HOME | DD

Description
Shining Armor stared blankly at his smiling wife, not knowing what to say. On the one hoof, Cadence knew, and that meant that he no longer needed to try and lie about who he was to her. On the other hoof, Twilight had specifically asked him to not tell a single soul to make sure that word of her mistake didn't reach the ears of her former mentor. What do I do, what do I do, Shining Armor thought, beads of sweat beginning to trail down his brow.

"I know what you're thinking," Cadence said before Shining Armor could form any sort of response, "you're trying to decide if you should come clean with me, or if this act is important enough to keep up that you will continue lying to your wife."

Shining Armor opened his mouth, but Cadence cut him off again before he could get a word out.

"Before you answer, just know that if you do insist on telling me anything but the truth, I'll make a copy of one of the pictures Rarity just took of you, enlarge it, frame it, and hang it in the barracks in Canterlot where all of your old guard buddies will see you dressed up like a pretty little princess. So choose your next words carefully."

An unpleasant shiver ran down Shining Armor’s spine at the thought of his former comrades - stallions and mares from whom he had once commanded great respect - seeing him as a little filly in a dress. That was all there was to it; he had been caught in a lie, and it was time to admit defeat and come clean. Shining Armor took a deep, calming breath to gather himself. He was a prince after all, co-ruler of a grand empire, and a former captain of the Canterlot Royal Guard, he knew how to handle a high stress situation with dignity.

"I'm soooorrrrryyyyy!" He cried, rushing over to Cadence and wrapping himself around one of her slender forelegs. "I'm so so so so so sorry."

With her free hoof, Cadence stroked Shining Armor's mane, like a mother would for her frightened foal.

"It's alright," she said with a giggle, as she attempted to calm her husband. She lifted her his head, and wiped away the tears that had started to fill his eyes. “I was only teasing.”

"I-I-I-"

Cadence placed a hoof to his mouth, and gave him a warm smile.

"Just take a deep breath, and start at the beginning."

Shining Armor looked into his wife's bright, beautiful eyes, and did as he was told, breathing deep to calm himself down. When he no longer felt like he was going to cry, he began his story. He told Cadence everything; about how Twilight had been practicing the spells that she had learned from Starswirl the Bearded's book, about how she had tested the age regression spell on him, and that she’d been distracted when she tried to change him back, accidentally turning him into a filly, and about how she’d made him live in his new body under the name 'Gleaming Shield' while she worked on translating a magic nullification spell.

He then went on to tell her about the adventures that he'd been on with the Cutie Mark Crusaders, being police fillies, going to school, having a slumber party and telling ghost stories around their campfire, and about the fashion show that he'd been forced to participate in (Cadence laughed particularly hard at that point). Since the situations involving Diamond Tiara, and Snails' schoolcolt crush had already been brought up, he didn't feel he needed to go into them again. He also didn't tell her about the time that he talked with Scootaloo about her nightmares; that had been a private moment, and he had promised the little filly that he wouldn't tell anypony about it.

When Shining Armor was finished reliving the last four days, he took another deep breath, feeling calmer than he had all week; it felt good to be able to tell somepony else his secret, even if that somepony had spent half the story rolling around on the ground, laughing in a very unprincess like manner.

"Goodness," Cadence said, when she finally collected herself, "it certainly sounds like you've been having quite the busy vacation."

Shining Armor nodded. It certainly hadn't been his ideal way of taking a break from all of the meetings, and Equestria Games preparations that had taken up most of their lives since taking the throne, but he had to admit that it had been a fun experience. Not one that he would want to repeat if he could help it, but fun nonetheless.

“I’m just glad it’ll all be over soon.”

Cadence giggled, and pulled her husband in close for an embrace, which Shining Armor happily reciprocated.

“I really am sorry,” he said, nestling in between Cadence's forelegs.

She just smiled, and gave him a light squeeze.

"You are forgiven," she said, then quickly added, "though I do expect you to make up for lying to me."

"Of course." Shining Armor leaned over, and gave Cadence's foreleg a little kiss. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

The two ponies just sat there, enjoying the moment, watching the sun set over Ponyville, bathing the town in beautiful, golden light. A few ponies had taken to the streets, closing up stores, or buying some last minute items for that evening's dinner. It was so peaceful.

"So you really knew it was me the whole time?" Shining Armor hated to break the silence, but something had been nagging at him ever since Cadence confronted him. "How?"

Cadence gently stroked her husband's mane, then leaned down and planted a small kiss on the top of his little head.

"It really wasn't difficult to figure out," Cadence said. "First of all, you look almost exactly like you did when you really were a foal, only a lot cuter."

Shining Armor just rolled his eyes at Cadence's "cute" comment.

"Then there was Twilight trying to explain how you’re her cousin, and I knew that was a lie because, well, it was a terrible story. I mean, I’ve known you and your entire family since Twilight was in magic kindergarten; there’s no way you could have a cousin that I’d never met.” Cadence made a sound that was part giggle, and part sigh. “No offense to Twilight, but she's always been a very bad liar."

Shining Armor couldn't help but chuckle, as he thought back on when Twilight was a filly, and would try and trick Cadence into giving her an extra cookie at snack time, or would try to get some more studying in by telling her that her bedtime had been changed to eleven when it was really at seven.

"So why didn't you call us out on it earlier?" Shining Armor asked.

Cadence shrugged.

"I was hoping you were going to drop the act first, but you didn’t, so I decided to play along until you came clean. But then you just kept the lie going, so that's when I decided to tease you a little."

Shining Armor sat bolt upright.

"Tease me?" His eyes went wide with understanding. "That's why you put crystals in my mane during recess."

Cadence nodded, and giggled.

"It’s also why I made you leave them in until we got to Rarity’s; I knew that when she saw how adorable you looked - and you looked very adorable by the way - she would want to put you in a dress. She certainly didn't disappoint.

"I also tried to trip you up at breakfast this morning with all the questions I asked, but you maintained your cover until you were saved by the Crusaders."

"That's all thanks to my amazing skills as a former guard captain," Shining Armor said rather proudly.

Cadence just booped her husband lightly on the head. Shining Armor gave an exaggerated yelp, and rubbed the spot she had poked.

"So, what, were you also having fun with me when you told me that I had to go out with Snails?"

Cadence gasped.

"Absolutely not," she said, rising to look Shining Armor straight in the eyes to show that she was completely serious. "You are a prince, Shining Armor, and that means that when a pony is indebted to you, you are obligated to allow them to repay you. It would be considered extremely rude if you didn't."

Shining Armor opened his mouth to argue, but decided against it.

"Fine," he said, turning around and settling back into his original position. "So is there anything else that you want to tell me? Any more secret games or punishments that I should know about?"

There was a bit of a pause before Cadence spoke again.

"No, nothing like that, but there is something I need to tell you." Her voice surprisingly giddy. "Shining Armor I'm-"

Before she could finish telling Shining Armor what she was, the Ponyville clock tower rang loudly six times, marking the late hour.

"Sorry, what was that?" Shining Armor asked, eager to hear what Cadence was going to tell him. But she just smiled and shook her head.

"I'll tell you later." Then she used a levitation spell on her miniature husband, and lifted him off the ground and onto her back. "We need to get you home; it's almost your bedtime." She giggled at her own joke, and began a fast, yet careful trot back towards Twilight's library.

When they reached Twilight's, Cadence and Shining Armor were surprised to find the room completely spotless. Ever since Shining Armor's transformation, the table and the floor around it had been occupied by teetering stacks of books, new and discarded quills, and rolls of parchment. Now, everything was cleared away, returning the room to the way it had looked the first morning of Shining Armor's visit. Twilight was just putting away the last of her unused scrolls when she became aware of the royal couple’s presence.

"Cadence, Gleaming Shield, welcome back," she said, smiling from ear to ear, as she rushed over to the door to greet her brother and sister-in-law.

“My you’re certainly cheerful,” Cadence said, “did something exciting happen while we were away?”

Twilight nodded her head rapidly.

“You bet it did.” She beckoned them inside, and led them to her table where a single, sealed scroll lay in the middle. “After four days of research, putting off meals, and barely getting any sleep, I’ve finally finished translating that spell for Princess Celestia!”

Shining Armor’s heart began to pound in his chest as he looked from his sister, to the rolled up scroll that rested just a few feet away. There it was; the key to returning him to his normal form.

“That’s wonderful,” Cadence said. “May I see it?” She reached for the scroll, but Twilight quickly snatched it away with her magic before she could get her hooves on it.

“Oh you wouldn’t be interested in this; it’s just a boring old spell that Princess Celestia wanted translated for the Canterlot archives.” Twilight floated the rolled up piece of paper over to a nearby saddlebag, and tucked it away in one of the pockets. “You might be interested in this though,” she continued, producing two opened envelopes from the same pocket, “I got a letter fromShining Armor today saying that his business in Canterlot is complete, and that he’ll be on the first train to Ponyville tomorrow morning.”

Cadence accepted the envelope from Twilight, and opened it to read the contents of the letter. Upon unfolding the small piece of paper, she stifled a laugh.

"On a totally unrelated note,” Twilight continued, oblivious to the sounds Cadence was making, “I also received a message from your parents, Gleaming Shield, saying they really miss you, and that they are looking forward to your return tomorrow morning."

She passed Shining Armor the second envelope, giving him a wink as she did. Shining Armor sighed, as he removed the paper from within. Just as Twilight had said, the message inside was addressed to Gleaming Shield, regarding her return to Canterlot. As he looked at the paper, it was easy to understand what Cadence had found so funny; the overly neat penmanship in which the message had been written was unmistakably Twilight’s. The two married ponies looked at each other, and the room was suddenly filled with thunderous laughter.

“I thought you two would be happy,” Twilight said, “although I must say, I feel just awful that I was busy during your entire stay, Gleaming Shield.” She lifted her brother off the floor, and gave him a big hug.

“Uh, Twi-”

“You’ll have to promise that you’ll visit me again real soon, okay?”

Shining Armor wriggled free from his sister’s grasp, still laughing at the hilarity of the fake notes.

“Twily, you don’t have to lie anymore,” he said. “Cadence already knows.”

Twilight looked from Shining Armor to Cadence, who, in her mirth, nodded.

“B-but I...You… wha?” And then, just as Shining Armor had done earlier that evening, Twilight threw herself at Cadence’s hooves. “Oh Cadence, I’m so, so, so, so, so sorry. I didn’t mean to change Shining Armor into a filly. I mean, yes, I tested an age regression spell on him, but I tried to change him back, I just got a little distracted, and...and…” At this point, Twilight broke out in tears. “Please please please please don’t tell Princess Celestia about this.”

Cadence pulled Twilight into a comforting hug.

"It's alright, Twilight," she said, "I'm not going to go to Celestia."

A glimmer of hope shone in Twilight's eyes.

"So you aren't mad?"

Cadence shook her head.

"No, I'm not mad, just disappointed. Honestly Twilight, you should have just told me what had happened. You know I could have helped you sort things out."

"Yes, I know, I was just afraid of what would happen if anypony found out that I made a mistake. I'm an alicorn princess, I'm not supposed to make mistakes."

"Oh Twilight, it's alright if you mess up every now and again, especially now when you're still getting used to your powers. Do you think I was perfect when I first became a princess?"

Twilight didn't answer right away. She understood that Cadence hadn’t always been as proficient with magic as she was now, but she had always looked up to her old foal sitter, and that lifelong admiration made it difficult for Twilight to think of her as anything but perfect.

“No.” Twilight sighed, and wiped away a tear that had began to form in her eye. “I suppose you’re right, although I’m still embarrassed that I changed my brother into a filly and failed when I tried to change him back. And, I’m upset with myself because instead of coming to you in the first place, I spent an entire afternoon trying to figure out to best way to get Gleaming Shield on a train to Canterlot, and have Shining Armor get off a different train a few minutes later without anypony noticing.”

Twilight’s body suddenly perked right up. “Actually this is perfect. Since Cadence already knows your secret, I can just change you back right now. I’ve got the spell all translated, so we can finally put this whole mess behind us. That is, if you’re ready?”

Shining Armor opened his mouth ready to tell Twilight that he was more than ready to return to normal, but Cadence interrupted him before he could get a word out.

“Actually Twilight, could it wait just another day or so?” She asked. “Shining Armor still has some unfinished business that he needs to take care of. Right, Shining Armor?”

Shining Armor’s excitement died down as he remembered what Cadence had told him earlier that afternoon

“What does he have to do?” Twilight gave her sister-in-law a quizzical look.

Shining Armor sighed, and looked up at his sister.

“I have to go to Sugarcube Corner with Snails.”

...

That night, long after dinner and small talk (which was much more relaxed than it had been during previous meals), Shining Armor and Cadence had bid Twilight goodnight, and ascended the stairs to the bedroom. Despite having gone almost an entire week without sleep, the young princess decided to stay up a while longer, hoping to practice the spell a few times just to be sure that this attempt at changing her brother back to normal went according to plan.

Alone, up in Twilight’s room, the two ponies lay cuddled together in the spare bed with Cadence on the outside, hugging her husband close to her chest, as she hummed an old lullaby. With the awkwardness of trying to keep his identity a secret from his wife gone, Shining Armor found it a lot easier to enjoy the novelty of being the little spoon, his small form comfortably nestled in her grasp.

“Shining Armor,” Cadence suddenly whispered, as she continued stroking her husband’s hair, “if you don’t mind me asking, what are you planning on doing about the Crusaders?”

Shining Armor thought for a moment; he’d been so caught up in his adventures with the three fillies, he hadn’t considered what would happen when Twilight finished the spell, and his time with the Crusaders ultimately came to an end.

“I don’t know,” he said, “probably just tell them I have to go back to Canterlot or something.”

Cadence rose slightly so she could look at Shining Armor.

“Do you think that’s a good idea?” There was a note of concern in her voice that told Shining Armor that she clearly didn't. “What if they want to see Gleaming Shield again? If they go to Canterlot, I’m pretty sure they’ll quickly discover that that pony doesn’t even exist. That is of course unless you plan on having your sister turn you into a little filly every time one of her friends visits Canterlot and the Crusaders decide to tag along.”

Shining Armor didn’t say anything; he knew Cadence was right. Even though he hadn't meant to, he'd left a lasting impression on those three little fillies, and they would certainly be hurt if they found out that their new friend wasn't real.

“So what do you think I should do?” He didn't really need to ask; he knew exactly what Cadence was going to say.

“You should sit them down, and tell them everything; about who you are, and why you were pretending to be a little filly.”

Again Shining Armor nodded. While it wasn't the ideal plan, he agreed that it was the best way to end his time as Gleaming Shield. Sure, there was a chance that the three little fillies would feel betrayed, but it was far better than ending things with them in a lie.

“Alright, first chance I get, I’ll come clean and apologize for lying to them this whole time.” He sighed, and cuddled closer to his wife for comfort. “I just hope they take it well; I’d hate for them to hate me because I hid the truth from them.”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine; those three can be very understanding.”

“I suppose.”

With the matter finally settled, Cadence kissed the back of Shining Armor’s head, nuzzled him with her cheek, and wished him goodnight, before drifting off to sleep.

...

Unfortunately for Shining Armor, the comfort that he felt from being cuddled by Cadence didn’t last; as soon as he closed his eyes, he was once again met with the same nightmares that had plagued his dreams the night before. On top of the unsettling images of Cadence raising him as her daughter, he also saw the Cutie Mark Crusaders with looks of betrayal on their faces. It was such an unsettling dream that when he awoke, he almost considered not telling them the truth, saving himself from what could possibly be a horrible confrontation. But when he looked to his wife, smiling as she brushed her mane, he remembered her words, and steeled himself against any fear that he might have. But that would have to wait until after his “date” with Snails of course; after all, it would be pretty awkward telling them first thing in the morning, then playing filly for the rest of the day.

It'll all be fine, he told himself, as he ate his breakfast, actually this day will probably be the easiest one I've had all week. Then I can put this whole experience behind me, and go back to being myself. The thought of returning to his normal body perked him right up, until somepony knocked at the front door. It wasn't the usual excited knocking of the Crusaders that Shining Armor had grown accustomed to hearing every morning; whoever it was on the other side of the door tapped once, quietly, then waited a second, before tapping again.

Twilight got up from her spot at the table to see who it was, while Shining Armor and Cadence returned to their food.

“Oh, hello,” they heard her say from the door.

“Hi,” came a familiar droll from outside, “I was hoping… I mean, I was wondering… Is Gleaming Shield there?”

Shining Armor groaned silently, then took a deep breath, and put on as pleasant a face as he could muster, before getting up from his seat, and joining his sister and the visitor at the door. Sure enough, it was Snails, looking particularly nervous.

“Good morning, Snails,” he said, trying to sound cheerful, “what brings you here so early?”

The tall colt looked down at Shining Armor, then swallowed back some of his fear.

“I know I said that I’d meet you at Sugarcube Corner after school, but I was passing by, and I wanted to see if you'd like to walk to school together.”

Shining Armor looked from Snails, to his wife, who gave him supportive nod.

“I, uh, suppose I can,” he said, “it's just that the girls are going to be here any moment, and I'm sure they'll want to walk to school together. Maybe try and get our cutie marks on the way or something.”

Snails whole body slumped sadly.

“Oh, okay. I guess I'll see you after school then.” He turned and began to walk away.

“Wait,” Shining Armor said, mostly because he hated seeing the colt so let down, but also because he could sense the disapproving look coming from Cadence’s direction, “I'm sure the Crusaders won't mind walking to school without me just this once.”

Snails looked at Shining Armor, eyes wide with happiness, and tail swishing back and forth like a puppy's. Shining Armor couldn't help but smile at the colt’s excited tail wagging.

“If Apple Bloom and the others stop by, tell them I've left already, and I'll meet them at school,” Shining Armor told his sister, as he followed Snails out the door.

As Shining Armor had expected, the walk to the schoolhouse was very awkward. The entire time they were together, Snails barely acknowledged Shining Armor's existence, choosing instead to walk with eyes pointing forward, and not uttering a single word. His hooves were so shaky, that at one point, he ended up tripping himself, and was sent crashing into Shining Armor. This was followed by a string of apologies that only stopped when Shining Armor placed a hoof over Snails’ mouth, and told him that it was fine. After that, they returned to walking in silence, only now, Shining Armor could feel the colt’s gaze had shifted from the road, to the back of his head.

When they reached the school, Shining Armor was relieved when Snails left his side, and ran over to his friend Snips, who was playing on the swings with some other ponies. This is going to be a long day, Shining Armor thought, as he sat and waited for the Crusaders to arrive.

It didn't take long for the little red wagon being towed behind a pony on a scooter to show up. Scootaloo pulled up next to Shining Armor, and gave him a sympathetic look.

“So, how bad was it?” Scootaloo asked, as she removed her helmet, and dismounted her scooter.

“It wasn’t really bad,” Shining Armor said, “just boring.” He felt bad for saying it, but there was really no better way to describe a five minute walk with a pony who found himself unable to speak.

“Ah’m sorry you gotta go out with him after school,” Apple Bloom added. “You sure you don't want us to get you out of it?”

Shining Armor shook his head.

“No, Cadence was right; if he wants to pay me back for protecting him, than I should let him. I just need to make sure he doesn't get too attached.”

“If you'd like, we could go with you, so we can bail you out if things get too dull,” Sweetie Belle suggested.

“Thanks, but I should be fine on my own. However, if you three happened to stop by Sugarcube Corner and sat at a table near by, then that would be fine.” The Crusaders smiled and nodded, happy they could at least provide their friend with emotional support.

“Also,” Shining Armor continued, “I just wanted to thank you three for this week. You've been nothing but welcoming and kind, and I've had a blast hanging out with you.”

The little fillies blushed a little at his words of praise.

“Well, gosh, Gleamin’ Shield, we've loved havin’ you around,” Apple Bloom said.

The others nodded their agreement.

“Totally,” Sweetie Belle added, “it’s been so much fun having a new friend to join us in our quest to get our cutie marks.”

“It's too bad that you'll be leaving in a couple of days though,” Scootaloo added.

Before Shining Armor could say anything, he found himself in the tight embrace of the Crusaders.

“We're gonna miss you Gleamin’ Shield.”

“I'm gonna miss you all as well.” Shining Armor could feel himself choking up. This is going to be harder than I thought, he thought, as the girls released him from their hug. At the same moment, the bell began to ring, calling all the fillies and colts into the classroom.

“Listen, girls,” Shining Armor continued, quickly wiping a tear away, “after Sugarcube Corner, can we meet up at the clubhouse? There's something important that I need to tell you.”

“What is it?” Scootaloo asked.

“Oh my gosh!” Sweetie Belle gasped. “You're not dying, are you?”

“What? No, it's nothing like that. But it is a secret, so promise you'll wait until we get to the clubhouse to go into it further.”

The Crusaders promised, and Sweetie Belle, who had expected the worst, couldn't help but let out a laugh of relief.

As the last notes of the school bell faded away, Shining Armor and the Crusaders charged inside for what was going to be Shining Armor’s last day of school.

...

School that day was much the same as it had been since Shining Armor arrived. The morning had been dedicated to the continuation of Ms. Cheerilee’s Crystal Empire lessons, followed by lunch and recess, and then math and reading in the afternoon. The only real difference that Shining Armor could notice was the absence of the pair of eyes watching him from the seat next to his. He could only guess it was because Snails was too nervous to even look his way now that it was the day they would be going to Sugarcube Corner together.

Alright, let's get this over with, Shining Armor thought, when the final bell rang, and the school ponies collected their things and rushed out the door.

“Good luck,” Scootaloo said, with a pat on the back, as she, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle followed the other students outside.

Shining Armor just gave them a nod, as he watched them disappear.

“Are you ready to go,” he said, turning to Snails, who was standing awkwardly beside him.

The colt just fidgeted nervously, and nodded his head.

“Hey, Snails, you don't have to be scared of me; I'm just another pony, not an Ursa Minor.”

Snails looked blankly at Shining Armor for a second, then gave a halfhearted chuckle.

“I know,” he muttered, “but you’re still a filly.”

“Don’t worry about that, okay? Just talk to me like you would anypony else. Alright?”

For a second, he thought Snails was going to chicken out altogether, but the colt surprised him by taking several deep breaths, and, with a look of determination, led the way out of the classroom, and in the direction of Sugarcube Corner.

Unfortunately, that burst of confidence quickly faded before they reached the bakery. Just as it had been that morning, the walk had been made in complete silence. By the time they sat down at their table, Snails had returned to his nervous, jittery self, only stopping for a moment when Pinkie Pie came by to take their orders. Well this is going worse than expected, Shining Armor thought, as Pinkie rushed from their table to take care of another customer. The way Snails had been acting towards him all week had lead Shining Armor to believe that the colt would spend their entire time at Sugarcube Corner confessing his love to what he thought was a cute little filly. He hadn’t anticipated Snails being too scared to talk once the big moment had arrived.

Shining Armor looked around the room, and almost laughed; sitting at a window booth, each with a pair of fake glasses, and goofy looking mustaches were the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Are they trying to be undercover? Sweetie Belle, who was sitting on the end, smiled and waved at him, but was quickly cut off by Scootaloo, who swatted the more enthusiastic pony’s hoof out of the air. Then she turned to Shining Armor, and placed her own hoof in front of her lips in an obvious shushing motion. Shining Armor gave them a nod that said ‘I won't say a word,’ then turned his attention back to Snails, who appeared to be searching his brain for something to say.

“So, how have you been enjoying Ms. Cheerilee’s Crystal Empire lessons?” Shining Armor asked, taking it upon himself to get the ball rolling.

Snails looked at Shining Armor, and opened his mouth as if to say something, then quickly shut it again.

“Uh, Ponyville is a great town, what's your favorite thing to do around here?”

Again, there was a stare, and a mouth opening, followed by silence.

This is going nowhere, Shining Armor thought, maybe I should just call it quits. Just as he was about to throw in the towel, Pinkie Pie returned with their cupcakes. The sudden appearance of the bouncy pink pony startled Snails, and in his surprise, he accidentally kicked over his saddlebag, spilling its contents onto the floor.

“Darn it,” he said, bending down to pick up his school things.

Seeing the young colt in distress, Shining Armor bent down to help collect his belongings. That's when he noticed something not school related; a comic book, still sealed in its plastic bag. He reached out for it, but Snails snatched it away, as if he was embarrassed that somepony else had seen it.

“Was that the new Power Ponies comic?” Shining Armor asked, hoping that he'd finally found something that would break the awkward silence.

“You…like the Power Ponies?”

“Of course. I mean, I think the current Zap solo comic is better, but the main series has always been one of my favorites, especially the years when Frank Muler was writing it.”

Snails’ eyes went wide.

“You read the Frank Muler run?”

“Yup, all fifty of them.”

“Woah, that’s so cool. My mom won't let me read them, ‘cause she thinks they're too scary.”

Shining Armor nodded his head; although Frank Muler’s run head breathed new life into the Power Ponies comics, many ponies wouldn't let their children read them because of the darker tone it had taken on. Shining Armor’s own parents had taken that same stance, banning the comic series in their household.

“Yeah, my mom and dad didn’t like me reading them either; they thought they would be a bad influence on me.” Shining Armor couldn’t help but laugh at his memories as an actual little pony. “I used to have to hide each new issue I got in one of my school books, and read them at night so they wouldn’t find out.”

“That’s really funny,” Snails said, laughing along. The he stopped and gave Shining Armor a contemplative look. “Wait, how did you get them new? Aren’t they, like, super old?”

“Oh, uh…” Shining Armor’s eyes darted from Snails, to the Crusaders, whose attentions had been drawn away by Pinkie Pie, who seemed to be having a long winded conversation with the three fillies. “What I meant was that they were new to me. There’s a comic book shop in Canterlot that deals in older comics like that, and that’s where I got them.” It wasn’t a total lie; when the Frank Muler books had been released, they had been new to Shining Armor, and the shop he’d mentioned was a favorite spot of his to visit when he still lived in Canterlot.

“Oh, okay,” Snails said, accepting Shining Armor’s story. The colt turned to his cupcake, and began eating.

Finally, things are looking up, Shining Armor thought, as he began to devour his own pastry. He was more than happy to talk about comic books for a while; it was certainly better than sitting in an awkward silence until Snails eventually either ran away, or blurted out a confession of love. I just hope this means Snails will take it well when I turn down his request.

As if on cue, the colt looked up from his now empty plate, cheeks red, and a few beads of sweat beginning to drip from his brow.

“H-hey,” he said, rather shakily, “when I first met you, I thought you were really cool for sticking up for me and Snips, and the fact that you like comics makes you like, a bajillion times cooler. So I was just wondering-” Snails paused to calm his nerves

Here it comes, Shining Armor thought, preparing to politely decline Snails. For a brief second his attention drifted away from the stuttering colt, and turned towards the Crusaders, who, despite the milkshakes in their hooves, were watching intently, ready to jump in to rescue their friend at any moment. There was something else though, something that nearly made Shining Armor want to roll on the floor with laughter; leaning in through the open window just above Scootaloo’s head, and wearing the same ridiculous disguise as the three little fillies, was Cadence.

“What’s so funny?” Snails asked, when he noticed the goofy smile that Shining Armor was trying to hide.

“Oh, uh nothing,” Shining Armor said, “I just saw a silly looking bird fly past the window.” With a few good breaths, he forced down the giggles that wanted to burst forth, and turned his attention to the matter at hoof. “Now what was it that you wanted to say?”

“I j-just w-wanted to kn-know if you would maybe…” Snails shut his eyes in concentration. “Would you be my special somepony?”

This was it; the moment Shining Armor had been waiting for.

“I'm sorry, Snails,” he said, giving the colt a sympathetic look, “but no, I can't be your special somepony.”

The second Shining Armor finished speaking, Snails’ entire body seemed to deflate like a sad balloon. Despite the fact that the colt’s affections had made him uncomfortable, Shining Armor hated to see him look so let down; after all he'd felt the same way too once, when he'd thought Cadence wouldn't go out with him. But no matter how much he didn't want to hurt Snails, he said what he needed to.

“Oh,” Snails said with a hint of a sniffle.

“Don't get me wrong, I think you're great,” Shining Armor continued, hoping to cheer Snails up, “I mean, you helped me out with the Diamond Tiara thing, and you've been really kind to me ever since I got here. But you're just gonna have to trust me when I say that I'm not the right filly for you.”

“But you're one of the only fillies who's ever been nice to me, and who thinks comic books aren't, you know, dorky.”

“And I won’t be the last.” He gave Snails an encouraging smile. “Trust me, there are plenty of nice fillies out there who would be happy to call a comic book loving colt like yourself her special somepony.”

Shining Armor looked over at Cadence who was deep in a lively conversation with the Crusaders.

“If you don’t believe me,” he continued, “you should know that Princess Cadence fell in love with and married Shining Armor, and he has one of the biggest comic book collections in Equestria.”

A look of astonishment replaced the sadness on Snail’s face.

“Really?” He asked, somehow finding it hard to believe that a beautiful, elegant pony like her could have fallen in love with a such nerdy pony.

“Of course. She even converted King Sombra’s old study into a comic book library for him.” Shining Armor then leaned in close so only Snails could hear. “And I have it on good authority that she occasionally goes down every once in awhile to read when she thinks no one is looking.”

Snail’s couldn’t help but give a little chuckle.

Shining Armor smiled as well, happy to see the colt’s spirits lifted, even if only a little.

“So you see, I’m not the only comic book loving filly out there, you just have to wait until the right one for you comes along.”

To Shining Armor’s surprise, Snails, the pony who had been chasing after him, and hastily confessing his feelings for him for almost a week, seemed to be okay that he had been shot down. Although he still looked let down that “Gleaming Shield” hadn’t returned his affections, he had a hopeful look in his eye that seemed to say ‘that’s right, this isn’t the end.’

“Thanks, Gleaming Shield,” Snails said, wiping the last few tears from his eyes. “You know, for somepony who’s my age, you give really good advice.”

“I guess I’m just wise beyond my years,” Shining Armor joked. Then he held out his hoof. “Friends?”

Snails reached out and happily bumped it with his own.

“Friends.”

With his Snails troubles finally put to rest, Shining Armor felt a burst of energy rush through him. In a flash, he scarfed down the rest of his cupcake, and waved Pinkie Pie over so they could pay their bill.

“Well,” he said when everything was paid for, “now that you seem to be able to be near me and not go catatonic, and seeing as this is my last day in Ponyville, why don’t we go, and you can show me the shop where you buy your comic books?”

Snails’ tail began wagging excitedly, and he quickly nodded his approval.

The two ponies got up from their table, and exited Sugarcube Corner, chatting happily. Although things hadn’t quite gone the way the colt had been hoping for, the smile on his face was evidence enough to tell Shining Armor that he would be fine with how they ended things. I guess I did good, he thought to himself, as Snails went on about his favorite comic books. Yet, despite how glad he felt to have dealt with this particular awkward situation, there was still one final task that lay ahead of him. He turned around and caught a quick glimpse of three little fillies in fake mustaches running after them. Now I just have to face the Crusaders.

Description
Shining Armor stared blankly at his smiling wife, not knowing what to say. On the one hoof, Cadence knew, and that meant that he no longer needed to try and lie about who he was to her. On the other hoof, Twilight had specifically asked him to not tell a single soul to make sure that word of her mistake didn't reach the ears of her former mentor. What do I do, what do I do, Shining Armor thought, beads of sweat beginning to trail down his brow.

"I know what you're thinking," Cadence said before Shining Armor could form any sort of response, "you're trying to decide if you should come clean with me, or if this act is important enough to keep up that you will continue lying to your wife."

Shining Armor opened his mouth, but Cadence cut him off again before he could get a word out.

"Before you answer, just know that if you do insist on telling me anything but the truth, I'll make a copy of one of the pictures Rarity just took of you, enlarge it, frame it, and hang it in the barracks in Canterlot where all of your old guard buddies will see you dressed up like a pretty little princess. So choose your next words carefully."

An unpleasant shiver ran down Shining Armor’s spine at the thought of his former comrades - stallions and mares from whom he had once commanded great respect - seeing him as a little filly in a dress. That was all there was to it; he had been caught in a lie, and it was time to admit defeat and come clean. Shining Armor took a deep, calming breath to gather himself. He was a prince after all, co-ruler of a grand empire, and a former captain of the Canterlot Royal Guard, he knew how to handle a high stress situation with dignity.

"I'm soooorrrrryyyyy!" He cried, rushing over to Cadence and wrapping himself around one of her slender forelegs. "I'm so so so so so sorry."

With her free hoof, Cadence stroked Shining Armor's mane, like a mother would for her frightened foal.

"It's alright," she said with a giggle, as she attempted to calm her husband. She lifted her his head, and wiped away the tears that had started to fill his eyes. “I was only teasing.”

"I-I-I-"

Cadence placed a hoof to his mouth, and gave him a warm smile.

"Just take a deep breath, and start at the beginning."

Shining Armor looked into his wife's bright, beautiful eyes, and did as he was told, breathing deep to calm himself down. When he no longer felt like he was going to cry, he began his story. He told Cadence everything; about how Twilight had been practicing the spells that she had learned from Starswirl the Bearded's book, about how she had tested the age regression spell on him, and that she’d been distracted when she tried to change him back, accidentally turning him into a filly, and about how she’d made him live in his new body under the name 'Gleaming Shield' while she worked on translating a magic nullification spell.

He then went on to tell her about the adventures that he'd been on with the Cutie Mark Crusaders, being police fillies, going to school, having a slumber party and telling ghost stories around their campfire, and about the fashion show that he'd been forced to participate in (Cadence laughed particularly hard at that point). Since the situations involving Diamond Tiara, and Snails' schoolcolt crush had already been brought up, he didn't feel he needed to go into them again. He also didn't tell her about the time that he talked with Scootaloo about her nightmares; that had been a private moment, and he had promised the little filly that he wouldn't tell anypony about it.

When Shining Armor was finished reliving the last four days, he took another deep breath, feeling calmer than he had all week; it felt good to be able to tell somepony else his secret, even if that somepony had spent half the story rolling around on the ground, laughing in a very unprincess like manner.

"Goodness," Cadence said, when she finally collected herself, "it certainly sounds like you've been having quite the busy vacation."

Shining Armor nodded. It certainly hadn't been his ideal way of taking a break from all of the meetings, and Equestria Games preparations that had taken up most of their lives since taking the throne, but he had to admit that it had been a fun experience. Not one that he would want to repeat if he could help it, but fun nonetheless.

“I’m just glad it’ll all be over soon.”

Cadence giggled, and pulled her husband in close for an embrace, which Shining Armor happily reciprocated.

“I really am sorry,” he said, nestling in between Cadence's forelegs.

She just smiled, and gave him a light squeeze.

"You are forgiven," she said, then quickly added, "though I do expect you to make up for lying to me."

"Of course." Shining Armor leaned over, and gave Cadence's foreleg a little kiss. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

The two ponies just sat there, enjoying the moment, watching the sun set over Ponyville, bathing the town in beautiful, golden light. A few ponies had taken to the streets, closing up stores, or buying some last minute items for that evening's dinner. It was so peaceful.

"So you really knew it was me the whole time?" Shining Armor hated to break the silence, but something had been nagging at him ever since Cadence confronted him. "How?"

Cadence gently stroked her husband's mane, then leaned down and planted a small kiss on the top of his little head.

"It really wasn't difficult to figure out," Cadence said. "First of all, you look almost exactly like you did when you really were a foal, only a lot cuter."

Shining Armor just rolled his eyes at Cadence's "cute" comment.

"Then there was Twilight trying to explain how you’re her cousin, and I knew that was a lie because, well, it was a terrible story. I mean, I’ve known you and your entire family since Twilight was in magic kindergarten; there’s no way you could have a cousin that I’d never met.” Cadence made a sound that was part giggle, and part sigh. “No offense to Twilight, but she's always been a very bad liar."

Shining Armor couldn't help but chuckle, as he thought back on when Twilight was a filly, and would try and trick Cadence into giving her an extra cookie at snack time, or would try to get some more studying in by telling her that her bedtime had been changed to eleven when it was really at seven.

"So why didn't you call us out on it earlier?" Shining Armor asked.

Cadence shrugged.

"I was hoping you were going to drop the act first, but you didn’t, so I decided to play along until you came clean. But then you just kept the lie going, so that's when I decided to tease you a little."

Shining Armor sat bolt upright.

"Tease me?" His eyes went wide with understanding. "That's why you put crystals in my mane during recess."

Cadence nodded, and giggled.

"It’s also why I made you leave them in until we got to Rarity’s; I knew that when she saw how adorable you looked - and you looked very adorable by the way - she would want to put you in a dress. She certainly didn't disappoint.

"I also tried to trip you up at breakfast this morning with all the questions I asked, but you maintained your cover until you were saved by the Crusaders."

"That's all thanks to my amazing skills as a former guard captain," Shining Armor said rather proudly.

Cadence just booped her husband lightly on the head. Shining Armor gave an exaggerated yelp, and rubbed the spot she had poked.

"So, what, were you also having fun with me when you told me that I had to go out with Snails?"

Cadence gasped.

"Absolutely not," she said, rising to look Shining Armor straight in the eyes to show that she was completely serious. "You are a prince, Shining Armor, and that means that when a pony is indebted to you, you are obligated to allow them to repay you. It would be considered extremely rude if you didn't."

Shining Armor opened his mouth to argue, but decided against it.

"Fine," he said, turning around and settling back into his original position. "So is there anything else that you want to tell me? Any more secret games or punishments that I should know about?"

There was a bit of a pause before Cadence spoke again.

"No, nothing like that, but there is something I need to tell you." Her voice surprisingly giddy. "Shining Armor I'm-"

Before she could finish telling Shining Armor what she was, the Ponyville clock tower rang loudly six times, marking the late hour.

"Sorry, what was that?" Shining Armor asked, eager to hear what Cadence was going to tell him. But she just smiled and shook her head.

"I'll tell you later." Then she used a levitation spell on her miniature husband, and lifted him off the ground and onto her back. "We need to get you home; it's almost your bedtime." She giggled at her own joke, and began a fast, yet careful trot back towards Twilight's library.

When they reached Twilight's, Cadence and Shining Armor were surprised to find the room completely spotless. Ever since Shining Armor's transformation, the table and the floor around it had been occupied by teetering stacks of books, new and discarded quills, and rolls of parchment. Now, everything was cleared away, returning the room to the way it had looked the first morning of Shining Armor's visit. Twilight was just putting away the last of her unused scrolls when she became aware of the royal couple’s presence.

"Cadence, Gleaming Shield, welcome back," she said, smiling from ear to ear, as she rushed over to the door to greet her brother and sister-in-law.

“My you’re certainly cheerful,” Cadence said, “did something exciting happen while we were away?”

Twilight nodded her head rapidly.

“You bet it did.” She beckoned them inside, and led them to her table where a single, sealed scroll lay in the middle. “After four days of research, putting off meals, and barely getting any sleep, I’ve finally finished translating that spell for Princess Celestia!”

Shining Armor’s heart began to pound in his chest as he looked from his sister, to the rolled up scroll that rested just a few feet away. There it was; the key to returning him to his normal form.

“That’s wonderful,” Cadence said. “May I see it?” She reached for the scroll, but Twilight quickly snatched it away with her magic before she could get her hooves on it.

“Oh you wouldn’t be interested in this; it’s just a boring old spell that Princess Celestia wanted translated for the Canterlot archives.” Twilight floated the rolled up piece of paper over to a nearby saddlebag, and tucked it away in one of the pockets. “You might be interested in this though,” she continued, producing two opened envelopes from the same pocket, “I got a letter fromShining Armor today saying that his business in Canterlot is complete, and that he’ll be on the first train to Ponyville tomorrow morning.”

Cadence accepted the envelope from Twilight, and opened it to read the contents of the letter. Upon unfolding the small piece of paper, she stifled a laugh.

"On a totally unrelated note,” Twilight continued, oblivious to the sounds Cadence was making, “I also received a message from your parents, Gleaming Shield, saying they really miss you, and that they are looking forward to your return tomorrow morning."

She passed Shining Armor the second envelope, giving him a wink as she did. Shining Armor sighed, as he removed the paper from within. Just as Twilight had said, the message inside was addressed to Gleaming Shield, regarding her return to Canterlot. As he looked at the paper, it was easy to understand what Cadence had found so funny; the overly neat penmanship in which the message had been written was unmistakably Twilight’s. The two married ponies looked at each other, and the room was suddenly filled with thunderous laughter.

“I thought you two would be happy,” Twilight said, “although I must say, I feel just awful that I was busy during your entire stay, Gleaming Shield.” She lifted her brother off the floor, and gave him a big hug.

“Uh, Twi-”

“You’ll have to promise that you’ll visit me again real soon, okay?”

Shining Armor wriggled free from his sister’s grasp, still laughing at the hilarity of the fake notes.

“Twily, you don’t have to lie anymore,” he said. “Cadence already knows.”

Twilight looked from Shining Armor to Cadence, who, in her mirth, nodded.

“B-but I...You… wha?” And then, just as Shining Armor had done earlier that evening, Twilight threw herself at Cadence’s hooves. “Oh Cadence, I’m so, so, so, so, so sorry. I didn’t mean to change Shining Armor into a filly. I mean, yes, I tested an age regression spell on him, but I tried to change him back, I just got a little distracted, and...and…” At this point, Twilight broke out in tears. “Please please please please don’t tell Princess Celestia about this.”

Cadence pulled Twilight into a comforting hug.

"It's alright, Twilight," she said, "I'm not going to go to Celestia."

A glimmer of hope shone in Twilight's eyes.

"So you aren't mad?"

Cadence shook her head.

"No, I'm not mad, just disappointed. Honestly Twilight, you should have just told me what had happened. You know I could have helped you sort things out."

"Yes, I know, I was just afraid of what would happen if anypony found out that I made a mistake. I'm an alicorn princess, I'm not supposed to make mistakes."

"Oh Twilight, it's alright if you mess up every now and again, especially now when you're still getting used to your powers. Do you think I was perfect when I first became a princess?"

Twilight didn't answer right away. She understood that Cadence hadn’t always been as proficient with magic as she was now, but she had always looked up to her old foal sitter, and that lifelong admiration made it difficult for Twilight to think of her as anything but perfect.

“No.” Twilight sighed, and wiped away a tear that had began to form in her eye. “I suppose you’re right, although I’m still embarrassed that I changed my brother into a filly and failed when I tried to change him back. And, I’m upset with myself because instead of coming to you in the first place, I spent an entire afternoon trying to figure out to best way to get Gleaming Shield on a train to Canterlot, and have Shining Armor get off a different train a few minutes later without anypony noticing.”

Twilight’s body suddenly perked right up. “Actually this is perfect. Since Cadence already knows your secret, I can just change you back right now. I’ve got the spell all translated, so we can finally put this whole mess behind us. That is, if you’re ready?”

Shining Armor opened his mouth ready to tell Twilight that he was more than ready to return to normal, but Cadence interrupted him before he could get a word out.

“Actually Twilight, could it wait just another day or so?” She asked. “Shining Armor still has some unfinished business that he needs to take care of. Right, Shining Armor?”

Shining Armor’s excitement died down as he remembered what Cadence had told him earlier that afternoon

“What does he have to do?” Twilight gave her sister-in-law a quizzical look.

Shining Armor sighed, and looked up at his sister.

“I have to go to Sugarcube Corner with Snails.”

...

That night, long after dinner and small talk (which was much more relaxed than it had been during previous meals), Shining Armor and Cadence had bid Twilight goodnight, and ascended the stairs to the bedroom. Despite having gone almost an entire week without sleep, the young princess decided to stay up a while longer, hoping to practice the spell a few times just to be sure that this attempt at changing her brother back to normal went according to plan.

Alone, up in Twilight’s room, the two ponies lay cuddled together in the spare bed with Cadence on the outside, hugging her husband close to her chest, as she hummed an old lullaby. With the awkwardness of trying to keep his identity a secret from his wife gone, Shining Armor found it a lot easier to enjoy the novelty of being the little spoon, his small form comfortably nestled in her grasp.

“Shining Armor,” Cadence suddenly whispered, as she continued stroking her husband’s hair, “if you don’t mind me asking, what are you planning on doing about the Crusaders?”

Shining Armor thought for a moment; he’d been so caught up in his adventures with the three fillies, he hadn’t considered what would happen when Twilight finished the spell, and his time with the Crusaders ultimately came to an end.

“I don’t know,” he said, “probably just tell them I have to go back to Canterlot or something.”

Cadence rose slightly so she could look at Shining Armor.

“Do you think that’s a good idea?” There was a note of concern in her voice that told Shining Armor that she clearly didn't. “What if they want to see Gleaming Shield again? If they go to Canterlot, I’m pretty sure they’ll quickly discover that that pony doesn’t even exist. That is of course unless you plan on having your sister turn you into a little filly every time one of her friends visits Canterlot and the Crusaders decide to tag along.”

Shining Armor didn’t say anything; he knew Cadence was right. Even though he hadn't meant to, he'd left a lasting impression on those three little fillies, and they would certainly be hurt if they found out that their new friend wasn't real.

“So what do you think I should do?” He didn't really need to ask; he knew exactly what Cadence was going to say.

“You should sit them down, and tell them everything; about who you are, and why you were pretending to be a little filly.”

Again Shining Armor nodded. While it wasn't the ideal plan, he agreed that it was the best way to end his time as Gleaming Shield. Sure, there was a chance that the three little fillies would feel betrayed, but it was far better than ending things with them in a lie.

“Alright, first chance I get, I’ll come clean and apologize for lying to them this whole time.” He sighed, and cuddled closer to his wife for comfort. “I just hope they take it well; I’d hate for them to hate me because I hid the truth from them.”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine; those three can be very understanding.”

“I suppose.”

With the matter finally settled, Cadence kissed the back of Shining Armor’s head, nuzzled him with her cheek, and wished him goodnight, before drifting off to sleep.

...

Unfortunately for Shining Armor, the comfort that he felt from being cuddled by Cadence didn’t last; as soon as he closed his eyes, he was once again met with the same nightmares that had plagued his dreams the night before. On top of the unsettling images of Cadence raising him as her daughter, he also saw the Cutie Mark Crusaders with looks of betrayal on their faces. It was such an unsettling dream that when he awoke, he almost considered not telling them the truth, saving himself from what could possibly be a horrible confrontation. But when he looked to his wife, smiling as she brushed her mane, he remembered her words, and steeled himself against any fear that he might have. But that would have to wait until after his “date” with Snails of course; after all, it would be pretty awkward telling them first thing in the morning, then playing filly for the rest of the day.

It'll all be fine, he told himself, as he ate his breakfast, actually this day will probably be the easiest one I've had all week. Then I can put this whole experience behind me, and go back to being myself. The thought of returning to his normal body perked him right up, until somepony knocked at the front door. It wasn't the usual excited knocking of the Crusaders that Shining Armor had grown accustomed to hearing every morning; whoever it was on the other side of the door tapped once, quietly, then waited a second, before tapping again.

Twilight got up from her spot at the table to see who it was, while Shining Armor and Cadence returned to their food.

“Oh, hello,” they heard her say from the door.

“Hi,” came a familiar droll from outside, “I was hoping… I mean, I was wondering… Is Gleaming Shield there?”

Shining Armor groaned silently, then took a deep breath, and put on as pleasant a face as he could muster, before getting up from his seat, and joining his sister and the visitor at the door. Sure enough, it was Snails, looking particularly nervous.

“Good morning, Snails,” he said, trying to sound cheerful, “what brings you here so early?”

The tall colt looked down at Shining Armor, then swallowed back some of his fear.

“I know I said that I’d meet you at Sugarcube Corner after school, but I was passing by, and I wanted to see if you'd like to walk to school together.”

Shining Armor looked from Snails, to his wife, who gave him supportive nod.

“I, uh, suppose I can,” he said, “it's just that the girls are going to be here any moment, and I'm sure they'll want to walk to school together. Maybe try and get our cutie marks on the way or something.”

Snails whole body slumped sadly.

“Oh, okay. I guess I'll see you after school then.” He turned and began to walk away.

“Wait,” Shining Armor said, mostly because he hated seeing the colt so let down, but also because he could sense the disapproving look coming from Cadence’s direction, “I'm sure the Crusaders won't mind walking to school without me just this once.”

Snails looked at Shining Armor, eyes wide with happiness, and tail swishing back and forth like a puppy's. Shining Armor couldn't help but smile at the colt’s excited tail wagging.

“If Apple Bloom and the others stop by, tell them I've left already, and I'll meet them at school,” Shining Armor told his sister, as he followed Snails out the door.

As Shining Armor had expected, the walk to the schoolhouse was very awkward. The entire time they were together, Snails barely acknowledged Shining Armor's existence, choosing instead to walk with eyes pointing forward, and not uttering a single word. His hooves were so shaky, that at one point, he ended up tripping himself, and was sent crashing into Shining Armor. This was followed by a string of apologies that only stopped when Shining Armor placed a hoof over Snails’ mouth, and told him that it was fine. After that, they returned to walking in silence, only now, Shining Armor could feel the colt’s gaze had shifted from the road, to the back of his head.

When they reached the school, Shining Armor was relieved when Snails left his side, and ran over to his friend Snips, who was playing on the swings with some other ponies. This is going to be a long day, Shining Armor thought, as he sat and waited for the Crusaders to arrive.

It didn't take long for the little red wagon being towed behind a pony on a scooter to show up. Scootaloo pulled up next to Shining Armor, and gave him a sympathetic look.

“So, how bad was it?” Scootaloo asked, as she removed her helmet, and dismounted her scooter.

“It wasn’t really bad,” Shining Armor said, “just boring.” He felt bad for saying it, but there was really no better way to describe a five minute walk with a pony who found himself unable to speak.

“Ah’m sorry you gotta go out with him after school,” Apple Bloom added. “You sure you don't want us to get you out of it?”

Shining Armor shook his head.

“No, Cadence was right; if he wants to pay me back for protecting him, than I should let him. I just need to make sure he doesn't get too attached.”

“If you'd like, we could go with you, so we can bail you out if things get too dull,” Sweetie Belle suggested.

“Thanks, but I should be fine on my own. However, if you three happened to stop by Sugarcube Corner and sat at a table near by, then that would be fine.” The Crusaders smiled and nodded, happy they could at least provide their friend with emotional support.

“Also,” Shining Armor continued, “I just wanted to thank you three for this week. You've been nothing but welcoming and kind, and I've had a blast hanging out with you.”

The little fillies blushed a little at his words of praise.

“Well, gosh, Gleamin’ Shield, we've loved havin’ you around,” Apple Bloom said.

The others nodded their agreement.

“Totally,” Sweetie Belle added, “it’s been so much fun having a new friend to join us in our quest to get our cutie marks.”

“It's too bad that you'll be leaving in a couple of days though,” Scootaloo added.

Before Shining Armor could say anything, he found himself in the tight embrace of the Crusaders.

“We're gonna miss you Gleamin’ Shield.”

“I'm gonna miss you all as well.” Shining Armor could feel himself choking up. This is going to be harder than I thought, he thought, as the girls released him from their hug. At the same moment, the bell began to ring, calling all the fillies and colts into the classroom.

“Listen, girls,” Shining Armor continued, quickly wiping a tear away, “after Sugarcube Corner, can we meet up at the clubhouse? There's something important that I need to tell you.”

“What is it?” Scootaloo asked.

“Oh my gosh!” Sweetie Belle gasped. “You're not dying, are you?”

“What? No, it's nothing like that. But it is a secret, so promise you'll wait until we get to the clubhouse to go into it further.”

The Crusaders promised, and Sweetie Belle, who had expected the worst, couldn't help but let out a laugh of relief.

As the last notes of the school bell faded away, Shining Armor and the Crusaders charged inside for what was going to be Shining Armor’s last day of school.

...

School that day was much the same as it had been since Shining Armor arrived. The morning had been dedicated to the continuation of Ms. Cheerilee’s Crystal Empire lessons, followed by lunch and recess, and then math and reading in the afternoon. The only real difference that Shining Armor could notice was the absence of the pair of eyes watching him from the seat next to his. He could only guess it was because Snails was too nervous to even look his way now that it was the day they would be going to Sugarcube Corner together.

Alright, let's get this over with, Shining Armor thought, when the final bell rang, and the school ponies collected their things and rushed out the door.

“Good luck,” Scootaloo said, with a pat on the back, as she, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle followed the other students outside.

Shining Armor just gave them a nod, as he watched them disappear.

“Are you ready to go,” he said, turning to Snails, who was standing awkwardly beside him.

The colt just fidgeted nervously, and nodded his head.

“Hey, Snails, you don't have to be scared of me; I'm just another pony, not an Ursa Minor.”

Snails looked blankly at Shining Armor for a second, then gave a halfhearted chuckle.

“I know,” he muttered, “but you’re still a filly.”

“Don’t worry about that, okay? Just talk to me like you would anypony else. Alright?”

For a second, he thought Snails was going to chicken out altogether, but the colt surprised him by taking several deep breaths, and, with a look of determination, led the way out of the classroom, and in the direction of Sugarcube Corner.

Unfortunately, that burst of confidence quickly faded before they reached the bakery. Just as it had been that morning, the walk had been made in complete silence. By the time they sat down at their table, Snails had returned to his nervous, jittery self, only stopping for a moment when Pinkie Pie came by to take their orders. Well this is going worse than expected, Shining Armor thought, as Pinkie rushed from their table to take care of another customer. The way Snails had been acting towards him all week had lead Shining Armor to believe that the colt would spend their entire time at Sugarcube Corner confessing his love to what he thought was a cute little filly. He hadn’t anticipated Snails being too scared to talk once the big moment had arrived.

Shining Armor looked around the room, and almost laughed; sitting at a window booth, each with a pair of fake glasses, and goofy looking mustaches were the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Are they trying to be undercover? Sweetie Belle, who was sitting on the end, smiled and waved at him, but was quickly cut off by Scootaloo, who swatted the more enthusiastic pony’s hoof out of the air. Then she turned to Shining Armor, and placed her own hoof in front of her lips in an obvious shushing motion. Shining Armor gave them a nod that said ‘I won't say a word,’ then turned his attention back to Snails, who appeared to be searching his brain for something to say.

“So, how have you been enjoying Ms. Cheerilee’s Crystal Empire lessons?” Shining Armor asked, taking it upon himself to get the ball rolling.

Snails looked at Shining Armor, and opened his mouth as if to say something, then quickly shut it again.

“Uh, Ponyville is a great town, what's your favorite thing to do around here?”

Again, there was a stare, and a mouth opening, followed by silence.

This is going nowhere, Shining Armor thought, maybe I should just call it quits. Just as he was about to throw in the towel, Pinkie Pie returned with their cupcakes. The sudden appearance of the bouncy pink pony startled Snails, and in his surprise, he accidentally kicked over his saddlebag, spilling its contents onto the floor.

“Darn it,” he said, bending down to pick up his school things.

Seeing the young colt in distress, Shining Armor bent down to help collect his belongings. That's when he noticed something not school related; a comic book, still sealed in its plastic bag. He reached out for it, but Snails snatched it away, as if he was embarrassed that somepony else had seen it.

“Was that the new Power Ponies comic?” Shining Armor asked, hoping that he'd finally found something that would break the awkward silence.

“You…like the Power Ponies?”

“Of course. I mean, I think the current Zap solo comic is better, but the main series has always been one of my favorites, especially the years when Frank Muler was writing it.”

Snails’ eyes went wide.

“You read the Frank Muler run?”

“Yup, all fifty of them.”

“Woah, that’s so cool. My mom won't let me read them, ‘cause she thinks they're too scary.”

Shining Armor nodded his head; although Frank Muler’s run head breathed new life into the Power Ponies comics, many ponies wouldn't let their children read them because of the darker tone it had taken on. Shining Armor’s own parents had taken that same stance, banning the comic series in their household.

“Yeah, my mom and dad didn’t like me reading them either; they thought they would be a bad influence on me.” Shining Armor couldn’t help but laugh at his memories as an actual little pony. “I used to have to hide each new issue I got in one of my school books, and read them at night so they wouldn’t find out.”

“That’s really funny,” Snails said, laughing along. The he stopped and gave Shining Armor a contemplative look. “Wait, how did you get them new? Aren’t they, like, super old?”

“Oh, uh…” Shining Armor’s eyes darted from Snails, to the Crusaders, whose attentions had been drawn away by Pinkie Pie, who seemed to be having a long winded conversation with the three fillies. “What I meant was that they were new to me. There’s a comic book shop in Canterlot that deals in older comics like that, and that’s where I got them.” It wasn’t a total lie; when the Frank Muler books had been released, they had been new to Shining Armor, and the shop he’d mentioned was a favorite spot of his to visit when he still lived in Canterlot.

“Oh, okay,” Snails said, accepting Shining Armor’s story. The colt turned to his cupcake, and began eating.

Finally, things are looking up, Shining Armor thought, as he began to devour his own pastry. He was more than happy to talk about comic books for a while; it was certainly better than sitting in an awkward silence until Snails eventually either ran away, or blurted out a confession of love. I just hope this means Snails will take it well when I turn down his request.

As if on cue, the colt looked up from his now empty plate, cheeks red, and a few beads of sweat beginning to drip from his brow.

“H-hey,” he said, rather shakily, “when I first met you, I thought you were really cool for sticking up for me and Snips, and the fact that you like comics makes you like, a bajillion times cooler. So I was just wondering-” Snails paused to calm his nerves

Here it comes, Shining Armor thought, preparing to politely decline Snails. For a brief second his attention drifted away from the stuttering colt, and turned towards the Crusaders, who, despite the milkshakes in their hooves, were watching intently, ready to jump in to rescue their friend at any moment. There was something else though, something that nearly made Shining Armor want to roll on the floor with laughter; leaning in through the open window just above Scootaloo’s head, and wearing the same ridiculous disguise as the three little fillies, was Cadence.

“What’s so funny?” Snails asked, when he noticed the goofy smile that Shining Armor was trying to hide.

“Oh, uh nothing,” Shining Armor said, “I just saw a silly looking bird fly past the window.” With a few good breaths, he forced down the giggles that wanted to burst forth, and turned his attention to the matter at hoof. “Now what was it that you wanted to say?”

“I j-just w-wanted to kn-know if you would maybe…” Snails shut his eyes in concentration. “Would you be my special somepony?”

This was it; the moment Shining Armor had been waiting for.

“I'm sorry, Snails,” he said, giving the colt a sympathetic look, “but no, I can't be your special somepony.”

The second Shining Armor finished speaking, Snails’ entire body seemed to deflate like a sad balloon. Despite the fact that the colt’s affections had made him uncomfortable, Shining Armor hated to see him look so let down; after all he'd felt the same way too once, when he'd thought Cadence wouldn't go out with him. But no matter how much he didn't want to hurt Snails, he said what he needed to.

“Oh,” Snails said with a hint of a sniffle.

“Don't get me wrong, I think you're great,” Shining Armor continued, hoping to cheer Snails up, “I mean, you helped me out with the Diamond Tiara thing, and you've been really kind to me ever since I got here. But you're just gonna have to trust me when I say that I'm not the right filly for you.”

“But you're one of the only fillies who's ever been nice to me, and who thinks comic books aren't, you know, dorky.”

“And I won’t be the last.” He gave Snails an encouraging smile. “Trust me, there are plenty of nice fillies out there who would be happy to call a comic book loving colt like yourself her special somepony.”

Shining Armor looked over at Cadence who was deep in a lively conversation with the Crusaders.

“If you don’t believe me,” he continued, “you should know that Princess Cadence fell in love with and married Shining Armor, and he has one of the biggest comic book collections in Equestria.”

A look of astonishment replaced the sadness on Snail’s face.

“Really?” He asked, somehow finding it hard to believe that a beautiful, elegant pony like her could have fallen in love with a such nerdy pony.

“Of course. She even converted King Sombra’s old study into a comic book library for him.” Shining Armor then leaned in close so only Snails could hear. “And I have it on good authority that she occasionally goes down every once in awhile to read when she thinks no one is looking.”

Snail’s couldn’t help but give a little chuckle.

Shining Armor smiled as well, happy to see the colt’s spirits lifted, even if only a little.

“So you see, I’m not the only comic book loving filly out there, you just have to wait until the right one for you comes along.”

To Shining Armor’s surprise, Snails, the pony who had been chasing after him, and hastily confessing his feelings for him for almost a week, seemed to be okay that he had been shot down. Although he still looked let down that “Gleaming Shield” hadn’t returned his affections, he had a hopeful look in his eye that seemed to say ‘that’s right, this isn’t the end.’

“Thanks, Gleaming Shield,” Snails said, wiping the last few tears from his eyes. “You know, for somepony who’s my age, you give really good advice.”

“I guess I’m just wise beyond my years,” Shining Armor joked. Then he held out his hoof. “Friends?”

Snails reached out and happily bumped it with his own.

“Friends.”

With his Snails troubles finally put to rest, Shining Armor felt a burst of energy rush through him. In a flash, he scarfed down the rest of his cupcake, and waved Pinkie Pie over so they could pay their bill.

“Well,” he said when everything was paid for, “now that you seem to be able to be near me and not go catatonic, and seeing as this is my last day in Ponyville, why don’t we go, and you can show me the shop where you buy your comic books?”

Snails’ tail began wagging excitedly, and he quickly nodded his approval.

The two ponies got up from their table, and exited Sugarcube Corner, chatting happily. Although things hadn’t quite gone the way the colt had been hoping for, the smile on his face was evidence enough to tell Shining Armor that he would be fine with how they ended things. I guess I did good, he thought to himself, as Snails went on about his favorite comic books. Yet, despite how glad he felt to have dealt with this particular awkward situation, there was still one final task that lay ahead of him. He turned around and caught a quick glimpse of three little fillies in fake mustaches running after them. Now I just have to face the Crusaders.