"Hey daddy, what kinds of stuff did you do when you were a royal guard?" A white colt asked his father.
"Well, a lot of things happened. It may take a while to tell you all of it, you sure you still want to hear?" A somewhat old stallion answered.
"Yeah. I wanna be a guard when I grow up, and I wanna be ready for it!"
"Well then, sit down."
The colt pulled a chair up to his father.
"All right, I guess I should start from the beginning shouldn't I?"
"Well, it all started when I was about 18 or 19. Shortly after summer break started. I was walking around the town looking for my marefriend when I saw a 'help wanted' sign. I figured it was my chance to be a guard. So I hauled ass to the castle where Celestia was waiting.
"You want to be a royal guard?" Celestia asked the young stallion.
"Yes ma'am. I've always wanted to be a guard. Plus I think you should have more young ponies on the force."
"What makes you think you would make a good guard?"
"Well, I'm young, strong, fast, agile, energetic..." The princess cut him off.
"...overconfident, cocky, foolish, inexperienced."
"Hey, that's rude. I bet I'd prove to be a better guard than any of the old bats you have now!"
"Oh really? Prove it then. How about this, you pass through the gauntlet, and you get the job, if not, you can never come to the castle again."
This made him think for a moment. "Deal." The outcome of the gauntlet will determine if he meets his dream, if he fails, he'll never achieve it. He had to take the risk.
"Fine, follow me." Celestia turned around and walked down a long, elegant hallway that had just too much decor in it. "What is your name anyways?"
"CloudStar."
"Where did your name come from? Most earth ponies don't have cloud or star in their names."
"My parents are kind of crazy. One is a unicorn and the other is a pegasus."
"Opposite of the cakes I see."
"Yes. It's ironic actually. They are my godparents."
"Ironic indeed." A few seconds of silence passed. "We're almost there. Are you sure you want to do this? You seem a bit nervous."
"Nah, I'm good, not nervous at all." The fact of the matter was that he was indeed nervous. So nervous that a new word is needed to express how nervous. He was, nervus.
"Well, here we are." Celestia said, gesturing at a series of various physical excercises.
"This?" He asked. It seemed like something they'd set up in gymnasiums in elementary schools, only slightly more advanced and difficult.
"Yes. You will be racing Flash Sentry to compare your time to an average guard. I have a side bet going with Shining Armor that he'll beat you."
"Gee, thanks for making me feel better about this."
"Yes, well, good luck."
"Thank you."
"No, I was talking to Fl... nevermind."
CloudStar and Flash stood side by side at the start.
"Ok, ready, GO!" Celestia shouted.
Flash ran up to a large wooden wall and flew over it with ease. CloudStar struggled climbing over it, but he managed. Flash was several yards ahead when they got to the tire run. This was something CloudStar did often at his grandpa's farm using tractor tires, so this would be easy. He expertly maneuvered past this obstacle, and Flash stumbled, the gap closed quickly. Flash flew across the next obstacle, which was a rope swing over mud. CloudStar ran full speed. jumped, grabbed the rope, and swung across with ease. Flash picked up speed when he saw how easily CloudStar passed the last obstacle.
"Cue the swinging bags!" Celestia shouted. Guards on the side of the path swung punching bags towards the center.
Flash skillfully dodged all of the bags except the last. He thought he could pass it, but it nailed his side and knocked him down. CloudStar ran shortly behind. He did the duck and weave through the bags and kicked the last one off the chain. He ran ahead to the last obstacle. A guard was waiting for him there. He quickly tossed armor on CloudStar and gave him a wood staff.
"Hit me." The guard said.
"What? Seriously?" CloudStar asked.
"Yes, hit me and you may pass."
"All right, but don't whine when it hurts." CloudStar swung the staff down. The guard grabbed the staff with his hoof and pushed it back.
"Come on, try harder."
"Oh I see. It's one of these." CloudStar feigned a strike from the right, and swung as fast as he could from the left. The guard reflected it with his hoof again.
"This is easy dude. Are you trying?"
CloudStar's eye twitched. Then he attacked again. He did a volley of strikes. Swings and jabs, lunges and stabs. Each one failing. Flash sat up and rubbed his side. He limped up to the other guard at the last station and began the same exercise. CloudStar knew Flash was much better at combat than he. He struck faster and faster, in a panic to land a hit before Flash. The guard grabbed the staff and threw it to the side, then he punched CloudStar's muzzle. CloudStar stumbled back, a hoof to his now broken nose. He looked left to see the other guard cringing on the ground. Flash was hovering above the finish line, rubbing his side. CloudStar got up, determined to at least finish. His guard helped the other up and they talked for a few minutes. CloudStar saw his moment to strike. He grabbed the staff and silently stalked up to the guard. He swung the staff, and he blocked it again.
"What the hell? How did you do that?" CloudStar asked.
"I saw your reflection in his armor." The guard answered without looking. He helped the other guard walk a few feet, then left him to do the rest. "You still haven't given up?"
"No."
"Wow, you're one resilient spirit. Now lets do this."
CloudStar adjusted his grip on the staff and swung repeatedly. The guard dodged or reflected every strike. This went on for several minutes.
"You give up yet?" He asked.
"Never." CloudStar said between pants for breath. "I will become a guard, my dreams will be true! I will be better than you!" he shouted. He swung his staff, the guard sidestepped then headbutted CloudStar. Everything went black.
"CloudStar? CloudStar are you awake?" a distant voice said.
Yes. Yes I am. Who is that? Wait, what the hell? For some reason he could form no words. He opened his eyes as wide as he could, but could only see a sliver if light.
"Wait, don't do it, I think he's awake." another voice said. Then there was a loud buzz and everything went black. CloudStar heard one more sentence before a total blackout. "Damn it, I said DON'T do it!"
CloudStar woke up in the castle infirmary. There was a heart monitor next to him beeping at a steady rate.
"What the, where am I?" he asked weakly.
"Oh, you're awake!" Flash ran up to him.
"Where am I?"
"You're in the castle infirmary, and I have great news!"
"What? I lived?"
"Well, that, and, you got the job!"
"What? But, I didn't finish."
"Yeah, but, I convinced Celestia to let you join. It'll cost me a hoof and a wing if you fail at being a guard, but hey, anything to help another stallion meet his dreams."
"Really? You got me the job?"
"Yup."
"Thanks dude, I owe you."
"Nah man,it's cool, just don't miss training tomorrow."
"I'll be out of the infirmary by then right?"
"I have no idea."
"You're joking right?"
"I wish I was CloudStar, I wish I was."
CloudStar laughed for a few seconds then looked at Flash. "Oh, you're serious."