Shining Armor took in a deep breath, the sun’s warm glow beating down upon his back. Despite the weight of his armor and the sweat beading down the side of his face, he closed his eyes and exhaled, a small smile gracing his muzzle. “Dear Celestia, this is good,” he mumbled out of the corner of his mouth.
Peeking out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lighthoof flick his ear. “Heh, I’ll bet, sir. Good to see you back in proper uniform.” He glanced up, doing a quick count of the ponies present. “I count forty-nine, sir. Should be everypony since Glimmer dropped out.”
His smile faltered, a grimace marred his muzzle at the shift in tone toward the end. “He might not drop it, Hoofy, give the colt a chance to get his head on right.” Shining hissed. “He could be back in time to pick right back up, or he could join the next class.” He shifted his weight, the armor clanking with the movement.” Or, he could decide it’s not for him. Be patient with him.”
Lighthoof grumbled and pawed at the ground. “Fine,” he replied, after a moment’s thought. “But if he comes back, he’s mine.”
Snorting, Shining nodded once. Let it not be said that Lieutenant Lighthoof didn’t have his little pet projects. “I’ll have him delivered with a bow around his neck. Now—“ his tone lightened, a mimicry of the same sickly sweet tone Cadence so loved to use when she had something wicked planned “—do me a favor and line my victims up, would you? I think I need to reacquaint them with what it’s like when I’m not on the mend.”
“Yes, sir!” He could almost hear the sadistic grin in Lighthoof’s tone. The Lieutenant took a deep breath, readying to belt out, “EVERYPONY LINE UP! NOW!”
“Yes, sir!” The crowd of crystal ponies called back. Hooves thundered against the ground as they scrambled forward to stand in place. A couple grumbles and muttered curses as they jostled against one another, and then it stopped.
Getting quicker at that. Shining waited a moment, letting them stand in silence until the last pony fell into place. Only when the hooves stopped pounding against the ground did he cross his left hooves behind his right and turn in place.
He let his eyes wander over the recruits, silently surveying each in turn. Silent stares, jaws set and mouths forming a thin line, the look of a proper guard unit. Very good.
“Good morning, recruits!” He called, his voice boomed over the yard. “Well, well, all lined up and in order! Looks like the Lieutenants were right—they did make you lot look like a halfway decent unit while I was injured.” Shining let the backhooved compliment hang, only barely withholding a smirk as a few puffed out their chests and held their heads high. And come right back down. “But you’ve all still got a ways to go! Forming up and marching around the yard is only a part of the most basic of conditioning and group cohesion! We’re only just beginning to get into the swing of things!”
On cue, the ponies who dared puff out their chests seemed to deflate; while they maintained their steely expressions, he still caught a flash of dismay, a little hint of their silent hope that they’d made it over the hill.
Unfortunately for his crowd of faithful recruits, they were only just coming into view of the top. But he had a few ideas to give them the push they needed to get themselves over and take off at full gallop on the way down.
“That being said, you’re all coming along relatively well with your one-step sparring, and partnered sparring. That said,” he paused, unable to hide his smirk any longer, “I’ve got a little surprise for you.”
His ear flicked to the left, catching a little whimper from Twinkle. His smirk turned into a full-blown sharklike grin.
Bingo. There was his first victim. Pity Glimmer had chosen to take a leave, or he could get both ponies who so desperately needed a little one-on-one session in one fell swoop.
Oh well. Maybe if he came back, Shining and Lighthoof both could switch off bringing him up to speed.
Shining turned and trotted over, his deep blue eyes locked on Twinkle’s the whole way, right up until he came to a stop, their muzzles just a hair’s breadth apart. He snorted straight into Twinkle’s face, making the young recruit flinch and blink owlishly. “Feelin’ nervous, Cadet? Good. Because you, and the four ponies behind you all belong to me today. The rest of you—“ he turned and shouted down the line “—get off lucky! You get Lieutenants Lighthoof and Wind Runner, along with a few celebrity guests!”
He stepped back from Twinkle, his ear flicking toward the recruit again as a sigh of relief reached him.
Haha, no. Pressure’s still on. Shining turned to call over his shoulder toward the gate to the castle, “Boys! Front ’n center!”
Perplexed, the recruits craned to see just who he’d called out. Almost in unison, they gasped as seven stallions, each clad in the shining gold armor of the Royal Guard.
“Oh, no…” Somepony whimpered, from the next line over by the sound of it. One of the lucky contestants who wouldn’t deal with him today.
But not so lucky that he wasn’t leaving them in the tender mercies of some of his most trusted guards.
“Recruits, say hello to your training partners for today: Private Stout Heart, Corporal Valiance, Sergeants Stone Hoof and Cirrus, and Staff Sergeant Rock Steady, all from my unit in the Canterlot Royal Guard.” He turned to face the line again, his smirk back in place as each of the respective stallions, along with Lighthoof and Wind Runner, stepped up to a group. “Today, you’ll be sparring with the Royal Guard standing before your line—light contact and quick submissions. Then, once you’ve gone through a couple times, we’ll see how you’ve progressed with practice weapons. And, guards?” He turned to face his comrades. “Be sure to point out where they need to make adjustments. After all, each of these stallions will be standing beside us soon.”
“Yes, sir!” Each called back, snapping a salute before they stepped forward to lead their group off to a patch of the field, forming their group into a circle in which they could spar.
Shining faced his group, his eyes bored into Twinkle’s. “Step on up, Cadet,” he ordered. “It’s time to see just how much you’ve learned while I was pushing papers.”
Twinkle gulped, and gave a stiff nod as he dropped down into a low stance; his legs bent at the knee, his head low, and ears pinned back, ready to spring forward and subdue his opponent.
Couple of openings, nothing major though. Good colt. Humming to himself, Shining dropped into a similar stance, though with a bit less of a crouch, and more tilting his head down to aim his horn toward Twinkle. A stance more prepared to defend and counter than rush and attack, physically at least.
Fixing Twinkle with a steely gaze, he asked, “Ready, Cadet?”
Another stiff nod, Twinkle’s knees shook anxiously as he crouched deeper. Readying to make the first move, perhaps?
It’d certainly be a change of pace from what most of his kinsponies preferred. A welcome change, at that.
“Begin!” Almost as soon as Shining gave the order, Twinkle shot forward, his nerves and hesitance cast aside. The young recruit lashed out with a hoof, swiping upward at Shining Armor’s chin.
A bold move for Twinkle. But easily countered, and he’d extended himself just a tad too far. His balance was off his hind hooves.
Shining brought up a hoof and deflected the blow with his right elbow, before quickly wrapping his hoof around Twinkle’s and forcing it down to the ground. He slipped his left hoof under Twinkle’s pinned limb and pivoted sharply, tossing the recruit over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
Twinkle landed hard on his back, yelping in pain and arching his spine. “Owww!”
“Up!” Shining barked, swiftly striding toward the downed recruit. “Round isn’t over yet.”
Rolling to his stomach, Twinkle placed his hooves firmly on the ground and pushed himself up, ready to spring forward.
Too obvious, don’t do it. Don’t—
With a cry, Twinkle dove for Shining’s legs.
“Sloppy!” He simply side stepped and looped a hoof under Twinkle’s barrel, twisting and throwing him once again.
“WAAAAH—Ooof!”
With a smirk on his muzzle, Shining stood in place. Not a bad start, but still slipping back into those habits. “All right, end the round. What do you think you did wrong?” he asked.
“Lunged too far,” he groaned as he slowly rolled over. “Lost my balance, and then you threw me.”
“That explains the first one. What happened on the second?”
Twinkle rolled over onto his stomach, groaning through the pain. “I telegraphed a dive.”
Shining gave a single nod, his smirk fell. “A dive is a surprise move, Twinkle. Don’t make it obvious, and for the love of Celestia, don’t yell! I’m your enemy—surprise me and take advantage!” He stepped forward and offered a hoof. “Come on, get up and head to the back of the line. Good start, but I expect a better effort next time. Next contestant, step forward!”
Wincing as the warm water worked on his aching muscles, Shining Armor sank deeper into the tub. He closed his eyes, allowing himself a smile as he inhaled the soothing scent of jasmine—a part of that nice bath bomb package Cadence had bought him just a few short weeks ago.
Not too strong, but just enough to knock the edge off so she didn’t gag when trying to snuggle up, as she might say.
He tilted his head to the side, his muzzle creased into a grimace as his neck popped a few times. Unhealthy, but a temporary relief for the stiffness that plagued him as a result of sparring.
Didn’t think Twinkle would know to lock up my hooves and roll me like that, Shining mused, grinning to himself in spite of the memory of having to sheepishly collect his helmet after reversing momentum and applying a quick joint lock to make the recruit submit. The boys’ll make sure I don’t forget that one anytime soon—as they should.
He’d have to spend a bit more time working on his hoof-to-hoof skills; with weapons and magic, he had a distinct advantage. But time on the mend had slowed him a couple steps until he finally got the blood pumping and muscles loosened after weeks of taking it slow and sitting on his duff.
“I’ll have to get Hoofy or Windy to join me for a session sometime,” he mumbled. “Can’t be getting slow, even if I’m bloody royalty now.”
“Oh, yes, we just can’t have that!” His ear flicked up, Shining opened an eye, glancing out of the corner to find Cadence standing in the doorway.
She shut the door with her magic, striding forth with a little sway in her hips, and a bright grin gracing her muzzle. “Just imagine what Auntie Celestia would say if she were to find out that the vaunted Shining Armor, Captain of the Royal Guard, got thrown on his back by a recruit!”
Rolling his eyes, Shining leaned against the side of the tub, folded his hooves one over the other, and laid his head atop them. “Har har, aren’t you just the witty little filly? So, who do I have to thank for ratting me out? Windy? Hoofy? Or maybe Rock Steady; he sure got his digs in after we sent the recruits home for the day…”
“Nope, nope, and nope! Zero for three, Captain! Not doing so well on your deductive skills today!” She tutted and shook her head. “The correct answer is ‘Private Stout Heart cackling like a loon and telling Tourmaline’! Hope you’ll join us next week, but, until then, please enjoy these fabulous participation prizes!” Without giving him a chance to retort, she swooped down and stole a lingering kiss.
Shining hummed, the corners of his lips twitched upward, he pressed against hers. After a moment, he drew back, raising a brow. “That’s the prize for getting it wrong, eh? What would I have gotten if I’d been right?”
She let out a snort, and quickly covered her mouth to withhold a burst of laughter. “Well, I’m afraid you’ll never know, will—oh, heavens, will you stop!” She swatted his shoulder, giggling at the way he waggled his eyebrows. “Dear Celestia, I married a complete and utter goof of a stallion!”
“Too true, but that’s your problem!” He leaned back and let his head sink below the edge of the water for just a moment to rinse out the last of the sweat still clinging to his mane. As he sat up, he gave it a quick shake, sending water droplets cascading every which way, and laughing at Cadence’s indignant shriek. “Ah! There we go! All nice and clean!” Ducking a swipe, he stuck his tongue out. “Now, now, we can’t have the Imperial Princess be seen acting so violently! That would cause more of a stir than me getting caught off-guard!”
Huffing, Cadence turned sharply, flicking him across the muzzle with her tail. “Well, then! I suppose you wouldn’t be interested that I went ahead and sent Twily the crystal samples earlier today!”
His ears perked up, Shining stood abruptly, water rolling off his sides and trailing down his mane and tail. Quite the shift, but not without purpose.
“Oh? What samples did we get?” He asked, the teasing, playful tone vanished in favor of a more serious air. “I take it the Council came through and didn’t offer too much resistance—concerns with the Crystal Heart not included.”
“Quite a bit, actually! Once we assured them that the Heart wouldn’t be touched, they were much more willing to cooperate; naturally, beryl, garnet, quartz, and kunzite, each from their respective districts. The Shining Quarter offered a bit of green calcite and jade, too. And there were some that I’d honestly never seen before!”
That certainly got his attention. Types of crystal even she hadn’t seen?
Certainly, the Crystal Empire boasted the best quantity and quality of crystal—legend had it that every city of the fallen empire had been built in similar fashion to the capitol, the last remaining city—but to have those that hadn’t been seen?
Impressive. For a number of reasons, one of which directly tied to his wife. “Can’t you, y’know, use crystal magic? And you didn’t recognize some of them?”
Cadence rolled her eyes and gave him a light bop on the muzzle. “Just because I can cast crystal magic doesn’t mean that I’m a walking crystallography textbook!”
“Heh, fair enough.” Shining lit up a horn and floated a towel over, but not before looping a hoof around her neck and pulling her in for a quick nuzzle, pressing his dampened muzzle and chest up against her. He snickered at her indignant squawk and the sharp hoof to his chest.
He allowed himself a little smirk, another victory for the home team. As he toweled himself off, he hummed, his thoughts wandered a moment. “Actually, backpeddaling a moment, did you tell Twily about the Council’s concerns about the Heart? Just figured she should know ahead of time.”
“As a matter of fact, I did!” Cadence said with a nod. She took a couple of steps back from the edge of the tub so he could climb out of the tub. “Seems like we’re of the same mind.”
Nice to see that she’s a couple steps ahead, and that things are running smoothly around here for a change. “That’s great, sweetie!” His muzzle dried, Shining stole a kiss. “Hopefully she gets back to us soon, eh? Actually, speaking of which—“ he quirked an eyebrow, and leaned in to press his snout against hers “—did you reply to her ‘super-secret-mare-talk-no-Shining-Armors-allowed’ letter?”
For just an instant, barely even notable, she hesitated, her brilliant purple eyes darting to her left, and her muzzle taking on a rather forced grin. “Of course, dear! I sent it straight away with the courier, along with the samples and official letter.”
“Oh, good! So, do I get a little hint? Or do I have to guess the content?”
“Oho, no you don’t!” She giggled and danced out of reach, her wings ruffling up and tail swishing happily. “You know I can’t just betray the trust of my favorite sister-in-law!”
“Your only sister-in-law,” Shining pointed out wryly.
“Oh, hush! It still counts!”
With a bemused shake of his head, he swung his legs over the edge of the tub, his hooves clacking against the crystal floor. “Oh, come on! I deserve at least a little hint!”
Cadence turned and shook her rump at him, sticking her tongue out over her shoulder. “Nope! My lips are sealed! Now, come on! I have a few of Equestria’s finest to torment and you, my dear, are going to help me!”
Shining made to retort, but bit his tongue, tossing the towel over to hang on the edge of the tub and pulling the plug with his magic. “All right. Guard night at the pub it is. But—“ he narrowed his eyes and wagged a hoof at her “—if I find out that you’ve been hiding something like Twily having a crush on some little punk, I’m gonna be sorely disappointed! You’re taking away all my time to come up with just how I’m going to threaten them!”
“You’ll live. If what I’ve heard holds true, I’m quite certain that you’ll be able to come up with something creative on the spot.” She waited for him to make his way over before trotting toward the door, which she opened with a little flick of her magic. “Now, help me think of how I’m going to trick Windy into losing a drinking game! It’s been too long since I’ve teased him!”
With a roll of his eyes, Shining snorted. A few memories of Friday nights at Frothy’s Pub back in Canterlot, the old hole in the wall just a short trot from the barracks, flitted through his mind. Specifically, those of Windy, face down and groaning into the wooden counter top, while the soldiers hooted, hollered, and pounded their hooves in favor of their princess.
Poor Windy still hadn’t lived that one down.
This’ll teach you to lead the pegasi past me on takeoff. “You know what, sweetie—“ he stepped closer to his side, brushing his shoulder against hers “—if you can get Windy to whine like a school foal again, I just might let that one slide!”
While built in the same fashion as the rest of the Empire, Cool Draft’s Pub still maintained the same friendly atmosphere as those the Guard so loved to frequent in Canterlot.
A small venue, it was tight knit and furnished with wooden barstools and a traditional countertop, to give the mares and stallions of the Royal Guard a sense of home in their new deployment. And, naturally, they took to it with gusto.
As Shining Armor glanced around, he caught sight of a few of his trainees, sitting off to the side away from the veterans; the loud voices and booming laughter of the Royal Guard still set the crystal ponies a bit on edge, their ears laid flat against their scalps and their heads ducked low as they sipped at their mugs.
Something they shared with their kinsponies, who were slowly but surely plucking up the courage to sit in the same room as their protectors—albeit off to the side and in the darkened corners, just out of sight.
Foal steps, Shiny. He turned his head, giving a little smirk to the hooded figure standing at his side, and muttered out of the corner of his mouth, “So, was getting rid of your regalia and putting on that silly thing really necessary?”
His comment earned him a little nudge to his side. “Shush!” Cadence hissed, the top of her face obscured by the hood of the long, heavy brown cloak she’d kept stashed away in one of her many trunks. “You know darn well I wouldn’t be able to slip out without an escort if I didn’t have this thing on!”
“In fairness, you do have me right next to you. And you’re in a pub with—“ he glanced around, doing a quick count “—over a dozen members of the Royal Guard, and about five of our recruits for the Imperial Guard sitting on the side. And, y’know, that old coot behind the counter!” Cupping his hoof to his mouth, he called the last one more toward the bar than Cadence herself.
Sure enough, Cold Draft, a burly earth pony from Vanhoover, broke off from telling an old story to Stout Heart, and glared. “Armor! If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a thousand times! You talk ‘bout my age and I’ll take you outside and beat your rump! Captain, prince, or whatever fancy titles you got now!”
Shining grinned, both at the threat and the poorly hidden gasps from the crystal pony patrons. “You’ve been saying that for years, Draft! Still waiting on you to follow through!” He trotted forward to take his seat at the bar, hopping onto the stool to Stout Heart’s right, while Cadence gracefully stepped up and took free one at his side. He glanced down the counter and waved to the rest of his group. “Sorry I’m a bit late, stopped by and took care of some things at home. Brought a friend, too!”
Wind Runner’s ear flicked toward him. “A ‘friend’?” He parroted, leaning forward to survey the hooded figure. His eyes went wide. “Oh, no! Not again!” With a groan, he slowly dropped his head to touch the counter top. “Damn it, Captain! I hate you!”
“What?” Stout Heart glanced from Wind Runner to Shining Armor, and tilted his head. “What’s the problem? It’s just Princess Cadence under that hood, right? Ow!” He clapped his hooves over his head and turned to gape at Valiance. “What? It is, isn’t it?”
“It’s never ‘just the Princess’, Stout. You know better than that.” Valiance turned and bowed his head to Cadence. “Sorry, Your Highness. Once the armor comes off, this one thinks he can just go completely casual with everypony.”
Cadence laughed and pulled back her hood, ignoring yet another round of startled gasps from the crystal ponies as she shook out her tricolored mane. “I’m impressed, Stout! How’d you know it was me?”
Blushing and rubbing at the bump that was forming on his head, Stout Heart gave a sheepish grin. “Well, if you don’t mind me saying, Princess—and, er, you as well Captain… or is it Prince when we’re off duty?”
“Technically, I’m Prince Armor when I’m not in uniform, but either works.” Shining winked. “Just don’t tell anypony you heard that from me!”
Stout snorted. “Yes sir. Er, anyway, to answer you, Princess—“ he turned his attention to Cadence again “—since I’m paired with Corporal Valiance as your detail, I’ve become rather… uh… familiar with your choice of perfume.” A bright red blush colored his muzzle, the crowd of guards at the bar snickered and threw a few catcalls his way, along with a couple toward Shining. “Sorry, it’s just a thing that I caught on to and noticed when you walked up. That and, well, when you walk you carry yourself with a lot more confidence than most ponies. It’s distinctive here.”
Humming, Cadence nodded. “Full marks! I suppose I’ll have to take all this into account the next time I want to slip out and take a walk!”
This time, it was Shining’s turn to nudge her side. “Oh, no you don’t! We’ve got a few tricks up our sleeves to keep you safe and sound, honey!”
“You called?” Honeysuckle propped her head atop Valiance’s and grinned at him.
“Bah! You know what I meant! The point is, you’re not sneaking out that easily, Cady! Not with these ponies on the job!”
The guards whooped and raised their glasses, even Lighthoof, typically surly and quiet at Wind Runner’s side, tossed in a hearty “Darn right!” much to Shining’s amusement.
Cadence huffed and tossed her mane. “Those are some strong words, dear. Especially when there’s a certain Lieutenant who can’t hold his liquor sitting just a few seats down!”
Shining just shook his head and chuckled, sharing a knowing smirk with Valiance and Honeysuckle. Hook.
Predictably, Wind Runner’s head shot up. He narrowed his eyes at her and scowled. “I’m not falling for it this time, Princess! No way, no how!”
Line.
“Really?” She cupped her mouth and stage whispered. “Even with your recruits sitting nearby?”
And sinker. Thanks for playing, Windy.
“Draft!” Wind Runner snapped, his eyes never leaving Cadence’s.
The old stallion hid a grin, eager for the show to start. “Usual contest?”
He nodded once. “Yeah. Usual contest. Let’s see if Princess Cadence can still hold her liquor or if she’s trying to ruffle my feathers by living on past winnings!”
“Ha! Windy, if I ever want to get you a bit hot under the wings, all I have to do is pull out my notes on you and Meadowlark!” She grinned and slid off of her stool, casually sauntering over to the fuming stallion and bumping her hip against the back of his chair, jostling him forward and nearly making him spill his drink. “Speaking of which, how is she these days? Still packing for the move, or did she decide to wait and see if you stayed long term?”
“She’ll be up soon enough.” He ground out his reply through gritted teeth, slowly setting down his mug. “Next train, in fact.”
“Oh, good! I can tell her all about how I drank her favorite stallion under the table!”
Shining snickered, and dutifully gave a big “oooh” along with his guards while Draft brought out a bottle and a pair of shot glasses.
Both ponies raised their glasses in their hooves—an unspoken guard rule so unicorns couldn’t use any magic to mess with the alcohol—and nodded to one another, before downing their respective shots in one go, then slamming it on the table.
Honeysuckle, the unofficial referee-slash-doctor, checked the glasses. Not a drop remained. She nodded, and took her seat again. “One to one! Fill ‘em up again, Drafty!”
One shot each was just a warm up, these two would go for a while. The show was only just beginning.
But first, there was just a little bit of personal business to take care of.
He snaked a hoof around Stout Heart’s shoulders and pulled the unfortunate colt into a headlock. “So,” he growled, grinning wickedly, “what’s this I hear about you giggling over my little tumble with Miss Tourmaline?”
It took every fiber of his self-control not to break out into laughter as the color drained from Stout Heart’s face. Still got it.
“I-I, uh, I’m not sure what you’re talking about, sir,” Stout Heart stammered, a nervous grin splitting his muzzle. “I wouldn’t do a thing like that!”
Shining’s grin widened, his ear flicking toward Honeysuckle and Valiance as they both groaned and muttered, “Wrong move, kid” under their breaths.
“Is that so?” He asked with feigned innocence. “Funny, because Cady tells me that she overheard you and Tourmie in the hallway. Now, how did she say it again?” Tapping a hoof against his chin, he glanced out of the corner of his eye, savoring the look of utter terror that flashed across Stout Heart’s face. “Ah, yes: ‘cackling like a loon and telling Tourmaline’. So, Private Stout Heart, either you’re lying or you’re accusing my wife of lying. Would you like to consult Corporal Valiance and Field Medic Honeysuckle for your next move, or do you want to try again on your own?”
Game or not, there was a lesson Stout Heart needed to learn: be careful when you lie to an officer. You never know where they got their information from.
Especially when palace staff was involved.
Stout Heart’s ears pinned back, he hung his head low. “I’m sorry, sir. The Princess is right, I did laugh with Miss Tourmaline about you getting thrown. But I didn’t mean for it to get around! It was just supposed to stay between Tourmie—er, I mean, Miss Tourmaline and me!”
Shining’s ears twitched. Tourmie? He’d have to file that one away for later; the little nickname Cady and he used was a bit more familiar than expected from Stout Heart. “I don’t doubt that, Private. But you need to be a bit more careful about that stuff, understood?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good colt. Now, you know I can’t just let you off scot free, right?”
A tiny whimper escaped Stout’s throat. He gave a single, stiff nod. “Yes, sir.”
“All right. In the yard, 0500. You won’t need your gear. Don’t keep me waiting, Private.”
Stout Heart swallowed a lump. “Y-Yes, sir.”
Shining Armor snorted, laying his head atop Cadence’s as she hummed and nuzzled into his shoulder. “So,” he began, a grin playing upon his lips, “took it a bit too far with our little drinking contest, eh, sweetie?”
“Don’t care!” She cried, waving her hooves and nearly toppling off the plush seat of the carriage. Giggling, she caught herself, and leaned back over to nuzzle into his neck and shoulder again. “Mm, we should really thank Vali for hailing that night duty guard! He’s so sweet like that!”
“Yes, that he is. And Honey was nice enough to give us a little something for the hangover you’ll enjoy tomorrow morning.”
Cadence cooed, her gaze cloudy and unfocused. “She’s even sweeter! Remind me to find a nice stallion for her to go out with sometime!”
Oh, dear, here we go. Barely withholding a snicker, he nodded. “Of course. What about Valiance? Both are rather nice, aren’t they?”
“Uh huh,” she replied sleepily. “They’d be good together. I had a note that Honey’s been eying him up… somewhere…”
“Of course, of course. In your little notebook, I’m sure.” Almost the same conversation they’d had years ago, just before Valiance made a move.
If he remembered correctly, he was the one to put forth the eventual solution. “How about I put them on patrol together for a night or two? It might give them a little push.”
Cadence hummed into his shoulder, and nodded. “Yeah, that’ll be nice. Maybe Honey will finally make a move…”
No, that hadn’t happened, but at the very least, one of them had. “Sounds like a plan, sweetie. I’ll get on it first thing in the morning.” He wrapped his hooves around her midsection and held her close against his side. “Why don’t you get some sleep, sweetie? I’ll wake you when we get home.”
“Thanks, Shiny-winy…” He withheld a comment, simply shaking his head and rubbing a hoof up and down her back.
It had been a while since he’d dealt with Cadence being so thoroughly sauced. Sure, they’d both been a bit buzzed together after their date, having downed most of a bottle of Legacy of Harmony that night.
A chuckle escaped his lips, his muzzle burned with a deep blush as he nosed into Cadence’s mane and drank in her scent. And what a night that was. A wonderful date, dancing, and afterward, culminating in an evening spent with his hooves wrapped around her in bed.
It was even worth the ache in his ribs the next morning.
“Shiny?” Cadence mumbled and nosed against his cheek.
Jolted back into the real world, he drew back to look into her eyes. “Something up, sweetie?”
“Just got a question, love.” She leaned up and dotted the tip of his snout with a kiss, Shining wrinkled his nose at the scent of liquor on her breath, but didn’t pull back. “Wanted to ask—hic! ‘Scuse me.”
“That’s okay, Cady.” He snickered, still softly rubbing a hoof against her back. “You had a question?”
“Uh huh. Just wondered… what would you have done, if it hadn’t worked out? If you hadn’t been a guard.”
Shining wrinkled his snout, tilting his head to the side. “What?”
“What would you have done if you hadn’t been a guard, Shiny?” She leaned forward, her muzzle pressed against his. Her eyes suddenly focused, flashing with an odd gleam. “What would you do if you had to pick something else?”
He blinked, his mouth worked wordlessly. That was certainly… not what he expected. Asking what might have been and what paths they could have taken, not exactly out of ordinary for idle musing.
A bit too real for a drunken Cadence to come up with, though.
Shining eyed her up and down. Aside from the sudden shift from the silly, overly clingy drunk he was used to, it wasn’t too uncharacteristic for her.
Something that’d bothered her, perhaps?
With a shrug and a sigh, he replied, “I’ve never really given it all that much thought, to be perfectly honest. I guess I could’ve enrolled in Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns like Twily. Maybe I could’ve done some research on shielding magic; how it works, how it can be applied to more than just combat or defense, stuff like that.” He paused to rub at the bottom of his chin. “You know, I probably could’ve come up with something on the physics of what goes on inside of a bubble shield—so many ponies think that you can just cast one and it’ll protect you from anything! Even a fall! They don’t consider that, once you cast a shield in mid-fall, there’s two impacts!”
Shining stopped himself before he could get into the full swing of his rant. He took a deep breath and gave a sheepish grin. “Er, sorry, just a little peeve, y’know?”
“I do,” she replied through a bout of giggles, and stole another kiss. “But I love you for it!”
“Heh, thanks. Anyway, why do you ask?” Tilting his head again, he fixed her with a narrow-eyed stare. “Twily didn’t put you up to having me sent back to school, did she?”
Cadence gave a quick shake of her head, whipping her mane this way and that and catching him right at the tip of his snout. “No, nothing like that, Shiny. Just thinking is all. And wondering.” She shifted in place, and none too subtly brushed her shoulder against his, the tips of her feathers trailed against his flank.
His gaze flickered downward. The purple tips of her feathers trailed just above his cutie mark; the very spot where the mother bear’s claw had torn through his skin and left a gash in his side.
Shining’s gaze softened, he reached out to take her chin in his hoof, and gently turned her head so he could look into her eyes. “Cady, tell me what’s wrong.”
“You were hurt,” she replied, barely above a whisper.
And there it was. Still worried. “Hey, don’t worry, okay? I promised that I’d take care of myself better from now on, and I’m gonna live up to it.
A low whine, she wrapped her hooves around his barrel, her words nothing but an incomprehensible mumble into his coat.
“Sweetie, I can’t understand when you talk into my shoulder.” A little humor, just a little prod to get through her hazed mindset.
Cadence drew back, a tiny frown marring her beautiful face. “Nothing, Shiny. I’m just being silly. Silly, worrying Cadence.” Before he could retort, she tightened her embrace and kissed his cheek. “You’d have been good at that stuff, too. And safer.”
There it was again. Still concerned, still fearing for his wellbeing. Had it been so prevalent when they were dating? Certainly, she had always been a bit smothering in that regard. Almost motherly, even though they were the same age.
So much like her “Auntie Celestia” toward the ponies of Equestria.
All he could do was force a smile, swallow down the pang of regret at how his profession put stress on her, and give a chaste kiss to her lips. “Don’t worry about me, sweetie,” he cooed, gently coaxing her head back onto his shoulder. “The Gates of Tartarus and Cerberus himself couldn’t stop me from coming home to you.”
“Promise?”
“Of course. That old dog would need about three more heads to even put a scratch on me, let alone make me late for dinner with you.” Boastful, but reassuring. The little smile on her muzzle was all he needed. “Close your eyes, Cady. You need your rest.”
She whined playfully, nosing against his neck as her eyelids fluttered shut. “G’night.”
“Goodnight, sweetie. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Suddenly, she perked back up again. “Hey! I got a—hic—I got a great idea!”
Oh boy, I can hardly wait. “What’ve you got, honey?”
“You know what you’d be really good at? Like, really—hic—good at?”
Shining smiled and rolled his eyes. “Other than shield magic? Is it loving you with all my heart?”
“No, silly!” She giggled, nosing his cheek. “Well—hic—yes. But not just that! You’d be really good at—hic—fathering… stuff.”
He drew back, fixing her with a quizzical stare. “Fathering?” he parroted. “You mean I’d be a good father?”
Cadence nodded happily, her nose pressed against his shoulder. “Uh huh! You’d be great, just like how you were with Twi—hic—Twily. Big daddy Shiny!”
Shining held her a bit tighter, his chest filled with warmth. “You think so, huh? So, I’m gonna be ‘big daddy Shiny’ and we’re gonna have a little princess?”
“And a—hic—little prince! One colt, one filly!” she proclaimed with a clumsy wave of her hoof—nearly hitting him in the nose. “Hehe, we gotta think of good names, thought. Don’t wanna make ‘em silly…”
“Of course not, honey. But we can think of that some other time, okay?” Like when you’re not plastered, and we can actually sit down. “Go to sleep, silly mare.”
“‘Kay…”
What a funny mare she could be. Of all the pretty unicorns who pranced about and did up their manes back in high school, he just had to be entranced by the kindest, most beautiful, and most utterly silly of them all.
Like she said, silly Cadence.
“Shiny.” He glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes, and caught sight of a little smile on her muzzle. “Honey and Vali are already married, you great, silly stallion. You forgot again.”
He squeezed his eyelids shut and forced down his laughter. “Of course,” he said, his voice straining, “silly me. I’ll just have to adjust my patrol schedule.”
Cadence nodded, her muzzle tickling his neck. “Silly Shiny,” she agreed sleepily. She yawned and snuggled up against him, much like she had on those cold nights by the fireplace in their Canterlot home.
Silly, silly Cady. Shaking his head, Shining laid his chin atop her head and hummed softly, rocking her back and forth.
And silly me, too.