Crimson Sunrise

987 ALB, Equestria, Canterlot, Canterlot

Canterlot, a beautiful city for horrible ponies.

It wasn’t just for prestige, Cadance and I went to the Canterlot Academy because there was no other way into our dreams, she was destined to be a princess, but she needed the knowledge for it, I’d have done the same if I was an alicorn, but since I am not, I’ve chosen something that I considered to be equally important, Captain of the Royal Guard, practically, second in command in Equestria.

We both knew we could make these dreams reality, we were both prepared for anything, or that’s what we have expected.

We had just arrived to Canterlot, a well-worn stallion came at me, “Excuse me, are you Mr. Landmarks?”

“Yes sir, what do you need?” I replied, Cadance was still bringing her stuff out the train, while being helped by her friends.

“I was sent you to guide you through the City of Canterlot.”

“Uhm, thanks but I wanted to explore it by myself and with my friend Cadance.” I denied the offer, He pulled a letter out of his pocket.

“I was sent by your father, Lord Sword,” – I was surprised, my father never sent a letter, never in my life – “And he wants you to meet him at the end of the tour.”

I was stunned, my father out of nowhere he wants to meet me, the current Captain of the Guard, “Err… yes, in a moment, wait here,” – I gallop into the train – “Cadance!”

She turns to me, “Landmarks! What’s happening?”

“It’s my father! He sent me a messenger and he said he wants to meet me!” Cadance gasped, and dropped her stuff

“Oh, Celestia! You’ll meet the Captain of the Royal Guard?! Can I go with you?”

“But of course you can!” – We trotted outside, to the messenger – “Mister! She’s coming with me!”

“Very well then.”

“Wait! I still got stuff on the train!” Said Cadance, Worried

“Don’t worry miss, I’ll send a letter to my companions to take your stuff to the royal palace.”

“The Royal Palace?!” We said Cadance and I in unison.

“Yes, there is where both of you will reside from now on.” Cadance and I looked at each other's faces, we could see how they were overflowing with eagerness and happiness for the coming years.

“Then let’s get going!” The messenger said, and the tour began.

We visited a lot of famous places in Canterlot, we even made some stops to rest and eat, it was a nice day.

But then, almost at the end of the tour we arrived the Canterlot Palace, it was big inside, its marble floor had beautiful patterns and its columns were tall and golden.

“Landmarks! I’m going to greet Celestia, I want to present her to you after you meet your dad.” Said Cadance, waving her hoof at me while walking through the corridor.

“Sure, Cadance!” I answered while walking with the messenger.

He stopped next to a door, “He’s inside waiting for you, Young Landmarks.”

My legs began to shake nervously, I grabbed the doorknob, and opened the door.

The room wasn’t big, but it was very tall, it was only illuminated by the sunset’s orange light that went through two big windows, as big as the wall, on the sides of the room.

And he was there in the center, sitting on a chair in front of a lonely desk, in the middle of the shadows, “Ahhh! There he approaches, my favorite son.”

I approached to him, “Hello dad…”

He hops off the chair and walks towards me, “I always wanted to meet you kid!”

“Really?” I said confused, “Why you never visited us?”

“Ahhh! I was working son, life is hard in Canterlot, hard and busy.” He replied, “So. You are going to the Academy?! That’s something to be proud of son, you are just like… well almost like your father, you even have my colors! Except for the eyes, I guess.”

“The eyes of mom, eh?”, He then glanced at my eyes, and rolled up his.

“Okay, well, not everypony can be perfect but you’ll be fine,” – He went back to his desk, sitting in his chair, he took a bottle of apple liquor and uncorked it – “I’ve heard… things, son, that you are going for the role of Captain of the Guard, just like your father.”

“Yes, sir, a nice goal, isn’t it?”

He began drinking the liquor from the tap, using his magic to levitate the bottle, “Well, yeah, Hmh! It’s a nice goal, but you’ll have to go over me, kid…”

I stuttered, “W-what?”

“You see, being Captain of the Guard is not an easy duty, unless you are experienced as me, General Rusty Sword,” He drank more liquor, though the effects weren’t noticeable, maybe he was already drunk or maybe he could have developed resistance towards alcohol, “What I mean to say is that with me in charge there’s no need for a replacement, kid, I’m simply unbeatable, and… you? don’t have what it takes, sorry to break it to you.”

Those words broke me, after so much time, my father sends me to meet him so that... he destroys my dream?

“This conversation is over, you can leave now.”

I galloped out of the room, with deep sadness and discouragement, I went to my room and spent some time alone there.

“How dare he… After all my life wanting to know him, he turns out to be a bucking bastard…” – I step off my bed – “Just wait and you will see, father.”

When I got a little bit relaxed, I walked out the room and I look for Cadance.

I hear her voice down the hallway, talking, I approach the door and get in.

It was a balcony, very high on the Canterlot palace, “Oh! Celestia, he’s the pony I was talking about just now!” I was standing in the same floor as Princess Celestia, I bowed rapidly.

“Princess Celestia! It’s an honor.” She put her hoof on her lips, hiding her grin.

“You don’t have to do that, young Landmarks.” Said the princess, Cadance placed her hoof below my chin and raised my head.

“Come Landy, sit with us!” Said Cadance, we walked around a little round table next to the edge of the balcony.

“So, Landmarks, I’ve been receiving a lot of letters from Cadance, I don’t think she told you, but I was the one who sent her to Ponytown, to spread love and friendship,” – Said as she drank some tea – “She also told me you want to be Captain of the Guard, just like your… father.”

“Yes, Princess, I want to keep my head at the heights of Cadance, our friendship is something that I couldn’t let slip out of my hooves so easily.”

“Landmarks! That’s so cute of you… I remember when we met, you didn’t talk at all but eventually we got the boat sailing!”

“Sounds like an unbreakable bond of friendship, you are nothing like your father, Landmarks, I’ll be hoping for your success in the future, but be aware, it isn’t an easy path to walk on.”

“I’ll do it, and I will be the best Captain of the Royal Guard ever, I promise, my Princess Celestia.”

Celestia stood up, “Very well, it was a nice evening, I’ve got some work to do, you two can rest in your room, tomorrow classes begin,” – She began flying high to another balcony – “See you later, little ponies!”

We wave back to her and we walked to our room, “So? How was your meeting with your father? Sorry I wasn't able to go with you as I said...”

“Don't worry, He… He didn’t like me”

“What happened?”

“He told me I couldn’t achieve my goals, but honestly… I don’t care, I’ll beat him.”

She gasped, “Your father is such a donkey! He has no idea what’s coming for him.”

“Shush! Don’t say that!” We laughed, “But yeah, he has no idea.”

We got to our room, Cadance’s stuff was piled up in the center of the room, I helped her to organize it.

The very next day, we walked to the Canterlot Academy, sadly we didn’t get the same classroom, but we could see each other during breaks.

My classmates were no match for me.

Except for one colt, one… single colt, that spent his time playing with his friends in the back of the class instead of studying…

Shining Armor was his name.