//------------------------------// // Reunion // Story: Buck Nothing // by GJT_Productions //------------------------------// "Buck Withers... Buck Withers... why does that name ring a bell?" "Captain?" "Oh, good evening Shining. Something's puzzling me about the list of recent transfers from the field, maybe you can shed some light on the matter." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Captain Gibraltar levitates a parchment listed with names and rotates it so that Lieutenant Captain Shining Armor, standing across his desk, can read for himself. "As you probably know, with all the recent roster turnover, we've had to pull up some from field service. The name of one of them stuck out at me, but I don't know why..." Gibraltar comments as Shining looks over the list. "Which one, sir?" Shining Armor asks. "Buck Withers." was the Captain's reply, and sure enough there it was on the list, prefaced by a "Guard Lower Class". Shining was briefly startled as memories rushed back through him, of his old high school days and his friends there. It was only when he heard the Captain saying his name that he was snapped back to the present. "Sorry sir, I was having flashbacks to my years at Canterlot Academy." Shining Armor replies, looking the slightest bit ruffled. "Buck Withers was in the same Academy class as me, captain of the polo team as well... it was at the Fall Formal that year Cadance dumped him for me, sir." "Oh yes, that's right!" Gibraltar exclaims, his expression brightening with amusement. "My predecessor told me an anecdote about Buck's visit to the castle. He thought for sure Buck would have to go on the blacklist. Now he's one of us, just been transferred after the mandatory field tour! Funny how things work out, isn't it?" "Yeah, funny how things work out, sir..." Shining trails off in reply, noting with obvious uneasiness that "Guard Lower Class Buck Withers" was one of the transfers to his nightshift command. The Lower Class meant he would have to stay away from the Princesses, but still... "Now Shining, I understand your misgivings." Gibraltar begins in a fatherly tone, levitating the parchment back down on the desk. "If I were in your horseshoes, I would feel the exact same way. But Princess Celestia sees these transfer lists - if she didn't want him in your command, then she would've moved him somewhere else. Celestia's probably up to something with him, I'm thinking." "That's exactly what I was afraid of, sir." Shining replies, the uneasiness even more obvious on his face... ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A LITTLE LATER... Guard Lower Class Buck Withers, a bag of nerves under his night-shift armor, was listening around the corner at the stallions talking. Mostly, he wished that he could disappear into the floor and not be in the situation he was in now. Having his old rival for Princess Cadance's affections as his commanding officer was bad enough, having to ask a favor of said commanding officer was even worse! One might currently wondering how a former jerk jock and sportspony ended up in such a situation. The explanation starts with that Fall Formal at Canterlot Academy that ended in total humiliation for Buck. After that formal, both of Cadance's school friends Lemony Gems and Diamond Rose competed for Buck's attention, and Buck eventually chose one - Lemony Gems - to be his new marefriend, intending to use her as a stepping stone back to Cadance. As Buck entered university on athletic scholarships, he carefully cultivated the relationship with Lemony Gems, trying to avoid any impression of a "tool" or "sloppy seconds" in the process. Buck's humiliation caused his father, a member of the Equestrian Congress of Representatives, to make it his mission to break up Shining Armor and Cadance. Buck knew and appreciated what his father was doing, but did not understand the potential consequences of his father's mission. Two years after graduating from Canterlot Academy, this fact would destroy Buck's world. It started when Flank Thrasher, Buck's former #2 at Canterlot Academy and later in the employ of Buck's father, was arrested attempting to steal Royal Guard armor. He confessed that he had been ordered to do this by Buck's father in order to "dig up dirt" about Shining Armor. Needless to say, both the gossip rags and the political enemies of Buck's father had a field day attacking the congresspony when news of this broke. Events quickly spiraled out of control. Buck's father resigned from the Equestrian Congress under intense criticism, and Buck himself had both his athletic scholarships and membership on the university polo team taken from him - a face saving measure by the university that destroyed Buck's higher education and professional sports future. Buck's parents abruptly cut off both communication and financial support shortly afterward - scapegoating him for all the ills that had befallen them - leaving Buck without a bit to his name and forcing him to take "lout's work" just to make ends meet. It was in working those odd jobs that Buck Withers was sent a letter by a "concerned former classmate", which he interpreted as somepony from the university he had dropped out of. There was no return address, and the "letter" itself was merely a folded up recruitment poster for the E.U.P. Guard. Buck recognized that the poster meant life had offered him a second chance, and signed up to join the Guard - although he fully expected to be denied because of the past incident with Cadance. To his surprise, he was not, and went through the year of training and three years of field service. And now he was assigned to Canterlot, still a Guard Lower Class - no contact with the Princesses - and a nervous wreck. He was deathly afraid of encountering Celestia again, knowing he deserved no better than to be smited by her, and the presence of Cadance and Shining Armor only served to amplify that fear. He also had very ambivalent feelings about recent events, which got him accused of not being a good Equestrian and soldier. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Which leads us back to the present, with Buck in his guard armor listening around the corner to Shining Armor talking. Buck had a jawline that couldn't be hid by a Guard helmet, and knew he would've been recognized at the briefing Shining Armor had just lead, so he tried to stay out of sight as much as possible. "I never knew you two decided to follow me into the Royal Guard!" Shining was exclaiming in pleasant surprise. "We were just inspired by your 'shining' example!" one of the other stallions - Guard Upper Class Gaffer, judging from the voice Buck heard - replied, which produced laughter among the three stallions. "So what are you two, afternoon shift?" Shining asks after the laughter dies down. "Yeah, we're both afternoon shift. Doesn't mean we can't do things like old times, sir!" another of the stallions - Guard Upper Class 8-Bit - replied. "Oh yes, Princess Celestia's just given me approval to start a LARPing group for anypony that's interested. I think I still have the old 'Oubliettes and Ogres' and 'Hocus Pocus: The-Get-Together' sets stored away somewhere too..." Shining replies. "What, you can't afford to buy the newer editions?" Gaffer teases. "Well, Princess Celestia is not big on those kind of games, Cadance was always too busy to play, and Twily is still the rules lawyer she was in the past. Princess Luna is very interested in that kind of thing though, so Celestia is letting me do this to help her out. If this goes through, you would probably be playing with her." Shining Armor explains. "Wow, that's amazing! And after all the rumors about her..." Gaffer comments. "Now now, you can't be believing all those rumors about her! I want everypony to judge her for themselves, not just listen to the rumor mill." Shining gently chides, at the same time Buck dares a peak around the corner. The mirth quickly drains out of the room as Gaffer and 8-Bit, both wearing the dark blue standard night shift armor, glare in Buck's direction. Buck quickly retreats behind the corner again, and there is a very awkward silence for about 15 seconds. When the conversation resumes it is conducted in a stage whisper Buck can barely hear from his position. "I know that jawline anywhere. What's he doing here, sir?!" Gaffer states. "I don't know, I don't make these assignments, the Captain does. I didn't even know he enlisted!" Shining replies. "But what about Princess...?" 8-Bit interjects. "Princess Celestia sees the rosters. If she didn't want him here, she would've put him somewhere else. Her Highness must be up to something with him." Shining replies in exasperation. "With all due respect sir, I don't like it." Gaffer states, the contempt all too obvious in his voice. A pit starts forming in Buck's stomach after he hears these words, as they portend nothing good. "To be honest, neither do I. But it is the will of the Captain and Princess Celestia, so we have to work with it. That means not giving him a hard time." Shining replies. "But..." 8-Bit starts to object. "That's an order!" Shining Armor growls out. "There is no room for argument on this! I'll deal with him myself. Why don't you two go back to barracks, just to make things easier on everypony?" "Yes, sir." Gaffer answers in a deflated tone after a moment's pause, interpreting Shining's last statement as advice that really should be followed. It doesn't cure him or 8-Bit of the urge to glare acidly back in Buck's direction, a glare that Buck doesn't need to see to feel the impact of. Shining Armor watches them leave, then turns in the direction where he saw Buck peeking out from and says: "It'll make it easier on both of us if I don't have to order you out here, Guard." --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Buck's stomach clenches tighter - the unknowns seemed to be paralyzing, but he also knew that if he didn't get his question out right then and there, another opportunity might not come up in time. The emergence, slow march and salute are pretty much Buck forcing himself to move to spare himself the further indignity of having to be ordered to do it. Buck knew his nervous sweat had to be visible to Shining Armor, who was absolutely intimidating with the armor he was wearing. Shining was currently wearing his Lieutenant Captain ceremonial armor - essentially a fancier variant of the bat pony armor, golden trimmed around the outside and the cat's-eye symbol on the front molded into a shield shape. The determined glare under the helmet only added to the uncomfortable sense of tables being turned Buck Withers had at the moment. "Did you want something, Guard Lower Class Buck Withers?" Shining asks with seeming disinterest, the tone only adding to Buck's nervousness. "Have... request... sir." Buck replies, forcing each word out before he could swallow it again. "What kind of request?" Shining asks, the glare remaining unchanged. "Exemption... award dinner... invited to speak, sir." Buck answered, again forcing the words out before they could be swallowed. "Award dinner?... Oh that's right, Terry Broadshank's Career Achievement Award is on tap for this week... must be because you played polo before..." Shining Armor states, looking up as he tries to recall his weekly schedule. He knew Terry Broadshank was one of the celebrity professional polo players from the high school years, so for Buck to speak there at least made a bit of sense. And he would need to be in close proximity to Princess Celestia, who would be the one giving out the award. But still... "I... guess so, sir?" Buck tentatively offers. "Fair enough. Once you've settled into a routine, come by the office and I'll give you the form you need." Shining Armor states, again using that casual disinterested tone that seemed to ignore who was under that armor. "...That's all, sir?" Buck asks with puzzlement, feeling that he was missing something, somehow. "Yes. Unless you have something else, you are dismissed." Shining answers in the casual disinterest tone. Buck decides not to push his luck any further, turns around and marches away. As soon as he is out of sight, Shining can hear his marching become doubletime from the echoes in the hallway, and Shining blows out a sigh. "Princess Celestia, why don't you ever explain your plans to other ponies before you decide to involve them in those plans?" Shining asks himself with a bit of a groan. At least the next few days were going to be very long ones, it seemed...