The Slave of Duty
Captain Shining Armor stood on the parapet of Canterlot’s highest guard tower, keeping one eye on the sky and the other on the large clock tower above the train station. The sun had just dipped below the horizon, but there was still enough light to see the pegasi who flitted around the sky.
The clock face ticked over to five minutes before eight o’clock, and Shining raised his megaphone to his lips. “Clear the skies!” he shouted, projecting his voice over the entire city. “Canterlot Defence Field drill commencing in five minutes!” All around him, pegasus merchants and sightseers glided down to land on the ground, in preparation for what they knew was coming. Of course, this happened every night, so not many ponies had been in the sky at this hour to begin with.
When the clock tower struck the hour, Shining closed his eyes and focused his magic, his horn glowing with a light rose aura. The Canterlot Defence Field was his most important duty to the ruler and people of Equestria, and it was a spell that only he could cast. It was vital that he test the strength of his shield every night, so that the ponies of Canterlot could sleep peacefully, secure in the knowledge that no invader could ever harm them.
Once he had gathered the power he needed, he pointed his horn into the sky, and a stream of magical energy flowed higher than the tallest spire of the palace. It reached its apex far above the city, and then spread out into a shimmering force field that curved down to surround the entire city, merging with the rock of the mountain and the road leading from Canterlot’s gate. All around the city, ponies stopped to look up at the shield and admire its stark beauty, knowing that their safety was in good hooves.
Now that the shield was fully charged, Shining Armor relaxed his concentration and opened his eyes, then signalled to the two squads of guard ponies awaiting his command. The first, a squad of six white pegasus ponies from the Equestrian National Guard, took to the air and dove at the force field, looking for weak points and assailing it with their hooves and spears. The second, composed of grey unicorn ponies from the Canterlot Defence Guard, galloped to where the shield met the ground and launched attack spells at it, again probing for weaknesses. Shining felt the force of the blows against his shield, but it stood firm against all attacks. After ten minutes of this exercise, not a single scratch had been made in the shield, and Shining Armor dismissed his soldiers, and then the shield itself.
All was well, and Canterlot was safe for another day.
Shining Armor trotted down the stairs of the guard tower, satisfied with the results of that night’s shield test. He badly wanted a drink of orange juice or apple cider to replenish his strength after the strain of casting the shield spell, but that would have to wait until he was back at his quarters. He wasn’t off duty until his weapons and armour were stowed and he had reviewed the day’s paperwork. And even then, of course, he was never really off duty.
Two of the pegasus guards who had assisted in the evening’s shield test were waiting for him in the guard post at the bottom of the tower. “Captain!” one of them, a Lieutenant Hawkeye if Shining Armor remembered correctly, greeted him. “The lads and I were going to head down to the Snuggly Duckling for a few beers now that it’s knock-off o’clock, and I was wondering if you’d like to come with us?”
Shining Armor frowned at the pegasi. “Tonight? You soldiers know that the Summer Sun Celebration is the day after tomorrow. I need you all at peak performance this week, which means discipline. Which means no late nights.”
“All week?” said Lieutenant Hawkeye, gaping in disbelief. “Seriously, Captain? What could possibly happen at the Summer Sun Celebration? Nopony’s about to start a riot or stage a coup, and the last time a dragon attacked Canterlot was, like, forty years ago!” The other soldier jabbed him in the ribs with a hoof, and he cleared his throat nervously. “Uh, with all due respect, sir.”
Shining Armor began pacing around the guard post, gesturing to the city around them. “We are all that stands between Canterlot and the threats out there, soldier. If we don’t take Canterlot’s defence seriously, then nopony else will! Dragons, star beasts, hydras…”
“Hydras up here in the mountains, sir?”
“Maybe not hydras, then. But Crunch the Rock Dog attacked Canterlot during the six hundred and forty-eighth Summer Sun Celebration, and we need to be prepared if something like that ever happens again. We can’t afford to be soft! So I want the entire Royal Guard on full discipline until further notice, is that clear?”
The two pegasus soldiers snapped off crisp salutes, standing at attention with their hooves perfectly square and their wings furled tightly at their sides. “Yes, sir!”
Shining Armor saluted them in return. “Glad to hear it. At ease, ponies. You’re dismissed.” He gave them a polite nod and trotted out the door.
Lieutenant Hawkeye turned to his comrade and sighed. “I just thought he could do with a night off. Honestly, does that pony do anything except work?”
The other pegasus rolled his eyes and shrugged. “I think he’s more interested in security than friends.”
After performing a tour of Canterlot to check in on the night watch as they began their shift, Shining Armor arrived at the main Royal Guard barracks just before nine o’clock. The guard stationed outside the barracks saluted him as he arrived. “Evening, sir. You’ve got a visitor waiting for you in your office.”
“A visitor?” asked Shining. “It’s not Princess Celestia, is it?”
“Of course not, sir,” the guard reassured him. “We’d have sent for you at once if it were.”
“Alright, good,” said Shining as he made his way towards his quarters. “Wait… is it Princess Cadance?” He looked over his shoulder nervously. The last thing he needed right now was for his sister’s love-struck foalsitter to corner him in his own office.
The guard chuckled, inexplicably. How was Princess Cadance’s obsession with him any kind of laughing matter? “Nothing like that, sir, more’s the pity. It’s your little brother, Spike. Says he’s got an important message from your sister.”
“Spike’s here?” exclaimed Shining, his face lighting up in a genuine smile. “Thanks, I’ll be right there!” He cantered through the barracks, quickly arriving at the personal office and bedroom he held by virtue of being Captain of the Royal Guard.
Sure enough, perched on an office chair, his tiny legs dangling far above the floor, was Spike. Shining’s sister Twilight Sparkle had hatched the baby dragon’s egg during her second attempt at the entrance examination for Princess Celestia’s school. Shining Armor and his parents had been very surprised when Twilight came home with a baby dragon in tow, but their parents had cared for him like a third child, and he was well and truly part of the family.
“Shiny!” cried Spike, dropping to the floor and running over to Shining Armor, wrapping his arms around the unicorn’s front legs in a hug. “It’s so good to see you!”
“Good to see you too, little guy,” said Shining, ruffling Spike’s crest with one hoof. “Is Twily looking after you properly now that she’s busy being a teacher?”
“Of course she is!” Spike replied, grinning. “She even says that if I keep working on my spelling and punctuation, she’ll let me be her assistant next semester! I’m still having trouble with long words, that’s all.” Shining Armor knelt down in front of Spike, and the little dragon gleefully removed his helmet and carried it to its proper resting place on the armour rack.
“That’s great news!” said Shining, as he divested himself of the rest of his armour. He unstrapped his peytral from his chest, then removed the saddle and croupiere from his back. “Anyway, you had a message from Twily, right?”
“Oh yeah!” said Spike, as he helpfully put away the rest of his brother’s armour. “She was reading one of her dusty old books today – you know how she is when school’s out – and she found some ancient prophecy about the end of the world, ancient evil locked away for a thousand years, that sort of thing. I think it’s all just an old pony tale, but she thought it was important enough to tell you about it.”
Shining pursed his lips in thought. “If Twily thinks it’s important, then it’s important. Why didn’t she come straight to me herself, though?”
Spike rolled his eyes. “Three guesses.”
Shining groaned. “She’s at a party, isn’t she? Of all the irresponsible… is it one of Moondancer’s get-togethers? She spends way too much time with that pony. When is she going to take her academic career seriously and stop wasting all of her valuable study time on socializing?”
“You know, it wouldn’t hurt you to go to one of those parties yourself. Lighten up a little! I’m only upset because I don’t get to go to any of Moondancer’s parties myself. You know, because of all the hard cider and stuff.”
Shining snorted in surprise. “Twily’s going out drinking now? I knew this would happen when I moved into the barracks. I’m going to go find out about this prophecy of hers, and then give her a piece of my mind!”
Shining Armor paused at the threshold of the palace’s western courtyard. Moondancer’s parties were infamous around Canterlot’s youth. From hearing Twilight talk, it seemed like the students of Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns spent more time drinking, dancing, singing songs and getting up to mischief than they actually spent studying.
Moondancer was one of the ringleaders of the school’s social scene. The other was Twilight Sparkle herself, and the transition from student to teacher didn’t seem to have dimmed her enthusiasm for parties at all.
As Shining Armor watched, a small herd of mares wound their way out of the courtyard towards him. He backed towards the nearest wall, but they quickly surrounded him, hopping up and down and giggling at him. “Well, hello there, Captain!” said their leader, a white unicorn with a bright red mane, whose cutie mark was a purple moon surrounded by stars. “Twilight said you might be making an appearance tonight! I do love a stallion in uniform.”
Shining shied away from the mares, unused to having so many ponies looking at him, except for when he was directing his troops. “Uh, thanks, Moondancer,” he mumbled, arching his neck and trying to find his sister in the crowd. “I’m not actually in uniform right now, though. Can I talk to Twilight?”
Moondancer grinned and tossed her head, flicking her mane across Shining Armor’s nose. “Even better. Tell you what – I’ll go and find Twilight for you… after you dance with me. Just one dance.”
Shining’s eyes darted around the courtyard, and he neighed in agitation. “Look, I really don’t… I can’t dance, and I don’t do parties. Just… this is a matter of national security, alright? I really need to talk to my sister.”
Moondancer rolled her eyes and groaned. “Ugh, everything’s a matter of national security with you, isn’t it? Fine, follow me.” She led the way into the courtyard, as ponies scurried to get out of her way. Shining Armor followed close behind her, trying to ignore the mares and stallions looking at him. He recognized some of Twilight’s unicorn school friends, and some earth ponies and pegasi he himself trained at the Royal Academy. Finally, Moondancer brought him to the fountain at the centre of the courtyard, where a crowd of ponies were cheering for a pony in front of them. Shining Armor shouldered his way to the front of the crowd, recognizing both the pony and her wild, hoof-swinging, tongue-extended dance at once.
“Twilight Sparkle!” he admonished her, narrowing his eyes and looking down at her. “What in Equestria do you think you’re doing?”
“B.B.B.F.F.!” cried Twilight, pouncing on Shining Armor and throwing her front legs around his neck. “I’m so glad you made it! I thought you weren’t going to come to the party at all!”
Shining nuzzled his sister’s neck tenderly, always glad to see her. He then drew his head back and regarded her critically. “Spike said you had some kind of prophecy about the end of the world for me to read.” He narrowed his eyes at her. “You do, don’t you? You didn’t just make that up to get me to come to this silly party?”
“Of course I do!” said Twilight, swaying unsteadily as Shining released her. “It’s really important, and you need to know as soon as possible. It’s impera… impera… important!” She giggled and sat down hard on the edge of the fountain, steadying herself with her hooves.
Shining Armor’s jaw dropped, and he stared at his sister critically. “Twily, are you drunk?”
Twilight shook her head hastily. “No! Not at all. I swear to drunk, I’m not Princess Celestia. I just gotta… sit down for a bit, that’s all.”
Shining’s horn began to glow warningly. “Do I need to dunk you in this fountain to sober you up, sis?”
Twilight snorted. “You wouldn’t dare do that if I were sober!”
“I wouldn’t need to do it if you were sober!”
“Fine, fine. Look, I’m okay, I can walk and stuff.” Twilight pushed herself to her hooves, gritting her teeth in concentration. “Alright. I’mma go get the books I found today, and you can talk to Cadance while you wait! Be right back!”
Shining Armor whinnied in surprise and whirled around. Sure enough, the pink alicorn herself was standing directly behind him. “P-Princess Mi Amore Cadenza!” he stammered, his hooves slowly shuffling backwards. “How, uh, nice to see you!”
Princess Cadance smiled brightly, brushing a hoof through her multi-coloured mane. “It’s good to see you too, Captain! You can call me Cadance, you know. All of my friends do.”
Shining grinned nervously, feeling his rump pressing up against the lip of the fountain. “Cadance. Sure. So, um… how is your mother?” he asked, desperate to turn the conversation away from himself.
“Oh, you know. Still immortal, still raising the sun and the moon every day.” Cadance giggled softly and sat down next to Shining, who silently cursed his poor conversational tactics. Cadance was the younger of Princess Celestia’s two currently living daughters, and it was difficult to make small talk about the ruler of Equestria. “How is Twilight Velvet getting on, while we’re speaking of mothers? How’s she coping with the empty stable now that you’ve all moved out?”
“Actually, it’s been really good for her,” said Shining, starting to relax a little. He reminded himself that Cadance could actually be very good company, when she didn’t have hearts in her eyes. “She’s worried about Spike moving out with Twily at such a young age, but Twily’s responsible enough to take care of him, I think. Now that we’re out of her way, she’s got a lot more time to spend on her writing. She says her next book will be ready for the publishers soon. And Dad’s talking about taking up his Royal Guard commission again. I’m a bit concerned about that, but it’s not like we’re at war or anything.”
“Oh, I do love your mother’s stories, Shining. You know, I used to sit with Velvet when she was putting little Twilight to bed, and listen to her bedtime stories. I knew Twilight wouldn’t settle for anything less than the best stories from me, so I had to learn from the best. With my own embellishments, of course!”
Shining chuckled. “Ah, yes, your ‘embellishments’. That’s why all of Twily’s stories ended with the handsome knight in shining armour marrying the beautiful princess, isn’t it?”
An awkward silence descended between the two ponies, and Shining Armor studiously avoided meeting Cadance’s gaze.
Cadance flicked her eyes towards the crowd of ponies dancing near them. “So, um… Shining Armor… I don’t suppose you want to…”
“No.” Shining Armor stood up abruptly, his hooves moving into the posture of a soldier on duty. He stared straight ahead into the crowd, doing his best not to let his composure fall.
Cadance fell silent for a moment, then spoke quietly. “Alright, Captain. I’ll… I’ll talk to you later, then. Give my love to your parents when you see them.” Shining Armor heard the princess’s hoofsteps retreating from the fountain, and he hung his head, sighing. Could this night become any more awkward?
As if on cue, a haughty, aristocratic voice addressed him from his left side. “Captain, I demand to know what you did to my sister that has upset her so.”
Shining resisted the temptation to roll his eyes as he turned to face the new speaker. “Nothing untoward happened, your Highness,” he said to the irate unicorn stallion in front of him. Prince Blueblood was definitely the last pony Shining Armor wanted to meet tonight, as much because of the awkwardness with Cadance as for the prince’s own odious qualities. “She simply asked me to dance.”
Prince Blueblood arched one elegant black eyebrow. “And what did you say to her in return, Captain?”
Shining Armor sighed. “I told her no. Is that a crime, your Highness?”
The prince snorted. “Perhaps not. But when my sister runs from the party she was enjoying but a moment ago, I think I deserve to know why. I am of half a mind to demand satisfaction from you, Captain.”
“Demand satisfaction? As in, challenge me to a duel?” Shining Armor looked the prince over, from horn to hooves. He had clearly never lifted a weapon in his life, nor served a single day of military training. “With respect, highness, you can’t possibly be serious.”
Blueblood gritted his teeth, then tossed his mane carelessly. “I suppose not. But my mother will hear of this, mark my words!”
“I will apologize to Princess Azure personally, if it comes to that.” Shining Armor sighed, sitting back down on the edge of the fountain. Princess Azure was Celestia’s elder daughter, a mortal alicorn of about the same age as Twilight Velvet. Cadance was technically Blueblood’s aunt, but they were close enough in age to be called brother and sister. “Look, highness, I really don’t want to hurt your sister. It’s not as though I’m favouring some other mare over her. I simply don’t have time for any… ‘special somepony’ in my life. The security of Canterlot rests on my withers, and I can’t just take time away from my duties to see to some kind of ‘personal life’.”
“Very well,” said Blueblood, after mulling over Shining’s words for a few moments. “I will comfort her as best I can. I still think you could treat her a bit better, though.” He gave Shining Armor a shallow bow, then trotted out through the crowd, towards the palace.
Shining Armor breathed a sigh of relief as the prince departed. He hardly knew what to say to get Cadance to leave him alone, let alone Blueblood. He sprang to his hooves as Twilight finally reappeared, levitating three thick tomes above her head.
“Twily! Thank goodness you’re back! This party is awful. Ponies keep trying to talk to me.”
Twilight giggled, nudging her head against Shining’s neck. “It’s a party, B.B.B.F.F.! You’re supposed to talk to ponies.” She grinned at her brother and winked one eye. “Sooooo… how did you and Cadance get along?”
Shining covered his face with a fetlock. “Can we please not talk about Cadance? I’m only here because you said the end of the world was coming, so show me what you’ve got.”
Shining Armor and Twilight Sparkle had reconvened at an all-night café that bordered the courtyard, to be away from the noisy crowds while they discussed Twilight’s research. Twilight lifted the first of her books onto the table, an old tome named The Tale of the Royal Pony Sisters. “Alright, we’ll start here,” said Twilight. Either she had found a way to sober herself up with magic, or her academic discipline was strong enough to suppress the signs of her lingering intoxication, because her words were as crisp and precise as when she was lecturing students on advanced magical theory. “Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria…
“… and harmony has been maintained in Equestria for generations since.” Twilight pushed the book to one side of the table and looked up at her brother, grinning eagerly. “So, what do you think?”
Shining Armor cast his gaze over the illustrations in the book, then looked at Twilight sceptically. “Twily… I don’t know how to break this to you, but… Nightmare Moon is a story that ponies made up to scare foals on Nightmare Night. I thought you’d figured that one out years ago, about the same time you found out that all the Hearth’s Warming Eve presents were really from Mum and Dad.”
“Shining!” whined Twilight, sounding just like a little filly again. “This isn’t like that time I came home from school with a five-page essay proving that the Olden Pony was responsible for attacking trade caravans between Fillydelphia and Manehatten. It all makes sense. Princess Celestia is notoriously silent about history before about eight hundred years ago. There are laws that don’t make any sense unless Equestria used to have more than one ruling Princess. If there was a Princess who used to raise the moon instead of Celestia, then where is she now?”
Shining Armor hummed thoughtfully, leafing through the storybook again. “I guess that makes a certain amount of sense. Even if it’s true, though – and I’m not saying that it is, yet – how is this an end-of-the-world problem? The book says Princess Celestia sealed Nightmare Moon away in the moon forever. That sounds pretty settled to me.” He looked up at the moon as he spoke, eyeing the pattern of dark spots on its face that resembled a pony’s head, complete with horn. “Wait a minute, Twily. If Nightmare Moon was sealed in the moon… are you saying that Nightmare Moon and the Mare in the Moon are the same pony?”
Twilight beamed happily. “That is exactly what I’m saying, B.B.B.F.F.!” She lifted her second book onto the table, a large reference tome titled Predictions and Prophecies. “This book calls the Mare in the Moon a ‘myth from olden pony times’, and a ‘powerful pony who wanted to rule Equestria’. Sounds like our Nightmare Moon, doesn’t it?”
Shining Armor turned the book around to face him, and pored through the entry on the Mare in the Moon. “It does. And it says here that she was defeated by the ‘Elements of Harmony’ and imprisoned in the moon. That’s exactly what happened to Nightmare Moon! But what are the Elements of Harmony? Some kind of weapon?”
“A few other old books had references to the Elements of Harmony, but only in the context of legends, myths and other folklore. I had to get into the restricted stacks of the Canterlot Archives to find anything more solid. Cashed in a few favours with the staff, but I think it was worth it. Check this out.” Twilight placed the last book on the table, turning it around so that Shining Armor could see its title.
“The Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide? That’s a bit prosaic, don’t you think?”
“Yeah, tell me about it. And it was shelved in the wrong place, too. But it’s the only factual study of the Elements in existence, I think. According to this, there are six Elements of Harmony, which seem to be gemstones or jewellery. The reference guide names five of them: Loyalty, Generosity, Kindness, Honesty and Laughter. The name of the sixth is unknown, but apparently, when those five are present, a ‘spark’ will cause the sixth element to be revealed.”
“That’s interesting, and potentially applicable to defence if something else on the scale of Nightmare Moon threatens Equestria, but where’s this prophecy of yours?” Shining Armor turned back to Predictions and Prophecies, re-reading the section on the Mare in the Moon. “Let’s see… longest day of the thousandth year… stars will aid in her return…”
Shining Armor gasped and stumbled hastily to his hooves. “That’s the day after tomorrow! This year is the thousandth Summer Sun Celebration, which is on the solstice! You were right, Twily, this is a matter of national security!” He patted Twilight’s head encouragingly. “You did the right thing bringing this to me, sis.”
Twilight giggled and blushed at the praise. Even becoming a teacher hadn’t eroded her weakness for having her academic performance lauded. “Thanks, Shiny,” she said. “So what are you going to do now?”
“Bring this to Princess Celestia’s attention, of course. I’m certain she’ll want to take immediate action. She’ll probably send me to retrieve the Elements of Harmony from… where are they, again?”
“Their last known resting place is an old palace that used to belong to ‘the Royal Pony Sisters’ – another indication of Nightmare Moon being Princess Celestia’s sister. It was located in what is now the Everfree Forest.”
Shining Armor groaned. “I knew this wouldn’t be easy. The Everfree Forest is the largest menace to pony safety within Equestria’s borders. Not only is it full of monsters like dragons and manticores, it doesn’t even obey the laws of nature. It grows by itself and the weather is completely random. I know I’m up to the challenge, though. I’ll report to Princess Celestia, go into the Everfree Forest, recover the Elements of Harmony, and use them to put Nightmare Moon straight back in the moon when she shows up. Nothing I can’t handle by myself.”
Twilight frowned. “Actually, big brother, I don’t think the Elements of Harmony work like that. Their names pretty much imply that they should be used by a group of ponies united by strong ties of friendship…”
Shining Armor waved a hoof dismissively. “I’m the Captain of the Royal Guard. The defence of Equestria is my responsibility. I can’t delegate something like this.”
“That’s not what I meant… oh, never mind. Princess Celestia will know what to do, anyway.” Twilight rose to her hooves and nuzzled Shining Armor’s cheek tenderly. “Just be careful, Shiny. I know you’re a brilliant commander and a powerful soldier, but I still get so worried about you.”
Shining Armor nuzzled his little sister back. “I’ll be fine, Twily. Don’t you worry about me. I’m supposed to protect you, not the other way around.”
“I don’t think it’d hurt if you let yourself rely on other ponies a bit more… but okay. I’d better get back to the party – I promised Moondancer I’d dance with her, and I don’t want her to drag me back there by my tail. Good luck with Princess Celestia!”
Shining Armor watched Twilight trot back to the party, shaking his head. Twilight was an excellent researcher, but she had completely the wrong priorities for a pony who wanted to help defend Equestria. He looked up at the clock tower, hoping that Celestia would still be available to hear his report at such a late hour, then lifted the three books and cantered towards the palace.
A pair of royal guards stood outside Princess Celestia’s suite in the palace, staring ahead resolutely. They saluted Shining Armor as he approached the door. “Evening, sir!” one greeted him. “What can we do for you?”
“I need to see Princess Celestia at once,” Shining Armor stated, slightly out of breath from cantering all the way to the palace.
“Uh, sir?” said the guard, bowing his head respectfully. “It’s ten o’clock at night. The Princess had a meeting with the Hay Commissioner at seven, which dragged on for way too long. She’s still got a stack of paperwork to finish tonight, and she has to… y’know, be up at dawn. I really can’t let you bother her right now.”
Shining Armor sighed heavily. “Alright, look. I hate to do this, but this is an…”
“Urgent matter of national security?” supplied the guard helpfully.
“Well, yes,” said Shining Armor. “Which is why I’m going to…”
“Invoke Regulation Fifteen of the Royal Guard Charter, stating that nopony may bar the Captain of the Royal Guard from a meeting with the Princess or Princesses when in pursuit of an urgent matter of national security?” the second guard added.
Shining Armor flushed a gentle crimson and looked at the floor briefly. “I know this isn’t the first time I’ve said it, but these emergencies happen more often than anypony wants to think about. This one really is time-critical, so can I please talk to the Princess?”
The guards stood aside and saluted. “Of course, Captain. If you say it’s urgent, then we trust you. Go on in.”
Shining Armor saluted back to the guards, then stepped into Princess Celestia’s personal suite. He had only been here a few times before – once for an interview to determine his suitability for his Captain promotion, and otherwise when a matter of, well, urgent national security had brought him here. He peered into Celestia’s office, and found a desk covered with books and maps, but no princess.
Just then, a gentle, mellifluous voice called from the bedroom attached to the office. “Captain, I’m in here.”
Hesitantly, Shining Armor stepped into the Princess’s bedroom. To his surprise, while the room was as large as he expected, most of the floor was empty. The main feature of the bedroom was the large couch or bed in the middle of the floor that resembled an oversized cushion more than anything else. On one side of the large fireplace hung a blue and purple tapestry, depicting a star rising up into the heavens. The moon shone through a window on the other side of the fireplace, and at the base of the window, Princess Celestia was peering through a large telescope on a tripod. Her horn glowed as she adjusted the telescope’s lenses and mechanisms with her magic.
“Your Highness!” said Shining Armor, kneeling in the doorway. “I have an important report for you.” He watched the princess work with her telescope, and stood up again. “May I ask what you’re looking at?”
“I think you know what I’m watching as well as I do, Shining Armor,” murmured Princess Celestia, not turning around from the window.
Shining Armor cautiously approached Celestia and her telescope. “The Mare in the Moon?” he asked quietly.
The princess nodded. “Indeed,” she said, stepping away from the window and turning to regard Shining Armor sadly. The guard captain had never seen his princess look or sound so sombre. “I take it that your sister found the books I left out for her?”
Shining Armor levitated the books from his saddlebags and placed them on the princess’s coffee table. “She did, and she convinced me that there’s a threat waiting to strike at the Summer Sun Celebration. Did you leave her the books so that she’d do the research and then alert me to the threat?”
Celestia smiled sweetly, but Shining Armor could see cunning behind her eyes. “Not quite, my faithful captain. You see, your sister has some rather unique qualities that make her the ideal pony to wield the Elements of Harmony.”
Shining nodded slowly. “She is the most talented young unicorn of her generation, according to all of her teachers. You think she has the magical skill to invoke the ‘spark’ that will cause the sixth Element of Harmony to be revealed?”
“Something like that,” Celestia agreed. “When the other Elements are assembled, and she comes to understand the true value of friendship for the first time, she…” The princess trailed off, a concerned frown marring her features. “Shining Armor… your sister has quite a lot of friends, doesn’t she?”
“Ugh, you have no idea,” groaned Shining Armor. “She spends more of her time partying than studying, if you ask me. She even says, ‘There are no strangers, just friends you haven’t studied with yet.’ Why do you ask?”
Celestia hastily turned back to her telescope, her tail waving from side to side. “I may have made a terrible mistake,” she muttered. “All these years, all my plans, ruined…”
“Highness?” said Shining Armor, pursing his lips in concern for his beloved sovereign. “Is there anything I can do?”
Celestia shifted around to look at Shining Armor again. “Yes! Yes, there is. I have a new mission for you, my faithful captain. I need you to go to Ponyville.”
Shining Armor nodded and saluted. “For the Summer Sun Celebration, your Highness?”
“Precisely. Take a private vehicle, or travel by train – I don’t want to risk causing a public panic by sending an excessive military presence to the celebration. Be ready to leave shortly after dawn. You should go and make your preparations now – I will send your precise orders to you before you leave.”
“I… understand, your Highness.” Shining Armor walked to the door, then stopped and turned back to Celestia. “Highness… there is more to this mission than I’m being told, isn’t there?"
Princess Celestia walked over to Shining Armor and rested her horn briefly against his, a sign of respect for his martial prowess. “There is, captain. I wish I could simply tell you everything that you want to know. But you must believe me when I say that I have the welfare of all of my little ponies at heart when I make these decisions. Including you, Shining Armor.”
“Me, Highness?” asked Shining Armor, looking up at Celestia in confusion. “But this isn’t about me. I am prepared to do my duty to you and to Equestria, even if I die in the process. I respect your wisdom, but you shouldn’t be thinking about me when you’re making your plans.”
“Everypony is important, my dear Shining Armor,” said Celestia, smiling sweetly. “And there is more to a young pony’s life than duty. You know that I value your courage and vigilance, but there will soon come a time when these are not enough to carry the day. Promise me that you will carry out my orders to the letter when you are in Ponyville. That is all I can say for now. You must trust me.”
“Of course I trust you, your Highness,” replied Shining Armor. “I won’t let you down, I promise.” He bowed deeply to the princess and trotted out into the hallway.
Princess Celestia watched the captain leave, then turned back to her window, staring up into the night sky. “Please let it not be too late,” she pleaded, gazing into the eyes of the Mare in the Moon. “I can’t fail you again, sister.”
The next morning, Shining Armor rose before dawn to prepare his military supplies for his mission to Ponyville – weapons, armour, maps and provisions. He loaded all of these into a small wagon and hauled it over to his family’s mansion, where he would be expecting Princess Celestia’s messenger with his full orders.
His parents, Twilight Velvet and Night Light, insisted on treating him to a proper breakfast before he left, which he accepted gratefully. The possibility that he might not return from this mission weighed heavily on his mind, and he was grateful to be able to spend time with his parents before he left, and with his brother and sister just the night before. Following Celestia’s orders, he avoided talking about the specific nature of his mission, merely alluding to the necessity of overseeing security at the Summer Sun Celebration.
After breakfast, he began loading his supplies into his family’s hot air balloon. Twilight Sparkle often took her school friends for rides in the Twinkling Balloon, and Twilight Velvet sometimes used it when she toured to promote her books. Twilight Sparkle was a much better balloon pilot than Shining Armor himself was, but he knew the basics. Night Light had a great deal of experience with military balloons from his career as a scout for the Royal Guard, and always said that he found the Twinkling Balloon “relaxing” to pilot by comparison.
Shining Armor took the opportunity to pack a few things from home for the trip, as well. Twilight Velvet insisted that Shining Armor take at least one suit of formal clothing, in case he were “forced” (his words, not hers) to attend a party before or after the Summer Sun Celebration itself, so he grudgingly packed his dress uniform. He made sure to include the sash that had belonged to his uncle, Commander Bright Beacon, who had served on Equestria's border with the lands claimed by dragons, and earned many commendations for his courage.
More willingly, he accepted the book his mother pressed on him – Daring Do and the Griffon's Goblet. Twilight Velvet had told Shining Armor stories of Daring Do’s exploits even before he was old enough to read the books. The first time he walked into a bookshop and found his bedtime stories in hardcover form with his mother’s name on the spine had been a shock, but not as great as opening the cover and reading the dedication to him. The copy of Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone sitting in his childhood bedroom had a hornwritten dedication on the flyleaf as well, and it was his most treasured possession. He opened the book his mother was giving him, and found a similar dedication and the hope that he would come home safely from his mission. He embraced his parents tenderly, promising them that he would be careful and would return as soon as he could.
Finally, as Shining Armor was packing a few final books - a history of the Summer Sun Celebration and a guide to Ponyville tourist attractions - when he caught sight of a white unicorn crossing the mansion's front yard towards the balloon mooring platform. "Prince Blueblood?" wondered Shining Armor out loud, executing a polite bow to the prince. "What are you doing here, your Highness?"
"I'm delivering your orders from Princess Celestia, captain," said Blueblood, levitating a large, sealed envelope from his ornate saddlebags. "Why my grandmother has chosen to demote me to the status of a military messenger, I do not profess to understand."
Shining Armor caught the envelope with his own magic and peered at it. "It might be a security clearance issue. Your clearance is pretty high, isn't it?"
"Not as high as yours, captain, but yes. Certainly high enough to handle anything in an envelope that isn't magically sealed and encrypted. Grandmother always has her mysterious reasons behind everything she does, I suppose."
Shining Armor nodded in agreement, then opened the envelope and read the enclosed letter.
"Dear Shining Armor,
As we discussed last night, there is the possibility of an ancient threat to Equestria reappearing at the Summer Sun Celebration in Ponyville this year. I will be present at the celebration for the raising of the sun tomorrow morning. Before I arrive, I need you to ensure that all preparations for the celebration are in place, and that the venue is safe from any possible advance attacks. Your Official Overseer's Checklist is attached to these orders.
While you are in Ponyville, I also have an even more essential task for you to complete..."
"... make some friends?" Shining Armor held the letter away from his body and glared at it. "This has to be one of the princess's jokes. First Twilight, now Princess Celestia! I don't need to make friends. I'm responsible for the safety of everypony in this land. The fate of Equestria rests on me upholding my duty and being vigilant against potential threats, not making friends."
"My dear captain, if the fate of Equestria rested on you making friends, we would all be doomed." The prince tossed his mane contemptuously and laughed. "If it weren't for your sister, nopony outside the Royal Guard would even know your name. Just try to have fun in that one-horse town Ponyville while I'm watching the sun come up with the Canterlot elite tomorrow morning."
Shining Armor ground his hoof against the grass angrily, then turned over to the back of the letter. "Oh, will you look at that. 'P.S. My grandson, Prince Blueblood, will accompany you to Ponyville to assist with the preparations. Please keep him safe.' Looks like you're coming with me, your Highness."
Prince Blueblood snatched the letter with his magic, examining it hastily. "There's no way it says that. Grandmother wouldn't order me away from Canterlot over the Summer Sun Celebration. She wouldn't... good grief, she did, there's her signature and everything. What did I ever do to deserve this?"
"How about I don't answer that, and we both just get in the balloon. Princess Celestia wants us to leave as soon as possible."
"Leave? Now? But I haven't packed! I've just had myself groomed! I can't possibly prepare for an expedition on such short notice, especially not on that tiny little balloon!"
Shining Armor levitated the last of his supplies into the balloon, and then climbed aboard himself. “The Twinkling Balloon might not be one of your airships, highness, but it has served my family well for many years.”
Prince Blueblood hesitantly patted the basket of the balloon. “Then it’s ‘she’, Captain. All ships are ladies. Although this one may be more like a filly on her first day of school. Very well, if I must go, then I must – I shall not forsake my royal duty, no matter what the sacrifice.”
Shining Armor sighed as he made room for Prince Blueblood in the basket. “How very noble of you, your Highness. Make yourself comfortable. Next stop, Ponyville!”
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Excellent concept, allow me to be the first to fave this. This should be good.
sounds epic gonna give it a read.
Interested and falowing
Interesting take, not one I've seen done before, fav and tracking.
Is big mac one of the stalions who's going to defeat nightmare moon or maybe the doctor
Very nice plot reversal here. I have a feeling that this setting would be more suitable for younger boys since they like to sword fight and play hard and stuff. Was that your intention?
Anyway, this is why I love AUs. They're so fun to read.
I'm intrigued! I love alternate Elements stories, and I haven't seen one with this idea before. The Flipverse comes closest with three stallions and three mares, but all stallions? That's gonna be fun. ^^
2380118
There's only like six stallions in the show, we could probably guess them all right now. XD
Great idea! These alternate mane 6 stories never get old. Hope this gets featured!
Why did it take so long for someone to think of this version?! To the Broverse!! Bro's! Bro's! Bro's!
2380118 2380303 It's a bit like that, yeah! I especially had trouble finding two named pegasus stallions, since I want the same tribal balance as canon. I won't give away too much just yet, but yeah, Big Macintosh is a foregone conclusion, being the big brother of one of the main characters of the show.
2380238 That's sort of the idea, yeah. There will certainly be a few fight scenes on the way to defeat Nightmare Moon, and the role of the Equestrian military is quite expanded here. (Mind you, it's still "fantasy military" - there's no way Hawkeye would have gotten away with backtalking his superior officer like that in a real military.) It should end up having a tone between that of "My Little Pony" and "G.I. Joe", if I were trying to sell toys or something.
Well, I'd hazard to guess Blueblood'll be one of them. Based one that comment about royal duty, I'll say either Loyalty or Generosity, with a 2:1 on Loyalty.
I think the thing where Celestia realizes that Twi already knows about friendship and considers it a problem is a little weak. There's nothing that says the pony in question has to realize the importance of friendship when it happens. And she could be another element if not magic
2381052
I'll take that bet, i personally think that Big Mac will be loyalty.
Am I the only one thinking that even if this is Shining Armor's first encounter with the magic of friendship, he's so deeply committed to his military role that he might make a better Element of Loyalty than anything?
Also I agree that Celestia suddenly realizing that Twilight Sparkle has lots and lots of friends is a bit weird. If having experienced the magic of friendship too long before encountering the Elements does disqualify a potential wielder from the Element of Magic, then it seems like a significant breach of character for Celestia to both a) have let her number one candidate drop out of the running like that, and b) only realize that she's done so and prepare an alternate course of action the night before the Summer Sun Celebration. She's always seemed much more knowledgeable and careful than that in the show- even when she looks like she's making mistakes (A Canterlot Wedding) or being mysteriously unaware of problems (Swarm of the Century) there's that subtle feeling that she does know everything and is only playing dumb for someone else's benefit.
This Princess Azure thing is definitely interesting, though. I think I'll follow this story for the behind-the-scenes bits of the AU being set up, if nothing else.
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Can't wait to see where this goes!
You know, I had this idea for a while (mind you, I'd switch Shining and Blueblood's roles, but still), but I was too lazy to do anything about it and hoped someone else would act upon the idea. You my friend, made my vision come true.
I like the sound of the Bro-verse. So if we have the main universe M!verse, and the Lunaverse L!verse, does that make this the B!verse?
Faved and followed and looking forward to more.
This is off to a very promising start.
2384260
Imagine a three-way crossover. We've already got M! and L!. We could see M! and B!. So...
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2384733 Heh. You should hear how much work RainbowDoubleDash is going through just writing Crisis on Two Equestrias, expanding it more would certainly break the back of the multiverse. (which comics do every 4-10 years anyway...)
2384752
Hey, if you're gonna break reality on a world which may or may not exist in the multiverse which may or may not exist, don't half-ass it.
Hehe, this looks like it's gonna be a hoot and a half. Looking forward to more!
2381244 I'm on the side of Blueblood as Loyalty, but I bet Big Mac will turn out to surprisingly be Kindness. It'd be hilolz if Doctor Whooves / Time Turner was Laughter, what with the manic grin the Doctor always seems to have, but I'm not holding out TOO much hope for that longshot, ahaha.
Blueblood: Element of harmony, still an ass. No surprise there.
…Carry on.
Not to sound like a punk, or anything, but the fact is, the majority of these characters all speak with American accents. Therefore, "Mum" should be said as "Mom."
But on the other hoof, this is a great premise with strong storytelling so far. I just kind of wish the prose were a tad stronger. Your use of writing devices pales greatly in comparison to your storytelling chops, resulting in a mixture of great story versus weak writing. I'd be happy to give you pointers if you're interested.
Amazing. Truly amazing.
I'd give it 100 out of 5 moustaches, just because of how awesome this is. :D
cadence is princess celestias niece... not her daughter WRONG
Where's the "Make-It-Update-Now" button gone?
Oh hell yeah. An alt-verse with Shining instead of Twilight, with a FotA influenced Blueblood for good measure? Fav'ed so hard it left a dent. Have a thumb and a follow as well.
Oh wow - lots of good ideas here
Definitely faving
very VERY interesting idea. If you will finish this story I will love till the end of times.
2387719
Is he the new Rarity?
Well this is an interesting twist.
If Shining Armor is fulfilling Twilight's role in this universe, does that mean Twilight is going to end up marrying Princess Cadance instead?
jummm this looks interesting... but if the other stallions are OC's im not reading it
Very, VERY interesting twist on the standard story here, faved so hard I had to unstick my cursor from the fave button. "I swear to drunk I'm not Princess Celestia." Yeah, sure you are, Twilight, sure you are
That line just took the cake for me. Can't wait to see how the rest of this goes!
Thanks for all the great support, guys! I really didn't expect this to hit the featured box, and I'm very excited about getting the next chapter done!
2381151 That's a fair criticism. I tried a few different ideas with that scene, but nothing else worked for me. I considered making Shining Armor explicitly Celestia's protégé, as her personal bodyguard or something, but I decided that that would be too close a copy of canon. I do have an explanation for Celestia's reasoning that Twilight had "too many friends" to be the Element of Magic, but it will have to come near the end of the story.
2381245 Also fair, and yes, I did have trouble with that scene. I will note that Twilight isn't Celestia's personal student here, so that does make a difference. I'm glad you like the AU details - there will be more next chapter!
2384260 I guess Bro-verse does roll off the tongue better than Big-Brother-Verse!
2389782 Thank you! Yeah, I can't praise Ponydora Prancypants's depiction of Blueblood highly enough. It's the best rendition I've seen that gives him depth of character and heroism, but doesn't wave away his unpleasant qualities.
2392316 Now that you mention it... it has long been my headcanon that Twilight has or had a massive crush on Cadance, and that may still be the case here.
I have plans for Shining and Cadance for the sequel, though, if I get that far.
2393304 I can assure you that all six of the prospective Elements of Harmony are named on the show, and have at least one line of dialogue.
2394275 Thank you! I shall try not to disappoint!
You had my curiosity, but now you have my attention.
Wow, this sounds like it's gonna be fun!
This WILL BE GOD-TIER EPIC.
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My Perdos fo the 6
Blueblood
Shining Armor
Fancypants
Big Mac
Dr. Whooves
Thunderlane
My bets:
Magic- Shining Armor (Kind of a given, but I'll likely be wrong)
Generosity- Blueblood (He said he'd sacrifice for his royal duties)
Honesty- Big Macintosh (Perfect guy for the blunt yes, blunt no, and brutal honesty moments)
Laughter- Soarin' (The voice of Matt Hill. Instant laughter.)
Kindness- Tough call, but Doctor Whooves. (How much strife does he go through to help people in the source material?)
Loyalty- This one's interesting. If we're keeping the same tribal balance (two unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies each) then I'll have to go for Thunderlane, as UltiXevoz proposed. If the tribal balance is upset, my bits are bet on Braeburn, of all ponies.
2388475 Artistic license.
Great first chapter... can't wait for the update!
Two Unicorns
Shining Armor
Prince Blueblood
Two Pegasus
Soarin
Thunderlane
Two Earth ponies
Big Macintosh
Caramel or Dr Whooves
Elements:
Shining Armor - magic
Prince Blueblood - loyalty (to his family and as a member of the royal family he knows his duty to Equestria)
Or
generosity (1. we don't know if he's actually a selfish guy maybe he was trying to scare away Rarity since mares only want to be with him because he's a Prince. 2. He might give money to poor pony less fortunate as him and probably cut off his tail for the purple sea serpent. And he's the only I can see him saying "I can not have this crime against fabulosity go uncorrected!" or a way to make it manly. iI just can't believe someone related to Celestia can be that crude)
Soarin - laughter (at the gala Soarin strikes me as a funny guy)
Thunderlane - generosity (we don't know much about this is sort of last resort)
Or
loyalty - (well he tried to commit to create a tornado in "Hurrican Fluttershy" but got ill and He along with other pegasi ponies where following there orders and helped Rainbow Dash to save her friends in "Wonderbolts Academy")
yeah since I don't know much about Thunderlane he's a last resort opinion
Big Macintosh - honesty (the whole apple family are an honest bunch)
Caramel or Dr Whooves - kindness both of them (Caramel stikes me as kind when he tried to help out in "Winter Wrap Up" but acciently lost the seeds) and Dr Whooves well human dr who's are all kind and help those in need
Loving where the story is going! Keep it up ;)
I am really looking forward to this, especially with the restriction you placed on yourself of only using Canon characters, as opposed to OCs. I am looking forward to Cadance's interactions with Shining, what with Blueblood being a tad more protective of her than seen in other fics. Trying to think of a second Pegasus in Ponyville who would make sense to be there is quite the challenge (Thunderlane being a given in my mind but I could be wrong) and I am looking forward to being surprised. Hope to see an update soon.
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And then this story was released!
And now for how shining is dealing with cadance.
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Just without the whole calling her a bitch part.
Princess Celestia cordially invites you to the wedding of Moondancer and... My sister!
Oh snap!
And these constant suggestions for Doctor Whooves... If he's a time lord, I'll downvote this faster than... Something really fast, because I'm sick of everything turning into a bloody Doctor Who crossover!
Thus are my two cents on the matter.
Sir, I salute you.
Not only are you going against norm that most of the mains are heroines (except self insert OC that then get harem), but you plan to gather 6 canon originating from show where there are hardly any stalions to begin with.
Just don't make them sparkle ;).
Edit after reading:
Well that was interesting. One thing I didn't like was that Shining was allready set with Cadance within seconds of the story. Since its AU it might be better to have Shining with no real romance and have it develop in ponyville.
As for Cadance, didn't like her that much in the show and here she is like a spoiled princess that uses her family connections to get what she wants.
*reads desciption*
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