The Winds of Redemption

by RagingPonyRider

Act 1: Hero-Why Do You Fight?

Like any day before, today was a bad day for Nightingale. Her black glasses diminished the sunlight on her eyes, but did not help against walking through it. Every day, it was a struggle to wake up and move about, but it was easier as time flew by, or at least it felt like it.

She had an errand to run for the princesses, and she enjoyed the trip. Not much action, but delivering an important message to the captain's office kept her mind off of things, like her hunger.

She reached her latest hallway and closed her eyes in pain. To its left, a cascade of colors dotted the floor, and it took her a moment to adjust her eyes. Three large windows, each depicting a different victory of ponykind, dyed the sunlight passing through.

The Elements of Harmony. Honesty, Laughter, Kindness, Loyalty, Generosity, forming Magic, and in the metaphysical sense, friendship. The very thing that keeps harmony across Equestria and everypony happy.

And yet I keep frowning every time I pass by it. Ain't that ironic.

The castle was enormous and dizzying to the laypony, but to her, who had lived here for years, she knew it like the back of her hoof, from the throne room to the basements. It was one of the few things she prided in.

Now if only somepony asked for directions.

She could not complain. The princesses gave her refuge and food, and she would not have lasted this long otherwise.

She licked her fangs in hunger, wondering if she could sneak in to the kitchens for a snack, although it was more likely she would be chased out before she could even enter. Everypony in the castle knew who she was from her glasses, white surgical mask, and red mane, and those that did not followed suit.

Eventually she reached the office door. Opening it, she breathed in the scent of parchment and ink as she marched up to the captain's desk, where the unicorn behind it was scribbling away on a checklist.

"Captain, a notice from the princesses." She reached into her saddlebag and pulled out a sheet of paper. The captain briskly nodded in thanks before levitating it onto his desk.

As he skimmed over the paper, his eyebrows converged. "Ugh, you've got to…. he wants what?!"

"What does it say, sir?" Nightingale asked curiously.

"Princess Celestia wants an audience with the creature, called a human. She says the human wishes to challenge any guard to fight him?"

"Human? You mean the thing all of the guards were scrambling about?" she asked.

He nodded. "Sky High, my lieutenant, told me about how the human was firsthoof. He had a platoon's worth of trained guardsponies surrounding him back in Ponyville, and you know what he did? Laugh." He got out of his chair and looked out the window behind him. "He was..."condescending", as Sky High put it."

"So he's intimidating? Reduces morale?"

Bright Shield smiled. She had a sharp mind and a blunt personality. Not something he got from his guards nowadays. "Sort of. I don't know how long you've been working here, but the Royal Guards, especially ones here in Canterlot, are especially loyal to the princesses. Any more devotion, and we might even be labeled fanatics."

"He does not respect the princesses? Or at least as much as the guards believe he should be?"

"Exactly, and that's what's getting some of them so riled up. Most ponies don't know it, but our guards are mostly made up of...the more rowdier of ponies. They know that, and that's why they join the guards: to be disciplined and benefit pony society.

"Those ponies need something to devote themselves to, something to work towards. This human, called Sam, is seen as insulting them. Picking a fight with them's probably seen as picking a fight with the princesses, I suppose." He continued reading, and suddenly laughed. "He promises his sword to anypony that can beat him, which he guarantees can cut anything."

"That has to be worth some value to somepony, sir."

"But it should not be worth anything to a member of the Royal Guard." Bright's voice turned somber as he faced Nightingale. "We are guards, not murderers. A sword like that in our possession would send a bad example to everypony. Besides, Princess Celestia would only confiscate it. What do you think? Do you want a weapon like that?"

Nightingale blinked behind her glasses. Her answer was obvious, but she did not want to risk earning the superior's ire. "I have no need for weapons. That's what the guards are for, isn't it sir?"

The captain stayed silent. The mare was, as usual, keeping to herself. "Well, maybe I should go fight him. Don't know what I can gain by not."

"You have been captain for four months, am I correct?"

"Yep, and I'm curious to see what this human can do. Making me run around half the castle searching for him...if he can run away like that, it would interesting to see how well he fights." He walked past her and opened the door. "If you'll excuse me, I need to tell everypony about this. And a trip to the bathroom."

She could hear his hooves dimming as she followed suit. She knew he was trying to make himself more impressive by fighting.

She knew about the human. After all, what pony could forget a bipedal figure with a black arm like him running past her? He was running so fast the wind sent her mane flying. He did not seem to notice her, only intent on getting to wherever he was headed.

If the captain's true, then a lot of guards might show up. Something that fast, that strong. ooooh...

Beneath her cloak her wings trembled. It was always interesting to see a scuffle among guards during slow days, but with an alien species, and one that purposely engaged in it?

This should be interesting.

---

"Can we take a break yet?"

"What for? We've only been walking for half an hour." Twilight turned around, wondering how Sam could be so tired already.

"Not the walking, your voice!" he barked. "You've been talking nonstop since we came back in the castle. When I asked for a tour, I didn't ask for a lecture as well!"

While Twilight was taken aback by the outburst, Rainbow and Pinkie failed to hold back laughter. "You gotta admit, Twilight-" the blue mare chortled between breaths "-he has a point!"

"What she means to say's, Twi-" Applejack to muffle herself "-is that your speeches are fine and all, but could ya tone it down a bit? My brain's starting to hurt, and Ah'm guessing Sam's is too."

Twilight quietly grumbled to herself. "But then, how will you know all about Canterlot without-"

"And why do you want to tell me so much about the damn place, anyways?" Sam interrupted. "If you keep talking about how many pieces of glass make up each chandelier or how many bathrooms there are in this place, then you're never going to have time to ask me any questions, will you? Besides, you were all terrified of me before, why so hospitable now?"

Twilight hesitantly opened her mouth. She did not want to know how mad he would get if he knew she was doing this as practice for the griffin delegates.

"I figured, if we were more polite, you would be more open, and we could ask you some questions in return."

Sam smirked. "And by running your mouth a mile a minute, you'll get me to open up?" When he heard no response, he continued walking past her. "Just let me take things at my own pace. Ask your questions, but I decide whether to answer them." Her previous question regarding his arm came to mind.

"In that case, here's one!" Pinkie jumped in front of his path. "What would you like on your cake?"

Sam paused for a moment before walking around her, only to have her following behind. "I thought you were busy deflating. And what do you mean, my cake?"

"Well, I was busy being down in the dumps, but there are no dumps around the castle and I just realized the reason I was here in the first place! I wanted to throw you a "Welcome to Ponyville!" party! So first off, what kind of cake to you like? Chocolate? Vanilla? Strawberry?"

Sam groaned and ignored her. When Pinkie tried to keep behind him, she was pulled back by Applejack.

"Now hold on a bit there, Pinkie. Ya told us how grumpy he was when you were tagging along with him. Maybe it's time ya'll let us try talkin' with him."

Pinkie blinked a couple times. "Ohhhhh...okay! But be sure to ask him what kind of cake he wants! Insteeead...Princess Luna! What do you know about Sam?"

Sam hid his smile as he saw the alicorn grimace, and kept walking.

"So, uhm, Sam?" Applejack asked. When he did not answer, she hesitated. She suddenly forgot what she was going to ask. "So uh...what d'ya do from where you're from?"

"Freelance."

"Uh, freelance what, exactly? Princess Celestia mentioned ya being a vagabond or somethin'." She smiled hopefully, to encourage him to answer even though he cannot see her.

"Cleaner."

Rarity coughed to cover up a laugh. When Sam and Applejack stared at her with narrow eyes, she felt a chill down her spine. "Well, excuse me, Applejack, Samuel. But I did not expect somepony-I mean, some human like you to take on such a...menial occupation, is all."

"Cleaner. I clean crime scenes and rid corpses."

Everypony was stunned. Something so cruel and horrific like death and murder, and he was talking about it like it was a daily chore. They had a sense of what Sam did from where he came from, but having it affirmed in front of them was different from having speculations about it.

"And I would have cleaned up Discord too, if he didn't run away."

"You tried to hurt Discord?"

Sam turned to see the yellow pegasus with a pink mane frowning at him. "And what if I did? Are you sad about that?"

She was not only sad, but livid with by the thought. Her eyes widened and her friends gasped as she activated her Stare.

"Now, listen up Sam! I may not know exactly who or what you are, but you do not hurt anypony, especially my friends. If you think fighting and hurting others is something fun, it isn't!"

Sam continued looking into her eyes while everypony froze. They knew her Stare was used to tame and control both her animals and wild beasts if necessary, but would it work on a human?

Sam kept his face neutral as he tried to find out what the pegasus was trying to do. He did not expect such aggressiveness from a meek one like her, but it was an interesting development. "Standing up to a professional killer? You got guts, girl." When she gasped in surprise, he gripped his sword, smiling wickedly. "Wanna see how they look like?"

She immediately hid her face behind her mane and Applejack and Rainbow dashed in front of her, the earth pony anxious and the pegasus furiously flying in front of his face.

"Now, no need ta get violent-"

"You so much as touch her mane, bub-"

Sam chuckled and let go of his sword. "Relax. I won't be killing any of you. Besides-" he looked at the cowering pegasus behind them "-all that tough talk of hers was just for show."

"But, I don't understand!" Twilight rubbed her head in confusion. "The Stare should have-didn't it at least scare you? Intimidate you?"

Sam did not know whether to be amused or insulted. "Scared? Intimidated? Which is scarier? A mass murderer or a pony that can't even look me in the eye?" When nopony answered, he scoffed. "And she's one of the heroes of Equestria?The Winds are going to make horse meat out of all of you."

While everypony shivered at his comment, Luna stepped in. "Please do not jest about this. These Winds of Destruction, just who are they?"

"Commanders of Desperado Enterprise," Sam replied as if it was common knowledge. "Cyborgs like me. Celestia said something about the two of you being the most powerful ponies here?" When Luna nodded, he did the same. "If power equals position, then the same applies to them."

"So they are part machine, and extremely powerful. Can I assume they are violent?"

"That would be an understatement." Luna looked apprehensive as she followed behind him while he took in the castle scenery. ""Psychotic" would be a better choice of words, especially Sundowner."

"Is he one of the Winds?"

"Sundowner, Monsoon, and Mistral. The former two, I've occasionally had the unwanted pleasure of working with."

Luna nodded slowly. "And Discord sent them all here? We will have to send notices throughout Equestria warning everypony of them."

"Who says he brought them all to this country?" Sam elaborated. "Earth's a big place, and they may be psychopaths, but they're not stupid."

"So what? We cannot simply remain steadfast!" Every step Luna took now shook the floor, and Sam understood her anger.

"I hate them as much as you do, but what do you expect me to do? I'm just one man. You're magic, you're a princess of the damn country. Can't you, I don't know, scry the world for them or something?"

Luna gasped. Why had she not thought of it earlier? "Of course! We did it in the past! Our range is limited to Equestria and its borders, but maybe..." She closed her eyes and her horn glowed. Unknown to Sam, she was sending out the magical equivalent of sonar waves. If there was any human in the vicinity, she would know immediately.

While she was busy with this, Rainbow hovered besides Twilight. "Hey, you notice something?"

"Notice what?" Twilight asked. "The fact Sam's being more open and less hostile to the princess than us?"

"No, the fact that-hey, you're right!" She glared at the pair standing next to each other. "What's the deal? He throws threats at us and he's busy being buddy-buddy with the princess?"

"Well, Ah'm just glad he ain't threatenin' us anymore," Applejack commented, looking at Fluttershy behind her. "She's still nervous about him. Look, he ain't gonna hurt anypony, alright?"

It took a few moments, but with Applejack's soothing hoof on her back, she took some deep breaths. "Sorry I made you all worry like that.

"No problem, sugarcube."

"But what about the fight?" Fluttershy asked anxiously. "You heard him! And when I told him fighting's wrong..."

"Fluttershy, it's nothing to worry about!" Rainbow reassured. "It's going to be like a match between me and AJ! Besides, if things get too out of hoof, the princess is there. And if that's not enough, then Twilight's here. And if that's not enough-" she pointed a hoof to herself "-I'm here!"

Fluttershy gave a nervous smile. "Oh, okay, if you say so." She looked at Sam, "But Sam... I'm still worried. What would make him so...why did he make it his job of...killing others?"

Everypony wondered silently at that. No matter how he put it, Sam's job was that of a mercenary or bounty hunter. They were not unfamiliar with war and violence. They knew of the conflicts between the three pony races, the battle between their princesses and Discord, and their most recent fight with the changelings, but there were no deaths on both sides, in any of these events.

"Maybe for humans in his world, killing is not that uncommon. The griffins were known for waging a lot of civil war over land and resources, although they're now all united as the Griffin Kingdom. Maybe it's the same for him?" Twilight reasoned. He did not seem like an uncivilized creature. "Maybe mercenary work like his is an important industry? The PMCs he talked about. They sounded like pretty important jobs."

"Be that as it may," Rarity chimed in haughtily, "That is no job to take pride in. Nothing good can come of such a brutal occupation in the long run."

"Bleh!" Pinkie suddenly groaned in disgust. "Stop being so gloomy! This is exactly why we need to throw a party for Sammy-I mean Sam!" Pinkie eyed the human warily, but he did not seem to have heard. "If we want Sam to open up to us, then we need to make him happy! And what better way to do that than with a party?"

"I don't know Pinkie Pie. Maybe that fight?" Even the bubbly mare could not miss Rainbow's sarcasm. "I don't know about you guys, but he looked really eager to fight the guards. And to be honest, me too."

"But then everypony will get hurt, and nopony like getting...ohhh, I get it!" Pinkie bounced around excitedly. "Whether Sam wins or the guards win, it doesn't matter! It's all in good fun!"

"Exactly!" Rainbow nodded. "And maybe you can't throw him a big party like you wanted, Pinkie, but you sure can give him that cake you wanted to bake for him. I'm sure the castle staff would let one of the Elements of Harmony use their ingredients."

At this, Pinkie jumped even higher. "Even better! I should make a cake big enough for all the guards too! And cupcakes too! They're going to be hungry after the fight!" Without further ado, she dashed out sight, no doubt looking for the castle kitchens.

Rarity smile at her friend's action. "I say, Rainbow Dash, that's quite an impressive ploy. Having Pinkie occupied to keep from angering Sam was a nice idea."

"And who doesn't like good food after workin' out?" Applejack added. "Sam's gotta be hungry still, and Ah know just how happy Ah am when I'm stuffed after workin' hard. Looks like ya got more brain than hot air in that head of yours, after all."

While Rainbow Dash basked in their praise and punched the orange mare's shoulder, Twilight smiled at her friends and the plan. "Thanks for your votes of confidence, girls. But first..." She walked over to Sam and Luna. "Is everything alright?"

"Strange," Luna mumbled, rubbing her horn gingerly. "I don't detect any other humans in Equestria. You still registered, Sam, but only barely. Has Discord somehow made you all immune to magic?"

"Sounds like something he would do," Sam replied. "He probably doesn't want you or anyone else getting in their way, but maybe..." He wiggled his fingers again, comprehension dawning. "The cybernetics? They got more metal than flesh on their bodies. I only have this arm and a suit."

"Let us see." Luna's horn glowed once more as she tried to grab his right and left arm, but not even an aura appeared. When she tried to grab his hair, the ponytail bounced in the air. "This is worrisome. If we cannot use our magic to find them or against them, our ability to combat them is severely restricted."

"Which is another good reason for this fight, and why I'm looking forward to it," Sam said as he crossed his arms. "With this fight, you can see just how outclassed your guards are."

Luna was silent for a moment. Her head snapped up and stared at Twilight. "I must notify my sister about this. Twilight Sparkle, may we trust you to lead the tour?"

She was surprised at first, but she knew she meant well. "Yes, Princess Luna. But, about the fight..."

"The fight will take place in little over an hour in the courtyard, the one with the statues and hedge maze. Finish the tour quickly, and I will meet you there. We may need to move some decoration and clear a field."

"Yes, I understand, but just one more question," Twilight continued. "First you wanted Sam to be arrested, and now you're letting him fight? You and Princess Celestia could have easily denied him his request."

"Our sister, and I am certain you are as well, is curious about Sam. We will all be observing him to see just how dangerous he can be. It will also give us a demonstration to how these Winds of Destruction may fight as well, and to see how our current guards will fare against him, and by extension, them." Luna marched back down the hallway. "Continue with the tour, and bring him to the courtyard as soon as possible."

Twilight nodded and walked up to Sam. "So Sam, if you're ready, we can continue to the-"

But Sam was walking away.

"Sam, wait!" Twilight groaned as she caught up to him. "Wait up! I know you're eager, but-"

"Alright that's it!" Rainbow yelled out behind them as she flew over to face Sam. "If you're not going to ask anything, then I will. How come you're so friendly with the princesses but you don't say a single word to us, huh?"

Her gaze was met by Sam's. "I talk to whoever I want to talk to." He kept walking, looking straight.

Rainbow grounded her teeth in rage. "Well what makes Princess Luna so awesome, not that she isn't awesome, worth talking to while you don't even bat an eye at us? And I'm one of the most awesomest ponies here!"

Sam's face relaxed slightly, catching her off-guard. "She's more mature than you, that's for sure. Let's finish this tour already. I'm sure all of you are itching to see me in action by now."

---

The courtyard was filled with ponies in all shapes and size. Almost all of them were about the human and their impression of him. Some jested about their princess's notice about his sword being able to cut anything, while others laughed at how they would simply use their magic to restrain him.

When some saw their captain arrive, they gave a quick but stern salute and immediately proceeded laughing. He sighed but smiled with good nature.

"At ease, ponies! So is this everypony for the fight?"

"At least most of them, captain," the earth pony known as Pale Marble grunted with a salute. His frown inverted as he lowered his hoof. "Some of them are just here to get a good look at the human. I didn't expect this many to show up though, sir. Now, I knew you would be here, sir."

"Who says I'm here to fight? I'm just here to see all of your flanks handed to you." This elicited some chuckles and his smile widened. "Of course, when that happens, maybe I'll take him on."

Pale Marble turned to everypony. "What do you think, guys? Our captain says he wants to take on the monster! How many wanna bet he wins?"

There were too many to count, but the captain knew less than half the crowd raised a hoof. "Who says he's gonna get his flank kicked?"

When the remaining hooves punched the air, he frowned at them. "Very funny, you guys. The notice just said anyone wishing to meet and fight him may come, it doesn't mean we might actually beat the tar out of him."

"Oh, so now you're scared? You hear this you guys?" Rumbler, Pale's partner, popped in, and everypony laughed even harder.

Bright sighed and tried to ignore his subordinates' guffaws and find an open space to sit down on. He was a rather temperamental pony, but after a decade of training and honing his skills as a guard, he finally attained the rank of captain. Unfortunately, his predecessor Shining Armor never informed him about the social aspect of this.

We'll see who's laughing, Rumbler. When you're lying on the ground and I'm fighting and winning.

"Your Highness!"

Instantly, every guard stood at attention and looked straight. Celestia and Luna have entered the courtyard.

"At ease, guards." They relaxed, but everypony still stared at Celestia. "The event will begin soon. The Element Bearers are bringing Sam along right now."

"Sam? That thing has a name?"

Luna frowned at the crowd. She could not identify the speaker, but he had no idea what he was up against, and neither did anypony else. "Yes, his name is Sam, a human. Do not underestimate him. He is stronger than anypony you have met."

Celestia turned to Luna. "Was it really a good idea to leave Sam with Twilight and her friends?"

"Sam would have made his way here by himself anyways. Besides, this is important news. These Winds of Destruction-" She quickly raised a hoof to her mouth, but some ponies already heard the name escape her.

Celestia sighed and put a hoof to her forehead. "Watch what you say, Luna. You'll give everypony the wrong impression with a name like that."

"Excuse me, Your Highness?" Bright Shield walked up to her, saluting. “Forgive my candor, but can you please tell us more about this Sam character?"

Celestia relaxed. At least it was not about the Winds. "He is a traveler, wandering from place to place. He was brought here by Discord after his death in another world. I'm sure you all know about Discord."

"Resurrection? But that's illegal!" Bright shouted.

"And nearly impossible, yes, but he's gone and done it anyways." Celestia kept herself straight, but wished she could groan to show how much she hated Discord right now. "But don't worry about him. He won't be making any more trouble. For now, you should be worrying about Sam. He is extremely proficient with his sword, and traveled his world, improving his skills."

"You wrote on the notice that he would give his sword to anypony that could beat him, right?" Bright pressed on. Some of the other guards looked at each other, smirking. "Can it really cut anything?"

"It can cut any material you can think of. Rock, steel, even other swords." Again, Sam's fight with the Metal Gear RAY came to mind. If it could cleanly cut a giant robot like that in two, she hated to imagine how easily it could cut her ponies, or even herself.

Most of the guardponies smiled and chuckled, but the captain remained stoic. "So he has such a valuable weapon, but he's willing to bet it?"

"Of course! The sword's just a copy, and you won't even be able to touch me anyways."

Everypony turned their heads and saw him: Sam, behind him, the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony. "Every one of you, pay attention. This is what you're fighting for."

Slowly, he pulled out the false Murasama from its sheath. The red blade and crackles enraptured everypony as it was freed and Sam spun it in his hands. As he brought it closer to see if he could differentiate it from the original, whispers were heard, mostly from the guards.

"Is that him? He's taller than the last time I saw him."

"That sword's so long, and I've never seen a single-bladed one like that."

"It glows red, it shoots sparks, and it can cut anything? Either he's lying, or it's magic."

Sam twitched at the word. "Magic? Don't screw with me!" He quickly swung the sword in the air, making everypony jump back in fear. "This thing's just a copy, but it can still cut all of you into chops, and it doesn't use you ponies' fancy magic, either. What, don't believe me?" He faced Luna, who had remained silent during his appearance. "Which one of these statues can I cut into a million pieces?" he asked, pointing to the various statues of ponies and other animals in the courtyard.

"You shall not vandalize any statue!" she growled. "We thought ahead and you may demonstrate your blade on this." With a pop, a steel anvil appeared in the air and dropped to the grass. "This anvil is what is used in our armory by our smithies, the biggest there is. You may destroy this however you wish."

"Pure steel? Doesn't look that big to me." He crouched and grabbed it.

"You can't be serious." Rumbler chuckled quietly. "That thing's at least two hundred pounds-"

His jaw dropped as low as it could go when he saw Sam lifting it in his hands like it was luggage. He did not even look tired. "Hey, pony!" he cried out. "You said this thing's two hundred pounds? I can carry two more of this if you're not impressed."

"Well Ah'll be!" Applejack whistled, astounded. "That thing's gotta be heavier than Big Mac and his wagon of hay combined!"

"Yeah, let's not go that far." Sam dropped the anvil, letting in dig slightly into the ground. "Now to cut it...you!" He turned around and pointed at Rarity. "Why don't you try cutting it?" he asked as he walked to her.

"Excuse me, Samuel, but my name is Rarity, and how and why would you want me to do such a thing?" She swung her mane behind and frowned at him. "Swinging a sword like a brute is unbecoming of a mare like me."

"Suit yourself." He picked up the anvil again and this time threw it straight up. He ignored some of their gasps and quickly pulled out his sword so its sharp edge faced the falling steel.

In a shower of sparks, two halves of the anvil was lying on the ground, glowing red hot from where the sword cut it.

"Say hello to the HF Blade Murasama." He pointed the sword to Celestia, who eyed it warily. The guards tensed at the action, but Sam did not care. "Swords cut, but not this one. It rends all matter, breaking it down on a molecular scale."

Twilight's ear twitched at "molecular scale". "Really? That's incredible! And it doesn't dull? How can you get something cut on such a small scale?! I mean, if it was sharp enough, theoretically, it can cut individual molecules, even cut apart atoms, but the problem is how to keep it sharp enough-"

Rainbow Dash was practically drooling at the demonstration. "Uhh, uh, did I just see what I thought I just...huh?" She poked Applejack for confirmation, but she too had her mouth open in awe.

"I would love to explain how this works, if I had the knowledge and the patience. But I think that's enough for now, and I'm sure some of you are eager to get your grubby hooves on this thing." Sam withdrew his sword and Looked at Celestia again. "What are the rules to the fight?"

Celestia looked at her ponies, and did not know whether to be amused or pitying. Most of the guards looked ready to wet themselves. There were mutters of leaving or simply watching some other pony fight.

"This is pathetic." Sam shook his head. "Look, you idiots, I'm not going to using my sword in this fight. Hell, even if I could I wouldn't." He tapped his sword and walked towards the trembling guards. "Celestia, the rules, what are they?"

Before he could get any closer to the guards, Celestia intercepted his path by teleporting. She looked ready to fight him herself, with her wings spread and tense posture. "Rule number one, no killing. Rule number two, no killing." Sam snickered, but Celestia and the guards kept a straight face. "Rule number three, when we order you, and that goes to all the guards as well, to stop, you stop. When we declare the fight is over, it is over. You do not follow these rules, we will intervene and restrain you by force."

Sam rubbed his chin. "Perfect." Celestia hesitantly stepped aside and levitated every statue in sight against the castle wall. He faced the guards again. "What are you waiting for? Battle's started. Too scared? Maybe I should start it off?"

For a minute, silence hung in the air. Everypony was too afraid that even the slightest provocation would make him pounce.

Luna frowned in disbelief. "What do you expect of this, sister? You want these ponies to be slaughtered? Just so we can see his potential?" she whispered, making sure nopony else was hearing.

"No, never," she whispered back, her gaze enough to reprimand her younger sibling. "That's why we must remain on guard. We cannot let another tragedy befall our ponies again."

Suddenly, a pony in purple armor stepped out of the yellow crowd of guards.

Bright Shield trotted confidently, but was nevertheless scared. "Excuse me, Sam, but may I have a word before out fight?"

Sam's eyes, along with everypony's, widened. Sam towered over Bright, but the unicorn did not shirk. "Oh?" Sam bent one leg to see him eye to eye. "And who are you supposed to be?"

Bright noticed the condescending in his voice. Sky High was not lying. "I am Captain Bright Shield, and I thought proper introduction were needed before we fight."

Sam raised an eyebrow. After his sword's demonstration, he had everypony shivering, but this particular unicorn stood out. "Well, it's a welcome sight, after being surrounded by your guards and being chased through the castle, captain, No hard feelings though."

"Thank you." He risked a smile. "Now, I suggest you get ready. We will not be taking turns, and obviously our best chance of beating you is if we all work together. Or would you prefer to take on us one at a time?"

"Sorry, but usually I'm the one that works alone and has dozens of guys trying to kill me. But before you join your men, uh, guards." He raised his open right hand.

"What? You want to shake?"

"We're both warriors, right? Not killers, at least for now," Sam explained as he wagged his fingers. "You don't look like the kind of guy who wants to fight me for my sword. You look like you want to fight me so you can see what I'm capable of. Same for me too. That's why I wanted to fight you all in the first place. But there's no reason we can't act like sane people before we start killing each other. Your subordinates seem to understand. Otherwise, they would not be waiting for us to stop talking. Either that or they're still scared stiff."

Bright looked at everypony surrounding them, and saw they were completely silent and staring at him. Celestia and Luna's features softened and the Elements of Harmony were in awe.

"Well, Ah'll be," Applejack said. "Looks like he can act polite when he wants to."

"Honor between two knights before fighting, of course!" Rarity said. "All this scene needs now is a maiden for them to fight over, instead of a sword!"

He could not help but flush slightly at the white mare's implication, but reluctantly gave a smile. He could not disappoint a crowd. "Alright, here's to that." He placed his hoof to his palm and shook.

Celestia and Luna had the strangest desires to clop their hooves together in applause. Sam and Bright Shield's show of sportsmanship was the condition perfect for friendly competition and relations to sprout between Sam and the rest of her ponies. It reminded them of the griffins and their pride in their fighting capabilities, and the minotaurs' aggressive yet optimistic attitudes. Maybe there was some sense in Discord bringing Sam to Equestria after all.

"So, are we ready to do this?" Bright asked, his hoof still in Sam's grip.

"Yes, but your guards still seem reluctant. Maybe they need motivation from their captain? How do you rile them up?"

"The guards are trained to keep still and their expression neutral until an emergency arises. We haven't tried to attack each other yet, so they're just waiting for one of us to kick-start this."

"In that case." Sam whipped out his left hand from his back and grabbed Bright's horn.

Bright's breath stopped as he tried to look around, but could not. He could not channel any magic or turn his head to look at the petrified ponies. Such a rapid change in mood took everypony by surprise.

"Whu-what do you think you're-"

"Celestia said I can't kill you. I can still break your bones and horn." The human's smile remained, but his hands were now threatening to crush his horn and hoof. "Still just a rookie." He broke his gaze when he heard the scuffle of hooves. The guards pony now completely surrounded him in a ring.

Impressive. They're not scared anymore, and none of them are looking to back out. They don't have their weapons with them, but they still need one more bit of motivation to get them moving.

"Tell me!" Sam shouted out, startling everypony. "How much is Celestia paying you all to lick her slippers?"

Sam released his grip on his horn and launched an uppercut to Bright's muzzle. Every single guards' face changed from intimidating to furious as they pounced at Sam. The fight was on.

---

"What's he thinking, egging them on like that?" Nightingale muttered. However, she could not hold back her laughter, however weak it was, when the guards were getting kicked into each other by the human.

All this for what? A sword? Recognition?

She pulled out a notepad and a pencil and scribbled on an empty page. She made sure to carry these tools around wherever she went in case inspiration struck.

This human warrior, seeking a fight with one of Equestria's most disciplined army, for what? Why does he seek out fights? Why is he here? What does he hope to accomplish by fighting?

She closed her notepad and looked outside again. The human was now individually plucking the guards, grabbing their neck or armor, and tearing them away from their ranks and throwing them into each other. Everypony tried to grab him down, punch his face, or buck his legs, but he dodged them or caught their legs and sent them flying after their captain.

Noticing the clouds overhead was making way for Celestia's sun, she turned away from the window and marched on. Normally she could not stand crowds and her modest attire always left her as the elephant in the room.

If this keeps up, maybe the topic of gossip around the castle could turn to him? That would be a load of my chest.

"Uh, excuse me?"

Nightingale stiffened and jerked her head to her right. A light brown mare with glasses recoiled as she stammered. "I'm so sorry, miss, I was just wondering where Princess Celestia was. You see, I have been summoned to testify to Minuano's case." She rubbed her grey mane sheepishly. "Uh, I mean Sam's case."

Nightingale saw a pair of guards standing beside her, both eyeing her suspiciously. She must have been engrossed in her thoughts if she could not hear their heavy steps. "You mean the human? He and the princesses are outside right now," she said, pointing to the window.

"Really?" The mare and her guards peered out and Nighting smirked behind her mask when their faces dropped. "Goodness, is that really him?!"

"Now aren't you boys glad you're not down there?" Nightingale joked, not caring whether she was being glared at by the flustered guards. "You said you were looking for the princess?"

"Oh yes!" she exclaimed. "Thank you for your time, miss..."

"Nightingale. Just Nightingale."

"Alright, Nightingale," she giggled, albeit uncomfortably. Nightingale's choice of attire was making the mayor sweat just by looking at her. "I don't mean to pry, but do you know Sam?" When she was responded with silence, she looked at the floor. "I mean, you were looking through the window so intently, I just thought."

Nightingale was glad her face was covered, otherwise, she would have shown Mare her eyes looking anywhere but her own. "Hmm, quite. Everypony is."

"Well, you can come with me. As long as you keep this between you and I, I can tell you about him. That's what I'm here for."

Nightingale smiled back. "That would be nice. But can we walk slowly? I'm not exactly a morning pony," she muttered as she started walking.

Mare and the guards frowned, the latter even more than before. "But, it's afternoon, almost evening, even."

"Sorry, I've just been walking around the castle all day, and I'm tired." She forced a chuckled. "So, you were saying about...Minuano? I thought his name was Sam,"

Mare's suspicions grew every second as she stared at the strange pony. She was dressed in a brown cloak, completely covering her body and tail, although she could make out her coat color as dark purple, even with her sunglasses and mask blocking her face.

However, not to sound rude, she complied with her and walked beside her with the guards following behind. "Well, about four hours ago..."

Author's Note:

(fixed/rewritten 09/27/2014)

Comments

[The Zealot]

Why are there no comments? There need to be more comments, this story is so good! We need to have Blade Wolf appear at some point, for old time's sake, you know?

[King Leoric]

4733457 I AGREE!

[KVFFour]

4733457
Raiden.

[Oreng Pingvin]

9102201
Noooo Raiden