Dear Cadence,
I know it has been a while since I last wrote to you, but I've only just managed to get some free time. So rather than write a letter telling you how I've been, I decided to write you a letter telling you that I am on the train to the Crystal Empire.
In fact, if my calculations are correct, you should be reading this letter just as I am entering the throne room.
If not, then I guess something must have went wrong somewhere. Either way, I will talk to you when I arrive.
- Twilight.
Cadence looked up from the letter as the doors slowly creaked open, her lips turning into a smile as she caught sight of Twilight entering the room. Putting the letter to one side, she trotted over and gave Twilight a hug.
"Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake! Clap your hooves, and do a little shake!" they sang and danced in unison, giggling uproariously at the end of their greeting.
"It's good to see you again, Twilight," Cadence said. "And you were right, I was reading your letter just as you said I would be."
Twilight grinned. "I thought as much," she replied. "So, how have you been, Cadence? I'm sorry I haven't written much — but I did say that I've been really busy lately." She sighed. "Plus there's the fact I'm still having trouble finding my way around my new castle."
Cadence chuckled. "You'll get used to it," she said. "After all, it took me a few months to memorise the layout of this place." Twilight giggled. "Anyway, I know you didn't come all this way just to compare notes about castles — in fact, if you don't mind me saying, you look like you've got something you want to get off your chest."
Twilight sighed. "Am I really that readable?" she asked, shaking her head. "But you're right, there is something I want to ask you." The door opened and another pony entered the room, Twilight perking up as she caught sight of him. "In fact, both of you might be able to answer me." She waved at the new arrival. "Hi, Shiny!"
"Twiley!" Shining Armour beamed, walking over and giving Twilight a hug. "I didn't know you were coming to visit!"
"Neither did I," Cadence said. "She just got here a moment ago, and she was just saying that she has a question which you and I might be able to provide an answer to."
"I'd be happy to help you, L.S.B.F.F." Shining Armour nodded. "Well, I will as long as it's not a hard question."
"Might we go somewhere more private?" Twilight asked, to which Cadence nodded. She led the way into her and Shining Armour's bedroom, closing the door behind them. Shining Armour lit his horn, a brief flash of magic filling the room.
"There we go," he said confidently. "Now nopony should be able to hear us." He sat down in front of Twilight. "So, what's on your mind, little sis?" He grinned. "Is it a stallion?"
Twilight blushed. "No!" she said, her voice squeaking slightly. "I just wanted to know if... well, are you aware that Celestia and Luna each have a nickname for the other?"
Cadence nodded. "Luna calls Celestia 'Sunbutt,' and Celestia calls Luna 'Moonbutt.'" she smiled as the realisation hit her. "I know what your question is, Twilight... and the answer is yes — I do have a nickname, given to me by none other than your brother."
Shining Armour groaned. "Not the 'Heartbutt' story..." he said pleadingly. "Cady, I'm begging you, don't make me tell her."
Cadence stuck her tongue out at him. "If you don't, I will," she said. "Now put Twilight out of her misery and get to it already."
Shining Armour sighed. "All right," he relented. "Okay, Twiley, Cadence and I have already told you the story of how we got together back in high school. Now, a few days after the dance, we were finally going out on our first date..."
***
Shining Armour fiddled nervously with his bow tie as small beads of sweat ran down his brow, the bunch of roses he was holding looking more like torn paper than fresh flowers. Beside him, his mother was humming happily while she ran a comb through his mane, occasionally tutting as she found a knot.
"My darling little colt is going on his first date — and with a Princess, no doubt!" Velvet exclaimed giddily. "Oh, I am so filled with happiness right now I feel like I could burst!"
"You may be happy, mom, but I am so nervous right now." Shining Armour gulped. "Like... really, really nervous. What if I mess up, or take her somewhere she hates, or—"
Velvet clamped Shining's mouth shut with a forehoof. "Of all the stallions in Equestria, Cadence chose you." she smiled. "The mare obviously sees something in you that she likes, so just be yourself."
"But I'm a total nerd," Shining lamented.
"And that's why she likes you!" another voice chimed. Shining looked at the door to see his little sister. "Trust me, Shiny, you and Cadence are going to go out and have lots of fun!"
"You really think so, Twiley?"
Twilight shook her head. "I don't think so," she said. "I know so."
"Listen to your sister, dear, she's a very smart filly." Velvet put the comb down. "There we go, now you look like a million bits!"
"Thanks, mom, Twiley." Shining Armour took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "All right, I need to stallion up, get out there, and treat Cadence to the best night she's ever had!" At that moment, the doorbell went, the sound soon reaching his ears. "Oh, sweet merciful Celestia, she's here! What do I do, what do I do, what do I do... somepony, tell me what I have to do!"
"You can start by marching your flank downstairs, opening the door, and giving Cadence those flowers," Twilight said sternly, pointing at the bathroom door. "And then you are going to 'stallion up' and go on your date." Her expression softened slightly, and she patted his leg. "Come on, Shiny, I bet Cadence is just as nervous as you are."
Shining straightened his shoulders, fixed a smile on his face, and began walking. His legs soon took him to the front door, which he opened to reveal Cadence. She was wearing a simple pink dress, and her mane had been done up into a ponytail.
To Shining Armour, she was the loveliest sight imaginable.
"Hi, Cadence," Shining said. "You... wow, you look great."
"Hi, Shining," Cadence replied. "Thanks, you look good too."
They stood in silence for a moment before Shining remembered the roses and passed them to her. "I got you some flowers... but, er, it goes without saying that they've seen better days."
"I'm allergic to roses." Cadence covered her nose with a forehoof.
"You are?" Shining quickly withdrew them. "Oh, crud! I am so sorry, Cadence, I guess I should have asked—" He stopped as Cadence suddenly started giggling. "Why are you laughing?"
"I'm sorry..." Cadence stopped giggling. "I was only teasing you." She took the roses from him and sniffed them. "I love roses."
"Oh." Shining chuckled. "Well, you got me. You can leave them here if you want; my mom has spare vases everywhere." Cadence nodded and passed the flowers to Shining Armour, who put them to one side before offering a forehoof. "Shall we?"
"We shall." Cadence smiled.
"Then let's go." Shining took Cadence's hoof in his and the two of them walked to a waiting carriage, which was being pulled by two Royal Guards. Shining opened the door. "Ladies first."
"You're such a gentlecolt," Cadence said, as Shining helped her aboard. She sat down and adjusted her dress. "So, where to?"
"Well, my original idea was to take you to a fancy restaurant." Shining took a small pouch from his suit pocket. "I've been saving up every bit I've earned for over a year, and I have enough here to take you to any of the restaurants in Canterlot."
"I... see." Cadence looked away from him, at which Shining put a forehoof on her cheek and made her look back.
"However," he continued. "I quickly realised that you don't care about any of that fancy stuff, because I'm pretty sure that you deal with loads of fancy stuff back at the castle." Cadence looked at him quizzically, and he grinned. "Cadence, let's go bowling."
Cadence giggled. "Aren't we a bit overdressed for that?" she asked, indicating her dress and his suit.
Shining shrugged. "I only wore this thing because my mom made me," he replied. "Just like Princess Celestia made you wear that."
Cadence smiled at him, then lit up her horn and removed her dress, which she dumped unceremoniously on the seat.
"Good point." she opened the window and poked her head out, addressing the two guards. "Take us to the bowling alley, please."
The guards saluted. "As you wish, Princess Cadence," one of them replied. "We'll have you there in about ten minutes."
Cadence nodded and brought her head back into the carriage, to find that Shining Armour's suit had joined her dress. "Getting naked in front of me already, Shining Armour?" she tutted. "Shame on you, young stallion, it's not even our fourth date yet."
"I-I-I was just... But you..." Shining babbled incoherently for a moment, before Cadence silenced him with a kiss.
"You are so much fun to tease, you know that?" she asked as they separated. "Just relax, will you?"
Shining smiled at her. "Yeah, okay," he replied. "Besides... I don't think we're going to need two dates, never mind four."
As a red tinge appeared on Cadence's cheeks, Shining Armour took it as his cue to enjoy a laugh of his own.
***
Shining narrowed his eyes as he focused intently on the pins in front of him. He clutched his ball tightly, a plan already formulating in his mind. Behind him, Cadence rolled her eyes.
"It's a 7-10 split, Shining," she said. "You're not going to pick up the spare on this, not in a thousand years."
"It's only my first frame, Cadence, so it's all to play for right now," Shining scoffed. "Besides, I really want to beat you."
"I'm the mare, you're supposed to let me win!" Cadence put a forehoof to her chest as she gasped dramatically. "Plus, I'm a Princess; that means you have to let me win even more!"
"I guess you'll have to send me to the dungeons, then." Shining turned his head and and winked, then turned back and threw the ball down the lane. "Check out the spin on this baby!"
As if guided by an unseen and malevolent force, the ball immediately landed in the gutter and hurtled past the pins.
Cadence giggled. "That was some spin, Shiny." she stood up and picked a ball from the rack. "Let me show you how it's done."
Shining stepped away from the lane and sat down in Cadence's vacated seat, watching as she approached the line. But his attention was soon drawn elsewhere, as he couldn't help but notice that Cadence's hindquarters was swaying hypnotically while she tried to find the best place to stand in preparation for her throw.
"Holy—" he tore his gaze away and slapped himself. "Damn it, Shining, stop looking at her like that! You've only just managed to win her heart, don't screw it up now by making her think that you're some kind of pervert!"
He snapped back to reality as the clatter of bowling pins reached his ears, looking back at Cadence to see the smug grin on her face.
"Tell me you saw that," she said. "That was the perfect strike."
Shining swallowed nervously and shook his head. "N-nope, sorry," he said. "I was, uh, thinking about what I did wrong on my shot."
"Well, I hope you figured it out." Cadence nodded her head towards the ball return. "Because it's your turn, Mr. Professional."
He stood up and grabbed his ball, walking slowly over to the lane. Glaring at the pins in the distance, he narrowed his eyes and took a few tentative steps forward. But at the last second before his throw, the image of Cadence's rear flashed in front of his eyes as though it were a light bulb he had been staring at for too long.
"Ack!" he threw the ball, which bounced along the lane and successfully knocked down two pins. "Shoot!"
"Aww," Cadence cooed. "You changed your mind about beating me after all! You are such a kind stallion, Shining Armour."
Shining let out a quiet groan. "Yeah, I guess I did." he rubbed the back of his head. "I mean, I let Twilight win a lot, so it's only fair that I extend the same courtesy to you." He picked up the ball and threw it without thinking, this time picking up the spare.
"Then again, you don't really need to 'let' me win," Cadence replied. "Since I am going to wipe the floor with you anyway."
"I'm sure you will," Shining Armour said. "But if I'm going to lose, I still want to at least make it look like I tried to win."
Cadence giggled. "All right then, Mr. Big Shot," she said. "Try it."
***
Shining stifled a belch as he swallowed the last remnants of his hayburger. Across from him, Cadence was already on her third one, evidenced by the ketchup smeared across her face and the two empty boxes on the table. The two guards stood nearby, wary but at the same time unsure what to think about the sight before them.
"I guess alicorns have an appetite," he said.
Cadence finished her mouthful. "Well, not really," she replied. "It's just... I've never had hayburgers before. They're not exactly standard faire up at the castle — but they should be, because they are just so darn good!" She took a sip of her soda.
Shining chuckled. "So bringing you here was a good idea?" he asked hopefully, to which Cadence nodded. "Glad to hear it."
Cadence put the latest burger carton aside and dabbed at her muzzle with a napkin, reaching across the table to take Shining's hoof in hers. "Thanks for the wonderful evening, Shiny," she said. "I haven't had so much fun in years... but you didn't have to lose that hard to me at bowling earlier. If I didn't know better, I'd say you were distracted. Were you nervous about being seen with me?"
Shining Armour couldn't bring himself to reply at first, replaying the bowling game over in his mind. Every time Cadence had stepped up to take her shot, her flank would sway, which in turn would lead to him messing up his own shot — or, in one case, inadvertently helping the pony in the next lane to score a strike.
"No distractions." he shook his head. "I guess I left my A-game at home. I'm normally very good at bowling; just ask Twilight."
Cadence smiled and stood up. "All right," she said. "I'm going to freshen up before we head back to our respective homes. Back in a few minutes." She extricated herself from the booth and headed in the direction of the restroom; one of the guards following her and standing sternly outside the door.
"Yeah, I left my A-game at home," Shining said to himself. "But Cadence brought hers along, and it worked a treat."
He cleared the table, depositing the rubbish in a nearby bin, and then laid his head on it with a small sigh.
***
The guards stopped outside Shining's house, unhitching themselves so they could open the door and allow the couple to exit. They walked side-by-side upside the path and stood outside the door, blissfully ignoring the blatantly obvious silhouette of Twilight Velvet which could be seen on the other side.
"I had a wonderful evening, Shiny." Cadence leaned in and kissed his cheek. "And thank you for treating me like a normal mare."
Shining returned Cadence's kiss with one of his own. "It was nothing, Cadence, really," he replied. "And thank you for giving me this opportunity... although I think I've said that already." Cadence nodded. "Right, anyway. Goodnight, Cadence."
"Goodnight, Shining Armour."
She turned and began walking along the path to the carriage, with Shining watching her every step of the way. She had only got a few yards away when he let out a wistful sigh.
"What a butt..."
Cadence stopped and turned around. "What was that?" she walked back towards him. "Did you just say 'What a butt?'"
Shining began sweating. "Um... no! I, er, I said... 'Heartbutt.'"
Cadence raised an eyebrow at him. "'Heartbutt?'" she queried. "Well, why did you call me that, then?"
"Because you've got a heart on your butt?" Shining pointed at her flank. "Y'know... since your cutie mark is a heart."
Cadence stared at him for a moment, then giggled. "I see what you mean." she tapped her chin with a forehoof. "'Heartbutt...' It's a nice little nickname, I'll give you that, but it's not exactly the sort of nickname you want to use around my auntie. Instead, might I suggest that you call me 'Cady' for short?"
Shining nodded so fast, he felt as though his head would fall of. "I'm glad you liked it... and yeah, I'll call you 'Cady' if you want."
"Good." Cadence resumed the walk to the carriage. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight." Shining waited for her to leave, and then opened the door, at which point he was ambushed by his mother.
"What happened to your suit?!"
***
Twilight couldn't help but laugh as her brother finished his story, while Cadence was trying to pour tea with a straight face.
"So there you have it, Twiley," he said. "That's how Cadence earned the nickname 'Heartbutt.' Suffice to say, I told her what I had actually said after we were married."
"And I told him that I already knew, since I heard him," Cadence added. "I just wanted to hear what kind of silly excuse he would come up with, although I wasn't expecting that."
"That's amazing." Twilight wiped her eyes with a napkin. "I'm so glad I came out here now; that was some story."
"Whatever you say, 'Starbutt,'" Cadence said.
Twilight chuckled. "'Starbutt?'" she asked. "Is that my nickname?"
"It is now," Cadence replied. "After all, Celestia, Luna and I have a nickname; it's only fair that you should as well."
"Point taken."
There was a pause before they all descended into giggles, after which Twilight took a sip of tea — happy to have answers at last.