Author Topic: Float Like a Parasprite, Sting Like a Manticore  (Read 633 times)

Offline Blossom Gale

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Float Like a Parasprite, Sting Like a Manticore
« on: March 15, 2014, 12:21:16 am »
The steady march of two sets of hooves echoed down the hallway. Plates of armour rubbed against each other during the synchronized march that was taking place in the high-ceiling hallways, creating an effect that sounded as though there were many coming down the hallway, yet there were only two. This was a hallway that these two had traveled down before, on so many occasions that they may have lost count, and being Royal Guards, they knew every single path through this castle like it was their own home as much as that of the Royal Family. Just down the hallway were the large double doors that led to Princess Celestia's chambers, a door that they had both guarded with their lives since they both had graduated from basic training, staying as a team, and as a force to be reckoned with on any field of battle.

There was something a little different this time around though. Normally, they would be coming down this hallway at a much later time on this day, and this change most certainly reflected on the mare carrying the flagged guisarme. She looked forward with a grave and serious expression on her face. There was no joking to be had, as per usual, but if it were possible to become even more stoic and serious, she would be wearing a look that could make statues tremble in fear. This was not the same guard shift that Blossom nor Bastion were being called to on their day-to-day basis. No, Princess Celestia - the princess herself - had asked for the two of them specifically. This must have been for a task so important that it had to be entrusted to her finest, and such a task must have been of the utmost importance.

They approached the current guards who blocked the doors, standing at attention as Blossom announced their names and purpose for their arrival, even before the guards asked. As per norm with Blossom, of course. "Blossom Gale and Bastion, Knights of Aurora Noctem, reporting as per the Princess' request." The leftmost guard nodded before leaving to announce that the two of them had arrived, and in that time Blossom turned to look at Bastion, offering him a quizzical look before she asked, "What do you think this is going to be, Bastille?"

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Offline Bastion

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Re: Float Like a Parasprite, Sting Like a Manticore
« Reply #1 on: March 17, 2014, 10:51:58 pm »
In contrast to Blossom's lack of expression, Bastion wore an excited grin on his face as he marched beside her, body shaking a bit in giddy excitement. He was looking forward to seeing to whatever the princess had in mind for them, especially since they hadn't often been called forth like this very often. Whatever it was, though, he was just glad that he was finally going to be doing something other than guarding a door--whatever that 'something' was. Just grinning childishly to himself, Bastion remained silent as Blossom greeted the guards on duty, nodding slightly to their colleagues before looking over to Blossom when she spoke up and asked him what he thought what this was about. "I dunno, Salmon. Maybe it's a dangerous criminal that we've gotta track down and take back into custody? Or... some dragons that are making problems? Or there's somepony important we've gotta escort? I dunno, but I'm excited. Hopefully after this we'll start getting more posts other than 'door guarding'."

Offline Thunderclap

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Re: Float Like a Parasprite, Sting Like a Manticore
« Reply #2 on: March 21, 2014, 11:12:11 am »
"We could absolutely take it on!" The voice of a pegasus coming down the hall enthusiastically ensured, said pony hovering over another as they went and both wearing their own sets of armor, one gold and the other silver, and nearly energetically tumbling about in the air. "And think of the adventure! The story! The praise from the science and magic studying communities!"

"And they'd reward us hopefully with some kind of scientifically or magical stain remover I'd hope," the unicorn of the two replied sarcastically, clearly not very supportive of the idea his partner was sharing as his boots clicked against the floor at a steady pace, "I'd hate to go into a dry cleaners or some such and ask somepony if they could please 'get this ugly spot of 'adventure' out of my cuirass' for me. I doubt that there's much new that can be learned from slaying a gelatinous mound of magic, anyway. Besides, don't they have a number of those things in a cage somewhere for study already? If I recall, they're the land equivalent of a deep sea bottom feeder, so they survive on whatever junk is on the ground around them, so they're not hard to take care of. What's with you and jelly monsters lately?"

"It doesn't need to be a jelly monster," the pegasus clarified, stomach grumbling a little and serving as a possible clue for why his protection of Equestria was continuing to be very dessert based, "a giant frowny ice cream scoop would also do fine. Oh, the dangers I face to protect the average pony..." Coming up on their destination, it being the chambers of their boss, the pegasus landed and trotted a bit closer before noticing another pair of guards seeming to be waiting to enter themselves. "Now look," he said back at the unicorn guard with a gesture over towards the others present, "a line! I told you we should have skipped that sterilizing thing-"

"Stabalizing." A correction slipped in by the unicorn.

"-for that whatchamacallit... On the verge of exploding... Pfft... On the verge of making us late maybe..."

"You're the ones who insisted we stop for hot cocoa on the way back."

"The body of a royal guard is like a well oiled machine, Mana,"  the winged stallion said in a tone that made it sound like he was talking to a young foal new to the world, "and every machine needs fuel. I needed my cocoa fix. Canterlot needed my cocoa fix. No. Equestria needed my cocoa fix." Returning from inside the Princess' chambers to pass a message onto the original pair of waiting guards, the stallion who'd left caught sight of the new arrivals, him rolling his eyes at the following wave of a hoof and simple "Hey, Dirk!" From the pegasus as he turned right back around to announce them to his princess as well.

Having no other choice but to wait for word of their arrival to reach the sun princess, Mana opted to simply stand patiently to the side while his partner, very much the opposite, just trotted closer to the other waiting guards with a smile. "So, how many years in the dungeon do you two think you're gonna get? I'm putting a few bits down on a dozen or so for myself. Life for the other guy." He said with a jerk of his head back at Mana.

Offline Blossom Gale

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Re: Float Like a Parasprite, Sting Like a Manticore
« Reply #3 on: March 21, 2014, 11:13:56 pm »
"I hope so too. As important of a post the one we take is, I can't help but crave a little more action." Even as they waited patiently, Blossom could not help but continue wondering what was going to be asked of them. Bastion did pose a few good thoughts, but then again, it was a few of many possible things, and there was no way that Blossom could possibly be prepared for all of them. All she had to do was remember that she had to keep herself composed while in front of the princess. Act with authority, professionalism, and absolution, have the best intentions of the Royal Sisters in mind with every action taken. Her concentration came to a screeching halt when she heard the sounds of two voices echoing through the halls, one more composed than the other. These two must have been lost or something, she didn't even think that the castle was open for tours this week. She turned her head, and at the sight of their own armour, Blossom let out a heavy and exasperated sigh, turning to face forward once more, her annoyance pretty clear. They were guards alright, and they were making so much idle chatter. Blossom couldn't even stop herself from eavesdropping at this point, not when sound practically amplified itself in the vaulted ceiling. What were they talking about? Being late for a cup of hot cocoa? Oh the nerve... Blossom closed her eyes and slowly ground her teeth together in an attempt to keep herself from ranting at them about the concept of professionalism. If they were here for the same reasons that Bastion and Blossom were here, surely they knew that being late to see the princess was quite possibly the greatest showing of disrespect?

She leaned towards Bastion, asking quietly, "Do you know these two, Bastille? I have not seen them on our shifts before, nor have I heard them." If her father were here, he would have definitely given them what for. As her mind reached for all manner of justice that could be sought against these two, the louder one approached them, much to her chagrin. After he asked them how much time they would be getting in the dungeon, Blossom rolled her eyes and quickly mumbled to herself, "Si je devais ne pas professionnel comme vous, j'espère que d'être jeté dans le cachot pour le reste de ma vie... If we were to be arrested and thrown into the dungeon, we would be escorted by other armed guards, not coming here alone." Her tone was as flat as her expression, "The princess has summoned us for an important task, one that does not require a... fix of hot chocolate, as you find yourself coming to terms with. Are you two being summoned as well?"

Offline Bastion

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Re: Float Like a Parasprite, Sting Like a Manticore
« Reply #4 on: March 22, 2014, 07:58:14 am »
"Yeah... Action sure would be nice," Bastion agreed quietly, almost idly as he stared forward at the door, grin still spread on his lips and body shaking every now and then from excitement. He did all he could to keep himself composed, to be professional, but he was doing a fairly poor job. He was being quiet, at least; he just couldn't wait to see what was in mind for Aurora Noctem. Then, as he heard voices from the hall behind him, Bastion turned his gaze over his shoulder to see who it was, only to lower his head to Blossom a bit when she asked if he knew the two ponies in question. "I don't really recall their names, but I think those are some of Celestia's personal guard..." he said quietly, also a little off-put by the hot chocolate comments. "I've heard some of the other guards talk about them a bit." He then fell silent as they approached, the large unicorn just quietly flicking his gaze between the two new guards as Blossom responded, his grin long-gone. With nothing to add, he stayed silent like that, just awkwardly standing and waiting, his hoof scuffing the ground beneath him every so often.

Offline Thunderclap

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Re: Float Like a Parasprite, Sting Like a Manticore
« Reply #5 on: March 23, 2014, 10:25:15 am »
"That sounds like life. Yup, definitely life. Mana! You're going to have a cell mate!" Thunder informed his partner with a glance back over his shoulder towards the unicorn, "she doesn't take too kindly to casual joking around while on the job either. Unless she just can't tell when someone is joking. As for the hot chocolate thing, there's still hope. The Princess might just offer you some, who knows?"

"One of the reasons why stopping for it was silly." Mana chimed in just as Thunder decided to move on with no further chocolate, be it hot, room temperature or cold, related comments. For the moment.

"Were we actually seriously summoned?" The pegasus asked of his partner, "I thought we were just stopping by to report and say hi? I didn't know we were actually coming by for a thing."

"You were there when the messenger told us, Thunder. You were just too busy with skeeball at the time. Yes, the Princess wanted to see us. Would be hard showing up late for something that wasn't an actual appointment."

"Well, gosh, now I might actually be going to the dungeon... Or being forced to work Broken Bit for the week... Or made to answer to her sister..." Thunder listed off the possibilities, the last one obviously carrying a tone that made it note seem as bad as the others while Mana just rolled his eyes.

Returning, once again from speaking with his Princess, the guard, or possibly "Dirk" if Thunder was to be believed, stepped back out into the hall, him nodding to all four of the waiting guards before saying, "The Princess will see you now. All of you. Try not to break anything." A brief narrowing of his eyes at the pegasus of the four made it clear who he was referring to. Mana wasted no time in standing up and heading inside while Thunder took a second to pause next to the guard on his way by to reply with, "Jeez, still holding that over my head? I already apologized. I could still argue that you should have known that glass was a silly choice of material for a sword to carry anyway, but..." That would go nowhere. Shrugging it off, Thunder glanced at the other two guards before following his partner inside, Mana already having taken a position near by the Princess who was sitting at a small table with several scrolls laid out over it, and the aged silver coated and wavy gray maned unicorn stallion she was speaking with, the pony wearing some kind of robe as they carried on with the conversation Mana hadn't had enough time yet to figure out the subject of as he quietly stood at attention waiting to be addressed.

A well dressed blue mare with a neatly styled brown mane, hurriedly scribbling away on a notepad as the other two ponies spoke, took a break in the conversation as an opportunity to flash a quick smile and give a small wave to the two arriving ponies she knew before pushing up her glasses and returning to her scribbling. Thunder and Mana both returned the smile, Thunders being larger since Mana was trying to be more stony in appearance now that he was in the presence of the Princess, as the pegasus came in and took a spot similar to how Mana had, both guards now waiting for the other two and for Celestia to address them.
« Last Edit: March 25, 2014, 09:45:25 am by Thunderclap »

Offline Blossom Gale

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Re: Float Like a Parasprite, Sting Like a Manticore
« Reply #6 on: March 25, 2014, 03:08:42 am »
Blossom rolled her eyes at the comment that she didn't take too kindly to joking around while on the job. Of course she didn't, this was a serious job with serious ramifications should she fail to do this job. Guarding the life of royalty was nothing to joke around with, and most definitely not something to simply brush off and ignore just for being busy with 'skeeball'. What is a 'skeeball' anyway? Some sort of street sport that is played with a ball? The ball would imply that a ball is used, but never in her attempts to master the Equestrian language had she heard the prefix 'skee'. Regardless of what the thing was, it would not be important enough to forget a summons from the princess. Nevertheless, the deeper into the careless ways she went with Thunderclap, the more she was relieved and grateful that she was stuck with and trained with Bastion; at least he took his job seriously.

As they were ushered in, Blossom looked around the room, spotting the table that the princess sat at before standing at attention. "Your Highness," she stated firmly, tapping her hoof on the ground as she snapped up straight in a show of pride and discipline, such a show of respect that her father had always told her to give to her superiors. Not wanting to break her shining example of discipline, she stood and waited for the princess to ask them to be seated, only taking a seat when given permission to.
« Last Edit: March 26, 2014, 12:19:24 pm by Blossom Gale »

Offline Bastion

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Re: Float Like a Parasprite, Sting Like a Manticore
« Reply #7 on: March 25, 2014, 03:56:14 am »
Eventually, Bastion just turned his gaze away from Thunderclap and to the door in front of him, a light frown on his face. Like Blossom, it didn't sit well with him to have another member of the guard treating his career so lightly. The royal guard were supposed to be shining role models for Equestrian citizens; the steadfast, fearless knights that could be counted on in times of need; the steel wall that kept the Princesses from harm. Not to mention, he worked his flank off to prove what he was worth, and to get where he was. To see someone somepony like Thunderclap making their job look like a mockery, especially when he kept the Princess waiting... He felt his stomach churn at that thought, a sensation that had never meant good things for him before. It was almost enough to make him angry... But he knew better than that. The frown from before was replaced by a steely expression, one that could almost match Blossom's.

Then, finally, the guard returned and ushered them inside, earning a quiet, relieved sigh as he went inside with Blossom. Once inside, his gaze immediately found its way to Celestia, making Bastion once more admire just how beautiful their princess was. It was an unconventional beauty--one borne more from elegance, mystery, confidence, and power. It was always something that he couldn't help but marvel at, but this time it wasn't something he could let distract him. Instead, he focused on saluting Princess Celestia in unison with Blossom, his stance just as straight and proud as hers. "Your Majesty," he said in time with Blossom before continuing with, "Aurora Noctem reporting for duty; ready and eager to serve," his voice as confident and proud as his stance. His gaze then moved briefly to both the grey maned stallion and the green maned mare that were in the room as well before returning his full attention to Celestia, waiting to hear why she had called them there.
« Last Edit: March 26, 2014, 08:35:00 pm by Bastion »

Offline Princess Celestia

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Re: Float Like a Parasprite, Sting Like a Manticore
« Reply #8 on: March 27, 2014, 11:21:18 am »
"But just think about it!" The robed stallion urged the Princess with a weathered voice, hooves gesturing this way and that as he displayed plenty of youthful body language in an attempt to get his point across, "a mage taking his last breaths on his death bed could pass along everything to an apprentice! A royal messenger could pass along entire documents worth of information! This could even eliminate the very need for schools in our society! Every young colt and filly could receive the best forms of education in every field of study, leaving no direction left for them, or all of us, except forward into greater discoveries! Who knows what we could accomplish if we were all thinking on that high of a level together?"

"Need I remind why it was left behind in the first place?" Celestia gently interjected before the stallion could lose himself to his fantasies and ideas again, "The sacking of Swayback? It would have never happened had Whisper not gotten her hooves on it. You understand how much of a pain this will going to be for you if we actually take it out and bring it here?"

"Yes, yes," the stallion answered with a dismissive wave of his hoof, "heavy security, all kinds of hush hush security nonsense, being limited to brief visits on the weekends, and having the constant possibility of having all the work done on it go up in flames at the drop of a cheap hat hang over me every second I'm near it. No need to remind me, Princess, my memory still works fine despite the jokes. This simply is too great a chance to possibly-" he was interrupted by the sound of a pair of guards announcing themselves, the stallion flicking his eyes towards them before immediately continuing, "to possibly ignore, and-" another interruption from the guards, this one irritating the older pony and actually getting his attention.

"Yes. Hello! We see and hear you. It's hard not to notice four guards clanking into the room." The unicorn snapped, both Mana and Thunder just kinda averting their gazes, both having known how he was and would have warned the other two guards about him had they known he had been lying in wait to bite a few heads off within the room. "Do you want some kind of commendation for managing not to tip over and pin yourselves to the ground beneath the weight of your plate? I swear, back in MY day the grunts around here knew to only speak when spoken to! And-"

"Gleam, there's no need for that," Celestia sternly cut the now grumpy pony off, though didn't appear to be all that surprised or even upset with him for going off the way he did, the Princess knowing that that was just how he was these days. "Besides, these are the guards I sent for to help you with this." She smiled at the new arrivals, nodding for them to relax, "unless you honestly thought I expected you to go out there and bring it back yourself? You might still be able to chew somepony out with the vigor and energy of our fiercest drill instructors, but I don't think that would help you much should any creepy crawlies stumble upon you before your nap." She teased with a light smirk.

"Ha! You make outlandish assumptions!" The stallion responded, the small jab bouncing off of him as though it were a dull arrow against the annoyingly loud armor of the guards that nopony else ever seemed to be bothered by, "Within me still burns a spirit that can only be matched by a young hot blooded colt trying to win the affections of a mare! I could bring down a hydra if I needed to! And its flood to see that this is getting the necessary security it deserves." He moved on, point having been made in his book as he looked over the  four guards present.

"Actually, not quite," Celestia corrected, nodding for Thunder and Mana to split from the group and stand more off to the side with her, "I want to keep this relatively quiet, and having an obvious squad of soldiers deploy to a small town would probably cause a slight ruckus and encourage rumors among the ponies living there. Two would be noticed but brushed off as a simple check up after the usual weekly events that seem to go ok down there. Mana, Thunder, stand over here with me please. This assignment isn't for you, but I want you to listen in all the same in case something happens and you're needed to assist." With a pair of nods, both of the guards spoken too gave nods and did as they were told, the two walking over towards and settling next to the mare who continued to scribble everything down.

"These are the two who will be carrying out the task," Celestia clarified, turning her attention to the remaining ponies in the line up to introduce them, "Blossom Gale and Bastion, two members of my personal guard. Guards, this is Instructor Gleam of my School for Gifted Unicorns, one of the oldest members of the faculty there who doubles as one of my more respected court mages when he can."

"They look soft," Gleam criticized, narrowing his watery yellow eyes at the pair of guards, "probably not much experience in doing anything actually important. And only two? You're the one constantly going on and on about security and you are only going to send two ponies to retrieve it?"

"Right now its existence is only known to a hooful of ponies. We have a chance at keeping it that way should we proceed with caution. As I said, sending a full battalion to pick it up would draw everypony's eye and interest while only two could slip in and out without much notice. We spoke of this already. Unless you forgot?"

Gleam grunted, the unicorn of course viewing this assignment as being the most important thing that could possibly be going on in the entire country right now for the sole reason that he was involved in it and because it was important to him, "I'll defer to your judgment then, Princess, but I do feel this may be a mistake. You two!" He turned his attention to the ponies who would soon be doing his bidding, "How well do you handle tasks that don't involve walking up and down a hallway for hours on end? I trust you stumble only twice a day? Any more than two and it would just be silly. Have you ever actually served your country, or have you only played soldier with sticks in the fields?" Thunder, from his place next to Mana and the scribbling mare, just rolled his eyes and gave a small and silent gesture of his hooves as if to say 'just play along'.

Offline Blossom Gale

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Re: Float Like a Parasprite, Sting Like a Manticore
« Reply #9 on: March 28, 2014, 04:46:30 pm »
Blossom was a little taken aback by the loud old pony who, for some reason started to go off on both Blossom and Bastion. Giving a quick glance over to Mana and Thunder, only to see them avert their gazes, wasn't much help in figuring out if this individual was known to them, so instead, Blossom did the one thing that was beat into her from a young age by both her father and her basic training. She kept her gaze forward, stern and cold as per usual. If she was going to show weakness, it would not be to some old wheeze box that had been wound too tight this morning. Even though she was externally silent, in her mind, a turmoil of comebacks and explanations worded to make him seem the lesser being flew around. No, but I don't expect you will be getting a commendation for knowing the difference between plate mail and scale mail anytime soon. and Unlike you, we are trained to fight in this armour. Any falling will be yours.

Thankfully, the Princess cut off the ear sodomy at its source, and with that, Blossom had some time to cool off, shifting a little in her place as she readjusted the grip she had on her guisarme that held the standard of the Royal Sisters upon it, once more reminding herself that she was in the presence of royalty and she would conduct herself as such. There was a new wave of curiosity though, as Mana and Thunder were ordered to separate from their little lineup. This was an assignment that Blossom and Bastion would have to be undertaking themselves with Mana and Thunder as their backup. This was strange considering normal operations required a full squad, but then again, the Princess' logic was sound, and a pair of guards were a lot less likely to cause a commotion in any populated settlement.

After the Instructor and Aurora Noctem were introduced to each other, Blossom could finally put a name to the face. Instructor Gleam, of the Gifted School of Unicorns. Now wasn't that a title is she ever heard of one. It still didn't alleviate her dislike of him. He was at best a politician, and nothing more. All of her inner fury came right back, though, as soon as he said that they probably never did anything important. Ignorant fool. Was his perception of duty so askew that he could not even see the fundamental importance of guarding the leader of the lands? When he approached the two of them, the slew of disrespect continued to pour from his mouth like drool. When it was her turn to respond however, she kept her gaze turned forward absolutely, not once wavering, just as she did when she guarded the princess, and said stoically, "Sir, our experiences include graduating at the top of our military training regime both individually and as a team, Aurora Noctem, including commendations of 'Undefeated in Arena'. Our deployments include Equestria's outlying territory and settlements, and our duties include keeping the peace within the Canterlot, escorting VIPs, and other vital tasks," that you have just deemed unimportant, you ignorant swine, "such as guarding the Royal Sisters with our own lives while they are most vulnerable," with a proud smile, she tapped the bottom of her guisarme lightly on the floor, letting the standard that hung from it wave lightly before finishing with a resolute, "sir!"

Offline Bastion

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Re: Float Like a Parasprite, Sting Like a Manticore
« Reply #10 on: April 01, 2014, 07:35:13 am »
Bastion blinked once after the grey maned stallion began snapping at them before quickly turning his gaze forward and keeping his emotions hidden behind a steely mask. He didn't really understand why they were being given this rude treatment, but it instantly reminded him of the various drill instructors that he'd had to deal with during the course of training. The unicorn didn't quite live up to those standards however; this was much more tolerable than anything the instructors did. The unicorn just seemed like some crotchety old coot whose shaky, achy bones were giving him problems than anything else. As such, Bastion just treated it like he did any of those times, despite the stinging words the unicorn--Gleam, apparently--tried throwing their way. Much less mild than things that had been said before. Even as Blossom responded to Gleam's questions, Bastion remained this way, knowing that if he showed any emotion that the pony taking jabs at them would win.

"Instructor Gleam, sir," Bastion spoke up in an even, almost mechanical voice when Blossom finished, gaze still locked forward and body still straight and rigid as he stood at attention, ignoring the gesture given to stay silent and 'play along'. "With how much faith Her Majesty seems to have invested in you, you must be very skilled. And given how much you see to know of our jobs and its requirements, surely you could show Aurora Noctem what you know? We could learn much from somepony as experienced in this line of work as you; I have often heard that instructing at Her Majesty's School for Gifted Unicorns and the going through the rigorous training for becoming a royal guard is much of the same," Bastion lied, interested to hear what Gleam might say to being called out.
« Last Edit: April 01, 2014, 07:55:30 am by Bastion »

Offline Princess Celestia

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Re: Float Like a Parasprite, Sting Like a Manticore
« Reply #11 on: April 01, 2014, 10:09:23 am »
"Is that supposed to impress me?" Gleam replied to Blossom as she answered him, "You think you're the only ones who have graduated at the top even this year alone? There are a lot of guards out there who can say the same, and I know of plenty who have lost their lives in very embarrassing ways due to their own incompetence. Such a thing didn't impress me when those two jokers over there tried it and won't work with you either."

"Aww... It didn't?" Thunder said, though the slight jab from Mana to do so quietly worked as the unicorn hoped to just get past this ranting as soon as possible so as to focus on why they were actually here. Thankfully Gleam seemed to have missed Thunder's voice as he just continued on with the other pair of guards.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm actually fairly certain there are many other tin suits who do those exact same duties as you've mentioned, so I fail to see why you're special. The two standing outside the doors to this room are defending the Princess' life right now but you don't see them standing in here for a briefing. There are other guards escorting VIPs here in the castle right now, but none of them are being pulled away to come see us here. And, honestly, being sent far away from Canterlot can be viewed as a punishment just as easily as something to be proud of. All in getting here is that the two of you decided to give yourselves a cute little nickname to try and stand out, and its starting to seem like you might have been chosen just because your groups little name might have been at the top of some list organized by alphabetical order and was briefly glanced at by some assistant on her lunch break." A brief glance over his shoulder shot an accusatory look in the direction of the mare scribbling away, the pause then causing her attention to focus directly onto the old stallion after which she only raised an eyebrow and silently assured both that she hadn't done such a thing and that she wouldn't be taking any unnecessary crap over it.

Gleam turned back to the guards, the misunderstood gesture from Thunder apparently managing to serve its purpose anyway as the male of the duo spoke up, though as his voice carried his meaning both Mana and Thunder cringed internally. 'Please don't get him started...' They both thought at the same time, both Thunder and Mana not wanting to spend the next twelve to thirty some hours listening to the old pony rattle on and on...

Gleam just smirked at Bastion's words, whatever damage they may have been hoping to inflict seeming to roll off of him with little affect. "... You've never heard of the Cortoza, have you?" He asked before looking over towards Celestia and legitimately asking, "What do they teach this cannon fodder of yours these days?" He shook his head and sighed before moving on to a request, "Is it at all possible for me to make some last second changes here? What about bringing in that... oh what was his name... Um... Principe! What about that Principe fellow from last month? I could trust that one with this... Maybe..."

"These two were chosen for a reason," Celestia answered both to clarify that the presence of the two ponies he'd been yelling at hadn't been determined by the lucky draw of names from a hat and to deny his request, "I am confident that they can handle this task just fine. Have some faith in the new guard, Gleam, and take a breath before you pass out." The Princess advised, her using her magic to spread out a map on the table as she had decided the old stallion had criticized enough for now and that it would do them all some good to move on, the mage grumbling a bit but not protesting. "Now then, the job we have for you two shouldn't be very complex or difficult on its own, but the location will bring some danger on its own. What well need you to do is head into the Everfree forest and travel to the old castle there." The map displayed was of the forest, Celestia assuming that everypony present already had the route memorized but wanting the map for another purpose. "We need you to retrieve an artifact from the old vaults in its lower levels then bring it back here with the utmost subtlety."

"The item in question should look something like this," Gleam chimed in, his own magic being used to pluck one of the scrolls off of the table and unroll it for the pair of guards to see. It was some kind of jewel, most likely precious and cut into a diamond shape, set into a star that was carved out of a material that wasn't obvious just from the drawing, colored in as green for the gem and a dark purple for the star, the apparently large medallion, if the note scribbled under it regarding its size was to be believed, had several several arcane symbols etched into its points, however each one was also accompanied by a question mark that made it obvious that such things Amy not actually be present on the real thing. "Though, I've never had the chance to actually see it myself to know of any finer details beyond that."

"Nopony has for over a thousand years," Celestia informed as the scroll was offered by Gleam to the guards for them to study, the old stallion needing to bite down on his tongue to avoid telling them not to rip it or something similar, "even my memory is fuzzy on it, as back then it didn't spend much time outside of the vaults. What I do remember is that, in low light conditions, the star should glow a dull purple. If its as dark down there as I'm suspecting that might help it to stand out some. On top of that the lower levels of the castle can easily double as a maze, and while I can provide you with a general floor plan, much of the old magic and plenty of the old traps down there are still, last we checked, active and can cause any map I gave you to become confusing as some hallways may shift or change depending on how you proceed through them."

"Also, the vault is locked," Gleam spoke up again, "though I personally am confused as to why that still is. Figured those old enchantments would have died by now, and that the whole thing would have crumbled after a millennium of zero maintenance."

"We built it to last, Gleam. And, yes, the vault is still locked. You two will need to use a specially enchanted shard to open it." Another glow of magic and a small box on the table was opened, a black and sharp looking stone that appeared to be similar to the blade of a knife being carefully removed then laid out onto the map that covered most of the table. "You'll find the old royal symbol carved into the vault's door," the Princess went on to explain, "just beneath it will be a small slit big enough for the shard to fit into. Just slip it inside and the magic will do the rest. It's single use though, and the enchantments aren't indefinite, so you'll only have a small amount of time to collect the artifact before the vault door shuts behind you. At most you will have two minutes, but given how old the magic in the door is, I can't have full faith in it holding out that long. This is, at best, an estimate made after I crunched the numbers, so you may have a few seconds more or less. I advise one of you stay back to watch the door while the other collects the star. If the worst does happen and you both get trapped inside the vault, don't panic. That's part of the reason I wanted Mana and Thunder here to be present." She nods towards the other pair of guards, Thunder smiling while Mana just gave a nod of his own to Blossom and Bastion.

"And before you ask, no, you can't have more than one shard to take with you," Gleam again, this time speaking as if he knew such a question was on its way already, "not only is there no slot to use on the inside of the door for you to stick it in, but the materials used in creating them are extremely finite, and the magic very difficult to weave. They're for unlocking what was the most secure vault of its time after all. Pending collapse not withstanding." Honestly believing that such an event was doomed to happen soon, Gleam glanced over at the Princess, eyes sending what wa apparently a silent plea that went ignored by the royal pony. "Time also presses us to want to get this done sooner rather than later."

"Mana, Thunder," Celestia addressed with a gesture for them to come closer to the table, "there is something you can help them with when it comes to the Everfree, yes?"

Thunder hummed as he approached the table, whatever she was talking about slipping his kind for the immediate moment while Mana only gave another nod and recognized immediately what she meant. "We've set up a number of emergency supply caches in the Everfree," he told the second pair of guards, Thunder then giving an 'ooooh' as he remembered the week he and his partner spent burying stuff.

"Right, in case the creepy crawlies get you or you eat the wrong kinds of berries."

"Dry rations, clean water, small medical kits, maps and compasses in case you get lost and lose yours."

"Basically whatever you would need should things suddenly get unpleasant."

"Just to be safe," Celestia chimed in, "I doubt any of these will be needed as this shouldn't take you very long, but you should at least commit a few of these stashed to memory. Mana, if you would please show them?"

"Yes, Princess." The unicorn agreed, him taking up a pen on the table and proceeding to circle locations on the map where the other guards could find what they needed should they need it.

"Oh! Don't forget this one!" Thunder reminded his partner, the pegasus tapping the Mao with a hoof and earning a rolling of Mana's eyes because of it.

"Thunder, I can't possibly imagine a time when somepony would need juice, cookies and a few comic books while out in the field."

"Everypony could use juice, cookies and comic books out in the field."

"Do you have any questions so far?" Celestia asked Blossom and Bastion as the other two guards went about marking the map for them.

Offline Blossom Gale

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Re: Float Like a Parasprite, Sting Like a Manticore
« Reply #12 on: April 02, 2014, 02:29:20 pm »
Blossom didn't even flinch at Gleam's verbal lashing, not once. She knew that no matter what he said, the things that Blossom listed were in fact achievements to their own right. If she had time and both rank and order didn't matter, she would give him her own two cents about things, but at this point, that would only make them look bad. Self-control among all things was something to keep in the presence of superiors, especially one as important as the princess. Perhaps he was simply trying to provoke an outburst from one of them to make them lose control just like that. She smirked to herself as she looked at him, knowing that if there was one thing that could **** off an angry pony without necessarily getting into trouble, it would be to simply smile as though you didn't care, which was exactly how Blossom thought. She did not care for this instructor.

In the end, it ended up making her feel better as the princess stood up for them in the end, reassuring, despite the old unicorn's chastisements, that the two of them were specifically chosen for this task. With her sense of pride once more renewed, she walked over to the table where Princess Celestia had spread a map, taking a good long look to familiarize herself with it. It was indeed a map to the old castle from ages ago, and it was a place that Blossom had never personally been, but the way too it and the lessons on its history had still stuck with her all this time, so the assumption that they would have already known the way would have been correct. But just what could have been so important to go back to retrieve, but not important enough to take at first?

Then the instructor pony unfurled a drawing of what looked like some sort of medallion, as well as taking mental not of all the details that were given with it. Glowing slightly in the dark would most definitely be a key factor in finding it, but the circumstances surrounding the vault and the length of time that it would remain open were very concerning. She set herself to taking a map for herself, copying down the route that they would be taking, making sure to make note of all the stashes that would be along in the Everfree, staying quiet while letting Bastion handle the questions involving the castle itself should he have any. After she finished copying everything, even Thunder's specific location for some reason, she turned to Mana and asked, "How did you mark these stashes and how easy are they to access?"

Offline Bastion

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Re: Float Like a Parasprite, Sting Like a Manticore
« Reply #13 on: April 04, 2014, 07:06:52 am »
As Gleam tried insulting Aurora Noctem by saying it was nothing more than an attempt to stand out, Bastion couldn't help but let a little grin of pride show on his lips as he continued to stare forward. Little did he know he'd pretty much hit the nail on the head. That was the entire reason Bastion had suggested they create a team name. To be part of something truly special. To be part of something that he'd eventually hoped to turn into something so much more alongside Blossom. Though, as Gleam went on to answer Bastion, he grew confused at what the seemingly senile stallion meant, his confusion being locked away. He'd never heard anything at all about any 'Cortoza'. If they were anything important, his instructors surely would've deemed it necessary to teach them about it... Right?

Simply brushing that off after that conclusion, Bastion looked to Celestia before a small, proud smile shone for a moment or two before he followed Blossom forward to inspect the map, many of the same lessons Blossom was likely thinking of running through Bastion's head as well. He listened with ears perked as their mission was detailed out for them, his eyes also searching the places marked on the map. The whole 'short amount of time to find the objective' was somewhat disconcerting, but they had their orders. Get in and get out. As Blossom copied the map, Bastion looked up and looked between both Celestia and Gleam as he spoke. "Yes, Your Majesty. The artifact; is there any chance of either of us activating it on accident? Given that it's in this vault, I can only presume it's something powerful. And is that the only thing you wish us to retrieve? If we're already there, and the materials for these keys are finite and difficult to make, could we not gather other things as well to be more efficient?"

Offline Princess Celestia

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Re: Float Like a Parasprite, Sting Like a Manticore
« Reply #14 on: April 04, 2014, 11:54:01 am »
"It depends," Mana replied with a flick of his eyes up at Blossom before turning them back to the map to finish marking it, "we tried to stick with a maximum of three different styles when hiding them. They're either hidden inside a hollowed out tree trunk," he went continued to explain, tapping the map as he went to point out examples of each that he could remember, "buried at the base of a tree and covered with a small pile of stones, or tied onto a tree branch. Each location has the royal seal burned into the nearest tree's wood, not the tree or stump its actually found inside, on or under, and all of them have their own minor enchantments set into place for different effects. The hollow stumps don't sound hollow when you knock on them, the piles of stones are 'glued' both together and in place so they remain where we need them and can be recognized while the caches in the branches are semi transparent and give off no scent so as to blend in. The royal seals are also protected from being scratched or otherwise destroyed by the local wildlife, so as long as you go to these specific locations and look around you should be able to find them without much difficulty. They're relatively easy to spot when you know to keep an eye out for them."

"I don't believe there's much of a chance of you accidentally activating the artifact," Celestia answered Bastion, "it requires a certain careful approach to how its handled to properly function, so you both should be safe from it doing anything on its own."

"Not that its really even dangerous on its own if handled correctly and for the right reasons anyway," Gleam added, "even if it does activate itself I doubt you two would even notice." His ears perked up a little when he heard Bastion mention bringing more than just this one item back from the old castle, this being something he himself had brought up with the princess previously. "I think this one actually went and accidentally showed some small trace of wisdom, Princess. The vault is old with the magic meant to ensure its security becoming increasingly outdated and out performed with every passing year. I have more confidence in my medicine cabinet keeping things secure than that crumbling problem waiting to happen. Why not bring a few of the smaller things back at least? Like that... Um... What was it called..."

"We built it to last, Gleam," Celestia repeated herself, "the contents of the vault will be moved, but they will be moved when the time is right. I can't deny that it would be safer keeping them here, but moving such items needs to be done carefully and only when we are sure its safe to do so. Putting all of our eggs into one basket because we want everything here now could spawn countless problems and threats should the worst come about and something happened to Blossom and Bastion on their way back. No, for now, the vault will hold. Just as it has for a millennium."

"... And ignore the smiley face underneath one of the royal seals," Mana mentioned to Blossom, "that would mean you found Thunder's 'special' stash."

"Hey, that just means they'd get extra out of it! You should keep an eye out for it! You'd get what the others have and more!"

"The juice is probably sour by now, Thunder."

"Pfft. I'd still drink it." This, along with every other important, nay, nearly vital piece of information being shared among the pokies in the room was, of course, recorded by the mare taking notes.

"If you say so, Princess..." Gleam muttered, the old stallion not agreeing but not exactly about to argue with Celestia either since it was clear shed made up her mind on the matter.

"Now, is there anything else I can help you with?" Celestia asked Bastion and Blossom as Mana finished his marking of the map and kneed Thunder when the pegasus almost asked him if it would be a good idea to visit all of the supply caches again soon to add certain small crumbly baked goods to them for the sake of restoring moral to anypony who used them, "If not, then I'd like to ask that you all wait outside for a few minutes while I discuss a few things with Mana and Thunder."

Thunder, suddenly paranoid he had indeed caused trouble because of his stop on the way here for his tasty and hot beverage, raised a slightly concerned eyebrow at the mare who hadn't spoken yet, her returning the look with a small smile and and equally small wave of her hoof to dismiss his concerns.

 


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