Hey Twily...

Shining Armor's hoof rested on the hilt of his sword. He did a quick check of his armor for the fourth time in the past fifteen minutes. He was clad in solid steel from his chest piece to his plate boots with a layer of chain mail underneath. The only thing missing was his helmet that rested on the top of his locker.

The alternating dark and light purple feathers stuck out from the top and made him look ridiculous. They had discontinued the plumage but he still wore his and was commonly called the peacock by the soldiers under his command behind his back.

He turned and picked up the helmet and held it in his hoof for a second. After he put this on he wasn't taking it off again until he got back home, or he was dead in which case it didn't matter. But something across the room caught his attention. The small grey phone that was nailed to the wall.It had been put in his officer's quarters so he could make personal calls after he had been married though he hardly ever used it but he felt as if it was calling him somehow.

He walked over and rested his hoof on the neck of the phone. He didn't know who he would call, but he had to make it quick. He was going to have to leave for the battle grounds soon. He was so deep in though that he didn't even hear flash open up the door behind him.

"We've got ten minutes captain." He said poking his head in through the door.

"I'll be there Flash, just give me a minute." Shining snapped. Flash nodded and backed out of the room, shutting the door behind him. Shining picked up the phone and put it to his ear. He keyed in Cadence's personal number on the keypad and let it ring for a second before she picked up.

"Hello, Princess Cadence speaking." She said on the other end of the line. Shining opened his mouth to speak but the words didn't come. "Hello?" Cadence asked on the other end. Again, Shining tried to, but couldn't find the words to say what he needed to. He pressed the receiver and the call cut back to the dial tone.

He didn't know why, but he couldn't bring himself to tell his wife what was happening. No, not couldn't, wouldn't. He wouldn't worry her with this news. Knowing her she would be out of her mind with worry until she heard from him next, or until she got the telegram that informed her of his death.

He found himself sub-consciously keying in his sisters number and pressed the earpiece to his head again.

"Hello, this is Twilight Sparkle speaking." Shining heard the familiar soft voice of his sister back in Ponyville.

"Hey Twilight." Shining says somberly. He heard Twilight clamor about a bit and drop the phone at least twice before speaking again.

"Shining, sweet Celestia it's so good to hear from you!" Twilight said excitedly from the other line. "How's my BBBFF doing?" She asked recalling her old nickname for him from when they were foals.

"I'm not going to lie Twily, things are looking pretty bad over here." Shining said, his voice soft and full of sadness that could have been mistaken for fear.

"Oh no, Shiny, what's happening?" She asked frantically.

"Me and my division are being deployed into the heart of the Changeling Nation, and recent reports show that things are looking pretty bad over there." Shining said.

"But you're going to be okay right, they wouldn't send you on a suicide mission?" Twilight asked. Shining smiled at her optimism.

"At this point I don't know what the war council will and won't do. They want to win this war so bad that they don't mind if they loose a few ponies in the process." Shining said. He had no love for the pompous bureaucrats that were running this war and. Giving orders even though none of them had ever fought for the country. Being the highest ranking soldier in the military didn't get you very far with those idiots.

"But Shining, you promised that you'd be there for my wedding, you promised." She said. She was obviously holding back tears at this point. His sister had gotten engaged a month after he left for his current tour and he had promised to be there for the wedding so they had put it off until he got back to wait for him.

"That's a promise I intend to keep Twily." Shining said quietly as he brushed a tear from his cheek. The line went silent for a second until Twilight picked up the conversation again.

"Does Cadence know?" She asked taking a shuddering breath.

"No, Twilight I couldn't tell her. She'd be sick with worry until I get a chance to talk with her again, and I don't want her to be like that." Shining said sadly. "Hey Twilight, can you promise me something."

"Of course Shining, anything." She said confidently.

"If I don't comeback, if this is destiny for me to die out there, promise me that you, Cadence and anyone else who cares enough to cry wont dwell on it for long. Especially Candace. I don't want her to be broken for the rest of her life, I want her to move on, love another stallion, have some foals and be happy." He paused. "Can you promise me that Twilight?" He asked.

"O-of course Shining, but please don't make me do it." Twilight said.

"I'll do better than my best Twily." Shining said smiling. Twilight let out a half hearted chuckle from the other line.

"You sound just like dad." She said.

"Yeah, I guess I do." Shining said remembering his dad before his memory had left him. So studious and full of life until he had gotten old. Twilight had gotten her smarts from him while he had gotten his mother's passion for justice and Honor. The same fire burned inside him a it did in his mother and she used to tell him it all the time.

"Hey Twily I gotta go." Shining said simply as he looked up to the clock.

"Okay Shiny, promise me you'll be careful." She said.

"I promise Twily." Shining replied.

"And Shiny, don't forget to put your angel on your shoulder." Twilight said repeating her mothers old saying from when they were foals. She would always say that to them before they left for school or what not. The angel was meant to protect them even though Shining never really was much of a believer, but he would take all the help he could get at this point.

"Good bye Twily." Shining said setting the phone back on the receiver.

Shining braced himself on the desk and did his best to suppress a sob, but he couldn't stop a few tears from falling. He took a shuddering breath and straightened his neck.

"Captain Armor?" A pony said behind him. Shinning turned around, dashing his hoof over his cheek and wiping away the moisture. "We're loading up and I was told to send for you." Flash said.

"Right, sorry." He said grabbing his helmet off the top of his locker and following Flash out of the door and into the empty hallways.

"You tell anybody about what you just saw and you'll be digging sewage lines for a month private." Shining said.

"See what sir?" Flash asked in mock confusion.

"I like you kid, you're gonna go far with an attitude like that." Shining said slugging the orange Pegasus in the shoulder. He winced slightly running his shoulder but nodded in gratitude. And they walked the rest of the way in silence.

The motor pool was located just inside a carafe that had been set up but the doors were still closed. Shining just picked a random Humvee and hopped on the back turret while flash hopped into the drivers seat and another stallion in the passenger.

After a few more minutes they gave he word and the doors to the motor pool lifted and sunlight and birdsong poured in giving the entire thing an almost humorous atmosphere. All the war ready ponies with guns and blades and it looked like an old cartoon outside.

"Ive gotta say, if there was ever a day to die, this is one of em'." Shining said. He pulled his helmet over his head and settled on for the long drive in the back of a bumpy old Humvee and he felt strangely at peace.