Survival Begins at Home

Despite his body not being in as good a shape as it once was, Shining's captain's armor made him look very strong and confident. As Cadance pulled his helmet into proper orientation, she pressed her lips to his. "It won't be so bad," she said. Our intelligence suggests it'll be a few days before we see any zebras. The princesses just want you to assess the weak points in the city's defenses. An easy task for one so great as my Prince in Shining Armor."

Shining looked down at her, worried. "Are you sure I'm ready for this?" His voice was shaky and uneven. "I certainly don't feel ready..."

"You'll be fine," assured Cadance. "Before you were my husband, before you were my prince, you were my captain of the royal guard. You were the best of the best. This will feel like nothing to you. I just know it."

"If you say so..." He took a deep breath. "Here I go."

As Cadance watched him walk away with a tremble, she called after him. "Knock 'em dead, Shiny!" As he turned the corner and left her field of view, she closed the door and began planning to check in with him at lunch. She was so proud of him, even for this simple act of committing to his job.

Shining swallowed hard. He'd been away from work for months, and he wasn't sure if he'd do well coming back after such a long break. Before the incident, he might have described himself as the cutting edge. Now, that edge was rusty. He wasn't as sharp as he used to be, and his nerves were starting to flare up. Pressing his hands together to keep them from shaking, he found the beginnings of a stress rash forming on his left thumb. Steeling himself, he walked out into the street.

It was actually a very pleasant day. Smiling citizens of all ages lined the streets, going about their business, blissfully unaware of the danger that would be upon them in the next few days. They chattered with each other, buying and selling things, laughing at jokes, discussing plans for the future... It was as if things in Equestria hadn't changed at all.

With another deep breath, Shining stepped into the sun. It was warm and cozy, exactly as one would expect from a summer day in the San Palomino canyon. And yet, chills ran down his spine. He was so afraid he would blow this like he had his last security detail. While his previous failure had only caused half a dozen deaths, this one could potentially be in the hundreds.

He made his way to the guard depot. It was a short walk for most, but it took him nearly half an hour, and by the time he arrived, his chest was heaving. Leaning back against a pillar, he took a moment to calm down. He'd successfully cleared the first step. He'd made it to the guard depot. He almost felt a smile coming on, but it dissipated as the armoured mare behind the front desk called out to him.

"Checking in, Captain?"

Shining turned his attention to her, returned to standing on both his feet, approached, and saluted. "Yes, ma'am."

She stood and saluted back. Saluting was a formal measure, but if he was going to salute her, then this usually informal check in must be handled with formality. "I will need your signature," she said, pushing forward a clipboard and pen with her other hand. Shining released his salute, a measure that he now saw was foolish and unnecessary, and signed his name on the clipboard, along with the date and time.

"Can you tell me where Captain Loft is?"

"He's in his office, sir. I can take you to him, if you like?"

Shining shook his head. "No, I need to... I mean, I can do that on my own. At ease."

She saluted again and slowly sat down. "Permission to speak freely, captain?"

Shining looked down the hall and swallowed hard. "Granted. What's on your mind?"

"You look like you're going to be sick, sir. I think you should go to the infirmary, instead."

Shining shook his head. "I'll be fine."

"If you're sure, sir."

Shining walked down the hall, stepping into the captain's office. "Reporting in, sir."

The captain stood up and extended his hand. "Prince Shining Armor. A pleasure to see you again."

Shining Armor took the hand and shook it. "Captain Loft. I'm here to look over your defenses."

"If I may, highness, you were expected yesterday. I have looked over all of our defensive structures, and we're doing just fine."

"It's my job to check anyway."

Loft Wing took a deep breath. "Fine. You want to see our defenses? I'll take you on a tour. Come with me."

Shining Armor followed the captain out of his office and stayed close to him throughout the tour of the city. He didn't see it as going to new places, but rather staying close to somepony who could and would make sure everything was alright if he had a manic episode. All things considered, The town did seem to be well-defended. There were patrols at the top of the canyon, and the inner walls where the ponies lived had large carved stone crenellations. Even if the zebras brought cannon ships up the river, it would be very difficult to take this place. They were incredibly well-defended.

"Happy now?" asked Captain Loft, at the end of the city tour. "All of these ponies are as safe as they possibly could be. I know you want to be certain of that, but if any harm befalls them, it will be on my head, and I will not allow that to happen. Do I make myself clear?"

"As a crystal pony," responds Shining. "I just needed to be sure, because your neck isn't the only one on that chopping block."

The captain turned around and walked to a balcony overlooking the canyon. "I won't lie to you," he said, clasping his fingers, "I respect you too much. I'm terrified, highness. I don't know what the zebras want, or why they're here. If it's to make us pay for past crimes, there are none alive who have committed them. At least, as far as my knowledge goes. I would hope that whatever their intent was, we'd talk it out like civilized creatures. I like my current rank in the royal guard, and I like all of the ponies that work under me. We work well together. I demand nothing less from them. If they have any problems, I encourage them to come to me. We are like a family. I don't want to be ranked up and torn from them, nor do I want to see any of them die."

"Seeing a loved one die is one of the worst things that can happen to you, Captain," said Shining, standing next to him. "It happened to me."

"I am aware, highness. It was a sad day all across Equestria. I cannot imagine how much that must have hurt; how much it still hurts."

They stood there in silence for a bit, then Loft picked himself up. "It's about lunchtime, wouldn't you say?"

Shining shrugged. "I suppose."

Loft walked across the street, finding a sandwich vendor. He bought two of them, giving one to Shining Armor. While Loft ate his entire sandwich, Shining wasn't very hungry. After managing to choke half of it down, he offered the other half to a starving homeless stallion that was sitting on a park bench, begging passersby for change. He thanked the prince joyously, even going so far as to hug him. Just as Shining was about to smile again, he heard a horn being blown by a pegasus guard.

Loft Wing returned his helmet to his head. "That's the alarm. The zebras are here. Everypony, go home now! Stay there until you hear the all-clear!"