Chapter 1: Firsts
Shining Armor walked over to his bed and used magic to set his bags on the bed. The magic engulfed his horn and his bags, and all I could do was stand and gawk in amazement. If I wasn’t a believer in some kind of magic before, I sure as hell was a believer now.
He turned around and saw my awestruck expression. He laughed. “Never seen unicorn magic before?”
I shook my head. “Never seen any kind of magic before.”
“Well maybe one day I’ll have to show you a few of my tricks.” Shining Armor said. “Now, I was told by the admissions office that you, Zach, and Payton are to help me adjust to living here. I want you to know that I have been doing some looking into your culture to learn what’s acceptable and what’s not, so I’m not entirely clueless. That being said, knowing how a culture behaves and actually being a part of it are two different things.”
“Especially in this country.” I said, returning to my bed. Before I could get to work though the sheets became engulfed in a magical aura and quickly made themselves. I turned and saw Shining Armor wink. I stood there for a moment before continuing. “Anyways, when you live in a country with well over three hundred million people and counting, there’s going to be an insane variety of cultures here.”
“Of course.” Shining Armor replied, turning his attention to his own stuff. “I spent most of my focus on the traits that were most common across the country and what would be most prevalent in Colorado. I learned that Colorado is known for its athletic and sports-oriented culture, especially during the winter. Is this true?”
“That would be fairly accurate.” I replied with a nod. “Is that why you came here, or did you even have a choice?”
“I…” Shining began, but started to tap a hoof against his chin, as if he was deciding on how to word his response. “I wanted to come to Earth and learn, but my duties as Captain of the Royal Guard didn’t allow for such a venture.” So that’s what the uniform signified. “That is, until Princess Celestia commanded that I come here and learn from the American military. I had been told that Colorado has a large government and military presence but is also ranked as one of the best places in the country to learn from and live.”
“That would also be correct.” I said. “There’s a city about one hundred and twenty miles south of here called Colorado Springs that houses some of the most important government facilities, including the Air Force Academy and N.O.R.A.D. What branch of the military do you wish to learn from?”
“I’m hoping to get into the Army, and I’m actually scheduled to take a tour of the Air Force Academy the day before classes start.” Shining Armor said. “What’s the best way to get there?”
“Driving.” I said, putting up a few posters on the wall. “Do you have a way to get there?”
“Heh, unfortunately I do not.” Shining said as he set some basic supplies on his desk.
“I’ll take you there then.” I replied, getting off the bed and admiring the new décor.
“Are you sure?” Shining Armor asked. “I don’t know if you’d be allowed to join me.”
“That’s fine.” I replied. “I’ve got plenty of friends who live down in the Springs that I could hang out with for the duration of your tour. That just means that we need to make sure we have everything ready by the day after tomorrow.”
“What all do we need to get done?”
“Do you have your student I.D., books, a laptop or computer of some kind, your student login information, class schedule, and enough knowledge of the campus to get around?”
“I have an I.D. but not any of the other stuff.” He showed me a card.
I scanned the card. Heh, even the pony could get a better mug shot than me. “This I.D. will allow you to do or go anywhere you need to, and I guess there’s no real rush to get everything else. Still, that doesn’t mean we should wait any longer than necessary. Tomorrow most students will be moving in, so most of the offices and stores we would need to visit should be vacant, and trust me, waiting in lines for that stuff sucks big time.”
“Sounds good.” Shining Armor said and the conversation fell quiet while we each finished packing.
“Have you ever been to Earth before, and who is this Princess Celestia?” I asked after a few minutes.
“Princess Celestia and her sister Princess Luna are the rulers of Equestria.” Shining Armor said. “You could say that they are like your president. Both are very powerful and immortal. Actually…” Shining stopped and pulled a small book out of one of his bags. “I thought ahead and brought this along.” He floated the book over to me and I took it.
“What is this?” I asked, studying the cover.
“It’s a book containing facts and history about Equestria, translated into English text.” Shining Armor replied. “And no, I’ve never been to Earth before. In fact, you’re the first human that I’ve actually talked to and gotten to know beyond what was required for me to get here.”
I flipped through a few pages, scanning the text. “Heh, guess I should feel honored huh? You’re the first Equestrian I’ve had the privilege of actually speaking with in general.”
“Not too many of us around here?” I couldn’t tell if Shining Armor was disappointed by that fact.
“I’ve only seen one, and that was for a brief moment in a city about twenty miles southwest of here.”
“Huh…I see.”
I glanced at the clock I had just set up. “Well it’s about time for lunch, and I dunno about you but I’m starving.”
“I could do with some food.” Shining Armor said. “Where’s the dining hall?”
“There are three on campus.” I said. “There’s one just across the plaza here on West Campus, then that building on the top of the hill across the street has one, plus some regular restaurants, and then Central Campus has a dining hall. We’ll be going to the one here on West Campus.”
Grabbing my wallet, I.D., and phone, I led the way out of the room and on my way out of the suite I asked, “Hey Zach, you coming to lunch?”
No response. I stepped over to the other room and peered inside to see Zach passed out on his bed.
“Is he coming?” Shining Armor asked from the door.
“He’s asleep.” I said, heading out with Shining Armor. The suite was at an intersection between the main hallway and a smaller hallway that led to a set of stairs and just to the left was one of the floors two lounge and kitchens. “Let’s take the elevator.” I suggested.
We made our way downstairs via one of the building’s two elevators and found the main lobby to still be packed with students checking in and milling about, trying to get their stuff around. We exited the back doors and faced the West Campus plaza. To the immediate south was New South Hall, built the year before New North. Directly in front was Holmes Dining Hall where we were going to eat, and to the right were the two dorm towers Lawrenson Hall and Turner Hall. There were several greens where people relaxed, threw some footballs or Frisbees, and were just generally enjoying the good summer weather.
“This campus is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before.” Shining Armor commented.
“One of the reasons I chose to come here was because of the campus itself.” I said. “I’ve been to some really beautiful campuses before, but they mostly seemed really crowded. This part of campus is fairly new and really open and modern, and Central campus is historic and beautiful. It really gives off that classic college vibe without being terribly cramped.”
“Could you show me around?” Shining Armor asked.
“Certainly.” I replied, leading the way to Holmes Hall. “We can take care of that tomorrow after we’ve got your class schedule.”
We made our way into the dining hall and checked in to eat. “There’s a salad bar on in the middle of the hall.” I said, seeing Shining Armor look slightly green at the sight of cooked meat on display at the various stations. “Take a tray and whatever utensils you think you’ll need and grab a plate at the bar. It’s all you can eat here so don’t be afraid to get as much as you want. I’ll meet you at one of these booths.” I pointed to the booths that lined one side of the hall in the dining section.
“Alright.” Shining Armor picked up a tray with his magic and made his way to the salad bar. I opted to go to the Mexican-themed station for a big plate of nachos.
After filling my plate I grabbed two glasses of Mountain Dew and a booth in the corner of the hall. I waved Shining Armor over as I saw him wandering around looking for me, and I couldn’t help but notice that nearly everyone in the hall was staring at him. Some people pointed and made comments; others just turned their head and watched. I felt somewhat sorry for the stallion, but I imagined that he must be somewhat used to having people stare at him. Not that there were very many people in the dining hall right now.
“Find everything you needed?” I asked as Shining Armor set the tray down on the table and managed to seat himself in the booth. Not gonna lie, it looked awkward.
“I think so.” He said, looking at what I had got to eat. I had been considerate enough to not get any meat, so instead I had piled on lettuce, beans, and cheese.
“Awesome.” I picked up a fork and began to dig into the nachos. “Oh, and do be careful about how much you do eat. I know I said this is ‘all you can eat’ and the food here may be amazing, but it’s not exactly the healthiest stuff on the planet.”
“I hear ya.” Shining Armor dug into his salad. “But then why did you get so much?” He asked.
“Mostly because I’m starving and I unintentionally skipped breakfast to beat the morning rush.” I replied, draining one of my glasses of Dew. “Besides, I was gonna hit up the campus gym later this evening. I need a good workout.”
“I see. Any other plans for the day?”
I munched on a mouthful of nachos for a moment before washing it down. “Well I was going to go shopping for snack food. You’re more than welcome to come along.”
Shining Armor finished the last of his salad and emptied a glass of water. “Why not? I’d like to see more of Greeley anyways.”
“Alright. Then I gotta go back up to our room and grab my car keys.” I said, finishing my lunch. “Ready?”
“Ready.”
We made our way to the conveyer where we dropped off our trays and dirty utensils. On our way out of the hall, I stopped. “Hey Shining Armor, can you wait for just sec?” I asked.
“Sure.”
---
A few minutes later I came out of the hall office. “Looks like I got my old job here back.” I said.
“Congrats.” Shining Armor said and we left the building.
“Alright, so I’ll run upstairs and get my keys. Can you meet me in front of the hall?”
“Sure thing.” Shining Armor said and trotted off, taking the long way around the building instead of bothering to go through it.
Getting my keys didn’t take more than few minutes since I took the stairs. Zach was still asleep so I decided to just leave him be.
“Ready to go?” I asked Shining Armor after leaving the building.
“I am.” Shining Armor replied. “Where’s your car?”
I pointed to the large parking lot across the street. “Just over there.”
Once at my car I began to wonder how Shining Armor would fit inside any of the seats. I unlocked the car and saw that he opened the door with magic. I waited before climbing in myself as he inspected the seat. After a moment he managed to fit himself in the seat not unlike how he had fit into the booth at Holmes Hall, with not much head room to spare.
I climbed into the car and started the engine. I checked my blind spots before pulling out and leaving the parking lot to head towards highway thirty-four. Highway thirty-four is…odd. The main part of the highway cuts through the south part of Greeley where Greeley and the suburb of Evans meet, and then there’s a ‘loop’ that cuts through the northern part of the city and ends in downtown Greeley, but there’s nothing to really indicate that it’s a different road aside from the fact that it’s also called tenth avenue.
Which is another thing to mention. Greeley is not like most other cities I know of. There are few roads in Greeley that have actual names, but instead are labeled with a number or a letter. But there’s a system behind it: most roads with a letter for a name are in the northern part of the city, roads going north to south are avenues, roads going east to west are streets, and the numbers increase the farther southwest one goes. But then there’s weird stuff like X Road Court or something odd like that, but it typically falls in line with the pattern.
I had forgotten my iTouch so instead I opted for the radio for the short trip, which was playing mostly commercials at the time anyways. The trip itself was uneventful, and inside I tried to steer clear of the deli and meat section. People kept staring at Shining Armor, but he gave no indication that he cared. He and I chatted idly as I picked out what I needed, mostly soda and potato chips because they are the best snack foods ever, and a few packages of Ramen noodles for those late nights. I used the self-checkout since it would be faster than waiting in line at the other check stands.
“Anywhere else we need to go?” Shining Armor asked on the way back to the car, showing off his magic by levitating my groceries the whole way.
“Everything else either one of us would need we can get on campus.” I replied, unlocking the car. “Except for your laptop. Our tech store doesn’t carry laptops in their inventory.”
“Where would we get one?” Shining Armor put the groceries in the back seat of the car.
“Well there are a few places around town, but I think we should hold off and find one based on what you’re actually going to need.” I recommended. “Actually, what’s your major?”
“I’m studying business.” Shining Armor said, getting into the car.
I winced. “Oh, have fun with that. I originally came here to study business but I decided it just wasn’t for me. It’s not particularly tough degree, but it’s just not what I’m interested in. At least you should have plenty of time for your military duties.”
“Actually, truth be told I wasn’t allowed to sign up.” Shining Armor replied.
“I see. Issues because of the lack of citizenship?” I started the engine.
“Partially. The real issue comes with the fact that I’m not human.” Shining Armor said. “No branch of your military would allow me to sign up under any conditions until I had proven to them that I could handle living here, and they told me that the best way to do that would be through enrolling at a college so I can not only learn about the American culture and acclimate to living here on Earth, but it also gives me a chance to actually meet people and make a few friends.”
I put the car in gear and started driving back to campus. “Honestly that’s not a bad idea. After all this place is totally foreign to you, right?” I said and Shining Armor nodded. “So would it not make sense to at least become familiar with how this world works before diving into something like joining the U.S. military?”
“It does make sense.” Shining Armor said. “I was disappointed at first that your military was unwilling to work to make exceptions, but now that I’ve had some time to prepare and think things over, I can see why they’d want me to take this course of action first.”
We made our way back to campus and up to our room. Once inside I began to put the sodas in my mini fridge and stored away the chips and Ramen in a bin that I slid under my bed. Kyle wasn’t here so I guessed he took off to get lunch or something before the dining halls closed.
“So Matt, you said something about ‘originally’ coming here to study business.” Shining Armor began. “I’m guessing that’s not your major anymore.”
“That would be a good guess.” I said. “I’m just here to finish up my general education, but since there’s only one class left for me to take in that regards, I signed up for three other classes that I thought would be fun so I could reach full-time status and live on campus.”
“What about after that?”
“I’m not sure yet. If I don’t decide on a major by the end of this semester then I’ll probably just take my leave of UNC. But in the meantime I plan on enjoying this semester as much as possible. I may not be one for formal education, but UNC puts on some good stuff throughout the year to help relieve stress and worry from exams. Speaking of, I think on Sunday afternoon there’s a party at Turner Green, which means music, games, plenty of people to socialize with, and free food.”
“Sounds like a lot of fun.”
“These parties always are.” I sat down at my desk and powered on my laptop. “I rarely stay for the full event but it’s still nice to get that one big day of relaxation before classes start.”
“Well my friend, here’s to a great semester.” Shining Armor held out a hoof, which I met with a fist bump.
“Indeed.”