//------------------------------// // Fatherhood // Story: The Foal in The Basket // by PonyBlue //------------------------------// Chapter 9 Fatherhood Twilight Sparkle stared at the little bits of leaves swirl about in her cup of green tea. She watched them for a long minute, before letting out a heavy sigh. She lifted her head and looked from her table at Pokey Pierce’s restaurant, the Prancing Pony, to Ponyville’s train station across the street. The large standing clock ticked away the minutes, steadily marking the passage of time. It was half past seven o’clock in the late morning, and almost halfway through Equestria’s sixteen hour day. Nonetheless she still had another fifteen minutes to wait before the Friendship Express from Canterlot arrived. Overhead, in the sky above, a certain grey Pegasus mare was diligently pushing clouds to block off part of the sky, and so provide much appreciated shade for ponies out and about the village centre. It was an odd sight indeed for a mare better known for thunderclouds and eating muffin. All of this went uncommented and unnoticed by Twilight Sparkle, who was totally oblivious to the other inhabitants of Ponyville, including a trio of foals juggling apples in the town square. Her eyes dropped down to her swirling cup of tea and its dancing tea leaves once more. Over and over again, like the tea leaves circling within her cup, she tried to formulate a plan that would both preserve her brother’s happiness and somehow allow Wisp to grow up happy and healthy. But the harder she thought, the more impossible her task seemed. Her shoulders slumped. It filled her with this terrible bout of hopelessness. Yet she knew she had to try. For the sake of a foal whose only crime in life was being born the wrong breed, she had to succeed. The laws surrounding Changelings were, in a word, harsh. The punishment for knowingly harbouring a Changeling was… severe. She desperately wanted to know if Princess Celestia knew of the laws her Day Court had passed in her name. The good pony that she knew her mentor to be would never have allowed such terrible laws to be passed. Had Equestria always been like this? Imprisonment, even banishment, was the sentence for the worst pony offenders. A nauseating bout of fear rose up from the pit of her stomach into her throat. There was a very real risk she could be imprisoned in the place she was banished to, a pony lost somewhere in the cold dungeons of one of the high mountain spires of Gryphonia. Twilight shivered despite the summer warmth. Yet, she couldn’t allow Wisp to be returned to her mother. Not after studying Wisp’s family portrait. Her niece was just the most recent generation of starving ponies. She would be sending Wisp to a life on the constant edge of starvation, with death a close companion. She had to ask… plea with Princess Celestia to spare one pony, one foal, from the hoof of Equestrian law. “Hey Twily, good to see you little sis.” A soft smile played across her brother’s face as he trotted up to greet his sister. Her brother’s strong voice jolted Twilight Sparkle out of her reverie, “Big brother?” “Planning the greatest discovery in magic theory since Star Swirl the Bearded?” She turned to the turquoise-white stallion standing alongside her table, her big brother best friend forever. "I'm sorry Shining. I… I guess I was just distracted for a second." "More than a second if you ask me," Shining Armour felt a tug at the corner of his mouth. “I waved and walked all the way up to you and you didn’t notice.” Her brother seated himself on the cushion opposite her. He looked at her expectantly. All of a sudden, Twilight Sparkle wasn’t keen to confront her big brother. Her throat felt tight and her words were stuck in her mouth. Suddenly her preparations felt inadequate. She needed more time to plan. The pit of stomach felt like it had tied itself into a tight knot. “How is mother?” She mumbled. “She’s well, and already clamouring for grandfoals,” he answered. ‘Well, surprise!’ Twilight thought darkly. ‘She has one, and she’s a princess too. A Changeling Princess!’. The deadening silence between the two siblings seemed to drag on. Shining Armour frowned. As much as he loved his little sister, he didn’t sit through a four hour train ride, and the paperwork for emergency leave, to enjoy a late morning tea get-together. “Hey, Twily,” he began. “What is so important that you had to send me a letter every two hours for the past four days?” His tone was light, but it was tinted with concern and a bit of annoyance. Twilight seemed a bit off. For one, she was wearing a fetching blue skirted saddle that draped over her hindquarters. It was an attractive saddle for a young mare, and it certainly looked good on her. However, his sister wasn’t known for her fashion sense. She preferred plain and functional, and so she went without a stitch of clothing for the longest time, until their mother forced a dress on Twilight for her cute-ceañera party. The dress had been frilly, lacy, and pink perfect for a filly, until Twilight appeared at her unveiling with every bit of lace and ruffles torn off. Mother had been horrified. Twilight still insisted she had improved her dress. With that thought in mind, the white stallion began to grin a little as he continued speaking from across the table. “I’ve gone so far as to follow your specific instruction to leave Cadance in Canterlot. Quality time between siblings, I told her.” He smiled. At the mention of Cadance, Twilight felt an immediate and painful tightening in the barrel of her chest. She bit her bottom lip and evaded his gaze. Shining Armour arched his eyebrow, and tilted his head ever so slightly. His little sister was nervous, he could tell. “Now I know something is most definitely wrong.” “BBBFF… we need to talk… about the Changelings.” Twilight's voice was anxious. “Ah.” Shining Armour took a sip from his own teacup, and then glanced back across the table. The two siblings sat in silence for a few moments, until he spoke again. “I gather mother has been keeping you apprised of the situation in Canterlot?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “Trouble is brewing on two fronts,” he sighed and stirred his cup of tea before continuing. Service at this restaurant was rather fast. “The Captain of the Guard has traditionally been a Pegasus; me being a Unicorn has always been a point of contention among the circles of High Captains, especially the ones from Pegasi High Families. I have my supporters, but the invasion has emboldened the traditionalist families to speak out against me.” “And closer to home are the nobles. They want a scapegoat, and as Captain of the Guard, I am a prime candidate.” He paused, and shook his head. “The Duke of Canterlot, Prince Blueblood, had been the driving force on that front. He’s rallying support from various Houses in the aristocracy with calls for greater security, and allegations of gross ineptitude on my part. Personally, I think he’s still the same self-absorbed twit we all know and tolerate. Apparently he was chased after by trio of Changeling mares.” Shining Armour chuckled dismissively. “Most in the Guard think it’s because he’s the biggest narcissist in Canterlot, and thus a most potent concentration of self love. It would have done him good if he had been caught, might even have made him a better pony. Mother is using her influence to keep him and his circle under control.” “How? House Twilight is only a Minor House. Mother would never have that kind of influence.” “You were never one for politics, Twily.” Shining Armour replied indulgently. “House Twilight has been building its base of influence for generations. Think about it. How else do you think you, the heir of House Twilight, got an Alicorn princess to be your foal-sitter, even if Cadance wanted to earn a few bits to call her own? And you are Princess Celestia’s protégé. It’s an open secret that you are very close with Princess Celestia. I’m the Captain of the Guard, and married rather well. Cadance is an Alicorn Princess. That is a big pile of political coinage.” Twilight was still downcast. Her ears were laid back in worry. “Hey Twily,” He used his magic to lift her head. “It’ll be okay. I’ll get through this. Cadance, Mother, and both the Princesses are safe. We’ve changed every security protocol I knew, so even if they did get something from me, it isn’t of any use now.” “It’s not that,” Twilight hesitated, picking her words slowly, but stumbling over them just the same. Shining Armour had so much on his plate right now, she didn’t want to add more, but she had already come this far. She had to continue, didn’t she? ”Is there… is there something that you want to say to me about what happened before the wedding.” “Before the wedding? You mean….” Shining Armour trailed and tried his best to hide the sudden rise of his heartbeat. “Yes, when Cadance was replaced with that… impostor.” “What is there to tell?” He shrugged, as if there was nothing to say. “Please Shining Armour.” Twilight pleaded. Noticing Twilight’s violet eyes were on him, Shining Armour sighed. He couldn’t say no to those eyes “My memories are a bit fogged up.” He said simply. “It was a bit like a day dream. Nothing else to tell.” He said softly, almost as he was speaking to himself. “Nothing at all.” For a moment, just a moment, Twilight considered sparing her brother further troubles. She didn’t need the paternity test. Wisp was almost certainly her niece. But she needed proof, definitive proof, because so much was being risked on her behalf. “I need a drop of your blood.” This request set off alarms in Shining Armour’s head, and he didn’t say anything immediately. “Remember what I told you about magic safety.” He asked with forced calm. Was this his sister or some Changeling trick? “Don’t dabble with blood magic.” Twilight Sparkle recited. She smiled ruefully at the memory, her first unofficial lesson in magic with her brother. It was a much simpler time then. Shining Armour nodded his head, some of his suspicion abating. “And if you must, always ask why and…” “See that the blood is consumed in the spell, and have the spell cast in front of you.” Twilight continued. “So why do you need a drop of my blood little sis?” He looked at her, trying to find some clue for the odd request. “It’s not that I don’t trust you, but I am Captain of the Guard.” “I need it for this.” She passed him a parchment. Shining Armour read the arcane script inked into the parchment’s surface. It was a Call to Blood spell. The rune composition and inscription looked as good as any legal document written by a Canterlot scribe. His sister truly was talented in magic. Still, he couldn’t understand why Twilight would want to cast such a spell. Was she concerned about her own pedigree? His thoughts turned back to the day his little sister was born. It had been long day. He was tired. There were dried tears in his father’s eyes when the older stallion took him aside, and in a trembling voice, told him his little sister wasn’t going to join the family. There would not be a new pony in their herd. As a six year old colt, he didn’t understand. He wanted to see his new sister. He had waited hours in a cold hospital corridor while pegasi outside the window dropped clouds of winter snow. He wasn’t going home until he saw her. He was a stubborn pony even then. His father looked away, but nodded his head in agreement. In the hospital room, mother was distraught. She wouldn’t let go of a bundle despite a pleading nurse. She held desperately to the bundle until the nurse gave up and left the room. He then approached his mother and asked to see his new sister. Mother started crying and he had his chance. Twilight Sparkle was a rather bluish purple and, quite frankly, was rather ugly, the same as all newly born foals. So he did what any colt his age would do, he poked her with a sharp jolt of his magic. His parents started shouting. He thought that they were angry. Only years later did he learn that it was the moment that Twilight had taken her first breath, eight minutes after she was born. Two minutes after Twilight Sparkle was declared dead. She was a miracle baby. The story circulated in Canterlot’s newspapers for a full two days. Now, Shining Armour considered the unthinkable, even as the thought come unasked. Had there really been a miracle? Could a Changeling have replaced his dead sister? Was the mare in front of him a Changeling? It couldn’t be; things like that only happen in fiction, right? Shining Armour’s gaze crossed the table. Twilight was biting the tip of her lip, just as she always did whenever she was anxious or impatient. It was a familiar sight, one he had seen any number of times during their years growing up together. ‘For pony sake, why am I so paranoid? This mare was his sister, and his sister was waiting for her answer. “Alright,” He answered and held out his fore hoof. On the parchment there was a small drop of greenish silver blood. Something didn’t look quite right about it; however he was interrupted by the sudden prick of a sharpened force field. A small quick silvery drop of blood emerged from the prick. It glistered in the morning air for a moment before gravity took hold. The drop fell the short distance onto the parchment and for a moment, all was still, then the rune drawn into parchment activated and grew bright with power. Twilight held her breath as blood called to blood, and a line grew to connect father to daughter. “It’s positive.” She whispered. “Twily, whose blood is this?” ** *** ** Little Wisp hid under a table. Her four legs were crouched under her body while her two wings were held close to her back. A tired, despairing Spike came wandering by, calling her name like a soul damned. “Oh come on!” The dragon wailed. In his claws he held a warmed milk bottle. “I know you are hungry. Why are you putting so much of a fuss?” Spike didn’t really want to think about what he was holding. Milk was so much easier to handle when you didn’t explicitly know where it came from. “Why do foals have to learn to walk so quickly?” The dragon muttered to himself. Wisp sat quietly until Spike walked away. She was almost impossible to see in her hidey-hole because her white pelt had taken the colours of floor on which she lay. She didn’t want a milk bottle, though she was hungry. Wisp was only three weeks old and couldn’t articulate what she wanted, but she knew it was in the shape of a purple pony that smelled of food and radiated warmth and safety. Her ears pricked forward at the sound of the front door opening, followed by presence of the purple shape she sought after. She called out with a delighted nicker. The little foal leapt out from her camouflage bunker and raced towards the opening door as fast as her four spindly legs could propel her. Her fur rippled with greenish magical flames as it transformed from a camouflaging brown, complete with flooring patterning, to a solid turquoise-white. ** *** ** “Alright, we are at the library, and I am still waiting for that explanation you promised.” His little sister was uncharacteristically tight lipped “Just a moment more, you’ll see when you meet her.” Twilight Sparkle answered. ‘Her?’ His ears pricked up. He didn’t have more time to ruminate over his sister’s cryptic remark when the front door to her Ponyville home opened. In that one moment, as the door swung on its oiled hinges, Shining Armour became filled with dread. Another pony might have dismissed the cheerless atmosphere for the lack of sunlight, as the curtains were indeed drawn shut. Most ponies wouldn’t have noticed the subtle chill that came creeping out from the library, like a heavy smothering cloud. It wasn’t a cold that a pony would feel upon his or her skin, it was a chill that was felt by a pony’s heart. This was a sign of a Changeling feeding… brazenly feeding on ambient love. “Twily, stand back!” Shining Armour bellowed in warning, drowning out the delighted squeal of the approaching foal. His white horn lit up with fiery magic as he stood firm between his sister and a charging Changeling. He would not be deceived by what form the creature took. A white bolt of energy short forth from his horn as he brought it on a downward arch. “What are you doing?” Twilight cried in alarm as she stepped out from behind him. Her horn lit up with magic as she cast a counter spell to shield Wisp from the blazing lightning bolt. Behind Twilight Sparkle’s purple shield, Honeydew Wisp squealed in fright as Shining Armour’s attack spattered across the barrier in a flash of burning blue sparks. She closed her eyes on reflex, but rather than cower on the floor, she raced even faster towards Twilight’s side, ignoring the sparks that burned around her small hooves. “You could have injured her!” Twilight Sparkle’s voice was furious and she barely spared the time to glare at her brother before she rushed forward to meet Wisp. Shining Armour could only stare in bewilderment as he watched his sister lower her head to nuzzle the creature, even exchanging low, and soft nickering sounds, like a mother comforting her frightened foal. At the back of his mind, he couldn’t help but notice the protective posture she had unconsciously assumed, one that would allow her to give him a quick sharp kick to the head if he approached. His own sister perceived him as a potential threat! “I’m sorry. She got away from me. I just couldn’t find her.” Spike interrupted as he came running towards the front room. “When she woke up and found you gone, she got all anxious and panicky. I couldn’t get her to settle down, not with how active she’s been since her afternoon nap yesterday.” “It’s okay Spike.” Twilight Sparkle answered, then turned her head and gave her big brother a reproaching glance. “Can you give me and my brother a minute? Actually, do you mind going out for a bit. Shining Armour and I have a lot to talk about.” “Quite the understatement.” Spike muttered under his breath. Twilight was still staring at him. “Oh, sure. I’ll be at Rarity’s if you need me.” ** *** ** Once Spike was gone, Shining Armour‘s eyes were quickly on his sister. His lips were pursed into a thin line. He saw her fidget, her big violet eyes darted to the side every now and then “Twily, you better have a good explanation. That,” He glared at the parasite. “…is a Changeling.” Had the creature taken control of her mind, like the Changeling Queen had his? “I know.” It was the one reply he had not expected. An uncomfortable silence hung in the air. A pony could almost imagine that she could hear the thumping sound of Twilight’s nervous heart. This was the moment she dreaded. She racked that brilliant brain she usually prided herself with, trying to come up with something, anything that she could say to make things better. But sometimes, words were not enough. “Big brother, this is Wisp.” She introduced, and nudged the foal a step forward. Wisp glanced apprehensively at the purple mare before taking a brave step towards the imposing stallion towering above her. He looked intimidating, but she smiled a big, bright smile that went all the way to her harlequin blue eyes. “She is your daughter.” Shining Armour went rigid at Twilight’s reply. Denial, panic, fear, anger, and guilt all fought for dominance in his mind. The reoccurring nightmare that haunted his sleep had come to mock him in life. Excuses and exclamations lodged in his throat. ‘It’s a trick!’ was one. ‘I’m a father? I couldn’t have.’ was another. Yet at the fuzzy edge of his mind, he knew the truth. He had held that repulsive Changeling mare, that impostor, in his hooves. He could still feel her soft fur under his body. “Love me.” He could hear her moan softly into his ear. He couldn’t stop himself, not even when her disguise melted off her bony body. He could feel his fore hooves holding on to her as he covered her. It was a dream, just a bad dream. He was going to wake up soon. Nothing to be afraid of. Just a nightmare. Just a silly nightmare. Wisp took another step toward her father. The sound of her tiny hoof tapping on the wooden floor exploded like thunder in the library. “No.” He backed away from the foal as if she were an attacking manticore. “The Call to Blood can’t be faked. She is yours.” Then with much reluctance Twilight Sparkle added. “Her mother is Chrysalis.” “I couldn’t have…” Shining Armour took another step back. “That thing isn’t my daughter!” His voice grew louder by the word until he was yelling. Wisp let out a cry and retreated under the curtain of Twilight’s skirted saddle as fast as her small legs would allow. Wisp had never felt something so cold in her three weeks of life. She did not understand why he hated her so. Worse yet, it tasted horrible. She began rubbing the side of her face against Twilight’s leg, seeking reassurance and to rid herself of the aftertaste. She then tucked her head between Twilight Sparkle’s hind legs and began to nurse. Twilight Sparkle gave her brother a disapproving look. Shining Armour averted his gaze. So that was why his sister was wearing a skirted saddle. She was hiding the fact she was a nursing mare. Not only that, under this new light, he could see Twilight was a bit pale. Her cheeks were supposed to be a full, deep purple, not a light almost-fushia hue. “It’s feeding on you”. “Of course she is.” Twilight replied. “I’ve been nursing her. What do you think a newborn foal does? Your foal seems to have quite the appetite. I’m sore in places you’re lucky not to have.” She rolled her eyes. “Stop referring to it like it’s a pony.” Shining Armour retorted. “It’s a Changeling!” He stomped his heavy hoof down in agitation. Shining Armour could only glare at the creature in disgust. “She!” Twilight retorted. “She!” Twilight stressed. Her body language was tense and her ears were tall and defiantly straight. “And she has a name. Her name is Wisp, Honeydew Wisp, and she is family.” “No” The answer was so blunt that it shocked Twilight. He pulled away from his sister. “Look at her,” Twilight demanded as she held the foal aloft in her magic. “Just please look.” The purple Unicorn approached her brother. “Please, BBBFF.” Twilight begged, her voice was almost a whisper. Shining Armour relented and turned his head slightly. The young foal floated in mid air, her wings were opened and moving slowly as if she was attempting to fly. The small pony looked back at him with a sad and pitiful expression on her face. She hadn’t had her fill yet. “Don’t you see?” Twilight pointed out, her voice straining to convince her brother. “The blue mane and tail? The Twilight family stripe. She’s family. She’s part of the herd.” He could see that and more. Her eyes were bright and full of life. Her coat was a dazzling white of Unicorn nobility. When he looked at her face, it threatened to bring a smile to his lips. The foal really was beautiful. But he could also see the blade on her forehead that was her horn, and the insect wings upon her back. He could see the shadows that lurked behind her innocent eyes. He could glimpse a tall crooked horn, one as sharp as a sword, a pelt blacker than midnight, and the loathsome hooves that held him. He could hear her sultry voice command him to love her. A voice he knew he should fight with every ounce of his being. “You have to send it away,” He shivered, it wasn’t a dream. The evidence of what happened now stood in front of him as a creature of flesh and blood. “Send it back.” “I’m sorry, Shining Armour. I can’t and I won’t.” Twilight’s ears darted forward in agitation. “For pony sakes, we can’t abandon her just because she was born the wrong breed.” “This is nothing to be with breed!” Shining Armour snapped. He did not say it, but one look into his eyes said it all, the hurt, and the shame. Her brother had been tricked; maybe even forced to do something that no pony should ever experience. “Harbouring a Changeling is cause for-”. “Imprisonment. Banishment even. I know the law. What do you think I have been doing this past week? I’ve read everything I could get my hooves on.” If ever a pony could hate another, Twilight Sparkle would most certainly have hated Chrysalis. She hated that she was fighting her own brother when she should be comforting him. “With time and effort, I could teach her-” “Teach her what sis?” Shining Armour cut in, not pausing for sister to reply. “To feed on ponies nopony would miss? Or perhaps attack isolated homesteads? That’s what these creatures do! Changelings feed on love!” He said firmly and took a moment to examine his sister’s face to see if his words were sinking in. “But Wisp doesn’t need to feed so much.” Twilight protested. “Her mother made do only on your love.” “For one week!” Her brother roared. His voice grew louder as he continued. “That was how long Cadance was in that cave. She was hungry, frightened, and alone. One week and that imposter drained most of my magic! In another two or three more days, I wouldn’t have even remembered what love was!” Wisp cowered under Twilight’s body at the sound of raised angry voices around her. She whined loudly. The distressed sound of a foal, even a Changeling foal, was enough to give Shining Armour pause. He didn’t know why he did it, perhaps it was the way he was raised, but he forced himself under control. “Twily, if Changelings could survive on the love of one pony, wouldn’t every Changeling look for a pony to love and be loved by in return?” He asked in a more reasonable tone, even though he felt anything but. Twilight lowered head to Wisp and nickered soft sounds of comfort. She had no reply to her brother. Not even the brilliant mind of Twilight Sparkle knew what to say to that. “There has to be a way.” “There isn’t.” He answered. “The fact is, these creatures need to feed on the love of several ponies, dozens, maybe hundreds.” “Wisp is different. She had to be.” Twilight dropped her head to floor and stroked Wisp along her mane. She had to hope. “Please, BBBFF. Only a desperate mare would have willingly given up her own foal.” “And how do you know that?” He demanded. “She wrote it in her letter,” she said softly, looking away. “And you believed that impostor!? After what she did?” Then faintly, “After what she did to me?” “No.” Twilight Sparkle answered. “But you should have seen Wisp. She was malnourished went I got her. Have you ever seen a malnourished pony, let alone a malnourished foal?” “That bug is just fostering an unwanted foal on you.” Twilight Sparkle’s reply was to point her hoof at the table across the room. For a brief moment, Shining Armour couldn’t understand what he was seeing. It appeared to be a table cloth. “That’s Wisp genealogy record,” She answered. “It’s her entire pedigree. It’s old, an original if I had to guess. Wisp wouldn’t have this if she wasn’t considered important, if… if Chrysalis didn’t consider Wisp her first born daughter. Honeydew Wisp is a princess… a Changeling princess.” “If it’s a princess-” “She,” Twilight Sparkle interrupted again. ”I’ve already told you. She. Wisp is a pony.” Shining Armour ground his teeth together, but nevertheless he reluctantly relented. “Surely, her people would feed her.” “I don’t think you understand. Look at this, Shining.” Twilight Sparkle held up the parchment so he could see a portrait up close. “The Changelings Queens are half starved. You can even see ribs on her great grand sire. They are starving. The entire breed is starving. And after the failed invasion, the Changelings are worst off than before and…and...” She trailed. “I can’t imagine what hungry ponies would do. Chrysalis was afraid of her own people, afraid for Wisp’s safety.” Twilight paused. She hated that she had become an advocate for that evil mare. Twilight bowed her head. “I- I can’t raise her on my own.” Were Wisp a Unicorn foal, the task would be difficult. She hadn’t finished her education. She didn’t even have a job, and lived on a stipend from the Royal Equestrian Board of Education. But a Changeling foal, with the law against her, the task was near impossible. “I need your help.” “Do you realise what you are asking of me?” “Yes.” Her answer was short, clipped and she could recognise the unfairness of her request. “What Chrysalis did to you was wrong, terribly wrong but Wisp isn’t to blame. She is family. Wisp deserves a better future.” “No.” Shining Armour’s answer was a sudden and unpleasant thundering whisper. It was enough to startle her, the kind of surprise that ponies did not like “Stallions take care of their foals. It’s the pony way. It’s your duty as her father.” “My duty?” He asked suddenly. From his angry, hurt eyes, Twilight knew she had just made a mistake. “Don’t you dare ask me to do my duty Lady Twilight Sparkle! As Captain of the Equestrian Royal Guard, it is my duty to see you arrested for knowingly harbouring that thing. You are even nursing it, like a foal!” “Wisp is a foal.” Twilight protested, her ears were folded back. Her voice was barely above a whisper. “Are you going to arrest me?” She asked softly. He didn’t answer. Caught between his duty as Captain of the Guard and a brother, Shining Armour was having trouble putting his thoughts together. The silence hung in the library for a very long time. Finally, he walked away some distance to finally fall heavily on an empty cushion. Twilight Sparkle followed her brother, and with her, so did Wisp. “Thank you.” “Don’t thank me.” He no longer sounded angry, but tried and strained. “Have you considered the implications? I have just proven Blueblood and his circle right. I can’t be trusted to safeguard Equestria against the Changelings. Once this is over I will tender my resignation. I am not fit to be a member of the Guard.” She blinked. “What? Wait, you can’t do that.” Twilight Sparkle was completely stunned by her brother’s abrupt decision. “You were born to be the Captain of the Guard! You live for it!" “What else am I to do?” he asked loudly, though it wasn’t angry this time. It was a plea. “The alternative is to see my family fall apart. In the agitated state they are in, the aristocracy would demand the harshest punishment possible. You would be banished, Twily. Not even your position as Princess Celestia’s personal student would protect you. You are the sole heir of House Twilight, and mother would break herself protecting you.” With his anger spent all he had left was guilt. “What have I done?” “The only one to blame here is Chrysalis. She fooled everypony!” “Except you,” Shining Armour snapped. “You saw right through her act within a day, while I… I should have known better. That thing impersonated Cadance for a week. I’m her husband, before that, her fiancé, and before that, her coltfriend. I never suspected. What kind of husband am I if I don’t even know when my own wife has been replaced by a poor imitation? I should have suspected something was wrong. She was distant and demanding, unlike the generous mare I know.... all those signs I missed.” “Seems obvious now,” Twilight Sparkle said simply. “You shouldn’t blame yourself. You were preoccupied shoring up Canterlot’s security.” She tried to assure. “You weren’t the only guard in Canterlot. You weren’t the only pony who knew Cadance. Princess Celestia was there too, remember? Everypony mistook her behaviour for a bride under stress, planning a royal wedding, her own wedding, all by herself.” “Don’t, Twily.” Her older brother answered in a bitter tone. “When you confronted the impostor at the rehearsal, I should have had more faith in you, my own sister. Instead I just assumed the worst of you,” Shining Armour said slowly. “I turned my back on you! I told you to forget about being my best mare. I even told you not to show up at the wedding, for pony sake.” “I want you to listen, BBBFF. I forgive you. I forgave you right after the wedding. You had every right to think I was wrong. What stallion wouldn’t defend his mare? I should have gotten some evidence, or spoken with Princess Celestia in private and explained my concerns. Instead, I just… got a little crazy. I wasn’t thinking clearly after seeing her brainwash you with her spells. Confronting Chrysalis and calling her out in the middle of the wedding rehearsal without a shred of evidence wasn’t one of my proudest moments.” Her ears drooped. “In fact, I’d rank it right up there alongside casting a Want-It-Need-It spell on my old Smartypants doll to create a friendship problem. I probably sounded like a filly throwing a temper tantrum,” Twilight managed a small laugh. “Or maybe a deranged, jealous mare trying to keep a stallion to herself like a bad romance novel.” “At least you tried!” Shining Armour retorted sharply. “Cadance isn’t like Blueblood. She does more than lounge around the palace all day, playing political games with the aristocracy. I’ve seen her take on any number of stressful duties, and she has never waived and lost her warmth or kindness. You saw it yourself. After we defeated the Changeling Army, we had three hours to salvage what we could from the wedding. And even though it was her special day, even though she had just been rescued from a dark cave, she took it all with the grace of an Alicorn princess. I should have caught on when she started acting oddly. Now...now I’ve betrayed her.” “Please, listen.... You were under a mind control spell.” “You make it sound so simple little sis. Who is to blame for that?” He pointed to Wisp, peering once again from under Twilight’s skirt. Once more the centre of attention, Wisp smiled at the two adults and took a delighted step forward. Shining Armour frowned and Wisp dropped her head to the ground, and with sad resignation, retreated back under Twilight’s legs. “It takes two ponies to make a foal. I’m not even fit to be married to Cadance. What am I going to say to her?” “I don’t know, but I do know that she loves you, more deeply than anything. I saw her eyes when we were rushing to stop Chrysalis. Thinking of you kept her alive in that cave.” “I don’t think I can face Cadance right now. I don’t think I have the right.” He sighed, emotionally exhausted and unsure what other horrors the day would bring. Twilight Sparkle could only look on pensively. Wisp continued nursing. ** *** **