//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 - The Beginning // Story: Not So Royal Guard Anymore // by Zephyr //------------------------------// Author's note: As you know from the description, this story is the my point of view of the 'Not So Evil Hobo Necromancer', everything happens here is official to that story. Also, this is my second parallel-universe story (I should call it uniVERVE), what means it builds on my original life story (Memories of Zephyr). But as this story is a parallel-universe story, it'll be going different from a point: that point is the middle of the 8th chapter. So, let the story... begin! It was four months after I got in the Royal Guards as a sergeant and squad leader. Duty was simple. Get assignment, get ready, get around the place we were assigned to, get back. Today wasn't exception either. We (my squad and I) were sent to patrol at Ponyville: that town was right next to the Everfree, we always had to check for roaming monsters. Knowing there will be nothing, just like the previous hundred times (no, seriously, this was the one hundred and first time when I had to patrol there, I always wanted to say that and mean it) I told the squad that they can have the night free, I'll take care of anything what comes. Naturally, they were cheering me, having a good leader is really rare and they got one of the best! (Yes, I do shine myself.) So, I headed out and soon I was at the edge of the forest, trotting on the path, humming quietly a tune to myself, watching the early night sky. This last until I heard a scream and an animalistic roar from inside the forest. Knowing I have no time to lose, I immediately got midair, flying above the woods, listening for another sound. To my luck I heard another scream, followed by an angrier roar, this time very close to me. Then I saw it. It was a light blue unicorn mare, chased by a manticore. Quickly unsheating my sword I nosedived at the beast, cutting off its right wing with a slice and kicking it in the face right after. "Quick! Hide!" I shouted to the mare who trembled in fear but obviously was relieved by seeing that she is saved. She climbed on a tree, hiding behind the leaves. The manticore on the other hoof was just about to attack. The pain of losing a wing and getting kicked in the face was enough to enrage it: all he (probably 'he', I don't know the differences between male and female manticore) could see was redness. He let out a near deafening roar of rage then jumped in my direction, ready to cut me in pieces with his claws. But I was the fastest in the Royal Guards because of a reason. As quick as lightning I flew away from there (living a dust 'phantom'), and got behind the manticore. The animal, thinking he would hit me, crashed into the tree what was behind me a second earlier. It made him disoriented, probably he could see two of everything. I just charged him, holding the trusty blade in my hooves, and with a big sling, I cut off his poisonous scorpion tail. The beast roared in pain yet again, now obviously pissed to no end. He looked at me, saliva dripping from his mouth. "Yo what's up? Did tha lil' Zeph hurt ya, huh? Whooo, I'm scared now!" I taunted him, using my original accent. The manticore roared again (could he do anything else?) and did his own charge. I don't have to say, withouth his right wing and tail, bleeding and disoriented, he was slowed down. Smirking, I raised my sword above my head, helding it like those eastern martial arts warrior ponies (forgot the name, sorry). I flew forward, screaming a battle cry. What I didn't expect, was that the manticore will act sentient like: he raised his right paw to crush me, but when I got close enough, he hit me with his left, still intact wing. I was sent flying into a tree, crash-landing on it, making my left hindleg unuseable (I hit the tree with my left hindleg first, it made my leg feel like broken...). I looked up, at the now charging manticore. Fast as lightning, I opened my wings and flew up, above the height of the trees, keeping an eye on the manticore. He tried to fly up to me, only to remember the faith of his right wing... what made him roar in anger again. I noticed that, when he roars, he closes his eyes for at least five seconds. This was my chance. I flew down, gaining speed with the moment, helding my sword in front of me, pointing at the manticore. He was about to finish his roar, when... *Sclash!* The blade of my sword went trough the skull of the animal like hot knife in butter. For a few seconds I saw the surprised expression on his face, before he died, collapsing. "Huff...huff... This was... hufff... close..." I gulped and landed next to the corpse of the manticore, sheating my blade. "Damn Night Guards why can't do their job, why I have to patrol at night too?..." I asked myself, then took deep breaths and whipped my forehead while sitting down. Flying AND fighting in a 17 kilogramms heavy battle armor is tiring afterall! I heard the rustling of leaves and looked at the direction of it. To my relief, it was just the mare I saved, descending from the tree she hid before. Half a minute later she was in front of me, mixed emotions on her face, but mostly relief. "You... you saved me! You saved the Great and Powerful Trixie and killed that beast! Trixie owe you her life! Tell Trixie what she can do for you, Royal Guard!" She said while smiling. She was strange... but she was pretty too, though her mane was fuzzled and there were leaves in it. "For first, my name is Zephyr Verve, sergeant of the Royal Guards, Twenty-seventh division. Second, it is my duty to keep the citizens of Equestria safe. And for third... why are you talking from yourself in third pony, oh great and powerful?" I said and gave her a questioning look. She grinned sheepishly and broke the eye-contact. "The Great and Powerful Trixie have to speak like this if she wants to keep her audience..." She said, shifting her eyes. "Hm, yes, I see, and where is that audience now?..." I asked, rising my right eyebrow. "They are... they..." She sighed in defeat. "They left me. I have no audience, nor fans anymore. I'm nopony. I lost everything." If her words not, her face told me everything: the sadness she was in was readable clear as day. "Lost everything?... What happened?" I asked, feeling bad about her already. "I'm... I'm a traveling magician, I travel through Equestria, I have seen almost all of it at least twice. I give shows, do some spectacular tricks and prove that I'm... better than them. This was good until I came here, in Ponyville. Then she appeared... a little librarian unicorn, what's her name? Twilight Sparkle? Ah, that's it. She ruined everything." She stopped her monologue, sighing and rubbing her eyes. "I... had an accident and lost not just my reputation but my cart too... all my belongings..is gone.. I fled in the Everfree in shame." She stopped, looking down at the ground, sniffing. "Oh. I'm really sorry about you. I guess you got lost and attacked by this manticore, right?" I asked, putting a hoof on her right shoulder. "Y-yes, this is the third day here... I thought this was the last either... but then you appeared out of nowhere and saved me!" Her frown turned up to a smile and she put her right hoof on mine, caressing it. "I-uh, uhm, this is my duty, miss Trixie..." I might be a trained warrior but I'm not prepared for this!... "It's Trixie Lulamoon." She said and smiled warmly again. "Well Trixie, I assume you need a place to live. Am I right?" I asked, the cogs in my brain spinning madly. "Yes... do you want to say that you let me stay with you?" She asked, a bit too happily. "Yeah, I planned to move out anyway and I could use a new roommate!" <- what I said... what I thought -> 'Lie, lie, lie, lie, lie!' "Would you.. really?" Trixie asked, closing the distance between us. "Y-yes, of course, you need help and I can't just let a mare like you hanging, living on the streets!..." I gave her a weak smile. 'Yes, yes, YES! Finally after many years... oh I love my life!' I thought and my smile grew into a grin. While I thought these, she got even closer. Before I could realize, her mouth was mere centimeters away from mine, then... she kissed me... I was shocked, I thought she would be thankful, but this?... Whoah... 'No, this is impossible, this just can't be! No mare do this in the first site, NO MARE!' I thought, but forget it and enjoyed the kiss. After recovering from this inital shock, I looked in her purple eyes, and saw a sparkle. I felt strange in my stomach, my heartbeat got fast and I couldn't stop staring her... "Zephyr?... Can we go?..." She asked quietly while keeping the eye contact. I gulped and remembered that we are still in the Everfree, also, there is a fresh corpse of a manticore - we should get out of there as fast as possible, before something else comes. "Yes, yes, follow me." She let me go and I stood up, turning to the direction of the closest exit of the forest. Obviously, I was thinking about her, and as I have a vivid imagination, well, my wings popped open, with an audible... *POMF!* "Oh goddess..." I whispered and stopped to fold my wings back. Then I heard it: Trixie was giggling, she even covered her face with a hoof. I looked at her. "I, uh, this is, uhm, I can explain, uhm..." I mumbled. "Shh, don't say anything." She walked in front of me, sitting down. "The Great and Powerful Trixie know what you were thinking and approves it!" she said and with a sudden move she pulled me into another kiss. My wings popped open again. /// On the same night, a few hours later.../// "Aaand this is the kitchen... and you could find my bedroom there!" I said this to Trixie, after we got out of the Everfree, I headed back to the HQ, signed off duty and lead her to my home, where Gemmy (her full name is Radiant Gem), Iron Will and I were living. She haven't meet them yet, Gemmy was somewhere in the city, after I let her and my whole squad go, she vanished. She used to do this, Canterlot is her playground. Will on the other hoof was still in duty, probably doing paperwork. Poor guy. So, we were alone at the moment. "Your bedroom? Can I have a look?" She asked. "Sure, I guess you will have to sleep with me anyway." I said. 'Sleep, yes, hah!' I thought. I led her to my bedroom. It was small but cozy: some furniture, a bed, a table with a chair, a mirror and a single window, looking at a nearby park. "Minimalist, I know, but I don't need more." I said and opened a shelf, grabbing a comb and giving it to Trixie. "Here, you can use this if you want to comb your mane." "Thank you, Zephyr. And my cart wasn't bigger either, I like your room." She said with a smile and grabbed the comb with her magic. "Just call me Zeph. Anyway, do you need something? To eat? To drink? Anything?" I looked at her: she was already combing her mane... and she looked beautiful... "Yes... I'm pretty hungry..." Her smile turned into a frown. "Why didn't you say before?" I asked her. 'Why didn't I think before?' I asked myself. "You are too good to Trixie. Trixie does not deserves it." She said and lowered her head. I stood in front of her and raised her head with a hoof on her chin. "Don't say this, you are wonderful!..." I smiled. "Though you need to learn how to speak in first pony!" I let out a small chuckle. "Y-yes... maybe..." She sighed. "Don't worry, I'll take care of you." I hugged her. "Come on, the food is in the kitchen." I wanted to move but she didn't let me go. A second later I realized what's going on and started to caress her (now somehow combed) blue-ish white mane. I felt the wet warmness of tears on my shoulder: Trixie started to silently cry. "Shh, it's alright, it's alright. I'm here for you." I said and kept the embrace while still caressing her mane. "T-thank you, Zeph... thank you..." She said. We remain hugging for the next ten minutes.