//------------------------------//
// Chapter 11: Making Progress 
// Story: 117 The Eternal Guardian 
// by Nanofield 
//------------------------------//

^Equis^
{100AD}
13:00
[John]

I was made captain of the Equestrian Guard 50 years ago. It took me a decade to get them to a point where they could actually hold off an invading force. The guard was only a few dozen strong when I started off. Just volunteers and no one with actual military training to guide them; no wonder they were so lost when I got here.

Princess Celestia gave me free reign over all military related decision making. She still wanted me to let her know what I was doing every once in a while but for the most part she left me alone. Luna still doesn't like me, but she deals with it. I instituted a partial draft system first. Every able bodied male unicorn, earth pony and pegasus was requested to spend at least 5 years in service after turning 20. Any female pony was allowed to join as well, but few ever did.

With this added into the society, more ponies that lacked work were able to make a living. Discord caused quite a lot of damage to the land. The guard's numbers expanded from a few dozen to well over a hundred in only a year; I soon after had to expand the guard into a full military force.

In hindsight, training them wasn't all that hard. I took the unicorns who knew how to shoot a small beam of energy barely able to set fire to a pile of dry leaves and made it so they could blow up stone if they needed. The pegasi went from shooting their crossbows and missing 9 out of 10 shots to hitting 99 out of 100.

They all became stronger, faster, and smarter. The benefits the ponies received from service caused more and more to join. After 20 years, I had over five hundred joining every year and even more coming back after the five years to stay longer. The army, the air force, and the royal guard had over 20,000 enlisted members and 2000 officers total. Since then we have had a few scuffles with other nations. The minotaurs and elephants have each tried invading; both of them were stopped rather quickly. What we lack in numbers and size, we more than make up for in training and tactics.

It's been 50 years, 50 years on Equis. I have spent just as much time here as I did with humanity. I haven't changed much in that time. Physically I am about 25 to 30 years old because of what the librarian did to me. Mentally I am smarter, I think faster than before. That's a big deal considering what the implants did to me. Emotionally, I am still the same Spartan I was 80 years ago. More or less.

80 years, immortality is a big change for a man who was made to fight, kill, and eventually, die. All things are supposed to die in the end. I have watched many soldiers fight and die, always wondering when it would be my turn. Even here, the ponies that I train grow old, and die. I came to terms with this long ago, but it still makes me consider my place in the universe when I think about it. For millennium, humanity has looked to obtain immortality. Few ever consider the consequences that come with it however. Watching everyone grow old and die, never able to have a family. You might even go insane from the time and all the memories that would fill your mind. Now I understand why rampancy happens; having so much information in your head that you go insane.

Will that ever happen to me? Will I go insane from the time spent here? Celestia mentioned that some of the Alicorns went insane after centuries passed them by. Will I follow the same path? I don't know. If I do go insane, can I die at all? Can I bring myself to die? Will I truly live forever or will I eventually grow old? If I go insane and I can't die, what will happen? Will I go into hiding? Will I abuse my power and become a tyrant?

Why make the one who is trained to die, immortal?

Maybe because he is trained to die.