Why We Guard
The moment she walked through the great gates of Canterlot, Stalwart Sentry knew that she was home. There were no tricks this time, no gleaming towers lit by glistening sparks of wishful thinking, no illusory plazas layered over treacherous swampland. This was Canterlot, true and unapologetic. The cobblestones beneath her hooves all but crackled at her touch, half from high background magic and half from familiarity at an old soldier returning home. It was enough to put a little sway into Stalwart's steps, and she found her hooves catching against the odd loose cobble now and then, but she could not have cared less.
There were many who swore that the sun always shone the brightest on fair Canterlot's slopes. Stalwart, who had seen far more of the world than any Canterlot blueblood (especially the Canterlot Bluebloods) could claim to have seen, knew that there were many places both in Equestria and beyond her shores where the sun was more glorious a sight to behold. But even the diamond-swept beaches of Zatara, sparkling like heaven at the slightest sunbeam, or the Golden Cathedral of Iroa-Mogis, its every facet designed to magnify and direct the sun's light so that it could create a second sun beneath its own roof, could not compare to the genius of Canterlot. And how could they ever? All the rest of the world treated the sun, treated Celestia, as a goddess. Their structures were built for glorification and praise, or to attempt to capture some small part of her supposed divinity.
The architects of Canterlot had known better, and had said as much with their masterwork. The city was not fashioned for worship of the Dawnbringer residing within, but for revelry in the gifts that she lavished on the world. Rather than glorify Celestia, the city had been built to bask in the natural glory that she radiated. Every brick of the grand spires had been carved with light-bending runes, so that the light of the sun did not cast shadows but instead took tips from the movement of water around a sharp bend. When the sun was upon it, there was not a dark corner in Canterlot, and all within could not help but display themselves at their fullest radiance.
Of course, the downside of that was that everypony could see the awful state that Stalwart's armor was in.
Now, the armor itself was fine. There were no gashes, no scratches, no hammered-on patches, and there was even a trace of polish still left in some of the armor's creases. But that polish didn't count for anything when Stalwart Sentry looked as though she had walked through a rainstorm of oil and ichor. Her armor and coat were stained black in so many places that, from the front especially, you wouldn't even be able to tell she was one of the Royal Guard. Matters weren't helped by the massive sword slung to her side, almost as big as its bearer, which was dripping so much black stuff that you'd think it was a dying animal.
Children playing in the streets stopped what they were doing and ran away. Tourists took other routes, though not before snapping pictures. The commoners kept their heads down, sometimes stopping as if to pay respects to a passing funeral procession. And the aristocrats? They peppered Stalwart with insults, 'whispered' between each other for the sake of propriety, and threw around words like 'deshabille' or 'unfit for duty' as they walked past her. Their antics drew Stalwart a few looks of pity from the commoners, and sometimes someone would shout obscenities at the 'disrespectful fops'.
But Stalwart didn't hear their hurtful words, and she paid no heed to their disrespect. What mattered to her was that the aristocrats walked right alongside her, when the road they were on was wide and everypony else was unashamed to stay as far away from the filthy guard as they could. She heard the tiny little splashes as those perfectly manicured hooves deliberately met the sticky trail that she was leaving in her wake, felt the weight on her side shift as it was lightly jostled, and saw the gratitude in those eyes that so very briefly met her gaze.
It takes several hours to walk from the Merchant's Gate to the court of Princess Celestia, and twice as long in heavy armor. Stalwart Sentry walked past ponies of all walks of life, even some fellow soldiers of the Royal Guard. Most of them kept themselves to their appointed tasks, as was their duty, and those few who spared her a glance gave no more than a respectful nod. There were no salutes, no snaps to attention, because there was no call for such things. Stalwart Sentry went on her way, the common folk parting before her and the aristocrats brushing past her as though she were invisible.
At one point, she distinctly saw Prince Blueblood about to cross the street that she was walking up. As he looked this way and that, searching for an opening in the constant hoof-traffic, his gaze met hers and he quickly changed direction. He moved slowly, and Stalwart moved slower, and no onlooker would have suspected they had any plans to meet in the middle. When they did, it was only for a second, Blueblood's shoulder brushing up against hers as he passed her, before he was on his way again. Now he was probably going to be late for a meeting, and he'd have to walk through town with a horrific black stain on his shoulder. And there wouldn't be a single upper-class pony that would ask any questions or talk down to him for it.
Quite some time later, Stalwart Sentry stood at the doors of the throne room. The guards on station there opened the door, and Stalwart ignored the herald proclaiming her arrival. When she received the signal, she walked down the aisle towards the throne. The supplicants stepped aside, and those who were here merely to be seen here did not betray anything as they watched. The princess watched Stalwart's approach with an expression so carefully disguised that Stalwart could not begin to guess what she was thinking.
When at last she arrived at the feet of the throne, Stalwart Sentry turned her head and drew her sword. Parts of it had melted and fused together, parts were indelibly stained black and red, but most of it was simply drenched in a miasma of blood that spilled out of the scabbard and onto the luscious red carpet. Stalwart turned her head and jammed her sword into the marble beneath Celestia's throne, and there were a few gasps at how easily the metal pierced the marble. Stalwart stepped back, and looked up at the princess.
"The Dragon Lord Tenebrous has been slain, your majesty. As you commanded, so it is."
The susurrus of the court around her was ignored by both the guard and her princess, who may as well have been in their own world. Celestia looked from the sword, to Stalwart, to an empty space directly beside Stalwart, and finally spoke. "You have done well, Stalwart Sentry. But tell me, what has become of your companion? I distinctly remember that I sent two of Equestria's finest to deal with the dragon situation."
Despite her miserable-looking state, Stalwart smiled. "Torch elected to remain with the dragons, your majesty. He has taken the mantle of Dragon Lord for himself."
Celestia seemed to relax, and a small smile graced her features. "This is excellent news. Not only have you toppled a tyrant, but you have ensured that one will not rise to take his place, and all without loss. You never cease to impress, my dear."
"You flatter me, your majesty." Stalwart Sentry bowed before the princess, finally feeling the weight of her journey. "I am but a simple guard."
This one was surprisingly difficult to get a bead on.
I knew I wanted to do something with the Royal Guard, but they perform such a basic role and the card has such simple mechanics, it didn't seem like there was much that could be done. Trying to do something with a human riding a horse has potential, but it just ended up distracting from the white knight. I briefly thought of tying a Tumblr user to Shining Armor and doing a whole Buckin' Bronco thing, but according to my pony-MtG consultant Shiny is blue-white.
Thank goodness for that awesome flavor text, eh?
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Amazing...
The Royal Guard actually did something! And SUCCEEDED!
Awesome! ... And this is years before the show or something! It's a companion piece to how Torch became Dragon Lord! ... Initially, I thought Torch was a pony...
I guess the Blueblood in the story is a ancestor of the show's Blueblood...
7612353 He might be.
7611631 And tagging them as you put them up is ever so hard.
7612297 it is nice to see them do something once and awhile without failing miserably, yes.
7612456 The problem with that approach is that (I'm pretty sure that) there's a cap on the number of genre tags you can use, and once October is through, this is liable to have at least one story in literally every genre available. It might be a good idea to note genres for each chapter in their title, but it's simply not going to be possible to give the whole story tags that take every chapter into account.
Quite nicely done. Good blend of concluding the epic quest and the vague sense of emptiness that comes after fulfilling a great deed and seeing the world moving on around you. I assume Stalwart is one of Flash's distant ancestors.
Also, with the the Golden Cathedral of Iroa-Mogis, I have to wonder: centaurs, minotaurs, or both?
7612984 Stalwart Sentry is indeed the badass ancestor who is both the constant inspiration and personal benchmark of accomplishment that Flash Sentry holds himself to. The slaying of Dragon Lord Tenebrous is only one of her many grand adventures.
As for Iroa-Mogis... Come back tomorrow.
You're two-for-two. And damn, one every day? I eagerly anticipate tomorrow's entry.
7612972 I don't see why he doesn't simply put the tags in the story titles themselves, the way most shortfic/drabble collections often do.
Stalwart Sentry may have emerged victorious from her battle against the dragon lord, but she didn't tell anypony about the pump spell she used to take down the dragon. She might even have needed to use green mana!
7618087 *she
An interesting take on the white knight. Personally, I enjoyed the noble's reactions to something that was distinctly "un-Canterlot" in appearance. This was one of the most descriptive treks through Canterlot I've ever really read about. Adding to that, the size of the city is one that I hadn't really taken into account before. I don't think I've read a story where it takes multiple hours to get from the gate to the palace.
Overall, another excellent chapter!