//------------------------------// // 11. Every Lover is a Soldier // Story: The Shield's Protector // by Carapace //------------------------------// Cadence shook her head and tried her very best to hide a smile. “Would you stop!” she giggled, placing her hooves on Shining’s legs so he couldn’t drum on the thin hospital mattress. “Really! A little patience, Shiny!” “I’m happy to get cleared and go back to work,” he shot back, sticking his tongue out playfully. “Sue me!” “If you keep drumming that silly marching song and acting like a colt, I just might!” Bumping her shoulder against his, she deftly snaked a hoof around his and held it tight. “I know you’ve been waiting,” she cooed softly, “and you’ve been good about following orders—” Shining slipped his other hoof free and raised it. “To be completely fair and honest,” he began, “I did take some time to demonstrate proper swordplay.” From one extreme to the other. Cadence mused, her smile broadening. First, he misinforms and gets hurt. Now, he lays his cards on the table without any prompting. Such a funny stallion she’d married; one far too devoted to his profession and his wife for his own good. Her smile nearly faltered, though. The memories of the past several days flashing before her eyes. How far down in the dumps she’d been, how much it wore on Shiny as he tried to juggle training, the Court, and making her smile. The only reason he’d gone back to the field the previous day was because she’d left early and put a note on their nightstand, all but demanding that he leave things to her. “I don’t deserve you,” she whispered. Shining pulled back, his eyebrow arched so high that it nearly disappeared beneath his messy bangs. “Excuse me, I must be hearing things.” He rubbed his free hoof against his ear as if trying to clear it out. “I tell you that I fooled about with a sword against doctor’s orders and you say that line?” He placed a hoof upon her forehead, like a parent checking for a fever. “Are you feeling okay? Or should I have Gentle look you over after she’s done with me.” She rolled her eyes and brushed his hoof away. “I said you were good, not perfect. And I think we can make an allowance for making sure the recruits don’t get their heads knocked in!” “Well, with swords—” she placed a hoof over his mouth. “No. No morbid humor, no teasing,” she leveled him with a stern gaze, her tail flicking anxiously. “I’m being entirely serious right now.” His brow arched higher. Shining ran a hoof through his mane, sighing heavily. “All right, let’s be serious. I can do that.” He gave her hoof a little squeeze and leaned forward, his deep blue eyes boring into hers. “Let’s say that you don’t deserve me—which is, quite possibly, the biggest load of horseapples I’ve ever heard—what in Equestria would make you think that?” Cadence ruffled her wings, turning her head away to escape his gaze. “Because I make things difficult,” she whispered, cowing beneath his stare as though she were tiny. Shining didn’t reply immediately. He took in a deep breath through his nose, his tail flicked and brushed against hers. She could almost hear his teeth grinding. After a moment, he spoke slowly. “I’m sorry. What?” “These past few days, all my worrying when you go out to lead the recruits on their runs...” she broke off, grimacing as she raised a wing slightly, just short of burying her muzzle in her feathers, “and how I acted when you got hurt.” She hung her head, chewing on her bottom lip as she waited for the inevitable reply that, yes, she had been a right pain in his backside with her constant nagging and smothering. With a quick roll of his hoof, Shining slipped free of her grasp. Cadence squeezed her eyes shut and braced for a harsh retort. Here it comes. Go on, let me have it. None came. Instead, a hoof cupped her chin and gently turned her head. “Hey,” he muttered, “look at me. Please, Cady, at least look at me when I talk.” A warm, furry snout pressed against hers, their breaths mixed together. “Sweetie, open your eyes. Come on.” A low chuckle escaped his lips, his breath ghosting over her muzzle. “Don’t make me tickle you in the middle of a hospital!” Her eyes shot open, Cadence’s pink drilling into his gleaming blues. She snorted at the way his seemed to light up, amused at her reaction. “I said be serious!” she cried, jabbing a hoof into his shoulder. Shining simply grinned. “It got you to look at me, didn’t it? I’d call that a small victory.” His grin fell again, the playful look vanished as quickly as it came. “Now, no changing the subject, dear. You’re being incredibly silly about all this.” “Excuse me?” Her nostrils flared. “I’m being silly? Me?” “I didn’t stutter. You’re. Being. Silly.” He punctuated each word with a soft tap on her snout. “Really, you think worrying over me is that bad? Cady, I specifically posted my personally trained guards as your detail!” Cadence shuffled in place. “Stout’s only a private and Valiance is just a couple ranks up,” she protested, her voice as weak as the point itself. “Yes.” Shining rolled his eyes and chuckled. “But they’re two of the most OCD guards I have. You think you’re overprotective? Tell me, do you really think they don’t know when you ‘slip away’ to go on a walk?” “Valiance did mention something like that…” “I’d reprimand him, but he’s made my point for me. And, frankly, we’re just laying it all out right now.” He shrugged. “You worry about me and I worry about you. That’s fine! Honestly, if neither of us worried about each other, especially after what we’ve gone through, I’d be just a tad concerned about our marriage!” Cadence made to reply, but he moved his hoof to cover her mouth. “Let me finish—oh, put that glare away! I’m not Spike trying to filch cookies before dinner.” A knock sounded from the door. He flicked his ear toward it and called out, “Give us a minute!” Pushing his hoof away, Cadence protested. “Shiny, that’s probably—“ “She can wait a bit. I heard your lecture when I was hurt, now you’re gonna hear mine.” Shining folded his hooves in his lap. “Do you remember what we talked about after the wedding? Remember what we agreed on?” Closing her eyes, she smiled in spite of herself at the memory of that conversation. Right after their counseling session, how he’d held her so close and made a new promise. “You said that you’d never let them take me again,” she whispered, leaning against him and laying her head on his shoulder. He nuzzled into her mane and dotted her with a kiss. “And you told me that you’d always love me, no matter what she did to me. And we both promised to accept the worst and best of each other. Frankly—” he glanced pointedly at the bandages on his leg, “—I think I gave you just a bit of a reason to worry.” Cadence snorted. “Just a bit?” she parroted, raising a brow at him. “Fine, more than just a bit. My point stands; you were worried, I got hurt, and then you had a rough day with the Council.” He wrapped his hooves around her and held her tight. “What sort of husband would I be if I held that against you?” Another roll of her eyes. “Not the stallion I married, that much is certain.” “Exactly. So, I’d say you deserve me well enough. Or, perhaps,” he paused, giving that darned coltish grin again, “marrying me is some sort of self-inflicted punishment for all those times you teased me back when we dated!” Cadence grimaced and pushed him away. “We were having a moment,” she groaned. “You were making me feel so good, and then—” she brought her hooves together, holding them close before flailing her legs outward as if they’d been blown apart, “—you killed it!” “As I often do, and so well. I’ve gotta keep you on your hooves, Cady, you know that!” Shining stole a kiss, his grin never faltered. Turning toward the door, he called out. “Come in!” The door opened, Gentle Touch strode in, a rather put out look about her. “Good morning, Your Highnesses,” she greeted in clipped tone. Giving a little nod in substitute for a bow, she eyed Shining and gave a little flick of her tail. “I didn’t think I’d see the day that a patient would tell me to wait outside.” Cadence smiled and shook her head ruefully. “Sorry, Doctor, we were having a talk and needed to finish up.” “If you say so, Princess, then I suppose it’s not my business. However—” Gentle nodded to Shining, “—I believe it’s time that I take a look at Captain Armor’s injuries. Or is it ‘Prince-Captain’? I’ve heard a few variants around town.” “Captain in military context, Prince in government. And before you say it,” he sighed and pinned back his ears, “yes, I’m aware that’s annoying, but I’m keeping my rightful title.” The earth pony shook her head, trotting to his side. “I’m not going to touch that one. Now, the scan spell our nurse used tells me that your ribs have healed well, though not entirely. You may still have a bit of pain and discomfort, nothing too major.” “I do get aches from time to time. But, it’s not unbearable.” “I could write a prescription for painkillers.” She glanced to his chart on the counter and hummed. “I see that you’re already taking an over the counter, as you’ve reported.” Shining swished his tail, giving an awkward half-smile. “If it’s all the same, I’d rather not be on too many pills. Addiction worries and all.” Cadence nodded in agreement, but stayed silent. She let her hoof slide over and pat Shining’s; addiction was always a concern of his when it came to prescriptions. Over the counter medicine, the stuff he used to take care of his joint and muscle pains, he didn’t worry too much about that in small doses. It was just as needed. Prescriptions, constant use of stronger medication, gave him pause. He’d seen too many old guards fighting addictions in the retirement homes. With that in mind, she spoke up. “Maybe something more natural might work. What about some of Honeysuckles herbs?” Gentle Touch brought a hoof to her lip, thinking a moment before giving a single nod. “If that’s your concern, then I would definitely endorse a visit to Field Officer Honeysuckle. Perhaps she might have a herbal pain relief, something non-addictive.” She shuffled to the side, moving to examine his thigh. “Now, lay down on the bed. I’m going to unwrap your bandages and check the stitches.” She glanced to Cadence. “Princess, if you wouldn’t mind moving down just a bit.” “Of course.” Cadence slipped out from Shining’s hug and scooted to the end of the bed. “You sit still and behave, Shiny!” A giggle escaped her as she watched her husband roll his eyes and lay down, mumbling something along the lines of “Every mare around me acts like I’m a darn colt!” She had to bite her lip to avoid bursting into full-blown laughter at the way Gentle’s mouth set into a thin line, as though the mare had to force herself not to retort. Instead of idle banter between stubborn guard and long-suffering doctor, Cadence was treated to her husband actually behaving while Gentle slowly unwound the bandages. Trying to make sure you don’t give her any reason not to clear you. Smart boy. Despite all his blustering, when it came down to orders, he followed them to the letter. Gentle removed the bandages and set them aside. She leaned in, squinting to inspect the black, criss-crossing stitches holding his cut together. She hummed, tilting her head a bit to the left before nodding. “Well, this has certainly healed up nicely.” Raising her gaze, she regarded Shining through narrowed eyes. “You’ve been taking things slowly? No more runs through the forest, I hope?” “Nope.” Shining shook his head. “Not a one. The most I’ve done is show a recruit some basic swordplay, dance with Cady, and, er...” His cheeks colored a deep red. “Private things.” Cadence unfurled her wings and brought them up to cover her face, hiding her burning muzzle. Shiny, you dolt! She wailed internally, her pink and purple tinged feathers providing a much needed shield from the two ponies before her. Especially against her husband’s lack of a filter between his brain and mouth. After a beat of silence, Gentle cleared her throat. “That aside—” Cadence flicked her ears toward the doctor’s voice, “—you’ve made a strong recovery from what I can see. That said, I don’t see any reason not to clear you. However,” she dropped her voice low, her tone carried a dangerous edge. Lowering her wings, Cadence peaked over her feathers to find the doctor standing over her husband, almost looming over him. “I would still caution you against doing too much until the pain in your ribs goes away,” Gentle continued. “As we’ve agreed upon, please see Honeysuckle regarding medication.” Folding her wings against her side, Cadence raised a hoof. “Er, is there a risk of him further injuring himself? I know how to scan for broken bones, but healing and giving a timeline on it is a bit out of my depth.” “There’s always some danger immediately after, but a hairline fracture shouldn’t be too much of a worry.” She nodded pointedly toward his wound. “The gash would’ve been more of a danger if he’d reopened it, due to infection. With his ribs, the most he’ll deal with is the discomfort. Unless, of course, he plans on trying to wrestle another bear.” Both Shining and Cadence snorted, glancing toward each other and giving tiny smiles. “That’s not in my plan,” he chuckled, “but you never know.” “It’d better be a sure thing, buster!” Cadence pressed her hoof down against his. “It hope so, believe me. Now, what about wearing my armor? I get the discomfort, but...” He grimaced, his nose wrinkled as he spoke. “The ceremonial officer’s uniform doesn’t do very well for moral, especially with the bond I’m trying to help them forge.” Drawing in a sharp breath, Gentle gave a stiff, seemingly reluctant nod. “You should be okay at this point, Captain. Though, if you try anything more than a light trot, you’ll be in quite a bit of pain, I’d say.” He snorted. “Then, like we said, I’ll talk with Honey about something to dull it. Something non-sedative.” He turned to wink at Cadence. “Even if my wife might prefer that.” Heaving a long-suffering sigh, Cadence looked to Gentle Touch and smiled sweetly. “Doctor, please remove my utter goof of a husband’s stitches before I give into the urge to throttle him.” She returned Shining’s wink and added, “Or so I can do it out of sight.” With a nod and the tiniest of smirks playing upon her lips, she trotted over to the cabinet in search of a pair of tiny medical scissors. Cadence settled into place beside Shining and let her wings unfurl, softly brushing her feathers against his head. You’re my big, stubborn, goofball of a stallion. And I never want that to change. Another talk; unexpected, but helpful. One that reminded her of the serious, loving stallion who laid hidden beneath the silly, goofball she’d fallen for all those years ago. The same one sighing and leaning into her touch as Gentle’s scissors snipped away the sutures. Sometimes, the magic of love was a mystery, even to the Princess of Love herself. It was a strange, almost inexplicable feeling that made ponies do things, both silly and beautiful. A feeling she adored. If there was one thing Cadence could appreciate, now that Shiny had been cleared, it was the visible change in how he carried himself; the bounce in his step, how his ears perked straight up, and the bright smile upon his muzzle. Not even the palace staff bowing low and greeting in their courtly manner, with all the pomp and praise that so bothered him, could ruin his mood. “Excited, dear?” she asked wryly. “You look like a foal on Hearth’s Warming Day.” He turned, facing her with that grin still in place. Shining opened his mouth and raised a hoof as if readying to deliver a rebuttal. But, instead, he simply reached out and booped her nose. Wrinkling her muzzle, Cadence leveled a stern glare toward her cheeky husband. “And you’re just about as mature, I think.” “Oh, hush, you,” he shot back with a roll of his eyes. “I’m cleared—” “Conditionally!” “Tom-ay-to, tom-ah-to. I’m cleared, you and I had a little chat to clear the air.” He bumped his flank against hers and waggled his eyebrows. “I feel like I could even stand a full day of court!” Cadence snorted and returned the favor, adding a little swipe of her wing toward his ears. “Careful what you say, dear! I might just take you up on it!” The pair chuckled and continued on their way, trotting closely side-by-side. Eying Shining’s leg, she quirked an eyebrow. True, Gentle Touch had deemed him fit to return to duty, but it couldn’t hurt to be too careful. “So,” she began, keeping her tone casual as if they were chatting about the weather, “back to the grind, eh?” Shining gave a noncommittal shrug; curious, given how exuberant he’d been. “Soon enough, but I need to spend a bit more time at the office. I kinda left things to Lighthoof for a while.” He grimaced, his ears pinned against his scalp. “As much as he’s been a help here, he’s not too big on sitting at a desk and doing paperwork any longer than he absolutely has to.” “I can’t imagine that sits too well with you, Mister ‘I have my hooves in all the pies’.” “Ha ha, you’re funny. And, no, it doesn’t.” He sighed and shook his head. “It makes it rather difficult to lobby for him to get a promotion.” Cadence nodded, humming a bit to herself. “Well, you might have to pony up and say something, Shiny. You still have to take charge if you’re going to keep your rank.” “I know. I’m gonna see how he’s left things for me in the office tomorrow, then I’ll decide. Who knows?” he said with a hopeful smile. “Hoof could’ve done everything, and then I’ll feel bad for ragging on him.” Ah, the glass is half full. She found herself unable to fight his infectious smile. Giving her tail a happy swish, she rubbed her shoulder against his and pushed, steering him left down the corridor. “Well, that’s fair. Maybe you’re right, he could surprise you.” “Yeah, that’d be nice. Though, to be perfectly honest, I expect that he’s just done his stuff, sent me the most important out of my stack, and focused more on training recruits.” With a shrug, he turned to face her, his smile growing a bit strained. “At least he’s giving them a good run through, right?” She leaned over to nuzzle his cheek, simultaneously draping a wing across his withers. He was struggling, both in maintaining his typical positive outlook and in another regard, one he’d hinted at, albeit unintentionally, at the hospital. Balancing. His duties as Captain and Prince clashed; the more time he devoted to one, the less he could focus on the other, and vice-versa. And when factoring in the time he’d spent trying to lend a hoof to pull her out of her funk over the course of the past week… The stack of papers on his desk would only pile up more and more as he tried to juggle everything. And just as she had come unraveled with each weight added upon her shoulders by the Council, he was just as liable to lose himself to stress, no matter how well he hid it. He needs to be in the office, not sitting with me. The thought made her feathers ruffle. She wanted to have him at her side, if only to exchange smiles, steal a nuzzle or a kiss or the occasional idle chatter in between appellants. Any excuse to spend a bit more time with her husband. All of that would be possible if he weren’t so devoted to his position as Captain. No! She shook herself. Stop that! You stop that right now! He’s earned his rank and worked hard to be a guard—the Empire’s return doesn’t negate all that! Her mind was made up. She spoke without hesitation, “Maybe you should spend a bit more time on your guard duties, let me take care of the Court.” Shining stopped suddenly, slipping out from under her wing. “What?” he tilted his head to the side. His face screwed up in confusion. “Cady, are you sure?” She nodded, turning to face him fully. “I’m completely sure, Shiny. You helped me out when I wasn’t quite myself, at the expense of your time running the guard. I can’t have you ignoring your duties there.” Pausing a moment, she allowed herself a small smile. “Both as your wife and the Imperial Princess.” “Using your fancy title, eh?” he chuckled, shaking his head in amusement. “All right, if you’re sure, I’ll spend a bit more time at the office. But, I thought you wanted me to start coming to Court more often.” “I do, but not if it’s going to cause problems with administrative things. So, maybe a compromise?” She brought a hoof to her chin and looked skyward. “You could just come a couple of times a month, for appearances sake. It’d give you plenty of time to make sure the new guard unit is running smoothly and still have a chance to be a public face.” Shining gave a half-hearted nod, his ears flicked uncertainly. “Yeah, but I did promise that I’d be there for you more…” Grinning playfully, she stole a kiss to his muzzle. A happy little squeal arose at the way he scrunched up and wrinkled his nose. “Well, I guess that means we’ll just have to make date nights more of a habit from now on! I hope you liked dancing the night away!” She chalked up a point in her favor at the way his lips curved upward into a small smile, his worries no match for her bright, sunny disposition. “If you’re sure, then I suppose I could stand to spend more time on duty,” he mused. “And, yeah, I could definitely get behind the idea of going out more with you. Actually, that’s a great idea on two fronts: gives us some time together and it could do a bit more for our public image, like you mentioned.” “Oooh! Now, that, I hadn’t quite thought of!” Another little ruffle of her wings, another stolen kiss, lingering a little longer and a touch closer to his lips. What a perfect excuse to spend more time together and still have a taste of normal life! A few date nights and restarting her private business of helping ponies find love. Perhaps a little bit of that normalcy could serve greater purpose than her own stress relief. They resumed their trot down the hallway, taking another left to go in the direction of the dining room for a late brunch. A pair of ponies were stopped ahead, idly chatting and oblivious to their rulers’ approach. The pair stood close, their tones tinged with happiness as they went back and forth, smiling and laughing with one another. Cadence easily recognized Tourmaline; the crystal pony’s teal coat shimmering with the light reflected off her body as she balanced a basket of bedsheets on her back. But her friend was a bit difficult to place. He was a unicorn, his coat a soft tan and mane pale orange. While she grinned broadly and giggled loud enough to echo down the hallway, he held himself to a small smile and chuckles hidden behind a hoof, almost shy in demeanor. It took a moment to click into place; Cadence glanced subtly at his flank, eying his cutie mark. A shield with a red heart at the center. She knew it from somewhere… Stout Heart? She imagined a set of gleaming gold armor on him, covering his mark and hiding that nervous smile behind a stoic mask. Yes, that’s Stouty. Oh, dear, it has been a while since I’ve seen him out of uniform! At that point, it all fit in. Yes! She barely resisted the urge to pump a hoof in the air; instead she settled for a little mental jig, inwardly crowing over a job well done. For now, they were just talking, mere happenstance as Stout wandered by on his day off, probably still trying to familiarize himself with the palace and bumped into Tourmaline. The urge only got more difficult to resist as Tourmaline gave a little smirk and said something in low tone that made the young private snort, shake his head, and walk off with a big grin on his face. “You’re terrible!” he called over his shoulder, his tone a contrast to his words. “You’re a terribly wicked mare, Tourmaline!” “Good you’ve noticed!” she shot back. “And it’s Tourmie, you great, big goof!” Another laugh and a nod as he kept trotting. Stout Heart looked up just in time to cross paths with Shining and Cadence; he fought to school his expression into something resembling a more subdued smile, stopping to step to the side and bowing low. “Your Highnesses,” he greeted, the mirth still present in his tone. “Morning, Private. Rise,” Shining nodded back with a smile. “Enjoying your day off?” “Yes, sir,” the younger stallion replied, none-too-subtly glancing toward Tourmaline as she disappeared down the corridor before turning his gaze back to the pair. “Just stopped by to check my shift schedule for the next couple of days, now I’m off to meet Corporal Valiance and Field Medic Honeysuckle for lunch.” Cadence caught his eye, her grin widening at the way he seemed to shift in place and blush under her knowing look. Yes, my little pony, I saw that. “Well,” she chirped, “you’d best not keep them waiting. Do give them my regards, Stouty.” “Er, yes, My Princess! I’ll, uh, definitely do that!” He bowed, a bit stiffly, and scampered off down the hallway they’d just come from. “Huh,” Shining stared after his subordinate. “He sure left in a hurry…” With a shrug, he resumed his trot toward the dining room. “Ah, well, like I said: Stout is Stout. Coming Cady?” Schooling her expression back into a more reserved, innocent smile, she nodded and caught up with him. The wheels turning in her head as she made note to have a little talk with Tourmaline about her dinner with Stout Heart. With her husband back on duty and her letter to Twilight sent, Cadence found the weight on her shoulders lifted. Just wait for everything to calm down a bit more and have a talk with Twilight. Then, I can figure out how to talk with him. For now, stay positive and try to look on the bright side of life. She threw a wing across his withers and pulled him in close, cooing at the warmth as he leaned in to rub their cheeks together. Her little smile widened as a thought occurred to her: I wonder if Shiny would mind if I organized date nights with friends… A smile played on he lips. “How would you like to help me with one of my little projects?” Shining Armor drew back, his brows flatlined. “What sort of ‘little project’ are you—oh, no!” His eyes went wide, he gave a mock groan and haphazard effort to pull away from her grasp. “I don’t care who, I don’t care why, I am not helping you play matchmaker!” Stubborn. Cadence narrowed her eyes playfully. But I have a trump card! She deftly maneuvered herself closer, brushing her flank against his and smirking at the little shudder that ran through his body. “Are you sure?” she asked with a mock pout. “Just think, the ponies we could help find love, like us!” He made to reply. Those bright blue eyes showed a brief flash of weakness, but he ducked under her wing and danced away before she could catch him again. “Nope! I do guard things, lovey things are all you!” Without further ado, he dashed down the hall. Cadence threw back her head and laughed as she gave chase to the fidgety stallion, just like it had been since their younger days.