RiE Chapter 6 Color

Apologies for this taking so long. I am quite upset that I was not able to get this out to you faster.

>You wake up with the sun morning feeling good
>The morning after your meeting with Luna you found a veritable studio full of paints and supplies awaiting you outside your room
>After a quick shower you set up a chair and easel on your balcony and decided to start painting the gardens below you to help you remember the feel of a brush in your hands
>It feels odd at first. Almost a foreign feel
>How long had it been since you had painted? A year? More?
>You let yourself go just letting your hands move on their own
>About half an hour later and you are back in your old groove. The only thing you are missing is some music in the background
>Just before lunch time Star came in to check on you.
>He came to you letting paint dry on a mostly finished painting
>He was worried because he found out that you had not sent out for breakfast
>You show him the work you have been doing.
>He seems amazed and starts comparing it to the view and pointing out each part
>Finally you decide to go change while he keeps looking
>While changing a thought comes into your head
>"Hey Star!"
"Yeah"
>"Whats with the clothes they gave me? Why do all of them have no sleeves and look the same?"
"Well they probably based them on Minotaur clothes. When they wear clothes they only wear clothes similar to what you are wearing"
>Huh that makes sense "Any chance I can meet with the tailors to get new clothes made?"
He thinks for a moment then says "I don't see why not. We can at least ask them. Also that reminds me. I was wondering if you want to meet some of my friends who are in training today?"
>Meet your only bros friends? "Training? As in like guard training" he nods "Wont we get them in trouble?"
>He smiles mischievously at you
"Yeah. That's the point!" Oh Star says with a laugh in his voice
>You smile back "I am game"
>He is still standing there staring at your painting
>"I know you have seen better paintings. We looked at them yesterday" you say with a smirk
"I have never have known a painter though. Painting cutie marks are rare. Most of the painters in Equestria take it up as a hobby or its a minor part of their real talent." he looks at you "I don't think there has been a painting added to the halls in YEARS."
>Very few painters? Most of them armatures? Maybe you have just found a day job here. Well other than being a knight
>Before you left you made sure to grab a pencil and sketchbook. Never know what will catch your eye.
>After heading to eat you stopped by at the tailors. They listened to your request and you even sketched out a few designs from different angles so they understood what you wanted. They still had your measurements so it was fairly quick. When they were done they would be delivered to your room
>Chalk one up for thinking ahead
>After that you headed to the guard section of the palace separated to the side
>Star introduced you to people here and there finally stopping outside a series of rooms labelled "Recruits"
>A older unicorn dressed in a strange outfit walks up to you and introduces himself to you and says Hi to Star.
>His said his name was Instructor Whitestep.
"Nice to meet you Anonymous. Star Sword what are you doing down here? I thought you would be smart enough never to step foot here!"
>Star is smiling at him
"You still putting the fear of death into new recruits?" Star asked with a chuckle
"Old recruits need some fear put back in now and again. You come to volunteer for training again?"
"NO SIR!" Star responds with a salute "I have some buddies in training here. I was wanting to introduce Anonymous to them. First I thought that I might offer our services in "Training"" He said the last word with a wink.
Whitestep stops and thinks for a bit "I think you would do nicely. Anonymous can you take a hit or two if it comes to it? I might not be able to step in fast enough if it comes to that"
>You think about it. A hit or two? What are they going to have you do? Oh well why not this should be fun "Sure. As long as its only a hit or two."
>A few moments later they positioned you outside a room where the recruits were sparring
>Star held in your arms
>You bust in the door and scream "GRAAAAAAAAAAH!"
>Whitestep had placed you in old minotaur armor that he had made black to match the outfit you were wearing. He then covered your body in illusions. You are not quite sure what you look like but Star looked a bit freaked out by it.
>A few illusions on Star made him look like you had attacked him. Looking at him made you sick.
>You hold Star over your head and throw him to the side
>Crouching down you immediately break into a run at the startled ponies
>There are about twenty of them separated off practicing what looks like hand-to-ha...Hoof-to-hoof combat
>All but two of them ran to the opposite side of the room. A few even screamed
>The two that stayed in place, a pegasus and an earth pony, waited for you to get close before they commenced their attack
>The earth pony went for your legs while the pegasus bucked at your head
>Doing the only thing that came to mind you threw yourself forward into a jump over the earth pony but under the pegasus
>You land in a roll you did not know you could do and, with a roar, continued running for the ponies huddling in the corner
>Like an explosion the ponies shot out from the corner and around you in a wave
>You turn to see a pair of hooves as the pegasus from before tries to brain you again
>You lean back barely missing the kick. "Where the fuck did I get these skills from?" you ask yourself
>A look around shows the earth pony coming in from your left with the pegasus on your right
>Shit they have you cornered
>A quick swipe with your arms keeps them at bay
>You see them glance at each other and tense up
>Just before you get attacked a voice yells
"ATTENTION!"
>Whitestep is standing by the door. He has probably been there this whole time.
>The ponies in front of you freeze but they do not respond to the voice
>Many of the other ponies in the room immediately stand straight up facing Whitestep. Others stay cowered wherever they happened to be
>Whitestep walks across the room to the two in front of you and yells
"Swift water! Strong Hoof! WHY HAVE YOU NOT COME TO ATTENTION?" They both flinch.
"Sir! There is a threat in the room. SIR!" The pegasus responds.
"Sir! If we come to attention we put our lives and the lives of others at risk. SIR" the earth pony responds
>Whitestep smiles
"RECRUITS IF YOU DO NOT COME TO ATTENTION I WILL HAVE YOU RUNNING AROUND THE TRAINING GROUNDS UNTIL YOUR HOOVES BLEED!"
>Oh god your ears must be bleeding from that.
>After a few moments finally the earth pony says
"Sir. I cannot follow that order. Sir." he says gritting his teeth
"Sir. I cannot turn my back on something that is an immediate threat. That is against what you have taught us. Sir." The pegasus follows up
>Whitestep laughs and you fell the illusion around you vanish
"Recruits stand down. Anonymous her is no threat. He agreed to help with a training exercise."
>You take off your helmet and start unstrapping your armor. Out of the corner of your eye Star starts walking to you
>The two ponies in front of you visibly relax but still view you strangely. Until they suddenly whip around and stand at attention before Whitestep
"Swift Water, Strong Hoof. For facing a threat and not running like cowards you get the weekend off in the city. However for disobeying direct orders from your superior officer you will be each running 30 laps around the training grounds."
>The sudden change from excited to dejected was hilarious.
"The good news is that once you are done with those you will get to sleep tonight."
>He whips around with his demeanor changing instantly. Voice rising to yell in a moment
"AS FOR THE REST OF YOU QUIVERING WORMS! I HAVE NEVER BEEN SO HUMILIATED. A SINGLE ENEMY MADE YOU RUN? I WANT EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU TO DROP AND GIVE ME 500 HOOF UPS! FOR YOUR PUNISHMENT NOT A SINGLE ONE OF YOU WILL SLEEP TONIGHT. IN FACT I THINK THE NEXT 24 HOURS WILL BE SO SCARY THAT AN ARMY OF MINOTAURS WILL SEEM FUNNY!"
>All the ponies but the two in front of you drop to the ground and start doing what you would call push-ups
"NOW CAN ANY PONY TELL ME WHAT THE TWO HEROES OVER THERE DID TO EARN THEIR 30 LAPS?"
>No answers for a while causes Star to say
"Sir. I can. Sir"
"Ahh yes. Star Sword please inform the recruits as to WHY they get a punishment."
"Sir. They did not ask for orders regarding the threat after informing you of it sir." He says
"Correct Star Sword. After you identify a threat you always ask for orders regarding it. Now which of these maggots did you come to speak with?"
>Star walks over to you and points at the two in front of you
"These two actually sir." he says with a large smile
"You chose the only two ponies among this haul of vermin. Nice choice Star Sword. Have them back in under an hour"
>Star salutes and motions for you and the ponies to follow him out of the room.
>After you made it out he bro-hoofs them and turns to you
"Guys this is my new friend Anonymous." He says at the two ponies in front of him
>"Hi! I am Anonymous. You can call me Anon. Sorry about the scare. That was Star and Whitestep's idea." you say quickly
>The pegasus pony turns to Star and glares at him
"HOW CAN YOU HELP THAT MONSTER!" He shouts at Star. "Now we have to do 30 laps because of you"
>The earth pony shakes his head, sticks his hoof out, and says "
Strong Hoof is my name. I go by Strong. This idiot on wings is Swift Water. We call him Trickle. It's nice to meet another friend of Star."
"Yeah but my coming to hang out with you guys for a bit got you a weekend off." he retorted to Trickle
>The argument carried on for a few minutes while you talked with Strong. Asking him about being a recruit and him asking you about Humans. Finally after he asked you if humans got drunk he invited you to go hang out with them this weekend. You told him you will ask the princesses if you would be allowed to go next time you saw them.
>Star Sword looks at you with a sad look for some reason
>After that you bullshitted for a while before they decided to head back in
>When they left Star escorted you back to your room so you could finish your painting
>Two hours later you had finished and sat down for a while to read
>You absolutely love the stories about Star Swirl the Bearded
>He once accidentally caused every piece of cloth in the city around his workshop to unravel when a spell he was working backfired
>It undid the work a group of 100 unicorns had put into a new dress for the unicorn princess.
>He didn't claim responsibility until it almost caused a war with Pegasi
>And by all accounts in this book he was also a notorious lecher
>Yet he was still the most influential wizard of his time who is still unmatched even today.
>A knock sounded on the door
>Getting up you go to it and find a guard with a scroll in his mouth
>Opening the scroll you found it was a letter from Princess Celestia
>Seems she requests your presence at dinner. A guard will be sent to collect you.
>Not much of a request.
>You return to reading for about two more hours when you hear a knock on the door again
>Straightening your shirt you head to the door to find Star waiting for you
>"Star! How did you get suckered into this?" you ask with a smile
"Orders. I was also invited to eat with the Princess. Come on!"
>He seems excited about this. You are nervous.
>You are not REALLY afraid of Princess Celestia. You just don't know how to act around her.
>He escorts you to a room near the meeting room where you spoke with the princesses before
>It is a small dining room. The table in the room would hold probably 20 but only seats were set up for four
>Princess Celestia and Shining Armor are sitting at the table already
>Star walks you close before dropping into a bow
>You decide to walk up beside him and kneel on one knee head bowed
>She nods at you and says
"Rise my servants"
>You both stand when she motions you to sit at the table
"Hello Anonymous. It is nice to see you today" she says with a smile
>"Hello Princess. It is nice to see you as well." Oh god what do you say to her
>She smiles benevolently at you
"I bet you wonder why I invited you to dine with me tonight."
>Come on say something funny. Say something that makes you seem witty.
>"Was it not for my pleasant company?" you manage to say without your voice shaking
>She chuckles a bit. A throaty laugh that makes your hair rise.
"No Anonymous its not your pleasurable company that I wanted here. However it is more than welcome to stay for the meal as well." A wide smile on her face "I brought you here to speak of your future."
>Your future? What is she going to kick you out already? Did you offend her in some way?
>"What do you mean Princess?" apprehension in your voice
"Do not worry Anonymous this is nothing against you. Certain nobles have expressed their disdain for your presence here. As well as the fact we have word from the gryphon capital that they are sending their envoy to meet with me about what happened while you were living in their lands."
>You visibly deflate. Now you are causing trouble for the princesses. "I am sorry princess. I didn't want to cause trouble."
She smiles at you "Anonymous do not worry. I have been talking with Shining Armor and we have a plan."
>"A plan princess? Are you going to hide me or something?" you ask letting your aggravation at losing a place to stay creep into your voice
"No Anonymous. I know you don't know much about this land. I want to help you learn so you can adapt to our society. Princess Luna and I are far to busy to teach you however. I intend to send you to a small town called Ponyville. My best student Twilight Sparkle lives there. Her and her friends will be given the duty of teaching you how to survive in this world. She will report occasionally to me to inform me of your progress."
>So they are not just getting rid of you? That's comforting. You nod to her so she knows you are listening.
"I have also decided to send some guards to help watch over the town just in case anything happens. Star Sword here graciously volunteered to go with you. Seems he did not want his new friend to be sent to a new place without at least one familiar face." She says the last part with a smile
>You turn and look at Star. He has a wide smile on his face. You put your fist up and he bumps it with his hoof.
"I currently have my people finding you a home in the town for you to live in while you await the building of one sized for you."
>Wow this is quick. "When will I be going?" you ask
"Twilight Sparkle and her friends will be here in three days to collect you. They are to keep you safe while you settle in."
>Three days. There goes hanging out with Strong and Trickle.
>Suddenly Shining Armor speaks up
"The guards I am sending have a makeshift barracks being set up near the Everfree Forest. I would suggest you avoid that forest Anonymous. It is very dangerous. Star Sword will be leading the guards that are overseeing the building of a watchtower there. You will be trained in the use of a weapon as best we can. I will leave the timing and such to Star Sword  As a knight you must protect the town if it is attacked." He says looking you in the eyes "You are to protect Twilight Sparkle and her friends above all else. They wield important magics that need to stay safe."
>Important magics? "What do you mean by important magics?"
Celestia answers this "I know you have been reading of or history. Have you read of the Elements of Harmony?"
>"Yeah but the book said they are wielded by you and Princess Luna"
She shakes her head "Not for a long time. Now the Elements have chosen new hosts. Twilight and her friends still don't know the full power of the elements yet. Until they learn the full power of what they hold the elements and those using them are vulnerable."
>The elements banished the god of chaos into a statue made of stone. The elements sent the goddess of the night to the moon and bound her there for a thousand years. They are nothing to sneeze at.
>"If they are vulnerable why not tell them all about the elements true power?"
"Because their power is based on the strength of the bonds between those who wield them. For their true power to be unlocked the hosts must trust each other as well as or even more than they trust themselves. That cannot be taught or learned, it requires each of them to discover it for themselves.
>You sit in silence for a moment mulling this over before you realize that everyone is staring at you
>"So what is this Twilight Sparkle like?" Asking the first question that comes to your mind
"My sister is quite stu-"
>"Your sister?" you interrupt surprised
>A frown at your interruption followed by a smile at your surprised face
"Yeah Twili is my sister. She is studious, kind, and responsible. She can also be the most stubborn mare that you will ever meet." he says with a chuckle
Celestia smiles at that and says "Twilight is one of the best mares I have had the pleasure to know. I have no doubt the two of you will become friends much like you and my sister."
>You sigh "Is there anything else I need to know before they arrive?" you ask quietly.
>There were a few things but not much.
>Celestia had commissioned a set of ceremonial armor to be made for you as fast as possible. If it was done she wanted you to wear it when you were presented to Twilight Sparkle
>Shining Armor called in four more guards and introduced them as the rest of the squad going with you and Star. Turns out they are all from Ponyville in the first place
>Star was asking what you knew about fighting and military training where you are from
>That got everyone asking about Earth. You described it as best as possible while leaving out quite a few bad things
>When everyone had finished eating Celestia looked at you and said "I believe my sister wished to meet you at your room about the same time as yesterday."
>At this she thanks you for your time and motioning to Shining Armor they leave
>Star and you talk about the plans for Ponyville, and what the town is like
>You make it to your room and wave goodbye to him
>Remembering Celestia's warning you gather some painting supplies together.
>If her raising the moon was as beautiful as it was last night you wanted to get painting while the image was fresh
>With what you estimate to be around an hour to kill before Luna should be here you decide to take a shower
>While you are standing the spray of water as it flows down your body your thoughts are drawn into your conversation with Celestia
>You will have been here less than a week and be shipped out. Is it too much to ask that you be allowed to settle down in one place?
>"DAMN IT ANON! THEY SAVED YOU!" you say to yourself angrily
>These goddesses went out of their way to save your ass. They make you their knight and give you a place to live and you are mad that they are moving you to somewhere where you will be better accepted?
>You should be thanking them. They have fed you and clothed you.
>They even go out of their way to befriend you and yet you still don't trust them.
>Well you feel like you can trust Luna. She seems to only want to be your friend
>And Celestia is going to send you with her most trusted student to be welcomed into their society
>If she had ulterior motives behind moving you then you cannot see them
>You sir need to sit down and properly thank them for this
>You also need to remember that you pledged yourself to them. YOU serve them now so start acting like it.
>Getting out of the shower after having properly chastised yourself you grab a towl and dry yourself off
>Wrapping it around your shoulders you head into your room to change
>And you walk in to Luna standing Just inside your room
>She turns and looks at you while you stand there shocked
>You quickly grab your towl and wrap it around your waist
"I did not intend to interrupt thine shower Anon. Forgive me, I had knocked on the door and received no answer. I came in to see if you were sleeping and was distracted by your painting."
>She motions to your landscape that you have moved by your bed
>"Its fine Luna. You just surprised me is all" scared the shit out of me is more like it "I am just going to get changed. After that we can go."
"Anon. Why is it that you wear clothes constantly? I could understand while you were living in the wilds of the Griffon Lands but why here?"
> You think about how to say this before you say "Nudity was considered indecent where I am from. Also humans are much more susceptible to cold and physical damage since we have no fur or thick hide."
>She nods at what you are saying. You guess that she understands.
>Grabbing some clothes you go back in the bathroom and cover your shame
>"Alright let me grab my stuff and we can go."
>You grab the bag of supplies you packed and with an easel under one arm and a canvas under the other you follow her out the door.
>The walk went about the same as yesterday save for when you brought up being sent to Ponyville
>She immediately froze and turned to you looking quite angry
"Our sister did not mention this to us. We shall have to speak with her about these...plans"
>Our? Us? What?
>"Luna its OK. She says this way Twilight and her friends can help me adjust to your world. And learn about it." you say trying to calm her down
"So she is leaving you in Twilight's hands? This is acceptable. Twilight is also ou- my friend."
>That seems to have pacified her a bit. You hope that you did not start something with this.
>One awkward silence and strange mist travel lately and you are setting up your easel on top of the tower of the moon
>Luna eying you curiously as you try to set up for the perfect angle
"Anon why do you wish to paint this?"
>She almost seems nervous about this
>"Luna you raising the moon is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. I would like to capture it on canvas so I can share a small part of the beauty with others."
>She visibly blushes. Holy crap she is embarrassed
>"Surely this is not the first time someone has painted. I have seen paintings of you all through the halls!"
>She smiles and shakes her head
"It is not the painting that bothers me. Few have ever seen me raise the moon. Those who cared to usually were to afraid to ask. There is no festival for the rising moon as there is for my sister. Thine painting will be the first one to depict the true event."
>Huh. You just assumed many have seen what she does. You guess that she shared something quite rare with you by inviting you
>Giving her a reassuring smile you say "All the more reason for me to paint it."
>This time you were ready and when she rose in the air you tried to memorize the scene as much as possible.
>When she landed you began painting quickly
>Luna comes and watches you as you mix colors and apply them to the painting.
>She seems entranced by your work.
>Having chosen a large canvas this will take several days worth of work to get the basics down.
>You should have enough time to get that done if you come here every night before you leave
>"Luna I am going to need to watch you raise the moon every night before I leave. Is that fine with you?"
"This is quite acceptable. I enjoy the time I spend with you Anon."
>You smile and remember your conversation with yourself "And Luna? I wanted to say thank you. Without you and your sister I would be dead now. I should have thanked you yesterday."
>Smiling at you she shakes her head
"It was our duty as princesses of these lands. You asked us for help so we could not turn down thine request."
>A few hours of painting and making small talk later you were standing on your balcony
>Setting your things down you look over at your painting
>Hopefully Luna will be able to visit you in Ponyville
>"Damn this bed is comfortable" is the last thought that goes through your mind as you fall asleep