//------------------------------// // 4.3: Thinking Aloud // Story: Fullmetal Pony // by Leoshi //------------------------------// Every moment spent away from Twilight felt like standing on the edge of something abyssal. He felt that way ever since he came back from wherever he had gone, and for a long time he simply thought that it was because of the accident that the feeling was there. It was something he could cope with, something he could accept. But what he couldn’t let slide today was letting her go the way that he did. They didn’t argue often. He had always tried to be a dutiful brother, to do right by his family when his father passed away, and so it made sense for him to be as supportive as he needed to be. That was easier when it was just his mother he had to deal with, and it was something he tried to maintain even after...well, after everything. Over the years, though, it had gotten more difficult, and it surprised him to discover that his own sister was the source. Twilight had a knack for making things harder than they needed to be. Or maybe it was just a curse of bad luck. Whatever the case, it had led to an argument, tame as it was. Maybe she was just too tired to think about it, and Shining Armor clearly saw the signs. Maybe he pushed too far. Or maybe Twilight’s just being careless again. He shook his head to clear the intrusive thought. The action caused his empty helm to slide against his body, so he stopped to correct it. Apparently, the damage he had taken from Whiteout early that morning had knocked something loose. Stop it, he told himself. You need to be there to protect her. That’s what you promised. Stop thinking so poorly of her, you dolt. Leaving her on such a sour note wasn’t what he wanted, but he did need to check in with his own officer. Twilight had the colonel; Shining had the brigadier general. After leaving Twilight with his last word, he had double-backed through the hall and out of the palace, crossing the various grounds until he came up to the Administration Building. The guards and staff knew him, so he entered without the need for any summons. Several of the scribes and secretaries instantly moved to the sides of each hall he walked through. They probably only knew his reputation, or maybe just the way he looked now, but it served him just fine. It meant he had no distractions as he rounded the corner and stood in front of a familiar office door. He missed the smell of paint. It always seemed to linger, even after Pappy had settled into his office. Shaking his head again, a little gentler this time, Shining Armor knocked firmly on the door. “Stand by,” a strong but scratchy voice replied from within. Shining waited patiently for half a minute until the door opened wide. Before he could step through, a group of administrative workers poured out, each one clutching a notebook of some degree. Many of them gave Shining a shocked look as they passed. He only looked long enough to see that there were no unicorns in the group. Pappy was inside, pacing, which meant he was agitated. He only paced when he was agitated. “There you are, Shining Armor,” he said with a relieved grin. A flash in his eyes instantly darkened it. “Your helmet. It’s been pierced.” Shining Armor went through the motions of standing and saluting. He knew better by now that Pappy rarely returned them, so he didn’t wait long before lowering his leg. “Yes, sir. There was a discordant who surprised me.” “So I’ve heard. Whiteout, right? The alchemist turncloak?” “Yes, sir.” “Well, I hope you got him just as good. Eh heh!” If Shining Armor still had a mouth, he would be suppressing a grin. At some point, that laugh had become welcoming. “No such luck. I was able to get in close and tackle him a couple times, but he had a few tricks up his sleeve.” “Were they cool tricks, at least?” He would definitely be grinning now. Shining chuckled, his laughter ringing inside his own chest. “You could say that.” “Well, come in, come in. I’ve got a precious few minutes before the next batch of pencil-pushers comes barging in here.” Pappy moved around to the back of his desk, which was arguably oversized for the office. He sat in his chair and ran a hoof over his bald head, letting it linger there to scratch at something. Shining Armor nodded and closed the door behind him. This was routine for him now: reporting to the brigadier in such a casual manner. He’d never dare try it with anypony else, least of whom Colonel Rainbow Dash, so he tried to enjoy it when he could. Just like the laugh he used to dread, the chance to debrief with Pappy had become something he would anticipate. The brigadier was always quick to make things feel light. "Anything to report?" Shining Armor shook his head. "Nothing you don't already know, sir." He spared a moment to straighten his helmet again. "Now, now, young man. I didn't bring you into my fold so you could take it easy. If you knew what I know, then you'd be sitting here instead of me." Pappy smiled, but his eyes retained their kindly edge. "I'll ask again. Do you have anything to report?" "I suppose so. The attack this morning was carried out by a team of discordants. Whiteout was their leader, with two others named Winter Frost and Frigid Drift. Both of them were captured and arrested by Colonel Dash, but Whiteout was killed by the Princess." Pappy's smile fell at each word. It wasn't enough for him to frown, but the gentleness he'd had was replaced by a strong focus. "I see. Tell me about the colonel's operation." "I don't have much to tell, sir. I was helping my sister with a separate mission at the time. All I can tell you is what I've overheard from others since the attack." "Tell me." "Yes, sir. From what I understand, Colonel Dash and her team led the defense of the palace interior. They encountered both Winter Frost and Frigid Drift, resulting in a firefight throughout the military wing. Reports from those involved say that Winter Frost was—" The brigadier waved at him. "No, none of that. Don't talk to me about reports." "That's most of what I have to offer, sir." "Then tell me about the Princess' involvement," Pappy said. "You say she encountered Whiteout himself?" "Yes, sir. After my sister and I flushed him out of hiding, he ran through the city streets. Princess Luna went out herself to confront him, and he attacked. She defended herself, resulting in Whiteout's death." Pappy waited in silence for a moment. "That's not a lot of detail." "I wasn't involved, sir." "Bah. I guess I'll need to stick my nose into those stacks of paper after all." He seemed to consider something, then turned in his chair until he faced the wall. "You said that the Princess went out to confront him?" Shining Armor nodded. "That's correct." "What are your thoughts on that?" "Thoughts, sir?" "Thoughts," he confirmed with a sidelong glance. "I want to know what you think about our esteemed leader putting herself in harm's way instead of letting those she's put in power do their jobs. Even for an alicorn, it's a needless risk." Shining paused to consider that. "I think...perhaps she saw an opportunity that would have taken too long for her guards to respond. Or maybe she took personal issue with the nature of the attack. I honestly can't say what Princess Luna was thinking." "Then it's a good thing I didn't ask you what she thought. Tell me what you think. Come on, my boy, I'm not a fan of repeating myself." "Ah. Sorry, I just... Well, I think what she did was very decisive. Yes, it was a risk, but it was rewarded. Equestria is safer with one less criminal to worry about." "Mm-hmm." Pappy turned his seat back around to face the desk, then placed his hooves on either side of it. He visibly sat straighter. "You don't think she should have stayed in the palace and let the guards do their jobs?" Shining Armor stood a little straighter, too. He'd recognized that posture. "It's not my place to judge the Princess' actions, sir. I can only share what I think about them." "You might change your mind one day. Humor an old pony, won't you?" It was an odd request, yet it didn't sound odd to have come from Pappy. Shining hesitated, turning to look around the office. "I guess...well, I stand by what I said earlier, but I guess I can see how it was a needless risk." "Hm. How so?" "Well, she's the Princess, the most important pony in the nation. And we were dealing with a team of killers this morning. There's nothing that she could have done that we couldn't also do, and if a guard got killed, then nopony would be surprised. But she's a different story. What would we be doing right now if she had failed?" "Eh heh heh. She's a different story, all right." "Well, everything that we're dealing with is thanks to Princess Luna being lucky," Shining continued, now lost in thought. "Either that, or she somehow knew exactly where Whiteout would be. And if that's the case, I just think...why couldn't she have passed along her intel to somepony else? Why not let us know and allow us to follow protocol? She subverted the rules meant to ensure her safety. She made her choice, so we're forced to live with it, but she shouldn't have just done what she wanted..." He trailed off. Was it really Princess Luna he was talking about, or his sister? I must be more upset than I thought. Pappy cleared his throat. "Sorry, sir. I, ah, I hope you will keep that in confidence." "Of course, my boy," Pappy replied. "That's why I haven't been taking notes, eh heh!" A set of knocks sounded from the door. "Stand by!" Pappy called. "Listen, I have more important matters to share with you, but they'll have to wait for even more important matters to finish. This ugly business has left me with enough paperwork to plant a forest all along the east side of the mountain. Come back here tomorrow morning and we'll continue." "Yes, sir." A thought struck him. "General, during the briefing this morning, I was allowed to see files on the criminals. Is it possible for me to see those files again?" "Why?" "My sister was threatened by them, and I want to learn their histories to make sure I'm prepared." Pappy nodded. "Understandable. Very well, I can spare a copy for you. It's not gonna include Whiteout, you know. I can't share anything on the deceased," he said, lifting two files from on top of his desk. "I'm trusting you to be discreet with this information. Needless to say..." Shining Armor took them. "I understand. Thank you." "Dismissed." With that, Pappy rose and moved to the door, pulling it open. He held up a hoof to a crowd of gathered ponies outside, signaling them to wait. Shining Armor took the chance to slip past them. As soon as he cleared the group, they filed into the office. Shining didn't see it, but he knew Pappy was grimacing with the knowledge of the day's work. It was well into the afternoon by the time Shining Armor gently pushed through the door to their quarters. As he suspected, Twilight was asleep on her bed, laying on her stomach, her head turned away. He entered as quietly as he could. Closing the door behind him, he stepped up to his desk and set down the folders he had been carrying. The rest of Canterlot might still be fixing itself, but he could still do some work. The files didn't go into great detail on either pony. He didn't expect them to. Instead, they amounted to little more than a list of deeds and accomplishments that both Winter Frost and Frigid Drift had done. From what he could tell, they worked separately for the first few years of their careers, and it wasn't until the Unification War that they even met. Although, Shining found out as he read further, Frigid had been working with Whiteout for far longer than Winter. Some minutes passed. Shining Armor went through the documents, cross-referencing them with the few history books he owned. The noise, quiet as it was, caused Twilight to stir. "Mmm, hello?" "Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to wake you," Shining Armor whispered. "What are you doing?" she asked, turning slightly to look at him. "I'm learning all that I can about those two ponies we saw. Their histories and everything. If I can figure them out a little, I can predict them better." "Oh. Heh. The soldier never sleeps." That's not the reason I can't sleep, Twily, he thought. A few moments passed between them. Shining Armor never looked up from his reading. Eventually, Twilight spoke again. "I'm sorry about earlier." "Hm?" "Earlier," she repeated. "When I snapped at you. You didn't deserve that. I was out of line." "Oh. Don't worry about it, Twily." "I don't want to be mean to you. I need you, Shining Armor, so please don't be upset." "I'm not..." He caught himself before he lied. "I'll be okay, Twilight. I forgive you, and I'm not going anywhere. Somepony's gotta look out for you, after all." He did forgive her, that much was true. He didn't really have much choice in the matter. With the way things were now, he was bound to his sister in more ways than he could name. Nursing a grudge would only harm them, and the more he thought about it, the more he decided that a petty argument wasn't worth it anyway. Still, it surprised him at how easily he had become upset with her. It wasn't like him, he knew that. He waited several long seconds for her to reply before he realized she had fallen asleep again. Shining Armor looked over at her, instinctively worrying about the position she was in. He hadn't admitted it, but the way she slept - with her legs curled at her sides and her head tilted awkwardly - almost made her more like a soldier than he was. It was only one step away from being able to sleep while standing. The angle of it all must have made her body sore, but even so, he was envious of her. At least she was still able to sleep. Shining Armor returned to his task. Even in his state, there were things he could still do.