//------------------------------// // Ch 12: social Studies // Story: Equestria: The Afterlife // by Timzocker201 //------------------------------// POV: Twilight I awoke to an unusual sight. Normally, Markus was out and about by the time I got up, but this time, he was still fast asleep. I silently moved up next to his bed. He looked so peaceful… His normally neutral expression now held a slight smile and every time he breathed out, a slight hum could be heard. I don’t know why, but it felt… oddly satisfying to see him that way. I don’t know how long I stood there, just staring, but I eventually got taken out of my stupor by a strange sensation in my stomach. It felt slightly uncomfortable, but at the same time like something wonderful and it got stronger, the longer I looked at him. I shook my head to clear my mind and then sneaked towards the stairs. “No, Twilight, you can’t think like that! You’ve already gone too far, you can’t go any further! He is a human, not a pony and he isn’t even a noble! You’re a princess, if the nobles came to know this, it would definitely spell nothing good for you!” I sighed and hung my head. Depressing thoughts like these really aren’t a good opener for a day. “Come to think of it: Since I’ve become a princess, the nobles have become more of a problem than I’d ever imagined them to be. Not to mention that most nobles I know are so far up their own flanks that they don’t even bother asking for things anymore! They just expect them to be done as soon as they think of them…” I made my way down the stairs, towards the kitchen and started preparing breakfast for all three of us. “Oh, stop those thoughts, Twilight! You’re in Ponyville right now! The only pony that could be seen as a noble here is Filthy Rich, and he can be quite nice, as long as his daughter and wife aren’t around.” I rid myself of my bad thoughts, a small smile creeping over my lips. The pancakes were drizzling in the pan, slowly filling the kitchen with their aroma. I prepared two extra large portions for both Markus and Spike, seeing as they both seem to be exceptional eaters. Just as I was about to place mine on the table, Spike came down, holding onto his belly. “Twilight, I think something’s com—“ Just as he said that, he burped and a scroll emerged from the flames. I looked at the scroll and smiled as I saw the royal seal upon it. I quickly unrolled it and started reading: Dear Twilight, I hereby invite you and the Elements of Harmony to the initiation ceremony of Markus Becker. It is to take place in two days from now in the great hall of the Royal Palace in Canterlot. The Ceremony will start at 6pm with the pledge of loyalty by Markus, followed by a ball. After the Ceremony, Markus will enter service at the Rank of Captain of the Royal Guard and given command over a unit of 60 ponies in total. I would greatly appreciate, if you could inform Markus about the occasion and prepare him accordingly. Your proud mentor, Celestia. I smiled wide as I read this. “Markus was going to become an Officer in the Royal Guard! I nearly forgot about that.” I hopped upstairs, the letter still levitating beside me. “Normally only nobles serve as officers, so when he becomes an officer, that essentially also makes him a noble! Ha, take that you snobs!” I cheered internally, a wide grin slowly spreading across my face. I stopped beside Markus’s bed and used my magic to wake him. He turned his face to me, his eyes slowly opening. He blinked a few times, before he came to his senses. “Twilight? What’s the matter?” I giggled and pulled the bedsheet away from him. “Out of bed, Markus, we have a lot to do.” He looked at me with a look of confusion and a severe case of bedhead. I levitated the scroll over to him and watched, as a slight smile appeared on his sleepy face. Though, as soon as it came, the smile disappeared. He nervously glanced over to me. “Euh, Twilight? I might have a problem… you see, I don’t know how such a Ceremony is held, as my initiation as an officer went slightly… different than here.” I tilted my head slightly to the side and shortly looked at him in confusion. When I realized what he meant, I just gave him a short smile. “Oh, don’t worry! All you have to do is wait outside the door until Celestia calls you in. Then you kneel down before her and swear a pledge of allegiance, which she will even dictate! There is nothing to fear about.” He sighed in relief as he heard that. Over the next few days, we all helped Rarity make us some dresses for the event. Well, all except Markus. He said that he already had something to wear. When I asked him to show me though, he simply said “That would ruin the surprise, wouldn’t it?” Anyways, by the evening of the second day, our dresses were finished. Applejack went for a pretty simple design. She wore a light green dress which was sprinkled with red apples and held onto her Back by a brown saddle. She still wore her signature hat, but left her mane open and let it hang from the left side. As for hoofwear, she went for dark brown cowboy boots to contrast the brighter colors. Fluttershy’s dress seemingly was made from hundreds of leaves, arranged like the tiles on a roof, at the end of which a row of flowers of varying colors formed the edge. On her hoofs, she wore what looked like strands of grass that were arranged like sandals. Her Mane was neatly kempt down on her side and a ring of flowers adorned her head. Rainbow Dash got a pink dress with a rainbow running across it. Her mane was bound to a Ponytail and dangled off of one side. She also wore a Necklace which seemed like it was made of clouds and had her Cutie Mark bound into it in the front. Pinkie’s Outfit consisted of a Pink dress made up out of multiple layers. At the top end it was surrounded by multiple petals in a slightly darker shade of pink. She also wore a light green scarf with a pink bow, as well as a large hat, under which her mane was kempt to hang down on both sides in slightly curled strands. Rarity made herself a purple dress, which was covered in gems and had two rows of extra stitching going along the length of it, making it bulge slightly outward in between. Her Mane was organized into a ponytail which was bound on multiple parts and she wore a golden tiara with three gems, as well as two golden earrings on each side. Finally, my own dress was, like Pinkie’s, made up of multiple layers of Fabric, however mine were different shades of purple, growing darker towards the ground. The layers were held together by four pink stars. Around my neck, I wore a dark blue scarf with a large purple star in front. My mane was bound into a knot and I wore my crown, as well as a pink earring shaped like a star. With our dresses settled, the day of the ceremony could come! We took the noon train, which departed around 11am. I was actually quite surprised to see Markus in his normal Uniform… Well, surprised isn’t quite the right word, seeing as I nearly yelled at him for not being properly dressed for the occasion. However, he noticed this and before I could get started, he pointed at the Fieldpack at his back and said that his formal clothes were in there and he wanted to change into them when we were in Canterlot, though he had no spare boots, so he polished them at least. The train ride was actually rather uneventful. Rainbow, Pinkie and Applejack were playing cards on one of the benches, Rarity was giving herself a final touch and Fluttershy and I were talking a bit. Markus meanwhile sat beside me, looking outside as the scenery flashed by. We arrived at Canterlot around 5pm. Four Guardsponies were already waiting for our arrival. They escorted ourselves to the Palace, where we arrived around fifteen minutes later. We were led to the great hall, before which we parted ways with Markus, who went to get dressed. Not that he could have come in just yet anyways, as the ceremony requires him to wait outside. We entered the hall, where a long carpet was placed from the door right to the other end of the room, where Celestia and Luna both had taken their places upon their thrones. A third throne stood empty beside them, waiting for me to arrive. We trotted over to the princesses, bowing before them. “We have arrived, princess.” I said. Princess Celestia nodded and chuckled slightly at me. “You don’t have to bow before me, Twilight. You are a princess yourself now, you know?” She said, smiling at me, before motioning over to the empty throne. I chuckled awkwardly and averted my eyes. “Right... ehehe… I forgot…” I sat down on the throne and eyed the clock, which was hanging over the entrance door. It was still half an hour until the ceremony should begin, yet the hall was filled to the brim with nobles. Some were grouped together, chattering about what I could only assume as their recent Bank balances and the best ways to crawl up our flanks. I decided not to think too hard about it and quickly went back to looking over the room. I saw Rainbow and Pinkie, who were already munching away at the buffet. Fluttershy was with them, though didn’t eat anything. Applejack and Rarity were among the nobles, chatting and laughing with each other. I chanced a look over to Luna, eyeing her side. Her wound had mostly healed by now, due to her Alicorn magic. All that was left was a long scar, running from her front legs to her hind ones. I winced slightly as I recalled the day of the incident. Luna seemed to notice this and looked over to me. “What is it, dear Twilight? Do you feel alright?” she asked, tilting her head slightly to the side and giving me a concerned look. “N-No.. I mean, yes! It`s just… uh, I was wondering if you really are better by now, given what you went through?” Luna looked down at her scar and sighed. She looked back at me and answered. “While it is true that we are not yet fit to resume our royal duties, we wanted to use the occasion, to officially and personally voice our gratitude to our savior.” She looked to the door and smiled. “While a showcase of gratitude indeed is in order, I think you should drop that topic for now and instead focus on happier things than the recent events.” Celestia said, smiling over to me and Luna. “Y-Yes, I suppose you are right, Pri— uhm, Celestia…” I said, turning my gaze back to the crowd of Ponies before us. Around five minutes to 6pm, a Guardspony came into the hall and informed Celestia that Markus was ready and waiting outside. Celestia told the Guard to tell Markus to wait, until she called him in. With that, the Guard went back outside and Celestia stood up, instantly gaining the attention of everypony in the room. “Nobles, Officers, my little Ponies,” She began, “Today we have gathered here, to celebrate the newest addition to our officer’s ranks. He may not be a Pony, He may not be a Noble-“ A serious of low gasps became audible throughout the room, as she said that. “ – however, he has shown his expertise and skills in combat, by not only driving off an invading Minotaur Army, but also saving Princess Luna from an attempted kidnapping.” She paused for a moment, looking around at the sea of Ponies in front of her. “Now without further ado, I shall introduce to you: Markus Becker!” As she said that, the large double doors of the hall opened, revealing Markus behind them. My eyes grew wide and I could feel my wings twitch as I lay eyes upon him. He wore a light gray Uniform Jacket with two pockets on his chest and two on his waists, dark gray Uniform Pants and a green Beret. His boots were polished and reflected the light as he walked down the hall, his face looking straight at me, his blue eyes glinting. Beneath his Jacked seemed to be a light blue shirt and he wore a black tie. He had two pairs of gray stripes on green background stitched to his collar, a gray version of his shoulder badges on his shoulders and the flag of his home country on his upper arms. The left side of his chest was decorated with five medals, three of them in the form of a golden cross with an eagle with half-spread wings in the middle, of which again, two had a red brim. The one without it had a pair of golden oak leaves on its ribbon instead. The fourth medal was a bronze one which showed the aforementioned eagle with a cross similar to the other medals in the background. Both the eagles on the crosses and the eagle on the medal were surrounded by a circle of oak leaves. The fifth medal was golden and yet again bore said eagle, only this time in black. It also had a small golden badge on its ribbon, which had the word >>GEFECHT<< written onto it. All of the medals hung by a ribbon which bore the colors of his home country’s flag. Also, his left Pocket bore a golden insignia with the aforementioned eagle and a small “5” etched into it. A silver cord hung from his right collar to his right shoulder, where it was attached by a golden button, which yet again bore said eagle as a symbol. “I guess, Markus’s country really likes eagles, huh?” I thought while mustering him further. His Beret bore a silver insignia, which consisted of an oak-leaf-ring surrounding what seemed like a small box, with a large pipe on it, on top of a larger box which seemed to have some kind of rolls on its side, as well as two weird, crossed sticks directly below it. The lower part of the insignia had a small rectangle stamped into it, which bore Markus’s country’s flag. His brown hair was cut short on the sides and his slightly longer hair on the top was kempt to the right under his Beret. His two-part mustache was kempt to either side in order to keep the hairs from getting into his mouth. Markus kept walking down the hall in a slow, determined way, his chin slightly lifted and a one-sided smile on his face. His eyes were still on me, ignoring the ponies gasping and whispering around him, as he made his way to us. Even though I was living with him for the past month, I only then noticed the vast difference in size between our races, as Markus stood easily double as high as most of the ponies in the room, which placed him at around twelve hooves. This actually made him even slightly taller than Celestia (11hooves, 5 inches)! The medals clattered about as Markus came to a stop directly in front of us. He clapped his heels together, before setting his left foot a bit back and kneeling down, resting himself onto his right leg and lowering his head. His shoulder piece now pointed directly at me and I noticed that the three black diamond shapes on his normal uniform were now replaced by silver ones. I gazed over it for a little longer, before I looked over to Celestia. Celestia made a small step towards Markus, whose smile faded into a neutral expression and whose eyes now pointed up at her. “Markus Becker!” she began, “You have proven your worth to us twice by now and as such we are giving you the chance today, to become an officer of our Royal Guard. If you are willing to take the offer, you must first answer a few questions: Are you willing to serve under our command?” “Yes, your Highness!” Markus answered in a determined voice. “Are you willing to protect Equestria and its citizens from any danger that may arise?” “Yes, your Highness!” “Are you willing to lay down your body, your soul and your very life to fulfill your duty?” “Yes, your Highness!” “Very well,” Celestia said, “You will now vow an oath of loyalty towards us princesses and all of Equestria. Repeat after me: I vow to serve…” “I vow to serve…” Markus repeated. “the princesses,…” “the princesses,…” “Equestria…” “Equestria…” “And all of its Citizens…” “And all of its Citizens…” “And protect them…” “And protect them…” “With my body,…” “With my body,…” “My soul…” “My soul…” “And my very life!” “And my very Life!” Celestia made a step back and a series of stomps echoed through the room. I tensed up a little, because most of the officers I’ve seen going through this ceremony tended to stand up at this point already, however… Markus kept his position. I breathed a short sigh of relief as Celestia spoke up again. “I shall accept your oath. You may call yourself a >>Captain<< of the Royal Guard now, Markus Becker! With this, you inherit all the duties and privileges of this rank, as well as the noble title of >>Count<<.” Celestia’s horn started to glow and from behind her back, there came a sword levitating towards Markus. The sword had a red grip with a golden Pommel at its end, as well as a golden cross guard. The sheath was a strong violet color, decorated with a few vine-like golden ornaments and a golden tip. “This sword shall be the symbol of your rank and allegiance. Wield it with pride!” Markus opened his hands and Celestia lowered the sword into them. He closed his grasp around it, before he, yet again, ceased all movement. “You may rise, CAPTAIN Markus Becker!” As Markus rose to his feet, the room was yet again filled with the stomping of hooves. Celestia made a few steps forward and stood beside Markus now. Markus still didn’t move, now looking into the emptiness in front of him, his face showing neither nervousness, nor strain. “Be at ease, captain.” Celestia said. Markus made a few quick movements, placing his sword to his side and turned around, before he loosened up. “With that…” Celestia continued. “Markus Becker has now officially become a captain of our guard. He shall be treated with the respect entitled to his new position! Now, without further ado, the festivities shall begin!” Another wave of stomping emanated from the crowd, together with a series of cheers. After a few seconds, the Ponies in front of us found themselves together in their groups again and the room was yet again filled with chattering and laughter as the Band started playing a few classical pieces. Markus attached the sword to his belt and turned back around. He knelt down before me and extended his hand towards me. “May I ask you to join me, my princess?” He asked as he smiled at me. I felt a blush creeping over my face and I heard Luna snicker beside me, as I extended my hoof to meet his hand. We both got up, still keeping my hoof in his hand, and walked to where the others were already assembled. I felt my chest flutter, as we slowly descended the stairs from the throne. Somehow, Markus made me feel like an actual princess for the first time, through this simple action. I felt my blush deepen, as I noticed the envious looks of the nobles around us, but Markus just ignored them. He let go of my hoof as we reached our friends. “My congratulations, Darling!” Rarity said, as she eyed Markus’s new Uniform. “I’ve got to say… Even though there is a severe lack of color in this design, I can’t deny its charm. Especially the beret goes well with your mustache and haircut.” Markus chuckled and smiled down at us. “Thank you very much Rarity.” He mustered our dresses once, before continuing. “I’ve got to admit, Rarity, you’ve accomplished the impossible. You’ve managed to even further the beauty of you and the others.” I had to avert my gaze as I felt my face heat up once again. Luckily, this time it seemed that I wasn’t the only one, as the others were also looking somewhere else now. Applejack even hid behind her hat. “Ah shoot, sugarcube, don’t just say somethin’ cheesy like that!” She said, as she slowly pushed her face from behind her head. “Y-Yeah, so totally not awesome!” Rainbow Dash agreed. “Oh really?” Markus said with a slight chuckle. “Because your body seems to think otherwise.” I jerked around to look at Rainbow and, sure enough, her face was deep red and her wings were spread wide. She looked around and, as she noticed her wings, her blush seemed to deepen even further. “That’s, uh, no, wait... uh… I just… I wanted to… fly up and see your medals. Yeah, that’s it! You have a lot of medals there and I wanted to take a look.” She said, as she flew up to Markus’s chest. “Sure ya did Rainbow…” Applejack commented. “But ah have ta agree, that sure is a lotta medals ya got there.” Markus looked down on his Uniform. “I suppose so… But I can assure you that every single one of them was earned. In fact, three of you already know the story behind one of them.” Markus said, as he lifted the cross without red brim with his thumb. “This one is the one I got with the Nickname >>devil of Tehran<<. For those of you who don’t know: I was once shot down over a city called Tehran. I survived the initial crash and proceeded to not only survive for two weeks behind enemy lines, but also singlehandedly took down an enemy outpost in the process.” “Well, ‘tseems like it’s deserved then.” Applejack said, after she managed to pick up her jaw. “Quite so. But speaking of deserved…” Markus said as he unsheathed his sword. He inspected it closely, running his fingers along the blade, testing its stiffness and the balance. “Is it to your liking?” A voice behind us asked. I turned around and saw Celestia and Luna slowly approaching. “Very much so.” Markus answered. “At first I was a little worried that this might be just a decorative sword, but thankfully it isn’t. Also, I don’t know if you just knew or if it was a lucky guess, but shortswords are actually the kind I’m used to.” As he said that, I noticed a few of the nobles around us tsking and giving him glares. Markus however just let a short, one-sided smile escape his lips. Celestia smiled as well, while Luna had to put a hoof over her muzzle to stop herself from giggling. I gave Celestia a questioning look. Markus noticed this and leaned down to me. “Later, Twilight.” He whispered to me. “What would’ve been so bad about it if it was a decorative sword?” Rainbow Dash asked. Markus turned to her and began explaining. “Basically, it’s the purpose. An actual sword is meant to be used in combat and is therefore made very sturdy. A decorative sword meanwhile is meant to be showcased on display or maybe wielded at ceremonies. Therefore, while mostly well garnished, deco-swords aren’t made with quite the quality actual swords are, which makes them bend and break very easily.” Markus sheathed his sword again and turned back to Celestia. “But seeing as this one is very real, that shouldn’t b—“ Suddenly, a golden Hoofguard hit Markus straight to the face, making him recoil slightly. I looked to where the hoofguard came from and saw a white Unicorn stallion with a blonde mane standing there, his right front hoof still stretched towards Markus. “What the Buck?! What are you doing?!” Rainbow Dash screamed. “Indeed Nephew, what do you think you are –“ Celestia said, but was cut off by Markus lifting his hand. “Are you certain?” Markus said, in a slow, deliberate voice. His face showing cold determination, he now looked straight at the stallion. “Indeed I am. I cannot allow a filthy creature such as you to smut the name of our Royal Guard.” Blueblood answered. “Very well. I shall accept.” Celestia and Luna both gasped at him. “Thou cannot possibly be meaning this!” Luna said in exasperation. “Indeed, Markus, do you even know what you are getting into?!” Celestia added, but Markus just stood there calmly, still eyeing his opponent. “Yeah, could you please explain what’s happening?! I don’t understand what’s going on!” Rainbow shouted. Markus turned his head to face her. “He has challenged me to a duel.” Rainbow looked at him, her jaw dropping. She flew up, throwing a few punches into the air. “Heck yeah, show him what you’ve got! Go Markus! Go Markus!” Celestia glared at her. “Ehehe, I mean, you totally cannot do that, it’s irresponsible!” Markus gave her a short chuckle, before returning to a serious expression. “As the one challenged, I believe that I am entitled to decide the place, time and rules of our duel. As such, I shall choose the royal garden in ten minutes as the location and time. The rules shall be >>melee only<<, meaning that, apart from levitating a weapon, no magic or ranged weapon shall be used.” Blueblood accepted the rules. Celestia jerked over to Markus and looked him straight into the eyes. From what I could see, she was… afraid? I couldn’t really see, as I was partially standing behind Markus. After a while, Celestia sighed and looked down to the ground. “Very well.” She said, as she lifted her head again. “I shall personally oversee the duel, in order to ensure that both participants stay true to the rules.” She announced. Celestia then slowly trotted toward the door, whispering into Markus’s ear as she passed him. “Please, don’t kill him…” Ten minutes later, everypony had gathered outside in the gardens. Blueblood and Markus stood about sixty hooves apart from one another, with everyone else forming a large rectangular arena around them. Celestia and I stood at the side about halfway between both of them. “Now, before the Duel shall begin, you shall rid yourself of any weapon apart the one you wish to use!” Celestia demanded. Two Guardsponies flew to both of them and retrieved their weapons. Blueblood opted to use a saber, while Markus went for… his knife. “Hah, what an amateur you must be to favor a knife over a sword!” Blueblood laughed, but Markus kept calm. “Amateur? Well if you say so… I just find it a little overkill to use a sword against a straw puppet. Also: wouldn’t it be a shame to smear a blade as divine as this one with your filthy blood?” Markus countered. Blueblood snarled at him and I saw Rainbow give silent cheers from the other side. “Now, the Duel shall begin!” Celestia announced. Blueblood immediately raced towards Markus. Upon this, Markus made a quick step to the side and planted the underside of his knife firmly against Blueblood’s temple, sending him tumbling to the side. “Meine Güte, sowas nenn’ ich ‘nen Dickkopf!” (Good lord, that’s what I call a thickhead!) Markus exclaimed, as Blueblood rose back to his feet and turned back to Markus, a big bruise now forming where he was hit. Once again, Blueblood charged at Markus, who this time, instead of evading, slashed against Blueblood’s sword. A loud, metallic clink could be heard, as the two blades hit, sending sparks flying… as well as the top half of Blueblood’s saber. Celestia rose to her feet. “The duel is decided! The winner is Markus Becker!” She announced loudly. Markus turned about and smiled at us, as he sheathed his knife. However, Blueblood should not give up that easily. “I cannot accept this!” He screamed, as he charged his horn. I could not see this and averted my eyes. A loud thunder could be heard and I winced, as I heard a thud not far from me, followed by a collective gasp from the audience. I slowly reopened my eyes and felt relief and happiness stream through my body, as I saw not Blueblood, but Markus stand there, his knife in his hand and looking into the grass. I followed his gaze and spotted a steaming corpse lying in the grass. A gasp escaped my lips as I realized, whom this corpse belonged to. I looked up at Celestia, who was looking at it in shock, tears slowly gathering in her eyes. She closed her eyes and lowered her head, a series of short sniffles becoming audible from her. I looked back at Markus, who by now was approaching the corpse. He crouched down and examined it thoroughly. Celestia’s expression lit up as she heard the result of the examination. “He is still alive!” Four Guardsponies and a stretcher came from the audience and brought him to the newly re-established infirmary. Markus meanwhile walked back to where he stood and picked something from the ground. It looked like… a Unicorn’s horn. He walked towards me and Celestia, a satisfied smile on his face. “How did you do that?!” I asked him, as soon as he reached us. Markus cocked his head to the side. “What? That with the horn or with the saber?” He asked. “Both! How is this even possible?!” Markus smiled and unsheathed his knife. “Well, there are two things you’ve got to know for this.” He said, as he held his knife out to me, gripping it at the blade. I took it with my magic and examined it. I noticed that this blade was not made out of the steel I knew. “What is this blade made out of?! It’s not steel, that’s what I can tell!” Markus took the knife from my magic and sheathed it again. “Indeed. This Material is called Tungsten Carbide and it’s almost as hard as diamond. You see: I tended to break my knives during combat… like, a LOT. So, one time I thought that enough was enough and – with the approval of my superiors – got myself a knife made of Tungsten Carbide – which I paid for myself. However, this change doesn’t only make it more durable, but also decisively more heavy, which on one side heightens the force of impact, but on the other side makes it harder to control.” Markus was about to turn around, when Celestia asked: “So, what’s the other thing?” Markus let out a sigh and looked up at Celestia. “I really hoped you didn’t notice… well, you remember what I told you about decorative swords, Twilight?” He said. Celestia face-hoofed. “You mean to tell me, that my nephew brought a décor-sword to a duel?” Markus didn’t say anything and just nodded. The evening returned to fair normality shortly after. We stood there and talked, laughed and listened to the music. At one point, Markus even walked over to the lead cellist and talked with her. Then, later that evening, the Band began to play dance music. I saw my chance and gathered all my courage. “D-Do you want to dance with me?” I asked, my face heating up yet again. “But of course.” Came his answer. I was overjoyed and we were about to go to the dancefloor, when suddenly Rainbow came from behind me. “Hey, would you… you know… dance with me too?” She said. I could feel my wings twitch, as I felt jealousy arise in me. Markus let out a sigh, but, to my surprise, didn’t pick one of us, but instead led both of us to the dancefloor. The music suddenly stopped and those that were dancing previously were forming a large circle for us. Markus then let go of our hooves and picked me up, standing me on my hind legs and placing my left foreleg around his neck. He then placed his right hand at my barrel and held my right foreleg with his left hand. He signaled the Band to start playing and, as they did so, began dancing me around the edge of the circle. Now, I can’t claim that I was very good at dancing, especially on two hooves, but for every move I did wrong, he somehow managed to correct with one of his. As we reached the spot where we started, he suddenly made me spin and, in a swift motion, changed over to Rainbow Dash, doing the same with her. This continued throughout the whole song, with alternating patterns. Sometimes he led us through the middle of the circle, sometimes we made some patterns before changing, but all in all, he somehow managed to find an almost perfect balance between us two. Then, as the music ended, he stood before us and made a bow. We both looked at each other, before smiling and doing the same. The rest of the evening was filled with multiple dances. Sometimes he took Rainbow, sometimes he went with me. Even Luna had him dance with her once or twice. The evening soon went into night and, as the clock chimed midnight, we decided it would be time for us to go home. We bid our farewell to Celestia and Luna and made our way out into the hallway and towards the station. During our ride in the train, almost everyone fell asleep. Everyone except me and Markus. “So, now… about that thing with the sword…” I started. “You wanted to know, what the reaction of those nobles meant, don’t you?” Markus inquired. I nodded. “Well, you see…” He started. “Normally an officer carries either a Rapier or a saber, because those are recognized as >>noble swords<< or something like that. However, they gave me a short sword. This sword is normally only given to those in lower ranks, as it is very versatile and easy to use. I suppose the nobles pressed Celestia and Luna to give me this instead of a Rapier or Saber in order to insult me. What they don’t seem to realize however, is that no matter the kind, a sword stays a sword. On top of this, they actually did me a favor, as I always liked Short Swords better than Rapiers.” With this, the royal cabin fell silent again and I found myself soon drift off into sleep…