//------------------------------// // Brighter // Story: With Heart and Sword // by FALG //------------------------------// The colt entered the barracks normally, some recruits stopped their training to greet him. He was walking towards Shining Armor. "How is everything Shining?" he asked calmly "Great master, thanks for asking" the unicorn replied. "You've been training the recruits like I told you?" "Yes master" "Good, prepare the troops for the next class" "Uh sir, we have an extra pony, maybe we can add him to the class" Shining suggested "Fantastic! The more the merrier! Who is it?" Shining then lead the colt towards me, I was still training with the dummy; when I heard them approach, I turned and looked at the colt that was with Shining. "Flare?" asked the colt "It's been a while... dad" I said smiling. Steel Calmness was my father, former Captain of the royal guard and the army, and Shining Armor's master. He loved his time in the army, and was renown for his almost flawless army strategies. When he had the age of Shining, my father helped to defend Canterlot and many other cities from barbaric invasions or other conquerers from the other lands. First as a mere soldier, and ranking up at a quick pace. My father taught me his strategies when he intended to make me the next Captain, but when Shining appeared my dad taught them to him as well; so Shining and I know about armies as much as each other (well, Shining knows more about me because he deals with armies first hoof, while I only read about them in books that I find in Twilight's library). I never had the experience to be in the army, but I want to keep it that way; it's no easy task. "How's your life in Ponyville?" my dad asked me while walking through Canterlot's streets, he cancelled his class to have the day off with me. "Pretty good actually, I met some new friends, and Plaid likes the place too." I replied "Did he make new friends?" "I'm pretty sure he did dad, don't worry" I assured him "after all, we got a welcome party so he must have at least one new friend". "You had a welcome party?" he asked intrigued. "Courtesy of a very happy mare named Pinkie Pie. I met her a month after our arrival in Ponyville and she told me that she threw a party for every new pony in her town" I explained. "Oh so the ponies in Ponyville are friendly then." "You can be sure of that" I said. When he asked me about the light in my flank, I explained him; and his reaction was a bit of concern, and sadness: the first because everything can turn out wrong, the second because he saw that I didn't come to Canterlot just to say "hi" to my father. When I apologized for that, he told me not to worry; after all, we could spend some last quality time. And I happily agreed for that. We kept talking about what happened these last two months; I didn't tell him about Fluttershy though, maybe out of embarrassment because she wasn't my girlfriend yet; I had to officially ask her to be my marefriend for me to talk about her without holds. I agreed with my dad to meet him the next day, in his house, where I lived my whole life until two months ago. We would continue to talk there. We parted ways, he headed back home, and I for the castle. When I arrived to the castle, it was around 6 PM. I knocked Fluttershy's room, and she opened. "Hey there Shy" "Oh Flare, um, wanna come in?" she asked stepping aside. I stepped in, her room was exactly the same as mine. "Is everything alright?" Fluttershy asked. "I don't know really; I met my father today, and I thought I could deal with this." I explained "Deal with what?" I pointed the light coming from me. "With this, I won't be able to see my dad anymore if this problem ends up badly; I don't wanna die or be sucked into a void and be there until I die starving or by age!" I shouted. I fell to the floor, curled up but calm. And all of a sudden I started shivering in fear, eyes closely shut. I stayed like this for a while until Fluttershy spoke: "Are you... giving up already?" she asked sadly. I opened my eyes, and stared her. "I didn't give up, it's just that, what if that event that reveals me my purpose never comes?" "It will come, I know you have a purpose Flare." she affirmed. "How do you know that? We only know each other for only two months, you don't know everything from me. How can you be so sure that you know my purpose?" "I didn't say I knew your purpose, I said..." "Yeah yeah right save your speech Fluttershy, 'cause it won't work anymore" I exclaimed. "But Flare..." she stepped back. "Face it Fluttershy! I won't be here for too long! This moment that has to occur in less whan a week, won't happen! I don't know if something will happen or not, but I do know that in my life doesn't exist such thing as 'purpose'; we have to face it, I won't be here for long." She didn't say a word. "If I have to leave this world, at least I can do it in peace if I know you will be safe." I continued. A hard pain stabbed my flank, I fell on my haunches and looked at the light. It got brighter. "Flare are you okay?!" Fluttershy ran to my side. "I'm fine, but I don't like the fact of this light becoming brighter." "Let's go see Princess Celestia, she should know about that." Fluttershy suggested. She passed my right foreleg over her shoulders and helped me walk, we hurried as much as we could towards the Princess room. This wasn't good news.