Although she had only experienced it a few times in her life, Twilight always enjoyed a ride on a flying chariot. The way the wind coursed through her mane, the way she could look down on all the beautiful scenery below. It was a wonderful experience, each and every time. So, as she looked down upon the forests and fields below, she smiled to herself. Of course, there was no need for these things once I became an alicorn. Turning, she looked upon her brother, who was still looking straight forward. The two were sharing the same chariot, flying along with all the others in a close formation, having left Ponyville not long ago. To think, if I'd done it Celestia's way, my friends and I would have had to trek up the entire mountain. A slight look of sadness crossed her face as she considered that. They're probably upset at me for not letting them come. But they have to understand, I do this for their benefit. Looking around, the young unicorn narrowed her eyes as she saw the mountain fast approaching, the cavern at the top still billowing plenty of smoke. That dragon's rest here will be short-lived, make no mistake about that. Turning back to her brother, Twilight spoke up.

"Shining, I appreciate you coming to help me like this."

The stallion looked to her with a smile on his face.

"You're my sister. I'll always be there for you."

Twilight smiled warmly at that, gently placing a hoof on her brother's shoulder.

"And I appreciate that. But...aren't you worried about leaving Canterlot to do this? I mean...coming over here to help me with Celestia's task might not earn you many favours back home."

Shining let out a dry chortle at that, striking a somewhat heroic-looking pose.

"Well...I am the Captain of the royal guard. It is my sworn duty to safeguard ponykind, be they in Canterlot or anywhere else. True, I may not have been specifically assigned to this, but if, say, a citizen of Equerstria were to come to me and request aid against a dangerous beast near their village, it would be well within my authority to give such aid."

Twilight smiled at the stallion once more, raising an eyebrow as she did so.

"Well...if others in the guard won't give you grief over leaving the city unannounced...your marefriend might."

"True, but I doubt she..."

In an instant, Shining turned to his sister, who, at this point, was wearing quite a mischievous look on her face. If it was possible, Shining's face became even whiter than normal as he looked to her with shock.

"M...m...m...marefriend?!"

Giggling slightly, Twilight looked at him with a softer expression.

"There were a couple of touches in your last few letters. Signs of being distracted about something. It was something you also showed last time we met in Canterlot. The only time I've seen a stallion act that way is when they've got romance on the brain."

Shining, understandably, looked quite taken aback at having been caught out like this, and was frantically darting his eyes back and forth, most likely to avoid his sister's gaze. Twilight, by contrast, was enjoying this, perhaps more than she should have been. That's right, BBBFF. No sneaking a relationship past me until the last minute this time.

"So...who's the lucky mare?"

Visibly sweating now, Shining cleared his throat and tried his best to compose himself.

"Okay...promise you won't freak out?"

Twilight simply raised an eyebrow and shook her head, giving a clear answer to that question. Letting out a groan, Shining slumped his shoulders in defeat before finally coming clean.

"It's...Cadence. Your old foal-sitter."

Not wanting to appear overly-accepting too soon, Twilight put on a face of confusion, acting as if she was having difficulty coming to terms with this. On the inside, however, she was as giddy as anything. I still remember how excited I was when I first found out about it. One of my best friends from foalhood, marrying by brother. That day would have been so happy for me...had it not been for a certain oversized bug. However, Twilight did her best to stifle those less pleasant thoughts, instead finally allowing herself to put on a massive smile for her brother, leaping forward and wrapping her forelegs around him in a big hug. Although somewhat winded by this, Shining nevertheless let out a brief laugh at his sister's reaction, shortly before Twilight let out her own thoughts on the matter.

"Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh! You and Cadence?! I'm so happy for you!"

The two parted, still smiling widely at each other, with Shining speaking up.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I just...wanted to wait until the right moment."

There's such a thing as waiting too long on that count, Brother. Your wedding would be a pretty good example of that. However, rather than speak those thoughts, Twilight simply kept grinning.

"Don't worry about it. But, when this is all done, I want you to tell me everything. How you met, when you started dating, the works!"

Shining, understandably was smiling nervously at all this. However, Twilight's eyes widened as a new thought came to her.

"In fact, I have something for you."

Shining raised an eyebrow at that, watching as his sister turned around and began rummaging around in one of the saddle-bags she'd brought with her. After some time going through her things, the young unicorn smiled again as she used her magic to pull out a small item. When she looked back to Shining, she presented it to him; a small, unremarkable pendant, possessing a strange sheen to it. Shining, understandably, looked at the thing with some confusion, looking to his sister for some clarification. Letting out another brief giggle, Twilight gladly began to explain herself.

"I had a feeling that you had a marefriend back home, so, in the event you were able to come to Ponyville, I prepared this. I want you to give it to her when you go back. A gift from her coltfriend's sister. Just to let you both know I’m happy for you."

Shining took the pendant into his hooves, eyeing it curiously.

"You...prepared a gift for a marefriend you didn't even know for certain that I had?"

However, the confusion from his face soon vanished, replaced with realisation, giving himself a face-hoof in the process.

"Oh, wait, I should have known. This is my sister, Twilight Sparkle I'm talking about. Of course you were able to figure this stuff out and make a plan for it."

Oh Brother, you have no idea.

"But I had no idea it was Cadence! That just makes this all the better! Do you think she'll like it?"

Shining looked to the pendant, then back to his sister, breaking out into a warm smile as he did so.

"I think she'll love it. Thank you, Twily."

The two siblings embraced each other in a loving hug once more. But, while her face was hidden from her brother, Twilight's expression took on a more serious tone. It is a gift, that much is true. But...I can't tell you how important it is that Cadence keep it, Brother. I was lucky to have found it in the castle of the two sisters. Thanks to a little enchantment I put on the thing, Cadence will have everything she needs to ensure her safety from certain...Queenly problems. What I wouldn't give to be there when that insect tries, and fails, to capture her target. Oh, what trouble she'll be in then. Letting out a dry laugh at that thought, Twilight finally parted from her brother once more, still smiling at him. However, it was there that their little family moment was interrupted, as they turned upon hearing one of the pegasi ahead clearing their throat. They looked on with all seriousness to see that they had finally arrived. The peak of the mountain was right before them, the smoke pillar even larger than ever. After scouring the area, Shining spotted an area near the cave, large and flat enough to land the chariots, and so pointed to it, giving his soldiers the direction they needed.

With both speed and silence, the chariots made their way down, landing as quietly as possible to avoid waking the slumbering beast within the cave. As Twilight, Shining and the other guards disembarked, the Captain pointed to various locations around the cave entrance. Instinctively, the guards saluted, making their way over and taking up position, with the unicorns division aiming their horns right at the entrance. Turning to his sister, Shining's face was one of concern.

"This is it, Sister. Are you ready?"

Keeping her eyes on the cave entrance, Twilight gave a single, grim nod.

"I am...more than you can possibly know."