Forgiveness is not always something easily granted, and there are almost always consequences surrounding the subject. Cerulean was grateful that the previous week’s events at Sweet Apple Acres hadn’t wiped Ponyville from the face of Equestria, nor had it lead to him becoming a eunuch. In fact, Twilight hadn’t really punished him at all, having felt the inner war that he had only found the strength to overcome by choosing Twilight’s happiness over Applejack’s. As much as it made her glad, she knew that it came with a price.

Rainbow Dash, however, was as forgiving as an Ursa Major deprived of her cub, banishing Storm Blitz from their room and demanding he maintain a ten hoof-length distance from her at all times. Everypony had thought that surely she would cave after a day or two, but seven days later he was still trudging the allotted distance behind, head bowed and resigned to his fate. His fillyfriend hadn’t specified a duration, but having spent every night together since their induction into the Wonderbolts, the torture already felt as if it had lasted for months.

“Rainbow Dash?”

“What.”

“Uh, never mind.” Yup, she’s still mad. Sure, she’s the Element of Loyalty, so it’s easy to see why she’d be so upset at seeing me with Applejack in bed. But nothing happened! Doesn’t that at least count for something? “No, you know what? Rainbow Dash, this has to stop. Nothing happened, can’t you at least give me credit for that?”

“You spent the night with another mare, Storm! Do you know how worried I was when you didn’t come home? How lonely I was? But I held it in, I decided to give you the benefit of the doubt, and what do I see? You and Applejack. Tell me, which part am I not supposed to be upset about?”

“The ‘nothing happened’ part?”

“That’s not the point, you dunce!”

Not the point? Then what the hay is she trying to tell me? “Rainbow Dash, I really have no idea why you’re upset at me still. Can you just tell me so we can make amends?”

“No, you’re going to stay away until you figure it out yourself.” Storm dropped silent, wracking his brain to try and understand what Rainbow Dash clearly thought was an obvious reason before noticing a rather muscular unicorn making his way through Ponyville, looking every which way. Chancing a glance at his flank, Storm stopped in his tracks and stared.

“Hey, Rainbow Dash?”

“Don’t talk to me until you figure it out.”

“Dash, this is important.”

“So is you remembering your promise!” Fed up with her refusal to work with him, he breached the ten hoof-length barrier and landed in front of her. “Get away from...”

“Look, I’m sorry I left you alone! I didn’t mean for it to happen, I didn’t want that to happen, and it’s not going to happen again! Now, will you please just listen to me?” Her expression shifted from infuriated to grateful at a moment’s notice, leaving Storm utterly confused with his emotions stuck in neutral.

“So... you remember?” The hope in her voice only compounded a growing sense of urgency consuming his mind.

Dang it! I said the right thing, but which part of it was what she wanted to hear? If I don’t answer quickly, it’s only going to get worse. Come on, what’s she talking about? Didn’t mean for it to happen, sorry for leaving her alone, it’s not... wait, alone... that’s it! “I remember, Rainbow Dash. I promised you wouldn’t have to spend another night alone, and last week I broke my word. I’m sorry, can you forgive me?” The worry at hoof was momentarily shelved as his fillyfriend displayed her gratitude with a passionate kiss. Perhaps a bit too passionate for the public eye, as being away from each other for a week had left them both quite... sensitive.

“I think I’m looking forward to going to bed tonight,” she giggled, eyeing his wings like they were candy waiting to be tasted. “But unfortunately, that’s a long ways off. What were you trying to tell me before?” Doing his best to ignore his outstretched wings and racing heart, Storm scanned the area and again located the unicorn in question. His coat was pure white, with a mane of three different darker hues of blue.

“See that stallion over there? Look at his cutie mark, doesn’t that look kind of like Twilight’s?” While not identical, the shield that formed the center of his Cutie Mark was emblazoned with a six pointed star, the same shape and color as Twilight’s.

“Yeah, now that you mention it, it... oh buck this! Storm, we have to warn Cerulean and Twilight. This is really, really bad,” she exclaimed, taking a few steps away from the stallion that was still a good distance away.

“Rainbow Dash, take it easy. Do you know him?”

“No, but I know of him. That’s Shining Armor, Twilight’s older brother.”

“Oh dear Celestia. If he finds Cerulean, he’s a goner.”

“No, you think? We have to do something!”

“I’ll send him to my parents’ house while you go warn Twilight. That should at least buy them a little time to figure out a plan.”

“All right, I’m on it!” Storm blinked through the dust as a rainbow streaked towards the library, and noting the unicorn’s eyes following the trail, he quickly flew over and greeted the infamous sibling.

“Excuse me, it looks like you’re new around here. Can I help you find something?”

“Why yes, thank you. I happen to be looking for the library, but am quite lost. Might you be able to point me in the right direction?”

“Sure, right this way,” he forced out, sounding cheerful enough and hoping he didn’t end up in a casket for leading him astray.

Silence, for once, dominated the library. Spike stood to the side watching, safely hidden behind a wall of books that he had erected while Twilight gave Cerulean the run down on the details of the spell.

“Again, I must have absolute silence for this to work. Any distraction could be, well, bad. Really, really bad.” Cerulean nodded once then remained ramrod stiff, closing his eyes as her magic began to accumulate around her horn. A warmth wrapped around his hooves and snaked its way upward, until his entire body was enshrouded in a soft, lavender glow. Come on, almost there, just a little bit more. Steady... steady...

“Twilight Sparkle!” Rainbow screamed as she barreled through the door, before being blinded as the spell backfired with a brilliant display of purple flames. Lowering a hoof from her eyes, she beheld a rather stunned Cerulean standing in a daze. She wouldn’t have assumed by looking at him that he was hurt, but somehow, she couldn’t quite bring herself to believe that the smoke coming from his coat could be healthy.

“Cerulean, are you ok?”

“I... don’t really know how to answer that question. I seem to have lost most of the sensation in my limbs. Oh, and your timing is impeccable as always, Rainbow Dash,” he said dryly, looking over at the mare. “Wait, scratch that Twilight, I am no longer numb. I do, however, feel like I’ve been bathing in Fillydelphia Inferno Sauce for a few hours. Now, if you’ll both excuse me, I think I hear a cold shower calling my name.” Wincing as he began his relatively short journey upstairs, Twilight watched him a moment before turning towards Rainbow Dash with an irate glare.

“You can’t enter a door quietly, can you, Rainbow Dash.”

“Twilight, I’m sorry for messing up whatever freaky magic you’re cooking up, but you’re going to have bigger problems to deal with very soon.”

“And what do you mean by that, exactly?”

“Shining Armor is here.”

“Are you sure?”

Why does she sound so calm? Unless those stories she told us weren’t true, she should be freaking out a lot more than she is! “Yes, Twilight, I’m sure. White unicorn, the shades of blue in his mane, shield Cutie Mark; any of this ringing a bell?”

“Hmmm, yes.” She sat silent a moment before screaming at the top of her lungs. “Oh no, what do I do? What do I do? Cerulean!” There was a mad scramble as the stallion came as requested, not bothering to dry off and causing no small blush on Rainbow Dash’s part.

“Twilight, what is it?”

“My brother is here, Cerulean!”

“Naturally. Of all the days, you had to choose today to fry me.”

“Cerulean, he’s going to do more than fry you. We talked about this, over-protective doesn’t even begin to describe him!” After the talk with Twilight’s parents, Cerulean had done some digging into Shining Armor’s history. He sounded like the ideal brother, all except for the little incident where he hospitalized another colt for making fun of his sister when they were young. Ponies never really messed with him again after that, nor his sister, though she was soon taken under the princess’ wing while he was sent off to train to be a member of the royal guard. As such, he was trained in combat, and his presence in town could only mean one thing.

“I don’t need the premonition spell to know what’s coming. This should be fun! Thanks for telling me, Twilight, but I hear the shower calling my name. Let me know when he arrives, we can offer him some jam.” Twilight wasn’t sure whether she should respond with admiration, aggravation, or plain, boring despair. She knew he had a tendency to joke during the most serious of times, but this...

“I can’t tell if Cerulean is brave or stupid.”

“I think it’s both, Dash. You should get going, I’m going to raise a force field around the library. Can you try to stall him as much as possible?”

“Just leave it to me!”

Despite his valiant efforts, Storm was failing to slow Shining Armor down much at all, as the unicorn set an unusually brisk pace and was continuously urging him to greater haste. Not having any particular plan other than leading him in the opposite direction of the library, Storm was have a merry time drowning in worry and generally freaking out on the inside.

“You’re kind of slow for a Wonderbolt.”

Oh bucking Celestia, he knows who I am. “Oh, I’m sorry, were you in a hurry?”

“Was that not made clear by my numerous attempts to spur you to greater efforts?”

“Oh, sorry about that.” Shining Armor, having been rigorously trained, maintained a calm countenance as the pegasus took wing and shot off into the distance, landing in front of a very nice looking house that was clearly recently built, judging by the pristine paint. Storm let slip a sigh as the unicorn quickly caught up, breathing normally and staring at the building in confusion.

“Perhaps you were mistaken. I am seeking the library, and this is no library.”

“I know, but I figured if I was taking you there, I might as well grab a few books I had been meaning to return.”

“INSOLENCE!” Storm jumped at the sudden shout, whipping around and seeing Shining Armor looking as calm as ever. “I apologize, I let that slip. Please, my good colt, continue.” Thankful for a moment to breathe, Storm receded to the room his parents had given him, encouraging himself and Rainbow Dash to stay any time they’d like. While his mind strained to conjure further ways to distract Shining Armor, he heard his parents voices from down the hall and pressed his ear to the door, hoping that problem would solve itself.

“Storm Blitz, there are better ways to announce your presence than... shouting,” Flying Grace chided as she made her to the entryway to find not her son but a rather dashing unicorn she didn’t recognize. “Oh, I’m sorry, I thought you were my son. Can I help you?”

“I am searching for the library, but my guide seems to have gotten himself lost. I would greatly appreciate it if you could point me in the right direction.”

“Oh, but of course, it’s just down... hello, Rainbow Dash. Do come in.” The best plans are usually those that are inspired, spontaneous, and entirely without a logical backing. Well, not really, but upon hearing his fillyfriend return home, he decided to give it a shot anyways. Throwing open his door and racing back to the spacious living room where the other three were standing, he shot a wink to Rainbow Dash before throwing a loose hoof over Shining Armor’s shoulder and beaming proudly.

“Mom, I’d like you to meet my new coltfriend, Shining Armor.” It wouldn’t be thought that the sound of three minds shutting down simultaneously would make a sound but it does. On a similar note, so does silence. Rainbow Dash was the first to recover, and while part of her wanted nothing more than to beat the stuffing out of him for making such a comment, especially after having just made reparations for his trespass at Sweet Apple Acres, she decided to postpone his reprimand for Twilight’s sake and play along.

“Storm, don’t be selfish, he’s my coltfriend too! Hooves off,” she fired back, knocking his hoof away and wrapping her own around the traumatized stallion’s neck. While he had almost managed to restart conscious thought, it was again crashed as Storm took Dash’s actions as a challenge and promptly planted a very wet, very messy kiss on his open mouth. “Wow, Storm, that’s moving a bit fast, don’t you think? We only met him this morning.”

“Wait, you what?” At his mother’s disgusted shout, Storm sputtered and pulled away, having had enough of a taste to last him well into the next life. Rainbow Dash stifled a laugh as Shining Armor slowly took a few steps back before bolting out the door, spitting violently and visibly shaking.

“Oh come on, you can’t taste that bad.”

“Rainbow Dash, at the end of the day, let’s get a barrel of cider from Applejack. I’d like to forget what just happened.”

“Ugh, you and me both.” They both cringed as Grace’s stern voice came from behind.

“You two have some explaining to do. Now.”

“Absolutely abominable, transgressing my sanctity like that! And here I thought the Wonderbolts were a reputable bunch of ponies. I cannot believe the princesses attends shows with the likes of them.” The steady stream of muttering continued as Shining Armor stalked through the town, still without any clear direction and thoroughly chagrined. Spying a pink mare whose mood was clearly the antithesis of his own, he decided that maybe he would have better luck with her.

Pinkie Pie ceased her analysis of the lilies as her heart filled with excitement. A new pony? This was going to be a fantastic day! He could look cheerier though. I’ll just have to make him smile! “Hey there, you must be new in town!”

“That is correct, I... what, why are you looking at me like that?” Pinkie Pie had ceased her bubbly greeting and had fallen into a deep focus.

Ok, normally I follow a simple formula. Meet new pony, throw pony party, taste new pony. But this pony has already been tasted! Somepony beat me to it. That’s not fair, I want a taste too! Reaching up and wiping away a small trail of saliva that Storm Blitz had left in his wake, Pinkie Pie gave it a tentative sniff before choosing a live taste rather than one that was old. It’s true, she hadn’t made it around to tasting Storm, but this new pony deserved her full attention, and perhaps her tongue. Shining armor again found himself subjected to undesired passion, and after a few seconds gained the wherewithal to shove the mare away and expel what taste he could.

“HARLOTRY!”

“Harlawhat?” Pinkie repeated, tilting her head to the side. “Oh, silly me, I nearly forgot to ask your name!”

“I have no desire to tell such a loose mare my name.”

“You’re going to tell me your name,” Pinkie demanded, growing annoyed.

“I shall not.”

“Fine, I can normally figured it out after extensive tasting. Get ready to...”

“Shining Armor, it’s Shining Armor! No tasting!”

“See? Wasn’t that easy?”

“My name’s not the only thing that’s easy... Look, I’m just trying to find Twilight Sparkle. Can you tell me where the Library is?”

“Uh-huh!” Shining Armor waited a respectful fifteen seconds staring at the mare who he made a mental note to have admitted to a mental ward upon returning to Canterlot before realizing that she had no intention of saying anything more on the matter.

“I thought I asked if you could tell me where the library is.”

“Yep, that’s what you said! And I said I can!”

“So tell me already!”

“Nopey dopey, can’t, sorry. I made a Pinkie Promise!”

“But you said...”

“That I could! Anypony in this town can tell you that, but I won’t because I made a Pinkie Promise, and nopony breaks a Pinkie Promise.”

“I don’t care what kind of strange commitment you’ve made, tell me where the library is, now!”

“You’re asking me to break my promise?”

“Did I not make that clear?” While there are many things that go into making a good knight, part of the equation is being an adept guard. As such, honed senses of observation are critical. So it was that when the amiable mare’s mane fell down flat and her eyes sharpened to narrow slits, he was able to surmise that he had just crossed some invisible boundary.

“Of all the mean meanies that I’ve met in my life, you are now at the top of the list! I can’t even
I remember every lesson of every lecture from my training. I’ve stopped thieves,
believe that a nice mare like Twilight is related to a monster like you! I’ll bet you don’t even have
subdued rioters, and fought wild beasts ten times my size. But right now, I’d gladly trade
any friends, the way you treat other ponies! Yeah, that’s right, I bet you have to cuddle with rocks
this mare for a manticore. What the hay, I have plenty of friends! Well, some... ok, a few,
just to make yourself feel better! Shining Armor? More like Crushing Downer. Well, you can
but still! That’s just wrong, rocks? Really? That’s it, I can’t deal with this level of
just forget your welcome party!”
insanity. It’s going to get on me, or something.

“Uh, I never asked for a welcome party...”

“Oh, so now you want a party? Ok, here’s your party!” Shining Armor had no time to raise a ward or shield himself from the blast of confetti that bowled him over. As he scrambled to his hooves, he could see the mare re-loading the cannon to give him another shot, before two other mares arrived on scene, an orange earth pony and a white unicorn mare.

“Whoa there, Pinkie, take it easy. It’s gonna be ok,” Applejack cooed, speaking softly.

“Finally, somepony with a shred of sanity.”

“You there, what ‘n tarnation did you do t’ Pinkie Pie? Answer quickly before ah buck ya t’ the moon.”

“I didn’t do anything, I just want to see my sister!”

“And who might that be?”

Such refined speech, maybe there is hope. “Her name is Twilight Sparkle, do you know her?”

“Rarity, don’t tell ‘im anythin’.”

“She lives in the house made of an oak tree, about ten minutes that way. Can’t miss it.” She allowed a slight smile as he knelt down and took her hoof in his own.

“Verily, you will be repaid for your service.” Eager to be on his way, the stallion took off at a full gallop, leaving a shocked Applejack and Pinkie Pie staring in horror at Rarity, whose smile had grown into a devious grin.

“Rarity, we all agreed t’ keep ‘im away from Twilight like Rainbow Dash said!”

“Correction, you all agreed. I seem to recall making nary a peep while speaking with Rainbow Dash, and I personally think such a charming and well mannered stallion could teach Cerulean a lesson or two.”

“It won’t do ‘im any good if he ain’t alive afterwards!”

“Oopsies, my mistake.”

“So, remind me again why we’re freaking out?”

“Because my older brother is on his way here to, I don’t know, castrate you? And that’s being optimistic.”

“I thought you said he was a nice pony.”

“To me, yeah! But I somehow doubt he’ll take kindly to the fact that I’m pregnant. You remember the stories.”

“Yeah, but he doesn’t look that scary,” Cerulean murmured, staring out the window at the fast approaching unicorn.

“Look? Wait, you don’t mean...” There was a resounding crash as he met the triple reinforced magic barrier full force. To Cerulean’s amazement, he shook it off and placed both hooves to the barrier, touching his horn to it and attempting to dispel it. Twilight joined her fiancé at the window to watch.

“I’m pretty sure not even Big Mac could handle that kind of an impact and stay conscious.”

“Are you starting to see why I’m worried for your well being?”

“A little, perhaps. Oh well, go ahead and lower the barrier, I want to meet him.”

“Are you insane?”

“Twilight, I have nothing to hide, nor be ashamed of. And he’s already made it through the first layer,” he replied drawing her attention back to her brother. Cerulean was right, there was no point in delaying the inevitable. Shining Armor glanced up as Twilight and Cerulean exited the house, and after a brief pulse of soft violet light, the barrier melted away. The confident blue stallion had barely raised a hoof before being tackled to the ground.

“COWARDICE!” Cerulean was attempting to formulate a response when a sudden whiff of something sweet caught his attention, and much to Armor’s infuriation, the pinned stallion began to laugh. “Pray tell, what is it that you find funny?”

“You smell like Pinkie Pie.” Shining Armor recoiled, shaking his head in an attempt to forestall the infectious spread of insanity he had no doubt been poisoned with, shaking free a few pieces of confetti that were still wrapped in his mane. “How did your welcome party taste?”

“Cerulean, Shining Armor is engaged, there’s no way he’d...”

“Like frosting, or the like. Honestly, I’ve yet to meet a looser mare...”

“Hmmm, would you like to? I could always ask my sister to come by,” Cerulean chuckled, standing upright. “You must be Shining Armor, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” Shining Armor said nothing, staring the unicorn up and down and glancing back and forth between him and Twilight. “Would you like to come in?”

“Cerulean.”

“Yes?”

“I challenge you to a duel.” Cerulean tilted his head to the side, staring for a moment before turning back to Twilight.

“Is he being serious?”

“Cerulean, he’s one of the top ranking members of the royal guard; yes, he’s being serious!”

“Oh, I see. Shining Armor, I accept.”

“Wait, you what?” Twilight cried, smacking him in the shoulder. “You won’t last ten seconds against my brother!”

“Ouch, now that hurts a lot more than my shoulder does.”

“Hmph, at least you have some semblance of pride.”

“Don’t forget honor.”

“I wouldn’t go that far, not seeing as how my sister is pregnant out of wedlock.”

“In my defense, I was attempting to propose when I found out she was pregnant.” In response, her brother’s horn began to glow, wrapping him in a brilliant white light before the magic became solid, cloaking him in full armor. The magical aura then began to build around his horn, forming a long blade.

“I will not wager your life in this gamble, as I would not bereave my own sister of her husband to be.”

“How courteous. What am I to lose, then?”

“Let’s just say that the child Twilight is carrying will be your last.”

“Shining, you can’t be serious,” Twilight growled, beginning to build her own magic as she prepared to defend Cerulean, who didn’t seem the slightest bit fazed by the declaration. “Cerulean, did you hear what he just said?”

“You’ll pardon me for not being worried, Twilight. I’ve nearly died twice. Well, actually, one of those times I think I did die. And don’t forget the last nine or so months. I mean this in the most flattering way possible, Twilight, but I am far more frightened of you than I am of him.” Ignoring her confused expression he turned back to the serious eyed stallion who was fixing him in a cold stare. “Well then, what are the conditions for me to win? I’d rather not hurt my fiancé’s brother, if I can help it.”

“Land one solid blow on me, and victory is yours.” Despite his bravado, Cerulean had to recognize that Armor had the skill to match his confidence. Simply attacking blindly would be useless, so he’d have to resort to more... devious methods.

“And if I win, what then?”

“Name your prize.”

“Hmmm, ok, if I win, you have to... let Twilight use an experimental spell of my choice on you.”

“I accept. Now, prepare yourself.”

“Eh, ok, fine.” Shining Armor didn’t show it, and definitely wouldn’t have said it, but he was truly impressed at the magic Cerulean was employing. The air around his shoulders began to glisten before two wings born of snow sprouted, stretching out full spread before tucking themselves at his side. Mimicking the blade around Armor’s horn, he crafted one for himself made of ice, reinforcing it to be able to withstand any impact.

“Do you really think that ice can withstand steel?”

“You’re really kind of a downer, you know that?”

“That’s what I said!” They both turned as Pinkie Pie and the rest came trotting over.

“Cerulean, I demand that you keep that pink menace away from me.”

“First of all, she’s our friend, so keep your insults to yourself,” Cerulean stated flatly, refusing the urge to laugh as the fully armored knight took a step back from the furiously glaring mare. “Secondly, the conditions of the duel said nothing about having an audience. However,” he said, turning towards the group, “if only for the sake of your safety, could you all give us some room?”

“Yeah, right, like I’d want to be anywhere near him. Go get him, Cerulean!” The rest of the friends filed over to where Twilight was standing, giving the two wide berth as they walked out to the middle of the road.

“Hey you guys, how did Shining Armor find me?”

“Rarity told ‘im,” Applejack said pointedly, glaring at the frilly unicorn who adopted an air of injured innocence.

“I really don’t see why it’s such a bad thing, really. So Cerulean will will be forced to learn some manners, where is the problem here?”

“There’s a lot more at stake here than just manners, Rarity!” Twilight shouted, thrusting her face close.

“Oh dear, is somepony losing confidence in her stallion? I hardly think he deserves to remain a stallion if that be the case.”

That was it. Rarity, you’ve had this coming for a long time. Summoning a tremendous amount of magic, Twilight released a lavender bolt the shot through the sky, landing somewhere unseen off in the distance. “Now you’re in the wager too.”

“Twilight, what did you just do?”

“Oh, nothing much. I just turned all the gems in your boutique to ordinary rocks. Oh, and all your fabric is paper now, too. Don’t worry, if Cerulean still has his horn when all is said and done, I will turn everything back to normal. Otherwise... find a use for shale.” Unable to fathom the horror of such a loss, Rarity passed out on the spot.

“Oh man, Twi. I think you just put Rarity in a coma,” Rainbow Dash squealed between fits of laughter, clutching her sides and rolling in the dust.

“Ah gotta hoof it to ya Twi, you sure know how t’ hit ‘er where it hurts,” Applejack chuckled, watching as the fighting began. “Ah hope he makes it out of this in one piece.”

Shining Armor made no move to attack, standing his ground and waiting for Cerulean to make the first move. Not having any idea what his talent or capabilities were, Cerulean took a trial swipe at his foe’s face and was immediately knocked back by a forceful parry. The feeling was akin to breaking rocks with one’s forehead, but Cerulean shook his head and tried again, raining down a flurry of blows that were shrugged off without a hint of effort. Bringing his wings into play, Cerulean feinted to the left and made a low sweep towards the legs, using the wings for a boost of speed. Exceeding his own speed, Shining planted an armored hoof solidly into Cerulean’s chest, winding him and sending him sprawling on his back.

“Not bad, not bad at all. Still, have you anything else for me, Cerulean?” It was quickly becoming apparent that a simple head on assault would be nothing short of useless versus such a trained guardian, and with that in mind Cerulean forced himself upright, gauging his opponent and looking for a weakness. There was very little exposed skin, though at this point he hadn’t even made a dent in the armor, so that wasn’t worth noting. Shining Armor barely had time to raise a ward as a pillar of ice sprouted from the ground, being stopped just short of his face by his trained reflexes. Not having time to stop, he bucked through another that shot from behind, then jumping aside as one came from directly below.

Had their magic levels been equal, Cerulean likely could have found an opening, but just as Shining Armor was beginning to worry the stallion’s wings disappeared and he stopped stomping his hooves, which seemed to signal the spires to form at his whim. In truth, extending such a display would quickly drain Cerulean of his magic, and with this in mind he returned to his original fighting stance, lowering his horn out in front of him and breathing heavily.

This is no good. There’s no way I’m going to be able to outlast him like this. Come on, there has to be something. Glancing at the crest on the front of his armor, Cerulean suddenly realized the one glaringly obvious weakness of the stalwart stallion in front of him. Dashing in, Cerulean slammed his horn into Armor’s with surprising force, causing their blades to maintain contact before Cerulean yanked away, grinning widely. “You know, as flattered as I am, I really only prefer Twilight touching my horn.” There it was. That twitch of the eye, the slight blush, those were the signals.

“Cease your filthy speech and come at me.”

“Speech? Thank Celestia you can’t see my thoughts, then.” Running in again, Cerulean locked horns again, transferring a choice moment from his memories through to Shining Armor, who recoiled in disgust and took a few steps back.

“What was that you just showed me?”

“Hey, Twilight!” Cerulean called out, not breaking eye contact. “Do you remember the night we stayed in Canterlot?” Twilight realized exactly what Cerulean was pulling, and she matched his devious grin and nodded gleefully.

“Oh, yes, I remember it all very clearly. It was quite a... valuable lesson for my studies, though the subsequent lessons have been just as enjoyable.” Cerulean spared just a moment to shoot her an amorous glance before whipping his head back at Shining Armor’s enraged shouting. For the first time in the fight, Cerulean was put on the defensive, parrying and dodging as her brother’s skill with a blade pressed him back. Ducking his head, he blocked Armor’s thrust and used the momentary connection to dive into his memories, and a brief image of a pink alicorn sprang into his mind.

“Wow, nice catch. One question though, how’d a spaz like you end up with an alicorn?”

“You say one word about Princess Cadence and I shall rob you of your tongue as well.”

“Hmmm, no thanks, it’s a great tool that I’d prefer to keep.”

“It’s time to end this.”

“That’s right, Cerulean, stick a cupcake in his eye!” Pinkie shouted, throwing punches in Shining Armor’s direction. Of course, his eye, one of the few exposed sections of his body. Making a mental note to repay Pinkie Pie with a buffet of delectable pastries should he live, he braced himself as Shining Armor charged. Cerulean struggled to hold his ground under the onslaught. Shards of ice were breaking off with each strike, and if he didn’t find an opening soon, he would lose more than just his horn. Pulling back for just a moment, Shining Armor lifted his horn high, rearing and preparing to deliver a sweeping blow from the side. Cerulean leapt straight towards him, ignoring the fast approaching blade and jabbing upwards not with his horn, but his hoof, landing it squarely in the unsuspecting unicorn’s eye and simultaneously casting a full paralysis spell. He winced as the blade stopped just as it entered the skin near the ribs, before slowly receding as Shining Armor fell to the ground, frozen stiff. Taking a moment to freeze the minor wound shut, he lowered his face to look him in the eye.

“You know, you said before that I had no honor. If that were true, then I would be free to show you the last tea party we had.”

“Cerulean, even as upset as I am that my brother hurt you, that’d just be too cruel.”

“As you wish, my dear,” Cerulean chuckled, reaching down and releasing Shining Armor from the spell. Feeling the total numbness recede in an instant, he scrambled upright and glared at the grinning blue stallion.

“SHENANIGANS!”

“Oh, you haven’t seen anything yet, Armor. Are you ready to hold up your end of the gamble?”

“I will honor my word,” he muttered through clenched teeth.

“Twilight, I require your assistance.” Twilight cantered over and rewarded him with a well earned smooch. “Ok, not quite what I meant, but I’ll take that too.”

“So then, what’s it gonna be, Cerulean? Cactus for a week? Frypan from the sky?”

“Mother showed you that?” Shining Armor interjected, but was ignored.

“Well, I was thinking that he might be a little embarrassed by his loss. Maybe he just needs a ‘Perfect Disguise’ for his return home.” Shining Armor became thoroughly disturbed as Twilight and her friends became possessed by uncontrollable mirth. His fateful inquiry, however, was unnecessary, as it was shortly thereafter answered in full.

“Why is my sister laughing like that?”

// Author's Note: This was written before the epic season two finale that blew my mind. As such, Shining Armor here is nothing like he is in the show. My apologies for not having mind reading powers!