The Final Morning

“Mnnnghhhh…”

Shining let out a faint and rumbling groan as he reeled in bed, needing a moment before he could reopen his eyes. After spending so long uncomfortably cramped on that couch, he winced to the thought of actually needing to readjust to a proper bed again. On one hoof, Shining knew that he should’ve been grateful for Sombra imposing that new privilege, since he could’ve easily taken it away if he desired. But on the other hoof, the slave didn’t exactly feel too chipper when he awoke by himself that fateful day.

In fact, considering how that was the day of his inevitable gelding, it was downright shocking that he was even able to sleep in the first place.

Shining took a long, long moment to himself as he sat atop the plush bedding, needing to process his thoughts as best as he could. He knew that he couldn’t go back on his deal with Sombra and Cadance, despite how unforgivably awful they would sound to any sane ponies who knew of what was going to happen. But at the same time, Shining couldn’t find it in himself to confidently say he wanted to go back either. In a horrifyingly strange way, the only thing that came to mind was the looming threat that going back would be as cowardly as surrendering. Even though he was aware of how awful such a mindset sounded, especially after losing his Royal lineage to be the lowest of statuses beneath Sombra, he felt a strange compulsion to keep treading forward.

“Sweet Celestia…” Shining sighed to himself hoarsely, and looked down at the measly cage latched around his member. He should’ve been excited about the prospect of losing that accessory after the day was over; however, it was hard to really feel ecstatic about being freed when his cock would be deemed basically useless. Sure, he could still get erect with the aid of testosterone patches, and he still had that cup of his sperm sitting frozen for Cadance to use some day. But as he thought about his plans at the formal, he couldn’t help shaking his head with his eyes tightly shut. “I really need to talk with Sombra about this…”

Shining pulled himself out of bed, and trotted towards the bathroom to freshen himself up. Just as he trotted past the walk-in closet, Shining was surprised to see Sombra lounging out by the bedroom balcony. Just a few months prior, both he and Cadance would’ve chastised him for sitting out in the open beside their bedroom and risk being seen. However, since Sombra was basically the Prince already, Shining merely sighed in defeat and went to investigate. He opened the sliding door to the balcony, prompting Sombra to turn his head while seated in a lawn chair.

“Ah! There you are, Shining,” he said with a cheerful smile. He motioned his head towards the empty chair beside his own. “Come, sit down with me. The view from this balcony is wonderful this time in the morning.”

Shining wanted to ask how long Sombra was sitting out here by himself, or if any of the Crystal Ponies saw him just outside the Royal bedroom. But when he glanced out at the cityscape of the Crystal Empire, he couldn’t deny how right Sombra’s assessment was. The sun had only recently risen from the eastern horizon, and was illuminating the crystal architecture all across the Empire with a beautifully luscious view. Shining ended up smiling from the view, and went to sit down beside Sombra and better appreciate the morning. Despite how hesitant he was feeling, he was able to relax the slightest bit when he settled in the chair.

“Aaaaaahhhhhh…” Sombra sighed after taking a sip from a large glass of orange juice in his hoof. Since he already had a pitcher beside his seat, as well as a second empty glass, he took the time to courteously pour his guest a glass as well. Shining nodded with a thankful smile, but didn’t say anything as he gazed out at the stunning view before them. Instead Shining took a long sip of his drink as he heard Sombra speak once more. “I must say, Shining Armor. I may have lived in this castle for years before my rightful defeat. But during all that time, I was never able to truly appreciate how lucky I was to have a moment like this for myself.”

Shining pulled the glass away from his lips to nod back at him. When he saw the look of contemplation on Sombra’s face, he could tell that he was thinking a lot about his treacherous past. It was hard to believe that after all the atrocities he committed, both to the Crystal Empire during rule and to Shining nowadays, that he could still show much remorse for his long-forgiven actions. Fortunately for Shining, he chose not to say anything more than a simple, “Well… That’s a big thing when it comes to life, I suppose. It might be short, but it’s never too short to make up for past mistakes.”

“Well said,” noted Sombra with a gracious raise of his glass. He looked back out from the balcony, taking a moment to savor the tranquility he and Shining were able to share. “Hmmm… You know, it’s funny how easily a sense of power can make you lose sight of things. Even before I was corrupted by dark magic, I don’t think I ever stepped a hoof out here while overseeing the Crystal Empire on my own.”

“Wow, seriously?” Shining glanced back at him with a surprised look on his face. “That’s… Honestly kinda hard to believe.”

“I know, right?” Sombra huffed in amusement before turning his focus back to Shining. “But it’s true. When it was just myself ruling over this Empire, I was too stressed to even sleep soundlessly most nights. A lot of the time I was either dwelling over menial issues like taxes and maintaining civil order, or worrying about a possible invasion that would ruin my chance of a legacy.”

Shining’s muzzle tensed up the slightest bit, forcing him to look away from Sombra and mutter under his breath, “Yeah, I know what that’s like…”

Sombra chuckled a little to his slave’s remark, and reached out to place a hoof on his shoulder. “Hey, don’t beat yourself up, Shining,” he said assuredly, making sure to use his first name to ensure his sincerity. “If I were to be completely honest, you and Cadance would’ve done a wonderful job overseeing the Crystal Empire back in my day.”

After blinking a couple times in confoundment, Shining looked back at him to ask, “Wait, seriously?!”

“Yes, of course!” Sombra pulled his hoof away before leaning back in his seat more comfortably. “Seriously, compared to what you and Cadance had to deal with, my reign of power is downright embarrassing. I mean, you had to deal with me at my absolute highest level of power twice! Not to mention your fights against the likes of Tirek, Discord, and Chrysalis! And that’s not even mentioning the nearly catastrophic ice-ball incident during the Equestria Games.”

Sombra may have been trying to make a point, but hearing the outlines of all the Crystal Empire’s recent disasters left Shining to wince with his ears lowering to the sides of his head. When he thought back to all those events himself, all he could be reminded of was how ineffectively he was able to save the Empire himself. Heck, half the incidents Sombra mentioned were saved by Spike of all Equestrians. And while he may have been unbelievably proud of the dragon for how far he came, it also emphasized how little Shining had done since ruling as Prince.

“Well…” Shining looked down at himself unenthusiastically, and said with a hoarse sigh, “I suppose the fact that this castle is still standing should say something about all that.”

“Precisely!” Sombra smiled pridefully from that mention, which caught the stallion by surprise. “Seriously, Shining! Do you think I’d still be standing if all of that happened during my years of rule?! Heck, if I even dealt with one of those failures my myself, the castle staff would probably find me hanging from the ceiling with a suicide note pinned to my chest.”

Shining nearly jolted out of his chair, and gawked in utter shock at Sombra’s statement. Meanwhile, Sombra just stared back at him with a coy-looking smirk. “What? I’m just being honest here.”

Shining had to blink a couple times before looking away from Sombra, shuddering from such a morbid topic being mentioned. “Ugh… Jeeze, that’s a pretty dark thing to admit, Sombra.”

“Oh, and having me control your life for my perverted amusement isn’t?~” Sombra made sure to raise a brow teasingly at him with that remark, causing Shining to cringe and lower his muzzle away from him. After making another brief huff, Sombra made sure to add, “But don’t worry, that mindset of mine was literally centuries ago. I’m simply pointing out that you’ve handled far more than I could ever do.”

He looked back out at the balcony before them, smiling as he watched the crystal homes glistening under the morning sun. “Seriously though… You and Cadance had to deal with far more heartache and challenges than I could ever handle myself. And despite everything you two went through, including myself… the Crystal Empire is still just as beautiful as it is safe. Much more than it ever had while I was ruling over it.”

Shining took that moment to look back out at the Empire, processing Sombra’s point well enough to smile in contentment. “Huh… That’s… That’s one of the nicest things you ever said to me.”

“Well, it’s also one of the most truthful, Shining Armor.” Sombra waited until his slave turned his attention back towards him, and gave a warm smile with his fangs just barely peeking out. “I know I’ve done a lot of things since this all began. Not just to you, but to your loved ones and such. But do you know why I went as far as I have?”

Shining started to blush a little, and his muzzle wrinkled in uncertainty as he veered his eyes away from him. “W-Well, ummm… I sorta assumed it was because you’re a sadist who loves tormenting a masochistic cuckold.”

Sombra reeled his head back to laugh boisterously, not appearing upset by Shining’s answer by any means. “Alright… Alright, you got me there, Shining. I won’t dispute that point by any means. However…”

After taking a moment to settle himself down, Sombra wiped the tears from his eyes so he could speak more earnestly. “To add to that answer, the reason I’ve done so much to you is because I know you can handle it, Shining Armor. Heck, you admitted it yourself when Cadance confronted you about your reasons the other day, remember?”

Shining had to think back to what Sombra was referring to, but eventually nodded in recollection. As he looked down at his hooves in thought, he took a breath before saying, “You mean, uhhhh… about how I… wanted a challenge?”

“That’s right. You might be the ‘legal Prince’ of this Empire,” he said with strong hoof-quotes, “but deep-down, you’ll always be a soldier and a diligent Guard. Even when the largest, most grueling challenges are placed before you, you still get right back up with your head held high. And in an odd sort of way… it’s quite endearing to witness.”

Shining put his glass of orange juice back down, and turned himself so he was facing him in his seat. As his legs dangled off the side of the lawn-chair, he took a breath before asking, “So, uhhhh… What are you trying to tell me with all this?”

“Well…” Now it was Sombra’s turn to glance away from Shining with a slight skew of his muzzle. “Since I’m being honest right now, I… I suppose I should admit that… I was wrong about you.”

That comment threw Shining way off. His eyes widened immensely, and he had to do a double-take before asking, “W… W-What?”

Sombra sighed before clarifying, “What I mean to say is… I was wrong about how I previously saw you, Shining. Back when you first asked me to lay with Cadance, I… I had the impression for the longest time that it was because you were inferior to me. And… I may have carried that mindset for far longer than I’m proud to admit…”

Shining didn’t say anything, but his eyes narrowed on Sombra while listening intently.

“And the longer I spent tormenting you, the more that I felt it only solidified how I saw you. I truly felt that deep-down, that… that I was better than you in every way. More attractive, more intelligent, more charming and desirable to any mare -- especially Cadance. And… all the months I spent cucking you was my way of confirming that you were truly a lesser pony to myself…”

Shining had to turn away from Sombra after hearing all that, unsure of how to process such a bold claim. Even though he couldn’t necessarily blame Sombra for feeling that way (especially after being literally enslaved by him), he bit his cheek while processing the tone of voice his Owner was carrying with that confession. When he looked back at Sombra, he couldn’t help to ask, “So, uhhhh… when did you stop thinking that way?”

“When you saved my life yesterday.”

Shining’s eyes bulged out again, clearly not expecting to hear that Sombra’s opinion of him changed so recently. But when he looked back at his Owner in awe, he was able to see how genuinely he was feeling about his change of heart. Sombra reached out to place a hoof on Shining’s lap, right beside that locked chastity cage. “Shining, I… I might have a lot of feelings like grandeur and egotism, but that doesn’t mean I’m delusional. I can fully admit when I’m wrong, and… I was wrong about you, Shining Armor.”

Sombra gave him a sincerely warm smile. “I might have some qualities I’m confident in saying I’m better than you at performing. But… I can safely say that you’re a far better leader for the Crystal Empire than I ever was. And I can also say that Flurry Heart is in much better hooves with you as a Father.”

Shining wasn’t sure how to feel, but his muzzle trembled as he gave a thankful smile back to his Superior. Sombra could tell what was going to happen, but he didn’t try to stop Shining as he bent in to give a strong hug. The two stallions held each other tightly for several seconds, completely ignoring everything around them during that moment of embrace. When the two finally pulled back, Sombra placed a hoof up against Shining’s cheek. The slave didn’t try to stop him, and instead laid his own hoof atop his Owner’s. Even though they were out on a balcony where anypony could see them, neither of them gave any heed to the ramifications as they went in for a deep and loving kiss.

Shining knew he should’ve felt weird for kissing his former enemy, let alone enjoying it so much. However, considering how Cadance was able to appreciate the Prince’s body almost every day, it wasn’t like Shining had much reason not to do the same. In fact, by the time their lips finally parted from that deep and passionate kiss, Shining was left blushing with a sheepish smile on his face. Sombra was smiling a bit more confidently, and kept his hoof against the stallion’s cheek to marvel at him for a moment longer. “Mmmmmmm… Now that’s what I call a nice personal moment.”

Shining tried not to giggle as he reeled away from him, but he was still smiling when he nodded in agreement. “Mmmhmm~”

“A’HEM!”

Both stallions froze in place wide-eyed, not expecting to hear an unfamiliar voice clearing her throat. Shining and Sombra’s heads slowly turned at the same time, glancing over to see an unexpected visitor perched on the ledge of the balcony.

Princess Luna didn’t say anything, but her venomous glare on the two said far more than any words ever could. Shining immediately began to tremble in horror, even though he was still in his Owner’s tight embrace. Of course, Sombra was looking just as mortified to see the Princess of the Night staring him down, undoubtedly wanting to eviscerate him for his “adulterous” actions with the stallion in his hooves. He tried to open his fanged muzzle, but nothing could come out which could adequately explain why he was kissing the married Prince of the Crystal Empire. Not to mention, he really couldn’t say anything too truthful without the looming worry of being gutted by the Alicorn with her teeth.

After what felt like an eternity, Princess Luna lifted a foreleg to point to the open doorway leading into the bedroom. Her eyes were unblinking as she stared the stallions down, and spoke in the most intimidating tone imaginable:

“WE NEED TO TALK. NOW.”

Shining Armor and Sombra were seated side-by-side on the couch, but neither of them were able to say a word. Sombra was carrying a very rare form in that moment, as his muzzle was tightly clenched with his head hung low in shame; from Luna’s perspective, the former Tyrant looked like a grade school bully who had just been caught red-hoofed, and was sitting in the Principal’s office for the first time in his life. Meanwhile, Shining was completely frozen with his eyes as wide as saucers, and looking like he was anticipating his inevitable death before the glaring Princess.

Luna remained just as silent as the stallions before her, and was waiting patiently on the loveseat while staring at the two. She looked unbelievably miffed, but managed to keep her expression as neutral as possible aside from her piercing glare. Sombra looked like he wanted to say something, but he was smart enough to follow Shining’s lead and keep his muzzle shut. Even though the grandfather clock was ticking nearby, neither of them tried to glance over and how long they were waiting for their guest.

Eventually, the bedroom doors finally opened. Princess Cadance rushed into the room, clearly unaware of why she was summoned personally by her aunt. “Princess Luna?! What’s going o…”

The moment she stepped into the main space of the bedroom, and saw who Luna was keeping on the couch, her face turned a deathly pale. She froze on the spot, and was only able to blink a couple times before Luna glanced over at her. The Alicorn didn’t say anything to her niece, but it wasn’t hard to figure out why she was looking so upset. After a long moment of silence, Cadance breathed out shakily and muttered under her breath, “Oh… shit.”

“Yes,” stated Luna in a cold, matter-of-fact tone. “‘Oh, shit’ indeed.”

Shining cringed. Hard. Cadance may have tried to keep her profanity to a pure minimum, but to hear Luna give such a casual curse made it obvious how screwed they likely were. But as the “Prince” kept his muzzle shut, Luna pointed to the door and said, “Lock the doors behind you, Cadance. We need to discuss some things.”

Cadance looked rightfully terrified, but nodded meekly before lighting up her horn. She quickly closed the bedroom doors, and locked them tightly shut to keep any wandering Guards or castle staff from eavesdropping. Her breaths came out faint and trembling when she finally stepped forward, which prompted Luna to turn her attention towards her. As she readjusted herself on the plush chair, she narrowed her eyes on her niece and asked, “Cadance, are you aware of why I’m here right now?”

Her muzzle tightened immensely, and her eyes darted between her aunt and the two stallions. Her husband was still too intimidated by Luna’s presence, and refrained from saying a word towards her. Shining looked equally as guilty, averting his eyes from her in second-hoof embarrassment. The pregnant mare winced to herself, but tried not to fault the two for remaining silent; after a deep breath though, she let out a stronger exhale while carrying a bitter scowl of her own. “Let me guess. Sombra did something inappropriate?”

Sombra’s jaw dropped in offended shock, and he gawked at his wife all bug-eyed. If Shining wasn’t still petrified himself, he likely would’ve snickered from that truthful answer. Even Luna rose her brows with an impressed nod, and said in response, “Well… that’s not incorrect, Cadance.”

She scooted herself to one end of the loveseat, and gently patted the empty space beside her. “Please sit down. I don’t want you standing for too long in your condition.”

Cadance may have still looked fretful, but she gave a thankful nod as she went to sit beside her aunt. The Alicorn used her magic to help her niece lower herself carefully, not wanting to harm the foal in the process. When she finally sat comfortably, Cadance placed both hooves over her swollen barrel protectively. Meanwhile, Luna glanced around the room and let out a brief sigh. “Well then… I think it’s pretty clear we have a lot to discuss.”

Shining and Cadance shared a petrified look at one another, while Sombra closed his eyes in anticipation. Fortunately, Luna was quick to add with a raised hoof, “But let me just state this right here and now… Given the circumstances, I promise I’m not going to do or say anything harmful towards any of you. We’re all adults here, so there’s no reason not to act civilly on the matter. And with Cadance’s pregnancy, the last thing I want to do is give her any additional stress.”

“Hmph…” Cadance let out a faint scoff as she rolled her eyes from her aunt. “It’s a little late for that.”

“Well, considering what I already know,” she retorted firmly enough to make Cadance clench her muzzle, “and what I refrained from addressing with your aunt Celestia, I think you should be grateful we’re having this talk in private.”

Cadance couldn’t say anything, and merely kept her muzzle pointed away from her. Shining and Sombra were staring at Luna worriedly, neither of them wanting to clarify what she may have already known. But alas, it didn’t take long before Luna turned her stern gaze towards Shining in particular. The “Prince’s” face tightened up, but he struggled not to turn away from her and show cowardice.

“Shining Armor, do you know why I came to your balcony in the first place?”

The stallion opened his muzzle for a moment, but no suitable answer could come out. Part of him wanted to say it was because of that kiss with Sombra, but he had a feeling that Luna was referring to something else. He thought back to what Twilight and Cadance told him, but he had a feeling that somepony wasn’t being entirely truthful about his secret being kept hidden. The idea of confessing anything felt unbelievably wrong; but at the same time, Shining had to hope that he could trust Luna on her word. So after breathing out shakily, Shining kept his sights on Luna while giving his answer.

“Is… I-Is it because of my dream the other day?”

Cadance and Sombra both stared at the stallion in stunned silence, which served as a staggering contrast to Luna’s unchanged expression. Much to all their shock, the Princess nodded her head calmly. “That’s right. I know that both my niece and niece-in-law have tried to ‘subtly’ ask about that, but I refrained from admitting anything to risk embarrassment. But considering how the Crystal Empire formal was slated to happen tonight, I wanted to make sure it wasn’t anything too forewarning.”

Shining’s expression turned absolutely petrified, with his pupils shrinking to the size of pin-pricks. Sombra tried to scoot away from his slave as subtly as he could, but stopped the moment Luna shot him a warning glare. Meanwhile, Cadance stared at her aunt with a deeply offended look on her face. “Wait a minute! You told me you never looked in Shining’s dreams! I can’t believe you lied to me!”

Despite how upset she tried to look, Cadance wilted the instant Luna turned back towards her with an intense stare. “Do you really think you’re one to talk about lying, Cadance?”

She immediately reeled away from Luna’s glare, clutching her pregnant belly as protectively as she could. Luna closed her eyes with a remorseful sigh, and was quick to add, “Alright, alright… That was a bit much, and I apologize. I’m simply making a point here.”

Cadance didn’t look back at her aunt, but she took a couple of calming breaths before nodding her head. “Right… Th… That’s fair…”

Since Cadance wasn’t willing to embarrass herself further, Luna turned her firm gaze towards Sombra. The former villain audibly gulped, and he tried to lean back on the couch to give himself a couple more inches of distance. She didn’t say anything, and just kept a lingering stare to make Sombra squirm. But just before she could open her muzzle, her sights veered just a little towards the side to look past him; she narrowed her eyes with a tilt of her head, and lit up her horn to grab something off in the distance.

Shining and Sombra were unaware of what caught Luna’s attention, but Cadance gasped in horror the moment she saw her aunt’s magic pick up a red cloth hanging from the laundry hamper. Despite how mortified her pregnant niece was looking, Luna floated the pair of used panties towards them with her aura. When Shining saw what it was, he instantly covered his face with both hooves. Unfortunately for Sombra, all he could was sit with a terrified smile when he saw the panties Cadance had worn the previous night.

“Hmmm…” Luna’s muzzle skewed uncomfortably, but she tried her hardest to cover her scowl when she read what was written across the back. “... ‘Property of King Sombra’, huh?”

Cadance mimicked her Ex’s reaction, and hung her head low with her hooves covering her face. “Noooooooo… no, no, no, no, no, noooooo…”

“Uhhhh… heh heh heh…” Sombra tried to chuckle nervously to lighten the mood. Even when Luna looked back at him with a murderous glare, Sombra pointed at his slave and said, “Those are his panties!”

Luna and Shining both face-hoofed at the same time. Cadance shot her husband a very unamused glare, which caused the stallion to wince ashamedly in response. Luna was the first to pull her hoof away before asking, “Sombra, do you really think I’m that stupid? I already know about your marriage to Cadance, so I strongly suggest you don’t lie to me right now!”

Sombra clenched his fangs with a nervous look, noting how seriously Luna made that shocking reveal. Shining and Cadance looked equally as unnerved as the stallion, but were too guilty themselves to really say much. Luna took a moment to glance back at the panties in her aura, and groaned in disgust before tossing them back in the hamper. “Ugh… And I thought Discord was the biggest deviant in Equestria.”

Cadance hung her head in remorse, looking legitimately hurt by that statement. Shining glanced back at the Alicorn and asked, “Uhhhh… Did… Did he tell you anything about us?”

“No, he didn’t.” Luna turned back to the “Prince” and said bluntly, “Although I’m not surprised he’s in the know about all this. I would’ve guessed him before Twilight Sparkle…”

The mention of Twilight got to Shining just as badly as Luna’s previous comment got to his Ex. Explaining Discord’s knowledge of their twisted “relationship” was one thing, but to admit that the future Ruler of Equestria was compliant almost felt like confessing to treason. As Shining squirmed in his seat, he could only hope to everything holy that Luna wasn’t aware of Twilight’s possible pregnancy as well. Or at least, that she wouldn’t connect the dots and figure out that Sombra was the father of her foal as well.

“But!” stated Luna with great insistence. “That’s not the detail I want to address right now. All that I want is to have some questions answered. I’m not going to interfere with anything you three are doing, because it seems that you’re all handling this…”

Luna had to pause briefly enough to keep from grimacing. “... arrangement… with enough self-awareness and respect for me to maintain my trust. I just need some assurance that things aren’t going too extreme. Do you understand?”

All three of the ponies were deathly silent the moment Luna mentioned the word “extreme”. Even if they were taking every precaution possible to ensure their relationship was safe from the public eye, none of them were delusional enough to say they were being smart on the matter. Cadance looked especially uneasy, not able to even look her aunt in the eye. However, despite their telling silence, all of them nodded their heads in agreement.

“Alright then.” Luna took a deep breath with her eyes closed, needing a moment before she could look at Sombra. The stallion looked like he was being held under intense interrogation, reminding him of how badly he was judged when he was first pulled from the Frozen North. Luna kept a firm and unrelenting glare on the ex-villain, before asking bluntly, “Sombra… Is the foal yours?”

Sombra tensed up strongly, as did the ex-couple who tried their hardest not to cringe. But since Luna was keeping her sights on Sombra, all he could do was sigh and nod his head. “Ummm… Y-Yes, your Highness. I am the biological father.”

“Ugh…” Luna’s composure broke just enough for her to pinch her temple with a hoof. She didn’t want to appear too upset, but that groan was more than enough to make Cadance’s muzzle tremble out of guilt. She leaned her head back to point her muzzle to the ceiling, and muttered to herself, “Oh, sweet Celestia…”

“I’m sorry!” Cadance hunched down with her face completely hidden behind her hooves. “Luna, it was entirely my choice, okay!? And I promise, I’m never going to tell anypo--”

“Cadance, CADANCE!” Luna’s sharp interruption made Cadance freeze up in her seat. The Princess immediately placed a hoof on her back, and she said sincerely, “Cadance sweetie, I’m not mad at you, alright? I promise, I still love you. Nothing will ever change that. Please, please settle down…”

Cadance had to close her eyes while breathing heavily, but still wiped her eyes with a hoof to keep from sobbing. Both of the stallions winced with shameful looks of their own, absolutely hating that they caused this much conflict between aunt and niece. Nevertheless, Luna turned her attention towards Shining next, her expression becoming much sterner. “And Shining… I’m not going to say I’m happy about your involvement, but I’m not going to chastise you for it either. It’s obvious that you both acted as adults, so all I’ll ask you is this… Did both of you agree to Sombra doing that?”

Shining tried not to look too regretful of his actions, but that was easier said than done when he saw Cadance still brooding sadly beside her aunt. But after a quick exhale, Shining nodded his head and sat up more confidently. “Y-Yes, Princess Luna. Sombra had already been in our lives for several months by that point, and… N-Neither of us saw it being a temporary arrangement by that point…”

Sombra glanced over at his slave with a raised brow, not expecting him to speak so defensively. Shining motioned towards him as he added to Luna, “And… he himself has told both of us that we’ve been helping him greatly with his reformation efforts. S-So… If giving him that permission is enough to keep the Crystal Empire safe, then I think it’s a price worth paying.”

Luna’s eyes widened from that proclamation, and she blinked repeatedly during that brief bout of silence. Much to Shining’s surprise, the Princess actually nodded with an impressed shrug before saying, “Well… I suppose that can be seen as a fair point to some…”

Even with the sincerity in her remark, all of them could read through her wording to tell she still wasn’t completely accepting of it. But regardless, Luna kept her sights on Shining to ask another question. “But speaking of how other ponies will interpret your relationship... I need to clarify whether or not any of the details in that dream will actually occur.”

Shining’s muzzle tightened enough to wrinkle, and his eyes widened with a much more petrified look. Sombra instantly threw his hooves up to speak on his behalf, “D-Don’t worry, your Highness! I can assure you, I don’t intend to--”

“DO NOT INTERRUPT SHINING WHEN I ASK HIM A QUESTION.”

Luna’s murderous glare on Sombra only lasted a second, but it was more than enough to make him wilt in his seat. His muzzle clamped tightly in response, but he still tried to look over at Shining pleadingly. The slave took the briefest glance towards him, and saw him shake his head firmly in silence. Shining breathed out through his nostrils, unsure of how to answer the Alicorn sitting in wait. Even though Sombra was sounding truthful with that interruption, he couldn’t help but feel like he would be lying to the Princess if he complied.

“W-Well, ummm…” The “Prince” needed to look down at his hooves while processing his thoughts, unsure of how to convert them to a suitable answer. He didn’t want to confess to Luna that he was set to be publicly gelded, but he also knew that his dream wouldn’t likely come to full fruition either. After a moment of thought, Shining looked back up to address the Alicorn. “... I… I can assure you that my dream was merely a fantasy, and pure exaggeration. I don’t intend for the Crystal Empire formal to go that way.”

Sombra and Cadance silently breathed out in relief. Unfortunately, that may have been a moment too soon.

“B-But…”

Luna tilted her head, but didn’t seem to take notice of Cadance or Sombra’s worried stares on Shining. Meanwhile, the slave closed his eyes with an awkward skew of his muzzle, and added in a much meeker voice, “If… If you’re planning to attend the formal yourself, I… I should inform you that something likely will happen. Like… Like when we appointed Sombra as the Royal Crystaller for his foal…”

Cadance had to cover her face again, absolutely hating that Shining actually referred to the foal as Sombra’s without any shame. Sombra kept himself deathly still, silently hoping that Luna wouldn’t ask for clarification; given his plans, the last thing he wanted was for them to be spoiled right now. Unfortunately, his stoicness wasn’t enough to keep Luna from glaring in his direction. “Is that true, Sombra? Are you intending to do anything to disrupt the Crystal Empire formal?”

“A-Absolutely not!” he said with a genuine shake of his head. “I-I-I already discussed things with Cadance, and… a-and even she agreed that it wouldn’t do anything to interrupt the formal’s proceedings.”

Cadance was trying to give a strong motion of her hoof across her neck to make Sombra shut up, but she quickly stopped the moment Luna looked back at her. “Oh, is that so?”

Luna suddenly lit up her horn, and casted out a small dome of her magic which went around the Princesses and their loveseat. Before Shining or Sombra could say anything, the Alicorns were within the same kind of sound-proofing bubble that Cadance had used before. Neither of them could tell what was being said since they couldn’t read lips; however, they could see enough through the Princess’ aura to tell that Cadance was looking very uncomfortable as she spoke on their behalf. While the Alicorns were talking, Sombra gave a hard nudge to Shining’s side and whispered angrily, “Why in Tartarus did you tell her that?!”

“Well, what was I supposed to do?!” he hissed back at his Owner. “She’d tell if I was lying! Plus, she already saw what was going to happen in the dream!”

“That doesn’t mean you have to clue her in on it! And just for the record, I really wasn’t going to geld you like that!”

Shining had to do a double-take with his head shaking violently “W-What?!”

“What do you mean ‘What’?! I’m an ex-villain, not a surgeon! If the Crystal Ponies saw me with a scalpel, it would make that attack yesterday look like a picnic!”

“W-Well, what were you going to do then?!”

“That’s not for you to know right now, Slave! And it’s certainly not something for you to mention to an Alicorn who could eviscerate me!”

“Well, excuse me for not wanting to be caught lying to her! It’s pretty clear I’m already on her bad-side for all of this!”

“Oh, and I’m not!? She still respects you, Shining! Or at least, she respects you more than me.”

“Gentlecolts…”

Shining and Sombra quickly shut up, and turned to see that the sound-bubble was now gone. Cadance was remaining silent as she looked away from the two with a heavy blush, and her hooves rested over her lap. Meanwhile, Luna’s unrelenting stare went back to the Prince for confirmation. “Sombra… Cadance just told me what you were planning, and also how you intend to keep it a secret from Shining Armor…”

Both of the stallions struggled not to cringe, mostly from the implication of what Cadance may have informed Luna about. But as Shining kept himself from speaking out of term, Sombra was left on his own when Luna asked him, “So I need to ask you right now… Are you intending to do that to the Crystal Empire’s ruler without any repercussions?”

Sombra’s lips pursed rightly, and he had to breath in through his nostrils before nodding his head. “... Yes, your Highness. I swear to you, I do not intend to disrupt the dignity of the Crystal Empire by any means. You have my word as a proper stallion.”

Luna didn’t say anything, or even blink as she stared Sombra down intently. After what felt like an eternity, with Sombra trying his hardest not to squirm in his seat, Luna breathed out and nodded her head. “Alright then. If Cadance and Shining trust your judgement on the matter, I’ll trust them as the Crystal Empire’s rulers that you won’t interfere with their well-being.”

Shining knew he should’ve been happy about her acceptance, but he was more stunned than anything else. Even with the Princess of the Night being made aware of his Owner’s plans, the fact that she wasn’t going to stop him spoke volumes about his fate. He crossed his hind-legs tightly, and tried not to look over at either of the ponies to see how they were reacting to Luna’s proclamation. Fortunately, Sombra was too focused on the Princess before him to even think about gloating to his slave.

“Alright then…” Luna pulled herself up from the loveseat, and reiterated her stance on the matter by saying, “If it means anything to you three, I promise I won’t inform Celestia of the state of your arrangement, or of the patronage of Cadance’s foal. Like I said, you’re all adults, and I trust that you have the necessary arrangements to ensure that nopony gets hurt.”

As she went to make her leave, Sombra closed his eyes to collect himself following that statement. But just as he heard Shining and Cadance gasp in unison, Sombra wasn’t able to protect himself as he was lifted off the couch by Luna’s magic. A strong beam of her aura wrapped tightly around his neck, leaving him hovering off the ground with his hooves dangling helplessly. Sombra tried to clutch his throat, but the strangulation was already making him weeze with his eyes bulging from his skull.

“But before I go…” Luna paid no heed to her niece’s horrified look behind her, or to Shining’s petrified expression right beside the strangled stallion. Sombra wriggled against her magical grip, but was unable to free himself while Luna stared him down with the deepest look of malice. “Reformation or not, do not forget that you’re on the thinnest of ice, Sombra. If you do anything of harm to the Crystal Ponies, or even think of involving Flurry Heart in ANY way, I will not hesitate to end you myself. And if you think your encounter with the Elements were bad, or those ponies from yesterday, I’ll leave you begging for the mercy they bestowed upon you.”

Sombra could only wheeze in his suspended state, with blood vessels already appearing within the whites of his eyes. Cadance had her hooves over her mouth, feeling utterly helpless from her Aunt’s harsh treatment of her foal’s father. Just as Sombra was starting to see spots at the corner of his vision, Luna got right up in his face with a venomous look. “DO. YOU. UNDERSTAND?”

Sombra instantly nodding his head, both in sincerity and desperation. Luna’s aura tightened around his neck for only a moment, leaving him to squirm badly in fear. Fortunately, that was when the Alicorn finally relented, and made Sombra drop back down on the couch. The stallion clutched his neck while gasping for air, his eyes still bulging frantically from that near-death experience. Meanwhile, Luna turned her sights on the other two ponies with her livid expression unchanged.

“And that goes for both of you as well! I won’t judge what you guys do in the bedroom, but I won’t hesitate to implement some serious changes if things go too far!”

Since Shining and Cadance were left rightfully stunned in fear, Luna wasn’t met with any objections as she went to leave the bedroom. Instead of taking the door, the Princess went straight towards the balcony to leave the way she came. Just as she opened the sliding doors, she paused long enough to glance back at them with a “friendlier” smile. “I’ll leave you three to prepare for the formal. And Shining? Your Father is scheduled to arrive in the Crystal Empire in an hour.”

Luna then unfurled her wings, and shot out from the balcony to soar into the morning skies. The instant she disappeared from sight, Shining went to check on the still-panting Sombra. Despite how tightly she wrung his neck, Shining was grateful that she didn’t leave any marks or visible damage. Meanwhile, Cadance clutched her chest with a hoof and let out a deeply relieved sigh. “Ohmigosh… Ohmigosh that was close…”

“Yeah, I get what you--Wait, what do you mean by CLOSE?!” Shining and Sombra both gawked at her in shock, with the slave saying, “Cadance, how in Equestria was that close?! She KNOWS about us! Heck, she knows what Sombra’s planning to do!”

“Heh~” Even after his near strangulation, Sombra was still able to huff with a semi-confident smirk. “And she’s not going to stop me either~”

Shining winced from that horrifying detail, which left him unable to see Cadance tapping her hooves nervously. “W-Well, ummmm… That’s because she doesn’t know…”

The two instantly looked back at her wide-eyed, while she kept her sheepish look pointed to the floor. “I, uhhh… I explained that the dream itself was Shining’s interpretation of feeling emasculated. And as for the formal itself, I… may have told her of a different plan.”

“Wait, what?!” Sombra sat himself upright while gawking at his wife. “You… You lied to Princess Luna?!”

“Well, not necessarily,” she tried to say with an uneasy shrug. “I just, uhhh… I told her that you were going to… place a vibrating plug in Shining to use throughout the formal…”

Shining tried his hardest to keep his jaw from dropping. Meanwhile, Sombra just scoffed before shooting her a coy-looking smirk. “Heh~ It’s hard to believe something like that would be considered tame between us nowadays, huh?”

“I know, right?” Cadance still looked guilty about her confession, but her nervous smile softened a bit as she shrugged back at him. “Besides, it’s not like we couldn’t do something like that during the formal too. You know, to make sure Luna doesn’t get suspicious~”

“Ughhhh…” Shining lurched forward with his face in his hooves. “Great. Now I have to deal with that too?”

“Yes you will~” Cadance shot her husband a more confident grin of her own, and asked him, “Honey? Would that be any issue on your end?~”

“Absolutely not!” Sombra was smiling just as wide while waving his hoof in assurance. “In fact, I think it would be a lovely addition to his neutering~”

Since nopony was present to overhear them, Cadance and Sombra couldn’t help giggling after their close-call with Luna. Meanwhile, Shining could only slump his seat with his ears drooping low in dread. He had just had the perfect opportunity to get some help if he wanted to, but ended up wasting it to keep this madness going. And to make matters worse, Shining was fairly certain that he wouldn’t have wanted her help if she tried to ask.

“Speaking of which…” Sombra was the first to pull himself up from the couch, and addressed Shining more formally. “Slave! Let’s go and collect your Father from the train station. I have an idea for a wonderful set of orders to implement involving him as well~”

“What?” Shining looked up at him in horror, noting the lecherous grin that re-grew across Sombra’s muzzle. Even after being threatened mercilessly by Luna herself, he was still able to pick himself back up to torment Shining even further. But when he glanced over at Cadance, Shining was horrified to see that she was smirking just as cheekily as her husband.

“Don’t ‘What’ him, honey~” she said with a lustful purr. “You know the drill. Luna’s out of our hair, so now you can follow his orders once more~”

Cadance then trotted off to resume her duties, leaving Sombra alone with him once again. “I’ll be sure to meet up with you guys when Night Light arrives. But for now, you two should have some personal fun~”

Shining’s mouth hung open, but nothing could come out before Cadance left the bedroom by herself. As soon as the doors closed behind her, Shining was met with the terrifying grin that Sombra had as he loomed over him.

“And just you know, little Slave… Cadance isn’t the only one willing to lie to a Princess about their intentions~”

Sombra grabbed hold of the base of Shining’s horn, causing him to yelp out in pain as his head was pulled in close to Sombra’s. With their horns nearly touching one another, Shining felt completely helpless when the Prince growled intensely, “And believe me, Shining Armor… Things will be disrupted at that formal~”

Shining could only gulp in the stallion’s grip, his heart thundering from the prospect of whatever horrors his Owner had planned next…

Author's Note

Keep in mind, I'm still writing out the remainder of this chapter as we speak. I'll likely have the remaining details finished by tomorrow or the day after that. I ended up writing a lot of content for this story, and will likely be over 20K words overall.

Speaking of which, please feel free to either join my Patreon to see what I have left, or donate to my PayPal to help with expenses. https://www.paypal.me/TheVClaw