Shining Armor
It had been a little over a year since I had married Cadence and had my little Flurryheart. She was still small, but had grown quite a bit in her first year of living. Even though she had grown, she was still a handful to take care of considering her powers. Both of us had learnt what type of spells or reactions to expect when something happened or when she wanted to try out something new and couldn’t get it right away. Cadence and I had been living in the Crystal Empire, ruling it the best way we knew to keep love, happiness and peace among the crystal ponies we looked over and cared for. Away from everyone we knew, away from home, and most important, away from my little sister. It had been a year since she visited me and her little niece, as well as her sister-in-law, my wife. It was lonely here, and I missed my sister. I couldn’t explain why the separation was aching so much inside my heart, sure we were BBBFF (Big brother best friend forever) and LSBFF (Little sister best friend forever) and as siblings had a close relationship, but this ache was much different from anything I had felt before. My wife was still asleep, but I was wide awake by now, despite the fact that I had only gotten a couple hours of sleep. I went for a stroll through the hallways, careful not to make too much noise and wake anyone up, as I decided to make it outside instead, hoping maybe that some cold night air and a stroll would help ease the ache I felt inside.
I had never been outside of the ice castle at night, usually I was exhausted after caring for Flurryheart all day long or after many nights with little sleep from taking turns with Cadence to go check on her when she woke up crying multiple times during the night. The streets were filled with shimmering lights, almost like fireflies. Soft, melancholic music was echoing through the streets as I passed through them, taking in the beauty of the outside of the castle.
I wondered now, if I hadn’t made a huge mistake, as my head was clearing up the farther and longer I walked away from the castle. I could have sworn that I was listening to my sweet little sister singing, but I was sure that she wasn’t here… Still, I listened to her voice, as if she was right next to me.
When I was just a filly I found it rather silly
To see how many other ponies I could meet
I had my books to read, didn't know that I would ever need
Other ponies to make my life complete
But there was one colt that I cared for
I knew he would be there for me
My big brother, best friend forever
Like two peas in a pod, we did everything together
He taught me how to fly a kite
We never had a single fight
We shared our hopes, we shared our dreams
I miss him more than I realized, it seems
And though he's oh so far away
I hoped that he would stay
My big brother best friend
Forever
Forever
As soon as it had begun, it had ended, and I found myself back at the castle in no time. It was still night, so I supposed that not much time had gone by. I needed my sister by my side. I couldn’t bear the absence any longer. I knew that what I was about to do was cruel, and I wish I had realized my true feelings sooner, but now it was too late for that.
I spent the rest of the night quietly packing for my things, as well as my daughter’s, in complete silence. As soon as I finished I left a note for Cadence, saying that I hoped to be back in three days and that Flurryheart would be with me. Before leaving, I softly kissed her forehead.
It didn’t take me too long to make it to the train station, where I was sure Flurryheart was still asleep, as well as everypony in there. Softly, and quietly, I whispered, in a song. Yes, I, Shining Armor, was singing.
The memories hurt and faith has been lost
Why must things be this way?
The pain is my own, the feelings yours
The silence is frail
The harmony is gone by now
But I did find, that the stillness was gone
And my tired eyes, and my lullabies
Have never reached you at all…
Once did a colt, that was busy so much
Look down to her sister and sigh
“Twili, I have no time for silly games anymore”
Those words fell dark upon the young sister I loved
And grew only stronger as days and nights passed
Soon did that colt take notice that his sister
Was always alone through the days
And neither had he loved her as she deserved
He watched as his sister’s studies increased
And that foolish colt, did nothing to stop
The loneliness that took over Twilight
Goodnight little Twili, goodnight sister mine
Rest now in study’s embrace
Receive my lullaby, winds of love
Through hearts I hope it will reach you
Carry the love and the stillness inside
And sleep soundly through the night
Twili, you’re loved so much more than you know
May troubles be far from your mind…
Forgive me for treating you so wrong…
I didn’t get to finish the song, for I was at Ponyville sooner than I was expected. I must have fallen asleep during the last hour of it. I was going home. I would be by Twilight’s side soon.