//------------------------------//
// Chapter 9: Princess Cadence is in Town! 
// Story: The Marvelous Misadventures of Shining Armor and the CMC 
// by lrft4_san 
//------------------------------//

	Shining Armor had been right, it had been a very long night. From moonlight, to early sunrise, Cadence had remained snuggled up to him, just like she would have been if they were in their own bed back in the Crystal Empire. It wasn’t really the cuddling that had had Shining Armor on edge, it was because every time he shut his eyes, he kept having that same strange dream of Cadence taking him home, still stuck in his filly body, raising him as her own daughter, and dressing him up in pink, frilly dresses. Shining Armor wasn’t usually one to let a bad dream get the better of him, but these nightmares were far too close to being reality for his liking, and it was enough to make the young prince squirm in his wife’s tight embrace, trying to put a little distance between himself and the sleeping mare. Eventually his little filly body had grown too tired, and he had been forced to shut his eyes, and go to sleep, bad dreams or no.

When he awoke bright and early the next morning, he found that he was alone in the room. Was it all a dream, he thought, as he wiped at his groggy eyes, and looked around the room for some sort of sign of Cadence’s presence. Of course, despite all his wishing he knew it hadn’t been (the presence of Cadence’s pink suitcases adorned with blue, crystal hearts was a dead give away). Shining Armor took three deep breaths; he wasn’t about to allow himself to be nervous. If I start freaking out, she might realize that something’s up, Shining Armor thought, as he climbed out of bed, and headed downstairs to join his family for breakfast. Besides, we were able to get through last night alright. As long as I keep up the charade, then I have no reason to worry.

Unlike the Apple family's larger than life meal that he'd had the morning before, breakfast at Twilight's was a much more simple affair; fresh baked blueberry muffins (which Cadence had quite proudly made herself), and idle conversation, most of which was done by Cadence between mouthfuls of food. “So what’s your favorite subject in school, Gleaming Shield?” She would ask, or “what does your father do for work?” Shining Armor was forced to think on his hooves, making up answers as fast as he could, which wasn't really all that difficult for the young stallion, since it was required of most guards to be able to to provide false information under extreme pressure, in case one had to go under cover, or was captured by an enemy, and tortured until they gave up any details that might assist in an invasion. Shining Armor hated having to deceive one of the three ponies whom he had sworn an oath never to lie to, but it was necessary to help keep his identity (and Twilight's mistake) a secret.

Thankfully, Shining Armor was saved from answering much more probing questions when their breakfast was suddenly interrupted by a series of excitedly rapid knocks at the front door.

"It's open," Twilight called, just as the door burst inward, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders came charging into the room.

"Mornin', everypony," Apple Bloom said, as she, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo came to a stop in front of the table, “ya’ll ready to see our school?”

“Of course,” Cadence said, daintily dabbing her face with a napkin, before rising from the table to greet the little fillies. “Now are you three certain that it’s alright that I stop by? I wouldn’t want to impose.”

“Awww, don’t worry about it none, princess.”

“Yeah,” Scootaloo added, “I ran into Miss Cheerilee last night on my way home, and she said yes.” The little pegasus then rubbed the back of her head, and smiled sheepishly. “I mean, she did mutter something about having wasted a whole night of lesson planning, but she said it would be alright if you came in to talk to the class.”

Cadence smiled in delight.

“Wonderful." She then turned to her husband. "Come on, Gleaming Shield, let’s go get ready for school."

Shining Armor nodded, shoved the rest of his muffin into his mouth, and followed Cadence back upstairs, where they spent the better half of an hour making themselves presentable, which included teeth, mane, and tail brushing, and, to Shining Armor's dismay, but his wife's pleasure, the application of makeup. When Cadence was finally happy with their appearances, they joined the Crusaders in the library, bid Twilight a hasty farewell, grabbed their saddlebags, and were out the door, on their way to school.

“Everypony’s going to be so excited to see you, princess,” Sweetie Belle said, as the Crusaders guided Cadence (who trotted along beside their scooter and wagon) down the streets of Ponyville towards the schoolhouse. 

“I certainly hope so,” Cadence chuckled.

“Course they will,” Apple Bloom said, “It’s not everyday that somepony who we’re studyin’ in class comes to our school."

"Well I'm looking forward to meeting everypony."

Shining Armor knew that Cadence was being sincere in her eagerness to meet the other foals, and not just being polite; she genuinely enjoyed working with young fillies and colts. It was the whole reason she became a foalsitter in the first place. And she had loved every minute of it, whether it was playing games, reading stories, or helping them with their homework. Of course, as she grew up, and began to take on more royal duties (especially now that she was ruling an entire empire), she found that she had much less time to spend entertaining the local foals. Shining Armor hid a smile, as he thought about how much of a treat this was going to be for his wife.

"I only wish Shining Armor was here with me," Cadence continued, "I know he would have enjoyed visiting your school as well." 

"I'm sure he might try to make some time when he comes back from Canterlot," Shining Armor said rather calmly.

Cadence looked down at him, and smiled.

"Just as long as he doesn't bore the students with his stories about life as  a Canterlot guard; proper armor polishing techniques, different drills they had to practice, and all that dull stuff."

"I don't do-" Shining Armor froze; he had just been about to give himself away. "I mean, I don't think that sounds all that boring." He looked up to check to see if Cadence had noticed anything, and found that she was still smiling down at him, only now he thought he saw the briefest flash of something in her eyes other than just good cheer; she looked almost darkly elated, like a timber wolf that had just cornered it's prey. However, the second he blinked, it was gone. I'm just imagining things, he told himself, as he turned to face forward in the wagon, feeling his nerves starting to get the better of him.

A little further down the road, they passed a pegasus mare stomping out of Sugarcube Corner with her nose turned to the sky, followed closely by a very apologetic looking unicorn stallion.

"Please, Rainy, don't be mad," the stallion said, as he caught up with his angry companion, "I'm really sorry."

"Breakfast at Sugarcube Corner the day after doesn't make up for the fact that you forgot our anniversary again," Rainy said, without even looking back at the stallion. "If you can't think up a proper way to make it up to me, then you can forget about coming back home today."

"Uh oh," Cadence said, as she stopped, and watched the mare ready her wings for take off. Soft blue magic quickly formed at the tip of the alicorn's horn, taking the shape of a small heart. When the spell was finished, the heart then popped off her horn, split in two, and floated over to the couple, where they spun around the ponies heads, drawing them closer together, until the two halves met and became one, right between them. As the two ponies looked into each others eyes, their faces softening towards one another, and becoming loving smiles, the heart melted away into nothingness.

“I really am sorry, Rainy,” the stallion said, wrapping a foreleg around the mare, and pulling her in close for a hug. “I know I can be a bit forgetful sometimes.”

“No, I’m sorry,” the mare cut in, returning her partner’s embrace, “I might have overreacted a little.”

The two ponies leaned in close, and gently pressed their noses together in a loving manner.

“Tell you what, since we don’t have anything going on this weekend, why don’t we hop on the train and go to Manehatten, maybe take in a Bridleway show?”

Shining Armor saw the mare’s eyes light up, as she tightened her grasp around the stallion’s neck.

“Oh Sandy, I love you. But why wait for this weekend? Let’s go right now!” 

Before the stallion could reply, the mare hooked a foreleg around his, and began leading him down the road.

“Blegh,” Scootaloo gagged, as she, the Crusaders, and Cadence continued on their way towards the school, “I hate mushy stuff.”

“Well I’m glad that things worked themselves out so quickly,” Sweetie Belle said. Then she turned to Cadence, a confused look on her face.  “How did you do that?”

“I’ve always been a bit of a natural when it comes to love spells.”

“Whoa, so you can cast spells that make ponies fall in love?” Apple Bloom asked. “Where were you when we tried to set Miss Cheerilee up with my brother?”

Cadence tried her best to contain a giggle.

“I can’t make ponies fall in love, I can only can take feelings of care and affection that two ponies feel for one another, and temporarily enhance them to help them work past whatever troubles they might be having. A sort of guiding light to remind them of how much they love each other."

Apple Bloom nodded her head to show her understanding, but Shining Armor could tell that she was still a little confused by the whole thing thing.

"Have you ever had to use your magic on your husband?" Sweetie Belle asked. 

Shining Armor's ears twitched, curious to hear what Cadence's answer might be. He couldn't recall any moments of discourse between them, but that didn't mean that there might not have been any; if Cadence had used her magic on him, then it was possible that he could have forgotten any disputes that they might have had.

"Once," Cadence said. Shining Armor's ears flicked again. "The day when the changelings attacked, and not only his fate, but the fate of all of Equestria depended on it was the one, and only time that I've had to use my love magic on my husband."

The changeling attack, Shining Armor thought, hiding a grimace from the others; not noticing his wife being replaced by the queen of the changelings wasn’t exactly one of his finest moments. Even after more than a year had passed, Shining Armor still felt extremely embarrassed about falling for her ruse. Still, he thought trying to look on the bright side, at least I haven’t done anything else to make Cadence use her love magic on me.

“Of course if he ever does anything to anger me, I know a spell or two that’ll set things right; maybe one that’ll make him want to rub my hooves whenever he tells a lie to me.”

Everypony laughed at Cadence’s obvious joke, except for Shining Armor who just shifted uncomfortably in his seat. 

The rest of the trip was made in relative silence, except for the occasional outburst by one of the Crusaders every time they passed something of interest. 

Within a few minutes, they arrived at the school, where fillies and colts were already playing on the playground out front. As they pulled up, all eyes turned towards them, and a wave of silence fell upon the schoolyard. Then an excited buzz filled the air, as the realization that they were in the presence of royalty began to sink in.

"Is that..."

"Oh my gosh, I think it is!"

"How did Miss Cheerilee get the Princess Cadence to come to our school?"

“Quick Silver Spoon, help me fix my hair before she sees how messy my mane is.” 

Cadence took a step towards the small crowd, and the chatter instantly ceased.

"Hello everypony," she said, her voice full of delight, "I am Princess Cadence."

Complete silence filled the schoolyard, nopony wanting the pressure of being the first to address royalty.

"Come now, there's no need to be shy." 

Before anypony could answer, Miss Cheerilee came bounding excitedly out of the schoolhouse. 

"Your highness," she said, bowing her head until her chin was almost touching the ground, "it is an honor to have you join us today. My name is Cheerilee, and these are my students." She lifted her head, and turned to her students, to make sure they were also showing their respect to the princess by bowing as well.

"Oh no, the honor is all mine." Cadence returned the gesture in gratitude. " And I must apologize; I’m sure my being here must be an inconvenience to you, and your lessons.”

“Not at all, princess. After all, what better way is there to learn about the Crystal Empire than by having one of its two rulers come and talk about it.” 

Cheerilee laughed, but Shining Armor suspected that, as Scootaloo had mentioned earlier, she was still a little upset at having to rearrange her lesson schedule. 

“Well then,” Cheerilee added, after a moment of awkward silence, “shall we go inside and start the school day?”

Cadence nodded, then turned to the silent little ponies. 

"It's a pleasure to meet all of you," she said, bowing elegantly.

Maybe it was the tone of pure cheerfulness in her voice, or maybe it was the disarming smile that she gave them, whatever the cause, the spell that had fallen over the little ponies broke, and they all came rushing toward her, talking at once, each one trying to be heard over the other.

"Calm down everypony; there will be plenty of time to ask your questions later. Now why don't we go inside, and I'll tell you all about the Crystal Empire."

The way they all stopped crowding around Cadence, and started rushing into the classroom, it was as if they hadn't already spent the last two days learning about the Empire.

"I don't think I've ever seen them so eager to learn before," Cheerilee said, as she, Cadence, Shining Armor, and the Crusaders followed the stampede of foals into the school. 

And eager they were. As soon as class began, everypony was in their seats, eyes forward, ears perked up, ready to absorb all the knowledge the princess had to pass on.

With the students’ utmost attention, Cadence, decided to start her lesson, with the legend of how the Crystal Empire came to be. It was a story that Shining Armor knew very well, having read it numerous times, when he was looking for a way to fight off King Sombra. Still, he listened to her tale about the young mare who had been traveling with a group of Earth pony refugees during the time of strife between the three races; about how when things began to look bleak, she inspired a sense of hope and unity, which, like in the Hearth’s Warming tale, caused a magical, crystal heart to form, repelling the Windigo’s storm, but then turning the ice and snow around them into solid crystal, which became the foundation of the Crystal Empire. 

The little ponies were entranced by the story, mostly because they were still in shock by the sudden surprise appearance of Princess Cadence, but also in part because they had never heard the story before, as it had yet to make it’s way south of the arctic region that he and his wife now ruled over. Even Cheerilee had listened intently, only looking down to make notes on a sheet of paper, for what Shining Armor assumed would be that night’s homework assignment.

The second Cadence finished her story, hooves shot up excitedly all around the room, each pony hoping that the princess would answer the questions that they had been begging to ask ever since they had laid eyes on her that morning. Some of the questions were thoughtful, and pertinent, such as "what sort of animals can be found in the Crystal Empire," or “how did King Sombra first come to power,” while others were more personal, touching on things like the Queen of the Changelings, and the royal wedding, or (in the case of one particularly giggly little filly) about how love magic worked. It seemed that there was no end to the little ponies’ curiosity. Thankfully Cheerilee interrupted before things got out of hoof to announce that it was time for lunch and recess. Everypony groaned as they got up from their desks; there was still more that they wanted to learn from the princess.

Lucky for them, Cadence was more than happy to continue the lesson outside. For the fillies, she taught them how to weave gems into their manes using a few jewels that she had brought from home to give to Rarity to use in her dresses, and (to his disdain) Shining Armor as a model, all the while regaling the colts with the story about the fall of King Sombra. This is a nightmare, Shining Armor thought, when Cadence finished styling his mane, and all of the little ponies gazed in awe at how it sparkled in the light of Celestia’s sun. Even Snails, whose undivided attention had been focused on Cadence the entire time, looked upon the young prince, his face flushing red. 
When it was time to back inside, Shining Armor tried to return his mane to the way he liked it, but Cadence stopped him.

"Please, keep it like that," she said, as she picked her husband up, and began nuzzling him, "this style is absolutely adorable on you."

I give up, Shining Armor groaned internally, when his wife finally let him go, and ushered him back into the classroom.

The rest of the school day followed the same pattern of Cadence talking about the Crystal Empire, and the students bombarding her with questions faster than she could answer them. When the final bell rang, Cheerilee got out from behind her desk, and thanked Cadence, giving her another bow, before dismissing her students, who were all disappointed that their time with the princess had come to an end.

“Now don’t look so down,” she said, as the foals rose from their desks and began to slowly, begrudgingly, make their way to their cubbies, “I’ll be staying in Ponyville for another week, so there will be plenty of chances for you to ask me questions."

This seemed to cheer everypony up a bit, because the room was suddenly filled with excited chatter again. Fortunately they all seemed to have exhausted their need for knowledge, and just passed by Cadence, some bowing, some waving, and in the case of a couple braver fillies, quickly hugging her, before placing their homework assignments from the other night on their teacher’s desk, and dashing out of the classroom. As Cadence and the Crusaders made to follow them, Cheerilee approached, took Cadence's hoof in hers, and shook it rapidly.

"Thank you so much, princess," she said, bowing once more to the princess, "it was so wonderful of you to take time out of your busy schedule to visit our little school."

"It was my pleasure," Cadence said. "If you ever need any assistance with the rest of your Crystal Empire lesson, I'll be staying with Twilight Sparkle for another week or so, and I would be more than happy to help in any way I can."

"Oh, well, then would you care to stay for a few minutes to look over what I have planned for the rest of the week?"

Cadence shook her head, and smiled apologetically.

"Sorry, but I promised the Crusaders that I'd let them show me around Ponyville this afternoon."

Cheerilee nodded and returned the smile, although it was obvious that she was disappointed in not being able to have some one-on-one time with the princess.

"Alright then. Perhaps I'll stop by sometime over the weekend, if that would be alright with you."

"I'll have to see what Twilight has planned, but I'm sure we'll be able to work something ou-"

"Excuse me, Princess," Apple Bloom interjected. "Ah hate to interrupt, but if we don't leave now, Ah think Sweetie Belle's gonna burst."

She pointed at the little unicorn, who looked to be doing some kind of anxious dance.

"Come on," she said, moving closer to the door, "we're burning daylight."

The adult ponies giggled at the little filly's haste.

"I suppose I should be off." Cadence bowed politely to Cheerilee. "It was really nice to meet you."

"And you as well, princess."

With one last bow, and a wave, Cadence and the Crusaders left the schoolhouse, loaded up their little wagon, and began their journey through Ponyville. 

Their first stop, upon Cadence’s request, was Carousel Boutique so she could give the gems (which were still woven into Shining Armor’s mane), to Rarity. Along the way, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom did their part as tour guides, and pointed out different locations that they passed, such as Mr. Breezy’s Fan Emporium, various food stalls, including the Apple Family’s apple stand, and of course, the Ponyville Clock Tower, which the Crusaders had promised to show Shining Armor his first day there, and had yet to do so until the moment they passed it. 

When they finally reached Carousel Boutique, they found Rarity standing in the door, waving goodbye to an elegant, blonde, pegasus mare, accompanied by a very important looking stallion, with a slicked back, jet black mane, a finely tailored suit, and several dress bags draped across back. As they passed by the couple, Shining Armor noticed the ponies turn their attentions first to the little ponies, then to Princess Cadence, to whom they said a brief, and surprised hello, before taking off down the road, excitedly muttering to each other about who they had just met.

“Oh my stars,” Rarity gasped, as she went into a very deep bow, “Princess Cadence, to what do I owe the pleasure of your presence?”

“Now Rarity,” Cadence said, placing a hoof under the unicorn’s chin, and lifting her head, “there’s no need to bow; we are friends afterall.”

Rarity shook her head.

“Nonsense, darling; you are a princess, and when greeting a princess, one must always remember to bow respectfully, no matter how familiar one is with her.”

The princess just rolled her eyes, and giggled, with Rarity quickly joining in, as if this was some sort of private joke between good friends.

“Oh Rarity it is so wonderful to see you again.”

“And you as well, Cadence. Now what can I do for you darling?”

Cadence looked over at Shining Armor, and waved her hoof, beckoning him over to her.

“I know how much you love using gems in your work, so I thought I would bring you a few crystals from home, for you to use in your dressmaking.” She pointed down at Shining Armor, and Rarity’s eyes lit up like stars when she saw the beautiful multi-colored jewels in his mane.

“Oh-ho, now those are truly exquisite,” she gushed, lifting Shining Armor off the ground to get a better look. “And you look absolutely adorable wearing them.”

Before Shining Armor could squirm away, Rarity hugged him close, all the while giggling uncontrollably, like a filly who had just been given a new doll. In a flash, he was whisked away inside, and plopped down on a pedestal in front of a mirror.

“Just wait right there, Gleaming Shield; I have just the outfit that will go with your wonderful new mane style.” 

Shining Armor didn’t even have a chance to protest; no sooner had Rarity dashed off, then she was back, pulling a sparkling blue evening gown over his head.

“There, now don’t you look stunning?”

Stunning was the last thing Shining Armor wanted to look. Twilight is going to owe me big time, he thought, as the others joined him, no stallion should be forced into a dress against his will… Twice. 

“Hold still for just a moment, Gleaming Shield,” Rarity said, as she rushed over to a trunk and began rummaging around. A few seconds later she returned, a camera floating in a magical aura behind her. “Before I take those gems out of your mane, I simply must take a few pictures of you, just in case genius strikes, and I need to use your look as inspiration.”

There was a sudden flash, and then another, and another, as Rarity walked around Shining Armor, taking pictures from every possible angle. 

“Oooh, oooh, get one with us in it,” Sweetie Belle said, as she dashed to her friend’s side, followed quickly by Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Cadence.

“Yeah,” Apple Bloom said, “since Gleamin’ Shield’s gonna be leavin’ soon, she’ll want to have somethin’ to take home to remember the fun time’s we had together.”

I wouldn’t necessarily call getting turned into a filly, getting into fights with ponies, having colts fall in love with me, and wearing dresses fun, Shining Armor thought, then again… He looked back on his time with the Cutie Mark Crusaders, eating cakes at Sugarcube Corner, playing police filly, telling scary stories around a campfire. I guess it wasn’t all bad.

“Alright, everypony lean in,” Rarity said, standing in front of them, camera at the ready. 

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, who were on either side of Shining Armor, each wrapped a foreleg over his shoulders, as Apple Bloom reclined on the floor in front of them, and Cadence stood in the back.

“Smile.”

As he continued to think on all the fun that he had had with the three little fillies, Shining Armor felt a smile suddenly spread across his face.

“Say cheese.”

“Cheeeeese!” Five voices said in unison. 

Flash!

“Alright, now come on,” Sweetie Belle said, grabbing her friends, and dragging them towards the door, “we need to get going if we want to show Princess Cadence around Ponyville.”

“Hold on just one moment, Sweetie Belle,” Rarity said, setting down her camera, “I’ll need that dress back, and of course those crystals.”

She quickly cast a spell, lifting the dress back over Shining Armor's head, then, to his relief, loosened the loops in his mane, allowing the locks to fall freely, and the gems to become untangled. Shining Armor shook his head, happy to have his mane back to its usual style, albeit slightly curlier than before. 

"Thank you again for the very generous gift," Rarity said, as Sweetie Belle returned to directing the others towards the door, "I promise to put them to very good use." 

"I'm sure that you will," was all Cadence was able to get out, before the door to Carousel Boutique was closed.

"Sorry princess," Sweetie Belle said, as the Crusaders loaded up into their little red wagon, "but there's just so much that we have to show you, and so little time to do it in."

Cadence smiled and nodded.

"Then lead the way little ones."


...


It ended up being a very full afternoon. After leaving the boutique, the Crusaders led Cadence to the town square, where they first stopped by the town hall, which, according to Apple Bloom, had just recently been rebuilt after what she referred to as a “pegasus related incident.” Then they made their way back over to the shops, and stalls which they had passed earlier, making sure to stop by the Apple Family’s stand so Cadence could say hello to Applejack, and sample her wares, which, after finding the product much to her liking, the princess promised she would place a large order to take back to the Crystal Empire with her. 

“This town really is wonderful,” Cadence said, as they left the apple stand, crossing a little bridge into a park where ponies were playing, and chatting happily.

“You really think so?” Apple Bloom asked.

Cadence nodded.

“I do. I mean where else can you find a store that specializes in selling only quills and sofas?” 

“Sometimes I think that place stays in business because Twilight’s always ordering quills in bulk,” Scootaloo joked.

Cadence nodded her head in agreement.

“Twilight did always have a knack for wearing out quills; even as a filly about your age, when I would have to practically drag her away from her books and notes to put her to bed.”

Everypony laughed, even Shining Armor who had since forgotten his dress woes. It felt good being out with Cadence and the Crusaders taking a tour of the town, and joking around, even though he was in disguise. I’ll definitely have to do this again once I finally change back, he thought as he relaxed in the wagon, and gazed up at the sky, watching the clouds as Scootaloo continued to propel them down the road. 

Their final destination was Sugarcube Corner, where they decided to stop in for a small treat. Nothing too much, since it was getting late, and none of them wanted to spoil their dinners, but they all agreed that just one little cupcake each couldn’t hurt. As soon as they were served, they sat down, and began eating in silence, nopony having anything of importance to say. That is until they spotted Snips and Snails passing by, prompting Sweetie Belle to ask:

“So Gleaming Shield, are you planning on going out with Snails tomorrow?”

Shining Armor nearly spat out his mouthful of cupcake.

“What’s this about going out with snails?” Cadence asked, her interest piqued.

“It’s nothing,” Shining Armor said, “I just helped this colt out with a problem that he was having with a bully, and now he want’s to bring me here after school to thank me.”

“It’s more than that,” Apple Bloom said. “He obviously has a crush on you.”

“Please, don’t say it like that,” Shining Armor said, cringing when she said the word “crush.” “And no, I’m not planning on going out with him.”

Cadence gasped.

“But you have to. If you truly helped him, and this is his way of thanking you, then it is your duty to graciously accept. Just thank him for the gesture, and let him down gently; trust me, I’m an expert on this stuff.”

“Meh, I don’t blame Gleaming Shield for not wanting to spend time with Snails,” Scootaloo said, “no offense to him, but he’s kind of a dork.”

Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom nodded their agreement.

“That shouldn’t matter,” Cadence said. “Why, I remember when I was in school, there was this colt that I knew, who almost everypony thought of as uncool, and dorky, since he spent most of his time playing Oubliettes and Ogres with his friends, or playing make believe with his little sister.”

Shining Armor felt his cheeks turning red with embarrassment.

“Then one day he decided to take a chance in asking the most beautiful mare in our school to go to a dance with him, using many harebrained schemes to try and catch her eye.

“Sounds like a loser to me,” Scootaloo said.

Thanks Scootaloo, Shining Armor thought, gloomily.

“He was actually quite charming, and sweet, and one of the most courageous stallions I’ve ever known. Why, he even stood up to the biggest, most pompous bully in our school, or as he would say it, he “defeated the dragon,” just to dance with the mare he was in love with.”

“Wow,” Sweetie Belle said rather dreamily. “Then what happened?”

“Well, he joined Celestia’s royal guard, worked his way through the ranks until he became captain. Then he and the mare got married, and moved to the Crystal Empire, where they now rule as prince and princess.”

Everypony’s jaws hung open. Everypony’s, except for Shining Armor’s, who was just sitting there, his head resting flat against the table. I can’t believe she just told them all of that. 

“So that stallion was Shinin’ Armor?” Apple Bloom asked.

“It was.” Cadence couldn’t help but giggle as she looked at the Crusaders’ dumbfounded faces. “So you see, just because somepony acts, as you put it “dorky” doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give them a chance, even if it is just to be friends.” She then turned her attention to her husband, “So, I’m asking you just to meet with this colt, let him thank you for saving him, fulfilling his debt to you, and then just tell him that you want to be friends. Will you do this for me?” Then she flashed him that smile. The one that would make any stallion want to move mountains, or fight Ursa Majors just for her. The one Shining Armor could never say no to.

“Grrrrr...fine, I’ll go to Sugarcube Corner with Snails,” he grunted, admitting defeat. “But only so he won’t feel indebted to me.”

“Wonderful.” Cadence clapped her forehooves, then pick up the last little bit of her cupcake in her magic, and tossed it into her mouth. 

“Now, I do believe it’s getting late, and you three best be getting home.”

“Awww, do we have to?” Apple Bloom groaned, as the Crusaders got up from the table, and followed Cadence to the door.

“But there are still loads more places that we need to show you,” Scootaloo added.

“Yeah, like Sweet Apple Acres, or Zecora’s hut, or the swimming hole,” said Sweetie Belle.

“Don’t forget the Crusaders’ club house.”

“And Rainbow Dash’s-”

“The princess isn’t gonna wanna see Rainbow Dash’s nappin’ cloud.”

“You don’t know that.”

Before a fight between friends could begin, Cadence intervened.

“Relax you two,” she said. “Now, I’ve had a wonderful time with you today, and I would be more than happy for you to show me everything there is to see in Ponyville, but as I said before, it’s getting late, and I think we should all head home for the evening. I promise, next time we get together, we can go anywhere you want to go, even the cloud where Rainbow Dash takes her naps.”

This seemed to calm everypony down, because they all smiled, then wrapped their forelegs around Cadence in a tight embrace. Then the Crusaders said their goodbyes, and hopped onto the scooter and wagon, and took off down the street, waving the entire way, until Shining Armor and Cadence lost sight of them.

Now it was just the two of them, walking in silence back to Twilight’s library. Shining Armor’s head hung as they went, his thoughts weighing heavy on his mind. The day had started off as well as it could have in this situation, and it had just all gone downhill since the afternoon started. What am I going to do? Shining Armor thought, this is just all too weird. I’m a stallion trapped in a filly’s body, and now I have to go to Sugarcube Corner with a colt that has a crush on me. No, I can’t go, even if it is just a friendly gesture to pay me back for saving him.

“Something on your mind, little one?”

Shining Armor jumped as Cadence’s voice brought him back out of his thoughts.

“Oh, uh,” he muttered. “Look, Cadence, I know I said that I would go to SugarCube Corner with Snails, but I can’t. I just can’t.”

Cadence stopped, and looked Shining Armor in the eye.

“Why the sudden change of heart?” She asked.

“I...have my reasons.”

“I see.” Cadence wrapped a foreleg around Shining Armor. At first he thought she was trying to comfort him, but her grip was just a little too tight. “Could it be because you’re not really a little filly, but a full grown stallion disguised as one, and you feel awkward hanging out with a colt who doesn’t know who you are?”

Shining Armor could feel the contents of his stomach lurch as she spoke.

“I-I d-d-don’t know what you’re t-talking about.” As much as he tried, he couldn’t break free from Cadence’s grip on him.

“You don’t have to lie to me anymore, I already know exactly who you are, in fact, I’ve known ever since I first laid eyes on you.” She flashed her husband a devilish grin, as she leaned in close and whispered in his ear. “Shining Armor.”