Spike couldn’t believe what he was seeing in front of him. He hadn’t expected to see Shining Armor at all. If anything, Spike was expecting Rainbow Dash. He got chills at the thought of Rainbow Dash coming back to Ponyville, but he shook it off. “She’s not coming back, Spike.” Spike thought again, trying not to remember the incident.

“Shining! How the hell did you find time to come to Ponyville?” Spike asked his adoptive brother, walking over towards Shining to hug him. Shining looked a lot different now that he was a prince. He married Princess Cadence about 4 years ago and the last time Spike had saw him was during the return of the Crystal Empire, only 3 years ago. His dual tinted blue hair was still the same, hanging slightly over his eyes. He was still pale as ever, unlike his sister who was much darker. Spike still wondered how that happened. Shining was in a dark navy suit with a matching tie. It was weird to see him dressed as such. Spike was used to Shining being dressed in military attire and with a stern look on his face.

“Well I’m actually here on Royal Duty, Spikester,” Shining said while embracing his little brother tightly. Spike always thought that his brother’s hugs were the best.

“Royal Duty huh,” Spike nodded slowly, looking back at a slightly annoyed Twilight with a small chuckle, “what kind of Royal duties?”

“That,” Twilight said while standing up, “is business that is not for your ears, Spike.” She made a shooing motion with her hands, clearly indicating that he was being invited to leave.

“And it’s for your ears, Twilight?” Spike snapped back at her quickly, “I may be your assistant, but I’m also your brother.” His eyes narrowed at his sister, his teeth clenching hard.

“Hey now Twily… Spike has just as much right to know as you do,” Shining Armor looked at his two siblings, his eyes furrowed a bit. Ever since childhood, Shining Armor always tended to be the peace maker in the family. He got along with everyone usually, making it easy for him to become a point of middle ground.

“He’s a 17 year old kid, Shining,” Twilight said, pointing at Spike, “he’s not ready to hear about these kinds of affairs!” Twilight’s eyes showed not only irritation but also a pleading look to Shining Armor.

“I’m not a kid, Twilight!” Spike growled, his pupils turning into slits and his fangs starting to grow. His Dragon Blood was boiling, revealing himself to be a dangerous Dragon Blooded monster. His features would appear when Spike would feel extreme emotions that were similar to a Dragon’s demeanor. “Do I have to remind you who saved the Crystal Empire from King Sombra? I have just as much place as you do, Twilight!”

“You and I both know that was only because I wasn’t able to do it myself. I’m the one who entrusted you with the Crystal Heart, Spike!” Twilight snapped back at him, her eyes seeming to have some fire to them.

“Exactly Twilight! You trusted me to save the Crystal Empire and I did so!” Spike retorted, his deep purple scales beginning to emerge around his face and his arms, his fingers elongating into sharp claws.

“You aren’t even a holder of one of the Elements of Harmony, Spike!” Twilight shouted at him, taking a step forward towards her brother, her hands now in tight fists, trying to suppress her magic. Objects around Twilight began to levitate, surrounded in Twilight’s magenta colored magic aura. Her hair too was beginning to rise behind her with her anger, her eyes flickering from a deep purple to a bright white.

“I’m as good as one!” Spike shouted over Twilight, smoke coming out of his nostrils, his teeth growing in size rapidly.

“Oi Spike!” Shining put his hand on Spike’s shoulders, instantly bringing Spike back to his senses. Shining had learned how to help Spike control his anger and greed, something Spike needed a lot when they were still in the same house.

“Fine, tell him what’s going on.” Twilight said, crossing her arms as she sat back down, not looking at either of them. Spike gazed at Twilight for a moment to try and find the reason for her not wanting him to know the affairs of the country.

“It’s about the Changelings, Spike.” Shining said, looking at Spike in the eyes, his brow creasing to make him look angry and resentful. Spike nodded and realized why this information couldn’t be put into a letter.

Four years ago is when the Changelings had invaded the very wedding that Shining Armor was to marry Princess Cadence. The Changeling Bloods were a race of dark people with the ability to morph their outer appearance to anyone that they have seen, feeding off the love of others. The Changelings native land was the land of Draconia, living next to the Dragon Bloods. The leader of the Changelings, Queen Chrysalis had attempted to take over the entire land of Equestria without the help of any other race, not even the Dragon Bloods. Queen Chrysalis had deceived all of the people of Equestria, even Shining. She had disguised herself as the bride, feeding off of the love that Shining Armor felt for Princess Cadence, slowly brainwashing Shining Armor in the process still under the impression that it was his fiancé. The Princess was locked away in a cave all alone that had the ability to suppress Cadence’s magic in order to eliminate the possibility of escape. As preparation for the wedding continued, Twilight had noticed that Cadence was nothing like the Cadence that she knew. The Cadence that was about to marry her brother was cold, rude, demanding and heartless. When Twilight had tried to expose the imposter Cadence, Queen Chrysalis sent Twilight to the very same dungeon that held the real Princess Cadence, revealing her true identity to the Unicorn Blood. Twilight soon found the real Cadence who was a mental and physical mess, but Cadence explained the nature of Queen Chrysalis and her army of Changeling Bloods to Twilight. Twilight and Cadance had managed to escape the dungeon and interrupt the wedding with Shining and the fake Cadence, revealing that Shining Armor was about to marry an imposter to the rest of the wedding guests. It was then that the Changelings attacked Canterlot Castle, causing chaos.

The Changelings had raided the Canterlot Castle grounds in huge numbers. Most of the combat was hand to hand, with the holders of the Elements leading the rest of the Canterlot Army. The difficulty in fighting the Changelings came when they would change to look like the soldiers of the Canterlot Army and even the holders of the Elements of Harmony. By then, Queen Chrysalis had trapped Princess Celestia in a cocoon, rendering the Princess incapable of using her magic to eliminate the Queen. In the end, it was the combined power of Princess Cadence and Shining Armor that had vanquished Queen Chrysalis, their love overpowering the intentions of evil that Queen Chrysalis so desired. The remaining Changelings retreated back to Draconia, leaving Canterlot a damaged war zone. They celebrated the wedding afterwards on the same day, but still the events were fresh in everyone’s minds. Security around all of Canterlot was tightened due to the severe damage that had been done.

“They’ve become active again in Draconia. We got word from King Darius that there has been an uprising in their revolts since they were defeated,” Shining said, his usually bright eyes darkening. Shining gestured to the couch, silently directing Spike to sit down. Spike sat down slowly, still watching Shining, nervousness and even some fear boiling in the pit of his stomach.

“From what I’ve gathered, there seems to be a rebel leader that has taken charge of leading the Changelings with the revolts,” Shining said to Spike, looking at him directly in the eye. “My sources have informed me that he goes under the name of Diedrich, but because of the nature of the Changelings, we don’t know what he truly looks like.”

“So why exactly did you have to come all the way out here to tell us this?” Spike asked, resting his elbows on his knees, propping his head up. He concealed his true emotions of worry quite well, knowing that it would be easier to listen to his brother rather than bury Shining with questions.

“Cadence and I both agreed that I would come to Ponyville to place a protective spell around the perimeter. We figured that Diedrich would target the holders of the Elements.” Shining looked out the window as if to look out for the rebel Changelings.

“What about… Rainbow Dash?” Spike looked at Twilight who immediately looked away from Spike. Rainbow Dash was always a touchy subject. Ever since the incident, Rainbow Dash’s name was rarely mentioned and when it was, the mood was instantly changed.

“We’ve secured the area where she is living, so the Element of Loyalty is safe.” Shining looked at his sister, seeing her eyes widen. Spike knew that whatever was coming next from Twilight would not be good.

“You know where she is?!” Twilight turned to face her brother, anger laced in her voice. Her eyes were wide but she seemed either hopeful or betrayed.

“Yes, I do. But I can’t tell you where she is as per her request. I can’t break that promise, Twily.” Shining Armor looked directly in Twilight’s eyes, knowing that not telling her the location of her friend was hurting her. Spike watched as Twilight turned her head away again to look out the window, her arms now crossed. “The point is that we want all of Equestria to be on alert, especially areas with very important people such as Ponyville, Canterlot and the Crystal Empire.”

“Shining! You know that without the Element of Loyalty, the entirety of the Elements of Harmony are powerless! How can you allow her to remain in hiding?” Twilight stepped to her older brother, her hands back into tight fists.

“Don’t you think I know that, Twilight?” Shining Armor replied cooly, causing Twilight to unclench her fists and her whole body to relax. “I know that without one of the Elements present, the Elements of Harmony are powerless.”

“But then why—“ Twilight started again, her voice rising in volume.

“I have an agreement with Rainbow Dash regarding the matter,” Shining said, his tone still cool. Just as Twilight was going to say something, he interrupted her, “an agreement that only concerns me and Rainbow Dash.”

“Shining! What if—“ Twilight’s voice changed from anger to pleading. It was just like Twilight to worry about every little detail that concerned the fate of Equestria.

“Twilight, I’m not going to continue arguing with you on the matter,” Shining huffed.

“How long are you staying, Shining?” Spike asked him, knowing that the worst of the news was over. His brother’s demeanor had softened and his voice was no longer low and serious.

“A few days at most,” Shining replied, giving a smile this time. Spike smiled back and sat back in his chair. “I would like to see everyone again while I’m here.”

“I’m sure they’d be happy to see you,” Twilight chimed in, still not looking at her brothers. She still looked irritated but her expression had softened.

“Why don’t you show me around Ponyville Spike?” Shining stood up, using his magic to summon his shoes, putting them on his feet.

“I’d be happy to,” Spike answered, heading towards the door, slipping on a pair of sandals. He didn’t bother to ask Twilight if she wanted to join them, knowing that she wasn’t in the mood. She would most likely wait for them to leave and then rummage through her books to find information on the Changelings. It was in her nature to do so.

Spike led Shining out the door of the Library, blinking rapidly at the change of lighting. The sun was down much lower in the sky, giving it a golden glow. He walked in front of his older brother silently, looking towards the ground in front of him. Spike then suddenly felt Shining’s hand on his shoulder, and he stopped to turn around and look at his brother.

“What’s bothering you, Spike?” Shining asked his little brother, his voice soft with worry, “is it what happened with Twilight?”

“How the—” Spike started to say until he saw the look on Shining Armor’s face. It was a mix of a raised eyebrow and a smile.

“I’m you’re big brother,” Shining said, chuckling, “I know you better than you think.” Spike smiled as well, seeing that his brother was right; Shining Armor did know him very well.

“No,” Spike answered, shaking his head, sighing, “definitely not Twilight.” Spike debated over whether or not he should mention his love for Rarity to his older brother. It was already a difficult enough subject with Twilight, so it could either go really well with Shining, or it could go really bad.

“Spike, you can tell me anything. You should know this by now, little brother,” Shinning said in a reassuring voice, gripping Spike’s shoulder a little bit tighter.

“You gotta promise me you’re not going to get angry,” Spike pleaded with his brother.

“Spike, I can tell you that I will do whatever is in my power to not get angry with you,” Shinning looked into Spike’s eyes.

Spike nodded and prepared himself to tell his brother of what was on his mind. “You know Rarity? I really like—no, I love her. It started just as a crush, you know? Then I knew that it wasn’t just a crush… it was love.” Spike said, his eyes closed as he explained his love for Rarity. “But everyone says that she’s too old for me, and they’re right. Rarity could never see me as a man, but I know I’m the one that has to protect her. I have to be the one to love her!”

Shining Armor merely listened to his brother, nodding now and again. He waited until Spike was finished before speaking.

“Spike,” Shining started, “do you know how I met Cadence?” Shining asked Spike, truly interested if he already knew his story of meeting the Princess.

“Actually…” Spike furrowed his brow, putting his hand on his chin and looked up at his brother. “I don’t know.”

“She was my Magic tutor,” Shining said, smiling to himself at was a distant memory, “I met her when I was 15, and she was 21 at the time.” Shining laughed as he saw the look of shock on Spike’s face, “I had a huge crush on her, and as time went on I learned that she liked me back. Problem was that I was only 16. She told me that she didn’t care that I was younger, but only what my heart held for her. After she told me that, we began to see each other in secret until I was 18, then she told the Princess that she had a very new interest in me as a man and I ‘officially’ courted her, and the rest is history.” Shining finished his story, a smile still on his face.

“Cadence is that much older than you?!” Spike burst out, still processing the story in his head. It was all new information that he would have never expected from his older brother. Shining Armor always seemed to be the kind of guy that wouldn’t sought after an older woman. It then dawned on Spike that Cadence had gone for such a young guy.

“She’s not that much older!” Shining said with a laugh, punching Spike’s shoulder, starting to walk forward again with Spike following right behind him. “So my point is Spike, Rarity may be much older than you, but I doubt that could stop her from seeing you as something more than a little kid.”

Spike merely nodded in response, his head looking down at the ground. His mind raced full of possibilities. Hearing his brother’s story gave Spike hope and confidence, though he didn’t want to show it. He grinned to himself, thinking now that he really did have a chance with Rarity, something that he desired more than anything. Spike lifted up his head, subtly puffing out his chest with pride. He didn’t hear his brother chuckle to himself as he watched Spike suddenly pick himself up.

“I would like to mention something else to you Spike,” Shining Armor added after a few minutes of silence between them.

“Hmm?” Spike looked up at his brother, greeted with a similar furrowed brow.

“I want you to be on high alert when you and the rest of the holders are at the Gala,” Shining said, not letting Spike interrupt him when he mentioned the Gala, “I know you’re going Spike, and I’m trusting you to look after the girls while they’re having fun. I’m sure that the Changelings are going to use the Gala to their advantage and plan to interrupt it.”

“Have you told Twilight?” Spike asked, confused. For Shining Armor not to tell his sister of something as serious as that was puzzling to Spike.

“No, I don’t intend to. I want them to have fun at the Gala, rather than feel like guards. However if the time comes to defend Canterlot, they will have their Elements on them. I did tell Twilight to always have her Element of Harmony on hand from now on, and I’ll tell the rest of the holders.” Shining nodded slowly, his hand now on his chin as if in deep thought. Spike snapped his fingers in front of Shining’s face, trying to get him back to the present.

“So basically… you’re telling me to expect the worse during the Gala, but not tell the girls?” Spike tried to confirm, the situation still very confusing to him. He didn’t dare question his brother, seeing that he was a prince now and probably knew what he was doing.

“In a nutshell, yes,” Shining smiled and nodded, his demeanor changing alarmingly fast again. Spike wasn’t used to this new Shining Armor but he could still see his older brother past the prince.

“And you’re sure that you don’t want me to tell any of the girls about it?” Spike asked again, trying to make sense of what his brother just asked him to do.

“That’s exactly it. They will have their Elements on hand of course in case of emergency but I don’t want them to be expecting the worse during the Gala,” Shining confirmed Spike’s question, though to Spike, the plan that Shining Armor had in mind was rather odd.

“I don’t know what you’re planning,” Spike said as he turned his head to the sky, putting his hands into his pockets, “but I sure do hope you know what you’re doing, Shinning.”

“Spike,” Shinning said, also looking up at the sky with his brother, “I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t know what I was doing.”

“Hey Shining,” Spike looked back down to make eye contact with his brother, a small smile coming to his lips.

“Yeah Spike?” Shining smiled with his brother.

“It’s really good to see you,” Spike grinned, showing his very white teeth to his brother.

Shining chuckled at Spike and slapped his hand on his brother’s back, then rubbed it in a friendly manor. “It’s really good to see you too, Spikester,”

Author's Note

Hey there!
Sorry about the really late update. I have a really bad hand injury that make's it really hard to type and write and a load of other things.
With my hand injury, I got really depressed about other stuff and the ideas for this fic were just on hold until I could come to terms with it.
Anyway, I think that the next update will be a lot quicker because I actually know how it's going to play out. My hand will prevent me from typing as fast as I want to, but it will be out sooner than this one.

Flames and Critiques accepted.