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My Little Pony, Friendship is Magic: The Stallion Six Series, Season 2
                   -by SuperPinkBrony12-                   
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        Chapter 40: Nightmare Night (Luna Eclipsed)        
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Chapter 40: Nightmare Night (Luna Eclipsed)
                 The weeks leading up to Nightmare Night passed quickly, not only for Shining Armor, but also for his friends, his sister Twilight, and her friends. Before long, the faithful night arrived, and everyone was excited.
                  Well, everyone except for Shining Armor. With Princess Luna scheduled to come down to Ponyville during Nightmare Night and visit him, Shining Armor was determined to prove himself ready to return to active duty.
                   Luna's moon shone down brightly on the town of Ponyville, bathing the buildings and streets in its radiant light.
                   But the Nightmare Night festivities had been called off. An army of unicorns wearing magic proof uniforms had taken over the town, and now patrolled back and forth along the streets. They were guarding a massive steel container that had a timer displayed on its right side, and a control pannel that rested nearby. Said container was close to town hall, but hidden out of plain sight.
                   "Is everything ready?" one of the uniformed guards asked, as he examined the steel container. Two other guards stood nearby to protect it from intruders.
                   "Yes sir. Everything is proceeding according to plan." the guard on the left replied.
                   "Good," the uniformed guard said with a smile, and pressed some of the buttons on the pannel in a random order. The timer quickly displayed of five minutes in red numbers, and began to count down from there "Once this baby goes off, all of Ponyville will be left powerless to stop us. This anti-magic bomb will enable us to march on town hall and take over. Then, it's off to Canterlot to take down Princess Celestia. Equestria will be ours."
                   "I can't wait." the guard on the right said eagerly.
                   The uniformed guard left the control pannel and said to the other guards "Stay here and guard the bomb. Remain at your posts no matter what. And if anyone tries to deactivate the bomb, neutralize them at once!"
                    "No worries, boss. The bomb's as safe as can be with us on the job." the guard on the left replied.
                    "Good, see that it stays that way!" the uniformed guard said seriously, and set off to check up on the other guards.
                     Unknown to anypony, a certain white coated stallion had been watching from a distance. He currently stood on the hill overlooking Ponyville, and he could see that the town was heavily guarded. But he wasn't worried at all, he'd been in tougher situations before.
                     Lighting up his horn, the stallion projected a small screen into the night sky. On the screen appeared the face of Princess Celestia, who seemed rather concerned.
                     "What do you have to report, Captain Armor?" Princess Celestia asked.
                     "It's just as you feared, The Shadow Triad has taken control of the town," Shining Armor explained "They plan to detonate an anti-magic bomb so they can take over town hall."
                     "We can't allow that to happen! That bomb must be deactivated as soon as possible!" Princess Celestia said seriously "I'm authorizing you to neutralize this threat. But I want it done by the book, make sure that no lasting harm comes to the Triad members. We need them to talk."
                     "Don't worry, Princess Celestia. I won't let you down. I'll contact you again when the mission is complete." Shining Armor replied.
                     "Be very careful, Captain Armor. Exercise extreme caution, and make sure you don't get captured. We've only got one shot at this!" Princess Celestia warned.
                     "Right, I understand. Shining Armor, out!" Shining Armor said to Princess Celestia, and turned off the projection. He then slipped into the uniform he would wear for the mission. It was the sort of uniform worn by members of The Shadow Triad. It was a black vest with purple triangles printed onto the sides. A fashionably unattractive uniform, but one that would make it easier to move about without arousing suspicion.
                      Not long after slipping into the uniform and making his way into Ponyville, Shining Armor was able to sneak up on a guard patrolling by himself near Sugarcube Corner. Reacting quickly, Shining Armor cupped a hoof around the guard's mouth and dragged him into a dark alleyway. "Now, if I apply the right amount of pressure to this area here," Shining Armor thought to himself, as he struck an area just above the stomach, which led to the guard collapsing onto the ground "He goes out like a light. And when he wakes up, he won't remember anything from the past few minutes."
                      For a little while, everything went smoothly for Shining Armor. He was able to either pick off and knock out guards as they patrolled on their own, or create a distraction to lure them away while he sneaked past.
                      But, as he approched town hall, Shining Armor found that it was getting harder and harder to remain undercover. By now, word had gotten out that somepony was knocking out guards left and right, and the remaining guards were instructed to stay alert and not leave their posts.
                      Shining Armor weighed the decisions he could make in his mind. He had two options. He could either try to use his disguise to trick the guards in deactivating the bomb. Or he could snatch one of the guards and extract the information needed to turn off the bomb, after he'd neutralized all other threats.
                       Both choices were incredibly high risk, high reward. And they ran a high probablity of leading to an all out assult by the remaining Shadow Triad forces. But no better alternatives presented themself to Shining Armor, and time was running out!
                       "Oh, to heck with it! There's only one thing to do at a time like this!" Shining Armor thought to himself, and made up his mind.
                       The guards by the bomb were surprised when they saw a stallion who's face was obscured approaching them.
                       "Identify yourself, now!" the guard on the left instructed.
                       "Uh, I'm new here. I haven't been given a proper codename yet," the obscured stallion said nervously "But the boss told me to tell you that there's been a change of plans. We're going to scrap the Ponyville invasion and go right to Canterlot. He wants the bomb deactivated and ready for transfer."
                       "The boss wants that?" the guard on the right asked.
                        "Yeah! And I'd do what he says, he sounded really angry when he talked to me," the obscured stallion went on "So hurry up and turn off the bomb!"
                        "What's the authorization password?!" the guard on the left asked the obscured stallion.
                        "What password?" the obscured stallion replied, his voice sounding panicked and uncertain.
                        "It's you! You're the one trying to bring down our operation!" the guard on the left realized.
                        Realizing his cover was blown, Shining Armor threw off his costume, and delivered a quick punch to the guard on the left that knocked him out.
                        "We've found the intruder! Send all available stallions to town hall, stat!" the guard on the right shouted, speaking into the radio device he'd been given. Within seconds, dozens of Shadow Triad goons descended on the area.
                        Rather than try to fight the goons, Shining Armor quickly snatched up the guard that had called for help, and held him firmly with his magic. "All of you stay back!" Shining Armor shouted "Try anything, and I can't gurantee this guy's safety!"
                        Knowing that would only buy him a small window of time, Shining Armor raced over to the bomb and asked the guard "How do I turn this thing off?! Tell me, and I'll see about getting you a reduced prison sentence!"
                        "I'll tell you, just don't hurt me!" the guard pleaded.
                        "The code, now!" Shining Armor ordered.
                        "Input 8-0-7-1-3-0!" the guard instructed "That's the code the boss used to turn the thing on!"
                        "It better be, for your sake!" Shining Armor said ominously, as he tossed the guard to the ground and went over to the control pannel. Per the guard's instructions, he punched in the code, pressing each of the numbered buttons with his hoof.
                        "Input verification code." an electronic voice ordered.
                        "Verification code?!" Shining Armor said outloud, the guard hadn't said anything about that.
                        "There he is men, grab him!" shouted one of the goons, and before Shining Armor could do anything, he was tackled to the ground and burried beneath a dogpile of Shadow Triad members. He had failed his mission.
                         The world around Shining Armor changed from a moon lit night outside of Ponyville, to the brighty lit interior of the ground floor of The Golden Oaks Library. He sighed a little, as his horn stopped producing its pink glow.
                         "Gotta say, you did pretty good that time." Spike commented, as he and Twilight studied the results of the simulated mission.
                         "You were really close that time, B.B.B.F.F." Twilight smiled.
                         "But this is the twentieth simulation I've run! I should've been able to get it right this time!" Shining Armor replied angrily "I should've known to ask for a verification code! How could I have been so stupid?!"
                         "You've been making the simulation harder and harder every single time you do it," Spike said to Shining Armor "It's like you want yourself to fail."
                          "I have to push myself to the limit! If I'm going to prove to Princess Luna that I'm ready to return to active duty, I need to be prepared for any situation! I didn't get into the Royal Guard without learning how to push myself beyond my limits!" Shining Armor said seriously, then he winced slightly in pain and grabbed his head. The strain of producing the simulation had made him weary, he could barely stand up straight.
                          "You need to relax, Shining Armor." Twilight replied, as she gave her big brother some medicine to bring down his headache. Ever since he started studying more advanceded magic, Shining Armor had been suffering from painful migrains. He'd tried everything he could think of to make them stop, but they wouldn't go away.
                          "Yeah, Nightmare Night is already in full swing, and you've been spending all your time in the simulation." Spike told Shining Armor, who had only now taken the time to observe his surroundings enough to be aware of the fact.
                          Spike was currently dressed in a dragon costume, while Twilight was dressed as her third favorite role model (behind Princess Celestia and her brother of course), Star Swirl the Bearded. She even had a pointy wizard hat with gold jingling bells, and a white beard.
                          "Oh, really?" Shining Armor replied, feeling a little bit embarassed. How had he managed to lose track of the time so easily? He'd only intended to run through the simulation once or twice.
                          "Yes, really. Though I'm fairly certain Princess Luna will-" Spike began.
                          "PRINCESS LUNA!" Shining Armor gasped, realizing that she had to be waiting for him by now. "Oh, I hope it's not too late to meet with her!" And without even bothering to throw on a costume, Shining Armor bolted out the door of The Golden Oaks Library.
                          "-Be more than willing to let it slide," Spike finished, only to realize that Shining Armor was already gone. He sighed and shook his head "I hate it when he does that."
                          "Come on, Spike, let's go out and enjoy the Nightmare Night activites while we still can." Twilight encouraged.
                           It took some time, but Shining Armor eventually managed to find out where Princesss Luna was. It turned out, that coming down to Ponyville on Nightmare Night, came with some "emotional baggage" for Princess Luna.
                           Case in point, the princess of the night was currently kneeling before a stone statue of Nightmare Moon. Or at least, Shining Armor assumed that the pony he saw was Princess Luna. It was hard to tell.
                           There was no denying that the pony he saw was an alicorn. It had the horn of a unicorn, and the wings of a pegasus, and its cutie mark was a sliver crescent moon against an inky black background.
                            But the Princess Luna Shining Armor had seen in The Castle of The Two Sisters had been much smaller, and had a light blue coat with an even lighter blue mane and tail.
                            Kneeling before the statue of Nightmare Moon, was an alicorn that had a coat was a dark blue in color, just like the night sky. Her mane and tail were blue with faint shimmers of purple around the edge. And although Shining Armor had a hard time seeing it, she seemed to be looking at the statue with regret and shame.
                            If this was Princess Luna he was looking at, she had changed a lot in the year since Shining Armor had last seen her.
                            Clearing his throat, Shining Armor said "Princess Luna, I presume?"
                            The alicorn turned around, and slowly looked at Shining Armor. She seemed to be just as fearful of him, as he was of her. "You are correct, Shining Armor." she replied.
                            "Uh, sorry to keep you waiting. I was involved in something and I... lost track of the time." Shining Armor apologized, bowing to Princess Luna.
                            "There is no need for such formalities. Much like my sister, you do not need to bow to me to show your appreciation." Princess Luna replied, her voice sounding unsure and sad.
                            "Old habbits die hard, but enough small talk," Shining Armor said, clearing his throat "I believe we have the matter of my 'Re-evaluation' to discusss. Or, is now a bad time?"
                             Princess Luna shook her head "I took it upon myself to come out here on the one night of the year I would rather be anywhere else, I would not want to seem ungrateful by placing my needs ahead of your needs."
                             "You talk quite formally, I don't think I've heard anypony besides Fancy Pants and Rarity talk as posh as you do," Shining Armor observed "Not that it's a bad thing."
                              "I am still getting used to the modern Equestrian language. It was only through the help of my sister that I dropped the use of 'The Royal We' and stopped using 'The Royal Canterlot Voice'." Princess Luna explained.
                              "Royal Canterlot Voice?" Shining Armor asked.
                              "Indeed. It sounds like this when we talk!" Princess Luna said, demonstrating The Royal Canterlot Voice to Shining Armor, who struggled not to be blown back at the sheer force of Princess Luna's volume.
                              "So, what's with the change in appearance? You weren't like this last time we met." Shining Armor asked Princess Luna.
                              Princess Luna sighed "It is a very long and complicated story, young Shining Armor. I am not certain you would like to hear it in its enterity."
                               "Well, perhaps I have time to hear a shortened version of it." Shining Armor suggested. He could sense Princess Luna was troubled about something, and although he really wanted to get his re-evaluation over with, he hadn't gotten to where he was by putting himself first.
                               Princess Luna was silent for a moment, then she lit up her horn. Bathing both herself, and Shining Armor in its ghostly blue magic. "I cannot tell you that story, but I can tell you this story." she told Shining Armor.
                               "Where are we going?" Shining Armor asked Princess Luna.
                               "The question is not where, Shining Armor, it is when." Princess Luna replied, as she and Shining Armor disappeared in a flash. Shining Armor shut his eyes.
                               "Open your eyes, Shining Armor. You will want to see what is going on." Princess Luna encouraged.
                               Shining Armor reluctantly did so, and his mouth dropped open in shock at the sight that greeted him.
                                Standing off in the distance, was the same Princess Luna that had brought him back in time. But this Princess Luna did not seem happy at all, a massive frown was displayed on her face.
                                It was then that Shining Armor noticed, this Princess Luna was looking down at Princess Celestia, who was basking in the waving and cheering of a crowd of ponies.
                                "Look at them, look at them all," the Princess Luna of the past muttered darkly to herself,  and turned and walked away from the balcony "They all adore her 'Precious Light' and cherish it so deeply. Yet, when my night roles around, they all turn around and shun it. Only a few even bother to say much of anything to me."
                                "Is this-" Shining Armor began.
                                The Princess Luna of the present nodded "What are you seeing, is indeed my past. Specifically, the day I made that faithful decision that would forever define my legacy. And not in the way I thought it would."
                                 "So then, that means I'm witnessing the start of your downfall?" Shining Armor realized.
                                 The Princess Luna of the present just nodded silently in agreement, before she instructed Shining Armor to be quiet once again.
                                 Suddenly, there was a gust of wind, and into the room came a faint purple mist of some sort. It slowly approached the Princess Luna of the past, who seemed a little concerned at the presence of her guest. "Who art thou, and why has thou come here?!" she asked, raising her tone of voice to The Royal Canterlot voice "Answer me at once!"
                                 The purple mist was silent for a moment, then, much to the surprise of its guest, it began to speak. "You needn't be worried around us, Princess Luna. We are only here to help."
                                 "Who is this 'we' thou speakest of?! I only see one being before my eyes." the Princess Luna of the past said angrily.
                                 The purple mist responded, by splitting into several identical copies of itself, all of which spoke at the same time "Do you see now, Princess? We are a force the likes of which nopony has ever seen before. We are The Nightmare Forces."
                                 "What reason have thou for showing yourselves before me? Why should I not inform my fair sister, and have you all destroyed?!" the Princess Luna of the past replied, stomping her hoof on the ground.
                                  "Don't you wish to see your subjects respect and appreciate the night that you bring forth?" The Nightmare Forces asked "We have come here, because we sensed your unhappiness."
                                  "You can help me?" the Princess Luna of the past asked nervously.
                                  "Of course we can, for a price." The Nightmare Forces replied in a fiendish echo, returning to the concentrated solo form of the purple mist.
                                  If the Princess Luna of the past was at all worried about what the price would be, she did not show it. She stepped forward and said to The Nightmare Forces "I shall gladly accept thy help, if thou promise me that no matter what, thou will not ever recruit other ponies to serve you!"
                                  "As you wish, your majesty," The Nightmare Forces agreed "Now, extend your right front hoof out, and embrace the power that will allow you to emerge from your sister's shadow."
                                  The Princess Luna of the past obeyed, and The Nightmare Forces surged into her body. The princess of the night lightly groaned and struggled for a moment, as the increase in power took some getting used to.
                                  But at last, the pain settled down to a comfortable level, and the Princess Luna of the past was smiling rather fiendishly. "Princess Celestia, your days of tyranny are numbered. Soon, you will face the greatest threat to your life since Discord. And all of Equestria will see you for what you really are." Then, she began to laugh wickedly.
                                  And that was where the memory ended.
                                 "The Nightmare Forces drained me of most of my energy during my time on the moon," Princess Luna explained, as she and Shining Armor returned to the present "And unfortunately, with my powers having only recently returned, I have been largely unable to revisit any further back into the past. And now you know how Nightmare Moon was born."
                                 Shining Armor said nothing, he was still recovering from traveling back and forth through time, and the strain on his body and mind had been quite taxing. He was panting heavily, and found it hard to stand. Beads of sweat poured down his face, as he drew his breath frequently. He could even feel the onset of a headache (thankfully, not powerful enough to be a migraine).
                                 "I apologize for the condition you are in, Shining Armor," Princcess Luna said with concern "Time travel is a very difficult thing to pull off for non-alicorns. Even somepony as magically gifted as Star Swirl The Bearded could not find a way to ease the burden."
                                 "It's alright, Princess. This is nothing compared to the pain I've endured while training for my re-evaluation." Shining Armor panted, his breath finally returning to normal, and his headache slowly dying down.
                                 "Now that I have answered your question, the time has come for me to see if you are fit to return to active duty." Princess Luna declared, and lit up her horn, producing a ghostly light blue glow. She then bent down to touch Shining Armor's forehead.
                                  Shining Armor was understandably worried, and began to back away "What are you doing to me?" he asked "Are you trying to control me?"
                                  "You have a right to be concerned, Shining Armor. But I do not wish to control you," Princess Luna explained "In order for me to know that there are no traces of Discord's influence, I must probe your mind. But I will only do so if you give me permission. If you decline, I will not press further, and will assume you are fit to return to active duty."
                                  Shining Armor felt incredibly tempted to back off and accept Luna's proposal. Returning to active duty would be nice, and the thought of doing so made him smile.
                                  But, in the wake of his mental breakdown, Shining Armor had come to learn a very hard truth about himself. One that he had found difficult to accept. He was not completely invulernable. As much as he might like to think otherwise, his mind was every bit as vulnerable as the rest of him, perhaps even more so.
                                  There was only one way he could be sure he'd truly recovered from the mental scars Discord had inflicted upon him. With a sigh, he walked towards Princess Luna and said to her "My mind is ready for probing. I won't try to hide anything from you."
                                   Princess Luna did not smile, but she did not frown either. She merely said in reply "Very well, hold still and this should not take long." And in a matter of seconds, her horn touched the tip of Shining Armor's forehead. In a powerful flash, Princess Luna could see everything.
                                   Shining Armor shut his eyes, as the flash grew brighter and brighter. Whatever Princess Luna saw now, was beyond his control.
                                   Seconds passed, but to Shining Armor they felt like minutes. At last, however, the flash died down, and Shining Armor opened his eyes again. Princess Luna appeared to be completely unaffected by the task she had just performed, and maintained her usual serious appearance. Which made Shining Armor wonder just how magic an alicorn could hold.
                                   Princess Luna cleared her throat, and looked Shining Armor in the eyes. She said nothing for a moment, she just looked at with a glance that made Shining Armor feel like a bug under a microscope. But at last, she spoke up and told Shining Armor "Your mind has recovered quicker than I expected. It seems that there is no permanet damage from your battle with Discord, though I can sense your memories of said battle will not likely fade anytime soon."
                                   "Does this mean what I think it means?" Shining Armor asked, even though he was certain of the answer.
                                   Princess Luna nodded "Once I return to Canterlot, I shall see to it that the necessary paperwork is filed to arrange for your return to active duty, as Captain of The Royal Guard. That is, unless you would be interested in resigning your post."
                                   "Why would I want to do that?" Shining Armor asked.
                                   "As Princess of The Night, I have my own Night Guard. Just as my sister has her own solar guard, which is the very guard that you currently serve as Captain of," Princess Luna explained "The Captain of the Solar Guard cannot be Captain of the Night Guard, and the same is true of the Captain of The Night Guard. Since my return from my banishment, my sister has spoken highly of you. And my Night Guard could use a stallion of your skills. The choice is yours, Shining Armor. Whichever guard you serve with, you will serve with dignity and honor."
                                  "Thank you very much for the offer, your majesty," Shining Armor said with a bow "But I've been with the Solar Royal Guard since I was a colt, and I'll always be loyal to them. I'm sure your Night Guard is every bit as impressive though."
                                  "Indeed it is," Princess Luna replied "Very well then, you have made your decision, and it would be wrong of me to force you to change your mind. Now then, seeing as this night is almost over, I shall return to Canterlot to rest. It will take some time for everything to be worked out, so you will likely remain on leave for a couple of weeks, possibly even a month or two. But before I leave, I suggest you heed this warning. Do not live your life without thinking what will happen if you lose control of yourself. The wisest of leaders, are the ones who prepare for a situation where they are the ones causing a problem." And with those words, the alicorn princess of the night took off.
                                  Shining Armor returned to The Golden Oaks Library, and quickly fell asleep. But all the while, Princess Luna's parting words played over and over in his mind.
                                  Shining Armor knew for certain that he would have to start planning, for the possibility that he might become a threat far worse than the ones he'd sworn to vanquish.

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     Chapter 41: A Trip to Canterlot (Sweet and Elite)     
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Chapter 41: A Trip to Canterlot (Sweet and Elite)
                From outside the carriage he was riding in, Shining Armor could see the sights of Canterlot. It still amazed him, even after all the years he'd spent living in the city, and all the times he'd come back to it as Captain of The Royal Guard.
                All the same, this was the first time he'd come back to the city, for a reason other than because it was his duty as captain to make The Royal Guard was properly trained. And the reason for his visit this time around, made him more than a little nervous.
                Fortunately, he wasn't alone. He was accompanied on this trip by his good friend Fancy Pants, his wife Fleur, and their business partner, Rarity.
                "Thanks again for letting me tag along with you guys on your trip to Canterlot," Shining Armor said to Fancy Pants, as the carriage began to slow down "I really appreciate it."
                 "Think nothing of it, Shining Armor. We've been friends for at least a year now," Fancy Pants replied "After everything you've done for Fleur, Miss Rarity, and I, this is the least we could do to repay you."
                 "If I may ask, why did you insist on coming along with us on this trip to re-establish business contacts?" Rarity asked Shining Armor "Your sister's birthday will fall on one of the days we are here, and I'm sure she will be a little disappointed to know you couldn't make it."
                  "I'm well aware of that fact, but when I learned who was going to be back in Canterlot after all this time, I knew I needed to see her." Shining Armor explained.
                  "Are you by chance talking about Princess Cadence, the quote unquote 'Crystal Princess'?" Fleur asked Shining Armor, who blushed a bit in response.
                  "You caught me, Cadence is the reason why I wanted so badly to accompany you all on this trip," Shining Armor confessed "We haven't seen each other for years. That is, assuming you don't count her brief appearance in my mind when Discord was turning Ponyville into the chaos capital of the known world."
                   "I must say, when it comes to romance, you certainly aim high. But I would've expected no less from The Captain of The Royal Guard," Rarity commented "How long have you had these feelings for Cadence, if I may ask?"
                   "Probably since Twily was just a filly, maybe even longer than that," Shining Armor replied, and explained "Cadence was Twilight's foalsitter, and she was really good at it. She was so sweet, and so kind, it was impossible not fall for her. But every time I tried to tell her how I felt, I kept choking, or something came up. Eventually, I started to see Cadence less and less, and when Twily no longer needed a foalsitter, there was nothing to keep her from her duties as a princesss. But I never gave up on my feelings for her, I kept hoping that I'd bump into her again, and finally be able to tell her how I felt. And when I learned she'd be back in Canterlot this weekend, I knew I had to find a way to see her."
                   "So, you intend to propose to her?" Fleur asked, as the carriage slowed to a halt.
                   "Perhaps," Shining Armor said glumly "But more than likely, I'm going to have to face reality. Cadence is probably seeing somepony else, especially now that I'm no longer Captain of The Royal Guard, at least for the time being."
                   "I'm sure that Cadence doesn't care what sort of title you have." Rarity replied seriously.
                   "Maybe, but the odds of her still having feelings for me after all these years doesn't seem very likely," Shining Armor admitted, before sighing a bit "I suppose there's only one way to know for sure. I'll have to find her, and see how she reacts to my presence."
                   "In that case, I assume this is where we shall part ways for the time being," Fancy Pants declared, as the carriage doors opened, and the ponies inside it stepped out onto the streets of Canterlot "Fleur and I shall be meeting with some of our esteemed, and not so esteemed contacts. And Miss. Rarity shall be busy with maintaing our wardrobe fo all the parties, balls, and other formal events we will undoubtedly be attending."
                   "I wish you the best of luck, darling. And something tells me that you will find great success in your quest for love." Rarity said kindly, as she went off with Fancy Pants and Fleur.
                   Shining Armor sighed, now he was on his own. "Well, no sense in beating around the bush," he thought to himself "I need to find Princess Cadence, and if she's still single, I'm going to ask her out on a date!" With that goal in mind, Shining Armor set off for the castle courtyard, where he knew Princess Cadence would be waiting.
                   It didn't take long for Shining Armor to reach the castle courtyard, he knew his way around Canterlot like the back of his hoof. But when he arrived at his destination, he was shocked to find that a massive crowd of ponies was already there.
                   Apparently, the reappearance of the crystal princess in Canterlot was major news, and everypony wanted a chance to see the newest alicorn.
                   Shining Armor was barely able to find a good place to stand amongst the crowd, and he had no sooner done so, when a trumpet fanfare sounded through the courtyard. "Mares and gentlestallions," a royal guard announced "It is with great pleasure, that we humbly announce the arrival of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, better know as Princess Cadence, The Crystal Princess!"
                   The crowd of ponies burst into thunderous applause, clapping and stomping their hooves, as the royal guards parted two by two. And then, walking down the red carpted pathway was a pink coated alicorn with a mane styled into locks of violet, rose, and gold. Her light purple eyes reflected her youth, as her cutie mark depicting a heart made of crystal, sparkled in the bright sunshine. She smiled and waved to all the ponies that were there to greet her, who only clapped, cheered, and stomped even louder in response.
                   As Princess Cadence neared the end of her walk, she was more than a little surprised to see a familiar white coated stallion waving to her from amongst the crowd. His somewhat bushy sapphire blue mane and tail with dark blue and cerulean streaks, and his moderate cerulean eyes were unmistakeable to her. But, what was he doing in Canterlot? He hadn't been part of The Royal Guard assigned to protect her, in fact, Cadence hadn't seen him with the royal guard once since arriving in Canterlot. Just what had changed since she'd last seen him?
                   Everypony present in the crowd was surprised when they saw Princess Cadence stop, just before the end of the red carpted pathway. She then made her way through the crowd, until she stopped in front of the stallion that had been Captain of The Royal Guard. Did she not know that he was currently on leave, and that a debate was currently being held as to whether or not he should return to active duty?
                   Nopony was more surprised than Shining Armor, however. He had not been expecting Princess Cadence to single him out from the crowd. He had expected to have to make her notice him, especially considering his position amongst the crowd.
                   "What are you doing here, Shining Armor? Princess Cadence asked, looking the stallion in the eyes while her own eyes reflected a look of confusion.
                   "I came here to see you, why else would I be in this crowd?" Shining Armor replied. With the whole crowd watching him, he felt very much like a bug under a microscope. He could feel himself start to sweat a bit. Sure, he had wanted to talk to Cadence, and potentially even ask her for a date. But he had wanted to do so in private, not with an entire crowd of strangers looking at him. He was certain that if word got out that he was dating the crystal princess, the Canterlot nobility would conspire to sink his chances of returning to his title of Captain of The Royal Guard. To say nothing of what they would do to Cadence.
                   "You could've offered to be part of my private guard, or is there something I don't know about?" Princess Cadence asked Shining Armor, her look changing from one of confusion, to one of concern.
                   "It's a long story, and one that I don't want to discuss in front of all these ponies," Shining Armor explained, then he gulped and plucked up courage "Do you think that, maybe I could tell you about it over lunch? Don't know about you, but I'm kind of hungry."
                    Princess Cadence could easily see where Shining Armor was going with the conversation, but decided to play along and humor him for a bit. It would give her a chance to learn just what changed since she'd last seen Shining Armor, as well as get away from the crowd that was only interested in gwaking at her, and taking pictures of her. "Sounds good to me, it's been a while since I've had a chance to have lunch with anypony besides my aunts and my guards."
                    "Great, lunch it is! And I know just the place!" Shining Armor said, and hastily grabbed Princess Cadence by the hoof, and led her away.
                    "That stallion is trying to run off with The Crystal Princess!" a random pony in the crowd shouted.
                    "Stop him!" another pony bellowed.
                    Princess Cadence's guards quickly sprang into action, and prepared to go after Shining Armor. But before they could so, Princess Cadence spoke up and instructed "It's okay, guards. You may stand down, I am not in need of your protection."
                    "But your highness, we are sworn to protect you from any and all threats, you must let us do our duty." one of the guards insisted.
                    "I appreciate your concern, but I know this stallion enough to know that he isn't a threat," Princess Cadence told the guards "And I am more than capable of looking out for myself. If this stallion wishes to spend time with me, I won't deny him what he is rightfully entitled to. But don't worry, I promise that I'll be back by sundown. If I don't return by then, you may come look for me. And that is an order."
                     The guards reluctantly backed away. "Very well. If that is what you wish, your highness, we will hold you to your word." one of the guards replied.
                     "But, if you are not back by the time you designated, we will come looking for you, and your aunts will be notified of what happened." another guard said in a gruff voice.
                     "We'll both keep that in mind, now I must be off." Princess Cadence replied with a nod, and allowed Shining Armor to take her away. The crowd of ponies was speechless. The Captain of The Royal Guard and The Crystal Princess knew each other, to the point where they could actually go off on their own together, even when neither of them should have the ability to do so.
                      Just what was the world coming to?
                      Shining Armor couldn't believe his luck. When he entered Donut Joe's, the entire restaurant was deserted, Joe himself was the only pony actually there.
                      Clearing his throat, Shining Armor called out "Hey, Joe. Got room for two?"
                      Donut Joe spun around, he hadn't been expecting company. Especially not the presence of The Crystal Princess. And yet, here she was, with The Captain of The Royal Guard standing close by "Ah, a t-thousand pardons, your highness," he stuttered, his teeth chattering a bit "I was not aware you'd be visitng my humble shop. P-please, make yourself comfortable. I can see about maybe sprucing up the place a bit."
                      "It's alright, Donut Joe. You don't need to make any special arrangements. Shining Armor and I just want to be treated like your regular paying customers," Princess Cadence replied "Wherever you want us to sit is fine."
                       "Then, by all means, pull up a seat and see what interests you," Donut Joe encouraged, as he gave Princess Cadence and Shining Armor two menus to read over "Despite my name sake, I don't just sell donuts."
                       Shining Armor and Princess Cadence sat down at a table near the back of the restauarant, and looked over the menus they had been given. They quickly agreed to split an order of Donut Joe's famous donuts, and for both of them to get their own cup of hot chocolate. For dessert, they agreed to share a chocolate milkshake. And Shining Armor insisted on paying for everything out of his own pocket.
                        "You don't have to do this, Shining Armor. I can pay for my own food." Princess Cadence insisted.
                        "I'm sure you could, but I'm the one who invited you out. You shouldn't have to worry about anything, other than having a good time." Shining Armor replied, as Donut Joe accepted his payment of bits.
                         While Shining Armor and Princess Cadence waited for their food to arrive, Princess Cadence took the time to ask Shining Armor some questions. "So, how come you didn't offer to be part of my personal guard?" she asked Shining Armor "I'm sure my Aunt Celestia would've said yes."
                         Shining Armor sighed, he knew this sort of question was going to pop up sooner or later, and he knew there was no use in trying to lie to Princess Cadence. "You know about Discord, right?" he asked bluntly.
                         Princess Cadence was surprised, and a little bit confused that Shining Armor mentioned such a thing, as was evidenced by her eyes growing wide and her tilting to the side a bit. "Of course I do. What does that have to do with anything?" she asked in reply.
                         Sighing again, and a noticeable frown emerging on his face, Shining Armor explained "Well, apparently Discord did more damage than even I thought. For weeks after my encounter with him, I kept having nightmares of him. And I kept feeling like he was out to get me, waiting for the right moment to strike. Eventually, that constant paranoia caused me to snap, and I went crazy. I actually tried to hurt a bunch of innocent children with a stun spell."
                         Princess Cadence's mouth dropped open in shock at such a statement.
                         "I know, but it's true," Shining Armor glumly admitted "As a result of that incident, Princess Celestia put me on an unpaid leave of absence. Princess Luna re-evaulated me and said I was fit to return to active duty, but she said it would take weeks for the necessary paperwork to be filed. And right now, there's a huge debate going on about whether or not I deserve to remain Captain of The Royal Guard. Several ponies, including your brother, Prince Blueblood, think I should be replaced. That's why you saw me in the crowd."
                         Princess Cadence said nothing, she had no idea that was the reason for Shining Armor not being part of her personal guard. She never would've imagined that Shining Armor would snap so badly. He had seemed like the kind of pony that rarely lost his cool, and that was what drew her to him in the first place.
                         Neither Shining Armor or Princess Cadence said anything else after that, and they just ate their meal in silence. On a few occasions, they tried to start up a conversation, but quickly dropped it when the other pony showed no interest in replying.
                         When they had finished eating, and felt quite full, Shining Armor and Princess Cadence left Donut Joe's. Sundown was still a few hours away, and they intended to make the most of the time they had left.
                         Donut Joe just smiled, as he observed Shining Armor and Princess Cadence leaving his restaurant walking side by side, and holding hooves. He could see the signs, he'd had plenty of experience with young love since opening his donut shop.
                         "Shining Armor's growing up," he said with a smile "And it seems like only yesterday he was in my shop for the first time. It's true what they say, they grow up so fast."
                          With nowhere they needed to be, Shining Armor and Princess Cadence were currently strolling through the strees of Canterlot. As they passed by the various shops and government buildings, many ponies and visitng ambassadors either waved to them, or stared at them with odd looks.
                          But the two of them didn't mind, at this point they only cared about catching up on what happened to each other since they'd last met.
                          Shining Armor in particular, had a question that had been nipping at the back of his mind for a long time now, and he knew he needed an answer. "So, Cadence, do you mind telling me just where you were while Discord was running free?" Shining Armor asked "Discord didn't seem to be aware of your presence, though he very well could've been and was just putting on an act."
                          Princess Cadence pondered for a moment, putting a hoof to her chin. Apparently, she had never considered such a question. But at last she answered with "I was in hiding. Discord didn't know about the existence of a third alicorn, and I knew that if you and your friends somehow failed to defeat him, it would fall to me to do so. Rather than allow Discord to corrupt what was Equestria's only wild card in the fight against unending chaos, I maintained a low profile in a small outpost in The Frozen North."
                          "But then, how were you able to appear in my mind after Discord corrupted me?" Shining Armor asked.
                          "I don't have a precise answer for that," Princess Cadence replied "I could just sense that you were in trouble and needed my help. It might have been related to the dreamwalking abilites that Aunt Luna taught me, or it could've been something entirely unrelated."
                          "Well, I guess I shouldn't look that gift horse in the mouth. I'm glad you came, when you did." Shining Armor said, smiling for what felt to him like the first time he'd done so in months.
                           "It's too bad I couldn't be there to help you when you were worrying about Discord's return, after you defeated him." Princess Cadence said glumly. She had sensed that something was off about Shining Armor, but hadn't been able to do anything to help him.
                           "Even if you'd appeared in my mind, I doubt there was much you could've done to help me out," Shining Armor replied "I was keeping my struggles secret from all of my friends, and even from my sister. I thought it was my burden to bear, and no one else's. Perhaps, if I hadn't been so thickheaded, I could've avoided the end result."
                            "Perhaps, but if there's one thing both of my aunts have taught me, it's that you should never allow yourself to live in fear of your past," Princess Cadence said seriously "It can hurt, but you can either run from it and pretend it doesn't exist, or learn from it and ensure you don't make the same mistake again. They've also taught me, that nopony is perfect. We all have our faults, and what seperates the good from the bad, is how those faults define us."
                            "Your aunts have taught you well, I should know, I've met them both." Shining Armor replied, surprised at just how much insight and wisdom Princess Cadence had gained from the other alicorns.
                            "You've met Aunt Luna?" Princess Cadence asked, to which Shining Armor nodded in confirmation "What did you think of her?"
                             Shining Armor paused for a moment, as if deep in thought about something. Then, at last, he said "She was..... interesting. She actually showed me a glimpse of her troubled past. I have to say that she went through quite a bit. Though I didn't get the whole story from her."
                             "Aunt Luna really doesn't like to talk about her past very much, I think it's obvious to everyone that she still feels guilty about what happened all those years ago," Princess Cadence replied, her voice taking on a more somber tone "The fact that she was willing to share even a part of said past with you indicates that she has a lot of trust in you."
                              Shining Armor and Princess Cadence had a lovely afternoon together. As time went on and they got comfortable being around each other, they started opening up more and more. They talked not just about their lives, and what was happening to them, but also about the latest news and gossip. They even swapped some funny stories about ponies that they'd overheard.
                              It became to obvious to everyone, including themselves, that they were on a date. And they enjoyed every minute of it.
                              But all good things had to come to an end eventually, and the date was no exception. As the sun began to set in Canterlot, Shining Armor and Princess Cadence knew that their time together was over, at least for now.
                              "Thanks for not declining my offer, even though it was in public." Shining Armor said to Princess Cadence, as he guided her to the royal suite she was staying in.
                              "Oh, I'm the one who should be thanking you, Shining Armor," Princess Cadence replied kindly "It's nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of political life in Canterlot, and just unwind. I've been very busy lately."
                               "Busy with what?" Shining Armor asked.
                               "Aunt Celestia has been training me quite a bit, so that should The Crystal Empire ever return, I'll be ready to take over the throne. But she won't tell me why," Princess Cadence explained "She says that when the time comes, she'll fill me in on all the details."
                                "I see," Shining Armor said seriously, then he decided to pluck up courage "Say, Cadence. If you're not too busy tomorrow, why don't you and I go out on another date? This time, you can decide where we go."
                                "Oh, Shining Armor. I would love that very much! You've got yourself a deal!" Princess Cadence replied, and kissed Shining Armor on the cheek "Consider that my way of saying thanks, for just being yourself. See you tomorrow at noon!" And with that, she retreated to her private quarters.
                                Shining Armor felt incredibly overjoyed at reciving a kiss from Princess Cadence. And all this time he'd been worried that she might not feel the same way about him anymore.
                                 A smile that could rival Pinkie Pie's formed on Shining Armor's face, as he happily walked to the castle suite where Fancy Pants, Fleur, and Rarity were staying.
                                 "Well, well, it looks like someone had the time of his life." Fancy Pants commented, as Shining Armor entered the suite.
                                 "I take it this means Princess Cadence returned your feelings of affection?" Rarity asked Shining Armor.
                                 "She sure did, in fact, I'm going on another date with her tomorrow. What do you think of that?" Shining Armor replied.
                                 "I'd say you're the luckiest stallion in all of Equestria. You've landed what many consider to be the most attractive mare in all of Equestria," Fleur commented "Reminds me of the time when Fancy Pants and I first met and started dating. I'd never felt so happy before, and Fancy Pants was a true gentlecolt."
                                 "And I love just as much now, as I did back then." Fancy Pants replied happily.
                                 "Say, Rarity, can I ask you something really quick?" Shining Armor asked, hoping that Rarity would be able to answer his question, despite not actually being married herself.
                                  "What is it you wish to ask, Shining Armor? I'm currently working on making some very important arrangements." Rarity replied, looking over pieces of paper that Shining Armor assumed to be sketches (they actually weren't, but he didn't know this).
                                  "Would you by any chance, happen to know of any good jewel makers in Canterlot?" Shining Armor asked "There's a little something I'd like to get for Princess Cadence, to give to her if all goes well on our next date."
                                  Shining Armor found it hard to sleep that night, with his thoughts constantly drifting to Princess Cadence, and what he planned to do if their next date went smoothly. But eventually, he managed to close his eyes and rest.
                                  The next morning, he awoke bright and early, and after learning that Fancy Pants, Fleur, and Rarity would be hosting a garden party in the castle courtyard later that evening, he raced out the door with his saddle bags in tow. "Today may very well be the most important day of my life!" he thought to himself, as he ran through the streets of Canterlot to reach his destination.
                                  The second date with Princess Cadence was every bit as enjoyable as the first date, especially since Princess Cadence knew many of the best places in Canterlot for young couples to visit. None the least of which was Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, the same school Twilight had been attending before moving to Ponyville.
                                  As the afternoon changed to evening, the date began to wind down. Which meant it was time for Shining Armor to make his move, he only had one shot at this. The question now was, how would Princess Cadence react?
                                  Princess Cadence was surprised, when Shining Armor stopped in front of a magnificent crystal fountain in the heart of Canterlot. Just what was he up to?
                                  "Cadence, ever since we first met, you captured my heart. I never thought about any other mare the way I thought about you," Shining Armor said, as he looked Princess Cadence in the eyes "I always wanted to say something to you about how I felt while we were in school, or while you were foalsitting Twily, but I could never bring myself to do it. I thought I'd missed my chance when I had to move to Ponyville, and for a while I thought you might have forgotten about me. But now I've come to realize, that it was foolish of me to think that way."
                                  Princess Cadence was certain she knew where the conversation was headed, but just to make sure she wasn't possibly misreading the situation she asked "Shining Armor? Are you saying, what I think you're trying to say?"
                                  Shining Armor nodded, then he said "I'm not the greatest with words, at least when it comes to something like this. But maybe this will help explain my intentions." He then reached into his saddle bag, and pulled out a small black box.
                                  Princess Cadence opened it, and that was when her eyes beheld a gold ring with the most magnificent diamond on the tip. The diamond shimmered in the glow of the evening sun. Princess Cadence could feel her heart start to beat with excitement, was this it? Was Shining Armor about to pop the question?
                                  Her answer came a moment later, as Shining Armor cleared his throat and said to Princess Cadence "Cadence, will you marry me?"
                                  Princess Cadence blushed bright red, and a massive smile formed on her face. Try as she might, she couldn't maintain her calm composure for long as she said in reply "Of course I'll marry you, Shining Armor! I always thought we were perfect for each other, but I felt like perhaps you couldn't see that. Then we started dating again, and I could tell you felt the same way I did about our relationship!" And with that, she leaned in to kiss Shining Armor, who returned the kiss whole heartedly.
                                  Shining Armor felt like he was on top of the known world, as he happily made his way through the streets of Canterlot. His destination was the courtyard of Canterlot Castle, he couldn't wait to share the exciting news with the friends that had accompanied him on this trip to Canterlot.
                                  "It's too bad Twily's birthday is in Ponyville, and I'm in Canterlot," Shining Armor thought to himself, as he could see the castle courtyard in the distance "I can't wait to tell her the good news!"
                                  But as he neared the castle courtyard where the garden party was being held, he was surprised at the sight that greeted his eyes. There were the rest of his Ponyville friends, Braeburn, Big Macintosh, Soarin, and Thunderlane. As well as his sister, Twilight, Spike, and the rest of their Ponyville friends, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy, as well as Fancy Pants, Fleur, and Rarity. And from the looks of things, the courtyard and nearby ballroom had been decked out in festive style. Colorful banners hung from trees, pillars, and walls, bits of confetti littered the grounds, and the ballroom itself looked like it was decorated with the intent of celebrating a birthday party.
                                  In fact, that was exactly the case, as Shining Armor saw a large banner painted in purple letters that read: Happy Birthday, Twilight!. On a nearby table, there was a birthday cake with pink frosting and several candles on top.
                                  "Well, look who just showed up." Soarin commented, as Shining Armor came upon the scene.
                                  "Howdy there, Shining Armor, you came just in time," Braeburn said cheerfully, blowing on a party favor "The fun's just about to start."
                                  Shining Armor was confused and speechless, he tried to open his mouth and ask what was going on, but all that came out was "How...what the... but I thought..."
                                  "Isn't it wonderful, B.B.B.F.F?" Twilight asked, a massive smile displayed clearly on her face "Rarity took the liberty of booking the ballroom, and transfering my birthday party from Ponyville, to here!"
                                  "It wasn't easy to change up the party plans at the last minute, but with help from Braeburn and all of my friends, it was possible," Pinkie Pie explained, as she bounced from place to place to put up the last couple of decorations "Of course, I had some help from my secret weapon. My trusty rusty, patent pending, Party Cannon!"
                                  "No joke, she has an actual cannon that shoots out party decorations! You should see it in action, it's pretty cool!" Rainbow Dash commented.
                                  "Rarity did all of this?" Shining Armor asked.
                                  "Eeyup." Big Macintosh replied, he and Applejack were currently setting up a small apple bobbing tub for the party.
                                  "Gotta hoof it to her, Rarity sure knows her stuff when it comes to Canterlot rules and regulations." Applejack added.
                                  "But why did she do this? Especially with the garden party Fancy Pants and Fleur are hosting." Shining Armor spoke up.
                                  "She did it for you, of course." Thunderlane told Shining Armor.
                                  "Rarity knew how crushed you were about the fact that your trip to Canterlot would have you out of Ponyville during Twilight's birthday," Fluttershy added "Naturally, she knew she had to rectify that problem at once."
                                  "Fleur and I were more than happy to reschedule the garden party for another day," Fancy Pants chimed in "We knew this was more important to you, and to us."
                                   "A few of our business clients weren't too happy with our decision, but most of them understood after we mentioned that you were The Captain of The Royal Guard, and that your sister was Princess Celestia's student." Fleur finished.
                                    "Rarity even made arrangements with Princess Celestia to have us flown into Canterlot by chariot," Spike commented "And that's not all. Just before we left for Canterlot, I got a message from Princess Celestia informing Twilight and I that your title of Captain of The Royal Guard had been restored, and your unpaid leave of absence was over."
                                    "Oh, Rarity, you shouldn't have. But I'm glad you did!" Shining Armor said happily, he couldn't believe his luck. Today was turning out be the best day of his life.
                                    "Think nothing of it, Shining Armor. After everything you've done for Fancy Pants, Fleur, their friends, my friends, and I, it was the least I could do to repay you." Rarity smiled.
                                    "So, if we're done chit chating, it's party time!" Pinkie Pie declared, whipping out her party cannon and pressing a button. Streams of confetti and party decorations shout out from its barrel, landing perfectly on the few tables and pillars not already decorated.
                                     But before the celebration could begin, Shining Armor had some very big news that he knew he needed to tell to everyone. He cleared his throat, turned to Twilight, and asked "You remember Princess Cadence, don't you?"
                                     Twilight smiled "Of course I do, how could I forget? She was only the best foalsitter in the history of foalsitters! She was so kind, so sweet, and so compassionate! Why do you ask?"
                                     "Well, I'm getting married to her!" Shining Armor declared proudly.
                                     "Really? You're marrying Cadence?" Twilight asked, her eyes expressing a look of hope. Surely, her brother wouldn't joke about such a thing.
                                     "Indeed I am, we're going to start making plans for our Canterlot Wedding very soon." Shining Armor declared. This prompted a deafening chorus of cheers and applause from everyone gathered, most of all, Twilight.
                                     "Oh, B.B.B.F.F, that's the best birthday present I could ever ask for!" Twilight said happily, as she embraced her brother in a massive hug. Shining Armor returned the hug full force, and nothing more needed to be said.
                                      Unknown to Twilight, Shining Armor, Spike, and their friends, they were being watched. From a bush in the distance, a mysterious bug like creature had its eyes fixated on Shining Armor. "A wedding," it said to itself, a fiendish grin forming on its lips "How delightful. This is exactly what I've been waiting for."

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  Chapter 42: Attack and Aftermath (Secret of My Excess)   
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Chapter 42: Attack and Aftermath (Secret of My Excess)
                Even after Twilight's birthday party wrapped up, and everyone else returned home to Ponyville, Shining Armor stayed in Canterlot. He remained with Princess Cadence for the rest of the time she stayed in Canterlot, during which point the young couple went on several more dates.
                After Cadence left for The Frozen North, Shining Armor finally bordered a train and headed home to Ponyville. He was looking forward to telling his parents the good news, when he, Twilight, and Spike went back to Canterlot to spend Hearth's Warming with their family.
                Upon arriving back in Ponyville, however, Shining Armor was horrified at the sight that greeted his eyes.
                The town of Ponyville was under attack, but not from some ancient evil like Nightmare Moon or Discord, or a creature from The Everfree Forest like an Ursa Minor or a Hydra. The creature responsible for laying waste to Ponyville, was a giant light purple colored dragon with faimiliar green scales. Shining Armor only knew one dragon that was like that, and that made him all the more horrified, his mouth almost dropped to the floor in shock "Spike!" he exclaimed "Just what has gotten into him?!"
                Knowing that he needed some answers, Shining Armor raced to the pony who knew Spike best, his sister, Twilight. He found her, and her friends, as they were running all over town, heading for Carousel Boutique.
                "Twilight, what's going on?! What's happened to Spike?! Why is he attacking the town?!" Shining Armor asked.
                "It's a long story, and we don't have time to talk about it! Spike's on his way to Carousel Boutique!" Twilight exclaimed in reply, refusing to slow down.
                "And Rarity's completely unaware! Spike's probably gonna ponynap her!" Applejack shouted "If only he moved a little slower, I could trip him up with my lasso!"
                 "What about Fancy Pants and Fleur?!" Shining Armor asked.
                 "They went out to get some supplies for the Boutique!" Big Macintosh told Shining Armor "Chances are, they've seen Spike as well, and realize where he's goin'!"
                  And both Big Macintosh and Applejack were right, Spike was indeed heading for Carousel Boutique. And try as they might, Shining Armor, Twilight, and their friends, were just not fast enough to catch up to Spike in time.
                  They arrived at Carousel Boutique, just in time to see Spike grab hold of Rarity with one of his claws, and carry her away with the rest of his looted treasures.
                  "He's headin' for the mountains!" Braeburn exclaimed "There's no way we can reach him!"
                  "Then it's all up to The Wonderbolts!" Rainbow Dash said seriously.
                  "The question is, will Soarin be willing to actually attack Spike?" Thunderlane asked.
                   It didn't take long for word of Spike's rampage to reach Wonderbolts HQ in Cloudsdale, and it took even less time for Spitfire to call all of the available Wonderbolts together.
                   "As I'm sure you all know by now, Spike has somehow grown to massive size, and he's attacking Ponyville! It's up to us to stop him, and save Rarity, who has he ponynapped!" Spitfire said seriously "This is going to be a very difficult mission, and one that is likely to result in serious injury! So, I ask only for volunteers! If you don't think you can handle the assignment, I suggest you back out now!"
                   "Captain, you and I have both met Spike before!" Soarin spoke up.
                   "I know that, Soarin, and I didn't want to believe he was responsible for the attack!" Spitfire replied, before shaking her head sadly "Unfortunately, the facts don't lie, and it's up to us to make sure he's stopped!"
                   "But we know Spike, or at least I do," Soarin protested "And that Spike is not the kind of guy who would do stuff like this. He's not himself! I'm sorry, Captain, but I won't hurt my friend for something that's not his fault."
                   "Does anypony else wish to follow Soarin's example?" Spitfire asked, she hadn't gotten to the role of captain by ignoring the opinions of her fellow Wonderbolts. But she was still surprised to see that not one of them was willing to step forward and say they would go after Spike. Spitfire sighed "If none of you wish to attack Spike, then as your captain I won't make you."
                    "Spitfire, let me go!" Blaze spoke up, she was Spitfire's kid sister, and had been itching to prove herself since joining The Wonderbolts shortly after Discord's defeat. Looking at her coat, it was easy to mistake her for Spitfire, at least when she was in her Wonderbolt flight suit.
                    "Out of the question, Blaze! I can't let you put yourself in harms way like that!" Spitfire said with a shake of her head "I'm saying this not just as your captain, but as your big sister."
                    "Somepony's got to stop Spike, and I can tell you don't want to be the one that has to hurt him," Blaze pleaded "Allow me to take your place, Spike doesn't know me at all. I'll take High Winds and Surprise with me, the three of us should be able to handle the situation."
                    "You're going to bring my sister and her friend? Are you crazy?!" Soarn asked angrily.
                    "I'm doing this, with or without permission! I refuse to stand by and do nothing, while innocent ponies suffer!" Blaze replied, a look of determination appearing in her firey red eyes.
                     Spitfire and Soarin both sighed, as much as they disliked the idea of their siblings doing their jobs for them, they both knew they were less likely to let personal feelings interfere with the job. And so, reluctantly, they allowed for Blaze, High Winds, and Surprise to take off.
                     Soarin set off on his own soon afterward, but he wasn't going to join the fight against giant Spike. "My friends are down there, and I have they're going to need my help!" he told Spitfire, just before he set off for Ponyville.
                     Spitfire said nothing as Soarin left, she just stood there with a smile on her face. "Don't know what I'd do without somepony like you to hold me in check, Soarin." she thought to herself.
                      It didn't take long for Soarin to find his friends, they were standing on a bridge not too far from the outskirts of Ponyville. They were looking alternatively through a pair of binoculars, as Spike held onto Rarity with one claw, while using the other claw to swipe at The Wonderbolts as they buzzed round him like flies.
                      "Hey, guys," Soarin called, landing on the bridge "Things aren't looking too good right now, are they?"
                      "Well, if you're here, then who is that Wonderbolt that looks just like you?" Fancy Pants asked.
                      "That's my younger sister, High Winds. She's a good mare, but sometimes a bit too eager to prove herself," Soarin explained "And that pony that looks like Spitfire is actually her kid sister, Blaze."
                       "And that third Wonderbolt is called, Surprise, isn't she?" Pinkie Pie asked Soarin.
                       "How did you know?" Soarin replied.
                       "She was my foalsitter, once upon a time, but that's another story." Pinkie Pie explained.
                       "Oh no! Look!" Twilight exclaimed in horror, as she observed the fight through the binoculars. Using the empty water tower he had stolen earlier, Spike managed to catch all three Wonderbolts, and trap them in the side of the mountain. The water tower serving as a makeshift prison.
                        "I don't believe it, The Wonderbolts didn't stand a chance! Spike brushed them off like they were nothing!" Rainbow Dash said in a state of shock.
                        "Now who will save us?" Fluttershy wondered out loud.
                        "It's all up to Rarity, now," Shining Armor said glumly "She's the only pony who can talk some sense into Spike before Celestia calls in The Royal Guards."
                        "Oh dear, what if Spike doesn't listen?" Fleur asked.
                        "Then things are gonna get ugly." Shining Armor replied in a somber tone. Even if Celestia ordered The Royal Guards to be gentle with Spike, they would still need to subdue him and defeat him. And as Captain of The Royal Guard, it would fall to Shining Armor to lead the charge, something he wasn't sure he would be able to do.
                         From the mountain he was currently in the midst of climbing, Spike let out a huge roar. The soundwave was so powerful that it shook the ground beneath it all the way through Ponyville.
                         "Oh, be quiet. You've got nothing to be proud of," Rarity lectured, she had yet to realize that the giant dragon that had abducted her was Spike "You steal everypony's things, terrorize the town, and use me as a weapon against my own friends! You've got a lot of nerve, but as horrible as that is, I can almost understand because you're greedy and all. But you tore a hole in this lovely dress after I worked so hard on it."
                         It was then that Spike's eyes drifted to the jewel around Rarity's neck, it was a bright red fire ruby, and he could swear he had seen it before, somewhere.
                         Rarity, unaware of why Spike was interested in the fire ruby, quickly protested "Oh no. You are not getting your claws on this gemstone! This was given to me by my dear Spikey-Wikey. He is the kindest, sweetest, most generous dragon ever. And a gift from someone as thoughtful as him is too precious to me to give to a greedy old beast like you! This fire ruby is staying where it is!"
                         Rarity's words caused Spike to reflect back to when he had given Rarity the fire ruby the week before his birthday. He had planned to eat it for his birthday dinner, but Rarity had looked like she needed it more. And she had rewarded him for his generosity, with a kiss on the cheek.
                         Spike, finally realizing what was going on, fought against the instincts of his new body, and this caused him to return to his normal size. Unfortunately, as a result, both he and Rarity began to plummet to the ground.
                         "Somepony do something, quick!" Pinkie Pie shouted, observing the possible tragedy through the binoculars.
                         "Don't worry, we're on it!" Soarin replied, as he and Thunderlane grabbed the torn cape of Rarity's dress, and flew off to catch Spike and Rarity before they could fall very far.
                          In only a matter of seconds, the two were caught in the makeshift net, and Rarity even gave Thunderlune a small hug to show her gratitude (she gave Soarin a hug as well). Just after Spike and Rarity were safely on the ground, the water tower broke away from the mountainside. Without Spike to hold onto it, it could not stay in place. Blaze, High Winds, and Surprise were all huddled together in fright, but quickly regained their composure and flew off. They were relieved that not a lot of ponies had seen them.
                          At last, Spike's rampage through Ponyville had ended. But the damage had been done, and it was clear to everyone that it would take some time to repair and clean up.
                          While his friends, Twilight, and her friends, all set off to examine the extent of damage done to Ponyville, Shining Armor stayed behind. He could sense that something was wrong with Spike, and wanted to see if there was anything he could do to help.
                           Spike sat on the edge of the very same bridge that Shining Armor, Twilight, and their friends had been standing on only moments ago. He looked out across the water, and turned his attention to the sights of destruction that lay all around. No tears were present in his eyes, but his face conveyed a look of horror, worry, and most of all, guilt.
                           Shining Armor was certain he already knew what the problem was, but rather than jump to conclusions, he approached Spike and lightly tapped him on the shoulder with a hoof.
                           Spike jumped a bit, but calmed down when he saw that it was only Shining Armor. "Oh, hey Shining. Don't mind me, I'm just hanging around." Spike said glumly, barely making eye contact.
                           "I can see that." Shining Armor replied, as he noticed Spike looking at his reflection in the water, as it flowed under the bridge and out the other side.
                           "You've come to try and cheer me up. That's why you're here, isn't it?" Spike asked, not even bothering to turn around and face Shining Armor.
                            "Spike, take it from me, you can't let yourself wallow in self pity. It doesn't help anyone, especially not yourself." Shining Armor said seriously, as he rested his hoof on Spike's shoulder.
                            "That's easy for you to say, you didn't almost destroy an entire town because of your greed!" Spike complained, angrily brushing off Shining Armor's hoof "You saw what I did, you saw the destruction I caused! I'm a monster, don't deny it!"
                             "You're not a monster, Spike. A monster wouldn't feel regret for what he did." Shining Armor quickly replied.
                             "But I felt like a monster, and acted like a monster! I couldn't control my own instincts, and that's what caused all of this to happen!" Spike said angrily, before he burried his head into his claws and began to cry a bit.
                              "Just what happened to you that made you grow so big? I never expected you to stay small forever, but I certainly never imagined you'd grow so tall you could give those movie monsters a run for their money." Shining Armor asked Spike, hoping that if he knew what caused Spike to turn into a giant dragon and attack Ponyville, he could better understand what Spike was going through.
                               "It all started with my birthday, and it was stupid!" Spike said crossly, raising his head up and finally making eye contact with Shining Armor after several minutes of not bothering to do so "I noticed that whenever I mentioned my birthday to other ponies, I got gifts. First it was presents, then a cupcake, then a hat, and one thing led to another. I tried to stop myself from going too far, I kept telling myself what I was doing was wrong, but it didn't work. Part of me found that was it great to get presents, and that it was nice to not be so little any longer."
                               "And then you turned into that giant dragon, and started to lay waste to Ponyville, correct?" Shining Armor asked.
                                "Well, not entirely," Spike sighed, before telling more of his story "Twilight had been doing research on dragons, to try and figure out what would be a good gift to give me. Then, when she saw my behavior, and my abnormal height, she tried to see if someone could tell her what was wrong with me. Turns out that Zecora had the answer. Dragons eventually grow big and strong on their own, but greed can accelerate the transformation process, making us turn into giants in the blink of an eye. And when that happens, we lose control of ourselves. Our instincts start telling us to horde as much stuff as possible, without any regard for what it is."
                                 "So, how did you manage to snap out of it and return to normal? More importantly, why did it happen while you and Rarity were on that mountain?" Shining Armor pondered.
                                 "It was the fire ruby Rarity was wearing, it was a gift from me to her. It reminded me of who I was, and who I wanted to be," Spike explained "And well, you saw what happened after that. But if you took a look around, you'd know what I stole, or tried to steal. And you'll know why it's no one's fault but my own that so much of Ponyville is the way it is right now," As soon as he finished saying that, Spike began to cry "I never asked for any of this. I never wanted to hut my friends, let alone the town that's become a second home to me. But because of what I am, it happened. And it's all my fault! If I had just been stronger, more informed about my dragon heritage, I could've kept myself in check and avoided all this! But I was weak, and Ponyville suffered as a result!"
                                 "There is nothing you could've done, Spike. You made every effort to stop yourself, when a weaker guy would've caved in and accepted his fate," Shining Armor said seriously "You need to stop beating yourself up for what you've done in the past. No one knows better than I do how hard it is to come to terms with your limitations as an indivdual. But we're not gods, we're not meant to be perfect."
                                 "Maybe not, but that doesn't mean I have any sort of excuse for my behavior. And it's certainly not going to fix what I did," Spike said, before a twinkle came into his eyes, and an idea came to him "There's only one way I can truly make sure that this sort of thing never happens again!"
                                 "And that would be what?" Shining Armor asked, as he saw Spike jump down from the bridge. A look of determination was reflected in the young dragon's eyes.
                                  "As it turns out, there's a whole bunch of dragons that migrate from place to place, before eventually returning to their homeland. They'll be passing by Ponyville in a matter of months." Spike explained.
                                   "And you're going to join them?!" Shining Armor exclaimed, hoping he'd somehow misheard things.
                                   "You read my mind, that's exactly what I'm going to do!" Spike said seriously "They're currently headed for Manehattan. If I pack up my things and leave in the next couple of days, I should be able to catch up to them. Then, hopefully, I'll finally know the truth about who I am, and what it means to be a dragon! Then I'll come back!"
                                    "Spike, haven't you stopped to consider the effect your decision will have on me, and and on Twilight?!" Shining Armor asked seriously "Twilight's practically raised you for years, you're like her son! How do you think she's going to feel if you leave to go join this migration?"
                                     "I know it'll hurt, but in time she'll move on. Twilight is a strong pony, and so are you," Spike told Shining Armor "The rest of Ponyville won't miss me that much, and even if it does, it's not like I'll be gone for good. Look, Shining Armor, I have to go on this quest! I have to know about my past, and what being a dragon is all about!"
                                     "And you think Twilight is just going to approve?! You're a part of her life, Spike!" Shining Armor said, he was trying to come up with all the arguements he could to talk Spike out of his decision.
                                      But no matter how hard Shining Armor tried, it was no use. "I'm sorry, Shining Armor, but my mind is made up. I actually ran this decision by Twilight when I first learned of the migration, and before any of this greed stuff occurred," Spike told Shining Armor, as tears rolled down his cheeks. What he said next, took every bit of courage he had "She said yes. I'm leaving Ponyville, don't bother trying to stop me!"
                                       It took a moment for the reality of the situation to sink in for Shining Armor, largely because he didn't want to believe it was true, but it was. Spike was going away, and it wasn't likely that he would be back for several months. Even if that wasn't all that long of a length, it was still too long to Shining Armor. But he knew in his heart, that if Twilight had said yes, there was little he could do to stop it from happening.
                                       "If you're really that determined to leave, then I have no right to stop you." Shining Armor began.
                                       "Glad you see things my way." Spike said with a sigh, as he prepared to head home and pack up his things.
                                       "But at the very least, you should stay in Ponyville, until Pinkie Pie gets the chance to throw you a goodbye party. You know how much she loves to throw parties, even for occasions like this." Shining Armor continued.
                                       The very next day, Pinkie Pie (with Braeburn's help) managed to put together a decent sized "Farewell Party" for Spike. All his friends gathered to say their goodbyes, as did many of the citizens of Ponyville, including Mayor Mare herself. Some of them were still not too happy about what Spike had done, but they all knew it wasn't his fault, and they didn't hold it against him. Some of them even felt, that perhaps because they'd been so hard on Spike in the aftermath of his attack, they'd unintentionally made him feel unwelcome.
                                        Those who found it hardest to say goodbye, were those who knew him personally. Rarity, Shining Armor, and Twilight.
                                        Rarity was the first of the three to make an effort to say farewell. Even as her tears caused her make-up to run, Rarity approached the dragon that she knew had a crush on him, and she'd be lying if she said she didn't have some feelings for him burried in her heart. "I'm sorry if I unintentionally called you anything really mean when you ponynapped me," she said, occasionally dabbing at her eyes with a tissue "I'll always cherish that fire ruby you gave to me. It's the nicest thing anypony's ever done for me, except for Fancy Pants agreeing to go into business with me of course. Do take care out there, Spikey-Wikey, and try to come back unharmed. Of course, if you do end up dirty when you return, you can always come over to my place for a bath. I find that a relaxing hot bath can be just the thing to help you unwind after a long journey."
                                        "I'll keep that offer in mind, and I'll do my best to stay out of trouble." Spike promised, and let Rarity give him another kiss on the cheek, so that he'd always have something to remember her by. He then watched, as Rarity walked away, collapsed onto her fainting couch, and began to cry heavily.
                                         She was going to miss her Spikey-Wikey.
                                         Shining Armor went next. He'd already told Spike months ago that he saw the dragon as a little brother, but he knew it was still going to be difficult to go through life in Ponyville without him. Spike had been by his side on that faithful mission from Princess Celestia that had changed everything. in many ways, he was the first friend Shining Armor had ever had. Twilight and Cadence were both wonderful ponies to be around, but when one was always busy with studies, and the other had been absent from Shining Armor's life for years, Spike was the only one that Shining Armor could trust to be there to listen to him.
                                          "I'm really going to miss you, and I hope you'll never forget about me," Shining Armor said to Spike "Just be careful out there, you know much I'll worry if anything happens to you."
                                          "You don't have to tell me twice," Spike replied "I'll miss you too! You've been a wonderful pony to be around and work with, and I'm sorry for all those comments I made about certain aspects of your life. I was only trying to have a little fun."
                                          "I know you were, and truth be told, I think those comments of yours are what about you that I'll miss the most." Shining Armor said, as he walked away slowly.
                                          This left only Twilight to say goodbye, and everyone in the crowd knew how difficult that was going to be for her. Silence fell over Sugarcube Corner, and no one dared to say anything, as Twilight slowly approached Spike. It took only a few seconds for her to reach him, but to everyone it felt like minutes.
                                           The silence continued, as Twilight and Spike just looked at each other, neither one of them saying anything, even as tears came into their eyes and flowed down their cheeks.
                                           At last, Twilight cleared her throat and began to speak "Spike, there is something I've always wanted to say to you, since the day you were hatched. But I never got the chance to do so, because I was too afraid and too absorbed in studying."
                                           "Twilight, are you trying to say, what I think you're trying to say?" Spike asked.
                                           "Spike, I-I....... I love...." Twilight spoke, but the words she wanted to say died on her tongue. She was too overcome with sadness.
                                           "It's okay, Twilight. I love you too, you've been a wonderful mother!" Spike said, as he embraced Twilight in a full body hug.
                                            "You're just saying that." Twilight said sadly, the tears continued to trickle down her cheeks.
                                            "No I'm not, you're the best mother anyone could ever ask for! Don't you dare think otherwise for even a moment!" Spike replied, as he and Twilight ended the hug.
                                             "I'll miss you, please don't forget about me!" Twilight insisted.
                                             "I won't, and I won't forget about the rest of you either! You've all been like family to me, and I'll always cherish the good times we had together," Spike said with a smile, even as the tears continued to form. He then retrieved a bundle tied to a stick, picked it up, and made his way out of Sugarcube Corner, and out of Ponyville itself.
                                              All the while, his friends waved to him and tried their best to smile. But not a single eye was dry.
                                              "Goodbye, Spike, we're gonna miss you!" Shining Armor called, as Spike began to disappear over the horizon.
                                              Spike stopped, and briefly looked back at Ponyville. "Spike. Somehow, even that doesn't feel right anymore," he thought to himself "I'm a dragon with no name." And as he thought this, a sad little song began to play in his head:
I know that I've changed,
On the 'outside'.
But on the 'inside'
I... still feel the same.
Perhaps, one day,
I'll know for sure, who I am.
But... for right now,
Somehow, I just.......... don't have a name.
                                               As Spike disappeared completely, and the crowd began to disperse, Soarin wiped the tears from his eyes. "Come on guys!" he said seriously "We've got to stay strong, it's what Spike would want!"
                                               "No, Soarin," Shining Armor replied, as he held his weeping sister with his hooves "I know what you're trying to do. But this is one time, where it's okay to cry." And as he spoke those lines, Shining Armor didn't care at all that he had tears in his eyes himself. With Spike gone, life was going to be a lot different.

//-------------------------------------------------------//
         Chapter 43: Foalsitting Woes (Baby Cakes)         
//-------------------------------------------------------//
Chapter 43: Foalsitting Woes (Baby Cakes)
                Not long after Spike left Ponyville, winter came to Ponyville, and with it came the holiday festivities of Hearth's Warming.
                The holiday was usually a time of happiness and joy for everypony in Equestria, but for Shining Armor and Twilight, Spike's absence left a hole in their hearts too big to be filled by the cheer and holiday spirit of Hearth's Warming.
                Even a trip to Canterlot to spend the holiday with family (during which time Shining Armor announced he and Princess Cadence were getting married in the spring), wasn't enough to completely heal their broken hearts.
                 But they both knew that it was pointless to try and beg Spike to come back. He needed answers, and the dragons were the only ones who could give them to him.
                 It wasn't easy, but Shining Armor and Twilight managed to get through the winter months without Spike, largely thanks to the support they recieved from their friends.
                 And then, not long after winter was wrapped up, something exciting and wonderful happened. Mrs. Cake (who had become pregnant not long after Discord was defeated) gave birth.
                  Shining Armor, Twilight, and their friends, had all gathered at Ponyville General Hospital. They could hardly contain their excitement, though Pinkie Pie was, understandably, the most excited of all.
                  Clearing his throat, Mr. Cake tried his best to look presentable, despite his noticeable panicked state. He stood next to two beds, one of which had a blue blanket, and one of which had a pink blanket. With a smile, he pulled back both blankets, revealing a pegasus colt with a coat that was light goldish gray, almost like cake batter. He had a brown mane and tail in a wavy style, while his eyes were a darker shade of brown. In the other bed, was a unicorn filly with a coat that was light yellow, but could easily be mistaken for orange from a distance. Her mane and tail were light orange, and were as wavy as the pegasus colt Mr. Cake had revealed seconds ago. And her eyes were a briliant blue in color.
                   "Say hello to Pound Cake, and Pumpkin Cake. They're twins." Mr. Cake said with a smile.
                   "Well, aren't they just adorable?" Fluttershy commented.
                   "They are pretty cute, but I'm certain they'll be quite a hoofful." Soarin added.
                   "No kidding, when Rumble was a foal, he was quite difficult." Thunderlane said to his friends.
                   "Congratulations Carrot Cake! You and Cup Cake must be very proud!" Shining Armor smiled.
                   "We sure are, we've always wanted children of our own. And after all these years, our dreams have come true." Mr. Cake replied, still smiling brightly.
                   "Say, just how in the hay do two earth ponies have twins that are a pegasus, and a unicorn respectively?" Big Macintosh asked.
                   "Took the words right out of my mouth, Big Mac. I was thinkin' the same thing." Applejack added.
                   "Cup Cake and I wondered that as well when the twins were born," Mr. Cake explained "So, we did a bit of research into the family tree. Turns out, my great grandfather was a unicorn. He served in the royal guard as an admiral under Captain Steel Trap."
                   "Ah, Steel Trap. From what I heard, he was a harsh leader, but he produced good results," Shining Armor said with concern "He was one of the few captains to serve for life."
                    "And what about the pegasus?" Braeburn asked.
                    "Cup Cake's great aunt was a pegasus, she flew in The Wonderbolts but never held any noticeable rank." Mr. Cake replied.
                    "She must've flown with Captain Firefly II, now that was a captain who knew how to attract a crowd. Though, she's got nothing on Spitfire." Soarin commented.
                    "Oh, this is so exciting! I've got two new foals to play with! That's twice as much fun!" Pinkie Pie cheered, forgetting that she was suppose to be quiet so as to not wake the babies up.
                     "You'd better be keep an eye on Pound Cake, pegasus foals have a tendency to start being able to fly for short periods of time when you least expect it." Thunderlane warned.
                      "He'll grow out of it once he gets old enough, then he'll have to learn how to fly again." Soarin added.
                      "I get the feeling Pound Cake is gonna make for one awesome flyer when he gets older!" Rainbow Dash commented.
                      "And take great care with Pumpkin Cake." Twilight told Mr. Cake.
                      "Baby unicorns can get powerful magic surges that come and go." Rarity explained.
                       "Much like pegasus foals and flying, they grow out of it when they get older." Fancy Pants finished.
                       "All the same, you'd better make sure their surges dont get too powerful. Otherwise, they can cause louts of problems." Fleur warned.
                       "Foals in general can be very demanding, and raising twins that are different species from your own will only make it more complicated." Shining Armor said to Mr. Cake.
                        "Don't worry, Cup Cake and I are prepared for whatever the twins throw at us. And with friends like you, we have access to all the help we could need and then some." Mr. Cake replied, a look of determination reflected in his eyes.
                         Throughout all of this, Shining Armor noticed that Braeburn remained surprisingly silent. Aside from an occasional comment, he didn't say or do anything.
                         No one else seemed to notice, they were all too busy fawning over The Cake Twins. Or, in Pinkie Pie's case, bouncing around and making noise. In fact, Pinkie Pie was so loud that Nurse Redheart had to escort her out of the nursery.
                         The weeks passed, and before long, spring was in full bloom across all of Equestria. Even in places winter's icy grip hadn't touched, such as the desert sands of Appleloosa.
                          This was made clear to Shining Armor, as he observed the lovely arrangment of flowers that greeted his eyes at the train station in Appleloosa. Braeburn had invited him to come alone, saying that there was something urgent he wanted to discuss with Shining Armor.
                          "Ah, Shining Armor. Right on time, as always," Braeburn greeted cheerfully "Thanks for comin' on such short notice, but you're really the only one I feel comfortable discussin' this subject with."
                          "You know me, Braeburn, I never turn my back on a friend in need." Shining Armor replied, as he and Braeburn made their way through Appleloosa. Shining Armor was amazed at just how far the quaint little town had come in such a short amount of time. Several buildings that had not been even close to completion during the previous visit, now stood tall and proud admist the desert landscape. Visitors and citizens mingled with no trouble. And the local buffalo tribe happily stampeded through the orchard road to their hearts content. All in all, things seemed rather peaceful.
                           So, Shining Armor couldn't help but wonder, what reason could Braeburn have for calling him to Appleloosa on such short notice? Even if it was something personal, why couldn't Braeburn have just told him about it while they were in Ponyville?
                           "Welcome to my humble abode. It's not much compared to what you're probably used to, but it's as cozy as any motel." Braeburn said with a smile, as he led Shining Armor into his house.
                           Braeburn's house wasn't anything really fancy, it had all the basic necessites any home should have. This included a kitchen, a bathroom with indoor plumbing, a dinning room, two bedrooms (one for Braeburn, and one for any guests that might stay the night), and a living room. It also had electricity.
                            Everything was styled into the type of theming you'd expect from a town like Appleloosa. This included wooden walls and floors, and colors like yellow, orange, green, and brown.
                             "What is it you wanted to talk to me about, Braeburn?" Shining Armor asked, once he and Braeburn were seated on the living room couch "And did it really require you to meet me here, instead of just talking it out in Ponyville?"
                             Braeburn nodded "I know it's sudden, but you're really the only pony I could disclose this to, outside of my family." He then sighed, and the smile on his face was replaced with a frown.
                              "It's got something to do with The Cake Twins, Pound and Pumpkin Cake, doesn't it?" Shining Armor asked.
                              "It's that obvious, huh?" Braeburn replied, the frown on his face only growing bigger "Guess I couldn't hide it for long."
                              "You didn't really think I didn't notice how you were the only one who didn't seem excited to see the new baby ponies, did you?" Shining Armor replied, then, without waiting for an answer he added "What I wanna know now is, what's the reason behind it? I get the feeling it's something you haven't told me, that you probably should've told me long ago."
                              Braeburn, knowing that it was no use trying to skirt around or change the subject, cleared his throat. "Back when Apple Bloom was just a baby, I helped foalsit her on one occasion. But it didn't go so well." he told Shining Armor.
                              "It couldn't have been that bad." Shining Armor said innocently.
                              "Granny Smith certainly didn't think so, and considering what happened, I can't blame her." Braeburn said with a shake of his head.
                              "Just what exactly happened, if you don't mind me asking that is?" Shining Armor asked Braeburn.
                              "I don't really like thinking back to that 'episode', but I guess I don't really have a choice in the matter," Braeburn replied after a moment of silence, then he began to tell his story to Shining Armor. "She said she forgave me for it, and she probably meant it. But it's still arguably one of the worst things I've ever done. You know how they say you should never leave a foal unattended, right?"
                              "You didn't listen to the first rule of foalsitting?!" Shining Armor said with shock.
                              Braebrun nodded "I really didn't mean to, I thought for sure Granny Smith was watchin' her. I just left to use the bathroom for a moment or two."
                               "And when you came back, Apple Bloom was gone?" Shining Armor concluded.
                               "Right again, but that wasn't the worst part," Braeburn explained "In fact, that's not even the half of it. When Granny Smith found out Apple Bloom wasn't in her playpen, she very nearly blew a fuse right then and there. I'd never seen her so angry before, and I don't think I've ever seen her so angry since."
                               "So, after Granny Smith was done chewing you out, how long did it take for the two of you to find Apple Bloom?" Shining Armor asked.
                               "It took quite a long time. We searched all of Sweet Apple Acres from top to bottom, but we couldn't find her anywhere," Braeburn continued "At last, just as we were about to give up and assume she'd escaped into the fields, Granny Smith got the idea to check the bathroom. And it's a good thing we did, because Apple Bloom was about to fall into the toilet. If Granny Smith hadn't found her at that moment, Apple Bloom probably would've actually fallen in. And if that had happened, I don't even want to think about what else could've happened to her."
                                "Even if that was a pretty bad mistake on your part, it was only one instance," Shining Armor said kindly "And considering you're going to be foalsitting The Cake Twins when Pinkie Pie brings them on a visit, I'd say you're getting all worked up over nothing."
                                "Trust me, Shining Armor, if Apple Bloom was the only bad experience I had with foalsittin', I wouldn't be so nervous," Braeburn replied "I foalsat for a lot of ponies, back when I was first tryin' to strike out on my own. But everytime I did, it was like an unending nightmare."
                                 "Foals can be a hoofful, but I highly doubt every experience was as bad as you claim it was." Shining Armor told Braeburn. And Shining Armor knew he spoke from experience, he'd helped foalsit his sister on quite a few occasions, even after Princess Cadence took up the role full time.
                                  "Believe me, I wish that was true," Braeburn said glumly "But every experience is one that I wanted nothing more than to forget. It didn't matter how old the foal was, what species it was, or what it liked to do. For some reason, I could never quite manage to take care of them well enough to make any repeat customers. There was always somethin' I was doing wrong, whether it be feedin' them the wrong type of food, or not puttin' them down for a nap or sendin' em to bed when they were supposed to. And now, The Cakes and Pinkie Pie are askin' me to take care of the twins? Knowin' my luck, they'll be twice as much trouble."
                                  "But this time, you don't have to go through it alone, you've got Pinkie Pie to help you. And from what Mr. and Mrs. Cake have told me, she's a surprisingly competent foalsitter," Shining Armor said, as he looked Braeburn in the eyes "In fact, I hear she has a secret weapon that's guranteed to get the twins to laugh, no matter what."
                                  "Which just means she's going to have to work extra hard, because I'm not goin' to be much help," Braeburn said glumly "Look, I know what you're tryin' to do, but it ain't gonna work. I like kids, and one day I'd very much like to start a family of my own. But I have to face the facts, I don't know the first thing about how to handle foals. If I did, all those experiences in the past wouldn't have turned out the way they did."
                                  "There's gotta be someway I can convince Braeburn that he's better at taking care of children then he thinks he is, but how?" Shining Armor thought to himself, as he saw just how unhappy Braeburn looked. Braeburn seemed about ready to cry, and that was the last thing Shining Armor wanted.
                                  "Braeburn, let me ask you something!" Shining Armor suddenly spoke up.
                                  "Whatever it is, you'd better be quick about it." Braeburn replied, suspecting nothing.
                                  "I know you think you're a bad foalsitter, and that you can't take care of foals-" Shining Armor began.
                                  "Didn't I just get through telling you that?" Braeburn asked crossly, folding his arms across his chest.
                                  "But, if you truly were bad, don't you think you wouldn't feel bad about all the times you screwed up?" Shining Armor went on, finishing his statement.
                                   Braeburn said nothing for several minutes. He just stood there, with a puzzled look on his face. He hadn't thought of that before.
                                   "So, you had a few bad experiences with foalsitting when you were younger. But every time you messed up, you learned something new," Shining Armor said, explaining his point "You won't have to go through it alone, and with all that you've learned, you should be able to manage. The Cakes obviously trust you, or they wouldn't have allowed you to help Pinkie Pie look after their children. Don't you think you owe it to them, and to yourself, to try one more time? If you still somehow screw up, you don't have to foalsit for anyone ever again for as long as you live."
                                    Braeburn, after a moment of consideration, said to Shining Armor "If you really have that much confidence in me, and it'll make you happy, I suppose I can give foalsittin' one more chance. But that's all I'm gonna give it, if it doesn't work, I've never doin' it again," Then, he decided it was his turn to ask Shining Armor something. Something very important for that matter "How have you and Twilight been holdin' up since Spike left? I know it's been really hard."
                                    Braeburn expected Shining Armor to skirt his way around the subject, or at least hestiate for a little bit before talking about it. But to Braeburn's surprise, Shining Armor immediately replied with "It has been difficult, both for Twilight, and for myself. They say that time heals all wounds, but the pain of Spike's absence hasn't gotten any better since that day. In fact, I think it's only gotten worse. Twilight and I have had to come to grips with the fact, that Spike may not ever come back. If he finds the information he's looking for, it's not likely he'll come back to live with us. I've even had to consider the possibility, that he won't be around for my upcoming wedding to Cadence."
                                     "Wow! I... had no idea," Braeburn exclaimed.
                                     "I've been trying my best to manage, and not let the pain interfere with my life," Shining Armor explained, as he tried his best not to look too upset "It hasn't been easy, especially considering Twily considered Spike to be her son. But I've lasted this long, and I know that Spike wouldn't want me to spend the rest of my life moping around. He can only hope, that joining the migration at least gave him something of an idea about who he is."
                                     "When does that migration come through Ponyville? That's when Spike said he'd return, isn't it?" Braeburn asked.
                                      "It's next weekend, after Hearts and Hooves Day. And about two weeks after that, Cadence and I are getting married." Shining Armor told Braeburn.
                                       "Well, I know for sure I'm gonna have to be in Ponyville on that day! I've missed Spike just as much as you and your sister have, and that's no lie!" Braeburn replied, feeling more like his usual cheerful self for the first time since inviting Shining Armor to Appleloosa, to discuss his problem.
                                       "Maybe, while you help Pinkie Pie foalsit The Cake Twins, the two of you could start thinking of plans for a party to welcome Spike back. And, assuming Princess Celestia approves, I hope you'll both be willing to help plan the wedding reception," Shining Armor offered "It doesn't have to be anything really grand, though if that's what you want to do, I won't stop you. It just needs to be something that both Cadence and I will like, and something that will make sure everypony knows we're determined not to let anything ruin our union."
                                       "It's a tall order, but you can count on us to throw the best wedding reception Equestria's ever seen!" Braeburn boasted "I gurantee it!"

//-------------------------------------------------------//
Chapter 44: Brother to Brothers (The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000)
//-------------------------------------------------------//
Chapter 44: Brother to Brothers (The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000)
                The birth of The Cake Twins was not the only significant event to occur in Ponyville as Winter changed to Spring. Being close friends with Big Macintosh, Applejack, and Apple Bloom, both Shining Armor and Twilight knew that Spring meant the start of perhaps the most important part of the year for the Apple family, Cider Season.
                They also learned that Rainbow Dash had an absolute obsession with Sweet Apple Acre brand cider. An obsession that led to lots of problems.
                But Rainbow Dash's obsession with cider took a back seat to a much bigger problem that the Apple family faced, a lack of cider for everyone who wanted it. Everytime Cider Season began, no matter how many barrels the Apple Family made, they always ran out and had to encourage the customers that hadn't gotten any to come back the next day.
                That didn't stop the citizens of Equestria from complaining though, and they complained quite frequently.
                 "Sorry folks, we're all out of cider. Come back tomorrow." Applejack announced to the crowd. The last cider barrel had been drained just seconds ago.
                 "You always say that!" Caramel complained.
                 "Why can't you guys make more cider?! You know how much it's in demand!" Rainbow Dash added. She was especially cross, because once again she had not gotten a cup to enjoy on the first day.
                  "I'm sorry, but the whole cider makin' process takes time," Applejack explained "If we sped up the process, we wouldn't be able to make the cider the way ya'll like it."
                  "If you guys can't produce the cider in a way that meets demand, and maintain the quality, then maybe it's time we got our cider somewhere!" a random pony in the crowd suggested.
                  "Last time I checked, we're the only ones who supply this stuff. But if any of ya think you can do a better job than us, by all means go ahead!" Big Macintosh spoke up.
                   As if responding to Big Macintosh's challenge, in the distance there came a most unusual sound. It seemed to be the sound of steam, and the sound of gears and machine parts moving up and down.
                   The noise grew louder and louder, attracting even the attention of Shining Armor and Twilight.
                   "What's going on here?" Shining Armor thought to himself. Just a few seconds later, a large machine painted bright red appeared in the distance. It quickly became obvious that said machine was the source of the unusual sounds, as it drew closer and closer. At last, it came to a halt in front of the crowd (breaking a fence in the process).
                   Out from the machine jumped two unicorn stallions with light yellow coats and wavy red manes and tails, both of them wearing bowler hats there were yellow with blue ribbons. One of the stallions had a mustache.
                   With the crowd's attention drawn to them, they began to sing:
(Flim Flam Brothers Song) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXRB4oMH6HI)
                   "Now that we have your undivided attention-" Flim began.
                   "We hope you're impressed by what we have to offer," Flam finished "This machine could revolutionize all of Equestria!"
                   The Apple Family wasn't so convinced, despite having witnessed the machine's potential with their own eyes. They huddled close together, and began to discuss their next course of action.
                   "There ain't any way that darn fangled machine is just gonna up and replace us!" Granny Smith said furiously "Those brothers have another thing commin' if they think they can take Cider Season from us!"
                   "But do we really know for sure that's what they're tryin' to do?" Apple Bloom asked "I don't think we want to make them our enemies without at least givin' them a chance to be our friends."
                    "That machine's got potential. As much as I hate to admit it, I think we're outclassed here." Applejack said glumly.
                    "Even so, we gotta stand our ground! You all know how important Cider Season is to us!" Granny Smith said seriously, with a shake of her head "No matter what, we need the money from cider sales to stay afloat in the winter."
                     "Eeyup." Big Macintosh replied, then he and the rest of the Apples became aware that The Flim Flam brothers were close by, and wished to speak to them.
'
                     "So sorry to eavesdrop on your conversation, Apples, but we have a proposal to offer." Flam spoke up.
                     "Whatever it is, we don't want to hear it! You can just take your machine and leave!" Granny Smith said angrily.
                     "Granny Smith, calm down!" Big Macintosh pleaded, then he turned to The Flim Flam Brothers "What's yer proposal?"
                     "It's simple, really," Flim explained "We go into business together. You give us the apples, and we'll produce the cider."
                     "Then we split the profits, 75/25. And we'll throw in the magic to power the machine at no extra cost," Flam added "So. whadya say, Apples? Do we have a deal?"
                      "Who gets the 75 percent?" Applejack asked the brothers.
                      "Why, us of course, that machine requires a lot of tender love and care, and that doesn't come cheap." Flim replied.
                      "75 percent is outrageous! You don't need that much money to power that contraption, or maintain it!" Applejack protested, angrily stomping her hoof to make a point "We, on the other hoof, need the money from Cider Season to stay in business durin' Winter! Without it, we'll have to shut down! You'll be without business partners, and we'll be homeless! We'll all lose!"
                      "Nonsense, we can take over Sweet Apple Acres if need be and run things on our own." Flim explained.
                      "But we're being generous, and offering you Apples a chance to keep your home. I'd suggest you take it." Flam added.
                      "Sorry, but unless you're willin' to split those profits 50/50, we ain't acceptin' any offers you propose to us." Applejack said seriously, and turned her back to the brothers.
                      "Sorry Apples, but I'm afraid we can't accept anything below 75 percent, it's just not doable." Flim said, as he and his brother began to walk away.
                      "Since you refuse to be our business partners, you leave us no choice but to drive you all out of business! When next we meet, we're rivals!" Flam added, and he and his brother got onto their machine and disappeared.
                      "Good riddance, that's what I say!" Granny Smith said angrily.
                       Big Macintosh, however, was not so sure his family had acted rationally "If only I hadn't been so afraid to speak up, I might have been able to work out a compromise. But now I feel like we've just made some very powerful enemies." he thought to himself. Part of him hoped he was wrong, and that Flim and Flam were just blowing off steam.
                       But the very next day, Big Macintosh found out that The Flim Flam Brothers hadn't been bluffing. When they showed up in their machine, and broke the same fence Granny Smith was trying to repair, everyone could sense that they were clearly determined to follow through on their promise to drive the Apple family out of business.
                       "You Apples wanted to compete us, and that's exactly what you're going to get!" Flam insisted.
                       "We're offfically challenging you to a cider making contest," Flim proposed "It would be in your best interest to accept."
                       Upon seeing this disturbance, Shining Armor took immediate action "You two had better not be trying to force the Apple family into a contest against their will. It could end very badly for you both." he told the brothers.
                       "Thanks for the help, Shining Armor, but we can take these two clowns by ourselves!" Applejack said seriously, stepping forward "We accept your challenge, Flim Flam Brothers! Name your terms and conditions!"
                       "How does this sound?" Flim offered "We'll use your south field for the contest. If we win, Sweet Apple Acres is ours to do whatever we want with. And we get control of Cider Season, but we'd be more than happy to let you work for us, for a price."
                       "Should we lose, we'll pack up our things and leave. But the machine stays with us!" Flam added "That good enough for you, Apples?! Or are you chicken?!"
                        "Nopony calls Granny Smith a chicken!" Apple Bloom insisted.
                        "You youngins got yerselves a deal! And when we whoop your sorry flanks in the contest, we don't ever want to see hide or hair of ya on our turf ever again, understand?!" Granny Smith said angrily.
                         "We understand perfectly." Flam said with a smile.
                          "I just hope you're prepared to accept your defeat when we beat you!" Flim boasted, and so a contest was held.
                          The rules were simple, both sides were given a small amount of time to prepare and get ready, then they had 30 minutes to make as many barrels of cider as possible. Whichever side produced more barrels would be the winner.
                           "Time is up!" Mayor Mare declared when the 30 minutes had ended "After a careful tally of the barrels produced, The Apple Family wins with 65 barrels, to The Flim Flam Brothers 64!"
                           "You know what that means, you whipper snappers! Time for you to make like a tree, and leave!" Granny Smith ordered furiously "Don't either of you ever come 'round here again!"
                           Flim and Flam, realizing they'd been beaten, reluctantly accepted the outcome. "A deal's a deal, we've lost fair and square." Flim said, as he and his brother hopped onto their machine.
                           "But mark our words, Apples, this isn't over! We will be back, someday!" Flam vowed, and the brothers and their machine sped away.
                           Not long afterward, everypony was helping themselves to a cup of cider. And for once, no one seemed to be complaining about not getting any cider.
                            And yet, Big Macintosh wasn't happy, even though he had every right to be.
                            "Hey, why the long face?" Soarin asked his friend "It's not like you to be all gloomy, what's got your goat?"
                            "It's nothin' really, nothin' that concerns you at least." Big Macintosh replied, his tone of voice indicating he clearly didn't think that way.
                            "It's no use trying to hide your feelings from us, Big Macintosh." Thunderlane spoke up.
                            "We're only here to help," Shining Armor added, having long since polished off his cup of cider "It's got something to do with The Flim Flam Brothers, doesn't it?"
                             "It's like you can read minds or somethin', Shining Armor." Big Macintosh replied.
                             "Or just being able to sense what's troubling you," Shining Armor explained "But why are you so concerned about them? They were pretty rude, and it seems that they really have it out for you and your family."
                             "That may be so, but I feel like I could've prevented all of this if I'd just spoken up," Big Macintosh told his friend, the frown on his face only growing bigger "Instead, I kept my mouth shut, and I allowed my family's stubborness to do the talking for us. And said stubborness cost us two ponies that could've been valueable business partners."
                             "Considering the way they acted, I find that highly doubtful," Soarin remarked "I'm all for seeing the good in other ponies, but those two seemed like exactly the kind of ponies I hate. Or rather, I should say, dislike very much."
                              "As much as I hate to admit it, Soarin has a point," Shining Armor commented "Flim and Flam seemed to be very much in love with the sound of their own voices. They remind me of that Trixie fellow from a little over a year ago, except far more boastful and without any sort of excuse."
                              "Even if they were pretty rude, that's hardly an excuse for not at least tryin' a little harder to get on their good side," Big Macintosh replied with a shake of his head "Ma and Pa always used to tell me that you never get a second chance to make a good first impression. And I feel like the impression my family and I left, was one that would've made anyone want to take us down a few pegs."
                               "If you really think that's the case, why don't you try to explain things to those two? I doubt they've gotten too far." Thunderlane suggested.
                               Much to everyone's surprise, Big Macintosh said in reply "I suppose I will. At the very least, I want know I made an honest effort to reach ou to them." And he set off at once.
                               It turned out that Thunderlane was right, Flim and Flam had not gotten far by the time Big Macintosh had found them. They were just on the outskirts of Ponyville, their machine apparently having broken down and leaving them stranded.
                               "I thought I told you, brother, to ensure that every part of the machine was inspected before the competition!" Flam shouted angrily, as he held a wrench in his hooves.
                               "Hey, don't be blaming me, brother!" Flim replied, as he poked his head out from under the machine "You were the one who was supposed to give this machine a tune-up before we started the contest! It's your fault we were defeated!"
                               "My fault?! You were the one who didn't want to turn the machine to full power when we started to lose!" Flam shouted back.
                               "You said it yourself, we had never tested it at that power before! We have no idea what might have happened if we'd done so! For all we know, it could've blown up and taken out everything nearby, including the Apples, and us!" Flim protested.
                                "Well, today is just a day for things to go wrong, isn't it?!" Flam pondered outloud.
                                "Relax, brother. I think I've discovered the source of the problem," Flim replied "It should only take a couple of minutes to get it fixed, and then we can be back on the road."
                                 "This is it, it's now or never!" Big Macintosh thought to himself, as he cleared his throat. Attracting the attention of The Flim Flam Brothers. "Uh, hello."
                                 "What do you want?!" Flam asked angrily.
                                 "Come to rub your victory in our faces?! Well, go ahead, laugh yourself silly for all we care!" Flim added.
                                 "I just came here to talk, that's all." Big Macintosh said nervously.
                                 "Talk about what?! There's nothing to discuss!" Flim replied.
                                 "Now, tell us the real reason you came here!" Flam demanded "You've got five seconds!"
                                 "Would you just listen?! I wanted to apologize!" Big Macintosh insisted.
                                 "Apologize?! Do you take us for a bunch of fools?!" Flim said angrily.
                                 "We weren't born yesterday, pal! You say you want to apologize, but in reality you're just luring us into a false sense of security so you can bring us down! Nice try, but it won't work!" Flam told Big Macintosh.
                                 "You guys could've beaten us easily, that machine of yours was really powerful. But you disposed of the last few barrels, and let us win. What I wanna know is, why?" Big Macintosh asked "After the way my family and I treated you, why did you let us win?"
                                 "You're mistaken, Big Macintosh. We didn't let you win on purpose, if that's what you're implying." Flim spoke up.
                                  "Those last few barrels of cider were terrible, nopony would've wanted to drink from them. So, rather than risk public humilation, we got rid of the bad barrels. Unfortunately, we didn't make enough good barrels to beat you," Flam explained "That's why we did what we did, not because of pity or anything like that."
                                   "But why should you even care? With us out of the way, you and your family have Cider Season all to yourselves!" Flim said crossly.
                                   "Just admit it, you only came here to gloat and make us feel bad!" Flam demanded.
                                   "That's not the reason at all! Why do you two seem to think I'm trying to bring you down?" Big Macintosh asked "My family and I treated you badly, and I wanted to make an honest effort to apologize for it. Whatever it was that led to the contest, it doesn't have to define our interactions for years and years to come. I wanna build a bridge, not put up a fence."
                                    "And what do you even have to apologize for? You and your family reacted no differently from the hundreds of other ponies we've pitched our fine machine to." Flam told Big Macintosh.
                                    "And considering the state it's now in, it's hardly a surprise we get that sort of treatment," Flim said glumly "This is the third model we've designed, and we still haven't worked out all the bugs. Let's face it, we're con artists! Always have, and always will be. We've tried to make an honest living, but it's never worked out."
                                    "Then my family and I should've treated you better, but instead, we let our stubborness and pride get in the way. That machine of yours could've easily produced enough cider to keep the town happy for weeks, and save us a huge amount of backbreaking labor," Big Macintosh said honestly "But all we could think about, was ourselves."
                                    "You feel pity for us, don't you?" Flim asked. Big Macintosh nodded.
                                    "Well, we don't need your stinking pity, or anypony else's for that matter!" Flam said furiously "Is the machine fixed yet, brother of mine?"
                                    "It is, and I think I managed to correct the problem that kept causing it to break down." Flim replied.
                                    "Then let us depart at once!" Flam insisted, as he jumped onto the machine. And with that, The Flim Flam Brothers took off. But Big Macintosh had the gut feeling that he hadn't seen the last of the two.
                                    "They're just like that Trixie fellow that Shining Armor talked to," Big Macintosh thought unhappily to himself, as he made his way back to town "They're so used to having the world drag them down, that they see no way out, except to give in and embrace the hopelessness."
                                     If only there was some way, he could make them see that they didn't have to be who they were.

//-------------------------------------------------------//
      Chapter 45: First Date (Hearts and Hooves Day)       
//-------------------------------------------------------//
Chapter 45: First Date (Hearts and Hooves Day)
                As the days left until the dragon migration passed through Ponyville, Shining Armor and Twilight could hardly contain their excitement. They were looking forward to seeing Spike once again, though they both knew there was a very good possibility he might not want to come back and live with them.
                Preparations for Shining Armor's wedding to Princess Cadence were being finalized, and the news spread like wildfire throughout Canterlot and Ponyville. The excitement was so high, that Shining Armor found it hard to sleep at night.
                But there was one last major event that had to take place in Ponyville, before the dragon migration came along. Hearts and Hooves Day.
                 Most ponies looked forward to Hearts and Hooves Day, especially those that were looking for a very special somepony to call their own. And even those who were already in love enjoyed Hearts and Hooves Day in their own special way.
                 But for Big Macintosh, Hearts and Hooves Day was a holiday he could very much do without for one reason, the endless amount of mares that tried to go out with him since he was THE most sought after bachelor in all of Ponyville.
                 It wasn't that Big Macintosh wasn't looking for love, but none of the mares who attempted to flirt with him felt right. They all seemed interested in dating him solely because he was so attractive, and didn't seem interested in getting to know him on a personal level.
                 The sort of mare Big Macintosh was looking for, was one that would treat him well, and cared about knowing who he was on the inside, not the outside. And in his many years of being a bachelor Big Macintosh had not a single mare that matched his standards. And he didn't think they were very high standards to have.
                  And so it was that as another Hearts and Hooves Day dawned, Big Macintosh felt himself filled with a familiar sense of dread. This Hearts and Hooves Day would be especially hard, since his cousin Braeburn was in Appleloosa, and Shining Armor was in Canterlot, making sure everything was just right for his wedding.
                   This meant that Big Macintosh was going to have fewer friends to lean on, and would attract more attention than he had in years prior.
                    It was just after sunrise in Ponyville, and Big Macintosh was certain it was only a matter of time until the many single mares of Ponyville woke up, and sought out stallions to spend Hearts and Hooves Day with. Sometimes, he was lucky, and got mares like Rarity or Fluttershy, who he'd met on numerous occasions. But often times, he got mares he knew nothing about, and this made dates akward and uncomfortable.
                    "I hope this day ends soon." Big Macintosh thought unhappily to himself, as he went about his morning work. Just because today was Hearts and Hooves Day didn't mean he had an excuse to slack off, as much as he wished it was an actual excuse.
                    "Hey, Big Macintosh? How's it hanging?" Soarin asked, breaking Big Macintosh out of his chain of unhappy thoughts.
                    Big Macintosh was surprised for a moment, before he regained his senses "Oh, it's just you, Soarin. I'm glad to see a friendly face on a day like today."
                    "What's got you acting so glum? You're usually not this down in the dumps." Soarin commented.
                    Big Macintosh sighed "You know me well enough to know what the problem is. Today's Hearts and Hooves Day, my personal tartarus!"
                    "Oh yeah, kind of forgot about that." Soarin admitted nervously.
                    Big Macintosh just sighed again "That doesn't surprise me, you don't know what I suffer. You don't attract quite the same amount of attention that I do."
                    Soarin shook his head "Well, that's only half true. I don't get the same kind of mares gunning for me every Hearts and Hooves Day, but I have my own special problems. I've got two mares in my life that mean a lot to me, and I don't really know which of them I'm interested in pursuing a relationship with. To make matters worse, both of them are frequently in my life, and they've made efforts to try and win over my heart."
                    "You're talking about Rainbow Dash and Spitfire, aren't you?" Big Macintosh deduced.
                    Soarin nodded "I'm kind of leaning more towards Rainbow Dash, just a little, because she's really devoted and determined. And I like that in a mare. But Spitfire and I have been childhood friends, it's kind of hard for me to not feel something for her. I just don't know if the love I feel towards her is more of a sibling sort of thing, or an actual romantic attraction."
                     "You're lucky, at least you've actually got mares that are interested in you for who you are on the inside," Big Macintosh said to Soarin "For me, I'll be lucky if, by the end of the day, I don't have every eligable mare in town trying to ask me out on a date. And knowin' my luck, I'm not gonna get any mares like Rarity, Fluttershy, or Pinkie Pie askin' me out."
                      "Oh, I wouldn't worry too much about that. Something tells me that this time will be different." Soarin told Big Macintosh.
                      "What you makes say that?" Big Macintosh asked.
                      "I'm not really sure, it's just something I could sense when I woke up this morning. I got the feeling that this would be a Hearts and Hooves Day unlike any other." Soarin explained.
                      "Thanks for tryin' to cheer me up, Soarin. But I'd rather not get my hopes up, as far as I'm concerned, Hearts and Hooves Day is a day that's goin' to keep hauntin' me until the day I either settle down, or die." Big Macintosh said glumly, a huge frown forming on his face. He then set off to complete the rest of the things he needed to do today.
                      "Big Macintosh, wait!" Soarin called, but it was no use, Big Macintosh was already gone. Soarin just sighed "Shining Armor's always better at this sort of thing. It's too bad he's not here to talk to Big Macintosh. Oh well, at least I tried. Maybe, Fancy Pants will know what to do to cheer up our friend." And with that, Soarin set off.
                       At first, Hearts and Hooves Day passed the way it always had passed for Big Macintosh. Several mares tried to ask him out on dates, but he declined each one with an "Eenope." As far as he was convinced, there was no point in going on a date with somepony who was just asking him out to make her friends jealous.
                       But everything changed when Scootaloo randomly (and innocently) asked him if he was doing anything special for Hearts and Hooves Day. Not suspecting that the answer he gave would change his life forever, Big Macintosh had replied with a simple "Eenope." And that was all that was needed for The Cutie Mark Crusaders to set into motion a series of events that would change his life forever.
                       Upon arriving at the gazebo in Ponyville Park, Big Macintosh was surprised when he bumped into Cheerilee, the teacher at the schoolhouse. The two of them had not seen each other in years, despite having grown up in Ponyville and having attended the same school.
                       With Apple Bloom and her friends having taken the liberty of fixing up the gazebo on their own, Big Macintosh was lured into a romantic setting with Cheerilee. And he found himself unable to say much of anything besides "Eeyup" or "Eenope". He wanted to ask Cheerilee something, but his nerves got the better of him, and he said nothing throughout the entire experience.
                       "I can't believe I was so stupid!" he thought unhappily to himself, as he returned to Sweet Apple Acres to sulk "That was my big chance to tell her how I felt, and I completely blew it! She'll never go out on a date with me now!"
                        Before he had much of a chance to really beat himself up for his inability to say what was on his mind, Big Macintosh was invited back to the gazebo at The Cutie Mark Crusaders request. They told him it was important, and although he could easily see what they were trying to do, he decided to play along. If it meant he would have a chance to tell Cheerilee what he wanted to tell her, he was willing to humor his sister and her friends for a little bit.
                        Minutes passed by, and Big Macintosh found himself drinking a cup of punch that Apple Bloom and her friends had made. The next thing Big Macintosh knew, he was sitting on a featherbed mattress in a trench just outside of Carousel Boutique. Cheerilee was siting next to him, wearing a weiding veil that had no doubt come from Carousel Boutique.
                         It turned out that The Cutie Mark Crusaders' punch was actually a love poison, and they had served to Big Macintosh and Cheerilee without knowing that it would turn them into love obessed zombies. Fortunately, all was forgiven, and Cheerilee and Big Macintosh quickly agreed that the best way to make sure the three fillies had learned their lesson, was to make them do all of Big Macintosh's chores for the next couple of days.
                         As Hearts and Hooves Day drew to a close, Big Macintosh found himself getting comfortable enough to call Cheerilee "Pumpkin Pie" after she had called him "Sugar Bear" (a nickname that he became quite fond of). One thing lead to another, and before he knew it, he and Cheerilee were enjoying a nice picnic dinner at the fixed up gazebo, while Celestia's sun slowly set.
                         "Well, today was certainly a day for surprises, wasn't it?" Cheerilee asked Big Macintosh, as the two earth ponies made their way home from the park.
                          "Eeyup." Big Macintosh replied. He was still not quite comfortable saying much else to Cheerilee.
                          "Thank's for not trying to exploit the aftermath of the love poison incident, I think I'm going to have to start a petition to have the book containing that recipe removed from the Golden Oaks Library until said recipe is taken out." Cheerilee added.
                           "No kiddin'." Big Macintosh said with a chuckle, before he quickly went back to being silent.
                           "Say, Big Mac? Can I ask you something?" Cheerilee said to Big Macintosh.
                           "Eeyup, ask away." Big Macintosh smiled. He was ready for anything, or so he thought.
                           "Do you think, tomorrow, you could swing by the schoolhouse, and we could have a picnic lunch together?" Cheerilee asked "If not, I'll understand. This is kind of sudden, but, well, you're just such a gentlestallion. And I like that about you."
                            "Well..... uh.... I'h.... guess I... could maybe do that," Big Macintosh said nervously, his face turning red to the point where you could notice it even with his red coat "When do you want to meet up?"
                             "Whenever you find the time, I'll be waiting." Cheerilee said with a smile, and she kissed Big Macintosh on the cheek.
                             "And that's the whole story," Big Macintosh told Shining Armor "I've got a date with Cheerilee for later this afternoon. And I'm really nervous, I was hopin' you'd be able to help me out."
                              Shining Armor was more than a little surprised to hear Big Macintosh asking him for advice on how to date Cheerilee, especially considering he'd always considered Big Macintosh to be more of the kind of stallion who knew what mares liked.
                              But upon returning home from Canterlot, Shining Armor had been quite surprised to learn what had taken place in his absence. And now, here he was, inside the familiar confines of the Golden Oaks Library, with one of his friends asking for romantic advice.
                              Shining Armor remained silent for a little bit, then he looked Big Macintosh firmly in the eyes and said "The only advice I can give you, is to be yourself. If you try to act like somepony you're not, it'll show. And chances are, who you are is what attracted Cheerilee to you in the first place. Besides, I'm hardly an expert on what mares like. No two mares are the same, and the only way you'll ever know what the mare interested in you likes, is if you get to know her personally. I know this might sound cheesy, but it's the truth."
                              "Really? That's all you have to offer for advice?" Big Macintosh complained, he had expected more than what he'd got.
                              "I'm afraid so, but it's the honest truth," Shining Armor said, as he put a hoof around his friend "Just be yourself, and try to relax. The more you spend time with her, the more comfortable you'll feel around her. Who knows, maybe, one day, the two of you will get married."
                              "I'd rather not think about that for right now, I'm currently just interested in gettin' through this date without a hitch," Big Macintosh replied "I ain't lookin' to get hitched just yet. We've already got one weddin' to worry about, I don't think our friends need the added pressure of two weddin''s back to back."
                              "I wasn't trying to rush you, the two of you should take the time to see how you feel, before you decide if you're willing to spend the rest of your lives together," Shining Armor encouraged "Marriage is a very important turning point in your life."
                              Big Macintosh couldn't help but smile "You sure know an awful lot about love and marriage. Cadence has really rubbed off on you, hasn't she?"
                              Shining Armor tried his hardest not to blush "What can I say? When you get to know the alicorn of love, you start to learn things you never really gave a second thought to before."
                              "You aren't worried about marryin' her? Are you?" Big Macintosh asked bluntly.
                              "Me? Worried? Nah," Shining Armor protested, but Big Macintosh could easily see that Shining Armor was lying. With a sigh, Shining Armor admitted "Oh, alright, I can't really hide anything from you. I am worried, but not because I think she'll back out at the last second or anything. I didn't want to tell Twily or anypony else about this, but all is not well in the land of Equestria right now."
                              Big Macintosh could clearly sense that what Shining Armor was worrying about was far more serious than just wedding nerves. Reluctantly, he asked "What do you mean?"
                              Shining Armor's mood quickly became more serious as he told Big Macintosh "A threat has been made against Canterlot, we're not really sure who or what issued the threat, but we're not taking any chances. I've been asked by Princess Celestia, to provide extra security in the days leading up to the wedding, to ensure nothing gets in or out of the city without permission! I wanted to call off the wedding, but Cadence insisted we hold it as originally planned, so as not to seem intimidated by whoever or whatever issued the threat. If I wasn't so in love with her, I wouldn't have agreed with her. I would've called it off until the threat passed."
                              "Whoa! Sorry I asked," Big Macintosh apologized "But are you really sure it's a good idea to keep your sister, her friends, and our friends, in the dark about the threat? I'm pretty sure they'd want to know, so they can keep an eye out for anythin' suspicious."
                              "If it weren't for the fact that the wedding is only days away, and the threat was made just last week, I would tell them," Shining Armor insisted "But at this point, there's not really much they could do other than reassure me everything will be okay. And I don't want to make them worry about something that not even Princess Celestia knows about. It's probably nothing, and the threat is just some elaborate prank devised by the members of the nobility, that are still against me marrying Princess Cadence."
                               "Like that Prince Blueblood fella?" Big Macintosh asked.
                               "Actually, Prince Blueblood is surprisingly in favor of our marriage," Shining Armor replied "He claims that it's only natural low class members of nobility like us would get married. Coming from him, that's probably the closest I can get to an actual compliment."
                               "No kiddin'," Big Macintosh chuckled "I know I don't have to worry about becomin' him, I'm actually surprised he doesn't have more suitors. Then again, considerin' the way he treated Rarity, I guess most mares want nothin' to do with him. I know for a fact that if I were a mare, I wouldn't touch him with a fifty hoof pole."
                               "Exactly," Shining Armor replied, and shifted the subject back to its original line of discussion "So don't worry about your date with Cheerilee. You'll do fine, as long as you remember to be yourself and no one else. In fact, I think you'll do even better than I did with Cadence on our first date."
                               "Really? Or are you just sayin' that to make me feel better?" Big Macintosh asked.
                                "I wouldn't lie to you about something like that, you'd see right through me in a heartbeat." Shining Armor assured Big Macintosh.
                                "Well, thanks for that much needed vote of confidence in me," Big Macintosh said kindly, then he looked at the clock "Oh my! It's gettin' late, I'd better get goin'! Ma always said it's not polite to keep a lady waitin'! Wish me luck!"
                                "Hey, you don't need luck!" Shining Armor said, as Big Macintosh hurried out the door "You'll do just fine!"
                                 Cheerilee was waiting just outside the school house, for Big Macintosh to show up. She was certain she wouldn't back out, he'd seemed genuiely interested in giving their relationship a chance.
                                 But as she glanced at the clock tower, and saw what time it was, her heart began to sink. It was almost sun down, and Big Macintosh had yet to show up. "I guess he's not coming after all. And I was so sure that this time would be different from my previous pursuits for love," she thought unhappily to herself, and frowned "Well, at least I tried. Guess it's back to being single, again."
                                 However, before Cheerilee could head home, and drown her sorrows in a cup of apple cider, she could see a stallion with a familiar red coat appear in the distance. As said stallion drew closer and closer, he seemed to running full speed towards Cheerilee.
                                 "I-I, I'm sorry I'm late," Big Macintosh apologized "I was just talkin' with one of my friends and I guess I'h lost track of the time. I didn't mean to make you wait so long. We still on for that picnic lunch?"
                                 Cheerilee smiled "Of course, though now it's more of a picnic dinner, than a lunch." Was it Big Macintosh's imagination, or had her smile been a frown just seconds ago?
                                  "You're not mad I made you wait all this time?" Big Macintosh asked.
                                  "We can discuss that once we actually find a spot to set up the picnic blanket," Cheerilee said, as she grabbed Big Macintosh by the hoof "Now come on, time waits for nopony and we're only young once. We should make the most of the time we've got. Isn't that right, sugar bear?"
                                  "Eeyup." Big Macintosh replied, as he grabbed the picnic basket and set off with Cheerilee. He was really looking forward to this date. All in all, the little love poison incident from Hearts and Hooves Day had worked to his advantage. Now, he had a promising relationship with Cheerilee. And he was certain he was going to enjoy being in love.

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         Chapter 46: Spike Returns (Dragon Quest)          
//-------------------------------------------------------//
Chapter 46: Spike Returns (Dragon Quest)
                It had been a long couple of months, but at long last the wait was over. The annual dragon migration was due to pass over Ponyville in a matter of hours, and both Shining Armor and Twilight could barely contain their excitement. They were looking forward to seeing Spike again, though they had to remind themselves that he might not necessarily be coming back for good.
                Everyone else who know Spike was also eager to see him come back, Ponyville hadn't been the same without him. Rarity in particular, had found it surprisingly hard to concentrate on her work.
                And so it was, that on the day that the migration was slated to pass through Ponyville, Shining Armor, Twilight, and their friends, were all watching from the safety of a trench. All of them had their eyes to the sky, trying to spot the dragons and hopefully, Spike. So far, they hadn't spotted a single dragon.
                "Do you see anythin' yet?" Applejack asked Big Macintosh.
                "Eenope." Big Macintosh replied.
                "I don't see any dragons either," Soarin added "Where could they be?"
                "Are you sure you got the right date for the migration?" Rainbow Dash asked Twilight "Cause it looks like those dragons aren't coming!"
                "But this doesn't make any sense! I know I have the right date! I studied all the information I could find about dragons and their migrating patterns!" Twilight complained "They have to pass through here!"
                "Maybe they're just being fashionably late?" Fancy Pants suggested.
                "Or maybe something happened to them that held them up?" Thunderlane proposed.
                 "Whatever the case is, they aren't here even though they should be," Shining Armor said seriously "Looks like Spike's homecoming will be delayed." And he turned to leave the trench, and head back home.
                 But just then, Pinkie Pie began to jump up and down, all the while shouting "Look! Look!"
                 "I don't believe it! The dragons are coming!" Braeburn exclaimed, and he was right.
                 Using their binoculars, everypony in the trench turned their attention to the sky above them. In a matter of seconds, it was filled with dragons of all sorts of different sizes and colors. Some were very big, and some were rather small. But all of them were a sight to behold for the ponies in the trench, most of whom had never seen anything like it before.
                  However, Twilight was concerned only with trying to find one particular dragon amongst the migrating group. She looked all around, but there was no sign of him. She searched high, and she searched low, but there was no sign of him anywhere. Not even a single green scale. "I know he has to be in the migration somewhere," Twilight thought to herself, unwilling to give up hope "Where is he? Maybe I should've tried to send him a letter asking him where he'd be during the migration?"
                  Seconds passed, then minutes, but nopony was able to spot any sign of Spike amongst the dragons. As the migration came to a close, and the last of the dragons passed by the trench, Spike was still nowhere to be seen, much to the disappointment of everyone in the trench.
                  "Well, I guess.... Spike isn't coming home. He must've found his calling somewhere along the path of the migration, and decided to stay." Twilight said sadly, trying her best not to cry.
                  "And to think, I never even went on a date with him, even once." Rarity added, now wishing she'd done so at some point. She still wasn't sure if her feelings for Spike went as far as actual love, but at least part of her still felt empty without Spike in her life. He may not have been the sort of prince charming she'd always imagined she'd marry, but in many ways he was a suitor that she'd actually appreciated the more she got to know him.
                   "I'm gonna miss seeing that little guy, he was a lot of fun to play with." Rumble commented, as he climbed down from Thunderlane's back. With the dragon migration over, he had no reason to stay up there.
                   "We're all gonna miss him, very much," Shining Armor spoke up "And it's a real shame, I was really looking forward to having him at my wedding," Shining Armor then sighed "I guess, I'll have to break the news to Cadence that our wedding will short one baby dragon. She won't take the news very well, Spike was just as much a part of her life as he was a part of my life, as well as Twily's."
                    "I was especially looking forward to throwing him a 'Welcome Home' party." Pinkie Pie said, barely able to hold onto her smile.
                    "It won't be easy to adjust to a life without Spike around, but somehow, I think we'll manage." Fancy Pants said glumly, even though he was not so sure of the statement himself.
                    And so it was that the dragon migration passed, without any sign of Spike. Everypony that gathered to welcome him back, even if it would only be for a little while, went home with heavy hearts. Twilight in particular, found it hard not to shed tears. "I probably drove him away with all the demands I placed on him as my number one assistant."
                    But upon reaching The Golden Oaks Library, opening the door, and walking through it, Twilight and Shining Armor were dealt a surprise they never could've imagined.
                    "What kept you two? I've been waiting here all afternoon." a familiar snarky voice called out. A second later, Twilight and Shining Armor laid eyes on a light purple skin with green scales that they had not seen in months.
                    "Spike!" The Sparkle siblings exclaimed, promptly racing over and hugging him.
                    "That's right, I'm back!" Spike said happily "Now, tell me all the news! I wanna know just what it is that I've missed out on while I was away."
                     Spike could have hardly anticipated just how much he was missed by everyone in Ponyville, as Pinkie Pie and Braeburn's joint "Welcome Home" party for him led to Sugarcube Corner being packed with ponies and non ponies young and old alike.
                     His friends especially were glad to have him in their lives again, and it wasn't long before Spike caught up on the news he hadn't heard.
                     "Just who are these little bundles of joy?" Spike asked, as he held a pegasus colt and a unicorn filly in his claws.
                     The colt had a coat that was light goldish gray in color, almost like cake batter. He had a brown mane and tail in a wavy style, while his eyes were a darker shade of brown, more like chocolate. The filly had a coat that was light yellow in color. Her mane and tail were light orange, and were as wavy as the pegasus colt, her eyes were a briliant blue in color.
                     "They're Pound and Pumpkin Cake of course!" Pinkie Pie said, grinning from ear to ear.
                     "Cake? As in, the same Cake family as Mr. and Mrs. Cake?" Spike asked Pinkie Pie.
                     "Yes a rooni!" Pinkie Pie replied, then she said to Pound and Pumpkin Cake "This is Spike, say 'Hi Spike.'"
                     Pound and Pumpkin Cake spoke up, but all Spike heard was a series of unintelligable babbles of random nonsense.
                     "They're only about two months old, they're still learning how to talk." Mr. Cake told Spike.
                     "But we love them very much, and we're glad to have them around," Mrs. Cake added "They've also taken a real shine to Pinkie Pie, they seem to see her as something of an aunt."
                      "And between you and me, they seem to really like Braeburn, they're the only other pony they're willing to listen to. Besides their parents of course." Pinkie Pie whispered to Spike.
                      "Well, I'm glad I finally got to meet them. They seem to be really excited to see me." Spike said, as he noticed how much the twins seemed to enjoy being held by him. They especially seemed to delight in lightly poking his scales with their chubby little hooves.
                       "This is their first time getting to see you face to face, until now they've only heard stories about you," Pinkie Pie explained "I don't think they imagined you'd be a dragon, instead of a pony."
                        "Well, I am what I am." Spike replied, as Pound and Pumpkin Cake yawned lightly.
                        "Excuse me, but it's time for the twins to take their nap," Mrs. Cake explained softly "If you would be so kind as to let me have them back." Spike happily obliged, and Mrs. Cake quickly took her children upstairs, so they could nap in peace.
                        "That ain't the only piece of news you missed out on while you were off tryin' to find your place in life with that migration." Applejack told Spike.
                        "Oh yeah, that." Spike replied. Was it Shining Armor's imagination, or did he suddenly seem unhappy to hear such a thing? Surely, the migration had provided Spike with the answers he'd been seeking.
                        "Big Mac here went and hooked up with Cheerilee, they're offically datin' now!" Braeburn explained "I couldn't believe my ears when I first heard the news, but it was all true!"
                        "No kidding? Ponyville's number one chick magnet finally found one that stuck to him?" Spike joked "Well, it took him long enough. I was starting to think he was afraid of dating or something."
                         Spike was only teasing, but he was quite surprised to see Big Macintosh give him an angry glare that seemed to convey "That's not funny!". Spike, deciding it was best not to press his luck. "So, Cheerilee, huh?" he said "Well, I gotta give Big Mac credit, he certainly aims to please."
                        "Eeyup." Was all Big Macintosh decided to say. He was still getting used to the idea of dating a pony, let alone somepony like Cheerilee, who was the town's elementary school teacher.
                         "So, what was the migration like?" Soarin asked Spike "Did you meet a lot of other dragons?"
                         "Were they big and scary?" Fluttershy said nervously.
                         "Were some of them all cutesie wootsie like you?" Pinkie Pie asked.
                         "I'll bet most of them had stashes of treasure they weren't too keen on sharing." Fancy Pants chimed in.
                         "They didn't try to hurt you, did they?" Rarity asked, expressing her concern for Spike "If they touched one scale on that cute little head of yours, I'll make them sorry!"
                         "Did you meet any female dragons by any chance?" Braeburn added "If so, what were they like?"
                         "I know we're asking a lot of questions, but we're all very curious as to what you saw on that migration," Thunderlane explained "We've missed having you around, and we're all wondering why you came back now."
                         "Twilight and Shining Armor especially missed having you around," Rainbow Dash chimed in "And you're the first one of us to actually get a chance to see dragons up close and personal."
                          "When they aren't causing trouble, that is." Soarin quickly added.
                           "Which is why we're all so curious as to what the dragons you migrated with were like," Applejack explained "So, care to enlighten us with your knowledge?"
                           Much to the surprise of everyone gathered, Spike replied by saying "I know you all have questions, and under normal circumstances, I'd be glad to  answer them. But right now, I'm really tired out. Being part of that migration was exhausting, so I'd like nothing more than to just return home and rest. Once I'm feeling more like my old self, I'll gladly answer all of your questions as best I can." And to emphasize his point, he let out a yawn. Everyone quickly realized they were putting too much pressure on Spike, considering how long he'd been away, and agreed to back off.
                           Shining Armor, however, could sense that Spike's behavior was more because of some deeper problem that he seemed unwilling to talk about. And he was determined to get to the bottom of it.
                           The next morning, when Spike woke up, he didn't seem to be at all worried or concerned about the fact that the migration had moved on without him. In fact, he seemed to be glad to be back to being Twilight's number one assistant. As was evidenced by the smile he wore around his face, as he went about his usual duties as Twilight's assistant.
                           Considering how much he'd said he needed to go on the migration, Shining Armor was certain that Spike wouldn't just up and leave it. Something must have happened during the migration that made him feel he was better off in Ponyville. The only question now was, what was that something?
                           Shining Armor's chance to ask, came sooner than expected.
                           "Thanks for all your help, Spike." Twilight said, smiling the biggest smile she had smiled in months. With Spike back in her life, she felt much more cheerful and upbeat. She'd missed having her son around.
                           "No problem, Twilight. It's so good to be home again after all this time." Spike happily replied.
                           "Well, I've got nothing else I need help with at the moment," Twilight told Spike "So, why don't you take a break for right now? I'll let you know when your servcies are required again."
                            "Fine by me," Spike smiled "Guess that'll give Shining Armor and I a chance to talk about guy things. You know, hoofball, girls, that sort of stuff."
                            Twilight just giggled, and set to work on writing down information that she had collected during the dragon migration.
                            Shining Armor was waiting for Spike, when he came upstairs. Now was the time to talk, even if Spike wasn't willing to do so.
                            "Hey, Shining Armor. Long time no see, how's it hanging?" Spike asked "Still set to marry Princess Cadence this coming weekend?"
                            "Yes indeed, and I'm glad you'll be around to see it," Shining Armor said with a smile "Would you be willing to be the ring bearer during the wedding?"
                            "Of course I would! I was hoping you'd give me a role in your wedding, considering you've assigned roles to all of our other friends!" Spike replied eagerly.
                             "Good, I was sure you'd say yes, but I wanted to make sure." Shining Armor said, and he sighed. Now that he'd gotten that out of the way, it was time to find out why Spike seemed unwilling to talk about the dragon migration, and why he'd left it.
                              When Shining Armor sighed, Spike began to worry. "He's gonna try to probe me and find out what's wrong," he thought nervously to himself "I've got to stay strong! I can't let him find out!" And he mentally braced himself for whatever Shining Armor would try to do.
                              "So, just how was the migration? I take it there's a good reason why you left, right?" Shining Armor asked Spike.
                              "The migration was alright, I just decided I was better off living in Ponyville, and that was that," Spike replied, trying to throw Shining Armor off his trail "I'd tell you more, but there's really not much to talk about. We just drifted from town to town, and talked about things that were of interest only to dragons. You wouldn't enjoy it."
                              Shining Armor didn't buy Spike's statement for a second, there was definitely more to the story than Spike was letting on. "Spike, tell me the truth. What's the real reason for you leaving the migration? You looked so determined when you set off, convinced that it would give you the answers you wanted so badly. What was it that made you decide you didn't want to stay with the dragons?" he asked.
                              "I already told you, Shining Armor, I just decided I was better off living in Ponyville! That's all there is, and there isn't anymore!" Spike insisted "I appreciate your concern, but I'm fine."
                              "Spike, whatever it was that you witnessed during the migration, it doesn't necessarily mean that's what you have to do or be," Shining Armor said with concern "You can always be the exception to the rule. Besides, what you are isn't always the same as who you are. You should know that by now."
                              "Who said anything about who or what I was?!" Spike replied angrily "If those other dragons want to be selfish, greedy, and rude, that's fine! I'm better off without them! And if the few noble dragons are mocked and shunned, then they have every right to leave the flock and strike out on their own!" Spike then realized, that he'd unintentionally blown the lid on his secret. The truth had been exposed.
                               "So that's what this is all about!" Shining Armor realized "You went on the migration, and you discovered that you didn't like how the other dragons acted! So, you decided to leave the migration the first chance you got!"
                               "It's like you're a mind reader, but that's true," Spike admitted with a sigh "I tried to find the answers I needed, but none of the dragons could help me. Most of them were either too busy guarding their stashes of treasure, or just weren't helpful. Then, I met these teenage dragons, and after they tried to steal a bunch of phoneix eggs so they could smash them, I knew I wanted nothing to do with the other dragons. Because they either could not, or would not, do anything to stop Garble and his followers!"
                               "But the phoneix nests aren't anywhere near Ponyville, they're closer to Los Pegasus and Applewood," Shining Armor said, remembering that he'd seen such information on a map "And those were some of the first cities that the migration passed through. If you left the migration at that point, why didn't you come back to Ponyville? I doubt it took you almost three months to get back."
                               "I wanted to come back to Ponyville and be with you and Twilight again, really I did," Spike admitted saddly "But after the send off Ponyville gave me, and after what I'd done just prior to leaving, I knew I couldn't come back. I headed to Canterlot instead, hoping that Princess Celestia would have the answers. After all, she's the one who obtained my egg. If anypony could give me the answers, it should've been her."
                               "And she didn't have them?" Shining Armor asked.
                               Spike shook his head "Unfortunately, yes. She said that my egg was given to her by a mysterious pony, and no one knew who my parents were, or where I'd come from. Even the Canterlot Archives failed to provide me with any useful information, the only thing I turned up, was this 'Noble Dragon Code'. And that certainly didn't do me any favors."
                               "But even a trip from Los Pegasus or Applewood, to Canterlot, shouldn't have taken more than a month at worst," Shining Armor realized "And I doubt Princess Celestia was so busy you didn't see her for two whole months. So, after Canterlot turned out to be a dead end, where did you go?"
                               "I just drifted from town to town, trying to forget about my past. I hoped to make a name for myself as a noble dragon," Spike explained sadly "But no matter where I went, my thoughts kept drifting back to you, and to Twilight. Eventually, I realized that, I had to come back. That it was selfish of me to forget about you two, and all your friends, just for the sake of my past. So, now you know the truth about where I've been for these past three months. I'm sorry you had to find out this way."
                               "Spike, I'm not going to say that what you did was smart, because it wasn't," Shining Armor said, after a moment of reflection "But I think you truly proved yourself to be different from the other dragons, when you decided to put aside your own glory, and come back home."
                               "You're just saying that!" Spike protested "I don't need your pity!"
                               "Spike, think about it. If you were truly selfish and greedy, you never would've come back home. You would've just continued to travel from place to place, all so you could prove your own glory," Shining Armor explained "But instead, you realized where you truly belonged, and you decided to come back home. And on top of that, you were horrified when you learned what the teenage dragons liked to do. If you were truly like the other dragons, you wouldn't have been offended."
                                "I guess I never really thought about it like that," Spike realized "But promise me one thing, Shining Armor."
                                "What's that, Spike?" Shining Armor asked.
                                "Don't tell anypony else about this! I'd rather they not know," Spike insisted "I'll tell them eventually, but I want to do it on my own terms!"
                                "Well, I'll give you two months, but that's all you'll get," Shining Armor told Spike "If you haven't told them by that point, I will!"
                                "Deal!" Spike replied, and he and Shining Armor shook claw and hoof respectively.
                                Spike went back to being Twilight's number one assistant, and he soon forgot to worry about the possibility of becoming the monster he'd become on his last birthday.
                                But Shining Armor could sense that Spike's time alone had changed him, even if it wasn't noticeable to most ponies. Spike was now more self conscious about his role in Equestria, and even if he wouldn't admit it, he was less than thrilled by the role he currently played.

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           Chapter 39: One Bad Day (Lesson Zero)           
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Chapter 39: One Bad Day (Lesson Zero)
                Shining Armor was running. To where, he did not know. But one thing was for certain, he could not afford to stay put. For everytime he looked back, the dim light revealed something that was all the encouragement Shining Armor needed to keep on running.
                "Run, run, as fast as you can. You'll not escape me, I'm the chaos man!" an omionus voice echoed, and from the darkness emerged a creature consisting of all sorts of different animals. Said creature was giving chase to Shining Armor, and appeared to be slowly closing in with every movement he made.
                "Just leave me alone, Discord!" Shining Armor pleaded, as he continued to run. The dark landscape remaining constantly the same and never changing, no matter how far Shining Armor ran.
                "No, Shining Armor, I won't. I will never rest. Not until I have driven you absolutely bonkers." Discord replied, a fiendish smirk registering clearly on his face.
                "You've already lost, you can't corrupt me. I won't fall for your mind games!" Shining Armor shouted defiantly, even though the sweat pouring down from his face indicated just how uncertain he was of his statement.
                "Oh, on the contrary, you will," Discord said with a grin "Throughout my many eons of existence, I have come to learn that it just takes the right amount of pressure to break any individual. Some like to think that they're above madness, that they can resist it. But in the end, all it really takes is one bad day, to make even the sanest of minds lose its grip on reality. For some, it takes longer than others. But sooner or later, madness becomes the only option available."
                Shining Armor said nothing more, he just continued to run and run. He kept trying in vain to put more distance between himself, and Discord.
                "That's it, run! Run as fast as you like! There is no way you can escape me, young Shining Armor. And neither can you escape your fate," Discord taunted "One way or another, you will be mine!"
                "Nooooooooooo!" Shining Armor shouted, and woke up with a start. He looked all around, and breathed a much needed sigh of relief when he saw that he was safely in his bed at the Golden Oaks Library in Ponyville. It had all been just a dream.
                "B.B.B.F.F, what's wrong?" Twilight asked softly, having been woken from her sleep by her brother's scream of terror.
                "Nothing, Twily. I just had a bad dream, that's all." Shining Armor replied, intentionally leaving out what the dream had involved. There was no need to make his sister worry, she had enough problems to deal with.
                "Well, keep it down will ya? Some of us are trying to get some sleep." Spike protested, having also been woken up by Shining Armor's scream.
                "Sorry about that, I'll try not to let it happen again." Shining Armor apologized.
                "Don't take this the wrong way or anything, but are you sure you're okay?" Spike asked Shining Armor "You've been having bad dreams for at least two weeks now. I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure that's not normal."
                 "I'm fine, Spike. These dreams are sure to stop, eventually." Shining Armor quickly replied, and went back to sleep.
                 Shining Armor slept peacefully for the rest of the night, but when the rays of Celestia's sun began to peek into the windows of the Golden Oaks Library it didn't take much for him to wake up. One didn't even need to look closely to see the bags under his eyes.
                 "Good morning, B.B.B.F.F," Twilight called, a huge smile forming on her face. "You're up early this morning."
                 "Well, I've got to get a head start on my daily patrols," Shining Armor replied, letting out a light yawn "Princess Celestia is counting on me to make sure Ponyville is recovering smoothly, and I won't let her down."
                  "You'll have plenty of time to worry about that after breakfast." Twilight said kindly, as Shining Armor followed her downstairs "Today is a beautiful day. You should enjoy it."
                   "I will, once I know for sure there's nothing to worry about. Call me a security freak all you want, but I'm not willing to let my guard down just yet." Shining Armor said seriously.
                    Twilight came to a halt upon hearing Shining Armor say those words. Over the past week, Shining Armor's mood had changed considerably. He used to be laid back, cheerful, upbeat, and above all else, cool and collected. But now it seemed that he seldom had a smile on his face, and he was much more serious and blunt. He was even starting to act a bit paranoid, and wasn't shrugging it off as his fears geting the best of him.
                     In short, Shining Armor seemed like a completely different stallion from the one Twilight knew and loved. Yes, ponies could change. But never had Twilight seen a pony change so drastically. She frowned at the thought of what her big brother had become, but she said nothing. She didn't know what Shining Armor had to endure, and she couldn't say for certain how she would react if the roles were reversed.
                     Even so, Twilight was worried. It was not too long ago that she herself had snapped, and got all of Ponyville fighting over an old doll. And that was through an old spell she'd never intended to use. Shining Armor knew hundreds of combat and defense spells, and if he broke down as badly as Twilight did, the consequences could be much worse than just an entire town fighting over a doll.
                     "Shining Armor, don't you think you're taking this assignment a little too seriously?" Twilight asked.
                     "You can never be too serious when it comes to security, Twilight." Shining Armor replied, and that was all he said on the matter. He quickly made his way downstairs and ate breakfast.
                     "Let's go, Spike!" Shining Armor ordered, once breakfast was finished "The sooner we get started on these security sweeps, the better. We owe it to Princess Celestia to be on the lookout for new potential threats."
                      Spike wanted to protest and tell Shining Armor that there was no need for them to patrol Ponyville, but before he could get a word in edgewise Twilight looked at him with eyes that clearly read "Go out with him and keep an eye on him. I'm worried that he might be letting his fears get to him." Not one to disobey an order from the pony who'd helped raise him, Spike reluctantly climbed onto Shining Armor's back, and the two of them headed out to check out nook and cranny of Ponyville.
                     "I don't know what's gotten into you, B.B.B.F.F, but I don't like it." Twilight thought to herself, as she watched Shining Armor and Spike leave The Golden Oaks Library.
                     "Alright then, where to first, Spike?" Shining Armor asked.
                     "Hold on a second," Spike replied, and pulled out a checklist. Said checklist had all of the locations of Ponyville labled on it, with a box next to each picture that could be checked off once the location was visited. "It says here that our first stop is Sweet Apple Acres. But you already knew that, didn't you?"
                     "Maybe I did," Shining Armor half admitted "But it certainly didn't hurt to double check. Better safe than sorry."
                     "This is going to be a long day." Spike thought unhappily to himself, as he followed Shining Armor along the path that led to Sweet Apple Acres.
                     In only a matter of seconds, the familiar sight of apple trees greeted the eyes of Shining Armor and Spike. A tell tale sign that they were on the right path.
                     But suddenly, Shining Armor saw a sight that he knew he shouldn't be seeing if everything was as it should be. There was Soarin, decked out in his Wonderbolts flight suit and goggles, and he was attacking a barn with a series of high speed kicks and punches. All the while, Big Macintosh was watching from a distance. Crouching down in the safety of a nearby trench as wooden boards flew overhead.
                     The fact that the barn in question seemed abandoned and neglected wasn't ignored by Spike, but Shining Armor certainly took no notice of it. Because he turned to Spike and said seriously "Soarin must've gotten into another fight with Big Macintosh, and now he thinks vandilism is an approprite way to get back at him," then, with a sigh he added "I'll probably have to sort out whatever silly dispute caused all of this, which means I'm going to be late for the rest of my patrols."
                     Soarin was unaware of Shining Armor's presence, as he continued to chip away at the barn board by board. But, as he prepared to drive home another kick, he was surprised when he felt his hoof bounce off of a deflective magic bubble. Contact with the pink colored bubble caused Soarin to be shot back into the sky for a second, before he crashed onto the ground. "Ow! It's times like this that make me really glad I'm a pegasus." Soarin groaned, as he slowly got up and dusted himself off. Luckly, he wasn't hurt.
                     "Soarin, as your friend I'm asking you to stop this reckless behavior at once!" Shining Armor scolded, walking up to the Wonderbolt Co-Captain.
                     "Reckless behavior? What are you talking about?" Soarin asked. He wasn't aware that he had done anything wrong.
                     "Don't try to play innocent with me, Soarin!" Shining Armor said angrily, holding his friend in place with the magic from his horn "I can tell by your actions that you and Big Macintosh must've gotten into a serious arguement. But whatever it is, there's no reason for you to just start destroying property."
                     "I'm not destroying property!" Soarin protested.
                     "Oh really? Then why were you attacking that barn just a few seconds ago?" Shining Armor asked "I highly doubt Big Macintosh just walked up to you and said 'Hey, Soarin. How would you like to destroy my barn?'"
                     "Well actually, that's exactly why I was attacking the barn." Soarin replied.
                     "What?!" Shining Armor exclaimed "Is this a joke, Soarin? You know how much I hate it when you joke about stuff like that."
                     "It's no joke, Big Macintosh flat out asked me if I wanted to destroy his barn for him, and I said yes." Soarin told Shining Armor.
                     "He's tellin' the truth." Big Macintosh spoke up.
                     "But why? Why in Celestia's name would you let him do such a thing?" Shining Armor asked, scratching his head in confusion "I fail to understand the logic behind that."
                      Big Macintosh just laughed "Oh Shining Armor, you just don't get it do you? Take a look at that barn for a second and you'll understand everythin'. It's a dump, an eyesore!"
                      "Whatever you call it, it's a mess." Soarin added.
                      "I've been wantin' to put up a new barn to replace it, but Granny Smith said this old barn had to come down first," Big Macintosh went on "Rather than pay for a bunch of expensive explosives, I figured I'd help Soarin stay in shape by givin' him somethin' to practice his fightin' skills on. Never hurts to be prepare for a fight."
                      "And it gives me a good workout. 'Bout the only thing that tops it are the exercises Spitfire puts me through," Soarin finished "Now, if you'll excuse me, it's time for me to get back to work and finish the job!" And quick as a flash, Soarin took off into the sky.
                      "You might wanna find a good place to hide, Shining Armor." Big Macintosh said seriously, as he jumped into the trench and doned a bright green helmet.
                      "What do you mean?" Shining Armor asked nervously.
                      "Let's just say, you ain't gonna wanna be standin' here for the next couple of minutes. Soarin's got a new 'signature move' he's been workin' on, and I think he's found the perfect opportunity to give it a field test." Big Macintosh explained.
                      "He's right!" Soarin called from above "This new trick is gonna really bring down the house! I mean it!"
                      Shining Armor and Spike looked up, and what they saw made their eyes grow wide in horror. With seconds to spare, Shining Armor lit up his horn and teleported himself and Spike into the trench Big Macintosh was hiding in. Then, there came a deafening roar, and a huge shockwave shook the ground. Shining Armor, Spike, and Big Macintosh were burried in a heap of rubble.
                      Fortunately, none of them were hurt. And they all pulled themselves out and dusted themselves off, just as Soarin came in for a landing. There was not a trace of the old barn left, Soarin's "trick" had completely demolished it.
                      "Oops, sorry about that. Guess I don't know my own strength." Soarin said sheepishly.
                      "You did a fine job, Soarin. I knew I could count on you to help me demolish that old barn!" Big Macintosh replied happily "Now, whadya say I treat you to some hot apple pie as a reward for you hard work?"
                       "You had me at apple pie." Soarin said, licking his lips in delight. Ever since The Grand Galloping Gala, Soarin had developed a craving for apple pie from Sweet Apple Acres.
                        Soarin and Big Macintosh set off happily together, leaving Spike and Shining Armor standing alone at the sight of the demolished barn. Only now it looked like they were standing in the middle of an empty field.
                        "That, was, amazing!" Spike exclaimed "I thought only Rainbow Dash could do that sort of thing. I wonder if she taught it to Soarin?"
                        Shining Armor, however, was more concerned about the fact that Soarin's little show had made him late for the rest of his rounds. "Come along, Spike. We've wasted enough time here, we must move onto the next area."
                        Spike sighed, and reluctantly pulled out the checklist. It was no use arguing with Shining Armor. "It would seem our next stop is Carousel Boutique."
                       "Well, knowing Rarity, she's bound to have some sort of overblown problem that she'll inevitably need help solving." Shining Armor said flatly, and he and Spike headed back along the path they had followed to reach Sweet Apple Acres, as it was the only way back to town.
                       On the way to Carousel Boutique, Shining Armor and Spike bumped into Braeburn.
                       "Oh, sorry there, Shining Armor. Really should've watched where I was goin'." Braeburn apologized.
                       To Braeburn's surprise, Shining Armor responded as if he'd been approached by a random stranger in an alleyway. "Braeburn? What are you doing in Ponyville? Shouldn't you be back in Appleloosa?"
                       "Don't you remember, Shining Armor? I did go back to Appleloosa, but Discord didn't really do much to the town. It didn't take us too long to clean up and get everything back to normal." Braeburn explained. Surely, Shining Armor hadn't forgotten about that.
                       "And how long have you been in Ponyville? I don't recall seeing you around, which is very suspicious given your love of parties." Shining Armor said seriously, pointing his horn towards Braeburn as if he deemed him a threat.
                       "There haven't really been a lot of parties for me to attend. Even Pinkie Pie's stopped throwin' them every single day," Braeburn quickly replied "But I'm really lookin' forward to this 'Nightmare Night' I've been hearin' about. Growin' up in Applewood, we never really celebrated such a holiday."
                       Shining Armor was silent for a moment, and his horn remained pointed firmly at Braeburn. But at last, he said to Braeburn "Ah, sorry about the misunderstanding. Given the circumstances, I wanted to make sure you weren't an imposter. As you can see, I've taken the liberty of upping the security around here, so watch your back." All the while, Shining Armor kept up his serious demeanor, and did not smile. Something that Braeburn found extremly unsettling.
                       "Uh, Shining Armor. Are you feelin' okay?" Braeburn asked nervously.
                       "Of course I'm okay! Why wouldn't I be okay?!" Shining Armor replied quickly.
                       Braeburn took one look at Shining Armor's face, and he immediately decided that he wanted to be anywhere but where he currently was. With a gulp Braeburn said to Shining Armor and Spike "Well, I hope I'll see you two around. Now if you'll excuse me, I think I'm gonna go see what Pinkie Pie is up to, bye!" And Braeburn took off at a speed that would've made Rainbow Dash jealous.
                       "Well, that was odd. Wonder what's gotten into him?" Shining Armor wondered outloud.
                       "Probably you." Spike replied.
                       But Shining Armor didn't hear Spike. He was already focused solely on getting to Carousel Boutique as fast as possible. He was hoping to make up for lost time.
                       "Something is not right with you, Shining Armor," Spike thought to himself, as he followed his friend "And I owe it to Twilight to find out what it is." And with that, Spike made a silent vow that he would pin down the case of Shining Armor's change in behavior, and hopefully correct it before it got out of control.
                        It took longer than Shining Armor would've liked, but at last he and Spike arrived at Carousel Boutique.
                        Normally, Spike would've delighted in the opportunity to see Rarity again. But for right now, he was more concerned with Shining Armor's behavior. He didn't like it at all, but Shining Armor seemed to ignore all the stares he was getting from random citizens as he passed them by.
                        "Ah, Shining Armor and Spike. To what do I owe the pleasure?" Fancy Pants asked, greeting his unexpected guests.
                        "Well, I thought I'd stop by and see if your assistant has any sort of problems she needs help with." Shining Armor explained in his flat tone of voice.
                        "I appreciate your concern, my good stallion. But I assure you that Miss. Rarity is perfectly fine." Fancy Pants replied
                         Just then, there was a high pitched scream from upstairs. Shining Armor couldn't make out exactly who had uttered it, but he was certain it was a scream of worry. "That doesn't sound fine to me." he said, and before anyone could stop him he raced upstairs and burst through the door of Rarity's workshop.
                        Much to Shining Armor's surprise, both Rarity and Fleur seemed completely okay. There were no signs of injuries, outside of a small red patch on one of Rarity's hooves. And although Rarity seemed a bit unnerved, it didn't appear that either she or Fleur were in any sort of imminent danger.
                        "Oh, Shining Armor. What an unexpected but pleasant surprise." Fleur commented, upon noticing the young captain standing before her.
                        "I heard a scream. Is everything alright?" Shining Armor asked, obvious signs of concern and worry emerging onto his previosuly serious face.
                        "Everything is just fine, darling. I just, lightly pricked myself while repairing one of Fleur's dresses and it gave me quite a surprise." Rarity explained, going to considerable lengths not to show off the pricked hoof.
                         "So, that's what all the screaming was about?" Shining Armor asked, hoping beyond hope that such wasn't the case "You're sure it wasn't anything else? Not even something as trivial as a mouse?"
                         "Fluttershy does a great job of keeping her smaller animal critters out of danger. And even if a mouse did slip in, Opal would send it packing in a matter of days." Fleur said to Shining Armor, as she used her magic to clean and disinfect Rarity's wound, before putting a bandage on it for protection.
                         "Well, guess I won't be sewing any new dresses or suits for a while," Rarity said glumly, as she observed her bandage wound "But thank you for patching up the wound for me." she said to Fleur.
                         "Think nothing of it, Miss. Rarity. And I already have the perfect idea in mind to make it up to you," Fleur smiled "Why don't I do your sewing work until that hoof of yours is better? You've been working so hard lately, and you deserve a break."
                         "You really don't have to do this, Fleur. Just taking care of my wound was enough." Rarity protested, but Fleur refused to take no for an answer. And so Rarity had no choice but to reluctantly agree to Fleur's terms.
                         Seeing as there was nothing that commanded his attention, Shining Armor marched out of Rarity's workshop and back downstairs.
                         "See, I told you that Miss. Rarity was perfectly fine," Fancy Pants said to Shining Armor "But as long as you're here, why not stay for a spot of tea? I've been itching to try out this new brew I obtained from Zecora, she tells me it is very enriching for the body and the mind."
                         "Sorry, gonna have to take a rain check on that tea. Crime waits for nopony!" Shining Armor said seriously, and turned to Spike "Come on, Spike. We've wasted enough time here, we need to get back to work and finish the rest of our patrols."
                         The rest of Shining Armor's patrols passed uneventfully, even when visiting Fluttershy's cottage.
                         Rather than return home, however, Shining Armor set off for the park in the middle of town. He made it perfectly clear to Spike that he wished to be left alone, for a couple of hours at least.
                         "I just don't understand it," Shining Armor said to himself, as he lay on a park bench, watching Celestia's slowly shift its position in the sky. The changing rays of sunlight giving the stallion a noticeable shadow "It's been only a couple of weeks since Discord made this town the center piece of his empire, and yet there's not a problem in sight. It should've taken at least a month to undo the damage."
                         Either unaware of the attention he was drawing to himself, or simplying not caring about the countless number of eyes watching him, Shining Armor continued to ponder out loud about what was going on. "There are no leftover puddles of chocolate milk. The animals are behaving normally. And the roads are their usual dirt selves. Everything is how it was before Discord came along, and yet I'm as on edge as I was when I met him. But why?"
                         Shining Armor paused during his contemplation to take a moment to fix his hair. A few loose strands were starting to show, and Shining Armor wanted to look as presentable as possible. He had a job to do, and that required him to remain in tip top condition for as long as necessary.
                         Upon completing his hair repair, Shining Armor lay back down on the park bench. He said nothing, but if one were to look at his face, they would see signs of a stallion who was deeply troubled about something.
                         Shining Armor closed his eyes, and prepared to drift off to sleep. But just as he was about to do so, the nearby clock tower struck the hour. Ringing a total of five times.
                         By the time the ringing had ceased, Shining Armor had realized something very important. Rising from the bench with a start, he took off running. "How could I have forgotten?! I hope I'm not too late!" he thought anxiously to himself.
                         On a hill just outside of Ponyville, Big Macintosh, Braeburn, Soarin, and Fancy Pants had all gathered for a little get together.
                         Big Macintosh was currently laying out an alternating red and white checkered picnic blanket on the ground, checking it carefully to ensure there were no ants.
                         Braeburn brought over a picnic basket loaded with all sorts of delicious baked goods. Some of them homemade, and some of them having come from Sugarcube Corner.
                         Soarin had changed out of his flight suit, and was now wearing a pair of sunglasses to protect his eyes from the bright sunlight. "Where's Thunderlane? And what about Shining Armor? They should've both been here by now. They're late." he said with concern.
                         "Thunderlane must've gotten held up at home with something," Fancy Pants replied, even though his answer amounted to little more than a guess "As for Shining Armor, I have no idea. It is not like him to be late though."
                         "I was thinkin' the same thing, unfortunately." Big Macintosh said, a small frown forming on his face.
                         "Now come on ya'll, let's not think like that," Braeburn quickly spoke up "I'm sure both Shining Armor and Thunderlane have very good reasons for bein' 'fashionably late' as Ma always used to call it. In fact, if I'm not mistaken, here comes Thunderlane now!"
                          Sure enough, Thunderlane was slowly making his way up the hill to his friends. Strapped to his shoulders was a saddle bag with a miniature lightning bolt printed onto it. "Hey guys." he called nervously.
                          "Well, it's about time. What kept you? The guys were worried something had happened to you, myself included." Soarin said seriously.
                          "I would've been here a little bit sooner, but I forgot about the plates." Thunderlane admitted, blushing slightly in embarrasment.
                          "Again? That's the third time this month you've let that happen," Fancy Pants scolded, shaking his head "Perhaps, next time, you could do us all the favor of leaving a reminder, so you don't forget."
                          "I'll keep that in mind." Thunderlane considered, as he dug into his saddle bag, and set the plates down on the blanket.
                          Just a few seconds later, Shining Armor finally arrived. But just by looking at him, his friends could tell something was wrong. He was out of breath, and his mane and tail seemed rather disorganized. His eyes had noticeable bags under them, and even seemed a tad bit shrunken. The smile on his face looked anything but welcoming, it looked rather unsettling.
                          In short, Shining Armor looked like he'd just gotten out of bed after suffering a horrible nightmare. Despite it being nowhere close to night time.
                          "Sorry, I'm late." Shining Armor said, pausing to catch his breath.
                          "What took you so long? I was starting to think you'd never show up." Soarin asked Shining Armor.
                          "My patrols took longer than I thought, and I guess I lost track of the time." Shining Armor replied, his eyes twitching for a second.
                          "Uh, Shining Armor, are you feelin' okay?" Braeburn asked.
                          "Yeah, you ain't lookin' too good right now." Big Macintosh added.
                          "I'm fine guys, just a little bit tired out, that's all." Shining Armor said nervously, a faint laugh escaping his mouth, followed by another twitch of his eyes.
                          "Uh, don't take this the wrong way or anything, but you're kind of creeping me out here." Soarin spoke up, as he and the others took note of Shining Armor's behavior. It was making them all feel really uneasy.
                          "Yeah," Thunderlane added, gulping a bit "We don't like it."
                          "Whatever is troubling you, we just want to help." Fancy Pants said kindly, extending a hoof out to Shining Armor.
                          But Shining Armor brushed the hoof aside, in his mind he no longer saw his friends. Rather, he saw a bunch of Discords, and they were all closing in fast. "No! Stay back, all of you! Don't come any closer!" he shouted, his horn sparking to life.
                          "Come on, sugarcube. Just please let us help you," Big Macintosh pleaded "Don't do somethin' you'll end up regrettin'."
                          Unfortunately, nothing his friends said or did could snap Shining Armor out of his paranoid state. Everywhere he looked, he could see Discord. He felt trapped, surrounded, unable to escape.
                          His heart racing a mile a minute, Shining Armor did the only thing he could think of doing that would get him out of his situation.
                          In a sudden flash of pink magic, Shining Armor disappeared and took off running.
                          "He's getting away!" Thunderlane shouted.
                          "I can see that!" Soarin replied "We've got to go after him before he hurts somepony, or even himself!"
                          "No! He's too dangerous!" Big Macintosh protested, grabbing Soarin by the tail.
                          "He's right, I'm afraid. Shining Armor is far too powerful for us to engage him head on." Fancy Pants said with a shake of his head.
                          "But then, what are we suppose to do?" Braeburn asked anxiously "We can't just turn our back on him."
                          "We've got to find Spike. He's the only one who's got a direct link to Princess Celestia!" Big Maicntosh said seriously "Whatever's goin' on with Shining Armor, we're goin' to need her help to stop it!"
                          "She's not gonna be very happy to hear her captain has gone crazy." Thunderlane said nervously.
                          "Probably not, but desperate times call for desperate measures!" Soarin replied "Like it or not, it's our only option at this point."
                          "Then let's stop talking and get going. The sooner we can find Spike, the better." Fancy Pants shouted, boldly taking charge.
                          "Fancy Pants is right. The time for talk is over, let's move out!" Big Macintosh instructed, and he, Braeburn, Soarin, Thunderlane, and Fancy Pants, all raced off to the Golden Oaks Library. Even if Spike wasn't there, Twilight was sure to know where he was.
                          "Hang on, Shining Armor. Whatever's causing all of this, you've got to fight it!" Big Macintosh thought to himself, as he and the other stallions raced through the streets of Ponyville. So far, everything was quiet. But Big Macintosh had a sinking feeling that it wouldn't be quiet for long.
                           It wasn't long after Shining Armor ran away from his friends, that the rational part of his mind managed to take back control. But by now, Shining Armor was a mess. Looking at his reflection in a puddle, he could see just how on edge he was.
                           "What's wrong with me?" he said to himself, as his reflection stared back at him "I can't believe I almost attacked my friends. They were only trying to help me, and I pushed them away."
                            Shining Armor was expecting his reflection not to talk back to him, and he was quite surprised when it did "But why should that matter? They don't understand the reality of the situation the way you do. You're the only one who's actually worried about the possibility of another attack from Discord. Everyone else seems content to ignore the danger."
                            "What danger? I haven't noticed any danger. And I should know, I've been patrolling constantly for the past several weeks." Shining Armor said to his reflection.
                            "That doesn't mean you can relax. The moment you lower your guard is the moment that Discord will strike!" Shining Armor's reflection said angrily in response "You must be on guard twenty four/seven. It is the only way you and everyone you care about can be kept safe."
                            "But Discord has been defeated, he has been sealed away in stone once again. And he will remain that way for a long time," Shining Armor protested "There can't possibly be any way he could still be a threat."
                             Shining Armor's reflection shook its head "Oh, but that's just what Discord wants you to think."
                             "This is ridculous." Shining Armor said to himself, and shook his head. When he did, his reflection no longer talked back to him, and remained silent.
                             Deciding that his lack of sleep was the cause of his 'hallucinations', Shining Armor lay down on the same park bench he'd rested on earlier. He closed his eyes, and drifted off to sleep as the rays of Celestia's sun began to slowly shift away from him.
                             Shining Armor was running once again, but this time was different. He hadn't been running for very long, when he suddenly felt himself lose his balance and trip. Shining Armor tried to get up, but the inky darkness seemed to work against, preventing him from escaping.
                             "It's like I said, there's no way you can escape me, Shining Armor." Discord said with a laugh, as he slowly approached his target. Shining Armor tried, in vain, to get back up and run away again. He was truly at Discord's mercy.
                             "You put up quite a fight, young Shining Armor," Discord said, savoring his moment of triumph "Not since Celestia herself have I seen a pony fight off my influence for so long. But it was all for naught, I'm afraid."
                             "You, won't, get away with, whatever it is you're planning, Discord." Shining Armor protested.
                             "Oh, Shining Armor, you don't understand. I'm not here to hurt you, I'm here to help you." Discord explained.
                             "Help me? I doubt that very much." Shining Armor snorted.
                             Discord did not reply to Shining Armor's comment, he simply snapped his fingers and changed the landscape to something a little more suitable. The inky darkness still existed, but now Discord was dressed in a doctor's outfit, and Shining Armor was strapped to a table not unlike the ones patients sat on in doctor's offices. "Just sit back and relax, Dr. Discord is going to make you feel all better." Discord smirked, and began to use his magic to probe Shining Armor's mind.
                              Shining Armor tried, in vain, to keep Discord from reading his thoughts. Now he truly wished he'd learned from Princess Celestia how to protect the mind from unwanted invaders.
                              "Hm, oh dear, this doesn't look good at all," Discord said seriously, once he'd finished the probe "You've got so much stress piled on inside that mind, it's a miracle it hasn't already collapsed from the pressure. You've been holding it in for so long. But don't worry, I know just how to correct that little 'problem'." And with a snap of his fingers, a screw driver appeared in his hands.
                              Shining Armor took one look at the screwdriver, and began to feel beads of sweat pour down his face. He was extremly worried, and did not like what Discord was going to do to him.
                              "I'm just gonna loosen up a couple of screws really quick, no need to worry yourself," Discord explained to Shining Armor "You won't feel a thing. In fact, by the time I'm done, you won't be able to feel much of anything besides fear." And with that, he inserted the tip of the screwdriver into Shining Armor's head.
                              True to Discord's word, Shining Armor felt nothing at all. At least, until he could feel the fearful and paranoid part of his mind taking over. He tried to fight off the take over. But in only a matter of seconds, all he knew was fear.
                              "Come and get me, Celestia. I'm waiting for you." Discord thought to himself, as he returned to his normal form.
                              Shining Armor awoke with a start, and everywhere he looked, he could see Discord. Some Discords were big, some were small, some were in between. But all of them were looking at him, laughing and smirking. Some of them even drew close while saying "We want to help you, Shining Armor."
                              "No! Keep away! I don't need your help!" Shining Armor shouted at the top of his lungs, and ran away as fast as his legs could carry him.
                              Unfortunately, everywhere that Shining Armor went, he saw nothing but Discord. He felt trapped, stuck in an unending nightmare with no escape. And it was only by a fluke that he managed to get away, and find a place to hide.
                              "This is just what I feared," Shining Armor said to himself "Discord has created an army of look alikes that all have the same powers as him, and he's going to use them to take over all of Equestria. And what's even worse is that Princess Celestia is completely unaware of this. There's nowhere I can run where I'll be safe."
                              Upon realizing this, a rather creepy smile found its way onto Shining Armor's face "So, Discord has made his move, has he? Well, I think it's time I made mine. I'll teach him not to mess with me, and I know just the spell to do the trick."
                               In an open field of grass on the outskirts of Ponyville, the four founding members of The Cutie Mark Crusaders were taking a break from their usual crusades. They were currently bouncing a ball back and forth amongst themselves, all the while enjoying the pleasant weather. What they didn't know, was that they were being watched.
                               From the safety of a nearby bush, Shining Armor observed The Cutie Mark Crusaders as they played their little game. Unfortunately, with his mind overcome by fear and paranoia, Shining Armor could only see a quartet of Discord look alikes. They were staring at him, taunting him, and laughing fiendishly.
                               "Just keep on laughing while you still can. This party's about to be crashed!" Shining Armor thought to himself, as he charged up the one spell he had swore he'd never ever use. It was a powerful stun spell, one that was said to leave the target completely immobilized and at the mercy of whoever had cast it.
                               "Is it finished yet?" Twilight asked Spike. Spike was currently writing a letter, while Shining Armor's friends and Twilight waited anxiously inside of The Golden Oaks Library.
                               "I'm writing as fast as I can!" Spike replied, and turned to the stallions "So, let me see if I've got all the details. Shining Armor showed up to the picnic looking like he was on the brink of insanity. And when Fancy Pants reached out a hoof, Shining Armor snapped and ran off?"
                               "Eeyup." Big Macintosh said seriously.
                               "Hurry up and send that letter to Princess Celestia! There's no telling what Shining Armor will do!" Soarin added.
                               Wasting no time, Spike wrapped up the scroll on which he had written the emergency letter, and quickly set it alight. It disappeared in a swirl of green magic, and a few seconds later, Spike belched up the reply. He read it outloud to the worried ponies:
Dear Elements of Harmony Bearers and my faithful student,
I'm on my way!
Please try to track down Shining Armor and keep a close eye on him. Make sure he doesn't do anything he'll regret once he returns to normal.
But do not engage him directly, he's bound to see you all as a threat.
Sincerely,
Princess Celestia
                               "Well, orders are orders! Let's move out and find our friend before it's too late!" Soarin instructed.
                               "He couldn't have gotten far, but we'll have a better chance of finding him if we split up," Fancy Pants chimed in "Soarin and Thunderlane, the two of you take to the sky and see if you can spot Shining Armor from the air. Braeburn and Big Macintosh, you come with me and we'll search Ponyville on hoof."
                               "And no matter what happens, don't go off on your own!" Braeburn added "Shining Armor's not himself, and we don't know what he'll do to us."
                               "But we should try not to hurt him. Regardless of what's going on, he's still our friend." Thunderlane said considerately.
                               "We'll all keep that in mind, but the time for talk is over!" Big Macintosh shouted, taking charge of the situation "Let's move out!"
                               "Hey, aren't you gonna come along with us, Twilight?" Soarin asked, when he saw that Twilight wasn't joining the search.
                               Twilight shook her head "I don't want to see my brother in the state he's currently in. I don't want to have to go through the tramua of seeing the stallion I looked up turned into a monster. I'm staying here."
                               "If Twilight's staying, then so am I," Spike said seriously "She's going to need my help to get through this situation without breaking down. She already had a crazy episode once, I don't think anyone wants to go through a repeat."
                               "Fine then, you two stay here. We'll come back and notify you if we manage to save Shining Armor." Fancy Pants said, reluctantly accepting Spike and Twilight's decisions.
                               "You mean when we manage to save Shining Armor! Failure is out of the question!" Soarin replied.
                               "Enough talk, let's move out!" Big Macintosh shouted, and the five stallions took off.
                               "Please hurry, Princess Celestia." Spike thought anxiously, as he observed how stressed out Twilight was "The longer Shining Armor's out there, the harder it's gonna be to keep Twilight from going crazy as well."
                               "Catch, Rumble!" Scootaloo shouted, bumping the ball to Rumble with her nose.
                               Rumble quickly moved into position to catch the ball, and prepared to bump it to Apple Bloom, who would then bump it to Sweetie Belle, who would then bump it to Scootaloo. And then the cycle would switch up a bit.
                               But suddenly, just as Rumble was about to hit the ball, a small veil of pink magic appeared around it. And with a pop, Shining Armor appeared before the four young ponies, completely destroying the ball in the process.
                               "Hello." Shining Armor said slowly, his ears twitching a bit.
                               "Uh, hey there, Shining Armor," Apple Bloom nervously spoke up "How you doin'?"
                               "Oh, I'm fine. Just fine." Shining Armor replied, despite the look on his face showing clear signs that such was not the case.
                               "Are you okay?" Sweetie Belle asked Shining Armor. She had never seen him quite like this before, and she didn't like it.
                               "I will be, once I take care of a little 'problem' I've been having." Shining Armor said ominously, traces of magic appearing on the tip of his horn.
                               "What sort of 'problem'?" Scootaloo asked, as she and her friends slowly began to back away. Shining Armor's behavior, combined with the expression on his face, was enough to make them all feel uneasy. They didn't want to be around Shining Armor when he was like this.
                               "Not one that concerns the likes of you!" Shining Armor shouted, pointing his face directly in front of the CMC.
                               "What are you talking about? Did we do something wrong?" Rumble asked nervously.
                               "Don't play innocent with me, you know why I'm here!" Shining Armor said ominously, slowly working his way towards the CMC. But in his mind, he saw himself slowly but surely closing in on the four Discord clones he'd been spying on earlier "I'm going to see to it that every last one of you is exterminated, one way or another!" By the time he had finished saying this, Shining Armor's horn was surging with magic, and was giving off an ominous buzzing sound.
                               Said buzzing sound gave the CMC all the incentive they needed to run. And they did so without hesitation!
                               "Go ahead! Run all you want! You won't get away from me! I won't allow it!" Shining Armor shouted, and chased after his targets. Shooting off beams of magic as he tried to catch up to them.
                               "What's gotten into him? Why is he chasing us?" Rumble asked, as he and the other CMC tried to get away from their pursuer.
                               "I don't know, but I don't want stick around to find out!" Scootaloo replied.
                               "Less talking, more running!" Sweetie Belle interrupted.
                               "Don't let him catch us!" Apple Bloom screamed.
                               Unfortunately for the CMC, Shining Armor was catching up fast. And his beams of magic were becoming harder and harder to dodge.
                               "I have you now!" Shining Armor shouted, as he fired off another beam of magic from his horn. This one eventually managed to get close to Rumble.
                               Scootaloo, seeing what was about to happen, raced over to Rumble and quickly pulled them both down to the ground. The beam of magic whizzed right over their heads, striking a nearby tree.
                               "That was too close! Thank you for saving me." Rumble said to Scootaloo.
                               "Thank me later, we've got to get out of here!" Scootaloo replied, and she and Rumble took off once again.
                               Shining Armor tried his best to catch up his targets, but they proved to be too fast for him and they got away. "Curses, I almost had them!" Shining Armor said angrily to himself "Oh well, I'll worry about them later. For now, I've got to take care of the rest of Discord's army."
                               But before Shining Armor could do anything, there was an angry cry of "Shining Armor!" that seemed to come from the clouds, followed by a blinding flash of light. Standing before Shining Armor was Princess Celestia, but something was wrong. She wasn't at all pleased by what he was doing, in fact, she looked rather disappointed in him. The frown on her face being a living testament to that.
                               "Shining Armor! I order you to stop at once!" Princess Celestia commanded.
                               "Stop now?! When there's still Discords to defeat?! Surely you can't be serious!" Shining Armor replied "I'm not going to stop until Ponyville and all of Equestria is one hundred percent safe!"
                               "But it already is. You've done a fine job." Princess Celestia told Shining Armor, her voice changing from loud and authoritive, to soft and considerate.
                               "No, I haven't! I've allowed for Discord to build up his own army, and if I don't stop him now, it'll be too late!" Shining Armor protested "You just want me out of the way because I'm doing what you won't!"
                               "Shining Armor, I will not ask again! Stand down, or face the consequences of your continued agression!" Princess Celestia warned.
                                "If you're not with me, princess, then you're my enemy, and I will destroy you!" Shining Armor bellowed at the top of his lungs, and charged at Princess Celestia, preparing to strike her down.
                                But Princess Celestia wasn't frightened in the slightest. She easily halted Shining Armor's advance with only one spell from her horn. Then, even as Shining Armor continued to struggle and squirm about, Princess Celestia lowered her horn to Shining Armor's forehead. "Time to heal the wounds." she thought to herself.
                                In the corner of Shining Armor's mind, a light appeared. Discord recognized at once who it was coming from. "Ah, Princess Celestia. Right on time." he said with a smile, as he greeted the mental projection of the alicorn.
                                "Enough games, Discord! You have gotten my attention." Princess Celestia said seriously.
                                "Oh, you don't understand. I didn't contribute to Shining Armor's breakdown, at least not that much," Discord replied "I was only trying to help lighten some of his mental burden the only way I knew how. But hey, at no point did I claim to be an expert on psychology."
                                "That's not the real reason you did of all this. I can tell you have a different motive than the one you just gave me," Princess Celestia said crossly, and began to slowly walk towards Discord "So tell me what it is! I'm in no mood for games!"
                                "You know me all too well, Celestia. But I guess I should've expected you to be able to see through my stories." Discord said glumly.
                                "I won't ask again, Discord. Tell me the truth!" Princess Celestia demanded.
                                 "Alright, alright. You caught me redhanded," Discord admitted "This whole thing was a test, to see if you still had the ability to stand up to me, even without your connection to The Elements of Harmony. And you passed with flying colors."
                                 "And you thought that using Shining Armor, the bearer of the Element of Magic was the best option?" Princess Celestia asked angrily.
                                 "Well, I was going to use your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle. But then she went and broke down over that deadline before I could get to her. So, I decided to go for the next best thing." Discord explained.
                                  "So, you took an already fragile mind and pushed it over the edge?" Princess Celestia said to Discord, steam emerging from her nostrils to indicate just how angry she was.
                                  "Guilty, guilty, and oh so very guilty as charged," Discord replied, looking the angry alicorn in the eyes "But what are you going to do about it? You and I both know you don't have the power to send me away for good, or you would've done so by now."
                                  "That's true, but that doesn't mean I don't have ways of ensuring you don't have access to the same option twice!" Princess Celestia said, her voice rising to a tone that it rarely got to, even when she was angry "I am banishing you from Shining Armor's mind, and I'll make sure you can't get into the minds of anypony else! Your days of playing mind games on my subjects are over!" And with that, she lit up her horn, producing a powerful flare of golden yellow magic. Said flare washed over Shining Armor's mind like a wave of water, expelling Discord, and allowing for the rational part of Shining Armor's mind to regain control.
                                  Shining Armor was surprised to see Princess Celestia standing before, and was even more surprised to see himself standing on the outskirts of Ponyville, looking like he had tried to go up against the very pony he had to thank for his promotion.
                                  "P...Princess Celestia, I...." Shining Armor began, but the rest of the words never made it out of his mouth. For at that moment, the effort he had put forth to fight back against his corrupted mind finally caught up with him, and he collapsed onto the ground.
                                   Just then, Shining Armor's friends came running up on the scene. And what they saw made them all horrified.
                                   "What did you do to him?!" Soarin demanded of Princess Celestia.
                                   "You promised not to hurt him!" Thunderlane added, barely able to restrain his anger.
                                   "And I didn't," Princess Celestia replied, and explained "This whole time, he has been battling himself in his mind, struggling not to lose control to the fearful and paranoid part. But he needed my help to finally overcome it and regain control, and that battle has exhausted him physically as well as mentally."
                                   "But why didn't he tell us? If he was hurtin', we could've helped." Big Macintosh said with concern.
                                   "I suspect that Shining Armor thought none of you would understand how he was feeling, and so he kept his struggle a secret from everyone," Princess Celestia said somberly "We probably won't know for certain until he wakes up though."
                                   "Speaking of which, I think we'd better get him back home. Twilight is sure to be worried sick about him by this point." Fancy Pants suggested.
                                   Shining Armor slept soundly for the first time since Discord had been defeated. Now that his struggle for control was over, he could properly lower his guard without fear of being taken over.
                                   But upon awakening from his sleep, Shining Armor found that his short term memory was a bit foggy. The last thing he could remember before he'd ended up face to face with Princess Celestia, was talking to his reflection in a puddle, and realizing how stupid it made him look.
                                   After that, however, everything was blank.
                                   "Why can't I remember what happened after I fell asleep in the park?" he thought nervously to himself "Could it be that I did something that someone doesn't want me to remember?"
                                   Just then, Shining Armor felt the onset of a massive headache. It was so powerful, that it made it hard for him to concentrate on much of anything other than the pain. Even looking at what lay in front of him proved to be difficult, but somehow he managed.
                                   "How are you feeling, Shining Armor?" a familiar voice asked in a warm and gentle tone.
                                   Shining Armor looked up, and saw that Princess Celestia was standing at the foot of his bed. Immediately, Shining Armor tried his best to forget about his headache and make himself look presentable "Ah, Princess Celestia! Please, forgive me! I wasn't expecting your presence!"
                                   "At ease, Shining Armor. You musn't worry yourself," Princess Celestia said calmly "I came here at the request of your friends, and it's a good thing they gave me a call, because you clearly needed my help."
                                   "Your help? What are you talking about?" Shining Armor asked.
                                   "You may not remember exactly what happened, but you suffered a mental breakdown and almost attacked four innocent children." Princess Celestia said seriously.
                                   "I did what?!" Shining Armor exclaimed, horrified at the possibility. He'd always convinced himself he would never do such a thing. Had he really sunk that low?
                                   "You didn't do it intentionally, but your mind was worn out from stress and constant nightmares. And when Discord entered the picture, your mind wasn't able to hold on for any longer. You snapped." Princess Celestia explained.
                                   "So then, how did I snap out of it?" Shining Armor reluctantly asked.
                                   "I was able to cast a spell that drove Discord away, and enabled the rational part of your mind to regain control. But it looks like it also erased your memories of the event, at least temporarily." Princess Celestia said glumly, a frown forming on her face.
                                   "I'm really sorry that I allowed that to happen, Princess Celestia," Shining Armor apologized, and slowly rose from his bed and kneeled before Princess Celestia's hooves "Whatever sort of punishment you wish to inflict me on, I will accept."
                                   "You are not entirely to blame for what happened today, Shining Armor," Princess Celestia began "Against Discord's power, there is little you could've done to prevent him from messing with your mind."
                                   Shining Armor breathed a small sign of relief, but he knew that he wasn't out of the woods yet. And he was right, as Princess Celestia continued with a stern lecture "But, Discord likely would not have targeted you if you had not kept your feelings of worry and parnoia bottled up inside you all this time. If your battle with Discord truly unnerved, you should have sought out help. You have friends, Shining Armor. Friends that would've dropped everything to come and help you, if they had known you were suffering."
                                   Now Shining Armor felt really guilty. How could he have been so foolish as to think that he could keep his feelings a secret from all of them for so long? How many times had he been willing to help them out of a crisis, only to never let them return the favor when he needed it most. "Are you going to make me step down as Captain of The Royal Guard?" he asked Princess Celestia.
                                   Princess Celestia shook her head "I won't go that far, seeing as nopony got hurt and the accident wasn't entirely your fault. But you will be put on an unpaid leave of absence for a while. And it will be up to my sister, Princess Luna, to determine if you are fit to return to active duty. If she decides you aren't, your leave of absence will be extended to half a year at the very least."
                                   Shining Armor said nothing, he just accepted the punishment as any good solider would accept a court martial ruling that deemed him guilty.
                                   "And, in the hopes of preventing future incidents such as these, from now on you and your friends may write to me whenever you discover something important about the magic of friendship," Princess Celestia added "But feel free to write to me whenever you want, even if it's just to talk about what's going on in your life. Don't hesitate to tell me if something is troubling you, and make sure that you let your friends know as well. Do you think you can do that for me, Shining Armor?"
                                  "Of course, your majesty. I won't let you down." Shining Armor vowed.
                                  Princess Celestia smiled "Very well then, I shall return to Canterlot. And I look forward to hearing more from you, and your friends, very soon." And with that, she took off for the royal palace.
                                  Just as Princess Celestia had predicted, the memories of Shining Armor's 'episode' did eventually come back to him. And when they did, he was so ashamed that he refused to show his face around the CMC. For a couple of days at least.
                                  As the weeks passed, and Nightmare Night drew closer, Shining Armor began to return to normal. He became more cheerful and upbeat, and spent more time with his friends.
                                  But Twilight and Spike knew all too well that deep down, Shining Armor's mental breakdown had left him deeply scarred. It was unlikely he would ever truly forgive himself for what had happened.
                                  Shining Armor's future seemed really uncertain. But whatever the future held, Shining Armor could be sure of one thing, his friends and family would be there to help him face it. And they would never abandon him, no matter what might happen.