While Discord and Scorpan were making their way back to Canterlot, Shining Armor stood on the balcony of the Crystal Empire taking in all that the crisp night air had to offer. The young prince of this empire had a lot on his mind when it came to his bitter grudge against Discord. He could only wonder if Discord was indeed truly sorry for what he did, but Shining Armor was not just a prince, but also a brother and a husband who needed to protect those who were very close to him.
"Shining Armor?" asked a melodious voice and the young prince turned to see Princess Cadence, his young wife walking towards him. "You have been standing there all night. Come in and let's go to bed."
"I can't," he sighed, without even a second thought. "Something about that Discord character has been on my mind and I can't seem to let it go."
Cadence sighed heavily at this and joined her husband on the balcony. In her mind, Cadence was one who wanted to move on with her life. She didn't want to dwell on Discord's betrayal any longer and it showed.
"Shining Armor, when are you going to forgive Discord for what he did?" she asked, impatiently. "He is sorry for betraying Equestria to Tirek, but you just can't seem to forgive him when everypony else has already had. Why do you continue to harbor this grudge?"
"Because he tried to take you and Twilight away from me, Cadence," retorted Shining Armor as a small gust of wind blew through the two rulers. "Discord was always taught to me by Lock Down that he was an enemy of Equestria who wanted nothing more than to rule Equestria in a chaotic manner. Part of me wants to forgive him and another part of me wants to try him, convict him and either execute or imprison him."
At this point, Cadence couldn't deal with hearing the name of Shining Armor's mentor any longer. Even though he helped her husband rescue her and Twilight from General Kuwaga's clutches, Lock Down was a pony that was unpredictable in terms of his sayings and such.
"Well, I have been around Discord before," remarked Cadence, trying to defend Discord in a sense. "He is nothing like Tirek, Shining Armor and you know it. Tirek was a creature that wanted to drain Equestria of every single bit of magic that ever existed. He is the one we should all be blaming for what happened, not Discord."
"That's because you are just defending him, Cadence," snapped Shining Armor, the sound of his voice making Cadence jump slightly. "He is a legitimate threat to Equestria and he must be put down for good."
Then, Shining Armor's voice lowered and his guard dropped as Cadence took notice. It appeared in her point of view, that Shining Armor deep down inside, wanted to forgive Discord for all that he did. But the protective side was still there.
"But, you don't want to after what he did to help Twilight and her friends?" guessed Cadence. "When he gave Twilight the last key that defeated Tirek, is that right?"
Shining Armor nodded his head and walked back into the castle, still heavily thinking of his thoughts that were going through his mind.
"I mean you have to give Discord forgiveness on those levels," advised Cadence as she followed Shining Armor. "He helped Rarity and Fluttershy in remaking Twilight's dresses that were lost when the library blew up. If he was bent on devoting his alliance to Tirek, would he have done that?"
Shining Armor took in what his wife said and then turned back to her before they got to their bedroom.
"I don't think he would have," he said, much to his wife's satisfaction. "Still, there was no excuse whatsoever for what he did, Cadence and you know it. He should at least be put on trial and we can see where his allegiances lie."
This statement didn't bode well with Cadence and as they walked into their bedroom, the second youngest of Equestria's four princesses had to find of another way to get Shining Armor to let go of his grudge.
"Shining Armor," she said, sternly and out of patience. "You just can't seem to understand that Discord is sorry for what he did. I think you two need to face each other and you need to accept whatever apologies he gives you. A trial is not what Discord should go through and you know it. Our subjects along with the rest of Equestria don't want a trial either and Tirek is far too dangerous to be brought back to Equestria for one. All that matters is that Tirek is in back in Tartarus where he belongs and Discord is forgiven for his actions. Can't you see that?"
It was this statement by Cadence did Shining Armor seemingly think of what was really being put on the table. He was acting this way out of pure protection of his wife and younger sister, using all of the lessons that Lock Down had taught him.
"In a way, yes," he sighed as they climbed into bed, while Cadence removed her royal accessories. "Discord never meant to hurt anypony and we both know that, but that is no excuse for what he did. I may forgive Discord for not hurting anypony, but I will never forgive him for his betrayal ever."
On the those words, the young rulers went to bed and early the next morning, a knock was heard on the bedroom door and Shining Armor awoke to see who it was. Opening it, he saw two of the Crystal Empire's royal guards in front of him with what appeared to be a message of some sorts.
"Prince Armor," one of them said as they saluted their leader. "It is from Canterlot. You and Cadence are to be summoned there immediately."
"What is the news?" asked Shining Armor, fully waking up.
"Princess Celestia and Princess Luna have requested that you both meet with Discord and the creature that they call Scorpan."
Hearing this also got Cadence out of bed and normally, she was a heavy sleeper on certain occasions, but not today. It seemed in her mind that the message she had been trying to give Shining Armor was coming to pass.
"Perhaps you will see that Discord wants to truly apologize for what he has done," remarked Cadence as Shining Armor decided that they needed to leave.
"Tell Princess Celestia and Princess Luna that we will arrive in Canterlot soon," he said, knowing that Cadence would be continuously pushing him with these pledges for forgiving Discord if this grudge he had been harboring continued.
Discord and Shining Armor would soon meet again and who knew how this impending meeting would play out…