This story is a prequel to The Devil You Know

Shining Armor has had a bad day. Recalled from his post in Las Pegasus by order of the Princess herself, he has been ordered to return to Canterlot for some super secret mission involving his little sister, of all ponies.

While en route to Canterlot, he and his unit see smoke rising from nearby Ponyville and decide to help out. Things go badly as the Umbra invasion is far more advanced than they expected. Now, Shining has some tough decisions to make. How many ponies can he actually save without it becoming a suicide mission?

Prereading credit goes to: DuvetofReason, BernardDK, Pawz, and OrionWolf
Cover art by BernardDK