"I see you my enemy."
OurLadyOfWires
Uh-oh, better hide those FOALS!
- Joined
- Jan 7, 2024
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You are Shining Armor, and you are many things.
Unicorn. Guardspony. Captain.
Orphan. Weakling. Failure.
But right now, you are just glad to be a brother. You are glad that you are still a brother.
Because despite everything that happened, despite all the horrors that still creep in the corners of Princess Celestia's realm, you still have some of the ponies that you care for the most.
Of course, you did not go through this unscathed. You don't think anypony really passed through that catastrophe truly unscathed. Throughout all of Equestria, everypony lost something to some extent.
But still, the unfair truth is that some lost more than others. And when it really comes down to it, you realize that you are among the ponies who somehow lost less than most.
Because you still have Twilight.
You lost ponies. You lost ponies that you loved dearly. And even Twili herself is hurt. She is hurt, and she is devastated, and you know you will have to be strong for the two of you.
But you still have her.
Or rather, you finally have her back. After those long, hellish weeks after Cadance told you that she was gone, after that horrible period where your own sister was nothing but another name in an endless list of missing ponies, your little sister was somehow brought back to you.
It's mind-boggling just to think of how lucky you are. And to be honest, this whole situation feels so unbelievable that you don't even want to think about it. A part of you almost feels like this is a dream that it will shatter like glass if you poke at it too much.
But still, if this is a dream, then it is certainly a long one. After all, it must have been… at least a week since Twili returned, and almost three days since you all but kissed Lady Velvet's hoof for finding your sister.
So you know this isn't a dream. It can't be a dream. Twili is back, and things are finally looking up again.
That is all that matters. You can sense this confidence, this certainty, rooted in your mind like a strong and firm tree. And you think that as long as you keep this perspective at the center of your mind, you will be able to continue moving forward.
Although you don't just have Twili, of course.
You also have Cadance as well, even if your relationship with her is… complicated. Although naturally, it is complicated because of you. She has already very clearly told you that she loves you, and your relationship is only being kept private because you asked her to keep it that way. But still, again, your relationship with her is a tad complex.
And how could it not be? She is a Princess.
You love her, of course, but every time you two are together you can't help but think that you are somehow dragging her down. And not just because she will outlive you, or because everything you can do she can do far better, but also because she is a freaking alicorn. Half the time you are with her you don't even think you should be standing so close to her, let alone touching her.
Not that you have really "touched" her yet. Well, you have already held her hoof, and other things besides, but you are not sure you will ever muster the courage to-
"And I am definitely going off track with this," you say to yourself. Shaking your head for good measure as you try to regain your focus.
You then slowly turn your head to the left, and then to the right. Stretching your neck as you force those invasive thoughts out of your head.
Still, you can't help but feel a very small smile forming on your face.
Because the mere fact that you can have silly and personal thoughts like those… the mere fact that you can think about things that make you happy makes you realize how much weight you had been carrying on your back all this time.
You can't really remember when was the last time you were not… grimly focused on work, or chastising yourself for not doing things quickly enough or competently enough. These last several weeks you have been so focused on your duty, while leading the search efforts around the larger cities, that you didn't even realize how miserable your life has been. How miserable everything and everypony around you has been.
But things are changing now. You can feel it.
Twili is back, and things are finally starting to look up.
With that in mind, you focus yourself on the task at hoof.
Your days following Twili's return saw you spending almost all your time with her. Granted, you couldn't see it happening any other way, even if most of the time you can do nothing but keep her company.
But still, you have only been able to spend most of your time with her. Most of it, not all of it. Because Twili has also been…
Well, you can very much tell that she also needs space.
So, whenever you aren't with Twilight, you have been keeping yourself busy with other things.
At first, whenever you weren't with Twilight, you would spend your time waiting at the nearby noble estate. After all, you both knew Lady velvet and Twili's letter made it very clear that the noblemare was somehow involved in finding your sister. And of course, as your sister slowly began to talk, your need to talk to Lady Velvet to understand what happened only grew.
So, you would spend most of your free time waiting on the noblemare, even though she wasfrustratingly understandably indisposed for several days.
But now that you got that sorted out, you took it upon yourself to scout around Ponyville whenever you are not with your little sister.
After all, you are still a stallion of the Guard. So even though you have been "officially" on leave ever since Twili's letter reached you and Cadance in Canterlot, there are still ways you can make yourself useful.
And even though you came to Ponyville several days ahead of schedule, there is still an entire platoon set to arrive sooner rather than later to search around the small town. So, whatever you can learn about its outskirts ahead of time will surely be helpful.
Never mind that it also helps you keep your own hoofs busy.
"Although I can't help but feel this place will keep us a lot busier than normal. Even though this is a small town…" you say to yourself, as you think about what you have learned so far.
Because Ponyville is… small. It can barely be considered a town in some aspects, and by aesthetics alone the place actually feels like a village. Still, there are some things about it that just don't add up, when comparing it to the other towns that were attacked.
The most glaring issue is the matter of timing. Without exceptions, all the other towns in Equestria were attacked on the same day. According to Celestia herself, perhaps because of some unknown signal or perhaps because they planned it all along, the shapeshifting monsters all dropped their disguises on the same night, and rampaged whatever town they had infiltrated.
However, as far as you could tell from talking to the townspeople, it seems that there was no attack in Ponyville. Or at least nothing as traumatic and violent as the attacks that happened everywhere else. Instead, some five days before the catastrophe itself everypony just woke up to a town that had several dozen ponies missing.
And given Ponyville's physical proximity to Canterlot, you can't help but think this place was a testbed of sorts.
Additionally, despite Ponyville's "smallness" as a town, it still covers a lot of ground. The farmlands, orchards and plantations that surround it are in turn bordering much larger forests. And to make matters worse there is also the "Everfree Forest" that everypony has warned you about. Which sounds like an ideal place for the shapeshifters to have set up a lair or keep their abducted victims.
Granted, places like that are unfortunately common in Equestria, especially the farther away you go from the capital. But still, it is highly unusual to have a place like this so close to a town, which is in turn so close to Canterlot that you can see it in the distance.
"Still, I think I have done enough for today," you say to yourself, making a mental checklist of everything you will want to write down in your report. "I'll make a proper visit to the orchard family in the south tomorrow, but I think I have a hang of this place now."
You say that as you turn back east and make your way back to Ponyville.
You have already taken a good look at the town's north and east, as well as the edges of the Everfree Forest to the southeast. Today, you have explored the outdoors to the west, and marked down the hills and tree-covered places you will want to check once you have a platoon of ponies covering your hind.
But still, you have done nothing but look from afar and gather information for your report.
So with the day done, you prepare to make your way back to town.
That is, until you notice something.
You see a streak of color somewhere above you, and you look up to see there is a pegasus flying near the distant clouds.
The first thing that comes to your mind is how envious you feel. After all, you are faraway to the west of a small town, with nothing around you but uninhabited hills and forests, while you are trying to map out said town's outskirts. And for all that you enjoy being a unicorn, you would very much like to have a pair of wings right now. After all, you still have a long trek ahead of you before you reach Ponyville, but just by looking up you have been painfully reminded that some ponies would be able to cover that distance in mere minutes.
The second thing that comes to your mind, however, is…
"That is… worrying. Did something happen back in town?" you wonder out loud, a pang of concern appearing in your mind. "Or maybe somepony sent a flier for me because of Twili?"
You say that to yourself because you also realize that the pegasus is currently flying down. The pegasus is flying down in your direction, and the fact that you are the only other pony in sight makes it clear that you are the reason the pegasus is landing.
Still, you push back against your concerns. You are sure that everything is alright with Twili, and that nothing bad happened back in Ponyville. And even if something bad happened, your cutie mark means you are the kind of pony who would want to be the first to know, so you can help with whatever might be needed.
So, you wait as the pegasus slowly circles around you and finally touches the ground.
And the first thing you realize is that… the pegasus is hurt?
No, not hurt. Wounded.
You have never seen this pegasus before, and you are sure you have not spoken to him during these few days you have been in Ponyville. You are certain of that, because you know you would have committed this pegasus in particular to memory.
He is a stallion, you can immediately tell, even though he didn't really land close to you. He is a stallion, and he is large. As large as most ponies you have served with in the Guard, and easily as large as an earth pony stallion.
You can also see he is wounded because you can see the long, clean bandages he has covering his sides. But again, he is wounded, not hurt. And for all that the wounds he has on his sides appear to be large and painful, from the size of the bandages, he is carrying still himself as if they don't bother him at all.
But most of all, there is something about his eyes… something about his gaze, and the way he is looking at you, that gives you pause. No, it gives you more than just pause. It puts you on edge.
Because the way he is looking at you is not a glare. Not exactly, at least. It is neither a glare nor a snarl, but it is not a simple serious glance either. It is something in between, that carries an entirely different meaning all on its own.
Still, the pegasus landed. He landed a few paces in front of you, and the two of you stare at each other for several long seconds.
Then the pegasus nods at himself, and takes a deep breath to speak to you.
"I see you my enemy."
And your mind freezes as you hear those words.
Because you did not understand them. He did not speak in a language that you know. He did not speak those words in a language anypony alive would understand.
But still, you recognize those words.
They are the words that symbolize a challenge. They are a challenge and a praise both. A recognition that the speaker and the addressee are enemies, in the sense that they are opposed to each other. But also a recognition that you two are enemies, in the sense that he sees you with enough respect to consider you his foe.
You know, from some deep and almost instinctual part of your brain, that those are the words that can only be spoken to a worthy opponent. Those are words that have been spoken, again and again, for as long as ponies have been in existence. Words whose mere utterance would be enough to open a wide gap even in the most chaotic of battlefields. For everypony who heard them would understand that a personal war was about to erupt, and that to stand between the two challengers would be to invite a gruesome death.
And somehow, somehow, you understand. You understand that even nowadays those words are still spoken. Whenever a pony insults another pony. Whenever a pony calls somepony else to violence, or to a challenge, those words are somehow still present. Bastardized. Changed. Thick with the accent of peace and softness and centuries without true conflict. But still somehow there.
Your mind freezes as you hear those words. As all that unexplainable, almost intuitive and primitive knowledge strikes you all at once.
Your mind freezes.
But your body does not.
Because even though your mind reeled at what is understood, your body responded with its own instinct. Your body responded as a pony would respond to those words, even though they had not been spoken so clearly in centuries, and your body responded as a worthy opponent would. And before you realize it, your expression has hardened, your legs flexed to give you a better stance, and your eyes focused on the pegasus. Your horn lighting up with life and energy as the very air around you hardens with magic.
And when your racing thoughts finally catch up to your body, you realize what just happened. You realize that, on top of tensing up and preparing for what comes next, your body also nodded to the pegasus. Out of reflex, or perhaps out of a deeper understanding that your mind will never be able to reach.
You nodded to the pegasus, and you watch as the pegasus himself nods back at you, one last time.
But of course you nodded to the pegasus.
You nodded at him because you accept his challenge.
Because you don't have a choice.
After all, the moment he spoke those words, your instincts immediately came to terms with the fact that one of you will die today.
Even if your mind only just now caught up to that.
The pegasus opens his wings sideways, kicking against the ground at the same time as he flaps them. A gale wind erupts all around him, flattening the grass around him for a few moments as he soars to the skies.
But you don't have any attention to spare for that. Not for the grass, not for the wind, not for anything that isn't the pony that you will either kill or be killed by.
Your horn erupts with light as your head follows his path, a trio of flashing bolts firing toward the pegasus even as he makes an arc in the air around you. But he doesn't dodge them so much as he flaps his wings again, almost doubling his speed. Your magic sizzling through the spots he should have been as he quite literally outruns your ability to aim at him.
With another gale-making burst of his wings, the pegasus suddenly shifts his momentum. You can see his eyes narrow as if he had just seen a flaw in an armor, and on the next moment he is flying towards you like an arrow set loose.
You don't have time to conjure a proper barrier. The magic-hardened air around you barely decreases his speed.
With more urgency than sense, you jump to the side, and the pegasus barrels through the spot you were standing in a moment ago. The air around you turbulent as if you had just dodged a battering ram.
But as you land from your impromptu jump you also almost crumble to the side. Pain flaring from your shoulder to your flank with burning intensity. You spare a glance to your own body as you gasp in pain, only to see a wide cut tracing your body.
Which doesn't make any sense. Your mind jumps into panicked, battle-focused thought as you try to understand how that happened.
Until you see the stallion stop, once again, as he finally lands from his charging strike.
As he turns towards you, wings wide open, you can see a streak of blood under his own left wing. And you finally understand.
His wing grazed you, as he flew.
And you can see sharp blades hidden between his feathers, tied into place by a complicated yet ingenious strapping of leather.
You stare at each other once more for half a second.
But you have the range advantage, and the pegasus knows it. So, you are not surprised when he flaps his wings and once again charges at you the moment your horn begins to glow.
And he is as violently fast as he was before.
Which gives you no choice but to change tactics.
After all, you are not fighting a pony, you are fighting a monster. You would even think he is no pony at all, and that he is perhaps one of the shapeshifting things, if not for the bone-deep certainty you have from the words you heard him speak. For those words belong to ponykind.
Still, you will fight him as you would a monster.
With that in mind, you conjure the one spell that you can, in the little time it will take for his gale-speed and knifed wings to reach you. You conjure the one spell you have been practicing your whole life, and the one thing you have always felt proud about when it came to magic.
You conjure a barrier.
A light-purple sphere of magic, thick with energy and brightness, appears around you a fraction of a second before the pegasus collides against it.
And collide against it the stallion does. In fact, he does more than just hit it. His outstretched foreleg punches against your shield just as he flies at it, and his hoof breaks your barrier.
But you also expected that.
The barrier explodes as soon as it is breached, lashing out with a magical blast in all directions. And what is more, the barrier was so bright, and intentionally non-transparent, that the pegasus could not see you during the few moments that it was up. And as soon as he breaks through it, you are already crouched.
The pegasus flies over you, missing your horn by a few centimeters. His body bruised at the blast he quite literally just took to the face.
However, the turbulence of his passage is still so strong that it pummels you against the ground. And you were very much not ready for that, falling belly-first on the ground with an undignified thud. Your side-injury bleeding a lot more thanks to the unwelcome impact.
And what is more, your all-around blast against the pegasus lacked the strength of a more focused spell. So you can tell that for all that you struck him, he is still very far from wounded.
Still, you get back on your hoofs.
And not a second too soon.
But just as you get on your hoofs and turn around to face the pegasus-
!!!
-you can see that he is already upon you.
You turn around just in time to see him finish leaping at you. You have no idea how he ever this close so quickly. But even more alarmingly, you can see that his movements have less of the brutality of a brawler, and more of the precision of a doctor performing a surgery.
"Wh-?!"
And a shocked, half-questioning gasp barely leaves your lips before he gets to work.
!!!
His foreleg meets your front left knee, and you buckle forward.
!!!
He shoves you further down, your face hitting the floor, and you feel something hard and strong hitting your side followed by the sound of a crunch.
!!!
Your mind spins as you are kicked, and before you realize it your back is on the ground and you are facing the sky.
!!!
You see a flash of sharp metal, as a wing makes its way to your throat and-
-you flare up your horn, one last desperate blast of magic aimed squarely at the chest of the pegasus that is almost standing over you. Just as his wing comes down.
!!!
You see your life flash before your eyes, as the blades of the cold knifes meet your neck.
- - -
The pegasus looks down at his prey… no, not prey, at his foe.
Because despite everything he had fought so far, this one had been the only one he had found worthy to be deemed a foe rather than just prey. The only one who was worthy, and who could also be killed. And not some otherworldly creature that only presented itself through an avatar. And not some winged monstrosity who could vaporize him with a flick of her crowned horn.
This pony had been the only one whose death would be enough for the enactment of his Sacrament. The necessary next step for him to become more powerful. For him to be able to do more, and never fail again.
So why…
As he looks down at his bruised, bleeding foe.
Why…
… did he stop.
The pegasus stare down at the unicorn.
And the unicorn stares back at him. Eyes wide eye in surprise and adrenaline. Both ponies heaving at each other from their pains and efforts.
The unicorn knows what has happened. The pegasus can see in the unicorn's eyes that his foe realizes he lost. He lost, and what happens next is death. It will happen now as it has happened countless times before.
And the pegasus understands it as well. His outstretched wing is poised on the unicorn's throat, and he realizes he will be able to cut an artery with the smallest of movements.
He has won.
This is his reward.
So why…
Why…?
…
The pegasus' eyes, once filled with focus and determination, are now full of anger. Of frustration.
Because he hates being a pawn.
However…
"This is not what she wants…"
He says.
The unicorn flinches as the pegasus raises a crushing hoof, aimed straight at the unicorn's face.
And he falls unconscious from shock, letting out one last pained shout, as the raised hoof comes down. Crushing his horn.
But leaving him alive.
- - -
- - -
- - -
You are Lady Velvet Covers.
And right now you are in your estate, having breakfast with your…
One, two, three… four…? Well Scootaloo doesn't count, but she's been here for a while and…
… you are having breakfast with your several daughters.
"Mom," Silky speaks up, drawing your attention, "is the handsome unicorn eating with us today?"
She is, of course, asking about Shining Armor. Because for all that the stallion had been spending most of his time with Twilight Sparkle, you still offered him a place to stay in your estate. After all, it wouldn't be proper for him to stay at Rarity's house. For several reasons.
So, he has been spending the night in one of your guest rooms, and hishandsome charismatic self has been an unexpected addition to your breakfast table these last few days.
Much to your daughter's…
"Selene is asking," Silky says, in a hurried tone, as you raise a questioning eyebrow at her. "I-I mean, Selene has a crush on him and-!"
"No I d-don't! She's lying Mrs. Velvet!"
"Yes you do!"
You don't even bother to answer as the three fillies descend into a battle of shouts. In fact, you think you will let them keep at it for… a few more minutes, maybe.
After all, the good captain is an excellent standard for them to have their first crush on. And, as much of a painful experience as it might be, it will also be a controlled way for them to have their first heartbreak once you tell them of the… competition involved.
Because alas, not even if you had two more Leashes to spare would you be able to win him from the Princess of Love herself.
But that is neither here nor there. You extend your questioning gaze to Soft Sweeps, who has also been having breakfast with your family at your insistence, and the younger mare answers by looking elsewhere with a small blush. With that settled, you once again return to your breakfast.
Still, Silky's question does raise a fair point. Where is Shining Armor? The stallion has already returned to your estate late in the night more than once, these last few days. But he would always wake up in time to join you all in breakfast, and would be out the door right after.
However, he is not here right now, so you can't help but wond-
"Velvet! Is Velvet in here?!"
Your thoughts are interrupted by a loud, frantic shouting coming from the entrance hall, and you immediately recognize Rarity's voice.
And you barely understand what she is saying, as she all but barges into the dinner room desperately telling you to follow her to Ponyville.
- - -
Captain Shining Armor wakes up… slowly.
It has been several hours now. Several hours of panic, and then waiting, and then heat-crushing sadness when Twilight Sparkle herself was finally informed and arrived where you all are.
But still, he wakes up.
And despite his horrible condition, everypony lets out a sigh of relief.
You, Rarity, Twilight, and several ponies besides are currently in a room inside Ponyville's only clinic. It is nearly night, and as Shining finally wakes up you have already been able to gather… most of what happened.
In fact, you in particular understood almost everything. Because you immediately knew about one crucial detail that everypony else lacks.
After all, as soon as you saw his wounds you knew who the culprit was. But for the life of you, you still don't understand the why.
Still, from what you gathered, Shining Armor was found near the west of Ponyville. He had been left beaten and bleeding near the train station, and a railway porter found him just before sunrise. The previously unidentified stallion was then rushed to the clinic, the town's doctors was brought from his own house as soon as physically possible, and a few hours later one of the nurses who saw him around town finally followed the gossip trail that led her to Rarity's house.
And now, several hours after you all gathered at the clinic, he is finally awake.
His condition is… dreadful. The stallion is all bruises and sutures, his complexion is pale, and as if it were some cruel joke his horn is also broken and missing its upper half. Twilight Sparkle, in particular, has not yet said a single word ever since she came to the clinic. But just from her expression you can tell that…
Still, you all hold your breath as the stallion finally opens his eyes.
His dazed, half-open eyes look first at himself, and then at the room.
You can see him looking at the bed he is in, and then at his bandaged and covered body. And then he looks at each of you in turn.
When he is done gazing around, his head finally rests at the bed's pillow once again. The stallion just looks at the ceiling for a few moments
And then…
He begins to…
Laugh?
"Ah… aahahahahahaa…"
The oppressively heavy atmosphere of the room… well, it continues heavy. But it also feels somewhat confused?
The doctor then carefully approaches the stallion, perhaps wondering if he should check him for a fever or more head concussions. But still, before any of that, he just asks a question.
"Sir, are you… are you alright? Do you know who you are? Can you tell me your name an-"
"I'm fine doc," the stallion interrupts him, between short and clearly painful chuckles. "Better than fine, I'm alive!"
Everypony's eyes go wide at that.
Because despite everything that just happened, and the almost funeral expression some of you have on your faces, it is Shining Armor himself who seems to be in the highest spirit.
And for some reason, his laughter seems to be spreading. Like sunrise banishing the shadows, everypony slowly begins to smile at the stallion.
Even Twilight Sparkle.
"Oh damn, Twili already knows. But hey," the stallion says, beckoning his little sister towards him, and giving her a weak hug when she reaches him. "Maybe you can tell me some health trivia that you read in your biology books? I think I'll need it while I get back in shape."
He says that, half-joking and half-serious, and Twilight just… laughs?
It's a heavy laugh. A wet, teary-eyed laugh that looks like the first sign of an emotional dam that is about to break. But still, even Twilight's expression shifts to… relief?
And as the younger unicorn hugs her older brother back, even you find yourself letting out a chuckle, full of surprise and heavy with sudden, unexpected relief.
"B-but Shining… what happened?" Twilight asks as she keeps her forelegs around him. The first words she has spoken in hours. "Who… what did this to you?"
And to that, the captain answers with a curious expression. He begins to talk, and then he stops, and then he narrows his eyes as if trying to focus on something.
"I… I have no idea?" he answers, his words making it clear at how surprised he is with that.
But still, he continues by saying something with the utmost certainty.
"All that I know is that… all I can remember, even, is that I think I should have died. And I have no idea why, but I didn't."
He says that, and for all that you can tell that Twilight… no, that nopony is really satisfied with that answer, you can also tell that nopony really disagrees with Shining Armor in his other point.
That he is just grateful to be alive. Because in these scary times, this is really the best thing a pony can hope for.
"Just one thing…" Shining Armor says, looking towards you in particular. "Lady Velvet, I… please don't tell her?"
He says that as he lets go of Twilight, falling back towards the bed with an exhausted expression.
And everypony but Rarity looks at you with a tinge of curiosity. Even Twilight Sparkle, who you are sure have been looking at you with nothing but animosity, now seems to be slightly curious as well.
But of course, you know who the stallion is referring to. There is only one "her" who he would probably not like to tell about his condition. After all, given how wounded and weak he is, he would probably not want her to be worried about his condition on top of everything else.
Which makes sense. After all, Princess Cadance, with whom he has a secret relationship with, would probably be extremely affected if she learned he was like this, and would probably come flying to Ponyville regardless of what she was doing.
So of course Shining wouldn't want that to happen. The Princess is busy, she should definitely not be given any more things to worry about, and even more glaringly anything she did would most likely expose her secret relationship with Shining Armor.
Of course. Now that he is awake, and everything seems to be miraculously fine, all of those points seem glaringly obvious.
…
In hindsight.
"Oh… about that…" you say, with no small amount of guilt. And you watch as Shining's high-spirited expression finally sinks with dread.
Because you should probably have thought about all of that, before penning a letter, jamming it into Soft Sweep's hoofs, and telling her to fly straight to the Royal Castle and have that delivered to Princess Cadance even if she was thrown in jail after that.
"Lad… Lady Velvet…" Shining Armor says, his words now slow and heavy with mounting fear. "Please… please don't tell me that you…"
But he is interrupted.
He is interrupted by a heavy sensation. A literally heavy sensation, as the pressure of the very air grows, and the magic in the room becomes so thick that everypony can feel it. And it continues to grow, more and more, until it becomes glaringly obvious even to those without a horn. But still, those of you who are unicorns can also immediately sense that the magic is tied to Shining Armor.
No, not just "tied" to Shining Armor. It is also homing in on Shining Armor.
"Oh fuck…"
Those are the last words you hear Captain Shining Armor speak, before a flash of pink magic erupts from the middle of the room, followed by a blast of pressurized air-
-and you feel as if the entire world was alive. Alive, and able to love, and actively caring for the future of every living creature in it-
-and you feel as if you finally get it. You finally understand all the wrongs that happened in your life, and you finally find the inner strength to forgive your own father for everything he has done-
-and Love itself appears before you. Love itself walks the land, as real as day and night, in all its glory and warmth and power-
"WHERE IS MY SHINING ARMOR?!"
-and a panicked, desperate pink alicorn materializes from thin air.
It takes her several seconds to understand why everypony is bowing down, some of you even crying. It takes several more seconds for you to be able to see Princess Cadance again, rather than something so much greater, as she finally gets a grip on herself once again.
And by Celestia, it takes her hours to swear everypony in the room to secrecy.
You leave the room just as Twilight begins to angrily yell at the two of them. Something about keeping a secret and whatnot. You are not sure. But still, your exit doesn't happen before the Princess gives you a long and almost crushing hug to thank you.
…
You are sure you will have time to talk to her, if she doesn't decide to teleport the unicorn siblings back to Canterlot.
Dread Comet Feet has denied himself his own Sacrament.
"Since Issus they have striven so." You have learned, through OOC knowledge, the requirements for a personal Edge Sacrament. There is no reason for QM to not officially confirm this information.
Velvet Covers has made the very educated guess that Comet Feet was the one responsible for the attempt on Captain Shining Armor's life. Her actions moving forward will be based on that information.
Shining Armor himself, however, does not remember anything that happened to him. He only has the certainty he should have died, but didn't.
Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, the Alicorn of Love, has relocated to Ponyville. Temporarily, at least.
More to follow.
Unicorn. Guardspony. Captain.
Orphan. Weakling. Failure.
But right now, you are just glad to be a brother. You are glad that you are still a brother.
Because despite everything that happened, despite all the horrors that still creep in the corners of Princess Celestia's realm, you still have some of the ponies that you care for the most.
Of course, you did not go through this unscathed. You don't think anypony really passed through that catastrophe truly unscathed. Throughout all of Equestria, everypony lost something to some extent.
But still, the unfair truth is that some lost more than others. And when it really comes down to it, you realize that you are among the ponies who somehow lost less than most.
Because you still have Twilight.
You lost ponies. You lost ponies that you loved dearly. And even Twili herself is hurt. She is hurt, and she is devastated, and you know you will have to be strong for the two of you.
But you still have her.
Or rather, you finally have her back. After those long, hellish weeks after Cadance told you that she was gone, after that horrible period where your own sister was nothing but another name in an endless list of missing ponies, your little sister was somehow brought back to you.
It's mind-boggling just to think of how lucky you are. And to be honest, this whole situation feels so unbelievable that you don't even want to think about it. A part of you almost feels like this is a dream that it will shatter like glass if you poke at it too much.
But still, if this is a dream, then it is certainly a long one. After all, it must have been… at least a week since Twili returned, and almost three days since you all but kissed Lady Velvet's hoof for finding your sister.
So you know this isn't a dream. It can't be a dream. Twili is back, and things are finally looking up again.
That is all that matters. You can sense this confidence, this certainty, rooted in your mind like a strong and firm tree. And you think that as long as you keep this perspective at the center of your mind, you will be able to continue moving forward.
Although you don't just have Twili, of course.
You also have Cadance as well, even if your relationship with her is… complicated. Although naturally, it is complicated because of you. She has already very clearly told you that she loves you, and your relationship is only being kept private because you asked her to keep it that way. But still, again, your relationship with her is a tad complex.
And how could it not be? She is a Princess.
You love her, of course, but every time you two are together you can't help but think that you are somehow dragging her down. And not just because she will outlive you, or because everything you can do she can do far better, but also because she is a freaking alicorn. Half the time you are with her you don't even think you should be standing so close to her, let alone touching her.
Not that you have really "touched" her yet. Well, you have already held her hoof, and other things besides, but you are not sure you will ever muster the courage to-
"And I am definitely going off track with this," you say to yourself. Shaking your head for good measure as you try to regain your focus.
You then slowly turn your head to the left, and then to the right. Stretching your neck as you force those invasive thoughts out of your head.
Still, you can't help but feel a very small smile forming on your face.
Because the mere fact that you can have silly and personal thoughts like those… the mere fact that you can think about things that make you happy makes you realize how much weight you had been carrying on your back all this time.
You can't really remember when was the last time you were not… grimly focused on work, or chastising yourself for not doing things quickly enough or competently enough. These last several weeks you have been so focused on your duty, while leading the search efforts around the larger cities, that you didn't even realize how miserable your life has been. How miserable everything and everypony around you has been.
But things are changing now. You can feel it.
Twili is back, and things are finally starting to look up.
With that in mind, you focus yourself on the task at hoof.
Your days following Twili's return saw you spending almost all your time with her. Granted, you couldn't see it happening any other way, even if most of the time you can do nothing but keep her company.
But still, you have only been able to spend most of your time with her. Most of it, not all of it. Because Twili has also been…
Well, you can very much tell that she also needs space.
So, whenever you aren't with Twilight, you have been keeping yourself busy with other things.
At first, whenever you weren't with Twilight, you would spend your time waiting at the nearby noble estate. After all, you both knew Lady velvet and Twili's letter made it very clear that the noblemare was somehow involved in finding your sister. And of course, as your sister slowly began to talk, your need to talk to Lady Velvet to understand what happened only grew.
So, you would spend most of your free time waiting on the noblemare, even though she was
But now that you got that sorted out, you took it upon yourself to scout around Ponyville whenever you are not with your little sister.
After all, you are still a stallion of the Guard. So even though you have been "officially" on leave ever since Twili's letter reached you and Cadance in Canterlot, there are still ways you can make yourself useful.
And even though you came to Ponyville several days ahead of schedule, there is still an entire platoon set to arrive sooner rather than later to search around the small town. So, whatever you can learn about its outskirts ahead of time will surely be helpful.
Never mind that it also helps you keep your own hoofs busy.
"Although I can't help but feel this place will keep us a lot busier than normal. Even though this is a small town…" you say to yourself, as you think about what you have learned so far.
Because Ponyville is… small. It can barely be considered a town in some aspects, and by aesthetics alone the place actually feels like a village. Still, there are some things about it that just don't add up, when comparing it to the other towns that were attacked.
The most glaring issue is the matter of timing. Without exceptions, all the other towns in Equestria were attacked on the same day. According to Celestia herself, perhaps because of some unknown signal or perhaps because they planned it all along, the shapeshifting monsters all dropped their disguises on the same night, and rampaged whatever town they had infiltrated.
However, as far as you could tell from talking to the townspeople, it seems that there was no attack in Ponyville. Or at least nothing as traumatic and violent as the attacks that happened everywhere else. Instead, some five days before the catastrophe itself everypony just woke up to a town that had several dozen ponies missing.
And given Ponyville's physical proximity to Canterlot, you can't help but think this place was a testbed of sorts.
Additionally, despite Ponyville's "smallness" as a town, it still covers a lot of ground. The farmlands, orchards and plantations that surround it are in turn bordering much larger forests. And to make matters worse there is also the "Everfree Forest" that everypony has warned you about. Which sounds like an ideal place for the shapeshifters to have set up a lair or keep their abducted victims.
Granted, places like that are unfortunately common in Equestria, especially the farther away you go from the capital. But still, it is highly unusual to have a place like this so close to a town, which is in turn so close to Canterlot that you can see it in the distance.
"Still, I think I have done enough for today," you say to yourself, making a mental checklist of everything you will want to write down in your report. "I'll make a proper visit to the orchard family in the south tomorrow, but I think I have a hang of this place now."
You say that as you turn back east and make your way back to Ponyville.
You have already taken a good look at the town's north and east, as well as the edges of the Everfree Forest to the southeast. Today, you have explored the outdoors to the west, and marked down the hills and tree-covered places you will want to check once you have a platoon of ponies covering your hind.
But still, you have done nothing but look from afar and gather information for your report.
So with the day done, you prepare to make your way back to town.
That is, until you notice something.
You see a streak of color somewhere above you, and you look up to see there is a pegasus flying near the distant clouds.
The first thing that comes to your mind is how envious you feel. After all, you are faraway to the west of a small town, with nothing around you but uninhabited hills and forests, while you are trying to map out said town's outskirts. And for all that you enjoy being a unicorn, you would very much like to have a pair of wings right now. After all, you still have a long trek ahead of you before you reach Ponyville, but just by looking up you have been painfully reminded that some ponies would be able to cover that distance in mere minutes.
The second thing that comes to your mind, however, is…
"That is… worrying. Did something happen back in town?" you wonder out loud, a pang of concern appearing in your mind. "Or maybe somepony sent a flier for me because of Twili?"
You say that to yourself because you also realize that the pegasus is currently flying down. The pegasus is flying down in your direction, and the fact that you are the only other pony in sight makes it clear that you are the reason the pegasus is landing.
Still, you push back against your concerns. You are sure that everything is alright with Twili, and that nothing bad happened back in Ponyville. And even if something bad happened, your cutie mark means you are the kind of pony who would want to be the first to know, so you can help with whatever might be needed.
So, you wait as the pegasus slowly circles around you and finally touches the ground.
And the first thing you realize is that… the pegasus is hurt?
No, not hurt. Wounded.
You have never seen this pegasus before, and you are sure you have not spoken to him during these few days you have been in Ponyville. You are certain of that, because you know you would have committed this pegasus in particular to memory.
He is a stallion, you can immediately tell, even though he didn't really land close to you. He is a stallion, and he is large. As large as most ponies you have served with in the Guard, and easily as large as an earth pony stallion.
You can also see he is wounded because you can see the long, clean bandages he has covering his sides. But again, he is wounded, not hurt. And for all that the wounds he has on his sides appear to be large and painful, from the size of the bandages, he is carrying still himself as if they don't bother him at all.
But most of all, there is something about his eyes… something about his gaze, and the way he is looking at you, that gives you pause. No, it gives you more than just pause. It puts you on edge.
Because the way he is looking at you is not a glare. Not exactly, at least. It is neither a glare nor a snarl, but it is not a simple serious glance either. It is something in between, that carries an entirely different meaning all on its own.
Still, the pegasus landed. He landed a few paces in front of you, and the two of you stare at each other for several long seconds.
Then the pegasus nods at himself, and takes a deep breath to speak to you.
"I see you my enemy."
And your mind freezes as you hear those words.
Because you did not understand them. He did not speak in a language that you know. He did not speak those words in a language anypony alive would understand.
But still, you recognize those words.
They are the words that symbolize a challenge. They are a challenge and a praise both. A recognition that the speaker and the addressee are enemies, in the sense that they are opposed to each other. But also a recognition that you two are enemies, in the sense that he sees you with enough respect to consider you his foe.
You know, from some deep and almost instinctual part of your brain, that those are the words that can only be spoken to a worthy opponent. Those are words that have been spoken, again and again, for as long as ponies have been in existence. Words whose mere utterance would be enough to open a wide gap even in the most chaotic of battlefields. For everypony who heard them would understand that a personal war was about to erupt, and that to stand between the two challengers would be to invite a gruesome death.
And somehow, somehow, you understand. You understand that even nowadays those words are still spoken. Whenever a pony insults another pony. Whenever a pony calls somepony else to violence, or to a challenge, those words are somehow still present. Bastardized. Changed. Thick with the accent of peace and softness and centuries without true conflict. But still somehow there.
Your mind freezes as you hear those words. As all that unexplainable, almost intuitive and primitive knowledge strikes you all at once.
Your mind freezes.
But your body does not.
Because even though your mind reeled at what is understood, your body responded with its own instinct. Your body responded as a pony would respond to those words, even though they had not been spoken so clearly in centuries, and your body responded as a worthy opponent would. And before you realize it, your expression has hardened, your legs flexed to give you a better stance, and your eyes focused on the pegasus. Your horn lighting up with life and energy as the very air around you hardens with magic.
And when your racing thoughts finally catch up to your body, you realize what just happened. You realize that, on top of tensing up and preparing for what comes next, your body also nodded to the pegasus. Out of reflex, or perhaps out of a deeper understanding that your mind will never be able to reach.
You nodded to the pegasus, and you watch as the pegasus himself nods back at you, one last time.
But of course you nodded to the pegasus.
You nodded at him because you accept his challenge.
Because you don't have a choice.
After all, the moment he spoke those words, your instincts immediately came to terms with the fact that one of you will die today.
Even if your mind only just now caught up to that.
[Comet Feet's current health: 3/4]
[Shining Armor's health: 4/4]
[Current overflow (damage occurs on 50): Comet – 0, Shining – 0]
[A Confident Certainty: Comet Feet can reroll one every six dice]
[Comet Feet invokes the Attention of the Laws]
[Comet's first roll: 4714 + 39 (Personal Combat) + 20 (Attention of the Laws) = 106]
[Shining's first roll: 23 + 25 (Heroic) = 48]
[Overflow: Comet – 58, Shining – 0]
[Shining suffers one wound (-50 to Comet's overflow)]
[Comet's second roll: 69 + 39 (Personal Combat) + 20 (Attention of the Laws) = 128]
[Shining's second roll: 63 + 25 (Heroic) = 88]
[Overflow: Comet – 48, Shining – 0]
[Shining Armor's health: 4/4]
[Current overflow (damage occurs on 50): Comet – 0, Shining – 0]
[A Confident Certainty: Comet Feet can reroll one every six dice]
[Comet Feet invokes the Attention of the Laws]
[Comet's first roll: 47
[Shining's first roll: 23 + 25 (Heroic) = 48]
[Overflow: Comet – 58, Shining – 0]
[Shining suffers one wound (-50 to Comet's overflow)]
[Comet's second roll: 69 + 39 (Personal Combat) + 20 (Attention of the Laws) = 128]
[Shining's second roll: 63 + 25 (Heroic) = 88]
[Overflow: Comet – 48, Shining – 0]
The pegasus opens his wings sideways, kicking against the ground at the same time as he flaps them. A gale wind erupts all around him, flattening the grass around him for a few moments as he soars to the skies.
But you don't have any attention to spare for that. Not for the grass, not for the wind, not for anything that isn't the pony that you will either kill or be killed by.
Your horn erupts with light as your head follows his path, a trio of flashing bolts firing toward the pegasus even as he makes an arc in the air around you. But he doesn't dodge them so much as he flaps his wings again, almost doubling his speed. Your magic sizzling through the spots he should have been as he quite literally outruns your ability to aim at him.
With another gale-making burst of his wings, the pegasus suddenly shifts his momentum. You can see his eyes narrow as if he had just seen a flaw in an armor, and on the next moment he is flying towards you like an arrow set loose.
You don't have time to conjure a proper barrier. The magic-hardened air around you barely decreases his speed.
With more urgency than sense, you jump to the side, and the pegasus barrels through the spot you were standing in a moment ago. The air around you turbulent as if you had just dodged a battering ram.
But as you land from your impromptu jump you also almost crumble to the side. Pain flaring from your shoulder to your flank with burning intensity. You spare a glance to your own body as you gasp in pain, only to see a wide cut tracing your body.
Which doesn't make any sense. Your mind jumps into panicked, battle-focused thought as you try to understand how that happened.
Until you see the stallion stop, once again, as he finally lands from his charging strike.
As he turns towards you, wings wide open, you can see a streak of blood under his own left wing. And you finally understand.
His wing grazed you, as he flew.
And you can see sharp blades hidden between his feathers, tied into place by a complicated yet ingenious strapping of leather.
[Comet Feet's current health: 3/4]
[Shining Armor's health: 3/4]
[Current overflow (damage occurs on 50): Comet – 48, Shining – 0]
[Comet's first roll: 74 + 39 (Personal Combat) = 113]
[Shining's first roll: 80 + 25 (Heroic) = 105]
[Overflow: Comet – 56, Shining – 0]
[Shining suffers one wound (-50 to Comet's overflow)]
[Comet's second roll: 70 + 39 (Personal Combat) = 109]
[Shining's second roll: 98 + 25 (Heroic) = 123]
[Overflow: Comet – 6, Shining – 14]
[Shining Armor's health: 3/4]
[Current overflow (damage occurs on 50): Comet – 48, Shining – 0]
[Comet's first roll: 74 + 39 (Personal Combat) = 113]
[Shining's first roll: 80 + 25 (Heroic) = 105]
[Overflow: Comet – 56, Shining – 0]
[Shining suffers one wound (-50 to Comet's overflow)]
[Comet's second roll: 70 + 39 (Personal Combat) = 109]
[Shining's second roll: 98 + 25 (Heroic) = 123]
[Overflow: Comet – 6, Shining – 14]
You stare at each other once more for half a second.
But you have the range advantage, and the pegasus knows it. So, you are not surprised when he flaps his wings and once again charges at you the moment your horn begins to glow.
And he is as violently fast as he was before.
Which gives you no choice but to change tactics.
After all, you are not fighting a pony, you are fighting a monster. You would even think he is no pony at all, and that he is perhaps one of the shapeshifting things, if not for the bone-deep certainty you have from the words you heard him speak. For those words belong to ponykind.
Still, you will fight him as you would a monster.
With that in mind, you conjure the one spell that you can, in the little time it will take for his gale-speed and knifed wings to reach you. You conjure the one spell you have been practicing your whole life, and the one thing you have always felt proud about when it came to magic.
You conjure a barrier.
A light-purple sphere of magic, thick with energy and brightness, appears around you a fraction of a second before the pegasus collides against it.
And collide against it the stallion does. In fact, he does more than just hit it. His outstretched foreleg punches against your shield just as he flies at it, and his hoof breaks your barrier.
But you also expected that.
The barrier explodes as soon as it is breached, lashing out with a magical blast in all directions. And what is more, the barrier was so bright, and intentionally non-transparent, that the pegasus could not see you during the few moments that it was up. And as soon as he breaks through it, you are already crouched.
The pegasus flies over you, missing your horn by a few centimeters. His body bruised at the blast he quite literally just took to the face.
However, the turbulence of his passage is still so strong that it pummels you against the ground. And you were very much not ready for that, falling belly-first on the ground with an undignified thud. Your side-injury bleeding a lot more thanks to the unwelcome impact.
And what is more, your all-around blast against the pegasus lacked the strength of a more focused spell. So you can tell that for all that you struck him, he is still very far from wounded.
Still, you get back on your hoofs.
And not a second too soon.
[Comet Feet's current health: 3/4]
[Shining Armor's health: 2/4]
[Current overflow (damage occurs on 50): Comet – 6, Shining – 14]
[Comet's first roll: 59 + 39 (Personal Combat) = 98]
[Shining's first roll: 68 + 25 (Heroic) = 93]
[Overflow: Comet – 16, Shining – 14]
[Comet's second roll: 93 + 39 (Personal Combat) = 132]
[Shining's second roll: 31 + 25 (Heroic) = 56]
[Overflow: Comet – 95, Shining – 14]
[Shining suffers one wound (-50 to Comet's overflow)]
[Shining Armor's health: 2/4]
[Current overflow (damage occurs on 50): Comet – 6, Shining – 14]
[Comet's first roll: 59 + 39 (Personal Combat) = 98]
[Shining's first roll: 68 + 25 (Heroic) = 93]
[Overflow: Comet – 16, Shining – 14]
[Comet's second roll: 93 + 39 (Personal Combat) = 132]
[Shining's second roll: 31 + 25 (Heroic) = 56]
[Overflow: Comet – 95, Shining – 14]
[Shining suffers one wound (-50 to Comet's overflow)]
But just as you get on your hoofs and turn around to face the pegasus-
!!!
-you can see that he is already upon you.
You turn around just in time to see him finish leaping at you. You have no idea how he ever this close so quickly. But even more alarmingly, you can see that his movements have less of the brutality of a brawler, and more of the precision of a doctor performing a surgery.
"Wh-?!"
And a shocked, half-questioning gasp barely leaves your lips before he gets to work.
!!!
His foreleg meets your front left knee, and you buckle forward.
!!!
He shoves you further down, your face hitting the floor, and you feel something hard and strong hitting your side followed by the sound of a crunch.
!!!
Your mind spins as you are kicked, and before you realize it your back is on the ground and you are facing the sky.
!!!
You see a flash of sharp metal, as a wing makes its way to your throat and-
[Comet Feet's current health: 3/4]
[Shining Armor's health: 1/4]
[Current overflow (damage occurs on 50): Comet – 45, Shining – 14]
[Comet's first roll: 28 + 39 (Personal Combat) = 67]
[Shining's first roll: 71 + 25 (Heroic) = 96]
[Overflow: Comet – 45, Shining – 43]
[Comet's second roll: 22 + 39 (Personal Combat) = 61]
[Shining's second roll: 30 + 25 (Heroic) = 55]
[Overflow: Comet – 51, Shining – 43]
[Shining suffers one wound (-50 to Comet's overflow)]
[Comet Feet has defeated Captain Shining Armor]
[Shining Armor's health: 1/4]
[Current overflow (damage occurs on 50): Comet – 45, Shining – 14]
[Comet's first roll: 28 + 39 (Personal Combat) = 67]
[Shining's first roll: 71 + 25 (Heroic) = 96]
[Overflow: Comet – 45, Shining – 43]
[Comet's second roll: 22 + 39 (Personal Combat) = 61]
[Shining's second roll: 30 + 25 (Heroic) = 55]
[Overflow: Comet – 51, Shining – 43]
[Shining suffers one wound (-50 to Comet's overflow)]
[Comet Feet has defeated Captain Shining Armor]
-you flare up your horn, one last desperate blast of magic aimed squarely at the chest of the pegasus that is almost standing over you. Just as his wing comes down.
!!!
You see your life flash before your eyes, as the blades of the cold knifes meet your neck.
- - -
The pegasus looks down at his prey… no, not prey, at his foe.
Because despite everything he had fought so far, this one had been the only one he had found worthy to be deemed a foe rather than just prey. The only one who was worthy, and who could also be killed. And not some otherworldly creature that only presented itself through an avatar. And not some winged monstrosity who could vaporize him with a flick of her crowned horn.
This pony had been the only one whose death would be enough for the enactment of his Sacrament. The necessary next step for him to become more powerful. For him to be able to do more, and never fail again.
So why…
As he looks down at his bruised, bleeding foe.
Why…
… did he stop.
The pegasus stare down at the unicorn.
And the unicorn stares back at him. Eyes wide eye in surprise and adrenaline. Both ponies heaving at each other from their pains and efforts.
The unicorn knows what has happened. The pegasus can see in the unicorn's eyes that his foe realizes he lost. He lost, and what happens next is death. It will happen now as it has happened countless times before.
And the pegasus understands it as well. His outstretched wing is poised on the unicorn's throat, and he realizes he will be able to cut an artery with the smallest of movements.
He has won.
This is his reward.
So why…
Why…?
…
The pegasus' eyes, once filled with focus and determination, are now full of anger. Of frustration.
Because he hates being a pawn.
However…
"This is not what she wants…"
He says.
The unicorn flinches as the pegasus raises a crushing hoof, aimed straight at the unicorn's face.
And he falls unconscious from shock, letting out one last pained shout, as the raised hoof comes down. Crushing his horn.
But leaving him alive.
- - -
- - -
- - -
You are Lady Velvet Covers.
And right now you are in your estate, having breakfast with your…
One, two, three… four…? Well Scootaloo doesn't count, but she's been here for a while and…
… you are having breakfast with your several daughters.
"Mom," Silky speaks up, drawing your attention, "is the handsome unicorn eating with us today?"
She is, of course, asking about Shining Armor. Because for all that the stallion had been spending most of his time with Twilight Sparkle, you still offered him a place to stay in your estate. After all, it wouldn't be proper for him to stay at Rarity's house. For several reasons.
So, he has been spending the night in one of your guest rooms, and his
Much to your daughter's…
"Selene is asking," Silky says, in a hurried tone, as you raise a questioning eyebrow at her. "I-I mean, Selene has a crush on him and-!"
"No I d-don't! She's lying Mrs. Velvet!"
"Yes you do!"
You don't even bother to answer as the three fillies descend into a battle of shouts. In fact, you think you will let them keep at it for… a few more minutes, maybe.
After all, the good captain is an excellent standard for them to have their first crush on. And, as much of a painful experience as it might be, it will also be a controlled way for them to have their first heartbreak once you tell them of the… competition involved.
Because alas, not even if you had two more Leashes to spare would you be able to win him from the Princess of Love herself.
But that is neither here nor there. You extend your questioning gaze to Soft Sweeps, who has also been having breakfast with your family at your insistence, and the younger mare answers by looking elsewhere with a small blush. With that settled, you once again return to your breakfast.
Still, Silky's question does raise a fair point. Where is Shining Armor? The stallion has already returned to your estate late in the night more than once, these last few days. But he would always wake up in time to join you all in breakfast, and would be out the door right after.
However, he is not here right now, so you can't help but wond-
"Velvet! Is Velvet in here?!"
Your thoughts are interrupted by a loud, frantic shouting coming from the entrance hall, and you immediately recognize Rarity's voice.
And you barely understand what she is saying, as she all but barges into the dinner room desperately telling you to follow her to Ponyville.
- - -
Captain Shining Armor wakes up… slowly.
It has been several hours now. Several hours of panic, and then waiting, and then heat-crushing sadness when Twilight Sparkle herself was finally informed and arrived where you all are.
But still, he wakes up.
And despite his horrible condition, everypony lets out a sigh of relief.
You, Rarity, Twilight, and several ponies besides are currently in a room inside Ponyville's only clinic. It is nearly night, and as Shining finally wakes up you have already been able to gather… most of what happened.
In fact, you in particular understood almost everything. Because you immediately knew about one crucial detail that everypony else lacks.
After all, as soon as you saw his wounds you knew who the culprit was. But for the life of you, you still don't understand the why.
Still, from what you gathered, Shining Armor was found near the west of Ponyville. He had been left beaten and bleeding near the train station, and a railway porter found him just before sunrise. The previously unidentified stallion was then rushed to the clinic, the town's doctors was brought from his own house as soon as physically possible, and a few hours later one of the nurses who saw him around town finally followed the gossip trail that led her to Rarity's house.
And now, several hours after you all gathered at the clinic, he is finally awake.
His condition is… dreadful. The stallion is all bruises and sutures, his complexion is pale, and as if it were some cruel joke his horn is also broken and missing its upper half. Twilight Sparkle, in particular, has not yet said a single word ever since she came to the clinic. But just from her expression you can tell that…
Still, you all hold your breath as the stallion finally opens his eyes.
His dazed, half-open eyes look first at himself, and then at the room.
You can see him looking at the bed he is in, and then at his bandaged and covered body. And then he looks at each of you in turn.
When he is done gazing around, his head finally rests at the bed's pillow once again. The stallion just looks at the ceiling for a few moments
And then…
He begins to…
Laugh?
"Ah… aahahahahahaa…"
The oppressively heavy atmosphere of the room… well, it continues heavy. But it also feels somewhat confused?
The doctor then carefully approaches the stallion, perhaps wondering if he should check him for a fever or more head concussions. But still, before any of that, he just asks a question.
"Sir, are you… are you alright? Do you know who you are? Can you tell me your name an-"
"I'm fine doc," the stallion interrupts him, between short and clearly painful chuckles. "Better than fine, I'm alive!"
Everypony's eyes go wide at that.
Because despite everything that just happened, and the almost funeral expression some of you have on your faces, it is Shining Armor himself who seems to be in the highest spirit.
And for some reason, his laughter seems to be spreading. Like sunrise banishing the shadows, everypony slowly begins to smile at the stallion.
Even Twilight Sparkle.
"Oh damn, Twili already knows. But hey," the stallion says, beckoning his little sister towards him, and giving her a weak hug when she reaches him. "Maybe you can tell me some health trivia that you read in your biology books? I think I'll need it while I get back in shape."
He says that, half-joking and half-serious, and Twilight just… laughs?
It's a heavy laugh. A wet, teary-eyed laugh that looks like the first sign of an emotional dam that is about to break. But still, even Twilight's expression shifts to… relief?
And as the younger unicorn hugs her older brother back, even you find yourself letting out a chuckle, full of surprise and heavy with sudden, unexpected relief.
"B-but Shining… what happened?" Twilight asks as she keeps her forelegs around him. The first words she has spoken in hours. "Who… what did this to you?"
And to that, the captain answers with a curious expression. He begins to talk, and then he stops, and then he narrows his eyes as if trying to focus on something.
"I… I have no idea?" he answers, his words making it clear at how surprised he is with that.
But still, he continues by saying something with the utmost certainty.
"All that I know is that… all I can remember, even, is that I think I should have died. And I have no idea why, but I didn't."
He says that, and for all that you can tell that Twilight… no, that nopony is really satisfied with that answer, you can also tell that nopony really disagrees with Shining Armor in his other point.
That he is just grateful to be alive. Because in these scary times, this is really the best thing a pony can hope for.
"Just one thing…" Shining Armor says, looking towards you in particular. "Lady Velvet, I… please don't tell her?"
He says that as he lets go of Twilight, falling back towards the bed with an exhausted expression.
And everypony but Rarity looks at you with a tinge of curiosity. Even Twilight Sparkle, who you are sure have been looking at you with nothing but animosity, now seems to be slightly curious as well.
But of course, you know who the stallion is referring to. There is only one "her" who he would probably not like to tell about his condition. After all, given how wounded and weak he is, he would probably not want her to be worried about his condition on top of everything else.
Which makes sense. After all, Princess Cadance, with whom he has a secret relationship with, would probably be extremely affected if she learned he was like this, and would probably come flying to Ponyville regardless of what she was doing.
So of course Shining wouldn't want that to happen. The Princess is busy, she should definitely not be given any more things to worry about, and even more glaringly anything she did would most likely expose her secret relationship with Shining Armor.
Of course. Now that he is awake, and everything seems to be miraculously fine, all of those points seem glaringly obvious.
…
In hindsight.
"Oh… about that…" you say, with no small amount of guilt. And you watch as Shining's high-spirited expression finally sinks with dread.
Because you should probably have thought about all of that, before penning a letter, jamming it into Soft Sweep's hoofs, and telling her to fly straight to the Royal Castle and have that delivered to Princess Cadance even if she was thrown in jail after that.
"Lad… Lady Velvet…" Shining Armor says, his words now slow and heavy with mounting fear. "Please… please don't tell me that you…"
But he is interrupted.
He is interrupted by a heavy sensation. A literally heavy sensation, as the pressure of the very air grows, and the magic in the room becomes so thick that everypony can feel it. And it continues to grow, more and more, until it becomes glaringly obvious even to those without a horn. But still, those of you who are unicorns can also immediately sense that the magic is tied to Shining Armor.
No, not just "tied" to Shining Armor. It is also homing in on Shining Armor.
"Oh fuck…"
Those are the last words you hear Captain Shining Armor speak, before a flash of pink magic erupts from the middle of the room, followed by a blast of pressurized air-
-and you feel as if the entire world was alive. Alive, and able to love, and actively caring for the future of every living creature in it-
-and you feel as if you finally get it. You finally understand all the wrongs that happened in your life, and you finally find the inner strength to forgive your own father for everything he has done-
-and Love itself appears before you. Love itself walks the land, as real as day and night, in all its glory and warmth and power-
"WHERE IS MY SHINING ARMOR?!"
-and a panicked, desperate pink alicorn materializes from thin air.
It takes her several seconds to understand why everypony is bowing down, some of you even crying. It takes several more seconds for you to be able to see Princess Cadance again, rather than something so much greater, as she finally gets a grip on herself once again.
And by Celestia, it takes her hours to swear everypony in the room to secrecy.
You leave the room just as Twilight begins to angrily yell at the two of them. Something about keeping a secret and whatnot. You are not sure. But still, your exit doesn't happen before the Princess gives you a long and almost crushing hug to thank you.
…
You are sure you will have time to talk to her, if she doesn't decide to teleport the unicorn siblings back to Canterlot.
Dread Comet Feet has denied himself his own Sacrament.
"Since Issus they have striven so." You have learned, through OOC knowledge, the requirements for a personal Edge Sacrament. There is no reason for QM to not officially confirm this information.
Velvet Covers has made the very educated guess that Comet Feet was the one responsible for the attempt on Captain Shining Armor's life. Her actions moving forward will be based on that information.
Shining Armor himself, however, does not remember anything that happened to him. He only has the certainty he should have died, but didn't.
Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, the Alicorn of Love, has relocated to Ponyville. Temporarily, at least.
More to follow.
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