Chapter 5
State Secrets
Shining Armor stood in the midst of Canterlot, his eyes closed in concentration as he visualised his shield. He could feel them: murky, indistinct shadows, pushing against it, poking and prying and trying to find a way in. Repelling them was tough work: each time one created any kind of disruption in the magic, Shining had to repair it within moments or the entire shield would collapse. It was a difficult job, and not one he had anticipated actually having to do during this threat. Celestia had been sure that they would find the identity of their enemy before they attacked; the shield was merely a preventative measure until an alternative course of action could be found.
But this attack had come without warning, and Shining found himself the sole pony capable of defending Canterlot from the unknown threat. He could feel cracks forming all around him as he struggled to keep his focus, sealing out the darkness before it could enter. Months of maintaining the shield had taken their toll on his magical stamina and he knew that the complete attention needed to succeed was beyond him. He had to maintain the shield as long as he could; the citizens of Canterlot, the Princesses, Cadance - they were all depending on him.
Attack after attack hit his shield, each draining him of more than just magical energy. He could feel his concentration slipping, more than once catching himself getting distracted by wondering about the nature of their enemies, images of beasts and monsters popping into his head before he remembered the shield and rapidly fixed the cracks. If that were his only problem, he felt he could hold on for a few hours at most, more than long enough to evacuate the city, but each crack repaired was a drain on magical reserves he simply didn’t have anymore.
He knew he was going to fail just moments before he did. He fought it, clenching his teeth and scrunching up his eyes to fight back the tears of exhaustion and failure, but it was no use: his magic almost entirely drained, he could conjure up barely more than a light that just illuminated the cobbled street below him. As the cracks began to widen, Shining opened his eyes.
It was his worst nightmare: the shield he’d conjured shattering into a thousand pink shards, each falling some way before fading to nothing as the magic that held them together dissipated into the night, a blast of heat worked into the spell as a final measure against attackers. The shadows seemed to pause for a moment as it hit them, fading a little and recoiling, but after a moment they surged forward, victorious. Behind them, the bright moon glowed, its light illuminating them just enough for Shining to see their position.
Still unable to make out their shapes, or where one met another, Shining felt the shadows surround him as he fell to his knees in surrender. Magically exhausted, he lay shaking in the middle of their assault, defenceless, failed.
But before their attack hit, a wave of magic washed over him. Too tired to argue, he looked up and saw the shadows thrown violently from him, carried away on a surge of midnight-blue magic. He blinked, shocked, as he turned to face the direction the pulse had come from.
“Captain,” Princess Luna said, nodding briskly. Shining rose and began to bow. “No need, Captain—thou art dreaming, and needst to wake. An emergency meeting of the guard has been called and thy presence is required.”
As Luna began to fade, and the world around him began to slip out of focus, Shining took a moment to realise what he had just heard. He was relieved, of course, that he was only asleep, but he also had the familiar feeling in the back of his head that he was shortly going to be awake. Trying to force that feeling away, desperate to call Luna back to clarify the details of the meeting, he found that trying to stay asleep merely made the world around him disappear all the faster, and the Princess of the Night along with it.
Yawning, Shining Armor rubbed his eyes and glanced at his clock. He had half an hour until the meeting, which was more than enough time to walk to the palace—a glass of water and a small sandwich before he left wouldn’t be too far out of place. He rolled onto his side, smiling as he saw that Cadence had joined him at last, chuckling at the frown on her face as she gently bit her lip in her sleep. He kissed her lightly on her forehead before sliding softly out of the covers so as not to wake her.
With one last glance towards his sleeping fiancee, Shining Armor smiled and left the room, picking up the ceremonial uniform he had to wear to such meetings on his way out in his magic. Wincing, he made his way into the kitchen and set the armour down, eyeing the bread bin for a moment before deciding to open it by hoof.
With the mangled sandwich held in his mouth, Shining pulled on his uniform, hopping on three legs so that he could get to the door faster. He yawned again, clenching his eyes shut in an exaggerated blink, before stopping in front of the door. Lifting up a forehoof, he twisted the doorknob, finding it resisted his turning; he frowned and twisted harder, before realising that he was simply turning the wrong way. His head light with a vague, tired sense of embarrassment, he pulled the door open and winced at the sudden influx of cold air. Yawning once more, he stepped out onto the darkened streets of Canterlot and began to chew.
It was not unusual for emergency meetings of the guard to be called in times of trouble. Shining himself had been called to two such meetings, though both times had been before his promotion. At the first, Princess Celestia had called in the whole guard to inform them that there had been a change in plans for the security at the Summer Sun celebration that day; Shining was not privy to the details, but he had been told that he was no longer required in Ponyville. The second took place a week before Shining was promoted to captain: Princess Luna had ordered the senior members of the guard to run her through the latest changes to the palace security, as she was tired of running into guards and not being sure if they were doing the right job anymore.
Tonight, Shining imagined, would be quite different to both those meetings, and not simply because he was now more important. The first meeting was more an announcement and an emergency reposting of the guard’s schedules than a meeting, whilst the second was catering to royal frustration. Given the current situation, Shining could not imagine that Luna had summoned an emergency meeting simply to explain some new system that had changed in the last millennia at a time like this- he was convinced this was going to involve some sort of progress report on the investigation, and certainly some discussion of the current security.
Wincing, Shining braced himself against a sudden wind, blowing into his face and chilling his head. The dull throb of a headache, caused by weeks of magical exhaustion, crescendoed and forced him to stop for a moment, leaning against a nearby wall to steady himself. He clenched his teeth and focused on his breathing exercises, trying to wait out the wind. He knew that if Luna were to bring up the current security arrangements he would be putting his full support behind the search for an alternative - this spell was killing him.
Once the wind died down, Shining made his way up towards the palace, staggering forward slowly until the bells began to chime out for midnight. Suddenly alert, he began to gallop as the palace came into sight, desperately trying not to be late. As the last chime rang out through the streets, Shining skidded into the entrance hall, panting and out of breath but thoroughly awake.
“Captain?” One of the night guards stationed by the door called to him. He glanced over and caught the stallion’s attention. “Permission to remove my armour, sir?”
“Permission granted,” Shining replied with a nod. The stallion pulled his helmet from his head, the enchantment on the uniform melting away and revealing his true colours, ash grey coat fading into a pastel orange, bat-like wings making way for feathered ones. It was an odd relic of the guard - back in the days before Luna’s banishment, the Princesses decreed that their guard be disguised, not only to provide a psychological advantage against an enemy but also to give the guard a more regimented appearance. The result was row upon row of seemingly identical ponies guarding the Princesses, and crowds of tourists flocking to see them.
“Sir, Princess Luna asked that I escort you to the chambers and catch you up to speed as we walk.”
Shining sighed.
“What’s your name?” he asked, indicating with a nod of the head that they should begin walking. “I don’t believe I’ve seen you around much.”
“Flash Sentry, sir,” the stallion replied. “I’ve only been here a week.”
“So why’re you coming to this meeting?” Shining asked, frowning. “We’re potentially discussing state secrets tonight, and only those few guards most trusted by Princess Luna should be attending.”
“Yes sir,” Flash replied, looking a little embarrassed. “Thing is, sir, I was on duty and overheard the Princesses discussing the security arrangements for the wedding. It wasn’t deliberate”- he almost interrupted himself, flashing Shining an apologetic, almost guilty grimace -”but Celestia had insisted only a few moments before that I move from my normal position by the doors to just at the foot of the throne room steps. I couldn’t help but hear them at that-”
“I understand, Flash,” Shining said. The stallion almost stopped still, though months of training allowed him to keep walking despite his shock. It was Shining’s firm belief that when conversing with the guard he would endeavour to use their names where possible, and that by maintaining a friendly interaction he would promote a feeling of familiarity within the ranks.
“Um, yes,” Flash muttered. “Well, um, I started talking with the Princesses about the security issues. I think that Princess Luna found my suggestions helpful - I can’t think of any other reason I’d be summoned tonight.”
Shining nodded. He could tell Flash seemed fairly anxious - he’d seen the stallion before, in training, and had been impressed by his bravery, so it was honestly a surprise to him. Still, he remembered the first time he’d been called for a meeting with Princess Celestia and, though it had been little more than a discussion of the guard’s reaction to damage Twilight had caused in some experiment of hers, he could remember quite how terrifying it had been. The Princesses had quite a reputation and certainly weren’t ponies you wished to take lightly.
The two stallions walked side-by-side into the conference room to see that the other attendees had all arrived: Commanders Fleetwing and Nova, heads of the Day and Night guard respectively, sat either side of the long table, with Princess Luna at its head. Shining glanced at Flash out of the corner of his eye - the younger stallion was visibly nervous. He fought back the urge to chuckle, but gave Flash a reassuring smile before taking his place at the table beside Fleetwing.
“Princess,” Shining nodded in recognition, bowing a little.
“Captain,” Luna replied, smiling. “We have some good news for you.”
“Before we begin,” Fleetwing said, and Shining caught Nova and Luna exchanging an exasperated look, “I for one would like to know why a relatively new recruit is being let into this meeting. I was assured this would stay between the four of us - and Celestia, of course.”
Flash began to fidget nervously in his seat beside Nova. He was looking at the floor, almost as if he were contemplating whether he would be better off if an earthquake shattered the castle and buried him beneath a pile of rubble than he was at this instant. Shining felt a pang of pity for him, and had to fight back a yawn as his eyes started to close. He shook his head a little and blinked forcibly.
“He is here on my insistence,” Luna said, drawing even Flash’s eyes to her with her confident tone. “I believe he will be making several valuable contributions tonight.”
Fleetwing frowned, but said no more. Nova, however, glanced at the stallion by her side and took on a contemplative expression. Shining, having heard it all before, watched their reactions closely.
“Tonight’s meeting has been called to discuss security during the upcoming wedding,” Luna announced, “and potentially in the period before that. Captain, how much longer do you believe you can keep this shield going?”
Shining thought for a moment, though most of his thinking was forcing himself to stay awake rather than addressing the problem.
“I can’t see this keeping up for longer than a week. Quite probably less,” he added, more as an afterthought. The image of the shield collapsing passed through his head once more and he shivered. “What alternatives do we have?”
“Surely nothing?” Nova asked, her voice quiet. “The spell is too complicated to teach another unicorn quickly enough. Only you, Princess, or Celestia could possibly manage it, and we need you both fully prepared if an attack does come.”
“There is, of course, Celestia’s student,” Fleetwing added gruffly. “She has an incredible talent for picking up new spells-”
“She is also my sister,” Shining interrupted, “and I do not wish to put the burden of protecting Canterlot on her shoulders. She already has enough responsibility for Equestria’s safety.”
“There is another option,” Luna interceded, eyes flitting warningly between the two stallions who were giving each other death glares, “which Flash here suggested to us the other day. Flash, could you outline your idea for everypony here?”
Flash glanced nervously at the ponies around him, before nodding.
“I was looking through the guard’s archives recently,” he began, his voice audibly gaining confidence as he spoke, his audience, whilst not entirely enrapt, respectfully listening and keeping their reactions to themselves, “and I came across a reference to an old spell. There was a lot of magical theory involved that I didn’t really follow-” he flexed his wings a little to emphasise his point, earning him a nod from Fleetwing and an amused smile from Nova and Shining ”-but it was based on Star Swirl the Bearded’s research on an artifact called the Crystal Heart. The spell supposedly created a barrier, much like the one you have in place now, Captain, but instead of being fuelled by a single unicorn it could be sustained by multiple unicorns.”
“It’s an old spell,” Luna added. “One that we used to use a thousand years ago. The spell itself had only ever been performed by Star Swirl: Celestia and I never learned how to cast it, merely providing power to the barrier. If Flash has indeed found the notes, we believe it would be possible for a talented unicorn to learn to cast it.”
Shining took a moment to bask in relief before realising exactly what Celestia was suggesting.
“No,” he said, firmly. Fleetwing and Nova looked at him, incredulously, but Flash bit his lip again, nervously - it seemed Flash had been privy to this part of the plan, too.
“Captain, she is the only unicorn capable of producing the results before you collapse from magical exhaustion,” Luna said firmly. “Twilight Sparkle is also the only unicorn I would trust to attempt this spell - the consequences of getting it even a little wrong could be immensely dangerous. She is the only choice.”
“No she isn’t,” Shining insisted. “Either you or Celestia would be more than capable-”
“The pony who casts the spell is unable to add power to the barrier,” Flash interrupted, quietly. The three senior guards turned to face him, as Luna nodded grimly. “The spell itself only creates an object that focuses the power and binds the magic inside it. The nature of the spell means that whoever casts the spell cannot add power to the barrier - it would only reinforce the storing spell itself.”
“Celestia and I are unwilling to cast the spell unless absolutely necessary,” Luna clarified. “Alicorns have much greater reserves of magical strength, as you all know. The barrier would be much more efficient if all alicorns added to it.” Shining’s eyes grew wide. “Yes, Captain, that includes your wife. She would need to stay in Canterlot to help recharge the barrier, too.”
“Well that settles it,” Fleetwing said. “There is little choice - we should send the notes to Miss Sparkle immediately and see to it that she starts work at once.” Nova and Flash nodded in agreement, and Luna dismissed the three of them with a wave of the hoof. Once they had left, she rose from her seat and walked over to Shining’s side.
“I know you’re worried about them,” she said softly. “Knowing that this solution puts both your fiancée and your sister in danger cannot be easy - but they will both be in no more danger than they would have otherwise been. They may be more actively involved, but either way they’d both be in Canterlot.” She wrapped a wing around Shining and quickly gave him a squeeze. He was still staring at the table in disbelief. “If anything, this shield will be much more powerful than any you could conjure; they would be even safer here with this plan than without.”
“I know,” Shining said, his throat dry. “I was hoping to keep Twilight out of all this.” Luna raised an eyebrow.
“You mean you intended not to invite her to your wedding?” She asked. There was a hint of concern in her voice, but also a small amount of disapproval.
“It’s bad enough that Cadence has to be in Canterlot through this threat. I’m not putting Twilight in harm’s way unnecessarily.”
Luna shook her head. Wordlessly, she caught a quill and a roll of paper in her magic and dragged them over to the table before Shining, setting them down with a thump. Shining frowned and looked up.
“What are these for?” he asked. Luna took a deep, calming breath and closed her eyes for a moment.
“Inviting your sister to your wedding,” Luna replied. “I would suggest doing it tonight. Celestia’s already summoned her to Canterlot to discuss the arrangements for the storage of the Elements of Harmony during this threat and probably mentioned the wedding in her missive. You wouldn’t want her to find out from Celestia, would you?”
Shining’s eyes widened and he picked up the quill, frantically beginning to scrawl a note on the scroll, not even noticing as Luna closed the door behind her on her way out. Writing by the light of his horn, Shining felt his eyes grow heavy, but forced himself to stay focused on the invitation - he certainly didn’t want to upset Twilight by having her find out from Celestia instead of him.
An hour later, Luna peeked into the conference room to check on Shining to see the Captain of the Royal Guard lying with his face flat against the table, snoring. Smiling to herself, she walked in, careful not to make too much noise, and inspected the half-written note Shining had left on the table. She held up the scroll before her, chuckling a little at Shining’s sleep-deprived ramblings, before picking up the quill and scribbling a quick note to let Twilight know that Shining was okay until a knock at the door caused her to jump.
“Who is it?” she called out.
“Me.” She could hear Celestia’s voice through the door, amused. “Can I come in?”
“Of course,” Luna replied, surprised, pulling the door open quietly with her magic. “Be quiet, though - Shining’s asleep.”
Celestia walked slowly over to Luna’s side. “Is he okay?” she asked. Luna nodded.
“Just exhausted,” she replied. “I think the shield is taking more out of him than we thought it would.” She hovered the invitation over to Celestia. “Take a look at this.”
“Are you reading his private post?” Celestia asked, raising an eyebrow, but taking the scroll in her magic so it didn’t fall to the floor.
“Seeing as it’s being sent to your student, it’s technically her post,” Luna countered, “which is not exactly unread by royal eyes, is it?”
“In fairness,” Celestia muttered darkly, her eyes scanning the page before her, “she does receive most of her post from me. Oh dear,” she added, her eyes widening at a particularly incoherent sentence, “he really was exhausted, wasn’t he?”
“Did you send your letter already?” Luna asked, steering the conversation from dangerous waters.
“No,” Celestia replied, picking up the quill and making a few corrections to the letter, “I was planning on sending it in the morning. I’ve just bought some tickets for the noon train for Twilight to catch, and I don’t want to be encouraging my student to be staying up this late regularly. She gets hardly enough sleep as it is.”
Luna chuckled. “You should send that with it. I’m sure Shining won’t mind our additions.” Celestia nodded, rolling up the scroll and carrying it with her as she walked towards the door.
“Come, sister,” she said. “Let us leave Shining to his sleep. There’s some cake in the kitchen - would you like some?” Luna grinned and nodded once, following her sister out of the room. She took one last glance back at the sleeping Captain, shaking her head softly and smiling.
“Goodnight, Captain,” she whispered, closing the door softly behind her.