It wasn't often that Shining Armor got to run an errand with his sister. Usually it was he and his mother, or just Velvet. But after yesterday's news, he could easily tell that he needed to give his mother a little distance to process it all. So for today, he and Twilight were wandering the market stalls.
"How were you able to get extra off-duty time, anyway?" Twilight asked after a while of browsing. "I thought it would be another year before you could come home."
Shining turned away from some particularly fragrant apples. "Ah, that's thanks to Cadance. Well, both her and Pappy. She pushed hard to get me some advance leave time, and he understood the news being sensitive and all. So they came to an agreement for me."
"An agreement, huh?" She reached up and selected three apples, her head barely high enough to look over them. Shining held a bag open so she could roll them in, then paid the stall worker. "What kind of agreement?"
"It's a shorter leave than usual. I only have three days away from duty, not including travel time, and I had to postpone next year's leave by another few months."
"Why couldn't they give you more?"
"It was a tradeoff, Twily. Remember, Pappy has us all training extra each day, so having one of his recruits taken away has put a wedge in his plans. Want some more fruit?" He pointed to a nearby cherry stand, but moved on when his sister shook her head.
Twilight was undeterred. "I don't know. It doesn't seem fair, having a shorter off period. I mean...if they made you postpone, why not just let you have a week now?"
Despite himself, Shining smiled at her questions. "What? How is that fair?"
"You were only given three days!"
"I think I'll want some off-duty time next year, Twily. I'm not some machine!"
He suddenly felt a firm prod at his shoulder. "You certainly dress like one!" Twilight teased.
They continued their walk, Twilight choosing foods and Shining paying for them. He was thankful for the extra magic training he had received, since he had left his saddlebags at the house and the paper one was getting full. Lifting it was no problem, but keeping it aloft could get strenuous. Two years ago, he had very poor endurance; now it was barely a bother, and he improved every month.
As they reached the last of the food stalls, he asked a question of his own. "How mad do you think Mom was?"
Next to him, he saw his sister's ears droop. It wasn't a subject he enjoyed, but he really couldn't stand any more small talk. The way Velvet had responded after his news yesterday was nagging at him.
"It...looked pretty bad," she murmured. "I don't usually see her go quiet like that."
"Yeah, I noticed that too." Crap. Quiet anger was the worst kind.
"I can understand it, though. Well, some of it, I guess. You did just drop it on us."
"To be fair, Cadie dropped it on me, too. I didn't know until a month ago." Shining Armor blinked and shook his head. "No. Less than that."
"Big brother, you've been enlisted for only a couple of years, and you're starting a family. It seems like barely any time has passed."
"Would you forgive me if I said this was true love?"
Twilight giggled, but didn't look up. "I would, but...to quote you, big brother, you haven't even apologized."
"Heh. Got me there," he said as they rounded a corner. The next section of the market gave way to establishments instead of stalls and carts. Appropriately, the road was grooved with the tracks of wheels moving from one shop to the next. One side began with some furniture outlets, which moved on to specialty shops and a permanent dry food market. The other side only had a couple of buildings, one for wall art and another for flooring, both of which claimed to be endorsed by the Canterlot elite. On a regular day, Shining Armor and his mother might spend another hour or so browsing this part of town, discussing new ideas for the family home.
Neither Twilight nor Shining gave more than a glance to most of the storefronts. Today was not a day to shop for furniture.
"I'm kind of nervous, to be honest," Shining said at length.
"Oh. For Mom?"
"Well, that, sure. But I meant for me. And Cadie."
Twilight shot him a confused look. "You told me it was true love! Aren't you excited?"
"Yes! Sure. Maybe both, I guess?"
"Excited and nervous?" Twilight asked. Apparently the thought amused her.
"Yeah! It's like...excited-nervous. Nervouscited?"
"Ugh, don't. That just hurt my brain."
Shining Armor scoffed. "It's true, though. This isn't exactly something you're trained for, you know?"
This time, Twilight outright laughed. "Bah, ahaha! Big brother, there are books on the subject that are exclusively meant to prepare you for fatherhood!"
"Say what? Since when did you start reading parenting books?"
"I happen to read a lot, thank you!" Twilight was actually pouting. Since when did she do that? "And I don't read parenting books! I just saw an advertisement for one in a magic magazine I picked up one day."
"Oh yeah? Thank goodness. It'd be a cruel world when a little sister needs to give her older brother some advice on being a parent."
They continued past the various storefronts and around the local bakery, where they had to squelch their sudden desire for a treat. They already had apples; they didn't need any cinnamon cakes. Although, such knowledge didn't stop Twilight from halting near its door and looking longingly inside. Shining Armor had to tap her head to get her to focus and follow him.
Now clear of the marketplace, they turned down a larger road, this one marked with much deeper grooves, and headed for home. It had been a good shopping run. A couple bags of flour, a water jug to replace an empty one, an extra large pack of strawberries, and a few apples for snacking before dinner. The apples weren't on the list of things to get, but then again Shining Armor had paid for it all with his own money, so what did it matter? Maybe he should have bought a cinnamon cake anyway...
"I suppose I could ask some of my colleagues," Shining continued. "Then again...some of the people I know with families aren't exactly the fatherly type." He left out the fact that Pappy's face appeared in his head.
"What about Mom?" Twilight asked.
"You think I could ask her?"
"Why not? I know it's not the 'fatherly type' you are probably looking for, but she's the best source of advice I can picture. Unless Dad were still here, of course."
"Ah...yeah. Dad." In that instant, Shining's mood deflated. He remembered more about their father than she did, just because she had barely been old enough to trot by the time he had left.
"Shining Armor?"
He shook his head. "Sorry. Just starting thinking about him."
"Oh." Twilight glanced at him, then turned her gaze forward. When she spoke again, she was more subdued. "Anything good?"
"Heh. A couple things, yeah."
"You're lucky."
"I told you why I wanted to enlist, right?"
Twilight nodded toward the dirt road. "It had something to do with Dad. I was too young to remember."
"Yeah. You know that he was a guard, too? Spent most of his career protecting the Princess during the conflict. I doubt he saw too much action in his posting, but it was a noble cause and I decided I wanted to carry on his work."
"I remember now. You just up and decided one day to become a royal guard, and you started looking into ways to enlist. Do they still separate the guard from the military?"
"Yes, but only after we're fully trained." They passed beneath a grove of trees where the dirt road gave way to cobblestone. They were nearing their home now. "Until that point, we all go through the same routines, then afterward we learn specifics."
"How...um..." Twilight began to slow. She kept her gaze on the road. "How likely are they to...um..."
Shining Armor stopped, and soon she did to. He looked toward her, noticing the way her ears were angled down. "What is it?"
"I...I don't want you to...follow Dad's hoofsteps...not to the end."
Now there was a surprise. Shining moved in close and lowered his voice. "What are you saying?"
"N-nevermind!" Twilight said. She looked forward and lifted her chin. "Let's just go home, okay?"
"Uh, yeah, let's not," he replied. With a gentle tug, he brought them both beneath the shade of a tree. "What's on your mind, kiddo? You don't have to hide from me."
"I'm not hiding!"
"I mean..." Ugh, what a time for Twily to get literal. "I mean you don't have to keep what you want to say to yourself. You can speak to me, you know that," he went on, adopting the 'big brother voice' he hadn't used in nearly two years. "Is there something bothering you?"
Twilight stood for a moment, not meeting the gaze of her brother. Her ears were subtly twitching, an old habit he had nearly forgotten about. With a resigned sigh, she sat on the grass. "It's just...just...Dad's gone."
"Yeah. He's gone."
"And you're following his example in becoming a royal guard for the capital."
"Yeah."
"You see?" she pressed. "Dad was a guard, like what you want to be. He was taken from us. I don't want you to go like...like that."
"Oh."
Oh.
Hmm.
"Twily... I see where you're coming from, but you don't need to worry." Shining put on a smile that was just a tad too forced. "The guard detail is separated from the military—"
Twilight flinched as though shocked. "That didn't stop those soldiers from shooting him. He was a guard, but was killed during a military conflict."
"I know, I know."
"So, can't the same thing happen to you?" She finally looked up at him properly.
Shining Armor considered her for a moment. She was worried, which wasn't anything new, but he wondered just how long she had been holding this in. In his mind, she deserved a bitter truth more than a sweet lie...but it would tear him apart if he pushed her over the edge. How did a simple grocery errand turn into this?
Biting his lip, he looked up toward the road, then beyond in the direction of their house. He had time.
"Come on," he beckoned. Together, they moved back to the edge of the road and began a slow walk. Much slower than earlier.
Twilight held back a sniffle. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm ruining your time off, aren't I?"
"Not at all. I came here to spend time with my family, Twily. Nothing can ruin that." And he believed it.
"Still..."
He cleared his throat, and felt a pang of guilt when Twilight stopped speaking altogether. "Listen, kiddo... I won't lie to you. A career in the royal guard can get dangerous. It's just the job, it's what we sign up for. Any danger to Princess Luna becomes a danger to us. You're completely justified in worrying about me, and I won't tell you that you shouldn't."
Shining Armor glanced down. Twilight was keeping her gaze on the road again, listening closely.
"But..." He chose his words carefully. "You know that the war is over. There has been peace for a few years now. Nobody has tried to... Well, no, there are still threats in the capital, but nothing so big and crazy like actual combat! The Princess hasn't had a need to go to another territory in a long time, so the likelihood of some danger is much smaller now than it was back then."
"There can always be another," Twilight said.
"What makes you say that?"
"It's one of the basic rules of alchemy." She tilted her head, finding the right words. "Possibilities, you know? What you want is not always what you get."
"Oh. Well, I doubt that mindset really applies to me. To any of the services, really. We need to deal with what is actually happening." Shining Armor shrugged as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "We plan for the possible, sure, but not everything that's possible gets to happen."
Twilight shrank, her ears and tail going limp against her. "You don't need to dismiss me like that," she muttered
Shining Armor paused for a moment to mentally kick himself. "Sorry. Uh, let me rephrase. Your worry is...it's valid. But for now, you don't need it. I have a greater chance of crashing a chariot than I do of getting involved in armed conflict."
"I don't want to lose you."
There it was again, that unpleasant possibility she couldn't let go. Did she mention any of this to their mother? Then again, it might not have done any good anyway. Dismissing the thought, Shining turned and spoke firmly. He needed her to believe. "You won't."
"Then why did we lose Dad?"
"Twily..." He trailed off, trying to gather his thoughts. Truth be told, he hadn't wanted to talk about their father during this trip. It almost always led to an argument with their mother, so he tried to avoid it. But this was Twilight, so he focused on it for her sake. "When we lost Dad, it was a different time. There was a conflict involving us and the frontier. He was doing his job, what he enjoyed, and he was caught in the heat of it. He wasn't alone when the attack came, but he and his troop helped to defend the Princess like they were meant to. All of that in a land beyond ours, far from here, far from where I'll be."
It sounded funny to him - talking about Night Light like that almost made it seem like they weren't related, or that he wasn't affected by the loss. Shining knew that it wasn't true, and he simply told himself that it was for Twilight to understand. Twilight, who was too young to properly remember their father, wouldn't grasp the weight of the loss the way he did. What choice did he have but to stick to the facts so she could understand? Besides, he had to stay strong for her.
Evidently, it was working. Twilight had perked up a bit as they passed the fence of the first house on their route. "So you think you'll be safe?"
"Well, yeah." He looked down and grinned. "Like I said, the conflict is over. We're unified now. There's no warfare going on, and the Princess certainly isn't making political visits in buffalo lands anymore. From what I hear from Cadie, everything is stable. We shouldn't expect any conflict on that scale again. The most I'm likely to see is a few over-excited reporters who sometimes get too close to the palace." He spared a moment to chuckle. "It's not warfare."
"I know, I know. But..." Twilight hesitated, not yet convinced. "Well, there are still all the components for something bad happening."
"Components?" His grin faltered at the term. "Is that another alchemy principle?"
Twilight nodded in excitement. "Yes. I understand what you mean and everything, but there are still enough pieces left over to spark something new, isn't there? And besides, I still don't... I mean, does anypony actually know why there was a conflict at all?"
Shining blinked. He hadn't expected that one. "Oh. Huh. I could tell you the basic answer about accidents, ideologies, and territory, but if I'm being honest, I've never believed it."
"Really? Even you don't know?"
"Well, I can tell you an answer. I just don't think it's the answer." He shook his head as the lessons replayed in his mind. "I mean, really, what did we actually gain from the Unification War? Besides buffalo in modern society, of course."
"Right. It doesn't seem like the right solution. It's like there are pieces missing from a puzzle!" Twilight said while scowling.
"Or parts cut from the story."
"Cut?" Twilight looked up and gave her first smile in a while. "You make it sound like they're intentionally hidden."
"Heh. I'm a regular conspiracy theorist, aren't I?"
"I suppose you are! But don't tell Mister Pappy."
"Oh, goodness. 'Mister Pappy.' Do me a favor, kiddo - never again."
The two of them shared a laugh at that. Just in time, too, as they rounded the corner to their family home. Shining Armor glanced at the empty set of armor still outside the front door. Without thinking, he set the grocery bag on top of the armor, giving his horn a much-needed rest.
"So," he began and Twilight pushed open the front door, "are you okay?"
Twilight took a moment to look to her side before at him. "Kind of. The worry is still there, and this question of why has been nagging me for a while..."
Shining grinned. "I could tell."
"Yeah. But even so, I do feel better. You're right. There's no conflict going on right now, so I really don't need to let this worry control me." Twilight then stared intently at the paper bag and, using her own magic, lifted it off the armor's shell and floated it next to her. She struggled with its weight, and for a moment it visibly wobbled in midair, but she confidently moved into the house with it at her side. Shining was silently grateful - his own horn had begun to itch terribly.
"That's the spirit!" he said. "Keep your chin up, kiddo. And hey, never stop asking questions. That's the only way the world works!"
That seemed to do the trick. Twilight perked up even more as they walked through the house. As Shining closed the door, he noticed a subtle spring to her step and instantly felt a mix of pride and relief wash over him. Good work, big brother, he thought, you've cheered her up. Today is a win!
The siblings made their way through the living area to the kitchen. Working together, they got started on shelving the groceries, but the sound of them drew Velvet out of her upstairs study. "Hi, kids," she called as she came nearer.
Twilight looked back with a smile. "Hey, Mom!"
"Hey, we're back!" Shining Armor said. "We got a little something extra while we were out."
"What's that?" Velvet came to his side and peered at what was now an empty paper bag.
Shining Armor magically lifted up the apples Twilight had chosen. "Gala is in season. Big, ripe ones. Want yours?"
"Oh, no thanks, I'll save mine for later."
Twilight looked at the floating apples. "Give them here. I'll put them in the pantry for tonight," she offered.
Shining Armor released his telekinesis as Twilight began her own, and the apples instantly took on a lighter hue of violet. Twilight turned back to the pantry as he continued. "We got everything you asked for. I had to look around a bit for good flour. Some of their bags were tearing open again."
As he spoke, Velvet's eyes moved from the counter, to Twilight, to him, and finally to the floor. She scowled for a moment before raising her eyes again. "Ahem... Shining, dear, thank you for getting all of this. Once they're put away, might I speak with you?"
"Uh, sure. Just tell me where you wanted this water?"
"You can leave it out, actually," Velvet said while waving at the counter. "I want to use it in the morning."
"Ahh...can I get some help over here?" Twilight called. Both Velvet and Shining Armor looked up in time to see her struggling to hold the apples and the strawberries at the same time. The berries had begun to tip over their carton, threatening to spill beyond her magic.
"Gotcha!" Shining Armor acted first. As the carton of berries keeled over, he reached out and formed a magic field that surrounded Twilight's own. The berries fell, but only so far before being caught in his aura. Twilight still struggled to keep everything balanced, but she let go of the carton when she was sure the strawberries would be saved. As soon as she did, the apples instantly snapped and became still, held confidently aloft once again.
Behind him, Velvet's concern melted away, replaced by what seemed to be a glare.
"Thanks, big brother." Twilight said as her cheeks flushed.
Shining Armor casually replaced the berries in their carton without looking. "Just me saving the world."
"Twilight," Velvet interrupted. "May we be left alone, please?"
Shining Armor tensed. He recognized that tone. His eyes met his sister's and they shared a look of understanding. Without saying a word, Twilight set the apples on a random shelf in the pantry, then slipped past her brother. Both he and their mother saw her flattened ears.
As she left, Shining Armor slowly put the strawberries in the pantry and, almost autonomously, moved the apples next to them on the correct shelf. He was facing away from his mother, but he could feel the gaze on his neck. It wasn't something new to him; he had been subject to it for years by now. It just aggravated him that he had to go through this again. Today was a win, he mused, but today still isn't over.
He closed the pantry door and was met with silence. "Everything okay?" he prompted, keeping his tone cheerful.
"Son. I..." Velvet audibly clicked her tongue. "We need to have a serious talk."
Definitely not over yet. Ugh. No, no, relax, big brother. You've done good things today. Don't let these silly disagreements bring you down. You're stronger than that.
"Is this about what I think it's about?" Shining asked. His tone had shifted against his will, cheerfulness to resignation.
"Yes."
"All right. Well, I'm here," he said. Doing his best to hide a frown, he turned and walked to the nearby dining room table. Velvet, he saw, had beaten him there and was waiting for him to join her.
They sat in silence for a moment. Shining Armor watched his mother's eyes dart from two spots on the table's surface. It seemed even she didn't want to be there. When the moment passed, she looked up at him and began. "I've had some time to think over all that you told us yesterday. But I'm still finding it very difficult to understand."
"Oh." Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. "Okay. What can I help explain?"
"Your...thought process, I guess."
"Sorry?"
Velvet hesitated, glanced at the tabletop again, then let out a sharp sigh. Her mouth instantly turned downward. She ran her hoof over her brow in aggravation. When she looked up again, it was around the edge of her hoof. "I want to know what you were thinking when you made the decision to have relations with this Cadance of yours."
Maybe it would be just as bad as he thought. "Ahh...okay. I'll tell you, but can you pull back the hostility a little bit?"
Velvet didn't reply, instead simply staring at her son with her hoof in the way. For a moment, Shining Armor thought that he caught a glimpse of shame in her eyes, but it was brief and clashed with the annoyance he clearly saw.
He brought his forelegs up and set them on the table. "Cadie and I have been together for over a year now, Ma. She's supported me during my time in training, especially during the change in troops I had to go through. I feel on top of the world when I'm with her, and when the time came..." He paused and looked at nowhere. "I don't know, it felt like it was the right decision. She and I love each other, and we knew ahead of time that..."
"Go on," Velvet prompted him. "What did you know?"
He looked forward again and smiled. There was conviction in his voice. "That we'd want a life together."
Velvet didn't respond. She simply continued to look at him. Shining Armor continued to escape the silence.
"Look, I'm sorry you and Twily had to find out this way, and I'm sorry it took so long for me to tell you two about her. I always lost my nerve when the thought came up. I wasn't sure what to say or how either of you would react."
"Fine. It 'felt like the right decision,' then." Velvet made small tilts with her head as she spoke, irking her son. She moved her hoof from her brow and pointed at him, never losing her stern stare. "Did you think about what effect that 'right decision' would have on your career? Or on how you're treated?"
"Yeah, naturally. I mean, Cadie and I didn't just go this far when we met, after all." He shrugged, again as though it were obvious. "We let ourselves grow to know each other first."
"Son, you don't know this mare."
That was the first jab of the day. Despite his resolve, Shining had to admit that it affected him more than he would have liked. He affixed a worried stare on his mother, trying not to get too mad. "Uh...Ma? Sorry, but no. I do know her."
Velvet's mouth twitched, almost as though she were holding back a smirk. "After only a year and a few months? You don't."
"Mom, please don't start this." Shining Armor sat up straighter and put his front hooves against the edge of the table. It was, he had learned from Pappy, a way of rooting himself and creating a sturdier presence. He hoped it would help steer the discussion away from where he knew it was headed.
"And what am I starting, Shining Armor?"
"You're starting to tell me what my thoughts and opinions should be, because you don't like what they are."
To her credit, Velvet didn't expect that. "That's not true."
"It is, though. You do it all the time when we get to talking. Any time we bring up my decision to join the Royal Guard, you start to tell me what I should be thinking." Shining Armor briefly shook his head, a genuine attempt to get through to her. "Please, Mom, I can handle it when it's just that, but I won't tolerate you talking like that about Cadie."
Velvet waited a moment to collect her thoughts. Confusion and doubt crossed her features, and for a second, Shining Armor thought she might relent. "What you hear as me...what, telling you what you should be thinking?" The doubt vanished beneath sharp resolve, then she launched her second jab. "That's me trying to protect you. You're making a mistake, Son, don't you realize that?"
"M-mistake?" Shining sputtered. His posture fractured with the shock he felt.
Across from him, Velvet leaned forward, pressing her attack. "This mare you think you love? She's royalty, right? The adopted niece to the Princess, if I remember your words correctly. Do you honestly think that it's real?"
Shining Armor hesitated a moment to recover. He furrowed his brow in disbelief. This was not as bad as he thought; this was worse. "I'm...going to try and ignore how insulting you're being right now." He let out a sigh. "The answer is the same. I know I love her, and I know she loves me. That's why we made this choice in the first place, Mom."
"Shining Armor, don't you see the risk? What kind of scandal this can become?"
He dropped the pretense. "Why don't you just tell me, Ma? It's what you always do."
"Wha- now, look here, young man!" This time, it was Velvet's posture that collapsed. She sat back up and pointed at him again. "I'm not here to fight with you. I'm trying to keep you from a poor decision that will follow you forever!"
"Same thing. So?" Shining Armor raised his own hoof in her direction, prompting her to continue.
"Hmph." Velvet sat still for a few seconds and fixed her son with a glare that could cut glass. Slowly, a confident smirk grew on her lips. When she spoke again, her voice took on a more condescending edge. "Don't you think it's funny how the niece of Princess Luna decided to get together with you? A niece who has no legitimate claims to royalty?"
"Mom, Princess Luna adopted her. It was all legal. It's legitimate."
"It's not how royalty works, Shining Armor."
"What does her royalty even have to do with it?"
It was Velvet's turn to shrug. "It seems pretty obvious. She managed to win enough of the Princess' affection to be adopted by her. Now she's involved with a guard whose dream is to become a Captain. It's a way to gain power she otherwise wouldn't be able to earn."
That made three. Shining Armor glared at his mother. "How dare you," he growled.
"Moving on from that, you have gall to—"
"What? No, you can't just—"
"You have the gall to wait and tell us about her until after you've impregnated her?" Velvet raised her voice and stood up at the same time. "In addition to being a stupid decision for one so young, it makes it look like you are trying to gain power you also can't earn. I mean, really, Shining Armor? Did you not consider that?"
He slammed a hoof on the table. "Stop it. That's not what this is."
Velvet was unaffected. She shook her head in disappointment. "It's what it looks like. Now, when everypony else learns about it, they might think the same thing. And if that's the case, what do you suppose will happen to your chances of becoming a Captain?"
"That's not...what this is."
"Think of the ponies in charge of you. The ponies whose decisions affect your future. If I saw it so easily, then they are probably thinking the same thing even now."
"It's wrong. You don't know what this is." It had to be wrong. He told himself that, over and over. Anything else was just impossible.
Velvet's gaze lost its edge, enough for some genuine care to show. "Son, I've been where you are. I've been in love, and I've started a family. I know."
Shining Armor looked right in her eyes and glared. "Is that the reason you married Dad?"
He felt his heart pounding as his anger grew, and for a brief second he thought she would reach out and slap him. This was new, he admitted, this was definitely new. Of all the ways he imagined a talk like this would go, being told his relationship was false was not something he considered. It was too much of an insult, both to him and to Cadance, and he wouldn't let it go on.
However, he never got the chance. At that moment, a harsh light shone into the dining room and cast deep shadows along the floor. Both he and Velvet were caught by surprise, their argument forgotten. Shining Armor looked out the window, but was not prepared for what he saw.
A line of magical radiance was surrounding their house. It bobbed and weaved like an aurora, but the colors it gave off seeped with bad intentions. Deep purples and bright yellows seemed to be at war with each other, with inky blackness serving as an abyssal backdrop. As they watched, the colors shifted to shades of gray, moving faster and faster. Soon, a deep, resounding noise shook the house, chattering their teeth painfully.
Velvet stood speechless to one side. Shining Armor muttered under his breath. He felt the presence of magic from the strange lights, but it was unlike anything he knew. For a reason he couldn't explain, he felt an oppressive dread settle over the entire house. A primal part of him screamed to run.
The clatter of toppling furniture from the second floor snapped him out of his daze. He whipped his head around and focused on the stairs. "Twily?" he whispered.
Images like stars began to fly from the aurora. They were black, jagged, and each one faded from existence after a few seconds' life. Some of them stuck to the house and left arcane burns. The dread grew worse as a piercing scream tore through the house. Shining Armor acted on instinct, nearly slipping on the tiled floor as he ran for the stairs. "Twilight! TWILIGHT!!"