"Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, most wonderful love of my life... will you marry me?"
"Oh Shining Armor, I... I..."
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The abrupt loud sounding of bugle notes not only cuts off Cadance's answer, but jolts Lieutenant Captain Shining Armor out of his dreamland. He moans as he reaches a forehoof to shut off the blaring bugle recording from the alarm clock placed next to the cot in his officer's quarters.
"You couldn't come up with a more annoying alarm clock if you tried." Shining Armor thought to himself as he rousted from the bed, peeking at the glowing "16:00" on the clock's face. This time was at least a half-hour earlier than the rest of the night shift needed to be rousted, and this time of year it was still very much daytime out, as evidenced by the sunlight streaming around the edges of the thick black curtains that kept the room generally darkened.
Shining uses his unicorn magic to pull back a curtain partway, and winces at the streaming sunlight before his eyes adjust to the changed light levels. The light reveals what most E.U.P. members would consider a luxury suite - a bed with an actual mattress, a small table and pair of chairs, coffeemaker, small separate bathroom, a cooktop to heat rations over - far superior to the barracks most slept in. Still, Shining knew that this was less plush than the colthood bedroom or what he saw of the suites of the princesses.
The stallion clicks on the coffeemaker and lets it brew while he straightens up his bed and inspects his armor set - a custom job based on the armor bat ponies wore, but slightly fancier and with a few changes to account for Shining Armor being a unicorn. He takes a deep sniff of the brewing coffee and grins as he applies a little more "spit and polish" to his armor - like virtually all Royal Guard officers, he was addicted to caffeine to a certain extent, although usually satisfied that addiction with sodas and teas instead of coffee.
After finishing with the armor, he moves to the ration package placed just inside the door - sugar and creamer for the coffee as well as apple cinnamon oatmeal for his breakfast. Even Lieutenant Captains weren't exempted from the usual rations, after all. Shining took the oatmeal package, opened it up, put in water from the bathroom sink, and then let it cook on the cooktop. He was about to make a mug of coffee when he heard knocking on the door to his officer's quarters.
This immediately got Shining's attention - it was unusual for anypony to knock at his door before he was finished with his preparations. He unbolts and opens the door - only to get a face full of something pink that abruptly knocks him down to the floor.
It takes a moment for Shining to figure out what had knocked him down and was holding him down. He groans as he looks up at Princess Cadance - the real one - giving him an amused grin as she holds him down pinned to the floor.
"Pinned ya!" Cadance exclaims, her smile a mile wide.
"Ugh... Cadance, I haven't even had coffee yet!" Shining moans out, recognizing the pounce attack as "Excited Cadance Sign #1".
The smile remains on Cadance's face as she steps off to allow Shining Armor to get back on his hooves. As he does so, he asks Cadance what has got her so excited. The response is "Excited Cadance Sign #2" - something, in this case a newspaper sheet, being draped over Shining's head.
The sheet of newspaper is propped up by Shining's horn, making something of a tent that covers the rolling eyes on his face. Cadance, meanwhile, is giggling like a filly at the sight.
"Can't I at least have my coffee first?" Shining Armor sighs out as he levitates the sheet off his face using his unicorn magic.
"You can read it while you have your coffee. Aunt Celly and I got really excited when we saw the headline article." Cadance eagerly answers.
Shining mutters under his breath as he tries to juggle folding the paper to the article Cadance indicated and pouring a cup of coffee without making a big mess of either job. He can hear from Cadance's continued giggles she seems to find this very funny, and has to resist an urge to let out an exasperated sigh.
By the time Shining gets the newspaper folded, he has the coffee cup poured and levitates a small cream dispenser to pour some cream into the coffee mug. He starts reading the article Cadance was telling him about - detailing Twilight Sparkle stopping the Ursa Minor rampage in Ponyville - and immediately his eyes go up in an impressed look as he finishes the cream pour.
"That is something to get excited about!" Shining exclaims as he is reading, raising the coffee mug with his magic and taking a sip. Cadance bursts out giggling again as Shining's face contorts into disgust and he tries to discretely dribble the coffee back into the mug.
"I think you forgot to put the sugar in there, 'Shiny'." Cadance points out through continued snickering, which just causes an annoyed glare back at her...
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SOME TIME LATER...
"Captain, I must protest this!" Shining Armor exclaims as he gets his briefing in Captain Gibraltar's office about Fidelitas and the Ponyville assignment. "Why is Aten covering two shifts? I wouldn't even trust him with one shift!"
"Shining, Shining, please, I knew this would upset you going in." Gibraltar replies wearily as he shuffles paperwork behind his desk. "But I didn't have a choice in the matter. Selecting you, as much as I wanted to, would be against regulations, and I wasn't about to trust Aten with that assignment. Sending Fidelitas was the best of the available options I had."
"With all due respect, sir, I still don't like it." Shining huffs out.
"I didn't think you would. And to be honest, I don't like it either. But Princess Celestia put it on highest priority, I couldn't put it off. You understand?"
"I understand, sir, but you said yourself I was the better candidate to be selected."
"Because you want to see your sister again?" Gibraltar asks, looking Shining straight in the eye as he speaks.
"Well... to be honest, sir, that's one of the reasons. But if the Ursa Minor got riled up again..."
Gibraltar puts a forehoof up to stop Shining: "Say no more. I understand your concerns, I really do, but we still have to work within the rules and regulations of the Royal Guard. That means no night shifters. And I seriously doubt that Princess Celestia would make an exception, even for you."
"I understand, sir." Shining replies, his tone deflated.
"It'll just be for a few days, I promise. Hopefully, Aten will be worked too hard to take advantage of the situation."
"If you say so, sir..." Shining replies again, his tone sounding like he didn't quite believe the Captain...