Author's Note

Chapter two. Yes yes.

Victim of her cadence

Beep.

You hit the button on you stopwatch. Time. 82 seconds. Not bad for your last lap.

You exhale, putting a hand to your side as you start into a slow walk around the track. It had been a while since you had the chance to get out like this. Life in the castle had been pretty busy as of late.

You lift your head as the sound of footfalls meet your ears from behind. You sidestep into the second lane, feeling the breeze blow past as a green stallion thunders by.

Seems like you weren't the only one looking to run off a little stress.

Shielding your eyes, you look around, squinting beneath the windowed ceiling of the Crystal Stadium. A number of ponies are out on the field with you—some on the track and a few others over by the sand pits.

You glance to your right as a pair of mares run by in the third lane, chatting idly. Your gaze lingers on the tight shorts hugging their backsides as they pass, tails swishing behind them.

Yep. Coming out here had been the right idea. Plenty of space and distractions to get your mind off of things. No reason you shouldn't feel healthy and fully energized.

You stop, wiping the sweat from your forehead as you smile into the light.

You blink.

Then why couldn't you stop fantasizing about Cadence's feet?

You fall to your knees, forehead pressed to the ground as you prop yourself up on your palms.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

You punctuate each thought with a thump of your head against the asphalt.

How had it come to this? This whole situation was a powder keg just waiting to go off. One wrong move on your part and...

You roll lazily onto your side, garnering a stern look from the green stallion as he passes a second time. You ignore him, batting around the thoughts that had been swirling in your head since the other night.

It just didn't make any sense. Why would Cadence do something like that? Didn't she have Shining? Wasn't she already married? And why you? Of all people? Ponies. Whatever.

You gurgle, rolling into the third and fourth lane before splaying out over the fifth.

It just didn't add up.

You glance up, staring unabashedly as the two mares pass again. Fuck it. Might as well enjoy yourself while you were still allowed to live.

You can see the two giggle to one another as your eyes linger on their backsides.

You sigh.

At least nothing had happened since that night. There was that much, at least. You'd run into Shining and Cadence once or twice after that—an inevitable occurrence, as you lived in the same castle—but Cadence hadn't acknowledged what had happened. In fact, she still barely seemed to acknowledge you, simply smiling or nodding whenever Shining had something to say.

You drum your fingers.

What kind of game was she playing at? Was she planning on telling Shining?

You shake your head.

No. That wasn't right. She wouldn't have kept quiet this long just to tell him. There was no point.

With a grunt, you rise onto your knees, rubbing your face with your palm.

Whatever. No use thinking about it again. You'd been through this loop more times than you could count.

You stand and brush off your knees. Time to call it a day. Might as well head back to your room to relax a bit. Sundays didn't come around near often enough. Goings on at the Crystal Castle kept you busy the rest of the week.

You start for the bleachers, eyes scanning the stadium seating under the light. Though you'd been there a few times before, the size still boggles your mind. And this was just the arena. Celestia knows how many gyms and pools and courts they had in the adjoining building. Not to mention the volleyball sand pits in the back.

You shake your head.

It was a good thing Shining and Cadence had opened this place up to the public after the games. You couldn't imagine a place like this getting being left vacant.

“Ambassador? Ambassador, is that you?”

You pause midstep, a faintly pained expression lighting your face.

Speak of the devil.

You turn to meet the white stallion, shielding your eyes as best you can from his glowing, princely aura. Shining's build stands out even more than it usually does, his wide shoulders and broad chest striking an impressive figure beneath his white shirt and athletic shorts. You can see the mares swooning as he approaches you, a trail of ga-ga eyed ponies flopping over helplessly in his wake.

Shining, for one, doesn't miss a beat, jogging up to your side with a bounce in his step.

“Ambassador, I thought it was you!”

“Glehuck!”

A trickle of blood escapes your lips as Shining lands a friendly slap on your back. You grit your teeth, wiping it away with a forearm.

“Shining. Fancy seeing you here. At the Crystal Stadium. Where you said you wouldn't be. Today.”

You cough again, eyes widening slightly as you look at your arm. That was a lot of red.

“Ha yeah, great timing, I know.”

Unphased by your sarcasm, Shining turns, motioning toward the carrying case slung over his back.

“I was just on my way to the raquetball courts to see if I could find somepony to play against. Cool Breeze pulled something last time we were here, so he couldn't make it in today.”

You hold back an eye roll, offering the stallion a nod instead. You could imagine how somepony could have pulled something playing with Shining. He was definitely the type to get competitive.

Wait a second.

You freeze as Shining's words register in your mind.

Pulled something? Partner not here?

Your eyes widen.

Oh no. Oh no no no.

You immediately turn on heel, waving to Shining over your shoulder.

“Well it's been nice chatting with ya, but I've got this thing—”

You cough as Shining's hand lands on your shoulder, his voice suddenly bouncing with excitement.

“Hey, I just had a great idea. Why don't we partner up today? I've even got a spare racquet and everything!”

Ah.

You can feel something inside you die a little. You turn slowly, patting Shining's hand as you try to let him down gently.

“Uh, maybe not today, Shining. I've just got this thing, and Ambassador duties, and work, and—”

Another trickle of blood trails out as Shining pats your back again.

“Ah, don't worry about it. It's Sunday after all. We've got all week to get work done.”

You cringe as the stallion throws his arm over your shoulder, pulling you tight against his brawny chest. You can almost feel the dagger like stares radiating from all the mares in sight.

“You're only young once, Ambassador. Let's play some racquetball.”

You hold back a squeak as Shining starts forward, practically dragging you at his side. You glance up as you pass into the shadow of the bleachers, frantically searching the stands for some means of salvation. Your eyes widen as you take in the sight of a white pegasus a few rows up, sitting next to a pair of crutches, arm and leg wrapped in a cast.

You make eye contact for a brief moment—just enough to see a small smile creep over his bandaged muzzle.

“Coool Breeeeeze!”

The echo of your screams fade into nothingness as the two of you disappear beneath the bleacher doors.

***

“13-0....EEYAAH!”

Shit!

You dive to the floor like a madman, limbs burning as the blue projectile whizzes past your ear.

KER-PANG!

A veritable gunshot meets your ears a split second later, your eyes going wide as the number of dents in the wall behind you increases yet again. You narrowly manage to roll to the side as Shining's figure barrels past you, his arm pulled back like a hydraulic press just waiting to deploy.

“Got it!”

KER-PACK!

A miniature hurricane erupts in the wake of the stallion's swing. You scramble on all fours, trying to avoid the gale. You had never played racquetball before, but whatever four-walled death match you were participating in now wasn't it.

You gasp for air—doing what you can to hold back another heart attack.

This was not a sport. This was madness.

KER-PANG!

You dodge again, nearly faceplanting as you fumble out of the way. A split second later, Shining teleports two paces behind you, rearing back for another category five swing.

“EEEEYAH!”

KER-PACK!

You roll onto your side, curling into a ball to make yourself as small a target as possible.

Why did it have to be you? Why? Why? Why!?

***

“Nice job out there, Ambassador. We really worked up a sweat!”

You don't even bother to nod as Shining parades down the hall ahead of you, duffel bag slung over his shoulder. Every part of your body is too busy shaking—your muscles tight from a mix of overexertion and abject terror.

With what little strength you have left, you offer yourself a small pat on the back.

You could relax now. You could do that. It was all over now.

You sniffle.

It's all you can do to hold back tears of joy.

Dragging a hand along the wall to steady yourself, you follow Shining into the stallion's locker room. Not surprisingly, it's completely empty. After you and Shining had started playing earlier, the players on the other courts had mysteriously disappeared.

You click your tongue, propping your body up against the first row of cream colored lockers.

Lucky bastards.

Beside you, Shining slides his duffel back onto the floor, stretching his arms behind his head with a wide smile on his face.

“Now that was a nice workout. Good recovery before the hard sessions later in the week.”

You narrow your eyes, watching as the irritatingly unfatigued stallion starts to pull his shirt off over his head. Your expression continues to narrow as the shirt comes off—the effortless movements of his broad chest and chiseled torso only reminding you of your own pain.

With a sigh, you turn on shaky legs, heading toward the next row of lockers.

Shining notices your movement, his voice reaching your ears a moment later.

“Not gonna shower?”

You lift your hand, talking over your shoulder as you continue forward.

“Nah. You go ahead. I left my clothes back in my room.”

'Not that I thought I'd be working up a sweat like this today' you keep yourself from adding.

You continue your slow plod forward, eyes locked on to the end of the bench behind the farthest row of lockers. Might as well lay down out of the way for a few minutes while Shining cleaned up. You weren't sure how much longer you'd be able to keep standing anyways. A few minutes' break would be nice.

With a last push of effort, your hand reaches the locker endcap, head peeking around the corner as you take in the welcoming sight of an empty bench.

Or so you'd thought..

Huh?

You blink, unable to process the sight before you at first.

Straddling the bench, back against the wall, is none other than Cadence, her mane drawn up in a sporty looking ponytail, a white sweatband wrapped around her head.

You blink again.

In place of her usual dresses, Cadence is in workout clothes.

Tight. Skimpy. Workout clothes.

Your eyes trail down her spaghetti straps to her top—a light blue cotton top with the word “SEXY” stretched across it in white. You stumble forward a step, eyes tracing the swell of her bust beneath the all-too-thin fabric. Lower yet you can see her exposed midriff, her narrow waist and flat stomach highlighting her athletic figure.

And, were those—were those volleyball shorts?

You bring a hand to your face, pinching your cheek.

With her right leg propped up on the bench in front of her, you can make out a pair of snug black hot pants—the curve of Cadence's tight pink backside peeking out beneath the material. The entirety of her long, slender thighs are exposed for you to see—her flawless pink skin bare all the way past her knees to her—

You swallow.

Socks. White. Knee high. Socks.

It's all you can do to keep yourself from collapsing to the floor.

Your eyes slide down the length of her calf—the white cotton clinging snugly around her slender limb. Your eyes continue down past her ankles to the outline of her petite foot—the pink of her toes just barely visible through the tight fabric.

A chill runs down your spine as her eyes meet yours—her fingers twirling the sucker in her mouth as she flashes you a wink.

You swallow again.

Time to leave.

You turn, but the fatigue in your muscles finally comes to head, spiking into a cramp. With a grunt, you lean forward—palms coming to rest on the bench as you try to catch your balance.

“Doing okay back there, Ambassador?”

You freeze, Shining's voice echoing back from his row of lockers near the entrance. You wince as you straighten your back—trying to keep your voice level as you reply.

“Ah, yep. Yep! Couldn't be better. Just a little cramp.”

You glance back at Cadence. She removes the sucker from her mouth, a small smile forming on her lips. You can feel your heart start to beat a little faster.

This was bad.

“Oh, yeah? Hold on for a second, then. I'll come over and help stretch you out.”

Your heartbeat skyrockets.

“UH NOPE! Nope! Just stay over there! I'm uhh—I'm getting undressed?”

You slap your forehead. Getting undressed? In a locker room. Really?

“Ah, decided to take a shower then after all?”

You give your forehead another swat, fighting to keep the panic from creeping into your voice. You were acting way too suspicious.

“Uhm, yeah. You got me. Just a little on the shy side I guess.”

You can hear Shining's locker swing shut as he chuckles in reply.

“Haha, you're an odd one there, Ambassador. I've got you though. I'll let you know when I'm finished up.”

A moment later, you hear his footsteps disappear in the direction of the shower room. Peeking around the corner to make sure, you offer yourself a sigh of relief.

Now you just had to slip out of here before Shining got out.

You glance down at the bench beneath you, a little surprised to see it there. At some point you must have sat down on it—legs straddling either side.

You shake your head, trying to avoid glancing at Cadence, whose eyes were undoubtedly pointed in your direction.

Whatever. Didn't matter now. This wasn't like last time. You cold leave whenever you wanted to.

You go to stand.

You go to stand.

You go to stand.

Your eyes widen as the realization hits you.

Your legs won't work.

Slowly, your eyes make their way up to Cadence's. Her smirk growing, she pops the sucker back in her mouth and leans back against the wall—the sound of Shining's shower starting up in the background. You watch, transfixed, as she lifts her legs onto the bench in front of her—slowly sliding her white socks in your direction.

“Nnnh!”

You let out a sharp breath as the toes of Cadence's right foot brush the underside of your sack through your shorts, the sensation sending a shiver down your spine. Fabric or no, you could still sense her touch—the ends of her nails tracing small lines through the cotton. Her left foot snakes forward a moment later, the tips of her toes gently massaging your inner thigh.

You can feel yourself starting to get hard.

Guh.

You blink, hands gripping the bench tighter as you try to steel yourself. You glance up, offering Cadence's sly expression a pleading glance.

“Cad—Cadence. Stop. Shining is—”

“So how have you been enjoying your stay in the capital?”

You jolt, inching forward several inches as Shining's voice echoes through the locker room. You hold in a gasp as Cadence's right foot slides partway up your shaft, the soft sole of her socked foot enveloping your dick beneath the fabric.

You glance back up. Cadence simply stares back at you, a growing smirk lighting her lips as she pulls her sucker out part way before popping it back into her mouth.

Shit.

You can feel yourself come to full mast as Cadence starts to move her foot along your lower shaft, the motion tugging the fabric of your compression shorts across your cockhead.

You struggle to reply to Shining's question.

“I...uh...great. It's been great.”

You can hear the stallion chuckle, his booming laugh echoing loudly in your ears. Your nervousness heightens a notch.

That was probably the laugh you'd be hearing when he killed you.

“Ah, glad to hear you've been enjoying yourself. It's been awesome having a new bud to show around the castle.”

You swallow as Cadence slowly lowers her arms, breasts threatening to pour out from her top as she wraps her fingers around the bench beneath her.

Wordlessly, she slides her left foot in closer, her legs splayed open as she slides her toes along the side of your shaft. You can see faint lines moving across the inside of her bare thighs and waistline, the muscles of her taught body flexing slightly with the movement.

“Guhh—yeah! Castle buddies. Great it's...great.”

You grunt, blinking your eyes as the sensation grips at you. The sensation of her toes and soles are muted beneath your shorts—the clumsy lack of access somehow nearly as arousing as it would be without.

You ears strain to listen for the continued patter of the shower head. That sound was the only thing keeping you from screaming out loud right now.

You let out another grunt as Cadence slides her right foot up further, socked toes coming to rest on your waistband. Your dick twitches, visibly, the restrained bulge pinned helplessly beneath her foot.

Cadence reveals a small smirk, her right cheek bulging slightly from the sucker behind it. She shakes her head, tossing her tricolor ponytail behind her shoulders. Her breasts bob with the movement, the outlines of her nipples agonizingly visible beneath the white lettering of her top.

Your dick leaps again, the mare's foot continuing to hold it firm against your waistline. Despite your nervousness, you can't help but feel a twinge of frustration—the lack of contact was driving you insane.

“Tell me about it. It's not everyday you get to pal around with folk from another world.”

Your eyes widen as you glance back in the direction of Shining's voice. Celestia. You were starting to forget he was still even here.

Shining, however, continues, unaware of your increasingly spotty perception.

“Yep. Totally awesome.” You can hear the sound of a shampoo bottle opening up as Shining pauses for a moment to scrub.

“What'd you think of Cadie by the way? I never had a chance to ask.”

“CADENCE?” Your voice hitches involuntarily as you grip the bench more tightly.

Out of the corner of your eye you can see Cadence's smile grow a fraction larger, her perfect white teeth showing behind her lips. The pressure on your dick grows firmer as she starts to move with a couple slow strokes.

You struggle to keep your voice in check as the sensation tugs at your restricted cockhead.

“Ah...yeah...I mean, Cadence....she's uh...uh...”

Your glance back as the mare's foot slides back up to your waistband, her socked toes curling around the elastic strip. Her left foot joins a moment later—toes edging beneath the seam.

Your eyes widen. You can feel a bead of sweat roll down your forehead.

“...she's...uh...”

The mare starts to tug, the elastic of your workout gear shifting uncomfortably as it starts to move down your shaft.

“...uh...”

With another quick tug, your shorts and compressions slide all the way down—your bare dick suddenly springing forward into the open air. You grunt and lean forward—adjusting your grip on the bench in the process.

“GREAT!...she's great!”

You can hear the unevenness in your own voice. Moreso than before.

“You doing alright in there, Ambassador? Sounds like you're breathing hard.”

The sound of Shining's showerhead suddenly stops.

“Need some help over there?”

Your stomach drops.

“NOPE! Nope! Doing fine! Just fine!”

You glance frantically over your shoulder, scrambling for words. Your thoughts are a jumble.

“Just...cramps. Doing some stretching. No need for help though. Nope. Ha ha. None at all. You just keep doing what you're doing. Over there....How are you?...”

Your rambling trails off, body tensing with fear. The silence drags on for ages—the sound of your own blood pounding in your ears.

Finally, you hear the squeak of a handle as Shining resumes his shower.

“Ah, is that all. I'll leave you to it then, Ambassador.”

OhthankLuna.

You can feel your heart rate drop back below 300—earlier excitement forgotten in your temporary anxiety attack.

Weakly, you glance back in Cadence's direction, studying her expression. Her earlier smirk has faded—replaced with a look of disappointed curiosity directed down the length of her calf.

You follow her eyes to your crotch, immediately feeling your cheeks grow warm at the sight. Your flaccid dick is flopped limply over the top of Cadence's white sock—the pink tan color of your skin all the more obscene against the clean white fabric.

You glance back up, hesitantly, eyes darting around a few times before returning to Cadence's face. Slowly, you can see the mare's purple eyes trail up your figure until they reach your own. Her expression even, she studies you for a few moments, twirling her sucker in her mouth.

A moment later, her usual expression returns, her eyebrows narrowing as she offers you a sly grin.

Releasing the sucker from her fingertips, she shifts her arms to one side, gripping the underside of the bench. With one fluid movement, she spins, socks sliding out from beneath your cock as she turns to sit on her legs before you.

You swallow, your gaze taking in the full sight of Cadence from behind. Slowly you trail your eyes down her slender shoulders, past the two wings poking out from the holes in her top, and down the small of her exposed back.

As her tail swishes out of the way, your eyes widen at the sight of her backside squeezing out from her too-tight shorts—exposing the top half of a thin black thong strung between her ass cheeks. You can make out the word “PRINCESS” printed in pink and white on the dark fabric of her shorts—the individual letters stretched wide against the curves of her ass.

Unf.

Your eyes drop another inch. You watch her wiggle her toes beneath her socks, her firm ass smothering the soles of her petite, socked feet. For the first time, you notice a small hole near the toes of her right sock—a small flash of pink skin standing out against the white.

Your memories of the other evening flash through your mind.

Your dick jumps in your shorts.

With practiced motions, Cadence leans forward, arching her back like a cat's. You shift a half foot back as her backside rises up in front of you—her black whale tail drawing tantalizingly close to your crotch before shifting forward on the bench.

You watch, transfixed, she shifts back on her knees—the undersides of her socks once again making their way into your lap.

You glance up.

Cadence's eyes meet yours from over her shoulder—her lips offering you the same sucker filled smirk as before. Her ponytail bobs as she shifts back even further—eliciting a grunt from your throat as the thin fabric of her socks brush against either side your limp shaft.

You shudder as she begins to stroke you from this position—the stretched “PRINCESS” lettering swaying closer to your face with every stroke. You watch as the waistline of her shorts sinks even lower—the black whale tail growing even more prominent between her pink cleavage.

You can see Cadence's smirk grow a fraction wider as you start to harden—your body quickly regaining its earlier tension.

“So, any plans for this evening then, Ambassador?”

You shake your head, only dimly aware of Shining's words as Cadence continues to stroke you through her socks—your cock swelling up to full mast from the slow ministrations of her feet. You can feel her soft soles enveloping either side of your shaft—the thin layer of fabric forming a frustratingly noticeable barrier between her skin and yours.

“Nnnh—er...no...no plans.”

You gasp as Cadence lengthens her strokes—the smooth fabric grazing your cockhead as her ass continues to bob slowly in front of you. You can feel the urge to grab at it—to bite it—tugging at you from the inside of your chest and jaw.

“Really? Want to hit up dinner with me and Cadence again, then?”

You tense as Cadence quickens her movements—her soft soles working your shaft and cockhead with faster strokes. You can feel your sense of self start to drift.

“Uh...no thanks Shining...I'm...”

Your voice cuts out as Cadence shifts her position, placing the tips of her toes at the head of your cock before slowly sliding her feet down the length of her shaft. Your eyes widen as you feel your cockhead brush against bare skin—no doubt grazing the small hole in the fabric you had seen earlier.

You grit your teeth, grabbing the bench more tightly. A familiar tightness stirs in your midsection—tiny spots forming on the edge of your vision.

“...I think I'm just going to head in tonight...long day and all.”

You wince as Cadence brushes your cockhead against the hole—the small tear in the fabric growing wider as it starts to stretch around your girth.

Your eyes widen as you realize the her intent.

Glancing up, you catch Cadence's stare in yours, her purple eyes glinting slyly as always. With a smirk, she pushes her foot forward, eliciting another sharp breath from you as your cockhead pops fully into the hole in her sock.

“F-fuck.”

You shake your spinning head, the sensation of your cockhead against the underside of the mare's foot drawing spots on the edge of your vision. Cadence barely gives you any time to adjust, resuming her long strokes with your dick sandwiched between her feet.

You bite the air as you feel your cock forced deeper into the tear—the soft skin of her sole and the fabric of her sock enveloping your dick in a tight sleeve as she continues to jack you off.

The kink of it is electric—one side smooth, the other side coarse—the sensation of fucking Cadence's pure white gym socks feeling wrong, and obscene, and incredible, and exhilarating all at the same time. You glance up again, face only inches away from the perfect pink princess-lettered ass swaying back and forth in front of your face.

You feel another twinge in your midsection.

You wouldn't last much longer.

Nearing the end of your rope, you glance upward, catching Cadence's eyes once again. Giving you a last, knowing wink, she closes her eyes, shifting the sucker to her cheek with her tongue as she increases the pace of her pumping.

Your eyes widen as the sensation against your dick rides into overdrive—the soft skin of Cadence's socks and sole swallowing your cockhead with every thrust. You can hear the fabric of her sock start to tear—the growing hole revealing flashes of soft pink skin to your vision.

The absurdity of the situation takes hold—your mind swirling with euphoria, confusion, and disgust.

Cadence. Princess of the Crystal Empire. Wife of Shining Armor. Bent over. In the stallion's locker room. Whale tail bouncing in front of your face. The word "PRINCESS" stretched across her ass.

And you were fucking her gym socks.

“FUCK!”

Unable to hold back, your dick erupts, spurting your load into the white fabric clinging to the bottom of Cadence's foot. Immediately, you can see it turn gray with liquid—your thick spunk drawing an obscene, wet pattern on the underside of her sock. An errant strand some how manages to jettison out through the fabric—spattering the black of her “PRINCESS” hot pants with flecks of white. You can hear a wet squelching as she continues to jack you off through orgasm, traces of your cum slowly starting to spill out the sides of the hole in her sock.

You lean forward, neck twitching, as Cadence pulls back—your limpening dick sliding out from its well lubricated cocksleeve. You stare, transfixed, as she rolls back onto her backside—the underside of her cum stained sock still turned to the open air.

You watch as Cadence raises an eyebrow in mock surprise. Lifting her arms, she grabs the mouth of her sock—slowly tugging it down the length of her calf. You watch her smooth skin appear from beneath the white fabric—the gentle curves of her petite ankle and heel slowly taking shape before your vision. With another tug, the sock slides completely off, exposing her sole to the open air.

Your dying cock twitches again as you take in the sight of your cum smeared across her soft skin—the entirety of her pink sole glinting in a thin sheen of translucent white. Eyes fixed lazily on her legs, she does the same with her left sock, exposing the entirety of her pretty pink soles and toe pads to the harsh fluorescent light.

Cadence meets your eyes again and grins, tossing the pair of socks into your lap. You glance between her and the socks for a moment before slouching back. You can feel the elastic of your athletic shorts slide up over your midsection—plastering your spent member against your waistline.

There were no words.

Out of the corner of your eye, you see Cadence shift, tossing her legs to on side of the bench to stand. You watch as she slides a pair of cheap yellow flip flops out from beneath her seat—stepping into both without a second thought.

You can hear the squelching beneath her right foot as she stands—the sound timing perfectly with the squeak of Shining's shower handle in the background. Falling backwards on the bench, you watch silently as she walks past you—her tight, cum spattered spattered backside swaying as she heads for the door.

Casting one last, knowing glance over her shoulder, she disappears out the door—the squelching of her flip-flops fading off into the distance.

Sitting back up, you hold your gaze on the door for a moment longer before glancing back at the socks in your lap. Hesitantly, you lift the untorn sock in front of you—staring intently. Slowly, you start lift it closer to your face.

Cadence's...scent—

“Wow. Great showers here. Gotta love that water pressure.”

“WAUGH—uh Shining Armor! I uh—”

You immediately fumble forward as Shining rounds the corner, balling the socks up behind you in a single bumbling motion as you turn to face him. You can sense that your face is still flushed—the scene awkward no matter how you looked at it.

You can see him glance at you through the strands of his drying mane—a friendly, but curious look.

“You doing alright over there, Ambassador? You look a little red."

You nod excessively.

Too close.

“Yeah! Yep! Great! Uhh...the blood just sorta rushed to my head while I was doing stretches and all.”

You chuckle nervously, pointing to your face as you shrug your shoulders. Shining lets out a laugh, apparently buying your excuse.

“Ah, I know how that goes.”

The stallion continues to chuckle, dropping his towel as he approaches his locker. You manage to avert your eyes just in time, sliding back a few inches on the bench as Shining roots through his things.

Definitely not the bashful type, this one.

You listen as Shining shimmies into some pants—zipping his fly and clasping his belt as he continues to yell over to you.

“You sure you don't want to catch dinner with Cadence and I? It's hayburger casserole night.”

You feel your face grow a darker shade of red at the thought of Cadence. There was no way you could handle sitting face to face with her right now.

You shake your head to yourself, calling out over the lockers with a half-real half-forced tired voice.

“Yaaaawn, ah no. Rain check tonight. Pretty tired. Might just hang out at my place for a little bit before I go to bed.”

You can almost see Shining casually batting the air in front of you—his response as carefree as always.

“Ah, no worries bud. I understand.”

You can hear the the metallic ring of a zipper as Shining finishes packing up his things.

Finally.

You slide your arms forward, taking another long look at the balled up socks in your fist. You can still see the image of them gracing Cadence legs burned into your mind's eye. The way they hugged her calves...her ankles...her heels...the creases of her soles...

You hear Shining push his locker shut, the sound echoing through the empty room.

“I'll be heading out for now, then. Have fun tonight.”

You nod dully, glancing back at your hands. Despite your fatigue, you can feel faint stirrings in your midsection as your eyes trace over the princess's soiled socks.

You stare a moment longer before nodding to yourself.

Will do, Shining. Will do.

***