My Little Pony, Friendship is Magic: Stallion Edition

by SuperPinkBrony12

Chapter 68: Sun and Moon

"Shining?! Shining! Shining, wake up!" Spike cried, a rare hint of desperation in his voice.

Shining opened his eyes and woke up with a start! "What is it, Spike?!" He urgently asked. "Did I oversleep?! Is the celebration starting?!"

"That's the thing, I can't tell what time it is," Spike replied. "Maybe it's the middle of the night, or maybe it's the middle of the day!"

"What are you talking about?! What's going on?!" Shining demanded, stumbling out of his bed.

"Just take a look for yourself!" Spike insisted, pointing to the window of the castle suite he and Shining Armor were staying in.

Shining prepared himself for the possibility of seeing just about anything, but upon gazing out of the window he still had to rub his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things. The sky was perfectly divided between the sun and the moon, half daytime and half nighttime, something that defied all logical explanation. "Something must be wrong!" He thought outloud. "Princess Celestia and Princess Luna wouldn't just let the sun and moon stay in the sky like that!"

"What do you suppose happened that caused of all this?" Spike wondered.

"I don't know, but we're not going to find out anything by just staying here and waiting for somepony to come and find us!" Shining said seriously, quickly taking charge. "Come on, Spike! Something fishy's going on here and we're going to find out what!"

"I have a bad feeling about this." Spike muttered to himself, as he followed Shining Armor out of the castle and onto the streets of Canterlot.

---

The citizens of Canterlot had taken notice of the unusual appearance of the sky, and the sun and the moon. But not one of them knew how or why it was happening. They were in a state of confusion, and to make matters worse they had not seen or heard from either of the princesses. For all they knew, some sinister force or ancient evil could be behind all of this!

"Look!" One of the residents shouted and pointed a hoof. "There's Prince Shining Armor, he has to know something!"

Almost immediately, Shining Armor and Spike found themselves overwhelmed by concerned and anxious citizens, all of whom were shooting off questions a mile a minute such as: "What happened to the princesses?!", "Why are the sun and the moon in the sky at the same time?!", "Has the Summer Sun Celebration been cancelled?!", and "Are we at war?!"

Before Shining had a chance to even try to say anything, two royal guards with gray coats came rushing up to him. They quickly shooed away the crowds, telling them only: "The matter at hoof is being investigated, there is no reason to panic," They then turned to Shining Armor. "Captain... uh we mean, your highness, you must come with us. It's urgent."

"Is it about the sun and the moon?" Shining asked the guards, both of which nodded.

The guards led Shining and Spike away, taking them to the guard barracks and into the captain's quarters. Then they locked the door, practically slamming it shut. It was then that the guard standing to Shining's left spoke up. "It's Princess Celestia and Princess Luna."

"What about them?" Shining asked.

"They're missing!" The other guard spoke up. "We have no leads as to where they are!"

"What?!" Shining and Spike both gasped.

"It's true," The first guard admitted. "It appears they've simply vanished without a trace. We've found neither hide or hair of them, and we haven't obtained any sort of ransom notes or distress calls! That's why we've come to you, your highness."

"We await our command, we live to serve you." The other guard added, as both bowed to Shining.

"What do you mean my command?" Shining asked. "Cadence is a princess too, and has been royalty for longer than I have. She outranks me."

"Cadence is safe in The Crystal Empire, but all transportation all across Equestria has grounded to a halt," Explained a pegasus guard with a familiar dark yellow coat, cornflower blue eyes, a two toned sapphire blue mane and tail styled into a mohawk, and a cutie mark depicting a two-toned blue shield behind a yellow lightning bolt. "With Celestia and Luna officially declared missing, and Cadence occupied with her royal duties in The Crystal Empire, the chain of command falls to you."

Shining instantly recognized the guard who had just spoken. "First Lieutenant Flash Sentry, what are you doing here?! You're supposed to be overseeing guard detail in The Crystal Empire!"

"Cadence can handle things by herself in the empire," Flash protested, approaching his captain. "Word got out pretty fast that Celestia and Luna were missing, Cadence could sense it. When I heard about that and saw the sun and moon as they were, I knew something was up and that you'd need my help."

"You shouldn't have come here!" Shining protested. "You were hoping my sister would be here, don't think I didn't notice you staring at her when she stayed in the empire for the royal summit a few weeks ago. You're supposed to be doing your job, not looking for an excuse to try and make googly eyes at my sister!"

"Captain, it was just one random encounter, it didn't mean anything!" Flash protested. "Cadence practically insisted I come here and help out, you can't do this alone!"

"We await your command, your highness," The other royal guards insisted. "Please, there's no time to waste! Tell us what you want us to do, and we'll do it!"

Not one to hesitate, Shining immediately began barking out orders. To the two guards who had escorted him to the barracks, he told them. "I want you both to continue the search for the princesses. There must be some sort of clue that can tell us what happened to them and where they are! If you find anything, let me know right away! No detail is too small to be important, any lead at all could be a big help!"

"Yes sir!" The two guards obeyed, and bolted out the door as fast they could.

"Way to take charge, Shining," Spike encouraged. "Looks like the old captain of the team still has what it takes."

Normally, Shining would've taken a moment to appreciate Spike's comment, but he still had the matter of Flash Sentry's unexpected arrival to deal with. "I should have you court martialed for this, Flash! You disobeyed orders and left your post, all on a whim that you might be helpful!"

"But you're in over your head, it's not just the disappearance of the princesses that's got everypony up in arms!" Flash protested. "I wasn't sure how to tell you this, but just before my departure Princess Cadence obtained an S.O.S. from Ponyville sent by your sister herself. The Everfree Forest is invading, thick black vines have already spread into the heart of town, and by all accounts it shows no signs of stopping!"

"What?!" Shining exclaimed, his eyes widening to the size of dinner plates.

"I wish it wasn't true, but it is," Flash said with a reluctant sigh. "All train routes leading to Ponyville have been shut down, every train has been ordered to halt at whatever station its currently at! The vines have already ensnared the tracks into and out of town, the entire town's in a state of desperation! Nothing can get in or out, and with The Everfree Forest still invading, it's too dangerous for Cadence to leave the safety of The Crystal Empire! Estimations have it that if the forest continues on its current expansion unchecked, it will take over half of Equestria!"

"My friends are in danger!" Shining realized. "And The Elements of Harmony are stored in Ponyville, they might be the only thing capable of stopping whoever or whatever's responsible for all of this!"

"But you can't just leave Canterlot, not when it's in this state!" Spike protested. "The whole city would plunge into anarchy!"

"Guess it's a good thing I came here when I did," Flash said seriously. "I took charge of the royal guard once before during your leave of absence following your wedding, and I'd be honored to take charge again. That is, if you'll let me, Captain."

"I don't know, Flash," Shining commented, a noticeable frown forming on his face. "You already disobeyed my orders on a whim. You know that even if Princess Cadence gives you a command, unless she runs it by me or I am incapacitated, I hold the final say in all guard assignments. Even with my ascension to alicornhood, I'm still very much your captain."

"But Captain, I really want to help," Flash insisted. "And you can't deny you need me. I don't like it anymore than you do that I had to disobey your orders, but if I had followed them to the letter who knows how long it would've taken for word of The Everfree's invasion to reach your ears, or who you'd entrust with leading the guards while you travel to Ponyville. Once this whole crisis blows over we can discuss my punishment, but if The Elements of Harmony are the only thing capable of restoring order, and you and your friends are the only ones who can wield them, I don't need to wait for your permission to ensure the royal guard doesn't fall apart and Canterlot with it. Please, give me a chance, I just want to be helpful!"

Shining was silent for a few moments, while he mentally weighed the pros and cons of the decisions he could make. At last, he reluctantly made up his mind and reached a conclusion. With a sigh he told Flash. "Very well, I suppose for now you can lead the guards around here. Spike, take a letter please!"

"Who am I addressing it to?" Spike asked, as he pulled out some parchment and a writing quill.

"To all members of the royal guard," Shining replied, and began to explain what he was issuing. "Effective immediately and until the return of the princesses to Canterlot, I, Prince Shining Armor, Captain of The Royal Guard, do hereby grant First Lieutenant Flash Sentry permission to oversee and head up the royal guard in my absence. He is to be informed immediately should anything be found out about who or what is responsible for the disappearances of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, and should anything happen to me before the princesses are safely returned, he shall assume my royal duties and lead the citizens of Canterlot until Princess Cadence or Prince Blueblood can take charge."

Spike finished writing the letter at a breakneck speed, and gave the scroll it was written on to Flash Sentry. "Hopefully that will cut through the red tape and avoid confusion," He told Flash. "And one right hoof man to another, best of luck, you'll most definitely need it."

"Thank you, Captain!" Flash bowed. "I won't let you down! Now then, what are you last orders before you depart for Ponyville?"

"If the public asks what has happened, fill them in but make sure to inform them we're already investigating the disappearances and won't rest until Celestia and Luna have returned," Shining instructed. "For now, they may go about their business as usual, there's no reason to panic. But should The Everfree Forest threaten to invade Canterlot, start immediate evacuations to The Crystal Empire and inform Princess Cadence that her empire will be Equestria's temporary capital. Also, make sure Prince Blueblood is somewhere safe, and that he is informed of the situation immediately. Like it or not, he has a right to succeed me should I fall or be put out of commission, at least as long as Cadence remains in The Crystal Empire."

"Very well, I'll do as you've requested," Flash nodded. "But know that I'll delay telling Blueblood for as long as justifably possible."

"I would expect no less, but make sure he's aware before long. Hopefully this will all blow over before he ever has to be in charge, but it never hurts to prepare for the worst case scenario," Shining replied. "I don't know how long Spike and I shall be gone, but we won't come back to Canterlot until The Everfree Forest has been stopped and Princess Celestia and Princess Luna found!"

---

Shining and Spike left the guard compound and headed out into the streets. "Hopefully there's still a working chariot that can take us to Ponyville," He told Spike. "And I sure hope the guys are okay."

"Uh, not that I mean to be rude or anything, but you have wings," Spike commented. "And I'm pretty sure they'll be much faster than taking some chariot that may not even be there. The sooner we get to Ponyville, the sooner we can find out what needs to be done to solve all of this, and the sooner we can come back."

Shining stopped in his tracks. "You know what? You're right, Spike. Don't know what I was thinking, I've got these new wings and it's about time I started using them! Hop aboard and hang on tight, it's gonna be a bumpy ride!"

"Oh boy!" Spike remarked, as he reluctantly climbed onto Shining's back and strapped himself in. "I hope you know what you're doing, Shining! I didn't bring a crash helmet!"

Shining decided to ignore that last bit. "Thank you for flying Air Shining Armor, please remain seated and keep your claws and legs inside the ride at all times! Next stop, Ponyville!" And with a flap of his wings, he was off! "Hang on guys, I'm coming!" He thought to himself, as he departed Canterlot. "Whoever or whatever is responsible for all of this is gonna pay big time! Mess with my friends, I'm mad! Mess with my the princesses, I'm really mad! Mess with Equestria's stability, I'm absolutely PEEVED!"

Author's Note:

Since Shining Armor is in charge of the royal guard, even now that he's an alicorn, I decided that sort of context would need to be added to his interactions.

As for Flash Sentry, well, think of this as a sort of test. I am considering possibly making him into a sort of Spike like role for Shining Armor (though Spike will still be by Shining's side as needed), an assistant to help him out.

I'll also try to give Princess Cadence more of a role in this arc, as I did here. But no promises.

Comments

[Comickook]

Hey there. Thanks greatly for getting the next chapter up. I really appreciate you going to the effort. Once again, great job on the exchanges, emotional content, action and future chapter set-up in all the right places. I particularly liked Shining mobilizing the guards and Flash pitching in when needed, even technically against orders in the case of the latter. I will definitely be looking forward to more of this as soon as time and inspiration will allow.

[Yoshifan30]

Shining decided to ignore that last bit. "Thank you for flying Air Shining Armor, please remain seated and keep your claws and legs inside the ride at all times! Next stop, Ponyville!" And with a flap of his wings, he was off! " Hang on guys, I'm coming! " He thought to himself, as he departed Canterlot. " Whoever or whatever is responsible for all of this is gonna pay big time! Mess with my friends, I'm mad! Mess with my the princesses, I'm really mad! Mess with Equestria's stability, I'm absolutely PEEVED ! "

I do like he was joking about like air shining armor lol that funny Also he is really determined to protect everybody or and one more thing Shining Armor