Shining Armor looked out the window, watching his beloved board the pastry shaped train. Being new to the throne didn’t mean they could shirk duties whenever they felt tired. Even after the whole debacle with King Sombra and his little sister’s coronation, there was still much to be done. The Equestrian Games were well under way to be staged in Ponyville, and the stadium was coming along quite nicely. Shining Armor kept training the guards to be the best they possibly could be; that is to say, a little better than average. Their crystalline nature definitely helped block attacks, but their offense had much, much to improve on. That and their recurring cowardice meant they had much, much to improve. He understood that it was going to take some time to get their morale and courage up, seeing as what happened with Sombra. That didn’t mean it wasn’t frustrating.
Cadence was going to meet the Equestrian Council, in an attempt to find a proper ambassador for the kingdom so they didn’t have to leave like this all the time. Letters only worked so well. Knowing Cadence, she’d probably find somepony but end up setting the poor sap with ‘their true love!’ Shining giggled at the happy memories.
As he watched, The Temptation fell upon him again. A temptation as old as he was. For as long as he could remember, he held a secret passion - so secret, even his beloved Alicorn princess did not know of it. And now, he was in no danger of being caught in the act. Cadence was gone for the week, and nopony dared enter without knocking first.
Just to be careful, Shining locked the door. He didn’t want to take any chances. He turned around and looked at the wardrobe beside the bed. It was a large, wooden wardrobe, and held both of their clothes inside. His were on the left, hers were on the right. He stared at the doors, pondering his actions.
Am I really going to do this? He thought to himself. Yes, yes I am. I can do this. There’s no one around. Just open it. Just - open it.
Oh, it had been too long. He still felt that rush of taboo that drove him so long ago. A rush that needed abated the more he put it off. He pulled open the right door. His vision was bombarded with pink, white frills and silky materials. Floral patterns and light blue swimwear danced around his vision as he gazed in their beauty. He reached out and dared to touch one. The smooth fabric beneath his hoof sends shivers down his spine. Oooh, this is going to be nice...
Unable to hold it off any longer, he pulled a dress out from the wardrobe. He recognized it as the one she wore to their wedding. With a swish of blue magic, the dress settled onto his back like a feather on a pond. He shivered in pleasure as the tail of the dress touched his flanks. Shining continued on, clasping the front neckline around his own neck as he had done for the owner of the dress before their wedding. His arousal growing by the second, he felt himself unsheathing. He looked in the mirror.
The dress hid his stallionhood well, but he still looked like a stallion wearing a dress. Shining levitated some hair clips, gel, eyelash, and eyeliner. He was going to look Fabulous. He spread and smoothed out all of his matted hair into a more feminine shape, and his eyes were plucked to give them more mare-like lashes. Ten minutes later, he no longer looked like a stallion. He smelled like one, certainly, but a pony without a sense of smell would think he was a mare more than he was a stallion. The smell was easily fixed by a quick spray of perfume over his body.
He looked back into the mirror, his eyes mesmerized by the sight. Where a burly white stallion once stood was now a pristine, opal mare. He giggled at the sight, feeling the weight of his large stallionhood twitch. Shining planned on dealing with his ‘problem’ eventually; but first, he wanted to walk around a bit. Their bedroom was rather large - not too unexpected when you are living in a castle as Prince and Princess - and was more than suitable for him to have some fun in. He grabbed a feather duster and pretended to be a sexy maid, dusting the shelves and shaking his ass like a good little mare.
This was the most fun he'd had since becoming Prince of an empire. His ears twitched at a small, faint sound. He heard the jangle of keys, his heartbeat pounding faster and faster. Somepony's coming! His first instinct was to hide. But where?! There was no place for him to fit! His second option was to throw the dress off and act as if nothing happened. With a bit more time, it might have been feasible, but a few short agonizing seconds wasn't enough time.
He could do nothing but stare in horror as the door as it opened and the pony on the other side walked in. He lowered his head in shame at the sight of the one pony he was most nervous to reveal his secret to.
Princess Cadence. Silence permeated the air between the two of them. Eventually, after what felt like an eternity, Cadence walked past him and over to her desk. A small stack of papers floated above her head in a lovely glow. Shining dared not look up.
"Maid, I appreciate your sense of fashion, but I would appreciate it more if you asked before trying on my clothes." Cadence spoke calmly. Shining squeaked in embarrassment. "I can't find Shining anywhere. Have you seen him at all?"
Did she really not see past his poor mare disguise? Better keep it safe by not speaking. He shook his head no. "That’s a shame. I was going to see if he wanted to come with. I suppose you wouldn't want to come, would you?"
Shining tensed in fear. No, no, no, no, no! That would be catastrophic! His secret would be out, he was sure of it! He was incredibly surprised that his own Wife didn't recognize him. By small miracle, he had disguised himself well enough. He wouldn't be able to keep that up for a weekend, not by a long shot.
He shook his head again. "You know what," Cadence spoke "I think you should. It'll do you some good to get out of the Crystal Empire once a millennium. Maid, you are henceforth the official Crystal Empire Scribe for the duration of my trip.”
Shining could not be any more scared than he was right then. His worst fears were coming true! His secret was unraveling before his eyes and there was nothing he could do to stop it!
Princess Cadence walked out of the room, shutting the door behind her. Shining just stood there, weighing his options. On one hoof, his secret could be revealed. ON the other, it didn’t seem to be out yet. It would be considered treason to go against the Princesses wishes if he was to disguise himself as a simple maid who just got a bit dress happy. In order to keep up with his cover, he was going to have to go with her. His heart wrapped in weights, he made his way to the door and opened it, following the pristine princess down the castle hall.
At least she didn’t seem to recognize him. Shining Armor was dreading the venture he was about to go on.
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Princess Cadence stared at her husband. Thoughts raced through her mind. Why was he in her wedding dress? Did he have clips in his hair? What was going on?! Waves of emotions she couldn't place raced through her mind. Eventually, those thoughts subsided, and focused more on her husband and his emotions. This was clearly something he hadn't wanted to get out, and now that it was, he was extremely fearful of her reaction. The stallions head hung low, so he couldn't make out his face (even though she knew quite well whose it was). His feet were practically shaking in fear. Grinning to herself, she came up with an idea. Take him with her! It’ll be so much fun! With a bit more elegance, she could make it so nopony could recognize him at all.
As calmly as she could keep her voice, she asked him if ‘she’ wanted to go with her to the Canterlot Castle.(going along with his feather duster, she called him "maid" and left it at that). She left the answer up to him, and walked out of the room. She smiled softly as the door creaked open and heavy footsteps followed her from behind.
If things went well, this would be the most excitement their relationship had been since the incident with Sombra. Cadence couldn't wait to get started.
