“Captain Armor?”
The voice was heard from the other side of the door, reaching the white unicorn with blue mane who was seated behind his desk, filling out some standard paperwork. Shining Armor, Captain of the Crystal Guard, put down his quill and stopped writing on the paper in front of him, then looked up at the door.
“Come in!” he replied, putting his hooves together calmly as the door opened.
An orange pegasus wearing gold-colored armor with a blue crest and tail walked in. He quickly stood in front of the Captain’s desk before respectfully taking off his helmet and saluting. “Sorry to interrupt, sir.”
“Oh, it’s quite alright.” Shining Armor said as he nodded to the pegasus, signalling him to stand at ease. “Did you come by yourself?” he asked.
“Yes, sir.” the pegasus replied at once.
“Then close the door and have a seat.” the Captain indicated one of the chairs positioned behind the orange pony. “What do you need, Corporal Sentry?” he asked in a friendly manner as he slid the paperwork back into the ‘to-do’ pile and gave the Guardspony his full attention.
“I…” Flash Sentry hesitated, taking a while to complete the sentence; this wasn’t something as simple as a request for R&R, it needed to be approached delicately. “I need advice, sir.” he finally said.
To say that Shining Armor wasn’t expecting that was an understatement, but the captain still kept a reasonably calm expression, though one of his eyebrows did rise a fraction of an inch. “Explain yourself, Corporal.”
Flash Sentry decided to get it over with and cut directly to the chase, “I think I may have fallen in love, sir.”
Shining Armor’s brow raised several more noticeable fractions of an inch at this. “...Flash, I know you and I have been friends for a couple months now, but I don’t believe I need to remind you that I am happily married. And no offense, but as a stallion you’re not exactly my type.”
“What?!” Flash was flabbergasted for a few seconds. His eyes then widened as realization dawned and he shook his head rapidly, color rising to his cheeks. “No sir,” he clarified quickly, “I didn’t mean I was in love with you!”
“Oh, good, for a second I got worried.” Shining Armor paused, then narrowed his eyes. “Wait, why did you come to me for that kind of advice?”
“Well, obviously as a Royal Guard I have responsibilities, and such responsibilities don’t allow for me to pursue a relationship.” Flash explained as he fought back the hot blush on his face. “But I cannot stop thinking about her, no matter how hard I try. I could handle it until recently, and I don’t know what to do, sir.” There was now a heavy emotion in Flash’s words and his tone, like a mix of guilt and passion.
Shining Armor thought for a moment, then stood up. “Flash Sentry, look at me. Long ago, I wasn’t just a Royal Guard, I was a pony in a relationship—with a Princess no less! My duty and responsibility didn’t become a reason to stop seeing her. It never found a reason to intrude in my love life, it just made the moments I was with her more precious than they were before.” He walked over to the young guard, a look of confidence in his eyes. “I see no reason your duty should interfere with your life. This Empire’s all about love after all!”
Listening to those words made Flash Sentry far more confident than when he walked in, and it showed in his now lit up expression. However, remembering one detail made his face fall slowly. It was a rather specific detail, and one which needed to be talked about with this particular stallion in front of him. “But Captain Armor...the mare I am in love with is-”
He had no time to continue before Shining cut him off with a simple wave of his hoof. “I don’t care who it is. You want my permission to date her? You got it.” He held a fake evil smile. “In fact…” His face suddenly went straight and he spoke with a louder, more authoritative tone. “You will ask her out, that is an order! And if I don’t hear a report from you regarding this situation, you’ll be put on KP! Do I make myself clear?!”
Flash Sentry immediately stood upright and saluted. “Sir, yes sir!”
“Good! Dismissed!” Shining Armor barked in a way which would not have gone out of place on a parade ground.
Flash Sentry nodded and put on his helmet again before leaving the office, his face beaming with relief and confidence. Shining Armor smiled and shook his head and sat back down behind his desk.
“Ah, young love.” he mused briefly before sliding the papers back out of his ‘to-do’ pile and getting back to work.
**********************************
Hours had passed since the talk with Flash Sentry, and Shining Armor had chosen to spend some time walking through the Crystal Palace. He had been living there for a long time, but walking through familiar halls was always a good way to clear his mind. It was in the middle of that walk that he encountered a young mare, a mare he cared about deeply.
“Shining Armor!” Twilight called, glad to have finally found her older brother. “I was just looking for you!”
“Oh, hey Twily!” Shining Armor said happily as he walked over to his one and only sister. “I thought you were with Cadence.”
“I was, but something came up and I need to talk to you.” Twilight replied, her tone suggesting a matter of some urgency was ahoof.
What’s with ponies wanting to talk to me today? “Well sure! What is it, little sis?” He asked, expecting something interesting from her.
“After hours of research on the subject and some… field testing, I think it’s safe to say that I, Twilight Sparkle, am in love with a stallion.” Twilight said sheepishly and with a tiny blush. “I mean at first I believed it was simply a crush, but I think it’s real now, all evidence points to it.” she said a bit more confidently, using the same tone one would use to state the results of an important scientific experiment.
Shining Armor couldn’t help but grin. “Really? You—the pony who preferred reading books to hanging out with others—are IN LOVE?” he asked incredulously. “Oh Twily, you have grown so much!” He gave her a nearly crushing hug. In fact he might have crushed her if it hadn’t been for her wings instinctively flaring out against his forelegs and protecting her ribs. “You dream of this moment for so long, but when it finally comes you can’t help but feel it came too soon!”
Twilight definitely wasn’t expecting the hug, and she looked around the empty hallway with an awkward smile. “Uh...BBBFF? Could you please let go?”
“Why? You don’t want your only brother touching you now, Princess?” He asked mockingly.
“Uh, no, that’s not it.” the young alicorn said as she slowly pulled away from him. “Your ‘Liquid Pride’ is getting my mane all wet.”
“Oh!” Shining Armor quickly let her go and backed away. “Sorry!” he sniffed and wiped the ‘Liquid Pride’ out of his eyes. “So, you were saying?”
“Right. So, I believe I am in love, but I am at a loss as to what to do!” She put a hoof to her mouth, realizing just how rarely she was in a situation like this: knowing all the facts but not having a clue how to use them. She then began talking very quickly, breathing almost to the point of hyperventilating, “No book tells me what to do now! Is there a book about how to ask somepony out? Maybe one about how to confess your feelings?! Is there any kind of research paper about Princesses and relationships with non-royalty?!” Her wings puffed out and her eyes went wide as she put both forehooves on her brother’s chestplate. “HELP ME!” she shouted, victim to her sudden anxiety, “I’m having a panic attack!”
Shining Armor wasn’t expecting that outburst. It had been years since he had helped his often high-strung sister through one of her attacks and he tried to come up with something quickly. “Um—uh, well—Calm down!”
He would have been more effective had he told the Sun to stop moving for a minute.
“I can’t!” Twilight half yelled, half panted, “That’s why it’s called a Panic ATTACK!” she frowned at her BBBFF before continuing. “Would I be wrong to want to date a pony that is not royalty? Celestia never told me this could happen! What do you think I should do?!”
Shining Armor sighed, then spoke slowly and reassuringly, “Twily, Cadence married me, and I wasn’t royalty.”
“Oh...right.” Twilight began to calm down slowly, breathing at a more normal rate as she let go of her brother and set her forelegs back down on the crystalline floor. “...Then what should I do?”
“Look, if Love were a crime, then Cadence would likely not be a Princess. Everypony is free to love whomever they want, Twily, no matter their status.” He put on a comforting smile. “And if Love were something that could be researched, then weddings would be run by scientists.” he frowned momentarily, “—On second thought, you’d probably like that—The point is, you just have to do what your heart tells you to do.” he held his hoof to his chest and smiled softly.
Twilight looked down at her own chest. “...Then I should pound him a hundred times per minute?” she asked, confused.
“...Not that literally, sis.” Shining Armor said, unamused. “If you want to go out with that pony, then go and do it! I believe I speak for everypony, even the Princesses, when I say that you have my blessing and support.”
Twilight smiled at that, and gave him her own crushing hug, which didn’t manage to do much through his armor. “Thank you, BBBFF! You’re the best brother I could ever hope for!”
Shining Armor returned the hug, then broke it himself. “Alright, Twily, go and ask that stallion out! And if he rejects you, well, I do have a strong set of hooves that could meet his face.” he flexed a foreleg, made thick with muscle by years of training.
“Oh I don’t think it’ll come to that.” She replied, rolling her eyes.
**********************************
It was just minutes past sunset when Shining Armor walked by one of the Crystal Palace’s balconies, one with a view of the courtyard containing the Crystal Heart. It was at that moment when he saw something strange: a group of guards gathered at the balcony, looking down. Intrigued, Shining Armor walked over to them, brow furrowed. “Guards.”
“Ah!” One of the guards moved away. “Captain!”
“What’s going on here?” the white unicorn asked.
“Well sir,” one of the guards said, “it looks like the Corporal will be the new you!”
“Excuse me, what?” Shining Armor approached the balcony to see just what in Tartarus was going on.
Below them, right in front of the Crystal Heart, was a shocking sight. Princess Twilight Sparkle was embracing a Royal Guard, Flash Sentry to be specific. Just the sight made Shining Armor’s eye twitch, but when he saw them kissing his jaw dropped until it touched the floor of the balcony, or at least it would have if his hoof hadn’t gotten in the way.
“WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH MY SISTER!?” He screamed, surprising both the guards and the happy couple. Without delay, he ran out of the balcony and down the stairs.
“What’s going on?” Twilight asked, nervously. “Why did Shining freak out like that?”
Flash was almost too scared to answer, but he still made the effort. “You said you asked him for advice...Did you tell him it was about me?”
Twilight laughed awkwardly. “...No...Wait—didn’t you do the same thing?”
Flash was the one laughing awkwardly this time. “Hehe...Oops?”
Twilight didn’t have time to scold him before Shining burst out of a nearby doorway and began charging towards them, “FLASH SENTRY!!”
The pegasus guard jumped into the air and looked down at Twilight. “Alright, we had a good run! What was it? Ten, fifteen minutes? That’s more than most ponies get in a lifetime, so, bye bye! I’ll write as soon as I get a new identity! Take care!” He started to fly away, but the lavender aura of Twilight’s magic held his tail tightly.
“And just where do you think you’re going?” Twilight asked somewhat pointedly.
“Oh, I’m just going to another nation, maybe Griffonia?”
“Back to the ground, Flash, I can handle my brother.” Twilight turned to face her now menacingly close brother as Flash hung his head and settled back down to the ground next to her. She smiled and acted as if absolutely nothing were wrong, “Hey, Shining! What’s up, BBBFF?”
Shining only shot a glare at her before focusing on Flash. “YOU!” He pointed his hoof at him. “What the hay are you doing?! This is my sister and a Princess of Equestria!”
“Well...”
“I told you to go ask that mare out!”
“And I did!”
“SHH!” Shining Armor looked back at Twilight, “And you! I can’t believe this! I thought I told you to go after the stallion you fell in love with!”
“And I did!”
“Then what is this?!” Shining beckoned at Flash with a hoof, “And in front of the Crystal Heart!”
Twilight rolled her eyes. “If you just let me explain…”
“Then explain, because I demand an explanation!”
“I don’t see why you’re so upset!” Twilight began. “I asked you earlier if I could date him!”
“Yes, and I gave you my blessing. So why are you doing this? Don’t you know he wanted to ask a mare out?”
“That mare was me!” Twilight said, pointing to herself and glaring at her elder sibling.
“Oh come on, Twily! I’m not in the mood for jokes! Tell her, Corporal!”
“...Actually sir, when I came to you for advice, I was talking about her.” Flash Sentry said.
“You—Wait, what?”
There was a long silence as realization slowly came to Shining Armor’s face. “You two were talking...about each other?!” he gestured between the two ponies in front of him, still not wanting to believe what his brain was telling him.
“Yes, sir. I was going to say who it was but you interrupted me.” Flash said apologetically.
“I didn’t think I needed to say it…” Twilight added softly, sounding almost a little hurt.
“...So you two...But...I…” Shining Armor shook his head. “I caused this?!”
“Yes!” Both younger ponies said in unison.
“...Oh by Celestia, what a mix up!” Shining Armor shouted, dramatically embarrassed. He took a moment to recover before looking back up at them. “So you two are in love with each other?”
Twilight held Flash’s foreleg with her own, nodding enthusiastically while Flash nodded once.
Some librarians would have been uncomfortable with the silence that followed.
“Shining, I’m sorry you had to find out this way, but I love him!” Twilight brushed up against Flash, nuzzling him. “We love each other.”
Shining Armor stood there, silent, for a moment. Then without warning, he gave them both a big, if somewhat awkward hug. “Oh I’m so happy for you guys!” He said. “I can’t believe this!”
Both younger ponies didn’t know how to react but had no time to return the gesture before Shining Armor let them go. “Well...thank you.”
“We should all go inside and celebrate! Oh this is tremendous news! Twily, go get Cadence! She has to know about this!” Shining Armor said excitedly.
Twilight was somewhat confused at her brother’s neck-breaking change in tone, but she still managed to smile and nod to him. “Of course!” She gave Flash Sentry a peck on the lips before flying on ahead into the Palace.
Flash Sentry smiled and sighed in relief, then began to walk after his new special somepony. Right in the middle of the walk he felt his captain’s foreleg wrap around him as he was pulled against his superior officer’s side. “Uh…sir? I thought you said you weren’t into-”
“Listen Corporal,” Shining whispered into Flash’s ear, his passive-aggressive tone enough to send a shiver down the the pegasus’ spine, “you’re off the hook for now, but do something that even remotely upsets my little sister and I will make my hooves meet your face, and then you’ll be put on KP. Do I make myself clear?”
“Y-yessir!”