A Crow in Shining Armor

Nervous. That was a good word for how he felt. Nervous as all hell. His skin crawled, causing his body to shiver in angst. His blue eyes jerked back and forth quickly, scanning the crowd that had gathered down in the street. Hundreds, maybe even thousands of ponies, all sparkling and glistening in the early morning sun.  His wife would probably say that it looked like a sea of diamonds, its waves moving slowly across the imperfect surface that occasionally broke due to some pony’s idea of a fashionable hat resting on top of their head.

All he saw was a massive ocean of judgemental eyes, ready to pin him down as the culprit. A vast sea of flesh about to hold him down, make him atone for his sins. For what he’d done to their princess.

In truth, he was more than just nervous. He was afraid, and it made him somewhat queasy that he could even allow himself to feel fear over such a joyous occasion. He was supposed to feel happy, not want to hide behind the nearest curtain like a guilty little colt. His body was supposed to vibrate from the warmth within his heart, not from the fear coursing through his veins.

They would all blame him the moment he stepped outside, he knew they would. Countless pairs of eyes would pin him down, strip him of his dignity and value and leave him in the dirt. They would judge his actions as well as his body, especially the latter. If not for his body and its needs, they wouldn’t even be here, and the crowd new that as well as him.

They would hate him for tainting their beloved princess. He sighed deeply and turned away from the window he was looking out through. His body pulsated together with his racing heart, and he was sure it came out so loud he could hear it clanking loudly against the crystal floor beneath him.

It took him a few seconds to come to the realization that the sound was actually not his heartbeat, but the sounds of hooves somewhere nearby, coming closer by the second. He directed his eyes towards the only door, one that lay on the other side of the room, aligned perfectly with the door leading to the balcony on the other side.

He’d never forget how he’d been standing on that balcony, watching the massive wall of blackness coming closer, hoping that Twilight would reach the Crystal Heart in time. His wife resting in his arms as she became weaker and weaker before him.

A feminine face appeared within the doorway, one covered in sleek, bright cerise fur, framed by a perfectly cut mane of violet, with streaks of gold woven into it. A few streaks of a brighter purple could be found within it, and it always reminded him of the colour of the roses in the royal courtyard.

His wife, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, slowly stepped inside the room.

Her dark purple eyes seemed to scan the room for a fraction of a second, before falling upon her husband, still standing over by the window, and she instantly smiled at him. Despite the growing anxiety within him, Shining Armor couldn’t help but answer her smile with one of his own.

She walked up to him in silence, pressing her face to his as she came closer. Shining closed his eyes for a few seconds, feeling just a little bit of his initial worries take a step back and give way for that tingling within his chest that he always felt when he touched his wife. Like butterflies fluttering in the stomach of a child that had just fallen in love for the first time.

If he could just remain like that for a little bit longer, he thought his body would let itself relax, but unfortunately, his wife withdrew her face from his all too soon.

“I don’t think I’ve been this nervous in my entire life.” He said slowly.

“You do look a little bit more white than usual.” Cadence said jokingly back to him. “Don’t worry, I’m sure everything will be fine.”

Shining Armor blinked his eyes slowly, keeping them closed a little longer than he would normally. He couldn’t help but feel guilty as he saw Cadence, even though he loved her more than anything in the world. If he’d just been a bit more careful, the future would have been different. If he hadn’t lost himself like he did, she could have been spared the pain she went through just a month earlier.

Her screams still echoed loud within his mind, and every time he tried to sleep he saw the blood on the floor around them it was the first time he witnessed the birth of a foal, and after what he’d seen, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to take part in another. And he hated himself for it.

The fact that he still had nightmares about the night that his daughter was born. He loved her just as much as Cadence and already longed for her to become just a little older. He always wished to hold the little filly one more time, and couldn’t see his life without her. Still he hated the moment she came into his life, and for this, he hated himself.

Maybe in time, he would be able to stop thinking about it; about the pain he caused Cadence.

He was pulled out of his ponderings by the sensation of something pressing against his lips. Because of his absent and worried mind, he didn’t have time to answer the kiss before it was over and cadence once again spoke up.

“Take a deep breath, Shining.” She said to him. “We’ll have to head down in just a few minutes.”

He sighed, a sad smile playing over his lips. “I’m ready, I just… have to try and calm myself a bit.”

“You’ll be fine, I promise.” Cadence replied with a smile. “So, let’s get going then.”

Shining Armor nodded and followed by his wife’s side as they exited the room, out into one of the many staircases spread out across the castle. At times he found himself wondering who was the genius that decided that a tower would be a good shape for a castle. He’d like to give him a medal in the shape of a slap in the face.

“Is Twilight already here?” He asked as they emerged into another hallway, one that led into the grand entrance. Just one more pair of doors, and he’d be out in the open, squared in by thousands of eyes.

“She’s waiting outside with her friends.” The princess of love answered, adding a quiet laugh. “It wasn’t easy to get that Pinkie Pie to stop bouncing around on the walls outside, but she promised to wait until Skyla is brought out.”

Shining Armor joined in her laugh. “That sure sounds like Pinkie.”

The grand entrance was packed with ponies, most of them part of the court and royal guard, as well as a few close friends. They all chattered away at each other, some with worried voices and others with a chirpy, happy tone. Everypony went quiet and turned their heads towards them as Shining cleared his throat in order to make themselves known.

It didn’t take many seconds for the crowd to react and move towards them. As they came closer, Shining could see a pair of violet wings reaching up from the crowd, moving back and forth as if its owner was trying to navigate its way through the ponies. He already had a hunch of who it could be.

Just a moment later a violet mare stumbled out of the crowd, almost tripping over as her wings got caught between a few of the ponies. A purple aura of magic yanked it loose, and she then directed her attention towards Shining with a massive smile on her face. He didn’t even have time to greet his little sister before she threw herself over him, locking him in a loving embrace.

“Twily!” He said happily, hugging his sister close. “I thought you were supposed to wait for me outside?”

“I couldn’t let you face this alone.” Twilight answered. One of her wings accidentally brushed over Shining’s face, almost making him sneeze. “Oh, sorry, these things still live a life of their own.”

“You should see Cadence in the morning.” Shining said with a chuckle. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to her wings standing up and stealing away the covers from me.”

“Honey, don’t you think that’s a bit too private to talk about...?” Cadence added, giving him a long look.

He turned to look at her with a small smile. “Right, sorry.” He gave his wife a quick kiss before he turned back to Twilight. “Massive wing-boner.” He whispered to her, still smiling.

“Shining!” Cadence said, raising her voice slightly. Her husband looked back at her, the smile on his lips growing by the second. She stared him down, but a few seconds later his smile turned into laughter. Unable to stay mad at him, Cadence sighed and rolled her eyes before letting out a shy little giggle.

Now that he’d finally been able to laugh, Shining was able to relax enough to actually do something to help out during the event that was about to start any minute. He wasn’t really sure how he did it all himself, but in a matter of minutes he’d ordered the guards into formation, asking them to stand by within the entrance. After all, he didn’t see any reason at all to keep them around, nopony was ever going to try and harm them on such a good day.

He’d gone over the routine with most of the staff of the court before he went over to the small crib in which his daughter rested. He picked her up in his arms and held her close, slowly cradling her while she giggled happily at him. She tried to get hold of his mane as he cradled her, and he felt his heart melt, just as it always did. He felt Cadence walk up next to him, and he carefully placed Skyla back into the crib, giving her a small peck on the snout as he did.

“She’s so beautiful.” Cadence said, leaning slightly against Shining Armor’s side.

“Got that from her mother.” He answered with a smile. “Do you want to carry her?”

Cadence nodded. The crib  lit up in a faint glow of pinkish light as Shining Armor’s magic picked it up, levitated it through the air and placed it down with great care on the back of his wife. They both turned around just in time to see the court gathering around the big doors leading outside. Shining swallowed down a lump in his throat.

“Let’s go, honey.” Cadence said to him, and they set off across the room towards the door.

As they walked, Twilight once again emerged from the crowds and joined up right next to Shining, not saying a word. He suspected her smile was so big it kept her from opening her mouth. The trio stopped right in front of the doors, awaiting the sound of trumpets that signalled their arrival to the ponies outside.

Shining’s heart beat faster by the second, and he wished he could go outside and meet the crowd right away and get this over with. He wished that Twilight could stand by him, but he knew that once the event had begun, she had to return to her place by her friends in the crowd. At least he would have Cadence next to him.

He felt something tug at his chest, and looked down to see what it was. He instantly recognised the colour of his sister magic, at the moment occupied with adjusting the small white emblem with a shield on that was strapped to his royal jacket. Shining looked at Twilight, giving her a sideways look. Her smile still refused to go away.

Suddenly, the air around them felt like it exploded as the loud noise of trumpets filled their ears. Their cue to exit the doors.

Shining Armor shook his head slightly to erase any thoughts that weren’t needed, letting out a loud sigh as he did. He did his best to relax every muscle within his body, and tried to look at Cadence for reassurance. Her brilliant eyes and smiling lips was all he needed.

He pushed the doors open and stepped out into the bright morning sun.