Rule 4: Don't Travel Abroad
The Crystal Empire was finally going back to normal.
Given that the lockdown was over, the streets were slowly starting to fill up with ponies once again. Although many of them were still concerned about the threat’s presence, the fact that they could finally go outside again meant that there was a general feeling of relief amongst nearly everypony in the Empire.
Shining Armor was the exception.
He laid on his bed in the castle, covered in misshapen pillows and crumpled-up blankets. All of the lights in his room had been turned off, and all of the windows were closed. Shining Armor was completely alone in the darkness. Tears began falling down his face.
I’ve really messed things up this time, he thought to himself, clutching onto his covers. Flurry Heart’s trapped inside of a bag, defenseless, and there’s nothing I can do about it. Could things get any worse?
“Shining Armor? Are you in here?”
The voice belonged to Applejack, who, along with Flash Sentry, had just walked into the bedroom, looking for the prince. After fumbling around in the darkness for a few seconds, she managed to turn on the lights, only to reveal Shining Armor’s disheveled appearance.
The two ponies were speechless.
“Um, wow,” Flash said, his mouth hanging wide open. “I’ve known Shining Armor for a long time now, but I have never seen him act like this before. I-I don’t know what to say.”
“Neither do I,” Applejack admitted. “Rarity does this sorta thing pretty frequently, so you’d think I’d be used to it, but… I’m not. I guess it’s just odd seeing somepony else act this way, ya know?”
“So, what should we do, then?” Flash Sentry asked, pacing around the room. “I mean, we can’t just let him be like this! We’ve gotta help him!”
“And we will. Just leave this to me, alright?”
With that, Applejack walked over and sat down next to the prince. After a quick glance at her, Shining turned his head away, burying his muzzle in one of the pillows.
“Go away,” he muttered, waving his hoof at Applejack. The mare, however, stood her ground.
“No,” she bluntly replied, turning Shining Armor so that he was facing her again. “I’m not leaving until we talk about this. Look, I’ve known your sister for years, Shinin’, and if there’s one thing she’s taught me, it’s that you should tell somepony else about your problems. That way, they can help you get through them.”
Shining rolled his eyes. “No, you don’t understand. This isn’t some friendship problem. This is much more serious. Cadance trusted me, and I’m letting her down. I’m a bad father. Once this spreads, I’m going to lose everything. My wife, my child, my—”
“Stop right there,” Applejack interrupted, covering the unicorn’s mouth with her hoof. “Shining, why do you think you’re a bad father? All you did was make one mistake.”
“No!” Shining Armor snapped, suddenly jumping up out of his bed. “I have not just made ‘one mistake’ today, Applejack! I have made many! I lost Flurry Heart, missed the time to feed her, gave her a spear, and got her trapped inside of a bag! Just face it, you guys, I’m a failure!”
Right at that moment, Shining Armor began to uncontrollably sob, falling down onto the floor with his face in his hooves. Applejack and Flash Sentry, unsure of what to do, gently patted him on the back.
After a few minutes, Shining’s crying subsided, and he climbed back onto his bed, feeling defeated.
“Sorry about that,” he apologized, wiping a tear off his face. “I just feel really bad about what’s been going on. Today was supposed to be the day where Flurry Heart really got to know me for who I am. I really wanted to make a good impression, but… I botched it up. I lost her, and now going to hate me because of it.”
Upon hearing this, Applejack immediately shook her head. “That’s not true, Shining Armor!” she said, sitting down next to him. “Look, Flurry Heart is just a baby. The chances are she’s not even gonna remember this day. And if even she does, she’ll probably just remember having the time of her life! I mean, she got to fly around freely, play with a new, um, ‘toy’, meet some new ponies… Why, I bet she’s living every little foal’s dream right about now!”
“Yeah! She’s having an adventure! Who could ask for more than that?” Flash added.
“Flurry Heart isn’t gonna care if you make some mistakes around her,” the mare continued. “She doesn't need you to be perfect. She just needs to feel loved. And as long as you’re just tryin’ your best to keep her happy, she’s gonna love you, no matter what happens.”
“Applejack’s right,” Flash agreed, patting Shining Armor on the head. “You don’t need to be perfect; you just gotta be putting in effort and trying your best. So what if you make a mistake? As long as you go back and try to fix it, you’ll be fine.”
Shining Armor thought over his friends’ words for a moment, then bit his lip. “Do you really think I’m not a bad father?” he asked, his voice quiet and hoarse.
Flash shook his head. “If you were a bad father, you wouldn’t have gone through all this effort to find your daughter,” he said. “Look, you’ve gotta stop doubting yourself like this. You know what you’re doing. I mean, you’ve helped save Equestria loads of times now! You can totally handle something like this. All you need is a little confidence in yourself.”
Once he heard this, the frown vanished off of Shining Armor’s face. He took a deep breath, wiped away the last of his tears, then got up off of his bed.
“You know what?” he said quietly, trotting over to Flash Sentry and Applejack. “You guys are right. I shouldn’t be lying in here, doubting myself. I should be out there, in the city, trying to get back my daughter.” Within seconds, Shining had put his friends into a large, warm hug.“Thank you, guys, for supporting me through this. I really appreciate it.”
“Hey, no problem,” Flash replied, smiling. “What are friends for?”
After they finished hugging, the three ponies smiled at each other and sat down on the ground.
“So, now that that’s all settled, what do we do, Shinin’ Armor?” Applejack asked, staring at a nearby clock. It was slightly past 3pm.
“We go look for Flurry Heart, just like before,” Shining replied, magically bringing his saddlebag toward him. “Only this time, we’ll be prepared for anything that comes our way.” He then put a baby bottle, a first-aid kit, some bits, and a piece of rope into his bag. “These things should be able to get us through everything that comes our way.”
“Eh, I’m not sure about that,” Applejack admitted, heading for the door, “but it’s certainly a start. So, where do we start lookin’ for Flurry?”
“Well, considering the Wonderbolts took her, maybe start with them?” Flash suggested. Shining nodded his head in agreement.
“Their set-up is in the Crystal Arena, which is, luckily, not too far from here,” he said, setting his bag on his back. “We should be able to get there and back within minutes.”
“Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s go!”
With that, the three began heading toward the Crystal Arena, each hoping that they would be able to find the missing foal in time.
We’ve got this, Shining Armor thought to himself as he ran. I know we do.
When Shining Armor, Applejack, and Flash Sentry arrived at the Crystal Arena, they found it completely empty. Aside from them, there was not a single pony in sight. No guards, no spectators, no citizens, and most importantly, no Wonderbolts.
“Um, where is everypony?” Flash Sentry asked, staring at the empty space. “I thought you said the Wonderbolts were gonna set up in here.”
“They were supposed to,” Shining Armor replied. “Trust me, I’m just as lost as you.”
Just at that moment, Rainbow Dash and Soarin flew into the arena. At first, they didn’t notice the other three ponies, but when they did, their faces lit up.
“Oh, there you are!” Rainbow exclaimed, running over to the group. “We’ve been looking all over the Empire for you! Where have you been?!”
“Um, long story,” Shining Armor said, blushing. “One that we really don’t have time for. Where’s Flurry Heart? And the rest of the Wonderbolts?”
“That’s why we needed to find you, your highness!” Soarin replied. “After Fleetfoot grabbed Flurry Heart, Spitfire held a quick Wonderbolt meeting to decide what to do with her. Of course, they had no clue it was Flurry, since nopony opened the bag, in fear of the threat escaping once again.”
“So what happened at the meeting?”
“Well, at first, we had decided that we should give the threat to you, since you’re royalty and would know what to do with her. However, since nopony could find you, Spitfire chose Plan B.”
“Which was?”
“Sending her to Canterlot so the princesses can deal with her.”
When he heard this, Shining Armor’s heart dropped. His lips began to quiver, and there were tears once again forming in his eyes. To Applejack and Flash, it seemed like he was going to break down again. However, much to their surprise, the unicorn prince just wiped his tears away and took a deep breath.
“Okay, so, let me get this straight,” Shining Armor said, scratching his head. “The Wonderbolts are currently in the process of sending the Empire’s threat to the princesses in Canterlot, completely oblivious to the fact that its my daughter?”
“Bingo,” Rainbow replied. “Fleetfoot and Spitfire started flying over there about fifteen minutes ago. They’re under strict orders to bring her directly to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.”
“Twilight and Cadance are over there as well,” Shining Armor added, tapping his hooves on the ground. “If they find out about this, I’m a goner. Twilight and Cadance will kill me, and then Celestia will give me this really stern look of disappointment that I just know I don’t want to deal with. Oh, gosh, this is bad.”
“Well, if we can get to Canterlot before Fleetfoot and Spitfire do, maybe we could stop them from confronting the princesses,” Applejack suggested. “Does that sound possible to you guys?”
“Totally!” Flash exclaimed, his ears perking up. “We can definitely pull—”
“Hold up,” Rainbow Dash interrupted. “How are we supposed to get to Canterlot in time? Remember, the ‘Bolts already have a fifteen minute start. Even if there’s a train within the next five minutes, we still won’t be able to get there in time.”
“So, we teleport!” Flash suggested, moving toward the prince. “Shining Armor is a unicorn, remember? He can get us there in the blink of an eye!”
Shining Armor shook his head. “I dunno about that,” he admitted, biting his lip. “Teleportation was never exactly my strong point. I mean, last time I tried to do it, I ended up in Manehattan instead of my bedroom!”
As Shining Armor said this, Rainbow Dash started to laugh, causing the unicorn prince to frown. Applejack, noticing his sadness, sent a quick glare at Rainbow Dash, easily silencing the pegasus.
“Shining Armor, you’ll be fine,” Applejack said softly, patting the unicorn on the back. “Remember what we said in your bedroom: you just need a little confidence in yourself.”
Shining Armor sighed, then nodded his head. “You’re right,” he agreed. “I can do this. I just need to concentrate.”
After taking a deep breath, the unicorn’s horn began to glow pink. All five ponies simultaneously shut their eyes, each preparing for the spell to occur…
When they first opened their eyes, the only thing the group saw was the color blue. This came much to their surprise, as blue was not a very common color in Canterlot.
As they began to look around, they noticed other things: clouds, purple and yellow towers, and a few waterfalls. Once they looked down, however, they saw several ponies walking around a garden. The ponies, however, looked like they were as small as ants.
It was at that moment when the group realized where they were: on the top of the Canterlot Castle.
“Well, you didn’t teleport us into the wrong place, Shining Armor,” Rainbow Dash chuckled. “Congratulations.”
“Yeah, you did it!” Flash Sentry exclaimed. “This is great! We’ve gotta be ahead of Spitfire and Fleetfoot now!”
“Don’t get too happy,” Soarin said, pointing at the sky. In the distance, there were two specks resembling pegasi flying towards Canterlot. “Knowing how fast those two fly, I know they’ll be here in five minutes, tops. If we wanna pull this off, we’ve gotta hurry.”
“But how are we supposed to get into the castle?” Shining Armor asked. “Remember, we’re kinda on the roof right now.”
“Us pegasi can carry you and Applejack through the windows,” Rainbow Dash offered. “That way, all five of us can get in at the same time.”
“Sounds like a good plan to me!” Flash said as he picked up Applejack. “You know, we’re getting really good at this. We should lose babies and sneak into places more often!”
“Yeah, no,” Shining Armor replied. With that, Rainbow Dash and Soarin picked him up, and the five flew through the nearest window into the castle.
Once they were inside, they inspected their surroundings. As far as they could see, there was not a single pony in the hallway. In the distance, they could faintly hear Celestia’s voice talking to the other princesses.
“Follow the sound of her voice,” Shining Armor whispered as the pegasi put him and Applejack onto the ground. “And make sure to be as quiet as possible. We don’t want any guards to see us, because then they’ll notify Cadance that I’m here, which is exactly what we don’t want.”
“So what exactly is the plan again?” Rainbow Dash asked as the group began tiptoeing toward the room Celestia was in. “Are we going to be luring the princesses away from ‘Bolts or the ‘Bolts away from the princesses?”
“And how are we supposed to take Flurry Heart from the Wonderbolts without giving ourselves away?” Applejack questioned.
“Don’t ask me,” Rainbow Dash replied. “You were the one who came up with the plan, AJ!”
“I came up with an idea, not a plan.”
“So we’ve come all this way without any idea what we’re doing?!”
“Oh dear. Maybe we’re not so good at this after all,” Flash sighed.
“Lower your voices, guys,” Shining said, silencing the group. “We don’t know where the guards are. If we’re not careful, one of them might see us!”
“Like those three right there?” Flash asked, pointing at something in the distance. When the others looked, they noticed that there were three guards at the end of the hallway, standing in front of a tall, pink door with a golden frame. As these guards were busy conversing with each other, they hadn’t noticed the group of ponies sneaking around the castle.
“Hide,” Shining Armor quickly whispered. Without hesitation, the group ran behind a nearby curtain, each of their hearts racing. One of the guards looked at the curtain as if it had moved, but just shrugged it off and went back to talking with his friends.
“Okay, I really want to help to you out, your highness, but I really think that this has gone too far!” Soarin panicked, taking deep breaths. “I mean, we’re sneaking into a castle and hiding from royal guards!”
“Soarin, calm down,” Applejack quietly said, covering Soarin’s muzzle. She turned to Shining Armor. “So, what do we do now?”
“I don’t know,” Shining admitted. “Especially because I’m sure the princesses are behind that door.”
Just at that moment, Fleetfoot and Spitfire entered the hallway, still carrying the sack. Much to Shining Armor’s surprise, his daughter did not appear to be moving or crying. Instead, she was completely still and silent inside of her bag.
“We need to see the princess immediately,” Spitfire said to the guards. “As you can see, we have caught the Crystal Empire threat, and require her assistance in dealing with it.”
The guards nodded. “Right this way,” one of them said, opening the door for the Wonderbolts. Once they were inside, he immediately closed the door again, and went back to his previous position.
“Now we really have to hurry,” Applejack whispered. “How are we going to do this?”
“Well, I guess the first move would be to distract the guards,” Shining Armor suggested. “The question, though, is how we’re supposed to do that.”
The group silently took a moment to think about a plan. At first, nothing came to them. However, after a second, Rainbow Dash had a thought.
“Hey, wait a second,” the pegasus mare said, squinting at the guards. “I know those guys! Those are the same guards Rarity and I had to interrogate a few months ago. Trust me, Shining Armor, distracting them should be a piece of cake.” She chuckled for a few seconds, then shook her head. “Do any of you guys have any food?”
“Um, we’ve got a baby bottle,” Shining Armor replied, scratching his mane. “Somehow, I get the feeling that’s not what you’re looking for.”
“No, not really. I guess we’re going to have to do this the old-fashioned way.”
“What do you—”
Before Shining Armor could finish his sentence, Rainbow Dash jumped out from behind the curtain, causing the three royal guards to jump up in surprise.
“Hey, you!” she shouted, running toward the stallions. “Do you remember me?!”
As they opened their mouths to respond, Rainbow Dash snatched a spear from one of the guards and began to run away.
“You’ll never catch me!” she yelled, giving Shining Armor a quick wink. She then ran out of the hallway and into another section of the castle. As she had expected, all three of the guards began chasing her down.
“Get back here with that, Rainbow!” they yelled. As the three of them left the room, Shining Armor made one quick check to see if anypony was still there. Once he was sure they were alone, he gave a nod to his friends.
“Now’s our chance!” Shining Armor said, coming out from behind the curtain. “Come on, you guys!”
He then opened the door, which Flash Sentry and Applejack quickly ran through. Soarin, however, stayed in the hallway, with a look of uncertainty on his face.
“Are you coming or what?” Shining asked, looking both ways to make sure nopony was watching.
“No,” Soarin answered, shaking his head. “I’m going to go help out Rainbow Dash. You keep moving ahead!”
“Alright! Good luck!”
“Same to you!”
With that, Soarin ran off in the same direction Rainbow and the guards had, yelling, “I’ve got your back, Rainbow Dash!”
Let’s hope that your plan works, Shining Armor thought to himself as he watched Soarin slowly fade into the distance.
Once Shining Armor closed the door behind him, he took a moment to catch his breath. His heart was racing, and his face was covered in sweat. Even though he had had to face several fierce villains in the past, this was the most afraid Shining Armor had ever felt in his life.
As he took his brief pause, he looked around at the room that he had just entered. It was a small, empty corridor. Inside it, there was nothing but an unguarded door that Shining Armor knew the princesses were behind.
“Go hide before those curtains,” he said to Applejack and Flash Sentry. “I’m gonna try to listen to their conversation.”
Shining then proceeded to press his ear to the door, where he heard Princess Celestia speaking to the Wonderbolts.
“We’re very busy at the moment,” she said. “We know this threat is important, but we are presently in way a very tough negotiation situation that we must handle before we can do anything else.”
“How about you come to us at the party tonight?” Princess Luna asked. “I know it may not be the ideal place to show us a criminal, but by then, we should be able to handle whoever they are.”
“Alright,” Spitfire sighed. Shining could hear the sack rustling on Fleetfoot’s back. “What are we supposed to do with this pony until then?”
“Keep them close,” Princess Luna advised. “I would say to give them to the royal guards, but I do not trust them after the incident with Wind Rider. Spitfire, I’m trusting the threat with you. Just keep her in that sack and make sure she doesn’t escape.”
Luna said “she”, Shining Armor thought to himself. Does that mean she knows who it is?
“Okay. Thank you, your highness.”
With that, the door opened, and Spitfire and Fleetfoot walked out of the room, the latter still carrying the sack on her back. Luckily, neither of them noticed the group, since Shining Armor was behind the door, and Applejack and Flash Sentry had hidden behind curtains.
“That was close,” Applejack whispered.
“Oh, yeah,” Shining Armor agreed, joining Flash behind one of the curtains. “Did you two catch everything the princesses were saying? They’re very busy at the moment, so they're going to be dealing with the threat at a party tonight.“
“What party?“ Flash Sentry asked. “This is the first I'm hearing of any party.“
“I dunno. Maybe we should listen more and figu—"
Before he could finish, Shining Armor heard very familiar voice coming through the door that stopped him in his tracks. It was his wife, Princess Cadance.
“Spike, could you please send this letter directly to Shining Armor?“ she asked. Spike then presumably nodded his head, as in a few seconds, the group could hear the sound of fire coming out of his mouth. It wasn't long before a small, pink scroll materialized in the space above the group and lande directly on top of Shining Armor's head.
“You've got mail!" Flash Sentry exclaimed, reading the front of the scroll. “’From Princess Cadance’. What’s it say?“
Shining opened the letter and begin to read:
Beloved Shining Armor,
I apologize for notifying you so late about this, Shiny, but I'm going to be coming home a little later than I had expected. You see, we’ve gotten some very good work done today, and Princess Celestia wanted to celebrate our accomplishments by throwing us a fancy dinner party. Everypony in Canterlot is invited, and Celestia said that, because I am a princess, I have to attend. I wish that I could come home sooner, but showing up at events like this and supporting the Equestrian community is part of my royal duty.
I heard about the threat that came to the Crystal Empire. I'm really glad that you, Flurry Heart, and the rest of the townsponies are okay. It's always scary when things like this happen. Maybe we should increase security?
Speaking of Flurry Heart, I hope you've been taking good care of her! I know she can be a handful sometimes, but, like I told you earlier, you’re a great father and to caring for get on your own. remember, she needs to go to sleep by five. Otherwise, we'll have a very cranky baby on our hooves!
I know that you’ve got this covered. Remember: I believe in you, Shiny.
Lots of love,
Princess Mi Amore Cadenza
“They're having a party to celebrate their efforts,“ Shining Armor said, putting the letter in his saddlebag. “It seems like the entire city of Canterlot got invited.“
“Well, that’s a problem,” Flash Sentry said, reading the paper over Shining Armor’s shoulder. “We can’t steal Flurry Heart back from the Wonderbolts if she’s going to be at a party that every single pony in Canterlot’s going to be attending! We’d get found out in seconds!”
“So what do we do?“ Applejack asked, coming out from behind her curtain. “I mean, the princesses are going to open the bag at that party. If they do, they’re going to find out the truth, Shining Armor. This party is your last chance to get back Flurry Heart without anypony knowing.“
Shining Armor gulped. I'm not prepared for this, he thought to himself, looking at the clock. But I need to get into that party tonight and save my daughter... How am I going to do that?
Then, suddenly, it hit him.
“Guys, I have a plan,“ he said, running out of the hallway. “It's going to sound a little crazy, but I think it just might work.“
“Well, what is it?“ Flash Sentry asked.
“I'll tell you on the way. Do either of you know where Canterlot Carousel is?“ Applejack nodded her head, and Shining Armor smiled. “Good. Now lead the way.“
With that, Shining Armor, Flash Sentry, and Applejack ran off in the direction of Canterlot Carousel, avoiding contact with anypony they saw on the way.
Flurry Heart, Shining thought to himself as he ran. You're finally coming home.
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Better plan fast Shining or it's Doghouse City for him.
7714379
Man being a dad is gonna be a hand full for Shining. I wonder what he had to deal with when Twilight was young I bet it was a nightmare for him.
Will this ever be continued?
For anyone just discovering this story, or wishing there was more, my latest story, "A Series Of Great Ideas (Or Not)" is kind of a spiritual successor to this. Check it out!
- MLP: FiM
- Comedy
- Drama
- Random
Shining Armor and Flam wake up in bed together, no memory of how they got there or what they did the previous night. All they know is that Apple Bloom has been kidnapped, and they're the guilty party.