Dark Pink

Flash watched as the princess started to brush her hair. She was still naked. He just didn’t understand. He’d heard stories about Princess Cadance. A lot of the other guards, even those back in Canterlot, had told him that she was bold and free-spirited. He’d never seen that. He’d heard the stories about the Crystal Heart incident, too. About how she fought alongside Spike the Brave and Glorious to save the Empire from King Sombra. Captain Shining Armor had actually corroborated those stories. He’d chuckled when asked about his wife’s boldness.

And yet, Flash had just seen her broken down and crying on the floor. She’d cried in his arms, too. And then she’d ordered him to watch her dress, which made no sense. Was she just after the attention? Granted, she absolutely deserved it. She was incomparably gorgeous. Her curves were smooth and feminine, but as a whole she was built strong and athletically. It had to have taken years of training to get her body that perfect. Come to think of it, weren’t all of the princesses built like decathlon runners? Even the youngest, Princess Twilight, towered over the rest of her friends, except that one with the hat. She was almost, if not just as big. He’d seen photos of them together in the papers.

Princess Cadance suddenly stood up and stretched her arms over her head. Flash noticed that she’d straightened her hair out almost completely flat. It was a good look, as far as he could see. She turned around and asked him what he thought of the hair. It looked even better from the front. He told her that. He tried to keep his eyes focused on her face, but her bare chest was a little hard to ignore, especially with her hair draping lazily over it. Some of it even spilled into her cleavage. Other women had to envy her for that chest. There was no way they couldn’t. She must’ve notice that he glanced down at them, because she giggled, turned back away, and moved over to an outfit she’d laid out.

She told him to give her a moment to get dressed and do her make up. Not that she really needed it. She was pretty without it.

“Are you ready?” she suddenly asked, smiling over her shoulder at him. Snapped out of his daze, he realized she’d also changed the color of her hair (probably with magic). Actually, she looked almost like a completely different person. She wore darker makeup and more urban clothes than usual. She even had (presumable fake) piercings in her nose, lip and eyebrow. Taken along with her hair, which was black with pink, yellow and purple streaks going through it, it kind of made her look like one of those scene girls back in Manehattan.

He just stared at her dumbly for a moment. “Um… Ready for what, Your Majesty?”

“You’re escorting me into town,” she stated simply. “I’ve been craving some really greasy fast food. If anyone asks, I’m your cousin from Cloudsdale. My name is Breeze Heart.”

“I’m from Manehattan, Princess,” Flash pointed out softly. He really didn’t want to upset her again, but… facts were facts. He wasn’t from Cloudsdale. Neither was most of his family.

Princes Cadance giggled again and put her hands on her hips. She seemed completely different than before; much more jovial and friendly. “You might be, but is your cousin? Maybe she hasn’t seen you since you left Manehattan? She might’ve even been there to see you off at the train station. And I would think you’d be very casual with your dear cousin, as families typically are.”

A soft sigh slipped out of Flash’s mouth before he could stop it. At least one rumor he’d heard was proving true. She liked to do things her way, and it was hard to convince her otherwise. He’d always been told that she knew what she was doing and that it was usually best to listen to her, but was this really okay? Should the princess go into town, where she could easily be attacked? Although, if the stories were true about her being a skilled fighter, she probably wasn’t in any real danger.

And beyond all of that, Princess Cadance was practically asking him out on a date. Why would anyone refuse that?

“I suppose… I might have a cousin named Breeze, and she might be from Cloudsdale, and I might be pretty close to her.”

In an instant, the princess’s face lit up as she clasped her hands together in front of her chest. Before Flash could react, she ran over and wrapped her arms around his neck again. She pulled away before he could return the hug and ran over to her writing desk. After she scribbled something down, the telltale aura of magic emanated from in front of her. When she was presumably done, she turned around with two pieces of paper in hand. Those quickly vanished in a small flash. Were they messages? That seemed like the most sensible possibility.

As if reading his mind (which she could probably do), she smiled and said, “Just a note letting my husband and the minister know where I’m going, and that you’re with me.” Her face turned sour again, but it was definitely a more playful sourness, if her comically pursed lips were any indication. “After one of King Sombra’s loyalists attacked me recently, they panic if I don’t bring at least one guard with me. I think they both like to believe I’m some helpless damsel. Which I’m definitely not.” She illustrated her point by flexing her right arm, which pulled the fabric of her hoodie tight against her sizable muscles. True, it did seem like she was big enough to take care of herself, but…

“May I speak freely, Your Majesty?”

“Permission granted.”

Flash took a deep breath, steeling his nerves. He knew Princess Cadance wouldn’t like what he had to say. “I can kind of understand their feelings on the matter, especially the Captain,” he said calmly, trying his best to be gentle. There was no telling if the princess would break down again if he hurt her feelings. “As you said, he’s your husband. He’s going to worry, no mater what. I think it’s kind of a spouse’s job to do so.”

As he spoke, Cadance maintained a fairly blank expression, not reacting in any way that would betray her thoughts to him. After a moment of silence, she sighed and gave him a soft, warm smile that could probably melt the iciest of hearts. “I guess you’re right. I think you’ll make a fine husband to a lucky mare one day. Come on, let’s get out of here.”

“Yes, ma’am,” flash said sharply, giving a particularly snappy salute. Princess Cadance narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms. He got the message. “I mean… Sure thing, Breeze.”

Again, she giggled and clapped her hands. She flashed him a playful grin and moved to his side. Suddenly, her hands grabbed hold of his arm and she leaned into him a little. “Come on, Flashy… Let’s go catch up over lunch.”

♥X♥X♥<

Flash and ‘Breeze’ sat at an outdoor table at a newly-opened Hey Burger joint in the shopping district, enjoying a nice, peaceful lunch. No royal guards came hunting them down, no paparazzi assaulted them. As far as anyone else knew, Flash really was having lunch with his cousin. Flash had taken to calling her Breezy. They told each other jokes, and swapped made-up stories about their lives since they parted ways, and even reminiscing when they were kids. Flash’s favorite was the one where he had dove into the river to save Breeze because she couldn’t swim. The drive to save his precious cousin would go on to awaken his desire to help others, and inspire him to enlist in the guard.

But of course, that whimsicality didn’t last too long. Whatever had been plaguing the princess’s heart also plagued Breeze’s. It didn’t take long for her to bring them into the conversation. Of course, Flash was happy to listen to her concerns.

“Hey, Flashy?” she asked softly, reaching across the table and gently placing her hand on his.

Flash’s cheeks warmed up slightly, but instead of getting embarrassed, he softly took hold of his cousin’s hand and smiled at her. “What’s up, Breezy? You got something on your mind?”

“You could say that…” she replied softly, almost unheard over the noise of the people around them. “I’ve been thinking a lot, lately. About my body.”

“What about it? It’s perfect for your line of work right?” They’d previously discussed how Breezy had finished her engineering degree in Vanhoover and was working as a contractor.

“Yeah, but… I think it bothers my husband. I think he feels threatened.” Breezy was married. Her husband, a banker named Gold Piece, was kind of a wimp. Flash could bench more than him. Flash could probably bench him, actually. “Flashy, do you think I’m… intimidating?”

“Depends on the context of the question.”

“In any context.”

“Just… Just a little bit,” Flash said delicately. The wounded look Breezy gave him actually hurt a bit. “As far as the physical is concerned, you’re pretty tall and insanely ripped for any zephyr, let alone a female zephyr. I think most guys would be intimidated, even if it was another man with your build. Financially, you make almost as much as much as Gold does. If he chose to retire, or something happened to him, you could support the both of you and probably a kid, too. And even further, you’re really intelligent. Probably a lot smarter than Gold.”

“Gold is pretty smart, though. Smart enough to be head of his branch of the bank.”

Flash gave Breezy’s hand a strong squeeze. “He’s obviously not, if he’s letting those kinds of things affect the way he feels about you,” he explained, keeping an eye on Breezy’s reaction. Of course, he meant everything he was saying. He wasn’t the sort to give out hollow compliments. But if he started to upset her, it might be wise to stop. “An actually good husband would stick with his wife, regardless of what the situation is. His love should be unconditional. He should be grateful if his wife is strong enough to stand beside him. He should stand with her, proud of his equal.”

As Flash had expected, a few tears rolled down her cheeks, but she didn’t break down again. Instead, she smiled and laced her fingers together with his. “Would you stand with me, Flashy? Would you be proud of me? Would you lay with me, or would my body turn you off?”

Flash could feel every bit of his face turn bright red. First off, that was weird in the context of their role play. But he knew better. Best to divert the subject. “That’s kind of a messed up thing to ask your cousin, Breezy.”

“You know I’m not asking as Breezy.” As she spoke, her hand tightened around his, turning the areas it touched slightly purple. She was dead serious, and she wasn’t going to let this go without a straight answer. Also, his hand hurt. She was probably counting on that.

“I would.”

“You would what?”

“I would do all of that. I’d stand by you, be proud of you, and I’d… I’d lay with you,” he said softly. Of course, that probably wouldn’t be enough. He’d have to give more depth to the answer. “I think you’re beautiful, and your strength only makes you more attractive to me. I think I would be blessed to have a woman that could stand beside me, not behind me.”

Breezy (or Cadance, Flash wasn’t certain at this point) laughed at him and leaned in over the table. She planted her other hand on the table, and given its direction, hinted for him to take it. He did. “What, you got some kind of muscle fetish?” she said haughtily, staring him down through her bangs. She was testing him, now. There was no way of telling what his answer would bring, but he felt as though she would know if he lied to her. The only option, once more, was to be honest.

“I might.”

“I might crush you with my embrace. Would you still lay with me?” She was whispering now, and her breathing had become rather heavy. Her face was also red, just like back in the hallway. Flash suddenly realized that Breezy, or rather, Cadance might be seriously entertaining the notion of sleeping with him. She must have picked up on his thoughts, because her demeanor changed again. Her shoulders slumped and she started to pull her hands away from his. “Hypothetically speaking, of course.”

She was upset again. If it were anyone else, Flash wouldn’t care. This, however, was his princess. This was the woman he’d sworn to protect from all harm. Shouldn’t… shouldn’t that also imply emotional harm? If he turned her down now, at such pivotal point in her despair… it might very well break her. Even if he followed up on her suggestion of the conversation’s hypothetical nature, that might still hurt her. He couldn’t do that to her. He couldn’t raise her hopes and dash them against a rock like that. Maybe he was just making excuses to sleep with her. It was entirely possible. Did that really matter, though? If it helped her, what difference did it make whether he benefitted from it? It didn’t matter. It didn’t make a difference. He made up his mind.

Before her fingers could be fully untangled from his, he snapped his hands forward and clutched hers tightly. She tried a bit harder to pull away, but Flash held her hands firmly and with conviction. “Not hypothetically speaking, I would gladly lay with you.”

Cadance’s shocked expression was enough to bring a smile to his face. It didn’t last long, as a sweet and contented smile replaced her gaping mouth. She probably hadn’t expected him to say he would actually go along with her, but that was okay. Her smile had regained its well known beauty and warmth, and that let Flash know he was taking the right course of action.

“Do you want to find a hotel for your dear cousin to stay the night in?” she asked, her voice a near whisper. “You could stay with me, and go back in the morning.”

“Yeah. I think I’d like that.”