//------------------------------//
// Chapter 04: The Vision of Your Happiness 
// Story: The Equestrian Survival Guide 
// by Gherkin 
//------------------------------//


CHAPTER FOUR: THE VISION OF YOUR HAPPINESS


Almost every morning, Flash Sentry would wake up early, and motivate himself by galloping laps around the Crystal Palace. He, like many soldiers, was an early riser, and the exercise helped to wake himself up properly, as well as keep him in shape. Any soldier worth his salt keeps himself motivated, and physically able, he always told himself. This morning was no exception. At the crack of dawn, the bright orange pegasus pulled himself out of bed and went about his regular routine. A quick breakfast, glass of water, brush his teeth, then, finally, straight outside to get his legs moving. He quickly found that today, however, he was not alone in his morning exercises.

The sound of clopping hooves against the ground behind him met his ears about ten minutes into his run. Someone else up this early today? Flash didn't look back, not wanting to break the comfortable stride he had settled into, but he soon realised that he didn't need to. The sound got louder and louder, until whoever was with him was mere inches behind.

"On your left," came the voice of Shining Armor, as he galloped past the pegasus, effortlessly moving much faster than him. Flash felt a pang of jealously run through him, but he quickly pushed it back and continued onward. The prince disappeared again, having circled around the palace. Flash pushed forward, still pacing himself.

The clopping sound returned again, and he frowned. Oh, great.

"On your left!"

Shining Armor dashed past him once again. Boy, he's having fun doing this, isn't he? Nevertheless, he kept going, trying his best to ignore the stallion's teasing. If there was one thing Prince Shining Armor was known for, it was that he was a very lighthearted pony, unlike previous captains of the guard, or other members of royalty. Even if it was annoying to be the butt of his jokes sometimes. As he expected, the sound of the prince's hooves beating against the ground returned once again. Flash grit his teeth and scowled.

"Don't say it..." he muttered to himself, trying to gallop faster. "Don't you dare say it."

"On your left!" The burly white unicorn barreled past once again, barely suppressing a snicker as he noticed the private's irritated expression.

Oh, that's it, Flash thought, spreading his wings and leaping forward. Taking to the air gave him a burst of momentum, allowing him to catch up easily to Shining Armor. After a few seconds, the roles had been reversed. The prince glanced behind him and, after a brief expression of surprise, chuckled. 

"Nice moves, Private Sentry. Almost didn't think you'd try to do that."

Flash smirked. "Wasn't it you that said, 'a good soldier always makes use of everything that is available to him'?"

Shining chuckled once again. "Yeah, it was, but I pulled it out of some history book I read back in school." He slowed his gallop to a trot, then stopped, catching his breath. Flash did the same, touching down gently and folding his wings in once again. "I only dream of coming up with my own inspirational quotes," he joked.

"It's still an inspirational quote," the pegasus pointed out, smirking. "Even if it's not an original inspirational quote." They both snickered, and caught their breath. After a moment, Flash looked up at him and spoke up, "I haven't seen you running out here before. I'm out here every morning."

Shining Armor groaned. "I've been really slack ever since we re-discovered the Crystal Empire, truth be told. Weighed down by politics and paperwork." He paused and looked out away from the palace, at the empire surrounding it. Crystal ponies were just beginning to wake up and start their days, and a few could be seen leaving their homes. "Sometimes I miss just being captain of the guard, or, heck, just a guard in general." He looked back at Flash. "You know, becoming a royal guard is how I met Princess Cadance."

"No, sir, I didn't know that."

"Don't call me sir," the unicorn insisted, waving his hoof dismissively. "That's one thing I've always hated. Anyway, it was my first posting, matter of fact. 'The new princess needs a personal guard', they said. Well, I guess you could say the rest is history."

The private nodded. "Oh yeah, it was history alright, especially after your wedding." Shining rolled his eyes at the friendly ribbing. "Actually, the changeling invasion is what motivated me to sign up in the first place. I..." He trailed off for a second, but soon continued. "Well, I nearly got killed in the madness. Changelings broke into my house, and took me hostage. The whole thing made me realise I could do something better with myself." 

Shining Armor grimaced. "Yeah, that whole business was a mess. If it wasn't for my sister..." He shook his head. "No, I don't want to think about it. The important thing is, everything turned out okay in the end, right? More importantly, we learned from our mistakes."

"Can't disagree with that." Flash nodded and stretched his wings, sighing with content as he did so. "So, ready to go again?"

The prince chuckled. "Only if you're ready to eat my dust again." 

"You're on."

Both stallions grinned, and set off once again side by side. Though he would not admit it to anypony, Shining Armor slowed himself slightly so as to avoid lapping Private Sentry again. After a few minutes, however, the two of them noticed something in the corner of their eyes.

"Wait a minute," Flash muttered as they approached the entrance to the palace. "Isn't that one of the humans?"

Sure enough, they saw Boone, having somehow bypassed the guards standing watch outside his room, jogging down the steps at the front of the Crystal Palace. He noticed the two of them as they galloped towards him, and seemed to groan in frustration.

"Sir!" Shining Armor called out, as Flash glanced around for any potential witnesses, though there weren't any. "I'm afraid you're not allowed to be out of your room." Boone glared at him, but did not respond. Shining's horn ignited with a glow of his magic. "Be advised, sir, that I'm able to magically restrain you if you do not co-operate."

"Wait a minute, sir," Flash said gently towards the unicorn, earning a glare. "Let's not jump to conclusions here."

Shining paused, and relented. "Yeah, you're right. Just make sure nopony's around, will you?" He turned back to Boone, who stood there impatiently, with a frustrated expression. "Why are you wondering around, especially this early in the morning?"

"I saw you two running out here," he answered simply. "I've been cooped up in that room for the last couple of days, thought I'd stretch my legs. Even snipers need to keep themselves moving sometimes, believe it or not."

"I told you already, sir," Shining insisted. "Your very presence in the Crystal Empire is very delicate. Some ponies, especially in other parts of Equestria, may not react too well to a creature they've never seen before showing up out of nowhere. It could be dangerous for you and your friend." Boone scoffed, but he continued. "The princess and I are currently discussing with the Royal Sisters back in Canterlot. We're trying to find the best way to break the news of your arrival to our citizens."

The sniper scowled at him. "And what about getting me home?" he shot back.

"I... Well, we're looking for a way to get you home, too," Shining stuttered, having been caught off guard. I need to talk to Cadance about all this. I'm in over my head. He groaned and yawned slightly. Sometimes I miss just being a soldier.

Boone raised an eyebrow, but still remained silent. Shining Armor's attention, however, was soon drawn away from him as Flash tapped him worriedly on the shoulder.

"Uh, not to make you panic, or anything, but we may have a bit of a problem."

"What is it?" The unicorn turned around to where he was pointing, and his heart quickly sank. A few curious crystal ponies had noticed what was going on, and had immediately become interested. "Oh, horseapples. Get inside, quickly." 

Flash gulped and glanced up at him. "I think it might be a bit too late for that, sir."

Shocked gasps came from the quickly-forming crowd, and a few even called out to other passers-by to come and look. Damn it, Shining thought to himself, as some ponies started to ask questions. I knew something would go wrong, I just knew it!

"Looks like you won't have to worry about breaking the news anymore, your highness," Boone said, with somewhat of a sarcastic tone. "Maybe now you can focus on getting us home. Surely your magic can do that, right?" With that, he turned and walked up the stairs into the Crystal Palace, leaving the two stallions alone with the confused crowd.

Flash looked towards the unicorn, at a loss for words. "Got any ideas?" he asked. "Looks like the game's up now."

Shining Armor groaned and put a hoof to his face. "Damn it, I got nothing."

"Prince Shining Armor!" one crystal pony called out from the crowd. "Can you tell us who, or what that creature was? And why does it seem to be staying in the Crystal Palace?"

The prince sighed and gritted his teeth, turning to the pegasus beside him. "Private Sentry," he began. "You are going to go inside and make sure our guest returns to his room safely, then I want you to find out how he got out in the first place. Is that clear?"

Flash nodded and gave a salute. "Yes, sir!" He turned and trotted swiftly inside as Shining Armor turned to look at his subjects once again.

Right, now how the heck am I going to handle this?


***


"Well, it's certainly... modest."

The Courier turned to his companion, raising an eyebrow. He and the Lone Wanderer had just arrived at the 188 Trading Post, and the sun was about to set. Just the place where we can stop for the night. "Really? What more could you ask for?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. Guess I'm not used to anything better back in the Capital Wasteland." Turning to look up at him, she gave a smirk. "I just thought you swanky Vegas types were all about style."

"You ain't blind, are ya?" he joked, pointing to the city a few miles away. "Trust me, tomorrow you'll learn all about the style we 'fancy Vegas types' are known for."

Christina chuckled. "Oh, I don't doubt that for a minute. I guess I'm looking forward to it." After a moment, she sighed. "Let's not forget what we're actually trying to do though, huh?"

He nodded, leading her towards the makeshift bar that was the centerpiece of the trading post. "Don't worry, we'll find a way to get that piece of crap working again, trust me." He sat down on one of the stools, and offered for her to do the same. "I haven't heard from Veronica in a while, but I think she's currently with the Followers of the Apocalypse-"

"Followers of what?"

"They're humanitarians, doctors, stuff like that," he quickly explained. "Something about not wanting the Great War to be repeated. Anyway, last I heard she was with them at the Old Mormon Fort in Freeside. If she's not, then Arcade should be, and he might be able to help."

She nodded. "I hope so. All of this crap has gotten me worried sick."

The Courier grimaced, and nodded too. "Yeah, I get you. I mean, Boone's a tough and resourceful guy, but the place where this thing takes you..." He tapped on his satchel, where he kept the Transportalponder. "Hell, might be too crazy, even for him."

"You're not exactly helping, you know."

"Oh, uh, sorry," he replied awkwardly, clearing his throat. He tapped on the bar, calling the bartender over to him. 

"Welcome," the bartender, Michelle, greeted the both of them. "Can I get you two anything?"

"Whiskey," The Courier told her simply.

She nodded and turned to the Lone Wanderer. "Anything for you?"

Christina yawned. "Just a Nuka." Michelle turned to grab their orders, but was stopped as she called out again. "Actually, scratch that. Got any scotch?"

Michelle smiled. "Sure do. I'll grab them for you now. That'll be twenty caps each, then."

The Courier lazily threw his caps onto the bar as the bottle was placed in front of him. He immediately unscrewed the lid and took a sip, sighing as he felt the familiar burning sensation in the back of his throat. He noticed Christina take a swig from her bottle in the corner of his eye, and smirked. "Didn't take you for the boozing type," he quipped. 

She groaned, exhausted from the day's events."I'm usually not. I just have a weak spot for the stuff." She shrugged. "Something passed down from dad, I guess." With a sigh, she took another drink, and the two sat in silence for a few minutes.

She perked up as she heard the sound of the radio behind the bar. Mr. New Vegas had concluded his news segment, and a slow, melodic song had started to play. She gasped, and asked Michelle to turn it up so she could listen.

"What, you recognise this one?" The Courier wondered. "New Vegas Radio got their hands on a bunch of holotapes and vinyls recently; they've been expanding their playlist."

She grinned wistfully. "Oh, I haven't heard this in a long time." She sighed in content, and elaborated. "Dad used to have this one on holotape, back in Vault 101. He'd play it sometimes. One night..." She trailed off, and her smile faded. The Courier noticed tears welling up in her eyes.

"You okay?" he asked gently.

"Yeah," she assured. There was a pause, then she continued. "One night, when I was just a little girl, I woke up in the middle of the night and found my dad slumped on the couch." She motioned to her bottle of scotch. "He had a bottle of this in his hands, and he was listening to this while crying his eyes out over mom."

"What happened to your mom?"

"She died having me," Christina answered quietly. "Anyway, I slept in my father's arms on the couch that night. We both dozed off, listening to this together."

He smiled slightly, before taking his hat off and wiping off the dirt and dust. "Sounds like he loved you a lot."

"Yeah," she agreed, as the song came to a close. "Don't know why I shared that. Shit, I barely know you."

He chuckled. "Guess we're united by a common purpose, or something." He took another swig of his whiskey.

"Amen to that." She raised her bottle towards him, wobbling on her stool slightly. "How about a toast? To friends."

He grabbed his whiskey and raised it towards her. "Heh, hell yeah. To friends."


***


Princess Cadance groaned, gazing out of her window at her empire below. "Shiny, this is bad. What did you say to them?"

Shining Armor sighed in frustration. "I told them the truth. That a squad of guards found them out in the tundras. There was no point in lying to them. The real question is how did he managed to slip past the guards standing outside his room? They better not have been slacking off, or so help me..."

His wife turned towards him, and embraced him softly. "Calm down, dear. We'll find a way to sort this out." She put a hoof under his chin and lifted it up so he could look her in the eye. "We always do, don't we?"

He looked at her, and smiled slightly. "Yeah, I suppose so." He gave her a peck on the lips and pulled away. "We'd better get a letter out to the princesses in Canterlot. The cat's been let out of the bag now, so they need to know about it."

"How do you think everypony else will take it?" she wondered, glancing over at him as he looked around for a scroll of parchment and a quill.

He used his magic to levitate a pot of ink onto his desk. "Well, the crystal ponies outside haven't been trying to knock down the doors of the palace, so, hopefully, it should go smoothly."

"Hopefully. But you have to remember that the Crystal Empire was gone for over a millennium, Shiny. The crystal ponies didn't know about any of the other things that have happened in that time."

"Yeah, you have a point," he murmured, pulling some parchment out of a desk drawer. "Still, all we can really do at this point is hope, can't we? Not like we can predict what everypony will say."

She trotted up next to him. "Well, if we set the right example, by welcoming them with open hooves, I imagine the citizens of both the empire and of Equestria will do the same." She smiled down at him. "I know your sister and her friends will."

He chuckled and smiled. "Yeah, you're right. Even if nopony else does, they will." His horn lit up, and he used his magic to dip his quill in the ink before putting it down on the parchment. With a tired yawn, he began to write.

Dear Princess Celestia...