I do not own My Little Pony: Friendship is Magical or any characters, place, names or ideas associated with it. All rights go to Hasbro and Lauren Faust. I only own Corvinus and other OC’s that I may use in the future of this story. Titus belongs to Sarged3. Special thanks to my best friend Sarged3 for beta’ing this story, spellchecking, operating as a soundboard and generally motivating me to get up off of my lazy ass and write.
Looking over the city of Canterlot was the great and royal palace, home of the two royal co-rulers of the land of Equestria. Haloed in the morning sun, the palace seemed to glow with life and magic, making a beautiful sight that would take away the breath of anypony who gazed upon its magnificence. The two Princesses had many responsibilities, such as hearing the complaints of their royal subjects, making alliances and so on and so forth. What made these Alicorns special though, was that Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were responsible for the rising and falling of both sun and moon, respectively. Everypony in Equestria loved their rulers, and the Princesses equally loved their subjects. Harmony and peace was evident all throughout the land, but dark times were approaching, and the bonds holding chaos and strife were growing ever weaker.
The calm of the morning was shattered by a loud cry of outrage, startling anypony nearby who heard it. The cry of outrage came from one of the co-rulers of Equestria, Princess Celestia. She was currently hovering a letter in front of her with her magic to read, her horn and the paper both glimmering with a mystical aura. She paid that no mind however. What made her cry in outrage was because of the contents of the letter that she was reading.
“More vandalism, theft and destruction!? This is unacceptable!” Celestia shouted, starting to pace in frustration, the forgotten note dropping to the ground.
“What is thy matter, sister?” Her sister, Luna questioned her.
Luna had been reading up on the history of Equestria, during the thousand years that had passed while she had been banished upon the moon. She held no bitterness or ill will towards her sister for banishing her, and their friendship had grown even stronger as a result, following her defeat as Nightmare Moon by the Six Elements of Harmony.
“The cruelty and daring of these hooligans, that’s what’s wrong!” Celestia fumed, already contemplating on what to do.
These incidents could not go without justice and punishment, but how to do that, she wondered, and prevent them from occurring again.
“Celestia, thou wilt have to speak clearer. Whom art these ‘hooligans’ you speak of? And what art their transgressions?” Luna asked, both amused and annoyed at her sister’s anger and frustration.
“There have been increasing rates of crime in Ponyville, with houses being vandalized, objects stolen and public disturbance. Worse, the Apple Family in Ponyville has complained that they have had farming equipment broken, food stolen and cows and cattle being driven to panic and run around everywhere, for the fourth time this year! These actions cannot continue!” Celestia thundered, stamping her hoof on the ground in anger.
“Does Ponyville have no guard or police force?” Luna questioned of her sister.
The idea of a village that had no dedicated security was mind boggling to Luna.
“No, and for good reason. The residents of Ponyville are traditional folk and are not used to much change or activity. If an entire squad of royal guards were sent to Ponyville to act as its police force, they would feel threatened and unsafe. No, guards are out of the question, Luna.” Celestia chastised slightly, still pacing.
Celestia’s pacing was starting to grate on Luna’s nerves. How could they stop the crimes without having a squad of guards to act as the police force? Then an idea came to her.
“Sister, what if we were to send less than a squad?” She pondered.
Celestia immediately stopped her pacing to face her sister. “What do you mean, sister?”
“Instead of a squad, why not send a pair? If we were to send two of thine best Royal guard, they could work to keep thy peace and deter other transgressions from taking manifest. What dost thou think, sister?”
Celestia thought about it. Sending two royal guards there with the authority to arrest would deter most crimes from happening again, and by sending two of their best, they could ensure that any crimes that might occur will be stopped.
“You have much wisdom, Luna. We shall go ahead with your idea. Let us send for a messenger to retrieve the individual’s that we have in mind.” Celestia advised her sister, and together, they walked out of their room to find a messenger.
There was much to be done: positions to be refilled, supplies to be requisitioned, orders to be delivered and transport made ready.
On the other side of the palace, in the courtyard of the training grounds of the royal guard, orders were being yelled, drills being executed and combat training taking place. The air was filled with shouts and cries, and the loudest of them all came from the group that was surrounding the fighting circle, watching two Stallions fling themselves at the other with reckless abandon in a barely recognizable Silver-Red and Brown-Red blur.
Similar cheers and jeers arose as the ponies tackled, slammed, kicked and swung at the other, blood dripping from cuts and bruises forming from where they had been hit.
Finally, just as the two ponies were about to prepare themselves for one final charge at the other, a loud whistle shrieked in the air, silencing all the cheering and stopping the two ponies, the only sound in the circle being the heaving of the two Stallions The Silver-Red Stallion bowed his head in respect to the other, then stepped forward and offered his hoof to the other. The Brown-Red Stallion stared at the hoof for a second before grasping it with his own and firmly shaking it.
Turning to the guards that surrounded the dueling arena, the Silver-Red Colt boomed
“That, recruits, is how you fight in combat! You don’t give your opponent time to react or plan, always remaining on the offensive and forcing them to react to your schedule, not theirs.”
“However” The Brown-Red Stallion voiced “If your opponent is too big for you to take head on, you always keep on the move and let them exert and frustrate themselves, waiting until they screw up. Then you strike hard and fast to put them down!”
“Are there any questions?” They both asked as one.
There was silence until a shaky hoof was raised.
“Yes Uriel? What is your question?” The Silver-Red Stallion asked.
The Royal Guard-Recruit stepped forward slightly and voiced his question.
“Captains, what do you do if your opponent is both too big and too fast for you?”
“Then recruit, you will go for help. There is no shame in falling back and calling for backup.” The Brown-red Captain answered with a momentary kindness in his eyes as he spoke to the recruit.
“However” The Silver-Red Captain thundered “You are Royal Guards! You will guard them with your lives and will gladly lay down your lives if it means that the Princesses can escape to safety. There is no room for argument on this matter. The safety of the Princesses is absolute! But sacrifice yourselves if it is the only way to protect the princesses. Do not throw your lives away needlessly if all you have to do is swallow your pride. Do you understand me recruits?”
All of the assembled Royal Guard-Recruits stood to attention and roared as one “YES CAPTAIN!”
Nodding to himself, the Silver-Red Captain dismissed the recruits.
After the recruits had left, the Silver-Red and Brown-Red captains started to put their armour back on, the gold plating gleaming in the early morning sunlight.
“Do you think the recruits will learn of absolute loyalty to the Princesses, Corvinus?” The Brown-Red Captain asked of the Silver-Red Stallion.
Corvinus turned towards his best friend. The tall, lean brown Earth colt with a rusty colored mane and emerald green eyes had been Corvinus’s friend ever since they had joined the Royal Guard and trained together over five years ago. Now eighteen, both of them were Captains of the Royal Guard, an extraordinary feat that came through extreme dedication and hard work.
Silver in colour with a blood red mane and piercing gold eyes, Corvinus was as unique in appearance as he was in personality. Throughout his career, Corvinus had adopted an aggressive but tactical approach to any and all challenges that came his way and only tried to think out a problem if it was most beneficial to his friends. He had earned a cutie mark resembling a shooting star among a moon early in the Royal Guard. The shooting star resembled his aggressive approach, while the moon portrayed his thoughtfulness and love of the night. To him, the light from Luna’s moon and stars brought out a different beauty of Equestria that could only be witnessed at night and appreciated by those who understood this. Even so, Corvinus was cheerful, and would often make jokes to soothe tension and he was always willing to make friends. Corvinus was a massive stallion, standing taller than most guardsmen except his best friend. With a broad body and thick legs, he easily intimidated everyone he met and excelled at close combat.
“I hope so Titus. They need to learn this if they are too become successful Royal Guards.” Corvinus solemnly muttered.
Titus was the complete opposite of Corvinus. He was usually withdrawn to strangers, and only opened up and became friendly with those who attempted to gain his friendship. Unlike most of the other Royal Guard, Titus was humble and modest, preferring to just put his heart into his work and get it done, without drawing to much attention. Establishing himself to be intelligent and calculating, Titus preferred to think about situations and resolve them peacefully instead of attacking the problem head on without much thought, quickly earning him a place in the Royal Guard as a tactician and a shield for a cutie mark. The shield represented his idea to protect those that have been harmed and to symbolize his personality: Intelligent, calculating and loyal.
“Indeed. I just hope that our training of them hasn’t been for naught. But let us continue, we still have much training to do today, armour to polish and reports to be filed.” Titus grinned, beginning to trot away.
“I hate paperwork.” Corvinus groaned, already dreading the idea of the mountains of paperwork that needed to be done.
Corvinus quickly followed behind his friend, but both stopped when they saw a pony galloping straight towards them.
“Captains! Captains, wait!” The unicorn messenger shouted, coming ever closer.
Titus looked towards Corvinus with a puzzled look on his face.
‘What’s going on?’
Corvinus shrugged.
‘I don’t know.’
Finally reaching the captains, the unicorn messenger gasped for a few seconds before looking at the two ponies in front of him.
“Princess Celestia and Princess Luna request your presence in the throne room, Captains.” The messenger gasped out.
“For what reasons?” Titus questioned.
“I do not know Captains, only that they want you there immediately.” The unicorn replied hastily, before galloping away to deliver his next message.
Corvinus looked at his friend.
“Let’s not to keep the princesses waiting, Titus.” Corvinus suggested, before trotting at a steady pace towards the center of the Royal Palace, Titus following closely behind.
After passing through numerous security checks, Corvinus and Titus were finally whisked into the Grand chamber known as the Throne room. The room had a certain air to it, as if the regality and history of the events that happened within this room had a physical presence, weighing down anypony that was either fortunate or unlucky enough to be permitted access to the room. The awe inspiring painted windows that depicted important events made one feel as if they had taken a step back through time and into an alternate universe, where colour and craftsmanship was predominant. The Royal Guards in the room that personally protected the Princesses exuded an air of superiority and lethality, capable of giving pause to even the biggest threats that might consider attacking the Princesses. None of these effects however, were given mind as Corvinus and Titus marched towards the princesses.
Stopping ten paces before the Princesses, Corvinus and Titus saluted sharply as one and barked “Royal Guards reporting as ordered, you’re Highnesses!”
“At ease, Captains.” Celestia spoke, her voice full of wisdom and as smooth as honey, capable of calming even the most hysterical pony.
Standing up straighter, Corvinus politely bowed his head in respect before asking, “Princesses, is there a reason that we have been summoned?”
Celestia and Luna shared a grim look with each other before Luna nodded.
Celestia looked back at the two captains.
“Yes there is. As a matter of fact, you are being sent to Ponyville.”
“What!? Princesses, why would we be sent to Ponyville?” Corvinus blurted out, unable to mask his surprise.
“Because we need you there, that is why Captain. You and Captain Titus are among the best guards that we have. And
normally, I would send a squad of regular guards to do the job, but the residents of Ponyville are not used to Royal Guard presence, and having a squad of them showing up all of a sudden would frighten everypony.”
Titus stepped forward slightly.
“Princesses, what is this job exactly?”
Celestia looked to Luna for a second, before turning back to face the two Stallions.
“Crime rate in Ponyville has been rising as of late. Theft, vandalism and disturbing of the peace have been happening more and more frequently. Plus, the Apple family, a major supplier of Canterlot’s apples, has reported that hooligans have been breaking and stealing farm equipment, as well as scaring the cattle and cows to a panic, causing them to stampede which causes even more damage. These transgressions cannot continue. That is why we our sending you to Ponyville to act as its official guard. The two of you won’t scare the citizens, and since you are among the best of thine Royal Guard, you will be able to stop any crimes that do occur while you are there. When you arrive, you will talk with the mayor to discuss which shifts of guard you will take and where you shall be assigned. Also, my assistant, Twilight Sparkle, will be able to show you around and make you feel welcome. These are my orders to you Captains. Do you have any questions?” Celestia finished.
“Your highness, how long are we going to be posted there for?” Corvinus immediately asked.
“Permanently Captain.”
“But your majesty! Where will we be living? Are we going to be getting supplies? Will we be wearing our armour there? What about the training of the Royal Guard?” Corvinus voiced all of his questions without taking a breath.
“All of that shall be taken care of, captain. First off, you will live in a home that the Mayor shall provide. Secondly, you will get supplies as needed. Thirdly, you will only wear your armour when out on patrol and finally, the training of the recruits shall be taken over by Captain Ventralis. Do you have any more questions Captain?” Celestia inquired, patience and understanding in her eyes.
“When do we leave?” Titus asked.
“Thou shalt embark for Ponyville in four hours’ time. Arrive at the front gates of the palace when the bell tolls twelve.” Luna answered the question.
“Understood Princesses. By your leave?” Titus requested.
Celestia nodded.
Saluting as one, both Corvinus and Titus turned sharply and marched out of the Throne room. Once the great doors were closed behind them, Corvinus turned towards Titus.
“What in the world just happened, and why are we being reassigned?” He fumed, angry at been reassigned to another location so quickly and having to stop his training of the Royal Guard recruits.
“I don’t know Corvinus, but we had best get our gear ready to move. I want to say goodbye to my friends here before I leave.” Titus sighed, already trotting towards the Officer quarters.
Corvinus heaved a heavy sigh, but followed nonetheless, determined to clean his armour before they left as well.
Four hours later, Corvinus and Titus stood in front of the carriage, chatting amiably with the Pegasus guards that would be flying them to Ponyville. All of their equipment had been packed and stowed, and their armour recently polished to such a gleam that they could light up the darkest room lit with only just a candle.
“Are you two ready to disembark?” A sudden voice called from behind them.
Titus and Corvinus wheeled around, surprised expressions on their faces before they quickly recovered and turned into stoic, expressionless guards once again.
“Your Highness, we are ready to leave at your orders.” Corvinus replied, head bowed down in respect.
“Good.” Celestia replied and then turned to the Pegasi guard. “You know where to go?”
“Yes your highness.” They replied in unison.
She nodded before watching Corvinus and Titus climb on board.
“My best of wishes to you two, captains. Hopefully you will be able to stop this crime.”
“We will not fail, your highness.” Titus replied determinedly.
“See to it that you don’t.” Turning towards the Pegasi, she nodded, “Leave for Ponyville!”
They nodded, and with a bit of a short gallop, the guards spread their wings and then took to the air with a mighty gust of wind.
The Princess stared after the chariot until it could no longer be seen. She turned around, and started to walk back towards the Palace, Guards quickly flanking her.
“Good luck you two.” She whispered quietly so that only she heard.
Two hours later, the Royal Guard transport had arrived at Ponyville, the Pegasi landing gracefully despite the weight they towed.
Corvinus and Titus hopped down from the chariot, and gathered all of their supplies.
“My thanks,” Titus said to the Pegasi, while Corvinus just nodded in respect.
The Pegasi quickly took to the air once more, and were soon gone from few.
“Oh my gosh!” A startled yelp came from behind them.
Turning quickly, the duo saw a bright pink Pony staring at them in shock, her mouth hanging open.