“Are you absolutely sure that’s correct?”
Spike’s eyes pried open slowly, adjusting to the realm of reality.
“Yes, sir! If his patterns are correct, he will most likely attempt another heist tonight!”
Spike stretched out his arms and yawned. As he woke up, he noticed that he was laying on the small couch, drool dampening his arms. Spike also took notice of the Crystal Guard talking to Shining Armor, both looking at each other very seriously.
“Well, that makes things a little more manageable,” Shining Armor said. “Have all the guards ready in the war room in thirty minutes! We have some things we’ll need to discuss.”
“‘We’? But I thought you took the day off, sir.”
Shining Armor sighed and scratched his mane. “Yeah, I thought so too. However, if there’s a chance we can catch this thief, I can make that sacrifice.”
“Yes sir!” The guard soluted and trotted out of the room. Shining Armor sighed as he prepared for the gathering of the Guards. Spike lifted himself out of the couch to follow Shining Armor, who was grooming himself and grabbing his attire.
“Um, Shining, what’s going on?” Spike asked while rubbing his eyes.
Shining Armor looked down at Spike, sighing. “We just found out the pattern of the thief we’ve had for the past several weeks.”
“Oh, you mean the Crystal Bandit?”
“Crystal Bandit, you say?” Shining Armor raised an eyebrow as he straightened his armor. “And how long did it take you to come up with that name?”
“Just a few seconds,” Spike said. “I just thought it would be a good name for him. I mean, he does steal from the Crystal Empire.”
Shining Armor chuckled. “Nice one, Spike. I have to use that in the meeting.” Shining Armor patted Spike’s head, making Spike grin widely. “But like I was saying, the guards have figured out his patterns, so I’m calling a meeting to devise a plan to catch him.”
“That is awesome!” Spike exclaimed.
“I’ll say.” Shining Armor levitated his helmet and placed it on his head. “I would have liked to have hung out with you a little while longer, but duty calls. There is food in the fridge if you get hungry. Picked it up on the way back home.”
“Oh, yeah. Alright.” Spike watched as Shining Armor walked towards the door. He put his claws towards his mouth, pondering in thought. After some consideration, Spike ran towards Shining Armor.
“Wait!” Spike exclaimed, stopping inches from Shining Armor. “How about I go with you?”
Shining Armor hummed, adjusting his helmet. “I don’t know, little dude. This is a big deal and very time-consuming. If you come with me, you will be bored, and I do mean very bored within the first few hours.”
“Oh, please! If you want to talk boring, try reorganizing Twilight’s entire bookshelf alphabetically every other week.” Spike chuckled. “Besides, I could be helpful. This isn’t the first time I’ve been at important events before.”
Spike glanced at the shimmering armor that Shining wore. Spike could clearly see his reflection in the metal. He waited for an answer, though his doubts were starting to grow in the lofty silence.
“If I let you come with me, will you promise to not be any trouble?” Shining Armor asked.
Spike smiled, pressed his legs together and saluted. “Dragon’s honor!”
A grin crept across Shining’s face. He nodded to relieve Spike of his position.
“Well, then it’s settled. We should be heading out soon. Anything you want to grab before we go? Maybe a snack or something?”
Spike shook his head. “No, I’m fine.”
“Okay, then.” Shining Armor turned around and lowered his haunches to the ground. “Hop on, Spike.”
“Um, Shining, you know I can walk perfectly fine on my own, right?” Spike asked as he brought his claw to his mouth and yawned, rubbing his baggy eyes.
“The war room is a good distance away, and you still look tired. I wouldn’t want you to lag behind.”
Spike opened his mouth to resist, making small pockets of smoke escape his airways after another hefty yawn. Shining Armor chuckled.
“See? You can barely get a word out without yawning. It’s best to save your energy for the meeting.” Shining Armor winked, lifted Spike, and positioning him on his back.
Spike shivered as he came in contact with the cold, hard metal. The seat wasn’t the most comfortable, making Spike squirm around for a better position. After a few minutes, the armor began to feel more manageable, and after adjusting to it, Spike sat up, smiling cheekily at Shining Armor.
“Now that I’m seated, can we go now?” Spike asked eagerly.
“I don’t see why not.”
Shining Armor opened the diamond door and walked out into the hallway. The castle was more lively than Spike had previously seen it, namely because of the workers and guards carrying about. The Crystal Guards were sporting their golden armor as well, talking amongst each other as they headed towards the war room. Spike looked around, watching as the pegasus flew around, matting out the flags and polishing the walls.
“Hey, Shining?” Spike tapped Shining Armor’s helmet, an audible clanking noise echoing through the halls.
“Yeah?”
“You have a lot of workers for this castle.”
“Of course we do, Spike. This is a big castle. We have to have enough ponies to take care of it.”
“True, but…” Spike glanced around, watching the ponies work vigorously. “Do they ever get tired of working for you guys? Like, do they ever get agitated and annoyed that they have to do all of this cleaning?”
Shining Armor let out a hearty laugh. “One would think that. Under certain situations, you’d be right. However, because we treat our subjects so well, they generally have nothing to complain about. Sure, they are tasked to clean the entire castle, but they also have benefits as well.”
“Like?”
“Well, they have paid leave, our chefs serve them the same quality food we eat, and they have free access to many of our services, such as the spa.”
Spike’s eyes widened. Free access to a vast majority of the castle’s intricacies was the stuff of heavens. “Hey, Shining, think I could possibly work for you guys? All I ever get from helping Twilight is maybe a sandwich and a cookie. A free buffet every now and then wouldn't be too bad!”
“You would think with your stomach, Spike,” Shining teased. “But I think Twilight needs you there more than we need you here.”
Spike sighed. “Yeah, I guess so. It’s just that it seems like everypony is happy working for you two.”
As if on cue, loud grumbles and curses rang through the castle floor. An old crystal stallion was mumbling to himself, scrubbing the floors and cleaning the glass-stained windows.
“Well, not everypony.” Shining Armor groaned and dragged his hoof down his face. Before the stallion could catch a glance at Shining Armor, he straightened himself up and forced a smile as he walked towards him.
“Afternoon, Mr. Haystack,” Shining Armor greeted, bowing politely.
The gruff-looking stallion glared at Shining Armor and huffed. “At least you had the decency to not say it was good!” Haystack snarled. “Any day I have to clean up this trash heap is a terrible one!”
Shining Armor sighed deeply. “Well, I’m sorry you feel that way, sir.”
“You’re sorry? I’m sorry! Sorry that your wife has to live in a dump!” Haystack walked slowly over to his mop and lifted it with his hooves. As he dipped it in the bucket and continued with the floors, he pressed on with his gripes. “I clean this castle every darn day, and for what? You guards are the nastiest things ever! You come in with dirty hooves, you leave your garbage lying all over the floor, and your subordinates come in drunk as a skunk and puke all over the floor! And guess who has to clean it up?”
“Yeah, the guards can be a hoofful sometimes,” Shining said, rubbing his hoof against his helmet. “I’ll be sure to inform them about your complaints so they won’t do it again.”
“Ha! You honestly think those heathens can be tamed, and under your leadership? Don’t make me laugh!” Haystack feigned a weak laugh before coughing. He pounded his chest with his hoof and grunted. “I don’t expect those guards to behave themselves more than I expect you to do your job properly in training them! All I can say is that I’m getting pretty sick and tired of cleaning up after you ruffians.”
“So, why don’t you just go ahead and retire then, you old hack?”
Haystack shot up and glared at Shining Armor. Shining winched, his ear flopping. “Did you just say something smart to me, boy?”
“No, I did!” Spike raised his claw in the air, a look of malice painted on his face. Haystack squinted his eyes, gritting his teeth at Spike.
“What in blue blazes did you bring here, Your Highness?” Haystack hissed. “Didn’t anypony tell you not to bring in possible enemies to the royals? It’s a dragon, for Celestia’s sakes!”
“Yes, Mr. Haystack, I’m aware of that,” Shining Armor said cooly. “This dragon’s name is Spike. He's kind of my little brother.”
Haystack rubbed his eyes in disbelief. “You're… that thing’s brother? Hmmm. That explains a lot then.”
Spike stood on Shining Armor’s back, putting his claws on his sides. “And what is that supposed to mean?”
“It means that I wouldn’t expect somepony who keeps something as filthy and uncivilized as a dragon to act any better.”
“Well, I act more civilized than you do!” Spike argued. “At least I’m not some old ungrateful geezer who complains about a job he can easily retire from!”
Shining Armor looked up at Spike, shaking his head. “Um, Spike, I don’t think you should—”
“I wouldn’t expect a dragon to understand anything! When you actually do some hard labor, then you can come back and complain about this old hag’s rants!”
“I’ll keep that in mind!” Spike tapped his finger against his lip. “Well, when you put it that way, how about reorganizing a bookshelf for a pony in alphabetical order, making breakfast, cleaning around the house, and mopping the floors to boot? Now can I complain about you?”
Tension was thick, making Shining Armor uncomfortable. Spike and Haystack glared daggers at each other.
“Some nerve you have, dragon,” Haystack snarled, venom seeping through his voice. “If you were born back in my day, you wouldn’t be able to get away with bad-mouthing your elders. You’d get a smack across the skull for being so rebellious!”
Haystack grabbed his mop and smacked it across Shining Armor’s head for demonstration. Shining Armor yelped and rubbed his skull, grimacing.
“Yes, sir, we get it.” Shining Armor groaned. “Now, if you don’t mind, we really should be off. We have an important meeting to attend to.”
Haystack grumbled and walked back to the wet puddle of water he left. “Good. The less I have to see of you and that dragon, the better.”
Shining Armor just shook it off and trotted past Haystack. Spike turned around and stuck his tongue out at Haystack, making spitting noises for added insult. Spike jolted when he felt Shining Armor buck slightly, regaining his attention.
“Spike, I really would have appreciated it if you kept quiet back there,” Shining Armor said. “It wasn’t worth the added headache.”
“Oh, sorry,” Spike apologized. He turned around on Shining’s back plate and leaned into a comfortable position. “I just don’t understand what is wrong with that guy. He seems really ungrateful.”
“That’s just how Mr. Haystack is, Spike,” Shining Armor explained, constantly grabbing at his head with his front hoof. “It’s best to just let him talk, so we don’t have any encounters like that.”
“Fine by me,” Spike agreed. “Just wish the old stallion would learn a thing or two about being polite.”
Shining Armor chuckled. “You and me both.”
Shining Armor carried Spike down the stairs and into the main hallway. As they reached the open halls leading to the war room, Spike dismounted Shining Armor and opted to walk the rest of the way, relieving Shining Armor of the extra baggage.
Some of the Royal Guards galloped swiftly to the room, hoping that Shining Armor didn’t see them. Spike and Shining Armor laughed lightly at their attempts to go unnoticed.
“Looks like you have some of the guards got the message a little late,” Spike pointed out.
“Looks like it. Still, they did get there before I did, so I’ll let this slide.” Shining Armor trotted to the door where two guard ponies stood with their spears in their hooves. As they saw their Captain, they saluted with their free hoof, keeping their eyes focused on him.
“Greetings, Captain,” the left guard said. “We are ready to begin the meeting whenever you are ready, sir!”
Shining Armor nodded. “I’ll be ready to begin when all the guards are present and accounted for.”
“We ran a count before you got here, sir,” the right guard replied. “The last two just arrived, sir!”
“Very well. At ease, Guards. Go and take your seats.”
The two guards lowered their hooves and set their spears against the wall. “Yes sir!” the two said simultaneously. As they turned and entered the room, one of them turned around, giving a sharp glance at Spike.
“And what about the dragon?” he asked.
“Spike is allowed to participate in the meeting, so I expect you all to treat him like you would each other,” Shining Armor instructed. “Make sure everypony in there knows this.”
“Sir, yes sir!” The guard saluted swiftly and walked into the room. Shining Armor turned towards Spike, smiling softly.
“Spike, when I said go take your seats, that included you,” Shining Armor said.
Spike scratched his head in confusion. “Shining, I’m pretty sure I’m not a guard.”
“Ah, that’s true.” Shining Armor turned towards the war room, beckoning Spike to enter. “Well, we’re going to have to talk about that after the meeting, aren’t we?”
Spike was still puzzled, but instead of questioning it, he simply shrugged it off and walked into the room.
The guards were all standing at their respective seats, waiting for their Captain to walk in and instruct them. Spike observed the room. Maps of different regions of Equestria hung on each side of the walls, with the exception of the back wall. That was reserved for all the portraits of the past Captain of the Guards. The wall spanned from the beginning of Equestria’s union, all the way to the recent Captain, Shining Armor. He stood proud and firm, wearing his maroon uniform while saluting in front of the Equestria flag. The picture itself was inspiring.
Spike walked around, looking for a free chair. Wandering eyes of the guards followed Spike, sending an uncomfortable chill down his spine. It was as if they were all scanning him, daring him to make one slight slip-up. It didn’t help that a majority of them were unicorns. Spike gulped and continued his search for an empty seat. There was a free chair at the corner of the back wall. As soon as Spike saw it, he rushed towards it, ready to get away from the gazes of the condescending guards.
“Attention!”
The guards clanked their hooves together and saluted with their left front hoof. To prevent being the odd one out, Spike did the same, awkwardly saluting at the last second. Shining Armor trotted into the room, removed his helmet, and placed it on the map. His face was stoic and focused, paying no attention to the crowd in front of him. Spike looked towards his him, smiling widely. He admired Shining’s sheer concentration and seriousness, something Spike lacked.
“Take your seats,” Shining Armor commanded. The guards pulled their chairs out and sat down simultaneously. Spike clumsily followed, smiling sheepishly at his delayed response. Shining Armor sat down after the others. He cuffed his hooves together and put them on the table.
“So, we all know that there has been an increase of crime over the past few weeks, and from what we’ve gathered, our thief will most likely attempt to strike again tonight. Silver Base, you came to me with this knowledge. Explain what brought you to that conclusion.”
“Yes, sir.” The pegasi lifted himself from his chair. Everypony turned towards him. “His patterns are pretty standard. Every two days, he strikes at a civilian’s household. After a days break, he tries to raid the castle, of course to no avail.”
The room filled with brief chuckles.
“After the raids, and his failures to get away with the castles treasures, I’ve noticed some similarities in his patterns. Just a few days afterwards, he continued these raids in continuous succession. Fortunately, he hasn’t gotten away with much recently, but I’m afraid he’s becoming quite bold.”
The air grew silent and cold. Silver Base sighed and continued. “Just the other day, we saw him make his way towards the basement of the castle, under the prison floors.”
A collective gasp was heard, confusing Spike.
“Under the prison floors?” Shining Armor’s eyes widened. “But, the only thing down there is…”
“That’s right, sir. The crystal blade.”
The guards began to clamor amongst each other, a echoing barrage of panic and concern filling the room. Spike, on the other hand, was just sitting there in both confusion and fright. If the guards were in such of a frenzy over a sword, it must have been important.
Shining Armor tapped his hooves against the table. “Calm down, everypony! This isn’t the worst thing that has happened in the kingdom yet. We can figure out how to prevent the Crystal Bandit from striking again.”
“Um, Crystal Bandit, sir?” one of the guards asked.
“Yes.” Shining Armor pointed his hoof towards the back. “Spike over there came up with the idea. It suits his name properly.”
The guards looked at each other, some scratching their heads. After shrugging the name off, they immediately refocused their attention at Shining Armor. Spike wore a ever so giddy smile on his face. He rocked in his chair, elated that Shining Armor used his idea in an official meeting.
“But like I was saying, since we have an idea of his patterns, we need to take every precaution into making sure that this thief doesn’t get away this time.” Shining Armor lifted several pins with his magic, sticking them down on varied locations on the map. “Our Crystal Thief attacked here, and here, meaning he is less likely to target those points if he’s smart. That leaves the front doors, the upper windows, and the hatchway we use for emergency escapes. If this guy is that desperate to go after the Crystal Sword, then we need to take all precautions. Any suggestions?”
A blue unicorn lifted his hoof, waiting for Shining Armor’s approval. When he nodded, the stallion stood up and cleared his throat.
“The thief is likely attempt another raid on the lower caverns of the castle. Since one of our most valued treasures is down there, we need to keep it tightly secured. The klutz is very unlikely to enter the castle from the very top, so we only really need a few guards watching the downstairs for any obvious break-ins.”
“But what if he isn’t as clumsy as we think?”
The guards eyes widened. He and all the others turned towards the source of the noise, making Spike swallow nervously.
The unicorn chuckled snobbishly and faced him. “Dragon, this doesn’t concern you, so I suggest you not speak out without being called on.”
“Actually, this does concern him just as much as it concerns you,” Shining Armor said. “He is as much of a member of this meeting as you are.”
“But he—”
“Are you speaking out against your superior, Ace?”
Shining Armor glared at Ace, eyes piercing the young sentinel’s confidence.
“N-no, sir! I apologize, sir!” Ace clumsily took his seat. Spike was sweating nervously also. He had never seen Shining Armor act so stern, so strict. It sent chills down his spine.
“Spike!”
Spike jolted. Shining Armor was looking dead at him, with the same intensity as he had with Ace. “Yes, Shin…. erm… sir?”
“Ace did have a point. In these meetings, the subordinates don’t speak until spoken to. Is that understood?”
Spike nervously fumbled his claws together, sheepishly looking towards the ground. “Yes, sir.”
“Still, you did bring up an interesting point,” Shining Armor stated. “Spike, you have my permission to speak up.”
Spike’s guilt quickly melted. “Yes, sir! Well, like I said—”
“Stand up when speaking,” Shining Armor commanded.
“Oh, right!” Spike swiftly lifted himself from his chair and opened his mouth to speak. “Well, what if the thief wasn’t as clumsy as we think? Or, out of desperation, he decides to go all-out? If he’s gutsy enough to go for this Crystal Sword, who knows what he might do to get to it?”
The guards looked at Spike, seemingly impressed by his insight. A cream-colored pegasus looked at Ace, nodding. “He does have a point, Ace. Even the most petty thieves can do drastic things under desperation.”
Ace looked at the dragon, sighed, and relinquished towards his seat, planting his hoof on his cheek. Spike stood triumphantly. The amount of pure joy seeping out of him was almost palpable. However, in order to impress Shining Armor, who was still eyeing him seriously, he stood firm and attentive, repressing the urge to jump in triumph.
“Nicely done, Spike. You may be seated.”
Spike followed the orders of Shining Armor, and sat back down.
“Now that we have a good idea where the Crystal Bandit might strike next, it is time to discuss your positions for tonight’s shift. It’s going to be a long night for you boys, and I don’t want to hear any complaining from the lot of you! If anypony leaves their post tonight, they will be forced to take temporary leave. Do I make myself clear?”
“Crystal, sir!” The guards simultaneously saluted. As they gave their respects, Shining Armor he lifted himself from his chair, using his magic to lift the pins from the table. “I want all of the pegasus to patrol the halls. Make sure you circle the windows tonight with lights. Make sure nopony enters through the windows.”
“Yes, sir!”
“I want to split the unicorns into different teams. I want my most esteemed guards to keep an eye on the entrance to the Crystal Sword. Let nopony through unless they are a member of the Guards. The rest of you, I will position you as I see fit. Right now, you all need to go and rest. It’s going to be a long night.”
The guards nodded. Without anything left to say, Shining Armor tapped his hooves against the table. “Meeting dismissed!”
The guards saluted and dismissed themselves from the room. Shining Armor waited for all of the guards to leave before approaching Spike, who attempted to leave with them.
“As for you, I have something different in mind.”
Spike stopped and looked up at Shining Armor, whose expression softened. Spike looked at him with confusion. “What did you have in mind?”
With a smile, Smiling Armor wrapped his hoof around Spike’s shoulders. “That will be explained when we get to the fitting room.”
“Fitting room?”
Shining Armor didn’t answer Spike’s question. Instead, he led him out of the room and locked the door behind him.
“We better get you fitted soon. I ordered all of my guards to get some rest, and I expect you to do the same as soon as we get done.”
Spike hunched over and let his arms dangle. A groan escaped his lips. “But Shining, I just got done taking a nap. I’m not tired!”
“Oh, so you don’t want to help me on patrol tonight?” Shining Armor asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Well, yeah, but—”
“Then there’s no arguments to be made. Once we get you fitted, we’re going to take a nap before the night. We can’t have the Crystal Thief roaming around and doing what he wants while we’re tired, can we?”
Spike sighed and trailed behind Shining Armor. “No, I guess not.”
Shining Armor smiled triumphantly and marched down the narrow hallway.
“By the way, nice job back there. You really had a head on your shoulders about this thing.”
“It wasn’t that big of a deal, honestly,” Spike said. “It’s actually a simple thought. If the thief wanted the sword that badly, then he would go through any lengths to get it.” Spike chuckled to himself a bit. “Then again, Twilight could have just rubbed off on me.”
“Wouldn’t shock me at all, Bro,” Shining Armor replied.
Spike smirked and rubbed the back of his head. “By the way, what is this ‘Crystal Sword’ that seems so important?”
“Not seems, Spike. Is,” Shining Armor corrected. “It is the sword that knighted the first Royal Guard. The sword used to defend this nation for generations. It is said that even slightly touching the blade of this sword is enough to pierce through a pony’s hide.”
“Whoa!” Spike looked at Shining Armor in utter shock. “That’s a pretty awesome sword!”
“That it is, Spike,” Shining Armor said while chuckling. “A sword that, if taken in the wrong hooves, could harm the nation. That’s why we keep it kept away from the reaches of society, and why only the trusted individuals of the guards know about it.”
The news was a heavy load for Spike to take. The weight and severity of the situation left Spike a little overwhelmed. Still, the fact that Shining Armor would share such valuable information with him was absolutely thrilling.
“That’s a lot of responsibility on your shoulders,” Spike said.
“Well, it’s not just my shoulders,” Shining Armor began. “The guards also have the task of defending the country. It is not only my job to protect our ponies; it is also theirs.” Shining Armor looked at Spike, confidence glowing on his face. “And pretty soon, alongside me, it will be your responsibility, too.”
Spike stopped in his tracks. His mouth hung agape. “Me?”
Shining Armor nodded. “Why else would I be getting you fitted? Speaking of…” Shining Armor approached the shiny, clear door and turned the knob with his magic. “... Here we are right now.”
Inside was yellow crystal stallion who was sorting the chest-pieces and helmets. He hummed to himself, not noticing the two visitors trotting into his workplace.
Shining Armor brought a hoof towards his mouth and cleared his throat. “Golden Helm, I need your assistance.”
The stallion jolted. After realizing who the voice belonged to, he turned around and saluted. “Oh, welcome, sir! What can I do for you?”
“It’s not what you can do for me.” Shining Armor pulled Spike closer to him. “It’s what you can do for my little brother here.”
“Ah!” Golden Helm trotted towards the counter to grab a roll of measuring tape. “If you don’t mind me asking, what made you want to fit the little lackey?”
Spike folded his arms. A scowl formed on his face and he huffed in agitation.
“Well, since he’s staying for a few days, I’d like to keep him preoccupied as much as I can so the poor kid doesn’t get bored.”
“Makes sense to me. Dragon—”
“The name is Spike, actually,” Spike corrected.
“Right. Spike, do you mind stepping on that pedestal over there? I need to measure your body type and weight.”
Spike followed the instructions of Golden Helm and stood on the diamond pedestal. The stallion stepped towards him and wrapped the measuring tape around his hooves.
“Good, now spread your arms out for me.”
Spike continued to do as he was told. Golden Helm wrapped the tape around his waist and mentally noted his body width. After scaling his arms and legs, the stallion went towards the dragon’s head. The spines proved to be an annoyance to him, but Golden Helm overcame this by pressing them down with the tape.
“It’s safe to say that you will need some light armor, isn’t it?” Golden Helm snickered, much to Spike’s dismay.
“I’m not that weak!” Spike snarled. “I can take a little heavy armor!”
Golden Helm simply rolled his eyes and smiled, amused by the dragon. “Sure you can.” The stallion turned his attention to Shining Armor. “So what kind of color do you want him to have? Silver? Gold?”
“Blue, actually.”
Golden Helm raised an eyebrow. “Blue, sir? But, blue and purple usually means—”
“High positioning within the guards?” Shining Armor interrupted. “Yeah, I know.”
Spike’s interest began to pique, as well as his confusion. “Higher positioning?”
Shining Armor turned towards Spike and smiled. “That’s right. While you’re here, you get to be my right-hoof dragon. You think you’re up to it, Co-Captain of the Guards?
Spike’s mouth fell open and his eyes dilated. It was the same shock being shared by Golden Helm.
“Um, sir, are you sure about that? What about the other sentinels who would kill to have that position?”
“They’ll still have their shots. This is only a temporary thing for Spike. I think he deserves it for a while.”
Golden Helm didn’t question Shining Armor any further and shrugged. “Whatever you want, sir.”
Spike was completely dumbfounded. He glanced back at Shining Armor, who looked a lot more admirable than he did previously. Shining Armor decided to make him, a dragon, Co-Captain of the Guards.
“I still haven’t heard an answer from you yet, Spike. Are you up to being my Co-Captain?”
Spike looked directly at Shining Armor and prepared his answer, hoping to give a calm and collected response.
“YES! YES YES YES!”
After realizing how eager his response truly was, he covered his mouth. Shining Armor and Golden Helm both concealed their laughter.
“I mean, yes, sir!” Spike coughed and saluted clumsily. “I’ll do my best, sir!”
Shining Armor trotted close to Spike and put a forehoof on his claw to lower it.
“No need to be that formal now, Spike.” Shining Armor smiled and patted Spike on the head. “This is only you getting fitted, nothing too special.”
“Nothing too special? You just made me your Co-Captain! How is that not a big thing?”
Shining Armor chuckled. “Well, yeah that is a big thing. However, you’re just getting your outfit custom-made. Nothing formal about this at all.”
Spike gave a toothy smile and was rewarded with one from Shining Armor.
“If you say so.”
Shining Armor turned towards Golden Helm. “How long will it take for you to finish his armor?”
“Well, normally getting the dye together would take a few days,” Golden Helm began as he put up his measuring tools. “However, since purple or blue are seldom used, we have plenty of that in stock. The smithing and crafting of the armor should only take several hours, so by the time you two wake up, his armor should be near completion, give or take a few hours.”
Shining Armor smiled and yawned. He stretched his front hooves out, his joints popping in audible crackles. “Good. No point of staying here any longer then. Spike, we need to get back to the room and get some sleep.”
“Yeah, yeah. If I have to.” Spike sighed and followed Shining Armor out of the room. He walked out with new confidence—a new sense of pride and dignity about himself. In a few hours, it would be official. Spike would be dubbed Co-Captain of the Guards.
***
Shining Armor swiftly made way towards his bed and flopped onto it. He yawned loudly and stretched out his hooves.
“Alright, champ. Time to hit the sack for a bit,” Shining Armor said.
Spike sighed. “Yeah, I heard ya the first five hundred times.”
Shining Armor chuckled. “I know that you don’t think you need it, but tonight is an important night. We need all of our guards in tip-top shape, including you. It shouldn’t be that hard for you to sleep for a few hours.”
“I suppose.”
“Hey, if you don’t feel comfortable on the couch, you can always hop on the bed,” Shining Armor suggested. “It’s a lot softer.”
“Yeah, that won’t be necessary.” Spike waved it off and walked towards the couch. “I’ll be fine over here.”
Shining Armor shrugged. “Suit yourself. I’m gonna go to sleep now. See ya in a few hours, Co-Captain.”
“You too.”
It didn't take long for Shining Armor to fall asleep. Shining Armor's heavy snores pierced Spike's ears. He couldn’t get any sleep even if he wanted to. Thoughts of his new position swam through his mind.
Wow! Co-Captain of the Guards. This can’t be real! A elated smile crept on his face. Working alongside Shining Armor, stopping the Crystal Bandit in his tracks, and kicking butt! Man… this is awesome.
He spent his time reclining on the couch, thinking, smiling, squirming around with joy…
… And absolutely no time sleeping.