> The Devil within the Clover
>  by The saiyan brony
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> Chapter 1
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The leaves of a clover are said to each contain one thing.

In the first three dwell integrity, hope, and love.

The fourth leaf gives over to good luck.

And in the fifth, there lives the devil.







The smell of smoke and burning flesh, the screams of pain of those in suffering. These were the first memories I had when I awoke, and they were the only ones I had at all. My body was in agonizing pain, and I could feel my blood trickling onto the hot ground. I felt so exhausted and delirious as I tried to stand. My vision would fade in and out as I saw dark silhouettes running and screaming against the crackling fires that set the world around me ablaze. I looked all around me, staggering as even the smallest movement was too much for my damaged body to handle. Then, that’s when I saw them. Standing before me were six individuals, each varying in size and shape, but due to my blood loss, I couldn’t very well make them out, or any of my surroundings for that matter. The largest of the six stepped forward, towering over me with a shovel in hand. He stared down at me with a look of what I could only guess to be pity as he raised his shovel over his head before bringing it down. Then, everything went dark again.





When I woke up again, everything was still pitch black, only this time, I wasn’t as dizzy as I was before. Because of this, my senses were a bit sharper, allowing me to be more aware of my surroundings, such as the chains attached to my body. I was sitting up against a cold wall that was rough against my back. I tried to move my hands back to rub away the soreness, only for them to be pulled back as the chains had reached their limit. I could barely pull my arms a few inches away from the wall as they hung above my head. The chains on my legs were even shorter, with barely enough slack for me to adjust them even an inch.

The sound of a door opening quickly caught my attention, and the once darkened room was lit enough for me to catch a glimpse of where I was being held prisoner. The room was fairly large with the floor made of cobblestone, and there were no windows or anything that would allow light to enter. The only means of producing light were the torches that were sticking out of the walls, however, they were not lit. The door closed with a loud slam, sending me back into pitch black darkness, but that was for only a moment as the torches I mentioned earlier began to light up, filling the room in an orange glow.

The sudden brightness of the fire caused me to close my eyes after being in the dark for so long, and only after I blinked my eyes repeatedly did they adjust to the light. Once my vision had regained focus once again, I saw that I was in a cell with steel bars and a door. On the other side of my metal prison were four creatures. They stood on two legs with bright colorful fur, three of which were clad in golden armor with a sun emblem on the chest piece. The lighting within the room made it hard for me to tell, but I believe they had equine-like features to them: they had slight muzzles, large, expressive eyes, and ears atop their heads. The three armored ponies, who stood in front of my cell, glared at me with looks of rage and disgust.

They unlocked the door to my cell and made their way inside, surrounding me with one on either side of me while the third stood directly in front of me. Without warning, the pony-like creature who stood in front of me cocked his arm back and thrust his fist into my abdomen, making me cough up a bit of bile. The force of the impact was incredibly painful, leaving me gasping and wheezing as I crouched as far forward as my chains would allow me. I had barely recovered from the first blow before a second was sent to the side of my face by the same creature’s fist.

This senseless beating continued as the armored ponies went on to interrogate me with questions. All of which were questions like: “Who am I?” “What am I?” “Why did I attack the village the other night?” To which I answered honestly that I had no idea. I didn’t know my name or who I am. By their questions, it made it clear that we were not the same creatures. They shouted, calling me a liar, and proceeded to beat me repeatedly, asking the same questions over and over again. I kept telling them the same thing and was continually beaten till I was nearing the point of passing out. I was about to black out when the fourth pony called out for the armored ones to stop. They did so immediately and stepped aside as he moved closer to me. My left eye had swollen shut and blood was trickling out of my mouth as I willed myself to try and look at the pony who walked toward me. Unlike the other three, this one didn’t wear any armor. He wore a blue robe with yellow stars and a crescent moon with bells. His fur was a dull grey and he had a large, swirly beard. Another noticeable feature he had was that he had a long spiral horn sticking from his forehead.

The horn began to glow a pale white and I felt as though my chin was being gripped as I was gently forced to look up at the newcomer. He stared into my good eye, his eyes a light teal, humming for a moment before letting go. “You are the same creature we had fought before, and yet, at the same time, you are not.” Soon, the same pale white glow enveloped my body. “You are now under the power of a truth telling spell. You won’t be able to lie while trapped within it. So, we will ask again. Who are you? What are you? And why did you attack the village last night?”

I didn’t feel any different as I was encased by the glowing light, and before I knew it, my mouth began to speak on its own accord. “I don’t know.”

That answer didn’t sit right with one of the armored ponies as he approached me to punch me again, only for the elder in the blue robe to stop him by holding his arm out. This made the armored stallion stand down as the elder pony looked back to me with a sad look in his eyes. “You are telling the truth, but at the same time, many had witnessed the atrocities that had transpired the night prior. I’m afraid until you are still seen as guilty, you will be kept here until you are proven innocent. Such as the decree enforced by Faust herself.” He stood back up and made his way to the door along with the other ponies. But before he left the room, he looked back at me with a look of sympathy before leaving the room, closing the door behind, the torches being snuffed out and leaving me in darkness once again.





And so, for a time I had no way to measure, I was kept prisoner in my cell within darkness. I had no idea how much time had passed since I last spoke with the stallion with the swirly beard. My only means of trying to measure time was when my stomach would growl in starvation. On the very rare occasion, the three armored ponies from before would enter the room. It was only at this time when I would ever get to see some semblance of light that was cast by their torches. The armored guards were tasked with keeping me fed and watered, but they didn’t care for this one bit. They would barely bring me any food or water, and when they did, they would always place them out of my reach and would laugh at my expense as I struggled against my chains to try and get them. And after they have their good amount of amusement, they would take them away and leave me alone once more in darkness.

For who knows how long, they would continue to torment me this way, laughing at my struggling and beating me when they felt that I deserved it, which was any time they were burdened with seeing my face. This went on until one day, one of the guards commented on how rude I was for not eating any of the gruel they slaved so hard to bring me, and that I wasn’t deserving of their time and effort. I was told that such kindness would no longer be wasted on me and that they would no longer come to feed me. That I would be lucky enough if they decided to come down and beat me, saying that they were being generous by letting me be in their presence. And so, for the last time, they took the food and water and left, leaving me alone in darkness.





Time went on, though I had no way of knowing just how much had passed. I was so hungry that my stomach didn’t have the energy to so much as growl anymore. My tongue and lips were so dry, they were almost like they were made out of stone. I had long since lost my sanity as I stared into the inky black void that was my cell and could no longer muster the strength to even scream out in sorrow. I could feel my body begin to atrophy as the days go by, leaving me weaker and weaker. My body would shiver when the room became so cold at times that I could see my own breath. Soon, I barely had the strength to hold my head up, or even open my eyes anymore.

For so long, I craved the sweet embrace of death so that my suffering could finally be at an end. I desperately awaited the day that I would leave this mortal existence, finally be set free, and find blissful peace. But this was not meant to be as time and time again, I was forced to suffer this ongoing torture. If I still had the capability to do so, I would cry and wail out my sorrows and beg to whatever god was listening to end my suffering and to let me find peace. But even as I am now, it would never happen. I was left to rot, not knowing when my suffering would end. I remember the only words that had passed through my dry, crusty lips.

“P-please…let m-my life end.”

And no sooner did those words escape my throat did I see a light. With what little strength I had, I willed my head to slowly look up. The door to the chamber was open, and in the doorway was a glowing light. Despite the pain in my eyes from seeing light after being trapped in darkness for so long, I dared not to blink or look away in the fear that the light would vanish. The light was so bright that I had believed that I had finally died, and this feeling was only reinforced when I saw a figure within the light. Said figure looked as though it had wings; an angel no doubt, here to take me away from this world and into the afterlife.

But my sliver of hope began to fade as the light began to get dimmer with each passing second, and the figure suddenly vanished. I tried to muster more strength from my body to try and raise my hand out toward the light, hoping to stop it from leaving me. Just as my hand was a few inches off the ground, the light had disappeared as the door abruptly shut, leaving me in darkness once more.

As the light faded, so too did any hope I had left within my body. With little hope left, my hand fell to the ground, but due to how thin it was, it barely made a noise as it hit the cobblestone. The only sound that was made was the rattling of my chains. I desperately wanted to cry and scream, but I was so dehydrated that it wasn’t even possible. I rested my head against the cold stone wall and stared up to the heavens above, pleading in my mind for something to happen. Anything to happen.

My prayers didn’t go unanswered as the door creaked open once more, and there was a light once more, only this time, it wasn’t nearly as bright as it was before. When I tilted my head to try and face the light, I was able to see who the mysterious angel I saw but moments ago belonged to. It was a pony. But this one was unlike the others I had seen before. The first thing I noticed was that it was much smaller than those I’ve seen before. And if I were to make a guess based on the little dress it wore, it was female. And finally, unlike the ponies I saw before who either had wings, a horn, or none at all, this one had both a horn and wings. Her mane and tail were a light pink and her fur was as white as freshly fallen snow.

As she stared at me while peeking from behind the door, I noticed that the light was actually coming from her horn. Even from this distance, I could feel its gentle warmth. Soon, she started to open the door a little bit more, all while keeping her eyes fixated on me. I just sat there watching as she took tentative steps deeper into the room. She looked back to the door and gently nudged her head, and though I couldn’t hear her from where I was sitting, it looked like she was talking to someone. No sooner when her lips stopped moving, a second head slowly peeked out from behind the door. I only caught a small glimpse of a teal-colored eye before it suddenly hid back behind the door. The pink-haired pony smiled and held out her hand while saying something to whoever was behind the door. After a few more moments, a purplish-blue hand slowly reached out and gently grasped the pink-haired pony’s hand.

Slowly but surely, the rest of the body that the hand belonged to walked from behind the door, revealing a slightly smaller pony, perhaps younger than the pink-haired one. She had the same body as the older one, in which she possessed wings and a horn. But unlike the older child, her fur was a purplish blue, and her mane was a light blue color. Her head came just below the pony with the white fur, making my deduction about her being younger much more likely.

The two little ponies had just barely moved away from the door as they carefully made their way closer to my cell. They would nervously look around as they moved closer and closer, the faintest sound making them jump, such as a droplet of water hitting the floor. On occasion, they would move away and back toward the door before trying to approach my cell again. I could just watch in silence as these two tried their best to get closer, which made me wonder why they were here to begin with.

After what seemed like forever, the two stood in front of my cell, the littlest one peeking from behind the oldest pony. The two just stood there, staring at me, and all I could do was stare back. My mouth and throat were still as dry as a desert, so I couldn’t say a word. But the silence was soon broken as the oldest took a small breath of air. “H-Hello?” Her voice was sweet and gentle, sounding like a little angel compared to the darkened Hell I was trapped in. She, along with the other little pony, stared at me, obviously waiting for a response back. But when they received no such reaction, she gripped the bars and leaned her head forward more. “Hello?” She called out before quickly pulling her head back.

I tried to reciprocate her greeting by breathing in some air to speak, but the feeling of it against my dry throat made me let out a dry coughing sound, which had startled the little ponies into backing away. I coughed in pain for a few moments since I haven’t spoken in such a long time before now. “A-Are you alright?” Looking back up, I saw that the oldest had already moved back to the front of my cell, only this time, her horn glowed brighter, then she let out a sharp gasp. With the increased brightness of her light, she was able to see me in my fully weakened state. “You poor thing. You’re nothing but skin and bones. And all your fur has fallen off.” While I tried to soothe my aching throat, I heard a light chiming sound and looked up to see where the sound was coming from. When I looked forward, I saw a glass cup filled with water that was engulfed by a golden glow. “Here, drink this.”

It took every last ounce of willpower that I had in my body to snatch the glass of water in the fear I may scare the two little ponies away. Slowly and as calmly as I could, I tried to lift my hands up to reach the floating glass of water. However, my body has faded so much that the cuffs around my wrist were too heavy for me to lift, making it impossible to reach the glass. So close, yet so far out of my reach once more. If I could shed tears, I would have done so by now as I lowered my head in despair. As I slowly began to weep, I felt something cold and wet press against my lips. When I opened my eyes, I was surprised to see the water from the cup floating in midair, surrounded by the same golden light from before. Looking up, I could see the little pony child smiling at me. “This should make it a little easier for you.” Her words were so soft and pure that it felt like they were washing away the despair that plagued my heart.

Slowly, I opened my mouth and felt the water slipping into my mouth. The cold liquid flooded my mouth, quickly rehydrating my once barren mouth. Never would I have ever imagined that water would taste so wonderful in my life. I carefully titled my head back to swallow the cool liquid and shivered in delight as I could feel it sliding my throat and make its way into my belly. Once I had finished my first gulp of water, she used her strange light to bring another cup of water for me to drink, repeating the process until my mouth was no longer a dry, barren wasteland. I was able to let out a sigh of pure relief without it being too painful to cough.

I was about to try and say my thanks when my stomach let out a loud growl, causing the light blue-haired pony to shriek a bit. My cheeks flushed red as the older child giggled a bit. “Hang on a second.” With a magic pop, a small loaf of bread was hovering in front of me. “I hope this will do for now.” I was left completely speechless and could not fully express my gratitude. I mustered up the last of my strength to force my right hand to raise itself off the ground. It was hard, but with enough willpower, I was able to raise my hand to gently take the loaf of bread in my boney hands. It felt warm in my hands and smelled divine, like it had been freshly baked. I moved the bread with some excitement to my mouth and bit into it. The soft warmth of the bread filled my mouth, and I began to chew it thoroughly. And for the first time in who knows how long, my eyes began to shed tears, not of sadness or pain, but of joy. The taste was so wonderful that I cast aside etiquette and began to wolf down the bread.

After I had eaten the delicious loaf of softness, I let out a sigh of relief, then turned to look at the pony child who had shown me so much kindness. “Do you feel better?” She asked with a warm smile on her face. I wanted to try and express my thanks with a simple thank you, but for some odd reason, no words escaped my lips, only a scratchy groan. “Can you not speak?” I raised my hand to my throat, trying to rub it to see if it was due to the fact that I haven’t spoken since my talk with the bearded stallion. I shook my head solemnly. The ears on both fillies drooped a bit as they had saddened looks on them. “I’m so sorry.”

I felt guilty for making those who had shown me such kindness feel sad. I tried to think of a way to show them that I wasn’t offended, but had a difficult time thinking of some way. I snapped my fingers, which caught both their attention. They looked at me curiously as I weakly raised my hand to point a finger to my face. I curled my lips into a gentle smile while tapping on said smile. For a moment, they tilted their heads to the side in slight confusion before the littlest one clapped her hands together. “Tia, I think it’s trying to say it’s happy.”

When the filly with the pink mane, who I learned was named Tia, looked at me, I gave her a small nod. “You are?” I gave another nod. She moved a hand over her chest and let out a sigh of relief. “Oh, good. For a moment, I felt terrible. Well, let me introduce ourselves. My name Celestia, but my sister Lulu likes to call me Tia.”

Feeling braver, the little filly stepped from behind Celestia and gave me a little bow and a little wave. “I’m Luna, but big sis likes to call me Lulu.” Luna looked at me with a nervous look. “D-Do you have a name? I know you can’t speak at the moment, but perhaps we could guess it?”

The idea wasn’t a bad one, however, there was a slight flaw in that plan. I couldn’t remember my name, or anything about myself for that matter. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t scrounge up any form of a name for myself, or any names that I might have known. With nothing coming to mind, I shook my head in response.

Both fillies’ ears drooped a bit as they looked to the ground, a bit disheartened by my gesture. However, this did not last long as Celestia looked back to me with a hopeful look in her eyes. “Well, if you can’t remember your old name, then maybe we can give you a new one.” This got Luna to raise her head as well as she looked to her sister slightly surprised before looking back at me.

I wasn’t really opposed to the idea, considering that I was in no position to object, but I was still left wondering why they would go through all this trouble for me. Why were they here? How did they know I was here? And just who are these little ponies anyway? But without my voice at the moment, I wasn’t going to be able to ask these questions any time soon. So, with no other options available, I nodded my head to agree to her offer. Celestia clapped her hands with joy while bouncing up and down. “Great! Then how does Nova sound?”

Nova? The name was simple and seemed easy enough to remember. I was about to nod my head at the name when Luna gently tugged on her sister's arm. “No fair, Tia!” She whined with a bit of a pout. “How come you get to name him on your own? We should have chosen a name for him together.” In all honesty, I felt as though I was like the family pet. A bit bothersome, but it’s not like I have any better options.

Celestia rolled her eyes a bit. “Come on, Lulu, it’s not that big of a deal. I just picked out one so that he wouldn’t be nameless is all.” Despite her efforts to reason with her sister, little Luna was still pouting, her cheeks puffed out in an adorable manner. Seeing that she wasn’t going to win this argument, Celestia sighed. “Okay, how about this? I give him the first part of his name, and you can give him the last part, which is the most important part. Does that sound fair?”

Luna had stopped her pouting as she hummed in thought about the offer. “Hmmm…I suppose this is okay.” She moved to grip the bars of my cell and looked over to me. “Is that alright with you?” I saw no reason to object since these two have been nothing but kind to me despite the fact we had just barely met. So, I gave her a smile and a nod, which made her smile back. “Okay. Let me think.” She hummed to herself while she tried to think, her little tongue poking out as she did, which was incredibly adorable. “I got it!” She shouted with excitement. “If the first part of your name is going to be Nova, then the last will be Star.”

‘Nova Star?’ The name seemed easy to remember and does have a nice ring to it as well. Liking the name, I gave the two a nod with a smile, which makes the two fillies jump and up down with glee.

And thus, the beginning of a beautiful friendship was born.





For the next two weeks, I was visited by the two little fillies. I could now actually measure time since they would tell me about their day, and they would visit me twice a day with food and water. They would tell me everything as I listened and ate my food and water. Each day, my strength would come back to me little by little. It wasn’t until the second week when I had finally regained my voice. When I did, I would ask them a series of questions. The first of which was how they found me. They told me that, one night, while they were making their way to the castle’s kitchen to sneak in a few midnight treats, they overheard three guards talking about a creature. One guard had made a comment about how I was still alive after going so long without food. While a second guard said that, at the lowest part of the castle’s dungeon, where no light could ever enter, I was bound to have gone insane.

Both fillies would go on about how they were disappointed in the guards for committing such cruelty. I, on the other hand, wasn’t surprised and kept the part about how they would beat me during the time they were around, mostly because I didn’t want these two to try anything they may regret. With my first question out of the way, I went on to my second, which I asked why they came to me in the first place.

That question had unintentionally brought up a bad memory. The night the girls came to visit me was the night before they had lost their mother, Queen Faust. The queen was taken by a powerful curse that had no known cure. The girls were beside their mother’s side up to the final moments of her life. And in those last moments, she told the girls about me, and how she regretted never coming to see me about whether or not I was truly guilty of the crime I was committed for. After that, the queen departed peacefully from this world in her sleep, leaving her daughters as the new rulers.

I had no idea that the queen who had sentenced me to this style of dark solitude felt guilty for it. The girls would shed a few tears when they think back on the memory of their loss. After that, they would go on to ask me questions about myself and what I was. Unfortunately, I couldn’t answer their questions due to my lack of memory of who I am. They apologized for my loss, to which I waved it off, telling them there was no point in dwelling on something I can’t remember.

Once we had gotten our more important questions out of the way, they would go on to tell me about themselves and the world we are in. Those days were the most fun I had since my awakening.

The darkness I was trapped in became much more bearable when I had something to look forward to. The girls made sure that they would bring enough food to help me put more meat on my bones and keep me hydrated. They would tell me fun stories about how they would play pranks on each other or the castle staff. I would listen in when they talked about the magic lessons they had with their teachers. Celestia was taught by the bearded stallion I had met before. His name was Star Swirl the Bearded. Luna was taught by a unicorn king known by the name of Sombra. They both adored their teachers, and would even go on to have a little argument about who was the better mentor.

When the girls would visit me, they would try to convince me to plead my innocence so that I may finally be set free from this dungeon. I tried to explain to them that without any way to prove my innocence, I wouldn’t get a fair trial since I was a different species, and it would be my word against theirs. But they would still persist in me doing so, saying it wasn’t right that I should pay for a crime I wasn’t guilty for. Part of me wanted to agree, but another half kept saying that I was guilty and should suffer for it.

Whenever the girls would have to leave, I couldn’t help but feel sad. I would miss their company, but mostly because, whenever they would visit, Celestia would have to take the light with her. Though the darkness had become less terrifying when they came, it still made me scared to be alone in it. That is, until one night.

One night, as the girls were leaving, Luna stayed behind to talk to me. She asked if I was scared of the dark. I didn’t want to openly admit it, but despite my pride, I told her I was afraid. She gave me a warm smile before using her magic to summon up an object. It looked like a miniature lamp with shapes cut into the lampshade. With a flick of a switch, the light turned on and the lampshade began to rotate. Soon, images of stars and crescent moons danced around the room, illuminating the darkness. I was left in awe as Luna talked about the origins of this lamp.

“Back when I was younger and mama was still around, I used to be scared of the dark. I would climb into bed with Tia so I wouldn’t feel alone or scared. Then mama gave me this special night light so I wouldn’t be scared to be alone anymore” She gave me a gentle and warm smile as she used her magic to set the lamp down next to me. “I’m not scared of the dark anymore, so I think it would be better if you kept it so you won’t be afraid while me and Tia are gone.” With that, she waved goodbye for the night and left to catch up with her sister.

I was so moved by her gift that I wished that I could repay both her and Celestia’s kindness back. Little did I know that day would come sooner than I would have thought.





The days turned into weeks, and the weeks into months. With each day that passed, I was slowly beginning to gain back my weight thanks to the means Celestia and Luna would bring me. And at one point, they undid the shackles that bound my arms and legs so I could move around in my cell for some exercise. They brought me fresh clean clothes and a large wooden barrel for me to bathe in, when they weren’t around, that is. For some odd reason, my hair never grew an inch, nor did I ever grow any facial hair. But that meant I had little to worry about, so I didn’t care much.

Celestia and Luna would try and make my time spent in my cell more bearable by bringing me things, like fresh hay to pile up on the floor to make a bed, pillows, and blanket to make falling asleep easier. Even a water trough so I could clean my face and wash my cell when there aren’t around.

Of course, I didn’t just lounge about and let myself get fat. Whenever the girls aren’t around, I spend my free time doing simple exercises, like pushups, sit ups, and crunches. I have been working tirelessly to keep my body in peak condition, for I had made a promise to myself to never fall back into despair.

Today felt like any other. I knew Celestia and Luna would arrive for their nightly visit anytime. Little did I know that this would be the day where things would change for me.

I was doing my daily workout routine. “97…98…..99……1-100!” I had collapsed on the ground, sweating bullets and panting like a dog. I had finally achieved my first goal of doing one hundred push ups without taking a breather or letting my knees touch the ground. “F-Finally did it.” I grunted with a sense of pride as I carefully rolled myself over onto my back, staring up at the ceiling. As I laid on the ground, I heard the sound of the door clicking open and turned to see my guests arriving. “Good evening, you two.”

I sat up and folded my legs as the girls came in and took a seat in front of my cell like they usually do. “Good evening, Nova. How are you doing tonight?” Luna asked with a smile.

Returning her smile, I slide my hand through the bars to pet her head, making her giggle. “I’m doing just fine, Luna, just like you two asked me earlier today.” Luna had a tendency to be overly worried about me since she would ask me how I was doing despite seeing me earlier in the day.

“Ahem.” I turned to look over to Celestia, who had her arms folded across her chest while she was pouting. “Aren’t you forgetting somepony?” She asked while pointing to her head. I chuckled and rolled my eyes as I reached out with my free hand to gently rub her head too. “Better.” She giggled as she smiled and hummed in satisfaction. Two would always get jealous of the other if I ever showed one more attention than the other, but I knew it was all in good fun.

Things were going smoothly until we heard the sound of voices approaching. I quickly glanced over at the door and saw a light emanating at the crack of the door. Celestia and Luna froze for a moment before I nudged them. “Quickly you two, go hide over there.” I pointed to a large pile of old hay that was in the corner of the room. It was enough for them to hide in until whoever was coming had left. “And whatever you do, stay quiet and don’t come out until it’s safe.” The girls nodded their heads and quickly ran for cover just as the door clicked open.

I quickly hid the night light and the other stuff the girls brought me under the hay I was using for a bed, then moved myself up against the wall. Soon, the door swung open, and the last three ponies I thought I would ever see stepped in. “Well, well, look who’s still kicking.” It was the three stallion guards from before, only something was off about them. They weren’t wearing their armor like they normally would. “I’m actually surprised you haven’t croaked yet. I thought after going without food and water, you’d die within a week.” The one speaking was a unicorn stallion with light brown fur and blonde mane.

He was accompanied by two others, an earth pony with green fur and red mane, and a pegasus with white fur and dark grey mane. The earth pony guard stared at me for a few moments before pointing over at me. “Hey, he’s not wearing his shackles anymore.” I mentally cursed myself for forgetting something as crucial as that.

The pegasus stallion scoffed and turned his head away. “Who gives a rats ass? Were not guards anymore, remember? If the ugly beast gets loose and tears up everypony here, it won’t be our problem.” I was a bit surprised by that little information. What did he mean they didn’t care? And what was that about not being guards anymore?

The former unicorn guard stepped to the front of my cell, staring at me with a wicked smile. “Well, it looks like this will be the very last time we see each other, you little freak. We got fired for doing some shady stuff on the side, and were told to grab our shit and leave the castle.” He unlocked the door with a set of keys, swung the door open, and walked in along with the other two. “But we couldn’t leave without saying one last goodbye to our favorite punching bag, now could we?” His smile quickly turned into a glare as he snapped his fingers. “Hold him up, boys.” Before I could react, both the earth pony and pegasus stallion grabbed me by the arm, pulled me onto my feet, and pressed me against the wall. They had my arms pinned as the unicorn stallion quickly swung his fist into my gut, making me heave. “Sweet Faust, I forgot how good that felt.” He threw another punch into my abdomen, making me hack up some bile.

The senseless beating went on for a few moments as the three took turns beating me into a pulp, and all the while, I would check to make sure the girls were out of sight. They were peeking through the hay, and I could see the tears streaming down their cheeks as they watched me spit up blood when the earth pony stallion thrust his fist into my gut. I would carefully shake my head, making sure they wouldn’t try anything. “What the hell are you looking at?” The unicorn stallion questioned as he switched places with the earth pony, grabbing my face to make me look at him.

I needed to keep their attention focused on me, so I steeled my nerves and grinned up at the stallion. “Me? I’m looking at three ugly pigs.”

No sooner did those words slip from my mouth was I met with a backhanded slap across the face. “You think you’re funny, huh?” The unicorn stallion reached back into his pockets and pulled out a dagger. “We’ll just see how long that sense of humor will last after we are done with you.” He quickly slashed his blade across my chest. The pain was immeasurable as it felt like my skin was on fire as the blade cut through my flesh, making me wail out in pain. “You like that, huh? Here, I’ll give you another one!” He slashed his blade across my right shoulder, making me scream louder as I could feel my blood start to trickle down my body.

He would continue to slash his blade across my body, each time missing a vital point by an inch. Soon, a puddle of my own blood began to build up at our feet. The unicorn stallion grabbed me by my hair, forcing my head up as he moved his blade to press up against my throat as he stared me in the eyes. “I think I’ve had my fun. And since I’m in such a good mood, I’ll end your suffering.”

As I felt the blade slowly begin to move, both Celestia and Luna ran out from the hay. “STOP!!!” They screamed as they caught the ex-guards off guard, making them drop my body. The two pushed the unicorn stallion away from me as they moved in front of me. “Leave him alone!” Luna screamed, both siblings with tears in their eyes.

Celestia glared at the three stallions, who moved to the other side of the cell. “How dare you hurt Nova like that?!” She stomped her hooves and advanced on the three stallions, making them back away till they were up against the bars.“We will have you three locked away for the rest of your lives once we get done with you! You neglected him and beat him for fun! Being kicked out of the guard is far too light a punishment for you three!!”

Both the pegasus and earth pony stallion looked genuinely worried. The same couldn’t be said for the unicorn stallion, who had a wicked smile on his face, a look that sent a chill down my spine. He took a confident step forward while maintaining the same wicked smile on his face. He slowly reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring with a gemstone on it, then lunged toward Celestia. Before she could move away, he grabbed her and slipped the ring on her horn. “Here, hold her.” He tossed her to the pegasus stallion, who grabbed her by her shoulder, as the unicorn stallion reached out for Luna. I tried to act fast and lunged forward to bite into his leg. “Gahhh! You little rat!!’ He pulled his leg out of my jaws and used the same leg to kick my body across the floor. He grabbed Luna by her mane and put the same ring on her own horn. “There we go. Now we are all set.”

“What the fuck are you doing?” The earth pony asked. “These are the princesses!”

The unicorn smiled as he walked forward, still holding Luna by her mane, making tears of pain come out of her eyes. “Exactly. These little brats are our tickets to the good life.” When Luna tried to break free, the stallion pulled on her mane harder, making her scream out. “As far as everypony knows, these two runts are in their rooms sleeping. These brats barely know any spells, and with these magic inhibitor rings, they can’t cast any magic. And best of all, if we take his body with us, they will pin the blame on him.” He looked back to me with a mischievous glare, and soon, the other two began to have the same look. “We’ll sell them to those merchants in Saddle Arabia. They will pay good money for these two.” 

“What will they do to them?” The earth pony guard asked, tightening his grip on Celestia as she tried to get away.

“Who gives a fuck? They might keep them as sex slaves or mount their heads on a wall.” The leader shrugged his shoulders. His eyes perked up as he glared at Luna. “You know, if they do end up as sex slaves, we might as well try and break them in.” He slid a finger down Luna’s cheek, making her fur grow pale as she began to weep.

My blood had reached a boiling point as I pushed myself on to my feet and charged the unicorn. “Don’t touch her, you bastard!!”

As I was about to throw a punch, when his horn glowed, and my body was sent flying up against the walls. The shackles that were attached to the wall latched onto my limbs and clicked shut. “You just stay there and enjoy the show, freak.” He shoved Luna to the ground and got on top of her, gripping the bottom of her dress and tore it off, revealing her undergarments.

‘Kill him.’

Luna began to cry in fear as she tried to push the stallion off her while the other two watched. Celestia was screaming for them to leave her sister alone. I pulled on my chains, roaring out in rage, trying to break the chains that bound me to the wall.

‘Kill them.’

Luna called out my name as the unicorn stallion started to pull down his pants. Her hand held out for me to try and grab it.

‘Kill them all!!!!’

“RRRRRRAAAAGGGHHHHHH!!!!” All I could see was red as I forced my body forward, the chains binding me to the wall snapping. The unicorn turned his head and saw me now within an inch of him, his eyes shrinking to pin pricks as I pulled my fist back and threw it into his face. The force of impact from my fist colliding with his face sent his body flying into the metal bars, making a huge dent in the bars as his body fell to the ground. I slowly turned my attention to the two remaining stallions, who began to quiver in fear. I took one step and found myself glaring the Earth pony stallion in the eyes. Before he could move, I wrapped my hand around his throat and squeezed as I began to lift his body into the air, causing him to drop Celestia, who ran to her sister to comfort her. I turned my attention back to the stallion, who was flailing around trying to pull my hand away from his throat. I only tightened my grip before throwing his body to the other end of the room, his body crashing into the metal bars and knocking him unconscious.

When I turned my attention to the last stallion, he was crawling on the ground, trying to escape my cell. I slowly walked up to him, hearing his whimpering as I moved in closer. “Please, Faust, p-please s-save me!”

I grabbed him by his mane, forced him onto his hooves, and tossed him up against the wall that had my broken shackles. “You dare utter her name after what you were about to do to her daughters?!” I gripped him by his face and held him up by it.

“Please show mercy!!!” He begged.

“Sorry, all out of mercy.” I glanced down at his wings as they flapped erratically in fear. I gave him a devilish grin as I let go of his face, causing him to fall to his feet. Before he could run away, I gripped him by the frame of his wings and began to squeeze hard, causing him to bellow in pain. “Make a wish.” With a twist of my wrist, I heard his wings make a snapping sound that echoed through the room.

When I released my grip on his body, he fell to the ground, screaming in agony while clutching the stumps where his wings were. “Aaaaaaaaahhhhh! My wings! I can’t move my wings!!”

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of the unicorn stallion crawling on the ground, mere inches away from the door. I saw his dagger on the ground and leaned down to pick it up, then slowly made my way toward him. He was weeping like an infant as he weakly reached his hand for the doorknob. Before he could grip it, I slammed my foot on top of his, crushing his hand and shutting the door. He screamed in agony as I grinded my foot on his hand before kicking him onto his back. I sat on his chest as I held up his own blade to his throat, getting him to freeze in place. He was about to open his mouth, but I quickly moved the blade into his mouth, making sure the blade's edge was pressing against his tongue. “Shhh. The time for you to talk is over.” He stared up at me in horror as I applied more pressure onto his tongue, making the tip of the blade barely pierce his appendage. “Did you really think you could get away from me, or your sin?” He tried to speak, but I just pushed the dagger in deeper, making blood trickle from his tongue. “I said your time to speak is over. Try to say something again, and I'll cut out your tongue.” I sat there, thinking about what I was going to do to him.

‘His horn.’

“There’s an idea.” Pulling the blade out of his mouth, I gripped his horn with my free hand. His eyes shrunk to pin pricks as he tried to reach up to stop the hand with the blade as I pulled it back. He opened his mouth to speak, only to spit up blood. With one quick swipe, I ran the blade through his horn, cutting it off and making the once unicorn stallion scream out in agony as he moved his hands to try and feel his missing horn. I held his horn in my palm and stared at it, unsatisfied. “This just isn’t enough.”

‘His other horn.’

My lips curled once more as I looked back and smiled. I got off his body and raised my hand, holding the severed horn up. “Now that is more like it.” I quickly stabbed the pointed end of the horn into the stallion’s crotch, making sure to run it through his member and balls. He let out a high pitch and pain filled scream. “Now you are not a unicorn or even a stallion anymore.” Writhing in pain, he moved his hands to grip his skewered groin, which started to bleed all over the floor. “Aww, your first period as a mare.” I coed evilly. I grabbed him, as well as the other two stallions, then tossed them in a corner of the cell after knocking the pegasus and unicorn stallions unconscious.

Soon, my vision returned to normal, and the rage within my body had disappeared, leaving me feeling exhausted that I couldn’t stand any longer, falling to my knees and gasping for breath. As I tried to take in as much air as I possibly could, I looked over to the girls to see them huddled together, shaking. The look of fear in their eyes told me everything; they were afraid of me now. I wanted to tell them that everything was going to be okay, but just as I was about to reach out to comfort them, the door to the room slammed open. Before I knew it, a wave of pain and electricity surged through my body, making it impossible for me to move. “Restrain him!” One voice called out, and I felt some weight added onto my back, forcing me to lay on the ground while a pair of hands gripped my wrists and forced them behind my back.

“Sir, I’ve found the princesses here!!” Another stallion called out as he kneeled over the princesses, who still had tears streaming down their cheeks. The stallion’s face contorted in a frown as he saw the condition Luna was in. “And Princess Luna’s dress has been torn near the bottom.”

All the guards turned their sights on me, getting ready to aim their swords and spears at me before Celestia pushed the guard who overlooked her and Luna away. She quickly ran in front of me and turned to face the guards while holding her arms out. “Stop!! He wasn’t the one who did this! He was protecting us from them!” She pointed over at the three former guards, all of which were unconscious. “They were the ones to tried to rape me and Luna, but Nova broke free of his chains to rescue us from them.”

The guards looked to one another in shock and started to talk among themselves. The pony guard who was currently on top of me loosened his grip on my wrist to make sure I was still pinned enough not to try anything. A guard who wore armor that had both black and gold armor stepped into view to look over the three unconscious stallions. “Lieutenant.” He called out, the stallion who was curtly on my back looking up at him. “These three. Aren’t they the ones we had dismissed from our ranks earlier this evening?”

The lieutenant looked down at me, making eye contact with me before letting his grip go and stepping off me to walk by the commanding guard to inspect the three ponies. I remained on the floor, mostly due to whatever spell was cast on me, but more so to show I wouldn’t try anything. The lieutenant kneeled over to inspect the three-former guards before looking to the lead guard. “Yes, sir, they are the ones. But I thought they would have left the castle by now.”

The pony guard clad in black and gold armor turned to face me as I stayed sprawled on the ground. I was able to see that he had black fur and a red mane. He was a unicorn with a scar over his left eye, which had gone completely pale white. He walked over to me, causing the guards in his way to step aside. He easily towered over my body as I laid on the ground. Slowly, he crouched down and stared at me with his one good eye for what felt like minutes. After a while, he snorted and stood back up, his horn glowing, and the spell that had kept me immobilized disappeared. “Escort the princesses back to their rooms, and have those three locked up in a cell.” He said while pointing to the ex-guards. He glanced back down at me and pointed with his finger.  “Get his wounds treated and move him to a different cell while you’re at it. I need to report to Star Swirl.”

As the guard commander left, two other guards slowly guided Celestia and Luna, both of which glanced over their shoulders to look at me before leaving the room. As I watched them leave the room, another guard came walking up to me, carrying a leather bag with a red cross on it. He kneeled down and started to open the pack, pulling out an assortment of items that he set on the ground. “I’ll need you to remove your shirt and lay down. You seemed to have lost a lot of blood.” Not wanting to argue, I did as he requested and removed my shirt, setting it down on the ground for me to lay on. He moved in closer with a damp rag in his hands. “This is going to sting a little, but we need to clean out your wounds if I’m going to sew them shut.” I nodded my head and closed my eyes, preparing for it. I winced when I felt a painful stinging sensation as he pressed the damp rag against my shin. “Sorry, but I did say it was gonna sting.”

For the next couple of minutes, he cleaned out my wounds, then pulled out a thread and needle and slowly began to sow my wounds shut. After that was taken care of, two other guards moved to either side of me and gently lifted me off the ground, holding me up by my armpits. “Set him in a cell with a bed, and have somepony fetch him some food and water.” The lieutenant ordered, then I was gently carried off to my new cell.





When I was brought to my new cell, I was laid down on my new bed. It wasn’t anything luxurious, but it was far more comfortable than laying on a pile of hay or against a stone wall. Shortly after I was set on my new bed, a mare dressed in a white robe came into my cell to bandage up my wounds so the thread wouldn’t get undone or dirty. She brought along with her some soup, bread, and water, and helped feed me. After that, the guards left me alone, but were kind enough to leave a lit torch by the door so I wasn’t completely in darkness. As I laid there on my new bed, with a full stomach and the sound of the fire flickering on the torch, my eyes had begun to slowly drift closed and I slipped into blissful sleep.





I wasn’t sure how much time had passed since I was moved into my new cell, but I had guessed it had been a long time. Now I am fully awake, and I could see the torch had gone out, but the darkness wasn’t nearly as frightening as it was before. I let out a small yawn and tried to stretch my limbs, but winced as my wounds sent a shockwave of pain through my body. Just then, I heard the sound of a metal click and the door creaking open, letting in a gentle light. When I looked to see who it was, I saw the guard in the black and gold armor standing in the doorway. “Good, you’re awake.” He said in a deep tone as he stepped into the room. “Your presence has been requested. Can you stand and walk?” Despite his voice being deep and gruff, I could tell he was asking in a calm, caring tone. Most of the cuts I took from before were mostly located along my upper body, so my legs were left intact. Carefully, I slid one leg off the edge of the bed, planted it on the ground, and turned my body around so I could do the same with my other leg. Using my legs to pull me off the bed, I forced myself to stand up, wincing only a little bit from my stitched cuts straining from my movements. I then walked over to the large, armored stallion and held out my wrist for him to cuff them. He glanced down at my gesture and slowly shook his head. “That won’t be needed.” He turned and gestured with his hand for me to follow.

We spent the next three minutes climbing up a stone spiral staircase. Thankfully, all the exercises I had been doing these last few weeks had been paying off for my stamina, but I kinda felt bad thinking how Celestia and Luna had to go up and down these stairs twice just to see me. Once we had reached the top of the stairs, I had to shield my eyes as, for the first time since waking up in this world, I see the light of day. Celestia’s light was a great substitute, but nothing compares to the real deal. Despite the pain my body was in, I didn’t hesitate to stretch out my arms to feel the sun’s light on my body. I just stood there, basking in the light and smelling the clean fresh air before slowly opening my eyes and letting them adjust. When they did, I saw we were standing in the middle of a courtyard next to a stone castle. I was left in awe as I stared up at the massive structure and looked around my new surroundings. There was a large stone wall that I imagined circled the whole castle to protect it. “Are you coming or not?” I was snapped out of my daze when the armored stallion called out for me, and quickly ran to catch up with him.

We walked into the large castle and made our way down a long corridor. The walls were polished white and the floor was covered in a red carpet. Along the way, we passed a few more guards and mares in maid uniforms. After another minute of walking and climbing another flight of stairs, we reached a room with a large set of double doors with a blue swirl with yellow stars among it. The stallion raised his hand to knock on the doors. “Yes, who is it?” A voice spoke from the other end of the door.

“It’s me, Star Swirl. I’ve brought him with me like you asked.” He replied.

“Ah, Captain Midnight Thunder. Yes, please send him in.” The door on the right glowed with a pale white aura and slowly creaked open.

“Welp, you heard him.” The stallion, or I should say Captain Midnight, nudged me forward to go into the room. He turned on his hooves and made his way down the hall. “I’ll be seeing you around, rookie.” He called out as he kept on walking.

‘Rookie? Why would he call me such a thing?’

Not wanting to keep the pony waiting, I stepped into the room and heard the door shut behind me. The room I walked into was incredibly large. At the far end of the wall were two stained glass windows, one in the shape of a star and the other shaped like a crescent moon. Along the walls were bookshelves filled to the brim with books, some of which were hovering around in the air. In the center of the room was a massive desk that had a few stacks of books on it. What I found rather unsettling was the skull of what I guessed to be a pony with a couple of wax candles on top of it, and judging by how much of the skull was covered in wax, I’d say it gets used quite often. There were two chairs on the side of the table I was on and one large chair on the other side, and the pony who I hadn’t seen in such a long time was currently sitting in it. If I had to guess, this was the one known as Star Swirl the Bearded.

He was currently flipping through a large book that obscured his view of me. I wasn’t sure if I should say anything or just stand there waiting. “You may have a seat if you like.” He said while still reading through his book. Seeing as he knew I was here and gave me permission to do so, I carefully took a seat in one of the chairs. As I eased myself into it, a teacup on a little plate levitated in front of me, along with a tea pot that had some steam coming out. “Tea?”

I took that as my que to grab the teacup. “Oh, yes please.” As I held the teacup in my hands, the teapot poured an amber colored liquid into it, smelling similar to apples. Then two cups of sugar and a little spoon went into my cup, and the little spoon stirred the tea before disappearing. “T-Thank you.” Taking a sip of my drink, I found it tasted rather good. Like the smell, it tasted of apples and cinnamon.

I sat there enjoying my tea as I waited for my host to finish with his book. It took a considerable amount of time, but then again, it wasn’t like I had anywhere to be. While I was enjoying my tea, a small tray of cookies floated in front of me. I took only two and slowly nibbled on them as I drank my tea. Soon, he placed the book down, and I took that as my que to do the same with my tea. He leaned back into his chair with his eyes still closed while he clasped his hands together. “So…you go by Nova Star now?” He asked while keeping his eyes shut.

“Yes, sir.”

He remained silent for a good while before opening his eyes and leaning over to rest his elbows on the table. He had a pensive look as he stared at me and would occasionally tap his index finger. As I sat there patiently, I saw his horn glow, and from one of the shelves, a black book wrapped in chains floated down onto the table. “Do you recognize this book, by any chance?” He used his magic to move the book closer to me.


It seemed like any ordinary book, though upon further inspection, I noticed that it was almost burnt and charred. There wasn’t any text or title written on the cover or on the spine. All I saw was a weird clover that had five leaves. “As I mentioned before, I don’t remember anything about myself, nor anything that could belong to me.” I looked down at the book, which seemed to give off an ominous feeling. “I especially don’t remember this book.”

The stallion - or I guess now that I know his name - Star Swirl, hummed to himself while gently tapping his finger on the table. He would glance at the book and then to me for a while, repeating this until he decided to speak once more. “Do you know why that group of guards came rushing into your cell all of a sudden yesterday?” The thought never really crossed my mind, so I shook my head. He sighed and lifted the book in his magic before continuing. “This book was found next to your body the night you were captured by me and my comrades. While I was preparing my next course of magic studies with King Sombra for the princesses, that book in front of you started to glow and violently shake. When that happened, we had assumed it was because you were trying to escape. But when Midnight came back to me to report what had transpired, both myself and Sombra were surprised by your actions.” His horn glowed brighter as the chains around the book were undone and disappeared. He then levitated it over to me. “I opened the book and found it almost completely blank, with only one page having anything written inside. However, it was in a language that I have never seen before in my life, and I’ve spent many years learning many different languages.”

The longer I stared at the book, the more I felt that it did seem familiar in some ways. As I reached my hand to pick it up, the book began to emit a red aura and slowly started to float toward my hand, some of the red aura evaporating and turning black. I felt somewhat afraid of this menacing display and pulled my hand away, only for the book to quickly follow. I stood up to try and move away from the possessed book, accidently knocking the chair I was sitting in over, but much like before, it followed. Eventually, I found myself pressed against the door as the book hovered before me. I stood there, staring at the book as it hovered in front of me. I looked to Star Swirl, who gestured for me to try and open it. I wasn’t sure if the idea was a good one, given that no one knows what would happen if I opened it. But standing around and just staring at it wasn’t going to get me anywhere either.

I slowly reached my hand out to grab it, but as my finger was about to touch the charred cover, the book suddenly opened and began to flip through pages rapidly. Though they were moving incredibly fast, I could see that Star Swirl was correct in that they were blank. Soon, the speed in which the pages flipped began to slow down until it stopped on a single page. The letters written on the page were like none I have ever seen, but given my case of amnesia, that may be the main reason. Yet, the longer I stared at the words, the more they became recognizable until two words slipped from my mouth. “Demon Slayer?”

No sooner did I utter those words, the book began to glow bright, and from the page itself, something slowly came out. A long metal hilt was sticking out of the book. As if by instinct, my hand slowly moved toward it, gripped it firmly, and started to pull. For what felt like a good minute, I was pulling out a large black greatsword. I gripped the hilt with both hands to pull the blade out from the book, leaving me completely baffled how such a blade could fit into a book. With one more heave, I was able to pull the sword from the book and gasped as I rested the blade on the ground. The blade of the sword was nearly as long as my whole body and weighed almost a ton.

“Incredible.” Star Swirl had gotten out of his chair to come around to inspect the sword. “I have never seen magic that could store a blade of this size inside before.” His horn glowed, and I could see the same glow around the sword, but it quickly vanished, leaving the bearded pony in shock. He lit his horn once more to encase the sword in his magic, only to yield the same results as before. “This is impossible.” He glanced over to me as though I could offer him an answer, but all I could do was shrug my shoulders since I had nothing to add to the situation. He stared for a while longer before speaking again. “I would like to test a hypothesis. If I’m correct, it may aid you in how this day will end.”

“Given the fact that I’m your prisoner, I don’t have much of a choice but to comply.” I answered truthfully, and if what he said is true, then I may yet live to see another day.

With my consent, my body was covered in his magic. I hadn’t noticed it before from the last time, but his magic felt warm and almost tickled a bit. After a while, the magic faded away, and he looked almost bewildered as he looked at me from head to toe. Using his magic, he picked up the seat I had knocked over and gestured for me to have a seat. I wasn’t sure if I was gonna be able to lug the sword with me back to the table, so I leaned up against the wall and took my seat. Star Swirl sat in his seat silently for a good while. He seemed troubled, and at the same time, puzzled. “I will be honest with you; the residents of the kingdom already know of your existence and they either fear you or despise you.” He added bluntly, which surprised me a bit. “The night you were captured a year ago, a horrible creature attacked one of our farming villages. There were barely any survivors that night, and those that did survive were in total hysteria, speaking about a horned monster with wings as black as ink attacking their homes. By the time my colleagues and I had arrived at the village, half of it was burnt down with ponies fleeing for their lives. That was about the time we found you and matched your description to some of the eyewitness’s reports. Though at the time, you were weak and looked as though you went through Tartarus and back.” He sighed before leaning into his chair. “When we had captured you, we found that book with you, and I bound it with my own magic.” He paused briefly before continuing. “The day after we captured you, I visited you to see if you were truly the monster they had seen, and I used my magic to force the truth out of you. When you answered my questions, I said you were telling the truth, yet at the same time, you were also lying.” I was about to try and defend myself when he held out his hand for me to be silent. “I’m afraid nothing you say now will change the outcome of this day.”

He took a few more moments to collect his thoughts. “As it is now, you are still viewed as guilty since the real culprit is most likely still at large, but I highly doubt it will make its presence known anytime soon. For now, we must focus on the present.” With his magic, he summoned a smoking pipe and lit it with a match before taking a few puffs of it and blowing out some smoke from his lips. “After what transpired last night, the ponies in the castle have become more afraid of your existence. Because of this, King Sombra believes you should be sent to the gallows and executed.”

My body had gone ridged and my blood went cold from what he had just said. I could feel my body slowly begin to shake with fear. Star Swirl no doubt noticed my change in demeanor and continued. “However, he isn’t the king of this castle. The current rulers, though young at the moment, are the princesses. Both Sombra and I were appointed as the princesses’ guardians and teachers by the orders of this kingdom’s former ruler, Queen Faust.” His lips drooped as he frowned and looked out the window for a moment. “And from what the princesses told me, both about you and the incident that transpired the other night, you are their friend, and sought to protect them.” I slowly nodded my head, which managed to get him to crack a smile. “Good. Because of this, you have one other choice besides death.”

He rested his elbows on the desk and propped himself on his hands. I eagerly awaited my second option, though if I had to guess, it would be to go back to the dungeon to live out the rest of my days in isolated solitude. Should that be the case, it would be difficult to decide on which choice to pick. A quick and painful death, or a long and tedious wait for death.

“You pledge your life to this kingdom and become the princesses’ personal bodyguard.”

To say I was shocked would be a grave understatement. “I’m sorry, but I think you may have lost me there. How did we go from me being sent to the gallows because I am considered a threat to being offered a position that put me in keeping the princesses safe?” I asked. “Wouldn’t you want me to stay as far away from them as possible?”

“Well, you’re not wrong, but after conducting my test, I feel as though I can trust you to offer the second option.” He held out three fingers before he continued. “The three reasons you are offered such a position are as follows.” He held up one finger. “First, after using my magic to analyze your very being, I found that you have no magic power whatsoever.”

“Is that a bad thing?” I asked, feeling a bit nervous.

“Yes and no.” He answered before he went on. “I’m assuming that the princesses have told you a good deal about Equestria?”

I shrugged my shoulders a bit. “More or less. I understand the basics, such as the three tribes, and some of the different creatures that are said to live in this world.”

Star Swirl hummed for a moment. “If that’s all they taught you, then maybe I should schedule them for another history less.” He summoned a quill and parchment and wrote something before sending it away. “As I was saying, everything in Equestria has some semblance of magic. From the creatures who walk, fly, and swim, to the very soil itself. Yet, for some odd reason, you possess none whatsoever. This makes you both an oddity, and somewhat harmless.”

I wasn’t sure if I should thank him or keep my mouth shut. I knew there was more to this since there were still two other reasons to go through. He held up a second finger before pointing it to the sword that I had left propped against the wall. “Second would be that sword you somehow managed to summon from a book. And with a language that I couldn’t read, but you could.” I glanced over at the large black greatsword and stared at it for a moment. “That sword has the power to nullify and destroy magic; an anti-magic weapon, if you will. Such a weapon could make the wielder of it impossible to defeat, and I wager that even alicorn magic is no match for its power.”

That last bit only left me with more questions than answers. “If that’s the case, why would you want me to have that anywhere near the princesses? Surely you aren’t naive to dismiss the danger that it could put them in.” I knew that if I pointed something like this out, it could lower my chances of keeping my life, but at this moment, all I really cared about was Celestia and Luna’s own safety. “What if I decided that I had enough taking orders and decided to turn against them? Or worse, if I were to be manipulated by someone else into attacking them? How do you know that nothing like that could happen?”

He stayed silent for a moment before giving me a gentle smile as he held up a third finger. “Because of that.” I was perplexed by what he meant and stared at him confusingly. “Your concern for their safety proved to me what they said about you being their friend is true.” He sat up from his seat and made his way toward the window to gaze outside. “When their mother died, some of the nobles from other lands sought to take advantage of their young naive age to procure land and riches. They disguised their greedy ambitions by pretending to be their friends so that they would lower their guard. However, thanks to both myself and Sombra, we have managed to keep such unwanted company away.” I made my way over to see what it was he was staring at. As I glanced out the window, I could see Celestia and Luna walking around a garden with over six armored guards nearby, keeping a vigilant watch on them. “Because of this, they can’t seem to let their guard down to make any kind of friends. Even other foals are an issue as some of them have been sent by the same nobles. Some would send their children to try and convince them to invest in their parent’s businesses, or even other kingdoms.” He sighed and pinched the bridge of her muzzle. “They had all but given up on trying to make friends with anypony.”

He turned to me with a warm smile and lightly placed his hand on my shoulder. “That was until they met you. After I had received Midnight’s report, they came barging into my studies to beg and plead with me for your safety. They tell me how they found you as nothing but skin and bones, and how you freed yourself from your chains to come to their aid.” He moved back to his desk and motioned for me to take my seat. “Despite what they had nearly gone through, the likes of which would scar any filly into never speaking again, they were more concerned with your wellbeing. And do you know what they told me?” I could only shrug my shoulders. “They made a bet with me saying that you would do the very same thing for them.” He couldn’t help but crack a smile. “Guess I’ll have to make sure the cooks give them double desserts.” He let out a light chuckle, which was contagious as I found myself doing the same thing.

After a moment, we had managed to compose ourselves before we went on. “Now, this doesn’t mean you will be accepted right away, or even at all by the other members of the kingdom. And I have a few plans that will keep you from harming the princesses. Should you choose to accept the position, I shall cast a spell that even your anti-magic sword could not dispel. You will also be training under the watch of Midnight Thunder, a request he made himself.” Now it made sense why he called me rookie. “So, the choice is yours: death or eternal servitude.”

I didn’t really hesitate as I stood up and gave him my answer. “I would be honored to serve the princesses, as both their bodyguard and as their friend.”

Star Swirl smiled before standing up as well. “Very good. Now, for the spell.” His horn glowed brighter than I have seen so far as a chain made of translucent magic with a miniature dagger at the end hovered in the air. “This dagger will be thrust into your heart. Do not worry, it will not kill.” I couldn’t help but be skeptical, but nodded my head for him to continue. “With this dagger, I shall set a rule upon your very soul, and unless you stab your own heart with the anti-magic sword, it shall remain in your heart for as long as you live. Are you ready?” I was hesitant at first and braced myself before nodding my head.

With a flick of his wrist, the blade was sent flying toward me until it pierced my chest, and I could feel the blade strike my heart. It was painful at first, but that only lasted for a few moments as all I could feel was a cold, almost hollow feeling in my chest. “Now for the rule I shall set upon you.” He cleared his throat. “With this magic dagger in your heart, you will never harm a princess who is true to Equestria, and come to the aid of any who calls upon you and your blade. Do you accept?”

I nodded without hesitation and watched as he pulled the chains out, leaving the dagger inside me. I checked my chest for any kind of stab wound, but found nothing. “The spell has been set. Welcome to the service of the royal family, Nova Star.” He held out his hand to me, and I gladly took it and gave it a good shake.

And thus, my adventure would soon begin.







Art galley 

The book when normal


The book when in use


Demon Slayer sword


> Chapter 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

After I made my promise to Starswirl, he escorted me from his private studies to the garden to meet with the princesses. Along the way, I received the same looks I got coming in from the castle staff and guards. This was something that I would no doubt have to get used to if I’m going to be staying here in the castle as the princesses’ new personal bodyguard. It didn’t bother me much considering I’d rather deal with the cold glares and look of fear over death, or worse, be sent back to that dark cell. The very idea sent a shiver down my very spine. Along the way, Starswirl would tell me about the different rooms and facilities the castle had within it, such as a kitchen, barracks for the soldiers, the training grounds, and so on. He also told me that the castle dwells within a forest they now call the Everfree Forest. I asked why they would build a castle in such a place since it would probably be harder to spot enemy attacks in a dense forest rather than in an open plain.

According to Starswirl, the reason they choose this location is because the forest itself is a natural defense. The forest that the castle is built within is resistant to the ponies’ magic. Back when I was still in the dungeon and Celestia and Luna would visit me and tell me about their culture, they mentioned how certain types of ponies could manipulate the environment to their will. The Pegasi could alter the weather to suit their needs, making natural disasters a rare occurrence. Earth ponies were the shepherds of the land, being able to grow and harvest crops faster. I have no memories from wherever it was I came from. A part of me found this hard to accept, but I shrugged it off since it wasn’t worth fretting about.

But back to the forest. This forest, for some reason, was immune to such things, and was self-sufficient. The plants grew without help, the weather did as it pleased, and there were a vast majority of dangerous creatures living in it. Because of this, enemy kingdoms dare not to attack or invade the capital unless they suffer the loss of their own. Of course, this location is a double-edged sword since some of these problems can happen to the castle residents, but they have been here long enough to build up a proper defense and deal with whatever the forest has to offer.

We're now approaching the garden where the princesses wait. When we turned the corner, I could see Luna and Celestia pacing around in circles, both looking worried and nervous.  I was about to call out to them when Starswirl stopped me and gestured for me to stay still. “I suggest you wait a moment. I’d like your reveal to be a surprise.” Before I could ask what he had meant, his horn glowed, and I was enveloped in his magic. A moment later, my body slowly disappeared right before my eyes, however, I could still feel it, coming to the realization that I had become translucent. “A spell I have been working on for a while. I’m glad to see that your body isn’t anti-magic proof. Now follow me and stay quiet, lest you ruin the surprise.” He gave me a playful wink and I nodded my head, though I wasn’t sure if he could see it, so I whispered yes to him.

He then started to walk toward the girls, and I followed right behind him. I made sure to take a step when he did to mask the sound of my own footsteps. In a moment, I could hear the sound of a pair of hoofsteps coming closer, and knew who they belonged to. “Starswirl! Please tell us that they didn’t do it.” I heard Celestia’s voice ask. I carefully leaned to one side and saw that both Celestia and Luna were standing in front of Starswirl.

Now that I was getting a closer look at the two, I noticed something I couldn’t from Starswirl’s studies: they had bags under their eyes and looked a bit red, like they had been crying for a while. “Please tell us that they aren’t putting him to death. Nova is a kindhearted being.” Luna begged.

Starswirl slowly stroked his beard, humming in thought. “You say he is kindhearted, even after what you two bore witness to yesterday?” Both Celestia and Luna flinched and began to fidget in place. Seeing this, Starswirl pressed further. “You two can’t tell me that you weren’t afraid when you saw what he had done to those three with the brutality he displayed.”

I felt an overwhelming sense of guilt. Not for the three stallions that I had brutally beaten, for I would have done that all over again for what they were trying to do. No, the guilt I felt was allowing both Luna and Celestia to see all that. Such brutality shouldn’t have been seen by those so young. I would not blame them if they were absolutely terrified of me now. “We would be lying if we said we weren’t scared.” I knew it. I felt like I had no right to be in their presence, even if they couldn’t see me as I slowly began to try and walk away. “But it’s not Nova that we were scared of!” I stopped dead in my tracks when Celestia spoke those words. I turned back to continue listening in on the conversation. “We were scared of what he had to go through because of us.”

I could see Luna huddling next to her sister’s side as some tears streamed down her cheek. “Nova told us to stay hidden no matter what, but we couldn’t stand by when we saw he was going to be killed right in front of us.” Luna wept harder as she hugged her sister, who hugged her back.

Celestia had tears in her eyes as well as the memories of yesterday must have flooded back to her. “I felt so helpless when I couldn’t stop those horrible monsters from trying to do that to Luna. I tried so hard to try and save her that I didn’t care what happened to me so long as she was safe.” She cupped her hand over her mouth as she began to sob. I wanted nothing more than to go over to them and try and comfort the two crying ponies, but Starswirl moved his hand out to stop me from doing so, no doubt to continue hiding my presence.

After a few minutes of crying, the girls slowly started to calm down and wipe their faces of their tears. “We were both scared when Nova attacked those former guards, but it wasn’t because of him that we were scared. We were scared because he had to go through all that because of us.” Celestia sniffled as she tried to speak again. “What scared us most is what Nova had to become in order to save us. Since we’ve met him all those months ago, he has been so calm and gentle with us. He spoke to us in a soft tone, making sure we were never afraid of him. He smiled and laughed with us as we spent time together. Had the events of yesterday never came to be, I’m sure he would continue to be as such.” The ears on her and Luna’s heads drooped a bit as they held each other closer. “He had to do what was needed to save me and Luna, to break through his cell just so we could be spared such a horrid fate.” She and Luna looked to each other and nodded before looking up to Starswirl. “Please tell me that he wasn’t punished for saving us. Please tell us that Nova is going to be okay.”

I felt so moved that my heart had nearly skipped a beat. Even after what they saw the other day, they still consider me their friend and hold me in such high regards. I felt blessed to have them as friends, and even felt unworthy of such kindness. It took all of my willpower not to run over to them and to hug them just so they wouldn’t have to worry about me, but I knew better than that. I had to wait for Starswirl’s signal. He took a moment to think on their request when he was actually building suspense for my reveal. “Hmm. He was given two choices.” Both fillies moved in to hear what he had to say. “Lord Sombra believed that he should be put to death given his violent nature, lest he becomes a threat to our kind.” I could see the looks of horror on Luna and Celestia’s faces as they heard the first option. Luna looked like she was gonna try and say something before Starswirl held up his hand to keep her from talking, despite wanting to voice her concern. “However, he decided on the second option.”

Both girls looked to each other nervously before Celestia looked back with Luna clinging to her. “Which was?”

Starswirl smiled for a moment before raising his cloak so that it was blocking my view. Before I knew it, my body was slowly reappearing until I was no longer invisible. I knew what he was planning and stood still as he lowered his cloak. It was then that I saw the expression on both Celestia and Luna’s faces as they saw me with a look of shock and surprise. I stood there awkwardly, trying to think of something to say to them, some way to express my thanks for what they said and how honored I was to have them as friends. But before I could, I was tackled to the ground by the two fillies and was hugged nearly to death. I could hear them sobbing as they held onto my sides while burying their faces into my chest. All I could do was hold them close to me and tried my best to comfort them, letting them know that everything was going to be okay.





After the girls got their hugging out of their system, Starswirl went on to explain the deal that we had made, including the spell placed on my heart. The two did protest to the idea, saying that I would never hurt them, but both Starswirl and I expressed how it’s more of a failsafe should someone try to manipulate me. Though reluctant, they couldn’t do much and accept the condition of my stay amongst the ponies. With all that settled and taken care of, I was given a grand tour of the castle by the two eager princesses. They were giddy every step we took as they told me about everything they knew about the castle, such as where their favorite hiding places were whenever they played, or the secret passages that reside within the castle. There were quite a few of them they pointed out to in some of the halls. However, during our little tour, I couldn’t help but notice how some of the guards we passed shot me a look of hate and disgust. The looks were unlike what the castle staff would give me.

Starswirl stated that this will be happening for a while until I could prove myself. Some of the guards in the castle knew about what I had done to the former guards the other day, and despite my reasons, they still don’t care for my presence. They were even more angry when they learned that I would be the personal guard to the princesses and would be participating in their training sessions.

Soon, I was shown to the room that I would be staying in. The room was located in the middle of the hallway with either princesses’ room on either side, so if I am ever needed, I can be quick to their aid. “And these will be your quarters.” Starswirl opened the door, allowing me into the room I would be calling home. As I stepped inside, I took notice of the interior. The room was spacious, but was spartan. In the corner of the room, there was a twin-size bed with a chest at the end of the bed, a wooden desk on the adjacent corner, and a window opposite from the door. I took the time to admire my room. To some, it may not seem much, but compared to my cell in the dungeon, it was a huge improvement.

When I heard someone clearing their throat, I turned to see the stallion known as Midnight Thunder standing in the doorway. I could see Starswirl escorting the princesses along as to leave me and the towering stallion alone. Once the sound of hoofsteps no longer echoed through the halls, the stallion gestured to follow him as he began to walk in the opposite direction that the princesses had gone. I followed the imposing stallion after closing the door to my room and ran up to walk by his side. We walked down the halls of the castle for a few moments, not knowing where he was leading me, but I made sure to hold my tongue since it was clear that I wasn’t all that welcomed here by most of the ponies. I wasn’t sure if the stallion beside me was one of those ponies as well, though I’ve yet to know. “The stallions who tried to have their way with the princesses are going to be hung at dawn tomorrow.” He spoke up, his voice low and deep. I turned to look up at him, somewhat surprised. Why would he tell me this? “However, given that they were supposed to be the ones to take care of you while you were in the dungeon and neglected the orders of our now departed queen, I will allow you to choose their punishment.” He looked down to me with a stoic stare, waiting for my response. “If you have a better suggestion, then I would hear it.”

As we stood there in that empty stone hallway, I was left to wonder what I should say. Was he expecting me to show mercy to them and object to their deaths? No, he was giving me a chance at revenge at the bastards and to allow my rage to do the talking. However, when I looked to myself for the rage that had been built within my heart, it was not because of what they had done to me for who knows how long, but what they were going to do to the first ponies who showed me any kind of kindness. “Killing them now is too good for them. Death is an instant release. Do we really want to let them off as easily as that?” I looked at the stallion with my mind made up. “They deserve to suffer for what they were going to do to the princesses. No, they should suffer the hell I went through until they beg for the sweet release of death itself. Only then will we allow them such luxury.”

Midnight Thunder stared at me for a moment as he took my answer into consideration, his one eye staring into my own as if to see if my resolve was true. We stood there for what felt like ages until he allowed the faintest smile to cross his face before continuing our walk. “I’m glad to see your resolve is strong. I half expected you to grant them mercy in order to show us that you aren’t a threat. Had you done so, I would have been more suspicious of you.”

“How could you be so sure I was lying if I had suggested that we spared their lives?” I asked curiously.

He chuckled a bit while keeping his attention on the hallway we were walking down. “If somepony had undergone the pain and suffering you went through and hadn’t wanted revenge, I’d say they were insane or a liar.” So he was testing me, and it appeared that I had passed for the time being. “We will use your punishment and see how they like it. Now for the other reason I came to get you.” We soon reached a large set of double doors, and using his muscular arms, pushed the door wide open with ease. It was impressive how easily he opened the doors that were three times larger than my own body, which he stood at around five-eleven. Not only that, but the doors were ten inches thick. This display of strength was no doubt a means to intimidate me, and yet I could tell that it wasn’t even a fraction of his true power.

The door led to a large training yard, where I could see ponies in armor going about their business. Some were running laps while some were sparing with each other either hand-to-hand or with weapons. Some were also flying through the air while maneuvering through metal hoops, and others were off to the side firing bolts of magic at wooden targets. I was left in awe as I stood and watched the ponies train, and part of me wanted to join in, like a child wishing to join the other kids in playing a game.

I felt a slap on my back, which had knocked me out of my daze and I looked back to the stallion I was standing next to. “Don’t worry, you’ll be joining them soon enough. But first, I want you to take a look out there and tell me what you notice about the guards in comparison to myself.”

“You mean besides the fact that you’re a mountain on legs?” He shot me a glare, showing he wasn’t in the mood for playing around. I gulped nervously and looked out to the yard to examine the ponies that were about. The first thing I noticed was that some of the guards were wearing golden yellow armor with a sun emblem on their chest. I had seen many of these already, so I didn’t spend much time examining them. Next, I spotted a few guards who were wearing armor that were shades of light purple and dark blue with a blue slitted eye and crescent moons on the chest plate. Something that also caught my attention was that these ponies looked slightly different, where the Pegasi in the gold armor had feathers, those in the darker armor had bat wings, their ears looked like bat ears too, and their eyes were slitted. Once I got a good look at the two sets of armor, I turned to look at Midnight Thunder’s armor. As mentioned before, it was both black and red, but now that I was inspecting it, I noticed on each of his shoulder pieces had a symbol of the sun and a crescent moon. “Your armor?”

He nodded his head before pointing out the ponies in the golden armor. “Those ponies there are members of the solar guard and watch over the kingdom during the day.” He then turned to point to the bat-like ponies in the dark blue and light purple armor. “They are part of the night guard and watch the kingdom during the night. Most of them are thestrals, or more commonly called bat ponies.”

“If they are supposed to watch the night, shouldn’t they be training during the night and sleeping during the day?” I asked, making the deduction that they were nocturnal.

He nodded his head. “Yes, but sometimes, there are some who wish to train more, so they join the solar guards during their training time. We have spells that can recover their stamina if needed so they aren’t tired during their watch.” He then pointed to his own armor. “The armor that I wear is for the elite guard, ponies who aid both sides. And as the name entails, we are the best of the three groups. Though our numbers are fewer than just one of the other guard squads, I am their captain, as well as the previous personal guard to the princesses.”

That part caught me off guard. He was the previous personal guard to the princesses? That brought up a few questions. Did he lose his position because of me? Did he get promoted to join the elite guard? “Am I the reason that you’re no longer their current personal bodyguard?”

He folded his arms across his chest as he thought to himself. “Hmm...yes and no. You see, despite my current physique, I’m getting up there in the years. I have been watching over those girls for the better part of twenty years. So I’ve been looking for somepony to take my place, but no pony came to mind. That is, until you came along.”

I wasn’t sure if I should feel bad or honored that I was going to be taking such a position, but then something he said caught my attention. “I’m sorry, but did you say you’ve been watching over the princesses for over twenty years?” He nodded his head. ‘I can’t tell if he’s being serious, and that’s very concerning.’ I was thrown for a loop and felt a million more questions begin to bounce around in my head now. “B-but h-how? They don’t look like they are a day over nine, let alone two decades. Hell, I’m twenty-five right now.”

“Ah, so I take it you don’t know. You see, alicorns age differently than most of us. They are said to have lifespans that can go beyond the thousands.” My jaw went slack as the idea that any creature having that long of a lifespan boggled the mind. “Of course, they won’t reach full maturity until another ten years from now, when a very sacred and special ceremony will take place. With it, they will grow into full alicorns, be able to take over the throne, and rule Equestria like their mother before them.”

He lowered his head while placing a hand over his chest. It was clear that their queen meant a great deal to these ponies. I remember Starswirl mentioning her during our first encounter, but that was so long ago, I can’t remember what he said. He raised his head and looked back at me. “Now then, since you will be their new personal guard, I need to make sure you are strong enough to take my place.” He whistled to a pair of stallions and they came rushing over carrying some leather armor and some swords. But something was off: one of the swords was wooden while the other was made of metal. The two stallions stopped in front of Midnight, and he took the wooden sword. With a nudge from his head, they brought me the armor and the metal sword. I looked at him with a perplexed look. “We’re going to be doing some light sparing. I want to see how skilled you are with a blade. Put the gear on and get ready to fight me.”

The gear consisted of a vest, shin guards, and helmet, all of which were made out of leather. “If this is a training exercise, then shouldn’t I get the wooden sword? What if I accidentally cut you?”

The two guards started to snicker, but were quickly silenced when Midnight glared at them. “I need to gauge not only your skill, but your strength as well. Starswirl said you had a hard time wielding a greatsword, so I want to see how you handle something smaller. Besides, I’m using the wooden sword so I don’t end up cutting you up. If you can manage to get a scratch on me, then we can progress with your training.” He had this confident smile that sent a slight chill down my spine.

I had started putting on the armor as instructed while picking up the sword. Compared to the Demon Slayer sword, this one was dwarfed in size, but it still had some weight to it. After I fastened it to my side, I was led to the middle of the training yard where I saw a circle pattern engraved into the stone floor. The circle was around ten feet wide and was smack dab in the middle of the yard for all to see. Midnight Thunder gestured for me to draw my sword out as he held out his wooden sword. Gripping the handle, I slowly pulled it out of its scabbard and took note of the blade itself. It was a Roman double-edged short sword. It wasn’t nearly as heavy as the Demon Slayer sword, but the moment I took a glimpse of the blade, the reality sunk in and made the blade that much heavier and made my hand tremble. “Are you ready?” Midnight’s voice snapped me out of my daze as I looked up at him. “Come at me whenever you’re ready. Don’t hold back and attack like you’re intending to kill me.”

‘Is he serious? What if I kill him by accident?’ I shook my head, trying to calm myself down. I reminded myself that he was the one wearing metal armor here, and he was a skilled veteran. With my breathing under control, I moved my other hand to grip the handle and prepared myself to go on the attack. I shot him a look of determination and he nodded his head, signaling that he was ready. With no reason to wait, I quickly charged forward with my sword held back, ready to make a slash at my opponent. As I got closer, I noticed he lowered his sword and closed his eyes. Was he seriously not going to guard against my attack? Before I knew it, I was right in front of him and prepared to swing my sword down on him, only for Midnight Thunder to take a step to the side and stick out one of his hooves. I had lost my balance when my sword hit nothing but air and I was tripped by his hoof. Soon, I found myself falling over and caught a glimpse of him rotating his body around until his wooden sword smacked me in the face hard, leaving a mark before I had fully landed on the ground with a thud.

Soon, a roar of laughter rang out through the whole training yard as every guard clutched their sides. When I sat up to face my opponent, I was met with a wooden sword held within an inch of my face. “And just like that, you are dead.” He poked my forehead with the sword before moving it away. “You clearly have no formal training with a sword, meaning I’m going to have my work cut out for me if I’m going to mold you into a guard worthy of protecting the princesses.” He moved his arm to grab under my armpit, lifting me up with ease as he set me down on my feet. “Better get ready, rookie, because I’m gonna put you through Tartarus these next couple of days.” I could only gulp nervously as I started to wonder if I will live long enough under his training.
 





Roman sword for training.


> Chapter 3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Day 1



Today, Midnight Thunder, or Captain Thunder as he would prefer to be called, told me that I should keep a written journal of my time here in the castle. He said it would help me to reflect on the things I’ve learned and will help keep my mind occupied when I wasn’t training or watching over the princesses. Though if I’m being honest, my only complaint is the writing tool that I must use; a quill. This was something I’m not used to writing with. I often make a mess of the paper by either not draining the excess ink or make grammatical errors that I can’t erase. That and my penmanship, or I suppose in this instance quillmanship, is sorely lacking. I tried talking to somepony about procuring a fountain pen since that could be of better use and would let me write more properly. But when I brought the matter up, the pony scholars I spoke to told me they had never heard of such a thing and asked me what I was talking about. I tried to explain to them the concept and how it is somewhat similar to a quill, but would make less of a mess and could last longer. They were only surprised by the idea and asked if I knew how to make one. I told them the concept of what goes into making one and they told me that it may take some time to try and craft such a thing. They also asked me if I knew of any other invention that I knew of. I told them what I knew, then went on my way.

That conversation did bring something to my attention: the gaps within my memory. Certain aspects of my previous life, if I had one, that is, are left blank. Topics such as family, friends, or the land I hailed from are often blurred or outside of my reach. The more I try to remember, the less I actually do. On some rare occasions, an item or two will pop into my mind, but that’s about it. I tried speaking to Starswirl about it, but he said that there wasn’t much he could do since, when he looked within my mind once, he found no such memories. A part of me felt hollow knowing that my memories were gone and may never come back. But thankfully, with the help of Luna and Celestia, I was able to make new memories with them as they tried their best to keep me happy.

But my ranting aside, my first day ended with me limping back to my room after a full day of training with Captain Thunder. I write this entry with what little strength I have before going off to bed. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day and I can improve upon myself for the princess’ sake.







Day 2



I immediately regret my last journal entry; today was far worse than my first day. Today, the captain decided that I needed to improve my physical strength before I could wield a real sword again. He stated that I lacked both strength and the proper form to swing a sword as small as the one from before. His solution was to have me run ten laps around the castle and perform three hundred push ups and sit ups before the day’s end, less he added it onto the next day. This may not seem much to someone who’s a bit more athletic, and I was by no means out of shape, but this much at one time was more than I could bear. Yet by some miracle, I was able to do so and didn’t have to worry about it getting added on for tomorrow. Once my daily workout was completed, we moved on to sword practice, this time we both used wooden swords. The captain would drill me on the proper stances when wielding a sword and how to properly attack with one. Incidentally, the way I tried to fight yesterday had many flaws, such as the positioning of my feet, the way I held the hilt, and so on. For several hours, we sparred until the captain believed that I had trained enough for one day and told me to head back to my quarters to rest.

My body was in agony as I crawled back to my room, and I had to suffer the laughing and mocking from the guards who passed me by along the way, something I’m most definitely sure won’t end any time soon. By the time I reached my room, I wanted nothing more than to collapse on the floor and just die there. My body ached and every muscle in my body pulsed with pain as I laid on the cold, stone floor, which had actually provided some soothing to the skin that it touched. I was tremendously sore that I nearly missed writing this entry today, but thanks to the princesses, I was able to do so. Today, they were beginning to learn a spell that would help heal somepony in need, and Starswirl made the suggestion to use me as their test subject to not only practice their magic, but aid in my recovery for the following day. Lord bless that stallion for his kindness.

Naturally, Celestia and Luna would voice their concerns about Captain Thunder’s methods if they were too hard and that he should try going easy on me. I told them that I appreciated the kind gesture, but it wasn’t necessary, because despite the pain I was going through, it was all worth it if it meant I could become someone strong enough to protect them. My resolve to my promise was undaunting, and I will continue to endure for their sake, no matter the cost.







Day 7



How I miss day two, for it may have only been five days ago, but it felt like a simpler time. Today, the captain decided it was time for a change of pace in my daily exercise routine. Another hundred push ups and sit ups were added, ten more laps for my run, and an added bonus of fifty pull ups. To make matters worse, he decided to put a time limit on top of it all. He said I was wasting too much time trying to fulfill my daily exercise routine and that it was cutting into sword training time. So now if I didn’t complete my set by the set time, they would be added on to the next day. Needless to say, I didn’t fulfill my requirements on time today. I managed to complete my laps around the castle, but by the time I was finished, I only had one hour to complete the rest of my exercises. I only managed to get one hundred push ups done before my time was up, which meant the rest of my routine was added for the next day, and that this will continue like this should I fail.

A part of me was wondering what was to keep me from just letting them add up, since I was doing my best as of late. I asked that to the captain and regret doing so shortly after. He told me if I don’t catch up within the next thirty days, he will triple my regiment and won’t let me retire for the day until I complete them before the next day, and he will do so until I finally die of exhaustion. So now I had a deadline to get my act together before I would literally be worked to death.

On a somewhat brighter note, my skill with the sword is slightly improving. My footing and the way I grip the handle have somewhat improved. I only rarely make the same mistakes before correcting myself. However, I still had a lot to learn according to Captain Thunder, such as learning how to properly attack, parry, and block. My reaction time also needed work since, at times, I take too much time to stop and think about my next action and end up paying for it with a strike to the head courtesy of the captain. And per usual, anytime I wasn’t training, I would often get teased by the other guards, but some take the time to actually harass me, saying that I didn’t belong among them and that I should give up and let myself be executed. I did my best to get away from those ponies and debated on informing the captain, but I knew better than to try and get somepony else to try to fight my battles for me. This isn’t a school where I go tell a teacher and they would tell their parents; this was a real army, and I am a full-grown man who must learn to handle his own battles.

Another plus about today is that the girls’ skills in healing were really starting to improve to the point where the pain was becoming bearable, yet the emotional exhaustion of the mind was still a problem that even they couldn’t help with. Which meant on some nights, I lay in my bed unable to fall asleep until maybe an hour or two before the next sunrise. I knew all too well that if I don’t improve soon, my life was going to be a living nightmare.







Day 30



I fear that my time in this world may be at an end soon. There are only seven days left until the deadline, and I haven’t made any progress!! At first, I thought I could catch up within the first week, but I was surely mistaken. The captain kept doubling my routine every five days. I was barely able to finish a quarter of my requirements. And because of this, I was now lagging even more behind in my daily requirements. I was so worn out that I couldn’t even finish my laps around the castle. Now I owe one thousand laps around the castle, seven thousand sit ups and push ups, and one thousand pull ups. There is no way I’m gonna be able to catch up before the deadline!



“Was this his game all along?” I said hysterically as I ran my hands through my hair repeatedly. “He acted like he wanted to help improve me so I could take his place, only for that to be a way to disguise his true intentions. Maybe he hates me just like the other guards and is trying to push me to the brink of death.” Soon, paranoia was getting the best of me as I started to sweat bullets and shook uncontrollably as fear took hold of my heart. “If I don’t catch up soon, I’m gonna be worked to death, and I can’t quit since the only reason I’m alive is because of the promise I made!” It felt like the walls were starting to close in on me, that no matter how I looked at it, I was going to wind up dead. “GAAAHHH!!!!! HOW AM I GONNA BE ABLE TO FINISH DURING MY TRAINING WITH THE DAY GAUR……” Then I came to a revelation as a memory from my first day of training came to mind. There wasn’t just the day training with the Solar Guard; there was another group of ponies too. “The lunar guard.” At that moment, I had an idea that may or may not work, but it was worth a shot. I quickly put on my clothes and made my way out of my room in the hopes there is a chance to catch up.





I walked down along the stone hallways with the lit torches being my only form of light. Along the way, I managed to bump into a few of the thestrals who were patrolling the halls. I half expected them to start mocking me, much like their Solar counterparts, but instead, I received the exact opposite. They were kind and friendly toward me and helped me find what I was looking for. I thanked them and walked to a large wooden door. I knocked on the door and waited patiently, though I didn’t wait long as a few short seconds later, the door opened up, revealing the captain. He looked at me with a neutral expression. “May I help you, rookie?”

I gulped nervously as I stared up at him, hoping my idea would work. “Uh, well, um, captain, I remember how you mentioned that there were other guards who had training sessions during the night. The lunar guard I believed you called them.” I started to tug on the collar of my shirt as I felt scared to ask my next question. “I-I was wondering if I could join them to try and complete what I owe for my daily exercises...sir?”

He stood there in the doorway to his room, staring at me with an expressionless gaze. I had wondered if I had stepped out of line or he was planning on kicking me out of the castle. He let out a snort before walking into his room and shortly came back out with a book. Closing his door, he walked past me down the hall, and for a moment, I wasn’t sure how to react until I saw him look over his shoulder and nudged his head for me to follow. Not wanting to waste any time, I quickly followed after him as we walked toward the training yard.

When we reached the training yard, I saw more lunar guards out than I saw during my training during the day. This was natural of course, since the captain said the only reason they were up in the day to begin with was to improve themselves more. They were going about the same training regiment as the Solar guards do during their own training session, however, unlike during the day, I didn’t see any Solar guards at all.

A smack to the back was all it took to bring me back to reality. The captain pointed me toward a guard who was currently overseeing some stallions as they practiced sword fighting. We walked over to the armored pony, who unlike most of the others was currently wearing their helmet. “Good evening, Captain.” Midnight Thunder greeted the pony getting their attention. He lightly shoved me forward before continuing. “This here is Cadet Nova Star; he owes a large sum of his daily exercises that he couldn’t finish on time. He wishes to take part in your training time to make up for it, and I was wondering if you would spot him to write down what he has done.”

I stepped forward and held out my hand, trying to make a good impression. “Um, good evening, captain. My name is Nova Star. I’m training to be the next personal guard to the princesses.” The captain of the lunar guard stared at me from over their shoulder before slowly turning to face me after snapping their fingers at the guards who were sparring, causing them to stop their match. I realized that I need to try to make it clear how much I need their help. “I know it’s a lot to ask, especially from someone you don’t know or ever met, but I beg you to help me.” I bowed my head as I tried my best to prove my intentions. “I can’t fail the princesses; they have done so much for me that I owe them my very life. I want to be able to repay their kindness by being someone they can feel safe around, someone who will lay down their life so they can be safe!” I got down on my knees as I groveled. I didn’t care if I was begging, for my own pride matters little than the lives I want to protect.

“Hmm, it seems like you found yourself a pretty dedicated replacement, Midnight.” A female voice spoke up. I looked up to see the lunar guard captain remove their, or should I say, her helmet. The mare was a bat pony with grey fur with a messy dark navy-blue mane, but what I found most stunning were her amber brown eyes, almost like a pair of cat eyes. “I’m Captain Echo Blossom. I’m in charge of the Lunar Guard here.” She held out her hand to me and I took it as she pulled me back to my feet. “Truth of the matter is, I’ve been expecting your arrival for some time now, though I must say, you took a bit longer than I would have guessed. You are cutting it quite close to your deadline, cadet.”

I found myself dumbfounded before looking at the captain. “I asked Echo to allow you to join her sessions should you decide to ask. This option was fully available to you. It’s why I went through the trouble of mentioning the Lunar Guard sessions.”

I felt my jaw drop. To think I could have been doing something about my debt this whole time. I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to see that Echo had a sympathetic look. “Well, there is still time for you to try and overcome the gap, Cadet Star. I assume you have a plan?”

Once I was done feeling sorry for myself, I took the time to recompose myself and calm my mind. “Yes, I do. I remember the captain mentioning a spell that can help recover stamina. Coupled with the princesses’ healing magic, I can spend the next seven days straight catching up.”

Both captains looked to each other with a worried look before Echo spoke. “While I do commend the dedication you’re showing, I feel as though such a plan is somewhat drastic. Yes, the spells can help with rejuvenating your stamina and being healed would allow your muscles to build faster, there is still the fact this could affect you mentally.”

“I’m well aware. The idea had already crossed my mind the moment I came up with this plan.” The downside to this method is as Echo stated: by doing this for a long period of time, I may suffer some temporary side effects, but the keyword is temporary. If I was to achieve my goal, I was going to need to do it through sheer willpower. “I owe the princesses my life. If I am to become their new personal guard, then I must be willing to push myself beyond my limits.”

For a moment, the captains said nothing before Captain Thunder turned away and started walking off. “You heard the cadet; his mind is made up.” He raised his hand up as he waved it. “I’ll see you for your daytime training. You better be ready to work your ass off.”

I straightened my body before saluting to him as he left. “YES SIR!!”





DAY 33



Three whole days passed since I began my night and day training. So far, everything is going according to plan, albeit at a steady pace. Since I wasn’t training in combat at night with the captain, I had the whole night to try and knock off what I owe. Within the first two days, I was able to catch up on my laps, and by the third day, I had caught up about halfway with my sit ups. I had two days left, and at the rate I’m going, I may just squeak by.

However, that’s not to say I haven’t experienced negative side effects. As the third night draws to an end, I could feel my mind begging for a full night’s sleep. Over the last three nights, I only got a total of six hours of sleep, only allowing myself to sleep for two hours before returning to my regiment. While it helps relieve some fatigue, it’s just barely enough to keep me from feeling the need to lay down and sleep all day.

When the sun would rise, I would head to the princesses’ room to greet them and have them work their magic to heal my body. They of course expressed their dislike of my training method and would try to convince me to rest and sleep. But I couldn’t afford to waste a single second doing so and would head off to start my day training.

Thankfully, all of my hard work was yielding great results. Both my stamina and strength had vastly grown, allowing me to finish off my daily requirements before starting my combat training with the captain. I was also noticing a definite improvement in my sword skills and footwork. I made little mistakes and hardly ever repeated them. Despite this, I’ve yet to land a single strike against the captain during our sparring session.

I did start to notice a few things, however, now that I was no longer making multiple mistakes. I could focus more on the battle rather than my movements and making sure they were correct. While it’s true the captain is a unicorn, I’ve yet to see him use any magic attacks or defense during any of our training sessions. I’ve seen other guards who were unicorns using some form of magic during their training, but none with the captain. I had guessed he was going easy on me.

Another thing I noticed was his body built, how it was unlike a unicorn’s. Thus far, the unicorns I’ve seen either while walking through the halls or on the training ground had somewhat thin or average body builds, not much muscle to be seen. They of course make up for this with their magic attacks and defenses. But going back to the captain’s build, he looked more like that of an earth pony with big, broad muscles and square shoulders. He stood taller than most of the other ponies I’ve seen so far. He’s basically a mountain with arms and legs. But despite this, he’s still incredibly fast for someone his size.

Soon, the day training ended, and I headed back to the princesses to get healed and prepare for the night session. With any luck, I could hopefully finish what I owe in the next two days.







DAY 36

Today had gone in unexpected directions today. Whether it was good or bad, I can’t really decide.

As I finished my day training and received my healing, I stumbled my way to the training grounds to meet up with Captain Echo to finally catch up on what I had owed. However, as I stepped out into the training yard, the sun had just set, and the moon was slowly rising into the sky. As I watched, I noticed my body was unresponsive, and I felt as though my body weighed like lead. The world around me went dark as I blacked out for who knows how long.

When I had finally woken up, I was staring up at the night sky. The moon was full and the stars twinkled brightly. As I stared up at the night sky for who knows how long, I noticed that my head was laying on something soft. When I tried to sit up, a pair of hands gently grabbed my shoulders and brought me back down with little effort. I was caught by surprise and looked up to see Captain Echo smiling down at me. “Sorry cadet, but you need to rest for a while longer,” she said in a soothing voice, which had caught me off guard.

Up till now, she always spoke to me in a stern and formal tone. On occasion, she would allow her voice to convey a tone of worry whenever I had pushed myself too hard. But at the moment, it sounded totally different than anything before.

I remember wanting to protest and wanting to get back up to try and get back to training, but every time I tried, she managed to pull me back down with little effort, so much so that she did it with one finger to show how weak I was. However, I figured it wasn’t that she was incredibly strong, but that my body didn’t want to move from where I was laying down.

With a disappointed grunt, I had given up on trying to get back up to training and allowed myself to lay there for a while longer. However, now that I was no longer trying to get up, I quickly realized where my head was laying: right on her lap. I could feel my face flush with embarrassment as I stared up into her amber brown eyes. “While I think your determination is a charming quality, it can also be your undoing,” she said softly as she started to stroke her hand through my hair, causing my blush to deepen. “The spell was designed to help soldiers while they were on the battlefield, for when they needed to stay awake when the enemy forces were near, and when they knew they were safe, only then would they rest. But you’re using the spell constantly and only allowing your body and mind to rest for a short time. That’s why you passed out earlier, and why I decided that you will take this night to use it as intended; to sleep and give your mind rest.”

“But I’m so close to catching up, and I only have-”

My protest was cut short when she put a finger to my lips. “There’s always tomorrow. As you just said, you’re almost caught up. Give your body the rest it deserves so that when tomorrow comes, you will have the strength to catch up. Besides, you have until the sun rises on the thirty-eighth day for the deadline.” She moved her hand away from my lips and continued to run her hand through my hair. “As captain of the Lunar Guard, and as your superior, I order you to rest your body.” Though she said it in a stern tone, the warm, calming smile was still present.

She began to hum a lullaby, one I wasn’t familiar with, but it sounded so soothing. The combination of her humming and her hand running through my hair was too much to bear as my eyelids began to feel heavy and my mind slowly became fuzzy. Soon, I couldn’t keep my eyes open, and the moment they closed, I felt myself drifting off to blissful slumber.





DAY 37

When I woke up this morning, I felt completely recharged and fully alert. Echo was right, and I managed to get through my morning routine with ease. That wasn’t all; during my sparring session with the captain, I managed to graze the tip of my sword against his cheek, making a thin cut, however it wasn’t deep enough to draw blood, but I was happy nonetheless to land something. And because I managed to land a hit on him, our training session finished early and he let me try to catch up on the exercises I owed, which currently was ten thousand pushups.

Not wanting to waste any time, I found myself a spot where I wouldn’t get in the way of anypony’s training. “Alright, here we go.” I got down on all fours and quickly got into position to start my pushups.





“9,990….9,991…..9,992!!” I grunted and panted as I took deep gasps of air. My arms wobbled as I tried to keep my body up before slowly lowering myself down and shooting back up. “9,993!!”

“Come on, cadet. Don’t stop, you’re almost done,” Captain Thunder said as he stood over me with his arms folded. He decided to stay up and watch to see if I would fail or succeed before the coming dawn.

My teeth were chattering as I pushed myself back up, bullets of sweat sliding down my face as my arms burned with pain. “9,994….9,995!!”

“You can do it, Nova! We believe in you!!” Echo, as well as a few bat ponies, cheered as they all stood around me. At first, it was just the two captains watching me as I tried to complete the last of the exercises I owed, but when I got to the halfway point of my pushes, other members of the Lunar Guard got curious and came over to watch.

“9,996…..9,997!!!” I grunted as it felt like my arms were gonna fall apart at any second. And to make matters more dire, the sun should be rising over the horizon any minute now. I had propped myself up for a few moments as I gasped for air, trying to catch my breath.

“Come on, rookie, I got a hundred bits that says you’ll make it!” one stallion called out.

“I got bathroom cleaning if you lose, so push on!!” another stallion called out, getting a few of the others and even myself to laugh a bit.

“If you make it, I’ll take you out to dinner, handsome!” a mare’s voice spoke out, which nearly threw me off balance at what she said.

“9,998!” When I pushed myself up, I could see my vision getting blurry as my sweat got into my eyes. As I came down, I had almost lost all the strength I had to try and push myself back up, nearly falling back down before locking my elbows as I straightened myself up. “9,999!!”

The crowd had gone silent as they all stared at me as I was gasping for air. Not a single pony dare uttered a word. I glanced up and could see that the purple sky was slowly turning into a bright red with a hint of orange, meaning daylight was just a few moments away. When I lowered myself back down, I could hear everypony around me taking a breath in and holding it as they waited for me to push back up and finish my ten thousandth push up. However, try as I may, my arms could do nothing but shake and wobble as I tried to push myself up once more. For a moment, this felt like the end, for at any second, the sun would rise, and my time would be up.

No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t muster the strength to lift myself off the ground. The crowd around me started to chant for me to get up over and over. But I could see the world around me getting brighter. The sun was almost up. It was hopeless. This was the end.

“KEEP GOING!!” two familiar voices called out. When I looked up, I could see the crowd had parted ways to reveal the owner of the voices. Standing in their pajamas were both Celestia and Luna. I could see that their horns were glowing as they were no doubt raising and lowering the sun and moon. They both had determined looks on their faces. “YOU CAN DO IT NOVA!! WE BELIEVE IN YOU!!” They shouted in unison. Soon, the whole crowd erupted into cheers and words of encouragement, trying to get me to finish the last push up.

I was stunned for a moment, but found the strength and will to go on. I took in one long, deep breath and willed my arms to push. For a moment, they shook, barely pushing my body up an inch, but the longer I tried, the more my body moved. Now I was halfway off the ground and gritting my teeth. “I….will….push past…my limits!!” Calling upon the last bit of strength I had in my body, I shoved myself up and locked my elbows for the last time “10,000!!”

The crowd erupted into cheers once more as I plopped onto the ground, drenched in sweat gasping for air. I could hear my heart pounding in my ears as I laid on the floor while taking in big gulps of air. All the muscles in my arms twitched and pulsed as they were finally given a chance to rest.

As I laid on the ground, a pair of hooves stepped into view, and I looked up to see the princesses smiling down at me with tears of joy. I smiled back and barely managed to move my arm up to give them a thumbs up. They knelt down to try and give me a hug, only to quickly pull back when they felt my sweaty body against their fur, causing everypony else to laugh. Before I knew it, the group of ponies around us gathered around to pick me up and toss me into the air before catching me, repeating this process for a few moments.

I actually enjoyed this feeling as the bat ponies showered me with praise. “Alright, soldiers, that’s enough! Time to get back to training!!” Captain Thunder shouted, getting the ponies to freeze before they could catch me as I slammed into the ground.

“OWW!!”

The ponies soon went their separate ways as some went to train while others made their way to the barracks to sleep. Some passed me and patted me on the shoulder or ruffled my hair. The captain walked over and helped me up onto my feet while Echo headed to her own quarters to sleep, no doubt. “Alright, rookie, don’t get too full of yourself. We still have training for the morning.” I could see his nostrils flare up before he moved his hand to pinch his nose. “But first, go take a bath, for Faust’s sake. You stink worse than a hydra’s breath.”

Not wanting to argue, I rushed into the castle to get myself cleaned up, still filled with a sense of pride that I had made it.





When I came back to the courtyard, now cleaned and wearing a different set of clothes, I noticed that somepony was talking to the captain, and from the looks of it, I’d say it was a one-sided conversation. As I got closer, I could hear what was being said. “Why do you persist on training that thing, captain?! Surely you can’t think that some hairless ape is worthy enough to really be the next personal guard to the princesses?! It barely managed to complete the exercises it owed you! It can’t be worth all this time and effort you’re putting into it!” I soon recognized the guard who was talking bad about me. His name is Gilded Shield. Apparently, he was a noble who transferred into the Solar Guard five years ago. His family is well known for having wealth and power that could almost rival the previous ruler. But nopony knew why he enlisted into the guard, despite his wealthy position. “I’ve been here longer than that THING, and have asked you multiple times to train me to be your successor, but instead, you give your precious time to a freak!”

If he had been talking about anypony else, they would no doubt keep their mouths shut for fear of him using his power to make them regret talking back. But, then again, I’m not a pony. As I made my way closer, the captain nudged his head in my direction. “If you got something to say, then why don’t you take it up with him?”

Gilded Shield turned to face me as I got closer. He has silver-white fur and a golden yellow mane. He scowled at me as I approached. “You.”

“Yeah, me. Nice to see that you’re still a whiny-ass colt with a silver spoon stuck up his flank.”

Some of the guards who were in earshot tried their best not to burst out laughing as Gilded Shield’s face burned a dark red. “How dare you?!”

Truth be told, this wasn’t the first time he’s talked shit about me. Before, it would be an insult under his breath as we passed each other in the halls or training ground. Then it grew to snide remarks and making fun of my appearance. But I never gave him the satisfaction of a reaction, which only pissed him off even more. “Oh, what? You can dish it out, but you can’t take it?”

“Do you have any idea who I am?! I am a noble stallion’s son, and I won’t be talked down by some freak of nature!!” He seethed, a crowd started to grow as they could hear what was going on.

Before I could shoot back my retort, the captain slammed his hoof onto the ground, making it shake slightly before his voice boomed loudly. “Enough!! Both of you!!” Both myself and Shield flinched before he turned his attention to the noble pain in the flank. “You know full well that who or where you come from matters little here. We are all guards of Equestria.” Gilded Shield clenched his fist and turned his head away. “And the reason why I never considered you a candidate for my replacement is that you yourself can barely finish the training regiment set for the Solar Guard.” The Solar Guard’s training was vastly different from my own. They didn’t have to do even a fraction of the work I do. This made it kinda funny that he is talking shit about me when he doesn’t have a leg to stand on.

Gilded Shield frowned as he placed a hand to his chest. “But I don’t need to train. I am a noble, and my magic is second to only the princesses and Starswirl the Bearded. I could easily best any pony in this whole yard-” He turned and pointed his finger toward me. “-especially some hairless diamond dog who wields no magic, who had to squeak by your regiment.”

The crowd started to whisper among themselves, some of them actually agreeing with Gilded Shield. For a moment, the sense of accomplishment that I had felt earlier this morning was starting to fade internally. I’d be lying if I said he didn’t make a few accusations. Was I really that weak?

For a while, I just stood there as all I could hear were the other Solar Guards repeating what Shield said, and felt as though maybe I didn’t belong here. Those doubts had suddenly evaporated when I felt a strong hand clasping my shoulder. Glancing up, I could see the captain with a stoic look on his face. “Then how about you prove it.”

Everypony went dead silent as those words took a moment to set. Gilded Shield snapped out of his little stupor as he shook his head. “Pardon?”

“You heard me. Prove it. You and Cadet Nova Star here will have a one-on-one match. The winner will be my successor, while the loser accepts defeat and acknowledges the winner.” I found myself stunned as my mouth was left gaping. “Oh, one other thing; this will be a no holds barred match. The use of real weapons and magic will be allowed in this fight, as well any items the fighters have. The only way to win is to either knock out your opponent or if they yield.” The crowd around us burst into cheers as I could see an evil grin growing across Gilded Shield’s face. “The match will start in one hour. Gather what you need and meet back here.”

The crowd dispersed as I was left standing there in total shock. “I’m doomed.”





(One hour later)

I stood in the training yard with little change to myself. The only thing that changed was a set of leather armor provided by the captain. Meanwhile, Gilded Shield was wearing a golden armor set that wasn’t the Solar Guard’s standard issue. He also had a gem-encrusted sword attached to his hip. He wore a smug look as some of the guards brown-nosed the stallion, complimenting his set up and saying how he was sure to win this match.

If that wasn’t bad enough, we also had an audience. The Lunar Guard were also here, as well as the princesses and Starswirl. This match was now a spectacle. I could even hear some of the guards placing bets on who will win. All of the Solar Guard were betting on Gilded Shield to win, while the Lunar Guard were placing their bets on me, which was kinda nice and terrifying at the same time.

I turned to the captain, hoping to talk some sense into him. “Why am I doing this again? I mean, I barely managed to catch up, and now you’re having me fight for it? This can’t be necessary, can it?”

He looked at me sternly before turning me around so I was facing my opponent. He leaned down and started to whisper in my ear. “This is necessary. Look at him, already planning his victory speech. You saw how quick the other Solar Guards were quick to agree with him. They don’t have any faith in you, but that’s only because they have no idea what you’re capable of. Now draw your sword.” Seeing as there was no way out of this, I moved my hand to grab hold of my training sword, but was stopped when the captain grabbed my arm. “I said your sword, not the training sword.” He pulled out the black book with the five-leaf clover and pushed it against my chest.

It only now dawned on me what he had meant. “But I can’t lift that thing. It’s way too heavy for me to swing, let alone use in a fight.”

“Did I ask you to give me excuses or did I ask you to draw your sword?” he questioned sternly.

Seeing as there was no talking my way out of this, I took the book in my hand. The book began to glow and levitate out of my hands. It opened and the pages rapidly flipped through until they came upon a page. The handle of the Demon Slayer sword came out, and I looked back to the captain. He nodded his head, telling me that I had no choice. Turning back to the handle that was sticking out of the book, I moved my hands to clasp it. Anticipating the heavy weight, I closed my eyes, gritted my teeth, and started to pull. Much to my surprise, the blade easily came out of the book, and soon enough, the whole thing was out. Even more surprising was that the sword didn’t feel even remotely heavy. I held up the sword with such ease, even being able to hold it up with one hand. I turned to look at the captain, who had a satisfied smirk on his face from the results of my training.

A wave of confidence surged through me as I got ready for the battle. A few of the Solar Guards started hurling insults.

“What’s with the big sword, freak?! Are you compensating for something?!”

“Get out of here, freak! We don’t need you!!”

“Yeah, we can protect the princesses ourselves!!”

I ignored them as both Gilded Shield and I took up opposite sides of the ring. He took one look at my sword and scoffed. “What is that ugly thing? Is that meant to be a sword?” I didn’t bother saying anything. It would have been wasted on him. He drew his own sword and swung it around. “Now this is a sword. Pristine, elegant, and forged with the best gold can buy. This sword is imbued with my magic.” He stared at his sword with a smug grin. “Honestly, being cut by this sword is too much of an honor for the likes of you, so I’ll make you a deal. I will let you make the first strike.” Before I could say anything, a sphere of golden magic surrounded him, and he laughed. “Haha, I forgot to mention one thing: I’ll have my strongest shield magic up.” Most of the Solar Guard marveled at the spell as it shimmered and protected the snob noble. “This is a spell passed down by only the purest nobles. And what’s more, whatever feeble attack you throw at it will be absorbed into my sword and will empower it! I have the best of both defense and offence! You might as well give up and bow down to me now! Hahahaha!”

I took a deep breath and gripped my sword as I held it in front of me. I let the world around me fade as I calmed my mind. ‘I am not the same person I was a month ago; I am stronger now. I may not have magic like everypony else, but so what? I have friends who believe in me, and that’s more than enough for me. I’ve come too far to just quit. I will be the next personal guard to the princesses. I will keep them safe, so they never have to go through that day in the dungeon again!!’ I braced my legs and could feel the ground beneath my feet crackle as I pushed off. My entire body suddenly shot forward, and before I knew it, I was in front of Gilded Shield, and I could see the look of shock on his face as I raised my sword high to the sky. “My magic is never giving up!!” The muscles in my arms clenched as I brought down my sword, cutting through his barrier like it wasn’t even there, and slammed the blade down on his shoulder. His whole body was smashed down towards the ground with a loud crash, creating a little crater. I stepped back and saw that his eyes had rolled into his head as his mouth hung wide open. He was still breathing, but he was unconscious. "Unlike you, Gilded Shield, I'm not in this for the prestige or to mess around. I am doing this to be someone worthy of protecting the princesses. Even if it costs me my life, I will be their new personal guard!"

Suddenly, my free hand was raised to the sky by a hand, and I saw that it was the captain holding it up. “The winner: Nova Star!” The crowd roared with cheers while others ran to me to shake my hand and congratulate me on my victory. I looked at the princesses, who both were smiling with pride while Starswirl nodded with approval.

A hand clasped my shoulder, and I already knew who it was. “Your training as my successor has just begun. I better not catch you doubting my judgment ever again, you hear me?” Though his words sounded stern, the smile of pride on his face told me how he really felt.

I nodded with a determined smile. “Never again, captain.”