The first thing Shining Armor did every day was wake up a girl who was not his daughter.
For such an organized girl, Twilight Sparkle had a longtime habit of sleeping past her alarm clock due to how she always stayed up late at night conducting her experiments. Shining Armor and his wife Cadance were constantly lecturing her about how this was bad for her health, but considering what it took for her to finally decide to be more social, Shining Armor wasn’t holding his breath for her to improve her habits.
“Twilight, are you up?” he called, knocking on his baby sister’s bedroom door. When no answer came, he opened the door and walked in.
Twilight’s room was as neat and spotless as it always was. All of her homework and research papers were sorted into neat little stacks on her desk and there wasn’t a single article of clothing or anything else on the floor. The only decorations on the walls were an assortment of photos of Twilight with all of her new friends engaging in various activities. In each one, Twilight was happier than Shining Armor had seen her in years, even in the one someone had managed to take when they had just gone over a waterfall during an ill-fated canoe trip. While everyone else in the picture was screaming in terror, Twilight actually seemed to be laughing, holding her hands up high in the air as if she were on a roller coaster.
Shining Armor truly hoped that these walls would be covered with such photos by the time Twilight went to college—of her being happy, of course, not of her being in life-threatening situations.
In the far corner of the room lay the only mess in it, along with a teenage girl with pale-purple skin and long, sapphire blue hair with two streaks—one violet and another hot pink. Due to her habit of tossing and turning in her sleep, Twilight’s body had become tangled in the covers and sheets. Her mouth was open with a lock of hair in it, and a trickle of drool was running from the corner.
It was the cutest thing Shining Armor had ever seen. Then again, that applied to just about everything about his little sister as far as he was concerned.
Walking on the tips of his toes, Shining Armor crept across the room. He managed to sneak past Spike who was snoozing in his basket. When he came up to the side of the bed, he carefully removed Twilight’s hair from her mouth. He then lightly tapped her nose. She twitched and mumbled, but remained asleep.
Shining Armor tapped her again. “Wake up Twily,” he said gently. “It’s time to get up.”
“No daddy, I don’t want to,” Twilight mumbled.
Shining Armor’s breath caught in his throat and his heart started racing.
“Please daddy, no more broccoli, it’s icky,” Twilight whined.
Shining Armor let out a sigh. Of course Twilight was just talking in her sleep. There was no way she would ever call him “daddy”.
He decided to try a different tactic to wake her up. “Come on Twilight, you’re already late for your first class today.”
“WHAT!” Twilight shrieked, leaping out of her bed. The noise woke Spike, who yipped in alarm. “Oh no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no!” she chanted frantically as she raced back and forth across her room, randomly grabbing whatever clothes, books and papers she could lay her hands on.
Shining Armor laughed. “Calm down Twilight, I was just joking. It’s not even seven yet.”
Twilight screeched to a halt, glaring furiously at Shining Armor. “Jerk!” she snapped, throwing a skirt at him. Fortunately, without her glasses, her aim was way off and she ended up nailing Spike instead.
“Don’t take it out on me,” he mumbled irritably, shaking it off.
“Come on down for breakfast when you’re ready,” Shining Armor told Twilight. “Cadance is making waffles and bacon; and yes Spike, you can have some.” While he had freaked out the first time he heard his sister’s pet dog talk, he had since gotten used to it, although he still had trouble understanding the part about the portals.
Leaving Twilight to shower and dress herself, Shining Armor went downstairs to join Cadance in the kitchen. She greeted him with a kiss before serving him two medium blueberry and chocolate chip waffles drowned in maple syrup along with a generous serving of bacon.
Back when they were still living in their tiny first apartment, Cadance would sometimes complain about how their kitchen was too cramped for her to cook properly. Shining Armor had offered to cook sometimes to spare her the stress, but she had promptly shot that idea down, citing the diet of burnt, indiscernible foodstuff he had sustained himself on through college. For awhile, the two of them had contented themselves by talking about the sort of kitchen they would have when they finally moved into a bigger home.
Then Shining Armor and Twilight’s parents died in a traffic accident, and thanks to the details of their will, Cadance finally got the bigger kitchen that she had always wanted. Sadly, it was more than a year before her cooking was back up to its usual standards.
Shining Armor was halfway through his breakfast when Twilight and Spike came down to join them. Twilight’s hair was tied up in its usual bun, and while she no longer owned her old Crystal Prep uniform, the outfit she wore was so similar to it that it was almost like she had never left her old school. Shining Armor hoped that one day soon she would loosen up enough to try a new, more casual style.
Cadance greeted Twilight with a kiss on the top of her head before serving her bacon and waffles as well. She then helped Spike into his booster seat before serving him a large pile of bacon. After his “enhancement” as Twilight called it, she had insisted that everyone grant him the same dignities as a fellow human being. Spike didn’t care either way, and since he had always been such a clean and well-behaved dog, Shining and Cadance couldn’t think of any reason to object.
As they ate, Shining Armor noticed that Twilight was acting a little nervous. She kept biting her lip and stealing glances at him and Cadance only to quickly turn away when they looked at her.
“Hey Twily, is everything alright?” he asked.
“Um, yes, everything’s fine,” said Twilight. It seemed like the question had caught her off guard.
“Are you sure?” Shining Armor pressed.
“Why wouldn’t I be? I just got up.”
“Well, you seem a little nervous. Is there something you want to tell us?”
Twilight’s mouth turned up into an extremely nervous smile. “Tell you something? I’ve got nothing to tell you! I mean, I do have things to tell you, but I can’t tell you right now! That is, if I did have anything to tell you right now! I have to go, bye!”
Twilight bolted from her seat and ran back upstairs, leaving behind a half-finished plate of waffles and bacon. After a beat, Spike reached his paw out and pulled the plate to himself and devoured the rest of the bacon.
“What’s gotten into her today?” Shining Armor wondered.
“Don’t you remember what today is?” asked Cadance.
With a pang of guilt, Shining Armor remembered. “Right, today is Parents’ Day.”
“What’s Parents’ Day?” asked Spike.
“It’s a day when we honor our mothers and fathers,” explained Cadance, picking him up and setting him on the floor. “We show our appreciation for everything that they do for us by buying gifts and cards for them.”
“Then why was Twilight acting so-oh…Right.” Spike’s ears drooped sadly.
While the day may have been a happy occasion for others, for Shining Armor and Twilight, it was a painful reminder of what they had lost four years ago.
“Do you think Twilight is going to be okay?” asked Shining Armor.
“She’ll be fine,” Cadance assured him. “We’ll get through today just like we have every year before.”
“Alright then,” said Shining Armor. Truthfully, a part of him had hoped that they could somehow celebrate the day with Twilight, but that was just silly. After all, she wasn’t their daughter.
Shining Armor quietly finished his breakfast and brushed his teeth before leaving for work. In his car, he turned on the radio to listen to the news.
“In Business, Celestial Industries’ sales have risen yet again. Its founder and CEO Faust had this to say in regards to her company’s remarkable success:”
“My family is an elite bloodline,” a woman’s voice, proud and haughty, declared. “For generations, everyone born to it has been at the top of their respective fields, be it science, industry, politics, entertainment, and more. I built this company as a testament to that fact.”
“When asked about the whereabouts of her two daughters, Celestia and Luna…”
Bored, Shining Armor changed to a rock station. As he was singing along with a Matchtrot Twenty song that he hadn’t heard in years, he noticed a car parked on the side of the road. From the smoke bellowing up from its open hood, it was obviously experiencing engine troubles. Through the smoke, Shining Armor saw the figure of a woman acting agitated.
Although he suspected that it would cause him to be late, Shining Armor knew that it was his duty as both a police officer and a human being to stop and help. Slowing his car to a stop, he got out and approached the unfortunate woman.
“Do you need some help Miss?” he asked.
“Ah, Shining Armor,” said Abacus Cinch. “Yes, you most certainly can help me.”
Shining Armor froze. He had not seen nor heard from Cinch since Twilight had transferred, and he had been happier for it. Once, he had respected and admired the pale, ax-faced woman; then he learned that she had forced Twilight to participate in the Friendship Games by threatening to destroy her hopes and dreams, and then (Shining Armor wouldn’t have even believed the next part if he hadn’t been allowed to view certain videos before they were deleted) nearly destroyed Twilight herself in mind, body and soul by forcing her to muck around with forces she didn’t understand, just to win a stupid game of capture the flag.
“I was just about to call for a tow truck; it would be nice if you could use your position as a member of the C.C.P.D. to encourage them to make haste,” Cinch instructed haughtily. “Then you can give me a ride to Crystal Prep.”
Shining Armor’s jaw clenched, and his hands began to shake. “Yeah, I could do that,” he said, forcing his voice to stay even.
“Excellent,” said Cinch.
“Well, bye,” Shining Armor said with false cheer, turning around and walking back to his car.
“Wait a minute, where are you going?” Cinch demanded.
“To work,” said Shining Armor without even turning around.
Cinch gasped. “Do you intend to just leave me here?!”
“Yep.”
“This is outrageous!” Cinch cried. “You are supposed to be one of Canterlot’s finest! It is you job and responsibility to serve and protect its citizens whenever they are in need!”
The unpleasant feeling Shining Armor had had ever since Cinch started talking quickly doubled. Turning around, he started to slowly walk back towards her.
“Oh really?” he asked. “Is that a fact?”
“Yes it is,” said Cinch sharply.
“And is it also a fact that it is a teacher’s job and responsibility to put their students’ needs first and work to help them build their futures?”
“Of course it is.”
“Do you truly believe that?” Shining Armor pressed.
“Of course I do!” Cinch cried in exasperation.
“Well then, if that’s the case…”
Shoving his face within an inch of Cinch’s, Shining Armor took a perverse pleasure in her frightened expression. “What gives the likes of you the right to lecture me about anything?!” he snarled.
Turning around, Shining Armor marched back to his car, got in and drove off.
Shining Armor’s mood was still sour after he arrived at the station. He gave a curt greeting to the receptionist before clocking in and taking the elevator up to the Homicide Division. There he was greeted by the sight of the two other members of his three-person team.
Cloud Skipper sat at his desk, looking over some files. He had the same milky white skin as Shining Armor, but his hair was blond and his build was more muscular. A former marine, Cloud had served as one of their most elite snipers before an injury resulted in an early discharge and forced him to find an alternative means to serve his country. Both his military training and naturally stern, disciplined nature showed in both his incredible focus on the job and his perpetually stone-faced expression. One of the few people who could actually get him to smile was his partner, Midnight Blossom.
Most people who didn’t know Midnight very well would figure that she was better suited to being a supermodel than a cop. With exotic dark-grey skin, beautiful azure hair that she kept short, luscious curves, a slim frame and a flawless face, she was like a succubus straight out of a storybook. Men (and even some women) tended to go slack-jawed and drool at the sight of her. Even Shining Armor had to admit that if he weren’t married to the most beautiful and wonderful woman in the world, he himself would likely be head-over-heels for her. What made Midnight truly dangerous was the fact that she was fully aware of just how drop-dead sexy she was and knew how to use it to her advantage. Shining Armor had lost count of exactly how many guilty suspects had let valuable information slip out of their mouths once she started “putting the moves” on them.
“Did you eat a lemon for breakfast?” Midnight asked. “You look pissed off.”
“It’s nothing,” Shining Armor said as he sat down. “Has forensics found anything from the shovel?”
The shovel in question was believed to be the weapon used in the murder of Cut Flower, a fifteen year old girl found stuffed in a dumpster, killed by a blow to the side of her head. After examining the wound, the examiner had determined that it was caused by a narrow edged object, and sure enough, after searching the area, Shining Armor had found a shovel in another dumpster just a block away with some blood on its edge. It had been brought in late last night, and forensic had promised that they would have results first thing in the morning.
“They did; the blood is a match to Cut Flower,” said Cloud. “They also found over a dozen fingerprints on the handle. Here’s the kicker—they all belong to Wild Ride.”
Wild Ride was Cut Flower’s twenty-three year old brother and legal guardian. He had been granted custody of her after their parents were both killed by a drunk driver over a year ago.
“Are you serious?” asked Shining Armor, shocked.
“Dead serious, if you’ll pardon my choice of words. Two years ago he had been placed in holding for public intoxication. The charges were dropped, but we still have his fingerprints on file, and they’re a definite match.”
“Are you suggesting that he killed his own sister?” Shining Armor demanded.
“It’s too soon to say for sure, but it sure seems that way,” Cloud confirmed.
“But she was his baby sister!” Shining Armor insisted. “He took care of her for over a year.”
“Yeah, about that,” Midnight spoke up. “We interviewed Cut Flower’s friends and neighbors, and it seems like big bro wasn’t exactly the guardian angel he made himself out to be. According to the teachers at her school, their house isn’t on any of their bus routes, so she needed him to pick her up after school, only he never did. He claimed that he couldn’t fit it into his schedule, which is funny seeing as he always got off work at three. That bad crowd she hung out with? That actually started with them driving her home.”
“There’s more,” said Cloud. “According to their neighbors, Wild Ride and Cut Flower had a nasty habit of getting into screaming matches with each other several nights a week. Just a week before Cut Flower went missing, they heard Wild Ride shout, quote: ‘I’ll kill you, you bitch!’”
“He actually said that to his own sister?” asked Shining Armor in disbelief.
“Seems like he meant it to,” said Cloud. “So what do you say, sir? Do we bring him in?”
Shining Armor hesitated for a moment. Truthfully, he had seen a bit of himself in the other man. Both of their parents had died in tragic car accidents, and both of them were the only ones left to take of their baby sisters. The idea that a guy could murder his own sister and just dump her body like a piece of garbage was unthinkable to him.
Unfortunately, the evidence was clearly pointing in that direction; and Shining Armor knew that he couldn’t let his emotions guide him on this.
“Call the judge, get the warrant,” he instructed Cloud. “Now, even with the evidence, our best chance is to get a confession out of him, so…”
“So any particular reason you guys called me back here?” asked Wild Ride, taking a seat in the interrogation room. He was a lanky young man with muddy brown skin and pale blue hair, with a bit of a soul patch on his chin. He was dressed in a button-up shirt over a yellow T-shirt with a picture of a rolling tire leaving behind skid-marks on the front, and brown pants. “I already told you guys everything I know.”
“We just need to ask you a few more questions Mr. Ride,” said Shining Armor. He was conducting the interrogation with Midnight. “First of all, do you own a shovel?”
Wild Ride blinked. “Um, yeah, I guess.”
“You guess?” asked Shining Armor, raising an eyebrow.
“OK, yes, I own a shovel,” Wild Ride amended quickly. “Why do you want to know?”
“We’re getting there,” Shining Armor assured him. “Now, did you happen to notice that it had gone missing?”
Wild Ride shook his head. “No I didn’t. Has it gone missing?” He seemed genuinely confused, but Shining Armor detected a hint of tension in his voice.
“It’s your shovel Mr. Ride, I would think you would know the answer to that,” said Shining Armor pointedly.
“Hey, give me a break, I’ve been dealing with a lot of bad stuff lately,” Wild Ride snapped.
“Well the good news is that we found your missing shovel,” said Shining Armor as he opened up a file.
“Oh, well, that’s good,” said Wild Ride, although his face was beginning to pale.
“The bad news is that we found it just three hundred feet away from your sister’s body,” Shining Armor continued, tossing an evidence photo of the shovel to Wild Ride, “with her blood on it.”
“That must mean the killer used it to murder her,” Wild Ride said quickly, barely glancing at the photo.
“We also found fingerprints on the handle; all of them were yours,” said Shining Armor smoothly, giving Wild Ride a pointed stare.
“Well of course you did, it’s my shovel after all,” said Wild Ride hastily. His hands were beginning to shake.
Shining Armor decided to put some more pressure on him. “Mr. Ride, can you not see the implications of having your fingerprints on the murder weapon?”
“Oh come one! Are you suggesting that I killed my sister?” If Wild Ride was guilty, he was doing a good job of faking outrage.
“Like I said, we found your fingerprints and only your fingerprints on the shovel,” Shining Armor pointed out.
“Well obviously the real killer wore gloves!”
“So you’re saying that the killer broke into your garage just to steal your shovel and use it to kill your sister, despite the fact that we found no footprints or signs of forced entry, and then took your shovel along with your sister’s body, only to dispose of them less than a block away from each other?”
“I don’t know, you’re supposed to be the detective, you figure it out!”
Shining Armor decided to turn up the heat. “Do you want to know what I think? I think you were having a blast before your parents died; no rules or responsibilities outside of your job, you were free to do whatever you pleased and you loved it. But then you got saddled with a teenage girl and suddenly the good life was over. Only you couldn’t handle that, could you? No, you wanted to be free again and not have to worry about anyone else. So you decided to get rid of her.”
“You can’t prove that,” said Wild Ride.
“I have enough evidence to tie you-“
“Please, Shining Armor, just calm down, okay?” Midnight pleaded.
Shining Armor made a show of snorting and leaning back in his chair to sulk.
“Please forgive my friend, he can get a little too excited sometimes,” said Midnight. “We don’t really believe that you killed Cut Flower, we just need to examine every possibility in order to find the truth.” She reached across the table to caress Wild Ride’s hand. “You understand, don’t you?”
Wild Ride’s cheeks quickly turned very pink. “Um, yeah, I guess. I mean, you guys are just doing your jobs after all.”
“You know, I really admire what you did for your sister,” said Midnight softly.
“You do?” Wild Ride asked eagerly.
“Of course I do,” said Midnight, smiling. “You sacrificed so much to take care of her. It couldn’t have been easy for you, considering what she was like.”
“”Tell me about it,” said Wild Ride, rolling his eyes. “Between the gangs and the fights at school and shoplifting, I just couldn’t keep up with her. She was even worse at home; when she wasn’t crying and moping around, she’d yell at me. She even had the nerve to accuse me of being happy that mom and dad died.” He seemed genuinely hurt when he said that.
“You poor dear,” Midnight cooed, gently grasping Wild Ride’s hand. She leaned forward to allow him a view of her cleavage. “I know all too well how ungrateful kids can be. All they ever think about are themselves, and they never appreciate what you do for them.”
“I know, right?” said Wild Ride. His cheeks were as red as roses by now, and he was grinning ear to ear. “Can you believe that she never once said ‘thanks’ to me for putting up with her?”
“Unbelievable,” said Midnight, shaking her head. “With a girl like that, who could blame you if one day you just couldn’t take it anymore?” Her voice became low and sultry. “How could anyone blame you if it all boiled over and you just snapped?”
“Exactly!” said Wild Ride. “I didn’t want to hit her, but she was just asking for it!”
Midnight snorted and let go of his hand. “Honestly, it’s just too easy sometimes,” she chortled, leaning back in her chair.
“What do you mean?” asked Wild Ride. He seemed very disappointed with the loss of physical contact.
“You just confessed, genius,” said Shining Armor.
“What? No I didn’t,” Wild Ride protested.
“You said, quote: ‘I didn’t want to hit her, but she was asking for it.’ Between that and your fingerprints on the weapon, I’d like to see the jury that wouldn’t convict you.”
Wild Ride’s face turned deathly pale as he realized what was happening. “Hold on, you have to understand, it was an accident!” he said desperately.
“Running over a bicycle with your car is an accident,” said Shining Armor flatly. “The term for what you did is voluntary manslaughter.”
“You don’t know what she was like!” Wild Ride cried. “All she ever did was cause trouble, and everyone kept blaming me for it! What was I supposed to do?!”
“You were her older brother and her legal guardian,” Shining Armor said coldly. “You were supposed to look after her and take care of her. Instead, you killed her and dumped her body like she was nothing but garbage. You are a real piece of work, you know that?”
“Oh screw you!” Wild Ride snapped. “I’d like to see you put up with a whiny brat for a whole year.”
Something inside Shining Armor snapped. With an almost feral roar, he reached across the table, grabbed Wild Ride by the front of his shirt, dragged him across the table, and slammed him against the wall.
“Shining Armor, stop!” Midnight cried.
“I’ve been taking care of a ‘whiny brat’ of my own for four years, you bastard!” Shining Armor snarled. “I’ve fed her, clothed her, and held her when she cried—I did everything for her, and I never once regretted it!”
“That’s enough Shining Armor, he’s not worth it.”
Shining Armor felt inclined to disagree, but then he noticed that Wild Ride’s eyes were wet with tears. There was also a large wet spot between his legs.
“Little bitch,” he spat, spinning the younger man around and handcuffing him. “Wild Ride, you are under arrest from the murder of Cut Flower. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.”
Wild Ride didn’t make a sound as he was being processed. It wasn’t until they placed him in a holding cell that he broke down and cried as they left.
After filing the necessary reports, Shining Armor proceeded immediately to the break room. As he poured himself a cup of coffee, he fantasized about sneaking a shot of whiskey into it like he saw on TV.
“Cream?” a familiar voice asked.
Shining Armor turned to see a woman older than him offering him a packet of cream. She was tall, had marigold colored skin and long teal hair with a platinum streak tied back in a tight ponytail, and was dressed in an expensive black business suite. Her most distinguishing characteristic, however, were her piercing hawk-like eyes. At the moment, they were softened by her friendly expression, but Shining Armor had seen how they could focus on a case the same way a predator focused on its prey.
“Yes, thank you Legalhawke,” he said, accepting the packet. “So what brings you down to the station today?”
“Just following up on a case,” said Legalhawke, pouring herself a cup. “But never mind me; you look like somebody kicked your dog.”
“I just got out of an interview with a punk who murdered his own sister,” Shining Armor admitted.
“That’s awful,” said Legalhawke. “Do you want me to take the case? I can get him life without parole.”
“Thanks, but we’ve already got enough on him as it is,” Shining Armor assured her. “Besides, wouldn’t this case be a bit beneath your pay grade?”
As a high profile criminal prosecution lawyer, Legalhawke usually took cases against drug lords, mob bosses, serial killers and hit-men. She also represented clients with big money who paid big bucks for her skills. And she always won.
“I don’t mind taking a case pro bono as a favor for a friend,” said Legalhawke. “By the way, I heard from my oldest son that you transferred your sister to Canterlot High.”
“Yeah, Cadance and I were worried about how she wasn’t making any friends at Crystal Prep, so we decided to try someplace with a friendlier atmosphere,” Shining Armor said carefully. “She’s doing really well there; she’s already made six new friends.”
“That’s wonderful,” said Legalhawke. “You want to know something ironic? I had actually planned to enroll Flash in Crystal Prep, but I changed my mind after meeting with Cinch. Call me paranoid, but there’s something about that woman that reminds me too much of the sociopaths I’ve dealt with.”
“I wouldn’t call you paranoid,” said Shining Armor grimly. “It’s just as well, anyways. From what Twilight’s told me, they’ve really raised their standards at Canterlot High since I was in high school.”
“After giving Discord the boot, I would imagine that they would have to,” said Legalhawke. “Well, I’ve better get going. I’ll see you around.”
“Don’t be a stranger,” Shining Armor called after her as she walked away.
Finishing his coffee, he disposed of his cup and returned to his desk. He had only been working for a few minutes before his phone began to ring. Picking it up, he answered, “This is Shining Armor.”
“Officer Armor, this is Principal Celestia, how are you today?” the voice of Canterlot High’s principal asked.
“I’m fine, what are you calling for?” Shining Armor asked. He couldn’t afford to be tied up while he was on the job.
“I apologize for the inconvenience, but I am afraid your presence is required at school. Your sister has gotten into a fight and…”
Shining Armor dropped his phone and raced for the elevator before realizing that they stairs would be faster.
Thanks to his police siren, Shining Armor managed to reach Canterlot High quickly. He ran through the halls, narrowly avoiding the students.
Outside the principal’s office, several girls he recognized as Twilight’s friends were sitting in the chairs with worried expressions. One of them, an amber skinned girl with alternating gold and copper hair, stood up as he approached.
“Where’s Twilight?” he asked desperately.
“She’s inside the office,” said Sunset Shimmer.
Shining Armor went inside.
Sitting at the office desk was Principal Celestia. Standing at her side was her younger sister and the school’s vice-principal, Luna. And sitting in front of them was Twilight.
“Twilight, are you alright?!” Shining Armor cried, rushing to her side and examining her all over. He didn’t see any cuts or bruises on her, but they could have been under her clothes.
“Stop, Shining Armor, I’m fine!” Twilight insisted, pushing his hands away.
At that moment, Shining Armor realized that two of her fingers where set in splints.
“Who did that?!” he demanded, pointing at the injured fingers. He suddenly realized that there was another girl in the room sitting a few feet away from Twilight. This girl had golden-brown skin and snowy white hair. She looked extremely athletic, having a considerable amount of muscle on her body. Her expression was sullen and angry and her nose was covered in a large band-aid.
Fury bubbled up in Shining Armor’s gut. “Are you responsible for this?” he growled. “Give me one good reason I shouldn’t lock you up!”
The other girl threw her hands up defensively. “Hey, I’m the victim here! Look at what your kid did to my face!” She gestured wildly at her damaged nose.
Shining Armor froze. “What? Twilight…but…what?” he stuttered, looking back and forth between Twilight, who was hanging her head in shame, and the other girl.
“I think, Shining Armor, that you should sit down and listen to the whole story before you do or say anything else,” said Luna.
Nodding dumbly, Shining Armor sat down in a chair between Twilight and the other girl.
“Now then,” said Celestia. “To start with, Gilda here is a former student at this school whom we were forced to expel for physically bullying other students. Unfortunately, she decided that the best way to retaliate was by continuing to harass students off of school grounds, where we have little power to stop her. Her latest target for the past two weeks was Twilight.”
“Twilight, why didn’t you tell me?” asked Shining Armor.
“I didn’t want to worry you,” said Twilight.
“In any case, her friends enlisted another friend to teach her self-defense,” Celestia continued. “Long story short, Gilda tried to harass Twilight again earlier and got punched in the face; as a result, her nose was broken while Twilight sustained some minor fractures in her fingers.”
“You punched out a bully?” Shining Armor asked Twilight. “I’m impressed!” Never had he imagined that his timid little sister could fight back like that.
“Are you kidding me?!” cried Gilda. “The little bitch broke my nose!”
“And she was also the one who escorted you to the nurse's office, despite being in considerable pain herself,” said Luna coolly. “Most of your other victims would have been happy to just leave you there bleeding.”
Gilda scowled even more than she already was and crossed her arms.
“So this was all just self-defense, right?” asked Shining Armor.
“Not exactly,” Twilight said softly. Her eyes were downcast in a shameful expression.
“Is there something you want to tell us Twilight?”
“I was only supposed to use what I learned about fighting as a last resort,” Twilight admitted. “The real plan was for me to avoid Gilda until she lost interest in me. But that wasn’t good enough for me. I wanted to get back at her for what she put me through. So during gym, when I saw her lurking just outside the school grounds, I snuck away and called her out. She charged at me and I delivered a straight right to her face. When I saw her on the ground with her face covered in blood, I realized that I had made a terrible mistake. I’m sorry, Gilda.”
“Oh you’re not sorry yet,” Gilda snarled. “I’m going to…”
“Just try it,” Shining Armor said sharply. “You’ll see what assaulting the sister of a cop gets you.”
“Wait, she’s your sister?” asked Gilda in surprise. “I thought you were her dad.”
“How old do you think I am?” asked Shining Armor indignantly.
“I don’t know, I don’t hang out with old people,” Gilda retorted. She grinned nastily. “So why is your big brother here instead of your parents, Crylight? Did they take one look at your face and decide to just…”
“Enough,” said Luna. She spoke softly, yet it felt as if the temperature in the room had dropped several degrees. Gilda’s mouth snapped shut and she cowered in her chair under Luna’s darkened gaze.
“Thank you, Luna,” said Celestia.
Luna’s demeanor relaxed and everything went back to normal.
“Now then,” said Celestia, as if nothing had happened, “normally we would have to punish a student for an infraction like this-however, given the circumstances and Twilight’s otherwise spotless record, and since we cannot legally punish Gilda anyways, seeing as she in no longer a student here, I am tempted to let Twilight off with a warning just this once. However, before I make a final decision, I would like to hear your opinion first Shining Armor.”
Shining Armor turned to look at Twilight. Her expression was a mixture of shame and remorse. He looked at her injured hand and then turned to look at Gilda’s broken nose.
“Honestly, I think both of these girls have both been punished enough,” he said, before turning back to Twilight to stare her right in the eye. “Of course, that is with the understanding that this will never happen again.”
“Yes sir,” said Twilight meekly.
“Well then, I guess that’s that,” said Celestia.
“Principal Celestia, before I go could I talk to Twilight alone?” asked Shining Armor.
“Of course,” said Celestia. “You can use my office; Luna and I will wait outside with Gilda until her father comes to pick her up.”
Once they were alone, Shining Armor turned to Twilight. “Alright, now tell me why you really did it.”
“What do you mean?” asked Twilight.
“Come one Twily, I know you; you’re not the type to start a fight, so why did you pick one with Gilda?”
Twilight bit her lip guiltily, and then sighed. “I was just sick of it all.”
“Of what?”
“Of being bullied! You remember what middle school was like for me, and it only got worse after I got into Crystal Prep; on a good day, everyone would just ignore me and shut me out, but on every other day, it was like the entire school was out to get me-Cinch, the Shadowbolts, and especially that Aurora Shine.” Twilight spoke the last name as if it tasted like vinegar. “I thought that it would finally end after I transferred here, but then I got targeted by yet another jerk for something that I had nothing to with. I thought that if I could give Gilda a taste of her own medicine, it would get her to stop. Instead, I ended up with a broken hand, and now Gilda is really mad at me.”
She sighed heavily and hung her head. Cupping her chin, Shining Armor made her look at him.
“You let me worry about Gilda,” he said. “Now listen, you need to understand that no matter where you go, there’s always a chance of running into a bully, and part of growing up is learning how to deal with them—preferably without resorting to violence.”
“I understand,” said Twilight.
“Good. Now promise me one thing—the next time someone is harassing you, tell me about it. I already let you down once; I don’t want that to happen again.”
“Shiny, you didn’t-”
“Please Twilight, just promise me,” Shining Armor pleaded.
After a pause, Twilight nodded.
“Alright, I promise.”
The captain wasn’t happy that Shining Armor had left the station without notice. He spent a solid half hour lecturing and yelling at him, threatening to take away his badge if he ever broke protocol again. By the time he was finished, Shining Armor’s ears were ringing.
“So was Twilight alright?” asked Cloud when Shining armor returned to his desk.
“She was fine; she managed to knock out a bully with one blow,” he bragged.
“Are you serious?” asked Midnight, looking up wide eyed from her paperwork. “Your shy little wallflower of a sister actually managed to beat someone in a fight?”
“Well, it was lucky shot,” Shining Armor admitted. “But yeah, my little girl is finally standing up for herself.”
“You’re little girl?” asked Midnight in amusement.
“I mean my little sister,” Shining Armor corrected himself quickly. “She’s not my daughter.”
Neither Midnight nor Cloud said anything more, although they both shared a knowing smirk.
The rest of the day passed by without any further incidents; after it was over, Shining Armor declined his team’s invitation to go out for drinks, deciding that he was needed at home.
As he pulled into the driveway, he noticed a brightly colored motorcycle and a van parked along the curb in front of his house. Walking in through the front door he saw Twilight as she was just coming down the stairs with her friends. Now that he was no longer panicking, he was able to identify the rest of them; there was Rainbow Dash who, according to Twilight, loved sports and was loyal to a fault, and possessed an enormous ego; Applejack, who loved farming and always spoke from the heart; Rarity, who loved fashion and shared it with everyone; Fluttershy, who was the shyest, meekest, and most loving and warm-hearted girl you’d ever meet; and then there was Pinkie Pie, who was…indescribable.
When Twilight saw him, she froze. “Shiny! What are you doing here?”
“Well, this is my home, and this is usually the time I get off work this day,” said Shining Armor. “So what are your friends doing here?”
“We just gave Twilight a ride home and decided to hang out for awhile,” said Sunset Shimmer hastily. “We’ll be going home now.”
“Do you have leave now? Why don’t you stay for dinner?”
“Oh, we wouldn’t want to impose on you,” said Rarity. “I mean, there are six of us after all.”
“It’s not a problem,” Shining Armor assured her. “I can just go grab some more food and help Cadance cook.”
“I’ve already got more food, and for the hundredth time, you are not setting foot in the kitchen,” said Cadance sharply as she emerged from the living room.
“Thanks, but we really should be going,” said Sunset. “Oh, and we’re sorry for getting Twilight into trouble.”
Shining Armor shook his head. “That was not your fault; Twilight’s the one who made a bad choice. Frankly, I sleep better at night knowing that she has you girls looking out for her at school.”
“Anything for a friend,” said Sunset, smiling.
After her friends had left, Twilight excused herself back upstairs. Shining Armor turned to Cadance.
“I trust that Twilight told you about her fight with Gilda?”
“She did,” said Cadance. “I gave her the standard lecture about how violence isn’t the answer, but that’s not what I want to talk about right now. Cinch was very cross today.”
“She was?” asked Shining Armor, feigning innocence.
“Apparently, a certain officer of the law left her stranded on the side of the road with a broken vehicle, causing her to be an hour late for work today,” Cadance explained, staring hard at him.
“Imagine that.” Shining Armor managed to keep his voice nonchalant.
Cadance groaned and rubbed her temples. “For heaven’s sake-look, she may not be able to hurt Twilight anymore, but let’s not forget that I still have to work for her. I would appreciate it if you didn’t give her anymore reasons to take her problems out on me.”
“I’m sorry,” said Shining Armor remorsefully. “It’s just that-the way she spoke to me, it was like nothing had changed! She still expected me to jump through hoops for her, as if she hadn’t done anything to my family. What was I supposed to do, just let her think she could get away with everything without any consequences?”
Cadance’s expression softened. She stepped forward and began to rub Shining Armor’s shoulders.
“I know what this is really about: I know you’re frustrated that we had to drop the charges against her, but we had no choice. We had no evidence or reliable eyewitnesses-it was just our word against hers, and she has a lot more connections. We did everything we could.”
“You don’t understand," said Shining Armor. "I never should have let things get as far as they did!” He pulled away to start pacing around the room. “I’m Twilight’s older brother and legal guardian-I’m responsible for her. All my life I’ve looked out for her; after Mom and Dad died, I swore on their graves that I would take care of her and make sure that nothing ever happened to her-and I failed! I thought that Twilight was happy at Crystal Prep; I never once noticed how unhappy she was until she explained everything to me. And even then, I couldn’t get justice for what they did to her. I let her down, and there’s nothing I can do to make up for it.”
With a heavy sigh, Shining Armor sank into the couch and buried his face into his hands. After a moment, Cadance sat down beside him and embraced him.
“You are not the only one who failed her, Shining Armor,” she whispered. “Don’t forget, I was actually there at Crystal Prep with her the whole time, and I still never realized how bad it really was. I was shocked when the Shadowbolts admitted that they had been mistreating her-until then I had thought that it was only Aurora Shine who was causing her trouble, but as it turned out, the whole school had been pushing her around right under my nose, and I never even noticed. So don’t be so hard on yourself.”
Shining Armor chuckled ruefully. “That’s us I guess-a pair of failures who’re only good for keeping Twily out of foster care and nothing else.”
Cadance gave a dry chuckle as well. “Makes you wonder if we should even bother having kids of our own.”
“I don’t know, half the fun of having kids is screwing them up the same way our own parents did,” Shining Armor joked. This got the both of them laughing.
A light coughing-like sound drew their attention to Twilight who was standing behind them.
“So, um, do the two of you have any plans for tonight?” she asked nervously, tugging at the hem of her shirt.
“I’ve got nothing,” said Cadance. She turned to Shining Armor. “Do you?”
“I canceled plans just to be here,” he answered.
Twilight brightened up slightly.
“In that case, could you come up to my room? There’s something I want to show you."
“Well, alright,” said Shining Armor.
He and Cadance followed Twilight upstairs and into her room. In the center of it was a large bed sheet covering something. Spike sat next to it. Twilight walked up to stand on the other side.
“I wasn’t sure if I should go through with this after what I did today; I was afraid you would be too disappointed with me to appreciate it. But Sunset convinced me that I would regret it if I didn’t.”
Grabbing the sheet, Twilight pulled it away to reveal a large, cardboard display with various photos and items glued or tied to it. The first thing Shining Armor recognized was a pink seashell; he remembered collecting it with Twilight on her first visit to the beach when she was seven years old. Next to it was a photo of her with Cadance on a gondola. Beneath that was an essay she had written based on Shining Armor’s experiences in the police academy, with a perfect score, as usual. There was over a dozen other items, some of which he recognized and others he didn’t.
“What is this?” asked Cadance.
“It’s a memento for all the times we shared together,” explained Twilight. “It took me forever to gather everything.” She pointed to a box that sat in front of the display filled with other items. “I also dug some of our old board games out of the attic and borrowed some of Rainbow Dash’s video games that I knew you would like. I hope it’s enough to celebrate today properly.”
“Celebrate?” echoed Shining Armor.
“When Mom and Dad…” Twilight choked up a little like she always did whenever she talked about their parents, but she took a deep breath and steadied herself. “When they died…I felt so lost. I felt like I would never be happy again. But you two helped me through it. No matter how scared or depressed I got, having you by my side would calm me down and give me hope. And you’ve both sacrificed so much in order to take care of me. I know you guys blame yourselves for what happened to me at Crystal Prep and the Friendship Games…You really shouldn’t. I should have been honest with you instead of worrying about causing more problems for you. You have done more for me than I can ever repay you for. That’s why I wanted to do this for you.
“I know that you two can…you can never really replace our parents, and…and I know you would never want to…but just for tonight…we can stop tomorrow if you want, but…just for tonight…can I call you Mom and Dad?”
Shining Armor’s heart nearly burst out of his chest. Beside him, Cadance gasped and pressed her hands over her mouth while her eyes brimmed with tears.
For a moment nobody made a sound. Then Twilight chuckled and rubbed the back of her head.
“I…I understand,” she said gloomily. “It was a stupid idea…”
As if they were of one mind, both Shining Armor and Cadance swooped in and embraced a stunned Twilight tightly.
“Thank you…our beautiful daughter,” Shining Armor whispered.
Twilight let out a choked sob and returned the hug fiercely.
“I want to call you mom and dad too!” Spike wailed, pushing his paws against the group’s legs. “Um, I mean, if that’s alright with you guys,” he added awkwardly.
Shining Armor laughed and reached down to pull Spike into the group hug as well.
“Only if you promise to always listen to your big sister Twilight.”
After laughing and hugging each other for a few more minutes, everyone released each other and backed up.
“Let’s go downstairs,” said Cadance. “I’ll get dinner started and then we can start playing games.”
“Can I help?” asked Twilight.
“Of course you can.”
“I can help to,” offered Shining Armor.
“No!” everyone snapped.
And so, Shining Armor and Cadance spent a wonderful night playing with a girl who was, in her own special way, very much their daughter.
Author's Note
Cloud Skipper and Midnight Blossom are the creations of Equestria-Prevails. Go over to DeviantArt and show them your love.
