Many Years Ago
Shining Armor sat at his desk in his room, reading heavily into his Royal Guard Training manual. In just a few short months, he’d be leaving home for the first time to begin his training. He’d be pursuing his dream, one he’d had since he was a small foal. He’d be brave, heroic, and adventurous, just like the Knight in Black! And if he was lucky, he might just make it to the role of Captain! Well…maybe. Shinning had high hopes, but he also knew there were a lot of ponies out there who were better and stronger than him. But he wasn’t going to give up! The Night never did, and neither would he!
That being said, there was a lot more to being a guard then just being brave and strong, the manual was enough to prove that! To be a guard, you had to have a great knowledge of the law and judicial system, and that’s what Shining struggled with the most. There was a lot that he didn’t understand. He considered asking his GENIOUS sister for help, but he’d quickly dismissed it. He wasn’t about to have Twilight as his tutor, that would be embarrassing! She was his little sister; he was supposed to help HER not the other way around!
Besides, Shining wanted to do this on his own. He wanted to succeed by his own merits, and that’s just what he was going to do!
As Shining was reading about the rights guaranteed to Equestrian citizens, he heard a knocking at his door.
“Come in!”
The door to Shinning’s room opened to reveal his younger sister, Twilight, with a book resting on her back.
“Hey Twily, what’s up? Shouldn’t you be in bed?” questioned Shining.
“Can you read to me first?” questioned the filly.
“I don’t know if I have time, I’ve got to study for the Royal Guard entrance exam.”
“Please?” begged Twilight with pleading eyes, attempting to make herself as cute as possible. And for Shining, it worked. He sighed and pushed his manual to the side.
“All right, but only for a little bit.”
“Yay!” cheered Twilight, as she pranced back to her room, with her brother in tow.
“Not sure why you want me to read to you in the first place,” said Shining as the two entered her room. “You’re reading at a super high level. You can read without me.”
“Yeah, but I like it when you read. You do the funny voices,” stated Twilight as she got into her bed. Shining took a seat next to the bed.
“So what are we reading?” he questioned. Twilight passed him the book with her magic. Shining examined the book to see that it was their favorite: ‘The Knight in Black and the Horrible Hydra’.
“Ah, of course” chuckled Shining. He opened the book. “Should we start from the beginning?”
“Yes!” replied Twilight.
“Alright then,” said Shining as he cleared his throat. Then he began.
‘Equestria is the home to many legends and tales of heroes. Our history is full of many brave stallions and mares who overcame great adversity to fend off disasters and the forces of darkness. Starswirl, Rockhoof, Mage Meadowbrook, Somnambula, Mistmane and Flash Magnus are all prime examples of great Equestrian heroes. But very few tales from the lands beyond ever reach our shores. However, there is one tale that has spread beyond those isolated shores and into our land. And that is the story of; ‘The Black Knight.’
“He’s one of my favorites!” exclaimed Twilight.
“More than Starswirl?”questioned Shining, with an eyebrow playfully raised.
“Um…hmmmmmmm…. don’t make me choose!” grumbled Twilight, crossing her forehooves. Shining chuckled.
“Alright, alright.” He continued.
‘On the other side of the world lies the kingdom of Minos. Minos was a great kingdom, and home to the Minotaur’s. In the center of the kingdom lied the great city of Crestor, where the King; Icaran ruled. But despite the nations prosperity, Icaran was troubled. For to the west, in between the sea port and the rest of the nation lied a terrible creature. This monster attacked anyone who ventured into its territory. Having claimed many lives, of warriors and peasants alike, the Hydra reigned supreme.
The Hyrda blocked the way to the sea, preventing the Minotaur people from fishing, which hurt both their food supplies, and their economy, as fish was one of their mane exports. The king had sent many warriors to try and defeat the beast, but none had returned.
Desperate, the King placed a bounty on the beast, letting it be known that anyone who could slay the Hydra would be entitled to a reward of 500 pounds of gold. But the horrible creature had gained much infamy in its time, and word of the many fallen warriors had spread. As a result, fewer and fewer people were willing to take on the monster.
All had seemed lost. But then one day, as the king sat reposed on his throne, a stranger appeared in his throne room. The stranger stood on two legs like the Minotaur’s, but had no horns on his head, nor did he have a snout. His head lacked fur, except for a patch of hair on his scalp.
This stranger, clothed in a black coat, came to the king and offered to defeat the Hydra. But the king, jaded from the many losses to the monster, had little hopes that the stranger would succeed.
“Why should I believe you, when every other who has attempted to kill that creature has met their end?” questioned the king.
“I have experience in dealing with threats of this magnitude,” replied the creature in the black coat. “My magic and weapon will be able to deal with the creature.”
“How could a creature like you possess magic? You have no horns on your head like the Unicorns or the Centaurs,” asked the king.
“I could demonstrate if you’d like,” said the stranger. He requested that the king follow him outside, where he would demonstrate his ability. The king along with his guards followed the stranger outside. There lied a mound of rock and stone.
The stranger surprised the king as he pulled a strange weapon out of the air, gripped in his hand. He aimed his weapon at the rock and released a powerful burst of magic at the rock, obliterating it entirely. Fragments of rock flew through the air, and it seemed as if it would fall upon the king and his guards. But before it could, the stranger leapt into the air, higher than any other creature could leap. He floated in the air, and used his magic to stop the rock from falling. It suspended in the air along with him, no longer accelerating. In a quick motion, flames erupted from the stranger, which burned the rock to ash and cinder.
Landing on the ground gracefully, the being in black asked the king if that demonstration would suffice. The king, amazed by the beings magical ability, gave him his blessing to fight the Hydra, and told him that if he succeeded, the reward would be his. But, he had to provide proof of the creatures defeat. Accepting the deal, the being shook hands with the king. The person in black told the king he would return soon, with proof of the Hydra’s death.
It would be a long journey, full of peril and danger. But the one who would one day be called the Knight in Black, had magic on his side, powerful magic that could do things the Minotaur’s couldn’t dream of.
And so the Knight set off on his journey. A journey that would one day be accounted as one of bravery, strength, and heroism.’
“And that’s the end of the chapter,” sighed Shining as he closed the book. He turned to see his sister dozing off in her bed, not yet asleep, but very close.
“Shining?” mumbled the filly.
“Yeah Twily?”
“Some day, I want to be as good at magic as the Knight. Him and Starswirl, I wanna be just as god as them someday.”
“You will be Twilight. One day. You just have to work hard. I know you can do it.” Twilight mumbled something, as she finally drifted off to sleep. Shining set the book aside, and kissed Twilight on the forehead. He then shut off the lamp next to the bed, and went to leave the room. He stopped at the doorframe and looked back to his sister.
“Night Twilight. See you in the morning.” Shining shut the door, and left Twilight to sleep.
The story of the Knight in Black was something that inspired both him and his sister. It was a tale that resonated with both of their hearts. It was a story they would always remember.