From the Ashes
Chapter 4: Keep It In Your Heart
“If you’re hiding back there, come out now.” Slayde ordered, “And do it slow...”
On edge, the once lax night guard stood firm as the shadow that had been stalking him crept out from the darkness and into the light. But he soon relaxed his posture as he saw the figure emerge from the alley, his golden armour clanking as his stance softened.
The perpetrator, a miniature lime-coloured unicorn filly inched her way forwards, a mixture of guilt and fear evident in her quivering expression.
The young guard made to speak, but Ceasler quickly joined his side to inspect the scene. “What in blazes are you doing out here?” he bellowed, “This is no time or place for a child to be roaming!”
At this, Slayde’s ears perked up. “Chill out dude.” he insisted, “She’s only a filly.”
Ceasler looked on disapprovingly, frowning as his partner ignored him and turned his attention to the frightened unicorn filly. Due to his youth, the young guard wasn’t as seasoned as his partner, so his gentleness had yet to fade. In other words, he was far more approachable for a child. It probably also helped that both Slayde and the filly were unicorns.
“Don’t worry about Ceasler. He doesn’t bite.” he said casually, his approach taking the filly by surprise, “My name’s Slayde. What’s yours?”
Obviously still intimidated, the tiny unicorn just stood there quietly, blinking back what looked like tears. Her pasty green coat and soft brown mane were rendered impossibly dim in the night. “Olida.” she said finally, taking the guards by surprise with her distinct accent, rare as it was to be coming from a unicorn, “Mah... mah name’s Olida...”
“Olida?” Slayde repeated, trying to relax the clearly nervous filly, “As in the spice?”
“Nuh, as in the oil.” she remarked meekly, gesturing to a building not far down the street, “Mah ma and pa got a shop.”
At this point, Ceasler trotted closer to the two. “Oh?” he started, feigning interest, “And do you mind telling us why you wandered off Olida?”
“Uh... well, umm...” she stuttered, clearly uncomfortable, “It’s just that ah keep see’n lots of you guys running around like yer look’n for something. I wanted to know what was up is all.”
“We understand your concern little one, but it’s just not safe for you out here.” Caliber replied sternly, “You need to go back home to these parents of yours...”
“You said you lived up there right?” Slayde said with a smile, “Come on, I’ll take you home.”
He headed off in the direction of the filly’s house without waiting for the girl to take the lead. “Whoa, wait!” she cried, scampering off in pursuit, “Promise me ya won’t tell mah ma and pa that I snuck out...”
“Okay, but only under one condition...” he said to her as they walked, their hoofsteps clicking sharply through the silence, “You gotta be a good lil’ filly and stay put.
“You got school or something tomorrow right?” he asked curiously, “I know it’s probably hard to sleep watching us on patrol, but you gotta rest up. It’s seriously late you know?”
“Uh-huh!” she replied hopefully, “It’s a promise then, right?”
The young guard chuckled lightly. “Yeah, it’s a promise.”
Ceasler was gazing out into the black sky as his partner returned and fell into stead behind him. “Thanks for waiting.” Slayde said as he arrived next to him and mimicked his thoughtful gaze out into the night, “Shall we?”
Ceasler didn’t break away from his stare. “You sure you can afford to be so carefree?” he said distantly, “Remember what the captain said. Before sunrise, there’s going to be action.”
He finally looked over to the young unicorn who was now watching the moon descending. “Look to the skies...” Ceasler said seriously, “Daybreak is but a few hours away. We can’t afford to get soft now.”
“Get soft?” the young guard replied evenly, “She’s just a filly Ceasler...”
The older guard was stunned somewhat by Slayde saying his name in such a way. Calling one’s superior by name is generally frowned upon among the ranks of the night guard, and as a traditionalist, Ceasler didn’t much care for breaches in such mannerisms. In fact, he frequently scolded Slayde for less, but didn’t feel compelled to in this instance.
“I realize that things could get ugly at any moment...” the young guard continued, “But isn’t it my job to make sure she’s not part of it?”
Ceasler didn’t seem to respond, so the young guard maintained his defiance. “Or would you rather have her involved?” he questioned, “Protecting innocents like her is why I became a guard. They are what gives me strength.”
At first Ceasler still didn’t speak, simply staring at the brave unicorn. But after a moment or two, he cancelled his stare and nodded ever so slightly. “Humph...” he replied, inconspicuously acknowledging his partner’s bravado, “Good answer. You know, I used to be a bit like you when I was still a greenhorn”.
Ceasler shook his head from side to side. “Innocence, huh?” he said softly, “So that’s what you want to protect?”
He finally looked away from his partner, turning his gaze to the palace of the day, standing tall on the top tier of the Canterlot’s structural hierarchy. “The older generation will always be succeeded by the new.” he said distantly, “Old dogs like me, we signed up to protect the crown and uphold its law. But soon enough, it will be rookies like you leading the way, and the duty of keeping the peace will be yours.”
“Could you get any cheesier?” Slayde remarked playfully, breaking through the serious atmosphere, “You ain’t old enough to start getting all sappy on me.”
“Whatever.” Ceasler said with a deep sigh, “Just tell me you’ll keep that feeling in your heart. Don’t loose sight of what gives you strength.”
The young guard watched his superior, confused and interested at the same time. “Oh shut up already..” he replied, tongue-in-cheek, “you’re scaring me, ‘sir’!”
“Fine.” Ceasler said deflated, “Come on then; let’s do another lap of the outermost wall, finish our patrol, and maybe get an update or two on the way.”
“After you dude.” the young guard said facetiously, “I mean, after you sir...”
* * * *
Every weakened step that Macro placed was clumsy, but so far he had been making good progress.
Constantly focusing on his next checkpoint, he refused to look down at his bleeding chest. It still didn’t hurt, so he could only guess that whoever had mended it took the appropriate measures.
But even though he refused to watch the blood tricking out, he could feel the sluggishness setting in. It was as if he was running out of the very fuel that kept his body moving. He could also feel his senses beginning to dull. His sight occasionally wavered and his legs were numbing and he could tell it wasn’t from all the walking. In fact, of all his senses, his sense of smell was the only one that appeared to remain unhindered. The night was still, so the stench of blood hung in the air, spreading deep into the silent forest.
The disgusting metallic smell of it constantly pestered Marco’s mind, telling him to look down and see for himself, but he constantly denied the impulse. “It won’t change anything.” he muttered, snapping his droopy eyelids open, “Just... just stay focused, and keep moving.”
And he had to. If he allowed himself to pass out, he wouldn’t be waking up. He knew that if he collapsed again, this time he’d fade away while unconscious.
Marco forced his focus to sharpen, but just as he regained himself, he heard the unmistakable and foreboding sound of a twig snap somewhere behind him. He pivoted instantly, searching for something that might have been stalking him, looking for whatever caused the noise.
But as his eyes darted around desperately, they locked onto what he had been trying this whole time to avoid. His eyes met with the path he had been travelling, and his gut clenched as he saw the gruesome sight. The red line trailing behind him was virtually unbroken, fading away into the fog from which he had come.
The realization was too much for Marco to handle. He felt fear grip him as he futilely tried to fight it, but the shock quickly overwhelmed him and he fainted.
In Marco’s mind there was only blackness. Some part of him feared that this was his nightmare returning, but he quickly realized that this wasn’t that kind of darkness. It was more like a void. It was senseless and deprived, neutral and absolute... it was bone-chillingly similar to what he imagined death would be like.
Marco was surprised to hear a voice identical to his break through the silence. “Hey.” it said, “What are you doing?”
Again, Marco feared the voice, dreading it to be the familiar sort, come back to sink its teeth into his tender past. But he soon realized that this voice was different. It harboured no tone, and seemed to have no apparent intention. For a moment, Marco felt like he was talking to a mirror...
“I asked you what you are doing.” The voice repeated impatiently and without emotion, “You can still speak right? Or did you give up on that too?”
Marco took a moment to consider his situation. Where was he? What happened to him? Who was this voice? He would have thought of a hundred other questions, but a sense of urgency brought an end to his confusion. For reasons beyond him, the compulsion to answer the voice became too strong as he blurted out in response...
“Who are you?” he demanded, “What is this... place?”
“Can you not comprehend my question?” the voice replied, “If so, then I fear this really might be the end for you.”
“The end?” Marco questioned, a chill gripping him, “Where am I? How do I get out of here?”
“You are upon death’s door.” the voice said grimly, “And you can do little, save knock.”
“I don’t believe you!” Marco roared defiantly, “What the fuck is this?!”
“A crossroads.” came the reply, “There are two roads ahead, and this is where you choose between. But first you must answer my question.”
“Question?” Marco asked, “What question-”
“Need I remind you?” the voice was impatient, “My question was simple. What is it that you are doing?”
“What am I doing? I’m going to deliver justice!” he answered promptly, not entirely sure why he interpreted the question that way, “I am going to-”
“I asked you what you are doing, not what you’re going to do.” The voice interrupted coldly, “Try again.”
“I am dealing justice!” Marco replied, defiant once more, “I am living up to my promise!”
“Wrong.” The voice said unequivocally, “That is what you think you’re doing; what you want to be doing. Again, I asked you what you are doing.”
Marco refused to reply. “Because...” the voice said condemningly, “What you are doing is a statement of fact. And as a statement of fact, there can be only one answer. Now tell me what that answer is. You know it don’t you?”
“I’m dying.” Marco admitted, “I’m failing...”
“And here you are.” The voice was still vacant, “I don’t blame you. No one does. I don’t think anyone expected you to get this far, but it finally happened. You just didn’t have what it took-”
“Shut up.” Marco snapped back, “I’m not weak. It just... it just wasn’t fair.”
“Life isn’t fair.” the voice retorted, “If anyone knows that, it’s you.”
“So?” was all Marco said.
“So?” the voice questioned, “So then why can’t you take the truth? Is it okay to give up because it was too hard?”
The voice paused for a moment before continuing. “Do you expect your dad to come here and give you a on the back? Do you expect everyone to tell you that it’s okay because you tried your best?
“What... that if you complained enough, all your problems disappear?” the voice continued, finally adopting some emotion, “Well the world doesn’t work that way! There’s no two ways about it. You can’t lose here and still pretend it’s not your fault. Sure, it might have been unfair, but if you die, it’s because you were too weak.
“It’s fine if you want to throw in the towel, but it’s about time you accept that for what it is.” the voice said as it became neutral once more, “It means you weren’t the kind of guy for them to depend on. It means you were the kind of guy who could only get this far.
“What I’m asking you...” it said definitively, “Is are you okay with that?”
Another meaningful pause. “You’ve sworn so many oaths. You’ve talked big and promised much...” the voice continued, “But you’ll just be the guy who couldn’t deliver if you give up now. Are you okay with becoming just another casualty? Because you’re nothing more if you don’t get back up.”
“No...” Marco said dully, barely saying the word.
“What kind of half-arsed answer is that?” the voice said disapprovingly, “The path splits here, and you can’t have it both ways. Give up and fade away, or carry on and live?
“Be strong? Or be weak?” it asked, “Win or lose? Which is it?”
“I want to carry on.” Marco said wholesomely.
“What?” the voice yelled, “I can’t hear you!”
“I want to be strong!” Marco boomed.
“Make me believe it!” the voice roared.
“I wanna win!” Marco announced, silencing his interrogator and banishing all doubt. His voice alone served to fracture the darkness surrounding him.
Wherever Marco was, or whatever form he currently took, he felt his world start to change. Upon voicing his newfound resolve, his body overflowed with sensation as he felt power course through his veins. It almost felt like his determination was translating from an emotion into something much more tangible.
Whatever it was, it was bringing him back to the world. The blackness became whiteness as his earthy senses returned one by one. Touch, hearing, smell, taste, sight... they all returned in full force, and wasted no time in reminding him of his weakness. But the one thing that did not return was that feeling of helplessness. That overwhelming feeling of resolve, so potent it was that it felt like a power source, had remained with Marco as he was thrust back to reality.
Utilizing this new strength, Marco commanded his body to rise-
He spun, alerted by a sudden thump from close behind him. As he turned, it didn’t even take a second for him to identify the source. The sound of twigs snapping earlier had been caused by this intruder, and in Marco’s subsequent passing out, it appeared the beast had taken the opportunity to get within striking distance.
Marco reacted instantly, springing backwards lightning-fast as the massive creature jabbed the empty air with its scorpion-like tail.
The sudden movement was jarring for Marco, and he grimaced slightly as his chest wound responded accordingly. But he had his head in the game, and his thoughts were focused only on the best way to defeat a full-grown manticore in single combat. He didn’t waste a moment before he unclipped Zecora’s saddlebags and made himself ready for the monster to attack-
Marco swirled again as he heard twin snarling from behind him. There were two more of the beasts closing in, and together, the three had him surrounded. If he cared, he would have realized that this was a hunting party, the father and his two cubs. And while the cubs were considerably smaller than the father, they were more than formidable with their razor claws, jagged teeth and precise tails.
The group circled, the trademark ritual of a group of predators that know for certain they prey cannot escape. Yet for some reason, Marco’s determination did not waver. That feeling from earlier hadn’t diminished, and it was what kept him standing and alert enough to evade that first strike.
With nostrils flaring, the adult manticore roared monstrously, staring right at Marco with those hungry eyes.
He didn’t have time to analyse it, but even if he did he wouldn’t understand it. He wasn’t afraid, and he truly thought he could overcome these odds. Something deep inside was giving him confidence, so much confidence that it felt like power. In any case, Marco felt like he could do this, and he wasn’t his place to doubt that feeling.
He thought back to his experience only moments ago. “When life bares its fangs at you...” he said determined, to both himself and his foes, “The only thing you can do is deal with it.”
He looked at the passing beasts. “An enemy a normal pony couldn’t overcome...” he whispered, feeling his wound ache, “An injury that would kill a normal pony...
“I won’t lose to it!” he announced with a volume that caused one of the manticore cubs to twitch, “I can’t afford to be just normal...”
The manticore were about to pounce. He could tell. He could feel it in their stance and see it in their eyes. Their killing intent radiated from them with such intensity.
Marco braced himself, taking his newfound confidence to heart. “Just try it!” he roared as the large manticore made to attack, “I... I am not your prey!”
* * * *
At first, all Twilight could sense was a firm, but strangely comfortable surface beneath her. It was that kind of feeling one gets when they are tired beyond measure, so find practically any surface welcoming.
The second sense to return was her smell. She was instantly assailed by the sweet smell of candy. Hearing came next. It begun as only a ringing in the ear, but sure enough, a distinct sound penetrated through the hash, repeating over and over and increasing in clarity each time until finally she recognised the voice.
“Twilight!” it said urgently, “Can you hear me?!”
The purple unicorn’s bleary eyes sprung open, and she could feel her friend Pinkie Pie leaning heavily on her, see her face mere inches away from hers, and smell the sugary scent on her breath.
“Oh thank goodness!” the pink pony exclaimed as she took her weight off of her friend’s chest, “You gotta get up Twi! Something real bad’s happened!”
Twilight sat up, feeling very groggy as Pinkie zipped over to Zecora and Rarity, who were both still out cold. “I can’t get them up!” she said, the concern clear in her voice, “Are they gonna be okay?”
Twilight sat up, still recovering from her unnatural slumber. Strangely enough, it didn’t take more than a moment for her to collect her thoughts and take charge once again. “Relax Pinkie.” she said, standing up, “It was only a sleeping potion. They’ll wake up when it wears off.”
She raised a hoof and rubbed her forehead in exasperation. “How long have we been-” Twilight stopped short as she realized something, “Oh no... where are the others?
“Surely they would have come back at some point!” she asked as she ran over and opened Zecora’s door wide, “Why aren’t they here with you-”
Not far in the distance, partially enveloped by fog, Twilight could make out the silhouettes of three ponies not far beyond the clearing. “Pinkie!” she called, charging out the door as she did so, “Keep an eye on those two!”
Twilight arrived at her destination to find Rainbow Dash out cold with a fully conscious Fluttershy tending to a semi-conscious Applejack. “Fluttershy!” she called as she came closer to the pegasus’ side, “What on earth happened here?”
Fluttershy seemed uncertain and despondent. “I can’t say...” she muttered, barely looking up, “It all happened so fast-”
“I’ll tell ya what happened!” Applejack said pained, “Marco dun’ tricked us, that’s what!”
Applejack stood up, but slowed as her injured chest pulsed with pain. Fluttershy immediately noticed her friend’s strain, but Applejack put an end to her worrying before it began. “It’s fine, don’t it pay no mind...” she said disapprovingly, thrusting a hoof out over Twilight’s back, pointing at something, “Besides, I’m not the one who needs your help!”
Twilight and Fluttershy followed Applejack’s gesture and their eyes widened as they saw a dried puddle of blood that trailed off into the woods.
Anticipating what came next, Applejack limped steadily over to the still unconscious Rainbow Dash. “Hurry up and get going!” she called, “I’ll only slow ya’ll down like this. I’ll take Rainbow inside, you two go!”
She stopped for breath as she bent down to lift the unconscious pegasus. “Who knows how long we’ve been out...” she said seriously, “Find Marco and-”
“Don’t worry Applejack...” Fluttershy said as she anticipated what the earth pony’s was about to say, “I’ll do everything I can to help him!”
Fluttershy flew off without a word, following the grizzly trail and leaving Twilight with Applejack. “I was gonna say stop him.” Applejack said, staring right at Twilight, “I ain’t fooling Twi. some of the things he said...”
She cut herself off, but otherwise kept staring into Twilight’s eyes. “Soon he’s gonna be past the point of no return.” she said grimly, “Soon, he’ll really be beyond help. Don’t let it happen Twi. No matter what you have ta do, stop him before it’s too late. Before it’s too late for anypony!”
Twilight had a hard time catching up with Fluttershy as she followed the thin red trail, becoming more and more expectant of it to end suddenly with a dead body. There was just too much blood. He couldn’t possibly have gotten far...
“Can’t he die from all this blood loss?” Twilight asked the equally shocked pegasus flying alongside her.
“Who knows?” she answered vacantly, “There’s a lot of it in the body... but-”
The pegasus squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head hopelessly. “But we don’t know how much he lost at the library, or how much Pinkie Pie replaced, or how much he’s lost here...” Fluttershy counted off the uncertainties she feared, “But even then, that’s not the real problem! Everfree forest is full of predators that can smell even a little bit of blood from far away. With so much in the air, I can’t imagine what kind of-”
The two of them grinded to a halt, their eyes boggling and legs locking as they approached the end of Marco’s blood trail and saw what was waiting for them in the clearing ahead.
Before the girls were the remains of what looked like a fierce struggle. An entire tree had been levelled and there was broken glass of different types strewn about. And close to the scattered pieces of shattered potions, there also appeared to be remnants of some kind of fire damage.
Twilight found herself staring at the patch of ground that had been burnt bare, and the black grass fanning outwards from the still smouldering centre. “What in Equestria happened here?” she made to ask, but stopped short as her wandering eyes happened upon a shocking scene.
She all but had a heart attack upon seeing the pair of manticore hunched over each other on the edge of the clearing. Twilight was instantly fearful, but Fluttershy remained undaunted as she raced over to the two creatures. Twilight was surprised beyond words as her friend approached them, seemingly intending to aid the dangerous looking beasts.
Twilight couldn’t fathom how, but as Fluttershy approached the twin manticore, with one standing defencively over its injured counterpart, they didn’t react aggressively at all. It was almost as if her kind aura spoke any language, and her good nature was so clear that neither herself nor the intimidating beasts doubted either party’s intentions.
“What happened here?” Twilight repeated, not entirely level-headed enough to realize just who she was asking such a question to.
“A fight.” Fluttershy replied plainly as she inspected the injured manticore, “A big one.”
Twilight looked back to the blood trail she had been following, hoping to see it continue out into the woods, but to her horror, the path stopped suddenly in the middle of the clearing. It was almost as if Marco had simply disappeared from... Oh no.
Predicting what conclusion Twilight was about to draw, Fluttershy put her friend’s concern to rest. “I know what happened...” she said grimly, looking up from the injured manticore.
* * * *
“Come on...” Slayde encouraged, “Who am I gonna tell?”
“Look, it doesn’t matter anyway.” Ceasler said evasively, “The guard captain isn’t the same guy he used to be when he worked under me.”
“So?” the young unicorn probed, “All the more reason why you should share. Come on... how long have we been partners?”
“Fine.” Ceasler surrendered, “First things first. I’m sure you know about how our ranking system goes. Private all the way up through to general. Now, being a captain might not sound so flattering, since there are so many ranks above it, and these positions consequently wield more power-”
“Dude. Come on.” Slayde rolled his eyes, “I know all of this-”
“You asked.” He snapped back, “Shut up and let me explain.”
“Sheesh, fine.” Slayde said defencively, “Go ahead sir.”
“Thank you.” Ceasler nodded curtly, “Now, what you probably don’t know is that being the royal guard captain is, despite its name, an extremely prestigious position. Think of it this way, you can be a night guard like us, or you can be a royal guard like him. These two divisions rarely mix, and there isn’t any set distinctions for power relations between them-”
“Whoa, hold up a sec. You lost me there...” Slayde voiced his confusion, “What do you mean by power relations?”
“I guess I can dumb it down for you.” Ceasler said playfully, smiling to himself, “Let’s see... if a private like you were alone in a room with a royal guard, you’d feel nervous right?”
“Dude.” Slayde winced, “Bad mental image.”
“Grr... what I mean is, some part of you would think he somehow outranks you, even though there’s no formal distinction between the night and royal guard services.” Ceasler continued on, “It’s a stigma. Now, don’t go quoting me on this, but I’d say that members of the garrison who rank major or higher are the only ones comfortable looking down on royal guards.”
“What’s this got to do with the captain?” Slayde asked impatiently.
“I’m getting to that.” Ceasler replied firmly, “What I was about to say, was that the same thing doesn’t apply to the rank of royal guard captain. Wanna know why?”
“Does it matter if I do?” Slayde asked with a sigh.
“Because...” Ceasler continued, ignoring his partner, “It is a unique position, not only above all other ranks, but external to them.”
“Oh please.” Slayde shook his head, “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“Well, being the royal guard captain is an extremely privileged position for a reason.” Ceasler replied, “Only one unicorn and one pegasus can take the position at any one time, and there is no way to earn the position other than the princess specifically picking you for the job. But that doesn’t mean that we have always had two captains. In fact, it’s really rare, but throughout history there have been times when there was no guard captain, simply because there wasn’t anypony good enough to take the role.”
“So what does a guard captain do?” Slayde asked as his interest in the subject returned, “How much power do they have?”
“Ha! The better question is how much power don’t they have?” Ceasler replied, “I can’t think of many privileges the princess has that a guard captain does not.”
“Whoa.” Slayde said in awe, “That much huh?”
“Indeed. That is why there have been times when there was no guard captain. It’s a huge responsibility.” Ceasler nodded, “As a captain, he doesn’t just protect the princess, but acts as a medium for her and in some cases he even takes the liberty of making decisions on her behalf.”
“Jeeze, you’d have to be nothing short of perfect to be chosen for such a job.” Slayde reasoned, “So, what was he like when he wasn’t a captain? Could you tell he was perfect when you were still his boss?”
Ceasler laughed energetically as he thought back to the memories his partner had just stirred. “Perfect?” he chuckled, “Don’t be ridiculous. He was a pain in the ass. No respect, no diligence. Lazy, tardy, and he always had to have the last word. No... he wasn’t perfect.”
“And a guy like that not only didn’t get kicked out of the night guard, but went on to become the royal guard captain?” Slayde asked in disbelief.
“Oh?” Ceasler replied casually, “You know, I might as well have been describing you.”
The young unicorn stopped and pursed his lips. “Ah, well...” he said ashamed, “Well why do you think he was chosen?”
“I know why he was chosen.” Ceasler said purposefully, “Sure, he was casual and lethargic, but when the chips were down, I’ve never seen anypony so dependable. He could look at any situation and know exactly what to do. And he was strong too. It’s good for a pegasus to be fast, and trust me, he’s fast, but you gotta be tough too. And he was tough all right.”
Slayde just looked on thoughtfully, wondering if there was anything for a unicorn like him to take from the description of a strong pegasus.
“I guess I don’t need to tell you that strength and quick thinking isn’t enough to make you the guard captain though.” Ceasler continued, “Like any good warrior, he was smart, but more importantly, he was moral. He never did anything he didn’t think was right, and was always vocal about the things that went against his philosophy. In the end, I think that’s what got him the job. Celestia needs ponies like him close at hand. Ponies who don’t jeopardise their morals...”
“Wait. I just realised something...” Slayde interrupted, “How did he become a royal guard if he was in the night guard originally?”
“As I said before, the only way to become a guard captain is to be hand-picked by the princess.” Ceasler reminded, “But that’s the only requirement. There isn’t any other criteria. If Celestia sees potential, she can just pluck you from wherever you are and give you the job. It’s as simple as that.”
“So...” Slayde drawled, tilting his head dramatically as he considered his question, “If a guy like him can become guard captain, then that means I could too one day?”
“Oh? Aren’t we ambitious?” Ceasler said quirkily, “But yes, it isn’t beyond you to become a guard captain if you wanted it. That is to say, nothing external is going to keep you from it. If you became good enough, even somepony like you could be chosen.”
Slayde frowned at this. “I dunno. You say there can be only the one unicorn guard captain...” he said depressed, “So doesn’t that mean in order to get the job, I’d have to somehow be better than Shining Armour?”
“Yes you would. Normally at least.” Ceasler said mischievously, “But you could be in luck.”
“Eh?” the young guard replied, “What do you mean?”
“Well, there has only been the one pegasus and one unicorn captain because we’ve only had the one princess.” Ceasler pointed out, “But what some ponies forget is that, for the first time in over a thousand years, we now have two princesses.”
“You mean Luna?” Slayde replied brightening, “Become the first guard captain in service of Luna?”
“It’s possible isn’t it?” Ceasler said reassuringly, “I reckon the time isn’t far off when she finally gets around to accepting her sister’s offer to restore their dual leadership. When that day finally comes, she’s going to need her own royal guard captain. Perhaps even two.”
“Do you think I could do it?” Slayde asked in awe, “Be Luna’s guard captain?”
“Hrm...” Ceasler frowned as he wondered, “To answer that question, I guess you could say that if you asked me a few years ago if I thought that rookie could turn out to be the guard captain some day, then I’d tell you no.
“But you really are a lot like him you know.” he mused, “Maybe you do have potential. You stood up to me pretty good before, and stuck to your beliefs. But you’re gonna need more than that if you want the big job.
“Ha-ha, I wonder how weird it’d look for me to have taken two guard captains under my wing?” Ceasler laughed, “They’d probably take me off the field to teach the at the academy.”
“Heh, don’t you worry sir...” Slayde said enthusiastically, “When I become Luna’s royal guard captain, I won’t give you the cold shoulder like the captain did!”
“Don’t get ahead of yourself boy.” Ceasler warned, returning to his more stern self, “You’ve got a lot to learn before you can even dream about making captain.”
“And if your record is anything to go by...” Slayde beamed, “Then you’re just the pegasus to teach me!”
“Oh-ho?” Ceasler blinked a few times in surprise, “Finally showing a little respect are we?”
“Pfft, please...” the young guard remarked, nudging his partner fondly, “Maybe after you get your own room I’ll give you some of that reverence you love so much.”
The old night guard shook his head from side to side. “Oh, how I fear for the future.” he sighed, “It really wouldn’t kill you to show a little respect.”
Ceasler stopped walking as he realized they had overshot their mark, too engaged in conversation to notice they had come so far. His partner slowed to a stop as well, looking out over the wall and into the distance.
“Hrm...” Ceasler hummed, “Looks like our patrol’s over. Come on, let’s head back.”
As he looked over to his unresponsive partner, he was intrigued to see him squinting, focused intently on something beyond the city’s wall.
“Slayde?” he asked, addressing the reactionless unicorn, “What are you-”
“Are you seeing what I’m seeing?” Slayde asked as he tried to focus his gaze, “What is that thing?”
“What are you talking about?” Ceasler questioned, looking to the sky as he joined in the search, “I don’t- whoa, what the...”
Ceasler and Slayde’s eyes widened in horror as they finally recognised the figure rushing toward them...
Slayde might have hesitated, but Ceasler didn’t. “Watch out!” was all he had time to say as he crash-tackled his partner to the ground and out of the way of the shadow descending upon them.
* * * *
Further up in Canterlot top tier, in the desolate halls of the royal palace, the pressure was well and truly on.
The princess was in a frenzy as she blitzed through the various documents she had accumulated and the royal guards outside were petrified. Fifteen minutes ago, having lost a fair game of rock-paper-scissors to decide to whom the task should fall to, one of the royal guards ventured inside her chambers and interrupted whatever it was she was doing to tell her that the time had come to prepare for the raising of the sun.
The captain had warned them not to disrupt her, but Celestia was running late. The guards just thought her schedule had slipped her mind, and they should remind her. But the way Celestia had responded still had the royal guards shaking in their golden greaves.
So now, with just over an hour remaining until the scheduled sunrise, and the princess still tearing her study apart, the guards knew they had to try again. It was possible that she had calmed down a little...
A jarring crashing sound, only partially snuffed from behind the door, thundered out and caused the royal guards to shiver. It didn’t take a genius to tell that Celestia’s frustration was doing nothing but growing.
Indeed, inside her chambers, the princess literally tore through page after page of the criminal listing, searching feverishly for something specific.
A single, almost alien drop of sweat ran down Celestia’s cheek. “Why can’t I remember the name?” she said in angst, “She’s the only one it could be! The captain really must have wiped her record... but why?”
“I still remember the time she came to see me.” she said frustrated, throwing the papers the floor, “So why does my memory fail me so?”
Celestia gave up. She had made it about halfway through the criminal listings, but she was out of time. Despite this, she absolutely refused to allow herself to panic. She let her horn pulse to magically thrust open the doors to her study, causing the guard who had finally resolved to knock upon them to hit nothing, and consequently, follow-through with an embarrassing face-plant.
“I’m coming.” she smiled pre-emptively to the other guard, predicting his question, “But I must ask that you escort me alone, for I have a very important task for this one to complete.”
Celestia stood purposefully over the guard who had just picked himself off the floor. “Uh, me?” he asked bewildered, “What can I do?”
Celestia had obviously predicted this question as well, so instead of paying attention to the confused guard, she instead concentrated on rifling through the mess that had become her study.
For a fleeting instant, the guard was afraid that the princess was about to order him to clean the mess, but Celestia was in front of him again, and she was levitating a very specific series of documents as if she wanted him to grab them.
“Now, this is very important.” she said seriously, staring right at the intimidated royal guard as she spoke clearly and deliberately, “This is a list of the names, statuses and origin of every pony that has been on the wanted list at any stage over the last fifteen years. I want you to look through every file we have and compile a separate list for me. Restrict the search to female pegasus ponies under twenty... no, make that thirty years of age. And try to focus on any profiles that may have been tampered with, or are otherwise suspicious.”
Celestia stopped giving orders as she watched the expectant stare of the royal guard as he hung on every word she was saying. “Do you understand all this?” she questioned disarmingly, “Don’t be afraid to ask-”
Suddenly, and without warning, a blaring alarm trumpeted out through the whole palace, cutting through the moment and causing everyone in Celestia’s chambers to jump slightly. “That’s the warning alarm!” the guard at the door said, especially surprised, “So it’s finally happening is it?”
The guard in front of her snapped Celestia out of her apparent trace. “Princess!” he said urgently, “You have to-”
“Yes, I know.” she replied definitively, “Will you have any problems with what I’ve asked?”
“No.” he answered evenly, surprising her with his lack of hesitation, “Be careful princess...”
The guard at the door was somewhat less certain. “Are you sure you should still raise the sun at a time like this?” he asked, “Less than an hour remains-”
“Yes, I’m sure.” was all she said, closing off the topic and turning back to the guard closest to her, “Good luck here. I’m counting on you.”
He snapped up into a soundless salute, sensing that the princess was about to leave him to his recently assigned duties.
Out the door she went, but before the two guards were out of each other’s sight, they nodded silently to one another, conveying much with the simple gesture.
‘Don’t falter.’ it said, ‘Good luck and Godspeed.’
The guard stood alone in Celestia’s private study, and before he committed himself to the documents before him, he shot a look out the window and into the sky, wondering to himself. “Just what is going on here?” was all he said before he buried his eyes into the daunting stack of notes before him.
* * * *
“You can’t possibly expect me to believe that something like that is even possible?” Twilight questioned, stunned by Fluttershy’s explanation, “Wait, wait... wait. Let me get this straight...
“Not only are you saying that he managed to fight off two manticore...” she recapped, “But there was a much bigger third one which he also took out?”
Twilight shook her head in disbelief. “But he didn’t just beat it you say?” she said directly, “Tell me how it’s possible to even ‘break-in’ a manticore! Tell me how a single, injured, earth pony, can... what? ‘Tame’ a wild manticore and fly off with it?!”
Twilight just stood there, leaning in towards Fluttershy with unblinking eyes, waiting for an answer to her perfectly legitimate questions.
“I don’t really understand it either, but it’s the truth.” the shy pegasus responded, already exhausted from the explanation, “Manticore always hunt with their cubs, and the father was somehow overpowered and Marco forced it to do what he wanted. He probably sedated it, or used some kind of potion or medicine to keep it subdued... to keep it pacified.”
Fluttershy was starting to sound angry... Angry that Marco had been so heartless. “You gotta stop him before he does something really bad.” she said timidly, “Before he hurts someone else, or-”
“What can I do?!” Twilight said flustered, interrupting her friend, “He’s gone Fluttershy! Flown away to Canterlot no doubt! It’s over! We can’t catch up to him-”
“We can’t...” Fluttershy said determined, “But you can.”
“I have to stay here.” she continued, “This cub’s injuries are bad, and I can’t leave him like this. But you, you need to fly off after Marco-”
“Uh... fly?” Twilight repeated in disbelief, “You do realize that you’re the pegasus here, not me?”
“And you know there’s more than one way to tame a manticore.” Fluttershy said suddenly, “You’ve seen me do it.”
Twilight almost considered the idea. “Yeah. You’ve done it.” Twilight said fearful, “But it’s a monster! It might like you, but it’d flip out if I tried to ride it!”
Fluttershy remained unconvinced. “I’ve seen you calm a raging Ursa Major...” she reminded her friend.
“Minor!” Twilight corrected, “And that was different!”
“Um, yeah. Minor.” Fluttershy said meekly, “Well how about Cerberus? He’s the strongest and most deadly beast in Equestria, and you led him all the way back to Tarterus!”
“You wouldn’t be talking about that same three headed dog you gave a belly scratch to?” Twilight raised an eyebrow, “Again, that was different!”
“My point is...” Fluttershy ran her hoof through the mane of the manticore next to her, “This girl’s smart, and if you give me a moment with her, you’ll have no problem riding her to Canterlot while I stay here to help her brother.”
“Okay, but-” Twilight stopped short. She didn’t have a ‘but’ to add.
“I can’t believe I’m doing this...”