Impressing the Ladies by DCFTEF (Twilight Velvet/Shining Ar)

Impressing the Ladies by DCFTEF (fimfiction.net/user/Dangerous_Creature)

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Shining Armor had his first crush
His sister's foalsitter had to be the cutest pony he'd ever seen
He couldn't keep his mind off her
An alicorn Princess, who went to Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns
But she wasn't stuck up...wasn't snooty
Cadance was the warmest, most friendly creature he'd ever met
And oh boy...did she have one cute rump!

She was over today
It was summer vacation, so no fillies or colts were in school
But Mom & Dad both had summer classes to teach at Canterlot University
That would have stuck Shining with watching his little sister all summer
Not a terrible prospect, he loved his sister
But Dad came to his rescue;
>"Velvet, it isn't fair to make the boy spend his whole summer foalsitting
>"He needs some time to go be a colt"
Mom agreed, so they found a foalsitter for Twiley
And oh, what a foalsitter!
Cute, kind, playful, smart
Did I mention she had a cute rump?
Well it bears saying twice
Shining went to sleep with Cadance on his mind
And dreamed of her until morning

But how does a young colt get a pretty filly's attention?
He was only 13 and had no job, so impressing her with a fancy dinner at a posh restaurant was out
Flowers?
No, Cadance's mother had eleven gold trophies for her roses
A crappy hoof-full of wildflowers from the park wouldn't impress her
A song?
Shining didn't have the nerve.
A love poem?
See above.

What Shining didn't know was that he already had Cadance's attention
A handsome colt with aspirations of being a Royal Guard someday
A big brother who'd do anything for his sister
A nice young stallion who she always looked forward to seeing when she watched Twiley
But Cadance was sure he didn't think of her in the same way
>"Why would he?
>"I'm a weirdo headed for some boring Royal career
>"And I look so dorky! Purple, pink and yellow hair? Seriously?
>"And what was I thinking with these blue bows? Ugh! I look like a little filly!"

So they orbited each other, neither bold enough to act first.

>"I win again!"
Twilight celebrated and Cadance groaned
>"Alright, that's the last time we play checkers. We're moving on to chess so I can actually win a game occasionally."
Cadance liked to pretend she was frustrated at losing
But in truth it delighted her to see Twilight Sparkle win
She was the cleverest filly Cadance had ever met

>"Maybe it's time for a different game."
Twilight looked at her, puzzled
>"But we've only played 16 games of checkers so far."
Cadance levitated the board, carefully tipping it so all the black & red pieces slid into their box
>"I'm tired of sitting here in the living room. Let's play a more active game"
Little Twilight looked worried;
>"Okay...but please no sports"
The 7 year old was clever, but had 4 left hooves when it came to sports
>"No...it's raining outside anyway. How about hide & seek?"
Before Twiley could answer, her brother entered the room

>"Oh...hello, I didn't know you were still here..."
He tried to deepen his voice to sound older, more stallionish
>"I live here, Shiny!"
>"Not you, Twilight...Cadance!"
Cadance popped to her feet, embarrassed to be caught lounging on the floor
>"Hi Shining! What are you up to today?"
The colt flexed his chest and replied;
>"Not much. Lousy weather today so I thought I might hit the weights."
His father owned a weight bench and the accompanying kit
It sat in the basement, never used until Shining had started to notice fillies
>"Really?"
Cadance asked, trying to sound innocently dumb
>"But you're already so strong..."
Shining Armor flipped his mane and tried to hide his blush
>"Well...gotta get fit if I want to take the Royal Guard test in a few years."

Twilight had heard enough
Teenagers could be soooooooo boring
It was clear that they both wanted to play together
Why can't older ponies just be honest with each other?
>"Don't go hide in the basement and lift old dusty weights!
>"Come play hide & seek with us!"

>"Oh yes! It will be much more fun with three!"
Cadance shook her head emphatically, but instantly regretted it
>Oh no, I must have looked like a total dork!
>"Ummm...you know. If you really want to...no big deal."

Shining Armor's heart pounded in his chest
>Gotta be cool, gotta be cool...
>"Well, maybe I have time for one game..."
He would have played with Cadance all afternoon if she asked
>"Come on, Big Brother! Just one game is no fun!"
Seeing an opportunity, Cadance levitated Twilight right up to his face
She turned on her biggest, saddest 'puppy dog eyes'.
>"Pleeeeeaaasssseeee, BBBFF?"
Best sister ever
She dished up the perfect opportunity to hang out with Cadance
>"Okay...hide & seek it is!"
Cadance and Twiley clopped their hooves together in a 'High-1'
The pink Princess gently lowered her purple charge to the floor
Twilight's hooves were already moving when she touched down
>"My turn to seek, you hide...1,2,3, Go!"

She raced over to the sofa and buried her face in the cushions so she could not see
Twiley was a stickler for the rules; she would not peek
Given a count of 100, the two older ponies had to find spots to hide now
Playfully, completely forgetting any need to act cool, Cadance shoved her muzzle in Shining's ear;
>"The laundry hamper in the upstairs bathroom!"
Shining Armor almost swooned as her warm, sweet breath filled his ear
He wanted to hold his hoof there and keep it trapped forever
>"But...is it big enough for both of us?"
Cadance giggled and grabbed his hoof;
>"It'll be tight but we'll fit. She'll never check there...she'll think it's too small!"

Shining felt dizzy
The cutest filly he knew wanted to squeeze into a laundry hamper with HIM?
For an undetermined amount of time?
Not exactly the spot he'd imagined for a romantic first date with a Princess, but...
BEST. DAY. EVER.

And then it turned into the worst.

Just as Shining & Cadance made a dash for the stairs, the front door swung open
>"SHINING MALORY ARMOR, YOU HAVE SOME EXPLAINING TO DO, YOUNG COLT!"
Every pony froze.
Twilight picked her head up from the cushions when she heard her mother's angry voice
Cadance just stood on the staircase, petrified

Twilight Velvet trotted up to her son and poked a hoof in his chest
>"Do you care to tell me where you were yesterday afternoon?"
He turned beet red
He looked at Cadance and looked at Twiliey, both of whom wore shocked, horrified expressions
>"Answer me, Shining. Where were you really when you said you were at the movie theater with your friends?"

The colt knew he'd been caught in a fib...but how much did Mom know?
Say too much and you let something worse slip
Say too little and you're busted for lying
So he tried to fudge it...
>"Well...um...the guys and I went to get hayburgers and..."
Mom stopped him by growling;
>"Young colt, there is no hayburger restaurant in the neighborhood where Mrs. Tea Rose saw you yesterday."
He tried to gulp, but Shining found his mouth dry
>"Eh, Mom, please, can we take this upstairs?"
Getting yelled at in front of Cadance was the most horrible shame he could imagine
And if Mom really knew where he and his buddies were hanging out yesterday she'd be doing a LOT of yelling

Velvet ignored her errant son's request;
>"I bumped into our neighbor at the Post Office today and she told me something very interesting, so don't you DARE try lying to me. Where were you yesterday afternoon?"
The red faced colt cringed and his head dipped low.
Finally, in a weak voice he confessed;
>"I...I may have been in...Trotter Town...for a little while."
Cadance gasped in spite of herself.

Canterlot really didn't have 'bad' neighborhoods, but some were more respectable than others. 'Trotter Town' was the least respectable. A block of tight, canyon-like streets over by the freight depot, it was home to all manner of tawdry entertainment.
Peep shows, saloons, and naughty bookstores on every corner...and that was the legal stuff. It was said that a pony could find anything they wanted in Trotter Town.
Anything.
But it was also a hot spot for live music and wild parties...making it an attractive spot for a colt on the verge of young stallionhood to sneak some unsanctioned fun. It was risky fun to hang out in Trotter Town, but sometimes that was the best kind.

Shining Armor wasn't having any fun right now.
>"What have your Father and I told you about Trotter Town?"
Shining was burning up with shame
He answered meekly;
>"I'm not supposed to go there."
>"But you DID ANYWAY."
>"I was only there for a few minutes, Mom!"

Cadance still stood on the stairs, her heart aching for the terrible ordeal her friend was going through. Getting yelled at by your mother was bad enough...but in front of his friend and little sister. Cadance shuddered, and was for a moment glad she was an only-foal.
She wanted to run, to flee the scene and spare Shining a little kernel of his dignity. If his parents were anything like hers he would have enough to worry about today.
But before she could escape Cadance looked over at Twilight.
The little filly was in tears watching her beloved brother get scolded...and she was all alone.
>Oh, no...what am I thinking? I'm still on duty here!
She beat her wings once and in a flash gathered the crying blank-flank into her arms.
>"There, there...it will be alright."
Cadance turned to Twilight Velvet and asked;
>"Professor Velvet, ma'am? Should I take Twilight outside so you can have some privacy?"

Shining looked up pitifully, as if this little act of mercy only deepened his humiliation
His mother answered in the worst way possible;
>"No, dear. I'll only need a few minutes. I'll pay your overtime rate."
She left Cadance and Twiley there to watch the awful scene

Shining Armor felt reduced to a whimpering foal. He was still a few inches shorter than his mother but right now the difference felt gigantic. And with each word of her scolding the young stallion felt smaller and smaller.
>"How dare you disobey your father and I? Do you have anything to say for yourself?"
Shining knew he was in deep trouble
It took all his effort to keep from crying in front of Cadance
>"I'm sorry! I didn't think a few minutes would be a big deal!"
He was already sniffling, trying to hold it all in

Velvet rubbed the bridge of her muzzle and took a few deep breaths
>"Shining Armor, I know you were not there for a 'few minutes' and if you lie to me again you can go straight to your room to wait for your Father's strap, am I understood?"
When Mom said that one awful word,
S-T-R-A-P
Shining wanted to shrivel up and die. So far it had only been a threat in the household, but to have that threat uttered out loud in front of the prettiest filly in all Canterlot...it was more than any colt could endure
>"Moooom, can we PLEASE talk upstairs?"
He begged with tears glistening in his eyes

Mom gave her answer
>"Kitchen, NOW, young colt!"
She did not wait for him to come willingly, but pinched his ear with her magic and dragged him along, tripping and stumbling behind her

Twilight looked up at Cadance, her face wet with tears
>"Shiny did something bad..."
>"I'm afraid it sounds that way."
>"And Mommy is really mad at him."
Cadance hugged her tight, rocking the foal back and forth
>"He'll be okay, Twiley. He's a good colt and your Momma loves him so don't worry."
>"Do you think he's gonna get a spankin'?"
>"Oh, I hope not, Twiley, I hope not."

>"Ow! Mom, please, stop! That hurts!"
Once inside the kitchen Twilight Velvet released her whimpering colt
>"The truth. From the beginning. Start talking."

His fragile teenage dignity blasted away by Mom's emasculating onslaught, Shining could only stand there and stammer out the true story, hoping obedience, however late, would save a little of the skin on his butt.
>"There wasn't anything good playing at the movies, so one of my friends suggested we check out Trotter Town"
Velvet wanted to ask who, but did not. As liberal-minded academics she and her husband had always taught their foals never to 'name names' so she did not ask.
>"I didn't want to go at first...but they talked me into it.
>"We weren't doing anything bad, just hanging out on the street corner listening to some band, I swear, Mom!
She tilted her head forward and gave him a deathly 'Mom look' straight in the eyes
>"You went to Trotter Town and did...nothing?"
Terrified of being caught lying and making his plight worse, Shining confessed everything...and it wasn't much
>"We tried to get into an adult nickelodeon parlor...where you put a quarter bit in a machine and see movies of...you know...mares...doing stuff...
He couldn't believe he had to admit to his Mom that he entered a porn parlor
>"But we got kicked out as soon as we went in, I promise, Mom!"
>"And when it started to get dark we left. That's the truth, I swear to Celestia!"

They were both silent for a moment.
Velvet was satisfied that her son had told her everything...or at least enough
>"M-Mom?
>"I...I know I messed up. I'm sorry. I know I'm gonna get it, so, can I please go up to my room and wait?"
Mother shook her head
>"No, you're getting it right now"
Shining's heart jumped into his throat
>"H-h-here?"

His pulse was racing...this couldn't be happening!
On the other side of that door was the filly he adored
It was bad enough to get scolded in front of her, now she would hear Shining get spanked
Frantic to avoid this teen tragedy he supplicated himself before Mom
>"Mom, please, I'm begging you...let me have it upstairs, PLEASE!"
He tried bargaining;
>"You can punish me twice as bad, you can use the hairbrush, just please can we do it upstairs?"
Shining motioned toward the door with his muzzle and flashed the biggest, saddest eyes any colt in trouble ever staked his final hopes on

It stabbed at Velvet's heart like a dagger to see her proud, strong son plead like this
She saw the message in his eyes, it was loud and clear
>Please don't do this to me, Mommy.
But it was not enough
>This is awful, but he has to learn that we aren't going to compromise
>He's approaching such a dangerous age
>Young stallions can be so volatile, unpredictable
>It takes a great deal of self discipline for a boy like Shiny to make it through this
>We'll support him in every way we can
>But sometimes that demands a firm hoof to remind a youngster of the rules

>"I'm sorry, Shining. Bend over that stool."

Shining refused to believe this was happening
He couldn't let it happen!
And in a flash he did something very dumb
There was a spell he was working on, to help him win at dodgeball
Before Mom could react he crouched low and projected a shield around himself, tinted in the shimmering purple of his magic

Velvet remained calm
She felt sorry for him, he'd only made it worse for himself
There was no doubt Velvet could sweep away his shield like leaves from the front porch
He was a 13 year old foal, she was a full grown unicorn and a Professor of Magic Studies.
But she chose to talk to him instead.
Twilight Velvet got down on the floor, so she could look her son right in the eye
It was something she'd always done when one of her foals threw themselves on the floor in a tantrum

He turned his head to avoid her gaze
It didn't matter
>"Shining, honey, I can see you're upset but I'm not going to reward this behavior by giving you what you want. I am sorry that you're ashamed and you don't want to get punished where your little sister and her foalsitter...your friend...can hear."
In this she underestimated their affection for each other
It would be a few more years before Velvet understood that her little colt had an interest in Cadance as more than friends
>"But right now you're making it worse.
>"I'm not going to yell, I'm not going to break your shield spell
>"I will not offer you reprieve for coming out
>"I'm going to sit and wait
>"But just be aware; for every second you make me wait your punishment gets worse
>"I'll be right here..."

In his bubble, Shining Armor clenched his teeth and raged in futility at the situation
It was so unfair it made him cry
Shining wished he had a time spell instead of a protection spell
Then he'd go back and stop himself from ever going to Trotter Town
Or at least stop Mrs. Tea Rose from seeing him!

Velvet sat down on the stool where she'd intended to spank her disobedient son
She took a deep breath and tried to relax
She meditated, easing out her anger and trying to focus on how poor Shining felt
The humiliation, the fear and eventually the pain...it felt terrible to put her baby through that
But she and Night Light had talked about this
High standards were expected of foals in this family
And Shining Armor had already reached an age when he was surly and defiant
It was tolerated by understanding parents...to a degree
But today's lesson was that if he crossed the line Shining could expect a harsh and immediate response
It didn't matter if his little sister or her foalsitter could hear
It didn't matter if they were out in public
Shining Armor was a colt who was expected to behave properly and follow the rules
And this bubble nonsense did neither

Finally, Shining accepted the inevitable
The stress was just too great, watching the seconds ticking away on the kitchen clock
Knowing every tick added more flaming pain to his rear end
But too ashamed to get it over with
Finally;
>"One...two...three!"
The purple shield fell away like snowflakes
And Shining was yanked off the ground by magic the instant it cleared
>"Mom!"
Velvet did not wait a second
She grabbed her colt up and floated him over to the kitchen counter
>"Ohhhhh, please, Mom, I'm sorry!"

>"Be quiet and listen to me."
It was hard to calm his own ragged breathing
>"I'm very disappointed in your behavior,
>"Disobeying by going to that street where you know you're not allowed
>"Trying to conceal it with that lie about the movies
>"And trying to avoid your WELL EARNED punishment with that bubble stunt?"
She levitated him down into position over the counter
>"You're getting a serious spanking, young colt, for all that together."
Shining whimpered, but he gasped when he saw what Momma picked up

>"Aww, NO! Mom, please, I can't take that! I really can't!"
She patted his squirming rear-end with the wooden breadboard
It was heavy, and big enough to cover the 13 year old's entire bottom
>"Well you're incorrect, because you are getting spanked with this. 10 strokes, for the magic shield."
His tail was lifted out of the way, exposing the target to Momma
Stripped of all dignity, Shining cried like a grade-school foal
Any second now the filly he dreamed about was going to hear him howling in shame and agony

And that's exactly what happened.

Velvet did not have to put much effort in for that breadboard to do its job
It struck with a flat *THUMP*, rather undramatically
But Shining's eyes shot open, he screamed and bucked his legs
So dramatic was his reaction that Mom actually waited before the second stroke
Fearful that this implement may be too heavy, she watched for any sign of a bruise
But it never came...the breadboard struck so evenly all over the teen stallion's rump that it did not concentrate its force in any one spot
Confident that she was not harming her colt, Velvet continued his ordeal

The paddle's sting was considerable, but as soon as it levitated off his backside to wind up for the next strike Shining recognized that the burn it left behind was even worse
>"Owowow...Mom, please, it's too..."
But the second agonizing smack took the air right out of his lungs
>"WHHHHHAAAAHHHHHHHH!"
He screamed, and trailed off into mournful, choking sobs
It was not that Shining Armor had forgotten Cadance was so near, listening
He just couldn't do a thing about it
The breadboard just hurt too much to hold it in
Shining could only sob and squirm, wallowing in misery until the next
*THUMP*
>"AAAAAAaaaaaggGGGHHHH! Whhhuuuuuu, ow, ow, ow..."

Knowing the impression the terrible breadboard was having, Velvet spanked slowly
After only 3 of his 10 strokes Shining's white backside was a blazing shade of pink
And there was more to come
*THUMP*
Her little colt howled and strained every muscle in his young body when each spank arrived
But Momma's magic had him held tight
*THUMP*
>"AAAAOOOOOWWWWW!"
After the fifth one she allowed a breather
It was little comfort though, the flaming pain in Shining Armor's rump barely faded
It felt like you could crack an egg and cook it on his poor bottom

Once her colt's bawling had calmed to softer, fearful sobs, Velvet resumed the punishment
His last 5 spanks with the breadboard came faster
*THUMP*
>"WHHHHAAAAHHHH!"
She allowed him a few breaths and then;
*THUMP*
Shining screamed again, pouring out tears onto the kitchen counter
It felt like somepony was pressing a huge branding iron to his ass...one that covered every square inch with every smack
*THUMP*
>"AiiiieeeEEEE! Oww! Mom, OowwWWWOOooowww, please *sob* no more!"
But he'd been a naughty colt in more than one way and had a lot more coming
*THUMP*
Shining howled, he bucked with all his strength but could not move
Mom had him locked down, so tightly held with magic that all he could do was cry like the misbehaving little foal he was

Velvet had no reason to let him have the last stroke any lighter. This was, after all, still just his warm-up. She drew back the breadboard paddle and...
*WHAM!*
The final whack lifted his rump up as it struck
Poor Shining screamed...he would have given anything to escape the terrible paddle setting the his hindquarters ablaze

Velvet set the board down in the sink
She wasn't going to have the family's next meal prepared on an unwashed breadboard which had just been applied to her teenage son's rump
His suffering was painful for her, but she was not ready to spare him yet
>I'm so sorry, my baby. It's time to keep going

Next, Mother levitated her most formidable wooden spoon out of its drawer
Though they were filled with tears Shining's eyes opened wide when he saw it approach
>"Nooo, Mom, no more, PLEASE no more!"
But Velvet calmly explained;
>"That first part was just for the magic bubble nonsense...and don't you ever try to pull a stunt like that again or I will use that breadboard for your entire spanking, beginning to end."
>"NO! Mom, I promise, I'll never *sniffle* do that again, PLEASE no more! It already hurts SO MUCH!"

>"Well then maybe you'll remember this feeling next time you choose to disobey me."
She relaxed her magic a bit, allowing her son's hooves to just barely touch the ground
>"And that's what this part is for."
Where the breadboard paddle had been slow and methodical the next part of Shining's ordeal was a rapid fire assault of wicked stings
Normally, for a crime as serious as disobeying his parents' rules about where he was allowed to hang around in the city Shining Armor would have gotten something more serious than the wooden spoon.
The hairbrush at least...perhaps even his Father's strap
But after a round with the awful breadboard had left his bottom a painful glowing red she correctly surmised that the spoon would be enough

Exposed to the flurry of sharp, biting smacks on an already throbbing rump, Shining screeched and danced on his back hooves
Unlike the previous implement there was no way to guess where the next stinger would fall...and no time to catch his breath between spanks
>"OW! Ow! Ouch! Whhha! EEK! Momma, OW! I'm sooorrryyyy!"
But Twilight Velvet had no intention of finishing this job early
The wooden spoon was like a whole nest of angry hornets and they were at Mom's command
Every quick snap was agony, but with his cheeks already swollen from the warm-up the sting did not fade away
Each nasty little smack lingered with him and soon enough of them had fallen that they were overlapping

>"Whhhaaa! OUCH! *sob* OwOwOw! Bhuuuuuhhhh! OW!"
The poor colt jumped, he twisted, he drummed his hooves on the ground and wailed
He'd had his fun in Trotter Town, but now he was paying the price and the price was agonizing

Velvet stopped to take a look at her little stallion's tortured fanny
Blazing red, with small circles of darker red and purple that looked like the Pony Pox
It was time to wrap up his punishment

>"Shining Armor, listen to me..."
But he was still bawling and could not catch his breath
*SNAP*
An extra hard flick from the spoon made him squeal
>"WHHAA! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm listening, Momma!"

>"Am I EVER going to hear about you hanging around in Trotter Town?"
*SNAP* *SNAP* *SNAP*
>"OW OW OW! Bwhuuuu, No! I promise...I swear to Celestia, NO!"

>"When your Father and I set a rule are you allowed to disobey it?"
*SNAP* *SNAP* *SNAP*
>"EEEEEE! Ow! No, Momma, I'll never disobey again! WhhaahHHH!"

>"And when we decide that you are going to be punished are you going to accept it like a mature young stallion, or fight us?"
*SNAP* *SNAP* *SNAP*
>"WHHHAAAHHH! I promise, Mommy! I'll n-never use an energy shield again!"
Enough questions. She was satisfied.
Velvet relaxed her magic further but put an arm around her little boy's mid-section
Using leverage and her own physical strength Momma gave him a final salvo of 20 hard stingers, right where it hurt the most
Shining screamed and tried to get away, to no avail
Someday soon he would surely be strong enough to escape his Mother, but it was not this day
Her message delivered, Twilight Velvet released her colt

He was a mess
Mane disheveled, eyes red and puffy, nose running with tears and snot
>"I'm s-s-sorry Momma, *sob* I'm so sorry, pl-please forgive me..."
The teen stallion held out his arms, pleading for comfort
Her heart weary from the awful thing she'd had to do, Velvet gathered his limp, weakened body into a hug
>"There, there, it's over now"
She rocked him, and petted his mane
>"And only you can decide whether this has to ever happen again."

Exhausted, Shining could have remained in Mom's hug all afternoon
There would be time for 'I'm sorry's' and making up later
Twiley & Cadance were still waiting outside, so Velvet gently pulled away
>"Alright, you go up to your room until your Father gets home"
Shining's face twisted into a miserable frown again
>"Are you gonna tell Dad?"
>"Of course I am...did you think I wouldn't? He's not going to be happy with you...but you're done with the worst. He's not going to spank you any more."

She nuzzled him reassuringly, one last time
>"Alright, upstairs to your room, young colt."
He looked at her pitifully
>"Can I at least wait until Cadance leaves, please?"
But Momma shook her head.
>"Now, Shiny. March."

Head hung low, Shining Armor trudged out of the kitchen, dragging his hooves
Every step smarted
The spoon had caught him in the tender crack between his cheeks more times than he could count
Now it chafed horribly as he walked
Tears in his eyes and soaking the fur of his face, he walked out into the main hallway

Twiley and Cadance both stood there, looks of pain and sympathy on their faces
His little sister had obviously been crying along with him
She'd expected a fun day with her favorite foal-sitter...and he'd ruined it
It made Shining feel like the worst colt and worst big brother in all Equestria
There was nothing he could say...he didn't have a shred of dignity left in him
The young stallion just shuffled past them on the way to exile in his room
>"Shiny!"
He turned his head to see fresh tears in his sister's eyes
And despite the agony and crushing humiliation he knew what he had to do
For Shining Armor, it wasn't even a choice

Shining turned around and came to see her
Wincing, cringing from the terrible soreness and heat that hadn't died down even a little bit, he crouched down and wiped her tears away
>"Twiley, please don't cry. You didn't do anything wrong, okay?"
She sniffled, and asked;
>"Does it hurt bad?"
The big brother scrounged up enough courage to give her a tiny smile
>"It sure does, but *sniffle* I disobeyed Mom & Dad so I deserved it.
>"I hope you learn from my mistake, so this never happens to you"
Twilight Sparkle nodded, but still felt terrible for her beloved sibling
>"I'm feeling pretty awful right now, but I'll feel worse if I know you're crying on my account
>"I did something bad...and you heard what happened.
>"But I'll be alright. Mom & Dad love us both, even when we've been naughty.
>"So no more tears, okay? You let me do all the crying today...I deserved it.
>"Please, Twiley?"
She gave a little sniffle of her own, but agreed
>"Can I come see you?"
He nodded;
>"Give me a little while...but when Mom says it's okay, I'd like that."

That task complete, Shining turned back to the stairs
He gave Cadance a single sad glance, but said nothing
>"Shining, I..."
She wanted to say something, but didn't have the words.
Her friend understood, gave her a thin smile, and walked slowly up to his bedroom, his very sore backside aching with every step

With Prof. Velvet home there was no more need for the foalsitter to stay, so Cadance left soon after calm had returned to the house
But she did not go home...she hung around the house for another hour, screwing up the courage to check on poor Shining

>"Pssst! Shiny!"
Whispering from the bushes wasn't working, so she tossed a few pebbles at his second floor window.
>"O Shining, Shining! wherefore art thou Shining?"
She tried to make a joke about a famous play, but immediately felt like an egghead
Still no luck.
Finally she just unfurled her wings and flew up to his window

>"Shining...Shining!
She tapped on the glass doors of his balcony
>"Please come out and talk. I know you feel terrible...and I'll leave if you don't want me here, but please just come tell me you're okay!"
Through the glass Cadance saw Shining Armor get up from his bed and come unlock the door
>"Oh Shining...I don't know what to say...are you alright?"

His face was still as red as his backside; he did not have a drop of pride left in him
>"I'm fine. Sorry you had to see hear all that."
>"No, I'm sorry, Shiny! I wish I had some magical power to make you feel better."
She nuzzled him sympathetically
>"Well, that's a nice start"
he confessed.

Cadance was no stranger to an occasional sore rump herself
Over the years her own parents had delivered spankings that could easily compare to Shining's recent punishment
It was always embarrassing
But she'd never had to endure the humiliation he'd suffered today

>"Some Royal Guard candidate I turned out to be...
>"I cried like a blank-flank foal."
But Cadance did think he was brave
And if telling him so was the only small thing she could do to make him feel a little better she was not going to stay silent
>"No pony could have endured that...you know...without crying.
>"I wanted to cry just listening."
>"But afterward, you were so gallant"

Shining didn't buy it;
>"You don't have to make me feel better, Cadance."
She gave him a frustrated little punch in the chest
>"I'm being serious you big silly stallion!
>"You must have felt awful...and it was SO embarrassing."
He blushed all over again
>"But then, when you were feeling your worst you turned around to make sure your sister was okay.
>"If it was me I would have run upstairs to hide in my bedroom forever!
>"But...in the worst moment of your life you thought of your little sister first.
>"Shining..."
She nuzzled his face again
>"...that was so brave."

Shining Armor was too ashamed to say anything in response, but he enjoyed having Cadance there to comfort him.
He'd been sure the gorgeous filly would never look at him the same way again
Forever, he'd be a naughty, crying foal in her eyes
But he'd been wrong
Here, in the hour of his abysmal shame, she sought him out.
And told him he was brave.

They stood together for a long time, saying little but watching the sun creep lower in the sky
>"Your Mom paid me an extra hour at overtime rate for staying with Twiley"
He was glad to hear that
>"Thank you for thinking of her. She must have been so upset."
Cadance showed him 9 additional golden bits
>"I'm gonna save these"
She dropped them into a separate coin purse
>"And sometime soon we can go do something fun with this money. That way we can make a good memory out of this."
>"You mean maybe take Twiley someplace together?"
But she smiled in a different way than Shining had ever seen
>"Twilight isn't always around. I thought maybe we could do something...just us."

Awkwardly, Shining admitted;
>"It might be a long wait. I'm pretty sure I'm gonna be grounded until the next moon."
Playfully, she responded;
>"I can wait."
His rear-end still hurt like sitting down on a stove-top, but Shining Armor grinned

Cadance teased;
>"Maybe you can show me around Trotter Town?"
His eyes grew wide
>"Oh No! Caddy, don't even joke about that!"
But she continued;
>"But it's not a safe neighborhood for a young Princess. I'd feel so much safer with a strong Royal Guard candidate who already knows his way around."
Shining chuckled too...nervously
>"Come on, that's not even funny!"
The pink Princess rubbed up against his side and brushed his aching rump with her soft tail
>"Pretty please?"
He began to sweat
>"Come on, Cadance...this isn't fair."

At last her teasing relented
She knocked horns with him playfully
>"Oh, okay, spoiled sport. I can take you to a movie instead."
By now the clock towers had begun to chime the 5 o'clock hour
>"I've gotta get home. I'm so sorry you got in trouble today...you're sure you'll be alright?"
The young stallion sheepishly admitted;
>"Caddy, when you came up here I really didn't want to see anypony.
>"But I was wrong...I'm glad you came. Thank you."
And then he added dourly;
>"See you in a month..."

With a last sympathetic smile and flap of her wings, Cadance lifted off and floated gently down to the street below.
From his balcony Shining watched her walk away.
That little blue bow on her tail swinging back and forth bewitchingly.
>"I was a numb skull to go looking for fun in Trotter Town."
Everything he wanted was right here in front of him.

END