The Vanguard

>You are now a Earth Pony knight
>You protect your village from the other, greedy pony tribes with your trusty longsword
>You are currently standing outside of Mayor Pudding Head's house, and your full-plate armor is chilled from the everlasting winter, and uncomfortably presses against your coat
>Suddenly, you see a hoofprint appear in the snow in front of you, though nopony is there
>You take a step back, quickly unsheathing your steel blade from your side
>"Who goes there!? This is a restricted area!" You yell, though your voice seems lost in the cold night
>Nothing
>Your green eyes scan the snowy village in front of you, and the lone hoofprint in the snow bank
>You see another appear in front of it, though it seems sloppy and panicked
>"I gave you a chance!" You yell, and charge forward, blade gleaming in the moonlight
>You feel your blade connect with soft flesh, followed by a spurt of blood and a yelp
>Suddenly, a unicorn mare drops to the snowy ground, clad in leather armor and a hood
>Most of her features are obscured by her armor and hood, though you can clearly see her deep yellow eyes
>They were almost...pretty
>You shake your head at the thought, now is not the time
>"What in Tartarus are you doing here, you damn pointy head!?" You demand, lowering your blade to her throat
>She seems to whimper and try to stammer something out, though it only sounds like weeping
>For a moment, you feel a pang of pity, though you quickly shove it down
> "I said talk!"
>"O-ok! Just please don't hurt me!" She moans, blood still pouring from her shoulder
>"I was a scout sent by Princess Platinum! I was supposed to report on what Pudding Head was up too!"
>Just as you suspected
>"You know that is an offence punishable by execution, right?" You say, though your voice does not seem satisfied, or even happy to have caught a spy
>Quite the opposite in fact, for some reason, you feel pity for this unicorn spy
>Her yellow eyes seem to shrink at your words though, and soon cold tears begin to drip from them
>"No, please! I don't want to die! I'll do anything I'll-"
>"Just be quiet!" You cut her off, raising your weapon from her throat
>"How about I...How about I tell Pudding head that you were just trespassing on our territory? That is only a prison sentence."
>"Why are you doing this?" The unicorn asks, bringing her hoof to her wounded shoulder
>You let your green eyes sweep the snowy ground, you have no idea why you are doing this
>"Because...because my honor will not allow me to let a maiden be killed. Yeah! that's it." You stumble out, sheathing your weapon and extending a hoof down to her
>Even though she is bleeding, you can see the sly grin appear underneath her hood
>"Oh, I see how it is." She says as she takes your brown hoof, pulling herself to her hooves
>"See how what is?" You reply, feeling your cheeks slightly redden, the feeling odd in the stinging cold
>"Oh, nothing." The unicorn chuckles, then dramatically puts a hoof over her forehead
>"Oh no, I have been captured! Gods save me!" She shrieks, loud enough for the entire village to hear her
>You raise an eyebrow underneath your full helm, what was this unicorn doing?
>You hear the clamor of armor from inside Pudding Head's house, and the sight of several half armored ponies spilling out into the street
>The unicorn gives you a quick, sly glance and suddenly collapses back to the snowy ground
>"Oh knight of the Earth Ponies, you have defeated me!" The unicorn dramatically wails, curling up into a ball
>You hear confused murmuring behind you, and the clanking sound of an armored figure approaching
>Out of the corner of your vision you see a red mare in chainmail standing next to you
>It was your superior officer, Parry
>"Vanguard? What's going on?" She asks, giving the you and the unicorn a confused glance
>"I uh..well" You stutter out, not sure what to say
>You are suddenly cut off by a crying unicorn
>"This knight dealt me a mighty blow while I was trespassing on your lands! And he said that he would interrogate me personally to find out why I was here!"
>You catch confused expressions cross the faces of several guards, a few even sheathing their weapons
>Parry looks from you to the Unicorn, her face incredulous
>"Why him?" Parry asks the unicorn, raising an eyebrow
>"The honor of house demands that only the one who defeated me can interrogate me!" She quickly replies, lying as easy as she breaths
>You barely suppress a grin, she was pulling the honor excuse, just like you did mere moments ago
>"By the gods, not one of these damn 'House Honor' wacko unicorns again" Parry sighs, taking a few steps away from the unicorn
>"You know what...fine. Let Vanguard interrogate you, I don't care."
>Parry turns around, her chainmail making her sound like a metal wind chime, and begins walking back to Pudding Head's manor.
>Though as she nears you, she quietly whispers something into your ear.
>"Just take her to the tower and execute her" She coldly states, taking her guards back into the manor with her
>You let your gaze travel through the cold air up to the tower looming at the edge of town, looking like a spike jutting from the cold earth
>The unicorn causally gets to her hooves, though she slightly winces at her wound
>"Let's go, shall we?" She says, already trotting ahead
>"Stay with me, uh, prisoner!" You yell as she moves ahead, though she suddenly stops
>"Oh, of course...sir" She replies, though the way she says "sir" makes the collar of your armor feel hot
>You slowly begin to trot forward through the thick snow, keeping an eye on the unicorn as you move forward
>You may intend to save her from death, but you're not just going to let her go
>After a few minutes, you arrive at the tower, it's black metal gate looming in front of you
>"After you." The unicorn says, giving a fake, submissive bow
>You bang on the tarnished lever next to the gate, and watch as it slowly ascends into the old structure
>As you move into the old building, the stench of carrion assaults you
>You merely scrunch up your nose as move forward, though you hear a gagging sound behind you
>You see the unicorn holding her hoof up to her face, which is still mainly concealed by her hood
>"What is THAT?" She gags, flipping her head back as she gags, inadvertently throwing off her hood and revealing her face.
>She has those deep yellow eyes, and a striking white coat, her elegant blonde hair delicately curling around her thin horn
>She's...beautiful
>You force yourself to bring your face back to a neutral expression and open one of the old wooden doors to a prison cell
>"Just...get in" You say, working hard not to stare at the unicorn
>She delicately moves from the hallway into the room, still covering her nose and mouth
>You have no idea what you're doing
>The prison cell is crude, with no windows and the flow covered in old, rotting hay and...crusted splotches of red
>Regardless, both of you slowly trot in
>The mare finds her way to the center of the dark room, and sits down, causing some hay to slowly drift through the air as it's disturbed
>You attempt to sit in front of her, though you merely ram your armor into your backside, and remain standing
>"Now that we're in a private place, I can tell you why I'm really here" The unicorn says, her voice oddly confidant
>"My name is Night Blade, and I am here to take advantage of a coup."
>You feel your entire body go numb, and you mouth slightly go agape
>"A-a coup?"
>Night Blade gives a small nod, a movement which disrupts her elegant hair
>"For the past year, we have been spying on your superior officer, Parry, and we have found that she plans to assassinate Pudding Head and take control then she wants to..."
>The unicorn's eyes suddenly take on a fearful glint
>"...She wants to declare war on the Pegasi and the Unicorns."
>You give a deep sigh, letting your eyes sweep the ground
>You should not be trusting the word of this unicorn, but you find it hard to disbelieve her
>Parry was always a warmonger, still lusting for the old days of bloodshed and brutality between the 3 pony tribes
>You couldn't let her restart the war, it was your responsibility
>"And you were sent her to stop her?" You ask, meeting Night Blade's eyes
>The Unicorn gives a slight nod
>"Are you willing to help me?"
>You take a step back, concern etched on your face underneath your helmet
>Letting a unicorn who deserves a death sentence off with a prison sentence is one thing...but direct treason is completely another
>"How about this, you present proof to Mayor Pudding Head, and she has her executed?" you suggest
>"That could wo-" Night Blade begins, though she is cut off by a loud banging noise
>The door shakes as a hoof pounds against it
>"Vanguard? Have you killed her yet?" The voice of Parry seems to reverberate throughout the tower
>Night Blade draws the thin dagger from her leather bracer, and gives you a concerned look
>She knows you know, she's here to kill you, the sudden realization flares to life in your head
>WIthout a word, you draw your longsword, and cautiously trot towards the entrance
>You stand in front of the door, your longsword nervously clenched in your mouth
>With a cry, you slam into the door, sending chips of wood and rust flying through the stale air
>You hear wood connect with soft flesh and chainmail on the other side of the door
>"What in the gods names?!" You heard Parry scream as the door falls on top of her
>You leap over the door and ready your longsword to strike
>"Traitor!" You yell, aiming for the center of the door, where her heart should be
>Your well-maintained blade strikes into the door, though it only sends chips of wood flying through the air
>You missed
>Suddenly, the door bucked upwards, slamming into the roof after Parry's strong buck
>"You fool!" She cries before unsheathing her large bastard sword from her back
>You both stand face to face, weapons drawn and adrenaline pumping
>You both swing
>The blades connect with a ring, sending you and Parry momentarily stumbling back
>In your heavy armor, you struggle to reposition yourself, while Parry bounces back like a ball
>She thrusts at you, still unprepared for the blow, and sends it through on of your legplates
>The weapon tears a hole in your forehoof, sending a dark gout of blood surging out
>She pulls out, positioning herself for the killing blow
>Not today
>You savagely swing your helmeted head forward, sending your steel fullhelm crashing into her skull
>She gags as it connects, dropping to one hoof on the bloody ground
>You stand there, motionless
>Parry..had to be tried, you couldn't be judge, jury and executioner here
>You sheath your sword, and begin to extend a hoof to the wounded Parry
>Suddenly, you see a red line appear on her throat, followed by a spurt of blood
>Night Blade's invisibility spell wears off as she murders Parry
>You stand amazed at her brutality, your green eyes wide
>"What was that for!? We could have..." You begin to say, though you are cut off by the unicorn's horn flaring yellow
>Suddenly, you feel your body relax, and your eyes meet hers
>They seem so deep and beautiful, almost...perfect
>You feel like you're falling into them, and you feel as if everything but her is...ceasing to matter
>Everything goes black

>You are now Night Blade
>The stupid mud pony knight stands fascinated in front of you, staring into your eyes like a lusty suitor
>Stupid savages, so easy to hypnotise
>"You will follow me, alright?" You tell Vanguard, who slowly and stupidly nods
>You grin as you pull your head back up, everything for the attack was now set up
>Unicornia would now own the mud ponies most prized possessions, their founding village Earth and their fool of a leader...Pudding Head
>You stare down at the village from the mouth of your green, elegant tent
>Nopony is out, and the night seems calm
>Soon though, that would change
>Unicorn mages would bombard the town, and unicorn swordponies would cut a swath through unprepared knights and soldiers
>You almost feel a pang of guilt as you think about it, though you quickly dismiss it
>You merely did your job, and the commander was very pleased with you
>She said you'd have a promotion, and you could even keep Vanguard to yourself
>You gave a slight smile at the the thought of Vanguard
>Even though he was the enemy, and a filthy mud pony, you couldn't help but like him
>His naivety and "morals" were all very...cute
>You felt yourself jump as a hoof is placed on your shoulder, warm but trembling
>You look over to see Vanguard, stripped of his armor and weapons, though his eyes no longer glinted with hypnosis
>"I saved you, you can't just do this! I-I can make you a deal!" Vanguard says, his voice tinged with desperation
>If you didn't feel guilt before, now you did
>"It's not my choice" you growl back, brushing his hoof off your shoulder
>"I can give you the name of all of the Earth Pony commanders! Please, spare my village!"

>You are now Vanguard
>You hope that this bluff works

>You are Night Blade again
>"A-all of the Earth Pony commanders?" You say, astonished
>"Yeah, just take me back to Platinum's Castle with you, and I'll tell you everything!"
>You give a considering "Hmmm" and let you gaze drop to the ground
>"Under one condition." You say, your voice slightly nervous
>"W-What Vanguard says, his frame still trembling
>"I get to keep you" You say, and you visibly see him deflate
>"Fine! Just spare them!" He begs, his eyes meeting yours
>You walk towards the commander's tent, a smile on your face
>You, and the Unicorn Empire just made a massive score
>You are now Vanguard
>The soft silk sheets underneath you feel like you're laying on wind
>Night Blade lays next to you, her hoof wrapped around yours and a satisfied smile on her sleeping face
>It took so long for her to fall asleep, to give you a chance to escape this castle before you were brought before Princess Platinum for information you don't have
>Slowly, you unwrap Night Blade from you, and stand up from her bed
>You could kill her, you think, though you shake your head at the notion
>Even though she was the enemy you can't deny that there was...something about her
>You slowly creep out of her chamber, wondering why the guards even consented to let you sleep in her chambers and not in a prison cell
>As you make your way out of the castle, one thought races through your mind
>The unicorns wanted war, and almost got it
>Now you needed to warn the other two tribes...before it's too late