• Published 29th Feb 2016
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Trials of a Royal Guard - Anzel



Duty, honor, and loyalty above all else. That was what Silent Knight had been told ever since he was a colt. They had guided him all his life and he was more than ready to follow in his father’s hoofsteps by dedicating himself to the Royal Guard.

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63. A Fresh Beginning

If there had ever been a perfect day in the past, today would certainly have rivaled it. The best ponies on the weather team had been called upon to ensure the exact right cloud cover above Canterlot so that it received the most natural light but wasn’t too hot.

A lovely breeze, a comfortable temperature, and the sounds of a populace in celebration turned a usually stuffy city into one of bright sights and spectacles. Ponies had hung colorful banners from their windows and brought out their blooming flowers. There had been so many that the air even had a sweet smell to it.

Dream Pop and I stood side by side in front of a small but beautiful headstone. It was made of white marble and had the image of an owl carved into it. The inscription was plain and fitting: ‘Exemplar Ferrel, Friend to many, Hero to all.’

“It was a lovely ceremony,” Dream Pop said softly, dabbing at her eyes with a kerchief.

“It was. I think it is exactly what she would have wanted,” I replied honestly. There hadn’t been much fanfare and we’d kept it to a small crowd. It was simply the princesses, Priestess Myree, Exarch Glory, Tranquil, Sunny, Miley, Dream Pop, and myself. Beautiful, simple, and elegant. Just like Ferrel.

“You know, Silent Knight, I spend so much time helping other ponies deal with loss but it never makes it any easier when it’s me. This was supposed to be a fun adventure, like in the story books. At the end, everypony comes out okay, even if it is a little cheesy how they did it,” Dream Pop explained.

I set a hoof on her shoulder and gently squeezed. “Sometimes, even in the happiest of tales, not everypony comes home. I think it is all based on the aggregate. Ferrel died making a big enough difference to ensure our lives would be better.”

“Rationally, I understand that. Emotionally, it will take some time to accept it,” she replied softly.

“Well, if you need somepony to talk to, I’m here for you. I’m not qualified like you are, but at least I’m your friend.”

Dream Pop smiled and looped a hoof around me. We embraced warmly and she whispered, “I’d like that very much. You’re my favorite friend-client, after all.”

After lingering in the hug, I finally pulled back and motioned in the direction of the cemetery gates. “I should be getting back to Crystal. Would you like to come? It might make you feel better.”

She shook her head. “No, I’m going to stay a while and talk to Ferrel. I have a lot of questions to ask her and I just want her to hear them. You heard ponies when you were dead, right?”

What an odd question to ask. Well, odd for anypony else. I smiled and nodded. “Yes, yes I did. Ask her anything you want. Tell her what you want. She’ll hear you.” I wasn’t sure that was completely true, but if I’d learned anything from Dr. Kitty, it was that what we do to make us feel better doesn’t necessarily have to be proven by science and fact. It just had to work.

“I will. I know it has only been a week since we won, but I already have so much to tell her,” she replied before laying down on the spot in front of the headstone.

“Don’t forget anything. I’ll see you later,” I said before patting her back with a wing and trotting towards the cemetery entrance. It was a longer distance than it used to be. The Canterlot Military Cemetery had been expanded three times in the last two years.

Real estate was a tight commodity on the side of a mountain, but nopony kicked up any fuss when it had been time to do the work. Crystal had said that many of the citizens of the city had come out to help to do the expansion. Bits had poured into the charity fund and land holders readily gave up their claims. That was nice.

On previous visits here, I’d felt guilty walking through the cemetery instead of being buried in it. If I were to really think about it, I probably had more friends resting nearby than any other pony I knew.

That guilt was something I was now putting behind me. Something I had to let go so that I could move forwards. Someday, eventually, they’d bury me here, but there was no reason to rush towards that.

Not for me and not for the friends I still had living, either. Gray Maelstrom, as an example, had pulled through just fine. Her horn had been fractured with a small piece splitting near the base. She’d fought with the doctors to leave it be. Evidently, that was a badge of courage for her kind.

Lightning Hammer was also managing to keep things together after his ordeal. Once we’d defeated Maristella, he’d been found trying to put out the fire in the Everfree. He’d be watched for a while, required to receive mental help, but he was a tough pony. He’d make it.

All of the others I’d been with were similarly recovering. It seems like everypony had decided that the best thing to do was put one hoof in front of the other and keep going. As I said, there was no reason to rush being here. One day, but not today.

When I neared the large marble arch that framed the entrance, I couldn’t help but notice a crystal unicorn lingering near it. He was easy to spot since he stood out from everything else.

If I were to guess, I’d have said he was an emerald of some kind. A fairly normal coat color for a crystal. What caught my attention was his armor. It was the grey, ceremonial suit of one of Minister Sombra’s guards.

“Major Knight,” he called as I approached. His form stiffened to attention.

“What can I do for you, Sergeant?” I asked before motioning for him to ease.

“I apologize for the timing of this, but you’ve been summoned to Central Command. At your earliest convenience of course, sir, but… uh… sir, I think they want to see you now,” he stammered.

That was the oddest summons I’d ever received before. My earliest convenience but also now. “Who is they, Sergeant?” I asked, already suspecting the answer.

“Minister Sombra, sir! And General Winddancer, too. Oh, and Brigadier Armor. Plus the colonels and such,” he prattled on before biting his lip. “Actually, sir, I think we’d best go now. If you’re okay with that, sir?”

That was quite a list of ponies. I’d expected to hear from some of them sooner or later. After all, I didn’t have a command or role. I’d just been roaming about on the princess’s business collecting a check.

“Alright, Sergeant, let’s go.”

“Yes, sir!” he replied before trotting a few steps and then stopping. “Sir?”

“Yes?”

“You mean, we’re going to just trot there?” he asked.

I blinked. “Can you fly?”

He shook his head no.

“Well, if you’re going to escort me, we’re going by hoof.”

He nodded. “Good thinking, sir.”

Royal Guard Central Command had always been directly connected to Canterlot Castle even if the main guard campus wasn’t. Both locations weren’t far from the cemetery, either, which was probably a good thing for my escort. I clearly made him nervous. He jabbered the whole way and second guessed himself constantly.

“Here we are, sir,” he said softly before motioning to the door of Minister Sombra’s private conference room.

“Thank you,” I replied before knocking.

“Come in,” came the minister’s voice.

I did as he asked and trotted inside. Minister Sombra was seated at the head of his V-shaped conference table. General Winddancer was on his right and Brigadier Armor was on his left. There were a couple of other ponies, mostly colonels, along the wings.

“I hope I didn’t keep you all waiting, sir,” I added as I moved to the middle of the V and stood at attention.

The minister waved a hoof. “Not at all, Silent. Well… yes, I think you’ve kept Shining Armor and me waiting, but not in this instance. We’ve been in here for weeks reintegrating ponies.

“In light of everything that has been going on, we decided it was well past time you were placed. You’re a valuable pony and the Royal Guard simply can’t afford to squander any resources these days. Plus, we can’t have you running around as some sort of knight in dark armor accountable only to the crowns.”

My jaw set at that. His tone betrayed no emotion, neither warmth nor disapproval, but he had very clearly let that disapproval be known. “My apologies, sir.”

“Not necessary, you’ve been busy and we couldn’t possibly hold you responsible for the doings of the alicorns from my age. In fact, I’d like to apologize to you for that. You, more than anypony, may now understand a bit more of what my life was like. At ease,” the minister tacked on.

That was an interesting thought. He lived when there were six alicorns. Keeping up with two was hard enough. Thankfully, compared to Nocturna, their personalities were a lot more… quirky rather than scheming. “Thank you, sir.”

He nodded and motioned over to General Winddancer. “Proceed.”

She picked up a tablet in her magic. “Major Knight, before we proceed, shall we correctly assume that you wish to remain with the armed services and, more specifically, in the Royal Guard?”

“Yes, ma’am,” I replied.

“Very good. You understand that does put Brigadier Armor and me in a bit of a bind, of course. You’re a war hero. Beyond that, you’re an Equestrian hero. You also possess an artifact of immense power, the likes of which we don’t fully understand, and it seems to be bound to you specifically. That is a challenge for us.

“We also find ourselves in a situation where the princesses have insisted on releasing everything to the press. And from what I’ve seen coming out of Raven’s office, I do mean everything. That is going to make your career very challenging and extremely visible,” she explained.

“I understand, ma’am.” I did, although I didn’t know where she was going with the line of thought.

“We were sure you would. Now, prior to the recent events, you had two generous offers on the table. Brigadier Armor’s chief-of-staff and Minister Sombra’s personal aide. I’m not sure you took to either of them, but had you made a decision?”

They were putting me on the spot. The minister had not been kidding about it being beyond time. Here I was in the middle of the Royal Guard’s highest officers and they were going to sweat me into picking something. They had every right to, too. That still didn’t change how I felt.

This was an important decision that needed to be considered. Unfortunately, I hadn’t. Not really. I didn’t want either of those jobs. That just wasn’t the type of Guard I wanted to be yet. A dose of honesty might work.

“No, ma’am. I didn’t. I was thrilled with the idea of working with Brigadier Armor again. He’s been a mentor and more to me. Chief-of-staff to the Central Command CO would be huge, but it still removes me from the day-to-day operations of guards,” I explained.

I exchanged an apologetic glance with Shining Armor, hoping I hadn’t offended him. His offer was huge and had come at a low moment in my life. He gave me a blank nod.

“On the other hoof, I’d become quite accustomed to working with Minister Sombra. He’s an honest, inspirational stallion that invested so much in his ponies. He was the kind of leader the military needed and I wanted to be a part of that… but I’m no aide. Not in my heart. I did the job because it needed doing.”

General Winddancer nodded and tapped her tablet. “I see, Major. So you had two of the best offers a pony could hope for and that wasn’t good enough for you.”

Was something I never expected to hear her say. “No, ma’am!” I stammered in response.

Her brow went up. “No, they weren’t good enough?”

I shook my head, my composure shaking. “No… yes. Ma’am, they were great offers! They just weren’t for a pony like me.”

She set her tablet down. “A pony like you? What does that mean, Major? Just what do you want?”

“I…” I stopped and settled back. Easy, Silent Knight. Stratus Knight taught you better than this. Be quiet, speak clearly when spoken to, and never let anypony shake my cool. I took a deep breath and composed my thoughts. This wasn’t hard. I knew what I really wanted to do, deep down anyway.

“Ma’am, I am a guard commander. In some years perhaps I would be well fit for a chief-of-staff or ministry aide, but right now, there are far better ponies for that, I can assure you.

“If it were truly my choice, I’d take my House Guard back but I realize I’m a major now and, more importantly, I’d never displace Lieutenant Snow. No, I’d rather find a position in the Palace Guard, if I was given my choice.”

Minister Sombra cleared his throat. “Silent, you’d give up our offers for, what… a company or a battalion of palace guards?”

“Yes, sir. I was always at my best when I was a guard commander. Brigadier Armor knows that is true. I may have other talents but that doesn’t make them my best talents. Being close to the work defines me. Sharing what I know with other ponies is part of who I am.”

I shifted my stance to point out the door I’d come in. “Look at all of those young ponies out there, sir! The one that brought me here was practically quaking in his hoofguards just being near me. We lost so many ponies in Nordanver that we have a gap in experience. I can’t show a pony how to shine his armor or patrol if I’m doing paperwork for you or coordinating a commander’s meeting for Brigadier Armor.

“Being out in the field, walking the halls, and straightening armor is where I belong. Teaching the next generation of guards how I got to where I am now is what I need to do. That is where I can do the most good—I know that deep in my heart.”

Shining Armor cleared his throat and looked over at the minister and general. “I do want to point out that I warned everypony in this room that he would say something like this.”

General Winddancer picked her tablet up again, looked at it, and then tossed it aside. “So noted. Silent Knight, I want to say something to you personally.”

My ears stood up. “Ma’am?”

The purple mare stood up from her seat and leaned over the table towards me. “You’ve made a lot of mistakes in the last few years that would have most officers stripped of their commands and returned to enlisted ranks.

“At the same time, you’ve done a lot of amazing things, too. The kind of things that would cause a lesser pony to leave their duty and go become some kind of celebrity.

“When it comes to this decision, of turning these good roles down, you’re making a mistake. From a career perspective, this is absolutely a mistake. Career officers don’t act this way. This isn’t how you get ahead in Canterlot but do you know what, though?”

“Ma’am?”

She smiled. “You happen to be right. Those ponies out there are green, unskilled, and frightened. They need somepony they respect to teach them! Somepony that cares about them.

“And you. You had every opportunity to look out for yourself and your career, but all you seem to care about is the Royal Guard. You’re a very foolish pony, but you’re one I’m grateful for.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” I replied, cautiously.

“You’re welcome. Now, Minister, with your permission, can we get on with this? We’ve got a hundred more files to do just this week,” she added.

“Of course, of course,” Minister Sombra replied. “Silent, we’re advancing you to the rank of vice colonel. It’s past due regardless of your time in grade and service. Congratulations.”

“Thank you, sir,” I said smartly. That was nice, although it still didn’t answer the question of what was happening to me.

“Don’t thank me; if it were up to me, you’d have been a colonel months ago. Rules and regulations are important and necessary, but sometimes you have to bend them. Still, you’ll have to be at least a vice colonel for your new position,” he said.

“Which is?” I asked.

Minister Sombra motioned over at Shining Armor. “Canterlot Central Command, reporting directly to Brigadier Armor.”

I tried to hide the disappointment in my voice. “As his chief-of-staff?”

Shining Armor stood up and walked the length of the table before turning it and coming over to me. “No. You’ve made it pretty clear you don’t want that.”

“Then what, sir?” I asked.

He smiled and patted me on the chest. “My old job.”

I knew Shining Armor pretty well, but I didn’t know his whole career. He was a young pony who’d been advanced very fast, just like me. Most of his work was done in the City Guard.

While I was puzzling it over, Shining Armor looped a medallion over my neck and let it settle against my chest.

When it caught my attention, I could feel my heart sink into my stomach. Carefully, I set my hoof on the gold-encrusted sunburst medallion. It was an unmistakable symbol. An ancient one that had been in use since the city’s founding.

All of the ponies in the room stood up. “Congratulations, Silent. Everypony is counting on you and I know you’ll rise to the occasion.”

My jaw worked but no words came out.

Shining Armor smiled and patted me on the shoulder, looking to the others. “When I met him, he was typically silent like this. Allow me to say I’m sure this is his way of expressing his extreme gratitude right now.”

“Captain of the Canterlot Guard?” I stammered quietly as I stared down at the amulet.

“Precisely. I’ll sleep better knowing this city is in your hooves,” Minister Sombra said.

“And I’ve got all of Central Command to run. You can handle a single city while I worry about everything else, right?” Shining Armor asked.

“Yes, sir. Of course, sir. I… thank you. Thank you all.” I didn’t know what else to say. After Shining Armor had left the position, the title had been vacant. They’d never trusted a pony enough to give it to her.

General Winddancer cleared her throat. “I assume this is a suitable command, Vice-Colonel Knight?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

While Shining Armor was removing my major pin and replaced it with the new vice colonel one, I spoke up. “Wait, no, ma’am.”

“No!” Minister Sombra practically shouted, startling everypony.

“I have a condition,” I said.

Shining was staring at me wide-eyed. “Silent…”

“The condition is that I get to tell Captain Day personally.”

Shining Armor’s shocked look gave way to a bright grin. He started chuckling, as did several of the others.

General Winddancer sighed and nodded. “Done. She’s your subordinate now, anyway. Although as a counteroffer, save me some trouble and promote her to major.”

My ears twisted towards her. “Ma’am, she won’t leave her command.”

Shining Armor shook his head. “The Captain of the Canterlot Guard can change those policies. Don’t bother the general with such trivialities.”

“Yes, sir,” I replied, feeling foolish. It would take time getting accustomed to my new office. Being a vice colonel was one thing, but the title I held gave me a lot of power.

He tapped my chest. “Good stallion. Now, take your major pin, give it to her, ruin her day or whatever it is you’re planning, and then be sure you bring her by my office later to celebrate.”

“Yes, sir!” I responded again before standing to attention and saluting.

He and the others returned it before dismissing me and letting me loose into the palace… my palace.

The core of my spirit burned brighter than it had in my entire life. Saying I felt amazing would have been an understatement. I was the Captain of the Canterlot Guard. In my whole life, I never imagined I could soar so high.

It was impossible not to have a happy hitch in my step as I strode from Central Command over into the palace. The guards on the way snapped to immediate attention and practically dropped everything they were doing.

Nopony had been Captain since Shining Armor. Nopony had been trusted. Me simply having the medallion meant everything was going to change again. The Palace and City Guards would reunify and, most importantly in this particular moment, both House Guards would report to me directly.

When I made my way into Princess Celestia’s wing, nopony dared challenge me. I walked right past Sunny’s sentries and into her open office. One of them stuck her head in behind me and stammered.

“Visitor! C-Captain!”

Sunny had her back to us as she was working on filing paperwork. It was probably everything that had fallen behind while we were off saving Equestria. “Yup, give me a minute.”

“Captain Day,” I said sternly.

She sighed and even without seeing her, I could tell she rolled her eyes. “What do you want, Silent Knight?”

A grin would have given everything away, so I kept my face stern and mean. “That’s Vice-Colonel Knight, to you.”

The golden mare slammed one of the drawers shut. “They promoted you again!” she shouted as she whirled around at me.

That is when I puffed up as much as I could, sticking my chest out and making sure the light hit the medallion just right.

Sunny Day’s eyes caught it immediately, recognized what it was, and her jaw dropped. It was the first time I’d ever seen her shocked beyond even a sputter.

I trotted over to her. “Yes, that’s right. They promoted me again and saw it fit to make me Captain of the Canterlot Guard.” I softly tapped her cheek with a wing tip. “That means that I’m not only a superior officer, I’m now your boss. You, Captain Day, work for me.”

She just blinked at me in shock.

My tone remained all business as I set a hoof on the ridge of her helmet. “Yes, yes. Let it all sink in as you kneel down.” I started to push her.

That finally brought her back. Sunny’s armored hoof came up to swat away mine. “Now, hold on a minute! I don’t kneel to you! I don’t even kneel to Princess Celestia.”

“Maybe she isn’t strict enough with you. Don’t assume I won’t be, Captain,” I replied evenly.

Sunny’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t you, for one minute, think that you can put on some rank and title and come in here and tell me how to do my job! I was doing this job before you were!”

“Actually, I was a house guard when you were still working the wall and trying to put all of those calendars behind you,” I pointed out.

“Oh, that is low! That is really low! Twilight Sparkle saves Equestria and they give her a library! Sunny Day saves it and they make the nerd from the Academy her boss. This is a poor day for the Royal Guard! I’m going to march right into the throne room and give Celestia a piece of my mind.”

I poked her chest with a hoof. “I played hoofball while I was at the academy.”

“No more talk!” Sunny blathered in my face as she trotted around me towards the door in a huff.

I grabbed her tail and started to rein her in.

“Leggo!” she shouted as she grabbed her door frame.

“You can’t go see the princess,” I told her while I tugged.

“Can to! I can do what I want!”

“No, you can’t. If you do, you’ll be out of uniform and that would be embarrassing,” I explained.

Sunny pulled at the doorframe more, showing off more forward-body strength than I’d given her credit for. “Has that shiny medal blinded you? I’m in uniform!”

“Not without your major’s pin. You’re missing a sun there.”

She let go without warning while I was still tugging. The mare fell back into me with a resounding crash. It dazed us both a moment before she turned on me. “Really?”

I pulled the small box out from my bag and offered it to her. “Really.”

“And I can keep my command?” she asked.

“For as long as you like,” I replied.

“You’re the best captain ever!” she shouted before throwing her hooves around my neck.

It was an immediate change of emotions. but that was normal for her. I hugged her tightly. “Congratulations, Major,” I said softly.

She settled back and then held up both hooves. I set the box on them.

“No…” she said before winking.

My head tilted. “Uh?”

“Come on, you played coy, you had your fun. What else? You got a promotion and the best job in the Royal Guard. What else do you have for Major Day?”

Well, this was awkward. They hadn’t said anything about any other kind of reward. She was the House Guard commander! She didn’t need anything. So, it was time to take a page from her book. Shock, awe, and surprise.

I briefly looked at the door. There were no prying ponies that would gossip and misconstrue. This would have to be quick. Crystal would understand later. It isn’t like this would be the first time I’ve pulled off this kind of operation.

I grabbed Sunny’s outstretched hooves in mine and squeezed them tight. Then I pulled her in, pressed an exaggeratedly sloppy kiss to her lips and then pushed her back.

She stared at me with wide eyes, sputtering in confusion while simultaneously wiping at her lips.

“Get back to work, Major. Brigadier Armor wants to take us out to celebrate tonight. See you then,” I said, hurrying out before she could figure out what had just happened.

It was time to go tell Crystal about my new job! She’d be thrilled. Mad about the kiss, maybe, but thrilled! This was perfect, absolutely perfect.

Author's Note:

If you are enjoying this story, please consider taking a look at Crystal and my's website QuillnBlade.com for extra content such as mini stories, Q&B AU wiki, and special rewards for the awesome folks who support our Patreon. We have monthly art give aways, a Q&B Discord RPG, a several other fun gifts for patrons.

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