Shadow thought about what Midnight said and was in the process of making a plan.
"So I'll meet her in the gardens, without her knowing of course," Shadow said out loud. "And when she asks me why I'm there, I'll say I was just passing through to get to my guard position."
No, that won't work. Shadow thought. She'll think I don't like gardens...so instead I'll say, "I like to come here before I need to guard."
He then started thinking out loud again. "Great! So then she will think I like gardens and we'll have something to talk about!"
He hadn't realized he had been pacing back and forth.
Suddenly he stopped, I have got to stop talking to myself. He thought while shaking his head.
Shadow then put on his armor one piece at a time going as slowly as possible for fear of seeing Flurry Heart.
After he was finished he whispered to himself. "Alright...let's do this."
When Shadow approached the garden he noticed Flurry was already there. It took him longer then he expected to find the gardens, because he had gotten lost on the way there.
"So much for Midnight's directions," Shadow mumbled to himself.
Shadow carefully and quietly crept passed Flurry, making sure she didn't see him come in. He was careful not to make a sound when Flurry suddenly turned around.
"Oh Mr. Hunter, hi." Said Flurry Heart recognizing him by his eyes. "Sorry I didn't see you there."
"Oh princess Flurry Heart," exclaimed Shadow while he mentally slapped himself for being seen so soon. "Sorry I didn't mean to scare you."
"Oh no, you didn't scare me, you're fine."
There was a moment of awkward silence until Shadow broke it by asking Flurry a question.
"Um... Princess Flurry Heart-"
"Oh you can just call me Flurry."
Shadow was happy to hear this as he continued his question.
"Oh ok... Flurry, how often do you come to the gardens?"
"Oh, whenever I can really. I'm always so busy with school and my responsibilities, I don't get a whole lot of time to just relax."
"I can understand that."
Flurry laughed a bit, "I could imagine, being in the Royal Guard isn't an easy task."
"You're telling me," Shadow laughed. "The commander doesn't give us a break."
"Well be happy it's not my dad training you because he would be way worse," she smiled.
"Why, who's your dad?"
"Oh you don't know?" Flurry asked, surprised by the question. "Are you new?"
Shadow pondered the question for a moment wondering how he should answer.
"Yeah, I am." He said simply.
"Oh well then that explains why you don't know who he is. Almost every pony does," she smiled. "He's captain of the Royal Guard."
"He is!?" Shadow said in shock, clearly surprised. "He's the pony who has been yelling at me all week."
Flurry giggled, "no, that's his second in command. When there's no emergency my dad usually is in the office."
"Oh ok, thank goodness!" Shadow sighed a breath of relief.
"Why?" Flurry asked teasingly. "Are you glad that's not my father?"
"Uhhh..." Of course I am! Shadow thought.
"Yeah... I would prefer if he weren't." Shadow said weakly.
This made Flurry laugh again. "You're really funny." She said half laughing.
"I am?" Shadow was surprised because he had never been told that before.
"Of course, even if you're not doing it on purpose."
"Oh, well thanks."
They talked and laughed for a little while longer, both of them enjoying every minute of it and never wanting to leave, until Shadow realized his shift was about to start.
"I gotta go," he said sadly.
"Oh, ok," she said hesitantly, not really wanting him to leave yet. "Work?"
"Yeah, duty calls." He said with a sarcastic salute while walking away.
Flurry giggled a bit at his antics as a thought occurred to her.
"Why does he seem familiar?" She questioned before leaving the gardens.
From then on Flurry paid a little more attention to the guard she found so familiar, which made Shadow Hunter very happy. A few weeks had passed and they spent them talking to one another (mostly in the gardens) and enjoying the various events that took place in the Crystal Empire, including Flurry's 12th birthday and the Crystal Fair, both of which Shadow enjoyed very much. The Crystal Fair however reminded him just how cruel his father truly was. To take such a beloved event away from the crystal ponies who were already miserable as his slaves just further proved to Shadow how evil his father is.
Flurry's birthday didn't have any painful reminders however, much to Shadow's relief. He was very happy to be able to celebrate this with his friend for the first time... or for that matter celebrate any birthday for the first time. He was worried about his gift though, because he didn't find out that you were supposed to get one until an hour before the party started.
When it came time for gifts he kept trying to look over everyone since he was in the back "guarding" the area, that was the only way he was allowed to go. He heard faint "wows" and "oohs" from the ponies in the front wishing he could be up there as well, but he knew he wouldn't hear the end of it from his chief if he had found out he had left his post, so he stayed put (for now anyway). He had put his gift along all the others hoping she would open it soon so he would know whether or not she liked it. He didn't put his name on it however just in case she didn't like it. He figured if she did like it and wanted to know who it was from he could just make himself known.
He could hear little barks from a dog and hear Flurry gasping in surprise. "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, thank you so much mom and dad!" She said with happiness.
It was a little husky puppy with blue eyes and black and white fur. Flurry named him Hunter, much to Shadow's surprise, but it made him smile. She now was opening his gift and Shadow's nervousness grew. He was dreading the moment, yet he was anxious for her to open it. When she did she looked at it with curiosity then smiled. His gift to her was a little silver necklace with a silver heart at the bottom, Flurry realized it was a locket. She turned it over and on the back it read...
To my one and only Flurry Heart.
That simple sentence made her smile wider than any of the other gifts had. She absolutely loved it, but was curious as to who gave it to her. And apparently so was her mother.
"Oh that's pretty!" Exclaimed Cadence, "but who gave it to you?"
"I'm...not...sure," Flurry Heart said slowly. "They didn't put their name on the bag."
"Huh?" Cadence thought for a moment. "Maybe they want it to remain a secret?"
"Maybe," Flurry Heart agreed.
Shadow was relieved she liked it (thinking the sentence he put on there was too cheesy) and was about to reveal himself when something stopped him. He didn't know what it was but something told him not to. He wanted very much to tell Flurry that it was him who gave it to her but he didn't, and instead stayed put.
"Well we can always find out later who gave it to you," her mom put a hoof on her daughter's shoulder and pointed to the last gift. "But you have one more present to open, and then we can have cake!"
Flurry looked at the necklace one last time before turning to her mom and smiling. "Ok, I guess you're right," she said quietly.
The party was now over, but Screwball and Stormcloud were spending the night. They all were playing charades when Flurry excused herself for a minute.
"Hey Flurry, you okay?" Screwball asked curiously, noticing her friend's strange behavior.
Flurry Heart thought about how she should answer, not wanting her friends to worry. "Yeah, of course! I just need some fresh air, I've been inside all day." She said, hoping her friends wouldn't question her further. They didn't, but Screwball gave her a skeptical look, which Flurry ignored.
She went to the window terrace in her bedroom inhaling the cool fresh air of the night. Most ponies would freeze at the cold air, but not Flurry Heart, the cold didn't seem to bother her. She sighed as she looked out at the starry night sky, and then looked down at the locket she had been given and smiled. Her smile quickly faded however as she thought of the one pony who wasn't at her party. The one pony she missed deeply, having not seen him in two months. She sighed again, this time quieter and more longing.
"Where could he be?" She asked herself, knowing he was no longer in the clearing of crystal where she found him for the first time in The Crystal Empire (more like ran into him).
She smiled briefly at the memory, she had only known Shadow Hunter for a short amount of time, but it felt like forever. They got along so well but met at the most unusual circumstance, when he tried to kidnap her. Flurry found herself smiling again at that memory as well, but again it went away too.
She then thought about the necklace she had received and remembered how it had no name, but said something so meaningful. The more she thought about it the more she started to put two and two together, eventually she came to a theory. What...what if...? No, she told herself. It couldn't have been him! However the thought still remained there and she couldn't shake it off.
She looked out into the night sky again, could it have been him? She questioned again, but this time not immediately trying to shake it off.
"Mabye..." she whispered. "Just mabye," she stroked the locket.
"Hey Flurry, had enough fresh air yet?" Screwball asked eagerly.
"Yeah you've been up here for a long time," Stormcloud chimed in. "You sure you're okay?" A worried expression was on her face.
Flurry smiled at her friends, she appreciated their concern. "Yeah I'm fine. Come on, I'll get us some ice cream!" She exclaimed happily as her friends followed her, matching her excitement.
Shadow awoke with a groan. He had a completely restless night. He couldn't stop thinking about why he hadn't told Flurry Heart it was him who had given her the gift. He didn't even know whether or not he regretted it! He slowly rose from his cot with great pain, some from soreness because of all the training he did (which he started to notice its effects on his muscles as they were much more developed) and some from his throbbing head because he was sleep deprived.
He sighed, "it's going to be a looong day."
"Hey Woods!" One of the guards shouted, "get up, we got to go!" He said while walking past him and pushing him back down on his cot.
Shadow groaned, "even longer with these jerks," he muttered to himself, but someone still heard him.
"Don't listen to them," Midnight said with an annoyed tone. He was now getting up from his cot and helping Shadow out of his. "They just like to get a kick out of it."
"Thanks," Shadow grumbled, but it was still sincere. "Good to know that I am what makes them laugh," he said sarcastically.
Midnight rolled his eyes, "just ignore them," he stated simply.
Shadow was about to agree, but kept thinking about how long this had been going on, and how ignoring them got him nowhere, that they still made fun of him, still pushed him around, and still ridiculed him.
And he had had enough.
"No," he said dangerously, sounding like his father for a moment, his voice cold and menacing. He actually surprised Midnight, who backed up a few steps.
"W-What do y-you mean?" Midnight asked cautiously, even surprising himself for stuttering. A very unlike him thing to do, as he usually kept his cool.
Shadow kept his cold menacing voice as he spoke. "I'm tired of them treating me like this!" He growled, "and for once..." he smiled coldly, "I am going to do something about it."
Midnight said nothing, just simply watched his friend leave. His mouth slightly open with awe. He had never seen this side of him, even if he only knew him for a short amount of time, and surprisingly he found it...well...frightening. Again, another thing rare with Midnight, he was scared of very little things.
He walked out of the room slowly, knowing where Shadow (or Hunter to him) was headed. However he dreaded seeing what his friend got himself into, but he also wanted to make sure no pony got hurt and found himself flying instead of walking.
When he got there everything was normal, much to his surprise. He looked around and spotted Shadow, approaching him cautiously.
"H-Hey Hunter, you ok?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," he said very calmly... too calmly.
"Oh... okay," Midnight said with a confused look on his face. "So you're not going to do something about it?"
"Oh no, I still am," he said with that same cold smile plastered on his face, which made Midnight want to shiver in fright, but he contained himself. "I'm just waiting for them to strike first."
"Oh," Midnight said simply, not entirely sure how to react. So he decided to just sit back and see what happens.
Then it happened. One of the guards decided to have a little fun when no one important was around.
When Shadow wasn't looking the guard picked him up by the legs and shook him hard while laughing with the other guards. He shook him until his helmet fell off which the guard took quickly and then dropped him. The whole time Shadow glared at him, but the guard ignored it and continued.
"My, my... what a nice helmet," the guard said sarcastically. "It'd be a shame if the captain or general saw you without it and not in full attire." There was a smirk on his face that Shadow wanted to slap off.
Until now he remained on the ground, now slowly standing up. "Give. Me. My. Helmet," he said with that same menacing and cold tone, pausing in between each word.
The guard was actually surprised by this since Shadow rarely ever said anything and just ignored them. And his voice was so... threatening! But the guard kept his cool and his smirk (much to Shadow's annoyance) and simply replied.
"Uhhh... no," he said annoyingly. "What makes you think I'll listen to you?"
Shadow's jaw clenched. "I'll give you one last chance...before you end up embarrassing yourself in front of everyone," he finished with a smirk.
But the stallion was stubborn. "Like I said before... no," he said simply.
That was all Shadow needed to hear. Then he smiled malevolently, "fine," he said while shrugging his shoulders.
The guard was about to open his mouth to say something, but before he could react Shadow Hunter swooped in swiftly like a panther and knocked him off his legs, causing him to land with a thud and his helmet to roll across the floor right into his grasp.
Shadow smiled at the dumbfounded stallion. "Thanks," he replied cooly, his smile never leaving his face.
All the the guards were truly shocked, none more than Midnight who was trying to hold back a laugh at seeing the stallion on the floor. But then, suddenly out of nowhere the other guards laughed as well, but for a different reason.
When Shadow realized they weren't laughing at the stallion who took his helmet he was completely surprised. What could they possibly be laughing at now! Shadow thought. I stood up to him! I stood my ground! Yet they're still laughing?
Suddenly another guard's voice interrupted his thoughts. "About time!" He said in between laughs.
Shadow had no idea what he was talking about, but he was getting very annoyed and wanted to find out. "What do you mean 'about time'?" He asked impatiently.
The guard looked at him as if the answer was obvious. "About time you stood up for yourself!"
Shadow was not expecting this answer and just stared at the guard, his mouth opening to speak but no words came out. "You were waiting for this?" He finally managed to say, his voice full of disbelief and frustration.
"YES!" The stallion half shouted, again as if the answer was obvious. "We understand that it's good to ignore ponies who make fun of you, but eventually you got to stand up for yourself. Which is what you did now. We've been waiting for you to do something like this to prove you've got gut. Which now we know you do."
Shadow couldn't believe it. This whole thing, all they're making fun of, all their ridicule... was a test?
"This... was all a TEST!" His voice was barely a whisper at the beginning and then it was a shout at the end.
"Yeah, basically," the guard said simply as if he had done nothing wrong.
"That...that..." Shadow couldn't find the right words, "THAT IS THE MOST RIDICULOUS, IMMATURE, CHILDISH-"
"Hey what's going on in here?!" The commander demanded to know.
Shadow quickly contained himself and went back to his position. "N-N-Nothing sir," he stammered.
The head guard eyed him suspiciously. "Good," he spat in Shadow's face. "Make sure it stays that way," he ordered.
"Yes sir," Shadow replied before the stallion left.
"Psst-Hunter," Midnight called him quietly and Shadow leaned in. "I know they said they were doing it on purpose so you would stand up to them, but it was still awesome!"
Shadow couldn't help but smile. "Thanks," he said sincerely.
"Hey Hunter no hard feelings right?" The same stallion who took his helmet asked him.
Shadow thought about it for a second and then decided there would be no point in holding a grudge. "Yeah, no hard feelings," he replied with a slight smile. "I know you guys were just doing it for my own good."
"Exactly," he said with a smile now too, glad that he wasn't upset. He now knew what Shadow could do. "And no matter what you might think, you do have friends here in the Royal Guard."
"Thanks," he said while looking back and forth from Midnight to the other guard. "You're right I do." And for the first time in his life Shadow felt like he truly belonged somewhere.
Little did he know that a pair of light Opal eyes had watched the whole thing.