Empire of Mercy
Copyright© 2025 by Daelyx Len Auphydas
Chapter 10: Academy Days
When Mooncrescent and Starblaze reach the mess hall, the place is already crowded. Most of the soldiers eating there are palace guards, rather than Royal Companions like the brothers, although for cadets the actual difference is rather minor as both organizations attend the Royal Legion Academy.
“Your old stallion give you much trouble?” Shining Armor asks the pair of brothers as they sit down, propping up his head on one hoof leaning over the table.
Starblaze just groans in response, leaving Mooncrescent to answer. “He’s just bugging us about not getting him enough information again, and threatening to pull us out of cadet school if we don’t work on it.”
“You might want to keep that down. If Blueblood hears you say that out loud, he’ll probably try to blackmail you with it.” Shining Armor hisses out. After all, if their father discovers how loose the two colts are with their supposed ‘mission’, it would not go well for them.
“It’s fine. He’s over there harassing some poor soul.” Mooncrescent justifies, jerking a hoof over to the center of the room.
“Wait, isn’t that...?” Shining Armor starts, raising a brow, watching as the young prince stalks around his quarry, a rather out-of-place looking, prismatically-maned pegasus filly, currently trying to put on a brave face.
“What a sad state of affairs.” Blueblood is saying, wrinkling his nose at the filly as if she smelled bad. “To think, they’ll let just anypony into the royal guard these days. Even unwashed commoners without any sense of proper etiquette like yourself.”
Rainbow Dash flares out her wings, taking up a defensive posture with an expression to match. “I performed a sonic Rainboom and was invited here by Princess Celestia themself! I’m not ‘just anypony’!” She postures, while Blueblood simply rolls his eyes.
“Oh, please, I’m sure you did. Celestia is just showboating, picking some gutter rat up and elevating them to our esteemed organization to look good for the presses. I’m sure once she’s done milking you for all the good publicity you’re worth, you’ll be dropped back off in ... Whatever backwater dump they fished you out of.” Blueblood replies dismissively. “In the meantime, know your place, commoner. And heavens, try to show some class when you make your mane in the morning!”
Rainbow Dash growls and stretches upright. “I earned my place here, I wouldn’t be here otherwise! And I come from a perfectly nice city, Cloudsdale doesnt even need gutters! Now you take that back before I make you!”
Blueblood smirks in response. “Oh my, well if you’d care to defend the supposed honor of whatever nameless family you come from, you could always challenge me to a duel. Of course, a lowborn like you wouldn’t stand a chance against my talents.”
Rainbow Dash looks ready to commit the admittedly foolish decision of taking up Blueblood on his offer when the conversation is interrupted. “That’s enough, Blueblood!” Starblaze calls out, marching over to the older aristocrat. “If you keep this up, I’ll be the one you’re dueling, and I don’t know if your family could bear the shame of losing yet another bout. Don’t you have better things to be doing than harassing the princesses new student?”
Blueblood stiffens at the sound of Starblaze’s voice, eyeing up the unicorn with easily discerned loathing. “Princesses new student or not, she’ll never be more than a wretched commoner as far I care. I suppose I have no need to waste more of my precious time on such a lowlife.” Blueblood announces, stalking off with as much of his dignity intact as he can.
Rainbow Dash puffs out a cheek, pouting. “I coulda taken care of him myself...” She protests, mumbling under her breath. It’s hardly the first time she had to deal with bullies, although, granted, this bully in particular has a noteworthy size advantage over her.
Starblaze just chuckles. That attitude was one he was well acquainted with, from dealing with Mooncrescent. “Course you could’ve, but then you’d have gotten in trouble with your teacher. C’mon, sit with us, we’ll make sure nopony else bugs you.” Starblaze trots over back to where Mooncrescent and Shining Armor are sitting without glancing back to see if Rainbow Dash followed. The pegasus filly frowns, glances this way and that, and being met with only hostile gazes from the rest of the aristocrats present, reluctantly follows after Starblaze.
“Hey there, Rainbow!” Mooncrescent greets the filly with a sunny smile as she sits down beside him. “Celestia already put you in cadet school huh? I guess that means we’ll be seeing more of each other from now on.”
“Hey, uh ... um...” Rainbow scratches the back of her head with her hoof, wincing as she tries to remember the guardsponies name.
“Mooncrescent.” Shining Armor fills in the gap from Rainbow Dash’s other side. “And his brother is Starblaze.”
Rainbow Dash’s gaze drifts over to the pony who had rescued her, eyes lighting up with recognition. “Oh, I remember you! You were the unicorn who was in the infirmary with me! So, you two are brothers? I guess I can see the resemblance.” Rainbow Dash notes, observing the duo’s white mane’s and bluish coats, though Starblaze’s is a deep dark blue dappled with white spots while Mooncrescents is a far paler blue, almost white. Both of the colts do, however, have the same golden eyes.
Starblaze nods, sitting on the far side from Mooncrescent. “Yup! Do you have any family back home? I know you flew out here alone, after Celestia scouted you out.”
“Um, my mom and dad are back in Cloudsdale. I have an uncle too, though I don’t really know him.” Rainbow Dash frowns melancholically. “That’s all, though. I’m an only child.” She hadn’t ever really regretted that much before, especially given how her only friend in Cloudsdale had Zephyr Breeze of all ponies as an older sibling. But seeing Shining Armor around Twilight had made her start wondering what she was missing out on.
Starblaze’s wistful expression matches Rainbow Dash’s introspection. “That’s a shame. Do you get along with your parents at least?”
“Yeah. They can be a bit much, but they’re very supportive.” Rainbow Dash nods.
“Well you got that over us, at least. Father’s a pain, and mother’s been dead for years.” Mooncrescent groans. “How about you, Shining? C’mon, tell the academies latest member about your family!”
Shining Armor leans in at the prompting. “Huh? Oh, I’m the only son of House Twilight. You’ve met my little sis, Twilight Sparkle. The first daughter of every generation in our family is named Twilight.”
Rainbow Dash grimaces. “Yeah, I have. Is she ... Always that neurotic?” The pegasus filly asks.
Shining Armor cracks a smile at Rainbow Dash. “Try and cut her some slack, she’s really nervous after getting to be Celestia’s new student. She’s really a great filly, once you get to know her. I promise.”
Rainbow Dash shrugs. “I guess I’ll try to keep that in mind.” The pegasus cocks her head to the side curiously. “What did you hear about me from her?”
Shining Armor gains a coy smirk. “Mostly that you’re an insufferable braggart who won’t stop talking about how cool she is.”
Rainbow Dash’s cheeks heat up to bright cherry red. “Hey! I didn’t brag that much, and I am awesome!”
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