//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: Duty Calls // by Blue Tunes //------------------------------// From the Journal of the late Shining Armor, Captain of Princess Celestia’s Own Royal Guard and Husband to Her Majesty Princess Cadence. 972-1034AL This is a transcript only. Preserved for historical value by The Canterlot Royal Archive. 16th of July in the year 986 Dear Diary. I don’t think I realised just how comfortable my own bed is until I had to wake up this morning. It’s good to be home and be with my family again, Twily has grown so much in so little time; I know that I wasn’t using words anywhere near as complex when I was her age. Hell, she’s already devouring the non-fiction and I’m almost certain that I saw her reading a thesaurus last night. Cover to cover. A thesaurus. Seeing Blues again after two weeks on camp was also pretty awesome. School starts tomorrow, but I don’t think he had much fun over the holidays. When I told him about Val eating meat on camp he went a little green though, and when I told him that he should meet her sometime he just said ‘maybe’. I think he’d like her if they actually met each other. Coming back from camp made me realise something else that’s been bugging me. Blues got his cutie mark last week at a music rehearsal, which makes me the last pony in my year without one. It never really bothered me before now, but some of the colts in my class got theirs two years ago! I was so sure that I’d get mine on camp! Does that mean that I’m not cut out to be a guard? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 17th of July in the year 986 Dear Diary. I messed up big time today. Loose Cannon started on us at recess and I bucked him in the face. I didn’t mean to do it, but after all the drills at camp it was just a reflex. He fell on his wing and I think it’s broken. The teacher sent me home for today and told me to go to her office tomorrow. I don’t want to tell Ma and Da about it tonight, but they’ll find out by tomorrow. I’m scared. Blues tried to cheer me up this afternoon, but it didn’t really work. He said that Loose Cannon’s in the hospital. I didn’t mean to hurt anypony, it just happened. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18th of July in the year 986 Dear Diary. I’ve been suspended from school for a week. Loose Cannon’s wing was only dislocated, which Miss Sugarsweet said was something to be thankful for. Da wanted to ground me for a whole month, but Ma talked him down about it. I’m still grounded for the week though, and there’s nothing to do. This really sucks. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 19th of July in the year 986 Dear Diary. I got a letter from the Dr Dirtnap, the principal today. He said that I have to write out an apology to Loose Cannon while I’m suspended. I don’t really want to, but Da said he’d ground me for even longer if I don’t. Ma agreed with him, so I’m gonna try to do it tomorrow. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 20th of July in the year 986 Dear Diary. Writing this apology is hard. I didn’t mean to hurt him, but to be honest, he’s kind of a mule, and probably deserved it. I don’t like lying, but if I don’t write it I’ll be in even bigger trouble. Apart from that, being grounded is so boring. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 21st of July in the year 986 Dear Diary. Twily is just about the best little sister I can imagine anypony having. When she found out I was bored staying at home she flat out refused to go to magic kindergarten this morning. She must still have some magic left over from when she was a baby, because Ma and Da could not (physically or otherwise) get her out of the house. Instead, she’s been sitting in my room playing battleclouds with me. That filly is going to be a force to be reckoned with when she’s older. I finished Loose Cannon’s apology about an hour ago, it’s not pretty or sincere, but I guess it’ll have to do. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 22nd of July in the year 986 Dear Diary. Ma and Da managed to drag Twily to kindergarten today. While they were out I went for a run, but they got back before I did, so they weren’t very pleased with me. Da says I can still go running for the rest of the week though, camp got me into the habit of doing regular exercise. I wonder if there are any gyms or martial arts centres nearby? Other than that, today was really boring. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 23rd of July in the year 986 Dear Diary. Dear Diary. Dear Diary. Dear Diary. Dear Diary. Dear Diary. Dear Diary. Dear Diary. Dear Diary. Dear Diary. Dear Diary. Dear Diary. Dear Diary. Dear Diary. Dear Diary. Dear Diary. Sooooo Booored! How am I meant to get my cutie mark sitting at home alone like this? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 25th of July in the year 986 Dear Diary. Today was my first day back at school since I hurt Loose Cannon. All the other kids keep looking at me funny. Loose Cannon and Hotrod didn’t bother me or Blues today, but the teachers have all started treating me like a delinquent. Apparently somepony spray painted the inside of the filly’s restrooms yesterday, and I almost got pinned for it. Even though I’m a colt who wasn’t even in school yesterday. Go figure. It’s kind of strange. All the smaller colts suddenly want to be my friend now, and all the larger colts steer clear of me. None of them gave a damn about me last term, why should that change now? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 31st of July in the year 986 Dear Diary. I think things are finally starting to die down around school. It’s been two weeks since the incident with Loose Cannon and I’ve barely seen him at all. He still gives me dirty looks every so often, but I don’t think he’s game to try anything. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 24th of December in the year 986 Dear Diary. Wow, it’s been a long time since I wrote anything in here. At some point in the last year, Twily has both cottoned onto Hearts Warming Eve, and learned how to tell the date, so things are a little noisy tonight. I hope she likes my present. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 25th of December in the year 986 Dear Diary. Today was perfect. Twily loved my present, a doll that I made her in arts and craft. Some of the other colts teased me about it, but it was worth it to see the look on her face. I told her she should be the one to name it, so she chose Smarty Pants (that’s my sister for you). She almost cried when she realised that she didn’t have anything to give me, but I told her that a hug from the best little sister in Equestria would do. After we all unwrapped our presents (I got a new set of weights, no more paying out of my nose for gym membership thank you very much!) we stuffed ourselves with good food and slept for the rest of the day. Best use of an afternoon ever devised by ponykind. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16th of January in the year 987 Dear Diary. Twily started her first day of proper school this morning. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised how excited she was to be going. Years 1-6 are taught in a separate building to the rest of the school, but I could see that smile from all the way across the courtyard. First day back was alright I suppose, but I think Loose Cannon’s got it out for me again. He and Hotrod were both giving me the evil eye as I walked into school with Twily. You’d think that he’d have learned from the first time. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 17th of January in the year 987 Dear Diary. Twily came home from school this afternoon crying. Apparently somepony had been calling her names. I think I’ll have a word with one of the junior school teachers about it tomorrow. A couple of games of pin the tail on the pony cheered her up again, but I’ll be damned if anypony’s gonna pick on my little sister. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18th of January in the year 987 Dear Diary. I spoke to Twily’s teacher about it, but he said that he hadn’t seen anything happen. He assured me though that he’d look into it. Twily came home crying again. I think I’ll deal with this myself. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 20th of January in the year 987 Dear Diary. Nothing. I haven’t got a clue who’s been bullying Twily, and she’s too shook up to give me a straight answer. I couldn’t even find her in the playground yesterday. She’s already dreading going to school, and that’s just not right for a young filly who loves to learn. I’ve got the weekend to cheer her up and then I’m going to get to the bottom of this. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 23rd of January in the year 987 Dear Diary. Whoever’s been picking on Twily has been doing it solely at recess and lunch. I stuck to her like caramel on a candy apple today, and she came home with a smile. It’s obvious that they’re not going to try anything while I’m nearby, so I’ll ask Blues if he can keep an eye on her and try to catch them in the act. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 24th of January in the year 987 It was that snake Loose Cannon! Blues said that he’d personally seen him and Hotrod out the back of the junior school having a go at Twily. She came home virtually apoplectic with fear this afternoon. There will be a reckoning about this. A dislocated wing will be the last thing on Loose Cannon’s mind by the time I’m done with him. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 25th of January in the year 987 I wouldn’t have really believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes. Blues was right; it was those two jerks that had been bullying Twily this whole time. Hotrod slapped my little sister just after I came around the corner and I lost it. I put them both in the freaking hospital, and Dr Dirtnap decided that was the last straw. I’ve been expelled. Apparently the school system doesn’t take vigilantism into account in acts of extreme violence. Luckily, the principal also saw fit to have Loose Cannon and Hotrod transferred to another school. I don’t mind giving up on an academic pursuit; the royal guards were my calling, but I wouldn’t want Twily left alone at that school with those two. Ma and Da weren’t happy about what had happened, but one look at the hoofmark on Twily’s face had Da raving at the school for allowing something like that to happen. He took me aside after and told me that he was proud of me for standing up for my family. I liked that. In amongst the confusion I didn’t even notice my new cutie mark until I got home a little while ago. A blue shield with a purple six-pointed star in the middle, and three smaller silver stars above it. Maybe things aren’t so bad after all.