//------------------------------// // Chapter 4: A Recruit in the Boot Camp // Story: Hand in Hoof // by AdamThePony //------------------------------// Chapter 4: A Recruit in the Boot Camp Man, time can fly rather quickly, can't it? I guess the anticipation of seeing the Canterlot Military Academy made butterflies in my stomach. Robin and I have spent a lot of time together since my escapade with the bear. Did he call Luna to help, or did Luna see me during my running away and come down to scare it off? Maybe when I see her later, we can talk about it. I'm on my back now. The clouds are rolling past as Robin and I imagine what they might look like. One of them looks like a pirate ship! I've always kind of wanted to be a pirate. “You know,” Robin starts, pointing at the cloud I'm looking at, “There are some ponies up in Cloudsdale that get paid to sculpt clouds. Maybe I could get a job doing that some day.” I chuckle as he sighs and lies on his back again. “What about you, Lance? What are you wanting to do when you grow up?” I smiled as I pointed to a cloud that looked like one of the ponies of the royal guard. “I'm gonna become a brave knight, just like my uncle,” I say heartily, showing my flying friend the pole I was given. “Really?” Robin chirps back. “Who's your uncle?” I stand up, using the pole to help me stand as I put on the most knightly expression I can make. “Only the Captain of the Guard, Shining Armor!” And yet again, Robin makes one of his trademark faces of surprise as he falls over. “You're kidding, right? That can't be true!” “It is, Robin. I was adopted into the family when I was just a foal.” I replied bluntly, lying back on my back. “How do you know that?” Robin questions again. Hah. Look who's kidding around now. “Do you really have to ask that kind of question? Have you even looked at me?” The both of us share a good laugh together. “I guess you've got a point. Although, it makes me wonder. If you're not a pony, then just what are you?” That question again... How can it always find its way back to me? I sigh, leaning on top of my pole. “That's the big mystery of my life, right now,” I start, my eyes focused on that knightly cloud. “As far as Luna's told me, I'm the only one of my kind in this whole entire world. Right now, the only thing I am is me, and nopony is going to call me anything besides my name.” A fire burns in my heart as I raise my staff high to the air, as if I were trying to pull the sun out of the sky. “That name is Lance Petal. Remember that name, Robin, because one day, that will be the name that echoes in the minds and hearts of everypony I pass.” I hold the pole out to Robin as if it were a sword, the end touching his neck “I'm going to become a knight under the flag of Equestria one day, and with the princesses as my witnesses, I'll spread friendship and harmony all over the world!” Robin snickers, then laughs at me. “Boy, your mind's really set on this, isn't it? Have you thought about having a squire?” “A what?” “A squire! You know, a sidekick! Every knight has at least somepony watching their back. Its almost like a rule of all these stories.” “And you'd want to be my squire, I'm guessing.” Robin puts a hoof to his chin as I lay back down. “I don't know. I don't really like to fight. I'm more about sculpting clouds and all that junk.” I chuckle as I keep looking at the clouds. “So what, you'd want to make a statue of me or something?” We both share another laughing fit. “Hah, maybe once you get famous, I will!” I smile as I turn to look him in the eye. “You swear on that, Robin?” I ask. “I swear, Lance.” “Pinkie swear?” Robin smiles as he sits up, the both of us chanting the swear as we do the moves together. “Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!” Gah! Dang it, I've gone and poked my eye out. I hold my hand over my eye as Robin looks concerned. “You alright, kid?” “Just peachy.” Robin decides to giggle this time around and picks me up. “Come on. Let's blow this lovefest and make some s'mores. You feel up for it?” I smile and rest one of my hands on his neck. “Anytime.” *** My stay at the camp has ended almost as quickly as it came. Robin and I exchange our addresses before we split up. Part of me wonders if I might see him again, but as I take just one last look at his smiling face, I can tell that we're definitely going to see each other some time. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but someday, we'll cross paths. I just hope he remembers me by that time… Aunt Luna told me to wait by the Ponyville fountain for her. I don't quite understand why, but I guess it's because it'd be the easiest place for her to look.I can only assume she told Uncle Shiny I'd be late today. At least, I hope so. I wouldn't want Uncle to get mad at me for not being on the train when he thought I would be. I'm still getting those same looks. Those looks of curiosity. Those kinds of looks that make you wonder if you said or done something wrong. You know, that look that makes you really anxious. I wonder what they'll think when Luna picks me up… As if she was waiting for me to think that, Aunt Luna's shadow washes over me as she gently glides down to me. I can almost feel how tense everypony becomes, even as she smiles to wrap her neck around mine to hug me. “I apologize for the wait. Are these ponies bothering you?” she asks. I press my pointer fingers against each other and shake my head. “No, ma'am. They're just giving me these funny looks.” Luna chuckles as she helps me onto her back. “Pay them no heed, dear Lance. You are unique, and they simply don't know what to make of you.” Part of me tries to find something to say, but I can't really think of much. “Understand that I cannot show you the whole of the academy,” Luna reminds me. “You are too young for such a thing. I can show you the main training grounds, however.” “I understand, Luna. I just need to know what I should expect when I go in a few years,” I reply, hanging on for the ride. “I hope good things of you, Lance; Shining Armor tells me you are becoming quite a capable spearman. To think something of your dexterity will serve under the royal banner is something to be excited for.” “I know... I just hope I'm good enough for them...” “If you are, you will know, Lance. Knowledge is an unending journey; the destination but a formality of it. You'll never truly be done from being a warrior, or a troubadour, or a magus. It is something you will remember in your mind, your body, and your heart.” “I understand, Luna. I'll do my best,” I reply, patting Luna's back with a smile. “I should expect nothing less, nephew. Just don't overstep your limits. I would rather not have to stave off another bear.” The both of us laugh as we begin to fly near a big, white building. Right outside, I can see ponies in golden armor doing formations with spears in their forehooves. As Luna drops down, they all stand stiff as boards, their spears hanging beneath them. One stallion stood stiff as a rock as he barked his orders. “Look alive, everypony! Her Royal Majesty approaches!” The guard removes his helmet and bows. “Greetings, Princess Luna. To what do I owe your gracing this facility?” Luna bows as I slide off from her back. “It is of little consequence, Major Steady Line,” she hums as she wraps a wing across my shoulders. “I am here because I wish to show my nephew Lance the facility.” The earth pony known as Steady Line gives me a rather mean glance. “With all due respect, Your Royal Highness, he seems a bit queer to be your nephew.” Luna frowns and stares him down. “He is of a kin all his own. He is perhaps the sole member of his kind, and as such, he should be able to know how to defend himself and his country, at least for long enough that he may find another of his own.” The guard pony seems a bit scared by Luna's words, and to be honest, so was I. “I apologize. I was not aware he was under the royal banners,” he stammers, his spear standing upright. “You would be wise to educate yourself on current events more often, Steady Line,” Luna chuckled before releasing me. “Should you have the chance, please see to it that Lance is given a concise tour of the facility. He will be joining your ranks many moons from now.” Steady Line puts a hoof to his head. “It will be done, my Princess.” Once she says this, Aunt Luna makes for the castle itself, leaving me in the Major's care. I do that thing he did with his hoof as best I can, and he smiles. “Sorry for the trouble. We usually don't see colts around here.” He looks toward his group. “At ease, ponies.” At his command, the other guards raise their spears and sigh. “C'mon, kid; I'll give you the tour.” On his orders, I follow the armored pony. Though I hadn't initially noticed, there was a red stamp on his chest. I can make out a symbol kinda like the royal emblem on it. Hanging from it are two small sheets of paper, with words I can't exactly make out. As it so often does, my curiosity gets the better of me, and I find myself asking him what it is. “Sir Steady Line...” I squeak, before clearing my throat. “What is that on your armor?” As if I had said something very naughty, the Major pony stops dead in his tracks. For a moment, I can hear the whistle of the wind as it blows through the stones that made up the walls of the place. He turns to me, wearing a frown at first, but his tough act almost seems to chip away a little as his eyes and mine meet. He has an almost freezing stare with his blue eyes, but as I see his pupils get bigger, I feel much warmer. He takes off his helmet for a moment to brush a hoof through his hot mane before putting it back on, pointing to this stamp. “This,” he begins, his voice a little dry, “is a seal of purity. My commanding officer gave it to me ages ago. Each of these seals is given to a Guard, blessed by either Her Royal Majesties, the princesses, when we are asked to complete a special task for them, or if we are to survive something we might not come back from. If we return from it successful, the blessing has held true, and we are given the right to bear it as a sign of our purity and devotion to our brethren and our rulers.” He then leaned in to whisper to me. “It also keeps the boogie ponies away. Kinda like a night light. Minus the light.” I feel a strange sense of wonder as I look at that red seal. Steady notices this and ruffles up my hair. “Maybe someday, you'll earn one too,” he says with a smile as he gets back to his walk. The first thing I see in one of the rooms as we enter into the next hallway is a bunch of ponies wrestling each other, jabbing at each other with their hooves. “Everypony in this service must learn some form of hoof-to-hoof fighting. You might find yourself in a time or place where you don't have or can't use your weapon, so you may need to go in close and get your hooves dirty.” For a moment, I see one of the ponies tackle the other into the ground, kicking up dust in the sandlot they chose to practice in. “Or in your case, your hands.” We move swiftly onward to a nearby room where many more ponies were fighting with poles, including pegasi and unicorns! “If your name is anything to go by, Lance, I suppose you're the type who likes his polearms,” Steady snickers. “As you can see, you're not alone on this; In fact, in recent years, we've come to create a new type of weapon called a shootstick. In many ways, it's like a spear, but it also has the ability to fire a small charge so that you can hit bad guys from further away.” He waves me to come inside and look, and quite a few ponies are in the room. Out of all of them, one sticks out like a sore thumb. It's a kinda-faded pink Pegasus with a matching set of pink eyes and a striking purple mane. She's wearing a suit of armor that looks quite different from the golden plate armor I've been seeing. Instead, hers looks like it's made of leather with a steel trim. I can make out a symbol like that of wheat. Or is an ear of corn? I can't really tell. Whoever this mare was, she flew with a lot of skill and grace, when with a pole in her mouth. A moment later, the Pegasus notices me and Steady and swoops down. “Sir?” She sighs, her voice calm and cold. “What brings you here?” Suddenly, I feel a hoof pat my back. “We've got an up-and-comer touring the facility for the afternoon, Firefly,” Steady grunts gleefully. “His name's Lance. He'll be joining the corps in a few years. He's apparently quite the spearman. Think you can show him a few tricks?” Firefly's eyes drift to me, and they give me this really edgy look. They drill into me deeply. It’s a gaze that seems to ooze confidence and power. She looks tough. I bet she could kill me, if she wanted to! The pink pegasus shrugs, and I see a small smirk come up. “I've got a few minutes; Let's see what this rookie's got.” Almost out of instinct, I pull out my extending pole, turning it from a little rod to a powerful pole in but a mere flick of my wrist. Firefly simply cocks an eyebrow and has me follow her to a less crowded part of the room, where there's a simple sandpit. She picks up the pole she dropped earlier, carrying it in her teeth as she drops into a low stance. I try to copy her form as best I can, but settle for crouching. Almost like a wolf, she lunges at me, taking the pole in her hooves and swinging upward. I barely have enough time to block before she sends me skidding backward. She moved with calculated grace as I try to counter her attacks. It's like she can read my moves! She's too quick to hit! But then, a stroke of inspiration comes to me. Wait! If I can't get to her, I'll let her get to me! I closed my eyes, instead relying on my hearing. I can hear the sounds of wings unfurling and beating, becoming more & more climactic with each stroke. The winds whip around me as I remember what Uncle Shiny taught me. I let my hearing take over for my sight, trying to get a feel for where Firefly's going to come next. Another flap comes nearby, and I try and get a fix on where it comes from, before jamming my pole behind me, hearing the puff of metal against muscle. I can hear Firefly grunt as she lands on the ground. I wait a minute before taking my blindfold off, smiling. “How...” she choked, coughing for a moment. “How did you do that?” I smile as I help her up, putting my pole back in my pack. “It was a trick Uncle Shiny taught me a few years ago,” I reply curtly. “Uncle Shiny?” Steady Line asks, more than a little surprised. “You mean Shining Armor, the Captain of the Royal Guard?” For a moment, I stretch before answering him. “Yes, I do,” I chuckle. “Luna put me under his care when I was a foal, and he taught me all of his tricks!” Naturally, much like Robin was, Steady Line is amazed to hear that Uncle Shiny trained me, and then proceeds to pat me on the back. “So young, and already showing some impressive skills!” he heartily shouts. “Son, you've got the makings of a great guard, and you're just a boy. Keep it up, and once you step back in these doors, you'll graduate in no time!” Part of me just can't help but let out the goofiest little grin my lips can muster as I find myself being led into what I can only guess is the mess hall as I see tons of ponies in plate mail eating. Thankfully, they seem to not really be all that interested as they continue eating. “I guess you're not one for hay and oats, are you?” the Major asks as he grabs a tray of apples and invites me to the empty table. “Well, I like oatmeal, if that's what you're asking me.” The Major gives me an apple, which I cut into slices. Naturally, I'm given an odd look. “Not going to eat the thing whole?” he asks as I nibble on a slice. “I was raised otherwise, sir.” The armored pony laughs as he slams his hoof gleefully down on the table as I keep calm and eat on. “I like the cut of your jib, kid,” he barks. “You're a real proper kind of boy, showing respect to your elders and your superiors alike. Just what I'd expect by a member of the royal family.” I just smirk and chuckle. “Thank you, sir; It's an honor to hear that. My uncle always held a special place in his heart for you all.” “Why am I not surprised,” Steady Line chuckles as he eats his own apple. “The boy was a military prodigy. Real good with defensive magic. He once put a big shield around Canterlot to keep the changelings at bay so that he could have his wedding.” “Changelings, sir?” “Oh, yes. Real gnarly folk. Imagine a pony crossed with a beetle and shot full of holes, and you've got a basic idea of what they look like. Little buggers feed on the love of others. Pray you don't ever meet one, boy; They can take the form of anypony they want, and they'll usually turn into the pony you trust most. Of course, not all of them are evil. I keep hearing about this one group that appealed to Celestia herself to prove otherwise. I don't know where they are now, but pray that if you ever do cross paths with a changeling, that it happens to be one of theirs.” I nod, nibbling another wedge of apple. “So how long have you been learning how to use a staff?” Steady asks as he takes another crunch into his apple. I think for a moment, trying to remember from as early as I can when I started my training. “I think since I was about five.” The major then seems to choke on his chunk of apple, but quickly manages to cough it up quickly. “You mean to tell me Shining Armor had you using a staff when you were just a foal?!” I laugh for a moment before telling him, “That's nothing. He also had me standing naked in the snow at that age, too!” Oh my goodness, you should see the look on his face right now! He's got a thousand-meter stare going on and everything. “That's... that's insane... that's usually punishment here.” Well, it wasn't exactly punishment for me. I take the chance for silence as soon as I can, preferring to eat the rest of my apple quietly. I've always enjoyed apple wedges. How juicy they are, how many different kinds grow... I hear there's a pony around Ponyville who farms these. Maybe when I come back here, I'll go and see her. My thoughts soon change as I notice the sun has almost said its goodbyes to me. Oh good gracious! I shoot up from my bench and say as calmly and as quickly as I can, “Sir Steady Line, I need to leave now; The sun's almost down.” The major manages to snap out of his coma long enough to understand me, and comes to his senses. “R-Right!” he snaps, leading me out from the mess hall to the outdoors again, as my eyes are greeted by an expanse of stars, the last fading bits of sunlight going down into the horizon as the moon grows. Luna is standing patiently outside, a smile creeping along her face as she sees me. “Ah, Lance,” she hums as she cradles me in her wing. “I trust your visit was enjoyable?” I bow my head and smile back. “Yes, Auntie Luna!” I chirp, showing her a wedge of apple I still had, which she gingerly ate. “I am glad to hear you enjoyed yourself,” she says, lifting me onto her back. “Come; I shall ferry you to the station so that you may return home.” I nod and take hold of auntie's back as I feel the both of us lift off of the ground before taking flight. As I watch the academy disappear into the distance, a single thought runs through my head. What has Uncle Shiny gotten me into?