Little Sister Best Friend Forver
“The moon is beautiful tonight, isn’t it?” Cadence looked up at the night sky as she avoided looking directly at her dinner partner. She poked at her food and fidgeted at the table. From all over the restaurant came the sound of clinking glasses and pleasant conversations. At her table, there was a tense silence. She knew it would be tonight, but when?
“Yes, it is,” Shining Armor said. “Your Aunt Luna has gone all out.” He wished that Cadence would stop fidgeting about so. He was waiting for the right moment to pop the question, but she hadn’t given him the opportunity.
Shining had waited a long time for this night. As foals, he and Cadence had been mere acquaintances, but then he was assigned to be her personal bodyguard. He threw himself into the duty with sincere devotion. Over time, that devotion had become a deeper feeling, a feeling that, he found, was mutual.
Other ponies noticed. Among the gossiping elites of Canterlot, it was whispered that the princess was tarrying with her protector. But the scandal did not gain traction. Shining’s family, while not noble, was pleasant and generous, and his sister’s status as Princess Celestia’s protégé was enough to satisfy those who thought it was inappropriate.
Cadence herself bucked the trend by displaying their relationship publicly. She did not see him as being beneath her, only as a handsome and good-hearted stallion, the kind she hoped would someday sweep her off her hooves. Nopony would ever question Shining’s nobility once she married him.
If he gets up the nerve to ask, thought Cadence, still anxiously fiddling with her dinner. I really hope I’m not going to wind up having to turn around convention and ask him myself. Or maybe use my love-reinforcement spell to focus our attention on what’s important here.
“Cadence?” he said.
Her heart started pounding as she finally looked into his eyes. “Yes?”
“Would you. . . “
“Yes?”
“. . . like to look at the dessert menu? I’ve picked out what I want. But if you’ll let me recommend, they make an excellent berry parfait here.”
“Oh, thank you. Yes. Though I’m actually in the mood for a warm dessert tonight. Maybe a bread pudding.”
“I really think you should get the parfait. You won’t regret it,” Shining said.
“Aha!” she thought. “He’s arranged it with the restaurant to hide the engagement ring in the parfait. That’s why he’s been stalling. Well, I’ll play along.”
“All right, Shining. If you really think that’s what I should have.” she said.
“Great choice!” he said. He called over a waiter and put in the orders for both of them.
It’s going well, he thought. We’re both on edge, but she knows I’m going to ask, and I know she’s going to say yes. I’ll say it soon, no, right now. I’m the Captain of the Royal Guard. I can’t be a coward! I’ll ask her now! Just five words, “Cadence, will you marry me?” Simplest thing in the world. OK, here I go.
He opened his mouth, but before he could speak, he felt a presence at his side. At first he thought it was the waiter asking if they wanted coffee or something. But when he turned he saw two of his guards, Grand Champion and Lance Hunter. They had dour expressions and were anxiously trying to get his attention.
“Sir, I’m very sorry to bother you on your night off,” said Grand Champion, “But Princess Celestia says you must see her at once.”
“Now?!” he said. “Can’t it wait ten minutes?”
“Respectfully, sir, it cannot. Don’t worry, one of us will escort Princess Cadence home.”
He took a deep breath. Duty was duty. He’d have to go. But this dinner was also a duty to a princess, and he couldn’t fail either. “Can it wait ten seconds?” he asked.
“I suppose.”
“Then stand aside, please. I have something important to say.” Once the guards had their faces away, he turned to Cadence and got down on his knees, with one foreleg extended to her.
“I had intended to make a long speech about why I want you to be in my life forever. Now I have no time, so I can only say that it is because I love you. Mi Amore Cadenza—Cadence—will you marry me?”
Cadence had been stunned and disappointed as she listened to the guards’ request. Now the tears welling in her eyes brought her back to the moment. “Yes! Yes I will!”
Shining kissed her on the cheek. “I have to go now. Your ring is in a box under the centerpiece. Hang onto it until I get a chance to put it on you myself.“ He started to trot off with Lance.
“Wait!” Cadence called. “I thought it was going to be in the dessert, and that was why you had me order the parfait!”
“What? No, I’m telling you, it’s just really good. Have mine too! Bye!” Shining ran off with the impatient guard.
“Well, I’ll probably get the desserts to go,” she said out loud. “I can’t wait to tell everypony!”
Grand Champion, the remaining guard, talked to the waiter and had him wrap what they had ordered, while Cadence packed her things and found the ring where Shining had said it would be.
“Are you ready to go, your highness?” he asked.
She nodded, and they exited the restaurant to the congratulations of the staff. A few who hadn’t been present for the proposal congratulated Grand as the lucky groom by mistake.
“It’s a bit chilly tonight, don’t you think?” she asked, trying to make small talk.
“Yes. I’m looking forward to getting home myself. It’s always warm where I live.”
“Oh, where’s that?”
“Underground. Do you know there are still caves below Canterlot?”
“No, I didn’t. You know, I think I’ve seen you a few times in the guard, but were your eyes always green?”
*****************************************
Shining Armor galloped to Canterlot Castle, reaching it ahead of his companion. He slowed his gait and took the time to flash salutes to all of the guards he encountered. It was never good for them to see the captain in a hurry or unsure of himself. Especially when he was.
Entering the princess’s reception room, he found Celestia poring over what he recognized as an incident report from guard duty. For the guards to bypass the chain of command and give the report directly to Celestia meant something dire was afoot.
“Your Highness,” he said. “I came as soon as I could.”
“I apologize for interrupting your date with my niece. I hope it wasn’t too much of an inconvenience.”
“Not too much, just in the process of asking her to marry me. She said yes, by the way,” Shining said.
“Congratulations! It’s a wonderful match and I’ll love officiating. But right now we have to turn our attention to this. There’s a swarm of some strange black creatures gathering to the west. I didn’t want to risk sending anypony out to investigate until you were informed.”
Shining appreciated the trust that she put in him. Celestia continued. “I have a dark foreboding about these creatures, and I don’t want them entering the city. I would like to ask you to use your protection spell.”
“You want me to set up a force-field around the castle?”
“No. I want you to set up a force-field around all of Canterlot.”
Shining’s mind boggled at that. He had never extended his spell that far before, and wasn’t sure he could do it. But from Celestia, ‘I want’ was equivalent to ‘you will,’ and that meant that he would wear out his horn trying if need be.
“We’re going to have to call up many more guardsponies for after I’ve gotten the field established. They’ll have to be unicorns so they can open and close it for ponies who want to get in or out, and spot-cancellation of a spell like that will be tiring. They’re going to have to be relieved often.”
“Make it so,” Celestia said.
Shining Armor headed out to relay the assignments and to steel himself to cast the spell. It was going to take all his concentration, when what he really wanted to be thinking about was Cadence.
His fiancée, he realized, after thinking of her name. Soon enough, his wife.
He put the distraction out off his mind and went to work. First he had to plan out a schedule and issue orders to ensure that the traffic of Canterlot wouldn’t be disrupted. Then he arranged to spread the news of the shield without starting a panic. Finally, he endured a full hour of magical strain, repeatedly pushing the shield out a little bit farther, then a bit farther still, until it reached the markers he had set and one of the guards had come in saying, “That’s it, sir! You did it!”
Shining's head was pounding. He had not slept, and it was the first time in years that he had pulled an all-nighter. By the time Princess Celestia raised the sun, he wished that she hadn't.
Now that he could finally relax, he wanted to see Cadence again. But he felt so exhausted that, if she were there, he would have barely found the strength to kiss her. He decided to sleep then and find her later. He would have to be up in a few hours anyway, in order to provide the booster spell that would keep the shield in place. But the schedule would be no worse than his horseshoe-camp days.
After he had rested and reinforced the shield, he found Lance Hunter and asked where Cadence was.
“I’m not sure, sir. She wasn’t in her room this morning, though I believe she did make it home last night. I can’t say the same for Grand Champion, though. He missed roll call this morning and I haven’t seen him.”
“Find her. Find them both. Pass the word.” He started putting on his uniform. If he needed to, he himself would get out there on the streets of Canterlot and start looking for her.
But as soon as he was dressed there was a knock at the door, and he heard Cadence’s voice. “Do I have somepony in here who loves me?”
“Cadence! Come in! I was so worried about you.”
She burst in and embraced him. “You found out that I left the city, then?”
“Yes, where were you? Didn’t you get the news about the swarm out there?”
“Only just. After last night, I was so excited that I didn’t want to sleep, so I wandered far out to a spot I know, just thinking of how happy I was. Oh, kiss me, darling!” she said.
“One moment, my love. What happened to the guard I sent with you?”
“He came with me. Don’t worry, he was a perfect gentlecolt. But then there was some sort of general call for the guards and he had to go in. I only held back a few minutes, but this giant shield formed around the city and I had to ask to be let in.”
“Giant shield? You mean the force-field I’ve used to surround you every time there was a hint of danger?” asked Shining.
“Oh, is it the same spell? I’ve just never seen it so big before. Truly you can do whatever you set your mind to. Now give me a great big kiss!”
He leaned in and kissed her, and she kissed back intensely, far more so than she normally did. When she finally let him go, he said, “My, you’re certainly lively this morning.”
“It’s because I’m love-starved, darling. I feed on your love and I’ve missed it so. Those desserts last night tasted terrible. I’d much rather have a kiss from you.”
Shining chuckled. “If I knew that being a bride would bring this out of you, I would have asked a long time ago.”
“Yes. We shouldn’t wait too long either. I wish the wedding were today! Can we do that, Shining? Can we elope and get married today?”
“What? No, of course not. This is going to be a major event. Ponies from all over Equestria will want to be there! All your friends, Cadence!”
“Hmm, yes. Honestly, dear, does it have to be so extravagant? I would much prefer a smaller wedding, no fancy pageantry and friends clamoring all over me.” She turned away and started looking into a mirror, checking her makeup.
“If you really want it to be that way, it is your special day. And maybe we can limit the invitations to just Canterlot. We have the swarm threat as an excuse.”
“That’s perfect!” Cadence said “And I’ll have Lyra and Colgate as my bridesmaids!”
“Who? I thought I knew all your friends.”
“Oh, I just met them recently. You know me, always making friends.”
Shining moved in close to her and kissed her on the cheek. “You sure are. It’s settled, then. Just Canterlot ponies and family. We’ve got to bring in Twilight from Ponyville, of course.”
“Twilight?”
“Twilight Sparkle? You know, your favorite filly to foal-sit for? The friend you have a hundred secret games with that I don’t understand? That Twilight?”
“Of course! How silly of me. It’s just that when you’re with me I forget that anypony else even exists!”
You sure remembered those new friends of yours, Shining thought. But he let it go. If Cadence was stressed, it was his job to keep her relaxed.
“And besides,” Shining said. “If there are any security concerns, it can’t hurt to have one of the bearers of the Elements of Harmony around.”
“Elements of Harmony?”
“Sure! You remember how she and her friends stopped Nightmare Moon and Discord, right? Or do you have amnesia?” He laughed and gave Cadence another kiss.
She looked at him with concern in her eyes. "Listen, I feel very strongly that we should restrict the wedding to Canterlot. Don’t even send out any news until after it’s over. There will have to be press attention and such, but as little as possible, especially with the swarm.”
“You’re worried about it too? Princess Celestia said she had a bad feeling about it.”
“Oh, yes, whatever they are, I’m sure they’re a deadly threat.” Cadence smirked as if she heard a double meaning in her words.
“But still, we have to let Twilight know.”
“Shining Armor, it comes to this. You are going to marry me, and there are only going to be Canterlot ponies there. And as few of them as possible. I insist upon it!”
Shining paused and let Cadence go back to preening herself. This was the mare who had always been so accommodating, so willing to let anypony impose on her. She had never once pulled rank with him.
Well, he said to himself, it’s different now. Princess and guard was one thing, but now you’re going to be husband and wife, and that means that you have to listen to her.
“All right,” he said. “I won’t tell Twilight. We’ll marry as soon and as inconspicuously as possible.”
“Thank you, my love.”
“I have to go back on duty. Can you take care of all the wedding plans on your own?”
“Certainly. Don’t worry about me at all. Just give me one more kiss before you go. I’m still hungry.”
******************************************
“Sir, there’s a contingent from Trottingham here, and they insist on speaking with the Captain of the Guard in person about their ‘ill treatment’ at the border. What should I tell them?”
Lance Hunter had been running in and out of Shining’s office all day, more than once signing his boss’s name in his own mouth-writing and counting on nopony to question the orders being sent out. It was the busiest guard duty he had ever been on, but inside he preferred it to the usual boredom. He could see that Shining was starting to wilt under the pressure a little though.
“Ugh. Can you put them off?” Shining asked. “I’m really not in the mood to talk to anypony I don’t have to right now.”
“I sure can! I promised them I’d relay their message to the Captain, but I never promised they’d get anywhere. So let them stew and when I’m good and ready I’ll tell them you’re too busy. Anyway, it’s time to take your herbal horn supplement, and just twenty minutes till you have to renew the force-field spell.”
Lance poured out the medicine for Shining and made him drink it. He saw the grimace on Shining’s face, and understood. He had had to drink the same stuff once, for a field test, and it had tasted nasty and made his horn feel weird. Shining was taking four doses a day.
“Also I have the time cards for the first shift. I hope there’s not going to be a problem with the budget with all this overtime,” Lance said.
“There shouldn’t be. Princess Celestia knows there’s an emergency. But stack the cards on my desk and I’ll sign them later. Nopony should be rushing for their bits at this point,” Shining said, looking at the stack and all the work it would mean.
“Mmhm. And we still haven’t found Grand Champion. What should I do?”
Shining had been shuffling papers and thinking about several different things at once. Finally he lost his temper with the guard. “You could try making a decision for yourself once in a while!” he screamed. “I have to do everything around here. Can you try to figure something out for once in your life?!”
Lance looked at Shining’s eyes. They were bloodshot and angry. He started raising his haunches to argue, then took a deep breath. This was a time for discipline and calm. “I have been. All day. And if you want, you can rest and I’ll handle everything. I can’t promise I can do it as well as you, but I’ll work my flank off. That’s all you’ve ever asked before. I must not be doing it now. Otherwise you wouldn’t have yelled at me for the first time since I’ve known you.”
“Lance. Lance, I’m sorry, I just—“
“You’re just pushing yourself too hard. Loosen your uniform.” Shining shook his head and tried to wave him off. “No, come on. Put down the work, come over here, loosen your uniform, and lie down here. And talk to me. About anything. You saw Cadence, right? How’s she doing?”
Shining nodded and allowed Lance to escort him to a couch that his predecessor had brought in to help a sore back. He had never needed it before and hoped he wouldn’t. He regarded it as a mark of old age. “She’s beautiful, of course. But nervous about the wedding. Or the swarm. I can’t tell which. I can’t tell which is stressing me out more either.
“I mean, my life has been nothing but Cadence and work for a while now, and I’ve always known how to handle it, but now, just because both are happening at the same time, I can’t cope? I’m Shining Armor. I can do anything! No, that’s not what’s bothering me.”
“Then what is?”
“It’s going to be the most important day of my life. . . and I can’t see my sister. Cadence said we can’t invite her.”
Lance blinked. “You have a sister?”
“Yeah.”
“How long have I known you? And you never mentioned that you had a sister?”
“Funny, huh? I bet she’s never talked about me to her friends either. But we think of each other all the time. That’s probably why I never said anything. Do you notice it when you breathe? No, because the air’s always there. That’s how it is. There’s the air, and there’s Twilight.”
In a corner of the room was an old guitar. Shining picked it up and began strumming out a tune, singing along.
When I first saw that young mare
I knew I’d have to be there
To care and watch and guard my Twilie as she grew
Such a smart and studious child
But the way she looked at me and smiled
Said she knew I’d always know just what to do.
When he was a colt, Shining had learned the basics of playing the guitar, and he had secretly hoped to get a six-string cutie mark. Then one day, he and Twilight were walking together by a river. Twilight was bouncing around as she usually did when they were together. Then she took a misstep, landing on a muddy part of the riverbank. The ground under her hooves gave way, and she slid in. She was very young then, and she hadn’t learned how to swim. She screamed for help. Without knowing how he did it, Shining stared right at her, and he watched as red magic flowed out of his horn. It surrounded Twilight, pushing out the water and leaving her inside a bubble of magic. She stopped her crying and looked at him. Then she started laughing as she bobbed down the river to the safety of the bank.
And she’d say that’s just how it should be
That she forever would be my. . .
Little sister, best friend forever
I’d be there, by her side, in all of her endeavors.
We always seemed to get along.
It was for her I grew so strong.
When she got out of the bubble, she looked at him and said, “Shiny, fun boat ride! Hey! Shiny got you’s cutie mark!” He turned his head and saw that, just as Twilight said, a symbol of a shield had magically appeared on his flank. At the time, he thought that it meant that he had a shield made of magic. He had kept the guitar around, but only picked it up once in a while.
We shared our home,
We shared our youth. . .
And now I’m told I can’t share with her. . . the truth.
Twilight had come home from a test one day, bursting into the house and showing off her flank. She had gone out to try for a place in school, come home with a personal invitation from the princess and a cutie mark. That was just like her, always overachieving. When he looked at the stars that his sister would carry with her all her life, he finally understood his own mark. He was a shield for magic. And magic was Twilight.
Little sister, best friend forever
I would always be there, right beside her, come whatever
And on my most important day,
She’ll be so far away. . .
My little sister, best friend. . .
When she had left home to go to Ponyville on special assignment for Princess Celestia, he hurt a little inside, but he also felt intense pride. He had fulfilled his purpose in life, seeing his sister grow into full marehood. She was off on her own and could protect herself. Indeed, she had surpassed him by defeating powerful enemies. He was now free to spend his life as he saw fit, and he found nopony better to do that with than Cadence, Twilight’s other caregiver from those days.
Forever. . .
Forever
“Celestia’s flank, Shining!” Lance said, jarring him out of his memories. “If you love your sister so much, then stallion up and invite her.”
“But Cadence said not to.”
“Are you going to be mare-whipped? Deep down, I’m sure that Cadence wants to meet her.”
“Oh, she knows her. She’s known her since she was a filly.”
“And they don’t get along?”
“No, they love each other. That’s what’s weird,” Shining said.
“Then get off your flank and send her the invitation. You’re not married yet. If Cadence sees her coming, and that’s enough to make her back out, she was never the one to begin with. But more likely, what will happen is that she’ll say thank you and be proud of you for thinking on your own.”
Shining got up on his feet and straightened his uniform. “You’re right! I’ll go straight to Princess Celestia and have her send the letter. Thanks for setting me straight, Lance. You’re all right.” He ran out of the room.
Lance was left all alone, and he said to the air, “And then years later she’ll drag it out during an argument and you’ll lose. But my friend, it’s all worth it.” He thought about his own wife and how much he missed her during the long workdays, then he sat at Shining’s desk and tried to get through some more of the paperwork.
*****************************************
“Cadence!” Shining Armor’s voice was not angry but forceful as he knocked on her door
“Darling, I’ve missed you so!” she said, throwing open the door and hugging him.
He pulled her hooves off from around his neck. “I have to tell you something. I just came back from Princess Celestia. She’s sent off Twilight’s wedding invitation. It probably won’t match what you send everypony else, but that shouldn’t damage the wedding. Oh, and her five friends are coming too. Celestia told me that the last time she forgot to include all six, it didn’t go well.”
“I thought we’d discussed this.”
“We had, but we came to the wrong conclusion. Now it’s right. Twilight’s coming, and that’s all there is to it.”
“No, that’s not all. If we have to do this the hard way, so be it!” She tackled him onto the ground and pointed her horn at his head. Normally he could have kicked her off easily, but as her spell took hold, he found his eyes glazing over. He couldn’t see, and it was becoming harder to remember where he was.
“What are you doing?! Cadence!”
“You know, I’ve never liked that name, and I’m going to enjoy it when I don’t have to use it again. To answer your question, I’m just giving my groom a gentle massage, right in the spot where he aches. Don’t you feel the tension in your head slipping away? Or is that just your brains?! Ha!”
“No! Twilight!”
“Twilight will not be at this wedding, I assure you. I am going to arrange it so that, if she doesn’t back out herself, you’ll kick her out. And you will help me. Say it!”
“No, I won’t!”
“Also, you’re going to keep up appearances until then. I will allow you to keep your personality for now, but if you start to defy me, it’s going to hurt. Let me give you a taste.”
Shining felt his head throb. The green light was attacking him directly, sliding past his eyes and seeping into his brain. He curled up into a ball.
“Have you ever had a migraine?” she asked. “I get them all the time, mostly from hunger. Doing anything hurts. Doing nothing hurts. You’ll feel like you want to take a knife to your head just to relieve the pressure. But even if you do, it won’t help. Now, forget everything that’s happened since you walked in here.”
She upped the intensity of her magic, and Shining Armor’s eyes spun in their sockets. He slammed his eyelids shut. He stopped moving. Finally she got off of him and he opened his eyes again.
“I’m sorry, honey. What were we talking about?” he asked.
“You were just saying that you’d explain to Twilight, when she gets here, why you couldn’t tell her in person.”
“Oh, right. Hey, look at the time! I have to go back on duty! I love you.” He ran out of the room.
Cadence’s eyes glowed green as she relaxed after her exertion. She cackled evilly. “You will,” she said.