Discovering Friendship

by Saro0fdemonz

S2EP24

Shining Armor sighed as the room rocked from the boom outside. He stood slowly and patted himself down.

Cadence gave a gentle shake of her head, pouring herself another cup of tea.

"Even on my vacation..." he mumbled and pivoted, his mana sparking gently around him. Spike chuckled a little as he walked beside him.

"We don't get days off," he joked as his armor sprang to life around him.

"Must be handy to have it on call like that," Shining smirked

"Oh you have no idea," Rainbow added as her own armor formed around her at Shinings left.

"W-Wait!" Twilight stumbled after them, still adjusting to walking with her staff.

"Twilight. You may join us but please remain at the rear guard. You need time to prepare," Spike ordered gently, glancing at her over his shoulder. She let out a sigh and nodded, following them outside her home and toward the growing Chaos. There stood two people in light brown cloaks.

The one who issued the challenge had his arms crossed, revealing average everyday wear underneath his cloak. A simple sleeveless dark red shirt and a pair of faded jeans leading into his black sneakers. Despite how he held himself there was a wild look in his eyes and undeniable power exuding from his very presence.

To his side stood a young woman who felt it best to keep her hood up, but her piercing gaze drove through them all. She kept her cloak wrapped around her, revealing nothing but her bare feet on the dirt paved streets. Twilight shivered as the woman seemed to ignore all but herself.

"He's dangerous, but she's on another level," Twilight murmured behind them. Shining gave a nod, keeping his gaze focused on the pair.

"I'll take him if you take her," he smirked, his eyes flicking to spike for a moment.

"I'd rather not fight them at all to be honest. That woman most definitely knows what I am. This armor isn't going to fool her for a second, not with eyes like those," Spike answered under his breath.

"We ain't here to fight either of you anyway," the man scoffed, pointing to Twilight.

"You there, kid, bring your ass up here and I won't bust up your pals," he growled.

"Well that's not going to happen," Shining argued, crossing his arms as his mana flared and popped a bubble around Twilight.

"S-Shining!" She gasped

"I'm sorry Twilight. Indulge your brother a little, please..." he whispered. He took a slow breath and cleared his throat.

"I am Captain Shining Armor. Captain of Celestia's Royal Army. If you wish harm upon Twilight Sparkle or any of this towns citizens then you will have to face me," he announced.

"I am the Elite Captain of Celestia's Solar Guard. My name need not concern you as I have none. I too stand between you and Twilight Sparkle," Spike added.

"And I'm Rainbow Dash, Twilight's girlfriend. You wanna get to her, you gotta go through me," she growled, the bolts at her hips coming to life and spinning around her. Spike and Shining glanced at the Skyborn as she lit up with elemental and harmonic power, hovering slightly.

"We're quite the group. I recommend just dropping this and leaving," Shining chuckled.

"Names Jinx. You could call me a God of Chaos if you like, doesn't matter to me," he shrugged. Shining tensed up at the admission.

"A Chaotician? So soon after Discord?"

"So that's what you call em here? Interestin'. So that shit earlier was Discord? I admit I was a bit thrown off by that...So which one of you took him down, huh?" Jinx asked, looking between them.

"Oh oh oh! I helped!" Pinkie cheered from behind the pair. Jinx glanced over his shoulder and paused as Pinkie smiled at him.

"You stay out of this," he mumbled.

"Awww, but why?" Pinkie pouted, her bottom lip wobbling.

"Because I don't want to break this entire town. Because I can't contain that explosion. Because you're too cute to punch. Pick a damn reason and stay back," he argued. Silence hung over them for a moment until the cloaked woman began to laugh softly.

"I apologize for my friend, is it possible to seek a peaceful end?" she asked gently.

"Do you still intend to go after Twilight?" Shining asked.

"We came here on a quest, and she will be our guest. Should you stand in our way, I fear there will be blood this day," she nodded.

"Then I guess we have to fight," Shining sighed.

"W-wait," Twilight stammered, clutching her staff.

A heavy crack echoed around them and all eyes turned towards Sweet Apple Acres where heavy boom after boom rang again and again. Shining glanced at Jinx and the man lifted his hands.

"Hold up! That's not me!" he defended himself.

"Most likely Applejack," Rarity sighed as she entered the square followed by Vinyl in her armor.

"And there's more of them, great," Jinx grumbled. Rarity glanced among her friends and smiled a little.

"Well, friends are there for one another after all. It seems you've decided to go after a dear friend of mine and I will not allow it," Rarity huffed, holding out her hand. Her Claymore came to life without her armor, gently placed upon her shoulder. Rainbow blinked in shock.

"Wait! You can pull that thing outta thin air?! Without your armor? Since when?!" she gasped.

"Honestly Rainbow Dash, I wish you would pay more attention," Rarity sighed, pointing the blade at Jinx.

"We have you vastly outnumbered. I suggest you leave this place and abandon whatever thoughts fill that head of yours. You may be powerful but together we are stronger still," Rarity declared. Shining smiled over his shoulder at Twilight.

"You have some wonderful friends," he remarked. She leaned against her staff and gave a proud nod.

"Lets see...One vampire...no wait...Two vampires, an Elemental Skyborn, a dragon and a hotshot Magian...Alright then. All of you can come at me at once," Jinx mumbled.

"Wait a minute!" Pinkie huffed

"Oi! you stay out of this, cupcake! You trying to blow this town up or somethin?! If we tussle then this place will crumble to the ground," Jinx argued and then pointed to Shining Armor.

"Shield boy here can deflect and contain, his dragon pal can absorb, the vampires can teleport and redirect spells. You're a powerhouse like me. We're damn good at destruction. So stay back and let the safety squad handle me," he argued.

"I'm not comfortable with how much you know about us," Spike sighed as he marched forward.

"You kidding? You stand there like an open book and get mad when I read ya?" Jinx spat. Everyone blinked in surprise as Twilight teleported between the pair. She placed a hand on the womans' shoulder.

"You don't look like her, but that cloak is the same. You know something about me, don't you?" Twilight asked as she shook.

"Twilight!" her friends cried out. The woman placed her hand on Twilight's while offering her a small smile.

"I...I'm going to go with them," Twilight declared.

"WHAT?!" everyone yelled.

"Twilight, dear, please reconsider. We don't know..." Rarity began, pausing as Twilight shook her head.

"That's right Rarity. We DON'T know. Remember what Fluttershy said, back in the forest? Sometimes we all need to be shown a bit of Kindness. I know it sounds weird but...I...I don't think they mean any harm," Twilight tried to explain. Spike chuckled in his armor.

"If Twilight Sparkle trusts them then I shall as well," he answered.

"S-Sir!" Shining Armor glanced at Spike and then to Twilight.

"I've got to trust my gut, Shiny" Twilight smiled weakly. He clenched his fists for a moment and let out a sigh.

"Then I'm going with you. I've gotta trust my gut too ya know," he smirked.

"I'll tell all of ya right now. We ain't here to just bust heads, as much fun as it'd be. To be honest, I dunno what this crazy bitch wants with the kid. She just made it sound important is all. She ain't the gentle type though. I can't make any promises the girlie won't get hurt but it ain't our point to cause any harm," Jinx pointed out. His eyes shone with a dark light for a moment.

"I could blow this town to high hell with a snap of my fingers. Luckily, I'm on a short leash. My point here is - if any of you try to get in her way then you have to deal with me, got it?"

"And get it through that head of yours that if you hurt my Twilight..." Rainbow growled as her eyes began to glow. Jinx chuckled and held his hands in the air.

"Yea yea. You can tag along but don't get in the way," he scoffed.

"May I request your name?" Spike asked of the cloaked woman.

"You request my name but hold back yours? I've no problem sharing of course. I am no demon or terrible horror, you may refer to me as Zecora," she introduced herself. As she breathed her name the air seemed to thicken.

"Sir?" Shining Armor spoke softly, glancing at Spike

"She has magic, but she's no Magian," Spike muttered in response

"A keen eye on one so young, it leaves me to wonder who trained such a tongue," Zecora smirked for a moment.

"Many strange creatures have brought me to the point I stand at now. Perhaps there is something I could learn from you as well," Spike admitted.

"My people and dragon were once friends, I would not be against connecting old ends,"

"Lead the way then I suppose. Where Twilight goes, I go," Spike nodded, taking up post beside her. Shining Armor let out a sigh as he claimed Twilight's other side with Rainbow hovering just above them.

"I don't like this," Rainbow admitted.

"Sorry Dash...I just..." Twilight began

"It's cool Twi. Something just feels off, ya know?" she huffed.

"Yea, I blame Z for that. She's a whole hell of a lot weirder than anything I've ever seen," Jinx scoffed, crossing his arms as they walked.

"You're pretty weird yourself," Rainbow argued.

"Coming from an M'brir? Well don't I feel special," Jinx joked.

"A what now?" Rainbow stared at him and he let out a sigh, scratching at his chin.

"I swear I must be speakin' another language or somethin' here..." he grumbled.

"An M'brir? Something akin to a Chimera?" Spike asked. Jinx grinned a little.

"Aha! So you do understand me!" he laughed

"Blame my heritage. I could not fathom the language the word comes from but my own magics make it possible for me to translate, if only roughly," Spike explained.

"Chimera?" Rainbow asked, her wings fluttering slightly.

"You're a Hybrid, Rainbow," Twilight pointed out, clutching her staff tightly in both hands as they walked.

"So this Chimera thing, there's others like me?"

"Use'd to be plenty M'brir. They were bred as Soldiers..." Jinx muttered, gritting his teeth. Zecora patted his shoulder and he relaxed, if only slightly.

"Haven't seen many around other than you lately. World's too scared of your kind cause of what your existence means," Jinx spat.

"I don't like the sound of that..." Rarity admitted, her sword still slung over her shoulder. Her and Vinyl marched in the rear, both keeping a tight hold of their mana.

"That Princess of yours, what makes her so damn special?" Jinx asked, stopping in place. The group paused to stare at him.

"Well?" he demanded, looking at each of them.

"Celestian's are the combined might of the Main Three Races. Magian's, Skyborn, and Gaian's. They are gifted with the might of all three," Twilight explained, biting her lip. She glanced at Rainbow then back to Jinx.

"You already know where I'm goin' with this kid, don't you?" Jinx asked softly.

"This is about that thing my blood does...isn't it?" Rainbow asked as she landed by Twilight.

"I...Well...Yes. Celestian's are considered to be Immortal Godlike beings. Their bodies are a wonder of both science and magic," Twilight began.

"Whats this have to do with your friend?" Shining spoke up.

"I'm a special case," Rainbow shrugged, mana sparking around her slowly.

"I see. I thought that was simply something granted to you by the Elements," Shining murmured.

"M'brir are the first step into the Forbidden realm of the Celestian's. They were considered Demi-God's in their own right," Jinx added, tucking his hands into his pockets.

"I'm surprised that Princess of yours lets you roam free," he spat.

"Ya know, I'm not her biggest fan, but you sure are talkin' a lot of shit," Rainbow argued.

"Yea, save me your patriotism when your people are slaughtered," Jinx growled. Rainbow stopped in her tracks and Jinx cleared his throat.

"Sorry. It's a touchy subject," he mumbled, turning his gaze away.

"Celestia wouldn't...Would she?" Rainbow glanced at Twilight, the Magian lowering her head.

"T-There are documents of several wars the Princess has fought in. There's a chance one such war might have been against these people..." Twilight admitted.

"All's fair in war though. Not like we were the peaceful sort to begin with. We learned something we shouldn't have and we fought over it," Jinx shrugged, resuming his march forward.

They walked in silence for what felt like ages, pausing as they reached the edge of Everfree.

"You can't mean to go in there," Rarity scoffed.

"Yea, not a fan of the place myself but it's weirdly cozy. Trust me, nothing in there is gonna wanna come near us while she's around," Jinx pointed his thumb to Zecora who continued to march onward. The tree's themselves seemed to shift to either side, making the path clear for her. Twilight chewed her lip before deciding to follow after, leaving the rest of the group to trail behind.

Again they marched in silence. Shining Armor deciding it best to craft a large barrier around them. Spike smiled within his armor as he admired the shield.

"Malleable, it bends against the nature and folds in as if flowing like water...But stays strong and constricts if anything were to strike it. Impressive," he murmured.

"Guess they don't call ya the Aegis for nothin," Vinyl chuckled.

"It's a pretty cool bubble I guess, but can't you do this too Twi'?" Rainbow wondered.

"I could, but not like Shiny does. I couldn't come close to the power of his Shields," Twilight admitted sheepishly.

"Aw come on Twily, you could pull it off if you tried," Shining chuckled nervously.

"Don't sell yourself short Captain. Your talent is one you should be proud of," Spike remarked, patting his shoulder.

"You may release your dome, we have arrived at my home," Zecora announced, standing before a massive tree. A bubbling green moat surrounded the entire thing with a stone walkway covered in moss leading to the door.

Several lanterns built within animal skulls hung around the area as well as several totems placed in a pattern around the tree. Jinx paused at the start of the stone and held out his hand.

"Alright, this is gonna be the rough part folks. The kid can come past here but no one else. Not my rule," Jinx stated.

"Bite me, you aren't taking Twilight out of my sight," Rainbow growled. Jinx stepped onto the stone and crossed his arms.

"Try me kid. I'm sayin' this for your own good," he replied, crossing his arms and waiting. Twilight let out a slow breath and grabbed Rainbow's hand.

"I will go with you but I won't leave my friends behind," she answered.

"That's cool of ya kid, but your friends physically can't come in here," Jinx stated once more. Rainbow scoffed and stepped forward onto the stone, lurching forward slightly and clenching her fists as her mana sparked painfully around her. She forced herself to stand upright, staring Jinx in the eyes.

"Rainbow!" Twilight cried out.

"I-It's the same. It's just like that damn sphere. S-Stay back Twilight," Rainbow glanced over her shoulder.

"Impressive kid. But I guess being an M'brir helps ya there. How long can ya hold out in here without that crud you call Magic?" Jinx wondered.

"It's Runic Magic. The same used in Collars," Spike realized, looking at the totems and the stone floor. He stepped forward onto the stone, his armor vanishing while he slipped his hands into his jean pockets.

"I said I was staying with Twilight and I meant it. This won't keep me from protecting her," he argued, smiling up at Rainbow. She returned the smile weakly as her skin started to pale, gasping as Rarity pulled her back.

"R-Rarity?! What the hell?!" she yelled.

"You saved me from that once before, I am simply returning the favor,"

"Much as I hate to admit it, I don't think we can go in there," Vinyl sighed, placing her hands on her hips. Shining Armor shook his head.

"You want my Sister, who is still in recovery, to enter an Anti-Magic area and be sapped of her mana?" he growled.

"If she wants to hear out Z, then she'll have to learn to handle it," Jinx shrugged.

"You can't expect a Magian to stand in that shit!" Rainbow argued. Silence fell over the group as Shining Armor stepped onto the stone, flaring out his Mana and placing a barrier around himself.

"We'll do this my way then," he stated firmly, his voice echoing with the might of his power.

"Holy shit..." Vinyl breathed. Jinx stared at him for a moment before bursting into laughter.

"Have it your way Captain! If you can hold her then that's fine by me. Not a fan of these rules anyway," he shrugged, making his way inside. Shining turned to Twilight, slowly weaving a barrier around her.

"S-Shiny..." Twilight frowned and he smiled in return, placing his hand on her shoulder.

"I can handle this Twilight. You need to talk to them, right?" he spoke softly. Twilight nodded and marched beside him, Spike taking up the rear.

"We'll be back," Spike promised as they vanished inside.

Comments

[deathman129]

surprised there aren't any comments yet

but anyway I'm interested in how this will resolve itself and how i twill effect their relationship with celestia

[Daybreak]

OK, Jinx is awesome. That personality is perfect. Also I had to laugh when you described his clothes just because they’re only slightly different from what I wear regularly.

[Saro0fdemonz]

10682744
I'm glad. I put a lot of work towards this