//------------------------------// // Bonus Chapter: Of Captain of the Guards and New Recruits // Story: Shattered Mirror // by The Bricklayer //------------------------------// It was a well known fact amongst everypony in Equestria being a member of the esteemed Royal Guard of Canterlot was many a young stallion's and in some occasions, a mare's ultimate dream relating to what they wanted to do with their life. The reasons varied. On most occasions, it was either just to be a part of the Guard and possibly attract a future mare or coltfriend in the process. But on some occasions, it was just to become a part of something great and protect other ponies from what lurked out there in the dark, hiding away from the light of the Royal Sisters. This was the dream of one of the two main ponies we will focus on in this chapter. Now, for the second well known fact about the Royal Guard. Simply put, ever since Captain Boltstrike, originally hailing from the town of Trottingham, getting into the Guard had become VERY difficult indeed. This was just due to the fact that he didn't just accept anypony willy-nilly right off the bat into his personal command. He only wanted those who only fit his high (Some would say a little too high) standards, the best of the best if you will. Now, admittedly, there was solid reasoning behind this, after all you did want good soldiers under your command, but there still was a rather high drop out rate of membership after only a year in the field. Now this hadn't gone unnoticed by either Nightmare Moon nor her sister. So that was why for one full week, Boltstrike found himself stuck with a fresh trainiee named Shining Armor (The aforementioned pony who just wanted to protect others) and learned a small lesson in the process all in the story detailed here... Canterlot Castle: Throne Room (One year after the "Celestia Incident") Boltstrike stood slackjawed at what he's just been told by both Princesses of Equestria, too stunned to speak a single word. He couldn't believe it. Perhaps this was a exaggeration of the situation just a tad, but right now in Bolrstrike was thinking that his reality has been fractured into a million itty bitty pieces and smashed completely by one very huge hammer, probably of the sledgehammering variety and wielded by Discord. Like I said, perhaps a exaggeration of things just a tad. Finally he eventually rediscovered the ability of speech, but all that he managed to say was a subdued "I'm... sorry?" To be honest, being subdued was probably his best option. After all, you didn't just "Fly off the handle" so to speak at the Royal Sisters. All that usually resulted if you did that was a quick trip to the castle dungeons and a hasty fine. Boltstrike would know. More often than not, he was standing by on the sidelines when somepony got extremely furious at either of the two Princesses (Which you really had to question said pony's intelligence when they did get furious. Nopony with a even a ounce of common sense in their body just yelled in anger at Nightmare Moon or Solar Flare. Somehow though, Boltstrike was always surprised when it did happen.) ready to have his guards haul the pony in question off to the dungeons if asked. "Could you please repeat that?" Boltstrike asked. Both Nightmare Moon and her sister shared a look between them and the Princess of the Night sighed. They figured the Captain of the Royal Guard wouldn't like it. "I said, would it be possible for you to have one of the fresh trainees just out of boot camp tag along with ypu, just for one week?" Nightmare repeated. "No offence intended ma'am, but I can't keep a eye on a recruit fresh out of the Academy and babysit them. I have more important things to do." Boltstrike replied, trying to keep as curt as he could. "Well, I wouldn't call it babysitting as you put it-" Nightmare told him, before soon she was interuppted by a snicker coming from a pony in bright white armor with purple detailing signifying him as a Captain of the Guard, the captain of Solar Flare's own division of the Guard, the Solaris Guard in fact. He had black bat wings, and dark fur signifying him as a Bat-Pony. The irony of a member of a mostly night active species being a captain of the Princess of the Sun's division had been missed by nopony at all. "Weeeeelll, actually you really should, considering that's what it really is." The pony, Galaxy Swirls laughed and Solar Flare sighed as she gave him a exasperated look. Boltstrike gave him a look as well, a particularly dirty one. He didn't really have any sort of real fondness for Galaxy and generally thought that he didn't take his position seriously enough. Galaxy felt pretty much the exact same way towards him in return and thought of Boltstrike of being just a stick in the mud who needed a better sense of humor. Suffice it to say, the two were almost constantly at odds, unprofessional as it was. However, just bringing this up around either one of them was a quick way to have your pay docked for the week. "Thank you for your statement in the matter Galaxy." Solar said dryly. He got the hidden message in her words and quickly replied "Shutting up now ma'am." and mimed closing up his mouth via a zipper with a hoof before he allowed Nightmare to continue. "Anyways..." She said as Boltstrike listened. "Think of it as giving the pony your personal wisdom and advice, not babysitting." The look she was giving him told him it was best not to argue the point. Boltstrike sighed as he accepted his fate while Galaxy mimed cracking a whip. "Fine, send him in." Boltstrike replied and Nightmare gestured for Derpy and another guard to open the Throne Room's main doors. With a loud creaking of wood from the giant doors, and the clopping of hoofsteps on the marbled floor, a young stallion with a white coat and a blue mane entered the room looking wise eyed as he was allowed in the presence of the Royal Sisters. Boltstrike on the other hoof, could only sigh and look skywards with a "You got to be kidding me" expression on his muzzle as the stallion waved in a friendly manner. "...He better at least have a appreciation for Neighponiese opera." Boltstrike muttered. As it turned out, he didn't. Boltstrike wasn't entirely surprised, most ponies didn't really have any appriecation of culture nowadays. Currently, the twosome were in a routine patrol of Canterlot as Solar Flare's sun shown high in the sky up above them. "...Seriously, never expected to make it this far in the Guard as I have. Thought no was going to flunk out on my first day." The guard, who Boltstrike learned was called Shining Armor, went on excitedly as Boltstrike listened, trying his hardest to look as if he were actually interested in what the young stallion had to say. "But, that's life huh? Always managing to surprise you every step of the way." "Yeah, I suppose..." Boltstrike muttered in a disinterested tone of voice which Shining picked up on. "Hey, something bothering you? You look distracted, something on your mind?" The young stallion asked in concern. Boltstrike had to bite back the temptation to say "Yeah, you." and roll his eyes and instead lied with a "No, nothing at all." "You sure?" Shining asked, continuing to press him. "Yes, I'm sure. Very sure indeed." Boltstrike lied again although Shining's expression told him that he didn't entirely believe him as the two Royal Guards walked down the main streets of Canterlot. "Let's... Let's just step away from the subject okay?" Boltstrike asked and Shining sighed in resignation although he nodded in understanding. If there were some things Boltstrike wanted to keep private, he understood. It wasn't Shining's business to know anyways. "So, why'd you join the Guard anyways?" Boltstrike asked, quickly changing the turn of the conversation. "The pay, the recognition? A chance to meet new ponies?" He guessed again and again. "...Actually, no." Shining replied, and his captain raised one eyebrow slowly before he received his answer and he was in for a shock. What Shining had to answer as his reasoning definitely surprised him. As it turned out, it was none of the things Boltstrike had been expecting at all. "It's none of those things." Shining smiled wistfully. "All I want to do in the Royal Guard is the reason it was founded in the first place. Simply put, I want to protect other ponies from what lies out there." In his mind, Boltstrike was surprised although he didn't let that shock come to his face and acted like he'd heard this as a reason before. "You remind me of when I was your age, young and idealistic. Innocent of what horrors the job really holds at times. But that was years ago. Life... Among other things, it changed me." "...Yeah, I know what you mean." Boltstrike whispered, and if Shining ever heard any of that, he certainly didn't show any signs of it. The rest of the day went on without incident, and eventually it was time for lunch break. At a small cafe Shining had recommended, both guards say down for lunch. Shining are a sandwich while Boltstrike just had his daily tea. "Sure you don't want anything?" Shining asked as Boltstrike read the newspaper at another table nearby. "No, I'm just fine with tea." Boltstrike replied. Shining chuckled and Boltstrike gave him a look. "...Right, suppose anything from a cafe with less then a three hoof rating wouldn't fit your refined tastes." Shining teased and this time Boltstrike did roll his eyes. "Just because I have a taste for culture and the finer things in life doesn't mean I'm a complete snob like the rest of Canterlot. I'm just not hungry, that's all." He answered. "You probably should eat something. Might help take your mind off of whatever's bothering you." Shining replied kindly and Boltstrike gave him another look. "Oh, don't give me that look." Shining said. "I'm not stupid. I can tell something's bothering you." "Was it really that obvious?" Boltstrike asked in surprise and Shining nodded in return before his captain sighed in resignation. He supposed Shining had a right to know. "Fine..." Boltstrike eventually began after a few moments of hesitation. "It's you. I didn't want this job of keeping a eye on you. To be honest, I thought I had better things to do then keep a eye on any freshly graduated guards." "Had?" Shining asked, raising a eyebrow. "Yeah, had. You know the reason I'm so strict? It was what happened a year ago... With HER." Boltstrike muttered, spitting out the last word as if it were a curse. Shining didn't even need to ask who "Her" was. He already knew, just like everypony else. "Celestia." Shining nodded and Boltstrike growled. "Yes. Her. Because of that monster, I saw Canterlot burn and guards get cut down by her, all because they weren't trained well enough by me." He continued and Shining walked over to put a hoof in his shoulder. "You can't blame yourself, not all the training in the world could prepare anypony for her." He reassured. "Well, all of my training should have!" Boltstrike roared before he sighed once again. "That's why I'm so hard on everypony and only accept the best, just to prepare them for anything else like her in case it ever happens again." Before Shining could say anything else, the sound of a loud explosion could be heard all of the way across town. "What was that?" He asked, momentarily stunned by the sound as Boltstrike got up out if his chair. "Trouble." He replied in a growl. As it turned out, said trouble was a set of apartments that had caught on fire a few minutes before. The black cloud of smoke created by the blaze could be seen from any point in the town as it climbed higher and higher into the sky. As Boltstrike and Shining arrived in the scene, they heard the sound of a little filly calling out for help. "There!" Shining shouted as he spotted a little filly, with a gold mane and matching coat, near the uppermost window in the left with flames directly behind her. "We've got to get to her. I'm going in." Shining said confidently but Boltstrike stopped him. "No, you're not trained for-" He began before Shining cut him off. "This? How will you ever know unless you see me in action? We don't have the time to argue about this!" Shining shouted and Boltstrike could offer no rebuttal as he knew the younger guard has a point. "Right, you're quite right. Let's get to work." He replied and a few moments later, both ponies were knocking down the apartement building's wooden front door. Pretty soon, Boltstrike had made his way up to the filly's room where she was trapped as well. "I'm scared." The filly squeaked out in fear even as she clambered up onto his back. "Don't be. Now let's get you out of here huh?" He reassured kindly before asking for her name. "N-Noi." The filly whispered and Boltstrike smiled before he rushed out of the room and down some steps before they then gave way and Boltstrike, had it not been for Shining throwing up a magical bubble of energy around him, would have fallen into the flames below. "Pretty sure this is the part where you thank me." Shining would later joke as he and Boltstrike, along with Noi made it out of the building, where the young filly was handed off to Derpy where she would be taken to the hospital for proper treatment. "Oh shut up." Boltstrike grumbled while Shining could only laugh. END