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The Marvelous Misadventures of Shining Armor and the CMC

by lrft4_san

Chapter 6: Chapter 6: Gleaming Shield and The Crusaders Have a Sleepover

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“Twi? Hey Twilight!”

Twilight Sparkle’s eyes wrenched open as the voice calling her, and the gentle shaking that accompanied it jolted her out of a deep sleep.

“NO, RAINBOW DASH, THAT’S MY MAYONNAISE,” she shouted, as the remnants of her dream were replaced by reality.

“Uh, what,” said the voice again.

Twilight rubbed the sleep from her eyes with her forehooves, and quickly located who it had been who had woken her; standing just to her right was a small, purple and green dragon.

“Oh, hi Spike,” she said with a yawn, and a bit of a sheepish laugh, “sorry, I was up late last night doing, uh, work for Princess Celestia, and I was feeling really tired, so I decided to take a… wait where have you been?” Twilight suddenly realized that it had been three days since the incident with her brother, and in all that time she had not seen scale or claw of her number one assistant.

“Over at Carousel Boutique,” Spike replied, matter-of-factly. “Remember? I told you that I was going to help Rarity with this huge dress order that she had to fill.”

“That was three days ago, Spike.”

The little dragon just shrugged his shoulders.

“What can I say, Rarity wouldn’t let me leave until the work was done. Not that I’ve minded though.”

Twilight rolled her eyes when she saw the familiar lovey-dovey look on her assistant’s face.

“Well then, Romeo, if you’re all done over there, I’d like you to reshelve these books for me.” Twilight pointed a hoof toward a small stack of books that she had either finished using, or found to be irrelevant to her research. “I’d also like you to find-”

“Sorry, Twilight, but I just stopped by to get my wagon; I need it because Rarity ran out of gems this morning, so we need to go out hunting for more.” Spike walked over to the nearby closet, and started rummaging through it, tossing different objects onto the floor behind him.

“So where’s Shining Armor,” Spike called from the closet.

“Oh, he’s, um, exploring the town.”

“On his own?”

“Uh, yeah; I told him that I would’ve loved to have gone out with him and show him around, but I’m just too busy with this assignment.”

“I guess that makes sense. Has he at least been enjoying himself?”

“I think so. He got off to a bit of a bumpy start, but things have…changed since then.”

Spike finally emerged from the closet pulling a rather large, red wagon (which was more like a small, baby dragon sized cart) behind him.

“Well, it’s good to hear he’s doing well. Tell him I’m sorry I missed…”

Spike’s voice trailed away, as his eyes were drawn to a book that had somehow landed on the floor away from the others.

Ancient Equestrian: A Beginners Guide to the Dead Language of Our Ancestors,” he read. “What do you need this book for?”

In a fit of a panic, Twilight grabbed the book with her magic, and yanked it out of the baby dragon’s claws.

“Oh there it is,” she said with a nervous laugh, as she placed the book on the table. “I was using it to translate this stuff for Princess Luna.”

Spike gave Twilight a puzzled look.

“I thought you said you were doing work for Princess Celestia.”

“Uh…yeah, it is. It’s for the both of them; you know, I’m a new princess and all, so they need to test me to make sure I’m knowledgeable in, um, this…stuff…” The end of her sentence trailed off; she knew it wasn’t a very convincing lie.

Spike just stared up at his friend; he’d known Twilight his whole life, and he could tell when she was hiding something. The beads of sweat on her brow, and the uneasy smile were clear indications that there was something that she wasn’t telling him. He was just about to press the matter, but a voice outside caught his attention.

“Spike,” came Rarity’s melodic call, “it isn’t polite to keep a lady waiting.”

“Be right there.” Spike picked up the handle of his wagon, and started wheeling it towards the door. “Have fun with whatever it is you’re doing; I’ve got a date with Rarity.” With that, the baby dragon opened the door, and left for what was sure to be a fun, yet exhausting day.

When the door closed behind Spike, Twilight sighed, and looked down at her work. She wished she could have told Spike about everything that had been happening; the dragon may have still been young, but he was the best assistant a pony could ask for, and she couldn’t help but feel that things would be a lot easier if he had been around. Still, she was feeling really good with how well things were going; it had only been less than three days and she was already a little more than half way through the spell. The fact that the spell had been written in the three different Ancient Equestrian dialects (Pegasus, Unicorn, and Earth Pony), and that each dialect used similar sounding words, meant that she had to search through every book that she had in order to find the correct translation. What made matters worse was that some of her books were very outdated, and only translated Ancient Equestrian to Middle Equestrian. Luckily she had come prepared for this, and had several other language books at the ready, which helped her slowly make progress to modern language. Yet with all the work that she had put into her translating, there was still no way that the spell would be ready for when Cadence arrived.

Another sigh escaped Twilight as she looked up at the clock. 3:00 PM, it read. Shining Armor should be home soon, Twilight thought, as she made her way into the kitchen and started brewing another pot of coffee, I hope everything went ok today. She might not have shown it when she pushed Shining Armor out the door that morning, but Twilight had been a little confused by how well her brother had been taking things since his accidental transformation; after everything he’d been through the past couple of days (being turned into a filly, and then being forced to spend time with three of the most hyperactive fillies in Ponyville), Twilight had thought that Shining Armor would be in a much fouler mood, but by some miracle, it seemed that his adventures were actually doing a good job of distracting him from his misfortune.

When Twilight finished preparing her coffee, she placed the percolator on the stove, turned on the heat, and went back into the library, where a small, white, unicorn filly was sitting at the table.

“Hey, Twily,” Shining Armor said, as his sister made her way over and sat down next to him.

“Oh, Shining Armor. How was, uh, how was school?”

“School was…um…” Shining Armor thought for a moment. I should probably leave out what happened with Diamond Tiara, he thought, Celestia knows how she’d react to that. “School was good. They started a unit on the Crystal Empire today, so I got to show off a bit of my knowledge.”

“Just a bit, huh,” Twilight said with a light chuckle, “well I hope you weren’t too much of a show off.

“Of course I wasn’t…well Ok, I might have showed off just a little bit.”

Both siblings stared at each other, and then broke out in a fit of laughter. Neither of them knew why they were laughing; there hadn’t been anything particularly humorous about what Shining Armor had just said. Yet there they were, a young mare, and her brother, both wiping tears from their eyes as they tried to compose themselves. One thing that they both knew, though, was that it felt good to laugh together again; things had seemed to be going downhill since Shining Armor had first set hoof in Twilight’s library, and there didn’t really seem to be anything to laugh about. Yet somehow, the idea that Shining Armor had just gone to grade school seemed to make them both realize just how ridiculous the whole thing really was.

“So how are you doing, B.B.B.F.F.?” Twilight asked, as the laughter began to die down.

Shining Armor thought for a moment; while he wasn’t exactly happy with how his week had been going, he felt that if he was able to find the humor in his situation, he might just be able to make it the rest of the week.

“Better than I was,” he finally responded, “though I’m still more than ready to get my old body back; being a filly is too exhausting.”

Twilight beamed at her brother, happy to hear that despite everything that had happened, Shining Armor was in good spirits.

“Well, hopefully you won’t have to wait too much longer; I just looked over the spell before you came in, and judging by how long it took me to get to this point, I don’t think it should take me that much longer to finish it.”

“Really?” Shining Armor looked up at his sister, a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

“Yup; as long as I keep up this pace, I don’t see why I shouldn’t be done with this in the next couple of days.”

“YES!” Shining Armor reared in excitement, then closed the distance between himself and his sister, and wrapped his tiny forelegs as far around her as they would reach.

Twilight continued to smile down at her brother, even though she knew that what she just said had been a lie. Not a complete lie though; it was true that if she kept at it, Twilight wouldn’t have any trouble finishing the spell in two days, the trouble was that no matter how much effort she put into her work, there was no way that she would finish before Cadence got there. Of course she couldn’t tell her brother that, since Cadence had asked Twilight to keep her arrival a secret. A voice in the back her mind kept telling her that she should say something, to just tell him that Cadence was coming, but she ignored it, figuring that if she said something now, Shining Armor would just spend the next couple of days freaking out, creating a much more stressful environment than she need to finish her work. In the end Twilight decided that for the present, the less her brother knew, the faster she’d be able to finish the spell.

Twilight snapped out of her thoughts when she heard a faint rattling sound coming from the kitchen.

“Oh, that would be my coffee,” Twilight said, as she got up, and made her way to the other room. “Would you like some, Shining Armor?”

“No thanks,” he called back, “I’m actually heading back out.”

Twilight came back into the room with a pink coffee cup suspended in her magic, and sat at the table.

“I see, headed out for another afternoon of crusading, are you,” Twilight said with a light chuckle. “What are you going to do today? Are you gonna wrestle bears, or go mountain climbing?”

Shining Armor shook his head.

“Actually, we aren’t going crusading today,” he said. “The girls were thinking of having a slumber party at the clubhouse, and I was just stopping in to tell you that that’s where I’m going to be tonight.”

As if on cue, Scootaloo burst through the door, followed closely by Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle.

“Hey, Gleaming Shield,” she said, “are you coming or what?”

Shining Armor looked from the anxiously waiting fillies, to his sister.

“It’s ok, right,” he whispered to Twilight. “I know we haven’t spent much time together since I got here, so I could stay, and we could-”

“No, it’s alright,” Twilight said with a smile, “I’ve still got a lot of work to do, so I wouldn’t be that much fun to hang out with.”

Shining Armor nodded.

“Ok,” he said, “I just figured I’d ask before heading out.” With one last smile to Twilight, Shining Armor turned and trotted started making his way to the fillies. “Alright girls, let’s get going.”

“Have fun you four,” Twilight called as the Crusaders ran outside, the door closing behind them with a slam.

Twilight giggled, as she turned away from the door, still happy to see that her brother’s mood had so greatly improved in the past three days. Right, time to get back to work, she thought, as she turned back to the table, took a long sip of her coffee, and cracked open another book, ready for the long night of translating that awaited her.

The Crusaders made quick work stopping off at everypony’s houses. First they went to Scootaloo’s house (a modest sized, two-story home, located in the middle of town), where they stayed just long enough for Scootaloo to dash in, tell her mother she was going to be out for the night, before rushing back out and jumping on her scooter. Then they were off again, barreling down the road towards Carousel to Boutique where Sweetie Belle was staying with her sister while their parents were away visiting their grandparents. They were just about there, when they found Rarity trotting away from her shop, followed closely by Spike, who was pulling a large wagon behind him.

“Hey, Rarity,” Sweetie Belle called as the Crusaders zoomed by, “can’t stop; sleepover at the Crusader’s clubhouse.”

“Sweetie Belle wai…” but it was too late; the scooter had turned a corner and out of site. “Just make sure you behave yourself; I don’t want to hear from Applejack that you’ve been getting into trouble.”

Rarity’s voice barely reached Sweetie Belle’s ears, as the Crusaders hurdled down the street towards the edge of town, where they turned off onto the dusty old road that led to Sweet Apple Acres.

Shining Armor looked on in awe at the seemingly endless rows of apple trees that lined the long and winding road to the large red farmhouse that the Apple family called home. It was nothing like he had imagined when he had had the honor of tasting the delectable fruit that came from this particular orchard, when Applejack (a close friend of his sister’s) had catered his and Cadence’s wedding a few years back. Up until now, he had pictured a small orchard, with enough apple trees to feed all of Ponyville, but as he looked out over the hills that rose in the distance, each one covered in trees, and every one of those trees full of the ripe, red fruit, Shining Armor realized that he had completely underestimated just how large Sweet Apple Acres was.

At long last, the Scooter came to a stop just outside of the Apple’s house.

“Alright, gals,” Apple Bloom said, as the three little ponies clambered out of the wagon, “Ah’m gonna go look for Applejack out in the orchard. Why don’t you three go inside and get the campin’ gear, and stuff for s’mores for the slumber party.”

“Ok,” Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo said in unison.

Shining Armor followed the two fillies into the house, and found himself standing inside a cozy little sitting room, furnished with nothing more than an old, red couch, a lamp, a couple of rugs, and a potted plant growing in the corner. It certainly wasn’t much, but it was comfortable enough for a family of farm ponies.

“Alright, Gleaming Shield,” Scootaloo said, as she and Sweetie Belle started making their way across the room to a set of stairs, “me and Sweetie Belle are gonna go up stairs and get our sleeping stuff. Why don’t you go get the stuff we need for s’mores?”

“Uh, sure, but I-”

“They’re in the kitchen,” Sweetie Belle said, as she followed Scootaloo upstairs. “They usually keep the marshmallows and chocolate in the bottom drawer near the fridge, and the graham crackers in the cupboard right beside it.”

Shining Armor watched the last few hairs of Sweetie Belle’s pink and mulberry tail disappear up the stairs. Well, he thought, as he looked around the room, until his eyes landed on a door that he assumed must lead to the kitchen, might as well get to it. Placing his forehooves firmly against the door, Shining Armor pushed as hard as he could, until it creaked open just enough for him to get a good look inside.

Bingo. Shining Armor passed through the door, and into an old, country style kitchen. The first things that he noticed as he made his way through the kitchen were the large, white, oven and stove, the sets of cupboards that lined the upper half of the opposite wall, each one decorated with a large, green apple, and the plain, wooden table that took up a just a small portion of the large room.

As he made his way further into the kitchen, Shining Armor looked too his right, and sure enough, there was a tall, white refrigerator next to a counter top, with a set of three drawers, and a cupboard built beside each other into the base. Ok, Shining Armor thought, as he trotted in the direction of the drawers, according to Sweetie Belle, I’ll find the s’more stuff in here. Shining Armor grabbed the handle of the bottom drawer in his teeth, and yanked it open, so he could peer inside.

It took a bit of digging, but Shining Armor emerged from the drawer moments later, a bag of marshmallows, and a bag of chocolate bars clutched in his teeth. When he was completely out, he set his loot on the floor, and closed the drawer, before moving onto the cupboard.

While he was looking over the contents of the cupboard, Shining Armor heard the door to the kitchen open, as two ponies entered the room.

“I tell, yah, Big Mac,” came a heavily accented, elderly sounding voice, “Ah’ve got a good feelin’ ‘bout this year’s apple crop.”

“Eeyup,” said a second, deep, masculine voice.

Shining Armor’s heart began pounding rapidly when he heard the two ponies stop. Slowly, he raised his head out of the cupboard, and turned around to see a small, old, green colored mare, and a large, deep red stallion standing in the doorway, their eyes fixed on him.

“Ehh, Sweetie Belle?” Asked the older of the two, squinting her eyes to get a better look, “is tha’ you young’un?”

Shining Armor swallowed the nervous lump in his throat and shook his head.

“No, ma’am,” he said as politely as he could. “My name is Gleaming Shield, and I’m-”

“Yer a little thief is what ya is.” The old mare pointed a hoof at the small pile of food that Shining Armor had retrieved from the drawer.

“Wha… Oh no, ma’am, I wasn’t stealing-”

“Big Mac, catch that little’un.”

“Eeyup.” The large stallion trotted over to Shining Armor, who tried to dodge him, but failed, and he flailed his legs frantically as he felt himself being lifted off the ground by his tail. The old mare walked over to where Shining Armor was hanging upside down, and started examining him, her eyes just inches away from his face.

“Hmmm, Ah don’ recognize this’un, Big Mac. Do you?”

“Mopef,” Big Mac said, his mouth full of tail.

“Y'all new around here?” She asked, turning her attention back to Shining Armor.

“Yes ma’am,” he said. “Like I said, my name is Gleaming Shield, and I’m visiting my cousin who lives in Ponyville. I’m-

“Ah thought ya must be new t’ town.” The old mare gave him a sharp poke in the belly with a hoof. “Ya see, ponies ‘round these parts don’ go breakin’ into other ponies’ houses. We don’ take too kindly to that sort of behavior.”

”But Apple Bloom asked me too.”

The old mare paused for a moment.

“Asked ya to?”

“Yeah, she did. I’m a friend of her’s; we’ve been hanging out for the past three days.”

“A friend o’ Apple Blooms, huh? Well we’ll just see about that.” She turned her attention back to the stallion. “Big Mac, go an’ fetch yer little sister; she must be around here somewhere.”

Before Big Macintosh could move, a door Shining Armor hadn’t noticed before opened, and in walked a familiar blonde mare, followed closely by her little sister.

“What in tarnation is goin’ on in here, Granny Smith?” Applejack asked as she made her way over to her brother and Granny Smith.

“Oh, Applejack, Apple Bloom, there ya are.” Granny Smith said with a smile. “Yer brother an’ I just caught this little filly raidin’ our cupboards.”

Apple Bloom stifled a giggle, as she looked up at her friend, dangling upside down, giving her a look that said, “this isn’t funny.”

“Gleamin’ Shield wasn’t tryin’ to steal anythin’, Granny; she was just getting’ the stuff we need to make s’mores.”

Granny Smith squinted again as she looked from her granddaughter, to the pile of sweets on the floor, and chuckled when she realized that Apple Bloom was right.

“Well Ah’ll be,” she said with another chuckle, “Ah suppose we mighta jumped to conclusions about this little filly here. But ya can’t be too careful, ‘specially when there’s an unknown pony rumagin’ ‘round the pantry.”

“So do you think I could be put back on the ground now?” Asked Shining Armor, who had been dangling upside down a bit longer than he would have liked, and was now beginning to feel a bit sick as the blood rushed to his head.

“Sure thing, lil’ darlin’.” Granny Smith nodded her head to Big Macintosh, who in turn lowered Shining Armor back onto the hardwood floor.

Shining Armor held a hoof to his pounding head, as he looked up at the stallion who towered over him.

“Thank you, er, Big Mac was it?”

“Eeyup,” he said, with a bit of an embarrassed, apologetic smile. Big Macintosh opened his mouth to say more, but a pair of high-pitched screams, followed by a soft thud came from the other room, cutting him off.

“Now what’s goin’ on,” Applejack said, as she dashed into the sitting room, followed closely by Big Mac, Apple Bloom, Shining Armor, and Granny Smith bringing up the rear.

Right at the base of the stairs was a soft pile of various camping necessities, such as sleeping bags, pillows, and saddlebags, and lying on top of the pile were a very disoriented Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo.

“Oh for the love of… Are y'all alright?” Applejack asked, shaking her head in disdain.

Scootaloo shook her head, trying to regain her bearings.

“Yeah, we’re…Oooof.” Scootaloo tried to get up, but one of her hind legs caught on the strap of Sweetie Belle’s saddlebag, and she toppled down the pile, landing on her belly on the floor. “We’re good.”

Apple Bloom and Shining Armor rushed over to help the other two Crusaders back to their hooves.

“Did y'all get everythin’ we need?” Apple Bloom asked, checking over the mess her friends made.

“Most of it,” Sweetie Belle answered. “We couldn’t find the lanterns, but I think we left those in the clubhouse after our last sleepover.”

Applejack looked over the pile of camping gear.

“Huh, is that it?” She asked, a hint of shock mixed with humor in her voice. “Y'all sure packed a lot less than you usually do for your sleepovers. Not plannin’ on doin’ any crusadin’ t’night?”

“Naw,” Apple Bloom said, shaking her head. “Well we might try a few things, but,” she leaned in close and whispered so only her sister could here, “this is more for helpin’ Gleamin’ Shield relax; she had a bit of a rough day at school today.”

“Ah hear ya, sugarcube; it’s good of y'all to help your new friend adjust to life in Ponyville, even if she’s just stayin’ here for a short while.” Applejack pulled her sister in close and ruffled her mane affectionately.

“Alright, y'all,” Applejack said, as she let go of her little sister, “Ah’ve got an empty cart right out back that you can use tonight to carry your sleepin’ stuff to the clubhouse, so why don’t y'all go pack it up with your sleepin’ stuff, and then you can come inside and help me and Granny Smith make supper; Ah’m sure y'all will wanna grab a bite to eat before ya head out.”

“Ok Applejack,” Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo said in unison, before jumping into the pile and digging out their sleeping gear.

“Here Gleaming Shield,” Sweetie Belle said, rolling a rolled up sleeping bag towards the Shining Armor, “this one’s yours.”

“Tho's thith,” Scootaloo said, the corner of a blue, floral patterned pillow in her teeth. She gave the pillow a gentle toss, sending it flying towards Shining Armor, hitting him in the forehead. “Oops, sorry,” she said with a laugh.

Shining Armor just chuckled as he lifted the pillow, moving it up, over his horn, so it was balanced perfectly on his head.

“It’s alright,” he said, “I’ll just have to get you back later.”

“Is that a challenge?” Scootaloo smiled wryly, as she grabbed another pillow, and crouched down, looking like she was about to pounce.

“You bet it is.”

There was a sudden flash of orange and gold as Applejack jumped in between the two little ponies.

“That’s enough you two,” she said, giving them an understanding smile. “I know y'all are excited, but save the pillow fightin’ for when you’re at the clubhouse; Ah don’t want ya breakin’ anythin’ inside the house. Ya hear me?”

“Yes, Applejack,” Shining Armor and Scootaloo said together.

The two ponies giggled, as they joined Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom, who were already headed for the back door in the kitchen, wheeling their rolled up sleeping bags in front of them, and balancing their pillows on their backs. On their way out, the Crusaders stopped in the kitchen to pick up the dropped s’more ingredients, and then outside to deposit their items into the empty cart that Applejack said they could use. Once everything was stashed away in the cart, it was back inside to help with dinner.

Shining Armor had never really cooked anything before; there had always been somepony while he was living at home, or at the academy, or in the crystal castle, who had done the cooking for him. So when Applejack had told the Crusaders that they would be helping make dinner for everypony, he had felt a twinge of nervousness. Nevertheless, he was more than willing to try, and quickly picked up his knife to start slicing up the large, peeled potatoes that were lying beside the cutting board in front of him. Applejack had to stop by once or twice and make a few minor adjustments to Shining Armor’s technique, but other than that he felt that he had done quite well.

When Shining Armor had finished slicing his potatoes, Applejack made her way back to him and flashed him an approving smile, and complimented him on his fine work. Then she picked up his cutting board, full of potato slices, and carried it over to a large pot on the stove where she dumped them into an already simmering broth, joining the carrots, celery, and peas that the other Crusaders had contributed to the stew.

“Alright, y'all,” Applejack said, after placing the lid over the pot, leaving it a bit lopsided to let the steam out, “we gotta wait a bit for this stew to finish, so why don’t I hitch up your wagon and we can take your things to the clubhouse?”

“Ok, Applejack,” the Crusaders said, before jumping from their little stools, and dashing back out the door, Applejack following closely behind.

Instead of taking Scootaloo’s scooter to the clubhouse, the Crusaders decided to ride in the cart with their camping gear, all except for Shining Armor, who, after pointing out that there wouldn’t be enough room for all four of them and the gear, had opted to walk along with Applejack. Shining Armor didn’t mind the walk though; a wagon on the back of a scooter hadn’t been his first choice of transportation, and after three days his legs were in need of a bit of exercise, so a nice trot across the Apple’s property was most welcome. As they walked along, Shining Armor could sense a set of eyes staring down at him. Shining Armor looked up and saw Applejack looking down at him with the same look of curiosity that Pinkie Pie had given him his first day in Ponyville.

“Is something wrong, Applejack?” Shining Armor asked, giving the mare an innocent smile.

“Oh, uh, sorry sugarcube,” Applejack said, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink, “Ah just still can’t get it outta my head how much you look like your cousin, Shinin’ Armor; almost like you were him if he were a little filly.”

Shining Armor swallowed the lump that had begun to grow in his throat. He tried to think up a quick answer, but Apple Bloom, who had been listening the entire time, beat him too it as she leaned over the front side of the cart to join in the conversation.

“That’s ridiculous, sis,” she said, laughing at Applejack. “There’s no way Gleamin’ Shield could be Twilight’s big brother; she’s just a little filly like us. I mean…”

- Five minutes later -

“…and that’s why they can’t be the same pony.”

Applejack sighed, and rolled her eyes, as she unhitched the cart, and helped the little fillies out.

“For the last time, Apple Bloom, all Ah meant was that she only looks like what Ah think Shining Armor would look like as a filly.”

The rest of the trip had been quite uncomfortable for Shining Armor; while the distance to the clubhouse was only a five-minute walk from the farmhouse, the Cutie Mark Crusaders had somehow managed to spend the entire trip arguing the fact (much to Shining Armor’s discomfort, and Applejack’s annoyance) that their friend, Gleaming Shield, wasn’t, nor had she ever been, Shining Armor. With every mention of his name, Shining Armor felt a tightening in his stomach that made him want to just run back to Twilight’s library and hide under her bed until she was finished with her spell. Still, as awkward as the conversation made Shining Armor feel, there was one thing that seemed to put his mind at ease; after spending three days with these three, they still believed that he was, without a doubt, just a little filly. And if I don’t do anything stupid to mess this up, they’ll continue thinking that, he thought, as Applejack leaned into the cart and passed him his sleeping bag and pillow, which he rolled up the ramp, and into the Crusaders’ clubhouse, where the other three had brought theirs, and left them in a pile in the middle of the floor, along with their saddlebags.

When everything was put away, the four little ponies clambered back down the ramp, climbed into the cart, and it was back to the farmhouse they went.

“Ahhh, I’m stuffed,” Shining Armor said, as he reclined on his back in the grass under the clubhouse, and rubbed his stomach happily. He looked over at the other two little fillies, who were all in a similar state of contentment from the food they had just consumed.

Dinner had been fantastic; along with the savory vegetable stew that they had helped to make, Big Macintosh had baked some corn bread, and for desert, the most delicious apple crisp Shining Armor had ever tasted. If he had been in his real body, Shining Armor would have gladly helped himself to second, and third helpings of everything; unfortunately, his little filly stomach barely had enough room to accommodate the entire course.

When they had finished dinner, Shining Armor, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle slumped back in their seats, too full to move. They would have been more than happy to remain where they were, but the golden light of the setting sun, told them that they best be on their way back to the clubhouse, if they had wanted to have fun before they went to sleep.

The little ponies climbed off of their seats, and made their way back through the house to the front door. Before they left, to the dismay of Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle, Shining Armor had volunteered their services to help clean the dishes as a way of thanking the Apple family for the meal, but Applejack just laughed and said it would be alright, and that they were more than happy to feed them for the evening.

“Oh, sis,” Apple Bloom said, just as the Crusaders were headed out the door, “would it be alright if Ah borrowed your fire startin’ kit?”

Applejack had to think on this for a moment.

“If Ah say yes, do y'all promise to be careful?”

“We promise,” said all four little ponies.

Applejack walked back inside for a few moments, and then reemerged with a simple fire kit, clutched in her teeth. Unlike the flint and steel that he had used on occasion when he was still a guard, this kit was made up of two sticks, one of which had a piece of twine tied to it, reaching from one end to the other.

“Alright, here ya are,” she said, as she passed the kit to her sister. “Ah’ll be down later tonight to put it out, and to make sure y'all go to sleep.”

“Thankths Apple-ack,” she had said, still holding onto the kit in her mouth.

When they were back outside, the little ponies had made their way to the scooter, and Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Shining Armor collapsed in a pile in the little red wagon, too full to move. Scootaloo, on the other hoof, was a ball of energy, propelling the little fillies down the hills towards the clubhouse as fast her little wings would take them. Shining Armor wasn’t surprised that she wasn’t clutching her tummy like the others were; pegasi burned through energy faster than most other ponies, so, naturally, they would need to eat more. While dinner might have been a little too much for the others, it must have been just enough to give Scootaloo that extra boost she needed to get through the rest of the day.

“HEY GLEAMING SHIELD!”

Shining Armor’s eyes wrenched open, and he nearly yelled, as he was so rudely woken from his post dinner slumber; a slumber that he hadn’t realized he had been in. As his surroundings slowly came back into focus, Shining Armor’s eyes landed on the blurry outline of a little pony sitting next to him.

“Oh good, you’re awake,” Sweetie Belle said, as she smiled innocently down at her friend, who had begun to slowly rise to his hooves.

Shining Armor shielded his eyes with a hoof, as he looked over the horizon at the quickly setting summer sun in the beautiful golden sky over yonder.

“How long have I been asleep?” He asked, as he stretched his tired body, and happily found that the pressure of his dinner had subsided.

“Just a few minutes; I was just coming to wake you-”

“Hey, are you two comin’ or what?”

Shining Armor turned around and saw Apple Bloom sitting on the ground next to the wagon, with Scootaloo, poised ready on her scooter.

“Yeah, come on, we’re burning daylight,” Scootaloo said, her wings buzzing anxiously.

“What’s going on?” Shining Armor asked with a puzzled look.

“Well,” Sweetie Belle said, “it’s getting late, and we were thinking about going to get wood so we could start our campfire soon. I was just coming over to wake you up to see if you wanted to come help us.”

“Sounds like a plan to me,” he said, smiling at the three little ponies, as they began making their way through the woods, “who knows, maybe we’ll get our cutie marks in wood gathering, or fire building.”

After twenty minutes of collecting firewood, starting the fire, and groaning at the fact that they hadn’t earned a cutie mark in either task, the Crusaders sat around the fire (which they made in a fire pit that Applejack had made for them next to the little pond by their clubhouse), roasting marshmallows. Shining Armor, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle chose the slow method, holding their marshmallows just over the flames, letting the heat turn the gooey treats a light shade of brown. Scootaloo, on the other hoof, stuck her stick right in the center of the fire, and only removed it when the marshmallow on the end had caught fire, turning the outside a crispy, black color.

“Whoa, easy there, Scootaloo,” Shining Armor shouted, as Scootaloo tried to blow out her marshmallow.

“Relax, Gleaming Shield,” she said, giving her friend a comforting pat on the back, “I do this all the ti…whoaaaa, watch out!” The stick slipped from Scootaloo’s grasp, and just barely missed Shining Armor’s tail, as it fell to the ground. Shining Armor quickly jumped into action; he passed his stick to Scootaloo, and kicked dirt on the marshmallow, before the small flame could spread to the grass around the campfire.

“Thanks,” Scootaloo said, laughing sheepishly, “I guess I’ll cook it a little lighter next time.”

“Please do,” Shining Armor said, helping Scootaloo clean off her stick, and fitting it with a new marshmallow. “I don’t want you to accidentally burn yourself, or set fire to something.”

Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom giggled as Scootaloo passed Shining Armor back his own marshmallow, and joined them by the fire. Shining Armor couldn’t help but join their laughter; despite the bullying, and the detention on top of everything else that had happened since he first set hoof in Ponyville, Shining Armor felt very much at ease. Maybe it was because he was finally able to see the humor in his situation, or because he knew that he wouldn’t have to be trapped in this body for much longer, or maybe it was just because the warmth of the campfire was having a soothing affect on him; whatever it was, Shining Armor was genuinely beginning to enjoy his time with the Cutie Mark Crusaders. They were a wild bunch of fillies (there was no doubt about that), but they were also kind, well meaning, and always willing to help a friend in need; all traits that Shining Armor had always hoped he would be able to teach his own foals when the time came.

As the night wore on, the Crusaders continued to make, and eat s’more, after s’more, after s’more, until they were all out of marshmallows. A cool wind blew through the trees around them, sending chills through the little ponies’ who were now sitting, quietly by the fire.

“So what do y'all wanna do now?” Apple Bloom asked, as she got up to throw more wood on the fire.
The four little ponies thought for a moment.

“We could always play a board game,” Scootaloo suggested. “I think I left Cloud Busters in the clubhouse.”

“We’re not playin’ Cloud Busters again,” Apple Bloom said.

“What’s Cloud Busters?” Shining Armor asked. “I’ve never played that game before.”

“Trust me, you don’t want to,” Sweetie Belle whispered, “at least not with Scootaloo; she always wins.”
Scootaloo crossed her forelegs and pouted

“Well if you’ve got a better idea I’d love to hear it.”

Sweetie didn’t need to think about what she wanted to do.

“We should sing campfire songs.” Sweetie Belle sat up, and cleared her throat, but just before she could belt her first note, Apple Bloom covered her mouth with a hoof.

“Maybe we should do somethin’ a little quieter,” Apple Blooom said, “No offense, Sweetie Belle, but last time you sang around the campfire, Big Mac had to come down from the house to ask you to keep it down.”

Sweetie Belle’s ears drooped, as she looked down at the ground, and poked at the dirt with a hoof.

“Yeah, I know,” she sighed, “but it’s just so much fun to sing really loud.”

“What about you, Gleamin’ Shield,” Apple Bloom said, “what would you like to do?”

Shining Armor didn’t need to be asked twice; when he and his friends used to get together for sleepovers, there was always one thing that they enjoyed doing more than anything else:

“We should tell scary stories,” he said, an enthusiastic smile spreading across his face.

“That’s a great idea,” Apple Bloom said.

“Sounds like a plan to me,” Sweetie Belle agreed.

“Uh, yeah,” Scootaloo said, with noticeably less enthusiasm, “a-awesome idea.”

“Alrighty then,” Shining Armor said, “who wants to start?”

The other three little ponies looked at each other.

“Why don’t you go first, Gleamin’ Shield,” Apple Bloom said, “it was your idea after all.”

Shining Armor thought for a moment.

“Alright, I guess I can go first.” Shining Armor got up from his seat and walked around the fire so that he was looking at the Crusaders through the dancing flames. “But I have to warn you three, this story is really scary.”

The three little ponies just sat, huddled together, silently waiting for Shining Armor to begin.

“This is the story of The Faceless Mare.”

On a night, just like this one, two unicorn siblings, a filly, and a colt were on a camping trip with their parents, just on the edge of the Everfree Forest. Now these ponies were from a distant town, and had never heard of the forest, nor did they have any idea what dangers lurked there in the darkness, so when they reached the border of the trees and found a beautiful crystal clear lake not far from the edge of the forest, they had decided to make camp.

The family had spent the whole day setting up their campsite, and swimming in the lake, laughing, and enjoying themselves until the sun began to set. While the parents worked on preparing dinner, the two foals began to grow restless; these two little ponies had been curious about the forest that they had been camping near, and they had wanted to explore it ever since they got there. Seeing as their parents were preoccupied with dinner, they decided to satisfy their curiosity and go on a little adventure into the woods.

Everything seemed fine. At first.

The two foals laughed, and played tag, chasing each other deeper, and deeper into the woods, until they could no longer see the way back. Darkness began to set, and a mysterious fog began to rise from the forest floor. Unfortunately the ponies were too busy playing, that neither of them noticed the change in their surroundings. It wasn’t until they heard the blood-curdling howl of a timberwolf in the distance that they realized that they had gone too far from the campsite. Out of instinct, they both lit up their horns, but the little lights did nothing against the thick wall of fog closing in around them. With nowhere to go, the foals sat down, and huddled close for comfort, and warmth against the cool, dank forest.

That’s when they saw it.

Not far off, there was a break in the canopy above them, where bright, silvery moonlight pierced through the dark fog, illuminating what looked to the foals to be a giant mountain rising out of the middle of the forest. Deciding it would be better to take shelter somewhere near the foot of the mountain (instead of staying out in the open where any sort of creature could find them), the foals quickly got up off the ground and started trotting towards it. It wasn’t until they reached the large, stone structure that they realized that it wasn’t a mountain, but the ruins of a giant castle.

The foals became less sure about wanting to take refuge in such a spooky place, but a second, much closer howl, followed by the distinct sounds of some creature stomping around somewhere in the fog made them jump, and dash into the decrepit castle.

As soon as they passed through the entrance of the castle, the foals quickly wished they were back at the campsite, sitting by a warm fire with their parents; other than the moonlight coming in through the high windows, and the lights from the foals’ horns, the entrance hall was completely dark, and it stunk of mold, and musty air from long ago. Still, they felt like they were much safer in the castle instead of outside, so they decided to pass the time by exploring. They walked through the entrance hall, up a set of stairs to the left, and up a hallway, occasionally checking the open doors, but only finding the other rooms as empty as the rest of the castle that they had seen so far.

At the end of the hall, they found a spiral staircase that led up to one of the castle’s tall towers. They were just about to turn back, when they heard what sounded like a the mournful cry of a mare, echoing down from the tower. It would have been enough to send the two foals running out of the castle, and into the darkness of the forest, but something drew them to the sound. Slowly, they climbed the tower, the sounds of their hearts pounding in their chests, barely masking the cries from above.

It wasn’t long before the two ponies were standing on the landing at the top of the tower, the cries coming, louder than ever, from the other side of the closed, wooden door.

“I’m sorry,” said an eerie voice from inside the room. “I’m so sorry.”

The two ponies felt their hearts stop when they heard the voice. They wanted to turn and run, but some unnatural force was pulling them closer to the source of the crying. Without realizing it, the colt found that his hoof was slowly rising, until it was firmly on the door, the ancient wood bending, and creaking under his weight. Then he pushed, and the door opened with a loud “Creeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaak,” and the hall was filled with a blinding, white light.

“I’m sorry,” the voice said again. “I’m so sorry.”

In the middle of the room, the colt and filly could just make out the shape of a large pony hunched over, with it’s back towards the door.

“Um, excuse me?” the colt asked. “Could you help us?”

Again the pony said “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“Please,” said the filly, “We got lost in the forest, and we really need to get back to our mommy and daddy.”

The figure suddenly stopped crying, got up, and slowly turned to face the little ponies. As it did, the light began to fade away, back into its body, reveling a terrifying sight: the pony was completely white, and very thin, almost as if it was just a skeleton with skin stretched tightly over the bones. It had a deep black mane, that grew in a tangled mess from its head to the floor, where it mixed with its tail in a pool of black hair. What frightened the ponies even more was that the thing didn’t have a face, just empty sockets where the eyes should have been, and blood streaming from them like tears.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

The foals tried to scream, but they couldn’t; it was as if something had stolen their voices.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

The thing started to move towards them. They tried to run, but their trembling legs refused to move.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

The voice grew louder, and sadder as the faceless mare got closer and closer. Finally, the colt found the courage to move again, and he grabbed hold of his sister and started down the stairs. He looked back, and breathed a sigh of relief when he noticed that the thing wasn’t following them.

When the foals reached the bottom of the stairs, the colt let go of his sister so they could both run down the hall more easily. Both ponies were tired from running from the specter, and they wanted nothing more than to rest, but they knew they couldn’t stop until they had safely left the castle far behind them. As they ran, the filly could have sworn that she saw the faceless mare standing in one of the empty rooms, but she didn’t stop to check, she just kept running behind her brother.

They were almost near the exit; a few more steps and they would be safely outside. Unfortunately they never made it out; just as they reached the front door, it slammed shut, trapping them inside. In a fit of frantic desperation, they pounded on the door, trying to get out, but it held firmly in place.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

The foals nearly jumped out of their skins when they heard the voice, just inches away from their ears. They didn’t need to turn around to know that the thing was looming over them.

“Please don’t leave,” the faceless mare whispered, “I’ll be so lonely without you.” The foals suddenly stopped struggling to get out; the thing had them in it’s power. They slowly turned around and looked the thing in it’s soulless face, and they saw what looked like a smile form under the skin on its mouth. “Please stay and play with me.”

The foals felt a pressure surrounding them, crushing them. It was unbearable; they just wanted to scream, but the thing wouldn’t let them.

“Please let us go,” was all the filly was able to get out, before the thing lifted the foals up with some sort of ghostly magic, and started floating them back the way they had run.

“I can’t,” she said, “I don’t want to be alone anymore.”

There was a blinding flash, and they were back in the tower again. Everything was turning white, as if all the color was being sucked out of the room. With all the strength he could muster, the colt looked over to his sister, and saw the look of horror in her eyes, tears running down her cheeks. Suddenly her body started to writhe, and a white light started to emanate from her body…

“…and in a flash, floating beside him was a small, white, eyeless, faceless, figure, just like the one standing before them.” Shining Armor started stalking around the fire until he was right behind the Crusaders, who were by now huddled together, trembling with fright. “The thing that had once been his sister turned to look at him, blood red tears streaming down her face, and she whispered the last thing the colt ever heard.” Shining Armor leaned in close, so his mouth was right next to the Crusaders’ ears, and whispered, “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!” All three Crusaders screamed together.

“And they were never heard from again.”

“Never?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Never.” Shining Armor walked back around so he was in his original spot beside Scootaloo. “Some ponies say that the foals are still in there with the faceless mare, making sure that she is no longer lonely.”

An eerie silence fell over the campsite as the Crusaders let the effects of the story fade away.

“Whoa, that story was spooooooooooookyyyyyyyyyy.”

All four ponies jumped at the voice that clearly didn’t come from any one of them. They looked to their left, and saw a familiar pink pony sitting beside the fire, her face currently buried in a bucket of popcorn.

“Pinkie Pie,” Apple Bloom said, with a sigh of relief.

“What are you doing here, Pinkie?” Sweetie Belle asked, clutching her chest, trying to keep her heart from leaping out.

“Well,” Pinkie said, when she finally emerged from her popcorn, “as you were buzzing through town earlier, I heard you say something about a slumber party. You know I can’t not go to a party, so I decided I should stop by and hang out with you fillies, make sure you do things right. By the way, did you make s’mores. Oooh, oooh, do you have any marshmallows left so I can make some?”

Apple Bloom shook her head.

“Sorry, Pinkie Pie,” she said, “we already ate them all.”

“Awww, that’s alright.” Pinkie Pie stuck a hoof in her mane, and started fishing around her thick, curly pink locks. Then, to Shining Armor’s (but nopony else’s) surprise, she removed a large white marshmallow. “I never go to a slumber party without one.” She stuck it on the end of one of the discarded sticks and placed it over the fire.

“Wow, Gleaming Shield, you’re an awesome storyteller,” Pinkie said, when she had finished making, and eating her s’more. “I don’t think I’ve ever met a pony could tell a scary story like that. I mean just look at my hair, it’s standing on end. Well, it isn’t anymore; that ooey gooey s’more really calmed me right down. But woooowweeeeeee, that was an awesome, spooky story. I gotta remember that one for the next time I have a slumber party.” When Pinkie finished speaking, she to a few long, deep breaths, then stuck her hoof in her mane again, and withdrew another marshmallow.

“Yeah, Gleamin’ Shield,” Apple Bloom said, “Ah don’t think Ah’ve ever heard a story like that one.”

Scootaloo just laughed.

“C-come on, Apple Bloom,” she said, a hint of a tremble in her voice, “That w-wasn’t a very s-scary story.”

“Yeah, yeah we get it,” Sweetie Belle said, “nothing scares you, Scootaloo.” She gave her friend a playful bump with her hoof. “But I’ve got to agree with Apple Bloom; that was a really scary story.”

Shining Armor smiled, pleased that he had succeeded in scaring the fillies with his story. It had been a while since he had worry about storytelling, but after nights of reading to Twilight, and then making up stories to tell her, when they ran out of books to read, the act of coming up with intricate tales, and telling them had become second nature to him.

“Hey, maybe an awesome story like that earned you your cutie mark,” Apple Bloom suggested. “Quick, check your flank.”

Shining Armor quickly looked at his flank, and still found it blank. He couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief; he wouldn’t have been very happy if something other than his shield appeared on his behind.

“Alright then,” he said, when the ponies settled back in for another story, “who’s next?”

“…and they were never heard from again.”

When she finished, Sweetie Belle sat back down, and smiled, proud of the story that she had just told.

“What kind of story was that?” Apple Bloom asked.

“A scary one,” Sweetie Belle said. “Didn’t you listen to it?”

“Yeah, Ah was listenin’, but that story wasn’t scary. Ah mean, what’s so terrifyin’ about Gingerbread ponies chasin’ a family outta their house? If it were me, Ah woulda just ate ‘em.”

“Well you’re story wasn’t any better.”

“Hey, the Headless Horse is a classic, scary story.”

“Yeah it is, but you didn’t tell it right.”

“Ok, girls, that’s enough,” Pinkie Pie said, “Sweetie Belle, I give you four hooves up for originality, and for making me go ‘WHOOOOAAA.’ And Apple Bloom, I also give you four hooves up because you made me laugh with that little dance you did.”

“Ah wasn’t dancin’,” Apple Bloom said, a hint of a blush on her cheeks, “Ah was tryin’ to make my story more lively by actin’ it out a little bit.”

“Well, whatever it was, it was really silly, and awesome.”

Shining Armor had to agree with Pinkie Pie on that one; Apple Bloom’s interpretation of the Headless Horse story had been one of the silliest he had ever seen, or heard. Still, he knew she was trying her hardest to tell a scary story, so he kept himself from laughing, and tried his best to sound startled at the scary parts. It’s important to be polite, he had reminded himself, she’s just a little filly after all.

“Ok, Scootaloo,” he said, once he was sure Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom weren’t going to start up again, “it looks like you’re up.”

“Uh, sure thing,” she said, “let me, uh, let me just think of one first.”

But Scootaloo didn’t get a chance to start; just as everypony was getting ready to listen to her tale, a rustling in the bushes caused them all to jump.

“Howdy y'all,” Applejack said, as she moved closer to the fire, “have you fillies been havin’ a good time?”

“You bet, Applejack,” Apple Bloom said, “we’ve been makin’ s’mores, and tellin’ ghost stories, and havin’ all sorts of fun.”

“Well Ah’m glad y'all have been enjoyin’ your selves, but it’s time for you four to go to sleep.”

“Awwwwwww,” said the little fillies, and Pinkie Pie together.

“But we’re not tired yet,” Scootaloo protested.

“Ah’m sorry, Scootaloo, but you four have school tomorrow, and Ah don’t want you complainin’ ‘bout bein’ tired.” She turned, and started back towards the treehouse. “Oh, Pinkie Pie, since you’re here, would you mind puttin’ out the campfire for me before ya head back to Sugarcube Corner?”

“You got it, Applejack,” Pinkie said, with a quick salute to the farm pony.

“Thanks, Pinkie. Now come on y'all,” Applejack said, turning her attention back to the Crusaders, “it’s time for bed.”

The four little ponies got up from their spots next to the fire with a sigh, and followed Applejack back to the clubhouse.

In the grass, just under the large tree, four little sleeping bags, and pillows had been set up for them, with a couple of lanterns, already glowing with the light of fireflies. The little fillies turned when they heard a loud hissing sound, and saw that the light from their fire had been extinguished.

“Alright, time to hunker down into your sleepin’ bags now.”

Apple Bloom yawned as she climbed into her sleeping bag, starting a chain reaction of yawning little ponies.

“G’night y'all,” Applejack said, smiling at the sleepy Cutie Mark Crusaders.

“G’night, sis,”

“Good night Applejack,” Shining Armor, and Scootaloo said together.

There was a bit of a silence while they waited for Sweetie Belle, but the only sound that came from her sleeping bag was a cute little snore.

Poor thing, Shining Armor thought, as he turned over in his sleeping bag, must have been a lot more tired than she was letting on. Of course Shining Armor wasn’t in any better shape; ever since his transformation, he found himself to be getting tired sooner in the day than he would if he were still a stallion. Tonight was no different; as soon as Shining Armor closed his eyes, he felt himself fall into a deep sleep.

It was still dark out when Shining Armor was roused from his slumber. He wasn’t sure what it was that had woken him, but he could sense that there was something wrong when he sat up and noticed something missing. Two things, in fact. First he noticed that one of the two lanterns was gone, and second, after looking over the sleeping crusaders, he found that one of the sleeping bags was empty. Shining Armor looked around the immediate area, but could find neither tail, nor feather of Scootaloo.

Where’s that little filly gotten to, he thought, as he climbed out of his sleeping bag and started scanning the near by trees for the Scootaloo. It only took him a few moments to spot the dim glow of the lantern bobbing up and down in the direction of the pond. Shining Armor grabbed the other lantern, and slowly made his way down from the campsite, towards the pond to see what was important enough for Scootaloo to sneak out of bed for.

Shining Armor found her sitting on the edge of the pond, trading glances between the water and the moon. What is she doing? Shining Armor asked himself as he drew closer to Scootaloo. He was just about to call out to her, but he held his tongue, and froze in place, when he heard Scootaloo start to speak.

“Hello, Princess Luna, are you there?” she asked the moon. “It’s me, Scootaloo. Listen, I know you’re busy and all, making sure all of the ponies in Equestria are sleeping soundly, but I, uh, I kinda had another nightmare, and I was wondering if you could help me.” She paused for a bit, as if she were waiting for the princess of the night to suddenly appear before her. “I know it’s dumb, and that I shouldn’t be afraid of those types of things; you helped me learn that last year. But...I don’t know, I thought I had gotten over my fear of scary stories when I-”

Snap

Scootaloo’s head whipped around when she heard Shining Armor, who had accidentally stepped on a twig when he tried to readjust himself.

“Oh, uh, hey Gleaming Shield,” Scootaloo said with a nervous laugh, “what are you doing up so late?”

Shining Armor closed the distance between him and Scootaloo, and set down his lantern so they could talk.

“I could ask you the same thing,” he said. “Were you just talking to Princess Luna?”

Scootaloo hung her head and sighed.

“You heard that, huh?”

“Just a little.” Shining Armor placed a hoof on the filly’s back. “Scootaloo, I’m sorry, I didn’t know that scary stories gave you nightmares. Why didn’t you tell me when I suggested it?”

Scootaloo just stared at the pond, and started to trace her hoof across its surface.

“Come on Scootaloo, I know we just met, but you can tell me anything.”

The little pegasus looked up at her friend and gave him a weak smile.

“We were on a camping trip last summer with Applejack, Rarity and Rainbow Dash, and every night, Rainbow Dash would tell us these scary stories before we went to bed. I didn’t think I would mind that much, but that was before I realized just how terrifying they were. Of course I couldn’t tell Rainbow Dash any of that; she thought I was tough, and cool just like her, and I liked that, so I hid the truth from her.” At this, Scootaloo turned her attention back to the pond. “I let my fear get the better of me. But it wasn’t fear of the monster’s she told stories about – well, ok it was partly about the stories, but mostly it was because I was afraid that Rainbow Dash wouldn’t think I was cool any more if she found out that I was a scaredy pony.

The longer I put off telling Rainbow Dash, the worse the nightmares got. That is, until one night, Princess Luna came to me in my dreams and helped me to realize that my fears would only get worse unless I stood up and faced them. After that, I came clean to Rainbow Dash, and everything turned out fine. But I guess I’m still not as brave as I thought I was because the story you told tonight gave me another nightmare.”

Shining Armor gave her a sympathetic look.

“I’m sorry, Scootaloo, I really am. If I had had known, I would have never suggested it. But again, I have to ask, why didn’t you stop me before I started?”

“Because…Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle don’t know about any of this. Actually, Princess Luna, Rainbow Dash, and now you are the only ones that I’ve told. I mean, we never tell scary stories, so I never thought I’d have to worry about telling them.”

“So that’s why you were out here tonight; you were trying to talk to Princess Luna.”

Scootaloo nodded.

“I thought that maybe if I could talk to her, even if she didn’t appear, it might help me get over my fear of the Faceless Mare, so I could go back to sleep.”

“Hey, you’ve got me to talk to.”

Scootaloo giggled, and gave Shining Armor a playful punch in the foreleg.

“Thanks, Gleaming Shield.”

Shining Armor smiled, and then thought for a moment. I wish there was something I could say to make her...wait I know...

“I think I know something that might make you feel better,” he said.

Scootaloo cocked her head and gave him a curious look.

“What is it?”

“The story I told you, the one about the faceless mare, it was a true story.”

Shining Armor watched as the smile faded from Scootaloo’s face.

“How in Equestria is that supposed to make me feel better; that just makes it even more scary.”

Shining Armor just smiled.

“Well ok, I might have changed things a little bit to make it more scary, but the basic idea was the same.” He took another moment to think before continuing. “The story wasn’t about two foals, it was about two guards – my, uh, cousin, Shining Armor, and a friend of his to be exact – who had gone into the Everfree Forest for survival training. The castle they had come to was actually castle that Princess Celestia and Princess Luna ruled from, before Luna was banished. Inside, we – I mean, they – found a mare crying because she had been separated from her sister, and was now lost in the woods. They stayed in the castle all night, promising to protect her from whatever evil that might have been lurking outside, and then when day came, they safely escorted her out of the forest, and back to Canterlot.”

When Shining Armor finished his tale, he looked up and saw that Scootaloo was smiling again.

“So, did that make you feel better about the story I told earlier?” he asked.

Scootaloo nodded.

“Oh yeah, that story is a lot less scary than the other one.”

“I’m glad you think so.” Shining Armor got up, and helped Scootaloo to her hooves. “Now come on, we’ve gotta get up early for school tomorrow; I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be caught sleeping in class, especially after what happened at school today.”

Scootaloo nodded, and they both picked up their lanterns and slowly made their way back to the campsite, where Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom were still sleeping soundly.

Shining Armor crawled back into his sleeping bag, and was about to turn back over, when he heard a soft dragging sound. He looked up and saw that Scootaloo had brought her sleeping bag and pillow next to his.

“Is it ok if I sleep closer to you?” she asked as she slipped under her covers. “I think it would help me sleep better if somepony who knew my secret was closer to me.”

Shining Armor smiled and nodded.

“Sure thing, Scootaloo,” he said. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Gleaming Shield.” Scootaloo yawned. “Hey, Gleaming Shield, could you not tell Apple Bloom, or Sweetie Belle about what we talked about tonight; I don’t want them knowing about my nightmares...not yet.”

“Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me.”

“Thanks.” With another yawn, Scootaloo's eyelids began to flutter, before finally sinking as the little filly drifted off to sleep.

Shining Armor watched her for a few minutes to make sure that she was actually sleeping peacefully. When it looked like she wasn’t going to be waking up soon, Shining Armor rolled onto his back and stared up at the sky. He was pretty proud of the way he had handled helping Scootaloo get over her fears, at least for the evening; just one more thing I won’t have to worry about being good at when I have I foal of my own, he thought.

As he lay there, the story that he had told Scootaloo ran through his mind. He had felt a bit guilty for not having told Scootaloo the full truth about what had happened that night, but he couldn’t tell her; he had sworn to Princess Celestia that he would keep it a secret. Everything about the survival training, getting lost, and finding the castle had been true, but that was about it. The mare that they had found, crying in the tower had been none other than Princess Celestia herself, who had been going to the old castle once a year to mourn the loss of her sister, who was at the time, still in exile on the moon.

After that night, she thanked them for keeping her company and for listening to her story, then she forbade them from ever telling anypony the truth about what had happened. Don’t worry Princess Celestia, he thought, your secret’s still safe with me. With that final thought, Shining Armor felt exhaustion overtake him, and soon he was following Scootaloo back into the world of sleep.

Next Chapter: Chapter 7: Things Can't Get Any Worse, Right? Estimated time remaining: 2 Hours, 11 Minutes
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