Loving The Dark Side

Pacing. Once you become a guard, the notion almost seems foreign to you. Standing still in one place for an indefinite amount of time becomes an instinct for a guard on and off duty. Moving back and forth, turning forward and back, feet never standing still, all of this was an unused exercise for any good guardsman.

However, for Shining Armor, that was the only thing he could do. Well, think about doing, in any event.

He glanced at the golden doors to the throne room once again in the last two minutes. Still under lock and key, his fellow guardsman unwavering statues outfitted in armor. Normally he’d be there along with them with the same stony expression and unmoving loyalty to his duty, but not today. Today was anything but normal.

“C’mon, c’mon.” Shining stopped, looking towards the doors again. Nothing. “Damnit,” he sighed under his breath, running a hand through his blue-striped hair. Damnit again, he forgot to get a haircut. His ass was already in the fire and his insubordination with hair length would only make it worse. He’d just have to hope—

The doors to the throne room opened with a flourish that only something made entirely out of gold could do. Meaning Shining had to wait for nearly half a minute for them to open up all the way. When they did, a voice as soft as a dove’s wing but as frightening to him as a sword pointed at his throat said, “Shining Armor, you may enter.”

He’d just have to hope Princess Celestia was in the merciful type of mood for today.

Shining Armor walked into the throne room with crisp and rigid footsteps, more similar to a robot than a man. And for the time being, that was all Shining wanted to be seen as. Emotionless, expressionless, fully loyal and determined to follow any order at a given drop: the perfect guard.

He stopped before the foot of the stairs leading up to Celestia’s throne, and immediately took to one knee, saying, “Shining Armor reporting for duty your majesty.”

“At ease,” he heard above him.

Stepping back to a standing position, Shining’s eyes were quick to scan the room about him. Marble columns stood at either side of Shining, stretching up to the seemingly impossibly tall ceiling above, where every act of great Equestria myth and legend could be seen in beautiful artistic fashion painted with the skill of only master artisans. Just looking at it makes one want to whistle and stare in awe. Unfortunately for Shining, all he wanted to do now was gulp and look away with dread. Well, not at the art, but who the art was made for.

Princess Celestia could be summed up by many words. Strong, powerful, motherly, stunning, magnificent, goddess, leader, and so on. But one word in particular stuck in Shining’s mind: intimidating.

Whether it was the pure white robes that adorned her womanly yet striking features, the ceremonial golden crown and jewelry that wrapped around her neck like an old friend or sat atop her head in the image of wealth and power, or even the steely look in her eyes that could break backs with just a glance that made her intimidating, Shining didn’t know. Most likely it was the mysterious circumstances. It wasn’t every day that the Princess called you down specifically for a special meeting. A special meeting that most likely held Shining’s job in the balance.

It was any wonder he had the willpower to stop his knees from shaking at this point.

“Now, Shining, do you have any idea why I called you down here?” Celestia asked. Her face appeared as if it had been carved from marble from the gods themselves, her lips so luscious and rich that Shining was willing to bet they were softer than the lightest feather. And by the gods, her hair. It was like a constantly overflowing waterfall of different hues and colors, all coordinated to give an appearance of immaculate beauty unlike any other. And boy, did it ever work.

However, Shining was already well aware of Celestia’s appearance, so he managed to snap himself out and cough into his hand to clear his throat. “No, Princess Celestia, I do not.”

“Really? You’re not even going to guess it had something to do with the events last month?”

Last month. Perhaps the worst day of Shining’s life. He was still getting nightmares of that event. “It seemed like a possibility, your highness.”

“It was the day my sister, Luna, finally arrived back to Equestria under the guise of Nightmare Moon. You remember, don’t you?” Celestia asked, her eyes glinting with her smirk. “You and your fellow guards had been tasked with guarding me, after all.”

Shining gritted his teeth, but nodded nonetheless. Forget about his ass in the fire, he was already roasted and black around the edges.

“Indeed, your highness. My entire troop had been teleported to the Everfree Forest to fend for ourselves. It… was not a pleasant night.”

“For the most part, that feeling is mutual. But it was the actions of your sister and her friends that saved us. Luna as well.” Celestia raised her palm out to Shining. “And from reports of the troop, you really stepped up to plate to lead your men to safety. Even when everything had fallen into chaos, you were there as a shining beacon of hope in the dark. A true hero to the uniform, from what I recall.”

Shining’s willpower dissipated and now he freely blinked. “Uh… pardon, your majesty?”

“Oh, no need to act so shocked. What, did you think I’d seriously call you to my throne room to fire you?” Celestia chuckled, her laughter sounding like chimes in a pleasant breeze. “I have military personnel for that.”

Shining gulped.

“Oh, but nothing to fear. You’re not being fired. In fact…” Celestia pursed her lips, grinning a playful smile. “I think a promotion is in order.”

Shining sucked in his cheeks and stood completely still… well, more so than he was before. It was as if someone had thrown back the brake to the universe and everything was thrown into a strange sense of limbo where not a soul moved. Time was stopped and the planets along with it, all that is and shall be frozen in space.

“Uh… Shining Armor, your face is turning blue.” Celestia snapped her fingers several times. “Shining Armor!”

Breathing in some much needed air, Shining saluted with back as straight as a pole. “I thank you immensely for this promotion, Princess Celestia! I will not let you down!”

“I surely hope you won’t, Captain Shining Armor. Because I have a job for you.”

Shining couldn’t believe his ears. Captain? As in, Captain of the Royal Guards? That meant he’d be right underneath Celestia in authority over the guards. He’d be her personal guard. Best of all, he’d get a really spiffy new armor and a shiny medal!

Wiping away some drool from the side of his mouth, Shining said, “Whatever it is, your highness, I will do the best I can to carry out your orders to the best of my abilities!”

“Excellent, excellent. I knew choosing you would be the wise choice.” Celestia pressed her fingertips together and leaned forward in her throne, inspecting Shining like he himself would inspect a new sword: testing out how the weight felt in his hand, how sharp the blade was, the balance in its swing, and whether it could decapitate an enemy, if the need should ever arise. “You see, there’s still a certain… test you must go through before you’re trusted with the full range of responsibilities of your new rank.”

“Test, your majesty?”

Celestia nodded. “Well, you are the youngest captain that’s ever been in Royal Guards. I feel that a test would assure the rest of the force that you are up to snuff. Qualified for the job, so to speak.”

Shining flashed her a confident grin. “Whatever it is, your highness, I can handle it.”

“Well, do note that the test is completely optional. See it as more of a task that I need completing. I just need someone with the best credentials to do the job. If you think you’re not qualified, you still keep your new promotion. This is just, well, let’s say…” Celestia tapped a dainty finger to her chin, humming under her breath, “this is just better assurance to the force and me that you have what it takes to be Captain.”

Shining could feel a tremor run up his spine. Not one of dread, but of excitement. If a test was all it would take to cement his future as Captain of the Royal Guards, then he’d take it. Whether it was swimming in the latrines in his underwear or climbing the peak of the Crystal Mountains—also in his underwear—there’d be nothing holding him back from this promotion. Absolutely nothing.

Celestia’s eyes softened as her gaze shifted from Shining to the distance right beside him. “As you already know, Princess Luna is back. The nightmare that had once manipulated and guided her heinous actions committed in the past is gone. Or, at least most of it. Traces still live on inside her. Chances are those traces shall never be rid of. The Elements can only do so much, but at a fundamental level, some of Luna’s personality and the nightmare’s influence mixed. It’d be impossible to separate the two. Which is why my sister and I are currently bonding more, along with me introducing her to the current norms of this era and interests. Once she’s been guided into this society long enough, she’ll be fit to rule once again. In the mean time, however, she needs a guard. Someone she could trust. Who I trust.”

Shining blinked. Princess… Luna. The very same princess who threatened to send all of Equestria into endless night… again. The princess who not only sent him and his men out in the middle of the forest to fend for themselves, but also put his own sister in danger. That princess.

“So, Captain Shining Armor, are you up to the job?”

Well, there went his military career.