A single shaft of light pierced the veil of curtain, falling to rest on the eyelid of a very tired, barely awake, Barricade. The small hill moved beneath the covers, groaning in protest and uttering half-curses at Celestia with each pop of her joints. She struggled mightily against the sinister sheets. But she was helpless, trapped beneath in the warm, fluffy darkness.

She fell still. An eye fluttered open; blearily scanning the world on its side. Her gaze fell upon the small pamphlet resting on her nightstand where she’d placed it the night before. Her breathing quickened. Frantically, she looked to the clock also on the stand.

5:37, Am.

She exhaled slowly, closing her eyes and curling in on herself. Prisoner that she was, Barricade was not going to just roll over and let something like today pass her by.

Barricade breathed deeply. Two large, brown hooves shot out from the end of the bed as she stretched with a groan. Her forelegs fell out to either side, and her wings quickly followed: flaring out to four feet, five inches each as they ripped the vile covers from their insidious hold. She lay there; motionless and sprawled over the edges of her too-small bed with her chest puffed out.

There she remained for a few moments, before slowly releasing the air from her lungs with a contented smile and closed eyes. She shivered a little as she sat up. Rubbing her eyes and trying to ignore the pained cries for mercy that her bed made.

“Oy, Can’nit,” she chuckled softly and dropped off the side of the bed. She trotted over to the bathroom, stifling a yawn. She gave a gentle push and the door swung inward, revealing the most holy and blessed object in her morning ritual: the shower.

Nineteen minutes later, Barricade stood above four soaking towels, holding the last in preparation for drying her mane. Which she would be doing if she wasn’t so transfixed by the mirror.

Her teal and cyan hair hung like a mop placed on her head. She blew a clump of wet mane out of her face, only to have it fall down over her left eye. A small smile teased at the corners of her mouth, followed by a hushed snicker. Barricade shook her head, tossing her soaking mane into total disarray, brushed it over her eye again, and gave her reflection the most sultry stare she could muster.

“Oh… No, I’m not from around here. Barely know the town so… I guess I’m…” She lowered her head, glancing at her reflection past her hair. “Available.” She held the pose a few seconds, and quickly attacked the soaking mane with her towel. “Focus, ‘Arri. Now is not the time,” she muttered quietly.

Barricade gave herself one last shake as she stared into the mirror once more. A nagging fear lingered in the back of her mind; a constant companion, not overly debilitating, but worrisome all the same. She stared at the mare in the mirror, and took a deep breath as she closed her eyes. “It’s going to be fine. There’s going to be lots of ponies there, but you’re fine, Barricade. They’re going to stare because you’re seven-foot-eight, and you’re going to be fine. Just don’t focus on them, focus on what you’re there for: you’re guard material, so act like it out there.” Slowly she opened her eyes, and her heart jumped. It was certainly her reflection she saw, but it looked no more confident than she had hoped.

“I’m gunnae be okay… I’m gunnae be okay…”

A harsh ringing stunned Barricade as she flinched from her mantra. She pulled the door open, stuck her head into her bedroom and looked to the clock:

6:00, Am.

Barricade swiftly trotted over, silenced the device, and hurried to the kitchen. She rummaged through a few cupboards, grabbing some oats, some milk, and three bowls. As she filled each bowl with oats and some milk, she debated simply searching for a bigger bowl down at the market, or having one made. She didn’t spend too much time thinking about it, as she dismissed the thought with a shrug, and dumped the entire contents of the first bowl into her mouth.

The other two fell prey to the same fate as the first, their hollow corpses callously tossed to a grave more commonly referred to as the sink. Barricade promised herself to give them a proper funeral later; she was not about to be late for the recruitment briefing. As she unlocked the door, she craned her neck to look at her alarm clock one last time.

6:11, Am.

“Perfect,” she thought, as the latch clicked and she stepped outside.

The sun was still fighting to break free of the horizon, but many ponies were already bustling the streets, casually shooting sideways glances at Barricade as she shimmied through her door. She closed her eyes, stretched her wings a bit, and inhaled the crisp morning air. The wind tugged at her wings, and danced through her coat. A little chilly, but invigorating. It was friendlier than the winds of Manehattan, as if pushing her toward where she wanted to go.

And she knew exactly where she was headed; the castle was seen easily from anywhere in the city. So it wasn’t a question of location, but rather of specifics. Barricade figured she could ask for directions when she actually got to the castle though.

She slowly exhaled and opened her eyes, turned north and cantered toward the castle in the distance.

Never in Barricade’s life had she felt so small.

The gates of Canterlot castle rose like two golden warriors, assigned to a post they would faithfully keep until the end of time. The entire building emanated power, and commanded respect. For a moment, Barricade wondered if she were worthy of entering. As if stepping within would be some sort of sacrilege.

“Ma’am. State your business, please.”

Barricade blinked. She looked down into the half-closed eyes of a pegasus mare, donned in armor and returning her empty expression with one of impatience.

“Please, Ma’am. There are other ponies I hafta clear and I really don—”

“Applicant for the guard.” A gentle flush of heat rose to Barricade’s cheeks. “I got a little lost in the architecture of the castle, sorry.”

The mare cocked an eyebrow. “Do you have your Recruit’s invitation?”

“Yes I—” Barricade froze as her mind backtracked through the last 25 minutes of travel, all the way back through her front door, to a single moment. She had been leaning back, checking the clock, 6:11 Am. And right there next to the clock was the small pamphlet she had clung to for months. “—Nae, I don’t have it on me…”

The following silence was palpable. Barricade squinted softly and cursed herself with every scoltish swear her father taught her. She gently opened one eye, and gave the guard a pitiful glance. “What time is it?”

“6:36,” she replied flatly.

The ground seemed to fall out from underneath Barricade’s hooves. Everything felt like it was crumbling around her. She looked down and gave the guard the most desperate look she could muster. “There’s no way I can make it back in time to grab it. Is there any chance I can fill out another one here?”

The mare rolled her eyes and waved her hoof at Barricade. “Listen, hun. There’s a few forms just inside for the early signers. If you hurry, you should be able to fill it out and make it on time.”

“Ah! Pure dead fantastic!” Barricade cheered, bolting for the doors like a mare possessed. As soon as she was inside, she scanned for the forms, and pounced on them eagerly.

Seventeen minutes later, Barricade emerged from the lobby with a triumphant smile. She sauntered over to the guard’s post and lay the form on her table. “There, done.”

“Congratulations. Now, you have about 6 minutes to meet in the back fields on the other side of the castle.”

Every drop of confidence in Barricade’s body turned into panic in a mere instant. “Bloody… ‘Arri, you diddy.” She shook her head and stared straight into the guards eyes. “I don’t know how to get there, what’s the fastest way?”

Again, the mare waved her hoof. “Side hall, goes all the way back. Entrance is over there.”

Barricade was already gone.

Her mind was a mess of doubt and worry. She tucked her head and pushed her legs to move faster as she entered the hall and took the corner. She stumbled a bit as something very distinctly pony sized, and heavy, collided with her leg as she turned. She watched as whatever she just accidentally kicked flew across the hallway and slammed into a pillar.

She slid to a stop and gasped softly. She slowly approached the motionless, grey, pegasus stallion that now lay in a crumpled heap. Barricade knelt down, her chest tightening; he wasn’t breathing, and that was never a good thing.

A sharp draw of breath took Barricade by surprise. She knelt down to the stallion and unleashed a torrent of apologies upon him. He weakly waved his hoof at her, gasping for another thirty seconds or so before speaking.

“I’m… I’m fine… You just knocked the wind out of me,” he sputtered, holding his side and forcing a smile.

“Are you sure?” Barricade furrowed her brow. “How many colors does my mane have?”

The guard’s expression shifted dramatically; from a look of discomfort, to one of absence. He blinked rapidly a few times, shook his head and replied slowly. “Um. Two?”

“Great,” she said quickly. “Are you going to be okay? Because I really don’t want to miss the recruitment orientation, and that starts in like… Oh geez!” she yelped.

“Yeah… Yeah, I’ll be fine,” he mumbled. “Wait, Recruitment? What’s your name, recruit?”

Barricade had already started to scoot down the hall once the stallion confirmed that he’d be okay. She looked over her shoulder and shouted back to the dazed guard. “Barricade! I gotta go! Get better! See you soon! Maybe!”

And with that, she drove her legs as hard as she could. Pillars flew past her, each one in time with the seconds she counted. She slowed as she turned the corner, peeking first, before putting on another burst of speed. Just ahead, rows of ponies stood in formation, unmoving, staring straight ahead at an empty podium.

She slowed her steps, cautiously creeping up into the very back row, and standing at attention, just as everyone else did. A few ponies to her sides gave awkward glances at her, but for the most part, they were either too focused, or too scared to deviate their gaze.

Just then, a stocky white pegasus, donned in the Gale Corp’s armor slowly climbed up the steps. He leveled a steely glare at the group of recruits. A steely glare, Barricade noted, that her father possessed as well.

The guard took the podium, and looked out over the crowd with a sour expression on his face. He remained painfully silent for minute or so, before speaking.

“You are all here today for a reason. That reason, is to better yourselves, and serve Equestria, and her citizens. You ask yourselves right now: ‘Protect them from what’? Go ahead, somepony ask me.”

The crowd was dead silent.

“I’m sorry, maybe I wasn’t clear; I said: someone ask me what we are protecting them from!” he roared, causing a number of the ponies to flinch; including Barricade herself.

A Unicorn in the center of the crowd rose her hoof in salute, and shouted back up to the podium. “Sir! What are we protecting them from? Sir!”

The Stallion on stage glared at the unicorn and yelled right back. “The fact that you don’t know, means that we are doing. Our. Job!” He lifted his gaze from the unicorn and addressed the crowd. “Equestria has a long standing tradition of remaining peaceful and prosperous. We, the guard, are the reason it remains so! We are quick, decisive, and effective at stamping out anything that would dare harm, or disrupt, the peace that resides here in Equestria.”

Barricade felt a spark shoot down her spine. An energy she couldn’t explain. Everything about what the stallion was saying seemed to just resonate. She suppressed the urge to fidget as the stallion’s eyes swept the crowd once more.

“We are civil servants. If there is trouble, we are there before it starts. This is why we have no need for those without initiative or commitment.” The stallion snorted derisively, staring down at the throng of ponies, and locking eyes with Barricade. “You all will be sorted into one of three divisions: the Diamond Corps, Gale Corps, or Ember Corps. There will be officers to lead each group to the trial areas, you will then be briefed, and begin training.”

Not a breath was uttered, save for the occasional cough within the ranks.

The stallion squinted at the recruits once more.

“Dismissed.”

The courtyard slowly began to dissolve into a sort of controlled chaos. Ponies brushed past Barricade as they made their way toward one of many officers scattered around the perimeter. Barricade found herself tapping a hoof as the lines inched closer and closer to the officers. The seconds dragged on into minutes as she found herself whispering her mantra.

“I’m going to be fine. I’m going to be fine.”

She looked around, she could feel the inspirational tone and energy of the stallions speech beginning to ebb as she noticed how many ponies were staring, not even trying to hide the fact.

“You knew this was going to happen,” she thought. “You knew, and there’s no reason to freak out now.”

She forced a smile and looked down the line. She was close. All she had to do was wait a few minutes, and she’d be able to leave the line. Little by little, she crept forward, until she stood above a desk with a unicorn stallion huddled over the last recruit’s paperwork.

The officer didn’t even look up as he began to speak. “Name?”

“Barricade, sir.”

The stallion flipped through a folder of forms and pulled out the one she had completed not thirty minutes before. His head moved back and forth as his eyes scanned the page, only to jerk up and blink in disbelief.

“Oh. I thought that was a mistake in the record,” he said with a touch of nervousness in his voice.

Barricade bobbed her head nonchalantly. “I get that a lot.”

The officer stared off into space awkwardly before grabbing the papers off his table. “Yes, well, everything seems to be in order. You’re going to be assigned to the Diamond Corps, Barricade. Best of luck.”

Barricade winced a bit as he delivered her assignment. She knew what she had written, and what it would mean. But even that foreknowledge didn’t make the reminder any easier to take.

She stepped past the table and walked toward the Diamond Corps banner, her confidence returning as she left the massive crowd behind her. The group clustered beneath the flag was primarily Earth Ponies, with the occasional Unicorn. Some were jittery, some looked tired. All of them seemed interested in the Earth pony guard stoically observing the little group.

As the last pony was assigned her group, the Earth pony stepped forward.

“A-ten-tion!”

The entire group stood at attention instantly.

The guard looked over her charges and a wicked smile grew on her lips. “Alright, you recruits are going to be training with me. Let’s see how deep that commitment of yours runs.”

Author's Notes:

(Okay, after much deliberation with my editors: I, and I alone have come to an approximation of the different average sizes for ponies in the story.

A lot of you are probably wondering: "okay, so she said she's 7' 8", and that's fine, but compared to everyone else, where does that really put her?"

Well, wonder no more. In the OWoC canon, I ran with a more normalized idea for the average height based off of standard human height. Assuming the average pony is, on average: 5' tall. With big mac topping the chart at 5'6", and Luna at 5' 7" Celestia would therefore measure up at about a head taller, as seen in the show, at 6'7". So to put things in perspective, Celestia's horn is about another 12-13 inches higher, and would be right between Barricade's eyes if they were to stand straight up, facing each other.

I apologize for the changes and not having this completely rock solid ahead of time. I made the mistake of only scaling between Tia and Barricade beforehand, and not with the average every day pony. Sorry for the confusion, I will not be deviating from this standard. Hope this helps!