Following the imprisonment of both Cadence and Ares was a very, very hectic couple of days for Shining Armor. He, Echo, and Flash had been grilled and then grilled again about what had happened in that hallway. The three had then gotten one of the most intimate physical and mental evaluations that any of them had ever gotten in their entire life. After that they spent a few days in a secured room to make sure that the Elements had done their job and destroyed anything that was rooting around in them. And after all that the real fun began.

The entire guard, the castle staff, and ponies living around the castle were brought in, checked out, and questioned. No stone was left unturned in making sure that the populace was safe; both Celestia and Luna had made sure of that. The castle was quarantined to all citizens and a curfew had been put into effect. Even the train station, the only thing that connected the empire with the rest of the world, had been locked down and put under heavy guard. Though many of the Empire’s citizens were starting to wonder what was going on, many of them demanding to speak to their ruler, Celestia and Luna continued to do what they could to keep the peace and calm ponies fears while also keeping a tight rein on security.

For all intents and purposes the shadow that had infected Mi Amore and Ares was a disease, something that, if the proper steps weren’t followed, could lead to a hellish epidemic the likes of which have never been seen before. If a single infected pony went out into the world there was no knowing what would happen. So first, before anything else could be done, the disease needed to be properly contained. After that a cure to fight it could be found and administered. And that was where Twilight came in.

The young unicorn very nearly tore the castle and the grand library not far from it to pieces trying to figure out what was going on. If Celestia and Luna didn’t know what this creature, this disease, was then maybe the history books could shed some light on the situation. Something like this couldn’t have just appeared out of the blue. No, whatever had infected the two lovers had been seen before; Twilight was sure of it. All she needed to do was pour through old records, ancient spell books, and medical books from ages past to find the answers that she needed. In those tombs was where she’d find the name for this infection; and with it hopefully a cure.

Everyone involved, from the princesses to the lowliest of maids, knew that the clock was ticking. Though he was putting on a brave face for Cadence everyone knew that Ares probably wasn’t in a good shape. The magic infecting him was slowly but surely poisoning his body and doing lord knows what to mind. If they couldn’t find a cure for him soon heaven only knows what would happen to the human.

While Ares was in a bad condition, many were more concerned with what was happening to Cadence. The creature, whatever it was, seemed to burden her far more than it did Ares. She was sleeping more, she rarely got up from the bed that they had provided for her, and when she did get up her movements were sluggish and unfocused. Cadence was weakening to the monster that had possessed her, and many could only wonder what would happen if it managed to take her over completely.

So everyone burned both ends of the candle. Much sleep was lost, meals were skipped, chairs, tables, plates, and cups were broken or lit on fire due to frustration. But despite all of the hardships that everyone, from the elements, to the guards, to the princesses, faced everyone continued to work harder and harder still.

They had to find a cure. They had to save those two.

Shining Armor walked through the castle like a zombie, his eyes squinted so much that they were nearly closed and his mouth half open with a bead of drool dripping from the side of his mouth. It had been at least thirty hours since he had sat down and rested. It had been much, much longer since he had actually gotten some sleep.

Though he had done his best to push forward to help in anyway that he could, from helping Twilight with her books to helping the guard with the civilians, his body was finally at its limit. Coffee, willpower, and magic could only do so much to keep a colt going before his body just up and gave out on him. Seeing that her brother was at the end of his ropes, Twilight, who had gotten even less sleep than he had, had told him to go to bed to get some well-deserved rest.

When Shining had disregarded her and continued working Twilight had gone and gotten Celestia, who promptly ordered the ex-captain to get some sleep. When he had ignored both of them Luna had finally stepped in and threatened to cast a sleeping spell on him unless he complied with their wishes. So, even though he didn’t want to (his body’s wants notwithstanding), Shining slowly made his way to the barracks where a soft bed was waiting with his name on it.

…But before he went to bed the very least he could do was see how Cadence and Ares were getting along. So that was what Shining Armor was doing, walking through the endless labyrinth that was the Crystal Castle so he could see how the couple was faring. And if he was lucky, he might even make it there without falling asleep.

One step in front of the other Shining thought, yawning hugely as half-lidded eyes peered straight ahead. You’re almost there. All you need to do is pop in while they’re getting their lunch and make sure everything’s okay; make sure that they’re both okay. After that you can get some shuteye. Just keep walking. Just keep walking…

Though both Cadence and Ares had been properly secured and contained by the most powerful magics known to ponykind, the imprisonment spell was posing a few problems. You see, the spell was designed for dark lords and eldritch horrors; people and… things that could sustain themselves solely with magic or didn’t need to sustain themselves at all. Cadence and Ares weren’t vile immortal things that were beyond the scope of mortal understanding, and they weren’t beings that had allowed the very darkness to fill their very being. They were (other than being possessed) normal, average, everyday sentient creatures.

That meant that they needed to be fed three times a day, they needed to use the bathroom, they needed to bathe and get a change of clothes, bedsheets, and blankets, and most importantly they needed to be checked up on to ensure that they were still in relatively good health. So the imprisonment spell, which originally wasn’t even supposed to have a way of unlocking it, had to be modified with these things in mind.

The only entrance to the “prison” had a number of complicated runes added to it so that any dark or possessive magic would trigger an alarm and automatically close the “door”. Any ponies that entered the prison were equipped with a mountain of protection spells. And if that wasn’t enough both of the princess and the Elements of Harmony were to stand right outside the door to intervene if anything went wrong. Even with all of these measures in place each time the doorway was opened was a tense and nerve-wracking experience, and Shining doubted that this time would be any different.

As he turned the corner, half aware of what was going on around him, the stallion could hear ponies running this way and that along with Princess Celestia’s commanding voice. “Remember everypony not to linger in any one place while you are in the room. Though the shadow doesn’t appear to be able to move very quickly it can still move.”

“Aye, see to thy duties quickly with thy ears open and thine eyes peeled. What lies beyond this doorway is not something that thou wishes to be in contact with for any longer than necessary.”

Poking his head around the corner Shining watched as a group of maids, all of them standing in a perfect row at attention, saluting the princesses. Though most ponies would have been rightfully frightened about having to go into a room with two possessed beings, the castle staff had their heads held up high, their brooms and sponges at the ready, and their chests puffed out. The ponies that stood before that entrance weren’t simple maids. They were fighters, warriors, mares and stallions that were ready and willing to perform their task even if it meant giving their lives in the process.

…What the hay does Cadence pay these ponies?

Shaking his head of the thought, Shining made his way over to the princesses, doing his best to sneak around his baby sister without her noticing him. But, being as tired and sluggish as he was, Shining Armor wasn’t exactly a silent assassin; more like a bumbling, staggering noisemaker really. So it was of little surprise that not only did Twilight see him right away but both princesses and half of the other ponies in the hall did as well. And from the looks that they were giving him not a single one of them looked very happy to see him.

“Shining! I thought we all told you to get some sleep!” Twilight snapped as Luna took a step toward him, her horn glowing threateningly.

Flinching, Shining held up a hoof, hoping against hope that the gesture would somehow stop the Princess of the Night from knocking him out. To his surprise it actually worked.

Frowning at him, Luna cut the magic off from her horn. “Thou better have a GOOD reason for disobeying thy princesses’ orders, Shining Armor,” she growled.

“I just wanted to see how Ares and Cadence were doing before I went to bed,” Shining instantly replied, knowing that if he hesitated for a moment it was off to dreamland for him.

Luna’s eyes narrowed. “We shall tell thee of their condition when thou hast awoken.”

“But I want to see them now, princess, can’t—“

“Absolutely not,” Celestia interrupted. “We already have enough ponies going into that room as we speak. Having you, dead on your hooves as you are, bumbling around in there will make an already delicate operation even more dangerous.”

Shining’s muzzle scrunched up. Not surprisingly it was more than a little difficult to formulate any kind of argument when one hadn’t slept in days. That didn’t mean that he wasn’t going to at least try though.

“What if that monster in there tries to hurt somepony? If I’m there I can help.”

“These maids were hoofpicked for this assignment, Shining. There is no need for anypony to protect them .”

Shining found himself retreating as Luna once again began to advance upon him. “A-At least let me stand here and make sure that—“

“Nay. It is time that thou close thy eyes and let thy weary body and mind rest.”

Luna’s horn sparked to life, and she was about to hit Shining with a sleeping spell, when, from the other side of the doorway, a voice called out. Though it was muffled and distorted because of the numerous spells surrounding it, the voice was able to carry out to everyone standing in the hallway.

“Just… let him… in for… Christ’s sake…”

Both Celestia and Luna’s heads snapped toward the doorway. Both of them frowned, Celestia looking back at Shining before sighing. “…Very well.” Her horn glowed, summoning up a necklace and tying it around his neck. “But I swear to my sun, Shining Armor, if something happens because of your lack of vigilance…”

Trying his hardest not to smile, Shining saluted. “I’ll just be in and out, Princess. I promise.”

Not giving either alicorn a passing glance (he didn’t want them to change their minds) Shining strode toward the glowing doorway and the inky darkness that lied ahead of it with all of the swagger of a zombie. With each step he took toward it the room seemed to get colder and just a hair darker. The unnatural darkness just beyond the door seemed more sinister as he got closer.

F̖̠͚͓̦̈͐̿̍̉̃̐oͧͨ͒͌҉̘͕O̗͉͖̹ͫ͊ͫ̿͗d̬͍̲̓
͍̖͇̩̭̮͐͑ͧ͋ͅ

Shining winced as a… voice came from the room that made the fur on the back of his neck stand on end. That hadn’t been Ares’s voice, and he knew for a fact that wasn’t Cadence’s either. It had been something else. Something… wrong.

When he came within a few feet of the door his charm sparked to life, the little blue crystal shining brightly. Shining stopped just shy of the door, and after thinking over whether or not this was a bad idea and then immediately disregarding his thoughts on the matter, he took a deep, deep breath and stepped through the doorway.

Y͑e̲̙̺̺͗̔̏S̜̠̰̻̻̖̓ͩ͊̑,̥̞̗͖̭̠ͨ̏̄̓ͣͤ͡
͇̦̘͎̗̫͠c̩̖̟͈̐Ȏ̶̖̞̺͚̏ͥ͛̃m̨̑ͣ̄͛̈́É͈͚ͧ͒̄̑͒ ̗̼̮̯͖̟̈̈́͜d̷̤̀̍͂ͭA͔̲̺̰̲͘n͍͙͔͑ͤ̾̚C̷̟e̘̬̝̲̘̝̦ͣͦ͛͌́̐̇͢ ̼̻̞̬̦̣̽͒ͫI̛̳̖̟̍̋ͮň͎͇̽̍̐͆ͅ ̹̦͂T̹̦͔̊̏ͧ͑̀͛̐͠h͕͉͞E͎͍̤̯̹̓̓ ͗͂̚҉̖̦̫d͇ͨ͑̽͒͗ͅÀ͍̯͔͖̩̀̏ͩ̽̚r̡̙̟͇̱͇͓ͮK̝̥̗n̠̣̗̗͈̞̣̅̒̿̓͐͋̕É̞͌̕s̝͇̬͑̓S̥̪̘͐̌̽ͅ
̰͕͎W͔̥̰͈̮͚ͦ̂͊́I̤̹̚Tͨ͑̓̀͞H͇ͧ͋
͉̼͗̊́Ủ͎̤͎́S͕̞ͥͣ̽ͣ͒̎̓

The second that he stepped through the protective charms and runes Shining was hit with a wave of cold. It was a mind-numbing, bone-chilling cold that made him shuffle backwards in surprise. His charm’s shined brightly, doing its best to pierce the impregnable darkness.

C̹͊̅̓ͬ̆o̩̜̥̤͎̝̠̓̈̈̋́̋͜M̢͈̝͈̹̰͔e̹̜̗͂̍͊͆̔͠ ̵͚̝̣̘̦̅̍̽ͫͅL͍̍ͤ͌́o̻̜̼̩̭N̝̙̱͉̽̉ẽ͇͇̣͌̂̕L̳̰̜̮̞̍͗̾͑͋̇ͣỵ̨͚̫̘̞ ҉̠͚͍̝Ő̳̹͍̤̥̇̽̿̚n̴̪͈͖͕̱̳̍͊ͩ̒̓ͪE͚̖̹̅ͫ͆̌̐ͦ̆͘
̩̟̋c̣̓̅̆O̰͇͖͉͌̓m̘͉͉̰̼͍̭̓̂ͬͭͣḚ̶̝͕̥̤̯͖

“Just… ignore the voice… that helps with… the cold…”

Shining’s head snapped over to the left where he could just make out two figures sitting on a bed. “Ares?”

One of the figures shifted slightly. “Yeah… it’s me. Keep your… voice down Candy’s… sleeping…”

Throwing caution to the wind, Shining made his way over to the figures. Though the darkness around Ares and Cadence seemed to be particularly thick his charm managed to beat back the dark. This allowed him to see the state that his two friends were in. Both Ares and Cadence were on top of a plain but sturdy looking bed. Ares was sitting on the bed cross-legged staring at him with what might have been a smile on his face. Cadence had her head in his lap and was quietly snoozing, her wings periodically twitching as Ares ran his fingers through her mane.

While such a sight would have been adorable and heartwarming in most cases a few factors caused the scene to be more dire and horrifying than anything. The baby blue covers on the bed and the bed itself were caked with black, dirty ice. Cadence, though she looked relatively peaceful, looked like some sort of monster, with a pair of fangs poking out of her mouth and wings that had come straight out of a nightmare. And the sad thing was she looked far better than the human did at the moment.

It looked like Ares had lost twenty pounds since Shining had last seen him. His arms looked thinner and the sweatshirt that he was wearing looked three sizes too big. The skin on his face seemed to be just a little too tight and far, far too pale, two dagger-like fangs protruded out of his mouth as he did his best to smile. He had dark rings around his now dark green, almost black in this light, eyes. Even the hand that was toying with Cadence’s mane looked nightmarish. The fingers were too long now, and the now yellowish nails on the ends of them seemed to be dangerously sharp.

Ares’s little smile seemed just a little more tired as he patiently waited for Shining to finish his inspection. “Would you… believe that… the doctors say… that I’m still… pretty healthy?” he said.

“I think you need to get a second opinion,” Shining automatically said before wincing. Sweet Celestia, you may as well walked over and slapped him right in the bucking face…

To his surprise Ares chuckled. “Yeah… I’m looking… a bit like… the monster mash… right now… huh?” Still smiling, he looked down at his sleeping marefriend. “Cadence… keeps telling… me that I… don’t look that… bad though so… at least that’s… something.”

“Well… I hate to break it to you but you don’t look all that good.”

Ares’s grin widened and for a second Shining swore he could see the darkness in his eyes dissipate ever so slightly. “Good looking enough… to fuck your… mother you… prick…”

Despite himself, Shining couldn’t help but chuckle, and without a second thought Ares joined him. Their laughter might have been just a way to cope with the depressing, tense situation that they found themselves in but it still felt good. Even in the most hopeless situations giggling at the ghosties was better than nothing.

Though the laughter was pleasant, eventually it died down so all that could be heard were the servants frantically working in the background, Cadence’s quiet snores, and Ares’s labored breathing.

Now that the joking was out of the way, Shining wanted to ask how Ares was doing. That was usually the first question that one was supposed to ask when someone was sick. After that he was supposed to ask him if he or Cadence needed anything and maybe after that throw in a little joke to lighten the mood again if something depressing was said or if it looked like Ares needed another good chuckle. But Shining could see the exhaustion on Ares’s face; he could see… what he had turned to. There was no need to ask such a silly and pointless question; Shining could already guess the answer that he’d get.

Ares looked away from him for a moment to look down at Cadence. “This one… had a shitty… sleep last night… so I told… her to get… some shut eye…”

Cadence let out a sigh, nuzzling into his lap as he continued to pet her. Shining’s heart leapt to his throat and he once again turned his attention back toward her. Even though his ex-wife looked like something that belonged in the deepest pit of Tartarus she was still Cadence. She was still the pink mare that liked to read trashy romance novels and eat too much mint ice cream whenever it was on hand. And even though Ares looked… worse he was still the human that Shining had somehow become friends with. Not a few days ago they had been normal, healthy people and now they just… weren’t.

As Shining stood there, just letting it all sink in, he didn’t notice a small shadow come out of Ares’s arm. It moved to and fro like a snake, slowly making its way toward the unsuspecting unicorn. The charm around Shining’s neck frantically flashed as it got closer to him, but even still Shining didn’t notice. The darkness around the unicorn became more impenetrable and the air got colder the closer the shadow got.

Ţ̥̘̺̭h̞̐ͥ͐ͩ͌Ę͇̖͍̯͚͉ͯͭ ͔͇̫̪̤͍̆
͎̪̹ͬ̀̚b͍̈́͊̇ͤL͓͉̣̝͚̺ͧͧ̐o̶̟̠̺͙͇͊̐Õ̸̮͇̝͇d
ͣͦ̐͒ͦ͌̑͞P̛͍̥̝̺̗͛͗ͮ̂ͦ̚r̥̞͖̪ͭ̅̔̆̓ͤ̋Ǫ̞̯̙̯̺͔ͬ͗̌v̧̦̙͈̾̓́I̫̜̻̱͕̬̾͜ḓ̑͗͌͂͞E̊̃ͩ̃s̷̺͕̰̭̫̭̘̒ͦ͗͂ͦ̔̆

The shadow was about to touch Shining and do lord knows what to him when Ares’s eyes snapped upward. His lips pulled back into a snarl as he saw the shadow. “Get the fuck back here.”

Yelping, Shining scrambled backwards as the shadow became ramrod straight. He could see it desperately trying to reach out to him, the edges of it visibly straining, but some unseen force slowly but surely pulled it back from whence it came. The whole time that it sank back into his arm Ares stared at the… thing with unflinching concentration. In those few impossibly long seconds Ares seemed bigger, more filled out, his eyes losing some of their darkness and once again returning to their bright green.

In those few seconds Ares became Ares again.

It wasn’t until it was completely gone that he let out a sigh, sinking back into himself. His eyes lost their luster and, impossibly, he seemed to get just a little bit paler.

“I’m the one… that did this… to Cadence,” he said, staring hard down at his arm. “Something… came with me… from the… tundra.”

“SHINING ARMOR!” Celestia roared from the other side of the barrier. “GET AWAY FROM ARES THIS INSTANT AND GET OUT OF THAT ROOM!”

Though Celestia had been loud enough to shake the windows behind her, Shining didn’t hear her. All he could focus on was his human friend. “How do you know?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. “From what the princesses said Cadence—”

“I can… see the ice and… snow in my… dreams. I can… hear the shadows… whisper to… me. I can’t remember… how it happened… or what it… is but… all of this is… me.” Ares’s face twisted into a look of frustration and grief as he stared in the ex-captain’s face. “It’s… me.”

“SHINING! I’M NOT ASKING YOU I’M TELLING YOU, GET OUT OF THERE NOW!”

Ares looked back down at Cadence. “I don’t… care what happens… to me. I just… want to… make sure that… Cadence comes out of this… alright.”

“You’re both going to get out of this alright, Ares,” Shining assured, not really knowing what else to say. “Twilight’s going to figure out what’s trying to take over your body and we’ll get it out of you. We’ll have you back to your usual self in no time at—“

“That Sombra guy… knew what these shadows… were…” Shining’s eyes widened as Ares lurched forward, his eyes shutting tight and his jaw clutching in pain.

K҉͍͙͇̬n̴͋̉̇o̢͎̠̦̺̦͖̤͌͂ͩw͖̥̫̻̗̯̳̉̀̎i̤̹̲̙̖nͦ̋̋g̪̼̤̻̳̍͗̓
͕͉͂ͥ͗̇
̣̊̓Kń̸͎̞o̬̊ͥ̆w͍̪̞̼̹ͧ̀͛l͎̞͎̳͑̋͊ͮͮͪë́̀dͪͦ҉ͅg͉̫͚͍̳͍͍͜e̳̝͕̙͊̈̈̇͘
̬̮̦̭͔̻͊ͯ̒̔
̨̱̟͉̲̥ͯ̉̒ͨͨͩͬ?̡̳̖̞͕̬̞w͙̗͍̳͈̼̓H̥̗̼͚̭͆̅̿͑͌͒̌a̫̫͑̊̈́̀T͙͜ ̠͙͑̒͑̊͐̾d̹̹̞ͧ̅ͭ̔ͣ̚͜I̻̫̾ͧ̋d̫͕̳̞̥̮̘̾ͯ͊͋̏ͨ͗̕ ̈́́H͓̫̹̮͍e̸̠͇͙͎̙ͬ̀ͬ ͦ̀ͅK̭̝͚ͅn̜ͫ́O̘̜̓ͫ̃ͨ̇̐͊w͚̣̯̦͒ͨ͞?̪ͯ̓̑̏ͨ
͈̟̖̯͙̽͛̈͐̈́̐ͪ
͕͎͓̲̇̆̋͜
͉̖̼̹̮̆S̲͙̪̟̳̲ͫõ̜̻̞M̜̼͚̟̱̘͎ͯͣͧ͋̉͐̚e̤̘̥̝͙̋̅̕Ţ͙͚͚̻̬̿͒́͐ͣͅĭ̻̮̘̘̙̃́̚Ṃ̡̞̫̣̬̳̀ͣ̓̓ͤ̆̓e̘̼͉̦͉͎ͩͭͮ́͒͊S̗͚̯̤̆ͯ͆̒ ͎̬̬̝̼̣͕̂̕s̖͉̻̺̩͔ͣ͑ͩ̚Ë̬̯̟́͛ͦͨ͑̐͡c͍̦̹͓͕̮̀̏͂ͮ̍͡r͙͉̞̤̰̂̊ͅE̦̘̲͚̰̼̺͒̉̃ͬ̃̓ͩ͟t̪͓̝͙̱̠ͩ̊͐̒͊ͣ͞s̙̪̤͙̪͙̟͢ ̮̦̞̞̫̥ͪ̒ͦͭ̃ͨṄ̪̺̠ͨ̓́̃͛͜e̘ͮ̐ͨ̌̅ͅȄ̗͎̦ͥ̑̓̋̚̕d̷̫̳̬̬ͤ̇ ̡T̖ͣ̄̃oͧͩ̿̓̆͆̓ ͮ̇ͫ̈͊̆҉̠̳͔̹̥B̫̝̖͎ͅe̛̾̒ͭ ̥̼̠K̞̠ͭͫ͐̆ͦ̚̚̕ͅė̐̂P̟̘̥͉ͯ͗̏̿̔t̼̪̫̖̭̼̭ͯ̽͟

The unicorn moved to help him but Ares raised a hand. “Find… where he kept… the records. He had to… have kept something… about this… thing. It has to be… in the castle… somewhere… somewhere hidden deep… and dark…”

Each word that he spoke seemed to be a struggle for the human now, exhaustion clear on his face as he paused to catch his breath. Out of the corner of Shining’s eye he could see the maids scurrying away like their tails were on fire. If he didn’t know any better he would have said that something was chasing after them.

“This… thing has been around… for a long, long… time. The Empire has… always known about… them… fought them, killed… them. Find the… secret, Shining… find out what this thing… is. Save Candy from… me… Please…”

“SHINING ARMOR!”
‘

Sensing that now would be a good time to leave Shining took a step backward, being mindful of any shadows that were trying to sneak up on him. He didn’t know how Ares knew about Sombra having knowledge of whatever the shadows were but this was the best news that he had heard in quite a while. If Sombra did in fact know what this… thing was then were would have been some written recording of it. Though he was a monstrous tyrant Sombra was a stallion that liked to have everything and anything captured, studied, and recorded, be it natural or otherwise. And if he had such records about something so dark and dangerous than there was a good chance that it was still in the castle somewhere.

There were many, many secret rooms that hadn’t been discovered yet. All Shining needed to do was find the room and find the journal or book or offhanded comment about these shadows. If he found that then maybe he could help save both Cadence and Ares. Maybe the plan B that some of the guards and even Twilight were talking about wouldn’t have to happen. Everything could go back to the way it was and everypony would come out of this alright. Ares and Cadence would come out of this alright.

“Ares… it’s going to be alright, we’re going to make sure that you get better; both you and Cadence. I promise. Just hold on for as long as you can. Please. I’ll do my best to find whatever it is you’re talking about.”

Though he was still hunched over Ares smiled. “Make the… princesses believe, they… think it’s Cadence even… though I keep… telling them it’s me… but if… that doesn’t work just… save… her… save Cadence…”

Shining opened his mouth to say that he was going to do just that when an unseen force grabbed him by the neck. Before he could even register what was going on he was lifted bodily into the air and all but thrown toward the barrier.

“MOTHERBUCKER!” he cried, passing through the barrier with a pop and landing on the crystal floor of the hallway with a painful, meaty slap. Shining let out a slew of curses as his momentum caused him to hit the ground rolling before he abruptly came to a stop.

Cracking open an eye he saw a positively livid Celestia looming over him. To Celestia’s left was an equally upset Luna and to her right was a scowling Twilight, who looked about ready to start screaming.

Letting out a quiet groan, Shining closed his eyes and readied for the onslaught of yelling, curses, and rough handling that he was about to get. I’m going to save you guys, he thought, not opening his eyes even as Luna yanked him roughly to his hooves. But first, Faust give me strength…