The white stallion opened an eye. It was peaceful for a moment in the tranquil white embrace of the sterile sheets of the dingy motel room. He yawned, his eyes lazily unfocused. Then they suddenly snapped to attention as he spied his mobile phone. He grabbed it with a brief flash of magic, bringing it to his weary face. He checked his text messages. He scowled when he saw nothing new since before he had gone to sleep. “Fuck.”

Shining Armor got out of bed and stumbled into the shower. He jumped in and turned it on cold. He jumped, jolted properly awake by the frigid water. "F-fuck," he seethed and shivered, waiting for it to turn warm. Soon it was warm enough for him to reasonably put up with, and so Shining Armor began to wash himself up. He had not cleaned himself up the night before after his escort encounter and had gone to sleep still sweaty and spent. The girl had seen herself out, or maybe he'd barely seen her out. He wasn't sure. There had been a spent bottle of vodka on the table right by his phone -- he didn't have a hangover for some reason despite having hit the bottle pretty hard the night before, and he didn't want to question his good luck in that respect. Spring Sprocket always had gotten the worst hangovers and from the smallest doses of booze, contrary to the stereotypical earth pony trait of being fully able, and even accustomed to drinking copious gallons of hard stuff with no real ill effects the following morning. Against this, Fletched Arrow had been a total lightweight, albeit one who was surprisingly good at faking being sober, provided he wasn't trying to fly. It was something to do with pegasus anatomy and how they were lighter, so they had less blood and tissues to soak up the alcohol. Or maybe it was something else. Either way, he sure could have used their company right then.

Spring Sprocket...

Fletched Arrow...

His friends...

He missed them. If only they were here with him in Manehattan, if only they'd come here, accompanying him on this flight from his problems in solidarity. He could envision the scene now. Fletched would be laying out a solid four dozen tourism brochures from the train station and trying to convince them they could do everything thrice by lunchtime while Spring Sprocket would argue bitterly that they should each pick three or maybe four things to do for the next week, taking turns in a rotation. He knew how that'd end up: they'd get drunk and watch shitty movies on the TV until they realized they were hungry and go looking for something like a burger shop or a pizza joint. Then they'd find the randomest thing to do and somehow end up having a way better time than they ever could have done at some canned commercial tourist trip. To have Arrow and Sprocket here to keep him company and raise his spirits with friendly insults meant only in the most serious jest... Wouldn't that be nice?

But that would require fessing up to his secret shame. He had been paying for sex. He had been having sex with his very own mother. He could not let that secret out; he would choose to die first. Even his best friends could not possibly understand what was wrong, even if they did know.

But instead he was here all alone. it was just him and his thoughts in shabby motel room two hundred miles from home. He had to leave home. He couldn't stay there, not after he and his mother had... And he'd told her... And then screamed at him... Even hotter water leaked from his eyes.

Shining Armor got out of the shower. He was done.

After toweling off, the young guy went back to the bed and lay down on it. He turned on the TV. It was not for the sake of watching it that he turned it on, or even to be entertained, but instead just to not hear the deafening roar of the silence in the otherwise empty room. His eyes glazed over and then shut closed. He didn't even really know or care about what the hell was on the TV.

When he was roused from his reverie, it was by rumbling in his guts. Fuck, food, of course he had to eat. He'd eaten, right? It had been, uh... more than a day ago -- he'd last had lunch, a shitty prepackaged train station ham sandwich with a bag of air containing some chips, went home, drank, had sex, passed out, showered, passed out again, and now was here. So yeah, he needed to eat. Shame. He could have stayed here until erosion ate away at the drywall.

The stallion got dressed. It took him many minutes, but it was done before too long. Shiny put on his shoes and leather jacket. He took inventory of his stuff. Wallet? Check. Phone? Check. Key? Check. All good. He took a look at his text messages before he stepped outside. Nothing new. He frowned. "C'mon, Mom, say something." He left.

Shining Armor walked up the Manehattan street on the Manehattan sidewalk, past Manehattan pedestrians. by Manehattan buildings, buzzed by Manehattan cars full of Manehattan ponies. Manehattan... Shining honestly did not like it. For all the music, literature, and film about it, he did not get the hype. He found it unwelcoming, kinda cold, and honestly ugly. Unending concrete, brick, and more than a fair bit of shabbiness. It was nothing like the elegant marble buildings and green spaces of his home Canterlot. And the ponies, well, he hadn't yet succeeded in making sense of them yet. They seemed to just inherently sound angry, even when they weren't, not that they weren't often angry anyway. Always in a hurry, often shouting, sometimes at him, occasionally cursing, never seeming happy. It was radically disparate from how things were back in Canterlot. There were no gardens here, no green, no coincidental patches of anything natural. It felt lifeless, artificial. And all the great, monolithic skyscrapers made him feel puny in their cold shadows. It was like walking around inside the ribs of one of those plastic skeletons they had in school for showcasing anatomy. His pediatrician had a real skeleton that had always freaked him out.

He took a streetside seat at a pizza place. If there was one redeeming quality to Manehattan, the pizza was reliably good.

He was full one pizza and two beers later, totaling up to fifteen bits. Fuck him, Manehattan was expensive -- the same meal back in Canterlot, outside of a boutique or bistro restaurant would have run at most 11 for a rock-solid experience. He made a mental note to flee to the boondocks next time -- a sleepy hamlet like Ponyville would let him stretch his bits much farther than a bustling metropolis would. As he sat there, he looked at his phone. Tons of messages and missed calls. None from his mother; hers were the only ones he wanted to see, yet those he also dreaded most. Her latest message to him had been five weeks ago, asking if he would prefer she got a lager or an ale while grocery shopping. He'd replied back with vodka.

He felt the call of lust. Curse his matured body and its sexual needs. There was one thing to be done. Nobody he knew could catch him at it, and nobody was going to care if he did it. Shining Armor went online and hit up an escort agency. Ten minutes later, he'd put in for a session with a young yet leggy earth mare. He paid his bill and got up to go back to his room. He had a date. To this end, he stopped off at an ATM. He was not happy with the readout on his account balance. Lower all the time; he couldn't stay here forever. He'd be bankrupt in a month unless he got a job or something.

Great, he could envision turning into a harsh-tongued, haranguing Manehattanite, scrubbing away at dishes in some kitchen, or putting up with unending streams of shit from retail customers. Fuck him.

Shining Armor made his way back and watched TV in an effort to pass the time until his scheduled sexual encounter. What an unsexy way to think of it. Second dripped by. Minutes crawled by. Eventually, the hour came. And then the hour plus one minute, two minutes, three minutes... The anticipation was starting to kill him. He counted his bits for the fourth time in the past fifteen minutes. Seventy-five. Better check again, just in-

Knock!-Knock!-Knock!

"Who is it?"

"Sugar Swirl!" a feminine voice answered back.

His escort! In that moment, he forgot his malaise and misgivings -- he was going to get laid! Shining Armor took a moment to power down his phone, then he rushed to the door and flung it open. Before him stood a cute mare about his age. She had a bright white coat and a pale, bright, bubblegum pink mane that glittered ever so slightly and curled itself into spirals over her forehead and behind her neck. Indeed, she did live up to her name! He dropped his donation into her purse and she nodded.

"Let's go to the bed," he said. She complied, clapping a hand to his ass. He ground his teeth. Velvet had been so aggressive with him.

He stripped naked and she did the same. The white stallion knew the drill with agencies. It was nothing like a leisurely lay with Velour. They were groping each other within seconds. This was fun. She had modest breasts, all natural. He estimated B cups. And as he felt her up, he moved his hands soon down her belly and to her ass. Now that was good. Her ass was big and squishy for a girl of her size and petite frame. The thought occurred to Shining that Sugar could walk right by someone in the street and they would never guess she whored. He clapped her ass and she hummed. She had a young voice, sounding about his age. Her hands went south to mirror his, and soon they found their way to his crotch.

She laughed, "Hard already?"

"You know it, baby," he answered.

She licked her lips. "Mind if I have a little taste?"

"Go ahead."

The escort turned around, presenting her ass to him, sticking the fine thing in his face. And while her client contemplating giving himself a mouthful of his escort, she helped herself to his cock, her warm mouth closing around it with a hum. Her tongue ran up and down his length. It was a tongue heavy experience... Velvet had done it very similarly. It felt nice and to not be unfair, Shining brought his face to her hips and returned the favor. He realized now that mare would never be his favorite flavor. Biologically speaking, pussy juice was pretty much runny, acidic snot with some bacterial cultures living in it.

Sugar Swirl immediately quivered. She was sensitive or an actress. He dove in deep, just striving to give her some pleasure before the main event. He realized he hadn't done cunnilingus on his mom -- at least she wouldn't take every single one of his firsts. After a few minutes this dirty little mare was quivered and moaning his name. He took that as a good thing and licked harder, lapping upwards towards her clitoris. She sucked him harder, getting a tremble and caress from him. She ground her hips onto his face, letting him drink her in and suffuse his nostrils with her odor. His face was slick with her juices. He was digging his fingers deep into her supple ass, very much appreciating the feminine form. The stallion contemplated letting her finish him like this, but he wanted pussy. The thought of being finished in the mouth reminded him of Eventide Velour.

Shining Armor pulled his face away, satisfied she'd had some fun. He said, "Let's fuck." He felt uneasy in the pit of his stomach. Intercourse would distract from that. Sex was good. Sex was fun. He liked sex. He would be happy if just he were having sex.

Sugar Swirl crawled forwards, presenting herself to him. Shining Armor leaned over to reach his table drawer and opened it to retrieve a condom. Putting it on, he took his position between the mare's legs, looking down her back. Face down, ass up, that was how she liked to fuck. "I want you," she said, wriggling her pert ass at him. He smacked it and then grabbed a cheek in each hand. Her mane looked alarmingly like Velour's from behind.

"I have you now," he growled with more genuine aggression than he cared to admit. He hilted roughly in one push after fumbling around her vulva a few times. Hot. Wet. Tight. Soft. Fuck, that felt good. She pushed back against him, encouraging his libido. He fucked her. She fucked him. Her pussy felt fantastic. The mare gave little grunts as he copulated with her fine hindquarters.

"Fuck me," she teased, twisting back to look at him. That look in her face... Shiny found it familiar. He smacked her ass, plunging in deep, hard, making her squeal, "Is that all you got, Gleaming Shield?"

He pounded her harder, smacking her ass repeatedly. Slap! Slap! Slap! He did it harder and harder. He was so excited. He felt a great heat in his chest. "You like that?"

"Fuck me!" Sugar Swirl yelled. "Harder!"

SMACK! SMACK! "You like that!?" Shining Armor shouted, ramming in as hard as he could. As he soaked up the pleasure, he felt his mare wince. SMACK! Then he dug in with fingernails. She was reacting like Velvet, tempting him to fuck her hard, teasing lust out of him.

He didn't have words for what he was feeling. He was horny as hell but didn't want anyone to touch him. His erection burned with an ache for touch, but the thought of a mare, this mare, any mare fucking stallion after stallion after stallion after stallion disgusted him. She was a prostitute, a professional slit on legs, just like his mother. He gritted his teeth, trying to stay in the present. But the mounting pleasure sent visions of old events through his mind anew. Him, his mother, so good, so close, so much pleasure. She wanted him, he came for her, and she hated him.

That. Fucking. BITCH!

"You like it rough?" he demanded.

"Yeah," panted Sugar. He seized her mane, feeling her immediately react with excitement.

"Wow, you really do."

"Fuck me, Gleaming!"

"Oh, I'll fuck you hard!" he spat, yanking on the mare's curls. She gasped. He tingled with pleasure. He wasn't going to last long. He was excited, burning with vitality and something else dreadful. "You like that, you bitch?" Why was he so nasty? Why couldn't he stop? They slammed their hips together. Her hot cunt struggled against his surging cock. So hard. So wet. So deep. So vivid! No, livid! His balls were tightening up. He was beginning to pant.

He rutted her. He yanked her hair repeatedly and assailed her plot, striking it hard. She whined, "Gleaming...!" That moaning, pathetic manner just enraged him. He felt on fire, like he was exploding from every point on his body. He gouged out her insides with his iron cock, making her moan in punishment. She was just so like HER! He couldn't stop himself.

"You like that, bitch?" He fucked her hard, shoving her head down. His hips drove onwards like crazy. The pleasure was getting uncontrollable. He was going to cum soon. "I'll fuck you hard!"

"Gleaming, ow!"

"Shut the fuck up! I'm gonna cum. I'm gonna fill you up, is that what you want? Is that all you're good for!?"

"Fill me!"

"You like that, WHORE!" Shining Armor screamed, clenching her hips, holding them together. Electricity coursed through him. So close... He hammered away at her/ She bucked her hips in time with him. He felt her getting even wetter. "Don't worry, I'll give it to you, I'll make you feel it."

"Aaaii! Gleaming Shield, careful!"

The stallion pumped into her like mad, snarling, "I thought you wanted it rough."

"Yeah, just watch it -- almost had the wrong hole there."

Shining didn't say anything back. His mind was elsewhere. He was barely paying any attention to Sugar Swirl. He was fucking her relentlessly like a machine. It was a frenzy of carnality and pleasure. And he was hating every single moment of it. He pounded her hard, practically punching her with his thrusts. Images of his mother in the same posture ran through his mind. Just like her, she'd seduced him, goaded him to fuck her, brought him to orgasm, been his mate when he was vulnerable. "Mom..." His heart twisted into a multiple of knots just as he dug his fingers into the supple ass. The pressure broke far below as he surged into Sugar Swirl, and finding his agony turned into rage, he erupted with a scream. "TAKE IT ALL, YOU FUCKING WHORE! TAKE IT! TAKE IT! TAKE IT!"

"Give it to me! I can feel you cumming. Deep! Give me the cum! Let me have your cum!" Shiny's whore pleaded.

"SHUT THE FUCK! UP! FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU!”

"Fill your dirty little whore, Gleaming."

The pleasure overwhelmed him, and he roared himself hoarse as he clung to his mare, emptying himself into her, letting everything out. Semen flooded forth from the head of his cock as curses and insults vomited from his mouth in a flood. This wasn't dirty talk, he was furious. In that very moment, he could have killed her. "FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU!" Emotional pain and physical pleasure battled it out in an invisible duel that raged across his heart. Feelings he didn't even knew he had -- hurt beyond hurt, rage beyond rage, betrayal beyond betrayal.

"Fuck me!"

"I HATE YOU!" The lightning of pleasure faded, his cock began to shrink. Suddenly, Shining Armor came to his senses. His intensity went from two hundred to zero, and he collapsed backwards, feeling hung over all over again.

Sugar Swirl looked at him, fearful yet concerned. "I-I I... I... I-I'm sorry," he whispered. "I didn't mean to-"

"It's okay," she said, smoothing it over perfunctorily, then sitting by him. They were silent. She sat too far away for him to lash out at. "I should've made sure you were okay."

"No, no," he said, "you couldn't've, Sugar. It's nothing you did, it's not your fault. Please, don't make me talk about it."

"Okay." He turned on the TV.

"Hey, pass me the vodka?" She did wordlessly, and he began to drink. He swallowed four huge mouthfuls before offering it to her.

She accepted. The rest of the session passed in a drunken haze, just watching television together. When the time came for Sugar Swirl to leave, she did it mechanically, almost skittishly. In his heart of hearts, Shining Armor knew he had fucked up. He'd been weak and lashed out exactly like his mother had at him, a piece of meat exploited for fleeting comfort.

He was the worst.

Fuck him.

Feeling like shit, he drank some more. And some more. And some more. He hoped to find some happiness in that bottle, but all he found was an empty yearning. Feeling ill, he stumbled over to the bathroom and vomited. Then he slumped over the size of the tub, vomited again, and then sank for the final time into oblivion. He awoke at some point to drink water, down four Aspirins, and slide into bed. It was still light. He went back to sleep anyway. He'd wasted days away here before, and he'd waste away some more.

Shining Armor grumbled softly. Somepony was knocking at the door. The oblivion of sleep was a greater draw than the pain of wakefulness. He turned over and threw the thin hotel covers over his head, how did he end up back in bed? He ignored the second knock; the first one had jarred him from his slumber. His ears twitched for a moment before he grimaced and turned over again to glare at the offending door. Whomever was on the other side seemed to not understood the message. A third knock gets him to rotate off the bed. As his feet touched the carpet, apparently the pony on the other side of the door had lost their patience. The polite knocking had graduated to what sounded like a closed fist hammering on the door.

“I’ve paid my room through the end of the week!”

The knocking stopped. “Royal Operations, open up!”

That got a chill running down his spine. The security in charge of taking care of the princesses. Why? How have they found him? He was using his own credit card, so they likely could have run a credit check and would know exactly where he’s been spending his money. “Hold on a second.” That apparently mollified them, so it was not some kind of raid. Good news at least, the worst thing in the world would be for him to be woken up being bound by an advanced mage with the room already full of soldiers. He pulled on his boxers and shambled towards the hotel room door.

Shining put his hand on the lever style knob and took a deep breath before opening the door. No soldiers in tactical gear, no mages in enchanted armor. Just one zebra, though the massive mare would easily make three of him. He looked up. “Is there something wrong?”

The mare pulled a phone out of the inside pocket of her suit jacket and dialed. After a few moments, she handed the phone to him wordlessly. He glanced at the phone, then put it to his ear. “Hello?”

“Shining Armor?”

Shining felt the blood drain from his face.“Princess Platinum on stilts!" he whisper swore. "Cadance?”

“Oh, I’m so glad they finally found you! Why aren’t you answering your phone?”

His ears flattened “I haven’t had it on much, sorry.”

“I want you to meet me.”

Shining glanced at the big mare. “Tonight? Or tomorrow would be better.”

“No, right now. I have a ride arranged for you; just follow the guard -- Staff Sergeant Poppy Lilac.” A click announced the preclusion of any debate. He looks at the phone for a long moment before returning it.

“I’ll get some clothes on.”

The guard frowned. “If you want to see the princess, take a shower. You stink.”

He nodded as he stepped back. The mare grabbed the handle of the door and closed it with her outside. His eyebrows rose as he headed into the bathroom. Princesses, in general, were not known to be the most patient of ponies, so he stripped quickly and hopped in the shower. He quickly adjusted the water and turned on the spray head, letting it flow over his body. He grabbed the little hotel soap, stripping the wrapper off a new bar. His body was quickly washed and he stepped out of the bathroom with a cloud of steam. A quick glance at the still closed door had him rooting through his bag. He didn't really have much for wearing to meet a princess of Equestria, so he settled on a pair of jeans and a red polo shirt. How long had that been in there? He shook it out to purge wrinkles. He walked back into the bathroom, scraping the condensation off the mirror to look at himself. It didn’t take him long to brush his hair and teeth, every so often glancing at the door, though Poppy Lilac seemed to have enough patience for him to get ready. He walked over and grabbed a pair of socks. He slid them on and pulled on his boots. Finally, he approached the door.

“Took you long enough,” the guardsmare said when he opened the door. She turned and walked down the corridor.

He smiled sheepishly as he closed the door and followed her. The elevator down to street level seemed quite a bit smaller with the nearly seven foot tall mare crowded in with him. He doubted that anypony under her guard was ever in danger. He tried to keep close to the wall without looking like avoiding her. Though the mare glanced at him from time to time, a knowing smile crept onto her face. As the elevator dinged, he nearly leapt through the opening doors, eager to be away from that claustrophobic feeling. The lobby was brightly lit. He looked around for any other guards. He saw none as he passed through the revolving door and out onto the Manehattan street. The guardsmare was right behind him and she gestured towards a short limousine idling at the curb. He stopped for a moment as the guard marched over to pull open the rear door. Shining slipped by her, sliding into the back seat. To his surprise, she didn’t join him, but instead closed his door and climbed into the front passenger seat.

As that door closed, the driver took over, smoothly pulling the limo away from the curb and into the street. There is no pennant flying on the fenders of this car, so it had to follow the traffic laws. Shining sat in the back, looking around, there is a bar in the back, along with the prerequisite miniature bottles of liquor. He pulled open the small fridge and grabbed a bottle of water. He had no desire to get drunk at the moment, he’s done enough of that already.

Minutes passed as the car wound its way through the traffic of midtown Manehattan while he drained a second bottle of water. The weather outside was quite clear, the sun shining brightly, the ponies walking along the sidewalks, many in shorts or short sleeve shirts n the height of summer. Contrary to their seeming carefreeness, Shining Armor could not let his guard down. Instead, a weighty stone was settled down in his gut. He had been summoned by Princess Cadance, all because he had kept his phone off like an idiot, thinking he could ignore everypony, royalty included. He’s just hadn't wanted to deal with home. He slid the slab of glass and metal out of his pocket and turned it on. He had to go do archaeology in his inboxes.

Hey, Shining, wanna hang out? Fletched Arrow’s texts always got a grin from him.

Another set got him to look up at the mare and stallion in the front of the limo. His dad shouldn’t be home yet.

Hey, kiddo, some problems at work, on my way home early.

Then the next day: I’m home, Mom told me you had some issues with her? If I can talk to you about them, I’ll be happy to offer a sympathetic ear.

Holy shit, did Mom tell him about what happened? He looked at the text for a long time, then glances out the window as the car makes a turn. He taps the screen to bring up the keyboard. Hey, Dad. It’s all good. We’ll work it out.

He moves on to the next set, the largest by far, all from Princess Cadance.

Hi, Shining, I’d like to see you, talk to you if possible.

Shining, it’s been a whole day, and you haven’t responded. Are you okay?

Shining, I’m getting a bit worried, you’ve never ignored me like this. Please tell me you are okay.

I’m getting scared now, I know Canterlot is one of the safest places in Equestria, but there’s always an outside chance something bad has happened. Please, text or call. Even if it’s just to let me know you are okay.

Shining Armor, this is extremely rude of you to ignore me.

Shining thumbed through the messages, the stone in his stomach descending to somewhere in his colon. The last one sends a second stone down to keep it company and chill his blood to a superfluid.

I talked to ROC, let them know I’m worried about you. You had your phone off, so they had to track you down via your bank card use. You are in Manehattan? What’s going on? I’m really worried for you. When Staff Sergeant Poppy Lilac arrives, just please, let me know you are okay. I’m getting on the train now to come there. Please be okay.

He pressed the power button to turn off the screen and quickly put the phone away. She’s worried about him, yet she had sounded so oddly calm on the phone. Must be that royal bearing. He shook his head. He could feel from the change in momentum that the limo was coming to stop.

The zebra was quickly at his door, opening it with a flourish. She pointed in a direction and Shining obeyed. His boots rang on the concrete as he entered the building. The large mare moved past him smoothly and opened up the door to an establishment, a quick glance at its name got him to blanch further. He was one of the premier cafe chains in Equestria, known for both their amazing cakes and candies, their quality matched only by their astronomical prices, fittingly named The Chocolate Dream.

“Shining!” came Cadance’s voice. He gulped, going towards the alicorn. She stood up as he got close, and to his utter surprise, she threw her arms around him in a tight hug. After a moment of shock, he hugged her back tightly. The hug went on for far longer than he would have expected, but she finally released him and they each had a seat. She gestured, and a platter was placed between them. Tiny little cakes, four of them, sit there, every single one of them sugary perfection. Cadance picked up one and devoured the morsel, her eyes rolling back in pleasure. “Mmmmmmmmm.” She stopped chewing for a moment, gesturing for him to try one.

“Oh, I’m not hungry.”

“Don't make me ruin my figure,” Cadance jested. She looked down, swaying her chest from side to side a bit. “You want to see me in my bikini again, right?"

Shining blinked a few times, watching her breasts sway like that has made everything else disappear to his mind. Wearing a cream colored v-neck top, soft and shiny like silk. With more than a hint of cleavage showing, he had to shake his head to banish the thoughts of rising to the occasion. He made himself focus on her eyes. “Cadance, I don’t think I have enough money to smell all of this, much less try anything.”

She rolled her eyes. “I invited you here, you really think you need to worry about costs? I'm a princess."

He looked at her for a long moment. “Really, thanks!” He reached out and grabbed one, popping it into his mouth. As his mouth closed and he bit into it, he nearly moaned; the warm fudge had spilled out of the little morsel of cake, coating the inside of his mouth with the sugary goodness. The shock of the temperature change, along with the amazing flavor got him to continue chewing, and in moments he’s grabbed a second one and popped it in as well. And he thought Sugar Swirl had been sweet!

“So, why Manehattan?”

He stops, looking at Cadance, who is looking at him intently. He opens his mouth, well, I had to get away from my mother, whom I’d just fucked, who had said that she hated me, doesn’t seem to cut it. He suffices with, “I just had to get away. It’s complicated.”

Her eyes narrow. She gestures and another platter is placed before them, she gestures again, and he takes another bite. She watches him chew, the bliss spreading across his tongue, “You know some of the pastries are enchanted here. They magnify the hits to your pleasure centers.”

He looks at the morsel in his hand. “Really?” At her nod, he pops it into his mouth. The entire world is quiet for several long seconds as he chews. This must have been one of those enchanted pastries. He feels as though everything in the world was right at that moment. Nothing could ever be wrong, nothing could ever go wrong. As the feeling fades he looks at her, “Wow, those could get addictive.”

“No kidding. I come here whenever my duties bring me to Manehattan.” Her expression turned serious, “You know, you’ve got to finish your intake process. You’ve talked to the recruiter?” He nodded. “You know what the requirements are for getting in the guard are.

He chewed thoughtfully, even being here, he’s been keeping up his fitness regimen. Pushups, situps, and long runs through the city. “I’ll be back in Canterlot in time for entry processing and final physical.”

“I hope so.” She gestured for another plate to be brought in. He looked at the pastries set before him --white chocolate seemed to be the theme here; every single one of the little bite sized pieces seeming to either have shredded coconut, or white chocolate drizzle.

He picked one up, shoving it in his mouth, looking at her. “So, I haven’t gotten much news in the last few days. Any good gossip I should know from Canterlot?”

She smiled, and for a moment that smile makes his stomach flip. “I don’t spread rumors, Shining Armor, I create them.”

He looked down to find a new set of pastries. “Wow.” Dark, nearly black chocolate covers every single one. He picked one up, inspecting it for a long moment before he popped it in his mouth and chewed slowly, watching Cadance frown at him thoughtfully. "Also, wow."

She finally spoke. “You know, I’ve never been good at the ice breaker questions for a first date.”

He nearly choked, “You enlisted your guard detail to track me down, you came all the way to Manehattan, and had me brought here for a first date?” He was incredulous, his bullshit alarming blaring loud enough to induce tinnitus.

Again, that predatory smile. “Of course. You know, being a princess isn’t the easiest job in the world. Let's just say you caught my eye. Do you honestly think that I suggested you go into ROC just to see you end up in Celestia's detail?"

“Why me?”

That got rolled eyes from her. “Well, duh, I like your personality, and I've had the biggest crush on you for like ever.” She looked down at the polished clean plate. “And your appetites as well.” To his surprise, her cheeks color deepened.

Yet another platter was smoothly placed before them at Cadance’s direction. She smiled at him as she took one herself and popped it into her mouth, him following her lead. "Is that raspberry? Oh, my Celestia, it’s amazing." She said breathily.

"I know," Cadance agrees. He sits there in pastry bliss for several long seconds, his eyes closed. He hears Cadance shift on her seat, “I want to know more about Eventide Velour.”

"Say WHAT!?" Shining choked, nearly turning blue. Princes Cadance helpfully floated a glass of chocolate drink towards him, from which he drank deeply. He very slowly ventured, "You’ve seen her?”

She shook her head. “Not seen, read."

"Read?"

"Let me explain. I was babysitting for your sister not too long ago, and your mom handed me my pay in an envelope. I didn’t notice anything about it at first, but when I got home, I looked at it, there was the name, ‘Eventide Velour’ on it. But what really bothered me, it was your handwriting.”

"...fuck..." The stallion knew how he was going to die. Shining sat there. For the love of Celestia, could his mom be any less responsible?

First his dad was learning things, and now Cadance, too? Was she going to do a TV movie deal with Canterlot Fresh Air before it all was said and done? He could only try to feel out these developments and pray they didn't lead to disaster. With any luck, Nightmare Moon would return any second now, letting him die with some dignity. "Are you sure it was mine?”

“Oh come on, Shiny,” she growled, placing both hands on the table, “If you don’t want to tell me the truth, I’ll just go.” She stands up, gathering her purse. As if by magic, a waiter appeared with a leather folder. Cadance started walking away, rising from her chair. The waiter shrugged and hands it to Shining Armor. The young stallion flipped it open and blanched.

“What am I supposed to do with this?” Shiny called, getting Cadance to stop and look back at him.

“I never said I would pay, just that you shouldn’t worry.You have money to pass around in envelopes, so you can afford a little lunch out, can't you?"

Shining looked at the bill. He wouldn't go bankrupt, but it was more than a solid week's worth or more of really good groceries. He had the money, but he didn't want to pay that much -- he could travel back to Canterlot in first class for what they were charging here. He watched Cadance sashay towards the exit, as she put her hand on it, he called out, "Cadance, wait." She stopped, looking at him expectantly. "I came here because of mare troubles.”

She released the handle, walking back to him slowly, “Okay, I thought that was the case. Is Eventide that feminine problem you are referring too?” He nodded, rubbing the back of his neck for a long moment.

"Eeeeeyeaah... And it's kinda embarassing and painful."

"Is she the one you had the envelope for?"

"Yep." He was turning beet red.

"Was it her at the water park?"

"How did you know that?" Shining demanded defensively.

Cadance laughed, "You just told me, Shiny, and I'm not stupid. I had never seen you out with a mare before, but then you are there with one, a beautiful one at that, next thing you’re reporting mare troubles and getting all coy. You’re so easy to read sometimes it’s actually kinda adorable, believe it or now." She turned around and sits down across from him, “Okay, tell me more.”

"I really, really, don't want to."

"I can leave you with the bill. And don't forget I'm the Princess of Love -- the romantic welfare of all my subjects is my duty, and trust me, I've seen some weird stuff. A tryst, some crossed wires, fetishes, or even an age gap doesn't bother me. You don't have to worry about me thinking you're some kind of freak."

Shining Armor sighed, "Okay, she's not my marefriend. She's my escort."

Princess Cadance didn't so much as blink. "Okay, so you're partaking in commercial sex and you're developing feelings, but you feel like you can't fall in love with her and the age gap would make it way too awkward? You've been gone like a week and fled two hundred miles just for that?" Cadance laughed and put a hand on his shoulder comfortingly. "Oh, Shiny, that's nothing. Everyone gets a bit emotionally confused sometimes when sex is involved. Happens to all of us. And there's nothing wrong with seeing a professional for some short time loving -- a full quarter of guys do it at some point or other."

Shining relaxed. "Really? You're not mad at me and don't think I'm a loser just because I pay for sex?"

"Of course not. There's no wrong way to go about sex if it's safe, sane, and consensual. You are following all of those, right?"

"Yeeaah," Shining wheedled back, half lying, remembering with a burning sense of shame how he'd very nearly crossed the line mere hours before with Sugar Swirl. He really did need to find some way to apologize and make it up to her, assuming he had not already been forever blacklisted by her agency for being a crazy, scary son of a bitch. If he had been, he could not blame them for it in the least.

"So, if you're just confused, my little prince, what's she done to make you feel that way?"

"I'm gonna need a drink if I am to tell you this."

Cadance made some hand signs at somebody out of sight. Shining clammed up again against the pink alicorn. "It's not her actions."

"It's not?"

"Not anything she's done, n-no, well, sorta, but not really, y'know..." His cheeks were on fire.

Cadance looked at him with a tilted head. "Not really. What do you mean?" He was quiet for an entire minute. "I can't help you if you won't tell me." Another minute passed. Somebody put a big glass of brandy on the table. Looking up, Shiny saw it was Poppy Lilac, looking as implacable as ever. "Drink up, Shiny. Thank you, Staff Sergeant."

The zebra saluted. "Yes, Princess." She walked again out of Shining's field of vision. So, she was behind him. He was well and truly trapped. Could he have expected anything less from somepony who was not born into royalty but instead had ascended to it by merit? No, he would have been an utter fool to think anything like that.

Shining armor chugged the big brandy snifter in one go without even the slightest trace of a wince from the burning liquid. The pink alicorn seemed to vaguely approve of his quaffing abilities. "So, unless you want to foot a bar tab, too, mind telling me what's the problem?"

No exit. Shining Armor braced for death's blow. "Okay, okay. Please don't be mad at me, please don't hate me, Cadance." He was begging with his eyes and tone, unable to meet her gaze.

"I won't."

He sighed, blurting out in a blustery confession, "Eventide is my mom!"

Author's Note

Wowweee, the big secret is revealed! What will happen next? How will Cadance react? What will this mean back at Castle Greyskull?

Edited by Sparky Brony, who actually wrote the cafe scene. The cafe is based off a real chain in Russia called Shokoladnitsa. It's like Starbucks, sorta, only higher end, pricier, and actually worth the expense, serving proper food instead of million dollar gas station sandwiches. I wholeheartedly recommend bliny so smetanoj, chaj s yagodami, pel'meni s krolikom, goryachij shokolad. Vsyo vkusno! And speaking of Sparky, if you aren't reading Herding Instincts andIrony's Tale, you are missing out. I should know, I'm editing for the former.

In case you didn't notice the change in cover, let me tell you that the new cover is the result of a commission for the one, the only, the awesome, Chapaevv. His rates are very reasonable, his art is fantastic, and he's very easy to work with. If you're looking to get some art made, go hit him up at his Derpibooru. https://derpibooru.org/profiles/Chapaev

Sorry for the delay in production. I wanted to give Soothing A Tempest my full attention before returning to this one. If you haven't read SAT already, go do that. It's another plot with fic with attention paid to characters focusing on best purple pone.

Thanks for reading. I hope you liked it and that it was worth the wait. Let me know what you think, and I'll have another chapter for ya'll next month. Until then...

Lastly, this chapter marks the longest thing I've ever written, getting past the 60K mark, and my total word count on fimfic is now longer than 400K!

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Keep calm and brony on

• Kalash93