With ancient threats coming out of the woodworks, Celestia realizes that it's only a matter of time before one of them beats the few heroes they have. Her solution? To recreate a special unit from the Draconequi War.
“The Brute, The Insubordinate, The Slacker, and The Thief! Princess Celestia, with all due respect, what in your own name made you think this project was worth any time or effort?” “That is simple Colonel, they are effective. You showed me their exercise reports yourself. Besides, I wasn’t really looking for an ‘orthodox’ team.” “Permission to speak Ma’am?” “Blanket permission to speak granted Lieutenant Snowfall. You work the most closely with them, I would consider your input invaluable.” “Thank you Ma’am. I guess if you really want to understand how truly far they’ve come, you have to go back even further than when you picked them up and put them together. If you have the time, I want to tell you both exactly how and why each of my ponies wound up in the position that let you form Spectre Squad…”
Blade Petal smiled as she cinched up the last strap of her saddlebags. Today was the day, and she could hardly believe it was here. She cantered out of her bedroom and down the stairs, pausing at the bottom to take a calming breath.
Then she stepped out into the hallway and walked towards the front door. Her mother was waiting at the door, and they exchanged sharp nods. After a moment’s hesitation, Blade leaned forward and embraced the older mare, who accepted the hug after a momentary hesitation of her own.
“Make me proud.”
Blade gave a simple nod in response to her mother’s directive. That was all that was expected.
The younger mare then turned and left through the front door, intent on not returning for some time. As she made her way down the street, one of her neighbors, old Mr. Hedges, at work in his garden, looked up at her.
“Well mornin’ there Miss Petal, you seem to be in a right fine mood today!”
The gray unicorn found herself returning his cheery smile. “Good morning to you too Hedgey, and I keep telling you to call me Blade. And you’re right, today’s special, and I’m excited!”
“And I keep telling you, sweet young filly like you don’t need nopony calling her 'Blade'. So what’s so special ‘bout today then?”
“It’s my nineteenth birthday Hedgey, it’s finally here!”
“We~ell now, ain’t that something! I’m guessing yer’ gonna be throwin’ a party then?”
Blade shook her head. “No, no party this year. I’m off to the guard station. Since I’m nineteen, I can finally enlist!”
The old stallion stared at her for a moment before sighing, “Alrigh’, I’ll bite. What’s his name?”
“What?”
“Whichever stallion you’re infatee-ated enough with to go chasin’ like this.”
Blade was honestly slightly hurt by that notion. Never let them see you cry… even if they didn’t mean to cause pain. “No stallion Hedgey, joining the Guard has always been my dream.”
The stallion looked at her for a moment longer, his eyes momentarily flitting back to her house as something clicked for him. “Well then, as long as it’s your dream, good on ya. Jus’ remember to write us, and if’n ya ever need a place to rest yer head, the Missus and I consider ya one of our own.”
Blade refused to let herself sigh. She had known from the start that ponies would think she was just doing what her mother wanted, and she would not get snippy with a friend who sincerely had her best interests at heart. “Thank you. And don’t worry Hedgey, this is my choice, not my mother’s.”
“Alrigh’ then. Jus’ remember to keep it tha’ way. Much good as tha’ there mare’s done fer Equestria, we need you, not another her.”
“I know Hedgey, and I’m not her. But I am her daughter.”
Blade smiled as she brushed an errant lock of black mane out of her face. Her visit with Hedgey had taken almost an hour, but she had planned for it. She still had a good long while before the guard station even opened, time she had set aside to simply enjoy the thrill of anticipating what she was about to do.
As she walked along, her thoughts turned back to the earliest parts of her conversation with the old stallion. “I don’t want to be my mother,” The mare whispered to herself, “But I do want to be like her.”
Her eyes widened as she felt a tugging sensation. She had learned about it in school, but never experienced one herself. With lack of both experience and options, she did the only thing she could think of. She felt the music flow within her and released the Heartsong.
“My old dam is that old dam, spent her youth...” Blade blinked in surprise as another mare joined her at that part, falling in step as they continued, “…dirty hooves…” Another pony joined in, a stallion this time. “...foreign carts, filled with food…” A passing pair of pegasi fell in.
“She’s got the Equestrian True flying high from the roof, Semper Fi tattooed on her left hoof…” A group of ponies at a store filed out to join in the procession, “…back that says EQ Made…” Blade had heard that ponies liked to get swept up in these things, “…craftscolt wrench…” but this was starting to get a little ridiculous, “…ain’t made o’ rust, she’s just, Made in Equestria.”
“She loves her life, cause it’s that life, living free ‘neath Celestia’s sky, where she says, ‘Every day is Hearth’s Warming Day.’” Blade was now marching at the head of a parade. She tried to stop singing, a mild panic rising in her chest, but she had already let the song out, and it wasn’t about to let her go.
What was apparently the chorus rolled by again, and the mare began to realize that she would be arriving for enlistment as a minor celebrity, even if not a single one of the ponies following her knew who she was. Having no real options, she decided to just let things run their course.
She never did figure out why somepony set off fireworks for the next couplet, but she was also a little past caring. “…Princess and Auntie Faust.”
The chorus came and went, finishing just as Blade turned the last corner.
“My old dam is that old dam, Made in Equestria.” Blade marched up to the doors of the guard station and thrust them open with her hooves.
She promptly bounced off the locked doors. Regaining her feet, she rubbed the sword and spell circle on her flank while reading the words on the doors. “Oh… hehheh… Right.” She sheepishly turned to her audience. “They’re not open for another hour everypony. Sorry about that.”
“Name?”
“Blade Petal.”
“Age?”
“Nineteen and four hours.”
“Excited much?”
“Yessir.”
“Let’s see… I guess you already answered date of birth…” The stallion took down information on her parents, medical history, address, emergency contacts, and coloration, finishing with, “Cutie Mark?”
“A sword intersecting a spell circle at both ends.”
“Equestrian Girls, and Equestrian Guys...” Hawthorne was sitting on top of a hay cart his friend Maple was pulling, strumming on his old guitar. Granite, another friend of theirs, was riding lower in the cart while his sister Cloudbreak flew overhead. Cloudbreak’s coltfriend River, the fifth member of their group, ran alongside. “...There’s a lot of folks dead…” It was a familiar song for the five, a familiar one for most everypony they knew honestly. It had been since the changeling attack on Canterlot during the royal wedding. But somehow every time they sang it, it summoned the magic of a Heartsong.
“My Daddy served in the Guard Corp….” All of them had the image of Acre Rich, Hawthorne’s father, flash through their mind, “…flag out on our farm…” Said farm was just vanishing over the rise behind them. They were coming into town now, which meant other ponies. It was honestly a familiar scene, and most of the town rushed to join in on the parade.
“Now this nation that I love keeps falling under attack, With mighty sucker punches flyin’ in from all over the map. But soon as we can see clearly Through our big black eyes, Man we light up your world, Like Celestia’s sky!”
The parade was well underway by this point, following a familiar route. Everypony in town knew the destination, and all had been waiting for this day.
“Hey Auntie Faust put your name At the top of her list, And the Statue of Harmony, Well let me tell you she’s pissed. And the phoenix will fly, ‘mid the lightning and hail. Then you’ll hear Mother Freedom Start ringing her bell, And that really is the whole wide world that’s raining down on you! Brought to you Courtesy of the Equestrian True!”
It was a small town, West of Ponyville, East of Appleoosa, South of Transylmania. Everypony loved their small town heroes, and now one of them was going off to be an even greater hero.
“The magic will fly And the storm clouds will rage. This dragon will fight When you put siege to her cave. And you’ll be sorry that you messed with The ponies of day… Well buck you right in the plot, It’s the Equestrian way.”
In a display rarely seen outside of Ponyville, literally everypony within hearing of the town joined in on the final chorus.
“Hey Auntie Faust put your name At the top of her list, And the Statue of Harmony, Well let me tell you she’s pissed. And the phoenix will fly, ‘mid the lightning and hail. Then you’ll hear Mother Freedom Start ringing her bell, And that really is the whole wide world that’s raining down on you! Brought to you Courtesy of the Equestrian True!”
Old Stallion Binoculars smiled as he led Hawthorne into the county enlistment office. “Been waiting on this day fer a long time.”
Hawthorne nodded. “Now that the last of this year’s planting is done and Mom has enough to hire the farmhoofs she’ll need, I’m ready.”
“I know ya are son, I know. I’ve taken the liberty of already fillin’ out most of the paperwork for ya, just have a few questions I hafta actually ask.”
“Go ahead.”
“Name?”
“Hawthorne.”
“Legal name?”
“Hawthorne.” At the older stallion’s raised eyebrow, the younger one smiled. “I had it legally changed a while back. I don’t really need a connection to that part of the family anyway.”
Binoculars shook his head. “I have to go with your birth name son.”
Hawthorne sighed and gave it.
“Age?”
“Eighteen.”
Date of birth, parents, medical history, address, and emergency contacts soon followed.
Lime Gaze was wandering aimlessly. While this was an apt metaphor for his life, he was also literally wandering aimlessly through the streets of Cloudsdale.
He didn’t really feel like going home right now. Not with what he knew was waiting for him. He had just lost job number twenty-seven, this one with the weather factory. Same story as all the others, they didn’t feel like he was putting enough effort in. He couldn’t fault them; it was difficult for him to get excited about something so… mundane.
And so two weeks’ pay was in his saddlebags, along with a letter talking about how the factory didn’t feel they were meeting his needs. He supposed he’d better start looking for job twenty-eight, but… honestly he just didn’t want to.
The script was tired by this point. He would go home, tell his parents. Dad would roll his eyes and lock himself in his office. Mom would give him the same lecture on responsibility and diligence and setting a better example for Crescent Moon, citing every last favor she had to call in to help him get this job. He would search for a day or two, then Mom would hand him another job application, already filled out, along with a list of every favor she’d called in for this one.
He was sick of it.
He wouldn’t say anything – he had tried on round four, he really didn’t want to see that pained look on his mother’s face again. He couldn’t go anywhere, he didn’t have the bits for an apartment. He was getting a reputation too, along with being the only blank-flank adult in Cloudsdale, he couldn’t hold down a job longer than two months, despite his parents’ social status.
They weren’t even wealthy enough for him to be an irresponsible playcolt.
His wanderings had taken him into an older part of town, relatively close to the flight school. He remembered the place, taking a seat on a park bench he replayed memories of it, the last time he was truly happy with his life. He watched the park’s empty playground in the moonlight for a while before a newspaper blew into his face. He peeled it off with some effort, snorting when he noticed that it was the “Help Wanted” section.
He tossed it into the wind, shaking his head. Somepony upstairs had a twisted sense of humor, sending him a – he spun around, trying to get the paper back. Too late, the breeze had carried it away. Darn, I would have just loved to see the look on Mom’s face when I told her I got a new job before she even found out I lost the old one.
He was about to turn and leave when he noticed that one building still had its lights on. Including the spotlighting on a poster in the window, as old as the rest of the neighborhood.
“I Want You.”
It wasn’t quite “Help Wanted,” but it was close enough.
Celestia watched the colt in the hospital bed through a window. “Is he ready to be moved?”
The doctor nodded. “Yes, he’s recovering well… But Princess… are you sure moving him is a good idea? From what the guards have said, he’s quite an adept criminal. Aren’t you risking his escaping moving him before his trial?”
The alicorn smiled. “His trial has already taken place. Once per year I am allowed to supersede the courts and rule directly on a single case. Dodge Lighthoof has been tried and sentenced. Once he recovers from his injuries, he will be working off his debt to Equestria by protecting it.”
The doctor raised an eyebrow. “Protecting it? How? From what?”
“For our young friend alone, I am invoking a law that has been in force but unused for centuries. He has been drafted doctor, into the Equestrian Guard.” Celestia turned to face the young stallion fully. “As for your final question…
“Offhoof I can think of eight major threats to Equestria that have struck in the past five years. I’m sure if I took time to think I could come up with even more. And most of the time we can stop them, usually by having Princess Twilight and her friends take care of it.
“And then a month ago…”
“The Blood’s Eye Event.” The doctor whispered.
“Yes. Equestria hung by a thread that night. Honestly it hung by that thread for weeks. The only reason we’re standing here today is because a thirteen year old filly was brave and strong enough to carry our entire nation on her shoulders. Nopony knows how close we came to losing everything. They never can.”
“Of course Princess. We can’t risk anything killing hope if we find ourselves in a situation like that again.”
“Especially after we only just got him back.”
“I’m sorry?”
“Forget I said that. The point is, that for half a decade I have entrusted this nation’s protection exclusively to a group of a half dozen mares. Last month, that almost cost us. I can’t let that happen again.”
“But Princess… Something like the Element Bearers… Those kinds of legends only happen once in a generation.”
“This was not always the case… There was a time, long ago, when Equestria was overflowing with heroes. Firebrand Rose, Rebel Young, Gypsy Switch, Robin Red, General Mouse, Clockwork, Ironwing, The Freedom Lancers, The Shadow Rangers, The Travelers… Hundreds upon hundreds within a few short decades.”
“…What happened?”
“Nightmare Moon. After my sister fell to Darkness… my advisors and protectors decided it would be better if I were the only power in the land. I was aware of their plans, but only in part. In my grief, I fear I allowed myself to be deceived and used. It took me centuries to help Equestria recover from that, and by the time I did…”
“We were completely dependent upon you for protection.”
“To my eternal shame. My little ponies had lost the ability to take care of themselves, to stand on their own hooves. That is why I need Mr. Lighthoof here. He has shown resourcefulness, independence, and potential that have all but vanished from this land. I need his help if I am to bring back the united heroism that let Equestria lead the charge to free the world from the Draconequi.”
“But can a young thief truly help Equestria?”
Celestia finally smiled, her signature enigmatic one at that. “You might be surprised doctor.” Her smile fell. “But yes, I think he can change the world if he so wishes. So could any pony in Equestria really, if they only decided to.”
“Still, that’s a lot of responsibility for not much qualification.”
“Doctor, you do realize that the Elements of Harmony that will be in the history books are a librarian, farmer, veterinarian, baker, seamstress, and weatherpony, correct?” As the stallion tried to find an answer, the mare sighed. “I have laid a great deal upon you tonight, and for that I apologize. As such, I give you a gift that has helped many before you. When you wake up tomorrow morning, you will remember of what I have told you only that which you wish to.”
The doctor was wrapped in a spell, asleep before he could react. Celestia teleported him to his desk, where a nurse would find him in the morning. The world would know that he fell asleep working the night before, and accordingly forget with promptness. Those who knew him however would say that there was something different about his eyes from that point forward…
EQUESTRIAN GUARD APPLICATION
NAME:Dodge Lighthoof AGE:16 DATE OF BIRTH:3/26 PARENTS: Ward of the Crown
MOTHER–
FATHER– MEDICAL HISTORY:
One month at Manehatten General for severe injuries. Prior Medical History unknown. Bypassed with Royal Authorization.
–Princess Celestia
ADRESS:Canterlot Palace EMERGENCY CONTACTS:Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Twilight Sparkle, Captain Black Diamond of the Shadow Rangers COAT COLOR:Turquoise MANE:Blue and Black TAIL:Same EYES:Silver CUTIE MARK:A dagger inside a spade SPECIAL TALENT:Misdirection
Lieutenant Spring Snowfall smiled as she swung her duffel bag up and onto her shoulders. The train had just pulled in to her stop, and she now had a short five mile walk to camp before she reported for duty.
She was looking forward to this assignment. It was going to be her last duty post, training this year’s crop of the Equestrian Guard. After this, she had earned herself an early retirement with full salary and benefits, so she would be able to actually consider herself as living with her husband and their three foals.
She found her mood reflected in the cloudless sky as she thought of the three months of ease she had ahead of her at Camp Pinemont.
Blade’s expression was neutral as she boarded the train at Canterlot Station. A good guard shows no emotion.
Still, she couldn’t help but flick an ear in annoyance as voices echoed up to her from further down the train. That one idiot stallion again, she was sure of it. He was always drawing attention to himself, it was like he couldn’t survive if he wasn’t in the spotlight. She would never admit to the small thrill of pleasure it gave her every time she scored higher than he did on some test or another.
Lime closed the last zipper on his suitcase, pulled it off the bed, and rolled it to the door. “Well, I’m off.”
His mother’s voice floated out from the kitchen. “That’s nice dear. Should we expect you for dinner tomorrow night or the night after?”
“Uh, Mom? Guard training takes weeks.”
“Only if you finish it.” His father turned a page in his newspaper.
Lime sighed and slipped out.
Hawthorne laughed as the stallion across from him finished his story. It didn’t feel quite the same as being with his friends back home, but he figured that was just a time thing. After all, he had only known these ponies for a few weeks of classroom training.
It wasn’t really crucial to being a guard, just tactics, history, book stuff. But it was a good way to kick start a career, so most of the serious recruits took it.
He was actually pretty proud of himself; he had come out second in his class. If his entire career went like this, then he had a lot to look forward to.
Someday, he promised himself, I’ll be there on the front lines.
“I want him out of my fort.”
“Commander, I understand he’s not the easiest pony to work into your guards, but–”
“No Princess” Fort Commander Sunset Dust sighed, “This… I’ve served you as best I can for years, but… I already have the letters written and ready to mail. Either he leaves with you, or I tender my resignation to every superior I have.”
Blade looked around the camp. Her group had arrived a few days early, a break deliberately placed so that recruits could visit their families between training sessions.
She didn’t really mind spending extra time here though, it gave her a chance to learn the terrain. Besides, it wasn’t like she had anyplace else to be.
“Lieutenant Snowfall,” Base Commander Sweet Sound smiled across his desk. “I can honestly say that it’s an honor to have you here. You’re one of the only teachers I’ve had working here who I actually know of by reputation.
“Unfortunately, we’ve got a problem. Some secretary transposed a few digits, and we wound up with twice the number of trainers that we need. Which opened the door for politics to happen to my roster.”
“Short version sir?”
“The short version is that I know you were promised a unit to train and a classroom for a seminar, but… The powers-that-be have spoken. Your class has been canceled and you’ve been assigned as an XO to one of the rookie officers. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sir, these things happen.”
Hawthorne collapsed onto his bunk, a satisfied grin plastered to his face. He’d finally made it. He was really going to be a guard.
After a moment, he got up and looked out a window. Outside, the sun was just beginning to set. He could see a lone mare crossing the compound. Where is everypony? Did I miss out on an announcement or something?
He left to search for somepony who knew what was going on.
Celestia and Dodge were travelling by train this time. The princess had taken advantage of the railroad in the hopes that it would give her a chance for a private conversation with the colt. She had been waiting for her companion to start, but he seemed quite content to hold his peace. It fell to her then. “Dodge… This was the fourth post in as many weeks. I thought this place would be perfect for you, you should have fit right in to the cowpony society. What happened?”
“Same as the last three times, I upset the foalsitter.”
“Dodge… I’m not trying to foalsit you, I’m trying to give you an opportunity!”
The colt laughed. “Gee, an opportunity to be a tin soldier, how can I ever thank you enough.”
“An opportunity to turn your life around! There’s potential in you that I want to see you live up to. I can see it, Black Diamond could–”
“Don’t. You. Dare.”
It was the ice in his voice that got Celestia’s attention. She had managed to evoke several emotions from the colt, but anger had never been one of them. “Dodge? I thought you’d forgiven her?”
“I couldn’t. There was nothing to forgive. She was saving my life, and even if I don’t like all the results, she was doing her best.
“So don’t you dare use her name. Not like that. Not so that you can invoke it like some kind of magic charm to keep me in line.
“That filly is a hero. You forget, I don’t just know her, I know what she did. She risked everything including her soul to save us. She went into shadows and night to fight the darkness and the monsters it spawned.
“And you? You know I used to defend you? People talked about the things you did, and I used to make excuses for you. And then I was actually in one of those catastrophes, and you know what I couldn’t help but notice?
“You weren’t there.
“So where were you? You weren’t trapped. You weren’t beaten. You weren’t fighting somewhere else. You. Just. Weren’t. There.
“When we needed you, even though we didn’t know it, you were nowhere to be found. Fifty-seven. That’s how many foals were taken in Manehatten. And you didn’t even notice.
“And because of that, because you were too busy in your castle, eating cake and looking pretty, a thirteen year old had to step into the shadows and up to the plate. Equestria survived because she picked up the slack that our ‘benevolent ruler’ is supposed to carry!
“So don’t you dare try to pretend that you’re anything like her. Not to me. Because I know both of you, and I know the difference. She cares.”
To say that Celestia felt slapped across the face would be an understatement. She was more stunned than she had been in centuries, in no small part due to the flashback triggered of another young thief delivering a similar rant in a dungeon. “You don’t think I care?”
“You think you do? Tell me Princess, exactly what have you done lately? Anything?
“And don’t mention raising the sun. If all you are is an overglorified light switch, do you really deserve a crown? You’re no leader. And you’re no ruler. You’re just an illusion, basking in her own glory and convincing the masses to follow her with flash and powder while she shuffles inconvenient little things she can’t control out of the way until they disappear.
“Oh don’t worry, I’m not going to disillusion any of your loyal guards. They don’t deserve that, to pay for your crimes. No, I realize how attached they are to your image, how desperately they need it to feel safe when things get scary. But I promise you Celestia, I will never be one of them.
“Beat me, whip me, torture me, imprison me, bribe me, buy me, kill me, dress me up, pardon me, convict me, chain me, blackmail me, hurt me, feed me, order me, bespell me, banish me, do whatever you can think of, and I swear to you,” Dodge had been looking out the window for most of his monologue, and now turned to lock eyes with the mare. “You. Will. Never. Have. My. Loyalty.”
For all her faults, Celestia tried her best to never ignore a valid point. She closed her eyes and willed her heart to slow for a moment while she considered. There were many things she could say… or do… so many paths open, but… When her eyes opened, Dodge felt like there was something different about them. Had he known her better, he would have realized they’d changed color, shifting to a shade that only two ponies in Equestria would have recognized.
“Alright then Dodge, you think I’m wrong. Fair enough, I’ve met plenty who’ve said much the same before.
“So we’re going to make a bet. I’m going to give you one last posting, and you’re going to stick with it until it’s over.”
Dodge snorted, “And this is going to be different because…?”
“Because your other postings were expecting a guard, something I thought you could be with the skills you already had. I’ll admit, I was hoping you’d be a good fit for a project I wanted to start, but that’s obviously not the case. This time though, they won’t be expecting you to be a guard, quite the opposite in fact. This time, I’m sending you to a training camp.”
“You still haven’t answered the question, what makes you think they won’t boot me out of there too?”
“Because this time you won’t want them to. This time, you have something to prove. I still haven’t told you what the stakes to our wager are. I want you to go there, and take the attitude you have right now with you. Take it to your fellow recruits. Truth survives hotter fires than lies, so your training should help reveal who’s right and who’s wrong. One of you is infected with a lie, and either the guard will cure you or you’ll cure them.
“It won’t be enough to cause damage, just one year’s crop of guards. But it will be enough, that when crisis comes, there’s a better chance of having at least one pony who can handle it, who’s not going to wait with bated breath for the sun to arrive on alabaster wings with fire pouring from her horn to save the day.”
“And what makes you think I would agree to your wager?”
“Because I know your kind, better than you can imagine. And I know that you can’t pass up a chance to help things change for the better like this.”
There was silence for nearly an hour after that. Dodge finally broke it by spitting in his hoof and holding it out.
Hawthorne watched as the ponies arrived through the camp’s front gate and had to suppress a chuckle as he remembered how he’d spent an hour last week wandering around trying to figure out why there were fewer ponies here than there had been at the school.
Celestia let the invisibility spell around her and Dodge drop as they slipped into the base commander’s office. “Commander Sound, I trust you received my letters?”
The stallion behind the desk looked up, long years of training preventing him from reacting visibly to the alicorn’s appearance. “Yes your majesty. All of the paperwork is in order as you requested as well. I take it that this is Private Lighthoof then?”
“Yes. Now then, if you have a moment, I need to discuss a few final things with you.”
Lime Gaze looked around. He figured he was about three hours late, but he didn’t technically have to check in until tomorrow, so that wasn’t a problem. What might be a bit of a problem was that he was beginning to think he was lost.
This place looked more like a colt scout camp than a Guard facility. It was just a hoofful of buildings in the middle of a forest for Celestia’s sake! After the fourth time he checked his map to be sure, he landed just outside the front gates and trotted up to ask.
Dodge sighed as the chaplain started towards him. The older stallion had chosen his ambush well; Dodge wouldn’t be able to live up to his name this time. Ah well, time to bite the bullet.
“Private Lighthoof!”
“So what’d I do this time?”
The chaplain was caught off guard for a moment before shaking his head. “Oh, nothing like that, I just needed to speak with you about some paperwork. It seems you haven’t registered your patron.”
Dodge closed his eyes. “Oh. Yeah. That’s… complicated.”
“I understand that many young ponies don’t worship the Alicorns according to tradition, but you should still at least declare your loyalty to Princess Luna.”
“Yeah… that’s where things get complicated… Luna isn’t my patron alicorn.”
The chaplain found himself surprised for the second time in as many minutes. “I… See…” Dodge could tell that he didn’t really. The fact that he subtly checked the nature of Dodge’s wings was a dead giveaway.
“We should probably take this conversation somewhere less public.”
“…My office is just down the hall.”
“Works for me.”
Lime’s namesake gaze was firmly cemented to his hooves.
“Colt… why are you even here? Honestly in the ten days you’ve been here I haven’t seen any drive from you whatsoever. Regulation says I can’t actually recommend you leave, and you can’t be released from the Guard unless you ask for it, but… I just don’t think you’re cut out for this.”
“…I’m probably not. But I can’t leave.”
“Why not?”
“…The last conversation I had with my parents was whether I’d last one night here or two.”
“Sounds to me like you already beat expectations then son.”
“Not really. It’s not about time. I’m a failure, no cutie mark, no talent, no life. That’s all anypony expects me to ever be. And they’re probably right. I almost went home the first night.”
“Why didn’t you?”
Lime shrugged. “I got mad. Mad at my parents, mad at myself. I decided at least I could be stubborn enough to last just a little longer. And right now… if I walk out those gates, I’m admitting that I’m useless, that my existence is pointless. I figure at the very least I can wait a little longer before that, right?”
“I must say Private Lighthoof, I’m surprised. It’s not often that one of ours doesn’t claim Princess Luna as their patron. I remember some notes in your file detailing interactions with Princess Celestia, is she your patron then?”
“Tartarus no! I want nothing to do with Sunbutt!”
The chaplain found himself chuckling. It wasn’t often a guard felt comfortable voicing a negative opinion about an alicorn in his presence. “Alright then, who?”
“…I …I guess I serve the Star.”
“Princess Twilight? Yes, she is becoming quite popular, even among ours, especially given what she did for Princess Luna, I suppose it makes sense that–”
“Wrong star.”
“…What?”
After thinking about it for a moment, Dodge reached back with a wing and started fishing around in the small saddlebag that was part of the training camp’s uniform. A heartbeat later he withdrew the pendant Diamond had given him, a blue star with some kind of symbol in it made of the same silver as the chain. “If I have to pick a patron… I’ll go with this one.”
The chaplain stared at the small star as it was placed on his desk. After remembering to resume breathing – fortunately managing to do so quietly enough that it likely went unnoticed – he sat down. Hard. “Hope.”
“What was that?”
“I… where did you get this?”
“My… sister. She’s… I’m not sure how much I can–”
“She’s a Shadow Ranger?”
Dodge’s eyes narrowed. “How?”
“When the purge happened, my predecessors committed an act of high treason in the name of faith and kept knowledge of all the alicorns – and by extension their servants – alive by disguising it. Hiding things behind symbolism helped us slip things past the inquisitors. We are sworn to several kinds of secrecy, especially to never let the Sun know what we know, lest there be another purge. So what made you choose the general?”
“…um…”
“My vows of secrecy are bound into my oaths as a chaplain. Nothing you tell me will ever leave this room.”
“…How much do you know about what happened in Manehatten a few months back?”
“I assume you refer to what the papers have termed the ‘Blood’s Eye Event?’”
“Yeah.”
“Really I only know what was made public. What are you aware of?”
“Everything. See, I was involved at first. It all started when this filly wandered into my favorite bar…”
“Honestly Private Blade I have nothing to say. These meetings are procedural though, just like this training camp. That’s really all you’re doing here, you don’t even need this training except to check off the boxes. Just keep your head down and you’ll be fine.”
“…I found out about the rest after it was over, but from what Diamond and the rest told me things were just getting started. See, after she dropped me off at the hospital…”
“Siddown Hawthorne.”
“Sir.”
“Colt, I want to like you, really I do. But you can’t keep showboating like you do.”
“I’m not sure what you mean sir.”
“Quit standing out. The guard relies on everypony being exactly the same. You need to be completely interchangeable with every other earth pony in the guard. Do you understand?”
“So what you’re saying I need to be something between a cardboard cutout and a tin soldier?”
The smirk and sarcasm were completely missed. “Exactly! See, you can do this easy!”
“WHAT!” The chaplain took a moment to regain his composure. “You mean to tell me that Midnight Star is back?” Dodge nodded. “Although apparently it’s some state secret or something.”
The chaplain snorted. “I'm sure his existence is a state secret, I can only imagine what his presence would do… wait… with Princess Flurry Heart… Oh my. Six of them. We haven’t had six alicorns at once since Shade Darkwing fell to a griffon ambush.”
“Who?”
“The point is… the alicorns only show up in force when we need protectors. I’m worried now, what could be on the horizon…”
“You mean besides the two bids for freedom Tartarus has made so far?”
“…Two?”
“So Commander Sound how is he?”
“I’m… not entirely sure. He’s wound up in the cooler a few times for mouthing off to the officers, but that’s not exactly worrisome in itself…”
“You say that as if something was worrisome.”
“The Bat Pony Company Chaplain was trying to sort out an issue with missing paperwork. Apparently he didn’t have a patron.”
“Oh? I would have assumed his patron would be my sister.”
“So did we, but, well, protocol… Anyway, the chaplain finally talked to him about it… And has been jumping at shadows ever since.”
“Hmm… yes, I suppose that could do it… Did the chaplain mention who Private Lighthoof’s patron is?”
“Hold on, I’ve got the paperwork here somewhere. It seems like he went with Princess Twilight, but… it’s worded oddly… Here we go. ‘Servant of the Star.’ Any special meaning to that?”
Celestia stifled the urge to sigh. She should have known.
Spring collapsed onto her bunk with as much relief as exhaustion. It was a good thing she was retiring, because she did not want to be a part of a guard that claimed her current CO as a model soldier and officer. If he knew the difference between a battle axe and a battlement she’d shell out a dozen bits at this point. He was the kind of officer who would order his unit to put siege to a broom closet and then be surprised that the enemy wasn’t conveniently there… she never had gotten over that one instructor from her own training, had she?
Two weeks down, eight to go. She just had to survive it… without having to get a few recruits to help her hide a body.
Kite Shield glanced around, the yellow unicorn’s eyebrow lifting as he finished a head count. “Huh, didn’t realize the local brig was such a popular club.”
The bat pony at the end of the row shrugged. “Usually it’s just me in here; we seem to be hosting a party today.”
“I’m honestly surprised,” The pegasus across from him commented from where he was lying on the floor. “This isn’t what I’d have pictured when I thought of ‘military discipline.’”
He wasn’t the only one, Kite thought as he glanced around the room again. Six cells, three on either side of a short hallway, all of them completely open except for the bars. There was a small weapons locker outside for whoever was guarding the prisoners… if they had bothered to assign anypony to guard the prisoners. What were they going to do, run away? They had that option at all times anyway.
Kite’s companion spoke up, “You can thank bureaucracy for that. If another pony is injured or any property damage occurs this is the most intense punishment they can give us.”
The earth pony by the door perked. “So I can mouth off as much as I want and the only thing they can do is put me in time out?”
The bat pony laughed derisively. “Figures, they would think of that as ‘extreme punishment.’”
The unicorn mare who was being let into the cell next to the one Kite had just been placed in shot him a glare. “The belief is that it is best to match punishment to crime. As long as there is no damage or injury, it is felt that harsher punishments would only provide incentive for rebellious behavior.”
Kite snorted as he reclined on the short bunk in his cell, resting his tomato red mane on his forehooves as he clasped them behind his head. “Case in point.”
The bat pony looked curious. “Yeah, about that. I recognize you two. Grayscale there isn’t really the type to wind up in here, what happened?”
The mare answered before Kite could, “It’ll be public record once I file my official complaint anyway. Our instructor made a rather… derisive… comment about certain tribes which Private Shield took exception to. When the instructor tried to call Private Shield out for disrespect, I attempted to help by pointing out several regulations supporting Private Shield.”
“Which is when he decided that both of us were a problem and needed to be removed from his training exercise.” Kite cut in. “How ‘bout you, what’re you in for?”
The bat pony shrugged. “My instructor’s a prat. I like to point this out indirectly. He then tries to ‘remind me of my station,’ at which point I remind him that ‘better than him’ is an inherent part of that. He doesn’t like me very much. On the upside, I’m in here often enough that I almost have them convinced to let me put up posters in my cell.”
The earth pony laughed, “Sounds like my instructor. Make one little comment about how his formation orders have us tripping over each other and BAM! suddenly I’ve insulted his hygiene, virility, parent’s marital status, dog, and every ancestor all the way back to the first Hearth’s Warming. Almost wish I had pointed out the flaws with his hygiene, that pony sti~inks.”
Kite laughed. “How about you?” He looked at the pegasus. “What’d you do?”
“Nothing. Apparently I wasn’t doing my wing-ups fast enough and the instructor didn’t feel I was really trying. Felt I should have some time to think it over.”
The bat pony howled with laughter. “Because any of these idiots can do anything fast. This whole place is useless, I mean seriously? Wing-ups? I’d love to know how those are going to save your life in a fight.”
The mare cleared her throat. “You know, for someone trying to be a guard, you certainly seem to have a low opinion of them. Why did you enlist in the first place?”
“I didn’t.”
The pegasus nodded sagely. “Shipped off by your parents?”
“Can’t happen,” Hawthorne pointed out, “Parents haven’t been allowed to make decisions for their children regarding the Guard in…”
“Two-hundred and thirty nine years. The Climbing Ivy case was the last time Princess Celestia was involved directly in a military legal matter. So if you didn’t enlist, what are you doing here?”
“Simple, I’m just carrying out my sentence.”
“Sentence?”
“Dodge Lighthoof, most wanted thief in Manehatten, at your service.”
“Y’all’s a crim’nal?” Kite noted with interest that the earth pony could be shocked into a rather interesting accent.
The bat pony – Dodge apparently – narrowed his eyes. “I guess I am. And you… what, did you come here fresh off the farm? Don’t be so quick to judge because you were lucky, not all of us had the luxury of choosing morals and survival.”
The mare – Blade, he suddenly remembered – gave a haughty sniff. “Much as it vexes me, I must agree. You are no better than he, with your contempt for the officers.”
“I only get annoyed by the idiots.”
“A disregard for any part of the lawful order of things is a disregard for the whole of it.”
“Where do you get off you little…”
Kite Shield had the sudden and uncomfortable realization that “between these ponies” was not a safe place to be.
Camp Pinemont had a relatively simple design. It was a large square – two miles on each side – that was walled all around. Fences bisected it both ways, dividing it into quadrants.
In the Southeast was the main camp, which consisted of six buildings. Four long log buildings running parallel to each other constituted the respective barracks of the unicorn, pegasus, earth pony, and bat pony recruits. Running perpendicular to these and capping one end was the primary administration building, which included the officers’ quarters, mess hall, and classrooms. On the other end of the barracks was the armory, which had half a dozen rooms for combat training, equipment storage, and the confinement cells that Dodge was a near permanent resident of. These buildings were surrounded by what was collectively referred to as the training fields; parade grounds, obstacle courses, rock walls, and so on.
In the Northwest was an airfield that had originally been both improvised and temporary. On the edge of this airfield was a museum that detailed much of Equestria’s military history (Specifically everything after the original Nightmare Moon event). It was this quarter that the schoolfoals visited on their field trips.
The Northeast quarter was a jumbled mess of structures that made absolutely no sense. This had originally been a reproduction of portions of three cities – Canterlot, Manehatten, and Cloudsdale – that only just came short of bordering each other. That was nearly two hundred years ago. Since then, all three graduating classes of each year (While the spring group outnumbered the summer and autumn groups combined, they were still determined to make their mark) had each added one building of their own to the growing pile – determined by the top squad of the group. Ziplines, rope trestles, rickety bridges, open walkways, and vaulting gaps were, if anything, encouraged. This quarter was used to train for indoor and urban skirmishes.
The Southwest quarter however was the only one that was populated at the moment. It was a section of forest that was deliberately allowed to grow wild so it could be used for rural and outdoor combat exercises. Scattered throughout it were small bunkers and squat towers. In two of the corners opposite each other were a pair of boxcars that had had their wheels removed. The other two corners held two of the only three maintained portions of the forest, a pair of clearings with flagpoles in their centers.
The third maintained area – also the third clearing – was currently host to the entire population of Camp Pinemont. The recruits had formed ranks in the middle of the clearing and were paying attention to Commander Sound. The instructors were standing in two lines on either side and paying attention to the recruits.
“Listen up! This is not Capture the Flag the way you played it back home. This is not a game, it is a training exercise and I expect you to treat it as such. Since we don’t want you lot trying to knock each other out, capture of enemy combatants will only occur upon surrender. There is no ‘Safety Line.’ Delivery of a clean hit will eject the struck combatant from the exercise. Those recruits ejected will receive an automatic fail for this exercise.
“We do this by the book. Surrendering enemy combatants are to be brought in without further harassment or injury. You will take them to the designated prisons. Captured combatants are welcome to attempt escape – your duty if this were real – but be warned, nopony has broken out in over a decade. The first team to successfully lay the other team’s flag at the base of their flagpole wins.
“Your instructors will be going around and ensuring that the rules are enforced. Are there any questions?” A stallion in the third row raised his hoof. “Yes Private Stream?”
“What do we get if we win sir?”
“You mean besides a passing grade? Well let’s see… for this exercise… How about the winning side gets their dessert rations this week?” There was a deafening silence as the implication sunk in. “Now then, the purpose of this particular exercise is working with different units and ponies. Each of you is going into a different part of the Guard, which will have its own setup, but you will at some point be required to work with ponies who have different qualifications than you. So, odd units, you are now the red team. Even units, you take blue.
“There is a crate of sashes with your flag. You are to make sure they are clearly displayed before the exercise begins, this constitutes your uniform. You had fifteen minutes when we got here. For those wondering, you now have ten. Anypony who is out of uniform at any point during the exercise automatically fails. Dismissed!”
There was an explosive scramble as the recruits scattered.
Kite Shield ducked as another training arrow bounced off the wall behind him and then the ledge they were on. Luckily the enemy only had one archer on this end and no unicorns nearby. “We’re going nowhere fast!”
“We can’t pull back!” A voice came from the back of the line, “They’ve got us cut off!”
“Can anypony teleport!?”
“What happened to our air support!?”
“I can give you the opening you need.”
Kite turned to the only calm pony on the ledge, even as he raised a shield to deflect another arrow. “What are you waiting for?”
Blade looked between a tower and bunker on the opposite embankment, silently calculating. “Doing this will drain me; I won’t be able to escape with the rest.”
“Okay, we’ll carry–”
“That’ll only mean whoever tries goes down with me. There’s not enough time, you have to leave me here. And make the others leave me.”
“But–”
“If this were a real mission my life would be worth its completion.”
“But your grade!”
Duty before all. “I’m here to be a guard, not get top marks. Besides, if I surrender I still pass.”
Blade took a deep breath, letting her horn blink a coded message to the instructor with the teleporting cutie mark on the opposite bank. Bringing down the embankment, stand ready.
The unicorn’s eyes widened as he received the message and scrambled back from the edge.
Blade closed her eyes as she gathered her energy. A spell circle formed around her horn, followed by a second and then a third. A sphere of energy gathered, centered with the middle circle. And then, with the sound of air being displaced by energy, she fired, a solid beam as wide around as her barrel that struck the other side of the canyon just below the foundations of a cement bunker before carving to one side and undercutting a wooden tower the same way.
The flow of magic cut off abruptly as Blade slumped. Meanwhile, the bunker and tower both fell, collapsing into the ravine while flashes inside indicated recruits being teleported away in acknowledgement of their removal from the test.
As he fled, Kite Shield spared a backward glance for his squadmate. She was leaned against the wall, looking like she was simply napping while she awaited her capture. When he reached the end of the ravine and more solid hoofing, he glanced again in time to see enemy pegasi airlifting her out.
If Blade had had the energy, she would have groaned. Of course she would be locked up with these idiots again.
Hawthorne smirked. “So I got picked up when our airdrop plan fell apart, what happened to you?”
After a moment Blade sighed. “I was buying time for the rest of the platoon to get away.”
Dodge glanced up at that, seeming to consider her for a moment. “Huh, wouldn’t have pegged you as the self-sacrificing type.”
“And I’m sure you know about self-sacrificing types.”
“Only reason the guard ever caught up to me.”
Blade blinked, unsure of how to respond. After another blink, she decided that changing the subject was her best option. “And you? How’d they get you in here?”
“Oh I surrendered two minutes in.”
“What? I would have expected that of lazy over there, but you don’t strike me as the type to just give up.”
Dodge shrugged. “It seemed like a good idea at the time, fastest way through their defenses and I even got an escort. Figured somepony with my skillset would be able to get out easy, not like your typical guard recruit knows much about breaking out of jails.”
Blade sighed. As much as it pained her to admit it, it was, “A reasonable and tactically sound assumption, if it weren’t for one thing.”
“They designed these things to hold the instructors, didn’t they?”
“Until four years ago, the instructors were combatants in these exercises too.”
“So what now?” Hawthorne rejoined the conversation.
“Now?” Dodge shook his head. “I already told you, there’s nothing. Doors, windows, roof hatch, emergency floor exit, all of its sealed tight. We’re trapped like rats unless somepony pulls of a daring rescue or the game ends.”
Hawthorne started pacing out the room. “Come on, there’s got to be something you haven’t considered yet.”
“There’s nothing! For crying out loud, I did this for years, it’s where my name comes from! I can dodge in and out of anywhere without being noticed!”
Hawthorne stopped at that, his head slowly rotating to face the bat pony. “What if we don’t need to go unnoticed?”
Blade blinked. “Dropping the requirements for covertness does usually increase options.”
Dodge was slowly starting to nod. “It could work… It’s entirely outside my expertise, but it could work.”
Hawthorne glanced around the room again before walking over to a wall and knocking on it. “Know any ways to put a hole in a wall?”
Dodge shook his head. “No… but I know somepony who does. What’ve you got Grayscale?”
Blade glanced up from where she was resting on the floor. “Nothing. If I had my magic, I could do it, but… I’m spent.”
“How long will it take you to recharge?”
“Given how slowly I made them walk me here? Maybe another two hours.”
“Guess we wait then.”
Blade sat up stiffly, taking a moment to stretch each of her legs. “How long was I out?”
“About an hour.” Hawthorne was gazing out a window. “Things started calming down a little while ago. Either that or the fronts moved. There haven’t been as many flashes of light showing over the trees.”
Dodge nodded from where he was perched over the door, obviously waiting for somepony to open it. “It’s starting to get dark; will they be calling this if nopony wins?”
Blade shook her head. “No. Then it simply becomes a night training exercise. Protocol prohibits the suspension or premature ending of a match unless a recruit requires medical attention and cannot simply be teleported out.”
Dodge smirked. “Maybe we should wait a bit longer for sunset then.”
Hawthorne bounced his head back and forth a few times before shaking it. “No. We don’t know if we’re about to lose this. I don’t know about you guys, but I like to win.”
Blade nodded. “That at least we can agree on. Shall we?”
“Wait a second, somepony’d better wake up our friend there.”
Two minutes later, the four ponies were running, a smoking hole in the building behind them.
“Why are we running?”
“Because eventually somepony’s gonna notice that and we need a head start before they do.”
The group began weaving through trees and underbrush, stealth a secondary concern at best. Unfortunately, so was navigation. They were nearly as surprised as the pegasus squad they ran into. “Nearly” being the operative term.
Dodge struck first, sliding between two of them as he relieved them of their knives. He then twisted as he used those same knifes to mark the throats of the pair behind them.
The pair Dodge had disarmed were quickly dropped by stunning spells from Blade.
The remaining recruit finally realized what was going on and shouted a battlecry as he charged… straight into Hawthorne’s buck. He was no Apple, but he could match just about anypony else, and he’d been in a few brawls.
In the distance, there were a few shouts and some flashes of light.
Dodge sighed as he slid his purloined knives into the sheathes on his armor (His own training knives having been taken). “And that was us, being noticed.”
The quartet resumed running.
The quartet burst into the clearing. “We’ve got maybe a full minute before they catch us, how are we gonna pull this off?”
Dodge smirked. “This time it’s my turn. Yo, Party Colt, fly up and get that flag while I unlock this crate!”
A red squad broke into the clearing to find the enemy at the base of their empty flagpole.
The bat pony swore. “Out of time, scatter!”
As the four ponies with blue sashes fled, there was a flash of red from one of them. “It’s the pegasus!” One of the blue recruits shouted, “Get him!”
Two more squads had broken into the clearing at that, and the group focused on their chosen target. He led them on a bit of a chase, diving through underbrush and barely swerving around trees. And then he made his fatal mistake, trying to get airborne.
He had tried to throw himself off a large butte to quick launch – few pegasi were capable of going straight from the ground to the air while maintaining speed – only for spellfire from a group of unicorns below to miss narrowly. As he backpedaled furiously, his wings rattled his armor and a piece of red fabric fluttered out.
And the sash Dodge had pilfered from the crate fell draped itself over the butte’s edge in view of all.
There was a pause before comprehension dawned. “It’s a decoy, get the others!”
As the area around him emptied, Lime blinked, shrugged, and then trotted off to find somepony on his team.
Dodge grit his teeth as he heard the shouts ringing through the forest change. He’d hoped Lime would be able to last longer. Oh well, it just fell to the others now.
Hawthorne grunted as he pulled himself over the edge. He turned to wave to the ponies below who had thought him cornered in the box canyon. “Sorry guys, not today!”
He spun on his hooves to resume running only to stop short as he found himself facing a row of unicorns with a pegasus squad behind them. Sighing, he reached back for his saddlebags and withdrew the red sash he’d been given.
Blade used the head of one opponent as a step so she could clear a fallen tree that had been wider than she was tall. “Thank you.” She twisted to land on her hooves on the other side, firing a few stunners blindly back as she did. She was rewarded by a startled cry and the sound of a pony hitting the ground.
She didn’t pause to take in her victory however; she still had several more after her. Drink and debauch all you want when the mission’s over, but never relax an iota on duty. She continued running, firing a stunner into one of the pegasi that was trying to corral her. By her calculations she had about six more shots before she was exhausted again…
And there was no way that would be enough to let her break away from the groups that had her surrounded. Fortunately, she was almost at her target destination.
And as she reached it, her heart sank.
She fired off all six of her shots into the crowd waiting outside the bunker she’d been planning to storm. Thinking as fast as she could and channeling that irritating thief, she managed to stall another five minutes before hoofing over the red sash she was carrying.
Dodge sighed internally, his cocky smirk never wavering. He had known it was over when he was forced into the air – he just wasn’t as maneuverable a flyer as most of the others. Still, he had wanted to make it back… he just hoped that the others hadn’t done too much better, they were smug enough as it was.
“So you’re the legendary Dodge Lighthoof… I’m from Manehatten, the guard were overpaying for information on you. Can’t even steal a flag, you aren’t very good at this whole thief thing, are you?”
Dodge’s smirk finally broke – as he laughed. Slowly, deliberately, he reached back, one eye on the airborne blues coming to save him. Shame he wouldn’t be able to draw this out long enough for an ambush… “You tell me.” The red fabric drew all eyes to it as it slowly slid from his saddlebags.
And then the red sash was released to flutter freely in the breeze.
Lime Gaze looked around the clearing, looking for any familiar faces. Ah-hah! There! The unicorn he’d met in the cooler, the nice one, not the mare. He walked up and tapped the pony on the shoulder, then sat back to patiently wait.
After a moment, the unicorn wrapped up his conversation – some conversation about tactics – and turned to the pegasus. “Please tell me you’ve got something to report about why the enemy’s pulling back from everywhere? We’re waiting for the bit to drop.”
Lime shook his head. “Sorry, no idea. I was actually hoping you could help me with something.”
The other stallion sighed, “Sure… Lime, right? What can I do for you?”
“Well… I was hoping you knew where I’m supposed to put this.”
Lime reached back and withdrew the red flag from his saddlebags.
