A Simple Question

by garatheauthor

Rating: teen
Tags: Romance, Princess Cadance, Shining Armor, Sunburst, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 5258

It's funny how complicated they get when they're from ponies you're desperately in love with.

Sunburst has a secret.

He is deeply and utterly in love with Shining Armor and Princess Cadance.

Though, honestly it's probably best that this stays a secret. Shining is a stud and Princess Cadance the most beautiful mare in Equestria. They're way out of his league and happily married.

It's just a bunch of dumb day dreaming and childish fantasies. They couldn't possibly like him like that.

Right?

Proofread by my lovely and utterly fantastic friends Nova Quill and Undome Tinwe .

Cover art was done the fantastic Silfoe, special thanks to her for letting me use it.

"This was a delight to read. Cute and fluffy all the way through.

Also, I appreciate the actual in-character bits and what they did for the story and progression a lot." - Carapace

"I rather enjoyed this one, gar." - Cynewulf

"What is there to say, if you like cute fluffy shipping, then you’ll like this one, and should go read. If you don’t… what’s wrong with you?" - Hopeling's 27/05/2019 Review

"This story was immensely enjoyable, one of the best I've read in quite some time. All the characters were an absolute joy to read, and the chemistry between them was perfect. The only thing that could've made it better is if there was more of it " - Krickis

Published 2019-05-05 17:40:01 UTC
Last updated 2019-05-05 17:40:01 UTC

A Simple Question

It’s funny how a simple question could completely change your life.

“Hey did you ever play Ogres and Oubliettes in high school?” Shining Armor asked.

I looked up from my book, smiling sheepishly.

“Look at me,” I said, rolling my eyes. “Do I honestly look like the kind of guy who was on the hoofball team?”

I certainly did not. I was just a scraggly little unicorn who looked fresh from a wizard-themed LARP. My only sign of masculinity was a little tuft of orangish hair which happened to dangle from the bottom of my yellow chin, and even this was a very fragile piece of evidence. No, I was most assuredly a nerd

He chuckled. “No, but I also don’t look like the type of guy who used to DM a session every weekend.”

“Wait you played?”

“I still do.” He shrugged. “Just not as often.”

I couldn’t quite believe him. Shining Armor played Ogres and Oubliettes? The guy had jock written all over him. He was charismatic, laid-back, had a squared jaw and muscular frame…

Not that I was checking him out or anything.

That would be highly inappropriate, considering that Shining was married to a very beautiful wife and they had a foal together. Hell, he was probably as straight as a Leyline after a few too many teleportation spells.

Still…a guy couldn’t help but wonder.

Sure, Shining was my friend, but somewhere along the line, that friendship might’ve blossomed into a tiny bit of a crush. Just a tiny one, I swear…

Ok I might’ve thought about cuddling him…

And kissing him…

And going out for walks together…

A whistle knocked me from my stupor.

“Equestria to Sunburst, Equestria to Sunburst,” Shining teased.

I shook my head. “Sorry… I uh… nodded off for a second.”

“I can see that.” He tilted his chin towards me. “Were you thinking about something important?”

I looked at him and I couldn’t help but smile. “Yeah, you could say that.”

“Like what?”

I felt my cheeks warm and prayed that my coat obscured the colour.

“Uh…I’m just…uh trying to remember if I returned my library books this morning.”

Shining chuckled. “Does Cadance need to draft a pardon to get you out of late fees?”

I smirked. “I don’t think it’s quite that bad… yet.”

“Anyways back to the point. You played Ogres and Oubliettes, right?”

“Yeah, I’ve done a couple campaigns before. Why?”

He settled down beside me. It might’ve been me, but I swore he sat a little closer than usual. As I breathed in, I could smell him, the rich scent of his coat mingling nicely with the pleasantness of his shampoo.

He waved a hoof towards me. “Well, Cadance has been wanting to play for a while now and I’ve been trying to get together a team to show her the ropes.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, so far I’ve got you and a couple of the guards I play with.”

“Well, I’d love to give it a shot.”

“Sweet. Would you be up for starting a campaign tomorrow?”

“That’d be perfect. We could probably do it after the others get off duty and I finish with my crystalling stuff.”

“I was thinking the same thing. How does seven o’clock sound?”

I nodded. “Good to me.”

He patted me on the back before resting his hoof on my shoulder.

“I can’t wait. We haven’t had a chance to hang out in ages, dude.”

“I know, I know, I’ve just been so busy with…”

“Stuff?”

I nodded. “I feel like Flurry is growing up way faster than I can keep up with.”

He chuckled. “Tell me about it. Though, me and Cadance really appreciate all the work you do. You know that, right?”

“T-thank you.”

His hoof lingered, and honestly, it felt kind of nice. I almost leaned into him, in that moment, but fate wasn’t so kind.

Instead, Shining drew his hoof away and stood up.

“Anyways, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

I nodded. “See you tomorrow, Shining.”

With that he trotted out of the room, leaving me to my studies.

Though I honestly no longer had the focus to conduct them.

Flurry’s babysitter, Amber Lily, laughed when she saw the state I was in.

My hair was frazzled, my glasses cracked, then haphazardly mended with tape, and there was a mysterious bruise developing along my entire left side.

In other words, it was another successful day with Her Majesty.

“Rough day?” she asked.

I shook my head “Business as usual. The poor thing is going through some crazy power fluctuations right now and honestly my manipulations of the Starswirl Matrix are having less and less of an effect on stabilizing her connection to the Celestial…”

The babysitter was an earthpony and her eyes had glazed over after the word ‘business’.

“It took me a little longer to find a spell to help calm her down that usual,” I explained.

“Should we be worried?”

I shook my head. “No, if my books are right, then this is pretty natural. Though, it’ll be a very uncomfortable next couple of months.” I shot Flurry a look. “For everyone involved.”

Flurry blinked before breaking out into a fit of snorting giggles.

This was my weakness and my expression soon softened.

“Well I’ll take her from here and you can run along and climb into a nice warm bath,” Amber said.

“I actually have plans.”

Her ears perked up. “Ohhhh? What’s going on?”

“Oh uh, Shining invited me to his game night with Cadance and a few friends.”

She smirked knowingly. “Oh, I didn’t know they were going through with that tonight?”

“With their game night?”

Her expression turned coy. “Sure, let’s go with that.”

My gaze narrowed. “What do you know?”

“Oh nothing.” She waved her hoof ”Have fun with your game night.”

“Amber…”

“Look, I’ve been sworn to secrecy on these matters, Sunburst. Cadance threatened to put my head on a pike if I spilled the beans.”

I lifted an eyebrow. “Did she now?”

“Well…no, but she did say she’d be very cross.”

My own lips turned up in a coy grin. “Would some chocolate help loosen your lips?”

She faked a gasp. “Are you trying to bribe a member of the royal staff?”

“Maybe I am.”

“I could report you for that.”

“But you won’t.”

She was silent for a moment.

“Come on Amber, you know you want to,” I teased.

“Well I guess I could let one little detail slide if you promise me a box of chocolates.”

I smirked. “Deal.”

She nodded and trotted over, leaning close to my ear.

“I have it on good authority,” she whispered. “That both Shining and Cadance will be present tonight.”

As she drew back, I huffed loudly and glared at her.

“You liar,” I said.

“What?! Was that not one little detail?”

“I already knew that one, though.”

“Well you should’ve been more specific with which information you wanted.”

“Come on,” I whined. “Give me something I can work with here.”

She rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to Flurry.

“No, I’m not spoiling Cadance’s surprise.”

Cadance was planning a surprise?

I swallowed hard.

“Alright, alright,” I said. “See you again soon?”

“See you again soon.” She turned and grinned at me. “And don’t forget my box of chocolates.”

I stood at the door to the royal chambers, resting my hoof upon the ornate metal of the knocker. I had yet to announce myself and there were no guard to do it for me.

What exactly was Cadance planning?

Maybe this was going to be a blind date type of situation. After all, some of the guards were going to be there, and me and her had talked about boys in the past. So, she knew I was looking.

What a great first impression, getting to see me dork out over O&O.

I scraped my hoof against the metal, feeling butterfly churn in my stomach. Oh gods, was I actually going to go through with this?

You promised Shining. Are you honestly going to back out?

I knocked loudly.

Of course not. There was no way I was going to do that to him.

I stood there in silence, waiting anxiously for the door to open.

Maybe they weren’t home.

These illogical hopes were dashed as the door creaked open and Cadance peered into the hall.

She practically beamed at the sight of me. “Sunburst! I’m so glad you could make it.”

I grinned nervously. “Me too.”

She examined me for a few seconds, probably taking note of my less than ideal state.

“Rough day at work?” she asked.

“Business as usual.”

The door opened a bit more, giving me a chance to slip into the royal chambers.

They were like an apartment within the middle of the castle, consisting of seven rooms which could accommodate all the needs of modern living. I had been here many times before and knew the layout like the bottom of my hoof.

As I saw Cadance, I noticed just how casual she looked tonight. Instead of her prim and proper appearance, in royal regalia, she had instead let her hair down and now wore a bulky loose-fitted T-shirt. It was a warm pink and read, “Best Princess”, with a picture of Flurry Heart under the text.

Now, I had to admit something. I was like ninety-five percent sure I was gay.

But that last five percent? Well that five percent was occupied by a special place in my heart for Cadance.

I mean I could understand the physical aspect easily enough. She was the Princess of Love, the very embodiment of attraction, intimacy, and closeness. There wasn’t a single flaw in her appearance and she moved with an air of confidence. She was the most beautiful mare in the world and she knew it.

However, there was more to my feelings for her. Over my last year of working with her, we’d gotten close and I had the opportunity to see a side that few ever got to witness. I knew her kindness extended far beyond mere duties, and this was a warmth she would give to friends and strangers alike. Along with this, she was a blast to talk to, never allowing a conversation to wither away from disinterest. Plus, she had a hidden dorkiness which was reserved for only those she was closest to, myself included.

I sighed softly.

Cadance’s ears perked up and I instantly regretted what I had just done.

As she turned to face me, there was a glimmer in her eye, a resolve to tackle whatever issue plagued me.

“What’s his name?” she asked.

I swallowed hard. “What?”

“I know that sigh, you’re having trouble with a stallion.”

“N-no I’m not.”

“Droopy ears, cute little frown, even cuter sigh. Is it one of my guards?”

I flushed. “Maybe?”

“What’s his name?”

“Uh…”

Think Sunburst, think!

“Rampart Glllaaaaare.”

Cadance winced. “I’m so sorry, hun. I’ve got some bad news for you.”

“Oh no.”

“He’s straight.”

I nearly sighed in relief, but instead, faked a whimper.

“Noooo.”

She reached over with a wing, draping it across my back and squeezing me tight.

“But don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll find yourself somepony pretty soon.” She grinned coyly. “I’m almost sure of it.”

My gaze narrowed. “What are you up too?”

“Oh nothing…Just getting ready to enjoy some O&O with my two favourite boys.”

She pulled her wing away and pranced ahead.

“Oh, by the way there’s been a slight change of plans,” she said.

“What happened?”

“Well, Gleaming Sabre and Arcing Mace couldn’t make it, so it’s just going to be you, me, and Shiny tonight. Is that ok?”

I swallowed hard. “Oh?”

“Yeah they had some guard stuff to do.”

I cocked an eyebrow. “And why wasn’t Shining asked to help?”

Cadance paused and I noticed her cheeks warm. She was caught like a filly with her hoof in the cookie jar.

“Well…it was uh…something to do with their squadron that needed attending to. Nothing serious enough to require Shining’s attention.” She nodded assuredly. “Yep that’s the official reason and I’m sticking with it”

Like I said, she was a bit of a dork, and I absolutely loved her for it.

I rolled my eyes. “Sure. Though, quick question?”

“What’s up?”

“Are we honestly only playing with 2 characters?”

“Oh no, Shining’s joining us for this campaign.”

“Wait, then who's DMing?”

There was a mischievous glint in her eye. “Oh, you’ll see in a second.”

We passed through a second set of doors, leading into the apartment’s den. In the centre of the room was a coffee table with two ponies seated at it.

The first was Shining Armor. He looked pretty relaxed at the moment, with a prevalent 5 o’clock shadow colouring his complexion and his shaggy mane tied back into a stallionbun. Currently, he was occupied with taking a sip from a bottle of craft beer. At least, I thought it was a craft beer. I certainly had never heard of the brand before.

It was the pony across from him who really caught my eye though.

It was Twilight Sparkle. She was laughing at a joke I’d been too late to hear. Unlike Shining and Cadance, she still held onto an air of professionalism, with her mane properly styled, coat well groomed, and a golden pendant hanging around her neck. It was like she’d been told to dress for some special occasion.

In front of her were a glass of red wine, a notebook, a bag of dice, and a plethora of other dungeon master accessories.

Dear gods, Cadance wasn’t trying to…

Twilight looked over and beamed. “Sunburst, I’m so glad you could make it.”

Oh no, she was trying to hook me up with Twilight.

It made sense…kind of. After all, I had once admitted that I held a certain… fondness for Twilight. Maybe she misinterpreted that as me feeling something greater than a deep friendship. Plus, I had never really confirmed that I was gay. Well, mostly gay. Maybe she thought I was bi for the right mares? There was a certain kernel of truth to that.

This was a disaster. I didn’t have the spine to break it to Twilight.

I held in a sigh, doing my best not to trigger Cadance’s keen sense of relationship distress.

What to do, what to do? Just…I don’t know. Play the game, drop a few hints that you’re into stallions, and uh…hope she takes them?

Seemed better than Plan B; bolt out of the room, abandon the Crystal Empire, and return to being a hermit.

“Well hey, I couldn’t possibly say no,” I stammered. “After all, I haven’t played since I was going out with my last stallionfriend.”

Ok, maybe laying it on a little thick there, Sunburst.

“How long ago was that?” Shining asked.

“About 6 years ago?”

Cadance frowned. “Oh no, you poor thing, you’ve been single for six years?”

“I mean it’s not that bad. I’ve got a lot of great friends to keep me company.”

Her frown softened. “Still, I hate seeing a pony without their special somepony…” A coy smile emerged “…or someponies.”

Her gaze lingered upon me and I was speechless. There was a playfulness in her eye that I had never felt before. It was almost…intimate.

It was Shining who rescued me from getting lost in those eyes.

“Can I get you anything to drink, Burst?” he asked.

I reluctantly looked away from Cadance and towards him. “Do you have any…”

“Rye?”

I chuckled softly. “How did you know?”

“You only get it every time we get drinks, dude. I swear it’s all you ever have.”

I shrugged. “Reminds me of home.”

His magic drifted into a nearby cabinet, fishing out a bottle of Canterlot Club. He poured a nice splash into an awaiting rock glass, offering it to me.

I took a sip, feeling the edge peeling away.

“So how did crystalling go?” Twilight asked.

I walked over and took a seat at the table, placing my glass upon it.

“It was an interesting day,” I said, rolling my hoof.

“How much damage did she do?” Shining joked.

“Less than last week.”

Cadance grinned. “Oh, she’s getting better then.”

“Give it a couple more months and we’ll be past the worst of it.”

I then nodded at Twilight. “So, you can DM?”

“Yeah, I can.” She beamed at Shining. “I had the best teacher possible.”

Shining waved his hoof dismissively. “You picked it up pretty much on your own. I was only good for a few pointers.”

“Oh, you deserve way more credit than that, Shiny. If it wasn’t for you, my dungeons would be full of…”

“Book stealing goblins?”

She snickered. “Pretty much.”

Twilight’s horn glowed and she pulled out a couple of player cards, placing them on the table.

“Alright,” she said. “I want Shining to sit on the left, Sunburst in the middle, and Cadance on the right.”

Shining and I looked at each other before we stood up and switched places. Soon, Cadance joined us, taking a seat on my right.

It felt a little strange being between them, though neither seemed to mind.

Twilight nodded, sliding each of us a player card.

“Since Shining told me this was Cadance’s first game I thought I’d take the liberty of drafting your player cards. I hope no one minds.”

Cadance shook her head. “Not at all. To be honest I haven’t had a chance to really read the rulebook yet.”

“I thought I lent you my copy,” Shining said.

Cadance grinned sheepishly. “You did.”

I snickered softly. “Heavy read?”

“Like you wouldn’t believe. It’s all numbers and status effects and yadda yadda yadda. I just want to roll dice and hit stuff.”

Twilight beamed. “Oh, then I made a good choice with your class.”

Cadance looked at her player card. “Barbarian?” She smiled wide. “I like the sound of that.”

I scanned my player card. “Paladin? Not my usual build but I’ll take it.” I nodded to Shining. “What did you get?”

He smirked, cocking a brow at Twilight. “Warrior with the Knight Background. Twilly, you know the point of roleplaying is to be somepony else, right?”

She dismissively waved a hoof. “Phhh, the similarities are purely superficial.”

Shining nodded. “Well then, I’m going to play him as Lawful Evil.”

Twilight’s eye twitched. “That’s perfectly…acceptable!”

“You don’t mind?”

“Not one…bit.” She aggressively cleared her throat. “Is everyone else ok with their characters?”

All three of us nodded in unison.

“Alright then, let’s get this adventure started.”

Twilight cleared her throat as she flipped open her notebook.

“Our adventure begins like so many tales before, with a round of drinks being shared in the tavern of a small village.”

We watched in horror as a centaur reared up its hindlegs, kicking Cadance clean in the head and sending her flying through the air.

“Holy shit!” Shining Armor shouted.

Cadance thudded against the ground nearly thirty metres away, her body tumbling into a now motionless heap, with only the shallow breathing of her chest revealing that she was still alive.

Shining himself was not in the best condition as the beast’s mace had cleaved a hole clean through his armour, inflicting an agonizing wound.

Still, he was in the fight.

“I’m going to charge,” he yelled at me before rushing ahead.

I watched him dive at the monster and…

The dice was rolled, clattering upon the table.

It was a 7.

The beast sidestepped and Shining flew right by him, missing by a mile.

“Gods Twilight, why do all your campaigns have such awful balancing,” Shining growled.

Twilight glared at him. “This monster has been modified to accommodate for a level one campaign. Don’t blame me for your bad dice rolls.”

It was now the monster’s turn to strike as Twilight rolled some dice behind her cardboard protector. She winced at the results, looking pitifully at Shining

The centaur swung back its mace and I watched in horror as it arched down, pulverizing Shining right into the ground. His body went limp, his armour crashing hard against the cobblestone path.

Still, the blow was only enough to leave him unconscious.

I was alone, just me and the centaur. My sabre crackled with latent magical energy, though its power had been weakened with only a single meagre spell slot remaining. After this, it’d be nothing more than a glorified hunk of steel.

A growl rumbled in the back of my throat as I thrust the blade outwards, aiming it right for the monster’s torso.

“I cast fireball,” I exclaimed.

I picked up the die and frantically shook it, letting it fly across the table. It bounced across and came to a stop right against Twilight’s cardboard divider.

We all gathered around, peering down at the natural 20.

I breathed a sigh of relief as my spell collided with the centaur, igniting its fur.

The monster screamed in agony, patting itself frantically to try and do away with the flames. It was too preoccupied with its own survival, meaning that it could not return my attack.

Instead, I rushed forward, my blade grasped in my mouth. As I reached the monster, I leapt through the air and swung hard, attempting to deliver a killing strike.

The die clattered again, this time revealing a far more modest twelve.

Still, it was enough for the blade to sink in, and as my damage die drew a six, it was a hefty wound.

One which managed to bring the centaur to its knees before falling onto its face. Its body now motionless, still smouldering from the embers which clung to its dead fur.

“Holy crap,” I muttered, sinking deeper into my chair for comfort.

I grasped my glass of rye, draining the rest in one powerful sip.

“Want another one?” Shining asked.

I was already at three so I shook my head. “No thanks.”

Cadance leaned over and draped her forelegs around me, pulling me into a crushing hug.

“That was incredible!” she squealed, planting a kiss on my cheek. “How can I ever repay you?”

I warmed at the kiss, instantly losing the ability to form coherent thoughts.

“I…uh…um…”

Shining snickered. “You broke him, babe.”

“Did not.”

“Did too.”

As Cadance drew away, Shining draped a foreleg over my shoulder, giving me a friendly little squeeze.

“She’s right though. What you did was….it was awesome. That thing was kicking our asses and you just annihilated it in one turn. We owe you one.”

Cadance leaned in, grinning with a familiar little glint in her eye.

“Tell me,” she said. “What does your Paladin Oath say about sharing a tent with a Barbarian princess?”

Once again, my blush nearly overwhelmed me. “Well, I uh…” I looked at Twilight. “Help?”

She snickered and shook her head. “As far as I’m aware there are no rules against it.”

Shining smirked in a very similar manner to Cadance. “Maybe I’ll join you two. After all, Sunburst deserves a good night’s rest after pulling off something like that.”

I was speechless, my reddened face threatening to ignite from the heat.

“We should go out and get dinner sometime,” Cadance said absentmindedly.

“W-what?”

“You know, when we get back to the village? Killing monsters makes a mare hungry.”

I chuckled. “Oh, yeah, of course.”

“What did you think I meant?”

“N-nothing.”

Shining looked at Cadance, and Cadance back at Shining, the two of them sharing some subconscious connection that was beyond the comprehension of mere bachelors.

Twilight cleared her throat. “Now with that encounter finished, what would you like to do?”

I swallowed hard, attempting to regain a degree of composure. “The first thing I’d like to do is check on my teammates to see if they're alright.”

Twilight nodded, looking to Cadance and Shining Armor. “How are you two doing?”

“I’m alive,” Cadance growled, clutching at her midsection.

Shining merely groaned, interrupting his pain with a sip of beer.

Twilight nodded. “They are alive. What next?”

I grinned. “Let’s loot this son of a bitch.”

We returned to the tavern, burdened by a fresh bounty of treasure and weapons. If sold, they would fetch a nice amount of silver and gold. However, such things could wait until morning.

The innkeeper noticed us, seeming to study our weathered state. We were very much worse for wear.

Cadance sported a puffy black eye.

Shining’s plate mail was dented and torn in several places.

As for myself, I walked with a limp, the product of a failed athletics check.

However, we were alive.

“Is it done?” The innkeeper asked.

I nodded, placing the head of Baron Blueblood upon the table. “It is.”

He studied the dead stallion’s features for a moment, examining every little contour of his horrified expression. When content with his identity he then reached under the table and produced a small bag of bits.

“Your bounty,” he said.

We looked at it for a moment before Shining scooped it up. Together we then limped towards a distant table.

Our adventure would end the same way it began, with a round of drinks.

Twilight drew back from her notebook, flipping it closed. “How was that for a first session?”

Cadance grinned. “That was so much fun. We have to do this again sometime.”

Shining nodded towards his sister. “You’re getting pretty good, Twily.”

“Eh, I can’t take all the credit. I’ve been helping Spike pick up the game and he’s had a lot of really great world building pointers.” She nodded at me. “Did you have fun, Sunburst?”

“Yeah, loads.” I looked first at Shining and then at Cadance. “I had a lot of fun spending time…er playing with you two.”

Shining leaned over, placing a hoof on my shoulder.

It felt nice.

“Hey, we enjoy hanging out with you too,” he said.

Cadance nodded. “We should do it more often. I feel like all we ever do is bug you with work.”

“Oh no no no, I love spending time with Flurry.”

Shining smirked. “You’re pretty much like a second dad to her.”

I sighed. “Oh, I wouldn’t go that far…”

Cadance frowned. “Is something the matter, Sunburst?”

I love you two immensely and I don’t know how to express that?

I faked a grin. “Everything’s fine. Just a little tired is all. Crystalling will do that to you.”

Cadance looked at Twilight. “Hey Twi, I think Flurry might be done napping if you want to visit her.”

Twilight beamed. “I’d love to.”

She bounced to her hooves, quickly using her magic to pack up her DM kit.

“I’ll be right back,” she said before skipping out of the room.

This left me alone with both Cadance and Shining.

“I think we should talk,” Cadance said.

I sighed. “Me too.”

“Do you want to go first or should we?”

“You can go first.”

She nodded and offered me a sympathetic smile.

“As the Princess of Love, I’ve been bestowed with … a gift to sense when a pony is in love, and to determine who the product of their affection is. It’s a power I don’t often like to abuse, since I believe ponies should be given their own independence in these affairs. However…”

I warmed, knowing what was about to come.

“However, I’ve noticed that you’ve been radiating a lot of love vibes lately. Like, an incredible amount, and I can’t help but notice that they’re directed at Shining…” She gestured to him before drawing her hoof to her own chest. “And myself.”

I swallowed hard. “O-oh…”

Should’ve run while you had the chance, Sunburst.

Shining cleared his throat, trying to offer his warmest smile. “We aren’t mad or anything. So, don’t think we’re scolding you.”

Cadance nodded in agreement. “As I see it, there are a few things we can do. First…”

“I’ll pack up my bags,” I said, feelings tears form.

Cadance’s eyes widened.

"I’ll pack my bags,” I repeated. “I’ll be gone by tomorrow evening.”

“No, you won’t,” Shining said. “At least, not until we’ve talked about this like adults.”

“W-what?”

Cadance shook her head. “We’d prefer to have you in our lives, Sunburst. You’re important to the two of us and you mean the world to Flurry Heart. We’d hate to see you go.”

Shining nodded in agreement, resting his hoof on mine. I didn’t try to pull it away, instead allowing him to keep it there. Soon it was joined by Cadance’s as she held my other hoof.

“Like I was saying,” Cadance said. “I see two options here.”

“What are they?” I asked.

“First, we can try and move on from this and attempt to maintain our friendship. It might be a little awkward at first, but in my experience, broken hearts do eventually mend.”

Broken hearts? Would there be more than one?

I nodded. “And option two?”

Cadance squeezed my hoof gently. “We love you, Sunburst. Shining and I greatly value the time we get to spend together and the friendship we’ve built. If you’d like to take the chance. Maybe we could explore…deepening our relationship?”

“Deepening our relationship?”

Shining nodded. “Have you heard the term…polygamy before?”

“Polyamory,” Cadance corrected. “That’s the more woke term.”

Shining grinned sheepishly. “Sorry babe, still new to this stuff.”

“It’s ok.” She turned her attention to me. “Shining and I have been talking about this for the last couple of weeks and we’d like to bring you into our relationship. As I said, I cherish our time together and…and I’d love to get more intimate with you. I’d like the chance to share my love with another partner.”

“So, would I,” Shining added. “And I couldn’t honestly think of a better stallion to do it with.”

“I thought you were straight,” I blurted out, covering my mouth in an instant.

However, the words were already out there.

He snorted. “Not even a little bit. I don’t talk about it much but…I’m bi. I just haven’t had much of a chance to explore the other half of my identity.”

“Huh?”

They both wanted to be with me…

Huh.

Maybe the gods were kind after all.

Cadance offered me a warm smile. “So, would you be interested in that kind of relationship, Sunburst? I know it isn’t exactly conventional, but both me and Shining would love to take the chance with you.”

“I’d…I’d like to give it a shot, that’s for sure.” I swallowed hard. “Would there be any hard feelings if I decided that I didn’t like it?”

“Of course not,” Shining said. “If it works, then great. If it doesn’t, then we’re still really good friends and that’s ok.”

I nodded. “Then let’s do it.”

Cadance squealed as she practically vibrated in her seat.

Shining grinned. “Glad to hear it, Burst. So…are you free for dinner next Friday?”

It’s funny how a simple question can completely change your life.

Author's Note

This fic was originally one of six or so project I worked on over the course of Nano2018 and I really wanted to get it done in time for Everfree 2019, since I wanted something fresh and recent to talk about on a panel.

By the way! I am going to be on a panel called, Writing LGBT Characters with LGBT Authors, which will be from 6:45-7:45PM on Saturday and will feature myself, Heartshine, Cynewulf, Rose Quill, and Vivid Syntax. I really hope to see some of you there.

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