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The Legend of Sunflare's Knights1,596 words
A Rude Awakening1,913 words
Big Trouble In Little Empire1,552 words
The Reunion2,043 words
The Next Day1,777 words

A Rude Awakening

The Royal Statue Garden in Canterlot is a famous landmark filled with effigies of ponies each representing a virtue or strength.

This is common knowledge.

It is also well-known that a single statue once displayed prominently for all to see was in fact the imprisoned form of Discord, the Spirit of Chaos.

What is less known is that a statue is hidden away amongst the hedges, in the deepest part of the maze.

A statue of a mythical Knight, an upright being akin to a minotaur or an ape, clad in armour and on bended knee, fist pressed against his breastplate.

And as it happened, on this same day that an eccentric unicorn had prattled on endlessly about the creatures, Princess Celestia made a point to visit the Knight's statue.

But it was no idle visit, for while even Celestia herself could not divine her true purpose in arriving at that place, she felt drawn strongly to it, as though some grave importance had been placed on the statue.

No matter how she looked at it she couldn't divine any importance from the statue, quietly she read the inscription on its base, Valour.

But what does it mean? she mused, her thoughts turning as she reread the inscription. This statue is even older than I am, did she hide some secret within it?

No sooner had the thought crossed her mind when shining cracks began to appear in the statue, starting from where the fist touched the breastplate and spreading.

Celestia stepped back warily, her eyes never moving from the statue as the cracks widened and expanded, they weren't cracks at all, but shining lines morphing to become a cohesive bright surface, blinding to a mortal, but not even painful to Celestia.

As quickly as the light appeared, it vanished, leaving a living Knight in place of the statue.

"Who are you?" despite her racing thoughts Celestia's voice was calm, "Why have you appeared before me?"

"Milady," the Knight spoke as he stood, "I am Captain Ardon, commander of the High Lady Sunflare's Knights of Order."

Just minutes earlier, Lyra was arriving at The Golden Oak library, she mused on its previous name, the Tree of Knowing, before she knocked.

She heard a clutter of activity from inside, followed by the door being opened by Spike.

"Oh, hey Lyra," he looked haggard, but pleased to see her, "what brings you here?"

"I came to see Twilight," Lyra grinned broadly, "I got a really interesting manuscript of the legend of Sunflare's Knights."

"Did you say Knights?" Twilight called out as Spike opened the door wider to reveal her standing next to what appeared to be a stone pillar covered in dirt, "Lyra, you have got to come see this!"

Lyra silently approached the pillar as Twilight's wings fluttered nervously, looking closely, it appeared to be some kind of statue.

"What is it?" Lyra asked breathlessly, grime was coated into its crevices and the shape was difficult to make out.

"I haven't finished cleaning it, but I think it's a statue of a Knight!" Twilight's face split in an almost scary smile as she observed her find.

"What?" Lyra's eyes widened as she quickly analyzed the statue, but it's form was just as incomprehensible, "But how can you tell?"

"Look at the inscription here," Twilight pointed to a clean part of the base with some unreadable symbols etched into it, "it's in ancient Equestrian, it matches the inscription on the statue in Canterlot."

"There's a Knight statue in Canterlot?" Lyra's face broke into wonderment at the news.

Twilight nodded, "Not many ponies know about it, but anyway, the inscriptions read 'Valour', which makes sense considering what they're depicting."

Lyra gazed upon the filthy statue with a new appreciation, "How did you find it?"

"That's the strange part," Twilight's expression turned uncomfortable, "I was going to visit Applejack since I hadn't seen her in a while, and I suddenly felt a strange pull on the way there, I followed the feeling and it led me to where it was buried."

"Do you think it was the statu-what?" Lyra cut herself off as cracks of light began appearing under the grime, shining through nonetheless.

"Lyra get down!" Twilight gripped Lyra and Spike in her magic and tossed them into the kitchen just as the statue's light intensified.

Twilight winced in pain as the light receded, revealing a living Knight surrounded by a circle of dirt on the ground.

"Who are you?" she asked hostilely, "What are you?"

"There's no need t'fear, Milady," he drew up to his full height, taller even than Celestia, and thick as a tree to boot, "My name is Garris, a Lieutenant in the High Lady Sunflare's Knights of Order."

"Y-you're a Knight?" Lyra came stumbling in from the kitchen, still shaken by Twilight's spell.

"That is correct Milady, I live to serve," Garris struck his chest with his fist and bowed to Lyra from the waist.

"Hang on a minute," Twilight's voice remained hard with suspicion, "the Order of The Knights of Sunflare were said to have been destroyed eons ago."

"Aye, and we nearly all were," Garris chuckled humourlessly, "and were it not for Celerius, we would be."

"Celerius?" Lyra asked timidly, "Not Celerion?"

"No, definitely not that." Garris shook his head, "It doesn't matter, we have more important matters to attend to."

"You mean like all the holes in your story?" Twilight glared darkly at the Knight, "If you're supposedly from thousands of years ago then how are we even speaking the same language?"

Lyra looked like she was about to object but she was cut off by a bark of laughter from Garris.

"Ye can thank Daystar fer that one, or ye could have once." Garris sighed deeply and buried his face in his palm, "She figured that by the time we would need to be called upon, the common tongue would have changed, and she was right abou' that t'be sure."

"That doesn't change the fact that we have no way of knowing who and what you really are."

"Well that's a simple matter, Highness," Garris crossed his arms contentedly, "just send word t'the High Lady Sunflare herself, she'll vouch fer me."

"But," Lyra started weakly "Tau Sunflare hasn't set hoof on Equestria for almost as long as her Knights were missing."

A dead silence filled the room, and Garris froze where he stood, tense seconds passed as the two mares braced for the large man's reaction, but when he spoke it was with the same friendly tone as before.

"I'm begging yer pardon Milady, but I surely misheard ye somehow, could ye repeat that about the High Lady?"

"It's no mistake," Twilight once more interrupted Lyra, "the last time Tau Sunflare was seen, at least according to legend, was when she received an offering from an artisan sometime before the reign of Discord."

"Discord ah?" Garris scratched his chin thoughtfully, "He hardly sounds like the nicest of chaps."

"He's making an effort."

"Well, it's no matter, I'm sure the High Lady left someone capable in charge," Garris paused to size Twilight up, "and no offense meant, but ye seem to be not much more than a fledgling by the standards of Alicorns."

Twilight bristled at the comment, but Lyra took a chance to make her own interruption.

"The ruler of Equestria is Princess Celestia," she said eagerly, "if anypony should know about you Knights, it'll be her."

"Excellent, then all we have t'do now is send off a message t'yer Princess and I'm sure that Lady Celestia will vouch fer me."

Twilight was about to retort when a loud belch and a green light came from the kitchen, soon followed by an excited purple dragon.

"Twilight, it's from the Princess, priority seal!"

As Spike ran by, Garris' eyes grew to the size of dinner plates watching him, "A dragonling, I haven't seen one since little Smoggy way back when, though I guess it's even longer now."

As Twilight took the letter, Spike grew considerably uncomfortable under Garris' idealistic gaze, "Uh, hi?"

"Hello little friend," Garris smiled widely, "and what would yer name be?"

"Uh, I'm Spike!" the young dragon pointed at himself exuberantly, having regained some confidence.

Garris was about to respond, but Twilight cleared her throat loudly, grasping everyone's attention.

"I apologize for doubting you, Sir Garris," she bowed low as she spoke, "I have been asked by Princess Celestia to escort you to the Equestrian capital of Canterlot, if you would allow me."

"There's no need for that, Milady." Garris smiled as Twilight sheepishly rose, "It seems as though Lady Celestia is more capable than I'd expected, I d'not know how she came t'be aware of me, but it seems we must away to your Canterlot with all haste."

"Thank you for your cooperation, Sir Garris," Twilight smiled awkwardly, "if you could allow Ms. Lyra to accompany you to the train station, I need to gather my companions for the journey."

Garris laughed heartily, "There's no need for such formalities, ye can speak plainly with me."

"Uh, if you say so," Twilight turned to look at Lyra, "you don't mind taking him do you?"

"Wha- n-no not at all!" Lyra looked like she might be in danger of dying from happiness.

"Great, then Lyra, Sir Garris." she inclined her head to each of them in turn, "Let's go Spike!"

Twilight levitated Spike from where he was trying to clean Garris' mess, overriding his objections as she placed him on her back and ran out the door.

"Well then Miss Lyra," Garris eyed the comparatively tiny unicorn, "I imagine ye've a lot of questions fer me, but I'm afraid I'll have t'start with one of my own."

Lyra gulped almost audibly, her eyes showing equal tension and joy, "And what is your question?"

"What in the High Lady's name is a train?"

It was not a quiet walk to the station, but neither was it complicated, very few stopped to stare and they did so understandably, after seeing a literal legend walking the street.

But none of them were prepared for what this living legend truly meant.

Author's Note:

What? Two chapters in one day? Don't get used to it, my update schedule is pretty spotty.

...Still on that unofficial hiatus too...

Oh well, I'm curious what you all thing of my Knight's names?

And what do you think about Garris?

On that note, how do you like my version of Lyra?

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