It was a fine restaurant; classy, yet informal enough that Twilight didn’t feel uncomfortable. Cadence and Shining Armor looked right at home as they made wound their way through the scattered patrons, Cadence even stopping to say an especial “hello” to a few of the waiters on the way to the back of the dining area.
Twilight Velvet sighed happily as she saw the large, well-decorated table waiting on them. “Light,” she gushed, “why haven’t we ever been here before? It’s charming!”
“Cadence loves it too,” Shining Armor said from the rear of their group. “We wanted someplace cozy, not too crowded so that we could sit and talk, and close to town in case someone wants to walk around after dinner.” Twilight felt him flick her with his tail as he walked past and caught a sly look from him.
“What are you up to?” Twilight wondered.
The alicorn herself picked that moment to interrupt. “Don’t go spoiling surprises, Shining. It can wait until dinner’s done with.” She laughed at Twilight’s suspicious look; Cadence didn’t usually go along with Shining’s plans, which made the unicorn all the more wary.
Some concern showed in Twilight Velvet's face as well. “You two do remember that Twilight leaves tomorrow, yes?”
“I promise we don’t let her do anything I didn’t do the night before I shipped out,” Shining Armor said. He pulled a chair out for his mother, smiling with all the sweet sincerity he could muster.
“That’s what I’m afraid of.”
Cadence gave Twilight a little nudge with her shoulder. “I promise it won’t be that bad,” she whispered. Seeing the further look of suspicion she was getting, the alicorn traced an ‘x’ across her chest. “Cross my heart, you’ll be no worse for wear. It’s just a little bit of extra fun.”
That guarantee was enough to placate Twilight and she settled down next to her father. The stallion was apparently tuning out most of the back and forth between Shining and Twilight Velvet in favor of browsing the menu before everyone else. Deciding that he had the right idea, Twilight levitated her menu up. Before she could get very far down the list, though, it flew out of her grasp and over to Shining Armor’s side of the table.
“Nuh-uh, Twilie. Tonight is going to be special. Just put everything out of your head and go with the flow. Unwind a bit.”
Twilight readied a snappy remark, but a knowing look from her older brother stopped her. He knew from their talk at the house that she was nervous; this was just his way of trying to be nice.
“Right,” she muttered. “Unwind.”
Twilight Velvet leaned over the table and reached out to pat Twilight on her hoof. “Try and relax, Sweetie. You don’t want to be stressed the night before your big day. It’s not healthy.”
Twilight bit the inside of her cheek to keep from snapping. She was in excellent health. Her diet and exercise schedules were painstakingly-crafted over years of trial, error, and experimentation. Every single piece of food that went into her body was carefully scrutinized for calorie and vitamin intake, then compared to dietary tables she’d drawn up herself. Putting it plainly, she was at peek physical fitness – something her scores from ROTC emphasized.
Though, none of those accolades prevented her family from treating her like she was some kind of delicate egg just waiting to shatter. Sometimes it was annoying that everyone walked on pins and needles around her.
“Honey, are you alright?”
Twilight felt her eyes come back into focus. The small frown wouldn’t be denied this time – she was staring at the center of the table like an idiot. Ripping her eyes away from the drab tablecloth, she plastered a fake smile on. “I’m fine. Just trying to work out what Shining has planned for tonight.” Her brother rolled his eyes. He knew all about her little problem with spacing out when she was thinking, but her worried mother didn’t. Thankfully he didn’t pick tonight to discuss it. “What did I miss?”
Shining coughed, drawing the concerned looks away from Twilight. “Mom asked what the military processing station is like and I was telling her it was waiting, tests, more waiting, paperwork, and then more waiting. You’ll have doctors everywhere telling you to crouch or jump or other stupid stuff to make sure you won’t kill yourself at Fort Dressage.”
A waiter arrived with the drinks then and Twilight found herself staring at a tall class filled with a rich amber liquid. She looked up at Shining Armor and he wagged his eyebrows. Unwind, he mouthed, and Cadence looked like she was biting the inside of her cheek to keep from giggling.
Rationally, Twilight knew that her best friend never went along with Shining Armor’s pranks and that the drink was most likely safe to consume. Giving Cadence a look that promised retribution if this wasn’t the case, Twilight floated the cold concoction up to her lips and took a sip. Tea, sour lemon, and even stronger alcohol flavors hit her tongue. Forgetting her manners, she smacked twice at the strong aftertaste.
Booze. Of course. “Delicious,” she said, giving her brother a flat look.
“Glad you like it. I got used to them when I was stationed in Manehattan for a few weeks.” He tapped his chin. “Manehattan Iced Teas? Something like that.”
Her brother, everyone – goes to the most exotic city in the country and comes back with new recipes for mixed drinks. She wanted to feel embarrassed, honest she did, but it was endearing how completely unrepentant he was.
Thinking about it, Twilight could barely believe that the confident, social stallion sitting across from her was the same goofy brother she’d grown up with; the one that used to wait all night outside a comic book store to get a new release or blow his allowance money on Superspace Super War figurines.
“Uh-Oh, we’re losing her again. We really need to get the food over here before she gets so lost we have to wheel her out of here on a cart.”
Twilight just grunted. Feeling adventurous, she took another swig of her “tea” and felt her tail curl. “I was just thinking about how much you changed, Shining. Do you think the Guard will do that for me?
He hadn’t expected that. “Maybe,” he said, slowly drawing the word out. “I can’t say that I think I’ve changed that much, though. I’m still the same goofy big brother everyone knows and loves.”
“I can attest to his continued goofiness,” Cadence piped.
Everyone laughed, but Twilight didn’t feel her question had been answered. Shining was wrong. He had changed. Maybe he didn’t see it or maybe he did and was just trying to avoid answering the question, but Twilight could see the difference.
She hadn’t seen much of her brother for the last few months. He’d graduated years ago and went on to become a rather successful Royal Guard. Even when he’d come back to Canterlot for a new post a year ago he’d been distant. More focused and always talking about his job and how amazing it was. He seemed so free whenever she’d speak with him. Shining Armor always had his eyes forward, talking about what he was going to do rather than what he’d done already. For someone who constantly planned every detail of her life, it was a bit refreshing to see an unorganized gallop toward tomorrow with all the confidence and bravado that she didn’t have.
Twilight felt a nudge on her side. Light leaned down and stage-whispered, “Your brother didn’t change, Twilight. He simply grew up.”
“I take offense to that,” Shining chirped, though he was wise enough to not try and deny it. “When Twilight comes back from basic with a tramp stamp and cursing like a sailor you’ll be pining for my simple coltish charm!”
Twilight Velvet clapped her hoof against her head. “Has the conversation really drifted to tramp stamps? Twilight, if you get one of those atrocities, you are out of the house.”
“She’ll be out of the house regardless, Mom.”
“And she’ll never step foot in it again!”
Everything about the night seemed surreal to Twilight. She watched her mother start chiding her brother again; her father looking on with a faint hitch of his lips that showed how good a time he was having; Cadence trying to decide whether to support her coltfriend or likely soon-to-be mother-in-law. For just a moment, Twilight forgot that this would probably be the last family get-together in quite some time. Tomorrow she’d be thrown to the wolves and whisked off to parts unknown. Basic training at Fort Dressage was a eight week course – it would be the longest she’d ever been away from home in her life.
There was another nudge on her side, but this time it lingered. Twilight took a deep, calming breath and blinked back the bit of wetness creeping in from the corners of her eyes. Her father didn’t say anything, nor did he try and catch her eye, but Light had noticed her starting to slip.
“Enough of this dirty tramp stamp nonsense! I want to eat my supper while I still have an appetite,” declared Twilight Velvet as the waiter approached with their food.
Twilight stared down at the wide assortment of leafy appetizers placed in front of her with a hunger she hadn’t noticed creep up on her. It didn’t hurt that Shining had ordered all her favorite foods. She caught his eye and smiled knowingly; their taste in food differed quite a bit and he had been glaring at the asparagus like it was some enemy to be slain. You owe me, he mouthed, and Twilight reckoned that she did.
Owning to Twilight Velvet’s flat denial to get drawn into anymore of Shining’s bawdy stories dinner conversation was mostly carried by Cadence. Light chimed in a few times, he wasn’t a fan of alfalfa and asparagus either, while Twilight indulged enough for both of them. If she simply closed her eyes and focused on chewing and listening to the idle dinner conversation, Twilight could pretend it was just another night out with the family; that was needed to keep the butterflies in her stomach abated while her dinner settled.
She pushed her plate back, hunger sated, and rolled her shoulders as the rest of her family finished up. Cadence and Shining were nearly as quick with their meals as she was, but her parents were eating slowly and only just starting on their main course.
Shining leaned over and whispered something to Cadence and didn’t go unnoticed by Twilight. She cocked an eyebrow at Cadence when the alicorn glanced at her and got a smile from her.
“I think it’s time for Twilight’s surprise,” Cadence said, interrupting Twilight Velvet’s running commentary on how much she was enjoying the food. The older mare sputtered for a moment and Cadence cut her off again with, “Sorry, but we don’t want it to get too late.”
“And I think that’s exactly why I should know what you two are planning.” Twilight nearly groaned; her mother was using that tone. “Tomorrow is an important day for Twilight.”
“And that’s why she could use our little surprise.”
Twilight had been content to simply watch the drama unfold, but Shining caught her eye and gave her a pleading look. “Mom,” Twilight broke in, “I could use some fresh air. You know? Let the food settle?”
Galaxy looked perturbed at being argued with from all sides. “I don’t—”
Finally, a quiet cough broke the deadlock. Light's drink hit the table with a quiet tap and his napkin floated up to his muzzle. “Darling, I don’t believe that Princess Cadence would let Shining Armor do anything that would dull Twilight’s chances of getting the best possible marks at military processing. Do you?”
Twilight Velvet knew when she was out-gunned. She nodded and made a little shooing motion with her hoof. “You two have her home at a reasonable hour.”
Shining Armor was already out of his chair, pulling Twilight to her feet with a small tug of magic. “You can count on me, Mom. A reasonable hour and not a minute later.”
“I mean it, Shining!”
Cadence reinforced her boyfriend’s platitudes and he grabbed the check. Twilight grunted at being herded to the front so quickly, but even her usual wariness couldn’t dull the building excitement she was feeling as she got caught up in Shining’s enthusiasm. When the trio barreled out the restaurant door in rush of hooves, Twilight was giggling along with Cadence.
Her brother plodded out into the street, ignoring the put-out look from the passersby that had to step around him. “I almost thought she wouldn’t let us go,” he said. “Dad to the rescue!”
“But what did he rescue me for?” Twilight asked. Cadence was coyly smiling at her, but she was practically bouncing with energy.
The princess gave her a passing hip-check. “You’ll just have to follow us,” she said with a sing-song tone. Shining Armor was no more help than his marefriend was, grinning and keeping lockstep with Cadence as they started down the street.
A few blocks over a clock tower bleated out nine deep rings. No one on the street was giving it any notice – being out so late seemed natural for the ponies Twilight, Shining, and Cadence shared the street with. More than once some happy herd of ponies had broken the trio up as they hopped from one bar to the next, but Shining had always rounded Twilight back up before she could get distracted by a new jazz lounge or street performer. “Time for that when you get some leave,” Shining would say as he moved her along.
Their brisk pace rapidly brought them to the “seedier” part of the district. It wasn’t that the crowds lessened, but Twilight started noticing fewer suits and more armor as she walked into increasingly-narrowing streets.
“Are you taking me to a prison or something?” Twilight wondered when they passed a group of guards talking near a shop stoop. Their polished suits of armor gleamed in the flickering lamplight native to nighttime Canterlot, but none of them bothered to notice the gawking unicorn that passed them by. Most of them were older than Shining Armor, but two of them were Twilight’s age. The older ones were talking to each other, telling stories and making jokes, while the younger guards had a look on their faces that mirrored Twilight’s. They must have been new guards judging by how they seemed to hang on their senior’s every word.
Twilight bumped into Cadence when the pink alicorn came to an abrupt stop. They were a few doors down from the gaggle of guards, standing before of a wide storefront. Raucous laughter trumpeted out from within when Shining pushed the door open, filling the comparative silence of the night with a vocal warmth that instantly made Twilight smile.
“After you, Sis,” Shining said. Not resisting anymore, the younger unicorn stumbled inside with a giggly Cadence following close behind.
It was a bar. A popular bar judging by the multitude of patrons that filled the booths, tables, and barstools set out for them. Most, Twilight realized, were guards. Only a few were in uniform, but nearly every pony in the bar had a regulation haircut of some sort. Chatting, drinking, and listening to the old jukebox in the corner, no one paid very close attention to new arrivals. Shining led them through the winding maze of chairs and tables until some free space at the bar appeared out the throng.
Pulling himself up onto an open stool, Shining tapped the bar with his hoof and the bartender shuffled over. Twilight was instantly reminded of a younger Coalmane by the way the huge stallion lumbered toward her, all muscle and flat looks.
“I’ll have the house dry stout,” Shining said.
“Light ale for me.”
The bartender’s eyes fixed on Twilight. She swallowed a lump in her throat and looked to Shining or Cadence for help – she’d never been to a bar before – but her brother was intent on shushing Cadence before any aid could arrive.
She licked her dry lips. “Surprise me?” It came out as a question, though the bartender took it as an order. He gave her a half-lidded smirk and shuffled over to the huge wooden kegs behind the bar with three mugs floating beside him.
“You might end up regretting that one, Twilie.”
Twilight grunted. “You weren’t much help,” she groused, shifting on her uncomfortable stool. “I’m not good at this whole socializing thing, Shining.”
“And that’s why we’re here now, so don’t sweat it. Just be careful how fast you drink whatever he brings back. He’s a great bartender, but he does like to enjoy himself with fresh recruits.”
Twilight looked back behind the bar. The stallion was still busy with their drinks. “I’m not a recruit yet. How can he tell I’m going to enlist?”
He poked her in the chest. “Forgot what you’re wearing? He was in the Guard, so he knows what an ROTC uniform looks like. Besides, no one else comes here. It’s a military bar. Like it?”
It wasn’t as if she disliked it. The place had a distinctly adult atmosphere that would have made her feel giddy enough to bounce in her chair if she hadn’t been watching herself, but she was still feeling on edge. Looking around, Twilight not-answered by pointing to something hanging over the bar. “I like its taste in art. That’s Celestia Crossing the Macintosh Hills, isn’t it?” The painting was a beautiful piece showcasing a triumphant Celestia rearing up over a snowcapped mountaintop.
Shining Armor and Cadence shared a look. “You can take the Twilight away from her books, but you can’t take the books away from the Twilight,” Cadence mused.
“It’s a famous painting!” she protested, speaking over their chuckles. “Jodhpurs David painted it during the Southern Expedition of 869, the last time an Equestrian Army marched past the borders and…and you’re not even listening, are you?”
Cadence’s giggling abruptly stopped when her brother pulled his muzzle away from her ear. “Not true, Sis! Hills, army, Celestia – I got it!”
“Auntie always thought that painting was a bit too gaudy,” Cadence interjected, only blushing a little. “She has Paul Damsire’s version hanging in her room.”
“The one where she’s hunched over and dragging herself through the hills in a dirty old cloak? Damsire should have been put in stocks for that.”
Thankfully, for Shining’s sanity, three drinks clinked down on the bar at that moment. “Sweet, loving booze,” he cooed, “save me from the art discussion.”
Twilight floated her glass of mystery drink over. “Philistine,” she muttered with a smile. It was harder than the simple tea mix she’d had at the restaurant, but that wasn’t unwelcome as the strong taste doused the anxiety that was still bubbling in her chest.
“You’re so well-read, Twilight. I bet you’re going to miss your books when you go off to boot camp.”
“I guess. It will be nice to live some of the things I’ve been reading about; see some of the places. The books will always be there when I come back.”
Shining’s jaw twitched. It was slight, but Twilight knew from years of experience that her brother was softly grinding his teeth behind his lips. It was a habit of his that only reared its head when he had something unpleasant on his mind.
“You won’t be able to carry all those books around with you,” he said after a moment’s thought. “In fact, for the first year or so I doubt you’d even have an apartment and have to live at an outpost somewhere. Depending on where you’re stationed it could be even longer than a year. You might not get to really settle down until your whole term is up.”
Cadence shook her head. “That would be a shame, wouldn’t it? A bright unicorn like you cut off from libraries and college for four years. Doesn’t that make you sad, Twilight?”
“What’s the angle here, Cadence? Shining?” Twilight turned in her stool and nodded to herself at their twin looks of guilt. “If you brought me here to get drunk and admit how much I’m going to miss you two as some kind of prank…”
“No prank, I swear!” Cadence blurted. She gave her coltfriend a withering look. “I told you we shouldn’t have done it like this! Now she thinks we’re picking on her.”
“It’s not a joke. Well, maybe we should have done this better, but it’s a hard thing to bring up to you,” Shining said. “Look, I know it’s been your dream for years to work at the castle. A lot of ponies go into the guard wanting to do that and there’s a real chance you could end up there. I’m not saying that they’d lie to you down at processing or anything.”
“That’s not what we’re saying at all! The Royal Guard is an ancient, honorable profession that stretches back for generations. They’re wonderful ponies; a pillar of the state!” she said, glancing around at the off duty guardsmen near them.
“‘Pillar of the state, wonderful ponies’, but…?”
“But the Guard wants what the Guard wants,” Shining finished with a deep sigh, staring into the dark, swirling beer he was idly twirling with his magic. “I didn’t have this conversation with you before because I always thought I’d have time. I didn’t want to upset you, you know? This was all Cadence’s idea. Get you someplace nice, have a few drinks, then talk it out.”
Twilight sniffed once, held her breath, and took another mouthful of her drink. “You’re starting to scare me, Shining,” she said, coughing as the strong taste hit her tongue. “Both of you are. Can you just come out and say what you’re trying to say?”
Neither pony rushed to fill the new silence and that only heightened Twilight’s anxiety. “Shining, tell me.”
“Cadence has you a job at the castle if you want it. You could start tomorrow.”
The air rushed out of Twilight’s lungs. “A job at the castle? How? Why?”
“You’d be one of my assistants! It's long hours, but you’re in the gates. We could see each other every day and you wouldn’t have to leave home, and you will get to see Aunt Cele—”
“No!” Twilight’s hoof clanked against the bar counter. The old bartender shot her a disgruntled look. “I told you, both of you, that I don’t want any help! I don’t want any favors, I don’t want pity, I don’t want a helping hoof! I can do this myself. I’ve been training for this.”
“And what if they won’t make you a Royal Guard?” Shining countered. “What if they want to put you in a border fortress for a few years? Or assign you to a unit that travels around the country? I know you’ve been through ROTC, Twilie, but that just gets you into the Guard – not the Royal Guard at the castle.”
“Well why not? I was the top-scoring graduate in our school system! I exceeded all of the physical requirements and the education requirements. I’ve even got a second lieutenant rank already waiting on me when I get in!”
Shining smiled a sad little smile. It was the kind of smile that said, ‘Isn’t my little sister adorable?’ and it made Twilight want to scream. “Can you fly, though?” he asked. “The Royal Guard is mostly pegasi. They make better guards for the princesses because when they have to move they go through the air. Can you run your way up there with them?”
“That’s too much, Shining!”
He shrugged off Cadence’s hoof. “She needs to hear it. The only reason I’m in the Royal Guard right now is because of my shielding magic. I’m not following anyone around on official trips or sitting in the throne room – I’m in the castle barracks, practicing my spells or guarding the Royal Gardens so they can free up more pegasi guards for the castle.”
“Look,” Shining said, tempering his voice when he saw Twilight slump in her chair, “I’m not saying all this because I want you to quit – I’m saying this because I love you and I want to see you happy. Cadence and I talked about this for weeks and she thinks you’d like being her assistant. You were always good at book stuff and organizing.”
That raised the hackles on Twilight’s neck. “I can’t believe this,” she spat. “I don’t want charity.”
“Helping my little sister is charity? You think Cadence is doing this out of pity? It’s not like she’d put you up in your own room and you’d never have to work.” His hoof roughly poked Twilight’s chest. “If you went and applied for the job yourself and got it, would it be different then? Is skipping one step the difference between charity and not in Twilight Sparkle’s book?”
Twilight shoved the offending hoof away. Several eyes were now drawn to the little drama unfolding at the bar and Twilight felt her face burn brighter with every new witness. “Did mom and dad put you up to this?” she asked, bringing to bear her own weapons.
The fire in Shining Armor’s eyes fizzled like a candle held out in a stiff wind. “It’s not like that! Cadence and I aren’t scared we’ll never see you again; we just want you to be happy, Twilie. We want to make sure you get what you want out of life.”
Everyone wanted something. Her mother and father wanted their daughter to not run off like her brother, Cadence wanted a friend close at hoof, and Shining wanted his family all in one place so he didn’t have to worry. Twilight understood all of their feelings, but she wanted something else - something more than safety or camaraderie or even happiness.
She glanced away from her brother’s eyes. “I know you do, but I can make myself happy. I’m set on joining the Guard, Shining. I’m going to join the Royal Guard.”
All was quiet for a long moment. Twilight didn’t look up, but she could imagine the contrite look on her brother’s face. She heard Shining take in a breath, likely working up another argument, but then it blew out in a long sigh. “Fine,” he said, “I don’t want your last memory before shipping out to be an argument like mine was. You’re lucky that I already gave Mom and Dad a talking-to, though.”
The princess flicked her ear. “But, Shining…”
He shook his head. “Cadence, if she doesn’t want to take the job we can’t make her. Let’s just suck it up, be happy for her, and wish her the best.”
The defeat in Cadence’s eyes drove Twilight to hail the bartender for a refill of whatever she’d just downed. Another glassful slid down her throat with its insistent burning, but it dulled the senses nicely and kept her from dwelling too deeply on things. The dynamic had shifted; there was a tension to the evening now, even as Shining struggled to keep the embers of conversation stoked. Cadence chimed in whenever he directly spoke to her but it was clear she was just as removed as Twilight was.
Valiantly, Shining Armor plowed on, determined to lighten the mood by recounting his time at Fort Dressage and what Twilight could expect there. It was a subject he’d covered dozens of times in his letters home and Twilight’s mind was finally allowed to complete the drift it had been trying to do all night. With the hazy fog of alcohol settling over her, she allowed her head to slump down and rest against her folded legs for a moment.
She was scared. After tomorrow, everything would be out of her hooves. No amount of training or good grades could get a pony into the Royal Guard, but Twilight knew she had to get in; getting to the castle, working for Celestia, was all she wanted from life. Why was that so complicated? Weren’t good grades and marks good enough? One time she thought that was the case, but now she just didn’t know.
“Do you think I can get in, Shining?” she suddenly asked. Her brother had been in the middle of describing a sunset over the port at Fort Dressage and she realized she’d cut him off. “Sorry. I just kind blurted that, didn’t I?”
He gave her a lopsided smile. “It’s fine. I was running out of things to babble about anyway. But you want to know if you’ll get in? Twilie, what did I tell you before we left the house? You’ve already gotten a rank from them – you’re in, but they’re going to fight you tooth and nail on going to the Royal Guard.”
“But why? You got in. I know you’re better at shield magic than I am, but I can do other things. I could stop someone from attacking the princess and I can patrol the hallways just as good as the rest.”
“You can,” Shining agreed, “but I think that they’ll think that’s a waste of your talent. I know you’re talented, you know you’re talented, and they know you’re talented. Some liaison will want to put you into advanced officer placement or something like that. It means command, but away from Canterlot along the border where smart, young commanders are needed in the field and not guarding some empty room in the castle.”
“Isn’t that where the most talented are needed, though?” Twilight countered, forcing some of the cotton between her ears to recede as her mind warmed back up. “There can’t be anything more important than protecting Princess Celestia.”
Cadence hid a giggle behind the rim of her drink. “I can imagine someone trying to protect Auntie,” she said.
Shining snorted, but his smile was still there. “Princess Celestia once did a demonstration for the Royal Guard, Twilie. She had the entire division come to the Canterlot parade grounds because our captain wanted real battle experience.” Conspiringly, he leaned in close to Twilight’s ear. “Five hundred of us all in full uniform, weapons at the ready, and Princess Celestia animates a matching number of empty suits of armor for us. We were out there for three hours hacking and slashing at moving targets, practicing drills and maneuvers, and by the time it was over every single one of us were dead on our hooves and the princess was just sitting on a platform drinking evening tea.”
Twilight’s mouth nearly came unhinged. “But that’s…that’s impossible! Do you know how much control that would take? How much raw power?”
“Uh, not really. It was damn impressive, though.” Shining leaned back and took a merry swig of his drink. He let out a happy sigh. “I realized something then, Twilie: the Royal Guard is there for the little things like guarding those empty rooms or being bodyguards to attached nobility or even walking around the gardens. I can’t imagine that five hundred ponies, no matter how trained, could stand between the princess and something powerful enough to actually threaten her.”
Twilight didn’t trust herself to speak her mind, not with the alcohol burning through her system. Heretical, she thought, but the sentiment was ruthlessly squashed. Her brother was right; anything that could actually challenge the princess would burn through the entire army and not just the guard. Likely they wouldn’t even make a dent.
Still, though, Twilight imagined herself standing her ground, the last guard between Princess Celestia and whatever monstrous thing her imagination could conjure up. She could be a knight like that.
She could give her life for her princess.
“Don’t think too much, Twilight.” Cadence’s voice was clear as crystal, even over the low bar noise. Startled, Twilight’s head snapped up and stared right into her friend’s knowing eyes. The look only held for a moment before the alicorn went back to sipping her drink, but the hairs on the back of Twilight’s neck were still standing straight up.
“What do you—”
Cadence put her drink down. Loudly. “Shining, it’s getting late. Twilight has a big day tomorrow and we did promise her parents.”
The sudden change in atmosphere appeared to baffle Shining Armor. The stallion looked down at his mug and then back to his marefriend. There was a question in his eyes, but the alicorn simply shook her head. “Right now?” he asked.
“I think it’s for the best, Shining. We probably shouldn’t have even ordered her as many drinks as we did.”
Despite her lingering discomfort, Twilight found the spine to be offended. “I’m sitting right here, you know.”
“Do you want to have a hangover in the morning when you’re getting your medical examination? I wonder what the drill sergeants would do if they saw that on your record when you got off the train at Dressage?”
“I almost want to see someone do that,” opined Shining Armor as he flagged down the bartender. When Twilight saw him start rooting around for his bits to pay the tab with, she knew Cadence was going to have her way. Really, it wasn’t that bad of a reason to end the night here, but that unpleasant feeling that Cadence’s words had stirred didn’t sit right with her. It was probably just the alcohol or her nerves or some brewing unholy combination of the two.
After all, tomorrow as a very, very big day.