//------------------------------//
// Chapter 3- Scars 
// Story: Wayward Armor 
// by Sketchwrites 
//------------------------------//

	Shining Armor woke the next morning with a sense of excitement. Pulling himself out of bed, he carefully limped into his private bathroom and started preparing a bath. He let the hot water run into the tub, placing a towel on the floor beside it. Once he had a reasonable amount of water drawn, he climbed in and washed himself off. 
After his bath, Shining grabbed his brush from the counter and groomed his mane. He noticed his mane seemed coarse, but he assumed it was because he rushed washing it. Shrugging, Shining Armor toweled off and trotted out of his room. 
The alicorn was waiting patiently at the door for him, smiling. "Good morning, dear!" she said, waving. 
Shining Armor dipped his head. "Good morning to you, too." 
Cadence wrapped a hoof around him, kissing him on the cheek. "You look great! Are you ready for breakfast."
He nodded, stomach growling. For the last few days, he hadn't accompanied his wife to the daily breakfast that the castle's higher-up ate every morning. Food was simply sent to his room while he was ill, and he scarcely ate it. Today, however, he felt up to the cause of socialization and eating. 
The duo trotted along the broad hallways of the castle, their hooves clinking on the crystalline floors. As they walked, Shining Armor let his eyes wonder across the magnificent scenery. Everything was glimmering and reflective, from the walls to the very floor tiles. Flower vases sat on serene pedestals, and beautiful drapes hung on the wide windows. 
Arriving in the dinning room, Shining Armor was met with tall ceilings and grand chandeliers. The table itself stretched the entire length of the room, which had to be at least thirty feet long. Plates and chairs were prepared in advance, and silver wear wrapped in lavender napkins sat on the fine china. 
Several guests had already taken their seats; Shining Armor recognized a few of the ponies as the castle nobles, who worked as representatives and managed the castle and its finances. 
Cadence nudged him on the shoulder and lowly pointed her hoof. "Look, Shining. The ambassadors from Saddle Arabia arrived! Lets go formally introduce ourselves." Cadence looped hooves with the stallion, pulling him towards the farthest end of the dinning table. Four unique ponies were seated there, their long muzzles and sleek, elongated bodies showing the distinct looks of the desert-dwelling equines. Delicate, bejeweled saddles and reins hung on their backs and head. 
Cadence bowed, spreading her wings for emphasis. "Greetings, visitors of the Crystal Empire. I am Princess Cadence, and this is my husband and Prince, Shining Armor."
In line with her introduction, Shining lowered his head, nodding. "Good morning," he murmured. 
The oldest looking of the four got out of her seat and bowed in response. "Salutations, Princess and Prince." 
Smiling, Cadence called over her shoulder. "Servers, can you bring out breakfast now?" 
Immediately, unicorns in aprons spilled out of the kitchen doors, all carrying trays of food in their magic aura. With a soft clink, thetrays were sat on the long table; Cadence and Shining Armor siting down to eat. The morning chatter drastically quieted down as the ponies gathered food on their plates. 
Eyes darting over the smorgasbord before him, Shining Armor felt very hungry. Maybe it was because of the scarce meals he had consumed over the last few weeks, or maybe it was just because it looked so good, but the stallion's stomach was growling all the while as he piled food on his platter. 
The Saddle Arabian ambassadors began to engage in small-talk among themselves, discussing locations and things that Shining Armor had no idea about. 
Shining was choking down a piece of fruit when Cadence tapped him on the shoulder. "Dear," she murmured. "Can you talk a little to our guests?" 
The stallion blinked, shrugging. He had planned on going through breakfast silently, then slipping off to meet up with Flash Sentry. He leaned in closer to Cadence and whispered, "What do you want me to talk about?" 
Cadence smiled. "Let me handle this." Focusing back on the foreign visitors, the Princess cleared her throat. "I just wanted to let you know that you can ask any kind of questions to me or my husband. Don't be shy." 
The youngest looking of the Saddle Arabian ambassadors suddenly looked up, putting down her glass of orange juice. "It is to my understanding," she murmured, the mare's accent thick, "that you had a serious security breach recently."
Shining Armor's heart dropped into his stomach. This was the one thing he didn't want to speak about. He gave Cadence a clearly alarmed glance, and his wife seemed just as uncomfortable. 
"That's true." she said, quickly regaining face. "Right, dear?" 
"Yes, the attack was during our wedding." he confirmed hoarsely. 
Shay, the castle's financial advisor, gleefully jumped in. "Ah, yes! I remember it vividly. I was in the crowd when that witch Chrysalis revealed herself as a changeling. It was quite the terrifying spectacle!" 
Shining Armor slumped further into his seat, unpleasant memories playing within his head. He had given up on eating, he was far from hungry now. A hot feeling rushed through his body, and sweat started to seep down his neck. He hated to feel this nervous and anxious, but it was involuntary. 
The castle's head maid looked meek as she spoke. "I agree! Our dear Cadence was taken captive, and Shining Armor was held under the changeling Queen's spell. I was afraid Equestria would never be the same." the maid whimpered, shaking her head. 
The male ambassador looked enthralled. "Tell me, Sir and Madam, what was it like to have such...close encounters with the changelings?" 
Shining Armor swallowed with difficulty, heart thudding. He had taken all he could of this. Muttering "Excuse me," under his breath, the stallion climbed out of his chair and stumbled out the door. 
Cadence was shocked, taking a few seconds to process her husband had just gotten up and left. The rest of the ponies at breakfast looked equally surprised, and Cadence thought fast. 
"He hasn't been feeling well lately. I guess he needed to lay back down." she smiled uncomfortably. "But we can keep talking, of course! So, how is life in Saddle Arabia? I'm very curious!" the Princess said with false enthusiasm. 
The uncomfortable silence was lost when the ambassadors started describing their daily life in their home county, the previous topic forgotten. 
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Shining Armor paced up and down the hallways of the castle, shaking. Unpleasant memories came and went in his head at a rapid pace. The stallion's vision was narrow and his breathing was erratic. He trotted back and forth, taking deep breaths to calm himself down. Sweat dripped down into his tri-colored mane, making his bath earlier useless.
The sound of hooves hitting tile slowly dragged him back to reality. He stopped in his tracks, squinting to see all the way down the hall. Flash Sentry was running towards him, spear wobbling under his tucked wing. 
Feeling slightly relieved, Shining Armor stood and waited for the young guard to reach him. 
Flash Sentry skidding to a halt before him, slightly too sudden and fast. The pegasus lost his balance, tumbling into a pile at his captain's hooves. Stifling laughter, Shining grabbed him by the hoof and pulled him up. Flash looked dazed, shaking himself off and fluffing out the feathers in his wings.
"I...finally...found...you...sir...!" the young soldier wheezed, clapping him on the shoulder. Flash Sentry paused, looking at Shining clearly. 	 							"Hey, um, are you alright? You look terrible." 
Shining Armor smiled forcefully, levitating Flash Sentry's lost spear to the guard's side. The orange colt took it with his wing, looking at his superior questionably. 
"I'm fine, Flash Sentry. I just got done eating breakfast, and I am ready to leave." he said, his voice strained. 
Flash Sentry didn't look as satisfied as Shining Armor had hoped he would be, but he nonetheless dropped the subject. 
"Practice is in the castle grounds, as usual," Flash Sentry said causally as they walked through the castle.
"I'm eager to see how the guard is coming along during my absence." Shining Armor murmured, much more calmly now. 
They soon arrived on the grounds, and Shining squinted against the bright morning sun. The grass of large plain was cut short and stiff, so it was comfortable on the hoof. Trees bordered the land, all trimmed to look alike. 
In the center, several rows of guards stood, Thunder before them. A smile came to Shining Armor's face as he mentally recognized all of the stallions assembled. 
Shining Armor felt like he was home now.