Before the Dawn

by Thunderblast

Refitting

After grabbing something to eat for lunch at the guard mess hall, Thunderblast seated himself on a bench in the castle gardens, hoping to kill time until he was to report to the armor fitters that evening. It was still a few hours ahead, and simply sitting and waiting would become too boring, even for him to handle. He was off duty that day, which was boring enough.

He lifted his helmet off and set it down beside him, then sat back against the back of the bench and laid his hooves on the top of it as he relaxed. Thunder glanced around at his surroundings, which was almost nothing but trees, shrubs, numerous types of colorful flowers ranging from daffodils, to roses and petunias and everything in between. The garden landscape itself was a florist's dream, and only the best of the best were chosen to take care of it. When new flowers weren't being planted, or the grass wasn't being cut to a perfect height, the only sounds to be heard were an artificial waterfall on a small pond, and the tens of species of birds that inhabited the gardens. To Thunder, it was the definition of peaceful.

As he shut his eyes and laid his head back to take in the warm sunlight, the close sounds of a unicorn teleporting startled him. His head shot up, as did most of his body as Thunder sat up. He quickly looked around for the source, before seeing a unicorn guard galloping towards him. Unlike the others, he wore simple dark grey armor which the front design resembled the design of the Lunar guard's, but of course without the numerous shades of dark blue or purple. The pendant on his armor was yellow, and was of the sun with numerous rays of its light spanning outwards, an emblem Thunder had never seen before. The unicorn also did not wear a helmet, and instead had a yellow-braided silver mane.

"Sergeant Thunderblast?" The unicorn stopped just in front of him, panting slightly from his run.

Thunderblast stood up off of the bench and saluted to the pony. "Lieutenant Alter?"

"Are you on break?"

"No sir," Thunder lowered his hoof. "Off duty for the time being. Is there something you need?"

Alter nodded. "Take this to the Master Sergeant's home in Canterville," he levitated a scroll out of his armor and handed it to Thunder. "Please?"

Thunder nodded, seeing a bit of desperation on the unicorn's face. "Of course, sir."

"Oh, thank you. You are a life saver, sergeant!" The unicorn smiled and took a few steps back, before he lit his horn in a blue aura and teleported away in a bright flash of light.

Thunder squinted his eyes at the flash of light, before opening them back up and looking down to the scroll. "Well, at least this is something to do," he then grabbed his helmet off of the bench and slipped it back onto his head, then opening his wings and taking off into the sky.

Canterville was a short flight away, and resided on the other side of Mount Canter. Unlike Canterlot, Canterville was a much smaller village and somewhat resembled Ponyville architecture-wise, but was also mixed with other types of buildings. The town was mostly secluded, other than long paths that extended around the sides of the mountain to reach it, and other ones made for hiking that went up to the very top of the mountain itself, before winding back down, the paths very few used.

Following the ten minute puddle-jump flight around the mountain, Thunder landed just outside of town and resorted to walking the rest of the way. Although he wasn't given an address to deliver the scroll to, he knew previously just where the master sergeant lived, but it had been a couple of years and things had certainly changed around town.

Thunder came across a small one story stone-finished home. As he dug through his memories of the town, the house seemed familiar, and hoped he was at the right place as he trotted up to the front door, knocking a couple of times.

"Who is it?" A slightly gruff voice said from inside.

"Telegram for Master Sergeant Lionheart?" Thunder replied.

After a few moments of silence, the sounds of heavy hoofsteps approached the door, where it then opened. The pony standing at the door was a taller, well-toned tan pegasus stallion. He stared coldly at Thunder, before speaking.

"A telegram? What for?" He asked.

"I do not know, sir. I am simply the courier."

Lionheart looked over the grey pegasus in front of him. "You don't look much like a courier to me."

"Last minute?" Thunder held the scroll in his hoof.

Lionheart took the scroll in his hoof. "Very well then, thank you er..." He stopped, noticing the silver pin on Thunder's armor. "...First Sergeant," he then threw up a hoof and saluted. "Carry on."

Thunderblast saluted back. "Yes sir, thank you sir."

Lionheart then went back into his home, shutting the door behind him. Thunder lowered his hoof immediately after, then also turned around and trotted back onto the cobble path in front of the pegasus' home. By then, it was still mid afternoon and Thunder still had a few hours before he needed to report to the armor fitter. Thunder opened his wings, taking back off into the sky and making his way around the mountain towards Canterlot.

---

A few hours after his last minute courier delivery to Canterville, Thunderblast trotted into the lower parts of the castle, towards the dungeons. To him, it was the weirdest spot to put an armor fitter, but the pony running it didn't seem to care. As he made his way down the cold, empty hallway, the sounds of metal being hammered in a room ahead could be heard, as well as some orange flashes which he assumed to be from welding.

The hall leading through the dungeons was lit only by torches placed between cells, which the slightest breeze could blow out if one made its way through the room. Thunder glanced around at the dungeon cells to either side, all were vacant, but the slightly rusty chains and shackles that were connected to the walls were left on the floor eerily. It gave him a slight chill up his spine, knowing some ponies had rotted to death in their cells, and the shackles were left untouched since then. Thunder then gulped.

"At least there's a new jail across town if I ever got arrested..."

A minute of walking later, and Thunder finally stopped at the open doorway of a separate room on a rounded corner and up four steps in the hall. A small sign above the arched door read 'Royal Armor Fitters' and was engraved in a smooth wooden plate. He trotted inside, the top of his helmet ringing the bell at the door accidentally. In a side room, the flashes had stopped, and soon trotted out a mud-brown unicorn stallion who wore a welding mask over his face. The mask was engulfed in a white aura of magic, before sliding up over the pony's head.

"Ah, Thundahblast, so nice t'see ya again!"

"How did you know it was me, Forger?" Thunder raised an eyebrow.

"Well, that there armor ah gave ya years ago hasn't changed one bit! There ain't one pegasus ah know that has a grey coat and black hair and conforms with his or her armor! Anyways, ya here to try on yer new armor?" Metal Forger asked, grinning big.

Thunderblast nodded. "I am."

"Hot diggity, then follow me!" Metal levitated the welding mask off of his head and set it on the counter next to Thunder, then trotted into another room ahead of them from another to the side.

Thunder followed the unicorn through an opened wooden door and into the fitting room, where the numerous sets of armor sat on shelves, ranging from the main pieces, to helmets, saddles for officers, to hoof guards and other pieces Thunder has never seen before.

"Wait right here, ah'll get yer armor! Ya came just at the right time, too!" Forger chuckled and trotted back into the side room.

Thunder glanced around at the different assortments of armor, and noticed a section of armor which wasn't colored to fit either the Royal or Lunar Guard, and didn't have the branch emblems either. It was strange, but he shrugged it off when Forger returned with a full set of armor in his magical grasp.

"Here ya go, try it on!" Forger laid the set of armor on a short table and stepped back.

"Thanks," Thunder smiled to the unicorn, then stripped himself of his current armor and put it off to the side, then took the new, shinier set of hoof guards in his hooves, and slipped them on.

Almost instantly, they sat on his hooves comfier than his previous set, and were even still slightly warm from the welding. Next, he picked up the main piece and stuck his head through the larger hole, followed by his wings on the side holes. As he turned to grab what he thought was a new helmet, he was surprised to find instead of a helmet, sat a golden collar, the bottom half of an average guard helmet. He picked it up in a hoof and looked over it for a moment, then slipped it around his neck and adjusted it into place.

Thunder turned around, looking over himself in a mirror. Instead of the usual blue star on his chest, it was bright red, and the metal it was encased in took the form of a mix of a shield on the bottom, and a badge at the top. He turned to his side, looking over the armor and noticing his tail braid was also red, matching the star on his chest.

"Well, how does it feel?"

"It fits perfectly. Its so...comfortable too! Even more than my old set."

Forger chuckled. "That's because ah went and added some cushioning on the inside, and some insulation for when it gets cold!"

Thunder smiled as he looked over his new set of armor, transitioning his wings from being folded, to open at full length.

"Just wait 'till the other guards see ya, their jaws will drop!" Forger chuckled again.