Shining Armor looked out across Canterlot to the castle and swallowed, today was the day. Today he and dozens of other ponies from across Equestria would start training to be the next batch of officers to lead the EDF. He would help the brave ponies of the EDF fend off the aggressive attacks of the Griffons and bring justice for their crimes, but before all of that, he needed some food.

First, though, he took a deep breath, and let it out. He’d seen Cadence doing the same breathwork ritual with Twilight to help her with her episodes and found it also worked for him. He didn’t do it often, but he liked to keep his head on straight when he was around Twilight. She was his little sister, and if he couldn’t be strong for her he wouldn’t be the best big brother best friend forever he could be.

After a few more breaths he started downstairs to the kitchen, where he could already hear the sizzling of hay bacon on the stove and the words of quiet conversation. Once he reached the living room he saw what was going on. Twilight was sitting with their dad at the table while Twilight Velvet made some floppy hay bacon.

“There you are, Shining dear! I was wondering if I’d have to go up there and get you out of bed myself once I was done with these.” She said while jostling the pan lightly. “Anyway, come sit down! Eat! We’ve been waiting and I don’t think I can keep Twily from raiding the pancakes much longer.”

“You waited on me? You know you didn’t have to.” He said rather bashfully, rubbing the back of his neck. “I just slept in a bit. Enjoy the last bits of free time I’ll have in a while, you know?”

“Thank you Shiny!” Twilight squealed upon hearing his first statement. She then yanked the top three pancakes in the pile and began consuming them ravenously.

“Trust me, I know.” Night Light chuckled while sharing a look with Velvet. “And Twilight, please chew your food before swallowing, we wouldn’t want to choke on our food. Would we?” He led even while he brought a large piece to his mouth.

Shining didn’t know what the look was about, but he pulled out a chair and sat down at the table next to a Twilight who was now demolishing her food slightly slower. He took a few bites of what he’d dragged onto his plate and smiled at the still-bendy hay bacon, here was one way he liked his done, and it was floppy. He knew that they preferred theirs crispy. “So Twily, why weren’t you chewing your food? I know you like pancakes.”

“I was reading this book from the archive about food. And it said that for some ponies if they don’t chew their food and just swallow they won’t taste anything. Isn’t that interesting?”

“Very, Twily.” He replied. I might have to try that sometime, depending on how the rations are.

“Did you discover anything then, Twilight?” Velvet asked.

“Well… no. But that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t stop testing! It just means I need a bigger sample size. That’s what the books say.” She responded enthusiastically.

“That’s my budding little scientist!” Night Light smiled. He then leaned across the table and tapped Twilight’s horn with his hoof playfully which got her to sit back down after her outburst.

“Manners Nighty, manners. But while we’re on the subject of future endeavors, how are you feeling about today Shining? Nervous? Excited?”

“Oh, me? Well, I’m feeling fine; a little excited, but I’m ready. I know what to expect during training.” He stuttered out, caught unprepared for the question.

“That’s good sweetie. If you didn’t feel anything about this I would be concerned. Joining the EDF is a big event in anypony’s life, especially since you’re trying to join the royal guard. I’m glad to hear you’re looking forward to it.

“Just remember to make some friends,” Velvet continued, “connections are incredibly important, especially in the government.”

“You’d make your grandpa proud of you with all of this you’re doing. Even if we aren’t being given much of a choice.” Night Light beamed.

“Right, yeah…” Shining replied. The conversation petered out after that, with the quiet stretching out until there was no food left on anypony’s plate.

“Now that we’re all done eating you should go up to your room and grab your things, Shining. We’re going to be leaving as soon as the dishes are clean and Twilight gets a bath.” She said while sending a pointed look in Night Light’s direction.

***

It took them another hour to leave the house. Not for a lack of trying, but now they were leaving at noon instead of just after brunch. Shining found that he was fine with that when he thought about it though. After he went through the gates and onto castle grounds he wouldn’t be seeing anypony he knew until he graduated. He’d make friends, he was sure, but with how many nobles were there it would be a fraught process. He’d dealt with enough entitled nuisances in upper school to know.

Now though, they were walking through the shopping district toward the Sun Plaza, which held one of the larger side gates into the palace. It was there that the letters had said to go to in order to be registered and let into the castle. Far from coincidentally it was also the gate closest to the barracks that they’d be staying in while they were on castle grounds.

It was quite quiet in the normally bustling plaza. A sign that even Canterlot was feeling some of the strain of the war despite assurances from the nobility that everything was fine within the grand city. Of course, there were still several ponies scattered about the area admiring the statue in the center of the square or moving between the stores, but there were far fewer than he remembered being here when he took Twilight to the library there. They were the only ponies moving toward the small cubicle set up outside the gate.

When they reached the statue his parents circled to a part where there weren’t any tourists and stopped. “Alright Shining, you go in there and do us proud.”

“And be safe while you’re at it,” Velvet added.

“Yeah, of course,” he replied. “And you!” he playfully said as he lowered Twilight’s book, “you take care of yourself and have fun in the lower school. I’m sure that they have plenty of books you haven’t read in the library”

“You’re just saying that because you’ve never been in there!”

“Uh… I should get going.”

“Alright, but don’t forget to send letters. Love you.”

“I love you too Mom. Dad. Twilight.” he said while giving each of them a hug.

With his goodbyes complete, Shining turned back to the gate and started walking, He was still rather surprised he was the only pony going to the gate at the moment. This is the last day of check-in, shouldn’t there be more ponies here? Shining thought to himself as he walked ever closer to the guardspony behind the desk.

“Hello? Name and papers please.”

“Ah, here. Shining Armor”

“Here on the officer track?” the stallion asked.

“Yes sir.”

“That’s good. You seem like a nice kid so I’ll give you some advice: take the self-defense classes. I can’t tell you why you’ll want them, but from what I’ve heard from the ponies that have come back through here you’ll want them. Anyways, before you learn how to use it, show me your sword and any other weapons you have on you.”

Shining pulled an arming sword from his saddlebags and showed it to the stallion without comment. It was on the shorter side for those types of swords and completely unornamented, but it was still sharp and easily cut through the piece of wood he held up to test it.

“Alright, kid. That sword looks like the real deal. Just head on through this gate and I’ll get to the pony behind you.” the guard said.

He put his blade away and made his way past the guardspony. He hadn’t heard anypony walk up behind him, but maybe they were just the quiet type. Maybe they could enter together and get to know each other on the way. He looked back then, and beheld a pegasus mare piling all manner of swords, knives, and other blades onto the guard’s table with a smile showing some rather impressive fangs.

He turned away and followed the guide to the barracks. He didn’t want to be rude or anything, but anypony who could pull dozens of knives out of their saddlebags without batting an eye was probably somepony who wouldn’t want to talk to him anyway. Yet he was hopeful, so when she trotted up next to them he tried his best to be optimistic.

Maybe… maybe they’re nicer than they seem?

Author's Note

Sorry for the shorter chapter today. I got caught up in the first two weeks of college and everything after the first scene break was written today. Fear not though! I do intend to keep updating this story.

Anyways… Have a good night!