- Former Equestrian Royal Guard Captain, Prince Shining Armor -
---
Reckless in training was an interesting affair, because it became clear after not too long that she’d already been through much of what we were showing her.
Her history corroborated it, but in order to best train a cadet, I find it’s best to start them from point zero and see where they go from there, and how quickly. When you run a race, it’s not really fair to start someponies further back or forwards from each other without purpose.
Hoof Camp is broken into a few different regiments, and it’s not really an easy affair. Trust me, I do it every year myself as I’m training cadets. The first few months are devoted to building up stamina. Stamina is everything. More than feats of strength, or weapon proficiency, if you can’t keep yourself running for awhile, neither of those things really mean squat. Your enemy’s just gonna wear you down when they realize they can’t overpower you, and when they do, you quite literally don’t have any legs to stand on.
Reckless was built for endurance. It’s really her strong suit, so I noticed it pretty much day one. We do a few lengthy trots during that month, and when I say lengthy, I mean weeks long. First one we did, we leave left Canterlot, camping intermittently on our way to a base camp a day past Galloping Gorge. Distance total is around eight hundred klicks, or five hundred miles. It’s a damn fun time, but I work those troops hard. There’s no lagging behind, you stay with the pack or you’re not made out for the guard, simple as that.
Reckless loved those hikes. She had a few reasons for it, and when we camped at night I’d talk to her about it. It was like we were all a buncha Foal Scouts, the lot of us, all joking and laughing around a bonfire, tending to our sore muscles and looking forth at our next day with dread and anticipation in equal measure.
Reckless was a funny cross between not being excessively talkative, whilst still being incredibly sociable. If there was a group of ponies talking, she’d shuffle on over to them without a word. She wanted to be part of every conversation, and when she wasn’t I’d still see her ears flicking their way in curiosity. We of course welcomed her in, because even if she wasn’t as talkative as the other cadets, whenever she did open her mouth it usually got a good laugh out of the rest of us. She’s got to her a sort of innocence and natural charisma that’s hard to really tack down.
It was when we were camping a mile out of a little mining community called Horseshoe Haven. We spent the night in an abandoned coal mine on the outskirts, no longer used but still kept pretty well preserved. I see to it, considering we stop there pretty steadily on our endurance treks. It’s nice keeping a bit of Equestrian identity to the places being reclaimed by the wilds. There’s still history there, after all.
After we’d set up camp, I blew on my whistle and motioned Reckless over. “This way, Reckless, front and center. You’re with me.”
She trotted over immediately, exchanging a few snide words with her friends before trotting my way, ears alert and ready.
“Yes, Captain?”
“We’re going into town,” I said. “It’s about a half-hour hike. You’re gonna help me bring some stuff back.”
She tilted her head thoughtfully. “Supplies?”
“In a manner of speaking,” I replied cryptically, giving her a little wink. I’d already had her obedience, but that little wink earned me her curiosity, too.
We headed to Horseshoe Haven trotting double-time. Reckless had no trouble keeping up, which meant we were able to trot and talk pretty easily.
“So, how’re you making out on your first few weeks of training, Sergeant?”
Reckless let out a wordless snort from her snout. “Enjoy. Food good. Ponies friendly. Work hard.”
I let out a little laugh at her order of priorities. Could hardly blame her for them, on most days I figure I’m about the same. “You’re making out well. This trek doesn’t seem like it’s been particularly difficult on you.”
She shrugged her haunches as she trotted. “Lighter, without a load to carry.”
“I guess so. What’d you normally carry, back in Korea?”
“Shells,” she replied, and my first instinct was a juvenile visual of the sorrel mare trotting through a raging battle with a bucket full of seashells. “Rifle shells.”
“Ah. Ammunition.” I gave a nod. We have some black powder rifles in use in the Royal Guard, though they’re pretty slow, unreliable, and likely not what Reckless was familiar with. Still, I at least knew where she was coming from, and what her role in Korea had been. “Average carrying weight?”
“Dunno. Heavy. One shell, about... Twenty pounds? Usually carry four, sometimes eight.”
I blinked, raising an eyebrow as I glanced over at her. “That’s... Two hundred pounds? You carried two hundred pounds of ammunition?Through active fire?”
She nodded. “Bring what fellow soldiers need. Don’t think about weight when delivering, just go.”
“Huh. Must’ve been a damn big gun.”
“Very big. Very loud. So loud, I still hear it sometime.”
I didn’t immediately reply. Reckless’s ears fell flat, and I could’ve sworn I’d seen the stagger in her step waver a little bit.
“Equestria not like Korea,” she said eventually. “Not at all. Quieter. Nicer. Ponies... Different, from people.”
“People?” I repeated.
She nodded. “People. What they call them. Fellow soldiers. I don’t see any people, here in Equestria. They’re... Nice like ponies, in some ways. But... Not as nice to each other. That make sense?”
“It does,” I replied. “Was your whole unit... ‘people?’”
“Yes. Only horse there.”
“...huh.” That I hadn’t been expecting at all.
“People smaller. Weaker, than horses. Couldn’t carry like me. That’s why I was there.” She explained. “Was originally a racer. Not delivery.”
“Mm, well. You did do quite good on our track runs,” I said with a chuckle. “But it seems like endurance is your real talent.”
“Battles in Korea long. Need to be strong. Need to keep going.” She pursed her lips thoughtfully, and then glanced in my direction. “How about Captain Shining Armor?” She nudged her head towards my cutie-mark. “What were you, originally?”
I smiled at that. “Always a guard. Long as I can remember, it’s what I wanted to be. Some sort of instinct I always had, I guess... Kinda comes when you have a little sibling. Even if they get under your skin a lot, you’ll do anything to protect them. I guess I just learned that I liked protecting ponies a lot.”
“Shield,” she said simply. “Good mark. Good goal. Good Captain.”
I laughed again. “Thanks, Reckless. Most ponies find it... Anticlimactic.”
“Consistency anticlimactic?” she tilted her head curiously. “Strange. Think it good, that you have a strong idea for self. Have important duty, need consistency.”
“That’s for sure,” I agreed. We were coming upon the little mining town now, a little settlement of maybe a dozen buildings, all small and old and comfy. I lead the way towards the general store, with Reckless directly beside me.
“What supplies we get?” she asked.
I cracked a smirk, as I glanced over at her. “Beer.”
She blinked. Her head tilted, and I could see the cogs in her head turning, wondering if I was pulling her tail or not.
“Well, come on,” I said, “You practically drank us dry last time we camped!”
A sheepish look flooded across her, visions of her tipsy night no doubt resurfacing. I didn’t even know a pony could drink that much and stay standing.
“Oh, and you’re bringing them back, too...” I added, holding the door for the general store open for her. “After carrying two hundred pounds of rifle shells, it should be nothing at all.”