Love and Barriersby CvBronyChapters"If you forget...""... I'll remind you, and forgive you...""... as many times as it takes.""If you forget..." Canterlot Solar Academy Three Months After Twilight Sparkle’s Birth Okay, this spot should do. Cadence fluttered her wings a little, fanning them out to give them a short stretch before lying down on the grass. The warm sun touched her nose, keeping her nice and warm while her pegasus magic kept the wind out of her face. She took a quick look around to make sure the other foals were all off playing and well away from her. Assured that the spot she chose was sufficiently quiet and out of the way, she gently placed her book on the grass and flipped it open. Now to finally finish this thing! Words and paragraphs flew by in her mind, the world outside bleeding away into nothingness. Foals and swings were replaced by airships and pirates, romance and adventure, destinies and magic. She was thoroughly drawn into the world presented by the book, and nothing could pull her out. “Hey, look, it’s the Princess.” Nothing, perhaps, except for the whiny, slightly-nasally voice of a perpetual tormentor. A large part of her just wanted to ignore them, as the teacher suggested. Experience, however, told her that it would only make herself a bigger target. “What do you want, Jet Set?” Cadence asked, keeping her eyes on the book. The grey colt trotted around to her side, his two friends behind him. “Just seeing what you were doing here all alone. By yourself.” Cadence folded her ears against her head and scowled at them, hoping that maybe they’d back off. The lone filly of the trio looked over at her book. “Look, she’s reading during recess! What a freak!” Or maybe not. Cadence glared daggers at her, wishing so hard that she could break the “rules of nobility” her parents thought were so important and just throttle them or at least be rude back. Center Stage, I’m embarrassed to have the same coat color as you. It was just last summer that she fought with her mother to let her go to school without bodyguards around every waking moment. This, it seemed, had some consequences. “Hey, freak! We’re talking to you!” Jet Set kicked her book away with a forehoof. Cadence sighed. “I’m not a freak.” She really didn’t want to dignify them with a response, but they were here, so it was all she could do to regain her composure and stay calm. Nothing short of a teacher’s help would stop them now. As if any of the teachers here would lift a hoof to stop a bully. “Yeah? What kind of a pony has a horn and wings? A freak, that’s what,” the second colt said, snapping his tail in her face. “Princess Celestia has a horn and wings.” At this, they sneered, and Cadence braced for the inevitable. “So you’re sayin’ you’re like Princess Celestia, huh? Well then, let’s see you move the sun.” Jet Set got closer to her, pointing a hoof right in front of her face. “If you can’t, then you’re just a freak.” Cadence felt her wings twitch a little despite her best efforts to control them. “I’m not a freak, and I can’t move the sun. You know only Princess Celestia can do that!” “Then you’re a freak!” Center Stage lit her horn and lifted up the book. “So what book is so important that you’d miss recess, freak?” “No!” Cadence jumped up to her hooves and summoned her magic. Her own horn blazed first blue then purple, sending what was, for a foal, a huge amount of magic at the book. Center Stage’s yellow magic shimmered and dissolved, completely drowned by Cadence’s power. Her book back in her own field, she zipped it into her forelegs, locking them tight before spreading her wings, wishing she knew how to fly. “I’m not letting you take my things!” The three foals all exchanged glances at each other before Jet Set started to chuckle. “I doubt you can stop all three of us. Ready, guys?” Cadence dropped to the ground, covering the book with her body and hugging it as hard as she could. They’d have to fight her for it. She even put as much of her magic on it as she could to stop either of the two unicorns from taking it away. The three foals had all crouched down, ready to pounce. “One, two, three!” She scooted backwards, ready for them. “Ow!” “Oof!” “Oorg!” Cadence blinked, not quite believing her eyes. Directly in between her and the bullies, a shimmering, purple, curved field of magic had appeared out of nowhere immediately after they’d leapt, and all three had bounced right off of it like they’d just ran head-first into a brick wall. That’s… That’s not a telekinetic field. That’s a shield! “Enough, you three.” From her side, a young voice caught Cadence’s ear. She turned around to see a colt walking up behind her. He was rather tall, but she recognized him from another class in her grade, so he probably wasn’t too much older. He had a dark blue mane and tail with lighter blue streaks in it, along with a white coat. More importantly, though, he already had his cutie mark: a blue shield with a six-pointed, purple star in it. He walked in between her and the wall and stuck out his chest. “Why don’t you all go pick on somepony your own size?” Jet Set rubbed his head, standing up to face the colt through the shield. “Like you?” This was it. He’d get afraid, back off, and leave her to her fate. The new colt just laughed. “Sure, but who else do you have? It’s not a fair fight with just you three.” Or not. Cadence felt her jaw go slack. He wasn’t just staying; he was daring them to go after him! No, it was even more than that. His grin, his confident eyes, he actually wanted them to try something. Is he crazy!? “That’ll be quite enough!” That new voice might be the end of it. A teacher had galloped right up to them and scowled at Cadence’s rescuer. “Shame on you, Shining Armor! You know casting spells unsupervised on school grounds is against the rules.” He swung his neck around to look at the teacher, but his face barely changed. It was still strong, defiant even. This colt was trying to stare down the teacher! “Well?” the teacher asked. “Aren’t you going to apologize?” A gentle breeze that moved through the playground was all that she could hear, even with other foals playing. The colt’s mane waved in the wind, a few strands lying on his smiling, determined face. Doesn’t he care that’s he’s about to get in trouble!? “No.” The teacher lifted a hoof in surprise. “No!?” “No. I don’t apologize unless I’ve done something wrong.” “Done something… Well, we’ll just have to see the principal in his office, won’t we?” The teacher caught him in a magic field and started dragging him off. “Wait!” Her heart went from a nervous trot to a panicked gallop. “It wasn’t his fault!” Just as fast, it stopped in place when the teacher’s gaze swiveled back on to her. “Then who cast the spell, Princess?” The colt looked at her, too, like he was angry at her. His stone-etched gaze was almost threatening, but she couldn’t tell what he wanted her to do. Regardless, she’d learned long ago the consequences of lying. She not only had to justify her behavior to her parents but her aunt as well. That did not mean that she couldn’t tell them why he did it. “He did, but he did it to protect me!” The teacher barely gave a glance to the trio of foals running away from the scene of the crime before dismissing her. “Rules are rules, Princess. Unsupervised casting of magic is strictly forbidden. And to think, Shining Armor, you were so promising. Such a waste of a scholarship. Principal’s office, now.” As she dragged him away, Shining Armor smiled at her. He didn’t want her to cover for him; he wanted her to tell the truth! Now, though, he’d be punished, but the bullies were getting off scot-free. Though she was a Princess of Equestria, all that she could do was stare as the teacher led him away. “I need to talk to Auntie Celestia. Please let me through.” Her aunt Celestia had this thing where she just stared at her guards, and they either knew what to do or immediately did what she told them, no matter how strange or dangerous. “I’m sorry, Princess, but Princess Celestia is currently busy.” It was clear, now, that she couldn’t quite do that because the guard next to her chamber door wasn’t even flinching. It didn’t mean she wasn’t going to try. “You don’t understand! It’s important!” She stomped her hoof. The guard shook his head. Some movement was progress, at least. “I’m sorry, but—” The door opened, and a gilded hoof stepped out from behind the door. The purest warmth radiated from its owner’s smile. “Well, if it’s important, who am I to refuse a princess?” Cadence bowed as deeply as she could. “Thank you, Princess! Thank you so much!” “Not at all, my little pony. I was just about to have dinner. Why don’t you join me?” Her little wings flapped at her sides. Dinner with Auntie Celestia! Now she could tell everything to the Princess. “I think I’ll have it in the garden this evening.” She turned to the guard. “Tell the chefs, won’t you?” The guard jolted into a salute. “Yes, Your Highness!” She didn’t even use that stare! “Hmm. That is a bit of a situation.” Celestia took a sip of her tea and stared out into the evening sky over the gardens for what felt like an eternity to her guest. “Well?” Cadence asked. The alicorn looked at her, and eyebrow raised. “Well, what?” “Can’t you do anything?” More silence passed between them, but the look on the monarch’s face wasn’t something she’d ever seen from her before. Calm and loving as always, but also excruciating. Cadence shrunk down and even lay down on her cushion when Celestia lowered her head to speak at the filly’s level. “What would you have me do, young Princess?” she asked. Cadence opened her mouth to give a direct answer, but it was covered with a hoof she honestly hadn’t realized was as large as it was. “Before you answer,” Celestia said, “think. Truly think about your response—in silence—for at least two minutes.” Cadence was not an especially impatient filly. She knew that there were times for her to be silent and times where she could speak. There were rules of etiquette in life, and as a princess, these had to be very carefully followed. One of these rules was to obey Princess Celestia. This one time, however, she was sorely tempted to break the rules and shout. Still, this wasn’t just any rule she’d be breaking, but the most important rule. So, she stayed put, closed her eyes, and thought. She truly thought about what happened and what she wanted. It wasn’t until then that she realized that Celestia didn’t ask her what she wanted. She asked her what she “would have her do.” To a princess, that was a very different question. She wasn’t supposed to think about what she wanted. She was supposed to think about what her actions did and if they were appropriate. The easiest thing was to just ask Celestia to get the bullies to stop picking on her and have the teachers release Shining Armor, but if the Princess was making her think, there was obviously something else she didn’t see yet. Still, she really wanted those bullies to stop. Not just those, either. There were others that picked on her. She knew she wasn’t even the only one they picked on! Then, she realized what Celestia was getting at. Even if they were made to stop picking on her, they’d keep going after others. That also meant that Shining Armor might still keep getting in trouble. A little light went on in her mind, and she knew what to say, so she opened her eyes. “Have you thought about it?” The alicorn smiled. “Yes, Auntie Celestia.” “Now, what would you have me do?” Cadence stood up and belted out her answer. “I want you to make those teachers make all the other kids follow the rules and stop picking on other foals!” Celestia smiled at her. “And why do you say that?” Cadence’s wings flared out. “Because if I just have you stop those three from picking on me, they’ll just pick on others instead! And then that colt might get in trouble protecting them too!” Celestia spread her wings a little. “An astute observation!” Cadence’s smile couldn’t get any bigger. “However, I’m afraid I cannot do that.” Nor could her surprise be any greater. “What? But, why not?” “Because I am the Princess of Equestria.” She shook her head. “What? But that means you can do that!” The alicorn lowered her head closer to her level. “It means, Cadence, that I must consider all of the consequences of my actions. You did a very nice job realizing that there were other foals that should be protected, but this goes far beyond the foals and teachers in your school.” Cadence tilted her head. “It does?” “Perhaps a concrete analogy is needed here.” Cadence tilted her head even more. “Huh?” “An example to show what I mean. For instance, that cushion you are sitting on. Wouldn’t it feel good to stomp on it a little?” “Aww, my mom told me about that thing where you hit a cushion when you’re angry.” “And?” “It doesn’t work,” Cadence said. Celestia broke out into a fit of laughter. “Oh, out of the mouths of foals! Still, why don’t you give it a try, just in case?” Cadence rolled her eyes and sighed. Adults. “Okay, I’ll try.” She got off the cushion and gave it a little stomp. “Oh, come now, you can do better than that!” She rolled her eyes again and stomped on it a little more. “Harder! Pretend it’s the foals that picked on you!” She stomped it again with both forehooves. “Harder! Make it feel it!” She jumped up and down on it several times, putting in as much effort as her little body could muster and sending down feathers from it flying about. “Feel better?” Celestia asked. “Not really. And I think I killed your cushion.” She lifted it up a little, examining it. “That’s all right. In fact, why don’t I give it a try?” She got up off her own much larger cushion and lifted a hoof over it. “Say, before I do, did you get a good look at the shield the young colt made? What was his name?” “The teacher said it was ‘Shining Armor,’ and I don’t know if I saw it really well or not.” “Hmm. Did it look like this?” Her horn glowed, and a golden, shimmering wall of light appeared between Cadence and her aunt. “No, not really. It was more curved. And more… sparkly?” Celestia looked much more surprised at this than Cadence expected. “Oh? Really? More like this?” The wall curved around the filly and bent over a bit in a partial dome shape like the young colt’s had. “Yeah, that’s what it looked like!” “My my. And he was in your grade? You have a talented new friend. Anyway, to business. Let’s see if I can work out some of my own frustration, shall we?” “Okay.” The filly sat down, fully expecting to watch a grown alicorn beat up on a cushion. What she did not expect was the sound of thunder. She didn’t even see Celestia’s hoof move; it was simply at the ground in an instant. The hit knocked the filly a bit into the air and forced her to cover her ears. Smoke, feathers, cloth, and even tiny bits of marble flooring plinked off the barrier in between them. The blow tossed table they were eating dinner on into the hedges. When the alicorn used her wings to clear out the dust, she saw the marble flooring they’d been sitting on had cracked and crumbled under Celestia’s mighty hoof despite the now-destroyed cushion that should have softened the blow. Had the shield not been in between them, she might’ve been killed. Cadence dropped her gaze to the ground, trembling as Celestia approached the crumbling, dissolving shield. “This is why I cannot do as you request, Cadence. Were I to act in such a manner, it would not stop at the cushion, or in this case, at the foals who picked on you or even the teacher who allowed it to happen. It would continue to the principal, the superintendent, even the Secretary of Education. There would be investigations and hearings over a system that had failed so direly that it caused me to act to save my kin. Hundreds of ponies could lose their jobs, even those who had no involvement. As a Princess of Equestria, I must know all of the consequences of my actions, both immediate and eventual.” Cadence lay on the floor, gazing up, mouth wide open when it wasn’t coughing. She hadn’t even known Celestia could do that, and she certainly hadn’t considered all that might happen if she stepped in to help her at her school. Moments passed, and all she could do was stare at the small crater in the middle of the gardens. It wasn’t long after that when the guards came rushing in. “It’s okay, everypony!” the Princess announced. “Just a little lesson is all.” Little!? The guards were shaken but relieved, and most filed out while others searched about the gardens. “Don’t worry too much about the damage.” Celestia said, giving her a smile. “There’s a unicorn on the janitorial team who’s quite skilled with repair spells.” The Princess glanced at one of the guards, and he rushed over with a bow. “Have the attendants bring out a new table and cushions, would you? And some more tea.” She looked down at the filly with a smile. “We seem to have spilled ours.” In remarkably quick time, the guards had cleared out the debris, laid a large rug over the crumbled marble, and even brought out a new table and cushions for them, complete with a new serving of tea. This, however, would only be realized later, as she spent most of this time just staring at the tiny crater, thinking about what had happened. “So, do you see now why I can’t just ‘storm the gates’ at your school?” Cadence shook herself out of her daze but remained silent. Tears welled up in her eyes at the thought of that poor colt being punished in detention for trying to help her. “Be at ease, my little pony. It will be okay.” A levitated napkin wiped under Cadence’s eyes. “I never said I wasn’t going to help.” She looked back up at her. “But… But you said—” She pointed at the obliterated section of the ground. “I said I couldn’t go to your school and intervene directly. Doing so would be like what I did earlier to my poor cushion. That doesn’t mean there aren’t other ways to go about finding a solution.” Cadence winced as Celestia brought up her hoof again but relaxed when she only hit the new cushion lightly. “It’s all about knowing just where—” she hit the cushion again “—and how hard—” and again “—to strike.” She finished with one final tap. “Then, all the lumps in your cushion even out, and you have a comfortable place to sit again. Now, listen closely. Tomorrow afternoon, I want you go to your principal and tell him exactly this and just how I say it…” Cadence knocked on the principal’s door with a copy of the school’s rule book in her magical grasp. It was odd for a student to willingly go to the principal, but she had found the main office surprisingly willing to let her see him. She guessed that if a student wanted to go there, it must’ve been important. “Enter!” She turned the knob and walked inside. The very first thing that caught her eye was the pair of paddles hanging on the wall behind him. She almost choked at the sight of them but fought past it. Auntie Celestia said it was very important that she sound confident. “Well well, Princess Cadence, what brings you here?” The principal was getting on in years. His coat was teal, but a lot of his mane had either gone gray or had just gone entirely. The way he adjusted his glasses made him look even older. It was clear he was going for a “friendly old grandpa” look, but he wasn’t quite old enough for it. At this point, really, he just seemed creepy. Following her auntie Celestia’s advice, she took a deep breath and walked straight up to his desk, stared at her principal, and puffed out her chest, just like she’d seen the nobles do when they were trying to look important. “I’m here about the colt that was sent here yesterday. Shining Armor.” The principal adjusted his glasses again. “Ah yes. What about him?” “I want his punishment lifted. Immediately.” At that, he sat up almost as straight as one of Celestia’s guards! “I’m afraid I can’t do that, Princess. A teacher witnessed him casting an unsupervised spell on school grounds. You know that’s against the rules.” Cadence slapped the rule book she was carrying on his desk. “Those same rules also say students can’t pick on other students! So why weren’t the students who Shining Armor was protecting me from punished? They were bullying me! Just like they do every day!” The principal waved his hoof around, dismissing her accusations. “I’m afraid the teacher didn’t witness it.” Stop. We know what you want to say, that you saw it and that’s what matters, but don’t. Celestia warned you about it. Stick with what she told you to say instead. Cadence put on her best impression of that snooty cousin of hers. “Are you suggesting that a Princess of Equestria isn’t trustworthy?” The principal didn’t even flinch. “Not at all. But if we simply believed what every student said without proof, we’d be putting everypony in detention at the slightest accusation. We have to stick with what we see.” That’s exactly what Celestia said he’d say. She looked down at his desk and fiddled with a pen on it. “Well, I suppose that’s fine. If you won’t listen to me, others will.” “Others?” Celestia had told her to keep a calm expression, but she couldn’t help the smirk growing on her face. “I think I’ll start with those nice ponies with the cameras that follow me around. They’re always asking how I’m doing at school, but they’re kinda pushy, so I have the guards shoo them away. Maybe I should let them stay. I’m sure they’ll listen about how so many of us colts and fillies get picked on at one of Canterlot’s most prestigious schools.” The principal’s teal coat went nearly as white as Celestia’s. “You wouldn’t…” “Mother always says they like to make big stories out of little ones. I wonder what they’ll say if I tell them I’m being picked on, and the principal is punishing the brave colt who defended me.” “This… this is blackmail!” “Watch your tone!” Cadence’s gaze snapped up to him. “A Princess of Equestria does not commit blackmail! Who We confide in is none of your business! That We have something to confide that so embarrasses you is your problem, one that would not exist if your job was done properly.” She stomped her hoof on the ground, just like she did with the cushion. Wow, that was a mouthful. How does Auntie talk like this all the time? She got up and swung the office door open, stopping for the parting shot before leaving. “Leave Shining Armor alone. Right now, he’s doing a much better job protecting Us from bullies than you are. In fact, We strongly suggest— No, We demand you release him from his punishment and get the teachers to put a stop to the rest of the bullying going on here! If you don’t, you’ll be feeling the same as We do while the press tears you apart!” With a burst of magic, she slammed the door shut behind her, leaving all the office workers slack-jawed from the ire of the cute, little princess. Aunt Celestia is a genius. “What do I do if he still doesn’t let him go?” Cadence asked. “He will.” Celestia said. “But—” “He will. Trust me.” Cadence looked down at the ground and squirmed a little. There was still a chance this wouldn’t work. Celestia stroked her back with a hoof. “But just in case, if he really doesn’t, then do exactly what I said. Toss the press a bone and watch them go to town on it.” Cadence dwelled on the memory of her conversation with Celestia while waiting outside the detention room door. She’d heard Shining Armor was still inside, despite her talk with the principal. She couldn’t quite see in the room to tell if the rumor was true, but she figured that if he came out of the room with the rest, the principal was trying to call her bluff. If he left early, however, then she’d won. She was starting to go over what, exactly, she was going to tell the first reporter she saw when the door opened, and her knight stepped out. The two just looked at each other for a long moment. I was so busy thinking about what to say to the reporter I didn’t think about what I was going to say to him! Now what do I do? “Hey,” he said. “Hey.” She squirmed a little. Dangit, now what? How am I supposed to think with such a cute colt staring at me? And did I really just think of him as cute? To Cadence’s eternal gratitude, the colt spoke first. “Are you really a princess? Were you the one who got me out of detention?” “Um, yes, I am. I mean, I did. I mean, um, yes. To both.” Principal? No problem. Blue-eyed colt with his cutie mark? Impossible. “You didn’t have to do that.” What’s with this colt? “Um, yes I did! You got punished because of me!” He shook his head. “I was punished because the teachers don’t want to see fights.” “Fights?” “It’s like this.” The colt sat down. “If you were picking on me, that’s normal to them. If I do it back, it becomes a fight. Means we might start hitting. That’s all adults really care about. They don’t want parents coming in yelling ‘why was my foal hurt in a fight.’ They don’t get that being picked on hurts too.” “So, then, why did you do it?” The colt shrugged. “Easy. I don’t care about what they want. I care about what’s right. I don’t think it’s right that you were being picked on, so I did something about it. If I get sent to detention for it, I don’t care. I did what’s right.” “Then that’s what I did, too.” “What do you mean?” She took a step towards him, keeping her head a bit lower than normal. “I mean, I’m a princess. I’m supposed to act ‘for the good of Equestria.’ I couldn’t just let somepony that protected me get punished. I had to try to help him. It wouldn’t be right to just let him be hurt even if some of the teachers got mad at me.” The colt looked right into her eyes and smiled. “Finally, a filly who gets it. I’m Shining Armor.” Shining held out a hoof, and she gave it a bump with her own. “Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, but that sounds stupid, so everypony just calls me Cadence.” “Awesome. Well, thanks for the help. See ya around!” He got up and started walking away. Wait, he’s leaving!? No! No, this isn’t what you wanted to happen! Well, I didn’t even really know what I wanted to happen, but you can’t just let him leave! Say something! Anything! “Wait!” The colt turned around, and her thoughts tried to catch up with her words. Well, okay, I have his attention, now what do we say? You got us into this, mouth! Figure something out! “Um, those bullies might be back tomorrow. Do you think you could, maybe, hang out with me at recess? Keep them off me?” Shining looked genuinely shocked at this. It didn’t take much thought for her to realize why. “Oh! Don’t worry about the teachers. I got them to leave you alone. They won’t punish you anymore for protecting me. Eh heh heh…” If there was a way for Cadence to be more nervous, she didn’t want to find out. Rubbing the back of her head bald with her hoof certainly wasn’t helping things either, but it was all she could do while waiting for him to finally say something. “Hmm…” Even when he said something it didn’t help. Dangit, say yes, turn me down, something! “… you promise?” He finally said something! What did he say? Oh, what was it? He just said it, and I can’t remember! I need to promise myself to pay attention more— Wait! That was it! He wanted me to promise, what, exactly? Oh, right! “I promise. I already talked with the principal. In fact, I bet if you went and talked with him, he might make you a hall monitor.” Okay, so I’m making this part up, but at this point, I think I could look at the principal funny, and he’d do what I want. Shining’s ears perked up, and he smiled at the news. “Awesome! Thanks, Cadence, it means a lot. See you tomorrow!” “Oh— okay!” She waved goodbye as he walked off. Right after he turned the corner, her thoughts caught up, and she yelled down the hall, “You’re welcome!” Smooth, filly. Real smooth. Author's Note Check out the reading of this chapter on YouTube by Willson's! "... I'll remind you, and forgive you..." Two Days After Nightmare Moon’s Defeat and Princess Luna’s Return… “Captain? Are you in there?” The knocking shook Shining Armor from his daydream, and he snapped back to reality, looking at himself in his mirror. Mane combed, check. Dress uniform, check. Large bag of bits, check. He turned towards the door and then caught himself mid-step. This is the Gilded Hoof I’m going to. Better bring an extra-large bag. Another knock. “Captain?” “Come in, Gen!” His door glowed orange and swung open, revealing Intelligentsia. Her primary assignment was, until just recently, to be his assistant despite, in truth, being a full officer of the Royal Guard. “I brought the flowers you requested, Captain.” Shining grabbed the bouquet of roses then wrapped them in a pink bow and placed them next to the other items he needed to bring: the bag of bits, chocolates, a comb, and a little piece of paper. “Thanks, Gen. Even being off duty, there’s just way too much to get done here. You’re a lifesaver.” Intelligentsia grimaced. “Cadence is the lifesaver. She’s the one keeping us from rotting in prison, remember? Because you decided that after getting relieved of duty by the Council and General Quartz, the best course of action was to lie to a chariot team to get them to fly through locked-down airspace, which nearly nearly got us all killed, snuck into Ponyville to spy on your sister—” “Check up on my sister,” Shining corrected. “—spy on your sister, and then come home to face the music all on blind faith that Cadence would actually stick her neck out to save your sorry flank!” Shining smirked a bit. “Well, Princess Celestia locked herself in her room with her sister for a week. Who else was going to save my sorry flank?” Intelligentsia went rigid with what Shining could only assume was pure, unadulterated frustration. “I’m going to make sure that everypony serving under me does nothing but glare at you for the next six weeks. Maybe slip something nonlethal but altogether unfortunate in your coffee.” Shining laughed. “Come on now, Gen. You don’t get to be mad at me. I promoted you!” Intelligentsia pointed a hoof at him. “Princess Cadenza promoted me! You just roped me into helping you in your crazy escapade.” He straightened his shirt a little, running a brush through his mane a few more times. “Yeah, well, you’re not the one that has to treat her to dinner at the most expensive restaurant in Canterlot. Seriously, though, thank you. This means a lot to me. I promise I’ll do my best to promote your new intel-gathering ideas to Princess Celestia.” “I… appreciate it.” She sighed. “And I realize we were both tired and under a lot of stress. I’m still mad at you, though.” “I know.” He shrugged. “But what’s important now is keeping Cadence happy. Until Celestia returns, I’m basically hers. Odds are she’s going to want to take me to some sappy opera at some point. And she has the pull to actually get tickets on short notice. ‘Good’ ones, too.” “Hmph. Even that could be worse, sir.” She snickered. “She could ask for your hoof in marriage.” Shining blinked. “Why would she do that?” Intelligentsia stared at him for a few seconds, blinking slowly. “What?” he asked. “Nothing, sir. What’s that?” She pointed at the piece of paper. Shining smiled and lifted up the note. “Cadence said I had to whisper sweet nothings to her, so I took a page from my little sister and pored through a few romance books for ideas!” Intelligentsia’s mouth was hanging open. “You didn’t.” “I did!” He put the note in his pocket. She facehooved. “Oh, come on, Gen! Don’t you have any faith in me?” She sighed. “I’d have more faith if you had been on any other dates recently.” “It’s not a date, Gen.” He rolled his eyes. “It’s just dinner. Well, the first dinner.” “First? Of how many?” “She didn’t specify.” She sighed again. “Alright, let’s finish getting you ready. We have the chocolates and flowers. Are you wearing all your medals? The more you have, the less likely the maître d’ is to frown on you wearing a uniform instead of a tux or suit.” “Yeah, I am.” He looked around his room. “Not hard to find all your stuff when there isn’t much to go through.” The space was drab and utilitarian, painted military green down to the concrete floor. There was a basic dresser, a couple of hooflockers, a mirror, a mane brush, and a desk. The only thing in his closet were a few uniforms, and he was wearing his nicest, most formal of them now. With all the recent cutbacks, and given how crowded the castle and military base had become, he was lucky to have anyplace at all. Only he and the generals were afforded private quarters. Everypony else was bunking in the barracks. “Still,” he said, “it’s good I learned to live cheaply. I don’t think I’d be able to afford this otherwise.” She nodded. “Watch out for the add-ons, though. I hear the sides there all cost extra.” “Let’s hope she doesn’t want dessert, then.” He snapped to attention. “How do I look?” “Like you’re going on a date with a princess.” Intelligentsia’s grin sharpened. “Try not to embarrass yourself.” Shining winked. “I promise, no food fights. Not even a little one. And it’s not a date.” “We are so getting put in the dungeon,” she said with a laugh. Shining lifted the doorknocker to Cadence’s suite and tapped it three times. Only silence came from the door, each second a punctuation on his nerves. Swallowing, he wiped the sweat off his brow then exhaled and shifted a bit in place. He had every right to be nervous, given the circumstances. Regardless, after what she saved his flank from, he owed her anything she asked for. If whispering sweet nothings to her over dinner and bringing her a bouquet of roses would pay her back for protecting him from treason charges, he thought it a fair deal. He still couldn’t quite fathom why she wanted this, though. Some jewelry maybe, but this? She was the highest of nobility, and a winged unicorn at that. The only way to go any higher was to somehow become an alicorn and join the Eternal Sisters. Despite climbing the military ladder, the emblem on his shoulder was the only rank he really had. Some cover was provided by the fact that his sister was Celestia’s personal protégé, but that was a far more nebulous thing. While, in a way, that did elevate Twilight’s status, it didn’t afford the rest of the family any true noble rank regardless of whatever his mother might’ve hoped. In short, she was completely out of his league. It wasn’t even worth putting himself back on the market to try. But if it’s a dinner and compliments the Princess wants, that’s what she shall receive. A glow and gentle click from the door to her palace chambers told him it was time to pay attention to the world around him again, and he snapped to attention and dropped into a bow while holding the flowers and chocolates out with his magic. “Ever the gentlecolt, Shining Armor. But please, rise. We have more history than that.” He stood up with a smile as she took the gifts in her own magic, their mingling magic tingling his horn just a bit. “Now this is more like it.” She took in a deep whiff of the bouquet, smiling and teasing one of the petals. “We really should have done this a lot sooner, Shining.” An appropriate compliment from the paper sprang to mind. “I cannot argue with beauty such as yours.” Nailed it! “That is the cheesiest thing I’ve ever heard, Shiny!” She giggled. “Did you get that out of a book?” She knows! “Anyway, let me put these roses in some water, and then we’ll head out, okay?” He nodded while she ducked back into her suite. Shining took the opportunity to sneak a peek inside and saw it was just as he remembered. Deep reds contrasted pinks and purples on the walls, and decorations bombarded his eyes with warmth. It was considerably more cozy than most of the castle. Fittingly, the mare that lived in it complemented the environment perfectly with her rose-colored dress. Though he glanced waywardly at her flank as she went into the other room, he quickly caught himself and looked away. Careful, Shining. Anypony gets a picture of us being even slightly improper with her and the press will tear us apart. A moment later, she returned with a rose in her hair. “Okay, I’m ready!” Let’s try winging it. “By your command, Your Highness.” Better! “Ugh! No, Shiny! This isn’t an escort mission! And we’ve known each other since before I got my cutie mark!” This is going to be a lot harder than I thought. She extended a wing over him and brought him in close. “We’re supposed to have a good time. Relax! Be yourself!” Do not say the first thing that— “But I was supposed to compliment you and whisper sweet nothings to you.” You idiot! “Shining! You… Don’t you want to compliment me?” Think it through this time, or so help me— “Why would I need to?” You monumental idiot! Her eyes started to water. “You…” She sniffed. “You don’t think I’m pretty?” Oh sweet Celestia, she’s already crying. Fix this, or her aunt is going to make you run laps around Equestria! “No! I mean, yes, I do! I mean, it’s just that, well, I don’t know why you need me to tell you that. You and I both know you are the single most beautiful and desired bachelorette in existence. You don’t need to be told that by some random soldier.” She brought her head under his for a nuzzle. “I don’t need to be told it by a random soldier. I need to be told it by you.” Shining’s mind slipped a gear. “Um, why?” Cadence froze for an instant then gave him a peck on the cheek. “That’s why. Come on. Our table is waiting.” Crap. Did anypony see that? He quickly looked around, eyes darting all over, and finally exhaled in relief when he didn’t see anypony in the hall. Whew. Okay, not sure what’s going on here, but she’s not crying anymore, so we have that much. Just keep her happy, and we’ll be okay. We are so screwed. Look at these prices! I think that bottle of wine is worth a small mortgage. Oh no, she’s going for the tapas menu! Stop her from looking at the tapas menu! “The tofu curry looks interesting.” He motioned at the regular dinner menu. Why is the rice twenty-five bits extra with the tofu curry? Curry comes with rice. That’s the way it works! “Oh, you know me better than that, Shiny. I like sweet things, not spicy.” “Ah, so you take after Celestia, then.” Crap, was that a good thing to say? She giggled. “Hehe, I guess so!” Whew! “I do wonder, though.” Cadence put the menu down, resting her head on a hoof. “With another alicorn princess here, how’s that going to change the trends in the nobility? If she doesn’t like sweets, for instance.” “Honestly, I can see the nobility panicking over this,” Shining said, shaking his head. Now here’s something easier to talk about. “Really? You think it’ll be that bad?” “Well, the nobility… Well, the nobility excluding you are…” He bit his lip a little, looking at his surroundings. Cadence had gotten them a relatively private balcony table, and they were quite some distance off the ground. The family in the balcony behind him were being loud enough that there’d be no way they’d hear him so long as he was careful. He leaned in closer to avoid being overheard. “The nobility are going to do three things, in order. First, they’re going to quietly panic while putting on their best faces for the public and the princesses. Second, they’re going to try to get as much influence as they can over this new alicorn so they can, in turn, influence Celestia. Third, no matter what they say in public, they’re going to limit Luna’s influence as much as they can. Everything right now is set up around Celestia. If that changes, their assets are going to be at risk, and that’s going to spark some major power struggles.” Cadence leaned over, resting her head on her hoof. “You know, even though you don’t like the nobility, you sure know how to think like a politician.” “At this rank, knowing how to play politicians is a necessity. I have to fight and scrounge for every spare bit. A few weeks ago, the barracks cafeteria actually ran out of food. They had to hit the town for meals three days in a row, and the Inner Council tried to cover it up.” “I think a few ponies on the Inner Council actually own most of the restaurants in Canterlot.” She turned away from him as she spoke. “Oh, those little… See, this is the kind of thing I’m talking about. They’re all…” Shining buried his face in his hooves. “Damn.” “What’s wrong, Shiny?” Shining got up and went into another bow. “Forgive my insolence, Princess. I know that Your Grace is the highest of the nobility, and yet I could not still my tongue against them, and in turn, you. I’ll leave if you wish it.” Cadence looked at him for a moment, and then used her magic to lift up her glass of water and dumped its contents on his head. Closing his eyes, he turned to leave. “Shining, get back here, and sit down.” He turned back just enough to see her out of one eye. “But you—” “I’m not mad that you said those things, Shining. They’re true. I’m mad that you didn’t think I’d know you weren’t talking about me. Now get back over here!” “Yes, ma’am.” Heavily, he sat back down. “And if you call me ‘ma’am’ again, I’m going to make you eat this candle.” Shining lowered his head and closed his eyes. “Sorry.” “What is wrong with you lately, Shining? Ever since you went off to join the military, you’ve become so distant! Even when we do actually get to see each other, it’s all about work this or Council that. I haven’t heard anything about you in ages!” “There’s not much to tell, really. I’m a soldier. Up until very recently, I just did what Command told me. The only difference now is I’m doing what the Inner Council and Princess Celestia tell me.” Cadence’s wings twitched with what Shining could only assume was annoyance. “I don’t buy that for a second. Soldiers are legendary for forming bonds with each other. Are you honestly telling me that you haven’t gone to one bar with them, dated one mare with a thing for a stallion in uniform, or had any social contact at all?” “Oh! That sort of thing. I didn’t think you’d be interested in, well, that.” “In what?” Shining swallowed a little. “I think Arctic would call them ‘tales of drunken debauchery.’” “Pffft! Ha! You?” She’s laughing? “Shining, you’re the biggest straight-edge I know. Have you ever actually been drunk?” “Well, no, I can’t. I have to be—” “Have you ever had a marefriend? Ever?” Why is she doing this? I should stop this. No, wait, I can’t. She’s a princess. But I can’t just sit back and take it! I promised to make it up to her, but… Princess or no, I can’t let her do this to me. It’s not right. “Yes. Several! None in the past while, but that’s been my choice.” A wave of unstoppable silence emanating from Cadence washed over their table and crashed against the confines of their booth. Time slowed down as everything else faded away and was absorbed into the night. “Oh. I hadn’t realized.” She looked down at her tea and slowly took a sip. “It wasn’t anypony I know, was it?” Shining felt his face tense up. “Doubtful. Nobles don’t normally date non-nobles. If you must know, I’ve had four marefriends. At least, four where the relationship lasted long enough to be meaningful.” He gazed directly at her with military precision even though she hadn’t looked at him since his outburst. Her words came softly and sounded distant, maybe even shameful. “You never mentioned them.” “You’re a girl. You don’t like romant—okay that wasn’t what I meant. What I meant was that you are a female friend, and it’s been my experience that discussing my relationships with female friends leads to trouble.” “Friends, huh?” she asked, still avoiding looking right at him and tracing a circle in the tablecloth with her hoof. “You know, Shining, if you would have said something, I would have been happy to help you with any of those relationships. That is my talent.” “Cadence, you know I feel I can always count on you when I need it. But that would have been immensely awkward for me, and the last thing I want you to do is waste your gift on me.” Finally, she turned back to him. “Waste my gift? Shining, if there’s anypony in Equestria that I think deserves a special somepony, it’s you! I had us go on this date so I could reconnect with you, maybe make you notice me a little!” Every ounce of Shining Armor’s considerable military training drained from him in an instant. His eyes even lost a bit of focus. “Date?” “What else did you think this was?” Cadence’s jaw hung open. “A nice dinner to say ‘thank you for saving me from becoming a statue?’” “Shining, hello! Flowers? Chocolates? I was trying to give you a few hints!” Shining’s left eye started to drift up and to the right a bit, trying to escape from having to look at the angry princess. Meanwhile, his heart was torn between stopping altogether and trying to force its way out his ear. “Hints?” “Yes!” She reached across the table and put a hoof under his chin, forcing him to gaze directly at her. “Shining, what do I have to do to get you to notice me? Am I not pretty enough?” He practically choked on his own tongue. “What?! Oh, Celestia, no, that’s not it. That’s not it at all.” “Then what? Do I have an annoying voice? Do you not like pegasi?” “No and no. You’re beautiful, Cadence. All of you. By any standard.” “Then what exactly is the problem?” Her yell shattered the darkness around them, dragging the fact of where they were back into conscious thought. Their waiter was beside their table with a pen and pad. “Um, did you two want some—?” “Leave.” She had gotten exceptionally good at wielding the exact same stare Celestia was master of. The speed at which the unicorn waiter left the table and then the restaurant would’ve been worthy of a Wonderbolt. “Cadence.” She snapped back to looking straight at him, stare still in place. There were some noises behind him that vaguely resembled ponies ducking for cover. Jeez, watch where you point that thing. “Cadence, it’s not a matter of what I want.” A small moment of silence passed between them. “And just what exactly is that supposed to mean?” “It’s about my station. I’m the Captain of the Royal Guard and a non-noble one at that. Even approaching you romantically would be a violation. I could get hit with a ‘conduct unbecoming’ charge just for flirting with—” Shining Armor had the best barrier spells outside of Celestia herself. They could repel all manner of attacks and magic. He was intimately familiar with their inner workings and trained with them constantly. He still hit the floor in a dive to avoid the plate hurled at him. A quick glance behind him revealed that the family in the balcony behind him had also, fortunately, ducked. The plate had struck a balcony pillar, and hundreds of little pieces of china fell to the ground in the distance, and some very scared ponies were looking at him in terror. Rather, they were looking at the pony behind him in terror. He just didn’t know what to say to them. “Liar.” Any thought of the other ponies behind him evaporated when he heard her speak. There was anger, yes, but it wasn’t that which horrified him. Even before turning around, he knew it wasn’t anger. It was pain. “Liar!” She stomped both her forehooves on the table, sending a few more dishes to the ground while her tears were already dropping clear to the tablecloth. “You know very well I don’t care about that. I’m the princess. I get to decide who may approach me. Not the military! Not the Council! Not even Celestia! So stop lying and tell me why you don’t like me!” Shining swallowed. “It’s not that I don’t like you. It’s that you won’t like me.” He instantly regretted his words. Cadence lurched back as if he’d stabbed her. “You… You don’t think I can really… Excuse me.” Whatever speed record had been set by the waiter paled in comparison to how fast Cadence ran out the door. She was already outside by the time Shining had managed to squeeze his large frame out of the seating area, but his heart was way ahead of him, pounding extra blood to his legs for the mad rush to catch her. His hooves weren’t any less clumsy than his mouth; he stumbled twice before making it outside. His eyes raced back and forth over the crowd in the setting sun’s light but couldn’t find any hint of a princess. Okay, I can catch her if I can just figure out what direction she went in. He raced forward down the street, swinging his neck to and fro, looking not just at the other ponies but down the streets, alleys, and corridors of Canterlot, searching for some glimpse, some clue as to where she went. It wasn’t until he saw a pair of pegasus guards take off that he had realized his folly. Wings. I forgot about her wings! He snapped his attention to the sky, desperately eyeing every pegasus he could see, but if Cadence was in view, she was too far away to tell. How am I supposed to— His mind flashed back to the military pegasi taking off. The sky is still on lockdown to civilians, and military pegasi always fly in groups of two or more. He scanned the sky again, and his mouth went dry when he spotted a lone dot high in the sky flying up towards the peak of Canterlot Mountain. There was no way he’d be able to get a chariot to take him anywhere anytime soon, leaving him with only one option. His sister would get to save the day again. “Everypony, clear out!” he commanded, pushing and shoving the ponies near him away before turning his gaze skyward again. I sure hope that new teleportation spell you taught me can scale, Sis. "... as many times as it takes." A string of words ran through Cadence’s mind. A few of them were shockingly profane for somepony of her stature, but most were terms or phrases like “disaster” or “broken heart.” It had all seemed so simple. She and Shining had been friends for ages and close ones at that. Practically inseparable. But they had never actually entered into a romantic relationship with one another. This didn’t change the fact that nearly everything Shining had ever done for her had been unapologetically and immensely romantic. For all the talk of her being the Princess of Love, it was Shining Armor that was quite possibly the most devoted, romantic pony in all of Equestria. He was just completely and utterly oblivious to it. If his battle armor had been made of the same stuff as his head, he’d be effectively invincible in combat. What was even worse was this night had shown what happened when an immovable object met an irresistible force. It turns out, nothing is irresistible. The Princess of Love herself had laid out a plan to win his heart and failed spectacularly. That wound to her pride was an extra twist to the dagger in her very soul. She rolled over slightly to get the pressure off some of her feathers; there was a rock underneath the thin layer of snow she was resting on. The top of Canterlot Mountain was semi-sacrosanct, and most ponies weren’t allowed up here. As a princess, nopony dared stop her, so it made a nice, quiet place to be when she wanted to be alone and cry herself to sleep. Her brain involuntarily played over the events again, so she curled up into a ball and buried her nose in the snow. The cold air was freezing her tears but couldn’t touch her body. As a winged unicorn, she had the magic and properties of both unicorns and pegasi. This meant that, like all pegasi, she had an exceptionally soft and weatherproof coat of hair plus the ability to magically shift air currents away from herself. The latter, however, she wasn’t doing. She wanted the harsh wind to hit her. She felt she deserved it for being so foalish. The worst part of all of this was that Shining was so selfless that if she came to him tomorrow and asked him to do anything but date her, he’d do it in a heartbeat, no matter what it was. It didn’t matter to him that she had failed, because he didn’t get it. She truly was alone, and she started punching at the ground in her despair. Over and over she struck it, sending snow off in random directions, until one hit was accompanied by an improbably loud bang. Her heart resumed a moment later when her eyes assured her that she did not in fact just blow up the top of the mountain nor was there an exploded cushion underhoof. There was, however, a curious sound that continued. More curious was that it was a voice, a familiar one that was getting louder. When her head finally tilted at the appropriate and rather unlikely angle to see the source of this voice, or, rather, scream, Shining Armor was already on a parabolic collision course. “Flap your wi—!” The fact that Shining Armor did not have any wings despite flying towards her at a dizzying speed was hammered home by the altogether inelegant way the sides of their faces mashed together in the impact. Both of their bodies went flying backwards, tumbling together and rolling over and over in the snow. Cadence twitched underneath the stallion, barely able to move at all under his weight and thankful that being part pegasus protected her from getting completely crushed. She kicked and pushed at the ground, trying to get out from under him, but only managed to strain her fetlock. Turning herself over a little while still underneath him, she pushed up again. The same magic that allowed pegasi to fly with chariots attached to their back flowed into Shining, making him light enough to move. Even with the magic, her muscles ached and raged from the exertion, but in the end, she managed to get out from under the heavy draft pony. She shook her head to get her own bearings but froze when she made a realization: Shining Armor wasn’t moving. She bent over and used her shoulder to push on his belly, straining herself again. A gentle push of more pegasus magic helped her roll him over fully. Her heart jumped up to her throat and plummeted to her stomach when she saw him take a little breath in. Not wasting a moment, Cadence flared her horn to life. Please be okay! Please be okay! She set up the spell and twisted the magic flow just before casting, spreading the spell out to cover the both of them like a fountain and causing the aura to glow white. Parts of both their bodies glowed with the magic but far less than she expected on Shining. Thank Celestia he’s unhurt. Come on, Shining. Wake up. She nudged him with a hoof and jumped back when he stirred and rolled over on his own. “Uuugh. That really, just, oof. That’s what I get for not putting my shield up firs—” Shining’s eyes snapped open and froze, staring at her. Crisp, cold air blew across the mountaintop, wafting through her hair and freezing the tears that streamed down her face. Small, shallow, nearly silent breaths passed from her lips, sending mist into the night air. Finally, he scrambled to his hooves and held her by the shoulders. Every nerve in Cadence’s body twitched as she readied her body for the kiss of her life. Shining spoke instead. “Cadence, listen, I owe you an explanation.” “You’re damn right you do!” She threw his hooves off her and flared out her wings. Shining took a step back and looked away. “I apologize, Cadence. Truly. I honestly had no idea you were even interested.” “How? Shining, chocolates! Flowers! Compliments! Not to mention all those years of smaller hints! How in Celestia’s name could you honestly not have even had a clue?” “Cadence.” Those eyes. Oh, those eyes! It didn’t matter how angry she should’ve been. Those sad, loving eyes were all it took for her to break her angry pose and slink back down to merely “despondent.” “Princess, truly, I had no idea. You asked me to protect you, so I did. That’s what I’ve always done.” Her jaw dropped a little, and her left wing opened ever so slightly. “I did what? When?” The memory came back so strongly she could’ve sworn that Nightmare Moon had smote her with lightning. “Um, those bullies might be back tomorrow. Do you think you could, maybe, hang out with me at recess? Keep them off me?” “Oh, Celestia! You don’t mean… You can’t possibly mean that for over twenty years you’ve been here, with me, to protect me? Because I asked you to when we were foals?” “Well, yeah!” Shining stood up and started to walk around her, glancing briefly at her on occasion before looking away. “I mean, it’s not everyday that a princess of Equestria asks you to protect her! I felt like I was already in the Guard!” Her head hung low, and her eyes closed up, squeezing out more tears. No. It can’t possibly be. “Shining, all this time, really? What was I to you? Just a royal to be protected?” “Just a—no! Of course not!” She lifted her head up towards him, but even though she opened her eyes, they were far too watery for her to see. “Cadence, you asked me to protect you, and I did. But if I hadn’t liked you, if you hadn’t been the greatest friend I’d ever known, I don’t know what would have happened. It was my dream to join the Guard, but if you had been like those other nobles? I think my cutie mark might’ve changed. I certainly wouldn’t have still joined the military. My dream was always to protect others, but you were the one that made it worthwhile.” Her lips trembled, and her ears went back as she whispered in her slightest, softest voice. “Shining. That’s the most romantic thing…” She couldn’t hold it back anymore, switching to Royal Canterlot Voice levels of power while grabbing him by the shoulders. “Why am I not good enough for you?” She slipped off him a little too quickly, about to fall into the snow face-first, but the ever dutiful Shining Armor caught her, giving her balance back while she sorted herself out with a few wipes of her eyes. “Sorry,” she said. “Sorry, I’m—” Her knees were so weak that they wobbled trying to support her weight. Shining went over to her and put a hoof on her chest and shoulder to brace her. “I’m sorry, Shining. I shouldn’t have run away like that, especially someplace you couldn’t go.” She blinked a couple times. “Or someplace I thought you couldn’t go.” Shining chuckled a bit. “Well, I tweaked Twily’s teleportation spell just a bit. I couldn’t get all the way up here with a straight teleport, so I changed it so I could freely modify my velocity upon exit. So, I kinda go from standing to flying in whatever direction and speed I want. I don’t think I quite have it down yet, though. Sorry about that, by the way.” Cadence wiped away another tear. “I try to leave you behind, and you find a way to follow. You—” she sniffled “—you always seem to find a way to persevere, don’t you?” He smiled at her. “It’s what I do. Although that’s twice now in the last few days I’ve gotten at least an indirect assist from Twily. I need to do something nice for her.” “Maybe you could date me?” Cadence made a small circle in the snow with a hoof, barely able to meet his eyes. “And if it works, you could… make her best mare?” “Cadence,” he said, stopping to take a breath in. Cadence sniffed again. “What? Shining, please, tell me.” Her lip trembled, the sobs ready to come at the drop of a hat. “If I don’t know what’s wrong, I can’t work this out and fix it…” Shining closed his eyes. “… Every mare I’ve ever dated has wound up hating me.” What? He paused and took in a deep breath, letting it out in a slow sigh. “My first marefriend seemed typical enough. It was just after boot camp, while you were away on your first royal tour. At first, she was really into the relationship. I mean, really into it. Then, she cooled off a lot. Found out later through her friend that she was using me to cheat on somepony.” “Oh, you poor thing. You should have told me! I could have helped!” Cadence put her forelegs around him, half to better support herself and half to comfort him. That’s an awful way to start out in the dating world. “That’s actually not the worst part,” Shining admitted. “I barged in on them. While they were, uh, intimate. And he tried to attack me.” Cadence jolted away in shock. “You didn’t! Tell me you didn’t, well, you know…?” Shining raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t what?” “Kill him,” she squeaked. “What? No! No, nonononono! Jeez, Cadence, do you think that just because I’m in the military that I’m that cold?” Cadence opened her mouth to say something then backed off, slinking down to the ground. “No, no I don’t. I don’t even know why I said that. I guess because of how you said it was ‘worse.’” Shining lay down too. “No, I didn’t kill him. He did need a short hospital visit, but nothing too serious. Needless to say, though, my new ex didn’t want to see me anymore.” “Yeah, I can understand that.” Nopony deserves to have their first relationship end like that. My poor Shining… “And things just went downhill from there.” Wha—? What could be worse than that? Shining clenched his jaw a bit before continuing. “I’m not really sure what I was to her. I mean, rough sex is one thing, but this was something else entirely. Had it been the other way around, she could have charged me with domestic abuse. She’d hit me, kick me, throw things at me…” Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to throw something at him in the restaurant. “Honest to Celestia, it was a good thing she was a pegasus. An earth pony would’ve done some real damage. Finally, I got a little sick of it and put up a barrier. She ran off crying like I’d hit her and then wouldn’t speak to me again.” Cadence sighed. She was starting to see why he might be a bit down on trying more relationships; he hadn’t exactly had good luck. “After you got back from your tour and I got sent to Manehatten on duty, I met up with this one mare. She talked to me lots, true, but usually when she wanted something.” Oh, no, Cadence thought. “Thanks to her, I’ve been to all kinds of shops and restaurants in Manehatten that you’ve probably either heard about or been to yourself. Places fit for a princess. Spent way more money than I should have. The experience taught me to live simply and watch my bits. Especially since soldiers can get their basics covered by the government.” She thought back to what she’d told him the other day. “As I recall, there’s a little, well, actually very large restaurant on La Rue D’Argent.” “Dress nice, and bring roses. Lots of roses. And chocolates.” Shining chuckled a bit. “Anytime I tried to hold back, she came up with the most, well, creative threats.” “And if you call me ‘ma’am’ again, I’m going to make you eat this candle.” The memories played back in Cadence’s mind, getting her sick to her stomach. Despite that, she stood up just a little, and then lay back down again on Shining in a light hug, tightening it when she felt him shivering. “I’m sorry,” she whispered through her tears. Shining sighed, and his breathing slowed. “After I broke it off, I took myself off the market for a while, or so I thought. Then, I met this one mare who seemed really nice. She was polite and seemed into me. It was all very romantic. For about four months. Then the other horseshoe dropped.” Cadence whimpered, bracing herself for the inevitable. “I brought up the topic of marriage,” he said, clearing his throat. “Not proposing, mind you. Just talking about it, and that’s when I found out that I had been so into her that I somehow missed the fact that she wasn’t exactly into, well, monogamy.” Cadence relaxed a little. Well, that could have been worse. “What really hurt, though, was what she did to make me realize it. She laughed. She laughed at me, called me ‘inexperienced,’ all kinds of other things. I was devastated. I’ve been through all kinds of hell and pain in training for the Guard, but nothing hurt me like being ridiculed by the mare I thought I loved. I broke up with her on the spot and requested a transfer back to Canterlot the next morning. Fortunately, by then, I had more than a little political capital and pulled it off. A bit more than a year later, and here I am.” And I laughed at him. Cadence’s tears rolled down her face faster than they could freeze, leaking down onto Shining Armor, whose coat twitched. He’s… I forgot… He doesn’t have a pegasus coat… She clenched her eyes shut, redirecting the wind around them with her magic. Even if she didn’t feel she deserved it, she thought he did! “Hey, now,” he said. “This was a long time ago, and I’ve long since been over it. You don’t need to worry about me.” “Why?” she asked, her voice breaking. “Hmm?” She buried her muzzle in the top of his mane, between his ears. “Why didn’t you ask for help?” Shining looked off into the quickly darkening sky for a long time. “Would you believe I was embarrassed?” “What? Why?” Cadence grabbed his head and moved to look him in the eyes. “How could you possibly think I would ever look down on you for that?” “Protector and personal friend of the Princess of Love for how long and I still needed advice? Come on, Cadence. We both know it’s not just about being looked down on by others. Sometimes the pony in the mirror is even more judgmental.” Cadence drew him back into her embrace. “I still would have been happy to help you. Why didn’t you write?” “I had no shortage of advice, truthfully. Most of it terrible, it turns out. And most of it from friends of those mares. Or my mother. All part of a learning process, I suppose.” Shining looked away again, this time with a smile. “Nothing I should concern a princess over.” Her wing twitched, and Cadence wasn’t sure what she would do if he continued insisting that this shouldn’t be something that should bother her. She tightened her hug to prevent herself from doing something else foolish to him. Whatever else she wanted to say, it would have to wait. Something far more important had to be said first. She moved her mouth closer to his ear. “I am so, so sorry, Shining. I should never have laughed at you. I should never have thrown anything at you. I should never have threatened you. I was trying to get you to notice me as somepony that could be special to you and then lost my temper when you couldn’t see my invitation. I am sorry. From the depths of my soul, with all of my heart, I apologize.” She held him in silence, feeling the warmth of his breath on her back, waiting for a response. “It’s all right, Princess. You don’t need to apologize.” “Yes, I do!” She stood up straight, wings flared out, and dragged Shining to the edge of the mountain. “Look down there.” She pointed at the city below. “What do you see?” Shining cringed a little. “Canterlot?” “Exactly.” Cadence stopped to gather her words, taking in the sight of the moonlit capital. “To all those ponies down there, I’m a princess. A noble. A ruler.” She turned back to him. “But to you, for all those years, I was a friend. Now, you come back to me a soldier, and you’re acting like they do.” “I’m supposed to show deference to you.” He shrugged. “It’s part of the definition of being a soldier, Prin—” “Don’t call me ‘Princess’ again! I’ll order you to call me Cadence if I have to! I’m not supposed to be a princess to you! We aren’t like that!” She bit her lip. “We didn’t used to be like that.” “But—” She put a hoof on his shoulder and took off her crown. “What do I have to do to get you to stop seeing me as a princess?” Shining breathed in through his teeth and held the air in. “What? What do I need to do? Tell me!” “Undo years of military training…” He sighed. Her eyes watered more as she lifted his chin with her hoof. “That doesn’t seem so hard.” With one more step in, she pressed her lips against his, taking in his breath and flaring her magic to life. Finally seeing some sliver of hope, Cadence searched within Shining’s soul, shooting tendrils of power between their horns. Now that she was aware what had kept them apart, she could use her magic to give him the support, comfort, and familiarity he needed. What she found instead, though, broke the connection with a shock and sent her writhing to the ground. Her legs twitched and stretched, digging into the ground while desperately trying to get her to stand, fighting back against the skyscraper on top of her back. The ocean of agony above her was drowning her lungs by crushing them shut. Her wings beat furiously along with her straining legs, yet despite all her pegasus magic, she stayed pressed against the snow. She was about to pass out when she finally heard his voice, distorted and weak through the pain. “Cadence! Cadence, are you alright? Speak to me, Cadence!” A burst of magic flew over her, Shining’s aura blasting away the lingering spell and washing away the crushing weight. She coughed over and over, and her wings seized in pain. The only reason she was able to stand at all was from Shining Armor lifting and supporting her. “Cadence, are you alright? You keeled over. Say something!” Cadence coughed a few more times, nearly dry-heaving. “Oh Celestia, what was that?” “What was what?” “You can’t feel that? Seriously? Shining, that pain was from you!” “Me? How?” Cadence grabbed him by the shoulders. “Who did this? Who hurt you?” Shining blinked a few times. “Hurt me? What are you talking about? Cadence, you’re not making much sense here.” “Stop lying to me! Who was it? Was it that bitch who laughed at you? The one who hit you? I’ll have them all in irons by the end of the night! Just tell me!” Shining knocked away her forelegs and grabbed her shoulders instead. “Cadence! Listen to me! Nopony hurt me! I’m fine, really! See? I’m here, with you. You don’t need to—” She couldn’t take anymore and lunged in for another kiss while reaching out with her magic once more, grabbing him by his horn and letting her mind mingle with his. Her aura ran through them both, washing through his very soul and pulling his pain into her. It came just like before, but this time, she was ready for it. A tsunami of stress washed over her. She could feel every little ache in both his body and his mind, and all her bracing still left her short of breath and only barely able to stand. Regardless, it was working. Hang on, Shining. I’ll make it bett— Shining pulled away from her, dropping her down into the snow and breaking the link. He shook his head and body. “What in Tartarus was that? What did you do?” Cadence blinked and forced herself back up, holding her stomach to stop it from lurching. “Urgh…” Shining stomped a hoof down into the snow. “I said, ‘what did you do?’” Cadence looked up at his eyes. They were not ones of relief or release—neither happiness or sadness. “I… I tried to help!” She heaved, a stabbing still in her side. “You’re so hurt… I can’t just leave you like that! Come here, sit down, let me heal you!” She lurched forward again, ready to take him back in her embrace, ready to bear that suffering. Yet it never came. His restored personal barrier stopped her well before reaching him. Her lungs stopped, the lump in her throat going all the way to the back of her tongue. The world slowed to a standstill. All she could see were those eyes of his. Eyes of one who was hurt. Eyes of one who was angry. Eyes of one who had been betrayed. “Shining?” She could only barely whisper. He shook his head. “And let you hurt yourself in the process? No.” “But—But you’re in pain! I can feel it! Celestia, I can still feel it from here!” “No!” He stomped the snow again. “That is not your decision to make! I will not let you do this, Princess.” Her teeth clenched together, grinding as more tears fell from her eyes. A few restrained sobs came out as coughs yet were still powerful enough to make her bend her knee. “I—” She sniffed. “I told you. Stop calling me that!” With a powerful downburst of wind from her wings, she soared forward at Shining Armor, launching her magic at him. Their horns nearly met, held back only by the strength of Shining’s barrier. Her power rushed out, its blue aura outshining every other sight around her, pushing back against him and forcing him to step back on the mountaintop. Yet, for all the power she used, he held firm. I won’t let you stop me that easily! I will find out what you’re hiding from me, Shining Armor! She poured all her heart, all her will towards his horn, and though she was screaming with all her might, it was simply washed away by the sheer force of the magic around them. There was even enough force to blow a large portion of the snow clean off the mountain. Yet she didn’t break through his barrier. She only saw Shining respond in kind. Shining? A countercurrent of purple magic flared out, then shifted to blue-white as it intensified. No, no! I won’t let you! Please, Shining, tell me what’s wrong! Cadence pushed forward, letting loose as much energy as her horn would allow. She walked towards him, pushing against the stream, circling around him to get a better angle. I’m sorry to have to do this, Shining. Her own magic blazed ever brighter, bringing the full force of a winged unicorn’s magic to bear on him, a torrent unrivaled by all save for alicorns. The colors from her horn changed as well, shifting from blue to a regal blend of purple and gold. She wasn’t about to lose this. She wasn’t about to lose him. Passion, love, and concern leapt out with all the might of a Princess of Equestria, cutting through Shining’s magic with tremendous speed yet still stopping just at the tip of his horn. For a brief, bright instant, her magic got through, and she could see him again. Shining Armor, not just his body but his very heart, standing atop a mountain, the sun itself resting on his shoulders. Canterlot, Equestria, Celestia, Twilight, all standing directly on his back. There were others, too. Intelligentsia, Arctic Snow, dozens, hundreds, maybe even thousands of other ponies in the Guard and in his life. Yet despite all of that, despite all the weight of the sun and moon and world, there he stood. Tall. Confident. Strong. Even now, the assault being put upon him was being gathered up and placed among the other burdens with ease, grace, and loving care, and all the while he stood there unyielding, unflinching to the terrible weight on his back. So strong was this stallion that he, without wings, could soar to the top of the mountain to meet her. In that instant, that blissful moment of his heart laid bare, she understood. Then, her magic ran out. Light, thunder, and sharp, driving pain exploded at the tip of her horn, the detonation sending her flying back towards the peak of the mountain, tumbling limply in the snow. “Cadence!” She could hear her name being called from someplace far, far away. A pony shouting from the bottom of the mountain, perhaps. She couldn’t see them; all that was in her vision was the moon and its soft, gentle light. “Cadence!” Her horn’s searing pain bored into her skull, feeling as though it was ready to split open. Little sparks danced on it, lingering magic reacting to the ambient particles of power tossed into the air from the fight. “Cadence! Say something!” Her vision jostled a bit, back and forth. She might’ve been moving somehow. Was she being shaken? The only way she could tell that was from the stars she could see in the sky. They were moving in pairs and getting bigger. “Cadence! No, please, don’t fall asleep! Please, Cadence! Medic! Somepony get me a Celestia-damned medic!” He screamed out to the stars, and they heard him. She couldn’t feel much, but she could taste the snow and dirt under her and hear that same distant, faraway voice calling her name. Or what she thought might be her name. “Stay with me, Cadence. Stay with me. It’ll be okay. Just stay with me.” The night started to get much, much darker. Had the moon vanished? “Cadence! No! Nononononononononnonono! Cadence! Cadence!” Then, it got very bright. She could see him again, shining in the sky… “Cadence!” Limbs. Cadence had limbs. Six of them—if her body was telling the truth. Each of them was twitching ever so slightly while she stirred from her slumber. She couldn’t see yet, but her body was saying it was somewhere familiar. She moved each leg and wing, one by one, feeling the cloth covering her. By the time her eyes finally opened, she knew she was back in her bed in her chambers. More importantly, though, were the two eyes staring at her. “Hey, welcome back.” Shining gave her a little smile under his tired eyes. “You really scared me.” A weak smile passed over Cadence’s lips. “Hey, Shiny. Are you okay?” “Says the mare that overextended her wellspring.” He chuckled. “I’d say it’s more important to know if you’re okay.” Cadence relaxed into the pillow with a little smirk. “Well, I’m in my chambers instead of the hospital, so you tell me, Shiny.” His smile warmed her more than the covers could ever hope to. “Yeah, our little fight got the attention of the patrols overhead. They brought up some unicorn medics, and they healed you some right away to prevent anything serious. Their testimony kept me out of the dungeon, too.” “So you’re okay?” “Well, I’m crazy tired, but outside of that, yes, I’m fine.” He leaned over a tiny bit, pulling the quilt over her shoulders. “You need your rest even more than me, though, so go back to sleep.” She shook her head. “No. No, we need to talk.” “I was afraid you’d say that,” he said with a sigh. “I’ll go first then. I’m—” “I’m sorry, Shining.” Shining stared at her, blinking, but she had to press forward. “I’m sorry for trying to take away your pain without your permission. I didn’t realize how much your burdens and how you handle them define you. You don’t just protect others. You take the weight on their shoulders away and put it on your own. All I could feel was how much that was crushing you. I was foalish to think that I could heal you with mere magic, and I was woefully unprepared for just how much you truly carry.” Shining had long since closed his eyes, and Cadence’s heart raced in anticipation of his reaction. “I won’t try to use my power to heal you like that without your permission anymore.” “Thank you.” He exhaled. “Though, I need to apologize too. When I dated those other mares, I trusted them with my heart. I didn’t know them anywhere near as long as I’ve known you, and still I rejected you out of hoof. That’d be a high crime even if you weren’t a princess. You are the last mare I should ever have doubts about. I’m sorry, Cadence. For everything.” “I accept your apology even though it isn’t needed.” Cadence wiped a tear from her eye then lurched forward as her lungs coughed and wheezed involuntarily. “Hey, hey, easy now.” He stroked her back in between her wings, his heavy hoof a hint to his own exhaustion. Shining’s voice helped her get slightly better control over herself. Her shoulders and chest still ached, but the coughing stopped. A condensation-covered sports bottle hovered in front of her. “Drink some of this juice, slowly, but don’t use your magic,” he said, leaning over her. “Doctor’s orders.” She put her head under the bottle and let Shining’s magic do the rest of the work. A fluid that tasted suspiciously like orange juice mixed with medicine poured into her mouth, bringing sweet relief but forcing her tongue to recoil from the taste. It didn’t take long for her thirst to be sated enough to let her stop drinking. “Ugh, that was terrible.” She wiped her lips with a foreleg. “How long was I out?” Shining looked over at the clock on her nightstand. “About thirty-six hours, give or take.” She groaned and let herself flop back down on the pillows. “I feel like a chariot ran over me.” “Hey, you’re doing better than I did! When I blew out my horn like that a few years back, I was out for a week!” It was a great comfort to see Shining smile even if she could tell it was forced. There’s no way anypony could smile like that genuinely with such huge bags under their eyes, although she had a feeling hers were nearly as bad. “I’m just glad you were here when I woke up. That really helps.” “Hey, it’s what I do. I couldn’t not be here when you opened your eyes.” A connection flared in Cadence’s mind. It’s what he does. “Shining, how long have you been watching over me?” “Hmm? Oh, since you got here.” Cadence’s eyes went wide, and she pored over his expression and the memory of his voice. Nothing… None of his tells… He’s telling the truth… She struggled to her hooves again. “All this time… you stayed here? With me?” “Yeah. It’s no big deal.” “It is a big de—” She slipped off the side of her bed trying to get out, Shining’s magic catching her in just the nick of time. “Easy now, you’re still weak. And I’m fine. I once had to guard Princess Celestia for three days straight. If I can do that on the go in Gryphon territory, I can guard you in one spot.” Cadence’s legs shook, and her heart pounded from the sudden exertion. She wanted to crawl back in bed but fought against the urge. If Shining did all that for me… With a slight push, she pulled herself the rest of the way out of the bed and landed in a sitting position next to him. “Have you even had a break? Gotten anything to eat?” “Of course!” Cadence looked at him, raising one of her eyebrows. Shining laughed a little, fidgeting. “You can still read me like a book, I guess.” “Yeah. Come on, get up.” She grabbed his foreleg and tried to get him to stand by pushing on his chest. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” “No arguing.” She pushed up hard on his chest, trying to force him to stand. It worked for a split second, but his rear legs just flopped back down, followed by the rest of him. She sighed at the lump of Royal Guard Captain on the cold marble floor. “You are definitely not alright.” “No, I’m fine.” That almost sounded like it had conviction behind it. Almost. She stared at him a little more. “Honest, I’m okay. My rear legs are just asleep. Really asleep.” He scratched the back of his head. He still looks just like Twilight does when she’s desperately trying to downplay something. “How long, exactly, have you been in that position?” “About ten…” “Minutes?” “… hours.” And he still squeaks a bit like her too. More masculine-sounding, granted, but still. “Okay, grab onto me.” She turned around and sat right in front of him, facing away. “What? No, Princess, I’m supposed to be watching you. I can’t let you carry me!” She rolled her eyes even though she knew he couldn’t see it. “First of all, do not call me that anymore. Secondly, I’m not going to carry you like that. Just grab on.” She turned her head so he could see her face. “Trust me.” He swallowed a little then pushed himself forward slowly. Inch by inch, he dragged his sleeping lower half forward and grabbed onto her back with a hug. She took just a moment to relish the feeling of Shining Armor on her back then spread her wings. “Don’t worry about me; just focus on getting your legs to move.” She summoned her pegasus magic and used it to lighten him again, pushing him up with her back. Very slowly, she started walking around her spacious room, flapping her wings very lightly but never taking off. Each hoofstep she made saw Shining struggle a little bit less to keep straight. After several minutes, he was moving easily again. “Heh, we’re like a two-pony conga line.” Cadence smiled at the opening. “Why yes, I would love to dance.” She heard a sound vaguely resembling “What?” escape his lips, but it was far too slow. She had already spun around and had him in a dancing position. She pushed him farther upright with a bit more of her pegasus magic then started to sway back and forth as gently and tenderly as she could. Left, right, left, right. Each motion brought her closer to him until she was finally resting her head on his shoulder. “See, isn’t this nice?” She heard the faintest of sounds fall from his mouth, but his body was speaking to her loud and clear. The shaking was from exhaustion, and the slight stumbles in their dance were from her advances. He still isn’t comfortable with me… “I’m sorry for forcing you on this date. You deserve so much better, and that’s exactly what I want to give you if you let me.” Cadence pulled back just a bit so they could be face to face and looked into those amazing bright blue eyes. “Cadence, you don’t need to—” “Yes I do,” she said, squeezing him. “I have this amazingly strong stallion here in front of me. He takes on so much, including some of my own troubles, and does it in stride. Yet he does so alone, with nopony to truly share the burden. Even when it looks as if he leans on somepony else, it’s a ruse. He always takes on more than his fair share and does so with pride.” Cadence smiled as warmly as she could then leaned in even more. “How can I possibly stand by while he does this, carrying so much weight all on his own, when I can help? How is that right?” She rushed in and pushed her lips against his and let her magic flow, despite the searing, tearing pain in her horn. This time, though, she didn’t try to heal him. She simply told him, with all the power she could muster, exactly what she felt. Books and scrolls and tomes filled Canterlot’s library, but it could not contain all that she had tried to convey with her magic, yet it all boiled down to one simple but impossibly powerful set of three little words: “I love you.” When the kiss finally broke and her magic ceased, she was looking at an unbreathing stallion not yet able to appreciate what she had said. She wrapped her forelegs back around him in another hug, confident he’d understand in a moment, and nuzzled the side of his head. Long moments passed with them like that until she felt teardrops on her back, each one a boulder, a mountain of emotion. Deep down, hiding in the tears, was a small piece of what was arguably Shining’s most precious possession: his burdens. More importantly, she was right there to catch them and share them. “… You promise?” He could have been asking about any number of things. It could have been a promise to not be like the other mares. It could have been a promise that she really loved him. It could have even been a simple promise not to hurt him. What was truly beautiful about it, though, was that they all had the same response. “I promise.” More long moments passed, and all she felt from him was his ever so slight, controlled breaths and more tears. When he finally stirred a little, she let the hug break. Staring back into his shimmering eyes, she motioned her head towards the bed. “Come on.” “What are we—” She hushed him with a hoof placed gently on his lips and led him to the side of the bed. She couldn’t help but smile at the look of sheer terror on his face. “We’re not doing that, silly. But I need more sleep, and you need sleep period. Now, get in.” He looked at the bed and then back at her for confirmation. She waved him on then practically pushed him in and pulled the covers over. With her stallion finally lying down, she gingerly stepped to her door and turned the key with her hooves, locking it. “There. No interruptions.” A little giggle left her lips when she turned around to find Shining now more tired than afraid. She to the other side of the bed and climbed in. When Shining turned over to face her, she couldn’t help but let a giant, goofy grin show itself on her face, seeing as all her restraint was working to stop her from grabbing him and sending a loud, girlish squeal right through his ears. I finally have his attention! “I’m… I’m tired, but…” Cadence put her hoof back up to his lips. “Ssshhh, love. You’re off-duty now, remember? Until Celestia gets back and says otherwise, you’re free. I don’t want you to worry about soldiers or salutes or what the nobility is going to say. Just worry about being with the mare right in front of your eyes.” Though he was on the verge of unconsciousness, she could see those weary blue irises communicate exactly what he wanted to say. She moved in closer so she could be inside his legs. “If you forget, I’ll remind you and forgive you. As many times as it takes.” With the burdens finally settled, he drifted off to sleep. “Dream well, my stallion. You aren’t alone anymore.” Author's Note This story is a Valentine’s Day gift to my very special somepony, Violet. I love you with all my heart. You are my Cadence. I wouldn’t be able to have done any of this without you, my beloved wife. To all the readers, thank you for reading my silly little words. I know that the comics have already explored this idea, but I started this Rites of Ascension side-story well more than a year ago, and the Rites Universe ignores season three and later anyway. (I started writing Rites way before any season three info was available. Since it’s about Twilight becoming an alicorn and because of how it’s all structured, Cadence could not be an alicorn as well.) For new readers to the ‘verse, want to know more about Rites of Ascension? Here’s a link to the main story! I also have a darker side story featuring Rarity called “Designing Intrigue.” I even have a silly set of skits I’m writing to expand on the AU even more, which is located here. There’s even a group for all the stories in the ‘verse, which you can find here. I hope you enjoyed Love and Barriers enough to read more of my stories! Also, please feel free to let me know what you think of the story in the comments! I love reading comments, even if all they are is an "I like this!" :) Thanks everyone! -Cv
"If you forget..." Canterlot Solar Academy Three Months After Twilight Sparkle’s Birth Okay, this spot should do. Cadence fluttered her wings a little, fanning them out to give them a short stretch before lying down on the grass. The warm sun touched her nose, keeping her nice and warm while her pegasus magic kept the wind out of her face. She took a quick look around to make sure the other foals were all off playing and well away from her. Assured that the spot she chose was sufficiently quiet and out of the way, she gently placed her book on the grass and flipped it open. Now to finally finish this thing! Words and paragraphs flew by in her mind, the world outside bleeding away into nothingness. Foals and swings were replaced by airships and pirates, romance and adventure, destinies and magic. She was thoroughly drawn into the world presented by the book, and nothing could pull her out. “Hey, look, it’s the Princess.” Nothing, perhaps, except for the whiny, slightly-nasally voice of a perpetual tormentor. A large part of her just wanted to ignore them, as the teacher suggested. Experience, however, told her that it would only make herself a bigger target. “What do you want, Jet Set?” Cadence asked, keeping her eyes on the book. The grey colt trotted around to her side, his two friends behind him. “Just seeing what you were doing here all alone. By yourself.” Cadence folded her ears against her head and scowled at them, hoping that maybe they’d back off. The lone filly of the trio looked over at her book. “Look, she’s reading during recess! What a freak!” Or maybe not. Cadence glared daggers at her, wishing so hard that she could break the “rules of nobility” her parents thought were so important and just throttle them or at least be rude back. Center Stage, I’m embarrassed to have the same coat color as you. It was just last summer that she fought with her mother to let her go to school without bodyguards around every waking moment. This, it seemed, had some consequences. “Hey, freak! We’re talking to you!” Jet Set kicked her book away with a forehoof. Cadence sighed. “I’m not a freak.” She really didn’t want to dignify them with a response, but they were here, so it was all she could do to regain her composure and stay calm. Nothing short of a teacher’s help would stop them now. As if any of the teachers here would lift a hoof to stop a bully. “Yeah? What kind of a pony has a horn and wings? A freak, that’s what,” the second colt said, snapping his tail in her face. “Princess Celestia has a horn and wings.” At this, they sneered, and Cadence braced for the inevitable. “So you’re sayin’ you’re like Princess Celestia, huh? Well then, let’s see you move the sun.” Jet Set got closer to her, pointing a hoof right in front of her face. “If you can’t, then you’re just a freak.” Cadence felt her wings twitch a little despite her best efforts to control them. “I’m not a freak, and I can’t move the sun. You know only Princess Celestia can do that!” “Then you’re a freak!” Center Stage lit her horn and lifted up the book. “So what book is so important that you’d miss recess, freak?” “No!” Cadence jumped up to her hooves and summoned her magic. Her own horn blazed first blue then purple, sending what was, for a foal, a huge amount of magic at the book. Center Stage’s yellow magic shimmered and dissolved, completely drowned by Cadence’s power. Her book back in her own field, she zipped it into her forelegs, locking them tight before spreading her wings, wishing she knew how to fly. “I’m not letting you take my things!” The three foals all exchanged glances at each other before Jet Set started to chuckle. “I doubt you can stop all three of us. Ready, guys?” Cadence dropped to the ground, covering the book with her body and hugging it as hard as she could. They’d have to fight her for it. She even put as much of her magic on it as she could to stop either of the two unicorns from taking it away. The three foals had all crouched down, ready to pounce. “One, two, three!” She scooted backwards, ready for them. “Ow!” “Oof!” “Oorg!” Cadence blinked, not quite believing her eyes. Directly in between her and the bullies, a shimmering, purple, curved field of magic had appeared out of nowhere immediately after they’d leapt, and all three had bounced right off of it like they’d just ran head-first into a brick wall. That’s… That’s not a telekinetic field. That’s a shield! “Enough, you three.” From her side, a young voice caught Cadence’s ear. She turned around to see a colt walking up behind her. He was rather tall, but she recognized him from another class in her grade, so he probably wasn’t too much older. He had a dark blue mane and tail with lighter blue streaks in it, along with a white coat. More importantly, though, he already had his cutie mark: a blue shield with a six-pointed, purple star in it. He walked in between her and the wall and stuck out his chest. “Why don’t you all go pick on somepony your own size?” Jet Set rubbed his head, standing up to face the colt through the shield. “Like you?” This was it. He’d get afraid, back off, and leave her to her fate. The new colt just laughed. “Sure, but who else do you have? It’s not a fair fight with just you three.” Or not. Cadence felt her jaw go slack. He wasn’t just staying; he was daring them to go after him! No, it was even more than that. His grin, his confident eyes, he actually wanted them to try something. Is he crazy!? “That’ll be quite enough!” That new voice might be the end of it. A teacher had galloped right up to them and scowled at Cadence’s rescuer. “Shame on you, Shining Armor! You know casting spells unsupervised on school grounds is against the rules.” He swung his neck around to look at the teacher, but his face barely changed. It was still strong, defiant even. This colt was trying to stare down the teacher! “Well?” the teacher asked. “Aren’t you going to apologize?” A gentle breeze that moved through the playground was all that she could hear, even with other foals playing. The colt’s mane waved in the wind, a few strands lying on his smiling, determined face. Doesn’t he care that’s he’s about to get in trouble!? “No.” The teacher lifted a hoof in surprise. “No!?” “No. I don’t apologize unless I’ve done something wrong.” “Done something… Well, we’ll just have to see the principal in his office, won’t we?” The teacher caught him in a magic field and started dragging him off. “Wait!” Her heart went from a nervous trot to a panicked gallop. “It wasn’t his fault!” Just as fast, it stopped in place when the teacher’s gaze swiveled back on to her. “Then who cast the spell, Princess?” The colt looked at her, too, like he was angry at her. His stone-etched gaze was almost threatening, but she couldn’t tell what he wanted her to do. Regardless, she’d learned long ago the consequences of lying. She not only had to justify her behavior to her parents but her aunt as well. That did not mean that she couldn’t tell them why he did it. “He did, but he did it to protect me!” The teacher barely gave a glance to the trio of foals running away from the scene of the crime before dismissing her. “Rules are rules, Princess. Unsupervised casting of magic is strictly forbidden. And to think, Shining Armor, you were so promising. Such a waste of a scholarship. Principal’s office, now.” As she dragged him away, Shining Armor smiled at her. He didn’t want her to cover for him; he wanted her to tell the truth! Now, though, he’d be punished, but the bullies were getting off scot-free. Though she was a Princess of Equestria, all that she could do was stare as the teacher led him away. “I need to talk to Auntie Celestia. Please let me through.” Her aunt Celestia had this thing where she just stared at her guards, and they either knew what to do or immediately did what she told them, no matter how strange or dangerous. “I’m sorry, Princess, but Princess Celestia is currently busy.” It was clear, now, that she couldn’t quite do that because the guard next to her chamber door wasn’t even flinching. It didn’t mean she wasn’t going to try. “You don’t understand! It’s important!” She stomped her hoof. The guard shook his head. Some movement was progress, at least. “I’m sorry, but—” The door opened, and a gilded hoof stepped out from behind the door. The purest warmth radiated from its owner’s smile. “Well, if it’s important, who am I to refuse a princess?” Cadence bowed as deeply as she could. “Thank you, Princess! Thank you so much!” “Not at all, my little pony. I was just about to have dinner. Why don’t you join me?” Her little wings flapped at her sides. Dinner with Auntie Celestia! Now she could tell everything to the Princess. “I think I’ll have it in the garden this evening.” She turned to the guard. “Tell the chefs, won’t you?” The guard jolted into a salute. “Yes, Your Highness!” She didn’t even use that stare! “Hmm. That is a bit of a situation.” Celestia took a sip of her tea and stared out into the evening sky over the gardens for what felt like an eternity to her guest. “Well?” Cadence asked. The alicorn looked at her, and eyebrow raised. “Well, what?” “Can’t you do anything?” More silence passed between them, but the look on the monarch’s face wasn’t something she’d ever seen from her before. Calm and loving as always, but also excruciating. Cadence shrunk down and even lay down on her cushion when Celestia lowered her head to speak at the filly’s level. “What would you have me do, young Princess?” she asked. Cadence opened her mouth to give a direct answer, but it was covered with a hoof she honestly hadn’t realized was as large as it was. “Before you answer,” Celestia said, “think. Truly think about your response—in silence—for at least two minutes.” Cadence was not an especially impatient filly. She knew that there were times for her to be silent and times where she could speak. There were rules of etiquette in life, and as a princess, these had to be very carefully followed. One of these rules was to obey Princess Celestia. This one time, however, she was sorely tempted to break the rules and shout. Still, this wasn’t just any rule she’d be breaking, but the most important rule. So, she stayed put, closed her eyes, and thought. She truly thought about what happened and what she wanted. It wasn’t until then that she realized that Celestia didn’t ask her what she wanted. She asked her what she “would have her do.” To a princess, that was a very different question. She wasn’t supposed to think about what she wanted. She was supposed to think about what her actions did and if they were appropriate. The easiest thing was to just ask Celestia to get the bullies to stop picking on her and have the teachers release Shining Armor, but if the Princess was making her think, there was obviously something else she didn’t see yet. Still, she really wanted those bullies to stop. Not just those, either. There were others that picked on her. She knew she wasn’t even the only one they picked on! Then, she realized what Celestia was getting at. Even if they were made to stop picking on her, they’d keep going after others. That also meant that Shining Armor might still keep getting in trouble. A little light went on in her mind, and she knew what to say, so she opened her eyes. “Have you thought about it?” The alicorn smiled. “Yes, Auntie Celestia.” “Now, what would you have me do?” Cadence stood up and belted out her answer. “I want you to make those teachers make all the other kids follow the rules and stop picking on other foals!” Celestia smiled at her. “And why do you say that?” Cadence’s wings flared out. “Because if I just have you stop those three from picking on me, they’ll just pick on others instead! And then that colt might get in trouble protecting them too!” Celestia spread her wings a little. “An astute observation!” Cadence’s smile couldn’t get any bigger. “However, I’m afraid I cannot do that.” Nor could her surprise be any greater. “What? But, why not?” “Because I am the Princess of Equestria.” She shook her head. “What? But that means you can do that!” The alicorn lowered her head closer to her level. “It means, Cadence, that I must consider all of the consequences of my actions. You did a very nice job realizing that there were other foals that should be protected, but this goes far beyond the foals and teachers in your school.” Cadence tilted her head. “It does?” “Perhaps a concrete analogy is needed here.” Cadence tilted her head even more. “Huh?” “An example to show what I mean. For instance, that cushion you are sitting on. Wouldn’t it feel good to stomp on it a little?” “Aww, my mom told me about that thing where you hit a cushion when you’re angry.” “And?” “It doesn’t work,” Cadence said. Celestia broke out into a fit of laughter. “Oh, out of the mouths of foals! Still, why don’t you give it a try, just in case?” Cadence rolled her eyes and sighed. Adults. “Okay, I’ll try.” She got off the cushion and gave it a little stomp. “Oh, come now, you can do better than that!” She rolled her eyes again and stomped on it a little more. “Harder! Pretend it’s the foals that picked on you!” She stomped it again with both forehooves. “Harder! Make it feel it!” She jumped up and down on it several times, putting in as much effort as her little body could muster and sending down feathers from it flying about. “Feel better?” Celestia asked. “Not really. And I think I killed your cushion.” She lifted it up a little, examining it. “That’s all right. In fact, why don’t I give it a try?” She got up off her own much larger cushion and lifted a hoof over it. “Say, before I do, did you get a good look at the shield the young colt made? What was his name?” “The teacher said it was ‘Shining Armor,’ and I don’t know if I saw it really well or not.” “Hmm. Did it look like this?” Her horn glowed, and a golden, shimmering wall of light appeared between Cadence and her aunt. “No, not really. It was more curved. And more… sparkly?” Celestia looked much more surprised at this than Cadence expected. “Oh? Really? More like this?” The wall curved around the filly and bent over a bit in a partial dome shape like the young colt’s had. “Yeah, that’s what it looked like!” “My my. And he was in your grade? You have a talented new friend. Anyway, to business. Let’s see if I can work out some of my own frustration, shall we?” “Okay.” The filly sat down, fully expecting to watch a grown alicorn beat up on a cushion. What she did not expect was the sound of thunder. She didn’t even see Celestia’s hoof move; it was simply at the ground in an instant. The hit knocked the filly a bit into the air and forced her to cover her ears. Smoke, feathers, cloth, and even tiny bits of marble flooring plinked off the barrier in between them. The blow tossed table they were eating dinner on into the hedges. When the alicorn used her wings to clear out the dust, she saw the marble flooring they’d been sitting on had cracked and crumbled under Celestia’s mighty hoof despite the now-destroyed cushion that should have softened the blow. Had the shield not been in between them, she might’ve been killed. Cadence dropped her gaze to the ground, trembling as Celestia approached the crumbling, dissolving shield. “This is why I cannot do as you request, Cadence. Were I to act in such a manner, it would not stop at the cushion, or in this case, at the foals who picked on you or even the teacher who allowed it to happen. It would continue to the principal, the superintendent, even the Secretary of Education. There would be investigations and hearings over a system that had failed so direly that it caused me to act to save my kin. Hundreds of ponies could lose their jobs, even those who had no involvement. As a Princess of Equestria, I must know all of the consequences of my actions, both immediate and eventual.” Cadence lay on the floor, gazing up, mouth wide open when it wasn’t coughing. She hadn’t even known Celestia could do that, and she certainly hadn’t considered all that might happen if she stepped in to help her at her school. Moments passed, and all she could do was stare at the small crater in the middle of the gardens. It wasn’t long after that when the guards came rushing in. “It’s okay, everypony!” the Princess announced. “Just a little lesson is all.” Little!? The guards were shaken but relieved, and most filed out while others searched about the gardens. “Don’t worry too much about the damage.” Celestia said, giving her a smile. “There’s a unicorn on the janitorial team who’s quite skilled with repair spells.” The Princess glanced at one of the guards, and he rushed over with a bow. “Have the attendants bring out a new table and cushions, would you? And some more tea.” She looked down at the filly with a smile. “We seem to have spilled ours.” In remarkably quick time, the guards had cleared out the debris, laid a large rug over the crumbled marble, and even brought out a new table and cushions for them, complete with a new serving of tea. This, however, would only be realized later, as she spent most of this time just staring at the tiny crater, thinking about what had happened. “So, do you see now why I can’t just ‘storm the gates’ at your school?” Cadence shook herself out of her daze but remained silent. Tears welled up in her eyes at the thought of that poor colt being punished in detention for trying to help her. “Be at ease, my little pony. It will be okay.” A levitated napkin wiped under Cadence’s eyes. “I never said I wasn’t going to help.” She looked back up at her. “But… But you said—” She pointed at the obliterated section of the ground. “I said I couldn’t go to your school and intervene directly. Doing so would be like what I did earlier to my poor cushion. That doesn’t mean there aren’t other ways to go about finding a solution.” Cadence winced as Celestia brought up her hoof again but relaxed when she only hit the new cushion lightly. “It’s all about knowing just where—” she hit the cushion again “—and how hard—” and again “—to strike.” She finished with one final tap. “Then, all the lumps in your cushion even out, and you have a comfortable place to sit again. Now, listen closely. Tomorrow afternoon, I want you go to your principal and tell him exactly this and just how I say it…” Cadence knocked on the principal’s door with a copy of the school’s rule book in her magical grasp. It was odd for a student to willingly go to the principal, but she had found the main office surprisingly willing to let her see him. She guessed that if a student wanted to go there, it must’ve been important. “Enter!” She turned the knob and walked inside. The very first thing that caught her eye was the pair of paddles hanging on the wall behind him. She almost choked at the sight of them but fought past it. Auntie Celestia said it was very important that she sound confident. “Well well, Princess Cadence, what brings you here?” The principal was getting on in years. His coat was teal, but a lot of his mane had either gone gray or had just gone entirely. The way he adjusted his glasses made him look even older. It was clear he was going for a “friendly old grandpa” look, but he wasn’t quite old enough for it. At this point, really, he just seemed creepy. Following her auntie Celestia’s advice, she took a deep breath and walked straight up to his desk, stared at her principal, and puffed out her chest, just like she’d seen the nobles do when they were trying to look important. “I’m here about the colt that was sent here yesterday. Shining Armor.” The principal adjusted his glasses again. “Ah yes. What about him?” “I want his punishment lifted. Immediately.” At that, he sat up almost as straight as one of Celestia’s guards! “I’m afraid I can’t do that, Princess. A teacher witnessed him casting an unsupervised spell on school grounds. You know that’s against the rules.” Cadence slapped the rule book she was carrying on his desk. “Those same rules also say students can’t pick on other students! So why weren’t the students who Shining Armor was protecting me from punished? They were bullying me! Just like they do every day!” The principal waved his hoof around, dismissing her accusations. “I’m afraid the teacher didn’t witness it.” Stop. We know what you want to say, that you saw it and that’s what matters, but don’t. Celestia warned you about it. Stick with what she told you to say instead. Cadence put on her best impression of that snooty cousin of hers. “Are you suggesting that a Princess of Equestria isn’t trustworthy?” The principal didn’t even flinch. “Not at all. But if we simply believed what every student said without proof, we’d be putting everypony in detention at the slightest accusation. We have to stick with what we see.” That’s exactly what Celestia said he’d say. She looked down at his desk and fiddled with a pen on it. “Well, I suppose that’s fine. If you won’t listen to me, others will.” “Others?” Celestia had told her to keep a calm expression, but she couldn’t help the smirk growing on her face. “I think I’ll start with those nice ponies with the cameras that follow me around. They’re always asking how I’m doing at school, but they’re kinda pushy, so I have the guards shoo them away. Maybe I should let them stay. I’m sure they’ll listen about how so many of us colts and fillies get picked on at one of Canterlot’s most prestigious schools.” The principal’s teal coat went nearly as white as Celestia’s. “You wouldn’t…” “Mother always says they like to make big stories out of little ones. I wonder what they’ll say if I tell them I’m being picked on, and the principal is punishing the brave colt who defended me.” “This… this is blackmail!” “Watch your tone!” Cadence’s gaze snapped up to him. “A Princess of Equestria does not commit blackmail! Who We confide in is none of your business! That We have something to confide that so embarrasses you is your problem, one that would not exist if your job was done properly.” She stomped her hoof on the ground, just like she did with the cushion. Wow, that was a mouthful. How does Auntie talk like this all the time? She got up and swung the office door open, stopping for the parting shot before leaving. “Leave Shining Armor alone. Right now, he’s doing a much better job protecting Us from bullies than you are. In fact, We strongly suggest— No, We demand you release him from his punishment and get the teachers to put a stop to the rest of the bullying going on here! If you don’t, you’ll be feeling the same as We do while the press tears you apart!” With a burst of magic, she slammed the door shut behind her, leaving all the office workers slack-jawed from the ire of the cute, little princess. Aunt Celestia is a genius. “What do I do if he still doesn’t let him go?” Cadence asked. “He will.” Celestia said. “But—” “He will. Trust me.” Cadence looked down at the ground and squirmed a little. There was still a chance this wouldn’t work. Celestia stroked her back with a hoof. “But just in case, if he really doesn’t, then do exactly what I said. Toss the press a bone and watch them go to town on it.” Cadence dwelled on the memory of her conversation with Celestia while waiting outside the detention room door. She’d heard Shining Armor was still inside, despite her talk with the principal. She couldn’t quite see in the room to tell if the rumor was true, but she figured that if he came out of the room with the rest, the principal was trying to call her bluff. If he left early, however, then she’d won. She was starting to go over what, exactly, she was going to tell the first reporter she saw when the door opened, and her knight stepped out. The two just looked at each other for a long moment. I was so busy thinking about what to say to the reporter I didn’t think about what I was going to say to him! Now what do I do? “Hey,” he said. “Hey.” She squirmed a little. Dangit, now what? How am I supposed to think with such a cute colt staring at me? And did I really just think of him as cute? To Cadence’s eternal gratitude, the colt spoke first. “Are you really a princess? Were you the one who got me out of detention?” “Um, yes, I am. I mean, I did. I mean, um, yes. To both.” Principal? No problem. Blue-eyed colt with his cutie mark? Impossible. “You didn’t have to do that.” What’s with this colt? “Um, yes I did! You got punished because of me!” He shook his head. “I was punished because the teachers don’t want to see fights.” “Fights?” “It’s like this.” The colt sat down. “If you were picking on me, that’s normal to them. If I do it back, it becomes a fight. Means we might start hitting. That’s all adults really care about. They don’t want parents coming in yelling ‘why was my foal hurt in a fight.’ They don’t get that being picked on hurts too.” “So, then, why did you do it?” The colt shrugged. “Easy. I don’t care about what they want. I care about what’s right. I don’t think it’s right that you were being picked on, so I did something about it. If I get sent to detention for it, I don’t care. I did what’s right.” “Then that’s what I did, too.” “What do you mean?” She took a step towards him, keeping her head a bit lower than normal. “I mean, I’m a princess. I’m supposed to act ‘for the good of Equestria.’ I couldn’t just let somepony that protected me get punished. I had to try to help him. It wouldn’t be right to just let him be hurt even if some of the teachers got mad at me.” The colt looked right into her eyes and smiled. “Finally, a filly who gets it. I’m Shining Armor.” Shining held out a hoof, and she gave it a bump with her own. “Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, but that sounds stupid, so everypony just calls me Cadence.” “Awesome. Well, thanks for the help. See ya around!” He got up and started walking away. Wait, he’s leaving!? No! No, this isn’t what you wanted to happen! Well, I didn’t even really know what I wanted to happen, but you can’t just let him leave! Say something! Anything! “Wait!” The colt turned around, and her thoughts tried to catch up with her words. Well, okay, I have his attention, now what do we say? You got us into this, mouth! Figure something out! “Um, those bullies might be back tomorrow. Do you think you could, maybe, hang out with me at recess? Keep them off me?” Shining looked genuinely shocked at this. It didn’t take much thought for her to realize why. “Oh! Don’t worry about the teachers. I got them to leave you alone. They won’t punish you anymore for protecting me. Eh heh heh…” If there was a way for Cadence to be more nervous, she didn’t want to find out. Rubbing the back of her head bald with her hoof certainly wasn’t helping things either, but it was all she could do while waiting for him to finally say something. “Hmm…” Even when he said something it didn’t help. Dangit, say yes, turn me down, something! “… you promise?” He finally said something! What did he say? Oh, what was it? He just said it, and I can’t remember! I need to promise myself to pay attention more— Wait! That was it! He wanted me to promise, what, exactly? Oh, right! “I promise. I already talked with the principal. In fact, I bet if you went and talked with him, he might make you a hall monitor.” Okay, so I’m making this part up, but at this point, I think I could look at the principal funny, and he’d do what I want. Shining’s ears perked up, and he smiled at the news. “Awesome! Thanks, Cadence, it means a lot. See you tomorrow!” “Oh— okay!” She waved goodbye as he walked off. Right after he turned the corner, her thoughts caught up, and she yelled down the hall, “You’re welcome!” Smooth, filly. Real smooth. Author's Note Check out the reading of this chapter on YouTube by Willson's!
"... I'll remind you, and forgive you..." Two Days After Nightmare Moon’s Defeat and Princess Luna’s Return… “Captain? Are you in there?” The knocking shook Shining Armor from his daydream, and he snapped back to reality, looking at himself in his mirror. Mane combed, check. Dress uniform, check. Large bag of bits, check. He turned towards the door and then caught himself mid-step. This is the Gilded Hoof I’m going to. Better bring an extra-large bag. Another knock. “Captain?” “Come in, Gen!” His door glowed orange and swung open, revealing Intelligentsia. Her primary assignment was, until just recently, to be his assistant despite, in truth, being a full officer of the Royal Guard. “I brought the flowers you requested, Captain.” Shining grabbed the bouquet of roses then wrapped them in a pink bow and placed them next to the other items he needed to bring: the bag of bits, chocolates, a comb, and a little piece of paper. “Thanks, Gen. Even being off duty, there’s just way too much to get done here. You’re a lifesaver.” Intelligentsia grimaced. “Cadence is the lifesaver. She’s the one keeping us from rotting in prison, remember? Because you decided that after getting relieved of duty by the Council and General Quartz, the best course of action was to lie to a chariot team to get them to fly through locked-down airspace, which nearly nearly got us all killed, snuck into Ponyville to spy on your sister—” “Check up on my sister,” Shining corrected. “—spy on your sister, and then come home to face the music all on blind faith that Cadence would actually stick her neck out to save your sorry flank!” Shining smirked a bit. “Well, Princess Celestia locked herself in her room with her sister for a week. Who else was going to save my sorry flank?” Intelligentsia went rigid with what Shining could only assume was pure, unadulterated frustration. “I’m going to make sure that everypony serving under me does nothing but glare at you for the next six weeks. Maybe slip something nonlethal but altogether unfortunate in your coffee.” Shining laughed. “Come on now, Gen. You don’t get to be mad at me. I promoted you!” Intelligentsia pointed a hoof at him. “Princess Cadenza promoted me! You just roped me into helping you in your crazy escapade.” He straightened his shirt a little, running a brush through his mane a few more times. “Yeah, well, you’re not the one that has to treat her to dinner at the most expensive restaurant in Canterlot. Seriously, though, thank you. This means a lot to me. I promise I’ll do my best to promote your new intel-gathering ideas to Princess Celestia.” “I… appreciate it.” She sighed. “And I realize we were both tired and under a lot of stress. I’m still mad at you, though.” “I know.” He shrugged. “But what’s important now is keeping Cadence happy. Until Celestia returns, I’m basically hers. Odds are she’s going to want to take me to some sappy opera at some point. And she has the pull to actually get tickets on short notice. ‘Good’ ones, too.” “Hmph. Even that could be worse, sir.” She snickered. “She could ask for your hoof in marriage.” Shining blinked. “Why would she do that?” Intelligentsia stared at him for a few seconds, blinking slowly. “What?” he asked. “Nothing, sir. What’s that?” She pointed at the piece of paper. Shining smiled and lifted up the note. “Cadence said I had to whisper sweet nothings to her, so I took a page from my little sister and pored through a few romance books for ideas!” Intelligentsia’s mouth was hanging open. “You didn’t.” “I did!” He put the note in his pocket. She facehooved. “Oh, come on, Gen! Don’t you have any faith in me?” She sighed. “I’d have more faith if you had been on any other dates recently.” “It’s not a date, Gen.” He rolled his eyes. “It’s just dinner. Well, the first dinner.” “First? Of how many?” “She didn’t specify.” She sighed again. “Alright, let’s finish getting you ready. We have the chocolates and flowers. Are you wearing all your medals? The more you have, the less likely the maître d’ is to frown on you wearing a uniform instead of a tux or suit.” “Yeah, I am.” He looked around his room. “Not hard to find all your stuff when there isn’t much to go through.” The space was drab and utilitarian, painted military green down to the concrete floor. There was a basic dresser, a couple of hooflockers, a mirror, a mane brush, and a desk. The only thing in his closet were a few uniforms, and he was wearing his nicest, most formal of them now. With all the recent cutbacks, and given how crowded the castle and military base had become, he was lucky to have anyplace at all. Only he and the generals were afforded private quarters. Everypony else was bunking in the barracks. “Still,” he said, “it’s good I learned to live cheaply. I don’t think I’d be able to afford this otherwise.” She nodded. “Watch out for the add-ons, though. I hear the sides there all cost extra.” “Let’s hope she doesn’t want dessert, then.” He snapped to attention. “How do I look?” “Like you’re going on a date with a princess.” Intelligentsia’s grin sharpened. “Try not to embarrass yourself.” Shining winked. “I promise, no food fights. Not even a little one. And it’s not a date.” “We are so getting put in the dungeon,” she said with a laugh. Shining lifted the doorknocker to Cadence’s suite and tapped it three times. Only silence came from the door, each second a punctuation on his nerves. Swallowing, he wiped the sweat off his brow then exhaled and shifted a bit in place. He had every right to be nervous, given the circumstances. Regardless, after what she saved his flank from, he owed her anything she asked for. If whispering sweet nothings to her over dinner and bringing her a bouquet of roses would pay her back for protecting him from treason charges, he thought it a fair deal. He still couldn’t quite fathom why she wanted this, though. Some jewelry maybe, but this? She was the highest of nobility, and a winged unicorn at that. The only way to go any higher was to somehow become an alicorn and join the Eternal Sisters. Despite climbing the military ladder, the emblem on his shoulder was the only rank he really had. Some cover was provided by the fact that his sister was Celestia’s personal protégé, but that was a far more nebulous thing. While, in a way, that did elevate Twilight’s status, it didn’t afford the rest of the family any true noble rank regardless of whatever his mother might’ve hoped. In short, she was completely out of his league. It wasn’t even worth putting himself back on the market to try. But if it’s a dinner and compliments the Princess wants, that’s what she shall receive. A glow and gentle click from the door to her palace chambers told him it was time to pay attention to the world around him again, and he snapped to attention and dropped into a bow while holding the flowers and chocolates out with his magic. “Ever the gentlecolt, Shining Armor. But please, rise. We have more history than that.” He stood up with a smile as she took the gifts in her own magic, their mingling magic tingling his horn just a bit. “Now this is more like it.” She took in a deep whiff of the bouquet, smiling and teasing one of the petals. “We really should have done this a lot sooner, Shining.” An appropriate compliment from the paper sprang to mind. “I cannot argue with beauty such as yours.” Nailed it! “That is the cheesiest thing I’ve ever heard, Shiny!” She giggled. “Did you get that out of a book?” She knows! “Anyway, let me put these roses in some water, and then we’ll head out, okay?” He nodded while she ducked back into her suite. Shining took the opportunity to sneak a peek inside and saw it was just as he remembered. Deep reds contrasted pinks and purples on the walls, and decorations bombarded his eyes with warmth. It was considerably more cozy than most of the castle. Fittingly, the mare that lived in it complemented the environment perfectly with her rose-colored dress. Though he glanced waywardly at her flank as she went into the other room, he quickly caught himself and looked away. Careful, Shining. Anypony gets a picture of us being even slightly improper with her and the press will tear us apart. A moment later, she returned with a rose in her hair. “Okay, I’m ready!” Let’s try winging it. “By your command, Your Highness.” Better! “Ugh! No, Shiny! This isn’t an escort mission! And we’ve known each other since before I got my cutie mark!” This is going to be a lot harder than I thought. She extended a wing over him and brought him in close. “We’re supposed to have a good time. Relax! Be yourself!” Do not say the first thing that— “But I was supposed to compliment you and whisper sweet nothings to you.” You idiot! “Shining! You… Don’t you want to compliment me?” Think it through this time, or so help me— “Why would I need to?” You monumental idiot! Her eyes started to water. “You…” She sniffed. “You don’t think I’m pretty?” Oh sweet Celestia, she’s already crying. Fix this, or her aunt is going to make you run laps around Equestria! “No! I mean, yes, I do! I mean, it’s just that, well, I don’t know why you need me to tell you that. You and I both know you are the single most beautiful and desired bachelorette in existence. You don’t need to be told that by some random soldier.” She brought her head under his for a nuzzle. “I don’t need to be told it by a random soldier. I need to be told it by you.” Shining’s mind slipped a gear. “Um, why?” Cadence froze for an instant then gave him a peck on the cheek. “That’s why. Come on. Our table is waiting.” Crap. Did anypony see that? He quickly looked around, eyes darting all over, and finally exhaled in relief when he didn’t see anypony in the hall. Whew. Okay, not sure what’s going on here, but she’s not crying anymore, so we have that much. Just keep her happy, and we’ll be okay. We are so screwed. Look at these prices! I think that bottle of wine is worth a small mortgage. Oh no, she’s going for the tapas menu! Stop her from looking at the tapas menu! “The tofu curry looks interesting.” He motioned at the regular dinner menu. Why is the rice twenty-five bits extra with the tofu curry? Curry comes with rice. That’s the way it works! “Oh, you know me better than that, Shiny. I like sweet things, not spicy.” “Ah, so you take after Celestia, then.” Crap, was that a good thing to say? She giggled. “Hehe, I guess so!” Whew! “I do wonder, though.” Cadence put the menu down, resting her head on a hoof. “With another alicorn princess here, how’s that going to change the trends in the nobility? If she doesn’t like sweets, for instance.” “Honestly, I can see the nobility panicking over this,” Shining said, shaking his head. Now here’s something easier to talk about. “Really? You think it’ll be that bad?” “Well, the nobility… Well, the nobility excluding you are…” He bit his lip a little, looking at his surroundings. Cadence had gotten them a relatively private balcony table, and they were quite some distance off the ground. The family in the balcony behind him were being loud enough that there’d be no way they’d hear him so long as he was careful. He leaned in closer to avoid being overheard. “The nobility are going to do three things, in order. First, they’re going to quietly panic while putting on their best faces for the public and the princesses. Second, they’re going to try to get as much influence as they can over this new alicorn so they can, in turn, influence Celestia. Third, no matter what they say in public, they’re going to limit Luna’s influence as much as they can. Everything right now is set up around Celestia. If that changes, their assets are going to be at risk, and that’s going to spark some major power struggles.” Cadence leaned over, resting her head on her hoof. “You know, even though you don’t like the nobility, you sure know how to think like a politician.” “At this rank, knowing how to play politicians is a necessity. I have to fight and scrounge for every spare bit. A few weeks ago, the barracks cafeteria actually ran out of food. They had to hit the town for meals three days in a row, and the Inner Council tried to cover it up.” “I think a few ponies on the Inner Council actually own most of the restaurants in Canterlot.” She turned away from him as she spoke. “Oh, those little… See, this is the kind of thing I’m talking about. They’re all…” Shining buried his face in his hooves. “Damn.” “What’s wrong, Shiny?” Shining got up and went into another bow. “Forgive my insolence, Princess. I know that Your Grace is the highest of the nobility, and yet I could not still my tongue against them, and in turn, you. I’ll leave if you wish it.” Cadence looked at him for a moment, and then used her magic to lift up her glass of water and dumped its contents on his head. Closing his eyes, he turned to leave. “Shining, get back here, and sit down.” He turned back just enough to see her out of one eye. “But you—” “I’m not mad that you said those things, Shining. They’re true. I’m mad that you didn’t think I’d know you weren’t talking about me. Now get back over here!” “Yes, ma’am.” Heavily, he sat back down. “And if you call me ‘ma’am’ again, I’m going to make you eat this candle.” Shining lowered his head and closed his eyes. “Sorry.” “What is wrong with you lately, Shining? Ever since you went off to join the military, you’ve become so distant! Even when we do actually get to see each other, it’s all about work this or Council that. I haven’t heard anything about you in ages!” “There’s not much to tell, really. I’m a soldier. Up until very recently, I just did what Command told me. The only difference now is I’m doing what the Inner Council and Princess Celestia tell me.” Cadence’s wings twitched with what Shining could only assume was annoyance. “I don’t buy that for a second. Soldiers are legendary for forming bonds with each other. Are you honestly telling me that you haven’t gone to one bar with them, dated one mare with a thing for a stallion in uniform, or had any social contact at all?” “Oh! That sort of thing. I didn’t think you’d be interested in, well, that.” “In what?” Shining swallowed a little. “I think Arctic would call them ‘tales of drunken debauchery.’” “Pffft! Ha! You?” She’s laughing? “Shining, you’re the biggest straight-edge I know. Have you ever actually been drunk?” “Well, no, I can’t. I have to be—” “Have you ever had a marefriend? Ever?” Why is she doing this? I should stop this. No, wait, I can’t. She’s a princess. But I can’t just sit back and take it! I promised to make it up to her, but… Princess or no, I can’t let her do this to me. It’s not right. “Yes. Several! None in the past while, but that’s been my choice.” A wave of unstoppable silence emanating from Cadence washed over their table and crashed against the confines of their booth. Time slowed down as everything else faded away and was absorbed into the night. “Oh. I hadn’t realized.” She looked down at her tea and slowly took a sip. “It wasn’t anypony I know, was it?” Shining felt his face tense up. “Doubtful. Nobles don’t normally date non-nobles. If you must know, I’ve had four marefriends. At least, four where the relationship lasted long enough to be meaningful.” He gazed directly at her with military precision even though she hadn’t looked at him since his outburst. Her words came softly and sounded distant, maybe even shameful. “You never mentioned them.” “You’re a girl. You don’t like romant—okay that wasn’t what I meant. What I meant was that you are a female friend, and it’s been my experience that discussing my relationships with female friends leads to trouble.” “Friends, huh?” she asked, still avoiding looking right at him and tracing a circle in the tablecloth with her hoof. “You know, Shining, if you would have said something, I would have been happy to help you with any of those relationships. That is my talent.” “Cadence, you know I feel I can always count on you when I need it. But that would have been immensely awkward for me, and the last thing I want you to do is waste your gift on me.” Finally, she turned back to him. “Waste my gift? Shining, if there’s anypony in Equestria that I think deserves a special somepony, it’s you! I had us go on this date so I could reconnect with you, maybe make you notice me a little!” Every ounce of Shining Armor’s considerable military training drained from him in an instant. His eyes even lost a bit of focus. “Date?” “What else did you think this was?” Cadence’s jaw hung open. “A nice dinner to say ‘thank you for saving me from becoming a statue?’” “Shining, hello! Flowers? Chocolates? I was trying to give you a few hints!” Shining’s left eye started to drift up and to the right a bit, trying to escape from having to look at the angry princess. Meanwhile, his heart was torn between stopping altogether and trying to force its way out his ear. “Hints?” “Yes!” She reached across the table and put a hoof under his chin, forcing him to gaze directly at her. “Shining, what do I have to do to get you to notice me? Am I not pretty enough?” He practically choked on his own tongue. “What?! Oh, Celestia, no, that’s not it. That’s not it at all.” “Then what? Do I have an annoying voice? Do you not like pegasi?” “No and no. You’re beautiful, Cadence. All of you. By any standard.” “Then what exactly is the problem?” Her yell shattered the darkness around them, dragging the fact of where they were back into conscious thought. Their waiter was beside their table with a pen and pad. “Um, did you two want some—?” “Leave.” She had gotten exceptionally good at wielding the exact same stare Celestia was master of. The speed at which the unicorn waiter left the table and then the restaurant would’ve been worthy of a Wonderbolt. “Cadence.” She snapped back to looking straight at him, stare still in place. There were some noises behind him that vaguely resembled ponies ducking for cover. Jeez, watch where you point that thing. “Cadence, it’s not a matter of what I want.” A small moment of silence passed between them. “And just what exactly is that supposed to mean?” “It’s about my station. I’m the Captain of the Royal Guard and a non-noble one at that. Even approaching you romantically would be a violation. I could get hit with a ‘conduct unbecoming’ charge just for flirting with—” Shining Armor had the best barrier spells outside of Celestia herself. They could repel all manner of attacks and magic. He was intimately familiar with their inner workings and trained with them constantly. He still hit the floor in a dive to avoid the plate hurled at him. A quick glance behind him revealed that the family in the balcony behind him had also, fortunately, ducked. The plate had struck a balcony pillar, and hundreds of little pieces of china fell to the ground in the distance, and some very scared ponies were looking at him in terror. Rather, they were looking at the pony behind him in terror. He just didn’t know what to say to them. “Liar.” Any thought of the other ponies behind him evaporated when he heard her speak. There was anger, yes, but it wasn’t that which horrified him. Even before turning around, he knew it wasn’t anger. It was pain. “Liar!” She stomped both her forehooves on the table, sending a few more dishes to the ground while her tears were already dropping clear to the tablecloth. “You know very well I don’t care about that. I’m the princess. I get to decide who may approach me. Not the military! Not the Council! Not even Celestia! So stop lying and tell me why you don’t like me!” Shining swallowed. “It’s not that I don’t like you. It’s that you won’t like me.” He instantly regretted his words. Cadence lurched back as if he’d stabbed her. “You… You don’t think I can really… Excuse me.” Whatever speed record had been set by the waiter paled in comparison to how fast Cadence ran out the door. She was already outside by the time Shining had managed to squeeze his large frame out of the seating area, but his heart was way ahead of him, pounding extra blood to his legs for the mad rush to catch her. His hooves weren’t any less clumsy than his mouth; he stumbled twice before making it outside. His eyes raced back and forth over the crowd in the setting sun’s light but couldn’t find any hint of a princess. Okay, I can catch her if I can just figure out what direction she went in. He raced forward down the street, swinging his neck to and fro, looking not just at the other ponies but down the streets, alleys, and corridors of Canterlot, searching for some glimpse, some clue as to where she went. It wasn’t until he saw a pair of pegasus guards take off that he had realized his folly. Wings. I forgot about her wings! He snapped his attention to the sky, desperately eyeing every pegasus he could see, but if Cadence was in view, she was too far away to tell. How am I supposed to— His mind flashed back to the military pegasi taking off. The sky is still on lockdown to civilians, and military pegasi always fly in groups of two or more. He scanned the sky again, and his mouth went dry when he spotted a lone dot high in the sky flying up towards the peak of Canterlot Mountain. There was no way he’d be able to get a chariot to take him anywhere anytime soon, leaving him with only one option. His sister would get to save the day again. “Everypony, clear out!” he commanded, pushing and shoving the ponies near him away before turning his gaze skyward again. I sure hope that new teleportation spell you taught me can scale, Sis.
"... as many times as it takes." A string of words ran through Cadence’s mind. A few of them were shockingly profane for somepony of her stature, but most were terms or phrases like “disaster” or “broken heart.” It had all seemed so simple. She and Shining had been friends for ages and close ones at that. Practically inseparable. But they had never actually entered into a romantic relationship with one another. This didn’t change the fact that nearly everything Shining had ever done for her had been unapologetically and immensely romantic. For all the talk of her being the Princess of Love, it was Shining Armor that was quite possibly the most devoted, romantic pony in all of Equestria. He was just completely and utterly oblivious to it. If his battle armor had been made of the same stuff as his head, he’d be effectively invincible in combat. What was even worse was this night had shown what happened when an immovable object met an irresistible force. It turns out, nothing is irresistible. The Princess of Love herself had laid out a plan to win his heart and failed spectacularly. That wound to her pride was an extra twist to the dagger in her very soul. She rolled over slightly to get the pressure off some of her feathers; there was a rock underneath the thin layer of snow she was resting on. The top of Canterlot Mountain was semi-sacrosanct, and most ponies weren’t allowed up here. As a princess, nopony dared stop her, so it made a nice, quiet place to be when she wanted to be alone and cry herself to sleep. Her brain involuntarily played over the events again, so she curled up into a ball and buried her nose in the snow. The cold air was freezing her tears but couldn’t touch her body. As a winged unicorn, she had the magic and properties of both unicorns and pegasi. This meant that, like all pegasi, she had an exceptionally soft and weatherproof coat of hair plus the ability to magically shift air currents away from herself. The latter, however, she wasn’t doing. She wanted the harsh wind to hit her. She felt she deserved it for being so foalish. The worst part of all of this was that Shining was so selfless that if she came to him tomorrow and asked him to do anything but date her, he’d do it in a heartbeat, no matter what it was. It didn’t matter to him that she had failed, because he didn’t get it. She truly was alone, and she started punching at the ground in her despair. Over and over she struck it, sending snow off in random directions, until one hit was accompanied by an improbably loud bang. Her heart resumed a moment later when her eyes assured her that she did not in fact just blow up the top of the mountain nor was there an exploded cushion underhoof. There was, however, a curious sound that continued. More curious was that it was a voice, a familiar one that was getting louder. When her head finally tilted at the appropriate and rather unlikely angle to see the source of this voice, or, rather, scream, Shining Armor was already on a parabolic collision course. “Flap your wi—!” The fact that Shining Armor did not have any wings despite flying towards her at a dizzying speed was hammered home by the altogether inelegant way the sides of their faces mashed together in the impact. Both of their bodies went flying backwards, tumbling together and rolling over and over in the snow. Cadence twitched underneath the stallion, barely able to move at all under his weight and thankful that being part pegasus protected her from getting completely crushed. She kicked and pushed at the ground, trying to get out from under him, but only managed to strain her fetlock. Turning herself over a little while still underneath him, she pushed up again. The same magic that allowed pegasi to fly with chariots attached to their back flowed into Shining, making him light enough to move. Even with the magic, her muscles ached and raged from the exertion, but in the end, she managed to get out from under the heavy draft pony. She shook her head to get her own bearings but froze when she made a realization: Shining Armor wasn’t moving. She bent over and used her shoulder to push on his belly, straining herself again. A gentle push of more pegasus magic helped her roll him over fully. Her heart jumped up to her throat and plummeted to her stomach when she saw him take a little breath in. Not wasting a moment, Cadence flared her horn to life. Please be okay! Please be okay! She set up the spell and twisted the magic flow just before casting, spreading the spell out to cover the both of them like a fountain and causing the aura to glow white. Parts of both their bodies glowed with the magic but far less than she expected on Shining. Thank Celestia he’s unhurt. Come on, Shining. Wake up. She nudged him with a hoof and jumped back when he stirred and rolled over on his own. “Uuugh. That really, just, oof. That’s what I get for not putting my shield up firs—” Shining’s eyes snapped open and froze, staring at her. Crisp, cold air blew across the mountaintop, wafting through her hair and freezing the tears that streamed down her face. Small, shallow, nearly silent breaths passed from her lips, sending mist into the night air. Finally, he scrambled to his hooves and held her by the shoulders. Every nerve in Cadence’s body twitched as she readied her body for the kiss of her life. Shining spoke instead. “Cadence, listen, I owe you an explanation.” “You’re damn right you do!” She threw his hooves off her and flared out her wings. Shining took a step back and looked away. “I apologize, Cadence. Truly. I honestly had no idea you were even interested.” “How? Shining, chocolates! Flowers! Compliments! Not to mention all those years of smaller hints! How in Celestia’s name could you honestly not have even had a clue?” “Cadence.” Those eyes. Oh, those eyes! It didn’t matter how angry she should’ve been. Those sad, loving eyes were all it took for her to break her angry pose and slink back down to merely “despondent.” “Princess, truly, I had no idea. You asked me to protect you, so I did. That’s what I’ve always done.” Her jaw dropped a little, and her left wing opened ever so slightly. “I did what? When?” The memory came back so strongly she could’ve sworn that Nightmare Moon had smote her with lightning. “Um, those bullies might be back tomorrow. Do you think you could, maybe, hang out with me at recess? Keep them off me?” “Oh, Celestia! You don’t mean… You can’t possibly mean that for over twenty years you’ve been here, with me, to protect me? Because I asked you to when we were foals?” “Well, yeah!” Shining stood up and started to walk around her, glancing briefly at her on occasion before looking away. “I mean, it’s not everyday that a princess of Equestria asks you to protect her! I felt like I was already in the Guard!” Her head hung low, and her eyes closed up, squeezing out more tears. No. It can’t possibly be. “Shining, all this time, really? What was I to you? Just a royal to be protected?” “Just a—no! Of course not!” She lifted her head up towards him, but even though she opened her eyes, they were far too watery for her to see. “Cadence, you asked me to protect you, and I did. But if I hadn’t liked you, if you hadn’t been the greatest friend I’d ever known, I don’t know what would have happened. It was my dream to join the Guard, but if you had been like those other nobles? I think my cutie mark might’ve changed. I certainly wouldn’t have still joined the military. My dream was always to protect others, but you were the one that made it worthwhile.” Her lips trembled, and her ears went back as she whispered in her slightest, softest voice. “Shining. That’s the most romantic thing…” She couldn’t hold it back anymore, switching to Royal Canterlot Voice levels of power while grabbing him by the shoulders. “Why am I not good enough for you?” She slipped off him a little too quickly, about to fall into the snow face-first, but the ever dutiful Shining Armor caught her, giving her balance back while she sorted herself out with a few wipes of her eyes. “Sorry,” she said. “Sorry, I’m—” Her knees were so weak that they wobbled trying to support her weight. Shining went over to her and put a hoof on her chest and shoulder to brace her. “I’m sorry, Shining. I shouldn’t have run away like that, especially someplace you couldn’t go.” She blinked a couple times. “Or someplace I thought you couldn’t go.” Shining chuckled a bit. “Well, I tweaked Twily’s teleportation spell just a bit. I couldn’t get all the way up here with a straight teleport, so I changed it so I could freely modify my velocity upon exit. So, I kinda go from standing to flying in whatever direction and speed I want. I don’t think I quite have it down yet, though. Sorry about that, by the way.” Cadence wiped away another tear. “I try to leave you behind, and you find a way to follow. You—” she sniffled “—you always seem to find a way to persevere, don’t you?” He smiled at her. “It’s what I do. Although that’s twice now in the last few days I’ve gotten at least an indirect assist from Twily. I need to do something nice for her.” “Maybe you could date me?” Cadence made a small circle in the snow with a hoof, barely able to meet his eyes. “And if it works, you could… make her best mare?” “Cadence,” he said, stopping to take a breath in. Cadence sniffed again. “What? Shining, please, tell me.” Her lip trembled, the sobs ready to come at the drop of a hat. “If I don’t know what’s wrong, I can’t work this out and fix it…” Shining closed his eyes. “… Every mare I’ve ever dated has wound up hating me.” What? He paused and took in a deep breath, letting it out in a slow sigh. “My first marefriend seemed typical enough. It was just after boot camp, while you were away on your first royal tour. At first, she was really into the relationship. I mean, really into it. Then, she cooled off a lot. Found out later through her friend that she was using me to cheat on somepony.” “Oh, you poor thing. You should have told me! I could have helped!” Cadence put her forelegs around him, half to better support herself and half to comfort him. That’s an awful way to start out in the dating world. “That’s actually not the worst part,” Shining admitted. “I barged in on them. While they were, uh, intimate. And he tried to attack me.” Cadence jolted away in shock. “You didn’t! Tell me you didn’t, well, you know…?” Shining raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t what?” “Kill him,” she squeaked. “What? No! No, nonononono! Jeez, Cadence, do you think that just because I’m in the military that I’m that cold?” Cadence opened her mouth to say something then backed off, slinking down to the ground. “No, no I don’t. I don’t even know why I said that. I guess because of how you said it was ‘worse.’” Shining lay down too. “No, I didn’t kill him. He did need a short hospital visit, but nothing too serious. Needless to say, though, my new ex didn’t want to see me anymore.” “Yeah, I can understand that.” Nopony deserves to have their first relationship end like that. My poor Shining… “And things just went downhill from there.” Wha—? What could be worse than that? Shining clenched his jaw a bit before continuing. “I’m not really sure what I was to her. I mean, rough sex is one thing, but this was something else entirely. Had it been the other way around, she could have charged me with domestic abuse. She’d hit me, kick me, throw things at me…” Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to throw something at him in the restaurant. “Honest to Celestia, it was a good thing she was a pegasus. An earth pony would’ve done some real damage. Finally, I got a little sick of it and put up a barrier. She ran off crying like I’d hit her and then wouldn’t speak to me again.” Cadence sighed. She was starting to see why he might be a bit down on trying more relationships; he hadn’t exactly had good luck. “After you got back from your tour and I got sent to Manehatten on duty, I met up with this one mare. She talked to me lots, true, but usually when she wanted something.” Oh, no, Cadence thought. “Thanks to her, I’ve been to all kinds of shops and restaurants in Manehatten that you’ve probably either heard about or been to yourself. Places fit for a princess. Spent way more money than I should have. The experience taught me to live simply and watch my bits. Especially since soldiers can get their basics covered by the government.” She thought back to what she’d told him the other day. “As I recall, there’s a little, well, actually very large restaurant on La Rue D’Argent.” “Dress nice, and bring roses. Lots of roses. And chocolates.” Shining chuckled a bit. “Anytime I tried to hold back, she came up with the most, well, creative threats.” “And if you call me ‘ma’am’ again, I’m going to make you eat this candle.” The memories played back in Cadence’s mind, getting her sick to her stomach. Despite that, she stood up just a little, and then lay back down again on Shining in a light hug, tightening it when she felt him shivering. “I’m sorry,” she whispered through her tears. Shining sighed, and his breathing slowed. “After I broke it off, I took myself off the market for a while, or so I thought. Then, I met this one mare who seemed really nice. She was polite and seemed into me. It was all very romantic. For about four months. Then the other horseshoe dropped.” Cadence whimpered, bracing herself for the inevitable. “I brought up the topic of marriage,” he said, clearing his throat. “Not proposing, mind you. Just talking about it, and that’s when I found out that I had been so into her that I somehow missed the fact that she wasn’t exactly into, well, monogamy.” Cadence relaxed a little. Well, that could have been worse. “What really hurt, though, was what she did to make me realize it. She laughed. She laughed at me, called me ‘inexperienced,’ all kinds of other things. I was devastated. I’ve been through all kinds of hell and pain in training for the Guard, but nothing hurt me like being ridiculed by the mare I thought I loved. I broke up with her on the spot and requested a transfer back to Canterlot the next morning. Fortunately, by then, I had more than a little political capital and pulled it off. A bit more than a year later, and here I am.” And I laughed at him. Cadence’s tears rolled down her face faster than they could freeze, leaking down onto Shining Armor, whose coat twitched. He’s… I forgot… He doesn’t have a pegasus coat… She clenched her eyes shut, redirecting the wind around them with her magic. Even if she didn’t feel she deserved it, she thought he did! “Hey, now,” he said. “This was a long time ago, and I’ve long since been over it. You don’t need to worry about me.” “Why?” she asked, her voice breaking. “Hmm?” She buried her muzzle in the top of his mane, between his ears. “Why didn’t you ask for help?” Shining looked off into the quickly darkening sky for a long time. “Would you believe I was embarrassed?” “What? Why?” Cadence grabbed his head and moved to look him in the eyes. “How could you possibly think I would ever look down on you for that?” “Protector and personal friend of the Princess of Love for how long and I still needed advice? Come on, Cadence. We both know it’s not just about being looked down on by others. Sometimes the pony in the mirror is even more judgmental.” Cadence drew him back into her embrace. “I still would have been happy to help you. Why didn’t you write?” “I had no shortage of advice, truthfully. Most of it terrible, it turns out. And most of it from friends of those mares. Or my mother. All part of a learning process, I suppose.” Shining looked away again, this time with a smile. “Nothing I should concern a princess over.” Her wing twitched, and Cadence wasn’t sure what she would do if he continued insisting that this shouldn’t be something that should bother her. She tightened her hug to prevent herself from doing something else foolish to him. Whatever else she wanted to say, it would have to wait. Something far more important had to be said first. She moved her mouth closer to his ear. “I am so, so sorry, Shining. I should never have laughed at you. I should never have thrown anything at you. I should never have threatened you. I was trying to get you to notice me as somepony that could be special to you and then lost my temper when you couldn’t see my invitation. I am sorry. From the depths of my soul, with all of my heart, I apologize.” She held him in silence, feeling the warmth of his breath on her back, waiting for a response. “It’s all right, Princess. You don’t need to apologize.” “Yes, I do!” She stood up straight, wings flared out, and dragged Shining to the edge of the mountain. “Look down there.” She pointed at the city below. “What do you see?” Shining cringed a little. “Canterlot?” “Exactly.” Cadence stopped to gather her words, taking in the sight of the moonlit capital. “To all those ponies down there, I’m a princess. A noble. A ruler.” She turned back to him. “But to you, for all those years, I was a friend. Now, you come back to me a soldier, and you’re acting like they do.” “I’m supposed to show deference to you.” He shrugged. “It’s part of the definition of being a soldier, Prin—” “Don’t call me ‘Princess’ again! I’ll order you to call me Cadence if I have to! I’m not supposed to be a princess to you! We aren’t like that!” She bit her lip. “We didn’t used to be like that.” “But—” She put a hoof on his shoulder and took off her crown. “What do I have to do to get you to stop seeing me as a princess?” Shining breathed in through his teeth and held the air in. “What? What do I need to do? Tell me!” “Undo years of military training…” He sighed. Her eyes watered more as she lifted his chin with her hoof. “That doesn’t seem so hard.” With one more step in, she pressed her lips against his, taking in his breath and flaring her magic to life. Finally seeing some sliver of hope, Cadence searched within Shining’s soul, shooting tendrils of power between their horns. Now that she was aware what had kept them apart, she could use her magic to give him the support, comfort, and familiarity he needed. What she found instead, though, broke the connection with a shock and sent her writhing to the ground. Her legs twitched and stretched, digging into the ground while desperately trying to get her to stand, fighting back against the skyscraper on top of her back. The ocean of agony above her was drowning her lungs by crushing them shut. Her wings beat furiously along with her straining legs, yet despite all her pegasus magic, she stayed pressed against the snow. She was about to pass out when she finally heard his voice, distorted and weak through the pain. “Cadence! Cadence, are you alright? Speak to me, Cadence!” A burst of magic flew over her, Shining’s aura blasting away the lingering spell and washing away the crushing weight. She coughed over and over, and her wings seized in pain. The only reason she was able to stand at all was from Shining Armor lifting and supporting her. “Cadence, are you alright? You keeled over. Say something!” Cadence coughed a few more times, nearly dry-heaving. “Oh Celestia, what was that?” “What was what?” “You can’t feel that? Seriously? Shining, that pain was from you!” “Me? How?” Cadence grabbed him by the shoulders. “Who did this? Who hurt you?” Shining blinked a few times. “Hurt me? What are you talking about? Cadence, you’re not making much sense here.” “Stop lying to me! Who was it? Was it that bitch who laughed at you? The one who hit you? I’ll have them all in irons by the end of the night! Just tell me!” Shining knocked away her forelegs and grabbed her shoulders instead. “Cadence! Listen to me! Nopony hurt me! I’m fine, really! See? I’m here, with you. You don’t need to—” She couldn’t take anymore and lunged in for another kiss while reaching out with her magic once more, grabbing him by his horn and letting her mind mingle with his. Her aura ran through them both, washing through his very soul and pulling his pain into her. It came just like before, but this time, she was ready for it. A tsunami of stress washed over her. She could feel every little ache in both his body and his mind, and all her bracing still left her short of breath and only barely able to stand. Regardless, it was working. Hang on, Shining. I’ll make it bett— Shining pulled away from her, dropping her down into the snow and breaking the link. He shook his head and body. “What in Tartarus was that? What did you do?” Cadence blinked and forced herself back up, holding her stomach to stop it from lurching. “Urgh…” Shining stomped a hoof down into the snow. “I said, ‘what did you do?’” Cadence looked up at his eyes. They were not ones of relief or release—neither happiness or sadness. “I… I tried to help!” She heaved, a stabbing still in her side. “You’re so hurt… I can’t just leave you like that! Come here, sit down, let me heal you!” She lurched forward again, ready to take him back in her embrace, ready to bear that suffering. Yet it never came. His restored personal barrier stopped her well before reaching him. Her lungs stopped, the lump in her throat going all the way to the back of her tongue. The world slowed to a standstill. All she could see were those eyes of his. Eyes of one who was hurt. Eyes of one who was angry. Eyes of one who had been betrayed. “Shining?” She could only barely whisper. He shook his head. “And let you hurt yourself in the process? No.” “But—But you’re in pain! I can feel it! Celestia, I can still feel it from here!” “No!” He stomped the snow again. “That is not your decision to make! I will not let you do this, Princess.” Her teeth clenched together, grinding as more tears fell from her eyes. A few restrained sobs came out as coughs yet were still powerful enough to make her bend her knee. “I—” She sniffed. “I told you. Stop calling me that!” With a powerful downburst of wind from her wings, she soared forward at Shining Armor, launching her magic at him. Their horns nearly met, held back only by the strength of Shining’s barrier. Her power rushed out, its blue aura outshining every other sight around her, pushing back against him and forcing him to step back on the mountaintop. Yet, for all the power she used, he held firm. I won’t let you stop me that easily! I will find out what you’re hiding from me, Shining Armor! She poured all her heart, all her will towards his horn, and though she was screaming with all her might, it was simply washed away by the sheer force of the magic around them. There was even enough force to blow a large portion of the snow clean off the mountain. Yet she didn’t break through his barrier. She only saw Shining respond in kind. Shining? A countercurrent of purple magic flared out, then shifted to blue-white as it intensified. No, no! I won’t let you! Please, Shining, tell me what’s wrong! Cadence pushed forward, letting loose as much energy as her horn would allow. She walked towards him, pushing against the stream, circling around him to get a better angle. I’m sorry to have to do this, Shining. Her own magic blazed ever brighter, bringing the full force of a winged unicorn’s magic to bear on him, a torrent unrivaled by all save for alicorns. The colors from her horn changed as well, shifting from blue to a regal blend of purple and gold. She wasn’t about to lose this. She wasn’t about to lose him. Passion, love, and concern leapt out with all the might of a Princess of Equestria, cutting through Shining’s magic with tremendous speed yet still stopping just at the tip of his horn. For a brief, bright instant, her magic got through, and she could see him again. Shining Armor, not just his body but his very heart, standing atop a mountain, the sun itself resting on his shoulders. Canterlot, Equestria, Celestia, Twilight, all standing directly on his back. There were others, too. Intelligentsia, Arctic Snow, dozens, hundreds, maybe even thousands of other ponies in the Guard and in his life. Yet despite all of that, despite all the weight of the sun and moon and world, there he stood. Tall. Confident. Strong. Even now, the assault being put upon him was being gathered up and placed among the other burdens with ease, grace, and loving care, and all the while he stood there unyielding, unflinching to the terrible weight on his back. So strong was this stallion that he, without wings, could soar to the top of the mountain to meet her. In that instant, that blissful moment of his heart laid bare, she understood. Then, her magic ran out. Light, thunder, and sharp, driving pain exploded at the tip of her horn, the detonation sending her flying back towards the peak of the mountain, tumbling limply in the snow. “Cadence!” She could hear her name being called from someplace far, far away. A pony shouting from the bottom of the mountain, perhaps. She couldn’t see them; all that was in her vision was the moon and its soft, gentle light. “Cadence!” Her horn’s searing pain bored into her skull, feeling as though it was ready to split open. Little sparks danced on it, lingering magic reacting to the ambient particles of power tossed into the air from the fight. “Cadence! Say something!” Her vision jostled a bit, back and forth. She might’ve been moving somehow. Was she being shaken? The only way she could tell that was from the stars she could see in the sky. They were moving in pairs and getting bigger. “Cadence! No, please, don’t fall asleep! Please, Cadence! Medic! Somepony get me a Celestia-damned medic!” He screamed out to the stars, and they heard him. She couldn’t feel much, but she could taste the snow and dirt under her and hear that same distant, faraway voice calling her name. Or what she thought might be her name. “Stay with me, Cadence. Stay with me. It’ll be okay. Just stay with me.” The night started to get much, much darker. Had the moon vanished? “Cadence! No! Nononononononononnonono! Cadence! Cadence!” Then, it got very bright. She could see him again, shining in the sky… “Cadence!” Limbs. Cadence had limbs. Six of them—if her body was telling the truth. Each of them was twitching ever so slightly while she stirred from her slumber. She couldn’t see yet, but her body was saying it was somewhere familiar. She moved each leg and wing, one by one, feeling the cloth covering her. By the time her eyes finally opened, she knew she was back in her bed in her chambers. More importantly, though, were the two eyes staring at her. “Hey, welcome back.” Shining gave her a little smile under his tired eyes. “You really scared me.” A weak smile passed over Cadence’s lips. “Hey, Shiny. Are you okay?” “Says the mare that overextended her wellspring.” He chuckled. “I’d say it’s more important to know if you’re okay.” Cadence relaxed into the pillow with a little smirk. “Well, I’m in my chambers instead of the hospital, so you tell me, Shiny.” His smile warmed her more than the covers could ever hope to. “Yeah, our little fight got the attention of the patrols overhead. They brought up some unicorn medics, and they healed you some right away to prevent anything serious. Their testimony kept me out of the dungeon, too.” “So you’re okay?” “Well, I’m crazy tired, but outside of that, yes, I’m fine.” He leaned over a tiny bit, pulling the quilt over her shoulders. “You need your rest even more than me, though, so go back to sleep.” She shook her head. “No. No, we need to talk.” “I was afraid you’d say that,” he said with a sigh. “I’ll go first then. I’m—” “I’m sorry, Shining.” Shining stared at her, blinking, but she had to press forward. “I’m sorry for trying to take away your pain without your permission. I didn’t realize how much your burdens and how you handle them define you. You don’t just protect others. You take the weight on their shoulders away and put it on your own. All I could feel was how much that was crushing you. I was foalish to think that I could heal you with mere magic, and I was woefully unprepared for just how much you truly carry.” Shining had long since closed his eyes, and Cadence’s heart raced in anticipation of his reaction. “I won’t try to use my power to heal you like that without your permission anymore.” “Thank you.” He exhaled. “Though, I need to apologize too. When I dated those other mares, I trusted them with my heart. I didn’t know them anywhere near as long as I’ve known you, and still I rejected you out of hoof. That’d be a high crime even if you weren’t a princess. You are the last mare I should ever have doubts about. I’m sorry, Cadence. For everything.” “I accept your apology even though it isn’t needed.” Cadence wiped a tear from her eye then lurched forward as her lungs coughed and wheezed involuntarily. “Hey, hey, easy now.” He stroked her back in between her wings, his heavy hoof a hint to his own exhaustion. Shining’s voice helped her get slightly better control over herself. Her shoulders and chest still ached, but the coughing stopped. A condensation-covered sports bottle hovered in front of her. “Drink some of this juice, slowly, but don’t use your magic,” he said, leaning over her. “Doctor’s orders.” She put her head under the bottle and let Shining’s magic do the rest of the work. A fluid that tasted suspiciously like orange juice mixed with medicine poured into her mouth, bringing sweet relief but forcing her tongue to recoil from the taste. It didn’t take long for her thirst to be sated enough to let her stop drinking. “Ugh, that was terrible.” She wiped her lips with a foreleg. “How long was I out?” Shining looked over at the clock on her nightstand. “About thirty-six hours, give or take.” She groaned and let herself flop back down on the pillows. “I feel like a chariot ran over me.” “Hey, you’re doing better than I did! When I blew out my horn like that a few years back, I was out for a week!” It was a great comfort to see Shining smile even if she could tell it was forced. There’s no way anypony could smile like that genuinely with such huge bags under their eyes, although she had a feeling hers were nearly as bad. “I’m just glad you were here when I woke up. That really helps.” “Hey, it’s what I do. I couldn’t not be here when you opened your eyes.” A connection flared in Cadence’s mind. It’s what he does. “Shining, how long have you been watching over me?” “Hmm? Oh, since you got here.” Cadence’s eyes went wide, and she pored over his expression and the memory of his voice. Nothing… None of his tells… He’s telling the truth… She struggled to her hooves again. “All this time… you stayed here? With me?” “Yeah. It’s no big deal.” “It is a big de—” She slipped off the side of her bed trying to get out, Shining’s magic catching her in just the nick of time. “Easy now, you’re still weak. And I’m fine. I once had to guard Princess Celestia for three days straight. If I can do that on the go in Gryphon territory, I can guard you in one spot.” Cadence’s legs shook, and her heart pounded from the sudden exertion. She wanted to crawl back in bed but fought against the urge. If Shining did all that for me… With a slight push, she pulled herself the rest of the way out of the bed and landed in a sitting position next to him. “Have you even had a break? Gotten anything to eat?” “Of course!” Cadence looked at him, raising one of her eyebrows. Shining laughed a little, fidgeting. “You can still read me like a book, I guess.” “Yeah. Come on, get up.” She grabbed his foreleg and tried to get him to stand by pushing on his chest. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” “No arguing.” She pushed up hard on his chest, trying to force him to stand. It worked for a split second, but his rear legs just flopped back down, followed by the rest of him. She sighed at the lump of Royal Guard Captain on the cold marble floor. “You are definitely not alright.” “No, I’m fine.” That almost sounded like it had conviction behind it. Almost. She stared at him a little more. “Honest, I’m okay. My rear legs are just asleep. Really asleep.” He scratched the back of his head. He still looks just like Twilight does when she’s desperately trying to downplay something. “How long, exactly, have you been in that position?” “About ten…” “Minutes?” “… hours.” And he still squeaks a bit like her too. More masculine-sounding, granted, but still. “Okay, grab onto me.” She turned around and sat right in front of him, facing away. “What? No, Princess, I’m supposed to be watching you. I can’t let you carry me!” She rolled her eyes even though she knew he couldn’t see it. “First of all, do not call me that anymore. Secondly, I’m not going to carry you like that. Just grab on.” She turned her head so he could see her face. “Trust me.” He swallowed a little then pushed himself forward slowly. Inch by inch, he dragged his sleeping lower half forward and grabbed onto her back with a hug. She took just a moment to relish the feeling of Shining Armor on her back then spread her wings. “Don’t worry about me; just focus on getting your legs to move.” She summoned her pegasus magic and used it to lighten him again, pushing him up with her back. Very slowly, she started walking around her spacious room, flapping her wings very lightly but never taking off. Each hoofstep she made saw Shining struggle a little bit less to keep straight. After several minutes, he was moving easily again. “Heh, we’re like a two-pony conga line.” Cadence smiled at the opening. “Why yes, I would love to dance.” She heard a sound vaguely resembling “What?” escape his lips, but it was far too slow. She had already spun around and had him in a dancing position. She pushed him farther upright with a bit more of her pegasus magic then started to sway back and forth as gently and tenderly as she could. Left, right, left, right. Each motion brought her closer to him until she was finally resting her head on his shoulder. “See, isn’t this nice?” She heard the faintest of sounds fall from his mouth, but his body was speaking to her loud and clear. The shaking was from exhaustion, and the slight stumbles in their dance were from her advances. He still isn’t comfortable with me… “I’m sorry for forcing you on this date. You deserve so much better, and that’s exactly what I want to give you if you let me.” Cadence pulled back just a bit so they could be face to face and looked into those amazing bright blue eyes. “Cadence, you don’t need to—” “Yes I do,” she said, squeezing him. “I have this amazingly strong stallion here in front of me. He takes on so much, including some of my own troubles, and does it in stride. Yet he does so alone, with nopony to truly share the burden. Even when it looks as if he leans on somepony else, it’s a ruse. He always takes on more than his fair share and does so with pride.” Cadence smiled as warmly as she could then leaned in even more. “How can I possibly stand by while he does this, carrying so much weight all on his own, when I can help? How is that right?” She rushed in and pushed her lips against his and let her magic flow, despite the searing, tearing pain in her horn. This time, though, she didn’t try to heal him. She simply told him, with all the power she could muster, exactly what she felt. Books and scrolls and tomes filled Canterlot’s library, but it could not contain all that she had tried to convey with her magic, yet it all boiled down to one simple but impossibly powerful set of three little words: “I love you.” When the kiss finally broke and her magic ceased, she was looking at an unbreathing stallion not yet able to appreciate what she had said. She wrapped her forelegs back around him in another hug, confident he’d understand in a moment, and nuzzled the side of his head. Long moments passed with them like that until she felt teardrops on her back, each one a boulder, a mountain of emotion. Deep down, hiding in the tears, was a small piece of what was arguably Shining’s most precious possession: his burdens. More importantly, she was right there to catch them and share them. “… You promise?” He could have been asking about any number of things. It could have been a promise to not be like the other mares. It could have been a promise that she really loved him. It could have even been a simple promise not to hurt him. What was truly beautiful about it, though, was that they all had the same response. “I promise.” More long moments passed, and all she felt from him was his ever so slight, controlled breaths and more tears. When he finally stirred a little, she let the hug break. Staring back into his shimmering eyes, she motioned her head towards the bed. “Come on.” “What are we—” She hushed him with a hoof placed gently on his lips and led him to the side of the bed. She couldn’t help but smile at the look of sheer terror on his face. “We’re not doing that, silly. But I need more sleep, and you need sleep period. Now, get in.” He looked at the bed and then back at her for confirmation. She waved him on then practically pushed him in and pulled the covers over. With her stallion finally lying down, she gingerly stepped to her door and turned the key with her hooves, locking it. “There. No interruptions.” A little giggle left her lips when she turned around to find Shining now more tired than afraid. She to the other side of the bed and climbed in. When Shining turned over to face her, she couldn’t help but let a giant, goofy grin show itself on her face, seeing as all her restraint was working to stop her from grabbing him and sending a loud, girlish squeal right through his ears. I finally have his attention! “I’m… I’m tired, but…” Cadence put her hoof back up to his lips. “Ssshhh, love. You’re off-duty now, remember? Until Celestia gets back and says otherwise, you’re free. I don’t want you to worry about soldiers or salutes or what the nobility is going to say. Just worry about being with the mare right in front of your eyes.” Though he was on the verge of unconsciousness, she could see those weary blue irises communicate exactly what he wanted to say. She moved in closer so she could be inside his legs. “If you forget, I’ll remind you and forgive you. As many times as it takes.” With the burdens finally settled, he drifted off to sleep. “Dream well, my stallion. You aren’t alone anymore.” Author's Note This story is a Valentine’s Day gift to my very special somepony, Violet. I love you with all my heart. You are my Cadence. I wouldn’t be able to have done any of this without you, my beloved wife. To all the readers, thank you for reading my silly little words. I know that the comics have already explored this idea, but I started this Rites of Ascension side-story well more than a year ago, and the Rites Universe ignores season three and later anyway. (I started writing Rites way before any season three info was available. Since it’s about Twilight becoming an alicorn and because of how it’s all structured, Cadence could not be an alicorn as well.) For new readers to the ‘verse, want to know more about Rites of Ascension? Here’s a link to the main story! I also have a darker side story featuring Rarity called “Designing Intrigue.” I even have a silly set of skits I’m writing to expand on the AU even more, which is located here. There’s even a group for all the stories in the ‘verse, which you can find here. I hope you enjoyed Love and Barriers enough to read more of my stories! Also, please feel free to let me know what you think of the story in the comments! I love reading comments, even if all they are is an "I like this!" :) Thanks everyone! -Cv
