//------------------------------// // Second Bird // Story: The Brother and The Sitter // by Spike120812 //------------------------------// Second Bird Anger, sadness, depression, uncontrollable sobbing, heated protests. All these possibilities and more ran through Shining Armor’s head as he stood outside his front door, picturing how his mom would react when he sat her down. His dad’s words of caution to wait sounded great at first, but after tonight, Shining knew the time for waiting was over. He needed to do this. He took a deep breath and cleared his mind. “Just go in, and sit her down,” he told himself with resolve. Another breath later, he turned the knob with his magic. Night Light was on the couch reading when Shining stepped inside. “Hey, Shining. Date go well?” he asked with a knowing grin. “Uh-Huh,” Shining answered, non fully paying attention to his dad as he looked around the living room. “Ugh, dad, where’s mom?” “In her bedroom, why?” “I need to talk to her.” Night Light snapped his head upwards from his book. He lowered the book in his hooves and turned his head to face his son. Slowly, he asked, “Why?” Shining didn’t have to answer for the older stallion to know what Shining was planning. He had that look he got when he set his mind to something and wouldn’t give up. “What happened to giving her a few more days?” Searching for an answer that didn’t make it sound like he wanted to disregard Night Light’s advice entirely, Shining found himself sighing again. “Dad, it’s already been over a week. I really don’t know if that’s enough time for her, but it is for me.” He stepped closer towards the couch. “I don’t want to put this off any longer.” Somewhere along the lines, Night Light understood where Shining was coming from, but his hesitance at the idea made itself present on his face, betraying what he tried to to make a knowing smile. Shining caught on. “Dad, I just want to sit her down and talk it out.” He stepped closer and Night Light could see the steel in his son’s eyes as he repeated, “I don’t want to put it off any longer.” Night Light stayed quiet a few moments more as he observed his son, taking in his stance, rare directness, and the strength in Shining’s eyes. His tongue rolled along the insides of his mouth, and his eyelids came halfway down. Finally, he nodded his head. “Alright, Shining. You’re a young stallion, and I’m not going to make you wait. Clearly this is something you feel you need to do, and I won’t stop you. But promise me something.” “Sure, what?” Night Light threw a forelimb over the couch as he craned his neck. Shining could see in his father’s golden irises not the commanding look a father would have, but of a pony pleading. “Be gentle with her.” Four little words was all it took for Shining to momentarily reconsider his plan. Suddenly the hallway that lead to Night Light and Twilight Velvet’s room seemed much longer and narrower, like an unachievable finish line. Shining turned his eyes away from the hallway to face his father once again, if anything, to derail his previous train of thought. Night Light held a small smile and Shining couldn’t help but smile back. He was with him. With his eyes on the hallway once again, Shining took the first steps down the, in reality, wide and short hallway. His parents’ bedroom was the room farthest down the hallway. The door was slightly ajar when Shining reached it, and he could see light pouring out of the open space. Had his resolve been a little weaker, he would be back in the living room. No. He needed to do this. He brought a hoof to the door and knocked. “Yes?” Velvet asked from behind the door. “Mom, it’s me.” “Come in, Shining.” With a light push, Shining entered his parents’ room. Twilight Velvet was sitting on the bed, surrounded by a mish mash of papers he assumed were work-related. Velvet looked up from her work to greet her son. “Hi, Shining. Is there something you need?” Brief tension gripped Shining’s body. “Mom,” he said after a moment’s pause, “could you sit down for me?” Velvet shoved some papers out of the way, keeping her eyes on Shining. “I’m already sitting.” “Yes you are,” Shining stated as he tried to fight the urge to slap his forehead. With a hoof over her mouth, Velvet tried not to laugh. “What is it, Shining?” The last few days started to come up, building and breaking and building again Shining’s strength to press on. Before coming into the house, he thought of ways to start off. Now, as he stood readying himself to possibly “Break Momma Bird’s heart”, as Stardust had put it, every idea he had abandoned ship, leaving Shining hoping he could wing it while keeping his promise to be gentle. He breathed again, feeling himself relax before he came by the bedpost. “It’s about how you reacted when I brought home that pamphlet.” Shining saw his mom instantly tense up. Her eyes shrunk, and she jolted a little in her sitting position as Shining continued on. “And how you’ve been avoiding me on that certain topic for over a week.” She didn’t utter a word. When she tried to speak, her lips quivered before she closed her mouth. Shining let out a breath and came closer to his mother’s side. “Mom, I just want to know what you’re thinking. You left me in the dark and I don’t like it.” The smallest cringe displayed itself when Twilight Velvet heard her son. It wasn’t because he was bringing up a sensitive topic, but because he was right. She had left him in the dark since the day he brought home that pamphlet, and she hated it. She hated the fact she did that. It ate away at her, shaking her confidence in herself as a good mother. She had her reasons, both knew it, and Velvet knew they were going to come out tonight. Ignoring the lump in her throat, Velvet faced her son. “You’re right, Shining.” Her voice was fighting to not break. “I did leave you in the dark. I shoved it out of the way, deflected it, and I shouldn’t have. You want to know what I think about the possibility of you going into the Royal Guard?” Shining nodded. “The night you brought home that pamphlet, and when I saw what it was for…” Velvet’s eyes glossed over as she fought the tears that were trying to escape, “... I knew it would be what took you away from me. I knew that it was going to be your calling. I knew that this is what you’d become a part of because it fit you perfectly.” Shining absorbed his mother’s words like a sponge, but couldn’t believe what he heard. Velvet saw the surprise on Shining’s face and continued on. “Shining, I’ve watched you grow from a little drooling foal to the wonderful young stallion you are. When I look at you, I see the colt who protected his little sister from monsters in the closet. I see the the colt who completely disregarded his own safety to fight off a manticore with some of the most powerful defensive magic I ever saw.” Velvet scooted closer to the edge of the bed and put a hoof on Shining’s shoulder. “I see the young stallion that stood up for his little brother. I see the young stallion that, once again, disregarded his own safety to save a little colt, then go back to save his marefriend.” The battle against her tears raged on as Velvet tried to keep a steady voice. “I couldn’t see anything more perfect for you than the Royal Guard. You’re brave, kind, and full of magical talent. You have a heart of gold that wants to fight for and protect others.” She took her hoof from Shining’s shoulder to wipe away the traces of water ready to escape her eyes. “They should be banging on our door, begging for you to join because you’re that great.” “Then why didn’t you say anything if you think I’d be great at it?” Shining asked after a moment’s silence. Twilight Velvet choked out a sob. She finally lost her battle against her tears. They streamed down her face, staining her grey coat as she clutched her chest. “Because I knew it meant you leaving me.” She sniffed and struggled to keep her watery eyes from blurring her vision. “I’ve already had to see my youngest kids leave me well before most mothers have to. Part of me just doesn’t want to see you go just yet.” Shining had to give Velvet a few seconds to compose herself. She wiped her eyes before attempting to even her voice out. “I don’t know if you know, but the night when Twilight and Spike left… I just broke down.” He did know. Last night was still fresh in his mind, but Shining didn’t say anything. “But I knew it was for the best. I mean, what kind of mother would I be if I told my daughter that loves magic so much that she couldn’t pursue what she loves with a princess of Equestria? My little filly, taken under the wing of Princess Celestia. I couldn’t say no, no matter how much I wanted to. And my little Spike?” Velvet’s gaze drifted off towards her dresser. Aligned in a neat row stood three pictures; one of Shining Armor as a foal, one of Twilight, and one of Spike the day he came home with his new family with wide, curious eyes, and grabbing claws. “I didn’t even get two whole years with him,” she said as more tears fell from her face. “But I knew he had to go with Twilight. He’ll always keep her company in that big castle. He’ll be there for her if she ever gets lonely. Plus, she did hatch him.” She gave a weak laugh. “I guess in some ways she’s more of a mother to him than me.” Her small smile faltered as she looked back at Shining, who sat still and tried to fight the stinging in his eyes. “You’re the only one left, Shining. You’re the only one that I’ve been able to see fully grow up. Now that you have… like I said… part of me doesn’t want to let you go yet.” Shining thought he had a good idea of the actual pain Velvet was going through after Night Light told him of the night after Twilight and Spike moved out. His idea was miniscule to the pain he saw his mother in. Every sob, tear, and sniff was a mother’s heart breaking at seeing all of her kids go off. Knowing nothing else to do or say, Shining wrapped his forelimbs around the crying mare. “Oh, mom.” Velvet gripped him even tighter, as if he were slipping away. “You’re all grown up, Shining,” she said with a breaking voice. “I guess I just wanted to hold onto you just a little longer.” She was holding all right. Shining felt as if his organs were scrunching up against each other from his mother’s embrace, but he didn’t dare say anything. After a few moments more, Velvet released her hold and sniffed once more before she looked directly at Shining with soaked eyes. “But I know I can’t hold onto you forever. A good mother is supposed to be able to let go of her kids when the time comes because she knows they’ll do wonderful things in the world. I’ve already had to do that twice, and I know I’ll have to do it again. It won’t be any easier, it never is, but I know I’ll have to. And whenever that time comes, I’ll be crying, but I’ll know you’ll be off doing something great. Whether that be in the Royal Guard, or whatever you feel you’ll be great at.” Shining stayed quiet, unsure of what he could possibly say. Instead, he smiled wide as Velvet wiped her eyes free of moisture. She too was smiling, genuinely and proudly, like Shining had already accomplished something spectacular. “Well, say something, Shining,” she said. He opened and closed his mouth a few times before uttering out the first thing that came to mind. “This is going better than I thought it would.” Velvet raised an eyebrow, but laughed nonetheless. “Well how did you think it would go?” “I don’t know. I thought maybe you’d be begging me to forget about the Royal Guard because you thought I’d die or something?” There was nothing like the blunt words of your child that Velvet couldn’t find entertaining. “Actually, that’s one thing I’m not so worried about.” She didn’t even give Shining a chance to react before she continued on. “You’ve faced off against a manticore Twilight made, came out of a fire, have constantly put out Spike’s fires, and that’s just the stuff I know about.” Exhausting, painful, and crazy memories flashed through Shining’s mind. He did not have a normal life now that he thought about it. “Plus, I’ve been doing some research.” Velvet’s horn glowed and pulled over the mish mash of papers closer. Upon closer inspection, Shining saw they weren’t the work-related papers he took them for, but articles, charts, stories, and statistics all pertaining to the Equestrian Royal Guard. Suddenly, Twilight’s study habits didn’t seem much of a mystery anymore. “I was looking into it. We’re in a peacetime, invaders are dealt with very swiftly, only a few ponies have had serious injury… or worse in recent months, and I’ve read stories where quite a few have said they love it.” Shining took glances at numerous papers littered over the bed. Velvet was right. The numbers did look good, and the stories of the ponies interviewed held high praise for their job, but the one thing that stuck out to Shining were the ponies he saw pictured in those stories. He looked at each one of them. Something sparked in Shining Armor that he couldn’t quite explain. Whatever it was, it made him think one thing. He could be just like them. He could really see himself in the Guard. He could see himself with just the same amount of strength, confidence, and bravery, if not more, than the ponies pictured. The glow of Velvet’s horn encompassed the various papers and stacked them in a corner of the bed. “I’ll still worry though. I’m your mother, it’s my job, but at least after seeing all this, I know I won’t need to worry as much. Plus, you’re you, Shining. I just have this feeling that everything will be okay.” Just like with Cadance earlier in the night, any possible weight or stress Shining was carrying washed away, clearing him like a flowing river and leaving him even more happy and hopeful. “You really mean that?” “I do.” Velvet brought her forelimbs around her son once more, this time not rearranging his insides with a death grip. Shining returned her hug and felt soft tears fall onto the back of his head as Velvet’s tears came anew. When he raised his head to see her, she was smiling. It was full of pride and warmth with almost no trace of the crushing sadness felt minutes before. He sighed a relieved sigh. “Thanks, mom.” “You’re my son, Shining. I’ll always be there for you, and I’ll be standing behind you with whatever it is you want to do. I just want you to be happy.” Now even Shining could feel his eyes well up. Nothing fell, but the glossiness in his eyes told Velvet just how much her words meant to him. She put a hoof on his shoulder. “You’re going to do great things, Shining. I can tell. It’ll be worth seeing you leave.” Both were smiling and it didn’t take a genius to figure out Shining was struggling to keep it together. “Now, why don’t we call it a night? It’s been a pretty revealing night hasn’t it?” Shining nodded at the escape route Velvet planted, but didn’t leave without one last thing. He quickly wrapped his forelimbs around Velvet once again. “I love you, mom.” Tears threatened Velvet’s eyes again, but she didn’t fight them. She embraced her son, holding him close like he was the little foal she brought home for the first time years ago. “I love you too, Shining.” Neither cared that Velvet was staining his coat. After they released one another, Shining stepped out of the room, making sure to wipe his eyes once he was in the hallway. Night Light was standing at one end, tapping one hoof on the floor as quietly as he could manage. “How is she?” he asked. “She’s good. We’re good.” A breath escaped Night Light. “That’s good.” His eyes traveled towards the door Shining had come out of. “I’m going to go check up on her. You calling it a night?” “Yes.” “Okay.” Night Light started his careful trot to his and his wife’s room. “Goodnight, Shining.” “Night, dad,” Shining returned before making his way to his own room. He fell right onto his covers with a small bounce. Two birds, one stone., one night. A lot had come out, and he was grateful. Not only did Cadance fight his fears of not being good enough, now he had his mother on his side. Not that she never was, he knew, but he finally got her talking. Velvet’s research came back to Shining, and he remembered the ponies. He had believed he could be one of them. The more he thought about it, the less weird it sounded. If he had proven anything in the last few years and months, it was that he had gone up against quite a bit, and came out stronger than ever. He turned his head to see his dresser mirror. He sat up on his bed when his image began to change. There he was again, that stallion so similar to Shining’s appearance; armor, piercing eyes, so strong in his stance, and looking right back at Shining Armor. This time, he saluted the pony that envisioned him. Shining’s eyes locked on the mirror as he stood up. He took a stance on the floor, his lips curled into a victorious smile, and he brought a hoof to his forehead. The stallion in the mirror smiled when Shining saluted, and with that, he disappeared, leaving Shining looking at his saluting form. There really was no difference, save for the armor, between the stallion that just left, and the pony standing in front of his mirror. *************** The sun seemed to shine brighter as Shining stood outside the gates of the castle. One building was his main focus. It was the day. Two weeks had passed. He collected his last paycheck and only looked back to thank his now ex-boss. Nothing else seemed to exist as Shining started his trot to that one building. He reached the front door and saw the flier posted on the window. “Equestrian Royal Guard: Recruitment Building.” He gave it a look, then focused on the door in front of him. Earning his cutie mark, protecting Twilight, standing up for Spike, charging into a fire, rescuing a colt, a desire to protect those he loves, his parents’ support, his best friend rooting for him, and his marefriend backing him up; all these things brought him to where he stood, and gave him the confidence to want to step through. He knocked on the door. “Come in.” He took a breath and exhaled deeply. He opened the door, and stepped inside.