Shining Armor set the overseer’s checklist and his orders from Princess Celestia out on the table in front of him, as he started on his second sandwich. He cast another glance over his orders and sighed. “Make some friends,” he thought. Why would Celestia tell me to do that? That doesn’t have anything to do with my duty to Equestria. Besides, I have friends. Twily and I are BFFs! Same with me and Spike. And then there’s Dad, and Mum, and Uncle Bright Beacon. We all get on just fine.
Still, Shining Armor suspected that Princess Celestia wanted him to make friends outside of his own family. But why? Was there something wrong with the way he ran the Royal Guard? He mentally reviewed the highlights of his last year of service. No major arguments with his advisors or troops, no botched missions, no severe disciplinary actions… so why was Princess Celestia disappointed in him?
Shining sighed and laid his chin on the café table. He thought ruefully about the times he would tease Twily for being so eager to please her teachers at Princess Celestia’s school, and the way she would always hop around like a little foal when yet another of her essays came back with an encouraging remark and a score in the high nineties. The elder brother had always held himself above such childish sentimentality, and yet he couldn’t help but feel dejected that Princess Celestia, his ruler, commanding officer and… yes, his friend… thought that he was falling short in his duties.
“Why the long face, mon capitaine?”
Shining Armor looked up from his contemplative slump to see the earth pony with the striking blue mane who had brought him his sandwiches. He quickly shuffled his military briefing back into his saddlebags and sat upright. “What? Nothing’s wrong, just eating my lunch.”
“Oh, do not tell me that, mon petit cheval, not with those droopy ears and those sad blue eyes. Something is bothering you.” Without waiting for an invitation, he sat down in the seat opposite Shining Armor, placing a bottle of apple cider on the table. “Whatever it is, it is nothing you cannot tell Haute Cuisine. Everypony comes to my café sooner or later, and they all have their own problems. So tell me, what is the great load you are hauling?”
Shining Armor was ready to tell the nosy pony to leave him alone, but he remembered his promise to Princess Celestia, to follow her orders to the letter, and that did include the order about making friends. “Well, it’s like this,” he began, waving in the direction of Canterlot. “I’m the Captain of the Royal Guard in Canterlot, and Princess Celestia sent me here to oversee the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration. She also told me to ‘make some friends’,” he said, using his front hooves to make air quotes. “I just don’t know why she would do that. As far as I know, my service as Guard Captain has been exemplary. I simply can’t think of any way that going out and making friends is relevant to my duty.”
Haute Cuisine shook his head. “Ah, I knew there was a mare involved, though perhaps not in the way I was thinking. The Princess’s good opinion is very valuable to you, no?” Shining Armor nodded, and took a sip from the bottle of cider while Haute Cuisine spoke. It was very good cider. “Then you should try to make friends as she says. But why? That is a good question. How often do you work with other ponies in your post as Captain?”
“Well, all the time, of course! I can’t be everywhere at once. I have to give orders to my troops in Canterlot, and liaise with the other forces, like the Equestrian National Guard, so I know exactly what’s going on all over Equestria, and beyond.”
“And do you trust your officers to know what to do? Even when you’re not around?”
“Naturally! I… well…” He paused and considered the question for a moment. “The thing with that is, nopony else can cast the Canterlot Defence Field spell. Not the way I can. My sister can make a shield large enough to surround a house, and I’ve taught it to a few officers in the Canterlot Defence Guard, but nopony else can set it around the whole of Canterlot. That’s not something I can delegate.”
“Perhaps not, but it sounds as though you take the entire burden of Canterlot’s safety as your own.” He picked up the cider bottle and took a long draught from it. “I could not run this café all by myself, you know. The first time I left my employees in charge when I took the day off, I worried about it all day. But my apprentice did not burn the building down or drive away all of my customers. If I worked all the time, I would have no time to spend with my friends or my mother. Much like you, am I correct?”
Shining Armor looked at the table. “I guess. I don’t see my parents or my brother and sister as often as I should. But I still think that keeping Canterlot safe needs to come first.” He pushed his empty plate away and stood up. “What do I owe you?”
Haute Cuisine shook his head. “No charge for you, mon capitaine. It is an honour to have the Captain of the Royal Guard at my café. Is there anything else your humble servant can do for you?”
Shining Armor scooped up his papers and slid them back into his saddlebags. “Can you tell me where to find a pony named Fluttershy? She’s handling the music for the Summer Sun Celebration, and I need to make sure everything is ready.”
Haute Cuisine nodded and pointed towards the eastern edge of Ponyville. “She lives out there, with her birds and her butterflies. Near the Everfree Forest, so be careful you don’t go too far.”
“The Everfree Forest?” asked Shining Armor, craning his neck to look into the distance. “That definitely doesn’t sound safe. Don’t monsters come out of there from time to time?”
“Occasionally. They never come far, though, and Fluttershy has a way with animals and monsters. She seems to like living there, so I expect she can handle it. Good luck with your mission, mon capitaine. I am certain you will make Princess Celestia proud once more.”
Shining Armor bowed to the helpful café owner and trotted off in the indicated direction, deep in thought.
Beyond the line of houses at the edge of Ponyville proper, Shining Armor could see the farms that he had already viewed from the Twinkling Balloon. Set apart from the farms, though, was a large meadow, filled with animal life. On the far side of the meadow sat a small hill, which bore a number of windows and a large door in the front. Just like an animal den, he thought, setting out towards the meadow. This Fluttershy must be a very talented earth pony if she has such a way with animals. But if she lives so far from Ponyville, she may not want to deal with other ponies much. I should be careful here.
As Shining Armor crossed the meadow, he could hear the sound of birdsong. He didn’t know very much about birds, but he could make out the calls of blue and red jays, parrots and magpies, and even the cries of a bird of prey or two. Intrigued, he hurried onwards, and when he came close to a tree near the hill, he beheld a magnificent sight.
The tree itself was an impressive specimen, with several rows of branches spreading out from its thick trunk. Every branch was laden with birds of all sizes. There must have been at least fifty birds on the tree, all singing loudly and in remarkable unison with each other. There were tiny hummingbirds in the lower branches, and a huge falcon and eagle near the crown of the tree. Every single bird had its eyes fixed on a yellow pegasus hovering in the air in front of them, conducting the symphony with a white baton gripped between her teeth.
Shining Armor smiled and relaxed as he listened to the beautiful music. If Fluttershy was a pegasus, then that made knowing how to approach her a lot easier. All pegasi were soldiers, after all, even the ones who pursued civilian careers.
Slowly, the birds progressed through the final chords of the song, ending on a perfect harmonic cadence. “Good work, everyone!” said the pegasus, sweeping her hoof to indicate the entire choir. “That’s a wrap! I think we’re completely ready for the Summer Sun Celebration tomorrow morning! Remember to get an early night tonight – our performance is before dawn.” A few of the birds began to fly off towards other trees or the feeders outside the hill-cottage, but most stayed behind to gossip and preen.
The pegasus gave a satisfied smile and fluttered to the ground, dusting herself off. She gave a startled squeak when she turned around and spotted Shining Armor watching her. “Oh… excuse me!” she said, ducking her head. “I didn’t see you there, I’m sorry…”
“Atten-HUT!” barked Shining Armor. “Captain present to inspect Summer Sun Celebration preparations!”
The pegasus’s eyes went wide, and she immediately stood to attention, her front left hoof snapping to her forehead. “Oh my goodness! Private Third Class Fluttershy, reporting for duty, sir!”
Shining Armor groaned mentally. The rank “Private Third Class” was given to pegasi who failed basic training, or were otherwise considered incapable of military service. To have no rank at all was a mark of great shame for a pegasus, suffered only by those who had been dishonourably discharged. PTC Fluttershy clearly wasn’t going to be of any help against Nightmare Moon, but that didn’t mean she was untrustworthy.
“At ease, private,” he said, returning her salute. “I need your report on the music for the Summer Sun Celebration.”
Fluttershy stood stock still, her hoof still holding fast to her forehead.
“Private?” Shining Armor peered intently at the pegasus, and waved a hoof in front of her face to no avail. “Private Fluttershy?” He carefully tapped her on the shoulder, trying to catch her attention, or make her do anything other than stare straight ahead.
Slowly, without bending her legs, Fluttershy toppled to the ground, letting out a faint bleating sound.
“Oh dear. Uh… I guess I should get you back to your house, huh?” Shining Armor took a step back and started to charge up his horn to lift the unconscious mare, when he became aware of an angry chirping behind him. He carefully turned around, and saw the bird choir rising into the air as a single creature, and then they all dove straight at him, with beaks and talons outstretched.
“Gah! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to frighten her!” cried Shining Armor, raising a leg to cover his face and projecting a shield against the birds. The eagle landed on top of his shield with a heavy thump, clawing at its sheer surface with his talons. A few other birds descended upon Fluttershy and carried her towards the cottage, while the others hovered threateningly around the force field, shrieking angrily.
Shining Armor grumbled as he cantered towards a line of trees in the distance, being careful not to let his force field hurt the birds as he moved it. This shield was softer than his usual spell, for the birds’ safety, and occasionally the pecks from the eagle’s curved beak penetrated the field, but the attacks all broke off when he crossed into the trees. He looked around, and found that he was under the canopy of a large forest, which already blocked out the light from the early afternoon sun. A few birds were still lurking in the meadow near the forest, but most had abandoned the chase and returned to their nests.
In fact, the forest was almost completely silent. Shining Armor took a few cautious steps into the forest, his ears pricked for the sounds of danger. The usual chirping of birds and the gentle susurrus of small mammals and reptiles moving through the leaf litter was entirely absent. This must be the Everfree Forest, he thought, not without some trepidation. I’ve read the reports from Ponyville on its weather and monster intrusions, but I don’t know if anypony’s ever been in here.
Fluttershy’s meadow stood mere yards away, beyond the twisted, looming trees marking the edge of the forest. It was tempting to retreat to the safety of Ponyville – an angry bird choir was a much safer prospect than the unknown threats of the Everfree Forest – but duty called him to investigate further. The Everfree Forest occupied the site of the ancient castle of the Royal Pony Sisters, where the Elements of Harmony now lay. Princess Celestia’s orders were for him to oversee preparations and defences for the Summer Sun Celebration, so fetching the Elements right now was not an option, but he could at least scout into the forest a little way. Corporal Thunderlane had reported the sensation of something watching and waiting in the forest, too.
Shining Armor closed his eyes and concentrated on a spell of stealth. The shadows of the forest grew deeper around his body, and his hooves trod more lightly on the ground, leaving less obvious hoofprints. Night Light had taught him this spell – not at home, but at the Academy, when all unicorn recruits were being taught the common spells that would help them in their service. Major Night Light was one of the royal guard’s greatest scouts during his career, and always had plenty of stories to share with Shining and Twily now that he was retired. The stealth spell wasn’t one of Shining’s best, since it related only very distantly to his special talent of protection, but it helped a little bit in situations like this one.
Shining crept forward as quietly as he could, making his way carefully through the twisted bushes and trees of the Everfree Forest. For a forest to be this silent seemed unnatural – and of course, growing as it did without the assistance of ponies, it was unnatural. He had expected monsters, though. Strange, twisted lizards watching him from tree trunks. Giant owls following his moves with their eerily huge eyes. Rodents of unusual size. Something. The silence was oppressive, and felt like it was masking something even more sinister.
He came to a line of bushes that obscured his view of the forest ahead, and crouched down with his legs splayed to either side of his body, inching his way forward. As he nudged aside a branch with his horn, he caught sight of movement ahead. He peered cautiously through a gap in the leaves, and beheld a sight that made his coat stand on end.
A huge statue dominated the clearing on the other side of the bushes, easily five times the height of a pony. The statue’s long, sharp horn and outstretched wings marked its subject as an alicorn, but that wicked scowl did not belong to Princess Celestia or any of her children. Her mane and tail billowed forth from her body in clouds that seemed to sparkle, an impressive feat from grey stone. Shining Armor felt the urge to press his head to the ground in deference to the fearsome figure that the statue depicted, who could be none other than the dreaded Nightmare Moon herself.
Pacing around the statue were three creatures, the likes of which Shining Armor had never seen before. They stood on four legs, and were a little taller than a large stallion, but the resemblance to ponies ended there. They more closely resembled wolves, with their long muzzles filled with sharp fangs, but their eyes glowed with an unearthly light, and their bodies appeared to be made from piles of dead branches and leaves. Ordinary wolves were harmless enough, although Shining Armor tried to stay away from large animals without an earth pony expert present. These creatures, on the other hoof, radiated a palpable aura of menace.
As Shining watched, the wolves walked around the statue, pausing every so often to look up at it. Then, as one, they turned their muzzles to the sky and howled, an eerie harmony that struck to a primal place in Shining Armor’s pony soul, making him flatten himself against the ground, his ears swivelling in mad panic. It was only through a supreme effort of will, reminding himself of his duty as Equestria’s foremost protector, that he kept himself from bolting.
After what seemed like hours, the howling finally stopped, and Shining Armor regained his senses. He raised his head just enough to be able to see into the clearing again. He saw the frond-like tails of the wolves disappearing into the deeper forest, and breathed a sigh of relief. Cautiously, he stepped into the clearing, panic still prickling at the back of his mind, and looked around.
The statue of Nightmare Moon glared down at him, its face still frozen in an angry scowl. Shining Armor edged around it carefully, trying to avoid its gaze, and saw that in addition to the paw prints of the timber wolves, there were other trails in the soil of the clearing. There were long, thin trails that must have been from snakes, and larger paw prints from a lion or tiger. Behind the statue, he found a depression that seemed far too large to be an animal’s footprint, as if from a gigantic bear. The timber wolves were not the first monsters to visit this statue recently, that much was certain.
And on the subject of visitors, thought Shining Armor as he came across a set of hoofprints in the soil. Tracks from hooves that were slightly larger than Shining’s own, and definitely shod. Somepony else had been here recently. Perhaps Nightmare Moon does have a spy in Ponyville after all, he thought, as he started following the tracks back towards the town.
The tracks led Shining Armor towards the edge of the Everfree Forest, but not quite in the direction he had first come. After ten minutes of trekking through the eerily quiet woods, he came to a break in the trees, and stepped out into the welcoming glare of the afternoon sun. He felt himself properly relaxing for the first time since entering the forest, his ears swivelling to their usual forward orientation, and he felt his breath coming more easily.
After he gained his bearings once more, he looked around to see where the trail had led him. He was standing on a slight rise overlooking a field of dead trees. At least, they seemed to be dead – each tree was a stunted, twisted thing, reaching up into the sky like a half-melted cutlery fork. In winter, he might have thought they were simply deciduous, but no living tree would be bare of foliage in the middle of summer, surely. Beyond the dead field, Shining Armor could see other fields full of apples trees, their bounty gleaming red and green and yellow in the sun. The hoofprints led through the dead field and to the left, steering towards a large red farmhouse that stood at the edge of the apple trees.
Shining Armor felt his coat stand on end again as he passed between the dead trees – not because they were frightening, but because the very air felt laden with static electricity, like a hot day just before a summer thunderstorm. He shook out his mane and pressed on, following the tracks diligently.
The tracks led to a door in the side of the farmhouse, and stopped at a grubby doormat. Shining Armor halted and referred to his checklist. This must be the Sweet Apple Acres farm that was handling catering for the Summer Sun Celebration. Probably nothing suspicious was going on… but Shining Armor wasn’t going to stake the security of Equestria on a “probably”. He cocked an ear and listened intently, but all he could hear was a number of ponies on the other side of the building. Looking furtively from side to side, he pushed open the door and poked his head inside.
Shining Armor found himself in a large but simple kitchen. Plates containing pies, pastries and other desserts were piled on every table and bench space, and the sink was stacked high with dirty pans and utensils. The most delicious aroma of baked apples permeated the room. The curtains were all decorated with an apple motif that gave the kitchen a wonderfully homey ambiance.
There was nothing in the kitchen that the guard captain would call suspicious activity. Curiously, Shining Armor prodded open a pantry door and stepped inside, looking for clues. He didn’t know what he was looking for, precisely, but he would know it when he found it.
The pantry contained eggs, flour, spices and empty jars. Nothing suggested that the farmhouse housed spies for Nightmare Moon. Shining turned around with difficulty in the narrow pantry, and stepped out into the kitchen again, and then his world exploded with pain.
Shining Armor’s vision blurred as something hard and flat impacted with his muzzle, and he raised his left front leg to shield his face against another attack. He stepped back and tried to charge his horn for a force field, but the sudden strike made it difficult for him to focus his magic. Instead, he reared back and brought his right front leg forward into a striking position, ready to lash out with deadly force at what was surely Nightmare Moon’s agent in Ponyville.
A blurry green figure in front of Shining Armor slowly resolved itself into an elderly earth pony mare with a frying pan in her mouth. She returned Shining’s stare as he carefully eased himself back down onto all four hooves. “You ain’t Apple Fritter,” she said matter-of-factly, spitting the frying pan out into the crook of her front leg.
Shining Armor snorted angrily, then immediately regretted it when he realised his nose was full of blood. “What the hay do you think you’re doing?” he demanded, pressing his fetlock to his muzzle. “Do you know what the penalty is for attacking an officer of the Royal Guard?”
“That depends,” said the old mare, fixing Shining Armor with a penetrating gaze. “You got a warrant to be searching my kitchen, sonny?”
“I, ah, well, that is,” stammered Shining Armor. He looked around the kitchen again, and was struck by how little it looked like the lair of a nightmare cultist. He coughed sheepishly, then winced again at the pain in his muzzle. “I’m sorry, ma’am, I didn’t mean to trespass. I was investigating… things, and the trail led me here. I apologize for the intrusion.”
She shrugged. “No harm done, I guess. Let’s do something about that nose. Big Mac!” she called out, holding open the door to the rest of the farmhouse. “We got a guest needs your attention!”
“Coming, Granny,” called a deep voice. Shining Armor heard the clip-clop of horseshoes across the wooden floor, and then the tallest stallion he had ever met stepped into the kitchen. The newcomer stood at least a head taller than Shining Armor, with a bright red coat and short orange hair. A work collar was draped over the broadest set of shoulders he had seen on any pony other than Princess Celestia.
The old mare gestured to Shining Armor. “Grandson, this is –”
“Shining Armor, ma’am,” said the captain. “Uh, Captain Shining Armor, of the Royal Guard.” He tried to make a dignified bow, but keeping his fetlock against his muzzle made dignity difficult to achieve.
The huge stallion reached out a similarly huge hoof and clapped Shining Armor carefully on the shoulder. “Name’s Big Macintosh,” he said by way of introduction, “and this here’s Granny Smith. Let’s see that nose of yours.”
Slowly, Shining Armor lowered his fetlock, wincing as he presented his nose to Big Macintosh. Granny Smith bustled about the kitchen while her grandson pressed his own nose against Shining’s muzzle, with surprising gentleness. He applied a slow pressure to it, causing Shining to grind his hooves into the floorboards to avoid crying out in pain. He had taken far worse injuries in battle, of course, but without the adrenaline rush of a life-threatening situation, the pain was more personal, and rather humiliating.
“Good news, captain,” rumbled Big Macintosh. “Your nose ain’t too broken. Hold still and I’ll set it back in place on the count of three.” Having been treated by guard medics before, Shining Armor was not at all surprised when the sharp lance of pain came just as Big Macintosh said “one”. Granny Smith passed him a scrap of gauze which he stuffed into Shining’s nose, stifling the bleeding. “All done. You’ll be right as rain in time for the celebration, I reckon.”
Shining Armor resisted the temptation to touch his injury, and nodded gratefully to the two earth ponies. “Thank you. I really am sorry about coming in unannounced. You should know that there are tracks leading from the Everfree Forest into your kitchen, though.”
“Eeyup,” said Big Macintosh. “Those’d be mine.”
“You were in the Everfree Forest by yourself?” asked Shining Armor, surprised. “Isn’t that highly dangerous? Why didn’t you take one of the weather corps with you?”
“Them featherbrains wouldn’t be any use in there,” said Granny Smith, while she filled up the sink and began attacking the stack of dirty dishes. “The timber wolves were howling, and not because there was a zap apple harvest coming up. Something’s got them varmints all riled up, and I don’t like it one bit!”
“Nope,” said Big Macintosh, shaking his head. “Me neither. I know my way around the edges of the forest. I thought something weird was going on with the old zap apple trees in the forest, but it weren’t that.”
“You, uh, found the statue, then?” asked Shining Armor, his ears flicking nervously.
“Eeyup. Looked like all sorts of critters had been there. Is that why you’re in Ponyville, Captain Shining Armor?”
Shining Armor pawed at the floor, trying to balance security with what these ponies already knew. “I’m keeping an eye on the situation. The Royal Guard are ready to intervene if matters escalate. I’m actually here to oversee preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration, and I understand your farm is handling the catering.”
Big Macintosh nodded. “Rich is already here, talking about catering with AJ. Says he wants to make this Summer Sun Celebration the best we’ve ever had. Guess that makes sense, what with the Princess coming and all. Come on, you should meet the family.” Big Macintosh led Shining Armor out into the front yard of the farmhouse.
The porch afforded Shining Armor an impressive view over the apple orchard, and the corn fields and other crops that could also be found on the property. A large herd of earth ponies was clustered around a gazebo in the front yard, talking and eating. Shining Armor spotted Filthy Rich chatting with an orange earth pony mare in a brown hat, and they pushed through the crowd to reach them.
Filthy Rich was listening to the mare recite some numbers for the Summer Sun Celebration’s catering. He adjusted his tie as she talked, and they both turned to face Shining Armor and Big Macintosh when they arrived.
“Well, howdy there, partner,” said the mare, tipping her hat to Shining Armor and offering him her hoof. “You must be this Shining Armor feller who’s new in town. Filthy here has been telling me all about y’all. Name’s Applejack. Welcome to Sweet Apple Acres, sugarcube.”
“Thanks,” said Shining Armor, taking Applejack’s hoof and allowing his to be shaken vigorously. “Princess Celestia sent me here to check on the catering for the celebration tomorrow. How is that going?”
Applejack gestured to the ponies around them. Some were grazing on dishes of pie and other apple pastries on the table in the gazebo, while others were lying in the grass in various stages of post-prandial repose, sleeping off their feast. “I’d say we got it all under control. Most of the vittles are tucked away in the kitchen and the cellar, ready for tomorrow. Care to try some?”
Shining Armor cast an appraising glance over the table full of food. “I guess I should, for the sake of my checklist. And it does look delicious.” He found himself a seat next to a yellow mare with a striking green mane in pigtails, who offered him a plate full of apple fritters, while Big Macintosh sat down on his other side. He levitated one to his lips and bit into it, tasting warm, spiced apple wrapped in crisp, sweet pastry.
He nodded in approval, quickly marking off “catering” on his checklist, as well as belatedly marking “music”, since Fluttershy’s choir seemed to be ready. “Wow,” he said, after finishing the apple fritter. “That was amazing! If that’s the quality of food you’re making for the Summer Sun Celebration, then my work here is done!”
“You’ll stay for supper and meet the family, though, won’t you?” asked Applejack. Big Macintosh and the other nearby ponies turned to watch Shining Armor hopefully, including a little yellow filly about the same age as Diamond Tiara.
Shining Armor eyed his orders, remembering Princess Celestia’s final instruction: make some friends. “I suppose so,” he conceded, levitating a slice of apple pie onto his plate. “I’ve finished my checklist. Everything is in order for the Summer Sun Celebration. My next official duty is meeting the Wonderbolts at midnight. I’ve got some time to spare, I guess.”
“That reminds me, I should get back to town,” said Filthy Rich, packing some paperwork into his saddlebags. “I’m glad we went over those figures together, Applejack. I’ll see you at the celebration, and you too, captain!”
Applejack toyed with her ponytail as she waved Filthy Rich goodbye. “Catch you there, Filthy! Always a pleasure doing business with you.” Shining Armor waved to him as well, then turned back to Applejack and the food.
“So, you’ve already met Granny Smith, and my brother Big Macintosh,” said Applejack, nodding to the red stallion. “This here is my little sister Apple Bloom, and my cousin Apple Fritter, and over there…”
“… and that’s one dragon that will think twice before attacking Baltimare again.” Shining Armor finished his latest story, and started eyeing the one remaining apple fritter on the table. Arrayed before him was a small herd of Apple family ponies, at the front of which sat Apple Bloom, gazing up at him in wonder.
“Wow, that’s amazing!” exclaimed the little earth pony. “You really saved Baltimare from a dragon, huh?” All around her, her brother, sister and cousins nodded in agreement.
“Oh, it wasn’t just me,” said Shining Armor hurriedly. “Far from it. I kept the city shielded from the dragon’s fiery breath, and coordinated the earth pony troops on the ground, while Captain Spitfire led the pegasi in attacking him. That’s what the Royal Guard is all about – teamwork. It’s about everypony knowing his or her place in the force, and following orders. We’re just like a piece of well-oiled farm machinery, and if everypony does their part, Equestria stays safe.”
“Tell us another story?” asked Apple Bloom, grinning hopefully.
“Now, Apple Bloom, I reckon the captain has more important business to get to than tellin’ stories,” said Applejack. “It’s just about sunset, after all.”
Shining Armor looked to the west, where the sun was sinking below the horizon for what just might be the last time, if Nightmare Moon had her way. Once again, guilt gnawed at his heart for concealing the truth about a serious threat to the ponies he was pledged to protect, but he trusted Princess Celestia’s judgement. “You’re right, I should get going. I’ve still got things to do before the celebration tomorrow morning.”
Applejack tipped her hat to Shining Armor, and Big Macintosh stopped to shake his hoof solemnly. “Take care of your nose, now. Change the gauze before midnight. And don’t touch it,” he admonished, as Shining’s hoof drifted towards his muzzle. “I’ll see you at the celebration.” Apple Bloom looked up at Shining Armor and grinned happily, hugging his leg. Apple Fritter gave him a coy smile, and the rest of the family waved and cheered for him.
Shining Armor waved back to the Apple family as he trotted up the path leading back into Ponyville proper. His belly was weighed down with pastries, but his heart was light. Perhaps making friends wouldn’t be so bad after all. He certainly felt that he had made friends with Applejack and Big Macintosh, and even Granny Smith didn’t seem so bad once she put her frying pan down. Maybe the Princess was right.
For now, though, he had a simple plan – sleep. It was almost eight o’clock, now that the sun was setting on the second-longest day of the year, and the Wonderbolts were scheduled to arrive at midnight. Princess Celestia would arrive sometime between midnight and dawn, and of course the focus of the celebration was the raising of the sun itself, at about four o’clock in the morning. Midnight was when the festivities would start at the town hall, so with all celebration preparations under control, and no further military forces to muster, getting some sleep between now and midnight seemed like the best move. He wanted to be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for dealing with the Wonderbolts and the Princess, not to mention Nightmare Moon.
Besides, all of that delicious food was making him sleepy. A few hours in bed at the weather station would do him a world of good. With this thought in mind, Shining Armor trotted casually around the edge of Ponyville, towards where the weather station was located according to his map.
The weather station stood near the perimeter of the Everfree Forest, just south of Fluttershy’s meadow. It should have been deserted, or nearly so, now that the sky was clear for the celebration, but instead, a herd of about twenty ponies milled about in front of it. A pink pony started hopping up and down as Shining Armor made his way towards the tower.
You have got to be kidding me, Shining Armor thought to himself as he started to walk between the ponies, who were all waving to him and trying to talk to him. The pink pony bounced alongside Shining as he plodded towards the door to the weather station.
“Surprise!” she exclaimed, throwing a hooffull of streamers over Shining Armor. “Hi! I’m Pinkie Pie, and I threw this party just for you! Were you surprised? Were you? Huh? Huh? I mean, you probably weren’t surprised because you could see us from all the way over there. I was going to hold the party inside the weather station, but Rainbow Dash said I couldn’t because the weather station is Royal Guard property, and if I invited a bunch of ponies in there without permission you’ve have me court-martialled and thrown in a dungeon!”
Shining Armor kept his eyes on the door to the weather station, and kept walking.
“I saw you when you first came into town, remember? You and Prince Blueblood and Rainbow Dash and Thunderlane and Raindrops were all talking about something, but I didn’t hear what, and then I was all ‘GASP!’ and I ran off, because I wanted to throw you and Prince Blueblood a special ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ party, like I do for all my friends!”
Shining Armor kept his eyes on the door to the weather station, and kept walking.
“So I was going to throw a party for Prince Blueblood too, but he’s been with Rarity all day, and Rarity told me that if I didn’t leave her alone she’d turn me into designer curtains, and Rainbow Dash said I was probably ‘cramping Rarity’s style’, and I guess when you have as much style as Rarity it can get cramped pretty easily. So they’ve been all over Ponyville meeting lots of ponies, but that means you’re here all by yourself, and if you’re a new pony in Ponyville and you’re all by yourself, that means you don’t have any friends, and if you don’t have any friends, you must be lonely, and that made me so sad!”
Shining Armor kept his eyes on the door to the weather station, and kept walking.
“So I decided to throw you this party right here, right where you’re staying! And I invited all of my friends, because I know everypony, and I mean everypony in Ponyville! So now there’s lots of ponies here to welcome you to Ponyville, and I just know you’ll have a great time getting to know them! Isn’t it great? When you arrived in that cute little hot air balloon, it was just you and Prince Blueblood, but now you have lots and lots of –”
Shining Armor kicked the door closed behind him, breathing a sigh of relief. Through the wooden door, he could only barely hear Pinkie Pie’s voice. “Ow! Okay, you have fun! See you at the celebration!”
He looked around the weather station. It contained mostly what Shining expected it to – anemometers, barometers, rainfall gauges and safety equipment for handling rainbows and storm clouds. Since Ponyville lacked a formal garrison, the weather station also functioned as the barracks, with places to store armour and weapons. The supplies he had packed in the Twinkling Balloon were neatly stacked in one corner, as well. There was a pair of bunk beds against each wall – not enough to house the entire weather team, but enough to serve as temporary accommodation for pegasi working overtime, or for visiting Guard Captains.
As Shining Armor unslung his saddlebags and prepared to engage in a four hour “bunk mission”, a blue shape sped in through one of the upper windows, bounced off the opposite wall, and came to land rather unsteadily on the floor. “Sir!” said Rainbow Dash, performing a shaky salute. “What’s going on? We haven’t seen you around since this morning.”
“At ease, sergeant,” replied Shining Armor, returning the young pegasus’s salute. “I was finishing my assignment to oversee the preparations for the celebration, and everything seems to be in order. I also made a brief scouting mission into the Everfree Forest to investigate Corporal Thunderlane’s reports of monster activity. I found evidence of monsters clustering around an old statue of Nightmare Moon in the forest. It seems we aren’t the only ones anticipating her return.”
Rainbow Dash grimaced. “Woah. That’s not good news. You really think she’s going to show up, huh. What are you going to do now?”
Shining Armor nodded his head towards the bunk bed. “Right now, I’m going to sleep. Princess Celestia wants me here for the celebration itself, so I can’t go far from Ponyville. When the Wonderbolts get here, I can discuss our plans with them, and then with the Princess and her personal guard when they arrive."
Rainbow blinked. “But… but sir! This is the Summer Sun Celebration! It’s tradition for everypony to stay up all night so they don’t miss Celestia raising the sun in the morning!”
Shining Armor pressed a hoof into his forehead. “Look, sergeant. I was up before dawn this morning preparing for this mission, and you might recall that today is the second-longest day of the year. If Nightmare Moon really does attack Equestria tomorrow, I don’t want to have to lead the defence against her on zero sleep. What’s more important, duty or tradition?”
“Duty, I guess… but you bailed on Pinkie Pie’s party, too! I know she’s annoying, but she throws the best parties in Ponyville, and her welcome parties are a big honour!”
Shining Armor threw himself down onto the bunk and closed his eyes. “Goodnight, sergeant. Wake me when the Wonderbolts get here.”
The young sergeant grumbled as she flitted out the window to return to the party outside. “Goodnight, sir.”