It wasn’t long after Shining and I entered the academy that Sergeant Bristle noticed us arriving from nearby, walking over to greet Shining with a nod and short bow. “Sir Shining, it’s great to see you today.”
Shining smiled, nodding back with acknowledgement, “Of course, how’ve you been my friend?”
Bristle released a short chuckle. “Busy today, a bit miffed, probably terrified a few recruits in the process. You know how it is around here.”
Shining laughed back at that before looking back at me. I could feel an introduction incoming; I’d talked to this pony once yet barely knew a thing about him. Though he seemed friendly enough, especially compared to Smoke Strike, “This is Kieran; he’s stuck with me today.” Shining referred to me playfully.
I stiffened a bit at the gaze of Bristle, feeling out of place and nervous. I bowed my head slightly and greeted him. “Nice to meet you, Sergeant Bristle, sir." I tried to say in some respectful way that would be expected. I was sincerely hoping I wasn’t about to be reprimanded for all of my past ventures on the streets.
“Are you one of my new recruits?” Bristle asked with a smirk.
I looked up at him in surprise, looking between Shining and Bristle in confusion. “N-No? I don’t think so, sir.”
Bristle stepped forward a bit. “Then it’s just “Bristle."No need for the formalities. How’ve you been the past few days?” His question was sincere, and his features eased me as somebody I could trust. Though I already knew that from how friendly he and Shining were.
I smiled back at him. “Slightly better than the streets, I’ll admit.”
Shining eyed me with a raised brow and a slightly hurt expression, “Only slightly? I thought we were better hosts than that…” He muttered sadly.
I blushed and huffed, “You know what I mean, it’s… really nice.” I said while looking away sheepishly, another laugh escaping me.
Shining leaned in and nudged me with a chuckle. “You almost had me there! Acting all aloof.” He gave a playful eye roll; I couldn’t help but laugh and push his face away gently.
Bristle chuckled deeply, and his laughter filled up the hall. “That’s great to hear.” The two of them began walking side-by-side, and they fell into a conversation that didn’t involve me. As they talked more and more about their military stuff, my eyes began to wander, and so did my thoughts.
The place was structured in four long hallways that connected in a square, the center of which was a very large courtyard training grounds… thing. We were in the courtyard, technically, but it was surprisingly much warmer here, with little to no snow. I chalked it up to magic shenanigans. The rooms we were passing on our left were mostly classrooms, I would guess; all the signs were different, but to my eyes, it was nothing more than a gibberish sign of squiggles. The only room we passed that I could definitely point out was a cafeteria.
Turning myself on Shining’s back, I could easily see that there were a large quantity of trainees in the courtyard, which was around the size of a football field. They were all segmented into dozens of squads; I counted eight or so. There was a large mix of ponies, male and female; some were crystal ponies, others were not, which was something that still confuses me to this day. What was with the crystal ponies? They were all only earth ponies as well, with not a single crystal pegasus or unicorn in sight.
The builds of every trainee differed, though it seems they were divided by weight classes. The only thing the trainees did have in common was their outfits. All the trainees were wearing a dark blue jumper with a patch on their chest, which had the symbol of the crystal heart and the initials of the academy underneath in white. Man, looking at a crowd of ponies like this really puts into perspective just how wild the diversity was in this world. Well, everyone other than me.
The squadron closest to me was standing at attention as their guard instructor demonstrated to them with a spear held expertly in his hooves. The pegasus instructor and all the official guards I could see, for that matter, were in a full suit of armor. It was a dull blue color that I would compare to cobalt. Whether the armor was actually made out of cobalt was another question. The armor draped over their back with a light blue cloth trimming, and they had hoof shoes that were plated in the front in the same manner. The romanesque armor adorning their heads made each guard’s mane flow out of the helmet into a mohawk. Though even still, I wondered how much hair spray was required to keep their hair up like that.
I watched in wonder as the instructor wielded his spear like an absolute pro. Doing downward slashes, small underhoofed strikes, and leveraging himself with his wings to gain height advantages so that he could twirl his spear underneath him midair. He was comboing the dummy in front of him like a character straight out of a game like Street Fighter. And when he was finished with his combo, he stood back, at attention to the trainees, and shouted more orders. “And for our crystal ponies, don’t be afraid to fight with the sun on your back! Blinding your enemies is a tactical strategy." Dirty, I liked it.
As their squadron grew further away, I shifted my eyes to the second one. It was a few dozen trainees engaging in one-versus-one combat, straight hoof-to-hoof. And boy, was it intense! I don’t know if ponies are really just that resilient or if they have great healers. But they weren’t holding back; other than biting, I watched as the trainees used every advantage they could get. Kicking up the dirt into their opponent’s face, pegasi using their wings to stay out of reach, unicorns pulling their opponents in by the collar of their jumper with magic, only to clobber them. I had to admit that I winced a few times as I watched them fight. Thankfully, it seemed hitting each other where the sun doesn’t shine was also off limits.
My wincing must have brought attention to the lull of Shining and Bristle’s conversation, and Bristle looked over at me and chuckled, “Don’t worry about them; they’re all infused with resilience by our best mages. They likely don’t feel a thing out there.” I watched in surprise as ponies who’d just been absolutely laid out would get back up without a single thought. Some even laughed as they shook hooves with their opponent.
Shining nodded. “It’s a bit barbaric from the outside looking in. But we need our soldiers to be ready to deal with any potential variance in ponies. An earth pony needs to know how to take down a pegasus; a unicorn needs to know how to not get flattened by an earth pony; and so on…” Shining trailed off.
As my mind caught up to what they were saying, one thing that was said stuck out to me more than the others. And I couldn’t betray the excitement my words were laced in, “Your best mages? You have a squad of mages? Or do you just mean unicorns?” I asked, turning to Bristle in intrigue.
He nodded as he barely glanced back at me. “Yep, it’s a small department of the guard, there’s only a couple individuals in it. But they’re some of our best!” He said jovially with a proud look.
I unknowingly shifted myself further up Shining’s back, my head held higher as I rested on his neck. “Like actual mages? Doing spells and stuff?”
Shining chuckled underneath me, “The realest mages around. Think of Sunburst, but with more specialized talents.” He explained it to me.
Bristle grunted in agreement, explaining things in more detail as I listened as intently as possible. “They aren’t just any old unicorns. Of course, they are all unicorns. But being a unicorn alone doesn’t make you a mage. They’ve all worked long and devoted themselves to their talents to get where they are.”
I sat back. “Whoa,” I muttered in disbelief. I really wanted to meet them. I knew none of them could help me with my issue if Sunburst couldn’t, and that they’d likely just scoff at my lack of ability, but it just sounded so cool!
Bristle smiled, his voice bringing me out of thought. “I like that look in your eyes. Maybe you could train with them or even join them someday. Right Shining?”
I let the fantasy of that thought play in my mind for only a moment before I waved my hoof dismissively. “I have less magic in me than an earth pony, so I wouldn’t be useful. Only a detriment, really.” I huffed with a short laugh.
Bristle furrowed his brow. “Really? Hmm…”
But Shining stuttered with his steps, taking a second to glance at me with surprise. “You’re an alicorn, buddy. Don’t tell me you’re going to give up just because of a small hiccup."
I looked up at his curious expression with a hum. “It’s not really that small… You were there yesterday." I sighed while staring down at the ground as it passed by slowly.
I was surprised by a sudden jostling movement that almost sent me tumbling to the floor if I hadn’t grabbed on to Shining in time. It took me a moment to realize it was Shining himself that had shook me. “Hey…” I grumbled with a confused look.
He met my gaze halfway with a short chuckle. “See how you just grabbed onto me?”
“Uh… yeah?” I questioned while tilting my head more and more.
He smirked. “Well, giving up on your own magic is akin to you not grabbing hold of me just then and falling flat on your muzzle. A small hiccup in the road you must overcome.”
He turned away so he couldn’t see the incredulous, almost offended look I gave him. “Neither of those are comparable in the slightest!” I ranted back as Bristle tried to hide a short chuckle. I quickly crossed my hooves in confusion.
“You don’t even know if it’s fixable yet; you shouldn’t give up on things you’re interested in that quickly, Kieran.” Shining coached me with a bit of a warning.
I guess I could see where he was coming from, but I’d never had to deal with magic before, so it all felt a bit unattainable in my eyes. After a moment, Shining stopped moving and craned his neck again. He held a free hoof up and pointed at my head. “A lot of ponies seem to think they should only always listen to what’s up here.” He leaned his muzzle forward and nudged my chest. “When they really might need to listen to their hearts.”
“That’s corny.”
“It’s true.” He remarked right back, giving me a large smile.
“So you think I should just always assume I’ll get my magic?” I asked with raised brows.
He nodded. “Don’t you think it’s a little bit more fun to look at it that way?”
I couldn’t help but smile as I expelled air in a huff. The way he’d worded to me what equates to “think on the bright side" was amusing and endearing. Well, he was right! I didn’t want to give up on magic, flying, or really anything that normal ponies could do. And even if the pessimistic side of me said it was hopeless and sometimes came out and voiced as much, I think I could at least agree with Shining about this one thing. “You really believe I can do it?” I asked hopefully.
Shining nuzzled me shortly. “I think you can do anything you set your mind to, Kieran. With help, of course. Just get that confidence and positive outlook up, and you’ll go far, Kieran. I know it!” He finished with a sincere nod.
A large smile spread on my muzzle. “Alright then, I’m going to be the best at magic when I fix it. And maybe flying too! Now you can't stop me.” I said confidently.
Shining nodded resolutely and ruffled my hair slightly. "And I wouldn't want anything different." He replied happily.
Bristle waited with a smile before continuing onward, with Shining close behind. Bristle cleared his throat, seemingly flustered to say what was on his mind. “Excuse me, Sir Shining, but you may need to work on your… encouraging talks. You’re very lucky that Kieran is a good interpreter.” Shining almost tripped over himself while walking, as a flustered blush appeared on his face. I fell backward and died laughing.
Flurry and Cadance were relaxing outside of a small cafe amongst the snow-capped streets of the Empire. Surrounding their table were two guards, wearing shiny purple armor tinted with a vanilla-like color and the crystal family crest adorning their necks. The family's personal guard was their occupation—the best of the academy, the top of their class. But even the stone-cold expressions from the mare and stallion guard duo could not prepare them for the squeal that Flurry released, sending them both into a small shock, expecting some sort of threat. Though they quickly stood back at attention after Flurry expressed herself through words instead of sounds.
“Momma! They have a new green peppermint and white chocolate flavor!” Flurry said excitedly as she looked over the menu.
Cadance laughed gently as she waved her hoof pleadingly, “Yes, honey, calm down a bit. There are other ponies around.”
Flurry glanced around; there were a few ponies drinking their own set of drinks and many ponies walking the streets. The two royals would catch many glances, but the crystal ponies were used to their family walking the streets and engaging with many of the local shops and families, so it never felt too out of place to walk the streets. Of course, the guards always insisted on coming, unless Cadance managed to slip out undetected. Though she often just gave up that idea and allowed them to join her, it gave them breaks from guarding the same old castle hallways day in and day out.
The waiter came and took the two’s order, a mare they were both very familiar with, especially with how many prior visits they’d had to the particular establishment. As they were waiting for their order, Flurry eyed the modest pile of packages and bags set beside their table from their shopping. She laid her head on her hoofs thoughtfully as her smile cast downward a small bit. “Do you think everyone will like their gifts?"
Cadance eyed her with a raised brow and asked, “Did you pick gifts they wouldn’t like on purpose?” She laughed.
Flurry’s cheeks went red as she crossed her hooves. “No! Of course not! I meant, like… really like them.”
Cadance smiled at her. “I think they will like that their adorable little niece went to such an effort to make them happy.”
Flurry was satisfied with that answer, and she sat in silence, staring at the pile a bit longer. Eventually she sighed, “Do you think… I can find something for Kieran?” She asked.
Cadance tilted her head and pursed her lips. “I was wondering if you wanted to get him something. What do you think he’d like, honey?”
Flurry felt flustered as she shook her head with a small grumble, “I don’t know! He doesn’t own anything at all. Not a blanket, not a toy; he doesn’t even have a toothbrush for himself, Momma!”
Cadance lifted both her hooves, waving them to try and calm her. “Hey, honey, don’t you worry about that. Me and your father will get that sorted.”
Flurry stayed quiet, still brooding in her thoughts as the waiter came and left their drinks with a bow of their heads. Cadance sighed at her daughter’s mood shift but nonetheless began to enjoy her drink. Reading a local newspaper as she relaxed. Flurry idly played with the straw in her drink, pushing it in circles around her white chocolate and green peppermint drink she’d been so excited about minutes before.
Cadance glanced up multiple times, wondering what could possibly have caused her mood to switch in such an instant. Though she thought that Flurry might just be thinking of a gift for her double, the expression on her face was nigh unreadable. And Cadance liked to think she had her daughter completely mapped out in the emotional department.
It was a minute later when Flurry stopped pushing the straw, and with a huff, she set both hooves on the table a bit angrily. “Why don’t you just adopt Kieran already?”
Cadance’s eyes widened, and she struggled hard not to spit her drink out in surprise as she finished her sip and coughed a few times. When she lifted her head, Flurry was staring her down angrily with an expectant stare. “Honey, where’d that come from…”
Though Flurry interrupted her mother, “What do you mean you and Daddy will do something about Kieran having nothing? He doesn’t even have a home yet, Momma.”
“Flurry…” Cadance said sadly.
Flurry pursed her lips a bit in impatience, turning her head to look at the female guard standing behind her chair, a crystal white pony with even whiter hair. “Silver Drift?”
The guard turned quickly while standing at attention, “Yes, my lady?”
“Do you think momma should adopt Kieran?” Flurry asked while crossing her hooves.
The guard seemed surprised and began looking quite unsure. “Ye-... Well, that would be… I can’t… My lady, it’s not my place to say.” The guard stuttered between responses a bit nervously, occasionally eyeing Cadance with worry.
Cadance groaned and let her head fall into her hoof. “Flurry, don’t bring your poor guard into this…”
Flurry continued quickly, as if nothing happened, as her guard returned to their post. Her voice wavered a bit. “If he doesn’t have a home, how can he enjoy something simple like a gift?”
Cadance had no words initially, only giving her daughter a sympathetic look: "Honey, it’s… it’s not…” She sighed, trying to come up with the words.
“I need him to like it, Momma; if he doesn't, then… then…” The confused and conflicted face on Flurry made Cadance worry. The filly had obviously been thinking about this for most of the day, if not longer.
“Then what, sweetie?” She asked gently.
“Then he won’t remember me!” Flurry said all of a sudden.
To Cadance’s surprise, Flurry started tearing up. “So I need to get him something that he’d really, really love, in case he goes and lives somewhere else. Because you and Daddy haven’t adopted him or even asked him about it. And he deserves a home, momma.”
Cadance lowered her head to eye level with her. “Shh… Flurry, calm down… He’s told us he’d like to stay already, dear; we aren’t sending him away any time soon.” Cadance knew the filly’s fears were a little silly, but to her, they were real. So instead of brushing it away, she chose to listen with intense worry.
Flurry huffed again. “I want Kieran to have a home, not just a place to stay.”
Cadance knew there was no good answer for Flurry or that her answer may not satisfy her unless she gives the most honest one. This was one of those times where, no matter how much preparation you make, you’ll never truly know how to tackle the situation. Especially when your daughter is involved. “Flurry, Kieran didn’t have… a good life. You know that, right?”
She avoided eye contact a bit as she crossed her hooves. “Kinda…” she muttered.
"Listen." Cadance sighed and walked around the table to sit in front of her daughter. “We don’t want to rush things and scare him off; the people he used to trust treated him very badly, and a couple of days with us isn’t going to undo all of that trauma quickly.” She paused and looked down at her hooves sadly. “Do I want Kieran to trust us and believe we’re always there for him? Yes, yes, I do. But you can’t force somebody to love or trust; you have to show them that they are wanted, and then it all comes naturally.”
Cadance watched as Flurry’s anger subsided, and she made eye contact again. Cadance lifted her hoof and wiped the tears out of her eyes. “And just because he isn’t your sibling or our foal doesn’t mean that he can’t have a home here. Home can be wherever somepony feels the safest, the happiest, and all the other little things.”
“But if you told him that you were his new mom and dad, wouldn’t that make it easier to get him to understand?” Flurry asked innocently. “Because you’re both so good at it!” She followed up happily.
Though Cadance couldn’t help but smile at that, she found herself frowning again: “Flurry…” Struck with the inability to convey the reality that the young alicorn didn’t understand, Cadance sighed again.
“I wish it were that simple, dear.” Flurry only tilted her head at Cadance’s words, making the mother smile again as she petted the top of her head. “It’ll all come along with time; just be a good role model, okay?” She reassured her.
Flurry nodded with a small shrug. “Okay, I’ll keep being good, momma.”
Cadance stood up and tapped the table assertively, “And finish your drink! I didn’t get it for you for nothing.” She reprimanded her playfully. Internally sighing in relief that Flurry was able to be convinced not to rush things. The filly had relented, but Cadance could tell that it wasn’t the end of it. She definitely had some stewing in her mind once again, but Cadance couldn't be bothered to coax it out just yet.
As we finally neared the end of the extremely long hallway, we took a left turn into a short hallway with many more guards than usual. Most of the guards did a short bow before standing at attention as we passed by. Once we reached the large door, Shining levitated me off his back. I tilted my head questioningly as he kneeled on one hoof in front of me. “Hopefully this won’t take long, but you probably don’t want to follow us in Kieran.”
“Why?” I asked, glancing at the door and Bristle once again.
Shining rubbed the back of his head. “It’s… just going to be boring talk.”
Suddenly, lightbulbs went off in my brain, and my face fell into a dejected frown. “Let me guess, Smoke Strike?”
Shining furrowed his brow and released a long sigh as he got even farther down in front of me. “Hey, don’t worry about it, okay?” I just shrugged and turned my head away. Shining seemed to accept that as approval. “Just wait around out here; don’t wander too far in this huge place; you’ll get lost.” He chuckled before standing up. He joined Bristle, and they both disappeared behind the dark wooden door.
As the door clicked shut, I sat there for a minute wondering if I should’ve tried to stop Shining, but I knew it was a bit of a helpless situation in that regard. I looked up and around me, and the half-dozen guards around me quickly averted their eyes to stare straight at the wall in front of them again.
I decided to stand as I made my way back out of the hallway. The far back side of the courtyard was still within view, and after exiting the small hallway, I sat behind the railing, my head only reaching the first wooden bar. But hey, it was perfectly sized for resting my head over my hooves.
The squad I was watching wasn’t nearly as interesting; they were all pegasi and doing pushups, but only with their wings. I didn’t think wings would be strong enough to hold their weight, so it was at least physically impressive. I watched for a few minutes as they finished their push-ups and stood back at attention. Thankfully, I could hear the female guard instructor from here: "Alright, you headless chickens! You know the drill; we’re doing flying course D today!” She paused, and I felt I could see almost every trainee’s discomfort. “I don’t want to hear any moaning or groaning. And I certainly better not see any slacking!” She yelled while giving them all a calculative look. “Now get to it!”
All the trainees seemed to know exactly where to go after that. I sat up as my interest was drawn more, as they formed two single-file lines in front of a starting line. On both my left and right, I could see an identical set of rings positioned above the ground at varying heights about a story up. Some were extremely narrow, others were oddly shaped, but they were clearly meant for precise flight practice. After the commander gave them their signal, the two first trainees shot off into the sky. Well, I say shot off; both of them got through exactly two rings before banging some part of their body on the third and plummeting to the ground.
The commander face-hoofed before calling the next two out. They were doing slightly better, making it up to at least ring seven. At which point you essentially needed to make a nose dive from high up, pull back last second to not hit the ground, tuck your wings in, and shoot through a small hole. But I winced and closed my eyes as both hit the side of the ring at full speed.
It went on like this for a shockingly long time. I’d say both sides went through about six trainees, with all of them failing somewhere in the first seven rings. They seemed like a relatively new bunch of trainees, so I guess it wasn’t really much of a surprise. My eyes wandered farther down the field for more interesting training sessions. But nothing was really visible from this far back, and I sighed.
I glanced back at my own wings. I watched them twitch a bit as I used the muscle, which was not something I did often. Especially after I learned that even flying required pegasus magic, which I guess makes sense. You can’t just slap a bird's wings on a horse and expect it to carry the weight. Sure, I could spread my own wings, and I could even flap them; it didn’t do me much good, but it was there.
I smirked as I remembered my first two weeks, jumping off the box in my alleyway as I desperately flapped my wings. Of course, I always face-planted into the ground, often getting even dirtier and wetter than I already was. At least Pickles was always there to cheer me on.
Man, would I love to fly… And do magic… Or be able to feed myself. I groaned a bit as I held my head, trying to keep my mind from becoming a jumbled mess.
“Private Brisk Mane, do you think you’re up for it?” The instructor called, and I lazily glanced back up at the crowd.
A brown pegasus with a mix of dark blue and green hair stood up to the starting line and saluted. “I believe so!”
The instructor nodded with a smirk. “Well, then show these slacking recruits how it’s done!"
My interest was piqued now, especially with how confident she seemed in the trainee’s abilities. They counted down once again, and I could immediately see why when taking off. The Brisk Mane guy was like a rocket, clearing the first two rings before the opposing side could even get near the first ring.
I sat up in full attention now. As he cleared hoop four and five in the blink of an eye, as he approached six, I waited and watched for the dive. But as I was already anticipating the drop, he’d already shot through without much effort. I could definitely see why the instructor was hyping him up. Even with the guy’s larger frame compared to some of the other trainees, he hadn’t stumbled or hesitated once.
After the seventh loop, there was an instant climb up about two stories where two medium-sized hoops waited at an almost impossible bend, which he cleared with ease. Then the last two were both tiny hoops that were horizontal, and you had to tuck your wings while also flying upward, which seemed like an impossible feat. Until the guy managed to clear it without a sweat. I was enamored by his maneuverability and was rather surprised he hadn’t garnered any sort of praise.
As the pegasus dove back through the last two hoops, I realized why. You were supposed to do the course in reverse after hitting hoop ten. I watched in awe as he cleared back through each hoop with precision. Even the opposing side had stopped to watch him do the course. The opposite direction was much the same, and he shot through the last hoop and landed on the ground, skidding to a halt as his hooves made a line in the dirt. I was surprised it didn’t have a trail of fire following after it as well.
The instructor nodded and started clapping for him, and the rest of the trainees did as well. I felt compelled, but that’d be a bit awkward. I heard a surprisingly nearby sigh, released from somebody as if they were daydreaming. “He’s so cute…” I heard them whisper to themselves.
I leaned back and away from the railing I was practically underneath and realized there was a pegasus mare standing only inches from me, her gaze thoroughly fixed on the field, and obviously her crush. The guy even had a secret admirer, it seems. The mare was cream-colored, with an orange and yellow-ish mane. She wasn’t a trainee, since she had a full suit of armor on. Were guards allowed to just stop and gawk at crushes like that? I guess it wasn’t really that bad. The guy had put on an impressive show after all.
But had the mare really not noticed me? I was looking up with a raised brow. If she’d noticed me, she made no indication, her head resting on a hoof as she stared after the stallion with admiration. For a second, I just thought about walking away, but she’d likely notice that and feel awkward about it. So I sighed quietly before daring to talk. “Um, hello?” I asked questioningly.
At once, the mare retracted from her dreamy stare and looked all around herself in panic before finally looking down at me. And when she met my raised eyebrows, the last thing I expected her to do was flinch and release a yelp. Which caused me so much sudden surprise that it caused me to get jumpscared at the same time and fall onto my back with a loud thump. I stayed on my back for a while, groaning as I stared at the ceiling with disdain, wondering how I’d let someone scare me when I was watching them the whole time. More out of shame, really.
The mare seemed to recover from her sudden panic attack, only to be replaced by another one when she gasped. “Princess Flurry Heart! I’m so sorry!” She immediately kneeled downward and looked for injuries, but I pushed her hoof away with a huff and sat back on my haunches. “Please forgive me!” The mare squeaked.
I dusted myself off with a sigh before looking up at her terrified face. “You’re good… I guess? But I’m not Flurry.”
She stared for a minute with a furrowed brow before the lights in her head went off. "You're... Kieran then, right?” She seemed to be looking at me more in wonder than anything.
I just nodded. “The one and only.”
But to my surprise, she bowed again to such lengths that her muzzle was practically buried in the floor. “Not only did I scare you, but I called you by the wrong name; please forgive me, Prince Kieran.”
Huh, how did word of my preference to be considered a male travel that fast? Was that Shining’s doing? Wait… Prince? I suddenly laughed out of surprise and shook my head wildly. "No, no, I’m not any sort of prince.” Anything to get her to stop bowing in front of me was fine; it made me feel wildly more important than I actually am.
She stopped her bow inches from the ground to look up in surprise. “O-Oh, I guess you’re right. You didn’t exactly get a coronation or anything…” She trailed off. As her eyes wandered nervously, she set them back on me curiously. “But I still feel I need to address you formally in some way.”
I sighed with a small groan. “You really don't; I’m not going to tell anybody you didn’t kiss the ground I walk on.” I said with a jokingly short eye-roll.
She blushed, as she seemed to have come to terms with that. “Oh, okay, well… Maybe let’s start over then?” She offered, which made me tilt my head. She cleared her throat and saluted, “Recruit Honey Flitter at your service.” She lowered the hoof and smiled widely. “Most just call me Flitter, though. It’s nice to meet you.”
I nodded and held my hoof out while giving her a friendly smile. “Likewise! I don’t really have any fancy titles or a last name, but I’m Kieran. Nice to meet you, Flitter.” I replied with a sheepish laugh.
She smiled brightly; there didn’t appear to be a single mean bone in her body. If anything, she came across as a quiet and gentle mare. But she was a full-fledged guard, so who am I to talk? She gripped my hoof firmly but was still gentle. After she gave me a firm shake, she brought her hoof back and placed it against her chin with intrigue. “Hmm, I know you’re not Flurry…” She trailed off as she began to circle me.
I tried to follow her with my head, but I was too confused by what she was doing. After she made two laps around me, she stopped and gave me a curious head tilt. “So why do you let yourself look the same? Won’t it be less confusing or something?” She became flustered again as she bowed her head. “It’s just an observation! It’s fine if you like it!” She defended, and I felt like she was about to pass out from nervousness still.
My mouth opened to answer, but I quickly closed it as my mind blanked. Why did I just walk around looking exactly like Flurry? To be fair, I’d been stuck in the castle and had no real reason to seek out a change. But to be fair, it might help me feel more separated from Flurry as an individual. “I… don’t really know.” I answered her honestly.
She pursed her lips with a hum and shook her head. “Forgive me for imposing, but would you like me to try my hoof at it? I’m off duty today.”
I shrugged and nodded eagerly. If someone was offering to give me a new style, I wasn’t going to shoo her away. She began walking slowly, checking back to see if I was following. I looked between her and Smoke’s door and said, “I don’t know if I can… Shining told me not to wander…”
She waved her hoof dismissively. “Those meetings always take ages; I’ll have you back before the meeting is even halfway over, I bet.” She puffed her chest out confidently. “But just to be safe..." She trailed off as she approached the first of the many guards sitting outside Smoke Strike’s door, relaying to him where we would be going. The guard seemed unsure but eventually nodded in agreement.
With that, Flitter approached me, nodded, and began leading me down the hallway. As we were walking, I glanced around at a couple other off-duty guards and asked her curiously, “Why are you wearing armor if you’re off duty?”
She laughed, “It keeps people from bothering me when I’m in the academy. They think I’m busy.” She blushed after saying that.
I smirked a bit knowingly. “So that you can spy on your crush?”
“Spy!?” She remarked back with a huff, waving me off with the fakest laugh I’d heard: "No, no, no… Foals are so silly. I was just making sure there weren’t any injuries."
I sighed and laughed quietly. “Hey, you were the one gawking right above me. But if you’re too embarrassed to admit it, that’s okay.” I held in a snicker as her back went straight as an arrow and her face went beet red.
You know, the more I think about it now, stranger danger red flags and alarms should be blaring right now. Some random mare offers to take me away from my guardian to take me to her room and “style my mane”? That was just asking for trouble.
“W-Well, me and him are just in the same class! A-And I really just think he’s really impressive and-”
Yeah, nevermind; she had the word honey in her name for a reason. I don’t think this mare could hurt a fly, even if she wanted to. Especially if she was so flustered by me poking a bit of fun.