The Shield's Protector

by ZOMG

Rating: teen
Tags: Romance, Original Character, Crystal Ponies, Shining Armor, Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Princess Cadance, Alternate Universe
Length: 127677

There is nothing he wouldn't do to protect her from harm, nothing he wouldn't do to show his love. But, whether he was Captain of the Guard or Prince of the Crystal Empire, Shining Armor was her stallion, first and foremost. Her beloved.

Bringing a lost empire into the modern age is stressful enough, but for a pair of young lovers, the weight can be difficult to bear. Fortunately, their love is stronger than ever. Their vows to one another the solid foundation of their marriage. There is nothing he wouldn't do to protect her from harm, nothing he wouldn't do to show his love. But, whether he is Captain of the Guard or Prince of the Crystal Empire, Shining Armor is her stallion, first and foremost. Her beloved. For the one who captured her heart, Princess Cadence will protect him from that which would harm his spirit—whether he knows it or not.

Editing and prereading done by The Albinocorn, Bad_Seed_72, Foals Errand, Meridian Prime, and Zodiacspear

Artwork originally done by Silfoe/RoyalSketchbook and used with permission.

Published 2015-03-20 00:30:03 UTC
Last updated 2016-05-26 20:31:00 UTC

2. Walling Off the Garden of Love

Stout Heart and Valiance stood side by side, spears at the ready and armour gleaming in the sunlight. The image of perfection was only marred by their flattened ears and the matching grimaces that were evident on their faces as they tried to block out the yelling from within the Royal Chambers.

Princess Cadence might seem to be an unthreatening, gentle mare, but those few times that her patience ran out, it was rarely good for the parties involved. Unfortunately, Shining Armor made a habit of drawing her ire, with his insistence of going beyond the walls of the Crystal Empire to lead training missions, and returning riddled with cuts and bruises.

Being the younger of the pair, Stout Heart cringed, momentarily breaking protocol. He glanced down the hallway at the ornate, crystal door and took a couple of steps to the side, closer to his superior officer.  “Her Majesty has been yelling at the Captain for quite some time.” He noted, shuffling in place. “Should we–“

“We can’t leave, you know that.” Valiance sighed and shook his head. With a roll of his eyes, he explained as if he were talking to a foal. “One pair of guards must be stationed near the Prince and Princess at all times, no excuses.”

“No, I meant, should we… I dunno, stay by the door and just be ready in case something… breaks?”

Valiance turned slowly, leveling Stout Heart with a piercing stare. “Private, off the clock, you’re my friend, almost like a brother to me. But what you just said has to be the most idiotic thing I’ve ever heard come out of your mouth.”

“Huh? But isn’t it—“

“If you want to get in between one of the most powerful unicorns alive and his alicorn princess of a wife when they’re in the middle of a lovers’ spat, be my guest. Just make sure you leave me the hay out of it!”

“—you thick-headed, musclebound buffoon of a stallion!”

Shining Armor grimaced, his ears laying flat against his scalp as his wife ranted at him.

The insults didn’t bother him so much, Shining had known Cadence long enough to realize when she really meant to be hurtful; this wasn’t one such time.

The reason he was being chewed out this particular time was a triple whammy of length of time spent away, keeping said time away a secret, and the fact that he had returned from the trip sporting a few minor injuries. They really were just minor injuries of course, as he’d mentioned several times by now. Really, a couple fractured ribs and a gash on the flank weren’t the worst injuries he’d ever come home with–compared to that little trip to the Badlands that went sour a few years back, the mother bear hadn’t done much more than give him a bit of a scratch!

Which was exactly what Shining had tried to explain to his dear, sweet, loving wife at the hospital.

Fat lot of good that had done him. Cadence ripped into him in the room, grumbled as he was released from Gentle Touch’s care, and fumed silently to herself until, finally, they were back in the safety of their suite.

Shining would object to the term ‘safety’, but not verbally. Certainly not while his wife had him engulfed in the cerulean glow of her magic, scanning his body with a special spell to check over every bit of his body and her hooves and wings wrapped around him as though he might disappear should she let go. “Shut up and hold still! I’m going to make sure she didn’t miss something!” She’d snapped. “Letting a bear maul you like that! The very idea!”

His hair raised as the magic ghosted over his body and tickled lightly against his skin. Shining squirmed in place, wincing at the pain that shot through his right flank. “Uh, honey,” he mumbled, “it’s, ah, tickling. Could you—“

“No, I can’t make it stop and you know that, Mister ‘Graduated at the Top of My Class’.” Cadence huffed. “Just hold still and don’t open up that cut anymore!”

Biting back a groan, Shining replied, speaking slowly and in a level tone to hide any hint of annoyance. “Sweetie, Gentle already patched me up. You watched her put my leg in a wrap at the hospital.”

She snorted at him, wrapping her wings tighter around his back. “Yes, but she also said it was deeper than she thought! I’ve half a mind to make a separate appointment to have it that leg scanned. No offense to Gentle Touch, she’s fully qualified,” Cadence glanced at his flank, eyes lingering on the bandages, “but I’d feel better if we knew just how deep it really is.”

“All right, we can do that.” Can’t argue with her there, mamma bear was about as happy to see me as I was with the recruits. Shining Armor shifted a bit in her grasp, just enough so he could bring a hoof to his forehead and massage it to stem the growing headache. “I think we’ve just got a post inspection tomorrow, so I should be—“

“Somepony else can handle it, you’re going back to get that leg checked out.” Cadence turned his head with a hoof to force him to meet her eyes. Her mouth set into a thin line before she spoke in a clipped tone. “And then, after that, you are taking it easy. No patrols, no work, no exceptions. You’re staying in the Throne Room, at my side, like the prince you are. Got it?”

Shining nodded once, pasting a smile on his muzzle. Hoo boy, not even gonna try that one. Not when she looks like she’d beat an Ursa Major senseless with her bare hooves. He shifted his weight so he was pressed up against his wife, booping their noses together. “If that’s what you want, Cady.”

“You’re darn right it is!” She snorted, gritting her teeth together. Her eyes widened a fraction as the spell finished reporting in. Cadence nodded once, mumbling something incomprehensible under her breath before canceling it out.

“So, how does it look?”

“There’s no infection, at least, Gentle did a fine job of cleaning the wound. But I still say we need to go back and get it looked at.”

“Okay,” Shining whispered, tightening his grip around her and ignoring the twinge in his ribs, “I’ll send a letter in the morning and we’ll both go down after lunch.”

“All right. Tomorrow.” Cadence closed her eyes and leaned into him, taking a moment to calm her raging temper. With a quick shift, she buried her muzzle into his shoulder. “I’m sorry,” she mumbled, her voice strained and watery, “I don’t want to be angry. I just get so worried when you go out.”

“I know,” he wrapped his hooves around her barrel, ignoring the pain in his left side as he tried to hold her tight. The young Captain grit his teeth, setting his head on top of his wife’s. “And I don’t like worrying you, but this is part of my job. Just like it was back in Canterlot.”

“You had an office in Canterlot, and you rarely went out on patrol.” She pointed out, pulling away to meet his gaze again. “Why can’t you just go back to that? Can’t you just call a few more guards in and let them lead?”

Shining Armor hummed. Truth be told, yes, he could easily do so. But, that took control out of his hooves. After so long without a voluntary recruitment system, it was already tough enough to get them to join up. Leaving them in the hooves of some of my old Drill Sergeants would be… counterproductive.

A shudder went down his spine. If he thought those heavy-hooved old ponies were bad, he could only imagine how they might seem to some of the meeker crystal ponies.

“I like to keep an eye on things,” he began, choosing his words carefully, “especially since I have to teach them everything from the ground up in such a short time. I mean, they literally had no idea how a patrol guard walks a beat and maintain a good face with a little chitchat! I told you about Glimmer and Twinkle, right?”

Cadence blinked, cocking her head to the side. “Uh, I don’t think so. Why, what happened?”

Shining’s eyebrows formed a line across his forehead, his left eye twitched at the memory. “I took a group of recruits on a walk through Sparkling Square, through the shops so I could work with them on making a good impression on the ponies while out on patrol—routine stuff I did as a Private! So, we came up on a couple going about their day, I tell them to go up and say hi, just see how things are going. Usual stuff.”

“Doesn’t sound too hard. What happened?”

“Those two goofballs got up in their faces and started interrogating them! In broad daylight! Half the Sparkling Quarter must’ve been there!”

Cadence brought a hoof to her mouth. “Oh, dear. I can imagine that didn’t go over well. Wait.” her eyes went wide as it finally dawned on her. “Wasn’t that the day—”

“You got reports of panic in the Square, yes,” he grumbled. “It took me hours to get the crowd to calm down and explain it all to both sides.” Shining let out a groan and buried his face in his hooves. “It was just supposed to be a simple, bloody ‘Hello, how are you?’!”

Shining took solace in the way Cadence leaned forward to nuzzle his cheek. “They really are that green, aren’t they?” At his nod, she sighed in resignation. “All right. I guess I can’t fault you for wanting to take a hooves on approach to their training if it’s really that important. But,” her gaze hardened, “if you come back home with some injury because of something silly like holding back against a mauling bear, I will have you chained to this bed and a suppressor slapped on your horn!”

“Yes, dear.” Wisely biting back on the low-hanging fruit of an innuendo, Shining simply submitted the point. Better to let her simmer down and talk to her when ‘mother pegasus’ doesn’t think I need to be held under wing.

With a satisfied nod, Cadence buried her muzzle in his shoulder again, softly nuzzling against his alabaster coat. Shining gasped as she planted soft, fluffy kisses on his shoulder, trailing up his neck. “C-Cady!”

“Hush,” she whispered, her breath tickling against his cheek. Cadence tightened her grip, pressing his barrel against hers. “You kept things hidden from me, Captain. You know I don’t like that.”

“I didn’t—Yipe!” He nearly jumped when her lips found that ticklish spot at the base of his jawline, right beneath his ear. His pearl white cheeks colored deep fuchsia. “Cady!” Shining protested in spite of the goofy grin spreading across his face.

“Didn’t mean it? Is that what you were going to say?” His eyes crossed as her warm breath ghosted over his ear. “I wasn’t born yesterday, Shiny, I know you don’t mean to do such foolhardy things. You just seem to forget that I’m a big mare, who can listen and understand why you have to do things for the Guard. A big mare who loves you very much.”

Shining licked his lips to wet them, but his tongue seemed dry. “Honey, it’s not that I forget, I just know you’re busy and—“

“You don’t want to wait for me to sign off on every little detail, because that means you have to explain it.” She finished for him, smiling wickedly. “You can’t fool me, Shining Armor, I know how you think. I spent enough time around you while I was foalsitting Twily to know how you try to weasel your way out of trouble, silly colt.”

And this is the problem with marrying your closest foalhood friend. He squirmed away laughing, sparing a wince at the pain that shot through his side. “Honey,” Shining hissed, “my ribs!”

All playfulness washed from Cadence’s face, the teasing, affectionate mare replaced by the mother pegasus in her. “How bad is it?”

“Just hurts when I move too much or if I laugh. Or, well, if you touch it,” he added with a rueful grin. “That’s kinda obvious, though.”

“Yes. Yes it is.” She sighed and looked upward at the ceiling with a wry grin, mouthing ‘Why me?’

“I saw that.”

“You’re a big colt—as you’ve told me so many times—you’ll get over it.”

Having no retort, Shining Armor fell back on his old standby: crossing his eyes and sticking his tongue out at his wife, just as he’d done as a colt.

He snickered at the deadpan stare Cadence directed at him. “Really? You still haven’t grown out of that?”

A shake of his head, with his tongue still sticking out, was the only reply he offered.

“Well, then, if that’s the way you want to play, fine!” With all the grace and etiquette of a Princess of Equestria, Cadence stuck her tongue out and blew a raspberry at her cheeky husband.

The pair devolved into peals of laughter, though Shining was forced to drop it down to a light chuckle to relieve his aching ribs.

Well, at least I got her back in good spirits. Fully aware that he wasn’t entirely out of trouble, Shining settled on bringing a smile to her face; a small victory in the long-running game of being a good husband.

Of course, being a good husband also meant taking his lumps. Even if he might want to get by without doing so. Better to tangle with the hydra now than later, as dad always said. Shining let the smile fall from his face, drawing a curious look from Cadence. “So, how many nights?”

“Huh?” Cadence drew back and raised a brow. “How many nights of what?”

A grimace nearly found its way onto his muzzle. Oh, look, you could’ve gotten away if you’d shut your darn mouth. Sighing, Shining jerked his head in the direction of the door to their room, the one that lead to the common area of their suite. “How long am I on the couch this time?” He asked, only just keeping the irritation out of his voice.

Cadence stared silently, blinking a few times while she let his question sink in. “Oh! Oh, I wasn’t sure—wait...” the confusion vanished in favor of a wide-eyed stare, her mouth setting in a thin line. “You really think I’m going to make you sleep on the couch with fractured ribs?”

“Uh, well, you were kinda mad…”

“Of course I’m mad, you dummy! That doesn’t mean I want you in more pain!” Without warning, Cadence reached up and lightly bopped him over the head.

Shining rubbed his head, grumbling under his breath. “What is it with mares bopping me today?”

“Oh, stop your bellyaching and lay down, you great, big foal!” Cadence gently placed a hoof on his chest and pushed him backwards until his head touched the soft, blue sheeted pillow on his side of the bed. She kept her hoof in place, only putting a bit of weight to pin him down so she could lean in and peck his snout. “You are going to take it easy for the next few days, buster, no arguments.”

“I feel like there’s an ‘or else’ somewhere,” he noted, grinning wryly at the beautiful mare looking down upon him. “You already threatened to clap me in irons and put a ring on my horn—well, another one–what else do you have on me?”

Shining immediately regretted asking. His heart sank into his stomach at the sight of Cadence’s lips curving into a familiar smirk, the one that always meant she was up to mischief when they were younger. She leaned in, lightly pecking his muzzle again before moving to whisper into his ear.

His eyes went the size of dinner plates. “My mother gave you those?”

Cadence threw back her head and laughed heartily at the way he gaped up at her. “That’s right.” She crowed. “Now, are you gonna be a good Shiny-winy for me, or should I call for a quick assembly of our new recruits? The horseshoe is in your court, dearest.”

Biting his lip, Shining mulled over his options, carefully considering all possible strategies in order to spare himself the humiliation.

But there was no alternative to surrender in this case; Cadence held all the cards, not to mention that she actually had a point.

Shining closed his eyes and nodded once. “Cheater,” he grumbled.

“All’s fair in love and war, Shiny,” Cadence teased, stealing a peck to his cheek. “And I am the Princess of Love!”

“I haven’t heard that one a thousand times before.” He didn’t even try to duck as his wife reached to bop him on the head again. Grinning in reply, Shining Armor settled back into their bed. “So, feel like eating something or would you rather just call it a night?”

Cadence glanced over her shoulder at the clock mounted on the crystal wall. Though she was turned away, Shining noticed a small frown on her lips as she saw the time. Probably just realized how long she’s been lecturing me. He forced himself to withhold a heavy sigh. And feeling bad about it.

Sure enough, her wings dipped at her sides, matching the way her ears began to swivel back to lay against her scalp. But almost as quickly as the signs appeared, Cadence perked right back up as she turned around to face him with a bright smile. “I’m not all that hungry, just too much stuff going on today that I don’t know if I could bring myself to eat.” She trailed off, shuffling in place a bit. “If you’re hungry, I could have something brought up for you. I can’t imagine you had much time for meals on your run.”

“I, uh, actually could go for a quick snack. I just grabbed one of the MRE’s and ate when the recruits were on break.”

Her nose scrunched up. “That is not food.” Shining had to bite his lip as Cadence shuddered visibly, her own experience with one of the Royal Guard’s finest culinary arts was always a fun memory to revisit.

I never knew she could turn such an interesting shade of green. He couldn’t hide the grin on his face. “Well, it’s just supposed to be something quick for us, the only reason we ate that today was so they’d get used to it.”

“Well, you need to eat something else, not that stasis spell garbage! Between that and the magic you used earlier, you need a good meal to recover. ” She pushed herself up and shimmied off their large, plush bed. Trotting toward the door, Cadence turned to call over her shoulder. “How does a dandelion and daffodil salad sound?”

“Perfect, Cady!” He replied with a grin. “I could demolish one of those right about now!”

“I’m sure. I’ll be right back, don’t go anywhere.”

“Hey, you know me,” Shining made a show of sitting up and getting comfortable against the headboard. “Once I’m comfortable, I’m not moving.”

Cadence nodded and vanished out the door, leaving the bruised and battered Captain-Prince alone to his own devices. He looked up at the ceiling, shoulders slumping as he let out a breath. Way to go, blockhead. You worried her again. Shining thumped his head, closing his eyes. And you managed to get her mad that you hid something from her.

The fact that he had to lead training regiments was no excuse. If he’d pulled something like that back in Canterlot, Princess Celestia would’ve been just as angry, albeit for very different reasons.

A guard is loyal to his princess, and a husband is loyal to his wife. Shining nodded to himself. Hiding it from Cady to guarantee that it was a surprise for the recruits was just silly, she wouldn’t have given anything away if I’d asked her to keep it quiet.

“I should’ve said something.” He grumbled. A few days taking it easy and staying by her side are exactly what I need. After that, I make sure I don’t worry her like this again.

His ears pricked up at the sound of hoof steps growing closer, Cadence’s light trot echoing off the crystal walls and floor. Shining fixed a smile on his face and sat up straight, beaming at her as soon as she stepped back through the door.

Move forward and make tomorrow a better day. She slid into bed, he leaned over to nuzzle her cheek. Breathing deeply, he took in her scent. And make sure it brings a smile to the mare I love.

        Running her hoof through her husband’s mane, Cadence smiled at the sleeping stallion.

Busy all day, barking orders at recruits like such a big shot, only to fall asleep as soon as he winds down. She idly brushed down a patch of hair that stuck out stubbornly, Shining only hummed sleepily and leaned into her touch in reply. “You really are just a big colt,” she whispered, pecking his forehead. “My big colt in shining armor.”

As she watched his chest rise and fall, eyes coming over pristine white coat and firmly bound bandages, Cadence couldn’t help but let her mind wander back to those days of summers past; playing in the backyard with Twily, baby Spike, and Shiny, letting their imaginations run wild until she had to return to the castle.

And with them came the visage of that little colt she’d fallen in love with all those years ago. Friendly, kind, handsome, and strong, even as a foal. Those brilliant blue eyes could gleam with joy and coltish mischief, or burn with passion and dedication.

The fire behind those eyes captivated her, whether it was something as simple as playing the part of her loyal guard or when he’d actually become her personal guard, and made her heart quiver. For each time she saw it, Cadence found herself a little filly standing before her closest friend, listening as he vowed to one day enlist.

“When I grow up, I’ll be one of them.” He’d say, with that grin on his muzzle. “I’ll be strong enough to protect everypony!”

And then, I’d ask, “Oh, really? What about Twily, Spike, and me? You’re not gonna leave us to go off on adventures, are you?”

Cadence had to stifle a laugh at the memory of how he sputtered, indignant that she’d ever suggest such a thing. “Of course not!” She whispered, her heart filling with warmth as she recited his reply. “I won’t let anything bad happen to you guys! I’m gonna be by your side forever!” With a happy coo, she nuzzled his ears. “You try so hard to live up to that promise, don’t you?”

To her amusement, Shining only hummed in his sleep, shifting so that he pressed up against her body and wrapping a hoof around hers.

My great, big colt, always wants his Cady close. Cadence laid down, draping a wing and hoof over his body and resting her head on his right shoulder. Closing her eyes and breathing deep, she savored his musty scent.

Cadence relaxed for the first time since he’d missed reporting in, blanketing his injured body with her pink and purple tinged wings, just as a mother pegasus would hold her foal.

But, as her thoughts wandered back to those tense hours waiting, the letter from the Council of Shards came to the forefront of her mind; their insistence growing more frequent with each passing week.

Cadence wrapped her wing tighter around her husband’s barrel. He’s not ready to hear that yet. Once things settle down with the recruits, I’ll talk with him. Everything will be fine. Sighing heavily, she kissed Shining’s cheek, lingering for a moment. You promised to protect me from harm, so I’ll guard your heart, my love. And I will stand by your side, no matter what.

3. Storms on Distant Plains

Shining Armor shifted about, his mind slowly working itself out of its haze as he awoke. He hummed, letting Cadence’s feathers tickle his side. In response, her wing wrapped tighter around him and her hoof squeezed him against her barrel.

Ah, being difficult this morning, Cady? Snorting, Shining began the laborious process of untangling himself from his wife—not an easy feat, given her strength and nature. Escaping the warm, loving embrace of the Princess of Love was like quicksand: the more he fought, the tighter she would squeeze, liberally adding nuzzles, kisses, and whispering sweet nothings to tempt him to give in and surrender to his beloved.

Still, he had to at least try to make his escape, no matter how much he’d prefer staying in bed a few more minutes. Or even a couple hours. Or… Shining shook his head. No, bad. Save that for later, for tonight. If you don’t get up, you’ll never get started, which means you won’t make that appointment at the hospital, and you know Cady will be more upset at that than anything. And besides—he turned to glance over his shoulder, watching her chest rise and fall—she needs her sleep.

Shining shifted his weight, wincing as pain shot up his left side. With each wriggle, each movement, his ribs burned, protesting vehemently against his wishes. Little by little, he managed to shift along, inching his way out from under her hoof. He sat up slowly, keeping a hoof pressed against the mattress so Cadence wouldn’t notice the sudden change.

Cadence sighed and nuzzled into the pillow where his head had been. Shining froze in place, holding his breath. Her feathers brushed lightly against him again as she subconsciously tried to draw him closer—he bit his bottom lip, pulling his tail away from her legs, lest it brush up against her as he moved.

For a moment, he stayed perfectly still. Shining Armor took a deep breath, pricking his ears up to listen out for any change in his wife’s breathing or any hint that she might notice the lack of warm body in her reach.

Nothing. Cadence slept on, mumbling along with whatever dream her mind had conjured for her.

Letting out a light sigh, he slowly lifted his hoof, easing up on the weight he put on the mattress. Shining waited, with his hoof still pressing down lightly, just in case she noticed.

“Shiny…” she murmured sleepily, a small smile gracing her beautiful face.

He grinned and gave into the sudden urge to lean forward and kiss her forehead, lingering a moment to savor a little extra time with his wife. As he drew back, Shining made to slide his hoof under Cadence’s wing, turning his gaze to the offending appendage.

Without warning, her wing shifted, suddenly wrapping around his midsection and knocking him off balance. Shining flailed his hooves, trying to keep from falling back, but a pair of hooves latched onto him and pulled him down.

Cadence pressed up against him, bringing her muzzle to his ear. “Good morning.” She hummed, pressing her lips into the crook of his neck.

“Heh, good morning, Cady.” Shining replied, patting her foreleg with a hoof. “I was just gonna—“

“No you’re not.” Her grip tightened, a wing trailed up his side to hold him down around his chest. Shining could feel her lips against his neck, curving up into a teasing smile.“You’re staying right here with me, Shiny-winy!”

His cheeks heated up. “C-Cady!” Shining yelped, blanching at the use of that old nickname. “What if somepony hears?”

“Then they’ll hear me telling my big, strong, handsome husband all the reasons he should stay in bed with his sweet, loving wife.” Cadence nuzzled him, peppering his cheek with soft, fluffy kisses.

Shining tried in vain to fight back the goofy grin spreading across his muzzle. “Cady, please!” He laughed, squirming against the tickling feathers and nuzzle assault. “We’ve got to get up! You wanted me to get checked out at the hospital again, remember?”

At his words, Cadence paused, hummeding to herself for an instant, before resuming her ministrations. “I could always have them send a doctor to us. Check-up in bed!” She giggled. “And I’m a princess, I’m sure I can get away with one personal day! Just me and my hubby!”

“Uh… honey, you know they’re going to say that examining me in an unsterile environment is against regulation, right?”

“You’re no fun!” Cadence pouted, exaggerated dismay in her voice as her husband shook with silent laughter. “Oh, hush, you!” She cried, lightly biting down on his ear. Cadence huffed, her breath blowing a few strands of his mane out of place, and resumed her grip, laying her head down on his shoulder. “Still, I’m not ready to get up. You’re comfy! And warm! And mine!”

“Can’t argue with any of that!” He nodded, rubbing his cheek against hers. With a sigh, Shining let his head lay against his pillow, puffing out a short breath through his nose. Looks like we’re playing her favorite game again. “All right, name your terms.”

“Oho, you don’t want me to name terms, Shiny. You know better.” He shuddered as her breath tickled his ear, her lips ghosting over the tip. “Think of this as your attempt at a treaty, Captain Armor. What are you willing to concede?”

Ah, yeah, she’s in playful Cady mood today. Better than angry momma pegasus, though. Shining wracked his brain, running through a list of things that might appease his ever-affectionate wife. “Well, how about I stick around through court today? I’m sure Wind Runner and Cirrus can handle the trainees for a day or two.”

Cadence hummed in approval and kissed his cheek. “Go on…”

“Hmm, what about dinner? We could go out, maybe check out that place on Quartz Street.” Hearing a gasp, he smirked. Gotcha, Cady!

“Jacaré’s Iridescent?” Cadence squealed, her tail swished against his leg. “Oooh! I’ve wanted to go there for—“ She trailed off, clearing her throat and adjusting her tone to something a bit more level. “Ahem. Not bad, Captain, not bad at all.” Another peck on the cheek, this time lingering a bit longer.

“Well,” he said, shifting his hooves so he had a bit more leverage on the mattress, “how about a little dancing? We haven’t done that in a while and I hear they’ve got a nice little section out on the balcony; lit with glowstones, and crawling quartz flowers spiraling up the columns.”

“Hmm, what kind of music do they have?” She asked, a hint of suspicion tinging her voice.

Oh, ye of little faith! “I’ve heard they have a rather talented string quartet that plays those nice, slow, romantic songs you love so much.” Shining bent his left hind leg, setting his hoof against the mattress, his smile widening into a full-blown, mischievous grin. He pressed his cheek up against Cadence’s, rubbing softly. “How’s that sound?”

“Oh, yes, sounds like my kind of place!” She replied, snuggling up against him. “So, are those your final terms, oh, Captain of mine?”

“Well, I did have one or two other things in mind!” As soon as the last word left his mouth, Shining Armor shoved against the mattress, rolling Cadence and himself over and twisting so that he was looking down at his now pinned wife.

She squeaked in protest, flailing her hooves in vain as she tried to push against him. But to no avail! Shining held her fast, using his weight and leverage to his advantage.

“What’s this? It seems the tables have turned, oh, Princess of Love!” he whispered huskily. Shining bumped his nose up against Cadence’s, shooting her a wink before pecking her snout.

“Shiny!” She laughed, playfully beating a hoof against his shoulder. “Let me go, you goofball!”

“Goofball, eh? But I haven’t given you the last part of my offer yet!” Shining leaned in to whisper a few quick words in her ear. After a moment, he drew back, openly grinning at the bright blush that graced her muzzle. “So,” he laughed, quickly darting forward to lick her snout, “do you agree to my terms, Princess?”

Cadence looked up eyes wide and a goofy smile upon her face. “Y-Yes, Captain Armor. I think those terms are… wonderful!” She purred, drawing out the last word as she released her hold.

Heh, still got it. Though… wait a minute. He stayed still, keeping his weight on Cadence’s shoulders as he regarded her through narrowed eyes. There’s something about that smile... “You were awake before me, weren’t you?” Her shameless grin and twinkling eyes were answer enough. Shining groaned and flopped back onto his side of the bed. “You tricked me!”

“Yup!” She chirped, happily swinging her legs over and landing nimbly on her hooves. “Come on, Shiny! We’ve got a whole day ahead of us! A trip to the hospital, court, and then,” she broke off, giggling to herself, “a night with my Shining Armor!”

“Is it too late to take a sick day?” Shining grumbled into the pillow.

“Afraid so! Come on, up, up, up!” A hoof poked at his shoulder with each repetition. Shining lifted his head just enough to give a mock glare. “Oh, don’t you try to give me the ‘scary Captain glare’, mister! I’ve seen your foal picture album. In fact,” Cadence brought her hoof to her chin, a smirk playing upon her lips, “I’m pretty sure that I’ve got a few of those pictures of you with Mister Fuzzums laying around…”

Sighing, he pushed himself up. “All right, all right, I get it. I’m up.” Note to self: send mom a letter asking exactly which of those pictures she gave Cady. His mouth set into a frown as he shook his head. Who am I kidding? She probably gave her allof them.

Shining slipped out of bed, wincing a bit at the pain that shot through his flank when he stretched his leg. He bit the inside of his cheek, slowly testing out his leg by putting weight on it. Fortunately, it wasn’t so bad that walking would be unbearable, just enough that it would be a nuisance. Best not let Cady hear that, or I’ll get another earful about how I should’ve just gone all out on that bear. He grimaced, the image of the large grizzly looming over him fresh in his mind. Sighing, he gave a mental nod to Cadence, and Gentle Touch, for that matter. In all honesty, I probably should’ve at least thrown up a level two shield on first try, instead of that flimsylevel one. Ruddy thing got shredded like paper…

“Hello? Equestria to Shining Armor!” Shining blinked as a pink hoof was waved in front of his muzzle, shaking his head quickly and looking into his wife’s eyes. “Are you feeling okay? You blanked out for a bit.”

“Oh, sorry, just got lost in thought.” He grinned and quickly stole a kiss, chuckling at the sudden squeak that escaped her lips. “Well, come on, like you said, full day ahead.” Shining trotted out the door, with Cadence trailing after, and into their shared bathroom.

When looking at the couple’s respective sides of the counter, Shining Armor’s was almost comically plain. A brush for his mane, another for his coat, a toothbrush, some shampoo, and a bottle of painkillers for his aching joints were all he needed.

Cadence, on the other hoof, had a very lavish setup. Brushes for her mane, tail, and coat; her toothbrush and toothpaste; a full box of makeup; a plethora of perfume bottles, tall, short, round, oblong, and a rainbow of colors. Despite the presence of several palace servants, who all insisted that they could take care of such purchases, Shining would make it a point to go out and buy them himself. He knew what his mare liked, which scents were her favorite standbys and which new samples she would delight in wearing. It was a small gesture of his affection, one she appreciated even though it was a mere drop in the bucket for their finances.

To the physical embodiment of love, the little things always mattered.

Taking her seat in front of her side, Cadence took hold of the fine-bristled coat brush in her magic and floated it in front of Shining. “Brush me?”

Without question, he took hold of the brush and ran it through her coat, smiling and shaking his head. Taking advantage of my being here already, like when we got engaged. But, to be completely fair, Shining couldn’t really complain. Sitting close to his wife, slowly running a brush through her gorgeous pink coat, was where he belonged. Always at her side, both in and out of armor.

A bump to his shoulder jolted him back into the real world. “Hey,” she scolded, grinning teasingly, “you gonna brush me or are you gonna stare?”

Shining Armor snickered and resumed brushing. “I can’t do both? I mean, can you blame me?” He leered playfully, wrapping his hooves around her shoulders. Leaning forward he whispered into her ear. “I do have the perfect mare sitting right in front of me!” His snickers gave way to full-blown laughter as he caught sight of he blush in the mirror. Always a treat when I can make Cady blush for a change!

His small victory in hoof, Shining submitted himself to his beloved’s whims. Anything to make her happy and stress free, even if it was only for a bit.

Watching Cadence drum her hooves on the side of her chair, pausing only to glance up at the clock, Shining Armor suppressed a grin. “You know, the more you look at that thing, the longer it’s gonna feel like.” She stopped, slowly turning to fix him with a deadpan stare. He returned her gaze with a look of complete innocence. “At least,” he began, fighting the urge to laugh, “that’s what my soldiers tell me when I run them through morning drills.”

“Oh, hush, you!” she replied, rolling her eyes and reaching over to where he sat on the bed, lightly smacking him over the head with a wing. “This is taking far too long! Where is that doctor?”

“To be fair, we did spring this on them at the last minute, honey. They can’t just forget their other patients because we walked in.”

Cadence huffed and crossed her hooves over her chest. “I know. But that doesn’t mean it should take this long! You’re a prince, their prince, mind you! And the Captain of the Imperial Guard now! That should at least give you some priority!”

“We passed a law preventing prioritization of patients unless it was a serious emergency, remember?” he replied, taking her hoof. “That was your idea: equal treatment of all patients to dispel the last remnants of Sombra’s entitled inner circle.” His reply was met with a round of grumbles, incomprehensible mumbling under his wife’s breath. Grinning, he wrapped his hoof around her withers and hugged her tight, ignoring the jolt of pain in his ribs. “Relax, honey! I’m not dying here! It’s just a little cut!”

“Oh?” She raised an eyebrow. “This from the stallion who stayed up for how many nights when Sombra returned, constantly watching over me, refusing to leave my side even to get himself a drink of water?”

“That’s different. You were exhausting your magic trying to keep him out. I’ve got a little nick on the flank from a bear. Frankly, I got off light.”

She leveled her ears at him. “Do we really want to have that conversation again? About how a captain, whose special talent is shield spells, used a shield so flimsy that a mauling bear tore through it? All because he—how did you say it again?–‘didn’t want to hurt her with the returned force’?” Her eyebrow arched higher, a silent dare to contradict her assessment.

Shining coughed, shifting in his seat and looking elsewhere. Okay, so, not quite out of the woods yet, Shiny. “Eheh, fair enough. I probably should’ve led off with at least a level two”

A sharp intake of breathgave him pause. Cadence grimaced and squeezed her eyes shut, slowly releasing it out through her nose. “Shiny,” she ground out.

Oh, horseapples. His ears pinned back at her tone. “Yes, honey?”

“The next time you use something below a level two outside of a training session, I will make good on my promise to tether you to my side and slap a suppressor on you!”

“Wait, wasn’t it chaining me to our bed—”

“I changed my mind!” She snorted, turning to glare into his eyes. Shining shrunk back, a nervous smile on his face as those brilliant purple eyes bored into his. “Since I have to foalsit you like I did Twily, I’ll just keep you by my side like I had to do with her whenever I took her to the park!”

A knock on the door forestalled any further argument, much to Shining’s eternal gratitude. A mint green aura wreathed the doorknob, slowly turning it and pushing it open. “Sorry to keep you waiting, Your Highnesses.” The doctor, a blue coated unicorn with a snowy white mane, bowed low, his clipboard floating behind him. “There was a rather unfortunate incident with a young filly who cracked her leg, a very serious injury for crystal ponies.”

Cadence gasped, bringing a hoof to her mouth. “Oh, my!” She shifted in place, her ears lay flat against her scalp. “How did that happen?”

“The poor filly was looking up at the glowstones hanging from the buildings and fell down a few steps. She was lucky that it was a short flight, but, well, crystal pony foals aren’t quite as sturdy as adults. Fortunately, there is a spell we can use to help fill the cracks. In the old days, this sort of thing would cripple a crystal pony for life!” He blinked, flinching as if suddenly remembering something. “Oh, forgive me, Your Highnesses! I am Dr. Sure Stitch, I’ll be conducting Prince Armor’s examination this morning. A pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

Shining Armor made to get off the bed and shake hooves, but Sure Stitch held up a hoof. “No, no, My Prince. Please, don’t get up on my account.” He floated the clipboard over to the bed, placing it down near Shining. “So, a gash on your leg from a bear mauling, Prince Armor? I read Dr. Touch’s file on the incident. She said that she stitched and wrapped the injury. Have the stitches been holding?”

“They’ve been holding fine, Dr. Stitch,” Shining replied, flexing it for show. “My wife is a bit worried because I had a bit of pain, so she wants to be sure that it isn’t too deep.”

“Fair enough, I know a diagnostic spell that will let me check on a more finite level.”

“Oh, I already did a check of my own!” Cadence put in, raising a hoof. “I didn’t really find much of anything, though. I’m afraid my knowledge of medicine is rather limited…”

Dr. Stitch froze, slowly turning to face her. “You didn’t try to cast any other medical spells, did you, Your Highness?”

Shining had to bite his lip in order to hold back his laughter at the blanch that worked its way across his wife’s lovely face. “Of course not!” She shook her head, sending the curls of her tricolored mane bouncing from side to side. “I learned that back in primary school!”

“Just making sure, My Princess. Sometimes, ponies get a little antsy when their loved ones are concerned; you’ve no idea just how many times I’ve had to undo something silly like a miscast spell on top of the injuries they already had.”

Oh, if I weren’t in hot water already. Shining’s tail swished behind him, partially betraying his amusement at the way Cadence’s lips pursed together, almost as though she’d tasted lemon. But, overprotective spousal natures aside, it was time to speak up for his wife, like a good husband.

“Dr. Stitch,” he began, giving an easy smile, “my wife has attended several meetings with her fellow princesses on military and medical matters, not to mention the lectures she took Princess Twilight to. Believe me, she would never try casting anything more than a levitation spell to wrap my bandages.” He paused, directing a cheeky grin to Cadence. “Or maybe something to tweak my ear like a naughty foal!”

Stable Stitch snorted, nodding along. “Somehow, I daresay you might deserve that, My Prince. If this file is anything to go by, that is. Now, all joking aside, on to business.” His horn lit up, his mint green aura engulfing Shining Armor’s leg. “My Prince, I must ask that you try to stay as still as possible while I check your wound. This should only take a moment or two.”

Slowly, the bandages around his leg unwound, exposing the gash and the thin, black twine that bound it together. Shining heard Cadence inhale sharply; a soft ruffling of her feathers as her wing twitched toward him, as if to wrap him up.

Oh, boy, mother pegasus is coming out again. He sighed, holding his hoof out in silent offer, one immediately taken. “It’s fine,” Shining whispered, smiling brightly at her. “See? Sewn up properly, I’m just fine!”

“I know… doesn’t mean I have to like what I see, though,” she grumbled, her tail twitching. Cadence shook her head, mumbling something incomprehensible under her breath before turning back to Dr. Stitch, waiting for him to speak up again.

“Hmm, I see that Dr. Touch’s stitch work is fine—she kept the stitches small, as usual. Quite a feat, considering that she’s an earth pony. Ah, but I’m rambling! You wanted to know how deep it was, fear of aggravating it or reopening, most likely.” Clearing his throat, he focused himself on the spell, squinting at the wound. “Well, from what I’m seeing, it’s rather shallow. My Prince, permit me to ask, did you manage to cast a secondary spell, by chance?”

“Barely managed to get a level three shield up, just enough to divert her claws before she could get too deep on me.” Shining rubbed the back of his head with his free hoof. “Unfortunately, she still tossed me quite a ways…”

“Yes, well, better a couple fractured ribs than… let’s not think of that.” Stitch shook his head, smiling as he canceled his spell. “Well, from what I see, Your Highnesses, the cut has been properly cleaned and sewn, and it’s only been a day, so I doubt you’ve been galloping around in your armor.” He spared a glance to Cadence, smiling cheekily. “And I suspect I have you to thank for that, My Princess?”

A single nod and a smirk in Shining’s direction was all she gave.

“Well, thank the Sisters for that!”

“I am right here, you know.”

“Indeed you are, My Prince! Which is fortunate! I can give you this.” With a flash of his magic, Dr. Stitch levitated a roll of gauze and a white bottle over to Cadence. “You’ll need to apply this salve and change his bandages every evening, My Princess. I’d tell you, My Prince. But—,” there was a twinkle in his eyes “—Gentle Touch talks.”

Shining Armor groaned and brought a hoof up to cover his eyes, dragging it down his face while Cadence snickered at his expense. “Hush, you,” he grumbled, flicking his tail against her shoulder. Turning his gaze back to Dr. Stitch, he nodded. “Thank you, Doctor. I’m sure that my wife will take to this with great gusto.”

“Oh, you have no idea!” Cadence sang, leaning up to peck him on the cheek. “You’ll have your bandages changed like a good colt and like it!”

“Yes, dear.” Not your battle, old boy. A smile and a nod, just like a good husband to his wife.

With another flash of green magic, the gauze levitated and began winding around his leg. Shining winced as it tightened around his thigh, the pain shooting through like a lance. He bit down, forcing a smile so not to attract attention.

It went unnoticed. Dr. Stitch just chuckled, gathering up his file. “Well then, I shall simply reaffirm that you take it slow for the next few days and leave you in her capable hooves. Your Highnesses.” He bowed and slipped out the door, closing it quietly behind him.

Shining gave a silent wave to the departing doctor, addressing his wife out of the corner of his mouth. “You’re going to enjoy this aren’t you?”

The moment her hot breath ghosted over his ear tip a shudder went down his spine. “Playing nurse for my stubborn oaf of a husband? Oh,” she whispered huskily, “you have no idea, Shiny!”

While being the Princess of Love afforded her a very lavish lifestyle, Cadence fancied herself as a rather down-to-earth mare. After all, Auntie Celestia made certain that she wouldn’t think herself above her subjects by sending her to school with other ponies and advising her to take up a foalsitting job to learn patience and socialization.

That being said, the way her Shining Armor blushed and stammered as they trotted out of the hospital and into the carriage had her snickering as soon as Prism Shine closed the door behind them.

“You so cute like that, Shiny!” she cooed, her hooves wrapped tight around his shoulders so he couldn’t try to edge away while she nuzzled his cheek. “Just like when we first started dating!”

Shining goggled. “I am not cute!” he cried indignantly, the deep pink blush on his face doing nothing to help his case. At least, not in her opinion. “Handsome, yes. Cute? Definitely not!”

Cadence laughed, patting his shoulder. “Whatever you say, my sweet Shiny-winy! I have many, many pictures, from your mom’s album and my own, that say otherwise!” A light cough from Prism Shine drew her attention. Cadence blinked and shifted position, rearranging her hooves so that her elbow intertwined with Shining’s. “Sorry, Prism, we’re a bit behind schedule, aren’t we?”

“Yes, though only just.” Prism replied, adjusting her glasses. “Fortunately, I accounted for the wait time and was able to delay court opening today. Though, I took the liberty of dispatching a messenger so that the guards might be prepared to stall a bit longer if we encounter any further setbacks.”

Shining rubbed at the back of his mane, smiling ruefully. “Well, thank Celestia for your quick thinking, Prism. We’d be in deep trouble otherwise!”

“Perhaps, My Prince, but I am simply doing my job. However...” She raised a critical eyebrow. “I should note that it would be much easier if you didn’t worry My Princess with your duties as Captain of the Imperial Guard.”

Before Shining could protest, Cadence cut in. “Thank you, Prism!” she said loudly, patting Shining’s hoof in comfort. “I’m sure Shiny understands.”

A good natured grumble and mock huff, complete with faux turn away and looking out the window in a poor attempt to hide the smirk on his muzzle only confirmed her point. Cadence smiled and shook her head. Stealing a kiss to his cheek, she settled into the plush cushion, listening to the carriage wheels as they trundled along the crystal road up to the palace.

Sunlight glinted off the high, spiraling rooftops. Cadence had to turn her gaze away, squinting in pain. I doubt I will ever get used to that. She sighed and leaned into Shining’s side. Watching Auntie raise and lower the sun was always so beautiful… Shiny, Twily, and I always had so much fun together…

Shaking her head, she channeled her magic, pulling the drapes shut with a flick. She blinked away the bright spots in her eyes, rubbing a hoof across her face. “I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to the glare off the buildings here!”

“Yeah,” Shining sighed, turning back to reveal his own eyes closed tight. “Makes me miss home—er, no offense, Prism. It’s wonderful here, but…”

“I understand entirely, Your Highnesses.” Prism smiled, quirking a brow at them both. “It would be the same if I suddenly moved to Canterlot, I suppose. But, I think you’ll fall in love with our fair city soon enough. In fact—” she paused to toss her sparkling, crystalline mane haughtily “—I’ll wager that you come to love it as if it were your own.”

Cadence fixed a mock scowl upon her muzzle. “Never! Canterlot pride, through and through!” She pumped a hoof, tugging Shining Armor close. “Go Wondercolts!”

To his credit, Shining just grinned. “You’ll have to excuse my wife. She was always the noisy one when we went to watch our high school goofball team—“

“It’s hoofball!” She cried, bopping him lightly on the head. “You are the goofball!”

“Of course. Silly me.” Cadence caught sight of the cheeky grin on his muzzle, prompting another bop on his head. “Ow! Cady, I’m starting to think that you enjoy abusing me!” he whined and stuck out his lip in what was, in her expert opinion, the most pathetic attempt at an imitation of her pout.

Giggling, she stole another kiss, smirking as that faux pout was marred with a blush and tugging up of his lips. Mmm, still so fun to tease, even after all these years!

The carriage came to a halt; Cadence was rocked by the sudden stop. Shining Armor’s familiar pink aura took hold of the knob, twisting it and pushing the door open. “Ladies,” he said, shooting them both an easy grin and bowing, “after you!”

“My husband, the quintessential gentlestallion!” she giggled. “Thank you, kind sir! How chivalrous!”

Shining rolled his eyes, earning himself a tail flick to his nose. “Oh, you’ll pay for that later,” he whispered teasingly, just low enough so only she could hear.

Years of experience flirting with Shining came into play as Cadence stayed silent, simply giving him her most innocent smile, complete with her patented wide-eyed gaze. Predictably, his eyebrows shot up to meet his mane, he chuckled lowly to himself and nodded, mumbling under his breath.

As usual, her beloved was trotting right into her hooves. Not that he wouldn’t love every bit of it once he realized. Cadence would make quite sure of that.

“Prince Armor!” Wind Runner called from above, swooping down and landing just a short distance ahead. He snapped a quick salute to his superior before addressing him. “Sire, I’ve been sent by Lieutenant Lighthoof to give a report on the morning training session. As you requested.”

Cadence raised an eyebrow at her husband and made a show of pricking her ears forward. A silent demand for an explanation.

“Honey, I’m not planning to join the afternoon session!” he began, holding up a hoof to forestall any argument. “I just asked to be kept in the loop while on the mend, no reason to have training delayed while I was being looked at again.”

Sighing, Cadence waved him off with a hoof. “All right, just make it quick! We’re already running late for court!”

Shining returned her order with a quick salute and steely gaze, though with a noticeable twinkle in his eyes. “Yes, My Princess!” he replied loudly, slipping back into his habits from his days as a rank-and-file guard. As he turned and trotted over to Wind Runner, conversing with his subordinate in hushed tones, Cadence let her eyes idly wander over him.

From the bandages on his ribs, to those on his hind leg, to the shield and spark cutie mark on his flank, Cadence looked over her beloved Prince. Going from serious to playful and back again. She smiled wistfully. You great, big colt.

To be specific, her great, big colt.

Her eyes narrowed as a thought occurred to her. Shiny is under enough stress, with his injury and trying to train by proxy now… I can wait a bit longer to have that talk with him. “Prism,” she hissed out of the corner of her mouth. “A word, if you don’t mind.”

“Of course, My Princess!” Her seneschal was at her side, almost as though she could teleport. “How may I be of service?”

“I don’t suppose the Council sent another memo, did they?”

“Er, not that I saw, but I can always double check. Is there a problem?”

Cadence, stayed silent for a moment, her eyes fixed on Shining Armor. “The next time one comes through, check to see if Shiny is with me in court that day. If not, give it to me as usual.”

“Yes, My Princess… but…” Prism followed her gaze, focusing on the Prince of the Crystal Empire. “What if he is with you?”

“Then remove it from your clipboard and give it to me in private. Just not in front of my husband.” Seeing that Shining and Wind Runner were just finishing up, Cadence pasted a small smile on her face, whispering out of the corner of her mouth. “I want to give him some time to get this training done before he deals with the Council.”

The crystal pony raised an eyebrow curiously. “But won’t they approach him directly? It is their right to do so, if they feel the need arises.”

She gave a soft shake of her head. “They won’t. Please send out memos to the members that I would like to meet with them within the next couple of days. I’ll discuss the matter with them myself.”

Cadence did her very best to suppress her laughter as Shining Armor, her beloved Prince and Captain of the Imperial Guard, shifted in the throne beside hers. “Problem, dear?” She asked, feigning innocence.

“No, just,” he broke off, furrowing in brows, “can’t get comfortable in this thing. The cushion isn’t broken in!”

“Oh, my,” she tutted. “Well, perhaps it would be if you spent a bit more time in court with me.” Catching the wince her reply garnered, a smirk played on her lips. “I’m only teasing, you silly foal!” Cadence lightly nudged his shoulder, ignoring the mock glare directed at her.

“Har, har. You’re a real comedian.” He grumbled. Tossing his mane, Shining imitated her patented huff and turn away, only turning back to glance over his shoulder. “Kidding aside, you know why I haven’t been here. And you know very well that I will be here more often when training is over.”

“Yes, yes, I know all that. Though, I won’t lie, I wait impatiently for the day this training is finished up and you’re at my side.” Cadence laid her head on his shoulder, sighing happily. “And I don’t plan on letting you go once that happens!”

“Trapped in the throne room with my lovely wife, eh?” Shining turned, a roguish grin on his muzzle as she beamed back at him. “I could think of worse fates.” He laid his head on hers and closed his eyes. “So, what’s on the docket today? Land disputes? Loans not being paid? Hostile business takeovers and violations of standards and practices?”

Oh, dear, he’s thinking of Canterlot court. I’d best nip that in the bud. “Nothing quite so serious. Not yet, at least.” She sighed, lifting her head off of her husband’s shoulders and giving it a sad shake. “I think… well, remember what you said about the Shining Quarter? When the ponies got scared of those recruits?”

“Yeah, because those bloody greenhorns went in like it was an interrogation. They scattered like we were Sombra’s flunkies taking ponies down to his mines. Why?”

“Well…” Cadence trailed off, chewing her bottom lip as she tried to think of the way to word it. “Let’s just say that I get a bit of a different perspective on it here. You see their fear of the uniform, I see their reverence to the Crown.”

“Huh? Oh, wait. You mean the—“

“Hear ye, hear ye!” Shining was cut off, the pair turned to see Valiance standing proudly at the doorway, with his chest puffed out and his spear held at his side. “The Crystal Court is now in session! Their Imperial Majesties, Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armor, presiding!”

The couple sat up straight, each smiling brightly as the doors creaked open. Shining whispered out of the corner of his mouth. “I thought you said you were going to do away with all these old formalities, honey.”

“I’m working on it, dear, but the Council insists that proper respect must be showed to the Crown.” She replied in a matching low tone. “It doesn’t help my case that Auntie Celestia kept it up in Day Court and, well, you know how Auntie Luna is.”

“Well, yeah,” he bobbed his head, the smile on his muzzle growing strained, “that’s true. But, still, do they really have to do the whole thing when they come up?”

A sidelong glance and a swish of her tail. He was doing it again, that old complaint of his. “You know they think so, Shiny.”

“Prism and Tourmaline don’t. Hayseeds, I’ve heard those two gossip and tease with you when court is out of session! Tourmaline even makes those silly comments about how I look in armor in front of you!”

“Yes, they do after seeing us every day since the Crystal Heart was returned. But they needed time, just like the rest do! They’ll see soon enough, dear.” Seeing him sigh and settle into his throne, Cadence leaned back, letting her coat brush against the back of hers.

Just a little time, we’ll make them see there’s nothing to fear. Not anymore. She nodded to Valiance. “Thank you, Corporal. Please send the first petitioner in.”

“At once, Your Majesty.” He bowed and turned to address the ponies standing outside. “Presenting Mister Luminous Ruby, of the Shining Quarter!”

A crystal pony stallion with translucent, ruby coat stepped through the open doors. He trotted with his gaze low, stopping just at the edge of the dais. Luminous bowed, prostrating himself so that his forehead touched the crystalline floor. “Good tidings and praise be unto you, Your Majesties!” He said, his voice carrying throughout the throne room and out to those waiting. “Thank you for seeing this servant of the Empire today, truly it is an honor to stand in your presence.”

Cadence saw Shining Armor stiffen in his throne, his smile straining as he bit the inside of his cheek. Her beloved was doing his best to keep his posture neutral, but the twitch in his tail betrayed him.

Just relax, let it go. She silently pleaded. Sliding her hoof over, Cadence lightly patted his before addressing Luminous. “The Crystal Court is always pleased to see its subjects and hear their interests, my good stallion. Please, rise! What can we do for you today?”

Luminous shifted in place, keeping his eyes locked on the floor. “W-Well, there’s been a bit of an issue with another gem cutter—Erudite is his name.” He paused and glanced toward the pair, his ears pinning back. “Oh, forgive me, Your Majesties! He’s really a fine cutter, and a good pony, too! It’s just that he—ah–he’s taken from my section in the gem mines a few times and, well, I don’t want to start a fight or anything, but I don’t want to lose out on my gems…”

“Have you brought it up with Mister Erudite?” Shining asked.

“Er, I made mention of it once, My Prince. He gave me a funny look and swore up and down that it was on his section. I have the deed to it, but… Erudite’s been my friend since we were foals, and I’m sure he wouldn’t do something like this on purpose! I just don’t want to ruin that…”

Cadence hummed, tapping a hoof against her leg rest. “That does muddy the waters a bit, doesn’t it? He hasn’t been belligerent, has he?”

“No, oh, heavens, no!” Luminous shook his head from side to side, his mane whipping against his face. “He said his piece and just laughed it off, saying it was just a mistake. Oh!” He brought his hoof to his mouth, eyes widening as realization dawned. “He’s going to be upset that I went behind his back—“

“Let us worry about that,” Shining said, cutting across the worried stallion. “If that section of the mines is yours, then it’s your right to see the mistake rectified. With that said, given that this Erudite is a friend, how would you like us to proceed with this? Maybe something simple, like have him come up to the palace for a chat?”

As soon as the words left Shining’s mouth, Cadence had to fight the urge to groan. Oh, he just hadto say it like that.

Luminous’s knees shook, nearly failing him as he hastily prostrated himself again. “Please, My Prince! There’s no need for something so drastic! It was only a mistake, just an honest mistake!”

Shining brought a hoof to his head. “Mister Luminous, please. I wasn’t referring to the thinly veiled threats of the old regime; when Princess Cadence or I say ‘a chat’ we literally mean ‘a chat’. Nothing more, nothing less.”

“Honey,” Cadence whispered, “be patient, remember?” She rubbed his hoof, doing her best to soothe his frustration. “You know what he’s thinking—“

“Yes, but that doesn’t mean I can’t correct it when it comes up, Cady.”

Slowly, she let out a breath through her nose, counting to ten so that she didn’t let their old argument escalate in front of Luminous. “There are easier ways, Shiny.” She replied, turning to face Luminous, her smile still intact. “Luminous.”

The stallion almost jumped to stand at attention. “Yes, My Princess?”

Time to work a bit on the Crown’s image. “My husband and I are quite sincere when we say that we mean no harm to Mister Erudite. In fact, I would add to his proposal, just a slight alteration, if I might.” She turned to Shining, who nodded, quirking an eyebrow in her direction. “Rather than simply calling Erudite to the palace and laying down the verdict, why don’t we let him speak as well?”

Luminous blinked and tilted his head to the side. “I’m not quite sure I understand…”

“I think my wife is offering to mediate the discussion,” Shining jumped to Cadence’s aid. “Instead of us just taking one side, let us listen to both of you here. Perhaps there’s a compromise you can reach if you talk it out.”

“Just… talking?” He asked, staring as Cadence and Shining Armor nodded in unison. “No dungeons or shackles?”

“No! Nothing of the sort,” Cadence replied, waving him off with a hoof. “We’ll just be here, acting as observers, making a note here or there about possible solutions.” She paused, bringing her hoof to her chin. How to explain it to a pony who lived under Sombra… “Think of us as advisors, Luminous. As mediators, we’ll just be giving you our opinions rather than just taking one side.”

“Additionally,” Shining said, adding to her point, “it’ll allow us to see both points of view so, if you can’t come to an agreement, the two of you can ask us to make a ruling that, hopefully, benefits both of you. How does that sound?”

“Well,” Luminous hemmed, “if it helps solve the problem, I guess I’d like to try.” He chewed his lip, his ears pinning back. “And I do want to be fair to ‘Dite…”

“Why don’t you go discuss it with him again? Show him the documentation that you have and see what you two can come to. If there’s still disagreement or something you want to firm up, we’d be happy to help!”

The gem cutter thought for a moment, his ears slowly unpinned. “I… I think that might actually work!” Luminous beamed and bowed low. “Thank you for your time, Your Majesties! I’ll have a word with ‘Dite and see if we can’t figure this out ourselves!”

“Good to hear, be sure to let us know how it goes with your friend.” Cadence replied. “We wish you the best, Luminous.”

“Thank you, My Princess! And may Celestia’s sun shine upon you this day!” He stood and turned on his hoof, trotting out with his head high and a spring in his step. Luminous paused only to nod to Valiance and Stout Heart, both of whom politely returned the gesture as he passed.

Turning to Shining, Cadence offered a small smile. “Well, one down.”

“Heh, yes. Chalk one up for the home team.” He leaned against her, sighing as they waited for the next petitioner to be led in. “Still,” he continued, his voice tinged with frustration, “he thought I was going to have his friend arrested…”

“It’s just the way you worded it, Shiny, don’t take it too personal.”

“Yes, yes, I know. I need to watch what I say—more than I have been, it seems.” Shining ran a hoof through his mane and slumped against he back of his throne. “Ugh! It feels like I take two steps forward, one back!”

Cadence leaned over, pecking his cheek. “Relax, Shiny!” She cooed. “Just let it go and take better care. They’ll figure us out, we just have to meet them halfway for now. Think like they do.”

He grumbled a bit, but nodded all the same. Cadence shook her head and patted his hoof, whispering sweet nothings into his ear to soothe his ire. As kind and loving a soul as Shining Armor was, that certainly didn’t mean he wasn’t given to a few bouts of temper here and there.

The business with the Crystal Empire had been stressful, to say the least. Recruiting and training a new guard regiment was difficult enough, but adding the weight of his public image, both as Captain and her Prince, only served to make it worse.

Barking orders at recruits and running drills, that’s where you feel comfortable, she eyed Shining Armor, watching as he took a slow, deep breath before pasting a smile on his muzzle. To anypony else, her Prince was happy, ready, and eager to sit in court.

Cadence, on the other hoof, knew better. He wasn’t happy with the way their subjects still recoiled at the slightest misspeaking, or jumped to the worst possible conclusion at the mere presence of a guard.

The sight of a pony in uniform meant bad things in the mind of a crystal pony. Sombra went to great lengths to assure that his reach would be feared as all knowing, inescapable, and without equal, all of which had been drilled into the heads of his subjects.

No, she thought, jaw tightening at the memory. Not his subjects. His ‘crystal slaves’. That arrogant, spiteful, heartless, lout of a stallion!

If there were ever two ponies so opposite as Sombra and her Shining Armor, Cadence would love to meet them. One selfish and oppressive, the other serving his ponies with diligence and honor.

No doubt, Sombra wouldn’t even bother holding court. Sisters, with the reactions she’d seen, anypony other than his inner circle being brought to the palace didn’t enjoy a pleasant stay or chat with their king. Those brought to the palace weren’t seen for weeks if they were lucky, if not…

Cadence banished those thoughts from her mind, the biting taste of bile rose to the back of her throat. We’re a new regime, we will make them see. Her heart and mind set on her goal, she sat upright and motioned to Valiance to bring the next petitioner in. We’ll make them see that we love and care for them, the Crystal Empire isour herd now.

At her side, Shining Armor had resumed his smile, listening as Valiance went through his spiel again, introducing a young couple, the mare a pinkish hued crystal pony and the stallion with her a deep blue. A couple seeking the blessing of their rulers.

Such an old practice, but, for their sake, she kept it, if only to not send the populace into shock with too many sudden changes.

The couple bowed, going through the same routine Luminous had. Shining Armor drew a sharp breath and tensed up again, groaning under his breath as the pair prostrated themselves, touching their heads to the floor.

And, again, Cadence had to take his hoof, rubbing a small circle in it to make him relax and let them go through with it. Soon enough, they’d see it wasn’t necessary to fear the Crown. They’d come to find that those seated on the Crystal Throne loved them all very much.

Though, even with her understanding of the matter, she swished her tail, inwardly wincing with each repetition of the titles, praising her and Shining to high heaven, claiming they were so honored to stand before them.

But that was okay. It would all change soon enough; once the guard had been trained, this incarnation with its presence constant and friendly to those under its protection, the ponies would start to see their intent.

Just a bit more time and it’ll all be just fine. She quickly stole a glance to Shiny, looking out of the corner of her eye so it didn’t seem like she was ignoring the couple. He’ll be safe at my side, the Council will be happy, and our ponies will stop fearing us.

All she needed was to hold her smile a bit longer and wait patiently. Just to buy a little more time, and Cadence was sure she’d have her happily ever after.

4. Promises Bind Us Closer

Shining all but flopped onto their bed, burying his muzzle in his pillow. “Dear Celestia, I forgot how slow it was sitting in court!”

“Oh, hush, you big foal!” Cadence tittered and poked him with a hoof. “I’ll bet it was just as bad back in Canterlot! At least you get to sit down here!”

He mumbled something lost in the pillow fluff, but nodded all the same. Slowly, he pushed himself up, his mane askew after having been ruffled by his silliness. “True enough, but they didn’t bow to me back then. Hay, I don’t even think half of them looked in my direction.” A wistful smile crossed his muzzle as he stared off into the distance. “I got away with so much daydreaming back then…”

“Mmm, yes, you did. In fact,” she said, bringing a hoof to her chin and humming to herself, “I seem to recall a certain guard pony getting quite the talking to from Captain Ironside. Something about shaving a rather odd hoof painting job on the side of his armor…”

“That was you!” He cried, turning and jabbing a hoof under her nose. “I don’t know when you did it, but I know you were behind that!”

Cadence threw back her head and laughed, singing her reply. “You’ll never prove it! Now, quit your grumping and get up!” She poked his side again. “I haven’t forgotten your promise, mister! You owe me dinner and dancing tonight!”

“Oh? I’m sorry, I must’ve been daydreaming when I—OW!” He yelped as his ear was tweaked by a blue aura. “All right, all right! I was only teasing!” Rubbing his ear, Shining gave her a rueful smile. “When do you want to leave, dear?”

“In a little bit.” She grinned, prancing in place and letting out a happy little squeal. “I want to put on one of my dresses! Get out of this regalia for a little bit!”

“Heh, careful! You might give somepony a heart attack, seeing their Princess outside her proper dress. Just think of the shock!”

She rolled her eyes, giving his ear another tweak before trotting toward the door. “I’m sure they’ll get over it. That said, you’re dressing nice too, Shiny. And I don’t mean that ceremonial uniform from our wedding day.” Cadence trotted out, pointedly ignoring his snickers and whatever parting shot he sent in her wake. Her mind was already on a nice night out with her stallion!

It had been difficult enough to keep it off to the side as long as she had. Eating dinner with him in the palace, stolen kisses whenever they met during the day, finishing with the day in each other’s hooves was a dream for any pony. She considered herself lucky to have a stallion who went out of his way to show her the love he felt every day.

But still, an evening out with Shining Armor was like using time magic to travel back to their younger years. Those days spent in his embrace, without a care in the world, all flashed through her mind’s eye.

I feel like it was just yesterday that I first kissed his cheek. She smiled, humming a tune as she approached an aquamarine-tinged crystal pony mare with a teal mane. “Tourmaline,” she greeted, nodding to her, “how’ve you been?”

“Very well, My Princess.” Tourmaline bowed, following proper protocol before immediately casting aside all pretense. Her violet eyes twinkled, a playful smile crossed her muzzle. “A little birdie tells me that somepony is planning a romantic dinner this evening.”

Cadence tilted her head and faked a gasp. “Oh, my! When ever did Prism grow wings? Does your mother know?”

The little mare giggled, shaking her head. “I’m afraid not, My Princess. She’ll be so surprised when we come over for her birthday to find that her oldest daughter is the first crystal birdie, though!”

“I’m sure she’ll be thrilled! Now, my mischievous little pony, would you mind helping me pick out a dress? Or would you rather stand around playing?”

“Why not both?” Tourmaline countered, nimbly dancing out of the way as Cadence gave a swipe of her wing.

Cadence harrumphed, glaring at the smaller mare. “You and your sister get cheekier by the day, I swear! Why, I wonder what happened to those two little mares who could barely look at Shiny and I without stammering and bowing!” She smirked as she trotted passed, giving a teasing wink. “Maybe I should’ve taken pictures… for memory’s sake, of course.” Her horn flashed blue, opening the door to her walk-in closet.

“Mmm, yes, such a shame. Now, what type of dress were you thinking, My Princess?” Tourmaline followed behind, forgoing her antics in favor of aiding Cadence.

Humming to herself, Cadence stepped in. Several glowstones hanging from the ceiling lit up, illuminating the room with a fluorescent glow. “I’m not quite sure yet,” she muttered, casually floating several dresses off their racks and bringing them close for inspection. “Something fancy, but not overly formal. So, the Imperial Ceremony dress is right out.” With a flick of her magic, she sent a magnificent sapphire dress, with vibrant red sash back to its place on the rack.

Her hoofmaiden quirked a brow and let her eyes roam over the dresses still hovering. “Hmm, are you just trying to look nice for Prince Armor? Or do you want something with a little more—“ she trailed off, rolling her hoof in a circle. “—Oomph, so to speak?”

“Oomph. Definitely oomph.” Cadence turned to fix Tourmaline with a sly smirk. “I want to remind Shiny exactly what he’s got. I want to see that cute little blush from the first time he showed up to Canterlot Palace to take me out to a movie!”

“That’s my mare! Well, if it’s to see our dear Prince Charming light up like the Crystal Heart, I say go with this one.” She gestured to a soft, cream colored dress with purple trim around the hem and slits going up either side, stopping just below where Cadence’s cutie mark would be. “If that doesn’t have him drooling, I’ll eat the darn thing!”

“My, my! With such emphatic endorsement, I can hardly say no to that one!” Sending the other dresses back to their rightful places, Cadence turned and trotted over to her vanity table and mirror. She held the dress up to her body, giving a cursory glance to her reflection. “Hmm, yes, this one does go well with my mane—I really must thank Rarity for the work she put into this!” A shark-like grin worked its way across her muzzle, the image of the white coat on Shining’s face going bright red flashing through her mind. “Definitely what I’m looking for!”

Tourmaline giggled as she trotted up to stand behind her. “Poor Prince Armor won’t know what hit him!”

“Heh, true enough. Speaking of which, did I ever tell you about the time he got so distracted that he poured maple syrup on himself?”

“No, but now you have to!”

Cadence laughed and began putting on the dress, using her magic to easily unfasten the ties. With practiced ease, she slipped into it as if she were just putting on a light jacket. And here I thought that I’d never thank Auntie for making me go to all those fancy dress parties. “Well, since you’re interested, it was back when Princess Twilight was young—I used to foalsit her then, which is how I met Shiny. There was a big storm scheduled and I completely forgot to check, so I ended up stuck at their house for the night.”

“Ooooh, I’m loving this set up already!” Tourmaline giggled, stepping forward to open a drawer and pull out the makeup kit. “Please, allow me, My Princess.” She took a brush in hoof and set about to touch up the work Cadence had done before court. “Just a little bit as usual?”

“Yes, please. No need to go overboard and make me more makeup than Cadence!”

“Perish the thought! Now, don’t hold out on me after that buildup! Tell Tourmie everything!”

“Of course! Let’s see, if I remember right... Little Shiny was about as excited as a foal on Hearth’s Warming—and about as good at hiding it too!” She closed her eyes, imagining a much younger, lankier Shining, with a broad toothy grin, completely shameless of the braces in his mouth. His ears were perked up and his two-toned tail wagged happily as though he were a little puppy. “Really, I could tease him silly with this one if I wanted. Subtlety and Shining Armor didn’t go together, especially when he tried so hard around me to fit that cool image that the popular colts at school always kept up.”

Tourmaline’s hooves stopped. “Oh, dear.” Her smile creased into a big, toothy grin at the implications. “We are talking about the same Prince Shining Armor, right? The one who still playacts whenever you bop him?”

Cadence smirked and quirked an eyebrow before shifting in her seat. She raised one hoof in the air and placed the other over her heart before reciting a pegasus oath. “Let my wings fall off if I’m lying! Shining Armor, Your Prince and Captain of the Guard, tried so hard to fit that silly look in front of me that day.”

“Perhaps it isn’t my place, but, teasing aside, I don’t see the point. Weren’t you two already friends by then?”

“Well, we knew each other from classes and me foalsitting, but we weren’t that close yet. He could never seem to talk to me without making an excuse to run away and I would just get caught up staring into his eyes.” She sighed, letting her mind wandering off. “He was such a dork—well, he’s still a dork, really. But, back then, he was always playing games with his friends or burying his nose in a book. That was his go to whenever I came over; stammer out some malarkey about a test that I knew neither of us had and then bolt up to his room and study.”

Tourmaline had to stop applying blush to Cadence’s cheeks, holding herself up on the vanity table while she snickered. “Oh, by the Crystal Heart, please tell me there are pictures!”

“I should have a few. Anyway, after I stayed the night, Velvet made pancakes for us. When we sat down—I swear they planned this—Shiny and I ended up next to one another. By that time, I’d hung out with him around campus and was trying to drop hints, but his head is as thick as his shields are strong.” She snickered, grinning slyly. “Well, ever the gentlecolt, before pouring syrup over his pancakes, Shiny offered to do so for me.”

“Ah, so you let him and then said something nice?”

“Better. You have to understand, this was after about a year or so of me dropping hints—I was convinced he was as thick as a brick! So, as he finished, I decided to give him a little kiss on the cheek, right then and there. Just a little one, lingering like a lover might.”

“Heh, Princess of Love already knew how to make her stallion feel like he was walking on sunshine, eh?”

“Oh, yes, I’d seen and helped enough couples… but it didn’t quite go as plan. It went better!” She all but cackled. “When I leaned in, Shiny turned to ask if that was enough. I ended up kissing him full on the lips in front of his family!”

Tourmaline’s laughter stopped, she slowly turned to gape at Cadence. “No…” she whispered. “What did you do?”

“Well, I was already kissing the lug, so I held it for a bit, pulled back and asked him out. That’s when he started pouring it all over his leg! Poor colt didn’t even notice until it started burning…”

“Oooh, not good!” Tourmaline winced, her hind legs crossing as though in pain. “And after?”

Cadence turned and raised an eyebrow. “After? You see ‘after’ every day, you silly filly! I said I’d tell you that story, not the whole thing!” She broke down into another fit of giggles at the pout Tourmaline directed at her. “Oh, don’t give me that! I told you what you wanted. Besides, that only works with cute, little foals; you’re only one of the two.”

“Meanie!” The mare huffed, smiling in spite of her wants being denied, and returning to putting makeup on Cadence. “Still, I don’t think I’ve seen a day where he doesn’t look at you like he’s a colt looking at his crush for the first time.” She shook her head, sighing. “I’m not sure who lucked out more, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little jealous. You two are just so adorable together!”

“Come now, you’ll find a special somepony soon enough. I should know.” Cadence gave a pointed nod to the image of the Crystal Heart emblazoned on her flank. “You’ve got a great capacity for love, Tourmaline, you just need to find the one who makes you feel—“ she broke off, shaking her head with a small smile. “—It’s not my place to say. You’ll know when that day comes.”

Her piece said, she looked at the reflection in the mirror, surveying Tourmaline’s work. Flawless, even-layered as always. Hmm, Shiny might just have a heart attack. She stood, taking stock of the full-finished product. So what if she preened in front of a mirror every now and again? There was a stallion in the next room that was just waiting to be rendered speechless.

Cadence turned to face Tourmaline, a playful grin crossing her muzzle as a thought occurred to her. “Go let that husband of mine know that I’m ready.”

“Oh, building up the suspense for him, are we? All right, let’s see if we can’t make the big bad Captain stammer again!” She sang, trotting off to do her princess’s bidding, slowing only to shoot a wink in her direction as she slipped out the door. “Ohhhh, Prince Armor!” Tourmaline called out, using that tone that always made Prism Shine groan and hide behind her clipboard.

“Hmm? What is it Tourmaline?” Shining’s voice reached her ears. Cadence crept toward the door, perking an ear up to wait for her chance. She heard him groan before speaking again, his voice tinged with amusement. “All right, I know that look. Who did you annoy, are they chasing you with pitchforks, and do I need to pay them off?”

“No, not this time. My Prince—though, I still owe you for keeping that shield up until Prism calmed down. I just can’t imagine why she was so furious…”

“Right.” Shining deadpanned, the sarcasm in his reply hanging thick in the air. “I’m sure it had nothing to do with the fact that you dumped cold water all over her. So, what can I help you with, then, if not protecting you from your rampaging sister?”

“Well,” Tourmaline drew out the ell sound, “a few things came for you today. Special delivery. I wanted to know where I should put them.”

“Uh… depends on what ‘they’ are. If they’re big, we should probably ask Cady. Last time I tried decorating our apartment, she just about wrung my neck!”

Ah, yes. Cadence grimaced at that memory; Shining Armor standing in the middle of a disheveled living room, furniture haphazardly arranged, grinning sheepishly at her as she silently fumed.

And that’s where the ‘never-leave-Shiny-alone-to-organize-new-furniture’ rule came from. Her grimace turned into a full-blown scowl as she heard the pair share a laugh at something, a joke shared between them, no doubt. Hey! This is supposed to be teasing Shiny time, not giggle about Cady being organized! Perhaps Prism Shine would be interested in finding out just who replaced all her inkwells with invisible ink.

No; that could be saved for later. Like the next time Tourmaline snitched to the Canterlot Royal Guards posted when Cadence slipped her detail and went out for a little stroll through the park in the Garnet Quarter.

Just as she pictured the look of dismay flitting across Tourmaline’s muzzle, her hoofmaiden spoke up again, loud enough for her to hear. “Well, I had them brought in. They’re not too big, but we can’t just stash them in the closet. Would you mind taking a look? It’ll only take a second!”

“Well…” She heard Shining pause, no doubt wondering if he had time before she returned. Oh, won’t you be in for a surprise! “All right, just a quick look, though. I promised Cady we’d go out tonight and she wanted to get a move on.”

“I understand, My Prince. It won’t take but a moment.” Cadence heard her hooves clopping against the floor, getting nearer as she left Shining’s presence. Tourmaline poked her head around the doorway, grinning broadly. “Thank you for waiting!” she said, making a great show of annunciating for Shining’s sake. “Prince Armor is ready to see you now!”

Is he now? Her grin returned. Cadence tossed her mane and nodded to Tourmaline, waving her on to lead her in. She gave the mare a few steps head start before following along, taking slow, elegant strides to give Shining a full display of her figure.

As soon as she stepped through the doorway, Shining’s eyes went wide, looking her up and down to take in every inch of her. She turned a bit to the side to show off her dress, while taking the free chance to survey his choice in attire.

Dressed in a black suit, with a white dress shirt and blue striped tie that matched his mane perfectly, he looked the very picture of a suave, debonaire stallion, ready to take his lady out to dinner.

Mmm, very nice! Cadence hummed, letting her eyes wander hungrily over his form. Somepony had the same idea as me!

He blinked, staring wordlessly a moment before shaking himself. His ears stood erect as his tail wagged behind him, looking more like an excited puppy than a grown stallion. “I don’t know, Tourmaline,” Shining began, a goofy grin spreading across his face. “I’m not quite sure if these belong to me.”

Tourmaline gave a mock gasp, looking back and forth between the pair. “Oh, you’re right! Silly me! My Princess—” she turned to Cadence and addressed her without missing a beat “—I present to you an overly eager admirer with a penchant for utter silliness!”

Shining Armor huffed, making a show of turning his head and stomping a hoof. “I am not overly eager!”

At the sight of the stallion who sent young recruits diving for cover acting like a foal himself, Cadence was helpless to control a sudden bout of giggles. She took a moment to reign herself in before replying. “Of course not!” she agreed, nodding her head and schooling her expression into a wide-eyed look of pure innocence. “You’re not over eager at all.” As he nodded along with her, Cadence went in for the kill. “You’re just my big, cuddly, teddy bear of a husband.”

“Exactly, I’m just a big—Hey!” Shining narrowed his eyes. “Just for that, maybe I won’t dance with you tonight! Humph!” He made as though to walk away, but only managed a single step before a light blue aura caught his tail and jerked him back to stand at Cadence’s side.

Acting fast, she threw a wing across his withers, stealing a quick kiss to his cheek. “Oh, no you don’t, buster! You promised me dinner and dancing, and, by my Auntie’s crown, you’re not getting out of either.”

He nodded, chuckling to himself. “Yes, dear. Dinner, dancing, and, of course—“ a smirk played upon his lips, Shining turned and bumped their muzzles together, “—all of the mushy things.”

“You’re darn right, all of the mushy things. Though, hmm, I don’t see any roses, so I’ll have to take points off already. I hope you’ve brushed up on your dancing if you want to recover.”

“Don’t worry, I have,” he replied, waving her off. “I’ve perfected my ‘stepping on all four hooves’ technique and evolved it to a ‘step on all four hooves at once’. Twily will be quite jealous.”

The mares snickered, tales of his beloved ‘L.S.B.F.F.’ were a common fixture in the Crystal Palace, especially when he and Cadence reminisced over bygone days. Any story involving her dancing always made for a good time. “Hmm, maybe I do need my regalia.” Cadence mumbled. “It’ll at least save me from those behemoths you call hooves.”

Shining just rolled his eyes and stuck out his tongue. “Fine, I won’t show you my incomparable skills at dancing failure. I’ll be a good dancer—bleh! That just sounds so boring!” He pulled a face, screwing up his muzzle and pretending to gag.

“I’m sure you’ll survive, sweetie. Now, shall we?”

“Of course!” He dropped his playacting, bowing low and gesturing to the door with a hoof. “After you, m’lady.”

Cadence tittered, offering a curtsey in reply before pressing up against his side. They trotted out together, sparing a nod in Tourmaline’s direction before slipping out into the hallway toward the courtyard.

5. As a Lily Among Brambles

The Imperial Carriage awaited their arrival. It was made of soft pink crystal, with a deep blue edging elegantly gilded around the roof and steps. A pair of guards stood hitched to the carriage, one wearing the traditional gilded armor of the Royal Guard, the other wearing the translucent, crystal armor of the Imperial Guard, tinged lavender by his coat.

“Your Highnesses.” The pair saluted their rulers. Almost predictably, the Royal Guard met their eyes, while the Imperial Guard trainee lowered his gaze to the ground; almost as though he were averting his eyes from staring into the sun.

More reverence for the Crown: don’t look them in the eye, show that you aren’t worthy. Cadence noticed Shining Armor tense up at her side, readying to launch into a rebuttal. She quickly elbowed him in the shoulder, taking care to avoid his ribs, and caught his eyes. A silent command of her own:

Not the time. Tonight was a night to themselves; no thoughts about running the Empire, no planning for Guard training, none of that.

Just Shining and her, like it had been in Canterlot.

The couple nodded in return, Shining straining to maintain a smile. “Hello, Stone Hoof. And…” He tilted his head, squinting at the crystal pony before him. “It’s Borealis, right? Cadet Borealis?”

Borealis bowed lower, his hoof drumming excitedly against the ground. “Y-Yes, My Prince! It’s an honor that you remember my name, even greater that I was chosen to escort Your Highnesses to dinner.”

“Dial it down, Cadet.” Stone Hoof hissed out of the side of his mouth, giving the recruit a light nudge with his shoulder. He turned his attention back to the waiting couple. “Sorry,” he mouthed, jerking his head to Borealis, “work in progress.”

Cadence took the hint and quickly bringing her gaze away from the young recruit. “Well, let’s get going, shall we?” she said, pulling Shining along toward the carriage door.

Stone Hoof scrambled over to the door, quickly pulling it open and bowing to them as they stepped inside. “At once, My Princess! We should arrive shortly. Please, relax and enjoy the ride.”

Nodding as she passed, Cadence sat beside Shining on the plush, purple cushion. She held him close and laid on his shoulder. He leaned over and nuzzled the top of her head, teasing her ears and mane as the carriage lurched forward.

She closed her eyes, sighing as her beloved hummed, whispering sweet nothing in her ear just like he would when they first started dating. The only thing missing was the grassy knoll at the base of Canterlot’s high mountain, a picnic blanket, a basket, and a warm sunny afternoon.

Maybe next time, she mused idly. A plan to bring their marriage back to its more basic stages, back to those days of simply puppy love coming to bear. Just Shiny, me, and a nice, private spot to ourselves. Cadence bit her lip to stop a laugh from slipping out.And, this time, we won’t get caught by a Guard patrol—they’re under our command now!

Sometimes, the weight of the Crown was worth the benefits. Quickly, stealing a kiss, Cadence settled into her seat and sighed, gazing up lovingly at the stallion who’d claimed her heart all those years ago.

If only things could be just a bit simpler.

In the wake of Sombra’s final fall, the crystal ponies were at a loss of how to go about their lives. Decades of living as slaves and a millennia frozen in time had left them utterly terrified, both of whomever sat upon the Crystal Throne and the strange world around them.

It took quite a bit of coaxing from Cadence to convince them to take up their old trades again, several edicts and speeches offering her personal assurances that they were free to return to their lives as they’d been before Sombra.

The Iridescent was one of the first businesses to return. Jacaré, the owner and head of his family, had been first in line to apply for the necessary tax forms, eager to return to his one true calling: cooking.

Shining had promised that they would visit some time ago, but they’d been so wrapped up in governing that they ended up finding excuses to keep putting it off. Though she did have to tease him a bit to make this happen, she knew he wouldn’t have offered if he didn’t want to come as much as she did.

I really do need to find a way to spend more time with him. I miss nights like this.

Cadence was practically bouncing in her seat as the sign, illuminated by soft pink glowstones, came into view. True to Shining’s words, matching glowstones wound up the columns, casting them in a similar color as her own coat.

Grinning broadly, Shining nuzzled the top of her head as the carriage ground to a halt just in front of the main entrance. Through the window, the forms of several crystal ponies, patron and attendant alike, stopped and gaped at the carriage.

The couple within fixed smiles on their faces as the door opened from the outside, Stone Hoof was first to greet them, bowing low as protocol demanded. They stood, ducking their heads as they stepped out, each playing as if the excited whispers and staring went unnoticed.

As they approached, the door attendant, a colt so young he must’ve only just got his cutie mark, yelped, jolting out of his momentary lapse and scrambling to open the door. “Y-Your Highnesses!” He bowed, the black cap nearly falling off his head in his haste. “W-Welcome to the Iridescent! I’m sure my uncle will be delighted to see you in our humble restaurant!”

Humble? Cadence resisted the urge to give one of her teasing replies, instead settling for a shared grin with Shining. She turned back to the young colt, now identified of Jacaré’s family, and greeted him. “My, my! I’d call you young for a door attendant, but you seem to have it all under control.” A little bit of praise, both for his sake and for the curious crowd.

The young colt puffed out his chest, his translucent ears standing up straight as he bowed again. “You’re far too kind, My Princess.” He replied. Cadence had to smile at the hint of pride in his voice. So cute! “R-Really, Uncle Jacaré will be so thrilled. You’ve no idea how much it meant to him when you endorsed our reopening.”

“Well, he’s certainly done a wonderful job reestablishing himself.” Shining mused, letting his eyes wander over the outside of the restaurant. “I’ve been hearing a lot of great reviews since his grand opening—we were sad to miss it, but we were called away to help deal with a bit of a crisis in Canterlot.”

“Oh, no, Uncle Jacaré understood completely, My Prince!” The colt squeaked. “Of course, he was saddened that you couldn’t join us, but any evening you choose to dine with us would put a great, big smile on his face!”

“We’ll be sure to say hello then! Thank you!” Cadence nodded to him and made a mental note to say something nice to the maitre’d or, if possible, Jacaré himself. The little colt certainly had a pleasant demeanor and genuinely enjoyed what he was doing.

So cute! She crooned, resisting the temptation to sweep him up in a big hug and ruffle his mane. Just like Twily was at that age!

The pair entered, their mouths dropped almost instantly. For a restaurant that only recently resumed operation, the Iridescent was utterly magnificent. Whoever Jacaré had commissioned to design the interior knew how to work crystal like no pony Cadence had ever seen. There were gem cutters who could claim proficiency, but the pony who’d done this was in another league entirely.

Glowstones of soft pinks and yellows were embedded in the crystalline walls, lighting up and casting their glow and giving the walls a look as if they’d been painted from within. The pillars seemed to cascade from the ceiling like a waterfall frozen in time.

The cutter even managed to make it look real. Cadence couldn’t tear herself away, her mouth dropping to form a small “o”. “Shiny,” she began, “I’m seeing this, right?”

“Yes, sweetie, and, no, I can’t believe it either.” She could hear the awe in his voice, the same way he used to talk about his instructors at the Royal Guard Academy. “Who in Equestria did this?”

“Ah! I see you’ve taken notice of Surefire’s work!” Cadence pricked up her ears at the new voice, turning to find a crystal pony stallion, his coat tinged a light green and mane deep blue, dressed in a neatly pressed tuxedo. He smiled, just enough to show a hint of pearly white teeth. “I’ll be sure to pass along your compliments, he’s always delighted to hear that our guests appreciate his effort!”

“Please do!” Shining said, grinning broadly. “And let him know that, once my wife regains her power of speech, she’ll likely want to commission him.” His grin only broadened at the glare Cadence sent his way.

Cheeky stallion! You’ll get yours, Shiny! After all, he still owed her slow dancing—oh, by her Aunties’ wings, there would be dancing!

If the goofball at her side thought he was getting off with just one, he’d be in for quite a surprise!

“I do believe you might just know the quickest way to that stallion’s heart! Forgive an old stallion his rambling, I haven’t even introduced myself! I am Jacaré, the owner of this establishment, who might you two—“ Just as he was about to ask, the stallion started, as though his brain finally caught up with who he saw before him. Jacaré’s stumbled back a step, his eyes as wide as dinner plates. “—Y-Your Highnesses, my deepest apologies!”

“It’s fine, Sir Jacaré.” Cadence held up a hoof, smiling brightly in spite of the attention his outburst drew. Ponies staring, rearing up on their hind hooves to get a better view of her at those formal ceremonies with Auntie Celestia made for a typical day. A few patrons and their foals taking note of them at a nice restaurant was expected. Though, it was expected at a ceremony. On a date with Shining Armor, the stares weren’t very welcome at all. “Just think of us as any other couple on a night out together.”

The older stallion stared, his mouth working wordlessly a moment. “I—But—You—“ Jacaré stammered, fumbling over the words before he finally reigned himself in, setting his jaw and giving a strained smile. “If you insist, My Princess.”

As Jacaré made to hurry away to have a hushed conversation with a pair of waiters. “Oh, sir?” he froze, turning slowly to face her again. “Before I forget, that colt at the door, he’s your nephew, right?”

“Y-Yes, My Princess. He didn’t do anything wrong, I hope? If so, I can have him straightened out—“

“No, as a matter of fact, I was hoping you’d pass along my compliments! He’s a very pleasant colt, well-mannered, too.”

Jacaré let out a deep sigh of relief. “Thank you, My Princess. I’ll be sure to tell Radiant, and his parents as well. Hearing that from you will mean so much to them!” He bowed again before scuttling off to talk to a couple of waitresses, holding a hushed conversation and gesturing wildly.

There was a light brush of air against her thigh, followed by the wispy sensation of pony tail; Shining had likely caught the stares himself, and wasn’t amused. He never did like it when ponies looked in on our dates back home.

She lifted her wing, brushing her feathers lightly against his side, just as she used to whenever he was nervous before a match. “Relax.” She cooed, nuzzling his cheek. “Just ignore them, sweetie. We’re just two ponies on a date, not royalty tonight.”

“We haven’t been ‘just two ponies’ since we started dating!” He scoffed, letting a snort out through his nose. Cadence watched, her wing dropping back to her side as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “I’m sorry,” he said, “I just wanted a night out with you where we could kinda forget this stuff.”

“So, forget it! If they want to stare and bow and do whatever it is they do, let them, Shiny. It’s never going away entirely, trust me.” she placed a hoof on his shoulder and rubbed a slow circle. “We can still have a good time, and if it helps,” Cadence pressed up against him, leaning up to whisper into his ear, “there’s only one pony I’m thinking of tonight!”

That brought a smirk to his face, along with a rather cute blush. “You know, one of these days I’m not going to fall for your flirting so easily.”

A coy smile crossed her face. “I doubt that very much, but if you can make it a little more fun, I’m all for it!”

“Ah, excuse me, um, Your Highnesses!” A young mare’s voice cut in, bringing their banter to a halt. They turned in unison to find a waitress, shifting in place and averting her eyes. “Y-Your table is ready! If you’d f-follow me?”

Cadence beamed and wrapped a wing around Shining. “Of course! After you, dear!”

The waitress mumbled excitedly and bowed again, turning stiffly and walking in the direction of an open area toward the back; the entrance to the Iridescent’s famed balcony and dance floor.

Jacaré had us put in a table looking out on the balcony? She barely withheld a squeal, tightening her wing’s grip around Shining. Close seats to the balcony meant their meal would include musical accompaniment and, of course, a nice view of the outside dance floor itself.

She could already hear the soothing melody of the string quartet, drifting through the air to whisper into her ears. Cadence let her gaze linger on the entrance itself, but gave a mental wing to her head to bring herself back to present. Dancing could wait until after they ate, that way there would be more time.

Not to mention that it wouldn’t be much of a hassle to step onto the floor itself since they wouldn’t have to worry about stepping around any of the other patrons.

They were led to a small table, just inside the dining room itself. A vase at the center of the table held a pair of roses within, and both places set with crystal utensils and wine glasses.

“I-Is there anything I could get you, Your Highnesses?” The little mare stammered. “I could bring a wine menu if you’d like to try some…”

“We’ll have whatever Mr. Jacaré recommends,” Cadenced replied smoothly. “I’m sure he knows quite a bit more about the wines in the Crystal Empire than either of us.” She paused a moment. “Actually, tell him that I’ll have whatever he recommends for a meal as well. Always trust a chef to pick his best dish, eh, Shiny?”

Shining nodded. “Never failed us before, I’ve not met a chef who didn’t pick his personal favorite.” He turned to the waitress and gave an easy smile. “I’ll have the same as my wife. Surprise us.”

“Of course! I’ll be right back!”

Watching as the little mare scuttled off, Cadence glanced at Shining through half-lidded eyes, the wheels in her head turning.

“Probably could’ve worded that better…” He mumbled before catching her gaze, years of seeing that look aimed his way when she was ready to tease him coming into play.

Oh, goodie, you noticed! She crooned, leaning forward and setting her hooves on her cheeks. “Something the matter?”

Raising an eyebrow, he sat back and steepled his hooves. “What wickedness are you plotting, oh wife of mine?”

“Oh, the usual!” She giggled and stole a quick kiss to his nose, delighting in the way he wrinkled it. “Thinking of all the ways I can drag my lug of a husband out for a nice, romantic dance or three. And, maybe a little mischief.”

“Mischief? Well, we can’t have that!” He teased, assuming his stern guard voice. “I’m afraid I’ll have to ask you to explain yourself, Miss. The security of the Empire might be at risk!”

Cadence wagged a hoof at him and tutted. “Ah, ah, ah! You don’t get to find out until later, Captain Armor! You wouldn’t want to force my hoof without knowing what I have in store, would you?”

Shining brought his hooves together and scrunched his nose. “Hmm, good point. I suppose I’ll just have to bide my time.” His facade broke, a bout of snickers slipped out. “Celestia forbid if you ever go dark on me, you’ve got far too much talent for driving me spare!”

“But that would be so fun! Just think: I could be the Catmare to your Batstallion!” She purred, fluttering her eyelashes. “I’d have plenty of sparkly things to steal, easily luring you out to chase me night after night!”

Groaning, he shook his head. “I rue the day I ever let you read those comics with Spike! And for the record,” he jabbed a hoof in her direction, “if that were the case, I’d just put you in a bubble shield. Can’t tease from in there.”

“Oho, you underestimate me, dear!” Cadence snickered at the way he raised an eyebrow in reply. Sighing and shaking his head, Shining brought his hooves up to massage his temples, muttering something under his breath.

Point to me! She crowed.

Before he could reply, the waitress returned, balancing a tray with a clear bottle on her back. “Y-Your Highnesses,” she nodded slightly, unable to bow with her burden. Deftly shifting, she took hold of the bottle and presented it, flashing the label to the pair. “M-Mr. Jacaré recommends the Legacy of Harmony; it’s grown in a vineyard at the base of Canterlot Mountain.”

Cadence’s ears perked up and gave her wings an excited flap. “We had that the night you proposed to me, Shiny! Remember?”

“How could I forget?” He replied, grinning toothily back at her. “You read me like a book and knew I’d ask. But,” he broke off to snicker at her, “you didn’t know how I’d do it! I still remember you checking the breadsticks!”

“Oh, hush!” She rolled her eyes and turned back to the waitress with a smile. “That will be lovely, Miss—er, pardon me, but I don’t believe you ever gave your name.”

The waitress squeaked, nearly dropping her tray. “I—Oh, dear! It’s Flicker, My Princess, I’m so sorry!”

“It’s fine, Flicker, don’t be so nervous. Relax! Here,” she began, lighting up her horn to take the bottle, “let me handle this. We’ll be fine for now.”

Flicker hesitated before bowing and mumbling in assent. She hurried off, tray still balanced on her back, to go take care of another group of patrons.

With a flick of her magic, Cadence deftly removed the cork, holding it tight so it didn’t fly off and hit somepony. “I didn’t know they got Legacy up here,” she mused, floating the bottle over to pour Shining’s glass. “We’ve been missing out quite a bit.”

“It could be special ordered for the restaurant, but that’s something we can check.” He nodded in thanks. “Though, we can’t really spend a bunch of bits right now. Not when there’s so much else on the agenda.”

“I know, Shiny, I’m just thinking.” She poured her own glass and brought it to her muzzle, sniffing at the light floral scent. “It just reminds me of how perfect that night was! I could’ve tackled you and smothered you in kisses in front of everypony!”

“You did!” Cadence snorted at the way he cried out, gaping at her like she’d grown a second horn. “The only reason the Royal Guard wasn’t called to have us fined for public indecency was because I’m their bloody captain!”

All she could do was raise her glass. “To a night not spent in a jail cell for too much affection?” She offered slyly.

Grumbling and rolling his eyes, Shining mirrored her action and touched them together. “To one of the happiest nights of my life and the memory of my beautiful wife assaulting me.”

“Just one of the happiest nights of your life?”

“Of course! Second only to our wedding night.”

Cadence let out a happy squeal, ruffling her feathers and arching her back, as if she were a bird showing off a recent preening. “How do you always know the right thing to say?” She cooed before sipping at the wine. Her eyes lit up and tail swished behind her. “Just as sweet as I remember!”

The way he smirked before drinking the wine, his eyes dancing with amusement sent a shudder down her spine. Oh, the times I’ve seen that look! Those moments when it was Shining who played flirting spouse weren’t quite as frequent, but when he did…

Well, Cadence wasn’t the only one who knew which buttons to press in their relationship. It took him a while to realize which ones made her blush and which made her tackle him and subject him to an amorous assault, but once he did?

Her feathers ruffled as the memory of one particular night came to mind—the first night he came home wearing the gilded breastplate of the Royal Guard. Ah! Stay focused on the now, girl! She looked over the rim of her glass, focusing on the stallion across from her. Hmm, still, that armor. Maybe he wouldn’t mind putting it on when his ribs heal up.

“You’ve got that look in your eye again…” Shining drawled as he swirled his wine glass around. “Really, should I have a shield spell at the ready? I’m starting to wonder if that love magic is starting to mess with you, sweetie.” With the last bit, he shot her a sideways smirk, the very same he so loved given whenever he teased her.

“Oooh! You cheeky little—“ She broke off, narrowing her eyes and returning his smirk. All righty then, let’s play. “Yes, Shiny. You’ve finally caught me. My love magic has certain… consequences.” The way she purred, how she leaned forward and licked her lips made him inhale a bit of wine through his nose. She struggled to keep up the act, fighting the grin that tugged at her lips. “I don’t know if I can—pffft! Oh, honey, you should see your face!”

He pursed his lips, looking as though he’d just swallowed a lemon. “One of these days,” he grumbled, wiping a hoof across his muzzle. “One of these days…”

The sudden reappearance of Flicker cut off whatever half-hearted threat he had planned. With her tray balanced on her back, two plates resting on top, she approached the table. “Your Highnesses,” she greeted again, nodding slightly, “y-your food is ready. Mister Jacaré recommended the sautéed vegetables, purchased fresh in the farmers’ market today, and seasoned rice. It’s an old standby, a recipe his mother passed down…”

“Oh, thank you, Flicker!” Cadence smiled as the mare placed her plate in front of her. She closed her eyes, sniffing lightly. “My, if this tastes as good as it smells, I might just have to have a word with Mr. Jacaré about moving into the palace. What do you think, honey?”

Shining didn’t reply at first, taking a moment to savor the aroma. He started, blinking as though coming out of some trance. “I’m sorry, I was busy trying to see if I could disable all but two of my five senses, what were you saying?”

“Never mind.” She tittered, turning back to Flicker and nodding. “Thank you, dear, I think we’ll be okay for now.”

“Of course! I’ll be, uh, around if you need anything, Your Highnesses! Please, don’t hesitate to call!” Again, Flicker bowed and hurried off to leave them to have their meal in peace.

The couple shared a look, shaking their heads and simultaneously lighting up their horns to take hold of their napkins, unwrapping them to bring out the silverware. Cadence placed the napkin in her lap, eagerly eying the plate full of steaming vegetables.

Carrots, broccoli, and turnips, and even diced tulip petals! Only proper decorum, drilled into her since the day she’d ascended, stopped her from licking her lips and attacking her plate with fork and knife. No, that was left to her goofball of a husband, who was all but wolfing down his food as though he’d not eaten in weeks.

She rolled her eyes and smiled fondly as she speared a carrot with a fork. Bringing it to her mouth, she took a bite, chewing slowly so she didn’t smack her lips.

Her eyes snapped open, Cadence froze in place with her fork hovering just inches from her muzzle. It tasted magnificent!

Decorum get bucked in the face! She attacked her food as though she were Auntie Celestia devouring one of the palace chef’s cakes. The spices, the blend of flavors—

“Uh, honey?” Shining called, drawing her eyes up. His muzzle was creased into a sheepish smile, his plate already cleaned. “You’re not gonna eat all that, are—“

“Shiny, dearest, oh love of my life,” she began, her tone filled with false cheer, “you don’t have a snowball’s chance on a hot summer day of getting any of my food!”

His ears drooped low. “But—“

“No, Shiny. And if your magic comes anywhere near my plate, I can assure you, you’ll regret it. Immediately.”

“Fine!” He huffed, raising his glass to his lips. “And you say Princess Celestia gets snippy when there’s—OW!” Shining yelped and covered his ear with a hoof, the remnants of Cadence’s blue aura fading away. His eyes narrowed as he rubbed out the pain. “It was just a joke!”

“Oh, hush, you goof! I only tweaked your ear! And you know that Auntie said to—Eep!” She squeaked as her backside was pinched, jumping and dropping her fork. Fuming, she fixed him with a cold smile. “You’ll pay for that one, Captain!”

His eyes twinkled mischievously. “Now, how fair is it if I let you get away with all that teasing and don’t return the favor now and then?” Leaning forward, he grinned—that darn coltish grin of his! “Seems like you can dish it, but you can’t take it, sweetie.”

Cadence bit down on her lip, trying in vain not to let that infectious grin of his take hold. “I’ll remember that one the next time you think you’re getting out of bed early.”

“You mean I’ll have to stay longer in my warm, comfortable bed with my sweet, loving, gorgeous wife?” Shining darted forward and planted a kiss on her nose, making her giggle as he lingered. He pulled back and heaved a mock sigh before placing a hoof on his chest. “Alas, cruel fate! What sin have I committed to deserve such punishment?”

“Oh, hush, you!” She laughed as she took her fork in her aura again and scooped up a bit of rice. “Have a drink and relax, I’m enjoying my meal.”

With another grin, he took up his glass and sipped again. “Yeah, I would’ve savored it, but, frankly, that was way too good. In fact, I have an idea that I think you’ll love!” Shining gave a conspiratorial look over his shoulder before turning back to her, cupping a hoof over the side of his mouth. “So, here’s the plan: you distract the crowd with a speech, I’ll steal the cook.”

Cadence snorted and quickly clapped a hoof over her mouth as she coughed, trying not to spray rice. “Shiny!” She scolded, though it wasn’t nearly as effective thanks to the broad smile creasing her muzzle. “Behave!”

He raised an eyebrow, almost challenging her with a silent retort of “When have I everdone that when we went on dates?”

That particular question was one she didn’t need to answer. She wisely bit back any comment and busied herself with finishing her meal; silently awarding the round to Shining.

Naturally, their little game was ongoing. It had been so since their first date, back when Shiny was so nervous he couldn’t stop making jokes, so why change tradition?

Given that he’d negotiated his terms of surrender so well earlier that morning, Cadence could afford to make a couple of concessions in his favor. After all, he still owed her dancing—and, since he hadn’t specified one dance, he’d just have to grin and hold her close through as many as she wanted.

To adapt his own words: dancing with his loving wife? Oh, such a cruel fate!

Shining arched his eyebrow higher, almost so it disappeared under his messy bangs. He’d caught something, a little tick on her face. “I feel like I should either call for backup or run for the hills right about now.”

There was a flash of blue as her aura wrapped around his forehooves and forcing them down to the table, effectively trapping him in place. “Too late for that!” Cadence purred. She paused to wipe her mouth before giving a wicked smile. “You’re in enemy territory without a backup plan, Captain! I’m afraid your only option is complete surrender now.”

Slowly, he looked down, trying to wiggle his hooves, but to no avail. “Huh. Was that a sticking spell or do you just have me in your magic?”

“Nope! Just me holding you, no silly spells that you can just remove as easy as one-two-three!” She shot him a wink, her grin widening. “Though, I daresay this is one trap you don’t want to escape.”

“True enough, in fact,” he said, standing on his hind legs so that he towered over the table, casting a shadow over her, “I seem to recall owing you something else tonight, oh cunning Princess of Love. But,” Shining cut off to glance down at his hooves and gave a meaningful tug, “I’m going to need these back.”

Cadence returned his grin and let her magic dissipate. She set her fork and napkin down on the table and stood.  “Shall we?” She asked with a nod toward the balcony.

“Of course!” He stepped around the table and turned so that his side was bared to her, a gentlestallion’s offer to escort her to the floor.

Only barely withholding an excited squeal, she fell into stride with him, standing close enough that their flanks brushed against each other with every step they took.

As they walked out onto the balcony, the pair nodded politely to the quartet before making their way to the dance floor. Other couples took note of their approach and parted, giving them a wide berth to the center of the floor.

Cadence bit her lip and glanced to Shining, searching his face for any sign of irritation toward the stares, the scrambling out of the way, those little things that always made him want to throw his hooves into the air and shout that they could forget the old ways.

Rather than a scowl or mouth being set into a thin line, when faced him, she was met with a bright smile and those deep, blue eyes she’d fallen in love with. He wasn’t grumbling, because he didn’t care about any of that.

As goofy as he was and as much as he loved to playact with her, Shining Armor could be quite the romantic when he wanted. Tonight, her Shining Armor had eyes for only one pony.

Her heart filled with warmth, Cadence pressed her cheek against his and hummed along with the music. They reached the center of the floor and separated for a moment.

A twinkle gleaming in his eye, Shining bowed to her. “May I have this dance, My Princess?” He asked with his head still low.

“You may, My Prince!” She replied, giving a curtsey in kind and stepping close, pressing her cheek against his again. Cadence dotted his cheek with a kiss and shifted forward, letting their necks brush together as they began a slow waltz, stepping in time with the music. For one night, the world around them ceased to exist.

So what if the crystal ponies still showed apprehension at the very notion of displeasing them? So what if they scraped and bowed a little bit?

Tonight, all the stress of running a nation, rebuilding an economy, training an army and wrestling with the courts faded away. They were just Cadence and Shining Armor—two ponies hopelessly and shamelessly in love.

Two ponies without a care in the world.

“Stop it, you big goof!” Cadence admonished through a fit of giggles, buffeting Shining over the head with a wing to remove his teeth from her ear. She snuck a glance to the guards just down the hallway and gave him a pointed glare. “Wait until we’re back to the room!”

Shining grinned wickedly and nuzzled her ear. “What if I refuse?” he whispered, blowing lightly on the tip of her ear. “Will I be in trouble if all the little guards see their big, scary Captain teasing his wife for a change?”

“No, you—Eep!” She jumped as his tail whipped against her flank, a deep blush crossing her muzzle. “Shining Armor!”

“Aww, poor Cady!” He cooed, giving a mock pout. “She likes to dish it out, but she can’t take it!”

Her eyes narrowed, Cadence snorted and swished her tail. “Just you wait until we’re back in the room, honey. I still haven’t forgotten what you promised me!”

“Psh! What do you think I’m setting up for? I’m not that oblivious, sweetie.”

“A few years ago, I would’ve said otherwise. Or have you forgotten those days I needed a ‘personal escort’?” Wait for the blush—aaaaaaand there it is! She crowed, her tail wagging behind her. Cadence pressed up against his side and threw a wing over his withers. No getting away, either!

Shining ducked his head to hide the blush from his guards. “You epitomize the word ‘tease’.” He grumbled, his lips quirking upward into a small smile.

“I’m the Princess of Love and all it entails, you goof. It’s my job to be lovey, mushy, and teasing, especially to my husband.” A light bump of her blank against his and a lick of her lips brought his blush back in full. “Oh, honey, you’re just too easy!” She brushed her lips against his cheek, delighting in the warmth, and sighed.

They rounded the corner, nodding to the pair of guards stationed at the end of the hallway. The ornate door to their suite was just ahead, Valiance and Stout Heart stood at attention on either side, spears held tall and proud.

“Private, Corporal.” Shining nodded to each in kind.

“Your Highnesses!” Valiance saluted and reached for the door handle. “Allow me.” He pushed down on the handle and pulled it open, the door gave a light groan. “Is there anything you’ll need of us tonight?”

Cadence shook her head. “No, Corporal, we’re fine. My husband and I were just going to,” she paused, turning to grin mischievously at Shining, “turn in for the night.”

Valiance simply nodded in reply and starred straight ahead, while poor Stout Heart blanched, a deep blush coloring his cheeks. The younger guard quickly averted his eyes, mumbling a barely audible “Yes, My Princess” under his breath.

Sparing the easily-flustered guard any further embarrassment, Cadence just trotted passed and smiled. Note to self: find Stouty a nice pony. He needs a good mare or stallion to give get him out a little more, give him a little excitement. He’s just far too adorable, like a little colt, really.

From the way he shifted when nervous to how he stammered under pressure—that being said, she owed him an apology for the scare the day before—Stout Heart was very much the young blood in the guard, even now that he’d made it out of boot camp and gained a rather prestigious posting.

Come to think of it, he was a lot like the little colt back at the Iridescent. Each eager to do their job, but so easily flustered by praise that it made her want to just coo and hold them like a great, big teddy bear. “So cute,” she muttered with a laugh as the door closed behind them.

“Hmmm?” Shining wrapped his hooves around her neck, resting his head atop hers. “What’s that? There’s a pony who’s caught my beloved’s attention that isn’t me?” He exclaimed with false incredulity. “So, who will I be having brought in for interrogation—I mean, afternoon tea?”

“Haha, very funny.” She gave him a light smack with a wing. “Just Stout and the little one back at the restaurant, they both act the same, don’t you think?”

There was a moment’s pause as he hummed, Cadence could feel a slight shift in weight when he bobbed his head side to side considering. “Eh, I guess so. I mean, Stout is Stout and the colt was just shy because of who we are—not much different from the rest of the Empire, frankly.”

“I know,” she whined, drawing out the vowel sound, “but he’s so tiny and cute! And you know how much I love foals!”

He chuckled, lightly nuzzling into her mane. “Yeah, I do. It’s kinda how we met.” Shining dotted the top of her head with a kiss, and sighed. “You’re gonna tell me you want one, right?”

Cadence squealed, spinning around and throwing her hooves around him. “Yesyesyesyes!” She cried, bouncing in place with her husband. “Oh, very much yes!”

“All right, so, mail order it is. Colt or filly? And what—Owowowow!” Shining flailed his hooves, trying to escape as a shimmering blue aura tweaked his ear. “I’m joking! I’m joking! I surrender!”

“Hmph! I ought to make you rub my hooves for that one, buster!” She glared at him sternly. “That’s not funny at all!”

“Oh, come on! I’m just teasing, sweetie.” He said, bringing their muzzles together.

Cadence’s glare faded away as she melted into the embrace, her smile taking place again as Shining held her close, neither saying a word in favor of reveling in the warmth.

He shifted forward to bring his muzzle to her ear. “You know, I still have to deliver on my last term of surrender. Step one, if you will—Whoa!”

Cadence’s horn flashed, lighting the walls with her magic and putting up a privacy barrier, at the same time wrapping Shining himself in her magic and carrying him off to their bedroom. After all, he had a promise to fulfill.

Step one,indeed.

6. A Dancing of Armies In Your Eyes

Sometimes, Cadence wanted nothing more than to curse her auntie for raising the sun so darn early, and doing it so slowly and so precisely that it shone right in her eyes for just long enough to prevent her from ignoring it. It was on purpose, it just had to be. The angle at which Celestia would have to raise it and the time at which she let it sit there were far too exact to be happy coincidence.

That didn’t mean Cadence wouldn’t try to fight it. She squeezed her eyes shut and made to bury her muzzle in Shining’s mane, but he wasn’t there. Cracking open a bleary eye, Cadence found herself on the edge of the bed. The soft pink sheets were damp with sweat, the thick scent of their nightly activities hung in the air.

He had definitely been with her—the memory of both their date and afterward were vivid, even in her sleep muddled state.

Where did he… Shining wouldn’t just leave. Well, unless he needed to use the bathroom or something for his pain. Cadence made to get up and go find her wayward husband, but something shifted behind her, pulling her closer and nuzzling her mane. Oh. She smiled and leaned back to reciprocate Shining’s nuzzle. Oh, right. There you are.

Cadence closed her eyes, defying her ever-luminous nemesis just a bit longer in favor of time with him. The day ahead would be long and trying, no doubt, given that she had to meet with the Council of Shards to discuss that memo they sent.

Just the thought of it made her hair raise. She gave a weak ruffle of her wings and wrapped her hooves around the one Shining had around her waist. Not only did she have to deal with that old argument, she had to do it without him at her side.

He isn’t ready to hear it yet, not when he’s come so close to getting the recruits at least marching in form. They weren’t as well trained as the Royal Guard, but once Shining at least had them comfortable with the basics, he could let subordinates take over the rest of their training.

Once he had them ready, things would go back to the way they’d been in Canterlot. Shining would go back to a more traditional Captain’s role, disciplining insubordinate troops, organizing training, and doing periodic walkthroughs. He would be going on a run with them but once a month, rather than the current daily regimen.

Until then, she would grin and bear it. This is necessary for our safety here. What’s more, it ishis job, his passion. I can’t just take that from him. Take away the guard lifestyle from Shining Armor meant taking the very thing that made that fire in his eyes burn brighter. From foalhood, to the day he first donned the helmet, to snoring in bed with his hoof around her.

It was a part of his soul—that gilded armor had been ingrained into his very being. Shining Armor was, and would always be, a soldier at heart.

No matter how much she wished that he could just flip a switch and be her prince.

Part of you will always be my loyal protector, she mused, thinking back to the old fairytales they used to read with Twilight. Particularly, those that spoke of the brave knight protecting the kingdom from the monsters lurking in the dark. A good guard always protects his princess and makes sure she lives happily ever after.

She gave a wry grin. Those stories influenced Shining far more than he cared to admit, which made it so fun to pull them out from time to time and reminisce.

Though, to be fair, doing so usually ended with him pulling out a few of her less-than-stellar moments. That time with 8-bit and that mare he really liked… A shudder ran down Cadence’s spine. I don’t think I’ll ever apologize enough for that one. And Shiny won’t let me forget it anytime in the near future.

Oh well. Such was the fun of having married her foalhood sweetheart. Beside, the pros outweighed the cons by a longshot.

Cadence’s tongue darted out to lick her lips, a wide grin spread across her face. Definitely a plus! she thought, her tail twitching as the memory of last night flashed before her eyes. Pushing herself up—sparing a slight wince for the jolt of pain between her legs—she turned to regard Shining’s slumbering form, greedily drinking in every inch of his body. Mmm, if we didn’t have things to do today!

Another day, perhaps. Or, if Shining was up for a repeat performance, that very evening. But until then, she had the regrettable duty of waking her beloved up so they could go about their respective duties.

She leaned down to nuzzle his ear. “Sweetie,” she cooed, “it’s time to get up.”

Shining mumbled incoherently and shifted, a smile crossed his muzzle as he turned his head into her ministrations.

Undeterred, Cadence kissed the tip of his ear, lingering enough to feel him shiver beneath her and let out a shuddering breath. “Come on, Shiny, we’ve got things to take care of.”

He grumbled and opened an eye to aim a halfhearted glare at her, ruined by his lingering grin. “Weren’t you the one who said we should stay in bed longer yesterday? Bit of a role reversal, isn’t it?”

“I’m quite certain that I’ve no idea what you’re talking about, sweetie! As a princess, I am the model of propriety and always put my duties before—"

“Pull the other one,” Shining cut her off, raising an eyebrow, “it’s got bells on it.”

Cadence rolled her eyes and kissed his cheek. “Jerk.”

“If the horseshoe fits, I guess I’ll wear it.” He shrugged as he slowly pushed himself up. His muzzle creased into a grimace, a hoof shot to his ribs.

“Still aching?”

“Yeah, a bit. But I’ll live.” Shining forced a smile and darted in to steal a kiss to her lips.“So, busy day or just getting me out of bed?”

“Bit of column A, bit of column B. I’ve got a session with the Council of Shards, so I need you to keep an eye on Court today. At least until I get back, that is.”

With a nod, Shining threw the covers off and tilted his head to the side, grimacing with each pop that sounded. “Aah! Nothing better!”

Cadence wrinkled her nose. “I really wish you wouldn’t do that. It sounds so… ew.” She shuddered, bringing her wings up as if to ward off the mere memory of it. “Just… isn’t right!”

“Don’t knock it ‘till you try it, Cady! Does a body wonders!”

“Mhmm, and I’m sure it’ll do you wonders when you’re old and wrinkled, complaining to me about your neck problems every morning.”

Shining snorted and gave a wry grin. “Oh, no, I already have those. Dang helmet is a lot heavier than it looks, you know.”

Shaking her head, Cadence rolled herself out of bed, flinching as her bare hooves touched the cold, crystal floor. Oooh! Never gonna get used to this! Note to self: we need to get a rug or something laid down. Preferably, before winter hits. Her tail swished, she shuffled her hooves against the floor to get a bit of warmth out of the friction.

“Feeling that chill?” he asked with a knowing grin. “You know, socks are always an option.”

She flicked her tail across his nose, rolling her eyes at the little eyebrow waggle he threw in. “Oh, I’m sure they are. Just like I’m sure it has nothing to do with your want to stare at my legs all day, hmm?” Turning her nose up, she regarded him out of the corner of her eye, as if looking down on him. “Pervert.”

“Wanting to see my wife in socks is hardly perverted. Unless...” Shining broke off, bringing a hoof to his chin, “asking me to put on my armor and give you a private parade counts as—" He lit up his horn, easily catching the pillow she sent his way and spinning it in his aura as he lifted the others off of the bed to join it. “Now, now, we both know how this is going to go, sweetie: I’ll pelt you with pillows, and you’ll shriek, cover your face with your wings, and leave yourself wide open for me to tickle you silly.”

As he said this, he climbed out of bed, advancing slowly upon his wife as though he were a predator stalking prey. Cadence backed away, her wings unfurling, ready to take flight. “Shiny, let’s be reasonable now! Y-You’ve got court and your, er, captain duties and I have my meeting, so—"

“Oh, it won’t take long, Cady, don’t you worry!” The pillows hovered higher, looming over her. “I’m thinking I’ll go for my record today!”

That tore it! Cadence turned tail and bolted, ducking as pillows soared overhead. She galloped toward the bathroom door, shrieking when a fluffy projectile smacked her in the rump as she made it through the doorway. Her horn lit up; her bright blue aura engulfed the door as she tried to slam it shut, but a flash of pink caught it in place and pushed it back. “No!” She scrambled back, her backside bumping against the top edge of the tub. “Shiny, wait! We have to get ready!”

“Heh, fine.” Shining let his arsenal of pillows fall to the floor, his muzzle split into a grin as he trotted into the bathroom and kicked the door closed. “I’ll just save it for later!” He stopped just in front of her, stealing a quick nuzzle. “So, what sort of fun does the Council have in store today?”

His tone was casual enough, but Cadence caught the way his ears perked up and eyes locked onto hers, almost searching for something.

“Oh, the usual,” she replied, taking care to meet his gaze and hide anything that might make him suspicious. No need for him to worry about their little memos, she could take care of that herself. “They wanted to discuss some possible trade options to boost the economy. Lady Starburst actually suggested sending a request to the—" she stopped short, eyes going wide. “Oh, horseapples! I was supposed to talk to you about that!”

“Hmm? About Lady Starburst?”

“Not quite. She wants to see if we can’t contact the Lord of the Griffon Territories to schedule trade negotiations; I said that I’d talk to you since you’ve visited back when you were a part of Auntie’s guard detail.”

“Oh, really?” Shining’s eyes lit up, tail wagging behind him. His interest was captured, memories of his own interactions with the UGT’s military leadership no doubt fresh in his mind.

Ah, and now my Shiny is awake! “Yes, she wants to see if we can’t find a way to trade some of our crystal crafts in exchange for coal and steelworks. But, Saddle Arabia is my area of expertise in terms of diplomacy. All I know about the UGT is from either history books or you.”

He pulled back, looking off to the ceiling in thought. “Hmm, I’m not too sure they’d take much interest in crystal crafting, but I suppose it’s worth a try. We could always point to some of the uses in magical research, though… Hmm…” Shining trailed off and idly tapped his hoof against the floor, a smirk slowly making its way across his muzzle. “I wonder…”

“What is it?” Cadence pressed, turning his head back to her with a hoof. “I know that look, you crafty colt! You’ve got those wheels turning in your head and that gleam in your eyes! Out with it!”

“Well, crystals have some interesting magical properties. I can tell you a few, but I can’t go into incredible detail, you know? Not my field.”

“Right, understandably so. But what are you—oh!” She gasped, bringing a hoof to her mouth. “You want to have Twilight talk to them?”

Shining nodded once, his smirk broadening into a full-blown grin. “Think about it: Lord Alfons respects ability and loyalty to one’s subjects. Well, who better to discuss the properties and benefits of crystals in magical research than Twily?”

“That’s true. The only higher authority on magic would be Auntie Celestia. Though, we’d have to see how much Twilight knows about crystal magic before we made any promises. Not to mention, we have to see if this will even happen first.”

“One step at a time, then. First, let’s see if she’s open to it, then send a few samples and see what she comes back with. If she doesn’t have much in the way of information, we can ask if she’d be willing to look into it. Hey, we could probably see if the griffons would be open to a joint research project on the matter. I’d wager that I could get Twily in on it!”

“A joint research project with the Princess of Friendship?” Cadence smirked. “One might think you were trying to show off, husband of mine!”

He waggled his eyebrows. “One would be right, sweetie! Besides, can you tell me I’m wrong? If Twily says yes to just one of those proposals, it’ll get Lord Alfons’ attention.”

Humming, Cadence tapped a hoof against her chin. “I might have to run that one by the Council, just to see if they’d be open to it. You, uh, know how they can be about parting with crystals if they aren’t for craft working.” She paused to give him a chance to get his snickering under control, no doubt thinking of a few instances of crystal ponies protecting their crystals from Canterlot University thaumatology researchers.

“Fair enough,” he nodded. “If they give the go ahead, we can send out a letter to Twily and then send a request for negotiations to Lord Alfons. He, er, prefers to conduct his business face to face.”

“That sounds like a good plan.” She sighed and squeezed her eyes shut. Now comes the actual doing it. “We can talk more about that later. We’ve both got a long day ahead of us.”

Her wings sagged as she lit up her horn to turn the faucet. Cadence watched as the hot water streamed into the tub, letting her mind wander a bit to free herself from her daily burden. Specifically, the one piece of business she’d been dreading…

“Hey.” Shining touched her chin with a hoof and gently turned her head so he could look into her eyes. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, sweetie. Just tired and trying not to think about everything we have to do.” And how to keep you from finding out.

He hummed, drawing her in for a hug and laying his head atop hers. “You’ve been pushing yourself way too hard, you know that? One of these days I’m going to have to carry you out of the throne room on my back!”

Cadence cracked open an eye, leveling him with a teasing grin in spite of her mood. “Two things: one, don’t tempt me to make you do it. Two, pot, this is kettle, you’re black.”

“Heh, fair enough. Still… I worry about you sometimes.” Shining drew back and tilted her head up to lock eyes again. “Tell you what, after you finish up with the Council, just come back here and relax. I’ll handle court.”

“You? Handle an entire day of court alone?” She blanched, wrinkling her nose at the mere notion. “You’d go crazy sitting in the throne all day!”

“I’m sure I’ll find a way to cope, especially if it lets you get some time to unwind. In fact, I’ll sweeten the deal: you come back and rest, and when I get back, I’ll help you preen.”

Cadence’s ears perked up, her wings gave a happy little flutter. “R-Really?”

“I’ll even bring you tea afterward.”

She threw her hooves around his neck and peppered his muzzle with kisses. “Oh, you spoil me, Shiny! Soon, I’ll start expecting hoof rubs and flowers every day!”

Shining snorted and nuzzled against her nose. “I’ll get ready, then. For now, let’s just get through today. And then, I’ll happily wait on my Princess’s every whim, carefully preening those beautiful pink feathers! How’s that sound?”

Cadence didn’t reply verbally; she drew Shining into a deep kiss, subtly maneuvering herself to push him backward into the tub. He gave a little grunt as his backside came into contact with the crystal and awkwardly swung his legs over the edge, one at a time, and stepped in without breaking contact.

She drew back a moment and gave him a little shove back before nimbly hopping over the edge and landing with a little splash. She’d make it through the day, the incentive given was more than enough for that. Until her meeting, though, she could afford to live in the moment with her Shining Armor.

A nice, relaxing soak in the tub would do nicely.

Prior to Sombra’s takeover, the Council of Shards was comprised of dozens of districts, represented by a pony elected to advocate the interests and needs of those within their jurisdiction, and serve as advisors to the Crown. But during the dark times of his reign, when fear gripped the hearts and minds of the crystal ponies, those who dared stay true to the Council had been removed as enemies of the state.

As Cadence looked into the room, she felt a cold pang in her chest. A hall designed to hold sessions of parliament, nearly the size of Equestria’s own, was largely empty. The many districts had been consolidated into four the quarters of the outer ring and the central district—a mere five to represent the entirety of the last remaining city of the once mighty Crystal Empire.

Shining, Quartz, Beryl, and Garnet made up the outer ring of the city. Well, it was the “outer ring” in name only, nowadays. In the past, they had been the districts farthest from the palace, right up against the city limits. In modern times, they made up the four corners of the city around the central Kunzite district, the higher class neighborhoods surrounding the Crystal Palace.

Of course, “higher class” was a misnomer as well. They were only high class in their proximity to the palace itself. Monetarily, the residents of the Kunzite district were only slightly better off than the rest of their crystal brethren.

Patience, Cady, she scolded herself. Have a little faith, the economy will grow as we integrate with Equestria and its allies. The Empire will boom again soon enough. Smiling brightly, she stepped through the archway and approached the five ponies seated at the table.

As one, they stood and bowed to her, each gesturing to the ornate crystal throne, awaiting her to take her rightful place.

And the pomp and ceremony never dies. She took her seat and gestured for them to join her in sitting around the table. “Good morning, my friends,” she greeted, “I hope you’ve all been well since our last session.”

“A good morning to you, My Princess,” Lady Starburst, a crystal pegasus of peach coat replied. “I’ve been quite well, thank you. Things have been well in the Beryl district as of late, just ironing out some of the finer details with a new school for crafting. We’re hoping to couple it with apprenticeship opportunities for top tier students.”

“Oh, I meant to ask about that,” Lord Sunstone, a crystal pony of deep goldenrod hue spoke up, raising a hoof. “Would you mind forwarding a summary of that proposal to me at some point? There has been some interest in a similar institution being made in the Quartz district and, if it’s not an issue, I’d like to present yours as a model.”

“Of course! I’ll make note of it and send a copy of the draft to your office.”

Cadence nodded to the pair. “It’s good to hear that the two of you are taking initiative in the education in your areas! I look forward to seeing how they progress!”

“Thank you, My Princess!” Both replied in stereo, ducking their heads to her.

A crystal unicorn seated to the left of Lord Sunstone raised an eyebrow. “While it’s good to see that we’re committed to education and the revival of our old culture, perhaps we should consider broadening our horizons a bit.” His comment sent the other four into a flurry of protests, each vying to make their own objections heard. He rolled his eyes and shook his head, turning his gaze to Cadence herself. Raising his voice, he spoke above his counterparts. “What would you say on the matter, My Princess?”

The objections stopped almost instantly as he invoked her title; a not-so-subtle reminder that they were in her presence. As much as she would’ve loved to have Shining at her side, Cadence could almost hear the annoyed grumblings of her ever-stubborn husband at the way the four in question pinned back their ears and bowed submissively, each murmuring apologies for their conduct.

Canterlot is similar in that sense, he’s just not used to it. She shook herself out of her daze. Focus! “Clear Cut does have a point. Given that we are in a… well, I’ll be blunt: the Empire is in a far different time than when last seen. The world has moved past the old days where a nation specialized in one area and dominated the market. Though, the Crystal Empire still has a high market with our crystals, given the quality and quantity we have.” She paused to nod to Clear. “However, to your point, it would be more beneficial to adapt to the modern Equestrian system in the long run, but that could take some time.”

“Something to phase in over time, then?” He hummed, idly drumming his hooves on the tabletop. “I’m sure we can discuss it at length, perhaps we could all collaborate on the project? I’m sure Our Princess is quite familiar with the Equestrian system, and there is room for consideration on cultural classes as well, if preservation of our old way is the issue.”

As he finished, Lady Ruby Shine of the Kunzite district raised her hoof. “If I might interject, My Princess,” she began, waiting for Cadence to nod before continuing, “speaking on behalf of Kunzite, I’d like to note that Lord Clear Cut’s proposal may encounter a bit of resistance if our culture is pushed to the side, so to speak.”

“I understand,” Cadence replied, “but, I don’t foresee too much difficulty accounting for that. Cloudsdale still teaches a separate course on the history of pegasi on top of the unified history, so we could adopt something similar. This might be best suited for an entire meeting devoted to the idea.”

There was a round of nods and scratching of quills as the respective Lords and Ladies made note, each no doubt eager to make sure that their respective districts’ voices were heard.

Very good. The more input, the more likely we’ll be able to satisfy their needs. And I’ll get a bit more insight to what exactly they expect out of Shiny and me. Cadence allowed herself a little smile, granting a point in her favor. Auntie Celestia would be pleased.

After a moment, she cleared her throat. “Is there anything else you’d like to bring up before we press on?”

“As a matter of fact, I was wondering about my proposal for a trade alliance with the UGT.” Lady Starlight put in. “Have you had a chance to consider or—"

“I need a bit more time on that, I’m afraid. I meant to talk with my husband about it, but…” she trailed off, ears pinning back at the way Lord Sunstone drew in a sharp breath. Oh, dear, here we go. Her feathers ruffled under his gaze, Cadence ducked her head low. “Well, some things came up, and it fell to the wayside. I discussed it briefly with him, and he recommends perhaps offering some of our crystals, both for crafting and magical research.”

“Magical research?” Sunstone repeated. “Forgive me, Princess, but what use would Lord Alfons of the High Winds have for that? The griffons cannot perform magic as unicorns can.”

“With respect, neither can earth ponies or pegasi. Each race holds its own form of magic, Lady Sunstone—the earth ponies possess an innate connection to the earth and plants, pegasi can manipulate weather and read air currents, and, of course, crystal ponies possess a link with the Crystal Heart, the very embodiment of love.”

Ruby Shine hummed. “I see where you’re going, Princess, but I’m not quite sure I understand the notion of griffon magic. Granted, my knowledge is about a millennium out of date,” she paused, smiling wryly at the snickers that went around. “But I’ve heard nothing that suggests any use of magic in griffons.”

“In that case, let me ask you this: have you ever heard of the UGT requesting pegasus aid in controlling their weather?” She let the silence carry through, smiling inwardly as she watched the respective Lords and Ladies scratch their heads. “I’m sorry, that was meant to be rhetorical. They’ve never sought our help, because they don’t need it. griffon magic is similar in nature to pegasus magic—they can stand on clouds, manipulate weather, and, in some cases, fly at higher altitudes. Unfortunately, that’s about the extent of my knowledge of them. My husband knows their culture quite well, so his input will be invaluable.”

“A fair point, My Princess. But, as you say, no pony present is as familiar with their magic outside of your knowledge. Isn’t it possible that they might not place as much value on researching our crystals?”

Cadence raised a hoof. “To be fair, Shining and I wanted to contact Lord Alfons to gauge his interest. Though, we may have something that might tempt him—or, at least, the griffon scholars.”

Clear Cut leaned forward. “What might that be, Princess?”

“You may recall that my husband’s sister, Princess Twilight Sparkle, was formerly Princess Celestia’s personal student.” She broke off, surveying the matching looks of comprehension dawning on their faces. “One thing my husband made mention of was that the griffons take respect very seriously. What better way to show that a research project might have merit than the endorsement of Princess Twilight herself? Or, should she express an interest, a joint project?”

Drumming his hooves on the tabletop, Clear Cut spoke slowly. “I’m not quite sure that I feel as comfortable with that… but, the Empire is a protectorate of Equestria, so I suppose it would make sense that we act in some semblance of unity.”

Game, set, match. “I’m glad you understand. Now, if there aren’t any objections, I’d like to send letters to both parties as soon as possible.”

Silence reigned over the Council, no hooves raised to offer opposition to her proposal. Perfect. Maybe, for once, a Council session would go smoothly, with as little nitpicking as possible.

“I think,” Clear Cut began, “that I speak for all of us when I say that we will defer to your judgement on the matter, as well as Prince Armor’s. If Lord Alfons and Princess Twilight both agree, then this could prove quite beneficial to the Empire.” He broke off, his lips curving down into a small frown. “However, I must draw attention to the ‘things’ that you mentioned coming up, My Princess. Would I be correct in presuming that refers to the injuries that Our Prince suffered on a recent training run?”

“W-Well, yes,” Cadence shifted in place, her wings coming up as if to protectively wrap around her body. “He was trying to protect a few recruits from a bear mauling and, well, he ended up getting himself injured in the process.”

“If I might be blunt, Princess. How exactly did that happen?” Starburst asked, her hooves steepled together. “Prince Armor specializes in shield spells, doesn’t he? Based on the official report, protection from a bear, of all things, should’ve been a simple matter for him to handle.”

“Yes, I do concede that. My husband informed me that he started with a low level spell at first, thinking that it would be best suited to protect himself and avoid injuring the mother bear.” She placed a hoof on the table, giving each a firm gaze. “I assure you, I have spoken with him on the matter and told him that he is not to use any low level spell in such a situation again.”

“With respect, My Princess,” Clear Cut interjected, “we’re talking about the stallion who blanketed all of Canterlot in his magic. Low level spell or not, the fact that he put himself in harm’s way in this manner is… most troubling.” He sighed, brushing a hoof through his mane. “You received our last memo, correct?”

“Yes, I did. I thought we’d discussed this and come to an agreement that we would let Shining finish training them before I spoke with him.”

“We did, but this isn’t something that can be ignored. Before, we just wanted to bring our concerns to your attention, now… My Princess, I’m sorry, but this only gives credence to that.”

“Indeed,” Lady Sapphire of the Sparkling Quarter spoke up for the first time, her hooves folded one over the other. “Please understand, we don’t mean to do this out of any desire to be difficult or cause undue stress, My Princess. But Prince Armor is more to the Empire than just a soldier; he is our foremost military mind, the leader of the Guard, and your husband. If, may the Royal Sisters forbid, the worst were to happen, we would lose a very important figure in our city.”

“The city? Try Equestria as a whole!” Clear Cut cried. “To my knowledge, Princess Celestia has yet to name a replacement to Prince Armor as Captain of the Royal Guard! He is, technically, the ranking officer of two military units! It’s his division that’s slowly been transferring in.”

“Indeed.” Sapphire nodded. “Of course there’s also the elephant in the room: the Crystal Throne has no heir.”

A heavy silence fell over the group as Cadence visibly tensed, drawing in a slow breath. Deep breath in, deep breath out. Relax. She let it out slowly, closing her eyes to block out the world around her. “That,” she began, straining to keep her tone level, “is between Prince Shining Armor and myself, Lady Sapphire.”

Lady Sapphire made to speak, but Lord Sunstone stopped her with a wave of his hoof. “My Princess, fellow members of the Council, let’s all take a moment to calm ourselves. It’s true, tradition dictates that the Crystal Throne have an heir and a spare as soon as possible.” He broke off, giving his fellow members a chance to nod or echo “Hear, hear!” in reply before continuing on. “Before the Empire’s fall, the princess at the time asked us to let her delay in providing a proper heir. She didn’t feel that she was ready, that it was a matter between herself and her husband. Tragically, they passed on before they could, and the Throne stayed vacant until he came.”

Cadence nodded, but stayed silent. The fear remained strong in them, even though Sombra had been utterly decimated by the power of the Crystal Heart. His name stayed taboo, the memory of his terrible reign still fresh in their minds. “Be that as it may, Shining Armor and I are our own ponies. Parenthood is something… to be discussed.”

“To be—Princess, please,” Lady Ruby Shine took up his banner. “Your regime has given our ponies hope of a bright future, despite the hiccups that have come with the change. But, therein lies our worry: both you and Prince Armor have given us hope. The two of you are symbols to our ponies; kind, thoughtful rulers who have gone the extra mile to help us out of the darkness. The continuation of your line, your way, is vital to the Empire’s interests!”

Lord Clear Cut stood, bowing to Cadence. “As Lady Sapphire said, we do this out of concern, not a desire to be difficult. For the reasons given by my fellow members, and in accordance with the desires of the residents of the Garnet Quarter, I must ask again.” He raised his head, looking her dead in the eyes. “Please, talk with Prince Armor, convince him to come off of active duty as soon as possible and help train a new captain so that he might transition into a role befitting his status as Our Prince.”

One by one, each representative stood, repeating his sentiments verbatim, adding their own snippets of sentiment from their respective districts.

But Cadence was all but deaf to them, her wings drooped low. She let her back thud against her throne and closed her eyes. Before, it had only been a notion, nothing more than a few advisors making point that Shining should, by right, be in an office, filing papers, giving orders through subordinates, and maintaining the Guard as a normal captain would.

With his injuries, with his misstep in self-preservation, Shining had unwittingly set the public into worry over his wellbeing. He had given the Council all the justification they needed.

7. Delight of Steel is Sweet Enough...

Shining Armor stared at the gilded armor hanging on the rack; the gleaming purple with gold trim, a testament to the hoof maiden who polished it every night. He sighed and shook his head before turning away. Can’t put that one on yet. He frowned, trotting away briskly, lest he be tempted to forgo doctor’s orders.

Wearing such heavy armor would only serve to aggravate his aching ribs, not to mention the added strain it would put on his leg. For the first time in years, he’d attend a training session without his armor.

The mere thought made him flick his tail. Excused or not, I’m setting a bad example not showing up in uniform. Well, to be fair, he could wear his more formal officer’s uniform. But that was meant to be worn at big events like the Grand Galloping Gala or, in his case, his wedding night.

What was that old joke on how to tell if an officer had served or come through the schools? ‘If he wears our colors, he’s one of us. If he wears a suit, he’s never touched steel.’ Snorting, Shining shook his head. It was either his uniform or going civilian.

Even injured, even as their Captain and Prince, there were only so many regulations he could break—both with respect to disciplinary action and his own conscience.

Of course, the former might not be as much of an issue, not since he’d married Cadence. But, it was the principle of the matter.

As his thoughts turned to Cadence, Shining’s frown deepened. What went on in that meeting? He mused, making his way over to his wardrobe.

By the time he made it back to their room that night, his lovely wife looked as though she’d been given news that somepony died. Laying flat on the bed, her ears pinned against her scalp and wings hanging limp, it certainly wasn’t the visage of the happy, affectionate Cadence he’d expected to find eagerly awaiting his return.

No soothing words, no amount of preening or kisses or songs from their foalhood served to brighten her mood. With every effort, she would simply sigh, avoid his gaze, mutter thanks and apologize for being so upset before giving him a small peck on the cheek and going right back to her brooding.

Shining Armor stomped once against the crystal floor, a harsh snort escaping him. She was hiding something from him, and whatever it was had her all tied up in knots!

“I’m fine, honey. Just a long day.”

“You don’t look fine, sweetie. Maybe we should talk about it?” He’d suggested, nuzzling her cheek ever so softly. “I’m always here for you, Cady.”

She just sighed and gave a small nuzzle back. “I know, Shiny, I know. It’s just…” And she would sigh, lowering her head to the mattress and burying her muzzle in the covers. “I need time to think. I’ll be all right…”

“Are you sure? You seem really upset, sweetie. Please, let me help! I want to be here for you. Just like you’ve been here for me!”

A soft smile graced her lips. “I appreciate that, Shiny. I really do. But… It’s something I have to figure out for myself, just like there’s some things about the recruits you’ve got to work with.” Before he could say anything more, she’d placed a hoof on his lips. “I’ll be fine, I promise. I’m a big mare, sweetie.”

“A big mare, huh?” he murmured as he began floating the bold red dress uniform off the hanger. “How come when I say I’m a big stallion when I come home with a little scratch, Cady goes full pegasus and wraps me up in her wings?”

“Because she loves you, My Prince.”

Shining spun on his hooves, the unbuttoned edges of his jacket flapping wildly as he came muzzle-to-muzzle with Tourmaline. The crystal pony bowed low before stepping forward. “Can I be of any assistance?”

Fixing a smile in place, he shook his head. “No, I think I’ll be all right, Tourmaline. Thank you.”

She laughed, stopping within hoof’s reach of him. “I don’t know, My Prince. Princess Cadence gave my sister and I strict orders to make sure that you don’t overexert yourself. Doctors still have you on rest as much as possible until you heal up, and My Princess is adamant that you follow that plan.” Stopping abruptly, Tourmaline fixed him with a playful pout. “You wouldn’t want to make me disappoint her, would you, Prince Armor?”

Shining just shook his head and laughed. Mhm, you’re a big mare who can handle her burdens, but I’m a little colt who needs his hoof held getting dressed in the morning. “You’re not going to let me just dress myself and do my mane with a bit of magic, are you?”

“I’m afraid not! I have my orders, My Prince!” Her eyes danced, alight with mischief.

He leveled his gaze at her. “Oh, I’m certain you do, Tourmaline.”

She beamed and gave him a nudge toward his seat, just before his own little vanity table—yet another thing Cadence had told him to grin and bear.

“It’s tradition that our hoof maidens will want to help you, and seeing what they’re doing as they dress and groom is part of it.”

“But I can do my mane just fine!” He’d protested. “And putting on my armor is like walking, at this point! Next you’ll tell me that I’m not supposed to polish it!”

“… Funny you should mention that.”

“My Prince?”

Tourmaline’s voice cut through his reverie. Shining blinked twice and glanced up at her reflection in the mirror. “Hmm? Is something wrong?”

“No, My Prince. I just asked if you’d like me to trim up your mane.” She reached over and brushed a hoof through his bangs. “It’s getting a bit long, and you’ve got a few ends out of place in the back.”

“You trying to tell me that my mane is frizzy?” He asked, smirking playfully.

“Well, I didn’t want to say it, but yes. You are, My Prince.”

“… I’m pretty sure you’re not supposed to say it so bluntly.”

Tourmaline giggled and reached for the top left drawer, pulling out a pair of scissors. “I’m not supposed to, but when it’s just the two of us, or the three of us when My Princess is here, I can get away with a bit more than usual.”

“Figures.” He snorted, closing his eyes as she brought the scissors to snip away at his bangs. “I should’ve known you’d take advantage of me telling you to treat Cady and I like normal ponies.” Bringing a hoof to his chin, he hummed. “Maybe we need to go back to the way it was before: you two bowing and going through about twelve minutes of traditional greetings every time you tried to speak with us.”

“You could, buuuuuuut,” she paused to wrap her hooves around his neck, laying her head atop his as if they were old friends, “you hate that stuff, so I know you’re bluffing! You and Princess Cadence both love my jokes!”

Shining couldn’t necessarily refute that, even if Tourmaline’s antics could grate on his nerves at the worst of times. “True enough, I guess.” Settling back, he listened as she began to snip off stray ends. “Could you try to keep my look how it is? I kinda like how I’ve got it.”

“If you insist, My Prince. Though, I think you’d look a little better if I trimmed it back. Plus, it’d be less likely to get in your eyes when you put on your helmet, not to mention your,” she broke off and gave a theatrical shudder, “helmet mane.”

Again, he glowered at her. “Hardy-har-har. I’ll manage. And, please don’t. The last time my mom tried that, I ended up looking like my little sister.”

She stifled a giggle with her hoof. “Fair enough, I’ll just trim up the stray bits. Keep your eyes closed and tilt your head back, My Prince. This shouldn’t take more than a couple minutes.”

Obediently, Shining Armor closed his eyes and tilted his head, listening to the soft snips of scissors cutting through the strands of his mane. As odd as it might seem, it was soothing. The sound of metal scratching and snipping, the tugging against his mane as stray bits were severed again and again.

It gave him time to mull things over. Namely, the very question that had plagued him since he first saw the state Cadence was in: What has her so bothered that she mopes around and doesn’t want me to help?

Gritting his teeth, Shining let out a breath through his nose. Far be it from him to smother Cadence—she was certainly a strong, independent mare, who could take care of herself—but, damn it all, she was still his wife!

Coming home and seeing that bright, beautiful smile on her muzzle made the time spent away from her side worth it. Training them to protect what remained of the Crystal Empire’s old territory was worth its weight in gold if it meant he’d come home to see his wife, safe, sound, and, most of all, happy.

Letting out another sigh, he slumped in his seat. I can’t help if you won’t let me in, Cady. Shining let his mind wander back to the visage of her tear-stained cheeks, the tracks left in her pink coat as they trailed down her face.

“My Prince? Am I cutting to much off?” Tourmaline jolted him back to reality again.

He shook his head. “No, you’re fine. I’m just thinking.”

She was silent a moment, humming to herself as she snipped away the ends of his mane. Shining closed his eyes and relaxed, taking slow, deep breaths to calm himself. It’s fine. She’ll come around on her own and tell me when she’s ready.

“My Prince?” Shining cracked an eyelid, regarding the crystal pony reflected in the mirror. Tourmaline’s eyes hadn’t left his mane, but she spoke casually to him. “Could we speak frankly, please?”

“I thought we were doing that before.”

“That was us playing, Prince Armor. But, if you’ll permit me…”

Careful not to shift too much, he waved her on. “Go ahead. What’s wrong?”

“With me? Nothing.” She paused in her cutting to shake her head. Tourmaline set the scissors down on the table and stepped forward, turning to look Shining in the eye. Taking a deep breath, she began. “You seem, troubled, My Prince. You barely protested when I offered to dress you, the only thing you asked when I started cutting your mane was that I keep it close to what it is, and you keep sighing. If I might be so bold, you’re a pony of habit, Prince Armor; we have a routine, you and I. You complain that I’m trying to dress you like a colt going to his first day of classes and I tease you for having the most adorable little pout.” She sat back on her haunches, letting her shoulders slump. “Today? I’ve gotten nothing but sighs and you ‘thinking’. In fact, that’s what I’ve been getting for the past few days. What’s bothering you?”

Shining flicked his tail. Damn. Leave it to me to hang it up like a great big sign. “It’s Cadence.” He admitted, his shoulders slumping.

She tilted her head at him. “Are you two still fighting over your injuries, My Prince? I thought that had been settled.”

“Well, it has been and it hasn’t been,” he noted, “she’s still a bit unhappy that I plan to go back to leading training runs once I’m cleared, but she at least understood why I have to do it.” He brought his hooves up to either side of his head and massaged his temples. “We even went out to dinner the next night and had a great time! I thought everything was good!”

Tourmaline nodded, a smile playing upon her lips. “I did hear a little something about royalty getting awful hoofsy on their way to the Royal Suite a few nights ago!”

Shining deadpanned. “I’m certain I’ve no idea what you’re talking about. But, that’s beside the point!” He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly through his snout. “Everything was fine after our date, and the next morning was all right, even though we both had to go to separate meetings. I even made plans to, er, help her preen once she got back.”

“Ooooh! Aren’t you a sly pony, offering to preen those nice, soft feathers!” She broke off and brought a hoof to her mouth. “Wait. While it may seem a bit forward of me to say—”

He shrugged. “If it’s relevant, go ahead.”

“—Thank you. As I was saying, Princess Cadence has spoken about how much she… er… enjoys when you help her preen,” she trailed off, her cheeks taking on a light pinkish hue. “Apparently, you’re quite skilled. She doesn’t trot. She floats. The staff can always tell; she gets this great, big smile on her muzzle and walks like she’s got her head in the clouds!”

Shining chuckled, letting his tail wag a bit. “Yeah, I try my best to make her feel good. Which...” he paused to heave yet another sigh, “is why I’m so worried about her. She’s never acted like this—not even when I told her about…” his voice caught in his throat. Shining swallowed a lump and grimaced. “Not even when we sat through counseling and I told her about the time I spent with the changeling queen…”

A heavy silence hung over the pair. While the Empire hadn’t returned at the time of the invasion, its citizens had heard of the attack and the attempt on their beloved rulers’ marriage.

Tourmaline drew in a sharp breath, her hooves grinding against the floor as if she were trying to stamp out one of the changelings herself. “Because she couldn’t blame you for it,” she mumbled in reply. “She knows what they did to you, so she didn’t blame you.”

“Yeah, she told me as much. But that’s not the point: she didn’t get quiet, she didn’t withdraw into a shell, she sat next to me, held my hoof and told me how much she loved me and appreciated that I was willing to tell her what I could remember!” Drawing his hooves through his two-toned mane, he groaned. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m so glad Cadence didn’t hold it against me! I know mares who would’ve walked away at that point, but she stayed. It’s just when I was worried about losing her, she was at my side. But, whenever she has a problem, she tries to hide it from me like I’m a foal.”

Shining hung his head, staring at the sapphire tinted floor beneath his hooves. Dropping them to his sides, he shook his head slowly. “I don’t mean to sound like I don’t appreciate her help, but marriage is supposed to be a two-way street—I want to be there for her!”

“I don’t think she does it deliberately, My Prince.” A hoof lightly touched his shoulder, drawing his gaze back up. “It’s just part of her way, if that makes any sense at all.” Tourmaline withdrew her hoof and set it down, before opening the drawer to take out a brush. “To be perfectly honest, I was hoping that you would know what was bothering Princess Cadence.” She slipped her hoof through the loop and stepped forward, drawing it through Shining’s mane. “I’d hoped you could help.”

His eyebrow inched up. “Oh? Why is that?”

“If I may circle back to her mood, even without knowing that you, er, preened her.” Her cheeks flushed read again. Tourmaline shook her head and fixed Shining Armor with a look of utmost severity. “My sister and I have tried talking with her, but she just gives one word answers and brushes us off whenever we ask what’s wrong. The Princess even asked to get an early start on Crystal Court today without sitting down for breakfast, and—”

“She never starts Court without breakfast.” Shining finished. “Darn. She’s really bothered, and neither of us know what set her off.”

A soft sigh escaped her. “I tried asking Prism, but she didn’t say too much. You know how she can be when it comes to the Princess and her business.”

Business, huh? Shining flicked his tail and grunted. The puzzle pieces fell right into place. “Yeah, I do. If I were a betting stallion, I’d put my bits on the Council.”

Tourmaline tilted her head. “The Council? They adore her, what would they do other than argue over whether or not the pair of you should be dressed in full regalia from the time the sun rises until it sets?”

He snorted and tilted his head so she could get the other side. “No, she’d just come back shaking her head and asking me to pour her a glass of wine to have while she gave me the play-by-play. There’s been a couple things they’ve asked of her that’ve proven… bothersome.” Drumming a hoof against his thigh, Shining grimaced. “I know for a fact they bug her about the economy on a regular basis—they’re worried that the Empire lost the market on crystals.”

“To be fair, isn’t that a legitimate concern? That’s been our main export since the dawn of the Empire itself!”

As she finished up, Shining gave her a nod. “Yes, it’s completely understandable. But they’ve been micro-managing a bit and it’s made things difficult. They expect us to bring the Empire into the modern world, but grumble about tradition whenever we try bringing something new in.” Standing to his hooves, he stomped roughly. “It’s like we’re running in circles! By Harmony, they want me to train the Imperial Guard in the new ways, but use an armory that went out of date at least six centuries ago—and, believe me, that’s being extremely generous!”

His horn sparked with magic, the brush shot out of Tourmaline’s grip and embedded itself into the mirror, the little mare squeaked in surprise.

Closing his eyes, he began counting backward from ten. Settle down, take deep breaths. Take it easy for a couple days, like doc said. Slowly, Shining inhaled, letting more pleasant memories flash through his mind. Visions of himself and Cadence down by the pond in Upper Canterlot, sitting together and watching the sun set. Good. Now, exhale and let go. Pushing his breath out through his snout, Shining let his magic dissipate.

He opened his eyes and found that Tourmaline had scampered back a few steps, eyes wide and ears pinned back against her scalp. She was reared back and pressed against the wall, as if trying to blend into the crystal itself.

Oh, balefire and brimstone. “I’m sorry,” he said. Taking a step forward, he held out a hoof. “I didn’t mean to lose my temper in front of you.”

“I-It’s all right,” she stammered, releasing a deep sigh and slowly dropping down to the floor with a light clacking sound. “It’s just strong magic and—”

Before she could finish, Shining closed the distance and pulled her into a firm hug. “I know,” he whispered, mentally giving himself a good slap to the back of his head. “I saw him in the snow before the Crystal Heart was restored. His magic was powerful, and terrifying.”

Tourmaline didn’t speak. She just nodded into his chest and took quick, shallow breaths. Her smaller frame wracked with shudders as she tried fervently to reign in her terror.

Shining waited patiently for her. He grit his teeth and sucked in his lips. And, once again, the shadow of Sombra looms in the background of everything we do—and another misstep on my part. Pulling back, he ducked his head to meet her gaze and offered a smile. “Don’t worry, okay? Sombra’s not coming back, the Heart destroyed him.”

“We thought he was gone before,” she muttered sadly. “And he nearly came back then.”

“Cadence and I won’t let him.” A pang of guilt as his mind wandered back to his wife. Shining pushed it aside for a moment and pressed on. “This is your home, not his. We’re going to help as best we can.”

Tourmaline gave a weak nod and set her hooves on the ground, her ears unpinning just slightly. “I know, My Prince. You and Princess Cadence have run yourselves ragged trying to rule and organize.” She shook her head. “I just wish I knew what was bothering her so I could help the two of you.”

“Hey,” Shining turned her head with a hoof and gave her a smile. “You’re Cady’s friend. And, to be honest, you’ve grown on me too. As long as you’re there to offer her a helping hoof when I can’t, that’s all anypony can ask.” Seeing the corners of her mouth tug upward in a small small, he let her go. “Now, then,” he said, gesturing to his jacket, “would you mind giving me a hoof? I’m on doctor’s orders to take things slow and I’m quite sure we don’t want Cady to hear that I’ve disobeyed!”

Rolling her eyes and snorting, Tourmaline reared up and took hold of the edges of his jacket. “Indeed, My Prince. Now, hold still, please. These buttons weren’t exactly made with crystal pony hooves in mind.”

Obediently, he puffed out his chest and stayed as still as possible while she clumsily fiddled with the buttons, a mischievous smirk playing upon his lips as a little quip came to mind—not that he was quite foolish enough to actually say anything about it.

A tug on his jacket drew his attention back to the crystal mare before him. “With respect, My Prince,” she began, her eyes twinkling playfully, “wipe that smirk off your face or I’ll tell Princess Cadence about how longingly you were staring at that armor of yours.”

Shining narrowed his eyes. “Hey! I earned that armor, so I have a right to wear it when I’m on duty.”

She rolled hers back at him. “Yes, heavy armor sitting on fractured ribs and rubbing against that gash on your flank. Just what the doctor ordered, I’m sure.”

His ears flickered at her. “I think I preferred it when you were all work and no play…”

Her eyes danced with mirth, her muzzle split into a full-blown grin. “You and Princess Cadence would be so utterly bored!” After fastening the last button, Tourmaline stepped back to survey her work. “Hmm, I think that should just about do it—even if I think you’d look better with that mane trimmed back just a bit more.”

“You’ve got as much chance as I do of growing a second horn!” Shining snickered as he turned and trotted out of the room, with Tourmaline trailing after him. He took hold of the door handle in his magic and pushed it open, pausing to roll his eyes at the way Tourmaline cleared her throat. “Oh, hush, I can do little things every now and again, you don’t need to hold my hoof!” He shot as he stepped out into the hallway, Tourmaline following behind.

The pair of guards stationed on either side of the doorway—a burly earth pony by the name of Surefire and his crystal pony counterpart—snapped to attention and raised their spears. “My Prince!” They greeted, their chests puffing out proudly.

“Ah, Staff Sergeant Rock Steady and Private Sapphire.” He nodded to each, with a bit of an extra smile to the young crystal pony. “Shadowing this stallion, huh?”

“Y-Yes, My Prince!” he replied and saluted, nearly dropping his spear in haste. “The Staff Sergeant has been most helpful!”

“Good to hear! Pay attention, he’s young, but he’s got a good head on his shoulders.” Shining had to withhold a chuckle at how eagerly he nodded, his helmet, a size too big, shaking awkwardly on his head. “Heh, Sergeant, when your shift ends, take our newbie here to get his helmet refitted. I like my guards properly equipped.”

“Yes, Sir!” Surefire nodded once. “We’ll visit Smithy this afternoon.”

“Very good. As you were.” Turning away from the pair, he strode down the hallway, his hooves clacking against the floor. “Tourmaline, what’s on Cadence’s docket today?” he asked out of the corner of his mouth. “Nothing too stressful, I hope?”

“As far as I know, she just has Court today, no meetings with the Council until next week.” She paused and hummed. “I’d really have to ask Prism, she keeps the Princess’s schedule in order. Want me to see if I can catch her and get it for you?”

Shaking his head, Shining turned down a corridor, nodding to the guards posted at the corner. “If you could, just keep being her friend, okay? And, you know, let me know if there’s any cause for concern. Not that you have to give me a full rundown, but...” He grimaced, his tail flicked behind him. “If there’s anything that I can help her with, give me a heads up. For now, I’ve got to get back to watching over the recruits, but I’d like to, er, see if I can’t find a way to do something nice for her when I get back.”

They came to the end of the corridor and stopped. Shining stood just before the path on the right, which would take him out to the courtyard and training grounds, while Tourmaline stopped by the one on the left.

Turning to face one another, their eyes met. “I’ll see what the Princess has planned for the day,” Tourmaline replied with a bright smile. “And I’ll see if I can’t try to help figure out what’s got her all tied up in knots.”

“Thank you, Tourmaline.” In a move that, no doubt, caught her off guard, Shining bowed his head before turning and making his way to the courtyard. “I don’t know what I’d do without you!” he called over his shoulder, leaving behind a stunned mare in favor of one of his favorite pastimes:

Terrorizing his recruits.

9. I Made My Bed With Care

Never before had Cadence been so relieved to have a slow day in Court.

If there was one thing she could be thankful for, it was that the crystal ponies’ collective nervousness and, in extreme cases, fear of the Crown could work in her favor from time to time. Slow days gave her a bit of ‘Cady time’, albeit with Valiance and Stout Heart standing on either side of her throne—by her request—and Prism Shine running back and forth to help her keep things in order.

Slow days allowed her a bit of time to reflect.

Sighing heavily, Cadence let her wings droop at her sides. How do I tell him?

“Oh, Shiny, dear? I know we talked and agreed that you needed to take the time to make sure that the new recruits are trained properly, but the Council reacted about as poorly as me and wants you to either speed it up or dump it on Lieutenants Lighthoof and Wind Runner, then train your replacement and retire. That’s fine, right?”

Of course he’d take that well! She snorted and gave her tail a flick. The Imperial Guard was his pet project, taking the recruits’ training out from under his watchful eye would be akin to a slap in the face for somepony like him.

Unfortunately, the Council had just cause to worry, what with his injuries, minor though they may be, and the fact that he’d gone on record admitting that he’d used such a flimsy shield at first.

Oh, Shiny, you’ve noidea what kind of situation you’ve put us in! She gave her wings a little flap as if to ward away an insect. How in Equestria am I going to do this?”

“Er, My Princess?” Cadence blinked and shook her head to clear the cobwebs, her eyes flitting up to find Prism Shine fixing her with a look of utmost concern. “Perhaps you’d like to spend a few minutes away? If you’ll forgive my saying, you seem rather distracted this morning.”

Shaking her head, she sighed. “It’s been slow, Prism, I’ve just been a million miles away.” She straightened up and folded her wings against her sides. “I’m sorry, I just have a few things that’ve been on my mind.”

Prism’s ears perked up; she glanced at the pair of guards standing on either side of Cadence. “Er, if you don’t mind me asking...” she hesitated a moment, shifting her hooves against the floor. “Is this about the, ah, the ‘thing’?”

“You’ll have to be a tad more specific, Prism. I’ve got several ‘things’ that I have to deal with.”

“With respect, My Princess, I was trying to be subtle. I was referring to your most recent meeting with the Council.”

Cadence’s ears pricked up at the sound of metal shifting. She glanced at her ever-faithful guards, only to find that they’d turned their heads, just enough to cock their ears to listen in. So, it seems that my seneschal isn’t the only pony worried about that, eh? Sighing yet again, she hung her head.

“Yes,” she mumbled. “They brought some things to my attention and raised concerns that I can’t refute, no matter how hard I try.”

“I see.” Prism looked off to the side, biting her lip in thought before turning back. “In that case, I must insist that we step away. Come along, My Princess,” she called as she turned to the door. “We can continue this in a more private setting.”

“And leave Crystal Court early?” Cadence raised an eyebrow, nonetheless standing and shaking out the stiffness in her legs. “Who are you and what have you done with my seneschal?”

“As I recall, you once asked me to be your friend as well, My Princess. But if you must, kindly blame my sister for her lack of professionalism rubbing off on me. Besides—” she broke off to wave a hoof at the empty room, “—with so few ponies visiting today, we can afford to take a little bit of time off.”

Turning her back to me andadvising that we take time off. And to think she teases Tourmaline for being unprofessional. With a shake of her head, Cadence followed Prism toward the door.

Her ears caught the sounds of armor shifting and hooves clacking against crystal as Stout Heart and Valiance trailed in her wake, distant enough to give her a sense of privacy, but close enough to leap to her defense. Dutiful as ever. Shining would be pleased, she noted. Her feathers ruffled as her thoughts turned back to her husband. His guards might as well be a second family for how much he looks after and shares with them. What was that he said after he came home from basic training? “Those who wear the gilded gold will find brothers and sisters to forever hold”?

It was no small wonder why he felt so attached. With the value he put on his actual family, the way he latched onto the ideology of the Royal Guard being akin to a second family, bound by their oaths to protect Equestria, made quite a bit of sense.

Eerily similar to how Twilight’s life changed when she went to Ponyville. Figures. Like brother, like sister; they go off for a bit and forge unbreakable bonds.

At the very least, Shining hadn’t forgotten her.

Cadence smiled to herself. No, he kept ties with me as best he could. Still keeping that old promise of protecting me no matter what. She turned the corner, following Prism down the hallway toward the kitchens. “Subscribing to my husband’s thinking now?” she called. “One might think you mean to fatten me up, Prism.”

Hearing a sigh and watching the way Prism shook her head in bemusement, Cadence withheld a smile and awarded herself a point in spite of her mood.

“You should have been the Princess of Comedy, truly.” The crystal mare turned to direct a deadpan glare over her shoulder. “I thought you might like to eat something while we chat, and there’s no better place for a little privacy than the kitchens—other than the Royal Suite, that is. Additionally...” she paused, her eyes flashing with the same mischievous glimmer Tourmaline shared. “I’m sure the Council would be quite supportive of you putting on a little bit of weight. Why, you’re practically skin and bones, Princess!”

Cadence sent a small bolt of magic to pinch Prism’s ear. “Oh, away with you!” she cried. “I am not that skinny! I’m just fit!”

“What’s this now?” Tourmaline’s voice called from down the hall as she trotted briskly toward the group, offering a light bow of her head toward Cadence. “Were you about to implement our plan to help Our Princess put a little bit of meat on those bones? And without me? I’m hurt, sister dear!”

“Hush, Tourmaline!” Prism scolded as she passed, flicking her tail across her sister’s snout. “You’ll spoil our evil plot to make Our Princess a bit more normal so average mares like us don’t feel so plain!”

Tourmaline gave gasp of feigned innocence, her eyes twinkled with mirth. “Oh, was that the plan? I thought we were going to work on her hips so she could wouldn’t have such difficulty birthing foals!”

Cadence’s  ear flicked up at the sound of somepony snorting just behind her. Turning slowly, she directed a pointed glare toward Stout and Valiance, her eyes narrowing at their poorly-hidden grins and puffed up cheeks. “Not a word,” she warned, “not one.”

“Of course, My Princess!” Valiance managed to force out, biting his lip to maintain his composure.

Stout Heart looked just past her, fighting back a bout of snickers. “By—pfft!—your command, Princess Cadence! I wouldn’t—hehe—dream of it!”

And they have his sense of humor. Wonderful. She turned back to the mischievous crystal pony sisters and fixed them with a stern glare. “You two are going to be the death of me, I swear!”

“You shouldn’t swear, My Princess!” Tourmaline chirped. “Really, it’s hardly befitting of your station—Ow!” She winced as her ear was engulfed in a shimmering blue aura and twisted. “Okay, okay! I surrender!”

“Humph! You deserved that one.” Striding past her hoof maiden, Cadence shook her head and tutted. “That joke was utterly terrible and you should feel terrible.”

From her place by the kitchen door, Prism rolled her eyes and gave a rueful smile. “Sadly, I know for a fact that she’s quite pleased with herself. Let’s just hope she doesn’t start on puns, My Princess.”

“You had puns in the Crystal Empire that long ago?” Stout Heart blurted out. Almost in unison, the mares turned to regard the hapless private with matching smirks and raised eyebrows. He ducked his head, quailing under the combined stares and the baleful glare of his superior officer. “Sorry…”

Valiance sighed and ground a hoof into the floor. “Please excuse Private Stout Heart, ladies,” he said, bowing low. “Sometimes, he forgets that he’s supposed to speak with respect when on duty unless otherwise commanded!”

Stout Heart’s ears pinned back. “Sorry, sir…”

“Corporal Valiance,” Cadence cut in before he could offer retort, “surely we could let this slide, yes? I, myself, am quite interested in the Empire’s glory days and would be happy to hear any information. Even if it’s something as simple as comedy. After all, it can be one of the best insights into culture.” She shot a wink to Stout Heart, giving him a kind smile. Curiosity of culture is hardly a bad thing. One of Auntie’s many lessons.

“Of course, My Princess,” Giving a bow, Valiance eyed Stout Heart critically. “I’m sure that’s exactly what Private Stout Heart had in mind. Isn’t that right?”

The younger guard snapped a nervous salute, a bead of sweat trickling down the side of his face. “Y-Yes, sir!”

Giggling, Tourmaline caught up with her sister and Cadence, aiming a teasing grin toward Stout Heart. “To answer your question, we had puns of all sorts! It’s all out of date now, but I’m starting to catch up thanks to Our Princess!”

“Unfortunately…” Prism muttered, bringing a hoof to her brow and slowly dragging it down her muzzle. She narrowed her eyes at they way her sister’s grin widened and how Tourmaline waggled her eyebrows. “One word, just one, Tourmie…”

And, so, the routine begins anew. “Now, fillies,” Cadence scolded before the sisters could begin their latest argument, “behave and try to act like grown ups, please. We wouldn’t want our escorts—” she broke off to cast a meaningful glance back at the pair of guards, “—to get the wrong idea about us, would we?”

The sisters abruptly froze in place, blinking owlishly before straightening up. Holding their heads high, they turned to trot to her side.

Cadence eyed the pair and raised a brow. “Shifting from one extreme to the next, aren’t we?” she muttered as she turned and lit up her horn to open the kitchen door. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a fleeting glimpse of a familiar gleam in Tourmaline’s eyes.

That very same one she always caught whenever her little seneschal had something on her mind.

“Valiance, Stout Heart,” she called as she stepped through the doorway, with Tourmaline and Prism Shine following in her wake. Both guards snapped to attention the instant their names left her lips. “If you wouldn’t mind waiting out here, I’d appreciate it. The girls and I are just going to chat for a bit.”

“Yes, My Princess,” they replied in stereo, bowing low and moving to take their posts on either side of the door.

As Cadence closed the door, she caught Tourmaline sneaking a glance at Stout Heart, a small smirk playing upon the crystal pony’s muzzle. Well, well! This could tie two little ponies together in a nice little package!

That was just what she needed: a chance to help find that special somepony and their happily ever after—her duty as Princess of Love. Even more so when one of the ponies just happened to be her friend.

Exactly what she needed to take her mind off of things; spreading the magic and joys of love would surely help her find the silver lining in the clouds hanging over her day.

Wagging her tail a bit and giving her worries a little nudge to the back of her mind, she schooled her expression to give herself a more casual look. A smile graced her lips as she trotted past the sisters, glancing at the more mischievous of the pair. “Eying up my personal detail?” she quipped.

“To be completely honest, yes!” Tourmaline replied shamelessly, pointedly ignoring her sister’s groan. “He’s cute. And, not to mention, pretty darn good looking in that armor!”

“That he is, and that he does.” Cadence motioned the sisters over to a table, nodding to the kitchen staff as they bowed before her. She sat down across from them and folded her hooves one on top of the other. “He’s also single, though his personality can seem rather complicated, to say the least.”

“Oh? Now, you’re just dangling a carrot in front of me, My Princess. You’ll have to tell me more—”

Prism tapped her on the shoulder and shook her head. “Later, Tourmie,” she chided. “I’m sure that Our Princess would love to help you find the special somepony in your life, but we do have more pressing issues.”

Business first, eh, Prism? “Aww, come now, Prism! Let me have my fun! Helping ponies find and remember the ones they love and the reasons they came to love is what makes me happy! It’s part of me!” Smirking deviously, she fixed her gaze on her seneschal. “Perhaps we could spare some time to find your special somepony, hmm? I see you with a nice, strong stallion; one whose quiet, but just seems to know the right thing to say to make your heart flutter.”

Prism’s cheeks took on a reddish hue. “P-Princess!”

“Oh?” Cadence tilted her head, a slight playful smirk at the corner of her mouth. “Am I off the mark? My mistake, I didn’t realize that you favored—”

“That is completely beside the point!” Prism protested, her cheeks taking on a deep pinkish hue. “I asked you to join me here so we could discuss whatever was bothering you! Not to discuss my love life!”

Tourmaline snorted and shot her a teasing grin. “You mean your lack of a love life.” She was quick to duck a swipe of her sister’s hoof, her expression never faltering. “Really, Prism! We’re just thinking of you!”

“Hush, you! There are far more important things at hoof!”

“Keep talking like that and you’ll end up an old maid!”

“I said hush, and I’m only a year older than you!” She huffed before turning back to Cadence, her glare melting away. “Princess, if we could put the joking aside for a later time?”

“I was actually being serious about helping, but if there’s something else bothering you, I’m all ears.” Shrugging, Cadence eased back into her cushion and waved a hoof. “The offer is still on the table, though.”

Tourmaline flagged down a cook and whispered something into his ear. The cook nodded once, muttering a quick greeting and bowing before he scampered back off to prepare a snack.

Prism let out a sigh and shook her head, levying Cadence with a pitying look. “I’ll be sure to keep that in mind. In any case, I wanted to check on you, My Princess.” She shifted in her seat, rubbing a hoof against her shin. “You’ve been drifting off a bit lately, and not in your usual manner.”

Cadence raised an eyebrow. “I have a ‘usual manner’ for how I drift off?”

“You stare out the window, gazing at the sky and lingering on the clouds,” Tourmaline cut in. “Like you’re just itching to stretch your wings for a bit.”

“Exactly, thank you, Tourmie.” Prism nodded before turning back to Cadence. “When you’re in a good mood, I can tell that you long to fly, like some of the pegasus guards when they’re on a long shift on ground duty. But, whenever something is bothering you, whenever you’re feeling down, you sigh irregularly and stare straight ahead at the doorway.” She paused a moment and steepled her hooves, her calculating gaze making Cadence ruffle her wings. “If you recall this morning, I had to literally wave a hoof in front of your muzzle to get your attention long enough to give my report on construction in the eastern Kunzite District.”

“Yeah, as much as I hate to agree with Madame Fussy Hooves, you weren’t your usual chipper self when I helped you put on your makeup this morning, either. You hardly even lingered on Prince Armor coming out of the bath with his coat—”

Covering Tourmaline’s mouth with a hoof, Cadence sighed. “All right, I get it, I haven’t been myself. I’ve just had a lot of my mind, with the Council hounding me for updates on what we’re doing with the economy and how we plan to bring new industry in.”

The sisters each raised a brow at her and tapped their hooves against the table. They weren’t buying it, not in the slightest.

She leaned back, her left hind leg bouncing in place. Deep breath in, deep breath out. Relax, Cady. Trying to out wait them, she simply fixed a serene smile on her muzzle, pricking her ears up and making sure to meet their gaze. “Girls, I’m fine. Really. Just a few things on my mind, but I’ll get over it. I’m a big mare!”

“So you are, My Princess,” Prism agreed, giving a single nod of her head. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t offer our help when we see something bothering you—wait just a moment,” she broke off a moment and brought a hoof to her chin, her eyes narrowed.

Cadence’s smile faltered as she watched the gears turning behind those sharp blue eyes, her seneschal slowly piecing everything together. Oh… Pluck my feathers.

Almost on cue, Prism’s ears flicked and her eyes widened. Her mouth set into a thin line, she turned to whisper to Tourmaline. Cadence watched the little mare’s eyes narrow, her face flitting through confusion to disbelief before her jaw dropped and ears slowly pinning back to lay against her scalp.

She sighed and shook her head. Here we go.

“No!” Tourmaline gasped, clasping a hoof to her mouth. “They wouldn’t—I’m quite certain they can’t do something like that!”

Darn it, Prism. “They can’t force him out,” Cadence whispered. She let out a deep sigh, her wings drooped low. “But since they’re technically supposed to act as a voice for both myself and the people in their districts… If I ignore them, ponies might start to worry that we’re heading down the same path Sombra did.”

She propped her knees up on the table and held her head in her hooves, rubbing small, slow circles in her temples. Truth be told, no matter which way she moved, there would be consequences.

Ignoring the Council meant turning her back on her ponies. Granted, it was one issue, and rather close to home at that. But, in government, it only took a single ruling to set a precedent.

If she chose to disregard their concerns for Shining, especially with how easily validated it was thanks to his injuries and disregard for his own well-being, it would set the tone for a ruler who liked to play favorites. Certainly, she could do so to a point. The Council had accepted her point that Shining should keep his post as Captain when that came up during their first session.

“As you say, My Princess, he is the highest ranking military officer in the Empire. Asking that he give up his rank without adequate replacement would be rather hasty on our part. Perhaps, a compromise can be reached…”

Compromise, they claimed. No. What they wanted was for him to train the very ponies who would escort the pair of them around and ensure that he’d not put on the armor save for ceremonial duties like the Equestria Games. At least, that had been their goal then. Things had changed thanks to Shining’s little mishap in the forest.

Being regulated to a desk job, basically slipping back into the role he had in Canterlot, was something Shining would accept with only a bit of irritation. But forced retirement? And at the hooves of the very ponies he tried so hard to protect?

He’d never have it. And, to be perfectly fair, Cadence had no intention of making him.

It was just the matter of convincing the Council otherwise…

A hoof touched her left foreleg. Cadence looked up, her eyes meeting with Tourmaline’s. “Don’t worry, Princess,” she began, sliding her hoof up to take Cadence’s, “you’ve got our support.”

“That much goes without saying,” Prism added. “Still, you haven’t explained why you’re so set against telling Prince Armor.”

“He’s got enough on his plate with the recruits. And, honestly, I don’t know how to tell him.” Candace buried her face in her hooves again. “I’ve known him since I started foalsitting his little sister, he was my best friend before we started dating. Being a member of the Royal Guard was his dream, and the day he became Captain was one of his proudest moments. Love is my area of expertise, girls, but this? I’m at a loss for how to tell him.”

“But, you know you have to at some point—” Prism began.

“Yes. I do. But I’d like to have a bit more time to figure the ‘how’ part out.” She took in a breath and let it out slowly through her nose. “Not to mention, it’ll give him one less thing to worry about.”

Tourmaline scoffed. “Except you aren’t easing his burden.”

Cadence’s head snapped up, her eyes narrowed. “How so?”

“Come now, My Princess. You said it yourself: you’ve known Prince Armor for years. If Prism and I noticed that something was bothering you, what are the chances that he’s missed it?”

There was a beat of silence. Cadence simply stared ahead at the pair before slowly dropping her head to the table, letting it thump against the wood. “Pluck my feathers and roast me over a fire! I’m a certifiable idiot!”

A hoof patted her on the head. “We all have our moments, Princess,” Tourmaline said, her voice tinged with amusement. “Just realize that he knows you as well as you know him.”

“I know, I know!” She groaned into the wood. “I’ll talk to him. I’m not sure if I can tell him just yet, but I’ll make sure he knows that I’m okay.” At the sound of Prism clearing her throat, she raised her head to glare. “Fine. I’ll tell him that I’ve just been feeling a bit of stress.”

Prism nodded. “Better. Still, I think it would be best that you start thinking on how to break the news to him. You can’t hide it forever.”

Almost as soon as the words left Prism’s mouth, something jumped in Cadence’s head—causing a wide smile to spread across her face. Bingo. “Leave that to me. I might have an idea or two on how to figure it out.” If there’s anypony who knows you better, Shiny, it’s her. “In fact, Prism, would you mind fetching a sheet of paper, a quill and ink for me? I believe there’s a letter I need to write.”

Prism dipped her head, though also gave her a curious look. “Of course, My Princess. But… I thought you were thinking on how to tell Prince Armor. Why—”

“I am, Prism. Trust me on this one.”

With a shrug, Prism stood and bowed to Cadence before turning on her hooves and trotting briskly from the kitchen to complete her task.

Tourmaline, however, remained. She made as if to question Cadence, but was cut off.

“If you’re about to ask, you’ll get the same answer, Tourmie. I’m thinking on how to deal with it by consulting an outside source. Somepony who knows Shiny even better than me.” Seeing the mare’s eyes widen, almost as if a bolt of realization flashed through her mind, Cadence nodded. “And, now, you’ve got it. All the same, thank you for talking with me. It helped far more than you know. Now, that aside, let’s turn to something a bit more pleasant.”

“Such as?”

Her lips curved upward into a wide grin, Cadence steepled her hooves and stared into Tourmaline’s eyes, “Let’s discuss that stallion standing outside the door.”

The smaller mare shifted in her seat, her ear flicking toward the door as if hoping her sister were about to return so quickly.

No such luck, I’m afraid. “Now, Tourmie, you can talk with me about it! I’m just trying to help.”

“Yes, My Princess, but,” Tourmaline broke off, her tail swishing as she chewed on her bottom lip, “well, earlier was just me playing around and trying to make you smile a bit. I couldn’t possibly ask you to play matchmaker for me when—”

Cadence quickly reached across the table and took Tourmaline’s hoof in hers. “Tourmie,” she began, “we talked about my problems, and I’ve agreed to work through them. Helping ponies with relationships is what I do—or, rather, what I used to do a lot more often.” A small frown made its way across her muzzle. She sighed and looked deep into her friend’s sky blue eyes. “It’s something I’d like to do a lot of when things settle down again, actually.”

“Well, that’s fair, but I’m not sure how I feel about putting this on top of everything else.”

“Oh, please, this is part of what I was meant to do! It’s nice to know I can still be helpful, and, at worst, it’s a welcome distraction from things.” She beamed at Tourmaline and settled onto her cushion. “So, come on! Tell me everything!”

Tourmaline glanced over her shoulder, humming a bit before turning back and sighing in resignation. “If you insist. Well, I’ve had my eye on him for a little bit now—since he transferred over from Canterlot, actually.”

Ah, here we go! “Caught your eye in just a couple weeks, then!” Cadence leaned forward, her tail wagging behind her like a happy puppy’s. “And just what about him grabs you, hmm?”

“At first?” The little mare blushed and fidgeted with her hooves. “Just how he looked. He’s not quite bulky, but he’s fit. And in that armor he looks, well—” she bit down on her lip, trying in vain to fight back a grin. “—When he’s at his post, he looks so serious, so stoic, sort of like one of the guards from Prince Armor’s posters or the ones in tales of old, where soldiers were leaving for war. But off duty, or just before he’s ready to begin a shift, he’s still got that cute, look about him. You know, like the one he had when he asked about old humor.”

“Hmm, that he does, that he does.” She tapped at her chin thoughtfully, a soft smile on her face.  “To be perfectly honest, he’s a bit like Shiny when he was younger: he looked so cute wearing the armor, then he’d march on over to his post, paste on that typical guard look and turn into this big protector.” She tittered and shook her head. “Anything else? Come now, lay all cards on the table!”

Pinning back her ears, Tourmaline ducked her head. “That’s—I don’t really have much else. There’s been a couple times where we’ve spoken, but never really in private. I’ve wanted to talk with him about going out, but he’s always attached at the hip with Corporal Valiance and… oh, isn’t it a bit rude for the mare to ask the stallion, or has that changed in the last thousand years?”

“It has, actually. It’s not so much rude as it is you taking initiative—remember, I kissed Shiny first and I daresay I’ve had him wrapped around my hoof since.” She raised a brow and brought a hoof to her chin. “Though, he was always right there for me once we became friends, he’d just get nervous when I got close.” Shaking her head, Cadence shrugged and looked back to Tourmaline. “Either way, ask him out! The worst he can do is say no.”

“But that’s what I’m afraid of!” Tourmaline whined, flailing her hooves a bit.

“You can either take a chance on love or let it pass you by. I can’t just hit him with a spell and make him love you—no matter how tempting that might seem with how dense stallions can be.” Despite her assurances, the unease in Tourmaline’s eyes remained. Cadence watched her glancing over her shoulder at the door and let her smile fall. Oh, it really has been a while since I’ve done this. I’m rusty. “Tourmie, please. Give it a try, you don’t even have to tell him it’s a date at first. It can just be something simple, just to see how you two work together. At the very least, you can make a friend—and heaven knows the pair of you could stand to get out and have a good time!”

Another whine, another glance over her shoulder at the door. “Oh, fine!” she cried, covering her face with her hooves. “But if he says no, I’m venting to you and Prism!”

“I’d be insulted if you didn’t, there will be a carton of any ice cream of your choice with your name on it. Now, don’t you feel a little better?” When Tourmaline nodded, it felt like a weight had lifted off Cadence’s chest. “Good, good. So do I. Oh, and before I forget! Do yourself a favor.” She fixed the mare opposite her with a look of utmost severity.

As she made to continue, the cook returned and slid plate of warm blueberry muffins before Tourmaline and a bowl of ice cream before Cadence. “Princess.” He bowed deeply. “Please enjoy. And you as well, Lady Tourmaline.

“Thank you, Oven Mitt.” Cadence smiled. She turned back to Tourmaline and schooled her expression again. “Where was I? Oh, right. Don’t try playing the weak, needy mare, Tourmie. Be the fun, happy mare who drives my husband batty.”

Tourmaline snorted, but nodded all the same. “If you say so, Princess.”

“I do.” Her ears perked up at the sound of a hoof thumping against the door. She glanced over Tourmaline’s shoulder to find Prism Shine trotting toward their table, with a few sheets of paper, a quill, and an inkwell all balanced on her clipboard.

And now, I can take care of my business. She let out a deep breath, a sense of levity settling upon her. Then, it’ll all be clearer.

Relieving Prism of her burden, Cadence dipped her quill into the inkwell and began scratching out a letter.

“Dear Twilight,

“It’s been some time since we last talked, so I wanted to check in and see how thing were in Ponyville. Shiny and I are still getting things straightened out in the Empire; he’s been busying himself by training the new recruits and I’ve found myself all too familiar with Auntie Celestia’s pain when it comes to running Court.

“But, I digress. The Empire is considering the prospect of entering into a trade agreement with the United Griffon Territories. While our industry isn’t quite as well-developed as Equestria’s, we were hoping that we might be able to offer crystals, both for craftswork and for research purposes. The latter is actually what I wanted to ask about.

“If you aren’t too bogged down with your studies or duties as a princess, would you be willing to help us conduct a basic analysis if we sent samples? Shiny and I might have decent understanding of magic, but your knowledge is quite a bit more comprehensive and broad-ranging.

“Please let me know as soon as you can. I hope you and Spike are well—say hi to him from me!

“Love, Cadence.”

Dotting the final period, Cadence leaned back to survey her work. That should do on that front. She blew lightly on the ink to help it dry, grimacing as she considered the part she hadn’t mentioned.

Yes, she needed to talk to Twilight about her little dilemma, but she couldn’t have Shining read the reply over her shoulder.

She’d have to ask Twilight for a bit of a favor. She dipped the quill tip into the ink again and added a post script.

“P.S. There’s something else I need to talk to you about, but I don’t want Shiny to read it. It concerns him, so, if you would, please reply to it in a separate letter. If you don’t mind helping, that is.”

Awkward, and it made her feel terrible for going behind Shining’s back, but it would have to do until she could straighten herself out.

Twilight will know exactly how to help. When it comes to Shiny, she always does.

She has to.

10. Pursuits Become Habits

Trotting down the hall, with Valiance and Stout Heart following dutifully behind her, Cadence hummed the melody to Love’s In Bloom, the tune Twilight sang at her wedding. The dark clouds hanging above her had long since dispersed; a happy warmth settled in her chest after a long chat with Prism and Tourmaline and a letter sent to her favorite sister-in-law.

“I’m your onlysister-in-law, Cadence.” Twilight said, fixing her with that sideways smile and a shake of her head. “Really, it’s nothing but a win on technicality alone, hardly a fair measure.”

She rolled her eyes, remembering their conversation at the wedding and chuckled. “Oh, would you just hush and take the compliment!”

Twilight just laughed and sang her reply, nimbly dancing out of reach of a wing swipe. “I’m just saying that your measure is skewed!”

“I can still take you over my knee, young filly! Or maybe, I’ll just send word to the librarian not to let you check out more than one book.” A wicked grin crossed her muzzle as she pawed at the ground.

“I live in a library! I amthe librarian!” Twilight protested, pointing a hoof at her and looking to her friends and family for support. “You can’t make me limit myself!”

Cadence had just giggled, stepping forward to pat her on the head. “Silly, Twilight! I’m a princess! I can tease you all I want! You having to limit yourself just makes it more funny!”

She sighed wistfully and gave a little flap of her wings. It had been a while since they’d last exchanged letters, three weeks by her count. Granted, that wasn’t nearly as bad as the months between letters before she’d married Shining, but still, Cadence was ever-eager to hear from her favorite little sister-in-law.

Between the crazy adventures, the wide-ranging friends, and becoming a princess herself, Twilight’s life since moving to Ponyville had certainly thrown everypony for a loop. She had changed so much, and yet so little; growing into a wonderful mare who was eager to make new friends and experience the joys their bonds brought, while still holding onto that fascination with magic and hunger for knowledge.

If you don’t slow down, I’ll have to throw something together so I can help ponies find love again. The very idea made her snicker. Imagine the look on Shiny’s face if I were to show him one of my little spider-webs of possible relationships, let alone if I came to him with a proposal for an actual government department devoted to it!

A smirk played upon her lips. Cadence filed that away for later; at the very least, it would make for a good joke. No doubt, he’d stare at the forms a moment before slowly bringing his head down to his desk and groaning into it.

Sometimes, I wonder if I’m a bit mean to him. But it’s all part of the game! With teasing so ingrained into their relationship, he would certainly appreciate it after he was finished complaining. And after she sat down and spoke with him.

Her frown fell, a sigh escaped her lips. With Prism and Tourmaline, she’d tried to hide that something was bothering her, but ended up giving off several rather obvious cues. That said, she may as well have held a sign over her head when Shining Armor returned from holding Court.

Rounding the last corner before their room, Cadence flicked her tail and set her jaw. I’m being unfair to him. I’m already hiding enough and I’m only making it worse. But what do I tell him?

With each step closer, her mind raced faster and faster, trying frantically to come up with something. Shining wouldn’t be so easily swayed after the previous night, that much was certain. Her little show of sighing and staring off might have earned her a brief respite, a bit of a cooling down period, but he’d expect something.

She stopped just a few steps from the door, eying the purple tinged crystal that separated her and Shining. “Valiance, Stout Heart,” she called, “a moment, please.”

Their armor rattled as they came to an abrupt halt and they snapped to attention and threw salutes. “Princess?” Valiance asked, his tone betraying a bit of confusion. “Is something wrong?”

“No, no, just thinking.” She turned away from the door to face him, fixing him with a bright smile. “Actually, I just realized that we hadn’t spoken as friends in a while, Valiance. Not since Canterlot, if I recall correctly. Everything recently has just been princess to guard.”

He nodded hesitantly, his brow arching high enough that it nearly disappeared beneath the brim of his helmet. “Yes, My Princess, that’s right. Though, both you and Captain Armor have been rather busy organizing things in the Empire, so it’s understandable.”

“Still, that’s no excuse. How’s Honey doing? I haven’t had a chance to visit her in the medical unit offices. And please, speak freely” she said, eagerly perking her ears up.

“Quite well, Princess,” Valiance replied; the faintest of smiles graced his lips. “Honey misses Canterlot greatly; she fell in love with the history and architecture, comes from growing up near Manehattan. But, she does like the Empire so far, especially the forest.”

Giggling, Cadence nodded. “I’ll bet! She must find some rather interesting herbs there!”

“Oh, you’ve no idea, Princess. No idea.” For a brief moment, Cadence could’ve sworn there was something more in his smile. A little secret he was keeping.

A shudder to her left drew her attention to the younger stallion. Stout Heart’s ears lay flat against his head as he muttered something incomprehensible under his breath. Judging by the way Valiance’s smile fell and his eyes widened, it wasn’t anything he wanted his subordinate to repeat.

Interesting. Cadence quirked an eyebrow, but let them off the hook. I’m sure Honeysuckle would be happy to share. Her gaze flitted back to Stout Heart, she hid a grin. And, maybe, she’d like to hear that a certain mare has her eye on little Stouty. Speaking of which. “And how about you, Stout? We didn’t get much of a chance to get to know one another back home.”

“Er, n-no, Princess. We didn’t,” he stammered, ducking his head. “I only recently graduated from the Academy and was posted as an exterior Palace Guard when you left Canterlot.”

“That’s right, I thought it was around that time. I’ll admit, I was a bit surprised when Shining told me that you volunteered to transfer.”

His posture shifted slightly. Stout Heart picked himself up, standing at full height. “Corporal Valiance is my partner and mentor. It didn’t seem to make sense to separate when he’d only just started showing me the ropes!”

“I see. Can’t break up partners in the Royal Guard, eh?” She smiled knowingly. “Well, I’m happy that you chose to join us! Even if the reunion was a bit, er—” she waved a hoof through the air in a circular motion, searching for the right word, “shall we say ‘soured’?”

If Stout Heart had a comment, he must’ve chose that moment as the time to simply bite his lip, smile, and bow. Something Valiance had likely drilled into him. “Please, Princess, think nothing of it! We all have our rougher days.”

“You’re not kidding. So, your shift ends soon, right boys? Any big plans? Should I be worried that a pair of wild, young stallions are being let loose into the night?”

Valiance snorted and shook his head. “Nothing too wild, Princess. This one—” he nodded to Stout Heart “—is joining Honey and I for dinner at that place by the park—the one you always go to when think you’ve given us the slip, Princess.

Cadence raised a brow. “Er, I’m quite sure that I do give you the slip.”

 “If you say so, My Princess.” He nodded once, his eyes twinkling mischievously. “Anyway, we’re all having dinner and then I’m kicking him out of the apartment.”

Oh, you cheeky thing! She huffed, readying a retort.

Before she could, Stout yelped. “Wait, what? You didn’t say anything about that earlier!”

“It’s either that or you can join Honey and I on our walk. Remember how that went last time?” He smirked at the shudder that went down the younger stallion’s spine. “Thought so.” Turning back to face Cadence, he schooled his expression back to his usual flat stoicism. “Anything else, My Princess?”

She shook her head and smiled. “No, no, don’t let me keep you. Have a wonderful evening!” Lighting up her horn, she opened the door and took a step forward before stopping in her tracks. “Oh, Stout Heart?” Cadence called over her shoulder. “You really should take Honey and Valiance’s advice. Get out more, have some fun, and maybe...” She turned and grinned playfully at him. “Find yourself a special somepony, hmm?”

What a pair. Without another word, she slipped through the doorway and shut it behind her. Stout’s little yelp of protest and Valiance’s poorly stifled chuckling reached her ears, only slightly muffled by the door.

Stifling a laugh, she slipped her regalia off with a flick of her magic, setting it aside for Tourmaline. I’ll have to let her know that Stout is available tonight, not to mention thank Honey and Valiance for inadvertently helping me out.

A familiar scent wafted through the air. Warm, herbal, and rather soothing. Blinking, she sniffed, her ears perking up straight. Tea? “Tourmaline?” she called, following her nose toward the bedroom.

“Not quite!” Shining’s voice called back. “I’m a lot less sparkly and a bit more of a stallion!”

“That was terrible and you should feel terrible, Shiny!” Smiling ruefully, she trotted into their room. I swear, he does it on purpose.

Shining sat on their bed; the coltish grin on his face and his wagging tail confirmed Cadence’s suspecions.“Feel terrible? Me?” He parroted from his spot on the bed, a pot of tea and two cups resting on a tray at his side. “Why, Cadenza, I’ve no idea what would make you say such a thing!”

She trotted over to his side and gave a little swipe of her feathers across his muzzle. “Hush, you. And what did I tell you about calling me Cadenza?”

“Something about making me shout your name until I had it committed to memory,” Shining quipped. He patted a spot beside him, never losing his smile. “Care to join me?”

His cue was hardly needed. Cadence levitated the tray so she could sweep into place, her side brushing against his. She stole a nuzzle and a quick lick to his cheek as she lowered the tray back down onto the bed. “Always, honey.”

Shining leaned into her, but raised a brow. “Well, you seem to be in a much better mood! You had a good day, I take it?”

“Court was slow today, but that gave me a little time to think on some things and talk with the girls.” Another kiss to his cheek, this time lingering a bit longer. She rested her chin on his shoulder and closed her eyes, inhaling deeply through her nose. Sweat, starch, and musty stallion scent. My Shiny was at work today.

“Good.” He replied softly, returning her kisses with a pair of his own. “I was worried about you. You seemed so distant, like you were just off in your own little world, trying to hold it all together with your bare hooves.” He drew back, his smile faltering as he looked at her, concern evident in his eyes. “So, will you talk to me now?

Cadence winced, ruffling her free wing. As usual, he caught her cues with ease and wasn’t planning to let it go. The brief respite was nothing more than a courtesy, for her sake; a little chance for her to gather herself before he sat down and made her talk it out.

That old trick your mom used to pull, eh, Shiny? She frowned, still trying to wrack her brain for something to help her explain things without simply blurting it out. “Just difficulties with the Council,” she said slowly, “they’re being a bit nosy.”

Shining wrinkled his snout. “Still?” he asked incredulously. “What is it this time? Security? The trade proposal? Wondering why we’re not suddenly in the Third Golden Age of the Crystal Empire after just a few months?”

Stifling a laugh, she shook her head. Always so expressive! Hard to believe you used to stand at post, looking stone cold, for hours and hours on end.

Sometimes, Cadence let herself forget that the silly, goof she called husband was a fully trained soldier. Of course, sometimes, he forgot himself as well.

“I wouldn’t say they’re quite so pushy, just interested.” She giggled and nuzzled his cheek. Cheeky, even when there’s something serious. “I can hardly blame them for being a bit interested in affairs of state, after all. It’s more that their definition is a tad dated.”

He raised a brow. “To be completely fair, and to borrow your own words, I can hardly blame them. Remember, this place was, for all intents and purposes, buried since before Princess Luna became Nightmare Moon!”

She nodded once. “A fair point, I suppose. Also, you’re supposed to call her ‘Auntie Luna’ now! You’re family, remember?” She gave him a little poke with her hoof, a playful smile gracing her lips.

“Oh, how could I forget the last lecture?” A grin flashed across his muzzle before he poked her in return. “But no changing the subject, Cady. We’re talking this out.”

No slipping out, she mused, noting the way he wrapped a hoof around her waist and held her close. Even in holding a conversation, he was taking any tactical advantage he could get, cutting off a possible escape attempt before it could even begin. You tricky boy, you.

Giving a mental shrug, she leaned into his embrace and laid her head on his shoulder once more. “Well,” she began, “Lady Starburst asked whether or not we’d considered negotiations with the UGT, the other members were happy to hear that you thought it beneficial and seem interested, though, apprehensive about whether or not Lord Alfons will agree.”

Shining hummed to himself and nodded, laying his chin atop her head. “That’s something they’re gonna have to be patient on, I’m afraid. You and I need to draft a letter to send out to him—and one for Twily, too.”

Oops. I knew I was forgetting something! Cadence squeezed her eyes shut and cursed. Oh, I could kick myself sometimes! “I may have jumped early on that, honey. While talking with the girls, I thought about her and just couldn’t help myself. It’s been awhile since her last letter.”

“A while?” he teased, his chest vibrating as he chuckled to himself. “It’s been two weeks, not nearly as bad as when she was Princess—oh, sorry,—Auntie Celestia’s student. She went months at a time back then!” Shining kissed the top of her head, grinning into her mane. “That aside, you mentioned the griffons?” At her nod, he tightened his hug and continued. “If anything, having her reply first might help us sell Alfons on the idea. So, I’d call it less moving early and more a case of unintentional forethought.”

She sighed, slowly opening her eyes. Sometimes, dumb luck was the best sort, especially when stumbling over herself trying to hide things.

If fortune turns out to be a pony, I owe it a great big hug one of these days. A wave of relief washed over her. Cadence patted his leg and smiled. “Well, thank heavens for small mistakes, then. Especially those that turn out to be little blessings in disguise.” She pulled back to look into his eyes, feeling oddly small under the gaze of those bright blues she’d fallen so in love with. “I’m sorry about last night.”

“Don’t worry about it, honey, you were stressed. Speaking of which—” he broke off, levitating the tea tray in front of her, “I thought you might like a cup. It’ll help you relax, take the edge off those nerves.” His magic wrapped around the teapot, lifting it up to slowly pour out the steaming brew.

The herbal scent from before was even stronger. Cadence inhaled deeply, taking in the smooth aroma while Shining mixed in a sugar cube. Just the way she liked it. “Bringing me tea after a long day on the grounds?” She hummed, wrapping her magic around the cup, her pink aura mixing with his blue. A little smirk crossed her muzzle as she took over control, bringing the cup to her lips. “One might think you’re trying to earn favor, Shiny.”

“One forgets that she’s been under a lot of stress and that her loving husband cares for her,” he retorted, pouring himself a cup. “Now, drink up. This is something a bit new, to me at least. Honey recommended it, so I thought I’d whip it up for you.”

“You making tea?” She raised a brow. “It’s like you’re trying to give the staff a heart attack.” Pointedly ignoring the mischievous twinkle in his eye, she took a sip. Her eyes lit up at the familiar flowery taste and the touch of sweetness. “Chamomile? Oh, it’s been awhile since I’ve had that!”

Nodding, Shining swallowed a mouthful. “Yeah, Honey said it should help you relax a little. I’m not quite the tea connoisseur that you or Twily are, but she mentioned that it’s a pretty useful thing—and you know how she is with her herbs.”

“A walking encyclopedia, as I believe you once called her,” she replied, warmth filling her chest as she took another sip. “Coming from Twilight Sparkle’s older brother, that’s quite the compliment.”

“I call them like I see them.” He shrugged and set his cup down on the tray. “So, back to the Council.” His hoof wandered up her back, rubbing softly along the base of her wings.

Cadence’s eyes fluttered shut, her back arched with each stroke. “Mmm, yes?” she hummed airily.

“What else did they want? Anything about the recruits’ training?” Within the confines of their suite, Shining didn’t bother hiding his concern. His hoof stilled. Hesitation. He was worried that they’d change their minds.

“They asked about your time table,” she admitted, cracking open an eye to match his gaze. There it was, that anxiety, the stress of trying to build a unit from the ground up.

The very thing he worried had gotten to her.

“And?” He prompted. “What did they say?”

She chewed her lip, carefully choosing her response. No harm in telling the truth on that front, I suppose. “They’re eager to see the recruits graduate; you made your point on security quite clear at the last meeting you attended, so there’s not much resistance or questioning the necessity. But—” she held up a hoof “—they aren’t too keen on the delays.”

Shining snorted derisively, his lips curved into a small frown. “I figured as much, guess I was too ambitious in hoping that we’d be able to stick the crystal ponies on the same timetable we use in Canterlot—this batch had quite the fear of the uniform, you know?”

“I do.” Again, Cadence found herself confronted with the reality of the situation. As much as she might want him to speed up, and as much as the Council might want him holed up in some office, he was needed in the field. “I may not like it, but I understand the reason.” She wrapped a wing around him, brushing her feathers against his side. “But, my previous threat remains,” she warned, squeezing him tight. “No more foolish injuries or you’re grounded, buster!”

He snapped a quick salute, grinning cheekily. “Yes, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza!”

Silence fell over the pair. Cadence calmly set her cup down on the tray and folded her hooves. “Didn’t we just have this talk earlier? It’s like you’re trying to get yourself in trouble, Shiny-winy.”

His grin only widened. “It’s the kind of trouble I enjoy, Cady,” he leaned forward and booped his snout against hers, quickly ducking under her wing to escape. “Besides, it takes your mind off of things, so I’ll take my lumps. That aside, how’s about dinner? I don’t know about you, but I missed lunch, so I’m about ready to go raid a fruit stand or something!”

She could only laugh at the way he wagged his tail. And my goofball in shining armor is back again. Shaking her head, Cadence folded her wings against her sides and slid off the bed. “I’ll send a note to the kitchens. If it’s all the same to you, I think I’d rather just take it up here, just the two of us.”

“Sounds like a plan to me!” He made to get up, wrapping his magic around the tray. “Here, let me take the note down, I’ve got to take care of this anyway—”

“Sit,” she commanded, gently placing a hoof on his chest. “You’ve been out and about all day, and you went and got this for me. I just sat around chatting.”

Shining opened his mouth, a fresh retort on the tip of his tongue, but was silenced by a look. “If you say so, I guess.” He shrugged. “Just wanted to give you a bit of resting time.”

“I’ve had all day to right myself, Shiny. A quick trot to the kitchens won’t tire me out.” Floating the tray in front of her, she turned and made for the door.

Her steps were lighter, as if a weight had been lifted off her back. True, she hadn’t quite come clean, but they’d at least talked things out.

I put some of his worries to rest, it’ll buy me just a bit more time. A small victory for the home team.

She trotted out into the sitting room and nearly ran straight into Tourmaline. “Oops!” She yelped, just managing to catch the tray as it dropped out of the air.

The little mare jumped back, fumbling with Cadence’s tiara. “Sorry, Princess!” she cried as she caught the gleaming trinket. “I was just here to collect your regalia for polishing, I didn’t realize you’d be walking out—“

“It’s fine, Tourmie, really.” Cadence waved her off with a hoof. “Shiny and I just had a little talk, so I was kind of off in my own little world.”

“Oh? How did it go?” Tourmaline asked, placing the tiara on a red velvet pillow alongside the rest and turned her attention to her princess. “Did you talk about the thing?”

She gave a shake of her head. “Not directly, but I mentioned the Council’s concerns over the delay. That’s something we can deal with easily enough, though. It’s the other part that’s tricky.”

“I can only imagine. I’m afraid I don’t really have anything to help other than offering an ear.” Tourmaline reached out and gave a comforting pat on the shoulder. “But I’m here for you, so, why don’t I just take this.” She deftly took the tray out of midair and placed it on her back in one smooth motion. “And while I’m doing that, when would you like to have dinner?”

“Actually, I was just going to send a note down. Shiny skipped lunch to watch training again, so...” Cadence broke off to roll her eyes and heave a long-suffering sigh. “The great, big colt is hungry.”

“Oh, dear, I’ll go tell the kitchen staff to find something to sate the hunger of a savage beast.” The mares shared a giggle, though Tourmaline had to retrain herself so not to drop anything. “This—” she nodded to Cadence’s regalia “—will be next on my agenda.” Giving a little bow, she turned and trotted briskly for the door.

Just as Tourmaline’s hoof was about to touch the knob, Cadence cleared her throat. “Tourmie.” The smaller mare froze, looking quizzically over her shoulder. “My regalia can wait until the morning. There’s something else you need to attend to.”

“Princess?” Tourmaline blinked and tilted her head.

Smiling brightly, Cadence gestured to her wardrobe. “Make yourself look nice, have Prism help you do up your mane, and go out. You might find that an opportunity will present itself if you find your way to the Garnet District.”

She waited a moment, watching as Tourmaline’s face shifted from confusion, to understanding and then, finally, joy.

Her eyes widened and ears stood straight up. Her teal tinged, crystalline tail sparkled brightly as she wagged it. “You’re serious?” She asked, only barely holding back a squeal.

Cadence turned her back on Tourmaline. “I’m not saying that I know he’ll be with Corporal Valiance and Field Medic Honeysuckle at that nice little restaurant across from the park,” she said, a coy smile playing upon her lips, “but, should you just happen upon the happy couple and their tag along, you just might find him completely free for the evening.” Glancing over her shoulder, she winked. “Just make sure you’re ready if the chance presents itself. Oh, and tell the staff that Shiny and I will take dinner here. It’s been a long day, so we’d like a bit of time alone.”

Her piece spoken, she trotted back to the private bedroom, her ears flicking in Tourmaline’s direction as the little mare sputtered out her gratitude before scuttling off to finish her duties and get ready for her evening.

The warmth in her chest grew. There it was, her calling in life: helping ponies find love and maintain that wonderful bond. Something she’d been missing for quite some time.

I really do need to get back to this. The connection, the chance to see ponies happy with the ones they love—it just feels right.

With a little bounce in her step, Cadence pulled the door to a close. So what if it was a little extra work? If she loved doing something, it would hardly seem like work at all! And there were only a small number of things she loved more than love itself.

One of which just happened to be sitting on the bed, raising an eyebrow at the grin spreading across her muzzle.

Shining could moan and tease her about the infamous “love webs” all he wanted; the Princess of Love was back in business! One husband’s worries soothed, a pair of ponies given a chance for love, a letter to Twily and a delayed conversation about Shining’s future as an officer. Three out of four wasn’t so bad.

And once she figured out how to fix the last one, it would be smooth sailing from there on out.

Now how do I convince my Shiny-winy to help me with this little project?

11. Every Lover is a Soldier

Cadence shook her head and tried her very best to hide a smile. “Would you stop!” she giggled, placing her hooves on Shining’s legs so he couldn’t drum on the thin hospital mattress. “Really! A little patience, Shiny!”

“I’m happy to get cleared and go back to work,” he shot back, sticking his tongue out playfully. “Sue me!”

“If you keep drumming that silly marching song and acting like a colt, I just might!” Bumping her shoulder against his, she deftly snaked a hoof around his and held it tight. “I know you’ve been waiting,” she cooed softly, “and you’ve been good about following orders—”

Shining slipped his other hoof free and raised it. “To be completely fair and honest,” he began, “I did take some time to demonstrate proper swordplay.”

From one extreme to the other. Cadence mused, her smile broadening. First, he misinforms and gets hurt. Now, he lays his cards on the table without any prompting.

Such a funny stallion she’d married; one far too devoted to his profession and his wife for his own good.

Her smile nearly faltered, though. The memories of the past several days flashing before her eyes. How far down in the dumps she’d been, how much it wore on Shiny as he tried to juggle training, the Court, and making her smile.

The only reason he’d gone back to the field the previous day was because she’d left early and put a note on their nightstand, all but demanding that he leave things to her.

“I don’t deserve you,” she whispered.

Shining pulled back, his eyebrow arched so high that it nearly disappeared beneath his messy bangs. “Excuse me, I must be hearing things.” He rubbed his free hoof against his ear as if trying to clear it out. “I tell you that I fooled about with a sword against doctor’s orders and you say that line?” He placed a hoof upon her forehead, like a parent checking for a fever. “Are you feeling okay? Or should I have Gentle look you over after she’s done with me.”

She rolled her eyes and brushed his hoof away. “I said you were good, not perfect. And I think we can make an allowance for making sure the recruits don’t get their heads knocked in!”

“Well, with swords—” she placed a hoof over his mouth.

“No. No morbid humor, no teasing,” she leveled him with a stern gaze, her tail flicking anxiously. “I’m being entirely serious right now.”

His brow arched higher. Shining ran a hoof through his mane, sighing heavily. “All right, let’s be serious. I can do that.” He gave her hoof a little squeeze and leaned forward, his deep blue eyes boring into hers. “Let’s say that you don’t deserve me—which is, quite possibly, the biggest load of horseapples I’ve ever heard—what in Equestria would make you think that?”

Cadence ruffled her wings, turning her head away to escape his gaze. “Because I make things difficult,” she whispered, cowing beneath his stare as though she were tiny.

Shining didn’t reply immediately. He took in a deep breath through his nose, his tail flicked and brushed against hers.

She could almost hear his teeth grinding.

After a moment, he spoke slowly. “I’m sorry. What?”

“These past few days, all my worrying when you go out to lead the recruits on their runs...” she broke off, grimacing as she raised a wing slightly, just short of burying her muzzle in her feathers, “and how I acted when you got hurt.”

She hung her head, chewing on her bottom lip as she waited for the inevitable reply that, yes, she had been a right pain in his backside with her constant nagging and smothering.

With a quick roll of his hoof, Shining slipped free of her grasp.

Cadence squeezed her eyes shut and braced for a harsh retort. Here it comes. Go on, let me have it.

None came. Instead, a hoof cupped her chin and gently turned her head.

“Hey,” he muttered, “look at me. Please, Cady, at least look at me when I talk.” A warm, furry snout pressed against hers, their breaths mixed together. “Sweetie, open your eyes. Come on.” A low chuckle escaped his lips, his breath ghosting over her muzzle. “Don’t make me tickle you in the middle of a hospital!”

Her eyes shot open, Cadence’s pink drilling into his gleaming blues. She snorted at the way his seemed to light up, amused at her reaction. “I said be serious!” she cried, jabbing a hoof into his shoulder.

Shining simply grinned. “It got you to look at me, didn’t it? I’d call that a small victory.” His grin fell again, the playful look vanished as quickly as it came. “Now, no changing the subject, dear. You’re being incredibly silly about all this.”

“Excuse me?” Her nostrils flared. “I’m being silly? Me?”

“I didn’t stutter. You’re. Being. Silly.” He punctuated each word with a soft tap on her snout. “Really, you think worrying over me is that bad? Cady, I specifically posted my personally trained guards as your detail!”

Cadence shuffled in place. “Stout’s only a private and Valiance is just a couple ranks up,” she protested, her voice as weak as the point itself.

“Yes.” Shining rolled his eyes and chuckled. “But they’re two of the most OCD guards I have. You think you’re overprotective? Tell me, do you really think they don’t know when you ‘slip away’ to go on a walk?”

“Valiance did mention something like that…”

“I’d reprimand him, but he’s made my point for me. And, frankly, we’re just laying it all out right now.” He shrugged. “You worry about me and I worry about you. That’s fine! Honestly, if neither of us worried about each other, especially after what we’ve gone through, I’d be just a tad concerned about our marriage!”

Cadence made to reply, but he moved his hoof to cover her mouth.

“Let me finish—oh, put that glare away! I’m not Spike trying to filch cookies before dinner.” A knock sounded from the door. He flicked his ear toward it and called out, “Give us a minute!”

Pushing his hoof away, Cadence protested. “Shiny, that’s probably—“

“She can wait a bit. I heard your lecture when I was hurt, now you’re gonna hear mine.” Shining folded his hooves in his lap. “Do you remember what we talked about after the wedding? Remember what we agreed on?”

Closing her eyes, she smiled in spite of herself at the memory of that conversation. Right after their counseling session, how he’d held her so close and made a new promise. “You said that you’d never let them take me again,” she whispered, leaning against him and laying her head on his shoulder.

He nuzzled into her mane and dotted her with a kiss. “And you told me that you’d always love me, no matter what she did to me. And we both promised to accept the worst and best of each other. Frankly—” he glanced pointedly at the bandages on his leg, “—I think I gave you just a bit of a reason to worry.”

Cadence snorted. “Just a bit?” she parroted, raising a brow at him.

“Fine, more than just a bit. My point stands; you were worried, I got hurt, and then you had a rough day with the Council.” He wrapped his hooves around her and held her tight. “What sort of husband would I be if I held that against you?”

Another roll of her eyes. “Not the stallion I married, that much is certain.”

“Exactly. So, I’d say you deserve me well enough. Or, perhaps,” he paused, giving that darned coltish grin again, “marrying me is some sort of self-inflicted punishment for all those times you teased me back when we dated!”

Cadence grimaced and pushed him away. “We were having a moment,” she groaned. “You were making me feel so good, and then—” she brought her hooves together, holding them close before flailing her legs outward as if they’d been blown apart, “—you killed it!”

“As I often do, and so well. I’ve gotta keep you on your hooves, Cady, you know that!” Shining stole a kiss, his grin never faltered. Turning toward the door, he called out. “Come in!”

The door opened, Gentle Touch strode in, a rather put out look about her. “Good morning, Your Highnesses,” she greeted in clipped tone. Giving a little nod in substitute for a bow, she eyed Shining and gave a little flick of her tail. “I didn’t think I’d see the day that a patient would tell me to wait outside.”

Cadence smiled and shook her head ruefully. “Sorry, Doctor, we were having a talk and needed to finish up.”

“If you say so, Princess, then I suppose it’s not my business. However—” Gentle nodded to Shining, “—I believe it’s time that I take a look at Captain Armor’s injuries. Or is it ‘Prince-Captain’? I’ve heard a few variants around town.”

“Captain in military context, Prince in government. And before you say it,” he sighed and pinned back his ears, “yes, I’m aware that’s annoying, but I’m keeping my rightful title.”

The earth pony shook her head, trotting to his side. “I’m not going to touch that one. Now, the scan spell our nurse used tells me that your ribs have healed well, though not entirely. You may still have a bit of pain and discomfort, nothing too major.”

“I do get aches from time to time. But, it’s not unbearable.”

“I could write a prescription for painkillers.” She glanced to his chart on the counter and hummed. “I see that you’re already taking an over the counter, as you’ve reported.”

Shining swished his tail, giving an awkward half-smile. “If it’s all the same, I’d rather not be on too many pills. Addiction worries and all.”

Cadence nodded in agreement, but stayed silent. She let her hoof slide over and pat Shining’s; addiction was always a concern of his when it came to prescriptions. Over the counter medicine, the stuff he used to take care of his joint and muscle pains, he didn’t worry too much about that in small doses. It was just as needed.

Prescriptions, constant use of stronger medication, gave him pause. He’d seen too many old guards fighting addictions in the retirement homes.

With that in mind, she spoke up. “Maybe something more natural might work. What about some of Honeysuckles herbs?”

Gentle Touch brought a hoof to her lip, thinking a moment before giving a single nod. “If that’s your concern, then I would definitely endorse a visit to Field Officer Honeysuckle. Perhaps she might have a herbal pain relief, something non-addictive.” She shuffled to the side, moving to examine his thigh. “Now, lay down on the bed. I’m going to unwrap your bandages and check the stitches.” She glanced to Cadence. “Princess, if you wouldn’t mind moving down just a bit.”

“Of course.” Cadence slipped out from Shining’s hug and scooted to the end of the bed. “You sit still and behave, Shiny!”

A giggle escaped her as she watched her husband roll his eyes and lay down, mumbling something along the lines of “Every mare around me acts like I’m a darn colt!”

She had to bite her lip to avoid bursting into full-blown laughter at the way Gentle’s mouth set into a thin line, as though the mare had to force herself not to retort.

Instead of idle banter between stubborn guard and long-suffering doctor, Cadence was treated to her husband actually behaving while Gentle slowly unwound the bandages.

Trying to make sure you don’t give her any reason not to clear you. Smart boy. Despite all his blustering, when it came down to orders, he followed them to the letter.

Gentle removed the bandages and set them aside. She leaned in, squinting to inspect the black, criss-crossing stitches holding his cut together. She hummed, tilting her head a bit to the left before nodding. “Well, this has certainly healed up nicely.” Raising her gaze, she regarded Shining through narrowed eyes. “You’ve been taking things slowly? No more runs through the forest, I hope?”

“Nope.” Shining shook his head. “Not a one. The most I’ve done is show a recruit some basic swordplay, dance with Cady, and, er...” His cheeks colored a deep red. “Private things.”

Cadence unfurled her wings and brought them up to cover her face, hiding her burning muzzle. Shiny, you dolt! She wailed internally, her pink and purple tinged feathers providing a much needed shield from the two ponies before her. Especially against her husband’s lack of a filter between his brain and mouth.

After a beat of silence, Gentle cleared her throat. “That aside—” Cadence flicked her ears toward the doctor’s voice, “—you’ve made a strong recovery from what I can see. That said, I don’t see any reason not to clear you. However,” she dropped her voice low, her tone carried a dangerous edge.

Lowering her wings, Cadence peaked over her feathers to find the doctor standing over her husband, almost looming over him.

“I would still caution you against doing too much until the pain in your ribs goes away,” Gentle continued. “As we’ve agreed upon, please see Honeysuckle regarding medication.”

Folding her wings against her side, Cadence raised a hoof. “Er, is there a risk of him further injuring himself? I know how to scan for broken bones, but healing and giving a timeline on it is a bit out of my depth.”

“There’s always some danger immediately after, but a hairline fracture shouldn’t be too much of a worry.” She nodded pointedly toward his wound. “The gash would’ve been more of a danger if he’d reopened it, due to infection. With his ribs, the most he’ll deal with is the discomfort. Unless, of course, he plans on trying to wrestle another bear.”

Both Shining and Cadence snorted, glancing toward each other and giving tiny smiles. “That’s not in my plan,” he chuckled, “but you never know.”

“It’d better be a sure thing, buster!” Cadence pressed her hoof down against his.

“It hope so, believe me. Now, what about wearing my armor? I get the discomfort, but...” He grimaced, his nose wrinkled as he spoke. “The ceremonial officer’s uniform doesn’t do very well for moral, especially with the bond I’m trying to help them forge.”

Drawing in a sharp breath, Gentle gave a stiff, seemingly reluctant nod. “You should be okay at this point, Captain. Though, if you try anything more than a light trot, you’ll be in quite a bit of pain, I’d say.”

He snorted. “Then, like we said, I’ll talk with Honey about something to dull it. Something non-sedative.” He turned to wink at Cadence. “Even if my wife might prefer that.”

Heaving a long-suffering sigh, Cadence looked to Gentle Touch and smiled sweetly. “Doctor, please remove my utter goof of a husband’s stitches before I give into the urge to throttle him.” She returned Shining’s wink and added, “Or so I can do it out of sight.”

With a nod and the tiniest of smirks playing upon her lips, she trotted over to the cabinet in search of a pair of tiny medical scissors.

Cadence settled into place beside Shining and let her wings unfurl, softly brushing her feathers against his head. You’re my big, stubborn, goofball of a stallion. And I never want that to change.

Another talk; unexpected, but helpful. One that reminded her of the serious, loving stallion who laid hidden beneath the silly, goofball she’d fallen for all those years ago. The same one sighing and leaning into her touch as Gentle’s scissors snipped away the sutures.

Sometimes, the magic of love was a mystery, even to the Princess of Love herself. It was a strange, almost inexplicable feeling that made ponies do things, both silly and beautiful. A feeling she adored.

If there was one thing Cadence could appreciate, now that Shiny had been cleared, it was the visible change in how he carried himself; the bounce in his step, how his ears perked straight up, and the bright smile upon his muzzle.

Not even the palace staff bowing low and greeting in their courtly manner, with all the pomp and praise that so bothered him, could ruin his mood.

“Excited, dear?” she asked wryly. “You look like a foal on Hearth’s Warming Day.”

He turned, facing her with that grin still in place. Shining opened his mouth and raised a hoof as if readying to deliver a rebuttal. But, instead, he simply reached out and booped her nose.

Wrinkling her muzzle, Cadence leveled a stern glare toward her cheeky husband. “And you’re just about as mature, I think.”

“Oh, hush, you,” he shot back with a roll of his eyes. “I’m cleared—”

“Conditionally!”

“Tom-ay-to, tom-ah-to. I’m cleared, you and I had a little chat to clear the air.” He bumped his flank against hers and waggled his eyebrows. “I feel like I could even stand a full day of court!”

Cadence snorted and returned the favor, adding a little swipe of her wing toward his ears. “Careful what you say, dear! I might just take you up on it!”

The pair chuckled and continued on their way, trotting closely side-by-side.

Eying Shining’s leg, she quirked an eyebrow. True, Gentle Touch had deemed him fit to return to duty, but it couldn’t hurt to be too careful. “So,” she began, keeping her tone casual as if they were chatting about the weather, “back to the grind, eh?”

Shining gave a noncommittal shrug; curious, given how exuberant he’d been. “Soon enough, but I need to spend a bit more time at the office. I kinda left things to Lighthoof for a while.” He grimaced, his ears pinned against his scalp. “As much as he’s been a help here, he’s not too big on sitting at a desk and doing paperwork any longer than he absolutely has to.”

“I can’t imagine that sits too well with you, Mister ‘I have my hooves in all the pies’.”

“Ha ha, you’re funny. And, no, it doesn’t.” He sighed and shook his head. “It makes it rather difficult to lobby for him to get a promotion.”

Cadence nodded, humming a bit to herself. “Well, you might have to pony up and say something, Shiny. You still have to take charge if you’re going to keep your rank.”

“I know. I’m gonna see how he’s left things for me in the office tomorrow, then I’ll decide. Who knows?” he said with a hopeful smile. “Hoof could’ve done everything, and then I’ll feel bad for ragging on him.”

Ah, the glass is half full. She found herself unable to fight his infectious smile. Giving her tail a happy swish, she rubbed her shoulder against his and pushed, steering him left down the corridor. “Well, that’s fair. Maybe you’re right, he could surprise you.”

“Yeah, that’d be nice. Though, to be perfectly honest, I expect that he’s just done his stuff, sent me the most important out of my stack, and focused more on training recruits.” With a shrug, he turned to face her, his smile growing a bit strained. “At least he’s giving them a good run through, right?”

She leaned over to nuzzle his cheek, simultaneously draping a wing across his withers. He was struggling, both in maintaining his typical positive outlook and in another regard, one he’d hinted at, albeit unintentionally, at the hospital.

Balancing.

His duties as Captain and Prince clashed; the more time he devoted to one, the less he could focus on the other, and vice-versa. And when factoring in the time he’d spent trying to lend a hoof to pull her out of her funk over the course of the past week…

The stack of papers on his desk would only pile up more and more as he tried to juggle everything. And just as she had come unraveled with each weight added upon her shoulders by the Council, he was just as liable to lose himself to stress, no matter how well he hid it.

He needs to be in the office, not sitting with me. The thought made her feathers ruffle. She wanted to have him at her side, if only to exchange smiles, steal a nuzzle or a kiss or the occasional idle chatter in between appellants. Any excuse to spend a bit more time with her husband. All of that would be possible if he weren’t so devoted to his position as Captain.

No! She shook herself. Stop that! You stop that right now! He’s earned his rank and worked hard to be a guard—the Empire’s return doesn’t negate all that!

Her mind was made up. She spoke without hesitation, “Maybe you should spend a bit more time on your guard duties, let me take care of the Court.”

Shining stopped suddenly, slipping out from under her wing. “What?” he tilted his head to the side. His face screwed up in confusion. “Cady, are you sure?”

She nodded, turning to face him fully. “I’m completely sure, Shiny. You helped me out when I wasn’t quite myself, at the expense of your time running the guard. I can’t have you ignoring your duties there.” Pausing a moment, she allowed herself a small smile. “Both as your wife and the Imperial Princess.”

“Using your fancy title, eh?” he chuckled, shaking his head in amusement. “All right, if you’re sure, I’ll spend a bit more time at the office. But, I thought you wanted me to start coming to Court more often.”

“I do, but not if it’s going to cause problems with administrative things. So, maybe a compromise?” She brought a hoof to her chin and looked skyward. “You could just come a couple of times a month, for appearances sake. It’d give you plenty of time to make sure the new guard unit is running smoothly and still have a chance to be a public face.”

Shining gave a half-hearted nod, his ears flicked uncertainly. “Yeah, but I did promise that I’d be there for you more…”

Grinning playfully, she stole a kiss to his muzzle. A happy little squeal arose at the way he scrunched up and wrinkled his nose. “Well, I guess that means we’ll just have to make date nights more of a habit from now on! I hope you liked dancing the night away!”

She chalked up a point in her favor at the way his lips curved upward into a small smile, his worries no match for her bright, sunny disposition. “If you’re sure, then I suppose I could stand to spend more time on duty,” he mused. “And, yeah, I could definitely get behind the idea of going out more with you. Actually, that’s a great idea on two fronts: gives us some time together and it could do a bit more for our public image, like you mentioned.”

“Oooh! Now, that, I hadn’t quite thought of!” Another little ruffle of her wings, another stolen kiss, lingering a little longer and a touch closer to his lips. What a perfect excuse to spend more time together and still have a taste of normal life! A few date nights and restarting her private business of helping ponies find love. Perhaps a little bit of that normalcy could serve greater purpose than her own stress relief.

They resumed their trot down the hallway, taking another left to go in the direction of the dining room for a late brunch. A pair of ponies were stopped ahead, idly chatting and oblivious to their rulers’ approach. The pair stood close, their tones tinged with happiness as they went back and forth, smiling and laughing with one another.

Cadence easily recognized Tourmaline; the crystal pony’s teal coat shimmering with the light reflected off her body as she balanced a basket of bedsheets on her back. But her friend was a bit difficult to place. He was a unicorn, his coat a soft tan and mane pale orange. While she grinned broadly and giggled loud enough to echo down the hallway, he held himself to a small smile and chuckles hidden behind a hoof, almost shy in demeanor.

It took a moment to click into place; Cadence glanced subtly at his flank, eying his cutie mark. A shield with a red heart at the center. She knew it from somewhere…

Stout Heart? She imagined a set of gleaming gold armor on him, covering his mark and hiding that nervous smile behind a stoic mask. Yes, that’s Stouty. Oh, dear, it has been a while since I’ve seen him out of uniform!

At that point, it all fit in. Yes! She barely resisted the urge to pump a hoof in the air; instead she settled for a little mental jig, inwardly crowing over a job well done. For now, they were just talking, mere happenstance as Stout wandered by on his day off, probably still trying to familiarize himself with the palace and bumped into Tourmaline.

The urge only got more difficult to resist as Tourmaline gave a little smirk and said something in low tone that made the young private snort, shake his head, and walk off with a big grin on his face. “You’re terrible!” he called over his shoulder, his tone a contrast to his words. “You’re a terribly wicked mare, Tourmaline!”

“Good you’ve noticed!” she shot back. “And it’s Tourmie, you great, big goof!”

Another laugh and a nod as he kept trotting. Stout Heart looked up just in time to cross paths with Shining and Cadence; he fought to school his expression into something resembling a more subdued smile, stopping to step to the side and bowing low. “Your Highnesses,” he greeted, the mirth still present in his tone.

“Morning, Private. Rise,” Shining nodded back with a smile. “Enjoying your day off?”

“Yes, sir,” the younger stallion replied, none-too-subtly glancing toward Tourmaline as she disappeared down the corridor before turning his gaze back to the pair. “Just stopped by to check my shift schedule for the next couple of days, now I’m off to meet Corporal Valiance and Field Medic Honeysuckle for lunch.”

Cadence caught his eye, her grin widening at the way he seemed to shift in place and blush under her knowing look. Yes, my little pony, I saw that. “Well,” she chirped, “you’d best not keep them waiting. Do give them my regards, Stouty.”

“Er, yes, My Princess! I’ll, uh, definitely do that!” He bowed, a bit stiffly, and scampered off down the hallway they’d just come from.

“Huh,” Shining stared after his subordinate. “He sure left in a hurry…” With a shrug, he resumed his trot toward the dining room. “Ah, well, like I said: Stout is Stout. Coming Cady?”

Schooling her expression back into a more reserved, innocent smile, she nodded and caught up with him. The wheels turning in her head as she made note to have a little talk with Tourmaline about her dinner with Stout Heart.

With her husband back on duty and her letter to Twilight sent, Cadence found the weight on her shoulders lifted. Just wait for everything to calm down a bit more and have a talk with Twilight. Then, I can figure out how to talk with him. For now, stay positive and try to look on the bright side of life.

She threw a wing across his withers and pulled him in close, cooing at the warmth as he leaned in to rub their cheeks together. Her little smile widened as a thought occurred to her:

I wonder if Shiny would mind if I organized date nights with friends…

A smile played on he lips. “How would you like to help me with one of my little projects?”

Shining Armor drew back, his brows flatlined. “What sort of ‘little project’ are you—oh, no!” His eyes went wide, he gave a mock groan and haphazard effort to pull away from her grasp. “I don’t care who, I don’t care why, I am not helping you play matchmaker!”

Stubborn. Cadence narrowed her eyes playfully. But I have a trump card! She deftly maneuvered herself closer, brushing her flank against his and smirking at the little shudder that ran through his body. “Are you sure?” she asked with a mock pout. “Just think, the ponies we could help find love, like us!”

He made to reply. Those bright blue eyes showed a brief flash of weakness, but he ducked under her wing and danced away before she could catch him again. “Nope! I do guard things, lovey things are all you!” Without further ado, he dashed down the hall.

Cadence threw back her head and laughed as she gave chase to the fidgety stallion, just like it had been since their younger days.

13. Make Me a Seal Upon Your Heart

Seated comfortably on a plush red couch in the Royal Suite, Cadence hummed to herself, idly glancing through her agenda while Tourmaline set about polishing her regalia after a long day of court. Her eyes narrowed, gaze locking onto the back of the crystal pony’s teal mane.

Nothing.

No matter how hard she stared, no matter how her eyes bored into the back of Tourmaline’s head, the cheeky little mare just wouldn’t tell her the details of her date with Stout Heart.

“Oh, it wasn’t a date,” Tourmaline had claimed. “We just had a friendly dinner and talked. He was nice—I think he was even more nervous than I was at first, kept stumbling over himself whenever he talked. Oh! He dropped his cup the first time I made a joke! It was so funny! His cheeks went the cutest shade of pink…”

Other than that, nothing. Just a smile, a merry little twinkle in her eyes, and that song she kept humming—that blasted song! It was an old crystal pony song, from the days before Sombra’s rise to power, when the last Imperial Crystal Princess reigned over the entirety of the Great Northern Lands.

Nowadays, it was nothing but a reminder of the Empire’s former beauty; a reminder to the denizens of the last city that they had shone as brightly as the sun.

And Tourmaline wouldn’t stop humming it.

Not a date my cutie mark! Cadence huffed. That mare was utterly giddy about something! And, by Celestia’s pinions, she was going to get every little detail out of Tourmaline if she had to tickle it out of her!

The little mare was almost finished, just polishing up the last of Cadence’s horseshoes before she was off duty for the day. Off duty, and off to whatever little plans she had.

Cadence had a sneaking suspicion that those plans involved another dinner with a certain guardpony. But without confirmation, she couldn’t very well help.

Clearly, a bit of finesse was in order.

With a huff, she rolled her eyes. “Are you going to tell me, or shall I start begging?”

“Could you?” Tourmaline turned and fluttered her eyelashes. “It’d be oh so fun to tell Prism all about how I got the Princess herself to pout and beg and whine like a little filly all over a little dinner I had with my good friend, Stout Heart!”

“A dinner I helped make possible, you cheeky little thing!” Cadence whined, kicking her hooves against the cushions like a filly, much to Tourmaline’s amusement. “Oooh! I could have you punished for this, Tourmie! I’m quite sure this is against the mare code!”

Giggling, Tourmaline turned back to her polishing. “I’m not exactly sure what this ‘mare code’ you’re talking about is, but I’m pretty sure you can’t just punish me for keeping a little secret of my own!”

With a flap of her wings, Cadence shot up, landing nimbly on her hooves. “I just might make it one!” she cried, jabbing a hoof at Tourmaline. “In fact, I have the perfect one in mind! A full day of sitting with me in Court, doing nothing but boring paperwork from dawn ’till dusk! No jokes, no shenanigans, all business!”

The pair stared each other down, neither budged as they waged a silent battle of wills. Slowly, the corners of their mouths twitched, curving upward into silly grins as they broke down into fits of giggles.

“Hehe—And thus begins the formation of the Mare Code Enforcement Squad! Oh, please make that an actual thing!” Tourmaline dropped the cloth, leaning against the counter to support herself. “And make sure I’m there when you tell Prince Armor! The look on his face will be worth everything!”

Cadence fell back onto the couch, laying flat on her back and holding her sides. Words utterly failed her; she could already see the way his brows would furrow, how his mouth would set into a thin line just before he’d close his eyes, sigh, and groan something to the tune of “Mares.”

Naturally, he’d get a little ear tweak for his troubles, even if he had a point in how silly she was being.

Inhaling deeply, she rolled over to lay on her stomach. Cadence fixed Tourmaline with a mock glare, a smirk graced her muzzle. “Don’t think that little giggle fit got you out of trouble with me, missy—even if Shiny’s reaction would be pure gold!”

“Curses!” Tourmaline cried, shaking a hoof in the air as though cursing the stroke of fate. “Foiled again by my fair Crystal Princess!”

So dramatic. Cadence rolled her eyes, snorting at her friend’s eccentricities. “Yes, yes, you’ve been caught. Now, details, missy! Or I call in Private Stout Heart—“ she nodded toward the door to the hallway, and gave a meaningful waggle of her eyebrows “—and the three of us have a little chat!”

Those teal eyes went as wide as dinner plates. Tourmaline froze in place, her hoof still held aloft as though posing for a play and her jaw slack. Slowly, she lowered her hoof to the floor, pinning her ears back. “You wouldn’t…”

Rather than reply verbally, Cadence simply steepled her hooves and tilted her head forward. She raised a single eyebrow, her smirk growing into a full, sharklike grin.

No mercy, no escape. Giving a low whine, Tourmaline flopped into the loveseat across from her. “Fiiiiine!” She kicked her hooves like a little filly being forced to wait to open presents on Hearth’s Warming Day. With a huff, she crossed her hooves over her barrel and forced a frown, her eyes twinkling in spite of her efforts to look put out. “But I won’t like it!”

“Oh, yes you will! Now, tell me, what happened at dinner? I assume it went well given your little chat with him in the hallway a couple days ago.”

“You saw that?”

“Shiny and I were right down the hall, you silly little filly! By my Auntie’s crown, you can be so oblivious!” She tutted. “So? Out with it! He seemed rather taken with whatever little joke you two shared!”

Tourmaline’s cheeks flushed a deep red, a sheepish grin crept across her muzzle as she ducked her head. “Er, well, that’s part of what happened at dinner. You remember how you told me to just be myself and not get nervous and overdo things, right?”

“Right.” Cadence nodded. “You were worried that he might say no and that—oh! Oh, Tourmie.” She cringed, implications flitting through her head. “What happened?”

Reaching up to rub at the back of her sparkling mane, Tourmaline giggled. “Well, after I ‘ran into him’, we got to talking to each other; he started asking how I’d been doing and how I enjoyed working as your hoof maiden. Just small talk at first, nothing big… until I got nervous and started playing everything for laughs.”

Cadence pulled at her ears. “Darn it, Tourmie! I told younot to do that!”

“I couldn’t help it! I was nervous, he was being nice, and he laughed when I made that joke in front of Valiance about your, um, hips.” She coughed, her eyes darting to look at anything but Cadence. “You’re not still mad about that, right?”

“No, of course not, Tourmie! I can take a little joke here and there!” Cadence’s ear flicked. She made sure to take note of that, something she’d be sure to pay Tourmaline back for someday. Perhaps when she and Stout made it to the dating stage. Oh yes. Vengeance would be sweet. “Go on.”

Fortunately, Tourmaline either missed it or simply paid it no mind. “I just kept making little jokes, he’d laugh, or, if I said something a bit dated, he’d just snicker and explain the modern slang or I’d have to help him figure it out so he could teach me—there’s still a few little things, you know.”

“Of course, of course. So, you two had fun? And where does the—“ she waved a hoof toward Tourmaline “—cute little blush on your cheeks come into play?”

Ducking her head, the little mare shifted in place. She buried her head in her hooves and whined. “Oh, by the Crystal Heart! This is so embarrassing! You have to promise not to tell anypony!” Her head shot up and she jabbed a hoof in Cadence’s direction. “Not even Prince Armor!”

Cadence nodded and held up a hoof. “May my feathers be plucked and my wings fall off! I won’t tell anypony.”

Tourmaline narrowed her eyes, searching Cadence’s a moment, then nodded. “Well, after a few jokes, I started getting a bit more comfortable, but I needed something to help calm down. So, I thought I’d just take a trip to the bathroom to wash my face. But one of the waiters was walking by, carrying a tray of drinks and… well…” She shrugged, a sheepish smile graced her muzzle, then  spread her hooves wide, as if she were an illusionist after a successful trick. “Clumsy Tourmie struck again!”

A snort of laughter broke free from Cadence. She brought a hoof up to cover her eyes. Oh, no. Not clumsy Tourmie. The near juggling act she’d been treated to when startling Tourmaline, and several instances of dropping baskets full of Shining Armor’s fancier attire during her first few months of service flitted to the forefront of Cadence’s mind. “What did you do?”

“I, er, ended up taking an early shower because of it. Ruined my mane and made the makeup run down my cheeks. Oh, I looked so ridiculous! I wanted to just dig a hole and bury myself!” The very tips of her ears had turned a rosy red.

Cadence’s wings slumped. She made to stand, to go to her friend’s side and offer comfort, but stopped short. The tiny smile she caught on Tourmaline’s muzzle, the way she clasped her hooves together and swished her sparkling tail hinted at something a bit more.

What did you do to my playful little hoofmaiden, Stout Heart? She mused, resting her head on a hoof. “Go on.”

“Stouty just stood right up and levitated a few napkins over to help dry me off! And then—“ Tourmaline broke into a fit of giggles “—when he got most of it away from my eyes, he just leaned in and whispered, ‘I did the same thing last week, in front of all the officers. But I didn’t look nearly as pretty after I cleaned up and they stopped laughing’!” She gave a tiny little squeal at the end, her tail swishing back and forth.

Cadence clapped her hooves together. “That’s great, Tourmie!” She gave her wings a happy little flap, ruffling her feathers up. How fortunate that Stout could mix a bit of humor with a kind gesture, something shared with Tourmaline.

The wheels in her head began to turn. Fortunate though it was, for Stout Heart it was quite a bold move. I wonder what Honey might make of this—oh, shoot! I can’t tell her! Cadence tutted, tapping her hoof against the cushion. Oh well. Their happiness was more important than making the pair blush in front of everypony. Besides, if things progressed, it would be a cute memory for both.

If they just stayed friends, it was still a cute memory. Either way, a win.

Still, there was one point of interest that she just had to address. “Stouty, eh?” she purred. “Giving cutesy nicknames already?”

Tourmaline aimed a heated glare at her, flinching toward the pillow in the loveseat as if readying to throw it. “Oh, hush, you!” she snapped. “He’s heard you calling me ‘Tourmie’ so often that he uses it instead of Tourmaline, because it’s too much of a mouthful, so I get to call him ‘Stouty’!”

“I’m sure he’s happy with that! Just think, soon you’ll be calling him your Stouty, telling everypony about how the two of you came together over a bit of ‘happenstance’ and a sudden bout of clumsiness turned into a joke before—“ Cadence stopped just long enough to light up her horn and catch the pillow thrown her way, letting it hover lazily over to her. “Why thank you! I was hoping to lay down, but I get these little pains in my neck…”

“You do not!” Tourmaline shot back; a tiny smile betrayed the glare she was trying so desperately to maintain. “And no amount of teasing is going to ruin this for me, Princess! Dinner with Stouty later on is far more powerful than your little quips!”

Game, set, and match! Cadence sat up straight, grinning triumphantly. “Aha! I knew you were humming about something!”

Tourmaline’s eyes widened in horror. “Wait—shoot! No! Forget I said that!”

“Oho, no you don’t!” Cadence crowed, lighting up her horn to catch Tourmaline in a magical field. The little mare squeaked as she was floated over to the couch, flailing her hooves as she was dropped next to Cadence and quickly swept up in powerful wings and hooves. “I knew you were hiding something, you cheeky little thing! Where is it? When is it? Details, details, details!”

Somepony cleared their throat. Cadence flicked her ear toward the door, shifting her gaze away from Tourmaline.

Prism Shine stood in the doorway, her clipboard in her saddlebag and an eyebrow raised. “Princess, Tourmaline, do I even want to know?”

“Oh, good evening, Prism! Tourmie and I were just discussing her little night out with Stout Heart!” She smiled as she loosened her grip on Tourmaline. “Isn’t that right, dear?”

A beat of silence. Cadence raised an eyebrow and glanced to Tourmaline, just managing to catch the little mare mouthing something to her sister. She pursed her lips, bumping her shoulder against Tourmaline’s to get her attention. “Tourmie?”

She squeaked. “Y-Yes! I was just telling Our Princess that Stout and I—“

“You mean Stouty.” Both Cadence and Prism said in unison, sharing a little giggle at her expense.

“Prism—Princess—Oooh!—Both of you, hush!” Her cheeks flushed red again. “I was just telling her that we had dinner and that he was really nice!”

Cadence pointed an accusatory hoof her way. “And then, you told me that little nickname you have for him! Come, now, Tourmie, you can’t expect me to let that go!”

Before Tourmaline could offer retort, Prism cleared her throat again, stepping closer to the pair. “That’s certainly funny in and of itself, you won’t hear me complaining about Tourmie getting a little taste of her own medicine—she does bring it upon herself.” She smiled, pointedly ignoring the heated glare her sister aimed her way. Reaching a hoof into her saddlebag, Prism pulled out a pair of envelopes. “These came through post for you; they bear Princess Twilight Sparkle’s cutie mark on the seal.”

“Oh?” Cadence’s ears perked up; she swished her tail happily. Placing both hooves on the cushion, she took the letters in her magic and floated them over to hover before her muzzle.

Sure enough, Twilight’s familiar six-pointed starburst cutie mark was emblazoned on the wax seal. She flipped it over, her smile broadening at the address on the front of the first:

“To Princess Cadence and Prince-Captain Shining Armor

“From Princess Twilight Sparkle (and Spike).”

The second, however, bore only her name; the private response she had requested.

A relieved sigh escaped her lips. Finally! It’s been far too long! Both in terms of personal correspondence, and for the benefit of the Empire’s needs, Twilight’s letters were a long-awaited blessing. Post, even Royal Couriers, seemed to take forever to arrive and the Empire was quite out of range of Spike’s uncanny ability to send and receive letters.

If only there were some way to augment their magic…

Thoughts for another day, of course. Cadence looked up to Prism, beaming and wagging her tail. “Thank you, Prism. I’ve been waiting for her reply for days now. Hopefully, she’s able and willing to aid us in our endeavors. But, perhaps I’ll save that for when Shiny returns. I still have unfinished business with—Tourmaline! You get back here!”

Using Cadence’s quick skimming as a distraction, Tourmaline had seized her chance to slip out from under Cadence’s wings and over the edge of the couch, and was slinking toward the door. She froze for a split second, glancing worriedly over her shoulder before throwing caution to the wind and diving out the door.

“SorryPrincesshavetogogetreadyfordinnerwithStoutybye!” she babbled as she galloped down the hall, her hooves thundering against the crystal floors.

“Shoot!” Cadence stomped a hoof. “I wanted to see what she had planned!”

Prism tutted and shook her head. “Such a pity. But I’m sure you’ll survive in the meantime, Princess.” Her tone, the slight arching of her brow hinted at the sarcasm behind her words.

That would be two cheeky little mares, it seems. Eying Prism up and down, as if surveying her, Cadence hummed to herself. “You know,” she began, her lips curving into a playful smirk, “I do recall Tourmaline saying something about your ‘lack thereof’ in terms of relationships, Prism. If you’ve got so much time to play, I’m sure we could channel that effort into something a bit more constructive for you.”

 “I-I think I’ll have to decline the offer, Princess.” She backed away, her ears pinned back and a nervous smile upon her muzzle. “There’s just so much to organize, so little time—I still haven’t organized your meeting schedule for two weeks from now! S-So, why don’t I just go ahead and take care of that!” Without waiting for an answer, Prism gave a hasty bow and scampered after her sister.

Snorting, Cadence shook her head and made her way over to the couch, the pair of letters floating in her magic. What a silly pair, those two, she mused.

With a little hop, she landed on the soft, plush cushion. Wiggling her rump, she settled in and leaned back, reassuming the comfortable position she’d taken before trying to pester Tourmaline.

She set the letter addressed to herself and Shining aside, that could be read when he returned from his office hours. A quick glance to the clock mounted on the wall told her that should be just about any minute.

Always gets off at five, unless something urgent comes up—and he usually sends a memo if that’s the case. A little flicker of doubt rose in the back of her mind; the little voice in her head brought her back to his lie about guard training. She quickly stomped it out. He promised not to do that again, and I suspect he doesn’t want a repeat of that particular discussion.

Shining Armor was, after all, a pony of great habit; even as a foal, once he got in trouble, particularly big trouble, he made sure not to repeat the same mistake again. Twilight Velvet had done a rather wonderful job of making certain that both of her foals were well-behaved, give or take a few lapses.

With a flick of her magic, she sliced open the envelope and pulled the neatly folded letter from within. Each fold precisely a third of the way down the page. She giggled and rolled her eyes. And you wonder why we say that your picture appears next to the word ‘meticulous’ in the dictionary, Twily.

The notion that Twilight just might use an actual ruler to measure out the distance for each fold only served to further Cadence’s amusement as she unfolded the paper.

She barely even had to skim. Four words. The second letter that Twilight sent, just as she asked, was a mere four words.

“Cadence,

“Tell me everything.”

No question of how she was doing, not the slightest hint of the panicking little mare she’d seen only a few scant months ago, as Twilight fretted over where her place as a princess might be.

Just a demand for information.

Cadence could only blink and arch her brow. Quite the role reversal; it used to be me who sat you down and had to calm your nerves before asking you the same.

Again, she really had to marvel at just how much a simple move to Ponyville changed Twilight so much. Well, that and the not-so-simple matter of repeatedly saving Equestria—even at a wedding, for Celestia’s sake.

Thoughts for another day. Cadence refolded and stuffed the letter into the envelope and set it off to the side, tucking it under her thigh. That was for a time when she wasn’t expecting Shining Armor to come striding through the door, ready to toss his armor off and flop onto the couch.

As was his habit whenever he locked himself in the office to deal with paperwork after a long absence. Cadence chuckled, shaking her head at the false hope he’d shown when mentioning that Lighthoof had been left in charge of paperwork. Given Shining’s habitual way of leaving orders and Hoofy’s rather literal interpretations, she could hazard a guess that the Lieutenant had done exactly as ordered: his reports would be written, as per usual, and he’d handle the major things that Shining hadn’t been able to get to while running court.

The rest, however, would likely end up in Shining’s hooves. Which meant that her stallion would be dragging his hooves through the door, grumbling about how he’d make Lieutenant Lighthoof run laps with a rock strapped to his back—or whatever his threat of choice was today—very soon.

On cue, heavy hoof steps echoed into the room, with the telltale scrapping of hoof against crystal floor just inside the suite.

Oh, dear. I didn’t quite mean that literally…

Turning toward the door, Cadence grimaced at the tired visage of her husband. His eyelids hung low, his ears lay flat against his scalp as he kicked the door shut, forgoing his magic entirely.

“Lighthoof is never taking charge of paperwork again,” he groaned. His horn flashed pink, lifting the gilded purple armor so he could slip his head and forelegs through the holes, and free himself from its confines. With his burden lifted, he placed the armor onto the countertop for one of the hoof servants to polish and made his way toward Cadence. “And, for the record, you may want to set a reminder to tell me why it would be a bad idea to tie him to a chair and make him do nothing but paperwork for a week.”

Snorting, Cadence raised a brow. “Because it’d delay the recruits’ training and he could have you court marshaled for misconduct?”

“Ah, I knew there was a reason. Thank you.” Giving another groan, he flopped onto the couch, draping himself over the entirety of the cushion she was sitting on.

“Gee, I wasn’t sitting there already. You big, lazy goof!” With a teasing smile, she leaned down to nuzzle his mane, licking lightly to coax a few stray strands back into place. She inhaled and savored his scent, too long since they’d been together at breakfast that morning. “Long day?”

“Just tiring, really. I had to sign a release form for Glimmer just before I came back. He’s kinda torn on the whole thing, not sure if he’s cut out for it, but he wants to do something for the Empire. I didn’t have much of a choice but to sign it.” If possible, he almost seemed to make his ears lay flatter. He sighed and closed his eyes, letting his chin rest against the couch. “My first drop out of the Imperial Guard.”

Cadence brought a hoof to her mouth. “Wasn’t he the one who had a problem in Shining Square a while back?”

“Yeah, him and Twinkle. And he was one of the ones who I had to rescue from that bear.” Shining folded his hooves over his eyes. “He was clumsy, fidgety, and slow on the uptake at first, but I really thought he was coming along. Just needed a little push in the right direction to get him going.”

“Well, not everypony has the personality for the guard life, sweetie.” She ran a hoof through his mane, her lips forming a small frown. He always took dropouts so hard. “What did you say to him?”

Shrugging, he shifted a hoof so he could look at her out of his right eye. “I told him to take some time and really think on it, figure out what he wanted to do and come see me. If he wants, he can enroll in the next class. Other than a couple slip ups, he was a passable recruit; just needed a guiding hoof and a bit of tending to.” He paused a moment, screwing up his muzzle in thought. “Actually, I read off a progress report to him. It helped ease some of his worries, but he still wants to think it through. I made sure he knew that he wouldn’t be forced into service.”

Cadence inhaled a sharp breath through her nose. The frown fled from her face, chased by a sweet smile.

As much as it bothered him, and though he had the tendency to take those withdraws hard in the privacy of their home, Shining put his feelings aside to consider a young stallion in need of guidance. And in doing so, showed the kind stallion that he could be.

Exactly what they needed, even if it came at the cost of a recruit quitting the program.

She nosed against his cheek, kissing him right next to his ear. “You did the right thing, honey. He has to want it, you and I both know that very well. And, even so, you followed through on what we talked about before, right? At the very least, he’ll probably make passing mention that you didn’t shout or scream or demand that he fall back in line.”

“I know, Cady. Really, I do. Still—“ Shining pushed himself up to a seated position “—There’s only going to be more dropping out, if the pattern from the Royal Guard holds true. And our numbers weren’t that great to begin with.”

Cadence cupped a hoof under his chin, gently turning it to force him to meet her eyes. “Hey. We’re talking about the good things you did, even if it came as a result of something unfortunate. Who knows? Maybe Glimmer will decide that he does want to be a guard and you’ll see him in the next training program, he could join back up soon and still be able to continue on, or, worst case, you lose one recruit and a young stallion manages to figure out what he was really meant to do. As long as he’s happy and as long as the crystal ponies start to see that they don’t need to be afraid, we can afford to have a few drop outs here and there.” She leaned in, pressing her snout against his. “I’m just happy that my Shining Armor proved that he’s the stallion I fell in love with, yet again.”

He snorted, stealing a kiss. No verbal reply, no hesitation.

Just a shared kiss—a moment for them alone. His weight shifted, his hooves began to slide up her side, gently nudging her wings until she willed them to unfurl, allowing him to wrap her in a tight, warm hug. A silent thanks.

And the warmth and love she so craved while they were apart, off on their separate duties.

They drew apart, each smiling warmly. Shining maintained his embrace, holding her close against his chest as he leaned in, nosing against her mane.

Cadence giggled; his breath tickled the back of her neck like the soft brush of downy feathers.

She could feel his lips against her neck, curving into a smirk as he drew in a deep breath through his snout and slowly exhaled. He knew.

“Stop it!” she squealed, pushing her hooves against his broad chest. “That tickles!”

Shining held fast, snorting and brushing his snout against her neck, planting fluffy kisses indiscriminately. “That’s the point, sweetie!” He shifted his weight and pushed forward, toppling both of them over.

Cadence squeaked as she landed flat on her back, with a wickedly grinning Shining Armor leering down at her. “Wait, wait, wait! Time out!” Struggling, she tried to push her hind hooves against his knees to throw him off balance, but he stood strong.

That pesky combat training, learning to balance against an opponent’s efforts to throw him, always proved to be the bane of her existence when he decided to pin her.

And he knew it. Waggling his eyebrows, Shining pressed their snouts together, his breath washing over her face. His lips, a mere hair’s length from her own, curved into a wicked smirk. “Doesn’t work if I brace right!”

“You jerk! Get off of me!”

No matter how she struggled, he held firm. And with the way he’d maneuvered them, one of her wings was already pinned against the couch while the other was blocked off by his left hoof. Even if she tried whacking him with it, she’d only just brush his cheek with the soft purple tips of her feathers.

Inhaling sharply, she puffed out her cheeks and glared up at him. That smirk widened, his eye gleamed with mischievous intent. Stupid combat training! Stupid Shiny catching on way too well! Stupid, stupid smirk!

She needed something to draw his attention, something that he’d be more interested in than tickling her for all she was worth.

A short list, but she did have one advantage. Thinking quickly, Cadence lit up her horn and floated Twilight’s letter to hover in just inches from his eyes. “Look! You and I need to read this! Twily replied.”

Shining paused, glancing at the writing as if to make sure that she wasn’t trying to lie her way out—for she had, several times before, and used his surprise to get the drop on him.

The thought crossed her mind, but she put it on back burner until after they’d read Twilight’s reply. Business first, then fun.

“Pretty quick reply for normal post, wonder if she sent it express mail or something,” he muttered before scooting off of her and allowing her to sit up.

“Royal Courier, you big goof! We don’t mail through normal post. Ever.”

Shining returned her little shot with a bump of his shoulder, one that very nearly sent her sprawling. “Well, excuse me for forgetting!” He stuck his tongue out petulantly. “Some of us grew up using normal post and aren’t quite yet accustomed to all the ins and outs of being a part of royalty now!”

“Well, some of us need to get with the program!” She swiped at his head with her feathers, glaring as he ducked and stuck his tongue out once more. I seem to be dealing with allof the cheeky ponies today. She tore open the envelope and slid out the letter before hovering it between them. “Now, stop your fooling around and read this with me.”

Though she was focused on the letter, Cadence didn’t even need to glance out of the corner of her eye to know that Shining had done one of his playful little eye roles before leaning over to lay his chin on her shoulder. She tilted her head, resting her cheek against his, as they read in silence.

“Dear Cadence and Shining,

“I’m sorry for the gap between our last letters. Things were a little hectic on my end, what with rebuilding Ponyville, trying to get things organized in my new castle, and a couple of incidents where the map has sent us to places to help spread the magic of friendship. The girls and Spike have been helping me through a lot of it, which I’m very much grateful for, but it did take a while for me to really come to terms with everything.

“As for your question on the crystal research, I’d be absolutely delighted to help! Please, feel free to send samples as soon as possible! I’ll go ahead and ask Princess Celestia if she wouldn’t mind sending a few from the catacombs—if you recall, they had some rather unique effects on our magic, making it impossible to teleport out. While it’s not my fondest memory, I feel that it warrants investigation and would serve as an interesting aspect of this project. Perhaps, I can convince Rarity to part with a few gemstones so I can use them for controls.

“Sorry for the little ramble, I’m just so excited! Yes, I’ll begin immediately! Thank you so much for asking! And we definitely need to talk more often! No more communication lapses!

“Shiny, that goes double for you! I willsmack you if you forget to tell me something important again! Especially if it has to do with something that literally changes your life!

“Hope you’re both well! Love, Twilight Sparkle.”

Cadence chuckled. “Looks like you’re still in trouble for that mishap with the letter, Shiny!”

“I did send her one! I would never forget to tell her something like that!”

She shook her head. Of course he had. Everypony in the family, and even Twilight’s merry band of friends, had figured out what happened to the original letter.

In a bout of rather unfortunate timing, he’d made the mistake of sending it while Spike was bathing in a pool of lava with a troupe of teenage dragons. Poor Spike looked as though he wanted to crawl into the deepest hole he could find once the realization hit him.

Not even Rainbow Dash had the heart to tease him for that…

Shining nudged her in the ribs, snickering at something. “There’s more,” he said with a grin. “Looks like Spike had a little something to add.”

Quickly turning back to the letter, Cadence raised an eyebrow, an amused smile played upon her lips. He most certainly did.

“P.S. Cadence. Shining. I hate both of you. So much. It took me forever to get her to stop doing that silly prancing and jumping thing she does, where she squeals and babbles ‘Yes’ faster than Pinkie Pie on a sugar rush. Yes, I know that’s an exaggeration, but the point stands. Hope you’re both doing well, otherwise. Even if you two are the reason that I’m currently being asked to help her find each and every book on crystal matrices and magic effects thereof.

“Hope to see you guys again sometime soon. It was a lot of fun last time. Love, Spike”

Cadence stifled her laughter behind a hoof. Oh, dear! Looks like I owe our little dragon friend an apology sometime soon! “We’ll have to send him a few gems to snack on. You know how Twily can get when it comes to her little projects.”

“Don’t I ever.” Shining shook his head. “I still remember that color swap spell she was so eager to try years ago.”

Both shared a theatrical shudder. Shiny just doesn’t look good in my colors. At all. The visage of a tiny Twilight, alternating between hasty apologies and poorly-hidden giggles as she tried to fix her mishap, came to the forefront of her mind. The little filly she so loved watching over. “Well, that aside, I’ll be sure to let the Council know that she’s willing to go through with it at tomorrow’s meeting. They’ll be thrilled.”

“Yeah, no kidding! Twily comes through again, eh?”

Cadence nodded. More than you realize.

“Tell me everything.”

The words were still fresh on her mind. Twilight wanted to know exactly what was wrong, she was probably at home, somewhere between excited for her newest project and worried over whatever might be bothering Cadence.

Tomorrow. Everything would be taken care of tomorrow. The Council would be satisfied, she’d be able to sit down and draft a reply to Lord Alfons, and she’d have a reply ready for Twilight.

Until then, the weight was lifted off her shoulders. She pressed herself against Shining Armor, capturing his lips in a deep kiss and pushing against her hind legs, pushing him off balance and onto his back.

His hooves trailed up her flanks, one stopping to trace the edge of her cutie mark while its brother continued onto her back, slowly making its way to the base of her wing. Cadence let out a shuddering breath as he expertly circled, her lips parted just slightly.

An invitation he took with practiced ease. Shining ran his tongue along her top lip, gently coaxing her to open up and bring hers out to play.

So tempting, but Cadence pulled back abruptly. Her breath came in ragged pants, she licked her lips and gazed down upon him hungrily. Pink and purple tinged feathers ruffled, her wings began to unfurl as she presented herself.

“I love you,” she whispered, slowly leaning down to press her muzzle against his. “ I love you so much.”

His hoof slid around to tug at her thigh, pulling her into a straddling position. “Not as much as I love you.”

She shifted her opposite leg to bring her knee to the cushion. “You have no idea—no idea how wrong you are!” A tiny lick, from his chin to the tip of his snout, punctuated by a soft kiss. “I want us to be a normal couple, I want…”

Cadence’s voice died in her throat. There were just so many things. Life as a normal couple. Happiness together. To grow old with him by her side.

And something else. Something deep rooted in her. The echoing pitter-patter of a younger Twilight’s hooves, the visage of a little filly she all-but helped to raise into the wonderful princess they all looked upon with pride.

As much her little Twily as Shiny’s. Their little sister.

“What is it? What do you want?” Shining’s voice brought her back to earth. The look in his eyes as he pulled himself up, a mixture of hunger and confusion. Almost as though he were willing to go to the ends of Equestria if it meant getting what she asked of him.

Neither were quite ready for what she wanted, no matter how much she wished it to be so.

Someday.

“This,” she whispered huskily. Cadence leaned back and removed her hooves from his shoulders to prop herself up on the cushion. “You. Me. Us. I want more of this—everything we had before the Empire, everything we wanted back then.”

Shining leaned forward with her. He patted her rump, whispering a command, “Roll over.”

With a shuddering breath, she obliged, rolling herself onto her stomach and bracing her weight against her forehooves. A pair of strong legs wrapped around her barrel, Shining’s weight set upon her back.

Visions of younger days flashed through her mind. A pair of careless teenagers sneaking into her suite, a ‘chance’ caller in the night, a young private providing personal escort into her bath. Dreams of a white wedding, a loving husband, and the sound of little hooves running through the halls.

Her Shining Armor. A life together with him. No stress and no Council meddling in his career.

Just a bit of work and she’d have that life, albeit with the caveat of sitting upon the Crystal Throne. Soon enough, they’d both be happy. And someday, whether soon or far, that dream would be reality. Part of a discussion for another day.

A nip to her ear brought her back to reality. Cadence closed her eyes and smiled as she shifted her tail to the side.

All talk, all planning could wait. Tonight, two lovers had business to handle.

14. Lay Your Cards Down On the Table

As she entered the Council chambers, with Stout Heart and Valiance flanking her on either side, Cadence trotted with a bounce in her step and her head held high. Twilight’s reply, her willingness to aid both in an official capacity and the little spot of personal business, had certainly taken a weight off her shoulders. She could almost just spread her wings and fly off, damn the silly meetings.

If only. She had her duties, and, as much as flying off for a few hours might sound, she had to be good and sit in properly, just like Auntie Celestia.

At very least, the fun she had with Shining Armor the night before would give her a happy enough memory to power through the meeting and go about her day with a great big smile. She bit her lips, giving a little ruffle of her feathers; his strong hooves around her barrel, his breath brushing against her ear as he whispered softly before nipping and nuzzling.

Her tail swished, a heat rose in her cheeks. Ah! Bad Cady! Focus! Letting her feathers ruffle so in front of the Lords and Ladies was hardly becoming.

Shiny seemed receptive to more time together, she chided herself, smiling to the five as they stood and greeted her. Both in that sense and for more dates. We’ll just have to make it a more regular thing.

Maybe a night or two each week where they went off to do something, just like when they were dating. Dinner and dancing at the Iridescent had been a big hit, so perhaps more of the same. Or, something a bit low key, maybe they could start to frequent some more casual places, both as way to unwind after spending so much time in formal settings and, in a more subtle way, to let the crystal ponies see their smiling faces a bit more. Maybe even a nice evening out with a couple friends just to show that, yes, they had their own.

One of the earliest lessons Auntie Celestia had imparted on her: “The face they see is how they view you—a happy princess with a kind voice makes for more trusting subjects, a stoic who speaks coldly or a grumpy princess who growls will be met with fear.”

That could all be arranged later, though. “Good morning!” she chirped, unable to keep her good mood bottled. Sliding gracefully into her throne, she settled in and beamed. “How are we all this morning?”

Each of the respective Lords and Ladies stole a quick look to one another, confusion written plainly on their faces. “Er, doing well, My Princess,” Lord Clear Cut said slowly. “I do hope that you’ve been well since our last meeting.”

“Very much so, thank you! In fact, I’ve got something to share with you all!” Lighting up her horn, she floated a carefully folded scroll to the center of the table and laid it flat. “Princess Twilight Sparkle replied to our research proposal, just delivered yesterday.”

“Oh?” Lady Starburst leaned forward, her wings gave a little flap that betrayed her eagerness to read. An action imitated by her fellow members.

Like excited foals, eager to see if they can go out and play. Cadence hummed and nodded. “In the interest of time, I’ll just go ahead and sum up her answer: yes, she is happy to offer any help she can and is, as is her nature, ever-eager to get started.”

“Excellent!” The Lady of the Beryl district squealed. She stopped just short, her eyes going wide a moment as she realized just where she was. “Er, ahem,” she coughed into her hoof, “I mean, that’s wonderful, My Princess. Hopefully, Lord Alfons of the High Winds will find the offer acceptable.”

“Yes. Shining and I are planning to draft the letter today, actually. For now, we’ll need to get some crystal samples to send to Princess Twilight so she can begin her research.”

Lord Sunstone drummed a hoof upon the tabletop. “Forgive me, Princess, but might I ask exactly which types of crystal you wanted to donate? I mean no offense, of course.”

Nodding, Cadence sat back in the cushion on her throne. “I’d like to send a variety, if that’s not too much an issue. Princess Twilight made mention that she’d like to have a few different kinds, just to see how they reacted with magic. I believe she was also looking into a control variable that we had a bit of… an unfortunate experience with some time ago.”

“Understandable. I suppose we could each send a few samples of crystal from our respective districts.” He hemmed and hawed a bit, tapping his hoof against the table. “Er, if it’s not too much to ask, would it be possible to place one restriction on the matter?”

“I’d be willing to hear it. What’s your concern, Sunstone?”

Stealing a glance to Clear Cut and Starburst, he glanced down at the table, either nerves or in fear of retribution for his dissent. “If it wouldn’t be too much to ask, I would request that the Crystal Heart not be disturbed, My Princess.” His ears laid flat, his eyes flitted up again. “We lost it for so long, and it’s so important to us… I can only speak for myself, but I don’t see many others in the city being too happy with somepony tampering with it—albeit one who helped set us free from, er, his hoof.”

Ah. The sun came up over the hilltop. Of all things the crystal ponies valued—their companionship, the love of their rulers, and the pride in their shining city—the Crystal Heart was a point that everypony, from the youngest foal to the oldest stallion, was passionate on. The Heart was just that: their heart. Without it, their crystalline bodies didn’t glimmer and shine, and the life left the city itself.

Without it, they were lost.

Cadence stood and placed a hoof upon the table, firmly, but without slamming. “Lord Sunstone, everypony, I want to make something perfectly clear: the Crystal Heart will never be removed from its place, in clear view at the center of the city, under my orders. Or those of my husband, for that matter.” She paused to give him a chance to let out a relieved sigh, her lips curved into a kind smile. “Now, there is a possibility that Princess Twilight might wish to examine it at some point, but I’ll have a talk with her. She’ll understand its significance and take care not to tamper with it.”

Lord Clear Cut held up a hoof. “Princess, when you say ‘examine’, how exactly would you mean that she would go about it? Surely, you don’t mean to have her utilize foreign magic on it.”

“Oh, no, no, no! Readings, Clear Cut; Princess Twilight can use some of her lab equipment to take readings on the thaumatelogical activity the Heart exhibits. It’s always active, it could serve as another control, an outlier that’s always active.”

There was a moment’s pause as the council ponies looked to one another. Uncertain grimaces, little winces told the tale, but it was at least a step up from the outright objections of touching the Heart.

Slowly, one by one, each of the five nodded, some more grudgingly than others.

Not quite the rousing approval she’d hoped for, but, as Shining might say, a small victory is still a victory. “Thank you! I’ll be sure to relay that to her. Now, I don’t see anything else on the docket, so unless there’s anything else you wanted to address…”

“Actually, My Princess,” Lord Clear Cut raised his hoof. “There is one thing that I wanted to ask about…” Reaching into a bag he’d stashed by his cushion, he pulled out a memo, written on Royal Guard standard paper. Cadence’s gaze flickered to the bottom, Shining Armor’s signature, neat and well centered, caught her eye. “I sent a memo to Prince-Captain Armor—who seems a bit determined to hold onto the latter portion of that title. My fellow council members and I were curious as to the recruits’ progress and wanted to ask him for the timetable. His response was… well, see for yourself.”

Cadence raised an eyebrow, shrugging as she lit her horn and floated the memo over. She caught sight of the staple at the top left, flipping it over to reveal the original message. As she skimmed over the words, she forced down the urge to groan and bring a hoof to her forehead. Political language and niceties to coax him into answering a question.

There was a distinct need for a glass of wine—or, rather, the whole bottle of Legacy of Harmony. Yes, that would do nicely right about now. Closing her eyes, she inhaled deeply through her nose as she flipped back to Shining’s reply, praying to Celestia that he’d at least been pleasant in how he told them to go climb a tree.

Or, if at all possible, that he’d been patient and explained why taking time was important.

Quickly scanning over his reply, she let out the breath she’d been holding. A bit short with them, yes, but not as harsh as she’d feared. His answer was curt, but maintained the professionalism expected of a pony in his station.

Still, the image of Shining Armor smirking as he jotted down his reply, snickering as he threw in little bits that he just knew would drive Clear Cut batty came to mind. Professional or not, he had a mean streak in him when it came to those things. This particular memo had been nothing short of him telling the Council to take a long trot and let him run training as he saw fit.

Not something she necessarily disagreed with, but telling them to buck up and take it wasn’t what she’d expected when walking in. I’ll just have to give him a little bop for that one.

Smiling, she placed the letter down and addressed the group. “While I can respect your concern as to the timetable, I must remind you all that we spoke on this last meeting and came to agreement that Captain Armor—“ she made sure to place extra emphasis on his rank, drawing a rather flat look from Clear Cut “—would see to the recruits’ training so they would be adequately ready. Rest assure, I will speak with him regarding his tone, but on this, I take his side. Leave the training to the veterans, my friends. When they say our colts are ready, they’ll be ready.”                                                                     

There was something about seeing Shining Armor a bit uneasy, just a bit off his game, that brought Cadence back to their foalhood days. The way his ears pinned back, how he shifted in his spot next to her and rubbed at the back of his messy mane, just like he would whenever his mother caught him trying to filch cookies from the jar.

To her credit, Cadence didn’t break out into a grin or raucous laughter. Oh, no. Her tried and true method worked wonders on his nerves; the slight raise of her eyebrow, her hooves folded neatly on the table, the memo he’d sent in reply to Lord Clear Cut sat just to her right.

A scene reminiscent of a foal who’d brought home a bad report card.

Of course, he couldn’t know just yet that she found it somewhat amusing to watch Clear Cut stammer about how he only meant to ask about progress, not imply that Shining and his team should speed up the process so they could get him off the field.

Certainly not. And she was a lime green diamond dog.

Still, as appreciated as his barbs were, she still had to deal with the fallout. And if she had to sit through a meeting with the Council of Shards, explaining that her husband wasn’t trying to cut down their right to voice concern, then it was only fair that he got a little bit of it in return.

“Tell me again,” she said, her tone deceptively sweet.

Shining gave a weak smile, ducking his head between his shoulders. He cleared his throat and raised a hoof. “I was just trying to explain to them that we really couldn’t give them a definitive end date, sweetie.”

“I see. And to do that, you couldn’t word it more gently? Or, at very least, without the little shot you put in about—oh, what was it?” With a flick of her magic, she levitated the letter to hover just before her muzzle. “Ah. ‘I will remind you that the fear of soldiers, the very same that the Council mentioned when making their case against this unit’s formation, meant that we had to take a far more different approach than what is used in the Royal Guard Academy’.” Setting the letter down again, Cadence smiled, her eyes locked on Shining’s own. “Shiny, dearest, love of my life. Could you at least try not to be so forceful with them?”

Wincing visibly, he brought his hooves down to the table. “I have tried, Cady! You know that! But they keep pushing and, well, it gets a bit tiring! And, yes,” he continued before she could retort, “I know I need to keep a better lid on my temper, but after wrestling with them just to get the darn program going, I think I’ve earned the right to at least see it through properly.”

A fair point, getting the Council to move on the matter had been like wading through molasses. To be perfectly honest, if he had sent a memo of similar tone while in Canterlot, there wouldn’t be that much of an issue—namely, because the Royal Guard Command would be more interested in why a politician felt he had the gall to question an officer’s timetable than said officer’s bluntness.

In the Empire, he needed to use a bit more finesse; something he seemed to excel at when getting the most out of his guards. Politically… well, to put it nicely, he needed work.

Cadence sighed and leaned against him. “All right. I’ll let it slide this time.” Turning, she nuzzled into his cheek, grinning as she whispered, “Next time it happens, I’m making you sit in on the session.”

“Gee, thanks!” Shining groaned and brought a hoof up to his forehead. “Just throw me in front of a raging manticore, why don’t you?” He ducked a swipe of her wing, sticking his tongue out defiantly.

“One of these days, I’m going to cast a freeze spell on you when you’re like that—and then make you go try to run training. That aside—“ she lit up her horn, floating a sheet of paper, a quill, and an inkwell over to the table “—I believe we have a letter to draft, don’t we?”

 His ears perked right up! Shining swished his tail. “Oh, right! So the Council’s still on board, right?”

“Yes, but with one caveat: they ask that the Crystal Heart not be moved from its place or disturbed.”

Shining gave a single, firm nod. “Understandable. I don’t think Twily will have any complaints on that, to be perfectly honest.” Bringing a hoof to his chin, he hummed to himself. “Though, she didn’t bring it up in her reply, so unless she wants to use it as a second control…”

“Right, that’s what I was thinking as well. If it comes to that, we’ll just have to ask that she use monitoring equipment—but, like you said, I don’t see it being an issue. She’s not the same Twily I used to do my little dance with!” Cadence giggled and gave him a little bump with her shoulder. “Now, on to Lord Alfons! Since you know him best—“ she slid the paper over, just in front of him “—you should probably write this up, dear.”

He raised a brow. “Really?” His horn lit up, the quill floated and dipped into the inkwell. “Thought you liked to have a hoof in these letters.”

Feeling a bit cheeky herself, she gave him another nudge. “I do, but you’ve got rapport with him. It’d be silly of me to ignore that and pass up the chance to learn how to address him properly!” With an excited squeal, she pressed closer against his side. “If he brings Lady Helga, I want to make sure we can chat and have mare talk without that awkward tripping over ourselves phase!”

“All right, but it’s gonna seem a bit weird. Griffons have a rather… well, you’ll see.” He snorted, laying his head atop hers as his quill danced across the page. “Anyway, I’m not too sure that Lady Helga will be able to make the trip. She’d just laid eggs right about the time the Empire returned, so she’ll be pretty busy caring for them—not to mention if they’ve already hatched.” His shoulder bumped Cadence’s chin as a shudder ran down his body. “That’s one thing: never come between a mother griffon and her chicks. Getting mauled by that bear in the forest would’ve been preferable—Ow!”

Cadence held the tip of his ear in her magic, twisting a bit, and fixing him with a heated glare as he squirmed against her grip. “Don’t even joke about that!” She crossed her hooves and huffed before releasing him. Her glare didn’t abate as he rubbed his ear.

Predictably, he flinched, a sheepish grin split his muzzle. “Sorry, Cady.” He chuckled, laying his ears flat against his scalp. “I promised not to say stuff like that, didn’t I?”

“Yes. You did! And you’ll get yours for that little shot at how mothers look after their young! I’ve half a mind to send a letter to yours—“

“I’ll be good!” Shining yelped, quickly fixing his gaze on the letter and resuming his work. He gave an awkward cough, his tail flicked. “So,” he began, “anything in particular you want me to mention? Other than the obvious about the crystals, that is.”

A well-trimmed eyebrow raised, the sudden change of subject not going missed. Such a foal. Filing it away for later, she hummed a tune, leaning in to take a closer look at what he had so far.

“To the Honorable Lord Alfons of the High Winds:

“I hope this letter finds you and Lady Helga well, Lord Alfons. I deeply apologize that my lovely wife, Princess Cadence, and I were unable to make the trip to see Lady Helga lay her eggs—the sudden return of the Crystal Empire left most of us in a bit of a whirlwind, and the two of us were asked to relocate and take charge. Harmony willing, we can be present when they hatch.

“On the subject of the Crystal Empire, as you may well have heard, Princess Cadence and I were made rulers of the last city; both by order of the Royal Sisters and those of the crystal ponies themselves, as a result of our actions in defending it against the fallen King Sombra. With that said, we have been working diligently to restore the Empire to its former glory while helping its citizens adapt to the modern age. In discussion of our industry, we found our capabilities for producing iron and ironworks lacking—both of which are your nation’s speciality. To that end, we would like to request an opportunity to negotiate a trade agreement between the Crystal Empire and the Griffon Territories, similar to that between your nation and Equestria.

“In exchange for your resources, we are prepared to offer the Empire’s finest crystal and crafts, as well as a partnership in a research endeavor that we proposed with Princess Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship and former student to Princess Celestia. Exact terms and rates of exchange are, of course, open to negotiation should you be of interest.

“I hope to hear from you soon, my friend. Please give Lady Helga my best.

“Respectfully, Prince-Captain Shining Armor of the Crystal Empire.”

The tune took on a light, cheery pace. Cadence nodded, her muzzle split into a bright smile. “I think it gets the message across quite nicely. Although—“ she swiped a wing across his back, grinning at the way he squirmed as her feathers tickled him so “—I see you’ve made it so it seems like the letter comes from you rather than us! Should I be worried of subterfuge?”

“Ha! Good joke there, and right after you said that I should write it!” He snorted, rolling his eyes. “No, it’s just that Alfons and I go back a few years, so I figured I could play to that. You know how regretful he was that he couldn’t be at the wedding—er, both to celebrate and because he was a just a bit livid when he heard the news of the attack.” Shining shuddered, his ears laid flat against his scalp. “I didn’t keep the letter, but he was fixing to mobilize as soon as he heard. Princess Celestia and I had to calm him down and assure him that the matter had been taken care of.”

Cadence cringed, digging her hoof into the cushion. Shining knew the griffons best through his interactions, but she wasn’t entirely ignorant of their culture.

Legendary warriors, held in the same regard as Commander Hurricane and the legions of Pegasopolis; arguably the most recognizable aspect griffin history, rivaled only by their sense of pride.

The fact that Lord Alfons had been willing to ready his armies was truly a testament to how he valued relations with Equestria, and how highly he held Shining Armor in regard. It was a small wonder he’d backed off when asked; Lord Alfons wasn’t known for his patience when one slighted a friend.

A bit heavy hooved, but a trusted and valuable ally. Smiling, she leaned in to kiss his cheek. “Well, hopefully he’ll be open to discussing terms—he’d be a great trading partner, and even better if we could get him to sign off on an alliance with us!”

“Yeah, I don’t see too much of a problem with the latter. The former, though—“ he wrinkled his muzzle “—that’ll depend on how sweet he finds the deal. At the very least, I want to get him to the table so we can hash it out. See what we can come up with.”

“Good idea.” Another kiss. “Now, you go send that off, Mister ‘I’m buddy-buddy with the big bad Griffon Lord!” Cadence gave him a little shove off the couch, a teasing grin played on her lips. “And when you get back, you owe me dinner plans for the week! I remember that little chat!”

Shining laughed and nimbly caught himself before he fell to the floor. He lit up his horn, a shimmering pink aura engulfed the letter and lifted it into the air, carefully folding it into thirds as he let it float over to his side. “Of course, of course, I remember!” He stole a little kiss to her snout, grinning at how she wrinkled her muzzle. “Well, you think of the when and where and whatnot. I’ll go take care of this little piece of business.”

“I’ve already got something in mind!” She purred, her eyes flashed with mischievous intent.

“Ominous,” he noted, raising an eyebrow at her tone, “so what’ve you got in mind?”

Cadence tossed her mane, fixing him with a toothy grin, playing the part of an innocent filly. “When’s the last time you had the chance to go out to that little ‘stallions night’—“ she raised her hooves to make air quotes “—with Lighthoof, Wind Runner, and the boys?”

He blinked and tilted his head to the side, his muzzle scrunched up. Cadence kept up her smile, waiting as comprehension dawned on him; Shining’s eyes widened, his muzzle split into a big, goofy grin. “Please tell me you’re serious.”

“I’m thinking that it’s been a while since I went out with you and the boys—remember when you’d all go to that pub on Friday nights in Canterlot?”

Shining swished his tail, his ears perked up. “Oh, Celestia, yes!” He cackled and shook his head, his two toned mane whipped from side to side. “I don’t even care if they stick us with the bill this time—the look on Windy’s face will be worth it! He’s still sore that he couldn’t beat you in a drinking game!”

Beaming, Cadence fluffed up her feathers and shifted in her seat, sitting up straight and giving her mane a little flip. “Well, he’ll just have to suck it up and take his beating like a big stallion, because I’m coming! And I take no prisoners!”

Still snickering, he turned and walked out the door, tossing back one last remark over his shoulder, “I’ll be sure to warn the guards that their princess will be on the prowl! Who knows? They could probably use a little training.” He quickly ducked out the door, just in time to avoid the pillow she tossed at his head.

Cadence narrowed her eyes, a smirk graced her muzzle. He’d pay for that comment, sooner or later. Maybe it was time to pull one of her little tricks and get him to help play matchmaker with her.

No, he was wise to those schemes by now. It’d have to be something subtle, something that’d just make him throw up his hooves and surrender.

She’d come up with something for that later. There was still one piece of business left to take care of before she could relax for the day.

Lighting up her horn, she floated another piece of paper over to the table. Cadence glanced fervently at the door, and craned her ears to listen for Shining’s hoof steps. The steady clip-clop of his hooves against the crystal floor grew faint, slowly trailing off while he trotted to give the letter to a courier.

Perfect. That would give her plenty of time to write a reply to Twilight’s letter; those four words, written in Twilight’s neat print, were still visible in his eyes.

Dipping the quill into the inkwell, Cadence set about doing exactly as asked.

For the first time since the meeting with the Council of Shards, she laid her cards on the table.

15. Wine, Which Makes Mares' Hearts Glad

Shining Armor took in a deep breath, the sun’s warm glow beating down upon his back. Despite the weight of his armor and the sweat beading down the side of his face, he closed his eyes and exhaled, a small smile gracing his muzzle. “Dear Celestia, this is good,” he mumbled out of the corner of his mouth.

Peeking out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lighthoof flick his ear. “Heh, I’ll bet, sir. Good to see you back in proper uniform.” He glanced up, doing a quick count of the ponies present. “I count forty-nine, sir. Should be everypony since Glimmer dropped out.”

His smile faltered, a grimace marred his muzzle at the shift in tone toward the end. “He might not drop it, Hoofy, give the colt a chance to get his head on right.” Shining hissed. “He could be back in time to pick right back up, or he could join the next class.” He shifted his weight, the armor clanking with the movement.” Or, he could decide it’s not for him. Be patient with him.”

Lighthoof grumbled and pawed at the ground. “Fine,” he replied, after a moment’s thought. “But if he comes back, he’s mine.”

Snorting, Shining nodded once. Let it not be said that Lieutenant Lighthoof didn’t have his little pet projects. “I’ll have him delivered with a bow around his neck. Now—“ his tone lightened, a mimicry of the same sickly sweet tone Cadence so loved to use when she had something wicked planned “—do me a favor and line my victims up, would you? I think I need to reacquaint them with what it’s like when I’m not on the mend.”

“Yes, sir!” He could almost hear the sadistic grin in Lighthoof’s tone. The Lieutenant took a deep breath, readying to belt out, “EVERYPONY LINE UP! NOW!”

“Yes, sir!” The crowd of crystal ponies called back. Hooves thundered against the ground as they scrambled forward to stand in place. A couple grumbles and muttered curses as they jostled against one another, and then it stopped.

Getting quicker at that. Shining waited a moment, letting them stand in silence until the last pony fell into place. Only when the hooves stopped pounding against the ground did he cross his left hooves behind his right and turn in place.

He let his eyes wander over the recruits, silently surveying each in turn. Silent stares, jaws set and mouths forming a thin line, the look of a proper guard unit. Very good.

“Good morning, recruits!” He called, his voice boomed over the yard. “Well, well, all lined up and in order! Looks like the Lieutenants were right—they did make you lot look like a halfway decent unit while I was injured.” Shining let the backhooved compliment hang, only barely withholding a smirk as a few puffed out their chests and held their heads high. And come right back down. “But you’ve all still got a ways to go! Forming up and marching around the yard is only a part of the most basic of conditioning and group cohesion! We’re only just beginning to get into the swing of things!”

On cue, the ponies who dared puff out their chests seemed to deflate; while they maintained their steely expressions, he still caught a flash of dismay, a little hint of their silent hope that they’d made it over the hill.

Unfortunately for his crowd of faithful recruits, they were only just coming into view of the top. But he had a few ideas to give them the push they needed to get themselves over and take off at full gallop on the way down.

“That being said, you’re all coming along relatively well with your one-step sparring, and partnered sparring. That said,” he paused, unable to hide his smirk any longer, “I’ve got a little surprise for you.”

His ear flicked to the left, catching a little whimper from Twinkle. His smirk turned into a full-blown sharklike grin.

Bingo. There was his first victim. Pity Glimmer had chosen to take a leave, or he could get both ponies who so desperately needed a little one-on-one session in one fell swoop.

Oh well. Maybe if he came back, Shining and Lighthoof both could switch off bringing him up to speed.

Shining turned and trotted over, his deep blue eyes locked on Twinkle’s the whole way, right up until he came to a stop, their muzzles just a hair’s breadth apart. He snorted straight into Twinkle’s face, making the young recruit flinch and blink owlishly. “Feelin’ nervous, Cadet? Good. Because you, and the four ponies behind you all belong to me today. The rest of you—“ he turned and shouted down the line “—get off lucky! You get Lieutenants Lighthoof and Wind Runner, along with a few celebrity guests!”

He stepped back from Twinkle, his ear flicking toward the recruit again as a sigh of relief reached him.

Haha, no. Pressure’s still on. Shining turned to call over his shoulder toward the gate to the castle, “Boys! Front ’n center!”

Perplexed, the recruits craned to see just who he’d called out. Almost in unison, they gasped as seven stallions, each clad in the shining gold armor of the Royal Guard.

“Oh, no…” Somepony whimpered, from the next line over by the sound of it. One of the lucky contestants who wouldn’t deal with him today.

But not so lucky that he wasn’t leaving them in the tender mercies of some of his most trusted guards.

“Recruits, say hello to your training partners for today: Private Stout Heart, Corporal Valiance, Sergeants Stone Hoof and Cirrus, and Staff Sergeant Rock Steady, all from my unit in the Canterlot Royal Guard.” He turned to face the line again, his smirk back in place as each of the respective stallions, along with Lighthoof and Wind Runner, stepped up to a group. “Today, you’ll be sparring with the Royal Guard standing before your line—light contact and quick submissions. Then, once you’ve gone through a couple times, we’ll see how you’ve progressed with practice weapons. And, guards?” He turned to face his comrades. “Be sure to point out where they need to make adjustments. After all, each of these stallions will be standing beside us soon.”

“Yes, sir!” Each called back, snapping a salute before they stepped forward to lead their group off to a patch of the field, forming their group into a circle in which they could spar.

Shining faced his group, his eyes bored into Twinkle’s. “Step on up, Cadet,” he ordered. “It’s time to see just how much you’ve learned while I was pushing papers.”

Twinkle gulped, and gave a stiff nod as he dropped down into a low stance; his legs bent at the knee, his head low, and ears pinned back, ready to spring forward and subdue his opponent.

Couple of openings, nothing major though. Good colt. Humming to himself, Shining dropped into a similar stance, though with a bit less of a crouch, and more tilting his head down to aim his horn toward Twinkle. A stance more prepared to defend and counter than rush and attack, physically at least.

Fixing Twinkle with a steely gaze, he asked, “Ready, Cadet?”

Another stiff nod, Twinkle’s knees shook anxiously as he crouched deeper. Readying to make the first move, perhaps?

It’d certainly be a change of pace from what most of his kinsponies preferred. A welcome change, at that.

“Begin!” Almost as soon as Shining gave the order, Twinkle shot forward, his nerves and hesitance cast aside. The young recruit lashed out with a hoof, swiping upward at Shining Armor’s chin.

A bold move for Twinkle. But easily countered, and he’d extended himself just a tad too far. His balance was off his hind hooves.

Shining brought up a hoof and deflected the blow with his right elbow, before quickly wrapping his hoof around Twinkle’s and forcing it down to the ground. He slipped his left hoof under Twinkle’s pinned limb and pivoted sharply, tossing the recruit over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

Twinkle landed hard on his back, yelping in pain and arching his spine. “Owww!”

“Up!” Shining barked, swiftly striding toward the downed recruit. “Round isn’t over yet.”

Rolling to his stomach, Twinkle placed his hooves firmly on the ground and pushed himself up, ready to spring forward.

Too obvious, don’t do it. Don’t—

With a cry, Twinkle dove for Shining’s legs.

“Sloppy!” He simply side stepped and looped a hoof under Twinkle’s barrel, twisting and throwing him once again.

“WAAAAH—Ooof!”

With a smirk on his muzzle, Shining stood in place. Not a bad start, but still slipping back into those habits. “All right, end the round. What do you think you did wrong?” he asked.

“Lunged too far,” he groaned as he slowly rolled over. “Lost my balance, and then you threw me.”

“That explains the first one. What happened on the second?”

Twinkle rolled over onto his stomach, groaning through the pain. “I telegraphed a dive.”

Shining gave a single nod, his smirk fell. “A dive is a surprise move, Twinkle. Don’t make it obvious, and for the love of Celestia, don’t yell! I’m your enemy—surprise me and take advantage!” He stepped forward and offered a hoof. “Come on, get up and head to the back of the line. Good start, but I expect a better effort next time. Next contestant, step forward!”

Wincing as the warm water worked on his aching muscles, Shining Armor sank deeper into the tub. He closed his eyes, allowing himself a smile as he inhaled the soothing scent of jasmine—a part of that nice bath bomb package Cadence had bought him just a few short weeks ago.

Not too strong, but just enough to knock the edge off so she didn’t gag when trying to snuggle up, as she might say.

He tilted his head to the side, his muzzle creased into a grimace as his neck popped a few times. Unhealthy, but a temporary relief for the stiffness that plagued him as a result of sparring.

Didn’t think Twinkle would know to lock up my hooves and roll me like that, Shining mused, grinning to himself in spite of the memory of having to sheepishly collect his helmet after reversing momentum and applying a quick joint lock to make the recruit submit. The boys’ll make sure I don’t forget that one anytime soon—as they should.

He’d have to spend a bit more time working on his hoof-to-hoof skills; with weapons and magic, he had a distinct advantage. But time on the mend had slowed him a couple steps until he finally got the blood pumping and muscles loosened after weeks of taking it slow and sitting on his duff.

“I’ll have to get Hoofy or Windy to join me for a session sometime,” he mumbled. “Can’t be getting slow, even if I’m bloody royalty now.”

“Oh, yes, we just can’t have that!” His ear flicked up, Shining opened an eye, glancing out of the corner to find Cadence standing in the doorway.

She shut the door with her magic, striding forth with a little sway in her hips, and a bright grin gracing her muzzle. “Just imagine what Auntie Celestia would say if she were to find out that the vaunted Shining Armor, Captain of the Royal Guard, got thrown on his back by a recruit!”

Rolling his eyes, Shining leaned against the side of the tub, folded his hooves one over the other, and laid his head atop them. “Har har, aren’t you just the witty little filly? So, who do I have to thank for ratting me out? Windy? Hoofy? Or maybe Rock Steady; he sure got his digs in after we sent the recruits home for the day…”

“Nope, nope, and nope! Zero for three, Captain! Not doing so well on your deductive skills today!” She tutted and shook her head. “The correct answer is ‘Private Stout Heart cackling like a loon and telling Tourmaline’! Hope you’ll join us next week, but, until then, please enjoy these fabulous participation prizes!” Without giving him a chance to retort, she swooped down and stole a lingering kiss.

Shining hummed, the corners of his lips twitched upward, he pressed against hers. After a moment, he drew back, raising a brow. “That’s the prize for getting it wrong, eh? What would I have gotten if I’d been right?”

She let out a snort, and quickly covered her mouth to withhold a burst of laughter. “Well, I’m afraid you’ll never know, will—oh, heavens, will you stop!” She swatted his shoulder, giggling at the way he waggled his eyebrows. “Dear Celestia, I married a complete and utter goof of a stallion!”

“Too true, but that’s your problem!” He leaned back and let his head sink below the edge of the water for just a moment to rinse out the last of the sweat still clinging to his mane. As he sat up, he gave it a quick shake, sending water droplets cascading every which way, and laughing at Cadence’s indignant shriek. “Ah! There we go! All nice and clean!” Ducking a swipe, he stuck his tongue out. “Now, now, we can’t have the Imperial Princess be seen acting so violently! That would cause more of a stir than me getting caught off-guard!”

Huffing, Cadence turned sharply, flicking him across the muzzle with her tail. “Well, then! I suppose you wouldn’t be interested that I went ahead and sent Twily the crystal samples earlier today!”

His ears perked up, Shining stood abruptly, water rolling off his sides and trailing down his mane and tail. Quite the shift, but not without purpose.

“Oh? What samples did we get?” He asked, the teasing, playful tone vanished in favor of a more serious air. “I take it the Council came through and didn’t offer too much resistance—concerns with the Crystal Heart not included.”

“Quite a bit, actually! Once we assured them that the Heart wouldn’t be touched, they were much more willing to cooperate; naturally, beryl, garnet, quartz, and kunzite, each from their respective districts. The Shining Quarter offered a bit of green calcite and jade, too. And there were some that I’d honestly never seen before!”

That certainly got his attention. Types of crystal even she hadn’t seen?

Certainly, the Crystal Empire boasted the best quantity and quality of crystal—legend had it that every city of the fallen empire had been built in similar fashion to the capitol, the last remaining city—but to have those that hadn’t been seen?

Impressive. For a number of reasons, one of which directly tied to his wife. “Can’t you, y’know, use crystal magic? And you didn’t recognize some of them?”

Cadence rolled her eyes and gave him a light bop on the muzzle. “Just because I can cast crystal magic doesn’t mean that I’m a walking crystallography textbook!”

“Heh, fair enough.” Shining lit up a horn and floated a towel over, but not before looping a hoof around her neck and pulling her in for a quick nuzzle, pressing his dampened muzzle and chest up against her. He snickered at her indignant squawk and the sharp hoof to his chest.

He allowed himself a little smirk, another victory for the home team. As he toweled himself off, he hummed, his thoughts wandered a moment. “Actually, backpeddaling a moment, did you tell Twily about the Council’s concerns about the Heart? Just figured she should know ahead of time.”

 “As a matter of fact, I did!” Cadence said with a nod. She took a couple of steps back from the edge of the tub so he could climb out of the tub. “Seems like we’re of the same mind.”

Nice to see that she’s a couple steps ahead, and that things are running smoothly around here for a change. “That’s great, sweetie!” His muzzle dried, Shining stole a kiss. “Hopefully she gets back to us soon, eh? Actually, speaking of which—“ he quirked an eyebrow, and leaned in to press his snout against hers “—did you reply to her ‘super-secret-mare-talk-no-Shining-Armors-allowed’ letter?”

For just an instant, barely even notable, she hesitated, her brilliant purple eyes darting to her left, and her muzzle taking on a rather forced grin. “Of course, dear! I sent it straight away with the courier, along with the samples and official letter.”

“Oh, good! So, do I get a little hint? Or do I have to guess the content?”

“Oho, no you don’t!” She giggled and danced out of reach, her wings ruffling up and tail swishing happily. “You know I can’t just betray the trust of my favorite sister-in-law!”

“Your only sister-in-law,” Shining pointed out wryly.

“Oh, hush! It still counts!”

With a bemused shake of his head, he swung his legs over the edge of the tub, his hooves clacking against the crystal floor. “Oh, come on! I deserve at least a little hint!”

Cadence turned and shook her rump at him, sticking her tongue out over her shoulder. “Nope! My lips are sealed! Now, come on! I have a few of Equestria’s finest to torment and you, my dear, are going to help me!”

Shining made to retort, but bit his tongue, tossing the towel over to hang on the edge of the tub and pulling the plug with his magic. “All right. Guard night at the pub it is. But—“ he narrowed his eyes and wagged a hoof at her “—if I find out that you’ve been hiding something like Twily having a crush on some little punk, I’m gonna be sorely disappointed! You’re taking away all my time to come up with just how I’m going to threaten them!”

“You’ll live. If what I’ve heard holds true, I’m quite certain that you’ll be able to come up with something creative on the spot.” She waited for him to make his way over before trotting toward the door, which she opened with a little flick of her magic. “Now, help me think of how I’m going to trick Windy into losing a drinking game! It’s been too long since I’ve teased him!”

With a roll of his eyes, Shining snorted. A few memories of Friday nights at Frothy’s Pub back in Canterlot, the old hole in the wall just a short trot from the barracks, flitted through his mind. Specifically, those of Windy, face down and groaning into the wooden counter top, while the soldiers hooted, hollered, and pounded their hooves in favor of their princess.

Poor Windy still hadn’t lived that one down.

This’ll teach you to lead the pegasi past me on takeoff. “You know what, sweetie—“ he stepped closer to his side, brushing his shoulder against hers “—if you can get Windy to whine like a school foal again, I just might let that one slide!”

While built in the same fashion as the rest of the Empire, Cool Draft’s Pub still maintained the same friendly atmosphere as those the Guard so loved to frequent in Canterlot.

A small venue, it was tight knit and furnished with wooden barstools and a traditional countertop, to give the mares and stallions of the Royal Guard a sense of home in their new deployment. And, naturally, they took to it with gusto.

As Shining Armor glanced around, he caught sight of a few of his trainees, sitting off to the side away from the veterans; the loud voices and booming laughter of the Royal Guard still set the crystal ponies a bit on edge, their ears laid flat against their scalps and their heads ducked low as they sipped at their mugs.

Something they shared with their kinsponies, who were slowly but surely plucking up the courage to sit in the same room as their protectors—albeit off to the side and in the darkened corners, just out of sight.

Foal steps, Shiny. He turned his head, giving a little smirk to the hooded figure standing at his side, and muttered out of the corner of his mouth, “So, was getting rid of your regalia and putting on that silly thing really necessary?”

His comment earned him a little nudge to his side. “Shush!” Cadence hissed, the top of her face obscured by the hood of the long, heavy brown cloak she’d kept stashed away in one of her many trunks. “You know darn well I wouldn’t be able to slip out without an escort if I didn’t have this thing on!”

“In fairness, you do have me right next to you. And you’re in a pub with—“ he glanced around, doing a quick count “—over a dozen members of the Royal Guard, and about five of our recruits for the Imperial Guard sitting on the side. And, y’know, that old coot behind the counter!” Cupping his hoof to his mouth, he called the last one more toward the bar than Cadence herself.

Sure enough, Cold Draft, a burly earth pony from Vanhoover, broke off from telling an old story to Stout Heart, and glared. “Armor! If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a thousand times! You talk ‘bout my age and I’ll take you outside and beat your rump! Captain, prince, or whatever fancy titles you got now!”

Shining grinned, both at the threat and the poorly hidden gasps from the crystal pony patrons. “You’ve been saying that for years, Draft! Still waiting on you to follow through!” He trotted forward to take his seat at the bar, hopping onto the stool to Stout Heart’s right, while Cadence gracefully stepped up and took free one at his side. He glanced down the counter and waved to the rest of his group. “Sorry I’m a bit late, stopped by and took care of some things at home. Brought a friend, too!”

Wind Runner’s ear flicked toward him. “A ‘friend’?” He parroted, leaning forward to survey the hooded figure. His eyes went wide. “Oh, no! Not again!” With a groan, he slowly dropped his head to touch the counter top. “Damn it, Captain! I hate you!”

“What?” Stout Heart glanced from Wind Runner to Shining Armor, and tilted his head. “What’s the problem? It’s just Princess Cadence under that hood, right? Ow!” He clapped his hooves over his head and turned to gape at Valiance. “What? It is, isn’t it?”

“It’s never ‘just the Princess’, Stout. You know better than that.” Valiance turned and bowed his head to Cadence. “Sorry, Your Highness. Once the armor comes off, this one thinks he can just go completely casual with everypony.”

Cadence laughed and pulled back her hood, ignoring yet another round of startled gasps from the crystal ponies as she shook out her tricolored mane. “I’m impressed, Stout! How’d you know it was me?”

Blushing and rubbing at the bump that was forming on his head, Stout Heart gave a sheepish grin. “Well, if you don’t mind me saying, Princess—and, er, you as well Captain… or is it Prince when we’re off duty?”

“Technically, I’m Prince Armor when I’m not in uniform, but either works.” Shining winked. “Just don’t tell anypony you heard that from me!”

Stout snorted. “Yes sir. Er, anyway, to answer you, Princess—“ he turned his attention to Cadence again “—since I’m paired with Corporal Valiance as your detail, I’ve become rather… uh… familiar with your choice of perfume.” A bright red blush colored his muzzle, the crowd of guards at the bar snickered and threw a few catcalls his way, along with a couple toward Shining. “Sorry, it’s just a thing that I caught on to and noticed when you walked up. That and, well, when you walk you carry yourself with a lot more confidence than most ponies. It’s distinctive here.”

Humming, Cadence nodded. “Full marks! I suppose I’ll have to take all this into account the next time I want to slip out and take a walk!”

This time, it was Shining’s turn to nudge her side. “Oh, no you don’t! We’ve got a few tricks up our sleeves to keep you safe and sound, honey!”

“You called?” Honeysuckle propped her head atop Valiance’s and grinned at him.

“Bah! You know what I meant! The point is, you’re not sneaking out that easily, Cady! Not with these ponies on the job!”

The guards whooped and raised their glasses, even Lighthoof, typically surly and quiet at Wind Runner’s side, tossed in a hearty “Darn right!” much to Shining’s amusement.

Cadence huffed and tossed her mane. “Those are some strong words, dear. Especially when there’s a certain Lieutenant who can’t hold his liquor sitting just a few seats down!”

Shining just shook his head and chuckled, sharing a knowing smirk with Valiance and Honeysuckle. Hook.

Predictably, Wind Runner’s head shot up. He narrowed his eyes at her and scowled. “I’m not falling for it this time, Princess! No way, no how!”

Line.

“Really?” She cupped her mouth and stage whispered. “Even with your recruits sitting nearby?”

And sinker. Thanks for playing, Windy.

“Draft!” Wind Runner snapped, his eyes never leaving Cadence’s.

The old stallion hid a grin, eager for the show to start. “Usual contest?”

He nodded once. “Yeah. Usual contest. Let’s see if Princess Cadence can still hold her liquor or if she’s trying to ruffle my feathers by living on past winnings!”

“Ha! Windy, if I ever want to get you a bit hot under the wings, all I have to do is pull out my notes on you and Meadowlark!” She grinned and slid off of her stool, casually sauntering over to the fuming stallion and bumping her hip against the back of his chair, jostling him forward and nearly making him spill his drink. “Speaking of which, how is she these days? Still packing for the move, or did she decide to wait and see if you stayed long term?”

“She’ll be up soon enough.” He ground out his reply through gritted teeth, slowly setting down his mug. “Next train, in fact.”

“Oh, good! I can tell her all about how I drank her favorite stallion under the table!”

Shining snickered, and dutifully gave a big “oooh” along with his guards while Draft brought out a bottle and a pair of shot glasses.

Both ponies raised their glasses in their hooves—an unspoken guard rule so unicorns couldn’t use any magic to mess with the alcohol—and nodded to one another, before downing their respective shots in one go, then slamming it on the table.

Honeysuckle, the unofficial referee-slash-doctor, checked the glasses. Not a drop remained. She nodded, and took her seat again. “One to one! Fill ‘em up again, Drafty!”

One shot each was just a warm up, these two would go for a while. The show was only just beginning.

But first, there was just a little bit of personal business to take care of.

He snaked a hoof around Stout Heart’s shoulders and pulled the unfortunate colt into a headlock. “So,” he growled, grinning wickedly, “what’s this I hear about you giggling over my little tumble with Miss Tourmaline?”

It took every fiber of his self-control not to break out into laughter as the color drained from Stout Heart’s face. Still got it.

“I-I, uh, I’m not sure what you’re talking about, sir,” Stout Heart stammered, a nervous grin splitting his muzzle. “I wouldn’t do a thing like that!”

Shining’s grin widened, his ear flicking toward Honeysuckle and Valiance as they both groaned and muttered, “Wrong move, kid” under their breaths.

“Is that so?” He asked with feigned innocence. “Funny, because Cady tells me that she overheard you and Tourmie in the hallway. Now, how did she say it again?” Tapping a hoof against his chin, he glanced out of the corner of his eye, savoring the look of utter terror that flashed across Stout Heart’s face. “Ah, yes: ‘cackling like a loon and telling Tourmaline’. So, Private Stout Heart, either you’re lying or you’re accusing my wife of lying. Would you like to consult Corporal Valiance and Field Medic Honeysuckle for your next move, or do you want to try again on your own?”

Game or not, there was a lesson Stout Heart needed to learn: be careful when you lie to an officer. You never know where they got their information from.

Especially when palace staff was involved.

Stout Heart’s ears pinned back, he hung his head low. “I’m sorry, sir. The Princess is right, I did laugh with Miss Tourmaline about you getting thrown. But I didn’t mean for it to get around! It was just supposed to stay between Tourmie—er, I mean, Miss Tourmaline and me!”

Shining’s ears twitched. Tourmie? He’d have to file that one away for later; the little nickname Cady and he used was a bit more familiar than expected from Stout Heart. “I don’t doubt that, Private. But you need to be a bit more careful about that stuff, understood?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good colt. Now, you know I can’t just let you off scot free, right?”

A tiny whimper escaped Stout’s throat. He gave a single, stiff nod. “Yes, sir.”

“All right. In the yard, 0500. You won’t need your gear. Don’t keep me waiting, Private.”

Stout Heart swallowed a lump. “Y-Yes, sir.”

Shining Armor snorted, laying his head atop Cadence’s as she hummed and nuzzled into his shoulder. “So,” he began, a grin playing upon his lips, “took it a bit too far with our little drinking contest, eh, sweetie?”

“Don’t care!” She cried, waving her hooves and nearly toppling off the plush seat of the carriage. Giggling, she caught herself, and leaned back over to nuzzle into his neck and shoulder again. “Mm, we should really thank Vali for hailing that night duty guard! He’s so sweet like that!”

“Yes, that he is. And Honey was nice enough to give us a little something for the hangover you’ll enjoy tomorrow morning.”

Cadence cooed, her gaze cloudy and unfocused. “She’s even sweeter! Remind me to find a nice stallion for her to go out with sometime!”

Oh, dear, here we go. Barely withholding a snicker, he nodded. “Of course. What about Valiance? Both are rather nice, aren’t they?”

“Uh huh,” she replied sleepily. “They’d be good together. I had a note that Honey’s been eying him up… somewhere…”

“Of course, of course. In your little notebook, I’m sure.” Almost the same conversation they’d had years ago, just before Valiance made a move.

If he remembered correctly, he was the one to put forth the eventual solution. “How about I put them on patrol together for a night or two? It might give them a little push.”

Cadence hummed into his shoulder, and nodded. “Yeah, that’ll be nice. Maybe Honey will finally make a move…”

No, that hadn’t happened, but at the very least, one of them had. “Sounds like a plan, sweetie. I’ll get on it first thing in the morning.” He wrapped his hooves around her midsection and held her close against his side. “Why don’t you get some sleep, sweetie? I’ll wake you when we get home.”

“Thanks, Shiny-winy…” He withheld a comment, simply shaking his head and rubbing a hoof up and down her back.

It had been a while since he’d dealt with Cadence being so thoroughly sauced. Sure, they’d both been a bit buzzed together after their date, having downed most of a bottle of Legacy of Harmony that night.

A chuckle escaped his lips, his muzzle burned with a deep blush as he nosed into Cadence’s mane and drank in her scent. And what a night that was. A wonderful date, dancing, and afterward, culminating in an evening spent with his hooves wrapped around her in bed.

It was even worth the ache in his ribs the next morning.

“Shiny?” Cadence mumbled and nosed against his cheek.

Jolted back into the real world, he drew back to look into her eyes. “Something up, sweetie?”

“Just got a question, love.” She leaned up and dotted the tip of his snout with a kiss, Shining wrinkled his nose at the scent of liquor on her breath, but didn’t pull back. “Wanted to ask—hic! ‘Scuse me.”

“That’s okay, Cady.” He snickered, still softly rubbing a hoof against her back. “You had a question?”

“Uh huh. Just wondered… what would you have done, if it hadn’t worked out? If you hadn’t been a guard.”

Shining wrinkled his snout, tilting his head to the side. “What?”

“What would you have done if you hadn’t been a guard, Shiny?” She leaned forward, her muzzle pressed against his. Her eyes suddenly focused, flashing with an odd gleam. “What would you do if you had to pick something else?”

He blinked, his mouth worked wordlessly. That was certainly… not what he expected. Asking what might have been and what paths they could have taken, not exactly out of ordinary for idle musing.

A bit too real for a drunken Cadence to come up with, though.

Shining eyed her up and down. Aside from the sudden shift from the silly, overly clingy drunk he was used to, it wasn’t too uncharacteristic for her.

Something that’d bothered her, perhaps?

With a shrug and a sigh, he replied, “I’ve never really given it all that much thought, to be perfectly honest. I guess I could’ve enrolled in Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns like Twily. Maybe I could’ve done some research on shielding magic; how it works, how it can be applied to more than just combat or defense, stuff like that.” He paused to rub at the bottom of his chin. “You know, I probably could’ve come up with something on the physics of what goes on inside of a bubble shield—so many ponies think that you can just cast one and it’ll protect you from anything! Even a fall! They don’t consider that, once you cast a shield in mid-fall, there’s two impacts!”

Shining stopped himself before he could get into the full swing of his rant. He took a deep breath and gave a sheepish grin. “Er, sorry, just a little peeve, y’know?”

“I do,” she replied through a bout of giggles, and stole another kiss. “But I love you for it!”

“Heh, thanks. Anyway, why do you ask?” Tilting his head again, he fixed her with a narrow-eyed stare. “Twily didn’t put you up to having me sent back to school, did she?”

Cadence gave a quick shake of her head, whipping her mane this way and that and catching him right at the tip of his snout. “No, nothing like that, Shiny. Just thinking is all. And wondering.” She shifted in place, and none too subtly brushed her shoulder against his, the tips of her feathers trailed against his flank.

His gaze flickered downward. The purple tips of her feathers trailed just above his cutie mark; the very spot where the mother bear’s claw had torn through his skin and left a gash in his side.

Shining’s gaze softened, he reached out to take her chin in his hoof, and gently turned her head so he could look into her eyes. “Cady, tell me what’s wrong.”

“You were hurt,” she replied, barely above a whisper.

And there it was. Still worried. “Hey, don’t worry, okay? I promised that I’d take care of myself better from now on, and I’m gonna live up to it.

A low whine, she wrapped her hooves around his barrel, her words nothing but an incomprehensible mumble into his coat.

“Sweetie, I can’t understand when you talk into my shoulder.” A little humor, just a little prod to get through her hazed mindset.

Cadence drew back, a tiny frown marring her beautiful face. “Nothing, Shiny. I’m just being silly. Silly, worrying Cadence.” Before he could retort, she tightened her embrace and kissed his cheek. “You’d have been good at that stuff, too. And safer.”

There it was again. Still concerned, still fearing for his wellbeing. Had it been so prevalent when they were dating? Certainly, she had always been a bit smothering in that regard. Almost motherly, even though they were the same age.

So much like her “Auntie Celestia” toward the ponies of Equestria.

All he could do was force a smile, swallow down the pang of regret at how his profession put stress on her, and give a chaste kiss to her lips. “Don’t worry about me, sweetie,” he cooed, gently coaxing her head back onto his shoulder. “The Gates of Tartarus and Cerberus himself couldn’t stop me from coming home to you.”

“Promise?”

“Of course. That old dog would need about three more heads to even put a scratch on me, let alone make me late for dinner with you.” Boastful, but reassuring. The little smile on her muzzle was all he needed. “Close your eyes, Cady. You need your rest.”

She whined playfully, nosing against his neck as her eyelids fluttered shut. “G’night.”

“Goodnight, sweetie. I’ll see you in the morning.”

Suddenly, she perked back up again. “Hey! I got a—hic—I got a great idea!”

Oh boy, I can hardly wait. “What’ve you got, honey?”

“You know what you’d be really good at? Like, really—hic—good at?”

Shining smiled and rolled his eyes. “Other than shield magic? Is it loving you with all my heart?”

“No, silly!” She giggled, nosing his cheek. “Well—hic—yes. But not just that! You’d be really good at—hic—fathering… stuff.”

He drew back, fixing her with a quizzical stare. “Fathering?” he parroted. “You mean I’d be a good father?”

Cadence nodded happily, her nose pressed against his shoulder. “Uh huh! You’d be great, just like how you were with Twi—hic—Twily. Big daddy Shiny!”

Shining held her a bit tighter, his chest filled with warmth. “You think so, huh? So, I’m gonna be ‘big daddy Shiny’ and we’re gonna have a little princess?”

“And a—hic—little prince! One colt, one filly!” she proclaimed with a clumsy wave of her hoof—nearly hitting him in the nose. “Hehe, we gotta think of good names, thought. Don’t wanna make ‘em silly…”

“Of course not, honey. But we can think of that some other time, okay?” Like when you’re not plastered, and we can actually sit down. “Go to sleep, silly mare.”

“‘Kay…”

What a funny mare she could be. Of all the pretty unicorns who pranced about and did up their manes back in high school, he just had to be entranced by the kindest, most beautiful, and most utterly silly of them all.

Like she said, silly Cadence.

“Shiny.” He glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes, and caught sight of a little smile on her muzzle. “Honey and Vali are already married, you great, silly stallion. You forgot again.”

He squeezed his eyelids shut and forced down his laughter. “Of course,” he said, his voice straining, “silly me. I’ll just have to adjust my patrol schedule.”

Cadence nodded, her muzzle tickling his neck. “Silly Shiny,” she agreed sleepily. She yawned and snuggled up against him, much like she had on those cold nights by the fireplace in their Canterlot home.

Silly, silly Cady. Shaking his head, Shining laid his chin atop her head and hummed softly, rocking her back and forth.

And silly me, too.

16. Running the Course

Obnoxious ringing, the clamor of an alarm clock going off beside the Royal Couple’s bed, cut through the early morning silence.

Shining Armor’s hoof shot out, stopping the tiny hammer before it could strike the bells again. “Whathehuh?” He mumbled sleepily, cursing the ache in his head and rubbing at his eyes so he could see clearly. After a moment, he blinked owlishly and looked toward the face of the clock, his jaw dropping low when he saw the time.

Four-thirty in the morning? After a night out with Cady and the boys? What had he been thinking?

Like a bolt from the blue, the memory hit him. His lips twitched, slowly curving into a wicked smirk, even the mild headache unable to dash his morbid humor. Ah, yes. I have a little session with Stout Heart this morning. Goodie.

Glancing down, he gave a little chuckle into Cadence’s tricolored mane, and nuzzled her fondly. As much as it pained him to do so, she’d have to wake up if he wanted to get started; a bit of a price to pay for waking back up when he’d laid her down, and then rolled over to lay on his chest when he made to slide into bed behind her.

Unless, of course, he could get away with a little bit of finesse. That’d depend just how aware of magic she was while hungover.

He lit up his horn, a pink bubble formed around Cadence’s sleeping form. Slowly, gently he levitated her off of him, biting his lip as she floated lazily in the air. He had to be careful putting her down on the bed, if recent mornings had taught him anything, it was that she was still as light a sleeper as ever.

Then again, he hadn’t tested that after a night of drinking.

Shining took in a deep breath through his snout and began lowering her, his muscles tensed as the edge of his bubble shield touched the plush, pink comforter. Acting quickly, he weaved his magic around Cadence’s body and let his shield dissipate and fade away into nothingness.

And here’s the tricky part, he set his jaw, praying that the static energy in his spell wouldn’t tickle her coat too much. The pink ends were already starting to poof up, the hair in her mane and tail stood on end.

Her shoulders touched against the bed. Little by little, Shining let the rest of her body down, singing in relief when all she did was sigh and smile before nuzzling into her pillow. Flawless, he crowed.

With that taken care of, Shining slid out of bed, carefully setting his hooves down on the floor so they wouldn’t make that accursed clacking sound that always seemed to wake her, no matter how tired or how deep a sleep Cadence had fallen.

Once he had all four hooves on the floor, he let out a sigh of relief. Excellent. That she hadn’t awaken at the sound of the alarm was a stroke of luck, or perhaps just a testament to how deep she was under.

Good. You need a good rest, and more easy nights like last night. Shining Armor wrinkled his snout, and smirked. Though, maybe with fewer shots next time.

Turning on his hooves, he trotted to the door, keeping his steps light. With a quick burst of magic, he wrapped his pink aura around the armor hanging on the stand on the far side of the room and levitated it over to his side. Shining slipped out of their bedroom, closing the door with a soft click.

“All right,” he muttered as he made his way over to Cadence’s desk. “Now, where do you stash your paper, Cady? Top drawer on the left, I think?” With a little tug of his magic, Shining opened the drawer.

Sure enough, the drawer was stocked full of paper and quills, each sitting in a neat, perfectly straightened stacks or in a little cup.

He quickly scrawled a note for either Prism and Tourmaline, noting that Cadence would likely be dealing with a rather nasty hangover and Honey’s special cure was sitting in a little pouch on their nightstand. No need to have a repeat of the first time, he withheld a snicker and floated the letter over to rest next to the pristinely polished regalia sitting on the counter top. Good thing Tourmie’s got such quick reflexes, or that pillow might’ve hit actually knocked her on her rump!

With his deed done, Shining briskly made his way out of the suite. As he turned the corner, there was a flash of shimmering teal and deep blue. Prism Shine was right there, bleary eyed, with her glasses askew, and mane half-combed. “Prince Armor!” she squeaked, jumping back before she ran into him.

He let out a yelp, “Dear Celestia, Prism! What are you doing up so early?”

“You forget, My Prince, that Tourmie and I had our clocks enchanted to synch up with the one in your room,” she replied with a rueful smile. “It always goes off just a bit before yours so we have a chance to get ready.”

“Oh. Oh.” Shining covered his mouth to hide a snicker. “Er, if you don’t mind me saying, I think you may have—“

“Prince Armor.” Her eyes flashed dangerously. “If you say one word about my mane, I’ll ignore your station just long enough to beat you over the head with my clipboard.”

Snorting, he stepped around Prism, lightly bumping her off balance as he passed. “Well, then, I’d best watch myself or I’ll be a victim of a coup d’état via clipboard!”

Prism glared and raised a hoof to fix her glasses. “Indeed. Now, to business; please tell me that you’re not about to go about your day looking like that. I actually will have to send you back in to brush your mane properly.”

“No, just got a bit of early morning business to take care of with Private Stout Heart. Shouldn’t be too long.” He tried to give that bright, coltish grin, the very same one that worked on Cadence. But Prism just raised a brow in reply. “Oh, come on! I have a brush in the barracks showers! I’ll do it afterward!”

She merely jabbed her hoof toward the door. “Now, Prince Armor. And if you try to slip out while I’m helping Princess Cadence, I’ll come find you and brush you in front of Stout Heart!”

“… You wouldn’t dare!”

“Like a little foal, My Prince. A little, helpless foal.”

“But—You—Oh, fine!” Rolling his eyes, Shining turned and headed back inside, with Prism following close behind. “Do I have to get your approval once I’m done, mother?”

Prism leveled him with a flat stare. Slowly, she began to reach for her clipboard, and arched a brow.

Okay, don’t annoy Prism so early in the morning, he backed toward his wardrobe. “Right. I’ll just take care of this.”

“Thank you, My Prince. Now, if you’ll excuse me—“ she turned and made to step toward the bedroom door.

“No!” Shining cried, a bit louder than he’d intended. His ears pinned back, he clamped a hoof over his mouth, and bit back a curse. “Cadence is still sleeping, Prism—bit of a late night out with the guys and me. A lot of drinking was involved.”

She froze in place and drew in a sharp breath. “How bad?”

“Er…” he shifted in place. “She got into a shot contest with Windy. And won.”

A visible shudder ran down her spine. Prism backed away from the bedroom, and turned to face him once again. “Thank you for sparing me her wrath. One time was quite enough.” Sighing, she shook her head. “I suppose I’ll have to wait until Field Medic Honeysuckle to go on duty today so we can get her special cure-all.”

“Actually, she’s off today.” Seeing her ears droop, Shining added hastily, “But she gave me a pouch before we left the pub last night! Honey came prepared last night.”

Prism let out a sigh of relief. “Thank the Heart for that mare!”

“Heh, yeah, she’s a saint, that one. I left it on the nightstand next to the clock. The alarm’s off, though, so she might have a bit of a lie in.”

“If she was out drinking with you and those foals masquerading as guards again, she just might need it!” She smiled and shook her head. “Oh, dear, I’ll have to go find Tourmie and let her know it’s just you getting up for guard stuff. She went off to go fix Princess Cadence’s morning tea.”

Shining grimaced, and rubbed at the back of his mane. Oops. “Sorry. Wasn’t thinking when I set the alarm. I’ll have to see if we can tweak that spell a bit.”

“That would be much appreciated. Now, since I’m up and your mane looks like a bird’s nest, step this way, My Prince.” She trotted ahead of him and into the wardrobe. “We can’t have you looking anything but your best when you torment dear Stout Heart!”

With a bark of laughter, he followed along, his tail swishing merrily. No, he mused. We can’t have that at all.

Shining strode out onto the practice yard, a broad grin on his muzzle and a bounce in his step. It had taken him a bit to get going, a few months of—as Tourmaline might put it—sitting on his duff and getting comfortable as a higher ranking officer and member of the Royal Family had pulled him out of the routine.

Maybe something like this, a little bit of disciplining one of his prized rookies before Celestia raised the sun, was what he needed to get back into it.

And just imagine how the recruits might jump to attention if they saw megreeting them first, rather than going through the start of the session with the Lieutenants. His grin turned sharklike as he caught sight of Stout Heart’s vibrant orange mane at the center of the field. Showed up before me. Good colt.

“Good morning, good morning, good morning!” Shining said, putting a bit more energy into his voice. A nice little trick he’d picked up from his old captain:

Smiling and looking like he had something fun planned usually made recruits wonder just what was in store for them, and since Stout Heart was fresh out of the Academy, he’d still have that stigma.

By the way his tan ears drooped, and his shoulders slumped, Stout knew that he was in for a rough day. He quickly snapped a salute, hiding his dismay as best he could. “G-Good morning, sir!”

Aw, Stout, you just make it so easy for me! Shining Armor nodded, and deposited his armor off to the side as he came to a stop. “Well, Private, why don’t you tell me why we’re both here on this fine morning?”

“Er, because I mouthed off and made fun of you, Captain,” he replied weakly.

“Partially, Private. But, if that were the case, I’d have the rest of the officers and Field Medic Honeysuckle out here as well. Try again.”

Stout Heart ducked his head. “Because I was laughing about you with Miss Tourmaline.”

“Getting warmer. Where were you laughing with Miss Tourmaline?”

“Uh… in the hallway?”

Shining gave a firm nod, his smile dropped. “Exactly. You were making jokes about me, your superior officer, in the hallway, where anypony could hear. Where my wife, your princess, overheard and told me.” He let the statement hang a moment, watching as Stout ducked lower and began pawing nervously at the ground. “You’re extremely lucky that she just takes stuff like that in good humor, and even luckier that she was the only pony around to hear it or she’d have been forced to reprimand you on the spot, then had you brought to me for something a lot more stern. Do you see what I’m getting at here?”

A stiff nod. “Y-Yes, sir,” he choked out. “I shouldn’t have been talking about it out in the open.”

“That’s right. I don’t think I need to tell you just how bad it might be if you’d been making jokes about Princess Celestia within earshot of Princess Luna? Or, heaven forbid, the inverse?”

Both stallions gave a shudder. The Royal Sisters, though fair and kind to their ponies, could be quite defensive of their loved ones. That went doubly for one another.

Stout Heart shook his head quickly. “No, sir. I won’t let it happen again! I promise!”

“I appreciate that, Private. Now, like I said, you don’t see the rest of the officers out here, and they made jokes at my expense—“ he gave a tight lipped smile “—even though I’d just love to make Lieutenant Wind Runner fly until his wings fell off for that crack about me having a ‘fat rump’, I let it slide because he said it when it was just us guards. Off duty, he would’ve had to make sure he kept it down, so that gets tricky. And we’re not even into the part about me being royalty now, so… look, just be careful. That’s the moral of this little tale.”

“Yes, sir. Really sorry, sir.”

Shining nodded, giving a small smile as he laid a hoof on Stout’s shoulder. “I know, Private. I’m telling you like this because I don’t want you to get in big trouble. Yesterday’s just a slip up, you’ve been a good guard otherwise. But, that said, there are consequences to your actions.” His smile turned wicked again. “Tell me, just how many little jokes did Tourmie make?”

“Uh, well,” Stout stammered, his eyes flitting nervously toward the hoof on his shoulder. “I-I’m not actually sure, sir. There were a few…”

“Now, now, Private, don’t try to play it off,” he said slyly. “I already got you once for lying last night, you sure you don’t wanna take a stab at it?”

“Er, I would love to, sir, but…” shifting in place, he lowered his gaze to the grass at his hooves. “I don’t think I could keep count if I’d tried…”

Ah, well, you had a chance. More fun for me, I’m afraid!

Shining hummed a few notes and made a show of turning to gaze at the track surrounding the yard. “Well, then,” he began, “I guess you’ll just get your morning run in a little early, eh?”

A tiny grimace marred Stout’s face. Likely not what he’d hoped, but still far from the worst punishment he could get.

There was just one problem. “Yes, sir. Er, how many, sir?”

“Aha! I was hoping you’d ask! That’s the fun part!” Shining leaned in, his grip on Stout’s shoulder tightened. “Since you don’t have an accurate count, you’ll just run until I think the lesson has sunk in. And since I don’t have to be anywhere until 0700, we’ve got plenty of time to make sure it gets through that thick skull of yours.”

He almost cackled at the way Stout Heart’s ears drooped just before the poor colt gave a weak “Yes, sir” in reply, and scampered off to start his first lap.

17. Writing On the Wall

A beam of sunlight shone through the window, spilling a stream of bright light into the Royal Suite. The mare sprawled out on the bed cringed and curled up defensively, her forehead felt as though it were about to split down the middle.

Damn you, Auntie! Cadence cursed. I know you do this on purpose somehow! This is why Auntie Luna is best princess after Twilight. And me. I’m definitely somewhere in the mix.

Her stomach churned, a hoof leapt to clutch at her belly. The taste of rum was still fresh on her lips. Oh, why did I have to go and challenge Windy? It’s been way too long since I had that much!

The clacking of hooves—two pairs, judging by the cadence—on crystal floor were like cymbals crashing right next to her ears. Cadence groaned piteously, and pressed her muzzle deeper into her pillow. If I pretend I’m not here, I can sleep a little longer, she told herself. Ow, never gonna drink like that again! Never ever again!

“Good morning, Princess!” Tourmaline’s overly peppy voice pounded her ears, like somepony were driving an icepick into her skull. “Come on! We’ve got a lot to do today! Up, up, up!”

“Tourmie!” she whined into her pillow. “Just… just take the morning off and lemme sit here and—“ she deftly slipped the pillow out from under herself and covered her head with it “—contemplate my life. Or die. Or demand that alcohol come served with a hangover cure potion. Whichever comes first.”

A snort of laughter made her flick an ear. “I’m afraid we can’t do that, Princess!” Prism’s voice called. “You’ve got Court today, and you explicitly ordered us to make sure that you never slept through it unless you were deathly ill!”

“This qualifies. I’m quite certain it does.”

“I’m afraid not! But, since you’ve chosen to be difficult, I’m afraid you’ve forced our hoof: Tourmaline, kindly relieve Princess Cadence of her pillow.”

“Aye, aye!” Tourmaline practically sang as she stepped around the bed. There was a metallic clank, a steady cadence of hooves, and then a tugging on Cadence’s pillow,. Tourmaline was trying to pull it free. “Come on! You know it’s time to get up, Princess!” With one last pull, she ripped it away from Cadence’s grasp.

Grumbling, Cadence made no move to get up. “I ought to have you both tossed in the dungeons…”

“You could, but you won’t! You love me far too much! And just think of all the gossip about my dinners with Stouty you’d miss out on! Not to mention the chance to help set Miss Frumpy up with her one-and-only!”

“I am not frumpy!”

… Damn it, Tourmie. She cursed, and planted her left forehoof against the mattress. With a weak push, Cadence rolled herself onto her back so she could fix Tourmaline with a glare. “You’d better have something juicier than ‘he laughed at my jokes’ or I’m going to have to hurt you—oh, why did I think drinking was a good idea?” she groaned, holding her head. A whimper escaped her throat. “Tourmie… could you be a dear and send somepony to visit Field Medic Honeysuckle?”

“Looking for one of her herbal cures?” Tourmaline asked. “Looks like she and Prince Armor were a few steps ahead of you last night—he left some on the nightstand for us to make into tea.”

Prism turned sideways to display the tea tray balanced on her back. “Indeed. He made sure to let me know exactly where to find it, and asked that I let you sleep a bit longer. That said, Court was pushed back to allow you sufficient time to recuperate, bathe, and eat before starting. However—“ she moved to set the tray beside Cadence “—I’m afraid that I wasn’t able to buy us enough time to wrestle you out of bed, so I’d very much like to forgo that if possible.”

Her wit went uncommented on, as Cadence’s full attention was locked on the pot of tea and cup of the steaming ambrosia before her. She made to channel magic through her horn, but stopped when a hot lance of pain nearly split her skull.

No magic while hungover! Bad idea! She whimpered and reached with her hooves, gently cradling the china cup as though it were something of untold value. Ooooh, Honey, you’re a saint! Without any further prompting, she raised it to her lips and took a deep sip. Her eyes fluttered shut, a tiny smile made its way across her muzzle despite her aching head.

“Oh, heavens, this is amazing!” she whispered breathily, bringing the cup close to her chest. “Girls, I may very well have to make Shiny order Honey to move in with us so I can beg her to join the staff and make me herbal teas every day. Valiance, too—otherwise, he’ll grumble and be cross with me.”

“Duly noted, Princess,” Prism replied smoothly. “And how is your stomach feeling?”

“Like somepony shook me up and is waiting for me to burst.” Almost on cue, she tasted bile in the back of her mouth. She brought a hoof up to cover herself, her ears pinned back against her scalp. “Ugh. I don’t suppose either of you brought me a—“

“Right here!” Tourmaline reached down and lifted a metal bucket by the handle, and gave it a playful waggle before setting it down next to Cadence.

“Thank you.” Without further ado, Cadence leaned over the bucket and emptied the contents of her stomach. She retched, the scent of bile and vomit burned her snout. Inhaling deeply, she opened her mouth and heaved once more.

Upon finishing, she remained hunched over the bucket, and wiped her mouth on the back of her hoof. “Okay… fun. How much time did you say I had, Prism?”

“Well, after your little episode, we have just enough time for Tourmie to help you bathe…” Prism sniffed, and promptly wrinkled her nose. “Twice, I think. Tourmie be sure to use the scented salts, they should help knock off the smell of alcohol, and for the love of the Crystal Heart don’t let her leave until she’s looking the very picture of magnificence befitting her station.”

Tourmaline giggled and snapped a quick salute. She stepped over to Cadence’s side and nudged her shoulder. “Come on, Princess, the baths await!”

“Now, wait a moment! What about my tea?”

Prism rolled her eyes. “Take the tea tray as well, Tourmie. I’ll dispose of—“ she waved a hoof at the half-filled bucket “—this mess. And to answer your question more thoroughly, Princess: you have just enough time to give one bit of complaint before we have you whisked along your morning routine until you arrive, at long last, in the Throne Room. So—”

The twins stood on either side of the bed—Prism with her nose still wrinkled at the bucket, and Tourmaline grinning cheekily with the tray balanced neatly on her back. “—let’s hear it,” both said in perfect unison, a routine they so loved to pull the morning after she drank with Shining.

Scowling, Cadence rolled over and kicked the covers off. She placed her forehooves on the crystal floor, grumbling as she staggered out of bed and toward the bathroom. “That’d better be some damn juicy gossip, Tourmie, or you’re toast. And, Prism, don’t think you’re safe—I’ve got plenty of time on my hooves to find your special somepony. Just you wait…”

Their laughter made the very tips of her ears burn as she hurried into the bathroom, her retort cut off by a sudden wave of nausea. They’ll both get theirs. Later. Much later.

After being thoroughly scrubbed—twice, just as Prism Shine had demanded—brushed, and groomed by Tourmaline, and then practically being fed by the sisters, Cadence managed to walk into the Throne Room with her head held high. Though, the wheels in her head were still turning, furiously working to come up with a few ideas.

Their teasing quips, all those little comments on how the public might react if she appeared to hold Crystal Court “hungover and looking as though death and Sombra had relations” would not go unpunished.

Flanked on either side by Stout Heart and Valiance, and with Prism trailing in her wake, Cadence strode through the great crystalline archway, pausing only to nod to the pair of guards in the outer hall, and made her way down the red carpet toward the dais.

Her gaze flitted to Stout Heart. The poor stallion looked as though he’d been through the wringer. His breath was ragged, every step brought a wince of pain, even through his well-practiced stoicism. Vaguely, she recalled that he’d been at the pub, and sat right between Valiance and Shining.

She hummed and stole a look to the Corporal. Something was a bit off in his partner and she had a feeling he knew exactly what was up.

The little twitch at the corners of his mouth, his tell that he was trying his very best to hide a grin, confirmed her suspicion. Stout Heart had been a victim of some silly guardspony shenanigans, and he knew what happened.

A small part of her begged to know, but she smothered it and climbed the stairs to her Throne. Probably one of their drinking games, she mused as she slid gracefully onto the cushioned seat. I’ll bet it was the one where the loser has to do some ridiculous stunt. I can only imagine what Shiny made him do.

Not the time or the place to start questioning, especially if her suspicions were correct—their antics were sophomoric at best, bordering on obscene at worst. A rather strange way to foster brotherhood, but who was she to judge?

“My Princess,” Prism said, “shall we begin?”

Cadence nodded and settled herself in. “I’m ready. Call in the first petitioner, Corporal Valiance!”

“Yes, My Princess,” he bowed and trotted briskly out to the hallway.

Her stomach lurched, the back of her throat burned with bile. Cadence closed her eyes and took a deep breath to help calm her nausea. Come on, relax. Just breathe deep and think of something else. Happy thoughts—the smiling faces of her subjects after she’d heard their needs and offered them aid.

A smile crossed her muzzle as the feeling left her, and the bile settled back into her stomach.

Good. Another crisis averted. I can only imagine what the talk around town would be if I got sick during Court, a shudder ran down her spine. How long before the Council would send a letter congratulating Shiny and I on providing an heir?

“Princess?” Prism called from her place on Cadence’s right. “Is everything alright? How do you feel?”

Smiling brightly, she replied, “Oh, about as well as I was feeling this morning—minus a headache, but with all the fun of my stomach still doing backflips!”

A sympathetic wince. “I’d hoped the tea and breakfast would’ve settled your stomach a bit more. All jokes aside, would you like us to call off Court for the day? If you really are that ill—“

“I’ll survive, Prism. Thank you.” She turned her attention to the doorway, just in time to see Valiance trotting back in.

“Hear ye, hear ye!” he boomed. “Crystal Court is now in session! Her Imperial Majesty, Princess Cadence, presiding!”

Cadence nodded in acknowledgement, all routine by now. “Thank you, Corporal. Please send the first petitioner in.”

“At once, Your Majesty!” Valiance turned in place to address the ponies outside. “Presenting Mister Howlite and Miss Strawberry Quartz of Garnet and Quartz Districts, respectively!”

A couple? Cadence fought the urge to ruffle her feathers. Nothing out of the ordinary, but with her getting back into the swing—and with Shining’s blessing, no less—she should take a bit more time with such petitions.

Wait, don’t get your hopes up quite yet. See what they’re here for.

Howlite—a stallion of pale gray cote and white mane—and Strawberry Quartz—a mare with a soft pink mane and clear, glasslike coat—stepped forward, their gaze down as they approached. The pair stopped a short distance from the dais and bent at the knees, bowing low enough to touch their foreheads against the floor.

“Good tidings and praise be unto you, Your Majesty,” they greeted in unison.

From then on, Howlite continued, “Thank you for seeing us today! Truly, it is an honor to stand in your presence!”

A slight flick of her tail, Cadence let out a sharp breath through her nose. Maybe Shiny has a point. That is getting a bit grating. “Rise, my ponies! The Crystal Court is always pleased to welcome its subjects and hear their interests! Tell me, how might I help you today?”

The pair shared a look, matching blushes colored their cheeks. Howlite took a none-too-subtle step closer to Strawberry and grasped her hoof. “Er, if it wouldn’t be too much trouble, Your Highness,” he began, a silly grin crossed his muzzle, “Strawberry and I were looking to get married—we haven’t yet had a chance to set a date, but we wanted to come before you to ask… uh… Berry, could you?” his face was almost more red than gray as he ducked low and gave her shoulder a nudge.

Giggling, Strawberry Quartz pressed against his side and, much to Cadence’s surprise, looked up to meet her gaze. “We wanted to ask for your blessing, Your Majesty!” she said, her voice full of confidence and joy.

Her tail swished, her ears stood to their fullest height. The corners of her mouth twitched, her tiny smile grew into a full-blown grin.

And then she stood. Howlite and Strawberry quickly bowed low, averting their eyes once again as she stepped down from the dais.

She tutted. No, no, that won’t do. “I said rise, my friends! Please, no need to stand on ceremony today!” she said, her tone light and chipper. “I’m quite honored and privileged that you’d come before me and ask my blessing. Helping ponies find love and maintain their bond is something that brings me joy like no other!”

They raised their heads, blinking owlishly at the command to forgo tradition. “Really?” Howlite asked, his smile back in place.

Cadence raised an eyebrow at him and giggled. “Oh, Howlite, dear! In Equestria, I’m known more as the Princess of Love than the Imperial Princess of the Crystal Empire. Love is my special talent! It’s my thing, just like Prince Armor can put up shields that are nigh impossible to break, finding the spark that brings ponies together is what makes me happiest!” She beamed at the pair, and spread her wings wide. “I’d be happy to give you my blessing—“

“Really?” Their tails wagged, their faces lit up eagerly. Cadence could practically see stars shining in Strawberry Quartz’s eyes.

So cute! I’ll bet Shiny and I were the same around that time! Hiding a smile, she held up a hoof. “I wasn’t finished. I’ll give you my blessing, on one condition,” she let the sentence hang a moment, a tiny bit of the showmareship Auntie Celestia taught her bled into her presentation. Cadence dropped all pretense and beamed. “As Princess of Love, I get to preside over the wedding.”

She blinked and, suddenly, her subjects had her wrapped in a tight hug—a far cry from the crystal ponies who scrapped and bowed and dared not meet her eye. Their jubilant cries of gratitude rang in her ears, drowning out everything else.

Her chest filled with warmth as she wrapped her hooves around the pair. “Congratulations,” she whispered in their ears. “I hope your lives together are as full of love and happiness as mine.”

There was nothing, no force of nature or power known to pony kind, that could take the smile off her muzzle or the joy from her heart. It had been a long time coming, but she’d finally managed to get herself back into her groove as Princess of Love.

Howlite and Strawberry Quartz had only been the first couple of four to come asking for her blessing—each of them were overjoyed, not only to receive it, but to have an offer from their princess herself!

Naturally, Prism Shine made sure to point out a bit of oversight on her part: she hadn’t extended the offer to those she’d already given her blessing to.

Cadence gave an embarrassed chuckle as she stepped into the Royal Suite and kicked off her golden shoes, and levitated her crown over to rest on the countertop. The solution wasn’t exactly easy, but better to offer the chance for ponies to renew their vows than to make them feel as though their marriages were cheapened because she’d been run ragged and too busy to preside over them.

Thank Celestia for Prism, she thought, and not for the first time. If not for her, I‘d be completely lost!

Only now did she understand why Raven was so important to Auntie Celestia. The level of organization it took to keep everything neat and tidy in ruling the Crystal Empire—what remained of it, anyway—was only a tiny fraction of what it took to run Equestria.

Humming idly, she levitated her shoes to rest near her crown, and turned to make her way to the couch.

She froze in place, the sight of a letter resting on the table made her heart leap into her throat. Prism had beaten her back from Court in time to deliver the mail? Was it really that late in the day?

Her eyes darted to the clock. Just past four. Her walk back hadn’t taken that long. Then again, she sent Prism off to make the announcement about wedding vows.

Stalling, she scolded herself, stepping toward the couch with a tremble in her step. Even from afar, Twilight’s neat, pointed script stood out. Like a light in the darkness of night, both a welcome site and one that made her blood run cold.

Cadence forced herself to sit down, biting her lips as her rump came into contact with the couch’s plush cushion, and lit up her horn. Her sky blue magic flickered, almost as nervous as she, and took hold of the letter, shakily bringing it up to float in front of her muzzle.

She took a deep breath and broke the seal with a flick of her magic. Reaching inward, she took hold of the letter and pulled it out.

Almost as though somepony had taken control from her, the letter unfolded itself, and revealed Twilight’s reply:

“Dear Cadence,

“I’m combining two replies into one this time around for the sake of brevity. And because I’ve nearly run out of paper and Quill ’n Sofa won’t have an order in until tomorrow and this can’t wait.

“First of all, I’ve begun my studies of the crystals you’ve sent and come up with two working hypotheses: The first, is that, considering the nature of the Crystal Heart, the Crystal Empire is able to produce crystals that react stronger to magic than those found elsewhere. The second is that, keeping in mind the strength of their reaction, these crystals are able to hold spell enchantments longer and stronger than those used in traditional alchemic experiments. If you have any you’d like me to make in addition, please let me know. Also, as I’m sure you’re aware, I won’t be able to complete this project before the meeting, so this will be more of a preliminary proposal to be given to Lord Alfons—I hope that’s acceptable.

“On to more personal matters… Wow. I’m really unsure of how to address all that you’ve told me. Objectively, the Council does bring up several good points: between his injuries in the forest and the events that lead to Sombra’s regime—what we know, at least—there is a legitimate issue to be had with how Shiny takes care of himself. Or rather, how he doesn’t. You and I both know how he is on that front. Additionally, they make a logical point on providing an heir, see the aforementioned for reasons.

“I wouldn’t dare tell the pair of you to up and have a foal before you were ready—heavens no! That’s a conversation that you and Shiny desperately need to have at some point. Just sit down, discuss, and plan with him.

“As for the point on his future in the guard… I’m of two minds. The little filly in me wants her big brother safe, but also knows that being a guard is what Shiny dreamed about. And the Princess of Friendship knows that, as Captain, Shining Armor is vital to the security of the Crystal Empire and Equestria as a whole, but I can’t ignore his importance as a prince. Either way, somepony isn’t going to be happy with the final decision.

“I don’t recall any provision that states anypony other than one of the princesses or officers of the Royal Guard have the power to dismiss one of their own. Not without criminal offense, at least, but that would go to either civilian court or military tribunal, depending on the offense. Really, the ball is in your court on this matter. That said, you’ve got to talk to him. The two of us could sit down and read through every last book on Royal Guard regulations, but if he finds out we knew about this, he’ll freak out. I doubt he’ll be too happy, since you’ve kept this under wraps for a while, but it’ll be better if he hears it from you rather than being called into their chambers to discuss whether or not he’s picked his replacement yet. At the very least, the two of you can figure out where to go from here.

“I’m really sorry I don’t have anything better for you, but this is all I can suggest. Please, Cady. Talk to him. Tell him what’s going on and why, so he doesn’t get blindsided with this by some politician. I don’t mean to guilt trip you, but, for his services, he’s owed that much. And let me know what you two decide. I’ll support you both in any way I can, and I know Celestia and Luna would do the same.

“Love, Twilight Sparkle. Your LSILBFF.”

Cadence sighed, letting the letter dip in the air in time with her sinking heart. Of course Twilight would be objective on the matter, it was in her nature. It was something Auntie Celestia impressed upon her from the first day she’d taken her on as her personal student.

No easy answer, no way to simply wave her hoof and make the problem go away. Either way she went about it, Shining would have to find out eventually—whether it was from one of the council members complaining that she’d ignored the issues they’d raised, and the logic behind them, or from her own mouth, Shining would learn of it.

Either way would hurt him, she thought, her wings drooped at the image her mind conjured. Cerulean eyes wide and full of dejection, a silent plea for her to tell him it was some sort of cruel joke, his mouth hanging open in a small ‘O’ shape, his ears laying flat against his scalp.

The image alone was enough to make her mouth feel dry. The Guard was his dream. Serving and protecting is part of who he is, and always wanted to be. Her eyes flitted back to the letter, focusing on the passage concerning his importance to the Empire as the prince.

Not to mention, his importance in terms of providing an heir to the Crystal Throne.

Danger would always be associated with his station, an intrinsic fact of being a Royal Guard. Protecting others from harm meant, invariably, putting oneself in harms way.

And he had done so, multiple times. Sombra, Discord and Tirek, protecting small towns on the Equestrian-U.G.T. border from bandits, Shining Armor ran headlong into the fray with a fire in his eyes and horn alight with magical glow, fully prepared to meet his end should it mean protecting just one pony.

Squeezing her eyes shut, Cadence tried to block the memories out. Nights she spent fretting over his safety came in a rush, the way he’d trot into Canterlot Castle with his coat battered, dirtied, and bloodied, his armor scuffed, and a tired smile on his muzzle flashed before her in a rush. Black crystal shards piercing his horn and rendering him magically inert, his weakened body after Tirek drained the magic from him.

All from his sworn duty to protect. A fact he accepted years ago.

But there was something else. Of all the memories, there was one she tried to keep locked away above all others. The closest she’d ever come to losing him.

A vacant smile, his face lined with stress and exhaustion, strong cerulean eyes empty and glowing an eerie green, and echoing, dual-toned laughter.

Her laughter.

Cadence grit her teeth, slowly she opened her eyes and stared at the letter. Reply, she told herself. Thank her for offering help, and let her know that you’ll find a way to tell him. Break it to him easily, so he’s not hurt as badly. She stood, trotting with heavy heart and slow step to her desk, and plopped herself down into the chair.

With a sigh, she lit her horn, floating quill, ink, and paper out of their respective places in the drawer. Dipping the tip of her quill into the inkwell, she mused over her reply.

How to begin? A generic reply? Assurances that she’d “get to it as soon as possible”?

Snorting, she shook her head. No, thank her for offering her advice, and impressing the need for urgency. The vision of Shining Armor gaping at her, eyes full of hurt, returned to the forefront of her mind. Her heart ached at the mere thought, that he would look at her in such a way.

But the alternative was worse. Hurt became betrayal, low-hanging jaw and wide eyes morphed into an angry scowl.

A shudder ran down her spine. It has to be me. Twily is right, of course. Cadence lifted the quill in her magic and brought it to hover over the blank sheet of paper. “Good thing one of us can be objective and not scramble around,” she muttered.

The sound of hooves on crystal made her ear flick to the door. Heavy steps, a more solid sound rather than that of crystal pony hoof.

Either Shining or a guard.

The doorknob turned, Cadence hastily threw open the drawer, stuffed Twilight’s letter into the envelope, and tossed it inside, before closing it with a soft thud. She turned and fixed a bright smile on her muzzle as she greeted Shining, still in his gleaming armor. “Welcome back! How were the trainees?”

Shining gave a tired smile. “Not bad, they’re making progress. A little slower than my liking, but that’s been the story of the program, so I can’t really say too much there.” He strode across the room, smiling as he came close enough to lean forward and steal a kiss from her lips. “Mm, sweet as always!” Shining hummed. “And, suddenly, I’ve got enough energy to wrestle a hydra!”

She hesitated to respond, her smile strained. “Oh. Good. Glad to hear it…”

His ears perked up, his lips curved into a small frown before Cadence could begin to scold herself. “Are you okay, Cady?”

“Me? I’m fine!” Another plastic grin, toothy and bright like she was posing for cameras. “Just a little tired. I had a bit of a rough morning to start off today.”

Wincing in sympathy, Shining looped a hoof around her shoulders. “I forgot you had a bit much to drink last night. You took Honeysuckle’s remedy, right?” At her nod, he smiled, kissed her cheek, and then continued. “Well, at least it was short-lived. Not a fun way to wake up, though. I hope Court wasn’t too much trouble today.”

This time, her smile was more genuine. “Oh, no, not at all! It was a good day,” she said, her tone lighter and more chipper. “I was asked to give my blessing to another couple today, and I decided that it would be a good time to get myself back in the game as Princess of Love.”

“Oh?” His brow arched. “How so?”

“I offered to preside over their wedding.” Cadence sighed, her feathers fluffing up. “It’ll be a little extra work, but it’ll be nice to get back to it again.”

Shining grinned and gave her another kiss. “That’s great!”

Humming at the affection he gave, Cadence beamed. “You’re okay with me doing a little extra?”

“I know how much you like helping ponies find love, Cady, of course I’m okay with it!” His tail swished, he almost seemed ready to bounce on his hooves. “If you wanna get more involved in the city and it means giving you a chance to do something you love, I’m totally on board! Besides, it’s good to see you getting back into the swing of thing—even if that means the return of your love webs.”

Cadence giggled despite herself. “Thank you, Shining.” She kissed the end of his snout and nosed against him, sighing happily.

You need to talk to him.

She could almost hear Twilight’s voice echoing in her head, a stern reminder that she’d put it off too long.

Yes, yes, I know. Cadence drew back and took a breath, readying to bare her burden to Shining. The words were on the tip of her tongue, four words that spelled trouble for any couple.

We need to talk.

But one look into his eyes, how happy he was that she’d gone ahead and done something she enjoyed, gave her pause. A lump caught in her throat. The words wouldn’t come forth, no matter how hard she tried.

Shining blinked and tilted his head, confusion at her change in mood written plainly across his face. Giving a tiny smile, he nosed against her cheek. “Hey, how about we get out and go to dinner tonight? Give the kitchen staff a break and the two of us do stuff together like the old days.”

Warmth flooded her chest, she gave a happy swish of her tail. Time with Shining where they could sit together and relax like they had in Canterlot was precious, and his offer for an evening out would go for a nice change in pace.

No. Tell him.

“That sounds like a great idea!” Cadence said. Though she cursed her cowardice internally, she maintained a smile as his eyes lit up and he kissed her once more.

“Great!” He drew back and grinned. “I’m gonna go get out of my armor and get a quick shower. Can’t have my Princess of Love seen consorting with a pony who smells like a wet dog, can I?”

“Certainly not!” She forced a short laugh. Whether for his benefit or hers, she wasn’t entirely sure. Her smile still in place, she gave him a playful shove toward the bathroom. “Go de-louse yourself!”

Her eyes lingered on him, watching him trot away with a bounce in his step and a merry swishing of his tail. So happy, so lively, a stark contrast to the rundown stallion who’d tried to juggle training, administrative duties, the Court, and her moods a few short weeks ago.

Tonight, she decided. I’ll tell him tonight.

It was far from the first time she’d lied to herself.

18. Lie In the Bed You've Made

Cadence’s cheeks ached, the false smile on her face taxed her so. Happy Cady, she told herself. You’re having a nice time out with your husband. Smile and be happy.

While the little café Honeysuckle, Valiance, and Stout Heart swore by wasn’t quite the five star establishment she was used to dining at back in Canterlot, the setting was quite nice—a smaller space than she was used to, and they were seated at a plain little couples’ table off to the side rather than having a full setup with a pristine, white tablecloth, water glasses, and a pitcher to themselves.

Still, it was something that made Shining happy. And if Shining was happy, she was happy. He deserved to be as comfortable as she. That said, even if it was a little plain in comparison and the food was about the same as what they’d have eaten in the shopping centers by his parents’ house, Cadence was determined to keep a smile on her muzzle and enjoy their little outing.

Even if their waitress nearly tripped over herself whenever she came by the table, and the owner stopped by every few minutes to make sure there wasn’t anything he could do to make their stay more comfortable.

Yes. If you could go right ahead and tell my husband that the Council wants him to cut his military career short while he’s in his prime, that would be just lovely. With a snort, she took a bite of her dandelion and daisy sandwich. Wrinkling her muzzle, she added a note to that thought, And somepony needs to check if these dandelions are fresh—they taste a bit bland.

Cadence stopped in mid-chew and gave herself a little shake. Since when was she picky about little things like that? The sandwich was fine—tasteful, with their typical “kick” to the flavor, and fresh. The sandwich wasn’t the problem at all. Her problem began a few short days ago, and hadn’t left her alone since.

Though she tried to push it back, the letter still weighed on her mind. Certainly, she couldn’t hold off much longer—Shining had to know what the Council kept prodding her to do. But how did she bring that up in conversation?

Cadence’s mind wandered from the Imperial Carriage to Twilight’s letter—which still waited for her back at their suite. The words echoed in her head, taunting her with each passing second she spent with Shining Armor.

“…Objectively, the Council does bring up several good points: between his injuries in the forest and the events that lead to Sombra’s regime—what we know, at least—there is a legitimate issue to be had with how Shiny takes care of himself. Or rather, how he doesn’t…”

Shining nudged her with his shoulder. “Cady?”

She jolted out of her thoughts. “Yes, Shiny?”

“You awake in there?” he asked, a teasing smirk on his muzzle. “You look like you’re a million miles away. Everything okay?”

No. “Of course!” she said with her false smile in place. “Sorry, just thinking through a couple things—Prism’s been harping on me to hurry up and tell her what we need to prepare for the griffins’ visit, even thought I’ve told her about fifty-odd times that we still need to wait for a reply before anything’s done.”

Fortunately, he bought her bluff. “That mare.” He chuckled and shook his head. “If she weren’t so reverent of your aunts, I’ll bet she’d hop the train to Canterlot and tell them she’s got a better way of organizing when they raise the sun and moon!”

She gave a weak laugh. Cadence kept her wings folded tight against her sides, lest the treacherous things droop and give her away.

Floating her sandwich over again, she took a bite, using the chance to hide her failing smile and create a little gap in the conversation for herself. She chewed slowly, half-listening to Shining Armor while she mulled over the letter.

How to address it? As the Council said, he was their prince and the highest military authority in the Empire—but that worked both ways. Leaving him on active duty in the field was a risk, but pulling him off without a suitable replacement ready left them vulnerable.

Not to mention the impact it would have in private.

She sighed. And this is the problem with the Royal Guard—I have authority over my own husband. Sending a letter to Celestia or Luna would only complicate the problem—that’d make it four princesses who knew of the issue before Shining Armor was even aware that his position had been brought into question.

Either way, she had to face it soon.

“Oh!” Shining’s voice brought her back to the present. “You remember how you mentioned Stout Heart and Tourmaline laughing it up in the hallway after training?” At her nod, he pressed on, a broad grin crossed his muzzle. “Well, Tourmie decided to corner me in the hallway the other day, and tried to read me the riot act—me!”

Cadence’s ears pricked up, her attention finally pulled away from her troubles. “Really? What for?”

“Heh, figures that would get your attention,” he quipped. “They had a little ‘outing’ together that night and he was beat after running all morning and then standing guard in Court.” Shining held his hooves out wide. “Apparently, I’m not allowed to discipline a subordinate if it conflicts with Little Miss Tourmie’s evening plans!”

She hid a bout of laughter behind a hoof, a genuine smile played upon her lips. How very typical of her. “Never underestimate how much value a lady places in her plans, Shiny dear. Remember the day we were supposed to have a picnic by the lakeside?”

“When I had to catch you in a bubble shield before you could go yell at my commanding officers for changing my shift at the last minute because Windy came down with feather flu?”

“Yes, that one.” Her cheeks tinged a deep red at how she struggled against his shield, how he was able to adapt the spell at each turn to thwart her escape. “You made it a point to remind me of your talents.”

Shining gave a little waggle of his ears. “Mhmm, and you tried promising me a few rather interesting things if I let you go.” He tapped a hoof against his chin in mock thought. “If I recall, one such thing was—“

Cadence quickly took his sandwich in her magic and jammed it into his mouth before he could finish. “Eat your sandwich, Shiny,” she deadpanned. “You don’t want to insult the owners.”

The mischievous gleam in his eyes as he took a bite and chewed, grinning despite his filled mouth, only made her muzzle burn hotter, though she couldn’t help but smile in turn. That grin of his still so infectious.

He swallowed the bite and cleared his throat. “Well, nice to see a real smile on you again—thought I was in trouble for something again.”

“Oh?” she fought to keep the smile, reserving herself to a mental wince. “Have you done something that deserves being in trouble?”

“Not that I can think of, but it’s nice to make sure I’ve not shot my mouth off.” Shining reached across the table and took her hoof in his. “Maybe you should take a couple days off, Cady. A couple weeks ago, you were miserable, now you’re spacing out mid-conversation.”

Another cringe, and a mental hoof to her head. “I’m fine, Shiny. It’s just been a couple of rough weeks, and sleep isn’t coming quite as easy. I’m starting to see what Auntie Celestia meant when she told me the weight of the crown being more than a simple piece of metal all those years ago.”

The little sideways bob of his head—almost a half nod, half mulling it over—brought a little smile to her muzzle. Good, playing a bit to his point while still making hers worked nicely. In the long run, it wouldn’t make things any easier, but it got him off her back for a little while longer.

“The little filly in me wants her big brother safe, but also knows that being a guard is what Shiny dreamed about. And the Princess of Friendship knows that, as Captain, Shining Armor is vital to the security of the Crystal Empire and Equestria as a whole, but I can’t ignore his importance as a prince. Either way, somepony isn’t going to be happy with the final decision.”

No matter how she looked at things, Cadence couldn’t please everypony. Either Shining Armor would rant and fume, or the Council would tie her up in meeting after meeting and pander to their districts.

Still, the smile on her muzzle remained. I need to break it easy to him, she thought. Explain that it’s because everypony is worried about his health, and we can sit down for a talk with the Council to see if there’s some way to compromise—didn’t he mention something about lobbying for Lighthoof to get a promotion at some point? Yes, that was it! He was complaining about Hoofy not doing all the paperwork properly that day!

Yes, that could work quite nicely. Bring the problem to his attention, then offer a possible solution. Perhaps, with a seasoned veteran taking charge, the Council could be appeased and Shining could still retain some semblance of his military role. Not necessarily in the field every day as he’d like, but certainly better than outright demanding that he turn in his armor permanently.

She watched as he lifted his glass to guzzle the last remnants of his soda—in a manner that would’ve had Prism gaping incredulously and sputtering at how it was improper to crystal ponies to see their prince drink in such a manner.

Not that she disagreed, especially when he placed the glass down with a none-too-gentle thud and sighed in content. “Ah, that hit the spot! Gotta say, Honey and Valiance had a point, this is like going back home again!” Shining glanced to her plate, tilting his head to the side as he caught sight of her half-finished sandwich. “Aren’t you going to finish?”

Cadence shook her head. “I’m having one of those weird days. Felt like I could down a full orchard of apples, then started eating and filled right up, y’know?”

“Ah. Yeah, I understand. Want me to ask for a to-go box? No reason to waste it, right?”

“Yes, thank you.” She nodded. “That’d be much appreciated.”

Taking hold of her plate in his magic, he stood and gave a sly smirk. “Now, let’s see how much of a heart attack we can give that poor waitress,” he muttered as he trotted off toward the counter. “And maybe the owner when I pay like a regular customer…”

With a snort, she shook her head. The corners of her mouth tugged upward into a silly grin as she watched their waitress turn and walk straight into Shining Armor’s chest, jumping back with a squeak of surprised and stammering apologies as fast she she could.

Cadence stifled a laugh with a hoof. Terrible, she thought, slowly standing and giving a little ruffle of her feathers when she caught sight of the owner scampering out from the kitchen. You’re a terrible tease, Shining Armor. And that’s coming from meof all ponies.

Another shake of her head as she watched Shining float a bag of bits into view despite their protests. One of these days, his method of teaching through little jokes was going to end with one of their poor subjects breaking down in tears—and then, she’d have to clean up the mess while resisting the urge to smack him over the head.

Still, he was happy, and doing his best to make sure they him for the pony he wanted to be rather than grumbling over their perceptions of the crown.

Much better. Now, if only she could get herself to move forward and talk.

“Please, Cady. Talk to him. Tell him what’s going on and why, so he doesn’t get blindsided with this by some politician. I don’t mean to guilt trip you, but, for his services, he’s owed that much.”

A curse was fresh on her tongue, ready to slip out, but she managed to swallow it and mask it behind her smile. She grimaced, wrinkling her muzzle at that portion of Twilight’s letter—almost a parting shot across the bow.

Of course he deserved to hear it from her, and no pony else—that none of the Councilponies asked him to join for a session to bring it to his attention, or simply ask if he had a replacement in mind had been a stroke of good fortune. They were at least giving her the time to do so.

Whether that was out of sympathy for the tough spot they’d put her in or reverence of her status and deeds in defending the Empire, she had no idea. In either case, her fortune was incredible.

But good fortune would only last so long, and wouldn’t get her any closer to saying it.

Tonight. I’ll tell him once we get home and settled in. Cadence stood as he walked toward her, the telltale twinkle in his eyes and the stunned ponies he left in his wake a confirmation that his little play had gone well in his favor.

“Ready to go, honey?” he asked, a seemingly casual tone to his voice, betrayed by the little wag of his tail and poorly-hidden grin.

With a roll of her eyes, she brushed a wing against his side, earning a little wince and quick hop away from her teasing feathers. “Yes, you big goofball, I’m ready. Let’s go before you really do cause a heart attack!”

Nothing could wipe the grin off Shining Armor’s muzzle. Sure, Cadence had been a bit distant, and that smile of hers was more fake than a vegetarian restaurant in the Griffin Territories, but she’d finally loosened up a bit toward the end.

Something’s on her mind. Maybe not as stressful as a couple weeks ago, but she’s definitely playing up the act. He hummed a few notes, idly drumming his hooves against Cadence’s desk while he waited for her to have a chat with Tourmaline about her regalia.

Why she felt need to keep him out of those conversations, he didn’t quite understand. She looked wonderful in it, as always, and he’d seen her in much more… intimate attire.

A certain dress from their night at the Iridescent flashed before his eyes. Definitely not so innocent, he thought with a grin, giving a little swish of his tail. That night had certainly been one to remember—a wonderful dinner, dancing the night away like they had at the clubs and well-to-do restaurants and parties in Canterlot, and a night alone with her. Not to mention the impromptu moment together on the couch after a rough day at work, then migrating to the bedroom for the rest of the evening…

Shining took a deep breath in through his snout, and let it out in a happy sigh. They’d both been running around for so long—him with the Imperial Guard and security, and her with Crystal Court, meeting after meeting with the Council, and general running the Empire.

I really don’t envy her on that front. He blanched, sticking out his tongue as if tasting something bitter. Give me a day with a pissed off Captain Iron Hoof than sit on a throne all day and try to play the political game—in fact, give me two Iron Hoofs.

Idly, he began shifting a few papers around on her desk. He hummed an old guard tune as he floated a quill from the side of her desk, odd, given her habits—at best, she was only slightly less obsessive with her desk space as Twily. Quills, inkwells, pencils, and paper always went in the top drawer, organized into neat little sections.

“If I leave this, she’ll probably get twitchy,” he mused. “And if I move it, she’ll notice something out of place from where she left things. Ah, well.”

With a shrug, he opened the drawer and floated the quill into the little cup she’d placed within. As he made to close it up, he noticed something out of place:

An envelope in between the stack of papers and cup of quills, stood on its side to fit in.

Shining raised a brow. That’s not where you go either, he thought as he wrapped his magic around the offending article. Cady really has been running about if she’s just tossing things into drawers.

Lifting the letter out, he closed the top drawer and looked over the face of the letter for sender information—personal letters always went in the upper right corner of her workspace so she didn’t forget to reply, and business letters always went in the file holder on the left, in one of the various dividers.

His eyes flitted to the face of the letter, toward the top left corner to read the sender’s name. “Twily?” He blinked, tilting his head to the side. Why in Equestria would Cadence toss a letter from Twilight so carelessly into a drawer?

“She probably got tired and just tossed it in there without thinking.” Shining shook his head, frowning when he noticed the tear in the top. “Huh, already open. Must’ve just forgotten about it.” He gave a little snort of laughter.

Probably a progress report on her research. Well, Twily, let’s see what you’ve got. Shining snaked his magic inside the envelope and slid out the letter, letting it hover in front of him as he unfolded it and began reading.

Slowly, the smile slid off his face, a cold weight dropped into the pit of his stomach. His right forehoof twitched as if ready to slam down onto the desk.

It couldn’t be right. One injury couldn’t possibly be enough to warrant something like that. He scanned the letter a second time. A third. A fourth.

The words remained the same. With each time he read through his world seemed to collapse in on itself. Shining closed his eyes tight and took a deep, shuddering breath, fighting down the burning fury within.

She lied to me.

19. Who Will Protect You?

Anger, pain, both burned deep within his body as he let the words play through his head.

Shining Armor sat on the couch, hunched over and hooves steepled as he waited for Cadence to walk into the room. Twilight’s letter sat open on the coffee table, almost taunting him—like a new cadet, a fresh face to the academy, mouthing off on the very first day and just daring him to do something about it. The only difference was that he couldn’t make a letter run laps until it vomited, or do push ups until their forelegs felt like jelly.

Nor could he very well send Twilight a nasty letter in reply, demanding that she explain why he hadn’t been notified. Well, he could if he wanted to be an utter jerk about the whole thing.

The only thing saving heris her insistence that Cady come clean with me, he fumed. Shining took a deep breath and closed his eyes, counting backward from ten for what must have been the third time.

And then he did so a fourth time.

And a fifth.

It wasn’t working. Usual methods for calming the raging inferno that was his temper were failing, instead only serving to stoke the flames. Deep breathing, counting backwards, both methods Cadence taught him back in high school when he started getting into sports and big competitions.

The mere thought of her name brought a scowl to his lips. He glanced at the letter again, scanning over the words.

“Objectively, the Council does bring up several good points: between his injuries in the forest and the events that lead to Sombra’s regime—what we know, at least—there is a legitimate issue to be had with how Shiny takes care of himself. Or rather, how he doesn’t. You and I both know how he is on that front. Additionally, they make a logical point on providing an heir, see the aforementioned for reasons.”

Shining ground his teeth together, he could almost feel the enamel cracking under the pressure. I take care of myself just fine, thank you very much! One little mistake, one injury because I stepped between my recruits, my trainees, and a mauling bear, and suddenly everypony thinks they have to pick me up and carry me like a foal!

He was just fine, perfectly healthy and whole! Yet they still doubted him at every turn!

From his timeline for training recruits, to his health, and now his job! And foals! Providing an heir to the Crystal Throne!

When in the name of Celestia and Luna’s crowns had the Council brought that up? Certainly not in front of him the few times he was in session with them. The most he’d heard of the matter was Cadence’s drunken rambling on the carriage ride home from the pub and—oh!

His nostrils flared. The date! Right after their lovely night at the Iridescent, they’d come back to the suite, flirting with one another like a couple of young teens recklessly in love—foals were right in the forefront of Cadence’s mind.

Thinking of the little doorcolt and how young Stout Heart was, she claimed. What a load of horseapples! He snorted, flicking his tail derisively. Spontaneous inspiration, my cutie mark! How long have they been badgering her for foals? How long have they been trying to make me retire?

How long had Cadence been lying to him? How many of her smiles had been forced, purely for his “benefit”?

Shining flicked his ear at the steady clip-clop of hooves against crystal floor. A scowl crossed his muzzle as the steps came closer. He slumped his shoulders, glaring balefully at the letter as if he could incinerate it with a mere thought.

Deep breaths. Don’t blow up. Breathe in deep, exhale slowly. Don’t yell, don’t throw anything. Don’t cast magic. Do. Not. Cast.

Bolts of pink magic sparked and crackled around his horn. Another deep breath—in through his snout, out through his mouth. Slowly, he forced his magic to dissipate as he exhaled.

“Shiny?” Cadence called as she entered. “There’s something we really need to—“ she stopped short, her words cut off by a gasp. “Sh-Shiny, where did you…”

His fragile control over his temper broke. Shining turned to glare at her, his eyes boring into her brilliant purple. “How long?” he ground out through gritted teeth.

Two words. All it took to turn her blood to ice were two words and the ugly, furious scowl across Shining’s handsome muzzle.

Cadence felt her heart sink into her stomach, she struggled to tear her eyes away from his to check the paper resting on the coffee table, as if a second glance might prove it nothing more than a mistake. Maybe a new tax form the Council had slipped through, or something the could be remedied with a quick meeting.

Of course, she knew it was just wishful thinking. Twilight’s neat script stared back at her, almost insolently defying her wishes.

Too long. She’d put it off far too long. One look into his eyes—those cerulean blues she’d come to love for how they shined with mirth and vigor—made her hooves tremble. Eyes that once looked at her with nothing but love and admiration bored into her, burning with indignation.

“Answer me!” he barked, his horn flashing pink. Somewhere behind her, a glass shattered.

Without thinking, Cadence raised a hoof. “Sh-Shiny, calm down! Take a deep breath and—“

His eyes flashed, his lips peeled back to reveal his teeth—a snarl the likes of which he normally reserved for the most unruly of recruits.

Wrong thing to say.

Sparks of magic danced off his horn, leaving scorch marks on the couch. “Don’t tell me to calm down, Cadence!” She recoiled, the venom in his tone foreign to her ears. “Explain this. Now!” Shining growled, his magic whipped the letter off the table and holding it in front of her muzzle.

Forcing her to read the very words which had plagued her mind for the past several days.

Cadence closed her eyes and took in a shuddering breath. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. She lit up her horn, gently wrapping her magic around his—a sign of comforting among unicorns. But as quickly as she did so, he retracted his own.

No simple gestures would ease his temper this time.

She swallowed the lump in her throat, her wings itched to open and take to the sky to escape his furious gaze. No, she thought as she lowered the letter and gave a resigned sigh. It’s time. No more stalling.

With trembling hooves and butterflies in her chest, Cadence stepped over toward the loveseat across from the couch, and sat down. She set the letter on the table between them, as if they were two foreign leaders negotiating. Or, more on topic: the Imperial Crystal Princess and her Captain of the Imperial Guard.

“For some time,” she began, “the Council of Shards has been concerned with the dangers associated with your duty, and how that might impact your longevity on the Throne. You don’t tend to like taking the traditional role of an officer—you bounce from administrative work at your desk to training and drilling out in the field with your soldiers. That’s been something of a bother to them since the first day the Equestrian Royal Guard was posted and we took the Throne, and only grown more prevalent since you revived the Imperial Guard.”

His eyes narrowed. “And why was this not brought to my attention in the first place?”

Not helping at all. “It was kept to quiet grumblings at first. They didn’t have enough traction to really force the issue until you started taking the recruits outside the city limits for periodic runs to get them familiar to the territory.” She winced, thinking back to one particular discussion. “They, er, brought up your actions in leading Twilight and her friends to the Empire. How you went alone to meet them rather than taking a full platoon—“

“I kept our forces back in order to protect the city should something happen!” Shining snapped. “That load of horseapples doesn’t fly with me!”

“I know why you did it, and I told them such.” Cadence held up a hoof to forestall further comment. “It was just a point they raised regarding a certain pattern you follow. You don’t like to give orders and sit back, you give orders to charge and go running at full-gallop into the fray—and that’s wonderful for morale.” Her wings drooped low, she gave him a pitying smile. “But they looked at it in combination with your drills and determined it to be a risk. They’re afraid, Shiny.”

Shining closed his eyes, drawing in a deep breath through his snout. “At what point did this become an issue to where they want me off the field?”

Her gaze fell. “Months ago,” she muttered. “They wanted me to convince you to leave the recruits’ training to Lighthoof and Wind Runner, and for you to be in administrative duty, limited to periodic field inspections and watching them parade in the yard.”

“And that’s their ‘generous’ request, I take it?” At her nod, he growled. “And just how do they expect me to lead should an attack happen? Through paperwork?”

“That was something I argued, and for a while it worked. I was able to play up your role as our top strategist and highest ranking officer, and it quieted them a bit.” Cadence flicked her tail, awkwardly rubbing at her shoulder. “Though not enough for them to still want you off of active duty. They had their hopes on you returning to a role more akin to what they’re familiar with—at least, what they can remember from the days before Sombra.”

“Concerns and hopes that should have been brought to me!” He barked, his eyes burning with indignant fury. “So, tell me, how does one injury suddenly turn this into me being so fragile that I should be removed from duty entirely? I made one mistake—one—and they want you to dismiss me?”

She raised her hoof again, ducking her head to make herself seem smaller. “Actually, they wanted me to ask you to train a replacement. And, eventually, retire.”

Silence fell over the pair. Again, Shining closed his eyes and took a deep breath. She could almost hear him counting to ten in his head, then continuing on to twenty.

Waited too long, and now I’m paying for it. Cadence stopped herself short, frowning. No. He’s paying for it. You stupid, finicky mare.

“When?”

Her ears flicked, only barely picking up his whisper. “What are you asking?”

He looked up, glaring at her once more. “When did you find out?” His hooves shook, as if he were straining to hold them together in fear of breaking something. “How long have you been hiding this from me?”

Cadence closed her eyes, fighting against the burn of hot tears that threatened to spill. She made to tell him, to open right up and let everything out. How she’d gone into the meeting after their date, how numb she felt in the days that followed, how she agonized over the problem and sulked until Prism and Tourmaline chatted with her.

How much it meant when he brought her tea and rubbed her back as he listened patiently, and offered an ear whenever she needed.

Talk. She opened her eyes, readying herself to answer and move forward. But upon meeting his eyes, her voice failed her.

Those wonderful eyes filled with hurt and anger toward her, and rightfully so. She’d hidden from him, faked a smile and pretended everything was okay. She pretended that her problems would just go away if she buried them in the back of her mind and played “happy Cady” for Shining.

Only now did she see how much more it could hurt him. Moping like a filly, then pretending it was all nothing, hiding everything for so long hurt him worse than if I’d have just said it that night.

Her mouth worked wordlessly, struggling with how to begin. The lump in her throat choked back the words, allowing her nothing more than a pathetic squeak.

Shining’s gaze hardened a moment, but then he sat up, blinking in comprehension. “That week?” he asked, like he’d just discovered the secrets of magic. “You moped around all week, you were distant from everypony, especially me!” With each word, his voice raised, his anger at the forefront. “You told me they were being difficult with my progress reports! And that they were pestering you about the economy!”

“They were!” she blurted. “Quite a bit of the meeting was centered around both, and I was ready to discuss those issues! The Council caught me completely off-guard with a question about the forest incident and—“

“You lied!” Shining cut her off, jabbing a shaking hoof at her. “I asked you, I begged you time and time again to tell me what was wrong that week! And when you finally told me, I asked you to tell me about whatever was bothering you, and I’d try to help!”

Not good. She was just making excuses. Focus! “I know! I was stupid, and afraid, and I thought…”  Images of Shining wrapped in bandages, the memory of the Council begging her to ask him as they’d done so many times all flashed through her mind.

But no memory replayed more than the little colt proudly swearing to protect his loved ones and never leave her side.

Cadence squeezed her eyes shut, a tear rolled down her cheek. “I thought I could find a way to protect you.”

A sharp intake of breath, a loud thud as Shining slammed his hooves down on the coffee table. “Protect me?” he cried. “I’ve been to the heart of the Griffin Territories and sparred hoof to talon with the best soldiers Lord Alfons had to offer and won his favor, Princess Celestia herself named me Captain of the Royal Guard! Why in Tartarus would you think I need protecting! I’m the one who’s supposed to protect you! And them!”

The little colt changed. His eyes were glassy, glowing green while his lips curved into a vacant smile. He grew into a stallion, whose face was haggard and wrought with stress lines. Familiar laughter rang in her ears, green flames encircled him as a shadowy figure stepped into view and laid a hoof upon his shoulders, caressing almost lovingly.

As a guard, he was always in danger, and he would always put himself in harms way to protect others. His life would be laid down without a moment’s hesitation, each time he went out was just another reminder that he might not return.

“Maybe I don’t want that anymore!”

Her voice echoed off the crystalline walls, ringing in her ears. Cadence’s eyes went wide, she hastily slapped a hoof over her mouth as if she could catch and trap the words inside.

Too late.

Shining gaped at her, his mouth hung open and shoulders slumped. If not for his hooves on the table, he might’ve toppled over. “You… what?”

No, no, no. What Cadence wouldn’t give for Star Swirl’s time travel spell, all she needed was a do-over for the last few seconds. “I-I didn’t mean it like that,” she said weakly. “Shiny, I didn’t—“

“Yes you do.” He looked down at the table, bringing a hoof up to rub at his forehead. “You said it yourself in the carriage, the night we came back from the pub. You don’t want me hurt, and protecting other ponies puts me in that position.” Slowly, he dragged his hoof down his muzzle. “Is that why you weren’t going to tell me until the last moment?”

“Wh-What? No!” Cadence shook her head frantically, tears openly spilled from her eyes. “I wouldn’t—I—No! I never meant to—“

His head snapped up, the burning glare made her words die in her throat. “What else was a lie, Cadence? What else were you going to keep from me until I found it myself?”

Cadence recoiled, his words piercing through her chest like a lance, cutting deep into her heart. No! He had it all wrong! It wasn’t meant to hurt him, everything she’d done, every time she put a smile on had been to take a load off his mind.

And it all backfired so spectacularly. She’d never seen him so hurt—his wounds always came from enemies or training, not from those he loved. Just as it should be for a Royal Guard.

Her first instinct was to go to him. With great trepidation and trembling hoof, Cadence reached to touch his shoulder. A small gesture, something meant only to show support while she struggled to justify herself.

Shining’s horn flashed, a pink shield sprang to life between them, blocking her hoof before it could reach him.

She flinched, but didn’t draw back. She tried to press forward, desperately trying to force his shield to bend and grant passage. His magic, normally so warm and powered by his desire to protect those around him felt cold to her touch.

Shining Armor was blocking her out.

Barely suppressing a panicked whine, Cadence channeled magic through her horn. The counterspell to his shield fresh in her mind, something once used to aid in her teasing now an act of desperation.

But he was ready. Whenever her magic tried to pick the lock, his countered. A dance between mages—each capable of blanketing their city with their shields.

Just as Cadence thought she managed to outmaneuver him, Shining flared his horn and pushed outward, tossing her magic aside. The sky blue light wreathing her horn flickered, she readied to try again, she had to get to him!

“Stop. Just stop,” he mumbled, standing abruptly and sidestepping out of reach. Turning away from her, he slowly trotted toward the door, his pink dome-shield still intact. With another flick of his magic, his armor floated from their bedroom and trailed in his wake. His magic wrapped around the doorknob, roughly pulling it open. “I need to be alone.”

No! Cadence leapt to her hooves. “Shining, wait! Please let me—“

“Just leave me alone right now, Cadence. I don’t want to hear this. I don’t want to talk, I can’t or I’ll—“ he stopped, taking in a deep, shuddering breath “—I’ll say something both of us regret.” Shining glanced over his shoulder, their eyes met for a split second until he tore his gaze from her again. “I’ll be sleeping in one of the guest rooms tonight. And possibly tomorrow. I don’t know.”

Without another word, he stepped out of their room. The door closed behind him with a click that seemed to echo off the walls.

Cadence let her hind legs give out, falling back on her haunches and holding her head low. She’d made a mess of everything. Prism, Tourmaline, even Twilight had warned her to speak up sooner rather than later, or she would run the risk of letting Shining discover for himself.

Tears cascaded down the sides of her muzzle, dripping off the end of her snout. “I’m sorry, Shiny,” she choked out, speaking to an audience that wasn’t there. “I’m so sorry.”

A bed had never felt so cold and lonely as it was when she managed to drag herself off to the luxurious suite, one that seemed so empty without her Shining Armor.

“I’m sorry, my love. Please forgive me.”

20. A Night With Naught But Anger To Keep Me Warm

Sleep, Shining Armor found, could be a fickle thing.

His eyelids were heavy, slowly falling until they closed completely; his muscles ached and begged for just a few hours rest; and his tired mind wandered without aim, always finding its way back to Cadence and the nice, warm bed they shared. How nice it would be if he could just trot back to their bedroom, slip into bed, and hold her in his hooves…

Hot anger burned in his chest, as it had each time she came to mind. Sleep danced out of reach yet again.

Shining snorted and rolled over onto his right side. He would find a way to sleep somehow. Even if he had to roll himself out of bed, trot down to Honeysuckle’s office, and dig through her cabinets to find some sort of sleeping potion.

He wrinkled his snout and gave a tired shake of his head. Some things just weren’t worth it. Sleep would be nice, but dealing with an enraged Honeysuckle would all-but cap off a winning couple of days.

All that time she was hiding it from me. Shining grit his teeth and flicked his tail. The burn grew into an inferno, once again chasing sleep from his grasp. Just feeling a little down in the dumps, my cutie mark.

All along, she was trying to think of ways to hide it from him until the last minute. Putting it off as long as she could, lying about her meetings and the letters she exchanged Twilight—

Shining’s eyes shot open. “Going behind my back to talk with Twily instead of just coming to me,” he grumbled. With a snarl, he pushed himself up onto his forehooves and drew back his right hoof. “Can’t just treat me like a big stallion! We’ve gotta act like Shiny’s pet goldfish just kicked the bucket!”

He punched the pillow as hard as he could, driving his hoof deep into the soft downy center with a muffled, yet oddly satisfying fwump. A sound not unlike the solid thud of hooves against a practice ag.

Eyes flashing, Shining pulled back his hoof and drove it forward again, putting a bit more force behind it. His chest heaved, his breathing labored as he vented his fury on his innocent pillow. He just needed something, anything to get it out.

Training.

His ears perked up. After Twinkle tossed him, the other guards joked that he was getting fat, sitting on his duff and signing papers all day. “What ever happened to the stallion who could outwrestle two of us with barely an effort?” Cirrus quipped. “Looks like all those ‘taut muscles’ Princess Cadence used to stare at whenever you weren’t looking are all just flabby fat, these days.”

A scowl marred his muzzle. He was in perfectly good shape, thank you very much, and his magical prowess was second only to Twilight’s. None of that changed just because one recruit caught him off guard.

Shining rolled over onto his back and shot a baleful look at his belly. He frowned, running a hoof down his front and prodding at his abs. Truth be told, he had gotten a little huskier with age and reduced time running drills. That was part of what made training the new recruits so fun—he could join in their workouts and get his blood pumping, which also meant he could get an up close look at their progression.

Still, when had he let himself get a pudge in his belly?

“Maybe I could use a few laps around the track in the morning,” he mused, sitting back on his haunches. Shining shook his head to clear his thoughts. “And I could get back to working on my hoof-to-hoof and magic practice again.”

Yes. That would work quite nicely. He could rope a couple of the other guards into sparring practice, too.

A smirk played upon his lips. “Maybe I’ll pull Cirrus in, just to smack him around a little. And Stout Heart, while I’m at it,” he thought aloud. “That’ll give him another reminder not to mouth off about me next time Tourmaline wants a giggle.”

Sleep may not have come easy for him, but at least the solution to another problem had. If Shining worked everything out properly, he could have a little bit of time each day to get himself back in peak condition soon enough.

Not to mention, it would give him something to busy himself with instead of brooding.

Shining glanced at his bed and shook his head. If he couldn’t get sleep tonight, he’d just have to get a bit of a workout in. I’ll go light tonight, he thought as he rolled out of bed, landing nimbly on the crystal floor. A shiver ran through his body as the nighttime chill hit him. Maybe we do need to get a rug. Cady might be onto something.

He shook his head. “Not the time,” he scolded himself.

Shining made to trot toward the door, but stopped short, glancing toward the armor he’d laid on the love seat, then toward the clock resting on his night stand.

Three o’ clock in the morning. Almost no point in even trying to go to sleep.

He wrinkled his muzzle. “Probably best to take this.” With a flick of his magic, Shining lifted his armor off the love seat and floated it to his side. “I’ll just shower after and throw this on, then I can grab breakfast and get started on paperwork.”

With his agenda adapted and set accordingly, Shining strode toward the door, pausing only to send out a small tendril of magic to turn off his alarm clock. “Last thing I need is for this to go off and me not be here to shut it up,” he muttered, “Prism would have my head.”

Shining took one last look at his makeshift room to ensure he hadn’t left anything out of place. Not that there was much for him to make a mess of—it was nothing more than a guest room. Soft peach crystal walls, a single window with purple drapes, a bed, a clock, a coffee table, and a few pieces of furniture were all he had until he saw fit to return to the suite.

Where Cadence would be waiting for him.

A low grumble escaped his lips. Shining shook his head and pulled the door open so he could step through, closing it behind him with an audible click of the latch.

A few laps around the track and a nice, quiet magic practice would do wonders to help soothe his temper. Maybe then he’d be able to think straight and come up with a solution to his problems.

Or, at very least, tire him out enough that he’d have no choice but to sleep.

Quite a brilliant strategy, if he did say so himself.

21. I Paved This Road With the Best of Intentions

Shining Armor was true to his word.

Each of the past five nights, Cadence went to bed alone. She would see him at times throughout the day; he would sit down at the far end of the table at breakfast and eat without saying more than a grunted “Morning”, he would walk past with his faithful assistant, Autumn, trailing after and carrying a stack of papers, or flitting across her window as he paraded across the yard with his recruits.

But never once did he meet her eye.

Every time he passed her by without a word, every day without his smile and the coltish gleam in his eyes, pained her so. Cadence tried—oh, how she tried—to make her voice work when she saw him. Just to tell him how sorry she was and how much she loved him, that he meant more than anything in Equestria and the Great Northern Lands.

Each time she’d meet his gaze and the words would die in her throat the very instant she saw the anger and hurt held behind those wonderful blue eyes.

With each night, her heart sank deeper into the pit of her stomach. Every night spent alone in a bed much to large for one pony and far too cold without the warmth of her husband was another reminder of her mistake.

I should’ve told him first, she thought. She sniffled, wiping the back of her hoof across her eyes as she made for the Throne Room.

The Crystal Court did not rest for marital issues—at least, not hers.

Lonely nights and dreams haunted by the look he’d worn on his face, the raw pain in his eyes when she blurted out words she only wished she could take back.

“Maybe I don’t want that anymore!”

The look of betrayal on his face, how hurt he’d been flashed before her eyes. She’d taken his dream and stomped on it in front of him. One of the many reasons she’d fallen for him back when he was just a silly colt with braces—that wonderful promise he’d made. A conversation that played out in her head, almost taunting her.

“I’ll be strong enough to protect everypony!” A young Shining’s voice echoed through her mind.

Her bubbling laugh followed, the playful voice of a young teen Cadence replied, “Oh, really? What about Twily, Spike, and me? You’re not gonna leave us to go off on adventures, are you?”

“Of course not!” She whispered sadly, her wings drooped low at her sides. “I won’t let anything bad happen to you guys! I’m gonna be by your side forever!”

“Er, excuse me, Princess?” Prism Shine’s voice cut through her thoughts.

Cadence blinked and shook her head. “What? I’m sorry, Prism, I was somewhere else entirely. What were you saying?”

“Nothing, Princess. You said something.” Prism tutted and slipped her clipboard into her saddlebag. “Princess, if I may, you’ve been acting a bit distant again, recently. Is everything all right?”

No. “Yes, of course!” She gave her brightest, cheesiest smile, the one she always used for greeting dignitaries and posing for pictures. “Everything’s fine, Prism, just a couple off days is all. I’ll be right as rain soon enough.”

Her piece said, she stepped toward the door to the Throne Room, nodding to Stout Heart standing at their posts as they awaited her arrival. But before she could step through, Prism moved into her path. “We need to talk, Princess.” The little mare’s jaw was set, her eyes full of determination.

“Prism,” she said, “please move. I have Court now, remember?”

“Dealing with petitioners while you’re like this?” Prism scoffed, flicking her tail dismissively. “I think not, My Princess. My job is to ensure your days are organized and you are at your best to rule over our fair city—this is most certainly not your best.”

Cadence’s eyes flitted away, looking at the crystalline walls rather than her seneschal’s stern gaze, and the inquisitive look from Stout Heart. “Prism, please, just let it go. I can—” she stopped short, heaving a sigh “—I’m fine. Really, just let’s get this started so we can take care of things. We had a lot on docket if I recall.”

A slow intake of breath, Prism trotted toward her, crystal hooves clacked against the floor. “Yes, My Princess, we do. Which is why I need you to talk to me—tell me what’s bothering you, let me help! Please! It’s my job to make things easier on you!”

Fix my mistakes, then, she thought. Make sure Shining doesn’t hate me for telling him I don’t value his promise anymore, perhaps? Make sure he’s okay? Those things would be nice. My life would be much easier.

Her mouth worked on autopilot. “I know, Prism, and I appreciate it. But there are some things you can’t help me with.” There. Nice and diplomatic. “I’m a big mare, I can handle a little adversity in my personal life.” Just let it go.

“Prince Armor, then,” Prism said bluntly. “I have noticed things have been a little… tense between the two of you lately. He’s not gone and gotten himself injured by some wild beast again, has he?”

“I hope not. I wouldn’t know, he hasn’t spoken to me in days.” Right as she was ready to explain, she shut her mouth with an audible click. Sighing, she brought a hoof to her forehead and rubbed, feeling the onset of a headache. “Prism, don’t—”

“Valiance?” Prism turned to the guards, who both snapped quick salutes. “I don’t suppose you’d know anything about Prince Armor’s health?”

He shook his head. “I don’t recall any injuries being reported in the past few days, Miss Prism,” he replied. “Well, none save for the odd scrape or bruise on the recruits, but Field Medic Honeysuckle’s patched them up. As for Captain—er, Prince Armor, rather, in this context—he’s been a bit more hooves on in training lately, based what I’ve heard from Lieutenant Lighthoof. And he’s roped a few of us into some spars to help get himself back in shape.”

“Not that he wasn’t in shape before,” Stout Heart mumbled. “I’ve still got an imprint of his hoof on my—Ow!” He covered his head with a hoof. “I’m sorry!”

Valiance fixed him with a glare, brandishing his spear. “Open your mouth when you’re not being addressed one more time, Private, just one…” He snorted and turned to face Cadence again, his glare melted away the instant he met her eyes. “As I was saying, Princess, no injuries have been reported that I’m aware of.”

“Thank you, Corporal Valiance. As you were,” Prism said, nodding to him and then facing Cadence again. She made to speak, but seemed to think on it a moment. Blinking a few times, her eyes narrowed, as if comprehension dawned on her. “This wouldn’t have anything to do with—” she broke off, glancing back at the pair of guards again “—the thing with the Council, would it?”

The words pierced through Cadence like a lance, her reaction must’ve been visible, for Prism gasped. “Oh. Oh dear. Did you two…”

No way out. She hung her head and let her wings droop. “He found a letter from Twilight,” she admitted. “Right before I was ready to sit him down and talk things out. I waited too long.”

Sighing, Cadence turned away. She quickly wiped the back of her hoof across her face, just beneath her eyes to chase away a stray tear.

She wasn’t ready. Everything just built up and added fuel to the fire; five days of sitting and wallowing, gazing out her window for even a glimpse of Shining Armor marching across the field, the only times she’d seen him without a scowl or a typical guardpony’s stony stare.

Putting on her golden regalia and faking a smile grew more taxing by the day. Each night spent alone in bed a reminder of how she’d hurt him.

Auntie Celestia wouldn’t cut Court in Canterlot, she thought, giving a snort of derision. She’d waltz right through the door without a problem, with that calm, serene smile and go about her day without any outward sign.

Of all the things Cadence could claim to be, Princess Celestia she was most certainly not.

“I can’t do this,” she whispered to herself. The weight of the past five days came crashing down upon her. “I can’t do it anymore.”

“I understand, Princess,” Prism said, laying a comforting hoof on her shoulder. “Corporal Valiance?”

“Miss Prism?” he replied.

“Kindly announce to the petitioners that Crystal Court will be cancelled for the day. Our Princess is dealing with a bit of… an ailment.” Her wording was rather diplomatic, but her tone was quite commanding. “Assure them it’s nothing major and that she’ll be back to her old self soon enough—last thing we need is for them to think she needs a candlelit vigil.”

Snorting, Valiance moved from his post. “At once, Miss Prism. Private Stout Heart, stay with Princess Cadence and Miss Prism. We’ll be changing from Court posting to escort duty.”

“Yes, sir!” The younger stallion’s armor creaked as he gave a salute with his spear.

Armor creaked and heavy hooves clopped against the floor, there was a tinkling as Valiance pulled open the door, the hinges squeaked—somepony would have to oil them soon—and four became three.

“Princess,” Prism said, her voice low. “Let’s go find somewhere to sit and talk in private.”

With a shrug, Cadence slipped out from under her hoof. “No, Prism.” She stepped away, shaking her head. “I just need some time to think. Or something. I don’t know. I just don’t know what I want. Or what I need.”

Yes she did. Both had the same answer:

Shining Armor.

Prism, though, was persistent to a fault. She followed, her hooves clacked in a quick cadence as she approached. “My Princess, really! I must insist! At very least, let’s get you to somewhere you can relax—perhaps you’d like to retire to the Royal Suite for the day. We could arrange for tea a bit early, or I could find an opening for a session at the new spa.”

She wasn’t getting it. Cadence stopped and turned, her nostrils flared. “I said no, Prism!” she hissed, the little mare before he scurried backward a few steps.

No, bad. She’s just trying to help. Don’t take it out on her.

Closing her eyes, Cadence took a deep breath through her nose, bringing her hoof up to her chest, and holding it in a moment. Then, she slowly let it out, pushing her hoof away as if banishing her stress. “I’m sorry for snapping, Prism Shine. But no. I don’t want to sit in my room while you wait for me to open up, I don’t want tea, I don’t want spa sessions or fancy dinners or anything. I just need…” she broke off, biting down on her lip and turning away.

It clicked. Her eyes shot open, Cadence channeled magic into her horn. “I need to be alone.”

In a flash of cerulean magic, the Crystal Palace vanished from sight.

Gleaming crystal, tall banners baring the intertwining sun and moon of Equestria and those with the Crystal Empire’s shining city, hushed voices and hooves clopping against the crystal floor, and elegant red carpet became lush green grass, a paved path lined with strong trees, and the sounds of foals’ laughter as they ran and played.

Cadence closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Comfort, much more than the grand Crystal Palace with all its amenities and staff hustling and bustling around to suit her needs. The sounds of foals at play brought her back to those younger days, when she didn’t have the stress of running an Empire that lagged so far behind or deal with her husband’s injuries giving ponies the want to see him retire.

Instead, there was Twilight, pouting adorably as Shining took her book away and put it inside his saddlebag for later as he softly told her “We came here to relax and play, Twily, you can read later”. There was little Spike, chewing on an edge of the picnic blanket and babbling in a language only he could understand.

If there was a spell to reset everything, to send her back to those days and just let her live them a little longer than she had, Cadence would love to find it. Or maybe reset their ages and keep most things—her marriage to Shining, for one.

“If I haven’t messed that up too much,” she muttered to herself, flicking her tail. How nice would it be, though? To just go back to those younger days when they’d cozy up to one another, get lost in each others’ eyes, and waste away hours of the day nosing and kissing like a pair of ponies so sickeningly sweet and in love they’d send a watcher into diabetic shock.

Anything else. Any time when he’d looked at her with nothing short of adoration, anything but the cold glare and tightened lips when they passed in the hallway or sat down for meals.

A loud crack sounded from behind her. Cadence flicked her ear and turned to find Stout Heart wobbling unsteadily just a few paces away, smoke rising off him. The smell of burn fur and melting steel reached her nose.

He’d followed her teleport spell.

Her eyes went wide. “You idiot!” she gasped, bounding forward to catch him in her hooves, just as he fell back on his haunches. Cupping his face, she forced Stout Heart to look into her eyes. “Look at me, Stout. How many horns do I have?”

“Frazzin’ razzin’ fur rumble…” he mumbled sleepily, shaking his head. He blinked owlishly then stared up at her. “Uh… one?”

Cadence heaved a sigh of relief. “Well, at least you didn’t get hit with too much backlash.” Still holding onto him, she brought a hoof to her chest to calm her racing heart. “You scared the daylights out of me!”

“Had to follow,” he replied, speaking as though he had marbles in his mouth. “My job to protect you…”

“Not when it means you fry your coat because you’ve used magic beyond your means!”

“Captain Armor taught us some basics—all I had to do was follow your trail.” Stout Heart pushed himself to sit up straight, holding his head. “Ugh. I didn’t realize how much of a hit that was gonna be.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Then you shouldn’t have done it, you dummy!” She removed her hoof from his face and stood, looming over him. “I wanted to be alone, not have my escort tailing me through the park while I try to figure out some personal issues.”

Stout shook his head and slowly made his way to his hooves. “With respect, Princess, I don’t exactly have a choice but to follow you. We all have our orders, you’re to be protected at all times—and Corporal Valiance told me to stay with you.”

“He said with Prism and me,” Cadence corrected.

“Princess, again, with respect, you know who takes priority.” Though he maintained his level stare, Cadence was quite certain he was fighting the urge to roll his eyes. “And if I didn’t follow, Captain Armor would have my hide—what was left of it, that is.”

The mention of Shining’s name made her wince. She turned to hide the hurt in her eyes, and held her head aloft as she began to walk away. “Well… fine! If you must follow me, then I expect you to maintain proper distance.”

His hooves clopped against the pavement. “Yes, Princess.”

“And I expect that you’ll obey protocol and respect my wish for silence.”

“Yes Princess. I wouldn’t dream of interrupting you, Princess.”

Defaulting to simple answers like the guards in Canterlot. Cadence could’ve sworn there was a bit of cheek to his tone, much in the way Tourmaline liked to slip it into her quips. Or how Auntie Celestia could just wait patiently and get her to confess to everything that bothered her.

Well, if he thought he could wheedle things out of her like Auntie Celestia with her warm smiles, soothing back rubs, and melodious humming, he had another thing coming!

She glanced over her shoulder and, sure enough, was met with that ridiculously innocent smile of his—the one he always seemed to wear whenever he wasn’t standing at post outside the Court or whenever he could sneak it in when Valiance wasn’t looking.

Or, she thought, when he meets Tourmie in the hallway—no. No. Stop that. Cadence shook her head and faced forward. That’s what he wants. He’s playing games, him and Tourmie.

They knew. They had to know how those smiles made her curious. Well, Tourmaline knew for sure, Stout would’ve had to find out from her.

To counter his efforts—and he was definitely up to something—she contented herself with watching a few of her dear crystal ponies at play. Their coats shimmered in the sunlight, their happy smiles seemed to radiate the very aura of the sun as they ran and kicked a soccer ball, or tried to restrain their giggles as a blindfolded little filly searched for them, calling “Am I close” as she waved a hoof in front of her.

Once again, the scene seemed to change before her. Instead of the Garnet District, she was in Canterlot’s Royal Gardens, giggling as she danced out of the way of a blindfolded Shining’s hooves with little Twilight by her side.

“I’m gonna get you two!” he’d said through his own laughter. “I’m pretty sure you’re supposed to tell me ‘hot’ or ‘cold’, girls!”

“Nuh-uh!” Twilight had shot back, sticking her tongue out though he couldn’t see her. She crouched low, ready to spring to the side as soon as he made his way toward her. “You gotta figure out for yourself, BBBFF!”

Giggling, Cadence nodded, sending her ponytail and teal bow bobbing with her head. “Got that right! Come on, Mister Guard Prospect! Don’t tell me a cute baby sister and a beautiful filly are too much for you!”

Shining had just smirked. “Oh, it’s that way, is it? Fine then!” His horn flashed pink, both fillies squeaked and found themselves pulled into his powerful hooves to be squeezed in a bear hug. “Oh, look what I found!” His aura wrapped around his blindfold and lifted it to reveal his deep blue eyes, which seemed to sparkle with mirth. “A cute baby sister and my beautiful filly! What evershall I do with you two now?”

“Tickle torture,” Cadence muttered, a fond smile played upon her lips. “Always tickle torture when he won.”

A snort from behind her made her ear flick. “I’m pretty sure you’re not supposed to laugh while you’re escorting me, Stout Heart,” she scolded.

“Only a little sneeze, Princess,” he replied, his voice full of mirth. He’d definitely picked up Tourmaline’s cheek over the course of the past week or so. “My sincerest apologies for the interruption.”

“Sincerest apologies” my cutie mark! She thought, flicking her tail in agitation. A quick glance over her shoulder later, and Cadence had to fight back a groan when he beamed at her. “And I’m quite certain you’re not supposed to be grinning like that.”

Stout only barely kept the laugh out of his tone. “I’m sorry, Princess, it must be a bit of magic backlash making my head feel a bit fuzzy.”

Cadence stopped, slowly turning to face him. “Oh, don’t even give me that load of horseapples, Stouty. I checked you over myself!” When his smile only brightened, she sighed and brought a hoof to her forehead. “You’ve been spending far too much time with Tourmaline—and I can’t even get the details out of her to be happy for that little development!”

“Really?” His grin melted into something else. A sly smirk she’d seen far too often on Tourmaline’s muzzle. “What if I offered you a deal, Princess?”

Her ears stood up. Cadence raised a brow and replied, her tone guarded, “I’m listening.”

Stout Heart made to speak, but glanced around at the others in the park. “Er, permission to breach distancing protocol to speak with you, Princess?”

Rolling her eyes, she gave a nod. “Granted. Now, what’s this deal you have for me?”

He grinned and trotted forward to stand beside her. “Simple. I’ll tell you all about my dates with Tourmaline—”

“I knew they were dates,” she interrupted, with nowhere near as much excitement as she normally would’ve had.

“And you were right. They were, and they will continue to be if she still likes me after tonight.”

“That’s an odd thing to say… what exactly do you have—”

“Ah, ah, ah!” Stout waggled a hoof in the air. “You don’t get to hear that unless you agree to the deal!”

With a huff and a little flick of her tail, Cadence nodded. “Fine, fine. Name your terms.”

Stout had her. And judging by the grin spreading across his muzzle, he knew it all too well. “Like I said, everything you want to know about our dates up to a reasonable point of privacy, in exchange for you telling me why you’ve been moping around the castle.”

Bristling, she sucked in a break. “I have not been moping!” At his blank stare and arching brow, she stamped a hoof. “I haven’t!”

“If you say so, Princess.” He nodded, standing at attention with that blasted grin across his muzzle once again. “My offer is still on the table though, but I’m afraid there’s a timestamp on it. Thirty seconds.”

“You realize I could just order you to tell me, right?”

If possible, his grin broadened. “I do. But if you were going to, you would’ve just ordered Tourmie and I by now.”

There it was. The little pet name. He was dangling it in front of her, like a big juicy apple.

Confound him. “Just how ‘reasonable’ is ‘reasonable privacy’?”

“I reserve the right not to answer any question that might cross into lewd territory. Twenty seconds, by the way.”

Her brow arched. “Have there been any lewd acts?”

“I’m not answering that without an affirmative. Fifteen.”

Cadence bit her lip and cast a glance over her shoulder. “I’m not sure I feel comfortable discussing my marital issues with one of my husband’s guards. Much less out in public.”

“If it helps, I’ll swear never to tell a soul what we discuss.” Stout Heart brought a hoof to his chest. “You could always order me to keep the secret, that way none of the officers can make me tell them.”

“I could…” she turned to face him again. “But that would mean I should be able to order you to toddle off and leave me alone.”

“On the contrary,” he replied, raising his hoof again, “having a guard at your side at all times comes from Princess Celestia and Princess Luna themselves. Only they can countermand that one.”

With a roll of her eyes, she nodded. “Of course it does, part of the Royal Guard Oath they created ages ago—wait a minute.” Blinking, she stepped back, looking him up and down as if seeing him for the first time. “You’re a little trickster, coming up with that and giving me a way to keep you quiet.”

Rather than grin in reply as she expected, Stout Heart bowed low. “I took an oath to protect you, Princess. Both from physical harm and mental distress.” He raised his head, looking her in the eyes. “Corporal Valiance taught me to find ways to make your life as easy and safe as possible. This qualifies.”

Clever boy.

Slowly, her lips tugged into a small smile. “I suppose it couldn’t hurt to talk to somepony. Though, I think my timestamp expired.”

“Oh, dear!” Stout gasped, feigning surprise. “I seem to have lost count! Now I’ll have to start all over…”

Cadence giggled and turned, giving him a light cuff over the head with her wing. “Oh, hush, you silly pony! I’ll play your game! But if these details you’re talking about aren’t good—” she waggled a hoof beneath her nose “—I can have you out running in the wee hours of the morning just as easily as Shining Armor! And I’ll make you do it while singing about your dates!”

He wrinkled his snout. “That’s definitely not one of my talents. Can’t carry a note to save my life.” Giving a theatrical shudder, he nodded. “Very well. You’ll have your details, Princess. But I’m cutting off if the questions get too nosy!”

Nodding, she searched for a place to stop and sit. The first few park benches down the path were taken by couples, or being used as a barricade by a little filly as she tried to keep away from her older sister. And just passed their bench, a pair of ponies—perhaps just a year or two younger than Twilight—sat close together.

The young stallion’s tan coated cheeks were tinged pink as nosed against hers, cooing sweet nothings into her ear. Her wings fluffed up, a bright smile crossed her face as she leaned into him while she drew on her sketchpad. Her lavender coat shined as though she’d just brushed it, a matching blush crossed her muzzle. After a moment of  his ministrations, she gave up her drawing. Her deep violet ponytail flicked as she turned to capture his lips in a chaste kiss.

Cadence shook herself. The sight of two young lovers brought a smile to her lips.“I suppose we’ll just have to walk and talk until we find a place to sit,” she said. “So, how would you like to do this little exchange?”

Stout shrugged. “I guess we can go back and forth. Ladies first?” he offered, holding out a hoof.

Cadence laughed. “Oh, no you don’t! If we’re doing this, I’m getting your dating information first! Don’t you try to get one over on me!” Seeing him shrug again and just smile in reply, she continued, “So, I hear your first date went rather well. Sudden showers aside.”

“She told you about that part, huh?” He chuckled, shaking his head. “I tried to warn her the waiter was passing by, but she shot right out of her chair like she was about to run to the mares’ room.”

That’s certainly new. “Oh? Why would you say that?”

Another shrug. “Well, having seen her talk to you, I’ve never heard her try to force so many jokes. But she kept doing it like she was trying a bit too hard to be funny.”

He turned away just in time to miss Cadence’s wince. Damn it, Tourmie. “Well, perhaps she’s just a bit nervous. She didn’t exactly get much of a chance to date before Sombra cursed the Empire.”

“Yeah, I figured. It was still kinda funny, in a cute ‘she’s trying to entertain me when she really doesn’t need to’ way. And then—” Stout brought a hoof to his mouth to stifle a laugh “—she stood up and walked right into a waiter’s hoof, and upended his tray all over herself.”

Cadence fixed him with a withering glare. “I hope you’re not about to make fun of my hoof maiden just because she’s not here,” she scolded. “Especially after she told me all about how nice you were in helping her clean up.”

Stout waved a hoof. “No, no, no! I don’t mean it like that at all! It’s just kinda funny in hindsight.” He gave a sheepish grin. “I felt bad for her, I’d done the same thing in a meeting with all the officers and looked ridiculous. She kinda had it worse because it made all her makeup run and ruined all the styling she did with her mane.”

“Tourmie did mention that. She also said you helped her clean up.” Grinning, Cadence bumped her hip against his. “I was impressed. I never figured you for such a smooth talker, you mare-killer!”

A heavy blush colored his muzzle. Stout Heart ducked his head to hide his smile, but couldn’t hide the merry swish of his tail. “I’m not that smooth,” he mumbled. “I just wanted to say something nice. And she did look pretty with her mane down, even though her makeup ran a bit…”

Snorting, Cadence bumped him again. “Stout Heart, if a mare tells you you’re being smooth with one of her friends, you’re being smooth. Now, important details…” Before he could shy away, she laid a wing across his withers and pulled him in close. “Did you kiss her?”

Stout Heart let out what must have been the most adorable little squeak she’d ever heard. “Th-That’s—That’s more than one question!” he cried, trying to pull against her wing’s grip.

He grossly underestimated her strength. She had been pure pegasus at one point.

“We never defined what ‘back and forth was’, therefore, I’m defining it for us.” She pressed her side against him, fluttering her eyelashes just like she used to flirt with Shiny. “You’re not gonna tell me you’re afraid of telling your princess—the Princess of Love, no less—about whether or not you gave a pretty mare a kiss goodnight, are you?”

His ears splayed back, Stout ducked his head lower and mumbled something inaudible.

“Sorry? I didn’t quite catch that. Use your words, Stouty.”

“No,” he grumbled, shooting her a look, “I didn’t kiss her goodnight.”

Cadence stopped. “Why not?” she asked, fixing him with a quizzical stare. “That would’ve been the perfect chance!”

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, Princess, but I’m not exactly Casaneighva on purpose.” Stout reached up to rub at the back of his neck, shifting the helmet forward a bit. “I just try to do nice things and not trip over myself. And I just, um, wasn’t quite sure it was the right time. It was just our first date.”

Ah, well. Her ears laid flat against her scalp. Can’t argue with that. “Well, if you didn’t feel like it was the right time, it really wasn’t. So, that was first date, how did—”

“Oh, no you don’t!” Stout shot back. He ducked under her wing and turned to point a hoof at her. “That’s the end of that story, so you have to tell me why you’ve been moping!”

Huffing, Cadence gave a flick of her tail. “I’d much rather talk about how you and Tourmie are doing. But—” she held up a hoof to forestall the oncoming argument “—a deal is a deal.”

With a sigh, she folded her wing against her side and leveled him with a stern glare. “I expect this conversation stays between the two of us, especially my parts.” She waited for him to nod and hold his hoof aloft, a silent assent. She nodded, then turned to lead the way down the path. “Okay, to start off, I need to tell you about a few meetings I’ve had with the Council of Shards. They’ve been rather… insistent that Shining not be placed in a position that might leave him vulnerable.”

“That seems counterintuitive to being a guard. It’s in the nature of the job.”

“Yes, I know. And I’m pretty sure they know, too. But that’s where they have a problem—the Empire needs its prince, safe and sound.” Cadence ground a hoof into the path, letting a breath out through her nose. “And he’s technically supposed to be on a more administrative duty anyway, rather than leading drills and runs through the forest. But he wants to be a bit more hooves on with the Imperial Guard, and he lobbied hard to make that happen.”

Stout Heart nodded along as she spoke. “I remember that, he’d grumble about it at Draft’s when they’d drag their hooves. So, how’s that lead into not wanting him in a vulnerable spot?” He tilted his head, one ear perked up straight while the other flopped to the side. “It’s not something about his injury is it?”

She nodded. “Right on the money.” Drawing in a breath through her nose, she let it out slowly. “I can’t argue their point; the Empire needs him for our image, our protection, and, in a matter that touches on personal and state matters, to provide an heir.”

“Er, no offense, Princess, but I really don’t envy you two.” He stuck out his tongue as if tasting something rotten. “That’s just too much to factor into a life decision. I have enough trouble getting myself organized as is!”

“Yes, it is.” Cadence gave a mirthless chuckle. “But, the thing that really bothers me isn’t that.” She rubbed a hoof against her shin, her gaze fell to the pathway. “I just can’t help but feel like I might be betraying him in all this.”

Stout’s eyes filled with concern, his ears pinned back. “Princess, that’s a terrible thing to say!” He stepped close and, in a move that would’ve had Valiance screaming in fury, placed a hoof on her shoulder. “You and Captain Armor have a wonderful relationship! I mean, sure, you’ve got your rough patches, but so did my parents! And so do Honeysuckle and Valiance!”

“Of course I know that, Stout. Again, Princess of Love.” She reached up and tapped the heart shaped pendant on her regalia. “I know all about this sort of thing.”

“Then I’m confused. Why in Equestria would you think you’ve betrayed him?”

Cadence stayed silent a moment. Slowly, her ears and wings began to droop. She sighed and began walking, replying over her shoulder, “Because I don’t know if I want to fight them.”

She made it a good ten paces before he managed to regain his wits.

22. So, Really, the Potholes and Bumps Are All My Fault

The moment Princess Cadence’s cerulean magic flashed, and blinded Stout Heart and herself, Prism Shine sprang into action.

Sending Stout Heart after the Princess was only logical. She knew for certain that Captain Armor had been all too thorough in training each of Princess Cadence’s guards on how to follow her teleports, or tail her should she take to the sky. Stout would be respectful, of course, and maintain his distance as protocol demanded. If Princess Cadence wished to speak with him, she would do so on her own terms. If not, she would have a silent escort played by a friendly face.

Either way, Prism Shine counted it as a victory. Small, almost inconsequential when weighed against the grumbling and complaining of petitioners she could hear down the corridor, but a victory nonetheless.

She stood to the side of the door as Corporal Valiance strode through, noting the small frown marring his muzzle. His sharp eyes flitted side to side, searching for Princess Cadence, no doubt.

He set his gaze upon her. “Miss Prism, where is Princess Cadence?”

“Our Princess felt the need to take in some fresh air,” Prism replied. “She teleported off, so I sent Private Stout Heart after her while the spell trace was still fresh.”

Seeming to consider a moment, he nodded. “I would’ve preferred to go along with them, but as long as she’s under escort. Good call, Miss Prism.”

“Thank you, Corporal. I hope our announcement didn’t create too much of a stir among the populace,” she said, her tone level.

Corporal Valiance snorted and shook his head. “Only concern. Thank Celestia for that,” he grumbled. “I had no less than twelve of them prostrate themselves before me and beg to know what Princess Cadence was ill with—each were quick to recommend doctors or offer their own opinion on which of the local illnesses she may have contracted. I was quick to inform them that it was highly unlikely Her Highness could contract Crystal Lung unless she’d been spending her nights mining for crystals without our knowledge.”

Prism Shine chuckled. “You’ll have to excuse my kin, Corporal. We only wish to look out for Our Prince and Princess, just as the ponies of Equestria would Princesses Celestia and Luna. And Princess Twilight as well.”

“I understand and sympathize, Miss Prism,” he said with a nod. “Of course, you’re right, each of the Royal Guards here would step forward to give aid to each of the four princesses, I don’t begrudge them that at all.” In a rare move, his lips twitched into a smile, betraying his amusement. “I just found some of their offers mildly strange.”

“What is foreign to you is natural to us, Corporal.” Prism couldn’t help but allow herself a small smile, quickly wiping it from her muzzle to continue their business. “So, will you be chasing after Princess Cadence as well?”

He furrowed his brows in thought, tapping the butt of his spear against the floor. “I would, but the park is a rather big place to search without a spell trace. I’ll have to have them send the word out to a few pegasi to pass overhead, just in case.”

Prism raised an eyebrow. “Scrambling the pegasus unit?” she asked, a hint of surprise tinging her tone. “Won’t that create a bit of unease?”

“I don’t have a choice, Miss Prism. Princess Cadence’s safety is our highest priority. Captain Armor will have all our hides if we don’t take the necessary steps.”

Her ear flicked toward him. Ah, yes. Speaking of Captain Armor. Her lips curved into a frown.

Of course, even with their little lovers’ spat, his almost obsessive dedication to the safety protocols he’d put into place were still present.

Despite the effect his mood was having on Princess Cadence over the course of the past several days.

Prism set her jaw, her mind was made up. “Very well. Take care of your security measures, Corporal.”

Snapping to attention, Corporal Valiance saluted her with his spear. “At once, Miss Prism,” he replied, turning on his hoof to stride away. After a few paces, he stopped, then turned to look over his shoulder. “Er, with respect, shall I send for somepony to help you reorganize the schedule, or—”

“I’ll be fine, Corporal. Thank you.” She bowed her head. “Though, if you would be so kind as to let me know where I might find Captain Armor, I would be most grateful.”

“I’m afraid I wouldn’t know for sure, but you might check with Autumn in his office. She should have his schedule.”

“Very good.” Prism gave a curt nod. “I’ll be sure to stop by the mail room on my way to see her. Thank you, Corporal.”

Without another word, she trotted down the hallway, in the opposite direction Corporal Valiance headed. The steady clip-clop of her hooves against the crystal floor sounded in quick cadence, Prism kept her expression neutral, nodding and offering greeting to her fellow castle staff as she passed them by.

Perhaps she was overstepping her boundaries. If Their Highnesses felt she had, they could scold her once everything was settled, their brief—and yes, it would be brief once she had her say—quarrel was finished, and they were their normal happy, almost sickeningly head over hooves in love selves once again.

Prism swallowed a lump in her throat and began taking several deep breaths, preparing herself for the task at hoof:

Scolding Prince Shining Armor, Captain of the Royal and Imperial Guards.

Oh dear.

“Princess Cadence, wait a—oops! Sorry, ma’am!—Princess, please stop!” Stout Heart called, his hooves pounded against the pathway.

Sighing, Cadence slowed to a stop and cast a backward glance over her shoulder. She flicked her tail, huffing as he made it to her side. “I thought my guards were supposed to stay by me at all times,” she said, a hint of teasing in her tone.

Stout Heart fixed her with a level stare. “You sort of dropped a weight on me back there, Princess. It’s not very fair to do that and complain that it took a second for me to register!”

Cadence let her shoulders slump, heaving another sigh. “Sorry, Stout.” She fixed a weak smile on her muzzle, pricking her ears up halfheartedly. “I guess I’m still a bit off-kilter still.”

“Off-kilter isn’t the word, Princess,” he retorted. His brows were knitted together, his mouth hung open to form a small ‘o’. “I don’t understand at all.”

“What’s there not to understand? I’m torn, Stout. I don’t know. I just—” she grimaced, looking off toward the lush green trees. Closing her eyes, she shook her head. “I don’t know anymore, Stout. I want him happy and safe, and these days, it seems like I can only pick one.”

His ears drooped. Stout Heart gave a sad smile, his eyes full of sympathy. “It’s not that bad, though, right?” he asked, his tone almost pleading. “I mean, you’ve both been together since I was in school—and he’s been a guard for years now! This is just a little hurdle!”

Cadence gave a mirthless chuckle. “We’ll make it, Stout, don’t worry about that. If Shiny and I could make it through an invasion in the middle of our wedding and that witch ensnaring him, we’ll make it through this.” Despite her words, her stomach felt as though a block of ice had sunk into it.

Five nights without Shining Armor unsettled her far more than she let on. They always made up before bed, no matter what their argument was.

Not so for the past five nights.

Her wings unfurled as though to wrap around herself, seeking the added warmth of her own soft, downy feathers; a poor substitute for the warmth she’d missed each night since Shining had found the letter.

That damnable letter.

Cadence snorted and flicked her tail. It was hardly fair to cast blame on Twilight for the letter; after all, she’d asked for help, and then put talking to Shining off until he had the letter in hoof and demanded an explanation.

“I’ve made my bed,” she muttered angrily, “and now I get to lay in it.”

A hoof weighted by gilded gold armor touched her shoulder, drawing her to meet Stout Heart’s eyes. She found a warm, friendly smile, albeit one touched with a hint of uncertainty. “I think there’s something I can do to help, Princess. It’s something you might not be considering about Captain Armor.”

Pricking her ear forward, she turned her attention to the path ahead. As fortune would have it, there was an empty bench, just a short distance away.

Cadence nodded. “Alright. If you’re sure, let’s sit down. I could use a little break.”

His smile brightened, Stout Heart’s ears stood up and tail swished happily. “Thank you, Princess,” he said, bowing his head. “I think this’ll help a bit.”

Curious, Cadence lead the way to the empty bench. Flicking her tail over the edge, she slid gracefully into her seat, leaving Stout Heart to occupy the other side. She turned to sit side-saddle so she could face him, and folded her hooves in her lap. “So, what’s this you say I need to hear, Stout?”

Stout rubbed a hoof against his shoulder, the bracer on his shin clinked against the plates on his shoulder. He gave a crooked, half smile. “Well, there’s something you mentioned about how the Council wants Captain Armor safe, and how he’s supposed to be more in an administrative role now,” he said. “I mean, it makes sense to say and hear, but for a guard, I think it’s tough to go through that change. Especially, one like him.”

“Because he’s lived and breathed the Guard since he was a colt,” Cadence added for him. “I know, Stouty, I fell in love with him in no small part because of how much I loved that devotion and drive.”

“Oh?” His ears waggled. “That sounds like a rather fun story!”

“It’s my favorite.” A smile played upon her lips. Cadence brought a hoof up to wipe away a stray tear as the visage of a much younger Shining Armor, dressed in Royal Guard play armor, stood before her with a bright grin on his face. “He used to live in that armor set his parents bought him for Hearth’s Warming.”

Stout Heart nodded. “I was kinda the same, but I didn’t have the marks to get into the officer program for a commission.” He shrugged, giving a rather sheepish smile. “Never was a very good test taker.”

“It seems like it’s almost prerequisite. And we both know how Valiance is about the Guard, too.”

“Even more obsessive than Captain Armor,” he deadpanned. Shaking his head, he refocused. “That aside, Princess, you know how he grew up wanting to protect, then. It’s a part of who we are, from the day we sign up, all the way through training.” Stout broke off, his eyes flitted from hers to his hooves. “Protecting the princesses and everypony around us is drilled into us, Princess.”

Raising an eyebrow, Cadence nodded. “I know, Stout, I was there when Shining was sworn in.”

He looked up, a measure of sadness written plain on his face. “He still lives in that mindset, Princess. But I think it’s worse for him now. He’s gotta protect his princess, who also happens to be his wife.”

The realization fell upon her like a ton of bricks. Cadence let her wings droop down to touch against the wooden bench, the icy block in her stomach melted and spread throughout her veins. All the teasing, all her silent complaining about how overprotective he could be, and how ridiculous his juggling training recruits, administration, and the few royal duties he fit in could be.

Every bit of it because she was more than just his wife or his princess—she was both. As long as he was a member of the Royal Guard, or the Imperial Guard for that matter, he would happily lay down his life for her.

Just as the Council of Shards feared.

Cadence covered her face with her hooves and wailed, “I don’t want that! I want him safe, Stout! I want him home, with me, so we can grow old together and raise a family, like we’d planned! I never asked for this!”

There was a beat of silence. Then, a hoof touched her shoulder, almost hesitantly soft.

“I don’t know if I can say anything to help it stop, Princess. But that’s where he is, I think.” Stout Heart removed his helmet, placing it to the side so he could run a hoof through his mane. “He’s doing what he thinks is right: protecting you.”

Slowly, Cadence dragged her hooves down her face so she could look him in the eye. “I know!” she whined. “But protecting me puts him in danger! And if I give an order for his commission to end, he’ll be furious!” Again, she buried her face in her hooves, reaching up to pull at her mane.

With a frustrated groan, she snatched the tiara off her head and held it in her hooves. Her reflection shone in the well-polished gold; a face the inspired so many compliments of her beauty and the bright smile that once lit up a room, a memory. A mere shadow in the face of the mare staring back at her, with dark circles beneath her eyes, the pink coat of her cheeks pale and patchy, not at all like the bright, well-brushed coat she sported.

And in place of her bright, cheerful smile, a miserable frown and stress lines marring her cheeks. She reached up, almost afraid, and touched her face, watching her reflection’s hoof press against her cheek as if to confirm.

I look like an old mare at a funeral.

Her shoulders slumped, Cadence stared into her reflection’s eyes in search of an answer. How could she find one that satisfied both his safety and his happiness?

Safety meant coming off the field and retiring from active duty. Happiness meant a return to status quo.

“There isn’t a right answer, is there” she thought aloud. Turning to face Stout Heart, she held up her crown as if offering it to the poor stallion. “Why does it have to be my decision, Stout?” she asked. “I want him happy, but, logically, leaving him in danger is wrong.”

Stout Heart gave an uneasy smile and nod. “It probably is,” he admitted.

Cadence flicked her tail, her wings gave a little twitch of irritation. “Then why remind me of all those things?” she demanded. “Why make it so difficult for me to decide?”

“I don’t mean to!” he replied, holding his hooves up in surrender. “I thought it might help you see where he’s coming from!”

She made to retort, but stopped short, biting back a sarcastic “thanks for muddying the waters” in favor of thinking on his words.

Yes, Shining Armor had made that promise all those years ago. He lived and breathed the tenants of the Royal Guard; protecting and serving his fellow ponies was everything to him, embodied by the oath he took on his graduation day.

Protecting his princesses, family, and loved ones—Twilight and herself, above all—drove him to master shield magic the likes of which no unicorn before had even dreamed, even Celestia praised his prowess in the art.

It was almost as if he were simply born to be a perfect fit for the Guard. A cruel joke, that her husband would always place himself between a pony and danger, rather than living a quiet, normal life.

And yet, as cruel as it seemed, Cadence had allowed herself to fall in love with every bit of him; from his silly jokes, to his oblivious nature, to the burning determination to protect others, all of it made up that stallion she’d fallen so head over hooves in love with.

A tiny smile played upon her lips as she thought of the promise he made. If I could keep you safe, but let you keep your promise, I would do so in a heartbeat.

With a remorseful sigh, Cadence faced forward. “I suppose asking you for the best solution is out of the question,” she said, turning her crown over in her hooves.

“I, er, well—” Stout Heart chuckled, rubbing at the back of his mane “—I don’t think I have a best solution for you, Princess. I’m just a Private.”

“I thought not.” Chuckling mirthlessly, she placed the crown atop her head, giving a slight adjustment to make sure it was centered. “How about advice, then? In exchange for advice on how to progress with Tourmaline?”

Stout Heart raised his eyebrows. “I thought we were finished with that deal, Princess.”

“I’m making an offer for a new deal: help me, and I’ll make sure you can take her to The Iridescent on a night of your choice. I’ll even take care of the bill.”

His ears perked up, though he tried to hide the hint of a smile that flashed across his face. “You’d do that just for my advice?” he asked, as if unsure.

Cadence nodded. “I’ll take what I can at this point. Especially since what I’ve been doing…” She closed her eyes and let out a breath through her nose. “Well, it’s not worked out well for Shining and me.”

“Er, in fairness,” he began, cringing a bit at her assessment, “you’ve not been in a very enviable position.”

“That, my friend, is the biggest understatement you could’ve come up with,” Cadence said, snorting in amusement. “Care to trade places?”

Stout Heart shook his head and scooted away from her, then he made a show of picking up his helmet in the orange glow of his magic and plopping it on his head. “I think I’ll stick with guard pony, Princess. It’s far more simple.”

Snorting, she shot him a wry smirk and said, “I thought you’d say that.” She shifted herself so she was comfortable, with her forehooves folded neatly in her lap and tail tucked to the side, as she allowed her eyes to wander up toward the sky.

She allowed herself a little smile as she watched several crystal pegasi push clouds into place for an afternoon shower. It’d be just enough to allow the plant life surrounding her a nice, cool drink.

What a shame that she would waste a beautiful day moping and feeling sorry for herself. Yet again.

Cadence lowered her gaze, fixing it upon the foals playing tag just across the park. They were all so happy, so carefree…

And here she was, wishing she could go back to a time where she was the same way rather than face her own problems.

“I don’t know what to do,” she said finally. “Everything I’ve done so far has just made things worse for both of us. And I can’t just cast a spell so we both remember just how much we love each other because it doesn’t solve the problem at hoof.” Flicking her tail, she frowned and shook her head. “I don’t know how to fix this. He’s angry, the Council is still breathing down my neck, and I don’t have anything to go on.”

“We could just talk,” Shining’s voice sounded from just behind her.

The tinkling of magic filled the weight room. Shining sat on the floor at the center of all the equipment, his eyes closed as he let his magic snake out to take hold everything—benches, weight racks, bars, he could feel his magic wrapping around all of it, enveloping the equipment in small bubble shields as if they were ponies.

He took a deep breath and slowly lifted, fighting against the onset of a headache—the first sign of magical exhaustion.

The past five days had not been kind to Shining Armor.

Sleep evaded him like a wily ghost, teasing him and coaxing him to fall into its warm embrace before darting away, just out of reach each time he laid down to sleep.

It just wasn’t the same. The mattress just felt so stiff, like it hadn’t yet been slept in by anypony, but even more. Almost as if somepony thought it would be funny to stick a piece of plywood inside, then sew it back up as a joke.

Shining checked, no plywood came up in his detection spell. Just the usual mattress fluff and bedsprings. Worst of all was that is just felt so small and cold without Cadence to hold in his hooves, or, more likely, for her to drape a leg and wing over his body, protecting him almost jealously against whoever might dare try to steal him from their bed.

A frown marred his muzzle as his thoughts wandered to Cadence, back to the very reason he’d been so frustrated. He loved her, there was no question about that. No fight, no matter how big, would change that. Cadence was his love song, just like the Roaman root of her name suggested.

Which was why it was so damned hard to accept her lying and hiding from him.

But training was good. Training took his mind off everything and just let him sit at the center of his own personal universe, orbited by a few bits of metal held aloft in his shields. Like he was holding ponies away from danger and keeping them safe, sound, and protected.

Much like Cadence tried to protect him emotionally.

Too bad that protection means I get treated like a foal, he thought with a derisive snort. Can’t just come talk to me face to face anymore, oh no. We have to hide everything from Shiny, send letters back and forth to Twily and ask her to keep things quiet, because the news might upset him a little. Can’t have that!

“Er, sir?” Lighthoof’s voice echoed off the weight room’s walls and brought him out of his reverie. “You called us?”

Without standing or cancelling his spell, he turned to look over his shoulder. He nodded to Lighthoof and Wind Runner. “Lieutenants,” he greeted. “Thank you for coming. I trust the recruits are coming along well?”

“Yes, sir,” Lighthoof replied. “We’ve been drilling them more intensely on hoof-to-hoof combat and swordplay. They seem to be getting the hang of it, if recent spars are anything to go by.”

Wind Runner nodded. “Their stamina and agility are also much better. I lead them on another run yesterday, didn’t have to double back to get them moving again. If this keeps up, we might be able to get them out on some shadow patrols with our unit.”

“Excellent,” Shining said, sighing in relief. Finally, this is starting to pay off. “Would next week be possible to start that?”

The pair shared a look, then nodded. “It might be a little rough at first,” Lighthoof began, “but I think they can handle it. Gotta go out and put it to practice sometime.”

“My thoughts exactly. Please see to it, then.”

“Yes, sir!” they said in unison, each snapping a quick salute.

“Very good.” Shining turned back to his practice, concentrating on a rack of weights that had begun to dip toward the floor. With a little extra concentration, it floated up lazily to join its brethren, hovering around him. “I wanted to discuss something with you both, actually. It’s something I’ll need to start calling in the rest of our unit over the next little while.”

There was a moment’s pause. Then Wind Runner spoke up, “Sir? I don’t think we do performance evaluations for another month or two…”

He chuckled and shook his head. “No, not evals, Windy.” Waving a hoof to his right side, he said, “Sit down, boys. Time for a talk I should’ve had with you when we first came up.”

“Er… yes, sir.” Shining almost laughed at the hesitation in Lighthoof’s voice, along with the ever-rare bit of apprehension in the typically brisk cadence he trotted with.

Lighthoof took the spot nearest to Shining, turning to face him. “If you’ll excuse me for being a bit… blunt in my asking, what talk is it we need to have, sir?”

Shining sighed. “Where do you see yourselves in five years?”

“Excuse me?” Wind Runner blanched. “Sir, you’re not about to discharge us, are you?”

“Don’t even joke about that,” Shining snapped, leveling him with a flatline glare. “What kind of idiot do you take me for? Discharging two of my top officers in the middle of training recruits and getting security tightened down would be the single dumbest move anypony could make, let alone the dumbest of my career!”

Wind Runner held up his hooves in surrender. “Sorry, sir! But that sounded like the lead in to a ‘time to go, boys’, speech. Or a job interview. One of the two.”

“Much as I love seeing Windy bluster, I have to agree, sir,” Lighthoof added.

Rolling his eyes, Shining nodded. “Fine, not my best start. Forgive me if I’m a little snippy, but I’m not having the best time at home lately.”

“Ah.” Wind Runner cringed. “You have my sympathy, sir. Would you like to talk about it, or—”

“Business, Windy. I’m taking care of this right now.” Anything but the other thing, please. “The reason for my poor excuse for an opening is that I have to ask what you were both thinking of for your career paths.”

“We’re your Lieutenants, sir,” Wind Runner replied. “My career path when I got my commission was to lead the pegasus squad in Canterlot.”

“And I was to lead the counterattack on the ground in the event of a siege,” Lighthoof said. “As we saw during the Changeling Invasion.”

Yes, thank you for that. Shining flinched at the memory. “Right. And you both did well that day, I was surprised you both wanted to move up here when you worked so hard to get a commission back home.”

“You’re the Captain of our unit, sir. We know your tactics and leadership best, and feel comfortable with it.” Lighthoof raised an eyebrow. “Sir, if I might ask, why this questioning if you’re not going to have us taken off? It seems rather odd of you to beat around the bush, so to speak.”

Shining gave a wry smile. Lighthoof was anything but “gentle” in how he addressed what he saw as a problem; if anything, the only reason his name was so fitting was his hoofwork in combat.

For an earth pony as small and stocky as he was, Lighthoof could be surprisingly agile, even the pegasi had trouble laying hoof on him when he got going.

Agile, but heavy-hitting. Both in terms of physicality and blunt nature.

Trust him to help me out when I can’t get my mouth to work right. “I want you both to stay,” Shining said. “Plain and simple, I want this unit to stay in the Empire on a permanent basis. Recruitment for the Imperial Guard is nowhere near what we’d hoped, and there aren’t any ponies I’d trust more with maintaining our security.”

Wind Runner snorted. “Short of dragging your sister and her merry band up here to stay?”

“I won’t say that if they were to enlist I wouldn’t pull every string I could to get them stationed here with us, but I’ll admit that I wouldn’t complain. Miracle enlistments aside, you’re my best and first choice, boys. This is the unit I’d pick each and every time, with only a couple additions to give us an extra advantage here and there.” He turned his attention to the equipment in his shields, watching as he began to make them turn in opposite directions. “It’s your call, of course,” he added. “If you or anypony else in the unit want to go back to the capital, there’s no hard feelings. You’ll all go home with my highest recommendations and compliments.”

A heavy silence fell over the trio, broken only by the tinkling of Shining Armor’s magic.

After a moment, he turned with raised brow to regard the pair. A snort of amusement escaped him as he took in the way they worked their mouths wordlessly, more akin to fish than his vaunted Royal Guards. “All it took was a bit of sentiment and promise of recommendation to break you two?” he teased, despite his dour mood.

“I’m trying to wrap my head around why you’re asking this now, of all times,” Wind Runner said.

“It’s bloody stupid timing, if you ask me. No disrespect intended, sir.” Lighthoof narrowed his eyes at Shining, fixing him with a calculating stare. “Going along your reply from earlier, this would be a horrible time for us to ask to transfer back to Canterlot.”

“It would certainly put a lot of strain on us, yes,” Shining admitted. “And I would have to scramble to find officers to replace you.”

“Which would lead to either ponies transferring from other units to join this one ad hoc, or promotions for those who aren’t ready,” Wind Runner added.

Shining winced, but nodded all the same. “Yes. Therein lies my problem.” He turned to look toward the opposite wall, sighing and shaking his head. “I want you guys here, but I know you both worked your tails off to earn your placement in Canterlot. Coming up here was supposed to be a temporary measure, but if this long, slow process of training Imperial Guards is going to be the norm, we’ll be in a lot of trouble if I just send the unit back without replacing it. Like I said, though—”

“Sir,” Lighthoof cut in. “Permission to speak freely?”

Blinking, Shining turned to face him again and nodded. “Granted.”

“Quit pussyhoofing around, you big ninny.”

Shining Armor recoiled as though Lighthoof had slapped him across the face with a dead fish. His magic flickered for a split second, nearly dropping the equipment. “Excuse me?”

“I didn’t stutter, sir. I know how hard I worked to get posted at Canterlot, and I’ve found our reunion as Captain and Lieutenant just fine. Can’t speak for Windy—”

“Seconded,” Wind Runner put in.

“—Well, there we have it!” Lighthoof folded his hooves over his chest. “The way I see it, I’m away from family unless I get stationed out in Baltimare. Seeing as how I don’t have much interest wrestling a few street thugs to the pavement for whatever stupid horseapples they get up to, that’s not happening. I don’t have a problem staying.”

Wind Runner stomped once in affirmation. “Seconded again!” He fixed Shining with a grin, then added, “Meadowlark fell in love with this place at first sight. If she heard I opted to leave rather than stay permanently, I’d be on couch patrol until my mane turned gray!”

For the first time in several days, a genuine smile spread slowly across Shining Armor’s face. He nodded once, then turned back to his practice. He drew in a deep breath through his nose and allowed himself a moment to take it in.

“Thank you both,” he said. “If you would kindly pass along the question to the other officers and unit as a whole, and collect a list of those who wish to return, I would be much obliged.”

“Yes, sir,” they replied in unison.

Armor clacked against armor as hooves shuffled against the floor. Wind Runner gave a little rustle of his feathers while Lighthoof popped his joints.

“I’ll get with Cirrus,” Wind Runner said.

“And I’ll pass it along to Stone Hoof so he can discuss with the city patrol,” Lighthoof added. “We’ll have it to you by tomorrow, sir.”

Shining nodded, then waved them out. “See to it, then. You’re both dismissed.”

With a sharp clack of their armor, the two snapped salutes, then turned and trotted away. Shining let out a relieved sigh, then refocused; concentrating his efforts on selectively raising weights while lowering benches, but keeping the bars in place. A practice of his dexterity with magic and focus on maintaining shields.

The door opened with a creak. Wind Runner let out a surprised squawk, he flapped his wings, making Shining’s ear flick toward him. “Excuse me, Miss Prism! I didn’t see you there!”

Prism? Shining opened his eyes and turned to behold his wife’s seneschal, frowning at the rather put out expression that graced her typically stoic face. What in Equestria is she doing here? She’s supposed to be in Court.

“No apology is necessary, Lieutenant,” Prism replied evenly, giving a little bow of her head. She stepped inside, then moved out of the doorway. “Please, don’t let me detain you. I have business with Captain Armor.”

Shining furrowed his brows. His ear flicked at the tone in her voice; stern, as though she were a mother shooing away her naughty foal’s friends, ready to lecture him for misbehaving once they left.

Oh, joy. This is exactly what I need right now.

By the way their ears pinned back against their scalps, Lighthoof and Wind Runner recognized it too. The pair shared a look with one another, then nodded.

“We’ll leave you to it then, Miss Prism,” Wind Runner said, a smile teasing at the edges of his lips as he sidled out the door. Sparing a quick glance to Shining, he whispered out of the side of his mouth. “Try to leave him in one piece. We kinda need him.”

Giving a derisive snort, Shining flicked his tail. “Thank you, Lieutenants,” he said, fixing the pair with a stern glare. “I believe you both have plenty to busy yourselves with.”

The pair winced at the bite in his tone, then slipped out the door without another word, leaving Shining to sit in silence under Prism’s stare.

After waiting a moment until the muffled clippity clop of his Lieutenants’ hooves to fade away, he sighed. “What can I help you with, Prism? You’re supposed to be in Court today.”

Prism cleared her throat and walked toward his side. “A few things, My Prince,” she replied, pausing no doubt to bow despite the fact he wasn’t looking. “First and foremost, with regards to the Court, I should inform you that I was able to convince Her Highness, Princess Cadence, to cancel today’s appointments and petitions so that she might rest. She hasn’t been well these past few days.”

Shining flicked his ear, frowning at the accusatory edge he caught in her tone. “I appreciate you doing that,” he said slowly, “and for informing me. I trust she’s resting, then?”

“That leads us to my second piece of business with you: Her Highness teleported after—”

“What?” Shining leapt to his hooves and whirled around to face her, his frustrations with Cadence faded into the background. “Where did she—nnng!” The backlash of his workout hit him like a buffalo at full sprint. His eyes crossed, a sharp pain flared at the center of his forehead, like somepony drove an icepick through his skull.

Everything fell. His magic flickered out of existence and gravity took effect.

Prism shrieked, diving to the floor and covering her head with her hooves.

Only reflex gave him the wherewithal to cast a quick shield charm over Prism and himself. Shining threw a hoof around her shoulders and pulled her close to his side, and then pinned back his ears to block out the sound.

With a loud clatter of metal, all the weights, racks, and benches hit the floor around them. Shining couldn’t help but wince at the high-pitched ringing in his ears. He grit his teeth, cracking open an eye to make sure he nothing was rolling about.

Aside from one of the bars rolling in a lazy semi-circle before it came to a rest, there was nothing.

Sighing in relief, Shining released his hold on Prism’s shoulders. “Sorry,” he muttered. “Lost control.”

“Apology accepted,” Prism replied, her voice quivering as her shoulders shook. “I probably should’ve asked you to put those down first.”

“That would’ve helped, yes.” Shining ran a hoof through his mane and sighed. He took a moment to compose himself, inhaling through his nose and then slowly letting out out through his mouth several times.

Just like Cadence had taught Twilight all those years ago.

“So,” he began, “she teleported out. I’ll need to enact our missing princess protocol, then.”

“Already taken care of,” Prism said. “Private Stout Heart was able to follow her teleport, and I had Corporal Valiance scramble a pegasus patrol squad to do a few ‘practice runs’ over the park.”

The park. Of course. Shining closed his eyes and set his jaw. Her thinking spot. “She’s stressed, I suppose. Getting out of the castle will do her some good.” Sighing again, he turned to face her and opened his eyes, flinching away from the stern stare. “You know what’s stressing her, I take it?”

Prism nodded once, flicking her tail. “Yes, My Prince. I do. Might I be frank?”

“Yes.”

“You. Or, more specifically, your reaction to the Council’s dealings.”

Shining took a moment to react, frowning as the gears in his head began to turn. “I hardly think our marital issues are your concern,” he replied cooly. “This is between Cadence and me. Apparently, Twilight and the Council, too.”

She stepped closer, not backing down from him despite the difference in height. “With respect, My Prince, when it impacts Her Highness’ health, yes it does. Not to mention when I see two ponies I would like to consider my friends going through trouble.”

He scowled and turned away from her. “So, you know all about it, then?”

“I do, yes. She confided in Tourmaline and me, then asked Princess Twilight for help on the matter.”

“Which makes me the last pony to know.” Flicking his tail, he began to pace. “How nice. So, gossiping and trying to keep me unaware like I’m a little colt? Does anypony else know? My parents, perhaps? Celestia and Luna?”

Prism huffed. “You’re letting your anger blind you, so I’ll ignore that outburst.” Despite his position, Shining found himself ducking his head as if shying away from a blow. “She was trying to cover all bases before she told you. Consulting Princess Twilight was a means to that end, really, not a case where she went running to find somepony to cry to, although I will not doubt she wanted some measure of emotional support, given how our initial talk went.”

Shining made to retort, turning sharply to look down at her and remind her just who was the prince in this conversation.

But Prism was on a roll. She stepped forward and got right in his face—something few ponies outside the Royal Family and Discord dared try. “As far as Princess Cadence treating you like a little colt, My Prince, you have so little room to talk it astounds me.”

“E—Excuse me? I have little room to talk?”

“Just how many special procedures have you put into place to make sure that Princess Cadence is under close watch? Let me just count: we have the pegasus patrol always ready to be called, you personally taught her security detail how to follow her teleport spells, I’m quite sure you have—”

“Protecting her is my job!” Shining shouted. “I’m the Captain of the Royal and Imperial Guards, protecting Cadence, and all the ponies in the city, is my profession!”

“And she has say over your profession,” Prism replied. “On a Captain to Princess basis, she has every right to consider the Council’s wishes, and consult her fellow Princess on what to do.”

Shining sucked in his lips. She’d backed him into a corner with that point, no matter how he wanted to fight it. “Yes,” he ground out. “But if we’re speaking professionally, she should’ve brought this to me so I could at least recommend a replacement!”

She stood her ground and shot back, “You’re both her husband and her protector, your personal wellbeing will always be her concern! I sat at a table with Princess Cadence and watched her wring her hooves over how to bring it to your attention without alarming you, how she didn’t want to take you away from your dream and service to the Crown despite the need for your safety—both from a purely professional and familiar standpoint.” Her glare melted away. Prism sighed and hung her head. “She’s been worried, My Prince. The Council wants you off the field and out of danger, she wants you safe, but knows how important your work is to us all, and you refuse to act like an actual prince because you favor being ‘one of the boys’, so to speak.”

Silence hung over the pair as Shining tried to force his mouth to form words. No matter what he thought, he didn’t have a proper counter.

What could he say aside from the usual?

“I just…” Shining looked away, swallowing a lump in his throat. “Prism, this is what I do best. Protecting ponies is part of who I am! It’s just me!” He gestured to his cutie mark, his eyes lingering on the shield christened with the purple starburst he shared with Twilight. “This and marrying Cady—that’s what I wanted. Sure, she was a princess then and I’d have dealt with some stuff about being royalty, but everything was simpler before we took the Throne. I didn’t ask for all this!”

Prism lifted her head to meet his eyes. “We didn’t ask for Sombra to enslave us,” she whispered. “But we prayed for the day we’d be free of him, and we were.”

Shining tried to hide a wince. That certainly put things in perspective.

Marital and professional problems didn’t exactly hold up against enslavement, no matter how frustrating the road might get.

“Things happen for a reason, as Celestia would say.” He thought a moment, wrinkling his muzzle. “Or, they happen because Discord was bored, in which case, it’s best to call Fluttershy.” His ear flicked at the amused snort she let out, a smile graced his lips. “I thought you’d like that.”

“Princess Cadence is right. You are an incorrigible goof.”

Shining nodded. “She’s right about a lot of things.” He sighed and shook his head. “And I suppose it’s high time I remembered that.”

Prism smiled. “You’ll talk to her, then?”

“Yeah. I’ll go look for her and we’ll have a nice little talk.” He reached up to rub at the back of his mane. “Looks like I get to play find the princess in the park.”

Laughing, Prism shook her head. “I’ll leave you to it, then. Oh, before you  go, there was a letter for you from Lord Alfons. Would you like to read it now, or shall I set it aside for later?”

Shining thought a moment. “Leave it on my desk back at the room. Cady and I need to take care of this other stuff first.”

Prism bowed and turned on her hoof, trotting toward the door to take care of the rest of her duties.

One fire put out. Shining began to channel magic through his horn, his gaze flitted to the mess around the weight room. He cringed and looked away. I’ll handle that later… Or not. Depends in how things go.

He focused on the park entrance, frowning slightly at the idea of searching without an idea of which part she might be in. “At least Stout was able to follow her,” he muttered as his spell charged up. “I’ll have to do something nice for him.”

The world around him vanished in a flash of pink.

23. How Heavy the Weight You Carried

Sometimes, Shining Armor got a bit tired of how the Crystal Empire’s architecture was almost exclusively crystal.

The glare of sunlight when he turned to face somepony was a minor annoyance, but after a while it started to grate on his nerves when he had to look away, blink, and refocus before he could yell at some hapless recruit—usually Glimmer or Twinkle until the former opted out of training.

Shining shook his head and brought a hoof up to massage the bridge of his nose. Stop letting your bad mood do this. The Empire is your home now.

Turning to look through the park gate, he found his eyes drawn toward the lush green grass and leaf-filled trees, a far cry from the state of the Empire when Sombra’s shadow still loomed over the land.

“Ca—Prince Armor?” a familiar voice called from over his shoulder.

Shining turned and found himself face to face with Glimmer. He made to give a simple greeting, but stopped short, his jaw dropped. “Glimmer,” he began, laughter bubbling up in his chest despite his dour mood. “What in the name of Celestia are you wearing?”

Clad in a powder blue shirt with the image of the Crystal Palace shining in the sunlight, along with a matching hat, Glimmer gave a crooked smile and shifted in place. A drink tray bearing five glasses rested on his back. “It’s, uh, my uniform, My Prince,” he replied sheepishly. “I don’t mean to be rude, but if I bow… well, I’ll spill the drinks.”

“Your uniform?” Shining repeated, his lips curving into a smirk. Oh, when Hoofy hears about this, I’ll need a train full of popcorn. “So, you traded in the Imperial Guard armor for a hat and a shirt?” Seeing Glimmer nod, he sniggered. “Alright, then, pray tell, why are you wearing this get up instead of my uniform?”

Glimmer winced and took a step back. He looked down at his hooves, mumbling something under his breath.

Raising an eyebrow, Shining pricked his left ear up. “Didn’t quite catch that.”

“I’m a tour guide,” Glimmer said, scuffing a hoof against the ground. “I needed some bits, since I don’t get a trainee stipend now that I’ve gone on leave.”

Oh, right. Shining nodded, barely restraining a grimace at his former trainee’s plight. Autumn would’ve filed paperwork to have his stipend cut until he chose to re-enlist. “I understand, Glimmer,” he said. “Just a little joke, really.”

“Ah.” Glimmer gave another awkward shift, his smile growing a bit more strained. “Sorry. One day I’ll actually get one of those jokes.”

“It takes time, don’t worry about it,” Shining replied, his thoughts wandering back toward a few memories of Prism Shine and Tourmaline staring blankly at him after he tried a one-liner. “So, tour guide. That explains the shirt and hat, what’s with the drink tray? You on break with a couple tour guide buddies?”

Yet another shift, adding a flick of his short-cut, shimmering tail. “Not quite,” he admitted, sighing as he pushed the bill of his hat back so he could search the crowd of ponies walking past. “The ponies I’m supposed to be guiding were on another tour with me a couple days ago. They were awful friendly, even asked if I wanted to come have dinner with them afterward, and we kinda hit it off. So, now, I’m apparently their preferred guidepony, if the last three days are any indicator.”

“Forgive me if I seem dense, but that doesn’t explain the drinks.” Or the distinct lack of ponies being guided, he noted, his eyes flitting about in search of anypony walking toward them.

“Oh, it does.” Glimmer gave another sigh, dropping his gaze to meet Shining’s. “They’re like herding cats. Really, I’m starting to wonder who’s guiding—”

“There you are!” a mare’s voice called out from just behind Glimmer.

A vibrant green glow engulfed the drink tray and levitated it off Glimmer’s back, floating it over to a beaming mare. She walked over, her saddlebags bouncing with each step, and gave him a little nuzzle to his cheek. “Toola and I were starting to wonder if you’d gotten lost!”

Glimmer furrowed his brows. “I wouldn’t ‘get lost’ if you’d all stay in one place!” he said, stomping a crystalline hoof. “Where did you all get to this time?”

“Well, Aspire and Sure Stroke went off to the park for a little bit of ‘alone time’—” the slight inclining of her eyebrows and waggling of her ears gave Shining enough of a clue as to meaning behind her thinly veiled hint “—and Toola and I thought we’d sit down and talk while we waited for our favorite adorably clumsy guide to return with drinks!”

As Glimmer bickered with his friend, Shining gave her a quick once over. The newcomer had a peach coat and soft, purple mane, bright pink eyes, and a rather slender, petite build. Not too atypical from most unicorns, though perhaps a little bit smaller.

Not to mention the way she looked at Glimmer—well, she hadn’t even spared Shining a glance when she’d walked up.

Shining had to hold back a snigger. Cady would be all over this before I could blink. Glimmer, you dog.

A little huff and grumble from Glimmer brought him out of his observation. “Esalen, please!” the younger stallion scolded, giving a meaningful glance to Shining.

“Oh, no, don’t mind me, Glimmer!” he said, waving a hoof. “I’m headed into the park, don’t let me interrupt your—ahem—moment.” The sight of Glimmer’s ears drooping as he squirmed and looked down at his hooves brought a smirk to Shining’s face. Yeah, this’ll cheer Cady right up after we have our talk.

Esalen turned to look at him, beaming as she nudged Glimmer’s shoulder. “Who’s your friend?” she asked, her face the picture of innocence. “He almost looks like that picture of Prince Armor you showed me!”

Blinking, Shining looked down at the polished purple breastplate and hoofguards, then slowly raised his gaze to meet the pair before him. This mare didn’t know who he was after his marriage to a Crown Princess?

Okay, I take it back. What rock did you find this one under, Glimmer?

“Uh…” Glimmer glanced from Esalen to Shining. Slowly, a smile crossed his muzzle, one that didn’t quite seem to belong.

Pale green eyes met bright blue in silent questioning. Shining raised his eyebrow and gave a single nod.

This can only end well.

“Funny you should ask.” Glimmer smirked and stood up straight, gesturing toward Shining with a hoof. “Esalen, I’d like you to meet a friend of mine. This is Prince Shining Armor, Captain of the Royal Guard of Equestria and Imperial Guard of the Crystal Empire.”

Shining took his cue and bowed his head. “The pleasure’s mine, Miss Esalen. Welcome to the Crystal Empire.”

The slow change that came about her expression was quite the show. Her eyes went as wide as dinner plates, her jaw dropped. “I—uh—oh, goodness!” she babbled, hastily bowing her head. “I’m so sorry, Prince Armor! I—”

He held up a hoof to silence her. “It’s fine,” he said, waving her off. “Been awhile since I met a pony who didn’t recognize me.”

Esalen gave a nervous chuckle. “Oh, no! I mean, looking closer, it’s rather silly of me not to. It’s just… um… I really don’t hope I’m being too blunt, Prince Armor, but you look exhausted.”

Shining recoiled at her candor. I do? He blinked, wincing at the way his eyelids seemed to slow in reopening, like they wanted nothing more than to clench tight and let him drift off. When was the last time I had a full night’s sleep?

“Esalen!” Glimmer gaped at her, then stepped between Shining and her, bowing low. “I’m so sorry, My Prince! Esalen’s from a rather small village and doesn’t often deal too much with royalty! Please excuse her, I’ll take full—”

“It’s fine, Glimmer,” Shining cut him off. He gave a weak smile, meeting Esalen’s gaze with a quizzical look. “Hope I haven’t ruined your idea of what royalty normally looks like, but sometimes life throws us a few curveballs and we have to adapt.”

“Oh, no, not at all!” She shook her head. “I don’t mean to be rude, it’s just something I noticed and, well, I can’t help but speak up when I notice things sometimes. That said—” cautiously, she took a couple steps closer, tilting her head to get a better look at him “—you seem a bit stressed, Prince Armor. Those lines on your cheeks and the creases in your forehead aren’t good for your complexion.”

“Like I said. Curveballs,” he replied, his tone clipped.

Esalen started and gave another quick shake of her head. “I’m sorry. I really am getting a little too nosy, Sure Stroke always warned me about that.” She ducked her head and gave a sheepish grin. “If she weren’t off with my brother in the park, she’d probably be scolding me right now.”

“Ah, I see. Well, no offense taken.” The park, that’s right. Cady. Shining gave a little bow of his head, then said, “It was nice to see you again, Glimmer. And nice to meet you, Miss Esalen. But I’ve got a little bit of personal business in the park that needs to be tended to, so I’ll have to leave you.”

Glimmer bowed, making a deliberate show of going lower than Shining. “Likewise, My Prince. Please extend my best wishes to Princess Cadence as well.”

“And mine, too,” Esalen added, bowing in kind. She raised her head, meeting Shining’s gaze again and lighting up her horn to float a small card out from her bags and offered it to him. “It might be a bit presumptuous, Prince Armor, but I wanted to offer you my business card.”

Raising his brow, Shining took the card in his magic and held it to hover before he snout. “You’re a massage therapist?” he asked, casting an instinctive glance toward her side in search of her cutie mark.

She turned to flash her saddlebags, which bore the image of a rod wrapped in green vines—a mark of healing. “Toola and I opened a physical therapy clinic together. She’s going to help with physical rehabilitation through yoga. You should come by some time.”

Shining hummed to himself, tucking the card into his breastplate. “I’ll have to think about that,” he said. “Never really been one for massages.”

“They’re a great way to relieve stress,” Esalen offered. “Especially when ‘curveballs’ are being thrown.”

This mare knows how to sell her craft. Maybe Cady could use a session with her. He smiled and gave a nod. “I’ll think about it,” he repeated. “Have a good day, you two. Glimmer, stay out of trouble. You still owe me a visit.”

“Yes, sir,” Glimmer replied. “I’ll make sure to stop by.”

“Very good.” Shining turned and began to trot toward the park, grinning as he heard the familiar sound of a mare’s hoof striking a foolish stallion’s shoulder—though a bit different due to the crystalline clink along with the meaty smack.

“You jerk!” Esalen hissed, drawing a flick of Shining’s ear.“You could’ve warned me!”

Shining did his very best to bite back a chuckle, a feat Glimmer didn’t even come near matching as he succumbed to his own laughter.

Enjoy it while you can, Glimmer. Mares always win in the end. He cast a look over his shoulder, his grin broadened at the way Esalen’s cheeks seemed to puff up in agitation for a moment until a rather dangerous smirk made its way across her muzzle. She’s already got you wrapped around her hoof and you don’t even know it.

Although a small part of him remained curious, he turned away and continued his walk. Watching ponies’ relationships was more Cadence’s thing, anyway. And Twilight’s, given her new role as Princess of Friendship.

With his head high and jaw set, Shining began his brisk trot through the park, his eyes scanning for any sign of tricolored mane and soft pink coat. He had to stop along the way to let a colt wearing a blindfold stagger by as he called out “Am I getting warmer” to a gaggle of giggling foals, bringing a small, tired smile to Shining’s muzzle.

Gosh, that brings back memories. He closed his eyes and shook his head, gently nudging the images of a much younger Twilight and Cadence laughing uncontrollably as he tickled them with his magic to the back of his mind.

When he opened his eyes to look again, he frowned. There was just no sign of Cadence, nor was there even a glint of sunlight off of Stout Heart’s gilded gold armor.

Flicking his tail, Shining stomped his hoof and gave a snort. “C’mon, Cady, where are you?” he mumbled. “I can’t talk things out with you if I can’t find you.”

He chewed on his bottom lip, sighing and shaking his head as he resumed his search. Hopefully he could find them before Cadence decided to leave. At very least, she’d have the pegasus patrol watching over her as she made her way back to the palace.

His ears stood up straight. Prism said that Valiance told Cirrus to send out a patrol to do a few flybys. “Wow, I really am slipping.” Shining raised his gaze, scanning the sky for any sign of pegasi in gold armor flitting through the clouds.

Sure enough, in tight ‘missing mare’ formation, one of Cirrus’ patrols circled overhead, almost lazily going through a basic perimeter sweep, looking somewhere toward the center of the park. To the untrained eye, it would seem like they were just using it for a reference point during their flight.

Shining, on the other hoof, knew better.

He pursed his lips and let out a shrill whistle to get the attention of the flight leader. The trio of pegasi banked hard and came around to land before him, each snapping a quick salute. “Nimbus, Stratos, and Sonic Boom,” he greeted. “Cirrus sent you three to watch over Cadence, eh?”

“Yes, sir,” Nimbus replied. “We got the order about a half hour ago.”

“Sounds about right, based on what Prism told me. Where is she?”

Nimbus pointed ahead. “Princess Cadence is sitting on a park bench with Private Stout Heart. They’ve been together for some time now.”

Shining stared a moment, slowly raising an eyebrow. Okay. On one hoof, at least he’s with her. On the other, do I need to hit him over the head with the Royal Guard protocol guide until he gets it? Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and shook his head. “I’ll deal with Stout later, I guess. Thanks, boys. Head back to dispatch and let Cirrus know I sent you in. I appreciate your work.”

The trio snapped salutes in perfect unison. “Yes, sir!” they replied before kicking off and arching through the sky toward the palace.

Grimacing, Shining raised a hoof to shield his eyes from the dust they kicked up. He sighed and rolled his eyes. “Every time,” he grumbled, flicking his tail as he began a brisk trot toward the center of the park.

Ponies, families and couples alike, stepped to the side to allow him passage, each bowing to him and greeting him with a hearty “Good afternoon, My Prince”. Even the colt who’d nearly bowled him over before trotted up and bowed—now sans blindfold—before dancing out of reach of the new “blind foal’s” hooves.

As he came around a bend in the path, Shining peeked around a large tree and, at last, caught a glimpse of sunlight glinting off the polished gold of Stout’s armor and Cadence’s regalia.

Just as Nimbus said, they were sitting on a bench together—a bit too close for his taste. Shining bit down, gritting his teeth as he took in another sharp breath. He watched closely as they talked, Stout seemed to be trying to make some sort of point, but the wrinkling of her snout and the tiny frown made it quite clear that Cadence wasn’t too thrilled with whatever he was saying. The subsequent pinning back of Stout’s ears and hasty explanation only confirmed it.

Trying to be helpful. I guess I can be a bit gentle in reminding him, rather than making him run again. He made to approach, but stopped short when he noticed Cadence holding her crown out to Stout Heart. His breath hitched in his throat. What in Equestria does she think she’s doing?

Seeing her begin to speak, his ears perked to their fullest height. Shining leaned forward, straining to hear her voice.

No such luck.

Shining wrinkled his snout. He could hear their voices, muffled as they spoke in hushed tones, but couldn’t quite make out the words.

Curiosity nagged at the back of his mind. With his eyes locked on the pair, Shining sidled toward the tree behind their bench, making to circle around. As he crept closer, he was finally able to make out the words.

“How about advice, then? In exchange for advice on how to progress with Tourmaline?”

Stout Heart leaned back, confusion written plain upon his face. “I thought we were finished with that deal, Princess.”

“I’m making an offer for a new deal: help me, and I’ll make sure you can take her to The Iridescent on a night of your choice. I’ll even take care of the bill.”

Oh, my. That is a tempting offer. Now, will the colt take it?

Stout’s ears perked up, a smile spread across his muzzle. “You’d do that just for my advice?” he asked, as if unsure.

Shining watched as Cadence nodded. “I’ll take what I can at this point. Especially since what I’ve been doing…” She closed her eyes and let out a breath through her nose. “Well, it’s not worked out well for Shining and me.”

No kidding. He frowned, memories of the past several days flashing through his mind.

“Er, in fairness,” Stout said, cringing visibly, “you’ve not been in a very enviable position.”

“That, my friend, is the biggest understatement you could’ve come up with,” Cadence said, giving a snort of laughter. “Care to trade places?”

Stout Heart shook his head and scooted away from her. His horn wreathed in an orange light, he took his helmet aloft in his magic and set it on his head. “I think I’ll stick with guard pony, Princess. It’s far more simple.”

Shining couldn’t help but let out a snort, quickly placing a hoof over his nose and waiting to see if they heard him.

Neither reacted, he was in the clear.

Cadence shook her head and said, “I thought you’d say that.” She faced forward, folding her forehooves in her lap. She heaved a sigh and let her eyes wander, looking up at the sky as she so often did when she was stressed.

Silence hung thick over the group. Shining felt his ears swivel back to lay flat against his scalp, his gaze fell to the grass beneath his hooves.

His blood seemed to turn to ice in his veins. He went back through the past five days, his heart sinking with each time he came to a time he could’ve talked to her. It didn’t have to be much, just a word or two along with something to let her know he wasn’t mad he was just…

Upset? Disappointed? Frustrated?

How could he even begin to narrow down what he’d felt that night? Or the burn beneath his skin each time he thought on it, no matter what he’d been doing at the time?

Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and held it, just as Cadence taught him. Slowly, he let it out. Relax.

Easier said than done.

“I don’t know what to do.” Shining’s ears flicked at Cadence unwittingly giving voice to his thoughts. “Everything I’ve done so far has just made things worse for both of us.”

He flinched back as if struck, his ears flattening. Shining opened his mouth to speak, but found his voice unwilling to work. Speak up, stupid. That’s your bloody wife there, moping and looking miserable because you’ve been giving her the cold shoulder. He made to move toward her, but his hooves didn’t cooperate. Frowning, he directed a glare toward them. You four aren’t helping.

Unaware of his dilemma, Cadence pressed on. “And I can’t just cast a spell so we both remember just how much we love each other because it doesn’t solve the problem at hoof.”

Shining clenched his eyelids shut, gritting his teeth. He managed to lift a forehoof and tried to fight down the shaking in his leg as he took a step toward her, reaching out with a hoof as if to lay his comforting touch on her shoulder, but he hesitated when she continued.

“I don’t know how to fix this. He’s angry—” Shining let his hoof fall “—the Council is still breathing down my neck, and I don’t have anything to go on.”

Neither did he. Shining set his jaw and took another step forward. But I know where to start.

He took a deep breath and spoke.

“We could just talk,” Shining’s voice sounded from just behind her.

Cadence’s ears perked up. She leapt from her seat—an act Stout Heart scrambled to imitate, with an added salute and a “Sir!”—turned to face him. “Shining, I—” she stopped short, the words died on her lips.

He was still in his polished purple and gold armor, but that was where the image of a proud Royal Guard Captain ended. His eyes held dark circles under them, his mane seemed messy and unkempt, even for his usual styling.

Worst of all were his eyes; half-lidded, full of pain and exhaustion. Shining Armor looked as tired as he had upon coming out of the changeling queen’s thrall.

“Sh-Shining?” She moved around the bench, her knees shook with each step she took. Her ears pinned back under his tired stare. With trembling hoof, she reached up as if to touch his cheek, but stopped just short. “You look exhausted,” she whispered.

He cracked a pained smile. “So I’ve been told.”  Almost tentatively, he stepped closer, moving around the bench to stand before her. “You still look beautiful, though.”

Cadence gave a mirthless laugh and shook her head. “I look terrible. And I feel like I’ve been run over by a train.” She let her hoof trace the edges of his cheek, each stress line sent a pain through her chest. “What happened to you?”

“I haven’t been sleeping well. I’ve been… angry. And upset. And confused,” he said, his tone level. With a heavy sigh, he looked down at the grass around his hooves, then looked up to meet her eyes. “I think it’s time we both sat down and got this straightened out.”

His eyes flitted to look over her shoulders, he stayed quiet a moment, then said, “Private.”

“Y-Yes, sir?” Stout Heart stammered, his armor giving a little rattle.

Shining stared at him, quirking a brow. “I recall certain protocols stating that a guard isn’t supposed to sit with the pony they’re guarding while on duty.”

Cadence’s ears perked up, her brows furrowed. “Shining, hold on a minute!” she said. “I asked him to—”

“Cady,” he cut across her, his stern eyes meeting hers. “Stout Heart is your personal guard, but he’s under my command. At least let me finish speaking, please.”

Inhaling sharply, her feathers ruffled and fluffed as if to make herself seem bigger. Happy though she might be to see him and hear his voice, Cadence was not going to have him try pulling rank. Especially when she held a higher status. Scowling, she stood to her full height and stomped her hoof, her eyes bored into his.

Shining Armor didn’t so much as blink at her display. Instead, he simply turned to Stout Heart and continued, “You know what I’m referring to, correct?”

“Yes, sir.” Stout Heart ducked his head in shame. “Sorry, sir.”

“I should have you written up for this, since it’s the second time in as many weeks as we’ve had one of these little lapses.” Cadence’s eyes shot wide open, she made to cut across him again. But he beat her to it. “However, given that you were following your princess’ orders, I think I can let this one slide.”

Cadence blinked, waggling her ears as if to make sure they were still working. She stole a glance to Stout Heart and found that he was in similar state, gaping wide-eyed at Shining as if he’d grown a set of wings.

“S-Sir?”

“You’re fine, Stout,” Shining ordered, the corners of his mouth twitched, curving into a small smile. He cast a sidelong look at Cadence and fixed her with his familiar cheeky grin, one she hadn’t seen in what seemed like ages. “I can look after my wayward wife for a few hours.”

And the blasted thing still made her heart race and her cheeks set aflame. He was being playful again.

Her Shining Armor was back, within easy reach to take in her hooves and wrap her wings around him, never to let go again.

But he couldn’t know how desperate she was to have that. Cadence fixed a coy smile upon her muzzle and turned her head away. “How can you be sure I won’t just teleport away with Stout Heart?” she asked, wrapping her wing around the colt and pulling him close, earning a little squawk of protest. “Maybe I like having him as my guard.”

Shining arched a brow and smirked. His horn flashed pink, a wave of magic washed over her. “You can try if you really want,” he replied. “I’m afraid you’ll join Stout in taking a much needed dip in the palace fountains. That said—” he turned his gaze upon Stout Heart, wrinkling his snout “—take a shower and clean your armor, boy. You’re making my uniform look bad with those scorch marks.”

Stout Heart gave a sheepish grin. “Yes, sir. Sorry, sir. My teleport spell is still a bit rough.”

“Don’t worry about it. I understand.” Shining jerked his head toward the park entrance. “Get out of here, get cleaned up, and get some rest, Stout. You’ve earned it.”

Beaming, Stout Heart snapped a salute. “Thank you, sir!”

Shining shook his head. “No. Thank you, Stout.” He stepped to the side and let the younger stallion trot by, his eyes met Cadence’s again.

They stayed silent a moment. Then, without breaking his gaze, Shining called out, “Oh, Stout?”

Cadence watched as Stout Heart stopped in mid step, turning to look over his shoulder. “Yes, sir?”

“My wife’s offer for dinner at the Iridescent comes with a price.” A mischievous gleam entered his eyes, Shining moved to stand at Cadence’s side, close enough that his warm, eggshell white coat brushed against hers.

She couldn’t help but shiver at the feeling. Five days seemed like an eternity without his warmth.

Placing a hoof on her back, he added his own terms, “You and Tourmaline will be dining with us,” he said.

Did this dork of a stallion just sign us up for a double date with them like it was an order? Cadence gave her tail a merry swish. I love this dork. He is my dork and he’s never escaping me ever again.

The color seemed to drain from Stout’s face as the realization set in. “S-S-Sir?”

“I expect you dressed and groomed well, Private. Friday night at seven. Show up looking like a slob and I’ll be very displeased.” His eyes flashed, his grin changed from mischievous to predatory in an instant. “Don’t disappoint me, boy. Now get your behind back to the palace and cleaned, or I might pick a number and have you run some laps.”

With a horrified squeak, Stout bolted, galloping away as fast as his hooves could carry him.

Cadence threw back her head and laughed, giving Shining a little hip bump. “You’re so terrible,” she scolded without bothering to hide her smile. “That poor colt is going to have nightmares of that track.”

“Then I’m doing my job,” he replied, not even missing a beat. His grin faltered a bit as he turned to stand before her again, his ears drooped low. “So…” He gave an awkward cough and shuffled his hooves against the grass. “We kinda need to talk. A lot.”

Her mirth abated. Cadence nodded in kind. “Yeah.” She sighed and shook her head, giving a mirthless laugh. “Yeah, I think I owe you a better explanation than the one I gave.”

Shining hung his head. “Not nearly as much as I need to listen and give you a proper chance to explain.” His ears drooped lower, he looked more like a naughty foal than a full grown stallion. “And I would really like a chance to talk with you about everything.”

“Everything?” Cadence’s ears twitched.

“Everything,” he repeated. “Foals. The griffons. The Council’s concerns about my—” he closed his eyes and sucked in his lips, drawing in a sharp breath through his nose “—my career,” he said bitterly. Taking another deep breath, he stood to full height again and looked her in the eye, then gestured toward the bench with a wave of his hoof. “Shall we, then?”

Cadence thought a moment, glancing from Shining’s hoof, to the bench, to those deep blue eyes of his.

She bit her lip to hide a smile, but her swishing tail betrayed her. “I was thinking maybe that could wait,” she said, adding, “Just for a little while.”

Shining blinked. “Cady, don’t you think we’ve put this off long enough?”

“Yes, we—I have, but right now, there’s something else I need to take care of.” She stepped closer, nosing against his cheek, then moving to whisper in his ear, “We both look terrible, and exhausted, and I haven’t had you by my side in five days. We’re going home, we’re both taking a bath, and then we’re having dinner together. Somewhere between all that, we can talk. But we’re getting it sorted out tonight, because then we’re going to bed. Together.”

“Cady…” he said, a touch of warning to his tone.

Cadence drew back, her eyes flashing. “Five. Days. Alone,” she said, poking him in the chest with each word. “In a bed that’s much too big for one pony. With you sleeping Celestia knows where in the same palace.” She gripped his breastplate, pulling him in close enough that their lips brushed together. “You’re mine for the rest of the evening, soldier colt. We’ll talk about everything and figure out how to move past it together.  And then this evening ends with us in bed together, cuddling, kissing, and, possibly, having sex.” She kissed him deeply, humming as she ran her tongue along his lips, then pulled back to beam at him. “I would like all three, but I’ll settle for the first two. How do you feel?”

Shining gulped, a goofy grin spread across his muzzle. “I, uh, don’t think I have any objections to that.”

“Good!” She stole another kiss, then whispered, “Because I really want all three.”

He coughed and rubbed at the back of his mane. “Right. So. Uh…” He looked away, a light blush colored his cheeks. “No carriage. I guess we’re walking home. Kinda like when we were kids, eh?”

“That’s a nice idea,” she admitted, smirking as a thought came to mind. “But not today. Auntie Celestia may have taught me that patience was a virtue, but I’m quite sure she’d make an exception for something like this.” The cerulean glow of her magic wreathed around her horn as she charged a teleport spell. “Hold on tight.”

Shining blinked. “What are you—” his eyes went wide as it dawned on him. “No! Cady, wait! I wasn’t kidding when I said I—”

In a flash of cerulean, the park vanished. But instead of reappearing in their bathroom, right beside their nice, spacious bath as intended, Cadence found herself perplexed by the sight of bright blue sky and a distinct lack of solid ground beneath her hooves.

Then there was the familiar feeling of falling. A yelp tore from her throat, Cadence unfurled her wings, hoping to at least soften the landing. She got a half of a flap in before she was hit by a rush of cold water and was quickly submerged.

Cadence flailed as she burst through the surface, coughing and sputtering. Her coat was matted against her body, her mane laid flat against her scalp and trailed down her neck. The golden tiara had fallen off during the fall and rested at the bottom of the fountain, glinting in the sunlight.

She ran a hoof down her face, then looked up to find not one, but two stallions in the water with her. Both Shining and Stout sat before her, the latter looking quite pout out as water trickled down from within his helmet.

Stout pushed his helmet back with a hoof, grimacing as water rushed out from within, then looked at both Cadence and Shining. His shoulders slumped.“But I was good!” he complained.

Confused, she turned her attention to Shining Armor, who ducked his head and tried to hide from her gaze.

A familiar look, like a colt caught with his hoof in the cookie jar.

“Shining,” she began, “what did you do?”

He pinned his ears back. “It was just a joke. I didn’t think you’d actually teleport away,” he mumbled, not meeting her eyes.

“What. Did. You. Do?” she repeated, her eyes boring into his head.

Shining sucked in his lips, failing to hide the smile that threatened to spread across his muzzle. “I tried to warn you about the spell, but I couldn’t stop you in time.”

Blinking, Cadence took a moment to think back. He had tried to say something as she cast the spell. Something about him not joking before.

Not joking. Brought about by me casting a teleportation spell. What did he—

It clicked.

Slowly, her jaw dropped. Her nostrils flared as she glared at Shining Armor, comprehension dawning on her at last. “You rerouted my teleport!” she shrieked.

He flinched back, then nodded. “Sorry,” he mumbled. “I just thought we’d kinda patched things up and were back to playing around.” Shining rubbed a hoof against his shoulder, looking up at her with guilt written plain on his face. “You’re mad, aren’t you?”

Cadence closed her eyes and took a deep breath, bringing her hooves up to lay upon his shoulders.

Then she promptly dunked his head beneath the water.

Cadence did her best to contain her laughter as she trotted into the castle, sopping wet and followed by a pair of an equally wet guards.

Water dripped freely down her sides, collecting in small puddles. Her mane and coat clung to her body, her hung heavy as though she’d just stepped out of the shower.

A smile played upon her lips, Cadence stole a half-lidded glance over her shoulder at Shining, who kept his head ducked low and ears flat against his scalp. If not for Stouty being right there, I’d love to see how red I could make him go if I put a little sway in my hips and lifted my tail just a tad.

Later, perhaps. Once they were out of the public access area or in the privacy of their own suite.

Then all bets were off and Shining’s cute backside belonged to her.

As did the rest of him.

Cadence nodded to the castle staff as she passed them by, biting her lip when she caught sight of Prism Shine gaping in muted horror, halting her as she greeted a palace tour guide with a crowd of eager schoolfoals.

With a smirk, Cadence decided to play with her trusted seneschal a bit. She waved. “Hello, little ones!” she called.

Excited gasps and squeaks greeted her in reply. They gave hasty bows and sang back, “Good afternoon, Your Highnesses!”

A couple of them dared to raise their heads, then tilted them to the side, pinning one ear down and pricking the other up. They made as though to speak, but stopped short.

Naturally, Cadence decided to stir the pot. “Oh, don’t mind us! We just thought it might be a nice time to take a dip in the fountain!” She nearly burst out laughing at the way Prism sucked in her lips and gave another wave as she rounded the corridor toward the grand stairs. “Enjoy your tour!”

She’d pay for her mischief later, no doubt. But that was half the fun.

Shining quickened his pace until he was at her side. “Somepony’s feeling perky and mischievous,” he muttered. A sly smile graced his muzzle. “You know she’s gonna come scold us for that.”

Beaming, Cadence turned and pecked his lips. “I know,” she chirped. “That’s why I’m going to tell her that it was all your idea!”

His mouth fell open. He gaped at her a moment in silence, then wrinkled his snout. “You’re terrible.”

“You rerouted my teleport!”

“It was supposed to be a joke! I thought you’d let me cast the spell!”

“U-Um, excuse me, Your Highnesses,” Stout Heart spoke up, drawing their argument to a momentary halt. With a sheepish smile gracing his damp muzzle, he adjusted his helmet, wincing as a trickle of water ran down his cheek. “May I be dismissed so I can, um, shower?”

Shining coughed, his cheeks tinged pink. “Er, yes, Stout. You’re dismissed … again.”

Stout Heart threw a salute, cringing as he hit Shining with a few stray droplets. “Thank you, sir.” He turned and bowed to Cadence. “Have a good evening, Your Highness.”

“You too, Stout.” Cadence drew close and wrapped him in a hug. She kissed his cheek. “Thank you.”

With a heavy blush coloring his cheeks, he bowed again, then scampered off down the corridor, pausing only to step around a gaping Tourmaline in the midst of carrying the laundry.. “Excuse me, Miss Tourmaline!” he yelped as he bounded away.

Well, well! Cadence smirked as she watched Tourmaline stare after Stout with a telltale swishing in her shimmering tail. Somepony likes what she sees in her stallion right now.

She glanced out of the corner of her eye at Shining and licked her lips. Come to think of it, mine could use a bit of attention. Throwing a wing across Shining’s withers, she led him toward the stairs. “Come along, husband,” she purred. “A warm bath for two awaits us.”

24. Hoof in Hoof, My Love

Cadence hummed quietly, a contented smile gracing her muzzle as she held Shining in her embrace for the first time in days. His armor had been removed and deposited in on a pair of towels to dry, leaving her free to enjoy his warm, soft coat.

She dipped her wing in the water and cupped her feathers like a bowl to gather a generous amount, then held it over his head to rinse his mane.

“Gah!” Shining sputtered, hunching his back and brushing his bangs out of his eyes. “Cady, I’m not a foal, let alone a pegasus foal! I can wash my own mane!”

“Hush,” she replied, nipping his ear. Her smile never abated. “I’m going to enjoy this, and you are going to as well.” Lighting up her horn, Cadence floated a bottle of shampoo over. “And by the state of your mane, I very much doubt you can! Have you even been showering?”

He huffed and mumbled under his breath, but didn’t object further.

Good. He was learning.

Cadence resumed her humming as she squirted a generous amount of shampoo into his mane. She massaged it in, lathering him up and drinking in the pleasant, floral scent. Much better. Trailing a feather along his side, she smiled at the way he squirmed under her ministrations. “Hold still,” she chided.

“Stop tickling and I might,” he retorted. Leaning back to grant her easier access, his eyes shut and a neutral frown gracing his muzzle. “We still need to talk,” Shining said.

“Then let’s talk. Where do you want to start first?”

Shining stayed quiet a moment, his brows furrowed in thought. Sighing, he spoke, “I suppose let’s get the bit about my career out of the way, if that’s alright with you.”

She nodded. “I want us to be happy together; I want you to be happy again.”

“And you know I don’t appreciate having things about my career hidden from me.” As Cadence made to speak, he held up a hoof. “But as I’ve recently been … informed, that’s rather hypocritical of me given that I’ve made habit of not telling you specifics of my training regiment. Especially our runs outside the city.”

Cadence’s hooves stopped in place. “Who told you that?”

He snorted and cracked open an eye to fix her with a sidelong look, a tiny smirk playing upon his lips. “Who else would have the gumption but Prism or one of my officers?” He waggled his ears. “And which of my blockheads has that much insight into your feelings?”

“I suppose that makes sense.” She chuckled. I’ll have to thank her later. Maybe we can bring her along for dinner too. Though it might be awkward if she’s the only pony without a date. “So we’re both wrong, it seems.”

“Yeah.”

Cadence drew in a breath through her nose as she rinsed shampoo out of his mane, thinking while she floated over a bottle of conditioner.

“You know I don’t use that stuff.”

She nipped at his ear. “Your mane is scruffy, and not in your usual style. Not to mention all the knots I could see in it.” Squirting a dollop into his mane, she began to work it in with her hooves. “As for the discussion on your career … I’m torn in multiple directions.”

“Oh?” He flicked an ear at her. “Care to elaborate?”

Cadence took a deep breath and held it a moment, letting it out in a slow sigh. “It’s part of the reason I delayed so long in talking to you about everything. I’m not just the Crystal Princess or Imperial Princess or whatever they call me. I’m your Princess by birthright and by your station. The only ponies who control your career aside from myself are Luna and Celestia. Maybe Twily, but I don’t think she has that authority yet.”

There was a beat of silence, then Shining forced a chuckle. “That’s probably a good thing, or she’d try to force me to take monthly assignments as her aide or something. Or just slip in a reassignment to her castle.”

“Shining, be serious,” she scolded despite the smile that spread across her muzzle.

“Sorry. Just thought I’d lighten the mood a little.” He coughed and rubbed at his mane, his hoof brushed against hers. “I’ve been rather cold toward you lately, and I feel bad about it.” Shifting in place, he spoke, “So, what’s the other side?”

Cadence rinsed out his mane and brushed it away from his eyes. She wrinkled her snout, considering how best to word her reply.

There was no other way than blunt honesty. It had been long enough.

She sighed and hung her head a little. “Do you remember when you first joined the Royal Guard? How Auntie Celestia pulled us aside and told us how happy she was that we were seeing one another, but warned us about how my position might complicate our relationship if something ever came up like … well, this.”

“Sure I do. What’s that got to do with—oh.” Water sloshed in the tub as he turned to face her. “So, when you say torn, you mean—oh, gosh, Cady! Why didn’t you just tell me?”

“Because I wanted to find a way to break it to you gently.” Cadence folded her wings at her sides and kept her eyes downcast. “I asked Twily because I thought she could help me put the pieces together myself and figure out how I could both appease you and be mindful of the Council’s concerns.” She snorted. “Fat lot of good that did.”

A hoof cupped her chin and gently lifted until she was forced to meet his gaze. Deep blue eyes bored into her, showing concern.

“I appreciate the thought. At least, now I do,” he said. “I’m still a bit hurt that you didn’t tell me, but I know we can move past that and find a way to make things right. We’ve done it before, and we can do it again.”

His hoof dropped from her cheek to her shoulder, Shining pulled her into a hug that she readily returned. “I’m guessing you don’t want to completely discount their concerns?”

Cadence nodded.

“I thought as much.”

“They’re representing the concerns of the ponies in their districts—our subjects, Shiny. We can’t just ignore them when they bring a legitimate issue before us, even if it’s something close to home.”

A low grumble sounded from the back of his throat. “On a personal level, I don’t like that my career is now subject to public opinion.” He drew back and held her at hoof’s length. “But I guess we wouldn’t exactly be good rulers if we didn’t take that into account, would we?”

She just shook her head, earning a sigh from Shining.

He ran a hoof through his dampened mane and closed his eyes, his brows furrowed again. Heaving a sigh, he said, “For a minute, can you pretend we’re not married?”

Cadence blinked, pinning one ear against her scalp and perking the other up. She made to speak, but he covered her mouth with a hoof.

“I need you to talk to me like Celestia would. Right now, I’m just you’re Captain of the Guard, and you—” Shining sucked in a sharp breath and cringed “—you have to be my Princess.”

Her breath caught in her throat. Cadence’s ears drooped. “Shiny—”

Shining opened his eyes to meet her gaze. “Please.”

They stayed silent a moment. Those brilliant blue eyes bored into her.

How can I say no?

“Speaking objectively as Crown Princess of the Crystal Empire,” she began, “I cannot deny that the Council of Shards has brought a legitimate point to my attention. As Captain of the Royal Guard, as well as the newly reformed Imperial Guard, and as our top military strategist, you are too valuable to lose on the frontline in the unfortunate event of conflict. Furthermore, your raw magical ability and prowess with shield magic is too important to the defense of the lone remaining city of the Crystal Empire. Simply put, losing you would be a catastrophe.”

Before he could say anything, she held up a hoof and continued, “But I also can’t ask you to just sit behind a desk, for the exact same reasons. You just … it would be so much easier if you wouldn’t try to be one of the boys again!” Her wings flared, sending water cascading over the side of the tub. “If you would’ve just stayed with how you ran things in Canterlot—routine inspections, observing drills, training in the gym with the officers, and doing administrative work—everything would’ve been fine!”

Her chest heaved. Cadence shut her eyes tight and tried to calm herself, but everything came rushing out. All those emotions she’d been bottling up for so long, all the stress she’d hidden from him.

Once unbound, she just couldn’t stop. Tears stung her eyes. She wiped a hoof across her face to chase them away before they could fall. “I don’t want you confined or just put in a ceremonial role or just retire,” she said, her voice cracked as she looked at Shining again. “I want you to be happy! I want you to protect ponies just like you’ve always loved doing! But I want you safe, and I can’t pretend that I’m okay with you running off into that stupid forest if you’re going to be lazy in shielding yourself from a bear!”

Shining pinned his ears flat against his scalp. “I did say I wouldn’t do that again.”

Cadence fixed him with a stern glare but didn’t say a word, drawing a flinch and a downward look.

“Point taken,” he said. Sighing, he rubbed his shoulder. “You know I don’t like the idea of being chained to a desk. Being a guard and training recruits is what I love doing. I don’t know if I could just … stop.”

“I’m not asking you to stop. Just …” she trailed off. Cadence placed her hooves on his shoulders. “Can’t you just slow down a little? At least stay off those training runs, you don’t need to be going outside the walls like that unless it’s just surveying defenses and terrain.”

Shining wrinkled his snout, but nodded. “I suppose I could. But I still want to train the recruits.” He reached up to touch one of her hooves and gave a comforting squeeze. “Sometimes, at least. I need to know we can get this batch trained right so they have a good image.”

Smiling, Cadence nodded in turn. “I don’t think the Council would object to that.” Her smile turned to a smirk, she leaned in to nuzzle his nose. “But I think they might have a problem if you keep letting Twinkle send you tumbling!”

“Ha ha,” he deadpanned. “I’ll have you know I’ve been getting myself in back into my training regiment since then. I was floating weights when Prism came to get me.”

“Good to know.” She tussled his mane, nickering when he brushed her hoof away and snorted. “Now, now, don’t be grumpy!”

With a roll of his eyes, Shining lit his horn and floated the bottle of shampoo over, motioning with a hoof for her to turn around. “I’ll be grumpy if I want,” he retorted.

Cadence unfurled her wings and scooped up some water to wet her mane, then leaned back to grant Shining easy access to begin massaging and lathering her.

She let her eyes flutter shut, she swished her soaking tail as a hum sounded from the back of her throat. His hooves were, as always, surprisingly gentle. Like he was trying to handle something delicate and precious beyond compare.

Me. Cadence fluffed her feathers. All was right again in her happy little world.

“We still need somepony to take up a leadership role if I’m going to start stepping back,” Shining said. “I’ve spoken to Windy and Hoofy about whether or not they’d like to stay, and asked that they float the question to the rest of the unit.”

She flicked an ear toward him. “What did they say?”

“I have two officers, at least. Still waiting to hear what the rest say, but it’s a start.” He chuckled. “I’d wager Valiance and Honeysuckle volunteer to stay, since they’ve got themselves all settled in. And Stout’s bound to stay with them through thick and thin.”

“His new relationship with Tourmie might add a little incentive to that.”

His hooves halted work for a moment as Shining let out a snerk. He nosed into her mane despite the suds. “So the love web remains intact, eh? Or is it more of a love strand right now?”

Cadence let out a laugh. “Until I can cozy up to a few of the single stallions in your guard and get them to talk about what they look for in a special somepony, yes. Or Prism, really.” She pouted. “Prism needs a pony but she keeps running off whenever I bring it up. She’s no fun.”

“I’m sure you’ll find some way to canoodle her into giving it a shot.”

There was a tinkling of magic, then water cascaded down on her head. Cadence snorted to blow it away from her nose. “Perhaps. But back on topic, it’s good that you asked before just assigning them here permanently. As well as the rest of the unit.” She thought a moment, then added, “Would I be right in assuming you’re going to try to groom Lighthoof for a promotion or some sort of field command?”

“Him and Windy,” Shining corrected. “I have to run that by them as well, and I have to figure out how I’m going to maintain my authority over them since I can’t just promote myself.” With a sigh, he levitated the conditioner over and began working it into her mane. “At very least, I’m going to have to talk to them about putting a bit more on them as I step back from certain things. It’s going to be a rather slow transition, I’m afraid.” He paused. “Do you think you can keep the Council off my tail long enough?”

She thought for a moment, wrinkling her snout. “They might argue that you’ve had plenty of time to make the transition if you were going to, but I can deal with them. They can only advise, they can’t force you out.”

“But they can make things difficult on you.”

True, the Council would certainly take issue with yet another delay. No doubt Clear Cut would make a bit of a fuss before he reminded her the logical reasoning behind their request.

Though, I suppose I can’t fault him for looking out for his constituents’ wishes. Or the security of the Crystal Throne. If anything, he was exactly what both Shining and she needed: a counterbalance to bring them to hoof when their personal desires might not match the needs of the Empire. Of course, that didn’t mean his tendency to press  certain issues or resist changes he found “too radical” wasn’t tiresome at times.

His heated debate with Shining was evidence enough.

Still, Cadence couldn’t deny the feeling of warmth that filled her chest. You’re already trying to protect me again. My knight in Shining Armor.

Fluffing her feathers, she leaned back against him until she could arch her neck and press her cheek against his. “You’re sweet,” she said, pecking his cheek. “But I can handle Clear Cut a little while longer. He’ll complain and say that you should be in transition to retire and take your place at my side, but I think I can appease him with this.” She drew back to fix him with a glare. “If you actually follow through with what we’ve talked about.”

He rolled his eyes, but nodded. “Yes, I’ll step back from a few things. It’s just going to be a gradual change.” With his piece said, Shining nudged her forward. The soft pink glow of his magic reflected off the water as he gathered some into a small bubble and floated it above her head. “Close your eyes.”

Cadence obeyed just in time for him to release his magic. Blowing water away from her mouth, she tossed her mane, cheekily flicking Shining across the muzzle.

“Gee, thanks.”

She stood, water ran down her sides as she lit her horn to float a pair of towels over. Smirking, she tossed one at Shining’s head, draping the other across her back as she stepped out of the tub and began to dry herself off.

“So, we’re in agreement then?” Cadence asked, turning to look over her shoulder as she toweled off her backside. A smirk played upon her lips when she noticed his eyes wandering. She lifted her tail, her smirk grew as she watched him suck in a breath, his eyes wide as he watched her dry her thighs. Still so fun to tease. “You’ll step back a little and I’ll handle the Council.”

Shining blinked and shook his head as if to clear it. “Uh, yeah,” he said, standing and exiting the tub to join her. He wrinkled his snout, a frown marred his face. “I still don’t like that you’re going to have to fight with them about this. It feels like we’ve just gone right back to where we started.”

“I’m sure they’ll say the same. Until I explain your reasoning, that is. And as long as we stick to it, everything will work itself out.” I hope. She offered a smile, then added, “It’ll also give you some time to prepare for Lord Alfons, and help teach me how to negotiate with griffons.”

“Speaking of Alfons,” Shining said, pricking up his ears. “Prism told me that he sent a reply to our request. I had her save it for later, so it’s probably on your desk.” He paused a moment while he dried his muzzle, then added, “We should look that over together.”

“We can do that while we eat.”

“Heh. Keeping us on track for your bath, dinner, cuddle plan, eh?”

“You bet your sweet—and quite deliciously taut—backside I am, Shining Armor!” Lighting her horn, she slipped her magic into his field and wrested control of the towel away, looping it around his neck to pull him in until they were muzzle to muzzle. “Five days,” she reminded him.

He gave a sheepish grin. “Right. I’ll read it to you over dinner, then.”

Beaming, Cadence released her hold on his towel and finished drying herself. Then she stepped over to his armor, taking hold of the pieces in her magic, she picked it up with ease and made to take it to his rack just outside the door.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a paper rectangle sticking to the inside of his breastplate. It looked very much like a business card. Tilting her head to the side, Cadence slipped her magic between the armor and the card, and began to gently peel it off. She bit her tongue between her teeth and furrowed her brows in concentration.

Shining chuckled, drawing a flick of her ear. “What are you doing, Cady?”

She tilted his armor so he could see the inside. “You’ve got this card stuck inside here. Probably when somepony decided to drop us all in the fountain!”

“Or when that somepony’s wife decided to dunk his head beneath the water!” he quipped before trotting over to take a look. His eyes lit up. “Oh! I know what that is!” Shining slipped his magic in with hers and peeled the card off with one quick jerk. He floated it just in front of her snout to show the smeared text. “I ran into Glimmer and a friend of his at the park entrance today. Esalen, if I recall. Fun mare, you’d probably like her.”

“Really?”

Snickering, Shining bobbed his head. “Yeah, she’s a wicked mare, let me tell you. Had him all flustered the moment she walked up, only lost it when he took the chance to play up who I was. But she had him wrapped around her hoof again when I left.”

“Esalen, huh? She sounds like a mare after my own heart,” Cadence said. She glanced over the smudged print on the card, squinting to try and make out the words.

Hearts On Our Hooves Physical Therapy

Where your health and happiness are our mission.

Esalen, Licensed Massage Therapist

Toola Roola, Licensed Yoga Instructor and Professional Gymnast

3039 Azurite Street

Garnet District, Crystal Empire

Postage Code: 19234

Humming to herself, Cadence raised her eyebrows. “Well, their tagline sounds nice enough. Why did she give you this, though?”

“Something about me looking run down, she said. Thought I could use something to help me feel better.”

“Well, you have seen better days, honey.”

He shrugged. “Can’t argue that, but I don’t know if massages are really my thing. You like ‘em, so I figured I’d give it to you. Who knows? It might help you deal with some of the stress.” He gave a wink and added, “You might also be able to add another strand or two to your little love web if you get out a bit more.”

A grin made its way across her muzzle. Cadence bounced on her hooves. “I knew you’d join me someday!” she crooned, planting a wet kiss on his cheek. “I’ll make a shipper out of you yet!”

Shining turned his cheek and gave her a little shove, grinning as he did so. “You get out of here with that! I’m just saying it because that stuff makes you happy, I’ll stick with my armor, office, and combat drills, thank you very much!”

Laughing, Cadence stuck out her tongue, only to shriek when she felt the sting of a dampened towel crack against her backside. Seeing Shining ready for another strike, she fled from the bathroom and tried to use his armor as a shield against his next assault as he bounded after her.

If he were to be entirely honest with himself, Shining couldn’t deny that he felt a bit more whole.

It was troubling to know just how much Cadence still worried about him, but not without justification on her part. His career put him at risk by its very nature, so it was only natural that she go through some of the stress of a military wife.

Combine it with her duties as a Royal in Canterlot, and it added to what she had to think about on a day to day basis.

Didn’t get any easier when we made the move here. Or after the changelings’ Queen tried to have her way with me. A shudder ran down his spine. Shining shook his head as though to rid himself of the memories of nights spent with his wife’s doppelgänger wrapped in his hooves, stealing the kisses and affection meant only for her. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

A paper ball bounced off his snout. Shining blinked and looked across the small two-seater table at Cadence. “What was that for?”

“You’re staring off into space,” she replied, a teasing grin playing upon her lips. “Such a short attention span! Maybe I need to make sure you’re doing paperwork when you make the move back to the office, hmm?”

He rolled his eyes. “You’re a regular comedian. Where did you even get that from?”

Grinning, she pointed at the letter resting to his right. “I took it out of the envelope and slid it over for you to read. You didn’t, so I threw the envelope.”

“Like I said, a comedian. And no, I don’t need you to watch over me while I work. I was just thinking.”

Cadence perked her ears up. “What about?”

Shining shrugged. “Stuff we’ve talked about mostly. Kinda going through and organizing it all for myself.” He gave a low grumble and poked his fork forward until it was level with the end of his knife. “A small part of me is gonna miss doing those runs and normal guard stuff.”

“I know.” Her ears swiveled back to lay against her scalp. Cadence ducked her head and gave a weak smile. “But I’ll feel more comfortable. And I’ll really appreciate knowing that you’re safe and doing other things you really like.”

“And paperwork,” he added.

“And paperwork, yes.” She fidgeted in place, her wings began to unfurl and wrap around her front. “I know it’s not what you really want, but I think it’ll be better in the long run. Personally and professionally speaking, you shouldn’t be doing patrol runs outside the walls anymore.”

Can’t really argue that one. Shining sucked in a breath through his teeth and cocked his head. “Well, those I can back off quite easily. As for the hooves on training, that’s another story right now.”

Cadence sighed in relief. “I know. But that’s understandable since you’ve been involved from the start, and you’ve got good reason to want to see it all the way through.” She brought her hooves to her chest, her smile returned. “I really do know how much you’d rather do, well, everything on top of your officer duties, but I appreciate it. And I know the Council will come around eventually.”

Shining flicked his ear, but nodded.

His eyes flitted to the letter, then to his empty plate. The kitchen staff was a bit behind on dinner, so he’d just have to read Alfons’ reply early.

Slight alteration to the plan, but not that big a deal. If anything, they could just enjoy their meal without that hanging over them.

Taking it in his magic, he unfolded the letter, a smile tugged at his lips when he noticed the heavy ink and deliberate strokes of his longtime friend’s quill. Still writing his own letters, even with the Territories’ best translators at his beck and call.

Shining looked back at Cadence, then gestured to the letter hovering before him. “Ready for me to start?” he asked.

She perked up her ears and nodded, settling into her seat and waving him on. “Go right ahead.”

He cleared his throat and began to read aloud. “To Their Royal Highnesses, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and—oh, come on!” Shining brought a hoof up to massage his forehead. “Not this load of crabapples again!”

Across the table, Cadence’s ear flicked. “What’s wrong?”

“Just … just promise not to laugh. When I was in the Territories, Alfons had me spar with a few of his soldiers.” With a sigh, he gestured to the letter. “He stuck me with a title and uses it as often as he can, even though he knows it annoys me.”

To Their Royal Highnesses, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and Strahlende Rüstung den großartigen Schild, Captain of the Royal Guard:

It brings me great joy to hear from you, Strahlende Rüstung. I hope that you and your lovely wife have been well since ascending to the Crystal Throne. From my own experience, I know how troublesome the initial transition into ruling can be, especially on a young couple. As Equestria and the United Griffon Territories have been allies for over a hundred years, I see no reason not to extend the same treatment to the Crystal Empire, especially given that it is an Equestrian Protectorate and under the rule of one who has earned my respect in combat. If it is agreeable, I would like to extend the offer to formalize this at your proposed meeting.

With that said, I have looked over your trade and research proposition with my advisors. We find the offer intriguing, but I would like to first see what Princess Twilight Sprakle’s research up to this point have yielded. Certainly, your crystals would have great value for our craftworkers, but beyond that, I’m not not entirely sure about their worth. Would it be acceptable for us to bring one of our researchers along to this meeting to listen to her findings? I, personally, see no reason why we could not at least entertain the possibility of a trade agreement between our nations.

On the subject of when, I would like to ensure that we aren’t so pressed for time that we feel rushed to a decision. That way, both of our nations’ citizens reap the most benefit of our negotiations. And, again on a personal note, I think my wife, Helga, our newly hatched son, Adalric, and I would enjoy a visit to your fair city. How does the first week of Autumn sound for you, old friend?

Give my love to Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, and Helga’s as well.

Good fortune to you, Strahlende Rüstung den großartigen Schild. I look forward to seeing you again.

Sincerely,

Alfons, Lord of the Griffon Territories

Shining stopped reading and lowered the letter. “Well,” he said, smiling broadly. “Not quite sold, but we’ve got a hoof in the door. Think we can host a delegation of griffons in Autumn?”

“I’m quite sure we can prepare ourselves for them with that much notice.”

“Great! So we can send a reply tomorrow, then?”

Beaming, Cadence nodded. “I’ll call a meeting with the Council straight away, and Prism can help me begin preparations.” Then she raised a brow and leaned forward, her smile changed to a sly smirk. “So … ‘Shining Armor of the Great Shield,’ huh?”

He rubbed the back of his head and ducked his head, giving a wobbly smile. “There’s a, uh, funny story about that, actually. But I’m sure you don’t wanna hear something as boring as that.” Shining made to stand, but found himself pressed down as though a heavy weight had fallen upon his shoulders. The tinkling of magic tickled at his ears, the hair on the back of his neck stood on end.

Across the table, Cadence sat with her hooves steepled. Her eyes shone with mischievous intent. “Now, Shiny, don’t you know it’s rude to leave a lady wanting for such pertinent information. Especially when it concerns her beloved husband. However—” she shrugged. “—if you don’t want to tell me about that, you don’t have to.”

Shining blinked. “I don’t?”

“You don’t.”

The pair held their gaze, neither daring to look away.

“Okay, I’ll bite,” he said. “What’s the catch?”

Her magic’s weight on his shoulders vanished. Cadence shrugged and let her smile fall, giving an innocent little pout. “Oh, just a little something we neglected to mention so far in our conversation. If you think you’re up for a serious talk of a different nature, that is.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Y’know, if you’re trying to be subtle about wanting to chat, you’re doing about as well as a yak in the fine china closet.”

A visible shudder ran down Cadence’s spine. “Don’t even joke about that!”

“Yeah, sorry, that’s a bit over the line.” Shining scratched his ear with the edge of his hoof. “So what’d we forget to discuss?”

Cadence closed her eyes and took a deep breath, bringing a hoof to her chest, she held it a moment.

Her stress relief exercise? Shining laid one ear flat and perked the other up. “Something else bothering you?”

She exhaled, then met his gaze.

“I want to talk about having foals.”

25. Foal Talk

When and if Shining ever told the story of how he and Cadence discussed—actually discussed, not using it as a segue into having sex together (though, sex with the pony who embodied love was a pretty awesome thing in and of itself)—the prospect of having foals together, there were certain things he would leave out.

Maybe he’d say something about how it was a casual discussion one night while they were both enjoying each other’s company, make it something like the typical, idyllic story his parents would fabricate for Twilight and himself when they asked. Or perhaps he might edit the events surrounding their talk so that their friends and any future foals wouldn’t have to hear of their first “big fight” since marriage.

Come to think of it, he hadn’t been sent to the couch since that time he came back from the Griffon Territories and foolishly greeted Cadence with a big, goofy grin and an all-too-jubilant cry of “Hi, Cady! You’ll never believe how much fun fighting in the coliseum was!”

Celestia herself groaned and brought a hoof to her forehead at that one, before taking a rather big step to the left so to escape the “splash zone,” as she later called it while relaying the tale to Luna and various other dignitaries. Always with Cadence and Shining themselves nearby and trying their best to find some way to sink through the floor or escape the teleport nullification barrier she’d put up.

They never could.

In any case, there was one thing Shining Armor knew for absolute certain that he’d change in any iteration of the story: he would simply never allow anypony, not even Cadence, to know that he felt his blood run cold, or that he froze like a foal in the path of a runaway apple cart.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want foals ever.

It was more the reality of Cadence putting something in front of him, placing her hoof on it, and slapping an “I want this, please” sticker on it. Figuratively speaking, of course.

Shining blinked his eyes a few times and sat back in his sea. “You want foals,” he repeated, as if confirming a report from his subordinates. Just to make sure he heard right.

His tone must’ve come off wrong. Cadence ducked her head and looked down at the table. “I don’t mean, like, right now. Just …” she trailed off, squirming in place. “In the future. Whether it’s immediate or distant. I just wanted you to know that my want for foals wasn’t a, um, Council-based request.”

He flinched. So that’s what brought it on.

Biting back a curse, he looked down at his empty plate. “I didn’t mean to imply that it was,” he said. He didn’t dare meet her eyes. “I was angry, and I wasn’t thinking. I’m sorry.”

“No. You had a reason to think it at the time.” She paused a beat, then added, "A good one."

Shining looked up, cringing as he felt his neck muscles strain. A fervent denial was already fresh on the tip of his tongue.

Then Cadence looked up, her beautiful purple eyes shone with sadness and regret. Her ears drooped low.

The words died before he could even begin to form them. Shining hung his head, thinking a moment. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then spoke in a firm voice, “No. It wasn’t fair in the slightest.”

A remorseful sigh made his ear flick and brought a frown to his muzzle. “Shining,” Cadence began.

His eyes snapped open. Shining Armor leaned forward and slapped his hoof against the table. The silverware jumped and clattered. “I’m not having you blame yourself or try to let me pin everything on the Council, Cadence,” he scolded. “For as long as I’ve known you, it’s been no secret that you love foals. It’s what got us started as friends!”

She flinched at his tone. “Yes, I suppose that’s true.” Cadence wrung her hooves together. “I just know we haven’t really discussed us having foals, and with the Council wanting you to step back so we could produce heirs …”

“I’ll … deal with that later.” Oh, that much was for certain. Council or not—stuck in the old traditions or not—Cadence was his wife, and the way their marriage ran was most definitely not up for discussion by anypony.

The Council of Shards would hear from Shining Armor on that matter. Oh yes. Whether Cadence wanted it or not, he had more than a few words for them.

Clear Cut had better realize that when I figure out a polite way to tell them, that it would be in his very best interests to keep his mouth shut, or he’s going to get a nice littler reminder which of us holds higher standing. He forced himself not to smirk. While the Council certainly represented the will of the crystal ponies—and they did, admittedly, want to do right by them—the real power laid with the Crystal Throne. At least, as far as he knew.

The wheels began to turn in his head. Perhaps it might be time to get Twilight on the case.

Surely she wouldn’t mind taking an innocent little vacation to the Crystal Empire to see her BBBFF and the “best foalsitter in all of Equestria.” And if she so happened to find her way into the ancient library of the Crystal Empire, searching for information on the traditional balance of power between the Throne and the Council, then who was he to complain if she was enjoying herself?

“What are you plotting?” Cadence’s voice cut through his thoughts.

Shining’s reply was well-practiced. He plastered a bright smile on his muzzle and perked his ears up straight as he sat back in his seat. “Nothing at all. Just thinking. About things.”

She stared, her eyes bored into his. “Just thinking?” she repeated, incredulity tinging her tone. “So, that little gleam in your eyes that everypony in your family gets whenever they’re thinking of ways to mess with somepony else is just my imagination, then.”

She knew the look? He sucked in a breath through his teeth, giving himself a mental slap. Of course she knew the look. Everypony in his family, from his father whenever he put something together to shut up an uppity coworker to Twilight when she wanted to trick Cadence into giving her extra cookies, did the look. Even their mother—much as she loved to pin it on Night Light—got that gleam in her eyes as her lips curved into a cheshire cat grin.

Cadence had known them all for far too long.

Probably best to come clean, then.

Or at least give a half truth.

“Just thinking of how much I look forward to my next chat with Clear Cut,” he said.

Groaning, Cadence buried her face in her hooves. “I knew it. Please don’t be too mean.”

“I won’t. It’ll all be nice, clean, and completely fair to all parties.” I’ll just make sure we all know who sits where at the table here. Putting that aside for a moment, he continued, “So, moving back to the subject at hoof.” He ran his tongue over his lips. When had they gotten so dry? “Foals. You want them.”

The way she looked up slowly along with the slight inclining of her brows told him all he needed to know: she wasn’t forgetting his little crack about discussing with the Council, but she’d allow him a free pass.

If only because they’d just made up.

“Yes,” she replied, giving a single nod. “I would like us to have foals at some point.”

Shining took a deep breath. “Okay,” he said, exhaling heavily. “Okay. Wow. This is, um, not exactly shocking to hear, because, like I said, I kinda knew you wanted them … Hoo boy.” He ran a hoof through his mane, forcing a chuckle. “Gosh. Is it bad that I feel like I did the first time I saw Drill Sergeant Lightning Lancer coming toward me?”

Cadence tilted her head, a frown marred her muzzle. “You’re not enthused with the idea then.”

“I am!” he replied. “I mean, I like the idea, it’s just … having foals is a lot different than having a little sister and a baby dragon, you know? And then there’s—” his ears laid flat, his gaze fell to his plate again. Shining heaved a sigh.

“What? And then there’s what?” He the chair shift as she leaned forward. Her naked hoof touched against his wrist. “Shining, why do you feel like you’ve got that brute of a Drill Sergeant coming toward you?”

Letting his shoulders slump, he gave his answer, “You’ll be a wonderful mother, of course. That much is for certain.” He forced another chuckle, glancing up at her for a split second before letting his eyes flit over to a picture of the pair of them with Twilight and Spike from her second year in Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. “Hay, you were the first pony Twily opened up to outside the family; we were all ready to sing your praises from the top of the mountain!”

Cadence’s hoof gripped his wrist tight. “Shining,” she said softly. “You’re starting to ramble.”

“I’m not—okay, maybe I am a little.” Shining turned his hoof so he could loop his wrist around hers, interlocking them. “It’s not that I don’t want foals. I’m just … I don’t know. Maybe I’m just being silly because of what’s been going on between us lately.”

“Then talk to me, Shiny. Look at me and tell me what’s bothering you.”

Shining let out a shaky breath and slowly looked up to meet her gaze. “I don’t know if I’m ready to be a father. Or even if I can be a good father.”

Her grip tightened, painfully so. He winced, then recoiled as her eyes flashed with anger.

“Explain,” she commanded, her voice taking on a cold edge that sent a shiver down his spine.

“Er, which—”

“The part where the stallion I’ve watched laugh and play with his sister, practically spoiling her with all the affection he could, and then doing the same and being an overprotective, thick-headed soldier for his wife thinks he won't be a good father.”

He wasn’t entirely sure which was worse: the way she looked at him, or the way she threw his own doubt back at him in much the same manner he’d seen her as she readied to rip into her cousin, Blueblood.

Running his free hoof through his mane, Shining gave a pained smile. “I don’t really have a reason. Just a worry. I’ve put you through a lot lately, and—”

“And now who’s the one putting blame on himself?” Cadence arched a brow. “We’ve discussed how we can proceed with things to appease the Council, and our ponies, while still letting you keep your job. If I don’t get to call how I’ve been acting unfair to you, then you don’t get to talk to me about what sort of father your job may or may not make you for the foals we don’t even have yet. In short, shut up about your job and stop being a dunce. And I swear to Celestia, if your ‘worry’ is your job and how it makes you a father after all this—”

Cadence trailed off, sucking in a deep breath through her nose. She gave his wrist another squeeze. “You’ll be a great father, Shining Armor. I know it.”

Shining sat quietly for a moment. He let his shoulders relax and unpinned his ears. “I guess that is rather silly of me. Again.” Laughing to himself, he shook his head. “We’re both really bad about this whole ‘you can’t do this, but I’ll do it all the same’ thing, aren’t we?”

“Terribly so,” she replied with a smile. “But there’s worse reasons to do silly things than caring for my husband.”

“Or my wife,” he put in.

Cadence gave a playful huff and toss of her mane. “I’m a grown mare.”

Raising an eyebrow, Shining snorted. “I’m a grown stallion.”

In almost perfect unison, they both rolled their eyes and intoned, “And I will be treated as such, mom!”

For the first time in days, they shared a laugh together—real, genuine laughter. Somehow, despite all they still had to deal with, everything just felt right.

Shining turned their hooves over so his laid on top of hers. “I still feel bad about how stressed you’ve been,” he said.

“Struggles of ruling.” Cadence shrugged. “Auntie Celestia drinks her tea and has cakes with Luna, Raven, and Midnight after they finish Court or whatever duties they have, which is supposed to be rather relaxing. And a nice time for them all to spend time together.”

“Spending time with their seneschals?” Shining hummed to himself. “Just imagine if our crystal ponies found out that we weren’t the oddballs of the Royal Family, and that even Celestia and Luna liked palling around with theirs.” At that, he perked his ears up. “Say …”

Cadence’s brows flatlined. “No.”

“You haven’t even heard my idea yet!”

“You have the look again. My immediate and final answer is no, and if you ignore it, I will have your most embarrassing foal pictures blown up and plastered all over the city.” Her eyebrow arched again, those brilliant purple eyes shone with mirth. “Your call.”

Shining recoiled as though she’d struck him, bringing his hooves up to protect himself. “Okay, okay! I surrender! Put down your weapons!”

“Smart boy.” Cadence beamed, sitting back in her seat.

“You used to let me get away with those things.”

“I’ve been dealing with a lot of things, and I’m still waiting for you to give me an answer.”

Blinking, Shining tilted his head. He stared a moment, then sat up straight. “Oh.”

Cadence raised her eyebrows. “Yes. Oh. So, what do you say?”

He shifted in his seat. “Um, I don’t necessarily know if I’m ready to be a father right now …” he trailed off, biting his lip. “But if it happened, even if it came sooner rather than later, I wouldn’t be against it either. Just ... maybe when things settle down.” Offering a small smile, he took her hoof again. “I think that's about as fair an answer as I can give answer, then.”

“And it doesn’t have anything to do with the Council pushing?” Cadence asked.

“Not a thing.” He brought her hoof to his lips and kissed it, smirking at the way she sucked in her lips to hide a smile. “Just that I’d be happy to start a family with the mare I conned into marrying a goofball like me.”

The smile she gave in reply sent warmth flooding into his chest. “I’m glad,” she said. Gently tugging her hoof from his grasp, she took a deep breath and sighed wistfully. Then, she blinked and looked toward the door, furrowing her brows. “You know, I don’t mean to be snippy, but what in the name of Equestria is taking them so long?”

“That’s … a rather good question.” Shining shrugged. “I dunno. Maybe they had a heart attack when you uttered the phrase ‘surprise us.’”

“Oh, hush. They probably just made a little mistake on something.”

It took every fiber of his self-control not to grin outright. Instead, Shining offered a small smile before turning away to look at another picture, this time with Twilight’s head resting atop his while she rode on his back. “Perhaps they’re busy freaking out that they get to decide the meal to please their beloved Crystal Princess.”

He flicked his left ear toward Cadence, he could practically hear her neck muscles creaking as she turned to fix him with a glare-slash-totally-not-hiding-a-smile. Fighting back laughter, he faced her, then started as though shocked by her reaction. “What?”

Her ears pinned back. “Don’t you ‘what’ me, mister!” she said, narrowing her eyes at him. “I am a mess of emotions, and stress, and I only just got you back talking to me, and I do not need these antics right now!”

“Well, antics come with the territory of talking to me again, Cady.” Seeing her suck in a breath, he smirked. An idea came to mind, a nice way to revisit something from earlier and segue toward some nice, relaxed Cadence time. In a flash of pink, the card Esalen gave him between them. “You could always give that mare’s massage clinic a chance.”

Wrinkling her snout, Cadence glanced at the card. “It’s not that I don’t like the idea, it’s more that I have no idea how good she is. You know I’m a bit finicky when it comes to that.”

Shining rolled his eyes. “You’re also a bit finicky about how you like your feathers preened.” Before she could deny it, he leaned across the table and stole a kiss. “Which is why I made sure to learn as quickly as I could.”

“You’re lucky I love you,” she muttered, puffing out her cheeks as she crossed her hooves over her chest. The corners of her mouth tugged into a smile despite her act.

Naturally, Shining couldn’t just let that go. “You’re smiling.”

“Am not!”

“Are too! I see it right there!”

With a rustle of her wings, she waved a hoof as if to banish him from her presence. “No, I’m not! Shut up or I will … put forth a royal command that you can’t do anything but preen my feathers and rub my hooves and give me all the attention I want for a week!”

“Not seeing the problem. Of course, I’m also not seeing why you don’t just go see this mare,” Shining added. “She seemed nice. And rather funny.”

“If you think so, then why don’t you go give her services a try?” As soon as the words left her mouth, Shining knew he was in trouble.

He watched in muted horror as the realization dawned on her. Her ears perked up, a bright smile made its way across her muzzle. “Cady. Cady, no.”

“Shining,” she purred. “Shining, yes. Since you seem to like her and think I should go, I think it’s only fair that you try out her services and let me know how it goes.”

“Nope. I’m not being your guinea pig on this one.” Shining folded his hooves over his chest and closed his eyes. “I don’t do massages, and I’m not starting now.”

For a moment, there was silence. His ears twitched, waiting for Cadence to begin her mock simpering and crooning over him until he gave in.

None came.

Against his better judgement, Shining dared to sneak a peak. Just in case she was trying to slink around the table to catch him in a hug and start playing with his ears, or trailing her feathers down his thighs, or whatever wicked combinations of flirting she might try.

Instead, he was met with wide eyes that seemed to shine, and the most pitiful pout he’d ever seen.

He snorted. “That’s not going to work, Cady. I grew up with Twily.”

She gave no reply, simply hanging her head and laying her ears flat.

Shining did his best not to flinch. “Stop that. I know you’re faking. Stop looking at me like that.”

Cadence just kept pouting.

“For the love of Celestia, stop it! I’m not changing my mind!”

“I can’t freaking believe I caved,” Shining grumbled as he glared at the building before him.

The clinic, as Esalen called it, was less an actual clinic and more a small building among the gem crafting guilds and shopping plaza in the Garnet District. Across the street, there was a rather tall apartment complex, with ponies of all ages—a few of his guards stationed in the area, even—milling about.

A smile made its way across his muzzle as he watched a pair of his Royal Guards in their gleaming gold armor chatting away with a crowd of star struck foals, who sat with rapt attention as their crystalline bodies shone in the morning sun.

Nice to see they’re starting to see us as ponies here to protect, not oppress.

Shining turned back to the clinic again, his eyes flitted to the sign above the door, tracing along the name written in elegant pink and aquamarine script.

Hearts On Our Hooves Physical Therapy

Esalen, Licensed Massage Therapist

Toola Roola, Licensed Yoga Instructor and Professional Gymnast

A shiver ran down his spine. It wasn’t that he didn’t like the idea of loosening up his muscles and feeling better. But some of the things he’d heard, the different techniques and how they could be applied in ways that were either as smooth as silk or as rough as a stampede of buffalo just rubbed him the wrong way.

And yoga was just right out. He was most certainly not flexible enough for that. As far as he was concerned, ponies did not bend that way, and should not bend that way. Period.

He wrinkled his snout, thinking back to Cadence’s request the night before. Scoffing, he mimicked her voice, albeit rather poorly, “Give it a try and see how you like it! It might help you take care of some stress too!”

Okay, so he was a bit stressed with work and dealing with her having stress, but that didn’t mean he needed to be ground into a thick paste and then twisted into a pretzel!

But Cadence wanted him to check the place out and had brought up a few good points to counter his denials—namely, the he was just as worked up and stressed as she was, and that he looked like he could use a day of relaxing.

His mouth set in a thin line. He’d much rather just spend the day with her. Maybe eat lunch together somewhere nice, or go off alone. Or maybe they could talk a little bit about Alfons’ visit.

Well, that would have to happen anyway. Maybe he’d just stick with wanting lunch.

Actually, that’s not a bad idea. Shining hummed to himself. In fact, I don’t think she’ll get to say no. Lunch, talking more about things, and just us.

After the stupid massage, of course.

With his mind made up, Shining approached the door and channeled magic through his horn, wrapping it around the handle.

Before he could pull it open, the door pushed out, and he found himself face to face with a familiar pair of green eyes and a glimmering pale yellow coat.

Shining blinked as his brain connected the dots. A smirk crossed his muzzle, contrasted by the wide-eyed stare and ducking of the other stallion’s head.

“Well, well, well,” he said. “If it isn’t my favorite ex-recruit. How’re you this fine morning, Glimmer?”

Maybe this visit would be fun after all.

26. The Mare With Magic Hooves

Sometimes, Shining Armor wondered if he was a bit too sadistic in how he enjoyed teasing his recruits. But as he maintained his smirk and stood before Glimmer, basking in the way his favorite klutz ducked his head and tried to smile in turn, he could happily say there was no such thing as too much in this case.

If anything, he wished Lighthoof was there. Not because days at the massage clinic were a thing he wanted to do with his officers—let alone at all, really—but because Lighthoof so desperately needed to get a few licks in. Nothing mean, just a joke or two.

Shining raised an eyebrow at Glimmer. “Well, Glimmer? Gonna answer me?”

True to form, Glimmer snapped to attention as though he were still a recruit. “F-Fine, sir—I mean Prince Armor!”

“Informal, Glimmer.” Shining fought down a snigger. “Unless you’d like me to make this a formal visit. Though this place is open already and I don’t see a ribbon that needs cutting, so that’d be incredibly pointless.”

“Oh, um, right.” Glimmer stood up straight, his smile faltered slightly. Tilting his head, he glanced between Shining and the door. “Er, permission to speak freely, then?”

Shining frowned. “You’re on leave and I’m off-duty, Glimmer. You can say what you want within reason.”

Shimmering green ears drooped. “Sorry. I keep forgetting.” He coughed. “Er, if you’re not here for anything official, and I’m pretty sure I still have a couple weeks to report … why are you here, sir?”

Sucking in his lips, Shining glanced away.

How best to say that his wife had guilted him into trying it out for her with a few words of concern and a pout without making it seem like Cadence could just bring him to heel like Esalen could Glimmer?

Simple misinformation, of course.

“Cadence thinks I’m stressed out,” he said after a moment. “And when I mentioned that friend of yours giving me her card—”

“Esalen,” Glimmer cut in, before suddenly ducking low.

Shining flicked an ear, his lips tugged into a smirk. “Yes. Well, I have your little friend to thank for Cadence insisting I come here.” He paused a beat. “So, is Esalen in?”

Glimmer cast a quick look over his shoulder. “Um, well, yes. She and Toola are both here.” His smile strained, he tried to slip past Shining. “You can just go on in and, uh, wait for them. They should be ready in a few minutes.”

“Uh huh.” Shining didn’t move, fixing Glimmer with an amused stare as the colt tried to press against the doorframe to get around him.

Their eyes met. Glimmer faked a grin.

“Got somewhere to be, Glimmer?”

“Er, not really, sir.” Glimmer’s grin faltered as he tried pushing past Shining’s shoulder, only to find that the unicorn was quite sturdy. “Just going out for a walk. Y’know, get moving before work and stuff.”

Shining could only let his brow arch higher. He snorted and shifted his weight, using his larger frame to pin the smaller colt in place.

They stared at one another a moment longer.

“You’re acting awfully skittish, Glimmer,” Shining noted.

“Lieutenant Lighthoof would say that I’m always skittish,” Glimmer countered as he tried to push again.

But to no avail. “You wanna tell me what’s going on, or should I just pick you up and carry you inside to ask your friends?” Shining asked. He gave his horn a meaningful spark. “You’re not so heavy that I can’t do it.”

Horror flashed across Glimmer’s face. He took a step back and bowed his head low. “No, no, no!” he said in a rush, before stealing a quick glance over his shoulder. “Please don’t! Toola wants me to—”

As if on cue, a mare’s voice sounded from within. “Glimmer! Glimmy-Glim-Glimmer! You better not have left! You promised to do yoga with me today!”

Glimmer’s ears drooped. He looked up at Shining Armor, his forest green eyes widened in silent plea for mercy.

What in Equestria did Toola do in those yoga sessions?

“Did you promise?” Shining found himself asking.

With a pathetic whine, Glimmer nodded. “I did because she kept prodding and begging me to try it.”

“Have you tried it yet?”

“Once.” A deep blush colored his muzzle. Glimmer hunched his back and bashfully scuffed a hoof against the porch. “I didn’t think ponies could bend like that,” he muttered.

Shining suppressed a snort. Oh my. The sound of hooves thudding against the floor from within made his ears twitch. Eh, I’ll give him this one. “Well, if you’ve already tried it, I guess I can’t hold it against you.” He stepped to the side and gave a wink. “Better get moving.”

Glimmer didn’t need to be told twice. His ears perked up, he snapped a quick salute and gave his thanks before sprinting out of the clinic as fast as he could.

Shaking his head, Shining stepped inside. Well, I can honestly say my morning has been eventful already. And for once, I won’t have to do a report on it.

The clinic’s interior had a rather homey feel to it in the waiting room. A small two seater couch with rather puffy pink cushions and purple pillows sat against the wall, a polished wooden coffee table littered with cosmetics magazines and what looked to be today’s issue of the Crystal Scribe rested before it.

Directly ahead of him, a small mare with a bit of a pudge to her frame sat at a desk just a short distance from a wooden door. She rustled her wings as she doodled on a sketchpad, her eyes flitted up to meet his.

Just as she made to speak, the door burst open to reveal a mare of soft pink coat and light blue and violet mane. Her eyes darted left and right before settling on Shining Armor.

Pink ears perked up. “Oh!” she gasped, before giving a quick bow. “Hello! You must be Prince Armor!”

Shining nodded once. “Yes, I am. And you are …”

“Toola Roola!” she replied, beaming back at him. “Essy mentioned running into you with Glimmer yesterday, Your Highness. I don’t think I’ve seen her so flustered since that time I—wait a minute!” Her eyes widened slightly, then narrowed. Toola Roola turned to the mare sitting at the desk. “Sure Stroke! Where’d Glimmer go?”

Sure Stroke hid a smile behind her hoof. “I think he said something about going out for a walk before work,” she said, her voice tinged with poorly restrained mirth. “And then he ran as soon as he heard you calling for him.”

Toola gasped. “And you didn’t stop him?”

“Nope!” Sure Stroke replied happily. “Prince Armor didn’t either, and he had a better chance then me!”

Shining cursed as Toola gave another gasp and turned her gaze upon him. “To be fair," he began, holding up a hoof, "I didn’t have reason to hold him here once I’d discerned nothing was wrong.”

“But there is something wrong!” Toola stomped a hoof. “He’s supposed to do yoga with me today and then massage therapy with Essy afterward!”

“Is he having aches and pains?” Shining asked. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he went through Lighthoof’s reports on Glimmer. He didn’t recall any physical disabilities, clumsiness notwithstanding.

“No,” Sure Stroke cut in. “They just like giving friends nice things, and he's adorable when he tries to turn them down.” She paused a beat, then turned to Toola. “You know he’s getting away, right?”

Toola grumbled something under her breath, then galloped out the door, calling, “I’ll be right back!” as she raced after Glimmer.

Blinking, Shining could only stare at Toola’s receding form until the door swung shut. He laughed and shook his head. “Glimmer, Glimmer, Glimmer,” he muttered under his breath.

Not quiet enough that it went unnoticed by Sure Stroke, though.

“Essy and Toola are terrible teases to him,” the mare put in, drawing Shining’s attention as she stood to bow. “So is my Aspire, but those two just love seeing him flustered.”

Shining’s ears twitched. “I do recall Esalen mentioning your names. He’s your boyfriend, then?”

“Yes, Your Highness,” she replied.

“And how do you two know Esalen and Toola?”

“Aspire and Esalen are family, Toola is her girlfriend.” Sure Stroke smiled. “I’ve been friends with them and Spinneret since my family left Cloudsdale for their village.”

At the mention of a new name, Shining tilted his head. “I don’t believe Glimmer mentioned a Spinneret. Did she not make the move here?”

Sure Stroke shook her head. “Oh, no, Your Highness. Spinneret is here, she’s just been gathering things for her garden and felt it best not to join us on our tour.”

Again, his ears twitched. “Is that what she does for work, or is it more of a hobby.”

“A bit of both. She likes it and she has an affinity for spiders.” Sure Stroke’s wings rustled nervously. “And, well, gardens attract bugs, so spiders make webs around them. And she just finds the whole thing calming. Something about—oh, well, never mind that. You’re here for Essy, not our life stories.”

Oh, right. The massage.

Story time would have to be put on hold then.

Shining smiled. “Well, if it’s any help, I am glad to know Glimmer made friends outside the guard class.” Maybe it’ll help him figure out what sort of thing suits him best. He nodded toward the door. “Do I need an appointment, or does she take walk ins?”

Stepping around the desk, Sure Stroke pushed open the door and stepped through to hold it open for him. “Essy takes walk ins when she’s not busy with another client. She was only just setting up when Glimmer decided to make his escape before Toola could have her way with him. Follow me, please.”

He followed along, then fell into step alongside her as she led him down a hallway just wide enough for two or three ponies to fit through. Pictures of all three mares he’d met lined the walls, some of them featuring a grinning orange stallion with deep red mane with his hooves around Sure Stroke and Esalen, as well as a few later ones showing them joined by a mare of pearl white coat and shimmering silver mane.

“Aspire and Spinneret?” he asked, nodding at one that showed Sure Stroke standing between the pair—the stallion had his hooves around her and seemed like he was trying to drape himself across her, while the mare seemed content to regard them with a small smile and amusement shining in her eyes.

Sure Stroke bobbed her head. “He’s a goof, but he’s my goof.” A fond smile played upon her lips. “He can be sweet when he’s not being a smug little punk.”

He let out a snort of laughter. “And her?”

She stopped in front of a door bearing Toola’s name in loopy cursive writing, her smile seemed to falter a touch. “She’s strange.” Sure Stroke glanced at him, then back ahead. “Spinneret is always up to something and she really likes to play it close to her chest, if that makes sense.” Her ears drooped slightly. “Though … it’s been the source of one or two fights before.”

Shining stayed quiet a moment, unsure of what to say.

What exactly was there to say? He didn’t know these ponies any better than he knew a random griffon in Alfons’ ranks—in fact, the only connection he had was Glimmer.

Twily would say to offer support. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. And then she’d come up with some sort of friendship lesson to get them all to open up a bit more.

Before Shining could speak up, her smile was back in place as if it had never left. “Never you mind, though, Your Highness! She’s a good mare, and a friend. And you’re here to see Essy anyway.” Sure Stroke continued on her way toward the next door, which bore Esalen’s name in similar writing.

She knocked twice. “Essy!” she called. “We’ve got a walk in if you’re ready!”

“Just a moment!” Esalen sang back, her voice muffled by the door.

With the familiar tinkling of magic filling the air, the door pulled open to reveal Esalen’s smiling face. Her eyes lit up upon seeing Shining. “Prince Armor!” she said, her ears perked up straight. “I didn’t think you’d come so soon!”

“Blame my wife,” Shining replied with a rueful smirk. “She thinks I need to unwind and won’t take punching a bag for an hour or wrestling my fellow guards as an answer.”

Esalen brought up a hoof to stifle a laugh. “Well, I’m glad she did. For entirely unbiased reasons, of course.”

He snorted. “Of course.”

“Okay, maybe some biased reasons.” Her bright pink eyes seemed to dance with mirth. “But on an unbiased note, roughhousing while your muscles are tense is a surefire way to strain something.”

Shining flicked an ear. That was a point he couldn’t argue. “Fair enough.”

Esalen stepped to the side and held out a hoof to admit him, her gaze flitted to Sure Stroke. “When’s my first appointment?”

“You have an hour until Gemstone’s appointment. Plenty of time.” Sure Stroke turned to trot away, but let her gaze linger on Shining Armor. “Is there anything else you need, Prince Armor?”

He shook his head and smiled. “No, I think that’s it.” Shining gave a little bow. “Thank you, ma’am.”

Sure Stroke bowed in return, then continued down the hallway toward the waiting room.

Turning to face Esalen again, Shining entered her office. He glanced around, the long, cushioned massage bed at the center of the room captured his focus the very instant he laid eyes on it.

The only way he could think to describe it was in terms of a doctor’s examining table. But without the angling near the head and back. It still held that uncomfortable, tight-wrapped synthetic look to it.

For reasons he just couldn’t explain, it made him want to turn tail and leave. Maybe he could wander back out to the waiting room and just nap on the couch for an hour.

That would count toward relaxing and unwinding, right?

As if sensing he was second-guessing his prospects, Esalen shut the door and guided him toward the bed. “Just lay down and relax,” she ordered gently. “It’ll be easier if you think of it less like therapy and more like you’re at home resting.”

Shining bit back a line, instead asking, “Face up or down?”

“Whichever you want me to start on.” Esalen hummed a little tune to herself as she lit her horn and floated a glass jar of a pale yellow salve over and removed the top so she could rub it into her hooves. “Are there any muscles giving you problems in particular? I know you’re a guard by profession, and it’s common to have a bit of neck stiffness thanks to those helmets.”

Almost reflexively, Shining rolled his shoulders and tilted his head to either side as if to pop it. He stopped just as he felt his neck tighten.

He gave an awkward cough. “Yes,” he replied, sliding onto the bed. “It’s nothing too serious, but my neck and shoulders stiffen up a little. Might be because I do a lot of paperwork these days.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Esalen bob her head. “Looking down for long hours of the day would cause a bit of tension.” Her lips twitched. “And if what Glimmer says is true, he thinks he may have made bits of your mane gray a bit early with his antics.”

“He wishes,” Shining retorted. “My gray hairs come from Lighthoof and Wind Runner. Glimmer’s a klutz, but he’s small potatoes compared to those two.”

“Good to know. With all that said, why don’t we start with your neck and back, then? On your stomach, please.”

Shining positioned himself accordingly, resting his head on his hooves. He raised an eyebrow as he watched her approach with the jar floating at her side.

She pulled out a glob the size of a strawberry with her magic and moulded it in mid air.

“What is that?” he couldn’t help but ask, eying the glob of strange goop.

Esalen giggled. “It’s just a little something to help relax your muscles. Think of it like something you might put on if you pulled a muscle, but without the burning.” She winked. “The only thing you’ll feel is my hooves working out the lactic acids built up and any tightness you’ve got. I promise.”

Shining shrugged. “Just curious.” He scrunched up his nose in thought. “Lactic acids, huh? It’s been a while since I took biology or any health sciences, but I recall that being a product of working out.”

“That’s right.” He felt her hooves touch the small of his back. The smile on her face dropped, her brows furrowed as she pressed lightly and trailed along his sides up to his shoulders, humming a low note as she touched near his armpits.

Shining, on the other hoof, wasn’t entirely sure what she was doing. He let out a wince as she touched near his ribs, and started as she touched near his tailbone and thighs. No matter how he tried to grit his teeth and bear the sudden discomfort as she pressed her hooves into his muscles, the slightest touch seemed to make him want to squirm away.

When she reached his neck, Shining felt pain like no other. Like somepony was trying to drive a wedge between his head and his spine.

He let out a groan and arched back, his face contorted in agony.

Esalen’s humming stopped. She blinked a few times, then set her mouth in a thin line.

“Something wrong?” he asked, giving a nervous smile despite the lingering pain. “You’re not about to tell me I’ve pulled a bunch of muscles getting back in shape, are you?”

The smile flitted across her face. “No, no, I’m just feeling you out.” She blinked again. “Professionally, I mean.”

“I figured. And how do I feel?”

Esalen frowned. “Well, along your back, you seem healthy, albeit a bit tender in a few spots. Especially your ribs and thighs.”

His ears drooped. “I fractured a couple ribs and got a gash along my leg a few weeks back.”

“That would explain it.” She nodded once. “I’ll try to stay away from your ribs, then. If you feel any pain there or in your leg, let me know and I’ll stop. As for your back and neck …” Esalen trailed off and removed her hooves from his back to rest them on the bed. She gave him an almost pitying smile. “I’m afraid you’re not going to like me for a little bit.”

Shining wrinkled his snout. He turned to fix her with a quizzical stare. “Why’s that?”

She sighed. “Because I’m going to have to be firm in working out the tension in your neck, and it’s not going to be comfortable at first.” Her hooves touched between his shoulder blades. “I’m going to have to knead from here up to your neck so we can get the tension out.”

A low hum sounded from the back of his throat. Shining grimaced, thinking a moment.

Everything he heard about massages was that they were relaxing, like a nice warm bath or a dip in a griffon hot spring. Nothing really about how it was painful at first.

Of course, hot anything meant dealing with the initial burn. Maybe it was just like that.

A bit of burning as he eased his way in.

Shining gave a noncommittal shrug. “If that’s what you think, let’s do it.” He forced a smile and raised a hoof to add, “No telling Glimmer if I start tapping, though.”

Esalen rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Of course. You colts and your bravado. Fine, I won’t tell him if you squirm.” Heaving a long-suffering sigh, she nodded as she began to lightly knead her hooves between his shoulder blades.

At first, it felt … oddly pleasant. The pain and stiffness were there, both biting into him with each time Esalen’s hooves pressed and rolled them as if kneading dough. But it was  almost like a stretching sort of feeling, yet not.

A hum sounded from the back of his throat. Shining closed his eyes and let his ears lay flat against his scalp, a smile played upon his lips.

It was nice. The little bits of pain that came with the pressure aside, he could almost—

Esalen’s hooves pressed harder as she pushed forward, the soothing sensation of her kneading left him. His entire being felt consumed in pain.

Shining bit down on his lip and squeezed his eyes shut, he tried to arch his back to alleviate the pressure. His breath caught in the back of his throat.

“Breathe,” she commanded. “And relax your muscles.”

“Hurts a lot!” he ground out through gritted teeth.

“I know, but I have to or your neck is going to stay tight. It won’t last long, I promise.” Her touch lightened, Esalen rubbed twin circles between his shoulder blades. “The more you hold your breath and tense up, the worse it’s going to feel.”

Her hooves pressed down again, Shining’s muscles burned worse than ever before as she mercilessly continued her work.

Still, he breathed through his nose, just as she asked, and clenched his eyes shut.

Dang it, Cady, this is not relaxing!

Forward. Back. Circle. Forward. Back. Circle.

Shining Armor’s eyelids felt heavy, his breathing came in time with Esalen’s ministrations as she worked on his neck again. He smiled and let out a deep breath through his nose.

I could fall asleep right here.

Forward. Back. Circle.

He felt almost weightless, like Esalen had managed to just push her hooves against him and force all the tension and stress from within his body.

Maybe that was why Cadence so loved massages. They hurt a bit when the masseuse started on each part, but with each little motion, each firm press and soft caress, the pain just seemed to wash right away. If anything, he felt … like a cloud. Or like a nice, fluffy loaf of bread.

His smile faltered a bit. No, the cloud was better. Clouds were far more comfortable if he cast the right spell before laying on one, and bread involved using a rolling pin.

No matter how apt a rolling pin might seem for how he felt, he wasn’t interested in being flattened out.

Even so, he felt at peace. Nothing could bother him right now, as Esalen worked on his lower back. Not the recruits being slow on the uptake, not the Council being pains in the flank, not his career, nothing.

All he knew was comfort and the firm, soothing touch of Esalen’s hooves.

It was magic, plain and simple. It just had to be. How else could he explain the way she could make him writhe in agony or purr like a kitten with just the slightest change of pressure or technique?

As if on cue, Esalen rolled the edges of her hooves along his spine, drawing a low moan from the back of his throat.

This is the life.

“Feeling a bit less tense?” Esalen’s voice called, muffled through the heavenly haze.

Shining let out a mumble, then shook his head to clear the cobwebs. “Yeah,” he muttered. A dazed smile crossed his muzzle. “Amazing.”

“Glad to hear, Your Highness.” Her hooves stopped, she patted his back twice. “I’m afraid I’m going to have to call this the end of our session, though. My next appointment is in ten minutes and I need to get ready.”

Opening a bleary eye, he fixed her with a halfhearted glare. “I thought masseuse’s charged per hour.”

Esalen gave a bright smile. “We do! But when you walk in instead of scheduling, I have to prioritize my reserved time slots so I don’t lose clients. Besides—” she winked “—you’re not paying this time.”

Shining shot up, his eyes wide and ears perked up to their fullest height. “If this is about me being royalty, I assure you I have no problem paying whatever your rate is.”

She shook her head, but her smile remained. “You’re a friend of Glimmer’s, Prince Armor. He spoke very highly of how you taught him while he was a part of your class. Even more so when you told him to take time to figure out what he wanted to do.” Esalen’s brought a hoof to her chest. “It means a lot to us—Aspire, Toola, Sure Stroke, even Spinneret, and me. I’ve only known him a few weeks, but it’s nice to know he had somepony looking out for him.”

Before he could reply, Shining found himself wrapped in a tight hug. He blinked twice and reached up to pat her on the back. “Uh … glad I could help?”

Esalen drew away and beamed. “You really have. He’s still figuring it all out, but he’s much happier.” Her eyes seemed to flash. “Toola and I have one or two ideas for him.”

Shining bit back a quip in favor of smiling in return. Glimmer was doomed, plain and simple.

At least he’d get a good seat to watch the show, though.

“Well, take care of him,” he said after a moment. “I won’t lie, I’m hopeful that he’ll come back, and I know Lighthoof plans on giving him a swift kick.” Shining swished his tail. “I might too, come to think of it.”

Esalen raised an eyebrow, her tongue darted out to lick her lips. Then her smile brightened. “Well,” she began, feigning an innocent tone as she looked away and swished her tail, “I suppose if you put him through the paces again, Toola and I will have all the reason to shoot down his protests when we dote on him.”

Shining was proud to restrain himself to a chuckle. “I guess you would if he came back. But, like I told Glimmer, he has to decide what’s best for him.”

“And I respect that. I really do.” Esalen bowed her head. “Which is why you’re not paying, Prince Armor. Thank you for helping him.”

He made to speak, but stopped short, pulling a face.

Not a battle he was going to win. Not today, at least.

“Fair enough, then,” he said. “Thanks for your help, I feel …” Shining trailed off, rolling his neck to test his muscles. When was the last time he didn’t feel them tugging against him? “I feel ten years younger.” He met her gaze, smiling. “I’ll have to send Cadence by—she could use a good session.”

“I’d be happy to have her. If you want to set something up, I usually have openings Wednesday afternoons.”

Wednesday? Shining tapped a hoof against his chin. It would be a nice thing for her to look forward to in the middle of the week, especially after holding Court and meeting with the Council.

He wrinkled his snout. Cadence still had to meet with them to stall for time.

“Put her on the schedule,” Shining said, turning to start toward the door.

“Of course. This Wednesday or next?”

His horn flashed, his magic wrapped around the door handle. “Wednesdays,” he replied. “Regularly.” Turning to look over his shoulder, Shining met her gaze, smirking at the wide-eyed stare she gave in return. “And take care of her.”

Esalen worked her jaw wordlessly, her cheeks colored a deep red.

Shining just chuckled to himself and faced forward. He walked out of the room, though not before tossing one last remark over his shoulder.

“Refusal to accept pay next time won’t be allowed.”

He flicked an ear at the familiar sound of a pony falling back on their haunches, and let out a bark of laughter.

It was good to get back into the swing of things. It’d be even better once Cadence got a little pampering of her own in.

Shining’s smirk grew into a full blown grin. “She’s not the only one who can pester until she gets her way.”

Two could play at this game.

1. Who Is This Coming Up From the Wilderness?

“Oh, where are you, Shiny!” Cadence stared out one of the Throne Room’s crystalline windows, biting her lip as she gazed at the setting sun. Her tail swished, a golden shoed hoof pawed at the sparkling floor.

He was late reporting in—several hours late, in fact.

“It’s just a border patrol, sweetie.” He’d insisted, that goofy grin spread across his muzzle as he slipped his helmet on. “I’ll be back at your side before you know it, ready to give you as much love as you can take!”

Just a border patrol, my cutie mark! Gritting her teeth, Cadence snorted and cursed that she always fell for that coltish grin and the soft confidence in his voice. Where did my shy, adorkableShiny-winy go? That silly colt who couldn’t talk to me without stammering and blushing back in high school.

Of course, it was no mystery. Her “Shiny-winy” had grown into a strong stallion, one of the youngest to assume the mantle of Captain of the Royal Guard in Equestria’s history. The awkward colt she used to sneak kisses and little nuzzles to see how red she could make his cheeks go had become the stallion who could blanket Canterlot itself in his shields. Whenever he put on his gilded purple armor, Shining Armor was the protector of thousands of ponies.

But none of that mattered. Practical skill, magical ability, and strategic knowledge didn’t mean that Cadence didn’t fear for her husband’s safety.

“My Princess,” Prism Shine, Cadence’s trusted seneschal, called through her reverie, “if I might be so bold.”

Cadence sighed. “Just say it.” Here we go. Again.

She didn’t need to look over her shoulder to know that Prism had rolled her eyes. The coming conversation nothing more than a practiced routine. “Staring out the window won’t make Prince Armor return any sooner! Please, there is still much to be done!”

“I’m well aware of my duties, thank you.” Grimacing, Cadence shook her head. Too harsh. She took a deep breath, holding for a second before slowly letting it out. “I’m sorry, Prism. I just worry for him. I can’t…” I can’t stop.

There was a steady clip-clop of hooves against crystal as Prism approached. “No apology is necessary, Your Highness. But, worrying like this… it isn’t healthy.” A translucent teal hoof was placed on her shoulder, Cadence turned, meeting Prism’s gaze for the first time in an hour. “Prince Armor is, if I might say, a fully capable soldier. Why, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s simply taken on an extra round just to ensure that our fair city is kept safe!”

“That… would be just like him.” A sigh slipped out. “He’s as obsessive over his duty as Twilight is with her studies.” Her lips turned up, a smile playing upon her muzzle. “He was like that back in school, too. Always running around, frantically trying to balance his grades, sports, playing games with his friends, and dating me. But now, it’s… I don’t know how to say it, really.”

“I can’t say I understand, but I have an idea of what you mean.” Prism gave her shoulder a light rub. “You worry because you love him.”

Cadence snorted and rolled her eyes. “I think that much is obvious! I married that dork of a stallion!”

“Yes, it’s obvious that you love him, Your Highness. But that’s just it—you can’t not worry. It’s in your nature, isn’t it?”

For a moment, silence reigned. Cadence looked away, her eyes returning to the setting sun. It only took seconds for Auntie Celestia to give way to Aunt Luna’s night, but the soft purple and fiery orange that tinged the sky always captivated her, even as a foal.

Like watching color change in real time. Focusing on the wide open sky, she did her best to quell her doubts. He’ll be fine. It’s just a routine patrol. Just a few hours marching outside the city walls with his fellow guards.

Or was it?

What if he met some wild beast outside the walls? There were only four gate points, only four places where the barrier spell was weak! Shining Armor wouldn’t be able to teleport in no matter how hard he tried! Or what if—oh, Harmony forbid—what if the changelings had returned to take him away!

Stop that! He’s going to come back and be just fine. Memories of the cave, of Shining Armor’s eyes glazed over under her spell, flashed before her eyes. Cadence shook her head. No! She’s gone! She can’t hurt us anymore!

But the more she denied it, the more Cadence let her mind wander. Visions of Shining Armor having blackened shards removed from his horn, or struggling to his hooves after regaining his magic came unbidden.

“It’s my duty to protect the princesses, to protect you, Cady.”

“I wish it wasn’t.” She whispered. “I wish…”

“Your Highness?” Prism’s call jolted her back into the real world. “I’m sorry, I didn’t quite hear that. What were you saying?”

Cadence turned to face her again, pasted a smile on her face. “Oh, don’t mind me! Just thinking aloud.” Her smile faltered under Prism’s pointed stare, “Really, it’s nothing to worry about! Just letting my mind wander a bit, is all.”

Prism raised an eyebrow, but nodded all the same. “If you say so, Your Highness, then I won’t push. But, you know that I’m always willing to listen.”

“I know, and I do appreciate it. It’s just me being silly, is all. I’ll get over it as soon as my goofball of a husband comes trotting through those doors,” she said, waving a hoof in the direction of the ornate double door entrance, “with that grin on his muzzle, acting like a foal who stayed out past curfew. And when I check him over, he’ll roll his eyes and grumble about being a big colt.”

“That’s the spirit!” The mare at her side beamed. “Of course, you’ll smack him for complaining, as usual.”

“Prism! Hold your tongue! A princess does not smack her beloved!” Cadence held her nose up high, looking down out of the corner of her eye. “She bops the dummy over the head for making her worry and then confines him to the palace for as long as she can!”

The pair burst into a fit of giggles, an image of Shining Armor rubbing a bump on his head and grumbling under his breath fresh in their minds.

And then he’ll whine that he’s supposed to be guarding. Closing her eyes, Cadence watched the scene play out as it had before: Shining Armor, sitting back on his haunches with his hooves crossed and cheeks puffed up while she checked over every inch of him for injuries. My silly stallion.

That was the image she needed; Shining Armor would be fine, maybe a little scuff on his hooves, a scratch from where a branch had whipped and caught him in the muzzle, and a bit of dirt on his armor.

He probably had just taken some extra time to check the garrisons or inspect the new recruits at their posts. Goodness knows the Empire’s recruiting process has been in shambles since Sombra took power. Cadence grimaced, thinking on several nights of Shining Armor coming back to their suite, ready to tear his mane out at how hesitant the crystal ponies were to have a fully conscripted army so soon after their return from Sombra’s void spell.

“No matter what I say, they just won’t listen!” He’d grumbled, gritting his teeth. “They’re still afraid of Sombra’s Regime! It’s like trying to drill through solid stone!” And just as his sister was wrought to dive nose first her studies, Shining Armor had taken to actively recruiting and training with gusto, making it his personal mission to bring the new incarnation of the Imperial Guard up to speed.

Which, in turn, meant that he had to personally lead them on patrol, showing them all the ins and outs of where they needed to station themselves or how far out they needed to make their perimeter… Placing himself in even more danger.

At the very least, Cadence looked forward to the day that Shining Armor could finally go back to delegating from his office and making a few routine checkups instead of those patrols. After all, if he was in his office, it was just a short walk from the Throne Room to seeing her beloved Shining Armor.

“Shiny said the recruits would be ready soon, right?” Cadence asked without turning.

There was a rustling sound as Prism flipped through a clipboard, quickly skimming through her notes. “Er… Yes, Your Highness. Prince Armor said that he wanted to take them on two or three more patrols, and possibly a mock mission, before he deemed them ready. Why do you ask?”

“Just wanted to make sure.” A sigh escaped her lips. “Really, I know he’s doing right by all the ponies who live in the Crystal Empire, but… Things were just different when we lived in Canterlot. He was home more.”

“It won’t be long until things calm down, Your Highness,” again, a hoof was placed on her shoulder. Cadence let a slow breath out through her nose, but nodded, the small upward curve of Prism’s lips. “And then you can stop worrying about babying your husband whenever he comes home with a bit of dirt in his coat.”

“Yes, that will—wait! I do not worry about something as silly as that!” Turning to face Prism, a fresh retort on her tongue, Cadence found herself face to face with a smirking seneschal. “Oooh! You cheeky mare!” Doing her best to maintain her glare and not give way to her laughter, Cadence huffed at Prism’s broadening grin. “I ought to have you sorting mail for a week!”

Her threat went unheeded. Prism simply stuck her tongue out, a move far more bold than most might dare in the presence of royalty. “But then you would have to find somepony else to organize your daily schedule! Not to mention, one who would allot time for you to break said schedule to worry about your husband!”

“Bah! Away with you!” Snorting, Cadence swiped a wing at her teasing seneschal, who simply giggled as she ducked out of the way. Her glare broke, leaving a small, tired smile on the face of the beautiful princess. “Thank you,” her feathers brushed against Prism’s side, “for putting up with me—it must get rather tiring, doing this every time Shiny goes out.”

“I’m happy to help in any way, Your Highness. Though, it might be best if you tried looking over some of these proposals from the Council of Shards. Maybe they’ll help take your mind off of this until his return.”

Cadence hummed, nodding to herself. “Maybe. Oh, why not?” Stepping away from the window, she trotted over to her crystal throne. Cadence winced at the cold against her as she sat. I really need a cushion for this. “What’s left on the docket today, Prism? Is the Council still on about setting the tax rates?”

“No, they actually agreed with your assessment and are willing to hold off for now.” Prism scanned through her papers. “They would, however, like to reconvene in six months time to examine the economy and continue talks. If that’s agreeable to you, of course.”

“I don’t see why not. That’s at least reasonable for us to project where we’re headed, maybe get a few ideas as to where our strengths lay. What else?”

Another rustling of papers as Prism flipped through. “Oh! Lady Starburst motions that the Empire look into the possibility of opening trade negotiations with the United Griffon Territories; she’s pointed out that the UGT provides a significant portion of Equestria’s coal and possesses the resources to supply the Empire’s needs in that area. She also requests that we might build an agreement similar to the one Princess Celestia has with them.”

Cadence drew a breath in through her nose, tapping a hoof against her throne. Her mind wandered back to Shining Armor’s notes on past meetings with griffon ambassadors, as well as those from his time escorting Auntie Celestia to meet with the Lord of the griffon Territories.

“The griffons take pride in the strength and loyalty of their kind, and expect the same from allies. Strength in military might or in devotion to bettering one’s nation are seen as honorable in the eyes of their Lord. From what I’ve seen, Princess Celestia has earned their utmost respect in the latter, though the griffons do press her to focus more on the former—they don’t want to be tied to a defenseless ally and be forced into a protector’s position.”

That would be something they would have to address if it came down to a meeting with the Lord of the griffons himself. Cadence made a note to speak with Shining Armor on the matter, and perhaps send a letter to Celestia. Her own experience in diplomacy was mostly in Saddle Arabia, a longstanding ally that shared cultural ties. The griffons, on the other hoof, could be rather stubborn, if Shiny’s tales were true.

“I’m not opposed to the idea,” Cadence spoke, choosing her words carefully, “but, I would like some time to speak with my husband. He’s a bit more familiar with griffon culture, as well as some of their ambassadors.”

Prism nodded and took out a quill, making a small note off to the side. “That seems wise, the Council will definitely appreciate that Your Highness is willing to look at this from all angles. Now, let’s see, the last bit is… oh.” Her ear flicked, Prism grimaced as she skimmed the letter. With a flick of her hoof, the papers were flipped back into place, leaving the last form at the bottom of the pile. “Never mind that one, Your Highness. It’s an old proposal that I neglected to remove from the stack.“

Cadence raised a brow. “It’s not like you to forget something like that, Prism. Which one was it?”

“Oh, something you took care of weeks ago, Your Highness. It’s nothing too important.” Prism Shine waved her off with a hoof and held her clipboard against her chest. “Now, that should take care of—“ A shimmering blue aura engulfed her clipboard, jerking it out of her grasp. “Hey!”

Rolling her eyes, Cadence levitated it in front of her. “Honestly, Prism! Just let me see what it is! I’m a big mare!” She glanced over it, her frown deepening with each word. Cadence sighed heavily and set the memo down at her hooves.

Prism ducked her head, pinning back her ears as she gazed up at her crestfallen princess. “I tried to tell you to ignore it…”

“It’s… It’s fine, Prism.” Her mouth formed a thin line. “The Council has a right to voice its concerns on matters of state, and this is no exception.” Even if Shiny won’t be happy about it when he hears what they want. Levitating the clipboard again, Cadence returned it to her flustered seneschal. “Let them know that I’ll discuss this with them at the next joint meeting. I still need to speak with Shiny about this.”

“Yes, Your Highness.” The seneschal bowed, her crystal hooves clacking against the floor as she shifted her weight. “I’ll dispatch your wishes to them at once. Is there anything else I can help with?”

“No thank you, Prism. I just need a bit of time to myself.” Cadence’s let her gaze fall with her mood, her mind flitting back to the very stallion patrolling outside the safety of their walls once again. She flicked her tail. So much for taking my mind off things. Stars above, this wasn’t supposed to be so hard!

Again, her eyes flitted to the window, just as the moon began to slowly rise in the sky above the Empire.

He didn’t pack for a night patrol, her ears lay flat against her scalp. Shiny will catch cold if he stays out for too long.

Just one thing after another, whenever he went on these patrols. Cadence tapped a hoof idly against her throne, biting her lip. Her heart fell as the moon arced through the sky, another reminder that her husband was supposed to be back long before dark.

Already, Cadence found herself deafened by the silence. The pair of guards by her door—a pair of Equestrian Royal Guards on loan from Canterlot—stayed stoic. No matter where they were stationed, the Royal Guards were hardly conversationalists when on duty.

Still, their presence provided some level of comfort. At the very least, she could always prod them with a few questions about their personal lives, even if shortened answers would be the only reply.

Anything to break the silence.

Cadence stood and trotted over, pasting a smile on her muzzle. Predictably, both guards snapped to attention, raising their spears as she approached.

“At ease. Corporal Valiance, Private Stout Heart, it’s been a while since I’ve seen you two.”

As the ranking officer, Valiance spoke up. “Yes, Your Highness. Not since you left Canterlot to take your place on the Crystal Throne.”

“Oh, my! How time flies! You came with the second wave, then?”

“Yes, Your Highness. Arrived two days ago and assigned to our posts by Captain Shining Armor.”

Cadence swished her tail. Like pulling teeth, as usual. “Of course he’d pick two of his own to guard the Throne Room.”

Valiance coughed, raising his hoof. “Actually, Your Highness, we’ve been assigned to guard you personally. Not the Throne Room.”

And he tells me that I’m a worrywart. She snorted. “That sounds about like him. He didn’t happen to mention any additional parts of his patrol today, did he? Nothing he might have wanted to keep quiet?”

Their slight hesitation betrayed them. Stout Heart shifted, his armor clacking together. “Not that we were told, Your Highness.”

Stout never met her gaze, instead opting to stare over her shoulder at the wall. Cadence honed in on the hapless Private. “Look me in the eye, Private Stout Heart!” His head snapped up, the metal plated helmet clacking against that of his breastplate. “What did my husband plan for today’s exercises?”

“He, uh, well,” Stout mumbled, his ears lay flat as he quelled under the harsh gaze of those brilliant purple eyes, “Captain Armor wanted to take the new recruits on a light run through the Forest of Aurora. He wanted to keep it quiet so they’d have to adapt to the unexpected and—“

“Stop.” Cadence held up a hoof. She closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. Calm down. Stout Heart is just the messenger, not the one who gave the order. “Just stop, Private. I know what he said in front of you, but I’ve known Shining Armor a lot longer than any of you. I’m sure that was part of the reason, but the other is that he kept it quiet so I wouldn’t say anything against the idea.”

Neither guard offered any reply, a wise move. Cadence might not have been known for her temper, but few stallions were willing to stand in the way of any mare when her husband had done something so foolhardy. Least of all, the very Princess of Love, herself.

In and out, Cady. Deep breath in through the nose and out through the mouth, just like Auntie taught. Easier said than done, but Cadence brought her hoof to her chest, at least trying to bring her blood pressure under control. Keep a lid on it until your idiotof a husband gets back, and then deal with him. “And just how long did he say that he’d be gone?”

Stout Heart and Valiance shared a look before taking a step back. “Er… well, they were due back an hour or so ago, Your Highness.” Valiance winced as she redirected her hawkish gaze on him. “Perhaps he just stayed behind to make sure a couple stragglers made it back safely?”

A snort greeted his reply. “Don’t try to cover his flank, Corporal. That stallion’s in enough hot water with me as is!” Stomping a hoof, Cadence didn’t even wince at the sharp ringing of horseshoe on crystal. “It’s bad enough I have to sit worrying whenever he goes out those walls to ‘survey the land’,” Cadence reared back to put air quotes around the phrase with her hooves, “but now he goes out to the Forest of Aurora with a bunch of recruits? Please, tell me he at least took a few of your squad.”

“Of course!” Cadence quirked an eyebrow at Valiance’s tone; a bit stronger in his objection than she’d expected, almost as if he felt insulted that his princess could ever suggest that her own husband would be so foolish. Something that Valiance himself took note of. The flustered Corporal coughed awkwardly before addressing her question once more. “Er, my apologies, Your Highness. What I mean to say is that, yes, Captain Shining Armor did take a small group with him—on the, ah, off chance that something might go awry.”

Well, at least you planned ahead. Her husband might have that going for him, but that didn’t mean Shining Armor was completely out of the woods just yet. “All right,” nothing could be done, not until he returned. “When he does come back, assuming he doesn’t try to linger at the barracks, leave us.” Cadence turned away, making to return to her throne. Her ear flicked as she managed to catch an audible gulp from one of the pair, likely Stout Heart. Always looking out for a fellow guard, I guess.

Without warning, the doors burst open, crashing hard against the crystal walls.

Cadence spun on her hooves, nearly losing her tiara as she turned in hopes that it was just her husband being silly and making an entrance.

Her hopes fell just as quickly as she caught sight of the bleached coat and feathers and blue dyed mane. “Your Highness!” He bowed low. “Lieutenant Wind Runner, reporting in with urgent news from the recruit training session!”

Before anypony could blink, Cadence was muzzle to muzzle with Wind Runner. “What happened?”

“It’s, uh,” The Lieutenant took a step back, glancing anywhere but at the wide, crazed eyes of the Princess of Love. “Captain Shining Armor, Your Highness. He’s suffered a few injuries, mostly minor, but he was admitted to the Imperial Hospital for further examination.”

Cadence’s blood ran cold in her veins. Between the Council calling for meeting after meeting concerning her husband and the constant danger he placed himself in, and topping it off with the pressures of bringing an age old Empire back from the Sombranian Age…

She shot forward, nearly sending Wind Runner spinning as she galloped past him at full speed. Hooves thundered against the crystalline floor, servants leapt out of the way in fear of being bowled over by the alicorn shaped missile.

The world around her was a blur, her eyes set dead ahead as she bolted out of the castle and off to the hospital. Usual pleasantries, kind smiles and nods, idle chat with the odd passerby, everything Cadence typically went out of her way to do was discarded. Everything was secondary to one constant thought:

Find Shining Armor.

Shining Armor hissed, biting his cheek in order not to curse at the poor nurse. “You know,” he ground through gritted teeth, “there’s something wrong with a salve that hurts worse than the cut it’s supposed to heal!”

“That’s because this is antiseptic, not a salve,” she retorted as she rubbed the cold, gooey substance over the gash on his flank, just above his cutie mark. “Honestly, Captain, if you whined anymore about this, I’d think I was treating a foal for a scraped knee.”

He snorted and crossed his hooves one on top of the other, and waited for her to finish. Shining Armor had to resist the urge to rub at the bandages wrapped around his barrel; any shift in his weight sent pain shooting up his left side. “Horseapples!” He slapped a hoof against the mattress. “Of all the rotten luck! Those blockheads just had to stumble upon that bear cub!” Throwing a hoof over his eyes, Shining groaned. “I’m gonna have to send out a veterinarian to make sure the mother’s okay—I tried holding back as long as I could, but—“

Without warning, the nurse bopped him on the head. “Oh, hush! You defended yourself! Frankly, I ought to send you to have your head examined! ‘Holding back’ against a fully grown bear trying to maul you!”

“Well, I didn’t want to hurt her! She was just protecting her cub! And I’m pretty sure you’re not allowed to hit me!”

“You’re in the hospital, Captain, I hold rank here.” She replied in a clipped tone. “As for your mother bear, I’m sure your intentions were noble, but not when they come at the cost of your own health! At the very least, one of your barriers would have sufficed!”

Shining Armor raised a hoof, giving a crooked smile. “Actually, I have to be careful with my barriers. The force that hits them has to go somewhere, so usually it’s either funneling it off to the side, angling it away, or bouncing it back. The, ah, first two don’t work too well against a straight on maul and the third would’ve sent her for quite the tumble. Actually,” he paused, his ears swiveled back to lay against his scalp, “it did.”

“Yes, I read the report. Now, stop squirming! The more you move, the more you’ll open this cut!”

“Oh, come on, Gentle! I just raised a hoof!”

The nurse stopped, leveling a frosty glare at her patient. “That’s Gentle Touch, Captain. Now, hold still, or I’ll send for a unicorn and have you held down.”

Grimacing, Shining Armor nodded. “Fine, if you insist.” With snort of derision, he lowered his hoof and turned to face forward. A jolt of pain bit into his left side. “Balefire, this hurts!”

“All the more reason you should’ve taken your own well-being into consideration!” No sympathy in her tone, Gentle Touch dipped her hoof into a jar of healing salve and set about rubbing it over the cut on Shining Armor’s flank. She sighed and shook her head. “You realize that Princess Cadence will be furious when she finds out.”

A chill ran down his spine, Shining Armor’s ears lay flat. Oooh, that’s the understatement of a lifetime! Unconsciously, his hoof inched toward the back of his head, rubbing his two-toned blue mane. Wonder how long I’ll be relegated to couch duty this time.

        Another bop to the top of his head disrupted that line of thinking. “Stop moving around!”

“Darn it, Gentle! Are you trying to concuss me?”

“If it makes you sit still so I can apply this without you opening this cut wider, I just might!”

“Oh, fine!” Shining grumped and dropped his hoof to the mattress with a thud. Bloody nurses. Always something to complain about, always treating me like a little foal whenever I come in with a few— A yelp tore from his throat as he felt her hoof press down upon part of the cut. “Balefire and brimstone!”

Gentle recoiled as if burned. “Sorry!” All traces of coldness left her voice, a small frown marred her face. “Describe the pain, Captain; what does it feel like?”

“Like somepony just stuck a spear in my leg,” he bit down on his lip, smacking the mattress a couple times to try to relieve some of the tension, “and moved it.”

“A little deeper than I thought, then.” She hummed. “It’s too wide for me to stitch, you’re going to need a wrap for that as well. So, you’ll have to take it slow for a few days. Considering that, along with the ribs you’ve fractured, I’d recommend at least two or three weeks off of field work. I’ll reevaluate you after that and see where you stand.”

Shining let his head fall to rest on his shin. “Fantastic. Just what I needed.” Just add anotherweek to training them. As if this entire thing wasn’t enough of a train wreck! He chanced a glance over his shoulder, perking his ears up. “I can at least run drills as long as I don’t take part, right? Just calling out orders?”

Gentle stood with a sigh. “You’re bound and determined to keep going, aren’t you?” Without waiting for an answer, she trotted over to the counter and opened a drawer. As she rummaged about for a roll of gauze, she spoke over her shoulder. “I suppose you could if you stayed on the side and directed a subordinate officer.”

Sharp, as usual. I can’t argue that one. Shining hummed, nodding to himself. “I guess that’s as good as I’ll get. Thanks, Gentle, I’ll—“ he trailed off, his ears perked up at the sound of somepony galloping from far off, slowly getting closer… and louder. Who the hay is galloping like that through a hospital? A nurse? “Say, do you hear that?”

The rummaging stopped, there was a beat of silence, broken only by the nearing sound of hooves clopping against crystal. “Yes… Funny, I don’t hear any gurney wheels, though.” Gentle trotted past Shining, making for the door. “Honestly, making so much noise in a hospital! Why, I have half a mind to—“

She never had a chance to expand upon her threat, let alone reach for the door.

A cerulean aura flickered around it and flung it open with a crash. Sounds of ponies crying out in panic, doctors and nurses shouting protests, all seemed like white noise to Shining Armor as he gazed into the newcomer’s eyes.

Those magnificent purple eyes he’d lost himself in the day he met Cadence all those years ago were wide and filled with worry. They flitted to the gash on his flank, tracing over the skin that had been ripped apart by a mother bear’s claws, before traveling up to the bandages wrapped around his barrel.

Shining ducked his head, his ears pinned back as those eyes narrowed and locked with his again. Even as Captain of the Guard, she still manage to pierce him with but a look. I am sodone! Sighing heavily, he resigned himself to his fate. “Hi, honey…”

Judging by the way her magic sparked the moment the words left his mouth, that wasn’t quite what she wanted to hear.

8. ...But Coming Home is Better

“Line up! Everypony up, NOW!”

The crowd of fifty recruits scrambled over one another to fall in line at the grassy center of the track. They jostled together, yelping and stammering apologies to one another as they tried to get into formation quickly enough to avoid yet another tongue lashing from their temporary commanding officer, the fiery Lieutenant Lighthoof.

“By Princess Luna’s starry mane!” he barked, his tan tail flicking. “If you lot aren’t lined up properly five minutes ago, I will personally break my hoof off in your hindquarters! Move, ponies!”

Only years of practice helped Shining Armor keep an amused smirk off his muzzle. Ever the firebrand, eh, Hoofy? He chuckled inwardly as the Imperial Guard recruits managed to form up into lines, though a couple still had to rearrange themselves into order by proper rank.

Well, ‘proper rank’ only in terms of class standing. As far as these recruits were concerned, they had a long way to go before they’d be up to par with the Royal Guard. But, he did have to admit, despite all their reservations, the crystal ponies certainly made up for their lack of skill with a passion and dedication to their homeland.

Give me an army with heart over one without drive any day. Shining waited for the recruits to stop shuffling around before turning and nodding to Lighthoof.

Lieutenant Wind Runner, the leader of the pegasus division, touched down and led his unit over to join the crowd of crystal ponies, his crystal pegasi filing into their spots with ease.

Lighthoof waited for his fellow Lieutenant to meet his eyes and give a nod, before turning to bark at the assembled group. “ATTEN-SHUN!”

With practiced synchronization, the class stood with their hooves shoulder width apart and held their heads up proud; the picture of honor and dignity that the Imperial Guard once was and—if Shining had his way—would soon be again. All those old texts about the soldiers who stood tall in their gleaming armor, spears and shields at the ready to defend the Empire against the forces of darkness.

The more youthful side of him, that colt from all those years ago who read those tales of valor, could only bounce excitedly as he stepped away from the practice weaponry and marched down the line of recruits. We’ll bring that legacy back to being soon enough.

“Good morning, everypony,” he greeted with a small smile. He flicked his ear at the sound of medals clinking together with each step, his tail swished irritably. Stopping next to Lighthoof, he turned to face his recruits and sighed. “Before we get started, I want to make sure you all understand that this—” Shining nodded to his formal attire “—is not going to be the norm. It’s temporary until my injuries heal up and I can wear my proper attire once again.” Out of the corner of his eye, he noted a trio of recruits wince and pin back their ears at the mention of the bear mauling.Buck up, accidents happen. “I may be your Prince, but I’m a guards pony at heart. When I’m in my armor, I feel at home because I’m a part of a family bound by duty, honor, and commitment. A few of our number have fallen off, either because they realized this wasn’t a good fit or because they weren’t suitable for this line of work, but those of you who remain have proven yourselves every bit as driven as those I trained back in Canterlot.”

Barely hiding grins, the recruits puffed out their chests, the sun gleaming off their crystalline bodies. There it was, the pride that went with serving and protecting one’s own home.

Sadly, he did have to hit them with a bit of reality. “However, it only gets tougher from here. You’ve all come very far since the program started, but there’s a long way to go before you’ll serve alongside these fine soldiers—” he broke off to gesture to Lighthoof and Wind Runner, “—standing before you and those stationed around the city. Follow their example, listen well to their instructions, and give it your all.”

“Yes, sir!” They shouted as one, snapping salutes in practiced unison.

“Very good. Lieutenant Lighthoof, Lieutenant Wind Runner—” the pair snapped to attention at his side, “—get ‘em warmed up and ready to work.”

“Yes, sir!” Lighthoof saluted before turning and howling at the group. “All right, you foals! I want two laps around the track, now! Get those hooves moving, double time!”

Wind Runner strode over to the pegasi and spread his wings wide. “Pegasi, with me! We’ll be taking a flight around the castle grounds. Listen up for commands for banking, diving, and rising—don’t lag or you’ll take an extra lap!”  With a mighty flap, he took flight and shot off into the distance, leaving his group scrambling to catch up.

Shining shielded his eyes from the dust, wincing as the wind whipped at his face. “That jerk leads them right past me, every damn time.” He shook his head and trotted over to the sidelines.

Half watching as Lighthoof lead them along, he let his mind wander back to Cadence. A sigh escaped his lips and he swished his tail as the image of her distant stare came to the forefront of his thoughts.

C’mon, honey, what are you hiding from me? To be perfectly frank, it was a bit of a double standard to be so bothered after he’d deliberately hidden a training run from her. But, seeing her in such distress, having to snap her out of whatever daze she’d fallen into...

He shook his head, trying to refocus on the recruits. Tourmaline said she’d try to talk to Cady, that’s all I can ask at this point. Just wait and see. She’ll be able to give me a bit of a hoof in the right direction. At the very least, Tourmaline could offer Cadence a comforting hoof and a good conversation, albeit one that she’d deem ‘mare talk’.

In short, she’d let him know whether or not it was something worth worrying about, details would be kept under wraps unless it was something to do with Cadence’s health. “Like that time she tried holding court when she had the Feather Flu,” Shining chuckled and shook his head. “And Cady says that I don’t know when to call it quits!”

“Cadet Glimmering Shard! Get your plot in gear!” Shining flicked his ear as the sound of Lighthoof howling at the unfortunate recruit reached him. He turned, hiding a sympathetic grin as he noted the hapless colt galloping as fast as his crystal legs could carry him, with the Lieutenant hot on his tail. “Don’t let me pass you, colt, or I’ll have you running around the damn city! Move!”

“Y-Yes, sir!” The recruit, affectionately nicknamed Glimmer, yelped and put on an extra burst of speed, widening the gap between them as best he could.

Shining could only snort and shake his head. At least you’re not full on sprinting this time, you learned that lesson well enough the first week. He glanced up at toward the sky, catching sight of several gleaming crystal bodies chasing after a lone, bleach white pegasus.

The pegasus squad mimicked every move, diving, banking, and looping after their wily Lieutenant as he called out different commands seemingly at random. Banking left and diving hard, Wind Runner brought them low enough that they could reach out and skirt their hooves along the blades of grass before calling out for them to climb and take a hard right.

Good stallion. Make sure they learn to use that maneuverability to their advantage in case they come up against flyers. Memories of the Canterlot squads flitted through his mind; cut up, bruised, battered and utterly exhausted after fending off the invading changelings as best they could. With a shake of his head, he banished the images. They served well that day, far better than me. His sharp blue eyes followed Lieutenant Wind Runner as he lead his recruits on a merry dance.

Just as the Royal Guard on that fateful day, the recruits were in good hooves with the pair of veterans running drills.

It would be a shame when they were recalled back to Canterlot; they were good soldiers, and better role models. I could talk to them about a transfer. He hummed idly as the ground group began their second lap, nodding to Lighthoof as he passed by. Maybe later, though. Once things get further along with training, I’ll ask and see how it might affect their career track.

Rule one about transferring a subordinate: don’t mess with their career track unless they’ve really screwed things up and never pull a fast one on a good officer.

The latter usually ended with qualified soldiers ending up posted at some base in the middle of nowhere or low level desk job rather than out in the field or guarding a city where they belonged. And given that the pair his eyes were currently on had demonstrated no shortage of valor and courage in the face of insurmountable odds, as well as their openness to relocate and train recruits, he owed them that much.

At the very least, they’ll get a recommendation out of this. Princess Celestia will certainly be pleased with how they’ve conducted themselves here. Now, if only I could get Lighthoof to do the dang paperwork. Stepping toward the center of the field, he gave a sharp whistle. “Bring them in!” Hh barked, wincing a bit at the pain shooting through his side. Damn ribs. “Everypony grab a sword.” He nodded to the practice weaponry on the sideline.  “Lieutenants, lead them through the basic strike points, then move to call outs. Recruits, use the warm up to refresh your memory on where the main points of attack are located as well as how to defend.”

Twin replies of “Yes, sir!” and the lieutenants rounded up their respective groups, leading them back to form up into lines before him.

“Pay attention and follow along!” Lighthoof called, gesturing to Wind Runner. “Lieutenant Wind Runner will demonstrate, I’ll call out the pattern. Take it slow, get it right! We’re building muscle memory with practice. One!” Wind Runner brought his sword up to parry a slash to his neck; the recruits mimicked the action, deliberately slowing their own motions to practice the act itself.

Shining walked down the line, taking note how each recruit went through the motions of basic sword play. “Control your motions,” he called out. “Remember, keep your movements within easy reach, throwing a wide slash or a wild lunge leaves you open to a counter. Move within the natural range of your body.” He gave a low chuckle as several made noticeable adjustments to the wide, sweeping slashes, bringing them closer to their bodies.

Much better. He nodded, continuing on his way down the line before stopping in front of Glimmer. Shining had to suppress the urge to grimace each time the young recruit lead with his chin as he practiced his lunges. He’s trying, but thatjust isn’t gonna fly. “Stop.” Shining held up his hoof. “You’re just begging to get clipped, lunging like that.”

“S-Sorry, sir,” Glimmer hung his head, his ears pinning back against his scalp. “I just can’t seem to shake it.”

“It comes with practice. Here,” he held out his hoof, gesturing to the sword, “let me show you.”

With a little yelp, Glimmer bowed his head and offered the handle of his sword. “Of course! Please! I’d be so honored—”

“Glimmer, relax. Training you is my duty, and my honor as well.” Shining grasped the handle and stepped around to stand beside Glimmer. He raised the sword up, taking a ready stance, biting down to suppress a wince as his ribs protested his movement. “Like I said earlier, don’t over-extend yourself. Move within your own range, let your swings come naturally.” With a flick of his hoof, he slashed through the air, sunlight glinting off the blade as he brought it back to guard himself. “Your sword is just an extension of your own reach; one that’s weighted right shouldn’t require you to throw yourself in order to use it properly. And when you thrust, it’s not a lunge.” Quick as a flash, he lashed out, keeping his shoulders square and head high.

He held the pose, glancing at Glimmer out of the corner of his eye. “See? If I keep myself upright, I’ve still got my balance. That way, if I miss or if whoever I’m fighting parries, I can still defend myself or dodge. If I throw my weight forward, I sacrifice both. If I miss, well—” he cracked a rather uneasy smile and dug at the ground, “–you’ll be extremely lucky if the worst that happens is that you end up in Doctor Gentle Touch’s care.” Seeing the way his student winced and ducked his head, Shining turned the sword back over to him and offered an encouraging smile. “Which is why you’re still learning proper form! Practice makes perfect, right?”

Glimmer slowly nodded and accepted the sword. Turning back to Lighthoof and Wind Runner, he began following along again; taking care to keep better control of his motions as he went through the patterns.

There we go. Shining gave a single nod before trotting back to the sidelines. Truth be told, Gentle would likely have his hide if she caught wind that he’d so much as considered demonstrating swordplay, let alone that he’d actually done so. Not to mention that Cady will inevitably hear, hold me tight under her wing, and scold me for disobeying doctor’s orders. Even if it was just a little swing of a sword or two.

He couldn’t help but crack a smile. Sometimes, he did have to wonder just how much of an inner joke it was that Cadence went into a sort of ‘mama pegasus’ role whenever his well-being was concerned. Or, rather, how much a joke it was when any of her friends were concerned.

Of course, given that he specifically requested certain guards to act as her personal detail, there wasn’t much room for him to cast stones.

I see the most of it because I’m her husband. And because we nearly lost one another that day. Cadence had always been one to look after him, even when they were just a pair of silly little teens, playing in the backyard while they watched Twilight for the day. He had to stifle a groan at the unbidden memories. Oh, and I made that silly, old promise to her back then, like I was some brave knight swearing fealty to his princess! I must’ve sounded so silly!

Still, as silly as it seemed in hindsight, it brought a smile to Cadence’s face when he’d first said it, and it was one of her favorite stories to share a giggle over. Not to mention the fact that it was a part of his very reason for donning the armor.

“I won’t let anything bad happen to you guys! I’m gonna be by your side forever!”

Shining shook his head and stifled a chuckle. Such a little punk, and so eager to march off to join the Royal Guard. The very same eagerness he saw in the eyes of his own recruits once they’d gotten past their reservations.

For a nation that had been so fearful, so anxious after the Empire returned from Sombra’s curse, these ponies took up the cause with gusto and kept coming back. A few hiccups here and there, but they were learning, albeit a bit slowly.

“Lieutenant Lighthoof,” he called, drawing the practice to a pause, “break them up into pairs and have them go through some one step sparring. Give them a physical target to read and work with.”

“Yes, sir! You heard Captain Armor! Pair off! Find a partner near your size and get ready to work some basic sparring! This round will be without swords, working on hoof-to-hoof.”

As his lieutenants took over, Shining was content to stand to the side and watch, taking note of how each group worked together. What they lacked in raw skill, they made up for in deliberation when they went through the movements; going step by step through a basic series of jabs, blocks and sweeps, all fundamental skills for quickly disabling an attacker.

He broke into a full grin at the sight of Glimmer taking his advice to heart. His blocks and jabs were short and well-controlled, but backed with enough power to suffice. Realizing that the point translates over to hoof-to-hoof combat and applying it accordingly, very good. Slowly, but surely, the youngest of their number was catching on.

If a little extra time was needed for the inaugural class to make the grade, he’d take it. Cadence might not like the delays, but she, at least, understood the importance of proper training.

Shining’s grin fell as his thoughts returned to his troubled wife. Smothering though she might be at times, she meant well. And, to be perfectly honest, she put up with a lot more of the political side of running the Empire than he even dared.

What she needed was some time to be herself, some ‘Cady time’; chatting with Tourmaline and Prism about whatever it was they giggled over, definitely a couple more date nights since the last was such a hit, and maybe, just maybe, find a bit of time to help couples find love.

He wrinkled his nose a bit at the last one. Maybe. I’ll float that bit to Tourmaline and let her bring that up. Or just mention that she’s not been on a date since the Empire returned and let Cady find her a nice pony. Then I can avoid being part of creating her infamous “love web”. A cold shudder shot down his spine; even Princess Celestia herself quickly vacated the room whenever Cady brought out her notes.

Either way, he’d figure something out to put a smile on her muzzle again. For now, he could understand that she wanted to deal with her problems on her own. He had taken the weight of training the Imperial Guard as his own pet project and she chose to deal with the Council until things were smoothed out.

For the time being, he’d find a way to keep her happy until she was ready to come forward and talk. After all, as she reminded him so many times, Cadence was a grown mare.

Everything would work itself out in the end. Until then, he’d have to think of something nice to do.

“Hmm, I haven’t heard of a herbalist opening up shop.” Shining mumbled, bringing a hoof to his chin. “I wonder if Honeysuckle might have a few herbs or something in the medical supply to help with stress. Or maybe she’s started up her personal garden again.” Shrugging, he made note to check with either her or Valiance after the training session ended. One step at a time, old boy. One step at a time.

As Shining stepped through the door to Honeysuckle’s lab, his ears twitched at the sound of porcelain clinking together and a mare softly humming a tune while she worked. Turning to face the main work desk, he came upon a white coated mare with beautiful blond mane with her back turned to him.

She swayed with the tune of her music, swishing her tail happily while she ground and shredded the herbs into tiny pieces to be used in medicines.

If not for the fact that he were married to Cadence, Shining might’ve been tempted to let his eyes wander a bit over the bubbly earth pony’s form—as Cadence herself might say, he was married, not dead. A ceremony didn’t change the fact that he could make note of a pretty mare.

To be fair, it was incredibly hard to catch his eye when the living embodiment of love was his wife. But Honeysuckle had a sort of homey, down to earth beauty about her.

And, after all, Cadence had been all too happy for Honey when Valiance proposed three years ago.

“She’ll be good for him,” she’d said, a bright smile gracing her muzzle. “She’ll balance out his seriousness and remind him to slow down and be a pony every now and again—sort of like a certain stallion I could name desperately needs to remember.”

“Of course, dear,” he’d replied with a roll of his eyes and a teasing grin.

Winking, she’d cast her gaze to the pair and made a faux casual remark. “She’s very pretty, isn’t she? He’s a very lucky stallion.”

Shining turned and fixed her with a flat stare, the likes of which he’d not matched since. “Honey, the word ‘stupid’ isn’t written across my forehead. I’m not telling my unbelievably beautiful girlfriend that I think another mare is pretty.”

“Oh, come now, Shiny! You know me better than that! You can tell me that a friend’s fiancée is pretty.” She paused, her eyes twinkling mischievously. “Just so long as you remember that I’myour one and only!”

He smiled and shook his head. Always with her cheek, that one. “Honeysuckle?” he called, stopping just a few paces from her. “Can I have a word with you?”

Honey gave a little gasp, all but hopping in place and turning to face him with a bright smile. “Captain Armor! It’s been too long!” She tossed aside formalities and protocol as she closed the distance and caught him in a warm hug, taking care not to squeeze too tight. Drawing back, she regarded him with a small frown. “Vali told me about your accident with that bear; how’ve you been? Not in too much pain, I hope?”

“Eh, just a bit of a twinge here and there.” Shining surrendered to her hug and gave a her a friendly pat on the back. “Really, it’s nothing to be all that worried about—it’s a couple fractures and a gash on my leg, I’m not on my deathbed here.”

“True, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t at least take it easy, sir.” She drew back and regarded him through narrowed eyes. Her voice took on a dangerous edge, eerily similar to the one Cadence used when telling him point-blank to follow doctor’s orders. “You are taking it easy, aren’t you, sir?”

With a roll of his eyes, Shining pulled away. “Yes, mother, I’m being a good little colt and not overexerting myself. The most I’ve done was show a recruit proper sword technique, that’s it!”

A smile played across her face. “I’m only teasing, Captain. Honestly, what do you expect me to do, go running to your wife?” She giggled, shaking her head as she dropped her forehooves to the floor. “I may be a mare, but I am a guard, sir! We have each others’ backs, through thick and thin and all that fun stuff.”

“Well, good, I—“

“Though, if Princess Cadence were to order me to say something...” Honey brought a hoof to her chin, her eyes shining with mischief. “I would have no choice but to sell you out without any regret and flee before I become collateral damage!”

And, there it is. “Gee, thanks!” he drawled, flicking his tail. “Now, joking aside, I actually had a question for you.”

Her eyebrows shot up. “Oh? Professionally?”

“Sort of; more in your capacity as an herbalist than a field medic, really.” Shining rubbed at the back of his mane and sighed. “It’s about Cadence. She’s been under a lot of stress and I was wondering if you might have something to help.”

Honeysuckle frowned, and tapped a hoof against the floor. “What sort of thing were you looking for? I can’t very well just give her any old herb, you know.”

“Right. Well, I was wondering about teas. She loves the stuff, so I was wondering if you might have something good for relieving tension.”

“Hmm, let me see.” She trotted over to one of the cabinets and pulled it open, rummaging around within and mumbling under her breath. “No, no, that’s for headaches—oh, actually, is Princess Cadence getting headaches? Silly me, forgot to ask for symptoms before I started looking.”

Shining tapped a hoof against the ground and chewed on his lip. “Er, well, she’s just been bothered by something. She hasn’t been complaining about feeling ill or anything, so I just figured she was dealing with a bit of stress or anxiety over the stuff she’s been going through running the Empire. It doesn’t seem like it’s caused her to lose sleep, but she’s definitely not the bubbly, affectionate Cady I’m used to today. And, lately, she’s been kinda frazzled.”

Honeysuckle nodded once and turned back to her cabinet. “I see, so nothing too strong. About how long do you think this has been going on?”

Sighing, he swished his tail. “Honestly? I’d have to say a while, and I feel like such an idiot for missing it until now.”

She glanced back at him. “Oh? Why do you say that?”

“Just thinking back, I’ve noticed a few bits where she’s done a bit of a drifting off thing—the kind she does whenever she gets really lost in thought working out a problem.”

“Hmm, I can’t really give a full diagnosis without seeing her. But, if she just needs a little something to help calm her nerves, I’d recommend this!” She turned around and held up several vibrant green leaves. “It’s chamomile. We use it to help with anxiety and stress. If you don’t mind waiting, I can grind it up and measure out the proper amount for a few servings of tea. It makes a rather nice batch, if you ask me.”

Shining smiled and nodded. “If you wouldn’t mind. I’m not all that familiar with proper brewing and I’d rather not ruin it.”

Snorting, Honey shook her head and set about gathering up the materials. “In that case, take a seat, Captain. I’ll have it ready for you soon enough.”

He trotted over to one of the stools and hopped on, leaning against the counter as he watched Honey set about chopping and grinding up the leaves, humming idly to herself as she moved with a seeming natural grace.

It was only a short while later that he trotted from her lab, bidding her farewell as he made his way home, with several servings of tea premade and ready. All he had to do was heat the water and mix it in.

A wicked grin crossed his muzzle. Bet I can get a few members of the staff to go into shock if I start making things myself. Sometimes, he just couldn’t help but slip back into that mischievous little colt that made Cadence bop him over the head during their school days.

12. You're Gonna Carry That Weight

It felt odd returning to the confines of his office after several days of running the Court with Cadence. Even his armor, fond of it as he was, felt a bit foreign after going civilian for so long.

Balancing Court and training recruits—or, rather, observing them until Gentle Touch cleared him—left Shining Armor with scarcely any time to actually sit down properly at his desk and do the administrative duties that came with his station. His lieutenants had been kind enough to forward the more important forms to him, giving him the chance to look them over in the privacy of the Royal Suite. But it just wasn’t the same.

He wasn’t there to provide immediate leadership, like a proper officer should.

Sighing wistfully, Shining sat at his desk and let his eyes wander over the almost spartan décor; those pale, sapphire walls, bare save for the single window and his diplomas from the Royal Guard Academy and Royal Canterlot University, mounted side by side on the wall behind him. The clock resting on his desk ticked away, his eyes flicked to the picture beside it: Twily, Cady, and himself, all with broad grins and making the silliest faces they could think of.

Seems like it was just yesterday, girls. Back home, when it was just the three of us. He wrinkled his nose, his gaze flitting back to those walls. So much crystal, I’d almost kill for the old, bleached marble of Canterlot Castle. Shaking his head, Shining chuckled to himself. Look at that, I’m still a Canterlot colt at heart. Best not let Cady find out, or I’ll never hear the end of it.

Décor aside, he was back. He gave a little wag of his tail and sighed in content. “It’s good to be back,” he mumbled, his joy giving way to dismay as he eyed the small mountain of paperwork resting in the “Incoming” tray. “Ugh. I leave the place to Hoofy for a few days, tell him to send the major stuff my way, and he just leaves the rest here. Typical.”

Annoying though it may be, Lighthoof had technically followed his orders; albeit, in a rather literal sense.

Flicking his tail, Shining floated the first over. “Next time, I’m gonna leave instructions in the form of a laundry list,” he grumbled. “It’ll be worth him getting a little pissy.”

It might even teach a certain stallion to use a tad more common sense—or at least, go a bit beyond the literal directive.

Shining shook his head. No, Lieutenant Lighthoof had done him a favor by bringing him those forms. Insulting him—even if he needed to be taught a lesson—was unwarranted.

A little talk, just a reminder that administrative duties were just as important as running drills and barking at recruits, was all he needed. He learns his lesson, and I keep my subordinate relatively happy. A win-win for me.

Turning back to the paper, Shining raised an eyebrow at the familiar emblem of the Garnet Quarter. “Ah, Lord Clear Cut,” he mused, “my favorite verbal sparring partner. What do you have for me this time?”

Settling back into his cushion and bringing the missive to hover just in front of his nose, he let his eyes flit across the page.

“To Prince-Captain Shining Armor:

“I hope this missive finds you well, especially in light of your recent mishap in the Forest of Aurora. On behalf of my constituents in the Garnet Quarter and my family, I would like to extend my sincerest wishes that you make a speedy recovery, My Prince.”

Shining’s brow arched higher. Seems that news travels fast. I wonder who relayed that to the Council; Gentle and Stable are bound by oath and law to keep that between themselves, the patient, and next of kin. He wrinkled his nose, the gears turning in his head. They didbring me in through Garnet, so he could’ve heard from just about anypony—not necessarily one of my guards.

He’d have to check in on the latter, just to be sure that a recruit hadn’t forgotten the chain of command and gone blabbing around town. At the very least, he could stress that it was very improper to relay sensitive information to civilians, especially politicians.

Even more so when it involved an officer being injured or indisposed.

Keep that information within a small circle, then it’s less likely to be exploited by your enemies. One of the first lessons he’d learned in officer training.

While there weren’t any minotaurs, changelings, or, Harmony forbid, anti-UGT factions knocking on their front doors, the Crystal Empire was still in a rather vulnerable position.

And while his injuries were only minimal at worst, it was still best to nip smaller problems in the bud before they got too overblown.

Shining turned his focus back to Clear Cut’s writing, filing the possible breach away for later discussion, and continued on.

“… While it may not be my place to badger you on your recruits’ progress, I would like to inquire as to what you believe the estimated end date of this program might be. We are all quite eager to see the Imperial Guard restored to its former glory, but…”

“Yes,” Shining snorted and rolled his eyes. “You’re eager after you and the rest of the Council tried arguing against it and brought up anything possible to delay its implementation.”

With a flick of his tail, he began the time-old method of skimming through the rest; ignoring the long-winded, political nonsense in favor of the actual substance.

“Months of training… several setbacks… your injury in the field most troubling… fellow Council members are concerned that the program is taking far too long…”

And there it was. Typical political garbage.

“We want our shiny, new toys built properly, but at no cost and finished last week,” Shining grumbled.

Even with those so entrenched in ancient ways, with memories clouded by Sombra’s curse, the basic message was the same.

Fortunately, no pony would see him ball up Clear Cut’s missive, toss it over his shoulder, and mutter curses under his breath. He levitated a blank sheet of paper over and dipped his quill into an inkwell. “Dear collective pains in my rear,” he mumbled cynically, his lips curving into a small smirk. “Oh, if only. Too bad it’d just cause more trouble for Cady than actually get my point across.”

Keeping his wife happy and as stress-free as possible was far more important than getting his digs in.

I’ll just have to bite my tongue and think them to myself.

“To Lord Clear Cut of the Garnet Quarter,” he mumbled, his quill scratching against the paper, “I apologize for my delayed response, but I’ve found myself running between helping Princess Cadence with the day-to-day duties of the Crystal Court, training the recruits and a few personal issues, some of which directly involved the injury referenced in your missive.”

All that and trying to help Cady with her stress. And whatever side project she needed all that red yarn for. Shining barely suppressed the urge to shudder. Something tells me that I know exactlywhat all that was for.

If he ever found the pony who told Cadence about that silly notion of “the red thread of fate” binding lovers together, he’d give them a good, solid bop on the head. I don’t want to know. I really don’t. And I’m not helping.

Shaking his head, he banished those thoughts to the depths of his mind in favor of finishing his reply. “To your concerns on the time taken to train the new unit,” he continued, “I’m afraid that my answer is simply ‘when the recruits are ready’; this is with respects to my satisfaction with their performance, as well as my officers’. I will remind you that the fear of soldiers, the very same that the Council mentioned when making their case against this unit’s formation, meant that we had to take a far more different approach than what is used in the Royal Guard Academy.

“We’ve focused almost exclusively on field training, with very minimal classroom based learning, and have worked to help dispel the negative relationship between citizen and guard. However, this takes time. I would say that my trainees have certainly progressed well, but they won’t be ready for at least another few weeks—that, quite frankly, is being very generous. I understand and appreciate your concern, but I cannot, in good faith, leave the Empire’s defense to a group of half-trained ponies. They will be ready, simply put, when I am confident that they could meet the physical requirements set to graduate from the Academy. Regards, Captain Shining Armor.”

Shining blew lightly on the ink to dry it, stapling it to the original letter and folding them up with a small flick of his magic. One down. He gave a half-hearted mental cheer as he slid it into the “Outgoing” tray, while simultaneously pulling another from the top of the pile.

He swished his tail, his ear flicking toward the clock sitting on his desk as it ticked away.

The recruits should be doing their laps around the yard right now. And Cady should be settling in to open Court. His scowl deepened. He’d be there in a heartbeat, either standing alongside his fellow guards or sitting with his wife in Court, if he didn’t have to worry about the backlog.

Granted, Court wasn’t very high on his list of enjoyable activities, but it helped ease Cadence’s burden. Training, however, was an entirely different story.

Training and leading his guards was his bread and butter. Paperwork was but a tedious necessity that came with his position; especially when he had two units under his command.

Which reminds me, I really need to appoint a new Captain for the Royal Guard in Canterlot. He gave a long-suffering sigh. I can’t run it properly from all the way up here.

Certainly, the commanders of the respective House Guards were doing admirably well, but they needed a standing Captain. Both in terms of having a single, ranking officer and to give the public more of a sense of unity between the branches.

I’ll have to speak with Celestia and Luna about that. I’m sure they’d like to give input, and they could certainly give me an idea of what they’d like to see going forward.

A knock at his office door jarred him from his thoughts. His ears flicked forward. “Come in,” he called.

The pony on the other side pushed the door open. Autumn Leaf, a slender earth pony mare of auburn coat and fiery red mane, stepped in, her gleaming gold armor clacking and saddlebags thumping against her sides with each step. “Good morning, Captain,” she chirped, snapping a salute.

Eying the papers carried in both pockets of her saddlebags, Shining nodded in kind. “Good morning, Autumn.” He glanced to the clock on his desk and arched an eyebrow at her. “Few minutes late this morning, aren’t you?”

“Late to the office, yes,” she admitted. “Late to work, no. I had to stop by to pick up today’s paperwork.”

Oh, goodie. He forced a smile, though he suspected it looked more like a grimace. “Thinking ahead, as usual. Well, then, let’s have it.”

Nodding, she reached into the bag on her left hip and pulled it out, placing it into his incoming tray. “This is for you, sir. The rest,” she glanced toward the stack on her right hip, “is mine.”

Shining didn’t immediately respond. Instead, he stared at the now taller stack in his tray, trying his best to glare it into submission.

No such luck, unfortunately.

“This stuff just never goes away,” he sighed and shook his head.

“The joys of administration!” Autumn replied, never once losing her million-bit smile. “Is there anything else I can get for you before I go to my desk? Coffee? Tea?”

A tall mug of cider. He grumped inwardly, a stark contrast to the smile he pasted on his face. “No, I think I’ve got all that I need right here,” he said, jerking his head toward the seemingly endless pile of paperwork in his tray. “Thank you for offering.”

Either oblivious to his irritation or simply knowing better than to comment, Autumn saluted. “Very good, sir. I’ll be right outside if you need anything.”

At his nod, she turned and trotted briskly out of his office, shutting the door behind her with a light kick.

Shining turned his attention back to his stack and grimaced. Might as well get a move on. He glanced over the form in front of him, humming as he read through Lighthoof’s messy script. One of his daily reports.

Drawing in a sharp breath, he scanned the individual comments. “Oh, good,” he hummed, “it looks like Glimmer has made some progress.” His grimace faded in favor of a small smile and a nod of approval. “Good on you, kid.”

Progress, no matter how slow, was still progress. With the crop of recruits he had, Shining would just have to take what they gave. It was a slow process, grooming the first unit of the new Imperial Guard; Honeysuckle had once gone as far as likening it to gardening.

“You can’t just plant the seeds and expect a flower to be in full bloom the next day; you have to water it, feed it, nurture it until it’s ready to sprout, and then make sure you keep all that up and get rid of any weeds that pop up,” she’d said, giving a little wink to the armored stallions sitting at the bar. “But, with you boys in mind, you’ll substitute weeding for running them ragged.”

If anything, the look on Lighthoof’s face as Valiance and Stout Heart snickered at him was well worth the little shot she’d taken. Shining chuckled at the memory and filed the report away into a jam-packed accordion folder with all the rest.

“Hmm, I’ll need to go back and clear out the old stuff,” he muttered, “and get a filing cabinet for that to go into.”

So much to do, and so very little time.

He pulled from the top of the stack again, his eyebrows shooting up as he looked at the familiar enlistment form he’d put together for the Imperial Guard. Enlistees without a recruitment drive? I’m impressed. Word must be getting around.

His muzzle creased into a grin. If the crystal ponies were starting to apply without prompting, perhaps the reputation of the Imperial Guard was changing after all.

Finally.

Half of the stack.

An entire day’s worth of paperwork, he’d even worked through lunchtime in order to get it done, but Shining Armor was only about halfway through the mountain left on his desk.

He sat back and rubbed his eyes. “Hoofy, I take back what I said about giving you a gentle little talk,” he grumbled, pretending as if the stallion he’d been cursing all day was in the room, “I’m gonna make you run laps around the darn city, and I just might let the recruits watch!”

His head pounded, his eyes watered from staring at the endless stack of papers left on his desk. Shining flicked his tail and cursed the bureaucracy he’d been cursed to put up with since the day he’d become an officer in the Royal Guard.

On one hoof, it keeps things organized and flowing smoothly—in terms of my needs with the recruits. Certainly, the influx of applications had been a welcome shift in the crystal ponies’ view on the Imperial Guard. Several ponies filled out the form, with a couple curious teens sending in letters asking for more information on what to expect, and what would be expected from them.

Naturally, he considered the applications as fairly as possible, weighing their abilities and goals in combination with what he knew of the job requirements and answered those who weren’t quite sure yet honestly. Never go in without ample intelligence, and never let a prospective recruit walk through without knowing what they’re about to sign on to.

Still, though, it wore on him. His hooves itched to go out to the training grounds and run. If not running in the wake of his recruits, barking at them to gallop as if Cerberus himself were nipping at their tails, he’d at least prefer taking a couple laps himself.

Shining shook his head. No, he couldn’t do that. Not yet, at least.

Like Gentle Touch said, running in full armor would still cause him quite a bit of discomfort—even galloping without it might give him a bit of a twinge in that cut on his flank, not to mention the aching in his ribs.

He glanced to the stack of paperwork again, his eyes narrowing at the tedious task laying before him. It has to be done eventually. Applicants are a necessity, Lighthoof’s reports on recruit training are invaluable, and the Council will complain to Cady if I toss out their memos. Wrinkling his muzzle, he sighed and stole a glance to the picture on his desk, the happy faces of Twilight and Cadence almost gazing expectantly back at him.Almost like they were waiting for him to finish his homework so he could come play.

“Yes, Twily, I’m doing my work,” Shining drawled, a wry grin playing upon his lips. “And no, I don’t need you to help me check it over—I can sign my name just fine.”

Even a decade later, that cute little face gazing up at him, her brows furrowed and jaw set in a thin line as she held her hoof out and all but demanded that he hoof over his homework so she could check it over.

If Twilight were with him, she’d no doubt sit on the other side of his desk and check over each paper he slipped into his outgoing tray, her eyes darting over each page to make sure he hadn’t glossed over anything important or missed a signature line, all the while telling him about her latest adventure with those crazy friends of hers.

Crazy, but good for her. He grinned, picturing the group of mares from his wedding day. Definitely glad she ended up with them. Though, I’d just about wrestle a timberwolf to have her stay up here for a while. I wonder if I could convince her to spend a little time up here outside of research, a bit of a vacation.

 The clock on his desk ticked, tormenting him with the time still left in his day. Shining glanced at its hands and frowned. “An hour left? I could’ve sworn it was a little closer to five…”

With a shake of his head, Shining pulled another paper from the top of the stack—another letter asking for more information on the Imperial Guard. “Quite a bit of interest lately,” he hummed, glancing over the message. Another young stallion wondering if he could apply. “Maybe I should talk with Autumn about putting together some sort of stationary response for these. Just to free me up from writing out individual replies.”

Filing that away for a later date, he levitated his quill and quickly jotted down his response. “To Shooting Star,” he muttered, “I’m pleased to learn of your interest in a career with the new Imperial Guard. As of now, we are in the midst of training recruits to be posted throughout the city, but we are accepting applications for the next round of training. If you would like to visit and watch our current class or discuss the physical requirements, I’d be happy to schedule a meeting with you. Regards, Captain Shining Armor.”

Heh, if I’d gotten a reply from Captain Ironside himself when I was looking into things, I’d have enlisted before graduating. “Cady and Twily would’ve absolutely killed me!” He snickered.

A knock on his office door brought him out of his internal monologue. Quickly adjusting his posture, Shining sat up straight and perked up his ears before calling out, “Come in!”

Autumn Leaf poked her head in. “Sorry to interrupt, sir,” she began, bowing and smiling brightly at him, “but Cadet Glimmering Shard from the Imperial Guard class is outside. He wanted to see if you had a little time to talk with him.”

Shining raised an eyebrow, but nodded in kind. “Sure, send him in.”

“Yes, sir,” she said before ducking out of the room.

There was a bit of an awkward pause as she spoke to Glimmer on the other side, their voices too low for Shining to make out.

After a moment, the door opened to reveal the nervous recruit, chewing on his lip as he gave a salute. “Er, good afternoon, sir!”

“Afternoon, Glimmer.  Close the door and take a seat,” Shining gestured to the cushion on the other side of his desk. Steepling his hooves, he leaned back in his own and waited for Glimmer to push the door closed.

Eying the younger stallion’s posture, the way his hooves seemed to shake the closer he came and how his ears lay flat against his scalp, Shining frowned. Oh, boy. This isn’t going to start off happy. “Autumn tells me that you wanted to have a word. What’s on your mind?”

Glimmer sat down roughly, ducking his head almost as though trying to make himself smaller before Shining.

Definitely not a good sign. He let the silence hang a moment, idly swishing his tail while he waited for the younger pony to collect himself.

Glancing up shyly, Glimmer mumbled something incomprehensible toward the floor.

Shining flicked an ear toward him, his muzzle creased into a frown. Needs a little jolt. “Cadet!” he barked, making Glimmer jump up in his cushion. “Take a deep breath and use your words.”

“Yes, sir!” He squeaked before closing his eyes and drawing in a deep breath through his nose, letting his chest fill, holding it in, and then exhaling through his mouth.

“Better?”

“Very much, sir. Thank you.”

“Good, good. Now—” Shining leaned forward and made a show of perking up his ears and waggling them “—what’s on your mind? Everything okay with family? Have you or somepony close taken ill?”

Glimmer shook his head, still keeping his eyes downcast. “No, sir, nothing like that. I just… I don’t know if, um—” for the first time since saluting as he entered, he raised his head just enough to meet Shining’s gaze “—I’’m not doing well with the training sessions. I-I just keep messing up and making Lieutenant Lighthoof mad. And then, there was the thing in the middle of Shining Square… and again in the Forest of Aurora… I’m just so slow.”

“Ah,” Shining hummed. Not something he could easily refute; the stallion before him was, to put it bluntly, the bottom of the class. Still, he was coming along, if a bit behind, based on Lighthoof’s report and what Shining himself had seen.

But if Glimmer was concerned the least he could do was listen.

“So this is about your progress,” he began, slowly considering how best to address the issue, “It’s not out of the ordinary for a recruit to have doubts, especially one as young as yourself. In fact, I had similar issues early on at the Academy, but I digress.” Shining placed his hooves on the desk and folded them. “Why’s this eating at you so bad, Glimmer? You’ve been in the program for a while, so why bring it up now?”

Glimmer shifted in his cushion, dropping his gaze again. “I don’t know! I just… I don’t think I’m cut out for this,” he choked out. “I’m sorry I’ve been such a disappointment, sir, but I’m just not getting any better and… everypony else is leaving me behind.”

Shining held up a hoof. “Stop right there, Cadet,” he said, his tone taking the same edge he used on the field. “We’re guards, not race ponies. These things take time; no pony’s writing you off or leaving you behind.”

“In terms of skill they are!” Glimmer blurted out. His eyes went wide, his ears pinned back as he realized just whom he’d spoken out against. Ducking his head again, he hastily added a sheepish, “… sir. Sorry, sir.”

His nostrils flared. Shining swished his tail, a frown marring his muzzle. “I’ll chalk that bout of insubordination up to stress—but we’ll talk about that later.” Relax. He’s young, he needs reassurance. How would Cady or Twily handle something like this?

“Patience.” Cadence’s voice echoed in his ear. “We’ll show them that they don’t have to be afraid anymore.”

Show through action, don’t tell with words, as his mother would say. Glimmer was young, perhaps just a couple years older than he’d been when he entered the Academy all those years ago.

An idea hit him like a bolt of lightning. Shining lit up his horn and picked up the stack of progress reports. Quickly rifling through, he came across Glimmer’s and pulled it from the group.

He cleared his throat and began to read aloud, “Progress Report for Cadet Glimmering ‘Glimmer’ Shard,” he paused a moment to allow the younger stallion to jolt up and prick his ears forward. “Cadet Glimmer started out rough, his nerves causing his performance in the training sessions to lag—notably in combat scenarios. Admittedly, he is still somewhat slow to pick up the skills, but he has made progress and demonstrates a willingness to accept corrections and learn from his mistakes. In terms of his interaction with the public, his involvement in the incident in Shining Square seems to have root in the ways of Sombra’s old unit—something shared by most of the crystal pony recruits until Captain Shining Armor corrected the issue. That, I will write off as cultural. At this point, I would recommend that he be closely watched and guided. He has met minimal requirements, but I expect that he’ll catch up due to his readiness to learn.”

Glimmer’s jaw dropped. He worked his mouth wordlessly before finally managing a weak, “I’ve… huh?”

“That’s Lieutenant Lighthoof’s report,” Shining said with a little shrug, “if that means anything to you. Just thought you should know.”

“But I—why?” The young stallion stammered. “Every time I mess up, he’s right there to shout at me and tell me to pick myself up and move!”

Chuckling, Shining shook his head and grinned. “Lighthoof likes to push his trainees—we all do, really, but he’s got more of a personal reason. Care to take a guess at what that might be?” Seeing Glimmer shake his head, he continued, “I went through the Academy with most of the officers here—I’m pretty sure Stone Hoof, Stratos and Cirrus are the only exceptions. Funny thing about that group: Wind Runner and I were the top of the class, Lighthoof was, quite literally, just a point away from being sent home at the end of first year.”

“What? But he’s an officer now! How did that happen?”

“Well, there’s a bit more to it. We got grouped together for a field exercise and I saw him in action. He was brilliant! Turns out, Lighthoof’s problem was the written portion—he doesn’t test well. He’s more of a ‘hooves on’ type of pony.” He sighed wistfully and drummed a hoof on his desk. “Anyway, I pulled him aside afterward and told him that he was gonna study with Wind and me. We grilled him pretty good.”

“I see…” Glimmer mumbled. “But what does that have to do with me?”

“Simply put, he sees you going along the same path he did. Wind and I pushed him, so he’s pushing you along.” Shining stood, an act the younger stallion scrambled to imitate. “Personally, I don’t think you’re unqualified or unskilled at all. I think your problem is up here,”—he tapped the side of his head—“the mental side. You put on that armor and think of Sombra’s guards—that much was evident in the Square.”

Rubbing a hoof against his shin, Glimmer gave a shaky nod. “I didn’t mean to, but that’s all I remember of them. Just fear.”

Aha, there it is. “Well, there’ll be none of that, I promise you. Not while Princess Cadence, myself, and any of our own sit on the Throne,” Shining said with a firm nod. “As for you, if you still think this isn’t working out, I won’t stop you from leaving.” The younger stallion looked up, staring uncertainly. “Your enlistment was entirely voluntary, so there won’t be any hard feelings on my front.”

“… But?”

He shrugged. “It’s all up to you, Glimmer. I’d like you to stay on, but I won’t make you. I need ponies with the heart, the drive to protect and serve as Imperial Guards—if you don’t have it, then it’s best you speak up now. I’ll sign your release straight away and you can go about your life.” There you go, an easy out. Now, will you take it?

Glimmer pinned back his ears and glanced at the report sitting on Shining’s desk, flicking up to Shining himself and back again. “I want to serve…” he mumbled, “but I don’t want to let anypony down. I just don’t know if I’m good enough… And all the mistakes I make just… I’m just not good enough.”

Still uncertain, huh? Shining sighed, nodding resolutely as he pulled back from Glimmer. Looks like you just answered for me. He turned and trotted back around the desk to take his seat again. “If that’s your answer right now,” he began, pulling out a blank sheet of paper and levitating his quill, “then it would probably be for the best that you take some time to figure things out. For now, I’ll sign a release,” he held up a hoof to forestall any protest, “a temporary release—that means I expect you to come back within a certain period of time and give me your final answer. Say, a month? Two?”

“I, uh, well—I hadn’t really thought of that…”

“Let’s call it two months, just to give you a little time. If you want to come in for a chat earlier, that’s perfectly fine,” he hummed and quickly jotted down a memo, glancing once at the date to make sure he noted the correct start and end. “So, sixty days is your maximum time without contact. After that, you’d be AWOL—you remember what that is, right?”

“Away without leave,” Glimmer mumbled, his ears laid flat against his scalp as he tucked his chin into his chest, “which is punishable by imprisonment.”

Shining had to bite back a curse. And two steps backward. “Yes, that’s true,” he began, “but I have full faith in you—you’re not gonna make me come knocking on your door to find you, right? There’s no reason to be afraid of coming to me and saying that you don’t think you’re cut out for this.”

A non-committed groan, a glance from Shining back down to the floor. Glimmer chewed on his bottom lip in thought, his anxiety hanging thick in the air. “Okay…” he nodded shyly. “Two months and then I come back.”

“And talk with me,” Shining added, tapping a hoof against his breastplate for emphasis. “I won’t lie to you, Glimmer, I can be just as mean and nasty as Lighthoof when I want, but I’m not going to let a colt suit up if he’s not ready. I’m in the business of protecting and saving lives, not throwing them away.” He smiled warmly and signed off on the release form with a flourish. “You’re a good colt, Glimmer. I’d rather you find something that makes you happy than send you off to do something you weren’t meant for—so, think on it. And think hard.”

He stood and floated the form over to Glimmer. “Take this out to Autumn, she’ll see to it that it’s filed correctly.”

“Yes, sir,” the colt replied, instinctively snapping a salute. A tiny smile graced his muzzle, he dropped his hoof to the ground and bowed his head. “Thank you, Captain—er, or is it Prince since I’m technically on leave?”

“Military business, call me Captain.”

“Oh, er, then thank you, Captain! I’ll, er, see you soon, then.”

“Good colt. You’re dismissed, enjoy your leave.” He watched as Glimmer turned on his hooves and marched from the room, head held high and ears standing at attention.

A nervous wreck as he entered, but confident and proud as he left.

Hopefully, he finds what he needs. Whether that’s with us or outside the Guard, is up to him. Shining sighed and took his seat again. Not the outcome he would’ve preferred, but, as he said, better for the colt to find his calling than end up in a hospital bed.

Or worse.

Shaking his head, he fixed a smile upon his muzzle. “Silver lining, Shiny. Find it,” he whispered. “He’ll find his way and he’ll remember that you weren’t the cruel ogre he was afraid of.”

A small victory, barely an advancement on the field of battle, but a victory nonetheless. One solved with kind words and understanding. Cadence would be quite pleased.