I didn't remember much of the tour around the castle truth be told, but there were a few things I did remember about that day.

Two instances in particular stuck out in my mind. One of them involved a conversation I had with Crimson Storm, and the second involved a meeting with the Captain of the Royal Guard at the time.

The first instance was when we sat down to have lunch in the great hall.

By the time we'd gotten there, most of the other ponies, many of them other Royal Guards like Crimson Storm, had already finished eating, and the hall was fairly empty. Crimson Storm had removed her helmet, and much to my amusement, her mane was cut in a similar fashion to my own.

Both her mane and tail were pale grey, and both were cut straight and even at the end like mine were. The only difference aside from the color were that both hung down lower, with the flat bangs of her mane falling past her brows and partially into her eyes.

While the similarity was interesting, that's not what I wanted to focus on. My focus was to get Crimson to open up and tell me about herself. Back then I had no idea why this was so important, especially considering I didn't really enjoy communicating with others.

Part of me wants to say it was because I wanted to impress Celestia for whatever inane reason, but in truth, it was something about that mare in particular. There was something that drew me to Crimson Storm, and for the longest time I couldn't figure out what it was.

Whatever the case, I didn't want to push her away, so I remained silent for a good portion of the meal. I used the quiet moment to think of something to say and how to word it in such a way that I could get the response I wanted.

I continued to drink my soup as I cast inconspicuous glances in her direction, trying to gauge her mood. Even when she was eating she gave nothing away—aside from the fact that she was a surprisingly sloppy eater, that is.

I had spent all of maybe an hour and a half in Crimson Storm's company, and in that time I'd realized there was nothing I could think to say that would've caught the mare's interest.

Then, by chance, my eyes fell on the golden helmet resting on the table next to her, and that's when I got an idea.

"Um... hey, Crimson Storm?" I asked innocently. She didn't respond verbally, but she did glance in my direction as she tore off another piece of seasoned bread, and I took that as my cue to continue, "how long have you been in the Royal Guard?"

There was no answer for a long moment as Crimson Storm continued to silently chew on her bread. She swallowed a few moments later and reached for the alfalfa crisps before stopping suddenly, her hoof hovering over the food.

For the first time since I'd seen her, she looked... thoughtful. A second later she slowly grabbed a hoofful of the crisps as she spoke, her tone almost... wistful.

"Years," she replied dully. I frowned, thinking that was all I was going to get out of her, but then she continued, "it's been four years, three months, four days, six hours, twelve minutes, and... twenty-five seconds since I joined the Royal Guard."

I blinked in surprise, my mouth hanging slightly open at the unexpected answer. I was somewhat known for being quite an organized filly for my age, but even I couldn't hold a candle to that kind of record keeping, and it was all from memory.

I was more than a little impressed to say the least.

"Wow," I nearly whispered, my smile growing wide, "I... you remember right down to the second? That's... that's amazing!"

"I have a very good memory."

"I'll say," I replied with an impressed nod. Upon seeing the mare shrug and dig back into her food, I quickly searched my mind for anything else to talk about, "um... why did you join the Guard anyway?"

Crimson stopped eating again and turned to face me. I couldn't read the look on her face, but for some reason, it felt like she was looking into me rather than at me. This continued long enough that I began to feel uncomfortable, but just when I was about to say something, she finally spoke.

"There was... something that I wanted," she answered slowly before turning back around and staring at her plate. She went quiet again, seemingly lost in thought, then, "something I've been searching for... but even after all these years... I still haven't found it."

"And... what is it?" I asked curiously, "what were you looking for?"

More silence.

"...Crimson Storm?"

"...I don't know."

I furrowed my brow in bemusement, wondering just what the mare was talking about. How could she not know what she was looking for after so many years? It didn't make any sense to me, and I was about to say as much, but then she suddenly stood up, placed her helmet back on, and began trotting away, leaving her unfinished meal behind her.

"Hey, wait!" I called out, quickly polishing off my own soup before hopping off the table and scurrying after the mare, "stop doing that! Wait for me!"

Thankfully she stopped this time around and I didn't have to gallop after her again. I wasn't sure if we were supposed to just leave our food there, but it didn't look like Crimson was going back so I reluctantly moved on, following behind her as we continued the tour.

Nothing of note really happened for the next couple of hours or so. I tried talking to Crimson Storm again, but she no longer wanted to talk, only speaking when she had to, and saying nothing more about herself.

I started to get the impression that she was upset with me, but I couldn't tell because she wore the same blank faced expression as always. I decided to stop trying for the moment nevertheless, and together we both trotted the halls in silence.

I ended up learning more from other ponies who worked in the castle or just ponies who had been around the castle enough to know their way around, rather than Crimson Storm herself. More often than not, the mare would simply stand off to the side, only giving the occasional one word comment.

As the day wore on and we saw more and more of the castle, my attention moved further away from Crimson Storm and more towards the ponies around us. Everywhere we went, I began to notice the strange, almost worried looks we were receiving.

It made me remember the nobles, and I started to get more self conscious, sidling closer to Crimson Storm almost subconsciously. At first, I thought it was because of what those nobles had said about me and what I had caused at the school, and maybe to an extent, that's what it was.

Then I noticed that some of those looks weren't directed at me at all, but rather, the pony I was traveling with. I looked from them to Crimson Storm and back. The red mare didn't seem to notice their gazes, or if she did, she completely ignored them.

I however, couldn't ignore it, as it wasn't just the looks.

For all the looks I myself got, many of the ponies we stopped to talk to were generally pretty friendly towards me. I was happy for it, and maybe because I was genuinely interested in getting the lay of the castle, I didn't realize it at the time, but when I went out of my way to pay attention to how other ponies treated Crimson Storm, I could see it.

Other ponies either completely ignored her, or would subtly try to coax me away from her with some kind of distraction. Nopony would actually say anything about her though, and that's what I found so weird. Eventually I decided to ask Crimson Storm what it was all about, and prayed she would answer.

"Hey, Crimson Storm?" I asked as we passed through yet another pony filled corridor, "are ponies... scared of you or something?"

"I don't know," the mare said after a long moment, "why would they be?"

"I dunno," I replied uneasily, "it just seems like a lot of them are trying to avoid you, or not talk to you, or keep me away from you. I even saw a few ponies run away whenever we got close."

Well, they didn't actually run, so much as they saw Crimson Storm coming and very briskly trotted the other way.

"It doesn't look like anypony likes you very much," I continued, regretting the words almost as soon as they'd left my mouth, "I-I mean, I don't think there's anything wrong with you," I lied, "but the way the other ponies look at you..."

"Well, why don't you ask them, then?" Crimson suggested, not looking in my direction, "if you're so worried about it, find out for yourself. Listen to ponies, hear what they have to say and come to your own conclusions about me."

And with that bit of rather surprising advice, she fell silent.

I also fell silent as I mulled over her words. It certainly would make a lot more sense to ask other ponies rather than Crimson herself. The mare wasn't exactly a font of self-awareness, or any kind of real awareness at all if I was being honest.

She also wasn't very talkative.

She was right, though. If I was going to get any kind of information on her, it was going to have to come from the ponies who'd been around her the most. Given her role in the castle, that meant I'd most likely have to talk to the other Guards, which was just as well, because it was the barracks we were headed to next.

Unfortunately we didn't even make to the barracks before there was trouble. Just as we were about to exit the castle's main halls and head outside towards the separate structure housing the Guard, two more ponies pushed open the double doors leading to the courtyard and the barracks beyond.

I scrambled to a stop and scurried off to the side to make way for the two ponies coming through. Crimson Storm merely stepped to the side and saluted.

I wondered why until I actually got a better look at the two. Both ponies were wearing armor, but, whereas one wore the same standard golden armor as Crimson, the other pony, a larger, older stallion, was wearing much more extravagant gold and violet armor.

The large, pale white unicorn stallion looked around briefly before his hard green eyes stopped on me, then Crimson Storm. His eyes narrowed and he gave her an impatient scowl, his strong jaw tightening ever so slightly.

"Ah, Lieutenant Storm," the stallion rumbled, "I understand the Princess has given you some time off to escort this..." he cast a quick dismissive glance my way before turning back to Crimson Storm, "...foal around the castle?"

"Yes, Captain Blueblood," Crimson replied flatly, maintaining her salute, "I've been told I need to express myself more, so I spoke to the Princess and she suggested I spend time with the filly, sir."

"That so?" the Captain replied, turning back to me with a scrutinizing gaze. Something about the stallion sent chills down my spine and I took an involuntary step back. The Captain snorted, shaking his head and turning back towards Crimson Storm, "and you didn't think to consult with your Captain before agreeing to this little endeavor?"

"With all due respect, sir," Crimson began, "you were off duty at the time, and the Princess—"

"Excuses," Captain Blueblood replied, shaking his head in disappointment, "did the thought that you might be needed to attend other, more important duties ever cross your mind?" he took a step closer to Crimson, his frown deepening, "I rely on you, Lieutenant. I trust you to get things done, and things get very... difficult to manage when you shirk your responsibilities like this. Do you understand?"

The impassive look in Crimson Storm's eyes didn't change, but I could just make out the tightening in her jaw and the sudden stiffness in her posture.

For reasons I couldn't fathom at the time, that worried me far more than I thought it should've. Up until that point, it was like nothing really seemed to phased the mare—not the stares, not the whispers, not my endless questions... nothing.

Well, nothing except for those nobles.

Now though, standing before this stallion, she seemed almost... scared. I didn't know how I knew back then, but something deep in my gut told me Crimson Storm feared this stallion, and I found myself wanting to know why when she'd been so calm and collected before.

"Yes... Captain Blueblood, sir," Crimson Storm replied tonelessly after a moment, "I understand perfectly. I'll be sure to make you aware before I make any decisions that will interfere with my duties."

The Captain eyed Crimson for another few seconds or so before giving a slow nod of satisfaction.

"Good," he replied, smiling ever so slightly. He gave a sharp flick of his immaculately groomed golden tail and trotted past the mare. Stopping a little ways ahead, he turned to look back at her from over his shoulder, "come with me, Crimson Storm. I have a task for you."

"But... sir, the filly," Crimson Storm started, sounding taken aback for the first time since I'd met her, "the Princess already tasked me with—"

"Nevermind that," Blueblood interjected with an airy wave of his hoof, "Private Bulwark was just about to finish his shift for the day, so he can take care of the foal."

"Wait, what? Me?" came a reedy, incredulous sounding voice from somewhere behind me. I whipped around to see the other stallion that had come in with the Captain standing there looking back at Blueblood, mouth hanging open, "b-but, sir, I... I already had plans to—"

"To do what, Private?" Blueblood asked, giving the sputtering earth pony stallion a dangerous look, "tell me, what plans could you possibly have had?"

The Private took a step back before hanging his head and letting out a quiet sigh. A moment later he straightened up and snapped a halfhearted salute.

"Understood, Captain," he barked, "I'll see to the foal."

"Good stallion. Now then..." the Captain replied with another nod. He switched his gaze over to Crimson Storm, a smile once again adorning his face, "...come along, Lieutenant. You have much to do, and I don't have a lot of time to waste."

I turned to Crimson Storm, silently pleading her not to go with my eyes, but she ignored me. Her expression had once again become that of stone as she looked straight ahead.

"As you say, Captain."

With that, she gave another salute and trotted past me without another word. I stood there next to the Private, watching as she and Blueblood continued down the corridor.

Not once did she look back.

Author's Notes:

I'm still not back on my normal schedule just yet, so my stories are updating rather sporadically. I'm still figuring out a few things for this story so bear with me here, if updates on this story specifically take a bit.