Shining Armor stood before the door to the council chamber. He had entered them so many times before, why now did he hesitata? His breath held within his throat and his muscles frozen in place, he could not find the energy to thrust open the door. It was his privilege, his authority to preside over the council, to enter that hall as if their decisions were beneath him.
He was the Warden of the Empire, the direct representative of Sombra's will within the barrier. He revelled in the unspoken fear he could see in the Council member's eyes.
Yet in this moment it was he that left the fear unspoken, it was he that allowed it to restrain him outside the council hall.
He could hear the councilors within, their muffled voices barely piercing the thick crystal doors before him. He knew that they were within responding to the threat that had emerged in the streets below. He could hear metal boots striking the floor as guards sprinted off with orders from the council. No doubt they went to carry new reports of the violence spreading to other sectors of the city. It was Shining's duty to command the guard, was it not required of him to enter the hall and take command?
Why now did he hesitate?
A gentle stirring of the bundle clutched to his chest reminded him of the answer.
The newborn foal had stirred, disturbed by the commotion hidden behind the doorway. Cadence's child, the unclaimed and forbidden heir, now rested in his care. It was his responsibility to enter the hall and inform them of the passing of the general and the arrival of this averment of her treachery. The foal would be labeled an abomination. The council, fearing the unicorn offspring of the royal pegasi, would order her cast away and forgotten or left to die...
Shining had carried out numerous subjugations of entire sectors of the Crystal Empire, ordered countless executions of it's more dangerous citizens, and carried out his role as Warden as ruthlessly as he possibly could since he was appointed to the position by the King himself.
This child was a life, just another life to a stallion who saw lives as but tallies in the reports he received from the guard.
Why now, after everything he had seen in his own meaningless life, did he hesitate?
The foal smacked their lips, their horn bobbing in the air as they curled up into a tighter ball to resume their rest. 'This was Cadence's child', the thought ran through his mind. He could see the pink hue of her coat in this foal's fur. Their mane, though lighter, shared the purple of his past friend's locks. How many times had he defended the General Niamora Cadenza against the council's accusations? He may have never gone against the rule of the castes in doing so but she was his friend and he had fought for her. Could he defend this foal, here and now? Cadence was gone and the father was nowhere to be found, but Shining was here and as he tucked the child closer he moved to open the door.
Almost immediately, the hinged wall of crystal swung out and smacked him in the muzzle. A guard sprinted through the now open entrance and ran down the hallway, unaware that he had just battered his direct superior. Through the opening one of the councilors saw Shining Armor and called out to him, their voice matching a call that came from behind him.
"Warden! Where have you been," their unity broke as the councilor proceed with "We need your assistance, did you get the general under contr-"
Shining Armor ceased to focus on the councilor's words as he identified the voice behind him; It belonged to one of the guards he had sent to inform King Sombra of the events on the balcony. "Warden-" As Shining turned away from the council chamber, the guard approached him and continued their beckoning "-you are needed immediately, the King commands it."
"Let us go then," Shining said as handed the child to the guard, "It is unwise to keep Sombra waiting." With a glance over his shoulder at the perturbed councilor, the chamber door vanished in a burst of ethereal flame.
Flurry Heart lifted her head from the sand as she awoke. She had seen disturbing things in her troubled rest. As she blinked her eyes awake, the disturbing images seemed to have followed her into the waking world. A few feet away stood Shining Armor, wearing a scowl as he cast a disappointed look her way.
She ran a hoof along her cheek as she stood up from the sand. The fur brustled smoothly under her touch; the shard embedded there from the fight earlier was gone. She did not pause to question its absence, and asked "What do you want, Warden?"
"I've received a report of questionable events in the eastern fringe. You have been assigned to the inquiry that will be carried out this evening." His voice was cold and distant, as was the presence of the guards that still circled the training ring. The Warden turned to leave the room before he paused and muttered over his shoulder "The sun has yet to rise, Assessor."
A quick glance to the side was met with the quicker strike of an onyx boot against her chin. Flurry Heart crumpled into the sand once more.