//------------------------------// // "... I'll remind you, and forgive you..." // Story: Love and Barriers // by CvBrony //------------------------------// 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.