The days following the battle were difficult for Shining Armor. While he had won back the favor of the bodyguard by his tacit admission of fault, he had lost much again with the intense drills he was running them through every morning, though none had complained openly yet. Cadance, on the other hoof, had teased him mercilessly since then, dropping a snarky comment whenever he answered one of her questions incorrectly or made a mistake. Unfortunately for him, today they were learning the traditional dances preformed at Galas and other high society events. In his opinion, it was more stressful than being in the thick of battle. It was definitely more dangerous for those near him, Cadance most of all as his partner.
“Ouch! Shining, watch where you are stepping!”
“Sorry, Princess,” he muttered, kicking himself internally. He’d mistimed his move and had stepped onto her hoof, crushing her shoe into her shin.
She glared at him as she rubbed the offended limb. “You pranced when you should have trotted. We'll have to fix that.” She sighed and shook her head slightly. “Well, I hope your dance partner doesn’t mind having their dancing shoes refitted after attending the Gala with you, lieutenant, otherwise it may be difficult to find you a date.”
“I should imagine I would be too busy to go on any dates, your Highness. Keeping you alive is already full-time employment, I can scarcely imagine when we are among those who see you harmed.”
“As if.“ she snorted. “Roam knows well enough that if anything were to happen to me, it would bring down Celestia’s wrath upon them like the world had never seen. No, I think that I will be a greater risk of being bored to death from stallions who think they can bed an alicorn by wooing me in a single night.” She shook her head in disgust. “Honestly, you wouldn’t believe how many ponies think that being the Princess of Love translates to being easy.”
“I shall keep that in mind, Princess,” he deadpanned.
“See to it that you do. I won’t have my reputation sullied by somepony who couldn’t dance to the cadence if it held your hoof the whole time.” She flared her wings and took a stance signaling her readiness. “Again.”
He groaned and rubbed his temples. “Princess, we’ve been at this for hours. Can't we take a break?”
Her eyes narrowed. “No, Lieutenant, we cannot. Not until you can at least get through the first stanza without stepping on or tripping your partner!”
Something in Shining Armor snapped. Frustration that had been simmering for days dissolved the filter between his emotions and his mouth and became manifest. “I have things to do outside of preparing for one of your stupid parties, you know!”
For the briefest of moments, he saw the hurt his words caused bleed through Cadance’s façade. Her eyes went wide in shock and pain, and he knew that he had touched a nerve that he hadn’t anticipated. Only for a moment, though, then the ever-unflappable princess posture reasserted itself and her eyes narrowed.
“Very well, then, lieutenant, if that’s how you feel, then we can skip the lesson for today. However, since you will be attending these “stupid parties”, and you will be required to socialize with my guests, you will know the dances and be capable of performing to my standards without my assistance, or I WILL have a new Bodyguard!” She stormed off to below deck, sailors everywhere scrambling to get out of her way.
A war waged within Shining as he watched her leave. On the one hoof, he was immensely frustrated with his lack of progress, and acting out had been cathartic, but the very real pain he had seen made him question the worth of his catharsis. Even now, as his temper cooled, he felt like a jerk for responding to Cadance’s needling the way he had. Damn.
He noticed that everyone on deck was watching him like they expected him to spontaneously combust.
“Don’t you all have work to do!”
There was a flurry of motion as every sailor suddenly found themselves very busy with a task that required their full attention. Shining let out a huff and headed back to his stateroom. Locking his door, he flopped onto his bed and groaned. He didn’t actually have much to do right now besides some paperwork, and he wasn’t exactly in the mood for that.
His ear flicked, and he sat up. Now that he was thinking about it, there was something he’d been meaning to do for a couple of days. He moved to the small desk that had been provided for him, laid out his quill, ink and a piece of parchment and began to write.
Dear Twilly,
I’m writing to inform you that I left Canterlot with Cadance and Barrel Roll on a diplomatic mission several weeks ago. Since you probably haven't heard about it from your study or wherever you’re reading this, we’re traveling to Roam to re-establish the embassy there. Sorry I didn’t have a chance to stop by, events were moving rather quickly. A lot has happened since we last spoke, including my promotion to the rank of Lieutenant. I already sent a message to mom and dad, but if you haven't seen them, I figured I’d tell you myself. So far most of my time is spent on drills and history lessons with Cadance and boredom, but I repeat myself. Don't worry about me, this mission hasn't been any more dangerous than my duties back home. I expect I’ll be back sometime next year; we’ll get donuts and catch up when I get back.
I did have a question for you. The other day I was talking to Barrel Roll and the topic of shield spells came up. I lamented that shields are limited by the area that they are protecting, and that got me thinking, is there any way around the limitations of the 8th law of magic? Seeing as we are traveling on a ship, it could be useful if I could expand my shield to cover the entirety of the deck to keep us dry if we sail through a squall (that’s what the sailors call the small wild storms that pop up on the ocean). I’ve been exploring the books I have on the ship, but we aren’t carrying the sort of research materials that you have access to. If you know of anything that could help me, I would be very grateful. Not grateful enough to tell you where the Crown is, but I’ll give you a chance to win it back someday.
One more thing before I go to sleep. I guess now is as good a time to tell you as any, but Picture and I broke up. She told me the day I left that we were through. I tried reaching out to her through Cadance, but she never responded. I don’t know if you’ve seen her around, but if you do, don’t do anything that would get you in trouble. I don’t want you to ruin your opportunities on my account. Tell mom and dad and Spike I miss them.
Love, BBBFF
P.S. Tell Spike to stay out of my mint comics. I’ll know if he’s been reading them.
He set down the quill and stretched. Outside the porthole the sun was beginning its descent towards the horizon. Even though it would be dark a few minutes, Shining had long since adjusted his sleep schedule to sleep for exactly 6 hours at night, and even as draining as today’s events had been, he still wasn’t ready to sleep. He rolled up the letter and sealed it with the wax seal he’d be given after his promotion and realized the only way to get it back to Canterlot was via Cadance. His heart sank. If he wanted to send it, he would have to face her. Perhaps I am feeling tired after all. He threw himself into the bed and closed his eyes, eager for the oblivion of sleep to overtake him.
Hours later, Shining Armor lay awake in his cot, staring up at the ceiling. A guilty conscience makes for a poor sleep aid, and no matter how hard he tried, he could not ignore the guilt chewing at his soul. He sighed and sat up in bed, massaging his forehead. Buck it. He threw off his blanket and stood up with a groan. There was no point in fighting it any longer, he needed to talk to Cadance and settle this, once and for all. He checked the time. Almost Midnight. She’s probably still awake. He opened the door and stepped out into the hall, then closed it behind him and turned towards Cadance’s stateroom, where he found himself face-to-face with three cloaked figures crouched in front of Cadance’s door.
His senses were brought to a hyper focus by the soft sound of a blade being loosed from a sheath. Acting on pure instinct, he conjured a shield between him and the figures, wincing as a dagger stuck his hasty defense. The amount of energy needed to deflect the blade surged much higher than it should have. Part of his brain took note and filed it away for when someone was not busy trying to kill him. He sent out a pulse of kinetic energy down the hall, forcing the assailants to stumble backwards and buying himself a few seconds.
Even wearing the black cloaks, Shining Armor could make out the wings, claws, and beaks that marked them as Griffons. Griffons were dangerous close combat opponents in the best of circumstances, and in this hallway was just wide enough for two to attack him at the same time, or worse, flank him and attack from multiple directions. To top it off, he was completely unarmed, while his attackers were probably equipped with all manner of weapons. His only advantages were his magic and his training. Even then, the prospect of battle at this moment was precarious at best, and if they weren’t at Cadance’s door, he would attempt to distract them and draw them into a chase where he could find more guards to even the odds. As is stood, retreat was not an option.
The assailants, now recovered from the pulse, moved to attack. Two of them rushed at him while the third unlimbered what appeared to be a crossbow. One of two rushing him threw off their cloak and lashed out at him with its wing. He ducked under it and saw a flash of steel along the edge of the appendage that was indicative of a wingblade, a type of armor for flyers that had blades along the edges for slashing. This one was in the usual griffin style, with narrow spikes that jutted out at right angles at the end for piercing armor, not that they needed them for this fight.
Shining’s horn glowed with power as a saucer sized shield shaped like his own cutie mark sprang into being. He deflected another wing strike aimed at his neck, his opponent trying to end the fight quickly and quietly. He fell back down the hall as the second griffin slashed at his side with a dagger of its own, leaving a shallow cut that stung but wasn’t dangerous. Behind them he saw the third aiming his crossbow, waiting for a clear shot.
The first griffin came at him again with his wingblades, and this time he stepped out of the way of the attack and reared up, kicking out with his foreleg and hitting it in the eye. The Griffin stumbled back clutching his face as his partner stepped forward to stab Shining in the neck. He brought his shield around in the nick of time to catch the blow, the knife giving off a sharp ringing noise as it struck. Shining Armor grunted at the sudden effort he needed to maintain the spell, far beyond what he would expect.
His concern growing, he took the opportunity presented to counter with another kinetic blast, this one concentrated into a narrow beam. The force of the spell sent the griffin flying backwards down the hall. His injured comrade ducked out of the way, but the one with the crossbow was hit square, and the two tumbled to the ground in a tangle of limbs. The griffin who had been hit in the eye screeched and redoubled his attack, swinging his claws and wings wildly in an attempt to land a blow. Unfortunately for it, Shining Armor saw a patten to the attacks, and when it brought its wing around for a slash at his face Shining used his telekinesis to push the griffon into an over-swing that left its neck exposed, allowing him to drive his horn into the griffon's neck. It let out a hideous scream and tried to push him off, whereupon he whipped his head to the side, cutting off the screech as his horn severed the spinal cord.
Shining Armor stepped back and allowed the body of the griffin to slough off, leaving behind a trail of blood that ran down his face and dripped onto the floor. The other two had untangled themselves and were standing once more. If they were unnerved by the death of their fellow, they didn’t show it. With the slightest effort, his horn glowed once more and a shield formed in the hallway between them, preventing them from attacking him. That should hold them, now we just wait for the guards to arrive-
To his shock and horror, Cadance’s door opened and she peeked through the crack in the door at him. From where she was standing, the griffons were out of sight, leaving her with the odd picture of Shining Armor standing in corridor in the middle of the night behind a solid wall of magic.
“Shining? What are you-”
Her words were cut short as the griffon that Shining Armor had blasted down the hall shouldered the door, forcing it open and bringing it face-to-face with Cadance. He saw the gleam of black metal in the soft mage light that illuminated the hallway as it raised its weapon to slash Cadance’s throat. The princess never had time to do more than blink as the blade descended towards her neck, only to be stopped by the blue bubble that formed around her more quickly than thought itself.
It took a second for Cadance to realize what was happening, but when she did, her eyes went wide. She fell onto her rump as she scrambled to get away from the assassin who was stabbing the barrier between them.
“Close the door!” Shining Armor screamed as he ran towards her. “Close the BUCKING DOOR!”
The door slammed shut, but the Griffon was standing between the edge of the door and the doorframe, pinning him in place and prevented the door from closing. The trapped assailant struggled to squeeze into the room with Cadance. Oh, no you don’t.
Something struck his side, but he ignored it. Dismissing the shield, Shining Armor grabbed the griffon’s wings with his telekinesis and pulled with all his might. It let out a squeal of pain as its wings dislocated under the strain, but Shining maintained his grip until he’d pulled the griffon far enough for the door to close. His brief moment of relief was interrupted when he saw what had hit him. The shaft of a crossbow bolt was buried deep in his shoulder. Oh.
The pain hadn’t started yet thanks to all the adrenalin in his system, but he knew it wouldn’t take long. He refocused on the two assassins in front of him. One was reloading its crossbow, the other, the one with the injured wings, held its blade out menacingly as it stalked towards him. Shining could feel the wound his shoulder starting to bite as the blood began to trickle down his leg. He leaned on the leg experimentally, then grimaced. There was no way he was going to be able to run or fight with this wound, not hoof-to-claw.
He took a tentative step back and weighed his options. He could create a shield around himself and wait for help to arrive, though doing so would leave the assassins free to attempt another breach and Shining didn’t know what other tools they had brought with them. A big enough explosion in this part of the ship would doom not just Cadance but the entire crew to a watery grave. He could leave and search for help, but that left him with the same problem. No, he needed to keep them distracted until someone else discovered the intruders, or he could find a way to eliminate the threat himself.
He gnashed his teeth as his horn glowed once more, forming a small heater shield fashioned after the ones on his haunch.
“You want to get to her; you’re going to have to kill me first.”
“Gladly” the assassin with the knife hissed as it pounced. He stumbled as he deflected the strike. Cackling, it tried to vault over the barrier to stab at him. He deftly levitated the shield as it passed over, catching it in its midsection and slamming it into the ceiling. That ought to get someone’s attention. The griffin flopped back to the floor and rolled to its feet, then charged him once again.
This time, rather than slashing at him, the griffin threw the knife as it closed the distance, forcing Shining to deflect the blade and allowing it to crash into him, slamming him into the wall. Claws wrapped around his neck, seeking to rip his throat out. In desperation Shining latched on its talons with his magic, struggling against the crushing force the griffin was bringing to bear. More rivulets of blood began to flow down his chest as the tips pierced flesh. He grabbed its neck with his fore legs and pushed off the wall, trying to gain enough leverage to dislodge the death grip. For a few seconds they struggled against each other, neither one able to gain an advantage.
His mind raced as he searched for a way out of his predicament, then settled on a plan that was as foolhardy as it was desperate. He circled his opponent, exposing his side to the sniper who was still standing at the ready. For the longest second of his life, nothing happened, then he heard the soft *click* of a crossbow trigger. With the last of his strength, he wrenched the griffon he was wrestling with back between him and the archer. His efforts were rewarded with a wild screech as the griffon was hit under its wing and the claws around his neck loosened. Seizing the moment, he latched onto the stub of the bolt with his magic and pushed it deep into the chest cavity, piercing its heart. The griffon released him and fell to the ground, scrabbling at its chest as its wings flailed uselessly. Behind it, the last assassin hastily worked the action on its crossbow as it tried to load another bolt.
Shining glared as his horn flashed again. The air took on a coppery taste as his mane and tail began to float around him eerily. Sparks began to flash around him as the spell gathered magic from the environment and concentrated it at the tip of his horn.
“How many?” Shining asked softly, “How many have you killed? How much innocent blood do you have on your claws?”
The griffon, terrified by the spectacle in front of him, began to back away. Shining stepped towards it, his eyes passing judgment upon the would-be assassin. This... Thing had tried to murder Cadance. Probably had murdered others previously. There was only one way justice would be served.
The griffon dropped the weapon and ran. A bolt of pure energy shot from the tip of Shining Armor’s horn, striking it just above the shoulders, sending it tumbling forward onto the deck, unable to move. Still limping, Shining walked over and rolled it onto its back. It stared up at him in horror as magic once again began to build in his horn. A cruel smile crossed his face as he imagined the terror it was feeling, the same terror it had undoubtedly inflicted on others in their final moments.
“It doesn’t matter, really. One is more than enough.” He pointed his horn at the assassin's eye. “You’re not going to hurt anyone else. Ever. Again.”
The infirmary was quiet. Shining Armor laid on the bed, trying to sleep, but the dull ache in his shoulder was keeping him up. The doctors had confirmed his initial assessment that his wound was not fatal, but regardless they had kept him in the ward for observation till morning. In that time, he had established new protocols for a rotating guard for Cadance so that somepony was always watching over her. Two sweeps of the ship had led to the discovery of the bodies of several royal guards hidden in seldom-used rooms around the Ambassador in the process, but had turned up no more assassins.
His leg twitched as he resisted the urge to scratch at his bandages. The poultice the doctors had applied accelerated the healing process and meant that he would be ready for duty by the time they arrived at Roam, but it itched even worse than the time he’d been bitten by a flock of hawk mosquitoes while at bootcamp. Barrel Roll had made it a point to check on him, a welcome distraction, but he had his own duties that required attention right now. Shining also thought that he felt responsible for letting the assassins on-board in the first place, and was trying to make up for it now by keeping the guard on alert.
“Hello, Lieutenant.”
Shining Armor turned to see Cadance sitting by him. Given the time of night, her lack of regalia, and the uncharacteristically unkempt mane, it was obvious she was suffering from the same inability to sleep as he.
“Princess.” The acknowledgement was stiff and formal, understating the array of emotions that roiled within him. “What brings you here at this hour?”
She shrugged slightly; the movement barely noticeable in her wispy shoulders. “I was feeling a bit restless. Besides, I never got the chance to thank you.”
“I live to serve, Princess.”
“That’s not-”
“You are not required to thank me for doing the bare minimum to keep you safe, your Highness.”
“Shining, would you please stop interrupting me when I’m trying to apologize!?” Her wings flared out in frustration as her voice contained the slightest hint of an echo. He winced at her words and looked away, not knowing what to say.
“Shining, I wanted to thank you, and apologize. For my behavior these last few days. I’ve been so worried about teaching that I failed to help you learn. I can't expect perfection out of someone in a few weeks when I’ve had years to practice.” She looked at the floor and bit her lip. “I also wanted to apologize for how I acted during the battle. You were trying to protect me, and I told you to stuff it. Literally. I should have taken you as seriously as I want you to take me.”
Shining Armor looked at her, eyebrows raised. “So, you’re finally going to take me seriously, eh? Nice to know I’ve been a joke to you this entire time.”
“That’s not what I-” her words were cut off as she received a mouthful of feather pillow.
“That’s what you get for not taking me seriously,” he chuckled.
She sputtered as small pieces of down stuck to her mouth and lips, but couldn’t hide her playful smile that had appeared.
“You ass!” she shoved him gently, careful not to jostle his shoulder. “You do realize I could smother you and nobody would say anything, right?”
“Maybe you could, but you won’t. You're too gentle for that.”
She gave him a coy smile “Those pirates would disagree, don’t you think?”
“Maybe-” He shrugged, “-but don’t think I didn’t notice that you were aiming for the ships and not the crew.”
Her cheeks flushed in embarrassment. His guess had been correct. “Was it that obvious?”
“Not to most, but I know you. I know you would do everything you could to avoid bloodshed. It's who you are.”
She gave him a soft smile. "You know me better than anypony, except Celestia, of course. It’s hard to believe you were barely more than a colt when we first met, and look at you now."
"I'll wait till I've healed up a bit before I make an assessment, if that's okay."
There was a moment of shared amusement between the two friends, then Cadance's expression fell.
“Shining...”
“Yes?” The concern in his voice mirrored her own.
“How are you holding up? From the fight. Are you okay?”
He gave her a bemused look. “The doctor said the arrow didn’t hit anything important, and the poultice they gave me should have me back on my hooves in a week, so I guess I'm alright.”
“No, no, I mean, how are you... Up here?” she tapped the side of her head. “it’s not good for ponies to be forced to kill someone, so I was wondering-”
“If I was going crazy with guilt?” he said bluntly. She nodded. “I’m okay, Cadance, I mean it. This... wasn’t the first time I’ve had to do that.” He could see the shock on her face when he said it.
“I’m sorry, I did not realize, you always seemed so... normal.”
He nodded. “It was almost a year ago. It's not something I like to remember, but the shrinks cleared me.” Well, technically, they did. “I don’t really think about it much, honestly. Besides, what kind of bodyguard would I be if I couldn’t do what was necessary?”
His words had a certain reasoning to them, one that was well grounded, if the previous night were any indication. “Still, I wish it hadn’t been necessary in the end,” she said bitterly.
They sat in silence for a while, each dredging up unpleasant memories from their past before Shining Armor cleared his throat. “I’m sorry too. For my behavior. I was out of line today, and I shouldn’t have said what I said.”
Cadance nodded, but her eyes fell. “These galas are really important to me, Shining. They represent the chance to get all of Roam’s leaders in the same place at the same time and convince them to reopen to us.... the chance to bring our nations together, after centuries of being at odds. How much have we missed out on by treating each other as the enemy?”
“Not to mention you’d be making a name for yourself.”
“Well, that too, but this isn't about me. It's about all of us, and our children, and our children’s children living in peace and harmony. This could make the world a better place. I need to get every political maneuver right every single time, or this-” she waved to the Ambassador, “whole trip will be for nothing.”
“And me telling you it is stupid doesn’t help”
“It does not inspire confidence, no.”
“Well, then, in the future I will avoid making such a... Foalish mistake. I don’t want to hurt you, Cadance, and I’m sorry I did.”
She gave him a warm smile. “I guess we both still have some growing up to do.”
“Aren't you a little old to be growing up?”
Cadance stood and stretched her wings. “Alicorn, Shining. We take a little longer to bake to perfection, shall we say, then most ponies. Regardless of when I was born, I don’t feel a day over 25.” She turned around and headed for the door.
“So, you are old, then.”
That stopped her dead in her tracks. She turned her head to glare at him. “Isn’t it rude to ask a lady her age?”
He flashed a wide grin. “Was it like that you were a filly, grandma?”
She rolled her eyes as she stepped into the doorway to the infirmary. “I’ll need to have a word with your doctor. That griffon clearly did some brain damage I'll need to account for.” Her eyes lit up. “Oh! Speaking of brains, since you won’t be able to practice your dancing for a while, I have some illustrated manuals for each of the One-hundred and One formal and traditional dances of Roam, and I expect you identify the name, stanza, and step of each of them by sight next week.” Her eyes gleamed as his mouth dropped.
His ears flattened, and he let out a nervous chuckle. “Any chance I could just fight some more assassins instead?”
“I’m just kidding, Shining," she giggled, “I’ll stop by tomorrow to see how you’re doing and we’ll decide what to do from there, okay?”
Shining let out a sigh of relief. “That would be great. Thank you Cadance.”
After she left, Shining let out a yawn and nestled into his bed. For the first time since he was a colt, he was actually looking forward to a lesson. I must be getting soft, he thought as he began to drift off. To think that I would ever be so lazy to look forward to just sitting down while talking to Cadance. I can scarcely believe it.
What he dreamt that night he never could recall, but when the nurse came in to check on him, she noticed the faintest hint of a smile on his lips while he slept.