Equestria's Finest

"Come on, Shiny, you can do better than that!"

Shining Armor scowled. "Just keep it coming, Crescent. Attack!" he barked at his opponent, the winged mare wearing the dark armor of the Night Guard.

Crescent hesitated only for a split-second before leaping forward, wings at full splay. At the last second, she twirled, lashing out with an extended wing. The specially-designed blade at its tip clashed against a shimmering plate of force, throwing up a few magenta sparks.

Shining Armor grunted as he slid back from the force of the blow before bracing himself and swinging his shield into the mare.

Crescent had no time to blink as the powerful blow knocked her askew and into the air, but it only took a moment for her to turn the momentum into a sweeping aerial flip, diving into Shining Armor from above.

He was already prepared with his shield, barely flinching as the full weight of the mare descended upon him. With a great bellow, he lifted himself to his rear legs, reached behind himself to grab Crescent, and prepared to throw her headfirst into the ground.

"And... time!"

Shining Armor flinched, instantly loosening his grip. Crescent coasted to the floor, stretching her neck. Her expression softened as she felt the familiar pop of her joints.

"That was... amazing, Captain Armor," a recruit said from a few feet away. Next to him, a platoon of fresh-faced soldiers all saluted, in awe at the show of strength.

Shining Armor nodded sharply and left the training camp without a word as the sun began to dip below the horizon.

Crescent looked after him for a moment before clearing her throat. "Day Guard, you are dismissed. Night Guard, to stations!" she barked with authority.

"Yes, Lieutenant Crescent Blade!" the chorus of voices rang out. She gave them a sharp salute and sauntered away.

Crescent Blade prowled the streets of Canterlot largely unnoticed, blending into the nighttime shadows like she was born and raised in them. The silver crescent moon decorating her flank seemed to indicate as much.

Her sharp, slitted amber eyes flicked from side to side, always looking for any sign of trouble in the city. None ever came, not on her patrol. But she did draw the gaze of several nobles who were seated at an outdoor restaurant for a late dinner. She recognized the blue mane and monocle of Fancy Pants, who regarded her with a half-smile. But next to him was the slender, beautiful Fleur De Lis... who couldn't hide the scorn in her eyes if she tried.

Crescent knew what Fleur was looking at, and tightened her leathery wings against her sides. Though opliptera - bat ponies - had been largely integrated into the Guard, some of the old families still held the ancient prejudices that connected them to Nightmare Moon. It was inevitable, to say the least.

She sighed to herself. Her mission was too critical for her to get caught up in petty noble drama. She had a Captain to find, and she knew exactly where to find him.

It didn't take long to get there, either. When he was still a lieutenant, back before he got hitched, he'd spent many a weekend here, drowning his sorrows. Old habits died hard, it seemed. She stepped through the swinging double doors, ready to chastise the stallion.

"Another," Shining Armor's voice slurred from the counter, loud enough for all the patrons to hear. He was alone - everypony steered clear of him, half because of his position, half because of his attitude.

"I think you've had enough," Crescent hissed, taking her seat on the barstool next to him.

Shining lifted his head to look at her. "Look here, Crescent, don't tell me how to live my life." As a blue plate slid down the counter, he caught it and lifted the pastry to his lips. "I'll eat all the donuts I damn well please."

Crescent knocked the donut out of his hooves and glared. "What the hell, man? You let me almost win our little duel, you walk out on your recruits, and then you come back here to stuff yourself full to bursting?"

"Hey, Joe!" Shining yelled, "Gimme another one, stupid bat went and ruined the one I had-"

Crescent's eyes narrowed. "You watch your tongue, before I cut it out."

Shining Armor straightened in his seat, matching Crescent Blade's glare for a full minute. With a sigh, he slumped back over. "Look. I'm sorry, Crescent."

She sighed as well, placing a hoof over his shoulders. "Come on, it's alright. Why are you upset?"

"I... I can't say."

Crescent huffed. "We've been battle buddies ever since we joined the Guard. If it weren't for your glowing recommendation, I'd never have made it to Lieutenant... heck, I'd probably still be a first sergeant! You've come to my defense every damn day, and now you won't tell me what's bothering you?"

"Crescent... I..." Shining groaned, placing his hoof firmly between his eyes, "I want to tell you. But... this isn't something I can tell just anypony."

"Well, you've got a wife, don't you?" Crescent asked, just a hint of bitterness on her breath. "Cry on her shoulder, if you don't want to tell anypony else."

"I... can't."

Crescent blinked.

"She's... part of the problem."

Crescent Blade was not a dull pony, by any stretch of the imagination. She put the pieces together immediately. "What happened at Court today?"

Shining sighed, cleared his throat, and began to speak.

"This is an outrage!" A heavy hoof slammed into the table, startling its occupants.

Shining Armor looked around the table. To his right sat the Royal Sisters, Celestia and Luna. All around the table were various nobles and court officials. Shining was there himself to represent the Royal Guard, but even as a newly-minted Prince, he still found it difficult to keep all the names straight. There was one that he knew extremely well, though.

Directly across from him, responsible for the sudden outburst, was Prince Blueblood.

"Hold your tongue, nephew," Luna hissed, futilely trying to restore order.

"I will not!" Blueblood raged, "Not while you insist on putting Equestria in mortal peril!" A muttering of voices followed his bold claim. "I speak, of course, of the release of the foul beast, Discord!"

"Well, I never!" A brown unicorn stallion with a gray mane and goatee to Shining's left stood up violently, eyes flashing with anger. Shining tried his best to remember his name and title. Doctor... Ocsid, he suddenly recalled, the personal advisor to the throne. His sudden appointment to such a high position sent shockwaves through the court a few months ago. He was mysterious, to say the least; nopony seemed to know where he even came from. His manner of dress - blue sport coat over white dress shirt - reminded him of some Stalliongrad ponies, but his name didn't follow suit and he lacked the distinct accent. But what confused Shining most was how quickly Princess Celestia placed her trust in him. Of course, it was hardly his place to question her...

Dr. Ocsid spoke up. "The draconequus Discord has shown himself to be fully rehabilitated. He's put in a good-faith effort to repent for the crimes he has committed and has promised to use his magic for the good of the world."

"He should be placed in stone and shattered to pieces!" Blueblood roared.

"I'll shatter you to pieces, you little..." the stallion muttered under his breath.

Shining tried to intervene, summoning forth all the patience he could muster. "Do not speak out of turn, Prince."

"You will not tell me what to do, Captain," Blueblood sniffed, "especially since your Guard is part of the problem!"

At that, Shining stood up. "You had better explain yourself, Blueblood. Our Guard serves and protects all of Equestria!"

"Oh, and look how well that's turned out in the past," Blueblood countered. "Your supposed impenetrable shield didn't do a damn thing when the changelings attacked!"

Shining's lips tightened. "We were compromised. There was no way that..."

"How are we supposed to put our faith in a Guard that failed at the first sign of trouble?" Blueblood continued. "When Discord starts a war - and I know he will..." he added, making both Shining and Ocsid cringe, "...how can we trust you with national security?"

"That is enough, nephew." Celestia's gaze quieted Blueblood instantly before turning on Shining Armor. "Captain, I should like to speak with you in private."

Shining Armor cowed under Celestia's baleful eye. What had he gotten himself into now?

"Court is dismissed," Luna announced.

It didn't take long for the room to clear. Soon all that remained were Celestia, Luna, Shining Armor, and the two guardsponies assigned to guard the door. Celestia turned to the guards. "You will leave us."

The guardsponies - Swift Wing and Stalwart, Shining remembered - straightened their posture. Swift Wing was bold enough to speak first. "Your Highness, we cannot-"

"It's fine," Shining Armor interrupted. "You're dismissed."

"Captain," Stalwart snapped in reply. The pair snapped off identical, rigid salutes, which Shining Armor returned before they left the room.

"Thank you, Shining," Celestia said as the door closed behind them. She proceeded to fix Shining Armor with an odd expression.

Shining gulped. Twilight had mentioned this face several times over their limited correspondence... the "I'm not mad, just disappointed" face. It was as bad as Mother's... well, almost.

"How could you let Blueblood get under your skin like that?" Celestia asked plainly. "You've shown yourself to be capable of more restraint than that on several occasions."

"I'm sorry, Your Highness," Shining replied, "He just... has a way of getting to ponies... Did you know that he's been calling me a 'pretender to the crown'? That he called my marriage to Cadance a 'bold but ultimately futile facade'? I almost wanted to deck him then..." Shining clapped a hoof over his lips. "Er, if you don't mind my saying."

"Blueblood is... passionate... about certain things, and his mouth oft takes precedence over his brain," Celestia conceded. "But this had nothing to do with that."

Shining's muscles tensed. "He questioned my Guard." Celestia and Luna fell silent as he continued. "He had the gall to say that we aren't up to the task of protecting the country when it's in danger."

Luna, who had remained stoic up to this point, chose that moment to speak. "Celestia, you need to tell him."

It took a keen ear to catch the indignation in the normally calm Princess's voice. "Luna, is this really the time?"

"It is," Luna insisted. She turned to face Shining. "Shining Armor, there is something that we must confess. It is, perhaps, the darkest secret we keep to this day... and the sole reason why Equestria does not go to war."

"Princess?" Shining dared to ask.

"There is a reason we seek peace with our neighbors, to a fault," Luna continued. "If any nation were to cross our borders and invade..."

"Luna," Celestia snapped, "don't."

The warning went unheeded. "The Guard would be crushed."

Shining's eyes widened. "You... you can't be serious."

Luna continued her damning proclamation. "Military standards have dropped off over the course of the past millennium... understandable, given one thousand years without conflict..." Celestia's eyes shifted carefully to her sister, who merely dipped her head. "Without the Elements of Harmony, or Celestia, or myself... Equestria would fall."

Shining's eyes narrowed.

Luna made one final utterance. "Equestria seeks peace, not because we shouldn't go to war... but because we can't."

"Your Highness, with all due respect... shut up."

Luna's mouth was agape. Celestia stood next to her, her face the picture of bemusement.

"No, Princess. I will not stand here and let you talk down my men like that." In his mind's eye, he saw flashes of other ponies in the Guard. Stalwart and Swift Wing... Thunderhead, his drill sergeant... Stonecutter, the earth pony guard who held a collapsing building on his back to protect a mother and her children... Razor Wind, one of the pegasus guards who lost their lives in the changeling invasion... hundreds of new recruits, eager to serve their country, and still hundreds more that he personally had the honor of training... and then there was Crescent...

His eyes met Luna's. "The Guard is the Shield and Sword of Equestria. We serve and protect the nation with our hearts, minds and souls. We are Equestria's finest, and every single one of us would give our lives if it meant Equestria would live another day."

"We wouldn't have it any other way," Celestia continued, despite Luna's protests. "Thank you, Captain."

Without another word, he snapped off a salute and left the room through the large double doors.

Crescent's jaw was wide open, a donut halfway to her mouth, forgotten in the wake of Shining Armor's story. "Whoa," she said after a long moment. "You talked down Princess Luna?"

"I did," Shining said, a hint of pride in his voice. "No one talks about my Guard that way and gets away with it. I don't care if she thinks we're weak... we're the strongest we've ever been." His expression darkened. "But... but what if something does happen? The changelings were one thing... but what if something happens, and Equestria really is in danger? If we fall..."

"We'll pick ourselves up and train harder than ever," Crescent continued. "And we'll rise to the challenge." Crescent saluted with a wingtip.

Shining nodded sharply, a determined smile on his face. "You're right, Crescent. Of course you're right."

Crescent smiled. "Forget the donuts, Captain Armor. I'm buying you a proper drink tonight. And then, tomorrow... we'll whip these recruits into shape."

Omake: This Can Only End Well

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The Canterlot night was young. Luna's moon shone in full high above the city, and the stars twinkled brightly. In the quieter parts of the city, anypony with a predilection for astronomy would have a wonderful time simply watching in silence.

In the not-so-quiet parts of the city, though...

"Another round!"

"Pony up and take the shot like a stallion, soldier!"

"Celestia's beard I didn't think he'd actually do it!"

...a good time was something else entirely.

A yellow pegasus stallion laughed along with the rest of his squad at the bar. Today had been a particularly exhausting, especially since Captain Armor had paid their platoon a surprise visit, and Lieutenant Blade had decided to show off exactly what her boys were capable of.

Top that off with that little sparring match at the end and you had one heck of an eventful training day. It was nice to simply unwind with his battle buddies, have a few drinks, and talk about...

Wait, what were they talking about again?

"Check out the plot on that one, fellas..."

Oh, right. He rolled his eyes, even as the others started whistling and cat-calling out to the poor helpless mare. When he joined the Guard, he had delusions of grandeur and chivalry. It had only taken one day for all that to get shattered to bits. He finally chuckled, unable to keep his silence. "Stop thinking with your other heads for once, will you?" he joked, getting a few good-natured guffaws in response.

"Aw, shut up, Sunshine," a white unicorn stallion responded.

He bristled at the nickname. Lieutenant Blade had called him that on the first day, taking note of his unusual coloring for a guardspony, and it had stuck like stink to-

Well, you know. Anyway... he regarded the mare-slash-sex object in question with a bemused glance.

"She isn't even that hot," "Sunshine" said with a shrug.

"Soldier, you are high. If she was any hotter, Princess Celestia would be sweating."

"Sunshine" gasped. "Quick Draw, that's not cool, man. That's the freakin' Princess you're talking about!"

Quick Draw laughed again, supported by the rest of his squad. "Look, all I'm sayin' is that that mare could use the company of a fine stallion. Such as myself."

The yellow pegasus found his opening and struck. "I suppose. It'd only take two minutes, anyway, right Quickie?"

"Oh, Luna, Sunny got you good there," another squad mate said, clapping Quick Draw on the back with a heavy hoof. The unicorn glared, his white face showing a full-fledged blush.

"For that one, you're buying the next round," Quick Draw spit.

"Sunshine" shrugged and pulled out his coin purse. "Shots for all of us horny bastards, then."

Quick Draw's scowl quickly faded. "So, soldier, who's your fillyfriend, if you're so blind as to not recognize perfection when you see it?

It was his turn to flush. "Nopony, I swear. I don't have a fillyfriend!"

Quick Draw leered at him. "Coltfriend, then? I don't judge."

"Celestia, no!" He leapt to his own defense. "I'm not gay, I'm..."

"Smitten?" another squadmate offered.

"That, I guess." "Sunshine" sighed, watching as another set of shot glasses was placed before the group. "See, there's this mare... I bumped into her once at the castle."

"Bumped into her, or bumped into her?" somepony asked.

"Shut up, asshole," another said.

The pegasus continued his story. "She was carrying a book... something heavy. She didn't look where she was going, and she barreled right into me!"

"Sappy," Quick Draw criticized. "It's like something out of a romantic comedy."

"Ha, ha," he replied. "But this mare... there was something about her. Not hot, not like that mare you were ogling-"

"So you admit she's hot, then!" Quick Draw raised his shot glass in victory, only to put it down when Sunshine shot him a glare.

"There was something in her eyes. Those innocent, purple eyes. It was like she was full of something magical. Something pure." His face broke into a grin unconsciously.

"So she's a unicorn, then..." Quick Draw said. "And she's staying in the castle. I wonder if-"

"I dunno, man," "Sunshine" replied. "She knew a lot of the guards, so she's obviously a regular visitor, if she doesn't live there. But she doesn't look like a maid or anything. She looked more like a student than anything else."

"Let's hear some details, then, soldier," another voice replied from behind. "Sunshine" didn't notice, but the rest of the squad was silent.

"Alright. Yeah. She's a unicorn, like you said, a lavender one. Dark blue mane and tail with stripes in it... cut razor straight, with a little flip at the end. Star cutie mark. Bookish. Curves in the right places, though."

"She sounds pretty hot, then," the same voice continued.

"Aw, hell yeah." He raised his shot glass. "I decided, that very day... one day, Flash Sentry, you're going to get that mare."

"Is that so?"

"Damn straight," Flash replied. He lifted his glass. "To that mystery mare - may I bump into her again. And yes, I mean in that way." He downed the shot in a single swallow. To his surprise, none of his squadmates followed suit. "Aw, come on, a stallion can dream, right?"

"You know, I think I know that mare. Student of Princess Celestia. Studying friendship in Ponyville on her orders," the voice continued.

Flash Sentry lit up, turning to face the stallion behind him. "You do? What's her name, man? I gotta know!" He finished turning around, only to blanch at an unexpected sight... his superior officers.

Lieutenant Blade was struggling to keep a straight face.

But Captain Armor wasn't laughing. "Her name, private," he said, in the harshest of tones, "is Twilight Sparkle."