Shard: A Shining Visitor

by Hopeful_Ink_Hoof

Family and More Than Friends

Twilight Sparkle walked back toward the cottage, enjoying the feel of the morning sun on her coat and the dew against her hooves. She smiled, humming to herself slightly. She had spent a wonderful night with Trixie, and now she had some books with legends she was unfamiliar with to look into. It was going to be a good day.

As soon as she opened the door, she stopped, staring. Twilight had been expecting at most to see four fillies sprawled out on the living room floor asleep. There were no fillies in the living room. Instead, there was the form of a large stallion, sprawled out on the couch, with a blanket over him.

Moving closer, Twilight recognized the stallion.

"Shiny?"

Shining Armor opened his eyes. yawning. He blinked a few times, trying to get the sleep from his eyes before noticing a purple blur above him.

"Twily!" Shining Armor called out, throwing himself up off the couch and wrapping his front legs around her. Twilight smiled, returning the hug.

"I'm glad to see you too, Shiny." She broke the hug, taking a step back. "So what brings you here?"

"Well I needed to take a vacation," Shining Armor explained. "So I figured I would get away from Canterlot. Plus we haven't seen each other in a..."

His eyes widened, then narrowed.

"Wait a second." He pointed a hoof at her. "I'm still mad at you?"

The statement made Twilight step back. She tilted her head, raising one eyebrow.

"Mad at me? For what?"

"You're dating somepony," he stated, "and you didn't tell me? How could you not tell me something like that? I thought we shared everything with each other."

Twilight shifted, feeling a pang of guilt. It was true. The two of them had always been close. Shining Armor had practically been Twilight Sparkle's only friend growing up (although now that she knows about Trixie's feeling and behavior, that may have been more Twilight's own doing than anything). They spent nearly all their time together growing up before Shining Armor joined the guard. After all, Shining Armor would probably tell her if he was seeing somepony, right?

The thought caused a memory to flash across her mind: a conversation that she had with Fluttershy and Luna as they were coming to Ponyville. The guilt burned away as she was suddenly filled with anger. Twilight's ears pulled back and her jaw tensed as she turned her attention back to Shining Armor, her eyes narrowing.

"Oh, really?" she growled. "So we share everything, do we, Lieutenant Shining Armor?"

That caused Shining Armor to bite his lip and take a step back. He had heard Twilight use his rank and full name before. It had been when she was angry -- almost furious -- with him about something. As soon as he did, she took a step forward, her nose nearly touching his.

"So," she asked, "you're mad because I didn't tell you I was dating somepony?"

Shining Armor shifted, trying to keep calm. He felt like he was in trouble, but could not figure out why.

"Yeah," he finally managed to say. "Do you know how strange it is to find out from somepony else?"

"I don't know," Twilight snapped with a roll of her eyes. "Probably a lot like finding out from somepony you just met that your older brother is dating a princess!"

Shining Armor opened his mouth, shut it, then opened and shut it again.

"...Didn't I mention that?" he finally managed to ask.

"No," Twilight shouted. "You didn't. I found out about you and Princess Mi... Mi..." She paused, rubbing her head as she tried to remember the mare's name.

"Mi Amore Cadenza," Shining Armor told her.

"Thank you," Twilight said before continuing. "Anyway, I had to find out about you and her from Fluttershy and Luna on our way here to prepare for The Spring Equinox Celebration. At least when they told you, you already knew them from around the castle for I don't know how many years."

"Actually," Shining Armor stated, "it wasn't Fluttershy. It was this pink pony with a big, poofy mane... Looked kind of like cotton candy."

With a huff, Twilight Sparkle rolled her eyes.

"Fine," she conceded, "you found out from a stranger as well. My point remains the same though. You are pretty much getting mad at me for something you did first."

"If it's any consolation," Shining Armor said, "she broke up with me."

Twilight froze, staring at her brother. The statement had caught her off guard. It also made it hard to keep angry at him. Not really a comfort, but now she felt bad for being upset with him.

With a sigh, she sagged.

"What happened?"

"How about I answer while making pancakes?" suggested Shining Armor. "That way I can make up for not telling you originally, and there will be some for the four hungry fillies that will be waking up any minute now."

Twilight's eyes went wide and she grinned, which she immediately hid. After all, no reason to let it be known how excited she was at the prospect. She cleared her throat, looking around a moment as she "considered" it.

"Well I haven't had breakfast yet," she admitted, "and it has been a while since I've had pancakes."

"Great. I'll need your help too. I don't know where anything is in the kitchen."

She was unwilling to admit it, but neither did Twilight. There were times when she would grab a quick snack, but she never did any actual cooking.

The two made their way and started searching what they needed. Most of it was easy enough to find. The pan, spatula, and whisk were all stored next to the stove. The butter, milk, and eggs were all inside the refrigerator. The flour was in a tin on the counter with the very word written on it. The only thing that took some searching was the baking powder.

It was in the pantry. Right in front. Exactly where Fluttershy had put it after their baking from last night.

Soon the pan was heating up and Shining Armor was stirring up the batter.

"So, what happened?" Twilight Sparkle asked again.

Shining Armor let out a sigh, moving to pour the batter into the pan.

"There's not really much to tell," he said. "Cadence... Princess Cadenza said that she had too many royal obligations to be pursuing a relationship. Between taking care of Celestia, learning to run the kingdom, and figuring out how her own powers work, she doesn't have time to have a coltfriend."

Shining sagged slightly, his ears drooping. he turned his attention back to the pan, checking the pancake before turning it over.

Twilight got up and moved over to her brother, giving him a hug with one leg.

"I'm sorry, Shiny," she said, giving him a gentle pat. "How about after breakfast, I show you around town Ponyville and introduce you to my other friends. We can even stop by the library and you can meet Trixie."

"Why does that name sound familiar?" Shining asked.

"She was my dorm mate back in school," Twilight answered. "I'll even spring for lunch since you're making breakfast."

"Thanks."

"Pancakes!" four voices shouted from nowhere before the sound of an elephant stampede came trampling through the cottage and toward the kitchen.