All is Fair in Love and War Games
Shining Armor was a military stallion. He had made a long and fairly impressive career out of his position in Celestia’s royal guard. However, as impressive his career was, it – and the guard in general – had gotten a bit of a bad rep in certain circles for a few rather humiliating failures.
The Changeling invasion of Canterlot, Tirek seizing the palace with little resistance, that one time his little sister’s dragon assistant went on a rampage…it was a mess. And frankly, he had enough of it. Equestria’s citizens should trust and revere their protectors, not mock them.
It was time to revamp the guard, and he had a plan to do just that with his own Crystal Empire Royal Guard. They currently served a primarily ceremonial role, but he wanted to change that. He was going to make them into an effective military force that could protect the Crystal Empire and Equestria as a whole from any foreign threat. A more extensive training program with a greater focus on combat was the first step.
The problem was, with Equestria having a 1,000 year reign of peace, the art of war had largely been forgotten. Shining Armor took it upon himself to gather information on the warrior ways of ancient Equestria, and then study it closely. From their weapons and armor to their battle formations and combat tactics, he passed this knowledge on to his officers to teach their soldiers. The information was old, but it was the best they had. He would do his best to work with it. Surely, it was a step up from what they had currently.
Now they had to put it to the test and see how it worked.
Shining Armor was preparing for a military training exercise in the Crystal Mountains to the south of the capital city. He had plans to make these exercises regular parts of training in the future, but for now, one step at a time.
The process had to be slow, because lots of things were going wrong. Making proper training weapons and armor was hard. Finding a good place to do maneuvers and staking it out was its own challenge. As if that wasn’t enough, Shining Armor had just got the worse news yet.
He was at the breakfast table when the messenger brought in the letter. He looked up from his meal and gave it a quick read before letting out an exasperated sigh. The last thing he needed was another road block, and that’s what he just got.
Cadence picked up the sound of frustration from her husband and looked up from her plate as well. With this big project of his, he had been pretty stressed recently. She did what she could to help him with that. She moved from her seat and went to his side, putting her hooves around his neck. “Another bump in the road?” she asked him in a sympathetic voice.
“Afraid so,” Shining said as he set the letter aside. A small smile started to spread over his lips as he turned his head to nuzzle his wife. She always knew just how to calm him. It was a real life saver with all the hitches he’d hit in his effort to remake the guard. “You know that big exercise I’ve been planning? Turns out Coronel Wind Shear is out of commission. Feather Flu is a hell of a thing.”
Now it was Cadence’s turn to frown. This was important to Shining, and was thus important to her. “So what does that mean for the exercise?”
“Well, Wind Shear was supposed to take the role of the enemy’s commander. We can’t do a field exercise without an enemy to oppose,” Shining Armor said with a shake of his head. “We might have to call it off. Not a whole lot else we can do.”
Cadence chewed her lip in thought. They couldn’t have that. A lot of time and effort, not to mention money, had gone into setting this up. There had to be a way to keep things going. “Are you sure someone else can’t step in?”
Shining Armor tapped his chin as he ran that over his mind. “That depends,” he said. “Do you know anyone who has the respect or admiration of the population? Even if it is just an exercise, the men won’t follow just anyone. Wind Shear has a reputation that most ponies can’t match.”
“Well there’s always me,” Cadence joked with a roll of her eyes. She paused for a moment before it hit her. That was so crazy, it might just work. “Hey wait, there’s me! Ponies love a princess, right? They would probably follow me into a simulated battle.”
“That’s…actually not a bad idea,” Shining Armor said as his own mind turned that over. “They would be likely to follow you…and it’s probably for the best that you get associated with the men.” He turned his head towards her with a skeptical glance. “Are you sure you can handle it though? Military matters have never been your thing Cadence.”
Cadence gave him a little punch in the shoulder. “I’ve been following your little project close enough to know what’s happening. I’m sure I can handle it.” Her smile slowly turned into a smirk as she ran a hoof down his back. She leaned forward to whisper softly in his ear. “Besides, I know how you think. How to get under your skin. What makes you…tick. Who better to oppose you but me?”
Oh, was she right. Shining couldn’t help a little shiver just from that touch of light teasing. She knew all his weak spots and how to wear him down. He couldn’t fight her like this. She won this battle already. “A-alright Cadence…I g-guess you can try,” he said as she rubbed at that one sensitive spot on his back.
Cadence replied by purring in his ear. She knew how to get her way, and always liked it when she did. “Thanks, Shining Armor. I think I’m going to have fun.” Her hoof went up his back once again, only for the other to go down his chest. “And I’m sure you’ll have some fun too.” She gave him a peck on the cheek before pulling back from him. “If I’m going to take part, I need to make my own preparations. I’ll see you in a bit.” With a giggle, Cadence strutted out of the room.
Leaving behind a very flustered Shining Armor.