Chapter 2: Flare’s Day
Flare nodded and gave her another half bow. “Thank you Princess Luna.” He said as he turned toward the door. He only turned to Whirl for a split second and gave him a wink as he trotted out.
Flare stopped just outside the door. “Those two are funny together.” He said with a chuckle. He turned to one of the guards. “So, I was told you know where to get a quality tea cup. The guard simply nodded and started to walk. Flare assumed he was meant to follow along so he trotted just behind him. “Working in the castle must be great huh?” He asked the guard. The guard simply sighed and continued walking. “Not much of a talker are you?” Flare asked with a slight frown.
The guard sighed again. He stopped walking and turn around so he was face to face with Flare. He didn’t look too happy, mildly upset would be the best way to describe it. He stared at Flare for a while before saying, “I don’t get paid to talk to the princesses suck-ups.” He stood up and started to walk again.
Flare chuckled a bit. “Nice, your observation and great deducing skills are really good. Yeah, I came all the way here to kiss the princesses hooves so I can get whatever I want. That is why I clearly walked out of the room carrying something in a bag. Oh, wait I don’t have anything. Oh no, maybe you need to go back to detective school.” He said slyly.
The guard was furious. He turned straight around and got right up into Flare’s face. “You have something to say about the royal guards training?!”
Flare simply laughed. “Listen, I don’t have any problems with you being a guard. I do however have problems with you being a giant plothole.” He said with a simple grin.
The guard held a hoof to Flare’s chest. “You don’t know a single thing about me!” He yelled as he poked Flare’s chest.
Flare simply kept his simple smile. “Of course I don’t, you refuse to talk to me. How am I supposed to know you if you don’t talk?”
The guard raised his hoof for a kick. A loud voice boomed from behind the guard. “Is there a problem here private?!” The guard swiftly turn to attention and held up his hoof in a salute. This mysterious white pony was in purple armor with gold trim. “No sir! No problem sir!” The guard said nervously.
“I will have to hear it from the pony you were threatening first.” The mysterious pony said. He trotted up to Flare and stood tall, much like Whirl did so it didn’t intimidate Flare much. “Sir, has there been any problems with this guard?” He asked in the voice only a superior officer could have.
Flare smiled and shook his head. “No, no problems. It was half my fault anyway. I may have egged him on just a bit.” He admitted. “This is a fine guard, ready and willing to do his job. Not a very chatty guard for sure and his manners towards guests could use a tune up but other than that I was enjoying myself.”
The white pony turned to face the private. “Is this true? Were you treating this guest poorly?” He asked in his voice of authority.
The guard was shaking a bit. He finally sighed and said, “Yes sir.” He never broke his salute for one moment. “But sir, he was talking bad about my training sir.” He said in defense.
The white pony simply sighed. “Your job is the well being of everypony in this castle, of everypony in Equestria. If you can’t figure that out, maybe your training wasn’t complete. Report to your commander and tell him the captain orders that you get a full workup. Dismissed!” He said before giving the private a quick salute.
The guard turned without hesitation and trotted down the hall before vanishing around the corner. The white pony turned back to Flare. “So, where was he taking you? I can finish escorting you.” He said with a more natural voice.
Flare was looking down the hall where the guard had left. “Well, I didn’t mean to get him in trouble or anything.” He said with a slightly guilty voice.
The white pony shook his head. “He was one second away from kicking you in the face. No, he needs to learn to cap a lid on that. As his superior office it is my duty to make sure he becomes the best guard he can be.”
Flare looked up to the white pony and noticed he was a unicorn. “Ah, you were probably born here in Canterlot huh?” He asked randomly.
The white pony raised an eyebrow. “Yes, how did you know?”
Flare chuckled. “My friend Whirl Wind told me a large majority of unicorns come from Canterlot. It was just a lucky guess. He also told me a guard would never hurt a civilian unless he was threatened. I just wanted to see if that was true. I took it just a bit too far.” He said with a grin.
“Um, yes I would agree with that. Although I have to admit you faced a certain pummeling with great courage.” The white pony said as he looked down at Flare with slight admiration. “Have you ever thought about becoming a guard?” He asked with the same suddenness Flare had a moment ago.
Flare shook his head. “Not once. It is only because I have a wife at home and a couple of foals on the way. No, a guards life would just make things hard.” He said as he shook his head some more.
The white pony simply nodded. “I can understand that. Balancing work and the wife has been a hassle for me too. We recently moved to the Crystal Kingdom and it has been trouble maintaining my position as captain of the royal guard while I am there. Of course I am sure Candance has enough work of her own to do, she is a princess after all.” He said as thought out loud.
“Princess Candance is your wife?! Wow, that is pretty amazing. You know, I never got your name captain…?” Flare gestured him to finish his sentence for him.
The white pony smiled. “Shining Armor. A pleasure to meet you uhh Duke? Noblepony?” He asked with a raised eyebrow.
Flare laughed loudly. “Oh no, you got me all wrong captain Armor. I was just visiting the castle with Princess Luna and my friend Whirl. I am no noblepony or Duke. I am simply a lowly mail delivery pony named Sonic Flare.” He said with an occasional laugh.
“You aren’t a Duke or anything? Great, I can relax a bit then.” Shining Armor said as he loosened up a bit. “It is a real pain in the flank to posture all the time. So, what business did you have with Princess Luna?” He asked with a slight grin.
Flare grinned as well. “My friend Whirl seems to be becoming friends with her. She wanted to give me a crystal tea cup for my wife, but I feel it is better to earn such things rather than have it given to me. I was actually following that other guard to a store where I can buy one.” He said as he peeked around Shining Armor to look down the hall again.
Shining Armor nodded. “I know the perfect place. It is a small shop that is family owned. It is on the other side of Canterlot. I shall escort you there.” He said as he started to trot down the hall.
Flare followed along happily. “So what is the Crystal Kingdom like? I’d imagine it is wonderful.”
Shining Armor nodded again. “Yes, it is quite wonderful. I wish I was there now with my wife. Last time I saw here was just after we defeated King Sombra, I was recalled to Canterlot to be debriefed. I am here for another two weeks before I can go back. I will be taking control of the forces there and leading them with honor.” He said with his voice of authority.
Flare chuckled. “That sounds awesome. But you don’t need to sound so serious around me remember?”
Shining Armor laughed. “Right, sorry it is just a habit.” He said as the exited the castle.
Flare looked around a bit at the scenery. He noticed a few servants working the grounds. “So, do ponies around here make a decent wage? I’d imagine they wouldn’t being under the princesses hooves all the time.”
Shining Armor shook his head. “Our princesses are portrayed so fearfully. After getting to know them I can tell you that they are the two kindest souls in all of Equestria. They treat all of the workers here with respect and dignity. They aren’t tyrants that just enslave ponies to do their will.” He said as he looked back to Flare.
Flare was a bit amazed to hear this. He had heard stories that the princesses had a battle over day and night and one of them was banished to the moon, but he never really paid attention in history class while he was in school. “Well, that is good to hear. I am used to being treated differently because of where I am from. Well, only here in Canterlot I am treated differently. It is strange how a bit of money can change ponies for the worse.” He said with a slight frown as he noticed two noble ponies walk by with their noses stuck in the air.
“Not all of them have all that much money, a lot of them are acting so they don’t look bad. It could affect their position in their little noble system.” Shining said as though he wasn’t impressed by the acting of the nobles.
Flare chuckled. “Social ladders are dumb. If we all would just work together the world wouldn’t be so bad for the less fortunate. You know I heard that Los Pegasus is having a drought because the weather funding was cut by somepony pony called Blueblood.” He said as he shook his head. “Why would anypony do that?”
Shining narrowed his eyes as they walked. “Prince Blueblood is a spoiled rotten pony who doesn’t deserve that title. The only reason he has it is because he is an honorary member of the royal family and he likes to remind those who are under him that he is a prince. In a way I am glad I married a princess, although I would have married Candance if she just made bread for a living. I get the opportunity to shape and entire kingdom. I will be able to help those in need because I will have the power to do that. That is why I became a guard, to help the less fortunate.” He said with a grin.
Flare nodded. “You sir, you are the true noble.” He said with a grin.
Shining turned them down an alley way. “Thanks that is nice of you to say. You know, you aren’t bad for a reg---” He didn’t get to finish his sentence before a shadow reached out and grabbed him.
“Ohh Shining.” It said as it tugged him into the shadows. “We have some unfinished business!” A head started to form, it was King Sombra.
Without hesitation Flare kicked the head and started to pull Shining away from the shadows and into the light. Black crystals formed around his front right leg where he was grabbed. “Tell your princesses I am back and this time I will not stop until all of Equestria is mine!” King Sombra yelled as his shadow faded.
Shining Armor winced in pain as he was pulled along slowly by Flare. Flare got him to the streets where a couple of guards were. “Help! I need help!” He yelled towards them. The two guards ran up to Shining and Flare. Shining had lost consciousness and the two guards were frantic.
“What happened?!” One of them asked.
“King Sombra! He is back! We need to get to the princesses!” Flare said seriously. He lifted Shining onto his back with much strain and started to walk slowly to the castle.
The other guard had flown off to get more help while the other stayed to help Flare carry his captain. Together the two made it half way back to the castle before two unicorn guards came with a magically floated gurney. Flare and the guard helping him loaded Shining onto the gurney and they are started to gallop towards the castle.
Once they arrived Princess Celestia greeted them at the entrance. “What happened?” She asked the guard. The guard gestured towards Flare. “This civilian can give you a full description of what happened your highness.”
Celestia turned to Flare. “What did you see? What happened to Shining Armor?” She asked with a concerned tone.
Flare took a deep breath and said, “King Sombra has returned. He grabbed Shining Armor by his leg and tried to kill him. I managed to get his leg free and drag him away. King Sombra wanted me to tell you… that he is back and he will not stop until all of Equestria is his.” He said with a frown.
Celestia glared at Shining Armor for a second before saying. “I want every guard at their post! Have some of the guards look for Princess Luna immediately!”
Flare held up a hoof. “They were last seen in the kitchen!” He yelled as the guards left to fulfill their orders.
Celestia turned to Flare. “I need to know everything you was exactly. How did King Sombra approach you?”
Flare looked up at the princess with a worried look. “He was a shadow. Then his head formed within it. I kicked him as hard as I could.” He said as he looked to the guards who were now carrying Shining Armor to the medical ward.
Celestia turned to another guard who came up for orders. “Put all of Canterlot on lockdown. Nopony should be on the streets, all events are canceled, get me a quill and parchment. We are going to need to call on the Element of Harmony for help.” She turned back to Flare. “You, citizen. Your princess requires your assistance. How fast can you get to the Crystal Kingdom with a message?”
Flare gave her a salute. “Your highness, messages are my specialty.” He said confidently.
“Good, because no trains are going anywhere until we find Sombra.” She wrote a message down on some parchment and rolled it up into a scroll. “Take this to Princess Candance in the Crystal Kingdom. She needs to know to put a protective barrier around her kingdom until this situation is contained.”
Flare nodded and took the message in his mouth. He gave another salute before taking off as fast as he could. “I am going to be so late home. I hope Air doesn’t tear me a new plothole.” He thought as he flew north.