# big exposition chapter
CHAPTER 4: A NEW CHICK IN THE NEST

THE NEXT DAY...

Corporal Glitter was approaching the west castle courtyard, where she would meet Sergeant Edge, the most friendly-looking member of Phoenix Squad. Technically, the west "castle courtyard" wasn't a part of the castle proper, but more of a well-guarded recreational area in the neigbourhood of it.

Sword was hurrying, like always, so she wouldn't be late. It was some time ago she saw a street clock, so her sense of time was a bit off. Regardless, she arrived at the place, and looked around. At that time of day, it was obviously pretty much empty, so it shouldn't have been hard to locate the Paladin sergeant.

Yet, she couldn't see him.

At first, Sword wanted to do a double take, thinking she was at the wrong place, but she quickly gave up looking for a sign. She lived in Canterlot her whole life, she knew the city well, and she didn't just suddenly go crazy either. She WAS at the right place.

Sword trotted around a bit, looking for the stallion, but she didn't have any luck. Until, suddenly...

"Hey, Corporal!"

Sword got startled a bit, and upon turning back, she saw it was the Sergeant. And considering Sword didn't notice him following her, he must have been sneaking up on her. Maybe, this was already part of her training...

"Good morning, Sergeant." started Sword, letting out a small sigh of relief "Sorry I didn't notice you. Um, I mean... Corporal Sword Glitter, reporting for duty!"

Sword stood for attention, but Shield quickly dismissed it with a smirk.

"No, no, there is no need for that outside of the base. Come on now, I'll lead you to the entrance."

Shield gestured with his head, and Sword followed him. Once again, Sword constated to herself just how friendly this stallion sounded, and besides, he didn't look half-bad either...

Shield crossed the area, while Sword was keeping pace. A minute later, Shield stopped at a statue, resting on a tall pedestal, surrunded by thick bushes.

"Besides, I didn't even introduce myself properly. I know the Major did so, but that's just not the same... So, I'm Shield Edge. Happy to meet you!" said the stallion, and extended a hoof towards Sword. She shook it, and answered with an introduction of her own.

"And I am Sword Glitter. Glad to have your aquintance!" said the mare, and although she tried to stay professional, that sentence went with her cutest smile. But she couldn't help it, that just happened, even though she wasn't the outright flirty type.

"Okay, now... Since we're in the right place, please look around, and make sure nopony is nearby. Then come back to me."

Sword's smile turned into a weird look. Now, that's some fast-forward romancing, she thought, but shooed away the notion at the same moment. There must be some professional explanation as to why they need to be alone, and while Sword made a quick circle around the bushes, it came to her Celestia asked the same from her the previous day. Was the statue also an entrance? Would make sense, but they were kinda far from the palace. Could the underground complex span so far?

As Sword only saw a single pony walking in the distance, she returned to Shield, and confirmed they were in the clear. And as an answer, Shield removed the side of the pedestal with his telekinesis, and added:

"Then there is no stopping us from entering the HQ. Now, I know this elevator isn't too spacious, we should still fit inside together. Even if a bit tightly..."

Sword let out a silent "Oooh" at the sight of the hollow pedestal. This Paladin business started to look like in those spy novels, what with all the secret entrances. Shield gestured to Sword that she should go forward. She stepped inside the clandestine elevator, then Shield followed suit, and levitated the side panel back into place.

Now both ponies were squeezed inside the elevator, in complete darkness, their bodies tightly pressed against each other. Sword always thought when she would get this close to a stallion, in darkness to boot, it would be in a different situation, and she smiled at the goofy notion. Good thing in the darkness it couldn't be seen, although not like Shield could turn his head to do so.

The next moment, a cyan light filled the tight space, and the elevator begun riding down with them. Shield must have cast the activator spell, and for good measure, he also kept his horn lit up. That reminded Sword she could have cast a lighting spell right off the bat, but her stupid thoughts kept her occupied instead...

Luckily, the elevator arrived with them quickly at whatever destination. Shield slid away a stone door, and exited. Sword did too, and lit up her horn. They were in some sort of... cave? At any rate, it didn't look like the Paladin headquarters.

"Where are we?" asked Sword, looking around, casting her light in different directions.

"In the crystal caves beneath the city." came the answer from Shield, who began to walk forward.

"I thought they didn't extend this far out."

"They do. But there were many cave-ins in the past few centuries, so nopony knows for sure just how vast they truly are. But this passage leads straight to our HQ, so just follow me."

"So the caves and the HQ are interconnected? Huh. Interesting." Sword said, following.

"Yup. Oh, believe me Sword, you've seen nothing yet. Just wait until I walk you around the base properly. There ought to be some surprises!"

"Oh, I bet."
***
Sword followed Shield's lead in the underground cave towards the Paladin HQ. As she was curiosly looking around, her lighting spell was refracted in different manners by the crystals jutting out from everywhere. The predominantly dark crystals gave back a distorted reflection to anyone looking into them, and the Corporal was no exception, as almost intinctively, she looked into the closer ones as mirrors. The image was definitely unflattering, just like the whole place overall, she thought.

"I have to say, this place is kind of creepy." Sword said after a few minutes of walking, wanting to hear something else besides the draft in the caves.

"I get you." answered Shield "Now imagine being trapped down here. I have it on good authority that Duchess Cadenza was trapped down here for days just before the Changeling invasion."

"The wife of the former captain of the Guard, Shining Armor? Didn't they actually fight in the battle, and repelled the invaders ultimately?"

"They did. The Duchess turned up at the last moment, but only thanks to the diligence of Shining Armor's sister. One of the Wielders. The Changeling Queen really fooled us all."

Meanwhile, the two Paladins reached a junction, where the cave diverged into two narrower paths. Shield gestured with his head towards the right, and walked on. Sword did likewise, and spoke again:

"Now that's a bit more detailed version of the story than the one I knew. Had no idea Captain Armor and one of the Wielders were related. That must be one influental family..."

"That's a matter of perspective. But that family kinda has a history of serving Equestria, in various manners. As I guess you know who their mother is..."

Shield peeked back at Sword, expecting an answer. Sword could only shrug though.

"I... dunno? Should I know? Someone famous?"

"Not exactly." Shield shook his head "Their mother is Twilight Velvet. The veteran Paladin you're replacing."

Sword let out a small gasp. She got reminded she ought to replace somepony who was probably in a league many levels above her own.

"So they're all related... Kinda makes sense. And kinda makes me convinced I cannot replace Paladin Velvet."

Sword's ears drooped as she finished that last sentence. And as if Shield just felt the change in mood, turned back, and seeing the frowny face, stopped for a few words.

"Now listen. I worded that a bit poorly, but I didn't mean "replace" as in "you have to become like Velvet". You're here to bring your own value to Phoenix Squad. That I'm sure you will. I mean, that automaton training course was a good indication of that..."

Shield smirked, and Sword's frown also turned upside down. A bit flattered, she brought a hoof to her chest, and blushed a bit:

"Aw gee... You're really nice. I mean, it's so nice you believe in me. So uh... Will this cave last very long? My claustrophobia's kinda kicking in."

"Oh no. We're really just a minute or two away now. Let's go!"
***
Sword and Shield reached an anassuming wooden door, and entered the HQ. Being her second day there, the whole place was still very unfamiliar to her. And the feeling that a military base can be this dead, was even more so. But even after they walked on for a good few minutes, they still didn't meet anypony.

"Where are the others?" Sword asked.

"Oh yeah. I didn't mention. Most of the squad is enjoying a free day today. Only Major Starstorm is in, as she's the duty officer. Your training will be sort of an introduction today, if memory serves me right from my time. Getting to know the base, and stuff like that."

"Now that I could use." answered Sword.

"I assure you, you will see and hear lots of interesting things today. But first, we'll report to the Major."

After many twists and turns in the stone corridors, the two young Paladins reached a nicer section, where the Major's office was located. Shield knocked, and Starstorm answered:

"Yes, who is it?"

"Sergeant Edge, Ma'am. I have the Corporal with me."

"Come in."

Sword and Shield entered the room, and saluted. Major Starstorm was indulging in some paperwork at that moment. It occured then to Sword, that no matter where he got within the military, officers were ALWAYS doing paperwork, whenever she encountered them. Funny.

"At ease." said Starstorm, and stood up from her desk. She walked up to Sword, and stopped right in front of her. She was just a tiny bit shorter than the Corporal, and a bit slighter in build as well.

"So, I guess a walk around the base is due." the Major continued "But first: what is your armor size?"

"I'm 22 [inches tall] at the withers, Ma'am."

"Then Sabersong's spare armor might just fit you. To the armory."
***
The three ponies walked to the armory. Its heavy stone door had strange runic carvings, much to Sword's marvel. She was pretty much used to the lock-and-key method of sealing doors.

Major Startstorm casted a spell at three points at the runes, and her light blue magic cursed through the carvings, eventually all reaching the side of the door. Then, she pushed it open with telekinesis.

"No unicorn without the appropriate spell can enter this room." Startorm commented on the proceedings "You will learn it eventually, but as a trainee, you'll only have limited access to some places here."

Sword and Shield followed Starstorm's lead, and entered the armory. To Sword's surprise, it was rather tiny. A few lockers, mannequins with the unique armors neither of her fellow Paladins were wearing right then, and staves, lining the walls. Sword put a hoof to her mouth instinctively. The Royal Guard deployed a few staves for fire support at the battalion level, but she never saw so many in one place. There were dozens of them... And the Corporal knew these things were expensive.

"We use staves, Ma'am? And so many?!"

The Major looked around so casually as if only the few cobwebs hanging were mentioned to her, then answered:

"Oh yeah. We do. You will also use some of them during your training. More, if you have the aptitude."

The armory had a smaller section, to the right. Sword peeked in, and saw that one was full of an assortment of melée weapons.

'Now that's more up my alley!' thought Sword, and couldn't stand not to ask:

"Do we have the Mk.IX regulation spear in stock as well, Ma'am?"

"No. Why would we have that?" answered the Mayor in her usual, always-somewhat-bored-sounding voice "But come here now, time to suit up."

The Major was standing next to a locker. Sword, a bit disapponted with the previous answer, stepped there, and the first item, apparently plain white robes, were given to her.

"Okay, put these on, in the order I'll give 'em to you. Shield, you love lecturing, would you narrate the events? Let the Corporal know just what she will wear in the coming hours."

"Yesss, Ma'am!" answered Shield, sounding really chipper.

Sword put on the white robes, which extended just below her knees. To the touch, they were pleasant, probably made out of cotton. Shield began to talk.

"The Paladin Pony Protection System Mark VIII, or as we just call it, the Paladin armor consists several layers. The innermost, which you just put on, are the "inner robes", which are simply for comfort, and prevent chafing from the heavy silk ones... which the Major will give to you in a second."

The Major walked to a different locker, and pulled out the blue robes, that were somewhat familiar to Sword already. It was the same the Battlemages wore, the elite company of the Guard. Sword put them on with pleasure, as these were really nicely made. The golden embrodiery near the rims gave it a classy vibe, and Sword instinctively looked around for a mirror. And as if reading her mind, the Major said with a raised eyebrow:

"You won't find a mirror here, Corporal. Looks don't count in combat anyway."

Sword just bit her lower lips, and didn't answer. She hoped though it was really just MILINT doing a bang-up job researching her, and not Starstorm's mind-reading powers. Sword knew some unicorns could do that, too...

Shield continued the description:

"What you just put on, the Magic Resistant Robes Mark V(P), as in P for Paladins, is the most expensive, and I might say, the most impressive part of your equipment. Solely going by its appearence, they are heavy silk robes. But what makes them special, is the enchantment they hold. They can resist magical energy discharges, keeping a warrior in combat after a potential hit. I mentioned this is the "P" version, as in, it is enhanced for Paladin usage. They are much more resistant to magic than the visually identical Battlemage ones. For this reason, we sometimes call them the "alicorn skin" among ourselves."

Major Starstorm just silently nodded in response, and walked to a huge chest. After opening it, a gambeson was revealed. Sword looked on with excitement, waiting for the explanation from his comrade how these were special. Paladin gambesons!

As Sword put the gambeson on, Shield continued his narration:

"This is a... gambeson. A plain old gambeson. A well-stuffed one, that provides sufficient padding for our armor, but it's still just a gambeson. I don't think I could tell anything else about this one."

'Oh, like that... Not a special "Paladin" gambeson, then.'

Starstorm finally reached the most defining part of the equipment, the armor. In appearence, it was quite different from the standard issue Royal Guard ones, featuring many smaller, overhanging and interlocking armor flaps instead of the more "skirtlike" design. In colour, it was pretty similiar though, but perhaps with a less defined sheen.

Sword looked upon the armor strapped to the mannequin, thinking how she should get to putting it on. It didn't seem as easy to her as with the Royal Guard armor, which was basically a single piece. But before she could think too hard about it, Starstorm chimed in:

"Hold on, Corporal. I'll help with you that one. I'll show you THIS ONCE the order you should put the pieces on. Otherwise, it's gonna be a nightmare getting suited up."

The Major fumbled with the armor using her magic, then eventually, lifted off the side pieces one-by-one. As she just let them float in the air, they jingled there like if they were some oversized wind chimes. Sword then saw these were all attached to an elaborate harness system underneath, which then only had the armored saddle and a minimalistic croupiere attached.

"All right Rookie. Pull on the straps there, there and there," continued Starstorm, highlighting the mentioned points with magic "and you can easily undo the rest. Now, do NOT pull the one just hanging under the saddle, as that will cause the whole harness system to fall into pieces. It's for emergencies when you'd have to get rid of your armor real quick, otherwise, it'd cause you BIG trouble. So keep that in mind."

Sword just nodded in response, and did as the Major instructed. She lifted off the barebones armor from the mannequin, and placed it on her own back. It was a comfortable and snug fit, due to the gambeson. Then Starstorm levitated over the side armor pieces one-by-one, and attached them to the harness.

"Remember which piece goes where. And always attach the chest armor first, as that itself is also an attachment point."

The Corporal peeked at Starstorm, watching how she worked with the clasps that held the individual pieces to the harness. When she was ready, Sword noticed just how much weight she wore. This outfit was significantly heaver than her plain old RG one. And she didn't even put on the closed-type helmet, or stepped into the armored horseshoes. But after doing the latter, she also finally slid on the helmet, letting her long mane jut out through the crest-opening.

"Take it back from here, Sergeant."

"Aye-aye, Ma'am."

Shield cleared his throat, and directed his words at Sword again.

"You are now wearing a full set of Paladin armor. Well, an almost full set, because there is also a complementary chainmail "scarf" for neck protection, which is optional, as it restricts neck movement somewhat. As for the armor itself, unlike the Royal Guard's bronze, and the Battlemages' gilded steel, this one is made from orichalcum-celestium. It's an obscure alloy. You might have heard of orichalcum, it's similiar to bronze in color, but stiffer, harder. But when alloyed with celestium - which can be only done in an arcane forge, due to the very high melting point of the latter- it becomes an almost impenetrable material. Well, impenetrable by most pony operated weapons. I'm not claiming it could stop a javelin thrown by a minotaur, or a high-powered crossbow. And although the armor is heavy, it allows relatively free movement, due to its "armor flap" design. I should also mention...

"Thank you Shield, that was sufficient. I bet the Rookie got the idea." interrupted Starstorm, cutting the Sergeant's lecture short.

"Of course Ma'am. It was my pleasure." Shield nodded.

Sword smirked at the lecturer, and thought to herself that Shield wasn't just good-looking, but also a smart cookie. Although not much of that could be seen under the helmet. And actually, Sword couldn't see much from the outside world through the T-shaped visor, either. She had to move her head to see what was in her peripherial vision. She looked at the Major questioningly, but of course that expression couldn't be made out either. So she talked:

"Ma'am? With all due respect, the visual awareness this helmet provides is...

"Less than sufficient?" Starstorm made an interruption again, completing Sword's sentence "I know. You just have get used to it. At least you can't get shot in the face this way. But when we're not in actual combat, we wear the visor slid to the sides."

"Ma'am?" Sword's muffled muttering could be heard from behind the helmet. She didn't see any joints or rails by which the visor could move. The helmet seemed like one block of metal.

Starstorm merely peeked at Shield, and gave him a barely noticable nod.

"Just use you telekinesis on the front of the helmet." he started up again "As if you wanted to pry it open. Then the visor will come apart, into four pieces. Now don't care about the rest, the magnetic spell it's enchanted with will keep the parts of the visor affixed to the side of the helmet."

At first Sword was baffled at that description. She thought it an unnecessarily contrived way to open up a simple visor. Then she tried casting her spell at it, just as Shield described. The visor resonated a bit, but didn't budge. On her second try, she used more magic, and the visor literally flew open in four pieces, then snapped to both sides of the helmet.

"Wow! Cool!" Sword exclaimed somewhat surprised, but also impressed.

"Yes. Just like that. And yes, it's indeed cool." Shield confirmed.

"Now that we "unfolded" that secret" said Starstorm with the hint of a smile "I think it's time I leave the tour of the base to you, Sergeant. And for the duration, you shall wear the armor, Rookie. Get used to its weight, how the different parts move and fold, everything."

"Yes Ma'am."

"Aye-aye, Ma'am!"

"You know what to do Sergeant, right? A guided tour, but keep clear of the restricted section. You know which one."

"Of course Ma'am! I'll do as you instructed!" Shield saluted.

"Good, because I still have plenty of paperwork to do... Celestia dang it." Starstorm answered, only muttering the last part. "Alright you two, dismissed!"
***
After the three Paladins left the armory, Major Starstorm went back to her office, while Sword and Shield continued with the tour of the base. Their journey was accompanied by the jingle-jangle of the brand new armor the brand new Paladin was wearing. She also left the visor of her helmet open, so she could actually see where they were going. She was already missing her comfy Royal Guard armor, although that one lacked the features this one had. And an elite trooper was only to wear elite armor, right?

"I think I'll show you to your quarters first." Shield started after they took a right turn on a corridor that looked just like the rest "So you'll know where you can spend some private time, if you'll happen to get some while here at the base."

"My quarters?" Sword asked, surprised "You mean, no sleeping together in bunks and all?"

"No!" Shield answered, with a sensible chuckle "We all have our own rooms. When this place was built way back, Princess Celestia thought we Paladins deserve the best. So each of us would get their own little privacy, when we aren't required to be together."

"Hmmm... The best? No offense to the princess" said Sword, lowering her voice "but then maybe she should have considered NOT placing the Paladin heaquarters underground!"

"Duly noted, but I believe this location solely has to do with security reasons."

Meanwhile, they arrived on a corridor lined with identical doors. Shield lead Sword to one just marked with a big "4".

"This used to be Captain Velvet's room, also known as "Phoenix 4". But we don't use callsigns too much, so you don't necessarily have to remember the number."

"Captain Velvet..." Sword repeated, only muttering.

Shield heard her though, and looked at Sword, furrowing his brow slightly.

"Now don't make that face again! I know what you're thinking, but here's this: Paladin Twilight Velvet was also a rookie at one point. And as a matter of fact, she was much older than you when she joined up. You will be an old pro by the time you reach her age of signing up."

"Oh no, I didn't... I wasn't thinking..." Sword stammered, then blurted out "Ah, you Paladins must have a mind reading spell going on, don't you?"

"No, we don't!" Shield laughed "But as I implied just now, you don't hide your emotions very well. But hey, why don't you take a look inside?"

Shield opened the door, and revealed a small, simple, but tidy room. It had a bed, a drawer, a wardrobe, a chair with a small table, and a.... mirror!

Sword gasped. A mirror! She really needed to take a look at herself, how she looked like in her armor and all. Sure, looks never mattered too much with military equipment, but she was sure she made this one actually look good.

Sword stepped into the room, and looked around. It was cozy, it reminded her a bit of her own room back at home. Then she glanced at the mirror, and stepped right in front of it.

"I hope you don't mind..."

Sword took a good look of herself. She looked at her sides, then spun around, and looked at her other side, then tried to lift a foreleg, and to her surprise, it was relatively easy. She thought the tight-looking, and tightly fitting armor would restrict her movement much more, but the armor flap right over her leg gave way enough that she could lift it.

As Sword was eyeing herself, Shield stepped in the mirror's field of view. At first, she didn't mind. She happily constated to herself that this Paladin armor didn't look as bulky on her as she thought, and as a matter of fact, it gave away her toned build to the careful observer. After about a minute though, as Shield was suspiciously silent, Sword spoke up, teasing him a bit:

"See something you like?"

"I see a Paladin stalling..." answered Shield, sounding resolute, but not judgemental "Come on Corporal, I still have to show you the rest of the base."

Sword, realizing what she was just doing, and what she said, suddenly felt really awkward, and even a bit guilty. She answered with a blush setting on:

"O-of course, S-sergeant. And I'm sorry, I got a bit carried away. I'm... I'm a... I'm ready to continue the tour."

"It's fine, don't sweat it!" Shield answered with the hint of a smile, and playfully waved her off "Let's just get a move on."

Shield left the room, and Sword closely followed, meanwhile cursing herself for what a stupid little mare she was.

'Professionalism, Sword! That is your middle name!'
***
Sword and Shield walked side by side again, silently for a bit. Sword still felt a bit awkward, and didn't want to break the silence, due to the previous little incident. Sure, Shield said it was okay, but really, she still acted like a total moron in front of a superior. Eventually though, Shield broke the silence:

"Actually, I don't really like it when the others call me "Sergeant". I'd much prefer if you just called me "Shield"."

"Oh?!"

Sword was a bit surprised. That'd be really informal. On one hoof, that meant Shield really wasn't upset at her, if he just proposed that. On the other hoof, was there some reason she didn't like his rank? Sword thought it wasn't really her place to ask, but since they were on informal terms now apparently, maybe it was okay.

"Yeah. Just Shield. Sergeant reminds me too much I used to be a much higher rank. Not that I don't like being a part of Phoenix, but that demotion still stings a bit. Even notwithstanding how innocent it was."

Sword just got more confused. She couldn't understand how an apparently very disciplined and well-mannered stallion like Shield could be demoted. Let alone how a demotion could be "innocent".

"Huh?" she reacted.

That must have sounded really sophisticated, but before Sword could correct herself, Shield began to answer:

"Lemme explain. I graduated at the Military Academy of Canterlot with honors. So I left that place as a first lieutenant. But before I was transferred to my first unit, I got a fateful letter with an offer. Which was probably similiar to the one you also got. Of course, I just couldn't turn it down. But after I joined Phoenix Squad, Major Starstorm demoted me to a sergeant. Otherwise, the least experienced member would have outranked half the unit. Which would have been weird admittedly."

Shield slowed down a bit, and looked around at an intersection, then took a left turn. Sword followed, and pondered upon what she just heard. Lieutenant Edge, then? It was suspicious to her, all that raw knowledge, and the articulate ways he expressed it. It screamed pro officer to her, she just couldn't put her hoof on it. Instead, she put a hoof in front of her mouth for a moment, then asked:

"Impressive. But would there be a way for you to get back your rank?"

"With time, yes. By naturally progressing there. When you become a Paladin, you get to start from base zero, or almost base zero, no matter what rank you used to be. That's pretty much unit tradition, and a way to ensure the new member gains the required experience before progression. As you'll see, we dabble in some very different things than the rest of the Equestrian military."

"I see. And let's hope I too, will live up to the unit's legend then." answered Sword, with ears drooping slightly.

Shield, seeing the reaction, nugded her with a hoof:

"Sword. You will be just fine. Everypony who gets this far, surely has the potential. Actually, one day, you might become the legend."

Sword hearing the words, couldn't react initially, but they surely touched her heart. And moments later, she sent a warm smile her comrade's way.
***
A bit later, after her heart stopped fluttering, Sword spoke up:

"So, I guess we're officially on a first-name basis now?"

"Oh, well... Yes, although I didn't even ask your permission, but if you're fine with it..."

"Of course! Sword is fine! Let's keep it that way... Lieutenant." Sword answered with a giggle.

Shield looked at Sword sideways, and raised an eyebrow. He tried to hide his smile, and mostly succeeded. Mostly. Good thing to him they arrived at what looked like the mess hall.

"And here we are. The mess hall. Here we can... Eat!"

"Whoa!" Sword reacted with a pinch of sarcasm.

"I know. Unbelievable. And while we're on the topic, I took the liberty yesterday, and picked a menu for you for the rest of the week. I hope I got your tastes right at least partially."

Sword changed from snarky sarcasm to genuine surprise. Hearing that was a bit strange to her.

"Wait. You said you picked a *menu?!*"

"Yes. You know, we're Celestia's elite, so we can get the best. That includes we get to pick what we'd like to eat. Of course, from a carefully put together, professionally crafted list of foods, but within those restrictions, you can eat what you want."

"Wow, that's nice!" Sword smiled "All the choice you had at the Royal Guard was eat it or leave it."

"So I heard, too. But we're not the rank-and-file. And neither are you, not anymore. Come on, you haven't seen the best yet."
***
Shield lead Sword through the base properly, showing her just about anything that could be important, or of interest to a newbie Paladin. The firing range. The briefing room. The archives. The "arena" again. Shield tried to bring Sword up to speed, at least regarding her ability to navigate the base properly. After all, a proper Paladin shouldn't get lost in her own base. Although, as the Sergeant explained it, there were examples for that too, even after years someone signed up.

"Yeah, I truly mean it!" came from Shield "And sorry for bringing her up again, but Paladin Velvet was actually notorious for that. Although that kinda makes sense, as she didn't spend as much time here as the others. You know, she wasn't military initially, and she continued having a civilian career too, even after joining."

"What she was?" Sword asked, raising an eyebrow.

"She still is. A teacher. A professor of alteration magic at the Clover the Clever Arcane University."

"That's strange to hear. She must be a very smart mare, but my impression is those two don't clash very well. But probably I'm wrong."

Shield pondered for a moment. Then answered:

"It's true that physically, she was never the most top-of-the-line Paladin. But what she lacked in raw physical prowess, she made up for with magic. During her training, she learned to complement her partial lack of fitness with magical abilities. And although I never got to see her during combat, Major Starstorm, and Captain Writ say she could be absolutely deadly when the push came to shove."

Sword didn't answer. So Shield continued:

"O-kay. I promised I'll save the best for the last, so we're gonna go there. I swear, you will definitely like this!"
***
Sword thought the long corridor they were trotting through would never end. Unlike most parts of the base, this was spacious, really wide. Wide enough that two carts could pass each other. Finally, a set of double doors came into view, stone construction of course.

"I'm really curious what you've been teasing me about so much." said Sword, as Shield began to cast the unlocking spell. The runes on the doors were very similiar to the armory's.

After Shield finished his spell, they were sliding apart, very slowly. Sword wanted to take a peek inside, but she couldn't see anything. Whatever room it was, it didn't have any illumination.

"You'll find out in moments now, stay put!"

When the doors were open enough that a pony could fit through, Shield slipped in. Sword followed a few moments later, because of the extra bulk of her armor. Shield only wore his casual uniform.

Once both ponies were inside, Shield cast a spell once again, and lit up chalices on the ground, holding magical flames, and sconces on the walls. And with light filling the room, it was revealed...

"Behold!" Shield presented with a foreleg "The Wind Razor!"

Now that the large room was revealed to be a hangar, Sword also saw it held an airship, moored with its aft towards them.

"Oh. An airship..." said Sword, somewhat unimpressed. She already saw combat airships, that of the Battlemages. And she also saw Shield's face right now, who seemed a bit disapponted she wasn't as enthusiastic about this as he seemed to be.

"It isn't just any airship. Come, let's take a closer look!" Shield answered, and trotted to the other half of the hangar.

Sword followed suit, and took a gander at the airship from the side. From this angle, it indeed looked rather impressive. It had a sleek, elongated envelope, and with its large stabilizing fins it quite resembled a swordfish. The gondola was long and narrow, sporting a long bowsprit, further pushing the swordfish look. It also had gun ports, implying the ship was armed, or at least could be armed.

"Feast your eyes on the Equestrian technological marvel that is the Wind Razor-class patrol skiff!" Shield started again "It was purpose-built for the Royal Paladins, and it's the only ship of its class."

'Oh, here we go with a lecture again!' Sword thought with a smirk, but she didn't mind at all. Shield had a really nice lecturing voice, and somehow his long explanations didn't feel monotone to her.

"Lemme share some interesting tidbits about the Razor. Oh, believe me, I could talk all day about this ship..." continued Shield, sounding really fired up about the topic. "The most interesting part about the Wind Razor is arguably the engine. It's pure magitech, apparently based on some ancient design shared by Celestia. I think this being alicorn tech is probably on the nose, as there aren't anything like it in the recorded history of engineering. This also makes the Razor the fastest airship in Equestria, and possibly the whole world."

Shield paused for a moment. Sword tried to take in what he just said, although she didn't know a lick about magitech, or anything close. Shield continued:

"But the Wind Razor isn't just fast, it's also a tough ship. Its hull is made of dual-layered wooden planks, with steel plate sandwiched in-between. Lieutenant Breakpoint claims it's practically indestructible, but let's just say it can take more punishment than a normal ship of similiar size. Of course, the extra protection means extra weight, but that means little for the engine, which is rated at four thousand pegasus wingpower. Roughly."

Sword slowly nodded. That was indeed some impressive data. She asked:

"I understand the ship can take it, but can it also dish it out? What about those gun ports? Does it have any guns?"

"Oh, of course!" answered Shield, still being very enthusiastic "It features five breechloaders on booth sides. They have very good effective range."

The former guardspony was a bit flummoxed at that. She saw guns before, of course, anypony could see them who walked past close enough to the north-northwestern platform gun battery in Canterlot. But those guns were just those silly, fat howitzers the crews nicknamed the "Party Cannons". And those were definitely muzzle-loaded.

"Breach-loaders?"

"Yes. Guns loaded from the rear. New tech, but very promising. Reload times are less than halved. Our engineers are working on perfecting the technology."

"I'm actually impressed now. And I bet those arty ponies manning their old fat guns would be even more so."

"Oh no." Shield shook his head. "This technological advancement isn't public yet, not even to the rest of the military. We, top brass, and the Battlemage Corps know about it, but that's it. You know, it's pretty expensive, so it's not like it would see widespread adoption anyway. Besides, I don't think it's among Celestia's priorities to turn Equestria into a military powerhouse."

"And it shouldn't be!" Sword gestured with a hoof "The current Royal Guard is perfectly capable of safeguarding Equestria. Even notwithstanding this cutting edge experimental tech...that... I didn't know existed a few days ago. But a Royal Guard's most effective weapon is his brave heart!"

Sword then glanced at the Wind Razor, then down at her current armor, and continued with much less bravado:

"But... I guess having advanced equipment can't hurt either."

"You know Sword, you're actually right. None of this fancy tech means anything without ponies willing and daring to use it. For the right purposes, of course. That's what makes us soldiers, and not just mercenaries working for the crown."

"Well put!" Sword nodded.

"I'm glad we agree!" Shield answered, then added "And I think that conludes our tour of the base. I showed you everything that could be considered important or interesting enough that you should know about. Unless..."

"Unless?!" Sword asked, perking her ears.

"Unless..." repeated Shield, with one hoof on his chin. Then, he finally blurted it out:

"There is one more thing. Follow me!"
***
"You know, you really don't have to do this just to impress me." Sword told her comrade, standing before yet another set of heavy stone doors. "If it would get us into trouble, let's just skip this. I already saw more than I could take in anyway!"

"It's not about that! You have to see this! I think, this is integral to the Paladin mindset. You have to take a look to understand just how deep this rabbit hole goes."

"Oh, I bet it goes deep enough." anwered Sword, taking a concerned glance at the blast doors "Hey, this isn't that restricted section the Major spoke about, right?"

"N-no!" Shield stammered "Ah, just let me unlock this, and don't, and I stress this, don't you ever mention it to anypony you were here, right?"

"I always stick up to a buddy, Shield. But if it's too risky, how about we just...

But Sword's sentence was cut short by Shield turning away from her, and beginning to cast the unlocking spell upon the doors. Similiarly to the hangar bay doors, these also slid apart very slowly. But after they opened, they still couldn't access the room, as a magical barrier blocked the way.

"Now, how was the anti-barrier spell to this?" Shield thought out loud, while lighting up his horn.

Sword, on the other hand, got really nervous. She knew they shouldn't be there, and somehow she knew Shield only did this because of her. She'd feel second-hand guilt if Shield got into trouble because of this whole ordeal.

She fumbled around with a hoof on the ground, then looked behind herself, suddenly having a feeling of being watched. But her instincts betrayed her, as there was nopony there.

Meanwhile, the magical barrier was finally cracked by Shield's spell, and it dissipated starting from the center.

"Come!" Shield urged.

Seeing no other option, Sword followed her fellow Paladin.
***
Walking between all the crates and differently shaped objects covered by sheets, it wasn't a hard guess for Sword they were in some sort of warehouse. What it actually held, was a mystery to her yet, as everything was either boxed, or at least covered. But if they were already there, she thought she might as well ask:

"So what do we store here? What is it that's such a secret it needs to be kept under such wraps?"

"Mainly experimental technology that failed, but was too expensive to be just thrown out. And objects that are dangerous enough that they are better stored here, away from prying eyes, and access from anypony."

"I thought Canterlot Tower served that purpose." Sword said.

"Canterlot Tower's main purpose is to house the Elements of Harmony." came Shield's answer "And some lesser artifacts Celestia likes to keep close. But it simply doesn't have the capacity to hold everything. This is the real deal."

Sword didn't answer, and just followed Shield in the dimly lit storeroom among the crates thightly grouped together. They only allowed enough room to walk single file. And it definitely tickled Sword's claustrophobia. But that wasn't what concerned her right then. She could keep that under wraps. She felt something different around herself. Something strange. A presence. Something evil...

"You know, I don't like this place one bit. No offense, or anything, but so far my impression of this whole base is that of a slightly more refined goblin torture dungeon. You know, like in those comics..."

"Fair enough. Just promise me you remain calm, okay?"

"Okay?" answered Sword, although he wondered why Shield said what he did that way. Why he stressed "calm".

Finally, they reached one of the corners of the storeroom. It didn't take much, actually the place turned out to be smaller than Sword expected. Here, the usual crates were absent. Instead, something really tall was covered by a white sheet. The sheet didn't reach all the way to the ground, and Sword could see something circular and stone-made. If she didn't know better, she'd guess it was the pedestal to some statue, although she waited to be surprised. And surprises were definitely abound so far.

"Alright. Here we are." Shield started, with his voice lowered "Now, promise me, that no matter what will be revealed now, you will keep your emotions in check. That's seriously really important."

As he finished that sentence, his voice was almost quivering.

"Fine, fine, I think I can keep my emotions in check. I'm a royal guard, after all. Or at least was... But the more you tease me, the less calm I become."

"Okay, I think that's enough reassurance for me. Here we go then."

Shield lit up his horn, but in that same moment, he let go of it as well. Sword went a bit wide-eyed. That was as sudden as if someone slapped him for doing something forbidden.

"No no no. I better not use magic. Not for this. Just in case..."

Shield instead grabbed unto the sheet with his mouth, and removed it from the tall object.

Sword audibly gasped. Her heart skipped a beat. She could barely believe her eyes...

It was...

It was...

"I-I-It's...It's... Discord?!"

Sword stepped back. The Spirit of Chaos, the scourge of Equestria stood right before her, encased in stone. Even in this harmless form, it was more than unsettling. It emenated something vile, uncertain. It had an aura of uncertainity. Of chaos.

"Well, yes. Discord. Petrified by the Elements of Harmony. Ever since the Wielders defeated him, he was kept here. The ponies of ancient Equestria had a commendable idea of displaying him in public, as a declaration of no longer having to fear any villain. But all that gloating eventually backfired on us, as we can all remember."

"W-wow... Discord..." Sword only muttered, her eyes still fixated on the dragonequuis.

Shield, on the other hand, seemed mostly unfazed. He continued talking.

"Initially, Princess Luna proposed that Discord should just be dumped into a volcano. But Celestia insisted it's probably better to keep him around, as he couldn't be killed in any manner anyway. This way, at least we can keep an eye on him. Checking on the enchantment keeping him imprisoned. We won't make the same mistake twice."

"G-good idea, heh..." Sword sputtered.

"Indeed. No telling what will happen when the current wielders die. Hopefully the Elements will keep him imprisoned even after that. But until then, we'll figure out some contingency option. Better safe than sorry."

Sword shook her head wildly, and finally snapped out of her initial shock. Looking closer at the serpentine creature, she noticed that his expression was that of horror, not the defiant laugh he had for such a long time. Despite only having vague memories of the Day of Disharmony (and based on what really went down on that day, thank Celestia for that), Sword had an even bigger disdain for Discord than changelings. Unlike changelings, who could be killed, this creature was unkillable, and would he ever escape again, he would thrust Equestria into chaos again. Good thing that the average pony's mind got so overwhelmed by chaos magic, that when the effects were over, they'd have only a very rough recollection of what happened to them.

"Yeah, but let's hope that won't be needed. Ever." Sword answered.

"Agreed... So overall, you held yourself well, you have my approval. I think you could guess, but acting too chaotic around Discord might just weaken the petrifying enchantment a teeny-tiny bit. Hence I warned you beforehand."

Sword turned away from Discord, and answered Shield:

"I get you. And I think I'm actually glad you showed me this. Indeed gave me some perspective just how involved a Paladin can be with the, uh... the important stuff. And although I don't fear this beast like this, his mere sight is still unsettling, so... Could we go now?"

"Yes, of course. Let's go."

Shield threw back the sheet on Discord using his mouth, and went for the exit along with Sword. And although what Sword said was definitely true, the main reason she wanted to leave was to avoid getting caught. She was a bit paranoid when it came to officers' ability to sniff out any rule-breaking activities, and felt Starstorm could get a drop on them at any moment. And what she wanted even less than getting caught herself was getting Shield into trouble.
***
But that wasn't the case, and as the two Paladins were walking away from the storeroom, Sword asked:

"Now that you really showed me everything in this base, what's next?"

"We'll just report back to Starstorm, then I guess you can go home? I think this was it for today. It's not likely she'll teach you anything considering all the paperwork she still needs to finish."

"Wow, that's...that's so cool!" Sword said in excitement "It's almost like school was. Lessons are over, and I can go home."

"It won't be that way, usually. Your training days will take up all your waking hours more often than not. And you'll have to sleep here at the base."

"It's fine!" Sword waved a hoof "I'll take what I can get. But do you know perhaps what I will partake in tomorrow?"

Shield put a hoof to his chin, and pondered for a moment.

"Hmmm. I did get a peek at Starstorm's schedule... And I think it said you're gonna have combat spell training. With her and Sabersong."

"Ohhh... I see. Thanks for the info." Sword said, and her ears immediately became droopy. If there was one name she didn't want to hear, it was Sabersong's. Her first impression of that mare was very bad, and she didn't think the continuation would be any better.

Shield looked at her. She peeked back, but only with her eyes. She tried to feign indifference. She failed.

"I know what you're thinking." said Shield "But don't worry about Saber, she'll come along eventually. She also put me through my paces when I was a fresh rookie."

"Thank you for the reassurance. Much appreciated!" Sword answered, with a bit forced smile. Although, the part she directed towards Shield was a hundred percent genuine.

But despite Sword's apprehension of her future relationship with the hostile Paladin named Staff Sergeant Sabersong, the next day couldn't come any sooner for her. After all, It'd be her first proper day of training.