She was there. In his house. Right there!

Shining stared at the girl of his dreams through the slitted bars of the staircase railing. It wasn’t that unusual for her to be there. Every time his parents left the home she would arrive, a timid smile adorning her face as she swept through his home, a silent bundle of joy that his entire family loved.

Twilight was bouncing up and down at a regular beat before Cadence, a smile splitting her little face from ear to ear. “Hi Cadence! How are you? How was school? How was your day? Are you here for long? What’re we going to do? Can we do math again?” The older filly took it all in stride with a docile smile.

Shining swallowed hard, rubbing the back of a hoof across his forehead and coming back with a sheen of sweat. “Calm down, Shining, you can do this. Just go down and say hi, smile a bit,” he whispered to himself.

The twin double doors below closed with a muffled thump as his parents walked out, leaving the three of them alone in the great house. He stared at the familiar walls, covered in old paintings, that were decorated by the flailing light of wall-mounted sconces. It was nice. It was familiar, it was soothing. But she was downstairs.

“You’ll make a real good guard someday if you’re not even brave enough to meet a single filly,” he grumbled to himself, finally climbing to all fours. With a figety bounce in his step he walked down the staircase and into the entrance hall where Cadence and Twilight were both twisting about and singing.

“Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake! Clap your hooves and do a little shake!” His eyes widened as Cadence hopped around and lifted her rump to the air. With great reluctance and a burning face he snapped his attention to the floor, counting the square tiles between his forehooves.

The girls finished their routine with a bout of giggling. Shining looked up again, wishing that his white coat would do something to hide the horrible blush crawling across his face.

She was staring back at him, purple eyes shining bright as they locked with his own. His face turned a shade of beet red before she looked away and coughed into her hoof. “Um, hi there, Shining Armour,” she said. “How are you doing?”

“Er, fine. You?”

She grinned at him. “I’m doing great. Twilight and I will be eating in a few minutes. If you want, you could join us?”

Reaching up, Shining scratched at the nape of his neck. “Nah, I’m good,” jhe said, shrugging the offer away.

“Are you sure?” she asked, an eyebrow climbing up along her forehead. Looking to the ground, she began to play with a forehoof with her long, silky ponytailed mane.

“Yeah, I ate already, I’m good. Thanks though. Appreciate it and all that.” He tried to smile. “But, um, uh, maybe we could eat something?”

She blinked at him, the long lashes of the purple eyes fluttering. “Well, yes, we could? Didn’t I just offer, you know, in the kitchen. Hay sandwiches.”

“I-I meant later. Or, tomorrow, maybe? It’s not a date!” he blurted out, waving a forehoof dismissively.

A sly smile crawled across Twilight’s face prompting him to shoot a quick glare her way. Fortunately, Cadence was focused on her own two hooves, looking crestfallen.

“Um, do you like Doughnut Joe’s?” He asked, trying not to cringe.

“Oh, I love his food!” She perked up, both ears standing tall. “Those creamy jelly doughnuts and his strudel. I have to gallop across the city just to save my flan-- Not that I... um,” she cut herself off, a noticeable pool of warmth flooding her face. “I’d love to see you there. Sometime after school?”

“Yeah, yeah. That’d be cool,” he said, pumping out his chest a little despite feeling very, very small.

“Come on, Cadence,” Twilight said as she pulled her along. Cadence bid him farewell and was dragged into the deeper parts of the house. With every few steps she would look over her shoulder and at him.

Soon she was gone and Shining sat down hard, slamming a hoof into his forehead. “Idiot, idiot, idiot.” Laughter drifted down the hall as he returned to the staircase and began to climb up again.

“You stupid, thick-headed fool. Should’ve said yes. Now she’s going to think I don’t want to be around her. What if she thinks that I don’t like her? Ah, man!” Reaching the top, he let his hooves guide him along the familiar path to his bedroom and swung open the door with a push of his magic.

He trotted in and slammed the door behind him, the band posters tacked to it fluttering in the wake. With a groan he crossed the room, circling around discarded weights and humble piles of clothing that had not quite yet began to stink enough for him to wash. He flopped onto his bed’, drowning himself in plush fabrics .

With a nudge he flipped over, facing his ceiling above as his hooves dangled before him. “What would I give? Just a moment. One minute, with her. I just want to know if she likes me back....” his whispers floated across the room, silent and lonely.

With time, the sun’s light crawled across his walls and his eyes became heavy. He fell asleep to the distant sound of Cadence laughing.

---

Walking at a leisurely pace, a healthy mare or stallion could go from the main entrance of Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns to Doughnut Joe’s in under twenty minutes. Shinning had done it in two.

Walking into the shop to the jingle of a door-mounted bell, he looked around and vainly tried to hide his disappointment at the distinct lack of Cadence. Instead, he found the quiet shop filled with only a few older ponies and the irresistible scent of freshly baked doughnuts.

Joe grinned at him from behind the counter before Shining walked over to a seat in a corner stall, one from which he could see the entire shop. He removed his bag and sat down and rested his chin on the table. With the tip of his hoof he drew ever tightening circles on the table while tossing glances towards the doorway every few seconds.

Others arrived, some he recognized from his own school, others from the public schools nearby. All were in pairs and small groups of three and four, chatting away as they trotted in and ordered at the counter. He watched to and fro, but none were Cadence. Then she arrived.

He saw her open the door with her brilliant purple magic before gracefully stepping in. Her long, tied mane flowed around her neck and bounced with every step as her wide eyes scanned the room. They landed on him, then snapped away with a sudden jerk. Two other mares were behind her, following her as she found a seat only two stalls away with a free space beside her. The others slid into the seats on the opposite end.

She glanced at him and this time he turned away in a hurry. “Now what?” he muttered under his breath. Before he knew it a shadow was standing over him, one the smelled faintly of sprinkles and dough.

“Hey, kid, how can I help you?” Doughnut Joe asked, a wide grin on his face.

“Oh, hey, um. Maybe....” Shining hesitated. “Could I have a jelly doughnut? For her,” he said, discreetly pointing towards Cadence.

“Ah,” the shopkeep said. “The pretty young alicorn filly?”

Shining nodded, determined not to blush. “Yeah.”

“I’ll see what I can do.” With that, Joe spun around and trotted back through the bustling crowd, deftly avoiding hooves and moving bodies as he exchanged a few quick quips of banter with his customers.

Shining waited a few moments, then, with a final, deep breath, he pushed himself off the table and rose to his hooves. Slowly, with the hesitancy of a soldier navigating a minefield, he trotted over to her table.”Hi Cadence,” he said, then turned to her friends. “Oh, and, um, hi to you guys too?”

The two girls raised eyebrows at him, scrutinizing him.

“Hi, Shining Armour,” Cadence said as she straightened in her seat, firing a bedazzling smile his way. He almost fell flat on his back.

“So, um, I... hi. How are you?”

Her smile never lessened, like an ongoing onslaught of force battering the shields of his willpower. “I’m fine. And you? How’s Twilight?”

“She’s doing great, and so am I. The moment you leave our house it becomes a real tear-fest.... For Twilight, not for me, I mean. We really love you. In a purely platonic way!”

She giggled into her hoof, then reached out to touch his chest lightly. “You’re funny, Shining. Did you want to sit down?” She gestured to the only seat left. One that was very, very close to her.

“I, um, nah, It’s okay. I can stand for a bit.”

“Well, we need to go,” one on Cadence’s friends said. “Just need to freshen up a bit” Sharing a knowing smile, the two fillies scooted out of the booth, stood up and trotted by him, one of them whispering a quick, “Good luck,” in his ear as she walked by.

“Come on, sit down,” Cadence said once her friends were out of earshot. She pointed to the seat just across hers.

He did so, plopping himself down in the seat right across. She just smiled at him, staring from beneath half-lidded eyes. “So, um, nice weather we’re having, huh?” he said. “A little too, um, warm, for me though.”

She nodded. “Yeah, very nice.”

“Yeah.... So, how’s school?”

“It’s fine.”

“That’s cool.”

She placed a hoof on the table and drew a small circle, just like him. “You were saying, about Twilight?”

“Yeah, she talks about you all the time. And that little dance you two do... It’s, um, really cute.” Both blushed, refusing to look at one another. “Yeah, so, you’re coming over tomorrow night too, eh?”

She nodded.

“That’s great. Well, I guess I’ll go. Didn’t really have much to say and all that....”

“S-same here,” she said.

He got up and trotted by her, berating himself the entire time until something caught his arm. Turning, his gaze followed along her foreleg until their gazes. A face that was very close to his own. “This was fun,” she said. “M-maybe we can talk again some more?”

“Yeah, sure!” He beamed.

With a light step, Shining trotted out of the building and into the fresh air. He turned as he left, staring through the quick streams of ponies along the sidewalks to peer into the shop.

Doughnut Joe was standing over Cadence, a doughnut in a plate held by his mouth. He placed it before her and grinned as confusion crossed her face. Shining saw her lips move, voicing her concern before the shop owner pointed his way.

He bolted, a sly grin cutting across his face. It died before he reached the street corner. “Crud. That didn’t go well at all. All I got her was a doughnut. That’s so stupid. I’m so stupid.” Shaking his head, the young stallion crossed the street, heading towards home. “I’m not cut out for this.”

---

He was on his bed again, hooves splayed out every which way and breathing evenly through his nostrils. Taking in a deep breath, he let out a bellowing roar, screaming for all he was worth and assaulting his ceiling with pure, unadulterated rage.

He settled back down, breath ragged and coarse as a soothing calm invaded him from the inside out. It didn’t take long before a low knock sounded at his door.

It squeaked open, pushing aside a pile of dirty socks.

“Hey son,” came his dad’s concerned voice.

“Hey Pop,” he replied.

The older stallion trotted in, twisting about the minefield that was Shining's bedroom floor until he came to a rest beside his son’s bed. “What’s up?”

“Nothing.”

He nodded. “Sounds about right. Nothing had me screaming plenty of times. What’s Nothing really called?”

Shining laughed mirthlessly, then shifted on his bed, turning his face away.

“Ah, so it’s a girl problem.”

A warm, gentle hoof placed on his shoulder, rocking him back around until he faced his father’s knowing smile. “What’s she like?”

Shining rolled his eyes, then replied. “She’s perfect.”

“She always is. Does Nothing Perfect have any other qualities? Maybe a prettier name?”

“She’s tall, and talented, and good with kids. She’s got the prettiest eyes and....” He made a roughly round gesture in the air with a forehoof, then gulped. “Yeah, that’s nice too, and she’s smart. Way smarter than me.”

It was his father’s turn to crack a smile. “Well, it’s not too hard to beat you, hmm?”

“Hey!” Shining said, turning around fully and tossing his covers to the ground with a flutter. “I’m not that dumb!”

“Fine, fine,” the old stallion said, raising a hoof in surrender. “So, tell me, how long have you been in love with Cadence?”

His jaw dropped and eyes bulged. “Wha-what? How’d you know?”

“You had the same stupid look I had when I was running after your mom. And a few other things. You’re paying a lot more attention to Twilight now. At least, when she’s talking about her foalsitter.” He pushed his son’s shoulder. “Come on, admit it.”

“Well, yeah, I guess I sorta like her... a lot.”

“Hmm, and what’re you going to do about it?”

Shining rolled back. “I don’t know. I don’t even know what to do. What to say. I just feel so... stupid and clumsy and slow what she’s around. It’s awful. But then, she’s there and I feel great because of that.”

“Does she know?”

He scoffed. “As if I’d tell her.”

With a humm, his father stood up and moved towards the exit. “You know, son, she’s coming over tonight. You’ll be alone for a bit. Were I you.... No, I’m not you, I can’t say what I’d do. But think about it. There’s little to lose if she knows that you love her. And lots to gain if she loves you back.” He moved closer to the exit, touching the door as if to bring it close. “Oh, and good taste in gals, son. She’s a real looker.”

The door snapped shut, leaving him in the hollow room once more.

He tossed, he turned, h looked into himself and groaned.

“One moment. That's all it will take. Just one moment to tell her how I feel.”

The house’s doorbell rang.