Shining Armor fidgeted nervously as he took in the atmosphere of the restaurant. It was a small, unassuming little bistro across from one of Canterlot’s parks. The décor was simple, modern, with a touch of elegance. Black and white photographs hung on the wood-paneled walls. The lights had all been dimmed, and each table was illuminated by candlelight, creating an intimate setting. The subtle quip towards the holiday did not go unnoticed by the unicorn, nor by the lovely alicorn seated directly across from him.
Cadence had picked the restaurant out herself. Shining had never been here before, but she had known it well enough to guide him through the city streets from memory. Now he could see her intentions for choosing this location. The building seated only a hoofful of ponies at a time, keeping the chatter to a minimum. Somepony was playing the piano in the corner, creating the mood for the patrons.
He had been expecting this to be a date, but now that he was actually in the moment, the gravity of the situation felt like it was smothering him.
From across the table, Cadence stared at him, resting her cheek on a hoof. She looked like she was trying to read his mind. It put Shining a little on edge. The silence between them had gone on since they’d left the tavern. He didn’t know what to say, or what to do, but apparently she had something planned out. He didn’t like not being in the loop.
“Soooooo…” Shining Armor started, rapping his hooves gently against the tablecloth, desperate for conversation, or anything but the quiet. “This is nice.”
Cadence smiled softly at him. “It’s my favorite place to eat in the city. They haven’t been here long, but the food is delicious. And it’s quiet, and cozy. It feels more personal... intimate, even.”
“That’s for sure…” murmured Shining, mostly to himself as he looked around the dimly lit building. Thanks to the lack of light, his gaze was always brought back to Cadence’s face, illuminated by the warm, flickering candlelight. His mind worked swiftly to try and take everything in. The sounds, the scents, the way the candles lit her face... He swallowed hard. It was impossible to escape her now.
“Is something wrong?” she asked gently, her eyes never leaving his.
“No! No, I just kinda… wasn’t expecting this at all,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck timidly while giving a nervous smile. “I was just being friendly before. I didn’t really mean any offense or anything.”
Cadence giggled softly, her eyes brightening as she smiled. “So am I not allowed to be friendly back? And let’s be honest, Shine—you didn’t mean nothing by it.”
Shining Armor’s heart stopped beating. He felt a cold chill run down his spine, even though he was sweating bullets now. It suddenly felt like the Guard was interrogating him about a crime. But he had nothing to hide. Actually, scratch that, he did. But it sounded like Cadence already had his number.
“I… I don’t know what you mean by that,” he lied badly, still smiling awkwardly to try and save some face.
The expression the princess wore was the picture-perfect definition of deadpan. “Come on, Shining. Be honest with me. I know how you feel. It's written all over your face.”
He swallowed again. “It is?” His voice squeaked a little more than he would have liked as he reached for his drink.
“I read your card. I have your flower. All the history between us, I’d have to be blind to not see it,” she listed off.
Shining Armor nonchalantly sipped at his water, staring off sideways into space and keeping his head low.
“And I have your letter.”
That statement caused him to spit half a mouthful of water across his own lap, coughing and sputtering as he recovered.
“T-That’s not my letter!” he quickly objected, raising a hoof in defense.
Cadence laughed and grinned at him. “I know. I couldn’t resist riling you up though.”
Shining Armor was speechless. She knew he didn’t write whatever was on that letter? But… then why were they here? The princess held up a hoof to stop him as he began to voice his own mental pondering.
“I can’t just want to spend time with you? Like how we used to?”
Once again, her words stopped the pony dead in his tracks. He didn’t know what to say to that. He felt confused, like he was being spun around and played in a game. What was going on?
“You’re always so busy since you became the Captain of the Guard,” said Cadence with a sigh. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m very proud of you. But I miss the days when I would foalsit Twilight, and we’d all go out on a picnic, or to the carnivals in town, or wander around the gardens. I miss just being with you.”
Shining Armor’s heart leapt up into his throat. His smile went from awkward and nervous to genuinely happy as it widened across his visage.
“I missed just hanging out with you too!” he replied, almost too eagerly. “I’ve just been so busy, and nervous about this job, and I’ve got all these responsibilities with reorganizing the Guard, and signing these bills into action, and—”
Shining only stopped rambling when he felt a gentle pressure against his lips. He blinked in surprise. A pink hoof gently held his mouth shut. Cadence had leaned across the table to shut him up, and was now smiling while trying to hold back another laugh. Clearly his anxious behavior was amusing to her. At least she thought it was.
“I understand,” was all she said, and sat back down. “I’ve been busy too. But now I’m back home, and I’ll be here for a while. I’d like to catch up with you again after all this time.”
“I’d like that,” Shining Armor agreed with a nod. Their food arrived at that moment, and both ponies were quiet for a little while as they enjoyed their meal.
“I was worried about you.” It was Shining Armor who broke the silence first. Cadence looked up as he spoke. “When you were away, wherever you were. I never stopped worrying, wondering if you were okay, safe… happy. I kept waiting to hear that you were coming back home, and waiting to see when you’d get off that train.
“That day, at the station, I wasn’t worried about myself. I was scared for you. I knew you were coming home then, and I knew what you were walking into. I was scared you were going to get hurt, and I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t protect you. And I swore to myself I wouldn’t let that happen again.”
Cadence folded her hooves across the table and leaned closer towards Shining Armor, giving him an intrigued look, and a delicate smirk. “Are you going to protect me, my knight in Shining Armor?”
The stallion’s breath was stolen, but his words were adamant. “I will, my princess.”
Cadence batted her eyelashes at the dazed pony, and then laughed out loud at the way his eyes widened and he stopped breathing. Shining took a deep breath, feeling like his heart was about to burst out of his chest.
“Do you remember the first time you tried to give me flowers for Hearts and Hooves Day?” asked Cadence, grinning from ear to ear at her companion. “It was right before you left for basic training. And Twilight thought they were for her! You were so shocked, you just froze up and turned bright red… like that!”
Shining Armor was suddenly very aware of how hot his face felt. The rush of color to his cheeks didn’t cease, and all he could do was laugh and smile bashfully. “You still remember that? Aw jeez… as if today wasn’t embarrassing enough.”
“I thought it was cute.”
For a third time that night, Cadence’s words left Shining speechless. He just chuckled and rubbed his neck again. His body felt like it was on fire. Was this really happening? Was it a dream, and he was going to wake up at any moment?
“Well, I thought you were cute,” he remarked, deciding to play her game.
Cadence blinked in surprise. “’Were’? You mean I’m not cute anymore?”
He was very taken aback by how hurt Cadence suddenly looked, and instantly he felt the ground giving way beneath his hooves. Red alert! Back up! Redo!
“Wha— N-No! That’s not what I meant! You’re still cute! And pretty! Very pretty! You're beautiful! I just meant—” he tried to recover quickly, stuttering his words a bit when he noticed Cadence’s lips twitch, fighting a smirk. And then he caught on. “You tricked me.”
“Gotcha,” Cadence hummed, winking at the flustered stallion. “Not like I couldn’t tell already. It’s still nice hearing it from your lips, Shiny.”
Shining Armor groaned and buried his face in his hooves. Hearing his old foalhood nickname Cadence had given him once upon a time had embarrassed him back then, but it seemed the years hadn’t changed that effect at all. A soft, musical laugh rang in his ears again, making his heart skip a beat. Why did she have to have such power over his emotions like that?
It felt wonderful…
“You know Fleet wrote that letter,” he said after a moment, looking up at her again from over his hooves, trying to read the expression in her gaze. “So why didn’t you call him out on it? Why play this game with him and go out with me?”
Cadence finished the last bite of her dinner and took a sip of her water. “I already told you, Shine. It’s fun watching you two get riled up. Plus it gives him some time to prepare.”
Shining cocked his head to the side. “Prepare what?”
“Anything,” she said with a shrug. “A speech, a confession, a moment, an excuse… whatever he wants. I really want to see what he’ll do in this situation. And I just wanted to be with you again, like I said.”
“But we could have done this any night. Why tonight? Why right now?”
“Because you like me,” Cadence stated very matter-of-factly, taking another casual drink while the cheeks of the stallion across from her turned a very becoming shade of pink. “Oh, don’t blush! You knew I knew it. That’s why you made the first move. I thought it was very brave, actually. And sweet. I really appreciated it. So I’m giving you what you wanted tonight. As long as you just be honest with me.”
He nodded, slowly. Honest. He knew what she was looking for. It was the truth she knew, that he had tried hiding. Actually, he didn’t try to hide it. He wanted her to know. That had been the whole intention of today.
“Alright… I like you, Cadence,” he said in open admittance, no longer afraid of saying what had been on his mind and heart for years. “I really like you. Like, really really like you. But yeah, you knew that. I guess you wouldn’t be the Princess of Love if you didn’t!”
Cadence laughed along with Shining, beaming happily. “See? That wasn’t so bad! And I think that was very courageous of you. I find that attractive in a stallion.”
Behind his hooves, Shining Armor smiled. “Thank you, Cadence. I’m glad I got caught then! We should do this more often.”
“I think we will,” agreed the mare, resting a hoof over his and smiling alluringly at him. “But right now, I have to go ruffle a certain pegasus' feathers a little more.”
“Go,” he urged her, already amused just thinking what she had planned for poor Fleethoof. “I’ll take care of dinner.”
Cadence blinked a couple of times. “Are you sure? I did offer to take you out.”
“Not anymore. Like you said before, knight in shining armor.” The stallion smiled at her. “I’ve got this. You go and scare Fleet. The poor guy’s probably molting out of fear by now anyway!”
The mental image made Cadence laugh as she stood up.
“Thank you for dinner, Shining Armor,” she purred softly, running a hoof across his shoulder.
She dipped her head down and kissed him softly on the cheek. Shining felt a fire start under his skin again, and smiled this time instead of hiding. And then he felt her hoof under his chin, turning his face towards hers. He felt a soft pair of lips against his own, and Shining Armor melted. Intense sensations of longing burst through the stallion's mind, almost toppling him over on the spot. The tender kiss lasted for an all-too brief moment to him, and then she was gone again, leaving the stallion slightly turned and inclined toward her, blinking in confusion and shock.
“Happy Hearts and Hooves Day,” Cadence said with a smile. “Goodnight, Shiny.”
Shining Armor’s whole face felt hot, numb, and tingly. His heart was beating so fast he almost couldn’t feel it, like his mind wasn’t registering it. Actually, his brain wasn’t registering anything right now. All he could do was watch as Cadence walked out of the restaurant, counting every step she took out the door, watching the way she glided across the floor and the way she moved. His lips burned with the memory of the kiss, and all he could think of was how it came and went too fast for his liking. He tried desperately to commit every detail to memory, already looking forward to the future.
“Goodnight, Mi Amore…” he whispered after her, a slow, wide smile creeping across the happy stallion’s face.
This had been the best Hearts and Hooves Day ever.