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The morning sun crashed through dreams of dragons chasing ponies through the streets of Canterlot and burned away the fog of a fitful night. Blue Shield could hear the morning revelry and he moved instinctively to his window to face the flag. His hoof found his brow and he stared hard into the light as the white banner unfolded and showed Celestia's golden sigil to the world.

A moan came from the far side of the barracks alerting him to one other having his dreams interrupted. "You know ... we're on furlough," Shade murmured. "You don't have to get up and salute."

"Yes," Blue told his friend, "I do."

"Yeah," Shade nodded, "you do." Then, the stallion rolled over, put his covers up over his head and resumed his deep breathing.

A smile touched Blue's lips, but it faltered when he looked at the three empty beds in the room which had not been touched since their return. "Shade."

"Mmmmph."

"The others didn't come back last night." An unconcerned utterance answered. "I need to go find them."

"Try the jail," Shade mumbled.

Blue blinked at that answer and was about to ask something but decided to leave it be.

*****

"Uh ... mornin', Sarge," Green River greeted sheepishly. The stallion winced as he rose to a respectful stance. Cuts and bruises covered his skin with angry marks and his smile was missing another tooth. "Uhm ... funny meeting you here."

"The guard says you were fighting with these colts over here," Sergeant Shield spoke in a voice that trembled with quiet rage. His gaze shifted to the earth pony guards who had stopped them the previous day. Their bruises were just as plentiful and not a one of them looked up to meet his gaze. At least my stallions appear to have put up a good fight.

"Uh ... yeah," Green River hung his head.

"Yeah, what?" the steel of command reminded him.

"Yes, Sergeant!"

Deep blue eyes stared hard at his subordinate and then shot to his brothers-in-arms. The Tick-Tock brothers flinched. "I'm not surprised to see this hoof-brain here ... but you two? I expected more of you."

"Sorry, Sergeant," they spoke simultaneously, no excuses coming to their lips.

"Will you be taking charge of them, Sergeant?" the jailor said as he stepped closer to the cage.

"That depends," he said without looking away from them, "how long will you keep them if I just leave them here?"

"Until the sun sets," the jailor shrugged with a sour smirk. "You want me to keep them?" A long silence surrounded them as the three in captivity looked more worried with each heartbeat. "Sergeant?"

"I'm thinking," he said as he continued to glare. As he let the silence stretch, the stomping of angry hooves echoed into the jail and sent the earth ponies in the cage standing ridged and terrified. _Perfect. _ "Commander Shod Hoof."

"Sergeant Blue Shield," the earth pony gate guard commander nodded respectfully, his red body flexed in equal parts military perfection and harsh reprimand. Bright green eyes held his guards transfixed as he laid into them. "Well ... well ... well ... do the bars and the cages need extra guarding?"

"N-no, sir," stammered the highest ranking of the subordinates.

"The gold of the front gates not enough for you?" the commander continued. "Not enough action in your day-to-day lives?" The earth guards opened their mouths and then snapped them shut a few times like shore beached fish.

Every inch a war-pony. "It appears our colts have too much time on their hooves," Blue Shield remarked. "Commander, do you have any walls which need a new coat of paint?"

"Miles upon miles," the commander caught on immediately, "layered in the earthen tradition of bucket and brush without a drop of magic to help."

"That sounds like some good training for a unicorn," the sergeant said in the tone of a bully debating which filly he was going to beat up and steal their lunch money. "I volunteer my three idiots for the detail."

"A novel idea," the commander agreed. "I think it's time for us to spend some quality time together ... bonding."

*****

"Ahhh ... isn't this fun?" Sergeant Blue Shield remarked loudly from behind his dark sunglasses.

"Woo-hoo," Green River grumbled in a flat voice, "this is the best ... job ... ever."

Blue Shield sipped his icy drink and then paced along the base of the gleaming white walls which protected Canterlot from harm. Three mixed teams of one unicorn and one earth pony stood upon scaffolding, painting by hoof, with nothing but buckets and basic tools.

Magic was forbidden, though not for any true traditional reason. The truth was, most of the city had been constructed by magic and much of it was maintained by those same spells. Still, chipping paint was a time honored tradition in the military, and the more public the humiliation, the more efficient the lessons tended to be.

This paint detail was all along the outer wall near the east gate. While this was not the main gate, it still saw traffic and drew amused stares from those whom passed. Blue Shield was pleased to see that the bickering had eased away after a few brief gusts and now the teams were suffering in silence.

The sun was at its zenith when they were all granted a water break. The groups came together at the two troughs and there were some furrowed brows before they all rolled their eyes and plunged in.

"Hey," Green River suddenly said as his head and ears perked up all at once, "hey look! It's princess hotness!" The other stallions all followed his gaze and they all froze ... captured by beauty that did not let them go.

Princess Mi Amore Cadenza stood upon the ramparts with Captain Shinning Armor, her pink body was graceful, flowing, and leaned lovingly along the flank of the unicorn captain. Her large violet eyes sparkled with feelings and the captain's face spoke of being so thoroughly smitten that it was a wonder he did not fall off of the wall.

They look like a real couple, the sergeant observed as he studied their features. Could it be real? Might their arrangement be more than just political? _The thought drew a familiar pain into his chest as he thought of the empty space in his own heart. It had been years since Blue Shield had known a special somepony. At moments like this that ache made it hard to stand ... and then he realized something that increased the flush in his blood. _I'm ... jealous?

At that moment, the princess turned her gaze and seemed to stare right at him. Something light and pure resonated through him in a non-invasive manner, and Sergeant Shield was grateful for the shades which were covering his tears. The princess stared at him until the captain followed her gaze, and then some private whispers passed between them. A slight smile tugged at the corners of her lips and she nodded to him.

A gasp of air deflated from Blue Shield's lungs and he suddenly felt the anger leave his belly. He had not realized how much of his strength and momentum had come from that anger and soon, he found himself unable to continue with the day's agenda.

"Alright, gentlecolts," he spoke as his command voice refused to boom at its full volume, "we're good."

"Really?" Green River blinked and both Tick and Tock reached out to smack him at the same time.

"Really," the sergeant said calmly. "You all stopped fighting long enough to work together and in the end ... that is all we really need of you. You don't have to love each other ... but we are all on the same team. As long as you can set aside your petty differences long enough to work toward the betterment of Princess Celestia's Queendom ... then that is enough."

The others glanced at one another in confusion but decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth. "Understood, Sergeant," Tick and Tock spoke as one. The others echoed their compliance and quickly they set to the task of cleaning up their mess. Exhaustion settled into Blue Shield's limbs as he put one of the earth ponies in charge and then retired the field.

The splendor of the city vibrated with the pride of its white walls and splashes of golden suns. The residents in their afternoon splendor moved through the streets with their heads held high ... literally moving with haughty dignity at the knowledge that they were the elite of Equestria. Am I one of them? Do I honestly belong to this place?

Canterlot had been his home for many years, and in all that time he had been alone. Friends were a wonderful thing but that was not the end of his heart's desire. When his hooves drew him to the royal gardens, the old ache welled up inside and threatened to fling him to the ground. It was here that he had last rolled the dice at love ... and it was here that he felt the sort of defeat one rarely recovers from.

_It was her ... the princess felt my wounds and her magic reopened them ... but why? Why did she do this? Why couldn't she just let me be? _

"Sergeant." The captain's voice straightened the soldier's posture and created an unsteady quivering which the soldier had not felt since he was an untested private.

"Sir," he spoke reflexively and he heard the approach of two ponies. No, his nose suddenly told him, a pony and a princess. _ His stomach began to quiver as his knees grew weak. _I cannot face her ... cannot look.

"Princess Cadance would like a word with you."

"Alone," her silvery voice spoke.

"Alright," the captain said in a voice that spoke of weakness and the knight moved away from them.

"Sergeant," the princess's voice called out to him, and he felt the rest of him turn toward the beautiful alicorn and his head dropped heavily in a proper bow.

"Princess," he spoke formally.

"Please ... just Cadance," she assured him.

"I cannot," he insisted as he drew up his armor and crushed down the emotions which were running over his courage. "How may I serve you, princess?"

"You may serve ... by being honest." The statement was mixed with a mixture of command, sincerity, and a gentle nature that he instantly began to trust. "Your pain reached me."

"I ... apologize," Blue Shield said with a flush of embarrassment. "My pain is my own ... I would never force it upon another ... especially you or your sisters."

"My duty to the crown is in the betterment of its people," she corrected him. "I work with the hurt and the damaged so that they may learn to love once more. Your struggle has not been as personal as you might believe it to be ... I have heard others talking and I have seen the shadow for myself."

"The shadow?" the sergeant asked with a furrowed brow, and he dared look up at her. The violet in her eyes watched him with genuine concern and her body's language lacked any fear that one might normally show one of his reputation.

"Sadness," the princess clarified, "loneliness ... desire ... you looked upon Shining Armor and I and it hurt you ... both physically and deeper."

"Princess," Blue Shield spoke more sternly than he had meant to but the tone stopped her words. "I appreciate your concern, but this is no more than the loneliness created by a stallion without a mare. I have been single and alone for a lone time, with only duty as my mistress. I shall not fail the crown. I will not fail due to some hurt feelings or lash out to harm one of the colts under my command."

"Then why do you look upon your commander with so much venom?" she asked with the casual nature of one who has lured prey into a trap.

"It is not appropriate for me to say," the sergeant spoke with military precision.

"Very well," the princess said and then she cleared her throat. "Sergeant Blue Shield, as your princess I am ordering you to tell me why you look at your captain the way that you do."

_Because he's a pretty, undisciplined, child of privilege whose family has been chosen by the crown for special treatment. _ "With all due respect, princess, you are not _my_princess. I shall not speak poorly of my captain to you or anyone else, for that matter. Only Princess Celestia herself could cause me to obey such a command."

"I see," the princess said with sadness in her eyes, but then a slight smile touched her lips. "Your captain is very lucky to have soldiers as fiercely loyal as you. I hope that in time your opinion of him will lighten ... but not all can see him as I do."

A dozen terrible things flooded through the sergeant's mind as he wondered the many ways in which they had seen each other. _Unworthy ... he is so ... so very unworthy. _"Might I ask what you see in him, princess?" Her smile answered him and her cheeks reddened slightly in a very pretty blush. "Of course," he said with a nod. Then, he finished rebuilding the wall of his discipline and gave her a courteous bow. "Princess," he said politely, and when she nodded to him, Sergeant Blue Shield returned to the barracks.