//------------------------------//
// Prompt #352-Refreshing the Mind 
// Story: Ponywatching 
// by ThunderTempest 
//------------------------------//

It was practically a guilty pleasure for him, these days. A way to unwind from the stresses of duty and diligence, to get his head screwed back on straight.  Being the stallion that he was, he didn’t get chances to do things like it often, but it was a way to escape his responsibilities for a while. And now that he was married, and a co-ruler of the Crystal Empire, he had even fewer chances for it. And so, Shining Armor made a decision, and snuck out of the Crystal Palace in the middle of the night, left a pre-written note where his beloved wife would see it, and ran with all his might towards the train station. Once there, he bought a ticket for the next train to Manehatten.

Once on the train, the soft rocking of the car, and the gentle click-clack of the train as it passed over the tracks soothed Shining’s mind, and he was soon fast asleep once more. The conductor was kind enough to wake the captain of the guard when the train was due to pull into Manehatten as the sun rose over the eastern sea. Upon disembarking, Shining headed straight for the ticket office, and the list of trains leaving that day. There was one about midday, which would take him all the way over to Los Pegasus. Booking the ticket, he then wandered out into Manehatten, to find himself some breakfast, and to waste time before the next train.

Shining Armor looked out of the window as the train rolled over the tracks, watching the scenery pass by, as the noises of the train all but drowned out his thoughts. Out here, in this train, he wasn’t Shining Armor, Captain of the Royal Guard. He wasn’t the Life-Partner of Princess Cadence, or Ruler-In-Partnership of the Crystal Empire. He was simply one of the many ponies who used the rail system every day. Here, he could just sit and watch and listen. In this space, this state of mind, his mind calmed, and he re-centered himself. He could clear his mind and magic like this and get his focus back onto things that mattered.

-time-

It was nearly three days, and several more trains later when Shining Armor finally returned to the Crystal Empire, and his wife, a much more relaxed stallion than when he left. He cantered easily into the Crystal Palace with an easy smile on his face, and greeted his wife.
“I’m back, Cadence.”