Chapter 1
Twilight was going home, and that filled Cadance with an unusual sadness.
Cadance let her hoof rest on the balcony railing and her smile wilted slightly as she watched Twilight’s form in the distance. Equestria’s youngest princess was swooping down, circling over her friends as they headed away from the Palace and towards the train station. It wasn’t the most skilled aeronautic display she had ever seen, although it was hardly fair to critique Twilight for not displaying the skill a born pegasus might.
Honestly she was much more confident in the air than the last time Cadance had seen her, and confident in general; it only served to remind her of how the little filly, who once panicked at the mere suggestion of being tardy, had matured over the past few years. ‘Matured’ wasn’t the right word, not really. Nopony who had met Twilight—even when she was a filly barely able to reach her sitter’s shoulder—could think of her as ‘immature’ unless they were deliberately obtuse and refused to see the keen mind residing in that adorable little head of hers.
No, matured was the wrong word; seasoned would fit better. There was no doubt in her mind that Twilight had grown, become so much more than what she had been, and every time she had seen her, even at a distance, the breadth and depth of that growth… It was wonderful.
Just days earlier, Twilight had mentioned she had reconnected with all the friends she had once had before moving to Ponyville. Neither Cadance nor her husband had particularly wanted to point out the fact that they had been probably little better than acquaintances. She clearly valued them as friends now, however little she may have valued them then, and it was nice to see Lyra and Moondancer again. Even if she couldn’t help but grimace at the jokes Lyra made about the wedding…
Still, they were now going, heading back to the train until the next time she got to see her, to see Twilight. All too often they only really seemed to meet when the world was coming to an end, or as functionaries on separate sides of a political thing—the sort of thing that wasn’t fun for ponies like herself, and really did very little to accomplish anything, anyhow.
Cadance felt the smile on her face finally slip away and the sense of wistfulness grew in her, as Twilight faded away into a purple speck that landed and disappeared into the crowd. Until next time, Twilight.
“Never thought we’d see Moondancer again,” Shining murmured as he stepped up beside her, staring down the road as if he could pick his sister out of the distant, milling ponies by sheer force of will. “She really is the Princess of Friendship, isn’t she?”
She glanced at her husband without moving her head and gave a small nod as her smile returned to its full strength—regardless of the ache in her chest—as she leaned up against the stallion. His mere presence was enough to drive away some of the melancholy.
When she turned to look at him, though, she paused, whatever she was about to say forgotten by the expression on his face. It wasn’t unhappy, not exactly, but tinged with the sort of sadness that suggested he would have preferred his LSBFF stay longer; nostalgia for days gone past when he got to be Twilight’s brother in deed, rather than just in name, she supposed. And something more, something Cadance couldn’t place her wingtip on, couldn’t understand. It was small, yet for somepony who knew his face so well, it was as obvious as the sun. Worry? Anxiety? Perhaps a hint of dismay as well…
“What’s wrong, Shiny?” Cadance asked. After everything they had been through, it hardly seemed worth it to beat around the bush, to try and get him to tell her without prompting. She’d like to think the soldier in him preferred it that way.
“I…” Shining trailed off, turning his head to look at her. “Y-You love her, don’t you?”
Cadance’s chest twinged slightly, an icy shiver of fear running down her spine at the question; it took her a moment to regain her composure. “Of course I do, Shining. She’s almost my sister, for Celestia’s sake.”
Her husband bit his lip, glancing away as if seeking respite from something unpleasant. “That’s not what I meant, Cadance. You don’t love her as a sister, not truly. I think in the past… maybe. But now? No.”
“What other sort of love could I have for her, Shining?” Cadance asked, smiling at him and bumping him with her hip. It was only slightly forced, a little bit fake.
“Romantic,” Shining snorted. “Which, I think, you’re familiar with.”
“Shining,” Cadance made her voice firm, despite the pounding of her heart and dryness of her mouth. Her Aunt had taught her how to maintain an outward appearance of calm in even the gravest of situations. “I love her like a sister. What even makes you think such a thing anyway?”
He said nothing for a moment, looking almost bemused, as if she was being deliberately naive for a prank or something; under that she could see a smirk waiting to blossom. Years of military training had given her husband an excellent poker face, and to another pony, he probably looked like he had a face of stone. His lips, though, betrayed him, at least to her.
Shining sighed gustily, and shook his head. “I can feel it, Cady.” His lips couldn’t resist anymore, breaking into a wan-looking smirk. “The love you feel towards her… it’s like… I don’t know how to describe it.”
“Huh? What do you mean…?” Her heart fluttered almost painfully, as her calm composure cracked as her wings flared and she danced sideways with alarm. For all the good putting a little bit of distance between herself and her husband would do. Feel it? How?
“You’re forgetting our vows, aren’t you?” Shining said pointedly, and for a moment, she could felt as if she couldn’t breathe. She had done nothing! Nothing! How could he say such a thing? Of course she hadn’t forgotten her vows. Their vows! “I’m talking about the spell, Cadance—remember?” he added gently, and not unkindly, perhaps sensing her internal strife.
“Oh,” Cadance said, her mouth forming a perfect expression of surprise as her horn briefly vibrated with half-remembered magic.
Socius, that sharing of talents, of skills and magic… most ponies didn’t realize that the spells cast on them during the final taking of vows wasn’t merely a bunch of pretty lights, or merely symbolic… it joined them, allowed them to share in each other’s talents and essence on a much more personal and intimate level. In the most basic sense, it allowed the other to use one’s magic as it it were their own. Of course, for most ponies, the effect wasn’t nearly as pronounced… even if the other pony got a deeper sense of yourself. For powerful ponies, though, the depth of the connection forged by the Socius spell was much deeper; for her it meant suddenly being able to shield a whole city and for Shining it meant...
And Shining was right, she had forgotten. Born a pegasus and raised as a earth pony, then, only then, raised as a princess, magic—spells and such—were still a foreign thing to her, and Socius was very much unicorn magic. The minutia weddings had never held much appeal to her. All the pomp and to-do of a ceremony didn't matter much in the face of love — real, true love, as genuine and pure as the ringing of a bell. That's how she felt for Shining, and that was what mattered.
Which was fairly problematic, considering she also felt that same real, true, clear-as-ringing-bells love for her little sister-in-law...
Merely thinking it was painful, and she had kept it hidden so long, from her friends, her aunt, her husband...
...herself.
Shining must have noticed her reaction, silent though the thoughts flitting through her head might have been, and his self-assured smirk faltered. He took a step towards her, closing the gap between them before saying softly; “I’m not mad, Cady.”
“I love you,” Cadance said, taking a step sideways and turning to face him head on. Her vision blurred and she had to blink hard to clear it away. This was wrong, all wrong. “I do, Shining, you know I do!”
“I do know, Mi Amore.” She had always loved the way he turned her horrible name into something filled with true affection and desire. His soft nuzzle against her neck followed her, even as she stepped backwards and found herself out of balcony to escape too, and punctuated the soft affections with a kiss, before looking her directly in the eyes. “Don’t think I don’t know that! The only reason I know is because the love you have for her is what you have for me.”
“I... “ She wasn’t trapped, but she couldn’t bring herself to push him away either; why was he doing this to himself? “H-how long?”
“Not too long,” Shining admitted into her shoulder, his hot breath curling around her like a hug of a different sort. “Or… a while. I didn’t understand it, at first, I think. And there was always so much going on…” There was a pause, and he pulled back. “Probably didn’t want to believe it, either.”
“It's only a crush, Shining,” Cadance said after a moment, resolutely putting her everything into the lie.
Which, of course, he saw through immediately.
“You know it isn’t,” he shook his head, turning and looking out over the horizon, where a train could be seen just leaving the station. “Or are you saying you’ve only got a crush on me, too?”
“What! No!” Cadance started, and sighed, following her husband’s gaze out over the Empire the two of them ruled together. “I… it’ll never be more than a crush, Shining, I promise you, it won’t be. We both know it should never even be that. Perhaps if I was a better mare, or a better—”
Shining’s hoof gently cut her off, pressing against her lips and holding them shut.
“I’ve always known you’ve had a big heart, Cady,” he said after she stopped trying to speak around his hoof. “Bigger than most ponies will really know or understand… and I can see why.” her husband turned back towards the city, his eyes flicking back and forth, following… following love, those twisting, pulsing strings of motes of purest gold and vibrant silver. How could she have missed it? Briefly, she wondered if this was how she looked to other ponies when she watched love lines dance through the air.
“Doesn’t matter,” Cadance said, forcing steel into her voice, trying to sound resolute and unyielding even as her lip quavered.
“Of course it does,” The playful tone in his voice drew Cadance’s eyes back to him, to that irrepressible smirk on his lips. “Somepony once told me the only thing one could do with love, that was wrong, was to deny it. Love is beautiful, she said, and should never been hidden or something to be ashamed of.”
She smiled despite the situation. It conjured up fond memories of a silly young colt, trying to explain to her why they should never be together.
“She sounds like a wise mare, indeed,” Cadance said, sounding more amused than she really intended, given the gravity of the situation she suddenly found herself in. “I… she... “ she shook herself, ruffling her feathers in a very unlady like fashion. “Even if I… it doesn’t matter, Shining, it doesn’t. She doesn’t see me that way, and I could never think of acting on these feelings, not if it meant hurting you, and it would hurt her too, because she’d see it for what it was. Betraying you.”
“Is it? Betrayal, I mean?” he asked, his expression neutral as he turned to watch the city go about its day, unaware of the crisis in the Royal family. At least, it felt that way to her. “I won’t lie to you, Cadance, it… it did hurt at first, a bit. When I first realized, first understood what I was feeling between you and her…”
His voice was so strained, all Cadance could do was place her hoof on his withers comfortingly as she pressed close, hoping it would be welcomed rather than rejected. Shining smiled at her briefly, and pressed back against her, nestling under her wing. He seemed to draw strength from her presence, which made her smile hopefully.
“It was never easy, you know, being her brother,” Shining continued. Cadance’s smile slipped, even though he sounded happier. There was an undeniable bitterness to the words, if not the tone. “It’s like that old song, anything I could do, she could do better. She was always smarter than me, more capable than me. Braver, too. She can do things with defensive magic that I couldn’t even conceive of, until she showed me how.” He bit his lip and sighed heavily. “I suppose it's only reasonable she’d win your heart without even trying, too.”
“Oh Shining,” Cady couldn’t help herself, she pressed her muzzle against his neck and kissed him gently. “You never had to win my heart, I loved you from the moment I saw you. And you are smart, and brave and capable. Never think you’re not.”
“She faced Nightmare Moon without a lick of training, though,” Shining said, wistfully. “And Discord…”
“Do you really think my Aunt was teaching her nothing but books, Shining? She may not have gone through bootcamp, but she trained her just as hard.” Cadance shook her head, recalling her own training that Celestia had insisted she undertake so she could defend herself. Not that it had helped against Chrysalis.
Luna had threatened her with a refresher course, but thankfully the reappearance of the Crystal Empire had put that off—and she seemed to have forgotten about it.
“I…” Shining shook his head. “That wasn’t my point; my point is that I understand. I think I’ve gotten a better understanding of who you are, inside, than I ever had before I married you and… I-I’m okay with it.” Shining suddenly grinned and turned to her. “It’s funny, she asked me once what I had done to get you to marry me, and I told her that you weren’t just getting a husband, but a sister too.” Her husband paused and his smile slowly melted into a more neutral, serious expression. “I don’t mind sharing you, especially not with her, Cadance, if that’s what’s in your heart. I’m not going to stand in your way. You should tell her.”
Cadance looked at him for a moment, the way he smiled at her, the honesty in his words. Perhaps it should have surprised her, except... it didn’t, not truly. She felt the strength of his love everyday, how could she be surprised by his desire to make her happy, regardless of the cost? This would just be something they’d have to work through, together, as a couple.
She kissed him, slowly and with meaning, the sort of kiss that promised things she was more than happy to make good on. Later, when they were alone.
Then she pulled back, and shook her head. “No, Shining.”
“But…”
Cadance cut him off with her hoof. “No. You’re my husband, and I love you. This... “ Her voice trailed off, then shook her head. “This is foolishness. Besides, I doubt she feels the same about me—and it is a betrayal, she’d see that, and I do too, even if you don’t.”
“I think she might, actually,” Shining said softly.
Her heart skipped a beat, betraying her with a sense of hope that had no place in her breast. Not that she voiced it; “Don’t you think I would know if she did?”
“Would you?”
She bit her lip. It had been so hard to see, the love between herself and future husband… What if it were true? What if Twilight felt the same and—she bit her lip harder, almost enough to draw blood. Her path was set and anything else…
“Yes,” Cadance said, forcing the self doubt and question out of her head. “And I think we should just drop it, Shining. It is what it is, but nothing will change. I promise.”
Shining looked at her, his expression mostly neutral, with just a hint of skepticism in his eyes, before he nodded and smiled. “I stand by what I said, Cadance, you don’t have to… deny yourself.” There was a pause and he shook himself, brushing up against her. “I suppose we ought to get back to our duties.”
She couldn’t help her glance over her shoulder as the two of them stepped inside, with her wing draped over her husband protectively. She could almost feel the beating of his heart, and as she pushed her wistfulness aside for what could never be, she couldn’t help but feel a tidal surge of affection for her husband rise up inside her breast. So self-sacrificing, he’d really do anything for me, anything to make me happy...
“Actually, Shining, love,” she cooed as she kissed him in the secret spot on his neck, “I think I’d rather remind you just how much I love you…”
See? Two stories per year!
I'm not late or anything 
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Cady x Twilight is a pairing I never would have thought of, but it's cute. Pairing my two favorite ponies together.
6784949
You're late to the game.
At least she has the decency to recognize the action of coming onto his sister as something immensely painful. I believe Shining's bitterness more than anything else he's expressed this story. That his sister is an amazing prodigy, and it's happened so much he's just resigned himself to being second banana, even in love, to his sister.
But, as a result, the only thing he can do is try to sacrifice himself harder, since he'll never measure up the best he can do is prove he's really really a good man, sacrificing his happiness for the women around him.
It was well written, though. Just depressing as hell... I get the feeling Cadance is intended to have it seem like it's sweet or sad for her that she cannot be with the person she loves, but I sympathize far more with Shining.
Good thing Alicorns are immortal, though that would make for an awkward funeral.
"Hey Twi, now that I'm single again, wanna go on a date?"
6785075 I guess I am! I'm going to have to get reading, then! Thanks.
6785226
Cadence want NORMAL life than her own fantasy because ultimately you see it...
She is afraid if she live that kind of life
6785226
It certainly isn't supposed to be heartwarming or sweet, I was more aiming for something along the lines of bittersweet. You should feel sympathy for both of them: for Cadance, she's kind of in an uncomfortable position of being in love with somepony else, and her inability to fulfill that desire or even treat it for what it is, is and will hurt her. She wants to put it aside and pretend it isn't there because she doesn't want to hurt her husband. As for Shining, as you suggest, he's kind of had a raw deal most of his life and finds himself making (or trying to make) even more sacrifices for the mares in his life.
6785407
Yeah. In one way it's people sacrificing things for each other, trying to make their partner happy but... well the raw deal that Shining, who should be on top or nearly on top of the world, feels like that in every way that matters he's just someone's second choice gets me more than Cadance's, and that his acceptance of inferiority has been pretty deeply ingrained, and it puts me further in his corner than hers.
And, actually, this is one of the few Twidance's that acknowledges what Cadance being in love with Twilight would probably mean for Shining emotionally, realizing he's either second place to Twilight again, or at least having to compete for it with her, and feeling like he's going to lose.
So it is pretty bittersweet, but I think I feel more bitter than sweet.
Again, though... it's good. I may abhor said situation but it is a well written short story of people who care about each other trying to navigate what is going to be an unavoidably painful situation.
6785287
And what about her kids.
She has at least one, now, remember? I don't see Cadance as the kind of girl who stops at one, either.
"So, Twily, now that I'm single again-"
"MOM?!"
I honestly don't see the ship at all, but it was still a nice moment for Cadance and Shining on that particular topic, perhaps regardless of who the conversation is aimed at.
6785407
Don't be silly, Cinna--the threesome solution is totally heartwarming and sweet.
Man... I can't help but feel for Shining Armor here, Twilight gets pretty much everything handed to her on a silver platter, and no matter how hard he works, he just can't compete.
Let's take a look, shall we?
*Born one of the most powerful unicorns of all time.
*Born with a genius-level intellect.
*A Cutie Mark not just for a specific branch of magic, but for magic in general.
*Through miraculous circumstances became Celestia's student.
*Through similarly miraculous circumstances overcame her anti-social tendencies to make five best-friends-for-life, became the element of magic, and freed Princess Luna from the grip of Nightmare Moon.
*Proceeded to then save the world multiple times from various threats through a combination of luck and determination.
*Became an alicorn by accident and was elevated to royalty.
*And now Cadence has fallen in love with her, without her really trying, and despite all the mental roadblocks that would normally get in the way of that.
Now, we don't know nearly as much about Shining Armor, but we can intuit a lot:
*Captain of the Royal Guard at an extremely young age.
*The most powerful (normal) unicorn shown on-screen. Twilight, Sombra, and Trixie with the amulet don't count.
*No matter what she says, caught the attention of the Alicorn of Love.
*Managed to defeat Chrysalis and her changeling army with love.
*Never stopped fighting Sombra, no matter how dangerous it was to him.
*Stood up to both Discord and Tirek.
This paints the picture of an earnest, loving, hard-working young man that always tries his hardest to do what he feels is right. He's blessed in many ways, but he never stops trying just because of that, and yet he always gets surpassed by his younger sister, oftentimes without her even attempting to do so! I think about all that he's been through, and just how hard he had to have to worked to have come so far in such a short time, and I can't help but think what it must be like to be him. Unfortunately, I doubt the show will ever let him be anything more than Cadence's perfect, ineffectual husbando, which is sad, because I think his character has a lot of potential... especially if they changed his voice actor, the California college jock accent is NOT flattering in the least.
I have some ideas floating around for a story that explores all of this more in-depth, but, like most of my ideas, it's still stuck in development hell.
6785766
Would also like to point out that I'm not dissing Twilight, I really do love the adorkable little bookworm. And I'm not saying she didn't earn it either, it took her many years of intense study and a lot of personal sacrifices to get her to where she is in canon. Not to mention the bravery and guile she showed against literally world-ending threats, in no way am I discounting that. But even Twilight herself will admit she's led a charmed life, especially after seeing just how bad things can really get.
I'm not sure what this story is going for. Is there an end point beyond the angst and knowing their marriage is probably going to slowly fall apart from here?
6785766
And then at the end of the day, you realize, "I'm over looking a cartoon again."
Haha
6786019
Hey, I've had the stomach flu for the past seven days straight. It's either over-analyzing cartoons, or back to moaning on the coach.
If you can't be with the one you love...
6785493
What about them?
Would this be considered cheating? I dunno, philosophy isn't my shtick.
If so, then this is the first adultery story that I've ever seen rated Everyone.
6785793
Twilight is not even a particularly humble character, which is something authors often go overboard with. She is not a braggart, and she can get flustered when she receives praise from those she cares about, but she's not self deluded, she knows perfectly well who she is and what she has, and has pulled her status/title/knowledge on others multiple times throughout the series, and thrown fits the times when they are not acknowledged, just not over frivolous things (usually).
It's all part of who she is and why we like her, and I agree that people tend to only want to see the virtues in her character which is why so many fics about her end up feeling very bland and Mary Sue-ish.
6786042
... Well this rout is several football field's worth of familial dysfunction and assassination attempts waiting to happen.
6786251
I'd be interested to see a list of these. There's a fine line between "pulling knowledge" and genuinely thinking you have something to contribute and being flustered when no one believes you or acts on it.
Back to the story, this isn't the first TwiDance to treat these subjects, but it does so very well. Shining's angst is obvious and intense; I get the feeling his acceptance is based as much in resignation as in love or understanding of Cadance.
6786572
First time in the first 5 mins of the series, last time in Hooffields and McColts, also telling Fluttershy that she would get special treatment after FS stole Philomena, throwing fits when the Mayor wouldn't let her make an official announcement... those are just off the top of my head.
Like I said, she's not Trixie, bit she's not a deluded or unaware of who and what she is, and does have certain expectations of privilege, and that's OK because she does have a privileged position in life which she has earned.
6786571
Ohh cmon! It'll be good for them! They're learn all sorts of valuable skills in their quest to bring down the Dark Lady and her evil Cohort Midnight Sparkle! And then you get to whip out the whole "No Skyla, I AM YOUR MOTHER!" line.
Boo. Yay, but boo.
Yay for the well-written story.
Boo for breaking up one of the actual few canon couples.
6786859
Who said anything about them breaking up?
This was absolutely great! I thought it was heading straight for a very weird kind of V shaped polyamorous relationship but I was pleasantly surprised. The dialogue was very well written as well.
It's absolutely true that loving creatures are capable of loving more than one other, sometimes many more. But here Cadence does the best thing, the RIGHT thing, and stays true to her husband. Polyamorous relationships always end in pain for someone, and it wouldn't be right to risk that for any of the three of them.
Perhaps, if this is a Universe in which Cadence and Twilight have the spark of Immortality, Cadence and Twilight will have the opportunity to explore a relationship after Shining Armor's passing (the subject of more than a few TwiDance fics).
6785766
I don't think it's her other accomplishments that come into the picture. Brotherly pride would cover those without raining on his parade. At the end of the day, he just wouldn't mind that he doesn't stack up against the living-goddess world-saviour that is his little sister. ... At least until he finds out his wife wants her and not him.
For that reason I prefer my Twidence to be AU, where Shining's not interested in Cadence to begin with.
6786889
Having Twilight and Cadence get together (implicitly forever due to immortality) after Shining's death is really weird, as it kind of suggests that Shining Armour was just a minor thing before the true, better romance.
6787184
That's such a terribly limited, and IMO extremely incorrect, view of love. Loving one person doesn't inherently diminish the love one feels for others. It's not a finite pool, it grows eternally. Besides, think of the two characters we're talking about. IF they grew to love each other after Shiny passed away then their love could very well only be possible because of their respective relationships with him. Think of Shining himself. He would want his Wife, the Princess of Love, to have love again, and who would he trust her heart to more than his LSBFF?
And it doesn't suggest that she ever loved Shining Armor any less at all.
6786166
It's not cheating if it's mutually agreed upon. Welcome to the wonderful world of polyamory!
6787362
I'm talking narratively, from the point of view that they're both immortal alicorns who are ostensibly equals. Not from how the characters might view their romance.
Just read this again and had to comment again. I'd love a sequel or for this to become a longer story with chapters. Maybe a mature fic where Twilight/Cady/Shiny show their love for each other. Hehe. Or if not, just Twilight and Cadance spending some time alone, some nice clean romance with them having dinner, sleep overs, talking, princess-y stuff...it would be cool. This story is already popular and featured. I'm sure people would love more!
6787371
I dunno, I skimmed it and thought Shiny was upset, yet resigned to his fate.
I liked this. I would say more about it, I'm just too tired right now.
I kinda agree that Cadance, despite being the story focus, gets sidelined by Shining. There's a distinct feeling of pain and inadequacy, both at realizing he's lost a part of Cadance and that Twilight always manages to show him up. Part of what makes him stronger was that we don't know exactly what he is thinking, and that really helped. It still feels clipped around the edges. Cadance's love and SHining's feelings, while present, could be touched on so much more.
And that's how Cadence got pregnant.
(Sorry, couldn't resist)6785992 Nah, Cadance loves Shining, but she also loves Twilight. The conversation is mostly her attempting to reassure Shining that she's not going to just drop him and go shack up with his little sister on a whim. Shining is ready to sacrifice himself and let her go to let her be "happy" but they both know that would only hurt him, and Cadance is trying to explain that she'd prefer to remain as things are rather than risk hurting Shining and Twilight in the pursuit of a hypothetical pleasure in preference to something that is real. After all, she still loves him - they both know that - and she vowed to remain faithful.
Strong marriages are built on conversations like this. Communication of the truth - especially on matters of the heart - is key to maintaining a healthy relationship and preventing coldness and separation from setting in.
6788204
Problem is that there's still incredible potential (indeed it's sort of already happening) for an emotional affair. Things will exacerbate with time, especially whenever Cadence has alone time with Twilight or whenever Shining and Cadence have an argument or slip into moments of weakness.
6785287 It maybe awkward, but it would be hilarious!
6786031
Oh man. That's rough. I guess there's an obvious choice here, then.
Overthink your heart out!
Haha.
Uh-oh. Princess Twilight Sparkle has just spent a certain amount of time with the Princess of Love, and now will travel back to Ponyville. What characteristic does an object which is exposed to a Van DeGraff generator gain?
Answer: A charge, which attracts objects charged opposite to it.
Question: What kind of charge would the Princess of Love generate when she's in one of her 'moods' around her fellow princess?
Answer: A romantic charge, most probably Twi(--).
Question: Who do we tend to see escort Princess Twilight and her friends around the train station, and who seems to be charged FS(++).
Answer: Flash Sentr-- Uh-oh. Run, Flash! Run! No, wait! Fly, Flash! Fly faster! She's gaining on you!
Hm... I liked this, but it feels like the first chapter of a much larger story. As a one shot, it feels lacking. It's a pity that it is marked as incomplete.
My one quibble is on the subject of Twilight's skill with defensive magics. Twilight, if given time to study and practice, will exceed the skill of any specialist. But, she has to take that time while the specialist has a vast head start on the field. Twilight will inevitably catch up to Shiny in force-fields, but until then his natural aptitude will keep him as the master of shields.
6788863
I can only up vote you once, sadly.
mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/img/mlfw4627-Discord.gif
It was interesting to see it the other way, usually it's Twilight and Shining so it's interesting to see it be Cadance and Twilight.
6791574
I am unfortunately too well-acquainted with this from my previous relationship. So I definitely know that gut punch.
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This. Thanks mon. I'm so glad to have actually read this. Shining is usually the buttmonkey in Twilight Sparkle/Princess Cadence shipping fanfics. But I'm very happy that this didn't end up breaking up a canon pairing.
Now the sequel where Twi says no ;) Teh drama.
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the last time
6788328
I tend to agree, largely the problem has to do with Cadance (in a sense) moreso than it does with Shining or even her desire for Twilight. If anything goes wrong, it'll be her unwillingness to confront the facts that'll derail their marriage.
Still, I can't imagine it getting that far before Cadance finds herself forced to confront her feelings in a way that she can't put off.
6787401
I kind of find it interesting that more people haven't been asking for a sequel, or a follow up, truly, and I kind of find myself wondering whether or not I really should write a follow up. I wrote this fic several months ago, and I've been tinkering with it when I've had time, since. Part of me kind of sort wants to just leave it as a nice sort of 'this is the sort of conversation a strong marriage should have' because it is. However, I think Cadance's feelings are probably written in such a way that they deserve more exploration.