A thousand years ago, before Celestia, and Luna had risen to the throne, their parents ruled. A young Celestia, and Luna stood by their parents, as they stared at the crowd nervously. All around were ponies, who were celebrating, another victory. The ponies were drinking and laughing. The guards who had been guarding had joined had discarded their armor to join the festivals, as ordered by the rulers. Solace and Faust were staring with smiles at their ponies until they frowned as they saw a lone figure standing off to the side watching the party with watchful eyes..

The figure wore armor that covered his entire body, that was black. It also wore a red cape. At it's hip, in it's sheathe was it's sword. The figure was the black knight, whose name was Zelgius .

Solace and Faust along with their newborn fillies, with guards and citizens, had been chased by the griffons. The griffon king, fearing the power of the fillies and their parent's ordered, them to be killed. The griffons invaded their homes, burning and killing everypony, they saw. The ponies could only watch in horror as their home's were destroyed. Some, even lost loved ones. So here they were, running in woods.

"We will rest here." Solace spoke, causing his general to protest.

"My lord, we must keep moving. The griffons could be right on us." Solace turned, looking at his mate, who held their fillies. He could see the fatigue in her eye's. He then turned and looked at his ponies. They all had looks of despair and sorrow.

"No. We stop for now." The general looked like he wanted to protest, but bowed his head, trotting off to give orders.

Solace sighed, then walked and nuzzled his wife while staring at his fillies, with looks of love. "They're beautiful." Solace spoke.

"We haven't named them yet." Faust spoke, with a smile. Solace stared down at his fillies who had opened their eye's staring at him.

"How about.....Luna....and Celestia." Faust smiled as she nuzzled her fillies, while Solace smiled. "My lord!" The two turned, seeing a guard running up panting. "We found something!"

Solace exchanged looks, of unease. "Is it the griffons?"

The guard shook his head. "We don't know what it is."

Solace turned to Fast. "I will be right back." Faust nodded her head. Solace, turned to the guard. "Show me."

Solace followed the guard, over to a part of the woods, were guards had their weapons pointed at something, but couldn't see. Solace walked up, causing the guards to move. Solace eyes widen at what he saw. Sitting against a tree, with a sword in it's sheathe, that was attached to an armored figure. Solace turned to one of the guard's. "Did you kill it?"

"No, my lord. We found it, like this." Solace turned and walked towards it, while his guards were telling him to stay away. Solace stare at it, trying to see through it's face mask.

"What are you?" Solace spoke out loud.

"It might be working with the griffon's. I say we kill it."

Solace stared at the creature. "No. We're taking it with us." Solace spoke up, causing the guards, mouths to drop. "My lord! You can't be serious!" Solace glanced at them. "I am. I'm not leaving something to die.....even if it' an enemy." The guard's mumbled under their breaths.

Solace returned with, the guards carrying the armored figure. Everypony stared at it, with looks of wonder. Solace walked up to his mate, who was staring at him. "What did you just bring in?"

"........I don't know."

For weeks, the ponies traveled, with their guest, who had been asleep. The guards tried to remove his sword, only for it, to not budge. One day he awoke, when they needed it.

"My lord. We can not keep dragging this thing with us."

"I told you, we are not abandoning it." Solace retorted.

The general sighed. "My lord. We need to get rid of it! The griffon's are right on, us!"

Solace stood to his full height causing the guard to tremble. "Do not intend to order me, general! I know the griffon's are on us." Solace sighed. "If we abandon it, then we are no better than the griffons."

No pony said a word. The general sighed. "Then we need to set up defenses." Solace sighed in despair. "They are that close us?"

"Even if we abandon the thing, It wouldn't matter." Solace nodded his head. The general saluted, then walked off. Solace sighed and walked towards, where Faust layed. Solace stared around at the ponies, who were hugging and crying, knowing this would probably be their last day, with their loved ones.

As he walked he saw, the guards building wooden stockades, placing them along the path, that the griffons had to come through since the trees that the ponies took shelter wouldn't allow them to fly in due to the thickness of the them.

He walked towards his mate, but also seeing the thing, still laying down, in a hut. Solace walked toward his wife, who nuzzling their children. She looked up to see her mate. Solace looked into her eyes, seeing tears. Solace walked over towards her, laying beside her.

"So they're coming." Faust stated. Solace didn't answer, which gave her the answer. "It's not fair." Faust nuzzled her fillies, with tears dripping down her eyes. The fillies woke, up and as if sensing their mother distress, began to cry.

Solace nuzzled her while also having tears, streaming down his face.

"The griffons are almost here!"

Solace looked up, to see guards running towards, their positions. He stood up, and looked at his mate who still nuzzled her children. Solace smiled, a sad smile then turned and walked out.

"General! Have everypony that cannot fight, move by my mate, as well as the thing!" Solaced didn't bother listening as the general gave out orders but instead walked towards, where the guards stood facing. Solace saw in their eye's fear, but not for themselves, but for their loved ones. He also saw fear, but he knew they would fight to the last pony.

They simply stood waiting, for the griffons to come. That was when they heard it.

Solace narrowed his eyes as he saw the griffon king, with griffon's carrying flagpoles that were pony skulls, behind him. Solace couldn't see the rest of his army, but could hear them.

The griffon stopped, then simply gave a nod, causing the griffons to charge. Solace watched as they rushed, towards them. "Fire!" The ponies let loose arrows, as well as spells that, cut down griffons. Ponies stood behind the wooden stockades, with spears. The ones' that survived the onslaught of, arrows and magic were cut down, by the spears as ponies thrust their spears through the holes. Solace watched as the griffon king, didn't seem fazed by the fact, his soldiers, were being cut down.

The ponies held their ground, for awhile, but the stockades were beginning to be cut down slowly. Solace thrust a spear into a griffon. "General pull them, back to the second, stockades!" The ponies began to rush back to the next stockades. The griffons quickly broke through and rushed again only to be cut down, by the same strategy. Though Solace could watch in horror, as the stockades began to fall. "HOLD THEM!"

Faust watched the ponies that were with her crying. "They going to get past." Faust stared down at her fillies who were crying. Faust nuzzled them trying, to stop their crying. "I don't want to die, mom." Faust looked to see the fillies and colts hugging their mother's.

Faust turned to her, fillies and began to sing.

Faust had tears coming out of her eyes. The ponies hugged each other until they heard a  gasp, causing them all to look at a pony, whose eyes were wide. Faust looked to see where she was, looking and gasped as well.

"Well look at what we found." A griffon, with ten behind him, were standing about ten yards away.

The ponies let out, screams as they backed away. Faust had her eyes narrowed.

"Well, let's kill them boys." The griffons chuckled, as they approached. Faust had tears, in her eyes, but didn't have fear in them. One griffon jumped, causing the ponies to let out screams. As the griffon swung it's weapon down at a colt, it let out a grunt of pain. Everyone had their eye's wide, as they saw the thing stand up while having the griffon, impaled with his sword.

"What is that thing?!"

The figure pulled the sword out, causing the griffon to fall over dead, then turned to look at the others. It spoke with a deep voice. "You all have nerve attacking the defenseless." The griffons didn't speak, but instead rushed at him, while the figure swung his sword cutting them all down. The ponies stared him with fear, as he turned towards them. "Stay here." He spoke as he walked off.

"Where are you going?!" It stopped, then turned towards them. "To repay my debt to you....queen Faust."

The figure turned and walked off towards where the battle was. Faust had her eye's open in shock. "It could hear us."

Solace thrust a spear into a griffon. "Lord! They have broken through!" Solace looked to see that his ponies being overrun. "Fall back to the narrow pass!" The guard began to fall back, but some were being cut down, as they retreated. Solace made it the pass with some guards. He stared to see, that there was only three hundred of his guards. Solace stared back at the griffons, who formed back up and waiting for something.

The griffon walked infront of his army with a smug look. "It seems you have lost!"

Solace didn't speak, but glared at him. "Kill them. All of them." The griffons began to walk forward staying in formation. Solace watched as they began to sprint towards them. The guards readied their weapons. Solace watched as they were twenty yards away. Solace and his guards eyes widened when the thing, jumped in front of them.

They watched as it grabbed it's sword and swung it horizontally, killing any griffon in it's path and sending others flying.

It swung again, cutting down more. "How is it that strong!"

Solace watched it cut down griffons, who came near it. "My lord!" Solace shook his head. "What do we do?" Solace didn't answer, but instead watched it cutting griffons down. "Why is it helping us?"

Solace finally turned, to his guards and spoke. "Rally to it!" The guards looked uncertain. "We have a chance to turn this battle, around!" Solace didn't wait, but charged towards the griffons. The thing cut more griffons down but, missed two who were behind him. He tried to turn around, but watched as Solace cut them down.

The two stared at each other, then swung at each other, killing the griffons behind them. The two slashed and cut down any, griffon that came near them. Solace, turned thrusting his spear through a griffon, while the armored figure slashed down three griffons. Solace pulled his spear out. He turned to the griffons, only for them to be hit by arrows, and spells. Soalce smiled as he saw the guards joining them. The ponies despite, being outnumbered, were pushing the griffons back.

The griffon king watched with anger, as he saw his forces being pushed back. "My lord, we must retreat." The griffon king didn't speak for minutes. "This isn't over." He turned and walked off, while the griffons blew horns, signaling to retreat.

Solace slashed down another griffon, then looked up at the sound's of the horns. The guards began to cheer, as they saw the griffons retreat. Solace smiled.

They returned to their loved ones, while the figure stood off to the side watching. Solace nuzzled his mate. The two stared at one another. "We won!"

"Yes, thanks to that." One guard pointed at the figure, causing all ponies to look at it. Solace and Faust, who held her fillies walked to the figure, standing in front of it. "You had no reason to help us."

The figure was silent, then spoke. "I couldn't let innocents, be killed. Plus....I still have to repay my debt to you."

The ponies became curious at what he said. "Why you say that?"

"Though I couldn't move at the time, I was able to hear. You could of left me for dead, but didn't."

The two ruler's didn't speak. "What is your name knight?"

"Knight?"

"You protected us when you didn't have to, thus wouldn't that make you a black knight?" Solace asked with humor, only to be elbowed by Faust.

The armored figure was silent. "I don't remember, but all I remember is a name." The ponies took a step back as it, swung it's sword around before thrusting into the ground. "I am Zelgius, The Black Knight."

"It's been such a long time, hasn't it?" Faust asked as she nuzzled her mate.

"Indeed it has." He smiled when he saw, Luna and Celestia staring at Zelgius. Over the years, he had protected the ponies, to eventually becoming, the bodyguard for them. "I just wish he would remove his armor and relax."

"I know my dear, but he more stubborn then anypony we met." Solace spoke, while frowning when he saw Zelgius, walk off. The two rulers looked at each other with looks of the same mind. "Guard, please watch our children." The guard saluted, as the two walked past him.

Zelgius stood in a garden staring, at the flowers. "Why must you always work?" Faust voice spoke from behind him, causing him to turn to see her, and Solace.

"You never know when a assassin might come."

".......you are alone." The two saw watched him, but couldn't read his body language because of his armor.

Zelgius turned away from them, only to be turned around by Faust as she stared into his helmet. Before Zelgius could speak, he was pulled into a hug by her. Beneath his helmet, his eyes widen. "You not alone." Solace walked around, wrapping his arms, around him as well. "You had been protecting us for many years, with no reward. Let us help you."

Zelgius didn't speak but instead he slowly wrapped his arms around them. The two rulers watched as he began to shiver, then they saw tears began to fall through his helmet hitting the ground. "Shh. It's ok." Faust whispered, as Zelgius tears continued to fall.

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