//------------------------------//
// Chapter 17 
// Story: My Little Schnee 
// by Krieg cormac 
//------------------------------//

There wasn’t much Weiss could say about the skills of the Royal Guard and Luna’s Night Guard. The Earth ponies sparred against each other, attempting to knock each other to the ground with their spears, yet many remained at an impasse. They seemed to win most of the physical matches against the other races, though the unicorns that used their magic in the spars often put up more of a challenge, if they were able to cast a spell in time, and the Pegasi were limited by the small space that had been alloted to each spar. If Weiss was being honest, she wasn’t impressed. She had seen some of the great huntsmen and huntresses in training during the Vytal Festival, and fought against them too. Weiss shouldn’t have been surprised, it was the way they were trained. 

After the initial sparring matches were done, Weiss had Captain Green Spear prepare them to show off their marksmanship. The Equestrians brought out bullseye and pony shaped dummies to shoot at, static targets that would never be able to imitate a moving object. Weiss pressed her lips into a thin line as the loud sound of gunfire filled the air. Luna and Captain Green Spear remained by her side as Weiss narrowed her eyes, staring at their weapons. 

The Pegasi were armed with breech-loading rifles, antique by Weiss’ standards, yet top of the line by this world. The Thestrals, on the other hand, were equipped with older, muzzle-loading rifles that took longer to reload, especially as they had to balance on their hind legs to shove a cartridge down the barrel. 

“Why is their equipment different?” Weiss asked, never turning her eyes away from the group of ponies that were starting to slowly be hidden by white smoke. 

“The Lila rifles are new and costly.” Captain Green Spear answered casually before Luna could speak. Weiss noticed her shoot the Captain a sharp glare that was gone as soon as it appeared. “Our workshops take months to complete an order. The muzzle-loaders are what we have available.” 

“I have placed an order for Lila rifles, yet it’s been months since I have heard back from Colt and Winheifer.” Luna added. She sounded bitter as she stared at the Thestrals that fired slowly, but consistently. That must’ve been a symptom of the discrimination Luna had talked about. 

The Three Tribes of Equestria still hadn’t accepted their Thestral brothers and sisters. It reminded Weiss of Remnant, of the Faunus and how they had been treated. Both were being treated as second class citizens, if not worse. Weiss understood too well the consequences of discrimination and inequality should it continue to fester. 

“This is unacceptable.” Weiss’ voice sliced through the sound of gunfire. "It's clear that the Thestrals are being given inferior equipment compared to the Pegasi. That's not how a united Guard should operate. Every member should be equipped with the same standard of weaponry and training.” They didn’t seem to have personalized weapons like back home. 

Captain Green Spear shifted uncomfortably in place. “We do the best we can with the resources available to us, Royal Huntress Schnee. The Royal Navy claims most of the available budget.” 

That could be true. Princess Celestia claimed that Equestria was a peaceful nation, and that their military was small and obsolete. Weiss’ eyes drifted towards the white alicorn who stood at the far side of the training yard, standing in the shade as she talked with what looked like a scribe. This world had more problems behind the scenes, Weiss was sure of that. Still, this wasn’t her world, Weiss was only doing this as a favor, and to repay the ponies for giving her a place to stay as Twilight looked for a way to send her back home. 

“Then we need to change that. Discrimination has no place in our ranks.” Weiss narrowed her eyes, turning her attention back to the Captain of the Royal Guard. 

Luna finally allowed herself to smile. “You speak truly, Weiss, as befitting of the Royal Huntress. We shall address this matter immediately, Captain Green Spear.” 

The green unicorn nodded hesitantly, with the tension in the air so thick, Weiss would’ve been able to slice it with a butter knife. 

“Bring up the unicorns, I need to see what spells they know.” Weiss said, changing the conversation. Only the Pegasi and Thestrals participated in this portion of the demonstrations. 

“As you command, Royal Huntress.” Captain Green Spear said through gritted teeth. He turned to the group of unicorns that were resting several feet away. “Sergeant Wisteria! Bring your squad.”

A white unicorn mare twitched, the true color of her fur and mane hidden by the enchantments in her golden armor. She gave him a sharp salute. 

“Aye Captain Green Spear, sir!” Her voice was high, with a slight drawl that made her words sound longer than they actually were. Weiss crossed her arms as the Pegasi and Thestrals packed up their rifles, soon to be replaced by the unicorns. She was interested in seeing more of this world’s magic. 

Weiss observed carefully as the unicorns took their position, forming a straight line. Another thing Weiss noticed, the Royal Guard was too rigid, and not in the way Atlas had been. At least the Atlesian military allowed their students to fight with weapons they felt comfortable with, even if they were as stupid as trumpets, or rode on roller-skates. Once this was over, Weiss was going to write a report detailing all of her opinions about the Royal and Night Guard. 

Sergeant Wisteria fired a bolt of energy at the target, causing a tree to form where the bullseye had once been. It nearly caused her draw to drop, but Weiss managed to keep her composure. 

“I hate magic.” Weiss muttered low enough to avoid being heard by the alicorn and unicorn next to her. It looked like it was time to throw logic to the wind. She could already feel a headache starting to form. 

How annoying.