.

“Should he get out of control I will send you to deal with him in a more...direct way.”

“Thank you your highness, I hope that it won’t come to that.” He said as he left the room.

“So do I. Good luck.” Shinning gave them a final salute and left the room to catch up with his friend. Luna looked at her sister with a concerned look in her eye.

“Sister, I must agree with Captain Armor, we’re taking a big risk here.”

“The biggest risks have the best pay off.”

“As well as the most severe failures.” She said in a flat tone. “I’m sorry sister but I think that he belongs in a facility to-”

“He doesn’t need to be locked up. He needs to heal.” Celestia said in a stern tone. “I just hope that he is still able too.”

“What happened to him sister? I haven’t read his file yet.”

“It’s in this mess somewhere.” She said as she let out another grumble.

“We must get a secretary.” Luna said with a groan.

“Theres a form somewhere in here for that.” Celestia said with a weak chuckle.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shinning and Splinter stopped outside of the castle walls and gave him a nod. “Sorry but his is as far as I go.” He said as he let out a sigh. “Good luck.”

“Same to you and thanks, for everything.” He said as he shook the stallions hoof. The captain knocked the hoof away and brought him into a hug. Splinter returned the gesture and let out a sigh. “I gotta get going or I’ll miss my train.” He said as he turned and trotted away from the large castle.

Splinter enjoyed the walk towards the train station, he looked up at the evening sky and let out a sigh. He enjoyed seeing the colors mix with the clouds. He looked ahead to see two stallions harassing a white mare with a flowing purple mane and tail.

“I said no. Now leave me alone!” She yelled as the stallions backed her into a corner.

“What an unsightly little peasant, thinking that she’s equal to us.” The brown Pegasus said with a laugh.

“I think she need to know her place.” The red unicorn said.

“Good idea.” The stallion said as he grinned at the frightened mare.

“There a problem here?” Splinter said as he came up behind the stallions.

“Mind your own business!” The Pegasus bellowed as he raised a hoof to strike the mare. The white stallion caught the hoof and started to twist it violently unti he heard a loud crack causing the pegasus to cry ou in pain. Splinter got in between the ponies and glared back at the stallions. “Who the buck do you think you are?” Splinters horn glowed and a suit of armor appeared around his body, the stallion’s instantly cringed back.

“That’s who the buck I am, now scram before I get angry.” He said as his eyes narrowed. The two stallions quickly made themselves scarce as Splinter made his armor vanish. The white stallion looked back at the mare and helped her to her hooves. “You okay Ms.?”

“Y-yes, thanks to you.” She said with a smile. “What are you doing out here? You don’t seem like a night guard.”

“I was on my way to the train station, I saw those two giving you trouble so naturally I had to intervene.”

“Well, thank you guards man. I was on my way to the train as well. Would you be so kind as to give a mare an escort?” She said as she gave him a pouting face. Splinter rolled his eyes and let out a sigh.

“Lead the way madam.” He said in a low tone. As the two unicorns made their way through the streets the lights on the corner began to turn on and illuminate the cobble stone road.

“Thank you sir. Why were you going to the train station anyway?” She asked as she eyed the stallion.

“I’m getting transferred.”

“Oh really? “Where to?”

“Classified, I’m guarding a VIP and I can’t have their location compromised.” He said in a flat tone.

“Oh I see. Private affairs, I understand.” She said as the two made their way to the train station. “Well, it was nice meeting you sir....I’m sorry but I don’t think I got your name.”

“Splintered Lance. Nice meeting you too Ms....”

“Rarity.” She said as she got into her car. Splinter gave a nod and trotted to the barren caboose and took an empty seat by a window. He looked out to see that Luna’s moon was shinning brightly. He tilted his head back against the seat and drifted off to sleep.

Chapter 14: The Harbinger's Return

Chapter 14

The Harbinger’s Return

Lance woke up in his room with the sun shining on his face. He yawned and looked around to see the interior of the boutique. The stallion got to his hooves and stretched before making his way out of his room and trotted downstairs to see Rarity eating with Sweetie Belle.

“Hey Lance.” The white filly said with a smile.

“Morning.” He smiled back.

“How did things go in Canterlot?” Rarity asked.

“Can’t complain.” He said as he scratched his neck. Sweetie looked at the stallion and saw something odd on his neck. It looked like two puncture holes.

“Lance! What happened to your neck?” Sweetie asked.

“Huh?” Rarity squinted and saw the old scars.

“It looks like something stuck you darling.” Lance walked over to a mirror and looked at his neck and saw the two scars. The stallion quickly hid his glowing red cheeks from the two white Unicorns.

“Oh..um..just an old fight.” He said as he sat back down. Something in the back of his mind was eating away at the stallion. He couldn’t put his hoof on it but it felt important. “Hey Rarity, what’s today’s date?” The fashionista looked at the calendar that was hanging on the far wall.

“Its the thirteenth.” Rarity looked back at the stallion and saw his eyes become cold as ice and sharp as spears. The mare felt a small chill run down her spine. “Is something wrong dear?”

“No, nothing.” He said as he got to his hooves. Rarity raised an eyebrow as she looked at the stallion. The group then saw a pink blur fly by the window.

“Twitchy twitch!” Pinkie yelled as she came back towards the window.

“Pinkie, why in the name of Celestia are you running about like that?” Rarity asked as she looked at her pink friend.

“My eyelid is fluttery and you know what that means!” The Unicorns looked at one another and shrugged as Pinkie sighed. “Its somepony’s birthday today!” She said as she pulled out a quill and pad that had been concealed in her mane somehow. “Is it yours?” Pinkie asked as she looked at Rarity.

“No, mine is still a few months away along with Sweetie’s.” Pinkie crossed off two names on her pad.

“Then the search is on!” Pinkie yelled as she zoomed off. The three Unicorns shrugged and the white mare looked at her sister.

“Sweetie, why don’t you go upstairs and get ready?”

“Okay!” The filly chimed as she trotted upstairs.

“Going somewhere?” Lance asked as he looked at the mare.

“Sweetie, her two friend and myself are going gem hunting.” She said as she walked over to the stallion.”But enough about that. I know that something is bothering you.” Lance looked to see that the fashionista’s eyes were like two sapphire colored blades waiting to cut through any defense he might throw up. “So you might as well tell me.” The stallion sighed as the mare put her hoof on his.

“I’ll tell you later on.” He sighed. “See ya.” The stallion said as he trotted out of the door. Rarity put a hoof to her chin and thought hard.

The white stallion made his way through the small town and let his mind drift off to days gone by.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It had been two weeks since the bat mare arrived in the small country town and it was time for her to ask or drag the white stallion back to the guard. Midnight had given her help with the harvesting and she finally understood how the stallion was in such good shape. Orange bucking was hard work. Midnight walked in to the kitchen to see Corset cleaning up after dinner.

“Oh hello Midnight.” She smiled. “Need something?”

“Looking for Lance. I gotta take him or drag him back tomorrow.” Corset sighed and nodded.

“I understand. He’s probably out in the West field. Past the edge is a large orange tree with rainbow colored oranges. You can’t miss it.” Midnight nodded and galloped out of the home and followed the trails leading to the orchard. The bat mare found a small trail with fresh tracks and followed them. She soon came upon a clearing with a large tree in the middle and saw a white stallion sitting in front of the tree. The stallion’s ear twitched and he turned to see the bat mare.

“Hey Midnight.” He said with a sigh. The bat mare walked up next to him and saw another tree sapling starting to sprout behind a grave stone.

Rusty Scythe
Caring friend
Beloved father.

Midnight looked to the right and looked at the larger tree with a tomb stone grown into the tree.

Citrus Root
Taken before her time
Beloved friend and Sister.

Midnight gulped and sat down next him.

“Look Lance, tomorrow-”

“I have to go back?”

“Yeah.”

“No thanks.” The stallion said as he got up. Midnight looked at him in shock.

“Lance you have to go back or you’ll be hunted down and arrested.” The mare said as she chased after him.

“My family needs me here.” Midnight jumped in front of him and scowled.

“Lance if you don’t come back then I’ll have to drag you back.”

“That right?” Midnight saw a few sparks arc across his body. The bat mare gulped but stood her ground.

“They aren’t the only ones who need you ya know. The guard needs you, Bronze and Shining need you.” Midnight gathered her strength and looked the stallion in her eyes. “I need you.” Lance looked at her in confusion. Midnight realized what she said and felt her face burn up.

“What was that last one?” Lance asked in a worried tone.

“Uh...I um.” Midnight felt her mind draw a blank. “Oh buck it.” The mare tackled the stallion and pinned his hooves to the dirt. Before the stallion could react, he felt a pair of soft lips meet his own. His brain was a war zone with hormones and the nights he had sometimes dreamed of this happening. The mare regained control of herself and stood back up with tomato red cheeks. She looked down to see that Lance’s were of the same tint.

“Um...that was unexpected.” Lance said with a gulp. Midnight got off him and gulped.

“I’m sorry! I just um...” The mare’s jaw was like toffy and couldn’t form words. “I’m sorry, I’ll just-” A swift white hoof wrapped around the back of the mare’s head and pulled her into another deep kiss. Midnight’s face went red and she felt her wings stand on end. Midnight’s eyes rolled back in her head as she poked his tongue with her own forked one. The two broke apart and caught their breaths. “Wow.” The mare said in surprise.

“So now what?” He asked as he sat down next to the mare. “Are we like dating?”

“I guess so.” Midnight leaned her head against his side and let out a happy sigh.

“You know there are rules against fraternization within the ranks.” He said as he felt her webbed wing wrap around his back.

“They’re more like suggestions.” She said as she nuzzled him. “Besides we’re in cahoots with a General and a Princess.” She said as she got to her hooves. “We’d better get to bed. I gotta drag you back to Canterlot by noon else they’ll send the hounds.” As she sauntered away Lance couldn’t but help but stare at her flank. Midnight then used her tale to whip the side of her flank. She turned and had a lust filled gaze at the blushing stallion. “You coming or not?”

“R-right, sorry.” The stallion said as he went after the mare. Lance looked down the pathway to see it vacant. “Midnight?” He then felt something drop on his back which made him yelp.

“Wow that was hilarious!” She chuckled.

“Please don’t do that.” Lance then felt the mare wrap her hooves around the stallion’s neck. “What are you doing?”

“I’m tired. Carry me.”

“No way in-” The mer then lightly smacked his ear. “Why are you so abusive?”

“It’s not abuse if you like it.” She said in a soft voice. The mare saw his neck tense and felt a shiver run down his back. “Now mush!” She commanded. Lance sighed and slowly made his way back to his home with the mare resting on his back. The stallion quietly entered the front of his house in an effort to not to waked the other members of the house.

The lights suddenly flipped on and the stallion froze. He saw the light blue earth pony mare standing in the doorway with a smug grin on her face.

“Well, hello there.” She said in an innocent tone.

“H-hey mom.” Lance gulped and Midnight hoped off his back. “Well, I gotta hit the hay.” The stallion then vanished in a flash of light and Midnight was about to fly up the stairs.

“Midnight, a word.” The bat mare followed the mother into the living room. The mare sat down in a chair and Midnight sat on the couch. “Midnight, you seem like a sweet, strong and smart mare and I like you. So I will only say this once.” Midnight’s eyes shrank as Corset reached around the chair and pulled out a large axe. “Hurt my son,” She bounced it once in her hoof and glared at the guard. “and I'll make you regret the day you met me. Understand?” Midnight gulped and gave a nod. “Glad we understand each other.” She smiled.

Midnight got to her hooves and slowly made her way upstairs to where she was staying. Lance was resting in the bed and was yawning. Midnight walked over and got in bed next to the stallion. Lance stirred as he felt the bat mare.

“Hey Nighty.” Lance saw that the bat mare had a stunned look on her face. “What’s with the face?”

“Your mom scares me.”

“Makes sense. She’s had to deal with plenty of orange thieves so she isn’t afraid to kick some flank.” The bat pony grumbled as she turned over. “Hey I just realized something.”

“What?”

“A lot of people are going to be upset that we’re seeing each other.” The stallion said.

“Yeah well they can go die in a hole.” The mare then stared at the white Unicorn. “And if you even so much as look at another mare you’ll regret it.”

“I can’t help it if other mares find me attractive.” He chuckled.

“What mares?”

“Oh bite me.”

“Okay!”

“Wait what?” Midnight put her hoof on his mouth and bit down on the stallion’s neck. Lance squealed in pain as he felt the mare’s teeth wiggling in his neck. He then felt the mare’s forked tongue make long strokes against his fur and he heard slurping sounds coming from the mare. The stallion then heard a soft moan come from the mare’s mouth as her tongue continued to lick up any blood that remained.

The bat mare unlatched herself from her colt friend’s neck and smiled. “What the hell?” He said as he rubbed his neck.

“You asked and now I’ve claimed you.”

“Claimed me?” Lance said.

“Yup, bat ponies mark their mates by biting them.” Lance gulped.

“Whoa missy, we just started dating. Why are you talking about marriage?” The mare chuckled.

“I can’t believe you actually bought that!” The mare laughed.

“So then why did you bite me? My neck is killing me.”

“Oh quit whining. Besides I bet you liked it.”

“I’m not gonna turn into a bat stallion am I?”

“Yeah, the transformation is very painful.” She said in a sarcastic tone. “Now shut up and got to sleep.” The mare said as she nuzzled his chest.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Come along girls.” Rarity said in a sweet tone as the orange filly pulled the other two in a small by her scooter. Applebloom and Scootaloo had a few small shovels and Sweetie had a few bags with her. They had arrived in the outskirts of Ponyville where Rarity had encountered the Diamond Dogs a few months prior.

“You really think we’ll get our treasure hunting cutie marks?” Scootaloo asked.

“Ah don’t know but it’s worth a shot.” The farmer said with a smile.

“Don’t worry girls. No pony is better at finding gems than Rarity.” Rarity smiled at her sister’s compliment.

“Lets get digging!” Applebloom said as she pulled out a shovel. Rarity ignited her horn and felt the gems pulsing in the ground. Rarity suddenly lifted her head up and looked back towards the bushes. She couldn’t be sure but she felt as though she was being watched. The mare pushed the thoughts out of her head and started to mark the different areas of dirt where the most gems were.

Rarity helped the girls excavate several pounds of gems and put them into bags. The three fillies quickly checked their flanks, but found no mark. “Darn it. A h thought that we’d get it for sure this time.”

“Oh don’t worry dears I’m sure you’ll get them even-” Everything went white and Rarity only saw a flash and a loud bang. As her vision came to her she saw three shades come from the bushes. One of them cornered the young Unicorn and another was coming after her. Rarity’s horn glowed and levitated a few rocks and slammed them into the shade coming after her. She levitated one of the bags filled with gems and launched it at the shade that had the farmer and flyer trapped.

The bag slammed into the pony and knocked him off his hooves. “Girls run!” She yelled as a stallion came up and slammed his hoof in her face.

“B-but Rarity-”

“I said run.” She said as she levitated a few gems and hurtled them towards the stallions. A firm hoof then slammed into her face and her vision blacked out. The two fillies saw one of the shades grab the seamstress and her sister. Another was galloping towards the two fillies. Applebloom and Scootaloo hoped onto the scooter with a small cart attached to it. The filly flared her wings and the two zoomed away.

Applebloom started throwing the gems they had collected at the shade. She managed to land a few shots and the pony stumbled. His face hit the dirt and he felt his nose break. The two fillies sped away as fast as the filly’s wings could carry her and her friend.

Lance was making his way on the outskirts of town deep in thought when he heard a zooming noise and felt something hard collide with his body. He fell over on his side and shook his head. Lance turned over to see the two fillies and a crashed scooter.

“Scootaloo? Applebloom?” He said as he got up.

“Lance...we...have...a...major...problem.” The orange filly asked as she panted.

“Scootaloo, deep breaths. Then tell me what’s wrong.” The filly took in several deep breaths and calmed her heart that was beating a million miles a minute. “So what’s wrong?”

“Okay we were helping Rarity gather gems on in the gem fields outside of Ponyville.”

“Then some ponies came out of nowhere and attacked us.” The farmer said in a worried tone. The stallion’s eyes widened at the words.

“Rarity told us to run, but she and Sweetie Belle got captured by those guys.” The stallion bit his lip at the words. “You gotta help us!”

“I intend too.” He said as his horn flared and his armor appeared on his body. “Which one of you is faster?”

“I-I am.” Scootaloo said as she stood her scooter up.

“You go back to town as fast as you can and get Twilight or one of the others and lead them back to where Rarity and Sweetie were taken.”

“What about you?”

“Applebloom and I will start investigating and we’ll meet up with you then.” The stallion said as h levitated Applebloom onto his back. “Now hurry!” Scootaloo nodded and zoomed back down the road towards the town. “Applebloom, where is this gem field?”

“Down that way!” The filly pointed with her hoof.

“Hang on.” The filly secured her grip around the stallion’s neck and felt his muscles tense. Like a tightly pulled arrow being released, the two took off at blinding speed down the road. Everything was a blur for the filly and was hanging on with all her strength and the wind was whipping at her face.

She felt herself slowing down and found herself back at the scene of the crime. The filly got off the stallion’s back and felt nauseous. Applebloom threw up and she felt dizzy. “Sorry about that.” The stallion said as he inspected the scene. Rarity’s saddle bags were tossed aside along with several other small sacks filled with gems. The stallion saw several different tracks; three belonging to the fillies’, one to Rarity and three unknowns.

He examined the ground closely and saw they led off further into the fields. “Applebloom, stay here and wait for the others. I’m going on ahead.”

“Got it.” She said with a salute. The stallion then zoomed off towards the far end of the fields and came across several holes. He squinted and saw the tracks leading into different holes that were already filled up. The stallion’s eyes scanned the area and looked for a way inside. The stallion froze as he felt something echo in his mind and he vanished in a flash of light.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rarity groaned in pain as her sight returned. Her deep blue eyes shrank as she saw the underground caves that looked similar to the ones she saw when she had encountered the diamond dogs. She tried to move but felt her hooves bound to the rock. She tried to ignite her horn but felt a magic suppressant ring around the horn. She looked around to see a cage and her sister across from her.

The mare heard a door open and saw the three ponies that had attacked her and the girls. One was a gray Pegasus stallion with a yellow mane. The other two were Unicorns; One was a swamp green and his mane was a dark chestnut color, the other one was a dark orange color with a red mane. They each had bruises on them from the rocks Rarity had shot at them earlier.

“Who are you? What do you want?” She yelled at the stallions.

“Shut it wench.” The Pegasus barked. Rarity could tell by the other stallions’ looks that he was the ringleader of their group. “You banged up my boys and myself pretty good.” He said as he cracked his jaw. The three then started to approach the trapped mare.

“Well, what do you-” A gray hoof then silenced the mare.

“I said shut up.” The mare looked at him with daggers in her eyes. The stallion chuckled at the mare and put his hoof under her chin. “Still the way I see it you owe us for the pain you’ve caused.”

“Like I would do anything you would say.” She said in a spite filled tone.

“Fine. I’m not going to force myself on a mare a second time.” He said in a flat tone.He then looked towards the opposite cage. “Perhaps the younger Unicorn there will be more willing. Rarity’s eyes shrank at the words. “Besides, Sharp shooter here prefers them young anyway.” The green stallion smirked and walked over to the cage holding the filly. Rarity’s mind was racing as the stallion got closer to the filly.

“No stop!” She yelled. “I’ll do whatever you want just don’t hurt her!” The gray stallion whistled and the Unicorn backed off.

“See. Now was that so hard?” He said in a mocking tone. The mare saw the green stallion’s horn glow and the rock around her hooves crumbled away. The other Unicorn zapped her with a spell and Rarity felt her body go limp. One of the stallions grabbed her tail and started to drag her. The mare looked at the cage and felt tears in her eyes as she saw her sister stirring.

Sweetie, take care of yourself. The Unicorn filly could just make out the shape of the mare vanishing into the tunnel. The filly scrambled to her hooves as she saw the figures vanish and a large rock suddenly appeared at the far edge. Sweetie looked around the area and saw nothing but the rock walls lit by torch.

“R-rarity? Wh-Where are you?” She asked with tears in her eyes.

“The pony is gone.” A gruff voice said from the other cell. The filly turned her attention to the adjacent cell and saw three massive, badly beaten dogs wearing vests. She had heard of her big sister’s encounter with the diamond dogs but have never actually seen them.

“Wh-who are you?” The three stepped into the light and sweetie saw that there were three of the dogs. One was small, only a foot taller than her and was wearing a gray vest that clashed with his light brown fur. Another was the complete opposite, he was a light shade of blue and looked very strong. The final one was slim, with a red vest, but did have a lean wall of muscle under his gray fur.

“It matters not.” The slim one said. “We’re all gonna rot down here.” The filly sniffled and curled up in a ball. She wanted to help her sister but she didn’t know how.

Rarity....Lance....anypony. Please help me. The area was then flooded with red light and the filly felt a blast of magic erupt from nowhere that sent her sliding back. The filly uncovered her eyes to see the whit guard standing in front of her wearing his armor.

“You rang?” He said as he panted.

“Lance!” The filly yelled as she hugged the stallion. Lance wrapped a hoof around the filly as she cried. “Th-there are these guys and they took Rarity!” She sniffled.

“Where?”

“Down there, but the way is blocked.” Lance saw the large rock in the path’s way. The stallion walked up to the cell and Sweetie saw the stallion’s hoof wrapped in electric sparks. With a swift punch, the lock crumbled like a dried out cookie. He pushed the gate open and walked past to the dogs’ cage.

“Hey, pony. Let us out.” The small one said.

“Why should I? You’d just get in my way.”

“We know the way.” The bigger dog said. “We know where they took the whiney pony.”

“You do?” Sweetie asked.

“Well, no, but we can track them.” The small one said as he pointed to his nose. Lance had known a few diamond dogs that had helped him track down several fugitives and they all possessed a sense of smell that was far above his own. There must be hundreds of tracks through the network of tunnels and it would take him hours, possibly days to find the mare.

“Fine.” The stallion busted the door down and looked at the three. “Here’s the deal.” He pointed to the large and small dogs. “You two will take the filly to the surface. There you’ll probably meet up with a few other mares. Tell them I sent you and they shouldn’t attack you.” The two nodded. Lance then turned towards the leader of the dogs. “You will track the other ponies with me.”

“And what if I say no?” The dog barked. The stallion then trotted over to the large boulder blocking their path. The stallion’s right hoof was wrapped in magical sparks that burned brighter than any star. Lance slammed his hoof into the rock and the group saw large cracks forming on the boulder. The rock crumbled to mounds of rubble and the group gulped. Sweetie was looking at the stallion in awe.

“It would not pose wise for your health.” He said in a flat tone. “Now get sniffing.” The dog complied not wanting to invoke the wrath of the guard. The stallion then turned back to the large dog that had Sweetie on his back. “Oh and I find out that there is a hair out of place on her head, then I’ll use you three for rugs in the barracks.” The dogs gulped and felt their tails go between their legs.

“Lance. Please save my sister.” Sweetie sniffled.

“I promise. Now go.” The two dogs ran down one of the tunnels and vanished from sight. Lance sniffed the air and grinned. “There’s a storm coming.” He said as he and the other dog charged down the tunnel.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Twilight was studying in her library with a new book about Starswirl the Bearded in hoof. Her eyes danced across the pages and the information flowed into her head like a river. The door suddenly burst open with a high pitched groan sound. The lavender mare looked to see the pink party pony with a notepad in hoof and a confused look on her face.

“Pinkie! I’m trying to study.” The mare said in an annoyed tone.

“Sorry Twilight. I just don’t get it.” She said with a sigh. “I’ve talked to everypony in Ponyville and I still can’t figure out who’s birthday it is today.” She sighed as she laid on the couch. Twilight rolled her eyes and saw her mirror blinking.

The mare trotted over to the mirror and tapped it twice with her horn. The image of her older brother then filled the shiny surface.

“Hey sis. Am I calling at a bad time?”

“Not at all Shining. What’s up?”

“Have you seen Lance today?”

“No, haven’t seen him all day. Why?”

“Well, it’s his birthday today so I got him-” The stallion then saw a pink blur zoom up next to the librarian with a shocked look on her face.

“It’s Lance’s birthday today?” Pinkie yelled in shock.

“Um, yeah. I take it he didn’t tell you?” The mare shook her head. “Figured. Not his favorite day of the year that’s for sure.”

“Why?” Shining bit his lip at the question.

“Let’s just say he lost something important to him last year. I can’t really talk about it.” He sighed. Pinkie walked away and looked out the window as she started brain storming ideas.

“This about his wife?” Twilight said in a hushed tone. Shining’s eyes shrank at the words.

“How did-”

“Lance only told me that-”

“Hey Twilight you gotta check this out!” The pink mare yelled. “It’s super duper cool.”

“Pinkie! I’m in the middle of the conversation.”

“Well, how often do you get to see red lightning?” The lavender mare face hoofed.

“For the last time Pinkie. It’s impossible for-”

“Did she just say red lightning?” Shining asked as he felt his heart race. Pinkie grabbed the mirror and placed it in front of the window so the stallion could see. The stallion felt his throat dry and his blood turn cold as he saw red flashes of lightning coming from the sky. “Twilight you need to-” He was cut off as a cyan Pegasus mare burst through the door with a worried look on her face.

“There you two are!” Dash yelled as she flew up to them. “Guys, I just saw Scootaloo and she told me that Rarity and Sweetie Belle have been kidnapped!” The group gasped at the words. “She said she ran into Lance and he was gonna check it out with Applebloom. We gotta hurry!”

“Hang on a second.” Shining said as he grabbed a quill and wrote a quick note. The piece of paper vanished in a flash of light and the stallion’s horn flared a second time. The shiny surface of the mirror then started to ripple like somepony had thrown a pebble in a lake. The white stallion surfaced out of the mirror in full armor and cracked his neck.

“Okay, AJ and Shy are waiting just outside.” The group followed the Pegasus to the other mares and they charged out to the fields. The guard captain prayed to Celestia that they would make it in time, or he might lose his friend for good.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Deep in the cave, the three stallions came to an abandoned room at the farthest point in the tunnel. Rarity’s body was still numb and her mind was filled with the awful things the stallions were planning to do to her. The group came to a stone door and walked inside. The green stallion felt a shiver run down his spine and spun around.

“You okay Sharp?” The Pegasus asked.

“Just wanna check on something. Don’t start the fun without me.” He said in a wicked tone.

“Don’t hold your breath. I haven’t been laid in months.” The Pegasus said in a mocking tone. The Unicorn trotted out of the room and looked around the area. Nothing. Something still felt wrong, very wrong. A chill went down the stallion’s spine. He peered out into the darkness and saw a small light shining. The stallion raised an eyebrow at the object. The spark then vanished and he felt an incredible pain before blacking out.

“Where is that idiot?” The other Unicorn said in annoyance. The three heard a crashing noise and saw the door being broken down and an object crashing through the rock. The two stallions rushed over and saw the green stallion with a massive burn mark on his chest.

“Well, isn’t this a nice little reunion.” The two stallions froze on the spot and looked back to see the bright green eyes of death. Rarity’s heart soared as she saw the stallion. Her eyes were then filled with confusion as she saw a grin that she thought the devil would have. “Happy birthday to me.”

“Oh Luna, not you.” The Unicorn said in a fear filled tone.

“Been a while hasn’t it Flame Spitter.” He said as his green eyes locked onto the stallion. He then focused on the Pegasus and his eyes immediately hardened. “Last but not least, Thunder Wind.” The Pegasus was physically shaking in fear of the stallion. Lance powered his horn and was about to go in for the kill but he noticed the white mound of fur in the corner. “Tell you what, I’m in a good mood right now so why don’t you all just surrender now and I’ll spare your miserable lives?”

“I’ll take that offer.” The Unicorn said as he laid flat on his stomach.

“Coward!”

“Hey this is life or death. I chose life!”

“Smart guy.” He said as he walked back over to Rarity. He touched his horn to hers and the mare felt her motor controls return to her. “Are you all right Rarity? Did they hurt you?” He asked as he helped her to his hooves.

“N-no, I’m okay.” She said with a sniffle.

“Good.” He then turned towards the stallions. The green one had gotten up and was now panting. The other stallion’s horn glowed and the entire area was filled with blinding red light. The stallion heard the sound of scrambling hooves against rock. When the light faded the stallion saw that the three criminals had escaped.

“Lance, who were those three?”

“Three thorns in my side that I intend to remove post haste.” He walked towards the exit of the room and looked out into the darkness. “Hey Fido.” He yelled to the diamond dog that was hiding in the far corner. “Take Rarity out to the surface.”

“Why should-” The stallion’s horn flared and levitated several rocks and compressed them into several spears laced with lightning. “Okay fine!” He yelled. “Come along pony.” Rarity stuck her tongue out at the dog before looking back at the stallion.

“Darling, are you sure you’ll be okay?”

“Oh trust me Rarity,” The stallion;s eyes had a certain menacing glint to them. “I’ll be just fine. Now get out of here.” The mare nodded and followed the dog. The stallion waited until they were out of sight and he ignited his horn. “The storm has come.” He chuckled.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Twilight and the group had found Applebloom in the field and she told them where Lance had gone. The weather had taken a turn for the worst and it started pouring with the red lightning arcing in the skies above. The group charged down the path with the Captain in the lead. The group soon found themselves before a large cave cut into the side of a mountain. Shining put his ear to the ground and heard something coming. The stallion pulled his blade out and waited.

“Something wrong?” Twilight asked. The other ponies then heard the sounds getting louder. The five mares then saw the familiar shapes of the diamond dogs and got in a defensive stance. “What are you two doing here?” Twilight asked with her horn glowing.

“We no here to fight.” The bigger one said.

“Twilight?” A familiar squeaky voice said. The group then saw a familiar white filly slide off the dog’s back and run towards them.

“Heaven’s to betsy, we been worried sick about you kiddo.” The farmer said with a sigh.

“Mean white pony told us to bring her here.” The smaller dog said.

“Where’s Rarity?” Dash asked as she got in the big dog’s face.

“The other pony went in after the whiney one.” He said as he pointed back to the dark cave.

“The we’d better get in and-” The group then heard another noise coming from the tunnel. The ponies got ready for whatever the noise might be. The group saw the outline of another diamond dog and the white Unicorn mare.

“Rarity!” Sweetie yelled as she ran forward and hugged her sister.

“Oh thank Celestia you’re all right Sweetie.” The mare returned the hug.

“Yup, thanks to Lance I am.”

“Speaking of which, where is he?” Shining asked as the group walked out of the cave. The three diamond dogs left the group of ponies and ventured off to Celestia knows where.

“He chased after the three ruffians that abducted Sweetie and I.”

“What did they look like?” Rarity gave the captain a brief description of the stallions and whatever color that was in the stallion’s face fled. “Captain? Are you all right?”

“This is not good.” He gulped. “To think those three would end up here.”

“Who are these guys?” Dash asked.

“They’re criminals that escaped from Canterlot Maximum security prison two months ago.” The stallion sighed. “I was hoping to keep Lance from knowing due to his history with the three.”

“History?” Twilight asked.

“It did sound like he knew them.” Rarity said in a puzzled tone.

“Yeah, they went through basic with Lance and I. Up until they got tried and arrested.”

“What did they do?” Applejack asked.

“Attempted rape and murder of a superior officer of the royal guard.” The group gasped. “The victim was a close friend of mine and Lance’s. They each got thirty years to life.”

“And why didn’t you want him to find these guys?” Dash asked.

“Because then there’d be nothing left of them.”

“Good. The sons-of-”

“Ahem!” Rarity said as she motioned to the fillies. Rainbow rolled her eyes at the words and sighed.

“Those jerks deserve it.”

“That may be, but there is still the law to follow and as royal guards we-” The captain was cut off as they heard a blood curdling scream come from within the cave. The ponies all gulped at the cry and felt chills run down their spines. Twilight looked at her older brother and saw his teeth chattering.

The ponies saw a bright red object rocketing towards them. The group ducked and heard a loud crash from behind them. The group gasped when they saw a green Unicorn stallion impaled on a red spear made of pure lightning. The stallion was stabbed through the shoulder and was coughing up blood. The girls covered the fillies’ eyes.

Another scream was heard from inside the cave. The group saw another Unicorn stallion running towards them. He looked scared out of his mind and was covered in wounds.

“Halt. Royal guard!” Shining yelled.

“Oh thank Celestia! I surrender!” He yelled as he laid flat on his stomach. “Take me back I beg you!” He yelled as he looked up at Shining. “So long as it keeps him away from me than send me where ever you want.”

“Keep who away from you?” AJ asked.

“That would be me.” A familiar voice said in the darkness. The group of ponies saw a pair of bright green eyes in the darkness of the cave and the rest of his body came into view. His white coat had several blotches of blood on it and he had a dark look on his face. The ponies also saw red electricity arcing all over his body. A gray blur then passed over them and rocketed into the sky.

“You’ll never take me alive!” The stallion yelled.

“Wasn’t planning on it.” Lance said as he walked out into the storm. His eyes scanned the sky and he found the Pegasus. Lance’s horn glowed a deep red color and the ponies felt a magic pouring out of his body. The stallion raised a hoof and locked into the Pegasus. He waved his hoof down and the ponies saw a massive bolt of lightning strike the Pegasus. The criminal started to fall towards the ground.

Lance charged forward at blinding speed. He got right underneath the falling stallion and was preparing to let loose a barrage of lightning laced punches. As he got into proximity a blast of energy pushed the stallion out of the way and a large pillow made of magic caught the Pegasus. Lance got to his hooves and glared at Shining. “Attacking a superior officer is against the law.”

“Except when the CO is off his rocker.” Shining said in a flat tone. The guard captain snarled at the Pegasus who was grunting in pain. “I know how you feel Lance, but this isn’t the answer.”

“He’s already broken out of prison once. Whose to say that he won’t do it again?”

“It was a fluke and it won’t happen again.” Shining stated.

“Oh trust me I’ll make sure it won’t.” The stallion’s body started to leak out electricity.

“Lance don’t do this.”

“Don’t try to stop me.” He said in a rough tone. Lance vanished the reappeared behind Shining next to the Pegasus with a raised, magic charged hoof.

“You owe me!” The stallion paused and looked at the stallion. “I’m calling in the favor, or have you forgotten what-”

“I haven’t forgotten.” Lance lowered his hoof and sighed. “Fine, he lives.” The stallion said as he walked past the stallion. Shining let out a sigh of relief and looked at the Pegasus who was slowly sitting upright.

“Still weak. No wonder you let your wife die.” The red manes stallion froze on the spot and Shining gulped. Lance slowly turned his head and looked back at the Pegasus. His eyes were like two green daggers; focused, cold and murderous.

“Lance don’t-” As the words left the captain’s lips the stallion vanished from sight. The two heard what sounded like circuits crackling and spun around. The Pegasus’s eyes shrank as he saw the white stallion holding what looked like a ball of lightning in his right hoof and coming straight for him. There was no time to dodge and the criminal saw his life flash before his eyes.

As the lightning covered hoof was an inch away from the Pegasus’s head, the white stallion felt something hard collide with his right cheek and send him flying into a nearby tree.

“Looks like I got here just in time.” A gruff voice said. Shining sighed as he saw a jet black Unicorn stallion with a yellow mane.

“Thank you for coming General.” He said as he slapped a pair of cuffs on the Pegasus.

“Anytime Armor and how many times do I have to tell you? Call me Bronze.” The dark stallion complained.

“What are you doing here?” The two Unicorns turned their heads towards the white stallion and saw him clutching the right side of his face.

“To prevent you from doing something stupid.” Bronze said in a flat tone.

“Even after everything he’s done, you’re still protecting him?” Lance gave a chuckle. “I guess blood really is thicker than wine.”

“No, I severed all ties with him after he was convicted.” The dark stallion said in a flat tone. Lance then saw the group of ponies running up to them. Lance grunted and started to walk towards the town. “You’ve been in the dark too long Lance. Time to step back into the light.” The white stallion stopped and turned back to face the group.

“One year ago today, the most important thing in the world was taken from me.” He said in a flat tone. “But at the same time I gained something.” Lance the removed something from the right side of his face and removed his hoof. The mares gasped when they saw that a spliced blue eye had replaced his electric green iris they had come to know. “I can now see perfectly in the dark.”

The stallion then threw something at Shining and he caught in his hoof. Shining sighed and looked down at the green contact lens that his friend once wore. As he walked away Shining hoped that his friend had not gotten lost in the darkness that he claimed to see through.

Author's Note

Sorry it's beenso long since I've updated.