//------------------------------// // Disappointing Shining Armors // Story: Too Many Shining Armors (are Terrible Dads) // by owlicious //------------------------------// It was a warm and lightly cloudy morning as Shining Armor, his daughter Flurry Heart, and their royal guards flew in a pegasi chariot to Ponyville. Shining Armor was in Ponyville to support Rarity’s charity fundraiser, help his daughter out, and meet up with old friends to catch up and play a game of Ogres and Oubliettes. Flurry Heart was there to open her first restaurant, Maneican Bell, before returning to the Crystal Empire to celebrate her birthday. She was dressed in a black outfit, wearing a black choker around her neck, and an ominous red amulet. “I’m so proud of you and what you’ve accomplished, Flurry!”, Shining said. “Equestrians can finally get decent Maneican food without importing it from Maneico! Did Twily say if she could make it?”, Shining Armor asked. “She can’t, her schedule’s almost always full. She’s also busy researching a huge friendship problem facing Equestria in the little free time she has.“, Flurry recalled. “She’ll miss the free quesadillas, burritos, cupcakes, and milkshakes we’re giving out on our launch party.” “What? She’s terrified of quesadillas, ever since she was a filly. Like really, really, really scared. But it’s never gotten in the way of her duties or spending time with her friends before. Everypony has fears.” He muttered, “My biggest fear is that Twily will fall in love with one of my daughter’s other old foal-sitters. What if she doesn’t invite me to their wedding as revenge? I’m glad I replaced the attractive ones with Flash Sentry before they met my sister; Twily and Flash have nothing in common.“ “I can’t hear you when you mumble like that, dad. What else were you planning on doing today, other than your royal guest appearance at Maneican Bell?”, Flurry Heart asked. “Well, I was helping out at Rarity’s fundraiser at 2pm, and I was going to play Ogres and Oubliettes with some old friends.” “Seriously? I said a week ago that my restaurant opening was at 2pm,” Flurry Heart said. “It’s on all the invitations.” “Your game was also at 2pm,” one of the guards added. “Oh. I guess I can only make it to one of those events, then,” Shining Armor said, embarrassed. “It’s fine,” Flurry Heart said, “I’m used to this. You should just go to Rarity’s fundraiser. The restaurant opening should go alright, even without you.” The rest of the trip was silent. After they landed, Flurry Heart trotted away to check on the preparations for her restaurant’s opening party, followed by the royal guards. Shining Armor walked around Ponyville alone, wishing that there was a way he could attend all of those events and avoid letting ponies down and embarrassing himself. ‘If only there was another way to make more of me,’ he thought. ‘Didn’t Twilight write to me about something like that before? Oh, right, the Mirror Pool. She’d said it was a pond in a cave in the Everfree Forest next to some brambles, and she and some friends blocked off the entrance with a boulder.’ He thought confidently, ‘Well, the boulder’s probably just there to block foals and impulsive ponies from using it by mistake and annoying everypony. She wouldn’t have put the chant Pinkie Pie used in the friendship journals she published if nopony should ever cast this spell. My daughter, friends, and Rarity’s fundraiser for the orphanage are important enough for me to use this. Besides, Twily said it was easy for her to tell who the real Pinkie Pie was!’ “I’m a genius!”, he exclaimed, and galloped off into the Everfree Forest to search for the Mirror Pool. After an hour of searching along the path, Shining Armor found a large patch of brambles, and followed it to a small boulder. He easily tossed it aside with his forelegs and walked through the tunnels and cave to the Mirror Pool. He performed the required chant, and saw a clone of himself crawl up from the Mirror Pool. “Thank Celestia! It works!”, he exclaimed. “You’ll go to Rarity’s fundraiser! And I’ll make another clone to help Flurry out at her grand opening for Maneican Bell.” “Funds?!” the clone inquired, hopping up and down. “Funds! What are those? Who’s or what’s a Flurry? You look just like me!” the clone said enthusiastically, then excitedly asked, ”Are you my dad?” ‘This is going to take too long,’ Shining Armor thought. ‘but luckily, Twilight taught me a simple spell that could be used to copy most of my memories to a clone if I needed a body double in a serious emergency, and I didn’t forget it!’ Shining Armor cast the spell. The clone stopped hopping and exclaimed, “Oh, our spell worked! I’m Shining Armor, Co-ruler of the Crystal Empire! And we still need a third clone!” Shining Armor created another clone, and told him, “Meanwhile, you visit Flurry Heart’s grand opening party for Maneican Bell,” the original ordered. “What should I do?”, the fourth stallion in the group asked. “Wait, why did you create a clone and give it most of your memories?” “That’s what I remembered planning to do,” the first clone responded. “Maybe he could stay here and play a game of Ogres and Oubliettes.” “You need at least 4 ponies for a fun game!”, the last clone complained. “Good point, we should create more of us!”, the Shining Armors agreed. Three Shining Armors repeated the chant and spell to transfer memories. The original Shining Armor orders, “Back with me to Ponyville, you two. We’re running out of time.” Four Shining Armor clones stayed in the cave and began creating their characters. “My character will be an earth pony archer named ‘Captain Bow’,” the first clone said. “And my character will be a pegasus archer named ‘Flying Arrow’!”, the second decided. “He’ll hide above clouds to ambush our enemies from above!” “My character will be a changeling swordsstallion named ‘Archer’!”, the third said. “He’ll deceive, debuff, hypnotize, persuade, spy on, foalnap, and/or replace the party’s targets! And…” “For Celestia’s sake, bro! Why would you play that way?!” two of them interrupted. The third continued, “I’m not finished! He’ll use his changeling abilities, short swords, and a backup bow and arrow for ambushes!” “My character’s name is ‘Fire Bolt’! She’s an otherworldly demon possessing a unicorn archwizard!” the last proclaimed. “She’ll use her awesome explosion magic to help ‘everybody’ with ambushes… and she’ll use a crossbow as a backup weapon! And…” The first stallion interrupted, “Celestia damn it! We need a dungeon master!”