Donning the Beard... Vicariously.
Author's Note
Yay, I'm not dead. This is the intro chapter, it's been sitting around for about 2 months. Sorry if it seems rushed or abbreviated. Just want to get it out at this point, else it will be lost forever.
I want to get back into the swing of writing with something fresh, we'll see about new chapters to old stories at a later date. For now, lets have some fun with this!
Sibling Bonds
Donning the Beard... Vicariously.
Chapter 1: Sibling Bonds
The train ride to Ponyville had seemed longer than usual, or so Shining thought. It'd been a long time since he got to spend some time with his Twiley... Especially since she earned her wings.
The white unicorn let out a breath, and sank a little deeper into his cushion... All he could hear was the distant chatter of his guards, it sounded like they were playing a card game... And of course, the rattle of the tracks.
Clack-clack-clack-clack-
“Ugh!”
He groaned, checking his stopwatch... It was a gift from his beloved wife, and was made of solid crystal.
“8:59:13...”
He spoke aloud to his empty car. The train wasn't scheduled to arrive until 9:30, but even that seemed a while off.
“What am I thinking? Relax, fidgeting around won't make the train speed up...” He thought.
Shining Armour had always loathed long trips. Even as a colt, when his family would go on vacations and carriage trips. Not that he hated being in new places, he actually quite liked a good change in scenery.
He didn't like having to sit around doing nothing but watching the clock, and road pass by. While train rides were typically better, in his opinion, this one was particularly long because he was on this trip alone.
When his Dad would load up the carriage for a week long trip, he at least had his Twiley to keep him company. He even remembered the time Princess Cadance came with them to Camp Fetlock.
That was easily the best memory Shining had of any kind of trip. He'll never forget that night alone with-
“We'll be arriving in Ponyville in twenty-five minutes!”
The conductor beamed into the mostly empty car.
Shining quickly checked his pocket watch... 9:00:51. Why was time moving so slowly? At least they were ahead of schedule.
This train ride wasn't terrible, really... But he was glad to be close to his sister, this week was going to be great. He thought briefly back to that night at Fetlock, but had to banish the thoughts before he had to cross his legs.
“Easy, now... Don't want to turn minutes into years...”
A stiffy was the last thing the bored stallion needed. Maybe some soda would help pass the time...
Getting to his hooves, Shining made his way to the next car where drinks were served. Sadly, 5 P.M. was a long ways off.
*** *** ***
“Spike, are you almost packed?” The young princess called up the steps to her number one assistant.
“Coming!”
The young dragon had been preparing for a trip, one that had him excited for weeks.
“Spike, you're going to be late for camp! The train leaves in less than fifteen minutes!”
A yelp, followed by a long tumble, ended in a loud crash in front of her purple hooves. Looks like Spike's luggage... Chased by none other than Spike the dragon, tumbling end over end down the stairs.
“Oh-Ah!-Oof!...Ooohh...”
Twilight was concerned for her assistant, glancing over him she didn't notice bruises or cuts... Dragons were rather resilient.
“Spike, you really need to be more careful. And what did I say about packing light?” She giggled, as she helped clean up the mess, and dust the dragon off.
“Yeah, yeah. Are we going to go already?” Spike was eager to make his way out the door, but the purple alicorn fixed him with a look. One that said “Straighten up.” and meant it.
Spike put one claw to his head, and kicked his foot back nervously. “Eh-heh... Sorry.” He blushed.
The look soothed into a warm smile, and Twilight was about to speak, when a knock on the door interrupted her.
Turning, she entered the foyer to answer. After lighting up briefly, the door swung open.
“Howdy, Twilight! Is Spike ready ta hit th' road?” Applejack stood there, excitedly. She had volunteered at the camp this year, since it was also her sister's first year.
Twilight seemed a little embarrassed at first. “Eh-heh. Hey, AJ... He'll be right out!” And with that, she slammed the door on her friend's next sentence.
Somehow, Twilight felt that she was somehow responsible for Spike's tardiness. After a brief thought, she realized she could have helped him a little more.
“Spike? The Apples are here. How's your packing coming?”
The young dragon was sitting on top of his bulging luggage, finally sealed back up. “Great!” He beamed. Just before the bag erupted, sending the purple drake tumbling through the air.
“Spike!” Twilight chided in a maternal tone, before lighting her horn, catching all the debris. In a flash all was righted, and Spike was placed down gently on his feet.
The young princess let out a relieved sigh, before looking her assistant in the eye. “Oh, Spike...” She was worried about leaving him for a week.
“Applejack is outside, and I shut the door on her. Your bags should be out there waiting on you now. But...” She paused a moment. “Spike, TRY to take care of yourself. Brush your scales every day, don't forget about dental hygiene, and I spent good bits on that deodorant for a reason, mister.” She laughed.
“Don't sweat it, Twilight! It's just a youth camp, what could go wrong? And besides, Applejack and her brother will be there!” He beamed, his chest puffed up.
That brought more chuckles to the purple mare, before she turned for the door. “Come on, then. You need to get on the road.”
After more goodbyes, Spike loaded into the cart with other fillies and colts his age, and they were off. Before the cart got too far, Twilight called out one last time: “Have a good trip! and write every day! I mean it! I packed some books for you!”
With that, she turned back to her castle. She had a lot of work to do... Maybe she could forget about her worries. But she couldn't shake the feeling she'd forgotten something important.
*** *** ***
Then the train pulled into Friendship Station, Shining bolted even before his royal escort could assemble. If Cadance had seen him, he might have been scolded, but at heart he knew he wasn't going to wait around to be guarded like a wimpy prince.
There was no grand precession to announce his arrival, as this visit was not announced to the public. Putting distance between himself and the station was no difficult task. Best he could tell, nopony even saw him leave.
“Whew. I needed to stretch my hooves...” He slowed his pace, and breathed a relieved breath, taking in the scenery. “Nice place... Quiet. I can see why Twiley liked to study here. Heh.”
Gazing about the scenery, he noticed one building in particular that stood out. It definitely didn't look like it belonged in the rustic town. “That must be the place...” He reasoned. It seemed the road there lead through the marketplace. “Don't really want to go through the market... Though, I might see something that'd make a suitable gift... Buck it.”
He stepped forward with determination, approaching the slightly less quiet marketplace.
***
It had been nearly an hour, and none of the stalls had anything remotely interesting. Frustrated, the stallion nearly gave up. That was, until a scent hit him hard. It directed him to a shop with dark windows, and a butterfly on the door. There was a flower stand out front, left unattended.
“Well... Cadance likes fragrances, so... Maybe Twiley would appreciate something frou-frou-ey. Princesses, man.”
The bell above the shop door rang out, as the lone stallion entered. His olfactory system was nearly overloaded by the aromas floating about the small building.
“Sweet Celestia!” Shining was unprepared, and began to cough and hack, his eyes watering.
“May I help you?” A voice came from the back of the store. There stood an ivory mare with a rose red mane.
Dazed, Shining nodded his head. “I, uh. I need something for my Twiley. A gift.” He did seem a little loopy, but was collecting himself.
“Hrmmm... This mare, is she special to you?” She raised an eyebrow.
The stallion nodded again. “Of course! And I haven't seen her in a while. Just wanted to get her something nice. Something to remind her of me when I leave.”
The mare smiled devilishly, giving the prince a sultry look. “Ooh, I gotcha. I think I have just the thing. It's a scent of my own design. Trust me, a spritz of this, and she won't be able to stop thinking about you!”
Now, Shining was thinking clearly, he had a proper head on his shoulders. He knew all the right questions to ask when buying a gift, especially when a mare was receiving... “How much?”
“Twenty bits... But for you? Fifteen.” She batted her eyes at him. The gesture was completely lost on the stallion.
“I'll take it.”
*** *** ***
The morning was getting old, as Shining Armour left the marketplace, a nondescript bag hovering beside his head.
“Whew.” A breath left him. He felt so tired for some reason, and his thoughts were going everywhere. He was getting close to the castle, and a whole cocktail of emotions were flooding him. All he could do was keep up his trot, but he felt nervous about knocking on the door.
Before he knew it, he bumped into said door, dropping his bag. “Oof!” He shook his head, rubbing with a hoof. He had arrived...
Moving his hoof from his head, he tapped it on the door...
… No response.
Again he rapped on the large door, but nopony answered.
“She can't have forgotten... Certainly my Twiley of all ponies would be organized enough to remember my visit...” Suspecting something was wrong, he pushed the door open. It wasn't locked...
“Twiley...?” He called, leaning his head in the now ajar door.
Still no answer... He decided to walk inside.
***
Past the foyer, and down a long corridor Shining walked, calling out the name of his sister, until he reached a large library. If she was anywhere in the castle, she was in this room for sure.
“Twiley?” He called, a little louder, as he began looking down the rows of shelves, until he came to a more open study area.
There she was. Completely lost in research.
“It's like she's a million miles away...” He thought as he approached. “Twiley?” He tapped her shoulder.
“AH!” She yelped, springing up into the air, before fluttering down awkwardly on ruffled feathers.
“SHINING!” She yelled, though not in anger. She embraced her B.B.B.F.F tightly. “Don't sneak up on me like that!” She panted, trying to calm down.
“Sorry! You were really busy... Guess having a set of wings didn't really change much.” He smiled. “I'm glad.” He returned the hug.
“Oh my gosh, I completely forgot you were visiting! I go just ONE day without a list...” She blushed.
“Hey, no worries. I'm not interrupting anything important, am I?”
“Not at all! I guess I could use a break, do you want something to drink?”
“Do I ever...” He muttered.
The two had begun to walk together, when Twilight finally noticed the floating bag.
“Hey, B.B.B.F.F? What's that?” She took it in her own shimmering grasp.
“Oh, I decided to get you a little something... It's been a long time, Twiley.” Shining smiled at his sister. She was almost his size since she was promoted.
“You didn't have to get me a gift!” She opened it, revealing an immaculate bottle of perfume. She let out a gasp. “Shining! Ohhh...” She seemed to space out, staring at the glass bottle.
“Like it?” He was nervous.
“Like it... I LOVE it!” She took the top off, and aimed it with her eyes closed to apply a small amount. “Here... How do I smell?” She'd applied a generous spritz of the fragrance.
Shining blew out his nostrils a little, and sniffed, before nodding. “Wow, that smells... Fantastic...” His mind was cloudy all of a sudden.
“This is REALLY great! Thanks, B.B.B.F.F” She kissed his cheek, causing the duo to halt.
Brushing it off, the former guard captain continued down the hall. “The kitchen is this way? I could use a good drink. We have a lot of catching up to do.”
Donning the Beard... Vicariously.
Author's Note
This is a first draft, not edited really. Or even proofread. Had a lot of distractions this week. Finally have the time to sit down, take care of my pores and write while wearing a luxurious mud mask and watching Star Trek. If this chapter seems disjointed, that is because I've written it in a very disjointed manner.
Cunning Linguistics
Donning The Beard... Vicariously.
Chapter 2: Cunning Linguistics
“So he just looks at me and says 'S-sir! The Princess is secure, Sir!' I nearly died laughing!” Shining laughed, setting his cup down.
His Twiley joined in the laughter, “Oh, it must have been so fun to watch you acclimate to life as a royal... Cadance is a lucky mare, you know.”
“Oh? What makes you say that?” Shining asked with raised eyebrow. He was just about to take another sip from his teacup.
Twilight blushed deeply, and stammered. “I- I mean, you can be so serious with your job, but not many ponies know that you're such a silly colt underneath. Cadance gets to see the Shining that likes to mess with other ponies and have fun.”
“What's wrong with me today?” She wondered. She'd been thinking... odd thoughts. Shining and Cadance have been weighing heavily on her mind since he arrived.
“Hey, I don't take my work THAT seriously... Do I?” He sipped slowly, leveling his sis with an intense stare.
“W-well, I- Hey! I know what you're doing, mister!” She tried to scold her brother, but ended up bursting into laughter as he bumped his brows up and down, devilishly.
After calming herself down, she breathed in deeply. “There are few things in life you actually take seriously, B.B.B.F.F, and your job is certainly one of those few.” She smiled thoughtfully.
“Well, my job is to protect you and Cadance. How can I not be serious about that? And you're sure one to talk about taking things too seriously.” He smiled again, placing his hoof down on the table.
To his surprise, Twilight placed her hoof on his, and looked him in the eye.
“I'm glad you're here to protect me, Shining Armour.” She signed.
The look was tender, and full of emotion. But Shining couldn't help but feel like it held more meaning to it.
He was honestly at a loss, feeling like he was in a haze. Somehow the stimulating feeling was familiar, yet altogether alien.
“Twiley...” He started, less confident than usual.
“Yes... Big brother?” She barely breathed, eyelids sliding shut.
“... Where's the bathroom?”
“Oh. Uh. Red door in the lounging chamber. Down that corridor.” She sat back, not realizing how far forward she had leaned. Somehow she felt very confused and empty. Like a cup expecting to be filled, an itch that somehow went away without a scratch.
“Thanks.” Like a shot, Shining Armour was off.
Twilight just sighed, finishing her tea before she stood on tired legs.
“I Suppose I could throw together some lunch.”
*** *** ***
It had been a while since they carried lunch back into the library, where Twilight had been found studying. She was attempting to explain to her brother the nature of her work, while he munched cutely on a corn dog.
“So after studying EVERYTHING about how memory was retrieved by the brain, it was only a matter of manipulating the neural pathways directly with a single spell, that not only can determine which pathways to stimulate, but how to replicate the information stored in those pathways and replicate it in the graymatter of the caster. “
She rubbed her hooves together, stars in her eyes and a huge grin.
Shining sat, gazing about all the papers and countless calculations and figures. Though not surprising, considering the filly his Twiley was, it was damn impressive. She must have been at this for months...
“Uh, yeah. So how long ha-”
“Two weeks of work, and I'm finally ready for my first practical test!” She beamed.
This stunned the stallion, his eyes bugging out a moment. “Two weeks?!”
Twilight continued, as if she couldn't hear her brother. “Which is another reason I'm excited you're here, B.B.B.F.F, I need your help.”
“Practical test?!” He was still lagged behind.
“... Are you done?” She deadpanned.
“Oh, uh.” He stammered, before looking at the clean stick that once held his food. “What can I do to help?”
Twilight smiled, adjusting her glasses before continuing to one of her chalk boards.
“Now, while this is not my first test of the memory reading spell, it IS the first test of the replication incantation. Animal testing proved... Inconclusive. The neural pathways between ponies and squirrels are, to put it simply, dissimilar. Thus, I've concluded that as a blood relative, with 50% of my genes, that YOU would be the best speci- er. Candidate for a practical test.”
Shining shuddered, not understanding more than half of that. What he did understand didn't sound very safe.
“Twiley, I do-” He began, but was interrupted.
“Wonderful! I'll get th-”
“NO! … No, Twilight. I can't do it. I uh, promised Cadence my visit wouldn't cause trouble. Something about this doesn't feel right... Maybe work on it another week or two first?”
Twilight was starting to get upset, she began pacing. “No, no, no. Shining Armour, I've come so far already! You don't understand, I CAN'T go farther without a test subject!”
“But I'm not a test subject, Twiley. I'm your B.B.B.F.F! And I want to help you, just not like that. Isn't there anything else I can do?”
She sighed, clearly agitated. She had to have this one thing. She needed control over her research.
“But there's nothing you can help with!”
The stallion looked his sister in the eye, and saw she was fuming.
“Twiley-”
She turned, coldly, before leaving the room in a huff.
Shining let out a sigh. “Twiley...”
*** *** ***
The groove in the floor was already several millimeters deep, the princess was only pacing at the foot of her bed for a little over ten minutes.
She couldn't believe all her momentum had to be stopped. How would she finish the spell if she can't properly test it?
“Why did you have to ruin ANOTHER experiment!?” She yelled at her pillow, thinking of the times when she was a filly, and her brash brother would wreck her projects, not always on accident.
“I hate you!” She cried, eyes wet as she flung herself onto her bed. The tears rolled freely down her cheek. “You ruin everything...”
What was this? Why was she so emotional... Such a response was neither rational, nor reasonable.
She realized this, looking up to see her bedside table. On it sat a small bottle. Her brother's gift. She remembered feeling strange accepting it.
It was unlike him to buy her gifts, at least when they were growing up. Certainly a lot had changed about him, after Cadance came into his life. Being married will change a stallion.
Twilight wondered how many gifts he'd bought for his wife, as she lifted hers in her aura. It tingled in her mind as she enveloped it.
Chills ran down her spine, and she felt breathless. “Sh-Shining...”
What was this feeling? She knew her brother had never been happier. Why was she so angry? Jealous? Her thoughts became more confusing and clouded as the bottle reached her nostrils.
A gentle whiff, and she instantly sat up. “W-what? But how?” instantly reality snapped into focus. Sci-Twi mode was activated, and she had a hypothesis.
In only a few minutes she had her bedchambers' lab assembled.
“Time to get to work...”
*** *** ***
Shining Armour sat alone, a chocolate milkshake sat half gone on his table next to a plate of donuts, cupcakes, and a moose.
“Can I get you anything else, dearie?” The powder blue mare waiting on him asked.
The stallion looked up, as if a deep thought was interrupted. “Huh? Oh. Can I have some chocolate milk?”
“Oh? My my my! Somepony's got a lot on his mind. One glass coming right up.” She strode over to the counter. Sugarcube corner was surprisingly quiet for this time of day. Maybe other ponies were at home eating proper meals.
In a moment, Mrs Cake was back with a tall glass of chocolate milk, which Shining Armour wasted no time in gulping down.
“Ahh.” He sighed, before staring back into space. He had no idea how much time had passed before...
“Are you sure you're alright, dearie?” The older mare sat down across from him. “I've know a stallion to drown his sorrows in sweets before, but this...” She gestured, a smile on her face. “What's wrong?”
He had no idea why, but he felt as though he could be open with this mare. She was a very good cook, very gentle with her words, and rounded. Much like his memories of his grandmare.
“Oh, it's just... I dunno.” He sighed deeply, stuffing his snout with a donut, pouting a little. The sight was utterly adorable.
“Aww, is it a pretty young filly on your mind?” Mrs Cake smiled at him with empathy.
“... Yeah.” Again, another donut. So adorable.
“You know, I have just the thing for these types of talks. Something to soothe, and make all your troubles melt away with a simple aroma. Do you want some?”
“...Okay.” He moped.
In a flash, the larger mare was off, and back with two teacups with steaming tea. “Here, try some of this. It'll help keep your thoughts straight.” Again with that smile.
“Tea?” He looked disappointed. This would not satisfy his sweet tooth. Curiously, he sniffed it in the saucer, before slurping some directly out of the cup. “Hm. This is some pretty tasty tea, Mrs...?”
“Call me Cupcake, dearie. And it's a special tea, 'bom-bass'. You only get it from the Everfree Forest. Now, about these filly problems...”
“Oh, yeah...” He focused back to Twilight. Surprisingly, the bom-bass tea was helping. “My little Twilight... She scares me sometimes.”
This intrigued Cupcake, she knew Twilight. It was good, she thought, that she finally found herself a stallion. And one so handsome, at that. A princess deserves a prince, after all.
“I watched her transform from an inquisitive filly, into a dangerously curious princess.” He sighed deeply into his teacup, slurping more of it cutely.
“Dearie, I don't know much about Miss Twilight personally, but from what I've observed she's always so careful. How can you be scared for her?”
“It's just that, not too long ago her experiments were about levitation and mustaches. Now here she is, tampering with neural pathways like they're simply a tangle of yarn.”
“Sounds to me like she's walking along the path laid before her. What if it is simply her destiny to become the most powerful spell caster of our age? Don't you want to guide her through every trial and tribulation?”
“W-well yeah, but how can I protec-”
“Maybe it isn't your job to protect her from her destiny. Perhaps simply being there when she needs you is enough.” She smiled, sipping her tea. How had she managed to pick it up in her hooves like that?
Shining sat silent a little longer. After a minute, Mrs Cake stood, moving on to attend to her sparse other guests.
“Cupcake...” Shining spoke finally. The mare turned to him, smiling.
“Yes, dearie?” She asked.
He returned a smile. “Thanks for the tea.”
