Zero Point

by GJT_Productions

Captain's Colts

"Thank you, Vitorio."

"No problem, Pops. I'd love to stay and chat more, but I have to go relieve my brother on the waypoints."

"Don't let me stop you then. I'm sure your brother would love to meet with my replacement here as much as you did."

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"So Vitorio is the younger brother?" Acting Captain Shining Armor asks the stallion he's replacing as he lifts a box with unicorn magic.

"Yes, Trafalgar is older, but only by about a year. Having you meet them face-to-face is part of the reason I wanted you helping with this move." soon-to-be-former Captain Gibraltar replies, his broken forelegs still wrapped in casts and propped on a wheeled platform to aid in movement.

"To be honest, sir, I didn't realize the Captain's apartment was a split-level. This is the best accommodation I've ever seen in the guard." Shining Armor states in admiration, looking around at what to an average guard would be the lap of luxury, while Vitorio takes his leave of the apartment.

"Another part of the reason I need the help - this thing doesn't do stairs very well." Gibraltar explains, looking down at the platform his forelegs are placed on. "It's not so much a problem here in the main room because I can still use magic, but in the upstairs office..."

"I can imagine, sir. Do you have any idea where you're going to go in retirement?" Shining Armor comments with a chuckle, setting the box aside and starting up the stairs as he does so.

"I don't know. Castile has told me Baltimare has been a great place to retire, maybe I'll join him there..."

"And your wife?"

"Well, it's very mixed feelings. On the one hoof, she really does like hob-nobbing with Canterlot's elite, unlike me. But on the other hoof, Canterlot can get quite cold in the winters. Hopefully the colts will be able to keep up some kind of contact..."

"Now sir, I know I can't promise you anything about them. You know how squeamish Princess Celestia has been about putting them anywhere near the castle..."

"Sure, but maybe once you're more established..."

"But I don't intend to stay just as Captain of the Guard for long, sir. You know what I'm talking about, right?"

"... So you do actually intend to do it? Soon?"

"Yes, I can feel the time is just about right for it. Cadance has been very patient because she understands how important getting Luna back was to Celestia, but now it's getting to the point where I shouldn't..."

"I understand, Shining. I don't think Celestia will tell you to hold off again. If you think you're ready to do it, you should do it."

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir."

"Oh please, you don't need to be so modest. This'll all be yours some time very soon..."

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A LITTLE LATER...

Guard Upper Class Trafalgar was quite excited to see his younger brother travelling in his direction down the Canterlot-Ponyville road, because he knew Vitorio would be replacing him covering the waypoint for the weekend. The excitement stemmed not just from the relative dull of the duty, but the fact he had eagerly anticipating meeting Shining Armor for the first time during the weekend.

"Hey, Vit." Trafalgar greets his brother as the latter stops and temporarily removes with unicorn magic the pack of supplies he had been carrying.

"Hey, Alfie." Vitorio replies, using a nickname in the same way his brother had.

"You just came from helping Dad move?"

"Yep. If you hurry, you might still be able to give him some help today."

"Nah, I'm more interested in just meeting Shining Armor. Heard so many things about him..."

"Like what?"

"Well, most of them are very positive things. I think the only ones that have been bad-mouthing him are pegasi..."

"Those pegasi were a traitor's lackeys. A traitor that wanted more than just to be Captain of the Guard; you shouldn't have trusted a word any of them were saying..."

"But can I trust any pegasi left over now? I mean, maybe they were just trying..."

"To save their hides? Eh, it's a reasonable possibility. After all, so many of the louts were the rejects of Cloudsdale society that couldn't get jobs elsewhere..."

"Fair enough. Oh, Lieutenant Crispin passed by earlier. I have the details about what we talked about in the report."

"Let me guess, him just being his usual earth pony Apple clan self?"

"Pretty much."

"Alright, let me finish setting up inside. I'll read the report later..."

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MEANWHILE IN PONYVILLE...

"What's with these giggling mares? That's the fourth time I've gotten one coming in the past two hours... is there a date night going on I wasn't told about?" the fashion designer Rarity asks herself, her curiousity temporarily overcoming her attention to her work.

The off-white unicorn mare's gaze follows where her last customer was trotting off to, and is quite surprised to see not only the customer stopping in front of a nearby building, but that the crowd in front of it also has some other customers that had just patronized her establishment! Now intensely curious, Rarity stops in front of the boutique's windows and squints to see what's going on.

"What are all those mares...? Wait, is that Lieutenant Crispin?!?" Rarity exclaims to herself in shock upon seeing what she thinks is the Apple family member in the middle of the crowd of fawning mares.

"This is very odd, he's never been the type to do something like this. I'll have to ask Applejack about this... or maybe Lucky Clover and Caramel next door, once they get back from their duty shifts in Canterlot..."

Author's Note:

(Two quick notes: The Captain's apartment is the same place as the residence where Twilight first sees the fake Cadance draining love energy from Shining Armor in the Canterlot Wedding two-parter. The second is because of erratic work schedules striking again, the next chapter will be two weeks from now instead of one, on July 12th. Happy start of July holiday!)