Carving a Path (Open)

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Routines. They were something that Flak Jacket usually adhered to pretty strictly. Be it his daily duties keeping the peace, personal regime to keep his large body strong or measured diet, he always stuck to what he knew for the most part. As such, he was doing so now, walking at a comfortable pace on a rural road that would eventually take the stallion to Ponyville, where he could deliver the raw materials that he had gathered from the Everfree Forest. It was performing two actions in one sweep, really; fetching large pieces of timber and stone helped to keep the town in supply when and if new homes needed to be made, and carrying it all helped Flak stay strong enough to serve as a worthy guard. Hoof was placed in front of hoof in routine fashion, the weight of a full saddlebag filled with a few large stones and an armful of wood bearing upon him as he continued his supply route, his eyes resting upon the sun; clear days like this always put the standard bearer in a good mood, for it made him feel closer to the daytime that he had swore to protect. While he had utmost faith in the Lunar and Twilight guard to uphold their duties at their respective times, he knew his duties, and while the sun still graced the sky, it fell to him and his allies to ensure the safety of everypony as well as that of Princess Celestia. Yes, the routine was a good way of bringing structure to Flak's day, although it never allowed him to enter autopilot, for his mind was always whirring. Sadly, for all his kindness and loyalty, suspicion always burned away in his brain, even if the unrest that occurred daily was minor at worst. 

As he continued on his path, the weight of the saddlebag began to feel slightly heavier; he had travelled a way without a break, determined to bring the hefty supplies to Ponyville asap. However, with the distance he had already travelled, coupled by the sun beating down upon his light but still hot armour, Flak decided to rest a while on the road. Moving off to the side so not to block off anyone else who desired to use it, Flak allowed his burden to hit the ground, kicking up a small amount of dust as he did so, the strapping stallion sitting down, using the bag of stone and wood as a cushion, his hooves reaching for his notepad and pen. With the picturesque view of the midday sun, the cloudless skies, the gentle breeze...inspiration had struck the young stallion. Before he knew it, pen was scurrying across paper:

The golden orb doth grace us with it's grin;
A blessing from our gracious Princess' grace
That fills us all with radiance within
So much it brings us all in its embrace

And even when the sun does fade and set,
The moonlight's solace in its absent way,
The darkness blankets everypony; yet
The echo of our star is here to stay

So here I sit, and here I offer praise
To Princess of the perfect, radiant dawn,
For without fail, emerging from the maze
Of darkness, rears the daylight oxen's horn

So here I write my reverence to the sun,
Such is my creed: Celestia's will be done

Flak didn't realise how much time had passed, nor would he realise of he had company of any sort; a trance he entered when inspired was a habit he had been meaning to break when he could, but the moment inspiration struck, no matter where he was or what he was trying to accomplish, he would always find the time to write a sonnet or two. At the moment, he was so enveloped that anyone could have read his work over his shoulder, if they were quiet enough. But for now, Flak Jacket read over his latest creation, knowing that soon, he had to finish his journey.

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The Courier found himself rather bored without any clients for the day. He didn't blame the usual customers, however, as he understood that his service was a back-up plan rather than a go-to service, although he did have some dedicated clients who used him exclusively. Traveling around was fun, but he had no direction today. So here he was, gliding around hoping to pass the time, when something caught his eye. A golden gleam from below. He shielded his eyes for a brief moment before gliding down towards the source, but he had to approach from behind, where the gleam would not obscure his vision.

Shooting Star stayed quiet as he could, hoping not to disturb the stallion who was sitting there. His mind then processed who...or at least what this pony was. A royal guard?! Holy crud, this is awesome! he thought, his heart rose a little! He had so many questions he wanted to ask, so many things he wanted to know! How is being a royal guard? How does one become a royal guard? He kept himself calm as he read the reverence to the sun. Not only a guard, but a zealot...perhaps a paladin?! he thought, but decided not to say anything immediately. Instead, he decided to take a seat a few feet away, to the right of the stallion to look at the mid-day sky, the sun that Celestia provided and controlled.

"A beautiful day, isn't it?" he hoped to start a casual conversation, like it was just any other day.

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Flak, to say the least, did not expect the enchanted glow of both his light armour and the Solar Standard to act as a beacon for pegasi; while it was technically serving its job to inspire and instil hope and happiness in those who saw it, he had never really gotten used to people approaching him about it. After all, Flak was just a pony like any other, even if he had dedicated his life to the path of a paladin of sorts. He wasn't famous by any means, the story of how he recovered the old Standard old news in the wake of more recent events, but he had on occasions been questioned by inquisitive colts, fillies and foals alike. He did not notice Star glide down, as he approached him from behind, but as the colt took a seat to his right, he snapped out of his trance, glancing with a pale green eye at the young courier. His polite remark, coupled with his laid back demeanour and friendly body language did something that not everypony could do; Flak's lips tugged at their edges slightly in a small smile, his eyes not quite as suspicious as they always were of the motives of another. Sure, Flak Jacket always expected the most innocent to be the ones to watch out for, but there was something disarming about this particular pegasi that had made him feel more at ease.

"It is, isn't it? Though, every day is beautiful to me." His eyes drifted back to the impressive solar orb that hung in the sky, a shining stay of hope. "But the days like this...tomorrow it may rain, but that will just make this day's radiance more prominent." Flak nodded his head before turning his head to Shooting Star, his eyes relaxed, yet holding within them that resolve, the steely grit that made him stand out as one of Celestia's trusted. "But where are my manners? I'm yet to introduce myself: You can call me Flak Jacket." He held out a hoof, though the iron shod limb would feel a little hot to the touch; not so much that it would burn, but enough to be uncomfortable if held for too long. Awaiting the hoofshake, Flak looked back to the sun, the heat not fazing him at all. In fact, heat and light that would make most ponies uncomfortable invigorated the stallion; his zealous reverence to the sun caused this, perhaps, or his temperance through daily, self imposed physical tests in the hot sun. Either way, Flak was sat here, in solar armour with the Solar Standard jutting from his flank, and for all the light radiating from the paladin, he looked comfortable and composed as he spoke once more, gesturing to the notebook with one hoof. "Forgive my oblivious nature earlier. When I become inspired, my mind tends to wander." He nodded his head once, resisting the urge to snort as his eyes remained calmly fixated on the happy-go-lucky colt before him.

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The pegasus did not realize just how disarming he was, having known nothing about Flak Jacket aside from appearances. He ascertained that Flak Jacket is a no-nonsense type, due to both his build and his body language. The smile, as warming as it was due to the contrast, felt a tad foreign, as if it didn't happen very often. Perhaps the courier was a disarming fellow, or mabe he just caught Flak in a good mood. His wings shimmered faintly due to the odd dust that they produced, but their light paled in comparison to Flak's armor. As the guard began to talk, agreeing with him while mentioning the juxtaposition of tomorrow's potential rainy day, the pegasus nodded. Before he could concur, the guard offerred a hoof shake, something that, while he kept his dispotion consistent, deep inside the pegasus was practically fan-colting!

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Flak Jacket." He accepted the hoof-shake. "My name is Shooting Star, an-" he cut himself off, realizing an error. "Sorry, introducing with a nickname has become a silly habit of mine...My name is Stardust Glimmer." He blushed a little in embarassment, and then was referred to the notebook flak was writing in.

"I see nothing wrong in being lost within inspiration. I'm the one who should be apologizing for interrupting." he chuckled a little awkwardly, not unlike a child trying to do things the right way while knowing they messed up. He purposely held back questions, not wanting to sound like a pest.