"... as many times as it takes."
A string of words ran through Cadence’s mind. A few of them were shockingly profane for somepony of her stature, but most were terms or phrases like “disaster” or “broken heart.”
It had all seemed so simple. She and Shining had been friends for ages and close ones at that. Practically inseparable. But they had never actually entered into a romantic relationship with one another. This didn’t change the fact that nearly everything Shining had ever done for her had been unapologetically and immensely romantic.
For all the talk of her being the Princess of Love, it was Shining Armor that was quite possibly the most devoted, romantic pony in all of Equestria. He was just completely and utterly oblivious to it. If his battle armor had been made of the same stuff as his head, he’d be effectively invincible in combat.
What was even worse was this night had shown what happened when an immovable object met an irresistible force. It turns out, nothing is irresistible. The Princess of Love herself had laid out a plan to win his heart and failed spectacularly. That wound to her pride was an extra twist to the dagger in her very soul.
She rolled over slightly to get the pressure off some of her feathers; there was a rock underneath the thin layer of snow she was resting on. The top of Canterlot Mountain was semi-sacrosanct, and most ponies weren’t allowed up here. As a princess, nopony dared stop her, so it made a nice, quiet place to be when she wanted to be alone and cry herself to sleep.
Her brain involuntarily played over the events again, so she curled up into a ball and buried her nose in the snow. The cold air was freezing her tears but couldn’t touch her body. As a winged unicorn, she had the magic and properties of both unicorns and pegasi. This meant that, like all pegasi, she had an exceptionally soft and weatherproof coat of hair plus the ability to magically shift air currents away from herself. The latter, however, she wasn’t doing. She wanted the harsh wind to hit her. She felt she deserved it for being so foalish.
The worst part of all of this was that Shining was so selfless that if she came to him tomorrow and asked him to do anything but date her, he’d do it in a heartbeat, no matter what it was. It didn’t matter to him that she had failed, because he didn’t get it. She truly was alone, and she started punching at the ground in her despair. Over and over she struck it, sending snow off in random directions, until one hit was accompanied by an improbably loud bang.
Her heart resumed a moment later when her eyes assured her that she did not in fact just blow up the top of the mountain nor was there an exploded cushion underhoof. There was, however, a curious sound that continued. More curious was that it was a voice, a familiar one that was getting louder.
When her head finally tilted at the appropriate and rather unlikely angle to see the source of this voice, or, rather, scream, Shining Armor was already on a parabolic collision course.
“Flap your wi—!”
The fact that Shining Armor did not have any wings despite flying towards her at a dizzying speed was hammered home by the altogether inelegant way the sides of their faces mashed together in the impact. Both of their bodies went flying backwards, tumbling together and rolling over and over in the snow.
Cadence twitched underneath the stallion, barely able to move at all under his weight and thankful that being part pegasus protected her from getting completely crushed. She kicked and pushed at the ground, trying to get out from under him, but only managed to strain her fetlock. Turning herself over a little while still underneath him, she pushed up again. The same magic that allowed pegasi to fly with chariots attached to their back flowed into Shining, making him light enough to move. Even with the magic, her muscles ached and raged from the exertion, but in the end, she managed to get out from under the heavy draft pony. She shook her head to get her own bearings but froze when she made a realization: Shining Armor wasn’t moving.
She bent over and used her shoulder to push on his belly, straining herself again. A gentle push of more pegasus magic helped her roll him over fully. Her heart jumped up to her throat and plummeted to her stomach when she saw him take a little breath in. Not wasting a moment, Cadence flared her horn to life.
Please be okay! Please be okay!
She set up the spell and twisted the magic flow just before casting, spreading the spell out to cover the both of them like a fountain and causing the aura to glow white. Parts of both their bodies glowed with the magic but far less than she expected on Shining. Thank Celestia he’s unhurt. Come on, Shining. Wake up. She nudged him with a hoof and jumped back when he stirred and rolled over on his own.
“Uuugh. That really, just, oof. That’s what I get for not putting my shield up firs—”
Shining’s eyes snapped open and froze, staring at her. Crisp, cold air blew across the mountaintop, wafting through her hair and freezing the tears that streamed down her face. Small, shallow, nearly silent breaths passed from her lips, sending mist into the night air. Finally, he scrambled to his hooves and held her by the shoulders. Every nerve in Cadence’s body twitched as she readied her body for the kiss of her life.
Shining spoke instead.
“Cadence, listen, I owe you an explanation.”
“You’re damn right you do!” She threw his hooves off her and flared out her wings.
Shining took a step back and looked away. “I apologize, Cadence. Truly. I honestly had no idea you were even interested.”
“How? Shining, chocolates! Flowers! Compliments! Not to mention all those years of smaller hints! How in Celestia’s name could you honestly not have even had a clue?”
“Cadence.”
Those eyes. Oh, those eyes! It didn’t matter how angry she should’ve been. Those sad, loving eyes were all it took for her to break her angry pose and slink back down to merely “despondent.”
“Princess, truly, I had no idea. You asked me to protect you, so I did. That’s what I’ve always done.”
Her jaw dropped a little, and her left wing opened ever so slightly. “I did what? When?” The memory came back so strongly she could’ve sworn that Nightmare Moon had smote her with lightning.
“Um, those bullies might be back tomorrow. Do you think you could, maybe, hang out with me at recess? Keep them off me?”
“Oh, Celestia! You don’t mean… You can’t possibly mean that for over twenty years you’ve been here, with me, to protect me? Because I asked you to when we were foals?”
“Well, yeah!” Shining stood up and started to walk around her, glancing briefly at her on occasion before looking away. “I mean, it’s not everyday that a princess of Equestria asks you to protect her! I felt like I was already in the Guard!”
Her head hung low, and her eyes closed up, squeezing out more tears. No. It can’t possibly be. “Shining, all this time, really? What was I to you? Just a royal to be protected?”
“Just a—no! Of course not!”
She lifted her head up towards him, but even though she opened her eyes, they were far too watery for her to see.
“Cadence, you asked me to protect you, and I did. But if I hadn’t liked you, if you hadn’t been the greatest friend I’d ever known, I don’t know what would have happened. It was my dream to join the Guard, but if you had been like those other nobles? I think my cutie mark might’ve changed. I certainly wouldn’t have still joined the military. My dream was always to protect others, but you were the one that made it worthwhile.”
Her lips trembled, and her ears went back as she whispered in her slightest, softest voice. “Shining. That’s the most romantic thing…” She couldn’t hold it back anymore, switching to Royal Canterlot Voice levels of power while grabbing him by the shoulders. “Why am I not good enough for you?”
She slipped off him a little too quickly, about to fall into the snow face-first, but the ever dutiful Shining Armor caught her, giving her balance back while she sorted herself out with a few wipes of her eyes. “Sorry,” she said. “Sorry, I’m—” Her knees were so weak that they wobbled trying to support her weight. Shining went over to her and put a hoof on her chest and shoulder to brace her. “I’m sorry, Shining. I shouldn’t have run away like that, especially someplace you couldn’t go.” She blinked a couple times. “Or someplace I thought you couldn’t go.”
Shining chuckled a bit. “Well, I tweaked Twily’s teleportation spell just a bit. I couldn’t get all the way up here with a straight teleport, so I changed it so I could freely modify my velocity upon exit. So, I kinda go from standing to flying in whatever direction and speed I want. I don’t think I quite have it down yet, though. Sorry about that, by the way.”
Cadence wiped away another tear. “I try to leave you behind, and you find a way to follow. You—” she sniffled “—you always seem to find a way to persevere, don’t you?”
He smiled at her. “It’s what I do. Although that’s twice now in the last few days I’ve gotten at least an indirect assist from Twily. I need to do something nice for her.”
“Maybe you could date me?” Cadence made a small circle in the snow with a hoof, barely able to meet his eyes. “And if it works, you could… make her best mare?”
“Cadence,” he said, stopping to take a breath in.
Cadence sniffed again. “What? Shining, please, tell me.” Her lip trembled, the sobs ready to come at the drop of a hat. “If I don’t know what’s wrong, I can’t work this out and fix it…”
Shining closed his eyes. “… Every mare I’ve ever dated has wound up hating me.”
What?
He paused and took in a deep breath, letting it out in a slow sigh. “My first marefriend seemed typical enough. It was just after boot camp, while you were away on your first royal tour. At first, she was really into the relationship. I mean, really into it. Then, she cooled off a lot. Found out later through her friend that she was using me to cheat on somepony.”
“Oh, you poor thing. You should have told me! I could have helped!” Cadence put her forelegs around him, half to better support herself and half to comfort him. That’s an awful way to start out in the dating world.
“That’s actually not the worst part,” Shining admitted. “I barged in on them. While they were, uh, intimate. And he tried to attack me.”
Cadence jolted away in shock. “You didn’t! Tell me you didn’t, well, you know…?”
Shining raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t what?”
“Kill him,” she squeaked.
“What? No! No, nonononono! Jeez, Cadence, do you think that just because I’m in the military that I’m that cold?”
Cadence opened her mouth to say something then backed off, slinking down to the ground. “No, no I don’t. I don’t even know why I said that. I guess because of how you said it was ‘worse.’”
Shining lay down too. “No, I didn’t kill him. He did need a short hospital visit, but nothing too serious. Needless to say, though, my new ex didn’t want to see me anymore.”
“Yeah, I can understand that.” Nopony deserves to have their first relationship end like that. My poor Shining…
“And things just went downhill from there.”
Wha—? What could be worse than that?
Shining clenched his jaw a bit before continuing. “I’m not really sure what I was to her. I mean, rough sex is one thing, but this was something else entirely. Had it been the other way around, she could have charged me with domestic abuse. She’d hit me, kick me, throw things at me…”
Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to throw something at him in the restaurant.
“Honest to Celestia, it was a good thing she was a pegasus. An earth pony would’ve done some real damage. Finally, I got a little sick of it and put up a barrier. She ran off crying like I’d hit her and then wouldn’t speak to me again.”
Cadence sighed. She was starting to see why he might be a bit down on trying more relationships; he hadn’t exactly had good luck.
“After you got back from your tour and I got sent to Manehatten on duty, I met up with this one mare. She talked to me lots, true, but usually when she wanted something.”
Oh, no, Cadence thought.
“Thanks to her, I’ve been to all kinds of shops and restaurants in Manehatten that you’ve probably either heard about or been to yourself. Places fit for a princess. Spent way more money than I should have. The experience taught me to live simply and watch my bits. Especially since soldiers can get their basics covered by the government.”
She thought back to what she’d told him the other day.
“As I recall, there’s a little, well, actually very large restaurant on La Rue D’Argent.” “Dress nice, and bring roses. Lots of roses. And chocolates.”
Shining chuckled a bit. “Anytime I tried to hold back, she came up with the most, well, creative threats.”
“And if you call me ‘ma’am’ again, I’m going to make you eat this candle.”
The memories played back in Cadence’s mind, getting her sick to her stomach. Despite that, she stood up just a little, and then lay back down again on Shining in a light hug, tightening it when she felt him shivering. “I’m sorry,” she whispered through her tears.
Shining sighed, and his breathing slowed. “After I broke it off, I took myself off the market for a while, or so I thought. Then, I met this one mare who seemed really nice. She was polite and seemed into me. It was all very romantic. For about four months. Then the other horseshoe dropped.”
Cadence whimpered, bracing herself for the inevitable.
“I brought up the topic of marriage,” he said, clearing his throat. “Not proposing, mind you. Just talking about it, and that’s when I found out that I had been so into her that I somehow missed the fact that she wasn’t exactly into, well, monogamy.”
Cadence relaxed a little. Well, that could have been worse.
“What really hurt, though, was what she did to make me realize it. She laughed. She laughed at me, called me ‘inexperienced,’ all kinds of other things. I was devastated. I’ve been through all kinds of hell and pain in training for the Guard, but nothing hurt me like being ridiculed by the mare I thought I loved. I broke up with her on the spot and requested a transfer back to Canterlot the next morning. Fortunately, by then, I had more than a little political capital and pulled it off. A bit more than a year later, and here I am.”
And I laughed at him. Cadence’s tears rolled down her face faster than they could freeze, leaking down onto Shining Armor, whose coat twitched. He’s… I forgot… He doesn’t have a pegasus coat… She clenched her eyes shut, redirecting the wind around them with her magic. Even if she didn’t feel she deserved it, she thought he did!
“Hey, now,” he said. “This was a long time ago, and I’ve long since been over it. You don’t need to worry about me.”
“Why?” she asked, her voice breaking.
“Hmm?”
She buried her muzzle in the top of his mane, between his ears. “Why didn’t you ask for help?”
Shining looked off into the quickly darkening sky for a long time. “Would you believe I was embarrassed?”
“What? Why?” Cadence grabbed his head and moved to look him in the eyes. “How could you possibly think I would ever look down on you for that?”
“Protector and personal friend of the Princess of Love for how long and I still needed advice? Come on, Cadence. We both know it’s not just about being looked down on by others. Sometimes the pony in the mirror is even more judgmental.”
Cadence drew him back into her embrace. “I still would have been happy to help you. Why didn’t you write?”
“I had no shortage of advice, truthfully. Most of it terrible, it turns out. And most of it from friends of those mares. Or my mother. All part of a learning process, I suppose.” Shining looked away again, this time with a smile. “Nothing I should concern a princess over.”
Her wing twitched, and Cadence wasn’t sure what she would do if he continued insisting that this shouldn’t be something that should bother her. She tightened her hug to prevent herself from doing something else foolish to him. Whatever else she wanted to say, it would have to wait. Something far more important had to be said first. She moved her mouth closer to his ear.
“I am so, so sorry, Shining. I should never have laughed at you. I should never have thrown anything at you. I should never have threatened you. I was trying to get you to notice me as somepony that could be special to you and then lost my temper when you couldn’t see my invitation. I am sorry. From the depths of my soul, with all of my heart, I apologize.”
She held him in silence, feeling the warmth of his breath on her back, waiting for a response.
“It’s all right, Princess. You don’t need to apologize.”
“Yes, I do!” She stood up straight, wings flared out, and dragged Shining to the edge of the mountain. “Look down there.” She pointed at the city below. “What do you see?”
Shining cringed a little. “Canterlot?”
“Exactly.” Cadence stopped to gather her words, taking in the sight of the moonlit capital. “To all those ponies down there, I’m a princess. A noble. A ruler.” She turned back to him. “But to you, for all those years, I was a friend. Now, you come back to me a soldier, and you’re acting like they do.”
“I’m supposed to show deference to you.” He shrugged. “It’s part of the definition of being a soldier, Prin—”
“Don’t call me ‘Princess’ again! I’ll order you to call me Cadence if I have to! I’m not supposed to be a princess to you! We aren’t like that!” She bit her lip. “We didn’t used to be like that.”
“But—”
She put a hoof on his shoulder and took off her crown. “What do I have to do to get you to stop seeing me as a princess?”
Shining breathed in through his teeth and held the air in.
“What? What do I need to do? Tell me!”
“Undo years of military training…” He sighed.
Her eyes watered more as she lifted his chin with her hoof. “That doesn’t seem so hard.” With one more step in, she pressed her lips against his, taking in his breath and flaring her magic to life.
Finally seeing some sliver of hope, Cadence searched within Shining’s soul, shooting tendrils of power between their horns. Now that she was aware what had kept them apart, she could use her magic to give him the support, comfort, and familiarity he needed. What she found instead, though, broke the connection with a shock and sent her writhing to the ground.
Her legs twitched and stretched, digging into the ground while desperately trying to get her to stand, fighting back against the skyscraper on top of her back. The ocean of agony above her was drowning her lungs by crushing them shut. Her wings beat furiously along with her straining legs, yet despite all her pegasus magic, she stayed pressed against the snow. She was about to pass out when she finally heard his voice, distorted and weak through the pain.
“Cadence! Cadence, are you alright? Speak to me, Cadence!”
A burst of magic flew over her, Shining’s aura blasting away the lingering spell and washing away the crushing weight. She coughed over and over, and her wings seized in pain. The only reason she was able to stand at all was from Shining Armor lifting and supporting her.
“Cadence, are you alright? You keeled over. Say something!”
Cadence coughed a few more times, nearly dry-heaving. “Oh Celestia, what was that?”
“What was what?”
“You can’t feel that? Seriously? Shining, that pain was from you!”
“Me? How?”
Cadence grabbed him by the shoulders. “Who did this? Who hurt you?”
Shining blinked a few times. “Hurt me? What are you talking about? Cadence, you’re not making much sense here.”
“Stop lying to me! Who was it? Was it that bitch who laughed at you? The one who hit you? I’ll have them all in irons by the end of the night! Just tell me!”
Shining knocked away her forelegs and grabbed her shoulders instead. “Cadence! Listen to me! Nopony hurt me! I’m fine, really! See? I’m here, with you. You don’t need to—”
She couldn’t take anymore and lunged in for another kiss while reaching out with her magic once more, grabbing him by his horn and letting her mind mingle with his. Her aura ran through them both, washing through his very soul and pulling his pain into her. It came just like before, but this time, she was ready for it.
A tsunami of stress washed over her. She could feel every little ache in both his body and his mind, and all her bracing still left her short of breath and only barely able to stand. Regardless, it was working. Hang on, Shining. I’ll make it bett—
Shining pulled away from her, dropping her down into the snow and breaking the link.
He shook his head and body. “What in Tartarus was that? What did you do?”
Cadence blinked and forced herself back up, holding her stomach to stop it from lurching. “Urgh…”
Shining stomped a hoof down into the snow. “I said, ‘what did you do?’”
Cadence looked up at his eyes. They were not ones of relief or release—neither happiness or sadness.
“I… I tried to help!” She heaved, a stabbing still in her side. “You’re so hurt… I can’t just leave you like that! Come here, sit down, let me heal you!” She lurched forward again, ready to take him back in her embrace, ready to bear that suffering.
Yet it never came. His restored personal barrier stopped her well before reaching him. Her lungs stopped, the lump in her throat going all the way to the back of her tongue. The world slowed to a standstill. All she could see were those eyes of his. Eyes of one who was hurt. Eyes of one who was angry. Eyes of one who had been betrayed.
“Shining?” She could only barely whisper.
He shook his head. “And let you hurt yourself in the process? No.”
“But—But you’re in pain! I can feel it! Celestia, I can still feel it from here!”
“No!” He stomped the snow again. “That is not your decision to make! I will not let you do this, Princess.”
Her teeth clenched together, grinding as more tears fell from her eyes. A few restrained sobs came out as coughs yet were still powerful enough to make her bend her knee. “I—” She sniffed. “I told you. Stop calling me that!”
With a powerful downburst of wind from her wings, she soared forward at Shining Armor, launching her magic at him. Their horns nearly met, held back only by the strength of Shining’s barrier. Her power rushed out, its blue aura outshining every other sight around her, pushing back against him and forcing him to step back on the mountaintop. Yet, for all the power she used, he held firm.
I won’t let you stop me that easily! I will find out what you’re hiding from me, Shining Armor! She poured all her heart, all her will towards his horn, and though she was screaming with all her might, it was simply washed away by the sheer force of the magic around them. There was even enough force to blow a large portion of the snow clean off the mountain. Yet she didn’t break through his barrier. She only saw Shining respond in kind.
Shining?
A countercurrent of purple magic flared out, then shifted to blue-white as it intensified.
No, no! I won’t let you! Please, Shining, tell me what’s wrong! Cadence pushed forward, letting loose as much energy as her horn would allow. She walked towards him, pushing against the stream, circling around him to get a better angle. I’m sorry to have to do this, Shining. Her own magic blazed ever brighter, bringing the full force of a winged unicorn’s magic to bear on him, a torrent unrivaled by all save for alicorns. The colors from her horn changed as well, shifting from blue to a regal blend of purple and gold. She wasn’t about to lose this. She wasn’t about to lose him.
Passion, love, and concern leapt out with all the might of a Princess of Equestria, cutting through Shining’s magic with tremendous speed yet still stopping just at the tip of his horn. For a brief, bright instant, her magic got through, and she could see him again. Shining Armor, not just his body but his very heart, standing atop a mountain, the sun itself resting on his shoulders. Canterlot, Equestria, Celestia, Twilight, all standing directly on his back. There were others, too. Intelligentsia, Arctic Snow, dozens, hundreds, maybe even thousands of other ponies in the Guard and in his life. Yet despite all of that, despite all the weight of the sun and moon and world, there he stood.
Tall.
Confident.
Strong.
Even now, the assault being put upon him was being gathered up and placed among the other burdens with ease, grace, and loving care, and all the while he stood there unyielding, unflinching to the terrible weight on his back. So strong was this stallion that he, without wings, could soar to the top of the mountain to meet her.
In that instant, that blissful moment of his heart laid bare, she understood.
Then, her magic ran out.
Light, thunder, and sharp, driving pain exploded at the tip of her horn, the detonation sending her flying back towards the peak of the mountain, tumbling limply in the snow.
“Cadence!”
She could hear her name being called from someplace far, far away. A pony shouting from the bottom of the mountain, perhaps. She couldn’t see them; all that was in her vision was the moon and its soft, gentle light.
“Cadence!”
Her horn’s searing pain bored into her skull, feeling as though it was ready to split open. Little sparks danced on it, lingering magic reacting to the ambient particles of power tossed into the air from the fight.
“Cadence! Say something!”
Her vision jostled a bit, back and forth. She might’ve been moving somehow. Was she being shaken? The only way she could tell that was from the stars she could see in the sky. They were moving in pairs and getting bigger.
“Cadence! No, please, don’t fall asleep! Please, Cadence! Medic! Somepony get me a Celestia-damned medic!” He screamed out to the stars, and they heard him.
She couldn’t feel much, but she could taste the snow and dirt under her and hear that same distant, faraway voice calling her name. Or what she thought might be her name.
“Stay with me, Cadence. Stay with me. It’ll be okay. Just stay with me.”
The night started to get much, much darker. Had the moon vanished?
“Cadence! No! Nononononononononnonono! Cadence! Cadence!”
Then, it got very bright. She could see him again, shining in the sky…
“Cadence!”
Limbs. Cadence had limbs. Six of them—if her body was telling the truth. Each of them was twitching ever so slightly while she stirred from her slumber. She couldn’t see yet, but her body was saying it was somewhere familiar. She moved each leg and wing, one by one, feeling the cloth covering her. By the time her eyes finally opened, she knew she was back in her bed in her chambers. More importantly, though, were the two eyes staring at her.
“Hey, welcome back.” Shining gave her a little smile under his tired eyes. “You really scared me.”
A weak smile passed over Cadence’s lips. “Hey, Shiny. Are you okay?”
“Says the mare that overextended her wellspring.” He chuckled. “I’d say it’s more important to know if you’re okay.”
Cadence relaxed into the pillow with a little smirk. “Well, I’m in my chambers instead of the hospital, so you tell me, Shiny.”
His smile warmed her more than the covers could ever hope to. “Yeah, our little fight got the attention of the patrols overhead. They brought up some unicorn medics, and they healed you some right away to prevent anything serious. Their testimony kept me out of the dungeon, too.”
“So you’re okay?”
“Well, I’m crazy tired, but outside of that, yes, I’m fine.” He leaned over a tiny bit, pulling the quilt over her shoulders. “You need your rest even more than me, though, so go back to sleep.”
She shook her head. “No. No, we need to talk.”
“I was afraid you’d say that,” he said with a sigh. “I’ll go first then. I’m—”
“I’m sorry, Shining.”
Shining stared at her, blinking, but she had to press forward.
“I’m sorry for trying to take away your pain without your permission. I didn’t realize how much your burdens and how you handle them define you. You don’t just protect others. You take the weight on their shoulders away and put it on your own. All I could feel was how much that was crushing you. I was foalish to think that I could heal you with mere magic, and I was woefully unprepared for just how much you truly carry.”
Shining had long since closed his eyes, and Cadence’s heart raced in anticipation of his reaction. “I won’t try to use my power to heal you like that without your permission anymore.”
“Thank you.” He exhaled. “Though, I need to apologize too. When I dated those other mares, I trusted them with my heart. I didn’t know them anywhere near as long as I’ve known you, and still I rejected you out of hoof. That’d be a high crime even if you weren’t a princess. You are the last mare I should ever have doubts about. I’m sorry, Cadence. For everything.”
“I accept your apology even though it isn’t needed.” Cadence wiped a tear from her eye then lurched forward as her lungs coughed and wheezed involuntarily.
“Hey, hey, easy now.” He stroked her back in between her wings, his heavy hoof a hint to his own exhaustion.
Shining’s voice helped her get slightly better control over herself. Her shoulders and chest still ached, but the coughing stopped. A condensation-covered sports bottle hovered in front of her.
“Drink some of this juice, slowly, but don’t use your magic,” he said, leaning over her. “Doctor’s orders.”
She put her head under the bottle and let Shining’s magic do the rest of the work. A fluid that tasted suspiciously like orange juice mixed with medicine poured into her mouth, bringing sweet relief but forcing her tongue to recoil from the taste. It didn’t take long for her thirst to be sated enough to let her stop drinking.
“Ugh, that was terrible.” She wiped her lips with a foreleg. “How long was I out?”
Shining looked over at the clock on her nightstand. “About thirty-six hours, give or take.”
She groaned and let herself flop back down on the pillows. “I feel like a chariot ran over me.”
“Hey, you’re doing better than I did! When I blew out my horn like that a few years back, I was out for a week!”
It was a great comfort to see Shining smile even if she could tell it was forced. There’s no way anypony could smile like that genuinely with such huge bags under their eyes, although she had a feeling hers were nearly as bad. “I’m just glad you were here when I woke up. That really helps.”
“Hey, it’s what I do. I couldn’t not be here when you opened your eyes.”
A connection flared in Cadence’s mind. It’s what he does. “Shining, how long have you been watching over me?”
“Hmm? Oh, since you got here.”
Cadence’s eyes went wide, and she pored over his expression and the memory of his voice. Nothing… None of his tells… He’s telling the truth… She struggled to her hooves again. “All this time… you stayed here? With me?”
“Yeah. It’s no big deal.”
“It is a big de—” She slipped off the side of her bed trying to get out, Shining’s magic catching her in just the nick of time.
“Easy now, you’re still weak. And I’m fine. I once had to guard Princess Celestia for three days straight. If I can do that on the go in Gryphon territory, I can guard you in one spot.”
Cadence’s legs shook, and her heart pounded from the sudden exertion. She wanted to crawl back in bed but fought against the urge. If Shining did all that for me… With a slight push, she pulled herself the rest of the way out of the bed and landed in a sitting position next to him. “Have you even had a break? Gotten anything to eat?”
“Of course!”
Cadence looked at him, raising one of her eyebrows.
Shining laughed a little, fidgeting. “You can still read me like a book, I guess.”
“Yeah. Come on, get up.” She grabbed his foreleg and tried to get him to stand by pushing on his chest.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“No arguing.” She pushed up hard on his chest, trying to force him to stand. It worked for a split second, but his rear legs just flopped back down, followed by the rest of him. She sighed at the lump of Royal Guard Captain on the cold marble floor. “You are definitely not alright.”
“No, I’m fine.”
That almost sounded like it had conviction behind it. Almost. She stared at him a little more.
“Honest, I’m okay. My rear legs are just asleep. Really asleep.” He scratched the back of his head.
He still looks just like Twilight does when she’s desperately trying to downplay something. “How long, exactly, have you been in that position?”
“About ten…”
“Minutes?”
“… hours.”
And he still squeaks a bit like her too. More masculine-sounding, granted, but still. “Okay, grab onto me.” She turned around and sat right in front of him, facing away.
“What? No, Princess, I’m supposed to be watching you. I can’t let you carry me!”
She rolled her eyes even though she knew he couldn’t see it. “First of all, do not call me that anymore. Secondly, I’m not going to carry you like that. Just grab on.” She turned her head so he could see her face. “Trust me.”
He swallowed a little then pushed himself forward slowly. Inch by inch, he dragged his sleeping lower half forward and grabbed onto her back with a hug.
She took just a moment to relish the feeling of Shining Armor on her back then spread her wings. “Don’t worry about me; just focus on getting your legs to move.” She summoned her pegasus magic and used it to lighten him again, pushing him up with her back. Very slowly, she started walking around her spacious room, flapping her wings very lightly but never taking off. Each hoofstep she made saw Shining struggle a little bit less to keep straight. After several minutes, he was moving easily again.
“Heh, we’re like a two-pony conga line.”
Cadence smiled at the opening. “Why yes, I would love to dance.”
She heard a sound vaguely resembling “What?” escape his lips, but it was far too slow. She had already spun around and had him in a dancing position. She pushed him farther upright with a bit more of her pegasus magic then started to sway back and forth as gently and tenderly as she could. Left, right, left, right. Each motion brought her closer to him until she was finally resting her head on his shoulder.
“See, isn’t this nice?” She heard the faintest of sounds fall from his mouth, but his body was speaking to her loud and clear. The shaking was from exhaustion, and the slight stumbles in their dance were from her advances. He still isn’t comfortable with me… “I’m sorry for forcing you on this date. You deserve so much better, and that’s exactly what I want to give you if you let me.”
Cadence pulled back just a bit so they could be face to face and looked into those amazing bright blue eyes.
“Cadence, you don’t need to—”
“Yes I do,” she said, squeezing him. “I have this amazingly strong stallion here in front of me. He takes on so much, including some of my own troubles, and does it in stride. Yet he does so alone, with nopony to truly share the burden. Even when it looks as if he leans on somepony else, it’s a ruse. He always takes on more than his fair share and does so with pride.”
Cadence smiled as warmly as she could then leaned in even more. “How can I possibly stand by while he does this, carrying so much weight all on his own, when I can help? How is that right?”
She rushed in and pushed her lips against his and let her magic flow, despite the searing, tearing pain in her horn. This time, though, she didn’t try to heal him. She simply told him, with all the power she could muster, exactly what she felt.
Books and scrolls and tomes filled Canterlot’s library, but it could not contain all that she had tried to convey with her magic, yet it all boiled down to one simple but impossibly powerful set of three little words: “I love you.”
When the kiss finally broke and her magic ceased, she was looking at an unbreathing stallion not yet able to appreciate what she had said. She wrapped her forelegs back around him in another hug, confident he’d understand in a moment, and nuzzled the side of his head. Long moments passed with them like that until she felt teardrops on her back, each one a boulder, a mountain of emotion. Deep down, hiding in the tears, was a small piece of what was arguably Shining’s most precious possession: his burdens. More importantly, she was right there to catch them and share them.
“… You promise?”
He could have been asking about any number of things. It could have been a promise to not be like the other mares. It could have been a promise that she really loved him. It could have even been a simple promise not to hurt him. What was truly beautiful about it, though, was that they all had the same response.
“I promise.” More long moments passed, and all she felt from him was his ever so slight, controlled breaths and more tears. When he finally stirred a little, she let the hug break. Staring back into his shimmering eyes, she motioned her head towards the bed. “Come on.”
“What are we—”
She hushed him with a hoof placed gently on his lips and led him to the side of the bed. She couldn’t help but smile at the look of sheer terror on his face. “We’re not doing that, silly. But I need more sleep, and you need sleep period. Now, get in.”
He looked at the bed and then back at her for confirmation. She waved him on then practically pushed him in and pulled the covers over.
With her stallion finally lying down, she gingerly stepped to her door and turned the key with her hooves, locking it. “There. No interruptions.” A little giggle left her lips when she turned around to find Shining now more tired than afraid.
She to the other side of the bed and climbed in. When Shining turned over to face her, she couldn’t help but let a giant, goofy grin show itself on her face, seeing as all her restraint was working to stop her from grabbing him and sending a loud, girlish squeal right through his ears. I finally have his attention!
“I’m… I’m tired, but…”
Cadence put her hoof back up to his lips. “Ssshhh, love. You’re off-duty now, remember? Until Celestia gets back and says otherwise, you’re free. I don’t want you to worry about soldiers or salutes or what the nobility is going to say. Just worry about being with the mare right in front of your eyes.”
Though he was on the verge of unconsciousness, she could see those weary blue irises communicate exactly what he wanted to say. She moved in closer so she could be inside his legs. “If you forget, I’ll remind you and forgive you. As many times as it takes.”
With the burdens finally settled, he drifted off to sleep.
“Dream well, my stallion. You aren’t alone anymore.”
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This took long enough
Now back to main! :cracks whip at CV:
You can't stop true love. Thanks Cv this was wonderful.
And once again, Cv, you have proven that you are quite the talented writer. Loved the story. It was sweet and heartfelt, and really made me feel like the romance was real. Also, that dedication was simply adorable!
Those.
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How did that... argh. Oh well. There's always gotta be one typo that sneaks through. Fixed. Thank you!
"I'll follow you to the ends of the Earth, and I'll violate the conservation of momentum to do so."
If that's not love, I don't know what is.
Thank you for this, Cv. I'm going to go start reading Rites right from where I left off.
...the beginning of Chapter 11.
I absolutely love your Shining Armor and Cadence
D'awwwwwww.
Oh, hey, this.
I approve. Only got to read it a year ago.
Bravo, we got glimpse of true love.
Well written, sir.
That was very well written good job.
Pah, you write romance yet you can't write romantic Twilight?
Anyway, will give a read later...
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Like I said, the stars have to really align. To do a proper romance, so many things have to come together. In this one instance, it did.
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Well, then let's hope the stars will aid in your inspiration's escape from the moon...
Now, that was good. That's all I can say.
3952751 I'm glad you liked it!
Another feature for you? I'm honestly not surprised. You deserve it, lol. Grats CV.
~Ware
3952911
Actually this is the FIRST time a new story of mine has hit the full (mature-enabled) Feature Box. All the other ones were only there on updates.
3952923 You keep some odd hours my friend.
At any rate, feature box is feature box. Though I can see why you'd make the distinction. Either way though, my congratulations still stand. =3
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Thank you!
This story is actually complete, although who knows, in the future I may toss up a silly epilogue. Still, there's more to read in the Rites verse if you haven't checked it out yet! Just follow the links in the description.
Another great story! Thanks for sharing it with us.
Oh, now that was just lovely, Cv. Very nice. Very sweet. I really enjoyed the characterizations for both of them in this.
Have you joined the Cadence Appreciation Club that I assume Skywriter rules with a pink and fluffy hoof yet?
3953056 Haven't heard about it until you said something.
Although my Cadence is quite different from his, I'd imagine. I think I'm the only one still saying she's a winged unicorn rather than alicorn.
That being said, I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Gallons of...of liquid pride my friend
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Well, I am merely inferring its existence. I haven't written enough about Cadence to be let in on the secret, you see.
But if some guys in pink wingy robes show up at your door, please let me know before they spirit you away. It would be an important data point.
*slow clap*
That was worthwhile. Thanks for writing.
3953149 Thank you for reading
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I'm glad you liked it!
Thank you for such a lovely story, I really enjoyed this so much
3953179 Thank you for reading!
Feel free to check out my other stories, too! 
Aww dang it!
I was planning a similar story but you beat me to it
This is something special. I like a lot of stories on this site, but it takes something else entirely to make it onto my favourites list. I don't know exactly what it is about this story, but it definitely qualifies.
It's so sweet, so in-character for both of them, that it'll probably end up working its way into my head canon. I wish I had a category above favourites that I could add such tales to. This really was a delight.
The first chapter was cute, the second funny and the third bittersweet.
This is a little story that will send you on an emotional roller coaster; Isn't that what love does?
well done
Was that the end?
Feels like it'd be a good end
Well, Now I'm even more upset about how the nobility treated him in the main story! Still, I'm quite glad I read this romantic tale, and you made them both great characters to spend time with and get to know. I'd be happy to revisit them whenever you might be inspired to write more!
I can't believe I missed when this first went live!
Oh well. Love this story so very much, and I am so happy to finally see it up.
Well I have to say I was expecting this story to go different way, but instead it took a complete 180 degree turn and went the path I wasn't expecting but the one I most definitely appreciate. God damn, this was brilliant.
Especially the third chapter and what Shining had to share. Lots of good points of views to different things. Overall very sweet story, liked it very much.
3956928 I'm glad you liked it!
I love Rites of Ascension, but this was absolutely fantastic in a whole new way! Hat's off to you, sir.
My mental image at this point was the library scene from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
Ouch, and again he misses the moment. Then again, they clearly had some issues to work through first as opposed to jumping straight into a relationship at this point.
Oh god those marefriend stories! And every one of them played into how the date went down!
I love this portrayal of Shining so very much.
Oh my! /takai
Great story, Cv! And I am so very glad to see this dominate the featured box. You totally deserve it and I hope Rites picks up a few more readers as a result.
Having just powered through all of that I have to say, that was great.
The first part with young Cadence was so cute, and then the last two parts were just... right. There could be a billion better words to describe it but the only one I can give to this story was that it was told just right, and that's more than good enough for me.
Okay. That was simply beautiful.
I applaud you.
Okay, tears and concise righting don't mix well so I'll just say this. Hats off to you! This was an amazing read and just what I needed after the week I've had
Wow that was so romantic and different. Great job. I like it.
I'm pretty sure my heart just exploded from feels.....
That was a really interesting look at romance itself. Tbh, I actually kinda like this version even more than the comics.
I don't think there are any words that properly convey the weight of this story. It was beautiful in every aspect, but even saying such doesn't quite do it justice. This is quite possibly one of the most emotionally rich, well written, well paced, and just generally amazing things I have read, and even that doesn't quite convey how much I enjoyed this. You have outdone yourself with this one.