//------------------------------// // It's a Fine Day // Story: Requiem For A Soldier // by Shieldheart204 //------------------------------// When Twilight Sparkle woke up the next day feeling rather relieved. It was a shame that the reason she woke up was because of some very weird and loud noises coming from outside. She headed downstairs and was surprised to see that although her guest was gone, his weapons were still present. She imagined that he would have left by now. His red coat was neatly folded next to his clothes. She heard once again what she could deduce were gunshots coming from outside. With severe caution she opened the door leading outside. There was nothing unusual, so she decided to check the backyard. What she saw could only be described as pure insanity. Shield Heart was wearing an ultramarine blue great coat with golden shoulder pads. This was, as she had remembered reading, the signature look of any Commisioner. But that was not the insane part. Although it was pretty hot out and that coat looked pretty fuzzy. No, it wasn't the clothing, it was that he seemed to be practicing his marksmanship skills, his small pistol was drawn and there were several bottles and cans scattered near him. "What are you doing?" She asked. Shield merely looked at her and smiled. "Good morning to you too! Y'know I thought that it was common courtesy to wish the person you meet a good morning before inquiring in their activities." He said as he grabbed an empty can of beans and tossed it into the air. As the can flew in the air Shield began discharging the weapon, the crimson bolts juggling the aluminum container. "I can live without the sarcasm." She replied coldly. "Yeesh! No need to get upset, just trying to lighten your mood." He said as he lowered his gun. The can fell to the floor, now bent to a ball. "I am practicing my marksmanship skills. With this leg I might want to improve my aim or I will be at the mercy of a broken knee." "I thought you said your brace would fix that." She refuted. "But it may not arrive today, or tomorrow, or ever! I need to avoid relying on variables, otherwise I might just get myself into too much trouble for me to handle." "What's with the coat?" "Great coat. It's clearly a great coat. Regular coats don't cover thighs, great coats do." He said irritated as he turned around. For some reason he looked worse than last night, with bags forming under his eyes. Probably due to lack of sleep. "I wanted to wash my other coat, and I cannot go outside in pajamas, it is often considered incorrect. Specially for someone of my job." "Did you sleep well?" She asked. He merely stared at her before answering. "Yeah, that couch was more comfy than I expected." She couldnt tell wether that was sarcasm or not. He then grabbed another can and began shooting it. She had to admit that his marksmanship skills were excellent. With every bolt the can was propelled even higher into the air until she could barely see it. Suddenly, she heard a hissing sound as the pistol barrel retracted, exposing the mana core. The light blue crystal out-shined the opaque gunmetal. With a curse, the Commissioner dropped his gun. "I guess that's enough training with you." He said as he holstered his gun inside his coat. "C'mon, I'll make breakfast." He darted off to the inside. Twilight was beginning to sense a pattern, whenever he wanted to avoid discussion Shield would point himself in the direction of food. She decided to follow it, for now. Maybe later she could find a way to corner him. As she entered her home, a strange smell filled her air. Worried that there might be spoiled food, she dashed toward the kitchen. She stopped the moment she saw her kitchen. Unlike last night, where he made no mess with just a bowl of cereal, he had really outdone himself today. The cooking area looked as though it had been ravaged by a tornado. There were pots and pans scattered all over, with stains of grease splashed over the counter. "What are you doing?" She asked. She realized that once more her questions opened her to sarcastic remarks. "You know, you're not living up to my expectations. Most people would be able to deduce based on the time of day, the smell of bacon, and the sound of my rumbling stomach that I am preparing breakfast." Snorted Shield as he used tongs to flip several strips of bacon. She ignored himand proceeded with her questions. "Where did you get bacon from?" "From the market. I went there this morning during my morning power walk. I noticed your pantry lacked protein, so I took on the task of restocking it. Proteins are crucial to one's diet you know, they help develop muscles and fend off diseases." He said. "But meat tends to contain fat and cholesterol, which is very hazardous to your heart." She said with disgust. "Only if you eat a kilo a day. There is a reason why we a omnivores, so that we may benefit from all living creatures! And with that lack of meat I deduce that you are a proud vegan." He turned his eyes toward her and scanned the woman in lilac pajamas. "Then again, you really don't need muscles so being vegan is viable." "Are you implying that I'm weak?" She asked offended. "I was gonna say you are more of the intellectual type, but that works." He responded as he grabbed a strip of bacon and chewed on it. Had it not been for the meat Twilight would have eaten those eggs without second thought, because they smelled really good and her stomach was emptier than a barrel of cider. "You want some of these? They're not covered in meat grease so you can eat them without worrying about your cholesterol levels. C'mon, you'll need to eat something or you won't be able to think properly. And who knows when you will be forced to make impossible decisions." He said as set the table. Twilight was startled by the sudden pop of her toaster. "It seems you don't have a clear conscience." Retorted the soldier once again. He grabbed the toast and prepared himself a tasty looking egg sandwich with bacon. He put another pair of slices on the toaster. "Don't worry, it's just toast, it won't bite." Twilight was starting to get irritated. "I know, I was just startled. You never did mention toast." "Sorry 'bout that, but I tend to forget stuff when I'm in deep thinking." He answered as he stared out the window. "So what are you thinking about?" She asked tentatively. "The future." "That's a deep thought." "And dark. Are you familiar by any chance with the name Loki?" "I think he was regarded as the God of Mischief in Concordian myths. Why?" "What about Sheogorath?" He asked as he stared into the sun. Twilight was surprised. She had only heard that name once, as a reference in some obscure text, but she couldn't remember where. "I don't." He clicked his mouth and the toast popped once more. "Just wondering, I had a weird dream and heard those names. Thought the had some sort of connection. But enough of that. We are ready to eat!" He exclaimed as he used psychokinesis to prepare a bacon-free egg sandwich. He set the table and sat down. "Don't worry, I haven't poisoned our meal." Twilight began having doubts, most people would never imagine of poison, so why would he even mention it? Was it some sort of cruel joke? Or was he using some sort of reverse psychology? She dismissed the idea and joined him. She took the first bite and couldn't help herself, it was delicious! But something want right, Shield wasn't eating and he was smiling. The eggs were sweet and salty, and her glass of milk had a vanilla taste. But something was off, there was a weird taste she couldn't pinpoint. She realized as she finished her breakfast with a burp, it was the unmistakable taste of grease. "I think I may have spilled some bacon over them, but there's no problem, right? I mean, it's not like you have an allergy. You don't have an allergy do you?" He said as he continued eating, his face containing a grin. Twilight stormed off, leaving her plate right where she ate. "C'mon! It was a joke! You can't take a simple prank like a couple of drops of bacon fat?" He shouted before surrendering. He wondered if he had gone too far, but he didn't think so. His fellow commissioners had endured worst pranks, surely she would have similar tolerance parameters. He cleaned up the kitchen and changed his pajamas. He decided to keep the uniform, just in case there was a surprise inspection. He wanted to look good. As he finished he looked at his watch, which marked half past eleven. This meant that he was about to receive his new house and so he should hurry. He strapped his tools and grabbed all of his stuff. Before leaving the treehouse he thought of his joke. He might have probably overdone it. But he didn't think so. Who didn't like bacon? Only freaks, that's who. He travelled through the town, making sure to see every single detail. The buildings, the shops, stalls, even bushes. He needed to memorize every last detail, crevice and anything that he could classify as a vantage point if he was going to be stationed here. He was displeased with the fact that there was no security anywhere, just a lot of people enjoying life. He wondered about their problems, how they could be so happy without an officer watching out for them. He was reminded of the small time markets of Prance, where people were able to walk around without worries. He remembered the laughs, the chatter, the love in the air, a pair of giant lilac eyes. The scenes began flashing in his mind, taking most of his breath away. Then the scenes of happiness were corrupted with fire, death and violence. Laughs were replaced by screams, chatter was substituted with war cries and the thundering of guns. And those eyes were filled with tears. When he finally recovered from his daydream he found himself on the ground surrounded by all sorts of people. He only recognized two, a girl with red hair and a blond woman. "Are y'all right mister?" Asked the blond woman he had managed to see in his welcome party yesterday, but he didn't have a name. "Yeah, I'm perfectly fine. Thanks miss..." He responded. "Applejack's the name. Ya sure 'bout that? You fell down for no reason." "It was just an anxiety attack, nothing to worry about." He stood up and continued his previous trajectory. Applejack followed him. "Ya sure? I don't know nuthin' 'bout anxiety attacks, but you should see a doctor. How 'bout I take you there?" "I appreciate the offer, but no thanks, I got stuff to do. Goodbye!" He said as he picked up his cane and continued walking. Ten minutes later he had made it to his new home. And to his luck, mister Filthy Rich was standing on the front porch. "Good morning sir! I believe you are here to get the deeds, am I correct?" Asked the man in an English suit. "That's right, I want to start remodeling as soon as possible." "Here is the deed, and the funds have been transferred. I hope you enjoy your new home." Said Filthy as he handed over a roll of parchment. "You still use these? Awesome!" Responded the soldier as he unrolled the deed and signed the other documents. "Goodbye sir and may we endeavor in business again." Said Mr. Rich as he shook hands, handed over the key to the house and left. Shield took out his pocket watch and noticed that it was barely fifteen minutes past noon. If his calculations were right, Gun Nut was supposed to arrive in ten minutes. So he took his time to check the interiors. He pulled out Maria and entered, you could never be too careful. He wished he had a knife to use in his left hand, but he had to make do with a light spell. The foyer was simple, with only a nightstand and a mirror. The walls had lost most of their paint, and all of the furniture showed its age. "We're gonna need a serious makeover." He said to himself. He proceeded to the kitchen and found a flight of stairs going down. Intrigued, proceeded downstairs. The basement was bare, looking a lot like the inside of a box. "Perfect for my shooting gallery." He started imagining how it would look like once he had brought all of his equipment, and he liked the results. He then heard a knock on the front door. He instinctively withdrew Maria and returned to the kitchen. He looked at the drawers and found a knife, which he grabbed with his left hand. He slid over the counter and took cover behind a wall looking at the door. There was another knock. "Is there anyone home?" Said a sweet voice. His mind raced to figure out who the voice belonged to. He knew he heard it yesterday, but he couldn't pin it down with his mind still addled. He opened the door with Telekinesis and waited for the person to come in. He flicked off the switch and set the weapon on level 2. As soon as the person stepped in he turned to face him. Or her, as the case was. His brain recognized her as Rarity, the kind dressmaker now looking paler than usual. And next to her was an equally startled Sweetie Bell. He hosted his gun and threw the knife to the kitchen counter. It buried itself neatly into the wood. "So sorry you had to see that!" He exclaimed as he tried to do something to cheer them up. "Anyways, if you want to come in, you can do so, but I need to head over to the train station. I am expecting a friend. Toodles!" And he left them. It took him ten minutes to power walk over to the station. And just in time too, because there was a pearl train pulling over. As the doors opened a man in his mid twenties stepped out. He was wearing a black t shirt with the captions: Have Nice Day! The youth had dark grey hair, the afore mentioned shirt and jeans. "Gun Nut! How's it going!" "Shield! How are you my friend?" He said with his regular accent. "Very good Gun, and even more happy now that you are here. You did bring everything I told you, right?" "Yes, but there was slight problem. You see, there was a large price attached to bringing you things." "Don't worry about money, I'll pay you in full." "It's not money, it's..." He stopped and nodded behind him. And so Shield realized. Coming from the car was a tall, well built man donning a white Guard Uniform adorned with medals. His short grey beard matched his hair, and the golden linings in his uniform marked him as top ranking. Shield tensed himself and saluted. "Commander Iron Hide, Sir!" "At ease." Responded the elder. Shield relaxed. "What merits your presence, Sir!?" "It's just a routine checkup, making sure you're adapting to the town. The usual bureaucratic nonsense." "Very well, in that case I ask permission to proceed with the offloading of my cargo." With a salute the Commander allowed it. Shield went off the platform to the last car, which was a cargo car. Opening the side doors showed Shield a room full of aluminum cases, wrapped furniture, several wooden chests and two cargo ATVs. "Hearts Warming Eve has come early!" He shouted with a grin as he dashed to a special red vehicle with flame decals.