Heroic Charm Of The Past

by SabreTheRedMane

Chapter 1

Author's Note:

The main protagonist doesn't have a definite name. That's intentional.

On the tall white tower decorated with an insignia of the Golden Sun the bell was ringing. Insistent as always, its dull, heavy strikes reverberated seemingly through the whole building, from the roof to the lowest of the cellars. The Lad cringed and opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was dim light, penetrating through the heavy drapes, covering the high, arced windows. It's been morning, the get up time.

Shuffling, snorts and yawns came from around. Others also have waken up and were raising. The Lad also yawned. He got up, took the blanket with his teeth and began to tidy his sleeping spot, helping himself with his front hooves. With his peripheral vision he saw unicorns levitating the blankets and stretching them effortlessly before lowering atop the mattress. 'It's nice to have a horn,' he thought idly, yawned again and went to the door.

The corridor was busy. Cadets were in hurry, pushing and colliding, wanting to do their hygienic routine, and unfortunate ones risked to be stuck in the line and be penalized. Here, his earth pony stature and strength were actually better than anything else. 'But it's good to be an earth pony too,' he smirked to himself, taking his place in front of the long mirror above the equally long washstand in the communal bathroom. He rinsed his face from the faucet, stuck his toothbrush into the holder and began to brush his teeth, against it, looking in the mirror.

The night's dream was still fresh in his mind, he still saw vestiges of it looking through his reflection in the mirror. The shining armor of equine knights, noble and cunning faces of their generals, barbaric leather and metal attire of griffons from the High Rock. Heroic poses of the winning ponies. Pegasi, chasing the griffons down, out of the skies. The griffon warlord, surrendering, battered up, with his spear broken.

Everything like on that huge painting he saw back when The Lad was still a foal. The same painting, that long ago made him dreaming about joining the Royal Guard. And like in that book he have read in the training center's library, when he was supposed to be reading the learning material for the lesson instead.

He was seeing everything like if from some vantage point, a mountain or a hill, the same way the painting was composed. What puzzled him though, was a dark, large silhouette, always seemingly at the very edge of his field of vision. He was sure there wasn't anything like that on the painting.

He sighed, put away the toothbrush and went out of the bathroom.

Everypony gathered on the training grounds. The cadets stood in neat, orderly lines, fetlock deep in the snow. It snowed during the night, and quite heavily. The Lad quickly trotted to his place and stood at attention, because the folks from the music squad have already been producing the first chords of the Equestrian Anthem.

"Attention to the flag!" the officer shouted and everypony simultaneously turned their heads to look at the flagpole. A lean, brawny pegasus from the Third squad pulled the rope with his teeth and the Stars and Alicorns banner slowly began to move up. It reached the top of the pole and unfurled on the wind.

"Listen up, everypony!" A sharp, authoritative voice made the cadets look forward once again.

For some reason, the Commander of the academy himself was at the grounds this time. He was a huge earth pony, aging but still stout, covered in several scars, which were so deep, he hasn't got the fur growing over them. The Lad always thought that the Commander is looking as heroic as equinely possible. Moreover, he wore a Sugarcuban Medal, the Golden Sun raising up out of sugar reeds. Which meant that he actually been in combat, either as a volunteer or as a sanctioned Equestrian personnel, which assisted the locals during the the Sugarcuban National Liberation War, forty years ago. How awesome was that!

The Lad thought it was supremely so.

"Tomorrow is the Heartswarming Eve," the Commander continued, "and Her Royal Majesty Princess Luna deigned to wish to attend the Academy. She will be blessing us with Her august presence during the Holiday activities. I believe I do not need to stress up how important this is. I am sure, everypony will be at their best behavior."

The cadets stood silent. Only the sounds made by the banner, flying in the wind, was heard on the grounds.

Most of the cadets weren't from Canterlot and even those who were have been seeing an alicorn a couple times a year at most, from afar. They knew Princess Celestia always visits the graduation, that it is a grand event... but they were only at their first year! And now they could not only meet one of the eternal rulers, but the one that was the most mysterious, returned after the time so long she was considered simply a legend!

The Lad carefully looked around. He saw faces of his fellow cadets ranging from excitement, bewilderment to outright fear.

---

After the flag raising there was a short warm up. Then the breakfast. Since it was already the holiday season, there weren't any classes. And yet, the regular chores remained, including the groundwork. Moreso in the light of the visit of the Princess.

The weather pegasi promised a clear day, so everything on the premises must have been tidied, organized and swabbed.

The Lad readily volunteered for the snow cleaning duty. To his earth pony self the physical work have been a welcome distraction, calming even. He and others went to the storage, to get the various appliances and then headed to the training grounds. When he and his friend were exiting the storehouse, a large lump of snow pummeled into the ground just about a few inches of them.

"Hey, watch it!" The Lad shouted, looking up. Several pegasi cadets looked down from the roof. They were cleaning the snow up high.

"Sorry 'bout that!" One of them answered, a filly. Her face was anything but sorry. Suddenly, an enormous blue fir which grew near the storehouse shuffled its snowy branches slightly, as if from a gust of wind, and the whole avalanche of snow descended on the roof. The pegasi jumped into the air, cussing.

"A pity." The Lad's friend, a unicorn, commented. His tone naturally contained no regret. The Lad snorted. He noticed how his friend's horn blinked a moment before the avalanche.

They went their way, to the grounds. The Lad, already dressed in the heavy duty tack, approached the lone dozer blade sitting on the ground in the corner near the academy wall. "Help me to hitch that up!" He called for his friend. Together they quickly adjusted the tack and attached the blade in front of The Lad. He then leaned on the pushing bar and the blade gnawed into the thick snow cover.

The Lad went forward, slow but unrelenting, scooping the snow. His unicorn friend, levitating a smaller shovel, helped to distribute the snow into neat piles, so the other group of cadets could collect it afterwards.
"Oh, dude, I still can't believe. The Princess is gonna visit us! And it's not even the graduation. A Hearthswarming present, alright! Can't wait for the winter leave after the exams, to tell my folks about that!" The Lad told, when they stopped to rest for a bit.
"That is exciting, yes." His friend agreed.
The Lad squinted at him. "You sound more worried than excited."
"Perhaps."
"But why? Do you think we will buck it up and will look like idiots?"
The unicorn looked up, into the grey sky, as if trying to discern the stars.
"No," he sighed, "That's different. We are a fine bunch, even those who-", he stammered, "Well... all of us, we are a fine bunch. But its not the graduation yet and that's not Celestia who visits. That's Her sister."
"So what? If Her Majesty has no problem in ruling alongside Her sister, why should it bother us?"

The unicorn smiled. "Luna is an enigma, as my mother says. Think about that, for centuries Celestia been consistent with what She wants from ponies who are going to take our chosen path of the equines at arms. But now with another alicorn by her side, to provide an opinion... Who knows how that visit will affect our carriers?"
The Lad scratched his nose against the tack rope. "When you put that like this..." He muttered.

They continued their work.
"You think the times gonna change?" The Lad asked after a while.
"I don't know for sure," the unicorn shrugged, "neither do my family. Although some try to theorize."
"Your family, you are a long line military nobility, right?" The Lad said to the unicorn, "They think it's been to quiet for too long?"
"Everything is in Her grasp." The unicorn answered with piety, then winced momentarily, "Their grasp, I mean. Now that Equestria is a diarchy again."
"Do you want some action?" The Lad smirked.
"I don't know."
"Well, I want."
"Still can't get over that one battle, thirteen hundred years ago?"
"You bet, dude! I even dream about it! What a time that was, what a ponies! The giants, dude, the giants!"
The unicorn sighed, unsure.