Sibling Bonds
Donning the Beard... Vicariously.
Chapter 1: Sibling Bonds
The train ride to Ponyville had seemed longer than usual, or so Shining thought. It'd been a long time since he got to spend some time with his Twiley... Especially since she earned her wings.
The white unicorn let out a breath, and sank a little deeper into his cushion... All he could hear was the distant chatter of his guards, it sounded like they were playing a card game... And of course, the rattle of the tracks.
Clack-clack-clack-clack-
“Ugh!”
He groaned, checking his stopwatch... It was a gift from his beloved wife, and was made of solid crystal.
“8:59:13...”
He spoke aloud to his empty car. The train wasn't scheduled to arrive until 9:30, but even that seemed a while off.
“What am I thinking? Relax, fidgeting around won't make the train speed up...” He thought.
Shining Armour had always loathed long trips. Even as a colt, when his family would go on vacations and carriage trips. Not that he hated being in new places, he actually quite liked a good change in scenery.
He didn't like having to sit around doing nothing but watching the clock, and road pass by. While train rides were typically better, in his opinion, this one was particularly long because he was on this trip alone.
When his Dad would load up the carriage for a week long trip, he at least had his Twiley to keep him company. He even remembered the time Princess Cadance came with them to Camp Fetlock.
That was easily the best memory Shining had of any kind of trip. He'll never forget that night alone with-
“We'll be arriving in Ponyville in twenty-five minutes!”
The conductor beamed into the mostly empty car.
Shining quickly checked his pocket watch... 9:00:51. Why was time moving so slowly? At least they were ahead of schedule.
This train ride wasn't terrible, really... But he was glad to be close to his sister, this week was going to be great. He thought briefly back to that night at Fetlock, but had to banish the thoughts before he had to cross his legs.
“Easy, now... Don't want to turn minutes into years...”
A stiffy was the last thing the bored stallion needed. Maybe some soda would help pass the time...
Getting to his hooves, Shining made his way to the next car where drinks were served. Sadly, 5 P.M. was a long ways off.
*** *** ***
“Spike, are you almost packed?” The young princess called up the steps to her number one assistant.
“Coming!”
The young dragon had been preparing for a trip, one that had him excited for weeks.
“Spike, you're going to be late for camp! The train leaves in less than fifteen minutes!”
A yelp, followed by a long tumble, ended in a loud crash in front of her purple hooves. Looks like Spike's luggage... Chased by none other than Spike the dragon, tumbling end over end down the stairs.
“Oh-Ah!-Oof!...Ooohh...”
Twilight was concerned for her assistant, glancing over him she didn't notice bruises or cuts... Dragons were rather resilient.
“Spike, you really need to be more careful. And what did I say about packing light?” She giggled, as she helped clean up the mess, and dust the dragon off.
“Yeah, yeah. Are we going to go already?” Spike was eager to make his way out the door, but the purple alicorn fixed him with a look. One that said “Straighten up.” and meant it.
Spike put one claw to his head, and kicked his foot back nervously. “Eh-heh... Sorry.” He blushed.
The look soothed into a warm smile, and Twilight was about to speak, when a knock on the door interrupted her.
Turning, she entered the foyer to answer. After lighting up briefly, the door swung open.
“Howdy, Twilight! Is Spike ready ta hit th' road?” Applejack stood there, excitedly. She had volunteered at the camp this year, since it was also her sister's first year.
Twilight seemed a little embarrassed at first. “Eh-heh. Hey, AJ... He'll be right out!” And with that, she slammed the door on her friend's next sentence.
Somehow, Twilight felt that she was somehow responsible for Spike's tardiness. After a brief thought, she realized she could have helped him a little more.
“Spike? The Apples are here. How's your packing coming?”
The young dragon was sitting on top of his bulging luggage, finally sealed back up. “Great!” He beamed. Just before the bag erupted, sending the purple drake tumbling through the air.
“Spike!” Twilight chided in a maternal tone, before lighting her horn, catching all the debris. In a flash all was righted, and Spike was placed down gently on his feet.
The young princess let out a relieved sigh, before looking her assistant in the eye. “Oh, Spike...” She was worried about leaving him for a week.
“Applejack is outside, and I shut the door on her. Your bags should be out there waiting on you now. But...” She paused a moment. “Spike, TRY to take care of yourself. Brush your scales every day, don't forget about dental hygiene, and I spent good bits on that deodorant for a reason, mister.” She laughed.
“Don't sweat it, Twilight! It's just a youth camp, what could go wrong? And besides, Applejack and her brother will be there!” He beamed, his chest puffed up.
That brought more chuckles to the purple mare, before she turned for the door. “Come on, then. You need to get on the road.”
After more goodbyes, Spike loaded into the cart with other fillies and colts his age, and they were off. Before the cart got too far, Twilight called out one last time: “Have a good trip! and write every day! I mean it! I packed some books for you!”
With that, she turned back to her castle. She had a lot of work to do... Maybe she could forget about her worries. But she couldn't shake the feeling she'd forgotten something important.
*** *** ***
Then the train pulled into Friendship Station, Shining bolted even before his royal escort could assemble. If Cadance had seen him, he might have been scolded, but at heart he knew he wasn't going to wait around to be guarded like a wimpy prince.
There was no grand precession to announce his arrival, as this visit was not announced to the public. Putting distance between himself and the station was no difficult task. Best he could tell, nopony even saw him leave.
“Whew. I needed to stretch my hooves...” He slowed his pace, and breathed a relieved breath, taking in the scenery. “Nice place... Quiet. I can see why Twiley liked to study here. Heh.”
Gazing about the scenery, he noticed one building in particular that stood out. It definitely didn't look like it belonged in the rustic town. “That must be the place...” He reasoned. It seemed the road there lead through the marketplace. “Don't really want to go through the market... Though, I might see something that'd make a suitable gift... Buck it.”
He stepped forward with determination, approaching the slightly less quiet marketplace.
***
It had been nearly an hour, and none of the stalls had anything remotely interesting. Frustrated, the stallion nearly gave up. That was, until a scent hit him hard. It directed him to a shop with dark windows, and a butterfly on the door. There was a flower stand out front, left unattended.
“Well... Cadance likes fragrances, so... Maybe Twiley would appreciate something frou-frou-ey. Princesses, man.”
The bell above the shop door rang out, as the lone stallion entered. His olfactory system was nearly overloaded by the aromas floating about the small building.
“Sweet Celestia!” Shining was unprepared, and began to cough and hack, his eyes watering.
“May I help you?” A voice came from the back of the store. There stood an ivory mare with a rose red mane.
Dazed, Shining nodded his head. “I, uh. I need something for my Twiley. A gift.” He did seem a little loopy, but was collecting himself.
“Hrmmm... This mare, is she special to you?” She raised an eyebrow.
The stallion nodded again. “Of course! And I haven't seen her in a while. Just wanted to get her something nice. Something to remind her of me when I leave.”
The mare smiled devilishly, giving the prince a sultry look. “Ooh, I gotcha. I think I have just the thing. It's a scent of my own design. Trust me, a spritz of this, and she won't be able to stop thinking about you!”
Now, Shining was thinking clearly, he had a proper head on his shoulders. He knew all the right questions to ask when buying a gift, especially when a mare was receiving... “How much?”
“Twenty bits... But for you? Fifteen.” She batted her eyes at him. The gesture was completely lost on the stallion.
“I'll take it.”
*** *** ***
The morning was getting old, as Shining Armour left the marketplace, a nondescript bag hovering beside his head.
“Whew.” A breath left him. He felt so tired for some reason, and his thoughts were going everywhere. He was getting close to the castle, and a whole cocktail of emotions were flooding him. All he could do was keep up his trot, but he felt nervous about knocking on the door.
Before he knew it, he bumped into said door, dropping his bag. “Oof!” He shook his head, rubbing with a hoof. He had arrived...
Moving his hoof from his head, he tapped it on the door...
… No response.
Again he rapped on the large door, but nopony answered.
“She can't have forgotten... Certainly my Twiley of all ponies would be organized enough to remember my visit...” Suspecting something was wrong, he pushed the door open. It wasn't locked...
“Twiley...?” He called, leaning his head in the now ajar door.
Still no answer... He decided to walk inside.
***
Past the foyer, and down a long corridor Shining walked, calling out the name of his sister, until he reached a large library. If she was anywhere in the castle, she was in this room for sure.
“Twiley?” He called, a little louder, as he began looking down the rows of shelves, until he came to a more open study area.
There she was. Completely lost in research.
“It's like she's a million miles away...” He thought as he approached. “Twiley?” He tapped her shoulder.
“AH!” She yelped, springing up into the air, before fluttering down awkwardly on ruffled feathers.
“SHINING!” She yelled, though not in anger. She embraced her B.B.B.F.F tightly. “Don't sneak up on me like that!” She panted, trying to calm down.
“Sorry! You were really busy... Guess having a set of wings didn't really change much.” He smiled. “I'm glad.” He returned the hug.
“Oh my gosh, I completely forgot you were visiting! I go just ONE day without a list...” She blushed.
“Hey, no worries. I'm not interrupting anything important, am I?”
“Not at all! I guess I could use a break, do you want something to drink?”
“Do I ever...” He muttered.
The two had begun to walk together, when Twilight finally noticed the floating bag.
“Hey, B.B.B.F.F? What's that?” She took it in her own shimmering grasp.
“Oh, I decided to get you a little something... It's been a long time, Twiley.” Shining smiled at his sister. She was almost his size since she was promoted.
“You didn't have to get me a gift!” She opened it, revealing an immaculate bottle of perfume. She let out a gasp. “Shining! Ohhh...” She seemed to space out, staring at the glass bottle.
“Like it?” He was nervous.
“Like it... I LOVE it!” She took the top off, and aimed it with her eyes closed to apply a small amount. “Here... How do I smell?” She'd applied a generous spritz of the fragrance.
Shining blew out his nostrils a little, and sniffed, before nodding. “Wow, that smells... Fantastic...” His mind was cloudy all of a sudden.
“This is REALLY great! Thanks, B.B.B.F.F” She kissed his cheek, causing the duo to halt.
Brushing it off, the former guard captain continued down the hall. “The kitchen is this way? I could use a good drink. We have a lot of catching up to do.”