I'm Shadow Dancer, human male and lover of movies.

"Hey, babe."

"Hey, you."

My marefriend Adagio and I had just moved in together.

"Oh, Shadow, that outfit doesn't scream 'you'." she winced.

That was her nice way of saying, "I hate your entire wardrobe." I heard of that nonsense in a book about building relationships.

"Look, you need a little shopping, and I need to help, so......please?"

For me, clothes are just a reason not to get arrested for indecent exposure when I leave the house.

"Never gonna happen." I sighed.

She tried though. She's been trying to slowly chip away at me. In her words:

"Ryan Gosling wasn't built in a day."

"TV?" she asked.

"Let me guess." I said. "Some incredibly elaborate historical drama where everyone dies?"

"How'd you know that?"

"Because it totally turns you on."

"It does not. That's not true."

"We literally have sex after every episode of that stuff."

"We do?"

Adagio's always been aware that she felt like she was born a few hundred years too late.

"Babe, I'm not complaining, but we do." I continued. "You have a 'Ye Olde' Era fetish thing goin' on here."

"Mm. Methinks thou may be right." Adagio purrs.

"Methinks thou should come hither and lay thy lips upon me."

"Thou should get naked."

Yeah, she clearly had a little problem.

But I didn't mind.

The next day, I approached Adagio during one of her workouts to fill her in on what I found in the mail.

"Shad, what's up?"

"I don't wanna interfere, but my friend and his girl are throwing a fancy dress up party." I stated.

"Cool." Adagio panted, doing her situps.

"Babe, you don't understand. It's a fancy dress up party."

"Yeah, you said that."

"Yeah, with masks and old timey wigs."

"Ohh, okay, I'm listening."

"It's your perfect night out. Old vintage fashion, everypony reenacting all Shakespearean-y and stuff-"

"W-Wait, will stallions be in tights?"

"...maybe. I've never been to one of these before."

I was her knight in shining armor.

At least, she was gonna make sure I was whether I liked it or not.

"So, what do you think it'll be like?"

"No idea, Dazz."

There's something about the anonymity about putting on a costume that lets you behave like a wilder version of yourself.

"Think I'll get jealous watching you flirt with some beautiful maiden with bountiful treasures?" Adagio giggled.

"Normally, I'd say yes." I said. "But at this party, I think it'll turn you on."

Adagio and I aren't really the jealous types. We both kind of liked the excitement of flirting a little. We knew it was just harmless fun.

"Just remember that, even if I accidentally dabble in the occa flirtation, I'll keep myself for you and you alone."

"Come on, Shad. Help me try these on, your grace."

"I'll help you try these off."

Eventually, we found Adagio the perfect dress. As for me, however, I just picked whatever Zorro/Musketeer-looking off-the-rack costume I could find in the store.

"Oh, not interested in blossoming into your authentic self, huh?"

"I'll make it work." I nodded.

"If you say so."

The next day at the party, the moment had finally arrived. I could have never predicted what was about to happen that night.

"I don't know what I was expecting," Adagio squeed. "But I'm gonna say this is the best party I will ever go to in my entire life!"

"Looks good." I said.

"So here's our game plan: One, drink. Two, dance. Three, explore."

Yeah, normally, I'd be into that, but tonight was different. My costume made me feel different. And a part of me wanted to take the new me out on a test drive.

"We don't have to be one of those couples that's, you know, always doing everything together." I shrugged. "You could go dance, I could get a drink, and then I'll meet up with you later. Sound good?"

"Good plan." she agreed.

"Alrighty then."

I don't know what got into me. I just wanted to be someone else, even if it was just for a few minutes. There was lots of fun flirting and lots of cider to go around. I was having the time of my life and so was Adagio for that matter.

"Ohhhh, look who's into costumes now." she laughed, pulling me onto the dance floor with a small group of mares. "Girls, this is my boyfriend, Shadow Dancer. Shadow Dancer, my sexy squad."

"Nice to meet you." I said. "Having a good time, babe?"

"Yeah, you know, I had fun with some mare upstairs who really wanted me. And, not gonna lie, watching you dance with those girls is kind of hot."

"Heh, I bet."

"You having a good time?"

"I just played a round of blackjack with Princess Celestia herself."

"Ooh, really? Did you get lucky?"

"Just a glance of side-flank."

"I meant, did you win any money, silly?"

"I lost 20 bits. Want something else to drink?"

"You know, I'm actually having fun dancing, but I'll come find you in a bit."

Even though we agreed to separate and have fun, I was starting to miss my princess. I figured I was gonna find her and have some together fun.

When I finally found her, she had that look that I immediately recognized when she beckoned me through a huge red curtain in the back of an unoccupied room.

"Ooh, gentle sir, surely we should wait." she panted. "There are patrons more inches from us."

For a moment, it was like we were two different individuals meeting for the first time in a dark room. She was as into it as I was.

"OHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

Which, of course, made me even MORE into it.

"That was amazing." I sighed.

"I-It was..."

"I'm gonna slip out. Uh, you wait here a minute or two and then keep it classy."

It was hands down better than I could have ever imagined. And then the fantasy...

"H-Hey, Shad."

Became a NIGHTMARE. For a second there, I truly thought I'd lost my mind. Why?

There were TWO Adagio's!

I didn't know who was who! And the one that approached me made me realize...

"B-Babe, I'm sorry." she belched. "I think I drank too much."

I had sex with the wrong princess. This was not how it was supposed to go. Adagio didn't even suspect a thing, which made it even worse.

"Cider is sneaky." she giggled.

"O-Okay, let's get you home. Let's get you to bed."

"Okie dokie, let's go to beddy byeeeee."

I didn't know how I was gonna explain it to her. I had no idea what I was going to do.

Later that night as Adagio wallowed in her drunken slumber, I tried reminding myself that it was an innocent mistake, but I owed it to her to come clean.

"Hey, Dazz, wake up." I whispered. "I gotta tell you something."

"I know trolls." she slurred. "They like lasagna."

"Sweet Celestia..."

After Adagio's hangover ended, Shadow told her the truth. Overcoming it strengthened their relationship.

They eloped in Las Pegasus a few years later where Adagio wanted a costume-themed wedding.

Shadow declares it "wasn't gonna happen."

Author's Note

The role of Shadow Dancer: Who you think I am.