Lighting up her horn softly, Twilight Velvet grasped the end of a soft blanket and pulled it up over her husband’s crumpled, sleeping form. Night Light’s eyes scrunched up softly in response. When Twilight Velvet leaned down to kiss her husband on the top of his muzzle, he seemed to relax again, his lips betraying just the faintest hint of an unconscious smile.

“You work too hard, love,” she whispered forlornly to herself. “I hope, for your sake, that one day you can come home and have a Friday night where you don’t just collapse on the couch.” She began to gingerly walk up the nearby stairwell, casting a loving glance down at her sleeping husband on the couch before cresting up and onto the second floor of the family’s Canterlot townhouse.

Maybe I’ll pour myself a nice bath, Twilight Velvet planned, meandering down the dark hallway towards the master bedroom. I can take as long as I want without worrying about anyone needing to use the bathroom, now that everypony is asleep.

Just then, a slight whimper jolted Twilight Velvet from her machinations. The noise had come from her little colt’s room; suddenly filled with motherly concern, she promptly hustled across the hall and cracked open the door, wiggling her head through the gap and peering into the dark room.

“Shiny?” she called sweetly, only able to make out a faint outline of the room’s furniture. “Are you okay, sweetie?”

A tiny vocal quiver could be heard, followed by two sniffles and a short, wavering affirmation. “...m...mhmm.”

Relieved that her son wasn’t hurt, Twilight Velvet stepped into the room and closed the door behind her. Carefully, she tread around Shining Armor’s comic books and action figures left strewn across the floor and sat down at the side of his bed. Letting her eyes adjust to the darkness, she placed a hoof on top of the little colt’s head and patted it gently. “What’s wrong, Shiny?”

Taking a big, shaky breath in, Shining Armor steeled himself. “I h-had a bad dream.”

“Oh, honey,” his mother said, lifting herself onto the bed next to him and wrapping her hooves around him gently. “Nightmares are never fun, I’m sorry.”

Shining Armor snuggled in close to his mother’s soft barrel and rubbed his cheek against it. “It was about this big black monster with sharp teeth, and a jagged horn, and green eyes!” The colt spoke more and more clearly, his mother’s presence reminding him he was safe for the moment. “It tried to eat me! A-and I know it’s silly, b-but now I’m afraid that there are monsters in my room.” As he made his confession, he seemed to withdraw slightly from his mother’s embrace as if ashamed.

Twilight Velvet kissed the top of Shining Armor’s horn comfortingly. “Well, I could check under the bed and in your closet for you, but something tells me that these are the type of monsters that go away when somepony checks, aren’t they?”

The young Shining Armor relaxed against his mom and allowed himself to return her hug. "Yeah," he muffled into her neck.

“Well, Shiny, I should tell you that you’re right; there are monsters in your closet!”

Shining Armor tore away from the hug and looked up at his mother in shock. Even in the nigh impenetrable darkness, Twilight Velvet could make out his big eyes practically shaking in trepidation. “R-really?”

“I’m afraid so,” she began. “But you don’t have to worry at all. Do you know why the monsters are in your closet?”

“N-no,” her son replied, now sounding more curious than afraid. “I-is it because they hide there until you leave and then try and eat me?”

“Nope,” she said, slowly running a hoof over his short mane. “It’s because they’re hiding from you.”

Shining Armor laid against his mother, his hooves squeezing her tight as he tried to process this new information. “They...They’re hiding? Why?”

“Well, because they’re scared of you, of course!” she told him, nuzzling his cheek gently.

“Scared? Of me?”

“Yes! They know that you’re the toughest, meanest colt on this side of Canterlot,” she assured him. “There’s no way that they’d want to come and tangle with you, so they’re hiding. They’re probably afraid that you’ll eat them!”

Shining Armor smiled briefly before a look of bemused skepticism washed over his face. “No way. They can’t be scared, they’re monsters.”

“Oh yeah?” his mother cut back lightly. “Then how come you’ve only seen them in your dreams? Colts all over Equestria have scary monsters in their rooms, but in all your eight years you’ve never even seen one in real life. They must be running scared!”

Twilight Velvet could feel Shining Armor’s ears flick upwards against her neck. “Y-you really think so?”

“I know so!” she replied confidently. “I know, and they do too, that you’re a brave warrior in training. They don’t stand a chance!”

“Yeah!” Shining Armor bellowed, displaying his hitherto unseen fighting spirit as his head ripped upward from his mother’s barrel. “I’m going to go out tomorrow with my friends and train for when I become a big pony! I’m gonna be a super strong soldier- like, a captain even! And I’m gonna have a sword, and I’m gonna go ‘swoosh swoosh’, and the monsters are gonna be all, ‘rawrrr, I’m scared’, and then...and then-”

Twilight Velvet knew when her son was about to get into a rowdy streak and acted quickly to ensure he’d sleep at least some tonight. “Shhhhhh,” she comforted, hugging him close to her again. “There will be plenty of that tomorrow.”
Shining Armor squirmed against her for a moment before relenting. “Okay. Thanks for everything, Mom.”

Twilight Velvet hummed softly, holding her son close to her and smiling as she closed her eyes. Slowly, a warmness and a sense of purpose came over her. “Hey, Shiny?”

“Yeah, Mom?”

“I want you to know that I mean everything I just said to you.”

“About the monsters?”

Twilight Velvet’s composure wavered a moment as her mind searched for a truthful yet encouraging response. Settling on dodging the question, she continued. “You’re going to be such a strong, brave stallion, and I am so proud of you. One day soon, it’s going to be up to you to protect the family, you know.”

Shining Armor squirmed again, confused of what to make of this new information. “What about Dad?”

Twilight Velvet couldn’t help but smile a little bit. “Daddy is a very hard worker and a nice pony, but he’s not particularly brave. Don’t tell him, but I think I’m tougher than he is.”

Shining Armor giggled quietly, burying his muzzle into Twilight Velvet’s neck again. “You totally are!”

“That means that you have to be the stallion in charge though. And you will have a very special assignment soon.”

“What is it?” he asked, ears perked up in anticipation.

“Daddy doesn’t know yet, but you’re going to have a little sister,” she told him, confident it was the right time. “And it’s going to be your job to protect her.”

“From the monsters?”

“From all sorts of things. It’s up to you to be her big brother, best friend, and brave warrior, forever. Can you handle that?”
Shining Armor lept out of his Mom’s grasp and onto the bed, slapping a hoof to his forehead in a mock salute. “Yes! I’m going to be the best protector for my little sis!”

“Shhhhh,” Twilight Velvet cut again, standing back up on the toy-laden floor. “You’re going to wake your father!”

Shining Armor fell roughly onto his side on the bed. “Fine. Good night Mom, I love you!”

“Good night, my little knight,” she told him, giving him one last hug and a kiss on the cheek. “Now, go to sleep. You have lots of training to do tomorrow.” Lighting up her horn, she opened the door, shimmied out, and closed it behind her, leaving her alone in the hallway.

“Now,” she whispered to herself, relishing the peace of solitude, “About that bath…”