He was marching down the main hall of the Canterlot Royal Palace with fierce intent in his eyes. Shining Armour, a respected unicorn of the royal guard, and, more importantly, their Captain. Many of the guards posted in the halls saluted to him as he passed, but they knew instantly that something was wrong. Normally, he'd salute them back, but not today. For today, he bore an expression on his face that made it clear to all that something important was on his mind. This was also reflected in his movement, as his marching was more driven, more hasty, than usual.

But he had every reason to be like this. Because, not too long ago, he'd been made privy to a very important piece of information regarding Princess Celestia. Normally, the stallion would not have concerned himself with the personal matters of the Princess, but this time was different, for the matter in question also involved somepony very close to him. This had struck very close to him and, as such, he'd taken matters into his own hooves. He would probably be risking his entire career by doing this, but he'd already steeled himself for that, as this was far more important to him.

Eventually, he found himself at his destination. A large ornate wooden door leading into the main throne room of the palace. The two unicorn guards on either side saw him approach and one look at his face gave them all the encouragement they needed to light their horns and open the door for him to allow him entry. Shining stepped inside, not bothering to admire the beautiful architecture of the massive chamber as he usually did, and instead stood still upon entry. His gaze fell upon the end of the chamber, where there was a magnificent golden throne. Upon it sat his monarch, Princess Celestia herself.

Shining then saw, to his dismay, that she was not alone. Standing next to her was her adopted niece, Princess Cadence. That only made matters worse for Shining, as she and he had grown quite close over the years. But he knew that her presence could not deter him from what he knew he had to say. It was at this point that both Princesses noticed Shining's entry. Their smiles soon turned to looks of concern as they noticed the angry look on his face. They did not have time to enquire about it however, as the Captain stepped forward and, looking at all of the guards posted in the chamber, addressed them.

"Guards. As your Captain, I command you all to leave this chamber for the time being."

The guards, unicorns, pegasi and earth pony alike, all looked at each other with confusion. For a Captain to ask that they all leave the room their Princesses were in was most unusual to say the least. But Shining had neither the time nor patience to explain himself right now. And so, in a tone far less composed than he was known for, he repeated his command.

"OUT!!!"

Many of them stepped back in fear over their Captain's behaviour, while the rest looked to Celestia for some sort of instruction as to what to do next. The sun Princess merely looked at her trusted Captain, at the look on his face, and sighed. Shining could tell that she knew why he was here, and what this was all about. Opening her eyes, she gestured to the guards, giving them permission to do as Shining had ordered them. They saluted her and cautiously made their way past Shining and out of the chamber, some giving him nervous glances as they passed. With them gone, the door was closed behind, leaving only Shining, Cadence and Celestia in the chamber.

The stallion began to approach the throne and Celestia glanced over at her niece, who was looking very worried at all of this. In all the time she'd known him, Shining had never acted this way, and she was confused as to what was going on. However, Celestia knew that this was for herself and Shining alone, so she gave a similar gesture to Cadence, who looked from her, to Shining, then back to Celestia, before slowly nodding. The younger alicorn began moving away, giving the angry stallion one final look before exiting the chamber through one of its side doors.

With only a few steps more, Shining was now only a few metres away from the throne and Celestia. The two stared at each other for a few minutes, the silence of the chamber broken only by Shining's heavy breathing. Closing her eyes, Celestia was the first to speak.

"This is about your sister, I presume?" She said calmly.

Shining did not respond, but merely nodded to confirm her suspicions. This was indeed about Shining's sister, Twilight, and, more impottantly, what Celestia had arranged for her. Word had reached Shining's ears that Twilight had been sent to some remote village called Ponyville, where this year’s summer sun celebrations would take place. This alone was not too concerning, but then he discovered what her true plan had been. That the legendary figure, Nightmare Moon, was, in fact, real, and would be returning to Equestria soon. Celestia had sent Twilight to that place as a means of combating this menace. Needless to say, Shining was not happy.

"How could you? Twilight trusted you as if you were family, and you've sent her to fight a monster?"

The sun Princess looked upon her angry Captain and said nothing. Her face was as difficult to read as ever, and Shining could only guess what was going on in her mind. Nevertheless, he continued what he needed to say.

"She is my sister! She matters more to me than I can ever say! Do you really think I would just stand by and allow you to do this?"

Celestia's eyes narrowed at him a little.

"I assure you, Captain, I know what I am doing. Twilight's presence in that village will be vital for what is to come. I have watched her grow and learn for many years, Shining, I know she will be capable of facing what will happen there".

The young stallion was not happy with that answer.

"I don't care if she's capable or not! Twilight is precious to me, and I will not allow you to throw her to the fires like this! If what is coming is so big a menace..."

He lifted one hoof and placed it on his chest-plate.

"...then send me instead."

The Princess raised her eyebrow at that.

"You?" She asked.

Shining nodded.

"I did not become a Captain for nothing, Princess. If danger is coming to Equestria, send me, and I will do what I can. But do not send my little sister to face this".

Celestia looked upon him, at the look of determination on his face, and knew that he was seriousness about this. He was truly willing to put himself in harm's way in order to get Twilight out of it. The Princess couldn't help but give a small smile at this. Shining truly did love her sister, and it warmed her heart to see such devotion to family in one of her most trusted commanders. Shining really was worthy of his position, and she knew that he would have fought with all of his might against Nightmare Moon to keep his sister safe. But even so, Celestia's smile faded as she considered his proposal.

"I have no doubt that you have strength, Captain. And you do yourself and your sister great honour by volunteering yourself for this, knowing the risks. But I cannot accept this. Able though you may be, it is necessary for Twilight to be the one to do this, thought I cannot say why. At least....not yet".

Shining glared at his monarch, who was now looking away from him with a thoughtful expression. He'd already pushed his luck enough with her, far more so than any other pony in Equestria would be willing to do. But he could not let this matter stand. His sister was in danger as long as she was out there in Ponyville, and from the sound of things, it seemed as though Celestia had even further plans for her once this was all finished with. That she was not even willing to consider bringing her back, even after everything he'd said to her, was the last straw for him, and he stepped forward in an aggressive manner.

"You have no right! You don't even HAVE a sister, so how can you possibly know how worried I am for mine?"

Upon hearing those words, Celestia's head snapped back in his direction, and she looked upon him with a look of utter rage. He'd never once seen her like this, nor had any other pony. Celestia had become, to them, the embodiment of calm and composed, so for her to look this angered was unexpected to say the least. The way her eyes pierced him was difficult to bear, and Shining had to fight the urge to step back in fear over it. Celestia got up from her throne and spread her wings out in a threatening manner, all the while keeping her gaze locked onto her Captain's eyes.

"Do not DARE make the mistake of thinking I have never felt pain like yours before! Because I HAVE!"

For a while, with both ponies glaring at each other in such a menacing manner, it would have been easy for an outsider to look at this scene and imagine that the two might actually come to blows over this issue. But they did not. Instead, Celestia took a deep breath and calmed herself down, furling her wings back to the sides of her body. Her expression softened considerably, and she looked upon Shining once more, this time with a look of understanding.

"Shining....I understand. Truly, I do. But you have to trust me. You know I would never send Twilight out there if I thought for one moment that she would fail. She will be safe. I promise you".

The Captain looked at his Princess' expression, and was thinking hard on this whole matter. In truth, he was still angry at all of this. A big part of him was urging him to just drop everything, run out of the capital and find this Ponyville place to bring his sister back home safely right now. But the way Celestia had spoken to him had, alleviated his concerns, though only a little. Twilight trusted this alicorn, and he knew his sister was no fool. If she was willing to put her faith in her, then for the time being, so would he. But even so, there was something else he needed to say, and he narrowed his eyes at her before saying it.

"If anything happens to my sister because of this...then consider that my resignation".

Celestia said nothing, but looked on as the stallion turned away from her, his face still filled with anger over what had happened here. She looked on as he walked away from her and back towards the entrance to the chamber. Using his magic he opened it once again and walked out, closing it behind him. Now, she was alone with her thoughts. She could not blame him for what he had said and done here today, and truthfully, she admired him for being brave enough to stand up to her like that. But nothing he could say or do could change her mind on this matter, given just how important Twilight's role in all this would be.

"Oh, Shining. If your sister fails...your career will be the last thing you'll need to worry about".