Shining Armor waited outside the door to Twilight’s room. He could hear the soft taps of hooves on marble as she paced across her old room in the Canterlot castle. The last few days had been extremely taxing on them. After the meeting with Celestia over unifying the kingdom and the burial of Princess Luna and Queen Cadance, the Summer Sun Celebration felt less like a festival and more like somber affair. It took everything in him to keep smiling and waving at the crowds of ponies who’d gathered at the capital. Shining could only imagine how his sister was feeling.
He raised his hoof to the door and knocked. The tapping stopped for a moment and soon resumed as if nothing had occurred. “Twilight,” he said as he knocked harder on the door. “It’s just me, open up.”
Twilight cleared her throat and opened the door. “Yeah, what is it?” She asked in her newly acquired ‘get to the point’ tone. Shining stepped into the room, much to his sister’s dismay, and took a seat on the wooden stool beside her bed. Twilight closed the door and sighed. The siblings stared at each other for a moment, eliciting a groan from Twilight. “I was trying to sleep, you know. So please, can we hurry this along?”
Shining eyed his little sister carefully and took in her sullen appearance. She looked like she hadn’t eaten since… THAT night and after glancing at the trays of food that had been shoved into the furthest corner of the room, He knew he was right. Shining chuckled and said, “Well, I can see why you didn’t get picked as the Element of Honesty.” His attempt to lighten the mood only fueled Twilight’s misery.
She sat on the edge of the bed closest to him and laughed nervously, “And after what I did the other day, I get why I wasn’t picked for loyalty or- or kindness.” She laughed darkly and broke into sobs, burying her face in her hooves as she curled into a shaking ball on the purple and blue quilt her mother made for her a year after her father passed. The reservoir of despair had finally broken through Twilight’s dam. Shining Armor reached out with his hoof, but she batted it away with swipe of her wing. She needed to be hated, to be angry with herself for not acting faster than she did. Her thoughts were like a building storm on the Black Sea; striking here and there with no rhyme or reason as she tore herself apart.
Shining Armor moved the chair closer to her bed and sat quietly as she cried and laughed for over an hour, whispering apologies to Cadance for failing to protect her and to Luna for betraying her when she needed her most. Shining Armor didn’t know what to say or do as his little sister hurt in ways he couldn’t heal. He knew there was nothing he could say, so he did what any BBBFF would do: he held her. He held his little sister all through the night as she cried herself to sleep.
. . .
Twilight Sparkle woke to the sound of knocking at her bedroom door. She winced at the moonlight pouring in from her window and groggily looked glanced around her room. ‘Shining Armor must have left already,’ she thought as she climbed out of bed.
She noticed in the corner of the room, on the night stand she had thrown across the room during on of her fits two nights ago, there sat an oat muffin and a glass of cranberry juice. Her stomach growled and Twilight couldn’t help but smile at how thoughtful Shining Armor was to leave it for her. She levitated the muffin to her mouth and nibbled the top as she crossed the room to answer the door.
“Who is it?” She called as she telekinetically opened the door to revealed Princess Celestia. Twilight’s eyes widened and she dropped her muffin. “P-p-prin-,” she stammered as she backed away from the majestic alicorn.
“It’s good to see you too, Princess Twilight Sparkle,” Celestia said with a polite smile. Twilight’s heart pounded in her chest. ‘Oh no, oh no, no, no, no!’ her mind screamed as she tried forced a nervous smile.
Celestia narrowed her eyes at the worried alicorn and smiled. “I just came by to tell you that your brother has departed for the Crystal Empire in order to inform of the coming changes in the kingdom.” Celestia levitated the muffin from the floor and sat it on the nearby dresser as she continued, “I also wanted to tell you that you have a guest on his way up. He is stopping by a few places, so you have enough time to clean yourself up.”
Twilight glanced at the mirror and blushed at her tear streaked cheeks and messy mane. She was a disaster. “Yes, thank you princess, I’ll see to that at once,” she said in a nervous rush.
She glanced back to Celestia only to feel a cool rush of air as the Princess of the Sun wrapped her wings around the purple alicorn. Twilight gasped at the sudden invasion discomfort she felt and tried to push away to no avail. Celestia had her firmly in her grasp.
The smaller alicorn struggled to breathe, her was muzzle was pressed firmly into the warm softness of Celestia’s down. As panic set in, Twilight struggled as hard as she could to break free from Celestia’s hold. She tried to teleport away but her magic wasn’t working.
Celestia squeezed tighter and a soft pop sounded with Twilight’s body. She coughed and blood splattered against Celestia’s wing, before dripping slowly to the floor.
All Twilight could do was listen to the thud of her heartbeat in her head as her former teacher whispered in her ear, “O’ see, O’ see, at the forest’s end, there’s the smallest of trees and the plains without end. And look, yes see, out beyond the trees you will find the greenest pastures…”
Twilight’s lungs burned for oxygen as her heart pounded harder and harder in her chest. Her legs kicked wildly under her and tears streamed down her cheeks as the song continued. She tried to scream but only managed the quietest of whimpers, which were blocked by the wings of her lovely killer. “Hush, Twilight. It will all be over soon. Just sleep,” Celestia whispered.
Twilight didn’t want to sleep, more than anything she wanted to live! However, as her heart rate slowed and her vision darkened, she couldn’t do anything but drift off. ‘I’m sorry,’ she thought as her kicking legs went limp. ‘Please, please, don’t do this…’
. . .
Twilight Sparkle woke to the sound of knocking at her bedroom door. She winced at the sunlight pouring in from her window and groggily looked glanced around her room. ‘What an awful nightmare,’ she thought.
“Come in,” she rasped as she sat up in bed. The door swung open and in poked the scaly purple and green head of her favorite assistant. “Good afternoon, Twilight. How are you feeling?” he said as entered the room.
He was a lot bigger than she remembered. It had only been six months since they’d gotten together for Hearth’s Warming. Still, Spike looked like he stood a full eight feet tall. The wings also gave him the appearance of a full grown dragon, despite him being only 11 years old now.
Spike stared back at Twilight and bit his lower lip nervously, saying, “What’s the matter? Is it the wings?” He gave them a flap, sending books and papers flying in all directions. “Sorry, I’m still getting used to them. But, I guess you know how that can be, right?” That got a smile out of her.
Twilight climbed out of bed and hugged her large friend. Spike returned the hug and chuckled in the deep gravelly way that only a dragon could. “This was a lot easier when I was smaller,” he said, rubbing her snout against her cheek. Twilight choked back a tear and smiled instead. “Yeah, but I wouldn’t change a thing about you,” she said, not moving her face away from his chest.
Spike furrowed his scaly brow and glanced down at Twilight. “Are you crying?” he asked. She shook her head, but Spike broke the hug and held her at arms length. “I’m not asking because I don’t already know, Twilight.”
She pounded her hoof against his hard chest and pushed him away. “You don’t know anything! She- She can’t- She hates- The princess… I killed LUNA! Spike! I killed her, because I hated her! I hate her and now Celestia hates me! She’s going to have me exiled or thrown into the dungeon! Or she’ll throw me in the dungeon in the place she exiles me!” She screamed as she threw her little purple hooves into the dragon’s general direction.
Twilight turned her back to him and bitterly whispered, “I killed her sister, because she killed mine…” Exhaustion washed over her like a tidal wave and Twilight collapsed to the floor. Spike scooped up the little alicorn and tucked her back in bed.
‘She probably just needs a bit of rest,’ he thought as he walked to the door. However, as Spike was opened the door, something strange caught his eye as it blew under the dresser. He squatted down and reached under the dresser until he found what he was looking for, the bloodstained feather of Princess Celestia.
. . .
Shining Armor and his guards approached the small cottage outside the city walls. The sun was high now and most of the snow already started to melt, but Shining was still able to make out several sets of hoof prints in the yard. He signaled for his guards to remain on the watch and knocked on the door. “Just a minute,” Fluttershy responded from within.
A moment later, the door opened and out poke the head of the little Pegasus. “Oh, King Armor,” she said with a small gasp. “I had no idea that it was you. I’m sorry for keeping you waiting. Please, come in. I mean, if you want to…”
Fluttershy moved away from the door and Shining Armor stepped inside the cozy little home. “Are you here for the boys, King Armor? I just laid them down for a nap, but if you want I can get them.”
Shining Armor shook his head and smiled warmly. “Actually, Fluttershy, I was hoping you could do me a favor.” Fluttershy bowed her head and drew imaginary circles in the floor. “Oh, what do you need of me, my lord?” Shining Armor chuckled softly and put a reassuring hoof on her shoulder before saying, “Come one Fluttershy, we’ve known each other for over a decade now. If there’s anyone who can drop formalities with me, it’s you. Especially, after… you know.”
Fluttershy’s cheeks burned a bright shade of red and she bowed her head even lower. “Umm, yes…” She squeaked. “What do you need?” He took her hoof and kissed it tenderly. “I need you,” he said as he made a trail of kisses up to Fluttershy’s cheek. “I want you to come live with me in the castle.” Fluttershy gasped and took a step back.
“I-I don’t know,” She whispered. “What will everypony say? Cadance was just buried…”
Shining Armor glanced at the front door and once he was assured that the guards weren’t listening, he said, “Nurse Redheart is gone. The only ones who know about us are in this room. You have nothing to worry about.” He stood and started the room. “I can have you come as a nurse for the children, our children.”
Fluttershy turned away from Shining Armor and stared down the dark hallway to the rooms where the boys slept. She remembered the how hard being away from her only family had been. Sword and Shield were all she had left now. ‘I won’t let anything keep us apart. Not again,’ she thought to herself somberly as Shining Armor rubbed her back. She shuttered at his touch.
“Shining, I’ll go with you,” she whispered. Shining Armor’s eyes sparkled and he practically leapt at the news. “Oh this is great! I’ll inform the staff and send for you tonight! You’re going to love the castle, Fluttershy! I’m so happy, you’ll be staying with me,” he said in an excited rush. Fluttershy put up her hoof, ending his gushing.
“Listen, Shining Armor,” she said in a calm, calculated tone. “I am NOT doing this for you.” She turned to face him, determined tears streaming down her face. “This is for my sons. I refuse to play ‘house’ with you, and I will NOT be your breed whore.” King Armor, taken aback by the fire burning in the yellow mares eyes, broke into a cold sweat. “Oh, yes… Of course, Miss Shy, I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Fluttershy nodded and said, “Maybe, you should go. I’ll get my sons ready.” Shining Armor and his guards returned to the city to prepare for the return of the royal heirs.
-End of Part 02-