The Veins Run Deeper

by Thunderblast

A Silent Knight

The warm late-summer days gradually began to cool, albeit only a couple of degrees. Within the course of a week, training had fully kicked in for the new recruits. Above all, Halfmoon and Duskbloom performed the greatest, as expected by Night Shadow. Unexpectedly as well, no injuries had occurred at the end of every day—no worse than sore bodies and minor dehydration due to disobedience in terms of drinking water when needed.

When the weekend came to a disappointing close, the work grind restarted for Night, spending much of his time sorting through paperwork regarding the recruits, as well as scheduled post changes for normal Lunar guards assigned under him. He'd always had a distaste for post changes and rotating who's guarding where, as it came with deep thought that pushed headaches onto him for days to come after finishing up, and each time seemed to become more stressful.

Tuesday morning started off quite earlier than the norm. Freshening up in his bathroom, Night dressed himself in the main armor piece and hoof guards, and headed down to the guard barracks before the sun is expected to crest. Today would mark the first day of his involvement in the recruits' guidance to becoming one of the princess' royal defenders.

At that time, the barracks were just beginning to show signs of life as other recruits came out to begin their training, while some finished up for the night. Looking around at his surroundings, Night saw a mixture of city guards, day palace guards, and night guards, as well as the new recruits of each, wandering around in groups preparing to head out on patrols, or for exercises to put them into shape. Night's new recruits would soon follow in their hoofsteps as soon as he could get them up.

Stepping up to the barrack Night remembered to currently house the five thestrals, he knocked rather loudly on the metal door, jolting the occupants inside awake. Twisting the knob, he burst into the room, a hard glare crossing him as everypony sat upright and rushed to their hooves.

"Everypony up! Come on, move it!" He shouted, pretending to not notice Stellar Star becoming entangled in his bed sheets and falling from the top bunk and down to the floor with a loud thud and a painful grunt.

When all were up and standing at perfect attention stance, Night advanced into the room, then stopped once more to eye them carefully.

"While I was not here for Sergeant Lodestar's sessions this past week, I must say, he has done decent so far. He is certainly my most trustworthy. But until the time comes where I cannot break you five in, you will miss him dearly. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir."

"Pardon, what was that?" Night lifted a hoof to his ear.

"Yes, sir!"

"Very good." Night nodded once. "All of you, on me. Line up."

At his order, the five gathered in a single-file line behind Night, following him out of the small structure. From there, the group marched away from the Guard barracks, to a more open area near the palace for training.

***

With the sun now beginning to rise, shedding some light across Canterlot through building clouds, the training grounds of the Royal Guard could now be seen easier than before. The grounds themselves consisted of a large, looping dirt track, surrounding a lengthy obstacle course, and a sparring field currently occupied by a few other guard trainees.

Standing at the start line of the track, Night Shadow and Lodestar looked over the five one final time, Night holding a stopwatch in his hoof. All were at half-attention stance, focused on the task ahead—forty continuous laps of running. No winners, aside from the last pony to be still running will receive a higher score than the others. That's if anypony dropped out at all.

"Y'all may stop for quick sips of water, nothing else. You may slow to a jog, but not a walk. Keep a pace you are comfortable with at first, then push yourself up. If you get yourself stuck in some mud, don't stop, don't call for help, it's up to you to get yourself out. That's how it is in the field," Lodestar explained, voice raised over the low roar of a breeze blowing through the nearby trees, a storm approaching.

"I also don't want to see any flying. Is that clear to each and every one of you?" Night called out after the earth pony finished.

"Yes, sir!" The five answered in flawless unison.

"Then get your sorry flanks moving. Think about what the sergeant said the whole time, recruits. Is that perfectly clear?"

"Yes, sir!" They once again replied unitedly.

At that, the five thestral ponies began down the track as cold drops of water began to fall from the sky, pattering down on the soft dirt. Another chilling breeze swept across the grounds, this one stronger than before. A couple of leaves broke free from their branches, floating quickly past the recruits and blowing across the ground as the rain began to pick up slightly.

Starting the stopwatch timer and lifting up an umbrella, opening the canopy, Night held it above him and the dark cyan stallion to his right, watching as the recruits disappeared around a corner, leading into the small forest edging off the cliff. Lodestar, out of concern, raised an eyebrow and glanced over to Night.

"Are you sure sending them out in the rain first thing in the morning was a good idea, captain?" He asked.

"I wouldn't worry. They haven't reached the PGA yet. What they throw at you there is far worse than any weather Canterlot would see on a normal basis," Night replied, keeping his gaze set out toward the tree line.

Lodestar nodded after a short pause, too looking out ahead of them. After a few more moments, he looked down at his hooves, lifting one up from the gradually-becoming wet ground.

"I probably should have worn my hoof guards today."

***

By thirty laps, the rain still came down hard, turning the whole of the training grounds into a giant mud pit, more so the track in which the five had been running on. Eventide unwillingly dropped out, having pushed herself further than ordered and grew too tired to continue. From there, she was forced to watch the remaining four work their way to the goal.

Running and jogging became severely difficult. With the heavy rain and wind, added to the muck causing the four to sink in, they were slowed down significantly. At any moment, one was bound to be completely stopped by the increasingly deep mud. None, however, were ready to give in. This surprised Night, much less Lodestar.

Soon, weather conditions deteriorated significantly. At thirty-five laps, Night called them off of the track and to a small detached palace building where other guards caught out in the elements gathered to wait out the storm. Luckily, the building's occupants offered towels to dry off. For the recruits, it was clean themselves off as much as they could and worry about a shower later.

Remarkably, the downpour cleared almost completely within the following ten minutes. While it only slowed to a slight drizzle, it was enough to safely step back outside.

Small loose branches previously attached to nearby trees now lay scattered across the grassy, puddle-covered field. Detached leaves fluttered down in the still-strong breeze much like snowflakes, adding to the work the palace landscapers had on their plate.

With every step came a mushy, wet squish, as if walking on a massive sponge in the shower. Mud quickly collected on just about everypony's hooves as they returned to what they were doing prior to the inclement weather.

Leading the group over to the path once more—a previously dry dirt path, now turned completely into a pit of deep, thick mud, Night stopped, looking over it completely.

"No point in getting back on this. Thirty-five was enough, for now. We'll push it up to forty-five tomorrow and make sure you all actually make that," Night said as he turned to face the group.

"For now, we will be moving to other physical exercises. How does that sound?" He then said, grin coming across his muzzle.

Three of the five thestrals had their eyes open up wide, the other two nodding once, appearing giddy to begin.

Upon finding a slightly drier area, the five lined up, Night Shadow and Lodestar in front of them.

"Fifty push-ups, then twenty wing-ups. No breaks. I know your wings are not nearly as strong as those of a pegasus, like myself," Night said, flaring his wings out to full length. "But it helps to build as much muscle as you can, especially in your weak spots. Now, assume push-up position."

The five dropped into position, Stellar Star falling face-first into the damp ground with a muffled thud. Night rolled his eyes and facehoofed, Lodestar furrowing a brow. The grey bat stallion pushed himself back up quickly, into the push-up position, his face half-covered with a layer of mud and grass. To his left, Eventide had to keep herself from bursting into a fit of laughter.

Night glared daggers at the dark-blue mare, making her quiet down in an instant. He and Lodestar checked over the small group one last time, before the word was given.

"Go."

The five dropped down, muzzles barely hanging off of the blades of grass. What muscles they had forced them back upright, stiffening their arms, before unlocking and the process starting all over again.

Five pushups, ten. Fifteen passed with little issue. Beyond that, Stellar Star and Eventide began to slow down slightly, though not too much. Midnight Blade kept going, having a steady pace with her the whole time. Halfmoon and Duskbloom, their exercise was flawless.

"Tell me where you found these ponies again?" Lodestar asked with a smirk, looking over to Night as he watched.

"I found three of them at a train station. Or, more like, they found me," Night replied honestly.

The dark cyan stallion glanced down to the stopwatch, the timer ticking past the one-minute-fifteen mark. His eyes moved back up to the thestrals, seeing Halfmoon and Duskbloom having stood up from completing the push-ups.

"That's fifty," Night nodded once to the mare and stallion bat ponies. "Wait for the others for wing-ups."

The two nodded, standing at attention and not once breaking until it was time. Midnight Blade soon joined them. Three minutes after the timer started, Lodestar clicked it off the moment the remaining two completed the exercise.

"Reset the stopwatch, sergeant. Twenty wing-ups, go."

At his word, the watch was restarted, and the five held their forehooves to their chest, only holding themselves upright with their wings. This seemed to be the breaking point, as all at this point were struggling. Their bodies shook, hardly being able to push themselves up and down with just their bare wings. Of the five, Midnight Blade seemed to do the most well, her wings significantly larger than the others.

However, it took the same amount of time for all to finish. Upon doing so, the group pushed themselves to their hooves, bodies shaking and chests heaving. Their wings twitched and throbbed with pain, not at all being accustomed to such performance.

Lodestar moved the watch over for Night to see, the captain nodding and the sergeant tucking it away. Both looked back to the five bat ponies.

"Sloppy. That's to be expected as I'm sure none of you have ever had to do a wing-up. We will work on that over time. For now, it's time to eat. Chow house is serving breakfast, go," Night ordered.

"Yes, sir," the five replied in unison, breaking formation to find the mess hall.

Night let out a deep sigh, watching as they walked off in a tight group. Lodestar kept his eye set on Night, concerned once more.

"Something wrong, boss?"

"This is going to be a long three months, Lode."

"Oh, you don't have to explain that to me, not one bit, captain. But, look on the bright side. It'll all pay off in the end."

"I sure hope so," Night turned, making direct eye contact with the dark cyan pony. "Without a doubt, somepony's going to get themselves hurt... badly. I pray it isn't you or anypony else."

"Real touching, Captain. I—"

"I'm telling you that as a friend, not as your commanding officer, Lode."

"Yes, of course, Night," Lodestar bobbed his head in a nod of understanding. "Although, things can only get worse if you make them be that way."

"What's that mean?" Night's eyebrow raised.

"I'm telling you not to interfere with their training," Lodestar replied with a complete-stoic look on his face. "You're not happy that they're here. Well, three of them, that is. But, I would hate to find out later on that they are quitting or resigning because you had something to do with it."

"And why would I ever do that, Lode?"

"Because you're afraid."

This hit Night, his eyes widening. "What? Afraid?"

"You will figure it out. I'm going to go catch some grub, see you here later," Lode said, walking in the direction the recruits went, without another word spoken.

Night observed, a cocked brow mixed with a slight glare as the sergeant left.

Afraid? Afraid of what? Surely he's being his sarcastic, snarky self again.

***

Week after week after week, Night Shadow's shock developed into a typical thought of his as the recruits advanced through their training. The top scores belonged to both Halfmoon and Duskbloom, having previously completed Lunar Guard training aided their advantage. Midnight Blade followed close behind, putting great effort into daily exercises and was quickly catching up to Half and Dusk. Stellar Star and Eventide remained last, yet pursuing improved scores.

Despite their lack to keep up all of the time, Night believed it was time for them to move on to the next step of their elite training—all of them.

Beyond the grounds and below Canterlot's surface height sat the Pegasi Guard Acrobatics facility, as some would call, a 'military base in the sky'. It included four barracks, a mess hall, a Central Command office, and finally, the training yard—all built on a cluster of cloud islands interconnected with narrow steel bridges.

"Listen up! This, right here, is where many of the Guard's best pegasus ponies came for aerial training. Here, they test you to your limits, both in air agility, and combat expertise. When you're fighting in the sky, it's a whole new dynamic, one you do not want to be stuck in without an idea of what is best to do," Night explained thoroughly, walking up and down the short line.

"Should we also mention that for the next three weeks, you all will be temporarily housed here, at the PGA. There will be no leaving until you've fully completed your next stage of training," explained Skye Racer, taking over for Lodestar.

"Are there any questions?" Night then asked, slowly looking over the line. Halfmoon raised her hoof, and he nodded to her.

"Is this at all like the Wonderbolts training camp?" Halfmoon lowered her hoof.

Night nodded, then shook his head, then shook his head in a nod. "Yes, and no. Yes, because there is similar equipment. No, because it's far worse," he grinned slightly.

Simply hearing the final two words made them become at least slightly fearful for the coming days. In the slightest, it even concerned Skye, remembering he'd gone through similar training years prior to becoming a Zodiac.

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Stellar Star lifted up his hoof.

"Yes, recruit?" Night looked to him.

"Where's Sergeant Lodestar?"

"Unfortunately, only pegasi and bat ponies are granted the ability to walk freely on clouds. Therefore, he is on standby for the final stage of your training, one month from now. Until then, I am assigning Lance Corporal Skye Racer to watch over your training by my side," Night explained further.

"Now, any more questions? Anypony?" Night checked one final time. This time, no one raised their hooves. "Good. Now, Skye, if you would please, take them to their barrack to get them settled."

"Yes, Captain," the lance corporal gave a quick salute, bringing the line of thestrals toward one of the bridges leading to the cloud island where the barracks were situated.

Night stood in place, observing the six march off to the barrack. Suddenly, they stopped. Skye quickly galloped back to Night with a look of slight urgency.

"What is it, Skye?" Night's brow raised.

"I almost forgot, sir. I have been told you have been requested for a face-to-face meeting at the palace."

"Face-to-face? By whom?"

"Lieutenant Silent Knight, Princess Luna's House Guard."

This made Night's pupils expand with surprise. "Thank you, Skye. I'll go there at once."

The two quickly exchanged salutes, Skye returning to the line and leading them off to their barrack, and Night opening his wings and flying upward, toward the cliff side city above.

***

Landing atop one of the many narrow bridges adorning the palace just past dusk, Night entered through a tower staircase, rounding down and into the castle halls, near Princess Luna's wing, and also near the House Guard offices. This was a sector of the castle neither Night nor his guards went through, knowing it was covered by another squadron guarding the moon princess.

Night stepped up to a frosted glass door within the House Guard wing and knocked twice. On it read Lieutenant Silent Knight in all-dark blue, matching Princess Luna's coat color perfectly.

"Door's open," came a deep voice from inside.

With that, Night took the door knob in his hoof and twisted it downward, stepping in to the spacey office. He stood to attention, raising his hoof in a respectful salute. "Lieutenant."

Standing up from his chair, the larger, stockier snow-white pegasus returned the salute proudly, motioning afterward for Night to sit at his desk. "Please, have a seat, Captain."

Night pulled the chair out, slipping down into it, then scooting closer to the lieutenant's desk. "You... wished to speak to me, sir?"

"Yes, yes, I did, and it has been some time since I was interested in doing so. I received word that you, along with some help of your guards, are training new recruits. How is that going, may I ask?" Silent Knight made steady eye contact with Night, the blankest of expressions on his face.

"It is going well. The recruits are proving themselves successful in completing the required exercises, some even going further to better themselves. A couple are troubled, though they are trying, which I will give them that," Night explained.

"It has been one month since they started, yes?"

"Correct, sir. Although, two of them, Halfmoon and Duskbloom are their names, they have been through Lunar Guard training already and are determined to shoot for the Zodiac Guard ranks. They are the best of their class right now."

"Impressive." Silent nodded once. "I don't suppose you are having much trouble with monitoring their training, are you?"

"Not at all, sir. I will admit, however, I am not used to training more than one, let alone five. Sergeant Lodestar has been a great help, and now, Lance Corporal Skye Racer."

"They are your guards, correct?"

"Yes, sir."

"I thought so. Do you both watch them over, or is it one at a time?"

"It is both of us, sir. I primarily am their instructor, either Sergeant Lodestar or Lance Corporal Skye supervise the recruits and make corrections."

Silent Knight nodded comprehensively, taking a moment to speak. "I hope it won't be too much trouble, but, one of these times, I would be interested in our squadrons working together. I know, that apparently, there is some controversy going about the barracks that one is trying to replace the other, which is not at all true. I hope you are aware of that."

"I was not aware those kinds of discussions were spreading at all, sir."

"Well, they are, and it is causing some conflict. I simply intended to let you know that no one is taking anypony's place, in the event that you believed such thoughts."

"Not at all, sir. I do too wish we could share an assignment one day. It would certainly give us an opportunity to show each other just how hard we could work to get things done, both us and our squadrons."

"Of course," Silent Knight nodded once more. "Soldier bonding is also a necessity, especially on the battle field."

"I couldn't agree more, Lieutenant," Night nodded once, keeping his look stern.

"Now, back to your recruits. I hear all five of them are of thestral origin, some of which from your home?"

Night once again nodded. "Yes, sir. Three of five. The other two originate from Hollow Shades."

"I'm also aware that you are the one who reconciled your colony with Equestrian diplomats, yes?"

"Not just me, Lieutenant. First Lieutenant Thunderblast, Royal Guard, also helped. It was a tough road, but, we made it."

Silent Knight grew a small smile. "I find it somewhat ironic that such events happened not long after our dear Princess Luna was given back to us."

"Sir?" Night raised an eyebrow and tilted his head slightly.

"Now, I do not fully believe that the colonies reuniting had to do with her return, and was all simply coincidental to time itself. Then again, our princesses work in mysterious ways, don't they?"

"They do, sir."

"Please, call me Silent. You and I both know you outrank me by a mile."

Night shook his head. "Different squads, different circumstances."

Silent waved his hoof, then chuckled slightly. "Princess Luna was so right about you, always so formal."

"She talks about me to you?"

"Of course. She talks about me, too, from what I've heard, and other guards she's close to. Princess Celestia does the same thing, I'm sure. You see, one of the keys to being a good bodyguard is befriending the very pony you're meant to protect. I think it's safe to say you and I have that crossed off the list already."

Night sighed at that, but then agreed. "I can't disagree with that statement."

"Nopony can, it's fact. That goes the same way for your fellow guards. Friendship equals clearer communication, and clearer communication is the best weapon anypony has. Remember that the next time, and maybe, we can all work together to solve the world's problems, because we're guards. Isn't that what we're made for?"

Night lifted his head slightly, cracking a little smile. "Yes, Silent."

Author's Note:

Special thanks to Anzel for allowing me to feature his OC, Silent Knight, in this chapter!

It took extensive research and multiple prereaders to perfect Silent Knight's personality within the chapter, although he didn't have much of a role. Also, please note that this entire story does not take place within the QnB Universe, therefore things are definitely different than Anzel and Crystal's stories.

Comments

[Valiant Charge]

Awesome! Can't wait for next update.

[SeaBreeze173]

I like what you are doing with Skye. great chapter!

[Silver Chord]

With that, Night took the door knob in his hoof and twisted it downward, stepping in to the spacey office. He stood to attention, raising his hoof in a salute. "Lieutenant, sir."

Standing up from his chair, the larger, stockier snow-white pegasus returned the salute proudly, motioning afterward for Night to sit at his desk. "Please, have a seat, Captain."

I just wanted to address this mainly due to the fact that I have experience with the Army and the ranking system.

Now, I know that this is Equestria and things are different here, but in all seriousness, I just want to explain this. In the Army Chain of Command, A Lieutenant (Depending if it's a Second or First) is actually a rank below a Captain. Above a Captain is a Major, then Lieutenant Colonel, then Colonel. After that it's the General's. I don't know if you have the ranks in a different order in this story. If you do, then okay, I won't say anything. But I just wanted to say something, that's all. The Army inside just told me too. Anyways, carry on!