//------------------------------// // Chapter 6: Welcome to the Lunar Guard // Story: The Princesses' Quill // by AtrumVenator //------------------------------// Chapter 6 Welcome to the Lunar Guard “There was never any group of ponies quite like squad alpha. They were talented, argumentative, divisive, and the closest of friends. Is it any wonder so many heros came from them?” -Excerpt from the journal of Gen. Shining Armor A beautiful grey mare in a pink bowtie sighed as she looked out onto the crowd. Mom isn’t here, no surprise, but where’s- A hoof wrapped around her from behind. “Hey, don’t look so glum, did you think I’d break my promise already?” The stallions familiar voice eased the tensions she’d been feeling. “Gallant! You’re late!” She huffed indignantly, but smiled out of his view. “Hey now, I said I’d always be there, I didn’t say I’d always be on time. Go on, the show’s about to start.” He pushed her laughing towards the back where the other musicians were waiting. They walked home later after the concert. It had been a small school thing, with only parents and a few friends attending. But Octavia had played brilliantly, and Gallant could see she was fast growing to love the stage. She’s just like Dad, she loves the music, loves the stage, and loves the spotlight. He grinned at the recollection of her numerous bows after her solo. “Hey what’s got you so happy?” Octavia cocked her head in questioning at the elder unicorn. “Hmm, oh it’s nothing really.” “Come on! You never smile anymore, tell me! Is it a mare?!” She jumped excitedly, trying to divine the secrets of Gallant’s mind. He laughed, “No, silly, it’s a not a mare... Well it is, but not like that. Just thinking about how you’re a lot like Dad is all.” She grimaced, “Oh. Well thanks.” Octavia poked at the ground with her hoof as she walked, not looking at her brother. “Hey, don’t be like that. All I meant was that Dad loved music and the stage, you do too.” She still wouldn’t look at him, and he sighed. There was silence between them for a time while they walked. “What was he like Gallant?” The sudden question surprised him. “Uh, well, he was a lot like you. He loved music and he loved the stage.” He paused briefly, “He loved us too. I promise you. Whatever our mother told you, he did love us.” She was taken back by the conviction of his words. “Then why’d he... you know?” Gallant frowned, focusing off into the distance, “I’m not sure. It wasn’t us. But I don’t know what it was.” He stopped suddenly, still looking at some far off object. “Gallant?” “Promise me something okay?” He fixed Octavia with a hard stare, eyes appearing to glisten. No it must be the glare from the sun, Gallant doesn’t cry. “Uh sure?” She furrowed her brow, frowning slightly. “Promise me that you’ll never quit, alright? No matter how tough it gets, promise me. Even if I’m gone, you have to keep going, okay? Promise?” His coat was moist with tears, his face was constricted as he wrapped his hooves around Octavia. “Gallant what’s going on? Why are you asking me to promise that?” His mood was infectious and she was starting to get anxious as well. “I can’t tell you, I really can’t. I’m sorry. I’ll always be around though okay? Even if you don’t know it. Please promise me you won’t give up?” The tears had stopped, he stepped away from her, once more fixing her with a pleading look. “Alright. I promise.” She hugged him again to reassure him. He smiled against her mane, “Let’s go home.” “UP AND AT EM PRIVATE! LET’S GO!” Gallant dove out of bed, snapping to a salute immediately. “I’M AWAKE.” Spectre chuckled, “That’s not what it looked like, Quill. At ease.” Gallant relaxed, dropping his salute and turning to the uniform that he had placed on a small desk in the room earlier. “What are we doing today Sarge?” “We’re going to the Lunar Barracks today, it’s gonna be quite a run, since you can’t fly there. I suggest you get some food, but remember you gotta keep pace with me. It’s about...” He checked a nearby clock, “Oh-one-fifteen. I expect you in front of the castle no later than oh-one-forty-five.” Spectre saluted with his left foreleg and walked out, leaving Gallant to his own devices. The uniform Gallant had been given was very simple black leather armor. It covered his chest and shoulders. A heavy black cloak was also given to him, apparently for cold weather assignments. It was a bit simpler than Spectre’s typical armor, but it clearly marked them as being part of a specific group. He got it on as quickly as possible and went out into the main room. There was a small kitchenette that he hadn’t noticed before to his left before the door into the quarters. Walking inside, he noticed that a sandwich wrapped in wax paper had been left on a counter. Eating the meal quickly, Gallant rushed out the main door- WHAM! Gallant ran straight into Sergeant Spectre, bowling the larger bat pony over in his haste. “What the buck, Quill!” He threw the unicorn off him, standing him to brush himself off with his wings. “Err, sorry I thought you’d be down at the entrance.” Gallant stood rigidly at attention, praying no punishment would come his way. “And I thought you’d walk around like a normal pony. And for the love of Celestia at ease. You’re not a bucking recruit anymore. Anyway I came to get you because I wasn’t sure if you knew the way out of here or not.” Gallant looked away, “Uh... yeah...” Spectre sighed, “Come on let’s go.” They quickly walked through the castle and out the front gate. The large bat pony wordlessly gestured to the road and took off at gallop. Gallant doing the same, they started through Canterlot just as it’s nightlife was beginning to roar. They passed multiple nightclubs with long lines, including one club playing music where they could still feel the bass for several blocks. Gallant noticed that not a single pony even glanced in their direction as they ran. Venturing entirely through Upper Canterlot, they emerged on the northern side of the city where the entrance to the mines was. Spectre led them on the road towards the mines, but then diverted to a very old stone path that led up the mountainside. It wrapped around the mountainside leading upward into the clouds that cloaked the Mountain of Dawn at night, perpetually kept in their place by pegasi. Spectre gestured for them to stop, evidently the climb could not be at the same pace they had been traveling at. “Ours is a very old order, founded by Princess Luna herself as a means of defending the kingdom in ways that the army was unable to do. We run black ops, that is our primary purpose, to take the dirty little secrets of Equestria and dispose of them. We do not hesitate to kill those that would stop us, and we also do not hesitate to help those in need. To be a Lunar Guard means more than just guarding Luna, it means guarding Equestria, guarding everything. Do you understand?”  Gallant nodded silently. “Good. If you’re wondering about the leadership, well we don’t have any. Right now I’m the highest ranking member of the guard, and thats only because I happened to be a Sergeant when Princess Luna recruited me. So what I say goes, got it? Everyone else is either fresh out of basic like you, or were low-ranking guards noticed by the Princess for whatever reason.” “And me?” Gallant queried the grizzled leader beside him. “You are different.” Gallant frowned at the non-answer. “How-” Spectre held up a wing to silence him. “Not my place. Not the time.” Sighing, Gallant let the matter drop. But he thought of another thing that bothered him, “So why do you rarely salute with your right foreleg, the one with the blade?” Out of the unicorn’s sight, Spectre grimaced, “In the Lunar Guard, to salute someone with your blade is the highest of honors. The blade is your constant companion, you can always count on it to be by your side. To salute someone, equates that honor on them as well, that they are worthy of the same trust that you place in your blade.” “So when at my graduation-” Spectre cut him off again. “I was, as I am now, proud of you. Speak no more on the subject.” With that, they walked in silence until they reached the cloud layer. A small balcony right before the clouds overlooked the city of Canterlot. It’s lights twinkled and shone brightly like the stars above; the dull roar of the city's nightlife could be heard below. But waiting on that small balcony was a tall alicorn with a navy blue coat and a mane like the night sky. Princess Luna turned to greet the two Lunar Guards, smiling softly. “Hello  gentlecolts, isn’t Canterlot lovely at night?” She gestured to the expanse of light below them. “Now, we must be down to the business at hand. When thou dost travel through the clouds, Gallant Quill, thou art entering the sanctuary of the Lunar Guard. This is thy chance, thou may turn back now. Death begets corruption begets death. To be one of us is to not only stare into the abyss, but to embrace it, to be of the abyss and be the very thing that others may try to destroy. Choose thy destiny.” Gallant stood for what seemed like an eternity, glancing between the clouds, Luna and Spectre. He took one contemplating step forward, and then another. Smiling, he walked confidently through the clouds and into the Lunar Guard. “You owe me two bits.” “Awww buck you.” Coughing at the accidental inhalation of moisture, Gallant cleared the clouds to find a group of ponies watching him. “Hello.” He took in the surroundings quickly, they were standing underneath a large stone arch that served as the gate to the cloud layer. Beyond that was what appeared to be a track and numerous other ponies who were in the midst of sparring with each other. In the distance on the left side of the track was the peak of the mountain and carved into its side was a large doorway. Gallant wondered briefly if that was where the barracks were, and where he would most likely sleep if Celestia managed to kick him out of the castle. Snapping him from his thoughts, a bat pony mare with piercing yellow eyes giggled at him, “Hi! I’m glad you decided to join, I’m Midnight Lilly!” She giggled again, bouncing around like a filly. “Can you chill out? For once?” A white pegasus with a very well kept and groomed blonde mane glared at the bat pony, then his light blue eyes softened when she looked down guiltily. “Hey, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it.” She bounced up again looking as though she were never upset, “And this party pooper here is Cloud Shadow.” The pegasus waved a hoof distractedly towards Gallant, focused on the bat pony who had won the money off him. “Well don’t the rest of you be shy, come on!” A light-blue unicorn mare smiled shyly at him, “H- Hi, I’m Morning Star.” Her mane was short and colored a dark purple, and Gallant noticed her eyes were a very light blue, almost appearing to be white. Next, a tall red earth pony, whose eyes burned a deep crimson, stepped forward, “And I’m Stark Fields.” Just as another bat pony with dull copper eyes stepped forward to introduce herself, Sergeant Spectre came through the clouds. “Yeah, yeah, yeah there will be plenty of time for introductions later. Here’s the short, Gallant needs to learn quick. Gallant this is your squad. They will train with you. You’re all a part of platoon Night-Watch. Lance Corporal Fields, you’re in charge.” He stopped, watching with the others as Cloud Shadow continued to glare daggers at the energetic bat pony.  “LET’S GO FILLIES, WE DON’T HAVE ALL NIGHT.” The thundering voice of the Sergeant sent them packing, with a calm, though somewhat confused Gallant in tow. “Hehe, still got it.” The training area they were in was situated near the top of the mountain, with a huge track surrounding a vast field of dirt, which was filled on one half with a  number of rings outlined by stone. It was in these rings, where most of their individual training would take place. Here they would work purely on fighting skills while in the other half of the area, squad exercises would take place. Typically pitting one squad against another, squad activities ranged from actual combat, to team sports such as hoofball. Gallant spent his first training session sparring against Morning Star, the light blue unicorn form before. He never been given such a difficult workout. What she lacked in strength, Star more than made up for in speed. She was matching his blinks, blow for blow, effectively turning the fight into a match to see who could land a hit. Before the fight, Star had blunted each of the squad member’s blades with a spell, effectively allowing them to fight as the would in an actual confrontation. It started off slow at first, with Gallant blinking next to her to land a strike at her back, only for her to fade away, leaving a trail of dust that shot away from him. She reappeared on the other side of the duel ring, only to fade away again. Hearing only two hoofsteps before the dust settled next to him, Gallant blinked to the right, quickly turning and stabbing left, to hit only air. He grunted in frustration before blinking after her, not letting her get a moments rest. They began moving faster and faster with Gallant ever on the attack, until Star parried one of his strikes. CLANG! The sound of metal smacking metal away filled the air, and suddenly Gallant found himself on the defensive. And still their pace was ever increasing. Gallant stopped for a split second, letting her through a strike towards his foreleg, before sliding his own blade underneath hers and lifting it away. She had been prepared for this however and brought her left foreleg up in a hook, crashing into his face, while his blade impacted into her side, but thanks to the counter-momentum from her punch it did not hit hard enough to give her more than a cut even had it not been dulled. They broke apart briefly appearing on opposite sides of the ring, before blurring again and clashing in the center multiple times. Gallant could feel his body wearing out, and as he met Star in the center once more, he attempted an overhead strike, only to have his leg knocked away. His eyes went wide as the mare’s blade came up from her side, and poked his forehead. Morning Star smiled softly, “Y- You did really well.” “Thanks...” He was breathing heavily and she didn’t even appear to be fazed. “How are you that fast?” Star shifted dirt around with her hoof, looking away. “I- I just am... It was a spell taught to us. And I- I learned it really well.” Hoofsteps sounded around the pair as they looked up to see the rest of their squad standing there. An orange pegasus sporting an electric blue mane streaked with white stepped forward, “I can’t believe you went toe to toe with Morning Star! Thats some sick sh-” He was interrupted by Fields hitting him on the back of the head, causing his sea green eyes to glaze over momentarily. “Watch your language kid!” He turned to Gallant, “Sorry, that’s Storm Breaker, kind of a loud-mouth but he is right. Star is the fastest pony in the Lunar Guard short of Spectre. I mean she beat you pretty easily, but you lasted longer than a lot of ponies do. Not bad for your first day.”  He trotted back to his own training area as did the rest of the squad, now that the show was over. “Hey, Star?” Gallant questioned his training partner, somewhat disappointed that after that workout, they were not even close to being  done for the day. “Yes? Is something wrong?” She looked at him worriedly. “No, no. Nothing like that. I was just wondering, if you could show me how you blocked me all those times.” Morning Star giggled, “Sure, now stand across from me and try the same attack as before...” The rest of the morning was spent training and sparring and going over tactics that they used against each other. When it was over, Gallant teleported back into his room at Canterlot Castle and crashed into bed, grateful to finally get some rest.