They say that good armour is a Royal Guard's best friend.

Sometimes, it might be a little more literal than expected.

After all, it isn’t every day that one receives shameless self-promotion from their protective attire.

Shining Armor has lived a long and happy life alongside his wife Cadance. Though they never managed to have another child, they've held the Crystal Empire strong against many enemies, helping to spread friendship all across the world.

But merely being married to an Alicorn Princess has not protected him from the ravages of time. Where many others would have to say farewell to their immortal children and relatives, something else is waiting for Shining Armor.

His younger sister, ruler of Equestria, is unwilling to say goodbye, and has perfected a spell that will allow him to stay with his family. He has little time to decide: accept the spell, or say goodbye to his family forever. It isn't really much of a choice.

Cover by Zutcha, editing by da star bois Two Bit and Sparktail.

A warning for potentially sensitive readers: this is a story about cute role-reversals. Though it includes Gleaming Shield and physical transformation, it has neither the scope nor the wordcount to deal with the more sensitive topics of personal identity and dysphoria. Things I could not treat with the respect they deserved were left out of the story completely.

If you're looking for a more substantial take on transition and transgender subjects, I suggest one of my other stories, Homebrew.

Some societies worshipped masters of thunder, who wielded mighty hammers. Some societies worshipped those who had the head of a crocodile. And then, there were those deities that were a bit more, well, colourful. A bit more fun-loving. A bit unpredictable. But they were caring also, and for them, the world was big, beautiful and was to be handled with tremendous responsibility.

...Oh, and it was also a massive playground for them to do pretty much whatever they wanted. But hey, work hard and play hard, right?