“We’re going to be gone for a few days. Are you sure you two will be alright?”
Shining and Anon look at each other with a smirk before they turn to their two wives.
“We’ll be fine.” Shining says to Cadance.
“Yeah, guys need some alone time too.” Anon looks at Twilight.
“It can’t be all fun and games.” Twilight adds. “You two will be running the crystal empire while Cadance is away.”
Anon waves her off. “I'm sure Shining could’ve done it on his own.”
“That’s true, but as you said, guys need some time together too. I know it’s been awhile since you’ve gotten together, and since we’ve got business to attend to, we thought it would all work out well like this.” Cadance says.
“Great!”
Shining quickly grabs his wife’s bag and tosses it into the train. Anon is not far behind with Twilight’s bag either. The both of them give their wives a kiss and shove them onto the train.
“See you in a few days!” Anon gives a wave as the train starts to depart.
“Are you sure you can handle this?!” Twilight asks.
“Yup! Don’t worry about us!”
“We’ve got it all under control!” Shining adds.
“Alright... See you two later!” Twilight waves as the train rolls down the track.
“Love you!” They both shout before the train is too far out.
Once the train is gone do they finally calm down. Once everything is settled do they look at each other with large smiles.
“Party!” They shout as they run towards the castle laughing a storm.
As soon as they break into the throne room they see that the guards had followed Shining’s order to a T. Various tables with food and drinks were placed around the room. Some music was also playing in the background. Everything was set for these two to have a party. It’s been so long since they’ve got the chance to chill with one another and they wanted their first day to be perfect.
They both walk over to the bar where a guard stands behind it.
“What can I get you?” He asks.
“One shot of crystal whiskey, please.” Shining says.
“I’ll have what he’s having.” Anon adds.
“Two whiskeys coming right up.”
The guard seems to be well trained in bartending as he does a few flourishes with the bottle of whiskey before ultimately pouring two perfect shots for Shining and Anon. They both grab their drinks and raise them.
“To the first of the day.” Shining says.
“But not the last.” Anon ends.
They knock back their drinks in one go. Each of them letting out a large sigh as they chuckle a bit.
“Wow! That stuff kicks like an earth pony!” Anon admits.
“Crystal booze is a lot stronger than the stuff in Equestria. Take it easy, Anon. We’ve got all day!”
“Says you.” Anon turns to the bartender. “Another!”
The guard is quick to set up another set and Anon quickly tosses back his shot. Shining isn’t far behind him as he does the same. Anon wasn’t lying when he said this stuff kicked hard. It reminds him of some decent stuff back on earth. Most of the stuff in Equestria is just watered down trash that ponies seem to get smashed on, but for his superior human alcoholic tolerance, most of that stuff was no more potent than tap water.
So to finally be having some of this crystal alcohol is really lighting a fire in his belly. Once he thought has long since been snuffed out.
“How about we get some food in us? I want this buzz to last.”
“Sure.”
They walk over to the food table and Anon finds the food of the gods. Pizza. This must be heaven because he can’t stop the liquid pride that’s collecting in his eyes.
“I know it’s great, but is it really that great?” Shining asks with a chuckle.
“It’s better.” Anon grabs a slice and eats it. “I’ve missed this.”
Shining nods. “Yeah. Remember when we used to do this all the time?”
Anon laughs briefly at that. “Yeah. We would go to that bar at the corner of Luna street. What was it called?”
“Hooves and grooves.”
“Yeah! Man, their food was crap and so was their drink!”
“But we still loved it.”
“Sure did! You couldn’t beat their prices.”
They calm a bit as those old memories set in. It’s odd to think of those years. Twilight had introduced Anon to Shining a few months after they began dating. Shining wanted to take on the protective brother role, but for some reason, he just couldn’t act so serious around Anon. They instantly became friends and would regularly hang out together. Anon was even Shining’s best man at his wedding. Anon spent most of that time in a cave, but at least the changeling disguised as him was too stupid to stand on two legs and pretty much gave away to Twilight that something wasn’t right.
Eventually, he was saved alongside Cadance and a few other mares. Yeah the two of them have been through a lot together. They’d even consider each other brothers before brother-in-laws. Maybe it’s the fact that there are just so few males around or maybe they just hit if off well. They aren’t sure how, but all they know is that they’re great friends. So the fact that they get to spend a few days with each other, no worries over what the wives want to do or anything like that, is considered a godsend to them.
“We only have a few days.” Anon says. “If we’re going to enjoy it to the fullest we’ll need a plan.”
“Already ahead of you.” Shining produces a list.
“I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” Anon says with a smirk.
“Our family is known for our lists.”
“So what do you have written first?”
“Beer pong.”
“I can dig it.”
“Then we head to a club.”
“Does that even exist here in the empire?”
“Sure does.”
“Alright, what’s next?”
“Then we see what happens.”
“Sounds good to me!”
“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s have some fun!”
Anon is holding Shining’s mane as he barfs into a trash can in a back alleyway.
“T-Thanks, Anon.” Shining briefly says before he returns to barfing.
“No problem.”
It takes longer than Anon would’ve liked but eventually Shining runs out of food to throw up.
“I think I’m done.”
“I told you that I could hold liquor better than you.” Anon shakes his head at Shining.
“I didn’t know. We’ve only drank that stuff in Equestria. I was sure this stuff would’ve knocked you out.”
Anon chuckles. “Maybe a bit more and it would have. It’s strong, but us humans have made stronger.”
“What the heck would something like that even taste like?”
“Paint thinner. Downright poison for the body. Hell, some people even went blind drinking it.”
“That’s scary.”
“Sure is, but some humans are just crazy.”
“I can’t deny that.” Shining is swaying heavily now. “W-What now?”
Anon looks up at the night sky. They’ve been at it for hours and while he’d like to keep partying, he admits that his older body is starting to protest at the thought of a long night of debauchery.
“How about we call it a night?”
“R-Really?”
He nods. “You’re wasted and it’s getting late.”
Shining hiccups some. “I guess you’re right.”
Anon reaches down and picks Shining up, slinging him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
“Let’s get back to the castle.”
“Thanks, Anon.” Shining says.
“Anytime.”
Anon tosses Shining onto the bed. He passed out awhile ago and seems to be out cold. Anon walks out of the room and heads over to the room that Shining prepared for him before they left. When he enters the room he finds it to be accepting of his large stature. With a sigh, Anon walks over to the bed and falls onto it completely drained. It seems he’s a bit older than he realized. The days of his youth seemed to have slipped away while he was busy with life.
As he lays in bed looking at the ceiling he can’t help but think of Twilight. She’s only been gone for a few hours and he admits that there’s a noticeable pain inside of him. Earlier it seemed like a gift to have some time away from the Mrs but now he can’t help but notice how empty his bed is. He closes his eyes with a sigh. If he sleeps now then that’s just one less day until he can see Twilight again.
Anon is walking down the halls. He couldn’t get to sleep no matter how hard he tried. That empty bed of his is haunting him. It feels so cold without Twilight there next to him. He began to notice the lack of noise as he tried to rest. Missing the slight snore Twilight has while she’s asleep. How every so often she will kick her hooves a bit in her sleep. Her gentle muttering as she dreamt. The silence of her not being there is deafening in a way.
As he walks down the hall he notices that he’s been walking towards Shining’s room. Maybe there’s a chance that he’s awake and they can spend time together? It’s one way to forget about the emptiness of his room. As he gets closer to Shining’s room he starts to hear something upon his approach. It almost sounds like tossing and turning. As Anon is finally close enough, he can hear a small groan of sorts.
“Cadance.” He hears a whisper.
Is... Is Shining having the same problem as him? It shouldn’t come as a big surprise, but this isn’t really a side that they see in one another. The part that’s a bit emotional and weak. Should he talk to him? It’s hard for Anon to know what to do in this situation, but there’s one thing that’s clear to him... He doesn’t want to go back to that room. Anon knocks on Shining's door to see if he is actually awake.
“Come in.”
Anon walks into the room and sees Shining sitting in bed. He still looks drunk and the fur around his eyes is matted. It’s almost as if he’s been crying. Something Anon has never seen before.
“You can’t sleep either, huh?” Shining says with a chuckle.
Anon nods. “Yeah.”
“Is it because of Twilight?”
Anon can only assume that Shining is only this open because of the drink, but that doesn’t stop him from answering.
“Yeah.”
“I never noticed how quiet it is without Cadance here.”
“Same. I guess I just grew used to all the little sounds Twilight makes while she’s sleeping.”
Shining chuckles. “Cadance sometimes sings in her sleep. Not loudly, but she’ll hum a tune from time to time.”
“Twilight mumbles about reports to Celestia.” Anon smiles at that thought.
“I miss them.”
“So do I.”
“I don’t think I can sleep without Cadance here.”
“...Same”
A long silence between them builds. Neither one knows what to say at this moment. Suddenly Anon thinks of something. It may be weird, considering their age, but anything’s better than going back to his room.
“Wanna have a sleepover?”
Shining looks at Anon with a raised brow.
“Like what colt and fillies have?”
Anon shrugs. “I mean, do you not want to?”
Shining seems to catch Anon’s drift. If they have a sleepover, then neither of them have to be alone in their rooms.
“Sounds fun.” Shining says.
“Great.” Anon then notices a problem. “So, where do I sleep?”
Shining looks around the room and only one thing logically comes to mind. He looks over to the big empty space in the bed next to him.
“Why not here?” He says patting the spot next to him.
Anon looks over the bed. It is a really large bed. Royal size. While it would be weird for them to be sleeping in the same bed, it’s also so large that it’s not weird at the same time. Anon doesn’t want to sleep on the ground either. So this is the only best option available.
“I guess this can work.”
Anon walks over to the empty side of the bed and hops on. It takes a few minutes but eventually they get comfortable. The both of them are laying on their backs facing the ceiling. Anon starts to remember something from his past with Twilight and now he can’t stop giggling.
“What’s funny?” Shining asks.
“I remember when Twilight had her first sleepover with friends. I was in the basement at the time, as she said she didn’t want to complicate things with a boy around.” Anon giggles a bit more. “It was a disaster. Applejack and Rarity were at each other’s throats the entire time. Twilight had no clue what a sleepover was about and was actually reading a book on sleepovers.”
That gets Shining chuckling as well.
“That sounds like, Twily.”
Anon nods. “Eventually, things got worse. A tree crashed in through a window after Applejack pulled it in. There was water everywhere. I was going to help, but as it turns out, Applejack and Rarity finally got their act together and fixed everything. Twilight wrote a letter to Celestia and that was that.”
“My sister sure does get into some crazy stuff.”
“Tell me about it. It’s never boring when she’s around.”
“Same with Cadance.”
“Yeah?”
“I remember a time when she used to worry about so much. She wasn’t always the confident mare you see today. When she used to take care of Twilight she used to worry so much about her. Making sure she was always in her sights or not casting really strong magic. Even though she knew how talented Twilight was, she just couldn’t stop herself from worrying.” Anon chuckles a bit. “I guess that part of her never left. She still worries about Twilight. Though I know she’s happy that Twilight found you.”
Anon raises a brow. “Really?”
“Yeah. She can tell how much you love one another. Princess of love, after all.”
Anon chuckles a bit. “Look at us. Two men having a sleepover and all we can talk about is our wives.”
“Heh... Yeah.”
“I guess that’s the problem with growing up, huh?”
“It is. I remember how we used to run ourselves ragged before we got married. Now we just have so many other things we need to worry about. Does Twilight get princess duties?”
“Sure does. More than you’d think, actually.”
“I know it keeps Cadance busy most of the day.”
“Same for Twilight. There are some nights when she can barely make it to bed.”
“I’ve carried Cadance back to bed more than a few times.”
“I had to dig Twilight out of a book fort.”
They both chuckle. It’s odd how the lonely feeling is no longer there. The both of them can feel the entire day starting to affect them. Anon yawns as Shining mirrors him.
“Guess it’s time to sleep.” Anon says.
“Yeah. Goodnight, Anon.”
“Night, Shining.”
The both of them get a bit more comfortable as they fall asleep. Yet after a few hours of drifting in and out of sleep, Anon is awoken by something he wasn’t expecting. Shining rolls over in his sleep and takes hold of Anon. Anon is shocked as Shining buries his muzzle into his chest as a small smile rests on his face.
“Cadance.” Shining mutters in his sleep.
Anon can only chuckle on the inside as he wraps his arms around Shining and pulls him a bit closer. His thoughts are on Twilight as he holds Shining. How Twilight snuggles up close to him, just like this. The scent of lilac in the air as he smells her mane. While Shining doesn’t smell anything like Twilight, his memories are vivid enough to take him away from this situation. He can only feel his grip on Shining tighten as that loneliness fades. His mind is already starting to wind down as his consciousness rests. No longer does he worry about anything other than the thought of the mare that he loves.
“We’re back!” Cadance and Twilight shout with glee as they run to their mates.
Anon is quick to pick Twilight up and give her a tight squeeze. Shining doing much of the same to Cadance.
“Well aren’t we excited!” Twilight says with a giggle.
“I just missed my little book worm.”
Twilight blushed heavily at that. “Not in front of my brother.”
“It’s fine, Twi.” Shining says as he nuzzles Cadance. “I know how Anon feels. It’s good to have you back, Candy.”
Cadance also blushes at that but accepts it easily. Soon the four of them break away and calm down a bit.
“So, what were you two up to these past few days?”
Shining and Anon look at each other. They swore to never tell a soul about what happened between them. Not that they did anything wrong. Yet they just simply accepted that they needed something to snuggle with in their time of need and who better than someone who could understand? No reason to let their wives know about that.
“Not much. At little of this, a little of that.” Anon says offhandedly.
“Hmm? Nothing I should worry about?” Twilight asks.
“Nope. We just hanged out a bit. Not much else.”
“That’s good to hear.” Cadance adds. “How’s the empire?”
“Great.” Shining comes in. “We did some work on the farm taxes and things like that. Everything should be in order.”
“Well that’s a surprise and here I thought you two were going to party the entire time.”
“Ouch, Candy. I’m a responsible stallion.”
She nuzzles him. “Yes you are, but that still doesn’t change the facts.”
“Is that so?”
“Yup.”
Everyone chuckles at that.
“I’m pooped.” Twilight says with a yawn.
“Wanna take a quick nap at the castle?” Anon asks.
“Sure, but then we’ll need to head on over to Ponyville. I’m sure Spike is just as eager to see us back.”
“I can get behind that.”
Cadance and Twilight walk to the castle as Shining and Anon just stand there watching them.
“It’s good they’re back.”
“Yeah.”
“Thanks for everything.”
“Don’t mention it.”
They don’t wait any longer as they follow after their mares. In many ways, the two of them are much closer because of this entire thing, but that matters little to them, all they care about right now is snuggling with their wives. However, it brings them peace knowing that they have someone who can understand how they feel when the time comes. Because what’s so wrong about having a cuddle buddy?
Author's Note
Just a random cute thing that came to mind after seeing the story image. Also trying to practice writing one-shots.
