//------------------------------// // Marsch durch den Schnee (teil eins) // Story: Mein Kampf // by Darkswirl //------------------------------// At the First Lieutenant's command, his platoon spun on their back legs before marching forward as if they were a single being. They marched out of the castle gates proudly, their golden armor glistening in the early morning sunlight as the beat of their hooves echoed through the city. It was still too early for most ponies to be up; the perfect time for the Guard to make its way out of the city without being stopped by curious civilians. Of course, one pony in particular had to stop the Guard just to catch up. "Lieutenant!" I called from above, my voice echoing louder than their hoofsteps and surely waking a few ponies from their peaceful slumber. Continuing to march but turning his head skyward, the First Lieutenant, Skyward Sword, noticed a little black speck grow larger and larger as it neared he and his troops. Before he could react and warn the rest of his ponies, I crashed into the cobblestone street, causing a pony-sized crater to develop in my wake. "Lieutenant!" I shouted in glee, making full use of the Royal Canterlot Voice. "We art most pleased that our sister hath allowed us to partake in this grand adventure! Fear not, Lieutenant- we art nay here to take command of thy troops. Rather, we art a simple follower!" By now, his troops had halted their progress and stood awestruck by the sight of one of the Princesses before them. Skyward Sword blinked twice as he struggled to wrap his mind around the situation. "P-Princess Luna!" he said, bowing quickly with the rest of his ponies following. "Arise, Lieutenant. We hath nay time for such preceedings. Onward, to Stalliongrad!" I commanded happily, grinning like a little filly before hopping alongside the Lieutenant as he marched. He was dumbstruck- he had never seen me act like this, but then again he had hardly seen the me at all. "Lieutenant!" I shouted, unbeknownst to myself that I was still using the Royal Canterlot Voice. "Y-Yes, Princess?" "How fast doth thy believe we could make it to Stalliongrad?" "We should arrive at Stalliongrad in four days, your majesty." "Most wonderful, Lieutenant! And for how long doth thy intend to travel for this day until our next rest?" "My Princess, we shalt halt whenever thou deems it so. However, should thy nay halt the Guard, we will make camp at sunhigh in Stonehill for a short rest, and then at sundown in the Crystal Mountains." "Most wonderful, Lieutenant! Most wonderful indeed!" ῼ "Tis definitely not most wonderful, Lieutenant." I groaned. We had been walking for what felt like days, and yet Canterlot was only just disappearing. I was not used to walking such great distances almost nonstop, as the last war had been nearly three hundred years before. The Lieutenant and his Guard, however, were trained and practically begged for long, tiring walks through the blistering cold. I shot the Lieutenant a glare as I saw his lips quiver, forcing back a chuckle as he continued his march. The freezing cold had forced my coat to cling tighter to my body as the north winds blew down from the Crystal Mountains in the distance. "Art we nearly to Stonehill?" "Almost, milady. Just a few hours more." the Lieutenant replied, not taking his eyes off of the path in front of him. It was going to be a long day. Seeking to make the rest of the trip more enjoyable, I began to question the Lieutenant. "What is thy name, Lieutenant? We grow tired of hearing the same sound upon our tongue whenever we address thee." Straightening himself up the best he could, the Royal Guard attempted to make himself look somewhat presentable before continuing. "My name is Skyward Sword, milady." "Sword? If we doth recall correctly, thy family hath been in service to us in one way or another for at least ten generations." I said with slight admiration. "Indeed, we have, milady. My father served as the Royal Chef, and my mother as the Royal Scribe. My grandfather and grandmother on my father's side both served in the Royal Guard for Princess Celestia, and on my mother's side..." Aura began to ramble before I tuned him out. I had merely stated why his name sounded familiar- I didn't expect, and quite honestly didn't care for, what positions each of his family members had served in. I let out a silent sigh as Skyward continued his recollection of his family's history before I noticed him looking at me expectantly as we trotted. I blinked suddenly, in confusion, before realizing he had stopped and asked me something. "We apologize, did thou question us of something?" "Indeed. I asked about thy own family. I mean- that is, if, as a mere guard, I am allowed to know such information." he began to stutter. In a way, it was somewhat humorous to see a Pegasus, trained to kill, shaking slightly in his armor. "We forgive thee, Lieutenant, but our family history is our own." I replied as politely as possible. Humorous, indeed, but understandable when one fears evoking the wrath of the Goddess of the Moon. As I am sure the stories have mentioned, I was always at least a tiny bit jealous of my sister. The ponies loved and adored her, as she brought forth the sun to light the way in front of them so that they wouldn't trip over their own hooves and tumble off of a cliff. But you must understand where I was coming from- my night was a period of rejuvenation for every living thing, but did any of the ponies pay heed to my work? Did any stop to think 'My, what a beautiful night sky, tonight, Princess Luna. Keep up the good work!'? With that knowledge, and the added fact that I had practically been in control of a war that Skyward Sword's grandfather would have remembered, it is a little more understandable why even trained guards feared me. With a slight nod, Skyward Sword turned his head forward and continued marching. In the distance, I could just barely make out the silhouette of a clock tower- signalling that Stonehill was before us. Skyward Sword let out a shout to signal this and rally his troops, who held formation but increased their pace a noticeable amount. Yes, even Guards tire after some time. You lot aren't machines, after all. Our march through the snow was finally coming to an end, and I was pleased at such news.