//------------------------------// // A Startling Morning // Story: Friendship is Shining: Family Matters // by Hopeful_Ink_Hoof //------------------------------// Shining Armor was awaken by the sound of knocking on his door. Blinking, he looked around. It was morning now. Well... it had been morning before, but now the sun was actually up. He was still in his bed, which was still just him. The door opened, and Spike poked his head in. "Shining?" "I'm awake," Shining Armor answered as he rolled out of bed. "What is it, Spike?" Pushing the door open more, the young dragon stepped in. He held a scroll in one claw as he made his way toward the stallion. "You got a letter from Princess Celestia," Spike said. "Also, breakfast is ready." "Thanks," Shining said as he took the scroll in his magic and began to unfurl it. "Shining? Are you okay?" Spike moved a little closer. "You look like something's wrong." Shining Armor considered the question a moment as he looked back toward the bed. He could still remember the dream so vividly, although the dream within the dream had faded to all but a few meaningless words. The warm touch, the gentle voice, the cuddling, the talking. The kiss. So gentle. So affectionate. "Just feeling a little lonely," he finally said. Turning back to Spike, he smirked. "We haven't all met the mare of our dreams and have declared our undying love and dedication to yet." That got a slight chuckle from the young dragon before he suddenly perked up, eyes wide. "That reminds me. I had this really amazing dream last night. Rarity and I were in a relationship." "Oh?" Shining asked, raising an eyebrow. "How was that going?" "Great!" Spike declared, nearly jumping in place. "We were all having breakfast together and talking." He suddenly froze, eyes going wide. "Breakfast..." he whispered before shouting, "I left Twiley alone with the pancakes!" He then bolted out the room and down the stairs. A chuckle escaped Shining Armor as he watched Spike run off. He was pretty sure that Twilight was not going to eat all of the pancakes by herself, but it did not stop her from trying, and from the young dragon worrying that she actually would. "Save some for me," Shining called out after Spike before turning his attention to the scroll. My Dear Faithful Student, I am writing to inform you of something that I myself have recently been made aware of. It seems that a neighboring royal -- Princess Chrysalis of the changelings -- has decided to visit Equestria. Not so much to visit with me and discuss official matters, although I do believe that she shall do so in due time, but more to explore the land and possibly meet ponies of interest. In light of events surrounding the return of my sister and Discord, and your role in them, it seems probable that she may make her way to Ponyville. To that end, I ask that you be aware of any new ponies that may appear suddenly. Especially those that seem to be extremely interested in you and the others, and are highly flirtatious. I am uncertain how useful this description may be to you, seeing how you are a single stallion and a hero to the kingdom. Unfortunately, I cannot provide a physical description as Princess Chrysalis is a changeling, which allows her to be able to thoroughly disguise herself how she sees fit. She very well may not even be disguised as a mare, as she is just as capable of appearing as a stallion. This does not include the possibility of other races as well. While this letter is to notify you about this, understand that there is nothing for you to worry about. Princess Chrysalis and her changelings are allies to us, and while she may at times be mischievous, she means no harm to any pony or the kingdom as a whole. I am also quite certain that she is full capable of taking care of herself, should danger arise. However, her court -- the queen especially -- would like to find her, and admittedly, I myself am curious as to what she is currently up to. As such, should any ponies arrive in town that you suspect may be secretly royalty, please notify with as much information on the subject as possible. Sincerely, Princess Celestia. Shining Armor pursed his lips as he read the letter. His mind tried to go through his memories, picking out what he could about changelings. If he recalled right, they were some sort of insect-like pony creature... or... pony-like insect creature. Whichever was the case, they had a talent for disguising themselves as other creatures, such as ponies, and... something else? They had some sort of dietary quirk? He had never met one that he knew of -- much less dined with them -- and the whole thing had been a lesson from when he was younger. It was doubtful that it mattered though. Despite what happened with Nightmare Moon and Discord, Ponyville was hardly a grand tourist spot. Yes, some ponies did come to see it, but they were few and far between. Most would go to Manehattan or Las Pegasus for big cities, Rainbow Falls if they were looking for natural beauty, or Appleloosa if they wanted some sort of rustic experience. Few ponies would come to Ponyville just because it was the sight of attacks from ancient beings long thought of as myths. Plus, what did his being single have to do with anything? Putting the letter away for later, Shining Armor left his room and made his way downstairs to the kitchen. There, Spike and Twilight were already seated, happily eating away at their pancakes. "So what was the letter about?" Twilight Sparkle asked before shoving another pancake into her mouth (not just a bite or forkful, but an entire pancake). "Nothing to worry about," Shining Armor answered as he sat down and grabbed some for himself. "A princess from another kingdom is running around Equestria, and Princess Celestia just wanted to have me keep my eyes open." He grabbed the syrup. "I don't see why though. I doubt a princess is going to come to a place like Ponyville." Looking up from his own plate, Spike raised an eyebrow as he stared at Shining Armor. "Did you just say that?" the young dragon asked. "Did you really just say that?" "Say what?" Shining asked, raising an eyebrow of his own. "Come on," Spike said, waving his arms. "You said you didn't think she was going to come here. Don't you know what that means?" He pointed a claw at Shining Armor. "That's exactly what's going to happen. Just you watch." He stood up and pointed toward the ceiling before making his declaration. "By the end of the day, that princess will be in Ponyville!" Rolling his eyes, Shining Armor gave a shake of his head. "Spike, you've been reading too many comic books. Saying something is not going to happen isn't going to make it happen, just like asking 'what's the worst the that could happen?' isn't going to cause things to go badly, or saying 'it can't get any worse' will make things get worse than they already are. Allow me to demonstrate." Shining Armor cleared his throat. "There is no way a princess is going to suddenly show up at our front door," he announced in a loud, clear voice. There was a knock at the door, causing the three of them to jump. They stared toward the door for a second before Spike turned to Shining Armor. "Five bits says that's the princess you were warned about." "It's not," Shining said as he made his way for the door. "It's probably one of our friends dropping by early for some reason. Or it could be somepony who needs a book for something and can't wait." "Or a princess!" Spike called after him. With a sigh, Shining Armor shook his head. Between Spike and Twilight, sometimes it felt like he was the only one that could tell the difference from reality and fiction. Granted, certain things that happened in time were so strange that it seemed to come out of a story, but still. There was a knock again. "Coming," Shining Armor called out. Reaching the door, he pulled it open. "Welcome to Go--ACK!" The rest of his greeting was cut off as he was suddenly pulled into a bone-crushing hug. "Oh, my boy!" a feminine voice cried out. "I'm so glad you're okay. I was so worried about you. We got here as soon as we could." "Velvet," a masculine voice said, "ease up a little there. Don't want to end up crushing the lad, now do you." The grip on Shining Armor eased up and he was able to breathe again. Blinking, he looked at the pony hugging him, then at the pony standing nearby. "Mom? Dad?" His mother -- Twilight Velvet -- and father -- Night Light -- smiled at him. Smiling back, he moved to give them both a hug in return. "Spike! Twilight!" he calls out. "It's Mom and Dad." The sound of a stampede that must have been equal to ten Big Macintoshes echoed through the library. The source of all the noise, however, was not from ten very large and muscular earth ponies, or even one, but from a single unicorn filly. "MOM!" Twilight shouted from the other side of the room. "DAD!" As fast as her legs could carry her, she ran toward her parents. Halfway across the room, she leaped into the air, becoming a little purple unicorn missile. Before she could discover if she could leap far enough to reach her parents or fall short, a bright rose colored magic aura grabbed Twilight, pulling her to Velvet who gave her a hug too. "Come on, Spike!" Night Light called out. "You're the only one missing from the reunion here, son." While not showing the same amount of enthusiasm as Twilight, Spike did run to meet the other two. Reaching Night Light first, the little dragon gave the dark blue stallion a hug. A look passed between Spike and Twilight. They both smirked before turning to the respective hug partner. "What did you bring me?" they both asked at the same time. There was a moment of quiet surprise before the older ponies burst into laughter. "So what are you doing here?" Shining Armor asked as he led them into the library and toward the kitchen. "I thought you were going to be off on your third honeymoon slash tour of Equestria until Hearth's Warming." Twilight Velvet moved to suddenly stand in front of her son. Her face took on a stern look that he recognized. Good news, he was not in trouble. Bad news, he had said something that his mother disapproved of. "I got word that my children -- my son -- had wound up facing another ancient evil bent on destroying Equestria." With a sigh, she rolled her eyes. "Not only is that a sentence I would never thought I would have to say, but the fact I can actually use 'another' in it is extremely unexpected." Her gaze then returned to Shining Armor, and her expression softened. "Do you honestly believe that your father and I would not come running as soon as we could?" "We also have some things we want to talk to you about," Night Light added. A loud grumbling from Shining Armor's stomach got the attention of all gathered. "Perhaps we can discuss it all over breakfast," the older stallion said with a laugh, getting an embarrassed chuckle from the younger one.