The Story of a Royal Guard: A Shield Contingency [OUTDATED/CANCELLED]

I could hardly believe this was happening, that I was going through with it. We were almost to the park when I made a last second decision to take a detour. We passed the park and headed down some stairways until we reached a grassy platform with no walls in the way of the view. We could see half of Equestria from here. A small stream ran through the center of the platform and fell off until it drained into the river far below the mountain. Nopony was supposed to be allowed on this platform, but I had the clearance.

“It’s beautiful,” said Summer, her eyes sparkling in the sunset. “I never thought I’d get to have a picnic at a place like this.”

I set the basket down near the stream and began unloading the picnic cloth and food with my magic. “Being a Lieutenant does have its benefits,” I said.

She sat down and began placing plates for the sandwiches. “I’ll bet. You’ve probably been all over Equestria. It must be wonderful to get to travel so much.”

I finished unpacking and took my own seat beside her. “Yeah, it’s pretty nice. I wouldn’t say I’ve been all over Equestria though, but I have been to a fair share of interesting places. I expect I’ll visit even more as the years go by.”

“Have you been to the Crystal Empire before?”

I nodded. “Yeah, as a matter of fact I was there just earlier today, and I was also the first one there with Prince Shining Armor and Princess Cadance when it was discovered.”

“Wow, that’s amazing! It must have been quite an adventure. Hay, I would’ve given anything to be there when it was discovered, or even just to go there.”

I took a bite of a sandwich and quickly swallowed. “You know, I’ve got two tickets to the Equestria Games directly from Cadance. If you want, I could take you.”

She looked at me wide eyed. “Are you serious? That would be amazing, I’d love to go.”

I smiled. “Great. It's not for a little while though, so maybe we could see the Qualifiers in Rainbow Falls between then as well."

"Yeah, definitely. That sounds like fun."

"Yeah. Anyway, why do you want to go to the Crystal Empire so badly?”

She began working on her own sandwich. “Well, there’s a few reasons. First one is because I’ve always wanted to get a picture of the real thing for my writing. I really like writing about different locations for stories, but I’ve been limited to just reading about them instead of visiting.”

I finished my first sandwich and picked up my second (we had two for each of us). “That’s a shame. Maybe I can help you with that every now and then. I can’t say I do much writing besides piles of paperwork, but I think I know some inspiring locations.”

“Wow, really? You'd do that for me? That would be great, thank you. That's very generous of you.”

I smiled but briefly turned away. I’m generous? I couldn’t understand that. Was I giving too much? Or was this sort of thing not common among others? I was just trying to be nice, and it’s of no loss to me. I didn’t understand.

“Hey, is everything okay?” asked Summer.

I snapped out of my short trance and looked back at her. “Huh? Oh. I’m fine, it’s just that I’ve never thought of myself as generous.”

“Really? Coming from a pony like you that’s rather surprising. How come?”

I gulped down the last of my sandwich. “I guess it’s because I don’t really pay attention to the things I give away. I’ve never considered myself to have that much, though others might not see it that way. Honestly, most of the time it just feels like I only have my sword, armor and duties.”

Summer had scooted closer to me as she listened. “I think you have a lot more than just that, and maybe more than you realize. There’s a lot more we have to show for beyond wealth or material things. For example, take a pony who has nothing. No home, no family, just barely enough to eat. Do you think they could be generous?”

I thought for a moment and looked down at my hooves. “I don’t know. How could they give generously without something to give?”

Summer finished her sandwich. “Well, there’s an old saying I know that says, ‘when all you’ve got is nothing there’s a lot to go around’, which means that even with nothing you can still give yourself, and sometimes that’s one of the greatest gifts. Giving others your love, care and kindness. Making them smile or feel safe and comforted. Maybe you think that everything you have is nothing and given yourself up to protect and serve others, but haven’t realized it yet. Hay, you even brought your sword with you. Doesn’t that mean you’re always ready to step up to defend someone if needed?”

I looked down at my sword lying silently at my side and sighed. “Of course. I’d always put myself before danger to defend those who can’t defend themselves. But this sword means more to me than that. It’s a… safety blanket. I’d never go anywhere without it, and I certainly wouldn’t be here without it.”

“Hmm. It sounds like you don’t give yourself enough credit.”

“Maybe. I don’t credit myself with much because I haven’t done anything very noteworthy as a Royal Guard.”

Summer frowned. “I don’t think I’ve done anything noteworthy as a writer or a librarian, but others have still appreciated my efforts for being who I am. Do you only define how much credit you get based on your career? Listen to me, it’s not about what you’ve done, it’s about how and why you’ve done it. You’re the first Lieutenant of the Royal Guard I’ve had the chance of talking to, having one of the most important and high ranking jobs of the city, and you’re telling me you haven’t done anything noteworthy. But who says what’s noteworthy or not?”

I stared into space for a moment, unable to find the right words. Everything I’ve ever been told said she was wrong, but something inside me knew she was right. What was everything I’ve ever been told? No, no, that wasn’t the right question. Who told me it?

“My father,” I said quietly. “He determined whether I had done something noteworthy or not, all my life. I had to live up to his expectations. He’s gone now, but the memory and urge to continue following his expectations is still strong in my mind. Everything he’s taught me would say you’re wrong, but I don’t want that to be true anymore.”

Summer put a comforting hoof on my back and smiled. “It’s only true as long as you want it to be. I can see it in your eyes that life’s been a constant struggle for you. It’s hard living under the shadow of someone’s expectations, but there’s always an escape, even though it might be through a maze. That’s why you have friends help you out, and if you ever need my help I’ll always be happy to lend it.”

I smiled and felt a lump form in my throat. “Thank you, um...” I looked her in the eye, feeling my eyes watering up. I didn't know what came over me, but it felt marvelous. “I can’t tell you how glad I am that you came here with me, and for everything you’ve said. It means so much to me.”

“You’re welcome. It makes me happy that you’ve been this open with me, I appreciate it.” Summer looked at me curiously for a second then leaned forward and planted a kiss on my cheek.

I wasn’t sure how to describe the feeling of that kiss. Something new. Something soft, warm and compassionate. A sentence from my father’s letter came into my mind. “Never forget that you have the potential to make somepony very, very happy.” I don’t think that I’d ever forget now.

Though I didn’t know it, right at the time I was crying there was another stallion across Canterlot in his home staring at the ceiling and silently sobbing himself to sleep.

By now the sun had set and the stars came out. A warm wind blew in our faces, so we relaxed and watched as the stars sparkled, completely forgetting about the rest of dinner. Summer leaned her head against my neck causing my hair on the other side to stand on end. We sat there for possibly hours. No more words needed saying, just simply enjoying each other’s company. At some point Summer fell asleep, and after a while I was close to dozing myself, so I lifted her onto my back and began packing everything away with my magic. I carried her back home and slowly put her down on her bed and left. I made it to the train station and got on the last train back to Ponyville. I napped on the way, woke when the train came to a stop, and began limping to my house. I arrived, went inside, threw down my sword, turned off the lights, climbed into my cold bed and sighed.