Shining Armor was sitting next to the bed of his one true love, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, more commonly known as Cadance. The pink alicorn mare was still in a coma from her ordeal with the Changelings and according to the physicians, her condition is unlikely to change anytime soon.

When he and his companions came back from their survival exercise, Shining immediately made his way here first. As the Princess' groom, he had automatic access to this room anytime he wanted. The maids and doctors even believed that the closeness of her future husband would affect her positively. She was the Princess of Love after all and who could have more love for Cadance than her significant other.

But Shining was way past of believing such sentimental nonsense. His presence and his love had nothing to do with Cadance making a recovery. Recovery depended entirely upon a pony's strength, and Cadance was an alicorn. There was no stronger creature in Equestria than them. This was the reason Luna and Celestia have already made a full recovery. Cadance will no doubt too. She just needs more time.

"Hello, my love." Shining spoke softly as he took the unconscious mare's hoof into his own and planted a kiss upon it. "I'm sorry I couldn't come to you sooner. Royal Guard duties keep me occupied most of the time. But I'm sure you understand. After all, you had to postpone several of our dates due to princess duties." He said with a soft smile, but his expression quickly turned serious.

"I know I said this before but I'm sorry I couldn't protect you when you needed me. I wasn't strong enough to get you out of those monsters' clutches and I had to let some carnival freaks do my job for me. But I think I finally found the way of making it right, Cady." He told her with his mood improving once he thought about the formula he had discovered in the journal he found at the abandoned prison.

"Soon, I will become strong enough to defend you and anypony in need. I will become what a Royal Guard is truly supposed to be. I will become worthy of being called your husband. And it will be just the beginning. Soon the Royal Guard will be the only protection this country needs. I promise." He then pressed another light kiss onto the mare's forehead before standing up and turning to leave.

"Rest well, my love." He said as he turned back to look her at the door. "By the time you wake up, Equestria will have drastically changed." He then left the room and gently shut the door. As he began walking down the hallway, he could see his friend, Zombie galloping his way at a pace that defied his age.

"Captian, I finally found you!" He cheered. "Please come with me. I have news that I think you will find most interesting. But perhaps it would be best to discuss them in private." Shining nodded.

"Indeed. After all, what we have discovered is of a rather delicate matter." Shining agreed before the two stallions moved to the Captain's private quarters.

As the leader of what qualified for the equestrian military, he had his own room in the castle of course, though it wasn't very extravagant. It was slightly smaller than Cadance's room and the decor was much less luxurious. The bed was very simple with no curtains around it unlike the princesses', the curtains were simple brown ones and the floor had a blank dark green carpet across it.

The military theme expected from a pony of this position was present of course. Shining’s desk was placed next to the wall between two windows and facing the door with military maps being rolled out across it, there were several ponyquins holding weapons and wearing battle armor and several books on warfare and military lifestyle could be seen on his shelf. Once the two stallions entered, Shining locked the door behind them.

"So did you find anything useful?" Shining asked, once he was sure they weren't being overheard. The old thestral pulled out the journal Shining found and opened it.

"These bastards were onto something, Captain." He explained. "I can't say I approve of their methods but the formula they developed does have merit. They were trying to create some sort of super soldier serum. It increases the subject's physique and strength tenfold. At least, that was the idea. But it was highly imperfect."

"How so?" Shining asked as he sat down behind his desk.

"Well, first of all, it only worked temporarily. It had to be administered once every twelve hours. Secondly, it was highly addictive. Like a drug. The user would crave more of it, suffering from severe withdrawal issues. Some of them even went into a frenzy, lashing out violently upon not receiving more and had to be put down. And most alarmingly, overdose could lead to severe mental degradation." Shining tried to remain stoic, but that last piece of information really unnerved him.

"How severe?" He asked. Zombie studied the notes further before answering.

"In the best case, it could lead to severe memory loss. Subjects could forget as little as how to operate the device that administers the substance into their body or as much as who they were and what they were supposed to be doing. And the worst case scenario is complete mental degradation. The user would become little more than an animal. Acting on their most basic impulses and lashing out at everypony around them, once again resulting in them having to be taken down."

Shining growled. He didn't want to use anypony as a guinea pig for this stuff, least of all his own troops. Despite knowing that they were inadequate and needed to be improved, he was still responsible for them and would never forgive himself if the things Zombie just described happen to them.

"And these are just the ones who survived the experiment. Nine out of ten times, the subject died from the procedure. Only the ones in peak physical condition would make it."

"I'm not worried about that." Shining waved his hoof dismissively. "We are the Royal Guard, Zombie. Nopony can be in better physical condition than we are. Just tell me if there's anyway to fix these... imperfections."

"I confess this is out of my field of expertise. Even with the notes and books we brought back from the prison. But I do know somepony who can help. And this time is no different." Shining narrowed his eyes.

"You know I don't like to include outsiders in our plans." He said firmly.

"Nor do I, but in this case I'm afraid needs must." Zombie replied. He saw that his captain still wasn't reassured so he continued. "Don't worry. I know somepony who's perfect for this task. I worked with him on several occasions in the past. On highly discreet secret projects as well. He can be trusted with secrets and his thirst for scientific knowledge will ensure quick progress. When would you like me to arrange a meeting?"

The unicorn cursed under his breath. This project would require as little attention as possible and he wasn't gonna trust somepony he just met. On the other hoof, he did trust Zombie. And if he said this pony was trustworthy, then he was willing to take his word for it.

"Right now."

Canterlot Research Center was not a place Shining was very familiar with. After all, he was a soldier not a scientist and despite being the Captain of the Guard, very little of the research regarding the Corps was brought to his attention. He knew almost nopony from here and it made him feel like he was in unknown territory.

Needless to say, he didn't like it. On a mission, knowing the territory you're on was crucial not only for success, but for survival. Being a seasoned soldier himself, it became a reflex to him to always be in soldier mode, gaining every advantage he could on survival. It was very inconvenient for him to rely on another pony for the necessary information, but at least he could rely on a pony he knew was trustworthy.

Speaking of which, the thestral finally entered the office he was sitting in with a blue coated, orange haired unicorn close behind him, He looked like a typical scientist wearing glasses and a lab coat, if looking far younger than Shining would have expected from a researcher. His comrade sat down next to him and the researcher did the same across his desk.

“Captain Armor!” The researcher greeted brightly as he sat down. “Let me start by saying it’s a tremendous honor to welcome you into my office!” Shining however was not here for pleasantries.

“Let’s not stand on ceremony here, doctor.” He replied curtly. “I’m here because my subordinate tells me that you can help us with a project we’re working on with the required discretion.” If the researcher was offended, he didn’t show it, he merely smiled wider in response.

“Ah, yes. The direct approach. Very well. My name is Rainy Edge and indeed, I have worked with this gentlecolt in the past on some projects it was better the princesses didn’t know of.” Zombie let out a chuckle.

“Gentlecolt? You’re far too kind to this old warhorse, doctor.” He said before turning to Shining. “Anyway, I have shown him the notes we’ve confiscated and just like me, he does see the potential. And with his expertise, completing the formula should be easy.”

“Indeed.” Doctor Rainy nodded, leaning back in his chair. “We wouldn’t want the same horrible fates to befall our own troops, would we?” He chuckled. “Give me a week. I believe that shall be enough to perfect the formula. In the meantime, I suggest you keep training. I have no doubt you’re already in top shape, but better safe than sorry, wouldn’t you agree?”

Shining however thought differently. In his experience, ponies were generally lazy. They always asked for more time than they actually needed. He was fairly certain that this egghead could complete his task in under half the time he was asking for and he wouldn’t give him any more.

“You have three days, doctor.” Shining told the other unicorn in a tone that left no room for argument. The doctor’s eyes widened and this time, so did Zombie’s. He wasn’t expecting his Captain to be so assertive in this matter.

“Three days?! But Captian…”

“This is non-negotiable, doctor.” Shining insisted. “This is a matter of national security and it needs to be done as soon as possible.” He said before standing up to leave. “Three days. No more.” And with that, he walked out of the office, leaving the two stunned ponies behind. Zombie was the first one to recover from his shock

“Forgive him, doctor.” He said as calmly as he could. “He’s not exactly himself ever since the Changelings attacked. And his fiance is in a coma. I think it’s understandable if he’s a little rougher around the edges than usual.” The doctor quickly regained his composure and just waved his hoof.

“It is quite alright. The project we are about to undertake is a big and dangerous one, but I can understand his frustration. However, once the serum is complete and he plans to use it on himself as we expect, he’s going to need better emotional control.” Zombie raised an eyebrow.

“How do you figure?”

“Even if I complete the formula, there may be a few incurable side effects left.” The doctor explained. “Chief among them is an emotional imbalance. The subject could lose control easily and become angrier, more reckless and over reliant on the substance. If he doesn’t control his emotions better, the steroid might get the better of him.”

Now that was one thing Zombie was not sure how to deal with. Shining Armor used to listen to reason and take his advice, but in his current emotional state which was apparently going to worsen with the steroid, it looked like he might not be able to retain control.

“I’m starting to think that this stuff is gonna be more trouble than it’s worth.” Zombie sighed. “It seems like no matter what we do to fix it, using it is gonna end badly.” The doctor nodded.

“Indeed. It seems like less of a drug and more like a venom.” He then narrowed his eyes in thought. “Project Venom. Yeah, that sounds like an ideal codename for our little experiment.”

Despite his perhaps unwarranted animosity towards the doctor, Shining decided to take his advice. He increased his training’s intensity and dedicated his entire day to it. The only ponies he interacted with during these days were Trogg and Bird, having his daily sparring session with the duo.

With each session, his fighting became more savage and brutal. With the dirty tactics he learned from Trogg, he became a far more efficient fighter, scoring more wins against his two opponents. His increased ruthlessness was beginning to bother his companions as well, they had to go into the infirmary after their sessions, but Shining knew they could handle it.

It wasn’t just them who noticed his drastic changes in behavior though. On the third day when he was supposed to meet Doctor Rainy for the test of the improved Venom formula, he noticed that he couldn’t pass a single pony without them shooting odd glances in his direction. These days, he found himself caring less about what his subordinates thought of him, but if they found something unusual about his behavior, then they knew something about Project Venom. News apparently spread fast around the castle these days.

And that was not a good thing. If somepony around the castle knew anything about the project and was spreading the word, then he needed to find them and silence them. He absolutely trusted his three closest companions to keep their mouths shut. The doctor however, not so much. Even if Zombie kept his eyes on him most of the time, even he couldn’t watch him in every hour of the day. But if not them, then who could possibly suspect anything?

“Captain?” Shining stopped and turned to see who addressed him. To his annoyance, it was Princess Luna’s meddlesome assistant, Jean Jeans. “Is something the matter?”

‘It wasn’t until you showed up.’ Shining thought but he couldn't have possibly said it out loud, so instead he just said, “Why do you ask?”

“You seem very stressed about something.” The earth pony replied. “More so than usual. Everypony around the castle is noticing it and they are all worried about you.” Shining’s response was a completely indifferent scoff.

“Your concern is appreciated, Mr Jeans, but I am fine. Now if you please…” He was about to head off, but Jean kept following him and to his surprise, he had no trouble keeping up with him.

“Captain, if there are pressing concerns around Canterlot, we have to know.” He kept insisting. “The safety of everypony in the city could depend on it. Not to mention in your current mental state, you need level headed ponies to aid you in your endeavors.” Shining narrowed his eyes.

“I said I’m fine and there are no matters in the city that require your participation.” He hoped Jean would take the hint that he was politely trying to tell him to piss off, but he still kept pushing.

“Please don’t take this the wrong way, Captain. You are a valued member of the court and we appreciate you more than you can imagine. We need you at your absolute best to ensure our protection.” Shining finally had it.

“You need me at my best, you say?” He snapped. “Then leave me alone and allow me to carry out what I have planned for today! I will come back from it better than ever and improve the Royal Guard in ways you couldn’t even imagine! Now for the last time, there is nothing going on around here that concerns you, so please leave me be!”

Jean’s eyes widened for a bit at his sudden outburst, but he remained unfazed. He narrowed his eyes as he studied the unicorn’s features for a few moments. Shining noted how he looked like he was concentrating very hard, almost as if trying to find something very specific while looking at him, but he was too worked up to give it any further thought. Eventually, Jean backed away.

“Forgive my interruption, Captain. I will not hold you up any longer.” He said calmly before walking away. Shining was quite surprised by his calm demeanor and his sudden retreat. He showed no signs of being intimidated. If anything, he left even more determined than when he was trying to ask him if something was wrong. But then why did he back down so easily? That stallion was a real mystery. But he couldn’t think about that right now. He had an appointment with the good doctor.

Dr. Rainy Edge was sitting in his office, going over his research notes for the day. Normally, he would have long since retired for the day, but with the tight schedule given to him by the Captain, he had to make every second count. Once he properly analysed the formula though, it was easy to fill in the holes. He was interrupted in his studies by a knock on the door.

“Come in, Captain.” He called out without looking up. Shining did so.

“How did you know it was me?” He wondered.

“Who else would it be at this hour?” Rainy shrugged. “And I believe the deadline you set is ending tonight.”

“So, are we ready to go?” Shining asked sternly. Rainy made a few more notes on his clipboard and stood up.

“Indeed.” He replied before walking to the door. “This way please.” There was something ominous about the way he spoke, but Shining’s thoughts were so clouded by the experiment that was about to take place that he didn’t notice it. The two ponies left the office and walked to an elevator at the end of the hallway.

“Are you sure the necessary precautions have been taken?” Shining asked as the two of them entered the elevator. “Nothing can disturb tonight’s experiment.

“Have no fear, Captain.” Rainy answered as he inserted a keycard into the elevator’s panel. “Our laboratory is in a completely secluded area that only a select few know about. We are not going to be interrupted.”

It took the elevator a whole minute to reach its destination. Shining had to cover his eyes when the door opened. When his eyes adjusted to the light, he saw a long hallway with several laboratory entrances on both sides. But Rainy was heading towards the large double doors at the end of the hallway.

Shining caught up to the doctor just in time when he reached it and opened it. The room itself was a large, circular area with bright lights illuminating it from the ceiling and black and white tiles surrounding it. There were several machines and containers all over the place, but what drew Shining’s attention to was a table in the centre of the room with four chains attaching it to the ceiling.

“Please lie down Captain, and we can begin right away.” He said, gesturing to the table. “But before you do, let me ask you, are you absolutely certain this is what you want to do?”

“Honestly? No.” Shining replied as he got up on the table. “But there is no other way. The Guard needs to be improved, doctor. Upgraded. Our enemies are far too strong and they can attack anytime. We have to take every opportunity we can come across. And I don’t think we’ll get a better opportunity than that formula anytime soon.”

“But do you have to test it?” The doctor asked in concern. “If any unfortunate side effects kick in, Canterlot could lose you. I don’t think the Guard can afford that.”

“If I couldn’t do this, how could I expect my soldiers to?” Shining asked. “No more questions, doctor. Light it up!”

“As you wish.” Rainy sighed before pressing a button on a panel. Several vials full of yellow liquid descended from the ceiling with tubes connected to them. Rainy grabbed the tubes and lifted them up, revealing sharp needles at the end of each one. “I’m not gonna lie. This is gonna hurt. A lot.” He wasn’t kidding. Each syringe stung like a spearhead penetrating him. But the ones into his veins weren’t the worst ones. Rainy picked up a device resembling a panel of buttons and inserted it into the Captain’s left wrist.

“This device controls the distribution of the steroid.” Rainy explained. “I couldn’t make the effect permanent, but it is easy to manufacture and replace once it runs out. You’ll have to administer it manually before combat.” Shining nodded. “Oh, and one last thing.” He left the table and came back with a leather mask. “This mask will protect your brain from the mental effects of Venom. As long as you’re wearing it, you’re gonna keep your head straight.”

He then wrapped the mask around Shining’s head and the unicorn could feel the tight squeeze at the back of his head that kept the drug flowing into his head minimal. He loathed the idea of wearing a mask like them, but if it kept the stuff out of his head, it was a compromise he was willing to make.

“Alright,” Rainy said once he was back at the panel. “let’s get this show on the road!”

Rainy pressed a button on the panel and the machine above Shining came to life with a loud hum. The unicorn could practically hear the liquid steroid flowing out of the containers and making its way towards his body but nothing could have prepared him for the burning sensation of Venom actually entering his body.

When it reached his muscles, it hurt like Tartarus at first, but he eventually got used to the feeling. In fact, it began to feel amazing. He felt his muscles bulking up to levels he never felt before. He could feel the chains holding his table tightening more and more as he bulked up, having trouble holding him until they completely snapped, falling to the floor.

Once he felt the process coming to an end, he slowly got back on his hooves, feeling the floor quake under his hooves. He felt almost twice as big as he used to be. He looked down at his front legs and was stunned to see how massive they have become. They needed to be to support his now exceptionally large and muscular torso.

He picked up the metallic table he was lying on and to test his new strength, he tried to bend it in half. Instead, the metal shattered in his hooves. Shining smirked in satisfaction as he turned to look at Dr. Rainy to congratulate him on a job well done, only to feel another feeling hit him. A nauseating feeling that made him drowsy as he tumbled around. Like he was being sedated.

“What’s happening?” He asked in confusion and worry. The doctor just walked over to him with a smirk.

“I’m sorry, Captain, but what you have discovered is far too valuable to some high standing creatures outside Equestria to be wasted on the Royal Guard.” He gloated. “With the appearance of super ponies in our land, they are concerned about the well-being of their own and are prepared to pay good money for Venom.” Shining turned to glare at Rainy and tried to grab his collar with his hoof, but he failed as he fell forward onto the ground like a training dummy.

“This is high treason, Rainy…” Shining growled. “You could hang for this…”

“I know.” Rainy smirked. “But like I told you, we are not going to be interrupted down here. And when I tell the court that you died due to overdosing the steroid in this experiment, there won’t be anypony to tell the truth to the princesses.” He was about to press another button on the panel to administer the lethal dose into Shining, but he was interrupted by a voice.

“You disappoint me, Dr. Rainy. And I had such faith in you.” The doctor’s eyes widened in surprise, but he didn’t get to turn around as two muscular hooves wrapped around his neck and twisted it with a sharp snap before letting go of him and allowing his lifeless body to fall onto the ground. Shining looked up to see none other than Bird and Trogg reaching down to pull him onto his hooves.

“You’ll be okay, Cap!” Bird told him as he wrapped one of his hooves around his neck. “We got you!” Zombie quickly stopped the dosing process and removed the tubes from Shining’s body.

“Well, at least we know the new Venom formula works.” Trogg added, wrapping Shining’s other leg around his neck.

“Indeed.” Zombie added. “Carry the Captain outside, I will secure the formula and the rest of the Venom in the room.” The two nodded before supporting Shining out of the room, which wasn’t exactly an easy task with his increased physique. Outside, two royal guards were waiting for them, which made Shining raise an eyebrow.

“What are these soldiers doing here?” He asked. His two companions shared a worried glance.

“Well, you see…” Trogg began haltingly. “It’s an awkward topic but there is a warrant for your arrest. Somopony must have found out about Project Venom and squealed to the princesses. You are now wanted for illegal experimentation. ” This almost snapped Shining out of his drowsy state.

“What?!” He exclaimed, trying to break away from his friends, but to no avail.

“Don’t worry, Cap! These are not actual Royal Guards.” Bird reassured him. “At least, not anymore.”

“Yeah.” Trogg nodded. “They are among the many Guards who were kicked out of the Corps after the invasion. We told them about your ambitions and let’s just say they share your views.” The two faux guards saluted.

“We are at your service, Captain.” They said. “We don’t care if we’re no longer Guards or even if you aren’t, you’re still our leader. No matter what.” Shining was touched by this loyalty, but he learned a long time ago not to show emotions in front of his troops.

“How many of you are there?” He asked.

“Currently about a dozen.” Bird replied. “But there are gonna be many more. Zombie gave them a list of names and I sent notifications to all of them. They are gathering in Manehattan.” Shining raised an eyebrow.

“Manehattan?” Bird nodded.

“Yeah, we can’t stay in Canterlot for obvious reasons.” Shining thought about this for a moment. Manehattan wouldn’t have been his first choice, but then he remembered the self proclaimed law enforcer who called that city her territory. She would be an ideal start to test his new enhancements in action on.

“Good.” He mused. “So what’s the plan?”

“With these two posing as official royal guards, they will easily be able to escort you to a ship waiting in the harbour.” Trogg explained. “We’ll join you once we load up the rest of the stuff and we’ll leave before sunrise.” He then attached a pair of hoofcuffs onto Shining’s front legs.

“Sorry, Cap, but it has to look believable.” Shining nodded. With his new strength, he could break out of these cuffs effortlessly. But there was no reason to let others know what he was capable of now with Venom. And what others didn’t know, he could use to his advantage.

Just like the Batmare didn’t know what was heading her way…

Author's Note

Hope you enjoyed this chapter! The plot is finally about to thicken as Shining will make his way to Manehattan to clash with the Batmare who unbeknownst to him, is his own sister.

So the thing is... my university finals are coming up this autumn/fall so I don't know how frequently I'll be able to update. My first one is coming up this Wednesday so wish me luck!

The next time, we'll see how Twilight handles the problem with the Cat and Apple Bloom getting closer to discovering her secret identity. Tune in next time for...

Issue #5: The Apple Blooms