//------------------------------//
// Broken Bond 
// Story: Twilu 
// by ladyanaconda 
//------------------------------//

Everfree Forest, 1 day 16 hours before wedding rehearsal.

Shining Armor knocked the door of Zecora's hut softly, for the sun was not even up yet and it was possible that the zebra he had come to see was asleep. He remembered Twilight speaking about her in the first letters she wrote him when she moved to Ponyville. The zebra had been feared and all of the citizens of Ponyville thought she was an evil enchantress; but after an incident with blue flowers and a rather awkward meeting, everypony realized Zecora was not evil nor an enchantress, but a herbalist. He also heard she was good at giving advice.

After a while, a a tired-looking zebra opened the door, but there was not a trace of irritation on her face. However, since he had been in deep thought, he was startled when she opened her door.

"You can put away your fright, but do tell me, what brings you here in the middle of the night?" she spoke in verse, which confused the stallion.

"Err... Zecora, right?

The zebra nodded, "That is my name, indeed, but I'd like to know yours, my friend."

"I'm Shining Armor. I'm Twilight Sparkle's brother."

"Twilight Sparkle's brother, you say. But what brings you here, anyway?"

"Well... I won't lie to you. She is being controlled by Discord."

Zecora's expression became serious as soon as he spoke the Draconequus' name, "Discord? The spirit of disharmony? Is that why you are acting so angry?"

She motioned Shining to come into her hut so they could speak more comfortably; he would have been staring at the decorations on Zecora's walls if he had not been in a hurry. The zebra closed her door shut behind her.

"Controlled she is, you claim. But what is your evidence on which to base your proclaim?"

Shining spoke firmly, "I saw Discord giving her chocolate milk. But not any chocolate milk, his chocolate milk, and I've heard that the chocolate milk he makes can have various effects."

Zecora shook her head, "Do not always trust your eyes, for they can sometimes show you lies. To ask them both you must, unless you want to lose their trust."

"Oh, for the love of Celestia! You're telling me the same thing everypony does! They keep telling me to give Discord a chance, but I can't! I'm afraid that he will do something to Twiley! Besides, I don't think Twiley is ready for marriage! She is still young, and she is the most organized pony I've ever known. Discord is... Well, he doesn't precisely take anything seriously. It would never work out between them!"

Shining Armor looked at the ground in sadness.

Zecora took a sip from a cup of tea in her table, and grimly spoke, "I do not think you're anxious, but I do think you're jealous."

"I'm NOT jealous!" 

Shining looked at the ground once more, suddenly struck by a memory. The worst of all.



Canterlot, 3 years earlier.

Shining Armor and Cadence entered through the door leading to Twilu's tank. The lavender Arvial was waiting for her best friend to arrive, like almost everyday. Since the day they met, Shining and Twilu had been best of friends; they played together, and Shining would often jump into the tank to swim with her. They even had a favorite game, which he dubbed 'horn fighting.' Then he had introduced Cadence to her, and the Arvial instantly liked her. Cadence had even gone as far as to feed her, something only Shining could do with Twilu, and yet Twilu had accepted it happily. And so, a friendship was born between the three, although Shining and Twilu were way much closer.

"Twilu!" Shining called out when they arrived to the tank.

"Seriously, Shining!" Cadence spoke in an irritated tone, "We're getting married in a few days and you still want to visit Twilu? When we should be planning everything?"

"Come on, Candy!" he replied, "A small visit to Twilu won't delay the wedding!".

As soon as he finished speaking, Twilu emerged from the depths of her tank and lifted her fin into the air, as if waving to her friends. Shining Armor walked closer to her and patted her head, before motioning for Cadence to come closer.

"Come on, honey! I'm sure she will be happy to see you!"

Cadence rolled her eyes in annoyance as she walked closer to the Arvial; however, when she tried to pet her, Twilu suddenly swam away from the edge of the tank, snorting as she did so. Cadence just stared at her in confusion for a while before giving Shining an irritated look.

"What's wrong with her?"

"I... I don't know. She usually doesn't behave this." he replied while trying to reach for Twilu, "Come here, girl."

But Twilu didn't get closer; in fact, she seemed to have swum a few inches away. She was giving Cadence a hostile stare for some reason. 

She knew it.

The usually sweet, friendly and sympathetic Cadence was not the one standing  at the edge of her tank. That Cadence was demanding, ill-mannered and, as far as she was concerned, rude.

Shining Armor called out for the Arvial, this time more firmly, "Twilu, come here!"

However, before he or Cadence could do anything about it, she dove into her tank. As he tried to look where she had gone, Twilu made a great leap and when she dove into the water once more, splashed the pink Alicorn completely. The stallion stared at his bride-to-be, then at the arvial.

"Twilu, what are you doing?!" he spoke in shock and anger.

But she didn't stop there; no, she kept splashing Cadence with her flippers and tail, no matter how many times the stallion pleaded her to stop. Finally, Cadence's eyes filled up with tears.

"Why is she doing this? I thought she liked me!" saying this, she tearfully galloped away, dripping water off her mane and tail.

Shining Armor, seeing Cadence run away like that, gave the Arvial a fulminating glare. Twilu sensed anger growing inside him, and she swam away a few inches, giving him an almost angelical-look. But that only made him angrier than before.

"Don't you dare giving me that look! Why did you do that to Cadence! What did she ever do to you?!" he hissed, making Twilu flinch in fear, "All she has done was to help me take care of you, and this is how you repay her?! I can't believe you turned out to be such an ungrateful animal!"

Twilu felt as if she was physically struck every time those words left Shining's mouth; he had just called her an animal. Her best friend, her adoptive brother, her knight in shining armor, just dubbed her an animal. She got worried when the stallion suddenly gritted his teeth and brought his hoof to his head, as if something had struck his head. However, when she tried to get close to him and check on him, he pushed her snout away.

And then, without saying anything else, he walked away to go and console his bride.

He did not turn back when the Arvial called out for him.



Shining thought he was going to cry at any moment; walking away from the Arvial had been one of the greatest mistakes in his life. She had figured out the Cadence that had accompanied him was actually Chrysalis, but instead of trying to figure out what she was trying to say, he had sided against the Arvial in favor of the impostor, and that choice had been paid dearly. 

As he ran out of Zecora's hut, seeking to release his mind off all his tortured memories, the Zebra kept her icy eyes on the stallion's white coat as he disappeared through the bushes of the forest.

As she took one more sip of her tea, she muttered, "He is truly Twilight's brother."