A lone soldier stood sentry beside a locked door.
Spear in hoof, he gazed sternly out at the horizon. Not for a moment did his posture break or his muscles relax. His sacred vigil would go uninterrupted by any mortal force. Nothing could end this warrior's watch save the moment of his rotation.
It was a strange thing, really, how one pony could be so dedicated, so steadfast in their duty. How there existed no temptation with any hope of distracting him. How this guard was too stoic to ever break.
Strange, indeed. Strange and commendable. Why, many ponies could only dream of being so diligent in their tasks. How lucky this sentry's employers were, to have command over such an awe-inspiring stallion. Surely, he was due for a promotion any day now, so great was his ability to stand at attention and scowl straight ahead.
The sudden sound of a throat clearing bid the soldier glance down. Down, to where tiny, purple hooves tapped impatiently against the floor. Little purple ears flicked in mild annoyance, then splayed back against their young owner's head. Big, purple eyes gazed up and he caught his reflection--still stoic and studly, if he didn't say so himself--in their narrowed depths.
"You're not internally monologuing about how handsome, stoic, and deserving-of-a-promotion you are again, are you?"
The handsome, stoic, promotion-bound soldier stared unflinchingly back at his accuser. His sister's voice, as recognizable thanks to her frequently-surprising verbosity as it was its high-pitched and squeaky character, demanded answer. Insubordination, he knew, hardly fitted such a loyal and honor-bound stallion as himself. There was no choice, therefore, but to respond.
The soldier's eyes, having pointed straight forward so determinedly and for so long, drifted sideways as the filly continued her tapping.
"... No?"
There was never and never will be an expression at once so knowing and skeptic as that which appeared on the purple filly's face. Tales would be told and songs sung for decades of the perfect curve in her brow, the flatness of her gaze, the crease of her muzzle. Faced with such a worthy adversary, the great soldier could do naught but crumble.
He lowered his head in defeat, acknowledging the total victory of his opponent in this game of wits. Shortly thereafter, he lifted it again, wearing a huge smile. "Alright, Twily, you got me. Guilty as charged."
Twilight harrumphed most haughtily and spun with flair to begin pacing the ground before her brother.
"Guilty! And of such a treasonous offense!" she squeaked, her vitriol apparent even through the matching smile on her face. "Do you know what the punishment for treason is, brother?" Stopping in place, she turned to face him again, her posture most commanding. The soldier lowered his head again, but couldn't seem to remove his smile.
"No, ma'am. I've no idea." This wasn't even a lie, as not only had treason not occurred for hundreds of years, but rank-and-file privates weren't exactly briefed on every sentencing. The focus on a private's education tended to lean more towards 'how to stand still' and 'how to not blink for minutes on end,' lessons the soldier was proud to say he'd learned most efficiently. Twilight let out another harrumph and reached up as far as she could, missing his chest but still harshly poking upper foreleg.
"You, Shining Armor, are hereby relieved of duty. You must spend all your free time baking cookies and giving them to the needy."
It was Shining's turn to raise a brow, glancing down at his sister with a flat expression.
"You, yourself being the needy, I assume?"
Twilight's face didn't even move. She glared up at him every bit as flatly, stating it like it was obvious.
"Duh!"
Silence followed as the two engaged in a tense stare down. He clenched his jaw, she furrowed her brows. He squinted his eyes, she pursed her lips.
Shining was first to break, slow chuckles giving way to snorting laughter. Twilight held strong to her huffy character for a few more precious seconds, then devolved into rapid giggling. Once that was over and both siblings calmed, Shining swept her into a hug that she eagerly returned.
"Twily, you know I can't just leave my shift early. Not even for a poor, needy filly like you," he teased, ruffling Twilight's mane with a hoof. She squirmed in vain, searching for any way to escape the Noogie Of Doom and not finding one.
"That's the thing, though! We got special permission from the princess!" Suddenly, an idea formed in the filly's mind and a literal light appeared above her head. Shining had no time to react to her glowing horn. Magic painfully pinched his ear and he yelped, releasing his prisoner, who stepped smugly away.
"Is that so?" Shining asked, rubbing his ear with a wince. Twilight nodded, so he dropped his hoof back to the ground and cocked a brow. "Why would you go and do all that?"
The filly beamed up at him, neglecting to acknowledge in the slightest the immense pain she'd just inflicted. Granted, one look at that face was enough to convince even the hardest of hearts she was innocent.
"Mom and Dad needed you for something today! Now come on! They're waiting outside!"
Twilight skipped off without further comment, leaving her brother to glance around, unsure. Granted, short shifts and long breaks weren't uncommon this time of the year. Many guards were allowed on holiday to visit family and celebrate the season. Shining had never heard of somepony getting punished for leaving duty this close to Hearth's Warming, especially with permission from the princess.
Down the hall, Shining spotted a pair of guards heading towards him. Resisting the urge to close the gap, he waited until they slowed to a stop and the stallion on the left spoke first.
"At ease, private. You're released for today. We'll pick up the slack."
Shining pursed his lips.
"So I've heard. It's really okay if I just... go?"
The mare nodded reassuringly, gesturing with a wing to where Twilight had rounded the corner and disappeared.
Well, that settled it. With a salute and a nod, the soldier took off after his sister. This, of course, being the most advisable thing to do.
Faust help the one who dared deny Twilight Sparkle.
The Light family residence was rather modest, as far as manors in Canterlot went.
A mere three stories made up the building, though that was only if one counted the basement. The servant workforce was comprised of none, though not for lack of demand; many ponies had offered and even been eager to labor for such a distinguished family, only to be shot down. Shining's mom, Twilight Velvet, had come from humble roots and recoiled at the very thought of having ponies at her beck and call.
That humility and determination to do one's own work for oneself had been all but ingrained in her children from the moment they were born. Shining hadn't always been thrilled to have to clean up after himself, but, looking back, he had the maturity to be grateful for those lessons.
With one last parting word to his departing parents, Shining Armor and his little entourage stepped inside.
While the outside of château-de-Light spoke of the glamour and high class being of nobility demanded, all it took for one to see the true nature of their family was to witness the interior. In a word, it was cozy. Candles placed strategically both out of reach and spaced around the room supplied a warm, welcoming light. A large wreath was hung on the opposite wall, with family pictures spaced evenly on the others. A desk and chaise lounge were the only furniture decorating the foyer, but a couch, coffee table, and loveseat could be seen further in.
The Light family was big on Hearth's Warming and it showed. Aside from the large wreath on one wall, smaller ones decorated every door in sight, including both sides of the front entrance. Vibrant green tinsel wrapped the fireplace mantle in a festive embrace, while striped red-and-green streamers tickled every available space. Their Hearth's Warming Tree, small for a noble family but still humongous, took up most of the living room. Various ornaments covered every branch, silvery bells, red, glittery orbs, and candy canes among their number. Magical lights joined those of the candles from their spots beside the spiny leaves, filling the room and the home with a sense of comfy peace.
A peace that was soon broken the moment Twilight--and their baby dragon brother Spike astride her back--stepped into the home after Shining.
"And deer have an entire runic alphabet they use to cast spells! Imagine just drawing a picture in the dirt and then bam! Fire!" The purple filly bounced past, boisterous and energetic as ever, while Shining was left scratching his head. They'd gone from what Twily was hoping to get for Hearth's Warming (more books) to her most recent--self-assigned--math topic (a subject she was already so ahead of her brother in that he couldn't so much as recognize a word she said) to what she'd done with the princess that morning (read books) to what was now apparently a mini-lecture on how other races used magic.
The subject had repeatedly changed faster than a stage performer switching costumes mid-number on the walk back from the castle. Poor Shining Armor was left reeling, just trying to keep up.
"Wait!" Twily skidded to a halt, incidentally throwing Spike from her back. Only some quick reflexes with Shining's telekinesis saved the hapless dragon from reuniting harshly with the ground. "That reminds me! I was studying Bitby's Fluid Ignis! Oooh, I have to find out where the spell matrix ends up in the third casting!"
And off she went, shooting straight upstairs like a lit firework before her brother could get a word in edgewise. Shining watched her bump into the coffee table as she fled upstairs, steadying the rocking flower vase with a hoof. He gently set Spike down, breathed in a bit, and adopted a rueful expression.
"Well, that was something," Shining turned towards the kitchen, chuckling good-naturedly to himself. "I dunno about you, but a nice cup o' hot chocolate sounds pretty good right now." Spike, hearing this, nodded ferociously and tottered to his back legs, giving clumsy chase.
"Buh!"
It was quick work to fill a pot with water and set it to boil. Shining knew his way around the kitchen just fine, having helped prepare meals since he was old enough to reach the counter. Spike watched with intense interest, clapping his chubby little talons in eager anticipation. Shining glanced down with an amused smile, one ear cocked back to listen for telltale bubbling.
"How's your day been, big guy?" Slit pupils in emerald-green eyes flicked away from the stove long enough to return an uninterested, non-committal look before they refocused. Shining bobbed his head. "Snacking on treats, getting ready for your first Hearth's Warming..." The stallion twisted his neck and wiggled both brows, his amused smile turning playful. "Beating off pretty mares with a baseball bat? You're quite the stud, y'know. I've got myself some competition."
Spike only grunted in response, remaining fixated on his drink-in-progress. Shining pursed his lips, nodding again in sage understanding. "Got your priorities straight, I see. I getcha, I getcha. Who needs love when you've got tasty treats, amirite?"
A few minutes more and the water was boiling, so Shining took it off the stove and poured three different cups. Half a packet of chocolate powder went in one, while the others received four times that dose. All three drinks were then lovingly dressed with marshmallows, extra sugar, and a few hard candies. Once lids were installed and straws inserted, Shining gave one of the double-chocolate cups to Spike, who'd intently watched the entire process.
The stallion blew heartily on his still-steaming, too-hot-to-hold hot chocolate while his dragon brother greedily downed half his cup in one go. The two of them spent a few minutes just basking in the scent and sighing contentedly. Well, Shining basked and sighed. Spike seemed much more interested in ingesting more sugar.
Perhaps it would've been smarter to save the treats until after Mom and Dad got back.
Ah, well, too late to worry about that now. Instead, Shining opted to sit back on the couch and let the warm cup chase the last of winter's chill from his body. Canterlot's weather team hadn't held anything back this year. Turns out living on the side of a literal mountain had its downsides. Who woulda thunk it?
Shining Armor's first sip of half-packet hot chocolate was a tentative venture, but the temperature was bearable and he next took a hearty gulp in celebration. By that time, Spike had all but finished his cup and set it aside, so the stallion dutifully took it to the trash and put away all the ingredients he'd used. That left the third cup, which he picked up with magic as he turned toward the stairs and looked back at his brother.
"Wanna help me take this to Twily?"
Spike nodded and clambered aboard without further discussion. The two headed upstairs and knocked on the first door to the right. This door was already wide open and thus the knocking done solely to alert the room's occupant, who laid on the floor next to a neat pile of books. And in vain, too, seeing as she made no effort to respond. Shining cleared his throat to no avail, then tapped the floor. Again, fruitless.
"Hey, Twily!" Nothing.
Wait...!
Nope, she was just turning the page.
"I've got some hot chocolate for you! Made with love!" Shining swirled the floating cup around enticingly, but this only elicited a distracted grunt. Mildly discouraged at so much failure, he twisted his neck to look at his passenger with a cocked brow. "You wanna try?" Spike shrugged, then leaned up and projected as commanding a shout as he could.
"Buh-buh-buh!" This fearsome roar from the throat of an even-more-fearsome dragon still did naught to attract the attention of their quarry, who only hmmed and turned another page. Just as discouraged, poor Spike slumped back down and pouted for all of three seconds before brightening and making a sudden dismount.
Shining Armor watched in interest as the baby dragon scuttled away, down the hall and into the master bedroom. Moments later, he reemerged, somehow carrying a stack of six pillows in those chubby arms of his.
The brothers' gazes met. As one, they formed wicked, evil grins.
Once Spike passed over half the ammunition and both got themselves situated--and Shining stowed the hot cocoa safely out of range atop the downstairs kitchen counter--they advanced, slowly, steadily, towards their prey.
"Three... two... ONE!"
Twin PIllows Of Doom sailed through the air and nailed their target right in her oversized 'noggin with twin whumps most satisfying. The high-pitched, startled shriek that filled the air immediately afterwards was even more pleasing to the ears. Twilight tumbled quite a bit and knocked her neat pile of books askew, but it somehow stayed upright even as she gave herself a good shake.
Shining and Spike looked at each other, nodded, then launched the next volley.
"MY BOOKS!"
The filly's horn flared and a vibrant, pinkish barrier sprung to life, shielding pretty much everything in her room but herself. The flying pillows all but bowled poor Twilight over, yet surprisingly, the shield held and no books were harmed. Shining couldn't help the spark of pride in his heart at the sight of such a well-maintained barrier, even as he prepared his last shot to knock its maker senseless again.
"Guh... Fah!"
At Spike's command, Shining fired his last volley. This one flew straight and true, headed right for little Twilight's shocked and betrayed face. Even for someone so young, Spike had a good arm and solid aim, while Shining had been spending more time at the shooting range lately. With their current speed and accuracy, this round of pillows was sure to send a certain bibliophile tumbling end over end right into the far wall.
Until the filly snarled, her horn flared again, and the launched rounds came to a sudden, pink-wreathed halt.
Shining looked at Spike. Spike looked at Shining. They gulped audibly as the other four pillows rose from the floor like the dead come to life.
"... Run for it!"
Both once-attackers turned tail and fled, turning the corner just in time to see a blazing projectile crackle past where they'd been and embed itself into the far wall. Both brothers let out shrill screams of terror as Spike hopped aboard again and Shining descended the stairs as fast as his lanky teenaged legs could carry him.
A squeaky cry of rage chased them down the staircase, followed by more high-powered pillow artillery that ricocheted off the floor, walls and ceiling. Quick thinking and snappy reflexes let Shining levitate one of the pillows to use as a buffer, and this soon blocked a shot that would've otherwise taken his head clean off! Or at least thrown his passenger to the ground, either or.
Reaching the first floor, Shining whipped around and sped into the living room, picking up more ammunition from the couch and loveseat as he went. Twily followed in hot pursuit, what speed she lacked more than made up for in ferocity and sheer magical power. Her pillow rounds never seemed to end, but as her brother ducked the corner and let off some returning shots from behind cover, she was forced to slow down and dodge or be sent tumbling.
"Quick, take this and ambush her from behind! I'll cover you!" Shining stuffed a pillow into Spike's talons and nudged him through the doorway, spending much of his remaining ammunition to lay down some suppressive fire. the baby dragon obediently tottered away, heading on a wide curve to eventually flank their enemy and deliver what would hopefully be a finishing blow.
In the meantime, Shining fought for his life with every resource at his disposal. Couch cushions, lamps, wreaths, the works. Nothing was off-limits and everything was sent flying with each missile blocked. The stallion was still forced to retreat back into the foyer, focused almost entirely on defending against the utter onslaught.
"Hey, Twily! Maybe we should calm down a little? Make--oof!--a truce? Please?" Words that fell on deaf ears. The filly glared at him, red in her enraged visage and savage bloodlust apparent. There was no stopping this assault; Shining had made his bed and now had no choice but to lie in it. Besides, he had to admit that this was a lot of fun. His special talent was in defensive measures, for Faust's sake! He was practically built for this. It was great practice.
Spike eventually tottered his way around the room and behind his sister, and right as she was beginning to lose steam, too. Now was the perfect time to strike and the dragon knew it, raising his weapon high--for a given definition of high. With a draconic cry of victory, the finishing blow stuck down against Twilight's rump and sent her teetering. Another whump brought her down to two legs, and a final, vicious whump saw her lying down, spasming dramatically in Death Throes Of Doom.
"Huzzah!" shouted Shining.
"Huh-buh!" agreed Spike.
One hoof-talon bump later, they surveyed their fallen foe, who'd stuck out her tongue and shut both eyes as she laid on the floor. The illusion was somewhat ruined thanks to her heavy panting, but then both brothers were also breathing heavily from the exertion.
"As we were saying, Twily," Shining adopted a smug smile as he leaned down. "We made hot chocolate for you. It's on the counter." At this, Twilight's eyes immediately slammed open and her head shot up, her blep of death replaced by an eager grin in less time than it took to flip a page.
"Really? Thanks, BBBFF!"
And then she zoomed off, their intense, life-or-death battle of pillows, wits, and magic all but forgotten. Such was the power of chocolate, he supposed. Shining then surveyed the mess they'd made of the house and internally groaned. Pillows in random places, scattered feathers everywhere one looked, a tipped-over coffee table that'd been used as a shield at one point, fallen candles--thankfully extinguished--torn wreathes, displaced couch cushions, and more all served as evidence of their spat.
"Well then," Shining sighed, turned to a saluting Spike, and smiled. "How's about we clean this mess up, my comrade?"
Some hours later, when the house was patched up, the hot chocolate drunk, the wounds of battle patched and the bonds of friendship, family, and duty strengthened, the three of them settled in the cozy light of the fireplace and got comfy reading--you guessed it--books. Shining brought out one of Spike's favorite and began aloud, while Twilight got sucked back into her own reading but still leaned against her older brother's side.
As he read to his attentive audience of one, Shining couldn't help but feel grateful for what he had. He was sure times would be hard, mistakes would be made, and their bonds of family would be strained in the days ahead, but he believed they'd work through that. In a way, he mused internally, nothing was stronger than a family united, as corny as that sounded.
Yes, Shining was glad to have such wonderful siblings.
And somehow, he knew they were glad to have him too.
