A Thousand Winters...

Chapter 3: Crossed Horns

"Of all the passions in the world, why you?"

The summer was dying quicker than Shining Armour would have liked, and the white unicorn sighed to himself quietly as he sat alone on his usual bench in the courtyard. The neatly trimmed trees were slowly but surely turning into the rich shades of autumn, and the clear blue skies were littered with grey clouds. A chilly breeze came in from the south, and the young guard shivered, his body free from all clothing save for a thin black scarf.

Today, Shining was alone. Amber Flare and a group of other trainees had been sent on an excursion into the western mountains, and Blueblood was nowhere to be seen. No wake up call came for Shining that morning, something which he found to be both a relief and disappointment. The courtyard around Shining was empty also, making the young stallion feel very small. In the distance, a clock-tower chimed four, sending a cloud of crows spiralling into the air. A pair of royal blue eyes watched them for a second before falling once again upon the fading trees.

Shining clicked his neck and stood up; sitting here wasn't going to accomplish anything today, and there were more than a few things that could keep him occupied. Sergeant Skyfire had ordered an inspection for tomorrow morning, and thus every set of armour in the guard was required to be dazzlingly cleaned. And yet the normally dedicated young guard couldn't find the will nor the energy to complete the task, one which he would have spent hours performing not two months ago. His mane whipped across his face as he turned his back to the wind, the twin tails of the scarf following suit, reaching before the white unicorn like a pair of grasping branches.

Shining sighed again. The past weeks had been unusual to say the least. it had all began, for Shining anyway, after Amber Flare had been discharged from the Medical Wing. The two friends had celebrated the occasion with a night out in the city, the pair venturing around numerous establishments until they arrived at one known as Silken Lace. The following events, though hazy and foggy in the memory department, had resulted with Amber Flare leaving with a young earth pony filly draped over his shoulder. Running River, her name was, and ever since that night Amber Flare had been quite vocal on the whole situation, almost to the point where Shining had been close to whacking a hoof over his friend's face just to shut him up.

Then came the new set of orders from the Royal Guard. In addition to acting as Blueblood's personal protector, Shining had also been sent to the northern walls of the Royal Palace on his first 'official' guard duty. Apparently, body-guarding wasn't counted as a 'real' deployment. The poor unicorn had spend hours walking back and forth across the same stretch of battlements for the best part of his evenings in addition to putting up with Blueblood's somewhat ridiculous antics. And with the autumn rolling in like an impending storm, the bitter winds pumping out of Cloudsdale were making the dull watch hours incredibly chilly.

Head downcast, Shining plodded back towards the Great Hall of the Royal Barracks, paying now heed to the fading trees and wind-kissed lawns as his mind wandered to nowhere in particular. He felt drained and exhausted, despite the fact he'd done barely any physical exertion. No, this was a fatigue of the mind, the type that came when the days begin to darken and life seems to slow down to a halt. The Barracks were unusually quiet today, Shining only noticing a few single or clustered comrades, both armoured and not, talking in muted voices and flatter tones. It seemed that he wasn't the only one to feel the weight of the seasons.

As Shining thrust open the double doors to the hall, he was greeted with a wave of warmth, for a moment making him bright and cheerful again. The scent of roasted vegetables and harvest crops flooded into his nostrils. It seemed he had chosen the most opportune time to arrive, as the great bell atop the domed roof tolled thrice, heralding the beginning of the evening meal. Shining quickly draped his scarf over a bench and retrieved his meal: a great mound of roasted potatoes, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower and bean sprouts, with a steaming bowl of oatmeal with apple slices mixed in. It was a great change to the usual meals that the Barrack Kitchens served, and the white unicorn dug in with a great smile on his face.

"You've perked up" came a voice from Shining's right. Amber Flare and Fire Star trotted into the hall, the latter darting off to claim his own feast. the smaller unicorn took a place beside his friend and smirked. "It's good to see you happier. You've been a miseryflank all month."

"All it takes is food" Shining chuckled, "and this stuff is delicious. How you doing?"

"Okay I suppose, but Sergeant Skyfire's ordered me to the Statue Garden tonight to make up for last week's events."

"By 'events' you mean the absolute, catastrophic mess you made in the armoury?"

The golden pony laughed. "That's the one." The pair shared a laugh before Amber Flare went to receive his own meal. As he wandered away, a pair of royal blue eyes found purchase upon his un-armoured flank.

Goddess-dammit! Shining ripped his gaze away and sank back into his vegetables. This too was becoming another issue on his mind. He had been through multiple episodes of soul-searching and deep self thought, and still the answer to his sudden tastes eluded him. He had always liked mares and fillies to this point. Always. And yet his stare tried to creep back towards his friend's rump even as he told himself not too.

Everything was backwards. Why had this happened now? He had always considered himself open to experimentation, but not now, not here in the Barracks. Maybe in his younger teenage years, but that stage had been and gone. Was he lonely? Did he just feel the impulsive need to cuddle with somepony? Maybe, but even if that was the case, there were female guards and nurses in the Barracks, and Shining had felt no attraction whatsoever to them. The ones who claimed his affections of late were ranging from Amber Flare, Razorwind, and even...

Shining snapped out of his thoughts as his best friend returned, a stupid looking grin plastered on his face as he gaped at his mountain of food. The hall continued to filled with guards both in golden attire and otherwise, and soon the young white pony forgot all of his previous thoughts and concerns.

The evening passed quickly from then on, the silver stares of the night stars lightening the skies as a pale crescent rose in the east. A bitter chill had descended over the world, forcing Shining's breath to come out in great plumes of vapour. A faint breeze blew, but weaker than the one present earlier in the day. Yet Shining did not go towards his dorm to find shelter from the autumnal cold. He instead began to wander towards the main structure of the Royal Palace, keeping his black scarf tight around his neck.

The oil lamps of the Barrack courtyards were slowly being lit by the dedicated team of earth pony maintenance workers, Shining giving them a nod each as he passed under the twilight dome of the sky. As the darkness began to close in, the glow of the golden flames kept it at bay, Shining marvelling briefly at how the golden light played on the branches of the bronzing trees. The pathway lead him to a tall archway set in marble, where the paving led away into a wide courtyard: the inner gardens of the Palace.

The stone path wound through a series of neatly trimmed topiary bushes cut in the shape of birds and dancing mares, lined with night-blooming flowers that slowly opened up as the white unicorn passed them. High above, the imposing twin Towers of the Sun and Moon stood like monolithic guardians, their metal plated roofs shimmering in the moonlight. Shining stepped through yet another archway, this one leading to another plaza, but one lined with three marbles statues of two unicorn mares and a pegasus stallion, beneath which stood a stunning pair of oaken doors leading to the inner galleries of the Palace proper.

Another wave of comforting heat wrapped itself around Shining's body as he entered the castle, humming tunelessly to himself as he ascended a great flight of stairs leading to the north-west wing. Much to Shining's annoyance, a faint pitter-patter of rain began to drum on the roof like a horde of stampeding buffaloes. Depending on how long he was going to be here, the rain should be serving as his companion on the journey back to his dorm.

But that was a concern for later. He paid little attention to the ancient paintings of infamous figures from pony-history, his young eyes disregarding the stern ones of Aegis the Defender, Archmagister Star Heart, and Princess Platinum, crowned and immortalised in rich oil paint, their eternal visages lit by the light of their own elaborate wall sconce. Having removed his scarf, the white unicorn made his way to the Cloud Wing.

The lack of requests and commands from Prince Blueblood had caused a mixed feeling of worry and relief, something which dwelt on Shining's emotions like a fog. For reasons that he would much rather keep to himself, he had begun to find joy in the presence of the dashing young stallion, and that warm feeling was what guided his hoofsteps this evening.

He curled round to find the long hallway at the summit of the Cloud Wing, the marble yielding to a rich red carpet lined with golden floral patterns. The arched windows running along the corridor were slashed with water, and Shining picked up the pace as he drew closer to his liege's quarters. Yet as the double doors drew nearer, Shining's legs began to fail. He halted less than five paces away from the doors, his deep blue eyes searching, imploring for something that he couldn't quite discern.

"Dammit" he whispered to the air, rubbing his forehead furiously. What was he doing here? Blueblood most likely wasn't even there. The wind whistled outside as the rain fell ever harder, both calling Shining to go back to his dorm and telling him to remain where he was.

"Can I help you, good fellow?" came a regal and well-spoken voice from behind the unicorn, making him jump a little as he turned to see Blueblood. His smooth golden mane was draped over his shoulders perfectly, as always, and his hooves shone in the torch light - signs of his most recent spa trip. In this light, he look particularly splendid, as he would normally say. But Shining couldn't fathom up any discernible sentence in his moment of wonder, gaining a roll of the eyes from his charge.

"Honestly Shining, you must learn to properly enunciate your words. Many would see it as being rather...uncouth. In any case, was there something you needed?"

"N-No, your highness, I was j-just..."

"Just what?"

Shining opened his mouth, with nothing but silence escaping. Blueblood raised an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry, your highness. I guess I'm just feeling a bit ill this evening."

"Would you like to come in, good guard? I'm sure you could pour us both a beverage."

Shining hesitated. "N-no thank you. I think I'll be needing a good night's sleep. T-Thank you for the offer, your highness..." The guard pony spun round a little quicker than he'd intended to and quickly scuttled away without looking back, though Blueblood's elegant voice halted him yet again.

"Shining?"

He turned.

"N-Nevermind. I'll have need of your services in the morning"

"Yes, your highness."

As Blueblood entered his luxurious chambers, he couldn't help but feel terribly disappointed. He had oddly missed Shining's company for the day, but certain events had kept him far to preoccupied from his regular routine. The Autumn Gala was due to come round at the beginning of next month: a pompous celebration filled with all the finery and splendour that Canterlot nobility could muster at such a dreary time of year. Blueblood had been put in charge of getting banquet preparations ready, and thus the handsome white stallion had been rushing back and forth from the Palace Kitchens and the Grand Ballroom for the best part of five hours.

He had regretted not telling Shining of his sudden plans, but there was in truth, no reason why he should have. Shining was a Royal Guard, no more.

And yet...

Blueblood sighed forlornly and trotted over to his expansive cartography table, the great sheet of brown paper spread out before him. Blueblood suddenly had an odd thought. It flashed across his mind, like lightning from out of a clear sky. The map, no - his map, of Equestria, the Griffin Kingdoms, Germaneigh, Prance, and all the other realms of the known world, was nothing more than a collection of conveniently placed lines of black ink. And yet these finely located and constructed blocks of stained paper transported Blueblood and anypony who gazed upon them to far away places. It was incredible, the royal pony thought, that nothing more than a line can take one's mind over rivers and mountain ranges.

Letting out a thin smile, the Prince levitated his calligraphy pen, blackened on the tip by the rich black ink. With a fanciful flourish of his mane, Blueblood began to pen down his newest discoveries.

One good thing which definitely came out from all the preparations were the tales that the old Palace Chef had to tell. He was Prench, and as Blueblood had written down all the supplies and food that would be needed for the festivities, the earth pony had taken it upon himself to weave magical tales of his homeland. And thus Blueblood filled in the city of Boulogne-sur-Mare and the castle of Château de Chevaliers, the silence of the bed chambers being broken by nothing but the scratching of nib on parchment.

But when the work was finished, and the country of Prance ever nearer to being completed, the Prince sighed yet again. He had secretly hoped that he would be having company tonight. Shining would have been extremely welcome, even if he was just a guard. The two had grown somewhat closer over the past weeks, but Blueblood was sad to say that they remained nothing more than acquaintances, and awkward ones at that. The pair had never interacted in great detail when Shining was off duty, the occasional nod and greeting every now and then, but nothing more.

Blueblood at last retreated to his bed chamber proper, bringing the log hearth to life with a single spark of magic. The Prince fell onto his sumptuous four poster bed, the silken bound pillows bouncing as the stallion's head was caught in their embrace. An alabaster hoof trailed the covers wistfully, like a scene from a classic romance film. There he lay for a time, simply pondering over nothing in particular, flitting back and forth between the past and present.

He sorely wished Shining had accepted his request. Was it something he said? Or did? Princess Celestia had insisted on giving him social etiquette lessons when interacting with other ponies below his class, and Blueblood had hoped he was improving. Alas, maybe not. But whatever the reason, Shining wasn't here, and Blueblood felt very lonely as he levitated a jewelled decanter to his beside.

Golden dreamwine sloshed within like liquid gold, swirling gracefully into an equally graceful glass like molten amber. The usually sweet and honey-touched taste did nothing to excite Blueblood's royal tongue. It was flat and null, devoid of all the richness that it usually contained. No, the Prince's tongue longed for something else...

"Honestly!" he suddenly scolded himself, "such indecent thoughts."

BOOOOONG!

Shining automatically moved from his bunk, all four hooves landing perfectly as he made his way to the bathroom. His ears felt deafened, his usually fine sense of hearing barely registering Razorwind's groans as the black pegasus fell from bed. Cold water burned his stung his fur as he splashed away the cobwebs of a rather uncomfortable slumber. He had come through a perturbing dream. Blueblood was there, next to him on a hill. They had been simply watching the view together when a great thunder cloud had appeared, breaking the harmony of such an idyllic moment. A lightning bolt had separated the two, and Blueblood had disappeared into the far distance, leaving Shining all alone.

A mocking voice had come, chanting "find me, find me, find me" repeatedly, yet who it belonged to, Shining could not say. It had left a murky pool of feelings in the young unicorn's chest.

"Hey, hey! Shiny-boy!" called Amber Flare loudly as the white unicorn trudged into the Great Hall. "You okay, dude? You look like death."

Indeed, heavy bags hung below the indigo eyes of the young guard. "I'm fine Flare, really. I just had a weird night. Guess I've got a cold or something, but otherwise I'm good. How 'bout you? Seems like forever since I've actually had a decent catch-up time with my best buddy."

The golden unicorn grinned. "Ah! I'm dandy, Shiny. I really am. Running River wants me to come over to hers the next time we have a holiday, so I guess that's Hearth's Warming. But my parent's want to visit Canterlot sometime sooner. I might have to think of some excuse to tell Sergeant Skyfire."

"Naughty colt, Amber Flare. You're playing close to the edge."

"Says the one who threw a stink-bomb into Golden Aegis' office in the first week of signing up."

Shining chuckled, swishing his tail back and forth as he left to retrieve his food. The following conversation did him good. He and Amber Flare had been seeing less and less of each other with Shining's new shifts on the wall, and the golden unicorn had been away on excursions preparing him for full induction into the Guard. From what he said, he was getting very close.

"And the Sergeant even said that he'd put in a commendation for me with the Captain. Can you believe it? I've never been so goddess-damned happy in all my life. All that training, marching and all the other jazz has finally paid off! Plus, next week we're going to the Silverline Mountains to have a joint exercise with some trainee Griffin Talon Guards. This is gonna be so sweet!"

"Damn, Flare. How come I never got to go on these trips?"

"Cuz you made the mistake of being promoted before all this could happen, silly."

Shining laughed, spooning a mouthful of steaming oatmeal into his mouth as the hall continued to flood with other guards. The white unicorn didn't expect anything bad to happen today. Today felt like a good day, although Shining wasn't quite sure of the source of this feeling. The dream had set him on edge at first, but now all memory of it seemed to disappear. Maybe it was nothing.

The bell tolled thrice again, bringing about the first series of rounds for the Royal Guard. A golden bound unicorn hurried eagerly towards the Cloud Wing, his triple toned mane showing from beneath his helmet. Shining galloped under arches and hedges, finally coming to a stop at the grand staircase leading to his Prince's chambers. Shining smiled. The weather was much better this morning, grey rain clouds replaced by clear, open skies of stunning azure, lit up by the radiant sunlight. It was still cold, but the kiss of the sun's rays found purchase in Shining's chest.

As the stallion trotted towards the familiar double doors, knocking politely as was requested by Blueblood. Silence followed. Clearing his throat, Shining hazarded another knock. Still, nothing came from the royal chambers. In the distance a bell rang, chiming that the time was a full half an hour past nine. Not knowing what else to do, Shining dared to open the doors.

The first thing that the guard noticed was the smell: a pungent, sickly sweet odour permeated the room like a malign, invisible fog. The great table upon which Blueblood kept his treasured map. Compasses and rulers lay as they always did, and Shining let out a small smirk as he saw the additions of more places on the country of Prance. But as the Prince himself, he was nowhere to be seen.

That was until Shining turned into the bed chamber.

Blueblood lay sprawled on his bed, mane dishevelled from what looked like a very rough night's sleep and his coat was matted and tangled. His tail hung over one side of the bed, its normally fine hairs tangled in knots so tight it hurt Shining to even imagine loosening them. A glance to the right showed the source of the prince's current downfall. A single, half empty decanter of dreamwine sat mockingly, the dizzying honey-touched fragrance flooding into Shining's nostrils as he stepped into the room, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Sire" he coughed, hoping in vain to rouse the sleeping pony. "Prince Blueblood, can you hear me? It's Shining. Um, are you okay, your highness?"

"Go away..." came a muffled moan from the covers.

"Your highness, with all due respect, you need to wake up"

Blueblood raised his head suddenly, revealing a pair of scarlet rimmed eyes, watering at the sunlight streaming through the windows. "I am a Prince. I don't have to do anything. Now leave me be, Shining Armour. As you always do..."

"I beg your pardon, your highness?"

"Nothing. Just, give me some time. Where's my maid? And my dresser?"

Shining answered. "They're not here yet, sire. I could send for them if you w-"

Blueblood waved a dismissive hoof into the air. "Don't bother yourself, good guard. You can assist me."

And so as the royal stallion stumbled his way to his bathroom, Shining began to levitate the offending alcohol back into the glass cabinet from which it usually resided. The sound of running water rang from behind the closed door to Shining's left, followed by a groan.

"Do you need help, your highness?" Shining called. His heart fluttered a little when a desperate "yes" responded. As the guard peered into the stunning marble bathroom. Blueblood stood leaning against the basin, his eyes rimmed with rosen lines and beads of water. Shining had never seen the royal pony in such a state before.

"It was stupid of me to do that"

"Do what, sire?"

"Drink. I hate drinking. It tastes unpleasant at the best of times; I have no idea of what possessed me - I guess that answers the next question on your lips. I don't know why." He splashed his face again, before giving Shining an expecting look.

And Shining's chest swelled.

"Um, v-very well. W-what would you like me to do...?"

The silence that came lasted for much longer than it normally would have, but finally Blueblood opened his mouth. And then he paused. He could say it, not now, not here, not after the spectacle that he made of himself. But...

"I want..." he stopped. "I..." Was this it? Shining removed his helmet gingerly and set it beside him on the bathroom counter-top, letting loose his mane with a dignified little flourish. His eyes met those of the Prince, locking navy against azure like the sea and sky. Shining edged just that little bit closer, his gaze imploring for an answer. And finally Blueblood spoke.

"I want you to lay out my suit for today on the bed. I, I need a bath."

Unbeknownst to either pony, both of each other's sparks died in their eyes. A cold mood descended.

"Of, of course, my Prince" muttered Shining, quickly withdrawing his eyes and levitating his helmet back upon his head.

"Wait!"

Both ponies froze, Blueblood moving a hoof over his offending mouth as if the appendage could reverse the word from ever being uttered. The guard pony turned, a raised eyebrow marking his face and the faintest sliver of a hopeful smile on his lips. He came back over, his steps bringing him ever closer to the young Prince.

"Yes?" breathed Shining slowly, his heart hammering all of a sudden as Blueblood took another step forward.

"I, I could use some...help. Cherry Blossom isn't here, you see. And...I thought that somepony would like to assist me with my personal grooming. N-Not that I need much work to look good..."

Shining rolled his eyes playfully.

"I, I mean" Blueblood stammered, "I would be very content if...you, Shining Armour, would care to help your Prince with getting ready for today."

"What do you need?"

They were both very close now, at a distance which, not a few weeks ago, Blueblood would have panicked and commanded his guard to be banished from the building for invasion of personal space. But now...

Neither pony moved, barely daring to breath.

What the hell are you doing? Screamed Shining's mind, his heartbeat filling his ears with its jack-hammer rhythm. This is precisely what you've been trying to avoid for the past month! And yet as Blueblood raised his eyes to meet his own once again, the blue maned unicorn found another voice speaking up. And here you are, standing muzzle to muzzle with a handsome young Prince...seems this was bound to happen.

"I need..." Blueblood began, his own mind having just had an almost identical duel. "I need you."

Neither pony was sure who made the first movement, but as both pairs of lips touched, neither pony backed away. Blueblood took another tip toe forward, and Shining breathed heavily as his mind guided his lips into a short, loving dance with his partner's. But as both stallions slowly drifted apart, Shining opened his eyes.

And ran out of the door, horrified.