Stars and Shield (Shining Armour)
"Dear subjects, hear Us! Our son, all on his own, brought justice to those that would seek to subvert the Imperial Order! Those that would seek to abuse their privileges for their own gain are a taint that must be purged from the Empire! Hail to you, Prince Solus!"
Huh? What did he-
"Hail!"
Oh no! Oh, please don't be mad, please don't be mad, please don't be mad...
"Now, sit and enjoy the rest of the evening! You deserve your respite."
I look up at Mom to see her glaring at me.
"Shiny, that was extremely rude!", she hisses.
"Sorry, Mother! I was just-"
"Don't make excuses! How many time must I tell you that?."
I lower my head in shame.
"Yes, Mother. Sorry, Mother."
"We'll talk about this when we're back home."
Stupid, why am I always so stupid...
"You're a wonderful pony, please, stop thinking so lowly of yourself."
Right, he believes in me. I can do better. I have to do better. I look at the head table, where Solus seems to be talking with his mother. Um, what did she just say? His face scrunched up like he swallowed a lemon or something. Oh, I hope it wasn't anything too bad. I know I don't like it when Mom admonishes (yell at) me.
"Shiny, stop staring and eat, you're being impolite!"
"But Mom-"
"Shiny!"
Ugh, I hate melted cheese. It's just so... cheesy. I take a bite out of the omelette and... Blurgh. I'm going to be sick...
"Stop being childish, Shiny! It's not that bad!."
"I don't see you eating it", I grumble.
I stop, looking up at Mom...
Oh no! Please- Ahhg!
"What was that?", Mom asks me, her horn still glowing.
Don't cry, she'll just hurt me more if I cry.
"Nothing, Mother..."
"That's what I thought. Eat up, you've embarrassed me enough as it is."
Solus wouldn't have hurt me. He'd understand. Why can't you! If an alicorn isn't perfect, why must I be? I hope she's born soon, that way you'll finally be off my back! Let her have all your attention, I don't want it!
But she isn't yet. So I must endure. Uhg... so cheesy...
Finally! The feast is over!
"Mother, can I go see the Prince?"
"Of course, Shiny."
Yes! Let's make a run for-
"Shiny?"
Horseapples!
"Yes, Mother?"
"You're lucky the Prince is so forgiving. Try not to repeat yesterday's mistake. Again."
"Yes, Mother..."
Don't you think I already know that!? I don't even understand why he'd want to be friend with an unwanted, stupid...
"You're a wonderful pony, please, stop thinking so lowly of yourself."
...
Why... what does he sees in me...
I shake my head. It doesn't matter. He's waiting for me. I may not know why he chose me, but I can't disappoint him. I can't let him see how useless...
I trot at a brisk pace to where the Prince (Solus) is sitting. When I get close, he looks up and his eyes open up wide. He looks a bit surprised but also... happy? Yes, happy, not that I really know why...
"You're a wonderful pony..."
Why? Why am I-
"Shiny?"
"Uh, y-yes?"
He laughs. Oh no, is he laughing at-
"I said hello, you silly pony! Stop being so panicky all the time."
He just...
"Oh, um, hi...? I mean! Hello, Your High Sereneness! I mean-"
"Calm down, Shiny, it's okay."
"But-"
He raises his eyebrow.
"Shiny."
Right, no but.
"Sorry..."
"Don't be." He smiles. "Maybe it will get through your thick skull one day, uh?"
Don't count on it...
"So, what did you do after you left?"
"Oh, uh, nothing much, just my usual lessons."
All of them. With only half the usual time.
"Of course you have to do all your lessons today, Shiny! What if you fall behind, Hmm? What then?"
"What did you do? You told me you were going to get a gift, right?"
"Oh, uh... Yeah."
Why does he looks so... uncertain? I've never seen him like this.
"What was it?"
"Um, slaves..."
"Really? Wow! Mother would never let me have my own..."
She'd say I'm too weak and I'd be the slave and the slave would be the master...
Why is he looking at me like that? Did I say something wrong!?
"W-what is it like?"
"I got two, an earth pony colt and a pegasus filly."
"Two! That's awesome! What are they like?"
"I don't know, didn't have the time to get to know them."
"What do you mean by that? What is there to know about a slave?"
He winces, and looks away. Oh no! What did I say?
"Shiny... No, just... just forget about it, okay?"
Nonononono! I disappointed him, didn't I? So stupid, I always mess up...
Don't cry, don't cry...
*sob*
"Shiny?"
Why am I so pathetic? what's wrong with me...
Warm. Soft. He's hugging me? Is that... his wings? They're so soft...
"Don't cry, Shiny. I'm not mad at you."
He's not? Why not?
So soft... no one hugged me like that before. Did... did my parents ever hug me...?
"Chin up. I'm not mad because you're my friend."
How-
"It's in your eyes. I'm sorry I didn't realize sooner, I was out of it because of... today."
My eyes? Am I really that easy to read?
"Now, as much as I like hugs, we should probably stop. We're already attracting some stares."
Oh! I let go of him immediately. Stupid, now we're both emba-
"What about I go talk to your Mother?"
What? No!
"No!"
"Don't worry Shiny, I'll just tell her to go easy on you, nothing more."
Nothing more? She'll go ballistic! She'll say I'm a whiny, ungrateful brat!
"Come on!"
No! Please stop! I run after him, hoping to stop him before-
"Evening, Duchess."
Oh no...
"Oh, Prince Solus, to what do I owe the pleasure? I hope Shiny is behaving..."
Please stop glaring at me...
"Oh, don't worry! He's a delight to have around."
Really...?
"Really? Well, just say the word, and I'll have a talk with him."
Why is he smiling like that? It's... wrong and... scary...
"Yeah, about that..."
"Yes?"
"Don't you think you're pushing him too hard?"
"Too hard? Of course not! Whatever he told you, he's just trying to be lazy."
Don't... Don't cry...
"There's a difference between lazy and overwhelmed."
"And what would you know? Um, Your Highness."
"I would know that since my mother got rid of the fools who were pushing me too hard, I have been progressing by leaps and bound."
"Of course! But Shining isn't an alicorn, my Prince."
"All the more reasons to be easier on him. Too much, and he might break."
"Are you saying my son is weak?!", she hisses.
"Are you?", he says, calmer, but still with a definite edge to his voice.
"Why you-"
"I'd like to propose a deal, Duchess."
Uh?
"Wha-? What is it, my Prince?", she grounds out.
"Let Shiny be taught by my tutors and let them tell you if he needs to be pushed harder or not."
What?!
"What?!"
"Shining Armour! Your Highness, are you serious?"
"Yes, entirely serious."
"Well..."
"Are you questioning the worth of my words?"
"Of course not, Your Serene Highness!"
"Then do you accept?"
Please say yes...
"...Very well, my Prince."
"Good. Send him to me tomorrow morning."
"As you command, Your Highness. Excuse us, it is getting late, we would not want Shining to be too tired to learn tomorrow."
Solus looks at her dubiously, but still nod.
"Of course. Farewell, Duchess."
He turns to face me, a smile on his face.
"Shining Armour, I'll see you on the morrow. Have a good night!"
I can't believe I'm friend with him...
"Y-you too, Prince."
"Come along, Shining Armour."
"Yes, Mother!"
"What did you tell him?!", Mother shrieks.
"Nothing, I swea-"
Slap!!!
"DON'T LIE TO ME YOU UNGRATEFUL BRAT! WHAT DID YOU TELL HIM!"
"I ju-sniff-just told him m-my teachers were, were -hurk- ma-making me uncom-uncom- nervous."
"NERVOUS!? IS THAT ALL?! YOU EMBARRASSED ME IN FRONT OF THE ENTIRE COURT, IN FRONT OF THE EMPRESS HERSELF, BECAUSE YOU FELT 'NERVOUS'?!"
"N-no, I-"
"SILENCE!"
*gulp*
"It doesn't matter. They'll see soon enough why I'm being so 'hard' on you."
"W-why do you care? She'll be born soon and I won't be your heir anymore."
"Maybe, but that doesn't give you an excuse to be lazy! You must give your all to insure our family's future! By some absurd miracle you managed to befriend the Prince. You can be sure I won't let you squander that opportunity!"
"O-opportunity?"
"Are you really this stupid? We can use this bond to ingratiate ourselves with the Royal Family! Are you too simple to understand what we could do with this?"
"B-but he's my friend, I don't want to use-"
Slap!!!
"So unbearably naive. Do you really think he cares about you? He's simply making sure he has our family on his side!"
"N-no, you're wrong! Arghhg!"
"Do I need to use the Discipline Spell again?"
"No, Mo-mother."
"Good. Go to bed, and for the sake of the Sun, please grow up."
"Shiny, you're just six."
"Become the stallion you were meant to be instead of the whimpering brat you are now."
"You're a wonderful pony, please, stop thinking so lowly of yourself."
"Yes, Mother, I will."
I will become the stallion Solus sees. I promise. I'll always be there for him, the only one who cares for me, even if he has no reasons to.
"Shiny?"
"Dad?"
"Yeah", he sits on the edge of my bed. "Please, forgive your Mother. She has very good reasons to be so demanding."
"Yeah? What are they?"
"Me."
What?
"What do you mean, Dad?"
"Shiny, have you ever wondered why I don't show myself in public much?"
"Uh, not really..."
"It's because of what I am. My name, my colors, my emblem most of all. Having a lunar emblem, Fate must really hate me..."
"W-what's the problem with having a moon for an emblem?"
"The problem is that the Moon is associated with Evil and Corruption. Many thought, and many still think, that I was an agent of Darkness. Your mother and I married for love, but she had to endure the social fallout of doing so. Ever since then she has been trying to keep our reputation intact."
"Oh, I... I didn't know..."
"We are so worried you or your sister are going to have an emblem similar to mine. She might be harsh, but she really does love you."
Does she really...?
"Why did she never say it?"
"Huh?"
"She never told me that she loved me."
"Uh, well, it's, well... it's just she never, um... She does love you, I'm sure of that."
"...Goodnight, Dad."
*sigh*
"Goodnight, son."
He kisses me on the forehead and leave.
Does she love me? She never hugged me, not like Solus...
What would he say? Should I give her a chance?
But she wants me to use Solus...
"You're a wonderful pony, please, stop thinking so lowly of yourself."
Would a wonderful pony hate his mother?
*sob*
I don't know...
Please, Solus, Celestia, anypony, just...
Tell me... please...
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damn shining has a sad life
...this broke my heart.
This tore it to pieces
Did Shining Armor just mention Celestia? I thought she went by the name of Corona... Or are they "separate" beings (as in Celestia separated her past from her current self)?
8297794
Solus calls her that.
dude, bro, man...... you really, REALLY need to learn to use identifiers when you have conversations involving multiple individuals. Even if its as simple as a he said/she said, every action and every bit of dialogue should have something noting who it is that is speaking/acting.
This entire piece here, there isn't a single thing letting readers know who is speaking/acting. Your story is definitely interesting, but it suffers from some very simple mistakes such as this. You may want to look into having someone look over your story.
It is good to be able to see a chapter from another point of view. It really adds to what is happening in shinning's life. giving more depth and character. As for what was mentioned about his fathers 'emblem', this is quite interesting, and holds the capacity to be expanded in further chapters.
Over all, great chapter
There are only a handful of times that i have ever been this revolted, disgusted, by villans, or side characters, and now this is reaching three, four if you count Velvet, and five if you count the ponies shunning, Night Light for his mark, and this feeling is so overwhelming, i just want to puke up my literal guts.
1.The HeavenFall story, search it up, and you'll see what i mean
2.The story Not What I expected, read it, Celestia does some evil shit to the main character,
3. read the rest of them at the start
Man, i love these stories, cuz if people are genuinely, want a villan to be defeated in a story, you know that the author is doing something right, they are making good characters.
even deoxys from latias' journey doesn't need his head kicked in this hard.
well done on creating legitimately hateable villains
8350793
You're exaggerating -- no being is more even than that version of Deoxys. For fuck's sake, he even reincarnated his soul in a baby of a random alien species to try and understand love, wiping his memory to make the experiment more genuine, and his body ended murdering his family. Seriously -- he is so evil his very soul turned his blank slate body evil. Then, to add insult to injury, he sterilized the planet the same way a scientist would sterilize a petri dish after an experiment.
Thank you for making Shining Armor's reaction realistic -- people tend to forget that morality isn't ingrained, it is taught.
Yes thank you for making shinings attitude toward slaves realistic. Too many stories with similar situations seems to make most of the main characters sound like they were 21 st century characters in a dark age setting.
8358443
Well I liked that too, like you said, he was kind of told that it is right that way.
ahhh so many chapters that I still have to read and I already know it isn't going to be enough.
8298025
Agreed.
8593668
Lol. I agree with you guys. Surprisingly, I actually didn’t notice till this was pointed out. It’s really easy to follow, and flows pretty well. A wonderful story.
Celly is out right now, please leave a message with the empress and she will promptly incinerate you upon receipt.
These quotes makes me so irrationally angry. His name is NIGHT LIGHT for crying out loud. It is literally a beacon in the darkness to keep the dark forced at bay. He is literally a beacon of hope in the darkness. The fact that this sends ponies into a frenzy makes me just... Just so angry.
9656954
The Moon Lord has awoken!
9760626
It is STILL BULLSHIT. Your anger is SHARED AND STRENGTHENED by mine. I AGREE TO THE FULLEST!!!
It's so weird seeing a disfunctional Sparkle family.