Shining Armor once again accompanied the Canine dignitaries visiting Canterlot, guarding them as they roamed the castle. Princess Celestia had given them free reign to explore the castle and partake in its many amenities, so long as Captain Armor accompanied them. While two of the Canines remained silent, Under-Commissar Bulldog talked freely with Shining.
"I must say, my colleagues and I have been very pleased with the reception we've gotten since we've arrived here. Our talks with the Princesses have gone amiably, and the amenities and comforts provided have been most satisfactory" The Under-Commissar said to Shining.
"Thank you, we feel it's our obligation to make all guests feel welcome, appreciated, and as if this was their own home" Shining offered in reply. The group walked through the Grand Hall, where the Grand Galloping Gala was held each year. At this moment the Hall was silent, leaving Shining and the Canines its only occupants.
"You have certainly made us feel welcome. Now, let us talk of other matters. Officially, we are to speak with your Princesses in matters of a diplomatic nature. But, personally, I would like to speak with you in matters of a military nature. I'm sure it's common knowledge that the Canine Republic is a nation of Frontieres sans Militaires; borders without soldiers" Bulldog stated.
"Ah, yes, I have heard of this. The nation without a military. I suppose your skills in diplomacy have contributed to the Republic having not been invaded in nearly 100 years" Shining Armor replied.
"Oh but of course. But, we have always been curious about other nation's militaries, namely yours. The Equestrian Empire has the largest military in the world, and just recently you have won a war against the Felines. Even though your military is mighty, many find it quite surprising that you beat a race so fanatical and tenacious as the Felines" the Under-Commissar told Shining.
"Well, our brute strength wasn't the only contributing factor. You need to have clever strategy and planning, the means to produce more supplies than the enemy, and the means to get them to the right places quickly. In terms of sheer numbers, the Felines could've easily beaten us, but they lacked strategy and focus, and they had not the means to properly supply their troops. Their defeat was owed just as much to logistics as it was military strategy" Shining explained.
"I see. But, have you ever pondered the political side of war? Consider this; could it be that the Felines may one day be your allies? Or that a truce could have been achieved in this war?" Bulldog asked.
"I am a soldier, Under-Commissar. I have not a mind for political interests; I see the world through the sights of a gun. But, if I could venture a guess, I would say that it is not likely that I nor the Empire would ever be allied with the Felines. Or that a truce could've been reached. Had it been so, however, I would've abided by the Princesses' will."
"That is something else I wished to ask of you, as an Equestrian. Have you ever considered if you are blindly obedient to your rulers, or that you believe in them by conscious choice?" Bulldog inquired.
"What are you getting at?" Shining said.
"In the Republic, no political figure is trusted at all. Intense scrutiny is placed under us, and no subject would ever swear any manner of obedience to us unless it was of their own volition. Figures and heads of state at any level are regularly questioned by the public, and no matter of interest whether big or small is ignored by the citizenry. Such an intense focus on politics by our citizenry has ensured corruption has stayed out of our government."
"Our Princesses are collectively Goddess, Under-Commissar. Divinity embodied, whom grace us with their presence and rule. They are infallible, and incorruptible. It is under their wisdom Equestria has flourished, and our once quaint nation is now the mightiest Empire in the world" Shining declared.
"Such is the blind obedience I was speaking of. Be careful, Captain Armor, for you may find that blind obedience leads one down a dark path" the Under-Commissar told Shining, eliciting a respectful hum from the Captain.
"I will take that into consideration. Now, let us get under way" Shining Armor said.
"Let's."
Cadance fretted, pacing back and forth in her house. 30 hours she'd been awake, the exhaustion hardly affecting her, but physically she looked like a haggard mess. Mentally, she was unaffected by the lack of sleep, but yet still was she freaking out over what she was supposed to. She could not fathom how she would ever keep this secret for several years, and she'd like to tell herself she didn't know how her elders did it, but the new light she saw them in explained it all.
Sociopaths... Utter, complete sociopaths. Confirmed. Psychopathy, sociopathy, utter barbarism. Disgusting creatures, my fellow Alicorns are. Not even fit to be called Pony; they are subponies. What the hell what the hell WHAT THE FLAMING FUCK?!
Coffee had become Cadance's only friend the past day and a half, always by her side, comforting her, telling her soothing things.
Crazy I am going crazy!! I... I can't do it. I can't stay silent. I MUST tell somepony, I must tell the WORLD!!
Panic suddenly turned to a white-hot rage as Cadance thought to how Celestia and Luna planned to escape by themselves, leaving the world to die. Cadance's face contorted to one of anger, but she did what she could to keep the tempest internalized. Her conscience struggled to understand what could drive a pony to be as cruel as heartless as the elder Princesses were.
The Alicorn Ideology... A thought process of superiority, of elitism. An ideology founded on circular logic and asinine reasoning. WHY?! Why do they-- NO! It matters not. All that matters is stopping them, ensuring that the world learns the truth, and that we get as many aboard My Heaven as we can before the sun goes out Cadance thought, her decision final.
She heard the front door open.
Oh Goddess... It's time.
"Cady, I'm home!" Cadance heard Shining Armor call from downstairs. "Dear heart?"
Oh, Goddess.
The heavy plodding of iron on wood filled Cadance's ears, sounding not unlike the sound of a coming executioner. Cadance listened, her blood pounding so hard she could hear it rushing through her ears. She waited anxiously, dread building in her as Shining approached their bedroom.
"Honey? You in here?" Shining said, the doorknob turning and the door being pushed open. Shining Armor stepped in, his contented look of bemusement melting away as he saw the state of his wife. "By the Princesses, are you OK, dear? You look sick."
"DO NOT MENTION THOSE SWINE!!" Cadance thundered, her rage showing for but a moment in voice and appearance, a burst of pink flames igniting and dissipating off her body at once. Shining tensed, his military training taking control of his muscles for but a moment. When his brain caught up to his body Shining took note of what Cadance has said, and he felt even more tense.
"Excuse me? 'Swine'? What are you talking about, Cady? Are you alright?" Shining asked, taking a tentative step towards his wife. Cadance's rage vanished, her expression softening. Her legs collapsed under her weight, her rump hitting the floor with a *thump*.
"Shining, there's something you need to know. There are many things you need to know..." Cadance muttered, closing her eyes. She lied down, folding her legs under her body. Shining Armor approached at once, moving closer to his wife to comfort her.
"It's OK, dear heart. Take your time" Shining said, his mind conjecturing as to what Cadance could have to tell him. If Shining knew anything by her temperament and frazzled state he would guess that she was pregnant, which he would find to be most wonderful news. "Dear, are you pregnant?!"
"What?! Goddess, no. Shining Armor, what I am about to tell you is...unsettling. It may be...difficult to comprehend, to understand, but please accept what I am about to tell you as the honest truth" Cadance said.
"I'm listening, my love."
"Shining Armor, I..." Cadance started, looking up into Shining's eyes, those blue orbs filled with care, concern, and love. Cadance's heart swelled as she looked at them, and at the moment she did not care what Celestia had told her; she can feel true love. Cadance's ruined mental state and the effects of having been up for nearly two days straight caught up to Cadance, and she began to cry.
"S-Shining... The s-s-sun... It's-- It's going out..." Cadance sobbed, her husband taking a step back.
"What? Cadance, what are you talking about?"
"THE SUN!!" Cadance bellowed, fully igniting in pink fire. The floorboards beneath her hooves melted. Magical flames licked at the air off of Cadance's body, the mortal world seeing for the first time the pure rage of an Alicorn. Shining backpedaled, terrified by his wife's sudden outburst. As quickly as this tempest came it passed, and Cadance returned to normal. "The sun..." she whispered. "It's going out. Celestia and Luna told me."
"The sun...is going out?" Shining said, unsure of what he had heard.
"Yes... The sun is going out. In six years. That's not the worst of it, though, Shiny. The Princesses, Celestia and Luna, they have a plan to escape Equestria, our world, and survive. They plan to leave every last soul behind when they escape. They explained many things to me, but chief among them was that the sun was going out very soon, and that they intended to leave us all behind when it happened. They only just told me a few days ago" Cadance explained.
For but a moment Shining Armor did not respond, contemplating over what Cadance had just told him. He considered it one of the most ludicrous notions he'd ever heard of, but Cadance's current physical and mental state suggested it was true. As Shining Armor came to accept this notion, it dawned on that he had no idea how to react.
"I...don't understand" Shining stated.
"The sun's really old, or something similar, and it's about to burn off the last of its energy. No more light, no more heat. The daylight--well, there won't be daylight anymore--but the daylight temperature will drop by hundreds of degrees. Nothing will survive, except Celestia and Luna. They will be escaping, leaving us all to die" Cadance said.
"Celestia and Luna? So this isn't Nightmare Moon's return then..."
"No. This is a natural event."
Shining took another moment to think, and that is when something else Cadance said dawned on him.
"You said they're going to escape? That they intend to leave us all behind?" Shining asked, uncertain. "Why... Why would they do that?"
"Because they are sociopathic monsters, Shiny. They care not for us, only themselves. Only other Alicorns" Cadance told her husband, standing. "They think they are infallible, that they are Goddesses of the universe. That they alone should make the rules, and that everyone and everything should bend to their will. The laws of nature, of physics, of gravity... The universe itself. They think it should all be subjected to their will. They are crazy, they are dangerous, and what's worse is that had they not told me everything they would've succeeded, Shining Armor."
Shining Armor looked out the window at Canterlot Castle in the distance, thinking of his Princesses as they walked through the halls. Maybe sat in their rooms...
...And he was consumed with rage at them.
"So, now that we know all this. What are we going to do about it, Cadance?" Shining questioned, turning back to his wife. She saw the pure rage within his eyes, and she drank in it, the air shimmering as pink flames began to emanate off her body once again.
"We confront them over it, Captain Armor..." Cadance uttered darkly.