//------------------------------// // Choices // Story: A Scratch On Shining Armor // by BaeroRemedy //------------------------------// “You can't make decisions based on fear and the possibility of what might happen.” ― Michelle Obama Shining Armor held his head in his hooves and let loose yet another hefty sigh. It seemed to be his default noise now, and it never made him feel any better. In fact, it only piled on the stress that the previous minutes had been building. “Please, Shiny. Tell me what you mean.” Cadance was not helping matters either. In fact, she had been the one to start this mess and she wasn’t making it any better by demanding an explanation. The dilemma that Shining was currently having was whether or not to tell Vinyl that she had been enchanted. Usually it would’ve been an easy choice, but now it was just eating away at him like a bad dream. All of the optimism and sense of justice had just been beaten out of him from recent events, and he was weary of delivering more bad news to an already broken down Vinyl Scratch. If he told Vinyl, she would most likely clam up and shut down. She wouldn’t even attempt to talk to Glory, and he would probably be on her short list for ‘most hated pony’ for making her go into a room alone with Cadance. That would set them back to square one of their relationship as a whole, both personal and professional. On the other side of the coin, if he didn’t tell her it could be even messier. Vinyl would go about her day, free of inhibitions and maybe happier than normal. But she could possibly get herself into trouble by doing something that common sense would’ve prevented her from doing usually. Plus, if she ever found out about the spell and that he knew and didn’t tell her, then it would put an end to anything and everything that they had ever shared. Both were unappealing choices, and both presented unique challenges and roadblocks. Both were utterly terrifying. The worst part was, he wasn’t even sure of anything he had just said. It was all conjecture and supposition. Those things might happen, they might not. With this spell in place, he couldn’t even bet on Vinyl’s emotions anymore. It was all up in the air and he knew nothing. “You can’t solve a problem if you don’t know all of the variables,” he muttered to nopony but himself. It was an old adage that he had heard from his mother when she was writing. It helped her take the perspective of her heroes more seriously, to look at an uncertain situation through their eyes. It was also good advice that he heeded. Usually he would consider himself a good problem solver, but that had been put to the test recently. Now he had a problem with no real solution, just more problems to follow it. That meant he wasn’t looking to solve a problem, just the resulting trouble with the least amount of resistance, with the closest and simplest solution. Even if it wasn’t the moral choice, it would have to be the right one. “Shining. Please.” He looked up at Cadance, his stomach turning as he did so. He was backed into a corner, forced to make a choice he didn’t want to, and made to be a fool all by her. This was all her fault and the blame and consequences would all fall on him. No matter what he did, none of this would ever get back to Cadance. None of this would ever interfere with her life like it would with his. “You don’t want me to talk to you, Cadance.” Shining stood up and decided he would do the only thing Vinyl would be proud of him for. He was going to go with his gut and make the decision when it was time, not now. Instead, he was going to spend the current moment talking to Cadance. “If I talk to you any louder than I am now-” His voice was low, just above a whisper. “-I will scream at you. So I need you to listen to what I’m about to say.” He advanced on the alicorn, staying himself from lashing out. “If I decide to tell Vinyl what you did to her, or if I don’t, then it’s all on you. All of that anger and spite she feels towards me for letting it happen, it’s all for you. I hope that it eats away at you every day that you’re in here. I hope that you never feel good about what you’ve done. I hope you know that because of this stunt your chances are up, and I will never forgive you. This time, I want you to know that I’m truly done with you.” Shining bit his tongue before her could utter another syllable and stormed by the Princess. Now he had to go out the door and face Vinyl and hope to anypony that was listening that he would make the choice he could look back on with pride. He didn’t like operating like that, he hated not knowing what would happen. When Shining exited the room, he was met with the one sight he did not need. Vinyl sat just on the opposite side of the hall, smiling. It broke his heart to even think about getting rid of such a smile. It might’ve been made or affected by spell, but it still looked so genuine. It was such a peaceful and quiet smile, one you might overlook on a street because it was just a pony being content with their lives. It was something special on Vinyl Scratch. “Have fun?” The smile that Shining had attempted to force did not last a single step beyond the door. It crumbled into a defeated frown, accompanied by his shoulders falling. “That bad, huh?” There wasn’t even a hint of her usual sarcasm, just real concern. That was Vinyl Scratch, that was really her and not some spell. He knew that much. Now he might have to ruin it. Now he was on the precipice of possible calamity, and personal upheaval. He was about to either ruin Vinyl’s day or ruin the next few years of his own life. That’s what it all boiled down to, could he live with the guilt of all of this or did he want to send Vinyl back to her reductive alcoholic cynicism. Whose life did he ruin, hers or his own? Could he afford to turn that smile into a frown? “It was something,” Shining admitted.He had chosen, and it made him sick to his stomach. “We should head home, though. I’m…I’m not feeling too well.” He couldn’t tell her, he couldn’t put that on her. He couldn’t destroy Vinyl again, he would shoulder the burden for however long it took and deal with the consequences as they came. “Yeah, that’s not too bad of an idea. I’m feeling like I’m in a creative mood. I wanna get behind my turntables, y’know?” The optimism, the mood. It was unbearable for all of the wrong reasons. This was the Vinyl that Shining wanted to see, it was the one that meant she was truly ready to go back into the world. He just wished that she had reached it naturally and not through magical means. “Yeah…” He had nothing more to say, he couldn’t say any more or he would risk letting the truth out. To some it may not have been the right choice, but it was the one that he needed to make. It had been the one that he could live with, that Vinyl needed to keep going. ---- Celestia had calmed down outwardly, but that did not quench her inner fire. She was still fiercely angry that Galea had trodden on her metaphorical hooves, and was determined to punish the Captain for her insolence. Celestia had to show the little pony that she was not to be played with, because she had played this game longer than Galea’s entire bloodline had even been thought about. A brilliant plan had come to her as she made her way through the castle. Along the way she had told various guards and servants to fetch her certain ponies she would need, certain ponies that would need to be around to make sure everything would go smoothly. Of course that meant possibly ruining Shining Armor and Vinyl Scratch’s night, but they would forgive her with time. “I-I’ve delivered the message to both Twilight Sparkle and Twilight Velvet,” Celestia’s very overwhelmed assistant stated as she rushed to the monarch’s side. “I-I’ve also-” The pudgy and bureaucratic mare stopped mid-sentence to catch her breath. “-I’ve also alerted the guard to stop Shining Armor from leaving the palace interior. Galea has also been contained in her office…” The mare hesitated, pushing her glasses up nervously. “...she’s-she’s not very happy about it.” “I didn’t expect her to be,” Celestia retorted as neutrally as she could. “I need you to do one last thing for me.” The mare gave her best half-smile and nodded. “Please fetch me that mare from the radio program Galea was on and tell her to come to the palace immediately. Also, inform the staff to set up the radio room in the east wing and have them prepare it for broadcast.” The mare nodded and then scurried off as quickly as her legs would allow. Now that everything was set in motion around them, it was time for Celestia to finally confront the little cog who thought it controlled the machine. The Princess made her way to the hallway that housed the office of the Captain, which was swarming with guards of all shapes and sizes. They all had a look of fear and slight desperation on their faces, most likely from the verbal thrashing Galea had given them as they took her in. They all probably thought their jobs were on the line with it. “P-Princess Celestia, your majesty.” One of the guards, whose name she couldn’t remember at the moment, stepped in front of her and bowed. “Captain Galea is currently in her office. We…we had to use the chains on her, Princess. She wouldn’t listen to your command.” Celestia nodded, this was good. It meant that Galea was going to learn that she was meaningless compared to Celestia’s own word. A title could never compare to thousands of years of respect, admiration, and borderline idolatry. “I will take it from here,” Celestia stated, her voice calm and smooth like honey. She hoped that it would work to calm the guards down some, maybe even a little. The near-identical guards all stepped aside and paved a way for Celestia to get to the Captain’s door. Celestia opened the door and looked around the room. Every single inch of the space, every book and every tile, was covered in a thick layer of frost. At the opposite side of the office, the Captain herself sat at her desk, a dull glow emanating from her horn. Her face gave no appearance of the rage that consumed her, but Celestia knew it was there. “What is this all about, Princess Celestia?” the unicorn asked, her voice producing a heavy mist with every word. Celestia trotted over to the Captain’s desk, her own aura melting every bit of frost she came near. The alicorn simply stood on the other side of the desk and smiled at the smaller pony. “This is about you, Galea.” Celestia put her hoof on the sturdy oak top and tapped it in a consistent rhythm. “This is about you knowing what not to say.” Celestia nodded. “This is about you knowing your boundaries. Tell me, do you know what you did wrong?” Celestia was taking more of the teaching tone she used with Twilight. “Nothing.” Galea leaned in as she spoke, annunciating every letter she spoke. “I have done nothing wrong.” Celestia always thought it was cute to see somepony who underestimated their own mistake. “You put a very dangerous idea into the minds of the populace.” Celestia started, putting her other front hoof onto the desk and raising onto her back legs. “You made them think that somehow me having a student is some sort of privilege I enjoy.” That was Celestia’s main point here, it was the one she was going to hammer in. “As far as I’m concerned, Celestia-” Galea spit the name with venom. “-it is one. You are not required a student, you are simply afforded one by the grace of the ponies who really run the country.” Galea got to her hooves and stared down the monarch as best she could. “You only think that because you know nothing, Galea.” Celestia was not going to add any flavor to her voice, there was no chance. She was going to lay everything out flat, explain things that she never had any intention of letting out. But, it would keep the captain in her control. “Tell me, do you know the legend of Nightmare Moon?” “Of course I do.” Galea stood firm. “What does an old mare’s tale have to do with your privileges?” Celestia let a glimmer of a smirk slip through her facade. “It’s not an old tale, it’s not a legend, or a fable, or just a story. It’s true.” Usually Celestia wouldn’t invoke this, as it did inflict emotional pain onto herself, but if she just altered the story a little it wouldn’t be as bad. “Nightmare Moon was locked away, but she won’t be for much longer. In less than ten years, the stars will aid in her escape and she will enact her vengeance upon Equestria and there will be nothing I can do to stop her.” Celestia hated admitting that, the weakness she knew was hurtling her way. “The only chance we have is Twilight Sparkle. I know this, I’ve seen it. She is our only hope and I am the only chance she has at being even remotely ready to take on that task.” “Right.” Galea scoffed. “You expect me to believe tha-” Before the unicorn could even finish the sentence, Celestia ignited her horn and touched it to Galea’s own. Flashes of things that had not yet happened dance between the two: an alicorn as dark as midnight with the sky in her mane stood over a defeated Celestia, then a crumbling castle in a dense forest, a blast of multi-colored lights erupting from the interior as a cry went out. Inside, a purple mare was standing, flanked by more ponies in the shadows, they stood triumphant over a fallen Nightmare Moon. “Do you see?” Celestia relented her mental barrage. “I’m not doing this just because I care about Twilight Sparkle, but because we need her. We need her to be prepared.” Galea was standing there, her eyes searching for something that wasn’t there. “So you threatening her on the radio, that was you threatening Equestria itself.” Celestia took her hooves off of the desk and sat on the floor. “Now, we need to discuss your position and the future of Canterlot’s government.” This was going to be a very long discussion, and it would end in Celestia’s favor. ---- “What do you mean I can’t leave?” Vinyl watched from a distance as Twinkle stared down a guard that was blocking their way out of the castle. Vinyl was sure it was something to do with the Captain or Cadance’s talk with him, so she was content to stay out of it for now. Plus, she was feeling pretty good at the moment and staying out of it was something that wasn’t going to ruin her mood. She would be content to let her guard deal with the problems for now. “The orders came directly from Princess Celestia herself,” the guard blocking the door stated. “You are not to leave the castle until Twilight Sparkle meets with you.” Twinkle looked at the guard for a second, as if thinking if he should pursue further answers or to leave it alone and accept the outcome. He chose the latter. “Fine.” Shining sighed as he trotted back to Vinyl’s side. “We’ll wait here for Twily to see what she wants.” Twinkle seemed to be in poor spirits since the meeting with Cadance. Sure, it hadn’t gone the way he had wanted but there was a lot to look forward to. They were pretty close to being done with all of this, just one or two conversations away really. “Probably just wants to say ‘hi’ or something.” Vinyl put her hoof on his back. “Probably just misses her big brother, y’know?” Vinyl was trying to look for the positives. She didn’t really want to think of what negative things could cause Twilight to come running to him. As Twinkle was about to open his mouth to retort, he turned his head to one of the hallways that went deep into the castle. Trotting out of it was none other than Twilight Sparkle, her saddlebags across her back and a scowl across her little face. Vinyl wondered what could trouble such a privileged little pony, it’s not like she was affected by the new captain like Twinkle was. “Twily, over here!” Shining waved down his sister, who glumly trotted over to them. “What’s going on? Do you need something?” Shining pulled his little sister into a hug, one that she did not reciprocate. “No.” Twily answered with a huff. “Princess Celestia is having a big meeting with Mom, Captain Galea, and all of the other important ponies in the castle. She said that mom is going to be here all night, and since Dad’s asleep and can’t come get me, she told me to go with you for tonight.” Okay, well that threw a wrench into a couple of Vinyl’s plans. Mainly the one about celebrating with a drink, maybe wine. With a filly in the house, she suspected that was a no-go now. “At Vinyl’s?” Twily nodded, drawing a sigh from Shining. “Do you have all of your stuff ready to go?” Vinyl felt pretty okay with somepony like Twilight in her house, it wasn’t like she was a troublemaker or anything. Plus, it might be fun to have a little one around for a while. “I got my stuff from my tower.” Twilight responded, motioning towards her saddlebags. “The Princess gave me homework to do tonight, so I promise I won’t bother you two very much.” Vinyl wouldn’t mind being bothered a little. Getting to know Twilight seemed like both a task and a good bit of fun to be had. She could probably get the studious little pony to talk all night if she could find the right topic. “Vinyl, are you okay with this?” Vinyl blinked. She wasn’t expecting to be asked that question. She just assumed that he would take Twily along without her input. “Uh, yeah.” Vinyl nodded. “It’ll be fun. I can cook dinner and pull out some board games or something.” At the mention of games, Twilight perked up, her eyes lit up with joy. “We’re not playing Banal Objective, Twily.” Shining Armor dashed his little sister’s hopes against the tile. “I don’t feel like getting shut out by my little sister in a trivia game tonight.” He looked to Vinyl for some much needed backup, but he was going to be sorely disappointed. “Sounds like fun to me.” Vinyl said with a smile. “I’m a bit of a trivia nut, and it’s my house. So I think we’ll do that.” Vinyl stuck her tongue out at the statuesque unicorn, to which he replied with pinned back ears and a defeated frown. Twily, on the other hoof, kept her smile and twinkling eyes. “Thank you, Vinyl Scratch!” The filly said with glee. Vinyl was happy to see that Twily was actually capable of enthusiasm. The few times that Vinyl had actually met the little unicorn, the only emotions she had displayed were indifference and slight trepidation. Maybe there was a sociable little pony under all of those book smarts. “I think I have the original version and one from a few years back.” Vinyl said, trying to remember exactly which editions she had. She was certain about the original, it had been her parents’. “Okay, I’m exercising my veto on the first edition.” Shining Armor spoke, stepping in between the two female unicorns. “That’s what we play at home and Twily has almost every question memorized. Do any other version and I’ll play.” That was the tone of a pony who had suffered too many humiliating defeats at the hooves of his little sister, it was a tone that demanded mercy. Vinyl would grant that, just so he would actually play along. “Alright.” Vinyl nodded. “After homework is done, and after dinner we’ll play.” The siblings both nodded in agreement. Vinyl could settle for it as well, getting to know Twily a bit more might be fun. ---- Galea’s mind was still preoccupied with thoughts and images of the pitch black alicorn flying over Canterlot, of the eternal night and coming ruin. She was aware that Celestia was speaking, but she couldn’t focus on the words. She couldn’t focus on the pony who had kept this from everypony for so long, who had been silent about such a threat. “Technically, only the House of Nobles can declare a State of Emergency. Due to their inability to hold a quorum, the duty falls to the next pony up the chain.” Galea blinked, sensing that the archivist from the Royal Library, Twilight Velvet, was speaking about her now. “Galea votes yes on declaring a state of emergency.” Celestia cut in before Galea herself could speak. Both Cadance and Velvet looked at the elder Princess, but said nothing. It was clear to everypony in the room that Celestia was now calling all of the shots, and any talk of procedure was merely for show. “Cadance, what is your vote?” “Yes, I believe the situation calls for a State of Emergency to be declared.” Cadance stated without missing a beat. Galea wasn’t expecting a fight from the young alicorn, but even a second of hesitation would’ve been helpful. “Very well, once the radio host gets here I will let the public know.” Celestia nodded. “Now we need to discuss building a democracy for the ponies.” Galea blinked once more and widened her eyes. Celestia advocating for a democracy? That was something new. “Not for my position, Captain. Get that idea out of your head. I wish to build a House for the populace, now that the Nobles are all but gone. Have them elect their own representatives from all over Equestria.” Galea was against money and power going hoof-in-hoof. It led to an endless cycle of money using power to get more money or vice versa. Everypony had that draw towards it, towards the accumulation of more power. She had to jump in here. “Only if they cannot be elected to consecutive terms.” Galea would let Celestia have it her way, but not without some stipulations. “That was the problem with the nobles, they had power for far too long. There was no threat of losing power. If the power was taken away every now and again, maybe it would force ponies to be a bit more pragmatic and populist in their goals. “Very well.” Celestia looked towards Twilight Velvet and Cadance. “Gather what we have left of the House of Nobles and have them draft an amendment to begin a new House for representatives of the people..” The Princess focused entirely on Cadance. “Make sure it passes. I want it done before any of them leave this castle.” That would be near impossible. Rough drafts, revisions, proper legal wording and integration into the Equestrian Charter would take days, if not weeks. She expected none of them to leave the castle until then? “Yes, Celestia.” Both Cadance and Twilight Velvet bowed and exited the room swiftly, leaving Galea with a very frightening Princess Celestia. There was a cold silence between them, before the monarch broke it with her now fiery demeanor. “Do you see what happens when you play this game, Galea?” A hint of a smirk came to the corner of Celestia’s mouth. “You only find out that you outplayed with a simple wave of the hoof.”