Night had long since fallen over the great city of Canterlot, and everywhere one looked, all that could be seen was light after light going out in the windows of each and every building. Calm and tranquillity passed over the metropolis, and the noise of the day soon gave way to the serene peace of the night. The only real activity that could be witnessed once the night had come in earnest was the usual night-time patrols of the royal guard. These stalwart defenders of the city went about their duties with all the discipline and rigorousness one would expect of such elite protectors, as they traversed the streets, the alleyways, and the high walls surrounding the city. If one were to look upon those armoured troops, with their stoic faces and unyielding appearance, it would be very easy to assume that getting past them unnoticed would be nigh on impossible.

That is, unless you knew how to get past them.

A long figure, cloaked in a dark robe, emerged from the shadows of one of the many towers dotting the strong walls of the city. No face could be seen beneath the raised hood, and the figure moved as silent as a ghost. On and on it crept, not once catching the attention of either the guards in the streets below, nor those stationed along the walls. Every time one threatened to turn, and spot it, the figure would dart behind some outcropping on the wall, hiding from view. This tactic worked well for this mysterious person, as they eventually seemed to come across their destination; that of a small inlet on the outermost section of the walls. Looking around, the figure brought forth something from it's robe. A long rope, which was promptly tied to the stones lining the walls, before giving a brief tug, just to make sure it had made the bindings secure.

Then, as one would expect, that silent figure leapt over the wall, using the rope to carefully guide itself down. As per usual at this point, not a single noise could be heard from it, and after a minute or two of simply moving downwards, the figure reached the grass of the ground below. Looking back up, they made doubly sure that they weren't being watched, before finally starting to move away from Canterlot. However, barely a few metres had been walked before, at last, something finally went wrong for this person. There was a rustling of nearby bushes and trees, causing them to stop. Hesitancy could be felt from this person, and in the silence that followed, they failed to note that they were not the only ones out here. Before any reaction could be mane, the figure felt something cold and metal against their throat.

"Well well well. What do we have here?"

The subtle movement of the hooded person gave away their sense of surprise, and immediately, the head snapped in the direction of the one who had spoken. There, standing before them, was a woman, similarly clad to them, though in a shade of brown rather than black. In her hand was a long and shining rapier, which was currently still pointed to their throat. But, unlike the hooded figure, this woman did not cover her face. It was, quite frankly, beautiful, with long flowing hair that was predominantly pink, though mixed in with several other colours. Her expression, for the time being, was half serious and half playful. It was a feeling reflected in her tone as she spoke.

"It would not do for a guard to be found so far from his post, don't you think, Shining?"

A sigh escaped the hooded figure, and moments later, the hands were raised to lower the hood. Sure enough, there he was. Shining Armour. Member of the royal guard and, more importantly, the elder brother of Twilight. He looked to his current companion, looking quite concerned as he did so.

"Princess Mi'Amore, you know it's not safe for you to be out here like this."

A brief giggle escaped the woman.

"Oh? I should think the same could be said of you, guardsman."

Shining narrowed his eyes.

"You know why I'm doing this."

Worry now became the predominant look on the Princess' face, but for the moment, she said nothing, looking on as Shining turned away from her.

"I'm going to find her. I will not let her go through this without my help."

He took a step forward, but was halted from going any further by the feel of a hand upon his arm. He let out a sigh, then turned to look upon the Princess once more. Her expression was soft, and she spoke in a manner that reflected this.

"Shining...please...listen to me. I know you feel the need to help her. Believe me, I feel no different. After all, my little brother is out there too. But we can't."

Shining frowned, but allowed her to continue.

"My Mother is confident that this is the best way. I may not know everything about why she's doing this, but I can assure you, she has her reasons. I trust her, and...I'm asking you to trust her too."

Shining stared at her, into her eyes, and saw nothing but honesty there. The Princess had meant every word of that, and while that did bring him some measure of comfort, it was clear from looking that it wasn't anywhere near as much as she had wanted. He shut his eyes tight, exhaling deeply, before shaking his head.

"I'm sorry, Cadence. But I will not abandon her to the dangers that she'll find out there."

Here, Cadence frowned.

"My Mother has already said that you are not to go with her, if she finds out that you're doing this..."

Shining nodded.

"I know...I'll probably lose my position."

The Princess nodded.

"Do you really think Twilight would want you to do that, even if it was for her sake?"

Shining looked back to her, his expression a stern one.

"It is for her that I even took on that role to begin with."

Cadence tilted her head, her expression having changed from one of sternness, to one of genuine curiosity. Shining, for his part, softened his own look, turning away from her and instead looking out into the darkness of the night.

"When our parents died...Twilight was just an infant. All she had in this world...was me. I cared for her...raised her. When I joined the guard, it wasn't to protect the people, or even the royal family...it was to be better at protecting her."

Slowly, her looked to Cadence, narrowing his eyes yet again.

"She is my sister. Nothing in this world matters to me more than she does. Even if I lose everything I've gained for myself in this city...it will be worth it, just to know that she is safe."

Cadence stared at him, and for a moment, just didn't look like she knew what to say to that. Shining, in this silence, raised one hand, rubbing his temples in a clear sign of stress. And it was here that his companion finally spoke up again.

"Shining...never has there been a more worthy protector than you. Twilight should consider herself fortunate that she has someone like you in her life. Someone...who perhaps sees her...as more than just a sister?"

The man looked to her, surprise in his eyes, prompting her to smile as she carried on.

"Like you said, you were the one to raise her. It wouldn't really be so shocking for you to perhaps see her as...as something else?"

Slowly, Shining looked away, a frown forming upon his face.

"Her wellbeing is what matters to me, Cadence. If your Mother won't do all she can to protect Twilight...then I will."

Cadence stared at him blankly for a while, but, after a few minutes had passed, she eventually cracked a smile.

"Who says she hasn't?"

Needless to say, that prompted Shining to look to her with confusion.

"Wha...what are you talking about?"

A giggle escaped the Princess, after which she started to explain herself.

"Let's just say that directions and a task are not all my dear Mother has sent along for your sister. It took a little prompting on her part, but she convinced Auntie Luna to part with a certain...asset of hers."

Shining raised an eyebrow as he looked to her, showing yet further confusion.

"But...if you knew that...then why didn't you tell me until now?!"

A smirk crossed her face as she shrugged her shoulders.

"I suppose I was just curious to see how far you'd go before I told you."

Shining, understandably, was still somewhat taken aback by this sudden realisation, which Cadence could fully appreciate. Letting out a sigh, she took a step forward, gently placing her hand upon his shoulder.

"Trust me, Shining....Mother is looking out for her. Please...believe in her ability to protect her...just as I do."

A silence passed once more between the two, and for a moment, Shining looked more than a little uncertain at all of this. But, as he continued to look into the Princess' eyes, the feelings of doubt and concern that had so overwhelmed him this night, all of it began to fade away. He did not look completely relieved from her words, it had to be said, and yet, after giving a great deal of thought to the matter, he let out a sigh, slumping his shoulder and giving a slight nod.

"Very well, Cadence. I may not trust your Mother on this...but I trust you. If you say that this is being handled, then...then I believe you."

Cadence's smile widened, and, before Shining could say or do anything, he watched as she stepped forward, embracing him in a hug, As he stood there, taken aback by this, he heard her speak sweetly and softly to him.

"Thank you. It means a lot to me that you're willing to accept this."

Hesitancy crossed his eyes for a moment, but, in the end, it died down, replaced instead with a more comfortable look. As he continued to stay silent, he watched as Cadence took a step away form him, and here, he saw that she bore a somewhat mischievous smirk to her.

"So...when you said that nothing matters to you as much as Twilight...did you mean nothing?"

Slowly, a blush crept on the man's cheeks, and he raised one hand, scratching the back of his head in a clear display of nervousness.

"Well...maybe...there's one person I care as much for."