//------------------------------// // The Promises We Make And Paths We Take - The Funeral // Story: The Guard And His Sword // by Himntor //------------------------------// Summer continued to walk with me on my wall patrol so we could hash out plans for our visit to the Crystal Empire. She had also worried about not being allowed the extra bit of time off, but the other librarian, Alfred, agreed to cover her shift. After a couple hours of brainstorming, we ultimately decided that we’d take a tour of the castle and city, hike into the northern mountains and explore some of the crystal caverns there, and lastly explore the Empire’s huge library. Maybe even attend some social event if something like that were happening, which seemed likely, cause, come on, it’s the Crystal Empire. For the remainder of the day, I repeated the plans in my head until I had them completely memorized. It was only a week until we’d go, but I didn’t want to forget anything. This could easily be one of the most important events in my life. I wasn’t going to let anything go wrong. * The following day, in the midst of all my excitement for the coming weekend, I received a sobering invitation. My father’s funeral was tomorrow in Manehattan, and I was asked to speak about him. That… was hard to think about. I didn’t want to go, but, I probably needed to. I needed to apologize to my mom and see if I could clear up things with my cousin. My family shouldn’t have broken apart like this, even if there were some cracks from the beginning. It was too easy to cast blame onto my father, or Stonehenge, but more or less it felt like a lot of it was my fault. I was going to fix things. That’s what I kept telling myself throughout the work day, which was tiresome. Having to face an entire day with what lay ahead the next did no favors to my psyche. I growled at myself every time my thoughts turned to wishing I didn’t have to deal with it at all, but I needed to face it, this was life. For me, at least. I wonder what it was like for Summer. Probably a lot less stressful. There was a little bit of excitement during the afternoon when a noble’s house was robbed. A robbery during broad daylight, of all things, and we still didn’t manage to nab the pony who did it. What a nightmare for us higher-ups, dealing with the nobility. It was like they expected us to have eyes and ears everywhere and know every nook and cranny in Canterlot a burglar could hide in. The evening came around and I made my way hope to collapse on my bed. When was I going to get a break? I needed a break. And to think I’d never thought such a thing in my career until now. At least I was getting one at the weekend, sort of. For some reason going to the Crystal Empire with Summer still sounded like work in my mind. Ponyfeathers, my brain was buzzing, and I needed sleep. Go… to… sleep… brain. GO TO SLEEP! Okay… any minute now. * Was that the sun already? “Put it baaaack, Princess Celestia,” I groaned. But she didn’t, so I got up and went outside to stare at it menacingly for a couple seconds, then made breakfast. I of course received permission from the Captain to attend my father’s funeral, though I was still expected to check in this morning for any updates about the burglar. I did so, and there were none, so I had nothing left to do but bide my time until I needed to go to Manehattan. So, I went to the base of the mountain and practiced magic on my sword, testing the new limits it had. Shapeshifting it into something really big took a little while, and it took a lot more magic than usual when using the raindrop form and sight-seeing spell with the sword to fly. Could still fly decently fast doing that though, but I’d probably be better off just teleporting. Eventually the time came around to head for Manehattan, so I went home and got my tuxedo, dressed, and caught the train there. It was an anxiety-filled trip. What was I going to say? Did I mention the bad, or only the good? I mean, I guess there was some good I could say, like what he wrote to me. Ponyfeathers, I should’ve prepared something on paper. The train arrived at Manehattan, and as I made my way out of the Grand Central Terminal, I was surprised to spot Shining Armor and Cadance making their way out too. I trotted up to them and called out, making them stop and turn. “Hey, Swordulan!” Shining Armor said. “Looking good.” “Thanks,” I said. “You too. What’s the occasion?” They were dressed up as much as I was. Cadance looked… very strange in black. “We were invited to your father’s funeral too,” Cadance said. “Are you doing alright?” “I’m… not too bad, I guess.” I wasn’t too surprised they’d been invited. My mom knew Cadance, though I wasn’t aware of their friendship’s depth. “A little bit nervous I suppose. I’ve never been to a funeral, and now I’m supposed to speak at one. I’m not even sure what to say.” “Focus on the good impact he made,” Shining Armor said. “I know you and your father had a rough relationship, but that doesn’t have to be what defines him or you.” I nodded. “I know. Thanks.” “Well we better not keep everypony waiting,” Cadance said, turning back to the exit. “Come on.” The three of us headed out together, and as we made it out into daylight, I remembered the upcoming trip. “Oh,” I said, “I have something to tell you both, and something to ask.” “What’s up?” Shining Armor said. “Summer and I are planning to visit the Crystal Empire this weekend, Friday through Sunday. I was hoping we could get castle accommodations?” Cadance grinned. “Of course! So I take it things went well with her?” Shining Armor looked nearly dumbstruck as he hailed a carriage for us. “That was fast.” I blushed. “Yeah. Discord tried to muddle it up at first, but then he left us alone, and so we had a picnic dinner. It was nice.” We climbed into the carriage and Shining Armor gave the driver directions to the funeral. “That’s wonderful!” Cadance said. “But why would Discord try to muddle it up?” “I have no idea. I think he’s taken an interest in me because of my sword. That, or he just enjoys bothering me. It’s hard to tell. Anyway, thanks for the advice you gave. It helped.” “I’m glad. We’re excited for you, Swordulan. It’s always wonderful when you hit it off with somepony like that.” “Totally,” Shining Armor said. “Anything fun you have planned for your visit? I could give you a couple ideas.” “We want to see the crystal caverns in the mountains, explore the library, and tour around.” “Sounds like you’ve got it all planned out,” Cadance said. “Of course,” I said, giving her an odd look. “Don’t you know me? I never wing it, except when necessary.” “And when is that?” Shining Armor asked. “When you jump into chasms.” “Ouch. You’re never going to let that go, are you?” I smirked. “I will bring it to my grave and make sure the fact is etched onto yours.” Cadance rolled her eyes. “Speaking of graves, looks like we’re here.” The carriage had pulled up to the cemetery, which might’ve been mistaken as a park at first glance. Lots of trees and sidewalk paths, though between it all were gravestones and flowers. I quickly spotted my father’s funeral getting underway a short distance away. Ponies were taking their seats. “Are you coming, Swordulan?” Shining Armor asked. He and Cadance were already off the carriage. “Oh, yeah,” I said, standing up and jumping down. “Are you sure you’re alright?” Cadance asked. I took a deep breath and steeled myself. “I’m here. That’s what matters.” I was going to fix things. We walked up to the funeral, and both Cadance and Shining Armor split off to greet others and give their condolences to my mother, who was the center of attention. I made my way around everyone to the front of the seats and found a chair reserved for me right next to my mother’s. How was I going to talk to her? What was I going to say? I looked up and spotted Katana staring me down from afar, though she quickly turned away and took a seat in the back row. Then a number of ponies began coming up to me and giving their condolences. I hardly knew any of them, but they were friends or business associates of my parents. My uncle Stock and aunt Biddy were here, also having seats reserved in the front row. It was weird to see them. When my uncle came up to me he didn’t say anything, just pat me on the back and took his seat. Our relationship had always been odd. He seemed to like me, but usually kept what I’d call a professional distance. I think he had envied my father for having me as a son. Soon everyone was in their seats, and it felt as though time was speeding by. My mother came and sat down, and she didn’t seem to notice I was even there. I wanted to say something, but nothing was coming out right in my head. A hush fell on the scene as somepony took to the podium at the front. There was no stage, just the podium and my father’s casket. Some words were said about my father, but they went in one ear and out the other. I could barely focus on the words, my mind was too preoccupied by what was taking place. My aunt and uncle sitting here in the front, their daughter all the way in the back. There was an empty seat next to her. For Stonehenge I assumed. A broken family. That’s what we were. Uncle Stock took the podium next and shared his piece about my father, speaking about what it had been like growing up as the sons of a Royal Guard Captain with a couple stories, and then what it had been like working together as business partners here in the big city. It all sounded like things worked out so easily for them. Then it was my turn. With a deep breath, I got up and took the podium. I looked through all the ponies watching me. Katana had her eyes turned away, but I was glad to see my mother was watching. I was going to make things better. I cleared my throat. “I owe everything I have to my father.” All the good and bad. “I don’t know where I’d be without him, and I’m not sure where I’ll go without him.” Better places, I hope. “If it weren’t for him, I would never have made it to my position in the Royal Guard.” He didn’t give me much of a choice. “I wouldn’t have the drive to be the best I can be, nor the strength and determination to push my limits. When times were hard and I went down, he was there to pick me up.” Even if it were only to throw me down again. “He made sure I knew that I was destined to do great things, and it was him who empowered me to do so. I never had to doubt that he was proud of me.” At least I always believed he wasn’t, until I read that letter. “And I’ll never forget he’s the reason I’m here.” That… that was one of the last things I had ever said to him. “I hope that we can all learn from and follow his example of…” Steadfastness? Determination? Reliability? “…of nobility.” And that was all I said. I took my seat, and things proceeded without my notice. I just couldn’t focus on what was going on anymore. It was all too much, so I sat there, staring ahead, pretending I was paying attention. I wasn’t even sure when it all ended, the casket was there one moment, and the next it was gone. Chairs were starting to be put away when I realized my mom had disappeared, and Katana stood off to my side, staring at me. “You’re such a liar,” she said softly. “Nothing I said was a lie,” I said. “Just… the truth made to sound good.” Katana snorted. “Well, it definitely had everypony convinced as much. You just going to run back to your job and pretend like everything’s fine now?” I got off my chair and let it be taken away. “Nothing about what just happened is fine. Stonehenge being gone is not fine. You sitting in the back is not fine. There should have been a spot for you at the front.” “Pff, I wouldn’t have taken it anyway.” “That’s exactly why none of this is fine. We are a broken family, Katana. I want to fix it, even if I don’t know where to start. But what about you? Do you want to fix it? Are you doing anything to try and mend your relationship with your parents? Or is all your focus on trying to find fault in me?” Katana said nothing, just stared at empty space. “That’s what I thought. Let me know when you’re ready to do something about all this.” I turned away and trotted back to the streets of Manehattan to catch a carriage back to the train station. I didn’t think I’d be able to fix anything today, for now everypony probably needed a bit of time, even myself. At least the upcoming date would be a good distraction. * It was a beautiful Thursday afternoon. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, the wind was softly blowing, and everything was as it should be. Except, tomorrow was the big day, and I was as bored and aggravated as I’d ever been in my entire life. Besides the funeral, the whole past week had been rigorous, as we’d been on the alert for a white-coated and azure-maned mare pegasus burglar named Skybreaker. There hadn’t been any sign of her today, or yesterday, or the day before, yet we were still to keep our eyes peeled. Me, I stood gazing out into Equestria, repeatedly tossing my sword over the wall and teleporting it back to me. I was that bored. “Uhh, Sir?” one of the guards a few paces down the wall said. “We’re not supposed to be tossing weapons off the walls.” I heaved a sigh and let my sword stand against my side. “You’re right... good form. Just a bit anxious, you know? Big day tomorrow and… is it just me or—agh!” I jumped away from my sword and let it fall to the ground. The blasted thing had suddenly heated up like the sun and nearly melted my hide off! What in Equestria? The guard trotted over to me. “What happened, Sir?” I approached my sword and carefully poked at it, though I felt nothing. “I’m not sure.” I picked it up in my magic and put my hoof on the large crystal. “That’s strange, it’s warm.” “…Sir?” “The enchantment isn’t supposed to do this. It only did it when… oh no. I have to go take care of this. Keep watch for me.” I galloped off and made for the castle. If the enchantment was acting up like this, then it must have meant the entity returned somehow. Maybe? No, it still felt heavier than it used to. What in Equestria? Making it off the wall, I rounded a corner to take a shortcut down an alley, and at the end was the undeniable shape of Discord’s backside. “Oh come on!” I said. I wanted Celestia, not Discord. Discord turned around and raised his arms. “Well, if it isn’t my favorite Lieutenant! I just happened to be in the neighborhood and heard you had a bit of trouble with that sword of yours again.” He floated over my head and pointed at the sword. “Mind if I take a look? Perhaps I can figure out what happened.” I levitated the sword up to him with a sigh. “Fine, knock yourself out.” Discord grabbed the sword with his paw and stroked its surface. “Hmm, you haven’t been dusting this, have you? Shame on you, Lieutenant.” He crumpled up the sword into a ball and made a magnifying glass appear over it. “That’s strange… enchantments aren’t supposed to do that.” “Do what?” Discord spun the sword-ball on the tip of his claw. “There seems to be some magical link connected to the enchantment I hadn’t noticed before. I’m not sure what it is. I may need to study it a while longer. Say, I also heard that you were going on a date with that mare-friend of yours. I could hold onto this and figure out what’s wrong while you’re away, and I promise that no harm will come to it.” I grimaced at the thought of that, but… if it was acting strange… “Do you think there might be a problem if I take it?” Discord shrugged, leaving the sword-ball spinning in the air. “There’s no way to tell for sure, but you can never be too safe with this sort of magic. You do know most unicorns no longer use crystals for such things because of the instability it can have in the wrong crystals, right? And these are very, very old crystals. You wouldn’t risk hurting your mare-friend, would you?” I sighed. “Fine, as long as you also make sure it doesn’t hurt anyone else.” Discord scoffed and snapped his claw, making the sword disappear. “Just who do you think I am? Why, I won’t let it hurt a fly.” And with that, he poofed away. I really hope I didn’t just make a huge mistake. Well, back to the walls for the rest of the slow, slow day. Where was Pinkie Pie when you needed her? Probably throwing a party somewhere. Ponyfeathers. As I expected, the rest of the day passed like molasses, and I went to bed full of anxiety for the coming day. It was probably stupid to be so worried, but, I wasn’t going to have my sword with me. That hadn’t been part of the plan at all. Should I wear my armor on the trip? No, that might make Summer uncomfortable. I’d have to rely on my magic if anything were to go wrong. I could do that. My magic wasn’t weak by any means, though I suppose I was a bit rusty. Maybe I’ll do some studying at the Crystal Empire’s library.