> The First of Many
>  by NotARealPonydotcom
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Tell Me A Story...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


The First of Many
Something sappy and romantic by
NotARealPonydotcom


♥♦♥♦♥


Love is being stupid together -Paul Valery



"Don't worry about it, Twily. If you planned everything like you said you did, then nothing can go wrong. You're the best at planning things out!"

From the couch across the room, the pile of lavender fur, feathers, and fabric leapt up from its spot, revealing the slightly crazed face of Princess Twilight Sparkle.

"How could you say that, Shiny?"

The red-jacketed stallion she spoke to scrunched his face up in confusion. "Say what?"

Twilight moaned in despair. "'Nothing can go wrong.' You can't say that!" She flopped down on the couch again. "Now everything that could possibly go wrong is going to go wrong," she explained, voice muffled by the couch cushions.

Shining Armor rolled his eyes. "Twilight, the way you're jumping around coming up with excuses, it's like you don't  want to do this."

Twilight didn't move, and the lavender alicorn was silent long enough for Shining to think she might have suffocated herself in the couch cushions. The moment he stepped forward, though, he heard his sister say something that was too muffled to understand.

"Come again?"

Slowly, Twilight lifted her face off the couch. Her eyes were tearing up. Her lip quivered as she spoke.

"What if I don't want this, Shining Armor?"

Again, Shining rolled his eyes, and he trotted over to the couch, planting himself next to his mess of a sister. He pulled her up, wrapped a foreleg around her shoulders, and said, "Twilight, if you didn't want to go on a date with this guy, then you wouldn't have said yes when he asked you out." He shook her gently. "The fact that you're this nervous right now just tells me that you really like him. Besides, it's always normal to be scared on a first date."

"This is different!" Twilight snapped. "I mean, I'm still getting settled into this whole 'Princess Twilight' thing, and this is my first night away from the castle in almost a month, and I bet your first ever date wasn't with a princess." She sighed. "Maybe he won't even show up. Maybe he's scared of alicorns or something."

Shining Armor snorted, unable to keep his laughter contained any longer. Twilight gave him a dirty look and used a wing to smack the back of his head. He still giggled, and she shoved him with a hoof. Finally, he stopped, but still gave her a goofy smile when he spoke again.

"Twilight, I don't think Ocean Floor would be in the Royal Guard if he were afraid of alicorns, nor would he have asked you out at all. And if I had a date with the most beautiful and probably most available Princess in Equestria, I don't think I'd pull a no-show on her. He's gonna come, you two are going to have a great time, and everything is gonna be fine."

But Twilight's expression told Shining Armor he wasn't convincing her. When Twilight buried her muzzle in his shoulder and gripped his foreleg tightly enough to cut off circulation from it, the captain sighed and looked around the living room of their parent's house absently, thinking of what to say next. The place was exactly the same as it had been the last time he'd visited, save for a few new pictures on the fireplace's mantle. All of them showed in some way Twilight in her new form, whether it was her soaring through the air at her coronation (something that made no sense to him, as Twilight was still getting the hang of flying from her friend Rainbow Dash), or her hugging him at the celebration later, or her with Princesses Celestia and Luna and his wife-

Ding. Idea. Shining smiled at the photo of his wife, and turned to look down at his moping sister.

"Twily, do you want me to tell you a story?"

His sister looked up at him, confused. "What?"

He pulled her into a one-legged hug. "Remember when you were little, and you always asked me to tell you stories about myself to make your problems seem less serious?"

Twilight sniffled again, and nodded.

"Well, how about this: since we've got another ten minutes before he's due to show up, I'll tell you the story of my first date, and then you won't feel so worried anymore."

Twilight gave him a skeptical look. "I don't think listening to a story about how badly your first date went is going to get me to feel any better about mine."

Shining laughed. "Oh yes it will. Trust me."

"But-"

"Twilight! Do you want to spend the next ten minutes panicking over this thing, or do you want to hear about your brother's embarrassing first date?"

Twilight was silent. She nodded.

"Good. Now," Shining began, settling into the couch, "this was a while back, when you were still a filly. It was the summer after I'd finished school, and I was dealing with the fact that I only had a few weeks before I was going to be shipped off to Royal Guard training and probably spend the rest of my life fighting for Equestria. That summer, I tried to do everything I'd ever wanted to do besides join the Royal Guard, which meant spending absolutely no time with my family. I was almost never home, and when I was, it was for meals or when I couldn't sleep over at a friend's house. I was moving faster than a pegasus, going down that list, and eventually I finished everything on it with weeks to spare. Everything except...
> When Many Wrong Things Make A Right
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


For it was not into my ear you whispered, but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed, but my soul
-Judy Garland




...go on my first real date.


♦♦♦♦♦


"Dad, I can't do this."

"Son, I'm telling you now, you can, and if you don't, then you're going to regret it for the rest of your life."

"What if she doesn't want to do this?"

"Son, if she didn't want to go out with you, she wouldn't have said yes when you asked her."

"She must have been suffering from temporary dementia or something!"

"Shining Armor, I'm starting to believe that's what you're suffering from right now. Now stop fidgeting, and let me fix your bow tie."

Shining Armor lifted his head up and groaned as his father tightened the throat-blocking accessory even more. The moment Night Light was finished and had turned around to find him something else to make him look even sillier than he already did, Shining's horn glowed faintly, and the bow tie was loosened enough for him to breathe properly. He glanced in the mirror and blushed faintly: he hated how he looked, and hated even more the fact that it was his own fault he looked so odd. The suit his father had fitted him into would have looked perfect on him if his mane had allowed itself to look less like a bush than it did now. His shaggy blue bangs refused to be combed into a style that didn't stick out in odd places, and bundles of cerulean locks stuck out over the collar of his jacket. Looking in the mirror, he imagined a dog, stuffed into one of those adorable little outfits its owner had bought for it, and shivered. He turned back to his father, who had not spoken for a full minute (something that had not happened since he'd told his parents he'd gotten a date to the Midsummer's Festival), and saw that he was holding a silver corsage in his hoof. Shining was shocked to see that his father looked on the verge of tears.

"This is the flower I gave to your mother, on our first date," he finally said. He turned to his son, smiling a nostalgic smile. "Well, our first 'real' date, I suppose. I found this flower with your mother, actually, the night we met." He raised the silver flower up to give Shining a better look. "It's called a Lunar Bloom. As the name suggests, it only blooms once a year, on the night of a blue moon. Both of us were looking for a patch that was rumored to be hidden somewhere in the Everfree Forest. We hardly noticed each other when we both came to Ponyville on the same train the day before the blue moon, or when we ended up in rooms across from each other at the inn we both checked into that evening. We didn't even notice each other when we went out to the edge of the Everfree at sunset, each with a saddlebag filled with botany equipment. It wasn't until we found the bush that held the Lunar Blooms at almost the same time that we got around to talking. Your mother wanted the flower for medical purposes, I wanted it just to have it." Night Light stroked the flower lovingly. "I didn't realize I was in love with her until the flower's opened up and gave off the glow of the moon. We left together, and when we'd gone back to our rooms, I used a preservation spell on the blossom I'd picked out and made it into this very corsage, which I wore when I went out with her the next day."

Night Light sighed nostalgically, and looked up, expecting his son to be asleep on the floor. But Shining was staring at the flower, eyes wide from the telling of his parent's meeting. He pointed at the corsage.

"You're telling me that, because of that flower, you and Mom fell in love before you even went out?"

Night Light shrugged. "I don't know about your mother, but I can safely say that that night was the greatest night of my life. Well,"--he gave Shining a sly smile--"almost. Yours and Twilight's births might have taken the cake on best days." He sighed once more, and approached Shining. "And now, Shining Armor, kneel."

Shining gave his father an odd look, but did as he was told. His father tapped the corsage against both of his shoulders and said, "I hereby dub thee the rightful heir to this most important of family heirlooms. Wear it tonight, on your date, and may it be the best night of your life, at least until you give me a grandchild." The two colts laughed, and Shining stood up again. Night Light pinned the corsage on his jacket, and Shining finally felt that the night might not be as bad as he thought it would.

Then he heard his date knock on the door to their house.

Instantly, he reverted back to the nervous wreck he'd been a few minutes prior, and he began to pace around the room, muttering possible tragedies that could occur on his date. Night Light rolled his eyes and grabbed his son sharply, shaking him out of his panicked mode.

"Shining Armor, you listen to me! Whatever you may believe about the mare waiting downstairs, I can tell you honestly that she has been waiting for you to ask her out for a long, long time now!"

Shining blinked a few times, taking in this new information slowly. "She has?"

"Yes, she has, and so have you! Now, tell me: do you actually see yourself in a relationship with this mare?"

"Y-Yes?"

"Was that a question?"

"N-No!"

"I'll ask again: do you see yourself in a relationship with this mare?"

"I think so..."

"This is a 'Yes' or 'No' question, boy!"

"Y-Yes, I do."

"Good! Now, are you going to make this night the best night of her life for her?"

"Yes!"

"Is anything going to go wrong?"

"No!"

"Are you going to get a piece of that flank?"

"Ye- Wait, what?"

At that moment, Shining's mother came into the room. She gave the two stallions and their awkward position an odd look before focusing on Shining Armor.

"It's best not to keep a lady waiting, Shining." She opened the door further, and nodded at the stairs leading down to their living room. "She's downstairs."

Shining Armor gulped, and wondered whether or not the training camp he was going to in a few weeks would be as nerve-wracking as this. Night Light let go of him, and nudged him towards the door.

"Go get 'em, kid."

Shining took another deep breath, and approached the door. His mother stopped him, and gave him a small bouquet of chrysanthemums.

"They're her favorites," she whispered in his ear as he took them. "Remember, whatever your father told you about treating her like one of your friends is wrong; she's a lady. Treat her like one." The advice sounded much like a threat to Shining Armor. He swallowed hard, took one last deep breath, and trotted downstairs.

His date was standing near the door, and when Shining saw her, he was sure he was looking at the wrong mare. Whenever he'd seen her before, she'd always kept her mane and tail tied up in ponytails, and he'd never seen her wear any makeup. In that way, she'd looked more cute than anything. The way she was now, standing in his living room, was radically different. She wore a short white dress, with a set of blue crystals set around the neck of it. Embedded in the dress were what looked to be diamonds, and he was sure that if a light was shined directly at her, she would glow brightly enough to illuminate an entire room. Her mane ran down past her shoulders in large curls of violet, rose, and gold. Her eyes, though, were what captivated him: she had used some kind of mascara to make her eyelashes sparkle, and her large purple eyes shone like pearls when combined with this effect. She was radiant, and Shining was left speechless at the foot of the stairs for a full minute. Luckily, most of that minute avoided an awkward staring contest thanks to his date's interest in the picture on the small table next to their front door. When she finally looked up and saw him, she jumped a bit, startled by his sudden appearance. This shocked Shining out of his trance, and the flowers fidgeted in his magical grip.

"Uh, sorry," he muttered, taking a step forward. He remembered the flowers, and used them to hide his blush as he presented them to her. "Um, these are for you, Cadence."


♦♦♦♦♦


Wait, Cadence? Cadence was your first date?

Yep. You were wrong, Twily: my first date was with a princess.

But how could it have-

Shush. Let me tell the story.


♦♦♦♦♦


Cadence took the flowers and smelled them, smiling and blushing faintly. Shining trotted over to her slowly, watching her as she nibbled on a few of the petals. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his parents watching from the stairs. His father gave him a wink, and his mother gestured towards the door silently mouthing, "Go! Go!" Shining turned back to Cadence, who was still admiring her gift from him.

"We should get go~ing," he said, cracking his voice dramatically as he said it. Cadence looked up at him with a smirk, holding back a laugh while Shining covered his mouth and coughed. He felt his face darken, and stared down at the ground while Cadence silently giggled into her bouquet. When she'd stopped laughing, Cadence smiled at him and said, "Alright. Where are we headed?"

Shining looked up from the ground and met her gaze. He blinked a few times, entranced by her eyes.

"Uh...it's a surprise." He said nothing for a while, and the two stood staring at each other at the door. A silence hung in the air, and both ponies went red in the face when a cough was heard from the stairs across the room. Shining moved to block the view of the stairs from Cadence and grinned uneasily.

"So, let's get going, then." He gestured to the door, and Cadence smiled and went out it. Shining followed, giving his parents one last glance that said "Celestia give me strength," and shut the door behind him.

The night was warm, and the streets were lit and filled with ponies moving about. The further into Canterlot Shining Armor and Cadence went, the more and more stalls they saw advertising Midsummer's Festival goods. Leading Cadence along to their first destination of the night, Shining did his best to avoid anything awkward, and attempted to make small talk with her.

"So, you look pretty nice tonight."

Cadence nodded. "You told me to dress well, so I asked Auntie Celestia to help me out. This is one of her dresses from when she was younger, actually." From under the white fabric of her outfit, her wings fluttered, invisible to anypony around. "Keeps ponies from knowing who I am."

Shining chuckled. "Yeah, it would be a real drag if we had ponies bowing every time you walked by." He and Cadence laughed, and he felt his nervousness start to fade. He looked at her, and couldn't help but scan her form with his eyes. "I mean it, though," he said. "I didn't think you would look this good tonight."

Cadence looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Red in the face, Shining struggled to correct his mistake. "Er, I mean, y-you usually don't look the way you do now, b-but you always look nice, to me. You're just, um, really beautiful tonight, and..." He trailed off, and loosened his bow tie silently. It was choking him again. Cadence still had her eyebrow raised, but she was smiling at him. He turned his head to look at the path again, scolding himself silently for his idiocy. He looked at the booths now lining the road, the lightning bugs zooming about above their heads, the lights from the Canterlot Castle and its own fancy Midsummer Gala, anything that wasn't Cadence. To his surprise, he felt her nuzzle his neck, briefly.

"Thanks," she mumbled, pulling away from him as quickly as she had nuzzled him. "You look a lot better than usual too." She smiled at him sweetly, and he chuckled nervously. They continued on their way, silent now. Shining was too afraid to start another conversation, and he gulped when Cadence decided to start one of her own.

"So, can you at least give me a hint where we're going?"

"Uh, well, it's a restaurant, so I hope you're hungry."

As if his words were a password, a building appeared around a corner that made Shining smile. "And there it is!"

Cadence gasped. The place Shining had led her to was a cathedral of a building, with patios rising up three floors that were all filled with ponies of the highest caliber. She understood now why she had been told to wear something formal: this restaurant was almost as high-class as the Gala that her date had thankfully kept her from attending. She and Shining walked toward the entrance, passing under a stone arch with glittering silver lettering on it that read:The Gilded Stallion.

"Holy Celestia, Shining!" She grabbed his foreleg, almost sending the both of them to the floor. "We aren't going in there, are we?" She looked at him with unbelieving eyes.

Shining smiled proudly at her. "As a matter of fact, that's exactly where we're going. Unless, the lady objects...?" He raised an eyebrow, and Cadence met it with a rapid shake of her head.

"Of course i want to go in there! It's just..." She glanced again at the large glass doors leading inside. "...how did you do this?"

"Easy," Shining said, trotting again towards the doors of the restaurant. "I just walked in there, about a month ago, asked them if there were any open spots for the Midsummer Festival, and made my reservation. No problem." He opened the door and gestured inside. "Mares first."

Cadence entered and stared in awe at the grandeur of the restaurant. Everything, it seemed, was either marble or gold. Statues of pegusi stared down at the couple from the ceiling of the main lobby, and great marble staircases led to the higher floors of the restaurant. Waiters carrying trays (also seemingly made of gold) of food and drinks glided across the floor of the place, delivering their contents with ease. The patrons themselves appeared to be made of gold, dressed in outfits that made Shining Armor feel a bit like he was wearing a clown suit. Despite this, he ignored the other customers, and approached the stallion standing at the podium at the front of the lobby. Clearing his throat, he caught the stallion's attention, and requested their table.

"For two, under 'Shining Armor?'"

The stallion checked his list, and seemed shocked to find the name Shining had requested on it. He regained his haughty demeanor in a heartbeat, though, and led the two up two flights of stairs and out to a closed patio area. The patio was tiny, having only three tables available at it, and Cadence was amazed when the waiter led them to a table that gave them the best possible view of Canterlot and the world surrounding it. He gave them their menus, and asked what they would like to have to drink.

"Hmm..." Shining made a show of scratching his chin. "Well, honey, how does the Don Hayrignon sound?"

She could tell by his voice that he was calling her "honey" as a joke, but Cadence could not help but blush at the cutesy nickname. She smiled goofily, and answered, "That sounds lovely."

Their waiter gave the couple a scrutinizing look, as if to check if they were old enough to order wine, then shrugged and said, "Excellent choice. We'll bring it to you in a second." He then left the two alone on the patio.

"So," Shining said after they'd chosen their meals. "why are you so embarrassed by your wings?" He gave her a worried look. "Did you disfigure them, or something?"

Cadence giggled and shook her head. "Don't be dumb, Shining, you know why. You said it yourself, ponies would be crawling all over each other trying to kiss my hooves if they recognized me. I almost dyed my mane for this date, I was so worried about being caught."

"Well, I'm glad you didn't," Shining said. "I don't think I could stand to see a mane as gorgeous as yours get mucked up with product and all that."

Cadence blushed. "My mane's not that great."

"Oh yes it is," Shining insisted. "Now, if there's a mane that needs cleaning up, it's mine." He raised his hooves up to the bushel of hair on his head and yanked up locks of it, showing them off to Cadence. "Look at this. This is crazy. I couldn't even get it to stay still for our date. If I had, that waiter back there wouldn't have thought I was a teenager."

"You are a teenager, Shining."

"Pfft. Eighteen. It's old enough to drink, it's old enough to join the Royal Guard. I'm not a teenager."

Cadence rolled her eyes. "Well, whatever you are, I still like your mane the way it is. It's cute."

Now Shining blushed, though he hid it by pretending to reconsider a dinner choice and diving back into the menu. Cadence giggled, and looked out at Canterlot while Shining pretended to browse. Her eyes moved from the city center to its borders, then to the world stretching out beyond it. She saw another, smaller town out in the distance, in full swing of their own Midsummer Festival. She sighed, frowning slightly. Absently, she muttered, "I wonder how Celestia does it."

Shining put his menu down, blush gone from his face. "Hmm?"

Cadence waved at the world below them. "How can she handle all of this, this whole country, making the sun set and the moon rise, solve problems in the city, and still be such a kind aunt to me? I don't think I could do all that. I can barely handle the way normal ponies treat me, with all the bowing and offerings and stuff." She sighed and turned back to Shining. "I'm so lucky to have you, Shining. You're the only colt who treats me like I'm a regular mare."

Shining blushed again, but didn't bother to hide it. "W-Well, I hope that's not how I make it seem..." he said, fidgeting with his water glass. When Cadence gave him a confused look, he went on: "I don't think you're just regular. You're really special to me, y'know..." He seemed like he wanted to say something else, but he shut his mouth and looked out at the city instead. Cadence smiled at him until he turned back to her and asked, "So, uh, that picture you were looking at when I, uh, went downstairs. What was it?"

"Oh!" She giggled, blushing once more. "It was kind of old, actually. It was a picture of us when I first became your- er, Twilight's foalsitter." She stopped, and looked down at her hooves, her face a violent red.

"My foalsitter?" Shining laughed loudly, and Cadence rubbed her face with her hooves as though she were trying to wipe away her blush.

"You know what I mean," she mumbled. "The picture was of you, me, and Twilight. She and I looked pretty happy in it, but I noticed that you looked really... flustered."

"Flustered?"

"Yep. And I think I know why now." She smiled slyly at him, making him gulp. "How long have you wanted to ask me out, Shining Armor?"

"Uh..." Shining scratched at his collar, desperate for something, anything to steer the conversation away from where it was going. Fortunately, that anything came, in the form of their waiter with a bottle of Don Hayrignon for them. Shining embraced the distraction happily, giving his order with a smile. Cadence stared him down with a disappointed glare, but gave her order as well. When she tried to continue their conversation, Shining insisted he pop the cork of their bottle of wine, and he poured them both a tall glass of the drink before Cadence could object. She watched him down half his first glass with an irritated look, but eventually accepted that he wasn't going to let her continue their talk, and she joined him in the festivities. The wine-


♦♦♦♦♦


Shining, you were old enough to drink, right?

I was, don't worry! I didn't lie when I said I was eighteen! Now, where were we?

Dinner.

Ah, dinner. Dinner was boring. Nothing really happened during dinner, except that the food was really good and Cadence made the greatest belch I've ever heard. Don't tell her I told you that. Ever. So, we had dinner, there was more sappy romantic talk, etcetera. It wasn't until after dinner that something bad happened.

Besides you saying you didn't think she looked good?

Hey, you know what I meant. Now, we were done with dinner, and Cadence and I were headed out of the restaurant...


♦♦♦♦♦


Cadence and Shining Armor left the restaurant full and only a little lightheaded from the wine (the bottle had been emptied in minutes). Cadence was leaning against her date, groaning softly into his shoulder.

"I never want to eat there again," she said. "I think I gained ten pounds from that meal."

"You look fine to me," Shining said, nuzzling her head. "Even if you gained a few from that, I still think I would go out with you. Maybe."

Cadence snorted and kicked his hind leg. "You're horrible."

"Mm-hmm," he mumbled. "But I'm your horrible." He and Cadence broke into a fit of snickers, and thus didn't notice the couple walking towards them in any way.

The next few seconds, Shining Armor would never be able to recall correctly, as he wasn't exactly watching what happened when it happened. What he knew was that, when it was over, Cadence was on the ground covered in wine, and a haughty mare in a lovely blue gown was standing over her, staring at a nearly invisible dark spot on her dress. Her own date was standing by Shining, looking at the two mares with a look of absolute horror on his face. He looked very smartly dressed, with a top hat and monocle that matched his thin blue mustache perfectly. Shining blinked a few times, unsure of what he was seeing, then rushed to Cadence's side, pulling her up on her hooves and surveying the damage to her dress. It was more red now than white, and altogether it gave her the appearance of being sunburned. To Shining's horror, he could see her wings through the soaked dress. The mare she'd bumped into, though, had not, and had now shifted her gaze to Cadence, with such fury in her eyes that Shining was sure the mare might have set Cadence on fire were she a unicorn.

"You--You--You insolent..." She seemed unable to speak, and only managed to squeak out, "You ruined my dress!"

Cadence made to say something, but Shining Armor stepped in front of her and snapped back: "She ruined your dress? I can't see a stain on you! You've just turned my date's dress red with you drink!"

The mare laughed at him. "Oh dear. The boy thinks he's her little prince." She smiled sweetly at him. "Your little marefriend ran into me, dear boy. She got what she deserved." She glanced at the restaurant, and her smiled faltered. "Though, I wonder what you were doing here at all. This is no place for children."

The gentlecolt in the hat stepped forward. "Now, Rain, dear, we weren't looking where we were going, either, and you did ruin her dress..."

The mare turned on her date, eyes ablaze once more. "You're siding with them? Honestly, Fancy, why do you do this? You care too much for these common folk. I don't even know why I agreed to come here with you!"

"I bet I can guess why," Shining muttered. The mare called Rain turned to him again, rage painted on her face.

"You foul-mouthed little-"

From behind Shining Armor, a voice moaned: "This was my aunt's." Shining moved out of the way, revealing his date holding her ruined dress in her hooves. She looked ready to cry, though her mascara was already ruined to the point that crying would have had no effect on it. To Shining, that was the most terrifying thing that could happen on the date. To the mare named Rain, the most terrifying thing she saw was the pair of pink and purple wings that fluttered faintly on the sides of Cadence's body. Rain's eyes went wide with recognition, and her demeanor shifted violently.

"A--A princess!" She gasped, covering her mouth with a hoof. "You're Princess Mi Amore Cadenza! I--I apologize profusely for my behavior, it's just, I thought you were-"

"-just some common mule?" Cadence finished, with such a deadpan tone that Shining swore he saw the colors of her coat and mane dull. She looked up at Rain with a sad, pitying glare, one so strong that the high-class mare took a step back.

"I-I didn't mean that!" She laughed, like it had been a joke of some sort. "My dearest Fancypants, you understand what I meant, right?" She looked to the monocled stallion for support, but was met with a blank stare that shifted to something interesting in the bush nearby. She glanced at Shining Armor, who was staring at her with his jaw hanging open in an unbelieving expression, then around her, at the small group of ponies that the disaster had drawn the attention of. She gulped, took another step back, and finally seemed to realize what she had done. Without another word, she turned and ran away, leaving the three ponies in the wine-soaked spot on the pavement.

"I'm so sorry," the stallion called Fancypants said, trotting over to Shining. "I had no idea my date thought of ponies less fortunate than her that way. If there's anything I can do, perhaps pay for the dress-"

"No." It was Cadence. She had stood up, and was standing beside Shining Armor, who's jaw was still a bit unhinged. "We'll be fine. Really." She looked at the corner Rain had disappeared behind. "Just, some advice? Don't go after her. Trust me,"--she gave him as best a smile as she could manage--"you'll be happier for it."

"I don't doubt it," Fancypants said, and began to walk towards the restaurant. Before he could get away, though, Shining snapped out of his trance, grabbed his leg, and whispered something in the dapper colt's ear. Fancypants smiled, and nodded. He faced Cadence, and his horn glowed faintly. Cadence's form glowed briefly, and subtle changes appeared in her coat: splotches of wine disappeared, and her fur became smooth and dry. Her face, once covered in ruined mascara, now repaired itself. By the time Fancypants' spell was displaced, Cadence looked just as good as she had when her date with Shining Armor had started. She sniffled, and a mirror appeared in front of her, eliciting a gasp from her as she took in her restored form.

Fancypants smiled at Shining, and said, "There. Best of luck to the both of you." He winked at Shining, turned, and headed into the restaurant. Shining turned back to Cadence, who was still looking at the ruined dress with sadness in her eyes. He trotted up to her, and cupped her cheek with a hoof.

"Hey," he said, getting her to look him in the eye. "Don't worry about it. It's just a dress." He held her gaze for some undetermined amount of time, before she finally moved his hoof off of her cheek and smiled.

"Thanks for sticking up for me, back there," she mumbled, before hugging him tightly. He was surprised, but accepted the hug gratefully. He almost snorted when he smelled the wine on her fur, but held it back for the sake of not completely ruining the night. They parted, and Shining looked around them to find a clock. When he read the time on the one he found, his eyes widened.

"Oh man!" He grabbed her hoof and pulled her in the direction of the city. "We're gonna be late!" He galloped off, and Cadence quickly followed, the wine-stained dress held close in her magical grip. They made their way from the restaurant to-


♦♦♦♦♦


Wait, that's it? You just let that whole thing slide?

Well, Fancypants fixed her makeup again.

But that mare ruined one of Celestia's own dresses! How could you let her just get away with that?

Cadence has a way with ponies that I can't explain. She'll always believe in the best of them, no matter what they do, and she'll always forgive them, even if takes a little while to do so. I've kind of adopted that behavior from her, actually. Besides, I doubt that mare really got away scot-free, from the way other ponies were looking at her as she went running off. If it makes you feel any better, I saw an article about Fancypants proclaiming himself single in the paper a few days after the date. Now, on to the next part of my date-

But that dress!

I'm getting to it, jeez! Now, we sped through town, and that cheered Cadence up enough to let me put the dress away in my satchel when we reached our next destination...


♦♦♦♦♦


Shining Armor snapped the clasp on his bag as Cadence trotted up to the gate leading into the arena. She turned around, her jaw unhinged, and she gestured to the small banner above her as if she weren't sure it was really there. Shining nodded, answering her silent question.

"Yeah, I did." He trotted past her, taking her hoof in his, and he led her inside the fenced area. It was a small place, off the charts from the other main stadiums in Canterlot, and it appeared to be empty, from far off. But when they'd approached it, Cadence found that it was marked with a banner that read: 


TONIGHT ONLY!!!
LIVE SECRET SHOW FROM PHOENIX!!! HEAR THEIR NEW ALBUM BEFORE IT'S RELEASED!!!
MUST HAVE WON TICKETS!!!


They approached the entrance to the arena proper, and were met by a burly black earth pony with a clipboard in his hoof.

"Name?" he asked gruffly.

"Shining Armor, two tickets," Shining answered confidently. The burly pony checked his clipboard, and after a minute, nodded, and let them pass. When he saw Cadence's wings, he merely raised his eyebrow at her. She ignored him as best as she could, and moved closer to Shining, so that her wing brushed against his side. He blushed, but didn't shy away from the intimate contact. They made their way down a dark hallway, and at the end Cadence saw a door silhouetted against a frame of light coming from the other side. A grin spread across her face, and she abruptly broke into a gallop. Shining sped after her, spurned on by her excitement, and the two burst through the door a few seconds later to find themselves at the starting end of a long row of food and merchandise stands.

"I'm really here," Cadence whispered, more to herself than Shining. Shining nuzzled her, and said, "I know they're your favorite. You've played that one album so many times, I think that "Nineteen-Hundred" song is permanently scratched into my brain. So, what do you-" He could say no more, because Cadence had thrown herself on him and crushed the breath out of him in a hug. She buried her face in his chest.

"Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!" she squealed, tightening her grip on him. He managed to pull himself out of her grip after a minute of "Thank you"s and hugging, and he offered her his hoof.

"Shall we, milady?" He waited for her to take his hoof, but she had already run on ahead. He realized this, and went galloping after her. They visited each stand, and in the end Shining found himself glad he'd saved up his allowance and payments from his various jobs.He was certain he would spend it all on merchandise for Cadence, as she stopped at each and every stand and asked for something from it, unless it was a food stand (though he managed to coerce her into letting him get something they could both enjoy, an enormous ball of candy-floss). For Cadence, he purchased fresh vinyl copies of Phoenix's previous albums, at least a dozen shirts he knew she'd never have the chance to wear, a snow globe with a rising phoenix in it that set on fire each time you shook it, and a new saddlebag with the band's logo on it (that same phoenix in that same position, this one not on fire). By the time they reached the actual seating area (unique in design, a large, flat incline that was divided into sections that designated a pony's spot), Shining was trying not to show the torment he was going through under the weight of her gifts. They reached their spot, and Shining breathed a sigh of relief when he set the pile of merchandise down on his spot. This, however, gave him another problem to solve: his spot was full of merchandise, leaving him no spot to sit. He prepared himself to shove the merchandise into one part of the seat and sit in another when Cadence caught his attention with a cough. He looked over the merchandise pile, and saw that she had already lain down on her spot and was offering him a seat directly next to her. Only a small portion of her spot was open, and they'd have to squeeze together if they wanted to fit.

Shining grinned, and hopped over to where she was waiting for him. He lay down in the spot she'd offered, and made himself comfortable by lying down. Cadence adjusted herself, and Shining's smile grew wider (and his face redder) as she wrapped a wing around him, bringing him close. She rested her head on his shoulder, and Shining felt his heart flutter when her tail wrapped around his. He suddenly found that he couldn't move, not that he minded. This was the greatest feeling he'd ever felt, and he could only imagine how jealous other colts would be to see them together.

The stadium filled up with ponies, and soon the lights dimmed. Cadence, who had been enjoying the warmth and comfort of her date's body, shot up like a freshly-soaked cat when the announcer came on stage. She wore a grin that made Shining Armor think of a dog that had just been offered a carriage ride. He nuzzled into her neck and, taking a risk, kissed it once. He couldn't tell if she had felt it, but it didn't matter in a few seconds, because he heard the announcer say something that he knew would leave him with a ruined date:

"I'm so, so, so sorry, but Phoenix has been delayed due to an unfortunate carriage malfunction, and are unable to perform tonight for you. We apologized profusely to anypony who entered our contest and won, and we'll gladly provide a consolation prize, sent to each entrant's home by the end of next week. Again, we apologize, and we hope you all have as good a night as possible." Then he left.

Shining pulled away from Cadence's neck and looked up at her expression. He almost sighed in relief, seeing that it wasn't as crushed as he thought, but it still hurt to see her so clearly upset.


♦♦♦♦♦


Hang on, I just realized something! A bunch of shirts from a Phoenix concert? Is that how I got all those dumb things? They were hers?

Hey, don't let her hear you call them "dumb!" She'll kill you! And I'm getting to that, stop interrupting!


♦♦♦♦♦


"Cadence..." he said, and stopped, because he couldn't think of anything else to say.

"I made you buy all of that," she said after a full minute of silence. She nodded to the pile of merchandise. "We couldn't even hear any music, and I made you get all of this junk." She lifted a shirt up and stared at it blankly. "I'm never even going to wear this." She looked at Shining with a sad smile. "Why would I even buy this?"

He stared at the shirt, then Cadence. "Because you're crazy. For Phoenix, I mean." He blushed again, and wondered if she felt him kiss her neck.

Cadence's smile spread across her face, and suddenly she began to laugh. While other ponies got up and left, grumbling complaints and swears, Cadence laughed, louder and louder, until she was curled up next to Shining on the ground. He watched her for a minute, eyes wide with a mix of amazement at her behavior and worry that she had been driven mad by the events of the night. Then, as though her laughter were contagious, he began chuckling as well. Eventually, his own laughter matched hers, and the couple were soon the last ones in the arena, bent over from barking peals of laughter that echoed throughout the stadium. Even when the burly earth pony that had checked their names came and forced them out with their stuff, they laughed, and soon they were left laughing next to their pile of souvenirs out in the dark. They laughed for a good five minutes before Cadence stopped and looked over at the city. She sighed, looked down at the pile of merchandise, and said, "I'm sorry I made you buy this."

Shining waved her apology off. "Pfft, whatever. If you really don't want it, I can sell the stuff. Besides, I've got that consolation prize coming. Maybe it's an early copy of their new album or something." He glanced at the pile and added, "I'll just give the shirts to Twilight, if you're never gonna wear them."

Cadence gasped and covered her mouth with her hooves. "Oh my gosh, she'd look so cute!" Her reaction made Shining Armor let out a snort of laughter, and this began a shove match that ended with the two of them in fits of laughter again. They spent the next hour this way, simply talking and playing with the merchandise. Shining managed to use his magic to teleport a record player from some unknown location to them, and he and Cadence lay out on the grass and listened to each of the records he'd bought her. Eventually, Shining heard a clock chime 11:45, and he leapt up from his spot with great urgency.

"Oh man! It's almost time!" He turned to Cadence, who had stopped the record player and was staring up at him with genuine concern. "We've gotta get down to the lake! Like, right now!" He sprinted over to the merchandise pile and began stuffing the shirts into the Phoenix saddlebag. Cadence got up, slid the record back into its sleeve, and left the record player to be found by whomever in the morning. She approached Shining with the records, and he held up a shirt to her.

"Twilight?"

She nodded. "Twilight."


♦♦♦♦♦


Aha! So that is how I got them!

Yep. They were a gift from Cadence.

You know, I should probably dig those up. Maybe she'll take them back.

Well, before you do that, do you want to hear how the rest of the date went?

Sure, I guess.

You sound bored!

I'm not, I swear! Just...just keep talking.

...Alright. So, we packed up all the souvenirs from the failed concert and headed to Canterlot Lake. There were already tons of ponies there, all along the lakeside and in canoes in the water. I'd rented one out for Cadence and I, for a very special reason...


♦♦♦♦♦


The canoe glided silently through the water. Neither Shining Armor nor Cadence spoke as Shining's magic sent them through the waters of Canterlot Lake. They kept their eyes on each other, and Shining was impressed by the lack of ponies who recognized her. Then again, she'd put her aunt's dress back on, despite the wine stains, so he supposed it was more the combination wing-horn thing that did it for them than the remarkably beautiful face. Or maybe that was just how Shining identified her. It was also rather dark.

They reached a spot far enough from the shore, and Shining dismissed the spell he'd cast. The canoe slowed and stopped in the water, where they sat for a minute, saying nothing. Finally, Cadence raised her eyebrows in a questioning matter.

"Well? What are we doing out here? Going to take a dip in the lake?"

Shining shook his head, and reached under one of the seats of the canoe. He pulled out two odd squares of papery material, and tossed it to Cadence. She caught it with her magic. He instructed her to unfold it, and she watched him carefully. She unfolded hers along with him, and found that the papers formed a pair of lanterns, complete with a small candle holder in the bottom. Shining levitated a candle over to her, and placed it in her holder.

"We light them now," he explained, "and when the clock strikes midnight, we let them go."

Cadence looked around, and saw hundreds, maybe thousands of ponies had the same lanterns, and were lighting them, whether with their magic or matches they'd brought with them. She turned back to Shining, who said, "I put a surprise in our candles. A special spell, just for tonight. We'll light them together, on three, OK?" She nodded, and looked down at her candle. "One, two, three!"

With a spark of her magic, Cadence lit the candle, and gasped. She looked between hers and Shining's lanterns, her mouth open in amazement. Her candle glowed bright rose, the same shade as her mane. Shining's, in turn, glowed bright cerulean. He watched her look between the two lanterns with awe, smiling proudly.

"All I needed was a lock of hair from your mane," he explained. "And fortunately, you left your manebrush with Twilight the last time you foalsat." He grinned wildly. "What do you think?"

She opened her mouth to tell him just what she thought, but before she could, a clock began chiming somewhere. Shining shifted in his seat, and lifted his lantern up.

"Ready?" he asked, giving her another grin. Cadence nodded, and readied her own lantern. "All right, on three, like last time. One, two, three!"

They released their lanterns into the air, and they rose up with the hundreds that came from ponies all over and around the lake. In moments, the sky was filled with lanterns shining like stars. Yet none of them were like the pair directly above Shining and Cadence's heads. The blue and pink lanterns seemed to rise above the others, and many pairs of eyes turned to watch the unique pair rise above the lake, then above the whole city, then above all of Equestria. Cadence watched with wide eyes, until something made their canoe tilt a bit. She looked over to see that Shining Armor had moved to the center of the canoe, and was leaning over to try and get a lantern that had somehow hit the water instead of floating up into the air. She smiled, and slid closer to him.

Shining reached out as best as he could, and after a few tries he reached the lantern and snatched it out of the water. Checking to see if it was damaged, he found none, and released it into the air to join the other lanterns in the sky. He lowered his hooves slowly, and one came to rest on something that wasn't the canoe. He looked down to find that he'd rested his foreleg on Cadence's. Looking up at her, he found that she'd drawn very, very close to him. She had on a gentle smile, and was blushing. He felt himself blush as well as she slid next to him, pressing her body against his. She nuzzled his neck, and he felt the same warmth from before spread through his body. He pressed against her too, wrapping his foreleg around hers, and Cadence moved from his neck to his jawline, tracing it with her nose. She moved along his muzzle until their noses touched before pulling away, and then the two young ponies simply stared into each others eyes. Both saw shimmering lights from the lanterns, and they both leaned in simultaneously, wanting nothing more than to feel each other's warmth. Both pairs of eyes fluttered shut, and Shining Armor felt his heartbeat slow.

The canoe tipped over.

In a second, what had almost been the greatest moment of Shining's life turned into what could arguably be called the worst. He hit the water hard, on his stomach, and the sting was intensified ten-fold by the chill of the water. He felt his suit soak up as much liquid as it could, and it began dragging him down into the depths of the lake. He heard Cadence hit the water as well, and felt her thrash beside him as he sank completely beneath the water. He was stunned by the cold when it surrounded him, used to the warmth Cadence had spread through him. Reflexively, he gasped, something one should never do when underwater (unless you are a seapony), and kicked wildly upward, surfacing under the overturned canoe. His bangs covered his eyes, and he didn't bother to adjust them: he didn't want to see the mess he'd made for himself and his date. He heard said date surface somewhere near, under the canoe with him. He spat out some of the lake water in his mouth, and tried not to sound as teary-eyed as he was.

"C-Cadence?" No answer. "Cadence, I'm sorry. For this whole thing, the restaurant, the concert, this. I really messed up tonight, and I would be surprised if you even wanted to be my friend anymore. I really tried, I swear, but I...I couldn't make it work. The night's ruined, and I've got nothing left up my soaking wet sleeve to try and fix things again. This was it. I really thought"--he choked on a sob, and tried to pass it off as coughing up more water--"I really thought that I could show you how I felt. About you, I mean."

Still no answer. Shining reached a hoof out and felt fabric, so he knew she was there, in front of him. He sighed, and raised his hooves up to the seat of the canoe above him.

"I'll take you home. Help me flip this thing over, and we can get back to the shore." He heard her move in the water, and assumed she had copied his movements. A thought occurred to him, and he couldn't help but chuckle. "Heh. Guess this is the last countdown of the night, huh?"

Silence, except for the echoing sound of water in the canoe. He hadn't expected her to think it was funny. He sighed again, and said, "On three, then. One, two-"

Something warm and wet wrapped around his neck. It took Shining only a second to realize what it was. He suddenly wished he'd moved his bangs out of his eyes.

Cadence pressed her body against his, and whispered, "Three." Then she kissed him on the mouth, hard.

Shining Armor froze when their lips met, and for a second he couldn't understand what was happening. But as Cadence tightened her grip around him and leaned her weight against his, he felt more of her addictive warmth seep into his veins, this time from her lips. Under his bangs, his half-open eyes fluttered the rest of the way shut, and he slid his forelegs down into the water, where they rested on her hips. They held this position for only half a second, before they began to slide deeper into the chilled water. Shining felt this, and quickly raised a hoof up to the canoe seat, latching onto it while keeping a firm grip around Cadence's waist. Her wings fluttered erratically at his touch. He pressed fervently into her lips, an action that Cadence met then raised, pulling him closer with a fiery passion that he was sure warmed the water around them. They separated only to breathe before returning to each other's embrace, wanting more and more of each other's tastes with each passing second. Cadence soon parted her lips, inviting Shining's tongue inside. He accepted gratefully, and when he slid his tongue past her lips Cadence sighed and tilted her head. He explored the damp, warm crevices of her mouth, dancing with her own tongue as their embrace intensified, and-


♦♦♦♦♦


Ugh, Shining, stop! What the heck! I get it, you kissed her! You made out with her! You practically had your way with her mouth!

Only practically?

Oh, for Celestia's sake, if this is all you wanted to tell me about, I'm going to go-

No, wait! There's one more part, that's it! I promise I won't be so descriptive this time!

Ugh, fine! But I swear, anything about tongues, or moaning, or anything-

I promise!

...Alright, fine.

Yes! Okay, so Cadence and I were sharing our first kiss, or, like, our first fifty kisses. It was pretty awesome for a first date, I couldn't believe I was so lucky. She was so beautiful and kind, and she made this adorable sound whenever I tickled this spot under her wing-

Shining.

Oh, yeah. Anyway, we kissed under that canoe for a loooong time...


♦♦♦♦♦


When Shining Armor and Cadence finally separated, Shining was amazed that they hadn't run out of air in the small pocket the canoe made. He panted heavily, and he heard Cadence panting too. A hoof brushed his bangs out of his eyes, and he found himself staring into Cadence's. He still had a foreleg wrapped around her waist, and she showed no signs of removing herself from his side. He gazed into her lavender eyes lovingly, and realized quite suddenly that he would marry this mare someday. He kissed her gently again, and when they separated he finally said something:

"Do--" His mouth felt as though it hadn't been used in years. "W-Was that out of pity?" His face, already tinted pink from her kisses, darken into a deep red. Cadence rolled her eyes at him.

"You idiot," she said, nuzzling his neck. "You've been acting like everything that went wrong tonight was your fault. Like you'd pushed me into that prissy mare, or cancelled the concert yourself, or rocked the canoe-"

"I might have done that one, actually." He grinned. "Not on purpose, though."

She giggled and kissed his cheek. "You didn't even realize that whenever something bad happened, you were the one who made it alright again. I..." She moved a hoof to his cheek, blushing harder than Shining. "I think this was the best night of my life."

Her expression suddenly changed to one of anger. "So if you ever start blaming yourself for a bad date again, I might actually-"

He kissed her, and she shut up. When they parted again, Shining moved his hoof from her waist and brushed some of her soaked mane out of her eyes. He stared into them for a long moment, then, abruptly, said: "I love you."

Cadence's eyes went as wide as Shining's cheeks turned maroon. Her mouth opened as if to gasp, but no sound came out. Nothing happened, and Shining was worried for a second that time had frozen. Then he saw tears well up in Cadence's eyes, and she tightened her grip on him. She leaned in and rubbed noses with him.

"I think I love you too, Shining Armor." She pecked him on the lips, and finally moved away from him. She nodded to the edge of the canoe. "Let's get out of here, before somepony tries to flip this over on us." She dove under the water, and Shining followed eagerly, happy to move the foreleg that had been holding him and Cadence up for the first time in what felt like hours. They left the overturned canoe to float aimlessly around the lake, snatched up the floating shirts and saddlebag from the concert, and raced each other to the nearest shore of the lake. Cadence won, if only because Shining's limb was stiff from holding them up, and when she came ashore she shivered despite the warmth of the midsummer night. Seeing this, Shining slid up to her and hugged her, warming her with his body. He realized he was still completely soaked, and the two removed their ruined outfits, neither caring whether or not the suit and dress made it back to their respective owners. The couple lay on the beach together, drying off as they watched the numerous paper lanterns float off into the night sky. Shining could still make out theirs: the blue and pink dots had never moved away from each other, it seemed. When he heard Cadence begin to snore, he snuggled against her, ready to doze off with her. As he shut his eyes, something bright glinted directly in his eye. He winced, and looked up, searching for the source of the glint. He found it coming from their pile of wet junk, and closer inspection made him gasp.

His outfit was still soaking, and would clearly be ruined by the effects of the lake water and dirt it had been exposed to that night. But one accessory remained untouched by anything he'd faced that night. And now, somehow, it was glowing, as it had for Shining's father decades ago.

Shining removed the corsage from the jacket, watching with awe as it glowed a bright blue, illuminating a good part of the area around him. He turned, recalling his father's words, and trotting back to the sleeping Cadence. He set the flower down next to her, and shook her awake. She mumbled something and groaned, unhappy at being awoken so soon, but when her eyes opened and saw the glowing flower, she gasped in surprise, and sat up swiftly. Shining picked the flower up with his magic, levitating it to eye level.

"It's for you," he said, smiling softly. "You're supposed to give it to your special somepony, so..."

Cadence took it in her own aura, eyes tearing up again. She brought it over to her mane and pinned it there, where it gave off a glow that made her look as though she were sparkling. Shining moved closer to her, taking her in his hooves again.

"So, just to be clear:" he asked, smirking, "that means 'Yes,' right?"

She answered him with another kiss, and he sank into her embrace happily.
> My Love Song
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Where there is love there is life -Mahatma Ghandi



"...so we lay there on the beach, talking, kissing, things like that. It was the best night of my life. Still is. Then the sun began to rise, at which point we realized how much trouble we were going to be in for being out for almost half a day. What's worse, we had totally ruined our outfits, though I think I was more worried about that than Cadence was. Even though I knew I was screwed, I took my time walking her home. When we reached the castle, Celestia was waiting for us, looking... well, I wouldn't say angry. But she definitely wasn't happy. She meant to ask us why we were so late, but Cadence sort of answered her question before she asked it by grabbing me and giving me as sloppy a kiss as possible in front of her and about half of her personal guard. So I guess that got her to let me off with a warning, somehow, though it was really embarrassing when she handed me a condom and winked at me-"

Twilight jumped up in her seat, sputtering. "What? Celestia did that?"

Shining laughed and nodded. "Yeah. It's weird how you hardly notice how much of a prankster she is, Twily. Anyway, I left after that, and hid the condom in my balled-up jacket. Needless to say, when I got back to our house towing an extra saddlebag stuffed with wet clothes and records (which weren't ruined, thankfully), and a soaking wet outfit (definitely ruined), Mom nearly exploded. But Dad managed to calm her down long enough for me to explain, which changed her mood from worried and furious to overjoyed and loud, which is almost as bad. Then Dad took the ruined suit from me, and unrolled it. I'll never forget the moment when the condom Princess Celestia gave me fell to the floor. It was like time slowed, or something." He sighed nostalgically, eyes clouded with memories. "Mom almost killed me. Dad acted like he was upset with me too, but he winked when Mom wasn't looking, so I guess he was proud or something. No matter how much I tried to explain, Mom wouldn't believe me when I said I didn't 'make whoopee' with Cadence, and before I knew it I was grounded for the rest of the summer." He shrugged. "So much for a second date."

Twilight smiled sadly. "I remember that. You looked so happy to see Cadence again, the day you left for your first day of training."

Another sigh escaped him. "Yeah. I was really pissed I wasn't able to go out with her again before I had to leave. I was even more pissed at myself for waiting so long before working up the balls to ask the mare of my dreams out on a date. It messed me up in the camps, too, thinking about her: I wondered sometimes if she would get impatient and go find some other colt. But every week, she'd send me a letter, with a different photo of her and you in it. I had to hide them from the other trainees, for fear that they would read them aloud and mock me." He looked over at Twilight. "That just made it even better to come home after basic training, though."

Twilight smiled and nuzzled her brother. "Thanks for the story."

"Feel better?"

"Mm-hmm."

The doorbell rang.

In an instant, Twilight leapt up from the couch and flew over to the stairs, her calm demeanor from a second before completely gone. She glared at the door, her face regaining the madness that had claimed it only minutes ago.

"Get him away! Tell him I have important Princess business, or that I was never here, or that I died from Alicornitis! Just get him away, I order you!"

Shining laughed and shook his head. "Not happening, LSBFF. You're going out with this guy,and that's final."

Twilight shivered. "Didn't you hear yourself talking? Everything bad that happened to you could easily happen to me!"

"And if that really ruins the night, then you two aren't meant for each other." Shining trotted over to his sister. "But if everything that could possibly go wrong does in fact go wrong, and the two of you can still laugh about it, well..." He smirked. "...maybe you'll have finally found your knight in shining armor."

Twilight tilted her head in confusion. "What, another BBBFF?"

Shining Armor facehoofed.


♥♥♥♥♥


When the door finally opened, the young colt who had been eagerly waiting at it for almost a minute was shocked to find not Twilight, but his boss standing behind it. On instinct, Ocean Floor snapped to attention, and caught the bouquet of flowers he'd been holding in one hoof with his magic as it went flying out of said hoof, now in a rigid state against his forehead.

"Captain Armor, sir!" He snapped off the salute, taking the cake for Shining Armor. The white unicorn bent his head down and burst out laughing, making Ocean Floor flinch with embarrassment.

"Oh Celestia!" Shining said, and looked back up at the still saluting colt. "At ease, buddy. This isn't the guard, this is my house."

Ocean Floor blushed and lowered his hoof, which took the floating bouquet out of the air. He grinned sheepishly. "S-Sorry, sir, I just-"

"I'm Shining, here. Okay?"

The cerulean stallion fumbled with his words, but straightened up again immediately. "Uh, right. Well, Shining, I'm sorry about saluting. I just didn't know you would be here."

"As if I would let my little sister go out on her first date without checking out her choice of stallion!" He smiled. "And, to tell you the truth, I'm very glad it's you."

"R-Really?" Ocean Floor beamed, then shook his head as if to clear it. "Uh, as good as it is to hear your compliments, si-Shining, I didn't come here for that." He nodded to the flowers in his hoof.

"Right." Shining looked over to the stairs. No sign of Twilight. "She's a bit nervous. Worried that it might end badly."

"Well, that makes two of us." Ocean Floor laughed sharply, not meaning it at all. "Though, I'm more worried about what she might think of me."

"Oh yeah?"

"Mm-hmm. I hope she doesn't think I'm afraid of getting banished or something. I know she wouldn't do that, or I wouldn't have asked her out. Y'know, if she were that kind of mare."

Shining nodded. "Yeah, that's kind of what she's worried about, too." The two stallions laughed.

The sound of hooves descending stairs made Shining's ear twitch. He turned, and smiled brightly as Twilight came down the stairs slowly. When she'd rushed up them begging Shining to distract Ocean Floor, he was worried that she was going to hide and not come out. Now, though, her reason for disappearing was obvious: she'd changed dresses. She now wore one that hid her wings from sight, and Shining couldn't help but let a little liquid pride well in his eyes at the sight of her. He turned back to Ocean Floor and grinned widely.

"Well, it appears the lady is ready." He stepped aside, but thought of something better to do first and leaned in to whisper in Ocean Floor's ear: "Now, you were right when you said that Twilight isn't the kind of princess who just sends ponies to the moon. I, on the other hand, am very protective of my sister. Should she come home in tears, or even the least bit upset about her night out, well..." He paused, for dramatic effect. "...I would suggest not coming back to the Guard tomorrow. Or the next day. Or the day after that. If you catch my drift." He moved away from Ocean Floor's ear, using all of his strength not to burst out laughing at the sight of the blue colt's shocked face. He smiled, and bowed in the direction of his advancing sister. "Ocean Floor, behold: the Princess Twilight Sparkle."

Twilight stepped into Ocean Floor's view, and the teal-maned colt gasped, forgetting almost at once the threat Shining had just made to him. When Twilight saw Ocean Floor, she too acted with surprise. She had never seen him without his armor on, it seemed, and something about the way Twilight blushed when she looked her date up and down told Shining she preferred his natural cerulean coat over the false ivory of his Royal Guard guise. There was a moment of silence, where nothing happened. Then Shining Armor coughed. The other two ponies jumped, and Ocean Floor seemed to remember he was holding something.

"Um, these are for you, Twilight." He held the flowers out to her, and she took them with her magic. She smelled them, and smiled as their scent relaxed her slightly.

"Myosotis," she muttered, nibbling one of the pale blue flowers. "My favorites."

"Lucky guess," Ocean Floor said, shrugging in a way that said "Celestia totally told me what your favorite flower was." Thankfully, Twilight didn't notice, as she as still absorbed in the bouquet. Her face was tinted red, and the red darkened when Shining gave another cough. Ocean Floor got the message, and gestured out the door.

"Shall we get going then?" he said, still nervous but not nearly as much as before. Twilight smiled and nodded, stepping forward.

"Where are we headed?"

"Uh..." Ocean Floor glanced at Shining Armor, who raised an eyebrow. "It's a surprise." He smiled, and he and Twilight stared at each other for a few seconds. Shining coughed once more, and the two jumped out of their trances for the second time that night.

"So, let's get going, then," Ocean Floor said, gesturing once more out the door. Twilight smiled and stepped out into the night, trotting down the path leading away from the house. Ocean Floor followed, giving Shining one last glance that said "Celestia give me strength," and shut the door behind him. Shining discreetly stopped the door with his own magic, simultaneously using it to simulate the sound of a door closing. He peeked through the crack he allowed himself, and watched the two ponies walk down the road, already beginning to chat with each other. To his amusement, he heard Ocean Floor's voice crack, and chuckled silently to himself. Twilight chuckled as well, making Ocean Floor blush and look up at the sky in embarrassment. Shining watched the couple until they disappeared from sight. He felt a sudden wave of deja vu overcome him, and he shut the door, shivering. He turned to the staircase, dismissing the feeling as nothing. He trotted up the stairs slowly, imagining his sister having the time of her life with Ocean Floor, and what it could mean for their family. He made his way down the hall to his room, and opened the door slowly, not wanting to disturb the room's slumbering occupant. To his surprise, he found that said occupant was actually awake, sitting up in the bed they shared.

"Cadence?" Shining approached his wife cautiously, and his heart skipped a beat when he saw tears running down her cheeks. She was leaning against the backboard of the bed, holding a pillow to her chest with her face half-buried in it. She was staring at something sitting on the covers in front of her. When Shining said her name, she turned her head slowly towards him, giving him a look he couldn't comprehend. Sensing danger, he rushed to her side, and asked, "Cadence, what's wrong? Why are you crying? Did your sickness bounce back?"

Cadence shook her head into the pillow, and lifted it up to look him in the eye. Her sparkling purple eyes drew the whole of his attention, as they had for years, but he still saw that she was smiling through her tears.

"Cadence?"

She leaned forward abruptly and kissed him passionately on the lips. At this point, Shining had no idea what was going on, and thus simply leaned into her lips. When she pulled away, he was left leaning over the bed, utterly confused and slightly aroused. He opened his eyes and stared at her, asking for an explanation with his eyes. Cadence gestured with hers down to the thing she'd stared at on the bed. He looked down at it, and his cerulean eyes widened when he saw what it was.

The thing sitting on the bed was small, white, and stick-like. One end thinned out into what could easily and disastrously be mistaken for a thermometer. However, the defining feature on the small object was a minuscule silvery screen, which, after this certain usage, now bore a dark red "+." In an instant, Shining Armor felt the breath leave his body, as he realized in a burst of cold shock why Cadence had come down with such a sudden bout of sickness. He blinked once, twice, three four five times before looking back up at his wife. More tears were running down her face, and he couldn't help but feel some of his own welling in his eyes. Numb, he whispered her name once more:

"C-Cadence..."

She pulled him into an embrace, burying her face in his shoulder. Even through the muffling fabric of his red jacket, he could still hear her speak words that would stay in his head, along with this moment, for the rest of his life.

"Shining, I'm pregnant."

♥♦♥♦♥♦♥♦♥♦♥♦♥♦♥♦♥♦♥♦♥♦♥♦♥♦♥♦♥♦♥♦♥♦♥♦♥♦♥♦♥♦♥♦♥♦



THE END