With Only the Stars to Cradle Us

by Lone Innocence Zevalhua

1) Hello, World

A number of cadets, and even a few officers of the Royal Guard, believe that being put on scrubbing duty is a humiliating task.

After all, the reason why a pony enlisted as a cadet is because he wants to learn how to fight, to protect... And maybe climb up the ranks and become captain of the guard like Captain Shining Armor, or is it Prince Shining Armor now that he's married to Princess Cadence?

King Shining Armor?

Not really sure...

But as I was saying, cadets like me have the expectation that once we enlist, we would be forced through nonstop grueling training with lots of shouting, running, magic, and whatever heroic things we had fantasized that a royal guard cadet would have to go through so that they can earn the privilege of becoming an official member of the E.U.P.

For the most part, yes, we do go through a lot of training and drills but...

Most of the time, we're placed on cleaning duty ranging from mopping the floor or polishing or cleaning the armor of an officer that we fancy to grab an apprenticeship under.

The last one was if you were really, REALLY lucky though. Chances are, the officers would get tired of your flank-kissing and send you off embarrassed and with a potential mentor out of your list.

Thankfully, I have never experienced that sort of embarrassment.

...

Okay, fine! YET.

I have YET to experience that sort of embarrassment.

But I still plan on keeping my embarrassment streak at zero.

Suffice to say, while my fellow cadets were trying their best to find a mentor, I am dead set on keeping to the 'regular' training regime and earn my rank even if it means staying in the castle all my life guarding some corridor or room that no one has entered for like... A bajillion years.

It may sound boring, but if doing that meant eating three meals a day, a clean and warm bed to sleep in, and a steady wage, then I'll take it.

Considering my options, which consists of... Uh... Being somepony that doesn't have ANY of those, and maybe worse, I think it's a good deal.

So here I am, cleaning the barracks as the other cadets leave one by one for the 3-month semestral break now that our first bout of training had already finished, hoping that my request to stay here for the duration of the break to work as a custodian, or helper... Janitor maybe? Gets approved.

I'm not really that picky.

The immediate assumption from others was that this was just my way of showing that I'm 'dedicated to show that I'm willing to grab my full potential by staying and learning what it means to be part of the Royal Guard during my free time' so that I can catch the eye of a knight and land an apprenticeship.

In a sense, yeah, that's part of my reason why I sent in that request to my supervising officer.

But the truth is, I just really don't have anywhere else to go-

"Hey, Tender Heart, you okay, dude?" asked Bottleneck, a blue-and-greencoated unicorn, staring at me with a confused expression as I kept on mopping the floor with both of my hooves.

From the looks of it, he was just about ready to leave as well with how jampacked his satchel was with his personal effects.

"Yeah," I replied before putting the mop on the half-filled bucket of soapy water "Why'd you ask?"

"It's just... Um..." he cringed, looking at me then at the mop.

Turning my head towards the object as well, I tried to see what was wrong with it.

"Never mind, General Armstrong asked me to tell you that he wants to see you in his office though-"

Rude as it may be, I didn't bother waiting for Bottleneck to finish his sentence and dashed out of there to get to the general.

Usually, running through the halls was forbidden, especially if you were just a mere cadet and didn't have anything important to say or do to permit it.

But with all rules temporarily suspended to account for the influx of parents picking up their kids who might crack for the first time after being put through a lot of stress and strict routines for more than half a year, I think I'm in a position to disregard everything that the instructors hammered into my mind just for today.

So despite the disappointed stares that I got from senior cadets and other guards who were scattered all over the corridors doing their respective tasks, I continued through the halls and up the stairs to the third floor, excited and partially scared of what was the general's decision on my job request.

What was that proverb again?

'You don't want pain to last, so whatever you do, do it quick, like ripping off a band-aid.'

Screeching to a halt right in front of the general's office, I smoothened out my uniform as best as I could and wiped off the sweat off my forehead while drawing in a lot of breaths from all the running that I did.

Once I was no longer panting, I steadied my nerves and approached the door, knocking three times on the wooden door of the office at the acceptable force that the cadets were trained to do since day one.

"Enter," said a deep voice from inside the office.

At the confirmation, I opened the door and go inside before closing it gently behind me and giving the general a salute.

"Cadet Tender Heart reporting for duty, sir!" I exclaimed.

"At ease," replied the general who was seated on his upholstered chair behind a large table that was filled with piles upon piles of documents, most of which didn't seem to be even done in the slightest.

Relaxing, I ended my salute and waited for what he had to say.

"So, I took a quick look at your request. Very prompt and to the point if I may say so, something that I wish the logistics department would do..." the brown-colored earth pony began saying as he leaned back on his seat.

"And, well, since it's not every day that someone is asking to help in the kitchen or any other cleaning-related duties in the guard, I guess providing you with food and lodging in return for your hard work is the least that we can do for you." explained the general, causing me to smile and sigh in relief.

Awesome, now I don't have to worry about having to sleep out in the cold or-

"If er... Someone else doesn't want you."

Wait, what?

"I... Don't think I get what you mean, sir...?" I inquired, confused as to who this 'someone else' is.

Sighing, General Armstrong leaned forward and gestured for me to sit on the chair in front of him, an offer I immediately accepted.

"It's a bit complicated," he muttered.

Now, praise was something that I've gotten slightly used to ever since I began my training. But when a general of all people was the one giving ME praise, it's a bit hard to believe.

"The reason why I'm not sending you to the helpers right is because I... Hrm... There's this former cadet of mine in Hooverheim. Very bright, somewhat cynical, but still bright." General Armstrong said.

As he continued, I learned that during the Changeling Siege of Canterlot, this former cadet of the general he was one of the first responders even though he had already resigned from his post as lieutenant many years before the incident to pursue his own interests.

"He saved a lot of lives and allowed us to keep the casualties to a minimum until Shining Armor and Princess Cadence were able to drive out those... bugs completely. Unfortunately, he was heavily injured during the struggle and was bedridden for half a year. He recovered, but..." the general suddenly stopped, holding his breath as if trying find the right word to say or describe what needed to be said without sugarcoating the truth.

"But?" I asked.

"... He will never be the same pony he once was prior to the attack, and I think he blames us for it," sighed the earth pony, leaning back against his seat in a slump. "He's turned down all of our offers for aid and benefits, limits communication, and chose not to attend his own awarding ceremony."

"That's why I need your help. I want you to go to Hooverheim with my recommendation and ask for him to accept you as his apprentice so that you can monitor his condition and report to me immediately if something alarming occurs."

Okay, this is getting way out of hoof.

"Now hold on," I said, interrupting the general without asking permission to speak.

"First of all, I'm just a cadet, and I've barely even gone through the basics, and you want ME of all ponies out there, to go and provide aid to this ultra important hero of yours that I DON'T EVEN KNOW OF when there are others out there that are obviously more qualified when healing and emotional support is concerned."

"See what's wrong with that? I am all for breaking my limits but this is just too risky." I added, cringing inwardly upon realizing how much of an overreaction that was on my part.

To make things worse, the general himself stayed silent for a few seconds with his eyes trained on me.

Aw poop, looks like I'll be having a prolonged date with the sidewalk then.

"You see, I've been tracking your progress ever since you arrived, Tender Heart, and although most of your skills are average at best for a first-year cadet, you exhibit high empathy, and I think that's what he needs the most, someone who can show genuine concern for him so that he can willingly reach out to us if he is still in pain and perhaps even find a new purpose," answered General Armstrong.

Empathy? Really? That's a noteworthy skill?

But that can't be right, it doesn't matter if you mean good if you're not capable of doing it in the first place.

"You show concern almost immediately when something bad happens, and most of all, you act accordingly even if it means setting back your results during time-based tasks just so that you can assist others. I don't think you enrolled to be a cadet for fame and fortune, Tender Heart. I think you really just want to help," the General continued.

"All those healers and people that I've sent? They were the best at what they do, but I had to pull every string I had just to convince them to go and be 'mere aides' for a broken pony. That lack of empathy and sincerity on their side, even if help was offered, is something that somepony who lost his future doesn't need," he added.

I stayed silent in my seat for a moment, trying to digest everything that General Armstrong said.

"But what if he rejects it?" I asked, managing to find the very reason why I was so reluctant to this task. In order for this to work, this pony will have to accept me as an apprentice first, if not, then I have no choice but to return empty-handed and possibly disappointing the general who might think that I didn't try hard enough.

"Well, you can always return and work here like what you originally wanted," chuckled the earth pony, "The offer to work here as a custodian will still stand even if you fail to reach an accord so you don't have anything to lose other than a possible apprenticeship."

Sighing and rubbing the side of my head now that it was apparent that I have no legitimate excuse to turn this down, I finally gave a nod to the general.

"Alright, general, I'll do everything I can." I affirmed.

Smiling and giving a sigh of relief of his own, the general reached for a drawer and pulled out an envelope that had a red wax seal on it bearing the insignia of the Royal Guard before sliding it to me.

"This contains your letter of introduction, show it to him and he'll know what to do. Pack up your bags and meet me at the courtyard in an hour, I'll be heading to the treasury to request your initial stipend," he explained, drawing his hoof back afterwards.

Picking up the envelope, I blinked a few times when it felt rather heavy just to contain a letter of introduction.

If I had to guess, it had more than five pieces of paper inside of it and the general must have pressed real hard on it for a long while in order to compress it in a single letter.

I only had a few seconds to contemplate the possibility that I may have bitten off more than I can chew before I decided to tuck it into my uniform's pocket carefully. Whatever this letter contained, it was surely not just a piece of paper that states 'Hey, there's this cadet that wants to you to be his mentor, accept him please?'.

Oh well, I've already offered my help so it would be terrible of me to suddenly back out at the very last second.

"By the way, general? What was the name of this pony again?" I inquired, just realizing that he hasn't mentioned the name of the former royal guard that I needed to look after yet.

"His name is Buddy Guard, recipient of the Celestial Cross, Grand Order."