[HRH Twilight Sparkle and HRH Shining Armor] Silence: Part 1
Twilight looked uncertainly around what was supposed to be her new bedchamber. It had been difficult to find a room in the new castle that would meet the requirements.
She had to fit in her bed, Spikes basket, a dresser where she could fix her mane each morning, a set of shelves for some of her most cherished books and a table to keep her new crown on. It felt slightly less comforting to have next to her at night after its orginal rainbow shooting crystal was taken and replaced with the shiniest purple rock Rarity could find.
Twilight reflected briefly on the destruction of Golden Oaks and sighed deeply. Her room there had been charming and homely, the finest details developed by who knew how many generations of librarians before her. The castle however, for all its prestige and internal magic, seemed almost hostile compared to her memories.
Twilight climbed gingerly into her freshly constructed bed, She got the feeling that her position as princess of friendship had earned her a little more quality control than most. Spike had long ago crawled into his freshly woven basket and was half-heartedly clawing at the air, probably dreaming of digging for Rarity in the mountains. Half expecting her wings to shoot rigidly out to the sides and send her sheets flying Twilight settled down for the night, realizing too late just how important the old library had been.
Hundreds of miles away, in the Crystal Empire, Shining Armors hooves clacked against the mirror smooth crystal the hallway was made of. It had been a long walk from his office to his bedchamber and it had been a long day or red tape and not much else.
The setting suns rays didn’t penetrate through the incredibly cloudy crystal most of the castle was built from. The two guards standing outside his door looked as solid as the material the may or may not have been made of. The crystal ponies’ apparent resistance to both unicorn and Alicorn magic made it hard to manipulate their coat color and made them much easier to identify than the Canterlot guards.
The door slipped open easily, making less noise than a Cockatrice stalking its latest prey. Shining came into the room slightly less stealthily but then noticed Cadence in the next room curled up under the covers and snoring quietly.
He debated whether it was worth the risk of taking a shot of stray magic after waking the sleeping Alicorn but decided he liked having four legs, one head and a torso to connect them all. He carefully slipped into bed next to her and tensed when she stirred slightly at the shift in weight. His horn glowed slightly, ready to throw up a shield around himself.
Cadence settled back down without incident and Shining slowly let his head rest on his pillow, wary of any sudden movements. He used his magic to silently close the bedroom door, keeping his aura as dim as he could.
He let his mind dart aimlessly from one thought to the next. How his troops were working, how his sister was handling her renewed responsibility. Quickly he felt himself slipping into sleep, the pressure of the day leaving him as his muscles relaxed and he let himself sink into the mattress. By the time the sun had truly set, he had already started to dream.
Suddenly, cold bit into every inch of his body. Shining’s eyes snapped open and he let out an unsteady breath. It instantly formed into mist and disappeared.
He was in the middle of a cobbled street, somewhere in lower Canterlot judging by the building design. There were a few unremarkable objects littering either side. Carts, baskets, barrels, but an unwritten rule had left a clear path down the middle.
A quick spell showed him what he had both hoped and feared. He was the only living thing on the street. Shining reviewed his situation. He was completely alone and freezing cold but his magic seemed to be working and if he could just find his way to a more built-up area he would be able to navigate from there.
He tried to think of the best way to find one. After a few seconds he accepted the inconvenient truth that ‘dumb luck’ was his best option. He walked in the direction he was already facing up the street, hopefully to more familiar territory.
Slowly as a caterpillar gorged on Zap Apples realization crept into Shining’s mind. This was familiar territory. He had walked it years ago when he was first made a guard. All he needed was for his memory to hold and he would end up right outside Canterlot castle!
He continued to walk automatically for a few more minutes until he was snapped back to reality when he knocked into the spare wheel of a cart and sent it spinning noisily down the street. It rolled to the side and through a stone arch. It rattled to a halt somewhere beyond it.
He began to cautiously walk forwards, not wanting to damage any more property until he saw something that turned his blood to ice. A wave of light was spreading towards him; somepony was casting the same spell he had to detect any life. Deciding there was nowhere to hide he bowed his head; ready to let off a bolt of magical energy against anything that came into view.
He heard the powerful beat of a Pegasus wings and a dark blur shot over the wall behind him. Shining pivoted on the spot and put a shield between him and the new arrival. A blast of power smashed against Shining’s translucent shield and sent up a cloud of smoke in front of his eyes.
Once it cleared Shining got a good look at his attacker. She was smaller than him, but not by much. He was truly confused by the fact she had flown over the wall and thrown a spell at him until he caught sight of the collection of stars on her flank.
Realization dawned in both of their eyes. Shining opened his mouth to talk but as soon as he did his vision blurred he felt as though he was being pulled to the side by some unseen force. Irrational fear gripped his mind and then, just as he felt he was about to hit the cobblestones, he woke up.
Author's Note
I originally meant for this to be a oneshot but then I thought. ‘Why don’t I hide a clue as to what the problem is in the text and then let people contemplate it?’ It gives people who read it something to talk about and me some time to justify why I haven’t released the next chapter yet. Everypony wins!
