After the incident of that night, Blueblood had suddenly decided to take a "vacation" at one of his summer villas, affording Shine some peace and quiet. Shine was not exactly sure why Blueblood just left like he did, but he had a feeling when Luna told him the news that she might had a part in his 'departure'. Either way, Shine was glad to not have to deal with him for a while.

The words of encouragement that Celestia gave him had given him a new sense of confidence, and the feelings for her that he had tried to deny had magnified greatly, though still not enough for him to act on those feelings. However, he had resolved to somehow repay her for her act of kindness.

One morning, about a week after his and Celestia's talk, Shine left his room to find the servants rushing back and forth.

"What's going on here?" He asked Constell as she trotted by.

"Aunt Cadance is coming to visit today." Constell smiled. "The servants are getting her suite ready."

Shine had heard of the Crystal Princess many times before, but never dreamed he would actually get to meet her. He seem to be on a roll when it came to meeting royalty.

Constell glanced out of a window.

"Here she comes!" She called. "Come on, let's go!"

Constell dashed down the corridor, Shine following suit.

A crystal carriage pulled into the castle grounds. As Shine followed Constell outside, he saw that Celestia, Luna and Gothic were already there. Acknowledging Shine's presence, Celestia gave him a smile that made his stomach flip.

Cadance emerged from the carriage.

"Aunt Celestia, Aunt Luna!" Cadance greeted, giving her aunts a hug.

"Aunt Cadance!" Constell smiled as she went up to hug Cadance.

"Hello, Constell! My, you are growing up into a fine lady!" Cadance mused.

"Greetings, Cadance, I hope your trip has been fair." Gothic nodded.

"It has. Thank you, Gothic." Cadance smiled.

She then turned her gaze on Shine.

"Hello there." She smiled. "I had never seen you around here before."

"This is Shine Paladin." Constell introduced him. "He's staying with us for a while."

"It's an honor, your majesty." Shine bowed.

"The honor is all mine." Cadance chuckled.

"We will be having tea shortly, would you care to join us, Shine?" Celestia asked.

"Sure." Shine instantly replied, before following up nervously, "That is, if Princess Cadance doesn't mind, of course."

"Not at all. The more the merrier." Cadance chuckled.

Before long, they were all sat in the dining room, enjoying some tea, and relaying the story of how Shine had arrived at the castle.

"Quite an entrance." Cadance chuckled. "I only can think of one other pegasi who would go flying in such a terrible storm."

"What can I say?" Shine joked. "I like to make a lasting first impression."

"Too bad for the royal gardener, though." Celestia followed up, as the two both laughed in unison, much to Cadance's amusement.

"So…forgive me for asking, but where did the name Paladin come from?" Cadance asked. "It's just that the name itself seems very unique."

"You're not the first." Shine chuckled. "You see, I descend from a family of war horses on my father's side. There's always been this tradition of naming all the boys by titles. My father was White Knight, his father was Ivory Templar, my great-grandpa was Bold Champion, and then there's my ancestor, Aurora Paragon. All of them pegasi, all of them heroes of wars."

"Fascinating." Celestia smirked. "It's no wonder you fit in so well with the Royal Guard. You practically have the blood of a noble knight."

"Oh I wouldn't go that far." Shine shrugged, trying to hide his blush, but Cadance noticed.

"What about Paladin?" Cadance questioned. "What exactly does that name mean?"

"Well, according to my pa, he said paladins were knights meant to defend what they believe in to the very end." Shine gave them a small smile. "Heh, the funny thing is, I'm not cut out for knighthood or any army for that matter. I prefer being just a farmer pony."

"If it's any consolation, I think you would had made a fine knight." Celestia smiled, taking a sip of tea, not noticing the blush that was becoming more profound on Shine's cheeks.

Cadance certainly noticed, though. She smiled lightly as she sipped her tea.

"That's an interesting locket you're wearing." She noted. "Where did you get it?"

"Oh… my father gave it to me." Shine said quietly.

"And may I ask what's inside?" Cadance asked.

"I, ah... I'd prefer to keep that to myself for now... sorry." Shine mumbled.

"Oh." Cadance saw the pained look on Shine's face. "Say no more."

After the tea had been drunk, Cadance approached Shine while Celestia left to attend to other matters.

"Hey, Shine…I hoped I hadn't upset you earlier when I asked about the locket." She said.

"That's okay." Shine replied. "It's just... personal stuff, that's all. I'm not usually comfortable sharing personal matters with other ponies."

"I understand." Cadance smiled. "You must be something special for my aunts to hold you in such esteem."

"They do?" Shine gasped.

"Sure they do." Cadance chuckled. "I can tell."

"Oh…I never realized that." Shine said quietly. He knew the princesses liked him, but holding him in high esteem? "They really have been good to me, given my situation. I should do something to thank them."

"Well, what's stopping you?" Cadance urged.

"Point taken." Shining smiled, immediately getting an idea. "Please excuse me, Cadance, I have some things to do before dinner tonight. See you then"

And with that, Shine dashed off, leaving Cadance a tad perplexed.

That evening, the royal family went on their way to the dining room.

"Has anypony seen Shine?" Celestia asked. "I haven't seen hide nor hoof of him since our morning teatime."

"Neither have I." Cadance shrugged.

"Hey, do you smell something?" Constell asked, sniffing the air.

As they entered the room, they saw Shine already there. The table was set with food they were not familiar with, and an old-fashioned gramophone stood on a nearby chair.

"Ah, right on time." Shine smiled.

"Where have you been all day?" Luna asked.

"And what's going on here?" Constell added.

"Well, y'all had been very kind to me ever since I came here and I just thought I should thank you all for your hospitality." Shine smiled. "Since I had been telling you about Dodge Junction, I figured I'd treat you all to the finest foods found only in Dodge Junction! Luckily, your castle's kitchen happened to have a ton of cherries, so I present to you all the fine cherry-based delicacies made from Cherry Hill Ranch, from the classic cherry pie to chimicherrychangas."

"Chimi... chechon... what?" Constell blurted.

"Come on, everpony." Shine smiled. "Take a seat."

The royal ponies sat down, with Shine joining moments later. They tried the dishes before them (Some more hesitantly then others).

"Well?" Shine asked. "What do you think?"

"This is..." Luna said silently, before lighting up with glee, "...Delicious!"

"Mmm." Constell licked her lips. "These chi... cherr... whatever, taste great!"

"The cherry pie isn't half bad, either." Gothic added.

"I can attest to that." Cadance smiled.

"You are quite the cook, Shine." Celestia complimented.

"Thanks." Shine hid another blush. "Ms. Jubilee taught me how to cook. However, it was Cadance who gave me the idea to do all this."

"Not the whole idea." Cadance said humbly. "This was all Shine."

"Let's hear it for Shine, then!" Constell cheered.

The royal family toasted Shine with their glasses of cherry punch. The Pegasi beamed happily.

After the food was eaten, Shine walked over to the gramophone.

"What's this, Shine?" Celestia asked.

"Back home, we usually work off a big meal with an old-fashioned hoedown, dancing to the music of Big Red's old gramophone." Shine smirked. "I was looking through the rehearsal hall in the castle and found this pretty old number collecting dust." He started cranking the machine to life. "So, who's up for a little dance?"

"I am!" Constell leapt out of her chair, moving in sync with the honkytonk tune.

"Sounds absolutely fun!" Cadance smiled, "I hadn't danced for a long time!"

"Shall we, dear?" Gothic offered a hoof.

"We shall." Luna took the hoof, and they began dancing too.

Seeing the couple dancing, Shine looked over at Celestia, and, summoning up a bit of courage, he extended a hoof to her.

"May I have this dance, Princess?" He asked.

Celestia glanced at Shine's hoof and at Shine, giving her that sincere smile that seem to make her melt, as she gave a small blush.

"I don't know…" She said nervously. "I am not the best when it comes to dancing."

"Oh, there's nothing to it, Celestia!" Shine encouraged. "Just raise your hoof and sway to the music!"

"Alright, if you insist…" Celestia nodded as she began to dance alongside him.

The alicorn wasn't lying when she said she wasn't a very experienced dancer, but seeing how well Shine did it, she decided to follow Shine's lead, the two dancing side by side.

"There ya go! Told you there was nothing to it!" Shine cheered.

"Thank you. You too dance exceptionally w-whoa!" Celestia began to trip forward due to a misstep, and would had fallen…had not Shine quickly caught her with his hooves. The two looked at each other for a moment, as both of them blushed profusely, feeling as if a surge of electricity was running through them.

Quickly breaking the awkward moment, Shine sheepishly chuckled, "Careful there. Wouldn't want to trip, would ya?" He then lifted Celestia back up to normal height.

Following his example, Celestia gave a weak smile, "Of course. Thank you for the save."

Watching from the sidelines, the others watched in amusement. Constell gave a small giggle, her father joining her with a hearty laugh. Luna and Cadance, however, both gave a wry smile, exchanging a knowing glance with each other.

All too soon, the festivities drew to a close, and the next morning, Cadance prepared to return to the Crystal Empire.

"It was wonderful to meet you, Shine." She smiled.

"The feeling's likewise, princess." Shine beamed.

"Give my best to Shining Armor." Celestia declared.

"Say hi to cousin Anthem for me!" Constell added.

"Here, let me help you with your luggage." Luna offered.

As Luna travelled to the carriage, she leaned in conspiratorially.

"So, Cadance…" She whispered, "What do you think? I know you sensed something between my sister and Shine last night."

"Indeed I did." Cadance nodded.

"So…what is your opinion on them?" Luna asked. "Given that you are the Princess of Love and all.".

"Well, I do sense something between those two." Cadance smiled. "Something very special that I haven't sensed in a long time."

"That's excellent to hear." Luna nodded, "Seems like my plan is working like a charm."

"I'll see you all again soon. Do tell me how it goes between those two." Cadance winked at Luna as she stepped onto the carriage.

The carriage soon departed northward to the Crystal Empire, leaving Luna with a satisfied smirk on her face. Gothic soon joined her side.

"What was that all about, dear?" He asked suspiciously.

"Oh nothing, love. Just an innocent chat with my niece." Luna lied.

"Uh-huh." Gothic said, not believing it, giving a mischievous grin. "I know that look. What are you up to, my sneaky mare?"

"All in due time, dear. All in due time…" Luna returned with a sly grin of her own.