//------------------------------// // Preparation II // Story: Shining Dash // by Ianpiersonjdavis //------------------------------// Shining Armor exited the throne room to see Rainbow Dash waiting for him in the hall. “Dash! What are you doing here?” he asked. “Well, Twilight and I think it would be a good idea to keep an eye on this Sunset Shimmer…” “I’ll reserve judgment until we actually meet her-we can’t risk alienating a potential ally, but at the same time we can’t take too many chances with these Changelings.” Shining replied. “Yeah, that’s pretty much what Twilight said.” “Dash,” Shining Armor leaned in close as his voice took a deathly serious tone. “I’m going to tell you something, but I need you to swear to me that you won’t tell anyone.” “Okay, what is it?” “No, I’m serious-you can’t talk about this to anyone-not even Twilight.” “And I said okay-you can trust me!” Dash insisted. “What part of me being the Element of Loyalty makes you think I can’t be trusted?” “Alright,” Shining sighed. “Sorry, it’s just that I found something out that’s pretty troubling about someone else and I just want to make sure it doesn’t get spread around.” Rainbow Dash’s ears perked up as she leaned towards him, eagerly awaiting the important news, fully aware of the fact that she was the one he was confiding in. “I just found out why the Princesses have been working Twilight so hard over the past week with all of this training and studying.” “And?” “It turns out Princess Celestia is grooming Twiley to become a princess herself…” Shining sighed. “REALLY!?” Dash shrieked in a mixture of shock and joy. “THAT’S AWESOME!” “Shhh!” Shining harshly shushed her with a hoof to his lips. “Keep it down! This is supposed to be top secret, remember?” Dash’s ears flattened like a puppy being scolded as she rubbed her foreleg nervously. “Heh, sorry…but, why do seem so bummed out about it-aren’t you happy for her?” “Well…” Shining frowned. “I’m happy that Celestia thinks that she’s qualified, but you know how neurotic Twiley can get over even the smallest things…can you imagine the pressure of her having to rule over all of Equestria?” “Oh, yeah…I didn’t think of that.” Dash replied, losing a significant portion of her enthusiasm. “And she kind of freaked out a few months back over just ONE tardy friendship report…” “Exactly, and while I know Celestia has good intentions, I think keeping all of this a secret from Twilight will only make things worse…” he then paused. “Wait, what do you mean by ‘freaked out’?” “Well, she had some doll; Teacher’s Pet-” “Smarty Pants” Shining corrected. “She’s had her since she was a filly-it was a gift from Cadance.” “Right, well she decided that if she could find a friendship problem between me or any of the other girls, then she would just make one to write to the Princess about,” Dash continued. “And she kind of….used a love spell on it to make everyone in town fight over it.” “The ‘Want It, Need It’ spell,” Shining groaned. “She must have picked it up from Cadence from watching her use it.” “Why would Cadance even use a spell like that?” Dash pressed. “I mean isn’t that type of magic kind of, I dunno…evil?” “What do you mean?” “Well, it sort of messes with other’s minds to make them love someone else-couldn’t they use it to make that person love them?” Dash asked. “In theory, I guess…” Shining admitted. “But, Cadance always used it to stop arguments between friends, family members, and couples…” Shining Armor shook his head. “Look, we’re getting off topic here-the point is Celestia asked me to keep this a secret from Twilight, but I think that’s a bad idea…what do you think I should do?” “I don’t know.” Dash replied calmly. “Oh, thanks for being such a great help.” Shining muttered, dryly. “Well, you’re her big brother.” Dash pointed out. “You grew up with her, so you should know her better than any of us-even me and Celestia-maybe you should just do whatever you think is best for her…I mean isn’t that what older brothers and sisters are supposed to do?” Despite wanting to hear her thoughts on the subject, Shining was surprised at Dash’s observation and how oblivious he had been to such a simple solution, the guilt he’d have to deal with for betraying Celestia’s trust however, was another matter. “Hey, you know what? You’re right…I’m impressed, Rainbow Dash.” She shrugged. “Yeah, I don’t have any brothers or sisters, but I’ve learned a lot from Thunderlane and Rumble and Cloudchaser and Flitter.” “So…did Celestia tell you why she’s just making Twilight a princess-and not any of us?” Dash pressed with a hint of envy. “Well, first of all it’s not set in stone.” Shining elaborated. “Second, it’s probably because she’s been the Princess’ personal student since she was a filly years old, not to mention her gifted magical abilities-but…” His voice grew deathly silent. “She told me that this was sort of a contingency plan for a ‘worst case scenario’ during the next Changeling attack.” “What do you mean?” Dash asked, suspiciously. “It means she’s afraid that when the Changeling-all of them, including their Queen-show up in three days, Celestia is worried that they will have consumed enough love from Equestria’s citizens to overpower her, Luna, and Cadance, if not through their numbers alone.” Rainbow Dash stood there in frozen silence as her mind tried to process what she had just heard. Princess Celestia had been around for at least a thousand years, sealing away Nightmare Moon and turning Discord to stone-she might have been imprisoned in the sun during Nightmare’s return-but, the concept of mortality seemed to be completely impossible when applied to the ancient sun goddess. If that wasn’t bad enough, she was expecting Luna and Cadance to fall in the coming battle as well. “H-how does she expect Twilight to survive and beat these freaks if the most powerful princesses in Equestria can’t?” She stammered. “I don’t know,” Shining sighed. “Maybe she senses more far more magical potential than we’ve already seen…or maybe she’s just desperate for any kind of hope that Equestria will survive from these things if her fears come true…” “Yeah, but just because she’s worried that it’ll happen doesn’t mean that it actually will-right?” Dash asked optimistically. “That’s right.” Shining agreed. “Still, it never hurts to be prepared.” “So are you going to tell Twilight?” “I think I should, but first I need to speak with Cadance.” “Ooh, trying to rekindle the old flame?” Dash asked, nudging him playfully. “No, Celestia just told me that’s she’s been pretty depressed lately-so I want to talk to her again before speaking with Twiley.” “Alright, well…good luck.” Dash replied. “I’m sooo bored, I wish I could do something useful…” That’s when she got an idea. “I know!” she exclaimed. “I’ll write a letter to Spike and the other girls, letting them know what’s going on and tell them to come to Canterlot ASAP!” Shining gave her a concerned look. “Don’t worry, I won’t mention anything about the ‘you-know-what’!” Dash assured him. “With everything else that’s going on we don’t need anyone freaking out, right?” “Right.” --- Outdoors, Cadance and Twilight were speaking before the entrance of the castle’s hedge maze as Shining Armor approached them. Cadance noticed him before whispering to Twilight; “Well finish catching up later,” she then leaned forward and draped a wing around her as Twilight returned the embrace. “Its good see you again, Cadance.” She replied. “Its good to see you too, Twilight.” Twilight then turned once they released each other from the embrace to see Shining Armor. “I’ll just leave you two alone,” she commented slyly before trotting off back towards the castle. Shining made sure she was inside before turning back to Cadance. “What was that about-does she know about us?” “She knows about our relationship, but nothing about the break up.” She replied. “So you didn’t tell her anything?” Cadance giggled at this, “Of course I told her things-after all we haven’t seen each other since she was a filly.” “You know what I mean.” Shining sighed. “Well, I shouldn’t have to tell you that she’s extremely intelligent, Shining Armor. Besides, around the castle our relationship was practically public knowledge so when she asked me if we had been seeing each other I told her the truth-honesty is the best policy, after all.” She replied. “So…she knows about the break up…and she’s not upset?” “No,” Cadance replied calmly. “No? But, you just said…” “Her exact question was ‘I’ve heard that you and my brother were in a romantic relationship-is that true?’ and I replied in yes, as in yes we WERE-past tense.” Cadance elaborated. “So you lied to her.” “Actually, I answered the question based upon the way the question was phrased.” She clarified. “Oh, well…thanks.” Cadance cocked her head in confusion. “For what?” “As a brother, Twilight loves me, but she completely adores you-so, if she ever found out things turned out this way between us-I’m pretty sure she’d hate me.” Shining replied. “How can you say that? Yes, Twilight loves you-so how can you think that she would turn against you so easily?” Cadance asked, gently lifting his chin so they were looking directly into each others eyes. “I want you to look at me and tell me if you honestly believe Twilight could have such resentment for you.” “I-I don’t know,” he admitted. “I mean I’ve always thought we got along great, I mean we’d fight sometimes like any other siblings, I guess that ever since she met you, part of me has been a little jealous.” “Jealous?” “Yeah…I mean, I’ve always cared about you-but, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you two fight with each other and part of me wonders if she secretly wants a big sister like you instead or would even be better off without me…” “I don’t think that’s true.” “I just told you-” “Yes, I know that’s what you believe.” Cadance interjected. “But, I know that even couples, siblings, parents and their children will get into heated disagreements no matter how much they love each other and while their words may hurt, they almost never mean them and the longer those people are together, the higher the possibility becomes that it will happen.” “So you don’t think I’m a terrible brother?” he asked. “On the contrary, if I did-do you really think I’d be interested in you?” Cadance replied. “But, if you’re still feeling guilty, then perhaps you should tell the truth-about everything.” “Wait, so you know about Celestia’s plan?” “Not at first,” she admitted. “But, I suspected as much-especially with the impending threat of another Changeling incursion, I think it’s wise to keep Twilight in the loop. Besides, you know how she can get when she’s stressed.” “Yeah, that makes sense, but what I don’t get is-why wouldn’t Celestia want Twilight to know about this?” “Just like us, Twilight is precious to her, but sometimes I afraid that impairs her judgment-especially when it comes to delicate matters like this, but I don’t think it’s going to end up happening.” Cadance explained. “That’s only if all THREE of us fall in battle.” “Wait, you’re going to fight!?” Shining exclaimed. “Yes, and I appreciate your concern, but my injuries have healed and I am both willing and able to help Canterlot.” “But, they feed on love! You’ll be their prime target!” Shining protested. “Even so, I would rather die protecting those I love than sit around, listening to them die and knowing that there was something, anything I could do to prevent those deaths-wouldn’t you feel the same?” “Yeah, you’ve got a point-which reminds me; Celestia noticed you were a little down and asked me to come and talk to you, but you don’t seem like you were when we spoke last night…” “Yes, even after what you’ve said…I still couldn’t help feeling terrible, but seeing Twilight again and talking to her…somehow it reminded of what the three of us used to be like a made me think that this may not necessarily be a bad thing.” Cadance explained. “You know what; I think you might be right, so if you were just talking to Twilight, how did she know that we were going out when I spoke to her earlier?” Shining pressed. “Remember, just because I was bedridden didn’t mean I was unable to write letters of correspondence and her training prevented me from speaking with her face to face.” “Come on, we’ve been dating long enough for me to know something’s still bothering you too.” Shining pointed out. “Sunset Shimmer…” Cadance replied hesitantly. “What about her?” “I remember her; she was Celestia’s student before Twilight with just as much intelligence and magical knowledge.” “But?” “As a student she was…difficult, ambitious and impatient-and just like Twilight she would always put her studies before socialization, but her desire for power made her grow distrustful of Celestia, believing that she was leading her on for her own amusement.” “But, anyone who knows Celestia knows that’s insane!” Shining exclaimed. “I know,” Cadance agreed. “But that is what she thought, one night she snuck into the forbidden Starswirl the Bearded section of the library and began looking through ancient tomes of forbidden dark magic before Celestia realized what was going on and confronted her.” “So what happened?” “Sunset was enraged that her teacher would keep such a large quantity of knowledge from her and demanded that she be made into an Alicorn-a princess. Celestia refused believing her sense of entitlement showed that she lacked the maturity required to wield such power wisely and benevolently. Sunset disappeared after that night leaving a mysterious mirror destroyed.” Cadance continued. “Why isn’t there any mention of her existence in the archives and why doesn’t anyone in the guard know about her?” “It’s very likely that despite her actions, Celestia still cares very deeply for Sunset Shimmer and wouldn’t want her former student to become disgraced if she ever chose to return and the guards that we around at the time don’t speak of it out of respect.” “What about her parents?” “They disowned her quickly afterward.” Shining Armor let out an exasperated sigh. “You don’t feel like we can trust her?” Cadance asked. “I honestly don’t know.” Shining replied. “What makes this even more complicated is I think Flash is falling for her-what do you think we should do?” “I firmly believe that everyone deserves a second chance, but I also think that we should be careful just in case she’s using these Changelings as a way to complete her own agenda if she hasn’t changed.” The sun was setting; making way for Luna to raise the moon as Shining looked back towards the castle. “I’m going to head back inside and see if I can’t catch Twilight before she heads off to bed and have that talk with her.” “Good luck…” “Thanks.” --- Shining Armor gently knocked at the door of Twilight’s old room before she opened it. “Did you have a nice talk with Cadance?” she asked. “Yeah…” he replied, stepping inside. It hadn’t appeared to have changed at all since Twilight had been sent to Ponyville; on the far wall was a poster of Starswirl the Bearded, outside of double door window was a balcony with a telescope, the shelves were all filled with books ranging on subjects from history, philosophy, astronomy, and advanced magical theory. Twilight sat on her bed, which was covered in prints of various constellations. “Actually, about that…” he awkwardly looked away at the vanity across from her bed. “Cadance and I broke up.” “WHAT!?” Twilight jumped up from the bed, alarmed. “How could this happen? What did you do!?” “Calm down,” Shining replied calmly, but firmly. “I didn’t do anything, it just sort of happened after the Changeling attack last week she sent me a letter telling me she thought it would be best if we didn’t see each other anymore.” “She sent you a Dear John letter!?” Twilight fumed, “How DARE she!?” She flung the door open with her magic and began marching out before Shining shut it again with his. “Listen, she wasn’t doing to hurt me-she was trying to protect me after she found out I got hurt protecting her.” “And on top of that she breaks up with you?” Twilight countered. “I’m not going to let away with her treating you like that!” “Twiley, relax-we’ve already had a few long talks about this and she’s been feeling guilty enough as it is.” He replied, exasperated. “Well she should!” “Think about this logically, would someone as loving and caring as Cadance ever do something to hurt ANYONE for selfish motives?” Shining reasoned. “No…” “Yes, she has admitted that her reasoning was selfish, but she had good intentions for what she did and I don’t want anyone to hate her for it-especially not you, because you’re important to me.” Twilight stared at him before she replied. “If I’m so important to you, then why didn’t you tell me about any of this?” “Well, I was injured and Princess Celestia said that she had to train you for something-” “No, you know what I’m talking about-you and Cadance were seeing each other long before the Changelings attacked the castle, couldn’t you at least have written me ONE letter mentioning it for Celestia’s sake?” “Well, I’m sorry but, how many letters have you written to ME lately? Besides, it’s not like we were getting married!” Shining retorted. “You probably wouldn’t tell me even if you were!” “Yes, I would!” he insisted. “That’s why I came to talk to you-there’s something you really need to know about.” “Like what?” she asked, skeptically. Shining Armor took a deep breath. “The real reason Princess Celestia and Princess Luna have been training you so aggressively over the past week is so you can take over Canterlot if they fall against the Changelings.” The room fell into a deafening silence soon after the words left Shining’s lips. Twilight slowly sat back down onto her bed. “How long have you known?” she asked, shakily. “Just since earlier today when I was informing them of the growing Changeling threat throughout Equestria-Princess Celestia asked me not to tell you about this, but Rainbow Dash and Cadance all agree with me that you deserve to know.” He explained. “Why wouldn’t Celestia tell me about this?” “Maybe it’s because you have a tendency to overreact when you’re under a lot of pressure, like wreaking havoc throughout Ponyville over a tardy friendship report?” “So you hear about that?” “Twilight,” he sighed, sitting down next to her. “Everyone heard about it and I’m not going to lie to you by trying to convince you that this isn’t a big deal-because it is. But, just because it could happen doesn’t necessarily mean that it will. The princesses are just trying to be cautious.” “By not telling me?” Twilight pressed. “I think,” Shining replied slowly. “That Celestia’s feelings for you sometimes get in the way of her better judgment.” “Well, thanks for telling me…” she sighed. “I know you have a lot to deal with and I guess having to tell me all this hasn’t made things any easier on you.” “Don’t worry about it.” Shining replied, with a wave of his hoof before getting up to leave. “Rainbow Dash sent a letter to Spike for all of your friends back in Ponyville so they know what’s going on-hopefully they’ll be here sometime tomorrow.”