Dear Rarity,

I just don't know what to say. I mean, what can I say to you? I always had a feeling that you may have developed a crush on me but not to this extent. My words fail to describe how I fell about this. But before I go into all of that, it would only be fair that I answer your question first.

What I think of you... You're cute, endearing, very smart for a pony your age, witty, you have a good sense of direction. You know what you want in life and you would do anything to make that happen. Your confession touched my heart as I read the words that you bravely placed on the letter. You have a very good heart and you are more than good for a stallion. You're, to steal a word that you used to describe me, amazing. You deserve the best of what life has to offer...

...But I cannot give that to you.

It's isn't that I don't like you, but rather it's that I'm not the one that you should be looking to. You and I walk different paths in life and mine takes me to a world of danger. And with everything that happened previously, I can't bring myself to have you come anywhere close to that lifestyle.

Your mom was hurt real bad because of me. You lost your sibling because of me. And you were placed in danger because you were in the very place that I resided. And more importantly, you would've been killed if I hadn't come any sooner. So being that I will be in places that you can't follow, I cannot let you pursue me in that manner.

Another thing. I am entirely too old for you. You're what, ten going on to eleven? I couldn't even think about entering into a relationship with somepony six years younger than me. And also, I would be punished if I told you that I would say yes. If you were older, then I would consider it.

And that brings up my final point. If you were around my age, I still wouldn't be able to get into a relationship with you. The reason being that I have managed to enter into a relationship with another mare. I have a marefriend who makes me happy already, and it wouldn't be fair if I started dating the both of you at the same time.

There are not enough ways I can say I'm sorry to you. But I do hope that you would one day understand. It's not you at all. You deserve somepony better than me. And the best place I can tell you to look is who's the closest around you. So let's just stay friends. I would really like that instead.

Sincerely,

~Shining Armor

The next day...

My dear Shining Armor,

It hurts me that you would turn me down. At this very moment the tears I cry stain this letter as I write it.

You mean absolutely everything to me. You say that I can't live the life you do. If that's the case, then I will work hard and train myself so that I can take on any foe. I want to be by your side. I want to fight by your side. And I want to be there to pick you up when you fall down.

My mother was not hurt because of you. My mother was hurt because of a stallion who wanted to do evil things to my family. And if you didn't show up when you did, I would've lost all hope and faith in you. But you came anyways, and more importantly, you saved my life. My sibling was a terrible loss, but either way it would be even more devastating if we had lost anypony else that night. So don't act like your life doesn't have value. You matter to me.

True, I would turn eleven sometime in July. But that is no excuse on why you cannot love me. I am more mature than most other fillies my age (as my mother would say). So please take that into account. Age is only a measurement of time, a number if you will. Our age difference is large, yes, but I am more than willing to get in trouble with you than to live without you.

And your marefriend, is she cute? Well of course she wouldn't be as cute as I am. But if she makes you happy, then I guess that's fine. But please keep in mind that she won't be around for far too long. Most other mares, from what I was told, would only go out with you for attention. But I wouldn't dare do something like that to you.

You are my one and only knight that can come rescue me whenever I am in need. Please take the time to reconsider.

With all of my love,

~Rarity Andalusia Belle

Three days later...

My dear prince,

It has been ages since I last heard from you. Please write back.

My mailbox is always open to you.

The next day...

My true love,

I grow worried that you haven't responded to my letter in almost a week's time. Usually you would send something within three days. But now I'm not even getting a drop of ink from you.

Please write back. I love you.

The next day...

Shining please...

Are you alright? You haven't said anything to me. I really am scared. You don't take this long to answer me. Are you hurt? Are you safe? Where are you now? Answer me. I love you so much.

The next day...

Shining...

I haven't stopped crying. You haven't said a word. I fear the worst has happened. If you are still among us, please...
...just talk to me. A word. A letter. I don't care if you come to my doorstep and surprise me, just tell me that you love me.

Please...

One Week Later...

A week has passed since Shining Armor last wrote to Rarity. Her letters now littered his garbage can as he opens yet another. It would seem that the letter was one written out of desperation. He knows that she is still concerned for his safety concerning the events of three weeks past, but the situation had started to get out of hoof. Not only did she practically ignore his rejection, but she also argued his points with her own ill-funded personal opinions. He tried being as nice as he could with the matter but as it turned out it would seem that nothing seemed to work.

He actively read her letters as they came in, but he chose not to give a response. He wanted to see if she would gather an idea of what his stance on the issue was. It was obvious that he wasn't going to change his stance, especially with his marefriend on his mind. So he discarded the letters as they piled into his trashcan over the past week. He hoped that if he didn't say anything, she would catch the hint of him not changing his stance, but as of the moment it would seem as if she was more worried that he had died. And that left him to a stalemate.

If he didn't answer her tear-stained letter asking him to speak to her and tell her that he loves her, then she would do something reckless like saving up her bits and taking a train to Canterlot in an attempt to meet with him. It had grown to that stage at this point. But if he would answer her letter, then he would have to break her heart. And nothing made him feel any worse than to see that of a young filly's heart breaking in two or more pieces.

He paced back and forth as he looked at the letter on his desk. With each pass, an idea came to his head, followed by the reasons it would work, the reason that it would not work, the costs in order to carry out that plan and the repercussions. With each turn he imagined the tear-battered face of the filly that he already hurt. He did more damage to her than he already performed with the signing of his rejection letter. He had an affair with her mother, got into an altercation with her father, gotten her mom pregnant, failed to protect her during her short pregnancy which caused her to miscarry the foal and practically damaged her parents marriage if he hadn't destroyed it already.

Coming to a stop and staring at the quill in the ink well on his desk, he gained an idea on how he would write his letter. It was going to be blunt and harsh, but his prior warning and her persistence required him to stand firm on his decision. He didn't like it, he didn't have to like it, but he had little alternatives in his arsenal. And with a flick of his horn he opened the drawer that held the rolls of parchment, pulled out the paper, laid it across the desktop, dipped his quill into the ink and started reciting what he would write in the letter to the young filly.

Dear Rarity Andalusia Belle,

It has come to my attention that you have actively ignored my previous letter, asking for your friendship. And instead of taking my suggestion, you inserted your own and decided that it would be best to ignore the laws of the land and insist upon making this non-existent relationship possible. I understand you are a beautiful little filly and you have a wonderful character, but allow me to give you my rebuttal.

NO.

I will not engage in a relationship with you and neither will I seek to change my relationship status with my current marefriend. How dare you tell me that our relationship will not last for very long. You are a child and you have no exclusive right to say that my relationship won't stand with you, demanding that I seek one with you over her. If you don't like the fact that I'm with another mare, then that's fine. But you are under no circumstances to tell me that I should give up all hope of my relationship taking flight. I am very happy with her and she is very pleased with me. We harbor no secrets from each other. We hug each other. we kiss each other, and we tell each other that we love one another

I understand that we shared a few moments together but I had no intentions to brush up. That means that I don't have an interest in you. I haven't in the past and chances are that I may not in the future. So wave this little crush you have on me goodbye because it can never happen between us.

I'm so sorry to make you cry. But if being your friend means that I have to love on you tough, then that's what's going to happen. You are like a little sister to me, and I don't want to ruin that. Just know that I'll always be waiting for your next letter. Now let's just start over, okay?

Your dear friend,

~Shining Armor Aegnus Sparkle

Shining finished the letter, folded it up into a rectangular shape and sealed it with hot wax. As he replaced the quill next to the well of ink, his attention turned to the blue and white military uniform on his bed. The uniform was a formality for anything that involved celebrations, coronations, weddings and gala's. It even bore his rank and his cutie mark engraved on the front. If there was anything that made him more proud was the fact that his mother allowed him to take Cadance to the dance.

For the past week, he had been trying to get used to the name Cadance rather than calling her the name he knew her as over the past six months. His relationship with her thrived as soon as his mother, with a bit of convincing over the course of the spring break activities that the three engaged in, approved of her being with him. Though to Twilight's surprise, she just found out that the two were dating just earlier that day. And of course, she gave him some advice.

"If you hurt Cadance big brother, then I'm gonna have to hurt you!"

Shining snickered at how protective his little sister became over her foalsitter. Her antics never ceased to bring a smile to his face. Well, most of her antics. Last week was a different story. She had plans and traps laid all over the house made to ensnare him as he continued his daily pattern. And being that last week was the estrus season, it proved without saying what she made those traps for. And if there was one thing she could do while she struggled to get her magic to work, was to set up a trap.

Either way, his mind was focused on the big event that was planned for tomorrow evening, thanks largely to the spring break hitting school a week early. Tomorrow was the night of the Spring Fling. And during the day, he would finally be able to see his friends for the first time since they tried to make their escape from the rampaging stampede of sex-driven high school mares. His mind filled with exuberance as he thought about the day ahead.

"Tomorrow is gonna be awesome. I can't wait to see what Cadance will be dressed in. She's such a tease."

Morning has broken over the city of Canterlot. The birds cheer gleefully as they fly across the cloudless sky. The sun shone brightly across the land as the guards assume their daily tasks.

"Sir?"

"Mnnnhmmmm..."

"Sir?"

"MMMmmm..."

" *sigh*... Princess Celestia says you're being replaced."

"mmmMMMMWHAT!?"

"Good morning sir." Phalanx spoke to the disoriented prince as he rose from his bed, fearing that Celestia had actually found a pony to replace his position as the Prince of Magic.

"Like hell I-you said that to wake me up didn't you?" Blueblood asked to his guard.

"Your morning services are ready sir... as well as your hygienic accommodations." Phalanx says as he opens the door to reveal a maid, a cyan unicorn mare with a white mane.

"Send her in." The mare obeys the prince's orders as Blueblood continues his statement. "Also, are the plans ready for tonight?"

"Your chariot is set for departure at eight thirty this evening, your highness. Your dinner shall be served at your leisure and your schedule has been cleared to accommodate for the plans you have for tonight. Your selected elite shall accompany you to the soiree." The mare speaks as she walks over to the prince.

"And the royal red carpet?" He asks as he sits up in his bed.

"Lied beneath you as you arrive, as well as the rose petals that shall accent your arrival. The horns will be at the ready to signal the royal crier to announce your presence." She states as she turns around to raise her tail at Blueblood.

"Cadenza's status?" He asks as he places a hoof on the mare's firm cheeks of her plot.

"She will be arriving with Private Sparkle at approximately six fifty-nine. Oooh... Forgive me for interrupting sir, but shouldn't I be servicing you? ♥~" She questions as she feels the tongue of her prince circle around the puckered ring of her rear entrance.

"Mmmmm *smack* I feel rather merciful today. You will be receiving a mighty gift for your obedience." Blueblood teased as the only thing that held the link between the mares pristine plothole and his lips was the small bridge of his oral lubricant. "I feel just about ready to take the day, Phalanx... Just allow me to finish up here and I shall continue with my morning ritual."

"As you wish, sir prince." Phalanx saluted as he performed an about face and left the room. Blueblood watched his departure as he looked at the swinging plot of the stallion that served him.

"So sad to see him go, but I love to watch him leave. Now I do believe you are ready to take on today's challange?" He asked the mare he would soon mount as she back herself into him.

"I will take care of it, your highness."

The school bells chimed loudly across the campus as the students took to their lockers, gathering their books for their first class. As the other students passed by them, the three stallions who were unfortunate to spend their week trapped on the campus of the school, looked down the hall to see their missing party member galloping down the hall. They all wore a smile as the distance between them grew closer.

"Well, if it isn't Mr. Luck." Azure shouted out across the halls to a rapidly approaching Shining Armor.

"Hey boys, how was your week?" Shining joked at the three stallions expense.

"You knew that it was gonna be hell. But aside from the constant blood sacrifices, the hourly Marazonian death matches, the tribal bonfire set in the school cafeteria, being chained crucifix style to a wall and having your millions of kids sucked out of your urethra before having your pelvis crushed into a creamy-white paste by mares covered in tribunal face paint made from a combination of dirt, mascara, spit and semen... It was pretty damn awesome." Longshot said in a single breath.

"Not sure if best week in life, or worst week in life." Poindexter droned as he looked to his brain to find an answer.

"What they said. That's pretty much what happened in a nutshell." Azure admitted as he stretched his hoof around his neck, still trying to pop his joint into place.

"Ouch. Well try avoiding your own mother and baby sister." Shining stated, causing the other three to gasp in horror.

"You mean... that little Twi-"

"Set traps all over the house, just so she can lock me in her room. I got lucky on the first day; mom came and saved my ass when Twily had me trapped." Shining finished as he interrupted Poindexter.

"Eww... I can't even imagine my mom having to save me from getting raped by my own little sister." Azure jokes.

"You don't have a little sister." Longshot grumbled.

"Anyways, estrus aside, life is good. So did Amora catch up to you, Shiny?" Azure asked as he dismissed the snide remark of Longshot.

"Yeah... And she got me."

"Fucking hay, bro! Congrats on the big kill." Azure exclaims loudly, gaining some unwanted attention. "So I can assume that you two will be meeting up tonight at the big dance?"

"I'm actually escorting her."

The three teens gasp as Shining states that he would be escorting his girlfriend to the dance. "Bad idea, you know how your mums is."

"Tsssso? My mom approved it." Shining said as he shrugged his shoulders.

The three stood in place and stared at the smiling Shining Armor. Poindexter was the first to respond. "Welp, that's it. The world is ending. Everypony pray to Faust for forgiveness."

"It's not that bad. It took a lot of convincing though."

"...Yup cue cut-away cause this shit is not making any sense to me." Longshot said in disbelief as he facehoofed.

"Oh guys, c'mon. You gotta believe me. My mom did agree to let me date Amora." Shining argued.

"Okay. Then explain how the hell did you convince your overprotective mother to let her dear-beloved, first-born, hormonally-driven, teenage son to start dating." Azure inquired while trotting over and putting a hoof around Shining's neck. Shining didn't want to give out all the details of convincing his mother because they were too disgusting to reveal to his friends. It was bad enough that he ended up giving in on the first day, but the other days she and Cadance pretty much tied him to a chair and helped themselves (and each other) to him. No doubt he would have to make up a reasonable story up front.

"...Well..."

Later that day...

"He..."

Rarity stared at the letter that came in the mail. Much of her enthusiasm of receiving the letter died into the pace that matched a snail. Her eyes watered and her tears started to stream down the side of her face. She was left speechless as she read the words that littered the beige parchment. Her heart panged as the letter fell, gently floating to the ground below. Her breathing broke into trembling phrases and her hooves went limp, watching the world that she envisioned with her knight turned into dust. The dreams that she had about him suddenly became as bad as the nightmares that would normally occur before. She held her chest and buckled over in pain.

"He doesn't..."

The pain she felt was not a physical one, but rather it was an internal one. It was too much for her to accept that the one stallion she truly felt was the one who would love her, rejected her a second time and scorned her for her words. The realization of him not wanting to be with her caused her to stay silent as she held her aching chest with her hooves. There was only one thing that she wanted to do; cry.

"...love me?"

She laid across the rug in her room as she stared distantly at the letter that fell to the floor just earlier.

"I gave you my heart... and this... this is how you show me affection? This is what you call tough love, huh?"

She rose to her hooves, staring at the letter on the ground. She stood motionless, the light in her eyes faded into nothing. Her body trembled as she stared at the paper that littered her floor. The ink strokes that made up the words started to infuriate her more than her class bullies. Her hind legs tapped impatiently at the sight of the letter.

"Heh... Heh heh."

Something within her body finally snapped. She started giggling, looking at the ceiling. And lastly, she fell into laughter. Her chortles echoed across the room as she walked slowly to the drawer that had all of his letters he sent to her. Rarity opened the drawer, revealing the overcrowded mess that filled her nightstand. Soon after, her laughing came to a halt.

"You know... I remember you saying in one of these letters that a hero never hurts the maiden..."

She stared blankly at the paper-filled drawer and wore a neutral expression on her face.

"...so that means that you were never my hero to begin with."

The Sparkle family home brimmed with life that night. The lights illuminated the entire house as Velvet and Twilight celebrated the first dance that Shining Armor attended for his high school life. Velvet hummed and danced as she stood in the living room, talking to the inattentive daughter about how the dance that night reminded her of her days in high school. While Velvet danced and rambled on, Twilight danced and cheered as she constantly knocked on her brother's door upstairs.

"Big brother, are you ready yet? Cadance will be here any minute!"

"I know that! Now please stop banging on my door!"

Shining Armor was frantically gathering his thoughts as he tried to make sure that the outfit was free of any obscurities and errors. He stayed in front of his mirror as he paid close attention to every hair in his mane. He wanted his look to be as close to perfection as he could get it to become. He also took various stances and poses as he looked at the reflection of himself. He also took the time to rehearse some lines for his date.

"Hey beautiful, mind if I take you amongst the stars?"

"You murderer. You've killed me with your alluring eyes."

"You know, I bet that the sun itself must be jealous because you shine even brighter than the daylight itself."

"I wonder if you were sent from the heavens above, because you look like a divine blessing."

"So it's true, you do have the ability to make stallions fall flat on their face from seeing you at a first glance."

"Call a medic! I need fifty helpings of You, stat!"

...Needless to say that every last one of them were extremely corny. Some even cringe-inducing.

"SHINING, CADANCE IS HERE!!!" His mother calls out to him as he jumped over to the door and made a quick exit from out of his room.

He dashes by his little sister leaving her to chase after him in an attempt to keep up. As soon as the teen stallion turned the corner that lead to the stairs, he saw the very thing that plagued him since the first day he met the prepossessing pink alacorn; her smile. She wore a pink and purple dress that sparkled brightly, accented by touches of blue that cascaded into a scheme of purple embroidering with white moons and stars. She wore very little make-up that consisted of the light rose eye shadow, blush and mascara. Her mane and tail were undone from the simplistic pony-tail that she always donned and instead wore long flowing curls of purple, pink and blonde. He took the first step to the stairs, missing his balance entirely. Soon after he was sent tumbling down the stairs, stooping as he hit the wall at the end. He immediately jumped to his hooves as he stood at a slumped position, captivated by her charm.

"Ohmygoodness! Shining, are you okay?"

"Hurrburrburr..." Shining answered dazed by the appealing mare before him, wobbling in place.

"He's perfectly fine." Velvet deadpanned.

"Real smooth there." Twilight facehoofed at her brother antics. Was he really this inept?

"Darrrghg faffffnnn-"

"And that's what brought me to you in the first place." Cadance stated to the teen stallion that blubbered on with his jumbled phrasing producing incoherent thought. "So are you ready to go?"

"Ayuk." Shining hiccuped while the mare took his hoof and guided him out the front door.

Twilight Velvet and Twilight Violet both stood in the doorway as they waved to their love-smitten family member. They smiled brightly as they said their good-bye's.

"See you later tonight, don't be out too long!" Velvet screamed.

"You take good care of my big brother Cadance! And make sure that he takes good care of you!" Twilight shouted to the departing couple.

Cadance and Shining Armor stepped inside of the carriage that waited for them in the street. Finally getting situated, the two waived back before the driver pulled off of the street and into the night-shaded distance. Velvet chuckled to herself as she made fun of her son.

"You're so clumsy. I guess your father's smoothness didn't exactly translate into your line."

One hour later...

"Oh my!"

"Well I'll say!"

"She looks amazing."

"I could do better."

Multiple stallions and mares comment on the pink alacorn mare's appearance as the other ponies in attendance partied on the dance floor. The Spring Fling was known to be the dance of the school year aside from the junior and senior prom. The school courtyard was filled with an array of decorations. Balloons and ribbons decorated the trees of the campus. The main walkway that led into the school became the main walking aisle as towels and tables decorated the lawn. Noise-makers and laughter filled the air along with the sounds of the music blasting from the main entrance of the school.

Shining Armor, Poindexter, Longshot and Azure Sword lined up at the concessions table and gathered as many snacks as they could before the other ponies took their rest period. They lined their plates with fruits, assorted cheeses, crackers and macaroni salad as they conversed with each other.

"Wow! They went all out this year!" Shining cheered as he magically placed a cracker into his mouth.

"We didn't get to go last year. Freshmeat aren't allowed remember?" Poindexter states while still placing some of the fruits on his plate.

"Yeah, because they wanted to see who would actually stay enrolled after the first year... or who managed to not get expelled for various reasons." Longshot answered as he shot a look to the stallion that stuffed his face full of cheese. Azure swallowed his food before he spoke.

"Oh come on! I flunked one class. ONE, and you all still hold it against me."

"Dude, the one class you failed was gym. GYM CLASS!" Shining reiterated.

"Oh get off my ass. I had mares to scre-" Azure shouted to the three other teens before being frequented by another. "Hey Amora!"

The pink alacorn rushes over to her coltfriend and grabs him by his hoof. "Hey there. Um, Shining, you wanna go someplace else?"

Shining looks at the pink mare with a raised eyebrow. "But the party's just getting started."

"That's my point. Now lets go someplace else, like now." Amora stresses as she pulls his hoof in an attempt to get him to leave.

"Amora, what's gotten into you? You've been wanting to come to this dance all week and now you're just gonna leave ea-"

Before Shining Armor could finish his statement, the sudden sound of a large brass fanfare filled the courtyard of the school. Many of the dancing ponies stopped what they were doing and looked to the direction of the main entrance to the school. The fanfare continued it's bombastic chord-progressions while a pony clad in golden armor approaches the end of the red carpet, carefully rolled out before him by two other guards. Amora sank herself against her own guard as the golden-clad pony unfurled a white scroll.

"Hear ye! Hear ye! By official decree and in honor of the royal family, I hereby announce the presence of one who's mercy proves great and his generosity knowing no bounds. He is the Prince of Magic. Bow before the beautiful hooves of the prince himself. All hail Prince Blueblood."

Everypony in attendance gasped in shock as the prince's name was announced. The guards that marched up to each side of the rose petal adorned red carpet stopped facing each other and crossed their spears above the walkway. And at the end of the runway was two mares dressed in elegant dresses dashing forth to place the roses in the walking path of the prince that stood proudly behind them. Many of the teenage ponies bowed on spot as they commented to one another.

"I didn't know that a prince was going to swing by!"

"Oh shit! It's actually the prince!"

"Why would a royal come to this kind of party?"

Blueblood walked forward, bringing each hoof high into the air with each step. "Fillies and gentlecolts! Do not mind that I have made my presence known to you. I am not coming for the party... for I am the party. Your prince wishes to celebrate among you! Now let's dance!"

Cheers and praises filled the courtyard in honor of the prince. Meanwhile, Amora was practically trying to hide herself behind the frame of her escort. Blueblood continues his dialog.

"However, I wish not to bore you with my appearance. So instead, I shall grace you with a performance. A performance like no other, and free of charge. All I ask for is a volunteer. And his name shall be... um... Phalanx!" The gold-armored stallion trots over to the prince's side and whispers into his ear. "...ah yes. PRIVATE SHINING ARMOR AEGNUS SPARKLE! Please step forward."

The crowd gasps as they all shoot their eyes around the lawn in search of the stallion that the prince summoned for his demonstration. Meanwhile, Amora clenched to his side as she pleaded with him.

"Please... don't leave me here alone."

"What's the matter?" Shining asked, concern weighing heavily in his tone as he watched the mare hold him close.

"You can't leave me. You promised." She petitioned while nuzzling him.

"...Okay, then you can go with me-"

"No! You can't go up there at all! Please, just run away with me!"

"What are you saying?" Shining Armor and the others looked at her with intrigue as she made the suggestion.

"I wanna live with you. I wanna stay with you. I don't want you to be a guard anymore. You served enough time. I want you by my side at all times. I can't let you go without seeing... I don't wanna be here! Take me away! Please!"

Shining questioned the mare's cryptic statements and tried to make sense of it. "Just tell me what wr-"

"Sir, the prince summons you. It would be wise to ignore him."

Control. Suppress. Don't let them know who you are. Or else... Amora thought to herself as she watched the stallion she loved leave her side, like the others before him.

Amora, Shining and the three others looked at the well-adorned guard that appeared before them. Amora tightened her grip even further. Two more guards walked up to the heavily anchored teen while his friends stood aside, realizing that they were in the midst of their superiors. Phalanx pulled against Shining and ordered him to start walking to the prince. Seeing that there wasn't much of a choice, he obeyed and marched slowly to the chuckling Prince Blueblood.

"Well... Is this what passes for the Royal Guard nowadays? I fear for our security." Blueblood snarks, earning himself a few laughs from the other guards in attendance. "And is that... CADANCE!? Well I never thought that she would find the desire to attend any soiree that I sought interest in."

The other students mumbled and whispered, questioning who he was talking about. Azure, Poindexter and Longshot looked around in confusion until they saw that Amora backed herself into a table. When they turned to her, they saw an unusual facial expression coming from her. It was not one of fear or frustration, but one of total despair. Her eyes shrank to the size of pins. Her hooves wrapped against each other. Her ears folded down as she watched the prince gesture to her.

"Oh come now Cadance, there's no need to hide. Let these fine ponies see your astonishing outfit."

Azure darted his head back and forth from the prince and the pink winged unicorn. His jaw fell slightly as he finally realized that he was trying to address the mare that he knew under a different name. "A...mora?"

"Guess the cat's out of the bag, huh?" The mare spoke with a soft and saddened tone. Her eyes closed as she didn't want to see the faces of the ponies that she lied to; her friends. "Cadance is my real name."

"Then why didn't you tell us befo-"

"Ma'am, the prince requests your presence as well. He says that a beautiful mare such as yourself needs not to see the show he's going to provide from a distance." Phalanx interrupted as he extended his hoof to the exposed pink mare.

Amora, now discovered to be Cadance, trotted slowly to the opened space that the prince stood proudly. She gained many mutters and comments from her fellow classmates as she continued her own march to the center of the spacing.

"So her name is actually Cadance?"

"We've been lied to this entire time."

"Hell, I bet her coltfriend didn't even know. Tragic."

Little did the audience know that Shining was well aware of her name being Cadance. But what they didn't know was why did that particular pairing was set on display before the prince. They would soon find out as Phalanx and the other guards circled around the clear space that the prince created for his act to take place. Azure and the others approach from behind, finding themselves barricaded behind the wall of armor and spears.

"There we are. I wouldn't have you be sitting in the back and not have a chance to see the little... demonstration that I have to offer."

"What is it do you want?" Cadance asked, trying not to show fear and standing up for herself.

Blueblood snickered as he glanced at the newly-sworn guard. "It is simple. I wish to provide a show. And Sir Shining Armor is going to help me in it. Of course it won't be nothing too extravagant. But I do see this as being a chance to see the true nature of this stallion. So I would humbly ask for him to ready himself."

"Ready myself, for what sir?" Shining inquired before Blueblood turned to him, anchoring his hooves into the dirt.

"A duel. One-on-one, no interruptions, no holds barred. Savvy?"

Cadance gasps in horror of what he's planning to do. "No! He's not-"

"No no no! I believe that he's perfect for this demonstration. I want to see what the noble Sparkle family has to offer with their powerful, arcane knowledge. And what better example than that of the first-born son of our dear Captain of the Guard? Can't think of any at this point. He's the pride and joy that his family of magical experts and physical fighters." He argued loudly, trying to make certain that everypony could hear him. His attention turned back to the stallion that stood in front of him. "So why not let him argue for his title?"

"Shining Armor, I order you not to accept his challenge!" Cadance demanded.

"And who are you to make that order? I ordered him to duel me. You can't deny me this access... unless you were to have a title." He sounded, eyeing a frustrated Cadance.

Control. Suppress. Don't let them know who you are. Or else... Cadance backed away. She knew what was to come if she admitted her title in front of all of the students and guards in attendance.

Shining saw the discomfort that she had when she spoke to him and assumed that his presence was making her uncomfortable. "Okay, I accept. But let's make a bet."

Blueblood scoffed at the idea of the stallion making a wager, but he also wanted to entertain the idea. "...Go on."

"If I win, then you'll leave."

"Okay. But if I win... She comes with me and you surrender an object within your possession. Do we have an accord?"

"Fine! Now... DRAW!" Shining didn't waste any time in thinking it over. He sent a powerful burst of energy flying across the cobblestones to the yawning prince. Suddenly, there was a golden shield that emitted a bright light that filled the whole courtyard with the brightness of a flare.

"Manners, where are they? Surely you were supposed to warn me when the duel started." Blueblood snided as he cast his own spell. His horn's aura changed from it's bright yellow shine to that of a dark purple glow. His words echoed into the night sky.

"Gate of the Eternal Void, reveal thy passage!"

A strong wind blew, sweeping the clothes and manes of all the ponies in the courtyard. Shining looked at the rapidly clouding sky as it swirled above the two duelists.

"Seek ye offering of abundant flesh!"

The whirling clouds produced what appeared to be that of a funnel. The powerful winds continued to increase their speed as it wraps around the descending cone.

"Baptize mine enemies in waters of affliction and despair."

Shining Armor launches another beam of energy at the chanting Blueblood, trying to interrupt his incantation. As the beam drew closer to it's intended target, it started to shrink in size and power. Shining then came up with the only other alternative he could think of; taking this fight to a physical level. He charged for the prince, leveling his horn for the piercing blow. The funnel above disperses to reveal an enormous purple blade with runes of an ancient language inscribed down the length of the blade. A thunderclap sounded to signal it's completion.

"FURY OF DARKNESS, COME!!!"

Shining galloped as fast as he could in order to take on the prince in a physical brawl. But suddenly, a circle with the same language as the blade above appeared below the approaching Shining Armor, locking his hooves into the ground. His body froze in place as the blade came falling down with it's tip pointed directly at the young guard.

"BE THOU DAMNED!!! FINALITATIS AETERNAM!!!

The large blade lunged for it's intended target, slicing the wind and driving into the disabled form of Shining Armor below. A bright purple flash inverted the colors of the world around it, creating a negative light that warped in on itself and condensing it's immense mass into the stallion below.

Shining let loose a blood curling scream as the pain of the impact caused his nerves endings to overwork themselves, sending endless signals to his brain. His body convulsed to the initial strike of the attack, causing him to collapse to the ground. As he laid motionless on the ground, his body sizzled and smoked as the effects of the disablement left him. Shining opened one of his eyes as he tried to regain his stance. But the pain all over his body proved too great of an obstacle to overcome. His hooves buckled under the weight of his own body. There was no resisting it; his fighting spirit was far from quenched, but his body was too weak to carry on.

Shining was defeated.

Control. Suppress. Don't let them know who you are. Or else...

"My, my. Well that was anticlimactic. A simple finishing spell and you fall to the ground like a stone." Blueblood said as he teleported next to the wounded stallion. "Tell me, does the fact that you lost to none other than me singes your very hide?"

"AAAAARRRGH!" Shining responds as a hoof presses itself against his charred coat, causing more pain.

"As I thought... But it's no fun in beating a dead-horse. So feel free to stand up at your leisure." Blueblood removed his hoof, much to Shining's pleasure. But instead of leaving the stallion alone, he thrusted his horn into the neck of the downed guard. The audience, already in shock from the brutal display of earlier, gasped and screamed as the horn of the bitter prince punctures the neck of their fellow classmate. Blood trickled down off of the horn as Blueblood whispered his next spell.

"Vulnerum emendandum"

Shining's eyes shoot open as an unfamiliar feeling filters throughout his body. It wasn't painful, but rather pleasant. The energy within his body surged and his muscles regained their strength. It was perplexing that the prince that sought to do so much damage would perform a healing spell. But even then, Shining knew that there was a catch. As Blueblood removed his horn from inside of Shining's neck, the incision that it left behind soon healed.

"...But why not finish me off?" Shining Armor questioned the prince who healed him.

Blueblood simply chucked as he signaled to Phalanx to surrender his weapon. "Well, it's because I won't have the pleasure of seeing you writhe in your agony. I didn't heal you to let you go... I did it so you can be fully aware of the prize that I will take from you, unless that spell erased all memory of our little wager."

"Blueblood stop this!" Cadance screamed as the two guards hold her back, leaving her to only witness what was to come. Control. Suppress. Don't let them know who you are. Or else...

"And since you lost, I'll be taking Cadance with me as well as another little trophy; your life."

Shining, with his renewed strength, launched his body at the cruel prince. But as soon as he closed the distance between them, Blueblood's body turned into a ghostly figure that cause the young guard to run right through him. And before Shining turned around, he found a new pain entering his body. As he looked down, he saw that the spear that Phalanx gave to the chortling prince embeded deep into his left hind leg, running completely through.

"SHINING ARMOR!" Cadance screamed as Shining Armor fell to the ground in pain. Blueblood materialized from his mirage spell and turned around to confront the blood-stained stallion.

"Tell me. Do you know of her true position in this society? If you don't then allow me to fill you in."

"STOP IT BLUEBLOOD!" The pink mare screamed to her cousin. Blueblood stopped short of the stallion, pulling out the spear with his magic. Shining winced as the prince held the bloodied spear over his face.

"There wasn't just you she had an interest in. Princess over there had four others. She loved them all before they all met their ends. They all served their duties and whatnot and died on the field shortly after confessing their love for each other. All of them except for the last one, who was executed for trespassing on place grounds. Points to you though. There was one thing that you were the first to do out of all of them, it was to take what was rightfully mine and piss me off."

"STOP THIS! PLEASE!" Cadance screamed to the angry prince. He nodded his head to notify the guards that it was time to make the young guard pay.

"Hold him down." Two of the guards held him down as Shining cringed in pain. Azure, who watched from behind the barricade, pushed one of the guards, only to have another come from behind and strike him behind the head with his spear shaft. As Azure fell to the ground unconscious, Blueblood held the spear in his hooves while he transferred his magic to the task of pulling back the stallion's mane, raising his head up. "AND FOR TAKING WHAT WAS ALLOCATED TO ROYALTY WITHOUT CONSENT, I, PRINCE BLUEBLOOD, HEARBY SENTENCE YOU TO DEATH! LAST WORDS?"

Reveal... Or else... Cadance's body shifted forward, but any further movement was retained thanks in part of the stallions who held her in place.

Shining groaned softly as the visions of Cadance filled his mind. "Cadance isn't... She wouldn't lie to me... Not like this."

Blueblood drew a smile across his face as he devised a way to make his death as insignificant as possible. "Oh... But she did lie to you. She was going to use you for an escape attempt. She's a princess on the run, avoiding her duties and all in the hopes of finding a stallion to rut her into the dirt. Ask her about anything... Her name was a lie, her status as a student is an absolute lie, she's not even your own age. She's lied to you about everything."

Reveal. Cadance thought to herself as he projected to the blue-maned stallion. "Shining... That's not true! I really do love you-"

"Oh quit it, Cadenza! Go weep on the graves of the stallions that you've sullied yourself with. I'm pretty sure that the dust from their bones must be wanting to hear your wasteful cries just like they have been for the past seventy-plus years."

Cadance ignored his insult and spoke once more to her beloved coltfriend. "Shining Armor, I love you like no other. Please believe me."

Blueblood held the spear against the throat, focusing out on the point where he wanted to plant the blade. "And the ashes shall return to the earth from whence it came. The world shall fully receive what was given unto it!" His blade drew back as he readied the weapon for the plunge. "Recubo illic quod intereo!"

Shining's closes his eyes. There was nothing that could save him. This was a royal execution and only a royal had the power to halt it's course. Visions of his family and all of his friends. The visions of the young filly whom he had to reject faded into the darkness as he awaited his end. There was nothing left. Regrets or not... "This is it..."

REVEAL! THIS IS THE STALLION YOU LOVE! ONLY YOU CAN SAVE HIM! LET IT GO! REVEAL YOURSELF! SAVE HIM FROM THIS FATE! Cadance pushed the guards out of her way with a swift flap of her wings. She stood forward and screamed to the top of her lungs. "UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF PRINCESS MI AMORE CADENZA, I ORDER YOU TO STOP!!!"

Blueblood halted his advancement. The distance between the spear and Shining's neck was still large enough to see that there was nothing to be afraid of. But in his mind, Blueblood pranced up and down in his victory. That was what he wanted. She almost admitted her status to everyone here, but now she would have to explain it to him in front of all of the students. With a grin, the prince retreated his weapon. "As you wish... highness."

Cadance ran to the stallion. She ran past her chuckling cousin and into the lap of the wounded teen she cared for and adored. His eyes opened to see that she was the one to call the halt. The other guards released him from their grip as Cadance openly wept in his hooves. "Shining Armor, my precious stallion, are yo-"

"So it was a lie."

Cadance's head jerked up, noticing that he didn't sound too thrilled about the current circumstances. "...No. I mean yes. I..." She knew that Blueblood had her in a corner at this point. She couldn't deny what she had hid from him any longer. She wanted to come clean. With a deep breath, she finally did the one thing that terrified her the most; tell him the truth. "...My name is Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. I am the princess of the northern snow. My spiritual embodiment is love itself. I left the palace because-"

"You... lied to me... for so long..." He interrupted before she could get a chance to explain. She attempted to defend her reason for lying to him for so long.

"I had no other choice. I wanted to protect you. I didn't want to-"

"You gave me love, you held me in my times of need, you watch over my family but you couldn't even tell me your real name?" He asked her, the heartbreak evident in his voice.

"Shining Armor, I did it to protect you!"

Shining stood up from the spot he was held to, his leg still searing with the pain of being ran through. He held his leg as he pulled himself up to eliminate the need of relying on the mare that tried to reason with him. "Then explain it to me Amora, Cadance, Mi Amore, WHATEVER THE FUCK YOUR GODDAMN NAME IS!"

"Shining... just listen-"

"How long has this... between you and Blueblood been going on? No lies, no bushes, just truth."

"Shining, I really do want you to know that I do love yo-"

"JUST... tell me. How long?"

"...Eighty-seven years."

He drugged the bloodied hoof down on his face, forgetting that there was the blood still trickling from his hind leg. He sighed as he tried to grasp the idea of her being around everything he held dear, and she was in the midst of this extremely dangerous rivalry that could easily get anyone involved killed. "So... not only did you endanger my family, but also my friends, the students that attend, the ponies that you interact with. My little sister is around you all the time and it would only be a matter of time that something should happen to her! You're too dangerous."

Cadance gasped at the motion of him calling her dangerous. "I'M HERE TO PROTECT YOU... don't you see that?"

"I can see that your protection managed to get a fucking spear lodged in my damn leg. You lied to me about everything about you, and you expect me to 'love you as you are'? I can't love somepony I can't even trust! I'm sick of being thrown into every deadly situation because of a hidden truth of a blatant lie. I didn't come here to get my ass kicked by a prince who wanted to have a princess to him-fucking-self. I didn't come to receive an impromptu execution. I didn't come here to find out that my marefriend is over a hundred years old. I came her to have some fun, live a normal life. I don't mind marching out on a field to fight for my life but when I have to do it on my own front porch, then guess what!? I'M NOT GONNA BE FUCKING HAPPY ABOUT IT! I HATE YOU! I DON'T EVER WANT TO SEE YOUR FACE NEAR MY HOME OR MY FAMILY! I DON'T EVER WANT TO EVEN BREATHE THE SAME AIR AS YOU DO, PRINCESS

MI

AMORE

CADENZA!"

The sound of her name echoed throughout not just the school, but also throughout the city. The entire city of Canterlot and it's foundations heard his scream of her name. Blueblood smiled at the development before him grew to a climax that he didn't even foresee in his plans. His screaming of his cousin's name in anguish became the sustenance of his mood at the moment. But his cousin didn't share his exuberance.

"...Shining... Please..." Cadance pleaded as her voice broke. Her breaths shook and trembled as her body failed to gauge the loss her heart felt. She offers to hug him, but his hoof stays raised at her. He doesn't look at her as he gains the courage to look into her eyes one last time.

"You've. Done. Enough."

Shining Armor, without as much as a goodbye, starts to limp for the front gate. The numerous guards disband the barricade and allow him to pass through. Many of the other ponies stared as they moved out of his way. His hind leg dragged as he put forth his best effort to make it to the front entrance.

"Halt..." A voice cried out to the limping, defeated guard. Shining remained facing forward as one of Blueblood's guards approach him from behind.

"..." Shining remained speechless.

"...We'll set up a pegasi chariot for your departure. Just tell them where you wish to go and they will be there swiftly." Phalanx said as the wounded teen muttered back to him.

"I don't need your pity."

"It's our service, as a guard." Phalanx stated.

"...I'm turning in my spear and armor come dawn." Answered Shining Armor before marching forward again. But as he stepped forward, a large chariot with two pegasi raced in front of him, preventing his advance. Shining tried to turn away, but the wound in his leg didn't permit him to do so in a comfortable fashion. Finally realizing that he had a long way's to go to his home and that his wound would bleed him out long before he reached his doorstep, he slowly ascended the chariot. His body finally slumped over as he cringed in discomfort.

"Where to?" The front wingspony asked him in a sympathetic tone.

"Sparkle's Residence... nine twenty-five... Verdant Praise Boulevard..."

"We'll be careful sir. Just hang on." The wingspony said as the two stallions flapped their wings and took off from the courtyard.

Down below, an openly weeping Cadance covers her face as she screams the name of the stallion she sought to protect, or rather the stallion she failed to protect. Blueblood started to trot to the main entrance as he addressed to his guards that they were dismissed for the night. Phalanx walked back to his prince as awaited his further orders.

"Attend to the princess. She is in need of comfort before she takes her leave from this filthy commoner establishment." Blueblood commanded before turning his attention to the depressed, heartbroken mare below his hooves. "You are fortunate this round. Had he stayed to comfort you, he might have seen his demise. Be thankful that I chose to spare his life..."

As he left the campus, he smiled as he looked to the moon. He laughed to himself as he walked. His plan had worked and now the stallion who took what was his, had now felt that he was lied to for Cadance's benefit. His smile grew wide as he sighed in joy.

"I plot to execute him, but instead ruined the lives of him and my dear cousin. But as an upside, I did manage to spare him from a gruesome fate... Such is the will of a generous pony."

"SHINING ARMOR! STOP RIGHT NOW AND TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU!?"

Velvet tried to stop her son from entering his room. She tried everything that she could while avoiding anything that would cause him some stress on his hind leg. She blocked his path and stood in the doorway, only for him to teleport behind her using the last of his magical strength. His legs finally gave out as he magically shut and locking the door, before his horn gave out.
l
He laid on the floor, assessing everything that happened that night. It all started off so well and then it turned into a complete nightmare. He went from hugging Cadance, to leaving the habitual liar of a princess on the grounds of the school. He went from having fun with his friends, to nearly being executed at the hooves of Prince Blueblood for delving into matters that were far older than him, his parents and even his grandparents.

He remained on the cold hardwood floor. For some odd reason, it seemed like the best place to be. The floor couldn't lie to him about it's age, it couldn't tell him that it loved him and became the object of his misfortune, it couldn't endanger his life as long as he stayed on the ground. It wouldn't use something as dumb as social rankings to sway the odds in it's favor. It didn't cast spells against him, healed him and try to execute him. It didn't have affairs with others. It couldn't get pregnant and miscarriage like ponies could. It didn't send any unwanted gifts to his doorstep...

...Maybe that one gift that turned out to be unpleasant was something that the floor gave to him.

Shining Armor looked at the sealed envelop on his floor. It lied just in front of him. It appeared to have fallen from the desk above. Maybe his mother might have placed it there but he didn't care. Deep inside he knew what it was and what it entitled. Not seeking to deepen his depression, he left the letter unopened. His eyes grew heavy as he rested on the cool surface of the floor. His mind floated back to the days before all of these events had occured.

He missed the days when his mother would scold him over making friends who were mares. He missed the days where he, Azure, Poindexter and Longshot hung out on the front lawn after school. He missed the days where he would anxiously awaited his father to return home from his duties. He even missed when his little sister threw stuff at him and called him names. His life was so simple before all of the past events had occurred. As his eyes shut, he grasped all of those fond memories in his hooves and crushed them against his body, not wanting to separate himself from the simpler lifestyle he lived.

He passed out with the unopened letter firmly placed under his hoof...

Dear Shining Armor,

It is evident from this letter that I will no longer be writing you. I don't want to see you again you inconsiderate, cruel, disrespectful, sorry excuse of a stallion. I wanted to open my heart to you and you respond to me by tearing it out of my chest and crushing it underneath your hoof. I don't care about your response because my dad had told me to stop writing you a long time ago. Even my mother had told me that to keep writing you was a bad idea.

I wanted to prove them wrong, that you were something special. But I was sorely mistaken.

I never want to hear word from you again. Forget my address and discard every letter that I've sent to you. I know I've already done the same to yours.

Goodbye forever.

~Rarity Andalusia Belle

ACT 1: ~end

Author's Note

HIATUS TIEM!!!

Glad you enjoyed the story thus far. But remember that this is just the halfway point. ~~why.jpg~~ But onto something that you've been seeing as of late.

Shining Armor Aegnus Sparkle.
Aegnus is an Irish Anglicized form of Gaelic Aonghas, meaning "excellent valor." So when they say his middle name, keep in mind that it does pertain to his personality as a guard. Also, since were on the topic of names...

Rarity Andalusia Belle.
Andalusia is a region in Spain south of the Iberian peninsula, commonly known for a breed of horses called the Pure-Spanish Horse or commonly known as the Andalusian horse. Their distinguishable figures consists of them being strongly built, compact, elegant with a thick mane and tail (which explains why her mane and tail can hold curls very well).

Also, Twilight (mother) Sparkle and Twilight (daughter) Sparkle are unique due to their similar names, hence my usual mix-ups in writing the chapters. I ranted on about the names Velvet and Violet because sometimes I would write Violet rather than Velvet. And that would mean that I wrote in that the daughter was the one to have sex with Shining instead of the mother. And also, the name Twilight has been a staple in their house name (from the maiden side of course) so the name would often be passed down from generation to generation, often with a middle name being their call to identify themselves from one another (because if you walk into a room full of mares under this name and call out Twilight, they'll all look at you asking which one). So to identify them seperately:
Twilight Velvet is the outgoing, charismatic, hotheaded, flirty, bold, and hard-headed mare that mothered
Twilight Violet; the adorkable, neurotic, independent, sometimes anti-social book worm that we all come to know and love.
Notice the colors of the name and look at this picture. See the streaks in their manes/tails?

One last thing. I pretty sure that you took in some of the weird words written in italics. That is what I would like to call Equin (Or a very shitty translation of Latin). Most times you would usually see a unicorn scholar or a high-level caster use these words. And with her being in a prominent position in the magic community, she would know the in's and out's of unicorn anatomy, magic in general as well as every spell listed outside of the Starswirl the Bearded Wing.

But headcanons aside, this is just half of the story. It's time to grow up.

And as for Blueblood... well he'll get his soon enough.