“Hmm...the new crop fields seem to be taking hold.”

The murmuring voice could be traced to one of the few private studies within the grand castle nestled in the heart of the Crystal Empire. The room was a den of learning, books stacked on shelves reaching to nearly the ceiling of the room. The singular window of the den had its blinds drawn back, allowing sunlight to pour freely inside. On a desk table nearby, unrolled scrolls charting various figures were laid out, titled with names such as “Economic Growth Measurement” and “Export Prediction Expectations”. To the right of the table, across a plush sea-green carpet, sat a larger work desk where one pony sat, quill in one hoof while another hoof toyed with a loose strand of violet mane.

Princess Cadance had approached this morning's paperwork with a refreshed air about her. A delightful sleep alongside her loving husband, Shining Armor, and a good breakfast out on one of the castle patios gave her a great sense of motivation. A smile came unbidden to her face as she once again gave thanks to the forces responsible for giving her the life she lived. Through all of her hardships and challenges, taking on the role of ruling leader for a once hidden nation as well as the trial that had been her wedding, she had come out on top. She now had a loving husband to care for her, dearly beloved friends in the Elements of Harmony – let alone her own sister in law – and a kingdom that was slowly growing back to the glory it once had. Moving the Miner's Guild report aside, Cadance continued plowing through the endless paperwork that detailed her kingdom's status.

“Still no takes on the mining operations to the North...you make one joke about dragons hiding in the mountains, Shining, and see what happens?” she muttered to herself.

Said kingdom was, admittedly, a labor in itself to raise up. With the last major event of the Crystal Empire being the Equestrian Games, Cadance could take the time to look to her subjects for where to go next. The Games had raised a great deal of morale for the kingdom, bringing all kinds of individuals to see the crystal ponies and their civilization. Even with the incident of the frozen cloud almost falling onto the stadium at the Games, everypony had walked away with a sense of success in the event. The reports she'd received told her that the next time the Crystal Empire hosted, there was a high likelihood of success as before.

However, there were still areas that were a struggle for the princess to reform. Sombra's tyrannical reign had ingrained many false ideas into the subjects of the reformed kingdom. One such habit she'd come to witness was an almost programmed fear instilled into anypony who came to voice an issue in the kingdom. Cadance had lost count of how many times she needed to resort to her magic just to calm a citizen concerned over some paltry issue as fixing a public space or quelling an argument. She knew Sombra had all but broken the ponies of the Crystal Empire, and it was up to her to try and mend them.

“Ooh! The fashion show idea seems to be taking hold. I knew Rarity was on to something when she suggested it before. Now if we could just get a camera that filtered out crystal light flare...”

Rarity's idea had been linked to an issue Cadance observed in her kingdom: a lack of creative displays. She'd made some ground in encouraging the populace to pursue their interests, though. One particularly new creation she was impressed by was the resurgence of crystal craftsmanship. While the kingdom had been isolated away from the world, the profession had fallen to a very few skilled ponies in Equestria who could try and manipulate crystal stone artistically. However, with a little pursuance by Cadance, she had found many ponies who could craft it with much greater ease and skill. She had chalked the feat up to their nature as crystal ponies to explain their ease of use. There was certainly an economic benefit from the re-discovery, as many ponies found new work in the crafting of various sculptures, figurines, and other objects to trade and sell across the land.

Setting aside several of the charts she'd been reading over, Cadance took a moment to glance out the window and out at the vast kingdom she saw over. It was a happy kingdom, now freed of the once evil presence that imprisoned it's ponies. But for all the good that had come forward, something was still missing, something that nagged at Cadance's mind endlessly. Was it a lack of fun events? Cultural growth? A sense of impending doom via attack by some sort of monster or natural disaster like Twilight handled almost every off day?

“Cadance?”

The voice of her husband snapped her out of her thoughts, and the pink princess turned to see her one and only Shining Armor approach her from the now closed doorway. She smiled at the sight of her handsome prince. In her mind, he lived up to the name more than not, coming to rescue her whenever she was lost, be it amidst her thoughts, in the vast castle grounds, or when somepony forgot to fix the lights inside the storage closet as she quested for more toilet paper. He bore no less a handsome appearance than from the day they'd first met: strong and lean, a perfect mixture of military muscle and athletic sportsman, but with the mind of a playful, loveable stallion who'd charmed her heart better than magic could have done. His blue mane was neatly brushed, and he bore a small grin at the sight of her at the desk.

“Shining. I was just going over some reports on the kingdom. Everything's looking alright so far.” She said, giving him a loving nuzzle.

He chuckled before kissing her nose gently. “Staying on top of things as always? I thought you got enough of that the other night.”

“Shiny!” she exclaimed, swatting his chest playfully as her cheeks darkened lightly. “Must you always be such a tease?”

“Who said I was teasing? I was stating a fact.” he remarked, the pair sharing in soft laughter. “I thought to check up on you since you'd been in here for a couple hours. Still looking to help the kingdom out?”

“Yes, but something is still just off somehow. I cannot for the life of me fathom what it is.” Cadance answered, looking over at the table. With a sigh, she turned back to him. “I don't suppose you have any suggestions?”

Shaking his head, Shining smiled at his wife. “Nothing comes to mind right off. But I remember always telling Twily when she got stuck that not every answer is in the books. Of course, that earned me more than one argument about books being the ultimate source of knowledge.”

Cadance giggled and nodded. “I've lost count the amount of times I babysat her that I found her nose buried in a book.” she said. Feeling the morning sun shine on her, she nodded. “Let's go for a stroll, Shiny. Maybe the answer really can't be found in this little space.” She nuzzled him and the pair departed the room, the guards saluting both passing royal figures from either side of the doorway.

Outside, the clear skies boded well for a walk, as many ponies could be seen out and about. Departing for the park on the eastern side of the city, Cadance took in the sight of her subjects interacting with one another with a smile. Being the Princess of Love meant more than just being knowledgeable of the term: she could very easily detect the emotions of ponies around her, through their speech or their actions. With a little effort and magic, she could read them even without interacting with them. It was how she first found out that Shining had a crush on her when they were teenagers, after all. That discovery had soon led to their first kiss, though the moment had been shattered by little Twily asking aloud why “Cadance was sucking Shiny's face?”.

That same sense was calling to her, she noticed, to be watchful of her surroundings. Her thoughts hadn't drifted far from where they'd been in her work space, but were now less cluttered as she waved to passerby ponies. Yet she could feel something within the air, as they came to the park. The park itself was nicely formed, inspired by Cadance's visits to Ponyville and their own wide-reaching park. With the addition of a wide-spanning lake linked to their singular river for scenery and swimming, and trails for walking, it was an often used place for when one needed fresh air. Even the trees took the glorious sunlight in well, swaying in the light breeze that blew past the green foliage.

At a park bench, Shining stopped and sat down, lying on his front before waving Cadance to join him. The mare smiled and was alongside him at an instant, nuzzling into his neck as she held one of his forehooves with her own. Shining took the chance to press his muzzle into her mane, sniffing lightly at the floral fragrance he detected.

“Ooh, Lilac. A new mane wash?” he asked.

“Because I'm worth it.” she replies, the pair laughing together before cuddling up to one another. Shining's hoof rose up and slowly dragged up and down her foreleg as they laid there, the affectionate petting making her relax in his embrace.

“It's funny.” Shining's comment drew her attention to him as he looked at her before nodding at a group of ponies off to the side, enjoying a picnic under the shade of a tree. “When I see folks sitting like that, it reminds me of when my family would always go out in Canterlot for family days. They'd drag me out of the house to go with them so we could go to the park, and mom would pack this huge picnic basket. Twilight was small enough when she was born, she'd just hide in the basket and pop out when we arrived.”

Cadance giggled at the mental image of a miniature Twilight, the bookish mare tiny and eyes alight as she fell out of the basket. “Your family always did strike me as lovely. I never could have imagined I'd marry such a striking stallion.” She nuzzled his shoulder as he held her around her back with a foreleg.

“Twily talked about you more and more as she grew up. Every day, I'd hear something new you two did, or how you two would talk about everything from Starswirl the Bearded to magic formulas I could never wrap my head around.” he rubbed at his cheek sheepishly. “Never could keep up too well there.”

The princess only giggled and kissed her husband's cheek. “Never fear, my dearest. I'll be the smarts, and you can be the looks for the kingdom.” Her comment was in jest, but she knew that more than one mare had glanced at her with envy when she had Shining at her side. He was the pinnacle of fitness and discipline, deserving his rank as Captain of the Royal Guard, a position he'd held up until their marriage. Tales still passed in circles of Shining facing down Sombra out in the snowy wilds back when the vengeful spirit still haunted the kingdom. Some of those tales were blown out of proportion however, such as the ones when they included him wrestling a hydra at the same time; one whose scales emitted fire.

“You would think there'd be more kids running around on such a nice day.” Cadance looked out at the park upon hearing his observation. He was right; the amount of children present in the park were surprisingly few. Even before noon, if they were in Canterlot or Ponyville, she would expect the grounds to be amok with children playing, laughing, running about. 'That's not even accurate; these ponies are nearly adults.' Cadance asked herself. 'Where are the little fillies and colts?'

Cadance paused. It couldn't be that simple...could it? Her eyes scanned to the edges of the lake, but found no colts fishing for fun, flinging mud or even going for a swim. The mare's eyes drifted to the other spare benches, and it's true some couples were wandering by together or sitting much like her and her husband were.

But where were the children?

“Shining.” His wife's tone drew his attention as her wide eyes looked to him. “I think...I think I might know just what the issue is. The problem I've been trying to find.”

“What do you mean?” he asked, curious to her thoughts. Cadance sat up, her wings giving a small flex as she straightened her posture.

“Shining...where are the children?”

****PC:VF****

“It makes sense, when you think about it. How did I not see it before?”

Cadance's pace on the way back to the castle was steady, but her mind was spinning in circles as she spoke. Shining did his best to keep up, but his wife's pace was making it difficult with all the obstacles. Around them, many street vendors, passerby citizens, even tourists waved at the royal couple. Shining would manage a greeting or a wave of his hoof when he could, while Cadance continued on. She would have walked through a fruit vendor's cart, had Shining's magic not lifted the cart out of her way, setting it down with an apologetic smile from him before catching up with his wife.

“Honey, please, slow down!” His insistent tone made her pause amidst her monologue, and she looked back to see him resting a hoof on her back. “I'm trying to keep up, but you're going a mile a minute. So you think Sombra did something to the kingdom?”

“Yes and no. It's not like the magic curse like he applied to preserve his essence when he was originally destroyed. Sombra's physical and magical essence has been cleansed from the kingdom entirely. I've made sure of it myself. Every time I've lit the Crystal Heart for a ceremony or event has been me double-checking.” she answered.

“Wait, so the Crystal Heart didn't light up because the Wonderbolts agreed to fly a show here?” Shining asked. “Or when we convinced Yakyakistan that war with us and Equestria was a very very bad idea?”

“Oh, Shiny.” The pink princess giggled and nuzzled her sheepish looking husband. “You're so adorable when you looked so pleased with yourself. I couldn't steal your thunder like that.” She turned and led on, her spouse alongside her as they entered the castle's main grounds. “It's nothing to do with Sombra's magic or himself, but more what he did to the populace.”

“Alright, I'm listening.”

“What Sombra did is something I hadn't thought of until now. He changed their mentalities on the very idea of open expressions of affection. He terrorized everypony into becoming submissive, quiet, frightened creatures where the very idea of independent thought was struck down harshly.” She shook her head, mane whipping about her shoulders at the idea of such psychological terror. “Sombra may be gone, but he took their spirit with him.”

“But you've been helping them regain it since then, Cadance. I've never seen them so happy since you've been aiding everypony to explore the old hobbies and get out of their homes to visit with each other. If anything, their spirit is coming back, slowly but surely.” Shining's words were met with a nod from Cadance.

“I know, Shiny, I know. And it's all good and well. But...” she paused, looking about for any onlookers. Finding none, she quickly pulled him into a room, the stallion giving a small yelp of surprise. The room they'd slipped into was a tucked away wing of the castle library, a section they'd been planning to make more open to the public. Many of the shelves were lined with literature for all ages from fillies to adults, multicolored books spread far out upon many likewise stocked wooden shelves. The floor had been smoothed and cleaned daily, and they'd made plans for a section of the room to be reserved as a 'reading sanctuary' for those looking for a little assured privacy while enjoying their books. Twilight would have been proud.

“It's not all the way back. The spirit they once had.” Cadance struggled to word it as she circled and sat, trying to think of how to phrase her thoughts so her husband could grasp the idea. Looking through the window, she was allowed a generous portion of sunlight that illuminated her own reflection. she sighed softly and looked back to him. “You understand that my role as Princess of the Crystal Empire is more than just a title, right? That my magic itself ties into Love itself?”

“Of course I do. Do you know how often I think of myself as the luckiest stallion in the world that my beautiful, gorgeous wife is one of the most magically talented mares around?” His praise made her smile and cheeks tinge red, but she continued.

“Yet I can't make them just suddenly be full of spirit again, Shiny. We have many adult ponies, stallions and mares alike, who no doubt have feelings for one another like we share. Yet we don't see it in front of us. Why do you think that is?”

Shining's answer came after a couple moments of silence. Cadance waited patiently for him to speak, finding his thinking pose of his hoof to his chin adorable. “They're afraid to show love?”

“...sort of.” she answered, looking up at him with a small smile. “They're afraid to indulge in a particular aspect of love.”

“Marriage?”

“Little further, Shining.” She waited for him to connect the dots. Seeing it taking him a little longer than usual, she rolled her eyes and nuzzled his ear, whispering softly into it. “...it's something two adult ponies who love each other very much do and should do to be happy?”

Shining shivered lightly, memories of that tone promising many things in the bedroom and many a night of pleasure. The most recent memory was their anniversary night, where they both decided to indulge in a little spell-work to spice up the bedroom. He was grateful that the royal couple's private chambers were entirely soundproofed, lest the guards think his wife was screaming bloody murder. Comprehension settled in after a moment, however.

“Ohhh.” He toned, looking to her smiling expression. “...they're afraid of sex?”

“I'm led to believe so. The clues were out there, Shining, you saw it yourself.” She answered. Her horn glowed brightly before she directed it at the nearby empty work desk. One flash of magic later revealed several scrolls similar to the ones she had before this morning. Pushing some aside, she lifted one and unrolled it, turning it around to show a numbers chart titled “Average birth rate analysis”.

“Shining, the last time a child was born was before you and I were married. The Empire was still under Sombra's clutches, and from what it seems, he made certain that the population was entirely under his control. The few doctors they had refused to offer any aid for pregnant mares, afraid of Sombra learning about new ponies being born. He wanted no chance to occur of being overthrown from his seat of power. With how rich this area is in magic, he must have had some twisted idea somepony could be born that may lead a revolution against him. So he sought to stifle the spark before it could begin.” She laid the chart down and looked to her mate with forlorn. “They were tragic times.”

Shining nodded, allowing her to continue. “Even though we've moved far past Sombra's terrible reign, the ponies are still scarred. If we want to usher them out of that time and into the real world again, they need to have a motivation, a purpose. What if they were to have children again, to bring in an entirely new generation to grow and care for?” She trailed off, letting Shining fill in the gap.

“It'd be the final step to break away from their past. That's pretty smart thinking, Cadance.” he said, smiling at her. “But how do we get them to embrace intimacy again? Without worrying about a shadow at their backs?”

Cadance rubbed her chin in thought. It was a fair question to ask; how can one expect to suddenly encourage the population to have children again? The first thought to come to mind was an alteration on the “want it, need it” spell, cast over a wide area and toned down immensely. The last thing she needed was an empire breaking out in a frenzy in a fashion similar to the one Twilight had caused in Ponyville a year ago. While it could work, it rang too close to the idea of Sombra influencing them with his own magic. She discarded the idea, much to her annoyance. Another thought was perhaps a celebration or event to try and get the subjects into the mindset of seeking out partners to encourage new life. But she knew that there was no such celebration of things like “fertility festivals” or such in the Crystal Empire's culture. And making one on the spot could have potentially bad political backlash if it was taken the wrong way, especially with the so-titled “Princess of Love” at the helm.

“Every idea I come up with just rings wrong. We can't magically influence them, or force it on them.” She said with a sigh, sitting back on her rump.

“Hmm...if only we could talk to them about it somehow.” Shining murmured. This drew Cadance's attention, making him look up at her curious expression. “If they understood that it was alright to embrace intimacy again, that having those thoughts wasn't bad, it'd be much easier to get things rolling again. Kinda like breaking in newlyweds, sort of.”

Cadance nodded and paused, staring at the window. An idea was coming to her mind, of how she could particularly give that very talk. She wasn't sure what part of her was giving her the idea, be it her mindset that adored and cared for her people, her hopeful idea of a new generation of crystal ponies, or the soft whisper coming from the depths of her mind that tied into her magic of Love. But the idea she was forming was equal parts adventurous, risky, and in some cases taboo.

“Shiny?” The stallion looked to his wife again from where he'd been staring a hole into the floor to see her half-lidded eyes meeting his own. He knew that expression. Did he lock the door when they came in here? “I just had a possible solution to our dilemma.”

“W-what might that be?” he asked, smiling nervously at the catlike grin on his beloved's face. He stayed still as the lovely beauty of his mate approached him, and gave him a slow nuzzle before leaning up to whisper in his ear.

“Remember when we talked about spicing up the bedroom?” Shining gulped. To some stallions, they might meet this question with a bit of apprehension. It was sometimes a question reserved for those having issues in the bedroom, or as a test from their significant other to see if they stayed true to them. Shining Armor, however, had a different take. It was something he'd learned early on when he and his wife were intimate.

Cadance was a sexual dynamo in the bedroom. She was prim and proper outside where all the ponies of the world could see her, refined by manners and an intellect to match with her position of power. But in the hidden away bedroom they shared, when all those eyes couldn't see her save for her husband, she was very different. If Love was her primary magic, Lust was her secondary by no comparison. She made every encounter they had memorable in a vast number of ways. Sometimes she wanted to have lovemaking, gentle sex that was sensual and slow, letting them bask in the comfort of one another's intimate warmth.

Other times, it was almost as if she was in a perpetual state of constant heat. With the way she would moan and scream and beg him to rut her senseless, he made sure he fulfilled every wish she requested when they let loose on their restraints. It would variate between the two of whom would dominate, but more often than not, she loved being his plaything. They had the perfect blend of love and desire for each other that they had absolutely no doubts in one another's feelings, especially Cadance.

“Y-yes, I remember. What does that have to do with helping everypony out?” he asked.

“Well, I do happen to recall one certain somepony telling me a fantasy of theirs...” she trailed off, walking behind him much like a cat would as she brushed against him, tail stroking his back and making him shiver. “...something about seeing me with somepony else?” It was a secret only his wife knew of. But to Shining, there was something purely carnal in watching his wife be the lustful object to somepony else. Any time she brought toys into use for a “demonstration”, he had fantasized of it being another pony making his wife moan and writhe on the bed before him.

Shining's cheeks turned red, and he couldn't help a nervous glance about them for some random passerby. But nopony else was present to hear, and he exhaled slowly. “You know how hot that idea is to me?”

“Oh, but I know, Shining. I know very well.” Her sultry whisper continued in his ear. “That's why you keep picking only the best of the best guards around here. Those bulky, strong, muscular guards.” trailing off, she kissed his ear. “And for you, I picked only the most beautiful of mares who applied to work for us. Single and unattached, I should add.”

“S-so. You think we should try to let you seduce a guard?” he asked for clarity.

“Not so much try as 'succeed', dear.” She said replied. “I know they've been watching me when we walk together or when I'm alone or being escorted. My magic lets me feel the emotions loose in the air; for all of their training, I'm afraid they're not quite as stoic as the guards in Aunt Celestia's castle.” She giggled and recalled the many times she'd spied them eying her form out of the corner of her eye. “They think their armor hides it, but a mare knows when a stallion's a little too stiff at their post.”

“In their defense, babe, you are the most gorgeous mare around.” Shining's eyes trailed from her long, shapely legs up to her wide flank, her multicolored tail the only guard against having her intimates revealed, something he could almost trace purely from memory. At the moment – he observed with hidden delight – said tail was raised up, leaving her exposed to the world and namely himself. Her barrel and form was lean and supple, the perfect blend of health and curved pleasure that could make any stallion turn and stare when she walked by. He'd worshiped that form many a time in the bedroom, glad to be the one with the honor of enjoying it. In addition to her minx-esque attitude she carried in the bedroom, it was no wonder why he could never turn her down.

His observations came to a pause as her tail caressed his chin, turning him to look at her eyes as she looked at him over her shoulder. “Flattery gets you everywhere, Shiny. I'll figure out the details and just who we might approach. I wouldn't want to just let it be a free-for-all. Yet.” she giggled, flicking his chin.

“O-of course. We can figure out who we both like for it. Somepony we'd trust for...” he trailed off in his thoughts, lost as his eyes wandered down to her shapely rear again. With a huff, his horn came alight as the door to the room audibly clicked to lock shut. He followed up with a mute spell, strong enough for the deviousness his wife had planted in his mind. “That stuff.”

Cadance had heard the door lock and gave a small squeal as her husband embraced her from behind. His broad chest pressed into her back as she looked back to him. “For right now? We're christening this room, my naughty little princess.” His husky growl made her legs tremble as he licked and kissed her neck. The pair soon were indulging in one another as their idea blossomed within their minds. Cadance's moans would only have been heard by Shining as he claimed her against the library wall, their new plan nestling in their minds as they rocked and ground into each other.

Get ready, Crystal Empire. The royal couple is ready to spread some love.

Author's Note

This idea came to me some time back, browsing various jokes and ideas about characters in the show. You can't just let a Princess of Love not have some fun on the job, now can you?

This chapter is more or less the setup for the following chapters soon to come, so you can all enjoy seeing Princess Cadance help her subjects.

...oh dear, what have I done.

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