Shining Armor and Red Dusk sat on the damp grass of the Canterlot Palace garden, looking over at the horizon.
It was a cloudy day, the clouds testifying the existence of the storm last night. It was quite a nice sight, the sun barely shining through the clouds but there still being light, albeit filtered.
Both ponies were in armor, their helmets off to allow their skin to breath. Red didn't have his helmet at all, still waiting for a replacement of the long rotten straps that were used to secure the headwear onto his head before.
His helmet did feature some padding to allow it to rest on his neck comfortably when he would use it. However, yet again, it was rotten because the helmet itself was not within the crystal, where his armor straps and his gambeson were preserved.
"Beautiful day, is it not, my unicorn friend?" Red asked Shining Armor, who sat next to him on his haunches aswell. The white unicorn nodded his head, looking up at some of the grey clouds.
"Mhm... Dont you think it's going to rain? Much less sprinkle?" Shining inquires, looking over at his tall friend for an answer. Red only shook his head dismissively.
Their friendship took off. Both of them are in the soldier mindset and the loyalty mindset. They were almost compatible, save for some differences in how they saw the world, etc. It was pretty obvious that both were on good terms and that in the future would do many things together, and this would all benefit Red, Shining, and Celestia.
Celestia's job would become easier as him having a friend would mean he can put his knowledge to the test in his friendship. What to do, what not to do, that sort of thing will help him ease into the world itself.
Shining's provided a new friend that could relate to him, aswell as Red, but Shining will also hold Red's hoof as he will eventually walk into the public eye and be exposed to all sorts of different things coming from modern society. The unicorn's task as a friend will mean that he will have to help the alicorn cope with the reactions towards him from modern society, where ponies are afraid of every, single, little thing.
Red's situation is clear: he is an odd one out of a society of happy go lucky ponies that would keel over at the prospect of doing the things he did. Back then, back in his heyday, ponies had a backbone and took things upon themselves alot more. But those times were no more. Now are the times of the easily offended, the snobby, the flat out weird, and the list goes on.
His opinions would be put under a microscope where a single detail could mean catastrophe to his future progress in fitting into society and being accepted. He'd have to be precise about his movements and actions, thinking about every little thing lest he overreacts and makes a fool of himself, not to mention make his predicament a little worse.
"Pretty big storm last night, eh?" Shining Armor tries to start a conversation with his crimson friend. The alicorn nods his head in agreement.
"I like stormy weather. The drone of rain, the crack of lightning, the fresh feeling of the air after the storm passes, and might I add the filter that it adds to the light of the sun." Red smiles thinking about it, going back to his times on Earth. He used to bath in the rain, letting the rain flow into his helmet or directly onto his face, letting it clean the dirt off his coat or, at times, the blood off of him.
Shining Armor grunts at Red's response, going back to scanning the horizon. He turns his head back to look at Red.
"You've heard of the Six Elements of Harmony, right?" Red's eye facing Shining scans over the unicorn as the alicorn once again nods shallowly. The guard captain smiles as he looks over to the direction where Ponyville would be.
"My sister, she's the element of magic! Wouldnt you believe?" Red's eye widens in interest, a smile creeping on his face.
"I know she is. Princess Celestia told me, and thusly, I congratulate you on having such a sibling. I, however, do not have one, and... probably will never need one." Red looks back out to the horizon, the clouds still blocking the sun as a depressing frown appears on his face, prompting a sympathetic Shining to act.
"Hey, whats wrong?" the crimson alicorn's head fully turns this time to look at his blue-maned comrade. He was still frowning and had a depressed look in his eyes.
He looks back at the horizon, blinking. Sighing, the stallion begins to speak.
"I liked the moon. I really did, and I took all the love I had gotten from Her to heart. But, it was lonely up there. Apart from her, the only thing to do there was sulk, do some touchups, etcetera etcetera. For me, I tried my best to focus on tinkering and remaking my armor to be better, but it just wasnt enough." the red eyes scan side to side, looking down at the valley.
"Sure, when I came down to Earth, I had contacts with the 'cults' that worshipped her the same as I, but it wasnt enough. Most of the time, I wouldnt speak much with them. I only spoke when I needed, for I saw no use in wasting precious time in conversing when I had a job to do." Sighing again, the head of the alicorn hung lower, a hoof going up to rub his eye of a tear.
Shining, meanwhile, was looking intently, disturbed and shocked. This pony was extremely lonely, he had nowhere to turn to. He had to comfort him, Shining told himself.
"Hey... Its alright, things'll get better now. You can meet new ponies, make friends like you did with me. Everything will be fine, you just need to know how, you need to pony up." Shining pokes the stallion in the gut playfully, the crimson head turning to face him. The unicorn's face was centered around an optimistic theme, complete with a confident grin and pleading eyes.
"Thats right... I cant give up on making new friends... But as far as I know, I can only interact with those living or working inside of the palace." Red looks at Shining skeptically, the unicorn shrugging.
"The ponies of the palace, probably the guards, will be your first step into getting to know how to be friends with normal ponies. The guards all come from different places, have different experiences and personalities that can ready you for the outside, for the city of Canterlot." Shining wraps a leg around Red, the alicorn surprised as he jerks in his place.
"But these are guards. Will their behaviour not be affected by their training and discipline?" Shining's muzzle scrunches up as he slowly bounces his head left to right, his eyes doing the same as his head rocked.
"That is a factor I have overlooked. However, I think we can ignore that one. Its a start anyway and not everything is going to be perfect, right?" An agreeing Red Dusk nods shallowly, the unicorns leg jumping up and lightly slapping back on the back of the alicorn with an "oof!".
Then Shining Armor gets up, beckoning for his friend to stand up aswell and come with him.
Instead, Red stay's sitting down. He shakes his head.
"Although I would love to meet the guards on a personal level as to help my understanding of social norms in this era, I would rather not." Red explains, a disappointed Shining now sitting back down next to him.
"Instead, I would prefer we continue seeing this sunrise before you are fully needed. I would assume your subordinate officers are doing roll call." Shining nods in confirmation as he looks up at the horizon. Silence reigns over the air between the two stallions as they both watch the orange sun rise from the horizon.
Blinking, the red stallion shakes his head.
"Yesterday, Her Excellency was observing me, staring at me from the observation tower. It was quite odd." Red Dusk told his friend without turning his head, Shining looking at his friend.
"How so?"
"I was only leaving, but when I got to the door, granted with all the equipment I had been cleaning outside, I spotted her head and neck up at the balcony." Shining nodded shallowly, inviting Red to continue speaking.
"I feel she is afraid of me." he solemnly says, hanging his head as his ears flop down and his eyelids slowly closed over his eyes.
"I would not blame her, I am an abomination, a product of what I would believe many think is of an insane mare using dark magic." he looked at his hooves, Shining feeling sympathy for his crimson friend.
"Well, she has been feeling guilty for her actions as Nightmare Moon. She might feel guilty for putting you in such a position you are now, having y'know, told you to go do these horrible things and now you're going into a world where you are confused and may be tortured by society itself for your actions those hundreds of years ago." Shining explained his guess, gesturing a hoof as he spoke. The alicorn sighs again.
"Well, in an optimistic situation, one could say that would be the case. However, I think it is what it is. She, like almost everypony here, is afraid of me. Celestia, the guards, the nobles... You..." Red looked away with guilt, scooting himself further away from Shining.
Shining looked dumbfounded, biting his lip as he realized that he didnt actively seek to be his friend, but rather be his friend to be a tool in just his education by Celestia. In all honesty, he was a bit creeped out by Red. His demeanor was depressing and disturbing, but he couldnt blame the guy.
His life was just to serve a mare who was possessed by an evil spirit who sent him to do horrible things, while he blindly followed her orders, continously doing this whether or not he got positive or negative support.
The worst thing about that was that he blamed himself for most of these things. Many shortcomings in Nightmare Moon's gratitude for his service or anything directed towards him, he probably blamed himself for some inane reason, something that pecked at the mind of Shining Armor.
There was one thing for certain, however. Red needed some motivation, something to get him off of this wagon of self loathing, and Shining Armor would be the vessel for that motivation.
"Dont say such things. Thats the kind of attitude that'll have ponies feast on you like vulture and take all from you that is of worth. You need to stand up for yourself." Shining put on a serious face as he reached over and poked Red in the side of the neck, covered with his mail coif. The clink of metal going against metal attracts the attention of Red Dusk, especially the serious tone coming from Shining.
He looked at the unicorn questioningly, the pony in question nodding.
"You do. You've never stood up for yourself ever, from what I understand, and thats why you feel indebted to everypony, except the ones who are really your enemies like before, but thats different. You have no sense of motivation, no sense of independence. You depended on Nightmare Moon for support that should have been given to you given the circumstances, but she probably barely gave you enough attention to where you are comfortable, and yet you still blame yourself for that." Red turns his head away, his ears pinned to the sides of his head. However, Shining's voice then returns to its normal tone as he goes back to the way he was sitting before.
"I have known you for only one day, and although you are able to make a friend, as you have with me, its plainly obvious you have some problems that need ironing out."
"If one of your belief's are being disagreed with, you get too defensive about it, stemming from a fanatical attitude you have adopted. Its obvious you overreact to things, and the list could go on and on. But that is for another day." Shining breaths out from his nose, as he gets up while picking his helmet up to put it on.
"For I have work to do." the unicorn says as he leaves Red sitting there.
The stallion sits, motionless and silent as he comprehends what was just said to him. Blinking, he too gets up, but this time, to get back in side after rain begins to sprinkle down from the clouds