13. Make Me a Seal Upon Your Heart
Seated comfortably on a plush red couch in the Royal Suite, Cadence hummed to herself, idly glancing through her agenda while Tourmaline set about polishing her regalia after a long day of court. Her eyes narrowed, gaze locking onto the back of the crystal pony’s teal mane.
Nothing.
No matter how hard she stared, no matter how her eyes bored into the back of Tourmaline’s head, the cheeky little mare just wouldn’t tell her the details of her date with Stout Heart.
“Oh, it wasn’t a date,” Tourmaline had claimed. “We just had a friendly dinner and talked. He was nice—I think he was even more nervous than I was at first, kept stumbling over himself whenever he talked. Oh! He dropped his cup the first time I made a joke! It was so funny! His cheeks went the cutest shade of pink…”
Other than that, nothing. Just a smile, a merry little twinkle in her eyes, and that song she kept humming—that blasted song! It was an old crystal pony song, from the days before Sombra’s rise to power, when the last Imperial Crystal Princess reigned over the entirety of the Great Northern Lands.
Nowadays, it was nothing but a reminder of the Empire’s former beauty; a reminder to the denizens of the last city that they had shone as brightly as the sun.
And Tourmaline wouldn’t stop humming it.
Not a date my cutie mark! Cadence huffed. That mare was utterly giddy about something! And, by Celestia’s pinions, she was going to get every little detail out of Tourmaline if she had to tickle it out of her!
The little mare was almost finished, just polishing up the last of Cadence’s horseshoes before she was off duty for the day. Off duty, and off to whatever little plans she had.
Cadence had a sneaking suspicion that those plans involved another dinner with a certain guardpony. But without confirmation, she couldn’t very well help.
Clearly, a bit of finesse was in order.
With a huff, she rolled her eyes. “Are you going to tell me, or shall I start begging?”
“Could you?” Tourmaline turned and fluttered her eyelashes. “It’d be oh so fun to tell Prism all about how I got the Princess herself to pout and beg and whine like a little filly all over a little dinner I had with my good friend, Stout Heart!”
“A dinner I helped make possible, you cheeky little thing!” Cadence whined, kicking her hooves against the cushions like a filly, much to Tourmaline’s amusement. “Oooh! I could have you punished for this, Tourmie! I’m quite sure this is against the mare code!”
Giggling, Tourmaline turned back to her polishing. “I’m not exactly sure what this ‘mare code’ you’re talking about is, but I’m pretty sure you can’t just punish me for keeping a little secret of my own!”
With a flap of her wings, Cadence shot up, landing nimbly on her hooves. “I just might make it one!” she cried, jabbing a hoof at Tourmaline. “In fact, I have the perfect one in mind! A full day of sitting with me in Court, doing nothing but boring paperwork from dawn ’till dusk! No jokes, no shenanigans, all business!”
The pair stared each other down, neither budged as they waged a silent battle of wills. Slowly, the corners of their mouths twitched, curving upward into silly grins as they broke down into fits of giggles.
“Hehe—And thus begins the formation of the Mare Code Enforcement Squad! Oh, please make that an actual thing!” Tourmaline dropped the cloth, leaning against the counter to support herself. “And make sure I’m there when you tell Prince Armor! The look on his face will be worth everything!”
Cadence fell back onto the couch, laying flat on her back and holding her sides. Words utterly failed her; she could already see the way his brows would furrow, how his mouth would set into a thin line just before he’d close his eyes, sigh, and groan something to the tune of “Mares.”
Naturally, he’d get a little ear tweak for his troubles, even if he had a point in how silly she was being.
Inhaling deeply, she rolled over to lay on her stomach. Cadence fixed Tourmaline with a mock glare, a smirk graced her muzzle. “Don’t think that little giggle fit got you out of trouble with me, missy—even if Shiny’s reaction would be pure gold!”
“Curses!” Tourmaline cried, shaking a hoof in the air as though cursing the stroke of fate. “Foiled again by my fair Crystal Princess!”
So dramatic. Cadence rolled her eyes, snorting at her friend’s eccentricities. “Yes, yes, you’ve been caught. Now, details, missy! Or I call in Private Stout Heart—“ she nodded toward the door to the hallway, and gave a meaningful waggle of her eyebrows “—and the three of us have a little chat!”
Those teal eyes went as wide as dinner plates. Tourmaline froze in place, her hoof still held aloft as though posing for a play and her jaw slack. Slowly, she lowered her hoof to the floor, pinning her ears back. “You wouldn’t…”
Rather than reply verbally, Cadence simply steepled her hooves and tilted her head forward. She raised a single eyebrow, her smirk growing into a full, sharklike grin.
No mercy, no escape. Giving a low whine, Tourmaline flopped into the loveseat across from her. “Fiiiiine!” She kicked her hooves like a little filly being forced to wait to open presents on Hearth’s Warming Day. With a huff, she crossed her hooves over her barrel and forced a frown, her eyes twinkling in spite of her efforts to look put out. “But I won’t like it!”
“Oh, yes you will! Now, tell me, what happened at dinner? I assume it went well given your little chat with him in the hallway a couple days ago.”
“You saw that?”
“Shiny and I were right down the hall, you silly little filly! By my Auntie’s crown, you can be so oblivious!” She tutted. “So? Out with it! He seemed rather taken with whatever little joke you two shared!”
Tourmaline’s cheeks flushed a deep red, a sheepish grin crept across her muzzle as she ducked her head. “Er, well, that’s part of what happened at dinner. You remember how you told me to just be myself and not get nervous and overdo things, right?”
“Right.” Cadence nodded. “You were worried that he might say no and that—oh! Oh, Tourmie.” She cringed, implications flitting through her head. “What happened?”
Reaching up to rub at the back of her sparkling mane, Tourmaline giggled. “Well, after I ‘ran into him’, we got to talking to each other; he started asking how I’d been doing and how I enjoyed working as your hoof maiden. Just small talk at first, nothing big… until I got nervous and started playing everything for laughs.”
Cadence pulled at her ears. “Darn it, Tourmie! I told you not to do that!”
“I couldn’t help it! I was nervous, he was being nice, and he laughed when I made that joke in front of Valiance about your, um, hips.” She coughed, her eyes darting to look at anything but Cadence. “You’re not still mad about that, right?”
“No, of course not, Tourmie! I can take a little joke here and there!” Cadence’s ear flicked. She made sure to take note of that, something she’d be sure to pay Tourmaline back for someday. Perhaps when she and Stout made it to the dating stage. Oh yes. Vengeance would be sweet. “Go on.”
Fortunately, Tourmaline either missed it or simply paid it no mind. “I just kept making little jokes, he’d laugh, or, if I said something a bit dated, he’d just snicker and explain the modern slang or I’d have to help him figure it out so he could teach me—there’s still a few little things, you know.”
“Of course, of course. So, you two had fun? And where does the—“ she waved a hoof toward Tourmaline “—cute little blush on your cheeks come into play?”
Ducking her head, the little mare shifted in place. She buried her head in her hooves and whined. “Oh, by the Crystal Heart! This is so embarrassing! You have to promise not to tell anypony!” Her head shot up and she jabbed a hoof in Cadence’s direction. “Not even Prince Armor!”
Cadence nodded and held up a hoof. “May my feathers be plucked and my wings fall off! I won’t tell anypony.”
Tourmaline narrowed her eyes, searching Cadence’s a moment, then nodded. “Well, after a few jokes, I started getting a bit more comfortable, but I needed something to help calm down. So, I thought I’d just take a trip to the bathroom to wash my face. But one of the waiters was walking by, carrying a tray of drinks and… well…” She shrugged, a sheepish smile graced her muzzle, then spread her hooves wide, as if she were an illusionist after a successful trick. “Clumsy Tourmie struck again!”
A snort of laughter broke free from Cadence. She brought a hoof up to cover her eyes. Oh, no. Not clumsy Tourmie. The near juggling act she’d been treated to when startling Tourmaline, and several instances of dropping baskets full of Shining Armor’s fancier attire during her first few months of service flitted to the forefront of Cadence’s mind. “What did you do?”
“I, er, ended up taking an early shower because of it. Ruined my mane and made the makeup run down my cheeks. Oh, I looked so ridiculous! I wanted to just dig a hole and bury myself!” The very tips of her ears had turned a rosy red.
Cadence’s wings slumped. She made to stand, to go to her friend’s side and offer comfort, but stopped short. The tiny smile she caught on Tourmaline’s muzzle, the way she clasped her hooves together and swished her sparkling tail hinted at something a bit more.
What did you do to my playful little hoofmaiden, Stout Heart? She mused, resting her head on a hoof. “Go on.”
“Stouty just stood right up and levitated a few napkins over to help dry me off! And then—“ Tourmaline broke into a fit of giggles “—when he got most of it away from my eyes, he just leaned in and whispered, ‘I did the same thing last week, in front of all the officers. But I didn’t look nearly as pretty after I cleaned up and they stopped laughing’!” She gave a tiny little squeal at the end, her tail swishing back and forth.
Cadence clapped her hooves together. “That’s great, Tourmie!” She gave her wings a happy little flap, ruffling her feathers up. How fortunate that Stout could mix a bit of humor with a kind gesture, something shared with Tourmaline.
The wheels in her head began to turn. Fortunate though it was, for Stout Heart it was quite a bold move. I wonder what Honey might make of this—oh, shoot! I can’t tell her! Cadence tutted, tapping her hoof against the cushion. Oh well. Their happiness was more important than making the pair blush in front of everypony. Besides, if things progressed, it would be a cute memory for both.
If they just stayed friends, it was still a cute memory. Either way, a win.
Still, there was one point of interest that she just had to address. “Stouty, eh?” she purred. “Giving cutesy nicknames already?”
Tourmaline aimed a heated glare at her, flinching toward the pillow in the loveseat as if readying to throw it. “Oh, hush, you!” she snapped. “He’s heard you calling me ‘Tourmie’ so often that he uses it instead of Tourmaline, because it’s too much of a mouthful, so I get to call him ‘Stouty’!”
“I’m sure he’s happy with that! Just think, soon you’ll be calling him your Stouty, telling everypony about how the two of you came together over a bit of ‘happenstance’ and a sudden bout of clumsiness turned into a joke before—“ Cadence stopped just long enough to light up her horn and catch the pillow thrown her way, letting it hover lazily over to her. “Why thank you! I was hoping to lay down, but I get these little pains in my neck…”
“You do not!” Tourmaline shot back; a tiny smile betrayed the glare she was trying so desperately to maintain. “And no amount of teasing is going to ruin this for me, Princess! Dinner with Stouty later on is far more powerful than your little quips!”
Game, set, and match! Cadence sat up straight, grinning triumphantly. “Aha! I knew you were humming about something!”
Tourmaline’s eyes widened in horror. “Wait—shoot! No! Forget I said that!”
“Oho, no you don’t!” Cadence crowed, lighting up her horn to catch Tourmaline in a magical field. The little mare squeaked as she was floated over to the couch, flailing her hooves as she was dropped next to Cadence and quickly swept up in powerful wings and hooves. “I knew you were hiding something, you cheeky little thing! Where is it? When is it? Details, details, details!”
Somepony cleared their throat. Cadence flicked her ear toward the door, shifting her gaze away from Tourmaline.
Prism Shine stood in the doorway, her clipboard in her saddlebag and an eyebrow raised. “Princess, Tourmaline, do I even want to know?”
“Oh, good evening, Prism! Tourmie and I were just discussing her little night out with Stout Heart!” She smiled as she loosened her grip on Tourmaline. “Isn’t that right, dear?”
A beat of silence. Cadence raised an eyebrow and glanced to Tourmaline, just managing to catch the little mare mouthing something to her sister. She pursed her lips, bumping her shoulder against Tourmaline’s to get her attention. “Tourmie?”
She squeaked. “Y-Yes! I was just telling Our Princess that Stout and I—“
“You mean Stouty.” Both Cadence and Prism said in unison, sharing a little giggle at her expense.
“Prism—Princess—Oooh!—Both of you, hush!” Her cheeks flushed red again. “I was just telling her that we had dinner and that he was really nice!”
Cadence pointed an accusatory hoof her way. “And then, you told me that little nickname you have for him! Come, now, Tourmie, you can’t expect me to let that go!”
Before Tourmaline could offer retort, Prism cleared her throat again, stepping closer to the pair. “That’s certainly funny in and of itself, you won’t hear me complaining about Tourmie getting a little taste of her own medicine—she does bring it upon herself.” She smiled, pointedly ignoring the heated glare her sister aimed her way. Reaching a hoof into her saddlebag, Prism pulled out a pair of envelopes. “These came through post for you; they bear Princess Twilight Sparkle’s cutie mark on the seal.”
“Oh?” Cadence’s ears perked up; she swished her tail happily. Placing both hooves on the cushion, she took the letters in her magic and floated them over to hover before her muzzle.
Sure enough, Twilight’s familiar six-pointed starburst cutie mark was emblazoned on the wax seal. She flipped it over, her smile broadening at the address on the front of the first:
“To Princess Cadence and Prince-Captain Shining Armor
“From Princess Twilight Sparkle (and Spike).”
The second, however, bore only her name; the private response she had requested.
A relieved sigh escaped her lips. Finally! It’s been far too long! Both in terms of personal correspondence, and for the benefit of the Empire’s needs, Twilight’s letters were a long-awaited blessing. Post, even Royal Couriers, seemed to take forever to arrive and the Empire was quite out of range of Spike’s uncanny ability to send and receive letters.
If only there were some way to augment their magic…
Thoughts for another day, of course. Cadence looked up to Prism, beaming and wagging her tail. “Thank you, Prism. I’ve been waiting for her reply for days now. Hopefully, she’s able and willing to aid us in our endeavors. But, perhaps I’ll save that for when Shiny returns. I still have unfinished business with—Tourmaline! You get back here!”
Using Cadence’s quick skimming as a distraction, Tourmaline had seized her chance to slip out from under Cadence’s wings and over the edge of the couch, and was slinking toward the door. She froze for a split second, glancing worriedly over her shoulder before throwing caution to the wind and diving out the door.
“SorryPrincesshavetogogetreadyfordinnerwithStoutybye!” she babbled as she galloped down the hall, her hooves thundering against the crystal floors.
“Shoot!” Cadence stomped a hoof. “I wanted to see what she had planned!”
Prism tutted and shook her head. “Such a pity. But I’m sure you’ll survive in the meantime, Princess.” Her tone, the slight arching of her brow hinted at the sarcasm behind her words.
That would be two cheeky little mares, it seems. Eying Prism up and down, as if surveying her, Cadence hummed to herself. “You know,” she began, her lips curving into a playful smirk, “I do recall Tourmaline saying something about your ‘lack thereof’ in terms of relationships, Prism. If you’ve got so much time to play, I’m sure we could channel that effort into something a bit more constructive for you.”
“I-I think I’ll have to decline the offer, Princess.” She backed away, her ears pinned back and a nervous smile upon her muzzle. “There’s just so much to organize, so little time—I still haven’t organized your meeting schedule for two weeks from now! S-So, why don’t I just go ahead and take care of that!” Without waiting for an answer, Prism gave a hasty bow and scampered after her sister.
Snorting, Cadence shook her head and made her way over to the couch, the pair of letters floating in her magic. What a silly pair, those two, she mused.
With a little hop, she landed on the soft, plush cushion. Wiggling her rump, she settled in and leaned back, reassuming the comfortable position she’d taken before trying to pester Tourmaline.
She set the letter addressed to herself and Shining aside, that could be read when he returned from his office hours. A quick glance to the clock mounted on the wall told her that should be just about any minute.
Always gets off at five, unless something urgent comes up—and he usually sends a memo if that’s the case. A little flicker of doubt rose in the back of her mind; the little voice in her head brought her back to his lie about guard training. She quickly stomped it out. He promised not to do that again, and I suspect he doesn’t want a repeat of that particular discussion.
Shining Armor was, after all, a pony of great habit; even as a foal, once he got in trouble, particularly big trouble, he made sure not to repeat the same mistake again. Twilight Velvet had done a rather wonderful job of making certain that both of her foals were well-behaved, give or take a few lapses.
With a flick of her magic, she sliced open the envelope and pulled the neatly folded letter from within. Each fold precisely a third of the way down the page. She giggled and rolled her eyes. And you wonder why we say that your picture appears next to the word ‘meticulous’ in the dictionary, Twily.
The notion that Twilight just might use an actual ruler to measure out the distance for each fold only served to further Cadence’s amusement as she unfolded the paper.
She barely even had to skim. Four words. The second letter that Twilight sent, just as she asked, was a mere four words.
“Cadence,
“Tell me everything.”
No question of how she was doing, not the slightest hint of the panicking little mare she’d seen only a few scant months ago, as Twilight fretted over where her place as a princess might be.
Just a demand for information.
Cadence could only blink and arch her brow. Quite the role reversal; it used to be me who sat you down and had to calm your nerves before asking you the same.
Again, she really had to marvel at just how much a simple move to Ponyville changed Twilight so much. Well, that and the not-so-simple matter of repeatedly saving Equestria—even at a wedding, for Celestia’s sake.
Thoughts for another day. Cadence refolded and stuffed the letter into the envelope and set it off to the side, tucking it under her thigh. That was for a time when she wasn’t expecting Shining Armor to come striding through the door, ready to toss his armor off and flop onto the couch.
As was his habit whenever he locked himself in the office to deal with paperwork after a long absence. Cadence chuckled, shaking her head at the false hope he’d shown when mentioning that Lighthoof had been left in charge of paperwork. Given Shining’s habitual way of leaving orders and Hoofy’s rather literal interpretations, she could hazard a guess that the Lieutenant had done exactly as ordered: his reports would be written, as per usual, and he’d handle the major things that Shining hadn’t been able to get to while running court.
The rest, however, would likely end up in Shining’s hooves. Which meant that her stallion would be dragging his hooves through the door, grumbling about how he’d make Lieutenant Lighthoof run laps with a rock strapped to his back—or whatever his threat of choice was today—very soon.
On cue, heavy hoof steps echoed into the room, with the telltale scrapping of hoof against crystal floor just inside the suite.
Oh, dear. I didn’t quite mean that literally…
Turning toward the door, Cadence grimaced at the tired visage of her husband. His eyelids hung low, his ears lay flat against his scalp as he kicked the door shut, forgoing his magic entirely.
“Lighthoof is never taking charge of paperwork again,” he groaned. His horn flashed pink, lifting the gilded purple armor so he could slip his head and forelegs through the holes, and free himself from its confines. With his burden lifted, he placed the armor onto the countertop for one of the hoof servants to polish and made his way toward Cadence. “And, for the record, you may want to set a reminder to tell me why it would be a bad idea to tie him to a chair and make him do nothing but paperwork for a week.”
Snorting, Cadence raised a brow. “Because it’d delay the recruits’ training and he could have you court marshaled for misconduct?”
“Ah, I knew there was a reason. Thank you.” Giving another groan, he flopped onto the couch, draping himself over the entirety of the cushion she was sitting on.
“Gee, I wasn’t sitting there already. You big, lazy goof!” With a teasing smile, she leaned down to nuzzle his mane, licking lightly to coax a few stray strands back into place. She inhaled and savored his scent, too long since they’d been together at breakfast that morning. “Long day?”
“Just tiring, really. I had to sign a release form for Glimmer just before I came back. He’s kinda torn on the whole thing, not sure if he’s cut out for it, but he wants to do something for the Empire. I didn’t have much of a choice but to sign it.” If possible, he almost seemed to make his ears lay flatter. He sighed and closed his eyes, letting his chin rest against the couch. “My first drop out of the Imperial Guard.”
Cadence brought a hoof to her mouth. “Wasn’t he the one who had a problem in Shining Square a while back?”
“Yeah, him and Twinkle. And he was one of the ones who I had to rescue from that bear.” Shining folded his hooves over his eyes. “He was clumsy, fidgety, and slow on the uptake at first, but I really thought he was coming along. Just needed a little push in the right direction to get him going.”
“Well, not everypony has the personality for the guard life, sweetie.” She ran a hoof through his mane, her lips forming a small frown. He always took dropouts so hard. “What did you say to him?”
Shrugging, he shifted a hoof so he could look at her out of his right eye. “I told him to take some time and really think on it, figure out what he wanted to do and come see me. If he wants, he can enroll in the next class. Other than a couple slip ups, he was a passable recruit; just needed a guiding hoof and a bit of tending to.” He paused a moment, screwing up his muzzle in thought. “Actually, I read off a progress report to him. It helped ease some of his worries, but he still wants to think it through. I made sure he knew that he wouldn’t be forced into service.”
Cadence inhaled a sharp breath through her nose. The frown fled from her face, chased by a sweet smile.
As much as it bothered him, and though he had the tendency to take those withdraws hard in the privacy of their home, Shining put his feelings aside to consider a young stallion in need of guidance. And in doing so, showed the kind stallion that he could be.
Exactly what they needed, even if it came at the cost of a recruit quitting the program.
She nosed against his cheek, kissing him right next to his ear. “You did the right thing, honey. He has to want it, you and I both know that very well. And, even so, you followed through on what we talked about before, right? At the very least, he’ll probably make passing mention that you didn’t shout or scream or demand that he fall back in line.”
“I know, Cady. Really, I do. Still—“ Shining pushed himself up to a seated position “—There’s only going to be more dropping out, if the pattern from the Royal Guard holds true. And our numbers weren’t that great to begin with.”
Cadence cupped a hoof under his chin, gently turning it to force him to meet her eyes. “Hey. We’re talking about the good things you did, even if it came as a result of something unfortunate. Who knows? Maybe Glimmer will decide that he does want to be a guard and you’ll see him in the next training program, he could join back up soon and still be able to continue on, or, worst case, you lose one recruit and a young stallion manages to figure out what he was really meant to do. As long as he’s happy and as long as the crystal ponies start to see that they don’t need to be afraid, we can afford to have a few drop outs here and there.” She leaned in, pressing her snout against his. “I’m just happy that my Shining Armor proved that he’s the stallion I fell in love with, yet again.”
He snorted, stealing a kiss. No verbal reply, no hesitation.
Just a shared kiss—a moment for them alone. His weight shifted, his hooves began to slide up her side, gently nudging her wings until she willed them to unfurl, allowing him to wrap her in a tight, warm hug. A silent thanks.
And the warmth and love she so craved while they were apart, off on their separate duties.
They drew apart, each smiling warmly. Shining maintained his embrace, holding her close against his chest as he leaned in, nosing against her mane.
Cadence giggled; his breath tickled the back of her neck like the soft brush of downy feathers.
She could feel his lips against her neck, curving into a smirk as he drew in a deep breath through his snout and slowly exhaled. He knew.
“Stop it!” she squealed, pushing her hooves against his broad chest. “That tickles!”
Shining held fast, snorting and brushing his snout against her neck, planting fluffy kisses indiscriminately. “That’s the point, sweetie!” He shifted his weight and pushed forward, toppling both of them over.
Cadence squeaked as she landed flat on her back, with a wickedly grinning Shining Armor leering down at her. “Wait, wait, wait! Time out!” Struggling, she tried to push her hind hooves against his knees to throw him off balance, but he stood strong.
That pesky combat training, learning to balance against an opponent’s efforts to throw him, always proved to be the bane of her existence when he decided to pin her.
And he knew it. Waggling his eyebrows, Shining pressed their snouts together, his breath washing over her face. His lips, a mere hair’s length from her own, curved into a wicked smirk. “Doesn’t work if I brace right!”
“You jerk! Get off of me!”
No matter how she struggled, he held firm. And with the way he’d maneuvered them, one of her wings was already pinned against the couch while the other was blocked off by his left hoof. Even if she tried whacking him with it, she’d only just brush his cheek with the soft purple tips of her feathers.
Inhaling sharply, she puffed out her cheeks and glared up at him. That smirk widened, his eye gleamed with mischievous intent. Stupid combat training! Stupid Shiny catching on way too well! Stupid, stupid smirk!
She needed something to draw his attention, something that he’d be more interested in than tickling her for all she was worth.
A short list, but she did have one advantage. Thinking quickly, Cadence lit up her horn and floated Twilight’s letter to hover in just inches from his eyes. “Look! You and I need to read this! Twily replied.”
Shining paused, glancing at the writing as if to make sure that she wasn’t trying to lie her way out—for she had, several times before, and used his surprise to get the drop on him.
The thought crossed her mind, but she put it on back burner until after they’d read Twilight’s reply. Business first, then fun.
“Pretty quick reply for normal post, wonder if she sent it express mail or something,” he muttered before scooting off of her and allowing her to sit up.
“Royal Courier, you big goof! We don’t mail through normal post. Ever.”
Shining returned her little shot with a bump of his shoulder, one that very nearly sent her sprawling. “Well, excuse me for forgetting!” He stuck his tongue out petulantly. “Some of us grew up using normal post and aren’t quite yet accustomed to all the ins and outs of being a part of royalty now!”
“Well, some of us need to get with the program!” She swiped at his head with her feathers, glaring as he ducked and stuck his tongue out once more. I seem to be dealing with all of the cheeky ponies today. She tore open the envelope and slid out the letter before hovering it between them. “Now, stop your fooling around and read this with me.”
Though she was focused on the letter, Cadence didn’t even need to glance out of the corner of her eye to know that Shining had done one of his playful little eye roles before leaning over to lay his chin on her shoulder. She tilted her head, resting her cheek against his, as they read in silence.
“Dear Cadence and Shining,
“I’m sorry for the gap between our last letters. Things were a little hectic on my end, what with rebuilding Ponyville, trying to get things organized in my new castle, and a couple of incidents where the map has sent us to places to help spread the magic of friendship. The girls and Spike have been helping me through a lot of it, which I’m very much grateful for, but it did take a while for me to really come to terms with everything.
“As for your question on the crystal research, I’d be absolutely delighted to help! Please, feel free to send samples as soon as possible! I’ll go ahead and ask Princess Celestia if she wouldn’t mind sending a few from the catacombs—if you recall, they had some rather unique effects on our magic, making it impossible to teleport out. While it’s not my fondest memory, I feel that it warrants investigation and would serve as an interesting aspect of this project. Perhaps, I can convince Rarity to part with a few gemstones so I can use them for controls.
“Sorry for the little ramble, I’m just so excited! Yes, I’ll begin immediately! Thank you so much for asking! And we definitely need to talk more often! No more communication lapses!
“Shiny, that goes double for you! I will smack you if you forget to tell me something important again! Especially if it has to do with something that literally changes your life!
“Hope you’re both well! Love, Twilight Sparkle.”
Cadence chuckled. “Looks like you’re still in trouble for that mishap with the letter, Shiny!”
“I did send her one! I would never forget to tell her something like that!”
She shook her head. Of course he had. Everypony in the family, and even Twilight’s merry band of friends, had figured out what happened to the original letter.
In a bout of rather unfortunate timing, he’d made the mistake of sending it while Spike was bathing in a pool of lava with a troupe of teenage dragons. Poor Spike looked as though he wanted to crawl into the deepest hole he could find once the realization hit him.
Not even Rainbow Dash had the heart to tease him for that…
Shining nudged her in the ribs, snickering at something. “There’s more,” he said with a grin. “Looks like Spike had a little something to add.”
Quickly turning back to the letter, Cadence raised an eyebrow, an amused smile played upon her lips. He most certainly did.
“P.S. Cadence. Shining. I hate both of you. So much. It took me forever to get her to stop doing that silly prancing and jumping thing she does, where she squeals and babbles ‘Yes’ faster than Pinkie Pie on a sugar rush. Yes, I know that’s an exaggeration, but the point stands. Hope you’re both doing well, otherwise. Even if you two are the reason that I’m currently being asked to help her find each and every book on crystal matrices and magic effects thereof.
“Hope to see you guys again sometime soon. It was a lot of fun last time. Love, Spike”
Cadence stifled her laughter behind a hoof. Oh, dear! Looks like I owe our little dragon friend an apology sometime soon! “We’ll have to send him a few gems to snack on. You know how Twily can get when it comes to her little projects.”
“Don’t I ever.” Shining shook his head. “I still remember that color swap spell she was so eager to try years ago.”
Both shared a theatrical shudder. Shiny just doesn’t look good in my colors. At all. The visage of a tiny Twilight, alternating between hasty apologies and poorly-hidden giggles as she tried to fix her mishap, came to the forefront of her mind. The little filly she so loved watching over. “Well, that aside, I’ll be sure to let the Council know that she’s willing to go through with it at tomorrow’s meeting. They’ll be thrilled.”
“Yeah, no kidding! Twily comes through again, eh?”
Cadence nodded. More than you realize.
“Tell me everything.”
The words were still fresh on her mind. Twilight wanted to know exactly what was wrong, she was probably at home, somewhere between excited for her newest project and worried over whatever might be bothering Cadence.
Tomorrow. Everything would be taken care of tomorrow. The Council would be satisfied, she’d be able to sit down and draft a reply to Lord Alfons, and she’d have a reply ready for Twilight.
Until then, the weight was lifted off her shoulders. She pressed herself against Shining Armor, capturing his lips in a deep kiss and pushing against her hind legs, pushing him off balance and onto his back.
His hooves trailed up her flanks, one stopping to trace the edge of her cutie mark while its brother continued onto her back, slowly making its way to the base of her wing. Cadence let out a shuddering breath as he expertly circled, her lips parted just slightly.
An invitation he took with practiced ease. Shining ran his tongue along her top lip, gently coaxing her to open up and bring hers out to play.
So tempting, but Cadence pulled back abruptly. Her breath came in ragged pants, she licked her lips and gazed down upon him hungrily. Pink and purple tinged feathers ruffled, her wings began to unfurl as she presented herself.
“I love you,” she whispered, slowly leaning down to press her muzzle against his. “ I love you so much.”
His hoof slid around to tug at her thigh, pulling her into a straddling position. “Not as much as I love you.”
She shifted her opposite leg to bring her knee to the cushion. “You have no idea—no idea how wrong you are!” A tiny lick, from his chin to the tip of his snout, punctuated by a soft kiss. “I want us to be a normal couple, I want…”
Cadence’s voice died in her throat. There were just so many things. Life as a normal couple. Happiness together. To grow old with him by her side.
And something else. Something deep rooted in her. The echoing pitter-patter of a younger Twilight’s hooves, the visage of a little filly she all-but helped to raise into the wonderful princess they all looked upon with pride.
As much her little Twily as Shiny’s. Their little sister.
“What is it? What do you want?” Shining’s voice brought her back to earth. The look in his eyes as he pulled himself up, a mixture of hunger and confusion. Almost as though he were willing to go to the ends of Equestria if it meant getting what she asked of him.
Neither were quite ready for what she wanted, no matter how much she wished it to be so.
Someday.
“This,” she whispered huskily. Cadence leaned back and removed her hooves from his shoulders to prop herself up on the cushion. “You. Me. Us. I want more of this—everything we had before the Empire, everything we wanted back then.”
Shining leaned forward with her. He patted her rump, whispering a command, “Roll over.”
With a shuddering breath, she obliged, rolling herself onto her stomach and bracing her weight against her forehooves. A pair of strong legs wrapped around her barrel, Shining’s weight set upon her back.
Visions of younger days flashed through her mind. A pair of careless teenagers sneaking into her suite, a ‘chance’ caller in the night, a young private providing personal escort into her bath. Dreams of a white wedding, a loving husband, and the sound of little hooves running through the halls.
Her Shining Armor. A life together with him. No stress and no Council meddling in his career.
Just a bit of work and she’d have that life, albeit with the caveat of sitting upon the Crystal Throne. Soon enough, they’d both be happy. And someday, whether soon or far, that dream would be reality. Part of a discussion for another day.
A nip to her ear brought her back to reality. Cadence closed her eyes and smiled as she shifted her tail to the side.
All talk, all planning could wait. Tonight, two lovers had business to handle.
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Before lovemaking, better cast a soundproof spell.
Oh lala
Really enjoying this, can't wait to see where it all go's!
6485123
You mustn't forget the preventive spell as well.
6486243 Not if they wanted to have a foal.
All in all, sounds like it wasn't a bad first date.
Not bad, Stout, not bad.
Oooo, and a second date incoming!
I agree with this headcanon.
Woah. Is it hot in here, or was it just that scene at the end of the chapter?
6510088 Arg. I know what happened. It came over when I quick fixes all the spelling in gdocs. Gdi.
6510097
Oh hey, you're responding to me. I didn't notice at first, because cross-chapter replies don't produce notifications. It looks like the spelling fix thing might've undone a lot of Google Docs-related fixes; you might have to look through your chapters again.
6510119 that's irritating. I'll fix it when I get home.
6489845 That is true but I was making a reference to another of ZOMG 's stories 'A Joke Too Far'.
6545041 She wants to hear little hooves on the crystal floor :P
6582878 You have no room to talk! *stares at ToD and ToH*
And yes. Yes they do.
Oh my goodness this was a fun read... Hehehe little hooves.
Ah, finally caught up. This fic's fluffy as hell, but you write such an adorable royal couple that I can't tear myself away.
6630842
pbs.twimg.com/media/A9o6YqvCcAA81v_.png
It occurs to me that Shiny needs an adjutant to handle his paperwork. I wonder if he's thought of giving young Glimmer that job if he isn't qualified for front line or police duty?
Nice headcanon!