//------------------------------//
// Chapter Four 
// Story: The Gates of Equestria 
// by SapphireRose87 
//------------------------------//

The end of the training for the Guardians always ended in two hundred laps around the track in the arena. The arena was not the size of a normal track and field that you would find at a schoolyard. The arena was the size of two hundred buck ball fields! 

The Guardians didn't understand why their main trainer, Master Shi wanted them to do this. 

Running two hundred laps was especially hard on Aether because of his small size. Every time after training when the two hundred laps were done, Aether was always at the back of the pack. There were only five laps to go when Aether was running out of energy.

"Come on Aether!" Melody said with urgency, "Let's go!"

"I'm going, I'm going!" Aether panted. He kept running because he knew in order for training to officially end, the two hundred laps had to be completed.  Unfortunately on the last lap, he tripped and fell face first on the ground.

He heard Melody groan and saw everyone else laughing. 

"So," said Firewing, "do you take failing as a compliment Aether?"

"Aether and Firewing, front and center!" Master Shi shouted. 

"Nice going Firewing." Aether snapped.

"Well if you weren't so small in size we would be able to complete the two hundred laps no problem." Firewing snarled.

Aether growled in response.

"Aether and Firewing would you two stop messing with each other!" Master Shi snapped. 

Firewing pointed at Aether, "If we didn't have somepony so small on our team then we wouldn't have trouble completing the two hundred laps needed. Honestly, Master Shi, I don't understand why-"

"Excuse me," roared Master Shi, "the last time I checked, I'm the one that decides what needs to be done at the end of training! As a matter of fact, my special talent is training ponies so they can get stuff done that needs to be done in order to help them do their jobs. Do you want to know why I have you guys do the two hundred laps at the end of the training session?"

At this point, Aether was trying so hard not to roll his eyes, because all this got started because of Firewing. Why Firewing had such a problem with Aether's small size, Aether had no idea. 

Firewing can be just as bad as Wild Arrow with Melody about my small size. True, I think being small is adorable and all, but Firewing has no right to use that against me as if I'm handicapped because of my size. Aether thought. 

"Aether," Master Shi snapped, "pay attention now, will you? The reason why I have you guys running the two hundred laps around this mega-huge arena is you need to build stamina and endurance. Even your opponent will have this. You need to be just as ready to fight a long battle. You can't just be in the middle of a battle and say, hey timeout! This is getting way too intense! Here, let's go back to it later." 

Aether exchanged a look with Firewing. Master Shi rolled her eyes, "Do you two even understand what I'm talking about?"

Master Shi looked over at Melody, "Melody, do you understand what I'm talking about?"

Melody nodded, "Yes Master Shi. One must be able to stand in battle and most of the time, because we're Guardians, it might be a fight to the death. Fights to the death don't end because you're running out of energy. More than likely, if you run out of energy during a fight, that will make the perfect opportunity for the enemy to go in for the kill."

Master Shi nodded, "That's exactly my point for you two, Firewing and Aether. The same goes for fighting in a team. If one of you starts to run out of energy, the other team member needs to go and pick them up. If everyone fails during a battle, then all is lost. Since Firewing and Aether want to take jabs at each other and you guys haven't completed the two hundred laps needed, everyone will run two more laps around the track, and then your weekly training will be done."

Everyone, and that included Aether and Firewing, groaned at the thought of running two more laps around the mega training arena. 

"Nice going Smalls," Firewing growled, "you just gave us more work to do."

"Excuse me?" Aether snapped. "She said your name too."

"Would two knock it off?" Thunder said. "Or Master Shi will give us more work to do. I don't know about you but I would love to get this training over with."

"Fine." Aether and Firewing mumbled. 

Before Master Shi could shout at them some more, everyone started running two more laps around the track.


*	*	*


Little Snack sat down in her bedroom looking out the window. It was a beautiful spring day out. She had been doing some reading just for fun and at this point, because Phantasia was out for the day, she had the day off. 

There's got to be something more I can do for Equestria. I mean, I think Phantasia would make a great ruler! But is this really the way? Little Snack thought. Once again she was unsure about how to make Equestria better than it already is. 

Little Snack looked over at her desk at the book the Phantasia had been wanting her to read ever since he hired her to work for him. The book was titled: The Gates of Equestria. 

So far it was kind of a good read. It sounded more like a history book, but to Little Snack it was an old ponies tale. It talked about these gates and how certain ponies used their magic to help send unstable magic to some sort of realm to keep Equestria safe. Everything else in the book was just a snooze fest. It was basically a chore just to get through the first two pages. 

Phantasia wants me to read this stupid book, but I don't know why. It's just an old ponies tale. What's so special about this book? Little Snack thought. 

There was a knock at the door. It was Phantasia's marefriend Rapid, "Hey Little Snack! Are you in there? It's our day off so I thought we could spend it together."

Little Snack smiled as she answered the door, "Hey Rapid, what’s up? Uh, sure we can spend the day together. Did you have anything in mind?"

Rapid answered, "Well I was thinking maybe we go get some milkshakes and maybe some hayburgers or something like that?"

So Little Snack stepped outside her room and took out her room key that she had on a necklace around her neck and locked her bedroom door with them. 

Rapid tilted her head, Little Snack raised an eyebrow, "What?"

"Why don't you carry any saddlebags with you?" Rapid asked. "You know that would make things a lot easier for you."

Little Snack shrugged, "I don’t know? I guess I just don’t like to? Um, it's not like I have a lot to carry on me anyway. Everything’s pretty close and so I just gotta get it to where it needs to be!”

Rapid tapped her chin with her hoof thoughtfully. "I see, although I must say Phantasia does find the fact that you don't use saddlebags very amusing. He talks about that all the time."

Little Snack raised an eyebrow, "Huh?"

Rapid nodded, "Yup, now let's go get some milkshakes and hayburgers!"

"Yes!" Little Snack said.



*	*	*


As Little Snack and Rapid sat at a table drinking milkshakes and eating hayburgers, they saw two ponies walking by talking very excitedly about something. The two ponies talking were a stallion and a mare.

"Did you hear the news that's been going around town lately?" The mare said.

The stallion snorted. "Oh yeah, I know what you're talking about Lunar. That stupid prince named Phantasia, who's been gathering pep rallies and telling pony that he would be the greatest ruler Equestria has ever seen!"

Lunar chuckled, "That's adorable, a big bad prince who wants to sit on the throne! He does realize that would be considered treason if he does try to do an uprising against the princesses right? I mean seriously Onyx, why in Equestria would somepony hate the princesses so much? I think if they were doing such a bad job of things, then Equestria would be in some serious trouble!"

"Honestly, who does this guy think he is?" Onyx said. "Why does he think he would do a better job of ruling over Equestria? Just think of it, Lunar! A prince, ruling over Equestria? That's laughable! Hilarious!"

As Onyx and Lunar walked off laughing Little Snack frowned when she saw Rapid steaming. 

"Why those two little creeps! I'm going to give them a piece of my mind!" Rapid growled. "How dare they talk about Phantasia like that!"

Before Rapid could go storm and start trouble with the two ponies talking, Little Snack grabbed her gently by the tail. "Um, Rapid? You know they have a right to their own opinions right? Everypony is going to think differently about Phantasia soon anyway. I know they’re jerks and all but I mean, not everypony is going to like him. Hey, I know for a fact that not everypony likes me. But I don’t usually get into fights over it… Honestly Rapid, I don’t think  these two ponies are worth it?"

Rapid sighed and regained her composure, "You're right Little Snack, I just hate when ponies talk about my boyfriend like that. But if they're not saying it to his face, then yeah they're not worth it. Trust me, I have my share of enemies too."

Little Snack smiled and nodded, she felt happy that her reasoning calmed her friend Rapid. She was puzzled when Rapid started laughing.

"Uh, what's so funny Rapid?" Little Snack asked.

"I forgot to tell you something," said Rapid, "when Phantasia gives us the okay to create an army, he wants you to be second in command."

Little Snack had no idea how to respond to this. She just stood there staring at Rapid in complete shock. 

"Why would Phantasia want me to be second in command? I'm nothing special. I just want what's best for Equestria, that's all." Little Snack said.

Rapid smiled, "Actually, he had that idea in mind for you from the very beginning. I don't know what he sees in you for that. But yeah, he seems to like the thought of you heading an army with me fascinating." 

"Okay." Little Snack said. "While that seems nice, this sounds like a horrible idea to me?”

"Well," said Rapid, "just think about it okay Little Snack?"

Little Snack nodded and as she and Rapid went back to eating their food, she did exactly what Rapid suggested. Little Snack thought about what Phantasia would possibly want from her in the near future.


*	*	*


Finally, training was over with, and everyone was packing up getting ready to leave. As Aether was getting ready to leave, he paused when he saw Melody walk by. 

Melody surprised Aether by stopping right in front of him and she said, "Um, hey Aether."

"Hey Melody, wait.. how did you know I was here? You didn't sing anything, and yet you stopped right in front of me." Aether said.

Melody smiled, "It's because I've connected your magic because you know, we've written songs and stuff like that together. I can sense wherever you are because of this. I was wondering after today do you want to go and write another song?"

Before Aether could respond, a loud alarm sounded all throughout the arena. Aether and Melody's cutie mark's glowed where their medallions had connected to their magic. Aether knew that was not a good thing at all. 

A message played over the intercom, "All Guardians, unstable magic has been detected. This is not a drill, unstable magic has been detected! Please report to the main deck."

The message played over and over again until Aether, Melody, Fancy, Firewing, and Thunder gathered at the main deck as the message instructed them to. Sapphire was already at the main deck waiting for them.

Once every Guardian was present, a huge 50-foot tall flat screen tv came from behind Sapphire out of a trapdoor in the ground. On the tv appeared a tall pegasus stallion. His fur was white, his mane was black, and his cutie mark was a silver shield with a gold crown in the middle of it. 

"This stallion's name is Phantasia. From what I know of, he's been wanting to start a revolt ever since Princess Twilight took the throne. Also from what I hear now, Phantasia has been organizing pep rallies and feeding ponies heads with lies about how Equestria is run. He seems to think he would be a better ruler than Princess Twilight. Phantasia has the ego from what it looks like. To me, anypony that thinks they're better than the ruler is a threat to Equestria." Sapphire said. 

"Um," Aether spoke up, "I'm sorry Sapphire, but how is Phantasia unstable magic?"

"I'm getting to that Aether," said Sapphire, "he's wanting to do a revolt and it seems like he's been searching for the Gates first. Probably because if he's sent out ponies to find the Gates, although how he knows about them, I have no idea? The Gates aren't common knowledge, especially to those that don't rule over Equestria or aren't part of the Guardian community. It seems that one of the ponies Phantasia sent out has tripped one of the magical sensors that connects to a gate!"

Aether and the others gasped at this. Sapphire sighed and continued, "The magical sensor that whoever this pony is has tripped, belongs to the South Gate."

Aether gulped when he heard this. He knew taking on the job of being a Guardian would be a dangerous job. But he didn't think he would have to face any danger this soon. 

Sapphire looked at Aether and frowned, "I know Aether, but the job of being a Guardian is a dangerous one and you knew that when you took the position of guarding the South Gate. When you go back to the South Gate, do not make your presence known. That's another function for the medallions that connect to your cutie marks. That's also a reason for your focus training, to put your magic into your medallion. The medallion is to help you protect the Gate you're guarding. Now go, everypony go back to your posts and be on your guard. Aether, I will send for Rarity - your element of harmony bearer that you've been paired with."

Aether nodded. "Yes ma'am!"

Without another word, the Guardians left the training arena on high alert. Especially Aether, since the magic sensor was tripped at his gate. 

Well, Aether thought, so much for writing a song with Melody. Looks like that's going to have to wait for another day.