Chapter 26: Post Graduation
Chapter 26: Post Graduation
As Celestia's sun was slowly lowered and the night began, the cadets tried to stand in attention, but their excitement proved to be much too difficult to contain. It was not everyday one stood in the presence of one of the greats, let alone two.
Two dark silhouette appeared on the high above the horizon, and they starting talking among themselves about the two ponies that were honoring them with their presence.
“Silence!” one of the instructors yelled at them. “Show some respect.”
The two ponies landed and after flapping their wings a few times, folded them and began their inspection.
“Atten Hut!” the officer ordered, and the cadets snapped their rear hooves hot ether and stared blankly in front of them.
As the two ponies walked in front of them, they could not help but run their eyes over their bodies, committing every small detail to memory. From their enchanted purple and black armor, with a dark purple gem in the middle of the chestpiece that resembled a cat’s eye. Armor that turned their coat grey, tail dark purple , eyes yellow, with the dagger shape iris that was the trademark of all Knight’s officers.
One was a beautiful pegasus mare, her mane cut short, and turned purple by the magics that also changed her feathery wings turned into slick and glossy-leathered versions of themselves. She wore a thin golden ring around her neck, with a gem similar to the one she wore on her armor. It said, for all to hear: “Sorry guys, I’m taken.”
Walking besides her was a stallion, dressed in the same armor, wearing the same neck ring, minus the cat-eye-like gem, with the same color coat, eyes and having the same bat like wings. Unlike his companion, alongside the wings the pony also had a unicorn's horn in the middle of his forehead, and a flowing ethereal mane, both of which, alongside with his close relation with Princess Luna led to rumors of the pony being related with the alicorn.
The two ponies walked up and down the rows of young recruits inspecting them, while not saying a single word. When finished they headed to the from and the stallion spoke in a loud and commanding voice.
“Who are you?!”
“I am a Knight of Night!” each of the recruit answer.
“No you are not. None of you are. Every single last one of you is nothing. No, you are worst than nothing. But some of you may amount to something... Someday... Maybe. But until then you are nothing. Now recite your oath and get out of my face.”
“Before the princess...” the instructors started and the rest of them joined in.
“Before the Princess of the Night, this I swear. I swear to be the one who will strike down her enemies, I am Luna’s sword. No harm shall come to her, or to Equestria, as long as my hearts beats in my chest. I am her Knight, and she holds my fate in her hooves. She will do with me as she wishes. If she wishes me to fight, I will fight. If she wishes me to die, I will die. If she wishes me to kill, I will kill. I will kill my enemies, I will kill my friends, I will kill my brothers, my sisters, my father, my mother, myself. I will kill them all, if she wishes me to. I will not fear no judgment, no shame, no remorse, I will follow her orders, for she is the future of Equestria. I am a Knight of Night, and I will not rest. This I swear before the Princess of the Night, before Princess Luna. I am a Knight of Night, now and forever!”
“Now and forever!” the two ponies standing in front of them repeated.
“Now and forever!” a third voice said from behind them, as pegasus landed next to them. The recruits stared at him for the whole time. Wearing a full body suit, the parts that covered his head and hooves were colored black, and the rest was dull-purple, with yellow lightning bolts separating the parts, and a white, winged pony skull where his cutie mark should have been, everypony recognised the fiery-red maned stallion.
“Slate!” the winged unicorn exclaimed when he heard the voice, before turning and shaking the pony’s hoof.
“Guildmaster Night, please address me by my proper title, if you please.” “
“Very well, Captain.”
“Damn right Captain, I work my flank off to get this title.”
“Stop acting like little colts, the recruits are watching.”
“Well excuse me, Special Operation Expert Rivea,” Starry said jokingly. Cory glared at him.
After taking a few steps backwards and clearing his throat, Guildmaster Night dismissed the recruits and the three took off heading to Starry and Cory’s home.
“Pathetic, the whole lot of them,” Starry said as they continued on their way.
“Come on Starry, drop the tough pony act,” Slate told, knowing how he truly was all too well. “Tell us what you really thought of them.”
“They showed promise. And it seems there are a lot more pegasi than ever.”
“If this keeps up, we might make you take responsibility and train them yourself,” Cory said looking at Slate.
“No thank you. I have my hoofs full with the ones Luna brings me.”
“Oh come on. It can’t be that bad, how many are there anyway? Four? Five a year?” Starry asked.
“More, than enough. I have no idea where she finds them, but she brings me only the freaks.”
Starry and Cory glared at him.
“Don’t give me that look, you have no idea what some of them can doo! Buck, only last week she brought me three ponies thats scared me senseless.”
“Really?” Cory asked skeptical. “Scared you senseless? What did they do? Fly fast? Make a little breeze?”
“Well lets see... Two of them were tween, hottest pair of mares I ever so, there were so hot that they could turn their manes into flames.” Cory and Starry’s jaws drop.
“While the thirds was a blond stallion that could summon storm clouds at will.”
“I thought all pegasi can create clouds,” Starry said looking at Cory for confirmation, she nodded.
“Yes, but none that big. Heck, five ponies could hide in it. I’ve tried. And if he wants to he can also make them precharged, and a bolt from a cloud that big can kill a pony.”
“And these were only the ones more magically inclined, a few weeks ago I had to say no to a mare that could break stone with her bare hooves. And the week before that...”
“We get it, you deal with scary ponies,” Starry concluded. “Now come one, lets pick up the pace.”