“So, think we have enough bubble wrap?” I placed the trio of bubble wrap rolls on my palace living room floor—or at least it would be the living room once I had furniture for it. Right now it was pretty empty aside from a few unopened boxes. One of the problems caused by Tirek blowing up the library was that nearly all my personal possessions had been destroyed, along with the furniture. There were a lot of things that needed replacing, assuming the objects in question could be replaced to start with, as well as a bunch of other things that needed to be taken care of—like the damaged armor of Shadow Kicker.

Storm looked between the large rolls of bubble wrap and Shadow’s Armor, the armor itself now resting on a stand, waiting to be packed up into the crate we had brought back from the post office. “I think five pounds should be enough.”

“Good, because I don't want it to get damaged even more on the trip to Canterlot.” As I examined the Armor, I couldn't help but notice how badly it had been dented in by Tirek, and I grimaced at the knowledge that Storm had been in it.

“Agreed.” Storm’s eyes flicked to the large pile of packing supplies. I had thought it prudent to purchase an extra bit of everything.

“Great! Let's start packing it up.” I levitated a roll of bubble wrap and started getting to work with Storm’s help.

A couple of minutes later, Cloud Kicker came trotting into the living room. “Hey Twi, I was wondering if you had any books about—” She paused when she saw the partially wrapped Armor.

“Oh, hey Cloud!” I waved her in. “Good to see you.”

“Likewise,” Cloud said, her eyes not leaving the armor.

“You were saying something about a book?” I offered.

“Uh ... not important.” Cloud waved vaguely at Shadow’s Armor. “You’re busy.”

“I can always take a few minutes for a friend.” Sure, the Armor was definitely important, especially for what I had planned for it, but my friends were super important too. “We were just in the middle of wrapping it up for transport.”

Storm nodded. “We will be taking it back to Canterlot to finish repairing it.”

“And that's way important than me needing to borrow a book,” Cloud said. “My stuff can wait until after you’re done with that.”

“We’ve got a few hours before our train arrives.” A frown worked its way to my lips. “Unfortunately, I can't repair the Armor here in Ponyville. Not after all my tools got blown up alongside the rest of the library.”

Cloud grunted and gave me a chaste hug. “Losing your house ... yeah.”

I hugged her back and sighed. “Yeah. I'm still getting over the shock of that, I think, but I'll be alright in the end. Nopony was hurt too badly, though Storm got pretty beat up.” I tried not to wince at the memory of Storm’s admission to the hospital immediately after the battle.

“It's nothing to worry about, Highness,” Storm assured me in her usual stoic manner. Though I knew under Armor she was still sporting more than her fair share of bandages.

Still, it wouldn't do to dwell too much on Storm’s injuries, especially when she wouldn’t want me to bring them up again. “I'm trying and not complain too much about my home being blown up along with all my possessions.”

“No more than you’re entitled to under the circumstances,” Storm said. Though she probably had some room to complain too. Everything she had brought to Ponyville had been blown up alongside the library. She hadn't lost as much as I had, but it still couldn't have been fun.

I put a brave face forward and grinned at my captain. “Now you're not just saying that because I'm a princess, are you?”

I caught a subtle grin on Storm’s face. “Royalty is allowed certain privileges.”

Cloud snorted. “You two flirting again?”

I rolled my eyes at Cloud being Cloud. “We're not flirting.”

Storm nodded. “We are simply being appropriately friendly.”

Not content to let Cloud get too much momentum with her her-ness, I turned back to Storm. “So was your cousin always like this, or did she grow into this?”

“There was a time when she was far more respectable,” Storm duly answered. “I even admired her and wanted to grow up just like her.”

I chuckled. “That’s hard to believe.”

Cloud frowned. “Yeah, yeah, I'm a real shame now.”

Storm tensed at the sudden change in Cloud’s demeanor. “That is not what we meant.”

I grimaced. It looks like we’d struck Cloud’s nerve where her family was concerned. I had hoped that she would have had most of those feelings settled by now, but it seemed her she still had some issues. “I didn't mean it like that, Cloud.”

Cloud sighed and shook her head. “'Course you didn't. Sorry, just ... old baggage.”

“You okay?” I asked, nuzzling her.

“I did not mean to reopen old wounds,” Storm added.

Cloud grinned wryly. “Yeah, just the same old bundle of unresolved issues wrapped up in a sexy mare I've always been.”

“You're free to talk about it anytime you like,” I offered with the best smile I could manage.

Cloud waved the issue off. “Thanks, just ... been a crazy couple of days.”

“You're telling me,” I said. “Tirek pretty much upended the balance of my life. Hopefully visiting Canterlot will help.”

“Yeah, I kinda have to visit everyone before...” Cloud motioned vaguely at her stomach.

Ah, right. Cloud’s unexpected pregnancy—something she hadn't taken all that well when she had found out. She seemed to have her hooves under her a lot better than when she had first found out, but I could tell she was still off-balance. “Right, that. You probably have a lot of ponies to tell the big news.”

“Sure do,” Cloud said with a long sigh.

I struggled to find something to say to Cloud. “So, if you want to, you can come with us to Canterlot. I'm sure it'll be nice to go together.”

Cloud shrugged. “I might as well if we're all headed there.”

“Great. That will let all of us catch up,” I said. “It's been a while since we've really done anything together.”

Cloud didn't meet my eyes, and sounded distracted as she spoke. “Yeah. Great.”

“Would you be good to head out in a few hours?” I asked. “Spike’s packing what we need upstairs and we only need to finish packing the Armor.”

Cloud shrugged again. “No time like the present.”

Hopefully the trip would help Cloud feel better. Sometimes all a pony needed was some time away from it all to feel rejuvenated. At the very least, spending some time with her family should do some good.

“Sounds like a plan, then.” I started carefully covering the Armor in bubble wrap, rolling it so that all of the Armor would have a protective layer. I frowned slightly as I paused. “Even if the Armor is a bit cranky about being boxed up. The entity inside it says being covered in bubble wrap is beneath her dignity.”

Cloud rubbed the back of her neck. “I can't imagine it being happy about that.”

“But we don't want it to get damaged in transit.” I returned to my packing work. “It's pretty badly beat up already and I don't want it to get any worse.”

The Armor itself I wasn't too worried about, since that was just a matter of beating it back into shape or replacing broken parts. What was more worrisome was the damage done to its spell matrices and the runes carved into it. Enough damage to those could ruin Shadow’s Armor as a magical item. Why I was playing it safe with the packaging and taking it to Canterlot where I could procure the best tools available to repair it.

“Her Highness is taking every reasonable precaution,” Storm agreed.

“It is an irreplaceable artifact,” I pointed out. “I think I'm being justified in being careful.”

“Better safe than sorry, right?” Cloud’s eyes flicked to the Armor, or at least the few parts of it that were still visible..

I nodded. “That's what I thought. I just need to get access to the tools I need, and then the Armor will be as good as new.” I rubbed my chin as I finished securing the Armor. “Hm, I might even ask Princess Celestia a few things just to make sure I do the job right. She did help enchant it to start with, and it would be a good idea to check with her about the repairs. Especially when I was thinking to do a few upgrades while I was at it.”

Cloud’s ears perked. “Upgrades? What sort of upgrades?”

“Make the Armor a bit stronger, for one,” I explained. “Enchanting has come a ways in the last eight centuries, and I think I can make it more effective all around. Make it more resistant to damage, add a few comfort enhancements, those type of things to start with.”

“And perhaps do something about the security protocols.” Storm frowned deeply.

“That's something I should definitely talk to Celestia about before I start messing around with it.” I rubbed the back of my mane as I thought thought forward to that uncomfortable talk. As it stood, only a pony of the Shadow Kicker’s bloodline who was also ‘Pure of Heart’ could wear the Armor. I knew I wasn’t the only one who thought that was a messy and subjective qualifier for who could actually use it. Plenty of ponies from the Kicker Clan had tried to use the Armor in the past for noble ends only to be rejected as unworthy, a fact that was only messier when Storm had convinced the Armor to let her use it through ... irregular methods.

Cloud scowled. “They were a bit ... restrictive.” Little surprise, Cloud was still bitter over not being allowed to bear the Armor during the Battle of Canterlot. Especially when all she wanted to do was protect her home, her clan, and the ponies of Canterlot from Queen Chrysalis and her swarm.

“I don't really see a reason to have such a restrictive set of qualifications that it can't even be used when ponies need it,” I said. “It just isn't practical.”

Storm nodded in agreement. “Precisely. If I hadn't found a loophole...” She shook her head. “And I don’t think Shadow likes the restrictions either.”

“She doesn't?” My head tilted as I studied the big ball of bubble wrap that now covered the Armor.

Storm shook her head. “From what she has told me, she finds them constraining.”

That was interesting news. I had spoken briefly with the spirit in the Armor, but sadly it hadn’t been terribly forthcoming with answers all the questions I would have liked to ask it. It seemed to be more annoyed than anything. You would think that after sitting around for decades at a time, it would like to make some friends when it was actually out in the world. Or maybe it just got along better with Storm.

“One of the upgrades I was looking into will probably help it communicate,” I explained. “I think I can give it the capability to let the spirit in the Armor project itself and thus allow to communicate with more ponies than just whomever is in direct contact with it and is a blood relative to Shadow. Right now it's fairly restricted in being able to talk with ponies, to say the least.”

Cloud gestured to the mass of packaging. “But why would the armor need to do that when it's in the Vault all the time?”

I carefully levitated the Armor into its crate. “For when it's not in the Vault, or when ponies are visiting.”

Storm didn’t quite meet her cousin’s gaze. “And ... it might not be in the Vault quite so much.”

Cloud’s eyes narrowed. “And what’s that supposed to mean?”

I knew we were straying into precarious territory with Cloud’s feelings, especially now. “Like if Storm wants to keep wearing it, for one.”

“It would be useful for protecting Her Highness,” Storm added cautiously.

Cloud frowned. “That's not what it's for.”

“What is it for, then?” I asked, feeling a debate coming on.

“It’s meant to protect the Kicker Clan and Equestria as a whole.”

“It's not exactly doing that in a vault,” I pointed out.

“It's ready for when we need it,” Cloud countered. “Like it always has been.”

Storm interjected with her own pointed question. “Such as when changelings invade Canterlot and besiege the Compound?”

Cloud grimaced and struggled with a reply. “Point.”

“Kinda why I'm not thrilled with how restrictive its use is,” I said. “You could have done a lot of good when the changelings attacked if you had been able to use the Armor, and I can’t help but think this problem will keep coming up in the future if nothing changes.”

“I get that, but that doesn't mean we get rid of all the rules,” Cloud argued. “It's dangerous. There’s a reason the Armor has the restrictions it does.”

I sighed and rubbed my forehead. “I'm not saying get rid of all the rules. At least not without replacing them with something better.”

“Who decides what's better?” Cloud asked. “Do you think you can make better rules than Celestia?”

I shuffled in place. She had a point. Princess Celestia had a whole lot more experience and wisdom than I did. Was it even possible that I could do better than her? Should I even try? “That is true...”

Cloud patted me on the back. “Just let us handle this one, okay? The Armor’s a clan thing, so we'll sort it out for you.”

“She is not wrong,” Storm reluctantly agreed. “Celestia and Shadow were both quite clear about that. It should probably be the clan that decides if anything should change.”

I pursed my lips. The Armor was both a historical relic, in addition to being a very powerful suit of armor. Anything beyond basic maintenance was something I should discuss with the Kicker Clan. “Let's finish packing this thing up then, and we’ll figure everything out once we get to Canterlot.”

A few hours later, we were all on the train to Canterlot. Shadow’s Armor was safely stored away in one of the shipping cars, and the train station had insisted on giving me my own car despite my protests that I didn't need all that space to myself. In the end, Storm and Cloud talked me into letting the train station have their way about it. Storm pointed out that it would be better for security, even if I thought she was being a bit paranoid. Granted, it was her job to be paranoid.

We had all made ourselves in the spacious seating now available to us until the train left the station. It at least let me do one of my train ride activities without worrying about bothering anypony: creating backup checklists.

“... and then we'll need some opals, meadowbrook herb, and silver dust,” I told Spike, my eyes moving down to the next item on the list for things I would need to work on Shadow’s Armor.

Spike dutifully scribbled down the ingredients. “Gotcha.”

“Oh, and some new chiseling tools, and a chemistry apparatus.” I rubbed my chin. “I’m going to need some measuring tools too, but I’d better create a sublist for those.”

“Uh-huh,” Spike said, nodding as he wrote some more.

“And then we need some chalk.” I was going to need a number of things just to repair Shadow’s Armor, much less improve it if the Kicker Clan approved my ideas. It struck me as only sensible to make sure we got everything during our first shopping trip, and certainly having some double- and triple-check lists for supplies couldn't hurt.

“And new sex toys,” Cloud added with a grin.

Spike started absentmindedly writing that too when he stopped and blinked. “Wait, what?!”

My own eyes widened. “Cloud!” I was suddenly very happy we had put cart all to ourselves. I think I might have died of embarrassment if she had done that in public. “You're terrible, you know that?”

Cloud held a hoof to face as she snickered. “Sorry, I couldn't resist.”

“I am sure you could have,” Storm said dryly.

Cloud gave us that typical shameless grin of hers. “Okay, guilty. I didn't want to. At least we know Spike was paying attention.”

Spike jabbed his quill in Cloud’s direction. “You're a pervert, you know that?”

Cloud gasped in exaggerated surprise. “Me? A pervert! I never would have guessed.”

“Then you don't have much imagination,” Spike shot back. “That would explain your lame jokes.”

“Ouch, I see you taught your pet to hit where it hurts,” Cloud said.

Spike crossed his arms over his chest and glowered at Cloud. “I'm not a pet.”

Oh dear. I knew Cloud had just been kidding about the pet thing, but it was a bit of a sore point for Spike. I stepped in to do damage control and gently laid a foreleg around Spike’s shoulders. “Spike's not a pet, Cloud. He’s part of my family.”

Cloud saw the disapproving looks she was getting from Storm and Spike and sighed. “Right, sorry. I was joking and forgot to actually be funny.”

The tension in Spike’s shoulders and his smile returned. “It's okay. I just don't like getting called a pet, is all. It makes me sound like Angel.”

“And nobody deserves to be compared to Angel.” Cloud grimaced. “Having to put up with him is definitely one of the worst parts of being at Eepy’s place.”

“Right, and could a pet be Twilight's number one assistant?” Spike asked.

“Nah, Storm's definitely not a pet.” Cloud let that hang in the air for a second, a grin slowly growing on her face. “Well, unless she—”

Storm covered Cloud’s mouth with a hoof. “Do not finish that sentence.”

Spike looked between the two Kickers with a suspicious frown. “I have a feeling I don't want to know.”

“You don't,” I assured him. Spike already knew more about Cloud’s illicit affairs than I was comfortable with. No sense adding to that knowledge base until he was ... something much older.

“I do not want to know,” Storm agreed quite emphatically.

Cloud pouted exaggeratedly when Storm removed her hoof. “Bah, spoiling the pregnant mare's fun.”

“I suppose we should let you have at least a little bit of fun,” I allowed. “It is a perk of being pregnant. As long as you don’t have too much fun.” Cloud having too much fun had a tendency of leaving me pretty embarrassed to one degree or another. Of course, that was probably one of the big reasons she did it.

“One of those weird rules, I guess.” Spike shrugged.

“Yup.” Cloud took advantage of the fact we were alone in the passenger cart to lounge across two seats. “And the pregnant mare needs food.”

Spike’s eyes sparked as the opportunity to help somepony presented itself. “I’m on the job! Anything you want?”

“Hm.” Cloud stroked her cheek as she thought. “Nachos and hot chocolate?”

Spike raised an eyebrow. “You sure about that? That’s kinda a weird combo.”

“A pregnant mare's cravings can be kinda weird Spike,” I told him. “Just roll with it if they have what she wants on the concessions car.”

“As long as I don't have to eat that combo myself,” Spike said, hopping down from his seat.

“I'm not pregnant enough for cravings yet,” Cloud huffed. “Just in the mood for hot chocolate, and the nachos smelled good on the way to our car.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” Spike said as he waddled out.

Storm sighed, giving her cousin a reproachful look. “You are going to milk being pregnant for everything you can.”

“Hey, I didn't want this to happen.” Cloud stretched out on her seats languidly. “Being pregnant isn’t fun, so I might as well enjoy the silver lining.”

“Well of course you have that opinion,” I teased. It was still a bit weird thinking of Cloud as a mother-to-be, especially when I wasn’t even sure who the sire of her foal was. As Cloud said, she hadn’t expected to find herself expecting.

“You know...” Cloud stretched again, giving me a wry smirk. “My rump is cramping up. I could use a princess massage there.”

Storm rolled her eyes. “You see what happens when you encourage her?”

“I figured something like this would happen.” I couldn’t help but smirk at Cloud’s typical antics. “I do find her at least moderately amusing, after all.”

Cloud puckered out her lip in an exaggerated pout. “Only moderately?”

“Okay, pretty amusing,” I allowed, not being overly eager to deflate her self-image of being the most bangable thing on the block. “Maybe amusing enough to help you with your poor rump.”

“Highness, what did I say about encouraging her?” Storm asked with a note of reproach.

“That it will encourage Cloud to be Cloud,” I said. “Like pretty much everything does on some level.”

“I can't do much other than be myself,” Cloud said with a serious nod.

“Of course, rubbing your rump will probably cause Spike to ask all sorts of questions,” I said, teasing Cloud with a potential denial.

Cloud fluttered her eyelashes for me. “I'm willing to take that chance.”

Storm crossed her arms over her chest. “I am not.”

“Of course Cloud is willing to take that chance,” I said. “She’s not the one that's going to have to answer those awkward questions.”

“What questions?” Spike asked as he crossed the partition into our car. He carried a tray covered with a quad of nacho servings and a mug of steaming hot chocolate.

“Twilight and Storm were debating what to get for lunch,” Cloud quickly answered.

Spike held up the tray for us. “Well I got some nachos for everypony if they want them.”

“Sounds good to me.” I levitated a serving to everyone. “Thanks, Spike. You're a big help.”

Cloud grasped her nachos and her eyes sparkled with obvious hunger. “Yeah, thanks.”

“Sure thing.” Spike took a seat next to me and started munching his nachos.

We all went about enjoying our little meal. Storm carefully and in a manner that would have fit at any Canterlot banquet, daintily nibbled her nachos. Cloud and Spike showed significantly less restraint as they enjoyed their nachos. For myself, I had to admit that I was a lot more hungry than I originally thought I was, and once I got going, I started eating with gusto. I was nearly done with my plate when Storm cleared her throat softly and offered a napkin.

“Hm?” Snapping out of my food hypnosis, I absentmindedly took the napkin. It was then that I noticed that I had gotten some cheese onto my coat. A lot actually. “Oops! Sorry about that. I guess this cheese can get everywhere.”

Spike jabbed a thumb in Storm’s direction. “Storm's doing alright.” As Spike pointed out, Storm didn’t have a drop of cheese anywhere on her.

I opened my mouth to reply, but realized I didn’t have a dignified counter to that, and closed my mouth. Cloud snorted and waved her hoof. “Nah, Storm's eating wrong. If you don't get even a little messy, you're missing half the fun.”

“I doubt she would see it that way,” Spike said, grinning.

Storm sat as erect as she could, the very picture of dignity. “You would be correct.”

“Hey Storm, aren't you making your princess look bad by having better table manners?” Cloud tsked and shook her head. “Shame on you.”

Storm gave her cousin a long, flat look before she dipped the tip of her hoof in her cheese and then flicked a glob of cheese onto Cloud’s muzzle, causing her to blink in surprise.

Spike pressed his claws to his face as he giggled. “Uh-oh, food fight!”

Storm sniffed at the idea. “That would hardly be dignified.”

“And more important, it's a waste of good food,” Cloud agreed, licking the cheese off her muzzle. If Cloud was bothered by her cousin hitting her with cheese, she didn’t show it.

Spike shrugged, then returned to his meal.

I decided to switch topics before things between Cloud and Storm got out of hoof. “So, you two have any plans while we're in Canterlot?”

“Well, naturally I will want to visit my family,” Storm answered. “I did see them just a week ago, but...”

Cloud nodded. “Same here.”

I smiled faintly. “Spike and I were planning on doing the same with my parents.”

“Are you going to introduce Storm to your parents?” Cloud waved vaguely at me and Storm. “What with her being your shadow these days.”

I glanced Storm’s way as I thought it over. “It might not be a bad idea. I'm sure they would like to get to know you anyways, what with you being the captain of my bodyguard.”

Storm nodded in agreement. “I would not mind.”

“If you like, Cloud, you can always come too,” I offered. “No sense leaving you out, and you've already met my parents.”

Cloud smiled warmly. “I won't say no. As long you don't think I'd be intruding, anyways.” Her smile took on a sinister edge. “I know letting your parents meet the girlfriend for the first time is a big deal.”

I instantly felt my cheeks flush. “We're not like that!”

Much to my chagrin, Spike tried and failed to hide a snicker. “Hey Twilight, how many of your books involved some princess getting swept off her hooved by her big, strong bodyguard?”

“Spike!” Sure some of my books were like that. But only some of them! It’s a common trope in novels. Why wouldn’t it be? It’s a nice fantasy to dream about sometimes. Nothing unusual at all to enjoy books like that.

Cloud chuckled as she watched my face run through a couple different shades of red. “Nice one, little guy.”

“You bet,” Spike said, hoof-bumping her.

“Oh no, Cloud and Spike have started conspiring together.” I buried my face in my hooves. “I'm doomed.”

Cloud nodded gravely. “Utterly doomed.”

“Spike, who feeds you gems?” Storm asked, jumping to my defense.

Spike froze in place, then slowly answered. “Twilight.”

“Bear that in mind when considering your actions,” Storm said with dreadful seriousness.

“I'll keep that in mind,” Spike replied, not quite meeting my or Storm’s gazes.

That little crisis dealt with, I turned my attention to Cloud. “And I trust you can behave for my parents, Cloud?”

Cloud waved me off. “Of course, I know when to turn it off.”

Storm fixed Cloud with a flat look. “And yet, you do not.”

“That's because I don't want to,” Cloud stated with an utter lack of shame. “Not because I can't.”

“Cloud is capable,” I agreed. “I've seen her do it once or twice.” Granted, she had flirted with my mom last time she saw her. Something I never wanted to see ever again.

“Gee, thanks for your endless optimism, Princess Purple Plot,” Cloud said with a grin.

“You know you like acting the way you do,” I shot back.

Cloud nodded. “It's true, it’s true.”

Spike turned to Storm to address her. “So, are your parents going to want to meet Twilight?”

“Probably,” Storm confirmed. “They only had a bit to meet her when they visited Ponyville. We have to visit the Compound to sort out the business with the Armor anyways.”

“Yes, your clan needs to decide what you want done with it,” I said, setting my plate aside. “I figure at the very least you’ll want me to patch it back to normal. Anything after that is up in the air, though.” I had written up a list of everything I could do to upgrade Shadow’s Armor, though I wasn't sure how much of it the Kicker Clan would be up for. Not when it was both a historical relic and religious icon for them. They might see me tinkering with it as some form of blasphemy. The only want to know for sure was to talk to some of the senior Kickers and see how things worked out.

Storm’s eyes flicked towards the cargo train carts. “Uncle Tor will almost certainly consult with Mother and Father on the matter.”

I nodded. “That would make sense,” I said. “I don't really want to get to work on the Armor until everything has been talked over.”

“Smart way to do it,” Cloud said, finishing off her nachos with a pleased murmur.

“Besides, it would be nice to get to know your parents, Storm,” I said.

Storm nodded. “I know they would like to get to know you better as well.”

“Might as well do that while we're here then.” I smiled at the idea of getting to know Storm’s better. “I do like being productive with my trips and getting multiple things done.”

Spike snerked. “That's Twilight for you: it can't just be a business trip or a friendship thing. It has to be as many thing as she can cram into her schedule.”

“She does have an itemized list with 232 tasks and objectives,” Storm agreed.

Cloud looked over Spike’s shoulder to glance over one of the lists sitting next to him. “Actually, she's added five more since the last time you checked.”

I grinned sheepishly. “What? I like to keep busy.”

Spike took his plate and stacked it on top of mine. “There's busy, and then there's being a workaholic.”

I rolled my eyes. “I'm not that bad. I like having fun now and again too.”

“Uh-huh.”

Storm cleared her throat. “I do regularly have to remind you to eat and sleep.”

“I sometimes lose track because I don't need to eat or sleep as much anymore.” That sounded better in my head, admittedly. “Alicorn physiology is very durable.”

Spike’s frown deepened. “That was your excuse before you became an alicorn. How many time have I found you sleeping with your head in a book?”

“Sounds right,” Cloud agreed. “I remember the time you were so into a book that you didn't notice me until I goosed you.” Her grin became shameless again. “That did catch you attention, though.”

“Moving one of her things out of place usually works too,” Spike duly added.

I crossed my arms over my chest and puffed out my cheeks, not particularly liking being the object of criticism for my work habits. Sometimes I just got really focused and into my work. “Okay, okay, point made.”

“I think that is enough,” Storm announced, finally coming to my aid.

“Fine, no making Princess Twilight grumpy.” Spike let out a long, melodramatic sigh.

“She's only grumpy because she knows we're right,” Cloud stated.

“Her Highness is entitled to be grumpy with you for pointing out her flaws,” Storm said primly.

“Let’s try and not to make a big deal out of it.” I waved the issue off. “So, you feeling comfortable enough, Cloud?”

Cloud stretched her way across three seats with a contented groan. “Yeah, I'm fine. Have to say, have to enjoy this royal perk of getting all this space for ourselves.”

“I admit, it can be nice to stretch out sometimes.” Seeing no reason not to, I stretched across a couple of seats as well. “Might as well enjoy what perks I've got.”

I was a bit embarrassed to take advantage of my status like this, but the train station had insisted I take all this space. It’s not like I had to feel that guilty about using what I was given.

Cloud nodded. “Seems a shame to let all that room go to waste”

Spike leaned back, his claws behind his head. “I think so.”

“It shouldn't hurt to get a bit of rest before we get to work once we get to Canterlot.” Despite myself, I found myself yawning, suddenly feeling tired. “Maybe you have a point about me getting more sleep. Now that I’m not up and doing something, I feel like taking a nap.”

Admittedly, I hadn't gotten much sleep since Tirek’s attack. There had been so much to see to since then that I had hardly stopped. Now that I had been forced to sit down and rest, I realized just how beat I really was.

Cloud stretched out her wings and shifted to a more comfortable position. “A nap does sound pretty good.”

“Rest if you need to, Highness,” Storm said. “I will keep watch.”

“Alright then.” I yawned, covering my mouth as I did so. “I think I'll go ahead and do just that.”

“Same here,” Cloud said. “Hey Storm, make sure no stewards offer us things or ... whatever else happens on a train.”

Storm grinned ever so slightly. “I will protect Her Highness. You are on your own, Cloud.”

“I’m hurt, Storm,” Cloud said, grinning back. “I’m hurt to the core. You should feel terrible hurting your pregnant cousin like that.”

“Be nice you two,” I said, giving them a mild warning.

“She's just teasing, Twi,” Cloud assured me. “Don't worry, Missy Goody Four Shoes won't let anything happen to me.”

“Storm's a pretty good pony like that,” I said, content to leave the matter at that.

“Yeah.” Cloud gave her cousin a wistful look before shaking her head. “Hey Spike? Mind getting some pillows and blankets?”

“Sure!” Spike hopped down and headed for the door. “Just give me a few minutes to get some.”

Cloud yawned and nodded. “Thanks, little guy.”

I found that yawn contagious and laid my head down. Soon I fell asleep. Though some hazy part of me felt Storm sneak a pillow under my head and then gently pulled a blanket over me.

We arrived in Canterlot a few hours later. The first thing we did was drop off Shadow’s Armor at the palace, then immediately headed to the Kicker Compound to try and find Tornado Kicker. As the paterfamilias of the Kicker Clan, he seemed the best ponies to approach first about the Armor. After asking around the Kicker Compound we found out that Tornado was in the Kicker Clan Museum.

The museum had a martial theme to it—little surprise when the Kicker Clan had a long history with the Royal Guard, and the militant Pegasopolis before then. A pony would be hard-pressed to turn any direction without finding themselves looking at some set of armor, weapon, or banner. I had been here once before in a date with Cloud, so the thing that caught my attention was a group of ponies setting a new display near one of the walls of the museum. At the center was Tornado directing everypony to set up a replica of Shadow’s Armor wrapped around a ponyquinne, in addition to posters with the history of the Armor printed on them were being put up along the flanks of the centerpiece.

Spike’s head turned slowly as he took in the museum. “Wow, this place is pretty neat.”

I smiled, happy that taking Spike to all this museums in the past had left an impression on him. “How about you look around while I talk to Guard-Captain Tornado?” I saw no reason not to just let him wander around while I took care of business. It’s not like we were going to talk about anything he didn't already know anyways, so he might as well let him learn while enjoying himself.

“Sure.” Spike shrugged and hopped off my back. “Call me if you need anything.”

“Can do,” I said as he headed to a display showing the development of the wing blade over the centuries. That taken care of, I headed over to Tornado with Cloud and Storm.

Tornado caught sight of us as we approached and bowed for me along with everypony else. “Princess Sparkle.”

I smiled and motioned for everypony to get up. “Hello, Captain Tornado.”

“Hey, Dad.” Cloud hugged her father.

“Cloud, good to see you.” He nodded to Storm. “You too, Storm.”

Storm saluted him and spoke with her ‘I'm on duty right now, so please excuse me while I act the part of a respectable officer’ voice. “Captain.”

“Setting up a new display?” I asked.

Tornado nodded. “After what happened with Tirek, we thought there might be new interest in the Armor, and so we're bringing out some old displays about its history.”

“Sounds interesting,” I said as my eyes scanned what had been written about the Armor.

Cloud shuffled slightly in place and her eyes briefly darted to her cousin. “I guess you'll be adding Storm to the list, won't you?”

Storm coughed and shifted slightly also, careful not to look in Cloud's direction.

“I suppose we will at some point,” Tornado said, glancing in the direction of a plaque that listed the Armor’s previous bearers.

That was a perfect segue. “Actually, I wanted to talk to you about Shadow's Armor, if you have a few minutes.”

Tornado’s ears perked. “Of course, Princess.”

“Well, the good news is that I'm confident the Armor can be repaired,” I told him. “It will take some work, but otherwise it should be fine.”

The tension that had been building up in his body relaxed when he heard that. “Glad to hear it. The Armor's been damaged and repaired before, but we were still worried.”

“It did get pretty badly beat up this time.” I cast a glance Storm’s way and felt a twinge of guilt over how she had been hurt trying to protect me from Tirek.

“It kept me alive,” Storm said, as though reading my mind. “I cannot complain too much.”

“If you say so...”

“It will be a relief to have it back in the vault,” Tornado said, thankfully moving the conversation in a less awkward direction. If only slightly.

I rubbed the back of my neck. “Thaaaaaat’s one of the things I wanted to talk to you about.”

Tornado tilted his head slightly. “Oh?”

“I wanted to tell you that I could give the Armor a number of upgrades, if the Kicker Clan wants them that is.” I pulled out a list that itemized the various improvements. “Shadow's Armor is nine centuries old, so while its enchantments are pretty potent, some of them are getting to be pretty dated, relatively speaking.”

As I feared, that prompted a frown from Tornado. “What exactly were you planning to do?”

In too deep to back out, I continued. “I can improve the basic runes and enchantments to make it stronger, easier to use, and more durable, for one. Then I think I might be able to add a couple new features to it.”

Tornado blinked at that. “What did Princess Celestia say about that?”

“Um.” My ears wilted. “I haven't talked with her about it yet, to be honest. That was on the agenda before I did anything. I wasn’t going to do anything crazy like change how it picks its bearers before talking with her first.”

Tornado raised an eyebrow. “Changing how it picks bearers? That sounds dangerous.”

“It was kind of an issue when it wouldn't let Cloud or Star use it to defend against the changeling invasion,” I pointed out. “‘Purity of heart’ is a bit... imprecise as a qualifier.”

Cloud scowled. “That was a huge design flaw.”

Tornado grunted neutrally. “I'm sure Celestia had her reasons for making it the way she did. She usually does with whatever she’s doing. Either way, I'll need to talk to a few ponies too before you do anything to it.”

I nodded. “That doesn't surprise me. I figured you would want to talk to the other senior Kickers about this.”

“Certainly my sister and Ty,” Tornado said. “This isn't just a clan issue, it's a religious one.”

“It is a relic of our clan's most famous figure,” Cloud said as she examined the replica of Shadow’s Armor.

“So doing anything to change how it works is a thorny issue,” Tornado stated.

I let out a long sigh. “So Cloud and Storm warned me.”

Cloud shrugged. “Honestly, I'd say you might wanna just leave it be. There’s less ways for anything to go wrong.”

I frowned as I thought of a counter to that argument. “The Armor is a bit more than just some old relic that should be left in a museum.” I waved at the displays surrounding us. “It could do a lot of good out in the world.”

“It does not do the world any good locked away,” Storm agreed.

Tornado focused his attention on his niece. “Why would you need to keep wearing the Armor? There's no danger now.”

Storm drew herself up, not quite challenging her uncle but still not backing down from him. “You never know what might come up. It would let me do a better job of protecting Her Highness, and I would rather have it close at hand if another emergency comes up.”

Tornado grunted unhappily. “That might be so. We’ll see what the Armor thinks once it’s been repaired and what Princess Celestia says should be done.” He shook his head. “Either way, I’m going to have to talk it over with some ponies to see what should be done. I trust your list covers everything you’d like to do with it, Highness?”

I nodded and gave him the list. “I have everything listed there.”

“Thank you,” he said with a nod. “It's rather hard to debate how much we'll allow without knowing what you plan to do.”

“And if you have any questions I'll be more than happy to answer them.” I was feeling more than a little bit frustrated over the issue, but there wasn’t much I could do at the moment. I felt like the Armor could do a lot of good, especially if Storm wanted to use it. But they did bring up some good points about it. Maybe I would start to feel better about the whole matter after talking with Princess Celestia about it.

“Thank you for bringing this to our attention, Princess.” Tornado rolled up the list and tucked it away, then turned to me with a soft smile. “Really, we do appreciate what you’re doing, even if I’m not sure about changing the Armor.”

I smiled back, feeling a bit better about all of this. “I'm just happy to help however I can.”

Cloud grinned and nudged my side with a wing. “That's good old Twilight, always eager to be sweet and helpful.”

Storm nodded. “Her Highness is very thoughtful.”

I blushed slightly and had to resist the urge to hide my face behind a wing. “Okay, now you're starting to embarrass me.”

“Now, now.” Tornado tsked. “We can't go embarassing royalty.”

I shot Cloud a writ grin. “That doesn't stop some ponies from doing it anyway, though.”

Tornado sighed as only a father can. “Cloud, try not to be too bothersome for her.”

“She isn't, really,” I said in her defense. “I do consider her a good friend.”

Cloud stepped closer to me and grinned. “Yeah, Twi just loves me for my charm.”

I grinned back at her and poked her with a wing. “You do have a way of growing on ponies.”

Tornado chuckled and shook his head. “Don’t I know it. I was the first pony to ever love her. Well, maybe second after Nimbus.”

Cloud chuckled, her cheeks flushing faintly. “Okay, that's real sweet, Dad.”

“Helps when you're pretty sweet, Cloud,” I teased, knowing she liked the odd compliment now and again.

“Okay, now you're just flattering me,” Cloud retorted.

“Not that I mind Storm at all either,” I said, trying to keep my compliments balanced. “I’ve been pretty happy with her as the captain of my guard.”

“Thank you, Highness.” Storm tried to maintain her stoic demeanor as she said that, but I could hear a trace of happiness at my words.

“Good to hear you find her service acceptable,” Tornado said.

Before we could continue, a guardspony in the white and gold of the Solar Guard walked up to us. He whispered into Storm’s ear. Storm frowned slightly and looked to me. “Highness, it seems that Princess Celestia is ready to see you at the palace now.”

As soon as I heard that Princess Celestia wanted to see me, I said my goodbyes and set off immediately. Cloud had wanted to spend time with her dad and had stayed at the museum with him. When given the choice of attending another meeting meeting or to continue to explore the museum with the permission of the Kickers, Spike had opted for the more stimulating experience. The Kickers’ offer of a nice home-cooked meal after looking around the museum had probably played a part in that decision.

That left me and Storm to go to the palace. Once there, we were escorted to the royal quarters of the palace. Finding myself before a reinforced steel door, I was told that Celestia was waiting inside. Storm took position by the side of the door alongside another guard, and I pushed open the door to enter.

I found myself in a room I had never been in before. A first glance told me that it was some sort of armory—if one that went with the aesthetics of the rest of the royal wing of the palace. White marble floors and walls stood in contrast to the weapons that lined the walls. The collection of weapons adorning one wall looked to be of exquisite quality. A great axe and greatsword had arcane runes running along their lengths, and each was decorated with gold trim and sun motifs. On the opposite wall sat a row of shelves, each covered by a collection of gems, rods, talismans, and other magical trinkets that served a variety of functions. Across the room was a gold-painted set of platemail armor sitting on a stand, a sun emblem adorning the front chestplate, and I could feel the power from its enchantments from the doorway. It was an extremely large set of armor, one that could have only fit one pony I knew of.

Princess Celestia stood in the middle of the room, her gaze falling on the crate I had brought with me. She didn't say anything as I entered the room and closed the door behind me. I smiled up to her. “Princess Celestia, it's good to see you.”

Celestia lifted her head returned my smile. “Hello, Twilight. It's good to see you too.” She lifted off the lid of the crate with her magic and then carefully levitated out Shadow’s Armor. She slowly pulled the layers of bubble wrap from the armor, a process that took a couple of minutes due to just how much I had covered it with.

She grimaced when she finally got to it. I couldn't exactly blame her; the Armor was dented, badly scratched, its metal torn in a few places, one of its wing blades had been bent into a bow, and half of the helmet’s decorative plume had been lost. If it were a normal set of Guard armor, it probably would have been marked for recycling.

Celestia gently touched the helmet and her eyes seemed to focus on nothing. “Hello, old friend.”

The unusual nature of the Armor made me wonder what type of relationship the princess had with it. The Armor had some level of sapience, and was based off the soul of Shadow Kicker—a pony Celestia had known very well in the past. Could a pony have a friendship with a sapient set of armor? It at least seemed theoretically possible.

I also grimaced as I saw the sad look in Celestia’s eyes. “Sorry it doesn't look very good at the moment. I haven't really had the chance to get started on its repairs yet, what with my home being destroyed, along with all my tools, and I just got to Canterlot where a bunch of decisions still need to be made...”

Celestia gave me an unreadable smile. “That's quite alright, Twilight. I prefer repairing it myself anyway.”

My ears wilted slightly. “I didn’t really think about the fact you might want to fix it yourself.”

“Don’t worry about it,” she assured me. “I did help forge it and I have more experience than anypony else repairing it.”

She did have a very good point. It was hard to think of a pony that was more qualified to fix the Armor that her. Now I felt a bit silly for thinking I was going to patch it up. Not wanting the conversation to go silent as Celestia continued to study the Armor, I changed the subject. “I've studied it from top to bottom and it really is a work of art. The runes were expertly carved into the armor, and the leylines of the magical matrix are as interwoven as anything I've ever seen.”

“Thank you, though I only deserve partial credit.” Celestia gently put the battered helmet onto a stand. “Argentium, Morning, and your ancestor Sunbeam did a lot for the work too. And under some pretty difficult circumstances.”

“I have to admit, that list almost makes me feel small when I think about working on the Armor.” All of those people were individuals I had read in history books. The idea of getting to work on something they had all collaborated on was something I had been looking forward too. The Armor was a piece of history, after all.

Celestia flashed a maternal smile. “You're more than qualified, Twilight. In fact, I wouldn't mind an assistant with repairing the Armor, and I can hardly imagine a better pony to do so than you.”

“Really?!” My mouth spread in a big smile. “That would be great! I did come up with a number of ways the Armor could be improved—if you want to, that is.”

“You mentioned as much in your letter.” Her smile took on a teasing edge. “I had no idea my work was so inadequate.”

My eyes went wide. “I-I didn't mean to make it sound like that! It's just enchanting has come a long way since the Armor was made! There's nothing inadequate about you or your work! I don't doubt the Armor was the peak of armor enchantment for its day!”

Celestia placed a restraining hoof on my shoulder. “I'm teasing, Twilight.”

“Oh...” I took a long moment to suppress the panic that had been building on me. No reason to panic over nothing, even if I’d had perfectly good reasons to panic before she reassured me there was no reason to panic.

“Still, I'm sure I don't need to tell you how potentially thorny any change to the Armor is.”

I let out an exasperated sigh. “So I've been getting told by everypony. All I want to do is help, but half the time I'm being made to sound like I'm wanting to touch up a famous work of art. Granted, I kinda am in a lot of ways, but it's still frustrating. In fact, the good points they’ve raised only make it more frustrating.”

Celestia patted my shoulder. “But I know you have the best of intentions.”

It was good to hear that the Princess understood what I was going through. That wasn't the same as her agreeing with me, but it was something at least. “Thanks, though I'm starting to feel out of the loop on this one.”

“How do you mean?”

I rubbed my brow as I felt stress build up. “I've pretty much been told I don't have a say in what's going to happen with the Armor, since this is an internal Kicker Clan decision.”

Celestia nodded. “They are rather defensive of it. To be fair to them, it is a dangerously powerful artifact, a priceless family heirloom, a cultural treasure, and a religious relic. It's literally irreplaceable, and the only one they have. Losing it would affect their very self identity. It's only reasonable they want to see it protected.”

“Is there anyplace where this doesn't get extremely complicated?” I grumbled.

Celestia shook her head. “I'm afraid not. Being royalty means everything is complicated. I once set off a panic just by mentioning I didn't like spinach. Apparently half the spinach farmers in Equestria tried to switch their fields to something else. Ever since then I've tried to be very careful about anything I say about food.”

“I'm not sure whether I should find that funny or sad. That sounds ridiculous but somehow I know it's true.” After becoming the Princess of Friendship ponies had certainly seemed to pay more attention to whatever I said—be it something friendship related or some royal business.

“Probably because it's a bit of both,” Celestia said with a wry smile.

“You're probably right. I just hope ponies don't take everything I say quite that seriously.” My gaze fell on the Armor, and I felt the urge to ask something that had been bothering me. “There was something I wanted to talk to you about, if I can.”

“Of course. You’re always free to ask me question, Twilight. You know that.”

I shuffled in place. Despite her assurances, it still didn’t feel right to question her like how I was about it. “Isn't the current requirements for bearing the Armor ... restrictive? Purity of heart is pretty ambiguous for determining who should be able to use it.”

“Yes, that’s how they were designed to be,” Celestia said. “It’s all in the eye of the beholder.”

“But Cloud wasn't able to use the Armor even when she only wanted to use it to protect everypony in Canterlot,” I pointed out. “I can't think of a much purer purpose than that.”

Celestia inclined her head in a slight nod. “Shadow evidently disagreed.”

I frowned. That … really wasn’t a sufficient argument. Granted, it had been hard to get any information out of Cloud on exactly why she had been denied. There might be details that I hadn’t been made aware of. “Maybe, but Storm...” I bit my lip as I considered my next few words, since I was bringing up a potentially sensitive topic. But if I couldn’t be honest with Princess Celestia, then who could I be honest with? “And Storm was initially rejected by Shadow until, well, she kinda tricked the Armor to let her use it.”

Celestia raised an eyebrow. “Oh really?”

I grimaced, not at all comfortable as I continued. “She told the spirit in the armor that she wanted to protect her princess.”

Celestia’s face became in impenetrable neutral mask, and seconds ticked by until she answered with a simple, “Ah.”

I could easily guess the reason for her discomfort, however well she hid it. Shadow had been extremely dedicated in her quest to serve Celestia. If there was anything Shadow was likely to sympathize with it was a pony wanting to protect her princess.

“So I'm wondering if there might be some problems with this system,” I said carefully. “Not that you didn't have perfectly good reasons for putting them into place to start with, though! But now might be a time to at least talk about it. There isn’t any harm in debating it, right?”

“Probably not, no.” Celestia stepped over to the armor, her gaze taking it in. “I suppose we could ask the Armor what it thinks.”

I rubbed my chin. “That doesn't sound like a bad idea. It’s another opinion at least, and an important one at that.” I moved a hoof over the Armor. “Shall we then?”

Celestia nodded. “We shall.” The two of us touched the Armor, and the world faded away.

When I opened my eyes, I found myself outside in the Kicker Compound training yard. Before us the the mindscape reality stood Shadow Kicker—or at least the copy of her spirit that inhabited the Armor.

“Princess Sparkle,” Shadow said to me. He gaze then shifted to Celestia. “And ... Commander.”

Celestia smiled sadly. “Old friend.”

The two of them stared at one another, neither one approaching or saying anything else to one another. I sensed there was something passing between the two of them, though I couldn’t tell exactly what.

“Um, hello?” I did my best to give her a friendly smile as I interjected myself. “Nice to see you again.”

“What brings thee here?” Shadow frowned slightly. “I do hope thou art not here to bombard me with questions again.”

“We do have a few questions for you.” I grimaced. “Sorry, but it’s pretty important.”

Shadow let out a breath. “Ask, then.”

“We wanted to know what you thought about how you were used,” I told her.

“What little use the Armor sees,” Shadow grumbled. “I was not made to sit in a vault for years on end, yet ‘tis often decades between the times I am allowed to see the sun.”

“Some ponies kinda disagree,” I tried to say as neutrally as possible, my eyes flicking to Celestia.

Shadow’s head tilted slightly to the side. “Is that so?”

“Your armor is an artifact of power that must be used carefully,” Celestia explained. “It is simply too powerful for anything less. As you well know, it could be easily abused if allowed into the wrong hooves.”

Shadow’s eyes narrowed. “I agree the armor should not be used lightly, but it should not go unused either.”

“They kinda want to protect you from, well, getting damaged like you are right now,” I pointed out.

Shadow’s wings flicked, but she continued to speak in a level tone. “I can appreciate that much, but their protection will leave me rotting away unused.”

“Right, and a lot of them aren't wild about the idea of me giving you upgrades,” I said with a sigh.

“I have some trepidation on the topic as well,” Shadow said.

Celestia held up a hoof in a reassuring motion. “I assure you, we won't make any changes to the spell matrix that might threaten your existence. Harm to you is one of the last things we will allow.”

I nodded in agreement and summoned a list of all the proposed changes we could make to the Armor. “You can see for yourself what we’re considering.”

Shadow’s scanned list before looking to Celestia. “Your thoughts, Commander?”

“I'll need some time to evaluate it all, but I have every confidence in Twilight,” Celestia said.

“Of course, the Kicker Clan has to consent to any proposals.” I frowned at the memory of my last few encounters with the Kickers. “As they like to remind me.”

Shadow turned her attention back to me. “Are you having trouble with my descendants?”

“Not exactly trouble, but they have been resistant to my ideas,” I explained. I didn’t want to give the wrong impression about her descendants. “Or at least, some of them.”

“For what reason?”

“That's pretty complicated,” I said. “Some of them are worried that I'll break you, while others are more comfortable with the idea of you being in the Vault most of the time—both to protect you and to make sure you’re not abused. You are a religious relic to them. It’s not really a surprise that they don’t want anything to happen to you.”

Celestia nodded. “Many of them are afraid of the changes that will come.”

“So I see.” Shadow turned to face a rack covered with practice weapons. “Armor is a practical tool to be used, not a relic to be revered. I do nopony any good sitting around collecting dust.” She snorted softly. “I had hoped the cultic foolishness Sunbeam encouraged would have died out by now.”

I bit my lip, knowing she wasn’t going to be thrilled by what I was to about to tell her. “Sorry, but if anything, it's going stronger than ever. Your cult is pretty popular in the Guard as well as the Kicker Clan.”

“Bothersome.” Shadow turned a pointed look Celestia’s direction. “A pity they were not dissuaded from partaking of such foolishness.”

Celestia let out a soft sigh, closing her eyes. “Shadow, I could hardly dissuade everypony from having an opinion. It’s not my policy to tell ponies what to think as long as they aren’t hurting anyone.”

Shadow turned to put her back to Celestia. “Thou couldst have made more of an effort. It was never mine intention to be an object of veneration.”

I got the feeling that this was a topic these two had talked about before, and those past talks hadn’t been particularly pleasant. It made me wonder how many difficult talks these two had had in the past. Maybe I could help seal the rift between them, if only a little bit.

I cleared my throat to draw their attention my way. “I don't suppose it would make you happy that your cult makes some ponies happy?”

“Oh?” Shadow said with careful neutrality.

“They do teach a lot of your ideals and Old Pegasopolian virtues,” I said, feeling a lecture coming on. “They do try and promote good behavior in ponies, even if you’re not wild about them worshipping you.”

“The Cult of Shadow has added much to Equestria,” Celestia agreed.

Shadow took in a long breath and stared off to nothing in particular. “I see. I suppose that is some small benefit. But ‘tis still bothersome.”

“You could always say what you want,” I suggested. “I'm sure ponies would listen to you.”

Shadow shook her head. “Actually, I cannot. There are limits to what I can tell ponies of my clan to do. We did not want mine armor ruling. A dead mare should not should determine the course of her clan.”

“Oh right, that.” I had been so absorbed in the conversation that I hadn’t fully thought out the implications about letting a dead pony, especially one as influential as Shadow, make suggestions to her descendants. It would be too easy for her to dominate her clan, even if unintentionally. “It would be a bit of an issue.”

“Just so.” Shadow pointed to a nearby standard carrying her clan’s flag. “They must make their own choices, not have their decisions be dictated by me.”

I sighed, feeling my frustration growing. This issue was just refusing to simplify itself no matter how I tried. “So much for asking you for what you want then.”

“I cannot dictate clan policy, but you have heard my wishes,” Shadow said, a tad more gently than before. “What I wish is to be used in a good cause for good reasons. It is as simple as that. That, and I would not mind Storm to continue to be my bearer. She is a worthy descendant of mine, and I am sure she would use the Armor well.”

I nodded. “We can tell them that. Thanks for letting us know and answering our question.”

Celestia smiled for her old friend. “Thank you for your help, Shadow. We appreciate it.”

“Of course.” Something flickered over Shadow’s face that I couldn’t read. “And ... thank you.”

“For what?” I asked, tilting my head.

“Speaking with me, and seeking to improve me,” Shadow said. “It seems all too rare that ponies ask me what I desire, and I appreciate it that thou hast done so.”

I smiled, feeling a little bit better about myself. “I just like helping, is all.”

Shadow nodded her head. “I know. It speaks well of you.”

“Thanks, that's really nice of you to say,” I said.

Celestia smiled warmly to me. “Shadow is very kind, in her way. Though if I might, Twilight, could I ask for some time alone with her?”

“Of course, I'll step out...” I looked around, not exactly seeing a door out of the dreamscape around me. “Or whatever you call it when you leave a dreamscape. I really need to read up on the proper terminology for that.”

“Do not worry thyself too much, my descendant.” I felt her nudge me gently with an effort of will, sending me back to the material world.

Author's Notes:

I would like to thank my editors Chengar Qordath, Comma-Kazie, and JakeTheGinger for all their help, and Rodinga, Trinary, and Swiftest Shadow for all their help prereading this chapter.