“So your final payment has been made, reparations are complete.” Twilight said, happily thumping a stamp down on the paperwork in front of her, and looking up at her guest with a smile. “That means that your sentence is over. Congratulations Crimson! You don’t have to work on the farm anymore! Well, I suppose you could still, but……”
**********************************************
“So…..you don’t know what to do now?” Static asked, sipping at her juicebox, while Apple Bloom and Crystal played tag nearby, jumping over tree stumps and squeezing between fence posts in order to outplay one another.
Static and Crimson were wrapped up in winter clothes, sitting at the picnic table at Sweet Apple Acres, enjoying a spread laid out for them by the Apples, who, even with winter making the pegasi dump snow on top of their farm, were more than happy to supply a good meal to anyone who asked for it. As Apple Bloom and Crystal ran around in the snow like mad things, Static looked at her humanoid friend with concern. “You just….don’t have any plans? Nothing at all?”
Crimson sighed, watching the fillies play with a wan smile. “Besides training Spike and working here, there isn’t really anything for me to do- and the whole plan was just: “Get away from Homestead.” I just…. never really thought about what happened after I was done paying off my debt to the apples. I didn’t even expect to live through the journey, let alone get this far.”
Static nodded. “Well, maybe now is the time to do some things for you, since the farm is currently buried under several feet of snow, and Spike’s more than getting a hang of using his claws. Is there anything you want to do, or need to? Make living arrangements? Find a better job? Meet people?”
Crimson thought about it, momentarily getting distracted from Apple Bloom’s squealing with laughter as Crystal started using her magic to pelt the older filly with snowballs from afar. “Well...I do need to figure out some living arrangements. I can’t keep bumming off of Twilight and the Apple’s like this.”
“Do you have any money left over for yourself after those payments?” Static asked. “You could put them towards and apartment, or even a house of your own.”
“I have a little. Twilight organized it so that I would be earning a little money for my personal use on top of what I needed to pay the Apples. A couple hundred bits, at best. Not enough to rent, or buy, unfortunately.”
“Ugh, lame. The housing market here started climbing once everypony and their mum decided to come and see “The home of Princess Sparkle”. It’s a total cash grab, tourist attraction bunch of bullshit.” Static griped. “Only reason I didn’t buy a place is that Shy and I decided to just move in together. I help pay the bills with my Dreamguard and Farmhoof salaries, and she’s the best animal whisperer in Equestria. Not to mention loaded.”
Crimson raised an eyebrow. “And here I thought she didn’t have that much.”
“She keeps getting royalties from a fashion stint she had way back when. Some big brand store in Manehatten keeps using some of those pictures in their advertising, so she keeps getting bits.” Static explained, waving away Crimson’s curious expression. “They’ll stop eventually.”
“Well you got lucky, didn’t you?”
“Yeah.” Static smiled. “I did.” She took a gulp of apple juice, then stood up, calling over Crystal. “Why don’t we go back to my place and come up with a couple of job ideas for you? We’ve got some cake left over from Pinkie’s baking spree last week, so we can snack on those while we brainstorm.”
Crimson remained sat there for a moment, before pretending to be quite moved by the offer. “Why, Static! This is the first time I have ever been to a friend’s house! How kind of you!” He swept his hand up to his forehead in exaggeration, looking away with “misty eyes”.
“Alright, weirdo. Calm down.” Static chuckled, as Crystal gave Apple Bloom a parting hug and a wave, before rushing over to join her mummy. “Now! Let us eat cake!”
************************************************************
“Hey!” Static called as she pushed open the front door of her house. “I’m home!”
“Hey honey!” Fluttershy called from the kitchen.
“Hey sis!” Rose called out too. “We’re making cookies!”
Static grinned. “Ooooh, what kind?”
“What else? Chocolate chip!!”
Static beamed up at Crimson. “You’re in for a treat! Our cookies are sooo goood!”
“Is…..is that Crimson?” Shy called out again, poking her head out of the kitchen, her mane trailing on the floor. “Hello! Um….would you like some cookies? We have plenty!”
Crimson nodded, while Static launched into an explanation as to why they were there, while Crimson took a look around at the numerous pictures that adorned the walls, cupboards and wardrobes. Most of them were of Fluttershy, what appeared to be her parents, her brother, and her pets, but after a certain point, an insect-looking pony came into the picture- then was promptly replaced by a similarly coloured, opposite gendered pegasus.
“You really were a changeling first, huh?” Crimson murmured, as Static and her family entered the room, with Crystal bouncing happily up and down on Fluttershy’s back as the pegasus laughed. Shy was balancing two trays of cookies on both wings while the foal’s excited behaviour jostled them, with Rose trying to catch Crystal.
Rose wasn’t being very successful.
“Alright, cookies are done!” Shy announced, giggling as Crystal tried to steal a few cookies off of the tray.
“Now we can get to the real business!” Static grinned, slamming down a small folder of paper sheets onto the table. “Finding you a job!”
Crimson stared at the folder for a moment before looking at his friend.
“When did you have time to do all that?”
Static blinked, before looking back down at her hoof, still pressed against the table. “You know what? I have no idea.”
“Oh dear, little sis has gone native!” Rose murmured, giving Crimson an appreciative eye from where she dropped to the floor, deciding to keep an eye on Crystal while her niece ate her cookies.
“I have not!” Static returned, pointing a hoof at Rose. “You’re just jealous of my mad skills!”
“Yeah, good job breaking causality, Static.”
“You wanna say that to my face!?”
“I just did…?” Rose said, confused.
“Yeah, well…..shut up!”
Crimson and Fluttershy just rolled their eyes as the Architect started going through the folder. Each piece of paper was actually a job advertisement, pulled off of whatever they had been stapled or nailed to. Some of the stores advertised were strange, bizarre places that sold only two things, neither item associated with the other at all. Who bought Quills and Sofa’s at the same time? Or….Tables and Picnic Baskets? Crimson shook his head with a chuckle. Fast food was….not in his forte. Neither was anything to do with customer services…….that eliminated so many options…..
He dove deeply into the pile as Static and Rose ended their little sibling silliness with amused smiles and obviously fake irritation. Flyer after flyer was reviewed critically and discarded, many of them being advertisements for other towns and cities, or jobs that simply did not fit his skill set.
Thinking about that, Crimson realised that there wasn’t much for him to work with in that regard. There were a few apprenticeship positions he could go for, including one metalworking position that seemed interesting, but he ultimately felt rather lost looking through all the options.
Then one flyer caught his eye, a familiar face staring up at him.
“What about this?” Crimson asked, holding up the leaflet with a smile. “Right up my alley.”
Static looked up from the flyer she was looking at, saw the picture on the front, saw the title, and smiled. “I think we might have a winner.”
**************************************************
“So you want to join up, eh?” The pony behind the desk grinned, his eyes twinkling merrily. “Got any references for me? Notifications of feats and skills? Training programs?”
“Not a one, I’m afraid.” Crimson chuckled. “That kind of paperwork just doesn’t exist where I came from.”
True Shot smirked at his surrogate son, shuffling about the paperwork on his desk. “The Friendship Guard….that still isn’t any easier to say, you know….is looking for new recruits. A lot of new recruits. You’ll be going through basic training just like they will. I won’t be playing favourites, and I won’t go easy on you.”
“I’ll work my hardest, sir.” Crimson said, standing to attention.
“Good. At ease, recruit.” True Shot quickly and efficiently pulled a sheet of paper free and wrote out his message in flawless script, before passing it to Crimson with his magic. “Go see the quartermaster. She’s set up a temporary workspace out behind the barracks. She’ll see about commissioning some training equipment for you.”
“Sir!” Crimson acknowledged, before taking his leave, respectfully moving aside as Princess Twilight herself trotted in, giving him a friendly smile.
Judging by the paperwork in her magic, and the Captain’s insignia floating beside her, True Shot was going to be very happy in a minute. And bored shortly thereafter.
****************************************************
“IS THAT A MARCH OR A SHUFFLE?! COME ON, MOVE IT!!” True Shot bellowed at the recruits as they jogged around the track that had been set up behind the Castle of Friendship, trying their best to get those coveted positions in the guard.
It was a well paid job after all, and a lot of Equestrians had decided to try their hooves at it. A few had bowed out already, but for the most part, those recruits who had signed on were going ahead with basic training. What surprised Crimson the most were the recruits that were not ponies.
Of the twenty-seven recruits still willing to try, ten were ponies; four unicorns, three pegusi, one earth and one thestral, and even a crystal pony who had recently moved to Ponyville. Seven recruits were gryphons, five were young, Equestrian born dragons, four were Changelings, and, of course, there was Crimson as well.
While the armourer was busy making him some new armour to fit his unique build, he was wearing one of the Dragons armour, a borrowed, ill fitting thing that dug at his back and shoulders. Like all the other recruits, it was mostly gold tinted, with some purple coloured bands and insignia’s incorporated into the design, the different plates covering his shoulders and limbs, as well as his torso. Thankfully it wasn’t too heavy, made of a light, strong metal alloy that was much better protection than his old chitin suit.
The Princess herself had come out to watch them train, with her friends watching too.
Crimson was actually glad of that. Having Twilight and Static there was a good feeling, like he was doing something good. If serving in Twilight’s guard did that, then this slog was worth it…..if he got past basic, that is.
Although helping train Spike to use his claws, and helping Applejack at the farm had been keeping him in shape, he had lost some of his honed reflexes to the passing of months, taking away some of his advantage in going through this basic training. His endurance was still very high, courtesy of the Apple-Bucking, but that was only good for running- and he hadn’t been hauling around packs of equipment at the farm either. Big Mac had handled most of the heavy lifting, with Applejack pitching in every now and then.
Just as promised, True Shot was not playing favourites. He rode Crimson as hard as every other recruit, yelling at him when his two legged jog was unable to keep up with the four legged gait of the ponies, Gryphons and Changelings, who were also expected to train to fly with armour on as well. The Dragons were not as fast as the others either, keeping Crimson company in the back of the pack.
“ALRIGHT, HALT RECRUITS!” True Shot barked. Crimson let out a pant of breath in relief, taking in the moment’s respite to try making sure his lungs still worked. “That’s enough jogging for this morning.” True Shot called, somehow cheerful after having lead them all on a run for three hours straight. “Go take a quick break and get yourselves a meal. I want you back here at Oh-Nine-Hundred for a run through of the obstacle course. Dismissed.”
Crimson and his fellow recruits had to display an inordinate amount of strength then, just to keep from collapsing from exhaustion. He made his way slowly over to where Static was sitting, not far from Princess Twilight, and smiled as his friend passed him a bottle of water. “Looks like quite a tough hike.” Static commented. “You gonna be alright?”
“Yeah. Pretty sure I will be.” Crimson replied, between gulps of water. “Got any snacks I can grab?”
Wordlessly, Static passed him a bowl of oatmeal, still warm from the pot it was made in.
“Thanks.”
“Say, who’s that pony talking to the Captain?” Twilight asked, looking curiously over to where True Shot was talking to a mare who was definitely not one of the recruits or guards. “I don’t think I’ve seen her before.”
Crimson looked over, and then immediately dove under the nearest chair, trying to keep out of her sight. “Shit! Shitshitshit!”
“What?” Static asked, frowning. “What’s wrong?”
“That’s Misty Dawn!” Crimson hissed up at his friend, trying to be quiet. “She hates my guts for what happened to her mom!”
Static’s ears folded back in annoyance. “Well, you could have just hidden behind there. She can probably see you anyway.”
“Yes! I can see you, Crimson Pureheart!!” Crimson bolted upright, hitting his head on the underside of the chair with a pained yelp. The mare who had been talking with True Shot was trotting towards them, her face twisted into an angry snarl that reminded all present of a rabid dog that had just had its tail stomped on. “Get out from under that chair right now and look me in the eye!”
The mare stopped just shy of where Crismon was scrabbling out from under his poor excuse for a hiding spot, armour clanking as he did. Misty Dawn’s fur was certainly holding true to her name, being a pale blue, almost white colour, her mane and tail a dull orange that turned fiery red at the roots. Her bright yellow eyes were a slightly uncommon trait, as far as Static was aware, one of the few ponies she knew that shared the colour was the wall-eyed mailmare, and ...actually, that was all she could- oh, wait, there was Lyra too.
Crimson slowly extracted himself from the chair leg trap, and stood up, turning to face her, hesitantly.
Misty took in a deep breath, and while her anger did not seem to dissipate, she certainly got herself under control. “Crimson. While I understand that my mother and father do not blame you for what happened, I do.” She drew in another breath, trying very hard to keep her snarl from coming back. “However, after discussing it with them both, I have agreed to let you visit my mother, to see how she is doing-” Crimson started to smile in relief, only for Misty to cut him off by continuing on. “-but after that, I don’t care what happens to you, as long as you stay away from her. You get one visit. One.”
With her piece said, Misty turned around, and trotted away, stomping her hooves hard enough to send clods of grass and dirt flying.
“Hooooo ...boy, she doesn't like you.” Static said, finally managing to relax again after those tense moments.
“That’s really sad.” Twilight sniffed, clearly moved by the anger of the mare. “You said you two used to be close, but now it’s like she can barely stand looking at you.”
Crimson nodded, dumbly, slumping down into the chair behind him. “Yeah, and I don’t blame her. I told you all about what happened to her mom. I shouldn’t have taken them to see Homestead. I put them in danger and it’s all my fault.”
Static stared off at where Misty had vanished around the side of the castle. “Risky or not, it was not your fault. Garret hurt her mom, not you. I wouldn’t blame you for the stupidity of some crackpot old fool.”
Crimson didn’t look too convinced.
“It’ll be okay Crimson.” Twilight offered, standing up and giving her friend a reassuring hug. “We’ll figure it out, I promise.”
That did earn a little smile. “Thanks, Twilight.”
*******************************************
Despite their advantages in speed, only half of the ponies actually made it into the Guard. Namely the Earth Pony, Iron Ingot, the thestral, Silent Glide, the Crystal pony, Shimmer Song, two of the unicorns, Quick Step and Meadow Flower, and one of the Pegasi, a young mare called Feather Fall. She preferred the name Autumn though.
Two of the Changelings got in, a female called Spinnerette, or Spinny for short, and a Changeling that Static knew from her time as part of the hive, called Coxix. Occasionally during the breaks after morning runs, the two would catch up with one another over snacks, chatting and laughing about how Pharynx was teasing Thorax about a certain someone that he liked, or how Crystal had once again been trying to sneak more cookies out of the jar without her mothers noticing.
This left Crimson to talk with Twilight, when she was able to fit it into her unusually busy schedule, planning all sorts of things that Crimson felt he should probably ask about. The Princess was always up for a discussion about what little magic he could do, and the pair would slip into impromptu lessons every so often, laughing together at Crimson’s hilarious failed attempts at holding anything substantial for more than a minute.
He couldn’t speak for Twilight, but Crimson was quickly finding those little talking sessions after runs to be his favourite time of day, talking magic with Twilight or learning about Changelings from Coxix, or even just lounging with any of the other ponies that managed to find time to visit.
The other recruits were a little more jumbled, with only two of the dragons getting in, a pair of twins, called High and Low, which, by their own guess, had probably been for a joke or something, as the twin called High was actually the shorter of the two. The Gryphons though, managed to get six of their recruits through, being disciplined enough, tough enough, strong enough- you get the idea.
And then there was Crimson, who, according to True Shot, had “Potential”. That irked a bit, being referred to as adequate after years of serving Homestead as a soldier. Crimson decided to chalk it down to his months of lacking fitness training. Now that he was in the guard, he should be able to get back to proper shape.
Of course, the job did come with some downsides. Mostly because he was working for Twilight, and her friends took great delight in trying to get him to break character whenever he happened to be on guard duty whenever they met up at the castle, Static, Pinkie and Dash especially.
He hated that stupid nickname. What even was an elf anyway?
*****************************************
Standing guard was a chore, but Crimson found himself more often than not following Princess Twilight as her assigned personal guard, simply because, he looked both intimidating, and approachable, according to True Shot. Big enough to be intimidating, but lacking the scary fangs and claws to be too scary.
Crimson wasn’t entirely convinced, but still, Twilight had specifically asked for him, and being her friend, he had felt that it wasn’t too much of an ask- something True Shot agreed with. Really, all he was doing was switching which door he would stand in front of, or which corner he would wait in as Twilight puttered around, doing her experiments or organizing details of upcoming events.
His thoughts were not on Twilight a lot these days. Instead, his brain was focusing on Misty, and her...not-so-inviting invitation.
What should he do? Aurora would hear about him being here at some point, if she hadn’t already, and anything that happened after that was almost guaranteed to end in disaster, what with Misty still baying for his blood.
He found a momentary distraction on his first payday, where he was able to find a place to live that he would be able to afford on his salary as a lowly guardsmen. It was a nice, simple little apartment in a relatively new building that was built with larger creatures in mind, given the town’s growing popularity as a tourist destination.
With so little in the way of personal belongings, Crimson had an easy time in moving the incredibly small pile of boxes, filled with little knick knacks from his friends. A horseshoe that had been made into a picture frame from Applejack now housed a group photo of he and his friends, Static and Dash lounging in deck chairs while Applejack and Rarity were chatting away with Twilight about decorations for the upcoming wedding. Fluttershy was showing off a small army of critters to Crimson, with Pinkie peering into a python’s glass terrarium.
Along with the photo was that same terrarium, and it’s occupant, a pygmy python, which Static had begged him to name Monty, for some reason. The snake had caught his eye, as it reminded him of a sidewinder snake he’d once seen in the desert near homestead. Monty seemed quite content to laze about his cage until feeding time, which Crimson had seen first hand. Fluttershy had somehow gotten in contact with an industrious Unicorn pet enthusiast, who had figured out a way to make enchanted meat that moved around like mice for the snake to enjoy, something that took the pressure off of Shy, trying to find non-sentient mice for her mouse-eating critters.
Apart from that, he had a Wonderbolt insignia from Dash, and a pair of goggles too, case he ever ended up in the air. He wasn’t going to say no, even if he thought he never would get up there at all. Twilight had given him- what else- a book, one pertaining to the founding and history of Equestria, a more in depth version of what his studies had already covered, of course. Rarity had made all of his clothes, apart from his guard attire, which she scoffed at when he dared refer to them as “decent clothes”. She had also promised him some more formal wear, at some point in the future, which just made her charity worse. Element of Generosity indeed. How she could afford to spend that much on one person and never ask for a bit in return was beyond him. Pinkie had given him a cook book and some kitchen utensils she no longer needed, telling him to not forget the baking soda when necessary.
And of course, Static and her sister had seen fit to give him gifts too, not to be outdone by the others.
Rose had given him a shoulder slung satchel, saying that it had been hers back on Earth, while Static gave him a glowing purple crystal on a length of rope, a ward against Nightmares of all kinds.
Arranging it all in his new apartment, Crimson looked around in satisfaction, smiling contentedly for a while.
But even that distraction came to an end, and thoughts of Misty and her ultimatum returned.
“Heya, Elf.” The suddenness of Static’s voice by the window startled him, almost causing him to knock over most of his things over as he jumped up in shock. “You getting settled in?” There was snow in her fur, and she was managing to get slush all over the floor as she poked her head inside.
Crimson frowned in irritation at the nickname, but that irritation faded quickly, and his smile returned. “Yep. Got everything I need over here. Now I just have to unpack it all.”
Static nodded. “Sounds like you’ve got everything under control then!” The pegasus pushed the window all the way open and squeezed her way inside, being careful not to jostle Monty’s terrarium too much, and leaving more snow on the floor. She was wearing her saddlebags, and as she finished her intrusion techniques, she dipped her left forehoof into her saddlebags. “Soooo ... uh, ran into Misty earlier…”
Crimson visibly flinched at the mention of Misty’s name, eyes widening and lips pulling into an involuntary grimace.
Static carried on, feigning obliviousness. “She gave me this for you. It’s an invitation to a dinner at their house, here in Ponyville.” Static pulled free a piece of paper, Aurora’s familiar, if less refined horn-writing clearly marring the pristine white surface. “Says you’re free to invite some friends along, if you want, just not too many.”
“W-wonderful.” Crimson muttered, trying to look away from the invitation without being obvious.
Static frowned sympathetically. “Crim, look, you’re gonna have to face them at some point. Might as well do it sooner, rather than later.” She pressed a hoof gently against his side, hoping to be a little comforting. “Hey, I’ll come with you, if you want. You know, moral support, yeah?”
Crimson nodded, glad for the offer.
“Maybe ask Twilight as well. She might be able to help smooth things over. It’s what she does, after all.” Static went to leave, out of the door this time, and stopped their, looking over her shoulder at her friend. “We’ll figure it out, man. We’ll figure it out.”
She opened the door and vanished through it, offering one last comforting smile before disappearing.
It was only a little later that Crimson suddenly thought. “Wait, Man?”
***********************************************