Further Tales From Day Court

by Blade Star

Chapter 11 - Designated Survivor

The one thing, if you ask me, that sets ponies apart from us humans, is their resilience; their ability to bounce back and move on with life. Let’s say the recent changeling incident happened on Earth, in Britain. So you have the PM, the Deputy PM and half Cabinet and Shadow Cabinet kidnapped. To say nothing of the absolute panic, the knock on effects would be tremendous. Britain would probably end up as a real life Airstrip One from 1984, to say nothing of the endless news cycle, the debates, public inquiries, continuous blaming and shaming of whoever was thought to be responsible. In contrast, in Equestria, the princesses came back, and about a week later, it was like the whole thing never happened. Okay, sure, Luna apparently tore Mareclellan a new one and ordered that all of Shining’s security arrangements be reinstated, cease fire or no, but there was no panic, no rampant paranoia. Terrorism it seems, would be most ineffective in Equestria. Sure, at the time they might be terrified, but the actions of a few screwed up villains does not really seem to leave a lasting impression.

It’s not burying it though. They aren’t just repressing the trauma. Ponies do just seem to have this remarkable mental faculty to live in the moment. Instead of thinking about all the ways that scenario could have led to the end of Equestria, the general consensus could be summed up as; ‘it could have, but it didn’t’. And if you ask me, that’s a pretty good mindset to have. I certainly wouldn’t mind it.

I suppose I should fill you in on what happened next. After the last changelings surrendered, there was a fair bit of trouble with repatriating them back to their kingdom. Technically, there were enemy spies, or at the very least were detained as prisoners of war. With Thorax having taken over as interim leader for the moment, there had been a quick, somewhat official cease fire, which was due to give way to an official peace treaty, bringing the conflict between ponies and changelings to a close in what can only be described as a decisive Equestrian victory. Chrysalis, as it turns out, never looked up the definition of insanity.

With the princesses back in Canterlot and everything stabilised, we waited for word from the Changeling Kingdom. Obviously, they’d drawn their horns in for several weeks, having undergone something between a bloodless revolution and an Equestrian imposed regime change. Thorax, while not claiming the title of king, was now officially in charge, and all but a few changelings had transformed into their new technicolour variants. One of the few holdouts was apparently his own brother, who retained his position in the changeling military.

As for Chrysalis herself, nopony had seen hide nor hair of her, not that she has either. I had no doubt that she would be planning something, but alone, she was far less dangerous. There was no doubt that eventually she would find herself either in a cell or a box.

But on to happier subjects. Starlight, Trixie, Discord and Thorax were all honoured in a ceremony in Twilight’s castle. I never thought I’d see the day Discord of all people won himself a gong, and for gallantry no less. The incident also did greatly improve my opinion of Starlight, and while there was one more serious incident for her down the road, I considered this a massive leap forward, having shown an ability to work with her newfound friends to help save the day. Conversely, they say you send a thief to catch a thief.

Still, Chrysalis was beaten, the changelings were now friends, and all seemed right with the world. After the stress of the past couple weeks (believe it or not, serious geopolitical shifts cause me no amount of paperwork and court dates to attend) Celestia had been kind enough to grant me some leave. I’ll admit I am something of a workaholic. I get plenty of leave each year; a benefit of my senior position as one of Celestia’s advisors, and typically, I usually end up only using a small amount for the odd weekend holiday, as well as taking my and my wife’s birthdays off, along with our anniversary. But after the calamities, Celestia was insistent that I take some time to relax and if nothing else, spend time with darling wife.

She’s a good boss, I’ll say that much.

There was actually something on the books this week that had caught my eye. I’d seen a poster at Ponyville train station for an art exhibition that was coming to town. It was being staged by Spearhead, a senior member of the Royal Guard and an old friend of Shining Armor’s. He’s also quite possibly a bit of a Section 8, but that’s another story. The art seems to do him a world of good in any case, even if he isn’t quite the full shilling. He’s a nice enough guy, and from what I’ve seen of his work, he has quite a lot of talent.

Margaret is quite the art lover too. Before we ended up here in Equestria, our last holiday had been to Florence and Venice, by way of the Vatican, and we’d taken the opportunity to soak up plenty of Renaissance art. So when I told her that I’d been given a week’s leave and specific instructions from my gaffer to relax and enjoy myself, she was more than happy to go and see the exhibit. It was certainly fortunate that her own time off from school, what with the summer break and all, coincided with my own little holiday.

I was able to get us a couple of tickets, via Spearhead himself. He was still up in Canterlot at the moment. I’m actually a little surprised that he’s kept his position in the guard. From what I’ve heard, his art has caused quite a stir and some of his pieces are valued at hundreds, if not thousands, of bits apiece. While guards do get a decent salary for their work, it paled in comparison to what he could get by relying on his passion full time. I found him in the officers mess at lunch to pay for and collect the tickets. He was an orange pegasus with a two tone stripped blue mane, not too dissimilar to Shining. He was a tad smaller than the former captain, but still an impressive size. At the moment, being off duty, he was out of uniform and wore only a red and white chequered shemagh; something he’d picked up while stationed in distant Saddle Arabia. It was wrapped around his neck and shoulders in the style of your American Tier One types instead of the headdress of the locals. He was currently doodling in a sketchbook by the looks of things, the pencil being manipulated by his left wing tip.

You know, when we first got here, Bones always said to me that he was glad he ended up as a unicorn, as his magic allowed him to replace his lost hands. He said he couldn’t imagine having to work with hooves. However, of late, he’s retracted that view, admitting that both pegasi wings and the hooves of earth ponies can be almost as dexterous. Pegasi can even use individual feathers in a manner not too dissimilar to fingers.

Spearhead looked up as I walked in. Despite the hour, the mess was deserted at the moment. After recent events, Mareclellan had decided to fly the flag a little and was busy conducting an exercise with most of the guard in the city.

“Hey, Spearhead,” I said, keeping my voice a little lower than normal so as not to interrupt his muse. “You got those tickets for me?” The guard looked up from his work.

“Oh, hey there, Roger,” he replied jovially. “Yeah, sure, I’ve got them right here.” He placed two paper tickets, not unlike plane tickets, on the table. I picked them up and replaced them with the small stack of bits I owed.

“And there’s your ten bits,” I replied. Spearhead pocketed the funds without counting them.

“Thanks,” he said, beginning to return to his sketchbook. “You know, you’re lucky. That’s the last pair of tickets the organisers gave me. This show’s going to be a blast! I can’t wait to see how my art speaks to ponies from all over Equestria! It’s certainly going to be nice not to have to be the only one talking to all those sculptures!”

See what I mean? I think that’s what they call the artistic temperament, although God knows what he went through during the wedding, it would have shook anypony up. It’s actually impressive how he’s managed to pull himself together again. I just think it’s his way of coping and dealing with what happened. And, to be fair, at least he doesn’t bark like Screw Loose does. Poor girl. Spearhead continued.

“And it’ll be nice to have somepony else from work showing up too,” he added.

“Oh, who else is coming then?” I asked. Please not Discord.

“The cap and Princess Cadence,” he replied, referring to Shining Armor by his informal title from when he held command. “We ain’t seen each other in months, so we figured this would be a good time to catch up, especially now he’s settled into the whole dad gig. The two of them are coming down to Ponyville to see the exhibition.”

Well, that was a nice bit of news. I was looking forward to seeing the exhibit and spending the day with the memsahib, but a lot of art lovers, particularly rich ones, tend to be dull and boring, or worse, snobbish jackasses. So, it was nice to hear that there’d be a couple of familiar faces too. Like Spearhead, it had been a while since I’d had a chance to see Shining (he and Cadence went directly back to the empire after being freed, so our paths didn’t really cross) and Margaret and Cadence are on pretty good terms as well. If nothing else, it’ll be nice to hear how the pair are getting on with little Flurry now that she’s settled down more or less.

Thanking him for the tickets, and wishing him the best of luck for the exhibition, I headed off to my own lunch. Celestia has asked me to join her and Luna for a spot of Mornington Crescent over tea.

---

Ah yes, Mornington Crescent, a game that dates back to the days when the Austrian Empire ruled over the most of central Europe. Originally devised as a means for Germanic princes to settle land disputes as far back as the twelfth century, it has evolved and grown over the years into the modern form we are familiar with today. It’s simple yet complex gameplay has inspired stories, films, plays, and of course, the London Underground network, which was directly inspired by the game’s nineteenth century variant.

Like chess, Mornington Crescent is a game that is simple to learn, yet deeply trying to master. A new player is only provided with two rules upon starting their first game. Firstly, they must move their playing piece from its starting station to Mornington Crescent, whilst hindering the progress of their rivals. Secondly though, one cannot travel directly to the station itself, but must get there via indirect means. Everything else is learnt entirely by trial and error. The practice encourages experienced players to support novices and, in spite of the competitive nature of the game, foster a sense of mutual respect and good will. Given time, a novice learns the many nuances and eventually comes to be able to act as a referee for a game himself.

I’d first introduced the game to both royal sisters not long after I began working in the castle, when Celestia first invited me to lunch. Back then, she and Luna played chess. Not only were they of such equal skill that each game ended in a tie, but there was little for me to do but spectate. So I suggested we try another board game, and after some setbacks involving both Risk and Monopoly (during which I learned Luna is a sodding cheater; I know she was hiding extra bits in her horseshoe so she could win) I suggested that we try Mornington Crescent. It was easy enough to get most of the necessary playing pieces one way or another. The only hard part was finding a map of the underground and one of London. Luckily, when the rift opened around New Year’s Eve, it happened to spew out, amongst other things, precisely that.

And so I taught the pair how to play. While at first the games were quite one sided, the two rulers soon picked up and began to best me. Things got even better when Discord, having heard what we were up to, came and asked to join to enjoy the chaos of the game.

We’ve been playing for a couple of years now together off and on. In fact it’s become something of an institution in court, with nobles making up all kinds of rumours about what the game is and how it works.

I found both princesses already well into the game when I joined them. They’d kindly left a place open for me and set me starting at Chalk Farm; one of my favourite openings; a touch unexpected, but also potentially very advantageous, like opening with a knight in chess. I quickly joined the pair at their table, sitting down Indian style on one of the cushions provided. A maid soon brought over some tea, complete with a good sized lemon wedge.

“Afternoon, Tia, Luna,” I said as I sat down, briefly thanking the maid. “How goes the game?”

“Most fortuitously, Roger,” Luna replied with a hint of smugness. “And here I always thought that dear sister was the puppet master when it came to the long game.” Celestia snorted and rolled her eyes.

“Now, now, Luna,” she replied with a smile. “The game’s not over yet, and a new player has joined the table. Your headlong charge may be stopped yet.”

While it seemed just just your usual friendly sibling rivalry, I couldn’t help but note a slight undertone to their playful jabs. The two of them have slowly been getting on each others nerves over the past few weeks. I’ve done my best to keep the peace, but I can’t help but wonder when things are going to come to a head.

“Anything could happen,” I replied, reaching for my own piece. “For example, I could say, move to Bank and leave you both in the Nidd for the next few turns.” Both sisters groaned as I moved my piece to the station, greatly stymieing any hope of a quick win. I did my best to change the subject.

“So, I was talking with Spearhead earlier, picking up those tickets for his art exhibition. He told me Cadence and Shining were coming to view it, and bringing little Flurry with them too.” Celestia brightened up at that.

“Well, that’s wonderful,” she replied. “I’m sure that they’ll enjoy the opportunity to relax after everything that’s happened. Between Flurry Heart and enemy invasions, the past few weeks have been more than a little frazzling.”

“Ain’t that the truth,” I agreed. “I don’t suppose I could tempt either of you into joining us?” Both princesses sadly shook their heads.

“Sorry, Roger,” Luna said. “But recent events have compelled the two of us to remain in the capital. Of course, that doesn’t prevent me from admiring Spearhead’s pieces.”

She gestured to a rather striking, and very abstract, sculpture in one corner of the room. While I’m no expert, I recognised Spearhead’s handiwork when I saw it.

“You bought that from him?” I asked. Celestia shook her head.

“A gift,” she explained. “I almost went as far as ordering him to take some sort of payment, but he refused to touch a bit of mine or Luna’s. He said that our enjoyment was payment enough.”

“An admirable attitude,” Luna agreed with a nod. “He’s a fine soldier and a credit to the guard. I’m honestly surprised you haven’t promoted him further, sister. I certainly wouldn’t mind seeing him replace that oaf Mareclellan.”

“Now, Luna,” I said amicably as she moved her own piece to Tower Bridge “Celestia doesn’t tell you how to run the night guard.”

“True enough,” she conceded. “Conversely, I don’t replace a gifted commander like Night Song with an officer who is more bureaucrat than soldier. Shining Armor should never have given up his position like that.”

“Luna, it was unfair to ask him to keep making such sacrifices at the expense of his foal. And may I remind you the Crystal Guard also failed to stop the changeling threat.”

Seeing that things were about to boil over, I stepped in.

“Ladies, please,” I said placatingly. “Let’s just enjoy the game.” Two pair eyed each other a moment longer before relenting.

The next few rounds passed in a somewhat awkward silence. Luna was pouting, and I think Celestia was a little embarrassed for me to see her arguing with her sister. Still, they’d work it out in the end; they always have. As I moved my own piece to Battersea, I tried to get the conversation going again.

“You know, speaking of Shining,” I said. “Have you been able to do anything with that designated survivor concept?” Celestia nodded.

“Actually,” she said. “Now that you mention it, I was able to get the infrastructure in place for such a proposal. Were you still thinking of Shining Armor for the role?”

“Yes,” I replied. “He’s proven himself a capable leader in the past. The problem when we run into these crises is the lack of control. Take what just happened; Equestria was paralysed because no one could officially take the reins, COBRA was next to useless. The same thing happened during Flurry Heart’s Crystalling. If Shining had been somewhere safe and out of the way, he’d have been able to coordinate a proper counter attack. As long as the government keeps going, Equestria keeps going.”

“So how does it work then?” Luna asked.

“Well,” I explained. “The biggest risk is when you’re all together, say for a summit or something. Having you all together leaves you vulnerable. By having somepony out of the way, they’re able to avoid any attack and then emerge to coordinate a response.”

“That would hardly have helped during the changeling attack,” Luna countered. “The changelings simultaneously attacked three different points.”

“No,” I admitted. “But no plan can cover every eventuality. This would have certainly helped against Tirek, instead of having all three of you just sitting idle in the castle, or during the wedding when all three of you were in the same place. In either of those events, if somepony was out and away from Canterlot, and able to take command, they could have been a real help in at least keeping the government functioning and giving orders to the guard. Heck, your plan with Twilight with Tirek was pretty much the same thing.”

“It does sound like something that may at least help in such scenarios,” Celestia agreed. “When are you going to ask him?”

“I thought I might do so informally after the art show, see if he’s interested in the idea,” I said. “It’ll be quite the sacrifice. He won’t be able to attend events if you, Luna, Twilight, and Cadence are there, and he’ll have to be ready to take over running Equestria at a moment’s notice. But personally, I’d say he’s up to it.”

With everypony in agreement, more or less, the game returned to a more friendly atmosphere. Celestia managed to win in the end, much to Luna’s annoyance. I still can’t believe she beat me with a Mongolian Defence. I always thought I was too clever to fall for that. But with the princesses’ agreement I was able to offer Shining his potential new job. And as I said earlier, while the idea wouldn’t have helped with the changelings, it was going partly help to save our bacon a year or so down the line.

---

A couple of days later and it was time for the exhibition. I was in my bedroom back at the house, doing the top buttons up on my shirt and doing my tie up in a half Windsor. It’s always a bit of a challenge for us humans when it comes to attending events. At something like the Grand Galloping Gala, everypony turns out dressed to the nines, but for an event like this, while formal, didn’t call for any particular clothes for ponies. But as humans...well, I wasn’t about to attend an exhibition in my birthday suit, no matter how liberal the place was, and it didn’t feel right just showing up in some casual wear. So in the end, both Margaret and I settled on something semi formal; me in a toned down version of my court attire, and she in one of her smarter teacher outfits.

In a reversal of the usual gender norms, Margaret was already downstairs, ready to go and waiting on me. Usually, I was the one waiting for her to make herself look pretty, but I’d had a bit of a lie in this morning, and was just a little behind.

“Roger! Come on!” my wife called up the stairs. “Shining and Cadence’s train will be at the station in ten minutes, and I want to meet them so we can walk to the gallery together.”

“Alright! Alright! Hold your horses, woman!” I called back, ignoring the pun behind that phrase now. “I’ll be down in a minute.”

“You said that five minutes ago!” she shouted back.

Finally getting a knot I was satisfied with, I patted my pockets to make sure I had my wallet and keys with me, and then I dashed downstairs. Margaret was already at the front door, holding it open with an impatient look on her face.

“See, told you, didn’t I?” I said as I hot footed it down the staircase and followed her out the front door.

Heading out the front door, and locking it behind us (something I’ve started doing again in the aftermath of the changeling incursion) we both headed to the train station. Cadence and Shining were coming on the train, along with Flurry Heart. Twilight would no doubt be overjoyed to see her niece again, for once not at a time when Equestria or the Crystal Empire was in peril. And it would be a chance for the two royals to enjoy some time together in a more relaxed setting. Celestia knows having a daughter can be trying, even with a genuine magical genius like Sunburst helping out. Making our way through town, the two of us chatted about the exhibition.

“I just hope Twilight will be alright looking after Flurry for the afternoon,” she was saying. “She’s got a fair bit on her plate today as it is, what with that hospital visit and everything.”

“Oh?” I asked. “Who’s she visiting then?” I narrowly dodged a half serious smack to the back of my head.

“Don’t you remember?” Margaret asked with some annoyance. “I told you on Friday. Half the kids have come down with horsey hives. Twilight’s going to read to them in hospital to cheer them up. So she’ll have a fair bit to do today.”

“Can’t you or Cheerilee do it?” I suggested, trying and failing to be helpful.

“Cheerilee never got horsey hives as a foal. It’s like catching chicken pox as an adult. And I can’t go because we aren’t sure what effect it might have on humans. Twilight volunteered to do it instead.”

“Okay, okay,” I said in an apologetic tone. “Well, I'm sure she’ll make them all feel better.”

Before too long, we reached the train station. The train had just pulled in to the station, and Shining and Cadence were waiting outside.

“Shining! Cadence!” my wife called out as we walked over. She quickly went to hug Cadence, the pair of them doing that stupid kiss each other on each cheek thing, while Shining and I stood by awkwardly and hoof bumped. Flurry Heart was sitting on his back.

“How was the trip down?” she went on.

“Oh, just great,” Cadence replied with a smile. “It’s always nice to see Ponyville again.” My wife now turned to Shining and his charge.

“And this must be little Flurry Heart,” she said. Flurry burbled in the way babies do.

I don’t know what it is, but I’ve just never been that good with kids. I’m fine with my own, but other people’s children just freak me out. I think I’ve already made my views on the Cake twins quite clear. In contrast, Margaret seems to be a natural with the lot of them. Babies always like her and only cry when they get handed to me for a moment. I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of jealousy as the two bonded, with Flurry playfully poking Margaret on the nose.

“Oh, she’s just adorable, Cadence,” Margaret said. Shining let out a laugh.

“I’m just glad Sunburst was able to help get her magic surges under control,” he said. “It was bad enough having have all those repairs done to the palace the last time. Cadence was even thinking of setting up a budget purely to fix damage done by Flurry’s sneezes.” We all let out a laugh at that.

“So are you two looking forward to the exhibition?” I asked them. Shining and Cadence both nodded.

“Absolutely,” Shining replied. “It’ll be great to see Spearhead again.”

“And it will be nice to have a day to ourselves. I just hope Twilight won’t mind watching Flurry for a while,” Cadence said. Margaret was quick to reassure her.

“Oh she loves Flurry,” she said. “She spending a chunk of today with some of the foals from school anyway. I’m sure she’ll be able to look after one more foal.”

At this though, as if in ominous premonition, Flurry began to burble and then suddenly start crying. I had flashbacks to my own days of looking after kids. We went on the Severn Valley Railway when Bones was four and Lizzie was two. Lizzie cried the entire ride. We changed her, tried to feed her, took clothes off, put more clothes on her; nothing helped, and there was no way off the train. It was absolutely mortifying. We never figured out what on Earth she wanted.

Cadence and Shining quickly swung into action, with Cadence picking the little alicorn up in magic and gently rocking her, whilst Shining produced a small stuffed toy, a snail, from his saddlebags. This, when put in front of Flurry’s field of view, was enough to calm her, and the maelstrom stopped as soon as it had began, with Flurry contently cuddling the toy.

“And if all else fails,” Cadence said. “Twilight can always give her Whammy to play with. She absolutely loves that snail.”

As we were chatting ,the town clock began to strike the hour.

“Whoa,” Shining said, realising the time. “We better drop Flurry off with Twiley now so we have time to get to the exhibition at the cafe before it opens.”

“Alright, Shining,” I said with a nod. “Shall we meet you two at Ponyville Cafe then?” Shining nodded.

“We’ll see you both there,” he said. The pair then headed off to Twilight’s castle.

---

The four of us ended up having a grand time at the exhibition together. Spearhead had more than outdone himself, filling the whole place with his work. Shining and Cadence were both glad to see him again. In particular, Shining doesn’t get too much time to see many of his old friends in the Royal Guard. The two had gone through basic training together years ago, under a certain Captain Strong Shield.

The pair were also glad to get some time to spend together. Margaret and I toured the gallery with them, but after a while, our two groups split up, so that Shining and Cadence could have some quality time together. However, as they continued to tour the exhibition, the two new parents found themselves missing their daughter. Despite her magic surges, light night crying, and constant need for attention, the both of them felt a pang of longing to be with her again.

In the end, after being reminded of little Flurry Heart by one of Spearhead’s pieces (which the crazy guardsman absolutely loved, by the way), they decided to leave early and go and check on her. While, by the time they returned to Twilight’s castle, all was well, the little alicorn had given her aunt quite the runaround during the day.

As Margaret had said, Twilight was already supposed to go and spend some time with the foals from school. Several of them had come down with horsey hives, and she was going to bring them a few toys, some cupcakes, and read them a couple stories to make them feel better. Three simple tasks right? Well, as any parents will tell you, simple isn’t something children allow for, particularly babies.

First of all, when she tried to feed her lunch, Flurry pretty much covered the castle walls in mushy peas, compelling Twilight and Spike to clean up the mess and putting them behind schedule. After that, the little tyke caused some trouble at the toy store, careening into a display stand with the shopping cart, again forcing Twilight to clean up the mess. At the schoolhouse, while picking up some story books, Flurry doodled all over Cheerilee’s chalkboard, ruining her prepared lessons. Then she did the same thing at Sugarcube Corner when Twilight went to collect the cakes for the foals, as well as making apology cakes for Cheerilee and the staff at the toy store, Flurry tried to stop Pound and Pumpkin Cake fighting over a toy. Unfortunately, she tried to be wise King Solomon, and split the toy in two, angering both foals. Finally, things came to a head when, at the hospital, and not getting much attention from Twilight, Flurry misplaced Whammy. That sent her flying and teleporting all over the place looking for it. Eventually, Twilight, at the end of her tether, snapped at Flurry, making the poor girl cry.

Luckily, it all came right in the end. Flurry and Twilight reconciled. Having found Whammy, Twilight admitted that she shouldn’t have taken on so much responsibility at once, and she, Flurry and Spike returned to the castle to spend time together. By the time Shining and Cadence returned, you’d have never guessed the chaos that had been going on. Still, the two parents did promise to give more warning in the future if they needed Twilight to look after her.

It was after all of this that we all met up again at the castle. And while Twilight and Cadence were playing with Flurry. I decided to pitch my idea to Shining to see if he was interested. We ended up discussing it in the map room, while the girls were in the library.

“So, what, I’d be in charge of Equestria?” Shining asked in surprise.

“Only for as long as needed,” I explained. “You help fight off whatever threat there is, or at least keep things under control until Twilight and the others can, and then hand power back to the princesses. Look, if this whole changeling business has taught us anything, it’s that we can’t fight an enemy attack with a committee of arguing guards and ministers. Equestria is an absolutist diarchy. You can’t suddenly just transition to a republic in times of trouble. You’d be acting on Celestia’s behalf.”

“So, what I wouldn’t be able to be around Cadence.” I shook my head.

“No, I’d never ask you to chose between your wife and Equestria, Shining. Everything would stay pretty much as it is now, The only difference is that if all the princesses got together, you’d need to stay somewhere else. Say they’re all in Canterlot, you’d remain in the empire. The idea is that if an enemy tries to deal a decapitation strike on one location, you’ll still be around to fight back.”

“You mean if they’re dead?” Shining asked. I nodded.

“Or incapacitated,” I replied. “To quote a good film; ‘One day, and that day may never come, I will call upon you to do a service for me’. Who knows, with that way Twilight and the others have been knocking down villains, you may never need to do this job. It’s just a precaution for future events.”

Seeing that he was in two minds about taking on such a responsibility, I tried to be a little more personal, speaking as his friend, rather than a government minister.

“I know this is a big ask, old friend,” I said, laying a hand in his shoulder. “But I can’t think of anypony I’d trust more to lead the fight back if all seems lost. I’d follow you to Tartarus if you asked. And Celestia and Luna agree with me.”

That seemed to sway him, and he eventually agreed to take the job. It would be classified, of course. The only ponies who would know about it would be me, Celestia, Luna, Cadence, and a few select members of the government and Royal Guard. I honestly hoped that he’d never need to take on that role, macabre as it was. But as I said to him, I trusted him. After all, say what you will about his sister, but Shining has played his part in saving Equestria more than once. More to the point, he’s as brave as a bulldog, not even flinching when going up against the likes of Sombra or Tirek.

And so, our little secret agreement was set up, and after my return to Canterlot a couple of days later, the proper legislation was drafted. Shining was given a briefing on the role, and what to do if the worst should ever happen.

Back home, I kept a shotgun at the back of my wardrobe. I’d had it all through my time in the volunteers. I’d kept it in good condition, but I’d never had to use it. But no matter what, I’d never gotten rid of it. One day it might prove very useful. That was how I saw Shining Armor. I hoped and prayed that he’d never need to act as the last stallion standing, but I was glad to know that he was there.

And I’d be even more glad in the not too distant future.

Author's Note:

Proofread by Sweetolebob18.

Comments

[Booster Spice]

Never could get the hang of Mornington Crescent. Too many words.

Ill stick with General L-Space Theory and Pinkie Pie.

Russian combat shotguns have API shells as option?