Chapter VI: The Palace
Chapter VI
The Palace
When Saber heard he’d be staying with a Princess, he’d expected her castle to be in the middle of a thriving metropolis like Canterlot or the Draconian capitol. Instead he stepped onto the platform to see a small town. The building were made out of stone or wood and the streets were laid with brick and cobblestone. His teals eyes winced as the sun struck them. He looked to Ebony who’s golden eyes were taking in anything that could potentially be a threat. Twilight then stepped out behind them and she smiled.
“Welcome to Ponyville.” Suddenly, a bright pink blur raced through the crowd and stopped in front of Twilight. On instinct Ebony gripped the handle of her sword and was about to bring it out, but Twilight ordered her to stop. So she did. The blur turned out to be a young woman with bouncy pink hair that matched the rest of her attire.
“Twilight!” The pink girl said before she wrapped the Princess in a tight embrace and lifted her up off the ground.
“Pinkie, put me down.” Twilight wheezed out as she felt the crushing embrace void her lungs of any air. “I was only gone for a few hours.” Pinkie set Twilight down and she breathed in a deep breath. The name seemed to ring a bell in the dark haired captain’s mind.
“You are Dame Pinkie Pie?” Pinkie turned her head towards the new voice and her bright eyes sparkled as she noticed the two new comers. She immediately jumped five feet in the air and ran off at breakneck pace leaving a trail of dust behind her. Ebony and Saber were in stunned silence.
“What just happened?” Saber said as he looked to Twilight who was giggling.
“That’s just Pinkie being Pinkie, you’ll get use to her.”
“She is an element of harmony?” Ebony had heard of the Elements of Harmony and their exploits and had seen the glass stained window of them in the hallways of the castle. She wasn’t sure what she was expecting when she’d met the Elements, but it certainly wasn’t that.
“It’ll make sense the more you get to know her.” The trio then ventured out into the small town. Saber looked around and saw small stores selling their wares and people talking about small things. As they passed they smiled and waved at the Princess. Their smiles held no hint of maliciousness or mocking.
The air was fresh and cool against his fair skin. The town had a relaxing and innocent feel to it, like something out of a children’s fairy story. He didn’t like it. He was used to the smell of refuse on city streets and the sound of dirty dealings that went on late at night. A shadow passed over head and he looked up to see a cyan winged woman with flowing rainbow hair. The woman touched down in front of them.
“Hey Twilight, what’s up?” The Princess returned the smile.
“Morning Rainbow, how are you?”
“Awesome, as always,” Her magenta eyes then flashed on the newcomers. “Friends of yours?”
“Rainbow this is Ebony, she’s my new Captain of the guard at the castle.” Ebony gave the woman a half bow.
“It’s an honor to meet you Dame Dash.” Ebony said as she raised her head. “The stories of your flying prowess are quite common amongst the Pegasus guard.” Rainbow smirked a confident smile. She then looked to Saber who gave her a curt nod.
“We’ll talk later Twilight, I gotta finish up clearing the skies.” With one flap of her powerful wings, the woman launched off the ground and took off like an arrow launched from it’s bow.
“She’s certainly energetic.” Saber commented as they continued to walk. Soon a large crystal castle came into view. It’s spires looked as though they would pierce the clouds and the sunlight flashed across the shimmering surfaces. As they walked through the doors a small boy about the age of ten ran up to them. He had spiky green hair and his emerald eyes were like that of a snake’s.
“Spike!” Twilight said as she picked the boy up and hugged him.
“Twilight put me down!” He said as he flailed. Twilight chuckled and did so.
“Have I missed anything?” The boy shook his head.
“All quiet for the most part.” Ebony looked around the room and she huffed to herself.
“Where are the guards?” Spike looked at the woman and scratched his head.
“I think they’re having breakfast.” That set the fire in the woman’s eyes. She bit her tongue and turned to the Princess.
“Your highness, I would like to leave to further inspect the troops.”
“You may.” Ebony gave her a bow and narrowed her eyes on Saber. He leaned towards Twilight and whispered.
“You’re going to want to see this.” He said before he followed the dark haired captain with a confused Twilight and Spike following behind. After a few minutes of searching, they came across the mess hall that was packed with the guards There were about twenty men in casual clothes laughing and joking with one another. Saber bid Twilight to stay out of sight as they watched one of the men approach Ebony with a cocky smirk on his face. The man had dark blue hair and a pair of orange wings.
“Well, hello young lady,” His breath smelt of bacon and beer. “I am Sargent Flash Sentry. How can we help a fine lady such as you Miss?” A predatory smile spread on her lips.
“Northwind,” She stated calmly. “Captain Ebony Northwind.” Her tone shifted to be as jaded as a serrated blade and her expression turned angry. All of the man’s bravado went out the window and his face went ashen. He turned back to men and bellowed.
“Officer present!” The group of guards scrambled to their feet. Some tripping over the benches and one another as they rose and saluted. Ebony walked down the aisles inspecting each and every one of the guards. Minutes past and the tension in the air was considerably present. She finished her inspection and let out a long sigh.
“Sloppy, unorganized and undisciplined,” She chastised. “Tell me, why was there no escort waiting for Princess Sparkle upon her return?” The guards remained silent, but sh could hear a few murmurs from the guards. “Well?” She yelled.
“We did not know when she would return, ma’am.” One guard spoke up.
“A letter was sent before our departure. Where is it?” Spike then slowly stepped forwards and gulped as he eyes focused on him.
“I got the letter, I handed it to Flash as always.” He peeped out. Ebony’s eyes narrowed at the orange winged man. She held her hand out as he rifled through his pockets.
“I don’t have it captain, I must have left it on my desk.” He gulped.
“Did you not read it?” She said as her eyes bore holes through him. His silence was more than an answer for her. “All of you get dressed and be ready for training in five minutes! If any one of you are late that it’s an extra ten laps!” All the men scrambled to go get in their training gear and within seconds the mess hall was silent and empty.
Around the corner, Saber was forced to cover his mouth to silence his laughter. Twilight and Spike stared awestruck at Ebony at what she had just demonstrated.
“Well Ebony, I can safely say that no one can make men run like you can.” Saber said as his laughter filled the hallway. Ebony ignored him and she turned to face the Princess.
“I apologize you had to see that Princess Sparkle. It seems I have a lot of work to do here.” Twilight had never seen the soldiers move so quickly, either they were eager to obey, or they were scared of Ebony. Saber had guessed it was both.
Ten minutes later the guards were all in their armor and awaited their instructions from the dark haired captain. She shook her head in disappointment and ordered Flash to take the men out to the training grounds while Twilight and Spike gave them a tour of the castle. The castle was quite large, not as big as the Canterlot royal palace, but still one of the largest buildings Saber has been in.
As they walked, Saber was taking in every window, every turn and committing them to memory. He wanted to see everything; every closet, every restroom and anywhere someone with his skill set could hide. They soon came to Twilight’s room. It was large, but not too large for it to be overindulgent. There were dozens of books strewn about the floor and several stacked high on her desk and overflowing bookcases.
“Sorry for the mess,” Twilight said as she rubbed the back of her head. “I wasn’t expecting company today and I’ve been so busy that I’ve had almost no time to clean up.” Saber’s attention was focused on the various titles of the books stacked high.
“Where did you get all of these books?” He asked as he read a few familiar titles.
“My castle has a library. Not as large as the one in Canterlot but it holds various titles.” His eyes seemed to sparkle.
“Now that sound interesting.” He said as Twilight turned to look at him.
“You like to read?” He gave her a nod. “What do you like?”
“Anything I can get my hands on and then some.” Twilight gave him a small smile at the words. “But I’ll deal with that later.” He said as he stepped inside the room and started looking around, particularly at one of the bookcases. “What are these walls made of?” He asked as he tapped it with his knuckle.
“Hardened crystal, I’m not sure what kind.” Twilight said.
“Are there rooms on either side of yours?” She shook her head.
“Only a small bedroom room on the right. We’re using it for storage at the moment.” He nodded and he walked out of the room and headed for the door. He opened the door and saw that it was larger than his room he had back at the castle. It was filled with different cleaning supplies and it had a window that overlooked the sleepy town. There was even a restroom with a sink and stone bathtub. He scratched his chin and nodded before he turned back to the door.
“I can make this work.” He said as he looked back at Twilight.
“This? It’s a room for storage.” Spike said.
“My job is to keep you alive, best way to do that is by staying close by.” He looked at the left wall and nodded. “If I knock out this wall I can carve a passage through to your room and use in case of an emergency.”
“This stone is harder than steel.” Ebony stated. “How are you going to,” She stopped talking as the floor started to rumble and shake. Ebony instinctively put her hand on her sword and waited. Cracking noises could be heard and an area of the wall started to crumble away. After a minute the shaking stopped and there was a clean passage leading directly to the Princess’s room.
“Smart castle.” Saber said as he looked at the passage. It was only thirty feet long and tight enough for three people to stand side by side. “Well, that solves that problem.” He said as he walked down the tunnel and knocked on a crystal wall that slid down and he stepped inside the Princess’s room.
“I did not know the castle could do that.” Spike said.
“Neither did I.” Twilight said before they continued on with the tour of the castle. Ebony found a large room close to the barracks and claimed it as her own. She’d also be taking over Flash’s office since she was now in charge of the guards. The last stop was the one Saber was eager to see, the library.
Twilight opened the large crystal doors and Saber’s eyes widened as he saw the large book cases lined with hundreds of thousands of books. He could see himself spend a lot of time here. By the time the full tour was done, the sun was starting to go down and Sabe became abundantly aware of how hungry he was considering he hadn’t eaten all day.
Twilight suggested going to the local tavern for supper. The three were accompanied by Spike who was eager to get out of the castle. They came across a wooden building called the Golden Pony. A bright yellow sign hung in front of the two story building. Saber noticed the interior was dimly lit, but he could make out shadows bustling about. He looked to Ebony who also took noticed and rested her hand on the handle of her sword.
As they stepped inside several figures jumped up and Saber pulled out some knives he’d swiped from the castle’s kitchen and Ebony pulled her blade out. The figures didn’t attack or make sudden movements. Instead, they yelled.
“Surprise!” Saber and Ebony felt a gent hand on one of their shoulders and turned back to see Twilight smiling.
“It’s fine you two, it’s just your welcoming party.” Ebony huffed and sheathed her blade and Saber slid the knives back in his sleeves. A familiar girl clad in pink rushed up to them.
“I throw one for everyone new in town!” Her blue eyes sparkled like the clear blue ocean. “Well, did I surprise ya?”
“I can honestly say that I was not expecting this.” Saber stated with a smile. How long had it been since he’d even been to a party, let alone one held because of him. A throbbing pain ripped through his head and he winced. He found a table to sit at and ordered himself a mug of ale.
As soon as the frothing beverage touched his lips he felt as though all the hardships he’d dealt with that day fade. For those few seconds, he felt like he was free. That feeling was quickly dashed as Ebony took a seat across from him. Her arms were crossed and she let out a huff. “It appears the new captain is not one for social engagements.” He said as he took another sip from his mug.
“I do not see the point of this.” She stated blankly.
“It’s a party where people have fun.” He said flatly. “You do know what fun is don’t you?” She narrowed her eyes at him as Twilight, Pinkie and Dash came over with three other women. One had bright blonde hair and was sporting a brown leather stetson. Judging by her muscular build and tanned skin, Saber guessed she was a farmer of some sort.
The next one had long light pink hair that acted like a curtain to hide behind. Her sundress matched her butter yellow wings. The last one was beautiful. The kind of women you’d expect to see at the palace. Her curled purple hair cascaded down one side of her face and her sapphire blue eyes had a twinkle in them.
“Girls, this is Ebony Northwind. The new captain of my castle’s guard.” Ebony looked at the group and stood before bowing.
“It’s an honor to meet the Elements of Harmony.” Saber looked at them with a raised eyebrow. These girls were some legendary saviors? The girls pulled up some chairs and sat around the table.
“The pleasure is ours.” The beauty said with a smile. She turned her deep blue eyes to Saber and smiled. “And you are?” Sabe threw on a devilish smile and raised his glass.
“I’m Argent Cavalier.” Saber said it with such confidence that has she not known better, Twilight would have believed him. “Princess Celestia gave me the gracious opportunity to be Princess Sparkle’s personal assistant in the court until she gets use to the court’s workings.” He sipped his drink nonchalantly and he felt that the new comers had bought it. However, a certain blonde farmer narrowed her deep green eyes and looked at him curiously.
One by one, the new girls introduced themselves. The farmer’s name was Applejack who helped run her family’s apple orchard at the edge of town. The beauty’s name was Rarity who ran a boutique. While Saber wasn’t overly fond of fancy clothes, it’d be nice to have some clothes actually tailored to fit him. The last girl’s name was Fluttershy. True to her name, the girl said it at such a whisper Ebony and Saber had to strain their ears in order to hear it.
Hours passed and soon the festivities died down. Saber, Ebony and Twilight made their way back to the castle in silence. Once they were inside, Twilight frowned at Saber. “What?” He said as he looked at the Princess.
“Why did you lie to my friends?” He gave an easy shrug.
“Habit? Fun? Make sure people don’t find out who I really am? Take your pick.” Her eyes narrowed on the man but he ignored the stare.
“My job is to keep you alive for the next five years. Should it matter how I do it?” She huffed as she went to her room and heard him enter the one adjacent to hers. Twilight got ready for bed with great efficiency and laid down in her soft mattress to sleep.
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That is perfect to for Twilight, to be so naive as to not realise how impossible it would be for him to do his job effectively if everyone knew, or at least her friends knew, that he was an assassin. If they knew then I imagine Rainbow would get all up in his business 24/7 until Celestia is forced to intervene and Apple Jack would be her usual magical lie detector "the truth is always better no matter what" pain in the ass self even if an assassin after Twilight and her friends was in the process of eviscerating her. Bravo, I look forward to the next chapter.
This is really good. Can't wait for more.
I thought it was Sentry
7561167 Shit you're right.
7561907 or... he's like the protaganist to Fallout 4! He goes into cryo and wakes up a century later and it feels like a flash!
7562607 BOOOOOOOOOO!
49.media.tumblr.com/e6693c3fad427467887d8e159491ba08/tumblr_n79zvwv8cR1s3n568o5_r1_400.gif
7562787 Not my best joke
. I usually do better.
7559924 After all, the life of an assassin is an extremely dangerous one and rather deadly to the unprepared.
i1255.photobucket.com/albums/hh623/stephen51991/WXMcFdl_zpszgvot2vt.gif
funny-pictures-blog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/suspicious.jpg
That is not how you spell the word Sergeant.
7676946 Flash is also probably drunk.