Shining’s Log-Entry: New Log
This is the first new entry into my newdiarylog. My old one had a small accident. I kinda, sorta, accidentally ripped the binding when Mom walked in on me putting it away with levitation. The pages ended up flying all around the room, and it took me a while to gather them back up together, but I think I got all of them. Mom was curious about English writing I’ve been using, since the blocky English letters look completely different from the curvy Equestrian lettering. I ended up telling her it was a code I made up to prevent others from reading my logs. Not bad for an excuse made up on the spot, or at least I think so.In other news, I’m 11 now! Dad says I’m old enough for the training Uncle Jewel promised three years ago. I wonder what he’s going to be doing with me? Maybe we’ll be going over combat magic. Learn sword fighting. Hoof-to-hoof combat? Or maybe some sort of super-ultra-mega-duper shield!
I can’t believe I just wrote that.
Moving on, Mom’s been talking about maybe getting a foal-sitter for Twily, so she and Dad can take care of some ‘things’. Apparently, I’m not quite old enough to be taking care of Twily alone, and as my parents were quick to point out, I’m going to be busy with training with Uncle Jewel. I just wonder who they’re going to get for the job. They better be good, because my little sis only deserves the best!
Shining Armor, Signing Off
It was another ordinary bustling day in Canterlot. Everypony was out and about doing their daily tasks. But for one white unicorn colt, staring at the door to an ordinary looking home, it was the beginning of a new routine.
Shining Armor stood uncertainly, having just knocked on the door. He had just made his way to the house as soon as school had let out. It was supposed to be the first day of his training under his Uncle Jewel.
The door opened. "Uncle Jewel!" Shining cheerily greeted his uncle.
Jewel greeted his nephew with a hug. “Great to see you Shining. I know your looking forward to this, so come on in!” He moved aside, and beckoned Shining to follow him.
Shining entered the home, and followed his uncle through the house, and out the back door.
The pair found themselves inside a small walled in garden. Jewel turned to his nephew, before plotting his behind on the ground, his smile fading. “Ok, Shining, I know you want this training, but we should go over a couple of things first.”
“Alright,” Shining stated, sitting down and watching his uncle carefully.
“First,” Jewel began, “the only special consideration I’m going to be giving you, is your age. While we’re training you’ll be my student, and everything else is secondary.” He paused, while Shining nodded, “Second, I don’t want you using this training against any of your classmates, this is meant for self-protection, and to protect others, not to show off, or beat up anypony you don’t like.”
“I understand, Uncle.”
“Good,” Jewel smiled, “then let’s start your first lesson.”
He stood and started pacing in front of the attentively watching Shining Armor. “Can you tell me the most important thing anypony, or rather anything needs to know how to do when fighting?” he questioned.
“Uh,” Shining hemmed, “how use a weapon?”
“Wrong.”
“Magic?”
“Wrong.”
“How to use a shield?”
“Wrong, although almost along the right line of thought,” Jewel stated. Looking down at his nephew’s disappointed face, he continued, “Don’t worry, most ponies don’t answer correctly the first time anyway. The correct answer is; the most important thing anypony needs to know is how to dodge.” He smiled widely, “And that is what we’re going to practice today.”
Shining shivered.
---
Shining Armor slunk into his home’s front door. He felt sore from his uncle’s training. He was dirty and sweaty all over, and his mane was a wild mess, but he was grinning broadly. His grin faded into a mere smile when he heard voices coming from the living room. Creeping to the open arch between the rooms, Shining saw his mother and father were speaking with a young pink unicorn, wearing a dress, he’d never seen before.
Velvet Sparkle was the first to notice her son in the entryway. “Shining! You’re home,” she greeted, “Come in and meet Cadence,” she gestured to the pink pony next to her, “She’s agreed to become Twilight’s new foalsitter. Come and introduce yourself.”
Shining entered the room. “I’m Shining Armor,” he introduced himself, holding out a hoof, “Pleased to meet you.”
Cadence giggled at the offered hoof, but still took it and shook it before speaking. “I’m Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, but please call me Cadence.”
Shining’s jaw dropped. “Princess?” he questioned, “Why would a princess want to do something like foalsit?” He ignored his parent’s frantically waving at him behind Cadence’s back. “Don’t you have other things to do, like do up your hair?” he asked rather rudely, gesturing to the ponytail her mane was in.
“Hey, I want to get out of the palace sometimes,” she shot back, before looking him up and down, then frowning “Besides, you look like you could do with some more time working on your hair. It’s sticking up all over the place. It makes you look like a blue hedgehog!”
“Well, at least I’m not pink!” he shot back.
“I’m cerise,” she snapped, “not pink!”
The two of them stopped and glared at each other for a moment. The two adults in the room were completely frozen in place.
Suddenly, Cadence started giggling, before breaking out laughing. “I can’t believe there’s actually somepony out there,” she said, still giggling, “that would, upon first meeting a princess, start an argument!”
“What?” Shining defended himself, “I’m just making sure your good enough for my little sis!”
“You know,” Cadence responded, “most ponies generally accept that a princess would be good enough by default.”
“Bah,” he dismissed, “princess is just a title. It doesn’t say anything about you as a person.”
“Maybe not,” she acknowledged, “but it is a pretty good indicator that you shouldn’t get into an argument with them. Never know what they might do to you. An insulted princess might throw you in a dungeon, or banish you.”
“If you were that sort of princess,” Shining Armor stated with an air of finality, “then you would make a terrible foalsitter.”
Cadence just started laughing again.
Shining’s Log-Entry: Cadence
Alright, so maybe getting into an argument with a princess in front of my parents was a bad idea. As soon as they recovered from the shock of what I was doing, they grounded me for a month. No protests that it was all to make sure that she was good enough for Twily could change their minds. Fortunately, Cadence actually rallied to my defense, and told them she didn’t mind our little fight, and it was actually the high point of her visit so far. Ultimately she managed to get them to reduce it to two weeks, for ‘being a bad host’.I have to say, Cadence is actually pretty good with sis. Twily seemed to be fascinated, and was happily playing with her. That, combined with her performance in our little spat, is enough for me to at least give her a chance with Twily.
Although I do have to wonder, would Cadence have been Twilight’s foalsitter if I wasn’t here? I don’t recall Twilight ever mentioning that she had a foalsitter, much less that the sitter was a princess. You’d think that would be an important detail. Although, I guess, being all grown up like she is in the series, she probably doesn’t spare much thought to her fillyhood. Either way, I’m not going to worry about it, Cadence seems to make Twily happy, and that’s all that matters to me.
Shining Armor, Signing Off