//------------------------------// // 28. My Militia // Story: Azure Days // by Anzel //------------------------------// Aurum pressed up against me and asked nervously, “Azurite, are you still with me? I could really use some sort of royal guard idea right now.” The anger had drained through me and leaked out of my hooves after the adrenaline ebbed and I realized we were about to be completely overwhelmed. That was setting off every anxiety in my head. There were a ton of bugs now. Six, eight, ten? Too many. Combat was not my specialty. All I knew was some self-defense stuff which evidently worked well. “We need to retreat,” I said with confidence. Not that I was confident. I was just confident that running away was the right answer. I was excellent at running away. Aurum nodded. “Good plan, we’re surrounded, though, so do you think you can teleport us again? I can’t do that spell. I couldn’t even teleport the toothpick in class.” It amazed me at how calm Aurum could stay. I was shaking from tail to ears. “Maybe? Take my hoof and hold on tight!” She did just that. We clasp each other, and I started to draw in magic from all around us. Teleporting was a very hard spell. It was the height of my ability. I started to concentrate. What had Miss Bitweather said again? See yourself where you want to be. Close your eyes, picture it, draw the magic in and— “Azurite, not to rush you but I really think you need to do the spell right now!” “Not helping!” I squeaked as my eyes tightened. Imagine the other side of the street. See the store. Be outside the store. Be outside the store. Be out— There was a shriek of surprise and my concentration fell apart. Had they hurt Aurum? No, it was one of the bugs! Ponies were attacking them from all around. Not royal guards, but regular ponies. Wait… not regular ponies. The best ponies! “Stay away from my girls, you ruffians!” my father shouted before smashing one of the bugs upside the head with a large clock pendulum that he was levitating in his magic. Quartz tackled one of the others without a moment of hesitation. There were other ponies, too! The business owners from the street. They’d formed some sort of militia and were fighting off the bugs. Even my mom was there! She was spraying them with the mister she used at the greenhouse to stun the bad bugs before she’d sweep them up and take them outside. It was amazing to watch and whatever fear I had was immediately replaced with pride. I turned and punched the nearest bug right in the head. “Yeah! You listen to my daddy!” I sneered before pulling my hoof back and shaking it. That had hurt. Aurum then bucked the same bug before looking at me. “We need to work on your fight lingo.” “I’m not a fighter, don’t judge me!” I squeaked. More of the black carapace fiends started to flutter over to help their friends. “Girls, come along! We all need to get back into shelter. Come on everypony!” my father called so that was what we did. As the street started to fill with attackers, the merchants and spouses of the area hurried to where they’d fortified the outside of the hardware store. Mr. Hammerhoof was standing on a short wooden barricade waving a Canterlot flag. Where in the kingdom had he gotten a flag? All of the ponies crawled over the barricade and started to pick up their improvised weapons: hammers, rakes, shovels, and the like. My mother started to check Aurum and me over. “Are you two okay? Did they hurt you?” I shook my head. “No, ma’am. Aurum kept me safe,” I replied before being fully wrapped in a hug. Aurum snorted. “No, she kept me safe.” Her head then turned to Quartz. He was manning the barricade but kept glancing back at her. “I’m fine, son, don’t worry about me.” “Here they come, lasses! Make ready!” Mr. Hammerhoof’s voice boomed. On the barricade, the ponies with shovels and rakes leveled them out. The ones behind it started to prepare what looked like water balloons. “Let ‘em go!” The various ponies hurled their balloons over the fortification right at the bugs. When they hit, they burst into some kind of sticky yellow goop. I hurried over and looked. “What is that?” My father grinned. “Industrial adhesive. Remember that time your mother accidentally broke great aunt Tealeaf’s prized vase and I glued it back together before she could notice? It’s like that, but ten times as strong.” Sure enough, the bugs that had been hit were not thrilled. Their wings were stuck to their sides, their hooves to the ground, their flanks to their friends’ flanks. It was a mess. Those that hadn’t been hit were looking less certain about taking us on. I turned to the ponies that were squeezing tubes of adhesive into the balloons. “Can I help?” “That would be great, dearie,” an older mare I didn’t recognize replied. They seemed to have a good process going, but with unicorn magic it would be easier. I lifted one of the balloons up, poked an adhesive tube into the end, and started to squeeze it out. “Where did all of these balloons come from, anyway?” I asked, realizing rather suddenly that I was calm. The fear and worry of being in a battle didn’t seem to be that bad when among my family and friends. It was kind of like being with the Guard. My mother laughed and waved a hoof. “It is Sadie’s birthday today. They were for her party.” The older mare, Sadie, beamed. “This is a hoot! None of the other girls at the bingo hall will believe this.” “They’re coming again!” Mr. Hammerhoof called. Aurum said, “Azurite, balloon please!” “You got it!” I levitated it over to her and she hurried up onto the barricade next to Quartz. Rather quickly, she hurled the balloon out and then cheered. She must have hit her mark. Mom and several of the others also tossed balloons. I’d hate to be the pony that would have to clean the streets after this. “Oh, by the way, Sadie, I’ve got a cake for you in the ice box. Once all of this nonsense is over, don’t let me forget. I’d hate for it to go to waste. Domino baked it for you specifically,” my mother said casually before filling another balloon. As my mom spoke, this felt less like a battle and more like an outing. I was really starting to have fun. So much so I finally noticed the angry bubbling coming from my back. “Oh, Peepers!” I squeaked before turning and levitating his bowl down onto the ground. He swam so many circles before coming up to the lid and blowing bubbles at it. “No, you can’t come out and fight. The balloons are too big for you to throw,” I said softly. Mr. Peepers bubbled indignantly. “The shovels are too heavy.” He bubbled so fast it was almost incoherent. “Look, I’m sorry! I know you want to do your part. Maybe in this particular situation your part is to sit here and be a lookout? Okay? You bubble if one of the things gets past our flank. Right?” That seemed like a safe job. Mr. Peepers accepted that and calmed down, so I levitated his bowl to the corner where he could keep an eye on things. He’d be safe enough there, but I wished I’d had his helmet. That couldn’t be helped, so I returned to filling balloons. The fight continued for another ten minutes or so before my horn started to tingle. A huge rush of magical energy was coming. All of the unicorns’ heads popped up and a wave of pink energy poured over us. When it did, it swept the bugs along with it, hurling them from the city. When it hit me, the magical wave felt like love and affection. It pushed away fear and insecurity, leaving behind just warmth. “Well, how about that,” my father said before climbing down from the barricade and slipping a hoof around my mom. His horn then lit, encircled me, and pulled me over so I could be at his other side. Sadie clapped her hooves together. “Well, that was a hoot and a half. Best birthday in years!” Quartz and Aurum were hugging. As were so many other ponies. I nestled against my dad’s side. We could have been hurt. We might have even been captured or killed. Who knew what the bugs were after? Despite that, none of the others seemed to be worried about that. They were just happy. Shouldn’t I be happy, too, or should I freak out about this? As if he knew what was going on in my head, my father leaned down and kissed me at the base of my horn. Okay, I’d be happy. “Hello there!” a voice called from beyond the barricade. Mr. Hammerhoof shouted back, “Hello, lads!” We turned to see the tops of Royal Guard plumage just above the barricade. “Is everypony alright? Any injuries?” one of them asked. “Not at all. We gave those buggies the ole heave ho! They’ll know better than to bring their shenanigans to the midtown shopping district again,” Mr. Hammerhoof replied. “Glad to hear that. It looks like you put up quite the fight. We’ll be doing the rounds. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to reach out.” As they trotted away, I nuzzled my dad and then slipped out of his grip. “I’ve got to go.” My mother’s ear flicked. “Go where?” I motioned beyond the barricade. “To work. I’m a royal guard. Ponies are going to need help. You’re all fine, but some ponies may not be.” “But, kitten,” my father started. We exchanged glances and I did my best to put on a face of determination. He shut his mouth and stroked my cheek. “I understand, go do your duty. Just be careful, please?” “Yes, Daddy,” I said obediently before hugging him and then my mother. As I went to the barricade, I stopped by Aurum. “Can you take care of Mr. Peepers?” Aurum ruffled my mane. “No, but I’ll let him take care of Quartz and I.” That was smart. Mr. Peepers was crafty and cranky. “Good plan. I’ll see you at home soon, okay?” “Okay, see you then. Be safe, Azurite,” Aurum said. “Will do!” I hopped down off the barricade and headed towards Central Command. There wouldn’t be time to go home and get my uniform. I’d just show up and do what I could to help. When I arrived, numerous other off-duty ponies were getting organized. I trotted up to a big group that was huddled around a City Guard lieutenant. He was blue, kind of like me, but darker. I liked blue ponies! “Listen up, ponies. The dirty bugs may be long gone, but the palace is preparing for a second attack. The Army has also been summoned. Our job is search and rescue for now. The worst of the fighting was on the palace grounds, but there are bound to be numerous casualties out in the city. “Obviously that means a lot of scared citizens and we have to ensure their safety. Show confidence to give them confidence. Take them by the hoof if necessary. Report to your regular units even if it isn’t your shift. Dismissed.” The others started heading off in various directions. I trotted up to the lieutenant. “Excuse me, sir?” He looked around briefly before looking down at me. “Yes, little miss?” Little miss, huh? “I need an assignment,” I replied. He smiled. “Well, I’d go find your filly scout leader. I’m sure she’ll be organizing a response, too.” Filly scout? Did I look like a filly scout! I cleared my throat. “No, Lieutenant, I’m not a filly scout! I’m a royal guard! Just like you!” “You’re what, now?” he asked, his head tilting. “What unit?” “I don’t have one. I’m in warrant officer school but won’t graduate for a couple of weeks. I can help though, sir! I was a city guard at the start of my career. This is an all-hooves mission, right? Let me help!” He didn’t seem convinced. “I admire your tenacity, but are you sure about this? What’s your name?” “Soon-to-be-Warrant Officer Azurite,” I replied firmly. He snorted softly. “Alright, soon-to-be-but-not-yet-a-Warrant Officer Azurite, today you’re going to be my partner. We’ll work together until I’m certain about you. Plus, nopony should go alone out there. We’re going to go walk the section of town my precinct covers. “Before we go, though, you need some armor. We have some suits in storage that the trainees use. They might be big but if you’re going to be out there, you have to look the part. Otherwise, other ponies might wrongly accuse you of being a filly scout, too.” Armor? I hadn’t worn armor in a long time. Was I ready for that? I guess he wasn’t giving me a choice, so I offered him a hoof. “Yes, sir, Lieutenant… uh? Who are you supposed to be again?” “I’m supposed to be Lieutenant Surestrike, but I often question that,” he replied before bumping my hoof. “Nice to meet ya! Also, in full disclosure, I was a filly scout first class,” I said. “I’m not surprised. You look the type,” he replied blandly as he started to trot towards the nearby precinct building. “Because I’m little?” He shook his head. “Not at all. It is because you galloped over without any armor, unit, or assignment and begged me to let you help. That’s filly scout first class material. I’m betting that is common behavior for you, too?” For me? No, I was a wreck of a pony. All I did was hide from crowds, hide from the dark, and hide from what happened. “I’m even willing to bet a week’s salary that when the bugs started dropping, you didn’t run and hide in the nearest place. You had other ponies on your mind and went for them,” Surestrike continued as he trotted up the stairs and pushed the door open. He was right about that. In the moment it hadn’t felt that way, though. We were out looking for Quartz and trying to get to my parents. I could have hid in my apartment, but I didn’t. “Yeah.” I still wanted to hide. I didn’t, though. I never hid when it came to the important stuff. Maybe I wasn’t such a wreck? “There you go. Filly scout first class,” he said before pointing at a door. “That is the storeroom. Just go in there and put on whatever fits and be quick about it. I’ve got important things to do.” “Yeah… I mean yes, sir. Will do,” I replied before going in nervously. The room was long and narrow with shelves on either side. Every single one had armor that had been unceremoniously piled up without any arrangement. It was awful. It needed a pony like me to organize it, not wear it. That would have to wait, though. Ponies needed me out in the city. They needed me now, if I could just convince myself to put the armor on. It wouldn’t be confining. It wouldn’t remind me of what happened to Sandy and me. Now, it would remind me that I was helping. Right? Sure, Azurite, sure! “Get a move on, not-yet-a-Warrant Officer Azurite,” Surestrike called from outside the door. “Right!” I shouted back, shocking myself out of the hypnosis. As quickly as I could, I found the smallest breastplate, helmet, and hoofguards I could and put them on. It wasn’t so bad. In fact, it felt kind of good. I was a royal guard and we wore armor. When I stomped my way out of the room, his eyebrow arched. “When you were a city guard, did they make armor in your size?” “Nope, special order, let’s go,” I replied. “Alright, after you,” he said before pushing the precinct door open. As I marched back out into the city, wearing armor for the first time since that night, I didn’t feel as afraid as normal. In fact, I felt brave. I could do this. We’d help ponies, then I’d graduate and get to work on organizing pony files. Today, though, I’d help where I could. “Ready?” Surestrike asked. “Yes, I most certainly am,” I replied.