//------------------------------// // The Train To Nowhere // Story: Recollections // by ShiningBeacon //------------------------------// Looking down at the page, Shining Armor silently cursed his mother’s instinct to add embellishments to every one of her craft projects. A large, wide angle picture filled the center of the page, with lace hearts and what were clearly tear drops littering the border. In the picture, Shining Armor stood next to his best friend in the whole world, Barrel Roll, in front of the train that would take them both to Camp Nowhere for initiation into the guard. Shining Armor was standing in the middle of his family, Spike and Twilight clinging to his legs while his father, Night Light, was trying to calm down his distraught mother. Opposite them stood two jet black pegasi. The younger one had a pure white mane, his cutie mark a tendril of clouds that spiraled around a stylized tower. He stood awkwardly next to the second, older Pegasus that was solid black, only his pink irises adding any color to his palette. His cutie mark was obscured by the purple and gold armor of a Captain of the Guard. He looked over at Cadence, who was eyeing the guardspony with suspicion. “Is that-“ “Yeah. Black Baron. My predecessor.” “I did not realize Barrel Roll was his son.” “Barrel Roll and his father have always been a little distant with each other. I think Barrel was afraid that if everypony knew who his father was, they would see him as some military brat breezing through the ranks on his father’s name.” He rubbed his temples as he thought about how many of his officers had clearly achieved their position through nepotism rather than competence or service record. “An accusation with no small level of merit in the Guard these days, unfortunately.” “And yet rumors abound that Black Baron recommended you, not his son, take over when he retired.” “Black Baron never-,” he hesitated, choosing his words carefully, “I don’t have any knowledge about what Black Baron said to Celestia or why he recommended me. Barrel is an excellent Guard, I would have gladly served under his command.” “And how does he feel about your promotion?” “He congratulated me when we found out.” “Well, he couldn’t very well say ‘Buck You’ to his new boss, now could he?” Shining Armor didn’t answer. He studied the photo some more, his memories of the day flowing through him with greater clarity then they had in years. ****************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** “My baby!” “Dear, please, you’re embarrassing the boy.” Night Light’s words did not have the intended effect, instead causing Velvet to sob louder. “I’m sorry, baby! I’m sorry!” Night Light looked around at all the ponies staring at Velvet with looks ranging from sympathy to disgust and rubbed her back soothingly. “Dear, why don’t you go to the bathroom and clean up a bit, then we’ll say goodbye, okay?” She nodded and stumbled off in the general direction of the public facilities. Meanwhile, Shining Armor was going back and forth prying his siblings off his legs, who would cling to him again while he worked at getting the other off. “Hey, dad? A little help?” Night Light grabbed Spike and pulled him off, careful not to let his claws accidentally scratch Shining, while Shining Armor used both his magic and his hooves to break his sisters telekinetic grip on his leg. “Twily-“ “No! We’re coming with you!” She squeezed tight enough that he started to lose feeling in his leg. “You’ll be killed for sure! You need us!” “But-” “No! I won’t let you get hurt! I’ll save you!” “Twily, it’s against the rules for fillies to join the guard, remember?” Her grip relaxed slightly. “Oh. Right.” She slide off his leg and looked at him, tears welling up in her eyes. “But what if you get into trouble?” “Well then I know you and Spike will come rescue me, of course! But you’ll have to work hard and learn everything you can from Princess Celestia so that you can do that. Can you do that for me?” Twilight rolled her eyes. “I know what you’re trying to do! You do know that that I’m currently studying psychology and sociology with the Princess, right? This is basic redirection of cognition.” “You just made that up.” “Did not! And I’ll prove it to you. Spike, help me find my textbook!” She inverted her saddlebag, dumping its contents unceremoniously on the floor in the middle of the waiting crowd. Chuckling to himself, Shining Armor turned and looked at Barrel Roll and Black Baron. The crowd stood away from the Captain and his son as they had what was clearly an animated, if still whispered discussion. Deciding he wasn’t going to get involved, Shining walked over to Picture Perfect, who was standing in the same spot she’d been when she had taken the group photo. She smiled as he approached. “Did you get the picture you needed?” “Your mother will love it.” She looked back at Shining’s family, where Night Light was scolding his children for creating a tripping hazard on the platform, “Though I suppose she would love almost anything with the three of you in it.” “That’s probably true.” He checked the station clock. Less than five minutes to departure. “On the topic of my mother…. Well, she’s going to be having a hard time with me being gone till the break during Hearth’s Warming. Is there any way you can check in with her occasionally, make sure she’s doing ok?” “Of course. It’s certainly not a problem, your mom is pretty nice. She always wants to make me food whenever I’m there, though. I think she likes me or something.” She gave him a sly smile that set loose a thousand butterflies in his stomach, then she leaned in to hug him and whispered, “And in case you missed it earlier, Cadance called me your special somepony, so here’s a hint for when you get back.” Then she kissed him, and Shining’s world turned upside down and inside out for a couple of seconds. His knees shook, and he staggered back, a goofy smile on his face. He heard some of the ponies around him, including some of his family talking to him, laughing, or cheering, but it didn’t matter. Though he was a unicorn, he felt like he could launch off the ground and soar all the way to Cloudsdale. “Earth to Shining, come in! Let’s go Shiny!” He felt somepony shove him forward, and Shining Armor’s spirit returned to his body. Behind him stood Barrel Roll, shoulder to rump, pushing him forward using his powerful wings to leverage the breeze. As he stumbled forward, he felt his mother wrap him in an embrace, her head buried in his neck. “Promise me you’ll be ok.” “Everything will be fine, mom. You’ll see.” She let go with a sigh and a small sniffle, then stepped back for Night Light, who hugged him and gave him his saddlebags back. “We’re all proud of you, son. Try not to get hurt, for all our sake, okay?” “I’ll try.” “Good.” Shining walked past Night Light to Twilight and Spike, who looked him with sad puppy eyes. “You’ll write to us, won’t you?” “I promise.” The three hugged for a brief second, then Barrel Roll tapped him on the shoulder. “It’s time to go.” Shining Armor released his siblings, then steeled himself and marched onto the waiting train, his head held high. The pair found a seat in the middle of the last car of the train, and tossed their bags under their seats just as the doors slide shut and the train started to move. Looking out the window, he could see dozens of ponies, including his family and Picture waving at the train as it pulled out of the station. Black Baron was nowhere to be seen. “You bring the jerky?” “Yeah, it’s in the left pocket.” Barrel Roll dragged Shining’s bag over with his wings, then reached down and pulled out the sack that Flaxen had given Shining earlier in the day. “You get the note I left you?” “I did. Thanks for thinking about that, but it wasn’t really necessary.” “Gave you enough time to see your marefriend, didn’t it?” He took a bite of the Flaxseed jerky. “Technically, she’s not-“ “Everypony saw you guys kiss at the station, you know. I’m pretty sure that’s more than technical.” “It’s not, actually, not according to the strict definition.” Barrel rolled his eyes, “Ok, Twilight. You know, some days I can barely tell you two are related, and some days I wonder why I would ever think you weren’t.” “I imagine everyone smarter then you sounds similar. It’s amazing you don’t get more confused.” Barrel chucked a piece of flaxseed at Shining, who causally deflected it with a saucer sized shield. “You were dumb enough for me to convince you to join the guard with me," said Barrel Roll between bites. "You could have gotten a job working for your dad. You had it easy, and yet here you are.” “I’d rather work for yours, frankly.” “I wouldn’t, but it looks like I won’t have a choice.” “You didn’t have to become a guard, you know.” “Yeah, and neither did my father, or my grandfather, or my great-great-whatever grandfather, but they did, and so am I.” Barrel Roll sighed and returned the flaxseed jerky. “What else was I going to do? My dad never taught me how to do anything else. How could he? It’s all he knows.” They rode in silence, lost in their thoughts. After a while the rhythmic back and forth sway of the train eased Shining into a half-dream where he was at a picnic with Picture Perfect on a cloud, laughing and talking about his little sister. In his mind’s eye, Perfect giggled each time he made a stupid joke and kept batting her eyelashes at him while he told her about The Market Incident. As he was finishing the story, Perfect started to lean in towards him, that same sly smile on her face that she’d had at the station. He closed his eyes, waiting for the kiss, and was suddenly jostled from his daydream by a big brown-orange pegasus that flopped down on the seat next to him. “Is this seat taken?” “Would it matter?” Shining muttered as the pegasus tossed his saddlebag on the floor and stretched his wings. A green earth pony who was a fair bit older than most of the recruits and wearing a Stetson and boots sat down carefully next to Barrel Roll, who was asleep. Without so much as a word, he produced a rag from seemingly nowhere, kicked off his boots, and started to shine them. “Um, sure, it’s cool if you guys sit here. “ “Great! I’m Spear Head, and this dude here is Yellow Cake.” The green pony tipped his hat. “Dude, that Flaxseed jerky I smell?” “…Maybe…” “Dude, can I get some? I’m famished right now” “Sure, why not?” Shining Armor levitated the bag up and pulled out a single piece. As soon as he had it in hoof, Spear Head took the bag and started shoveling food into his muzzle. “Mm, this stuff is great! Who’s your supplier?” “Uhhh, local business in Canterlot.” “Canterlot! I love it. It looked so cool as I was flying in. Too bad I didn’t get to see more of it or talk to anypony.” “Wait, what day did you fly in?” “I just told you dude! I landed perfectly. Last pony to board.” He elbowed Shining’s ribs, “Though I was just in time to see you macking on some chick! First time too! Score!” Shining blushed and covered his eyes. “Was it really that obvious to everypony?” Yellow Cake grinned. “Yup.” His drawl was thick and smooth as molasses. Shining Armor groaned. This calls for a tactical withdraw. Clearing his throat, he looked at the odd pair and asked, “so, what made you guys decide to join the guard?” Spear Head swallowed and handed Yellow Cake a much lighter sack. “Got tired of my stepdad always yelling at me for shaping his furniture when he wasn’t using it or not coming home exactly when he told me to, stuff like that. I was ready to move out anyways, so I packed my bags and flew to Fillydelphia. One of my friends there has a dad who joined a long time ago, said it was great when he was 'young, dumb, and full of cum.' Had a lot of adventures apparently. Met his wife, though he didn’t say how. And best of all, they feed and house you while they pay you to stand around!” He crossed his forelegs behind his head and leaned back in his seat. “It’s, like, the perfect job.” Cake took a single piece out of the sack and returned it to Shining Armor with a nod. “Work dried up,” he said matter-of-fact. “Had to eat. You?” Shining took the much diminished snack and tucked it into to his bag. “I’ve wanted to be a guard for as long as I can remember. Since I was a little colt, all I wanted to do was protect my family and friends. Plus, my special talent is creating magic shields, so it seemed a good fit for me.” “Whoa. That’s deep, dude. I mean, it’s like your dream. That’s awesome.” Spear Head noticed the bit of flax jerky that Barrel Roll had tossed at Shining Armor earlier and scooped it up and popped it into his mouth. “So how does a city colt like you come to have a shield talent?” Yellow Cake asked pointedly, “Doesn’t seem like it would come up much, what with the guards everywhere.” “We have our share of rough ponies around, hence the guards, but that actually isn’t how I discovered my talent. When I was little, after my sister was born, my dad used to feed her oatmeal for breakfast, and she hated oatmeal. She’d scream and thrash about and throw her food every time dad fed it to her. I guess once upon a time, dad learned a quickshield spell for his job, some kind of safety precaution, and whenever my sister would throw food, he’d use it to keep from getting covered in babyfood. So one day I was trying to imitate him while pretending to feed her, and my father thought it was so cute that he decided to teach me a simple shield spell to use while we played pretend. “Eventually I got it down, though the most use I ever got out of it was to try and get out of bathtime. Anyways, a couple of years later, mom decided to take me along with her when she went up to visit Canterlot Castle and Princess Celestia. She had some kind of ticket or prize that she used that day that was good for a short meeting with the princess, so we went in at the end of one of Princess Celestia’s royal court sessions and we got to wait at the back of the room close to the throne itself. So I’m sitting there quietly while the Princess was giving her advice to somepony, when all of a sudden I heard shouting from the hallway at the front of the room. The doors to the throne room flew open, and there’s this unicorn standing there with his horn glowing and looking right at Princess Celestia. “They both started shouting at each other. Then he starts walking towards her, all the while looking super pissed. That’s when one of the guards tries to grab him, and he just looks at the guard and poof! The guard was gone. That’s when I got really scared. I was worried that he was going to do that to my mom, so I tried to make the biggest shield I could between him and us.” Shining Armor looked around the train carriage. “The whole thing probably wasn’t much bigger than the side of this car, but it was positioned between him and my mom, and by extension Princess Celestia. As soon as it was cast, I earned my cutie mark.” He pointed to his flank before continuing. “And while the shield wouldn’t have stopped him, I think it shocked him that a colt had intervened between him and the Princess, because the room got real quiet all of a sudden, then Celestia flew up over the shield and blasted him right off his feet.” He took a bite of his snack, then continued. “After that, things went crazy. Me and mom were rushed out of the throne room, four guards grabbed the unicorn, and Princess Celestia was staring at me when we left. I thought I was in trouble, but then she came in and talked to my mother and she seemed like she wasn’t angry at all, so I just assume she wasn’t happy that I risked myself like that when she was clearly safe from anything that unicorn could do.” Shining Armor sighed and settled into his seat. “So yeah, that’s my story, more or less. Getting my mark only made me want to go into the guard even more, to use my talent to help ponies all across Equestria.” “Well, that’s a hay of a story if ever I heard one.” “It’s incredible, dude! What did the Princess say to you when you meet?” “Not much, really. She asked me if I was okay, and told me I was a very brave and very special pony.” “And what, pray tell, did you say?” “Nothing. I was pretty intimidated by her, so I just hid behind my mom until they were done talking.” “No shame, bro. I’d feel the same after the Princess just roasted some guy.” “What about him?” Yellow Cake asked, pointing to Barrel Roll, who stirred slightly. “What’s his story?” “That’s Barrel Roll, my best friend. His dad’s in the guard. In fact, his whole family has been going back, well, forever.” Some part of Barrel’s mind must have picked up on his name being spoken, because at that moment he rubbed his eyes and sat up. “Ugh. We there yet?” “Not yet dude.” Spear Head held out a hoof. “Name’s Spear Head. This dude here says you’re his bestie?” Barrel looked at the extended hoof for a moment, then shook it. “That’s right. We’re old pals, friends since we were colts.” He looked at Yellow Cake, “and you are…” “Cake. Yellow Cake.” He nodded to Shining Armor. “Seems you got an interesting friend here, Mr. Roll.” “Only till you get to know him.” He suppressed a yawn and stretched, then looked out the window. “Looks like we’ll be there in an hour or so.” “You been here before?” “Dozens of times with my dad. He comes out here to help with training once a month and he usually brought me with him.” “Right on, dude.” “Anything we should know ‘fore we get there?” “Well they don’t call it Camp Nowhere for nothing. The whole place is military personal only, with few exceptions. That includes some food production, so I hope you ground pounders have strong backs.” He looked over at Spear Head. “You should try for the weather management team. If you’re any good, we’ll be flying patrols and busting clouds while these two sweat.” Cake adjusted his hat. “Figured we’d be too busy learn’en how to fight to deal with busy work like farm’in.” “Dad tells the troops it promotes teamwork and comradery among the guards.” Barrel Roll huffed, “That’s a load of horseshit. The real reason is because years ago Celestia cut funding to the military again, to the point we were concerned that we wouldn’t have enough bits to buy enough equipment for everypony, so the choice was made instead to grow our own food and appropriate the savings for arms and armor.” “That’s… mighty concerning.” Cake mused for a second, then spoke up. “Makes nothin’ but sense to me, though. They told us at my last job they were shut’in us down ‘cause of shifting financial priorities. I didn’t believe them then, but if what you say’s is true, then I suppose the military needs those bits elsewhere.” “Where did you work?” Shining Armor asked. “I was a civilian staff at a little military facility out in the Applaloosa desert. I doubt you’ve heard of it.” He reached into his saddlebag and pulled out a long strand of barley wheat, stuck the end in his mouth and started to chew on it thoughtfully. “Point is, if they actually didn’t have enough money to keep us runnin, I’m wonderin’ if I should’a picked a different career.” Shining Armor nodded. “No worries there. One of the first liabilities to be paid out by the treasury is the Guard wages, so if you sign your name, you’ll get paid.” “Good enough for me, bro.” Spear Head reached into his bags and pulled out a deck of cards. “Anypony else up for a game?” ********************************************************************************************** The train station at Camp Nowhere was nothing to write home about, mostly because Shining Armor wouldn’t have described it as a train station at all. A single shack stood in the midst of a clearing of the low brush that was everywhere in the Equestrian interior. No platform, no ticket booth, just a single guardpony in a covered shelter and a dirt path that led to the base of the nearby foothills. Shining Armor disembarked with the rest of the recruits as several struggled with over sized luggage bags. He’d been warned by Barrel Roll ahead of time of the trek, so he’s packed light using a space compression spell that Twilight had learned during her tutelage for his essentials. He looked at the winding path ahead of them and grimaced. I don’t envy anypony who brought a suitcase. In the distance, he could see a dozen smoke columns that indicated fires for heat or cooking amidst what appeared to be over sized wood cabins. “Let’s get going,” said Barrel Roll. “We don’t want to get stuck at the back of the line for processing.” The path was largely made of mud from rain the previous night, making the trek to the encampment much dirtier and more difficult than it appeared. Trudging through the mud, Shining started to think of home and what everyone would be doing at that moment. His parents, having taken the day off, would probably both be picking up Twilight from her afternoon session with the Princess. Picture Perfect was no doubt in her dark room, developing the pictures she’d taken earlier in the day of Princess Cadence, Black Baron was on duty somewhere, probably on patrol above the city. Old Joe would no doubt be cleaning and getting the shop ready for the afternoon rush of students who’d be looking for some sugar to get them through their studies. He looked up at the entrance to Camp Nowhere, seeing two guards posted on either side of a gate through a short wooden palisade. Just inside the gates were several stalls with officers and stacks of papers piled all the way to their ears. Walking over to one of the stalls, he proceeded to sign away every right to decency and every expectation of kindness that years of living among the ponies of Canterlot had instilled in him. There, on a stool in a mudhole in some forgotten corner of the world, he agreed to sacrifice life and limb in the name of Equestria and the Princesses. An hour later, he stood at the foot of his cot in his assigned barracks, his horn itching from all the magic he’d expended signing paperwork. He pitied the earth ponies and pegasi who had to use their hooves or their mouths to complete the task. Of course, only now that it was done did he start to wonder if he’d made he’d right decision. Just as Twilight had done earlier in the day, he inverted his saddlebags, dumping the entirety of the contents into a disorganized pile. Sorting though it quickly, soon all he had left on his cot were a couple of personal items he’d been allowed to bring to the duration of his stay, mostly pictures of his family and friends. In the first photo, his parents stood behind him, Twilight, and Spike as they all made a goofy face for the picture. The second picture was Twilight, Cadence, and himself in formal dress, just before the outing that would later become known as The Market Incident. The last one was the only picture he personally had taken, showing Picture Perfect gleefully dumping a bucket of water onto Barrel Roll from the roof of his house. For the first time in his life, Shining Armor began to feel homesick, wondering if those nights spent dreaming about being a soldier, charging into battle at the last minute to save the kingdom or a beautiful damsel in distress were realistic. In an ideal world, those opportunities would never arise to begin with. Equestria would remain safe as it had been for centuries; no disasters, no fair mares in need of rescuing. Just a life of managing crime and dealing with the occasional bandit raider. Was it really worth leaving behind everything he knew and everypony he loved for some coltish fantasy? He looked up and saw Barrel Roll drop his saddlebags at the foot of the cot three spaces down from him. Well, maybe not everyone. He walked over to stand behind his friend. “You finished up quicker than I expected.” Barrel Roll finished stuffing his cloud pillow into his perfect regulation pillow case and tucked the edge so a visual inspection wouldn’t reveal its contents, then laid down to test his contraband. “I bet you hear that a lot,” Barrel Roll muttered. Shining Armor ripped the pillow out from under him and clubbed him with it as Barrel Roll covered his head with his wings and laughed. After a brief struggle, Barrel Roll reset his cot and started to unpack the rest of his things. “I guess they figured out who my dad was about halfway through the process. I swear, that officer’s eyes just about fell out of her head when she realized who was signing her stupid paperwork.” He tossed his spare uniforms into the locker at the foot of the cot. “After that, she was a lot less picky about my signature.” “I can imagine.” Beside Shining's cot, another unicorn was starting to unpack his saddlebags. He was blue with a white mane, and was slightly older the Shining Armor. Each of his uniforms were ironed to a crisp edge that looked sharp enough to be a weapon in its own right, and as Shining watched, each item spun in a graceful telekinetic dance before being precisely placed in the locker. Noticing Shining, he closed the locker, then spun to face him. “May I help you?” “Just admiring your spellwork.” Shining extended a hoof. “Shining Armor, pleased to meet you.” The unicorn shook it and said, “Prince Rare Breed of House Bloodline.” Shining Armor was shocked. Living in Canterlot, his was familiar with House Bloodline and the assorted scandals. Notably, they were widely regarded as cowards. For one to join the Royal Guard was unusual. “I’ve heard of House Bloodline. I’m a little surprised to meet one here though.” Rare Breed smiled confidently when he heard this. “I am familiar with the rumors surrounding my family, as are you, I see. Rest assured, my brother and I are resolved to put an end to them and remind Equestria why our ancestors were able to claim the royal title.” “Whatever you say, Prince,” said Barrel Roll as he walked past. “Come on, Shiny. Let’s get some grub.” Shining Armor nodded politely and followed his friend to the mess hall where lunch was still being served. He was surprised to see Spear Head and Cake sitting at one of the tables inside, Spear Head very obviously stuffing food into his mouth as quickly as possible. After collecting their food, Shining and Barrel Roll joined their friends and sat down. “You guys got unpacked already?” Yellow Cake smiled and shook his head. “Someone was a li’l too hungry to focus on find’in our cabin.” Spear Head grunted and kept eating. “Well, at least the food looks tasty.” “I think Spear’s appetite is suppressing his sense of taste,” said Barrel Roll. “That or they finally got rid of Quick Swallow in the kitchen.” “With a name like that, how bad could he be?” “His cutie mark is a bird, not a cookpot.” “Oh” “Yeah. I encouraged dad to get Celesita to visit the camp and eat while she was here. Figured Swallow can’t cook if he’s banished.” Shining Armor took a bite, then retched and put down his spoon. “Ugh, he might get worse then banishment if he fed her this.” “Problem is, ya’ll city folk ain’t never really been hungry.” Yellow Cake chuckled. He dipped his spoon and took a small taste, whereupon he grimaced and turned slightly greener. “Then again, I reckon I never been that hungry neither.” “You will be in a few days. Trust me.” Barrel Roll took a big spoonful of his food and swallowed without chewing, “The key is to eat without tasting, just like Spear.” “How the hay are we supposed to do that?” “You’ll figure it out.” Spear Head swallowed his last bite of food and wiped his mouth. “Hold up dude, did you say your dad knows the Princess?” He looked at Shining Armor, “You said his dad was a guard.” “You didn’t tell them?” “I thought you didn’t want anyone to know.” “Everyone’s going to know at some point.” Barrel looked at their new companions. “My dad is Captain of the guard in Canterlot.” Yellow Cake let out a low whistle, then Spear Head spoke up, “Hey, good to know we got friends in high places! Getting on that patrol team should be a synch!” “NO!” Around the table ponies stopped to stare at the group. Barrel Roll lowered his voice and said, “We can’t get my father involved in this.” “Why not?” “It’s complicated. Look, I don’t want to get him involved, okay? I know what the officers are looking for, I’ll go over it with you later.” “Okay, bro.” There was an uncomfortable silence around the table as the four finished eating. Eventually, Spear Head and Yellow Cake left to go find their cabin, while Barrel Roll went to go sign up for the weather team, leaving Shining Armor alone and wishing he’d saved an extra from his breakfast. He was about to head back to his cabin when Prince Rare Breed, still wearing his saddlebag, placed his food tray opposite him. “May I join you?” “Sure.” He sat down and picked up his spoon, examining his food the same way Shining had seen Twilight inspect a sample from her chemistry class. “Fascinating. I have never before seen anything that so perfectly fit the description technically edible.” “Eh, let’s see how we feel about it after it’s had a chance to sit.” “Indeed,” Rare Breed said with a smirk. He dropped his spoon onto the tray and looked around the mess hall. “I’d heard that the camp left much to be desired, but this… well, I know when I return to Canterlot, I certainly will be using what little influence I have to lobby for better than this.” “On behalf of future soldiers, I thank you.” Rare Breed opened his saddlebag and levitated out a familiar paper bag. Opening it, he tilted it to reveal its contents to Shining. Inside were three of Old Joe’s donuts, cold but still smelling like pure heaven after the meal he’d just eaten. “Are those…?” “I had these delivered fresh this morning. Did you know that among the noble court in Canterlot, Old Joe’s donut shop is widely considered to have 4 star cuisine? I personally know of at least one political dispute that was settled when one party offered the other a year’s supply of his donuts in exchange for support in the parliament.” “That’s amazing… and disturbing…” “Perhaps, but it got the job done.” Rare Breed pulled one out and offered the bag to Shining Armor, who took one and greedily took a bite. The succulent pastry erased the unpleasant aftertaste the meal had left in his mouth and reminded him of home. Thinking back to his morning and Picture Perfect, he sighed unhappily. Rare Breed frowned and said “Have they gone sale already?” “No, not at all. I just… Well, I miss home.” “I can understand that.” He placed the bag on the table and leaned forward, touching his hooves in front of his chin as he studied Shining Armors face. “Mr. Armor, I couldn’t help but notice your cutie mark earlier in the barracks, and I found myself intrigued. Tell me, does your special talent have anything to do with the art of creating magical shields?” Rare Breed listened attentively as Shining Armor told how he had earned his mark, pausing occasionally to take a bite of the donut. Shining took extra care not drop a single crumb of the pastry, savoring the treat. “And from then on, I knew I was destined to be a guard.” Prince Rare Breed leaned back, his face neutral. “Fascinating. I heard a story not too dissimilar to yours years ago from one of the ponies who was there. Funny that we should meet now.” He paused for a second. “Listen. I know that you’ve had your heart set on this course for years, and I commend your decision. I think I’ve made it clear I am not exactly thrilled at my being here.” He looked around the mess hall. The building was almost empty with the light starting to dim. Even though it was still only mid-afternoon, the sun was setting behind the hill where Camp Nowhere was seated, giving the illusion of an early night. Having confirmed they were alone, Rare Breed leaned forward and said in a low voice, “Between you and me, if there were a better way to dispel the myths being told about House Bloodline, I would have pursued those instead, but alas, this was the only way.” He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “While I have prodigious magical talent and training, I confess that my studies were remarkably light on combat magic. Seeing how you are already ahead of the curve, I was hoping that a talented pony such as yourself could give me a few pointers during our time here?” Shining Armor licked the last of the crumbs off his hoof and smiled. “Definitely. I don’t know any combat spell beyond shielding, but I’ll gladly share what I know with you, Prince.” “Excellent. I understand that tomorrow we’ll be assigned our work teams and commanding officers on the parade grounds. I imagine we shall be quite busy for some time after that. Perhaps we could meet up next weekend, after the soreness of the first few days has worn off?” “First few weeks is how I heard it, but I’ll meet up with you then for your first lesson.” Prince Rare Breed gave Shining Armor a smile that did not quite reach his eyes. “It seems we have stuck up a friendship, Mr. Armor.” Prince Rare Breed stood and levitated his tray. Turning as if to walk away, he twisted his head to look back at Shining. “And I always make it a point to take care of my friends.” With that, he left Shining Armor alone at the table, the last donut still in the bag in front of him. He stared at it for a minute, then gingerly removed it and took a small bite, trying to pretend that he was still home. ****************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** Laying in Cadance’s bed, Shining Armor scowled at the picture of the parade square. In the photograph he stood at attention at the front of the formation, Barrel Roll to his right and Rare Breed to his left. “I can’t believe there was a time when I considered that pony to be my friend. “ “I’m sorry you and Barrel Roll have drifted apart, dear.” “What? No, I’m talking about Rare Breed. That’s him, the traitor!” He stabbed the picture with a fore hoof. Cadance looked closely at the picture, her eyes narrowed. “I didn’t recognize him. He looks different.” “Of course he does! Surely you have not forgotten New Mareland.” “How could I! What with all the excitement, I feel weak merely speaking of it.” She swooned and Shining Armor caught her before she hit the bed. “Never fear, my darling. I swear to you, one day I will make him pay for his crimes.” For a moment Shining Armor thought her eyes gleamed like those of a foal who was about to eat a slice of birthday cake. Then the moment passed, and all he could see was her beautiful smile and kind expression staring up at him. “I know your love will keep me safe-” She whispered as she drew him in for a kiss, “-and that’s everything I could ever want from you.”