Theory Shining Armors' "migraines"

[PoisonClaw 8,174]

Not sure if this should have a *spoiler* tag considering the episodes have been out for a few days now, but I noticed something after watching the final episodes again. Around the end of the first half, we're told that the strain of having to maintain the protecting spell surrounding Canterlot is causing Shining Armor to experience cronic headaches, something hinted at when he touches up the spell in the beginning and notibly suffers. This pops up two more times in the first part, yet neither time does it involve anything to do with the shield, and I have a crazy idea as to why.

 

That's because these headaches...they're not caused by keeping up the shield spell. No, they're infact caused by Shining Armor resisting the fake Cadances' brainwashing spell, a spell we can believe he has been under since before the beginning of the episode. Think I'm crazy? Hear me out for a sec...

 

As I said, the first instance we see of these headaches is when he touches up the protecting spell in the beginning of the episode, leading the viewer to believe that maintaining such a huge field has some noticable side-effects. This could infact be a subtle red-herring, as the next time we see it is when Cadance confronts him about wearing a particular article of clothing to the wedding and he argues with her. Yes, despite the fact that she quite possibly has a strong hold over his mind, he resists her orders and at the same time causes the spell over him to crack/weaken. The fake Cadance realises this as well, as she quickly re-administers her spell over Shining to put him under her control once more.

 

The third and final time this comes into play is after Twilight accuses Cadance and causes her to run off in tears. He tries to give reason and explanation to all her claims, ending with him showing outright rage towards his sister and saying she clearly doesn't care about him. This attitude in in direct difiance of what we've been led to believe about Shining up until this point: that he truly cares about his little sister and has never so much as gotten into a fight between them. At that point, the spell slips once more and he immediately tries to put distance between him and Twilight by going off to "comfort his bride".

 

However, when he does so, it can be believed that he was then hit full-on by a more powerful version of the spell, as the next time he's seen he's nothing more than a mindless zombie, displaying no emotion of personality to anything occuring around him.

 

So...thoughts on this? Was this perhaps intentional? Did anyone else notice this, and I'm just late to the party? Or am I just crazy and looking way, way too hard into the show?

[HanPolo 151]

Not crazy at all, this is exactly what I assumed about his 'migraines'. Maybe her spell starts to wear off and become weaker, allowing the true Shining Armour to break out of his mind controll for a moment before she recasts an even stronger one onto him (And her spells may become more powerfull as she gets stronger from his love)?

 

Atleast thats what I got from it anyway.

[Inkfeather 597]

I honestly thought this was obvious. Of course it have something to do with her spell, it's clearly seen as she actually casts her mindcontrol spell on Shining Armor. I think the reason he's experiencing pain is because she's draining his power in the first place meaning that he both have to "feed" her as well as keeping the shield up.

 

Considering magic is a side product of mental usage meaning it strains the brain as much or even more than overthinking things. I'm sure he would've been able to use the spell easily if it wasnt for the Queen sucking on his powers as well, as you said it only popped up in connection with the spell, but he's still MAINTAINING the actual magic even when he's not directly renewing the spell, meaning it's still straining him mentally, therefore creating headaches as one would get from other mental overusage.

[MVC NVMXD JVRXD 2,406]

I just thought it was because she was draining the love out of him and he grew 'weak' or whatever...

 

But I do see what you mean, there.