Easing the Pain

The door to Donut Joe’s swung open, the ringing of its bells echoing throughout the lifeless shop. Joe was leaning against the shining white countertop near its back, a small stream of drool trickling down the hoof which was placed on his cheek. The sudden ringing shook him from his half-asleep state, and he looked up to see a rather familiar face; one which he hadn’t seen in quite some time.

“Shining Armor!” he exclaimed, quickly wiping away the drool, and keeping a straight posture as he returned to all fours. “Er…” he coughed, “should I say, Prince Shining Armor.”

“Joe, I’ve known you since I was practically a foal. Just call me Shining,” he said, waving a dismissive hoof.

“I heard you and Princess Cadance were coming to town for a visit. I just didn’t know when… Are you alright?” Joe suddenly asked, his green eyes widening as they examined the stallion. His two-tone blue mane was a mess, his eyes were practically half shut with large bags beneath, and an expression of defeat, exhaustion, and weariness could be seen in his frown.

“You ever had to dedicate your entire life to the demands of a pregnant pony?” Shining asked as he took as seat at the bar. The wooden stool on which he sat creaked loudly beneath his weight, and his hooves slammed against the counter with a loud clack.

“Um, no, no I haven’t,” the baker said with a soft shake of his head. “It’s that bad, huh?”

“It’s a living nightmare...” The prince paused to let out a long, and rather loud sigh as he angrily brushed a hoof through his mane, somehow managing to tangle it even more. “I’ll take a coffee and a donut, extra sprinkles.”

The sound of Joe’s hooves resonated as they clacked against the green and white checker tiled floor beneath them. The shimmering green aura from his horn wrapped around a simple porcelain coffee cup and pulled it from the shelf. He then grabbed the coffee pot, and Shining watched eagerly as a stream of the dark, golden brown liquid filled the cup. He needed energy, and badly. He snatched it up with his own magic before the stallion even had time to serve it, and swallowed down a large gulp.

“Careful that’s-” Joe paused, realizing his warning was futile, especially now that Shining’s cheeks grew red with the sudden rush of heat, and a hiss of pain escaped his mouth. The baker shook his head before taking a donut down from the row of racks behind him. “Speaking of Cadance,” he said as he grabbed a colorful mixture of sprinkles and shook them out onto the donut’s already sprinkled surface, “Where is she?”

“Luckily, I got to get away from her for a couple of hours. Twily and her are spending some time together, just the two of them.”

“Ah, so you came here for a little break then?” Joe asked, placing the donut on the counter.

“A well needed, and I’d say, well deserved break. I’ve put up with her long enough, and this whole vacation thing means I can’t use me being a prince and guard captain as an excuse to get away from her. I’ve literally spent every single hour of these entire past few days with her. Spending time with your wife is good and all, but when it’s for that long, and she’s all pregnant and emotional…” he grimaced painfully at the thought, then snapped a large bite out of the fried treat.

“Sorry to hear that.”

“I just, I don’t know anymore…I mean, yeah, of course I love her, but I don’t know how much more of this I can take. All she does anymore is demand things, whine at me, yell when she doesn’t get what she wants, or when I don’t do things her way…or cries for no apparent reason. It really sucks,” Shining said with a grumble, and took another swig of coffee. “And she eats, like, all the time.”

“I’m sure it’s just the baby. It has nothing to do with her, or you. If I were you though, I’d try my best to support her every step of the way. I bet what she’s going through is a lot tougher than what you are. It’s just a release, you know?”

“Yeah, I know. I understand…but it’s still a nightmare…but you’re right. I have to stick with her, do my best to support her, after I finish this coffee and donut though. I was up all night because of her.”

Joe let out a short chuckle. “I was wondering why you were coming in here so late in the afternoon.”

“Yeah, it was a rough night. What can I say?” Shining gave a shrug before turning in his chair to view the rest of the shop. “Actually, while you’re at it, get me another round, on the donut too.”

He sighed as his eyes traveled across the quaint, familiar, and comforting layout. The large windows filling up most of the walls gave a great view of the bustling Canterlot streets outside. He watched as its posh citizens mulled about through the well-kept and very clean streets, either on hoof, or by carriage. His eyes then moved to the interior where old wooden tables were spaced out across the polished floor, warm lighting fixtures hanging above them. The walls were all a warm olive green, with equally warm, but darker green accents and patterns. It was as if everything in the place worked together to make it as cozy as possible.

Visions of his past, his old life, one which seemed much more ancient than it was, filled his mind. He had taken Cadance there for a date once. She loved it. She was so happy, so fun, so sweet, and so cute. He remembered being overjoyed by her smile, overtaken when she’d hold his hoof, and practically ecstatic whenever she’d kiss him. What happened to those days? Where did they go?

He shook his head, and blinked slowly in an attempt to push away the thought, and wake him from his exhaustion. She was the same pony after all. What she was going through was just tough for her, and she needed to cope, that was all. He needed to get back to her, to make sure she was okay, to let her know he was there for her no matter what. The shop around him grew blurrier and blurrier as his body grew weaker and weaker. Getting back to her would have to wait. Suddenly, with a few final, and rather slow blinks, he was asleep.

***

Letting out a loud snort as his head fell backwards, and nearly sending the stool sliding out from underneath him, Shining shook himself awake. He groaned painfully at the aches which pulsed throughout his back and neck, causing him to wonder how long he’d been out.

“…Joe?” he mumbled, still half asleep and gazing up at the ceiling.

“Oh, good, you’re awake.”

“How long have I been sleeping?”

“A couple of hour’s maybe.”

“…Joe! Why didn’t you wake me up?” Shining yelled in a panic, whipping around in his stool to face the baker. “I need to get back to Cadance. Oh no! She’s gonna be totally pissed!”

“I just thought…you said you needed a break, and that you hadn’t slept so…” Joe mumbled. “Besides, you never even touched your second donut.” He pointed a hoof down at the uneaten pastry.

Shining quickly threw a small pile of bits on the table with his magic and bolted out of the door, nearly breaking it in two in the process, and causing its bells to clatter to the floor.

“That’s…too much. You paid me too much!” the baker yelled out after him, counting the bits.

Shining skidded to a halt nearly crashing into a noble, who huffed scornfully and went on his way. “Just keep the change! Call it a tip!” he yelled back before rushing off towards the towering white spires of the castle in the distance, gleaming in the warm, evening sun.

“A really big tip,” Joe said with a grin, admiring the well-used golden coins which lay before him.