//------------------------------// // Koan 12: Shining Armor's Spear // Story: The Sound of One Hoof Clopping // by Trick Question //------------------------------// A few years before the return of Nightmare Moon, Shining Armor was advancing quickly through the ranks of the Royal Guard. Like his younger sister Twilight Sparkle he'd made a name for himself with his exceptional skill at magic. Shining had recently completed his degree in magical combat through the Royal Training Corps, and his telekinetic aim with a spear rivalled that of the most elite warriors in Equestria. He also had a strong hoofball-throwing arm in the unlikely event he ever needed to throw a pony-sized object. Shining Armor had attained the highest enlisted rank in Canterlot: Command Sergeant of the Royal EUP Guard (Unicorn Division 3). In order to progress further, he would need to be commissioned as an Officer of the Guard. Commissions were hoof-selected by the Captain of the Guard and approved by Princess Celestia herself. Shining Armor held out hope that one day he would be an Officer, but he was realistic about his chances: most Officers were not selected until they'd had years of field experience. The current Captain of the Guard was a few years from retirement, so Shining Armor knew he would more likely be selected by the Captain's successor. This was rather unfortunate. He'd worked very hard to impress the Captain, and Shining believed he'd made a good impression on the stallion. In the meantime, Shining Armor was anything but idle. He continued to study advanced magic theory and discipline his body through rigorous athletics. Being an Officer would be useful because it would bring new challenges and new responsibilities, but there was already plenty of work for him to do as a Command Sergeant. Shining Armor took great pride in his work, and his family was very proud of him. Besides, he was currently steady with an alicorn princess, so he really had nothing to complain about. One evening, Shining Armor received an unusual summons. He galloped across the training grounds and slowed to a canter as he approached his First Lieutenant, Shining's heavy armor clinking with each step. It was a warm evening in early Autumn, and it was uncommon to be called upon by a superior in the evening hours while off-duty. He walked up to a distance of eight hooves from her, saluted, and stood at attention. The First Lieutenant of Shining Armor's battalion was a grey unicorn mare. Mares are rare in the Guard, as they tend to clever but physically weaker than stallions. But the First Lieutenant was an exception who outclassed most of her troops: she was highly muscular and pushed herself constantly to improve her physique further. Additionally, she was excellent at identifying logical flaws in a soldier's thinking, and so her instruction was highly regarded. She frequently tested Shining Armor in tricky ways, seeing if she could elicit an error in her star recruit. She rarely succeeded, but this only encouraged her to push him harder. "At ease, Sergeant," the First Lieutenant crisply stated, and Shining relaxed ever-so-slightly. "I know you're off-duty this evening, and I hope I haven't called you from that mare you've been seeing recently." "I… er, that's just my sister's old foal-sitter, sir," he began, then noticed the severity of the Lieutenant's glare. "But yes, she is a very close friend," he added. "That's fine, Shining Armor. What you do on your off-time is your business as long as it does not interfere with your work. Besides, my observations of your private life are confidential," she said, and Shining Armor breathed a sigh of relief. Dating a princess wasn't easy to keep quiet. The First Lieutenant noisily cleared her throat. "Speaking of work: I have a special request to make of you that goes beyond the boundaries of your typical assignments," she said, with just a hint of teasing in her voice. "Yes sir," Shining Armor barked to his superior. She did not respond immediately, and he did his best to be patient. Insatiable curiosity was a trait he shared with his sister, one he needed to keep curbed most of the time. Finally, she spoke. "I need you to test two new recruits to see if they are prepared for admission. They are alone in the meditation stables. Use whatever method you think is best," she said, and nodded her head at a spear near Shining Armor's feet, a possible offering. Shining Armor thought for a moment, then levitated the spear to his side. It was an honor for a Guard at his station to be given the authority to review a recruit, let alone two. "Right away, sir," he said, then trotted off toward the meditation stables, spear floating alongside him. He resisted expressing gratitude or promising results, as his First Lieutenant was always business when wearing the Royal Uniform of her rank. And even though this was surely an honor, it was just as surely another test of his mettle. Prior to entering service, all of the young recruits for military duty were required to study the writings of Commander Hurricane on the art of war. Commander Hurricane was a pegasus stallion who lived more than a thousand years ago, back when the three tribes of ponies were first uniting. His strategies in battle were unmatched, and his contributions to pony defense helped put Equestria on the map. One of the most important elements of his philosophy was in understanding that all conflicts represented a false dichotomy: there were not really two sides to any conflict, but only a single side being looked at from different points of view. In order to understand the enemy, one must first be able to see them as one sees oneself. New recruits were not considered fit for service until they truly understood the falseness of the "other" mentality. Upon entering the stables, Shining Armor saw two rather young earth ponies, each seated in a lotus position: one colt and one filly, just barely old enough to enlist in the Junior Corps. As he stepped closer, he noticed their ears perk up. It was clear they had heard his approach, given the noisy clinking of his armor. They could certainly hear the soft humming sound of his levitated weapon, as well. However, the recruits neither rose to their hooves nor opened their eyes. Unless expressly ordered to cease meditating, a good recruit would know they had no reason to falter in their task. Shining knew very well that any new recruit must be prepared to face death, must be calm in the face of danger, and above all, must understand the false duality of conflict itself. He knew the test he would employ. He carefully drained all signs of emotion from his voice as he spoke. "I am Shining Armor, Command Sergeant of the Royal Guard," he announced to the pair, who continued to keep their eyes closed. "I am armed with a spear. If you speak a word to me, I shall run you through with my spear, and you shall die." He paused for one moment, watching the two ponies closely. "Also, if you do not speak a word to me, I shall run you through with my spear, and you shall die." Having delivered the impossible ultimatum, he stood in silence, the only sound in the well-insulated stables being the eerie hum of his magic. Without speaking, Shining Armor waited there before them, carefully watching the foals maintain their quiet meditation. Initially, he spied the tiniest bit of trembling coming from each of them. It was so small as to be obvious only to his practiced eye, but it subsided within a few seconds. After several minutes passed without a sound from the serene recruits, he smiled to himself and exited the stables, leaving the pair to their mental training. Quickly he cantered back to the First Lieutenant, who was standing right where he'd left her. "At ease," she ordered, after the customary attention and salute. "Now, tell me, Sergeant. What did you do, and are these recruits prepared to begin the next stage of their training?" she asked. Shining Armor relayed the story of his actions as objectively as he could, without explaining the motivation behind them. "I believe they are ready for training, Lieutenant," he said. The First Lieutenant pursed her lips in thought. "An interesting test, and an interesting response. Perhaps so," she said, and could not suppress a slight smirk from gracing one side of her muzzle. "But you have only told me one side of the story: yours. What about their side of things?" she asked. "Now, tell me what you think of that." Shining Armor momentarily looked down at the ground, a rare act when addressing a superior officer, then breathed in sharply as though preparing for a rush to combat. "If that is truly your concern, sir," he said coldly, "then my recommendation is different. I would recommend they are ready for training... but not under you." Despite the severity of his insubordinate suggestion, he looked his superior square in the eye, unflinching in determination. The First Lieutenant stood silent for a few moments, then suddenly burst out with a laugh! It was a strangely feminine sound, something that seemed unnatural coming from her. "Excellent," she said with a smile, her voice filled with unusual softness. The Sergeant relaxed quite a bit, exhaling slowly in relief and scratching at the edges of his mane with a hoof. "You'll have my job someday, you know that don't you?" she told Shining Armor as she motioned for him to follow her. She was trotting back toward the meditation stables. "I'd be lying if I said I had no ambition," he admitted. "But it will probably be a long time before I get commissioned." The two arrived at the stables, but the mare stopped near the entrance. "Maybe sooner than you think, son. Based on my recommendation from this last test, the Captain is ready to sign you on as an Officer. It's not completely official yet, of course—but welcome to the rank of Second Lieutenant," she said, her voice returning to its usual solemn tone. "Oh, and those will be your first two recruits for you to field out to your staff. Congratulations, Shining Armor. I'll see you tomorrow at daybreak, and by this time next week everything should be finalized." His superior trotted off briskly toward the armory lockers, without another word. This time, it was Shining Armor who stood silently in thought, uncertain of what to do when faced with the unknown. But after a minute of contemplation and an quiet but energetic hoof-pump, he opened the door to the meditation area, ready to make a less lethal introduction to his new recruits. "So awesome. I can't wait to tell Twily," he murmured to himself, bravely fighting back a stallionly tear as he attended to his new duties.