Twiluby ladyanacondaChaptersMemoriesBroken BondThe SearchThat Male Arvial Seems To Be Upsetting Her...What Will Make Her Happy...MemoriesPonyville, 2 days before the wedding rehearsal. Shining Armor ran away from the Carousel Boutique, concluding they would not listen to anything he had to say about Discord. Not Twilight, not Spike, not the rest of the Mane Six, and not even Cadence would even pay him any attention; they were all too busy with the wedding planning to even realize that Discord was manipulating them. However, Twilight, his little sister was what was worrying him the most. He had seen her drink that chocolate milk of Discord's. He had learned in the Canterlot library that Discord's milk could have various effects, depending on what his intentions were, and he was sure the Draconequus's intentions were to... well, he didn't really know what he was planning, but whatever it was it was nothing good. Apparently, it had something to do with Twilight. "Twiley..." The stallion thought in sadness. After Twilight got married, perhaps she would no longer consider him her BBBFF at all, with Discord being her husband and all that. She and Discord would probably start a family too soon, with Discord's nature, he would not even be surprised if they had more than one baby. But it was not only Twilight getting married that had him so sad; all of this matter of the wedding had brought memories out to the surface, memories he had hoped would not come back at all. He had hoped they had been buried in the back of his mind, never to resurface again, but he was all wrong. He started remembering her... Canterlot, 6 years earlier. It had been a week since Twilight had been relocated to Ponyville, and it was unbearable. He was sure Twilight would be living all alone on an abandoned building without her big brother to look out for her. He wanted to go with her, but he had his duties as Captain of the Royal Guard, and he couldn't simply go to another location just like that. Shining Armor sighed sadly as he kept flipping channels in his T.V, trying to keep Twilight out of his mind, but it was no use. Everywhere he looked, anywhere he went, there was always something that reminded him of Twilight... and that slapped in his face that she was gone. Finally, when he got bored of changing the channels, he set the remote aside and started watching a documentary about dragons. Seriously, they needed to top documenting dragons when, in reality, nopony had any interest in dragons, unless they wanted to know about ways to avoid and drive them off. However, as he was about to turn the T.V off, suddenly a News Broadcast appeared on the T.V. replacing the documentary briefly -something for which he was very grateful- and the camera switched to what appeared to be a giant tank in the Royal Canterlot Animal Shelter. In the tank, something called his attention: it seemed to be a dragon, but not the stereotypical dragon everypony knew about. This dragon was medium-sized, and instead of scales, it seemed to have slippery, soft skin like a pony, and her colors were of a familiar tone of pale, light grayish mulberry. He had seen that color before... It also had four fingerless flippers, and its eyes were of a moderate violet. Running down her neck and back was a moderate sapphire blue straight mane with moderate violet and brilliant rose streaks... or at least it seemed like a mane. Next to it there was a female unicorn with greenish blue coat and her mane and tail were of a much darker tone. Her cutie mark was that of a fish. Next to her hooves there was a bucket with fresh fish meant for the aquatic dragon. "This is Twilu, a rare specimen of Purple Arvial found in the icy waters of the Frozen North. she was found in the coasts near Manehattan, and was immediately brought to Canterlot to recover. But without a mother to nourish her, I'm afraid she has lost the will to eat," The mare lifted a fish from the bucket and offered it to the arvial, "Come on, honey, eat." But the arvial simply looked away in sadness, not bothering to look at the fish. Shining Armor stared at the arvial for a very long time before the news flash ended and the documentary was back; for some strange reason, she reminded him of Twilight, mostly because of her appearance. There was something in the back of his mind that told him to go to the Animal Shelter and look after the dragon, or at least get to meet her. The next day, he did. He woke up early, and set out for the Royal Canterlot Animal Shelter. He didn't have to present for his rounds until midday, so he had all morning to see the Arvial. Once again, he was reminded of Twilight almost anywhere he looked, when he caught glimpse of the places they used to hang out and the abundant libraries around town. At last he made it to the Animal Shelter, and asked one of the caretakers to take him to the tank where Twilu was kept. When they got there, the same pony from the T.V was there, once again trying to make the arvial eat. "Excuse me," he called out for her, calling her attention, "I'm here to take a look at the Arvial." The mare sighed in sadness, "Thank you for your concern, but I'm afraid she won't budge. She is way too depressed, and if we don't get her to eat, I'm afraid she might die of starvation." "May I try?" The mare nodded, "Alright, but don't worry if she doesn't approach at first. She is not comfortable around strangers." Shining walked closer to the tank, just where Twilu was floating; indeed, due to her not eating, she was looking rather thin, unlike the slightly chubby Arvials he had seen in books. Her skin was dull, and her streak of hair was starting to look opaque. As soon as he got closer to her, she tried to swim away, but out of sudden swam closer to him after examining him a little more, as if she had seen him before. Shining Armor guessed that what she needed right now was someone who to turn to, someone to take care of her; she was still a youngling, after all. "Hey, girl," he smiled, "My name's Shining Armor. Don't worry, I'm not going to harm you, i think you're cute because I like lilac. He ted his magic to offer some fish to the young marine dragon and, much to both his and the mare's surprise, she accepted it and swallowed it whole. The marine researcher approached the two with complete astonishment. "I can't believe it!" a smile appeared on her face, "You're the first pony that got the poor thing to eat. Captain, I know you are busy, but wouldn't you mind coming to see her daily?" Shining gave the young Arvial a glance, and noticed she was staring at him with curiosity in her violet eyes; those eyes reminded him a bit of Twilight. In fact, the arvial herself reminded him of Twilight Sparkle. Besides, Princess Celestia had told him that he needed a hobby to stop thinking so much about Twilight for a while. Shining spoke as he patted the Arvial's back, "No, I don't mind." Shining Armor returned to the present with a sigh. He had not thought about Twilu for a long time, not since she had been returned to the ocean. But right then he could not lose time thinking about the past, he had to think of the right time to tell Twilight what he found out about Discord. The only problem, wherever he attempted to speak with Twilight, Discord or somepony else would interrupt them. And besides, he needed some help. And he thought of a certain pony who would listen. Only she wasn't a pony at all. Broken BondEverfree Forest, 1 day 16 hours before wedding rehearsal. Shining Armor knocked the door of Zecora's hut softly, for the sun was not even up yet and it was possible that the zebra he had come to see was asleep. He remembered Twilight speaking about her in the first letters she wrote him when she moved to Ponyville. The zebra had been feared and all of the citizens of Ponyville thought she was an evil enchantress; but after an incident with blue flowers and a rather awkward meeting, everypony realized Zecora was not evil nor an enchantress, but a herbalist. He also heard she was good at giving advice. After a while, a a tired-looking zebra opened the door, but there was not a trace of irritation on her face. However, since he had been in deep thought, he was startled when she opened her door. "You can put away your fright, but do tell me, what brings you here in the middle of the night?" she spoke in verse, which confused the stallion. "Err... Zecora, right? The zebra nodded, "That is my name, indeed, but I'd like to know yours, my friend." "I'm Shining Armor. I'm Twilight Sparkle's brother." "Twilight Sparkle's brother, you say. But what brings you here, anyway?" "Well... I won't lie to you. She is being controlled by Discord." Zecora's expression became serious as soon as he spoke the Draconequus' name, "Discord? The spirit of disharmony? Is that why you are acting so angry?" She motioned Shining to come into her hut so they could speak more comfortably; he would have been staring at the decorations on Zecora's walls if he had not been in a hurry. The zebra closed her door shut behind her. "Controlled she is, you claim. But what is your evidence on which to base your proclaim?" Shining spoke firmly, "I saw Discord giving her chocolate milk. But not any chocolate milk, his chocolate milk, and I've heard that the chocolate milk he makes can have various effects." Zecora shook her head, "Do not always trust your eyes, for they can sometimes show you lies. To ask them both you must, unless you want to lose their trust." "Oh, for the love of Celestia! You're telling me the same thing everypony does! They keep telling me to give Discord a chance, but I can't! I'm afraid that he will do something to Twiley! Besides, I don't think Twiley is ready for marriage! She is still young, and she is the most organized pony I've ever known. Discord is... Well, he doesn't precisely take anything seriously. It would never work out between them!" Shining Armor looked at the ground in sadness. Zecora took a sip from a cup of tea in her table, and grimly spoke, "I do not think you're anxious, but I do think you're jealous." "I'm NOT jealous!" Shining looked at the ground once more, suddenly struck by a memory. The worst of all. Canterlot, 3 years earlier. Shining Armor and Cadence entered through the door leading to Twilu's tank. The lavender Arvial was waiting for her best friend to arrive, like almost everyday. Since the day they met, Shining and Twilu had been best of friends; they played together, and Shining would often jump into the tank to swim with her. They even had a favorite game, which he dubbed 'horn fighting.' Then he had introduced Cadence to her, and the Arvial instantly liked her. Cadence had even gone as far as to feed her, something only Shining could do with Twilu, and yet Twilu had accepted it happily. And so, a friendship was born between the three, although Shining and Twilu were way much closer. "Twilu!" Shining called out when they arrived to the tank. "Seriously, Shining!" Cadence spoke in an irritated tone, "We're getting married in a few days and you still want to visit Twilu? When we should be planning everything?" "Come on, Candy!" he replied, "A small visit to Twilu won't delay the wedding!". As soon as he finished speaking, Twilu emerged from the depths of her tank and lifted her fin into the air, as if waving to her friends. Shining Armor walked closer to her and patted her head, before motioning for Cadence to come closer. "Come on, honey! I'm sure she will be happy to see you!" Cadence rolled her eyes in annoyance as she walked closer to the Arvial; however, when she tried to pet her, Twilu suddenly swam away from the edge of the tank, snorting as she did so. Cadence just stared at her in confusion for a while before giving Shining an irritated look. "What's wrong with her?" "I... I don't know. She usually doesn't behave this." he replied while trying to reach for Twilu, "Come here, girl." But Twilu didn't get closer; in fact, she seemed to have swum a few inches away. She was giving Cadence a hostile stare for some reason. She knew it. The usually sweet, friendly and sympathetic Cadence was not the one standing at the edge of her tank. That Cadence was demanding, ill-mannered and, as far as she was concerned, rude. Shining Armor called out for the Arvial, this time more firmly, "Twilu, come here!" However, before he or Cadence could do anything about it, she dove into her tank. As he tried to look where she had gone, Twilu made a great leap and when she dove into the water once more, splashed the pink Alicorn completely. The stallion stared at his bride-to-be, then at the arvial. "Twilu, what are you doing?!" he spoke in shock and anger. But she didn't stop there; no, she kept splashing Cadence with her flippers and tail, no matter how many times the stallion pleaded her to stop. Finally, Cadence's eyes filled up with tears. "Why is she doing this? I thought she liked me!" saying this, she tearfully galloped away, dripping water off her mane and tail. Shining Armor, seeing Cadence run away like that, gave the Arvial a fulminating glare. Twilu sensed anger growing inside him, and she swam away a few inches, giving him an almost angelical-look. But that only made him angrier than before. "Don't you dare giving me that look! Why did you do that to Cadence! What did she ever do to you?!" he hissed, making Twilu flinch in fear, "All she has done was to help me take care of you, and this is how you repay her?! I can't believe you turned out to be such an ungrateful animal!" Twilu felt as if she was physically struck every time those words left Shining's mouth; he had just called her an animal. Her best friend, her adoptive brother, her knight in shining armor, just dubbed her an animal. She got worried when the stallion suddenly gritted his teeth and brought his hoof to his head, as if something had struck his head. However, when she tried to get close to him and check on him, he pushed her snout away. And then, without saying anything else, he walked away to go and console his bride. He did not turn back when the Arvial called out for him. Shining thought he was going to cry at any moment; walking away from the Arvial had been one of the greatest mistakes in his life. She had figured out the Cadence that had accompanied him was actually Chrysalis, but instead of trying to figure out what she was trying to say, he had sided against the Arvial in favor of the impostor, and that choice had been paid dearly. As he ran out of Zecora's hut, seeking to release his mind off all his tortured memories, the Zebra kept her icy eyes on the stallion's white coat as he disappeared through the bushes of the forest. As she took one more sip of her tea, she muttered, "He is truly Twilight's brother." Author's Note I'm no good with rhymes, so if I could improve, I'm open to suggestions. The SearchEverfree Forest, 15 hours before wedding rehearsal. He was officially alone. Cadence? She kept telling that he should give Discord a chance and that he shouldn't be making such a ruckus over the Draconequus simply offering snacks and drinks to everypony. He was being nice, she said. Twilight's friends? Now he knew how his little sister felt when she tried to warn them about the fake Cadence three years ago, they were all too caught up in the wedding planning to realize something was off. In fact, they didn't even pay attention to him at all, they were too busy examining the dresses Discord had customized for them. Twilight...? He rarely got to see Twiley at all, she spent so much time with her groom that she didn't have a moment to listen to him. In fact, he almost couldn't see her at all, except when she went to the library to fetch something or check if everything was in order. Shining Armor couldn't take the memory of seeing Twilight drink Discord's chocolate milk out of his mind. Was he using the same spell Chrysalis had used on him, but with chocolate milk? That must be it. But there was something that didn't fit... what was Discord's ultimate goal? What did he intend to do? That was the only thing he was missing. Taking a seat under one of the many to rest a bit, Shining started to feel drowsy. He hadn't slept in one and a half day, he had not eaten, and it was catching up to him. All of this worrying about Twilight was eating him alive, and despite attempting to keep his eyes open, eventually the stallion couldn't help it any longer and he fell asleep. Not even in dreams was he safe from his memories... He would never forget when he went to the Aquarium a few days later after the wedding with Twilu's favorite fish to apologize to her, but the marine researcher, whose name was Sealight, had told him she was no longer there. The arvial had been depressed for the past days, and assuming she was homesick, she arranged everything for Twilu to be released back into the ocean. A part of Shining Armor's universe shattered that day; the arvial had been depressed because of him, because of the way he had spoken to her the last time he went to the animal shelter. When he returned home and told Cadence, the real Cadence what had happened, she was as sad as he was when she learned Twilu had been released. She encouraged Shining Armor to move on, but not because she wanted him to stop loving Twilu, but because she thought that he would stay stuck in the past and wouldn't look forward to the future. Unfortunately, her husband misunderstood her and he decided to go and look for Twilu to bring her back to Canterlot. Although Cadence was initially reluctant, she eventually came to agree with him, and a few days later he had set sail on a ship. It had been two months since they set sail, and they had sailed to the waters of the Frozen North, where Arvials lived. The crew , mostly Unicorns and Earth Ponies, and the captain had helped him locate arvials, but they never caught the one he was looking for. They had caught gray, blue, green, orange and even white arvials, but not any purple arvials. "Seriously, lad." the captain of the ship, a navy blue pony with black mane and tail, and an anchor as a Cutie Mark, told Shining one day, "You should give up, it's been two months and fifty three arvials." Shining Armor shook his head, "But none of them was Twilu." "I'm hungry," an earth pony of the crew clutched his stomach, "I'm so hungry I would eat an arvial." "You're lucky, there's one over there," another member of the crew, cried out, pointing towards a spot on the icy waters, "Would you like it roasted or fried?" Shining Armor's heart started to beat like a drum when he noticed this particular arvial's color was lilac, and there was a mane-like tuft of hair running down her back. He'd recognize those purple tones anywhere... "There she is!" the white stallion cried out in excitement, "Let's go to the boats!" One of the boats was lowered to the water, and Shining climbed on along with three unicorns, carrying a giant net meant to catch large-sized fish... or arvials, in this case. The unicorns rowed as fast as they could, heading to warded the lilac spot on the distance, until Shining Armor started crying out to the arvial. "Twilu!" he yelled at the top of his lungs, hoping she would hear him, "It's me, Shining Armor!" The arvial stopped in the water and lifted her head, recognizing that voice.the looked around and spotted the rowing boat, but what called her attention was the white stallion calling out for her. Twilu wailed softly, as if replying to him, and jumped closer to the boat, emerging seconds later next to Shining Armor with a happy look on her face. Shining Armor wrapped his hooves around Twilu's snout as tears started forming in his eyes. "Oh, Twilu, I'm so sorry!" he cried on her nose, "I'm sorry for talking to you like that! You were just trying to protect me, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings! I missed you so much, but now we'll never be separated again." Shining Armor turned to look at the unicorns, "Now!" At the order, the net was thrown at the purple arvial, but since Shining Armor was still hugging her, he was trapped in the net as well. But he didn't care. Shining Armor opened his eyes and rubbed them, looking around in confusion. How much time had he slept? He looked at the sky, noticed that it was tinted between orange, red and black, and realization hit him. It was about seven p.m., the rehearsal would take place soon, an he needed to tell everypony what he discovered. Shining Armor stood up quickly and dashed back towards Ponyville, not knowing he would commit a grave mistake. That Male Arvial Seems To Be Upsetting Her...Sweet Apple Acres, 30 minutes after the wedding rehearsal. I was her big brother best friend... Forever... But now we'll never do anything... Together... - Shining Armor Shining Armor didn't have any tears left. He didn't have the heart to return home any longer, not after what he just did. He screwed it up, and it cost him everything: his relationship with Cadence, Princess Celestia's image of him, Twilight's trust and love... Everything. He just wouldn't stand seeing angry eyes throwing knives at him again. The chocolate milk he had seen Twilight drinking, according to her, was not a mean to control her mind, but an attempt of Discord to cure her recent cold. He hadn't wanted his bride to be feeling sick on her special day, that was all he was trying to do. Spike said that he himself had asked Discord to hypnotize him after the latter asked him what should he give Twilight as a wedding gift; the baby dragon was not exactly good at keeping secrets, and it seemed that Discord had actually been hesitant about doing it, but Spike insisted anyway. The mare he had called Discord's 'lover' was actually his daughter, as Applejack angrily put it. They had hugged in the Canterlot Statue Garden because they had not seen each other in quite a while, and both were ecstatic to see each other. And when he returned, instead of entering the library and asking them about her identity, he simply drew a conclusion, like Twilight said he did. Their hateful words buzzed through his brain like angry changelings, bouncing against the corners of his brain and making his heart clench in pain. As he lay on the bed of hay on one corner of the barn, his eyes aching from all those tears and his throat raw from the sobs, he couldn't stop replaying the moment again and again, as much as he wanted to. Twilight Sparkle, his little sister and best friend, who always looked up to him and admired him... had glared at him like a manticore and dismissed him from her special day in a rather harsh way, even though he knew he deserved it. He almost didn't recognize her, she had been angry before, but never like what he saw at that moment. He had nearly ruined her wedding, and she thought he had done it on revenge for his, but he knew it was not the same case. She responded by cutting her blood-ties with him (figuratively), stripping him off his tittle as Best Colt, banishing him from the event with all the cruelty he knew he deserved. She had looked at him like a timberwolf about to bounce on a bunny, and for the first time in his life... he didn't recognize her. Cadence, his wife, the love of his life, had just shook her head and looked at him with such disappointment that Shining had wanted to run away into a cave and die. She had asked him, no, pleaded him to think things clearly and give the Draconequus a chance to know him, and he blew it. She had wanted Twilight to have the perfect wedding, to have a beautiful ceremony with her friends and family by her side to be there for her, and he blew it. Now she would if stand alone with Twilight, with no Best Colt unless the bride decided to replace him, and he knew she resented him for it. if only he had listened to her advice, none of this would have ever happened and he wouldn't be suffering like this. There was not much he could say about Twilight's friends, including Spike, for he did not know them very well personally, but that did not mean he wasn't hurt when they all walked past him in dismissal, with no looks of sympathy or mercy. The six of them were angry at him for ruining Twilight's special moment, just when Discord had given the lavender mare her wedding gift, which they themselves had helped him make. They probably thought he was not worth of calling himself Twilight's BBBFF, he had not acted like it, he had acted like a colt maddened by jealously trying to keep a mare for himself. He couldn't deny a part of him had wanted to keep Twilight for himself, but now he lost her. Princess Celestia had added insult to injury, not only reaffirming his dismissal and banishment from the wedding, but banning him from even getting a meter near Twilight until she wanted to see him, but that probably wouldn't be too soon. The princess had been disappointment, her Captain of the Guard had behaved like a spoiled colt who couldn't get what he wanted, the husband of her niece and co-ruler of the Crystal Empire had acted with the temper and attitude of a... criminal, he dared to say. Oh, the cruel irony. Three years ago, he had done the same thing to Twilight after she accused 'Cadence' of being evil; he dismissed her from the wedding and took away her title of Best Mare, and now it was the other way around. It was Twilight who dismissed Shining from her special day. But in his case, Shining Armor knew he had brought it upon himself. He wanted to take it all back, his accusations, his words, his thoughts, everything, but it was too late. There was nothing for him to do but to respect Twilight's decision... as much as it pained him. To enworse things, all of this was bringing him memories again... Twilu was smashing her snout against the glass of the tank she had been put in constantly, with no signals of being hurt or anything like it. Every day, she would smash her snout against the thick glass, as if wanting to get out and return of the sea.Shining would often attempt to play with her, but she seemed to resent him for something... maybe she still was sore about him walking out on her back on Canterlot, but he thought she would eventually forget it. As days passed, however, her mood remained unchanged. The white stallion pressed his hoof against the glass as the arvial tried to break it again, apparently determined to get out. "Is that normal?" One of the unicorns asked as Twilu stared to swim around in anxiety. "I don't think so," a pegasus commented, "Maybe if we cooked her..." "Leave her alone!" Shining snapped at the two colts, "She just needs me to cheer her up!" Saying this, the stallion looked back at the Arvial and made a playful posture, "You want to sword fight, girl?" he grinned while pointing at her with his horn. However, Twilu gave him an almost agonizing-like wail and shook her head, as if saying 'no', confusing him further. SHe would never miss a chance to play sword-fight with him back in Canterlot; a water splash caught his attention. Shining Armor looked around and spotted what seemed to be another Arvial, leaping out of the water. This one, however, was not of a single color, like Twilu, but a combination of various colors. Most of his body was a dark grayish reddish brown color, with an amber yellowish gray head, and there was a single fang sticking on the left side of his mouth. His tail changed into an amaranth red, and his 'mane was a very dark gray. He had white, bushy eyebrows and light brilliant yellow eyes with brilliant scarlet pupils. Twilu was apparently hitting the glass wherever he leaped out of the water, as if telling him to go away or something. "That male Arvial seems to be upsetting her..." Shining Armor concluded, before turning to look at the captain, "Get us out of here, captain! Pull fast ahead!" The old Stallion muttered something about 'arvial keepers' before pouring more coal into the engine, and making the ship go faster than before, apparently losing the male Arvial. Shining returned to the present unable to face more painful memories. Managing to get back on his hooves, the stallion slowly walked out of the barn, away from Sweet Apple Acres and into Ponyville, his heart heavy. He needed to talk to Twilight, or at least try it. Even if she didn't want to see his picture. What Will Make Her Happy..."You have to understand that your feelings and her feelings are not the same; Twilight needs what will make her happy..." Shining Armor looked down in shame, "... Not what will make me happy... But she doesn't want me in the wedding anymore." "We'll see about that later, what we must do right now is to find a way to escape from here and then you can apologize to her," the Draconequus gave the stallion a smile, " But first I must ask you: Shining Armor, would you like to be my brother-on-law?" Shining Armor was silent for a long time, processing everything on his brain. After a while, he gave the spirit a small smile as they shook their hoof/talon, "I do." Shining Armor was growing worried for the Arvial. She never slept, refused to eat and was forlorn all the time. She had stopped smashing against the glass of the tank, but after that she became depressed and would only remain on the bottom of the tank, with a sad look on her face, letting moans every now and then. "Why are you so sad, Twilu?" The sound of water splashing reached his ears, and as soon as it reached Twilu's ears, her face brightened and immediately swam to the top of the tank, staring towards the sea. Shining turned around in confusion, and noticed the same, male Arvial from before was still jumping out of the water , as if trying to get a peek at Twilu. "Him again?" the stallion spoke softly in confusion, and Twilu started to moan and purr enthusiastically, softly knocking the glass of the tank. Realization hit him, " Wait a second... Are you two...?" Twilu moaned in reply before looking down in longing. "She... loves him." The white stallion looked down in sorrow. That's why she was so upset. That's why she had been trying to break the glass of the tank to escape back into the ocean. That's why she refused to play with him. She wanted to be with the male arvial. She wanted to be with her love. She had moved on from him, she had surely realized she had to go ahead with her life instead of wasting it thinking on a friend she would probably never see again. He couldn't bear it. He couldn't stand in seeing her so sad. If he took her back to Canterlot, she would never see the male Arvial again, and she would resent him for it. She would probably hate him for it. Determination came to his face, and he called out for two of the unicorn sailors, "Sailing! Ocean Love! Come here!" Two unicorns, one with sky blue coat and green mane and the other with black coat and blonde mane, walked closer, "We need to set Twilu free." Shining Armor gave the Arvial a sad glance, "She needs what will make her happy, not what will make me happy." The two unicorns, using their magic, opened the top of the tank to make way for the lavender Arvial. Twilu started swimming at top speed around the tank, gaining speed, before jumping from the ship and into the open ocean. She swam towards the male Arvial, and the unicorn sadly and enviously watched as they nuzzled each other with their snouts, giving each other a loving stare. The lavender Arvial gave the unicorn one last glance, with a thankful smile on her face. "Good bye, Twilu." Shining Armor spoke silently, feeling tears coming to his eyes, "I'll miss you." Twilu just kept staring at the white Unicorn as the ship sailed away. Suddenly, the both of them heard faint voices coming from outside. Discord peeked through the hole the light was filtering through, and was overjoyed when he saw his beloved lavender unicorn, along with Cadence, his little Screwball and some of the Mane Six; they were looking around, calling their names. However, his joy started to evaporate when he saw them walking away "Shiny, I have good and bad news," he spoke, "The good news, Twi and the others are out there looking for us." "And the bad news?" "They're walking away..." Shining Armor and Discord looked at each other for a while, and then... "HELP!!"
MemoriesPonyville, 2 days before the wedding rehearsal. Shining Armor ran away from the Carousel Boutique, concluding they would not listen to anything he had to say about Discord. Not Twilight, not Spike, not the rest of the Mane Six, and not even Cadence would even pay him any attention; they were all too busy with the wedding planning to even realize that Discord was manipulating them. However, Twilight, his little sister was what was worrying him the most. He had seen her drink that chocolate milk of Discord's. He had learned in the Canterlot library that Discord's milk could have various effects, depending on what his intentions were, and he was sure the Draconequus's intentions were to... well, he didn't really know what he was planning, but whatever it was it was nothing good. Apparently, it had something to do with Twilight. "Twiley..." The stallion thought in sadness. After Twilight got married, perhaps she would no longer consider him her BBBFF at all, with Discord being her husband and all that. She and Discord would probably start a family too soon, with Discord's nature, he would not even be surprised if they had more than one baby. But it was not only Twilight getting married that had him so sad; all of this matter of the wedding had brought memories out to the surface, memories he had hoped would not come back at all. He had hoped they had been buried in the back of his mind, never to resurface again, but he was all wrong. He started remembering her... Canterlot, 6 years earlier. It had been a week since Twilight had been relocated to Ponyville, and it was unbearable. He was sure Twilight would be living all alone on an abandoned building without her big brother to look out for her. He wanted to go with her, but he had his duties as Captain of the Royal Guard, and he couldn't simply go to another location just like that. Shining Armor sighed sadly as he kept flipping channels in his T.V, trying to keep Twilight out of his mind, but it was no use. Everywhere he looked, anywhere he went, there was always something that reminded him of Twilight... and that slapped in his face that she was gone. Finally, when he got bored of changing the channels, he set the remote aside and started watching a documentary about dragons. Seriously, they needed to top documenting dragons when, in reality, nopony had any interest in dragons, unless they wanted to know about ways to avoid and drive them off. However, as he was about to turn the T.V off, suddenly a News Broadcast appeared on the T.V. replacing the documentary briefly -something for which he was very grateful- and the camera switched to what appeared to be a giant tank in the Royal Canterlot Animal Shelter. In the tank, something called his attention: it seemed to be a dragon, but not the stereotypical dragon everypony knew about. This dragon was medium-sized, and instead of scales, it seemed to have slippery, soft skin like a pony, and her colors were of a familiar tone of pale, light grayish mulberry. He had seen that color before... It also had four fingerless flippers, and its eyes were of a moderate violet. Running down her neck and back was a moderate sapphire blue straight mane with moderate violet and brilliant rose streaks... or at least it seemed like a mane. Next to it there was a female unicorn with greenish blue coat and her mane and tail were of a much darker tone. Her cutie mark was that of a fish. Next to her hooves there was a bucket with fresh fish meant for the aquatic dragon. "This is Twilu, a rare specimen of Purple Arvial found in the icy waters of the Frozen North. she was found in the coasts near Manehattan, and was immediately brought to Canterlot to recover. But without a mother to nourish her, I'm afraid she has lost the will to eat," The mare lifted a fish from the bucket and offered it to the arvial, "Come on, honey, eat." But the arvial simply looked away in sadness, not bothering to look at the fish. Shining Armor stared at the arvial for a very long time before the news flash ended and the documentary was back; for some strange reason, she reminded him of Twilight, mostly because of her appearance. There was something in the back of his mind that told him to go to the Animal Shelter and look after the dragon, or at least get to meet her. The next day, he did. He woke up early, and set out for the Royal Canterlot Animal Shelter. He didn't have to present for his rounds until midday, so he had all morning to see the Arvial. Once again, he was reminded of Twilight almost anywhere he looked, when he caught glimpse of the places they used to hang out and the abundant libraries around town. At last he made it to the Animal Shelter, and asked one of the caretakers to take him to the tank where Twilu was kept. When they got there, the same pony from the T.V was there, once again trying to make the arvial eat. "Excuse me," he called out for her, calling her attention, "I'm here to take a look at the Arvial." The mare sighed in sadness, "Thank you for your concern, but I'm afraid she won't budge. She is way too depressed, and if we don't get her to eat, I'm afraid she might die of starvation." "May I try?" The mare nodded, "Alright, but don't worry if she doesn't approach at first. She is not comfortable around strangers." Shining walked closer to the tank, just where Twilu was floating; indeed, due to her not eating, she was looking rather thin, unlike the slightly chubby Arvials he had seen in books. Her skin was dull, and her streak of hair was starting to look opaque. As soon as he got closer to her, she tried to swim away, but out of sudden swam closer to him after examining him a little more, as if she had seen him before. Shining Armor guessed that what she needed right now was someone who to turn to, someone to take care of her; she was still a youngling, after all. "Hey, girl," he smiled, "My name's Shining Armor. Don't worry, I'm not going to harm you, i think you're cute because I like lilac. He ted his magic to offer some fish to the young marine dragon and, much to both his and the mare's surprise, she accepted it and swallowed it whole. The marine researcher approached the two with complete astonishment. "I can't believe it!" a smile appeared on her face, "You're the first pony that got the poor thing to eat. Captain, I know you are busy, but wouldn't you mind coming to see her daily?" Shining gave the young Arvial a glance, and noticed she was staring at him with curiosity in her violet eyes; those eyes reminded him a bit of Twilight. In fact, the arvial herself reminded him of Twilight Sparkle. Besides, Princess Celestia had told him that he needed a hobby to stop thinking so much about Twilight for a while. Shining spoke as he patted the Arvial's back, "No, I don't mind." Shining Armor returned to the present with a sigh. He had not thought about Twilu for a long time, not since she had been returned to the ocean. But right then he could not lose time thinking about the past, he had to think of the right time to tell Twilight what he found out about Discord. The only problem, wherever he attempted to speak with Twilight, Discord or somepony else would interrupt them. And besides, he needed some help. And he thought of a certain pony who would listen. Only she wasn't a pony at all.
Broken BondEverfree Forest, 1 day 16 hours before wedding rehearsal. Shining Armor knocked the door of Zecora's hut softly, for the sun was not even up yet and it was possible that the zebra he had come to see was asleep. He remembered Twilight speaking about her in the first letters she wrote him when she moved to Ponyville. The zebra had been feared and all of the citizens of Ponyville thought she was an evil enchantress; but after an incident with blue flowers and a rather awkward meeting, everypony realized Zecora was not evil nor an enchantress, but a herbalist. He also heard she was good at giving advice. After a while, a a tired-looking zebra opened the door, but there was not a trace of irritation on her face. However, since he had been in deep thought, he was startled when she opened her door. "You can put away your fright, but do tell me, what brings you here in the middle of the night?" she spoke in verse, which confused the stallion. "Err... Zecora, right? The zebra nodded, "That is my name, indeed, but I'd like to know yours, my friend." "I'm Shining Armor. I'm Twilight Sparkle's brother." "Twilight Sparkle's brother, you say. But what brings you here, anyway?" "Well... I won't lie to you. She is being controlled by Discord." Zecora's expression became serious as soon as he spoke the Draconequus' name, "Discord? The spirit of disharmony? Is that why you are acting so angry?" She motioned Shining to come into her hut so they could speak more comfortably; he would have been staring at the decorations on Zecora's walls if he had not been in a hurry. The zebra closed her door shut behind her. "Controlled she is, you claim. But what is your evidence on which to base your proclaim?" Shining spoke firmly, "I saw Discord giving her chocolate milk. But not any chocolate milk, his chocolate milk, and I've heard that the chocolate milk he makes can have various effects." Zecora shook her head, "Do not always trust your eyes, for they can sometimes show you lies. To ask them both you must, unless you want to lose their trust." "Oh, for the love of Celestia! You're telling me the same thing everypony does! They keep telling me to give Discord a chance, but I can't! I'm afraid that he will do something to Twiley! Besides, I don't think Twiley is ready for marriage! She is still young, and she is the most organized pony I've ever known. Discord is... Well, he doesn't precisely take anything seriously. It would never work out between them!" Shining Armor looked at the ground in sadness. Zecora took a sip from a cup of tea in her table, and grimly spoke, "I do not think you're anxious, but I do think you're jealous." "I'm NOT jealous!" Shining looked at the ground once more, suddenly struck by a memory. The worst of all. Canterlot, 3 years earlier. Shining Armor and Cadence entered through the door leading to Twilu's tank. The lavender Arvial was waiting for her best friend to arrive, like almost everyday. Since the day they met, Shining and Twilu had been best of friends; they played together, and Shining would often jump into the tank to swim with her. They even had a favorite game, which he dubbed 'horn fighting.' Then he had introduced Cadence to her, and the Arvial instantly liked her. Cadence had even gone as far as to feed her, something only Shining could do with Twilu, and yet Twilu had accepted it happily. And so, a friendship was born between the three, although Shining and Twilu were way much closer. "Twilu!" Shining called out when they arrived to the tank. "Seriously, Shining!" Cadence spoke in an irritated tone, "We're getting married in a few days and you still want to visit Twilu? When we should be planning everything?" "Come on, Candy!" he replied, "A small visit to Twilu won't delay the wedding!". As soon as he finished speaking, Twilu emerged from the depths of her tank and lifted her fin into the air, as if waving to her friends. Shining Armor walked closer to her and patted her head, before motioning for Cadence to come closer. "Come on, honey! I'm sure she will be happy to see you!" Cadence rolled her eyes in annoyance as she walked closer to the Arvial; however, when she tried to pet her, Twilu suddenly swam away from the edge of the tank, snorting as she did so. Cadence just stared at her in confusion for a while before giving Shining an irritated look. "What's wrong with her?" "I... I don't know. She usually doesn't behave this." he replied while trying to reach for Twilu, "Come here, girl." But Twilu didn't get closer; in fact, she seemed to have swum a few inches away. She was giving Cadence a hostile stare for some reason. She knew it. The usually sweet, friendly and sympathetic Cadence was not the one standing at the edge of her tank. That Cadence was demanding, ill-mannered and, as far as she was concerned, rude. Shining Armor called out for the Arvial, this time more firmly, "Twilu, come here!" However, before he or Cadence could do anything about it, she dove into her tank. As he tried to look where she had gone, Twilu made a great leap and when she dove into the water once more, splashed the pink Alicorn completely. The stallion stared at his bride-to-be, then at the arvial. "Twilu, what are you doing?!" he spoke in shock and anger. But she didn't stop there; no, she kept splashing Cadence with her flippers and tail, no matter how many times the stallion pleaded her to stop. Finally, Cadence's eyes filled up with tears. "Why is she doing this? I thought she liked me!" saying this, she tearfully galloped away, dripping water off her mane and tail. Shining Armor, seeing Cadence run away like that, gave the Arvial a fulminating glare. Twilu sensed anger growing inside him, and she swam away a few inches, giving him an almost angelical-look. But that only made him angrier than before. "Don't you dare giving me that look! Why did you do that to Cadence! What did she ever do to you?!" he hissed, making Twilu flinch in fear, "All she has done was to help me take care of you, and this is how you repay her?! I can't believe you turned out to be such an ungrateful animal!" Twilu felt as if she was physically struck every time those words left Shining's mouth; he had just called her an animal. Her best friend, her adoptive brother, her knight in shining armor, just dubbed her an animal. She got worried when the stallion suddenly gritted his teeth and brought his hoof to his head, as if something had struck his head. However, when she tried to get close to him and check on him, he pushed her snout away. And then, without saying anything else, he walked away to go and console his bride. He did not turn back when the Arvial called out for him. Shining thought he was going to cry at any moment; walking away from the Arvial had been one of the greatest mistakes in his life. She had figured out the Cadence that had accompanied him was actually Chrysalis, but instead of trying to figure out what she was trying to say, he had sided against the Arvial in favor of the impostor, and that choice had been paid dearly. As he ran out of Zecora's hut, seeking to release his mind off all his tortured memories, the Zebra kept her icy eyes on the stallion's white coat as he disappeared through the bushes of the forest. As she took one more sip of her tea, she muttered, "He is truly Twilight's brother." Author's Note I'm no good with rhymes, so if I could improve, I'm open to suggestions.
The SearchEverfree Forest, 15 hours before wedding rehearsal. He was officially alone. Cadence? She kept telling that he should give Discord a chance and that he shouldn't be making such a ruckus over the Draconequus simply offering snacks and drinks to everypony. He was being nice, she said. Twilight's friends? Now he knew how his little sister felt when she tried to warn them about the fake Cadence three years ago, they were all too caught up in the wedding planning to realize something was off. In fact, they didn't even pay attention to him at all, they were too busy examining the dresses Discord had customized for them. Twilight...? He rarely got to see Twiley at all, she spent so much time with her groom that she didn't have a moment to listen to him. In fact, he almost couldn't see her at all, except when she went to the library to fetch something or check if everything was in order. Shining Armor couldn't take the memory of seeing Twilight drink Discord's chocolate milk out of his mind. Was he using the same spell Chrysalis had used on him, but with chocolate milk? That must be it. But there was something that didn't fit... what was Discord's ultimate goal? What did he intend to do? That was the only thing he was missing. Taking a seat under one of the many to rest a bit, Shining started to feel drowsy. He hadn't slept in one and a half day, he had not eaten, and it was catching up to him. All of this worrying about Twilight was eating him alive, and despite attempting to keep his eyes open, eventually the stallion couldn't help it any longer and he fell asleep. Not even in dreams was he safe from his memories... He would never forget when he went to the Aquarium a few days later after the wedding with Twilu's favorite fish to apologize to her, but the marine researcher, whose name was Sealight, had told him she was no longer there. The arvial had been depressed for the past days, and assuming she was homesick, she arranged everything for Twilu to be released back into the ocean. A part of Shining Armor's universe shattered that day; the arvial had been depressed because of him, because of the way he had spoken to her the last time he went to the animal shelter. When he returned home and told Cadence, the real Cadence what had happened, she was as sad as he was when she learned Twilu had been released. She encouraged Shining Armor to move on, but not because she wanted him to stop loving Twilu, but because she thought that he would stay stuck in the past and wouldn't look forward to the future. Unfortunately, her husband misunderstood her and he decided to go and look for Twilu to bring her back to Canterlot. Although Cadence was initially reluctant, she eventually came to agree with him, and a few days later he had set sail on a ship. It had been two months since they set sail, and they had sailed to the waters of the Frozen North, where Arvials lived. The crew , mostly Unicorns and Earth Ponies, and the captain had helped him locate arvials, but they never caught the one he was looking for. They had caught gray, blue, green, orange and even white arvials, but not any purple arvials. "Seriously, lad." the captain of the ship, a navy blue pony with black mane and tail, and an anchor as a Cutie Mark, told Shining one day, "You should give up, it's been two months and fifty three arvials." Shining Armor shook his head, "But none of them was Twilu." "I'm hungry," an earth pony of the crew clutched his stomach, "I'm so hungry I would eat an arvial." "You're lucky, there's one over there," another member of the crew, cried out, pointing towards a spot on the icy waters, "Would you like it roasted or fried?" Shining Armor's heart started to beat like a drum when he noticed this particular arvial's color was lilac, and there was a mane-like tuft of hair running down her back. He'd recognize those purple tones anywhere... "There she is!" the white stallion cried out in excitement, "Let's go to the boats!" One of the boats was lowered to the water, and Shining climbed on along with three unicorns, carrying a giant net meant to catch large-sized fish... or arvials, in this case. The unicorns rowed as fast as they could, heading to warded the lilac spot on the distance, until Shining Armor started crying out to the arvial. "Twilu!" he yelled at the top of his lungs, hoping she would hear him, "It's me, Shining Armor!" The arvial stopped in the water and lifted her head, recognizing that voice.the looked around and spotted the rowing boat, but what called her attention was the white stallion calling out for her. Twilu wailed softly, as if replying to him, and jumped closer to the boat, emerging seconds later next to Shining Armor with a happy look on her face. Shining Armor wrapped his hooves around Twilu's snout as tears started forming in his eyes. "Oh, Twilu, I'm so sorry!" he cried on her nose, "I'm sorry for talking to you like that! You were just trying to protect me, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings! I missed you so much, but now we'll never be separated again." Shining Armor turned to look at the unicorns, "Now!" At the order, the net was thrown at the purple arvial, but since Shining Armor was still hugging her, he was trapped in the net as well. But he didn't care. Shining Armor opened his eyes and rubbed them, looking around in confusion. How much time had he slept? He looked at the sky, noticed that it was tinted between orange, red and black, and realization hit him. It was about seven p.m., the rehearsal would take place soon, an he needed to tell everypony what he discovered. Shining Armor stood up quickly and dashed back towards Ponyville, not knowing he would commit a grave mistake.
That Male Arvial Seems To Be Upsetting Her...Sweet Apple Acres, 30 minutes after the wedding rehearsal. I was her big brother best friend... Forever... But now we'll never do anything... Together... - Shining Armor Shining Armor didn't have any tears left. He didn't have the heart to return home any longer, not after what he just did. He screwed it up, and it cost him everything: his relationship with Cadence, Princess Celestia's image of him, Twilight's trust and love... Everything. He just wouldn't stand seeing angry eyes throwing knives at him again. The chocolate milk he had seen Twilight drinking, according to her, was not a mean to control her mind, but an attempt of Discord to cure her recent cold. He hadn't wanted his bride to be feeling sick on her special day, that was all he was trying to do. Spike said that he himself had asked Discord to hypnotize him after the latter asked him what should he give Twilight as a wedding gift; the baby dragon was not exactly good at keeping secrets, and it seemed that Discord had actually been hesitant about doing it, but Spike insisted anyway. The mare he had called Discord's 'lover' was actually his daughter, as Applejack angrily put it. They had hugged in the Canterlot Statue Garden because they had not seen each other in quite a while, and both were ecstatic to see each other. And when he returned, instead of entering the library and asking them about her identity, he simply drew a conclusion, like Twilight said he did. Their hateful words buzzed through his brain like angry changelings, bouncing against the corners of his brain and making his heart clench in pain. As he lay on the bed of hay on one corner of the barn, his eyes aching from all those tears and his throat raw from the sobs, he couldn't stop replaying the moment again and again, as much as he wanted to. Twilight Sparkle, his little sister and best friend, who always looked up to him and admired him... had glared at him like a manticore and dismissed him from her special day in a rather harsh way, even though he knew he deserved it. He almost didn't recognize her, she had been angry before, but never like what he saw at that moment. He had nearly ruined her wedding, and she thought he had done it on revenge for his, but he knew it was not the same case. She responded by cutting her blood-ties with him (figuratively), stripping him off his tittle as Best Colt, banishing him from the event with all the cruelty he knew he deserved. She had looked at him like a timberwolf about to bounce on a bunny, and for the first time in his life... he didn't recognize her. Cadence, his wife, the love of his life, had just shook her head and looked at him with such disappointment that Shining had wanted to run away into a cave and die. She had asked him, no, pleaded him to think things clearly and give the Draconequus a chance to know him, and he blew it. She had wanted Twilight to have the perfect wedding, to have a beautiful ceremony with her friends and family by her side to be there for her, and he blew it. Now she would if stand alone with Twilight, with no Best Colt unless the bride decided to replace him, and he knew she resented him for it. if only he had listened to her advice, none of this would have ever happened and he wouldn't be suffering like this. There was not much he could say about Twilight's friends, including Spike, for he did not know them very well personally, but that did not mean he wasn't hurt when they all walked past him in dismissal, with no looks of sympathy or mercy. The six of them were angry at him for ruining Twilight's special moment, just when Discord had given the lavender mare her wedding gift, which they themselves had helped him make. They probably thought he was not worth of calling himself Twilight's BBBFF, he had not acted like it, he had acted like a colt maddened by jealously trying to keep a mare for himself. He couldn't deny a part of him had wanted to keep Twilight for himself, but now he lost her. Princess Celestia had added insult to injury, not only reaffirming his dismissal and banishment from the wedding, but banning him from even getting a meter near Twilight until she wanted to see him, but that probably wouldn't be too soon. The princess had been disappointment, her Captain of the Guard had behaved like a spoiled colt who couldn't get what he wanted, the husband of her niece and co-ruler of the Crystal Empire had acted with the temper and attitude of a... criminal, he dared to say. Oh, the cruel irony. Three years ago, he had done the same thing to Twilight after she accused 'Cadence' of being evil; he dismissed her from the wedding and took away her title of Best Mare, and now it was the other way around. It was Twilight who dismissed Shining from her special day. But in his case, Shining Armor knew he had brought it upon himself. He wanted to take it all back, his accusations, his words, his thoughts, everything, but it was too late. There was nothing for him to do but to respect Twilight's decision... as much as it pained him. To enworse things, all of this was bringing him memories again... Twilu was smashing her snout against the glass of the tank she had been put in constantly, with no signals of being hurt or anything like it. Every day, she would smash her snout against the thick glass, as if wanting to get out and return of the sea.Shining would often attempt to play with her, but she seemed to resent him for something... maybe she still was sore about him walking out on her back on Canterlot, but he thought she would eventually forget it. As days passed, however, her mood remained unchanged. The white stallion pressed his hoof against the glass as the arvial tried to break it again, apparently determined to get out. "Is that normal?" One of the unicorns asked as Twilu stared to swim around in anxiety. "I don't think so," a pegasus commented, "Maybe if we cooked her..." "Leave her alone!" Shining snapped at the two colts, "She just needs me to cheer her up!" Saying this, the stallion looked back at the Arvial and made a playful posture, "You want to sword fight, girl?" he grinned while pointing at her with his horn. However, Twilu gave him an almost agonizing-like wail and shook her head, as if saying 'no', confusing him further. SHe would never miss a chance to play sword-fight with him back in Canterlot; a water splash caught his attention. Shining Armor looked around and spotted what seemed to be another Arvial, leaping out of the water. This one, however, was not of a single color, like Twilu, but a combination of various colors. Most of his body was a dark grayish reddish brown color, with an amber yellowish gray head, and there was a single fang sticking on the left side of his mouth. His tail changed into an amaranth red, and his 'mane was a very dark gray. He had white, bushy eyebrows and light brilliant yellow eyes with brilliant scarlet pupils. Twilu was apparently hitting the glass wherever he leaped out of the water, as if telling him to go away or something. "That male Arvial seems to be upsetting her..." Shining Armor concluded, before turning to look at the captain, "Get us out of here, captain! Pull fast ahead!" The old Stallion muttered something about 'arvial keepers' before pouring more coal into the engine, and making the ship go faster than before, apparently losing the male Arvial. Shining returned to the present unable to face more painful memories. Managing to get back on his hooves, the stallion slowly walked out of the barn, away from Sweet Apple Acres and into Ponyville, his heart heavy. He needed to talk to Twilight, or at least try it. Even if she didn't want to see his picture.
What Will Make Her Happy..."You have to understand that your feelings and her feelings are not the same; Twilight needs what will make her happy..." Shining Armor looked down in shame, "... Not what will make me happy... But she doesn't want me in the wedding anymore." "We'll see about that later, what we must do right now is to find a way to escape from here and then you can apologize to her," the Draconequus gave the stallion a smile, " But first I must ask you: Shining Armor, would you like to be my brother-on-law?" Shining Armor was silent for a long time, processing everything on his brain. After a while, he gave the spirit a small smile as they shook their hoof/talon, "I do." Shining Armor was growing worried for the Arvial. She never slept, refused to eat and was forlorn all the time. She had stopped smashing against the glass of the tank, but after that she became depressed and would only remain on the bottom of the tank, with a sad look on her face, letting moans every now and then. "Why are you so sad, Twilu?" The sound of water splashing reached his ears, and as soon as it reached Twilu's ears, her face brightened and immediately swam to the top of the tank, staring towards the sea. Shining turned around in confusion, and noticed the same, male Arvial from before was still jumping out of the water , as if trying to get a peek at Twilu. "Him again?" the stallion spoke softly in confusion, and Twilu started to moan and purr enthusiastically, softly knocking the glass of the tank. Realization hit him, " Wait a second... Are you two...?" Twilu moaned in reply before looking down in longing. "She... loves him." The white stallion looked down in sorrow. That's why she was so upset. That's why she had been trying to break the glass of the tank to escape back into the ocean. That's why she refused to play with him. She wanted to be with the male arvial. She wanted to be with her love. She had moved on from him, she had surely realized she had to go ahead with her life instead of wasting it thinking on a friend she would probably never see again. He couldn't bear it. He couldn't stand in seeing her so sad. If he took her back to Canterlot, she would never see the male Arvial again, and she would resent him for it. She would probably hate him for it. Determination came to his face, and he called out for two of the unicorn sailors, "Sailing! Ocean Love! Come here!" Two unicorns, one with sky blue coat and green mane and the other with black coat and blonde mane, walked closer, "We need to set Twilu free." Shining Armor gave the Arvial a sad glance, "She needs what will make her happy, not what will make me happy." The two unicorns, using their magic, opened the top of the tank to make way for the lavender Arvial. Twilu started swimming at top speed around the tank, gaining speed, before jumping from the ship and into the open ocean. She swam towards the male Arvial, and the unicorn sadly and enviously watched as they nuzzled each other with their snouts, giving each other a loving stare. The lavender Arvial gave the unicorn one last glance, with a thankful smile on her face. "Good bye, Twilu." Shining Armor spoke silently, feeling tears coming to his eyes, "I'll miss you." Twilu just kept staring at the white Unicorn as the ship sailed away. Suddenly, the both of them heard faint voices coming from outside. Discord peeked through the hole the light was filtering through, and was overjoyed when he saw his beloved lavender unicorn, along with Cadence, his little Screwball and some of the Mane Six; they were looking around, calling their names. However, his joy started to evaporate when he saw them walking away "Shiny, I have good and bad news," he spoke, "The good news, Twi and the others are out there looking for us." "And the bad news?" "They're walking away..." Shining Armor and Discord looked at each other for a while, and then... "HELP!!"
