//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: The Griffon War: A Soldier's Memoirs // by Dusk Quill //------------------------------// The sound of rolling waves surrounded the vast shore along the coast of Equestria, the peace broken only by the occasional call of gulls. The lingering scent of salt water clung to the warm breeze wafting across the countryside. It was the definition of a tranquil seaside scene. Two ponies walked side-by-side along the only road within miles: a single dirt trail that ran the length of the beach. Both ponies wore a suit of lustrous golden armor that glistened in the sunlight, and both had coats of pure white and ice blue eyes that could pass them as twins, as was the mandate for all active duty soldiers. A pristinely polished bolt rifle was slung through the saddlebags on their backs, the bags filled with an assortment of scouting supplies and ammunition. The only noticeable difference between the two of them was their bodies. One was a pegasus, the other a unicorn. “Did we luck out or what?” the unicorn said, nudging his partner with his shoulder while grinning from ear to ear. “Guard duty on the beach! What could be better?” “Maybe actually doing something instead of going on a nature hike?” muttered the pegasus. The unicorn nudged him again. “Hey, c’mon, Fleethoof. You’re still doing what you want. You just get to enjoy the coast while you’re at it!” “No, Steel, this isn’t what I wanted,” Fleethoof said, staring with a bitter glare at the ground as they made their way along their route. “I wanted to be stopping crimes or fighting bad guys, doing something useful to protect Equestria! This is just... just... a joke! Busy work! We aren’t doing anything!” “It’s not really that bad—” “Yes, Steel. It is.” Fleethoof's reply had been so sharp and sudden, it stopped Steel Shield dead in his tracks. The two ponies walked along in silence for a moment longer, Steel trying to think of some way to cheer up his friend. After a few moments, the unicorn stopped in the middle of the road, looking up to his friend once he came to a halt a few paces ahead. “What?” Fleethoof asked, a confused look across his face. Steel was quiet for a moment before speaking up. “Would you mind helping me learn to... ya know... hold our guns?” Fleethoof stared in surprise for a few seconds. “Again? Really?” The sheepish nod from his partner denied his assumptions that this was a joke. “We went over it dozens of times in boot camp!” “I know! It’s just... hard...” Fleethoof had prepared a sarcastic remark questioning how Steel Shield had gotten past basic training, but couldn’t bring himself to make it. If Steel was going to stay alive in the Royal Guard, he was going to need to learn. “Okay, okay...” he agreed with an exasperated sigh, sliding the rifle off of his back and into his hooves and sitting back on his haunches. “But only once more. Next time, you ask the captain and let him knock your head into the dirt.” Steel Shield smiled and nodded in agreement. His eyes lit up as he drew his weapon and fell to the same position as his friend. “Okay, you know how to load it, right? Sit down, get a good grip on the stock, and push the mag into the slot...” Fleethoof ejected his magazine and jammed it back in for demonstration, nodding as Steel followed his instructions. “Then slide the bolt back to chamber a round and slide it back into position.” He demonstrated again by sliding the bolt of his weapon back, revealing a shiny brass bullet in the chamber. “Yeah, I got that part. It’s the standing I can’t do,” admitted Steel Shield, ears folded back to his skull. Fleethoof rolled his eyes. “It’s just like how musicians play their instruments, like cellos, violins, that sort of stuff. You just rise up onto your hind legs, shift your weight back, and hold it,” said Fleethoof, explaining while rearing up on his hind legs to a standing position. He leaned on his rifle for some support before raising it up and leveling it out. “Then you take aim and squeeze with your hoof around the trigger. It's like holding a mug of cider.” Steel Shield rose up on clumsy hooves and lifted his gun, taking aim down the barrel off into distant nothingness. He only lasted a couple of seconds before collapsing face-first into the dusty road, coughing and sputtering. Fleethoof fell back to all fours and covered his face with a hoof with a disparaging shake of his head. “Don’t laugh,” came the muffled response of the facedown pony. “I think this is past laughing,” he said, still unable to keep a smirk off his face. “Steel, you’re a unicorn. Just use your magic like they showed you in training, for Celestia's sake.” Steel Shield lifted his head, eyes narrowed and burning with determination. “No way! That’s the easy way out! I wanna learn it the proper way.” “The proper way is going to get somepony killed,” warned Fleethoof. “Yeah, the enemy!” “There is no enemy, Steel.” “Not yet.” All Fleethoof could do was look down with incredulous disbelief at his dirtied-up friend before walking back off down the road. He could hear the scuttling and scraping of hooves on dirt behind him, followed by a burst of magic. Steel Shield was back next to him again, grinning like an idiot. “Needed a teleport to catch up? Am I that fast?” Fleethoof asked with a joking smirk. Steel snorted and rolled his eyes. “Hey, if I’ve got the magical advantage, I’m gonna use it!” “Except when it comes to fighting.” The next thing he knew, Fleethoof was the one down in the dirt, courtesy of an extra firm shove from his partner. Before he could even grasp what was going on, the unicorn was smiling and laughing while galloping away down the road. Fleethoof could feel his face go hot in embarrassment. Thank Celestia their commanding officer wasn’t around. They might have been fresh out of training, but even this foaling around would’ve gotten them punished. But it was all games with Steel Shield. It always was. And since their commanding officer wasn’t around... “Oh, it’s on!” Fleethoof shouted out, wings extended out and flapping hard as he took off after his mutinous partner. Both ponies pursued each other—one flying, one teleporting away—in a game of cat and mouse until their reached the end of their patrol route. Just as the sun began to set, the two soldiers walked in unison back into their camp as stern and attentive as ever, but with plenty of dirt covering their once-white coats. Hey, Journal, It’s me, again! Duh, who else? I got stationed out by Horseshoe Bay, at a military camp along the coast. It’s really pretty out here, but I’m focusing too much on my duties to really pay much attention to it. Steel Shield, one of my good friends from boot camp, is here with me too. He’s been assigned as my patrol partner, and we’ll be keeping the shore safe for everypony. How exciting, right? We’re guarding SAND... Not even Baltimare! Well, I guess you gotta start out small before you do anything big. Hopefully, it won’t be too long before I’m transferred elsewhere, or something happens. Here’s hoping! Oh yeah, we got chewed out today by Captain Phalanx for messing around while on duty. Thankfully, he didn’t kick us out (praise Celestia!) and just gave us kitchen duty for the week. Ugh... but it's better than being out of the job! Maybe now Steel Shield will start to take his duty more seriously too (yeah, as if). Write in you soon, Journal!