Captain of the Royal guards

by LunarLover

School Ground Rumble

Twilight Sparkle is an exemplary student who often shows great improvement in her studies and easily tops the class despite already skipping one grade. The next thing would be to try getting her into Celestia's school For The Gifted. It would better suit her both mental and social needs. Unfortunately Twilight has shown great trouble in making friends and is often bullied by older Colts who are from our neighborhood school I would like to have a talk with you again due to our previous efforts being a failure so we can try and find a way we can keep Twilight in a safe environment. Yours truly Ms. Rose

Shining armour read the letter from start to finish over and over again as he and his mother sat at the dinner table drinking coffee. Twilight had already gone with dad to get healing ice cream which left the two members of the family to decide what to do.

"What did she do this time?" Shining let the warm caffeine filled beverage slide down his throat. He recently started to drink it and now it was soothing for him.

"Well apparently a couple of stallions from another school told her that she was a weakling, so she took her hair ribbon and levitated it onto a nearby tree to show them her level of magic." The marshmallow colored mare smiled grimly. It was a great feat for a simple filly to be able to even conjure magic. But to control it enough to levitate usually only happened when they end their preschool years.

"Well apparently they said she was being arrogant so they needed to teach her some manners."

Shining pondered over the thought letting the coffee simmer inside him.

"Alright I think I'll pick her up from school from now on."

Shining got up from the table, his mother could easily sense the aura around him did not match his words. "Shining, you know I can read auras, I don't want you to do anything silly young foal." She chastised

Immediately after being found out the aura shrank and Shining Armour smiled. "Yes mother I will just pick her up alright?"

"Alright dear just don't do anything..." She paused to think of a proper word to use " Anserine"

"You know you could always say stupid."

"Watch your language and finish your coffee. Its time to go to bed soon and Twilight will be back. I'll tell her that you will be picking her up from now on until she moves school."

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Shining Armour dashed out onto the open street after school. His school was a little bit further from Twilight but his legs didn't mind a short gallop. Making his way through the streets of Canterlot his thunderous hooves clacked onto the hard stone floor. Unbeknownst to him a hidden stalker stayed in the shadows shadowing the loud stallions path.

The school was in sight. Lucky for him it was a relatively easy route to learn. The area wasn't all safe, in every town or city there was always a small backwater side of it that was filled to the brim with fallen nobles or simple jerks. Canterlot was no exception. The small preschool although was a good kilometer away it was located at a junction point for the whole city so that it students could have easy routes to go home to. And the darker side of Canterlot shared this route.

Shining upped his senses and cautiously walked towards the school. The whole area although busy was still an easy place to get into a fight. His legs slowed down and his ears instinctively flicked back and forth to catch anything out of the ordinary. His sensory abilities is his true strength. Although not the greatest it allowed him to react to attacks fast enough to put up a defense or counter.

All clear

He walked calmly towards the school until his nose picked up a familiar smell. His head darted quickly to the right only to be smashed into by a flying pink ball of madness.

"Oof." His head was in a spin. His attacker was on top of him and he was almost defenseless. He spun around and flipped his assailant into the air before capturing him inside a pink force field.

Well actually it was a her.

And it wasn't an attacker it was Cadence.

"Well then even after all this time I still can't sneak up on you." Her voice was muffled by the ball as she tried to punch her way through the strange rubber like walls.

"New spell? I can't even tear it." Shining released the field and face hoofed. "Don't you have somewhere else to be Ms Cadence, I mean you can't keep giving up your royal duties to hang out with me. "

She brushed the dust off her mane and wrapped her dull brown coat around her. "First of all, Ow, thanks for dropping me on my flank. Second, yes I know but I figured it was time for some fun."

Shining rolled his eyes at his pink friends lack of responsibility. " Anyway what does it matter, your flank should be large enough to take the impact."

His witty joke was rewarded with a nice punch into his arm. "Haha very funny. So you are here to pick up your sister? I heard shes been getting bullied so I hoped me being here would cheer her up."

They walked into the compound and waited by the second gate. "Yea well that's what I'm here for."

It didn't take long for them to spot the small lavender filly hopping out of the large red school doors. Her smile became as big as the moon itself upon seeing her older brother waiting by the gate.

"SHINY thanks for picking me up."

"Well I have a surprise for you." Twilight peered around the pillar to meet her very tall surprise. "Hi Twiley"

Her smile became so big it almost went out of her small face. "CADE --" Cadence placed her hoof over the very enthusiastic ponies mouth before more could realize. "Now now Twilight not everyone can know I'm here. Come on now lets get you home. The walk was a slow and easy one. As they passed the school zone Twilight began to shiver slightly.

"Don't worry Twiley your big bro is here to protect you alright." He ruffled his little sisters hair. The words left his mouth as two young stallions approached the trio with faces that smelled trouble.

"Well if it isn't our arrogant little filly." The words slowly dispersed from their mouth as they came face to face with Shining Armour.

Immediately one began backing away. The Sapphire Knight was known almost everywhere and this guy looked the part. His partner nudged him on.

"Come on man the boss said he got backup." He whispered.

The two bullies regained their composure and began their advance. "Oh so iddle widdle Twilight got her big bro to back her up ey. Whatcha gonna do big gu--"

Their banter was cut short as Shining dug his front hoof deep inside the face of one of them whilst the other received an elbow to the cheek. Fighting on two feet was clumsy if he missed but Shining rarely missed.

"Argh where's that damn back up." They bounded away as more began to join their ranks.

"Now Shining I think you attracted enough trouble." Cadence took Twilight and huddled her into a corner. Shining protected their blind spot.

"You think you are so tough eh Shining you and your..." He scanned the hooded mare. His eyes open to the size of saucers. "Princess Cadence?" He smiled. "Well boys I guess the plebeian got it together with royalty." A snigger went up in the crowd.

Shining did what he had learn't and scanned his oppressors. Four of them and one leader, the leader was easily spotted to be of royalty due to the usage of the word plebeian and from the cutie mark of a silver leaf, probably a disgraced noble from some obscure family.

He backed up slightly waiting for them to make the first strike. The first attacker was a chestnut brown earth-pony Throwing his hooves wildly at Shining his feet gave way easily from a simple side dodge. In a poor attempt to attack their only target another tried his hand at kicking only to have his back hooves deflected and his side sustaining a heavy blow.

"You fight good for a peon." He nodded before two more attackers sprung up with batons in their mouth. Shining Armour ducked and weaved through the simultaneous strokes gracefully before finding an open spot and making quick work of both of them. He kept going and all of them kept coming back. One by one they were beaten back by the blue haired demon.

The leader gritted his teeth in annoyance. They expected a quick battle but it was soon going to end with him losing. Picking up one of his own comrades he threw it at Shining before making his way straight towards the pink Alicorn.

"Well hello your highness." The smugness in his voice failed to hide the subtext of his words. The princess was both a political tool as well and a liability to future agreements. If he could take her it would be easy to beat Shining

"Stay away there isn't any need for anymore pain."

The yellow maned noble simply laugh. "Now if you come silently we won't have any trouble." He reached out to grab her only to have a flurry of pink feathers in his face followed up by two jabs into the solar plexus. "I think you are the one in trouble."

Twilight kicked him for extra measure and they back up further to watch the fight. It was soon to be over, one had already fled which meant soon others will follow. However they were tougher than usual fighters. Although lacking skill they made up with amazing endurance.

Shining was getting tired. He could have easily ended it but the need to fight three on one was starting to tire him out. His guard dropped. Taking advantage of that, one of his attackers made a quick swing into his victims blind spot. Shining braced himself for the pain... His eyes opened to a new ally leaping in slamming his back hooves into the would be attacker. His golden mane flicked into Shining Armors face before they worked simultaneously to beat back the remaining attackers.

"Well then its amazing how you are this weak and yet still Princess Cadence's acquaintance." Shining rolled his eyes as the new unicorn fixed his hair.

"Well its easy to say since you took your sweet time Bluey." Prince Blueblood flinched at the nickname but chose to push it aside into his list of people he should place in jail when he becomes king.

"I think it would be wiser to call me by my proper title."

"But you always said I wasn't smart."

"Yes and your stance has much to be desired."

"Well at least I can get my hooves dirty when I need to instead of showing up when the battle is almost over."

Cadence looked upon the two bickering stallions before rolling her eyes. Colts can be so immature.

"Guys back to the mission at hand." She gestured to where she had previously knocked out the leader of the gang only to find him running into the distance.

"You let him get away?"

"Well I was beating up four other guys what do you want me to do."

The argument could have gone on for another hour if it wasn't broken by a sharp whistle from Cadence and two Night guards swooping from the shadows to drag him back.

Shining gave his apparent best friend the most annoyed stare anyone could pull off. "You had two guards and you still wanted me to fight by myself."

"Well I thought you had a masculine pride thing and I didn't want to ruin it."

"Well you should because this peasant can't handle a bunch of thugs."

"Well at least I can handle a leaf falling from a tree."

"Do you know how dirty leaves are? I mea-" Their meaningless argument ended when the guards dropped the very much frightened noble at their feet.

"Well then if it isn't Silver Leaf." Blueblood faced his entourage. "We weren't very inventive with names back then."

"Why do you keep bullying my sis." Shining Armour picked up the weeping noble by the collar and raised him to the sky.

"Now now you brute, there are better ways to handle this." Shining released his grip and Blueblood bent down to whisper into Silver Leafs ear.

"Now you listen to me you sorry excuse of a pony. I am Prince blueblood and the dungeons under my home are created for dirt like you. Like rats and cockroaches? Because they will be your food and friends, I suggest you spill the beans before I imprison then exile you for the rest of your stinky little life."

The once proud bully broke into a torrent of tears.

" I think you over did it."

"Oh come on. I mean I can't actually do any of that but threatening is coming on me."

Shining slapped the weeping sack of tears in the face. "Shut it, just tell me why."

"O...one of th..the nobles. I don't know who..." He paused to snivel slightly Cadence took Twilight aside for safe keeping.

"Guys let me handle this." Cadence released her hood and bent down to her previous attacker. "Alright could ya please just tell me why you keep disturbing Twilight. I mean I'm sure there are better things for a noble such as yourself to do right?" Cadence wore her biggest smile.

"I don't know he just gives me the letter and I do it for him."

"Why do you help him?" Shining pestered him on but the prisoner refused to speak.

"Now Shiny let me handle this."

"Cadence we already tried being nice but it doe--" His words were interrupted by a gust of wind caused when Cadence wrapped her magic around the noble and flew up into the air with him.

"You like flying so much? Well you have been bullying my number one best buddy in the world and I don't like that. So either you tell me what you know or I release my magic and let you feel the ground Capish?"

He nodded vigorously.

"Alright whats in it for you."

"He said he would vote for me to re enter my nobility into the court if I could stop Shining,"

She let him drop a meter before catching him. "Stop Shining from what."

"Stop him from asking you to the dance" He burst into tears, his words went along the lines of I wanna go home or mommy. Cadence sighed and spun him around before releasing her magical grip he screamed for a second before slamming into the floor only a meter away.

Letting him run off she received stares from her two guy friends.

"What?"

"For the princess of love that was pretty harsh."

"Please use her full name... Yea but I second the Plebeian."

"Aww come one guys I didn't want to waste time. And I got what I needed."

They began to walk back side by side down the road.

"So what did he want."

"Oh it was nothing really don't worry about it." She did her best to hide her blush from Shining Armor but it didn't work.

"Are you sick?"

"Probably your fault for spreading your filth onto her."

"NO! guys stop fighting its what that guy was fighting for."

"What was he fighting for."

"It wasn't important... But Shining would you ever ask me to go to the upcoming dance?"

Blueblood stopped straight in his tracks his his eyes as wide as plates. "You are planning to go with this uncouth ruffian?"

"I have a name you know... And yea I second the rich brat," Cadence shook her head in annoyance

"Never mind lets just get home."

"Urgh mares" Thought both Shining Armor and Prince Blueblood simultaneously.

"Ugh stallions" Thought Cadence.

"Urgh teenagers." Giggled Twilight to herself as the strange group walked back home through the streets of Canterlot.