The Guard And His Sword

by Himntor

First Date

I could scarcely believe this was happening, that I was walking beside Summer with a picnic basket tied to my back. Butterflies still tingled inside me and I had no idea how to make them go away. We reached Canterlot’s central park and found a spot on top of a small grassy hill with a tree. It was high enough to see over the walls and watch the sunset, which was quickly slipping beyond the horizon.

“It’s so beautiful,” Summer said, her eyes sparkling. “I come to this park all the time, but I never knew you could watch the sunset from here.”

I set the picnic basket down and began unloading it, spreading the cloth and setting the food with my magic. “I’ve never been here before.”

Summer looked at me with surprise. “Really? Never?”

I shrugged. “Maybe once or twice, but I don’t remember.”

“Oh. Well, you’ve probably been all over Equestria, being a Lieutenant.” Summer settled down on the picnic cloth. “Do you get to travel much?”

“I’ve been around.” I sat down next to her and levitated a sandwich to my mouth and took a bite. “Wouldn’t say all over Equestria though.”

“What’s the most interesting place you’ve been?”

I took another bite and thought as I chewed. “The Crystal Empire before it returned to normal.”

Summer looked at me wide-eyed. “You were there when it was discovered?”

I nodded. “Shortly after, yes. Went there with Shining Armor and Cadance and stayed one night in the castle. It was… really creepy, actually.”

“The Crystal Empire was creepy? How so? It doesn’t look creepy at all in the photos I’ve seen.”

“Well it’s different now. When we got there, it was surrounded by snow and the spirit of an evil unicorn. Nopony on the streets, very gray and unwelcoming. Sleeping in the castle gave us nightmares. Not very fun, but things got better.”

Summer began working on her sandwich. “I sure hope so. I’ve wanted to visit the Empire for a while, but haven’t had the chance.”

I finished off the last of my sandwich. Strangely, the butterflies had begun to disappear. Was I doing something right? “You know, Cadance said she’d send me a couple tickets to the Equestria Games. I don’t have anypony else to go with, so if you’d like, I could take you.”

Summer’s eyes lit up. “Are you series? I’d love to go! That would be amazing.”

I smiled. “Great. Uh, did you say series?”

Summer blushed. “Oh, that’s just from one of the characters in my stories. She says ‘series’ in place of ‘serious’ a lot.”

I gave a sly smile. “You series?”

“Yeeaah that sounds a lot better in my head. Don’t say it.”

I chuckled. “Okay. But yeah, I’m serious. It’s not for a while though, so maybe we can catch the qualifiers in Rainbow Falls before then.”

“Definitely! That sounds like fun. Have you ever been to the Equestria Games before?”

“No, I was always busy with training and my studies growing up.”

“Aw, really? Did you ever get to do anything fun?”

“Well…” I thought back on my foalhood, and in a way I remembered that being in the School for Gifted Unicorns was fun. Studying magic was fascinating, learning new spells, practicing with combined chemical formulas and magic, and discovering my limits. It had been a wonderful break from training at the Academy, but my father still had me do daily exercises. Under his shadow, it wasn’t all that much fun.

“Not really,” I said, staring at the sun as it slowly vanished. “Just a lot of training and my father pushing me to be the best.”

Summer frowned. “Do you regret that?”

I tilted my head at the question. “I don’t know. If I were to travel back in time to change how my foalhood went, I don’t think I could bring myself to do it. I doubt I’d be sitting here right now, and I think I like where I am.”

Summer finished up her sandwich. “That’s good. Changing the past is overrated.”

I nodded shortly and began working on a bit of the salad. It was… really good. And here I was thinking I did a decent job on the sandwiches. “So why do you want to see the Crystal Empire so much?”

Summer started on the salad too. “It’s not just the Crystal Empire, but it’s definitely at the top of the list of places I want to visit. I like to dabble in photography and use my pictures as inspiration for writing, but I can never seem to find the time for traveling. I’m limited to just reading about places instead.”

“Hmm… that’s a shame. Maybe I can help you with that every now and then. I can’t say I do much writing besides piles of paperwork, but there are a number of locations I know that maybe you haven’t thought of going to. I could take you to them.”

Summer gaped at me. “You’d really do that for me?”

Was I… going too far? I don’t know. “Why not? I’m kind of at a lack for things to do besides my job lately.”

Summer grinned. “I don’t know how to thank you. You’re very generous to do that.”

I smiled briefly and got lost in thought. I’m generous? I was just trying to do something nice, and it wasn’t of any loss to me. Plus, having something to do on my days off would be great. But was I giving too much too quickly? Or was this simply not the sort of thing that regular citizens did? I didn’t understand. Maybe it was just something that the nobility of Canterlot didn’t do, and I was still technically considered of minor nobility.

Actually, now that my father had died, his title passed to me. That hadn’t been included in his will since it was a process that was handled by the Royal House. Their old home here in Canterlot was mine now, or at least it would be when the process was complete. They never sold it. Which meant I now had a higher nobility status, not only being Lieutenant Shield now, but also Lord Shield.

That’s freaking weird.

“Hey, is everything okay?” Summer asked.

I snapped out of my trance and looked back at her. “Huh? Oh, yeah, I’m fine. It’s just that I’ve never thought of myself as generous.”

“Really? Coming from a pony like you that’s rather surprising. How come?”

I shrugged. “I guess it’s because I don’t really pay attention to the things I give away. I’ve never considered myself to have that much, though others might not see it that way. Honestly, most of the time it feels like I only have my sword, armor, and duties.”

Summer had scooted closer to me as she listened. “I think you’ve got a lot more than that, but maybe not in the way you’re thinking. For example, take a pony who has nothing. No home, no family or friends, just barely enough to eat and keep going. Do you think they could be generous?”

I thought for a moment. “I’m not sure. How would they give generously without something to give?”

“Well, giving is not all material wealth. Time is something we all have in abundance. Think of that pony who has nothing, yet does everything they can to help somepony in need, giving a hoof to help pull a heavy cart, caring for somepony’s flowers, or doing their best to comfort anypony in distress. Compare them to a wealthy merchant who possesses an abundance of goods, being in need of nothing, but only uses the time he has to help himself. And what does he use that time on? Gaining more for himself. Maybe he gives hefty sums to support a local hospital or orphanage every now and then, but nothing more. Who do you think is more generous?”

Why did I picture my father as the wealthy merchant? “The pony with nothing. I think I understand what you mean now.”

Summer smiled. “Right? Like the saying goes, when all you’ve got is nothing, there’s a lot to go around. Oh, speaking of going around, I was gonna ask, what’s that thing around your waist?”

I looked back at my sword and took it off, shaping it to normal. “My sword.”

Summer goggled at it. “It’s beautiful. Do you take that everywhere with you?”

I set my sword on the ground beside me. “Never leave home without it.”

“See, you’re even prepared to step up to defend someone wherever you are. How is that not generous?”

“Well, it is the job I was trained for. I don’t think much about it, and… it’s kind of like a safety blanket to me too. It feels more for myself.”

“Hmm, I don’t think you’re giving yourself enough credit.”

I gave a half-hearted shrug. “Maybe. I don’t credit myself with much because I haven’t done anything very noteworthy as a Royal Guard.”

Summer snorted. “I don’t think I’ve done anything noteworthy as a writer or librarian, but that doesn’t mean I’m not making an impact. Do you only base your credit on how successful your career is? Cause listen to me, it’s not about what you’ve done, it’s about who you are and why you do something. You’re the first Lieutenant of the Royal Guard I’ve ever had the chance of talking to, having one of the most important and high ranking jobs in Canterlot, and you’re telling me you haven’t done anything noteworthy. But who says what’s noteworthy or not?”

I stared into space, unable to find the right words. Everything I’d ever been told growing up said she was wrong, but I had a feeling she was right. I’d always been told that… no, no that’s the wrong focus. Who told me it?

“My father,” I said quietly. “He determined whether I had done something noteworthy or not. All my life, I had to live up to his expectations. He…” I looked Summer in the eyes. “He died only a few days ago. There was a letter from his will, and that’s what prompted me to find you. Even with him gone, it still feels like I’m trying to live up to his expectations. Everything he ever told me would say you’re wrong, but I don’t want to believe that anymore.”

Summer put a comforting hoof on my back and smiled. “You don’t have to. I can see that much of your life has been a struggle. I understand that it’s not easy to live under the shadow of somepony’s expectations, but there’s always an escape, even if it feels like you’re trapped in a never-ending maze. But that’s why you have friends help you find your way out, and if you ever need my help I’ll always be happy to lend it.”

I gave a weak smile and felt a lump form in my throat. “Thank you, um…” I looked away and took a deep breath, feeling my eyes watering up. I didn’t know what was coming over me, and I felt stupid, but also good. I cleared my throat and looked back to Summer. “I can’t tell you how glad I am that you came here with me, and for everything you’ve said. It means so much to me.”

Summer beamed. “You’re welcome. I’m glad you’ve been this open with me.” She looked at me curiously for a second and leaned forward and planted a kiss on my cheek.

I wasn’t sure how to describe the feeling of that kiss. Something new, something soft, warm, and compassionate, and all the while sending my mind buzzing. A sentence from my father’s letter came to me. Never forget that you have the potential to make somepony very, very happy. I don’t think I’d ever forget that now.

By now the sun had set and the stars came out. A warm breeze blew in our faces, so we relaxed and watched the stars sparkle, the rest of dinner being long forgotten. No more words were needed, and Summer leaned her head against my neck, causing my hair on the opposite side to stand on end. I wasn’t sure how to react, so, I didn’t. We just sat there, possibly for hours, enjoying each other’s company and the night sky. At some point Summer fell asleep, and I was close to dozing myself, so I used my magic to lift her onto my back and pack everything up, shaping my sword around my hoof like a bracer. I carried her home and slowly put her down in her bed and left.

The train station seemed so far away, but somehow I made it there and got onto the train to Ponyville. I nearly fell asleep on the ride there, but I managed to pick myself up and walk home. Once there, I loosened my sword’s grip and flung it into a random corner, turned off the lights, climbed into my cold bed, and sighed.

Author's Note:

I had a piece of art commissioned just for the ending scene of this chapter.

Source: https://scarlet-spectrum.deviantart.com/art/First-Date-C-719471013

EEEE I LOVE IT.

Comments

[Starlight Nova]

If the main OCs in this story were voiced, what would they sound like?

[Himntor]

8602651
Swordulan would be a younger, less grainy version of Shining Armor's voice, though maybe a bit lower in octave. (Frankly I imagine him with my voice).

Katana would be voiced by Scarlett Johansson or maybe Ashly Burch (Chloe's voice from Life is Strange reminds me of Katana).

Summer is... Not sure. Would have to think about it more.

[Himntor]

8602651
Oh and Justice has a southern accent. I kind of imagine his voice being a slightly lower pitched version of Eder from Pillars of Eternity https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K69lGDJTEfc

As for Summer, I think hers is similar to Cheerilee's, a little lower in pitch. She's got a sweet and smooth voice. So I guess if one combined Cheerilee's and Cadance's, in a matter of speaking, that would be Summer's.