Shining Armor walked along one of the many walking paths that jutted out from the Crystal palace, his gaze fixed a nonexistent distant object, his though somewhere else as he past scores upon scores of guards. He thought about the new he had received from Canterlot refugees a few weeks ago, about how the very capital of Equestria had fallen to another army's might, something that seemed impossible to the captain, but yet was undeniable. Shining smelled something fishy, almost more so when he had heard the news that prior to those events that Celestia had allowed a young stallion with no military history before that point become the head trainer of the entire guard. Shining could only hope that part of the report was exaggerated.
"Shining dear, are you coming inside?" He heard Cadence ask him in a quiet tone. He turned to the door and saw her standing looking quite worn out.
"Soon enough dear, I want to walk around the perimeter one more time before turning in." Shining Armor replied, looking back out towards the city. Most of the houses were already dark, and the street lamps were starting to run low on oil as the moon slowly declined in the sky.
"You've already gone around the castle fifteen times, and trust me, I've counted." Cadence pointed out. "Come inside, you need your rest as much as anypony else here." Shining looked back towards his wife, taking a moment to appreciate how lovely she looked in the dim moonlight, especially with how her eyes were only half open, it just gave her an air of beauty.
"Alright, I guess I can spare the castle the sixteenth lap." Shining complied, walking in towards the castle. "Report directly to me if anything seems off." Shining Armor ordered one of the soldiers that stood by the door. The pony gave a short salute before continuing to act like a statue. Shining entered the palace proper, the double doors shutting behind him, leaving him along with his wife in the coolness of the hall. Shining nuzzled his wife who gave a small purr of delight.
"I've had dinner kept hot for you." She whispered. "Broccoli soup, just the way you like it." Shining smiled; rubbing his cheek against her cheek for a few more second.
"The way I like it is with a lovely mare sitting across the table from me." Shining said slyly. "Did you eat yet?" Cadence chuckled softly.
"No, I guessed you'd like company while you ate." Cadence replied, pulling back and looking into her husband's eyes. "Better sooner than later?" She asked. Shining chuckled in response before his wife began walking down the hall towards the dining room. His stomach gave a light rumble, edging him to follow, which he did without complaint. Suddenly, the doors to the hall flew open, catching Shining's attention in an instant.
Turning, he watched as one of the guards was slammed against the wall across the hall, stuck fast to it by green goo. Shining prepared a combat spell while drawing his spear, readying himself for a fight, only to hear a window being bashed in behind him, accompanied with a scream from his wife. Shining turned, watching as a changeling shot into the hallway between him and Cadence. Shining picked up the beast by the hooves with a wave of magic and shot him right back through the window before he popped up a shield around Cadence.
"Don' move," He ordered, "That shield is small enough that it should hold for a while without intervention on your part." Cadence nodded, taking deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself, only to shriek and point behind Shining. Shining turned quickly, readying his spear, only to receive a blow across the snout from some sort of club. Enraged, Shining turned the once alive changeling into a shish kabob.
Pulling his lance out of the creature, he quickly shut the door to the hallway while placing a shield on the broken window. He looked around, but saw no other changelings; he couldn't even hear any signs of movements.
"Alright, I think we're in the clear for now, but we need to move." Shining commented; lower the shield around his wife while turning to look at her. "Get to our room; I'll be right behind you." Cadence nodded and began running back the hall. Shining made one last inspection of the hall before galloping after Cadence. As he did, three changelings broke through a window in front of him. Acting quickly, he put up a shield around them, locking them inside as he ran on past them as they scratched and gnawed at the barrier.
Shining rounded a corner, only to find Cadence cornered by three changelings. Shining drew back his lips into a snarl and then let out a battle cry as he went into a full blow gallop that caused the changelings turn to see their approaching doom.
"Don't touch my wife!" He roared as he skewered one into the floor while wrapping one of the other two changeling's heads in a field of magic, which he violently sent backward while keeping the rest of the body stiff. Shining pivoted on the last step, and bucked the last changeling in the throat, which smashed the monster into the crystal wall.
"Shining..." Cadence breathed. Shining Armor looked at her, quickly checking for blood, but upon finding none, he motioned with his head for her to go on ahead. She nodded before running off again, Shining keeping pace right behind her as they took the last corner to the stairs that led to their room. The couple skidded to a halt, a small battalion of changelings standing in front of the passage way.
"You'll get out of my way if you know what's good for you all." Shining said with a death stare that caused several of the changelings to flinch away. Shining twirled his spear while his horn grew brighter as he prepared a spell. The changelings, instead of cowering as he had expected, took up battle positions, readying their own weapons. Suddenly the group was deafened by a loud crash, like the shattering of glass. Shining Armor looked behind him briefly, and what see saw made his stomach drop. The wall of the palace that faced the exterior that was right behind them was no longer there, replaced by shattered crystal and a gigantic metal spear that was connected to a chain.
"Shining, look out!" Cadence shouted, bringing his attention back to the situation before him. He quickly turned back, only to be bucked in the face, sending him sprawling on his back. He shot his lance out, catching the offender, skewering the beast to the ceiling. Shining pulled on the spear, but it stayed stuck in the crystal ceiling. He let go of it with a huff of frustration and grabbed the remaining changelings in a magical orb and slammed them against the wall.
Suddenly Shining felt the floor come out from under him, but he saw no magical aura around him as he bumped against the ceiling. Shining tried to swim through the air but found he couldn’t move. As he struggled, an apparition fazed in through the floor, covered in a set a dark armor, its arms crossed in front of it, its back turned towards Shining. It began laughing manically, cocking its head back as it continued. It slowly turned inside of its armored, lowering its head to look Shining in the eye.
"Discord, I never did trust you after you joined Tirek." Shining growled, only causing Discord to laugh some more before whipping a tear from his eye with a talon.
"The sad thing was that you actually would've been wrong to not trust after that, I actually was converted back to the pony way." Discord replied with a contemptuous smirk. "More to the point would be to not trust me ever since I reunited with Greyhield. On a side note, do you like my new look?" Discord asked, stretching his arms out, inspecting the pieces of dark armor. "Or do you think I'd look better in a lighter shade?"
"Discord, stop toying with your prey…" A sickening familiar voice said. Shining craned his head to look under him, and saw the black, hole filled mare.
"Chrysalis..." Shining hissed. Chrysalis looked up at him, a small smile gracing her features as she whistled at him, her smile only growing as she did.
"Shining, dear, imagine seeing you here, and after all this time." She teased. "How's your wife been? I hope you like being married to a simple princess instead of being married to a queen of an entire empire." Shining Armor growled at her in response. "Of course you'd probably say something of the 'true love is better than power' speech."
"You won't get away with this." Shining stated, still stuck to the ceiling. Chrysalis rolled her eyes with a sigh.
"I've missed your extreme amounts of love, but I've yet to miss your repetitive lines about love conquering all. You really should learn to diversify your vocabulary and list of possible come backs for statements made by those who have greater strength than you at the moment." Chrysalis replied dryly.
"For giving Discord advice, you certainly don't follow said advice." A dark, feminine voice commented behind him. Shining tried to look towards the source, but he couldn't move enough in Discord's grasp to see the newcomer. "I suggest we move on and find Cadence before the soldiers have to kill too many more ponies. It might be good sport, but dead bodies don't work in mines as well as living creatures." Shining Armor's heart felt as if it had stopped as the voice mentioned his wife. He strained to look around Discord, and noticed his wife was no longer there.
"I suppose you're right, Moo moo, but it isn't as fun to get right to the punch sometimes." Discord replied with a sigh. "Sometimes it just feels better to have fun and toy with your prey for a while and then dash their hopes of victory after pulling them along."
"You are, but in this case it is according our orders to find Cadence as quickly as possible. Greyhield has little sense of humor or fun; he's much more driven than any of us." Chrysalis commented, moving past the draconequus.
"I suppose you're right..." Discord muttered, his shoulders sagging visibly underneath his armor as he began floating away. Discord then seemed to brighten as he turned and snapped his talons. Suddenly Shining was slammed into the floor, and then was dragged across the floor, smashing into the wall, then back into the ceiling. He finally dropped to the floor, his muscles screaming and his head spinning. "Enjoy the rest of the day Shiny." Discord said in a joyful tone as he walked away, following Chrysalis as she began searching for their target. Shining tried to get up, but felt a strong hoof pin his head to the ground.
"If I were you, I'd stay down until you hear your wife scream." The voice hissed in his ear, only making him more infuriated. Shining relaxed, letting his muscles go limp with an enraged hiss. "That's better, now just stay down and this won't take too long and won't be too painful." The being said as it walked on past him, looking to and fro for where Cadence might be.
"She's not in the throne room..." Chrysalis reported, emerging from the crystal hall, "Perhaps she's in the kitchen. The types of foods the ponies presented to me while I was disguised as her gave me the impression that she liked to eat a great deal of sweet treats, much like her aunt."
"She isn't in the castle's main tower." Discord said as he slithered into the room from the stairs. "Perhaps little Shiny-whinny has an idea as to her location." He suggested with a devilish smile.
"Yes, perhaps he does know where his mare has scampered off to." The unnamed presence agreed. Chrysalis shrugged her shoulders before walking over to the pony. She lowered her head to look Shining Armor in the eye, her lips parting to show her malicious smirk.
"So, tell me what you know right now, or I make things get very ugly very fast." She said calmly. Shining felt his weight lift off the floor, Discord's talons glowing with a magical energy.
"You think I actually know where she is?" Shining asked, his smirk growing. "She does as she will in this castle. Even if I tried to get her under control, I doubt any measures I take will keep her from doing as she will." Chrysalis chuckled lightly.
"I see who has the dominant position in your relationship." She remarked. "But I still have my own doubts about you not knowing where your wife is. After all, ponies seem to have an obsession with the 'love of their life' that is almost comparable to how we changelings act. So tell me, where is she?" Shining didn't respond, his muzzle firmly shut, counting each second as an extra second for Cadence. "Very well, Discord, loosen his tongue." Discord nodded, his smile growing more and more menacing as he came closer o the abstinent guard pony.
"Well, Shining, let's see if I can't convince you to tell us where our little precious pretty princess pony has pranced off to." Discord said slyly as he tapped Shining on the head, and bolt of pain shooting from the point of impact, along his spine, branching out into every corner of his being, all the way to the very tip of his tail. Shining held back a scream as tears whelmed up in his eyes. Discord sighed and tapped him again, the pain scorching through Shining once more, this time with twice the strength, causing him to whimper as tears rolled down his cheeks.
"I admire your persistence to keep your mare safe, but it is only a matter of time before she is caught." Chrysalis said nonchalantly. "How about you save her a bit of running and just tell us where to find her?" As she finished, Discord tapped him again, the pain growing stronger and lingering for much longer than before. "Do it again, Discord, make him scream." Discord materialized a sleeve on his talon arm, which he rolled back with his paw before tapping Shining Armor again. Shining let out a wail as the pain overloaded his senses.
"K-kitchen, s-she's probably in the kitchen!" Shining screamed, his options running low as he tried to give his wife the time she needed. Discord picked him up and looked at him closely. "T-there's a secret... safe room in the kitchen area…" He breathed. Discord smiled in satisfaction before tossing him away like a displeasing toy.
"I should've figured as much..." Chrysalis grumbled as she walked away, the two others following behind her while Shining stayed in the corner, unwilling and unable to move as the pain continued to crackle through his body. As he lay there, he heard hoofsteps rushing towards him. He pushed himself up slightly, looking towards the source of the sound, and when he had, he almost regretted doing so, as Cadence burst from the stairwell. Shining collapsed back to the floor and closed his eyes, not wanting to know where she went, but the hoof strikes were distinctly coming towards him, no matter how hard he tried to tune out any sound from around him.
"Shining, what happened?" She asked, putting a hoof on his shoulder, her motherly tone showing through in all its glory. Shining pulled away from her.
"You need to leave now, take nothing, and just go." Shining ordered. "Don't tell me where you'll go, I don't want to know, just leave now and don't return."
"B-but, Shining, you're hurt, you need medical attention." Cadence pleaded, trying to lift her husband up from the floor. Shining firmly planted his sore, aching body on the floor, completely unwilling to move from his spot on the floor.
"No, just go." He said, trying to not raise his voice as he clenched his eye even harder. "I'd just slow you down unnecessarily. You need to escape while there's still time to do so. Chrysalis and Discord are already looking for you, and they aren't willing to pull any punches. I need you to get somewhere safe, so just leave."
"B-but, I need you." Cadence begged. "Please, just come with me, we can escape together, we can make it through this." Shining shook his head slowly.
"I'm to hurt, I can't move fast enough to make sure you can make it out, so just get going, and don't turn back." He ordered, his horn beginning to glow.
"I won't... I can't leave without you. I need-" Cadence was suddenly cut off as Shining Armor used his last bit of strength to teleport her away from the city. Shining opened his eyes once more, his brows furrowed. Chrysalis emerged from the stairs and looked around, smiling as she saw her prey still in the same spot.
"You know, I've been thinking a little." Chrysalis began, walking up to the pony slowly, her smile growing as she drew closer.
"I hope you didn't hurt yourself. Trying something so new without preparation can be a strain." Shining Armor jabbed.
"Oh, Shining, your humor never ceases to amaze me." Chrysalis replied blandly as she came closer to him, her smile disappearing in an instant. Chrysalis' horn was enveloped with a sickly grew aura, that quickly appeared around Shining's neck, lifting him off the floor. "Now, I know how much I would love to find Cadence with a face full of cake during an invasion, and I also know how much you know how much I'd love that."
"My, you really have been thinking quite a bit." Shining choked as he struggled to loosen Chrysalis' magical grip. "That's quite the convoluted thought you've come up with."
"Be quite, I'm not finished." Chrysalis hissed, tightening her grip on his throat even more. "As I was saying, I know how you know me, and so I can say, with a certain amount of certainty, that Cadence is, in all likelihood, nowhere near the kitchen. So, working on that premise," She suddenly jerked Shining closer to her, their muzzle only a few centimeters away from touching, "tell me where she actually is." Shining drew in a small breath, Chrysalis' smile growing larger as he struggled. Shining looked at her, and then spat on her face. She wiped the saliva from her face, her expression becoming much more serious. "It’s your funeral, Shining." Shining was thrown against the wall, flopping on the floor with a heavy thud.
"Interrogations go smoother if the subject can actually keep his memories intact." Shining said as he tried to stand back up. "Of course you seem to have other ideas for me than interrogations."
"You'd be correct about me having other plans for you." Chrysalis said with a smirk appearing on her muzzle. "Said plans I refer to do not need you to have much of any memories, or even much of a body, left." She said, lifting Shining Armor again, slamming him into the ceiling before dropping him. Shining again tried to stand back up, his stubbornness, and desire to give Cadence more time, keeping him from giving up to unconsciousness. As he finally rose to his hooves, his hooves were taken out from under him, his head smashing against the floor. "You know you could always end your suffering." Chrysalis taunted, a spear dropping in front of him. "After all, your life from this point on won't get much better, unless you'd consider the days that have a few minutes less of beating better than days where you are abused for hours without end."
"You want me to kill myself and save myself the pain I'd experience otherwise?" Shining asked, eyeing the changeling queen suspiciously. She simply gave a shrug.
"It's really up to you to decide whether you want to go through endless years of pain, only to die of old age, or when your body just can't take another beating." Chrysalis said without a care. "I can spare enough time to beat you most every day, but if you kill yourself it'll save me that much time."
"You must be more of a fool if you think I'd ever choose to kill myself." Shining Armor spat as he tried to stand back up. "I've got have too much I have to live for, even if it means pain is a major part of it." Chrysalis shrugged.
"Your choice, as I said." She said, sending Shining into the far wall, and then into the ceiling before dropping him to the floor. "But it really, it would be much better to end it sooner than later, am I not right?" Shining rose from the floor and stared Chrysalis down. "You seem intent on showing you can take a beating. Let's see how long you can take it." With that, Chrysalis used her magic to snap Shining Armor's left front leg in the opposite direction. Shining yelled, falling down once again, the pain overcoming all his senses.
"Am I missing out on something good up here?" Discord asked, his head poking through the floor. "Oh, giving the old chap another go around I see. Can I have a go at it?" The changeling queen nodded with a smirk, stepping back to give Discord some space. Discord rose up from the floor, a whip curled up behind his back. "So, are you going to talk, or do I have to take my anger issues out on you?" Discord asked slyly. Shining Armor looked up at Discord, gritting his teeth against the pain of his backwards leg. "Well, I'll take that as the answer that gives me the most fun with you.
"Just don't kill to quickly, Discord; I hear ponies get all the more entertaining when they are under more pain." Chrysalis mentioned as she took a seat on the floor, preparing herself to enjoy the show. Discord cracked his knuckles and snapped his whip in the air.
"Do your worst, Discord," Shining hissed, "I couldn't care less what you do to me." Discord gave a laugh, lifting Shining in the grasp of his magic.
"Oh silly little Shining Armor," Discord chuckled, "I don't really care what I end up doing to you either. So, what happens when neither the prisoner nor the torturer have a care for what the captor does to the prisoner?" Discord idly used his magic to snap Shining other front leg into the opposite direction. "Small hint: it rhymes with 'sizzler flying'." Discord began pushing Shining's neck back slowly. "And if that wasn't obvious enough..." Shining felt another jolt of pain wrack his body as he was slammed into the wall, "I'll probably end up ending your misery, permanently."
"What are you two fools doing up here?" The unknown voice asked, a dark blob appearing in Shining's vision, the pain that screeched through his body impairing his senses.
"Well, since the princess will be found sooner or later, we thought we could enjoy ourselves while trying to get some information." Discord replied with a shrug.
"And I suppose neither of you see the stupid mistake you're both making while spending time torturing this pony?" The being asked the two of them with a snarky tone of voice.
"I suppose we don't since we are still doing it." Chrysalis replied. "Suppose you enlighten us as to our mistake in torturing this pony for fun and the probability of some clues as to her location seeing as the kitchen was a bust."
"While you're toying with him," The voice began, "You give Cadence enough time to run away far enough that we won't be able to catch her no matter how hard we try. We are dealing with an alicorn, and I doubt she is just galloping around with all that magic see has access to." Discord dropped Shining Armor as he looked at Chrysalis with a raised eyebrow.
"You mean we've been played by a stupid little pony?" Discord asked, kicking Shining to punctuate his statement.
"That pretty much some up what I just said, so the answer is yes. You have, in fact, been played for a fool, taken for an idiot, and otherwise been taken advantage of by a pesky puny pathetic pony."
"Alliterations are my thing, Moony, and on a side note," Discord grabbed Shining Armor by the collar, "How dare you play me for the fool and trick me into paying you far too much attention in the exact way I am doing right now. You are too tricky for your own good." And with that, Shining was once again tossed across the room. "So, are we getting on the road to see if we can find our little pretty pony princess?"
"If we don't start now it would be fair to say that we'll never make it to her before she entered enemy lines." The unknown voice replied, the sound of hooves marching off told Shining that the group was leaving, only to see Chrysalis standing in front of him, a spear dropping at her hooves, right in front of his muzzle.
"How about it, Shining Armor; end it now and make it easier on yourself?" She asked. Shining slowly lit his horn, his magical aura wrapping around the spear, lifting it up. He shot it at the changeling queen, who easily deflected the attack before walking away. “I guess you must enjoy pain then." She commented as she left the room, leaving Shining along with his thoughts and pain.