The Dawn's Horizon

by T3mp3st

9

"Seriously, Twi, I don't understand the sudden need for a platoon of guards to be sent here," Dawsntar spoke as he read, reread, and rereread the letter from Celestia. Looking up at the formation of Elite Guards and one Arc Trooper, he continued, "I can understand a few bodyguards, but sending us a whole platoon of Elite Guards seems like overkill. Let's not even mention what attention the Arc Trooper will draw."

Twilight sat across from the golden stallion, who sat in the very same regal form as his mother. They were going over their royal duties for the day, Dawnstar going over wanted posters, laws, terrorist threats, and treaties; while she focused on studying Equestrian history, and making detailed notes on the evolution of how Celestia ruled. After taking a quick sip of her tea, she replied back, "I'm just as surprised as you are, Dawn. Yet considering how Blueblood's been conspiring against both of us, I think she just wants to be safe."

Dawnstar let out a small chuckle as he studied a case focused on herd marriages and their impact on civilization. "Mother always said that Aunt Tia was always overprotective." He lowered the parchment and looked at the Arc Trooper.

He had seen a few during his time in Canterlot, but they were always being sent away somewhere or checking back in. To actually be able to be in control of one was an interesting feeling. The trooper was covered from head to foot in a special magic resistant armor, which ranked higher than even his own personal armor. The main color of the armor was white, but a few accented blue patterns were placed to mark a sense of individualism; several scratches covered the trooper's armor, showing signs of wear and tear. The fully engulfed helmet on his head had tinted slits where his eye and mouth would be. His horn was the only thing not covered in armor, sporting an enhancement ring that allowed him to preform even the most complex spells.

Dawnstar reminded himself of the Arc Troopers come upance. Being the primary item of Military Research and Development, spending time from foalhood to enlistment age in a training facility focused on creating them, being treated with the highest rank and respect in the Guard. The list went on and on in his head, but the sound of the trooper talking broke Dawnstar from his train of thought.

"Arc Trooper Waxer at your service, Sir," He said with a quick salute, his voice somewhat hushed by the helmet, "I have been assigned as your personal guard, and are ready to serve." Dawnstar returned the salute and glanced back at the Elites standing behind him.

"Who are they under?"

"Princess Twilight Sparkle, Sir. It is my understanding that she could use a boost in morale since she was unsure of her new title." Dawn saw a hint of red appear on Twilight's face as she inspected the Elites, which had a more upgraded and demanding training than normal Guards. Their dark blue uniforms reminded Dawn of Luna's fur.

"Well, Waxer, I look forward to working with you."

"As am I, Sir."

Not even five seconds after they had finished speaking, Bon-Bon had burst through the library entrance in a full gallop and yelled to the two royals, "Your majesties, we have trouble! There.... has been.... an attempted fillynapping," She said between deep breaths for air, "Lyra... stayed behind with Roseluck at her shop, but I think she's been hurt..." Bon-Bon turned her attention to Dawnstar, who had a very sick feeling forming inside. Bon-Bon felt the sting of tears form in her eyes and fell to the ground in front of him. She was quickly caught in his magic and was gently placed on the couch to rest.

Dawnstar turned his gaze to Twilight, who nodded in agreement; Dawn motioned for Waxer to follow him, while Twilight went to work setting a perimeter around town with her new platoon.

Blueblood stood atop part of the mountain that held Ponyville captive in its shadow, just begging to become apart of his soon to be kingdom. A twig snapping behind him caused the white unicorn to turn his head and acknowledge his visitors. Behind him stood four beings; two of whom were Moneybags and a bound and gagged Roseluck, the other two were a Pegasus member of his personal guard and a representative of the Minotaur mercenaries that he hired.

"Relieve her of that unsightly thing, Moneybags, we aren't so barbaric that we cannot allow a civilized conversation." The brown unicorn snorted as he undid the gag in Rose's mouth, causing her to cough and sputter as it left her mouth. While she was gasping and catching her breath, Blueblood looked up to Moneybags. "I must say, my friend, I am much surprised by your ability to out do your brother. It's to bad he isn't here to see our plan come to fruitition."

Moneybags gave a bow to his new lord, "You flatter me, My Lord, but it was shocking to hear that you wanted to waste such a beautiful mare. You know I had specifically trained her to be a good little breeder, though I personally never had the chance to make it happen. Needless to say that I look forward to it again" Rose cringed when she heard the predatory growl escape his throat.

"As much as it peeks my interest, it saddens me that you won't be around much longer to try." Rose took notice of the change in Blueblood's tone, it carried a sinister side to it.

"I beg your pardon, My Lord, but what do you mean?" Moneybag's eyes shrunk to the size of pinpricks as Blueblood started to turn around to fully face him, his face taking a dark form that Rose never thought possible from anypony.

"What I mean is that I have no further assistance from you. You brought my consolation prize, and now all I have to do is destroy those pesky, low class wretches. I do hope you'll accept my apologies, but understand, sacrifices must be made." Before Moneybags could react, a beam of energy shot from Blueblood's horn. Rose looked in fear as she lay on the ground, watching Blueblood's tear through the brown noble like tissue paper. After several seconds, the lifeless body of Moneybags hit the ground next to Roseluck, who lay there shaking in fear. Her attention quickly turned to Blueblood, who had started talking again.

"It's a shame really. Had he not been so focused on his pathetic goal, I may have allowed him to lead my armies to battle." His attention turned towards Roseluck then back to his other two visitors. "Iron Fist, I understand that your men are ready?"

The black Minotaur stepped forward and gave a slight bow of respect, "Of course, Sire. We stand ready to destroy those who oppose House Blueblood. My men are separated between the two fronts as you asked." Blueblood smirked as the beast took his leave with another bow.

"My Lord, do you think it's wise to allow this mare to listen to your plans? What if she's able to get word out?" The Pegasus spoke up, his golden armor a large contrast to his black fur. His mane, cutie mark, and tail were covered by a blue hood and cloak. Blueblood gave the stallion a nonchalant wave as he passed it off as unimportant.

"Relax, Nightwish, I doubt that she'll be any threat to us. Besides once my army begins it's march, the Princesses and those dirty half blooded whelps will only be able to watch as their beloved Equestria recognizes me as their rightful ruler! As for her," Rose felt fear build up inside her as a white hoof was pointed at her, "Lock her up someplace secluded, I don't care where at or whose tent; I have plans for her."

Nightwish bowed to his master and hoisted the bound Roseluck onto his back, taking flight shortly after. Blueblood turned back towards the valley with a confident smile on his muzzle, watching the unmistakable form of a small alicorn speeding to Canterlot.

Dawnstar watched Twilight Sparkle fly off towards Canterlot with a speed that could rival Rainbow Dash. When she was finally out of sight, he turned to the platoon of Elite Guards in front of him. If the information was to be believed from the letter he received from Lyra, his main focus had to be on protecting his ponies. A part of him felt hurt that he wasn't going to be rescuing Rose, but his faith in Waxer gave him the strength to focus on the task at hand. All around him ponies were busy packing and evacuating their homes; if Blueblood was indeed going to attack the small town, the he was not going to have the satisfaction of innocent lives being caught in the crossfire.

Only a few ponies stayed behind, offering their services in order to protect their home. If it was one thing that Dawnstar loved about the small town, it was the source of togetherness that irradiated from the inhabitants during troubling times. His thoughts were interrupted when an Elite landed in front of him.

"Sir, the Elements have made it to the Underground and are helping the rest of the refugees there." Dawnstar gave a nod of acknowledgement as he turned to the white Pegasus. "Also, Waxer has instructed me to inform you that he had found the camp of the alledged foalnapper. He says that the camp is housing a small army that are hailing under the banner of Blueblood. He will contact you when he has more information." Dawnstar gave another nod and turned towards Canterlot. Hopefully, Twilight was successful in alerting the Princesses and the Crystal Empire.

"Any word about Lyra's sister?"

"Yes, Sir, we have a squad inspecting Moneybags' home at this time, she has been placed under Lyra's care for now."

"Very good, Captain, you're dismissed." The two stallions saluted each other and the Pegasus left. He focused his attention to the ground, muttering to himself, "Rose, please be safe."

Waxer lay low in the bush that concealed his body as he watched the camp's inhabitants move about their daily duties. It had been several days since he first discovered the camp, but he needed more information on where they were keeping Roseluck. As he hopped from one piece of cover to the next, the sudden sound of a horn bellowed over the camp and the deep rumbling sounds of Minotaur war horns and a marching army sounded deep within the camp. Cursing silently, made his way to a vantage point to see a large army consisting of both ponies and Minotaurs. The black armor they wore gave the illusion of a black plague that swept across the land towards Canterlot. Waxer watched in astonishment as the army slowly made its way down the mountain, every so often the sounds of its battle cries reaching his ears.

Backing away and finding another piece of cover, he focused his magical energy in his horn. The spell itself was a simple one, giving him the ability to telecommunicate with anypony in Equestria. The hard part was getting to the right pony's mind. After several attempts, he made a successful connection, feeling his charge's magic mix with his own. "Your highness, this is Waxer."

"Waxer, is that you? How are you able to do this?" The puzzlement in Prince Dawnstar's voice caused the armored unicorn to smile.

"I'll explain later, Sir, but right now we have a problem." He continued to search the now almost abandoned camp, being sure to stay out of the sight of a few stragglers left to protect it. "Blueblood's army has just departed from their camp, estimated at three thousand. More than likely troops from the noble's personal armies. He has also taken the liberty to hire several Minotaur mercenaries. I have not been able to confirm whether or not they are planning on attacking two fronts."

After a small pause, Dawn's voice echoed in his head again, "Do we have an ETA?"

"Tomorrow." A sigh was part of his reply.

"Dammit, that means we'll be short reinforcements for a day. Thanks for the information, Waxer, I'll be sure to pass it to Celestia. What about Rose? Have you been able to locate her yet?" Waxer gave a physical shake of his head, even though the conversation was mental.

"Not yet, Sir, but I believe that I'll be able to locate her soon. The camp is practically abandoned, save for a few guards here and there."

"I understand," Disappointment was evident in the prince's voice as he replied, causing Waxer to flinch internally, "When you find her; bring her straight to Canterlot. Use the servant's entrance and passages in order to avoid any fighting until you get to the Throne Room. I'm trusting you with her life. Be sure that nothing happens to her."

"Roger that, Sir." Waxer ended the spell after he spoke and continued his search of the camp.

Author's Note:

Another chapter down and a few more to go! Focusing on getting the plot to its tipping point, and I promise that next chapter we'll finally see Blueblood get what's coming. As always let me know what you guys think, and spread the word.

Comments

[SageBrony07]

Good story. Creative OC. You have great potential as a writer.

[Emerald Knight]

Nice man its was awesome man can't wait for more