Shields Are Gleamingby MitslitsChaptersYou Have A VisitorOops, I Did it AgainMy Big Brother (Er, Sister?)You Have A Visitor"We're probably going to be late", Shining Armor commented as he helped his wife into their carriage. They had received their invitation to the April Foal's Day parade only a few minutes ago thanks to a sidetracked mail-mare. She had admitted to stopping to grab a couple of muffins, but she apologized so sweetly that neither he nor his wife could find any fault with her. He and Cadence had immediately rushed to prepare themselves for the celebration, throwing on nice clothes and getting a carriage ready. The happy couple lived in their own castle a mere five miles away from both Ponyville and Canterlot, but Shining Armor still feared their tardiness. The invitation had not stated a time and this was throwing Shining Armor into a tizzy. Princess Cadence, mane put into a stylish updo, accepted Shining's hoof as she got into the carriage. "I'm sure nopony will mind", she soothed him. "It isn't our fault, after all, and it's just a small parade." Despite her words, she had put a lot of thought into both her outfit and her mane style. After she sat down, she smoothed out her pink dress that was trimmed with lace and a few dark pink bows. It swooped down to her hooves, long enough to cover most of her legs, but short enough that it wouldn't drag in the dust. It was hardly crinkled but she wanted to look her best when she met the princesses and Twilight again. Her husband smiled down on her, stopping her hoof. "Oh, stop it, Cadence, you look beautiful." He gave her a quick kiss on the lips before turning to look out the window as the gorgeus countryside swept past. He himself was dressed in a tuxedo, and Shining Armor couldn't wait to see his little sister again. He was also quite looking forward to meeting Prince Blueblood for the first time. His wife was incredible, but he wanted a little time with a fellow stallion. The couple spent their brief carriage ride keeping up a playful banter about Canterlot, Twilight, and the princesses. Both were eager to get to the castle and the ride seemed to take an eternity, though in reality it took only about fifteen minutes. It finally came to an end, however, the carriage pulling up to the grand doors of the beautiful palace. Shining Armor hopped smartly out, assisting his wife down willingly. "We're here!" he announced, laughing as she stepped down beside him. "I can see that", Cadence said with a bright smile. She immediately turned to her dress, smoothing it down, getting even the tiniest wrinkle out. Eventually satisfied, she turned to the ponies who had pulled their carriage and thanked them gracefully. Shining Armor bowed his head to them as well, giving them permission to leave. They did so, pulling out carefully so as not to stir up dust. Shining turned to his wife and rolled his eyes when he saw her still fussing over her outfit, but there was a smile on his face. "Come on, it's time we told the princesses we are here." He trotted up to the main door and opened it, gesturing with a sweep of his hoof for Cadence to go first. The pink alicorn smiled as she swept into the hallway. "Why thank you, good sir." She held her dress out to the side and curtsied. "You're quite welcome, my lovely lady", Shining responded with a dramatic bow. They both laughed together, the sound echoing off the marble floors and pillars. As the two strolled through the multiple hallways they began to wonder where everypony was. They had been walking for fifteen minutes and had found no one except a few ponies that had no idea as to the whereabouts of the princesses. One did say that Princess Luna was not to be disturbed, but his warning was quickly forgotten as the couple continued with their search. Cadence eventually turned to her husband. "Why don't we go back to the main hall and see if you can remember where to go from there", she suggested. Shining nodded in agreement. They tried to retrace their steps, but it was still quite a while before they found themselves back in a place they recognized. "I don't remember this being so complicated", he laughed. "But then, I'm used to our castle now, I suppose." The newlyweds house was much smaller than the Canterlot castle and much easier to navigate. It had been a few months since either Shining Armor or Cadence had been here and before too long they were lost again. As they rounded a corner a door decorated with the moon loomed before them. Shining smiled with relief at finally finding one of the princesses. "Oh, good, this is Luna's room! Hopefully she's in", he said, starting forwards. Cadence nodded, but she hung back to stare at one of the many paintings that decorated the halls of the princesses home. This one was of Luna herself, smiling down kindly on the hallway outside her room. The alicorn had recently taking up painting herself and she wanted to study some of the great Canterlot art. Staring at the picture, the servant's warning to not disturb Luna came back to her mind. She was just about to turn and warn her husband, but it was too late. Without knocking, Shining swung open the door to the princess of the night's room. His jaw dropped as he took in the scene and he could not help but let out a small, muted gasp of shock. He tried to turn away from the sight, but he found himself rooted to the spot, a strange tingling sensation running up and down his horn. Luna's armor was piled on the floor in a glittering heap. The princess herself was moaning in pleasure as she stood over her bed, a large red stallion drilling away at her backside. The stallion was sweating and grunting, hooves wrapped around Luna's waist. Both ponies froze as they heard a gasp of shock from behind them. Ever so slowly, Big Macintosh and Princess Luna turned their heads to see who had walked in on them. A deep blush suffused Luna's face, but Big Mac simply stepped back from the princess and gave Shining Armor a long look. Then he turned back to the princess and bowed his head. "Princess Luna", he said, "Ah believe you have a visitor." Oops, I Did it Again"I can come back later", Shining Armor said, hastily averting his eyes. Princess Luna shook her head, mane billowing around her with the movement. "No, that is quite alright. Big Macintosh here was just leaving." She looked pointedly at her guest. The red stallion nodded, giving the princess one last kiss before heading for the door. He brushed past Shining until he was trotting down the passageway away from the princesses door. He paused to say a quick hello to Cadence before continuing on his way out of the castle. As soon as Big Mac came near him, Shining stiffened. His horn flared up, tingling and his whole body shook with the presence of strong magic. The current soon subsided and he was able to focus on Luna again. Luna was putting her armor back on and was just setting the tiara atop her head when she noticed Shining Armor's rigidity. Again, she blushed furiously. "I apologize for that...event. I thought I had given the servants orders that I was not to be disturbed, but it must have slipped my mind." She curled up on her bed, inviting him with a sweep of her hoof to join her. "Er, no, that's quite alright, princess", the white unicorn said, still standing where he was. "I was just coming to tell you that Cadence and I had arrived, but I guess you know that now. When is the parade?" He thought guiltily of the servant who had, in fact, warned them not to disturb Luna. The princess looked apologetic. "It already happened. I'm sorry you missed it. What happened?" "The mail was late", Shining answered simply. The princess nodded and an awkward silence settled over the pair. "Well...I'll just be going. It's too bad we missed the parade", he commented. Then he turned to leave, waving a goodbye as he did so. Cadence looked up as her husband came trotting swiftly out of the princess' chambers. "What happened? Why was Big Macintosh in there?" she asked. "He and the princess were...busy", Shining Armor told his wife. "I was right about being late, though. We've missed the parade." She shrugged. "There's always next year", she told him. "Anyway, we should be getting to Twilight's soon. I can't wait to see her!" Shining nodded enthusiastically. At that moment he would have taken nearly anything to get away from the castle. The couple again plunged into the twisting labyrinth of hallways and doors. It took a couple questions and a few wrong turns and dead ends before they emerged into the outside world once again. Once there, Shining asked one of the doormen to get them a carriage and the pony dashed off willingly. Soon the two were seated comfortably in a plush transport rolling over the uneven cobblestones on the path to Ponyville. They chatted quietly about their wedding and about Twilight, but this time they avoided the subject of Canterlot. Cadence knew her husband had a good reason for not telling her what he had seen in Luna's room, though she was curious. Eventually the pulled up to the tree that housed their little sister's library and house. Twilight was rearranging a bookshelf when there was a polite knock on her door. She sighed. How many more times would she be interrupted today? Turning smartly she resolved to get rid of the visitors as quickly as she could-until she opened the door. "Cadence! Shining Armor!" she squealed. She leaped into her brother's hooves and he enveloped her in a massive hug. The lavender unicorn hugged Princess Cadence next, a big smile on her face. "How was the ride? Why did you two miss the parade? You wouldn't believe the day I've had!" she babbled. "Woah, Twily, slow down!" her brother laughed. "The ride was fine, the mail was late, and what happened?" As he fell silent he noticed both his wife and his sister were staring at him, gaping. Twilight gulped. "I don't exactly know. But I think it's happening again." A glowing purple matrix was enveloping Shining Armor and he squeaked as he felt his manhood slowly disappearing. His mane grew out, getting longer and his eyes suddenly sprouted eyelashes. His hooves shrank down to the size of a mares and he grew slender. Eventually the transformation was finished and the magic sparks dissipated. "Twilight", he said, glancing over at her. "What. Exactly. Did you do?" My Big Brother (Er, Sister?)Twilight gulped and began a long explanation about the events that had occurred earlier in the day. She apologized profusely for getting her brother turned into a mare. "But, Twilight, I don't understand. If Big Macintosh turned into a mare, what does that have to do with me?" Shining Armor asked in an embarrassingly high voice. "You didn't cast this spell on me, did you?" Her eyes widened at the sound of her own voice and she cleared her throat desperately, but to no avail. Twilight Sparkle drew herself up indignantly. To think her own brother, er, sister, would accuse her of turning him into a mare. "Of course not!" she exclaimed. "Really strong spells, like the one I cast on Big Macintosh, have a very strong residual magic. If a pony afflicted with such a strong spell comes into contact with another normal pony well... some of the leftover magic tends to, uh, rub off", she finished. This sounded reasonable, but it did not make Shining Armor any happier. "Okay, okay. Just reverse the spell. Please?" she begged. "I would love to. Really, I would but....I can't", Twilight admitted. She quickly took a couple of steps backwards, just to be safe. "One reversal spell a day is all I can handle." Shining Armor's eyes blazed with anger. This was new. Occasionally as a colt, she had felt aggressive, but this burning rage was a new feeling entirely; it must have been exclusive to mares. She looked at her wife and her sister with a new respect. This couldn't be easy to control all the time. But seeing Twilight demolished the wonder and she felt the anger returning. "Fine. Teach me the reversal spell and I'll do it myself", Shining commanded, stamping her hoof petulantly. Again, Twilight took a step or two back. "Yeah, about that. See, the spell can only be reversed, taken off, or modified by the original spell-caster which would, unfortunately, be me." Her voice fell to a whisper on the last words. Shining Armor's thoughts ran rapidly through her mind. "Okay. Alright. Let me get this straight. You, as a favor to Applejack, turned her brother Big Macintosh into a mare. I saw him later that day after he had already been turned into a stallion. He brushed by me and some residual magic from the spell got on me, turning me into a mare. This spell can only be taken off by the original spell-caster, you, Twilight, but you can only do one reversal spell a day which you've already used on Big Mac. Is that about it?" She was trying to remain calm and collect her thoughts but she couldn't. Twilight could only nod in agreement, unable to trust her voice. Counting to ten calmed ponies down, right? Shining Armor tried, blowing out deep breaths and counting ever so slowly to ten. Then to twenty. Then to thirty. Until finally she was able to look at Twilight without imagining stabbing her with her horn. This gave her pause. When had she become so violent? No matter. This had to be fixed. And it had to be fixed now. "So. Our story is this. Shining Armor went home because he wasn't feeling well and meanwhile his and Twilight's cousin came to visit. She's related to us on our mother's side and that's why she looks so much like me. She and Cadence are staying together while they wait for Shining Armor to feel better, just in case the sickness is contagious. Got it?" Twilight nodded. "Got it, Gleaming Shield." "What did you call me?" Shining Armor asked. "Gleaming Shield. You have to have a name, right, cousin?" Twilight pointed out. The newly christened Gleaming Shield nodded glumly. "But it's so...so...girly." Twilight would have laughed if she wasn't so guilty. "Hate to break it to you, sis, but...you're a mare now." Gleaming Shield threw herself to the ground, moaning in agony. This day could not possibly get any worse. This was the bottom line. They could sink no farther. And then, incredibly, they did. Cadence, who had been standing in shock this whole time trying to process this whole situation, spoke up. "Hey, Twilight? You said any pony who came into contact with a pony that was affected would be affected to, right?" "That's right", Twilight answered promptly. And then the terrible, terrible truth began to dawn on her too. "Oh. My. Celestia. Princess Luna."
You Have A Visitor"We're probably going to be late", Shining Armor commented as he helped his wife into their carriage. They had received their invitation to the April Foal's Day parade only a few minutes ago thanks to a sidetracked mail-mare. She had admitted to stopping to grab a couple of muffins, but she apologized so sweetly that neither he nor his wife could find any fault with her. He and Cadence had immediately rushed to prepare themselves for the celebration, throwing on nice clothes and getting a carriage ready. The happy couple lived in their own castle a mere five miles away from both Ponyville and Canterlot, but Shining Armor still feared their tardiness. The invitation had not stated a time and this was throwing Shining Armor into a tizzy. Princess Cadence, mane put into a stylish updo, accepted Shining's hoof as she got into the carriage. "I'm sure nopony will mind", she soothed him. "It isn't our fault, after all, and it's just a small parade." Despite her words, she had put a lot of thought into both her outfit and her mane style. After she sat down, she smoothed out her pink dress that was trimmed with lace and a few dark pink bows. It swooped down to her hooves, long enough to cover most of her legs, but short enough that it wouldn't drag in the dust. It was hardly crinkled but she wanted to look her best when she met the princesses and Twilight again. Her husband smiled down on her, stopping her hoof. "Oh, stop it, Cadence, you look beautiful." He gave her a quick kiss on the lips before turning to look out the window as the gorgeus countryside swept past. He himself was dressed in a tuxedo, and Shining Armor couldn't wait to see his little sister again. He was also quite looking forward to meeting Prince Blueblood for the first time. His wife was incredible, but he wanted a little time with a fellow stallion. The couple spent their brief carriage ride keeping up a playful banter about Canterlot, Twilight, and the princesses. Both were eager to get to the castle and the ride seemed to take an eternity, though in reality it took only about fifteen minutes. It finally came to an end, however, the carriage pulling up to the grand doors of the beautiful palace. Shining Armor hopped smartly out, assisting his wife down willingly. "We're here!" he announced, laughing as she stepped down beside him. "I can see that", Cadence said with a bright smile. She immediately turned to her dress, smoothing it down, getting even the tiniest wrinkle out. Eventually satisfied, she turned to the ponies who had pulled their carriage and thanked them gracefully. Shining Armor bowed his head to them as well, giving them permission to leave. They did so, pulling out carefully so as not to stir up dust. Shining turned to his wife and rolled his eyes when he saw her still fussing over her outfit, but there was a smile on his face. "Come on, it's time we told the princesses we are here." He trotted up to the main door and opened it, gesturing with a sweep of his hoof for Cadence to go first. The pink alicorn smiled as she swept into the hallway. "Why thank you, good sir." She held her dress out to the side and curtsied. "You're quite welcome, my lovely lady", Shining responded with a dramatic bow. They both laughed together, the sound echoing off the marble floors and pillars. As the two strolled through the multiple hallways they began to wonder where everypony was. They had been walking for fifteen minutes and had found no one except a few ponies that had no idea as to the whereabouts of the princesses. One did say that Princess Luna was not to be disturbed, but his warning was quickly forgotten as the couple continued with their search. Cadence eventually turned to her husband. "Why don't we go back to the main hall and see if you can remember where to go from there", she suggested. Shining nodded in agreement. They tried to retrace their steps, but it was still quite a while before they found themselves back in a place they recognized. "I don't remember this being so complicated", he laughed. "But then, I'm used to our castle now, I suppose." The newlyweds house was much smaller than the Canterlot castle and much easier to navigate. It had been a few months since either Shining Armor or Cadence had been here and before too long they were lost again. As they rounded a corner a door decorated with the moon loomed before them. Shining smiled with relief at finally finding one of the princesses. "Oh, good, this is Luna's room! Hopefully she's in", he said, starting forwards. Cadence nodded, but she hung back to stare at one of the many paintings that decorated the halls of the princesses home. This one was of Luna herself, smiling down kindly on the hallway outside her room. The alicorn had recently taking up painting herself and she wanted to study some of the great Canterlot art. Staring at the picture, the servant's warning to not disturb Luna came back to her mind. She was just about to turn and warn her husband, but it was too late. Without knocking, Shining swung open the door to the princess of the night's room. His jaw dropped as he took in the scene and he could not help but let out a small, muted gasp of shock. He tried to turn away from the sight, but he found himself rooted to the spot, a strange tingling sensation running up and down his horn. Luna's armor was piled on the floor in a glittering heap. The princess herself was moaning in pleasure as she stood over her bed, a large red stallion drilling away at her backside. The stallion was sweating and grunting, hooves wrapped around Luna's waist. Both ponies froze as they heard a gasp of shock from behind them. Ever so slowly, Big Macintosh and Princess Luna turned their heads to see who had walked in on them. A deep blush suffused Luna's face, but Big Mac simply stepped back from the princess and gave Shining Armor a long look. Then he turned back to the princess and bowed his head. "Princess Luna", he said, "Ah believe you have a visitor."
Oops, I Did it Again"I can come back later", Shining Armor said, hastily averting his eyes. Princess Luna shook her head, mane billowing around her with the movement. "No, that is quite alright. Big Macintosh here was just leaving." She looked pointedly at her guest. The red stallion nodded, giving the princess one last kiss before heading for the door. He brushed past Shining until he was trotting down the passageway away from the princesses door. He paused to say a quick hello to Cadence before continuing on his way out of the castle. As soon as Big Mac came near him, Shining stiffened. His horn flared up, tingling and his whole body shook with the presence of strong magic. The current soon subsided and he was able to focus on Luna again. Luna was putting her armor back on and was just setting the tiara atop her head when she noticed Shining Armor's rigidity. Again, she blushed furiously. "I apologize for that...event. I thought I had given the servants orders that I was not to be disturbed, but it must have slipped my mind." She curled up on her bed, inviting him with a sweep of her hoof to join her. "Er, no, that's quite alright, princess", the white unicorn said, still standing where he was. "I was just coming to tell you that Cadence and I had arrived, but I guess you know that now. When is the parade?" He thought guiltily of the servant who had, in fact, warned them not to disturb Luna. The princess looked apologetic. "It already happened. I'm sorry you missed it. What happened?" "The mail was late", Shining answered simply. The princess nodded and an awkward silence settled over the pair. "Well...I'll just be going. It's too bad we missed the parade", he commented. Then he turned to leave, waving a goodbye as he did so. Cadence looked up as her husband came trotting swiftly out of the princess' chambers. "What happened? Why was Big Macintosh in there?" she asked. "He and the princess were...busy", Shining Armor told his wife. "I was right about being late, though. We've missed the parade." She shrugged. "There's always next year", she told him. "Anyway, we should be getting to Twilight's soon. I can't wait to see her!" Shining nodded enthusiastically. At that moment he would have taken nearly anything to get away from the castle. The couple again plunged into the twisting labyrinth of hallways and doors. It took a couple questions and a few wrong turns and dead ends before they emerged into the outside world once again. Once there, Shining asked one of the doormen to get them a carriage and the pony dashed off willingly. Soon the two were seated comfortably in a plush transport rolling over the uneven cobblestones on the path to Ponyville. They chatted quietly about their wedding and about Twilight, but this time they avoided the subject of Canterlot. Cadence knew her husband had a good reason for not telling her what he had seen in Luna's room, though she was curious. Eventually the pulled up to the tree that housed their little sister's library and house. Twilight was rearranging a bookshelf when there was a polite knock on her door. She sighed. How many more times would she be interrupted today? Turning smartly she resolved to get rid of the visitors as quickly as she could-until she opened the door. "Cadence! Shining Armor!" she squealed. She leaped into her brother's hooves and he enveloped her in a massive hug. The lavender unicorn hugged Princess Cadence next, a big smile on her face. "How was the ride? Why did you two miss the parade? You wouldn't believe the day I've had!" she babbled. "Woah, Twily, slow down!" her brother laughed. "The ride was fine, the mail was late, and what happened?" As he fell silent he noticed both his wife and his sister were staring at him, gaping. Twilight gulped. "I don't exactly know. But I think it's happening again." A glowing purple matrix was enveloping Shining Armor and he squeaked as he felt his manhood slowly disappearing. His mane grew out, getting longer and his eyes suddenly sprouted eyelashes. His hooves shrank down to the size of a mares and he grew slender. Eventually the transformation was finished and the magic sparks dissipated. "Twilight", he said, glancing over at her. "What. Exactly. Did you do?"
My Big Brother (Er, Sister?)Twilight gulped and began a long explanation about the events that had occurred earlier in the day. She apologized profusely for getting her brother turned into a mare. "But, Twilight, I don't understand. If Big Macintosh turned into a mare, what does that have to do with me?" Shining Armor asked in an embarrassingly high voice. "You didn't cast this spell on me, did you?" Her eyes widened at the sound of her own voice and she cleared her throat desperately, but to no avail. Twilight Sparkle drew herself up indignantly. To think her own brother, er, sister, would accuse her of turning him into a mare. "Of course not!" she exclaimed. "Really strong spells, like the one I cast on Big Macintosh, have a very strong residual magic. If a pony afflicted with such a strong spell comes into contact with another normal pony well... some of the leftover magic tends to, uh, rub off", she finished. This sounded reasonable, but it did not make Shining Armor any happier. "Okay, okay. Just reverse the spell. Please?" she begged. "I would love to. Really, I would but....I can't", Twilight admitted. She quickly took a couple of steps backwards, just to be safe. "One reversal spell a day is all I can handle." Shining Armor's eyes blazed with anger. This was new. Occasionally as a colt, she had felt aggressive, but this burning rage was a new feeling entirely; it must have been exclusive to mares. She looked at her wife and her sister with a new respect. This couldn't be easy to control all the time. But seeing Twilight demolished the wonder and she felt the anger returning. "Fine. Teach me the reversal spell and I'll do it myself", Shining commanded, stamping her hoof petulantly. Again, Twilight took a step or two back. "Yeah, about that. See, the spell can only be reversed, taken off, or modified by the original spell-caster which would, unfortunately, be me." Her voice fell to a whisper on the last words. Shining Armor's thoughts ran rapidly through her mind. "Okay. Alright. Let me get this straight. You, as a favor to Applejack, turned her brother Big Macintosh into a mare. I saw him later that day after he had already been turned into a stallion. He brushed by me and some residual magic from the spell got on me, turning me into a mare. This spell can only be taken off by the original spell-caster, you, Twilight, but you can only do one reversal spell a day which you've already used on Big Mac. Is that about it?" She was trying to remain calm and collect her thoughts but she couldn't. Twilight could only nod in agreement, unable to trust her voice. Counting to ten calmed ponies down, right? Shining Armor tried, blowing out deep breaths and counting ever so slowly to ten. Then to twenty. Then to thirty. Until finally she was able to look at Twilight without imagining stabbing her with her horn. This gave her pause. When had she become so violent? No matter. This had to be fixed. And it had to be fixed now. "So. Our story is this. Shining Armor went home because he wasn't feeling well and meanwhile his and Twilight's cousin came to visit. She's related to us on our mother's side and that's why she looks so much like me. She and Cadence are staying together while they wait for Shining Armor to feel better, just in case the sickness is contagious. Got it?" Twilight nodded. "Got it, Gleaming Shield." "What did you call me?" Shining Armor asked. "Gleaming Shield. You have to have a name, right, cousin?" Twilight pointed out. The newly christened Gleaming Shield nodded glumly. "But it's so...so...girly." Twilight would have laughed if she wasn't so guilty. "Hate to break it to you, sis, but...you're a mare now." Gleaming Shield threw herself to the ground, moaning in agony. This day could not possibly get any worse. This was the bottom line. They could sink no farther. And then, incredibly, they did. Cadence, who had been standing in shock this whole time trying to process this whole situation, spoke up. "Hey, Twilight? You said any pony who came into contact with a pony that was affected would be affected to, right?" "That's right", Twilight answered promptly. And then the terrible, terrible truth began to dawn on her too. "Oh. My. Celestia. Princess Luna."
