The Night It All Began
“Shining Armor,” Princess Celestia beckoned, the white stallion coming to her side.
“Yes, Princess Celestia?” he asked in a respectful tone, but he could tell the concern on her face…it scared him. Princess Celestia being worried was never a good sign. Her showing it was even more unnerving, given her legendary poker face.
“Listen very carefully. As soon as I leave for Ponyville, I want you and Princess Cadence to erect your strongest barrier around Canterlot, and do not lower it until you see the sunrise. No matter who tries to enter the city, even me, do not allow them through. Not even me.”
The tone of his ruler made it clear; this was an order, not a request. “Yes, Princess…Princess, if I may ask, why?” the Captain of the guard inquired.
“…All will be clear in time. I am afraid I cannot elaborate now…You will know everything upon my return…Keep Canterlot safe…you two are the only ones who can.”
Captain Shining Armor allowed this to replay in his head over and over again as he waited. Princess Cadence and his combined magic had enclosed Canterlot in a bubble of love and magic until the sun had finally peaked above the horizon at long last…but not before something he thought he’d never see had happened…
“CITIZENS OF CANTERLOT! LOWER THIS BARRIER THIS INSTANT OR FACE THE WRATH OF THE QUEEN OF THE NIGHT!” bellowed the voice from outside. Shining Armor recognized it as the Royal Canterlot Voice, something he’d only heard Celestia use on very rare occasions.
Shining ran to the castle window, Cadence close behind, but he held her back for a moment. Looking out, Shining Armor saw the shape of an Alicorn hovering just outside the barrier. A black Alicorn. Where did she…a thought entered his mind.
Looking up, his eyes fell on the moon. Memories of this morning, his little sister trying to get him to believe in something impossible, came rushing to his mind. “Cadence…look…” he whispered.
The Mare in the Moon was gone. No, not gone. Right in front of them.
“I shall not ask again! Speak or face my wrath!” the Alicorn bellowed once again.
Shining Armor motioned Cadence back and prepared to step out onto a balcony. “Shining, this is my home too,” Cadence argued.
“I know…But you‘re the only Alicorn in Canterlot right now…We can‘t risk whoever this is knowing you‘re here, not just yet…Cadence, I can‘t afford to let anything happen to you.”
Cadence sighed and hesitantly stayed behind as Shining Armor took the balcony.
“Who are you?!” Shining Armor called at the dark Alicorn, though he struggled against an instinctive fear. An old’s mare tale come to life now hovered in front of him, a being predicted to plunge the world into eternal night.
The Mare in the Moon scoffed. “Come now, does no pony recognize me? Of course, you never paid any attention to me when I was here, why should I expect you to after I was imprisoned for a millennium.”
Shining silently shuddered at the confirmation of his fears. “…Nightmare Moon…”
Nightmare Moon seemed impressed. “Well well, looks like I was wrong. Then you should know resistance is futile, my little pony, I WILL be taking the throne that is rightfully mine!”
Shining Armor snarled in rage. “The throne belongs to Princess Celestia! Not to you!” He heard a subdued snarl come from Cadence as she stayed hidden a few hooves away from him.
“Stubborn little pony, I have as much claim to the throne as my sister,” Nightmare Moon stated. “Yes, Princess Celestia is my darling sister…”
Shining couldn’t help thinking he saw hurt in the Alicorn’s eyes when she mentioned Celestia.
“So I am just as royal as her! And she is…indisposed at the moment.”
Shining snorted hot air out his nostrils. “What have you done with her?!”
“Oh, nothing much, simply done to her what she did to me,” the Mare in the Moon stated. “Now lower this barrier! This is my LAST warning!”
Shining stared right into the eyes of the Nightmare. He was afraid, what pony wouldn’t be? This was the boogiemare herself. The being ponies told their foals stories about to keep them inside at night. But he did not back down. Cadence and all of Canterlot depended on him. Cadence’s magic may have been helpful, but he couldn’t risk her trying to keep out a full grown Alicorn all by herself.
“No.”
Nightmare Moon gave a scream of rage, clouds forming in the heavens. “Then prepare for your punishment, little pony!”
Shining watched lightning crackle through the sky and rushed back to Cadence. “Shining, do…do you think we can really do this?” asked the young Alicorn, looking scared. Shining knew Cadence, she wasn’t easy to scare. Perhaps it was the fact even her aunt hadn’t been able to stop Nightmare Moon that frightened her.
“Yes, I do…We’ll do it together,” said the Captain of the Guard.
Cadence nodded slowly. The two of them crossed horns and concentrated as much magic into their shield as they possibly could.
Lightning surged down from the heavens, striking the barrier with enough force that the entire castle shook. Shining could feel the divine power of the blow. Even if the barrier held, he couldn’t help but be intimidated by the force of the attack.
“Well, color me impressed,” Nightmare Moon mused. “That should have been more than enough, quite a feat, little pony, but let’s see how you fair against this!”
White magic was collected in the horn of the Mare in the Moon before a destructive stream of focused moonlight was unleashed upon the barrier with a massive explosion.
The force of the blow sent Shining Armor and Cadence to their knees as they focused all the power they had into the barrier. Shining was sure they wouldn’t be able to hold out…But he saw Cadence become more determined, trying as hard as she possibly could.
He couldn’t let her, Celestia, or the city down. He concentrated harder, focusing as much power as he could into his horn.
Between the two of them, they managed to hold off the Nightmare.
Nightmare Moon snarled. “Now you are beginning to annoy me!” she growled, floating up in front of the moon. She then took a breath and settled herself. “I can‘t waste my energy and my time on such pointless endeavors, not yet…My little pony, do not think this is over, once I deal with a little problem that demands my attention, I will return to claim what is rightfully mine!”
Shining panted, watching the mad goddess fly off. His head felt like it was on fire from the sheer force of the blast that had just struck the shield. However his worry for himself faded in moments as he turned towards the Princess in similar shape next to him. “Cadence, you ok?” He asked, lowering his head to be eye level with her.
The Alicorn nodded. “Yeah…I think so…thank My Aunt she left, I don’t know if we’d have been able to take another attack like that…Shining…was that really the Mare in the Moon?”
“I think so…” Shining looked up at the now blank surface of the moon in a mix of dread and confusion. However, one thought soon dominated his mind. ‘Twiley…please be ok out there…’
Shining Armor shook his head of the memory. Had…had that really been Nightmare Moon? She was…real? It didn’t make sense. But he couldn’t deny what had been right in front of his eyes. The entire night, the Mare in the Moon had been absent…and the sun had risen several hours later than it should have. In 1000 years, there’d never been a record of Celestia being late. What other explanation could there be?
After that moment, he’d been unable to remove the thought of his little sister being out there somewhere while an insane lunar goddess was on the warpath. Yes, he worried for the Princess, but Princess Celestia was the personification of the sun. If Nightmare Moon’s words rang true, Celestia was the one who beat her before. Twilight was…his baby sister. No matter how powerful her magic was, she’d always be someone he felt he needed to protect…
“Sir!” called a trooper, dashing into the room and giving a salute and interrupting his thoughts. “Princess Celestia seems to be approaching, but there’s another object with her.”
Shining Armor stood at the castle gates. As a security precaution, the guard was standing ready, in case it was an impostor. He’d actually considered raising the barrier again until her identity could be confirmed.
He couldn’t believe the day had come he was actually afraid of Celestia returning home. Yes, she was the personification of the sun, the ruler of Equestria…but she had never been anything less than kind to the guard. The loyalty they had for her wasn’t solely patriotism, though a sizeable part of it was. The fact of it was; she cared about each and every one of them. The idea of fearing her return…it just felt wrong.
Finally the doors opened to a sight that shocked the Captain of the Guard even more than the sight of Nightmare Moon.
Standing next to their Majesty…was a much smaller dark blue Alicorn with a light blue mane. She looked almost like a child when compared to Celestia, even if she was still larger than the average pony. It wasn’t just her size, it was her expression. She looked…vulnerable, scared…guilty. The sight of a third Alicorn was shocking enough as it was, seeing her like this made it downright alien…
The guard troopers naturally went on guard at the sight of the new Alicorn. It was only a few moments later Shining realized why. The lunar symbols on her barding and her Cutie Mark…could this be Nightmare Moon? But…what happened to her?
“Stand down, my little ponies,” Celestia stated, putting a comforting wing over the back of smaller, somewhat startled Alicorn next to her. Shining swore the look in her eye, and the affectionate gesture seemed so…familiar.
“Shiny…I’m…I’m not dangerous, am I?” his little sister, Cutie Mark fresh on her flanks, said, looking up at him with tears in her eyes.
“No,” Shining replied affirmatively, putting a hoof on her back. “You’re NOT dangerous. I don’t care what those ponies say, you’re no more dangerous than I am. Do you think I’m dangerous?”
“N-No…Thanks, B.B.B.F.F…”
“What are big brothers for?”
The guard ponies still looked hesitant. “…Princess Celestia,” Shining finally got the nerve to ask. Shining saw the smaller Alicorn give a gasp of surprise when her eyes fell on him. “No offense…but you told us not to even allow you through the barrier…”
Celestia gave a small nod. “Indeed I did,” the monarch of the sun replied, trotting over to the surprised captain. She kneeled down next to him. “The day your sister was brought here to formally begin her schooling, you made me swear I would take care of her,” the Princess whispered quietly.
Shining felt a small blush at being reminded of this. “It’s her,” the captain announced to his fellow guard ponies. “Stand down!”
Finally the guards relaxed and bowed to their monarch, Shining Armor following suit.
“This is a momentous day,” Celestia announced, a certain joy in her voice Shining couldn’t remember having ever heard before. No…something that just seemed like it was missing…it was more like it was now back in the place it’d always belonged. “My sister, Princess Luna, the Princess of the Night has returned!”
Another bow quickly followed as the name and title of Princess Celestia’s guest was revealed. Shining dared to look up, seeing a look of pure joy and happiness in the eyes of the Princess of the Day as she returned to her sister’s side. He remembered when he saw Twilight on the Hearth’s Warming Eve break from school, after she’d spent months studying away from him.
“Twiley!” Shining Armor called at the sight of his baby sister coming out of the castle.
“Shiny!” the little filly called, rushing up and hugging her big brother tight. “I really missed you, B.B.B.F.F!”
Shining let a few tears run down his face as he returned her hug. “I missed you too…”
Shining Armor saw his feelings reflected and multiplied in the eyes of his Princess.
Celestia finally gave the motion for them to rise. “Please, give my sister and myself some time alone…it has been far too long since we have seen each other and we have a party in Ponyville to attend to later this evening.”
Shining Armor looked at the two. The way they looked at each other…
“I’m sorry I popped it, Shining…” said his baby sister, then a small, crying unicorn filly.
Shining wrapped a hoof around her. “It’s alright, Twiley. Don’t forget, I’m a unicorn too, accidents happen,” the elder brother said. He may have been upset at the sight of his deflated hoofball…but he was more upset seeing his baby sister cry.
“Captain Shining Armor.”
The Princess’ voice rose Shining Armor from his thoughts. “Y-Yes, Princess?” he asked, a little startled by his train of thought being broken.
“Please, come with us for a moment,” Princess Celestia stated, leading the way to the throne room. “We have something we wish to tell you.”
Shining Armor blinked, but followed her into the massive throne room. An orange glow surrounded the doors and closed them.
“Where is Princess Cadence?” Celestia inquired.
“She‘s asleep, your majesty, she‘s exhausted from last night,” Shining explained. While Cadence had a good deal of endurance (Alicorns were all THREE tribes, including Earth Ponies), she’d simply never been used to staying awake all night or using THAT much magic at once. Shining had spent several nights on patrol and as a defensive specialist was trained to deal with prolonged uses of his shield spells, he may have been tired, but he could take it.
“We apologize for the inconvenience.”
Shining looked at Princess Luna in surprise. “Um…pardon, Princess Luna, but…why are you apologizing?”
“Allow me to explain, sister,” Celestia stated. She then looked to Shining Armor. “Captain Shining Armor, my sister was Nightmare Moon.”
Shining gave a gasp as his brain finally divided by zero. It’d been obvious since Celestia had announced her as her sister…but taking the fierce, terrifying goddess he’d faced and trying to match her to the scared, guilty little Alicorn before him…it seemed impossible.
“Thanks to six brave little ponies, my sister has been purified of the insanity that consumed her a thousand years ago,” Celestia explained simply. “And my gratitude to those six knows no bounds.”
Shining blinked as he tried to process this information…then it finally set in. “You mean the…Elements of Harmony?”
Celestia nodded. “I would assume your sister told you of this yesterday, correct?”
Shining nodded slowly. “Yes…and told me to send a small squad to back her up in trying to stop…”
“You need not hesitate on our account, good Captain…We hath accepted the heinous nature of our actions and now only wish we may make amends.”
Celestia took a moment to nuzzle her little sister and comfort her before looking up to Shining Armor. “Yes, she sent me a letter to inform me of her discoveries.”
Shining looked a bit conflicted.
“Please speak, Shining Armor. I do not mind if you speak your mind to me,” Princess Celestia stated in that calming, motherly tone for which she was so well-known.
“…With all due respect, Princess…if you knew Nightmare Moon was returning, why did you hide it?”
Celestia looked saddened. “…Because ponies would not know how to handle the impending return of a being they believed was an old mare’s tale. I did not want to worry them, and I had no reason to assume Nightmare Moon would go on a rampage across the country. I‘ve learned in my long life that there are proper responses for different kinds of disasters, and sometimes warning of the wrong kind too early can cause as much if not more damage that the disaster itself…As for Twilight, I told her to make friends because that was the only way she could have done what needed to be done.”
“Twilight?! Did something happen to her?!” Shining let burst out in a moment of panic. The fear that he had let build all night finally rushing to the surface. He quickly recovered his wits and bowed quickly. “My apologizes, your majesty, I’m sorry.”
“It’s quite alright, Shining Armor,” Celestia replied, that comforting smile on her face. She and Luna trotted over to the Captain of the guard. “Shining Armor, the only thing that’s happened to Twilight is she’s made friends.”
Shining felt his heart skip a beat. “She…made friends?” he repeated in disbelief. His reclusive, study obsessed sister who’s idea of fun was making book forts and check lists…had made friends. Somehow, the Mare in the Moon’s return seemed more believable.
Celestia nodded. “Five true, wonderful friends who went to the ends of the Earth for her.”
Five friends. Twilight had five friends. Friends the Bringer of Harmony herself referred to as true and wonderful. Twilight had finally made friends. Shining couldn’t help but smile.
Then it clicked. Twilight had five friends…His eyes widened as he put two and two together.
Celestia smiled. “Shining Armor, your sister and her friends are the bearers of the Elements of Harmony. They saved the world.”
Shining, for his part, didn’t faint, but found himself needing Celestia to support him. “My…my sister…saved the world?”
Luna nodded, giving a smile. “Indeed, Captain Shining Armor, your younger sister tis the one who hath defeated us, and purified us of the madness which hath clouded our thoughts for the last thousand years…She tis one of the bravest ponies we hath ever known.”
Shining finally recovered enough to stand unaided. Twilight had saved everyone. She’d saved the world…With her friends.
“Shining Armor…you have my permission to stop being Captain of my guard right now, and simply be Twilight’s older brother,” Celestia said to him.
Shining complied, allowing tears of joy to run down his face. His feelings were conflicted, confusing. On one hoof…Twilight had grown up…she wasn’t the little filly who needed her big brother to keep her safe anymore…but on the other, he knew his little sister had done something amazing, something great. And she’d become a hero.
Shining Armor turned and trotted over to the window, looking out at Ponyville in the distance, where his sister was right now…and only one thing came to mind as he saw the dawn light covering the little town.
“Twiley…I’m so proud of you…”
