A Scratch On Shining Armor

by BaeroRemedy

Rushing

“We are always rushing to an appointment or trying to meet a deadline.”

-Menachem Mendel Schneerson

“Okay, so we have less than forty-eight hours to get Glory, get to Ponyville, and get back home all the while meeting your niece and resolving a six year old fissure between you and your sister. Yeah, easy. Piece of cake.” Shining was panicking. Both internally and externally. He had kept it together while in Galea’s office, but as soon as they left he fell to pieces.

“You need to calm down, Twinkle!” Scratch had been trying to keep up with him, but had been teleported to his side no less than half a dozen times. He couldn’t help it, he needed to get to the train station and buy tickets! He hadn’t really stopped galloping since they exited the Palace, and he wasn’t going to stop now. “Seriously, calm down!”

“We have to get to the train station!” Shining yelled, again. It was the only response he kept giving her, because that was the only thing on his mind. Well, besides repeating the very obvious panic plan. “We have to get to the train station!”

“Shining Armor!” Somehow Vinyl finally got ahead of him, sweat plastering her mane to her face. It was at that moment that he realised that he really needed to slow down. The armor-coated stallion screeched for a halt before he could run into the very angry mare in front of him. “Slow. Down.”

“I-I…” Finally stopped, the solid ten minutes of running finally caught up to Shining. He suddenly felt the aching in his legs and the pained breaths his strained lungs were taking. He had been so panicked, he had nearly run headlong into exhaustion. “We need to…we need to get to the train station…” Even in his state of exhausted realization he was still focused on that, he had to be.

“I know.” Vinyl turned from furious to understanding in almost an instant, giving the stallion a sympathetic look. “I know what we need to do, but freaking out like this isn’t going to help anything!” Vinyl took a deep breath and moved her soaked mane out of her face. “We need to just calm down and think about this, alright? How are we going to get Glory out of her house, huh? She’s got little ones to take care of and everything, she can’t just leave!”

That was a surprisingly good point from Vinyl. How were they supposed to get Glory away from the orphanage? That was a big responsibility to shirk at the last second, something near impossible to just let go.

“I-I-oh Celestia, you’re right.” Shining came down hard. He was panicking so much he hadn’t even thought about all of the little details. How was he supposed to handle this? It was impossible. “How are we supposed to do this…?” Shining fell onto his rump unceremoniously, his armor clanking against the street.

“I don’t know,” Vinyl answered with a sigh, obviously defeated. “I’m not the one who’s supposed to have all of the ideas, Twinkle. That’s supposed to be your thing, not mine.” Vinyl leaned over and put her head on Shining’s own head. “So if you don’t have an idea, and I don’t have an idea…then I don’t know. Maybe we should just give up? Y’know, if it’s not in the cards or whatever…” Shining could practically feel the disappointment running around Vinyl’s head, and it was killing him.

This was it, this was the thing that Shining had been working towards for the last week. This could help Vinyl, this could set the record straight and lead to real healing. Now it was all just falling apart and he couldn’t do anything to stop it, and it was all because he was put on a deadline.

A stupid deadline.

“A…a deadline…” Shining shot his head up, accidentally flicking Vinyl’s horn with his own. “Ow!” He rubbed his now sore appendage as a flurry of ideas and memories flooded through his mind. “A deadline!” He knew just the pony to ask! She would help! Probably…

“What, did you get an idea?” Vinyl was rubbing her own horn, but she afforded Shining her complete attention. “Because I think we could really use one of those right about now.”

“I just-can you go get Glory? I’ll meet you there, I just have to go ask somepony for a favor.” In a flash, he undid the binding spell and stood up. “I know, I know, I’ll explain later. You just have to trust me, alright?” Vinyl looked him square in the eyes, hanging for just a second.

“Of course I trust you, Twinkle.” Another wave of relief washed over Shining. For starters: it was good to hear that he had Vinyl’s trust. She had never explicitly stated that she trusted him, so it was good to finally hear it. It meant that there was progress. That would come later, though. For now, he had a plan to go through with.

----

Vinyl was not happy about going to Glory’s all alone, and she wasn’t convinced that it was a good idea on Twinkle’s part. Last time he had seen her interact with the pegasus, it had ended with Vinyl knocked out and Glory clutching a sore jaw. That was before Vinyl relived the most painful memories of her life.

But Shining trusted her enough to send her out on her own. That was enough to propel Vinyl through the streets of Canterlot. All she needed was a little confidence that she could do the right thing, that she could do anything without screwing it up.

It took her less than ten minutes to make it to Glory’s home at a brisk trot. Each step brought more and more trepidation, more anxiety over what might happen. Would Glory just go with it and uproot herself for a day and a half to go to Ponyville? Would she say no? How would Vinyl take it if Glory rejected the offer? Vinyl didn’t think it would be something she would take lightly, nor kindly. She would lash out, she could feel that in the core of her being.

Vinyl stood at the foot of the stairs that led to the front door of the humble two-story home. It’s peeling veneer stood as a monument to all of Vinyl’s failings as a sister and friend, it was a physical manifestation of how Vinyl saw Glory. The thin layer of polish was being stripped away through the years, and soon it would leave an ugly cracked facade as a reminder of the care that it had been robbed of. It was all a monument to the neglect that Vinyl had afforded Glory over the years.

Guilt built in the unicorn’s stomach like a terrible ache. It settled where she could not shake it, where not even the happiest of thoughts could dislodge it. It was going to be there for a while now, and it was going to make everything a bit more difficult.

Vinyl ascended the stairs and knocked on the door lightly. There was no hesitation, just the pit in her stomach growing deeper. She waited, her eyes flitting around the porch. She was trying to find some inane object to latch onto, to hopefully take her mind off of the impending conversation.

“Vinyl…?” Her eyes shot back to the door, where Glory was standing. As soon as they made eye contact, they both looked away nervously. “Shining Armor isn’t with you, is everything alright?”

“That’s…well that’s kinda complicated, Sky.” Vinyl moved her mane out of her face. “Like, I’m fine and Twinkle’s fine but the whole situation isn’t really fine. We’re all kinda panicking right now and I was told to come get you because we really need to figure this whole thing out.” Vinyl knew that about half of what she said was nervous nonsense that didn’t make any sense, but she couldn’t really help herself.

“Vinyl, what’s going on?” The yellow pegasus leveled a look at Vinyl like a parent would their child. “What’s happened?” Vinyl bit her lip, this was going to be the moment of truth.

“Twinkle got a letter from Lily’s adopted dad…” Vinyl started with a sigh. Glory’s eyes widened and her breath seemed to catch on some invisible object in her throat. “He said we can go and see her, Sky.” Vinyl didn’t even see the hug coming, she had been looking at her hooves when the taller pegasus embraced her.

“I-I can’t believe it…” Vinyl, for the first time in a very long time, hugged her sister. It felt good, like all of the pain they had shared was momentarily absolved by the embrace. Vinyl relished in it, holding Glory as tight as she could and not letting go. For one brief moment, everything was alright between them. “We’re going to see my daughter…”

The tears that Glory shed brought the hate back to the forefront of Vinyl’s mind. The dim flame that the hug had doused came back as a raging inferno. Vinyl still thought that Glory didn’t deserve to be sad about what happened. After all the things that the pegasus did, the things she said, there was no reason she should be crying. As far as Vinyl was concerned, Glory wasn’t allowed to feel bad about this.

The flame once again died as Vinyl thought about what her anger would accomplish. The short answer was ‘nothing’. It would only lead to even more hurt feelings and probably the cancellation of the trip as a whole. Vinyl couldn’t allow that to happen, not when she was so close to seeing Lily again.

“That’s the problem.” Vinyl pulled away from the hug and shoved all of her negative emotions as deep as they could go. They weren’t going to interfere, not yet. “Because I’m bound to Twinkle, he had to ask the Captain if I could leave the city.” Vinyl saw the worried look on her sister’s face. “I mean, she said it was okay but she said we have to get it done by Monday at sunrise.”

“What?” Glory’s mouth moved, trying to find the right words, but none could be found. A few seconds of floundering, and the mare finally spoke again. “Th-that’s ridiculous! I-I can’t just leave with that short of notice. I have foals to take care of!” That was the crux of the entire problem, yeah. “Vinyl, what are we going to do?”

“Twinkle is sorting it out, alright. He said he had an idea.” Vinyl sincerely hoped that Twinkle’s idea was a good one.

----

Shining strode through marble hallways, turning this way and that way attempting to remember the directions to his destination. Making his way to the actual practice field would’ve been easier than finding the locker rooms where his target was residing.

“Okay, so right then left, another left and right, right?” he muttered to himself as he reached another intersection of corridors. He tapped his hoof impatiently as he mulled over his decisions. This was taking too long, far too long. He had to get back to Vinyl and get to the train station to get this all sorted out. “Argh!’ Shining slammed his hoof against the floor in a fit of rage.

“Whoa, amp down soldier.” Shining swung his head towards the voice, a scowl staying on his face. He was met with a yellow mare with a mane like a raging inferno and harsh amber eyes. She wore a towel around her barrel, and a pair of goggles resting above her eyes. “You lost?”

“Yeah…” Shining admitted begrudgingly. Like his father before him, he hated admitting fault, but at times like these he couldn’t waste a moment. “I’m looking for Soarin, security said he was in the locker room and I can’t find the locker room for the life of me.” Shining let his scowl fade and replaced it with an embarrassed smile.

“Soarin?” The mare cocked her head. “What did he do this time? Cop a feel on some little socialite?” Shining could’ve sworn he hear the mare add ‘again’ to the the end of her statement, but he wasn’t sure.

“Afraid not,” Shining retorted. “I’m actually an old friend, came to cash in a favor.” At that, the mare cracked an almost devious grin, one that made Shining Armor feel uneasy at best. “Would you happen to know where to find him Ms…?” He was hoping he could get a name to put to the grinning visage.

“Spitfire. My name’s Spitfire.” She nodded her head down the hall, towards a door with steam billowing out from it. “C’mon, I’ll show you where he is, Guard…” She trailed off, fishing for a name.

“Shining Armor, nice to meet you Spitfire.” He gave his most winning smile to the mare. “I would appreciate it if you would show me, I’m afraid this matter is urgent.” She waved him forward and he complied, starting to follow the fiery mare.

“How do you know Soarin, Shining Armor?” Spitfire questioned, her wings breaking free from the towel and shaking rivulets of water off of themselves. Shining’s eyes drifted to her wings, studying the appendages briefly. They were obviously well maintained and cared for, almost to a compulsive degree. He knew obsessively preened wings when he saw them, he had dated Cadance for long enough.

“Guard training.” Shining drew his eyes away from the mare’s wings, and to her eyes that faced straight ahead. “Soarin and I were in the same guard class together…well before he got the acceptance letter to the Wonderbolts Academy.” Shining and Soarin had made fast friends in training, and had at least tried to keep in touch over the past years.

“Soarin, a guard?” Spitfire guffawed as she stopped in front of the steaming door. “Yeah right, he has the discipline of a puppy.” The guard shrugged his shoulders. He couldn’t deny that Soarin could get a little unrestrained from time to time.

“He’s capable of control, though. Trust me, I’ve seen it.” Shining would fight for that, for the good in other ponies. Shining let the conversation drop and pointed his hoof at the door. “He’s in there?”

“Yeah, he’s showering with the others.” Spitfire rotated her wings, spreading them wide. “I had to get a wing massage, so I skipped my shower.” She pushed the door open and trotted inside. “Now you can’t exactly come in here with all that armor on, you’ll be boiled alive. Take it off and come on in.” Spitfire dropped her towel and trotted inside.

“Fine.” Shining complied and undid all of the buckles and straps of his armor with magic. The stallion placed each piece of his attire on the floor carefully. Once all of the pieces were situated, he walked into the showers.

Now the immediate problem with him in the showers was that his horn stood out amongst the sea of powerful wings. The toned and primed bodies of athletes in their peaks surrounded Shining, each one he had to try not to gawk at. Not even the guards were this physically fit, at least not in the same way.

The guards were imposing, large and bristling with pure power. The Wonderbolts were a far different beast, they were all like coiled springs. Every muscle was ready to fully extend and act to it’s fullest potential at a moment’s notice. Guards were supposed to be larger than life, they were supposed to be bigger than the rest. The Wonderbolts were downright inspiring because you could see every muscle through their skin and fur, because they were peak pony.

“Hey Soarin, I found one of your old friends!” Spitfire called out, that same cocky grin crossing her features. “He says you owe him something!” Within five seconds, a pale blue head with a wet navy blue mane popped around a corner at the far end of the showers.

“If it’s money, that’s not true!” the stallion said, wide-eyed. “My debts are p-” His eyes clicked in recognition when he saw the unicorn amidst the Wonderbolts. “Sha? No way!” The pegasus crossed the length of the showers in mere seconds, and tackled the much larger unicorn to the ground. “What’s up, man?”

“Hey Soar, nice to see you too.” The two stallions smiled as Shining lifted the pegasus off of him with magic. Soarin had always been a bit too rambunctious and…affectionate for Shining’s tastes.

“How have you bee, Sha? Sorry I haven’t been keeping in touch or anything, I officially got added to the Wonderbolts roster as a permanent member!” The pegasus’ enthusiasm and good mood was contagious, as Shining soon felt a smile akin to Soarin’s own spreading across his face.

“Congrats! That’s a pretty big deal, dude!” Shining felt proud of his old friend. In the barracks Soarin would often lament how flying was his dream, and seeing as how this was the biggest gig any Pegasus could get that pertained to flying...well, Shining was just glad to see his friend happy.

“So what’s up?” Soarin helped Shining up to his hooves. “You got something to ask me?” He looked to Spitfire. “A favor or something?” Spitfire nodded for Shining Armor, letting Soarin know the answer he was looking for.

“It’s a big one, Soarin.” Shining cast a furtive glance around the showers. “I’m on a bit of a tight schedule and need to call in...that favor.” Soarin’s eyes widened at the implications. “Yeah, that one.”

“Listen, Shining.” Soarin dropped the nickname that he had given the guard and used his formal name. A sure sign of seriousness. “I-I...are you serious right now? Like, what’s going on?” Shining didn’t like stressing out his friends, but sometimes it just had to be done.

“I’m in a bit of a bind, Soar, and I could really use your help. I just need your undivided attention up until Monday morning.” ‘Just’ was a very big word in this context, one that he hoped Soarin could get over.

“Uh, we have practice tomorrow,” Spitfire chimed in, water pouring over her form from the showers overhead. “You can’t exactly just bail on it, Soarin.”

“She’s right.” Another voice entered the fray, one that Shining immediately located. It was an older sky blue stallion with a graying mane. It was the one and only Wind Rider, current Captain of the Wonderbolts. “You can’t just leave practice, Rookie.”

“I-uh…” Shining was a little starstruck. He had never actually met Rider before, only seen posters and shows. This was the biggest celebrity that Shining had ever been around, sans the Princesses of course. “I-I would…” Shining moved his mouth, trying to find the words. “I really need the help.”

“That’s a negative, I’m afraid,” the older pegasus retorted. “I can’t have my star rookie missing out on practice a week before his first show.” Wind slapped Soarin on the back and gave a hearty laugh.

“What’s the favor?” Soarin asked, regardless of his superior's objection. Wind shot him a look of disappointment. “I’m sorry! I can’t just leave him hanging, he was one of my best friends!” Shining admired the loyalty of Soarin, it was his best quality in Shining’s eyes.

“I’m on bind duty, and I have to get my charge to Ponyville with her sister but her sister runs an orphanage and we need someone to look after the foals until Monday morning. I remembered you owed me a huge favor and that you’re the oldest of seven, so I thought you could help me.” Shining took a deep breath after rushing through his explanation.

“An orphanage?” Wind talked before Soarin could respond. Shining could practically hear the gears turning in the elder stallion’s head. “That’s a good idea, good publicity for the newest Wonderbolt.” The Captain got a wide grin on his face. “Imagine the headlines, Soarin! ‘Wonderbolt donates time to orphanage!’ Imagine the ticket sales from that!” Alright, so Wind Rider made a good point.

“What about practice?” Spitfire piped up, cutting Soarin off before he could get another word in. “You’re just going to let him skip it when the show is so close?”

“I am. I think this is a wonderful idea for Soarin and the Organization, Spitfire!” Rider approached Shining, dividing him and Soarin. “You have yourself a deal, young stallion. In return, you have season tickets in a box. My treat.” Shining stammered a thank you, unsure of what else he could say. This was generous beyond belief.

“Hold on!” Soarin shouted, drawing the attention of every Wonderbolt in the room. “I was going to agree no matter what, alright Shining?” Soarin pushed Wind Rider out of the way. “You know I could never say no to helping you, not after all you did for me.” Soarin stepped forward and held out his soaking wet hoof. “I’m not doing this because I’m told to, alright? I’m doing this because I’m your friend.”

“I get that, and I appreciate it more than you could ever know, Soar.” Shining took his friend’s hoof in his own and pulled the other stallion into a hug. “So I think we should shake a leg, bud. I’m on a bit of a tight schedule at the moment.”

“Take Spitfire with you,” Wind Rider added, drawing looks from the three younger ponies around him and mostly a glare from Spitfire herself. “Don’t give me that look, Spitfire. You saw the piece in the Gazette about the new Reserves, the ponies think you’re cold and mean. If you want any chance of getting on permanently, you have to warm up a bit.” The older stallion leaned in close to the mare, his voice low enough so that Shining could barely make out what he was saying. “This is a popularity contest, Kid. If you want to be at the top, act the part.” Shining pushed that very disturbing sentiment out of his mind for now and focused on the situation at hoof.

“Are you good with that, Sha?” Shining was glad that Soarin was back to using the nickname. It brought a small sense of comfort. “Spitfire’s a hard worker, and a good pony. Plus, the more hooves I have to help the better.” Shining mulled it over for a second. An extra set of eyes would make the situation go smoother, for sure.

“Alright.” Shining nodded. “Let’s get dried off and head out.”

Fifteen minutes later…

Shining was back in his armor with the two Wonderbolts in tow. It had taken prodding and pushing to get Spitfire out of the door, but the combined efforts of both Shining and Soarin had gotten the stubborn mare to push onward. Now they were making their way to Glory’s house on the opposite side of town.

“So what’s with the whole ‘Sha’ thing?” Spitfire broke the silence between the trio. She was the only one hovering above the street, Soarin had elected to trot alongside his friend. “It’s kind of a dumb nickname, isn’t it?”

“I just never liked saying either ‘Shining’ or ‘Shining Armor’. They were just mouthfuls.” Soarin shrugged. “I just shortened his name: Shining ‘Sh’, Armor ‘A’. Sha,” the pegasus simply stated. “Short, sweet, to the point.”

“Better than my new charge.” Shining nodded. “She calls me ‘Twinkle’.” That elicited a sharp laugh from Soarin. “I have no clue why, that’s just what she’s called me since day one.” Shining couldn’t say he hated the nickname Vinyl gave him. It was a term of endearment in his eyes, a little like ‘Sha’.

“Why don’t you tell me about her, your charge.” Soarin nudged Shining with his wing. “Is she attractive? Is she single?” Of course, that was the first thing that went through Soarin’s mind. He sure had a one-track mind sometimes.

“Really? You ask them in that order?” Spitfire scoffed at her teammate. “Other way around sounds a lot less creepy, Soarin.” Soarin and Shining largely ignored Spitfire’s objection and went on with their conversation.

“To answer your questions in no particular order; Yes and maybe. I’ll let you figure out which is which.” Soarin hit Shining with his wing hard enough to make a loud ‘smack’. “Alright, Soar. Her name’s Vinyl Scratch, she’s a bit of a rebel but she has a good heart.”

“You think everyone has a good heart,” Soarin shot back at Shining, to which Shining only shrugged.

“It’s my curse,” the guard replied. After that, there was a bit of a lull in the conversation as they progressed towards Glory’s. It was just nice to be in Soarin’s presence again, it was warm and full of unbridled friendship. They had never ended it poorly or shared harsh words, they had simply gone their own ways, no matter how much they wanted to stay friends.

“How does Cadance feel about you spending your time around another mare?” A sly grin crossed Soarin’s face, one that contrasted Shining’s frown perfectly. Soarin picked up on it and prodded the still-open wound. “Uhh…you’re still with Cadance, right?” Shining’s frown deepened. “Dude, what happened?!”

“Okay, hold on,” Spitfire butted in from above. “You don’t mean Princess Cadance, right?” Soarin nodded. “No way, no way in Tartarus! I knew you looked familiar! I’ve seen you in papers before.” Shining rolled his eyes. If Spitfire considered tabloids genuine ‘papers’, then he wept for her current events knowledge.

“I don’t want to talk about it, alright?” Shining fired at the both of them rather sharply. “We split, it was mutual and hard and I don’t want to talk about it.” The pegasi that joined him both closed their mouths as they flew on in silence.

“Remind me to buy you a drink when you’re done with this bind duty, huh?” Soarin broke the silence first. “Or maybe three or four drinks.” Shining chuckled at that.

“Sheesh, get a room you two,” Spitfire chimed in from above once more. Shining laughed at the sentiment, but he also saw a slight blush across Soarin’s cheeks. Yeah, it was no secret to Shining that Soarin had a little bit of a crush on him. It was fine, they had discussed it over a few drinks more than a couple of times. It was just a thing that didn’t matter to their friendship in the end, just some side business they squared away.

“Here, it’s right up ahead.” Shining redirected the conversation, pointing a hoof to the two-story house just up the road. “Scratch and Glory will be waiting for us.”

That was actually a comforting thought now that he had an old friend at his side. Even after the rushing and initial panic of today, things were looking up for now. Heck, Shining was even starting to think that this whole situation was going to end well.

“What a dangerous thought,” Shining mumbled as they made their way to the house.

Comments

[Dustchu]

Wind Rider

Ohhhh that limey bastardo.

Awesome chapter though man, nicely done! and lol... Soarin got a crush on Shining? nice.

Keep it up!

[wlam]

“Hey Soar, nice to see you too.” The two stallions smiled as Shining lifted the pegasus off of him with magic. Soarin had always been a bit too rambunctious and...affectionate for Shining’s tastes.

SoaringxShiny ship inbound.

Yeah, it was no secret to Shining that Soarin had a little bit of a crush on him.

Well, what do you know, I actually ended up being right for once.

[killergoonie]

Just caught up with this story and i love it so far. Keep up the great work.

[BaeroRemedy]

7555832

I had to indulge my gay ships for a minute. :P

[wlam]

7557032
Well, I'm not complaining. You don't see a whole lot of those here. Side effect of the demographics, I guess.

[BaeroRemedy]

7557057

Not enough stallion cuddling. It's true.

I might need to bolster the numbers a bit.

[wlam]

7557222
It's to be expected on a site that has a userbase 90% made up of male teenagers, I suppose. Lesbians are hawt, gays are icky. You know how it goes.

[BaeroRemedy]

7557460

Sadly, I do.

[howard035]

I like sneaky Windrider, he's pretty much right this chapter.

[BaeroRemedy]

7559893

Thanks! I tried to extrapolate his personality a little but from the show, not much to go off of, though

[howard035]

7560008 I think you did a good job. Obviously he's a jerk, but he's got to be enough of a mentor so that when he betrays the Wonderbolts down the line, the rest of them are shocked. And having Windrider as a mentor definitely explains a lot about Spitfire's later behavior...

[Wireframe]

This story has been an odd one within my usual preference in theme and subject. Nevertheless I have been keeping up with each new chapter release and have been enjoying it greatly.

The story features rather unique perspectives on the characters involved, showing familiar scenes and personalities in a new light. And though the story handles some heavier themes, humor, heartfelt moments, and great variety and contrast in personalities break those up nicely and keep the story engaging.

Both Shining and Vinyl have grown a lot as characters, and I particularly like how they play off of each other.

Spitfire and Soarin making an appearance, any Soarin appearance really, especially with a hint of his interest in stallions, instantly makes a story better in my book ^^. I'm predudiced like that.

I'm genuinely looking forward to seeing where the rest of the story goes and how the upcomming reunion will turn out.

[BaeroRemedy]

7560817

I'm glad you like it and I'm glad I'm doing something to pull people in who wouldn't usually be interested in this type of story!

I've been struggling a lot with how I percieve this story and whether or not it's living up to its potential, but your comment has really given me hope.

Thank you.

[KMCA]

7555832 law of averages

[Muko987]

It was fun seeing my favorite character Soarin! I loved your take on the wonderbolts.