//------------------------------//
// Chapter 2 
// Story: Pony 
// by RainbowsAreMagic 
//------------------------------//

I traveled to Canterlot. The city was magnificent. Of all the descriptions I'd read of the place, not one did it justice. The streets were full of ponies, most going about their business, but some talking to one another, some eating at tables outside little cafes. Ponies doing everything you could imagine. It was like a human city, but with ponies instead. I don't really know why that surprised me, but it did. What had I expected? I don't really know.

Over it all loomed the great castle of the pony princesses. If Canterlot was magnificent, it was breathtaking. Worked in white stone, it rose above even the tallest buildings in the city. I must have looked like a foal, I was looking around so much, but I'd never seen such wonders before in all my life. 

Then I shook my head, remembering why I was there. I needed to find a way to make something of myself. Maybe a firepony? I could do that. I went to the fire station, and asked if they were hiring. 

"I'm sorry, friend, but I can't help you. We can't hire you without proper documentation, because we need that in order to do a background check. You sound eager to make something of yourself, and I can applaud the initiative you took in coming here, but I can't help you."

I suppose I should have expected that. A fire department can't hire just anypony; they need to be sure that the ponies they hire are ones with integrity, ones who they can trust to do what is right. Sure, I met those requirements, but they had no assurance of that.

Then it occurred to me: maybe I can get help. I went to the castle, and told the guard, "I need to see Princess Celestia. It's important."

He laughed. "It's always important. But you're an unusual fellow. Fully grown, and yet a bare flank. She might just be intrigued enough to talk to you."

I blinked, and the guard went on. "I'll tell you what: I'll put your name on the list for open court today. I shouldn't, but I've got the feeling you need help, and I've learned to trust my instincts."

Finally, something was going right. "Thank you so much," I replied quickly. "This means a lot to me."

"I'll just need to see your proof of identity, and then I can put you on the list. Any kind of ID will do, as long as it has a pict-"

I cut him off. "I don't have anything. According to the records here, I don't exist. That's why I need to see Princess Celestia."

The guard's face fell. "I'm sorry, but I can't help you, then. About a month ago, there was a changeling who was able to sneak in under the guise of a petitioner. That changeling made it past all the guards, all the protection we had in place, and tried to assassinate Princess Celestia. His magic was ineffective, but it showed that our system could be broken. Ever since then, every petitioner has had to have ID with them in order to see the Princess. So, I can't help you."

Everywhere I went, I was suspected. I should have expected no less, and once the guard explained to me what had happened, I agreed with him. I just hated that the same system that kept out changelings kept me out, too.

It seemed that being a firepony was out. Maybe I could be a guard, though. That was respectable.

I signed up for guard training. It was simple, just adding your name to a list. Nothing about proof of identity or ID. As I talked to other recruits, I found out that you don't even have to put your real name, only the one you want as a guard. Many of the other ponies were trying to escape from an unwelcome past. I wasn't the only one with secrets. When I went to sign up, I hesitated for a moment, and then stopped. My name was a human name. It was no name for a pony to use. I thought for a while, then returned to the list and wrote, "Aegis Shield, pegasus."

It was the beginning of a whole new life for me. We had training in the mornings and early afternoons, but our evenings were our own. Every day, I would leave the city, and practice my flying. In a couple days, I was able to get off the ground for more than a few seconds. In a week, I could fly for almost a minute without crashing. By the time I had progressed to the pegasus-specific training, I could fly about as well as most other ponies.

The training was rigorous. It ranged from hoof-to-hoof combat to drills to strength training. I threw myself into it with a fervor unlike anypony else. When other recruits were amazed at my dedication, I always told them the same thing: "This new life is all I have. Why wouldn't I dedicate myself to it?"

We took classes on honorable conduct, law, and Equestrian civil rights. We studied historical events, and the geography of Equestria itself. I studied harder than I had ever studied before, determined to be the best guard Canterlot had seen in decades. 

At the end of the training, I graduated at the top of the class. I'd gotten perfect marks in every course, and impressed many of the instructors. The sergeant in charge of combat tactics once told me I fought better than any recruit he'd seen in years. 

*    *    *

There wasn't a ceremony, but everypony know when a trainee had graduated. They received their own set of armor, precisely fitted to the wearer by the castle blacksmith. This was no patchwork set like the armor used in training. It wasn't magical, but with proper care it would be as silent as the pony wearing it, never locking up and never failing.

"Congratulations, Aegis Shield. You have done well. There remains but one small thing, a technicality, really. I am aware that you have used a false name while you are here, and as a guard, your past crimes will no longer be held against you." He must have thought I did it to avoid my past, like many of the other trainees. "I need to know what your old identity was, so that we can clear your name of any outstanding warrants and such. This is your new life, and you don't need to be haunted by the one you used to lead."

That was easy enough. "Is there anything else?"

"Yes, Aegis. We'll need proof that you are the same pony who you claim to be, when you tell us who you are, and so that we know you aren't a changeling or something like that. It's an old rule, and kind of out of date these days, but we have to follow it."

Hearing that, I nearly died inside. 

*    *    *

"If you have no documentation, we can't verify your past identity, and the rule says we have to." He hoofed me a small piece of paper. "This pass will give you safe passage in Canterlot for the rest of the day. You will not be arrested, as long as you commit no new crimes. If you are a criminal, I suggest you leave the city while the pass lasts. I wish I didn't have to say this, especially under such unfortunate circumstances, but goodbye, Aegis." 

"Please, sir! Isn't there some way that I could prove I'm not a changeling? If there is anything I can do to prove it, I will. Anything at all!

The captain looked at me, surprised. "As it happens, I have a spell to detect changelings, but it-"

"I'll take your test, sir. Cast your spell, and let me prove myself." My determination was absolute. I did not just spend six months of my life training to be a guard only to be stopped by something like this.

"I would not normally do this. The spell is a difficult and tiring one to perform, but after your success in training, I will make an exception. We can't afford to let a technicality rob us of one of our best trainees. I will cast the spell, and reveal what is hidden. If you are truly what you claim to be, you will feel nothing. If you have any doubts, I suggest you leave now, as this spell is not friendly to those who attempt to deceive it."

"I have no doubts, sir."

The pony's horn lit and I after a moment I was enveloped in a magical field. Suddenly, my whole body went rigid in agony. I heard a voice screaming, and then realized it was my own. Immediately, the captain ended the spell. His previously benevolent expression was gone, replaced by one of restrained anger.

"If you were truly a pony, you would not have reacted to that spell. Therefore, as you are clearly not a pony, you are something else pretending to be a pony. What are you? Reveal your true form!" I remember his words to this day.

"I'm sorry, sir, but I can't." I knew then, seeing his reaction, that there was nothing I could do.

"That was a mistake, imposter. You now represent a potential threat to the safety of this land and her people, and I must take that seriously, however much promise you may have shown in training. If you will not reveal your true form voluntarily… Guards, seize him!"

The guards hesitated for just a moment. I had become friends with many of the guards, and they were in shock that I might have deceived them so. That moment of hesitation was all I needed. My eyes flashed around the room. Door: blocked by two guards. Closet: no exit. Window: closed, but unobstructed. There was a crash of breaking glass as I burst through the window into the crisp, outside air.

"After him! Don't let him get away!" Shining Armor cried out. 

The guards were slowed down by their armor, however, and mine had been removed for the test. I knew that if I were to be caught now, it would be the end of me, and the adrenaline coursing through my body made me faster still.

The guard training had made me strong, my dedication to it more so, and I flew far from Canterlot that day. One by one, the armored guards fell back, exhausted by having to fly so quickly while so weighted down. I had escaped Canterlot, just as I had escaped Ponyville. It left the same bad taste in my mouth.