"What were you doing with the PRINCESS of friendship?"
"Private Flash Sentry. If you'd come with me for a second."
The voice of his captain pulled the yellow pony from his daydreams. That's probably what the talk'd be about anyways.
He'd been spacing out lots over the past few days. But, in his defense, he couldn't help it. He found himself grinning at the memories again the second his mind drifted back to the night he an-
"Flash Sentry. My office. NOW."
Flash was pulled back to reality yet again, and stoop up as straight as possible.
"Y-Yes sir! Right away sir!"
His voice betrayed fear. But he had right to be afraid.
Guard Captain Shining Armor was a gentle, caring and kind pony. Whenever he'd have to discipline one of his guards, he'd always try and do it as friendly as possible.
Today, his voice contained not an ounce of gentleness.
Flash Sentry stepped forward, out of line, to follow his captain. He could practically feel the eyes of his colleagues burn in his back.
Well, there were unicorns present. Maybe their eyes really were burning.
Shining Armor didn't waste another word on the pony following him on the way to his office. Even as the two stallions stepped into the luxurious room, he said nothing.
Flash nervously took his helmet off. He'd only seen the insides of this room once before, when he applied for the guard.
"S-sir! Please excuse me for daydreaming on the job, I'll make sure t-"
"We'll get to that. Sit down."
Shining interrupted Flash without even a trace of empathy in his voice.
Flash Sentry nervously sat down on one of the wooden chairs, and could only watch as his captain took place opposite of him.
Shining placed his gleaming, blue hooves on the wooden surface of the desk, and seemed to try to stare Flash Sentry to death.
Only after a few full seconds, he spoke up.
"Now, Flash Sentry. I've heard some... Things."
He paused for a second to sigh. It sounded like the kind of sigh a pony gives when their normally well-behaved foal deserves a beating.
"Some rumours. At least, I hope for you they're just rumours."
Flash swallowed. It occured to him that he never left a will.
"Rumours about your... 'mare adventures.' "
If ponies could actually speak daggers, Flash'd be in pieces by now.
Still, the statement confused him. He'd be the first to admit he was quite a marehunter, at least, used to be until a little while back, but he always stuck to the golden rule. 'Guards guards alone.'
To clarify it, work and romance should be separated. He shiften uncomfortably in his seat, unfolding and folding his wings a little.
"Sir, with all due respect, sir, but I-"
"Don't try to fool me Flash. I'm your captain, I know how you spend your saturday nights."
Flash blinked. Shining knew about last saturday? Well, not that he'd hide it, but he was sure she would.
She even told him explicitely.
"Now tell me, Flash Sentry, and be honest. What were you doing with PRINCESS Twilight Sparkle last saturday night?"
Flash felt a drop of cool sweat run down his left temple. Buck.
He knew she was a princess, and he knew he sould not have been doing anything with her.
But nopony can hold back love. Especially not when there's Bitalian food involved.
"Um... S-sir! N-n-nothing sir!"
Shining stomped a hoof on the desk's surface.
"What'd I say about lying just now?"
The cold death in his voice was slowly turning into a fiery one.
"S-sir! I... Yesterday, I... Um... I took her out on a... A d-date yesterday, sir!"
"Yes, and?"
Flash paused for a second. Inside his head, a million excuses were falling over each other to be used.
It's times like these a pony resorts to accidentally telling the truth.
"S-sir, I..."
Flash sighed, and hung his ears, head and shoulders as low as he could.
"I took her to where she's staying afterwards, and about halfway there, she wanted to stop to look at the stars. I accepted the offer, becau-"
"Hurry it up. I didn't bring you here to tell sappy stories."
"S-sir! I k-kissed her, sir!"
For a moment, Shining Armor's blue mane seemed to erupt in cold flames, taking his eyes and voice with them. He stood up in his chair, slamming his hooves down on his desk yet again.
"You did WHAT?"
Flash opened his mouth to speak up, but never got the chance.
"You KISSED a bucking PRINCESS, that's what you did!"
Flash was at a loss for words. In fact, he had to stop himself from falling back to daydreaming and grinning. The kiss was just so magical, he-
"Are you two dating?"
The question threw Flash Sentry slightly off-guard. Dating? That date was their first, dut he did kind of ask her for a second one soon, and she did say yes quite enthusiastically, so-
"Are you, or are you not dating MY little sister?"
Flash almost fell off his chair.
Shining Armor's Twilight's brother?
He'd kissed his captain's sister?
So much for separating work and romance.
"Answer me!"
Shining was shouting by now, and the stallion he was shouting to only barely dared to answer him.
"Sir, w-we've agreed on a second... date... Sir."
Shining Armor leanied over his bureau, until his face nearly touched Flash's.
"Do you know what this means?"
Flash swallowed hard, and nodded.
"I can't tell you who to date. But I AM your captain! So if I ever see you hurt Twily, or if I EVER see somepony else hurt her where you could've stopped it..."
He didn't even have to finish that sentence. Flash was already scared to death.
And, on a side note, this speech calmed him down for some reason.
"You're gonna take blame for EVERY single tear she cries, you hear? You're gonna treat her like a bucking PRINCESS."
"Sir, with a-all due resp-pect, sir, but T-Twilight k-kind of is... A princess."
Shining Armor squinted his eyes a little.
"That's what I like to hear."
He opened his mouth for a second wave of threats, when a knock on the door interrupted him.
"NOT NOW! I'M BUSY!"
A nervous surtling came from the other side of the door.
"Sir! Tinder has set himself on fire, sir!"
Shining Armor sighed. Withing those two seconds he seemed to shift from Hurt-me-and-I'll-kill-you-Shining Armor to the captain Flash knew.
Shining got off his chair, and made his way to the door. Jut before opening, he turned to Flash Sentry one last time.
"If you buck up, I'll send you to the most remote outpost I can find."
It didn't sound angry. It didn't sound Shining wished Flash had a drink for him to poison.
It sounded calm and collected, which was somehow even worse.
A full minute after his captain left, Flash Sentry walked out of the office.
Before he could make a full step, he was stopped by a colleague.
"Flash! Captain Armor told me to give you this!"
And with those words, Flash was handed a scroll.
As long as you make no mistakes, I'll allow it.
Flash sighed out of both worry and relief as he put the scroll away.
"So what's it say?"
Flash pushed the fellow guard out of his path.
"Nothing. Hey, could you take over the evening shoft for me? I'm going on a date."
Author's Note
I don't even really like Flash Sentry. I've never even seen that movie. So if he's acting out of character, blame my lack of knowledge.
Basically, the idea popped into my head a few days ago. It's probably been done before. I don't really mind.
"What did you say about MY love life?"
"Guards! In position!"
Shining Armor was doing his best to appear strong and fierce, and he was doing a surprisingly good job at it. He expected nothing less from himself for his favourite part of the day.
The Inspection.
Each and every day, Shining got to line up his whole platoon of guards, and check each and every one of them for inconsistency. It took a while for the guard to take their positions, but Shining was happy with the result.
"A neat line. I like that."
As always, he started on the left of the line, making his way right while carefully inspecting each and every pony.
First was Gold Helmet.
"Did you brush your helmet this morning? Good."
Next, Stone Guardian.
"I like your stature. Keep that up."
Tinder.
"Your mane's charred. Try to keep that in check."
And Shining went through the line in this fashion, providing all his guards with a commentary. Nothing out of-the-ordinary. Well, Loose Ends somehow managed to lose his helmet, and Swig was slightly drunk by 3 o'clock. But aside from that, all was fine.
About two-thirds through his squad, Shining came across a very particular Stallion.
Flash Sentry.
Shining didn't like Flash.
Not that he was a bad guard, he actually was one of the best, second place in Trying Your Best after Gold Helmet, even.
But Flash Sentry was the pony that was dating Shining's little sister. And that alone earned him an everlasting Slight Dislike from his captain.
"Your armor's a tad loose. You should get a new one made."
Shining didn't let his personal feelings muddy his observation, and made sure his words were unbiased. But he did make sure to shoot his soldier an extra nasty glare. Satisfied with his actions, Shining went on with his inspections.
"Captain Shining Armor. If you'd come with me for a second."
Shining froze. That voice wasn't his. But it was a voice he knew all too well. And its owner wasn't happy to see him.
"In a minute Twi- er, Princess. I'm just finishing the insp-"
"Shining Armor. Your office. NOW."
And with those words, Twilight left the courtyard. Shining looked over the remaining guards, gave them a hoof up and dashed after his sister. He soon caught up with her.
"Hey Twily, long time no see!"
"Don't call me 'Twily' in public. Call me 'Princess' or 'Twilight'."
Oof. Twilight's only twice before onjected to her brother calling her Twily. Both instances had something to do with breaking something very valuable to her.
"So what's wrong? You can tell your brother."
Twilight held a steady pace to her brother's office.
"I wouldn't want to embarrass you in front of your guards."
Shining Swallowed. He thought it wise to keep silent for the rest of the walk to his office. So did Twilight. Even as they stepped inside the luxurious room, she said nothing.
Shining Armor nervously took his helmet off. This didn't look good. Oh no, they looked a whole new shade of bad.
Twilight sat down in the big chair Shining always said in. He opened his mouth to protest, but sat down on one of the wooden chairs across from her instead.
Twilight placed her soft, lavender hooves on the wooden surface her brother's bureau, and seemed to try and stare him out of existence for the next few seconds.
"Shining. I've... found something."
Shining tilted his head. Found what? Even if she went in his private quarters, even Cadence hadn't found the magazines yet.
"Something which I hope you can explain to me."
Shining panicked internally. Twilight's eyes seemed to have had caught on fire earlier.
A little crumpled up note, surrounded by a purple magic haze, levitated to the to of the desk. It neatly unfolded itself to be read by Shining.
As long as you make no mistakes, I'll allow it.
Shining Armor coughed nervously. That note. Did Flash drop it or something? How did hse find it?
"S-sorry Twily, I don't recognize that p-"
"Don't try to fool me, Shining. I'm your sister and a librarian. I know what your hoofwriting looks like."
"So... Where'd you get that?"
Twilight responded in a tone that was sharp enough to cut through rock.
"Don't change the subject. But if you must now, Flash Sentry was kinda nervous on our latest date..." She especially empathized that last word, "and I asked him what was wrong. He gave me this."
Shining's eyes darted around the room as he tried to recall his teleportation spells.
"Well, it wasn't about how he's dating you or anything..."
"He told me. You yelled at him. Quite a bit, even."
There was no way Shining'd get out of this.
"Well, I only wanted to make sure nothing bad'd happen to you."
It took Twilight half a second to slam her hooves down on the desk's surface with impressive force.
"Shining! I can take care of myself! I lived in Ponyville all by myself for nearly two whole sasons just fine! That we've picked up contact again doesn't mean you can try and scare stallions away from me now that I'm FINSLLY getting some attention!"
Shining tried to shrink into his chair, and envied the guards that seemed so good at it whenever he had to discipline them.
"W-well, you know how much I care about you, a-and he kiseed you, and-"
Twilight's purple mane flared up into red-hot flames for a split second, taking her eyes with her.
"Of course we kissed! I kissed him back! I even started it! It was a DATE! Ponies kiss when they go on dates!"
"Y-yeah, but-"
"I never yelled at Cadence for making out with you in your room when I still lived at home!"
Shining blinked.
She knew?
"I swear to Celestia, Shining, if you ever threaten him with remote outposts again, I'll get you demoted!"
As much as that hurt, Shining did his best to stay calm. The fact his spine had turned to jello earlier helped a lot.
"But what if he upsets you, or breaks your heart, or-?"
"Again, I'm a grown mare! If he hurts me, I can handle that on my own! Not to forget five great friends!"
Shining looked down to the floor, and accepted his fate.
"I understand. I'm sorry."
But Twilight was on a roll. And when Twilight's on a roll, not even Celestia herself can stop her.
"I can make my own decisions, and I can stand up for myself! I don't need you meddling with my love life, Shining! You better go and apologize the second I'm done with you!"
Shining only nodded. Twilight opened her mouth to say more, but found herself out of things to yell at her brother.
"Just... Don't do it anymore, okay?"
She get out of the chair, and walked around the massive wooden bureau towards her brother. She placed a hoof on his shoulder, and make eye contact with him.
"Don't do it anymore."
"I won't."
The lovely moment of reunion was cut short by a loud knock on the door.
Twilight answered before Shining got the chance.
"We'll be done in a minute! Can it wait?"
A voice came from the other side of the door. It sounded unsure of wether or not to adress the princess.
"M-miss! Ma'am! Princess! One of our guards has been hit by rogue lighting, we're in need of Captain Shining Armor's guidance! Miss! Ma'am! Princess!"
Twilight sighed, and turned to her brother once more. They both knew the time was right, and leaned in for a sweet hug.
Twilight whispered softly in her brother's ear.
"Do anything to Flash Sentry and you're getting demoted to floor-scrubber."
It didn't sound angry.
It didn't sound Twilight was wishing there was enough time for her to strangle her dear brother until his face matched his mane in colour.
It sounded quite sweet, which was even worse.
Shining and his sister broke the hug. They shared a moment of silence, before Twilight gestured towards the door.
"Go. They need you."
And with that, Shining Armor left his office as quickly as his etiquette let him at that moment, leaving his sister behind.
"Come on Airhorn. Let's go. Where to?."
"Sir! The courtyard, sir! Where you left us, sir!"
Shining sighed, and pushed the guard out of his path.
"Good. I need to have a word with Flash Sentry after."
Author's Note
So there you have it. You can't just write notes to ponies and expect no one to find out.
This second chapter was completely unplanned, and if you're happy to see it, thank Skydrake for the idea.
It was kind of refreshing to write Shining Armor out-of-character angry the first chapter, and then let him have no spine the next. Maybe you think it's lame, I could get behind that. But I like it.
Enjoy!
