//------------------------------// // A Word About A Princess // Story: Trial of The Champion // by Laarsgaard //------------------------------// The two drunken pegasi stumbled into the bar laughing at each other and all those around them. The rookie ran into a waitress and sent her tray and drinks flying. "I'm s-s-sssory," Trench managed to slur out as he stumbled away sideways. The waitress glared daggers at the young guard but could do little about it. The two continued to make their slow and destructive way towards the table. Waller began to stand to grab the two when Chief put a hoof on his shoulder. "Leave them, lad, with any luck they'll pass out on the floor," Chief stared at his two squad mates. Chief turned out to be less than prophetic as the Lieutenant and the rookie finally made it to the table."Hee, hee," Twitch giggled as he sat down heavily in Frost's vacant seat. Trench twirled about slowly and nabbed an empty seat from a nearby table and sat as well. As soon as Trench sat his head hit the table and he began to snore. Waller sighed inwardly. It wasn't the youngest one he was worried about. Waller looked at Twitch who was still giggling. "Tell us Lieutenant," Rime said between drinks. "What's so funny as to have you in such hysterics?" Twitch looked at the big thestral and collapsed forward onto the table laughing raucously. "I think-" Twitch inhaled deeply and wiped a tear away from his eye. "I think I figured out why ponies started calling you guys moonies," Twitch laughed harder and slammed his hoof on the table. "Oh," Rime raised an eyebrow over the rim of his mug. "Please, share with us." "Okay, okay," Twitch calmed down a bit with an over exaggerated exhale. Waller put a hoof over his nose so he wouldn't have to smell Twitch's alcohol infused breath. "You guys got the nickname moonies because Luna," Twitch snorted. "Because Luna has a big ass!" Twitch shouted. The lieutenant nearly fell over laughing at his own joke. Waller looked at Rime who had frozen mid-drink to stare at Twitch with an impressive and frightening combination of surprise and rage. Waller could see his neck slits were wide open and that hint of noise was back, something hear and unheard at the same time. Waller looked over his shoulder to see every thestral head turned once again to stare at their table. Twitch was laughing drunkenly, nearly throwing himself from his seat. He wiped a tear from his eye and leaned over the table. He inhaled deeply and brought his gaze up to stare around at his squad mates. "What?" He asked, utter confusion plastered across his face. The mug exploded into splinters and cider as it was smashed across the side of Twitch's head. The lieutenant fell to the ground unconscious. Behind him Frost was breathing heavily anger grew more and more uncontrollable. Waller stood and looked on in shock as Frost's enraged breathing was the only thing heard. Chief sat frozen in his seat, his eyes moving quickly between the two brothers. Rime slowly rose from his seat and reached out to Frost. "Don't touch me," Frost snarled at his fellow as he swatted the hoof away. "It's not him touching you that you should be worried about," the threat drifted out from behind the Moon Guard. Rime and Frost turned in unison to see three gold armored stallions standing behind them, he was the color of a rainy morning and as drunk as he could possibly be. "That's my brother you just assaulted, moonie," the speaker was a standing slightly abreast of the other two as he spoke, spitting the last word out like a curse. Frost's rage had cooled some, but his eyes moved quickly, analysing the threat before him. "And he insulted my Mistress and my brothers," Rime spoke before his brother could. "Fuck you, and your mistress," the Sun Guard slurred. "How dare you!" Chief rose to his hooves as his face contorted with anger. "Stay out of this you old relic," the belligerent Sun Guard looked at Chief with one eye closed, too drunk to see straight. "Let's all calm down," Stone stood from the table as well. "We've all said things that we regret so let's just turn and leave before we do something we regret," he grinned sheepishly. "Oh shut the fuck up, you damn legionnaires," the drunken unicorn growled. "No traditions, no honor, you just show up and think you're as good as the rest of us, you and the damn Bitch Brigade," he stumbled a bit as he spoke and Rime struck. The thestral didn't have to hit him hard for the idiot to go down, but Rime hit him hard anyway, his quiet rage fueling the strike of his hoof. The strike caught everypony off guard but the inebriated wheels turned and the two cohorts lurched forward. Frost struck next, putting the stallion on the right down hard, while Rime doged the remaining Sun Guard and let him tumble bodily into the table behind him. The table broke apart and the mugs of cold cider flew everywhere, splashing the sticky liquid across several pony's coats, including the still unconscious Trench who had sat back in his chair to find a more comfortable sleeping position. The final crash was the last nail in the coffin. Young Sun Guard members from the street poured in swinging as the older officers tried to get away from the Moon Guard who all rose as one to engage the incoming troublemakers. Tables and chairs began to fly as hooves and curses crashed across snouts and bones. Waller grabbed Chief and headed for the bar to find cover as splintered wood crashed around him. A thestral swung for his head but was stopped cold as Chief put a hoof into the assaulters chin. "Grab the fool!" Chief ordered. Waller turned about and spotted the bruised Lieutenant on the ground, covered in spilt alcohol. Waller took a few quick steps and grabbed his squad mate and turned to run as the chaos grew into a hurricane. Chief made it through the fighting guards to the bar and called to Waller who was still dragging Twitch behind him. Waller ducked another swing and paused for a moment. He cocked back and threw the officer behind the bar and recoiled to swing on his attacker, dropping the Moon Guard to the floor. Waller flared his wings and propelled himself over the bar. A flying chair struck him from behind, slamming him into the back wall behind the bar, smashing several bottles of expensive stock and cutting his body in several places. "You okay, lad?" Chief reached a hoof out and pulled Waller up next to the bar. "Where is Stone?" Waller yelled over the noise. Chief pushed himself up to look over the bar. The fighting was growing more and more intense as furniture had run out and it was down to bare hooves and bad blood. Packs of Sun Guard troops were bearing down on thestral pairs and the grey and midnight stallions broke stranded Sun Guard bones and left their wounded opponents screaming on the floor. Stone stood in the middle of the brawl unmoving and unflinching next to the still seated Trench who still snoozed away lazily in his chair, unharmed. Chief dropped back down and chuckled. Waller raised and eyebrow in question. Chief shook his head. "Lad, you wouldn't believe eben if you saw it." "What in the name of Celestia is going on in here!" The steely voice cut through the rabble like hot steel through ice. Sudden silence fell over the bar as every guard who was still standing came to attention. A people armored officer stepped in off the street with a look of stoic disappointment on his face. His plumed helm nearly reached the ceiling as he walked through the destruction to stand in front of Stone. "Trooper Stone," the officers tone was thick with anger. "Aye, sir," Stone answered, still standing at attention. "What are you doing in here when you should be with your unit?" Commander Fission looked Stone up and down as Trench snored aloud. Fission looked at Trench angrily as if the rookie's snoring was insulting to his very being. "Instead you are with these guards, causing trouble and breaking things," Fission's voice rose as anger filled him. "It's not his fault, sir," Chief stood from behind the bar. "Oh, I know, shiny," Fission snarled as he turned to look at Chief. "But he is here with you and your fellow troopers, trading blows with ponies who he should not be, considering he should not be here in the first place!" Fission roared at Chief. "How did he manage to get here in the first place?" Another voice came wafted through the room. Three more officers walked through into the bar from the open night, one in purple and the other two in midnight blue. Every pony in the establishment saluted and came to even more rigid attention. Waller stood up and lifted Twitch from the floor to the bar with solid 'thud'."Figures," Commander Started picked his way through the stallions and broken wood to stand in front of the Lieutenant's sleeping form. He raised a hoof and slapped Twitch across the face, causing Twitch to sit up in a start and fall of the bar. "Sir," he forced out as he tried to come to his feet but only managed to fall back over. "It's always you Twitch, it's always you fucking up my good day," The commander snorted in derision. "Fission, you should lay off of your stallion there, he had nothing to do with," Starter turned about. "In fact I would like to thank him because it looks like he stood by my foolish trooper whilst he slept in the midst of, what appears to be, quite the brawl." Fission looked at the two Moon Guard officers. "Crush, Break, what do you think?" The Moon Guard officers walked amidst the wreckage looking over their own members. "It seems our brothers were not on their best behavior," one of them spoke. "Aye, Crush," I'd say the brothers may have been provoked, however." The other officer spoke. "Indeed they were brother Break," Starter looked back to Twitch. "Waller," Starter commanded. Waller saluted again. "Aye, sir." "Twitch cause this?" "Aye, sir." "Fucking figures." Starter looked to Fission. "My ponies are responsible yours is not, lighten up, we're at the Trial." Starter started walking out of the bar both Break and Crush followed. The Moon Guard's neck slits opened and the faintest whisper of sound wafted through the air and every thestral in the bar stiffened as they received their orders. "Oh, and, Wall," Fire Starter stopped and called over his shoulder. "Bring me that idiot tomorrow morning, I've got an idea of what I want to do for punishment." With that the three officers walked out while commander Fission fumed in silence. "Go to your bunk, trooper," Fission said quietly. Stone nodded and quickly left the bar. Fission glared about the bar one last time before following his fellow legionnaire. With that the tension lessened considerably as everypony relaxed. "Every Sun Guard is to stay and help clean this place," Chief ordered. He turned to see a cowering barmaid a few feet away. "Miss," he reached under his armor and pulled an enormous sack of bits and dropped them in front of her. "This should take care of the damages, if not, tell your boss to come find me, my name's Chief." He smiled at her and winked, his giant moustache drooping lazily down. Waller lifted Twitch from the ground and made way for the exit. Twitch moaned in pain. "Shut up," Waller commanded. "Blergh," Twitch moaned again. Waller stepped onto the cobblestone road and turned left. "Where is our room, Twitch?" Waller demanded. "West side," Twitch slurred. "211, at the Flamed Crown." Waller nodded and began to walk. A large crowd had already begun to disperse as the fight had ended. Waller dragged Twitch along the street and turned west down an alley. At the other end Waller could see two ponies approaching them, wearing dark clothing. "Well, well," a female voice lofted through the cool night air. "Oh shit," Twitch tried to push himself up but stumbled over his hooves. "Is her," he loudly whispered at Waller. Waller ignored Twitch and came to a stop in front of the two Witch Brigade mares walking towards him. His heart leapt into his throat when he realized that one of them was Spectacle Shadow and the other was her superior Mist Drifter. "Hello, sisters," Waller drew himself up to attention as best as he could. "He-" Twitch tried to greet them but instead fell from Waller's grasp as vomit rocketed from his mouth. All three of the other ponies stepped back from the Lieutenant as he puked again. Sister Drifter pulled a face as Twitch evacuated his stomach. "Sorry about this," Waller said as he looked on in disgust. "Um," Spectacle looked up at him in confusion. "Maybe we'll run into each other sometime later," she looked away and hurried off. Sister Shimmer looked at Twitch again before following the younger witch. "That's the guy?" Sister Drifter asked her younger counterpart. "Yes, mother," Spectacle replied quietly. "He's cute," Drifter looked over her shoulder at Waller who was trying to pull Twitch along without touching any of the vomit on the ground. "I can see why you like him, but I think his friend is cuter, only, when he's not throwing up." Spectacle giggled quietly. "What's got you so happy?" Drifter looked at Spectacle. "Oh, nothing, mother. Just happy to see Waller again is all."